《Hard Enough》 Chapter 1 - Gym Leader Brock I didn¡¯t get to instantly understand all the memories of my first life upon my insertion. I didn¡¯t get to meet any almighty being, or anything randomly omnipotent. Which, considering my new circumstances, would have been wild. Arceus as a god was crazy to consider. Instead, I slowly formed into an overly mature child. That didn¡¯t stop me from being caught in the wonder though. Being reborn into a world of pokemon will do that. There was a romance and a vibrancy to this world. Pokemon themselves made up the largest part but the people themselves were more upbeat. The simplest of things had more to them. I¡¯d easily spent vast amounts of my previous life engaged in the pokemon media. I wasn¡¯t a diehard by any metric; but I was a fan for sure. Enough so that I knew things about the world. I¡¯d had to test certain things at the start, such as which iteration of the pokemon world I was in. There was after all a world of difference between the various anime alone, then the games, and finally the manga. An equivalent of the anime was perhaps the best outcome for all involved, ergo, me. It did leave me with questions. Lots and lots of questions. Some of which I¡¯m not sure I wanted asked, let alone answered. I wanted some sleeping Entei to just keep slumbering. I wanted to live my second life for all that it was worth. That¡­ had been possible with the occasional hitch. Thankfully I¡¯d been able to put my knowledge of the pokemon world to great use. In the past, I had another name and another life. Another world that, while mundane, was engaging, enjoyable, and mine. This second life I would treat as an extension with a new name much like a new situation. It would be no different than going to college and getting a new name that others knew me by assigned to me. That¡¯s at least the way I rationalized it to myself. These days, I went by Brock. Brock as in the Leader of the Pewter City gym.
¡°Go Graveler!¡± I shouted. Pokeball discharging my chosen partner for this match. ¡°Go Nidorino!¡± shouted the challenger. The small rabbit-like rhino came down with a shake of its head that sent the overly large ears flapping. I let a small grin come out. It always amused me seeing pokemon that I once prized on my team with the game used against me. ¡°Graveler! Rollout into an Earthquake!¡± I called. I might have favored the pokemon originally but that was never a reason for me to go easy on them. ¡°Leap up Nidorino!¡± called my opponent with grit teeth. I braced myself as Graveller ended his first attack to slam both palms into the ground, calling out his name as he did so to cause the arena to shake. In the wild it wasn¡¯t uncommon to be walking around and lose your footing. Dampeners around the arena stopped it from affecting the watching crowd. I considered it money well spent, and the crowds that frequented the gym since I installed them, judging by the steadily growing number of regulars, agreed. I had even started making decent money selling tickets for some of the pre-booked matches. In my old world pokemon fights were often compared to cockfighting. A cruel sport marketed as pitting two animals against each other. This was incorrect. Perhaps in some other universe it was true in a grimdark world where everything was¡­ Well I¡¯d know if things were that bad. Perhaps it was Arceus in this universe, or something else, but actual ¡®blood¡¯ occurring in most fighting was rare. It still happened and was more a sign of a pokemon being pushed to their limits. Death during a match was extremely rare. You had to be careful of course, as most incidents of this were typically from people that threw out top tier pokemon against rookies. Something that was extremely frowned upon, if not outright punished if found. Most pokemon had good enough instincts to know when to get out of a fight either by ignoring a trainer¡¯s orders against a more powerful pokemon, or by staying down when they hit the ground. The exception to this rule was typically in the wild with untrained pokemon, or with criminal organizations. Criminals aren''t big on following rules and social norms. Funny that. ¡°Nidorino! Use swift!¡± Called out the trainer I had largely been ignoring. I refocused on the task at hand. I could admit to myself I was coasting in this fight. It was only a fourth badge standard match instead of anything exotic. It was the end of the circuit and this trainer wouldn¡¯t be able to make it for this round of the league unless he had a pokemon well versed in teleport, along with having already gone to the places he needed to earn the Indigo qualified gyms. So far the trainer wasn¡¯t impressing me enough that I could see them passing. ¡°Defense curl,¡± I finally answered after taking a moment to recall which moves this Graveller had. ¡°Thunder!¡± came the reply from the trainer, unknowingly sinking his chances of me passing him. I stoically stare as the thunderbolt descends upon Graveller, who earths it by digging his feet into the ground slightly. When the flash vanishes, my pokemon is revealed unphased by the light show. ¡°Eh?! It was ineffective!?¡± ¡°Dig,¡± I say, ignoring the antics of my foe. Talking isn¡¯t a free action after all. My opponent is flustered and compounds his earlier mistake. ¡°Nidorino focus! When it pops up near you, go for Poison Sting!¡± The pokemon dutifully nods before bracing. I huff in amusement. Leaping and using Swift would have been a better move, which would have shown more understanding of his pokemon¡¯s strengths rather than bracing. Then again the fact that swift is a move that will never miss unless very specific moves are used is not as well known, I have found. Having some knowledge of the moves from the games has been a rather large boon. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Graveller¡¯s fist shot out of the ground right under Nidorino, launching it into the air. ¡°Jump after it and Seismic Toss it!¡± I push for the finish and the other trainer can only watch on as his pokemon is knocked unconscious. The next fight of the challenge went even quicker with his Pidgeotto being a poorer choice for my gym. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I said to end it. His pokemon fell from the sky and just like that, the match ended. He raised a pokeball withdrawing the downed pokemon as each of the raised dias we were standing upon sank back flush with the floor. I marched up to Graveller and checked her over. The other pokemon trainer slouched up to me, ¡°So¡­ how¡¯d I do?¡± I gave him a look and shook my head. Then I employed one of the best things that I had been taught. Instead of me telling him, I started our fight review with, ¡°You tell me what you think you did well, and then bad?¡± He wasn¡¯t getting a Boulder badge from me today, but maybe next year he might have another run at the league circuit. The badges won each had a two-year validity for the end of circuit tournament after all. I stretched and checked over the rest of the schedule. No other trainers had come in to challenge me but that was to be expected. I waved to the crowd as they began to filter out. They knew no one else was scheduled in. The previous trainer had booked his time a few days ahead. I weighed up doing some talks with the crowd versus gym duties. I spotted a familiar face, covered in a beard with a hobo beanie. I almost thought I could smell them from where I was standing but shook the thought off. I considered talking to them for half a second. A roiling of emotions played out in my gut. Instead, I let my body turn me to the training area. I didn¡¯t want to deal with¡­ that, right now. Too many issues. Instead I wanted to focus on something else. The lighter intensity and more sporadic trainer battles meant more time available for some of the dedicated staff or the people that had signed on with us. It wasn¡¯t just pokemon that needed to grow in this world. Another lesson trainers learnt as they progressed. It also helped to have locked in employment in a field they had experience in. Also warm, clean beds for those that lived in the gym¡¯s housing were extremely nice. For people that had spent a year or two on the road, that was a pretty nice draw. I¡¯d checked each gym¡¯s facilities when I¡¯d been a trainer myself to get an idea of what was offered. Most of them were the traditional apartment blocks of Japanese urban cities, and those were considered good. I prided myself on having a bit more than that and it showed in how I typically always had at least four employed trainers. If they weren¡¯t employed by me then they were ¡®sponsored¡¯, which implied more mentoring and less me delegating tasks to them. I entered the door to a more ruggedised gym that was broken into different training areas. It was part training facility for humans and part environment training space. I had a small pool along with a moat that ran along the edge of the room. Some pokemon bobbed around and tried to swim against the current while others simply bobbed along. In the middle pokemon traded pointers and lifted weights. Others dashed about or used their abilities against training dummies. Further back I had an area for an open plan office with a conference room along with my own room for paperwork. Most of the time I spent I tried to keep out of the office however as trainers all preferred to be interacting with pokemon. That or training themselves. The trainers I employed worked with some of the gym¡¯s pokemon about the training area. Coaching them in the required moves that would allow them to be effective for certain badge level matches. There also needed to be a good deal of mentoring and counselling. It wasn¡¯t good for the pokemon to simply use them for low-level fights and ditch them. That created resentment and bad blood with pokemon growing more aggressive. Typically those ones faced a much more skewed win-loss ratio. Good pokemon at this level didn¡¯t stay low level for long. You needed a certain type, and those needed care still as the ratio still applied to them. Rare was the pokemon that didn¡¯t care about losing. I nodded to the ironically named ¡®Rocko¡¯, a local trainer that had been one of the first to apply when I¡¯d taken over the gym. He was laid back enough to be an easy hand with the low-level pokemon that stayed there. He waved back languidly before patting the head of a Geodude that bumped into him for attention. I instead turned to one of the trainers that weren¡¯t employed but rather ¡®sponsored¡¯ by the gym. Celia was a local that had garnered my interest and then the gym¡¯s sponsorship with her showing at a local ¡®little league¡¯ where pokemon of a certain level were loaned out to fight. She¡¯d accepted the prize of having her female nidoran from the tournament become her starter. She¡¯d completed her circuit and now was in training for the Indigo League that wasn¡¯t far off. I think she had good prospects. She waved before tilting her head towards her pokemon. I waved her off and nodded to a side room where the computers were set up. ¡°Let¡¯s do some match review and scouting for your opponents.¡± That got a more fanged grin. She likely was dreaming of the day that would soon come where she would be ¡®off the leash¡¯ so to speak. Having completed her circuit rather quickly she had been hanging around Pewter for a month now. The Level of trainers here that could actually challenge her were few and far between. So most days she trained with her pokemon and came up with strategies. One of the things only recently implemented was the tracking of all trainers¡¯ pokemon that they use along with movesets. This allowed for a much more competitive level of scouting if people were willing to put the time in. Typically not something you could do when you were on the road, but in a gym with computers? It was more than easy enough. Celia already had a good understanding of most of her rivals'' teams and strategies from previous sessions. Before I could leave the room another of the Gym¡¯s trainers entered. ¡°Leader! Finished your match already sir?¡± Dennis asked as he marched up to me. I nodded, ¡°Yeah, the kid made too many mistakes for me to let him through.¡± I gave his dusty pants and shirt a look over, ¡°Did you clean up the path for me tomorrow?¡± ¡°All taken care of Leader!¡± He said, doing everything but saluting at me as I dismissed him. The guy really would fit better with Surge, but I doubt his wife wanted to move. Turning back to Celia I caught her giving me a pleased look. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, I just think it¡¯s sweet you¡¯re taking time off to go hiking with your brother! I wish I had a big brother like you!¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°Instead you¡¯ve got me as a boss. Which is probably better. You get paid you know?¡± She nodded happily and skipped ahead, her skirt frill flapping with each hop. She winked when she noticed me watching her. I rolled my eyes at her again before gesturing at the computer. We both settled in for some work. She¡¯d have it pretty easy from now on for any duties required of her. I was pretty much coasting now that the circuit was coming to a close, and wouldn¡¯t be asking too much of her. Soon I¡¯d have what could almost be called a holiday with the ¡®slow¡¯ period of the less flashy gym duties for four months. I¡¯d quickly learnt that being a gym leader wasn¡¯t a job, it was a way of life. I surprisingly enjoyed it. There was a constant level of work that was both exhilarating but tiring. There was a level of respect and recognition throughout the community I¡¯d only associated with famous actors, athletes or politicians in my past life. I really liked it. It made me wonder what I¡¯d do when Ash Ketchum came around. I knew that was close timeline-wise. It was something that, along with a few other things would need to be discussed with Forrest tomorrow. For today I focussed on the task before me that I could handle. Tomorrow I¡¯d hike up Mt Moon and show Forrest ¡ªmy younger brother ¡ª one of the secrets at the top. Turns out it wasn¡¯t just a meteorite and fairies using it in ritualistic evolution ceremonies that made Mt Moon special. Chapter 2 - Mt Moon fireside chats Rocks bit into my hands as I climbed to the summit. Forrest trailed me, his face was almost planted into the rockface as we ascended Mt Moon. "Brock! Why are we doing this again?" "Climbing mountains builds character!" I shouted back. "Ever-ever notice building character means hard work?!" "Ha! That''s how you know it''s working!" I chuckled. We continued to struggle upwards, the sun slowly dropping closer to the horizon. The final leg of the climb was completed just in time for me to pull my brother up the mountain with a locked grip. Forrest heaved in air while bent over, prompting me to nudge him. "Straighten up. You''ll get more air standing upright. We''re pretty high up so it¡¯s important to get as much as you can with each breath." Forrest waved me away, "I''m good, I just need a second.¡± I held in more pointed instructions. I¡¯ve told him enough times now that he should be doing it. At twelve, going on thirteen, he¡¯s probably at that phase where he won¡¯t listen just to spite me. I considered that while selecting a particularly good looking rock to lounge on as the sun continues to dip lower. ¡°So we came up here for th¡ª¡± He straightened up finally, taking a deeper lungful of air, ¡°Oh hey that h-helps.¡± I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. With how I looked, no one typically ever noticed. I had found that I typically had to work to not let my face rest idly. ¡°What¡¯re you smiling about?¡± Forrest said as I watched him slowly regather himself. ¡°Heh, nothing, just smiling I guess.¡± Forrest considered that for a moment with suspicion before selecting his own rock to perch on. ¡°It¡¯s actually a nice view.¡± ¡°You thought I would have dragged you up here for no reason?¡± I asked. Forrest huffed, ¡°No Gym Leader Brock.¡± I huffed back at him, settling back while ignoring the need to return his sass with some of my own. The sun slowly dipped under the horizon and pokemon that had been at flight began to roost, creating a wonderful shimmer across the valley that we had spent the day trekking through. Pokemon that only liked to operate in the brief window of twilight emerged and acted rapidly. Hunting prey or darting through trees for forage. Other pokemon of the night slowly roused. It made for a wonderful atmosphere, something my younger brother seemed to agree with. Before the sun set fully, I stood, dusting my hands before opening up the backpack to begin setting out the tent that practically unfurled itself. ¡°What¡¯re you feeling like for dinner?¡± I said. ¡°Roast meat with a side of gravy baked vegetables,¡± said my all too clever brother. I merely nodded, ¡°Right, stew it is!¡± Forrest rolled his eyes but didn¡¯t offer a complaint. I filled the quiet by talking through my process, more for my own recollection than to actually teach Forrest how to cook. I paused with a ladle of stew close to my nose. Then again maybe it would be important for Forrest to cook with how Dad had been last time he was left to look after us. I chewed my lip in thought before sighing and pushing the thoughts away. The food needed my attention. I¡¯d have to make some plans for our family. I marked that in my ¡®future Brock concerns¡¯. There wasn¡¯t a lot I could do, nor should I do it now. This was supposed to be for Forrest. ¡°You¡¯ve been sighing a lot lately,¡± Forrest said languidly. His body propped up on a rock, ¡°Seriously, is something wrong?¡± I tapped my fingers together. I¡¯d long ago decided to not tell others about my previous life. I¡¯d probably end up in a mental hospital if I told anyone for one. Then again Pokemon was a Japanese concept. I snorted at the oft-repeated joke regarding mental health and the Japanese never bringing it up before pushing it aside. It was a bad joke. ¡°Forrest¡­ what do you want to do in the future?¡± I said. ¡°Me? Well, be a trainer at the gym! I¡¯ll work for you!¡± He replied without any doubt that this would be the way things went. I merely nodded and served up the stew. ¡°Right, right¡­ Say¡­ If I¡­ If I wasn¡¯t gym leader anymore, what then?¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Forrest went still, his bowl raised slightly to slurp from. He didn¡¯t say anything. Huh, never thought of that possibility did you? Forrest licked his lips, ¡°Are¡­ are you at risk of being...audited bro?¡± I snorted at the obvious fear of the thought that the Pewter city gym would face an audit of all things. Then again big companies in my old world would likely have the same reaction if such was hinted at. Then some words would have been spoken in select ears¡­ I shook my head to alleviate his fears and get back on track. ¡°Nah nothing like that. It¡¯s just,¡± I searched around for something that would make sense, ¡°I spotted Dad skirting around the city. He¡¯s been coming and going every few weeks now. Checking in on us from afar. Apparently some of the teachers from school spotted him as well and mentioned it.¡± Forrest frowned but didn¡¯t say anything. I let the quiet linger. Around us, some pokemon shifted and the sound echoed but it wasn¡¯t unpleasant. Eventually, I prompted the conversation, ¡°I think he might be looking to come back home.¡± Forrest clenched his hands tightly and scowled into his bowl, as if it had suddenly become a Muk instead of a tasty stew. ¡°He¡¯ll try and oust you as gym leader?¡± I shrugged, ¡°He might.¡± I was mostly working off the Anime, with how it played out. Things were supposed to be alls well that ends well weren¡¯t they? I had to push down the voice the niggled at me though. ¡°You¡¯re better at it than he ever was,¡± Forrest muttered, not eying me. Part of me from my past life knew what he was doing. Some ¡®guys¡¯ didn¡¯t like to look each other in the eye when showing emotion or talking about sensitive topics. The older me might have allowed it, but the older brother in me made me do what I did next. ¡°Hey,¡± Forrest looked up so I smiled and looked straight in his eyes, ¡°Thanks bro, that means a lot.¡± Forrest blushed, shooting his eyes back into his bowl. I held in the chuckle, not wanting to undo something positive. Old memories certainly came with advantages. Being older mentally than people expected me to be had huge payoffs. Wishing that you had the knowledge of thirty or forty year old you as a twenty-year-old was a common thing. Getting that chance? I¡¯d abused it for all it was worth. This was doubly true for me knowing where certain pokemon were. Where certain environments were. Or even how pokemon evolved. Not all of it translated perfectly. Trading a Graveller or a Haunter for example wasn¡¯t what was required. It gave me an idea into the process though. Still, my experiences allowed me to be better prepared for certain things. I remember falling apart the first time I faced an angry woman as a teenager. I¡¯d had to do that more than a few times after rejecting trainers ¡®their hard-won badge despite losing¡¯. ¡®Tiger Mums'' and ''Karens¡¯ were a universal experience it would seem. The point of this, was that I think I had a better relationship with Forrest. Heck, I put in a lot of effort with all my siblings. I liked to think I was treating them as well as, if not better than my canonical counterpart. I just had to balance being a successful gym leader. I¡¯m not sure Dad ever had that first appellation to his title. That would have made things worse I suppose. ¡°Is it wrong if¡­¡± Forrest said haltingly. ¡°I don¡¯t want Dad to be Gym leader?¡± I hummed at that. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to be.¡± I decided not to say anything about not taking him back. Forrest relaxed at that. ¡°Oh, good, yeah that¡¯s good. You¡¯ll be the leader and he can¡­¡± He grimaced. ¡°Look after our younger siblings?¡± I shared his grimace at that idea. ¡°How would Tilly and Billy even recognise him?¡± I shook my head. Forrest had pretty much hit a huge issue on the head. I didn¡¯t have a good way of just, following Ash. I¡¯m not sure if Brock was ever aware of the issues with leaving his family to his father, but again, Anime knowledge didn¡¯t focus on those glossed over problems. I found myself¡­ Not really wanting to go despite knowing that I was supposed to. Ash was¡­ Well, I couldn¡¯t say he was a hero of mine growing up. It was more a story I liked tuning in for. I didn¡¯t identify with him, so much as finding him entertaining and occasionally frustrating. Again, Anime versus real life though. ¡°Are you going to be alright with Dad back?¡± Forrest asked. He said it so quietly I almost didn¡¯t hear him over the crackle of the fire we had between us. I frowned. He sounded so¡­ unsure of himself, just saying the words. Like he was treading on something delicate. I had to really focus then. How did I think of our¡­ father? I laced my fingers together and hid the grimace as best I could behind them. I couldn¡¯t really be objective and I¡­ didn¡¯t really want to be. Whenever the kids had asked about Dad after he¡¯d initially ditched us. I¡¯d tried to be casual. Telling them that everything was fine. But I knew I¡¯d been edgy. How long had it been before they¡¯d stopped asking about him at all? I didn¡¯t know. It was only a few months ago that Tilly and Billy had called me ¡®Dad¡¯, forcing me to correct them. A glow from a nearby crater shook me from my maudlin thoughts. This hadn¡¯t gone how I¡¯d thought it would. I¡¯d need to approach the topic of letting Forrest take over the gym another time. Just like I¡¯d need to also push the topic of our father to later. ¡°Hey Forrest come on let¡¯s go! The thing I wanted to show you is starting up!¡± ¡°Huh?! Where?¡± He whipped his head around and squinted. I coughed sheepishly. ¡°Oh right sorry! Forgot you needed more light to see.¡± I pulled out a flashlight and gestured him towards the crater. It took about five minutes to walk there carefully and by the halfway point Forrest was practically vibrating in excitement. ¡°Okay, now keep quiet, they¡¯re used to me coming up here but you don¡¯t want to call out and startle them. They¡¯re going to do their thing and then go. We¡¯re just here to watch alright?¡± Forrest nodded and I led him up to the ledge for the first secret of Mt Moon to be revealed to him. Chapter 3 - Mt Moon and back again Beneath us, Clefairy frolicked. They swarmed out into the crater and bounced around with leaps that arced too much. They acted as if for them gravity was a suggestion. Like they were on the moon instead. What was most striking though, was that there weren''t just a few dozen as shown in the anime. No, tonight there were at least two hundred of the small fluff balls bouncing around with their signature cries. They poured out of tiny crevices that should have been too small for even them. ¡°How do they fit?¡± I was happy that Forrest hadn¡¯t forgotten to keep his voice down. ¡°Pokemon moves aren¡¯t just useful for battling or for contests you know?¡± Forrest nodded so I continued, ¡°Pokemon like Clefairy have an honestly diverse set of moves. They also can learn some of them, very very early on into their life cycle. Sing, Sweet Kiss, Disarming Voice, they¡¯re all useful moves. Minimize though, that¡¯s what¡¯s happening here. The Clefairy use it to get around the cracks and even escape predators. Clefairy are really quite shy. Most wouldn¡¯t come out if we got too close.¡± ¡°The girls would love them.¡± He looked at me, ¡°Wait hasn¡¯t Yolanda been up here with you before? How come you never caught one for them?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Lots of people would like a Clefairy Forrest. They¡¯d pay lots of money for them. If I was really looking to profit off them, I could almost set this up as a preserve and farm them.¡± I had to admit that the temptation had been there in the early days. Forrest shifted, looking away from me. ¡°Sometimes you think of things that just wouldn''t occur to me. I was talking about just catching one for Tilly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thing.¡± He looked back frowning, so I elaborated, ¡°Not being too greedy. I sometimes think too far, I guess you could say. Just because you have a tool or a piece of knowledge. It doesn¡¯t mean it should be used.¡± I gestured to the Clefairy as they began to bounce into each other doing what I¡¯d learnt was a greeting ritual. Apparently, they only came out on nights with clear skies and full moons. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be used like that.¡± I watched them as they continued to bounce around seemingly without a care in the world. Forrest didn¡¯t have any questions seemingly content to watch them. It took a while but eventually the crater was full of Clefairy. ¡°Then again, people trying it wouldn¡¯t find them as easy targets. For all that they look cute and adorable,¡± I state without commenting anymore. People of this world had no trouble understanding that small and fluffy did not mean weak. For all that, t they had Fairy in their name and typing. None of the pokemon down there were ¡®weak¡¯. It still created a mindset that they would be gentle. Tourists had had the same issue with the ¡®Fairy penguins¡¯ of my first life. I recalled a few articles warning people off from touching them and how other tourists had been mauled by the animals in fact. Forrest made a curious noise but I waved him off. He merely rolled his eyes at me before ignoring me for the show the Clefiary were now putting on. They drifted into loose spirals each layer rotating around a seemingly random boulder. They began to drift back and forth slowly. One foot, then the other, slowly and simply. They continued the swaying motion for a good minute until another pokemon emerged from cracks in the crater. This pokemon was their larger, more evolved form. ¡°Clefable!¡± it cried out, raising a hand and beginning to conduct the crowd around it. The Clefairy slowly began to match movements. Their names cried out as one to a steady metronome. I noted Forrest swaying in time with the back and forth gesture of the Clefable. I tapped his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t get too caught up in it little brother.¡± ¡°Huh!? ¡° He startled, blinking rapidly. ¡°If you¡¯re not used to it, or not watchful, Pokemon moves will catch you out.¡± He nodded at that. I turned back to the swaying dance. The Clefairy had begun to work in concert. Swaying back and forth and weaving in and out of each other. Threading gaps so close together that I knew they just had to be using Minimize to make it work. It made for a simplistic but nevertheless elegant dance. Each Clefairy had a chance of passing in close to the meteor. The singing continued and slowly the light of the moon collected on the stone. It was a gradual process. Like the Clefairy had been filling a tub of water with little more than a child¡¯s shovel. The meteor continued to steadily grow brighter in luminosity. Eventually, at some point, it must have passed a threshold, as some of the Clefairy began to glow as evolution took hold. Each time this occurred a bright corona of light shot out from within them. Prior to leaving on my own journey, I¡¯d learnt this was due to aura swell. During the light show, their body shifted and grew. This was considered a ¡®rule¡¯ for all pokemon evolution. Forrest and I watched on as one or two Clefairy at a time evolved. Not all of the assembled Clefairy did though. In total, only two dozen of the two hundred evolved into Clefables. The dance continued though and each had their chance close to the meteor before it lost its glow. When the meteor faded, I had a moment of disconnect before I blinked and my vision returned. ¡°Woah, that was crazy,¡± said Forrest from next to me. ¡°Yeah, this happens most clear full moons.¡± ¡°Only then?¡± ¡°The Clefairy need meteors or ¡®Moon Stone¡¯ to do their ritual. I know some Pokemarts will condense rocks like that into single-use items that certain pokemon like Clefairy use to evolve but this is one of the more natural ways.¡± ¡°Huh, cool.¡± He was quiet for a moment, ¡°I can¡¯t see anything. Are they going to leave before I get my night sight back?¡± I considered that as I watched the Clefairy congratulate the Clefable. ¡°Probably bro. And it¡¯s night vision.¡± ¡°You ever going to teach me how you¡¯re able to see so well at night?¡± ¡°Perks of being the eldest.¡± ¡°Ha ha, very funny.¡± ¡°Would you believe in healthy living and carrots?¡± That only got another disbelieving snort. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to tell me one day.¡± ¡°Not until you get on my level.¡± ¡°Urgh! What does that even mean!?¡± I faked a sage-like tone of voice, ¡°In good time young master, you will understand if you contemplate on my words!¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°I¡¯m going to back up and turn a light on. See you back at camp.¡± I waited a moment, listening to him trudge off. Beneath us, the Fairy pokemon slipped into the cracks in the cave system. The last Clefable atop the meteor looked in my direction and waved. I waved back before glancing towards my brother. ¡°You know camp is the other way right?¡± His cursing was like music to my ears.
I grimaced as rocks broke off and my brother slipped slightly. Cursing as he did so. ¡°Make sure of each hold little brother!¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we have hiked down?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to be home before lunch?¡± I asked. If I looked up I would have been able to see him, but my brother only had a bit of the light from the just rising sun to use. ¡°What if I fall?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll make a big crater and I¡¯ll have to use Titan to dig you out!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± He cried shrilly. ¡°Forrest! Trust me, alright. I wouldn¡¯t bring you this way if I didn¡¯t have¡­ oh dear.¡± ¡°BROCK!? What was that?!¡± ¡°Nothing! Nothing. I just remembered that I left Zephyr at home.¡± ¡°So who¡¯ll catch me if I fall?¡± ¡°... How about just don¡¯t look down?!¡± ¡°BROCK!¡± He screamed. ¡°Okay, okay! Sorry! I still have Selene and Quirina!¡± This announcement was met with Forrest kicking rocks at me. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t be that guy! You¡¯ve already caused enough avalanches with your voice!¡± A few more rocks came my way but they weren¡¯t really ever a threat. Forrest still muttered at me darkly for the next ten minutes it took to descend to the bottom of the rock face. From there was a simple enough hike back to the base of Mt Moon and then on towards Pewter city. On the way, I observed the area. There were a good enough showing of Ratata, Geodudes, Pidgey, Pidgeotto and more if you keep an eye out for them. Forrest only had eyes for the mountain we just scaled. ¡°Huh, it¡¯s pretty big isn¡¯t it?¡± I glanced back at the towering landscape that I knew was only a point of the range that lead north before branching east and west into a longer ranges that separate the Kanto region from the Indigo Plateau, Kingdom of Rota and other regions further. You could hike it if you wanted and people often did but it is a journey assigned months on foot. Most sail around it. You could even fly around it faster still. But never over it. Never, over it. I nodded at what Forrest was talking about. ¡°Yup, in truth it was about thirty minutes of climbing up it along with the two-hour hike. Going down it took us a lot less and we¡¯ll be home by¡ª¡± I juggle some numbers, ¡°¡ªmaybe nine?¡± ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°That training you do with me and my pokemon pays off no?¡± I nudged him as we shared a grin. He bumped me back. A rustle of bushes didn¡¯t make us snap to attention but it did stop us from roughhousing. He relaxed a little more when a man breached the thick hedge and strides out onto the path leading to Pewter. ¡°Ha! Oh but that was a good trek through the wild!¡± The man was just as wild as the forest he likely came from, with leaves littering his thick black beard and his clothes being rather dirty. He either was a bit of a slob with his camping set up or had been out of touch with civilization for a while now. He rolled his shoulders and looked both ways. He stopped when he saw us watching him. ¡°Oh ho! This is perfect! I return from my communion with nature and find the perfect test! Pokemon trainers! I challenge you! What say you!?¡± I nudged my brother forward and stepped to the side to act as a judge. His glare is deflected with a shrug. ¡°What? I¡¯m on holiday since yesterday, I plan to enjoy it. You show me your stuff little bro!¡± I smiled at the hiker, ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Bron!¡± ¡°Trainer Bron as a challenger you release your pokemon first! Trainer Forrest the wager is league standard unless you want to alter it?¡± Forrest considered Bron for a moment before shaking his head. I hid a smile. It was the right call. League standard was really only a hundred poke dollars but if the guy had been out for longer he might not have much. He would need his money to reequip if not. ¡°Go! Carebear!¡± Bron shouted, releasing an Ursaring that roared before settling into a ready stance. I gave it a quick look, observing the small details that gave away how powerful some pokemon were. Things like the luster of the coat. The gleam in the eyes. The size of the pokemon. Even the way it sat back spoke of a well-trained pokemon. It wasn¡¯t everything but a suspicion began to build as to how this match would go. I looked to Forrest, and saw him considering his options. ¡°Go Onix!¡± I held in the sigh and instead kept my face neutral. Analysing a Rock-type was a slightly more nuanced affair. You typically had to look over the coarseness of their bodies. Sometimes rougher edges were preferred to impart scratch or smoother bodies were required for speedy pokemon. These were things that were determined through the types of training that pokemon were put through. Care from the trainer also factored in a lot more. Rock-types should also have a weight to them that forces the ground to buckle slightly as they show that they have a greater density compared to their surroundings. Lots of these features were lacking in Forrest¡¯s Onix. ¡°Pokemon and trainers, ready?¡± I waited for their nods, then slashed my hand downwards. ¡°Fight!¡± ¡°Onix use¡ª¡± ¡°Hammer arm!¡± roared Bron. His Ursaring shot forward and slammed into Onix send it flying into the earth with a dull roar. I continued to watch, saying nothing, but checking Onix over as it rose and resumed a fighting pose. ¡°Dig Onix!¡± ¡°Carebear brace for payback!¡± called Bron. His bear settled into a stance that had its legs slightly shifted. Perfect for a quick evasion. I watched carefully as Forrest ignored the signs. ¡°Go Onix!¡± The smallest shift of pebbles announced Onix¡¯s eruption. It was still enough to have ¡®Carebear¡¯ launch to the side and swipe with their claw rending Onix and sending him tumbling. I glanced at the small graze Carebear had suffered. It was as good a trade as I expected might happen. Onix struggled to rise. ¡°Onix!¡± called Forrest. Onix tried to rouse only to slump down as unconsciousness overtook it. I raised a hand toward Bron and the man nodded, his Ursaring standing down. ¡°Onix is unable to battle. The winner is Carebear and Trainer Bron!¡± ¡°Nicely done!¡± Bron high fived his pokemon while my brother withdrew Onix. I gave my brother a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Better luck next time little bro.¡± I then nudged him over to pay the man using the transfer feature of the pokewatch. When he came back, he looked a bit glum. At first, I didn¡¯t say anything knowing that it never felt good to lose, but this wasn¡¯t the first time so he¡¯d be used to it and bounce back soon enough. When his mood didn¡¯t pick up by the time we reached the outskirts of Pewter, I nudged him again and shot a questioning look his way. ¡°Uh yeah, I¡¯m alright. Can¡¯t believe I just lost like that though. I should have been able to put up more of a fight.¡± I waved it off, ¡°Eh, no worries. You¡¯ve still got a lot to learn.¡± Even as I said it, I realized how true it was. Forrest was likely in a better position with being an assistant for me. But the gym was also bigger now. Not that it had ever been exactly small, but the point stood out in my mind. He had it better than his canonical contemporary. That didn¡¯t mean he was going to just be able to step in as Gym leader if I left though. He still had a lot more to learn. I considered that for a bit before shrugging and offering some advice. ¡°It wasn¡¯t really an issue. That Pokemon was way stronger than I think you realized¡ª¡± Forrest perked up as I began to talk him through some pointers. He might not be ready today but there was still plenty of time. In fact, I had an entire end of circuit split to spend with my family. I planned to make good use of it. Training would still be there. But I had a lot of plans to spend my break with my family. Tomorrow would come soon enough. Today? Today I was just going to be the best big brother I could. Chapter 4 - Training and family time ¡°¡ªning listeners! It¡¯s a wonderful fifteen degrees to start the day here in Pewter city! We¡¯ve got chances of clouds coming later in the afternoon! If you¡¯re looking for a picnic I¡¯d suggest going early before the autumn storms roll in!¡± The rest of the radio host¡¯s announcement was lost as I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I felt around in the dark for some clothing and tugged them on. Then, half hoping and half knowing, I reached back into the bed and found an empty spot. I huffed and shook my head. I should know better by now. I stood to shake out my limbs. I bustled through the still dark house and into the entryway where shoes were stacked in mountains despite the wall of shelving I¡¯d invested in. I kicked on my own shoes while my hands worked through the pile, sorting them quickly as had become a habit. ¡°Arceus forbid Cindy loses her shoes again,¡± I muttered as the last set of shoes was assigned their slot. I straightened, ignoring the voice of reason that pointed out I¡¯d need to do it all over again by lunchtime. For my morning workout, I ran to one corner of the land we owned, a line of Geodudes, the ones I had mentally marked down as future four badge fighters, woke up and came after me. It was an interesting situation as a gym leader. You needed to find a balance for the number of pokemon you held, and you needed to hold a number of pokemon for all stages and types of challenges that you could face. It was an Arceus-sent-blessing when you could find a pokemon that was content with their current level or that wanted to hold where they were. Pokemon, I¡¯d found, innately wanted to fight and grow as strong as they could. Both trainers and pokemon had come to understand very early in our shared existence that working together resulted in better growth. Rare was the pokemon that could grow strong without a dedicated trainer. Most only reached what was known as third badge strength. A blessing, as that meant, in game terms, pokemon rarely got over level twenty-five. I sprinted through the small avalanche of Geodudes and skipped over a pair of Onix that were slowly rousing to begin their steady circuit. A Graveler that had been awake since the back door opened grinned at me and raised her top arms in defiance. I dove low and tackled her before beginning the other part of my morning workout. Wrestling. I rolled the Graveller over only to cop a number of punches to the abdominals, forcing me to tense up before I twisted to break the hold. I grabbed the lower arms, bracing with my legs. ¡°Oryah!¡± I shouted as I threw the Graveler over my head. The ground rumbled as the hundred-kilogram pokemon was flipped. I felt the strain but grinned, backing off to let my sparring partner right herself. Then we went straight back to it. The Geodudes caught up, breaking into their own sparring matches while I tumbled with their evolved form. Other pokemon slowly trickled in. After another toss of the Graveler, I raised my arms and shouted a victory/challenge shout that had a number of my other pokemon perk up. A Rhydon stepped in with a glint in his eyes. This time I let him charge me. I didn¡¯t catch him in a hold but instead dodged, knowing full well the difference in power that came from Rhyhorn¡¯s secondary evolution. I closed and worked the body, my knuckles thumping into the side with dull impacts that weren¡¯t going to win me the match, but obviously stung Rhydon¡¯s pride in having me make the blows. Its arms swung ponderously at me. I ducked, dodged, dipped, dove and dodged as I had practised. A laugh at the thought of the old movie quote made me almost take a punch to the shoulder. I dug deep though, fighting on. Rock type pokemon didn¡¯t lack fighting spirit after all. As the Leader of the Pewter City gym, I just needed to bring it out. A yawn from a young-sounding voice made me nearly take another hit. ¡°Huh, he almost got you Brock,¡± mumbled a sleepy sounding voice. ¡°Morning Forrest, which workout are you doing today?¡± I asked my younger brother. He shrugged and gestured to the perimeter where three Onix were slowly making their loop. I grunted and landed another one-two combo in an earlier hit spot. ¡°Need to keep the elbows in close and lean into some hits a bit more Rhydon.¡± I said to my Sparring partner before shouting out to Forrest, ¡°Alright, but take ¡®backpack¡¯ with you. You need more than intensity in your training.¡± Forrest didn¡¯t have enough time to voice a protest as ¡®Backpack¡¯ leapt from where she had been fighting off an Aron to drape herself like a scarf over Forrest¡¯s shoulders. He came awake at that as his body buckled. ¡°Broooooock!¡± He groaned before his eyes widened as I gestured to a number of lazying Aron. He took off running as they nipped at his heels. ¡°Brock!!¡± I ignored him, rolling under a punch before spotting an opening in my current opponent. ¡°You¡¯re mine Rhydon!¡± I shouted as I rose into an uppercut that landed right on the pokemon¡¯s lowered chin. The punch rocked the bipedal rhino back and then it tumbled. I smirked and raised another fist in silent victory. This time not announcing my victory. With my body heaving, sweat dripping down my form, and the knowledge that I¡¯d inflate some pokemon¡¯s opinion of themselves if they got to be the one to lay me out, I decided discretion was better than valour, so I walked off. While the Rock typing wasn¡¯t known for pride like the Dragon typing, you still needed to manage them. A task that grows in scope when you go from your usual team of six to a small army of pokemon that each gym is expected to have on hand. I settled back and watched Forrest outsprint the chasing Aron. The Rhydon that I¡¯d beat settled in next to me. ¡°Right Rhydon, that was a good match up but I think I need to work on you with¡ª¡± Living in the Pokemon world with the Pokemon cartoon-like physics enforced by passive aura had some definite perks. Being able to throw living boulders, carry pokemon that you outright shouldn¡¯t, outrun professional sprinters in my old world, all while having the stamina to do it for over an hour were just a few that came to mind. People, in general, were more durable. I chalked it up to Arceus after poking at the question for a while when I¡¯d been growing up for the second time. I found that you still needed to be smart about it though. You couldn¡¯t just ¡®believe¡¯, you needed to work at things. The belief that you could do something helped a fraction, but I¡¯d found that aura certainly played its part. Most people didn¡¯t think it was so literal when people mentioned ¡®growing¡¯ alongside their pokemon but there was a link. Not just in being better as a person but also in becoming stronger in various ways. It all depended on how a person worked at it. Which led to the last part of my training. I left the battling pokemon to it while assigning the strongest to be the referees. A concept that held no small amount of prestige as it allowed others to acknowledge that they had the power to end most fights easily. Tomorrow, I¡¯d spend more time watching for bad habits developing in my pokemon¡¯s fighting methods. Today though, I finished out my workout by entering the cave at the center of the property. The cave was dark as all unlit caves are. There was still a glimmer and sparkle here and there of various gems, crystals and growths that I had shoved into the walls after having the place made up. In a few hours, these gems would work to spread light through the cave but even then darkness would continue to pervade it. I walked past some still slumbering pokemon, patting the living mountains as I did. In another section of the cave sparks arced about, dancing down geodes before flashing back, highlighting the warning markers that I had installed into the area. This was my special project that even I didn¡¯t walk into without care. Forrest and the rest of my siblings had been amazed when I¡¯d shown them how electricity could benefit certain Rock types. But it was not these pokemon I was here for. Just as I ignored the stairs that went up to the peak of the plateau I¡¯d made or the depths I¡¯d carved out. Instead, I went to the deepest chamber and settled in to meditate. The area was large but already occupied. I could just make out the towering form of Titan, my starter pokemon. I patted him, finding him already awake and kneeling in contemplation. ¡°Tyranitar?¡± he said in greeting. I knelt next to him, joining him in meditation. ¡°Morning Titan.¡± It was a slow process of developing my Aura strength. But most paths to strength, without noticeable negatives, had that issue of time being the biggest factor. I felt for the energy within myself and settled in. I¡¯d known from day one of my awareness fully returning, that Aura could be used by people. I just had needed to find a method to train and control it. In the end, I had copied another cartoon by emulating the beings that were already using it. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I¡¯m sure Toph would have called me ¡®punk¡¯, or some such name, but been mildly pleased with how she¡¯d inspired another rock user. That being said, I didn¡¯t settle for just rock aligned energy. After all my starter was a dual-type. So why couldn¡¯t I be the same? Rock-type energy was easy to pull on. Dark-type energy was different though. You needed to feel for it. I¡¯d struggled with more than a metaphorical handful initially. I¡¯d plateaued for years, making me doubt my method entirely. Then I¡¯d returned from my journey and it had become all too easy.
I had gone on a pokemon journey like so many others. It was considered something of a rite of passage. A coming of age that forces you to fend for yourself. Growing up is both the result, and the process. It was an ancient custom that seemed to span all the world in which many people have dedicated their lives to understanding a social phenomenon where a tradition was close to universal. Only very small out of the way places don¡¯t push for it. Most of them were island nations where the chain of islands saw you able to pop in and out of home only if you had the right pokemon. The whole point of heading out into the wild had been to grow and mature. I think I had been forced to grow more mature from my return home. Then again, the freedom of the journey compared to a position as a pseudo-parent had been a harsh contrast. I went on my Pokemon adventure when I turned ten and had gotten to experience the wonders and joy that came with that journey. It had been tough back then, but I¡¯d known and prepared for it. Just as part of me had known, feared and prepared myself for what I knew would eventually happen. My parents leaving had stung¡­ My mother walking off had been a critical strike as there had been no reference for when it occurred. I had a rough estimate for Flint. He¡¯d been around to at least give Brock his Onix in the cartoon. That had given me time to form a plan. I¡¯d planned to use the two years I¡¯d bargained for from Flint as insurance and preparation. My adventure would see me traveling for longer than the average trainer. It had seen me range further afield than most as well. This had resulted in me being able to lay claim to a lot of more rare types that I happened to know the location of. The foreknowledge that wouldn¡¯t have been relevant for another six to ten years had been capitalized on, and now I could lay claim to a truly powerful team with some depth. I¡¯d taken part in the Kanto conference, the Orange league and then gotten half of the Hoenn region circuit. I¡¯d loved every moment of it. My old world had nothing that could compare to the freedom of going on a journey with friends in the form of pokemon or others that you made during your trip. Each day was a different challenge. A pokemon journey was rite of passage and a year-long hike, then add in with something like a gap year and you¡¯d still fall short. As a trainer, you experienced complete control of your life for the first time. I had seen others fall into the traps this brought but my experience in organising and managing going on holidays in a variety of different climates had been put to great use. You could go to sleep exhausted from having hiked too far to wake up the next morning in a clearing of grass types, or overlooking an ocean teeming with water-types. And then I¡¯d been called home. I had asked for more time initially. I¡¯d argued the closeness of the Hoenn conference with how strong my team was. I hadn¡¯t won the Indigo conference but recent battles had all cumulated in a streak of wins. I¡¯d been riding high on those with the caution of training tempering my team. Flint had been adamant in needing me back. I¡¯d known this was potentially coming and dreaded it. I still agreed to return. I had raced home, slightly bitter at calling my journey short from the planned two years to just shy of a year and three months. I returned to find him haggard. I also found out he was almost giving away badges. That had been the first argument we¡¯d had. Then I¡¯d returned home and found a number of worrying signs that indicated that things had not been going well there either. Beer bottles stacked up around the bin. Dirty little brothers and sisters. Empty fridges with ready-made meals, at most. Dirty dishes stacked up around the sink. It told me a worrying tale without words. Forrest had learned how to cook and go to the shops. I¡¯d settled in as quick as I could before setting to work cleaning the house and my family. I¡¯d gotten them to an acceptable level before rounding back on Flint. He¡¯d been cagey throughout the talk. I¡¯d tried being objective with him, but seeing Tilly and Billy so small had been scary. Flint hadn¡¯t seemed to notice or listen when I¡¯d pointed this out. He¡¯d instead gotten a faraway look. Sure enough within five days of my return, he vanished into the night. A letter of apology with the contact details of support services was all he left behind. I had always known how things would end up. It had still stung. I tried to help out where I could but part of me hadn¡¯t been sympathetic to his plight. If you have ten kids, it was going to be hard work. I could see that he wasn¡¯t coping when I left. That didn¡¯t mean I was going to forgive him so easily. The guy had support with neighbors and friends who were aware of the situation. While I had been there I had pitched in where I could, but he had totally taken advantage of this by leaning on me more and more with each visit home. And now? I had to run everything. I¡¯d prepared for it, but still been caught unaware of how tough it would be. Suzie and Timmy, now four years old, had been in nappies. Forrest hadn¡¯t been ready to leave for his journey and could really only provide the barest of support. Yolanda had known something was wrong but had been too young to help out but in the smallest of ways. I¡¯d done everything but call support services. I didn¡¯t want to risk the chance they¡¯d take away the youngest and find them foster homes, or as was more common I had since learnt, spend their lives growing up in an orphanage. I had overcome the issue. ¡°Ty! Tyran!¡± Titan poked me as he felt my Aura surge. I got it back under control and nodded to my guru. He nodded at me before gesturing to the gemstone that now held small flickers of light, indicating that it was time for me to head out and see to my family. I went through some cool-down exercises. Mentally pushing the heavy feelings I had drawn back down and repeating to myself that everything was fine now. When I was settled and I was feeling light in mind and body, I rose up to stretch out. Titan patted me on the head before I left reminding me, in his own way, that everything was fine. I chuckled but gave the giant lizard a hug for his efforts. Then I departed the cave system to see to the rest of my morning''s chores.
I worked the frying pan. Behind me, the sounds of slowly rising siblings filled the house. Some had already been drawn in by the smells of the kitchen, only for me to send them back out to wash up or collect another sibling. As the oldest, I had to set the rules. Only the youngest of our family of ten was allowed to remain at the table after the third and fourth eldest, Yolanda and Salvadore had deposited them. ¡°Brock! Suzie¡¯s got my toy!¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s my toy!¡± screamed two of my sisters. I merely continued to work at the grill. ¡°Brock! Tell her to let go!¡± ¡°Suzie! Now¡¯s not the time for toys! Just put it in the toybox and come for breakfast! Same goes for you Cindy!¡± In true childish fashion, the both of them ignored me and instead raced into the kitchen. ¡°No running in the house!¡± I called out with an increased firmness. That made them slow up but then they danced around me. A sizzle and spit of oil made them leap back, remembering the last time they¡¯d been stung by the stove. I turned and levelled my best big brother look on them. ¡°Do I need to call Graveler in here?¡± I asked. They both shook their heads and sat down, where they continued to tug at a toy. ¡°Hey! Toy! Hand it over, you both don¡¯t get to have it. I¡¯ve already had to stitch Mr Muggins twice this week. If I have to do it a third time I¡¯ll put him away.¡± I made sure to only have a firmness with my tone when I scolded them directly. Kids were sensitive to raised or growly voices. My announcement did not get obedience. Instead, it got some tears and screeches. I merely remained strong and deposited the toy on the counter. ¡°You¡¯ll get him back after breakfast, now let¡¯s eat.¡± I settled in and started hoeing into the eggs with some spinach on the side. Around me the others had small bits of toast with their meals. I didn¡¯t glance to the empty seats that sat to the side of the dining room. I had built the gym with enough room for a family of twelve when I¡¯d planned it out. It had gotten too depressing having the extra empty chairs at the table though so I had them moved to the lounge room where the kids piled toys or books on them. A clatter of cutlery broke me from my thoughts. I glanced about to see most of my siblings were finished which meant it was on to the next task. ¡°Alright! So we¡¯re going to school now! I packed all the lunches last night!¡± I reached into the fridge and frowned as I saw that we were way down on groceries. I ran that back through my mind before turning to the two youngest. ¡°Have you been feeding the Munchlax that comes around again?¡± Tilly nodded her head while Billy shook it. They then swapped roles with Tilly shaking her head while Billy nodded. I sighed not at all surprised. Munchlax were pretty cute and very docile when offered food. Small children like Tilly and Billy¡­ or indeed any of my siblings would attract them for the leftovers and scraps they would get following them around. I paused as another suspicion formed before a thought occurred to me. ¡°Is the Munchlax in the house right now?¡± Both nodded slowly. I sighed and looked at the rest of the family. ¡°Does anyone want to catch it for themselves?¡± Salvadore raised his hand hesitantly. ¡°Does this count as a starter pokemon?¡± ¡°Not unless you want it to. I think it¡¯ll be more of a family pokemon. Depends where it wants to be when your journey rolls around.¡± He nodded and then glanced between myself and Forrest. ¡°Can I have a pokeball?¡± Forrest handed him one and the twins shot up to lead him to the future cuddle companion. I dished out the lunches for the day. I now had to add grocery shopping to the list. Just another chore for later in the day. Chapter 5 - The challenge laid out ¡°Yoo-hoo Mr Gym leader! Good morning!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Pewter city rocks!!¡± I waved as I walked down the streets of my city, acknowledging the various people that called out to me as I went. I was a well-known face and there had been a lot of community uproar when my dad had left. There had been lots of wagging tongues back then. Lots of people had doubted me. Lots of well-meaning people who ¡®just wanted what was best for me and my family¡¯ had leaked out of the woodwork. So, so, so many critics. The people that actually knew me and helped could thankfully be counted on two hands but it had been a frustrating time in my life. Hard work along with a solid performance record meant I had been able to retain the position while holding onto our house. Taking care of my family was still a challenge as with Dad gone, I was the only one my little siblings could look to. I didn¡¯t even want to touch the issue of my mother. Right now, I was looking to pick up some of them from school after getting groceries. Which now included Munchlax chow. A whole three bags full. I smiled when I got to the usual pick up point. The usual crowd were all there with many of the mothers smiling and waving. The fathers nodded in greeting and the few stray people my age gave shy smiles. I merely nodded, ignoring the giggles that my huge hiking pack I was carrying garnered. It was a now typical sight that the residents of Pewter had gotten used to. Just because I could carry the various groceries my small tribe of a family needed didn¡¯t make it easy. Unless you played it smart. It looked dorky as hell but it worked. One man had once commented on it only for me to shut him up by asking him to hold it while I tied up my shoe. His nearly being crushed by something that I carried with ease had shut them up that day. I thankfully didn¡¯t have the ¡®Brock¡¯ habit of swooning and throwing myself at women like he did in the cartoon. I certainly appreciated them more in this life; as they all also stayed very fit even with office jobs. It was rare to see overweight people in the pokemon world and most of the time it was more a ¡®muscled look¡¯ than actual flab. ¡°Brock, nice to see you! Johnny was telling¡ª¡± said one woman as a group approached me. Women approaching me and talking about pokemon or getting ¡®tutoring¡¯ for their kids wasn¡¯t unusual in my city. I was all too happy to help. Heck, I still coached the little league baseball team, so that only gave parents twice the opportunities and number of reasons to seek me out. Thankfully Baseball season was run only in the off circuit timetable, and really only took up two and a bit afternoons. In truth, all sports ran at the same time,, making it a tough market to be in, but baseball was one of the most popular. It was something I¡¯d have to look into in a few months time once the conference was over. ¡°Hey Brock who do you think is going to win in tonight¡¯s match up?¡± asked a dad that was glancing at a newspaper. He likely had the odds section opened judging by the numbers that were being shown along with the pictures of various Ponyta, Rapidash, Growlithe and Arcanine littered across the page. ¡°Who¡¯s fighting?¡± ¡°Bruno and Agatha!¡± announced the man. This led to a mutter being picked up as people began talking about the implications of the match. I merely leaned back, happy to not comment. Honestly, I think the man was more looking to strike up a conversation than actually asking for my take. I picked up my bevy of little sisters and brothers from the school and waved them to their friends and the mothers. Then it was off to the nursery where the youngest twins were, then a short walk home accompanied the entire way by the tirade of noise that comes with having small children being forced to remain within close contact. ¡°Nuh-uh! I¡¯m not touching you!¡± said Tommy as he faked moving at Cindy before pulling back. ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Stand on the other side away from him Cindy. Tommy stop harassing her, show me how fast you are instead by running to that Ratata and back.¡± Tommy sprinted off, happy to show off while the Ratata that had been going through one of our neighbour¡¯s garbage bins shrieked in surprise before dashing away. The rest of the kids laughed before they began telling me of their day and what they learned. I made sure to compliment and praise good behaviour as the parenting guide had suggested. I made them dinner and set them to work on their homework before going through with my own gym paperwork. The day spent at school and the more serious air letting all but the youngest settle down. Each of us was in the same room with our work while a Geodude rolled around and played with the youngest kids. The newly acquired Munchlax happily devoured snacks thrown his way. My own ¡®homework¡¯ such that it was, was both mundane, interesting, and boring at the same time. I rushed through the tedious paysheet for trainers that were working for the Gym, most of them currently on holiday with the circuit winding down. I only had three of them on instead of the eight that I could. Two of whom I¡¯d be expecting to finish up with at the end of this season. I had some plans for how things would play out in the future. There was a big question looming in my mind though, of if I should let canon play out. I had already changed tons of things, both in major and minor ways. I¡¯d exploited the knowledge I had to set my family up in a better position. You only had to look at the state of the art gym that I¡¯d had designed and created which my family now lived in. I wouldn¡¯t ever feel guilty about this but it certainly would add some possible wrinkles. I¡¯d only have felt guilty if I hadn¡¯t used the knowledge I possessed. I wouldn¡¯t ignore that I also wanted to be in a stronger position than the canonical Brock but regardless, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to look myself in the mirror if I hadn¡¯t made myself as strong as possible. ¡°Mind If I put on the League channel tonight Brock?¡± asked Forrest I grunted from atop the paperwork, ¡°You know you¡¯re supposed to be taking over some of this if you want to be training to take my position one day right?¡± Forrest squirmed in place before looking away. ¡°Well yeah, but¡­ It¡¯s still a way off right?¡± I nodded, my thoughts on this still undecided. Yolanda glanced up from her homework. Part of me wanted to stay but part of me urged myself to take off. Another part despised that part. That¡¯d make me sorta like Dad and¡­ her. Instead of voicing the fluctuating turmoil, I instead nodded and settled in for the rostered match. ¡°What¡¯s scheduled? Any matches?¡± I felt an earlier memory tickle at my thoughts but Forrest was quicker. ¡°Bruno is challenging Agatha for the fourth spot in the new champ¡¯s roster instead of being third!¡± he said in a rush. That got a hum from me. ¡°Hmmm, Lance is letting them fight?¡± Forrest nodded as he turned on the TV showing the team roster for each. I eyed the pokemon that were being displayed along with who would be most likely to come out first from each. From what I knew, Bruno would go in strong and fast. Honestly, Agatha was a terrible matchup for him. The two Gengars stood out to me and I huffed before returning to my work, ¡°Agatha wins, three K.O¡¯s to six and those three against her only because of fatigue.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Forrest of course voiced his own thoughts. This sparked some discussion from Yolanda and Salvadore who both had their own opinions. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t argue!¡± I off handly said when they got a bit too excited. That only made them quieten down until the match started. Then they called out the moves they¡¯d order along with cheering on their respective ¡®team¡¯. I glanced up at the start to watch Machamp take the stage. It made for an impressive pokemon. Sadly it was k.o¡¯d fast by Agatha¡¯s first Gengar. I returned to my work absently glancing up occasionally. Yolanda nudged me just as I was about to finish the last few sheets of paperwork. ¡°Bro! You were right!¡± I glanced at the clock in the corner and snorted, ¡°Nah, I expected it to take longer despite the score. Was Agatha¡¯s Gengar that strong?¡± Yolanda nodded smugly, pleased by the showing of female prowess that let her lady it over her brothers. I let it play out, amused by her antics. I was just about to announce that it was bedtime only for a new announcer to appear. ¡°And now a word from the newest and hottest Champion in recent years! The Dragon master Lance!¡± said the far too excitable caster. The new darling of the League made an entrance to a table for an obviously planned post-match news release. Set in front of him a small pod of reporters bristled with paper, pen, microphones and recorders locked onto the champ. I¡¯d seen a gossip magazine at the supermarket that announced him as the latest ¡®most eligible bachelor¡¯ in Indigo, as the joint Kanto-Johto region was known. Johto loved him while Kanto merely appreciated his strength. He¡¯d knocked off the previous champ who¡¯d also been a Johto champ. There hadn¡¯t been another Kanto champion for the region since one Samuel Oak retired after holding the position for fifteen years. An eternity in the pokemon world. People thought Lance would be the man to do that. They even tipped him as a heavy contender for the next World Championship which would be held in four years'' time. So far only five regions had linked up reliably but there were rumours of another region being reliably secured in the next year or so. Hoenn was slated as the next region to host the championships regardless. Having not been nominated to participate in the tournament, I hadn¡¯t had to worry about the last one despite being a gym leader for it. The Sevii islands had run a pretty great tournament from what I had seen. There was talk of Kanto putting in a bid while others talked up the Organe being the next site for the championship matches. I knew to be on the lookout for either a man named Steven Stone, or a woman named Cynthia. Laughter from the room at large reminded me that the rest of the family was still watching the tv. I¡¯d only missed some joke that apparently wasn¡¯t that funny judging by the look on the male host¡¯s face. The female was all but swooning with Lance smiling charmingly at her. ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s time for me to get to the crux of tonight¡¯s announcement. While Agatha and Bruno¡¯s match was a wonderful showing, I thought I¡¯d make the announcement that come the end of the current conference, I will be hosting a few exhibition matches!¡± The crowd of reporters was suitably excited about this. ¡°Champion Lance Who¡¯s going to feature in these matches!?¡± ¡°Will you be fighting for auditions into your Elite Four?¡± ¡°Is it true you¡¯re evicting Agatha and Lorelei!?¡± Lance gave them a self-assured smile before continuing, ¡°For these, gym leaders from the major sixteen gyms from our joint regions will be on offer, with some smaller gyms being on the table. Others might also win the chance if the public show enough interest in watching me match up against them.¡± I hummed at that. It wasn¡¯t something shown in the games and only touched on lightly but it was possible to earn four badges from the ¡®Big Eight¡¯ while earning the other four from smaller gyms. That would then allow you to qualify for the League at the end of the circuit. The fighting gym in Saffron was currently like this but there was lots of pride on the line if you wanted to be taken seriously. Elitists liked to gain all twelve if they could. It was interesting that Lance was allowing smaller gyms to earn more recognition for themselves. There were also potential ramifications for it. A wheel divided into twenty-four segments was brought onto the stage by some Machops and Lance smiled at the camera. I could see all the major gyms on show alongside the smaller less familiar gyms. My own boulder symbol stood out to my eye. ¡°Oh, oh! Brock, you might get a chance to fight the champ!¡± said Forrest excitedly. The rest of my family all sat up and voiced their own excitement with more than a few asking for autographs that I said I¡¯d get regardless. As a Gym Leader, I had a seat at the conference that I could use if I wanted. ¡°And spin!¡± shouted the male host with the best game show host voice I¡¯d heard in a while. Lance grabbed the wheel with both hands and gave it a toss that saw it blur into a spinning mess. The man tilted his head before laughing, ¡°Well that looks like it will take a while to handle so let¡¯s have a word from our sponsors!¡± Small icons flashed across the bottom of the screen talking up pokefood and Silph Co, who had sponsored the man. Lance couldn¡¯t stop the look of distaste flashing across his face momentarily. I chuckled, that¡¯d teach him for not simply letting the wheel spin once or twice before settling; instead of showing off his aura enhanced physique. ¡°¡ªfor when you need more than a flashlight you need Flash! A pokemon technical move provided for you by the scientists of Silph Co.!¡± The man glanced away from the camera to Lance who had a distinctly blank expression. ¡°And it looks like we¡¯re slowing down now!¡± Around me, the vibrating, bouncing children stilled in anticipation. I saw the March Badge get ticked over along with the Volcano badge. I can already see where it will likely finish and my eyes are wide as I lean forward. The wheel came to a stop and the Boulder badge rested under the pointer. ¡°YOU GET TO FIGHT LANCE!¡± immediately my brothers and sisters explode as though an Exploud was among them. I chuckle and decide to just let them have the moment to celebrate. They¡¯d have a lot of energy now but they were kids moments like this were pretty big. Even I was feeling a bit caught up in the good cheer¡ª ¡°Tch!¡± The sound from the tv cut through our celebrations. As one we returned our attention and found the hosts caught in surprise as Lance showed an expression as if he¡¯d just stepped in Snubbull dung. The hosts both had expressions of shock but the man recovered quicker. ¡°Ah? Champion Lance, are you not happy with having the Pewter city gym as your first match?¡± ¡°My thoughts are that I don¡¯t want to waste the viewers at home or in the stadium¡¯s time with such a match. If I wasn''t at least willing to let the weaker gyms have a shot I might reroll but in fairness, this will be good for Pewter I suppose.¡± The host flapped his mouth open and shut a few times before nodding. ¡°So you think the Pewter gym isn¡¯t worth the fight?¡± ¡°Please, ¡®Rock Types¡¯? They wouldn¡¯t be able to last against my Dragons. I have pokemon in my arsenal that could clean sweep that gym alone. Give me Saffron, or Cinnabar island.¡± Beside him the woman that was supposed to be a ¡®Co-host¡¯ swooned. ¡°Well you heard it here folks Lance, Champion of the Indigo region is vowing to clean sweep the Pewter Gym! As for the redraw Lance I¡¯m sorry but that''s the luck of the draw I¡¯m afraid. Now that date for this will be in a month¡¯s time¡ª¡± I switched the tv off. The room was outright silent now with none of the previous energy that the kids had been showing. Their fires doused with the careless arrogance Lance had shown. I didn¡¯t remember this from him in the anime. I could probably conjure up a mountain worth of excuses for him but found myself not wanting to. ¡°So looks like I¡¯m going to have to beat the champ hmmm?¡± I said to the room. This caused a stir, but the kids merely smiled before saying that they¡¯d get ready for bed. A part of my pride felt a sting that forced me to sit up and watch as my family slunk out of the room. None of the kids wanted stories that night. I tried to keep things ticking over like normal. Stories of my journey or mythic pokemon were offered and rejected as the kids stayed quiet. I departed for bed myself only to find myself not tired. I turned my mind towards the tasks I¡¯d have to do tomorrow. It didn''t help. My mind kept coming back to how quiet the room had been when he¡¯d clicked his tongue. That moment, so casually given. So¡­ Callously given. I think that was the poorly placed footstep that would see the first pebbles rumbling down the mountain. My mind shifted as I started to plan how I¡¯d dump an avalanche onto Lance. Chapter 6 - Sleeping thoughts An Exhibition match. Something that was used to highlight the abilities of two trainers without anything of worth at stake. Merely reputation. They¡¯re supposed to be used to highlight the trainers. Bolster attention and bring revenue for the League with television rights. You only got offered Exhibition matches in certain instances. Matches could be set up between gyms. Between Elite Four. Or sometimes if you were an Elite trainer, with enough of a following, and you wanted more attention you could set up an Exhibition match. These were the ones that people typically knew of when asked about Exhibition matches. Charities could, and did, set up matches for trainers to take part in. Corporations sponsored tournaments with advertising and ludicrous titles or prizes on offer. People watched them avidly, and a good showing could see support building. Or it could do the opposite if you crumbled under the spotlight. Merely reputation. I lay in bed considering that for a good long while. I liked to think I was a pretty relaxed guy. In another life, I might have been a water bender for wanting to just go with the flow. Family had meaning to me, nothing like a certain infamous street car racer, but it was still important. I kept thinking back to that moment of silence and how aware I had become of it. I scrutinized it so much that I could almost paint a picture of each of my sibling''s reactions as they understood what had happened. Even my youngest siblings had been aware to some degree that something had occurred. Something significant enough to see them go quiet. My mindset often worked the wrong way with this world. The Pokeverse followed certain anime tropes you could even say. Calling someone out as weak was a direct challenge. There were more people around that would fire invectives and denials before demanding an instant battle with pokemon. There were more hot-blooded people out there then there were calm rational types. I liked to think I was the latter. I wanted to simply roll over and ignore this. It shouldn¡¯t bother me if Lance was hot-headed and prideful. He was a Dragon Master. With the training he probably underwent, there would have been a greater shock if he was controlled and reserved in his mannerisms. Ideally, the Champion was supposed to be someone that was looked up to by all the young trainers. An example for all to aspire to while standing as a shield against criminal elements. They represented the best of the League. In this case that meant the Johto-Kanto region. Or as it was more widely known. The Indigo League. When powerful pokemon rampaged that caused emergency situations, Lance and the Elite four were the best responders. Not necessarily the first. That typically came down to roaming pokemon trainers. Then Gym trainers if it was within their shire. The world of Pokemon wasn¡¯t always fun and games. So far, I had only been called in for such situations twice, but both felt more like natural disaster containment than merely pokemon battles. The best of the pokemon world. That¡¯s what the Elite Four and the Champion were supposed to be. To a lesser degree, this applied to the gym leaders of course, but we were more like favorite local trainers. It was rare that other cities favored another''s leader over their own. Loyalty like that was almost taught at the schools. Not formally of course, but word of mouth had more impact than a lot of people understood. Repeat words enough and they held a place in people¡¯s minds. Back that up with actions? Gym Leaders were celebrity super cops in a way. It was a poor analogy, I was aware, but it merely highlighted how nothing in the original earth had anything quite like being a Gym Leader. Heck, I¡¯d even heard versus debates about gym leaders versus different regions. Maybe it even went as far as war deterrents or guarantees. That was something I never really liked to consider. Not many did. The Indigo region hadn¡¯t always been one region after all. It was only through bloodshed and war that unity had been forged roughly thirty years ago. Surprisingly few people had first-hand experience with those fights. Then again, unsurprisingly, few survived when Pokemon and Elites threw down. Nowadays, things are different. It hadn¡¯t even been taught all that much at school. There was a lot more to it of course but that wasn¡¯t my issue right now. Everything running through my mind was just a distraction. I had to deal with an upcoming match with Lance. Had this happened to the Canon Brock? I tossed it over. I needed to get out of that mindset. The emergence of what was supposed to be canon was plaguing me, and it was pushing my thoughts away from the real issue at hand. Lance had called me weak on live television. Meh, so what? I¡¯ve had worse from worse. I knew I had a thick skin in more than the literal sense. So what if Lance didn¡¯t think anything of the gym? So what? This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. That got a twitch from me. Alright, so I liked what I had done. But that shouldn¡¯t be enough to keep me up at night. I¡¯ve been in pressure situations before. Could it be that it didn¡¯t just affect me? Who else would his declaration affect? My Gym trainers for sure. The sponsored trainers as well would face scorn for this. Pewter gym had gotten slapped with the title of ¡®weakest¡¯. That stung. I worked hard as a trainer. For that, I wanted him to apologize. But that wouldn¡¯t be enough would it? I played with that thought. That niggling thought. Lance¡¯s apology wouldn¡¯t be enough. You couldn¡¯t retract words like that. You had to do something. What would be an appropriate reaction though? I recalled the quietness of my siblings. They¡¯d looked stricken. Ashamed and saddened. I ground my teeth remembering that. The way they¡¯d looked down and away. They had been so excited before that. Then that energy had been sucked away. When I¡¯d voiced my own nonchalance they¡¯d not believed me. The sting in my chest got worse. So that was probably a big factor. My family didn¡¯t think I could do it. They were some of my most diehard supporters and they had been stunned into silence. It hurt more than just my pride as a trainer, I could handle that, the wound to my pride as a big brother though? I was their rock. Their shelter from the storm. And they thought I¡¯d not be enough. Something within my chest wanted to burst out, march to the top of Mt Moon and roar out a challenge with bloody hands thumping on my chest while lightning crackled overhead. I snorted at that before toying with the idea. It was entertaining in a manner that relaxed my snarling spitting hindbrain. It made me smile. Slowly my body unclenched, and slowly sleep took hold. That night I dreamt I was an Onix, surging out of the earth to snatch up a bird of some sort in my maw before disappearing into the cool earth. I woke up and knew what I needed to do.
I did my normal morning rituals, if I was a touch sharper in my actions training with my pokemon, no one commented. Some of the pokemon merely stepped forward with more eagerness. Pokemon were typically marvellous battle junkies after all. It was their way. I used that to work through my frustrations alongside a plan. Then I stepped into my cave and walked up to the towering form of my Starter. ¡°Hey Titan, something happened¡ª¡± I talked through it with my starter and he listened. He probably didn¡¯t understand all of it, but the act of talking through my thoughts helped. He was a good listener. Grumbling in anger with me when I was annoyed and he gave a large fanged grin when I laid out my plan. Then I left his cave before frowning when I noticed Forrest wasn¡¯t out doing his chores. I sighed and marched to his room. ¡°Forrest! No sleeping in, you have chores!¡± He stumbled out blearily. For a moment I considered stopping him then and there, reminding him in some way that I was his big brother and that he should have more faith in me! I let him go instead. I didn¡¯t need to tell them so much as show them. So I left Forrest to it before marching to the kitchen to feed my siblings. Their quieter, subdued morning antics tugged at my heart and I felt surer than ever of what I was going to have to do. While it wouldn¡¯t be as meaningful, I decided to announce my intentions to them first and foremost. I clapped my hands. ¡°Hey gang, about last night.¡± They looked up, some of them with food stuck to their faces but universally all eyes locked on me. I took a pose and gave them a thumbs up. ¡°Your big brother is going to take care of all of this.¡± The younger kids all grinned, relaxing as I made my declaration. That was enough for them. The more knowledgeable of them, Salvadore, Yolanda and Forrest bit their lips. I gave them a look and raised a fist towards them one after the other. ¡°Your big brother promises. Big time promises even. I¡¯m going to take care of this.¡± They thumped each side of their own fists against my own before giving a hesitant smile. ¡°Alright but you know he¡¯s Lance right?¡± I didn¡¯t let my smile falter. I scoffed, ¡°Salvadore! Your lack of faith disturbs me! For that you get to clean the dishes. Yolanda and Forrest! You deal with Tilly and Billy!¡± ¡°WHAT!?¡± came their response as they both shouted at me. ¡°WE DIDN¡¯T SAY ANYTHING!¡± ¡°Your betrayal was clear on your faces! I can read minds! It¡¯s a big brother power!¡± I declared as I marched out before they could voice any more protest. I¡¯d probably need to swing past later to clean up after them, as they¡¯d do a bad job of it in rebellion. I¡¯d just make them have to do it again. It was a learning opportunity, is what I would claim. Character building and such. I entered my office and activated the computer before toggling a video call. Two windows opened up and a dial tone rang out as I waited. After a few minutes, not a bad waiting period, all things considered, one call connected. ¡°Little man! Twerp! Ha! I thought you were going to call me. I take it you heard the big bad Lance talking smack last night then?¡± Said the boisterous voice as on the screen a tanned face leered back at me. His blond tips shot straight upwards in a way that just had to be gelled. I likened it to Guy Fieri. I inclined my head in the face of his more bombastic greeting ¡°Lieutenant Surge.¡± I ignored the way the man swelled slightly. He loved being referred to with that title, even above his gym leader title. ¡°Heh, yeah thinking of talking shop about this, yeah?¡± I nodded my head again. ¡°Yeah, I was hoping to get your thoughts but I made this a conference call.¡± ¡°Eh who else did you¡ª¡± ¡°Gym Leader Brock. Gym Leader Surge.¡± I nodded, ignoring Surge¡¯s slight wilting as I looked at my ¡ª I supposed ex was most appropriate?¡ª and greeted her, ¡°Gym Leader Sabrina, thank you for taking the call. I need to plan how to demolish him.¡± Chapter 7 - Gym Leader talks Sabrina was easily considered one of the toughest gym leaders in the area to secure a badge from. The others were Giovanni of course, Blaine and Koga. She had a known policy of not accepting anyone with less than three badges, which made all of her matches mean a lot more. It also meant that she faced far fewer challenges than other gym leaders. This made her no less popular to face however, and most sought to add the Marsh badge to their collection if for no other point than a point of pride. It was a mark of a good trainer if not a great one. She wasn¡¯t alone in having a slightly different set of requirements to challenge her gym. Again, however, more often than not it was those seen as the ¡®toughest¡¯ that had their quirks. Blaine was technically the toughest opponent to face. Which was to be expected as a retired Elite Four member. He¡¯d taken over the old Gym upon his retirement and also taken up a research facility. One that was highly restricted according to the gossip and news surrounding the man. He was held in the same regard as Professor Oak though. Which said things to those that understood that Oak was a class of his own. Koga was a ninja with poison types as his speciality. He was ruthless in his battling style and the smallest of slip-ups in his matches were capitalized on. Fuschia enjoyed the multiple attempts that it took trainers to secure his badge as the man typically became a roadblock with trainers needing to set aside weeks if not months to work on bettering their skills. Koga also typically knew each trainer by name before they even reached his city. You typically were greeted at his gym with a profile on yourself along with all of your weaknesses made abundantly clear. It was highly unnerving, to say the least. Then they asked if you wanted to continue your challenge. It reminded me of the Black ops psychological warfare methods I¡¯d read of in the past. Needless to say, everyone respected Koga and his information network. Giovanni had Earth pokemon. His other quirk was that he had limited availability at the start of the circuit. It annoyed everyone, but he was seen as a ¡®Philanthropist¡¯ and he got away with things like that thanks to his charitable contributions to the local community. I always made sure to be very relaxed around him. You couldn¡¯t always tense up and watch him too much. I suspected that I wasn¡¯t the only one in my circle of Gym leaders that at the very least suspected he was not on the up and up, but proving that was much tougher. He also paid out more handsomely for any takers of his gym challenge, with certain caveats. Caveats, such as wearing helmets that monitored vital signs or taking part in experiencing the pain that pokemon go through during fights to throw you off. He then would take handsomely from you if you lost. By comparison, the other four gyms ¡ªPewter, Cerulean, Vermillion and Celadon¡ª accepted any and all takers who entered our doors. This made us seem ¡®weaker¡¯ in some eyes. Less exclusive. Being comparable to Cerulean as it currently stood wasn¡¯t a good thing. The Cerulean sisters were great performers. They had the best Contests around by far. But their battling aspect was sadly lacking. They didn¡¯t have enough depth for their gym with dedicated trainers or with pokemon to handle more than four to five trainers a day. The other four gyms were invariably standoffish to the big gyms despite any attempts on our part to reach out to them. Of all the gym leaders in the Kanto region however, I seemed to click best with these two. Sabrina, the Psychic mistress of Saffron, and Lieutenant Surge, the Thunderbolt of Vermillion. Surge had been one of the only people to reach out to me when I had taken over my father¡¯s gym. He¡¯d been brash, arrogant, and altogether way, way too loud for my liking at the time, but I¡¯d realized after the fact that he had taken time out of his schedule to come over and give me pointers in his own way. Some of it was not really applicable and some of it was gold that had seen me not faltering¡­ as much during my first circuit as a gym leader. Weird to think that had been almost three years ago now. Sabrina¡­ well I¡¯d just have to mark our interactions as ¡®complicated¡¯ and leave it at that for now. I respected her despite any previous annoyances and emotional issues I had with her. She just operated differently. ¡°Gym Leader Sabrina, thank you for taking the call. I need to plan how to demolish him.¡± She inclined her head, a usual behaviour for her. She usually disliked talking at all, and forcing her to talk by using the phone usually resulted in short calls. Her usual form of communication was thought projection, which had initially not worked on me. Which had made my challenge for her gym rather awkward and educational for both of us at the time. ¡°Heh! So you¡¯ve called both of us huh? Well I suddenly feel like a third wheel!¡± Sabrina and I both said nothing to that which merely encouraged Surge to fill the void. ¡°You need to meet this challenge Brock! Lance might be the Champion but there¡¯s a way to speak to gym leaders, and that was way out of line!¡± Surge started to build himself up. One of his pokemon must have been nearby as sparks started to fly as he spoke. ¡°You need to step up to the plate and swing for his jaw!¡± I ignored the mixing of sports metaphors. ¡°I agree, thus the call.¡± Sabrina¡¯s gaze intensified on me and for a moment I thought I felt an itch in my mind flare-up. I shook it off. Sabrina was too far away to link with, wasn¡¯t she? Surge leaned forward. ¡°Ho? It sparked something in you did it? Made you feel the pulse? Get your blood running hot!¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°No, I was watching it with my family. They heard everything.¡± Surge leaned back, a spikey Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder and growled. ¡°Huh yeah, that would get me out of sorts as well. Just thinking about those snot-nosed little brats tearing up and sad cause of what Lance said. That¡¯s starting to make me fired up!¡± He launched out of his chair and started yelling about how he wasn¡¯t going to stand it. He would march down to the League office at Indigo and demand Lance fall on his sword and apologize for disrespecting me and my family like that. His pokemon again got caught in his wake and between breathes a growl of ¡®Chu!¡¯ punctuated his tirade. ¡°Surge! I have a plan. I don¡¯t need the league to arbitrate for me. You know how that would go anyway.¡± Surge sat down at that, suddenly quiet but the gleam in his eye gave away his interest. ¡°Oh got a plan? Let¡¯s hear it then.¡± He settled but there was a certain twitchiness that spoke of him wanting to act. Or ambient current from his electric types forcing him to move. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Well first off, I thought I¡¯d bounce my thoughts off you both as sounding boards. You¡¯re both¡­ objective on this topic,¡± I almost said level headed but with the pseudo-American Surge, you could never really say such a thing. The man was a livewire. Sabrina merely tilted her head to show she was listening. ¡°Lance is new as Champion, so that¡¯s why he wouldn¡¯t have made the challenge the way he did. He¡¯s also Johto region raised, so he¡¯s biased towards them. I was going to run a meeting with the press later where I¡¯d say how happy I am to get the exhibition. I¡¯ll play along as a simple trainer but also make no comments about his statement. I¡¯ll need to placate the mayor. Then I¡¯ll meet in front of Lance before the tournament and demand he puts up or shuts up.¡± ¡°How?¡± Surge halted, his mouth open, likely to ask the same question only to realize Sabrina had beaten him to the punch. He stayed quiet. I worked a thought over in my mind. Here, Surge was right. Go big or go home. ¡°Ten Million poke dollars as a wager enough you think?¡± The video call went dead quiet. Surge swallowed as his Pikachu gaped before rolling backwards as if stunned. It landed with a dull ¡®Piiiikaaaa¡¯. I smiled at the reaction. That was a lot of money. Enough to run a Pokemon Gym for at least two years with a full trainer complement. ¡°It would suffice,¡± said Sabrina in her typical toneless manner. You had to watch her closely for the small twitches and tremors that were her ¡®emotes¡¯. She¡¯d twitched when I announced the sum and now seemed pleased judging by the small twitch of her lips. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot of moolah Brock,¡± I noted Surge hadn¡¯t called me kid this time. ¡°You gotta be good for it. Don¡¯t gamble it if you can¡¯t afford it. The banks don¡¯t gamble like that. I can get in touch with some people if you need?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I can afford it. And it shows how serious I am. I can liquidate some assets and take the money along. I¡¯ll need to go to the Conference with my sponsored trainer Celia. Then I¡¯ll make the announcement the day before the match. They¡¯ll keep our fights to the start of it, no?¡± ¡°It is what they have done in the past,¡± Sabrina said. She then tilted her head back. ¡°You should merely say ¡®No comment¡¯ when a reporter talks to you.¡± She paused again before nodding. ¡°You will require a sparring partner.¡± ¡°I¡¯m down for that!¡± shouted Surge before nodding as the Pikachu leapt back only to be knocked off by a much larger Raichu that punched the air. ¡°Reckon you¡¯ll ask anyone else?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I trust you two the most with this. I¡¯m going to go into training with a few of my pokemon before setting up the best six that I can. I already have somewhat of an idea though. Sanchez could use your support Surge.¡± ¡°Yeah, an Electric and Rock type Golem is something I never thought I¡¯d see. Heh! I should get me one of his kids it¡¯d stump a few people seeing me throwing down something they¡¯d expect from you.¡± ¡°As to any other gym trainers¡­¡± I pressed on, ¡°I¡¯m not sure about Blaine or Koga¡­ Giovanni would only make money off me, but he does have some powerhouse pokemon.¡± I looked to Sabrina. ¡°Sabrina, think you can put the pressure on some of my pokemon?¡± She inclined her head with a small twitch of her lips upwards. The talk went on for a few more minutes, hashing out dates that they could come to the gym to help me train. I wanted to hit Lance for all that he was worth and I¡¯d only get one shot at this. I signed off and sat back only to stiffen when a flash of light erupted in the corner of my office. ¡°Brock,¡± said Sabrina as she stepped forward. I blinked in surprise at the dark-haired beauty. She was wearing what had become her signature style with red shirt and miniskirt over tights that covered almost all of her skin. Her ruby red eyes swept over me. ¡°Hey Sabrina.¡± I glanced back at the talk we had literally hung up from just a moment ago. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I wanted to check on you. Are you¡­ well?¡± ¡°Mostly annoyed and a bit angry I guess. I just didn¡¯t like the way it made my little brothers and sisters act. Heck, they¡¯re still acting a little out of sorts.¡± I sat forward in my chair only to huff a laugh when Sabrina stepped up and placed her hands around me. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Are you hugging me?¡± ¡°Yes, I am hugging you.¡± ¡°Thought you didn¡¯t like touching like that?¡± In any interactions we¡¯d had, I¡¯d always had to initiate, which made things slightly weirder even when she¡¯d asked for it. Holding hands and hugs weren¡¯t supposed to make you cringe. ¡°It is something I am working on. I understand that this helps as you are emotional. Hugs help.¡± I smiled, enjoying the moment of having some support, both emotionally and physically. Eventually, I had to speak my mind. ¡°Did you read that in a book?¡± ¡°...yes. I have been working on my social skills.¡± There was a moment of hesitation that I interpreted as ¡®do you think I am improving?¡¯. ¡°You¡¯re getting really good at it. Funny how social skills can be weak or strong no? Before long, you¡¯ll be a socialite at all the fancy Saffron parties.¡± Sabrina physically shuddered and I had to hold in another chuckle. She wouldn¡¯t appreciate being ¡®laughed at¡¯. She did like laughing though. ¡°Hey what do Haunters eat for lunch?¡± ¡°I have no idea?¡± She said, leaning back to see me. I grinned. ¡°Boo-longa sandwiches. Get it?¡± She bit her lips and looked away. ¡°How do you get a Pikachu onto a bus?¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± She said while stepping back and hunching in on herself. ¡°You poke¡¯em¡¯on!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± She said while hunching in on herself further. ¡°Did you hear of the pokemon pirate? It was an Arrrrrr-bok!¡± ¡°Pu! Hahaha!¡± Sabrina gave up on holding in her laughter as I grinned and mercilessly continued to tell her worse and worse jokes. She eventually sat on me and buried her head into my shoulder. ¡°Those were terrible jokes.¡± I hugged her and rocked her back and forth. ¡°Yeah, they were. But they made you smile.¡± She touched her face and nodded, ¡°Urgh. You¡¯re not supposed to find such jokes funny.¡± ¡°Said the books?¡± I asked. She nodded, getting a shrug from me. ¡°Who cares? You shouldn¡¯t. If you find them funny then laugh. You¡¯re cute when you¡¯re enjoying yourself.¡± She sat back and stared into my eyes. ¡°Are you flirting with me?¡± ¡°A little. Mostly I¡¯m just enjoying myself with a friend.¡± She sighed and stood. ¡°I feel like I have made a fool of myself acting this way.¡± I merely smiled at her. ¡°Thanks for coming Sabrina. It means a lot.¡± I offered a hand towards the door. ¡°Want to stay and have an early lunch with my family?¡± Sabrina shook her head quickly. ¡°No. I have duties to perform. I will speak again with you soon.¡± She vanished in a flash of light and I sat back in my chair. I pushed aside the disappointment and glanced towards my computer. She was right. I also had jobs to take care of, beyond just plotting Lance¡¯s defeat. Chapter 8 - Meeting the Mayor ¡°There.¡± I paused the video of Celia on the computer and tap her eyes. ¡°See how you¡¯re projecting your intent? When you have your Marowak dig, you begin looking to where you want them to come out.¡± ¡°No way people can notice that!¡± Celia exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯re over a hundred metres apart and there is no way people can see where I¡¯m looking!¡± She crossed her arms shaking her head to emphasize her disbelief. I shake my head back. ¡°You¡¯d be wrong. Lots of trainers have had to go through living in the wild where their instincts are honed and their sight picks up more. It¡¯s not so much where you¡¯re looking, as your focus that they¡¯re picking up.¡± I drum the table before snapping my fingers. ¡°Micromovements, is what they¡¯re called. Small tells that others can read into and detect what you¡¯re going to do before you do it. It mostly comes up in professional sports players but it can still appear for pokemon battles. Watch some of the semi-professionals, and then watch the Elites for the difference.¡± I load up a few more videos and pause them before asking her what would happen next. I made sure to mute the sound. She got only a few right but she now sported a more thoughtful expression. ¡°You and other gym leaders typically strike a pose and hold it for the duration of the fight¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t strike a pose,¡± I said. Celia stared at me then stood and adopted an ¡®at rest'' position with her arms crossed just under her breasts. I had to avert my eyes. Once again, I caught the smirk with its double meaning. ¡°You pose. I just never realized it had more meaning than looking cool.¡± I chose to grunt at that, pleased despite hearing that holding my body still had appeared to be me posing. ¡°I¡¯ll have to think on this¡­ Will the people at the Indigo League go this far? It seems a little niche.¡± Celia considered the video of herself and how much she revealed through simple actions. I wave my hand back and forth in a so-so gesture. ¡°It¡¯s about giving you as much information as possible. If you¡¯re aware and studying it I think that will be enough for this year. You could also learn to abbreviate certain commands with your pokemon for more advantages. Announcing what you¡¯re going to do all the time isn¡¯t the best strategy.¡± ¡°You realize you¡¯re the only person who does that right?¡± ¡°Only for the higher badge challenges,¡± I said back. ¡°It¡¯s all about getting those small advantages. You¡¯d be surprised how they pile up eventually. It might be milliseconds of advantage but often our victory can be determined by the smallest of windows.¡± Celia nodded at this reasoning. ¡°Right I can work on that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try it on all your moves and only throw them out sparingly to start off with. Too much will confuse your pokemon. Keep it simple¡ª¡± ¡°Stupid,¡± Celia finished the phrase and I nodded. She wrote this down in a small diary that she kept on her for our tutoring sessions before fidgetting with her pen. I knew Celia well enough that she had a question on her tongue. Typically, it took a while for her to voice them though. I busied myself with looking up research articles by a few pokemon professors regarding Dragon pokemon. They hadn¡¯t yet gotten around to fully legitimizing that ¡®Fairy typing¡¯ was a thing but there was some serious research being put into that. There had already been a lot of anecdotal evidence but it seemed funding had only just come in for this recently. I grinned to myself as I clicked through the articles. I couldn¡¯t wait until it came out that certain puffballs that were floating around as only ¡®Normal¡¯ were actually super effective against Dragon typings. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it bother you?¡± Celia said. I closed the computer and looked towards her. ¡°I was wondering when you were going to ask me that question, you know?¡± She flushed but I waved off her stammered apology. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. I normally would merely ignore it. You have to grow a thick skin as a Gym Leader. There are tons of people out there that will say terrible things. Heck some of them might even be justified. Some will just say it though regardless of if it''s true. There¡¯s now a lot of people out there saying how weak I am.¡± ¡°What!? No! You¡¯re really good as a Gym Leader! Don¡¯t believe those idiots!¡± Celia stood and clenched her fists as though she was ready to beat confidence into me. I merely waved her back to her chair. ¡°Celia. I can''t always present myself at my best. Nor can my pokemon. Sometimes I make mistakes. I try to limit the frequency and the severity as much as I can but I¡¯m not perfect.¡± Celia mumbled something that I couldn¡¯t hear so I merely shrugged at her. ¡°Lance¡¯s words shouldn¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t?¡± she said. ¡°Yeah. Normally I¡¯d have ignored him. Gone about things business as usual.¡± I glanced to the shut door before looking Celia straight in the eyes. ¡°Celia, I¡¯m going to apologize now but I¡¯m going to have to make a spectacle of myself for the Exhibition match. A lot of attention is going to be dragged away from you and the other trainers.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to fight for real?!¡± She sat upright at that, a gleam entering her eyes at my words. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m training just as much as you these days. I¡¯ve called in some favours and also have two of my fellow gym leaders working with me.¡± ¡°Oh wow. Good, I can tell people to back off from being such Houndooms to you.¡± I shook a finger. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°But! But they¡¯re putting down the reputation.¡± ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s moments like this that help to let you know who will have your back in tough times and who are fair-weather friends that will float off like Drifblim as the wind changes. It¡¯s good to know now rather than in an actual emergency.¡± That drew a smirk from her before she got a thoughtful look. ¡°If you need to, you don¡¯t need to waste¡ª¡± ¡°Ututut! Nope. You¡¯re not wasting my time. Sometimes teaching others helps to remind and deepen the lesson.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Celia said with a cute head tilt. ¡°If you have to teach something, you typically need to make sure you know what you¡¯re talking about enough to impart it. It¡¯s a great way to learn content for anything really. You set yourself up as a teacher and you really need to broaden your understanding cause sometimes you¡¯ll get questions. Sometimes you¡¯ll have never even considered the questions and have to do more research resulting in you widening your understanding of a topic even more.¡± ¡°Huh, wow. I never thought of that before.¡± I gestured around us. ¡°For that, I blame the hyper-specialization that occurs with most fields. There is some great technology but there isn¡¯t as much crossing of minds and broad education for people unless you go into that field. We speed through our initial education to get to our pokemon journey before setting into something.¡± I shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s the way it happens for most people. It has its upsides but also its downsides.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You¡¯re really smart Brock.¡± She said while twirling her hair in between her fingers. I merely shrugged. ¡°Nah I just think about things and am fortunate I guess.¡± Celia was about to say something else when a phone buzzed on the wall. I plucked it up. ¡°Gym Leader! The Mayor is looking to talk to you again!¡± I groan while Celia began to giggle her head off having obviously heard the loudspeaker that is Dennis. My ear canal would feel this for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll be with him as soon as I can Dennis.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± I rubbed my ear after hanging up before tapping my nose. ¡°Fair weather friends?¡± I prompted. ¡°Ooooooh the Mayor?¡± she said. I nodded and headed out the front of the gym. A microphone was instantly in my face. ¡°Brock! What are you going to do with the Champion of the League shining a highlight on your failings!?¡± ¡°How long do you expect to be Gym Leader with this level of scrutiny!?¡± ¡°Do you have any hope of giving a good showing?¡± ¡°Is there any truth to the rumors of your gym charter being revoked?¡± I raised a hand and narrowed my eyes. Instantly a lull fell over the crowd as they suddenly found themselves swallowing their tongues. ¡°As I have stated previously, no comment.¡± I paused on one of the reporters and pulled open the bag I had grabbed before departing the gym. From within I pulled a form. ¡°PTN reporter Joshua, this is a restraining order for harassing my little siblings at school. I am fair game as Gym Leader. Do not harass my family, if you fail to comply with this restraining order the police will be informed.¡± I swept my gaze over the rest of the reporters before nodding at them as Joshua¡¯s sudden paling was caught on camera. ¡°Good day ladies and gentlemen.¡± I extracted myself as the piranhas turned on one of their own for the story. I jogged on toward the center of the city where the large marble building that served as City Hall was located. I waved at some of the Pewter City residents that noticed me but used the old trick of wearing headphones to make it seem like I couldn¡¯t hear their questions that had begun to get repetitive a little under a week ago when the match had been announced. When I entered, I made a show of taking off my headphones. The receptionist ignoring me as I waited for her to notice my arrival let me know how this was likely going to go. I merely adopted a polite expression before checking my watch. I turned towards the door and instantly she whipped her head up at me. ¡°Gym Leader Brock, please take a seat. The Mayor will be with you soon.¡± I returned her fake smile. ¡°I have twenty minutes before I have other business to attend. If the Mayor needs me, he can make an appointment. I¡¯ve got room in my schedule in a few days.¡± The receptionist¡¯s nostrils flaring let me know enough about her to know that I¡¯d just ruined her little potential threat. She¡¯d have later locked this moment away in her dusty cupboard of a mind only to be recalled, polished and gleaming as a moment that she¡¯d gotten to flex on a Gym Leader which would have made it all the sweeter. By rejecting the concept of social superiority that I should bow and scrape to the Mayor, I¡¯d probably made an enemy in her. She¡¯d find all the petty ways she could to hurt me later on. I didn¡¯t have time for her and the Mayor¡¯s little games though. I glanced again at my watch. ¡°Is he free now or should I have my crew send a time I¡¯m available?¡± I could see her furiously working through her options, leafing through her procedures and manners to find some way to restore her little world. She sniffed pointedly when her speaker buzzed and the Mayor¡¯s voice called through, ¡°Trixie, send through the good Gym Leader. I can talk now.¡± I merely nodded as she gestured towards the doors. I then almost ran into them as she failed to unlock them. I took a deep breath in and considered escalating. For a moment, I tapped into the pool of energy. My hands opened into flat palms. It was so tempting. It¡¯d be so easy. A harsh thunk of the door unlocking sounded out and I pushed the door again. The energy within was exhaled out as the door closed behind me. I refocused towards the actual person I¡¯d come to see. The Mayor of Pewter city had chosen to sit at the lounge instead of behind his desk. The man was the quintessential ¡®hiker¡¯ from the Gen I iteration. The only difference was that he was a solid wall of muscle. The man didn''t have hands as much as he had twin mauls. His hair wasn¡¯t so much a beard as a mane. And yet, the man had coated himself in fur to the degree that I had to wonder if Hagrid from Harry Potter had fallen for a Discworld Dwarf. ¡°Mayor,¡± I said as a greeting, watching as the muscle and hair twitched in greeting. ¡°Gym Leader,¡± he said back. He rubbed his chin causing some parts of his mane to stick out oddly. His eyes searched me from the dark caves of his face before a smile stretched his face. ¡°So, you¡¯re not just a good battler eh Brock?¡± I considered that for a moment before replying, ¡°I suppose I haven¡¯t had many chances to prove myself before have I¡­ Jonathan?¡± I used his name as a test. He merely nodded his head. ¡°Indeed you¡¯ve done well as Gym Leader since your father abandoned you with your family. If anyone has been paying any attention to you, they¡¯d be mad to call you into question,¡± he gestured at the seat to show I could sit. ¡°You¡¯ve taken a disaster on so many fronts, and turned it into a shiny gem. Your playing coy sort of gives the game away though.¡± He tapped a newspaper section that highlighted the odds of the match. ¡°How much should I bet on you?¡± I rubbed the back of my head in consideration. For a long minute, neither of us spoke before I considered the man that seemed so in his element. Like an old lion in the savannah, he was in his element. I liked that thought, the old lion of Pewter, it should be a nickname for the man. I had to admit it was a pleasant surprise after the last week I¡¯d had to hear him being open. ¡°How much have you got to bet?¡± His smile turned feral before nodding at me. ¡°Anything the city can do for you? We have some Rangers that I¡¯m close with. Ones that head out to the silver mountains and north in the wild ranges even. They''d have some pokemon that could test you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already got some plans in place. Thank you for the offer though. I¡¯d prefer if you could get the reporters to stop hounding me as much.¡± ¡°Not an undoable task. I can certainly talk to their managers about how they¡¯ve been lingering.¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°You alright if I have some support pieces made up? Start a grassroots surge before you do your thing?¡± ¡°Do my thing?¡± I asked curious about how much he suspected. He smirked. ¡°You got a look about you. You¡¯re not defeated or letting it tumble over you. If you¡¯d come in here looking like you were just out for a stroll, or at the park letting the kids play on you, it¡¯d show. Instead you got your hackles up.¡± ¡°Is the receptionist deliberate?¡± He clicked his tongue. ¡°Nah she¡¯s a hire that I had to do cause of,¡± he waved around at the office, ¡°politics.¡± I made a noise of understanding before agreeing to the idea of some articles slowly filtering into the public. It felt rather strange planning such things regarding myself but perhaps this was a sign that I wasn¡¯t just anyone anymore. Later that night, after dealing with the Mayor, I turned the conversation over in my head. Despite coming in as nominal social equals, I couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly worried about how the man had taken control of the conversation. He hadn¡¯t shown any of his cards before peeking at mine in a way. He might have been bluffing for all that I knew. He¡¯d agreed after my initial comment to ¡®bet all that he had and more¡¯, very well. He¡¯d also made a good show of getting some Rangers in to take over gym duties. That might have seemed like a harmless gesture but I understood that you needed duties to justify certain things. It might help now but it would hinder me later with what I could have a voice in. If I couldn¡¯t win while doing my job properly, I didn¡¯t deserve the victory. Also, I shouldn¡¯t allow that sort of behavior to creep in. I wasn¡¯t sure if that had been like a Tentacruel feeler testing the waters before diving in with other ¡®helpful¡¯ suggestions, but my mind couldn¡¯t help replay the talk over in my head. I eventually sighed, sitting up and turning on the computer to write down my thoughts. I¡¯d need to handle myself at least this well or better, in future. Being a Gym Leader meant rubbing elbows with the Movers and Shakers. That meant politics. I wondered for a moment if I needed to hire or have someone train me for that. How did I currently ¡®score¡¯ in such a setting? Did I even want to blend in or should I force them to flow around me? I wrote all of this down in my virtual diary for later reflection. I paused every now and then to play with a handful of pebbles that I left near my bedside. I let the feel and sound of them clacking into each other wash over me before writing another section. After an hour of jotting down my thoughts and toying with my Rock-type energy, I found I had no issues falling asleep. I knew tomorrow would be better. That alone made things seem brighter for me. I also had a lot to look forward to with it being a training day with Surge and Sabrina. Chapter 9 - Training, and stories for siblings In a field, well out of view from any prying eyes, Lieutenant Surge swaggered. It made one wonder about life. Sadly this was no ¡®if a tree falls in the wood¡¯ situation. Surge made sure there was someone to hear him before he got started. ¡°You ready for the pain Brock! I¡¯m bringing the thunder!¡± He held a pose and leered while I stared. Then an idea came to me. A terrible, horrible, no good idea. I checked around in case anyone else was actually here. Specifically Sabrina. Before adopting a counterpose. ¡°You think you¡¯re tough enough to handle the avalanche?¡± Surge¡¯s grin grew and his hand swept out. ¡°Nice! But words won¡¯t save you from the sparks I¡¯m sending out! Go Raichu!¡± ¡°Match him Shin!¡± I selected my own pokemon. From the pokeball, an ancient pokemon emerged and brandished his scythes at the orange electric mouse. Raichu growled, tail whipping back and forth. Surge whistled obviously wanting to say something but holding back. He settled for clicking his fingers. ¡°Toss a rock to signal the start?¡± I nodded, raising a rock and lobbing it up well within our field of vision. Neither of us bothered to turn our heads to focus on it. We tracked it more from the movement in our peripherals. When it touched the ground, Surge swept his hand forth and bellowed his command, ¡°Raichu Thunder!¡± ¡°Stab your blades into the ground! Metal Claw!¡± I countered. Shin¡¯s blades sank into the ground just before the electrical attack impacted. It didn¡¯t negate all of the damage but it did help out. ¡°Rock Polish Shin!¡± I added just as the attack dissipated. Surge slashed his arm, ¡°Thunder wave!¡± ¡°Dig!¡± Shin obeyed before the attack had any chance of threatening him. Surge grimaced before he snapped his fingers. ¡°Swift!¡± Stars formed up above Raichu. I grimaced at that, but had to accept it as Raichu¡¯s attack hit. I couldn¡¯t block it with another move this time. Before Raichu could launch any more. Shin popped up behind it though and slashed for all he was worth. Raichu was launched across the field before rolling to its feet with an angry growl. ¡°Rock Polish,¡± I said once more. ¡°Urgh, again?¡± said Surge as he eyed his Raichu. ¡°Extreme speed!¡± ¡°Match it,¡± I ordered only to find my Kabutops current top speed to be well short of what I need to keep him even with Raichu. Raichu slammed into Shin and I grit my teeth as small sparks zapped into Shin. ¡°Dig!¡± I said while reprimanding myself for the sloppy play. I should have just gone for another dodge with dig rather than trying to match up. So what if Surge got off a swift? It wasn¡¯t more of an irritant. Surge nodded his head and as I had expected ordered another swift before bellowing. ¡°Extreme speed to the other side of the field!¡± This saw him dodging the attack from my Shin. I clicked my teeth at that before eyeing the field. ¡°Shin! Metal Claw into Hydrojet! Drag your blades along behind you!¡± Surge frowned at me as my pokemon surged forward with a watery envelope surrounding him. I could tell he was tempted with the water in play but I could also see him judging the metal claw attachment. ¡°Use swift again!¡± ¡°Go into Dig!¡± I ordered once more. Now that the field had large gouges across it, I knew Raichu couldn¡¯t rely on speed to escape this hit. Surge¡¯s follow up swift again did little before his Raichu took another solid hit that saw it tumbling across the field. He clicked his tongue and raised his pokeball. ¡°Good match, wasn¡¯t sure you were serious with your pick of Kabutops.¡± Shin happily crowed at that praise before hustling over to me. I plucked a rag off my belt to rub his already glossy rock shell. Surge chuckled as Shin crooned into the cloth. ¡°Hell of a pokemon to have in your roster.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not the only of his type that I have,¡± I revealed. ¡°Seriously?¡± Surge stared at me and I grinned. His expression turned into outright gaping as I popped two more pokemon to show off my Omaster, and Aerodactyl. Omaster glanced around before waving her arms about happily while Aerodactyl snorted and took off to circle the area. ¡°Don! Circle up high and see if there is anything I need to be worried about. Pokemon or people alright?¡± ¡°Aero!¡± screeched my flying type as it caught a thermal to soar. ¡°Damn Brock. You going to use all of them?¡± ¡°Shelly¡¯s not up to the others in combat strength.¡± I leaned down and rubbed at Omaster¡¯s shell. ¡°She¡¯s alright for the four and up matches but she¡¯s not one of my top six.¡± Shelly merely nodded at this before tapping Shin for his attention. The two pokemon began to talk to each other and I turned to Surge. ¡°I think if anything, Don is going to be the one that Lance is most jealous of.¡± ¡°Is it Dragon typed? I assumed Rock-Flying.¡± ¡°It looks close enough though, no? You know Lance has a Gyrados and a Charizard right?¡± ¡°Yeah, beast pokemon, both of them. Gyrados knows thunder so watch out for it yeah?¡± ¡°I have an easy matchup for that. I¡¯m hoping he tries to bring it out first. If not, I have someone that can set up for me.¡± ¡°Heh that Golem of yours?¡± I nodded before holding out a pokeball. ¡°Speaking of which, I had an egg hatch the other day.¡± Surge perked up. ¡°That what I think it is?¡± I nodded and handed him the ball. Like a kid at christmas Surge instantly opened his present to reveal a Geodude. ¡°Geo-dude!¡± Surge looked over the pokemon appreciatively before rubbing a hand over the rougher top. He drew it back and tilted his head in thought before drawing back his hand. ¡°Magnetic rock?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to feed him some electrically charged rock in his diet and keep him in a charged environment.¡± I smiled at the little guy, ¡°Think that¡¯s going to be an issue for you?¡± ¡°Heh! No way! Thanks! How am I gonna pay you back for this?¡± He gestured to the pokemon that was happily thumping his chest and demanding a fight from Shin. My Kabutops spat a tiny glob of water only for the Geodude to flinch before roaring as the ¡®challenge¡¯ was accepted. ¡°Heh! I like this punk¡¯s spirit! He¡¯s an electric type that¡¯s for sure!¡± I grinned at Surge¡¯s pokemon before handing him a sheet of paper. Surge read through it before frowning. ¡°Hehe Shiny types or King variants? Yeah, I can see this guy being worth one of them. Corsola? You don¡¯t have one of them?¡± I shook my head in answer. ¡°Nosepass, Bonsly and what the hell¡­. Roggenrola? Rockruff? Carbink? Never heard of those pokemon before, where the hell¡¯d you hear of them?¡± He looked up from the list. ¡°I keep an ear out. Their original regions might not have opened their borders officially yet so the League won''t have announced them.¡± ¡°More like your psychic girlfriend knows and told you?¡± Surge said leadingly. ¡°I have done no such thing,¡± said Sabrina appearing at my side with her teleport. Surge flinched back, his arms pinwheeling before he fell onto his backside. From the ground, he gave her a scowl. ¡°You been lurking long?¡± Sabrina didn¡¯t deign to offer a response for that, outright ignoring her fellow Gym Leader. Don screeched and plummeted from the sky at Sabrina¡¯s sudden arrival. ¡°Don! No! Friend!¡± I said, shouting as loud as I could. Sabrina eyed him for a moment before popping a pokeball to reveal an Alakazam who hovered in front of Sabrina. ¡°Don!¡± This time he listened and wheeled away. I sighed before shaking my head. ¡°Sorry about him, I¡¯ll need to use him in a fight today. He¡¯s very aggressive when he¡¯s brought out and with Shin getting a chance, he probably wants to throw down himself to prove he¡¯s still strong.¡± ¡°I would be fine with that.¡± She placed a hand on Alakazam¡¯s shoulder and the hyper-smart pokemon nodded to her before smirking upwards. ¡°Before that, think you can set some time up for my Selene and Quirina? I need to work out which of them will be fighting.¡± ¡°Selene is better,¡± Sabrina didn¡¯t even hesitate to voice her opinion. I opened my mouth before nodding. ¡°Yeah actually, Quirina wouldn¡¯t work well with Lance¡¯s matchups. Selene is in then.¡± ¡°My Alakazam wants another rematch against Titan.¡± The Alakazam in question didn¡¯t turn but I felt its attention focus on me nevertheless. I smirked, ¡°After he fights Don, and if he¡¯s still up for it, sure.¡± The challenge in my tone made the Alakazam snap to look at me before scoffing as he redirected his attention up towards the circling Don. ¡°First let¡¯s train Selene.¡± With a press of a button Selene floated upwards. ¡°Luuuunatone!¡± greeted the pokemon. Sabrina smiled as her eyes glowed slightly as a link formed between her and my pokemon. Surge walked up to me before nodding. ¡°Reckon I¡¯ll head off before someone spots I¡¯m missing from Vermilion.¡± ¡°Thanks for coming Surge, Shin needed the match up.¡± ¡°Yeah, didn''t seem that way. Your Pokemon are going to shock a lot of people. I¡¯m surprised at how much depth you¡¯ve got for all of them having a rock type.¡± ¡°People underestimate them cause they only see Geodudes and Onix, with a lot of trainers facing them for the first badge challenge. They think they¡¯re weaker than they are in truth.¡± ¡°Reckon Lance will know about Titan?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love for him to be that proud, but I don¡¯t think he got to be Champion from not crossing his t¡¯s and dotting his i¡¯s.¡± ¡°Shame. It¡¯ll be a shock for a lot of people that didn¡¯t track you beyond your Kanto circuit. They probably think your Rhydon is your starter.¡± I grinned at that before nodding. ¡°Sure¡­ my Rhydon.¡± Surge squinted at me before shaking his head. ¡°I won¡¯t satisfy my inner Meowth right now but I know that look.¡± I merely nodded and tapped my nose. Surge chuckled as he opened a Pokeball to reveal a Fearow that had a saddle which he swung up into. ¡°See you at the conference Brock!¡± He said before taking off. I waved him off before turning back to the next round of training I had lined up for today. ¡°So what should we be working on with Selene?¡± Sabrina gave me a look. ¡°We will be working on her versatility with her psychic powers.¡± Selene bumped into Sabrina with a happy trill before straightening when Sabrina gently pushed her away. ¡°You may begin by levitating as many items as you can, nothing can be the same shape or size.¡± I watched for a few minutes before understanding that I was very much superfluous. It was still interesting to watch the three psychics train themselves. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Selene flagged first. Alakazam nodded at her efforts but you could tell she was exhausted with how she wavered with her hovering. Sabrina stared at Selene for a moment before nodding herself. ¡°You have done well. Rest and consider what you¡¯ve learnt today.¡± She glanced towards me then before looking at her Alakazam. ¡°I believe Alakazam was promised a fight?¡± I tugged out a whistle and blew it. Sabrina placidly watched me as we waited for Don to return. With anyone else, this would be very awkward. I¡¯d grown used to silence with Sabrina. She was a very deep thinker. You could say something offhand and she¡¯d contemplate it from a variety of different angles for hours. Sometimes she¡¯d dredge up something you said days ago. Or she¡¯d just sit and think. It was one of the things she liked about having me around. She¡¯d told me once that I was good for that. A comfortable quiet. Apparently being able to hear people¡¯s thoughts made her life rather frustrating. I could only get a vague idea of what that might be like. She likened it to having a constant crowd shouting over themselves in a small room. In this case, the room just so happened to be her mind. As a child, it had pained her. And then along had come a boy with an inkling of an idea regarding Dark-type energy that made him a ¡®quiet¡¯ mind. Soothing almost. At the time, I had been focused on beating her with my pokemon. Then she had marched up and given me the Marsh badge only to announce she was going to join me for the rest of the circuit. And from there, I had been trying to lessen my footprint on what was supposed to be canon. I shook my head before looking her over. The small smile was enough to let me know how she was doing. ¡°Anything planned for when the circuit is over?¡± ¡°I will be joining you at the Plateau,¡± she said firmly before brushing her hair over her shoulder. ¡°Otherwise I have nothing of note.¡± ¡°Your family isn¡¯t doing anything?¡± ¡°Mother thinks it would be a good idea to go to the beach together as a¡­ Family¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t like that idea?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very bright at the beach and I don¡¯t like the looks and thoughts I get when I go there.¡± ¡°Ah, shame you¡¯d look¡­¡± I trailed off before my tongue could talk me into a trap. Sabrina arched an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯d look?¡± Sabrina of course didn¡¯t relent. ¡°You¡¯d look very nice.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± her voice had gotten flat and I knew she was fishing in her own way but that didn¡¯t stop me from tripping myself into the trap. ¡°You¡¯d look¡­ attractive. You¡¯re a very attractive woman Sabrina alright?¡± She stared at me for a moment before nodding her smile back in place before she looked away. ¡°Thank you.¡± The quiet returned. I squatted down and watched a slowly growing black dot form into Don. I now found myself willing him to speed up for the coming fight. ¡°You are also quite attractive.¡± I looked back to her studiously not looking at me. ¡°Hmmm thanks Sabrina.¡± I half turned before looking back only to shake the idea off. She wanted me to go to the beach with her, didn''t she? I turned that over in my head. I really shouldn¡¯t encourage her. I was still squeamish having ¡®dated¡¯ her as children. I didn¡¯t want to encourage her or offer something that I couldn¡¯t give. Don arrived and thankfully ended my mental torment. He hovered and eyed the Alakazam with hate filled eyes. Alakazam made things worse by huffing and dismissing him. I grinned knowing what the hyper-intelligent pokemon was doing. ¡°Keep your cool Don, he¡¯s toying with you before the fight. This is just banter.¡± Don glared at me before recalling our own training sessions. He growled before flapping and waggling his legs in a provocative manner. I had no idea how that translated but I didn¡¯t expect anything too refined from an ¡®Ancient¡¯ pokemon. It got a narrowing of eyes from Alakazam so it must have done something. ¡°Ready?¡± I asked Sabrina. She nodded once. ¡°Alakazam, Psybeam.¡± And like that the next match began. Sabrina had not bothered with any ¡®fair start¡¯ like Surge had been. Don folded his wings but the attack was fast. Knocking him out of the sky with a mere grazing blow. ¡°Get off the ground! You¡¯re a sitting Farfetch¡¯d there!¡± ¡°Gravity,¡± Sabrina continued her onslaught making it harder for Don. I¡¯d asked for as much but I knew Don was going to have a tough time with this match up. He struggled to get his legs underneath himself. ¡°Stone Edge! Make him move!¡± Don glared at the Alakazam that was holding him down with the power of his mind. For a moment, I thought he was going to launch himself forward to attempt a take-down instead of listen but rocks formed and fired off. ¡°Teleport,¡± said Sabrina tonelessly. Rocks flew into the spaces Alakazam had been, only for him to dodge easily. ¡°Don you need to act faster! Lance¡¯s Dragonite is one of the best pokemon around! If you can¡¯t handle an alakazam, I won¡¯t be able to use you!¡± I said. Mentally, it was a much different story. Alakazam with teleport would technically be harder to fight. I¡¯d need to make sure Don fought some speedy flying types but right now was about getting him faster in his firing sequence. Don responded like I knew he would, Rock Blasts flying faster. I swung my arm into a blank area. ¡°Fire there!¡± Don did as I asked and he was rewarded as Alakazam teleported into the hit. He took the blow and was hurled back. When he rose, he made a show of dusting himself off and scoffing. Don growled. ¡°Leap up now while he¡¯s distracted!¡± This time, Don was able to leap for the skies, unhindered now that Alakazam wasn¡¯t focussing the gravity onto him. ¡°Dragondance Don!¡± My pokemon tipped himself into a tailspin before alighting with a small growl. Sabrina made a gesture and her pokemon formed a barrier in front of himself. ¡°Stone Edge again!¡± ¡°Psychic,¡± replied Sabrina. This time, the attack came in the form of Alakazam grabbing the stones that had formed Don¡¯s attack and hurling them back at him. ¡°Evasive maneveurs Don! Go Lo¡ª¡± I cursed as he went high. In doing so he made it easier to spot his profile. ¡°Don get low! You¡¯re easier to hit in the sky! Close to the ground, you can throw up dust and obscure yourself with turn about!¡± This was not something I would be able to do in my match with Lance. I obviously had a lot of small kinks to work out to get Don¡¯s battling up to snuff. Don took a stone to the wing and dropped before regaining control. He adopted the new dodging pattern and while he didn¡¯t have the thermals to work with, he was able to throw up dust and rocks as chaff for attacks meant for him. This meant Alakazam had to work for it more. ¡°Dragon dance again!¡± ¡°Psybeam!¡± ¡°Drop to the ground! Create a sinkhole!¡± Don hit the ground this time dodging the attack before glaring at the alakazam. I was quick to follow up before Alakam¡¯s attack ended. ¡°Go close while using Stone Edge around the area!¡± Alakazam suddenly found it much harder to teleport as Don closed on him. ¡°Psybeam again!¡± ordered Sabrina. ¡°Ice fang before he hits!¡± I bellowed. Don¡¯s jaws snapped onto the alakazam¡¯s shoulder and ice flowed down the limb making the super-intelligent pokemon flinch. ¡°Again!¡± Don got in another hit. ¡°Finish it, Psybeam.¡± Sabrina stayed calm. Her Alakazam raised a hand and pointed the palm right at Don. Don was blown off and landed hard into the ground. I looked down into his crater as he weakly struggled before slumping down. ¡°Good fight buddy. We both need to get better.¡± Across from us, Alakazam must have used recovery on himself. Sadly for him, the ice didn¡¯t vanish revealing he¡¯d been partially frozen from Don¡¯s attacks. Don might have ended up losing but he put up enough of a fight to deny Alakazam his rematch against Titan. Which set Don in a nice frustrated state and much more pliant for the next week ¡ªat least¡ª of training that I could put into him. I had multiple points of information that I needed to address for both of us. It might have seemed cruel to set Don up like this with a match I didn''t expect him to win. But sometimes, it was important to crush a pokemon¡¯s pride to get them to listen to you. It wasn¡¯t a method I liked to use but one of the best to use to get some serious training in with Don in the lead up to the fight with Lance. I didn¡¯t have time to be nice with Don¡¯s pride. I needed him working hard, not strutting around with a chip on his shoulder. He might have lost but that was all according to plan.
I toyed with the spreadsheet to play with the gym¡¯s earnings and expenditures. If I accounted for the amount of food that I could save with an expedition while trading off human resources required I might come out slightly ahead which would be worth it for a few planned trips. I could enlist a few of my siblings to trade out for Rocko who had put in for leave and then¡ª My door opened up and a voice called out to me. ¡±Big brother?¡± I looked up to find Suzie rubbing at her eyes and yawning hugely. ¡°You¡¯re not asleep?¡± I resisted the urge to give a sarcastic reply before nodding. ¡°Yeah, I had some work for the Gym to catch up on. Got a lot on my plate Suzie. What¡¯s up? How come you¡¯re still awake?¡± I almost asked if she¡¯d had another accident but knew that would only anger her. She hadn¡¯t had any accidents in a few months now. ¡°I had a bad dream,¡± she said directly to the floor. I huffed. ¡°That¡¯s alright. We all have those sometimes.¡± ¡°Even you?¡± She peeked up at me. I nodded. ¡°Want some warm milk to help you relax? Then you can brush your teeth again before bed.¡± ¡°I don''t have to brush my teeth if I drink milk! It¡¯s white like my teeth!¡± Her logic was probably perfect for a five-year-old. ¡°Ha! I wish it worked that way, but no you brush your teeth if you eat or drink anything.¡± ¡°Even water?¡± I paused, stumped before shaking my head. ¡°Ah, actually not water. Water gets a pass.¡± She considered that deeply for a long moment before eventually nodding. ¡°I want a cookie as well!¡± I sighed. ¡°Milk and no cookie.¡± ¡°Milk and cookie, otherwise it¡¯s just weird!¡± She waved her arms about to emphasize the ¡®weirdness¡¯ of no cookie and milk. I caved and gave her another nod. After giving her the cookie and her milk, which I enjoyed alongside her I led her up to the bathroom. There, I oversaw her brushing her teeth atop a stool just for her while I did my own. Then, I settled her into bed in the room she shared with Tilly. Before I got a chance to leave, she spoke up again. ¡°Can I have a story?¡± ¡°Another story?¡± I said pointedly while staring at the Detective Pikachu¡¯s adventure book I had read earlier. ¡°I want a real story. One about pokemon!¡± she said while crossing her tiny arms. I noted the emphasis on ¡®real¡¯. So nothing that would qualify as ¡®little girl¡¯ material but still age-appropriate. I considered that before moving back and sitting down with my back against the wall. ¡°Would a story about the prettiest rock type pokemon be enough?¡± ¡°Graveller?¡± she said, likely thinking of the maid like pokemon that was probably asleep in the older girl¡¯s room. ¡°No, even prettier. It¡¯s so pretty that this pokemon is known as the Jewel pokemon, but it is also one of the toughest pokemon out there. It has to do with the diamonds that make up its body.¡± ¡°Diamonds! Really? Wow, that must be a pretty pokemon!¡± Her eyes widened as her little mind began to imagine what such a pokemon must look like. ¡°Yup! If any trainer had it, they¡¯d do great at contests just from how pretty it is!¡± ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡± Suzie said, snuggling down into her blanket and watching me. ¡°Diancie. Diancie the Rock Fairy type pokemon.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not a Fairy-type pokemon. I know, I learnt about that in school!¡± ¡°Really? They taught you that at Pre-school? I¡¯m impressed!¡± Suzie puffed up her chest before nodding. I made a show of looking left and right, ¡°Well I¡¯m going to tell you a secret. Can you keep it for me?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± She said seriously. I smiled, not really minding if she blabbed like I expected her to a friend. People wouldn¡¯t take her too seriously until the official position statement from the League was released in a year or so. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a new typing announced soon.¡± ¡°The Fairy type!?¡± She said, understanding what I meant immediately. I nodded. ¡°Yup! Pokemon like Clefairy aren¡¯t just Normal-type.¡± ¡°Wow! What are they strong and weak against?¡± I nodded, pleased at her serious question. ¡°They¡¯re weak to Steel, and poison, with Dark, fighting and bug not being as effective. But guess what?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They¡¯re super strong against Dark, Fighting and¡­ Dragon types which they¡¯re immune to damage from.¡± She gasped. ¡°You could use Diancie against Lance and beat him up!¡± She shot up. ¡°We need to get you a Diancie! Where do we go to get one?!¡± I put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Hey, Hey It¡¯s alright. My pokemon and I have been working hard. And I''m sorry to say that Diancie are super, super rare.¡± ¡°As rare as Legendary pokemon?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Not that rare, but they¡¯re up there.¡± Technically with the games, Mythical pokemon were tougher to get but Suzie didn¡¯t need to be told that. She needed dreams and thoughts filled with potential rather than cold harsh truths. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll ever get a Diancie?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love one but I think I¡¯d have to give it to someone.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You, ¡° I said before bopping her nose. ¡°Then I know you¡¯d always be safe. If I ever get one, I¡¯ll make sure to give it to you alright?¡± Suzie grinned and gave me a hug. ¡°Sure big brother.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll go to bed now?¡± ¡°Alright, thanks for the story.¡± I stroked her hair before stepping out of the room. ¡°Good night Suzie, love you.¡± ¡°Good night Brock, I love you!¡± she said before shutting her eyes. I watched her for a moment before moving to the office. For a moment, I thought I saw a light flicker on around a corner but none of them seemed to be fluttering. In the office, I reviewed the spreadsheet. It was as good as I was going to get it. I had everything as ready as I could get it. Now I just had to go to the Indigo Plateau for the conference that was coming up and throw down my challenge to Lance. Chapter 10 - The gauntlet thrown down I sat atop a pillar of stone. Beneath me, the golden bricks that formed the beginning of the end of the path towards the Indigo Plateau. The pillars that led up to the plateau towered over all while in various states of artfully designed disrepair or dazzlingly wholeness depending on their position. It gave one a feeling of something older and so much bigger than yourself when you marched through it on the way to the Indigo League conference. It was here that the trainers who had earned eight badges when the circuit was open would be allowed to compete. The tradition was that trainers should walk the entire path from the initial gate where a formal guard would stand and politely ask them if they had their badges. The guard would then inspect the badge and congratulate them on their achievements before inviting them to continue onwards. This would allow them to showcase their prowess to any going with them while also letting them go through a tradition that was based on an old legend. Then they would trudge through the indoor lake and carefully controlled cave with pokemon habitats set up by rangers to emerge here. It typically took no more than a day or two if you left from Viridian. ¡°Pidge-ot!¡± I looked up to see another trainer soar overhead. It was only for tradition that anyone actually went through the entirety of Victory road. Most set themselves down around the stadium plaza and pokemon centre that held the village''s worth of lodgings for the upcoming matches. For each trainer that existed that did things the traditional way, there was at least another that went about things differently. Others could teleport in if they had the pokemon that had the ability or if they possessed the psychic strength. The only one that I knew of that could do that from Pewter was Sabrina, and she was considered a rare prodigy. Then there was also the walking track. Which was more like walking over gentle hills that had been carefully manicured. The pokemon there were all rather weak as this was the route that would allow the trucks to supply the Indigo plateau. Further to the side of the road, pokemon trainers could walk casually towards the League headquarters. I could see the glint of a few cars that likely had rich businessmen and local councillors. It didn¡¯t do to simply show up at such big events. You had to show up in style. I hadn¡¯t bought a car myself. Without the need to lock myself into a car and get places quickly, I had never seen the need. Most people were of the same mindset. Having a car was an extreme luxury that wasn¡¯t very practical. Pokemon could serve in transportation roles much more easily. Instead of making a big display of my arrival though, I was going to simply wander in with a few other trainers. This was Celia¡¯s first circuit and I had recommended going the longer route to get the full appeal of the walk to the conference. It also gave her a chance to size up other trainers. I glanced towards the cave in time to see a fairly large group emerge. I hummed a thoughtful note when I noticed that Celia was leading the group and talking rather animatedly. She seemed to have a lot of the group¡¯s attention. As they continued to approach, I felt an itch of recognition at the others surrounding her. I was sure I had seen that young trainer at the bakery. And hadn¡¯t that trainer been a few years above Forrest? I looked over the others and spotted faces that had blurred into the background of Pewter city but that I knew in some way. The baker¡¯s daughter. The guy that liked to busk at some cafes on the weekends. Two of them had even taken a few odd jobs that I¡¯d posted from the gym. Bruce? Trixie? I stood up and adopted my¡­ damn it, I did pose. I pushed down the embarrassment my habits had caused and took my pose. Arms crossed, legs at rest. I stared down at the approaching trainers. ¡°Welcome to the Indigo Plateau,¡± I said, letting my voice carry in a well-practised manner. As one, the group stopped before looking around. Eventually, they looked up the pillar that I had chosen. I smirked as they had to shield their eyes due to the sun being at my back. Celia grinned at me before half adopting my pose. I lost some of the enjoyment before carrying on with the welcoming speech I¡¯d decided on. ¡°Well done all of you for making it to the end of this year¡¯s circuit. I see quite a number of faces I recognise. Are all of you Pewter city residents?¡± Only three of them shook their heads but I didn¡¯t single them out. ¡°Well, welcome nevertheless. Are you ready for the last challenge in the coming days? I will be looking forward to all of your matches.¡± I nodded before launching myself down towards them. A few gasped and one even reached for her pokeball to likely try and stop me from killing myself. I merely landed with a hard thump. I straightened and beckoned them on. ¡°Come on then, we¡¯ve got some pokemon battles and they won¡¯t wait for us.¡± I started walking up the golden road and smiled as I heard some whispers break out from behind me. ¡°Did he have a psychic pokemon stop him at the end?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see a glow!¡± ¡°What about a flying pokemon?¡± ¡°Maybe the earth there is¡­ nope it¡¯s as hard as everything else?¡± A set of feet slapping into the pavement had me turning slightly. Celia scowled at me. ¡°How do you do things like that?¡± She said loud enough that the whispers stopped and more than a few trainers hurried to close the gap to hear my answer. ¡°There¡¯s more to pokemon than simply training them to remember. You have to look inside for the energy. Like I¡¯ve been telling you?¡± Celia tilted her head. ¡°Yeesssss?¡± I waved a hand at her. ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you. You either have it or you don¡¯t, some people gain it through hard work but chasing it isn''t going to help. Just keep working with your pokemon and one day you might find out the secret as to why Elites are more than just trainers of strong pokemon.¡± Celia mulled that over for a long few minutes before jolting as she glanced around. ¡°Oh! Wait, I wanted to introduce some people to you!¡± She then lead a round of introductions for what I had correctly assumed to be Pewter city trainers that had completed the circuit. I smiled and shook hands. For a few, I even recalled some of their pokemon and their battling strategies. ¡°You did fix that issue with your Psyduck right?¡± I asked Trixie who nodded quickly. I considered asking a few more questions only for a gasp from people that had drifted to the front that had caught sight of the stadium. I walked up, feeling nostalgic as I watched the gleam of desire take hold. This wasn¡¯t a ¡®small¡¯ stadium, like what was in the gyms for locals and travelling trainers to watch matches. The Pewter city gym was one of the facilities that were considered state of the art with the rebuild I had performed in recent years but it was still considered modest compared to the Indigo Stadium. This was the dedicated facility for battles between the cream of the crop. The stadium itself featured large metal workings that depicted pokemon holding up the roof while the entrances were large brightly coloured and signed to allow for the transition of huge crowds into and out of the facility. I knew from experience that inside the stadium, there were a wide range of seating available from the simple stands to the V.I.P lounges that overlooked the fights. There were also inbuilt concession stands for food with some people walking the stands as cryers to sell their goods. I recalled that Team Rocket had done just that during a few tournaments and made a tidy profit for themselves. Hugging the stadium¡¯s edge, a wide thoroughfare allowed trainers and pokemon to walk easily. Buildings rose with steel and glass but not in ugly utilitarian styles. Twists and bends were forced into the harsh materials to soften the effects. Trees were spaced out with gardens and open areas for people to simply sit and enjoy time with their friends. A small river was set through the middle that wound through the Indigo ¡®city¡¯ with a number of small bridges. All of this lay before the entrance to the stadium itself which was a huge gateway that led to the indoor reception area where you could march six onix side by side without it being cramped. It was a city in all but name that had been crafted by the sharpest minds with access to the deepest pockets. It held the hearts and minds of two regions. It stood as a shining symbol of what could be achieved when both worked together. This saw people flocking to it. As we got closer, large signs depicted the rules of the area. More than a few trainers were surprised to find that you were allowed to release your entire team here. There were no restrictions on size or typings. You were expected to be able to control your pokemon but this offered a freedom that wasn¡¯t seen in other cities beyond certain special events. I was actually surprised when I saw that only three trainers took up the offer. I looked around to see the entire contingent I had walked in on evaluating the trainers and their pokemon. I then spotted that Celia looked as smug as a Meowth that had gotten into a cream factory. I gave her a look and she smiled. I nodded back before gesturing towards the frankly huge pokemon centre. Instead of the more typical modest facility found in cities and towns around the regions, this was more like four centres pushed together. It was multistoried and housed the best equipment in two regions. The front of the centre was a large glass front that served as the entrance. People could enter from at least ten different doors and there were smaller doors around the side for other purposes. Around the back, smaller training areas were sectioned off with mesh fencing that had to be regularly replaced as pokemon worked out any final kinks in their movesets. On the other side, large hotels and even some companies had set up headquarters here. The Plateau might see a surge during the end of the circuit but there was always a large number of people around. The place was a city where most people that spent time here didn¡¯t live here long term. Viridian, Pewter, Blackthorn and even Mahogany typically saw people ferrying in and out depending on their jobs. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. It should be noted that very few people flew from the Johto side to the plateau unless they had a very strong set of pokemon. Most used a Teleport service. Mt Silver was after all, not a place to fall into as an Office Worker or Janitor. Little children likewise should never set foot there. Turning my thoughts away from memory lane, I waved off Celia and the rest of the Pewter city trainers before turning towards a more grand looking hotel. I checked in and sat on the bed. Now I had nothing to do but wait until later this afternoon when I would sit in on a press conference. I turned the lights out and sat in the dark, letting my mind slow before I drifted off. I had enough presence of mind to recall that I needed to call Forrest to check-in. With me gone, I had needed him to hold down the fort at Pewter city. A simple enough task for a few days I reasoned. To bolster him, I¡¯d even let him borrow some of the pokemon that I had journeyed with that I couldn¡¯t use anymore as a type specialist. I still had them, cause you don¡¯t just give away or let such pokemon loose into the wild or to other people. That leads to a lot more issues, and I wasn¡¯t ever going to be callous enough to sell what had been some of my closest friends as some trainers did at the end of their journeys. Forrest should be fine for a few days. I sat in the dark and breathed in and out as time slipped by. Eventually, a phone call rang just as a buzzer lit up an alarm. I picked up the phone. ¡°Sir this is your courtesy call,¡± said the operator. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, hanging up and setting about readying myself. Time to flip the script.
Lance¡¯s desk had perhaps eighteen to twenty mikes set up in front of it. I was reminded of a rather silly photo of my past life of two people at a press conference. With the other man barely having one. If anything, our ¡®talk¡¯ before the upcoming exhibition match was even more disparate. I had barely been given a table and had to request a microphone. When the aide had tried to wave me off, I had stared at him and drawn on a minuscule part of myself to enforce that I would be getting a microphone. When he had it all plugged in, I tapped it to check it was connected. I then looked up at him and offered a nod. Part of me cringed at the way I had forced him and another part growled at having to go to such lengths. I half toyed with the idea of giving him a heads up but I crushed that thought. I didn¡¯t owe him anything and I didn¡¯t want to give Lance even the slimmest hint of what was coming. To lift my mood, I reached into a pack I¡¯d brought for the conference. I laid out a briefcase to the side and a moomoo milk made from one of the only farms at Pewter on the other. I¡¯d met the lady that owned it and the idea of giving her free advertising made me feel good. Lon Lon milk best milk around~! Between where Lance and I would sit would be a League official to oversee everything and get agreements that were really not needed, but still needed to be ¡®observed¡¯. The media arrived, surprisingly, only after I did, and while a few looked at me there was not much interest in their gazes. Apart from two of them. I noted that PTN¡¯s representatives had very plastic-looking smiles on their faces. An old trick came to mind and I flagged another technician for a seating chart. They gave me a confused look before I explained what I meant. I looked over the list and noted that the other reporter was from Goldenrod news. I shrugged that off idly and tried to memorise where the bigger names were. Seventy-Sixer FM was here along with Battlecast. Lifestyle mag that was based out of Celadon was here. Channel Twelve, J&K international and a league sponsored news called Pokenews were all seated in their places. Two more reporters bustled in and looked around before noticing me. They also gave my suitcase a more lengthy inspection than others before setting themselves up with a microphone and video. They both put microphones onto the pile in front of Lance before laying down two mikes in front of myself. That got some eyebrows and I glanced from them to the seating chart. ¡°Sorry I don¡¯t see you listed here. What are your names and who do you represent?¡± I raised a pen smiling at the reversal of roles. ¡°Gwen Gallows!¡± ¡°Mark Mannerly!¡± They both glanced at the other before sharing a smile. ¡°Our uncle Jonathan told us to get good seats for this.¡± I frowned. Jonathan¡­ It took a moment to recall that Pewter¡¯s Mayor was Jonathan. He seemed more fit to be called Mayor despite my trying to stand on a level with him in our previous discussions. I nodded at them and said no more. A few reporters shifted, unsettled by this change in what must have appeared to have been a fairly rote conference with the upcoming Champion. There were only this many reporters here because it was an announcement from the Champion. They could sense something though. Some undefined reporter sense that must have ghosted up their spines making them twitch, like they should be writing something down. I glanced at the clock and noted that Lance was late but I could tell from reading the room that not many people were unused to this. They didn¡¯t seem to want to really interact with me. I was content to sit but Gwen and Mark were twitchy. They were obviously smaller news outlets but with their knowledge that a scoop was coming they were champing at the bit to get underway. ¡°Gym Leader, think you¡¯re ready for the upcoming challenge?¡± Gwen asked when she saw me watching her. ¡°I think that I¡¯ve done as much as I could to make sure that we put the best foot forward that we can. My Pokemon and I are very ready.¡± The reporters all shifted before deciding they might as well start with what they had as it would be better than doing nothing. ¡°Think you¡¯ve got any chance?¡± Followed up Battlecast¡¯s reporter. ¡°I think before I answer that question I¡¯ll need to have Lance here. Seems he¡¯s tardy though.¡± This got some confused looks. They were starting to wonder at my biting tone, it wasn¡¯t something said about the champion after all. The Champion was never late, he arrived precisely when he was meant to; was a common school of thought. The other reporters jotted down my words but Goldenrod¡¯s reporter had sat up taller, now eying Gwen and Mark before glancing at me and my suitcase. I could practically see the neurons in his brain firing before he stood up and grabbed another mike from his bag to put in front of me. I merely smiled at him. Before anyone could question or copy him ,the doors to the side opened and the League official walked in. He bowed to the group in greeting. ¡°My apologies ladies and gentlemen, we had some errands to see to.¡± He kept the door open and Lance sauntered in to claim his chair. He flicked his eyes to me for a second, and at that moment I leaned forward and gave him a hard look that I¡¯d perfected by staring down wild pokemon. He paused before shaking his head, dismissing me as he flared his cape. I felt his aura break upon my body, but for the others it had the effect of making him the centre of attention. ¡°Welcome everyone! I know this is a rather momentous occasion coming up for the trainers and also for myself. With this being the first indigo conference I have overseen, I am looking forward to what the younger generation will bring to show¡ª¡± he began to talk through all the things he was looking forward to. It sounded to me like a very normal speech, bland if you would. It got the people to listen however. The reporters checked that their cameras were working and the press conference started. I watched him carefully, mostly ignoring the questions he was asked until the focus turned towards the reason for my presence here. ¡°¡ªand of course, we will be starting things off with a nice friendly match.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on that.¡± The room went still as they registered I¡¯d spoken. Lance blinked and turned his head. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± I shifted from my relaxed position to put my weight on my elbows. I tilted my head and eyed him. ¡°When this exhibition match was announced, you were very outspoken in some of your comments.¡± I made a show of plucking a sheet of paper, ¡°Ah here it is ¡®Rock Types? They wouldn¡¯t be able to last against my Dragons. I have pokemon in my arsenal that could clean sweep that gym alone¡¯.¡± I gave him a flat look. ¡°Champion Lance, I find your words go too far. They are then an insult I cannot let stand. I will be accepting your challenge. Be sure that I have brought my strongest pokemon to this match between us. I can¡¯t accept you merely retracting your words. So, the question I have for you is if you¡¯re willing to put up.¡± Lance straightened and his eyes locked onto mine. The room stiffened as tension palpably ratcheted up. ¡°Gentlemen! Gentlemen, there is no reason that we should¡ª¡± the League official stood and raised placating hands towards us both. Lance and I ignored him. He was irrelevant. The old adage of two trainers locking eyes? In moments like this, it was a law of the universe as much as gravity. Perhaps it was even an adage that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. ¡°Oh? This is no time for a joke Gym Leader,¡± he said eyeing me off. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± I held his gaze demanding he respond as he must. ¡°You¡­ think you can challenge me?¡± He tilted his head, looking me over before straightening and leaning closer, ¡°I am the champion, I did not get here from petty boasts Gym Leader. If you try this I will destroy your team,¡± he said firmly. I put my hand on the suitcase. ¡°Care to lay down a wager on that?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± He growled. The media didn¡¯t even bother to ask questions. They were spectators now and were more than happy to let the show play out. They¡¯d rouse when we were done tearing strips from each other verbally. With Lance accepting my terms on camera, he could no longer back down. ¡°I wager ten million pokedollars,¡± I said before he could ¡®set the bet¡¯. Tradition would dictate that I accept what he laid out but I silenced everyone by flipping open the latches and revealing the sum of money in the briefcase. Lance¡¯s eyes dilated before narrowing. He wasn¡¯t dumb. He could see that I¡¯d led him into this and I was deadly serious. The official spun on me, his mouth open before a wheezing gasp escaped his mouth as his eyes gravitated to the stacks of pokedollars. Lance nodded once. ¡°I accept.¡± I stood, pushing the money to the official. ¡°I entrust my wager to the Pokemon League. You may count it but I expect to see a matching amount laid out for our match in two days.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see your money.¡± Lance¡¯s eyes were now solely on me. ¡°I certainly hadn¡¯t expected this from you Gym Leader Brock.¡± ¡°You should learn to be more careful with your words in the future, Champion.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± He nodded before looking to the still silent reporters. ¡°This press conference is over. I will see you all in two days.¡± He swept his cape and stormed out the door. The official gazed after him before looking down at the case of money in his arms. I tapped him and handed him the form that ascertained that the money was all there. The Pewter bank had almost had conniptions when I¡¯d announced my withdrawal. In truth, I had a dummy amount of cash made up before having an official declaration set up. It had ended with them setting the money into an account with a code to access it. The man recognised it before glaring at me. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that boy!¡± ¡°As I said, Lance shouldn¡¯t have said what he did. I¡¯m merely calling him out on it.¡± I sat down and gave the assembled reporters a contented smile. ¡°Any questions?¡± Chapter 11 - The peoples reaction ¡°Shiiiiiiiiit!¡± Celia stared at the television in the pokemon centre open-mouthed. She hadn¡¯t had to bother people to get a spot on a couch and now she found herself agreeing with whoever had said that. She and all the other Pewter trainers that she¡¯d gathered together for the last part of their journey were likewise transfixed as Brock laid down the law. ¡°Stone cold! Brock is stone-cold! I can¡¯t believe I ever doubted him!¡± another trainer, someone Celia had written off but still invited anyway said. She smiled at his reversal of stance. Agreement rang out from the group at large. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A passing trainer said as they noticed the disturbance her group was making. Celia stood up and waved. ¡°Everyone turn to channel one! Lance is getting called out hard!¡± Around the room, a few trainers did so only to gasp when they saw Brock and Lance locking gazes. ¡°Care to lay down a wager on that?¡± Brock¡¯s voice, if Celia¡¯s words hadn¡¯t already, forced everyone to shut up and pay attention. There was a gravelly quality to it that just made you sit up. Celia thought of it as his growl. It rarely came out as Brock was very relaxed and more willing to speak quietly. When he had to speak up, he projected himself clearly without shouting. It made her squirm in her seat a little hearing him using it on the strongest trainer in their super-region. ¡°Of course!¡± Lance was no less intimidating. Celia sat as if an insanely powerful psychic pokemon had caught her in their control. She barely dared to breathe as lest these two powerhouse trainers notice her and turn their attention to her. People choked on their spit and one guy even outright collapsed as Brock laid out the wager of ten million poke dollars. Celia nodded along before the amount registered. She blinked. What was going on? ¡°How much did he say?¡± She questioned, testing her memory for faults. Perhaps this was tomorrow and she had been visited by a ghost pokemon that had munched on her dreams? She pinched herself just in case before grimacing. Nope, not a dream. ¡°Ten¡­ million pokedollars¡­¡± The person next to her said. She nodded dumbly. ¡°Right, of course¡­¡± She blanked out for another second but Lance¡¯s nod forced her back to the ground Kanto. ¡°I accept.¡± And just like that, one of the biggest pokemon wagers she¡¯d ever heard of had been laid down. That was a crazy amount of money. Like stupid money surely. That would be enough to see Celia able to journey the world¡­ like a hundred times over? She didn¡¯t even know how to reference that. More words were exchanged but Celia felt sick, excited, and suddenly so unsure of just who her mentor even was. Brock had been that rich? She¡¯d never really thought about how much being a Gym Leader paid. Who paid them even? Was Brock loaning the money? Was he going to be in serious trouble if he lost? What was even going on? ¡°¡ªI¡¯m merely calling him out on it.¡± Brock sat in his chair and gave a satisfied smile. Celia felt weak even as her mentor gave out the most confident smile she¡¯d ever seen. ¡°Any questions?¡± Celia found herself with so many. ¡°Are you for real?¡± someone asked. Celia blinked as Brock laughed, she quickly realised that had been one of the reporters. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll find I am indeed very real.¡± ¡°But, Ten Million? No way you have that money, even as a Gym Leader!¡± Brock glanced over to the official. ¡°May I borrow that case for this?¡± The man handed it back reluctantly. Brock turned to demonstrate the case. ¡°This is a protected case. You might not have noticed it but there is a certificate embedded in the top which is the real value. When I withdrew the money the bank manager looked like I had kicked their Growlithe in front of them.¡± ¡°So you took a loan for this? Isn¡¯t that unreasonable? Your gym surely can''t handle the debt.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaning on the gym for a loan, nor am I leaning on the bank for this. I never would have gotten approval. This is my own money.¡± ¡°How did you earn it?¡± ¡°I have had the good fortune in my journey as a younger man to encounter some truly rare pokemon. If you care to investigate, you will find I made most of that money through one transaction through the pokenet when I sold an extremely rare example of an Onix. The rest have just been good decisions for me that have paid off. The purpose of that money was to merely show that I am undeniably serious about this challenge and I am forcing Lance to meet me.¡± Brock shrugged. ¡°He can¡¯t afford not to after all.¡± The press conference, now with a missing champion continued as a one-man interview with a League official stewing next to Brock. Celia stared at it and blew out a whistle. When Brock had apologised for ¡®stealing¡¯ the attention off her matches, she hadn¡¯t realised he meant it this way. She suddenly found herself way more interested in her teacher. She¡¯d have to go visit him before his match in two days. She might even go meet him in his room. Her mind began to play through potential scenarios only for someone to jostle her. She glanced over to see that everyone was looking at her. ¡°Celia what was that?¡± She blinked and realised that Brock wasn¡¯t the only one about to sit through an interview. Although perhaps inquisition might be the more apt term in her case as more trainers closed in to ask her everything she knew about Brock.
¡°Thanks for tuning in, I''m Chuck Chinto and in today¡¯s top news, bad blood at the start of the Indigo Plateau with the conference set to get underway! See it live here!¡± On the prompter, the video events of the press conference played out. Chuck, now off-camera relaxes and glances at his producer. ¡°Damn ballsy move of the kid. What angle are we taking on this one?¡± The producer lifted their notepad and tapped it. ¡°Neutral, simply state the facts. We¡¯re going to run with this for a bit. We¡¯re projecting interest to be high so we have a team looking into Brock and Lance. We¡¯ve got another night to run a feature on both of them. Brock¡¯s got footage from his conference matches and also took part in the Sevii league and Hoenn if you can believe it.¡± The woman gestured to the prompter as another technician indicated they would be crossing back to Chuck. Fingers counted down and Chuck adopted a serious expression. ¡°Shocking situations indeed! It seems the typically thick-skinned gym leader certainly felt the bite of the Champion''s words. For this story, we thankfully have my co-host recently returned from the Plateau. What¡¯s your take Abby?¡± ¡°Chuck, in what appears to have been an insult gone too far, Champion Lance has been confronted by Gym Leader Brock of Pewter city. Most will know Brock as one of the earliest challenges in the League when you start your circuit on the Kanto side of the region. Pewter city as the ¡®first founded¡¯ city is even known as the traditional beginning of Kanto. For this reason, many people don¡¯t end up taking Brock on for a higher level challenge. This has given Pewter gym the unfortunate symbol of being a ¡®weak gym¡¯ with it being easy to get the badge. It was perhaps this that the Champion was referencing when he first spoke.¡± ¡°Abby, for a long while Brock refused to comment on the Champion''s words and people had written him off. What made him lash out like this at the champion?¡± ¡°It may have been community pressure, or it might have been his pride.¡± ¡°Not sticks and stones but words will break through the stony exterior?¡± said Chuck. ¡°Hmmm quite so, Chuck,¡± said Abby in response to the pun. ¡°Brock is also a young gym leader. He was in fact the youngest to take up the mantle until Johto¡¯s Falkner took over from his own father. Now while these two gym leaders share uptake from their fathers. Brock¡¯s handover was anything but smooth if reports are to be believed. The young Gym Leader has faced a lot of criticism. We¡¯ll be doing an in-depth dive on Brock in an exclusive later!¡± Chuck nodded seriously, letting his hair catch the light while watching Abby. ¡°And what of the Champ? How is he taking this?¡± ¡°The Champion has yet to make any more comments. In fact, he might not even be at the plateau anymore as a Dragonite taking off over Mt Silver was witnessed and it was believed that Lance may have been riding it.¡± Chuck put his hands together and pointed them towards Abby¡¯s chest, symbolically getting to the ¡®heart¡¯ of the issue. ¡°What do you think his chances are Abby? Lance is a powerhouse that won through a gruelling slog against the previous champion Pryce. What should we expect from Brock? Can he topple the Champ?¡± Abby nodded her head before speaking. ¡°That¡¯s the question on everyone¡¯s minds Chuck! One thing we need to remember is that this was meant to be an exhibition match that was for pride. Then Brock threw down what has been deemed the largest wager in history on his victory in this match. Experts have not been able to find any other cases where an individual stood to win as much from a single match. It is still a daunting task.¡± ¡°If I stood to win ten million, I¡¯d assemble a team and have a shot at the Champion,¡± Chuck said light-heartedly. His co-host Abby giggled demurely. ¡°As would I Chuck, but you also have to risk ten million!¡± ¡°I¡¯m out then!¡± Chuck raised his hands and backed off to show it was too expensive for him. Abby flashed the cameras a practised smile that was no less genuine. ¡°A lot of us would be! Now before I get caught in that angle of this match, I¡¯d like to return to the question you posed. Can Brock win? Unsurprisingly when we polled residents of Pewter and Blackthorn, two cities almost on opposite sides of the Silver range we saw mirroring opinions. Both Abby and Chuck turned towards a display that was set up to their side. First, a well dressed Blackthorn man scoffed at Brock¡¯s challenge. Then a dirty farmer from Pewter appeared on-screen hollering about Brock and his ascendence. ¡°¡ªgoing all the way! Wooooh we love you Brock!¡± This followed with people of all stripes and situations with poke centre nurses Joy and Joy from both cities both smiling and saying they supported their respective hometown ¡®boys¡¯. Mothers and children both cheered for their respective representatives. Abby grinned as the camera came back to her. ¡°Looks like the people have their favourites as one would expect.¡± ¡°Lots of hometown cheer taking over indeed!¡± Abby nodded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just the hometown residents though as one reporter happened to find another Gym Leader from Kanto for his thoughts.¡± On the screen, Surge appeared with a mike in front of him. ¡°Brock? I¡¯m backing him all the way! I think he can do it! When the champion laid down his challenge, he kicked a lot of dirt from his ivory tower down on the Kanto side of things. He was putting down all of us when he was digging into Brock like that. I¡¯ve worked with Brock closely ever since his daddy left, and I tell you! I¡¯ve never seen such a young talent. Pewter¡¯s in good hands and now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to lay a bet down on Brock!¡± Abby and Chuck shared a look. ¡°Gym Leader Surge of Vermillion city, it seems, thinks Brock has a chance.¡± ¡°Right again Chuck, this will certainly be dominating news for the next few days and probably beyond, I should imagine. We¡¯ll return to this story but now let¡¯s cross to Rebecca with the weather!¡±
¡°Is this the start of a new champion¡¯s origin story, or is Brock merely an up jumped Gym Leader that is about to walk away a lot poorer? I¡¯m Joshua of PTN News and this is the big news of today! ¡°Experts and League officials were shocked today when Pewter city Gym Leader¡ª¡± the channel changed and a new face appeared. ¡°Who does this man think he is? Challenging the Champ! You¡¯re supposed to apply through the League and await approval after winning enough recognition through tournaments! I never saw Brock win a tournament that mattered! The Sevii islands? Pah! Those are tourist attractions more than actual challenges!¡± Another press of a button, another channel. ¡°Is this the wake up call the young champion needed, do you think? A lot of people were very worried when he made his comments but it was written off. Now it seems his pidgeys have come home to roost.¡± Another of the show¡¯s co-hosts waved their arms about drawing laughter from the crowd. ¡°I don¡¯t know about his pidgeys roosting right now! If anything, they''re up in the air flapping their wings! It¡¯s the League that has egg on their faces, you watch. If they have their way they¡¯ll get this whole thing called off!¡± The remote was snatched from the first person¡¯s hand. Small hands fought over the remote only for an older set to slap them off. ¡°Hands off Gary! I don''t want to watch old fuddy duddy¡¯s talk about this! I need to see something way more important!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Sis! Not the lifestyle channel!¡± ¡°Shut up! We¡¯ll swap back between the ads!¡± The channel changed again to reveal a group of ladies on couches with a tea set up around them with floral gardens serving as their backdrop. ¡°When Lance and Brock were staring each other down? That moment. Oh, my, gosh! I was just weak! Weak at the knees!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t weak I was rather¡ª¡± the host waggled her eyes ¡°¡ªfired up you could say!¡± The rest of the women catcalled at this and Daisy Oak sat back and hugged a pillow while Gary sighed as he felt his brain abandon him. ¡°I¡¯d sure be on my knees if you know what I mean!!!¡± Why did his grandpa only own one good tv? He couldn¡¯t steal the remote back from Daisy, otherwise she¡¯d beat him up. He grumbled to himself. At least when the actual match was shown, his Gramps was sure to watch too, guaranteeing Gary would get to see it. He glanced around for the old guy. Surely with gramps around, he¡¯d be able to get the tv onto something actually good right? Or maybe even convince him to buy another, better tv? For his room?
Smoke curled around Kruger¡¯s head as he blotted out another line on his plan. He cursed as his cigarette gave up on him. Like a well-oiled machine his body unconsciously reached into his breast pocket. His hand emerged with a box that he tapped to have another lined up and in his mouth. His hand then searched around the desk for a wayward lighter. When it failed to find it, the brain became aware and Kruger found something new to curse while blaming all his woes on young trainers with too much pride for everyone¡¯s good. ¡°Martha! Where¡¯s my lighter?¡± ¡°In your draw to the left sir!¡± Came the reply from his receptionist. He scowled when he discovered she was right. A tap on the door gained a grunt from him. ¡°Sir, did you want to reschedule your talk with Gym Leader Pryce?¡± Kruger considered that before shaking his head. ¡°No, we need to sound him out on his thoughts and make him favourable to us. What¡¯s the media team¡¯s take on this?¡± ¡°Mostly the media is focussing on if Brock has a chance,¡± she paused when Kruger snorted dismissively, ¡°Some media channels are slinging their usual Muk but so far we are not taking any criticism.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bad. No, that is even worse than bad! The League can¡¯t be seen as irrelevant! We¡¯re supposed to be the governing body! Lance, as a young Champion, was to see us returned to former strength as a body not cast us further into support roles!¡± Kruger thumped his desk. ¡°What was the media team¡¯s take on my idea of disavowing the match as not in the spirit?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t occur. Mayor Jonathan of Pewter has even mentioned that if we didn¡¯t allow it, he¡¯d be happy to let the fight take place at Pewter.¡± ¡°And see the ticket revenue go to him!? Ha! Not likely!¡± Kruger plucked another form before wadding it up and tossing it. ¡°Get another pot of coffee on and tell everyone else we¡¯re working through the night! We need to get ahead of this and be seen in control! I am not letting us slip back into irrelevance!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± Said Martha as she walked out to make the needed phone calls to keep staff on. Kruger mentally cursed the need to pay overtime but that was the job. Right now he needed an angle. He¡¯d have to be seen running with it and being in fact favourable to it. ¡°Schedule another press conference!¡± he bellowed before remembering something, ¡°And tell the technicians to get a prompter with my name on it! People think I¡¯m just an aide of the champion, and not the chairman of the League! Again, we can¡¯t let that happen! Has anyone even mentioned me in the news articles?¡± He cursed the answer and settled in for a long few nights. He didn¡¯t know how but somehow he was going to come out ahead of this nightmare.
Lance knelt on a worn mat. Only a few candles lit the room but most people here were used to this atmosphere. When the clan gathered together for something serious, they made sure to hold their meeting in their shrine within the cave that housed their dragon pokemon. You needed to have a firm hand with Dragon pokemon yes, but you also needed to give them an austere environment to help soothe them. Shrine maidens held a certain appeal that both man and pokemon understood. This had been discovered and exploited in the olden times leading to the clan¡¯s strength that held even to this day. They¡¯d faced many threats. This would merely be the newest. ¡°You overstepped yourself, nephew!¡± Shouted an old weather-beaten crone. Around her shoulders, a small Dragonair wrapped itself like a scarf. ¡°Perhaps,¡± said Lance. ¡°Perhaps!? Perhaps? Boy, you disparaged a Gym Leader from another region. Tensions are always simmering due to the differences of Johto and Kanto. The joining of the two regions is not that long ago in some memories! Your arrogance has led to flaring up of tensions and even a threat emerging to you!¡± Her aura lashed out like a slap and Lance flexed his own around him to stop it from hitting. He was no child to be scolded so. ¡°He¡¯s not a threat! I will handle it!¡± he replied, barely holding in a snarl. ¡°Will you be putting up the ten million?¡± another voice asked. Lance grit his teeth. ¡°I was hoping I could draw on clan funds for this, when I win I will repay it half again.¡± ¡°Half! Arrogance upon arrogance! You want to draw on funds not your own in your time of need!¡± Lance glanced to the side and saw his cousin and childhood friend. She met his gaze and held it. She wasn¡¯t attacking his actions but nor was she supporting him. He lifted his chin and she nodded. ¡°Lance has the right of it. He needed to speak that way to show his strength with his new role as Champion.¡± ¡°No. He did not.¡± At this voice, everyone went quiet. There was no laced aura in the words. Everyone held their tongues and let the Eldest speak. The man rubbed his fine white beard and nodded to himself after taking a moment to think. ¡°You have been arrogant young Lance, of this there can be no doubt. You have let the success you had swell your pride and this has seen you acting out. You are typically more in control of yourself. Your recent behaviour since winning? I was going to ask you to visit me after the conference but now you have been called out. This must be rectified now before you face Gym Leader Brock in two nights'' time.¡± He stared straight through Lance. ¡°Tell me, when you entered that press conference, you used your aura on those people did you not?¡± Lance swallowed, his recent behaviour, now that it had been pointed out did cause him some shame. He was supposed to be the Dragon Master. If he let their energies affect him like this, how could he claim mastery? ¡°I did, yes.¡± The Elder nodded before flexing his aura to chop Lance on the shoulder. It was not strong but it still stung. It was a firm strike of discipline. Lance had felt it many times in his youth while meditating with the Eldest to control his aura. Part of him rebelled at the idea that he should simply lower his head at being ¡®punished¡¯, but he knew that to be an irrational side of himself that he needed to control. ¡°You tried to use it on Brock as well. How did he¡­ feel to you?¡± Lance drew his mind away from the moment and cast back to the start of the conference. That had been the first sign that things weren¡¯t simply going to go the way he had deluded himself into believing. ¡°My aura felt like it ran into a boul¡ªno a wall, a cliff face? A cave?¡± The Eldest rubbed his beard again. ¡°Hmmm, multifaceted? Surprising to find that he has such skill. I wonder who trained him in Aura?¡± The clan as one pondered this. Claire eventually spoke up. ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been his father. The man never demonstrated it in the past and he departed before Brock took over.¡± ¡°Hmmm yes. Yes, you challenged him. A young man and from what I have had read to me, I see a tale of a young man who has worked hard to grow himself and his gym strong. It must have stung to have you belittle him.¡± No chop came with his words but Lance grimaced nevertheless. Painted this way, he seemed like the villain. ¡°What should I do?¡± The Elder sighed before raising his head to show dull, unseeing eyes. ¡°You must win young Lance. While in the wrong, you cannot falter. We will train you to regain control of your wayward energies and ready your best team. ¡­ We will also support you with our funding. Do not entertain a loss for now. If that should occur we will discuss what we can do then. For now, ready yourself to show the world Lance, the Champion of Indigo.¡± Lance and the rest of the clan straightened. Their paths were set.
Erika sat in an out of the way garden. It was a quaint little thing and she enjoyed the quiet moments. Thankfully the other girls that had come with her from her gym were also in a tranquil mood. Part of that might have been due to her Bellosom wandering around the garden, a sweet scent that calmed the mind wafting from her petals. To most people, it would be unnoticeable. Only one of the other girls had noticed and she naturally was a quieter sort of girl. She gave Erika a grateful look as some of the more rambunctious girls settled down. Usually, they were all aflutter with gossip or being crass, or even harassing each other. Running a gym that solely allowed female trainers brought challenges with it. Most of it was from the trainers themselves. Most people liked to think it was from the leering crowds that liked to daydream but they kept their distance and were usually rather shy. They were well behaved most of the time and could easily be chased off with her pokemon keeping a firm boundary for non-challengers approaching the gym. No, most of the drama that occurred with her gym came from her girls. Some of them were wonderful, some of the rich socialites that liked to hang out at the Gym, some of them wanted tips and tricks on raising Grass types. None of them were rough sorts. She would not tolerate such around her gym. But she did occasionally need to calm the mood. Something Grass types were perfect for. And so she sat and enjoyed the turning of the season and the end of the circuit. This had almost become like a ritual for her since she became a gym leader last year. A nice calm garden before watching the opening ceremony in a few days. There were numerous benefits to be had at such large events. Some of which was getting out of Celadon and having her right-hand woman close up the gym for the circuit. She liked raising the pokemon, and working with them, and even the battles were nice. It was such a joy to see young trainers rise to the occasion against her. She could do without so much paperwork. Everything had to be documented and detailed. She found the entire thing mindboggling and was thankful for the reprieve. And so here she sat, enjoying the ¡®roses¡¯ such that they were on a small holiday before watching the trainers that had gained all eight badges partook of the Indigo conference. ¡°ERIKA!¡± shouted a voice. The shrill tone acted like a set of razor-sharp garden shears straight through a perfectly trimmed hedge. At the completely wrong angle. As one all the girls and Erika shuddered before looking up to see one of their number sprinting towards them. ¡°ERRRRRIIIIIIKAAAAAA!¡± The girl pumped her arms, and legs. Her hair flew freely behind her in the wind as she charged on, bellowing out each breath. ¡°EEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKKKKAAAAAAAA!¡± Erika felt her eye twitch a little. Her girls could be such brats. Erika reflexively prepared herself to hop to the side. Jill wasn¡¯t very good with her legs and it wasn¡¯t uncommon¡ª Her leg spasmed and she fell in a tumble of limbs and hair. She rolled a little and stopped a few feet shy of Erika. She huffed and blew out a length of hair before righting herself and rounding on the nearest girl, still half-blind with hair in her face. She spat some grass out of her mouth before grabbing the girl¡¯s hands. ¡°Erika! You like! Have to hear the latest gossip! I was like! With Becky and Brittany at the pokecenter chatting up this total cutey and like he was into me more than Becky but Brittany was also trying to get his number and I was like please girlfriend! Don¡¯t go there! I¡¯ll cut you! But seriously I love that girl! So I was like don¡¯t step on my grass! Hahahaha!¡± Erika sighed, letting the vapid gossip of the girl wash over her. She listened as it was amusing to let the girl talk if nothing else. ¡°Jill,¡± Erika said cutting her off. Jill stiffened her head glancing down at the hands she had in hers. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re not Erika?¡± ¡°I¡¯m over here,¡± Erika said to the giggles of the group. Jill spun and Erika raised a hand. ¡°Jill, what was so important?¡± ¡°I was getting to that!¡± ¡°Please if it¡¯s important enough to have you running like that, then I probably need to hear about it first¡­ You and the girl¡¯s love lives can wait.¡± Jill shifted and mumbled loudly, ¡°Just cause you can¡¯t¡­¡± Erika¡¯s glare cut her off. ¡°You were saying?¡± Jill coughed as the glare continued. ¡°Right! Uhm, the tv was on and they were showing Brock and Lance! Only! Only Brock wasn¡¯t rolling over for the champ! In fact, I think he¡¯s super angry! He challenged the champ and set a prize of ten million pokedollars!¡± The group stirred at that. Erika merely nodded, well used to the girl¡¯s antics of inflating things to make for a good story. ¡°Of course he did.¡± Jill gave her a pleading look. ¡°Eriiiikaaaaaa! I¡¯m serious!¡± Erika merely nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are.¡± ¡°ERRRRRRIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKKAAAAA!¡± screamed two more voices. The Grass specialist looked up to see Britanny and Becky jogging up with frantic looks on their faces. Erika watched them approach. They didn¡¯t trip but they did collapse in front of her. They heaved in great gasps of air. ¡°O-oh my Go-gosh! Brock is pissed!¡± ¡°Yah! He¡¯s got an insane prize pool set down!¡± Erika blinked as Jill¡¯s head bounced up and down. ¡°I just said that!¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t just inflating it for the story?¡± Erika asked curiously. She had to think about that. That was a lot of money. How much did it take to run her gym? She got a lot of deals from the parents of the girls that she helped train for putting up with them so¡­ Ten million¡­ that would be enough to run her gym for years wouldn¡¯t it? She blinked and looked up to find the three new arrivals all gossiping with the others. ¡°¡ªit was so hot! Oh! Look Lifestyle ladies are having a chat about it! Eiiiiii!¡± ¡°Urgh those bitches¡ª¡± ¡°Andrea,¡± chimed Erika. The girl wilted. ¡°Sorry!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologise, merely stop swearing,¡± she said to chastise the girl lightly. Andrea bobbed her head before coughing. ¡°I hate hearing those old skanks!¡± ¡°They¡¯re only nineteen!¡± chorussed some of the older girls feeling the need to stand up for the older women as arrows struck home at them as well. Erika hummed before rising to watch on one of the girl''s rather clunky portable screens. She watched as Brock and Lance locked eyes like they were going to fight then and there. ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± She continued to watch and while she was impressed she also couldn¡¯t help but be worried. Brock was obviously upset about being dismissed as he had been. Erika didn¡¯t quite know why it had bothered him. They¡¯d¡­ interacted during Gym Leader meetings on the phone before¡­ Actually, she didn¡¯t really know him that well did she? There seemed to be a lot of media grabbing the story and running with it though. She chewed her lip in thought. ¡°I think I should meet him¡­¡± The girls all looked up at her. ¡°Really!?¡± Andrea said excitedly. ¡°Alone,¡± Erika said firmly. She did not want to pour in with a group of girls and swamp him before his big match. The girls took this to mean something else though as they all tittered and ooooh¡¯d like children. Erika rolled her eyes at them. ¡°I need to meet with him first though¡­ who could introduce us?¡± One of the older girls raised their hands. ¡°Surge knows him yeah?¡± Erika nodded slowly. ¡°Well~, like~, me and Surge are like¡­ You know? So I could ask him to introduce you!¡± Erika almost asked what she meant before deciding not to. She didn¡¯t care what her girls got up to during their downtime. Good for her¡­ And apparently Surge. She had her in, now she just needed something to gift to help make a favourable impression. She¡¯d come up with something tonight, for now ,she tuned in to listen to various shows explode as word spread about Brock¡¯s counter to Lance¡¯s Challenge. That was bad. The media had found a potential issue and were stirring up trouble and no one seemed to care. She watched people declare their loyalties to their respective trainers as a frown marred her features. This was bad. She really did need to see what Brock was like. Was he stirring up old tensions deliberately? Was this all about something deeper? Or was it just male pride? She wasn¡¯t sure about a lot of what was going on but she was determined to at least find out some answers. Chapter 12 - Date Distraction It wasn¡¯t my alarm the next day that woke me up but rather the flash of a teleport. ¡°Sabrina?¡± I said groggily. ¡°Bro¡ª¡± she paused as her face went red, even as her eyes darted down and then back up before dipping down once more. I pulled the sheets up feeling oddly exposed. Sabrina twitched before turning her head. ¡°I¡¯ll give you another ten minutes. I shall order you breakfast.¡± ¡°Juice and tea! No coffee for me!¡± I called out to her back as she walked into the lounge of the hotel room I¡¯d taken for my stay. It wasn¡¯t quite the penthouse but it was still more than enough room for me, and a few of my mid-sized pokemon if I desired. I smacked my lips and lay back in bed. I¡¯d allotted myself another hour of sleep and planned to¡­ My waking mind prodded me. I really wanted to ignore it but it was operating on a level of experience with little siblings. It was like having an all too quiet house with little children in it. Or perhaps it was the prodding reminder that I should be doing something. Reacting in some way. Like I had failed to smile at Suzie or pat Sabrina on the head and offer her a spot next to¡­ I sat up. Sabrina was in my hotel room. I burst out of bed and cursed as the sheets snagged. I fell in a tangle before shooting back up to jump to the doorway where Sabrina was ordering breakfast. ¡°Urgh damn it,¡± I sighed as I ran a hand over my face. I fully expected that the bellhop would sell the story that a woman visited my room and ordered ¡®breakfast¡¯ to the news before they even gave me said breakfast. Sabrina tilted her head, unaware of what she¡¯d unleashed and perhaps, in a way, unable to understand. Her eyes raked over my form once more and I recalled how she¡¯d earlier checked me out. Part of me wanted to really perk up at having a beauty like Sabrina checking me out while I only wore shorts. I turned away cursing my hormonal body. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a shower!¡± A cold one I mentally added to myself... I felt a prodding of memory and sighed. ¡°Just ask them to leave it at the door please?¡± ¡°I can do that. I have also ordered my own breakfast.¡± I waved at her, the ¡®gossip¡¯ would already be out. Instead of worrying about it, I slipped into the shower in an attempt to get my mind up to speed for the rest of the day. At the very least, it was breakfast with my ex. Sometimes I really cursed past me¡¯s ideas and decisions. I could only blame hormones and lack of foresight when I¡¯d agreed to be her ¡®boyfriend¡¯ years ago. She¡¯d been so innocent in her reasoning that I hadn¡¯t seen the harm. I¡¯d tried to be innocent about it, but a mature mind often led to different thoughts than that of a child. I¡¯d been forced to discover the difficulty that came with having Sabrina as your girlfriend due to this. I still cringed at having to explain what holding hands and kisses meant. Then again, this was something that I could place at the seemingly societal issues of ¡®poor parents¡¯. Or maybe I was projecting my own issues with Sabrina¡¯s admittedly lesser issues with her mother still being around, but being terrified of her when we first met? Her dad giving her space to sort things out hadn¡¯t really helped, but then again it would have been hard to interact with her being able to read your mind if she wanted. She¡¯d intimidated most people until I came along. I switched the shower off and chose some normal clothes to greet the day. I entered the lounge to find the breakfast that Sabrina had ordered floating towards a table where said woman was seated. ¡°Anyone out there?¡± I claimed a seat across from her with the small table between us. ¡°No, they were lurking down the hallway hoping to film me. I made them sneeze when I took our breakfast.¡± ¡°Good, that¡¯s good I suppose.¡± I wasn¡¯t really sure how to tell her that might have made it worse. I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d understand their reactions and couldn¡¯t really account for it, so I instead pushed it aside for future Brock to worry about. Food first. Between bites of the meal, I looked up to find her own meal untouched. ¡°What brings you over?¡± I asked, deciding to be direct with her. She always seemed to react best to direct questions. ¡°I was concerned you might have been ¡®freaking out¡¯ after yesterday¡¯s events.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± I took a sip of my juice and made a face at the pulp to water ratio the hotel used. ¡°Thanks but I''m actually feeling fine. If anything, it feels like a weight has been taken off my shoulders. Just getting to throw it in his face like that.¡± I grinned as I recalled the way his eyes had widened. Another sip, another grimace. ¡°I¡¯ll probably freak out a little before the match but I plan to treat it like any other match at a tournament.¡± I looked around the room. I¡¯d probably still need to find some form of distraction, however. I pointedly did not look towards her as I thought of ways to stay out of trouble and ¡®distract¡¯ myself. ¡°That is good. If you need, I can be there for you,¡± Sabrina said earnestly. I nodded and considered asking her to help with some PG distractions, before also considering who it was talking to me. For all that she appreciated me being direct, she sometimes came at things like a hopped-up Pikachu or seemed to overthink things to such a degree that she actually looked slothful in her reaction, or she suddenly appeared next to you like her psychic types were known to do. ¡°Sabrina, you know we¡¯re no longer ¡®dating¡¯, correct?¡± Sabrina nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, your reasoning was accepted at the time.¡± I relaxed before feeling a niggle over what she¡¯d just said. I was about to question her further, but a knock on the door made me glance there before looking back at Sabrina. She glared at the door before clicking her tongue and teleporting away. I stared at the spot she¡¯d vanished from before understanding what it meant ¡°Okay, so they¡¯re important enough that you¡¯re saying I can¡¯t ignore them eh?¡± I stood and walked to the door, opening it to reveal a hotel bellhop that looked past me, gaining a glare from me, before I noticed the other people with them. ¡°Erika?¡± I stared at her in surprise. We¡­ didn¡¯t really know each other, so for her to seek me out raised some questions. The small woman smiled up at me. Despite it being early in the morning, she was wearing a formal kimono that gave her the traditional beauty look she was famous for. It was immaculately styled and really worked for her. In her hands was a towering bento box that I was more used to seeing in manga. ¡°Annnnnnd me!¡± Drawled another voice that I was very familiar with. I looked up from the smaller grass specialist to see the Electric Gym Leader looming to the side with a grin. ¡°Howdy Brock!¡± ¡°Hello Surge,¡± I said with a sort of fond exasperation you only get when you realise you have a friend that is way higher energy than you were. But simply shutting the door would result in something that was way, way, more energy-consuming than just relaxing into things until you needed to fight against the flow. I looked back at Erika who I wasn¡¯t as familiar with, beyond the basic interactions over general check-ins with other Gym leaders during annual meetings. Meetings that were, typically, a simple conference call with everyone reporting how the circuit was going for them. Also, something that usually was done quickly with little time for actual interaction. Gym Leaders were busy people after all. ¡°Hello, Brock!¡± She rushed to say while bowing only to stop as her bento box tipped precariously. ¡°I came for the conference, but when I heard about your challenge to Lance I¡­¡± She paused for a moment to think about what she was going to say before continuing, ¡°I thought I better come and talk to see how you¡¯re doing!¡± She offered a smile but when I merely raised an eyebrow at her, she hurried to continue, ¡°As a fellow Kanto gym leader, that is!¡± She rushed to add. ¡°Heh! Kanto represent! That¡¯ll make at least four gyms united against Johto pricks!¡± said Surge with a pump of his fist. Erika gasped. ¡°What?! No That¡¯s not what I¡¯m here for at all!¡± She honestly appeared a little sickened by the idea. Surge searched her expression for a moment before waving it off. ¡°Eh, me too, don''t worry about it!¡± He gave a wide, easy smile to show he meant no harm but Erika didn¡¯t seem to know what to say. I remained standing in the doorway watching the byplay with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Sooooo you both came to¡­ check in on me?¡± I said, to move things along. ¡°Yup! Erika was interested in getting to know you.¡± He waggled his eyebrows at me and I glanced at Erika who had stiffened. Surge huffed and continued, ¡°So I brought her along.¡± Surge walked past me and into the room. ¡°I¡¯m gonna order in some food! Erika! You want anything?¡± Surge started making himself so much at home, he had already lifted the phone and popped open his signature Raichu to claim a chair. She shifted back and forth, eyes sliding from me to Surge. She proffered up the towering bento box. ¡°May I, Brock?¡± I sighed and stepped to the side, ¡°Sure, sure, come on in.¡± I looked to Surge who sprawled onto the couch, his huge frame taking up most of the space. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to impose?¡± Erika said, still glancing from me to Surge. ¡°I was just about to have breakfast.¡± I gestured in and she happily trundled into the room. She set her bento box down on the table and looked over my meal. ¡°Oh you ordered a lot, you must be hungry?¡± She asked. I glanced at the second plate and noted that the bacon and eggs had been arranged into a smiley face that made me chuckle. ¡°Growing lad! Growing appetite!¡± He then gave me a wink that garnered a flat stare from me. I looked back to Erika before returning to Surge. What on earth was he doing? Erika gave me a confused glance before I waved her off, an excuse coming easily to my lips. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m used to eating with my family around and needing more food than just a meal for myself.¡± ¡°Ah! Of course!¡± She chirped, happy to accept what I had said at face value. ¡°Would you like to have some of it?¡± Manners drilled into me from a previous life warred as they considered the issue of offering what had been Sabrina¡¯s food to another. But she had left, hadn¡¯t she? I looked around surreptitiously but Erika caught me glancing around as she sat. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Surge narrowed his eyes before giving the room a sharp look over. I even saw his nose twitch as though he was sniffing quietly. Raichu stood and started sniffing the air, making me mentally curse at Surge for bringing it out. ¡°Nope! Just thought I left one of my pokemon out but they must have put themselves back last night while I slept.¡± I waved at the food. ¡°Let¡¯s eat, I''m starving!¡± With food in my mouth, I¡¯d even have a reason not to talk so much and not appear so odd. I threw myself into Surge¡¯s side and pushed him to one side. He didn¡¯t accept that without a fight though and tried to eject me from the chair. I now knew what he was up to though and was expecting him to use his weight only for my Rock energy to come to the fore and make me way too tough to handle. He huffed and leaned back, slightly dejected that he couldn¡¯t make me sit in the other chair that happened to be next to Erika. I pointedly didn¡¯t offer him any of the food I had. But it didn¡¯t take long for the hotel to bring up some food for him along with a small tray to pick from that Erika selectively partook from. While waiting, Surge decided to take up the slack. The man apparently abhorred silence. ¡°So! I got a call up from one of my girls and she was all keen to meet up only she also brought along this here cutey!¡± He gestured towards Erika who looked slightly grossed out from having a man twice her age call her ¡®cutey¡¯. I gave Surge a look to calm it down which didn¡¯t seem very effective. ¡°So I decided I¡¯d bring her along! I was always gonna come check in on you of course Brock! And I thought, well, two¡¯s friendship but three¡¯s almost a party!¡± I sighed at him. ¡°Thank you for that¡­ thoughtful gesture Surge but I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Heh! Fine he says! Nah Brock, you¡¯ve got a huge match coming up! No way you¡¯ve not got the jitters.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I said firmly. One of the worst things you could do was think about how nervous you were supposed to be before a match. I just had to work through my own methods to stay calm. Which was usually just kicking back and watching some comedy. Surge nodded seriously before winking at Erika dramatically. ¡°I can see you doing that,¡± I said seriously, pointing to his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to!¡± He said without any shame. Erika giggled at our back and forth. Her laugh was like the tinkling of a little bell. ¡°You two are obviously good friends.¡± ¡°Oh heck yeah! Let me tell you of the first time I met little boy Brock here!¡± Crowed Surge. ¡°Oh Darkrai¡­ take me now,¡± I said pleadingly. I glanced towards the bedroom. If I thought hard enough and pushed as much Dark energy out as possible, could Sabrina save me? Sadly that wasn¡¯t an option, even if she was still lingering nearby. Surge alone would see her closing off due to being shy. She wouldn¡¯t come out with Erika here as someone she wasn¡¯t used to. As much as it wasn¡¯t her fault, I was starting to feel like I should have just ignored Sabrina, well-intentioned as she had been, and stayed in bed. Thankfully it didn¡¯t take long for to start digging into his own plate, and with food in hand Surge shut up¡­ somewhat. Erika ate with small nibbling bites while I cut through chunks of my breakfast before pausing to enjoy a drink. I was thankful I had already finished up my meal which helped me cut him off when he made too ridiculous a claim. ¡°Please, I was not at all worried about facing you! Most of my team was Rock or Ground pokemon at the time!¡± Surge sniffed and waved away the comment. I huffed before turning to Erika. ¡°Don¡¯t mind Surge, he loves working stories for everything they¡¯re worth¡­ And then some.¡± Surge raised a hand before shrugging and accepting the accuracy of that statement. Erika giggled at that before returning to her meal. When they were done with their food, I settled back and pulled a leg into my lap. It was time to address the Donphan in the room. ¡°Sooooo¡­¡± I drew it out, ¡°Was there something you wanted to talk about?¡± Surge merely shrugged. ¡°I was just coming over to hang out while I had some free time.¡± I accepted that before looking at Erika. Erika fidgetted at the attention, glancing towards the bento box. ¡°I also thought I might show my own support, in a way? If you¡¯d like, I prepared a meal for you to eat later, but I am ashamed to say I made too much?¡± ¡°Yeah Brock, she made up something for you to eat!¡± He nudged me in a ¡®friendly¡¯ way that made my face twitch a little. The implication he was attempting was not lost on me but I wasn¡¯t going to push for that. I¡¯d gone to university and dated in my past life, I knew how such things worked and had more than enough self-confidence in myself that I didn¡¯t need to chase every girl that showed me some kindness. ¡°Thanks for that Erika,¡± I said while blocking Surge¡¯s nudges. ¡°I appreciate it. I don¡¯t really get many home-cooked meals that aren¡¯t burnt or just rice and some fish if I don¡¯t make it myself.¡± It was both touching and slightly depressing to be reminded of that fact. Surge paused for a moment before deciding to settle down for the moment. ¡°Oh! I didn¡¯t mean to make you sad!¡± Her hands waved back and forth causing her sleeves to flap like a pidgey. I waved it off. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s good. Just caught me by surprise, is all.¡± Surge sniffed, cutting off her response. ¡°Daww! You cute kids!¡± Surge gave us both fond looks before nudging me. ¡°Say Brock, can I give you a word real quick-like?¡± I was pretty sure about what he was going to say. ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t¡ª¡± Surge leaned forward to loom over me, a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Brock, quick chat.¡± He looked over and waved his hand to Erika. ¡°Please don¡¯t go anywhere! We¡¯ll be right back!¡± This time I let him pull me up. He led me to the bedroom before rounding on me as soon as the door clicked shut. ¡°Alright real talk bro, you should sleep with Erika. I know you had something with Sabrina. That¡¯s cool, she¡¯s hot, and it¡¯s cute, but Sabrina is also very scary. You need someone to keep you loose and ready for a fight against the champ. Best way to do this is to sleep with someone!¡± I nodded at him before putting my hands together. ¡°Surge, thanks for looking out for me but that¡¯s super inappropriate. I barely know her.¡± Surge pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Brock, you¡¯re young, she¡¯s young, it¡¯s not supposed to be a Professorship thesis you¡¯re working out alright? It¡¯s simple, guy meets girl. Guy charms girl and offers to let her into his tent for ¡®warmth¡¯ and all that good stuff and they walk out in the morning after having a good night or day of it!¡± ¡°Surge I¡¯m not¡ª¡± ¡°Brock listen to me, I fought in the war. You need to be in your best form. Don¡¯t go into something with any tension. I had troops that didn¡¯t take leave when they could and they went off the rails. You¡¯re practically your family¡¯s parent¡­ No, that''s wrong. You¡¯re the dad with all the kids but you ain¡¯t had any of the fun in making them! You¡¯re wound too tight! Got too much on your plate. Live a little! You need to blow some sparks, you¡¯ll fight better I guarantee it!¡± I found I didn¡¯t really have anything to say regarding that. I¡¯d always known about Surge fighting in the war between ¡­ pretty much everyone but to hear him talk of his own past like that wasn¡¯t something I was ready for. I almost wanted to step back into the room and see what in Kanto Surge was talking about. He seemed to think all you had to do was throw two people together and it was done. Erika, in the whole thirty minutes we¡¯d actually talked, hadn''t come across that way at all. I almost wanted to ask if we were talking about the same woman. I licked my lips and swallowed my words before coughing. ¡°I think I¡¯m good¡± He grunted and clicked his tongue. ¡°Alright, I get it. You¡¯re shy. Listen, I can be a wingman for you, it''s all good.¡± Surge gave me a look before pointing at my bed. ¡°But if I find you flub it¡­¡± he shook his head mockingly. ¡°Don¡¯t make me go find a working girl¡­¡± I stared at him in wonder. How did his mind work? I really couldn¡¯t help but wonder sometimes. He gave me a stern look, ¡°Or a riled up Jynx to slip in later!¡± He flicked two fingers from me to himself. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Is that a threat or¡­¡± Was he threatening me with what he thought would be a good time? I was slightly worried he¡¯d send in a Jynx tonight regardless. He just flicked his fingers at me again before leading the way back out into the loungeroom. ¡°Hey! Sorry bout that had to have some guy chat about tomorrow.¡± He then made a show of looking toward the clock. ¡°Oh, ghost types! Is that the time? Damn, this is gonna make it tough.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Erika tilted her head. ¡°Make what tough?¡± She glanced between myself and Surge, obviously thinking something else had gone on in the bedroom. I mentally marked her down as having good instincts. Surge rounded on me and tsked while shaking his head. ¡°Brock, you know you¡¯re going on out to fight against Lance tomorrow right?¡± I blinked at the strange segway. ¡°Yes? I¡¯m aware of that¡± I said ¡°You realise you¡¯re going to appear on international television, right?¡± ¡°Yeeeessss,¡± I said, sensing a trap in his words but unsure where it would come from. ¡°You¡¯re going to represent your nation?¡± I raised an unimpressed look at him, ¡°Your city?¡± I grimaced slightly, ¡°Your family?¡± I straightened up and knew he had me right where he wanted me as something sparked in his eyes. ¡°Yeah I am,¡± I said much more firmly. Erika made a sound of understanding that had me glancing at her before snapping back to Surge. ¡°Brock. I can¡¯t let you go out there looking like just another hiker that fell off a mountain and bumbled his way onto the Indigo Plateau!¡± I stared at him. ¡°You are worried about my look?¡± I said incredulously. Pointedly looking at his rumpled fatigues. ¡°Hey! This is military issue from the old days and the uniform of my unit! It¡¯s timeless!¡± He said defensively. He then twisted his hand towards Erika on the other side of the table, a grin stretching across his face. ¡°Thankfully, we just so happen to have a woman¡¯s perspective.¡± Erika gave us a wide-eyed look that made me think she wanted to peer behind the couch in case someone else was standing behind herself. She coughed and straightened up. ¡°If you will have me, I could assist?¡± ¡°Nice! It¡¯ll be awesome, just us Gym Leaders hanging out!¡± Surge crowed. A thump of something falling over in my bedroom had everyone glancing towards the door. Raichu sat up and sniffed the air once again. I sighed and pinched my brow, knowing who had been listening in. It seemed I was not going to escape ¡®complications¡¯ in my future. Perfect. Had Sabrina still been back there when Surge and I¡¯d gone to the bedroom or had she teleported out? I really hoped it was the latter. She¡¯d have questions if it was the former. I wasn¡¯t sure how future me would handle that issue. Future me was supposed to only have to deal with the immediate problem of beating the Champion like a drum. Somehow, beating up a Dragonmaster for dissing my gym and making my family sad sounded easy. Especially when navigating Surge¡¯s attempts to help. ¡°When should we go?¡± Erika asked obliviously. Surge stood, ¡°Let¡¯s go now!¡± I merely held in a groan. Damn high energy people. Surge was probably a natural morning person.
¡°Try this!¡± was all the warning I got as another three shirts were flung over the top of the dressing room to fall on my head. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough!¡± I said but got no reply. I sighed and tried on another shirt, trying to envisage how that would go with some of the pants I had been practically ordered to buy. I had kept to the more ruggedised look with my clothing selections. Lots of pocket space with room to move. Erika had attempted to drag me into a more formal shop, but I¡¯d refused and then had to hold strong against her rather adorable pout. Sadly for her, I was used to better pouts from smaller children almost daily. My resolve had held strong. This only seemed to make her work harder at shops that I did express interest in. Thankfully she¡¯d been on my side when we¡¯d walked past a military outlet. Surge had been like a child denied candy at not getting to dress me up in fatigues. He had made Erika pause with the promise of how good I might look suited up with formal army dress. I¡¯d had to shout that ¡®offer¡¯ down while power walking to the next shop. I looked at the sky blue shirt in my hands before shaking my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think blue is really my colour!¡± ¡°Can I see?¡± I shrugged and walked out to show her. Erika looked me over with one of the shop¡¯s attendants that by now had cash symbols for eyes. They both shook their heads before the attendant pointed to another rack. ¡°More earthly tones? Browns, greys, greens, burnt oranges or even browns?¡± Surge was off in another corner tangling with another clerk. I could see he was arguing over belts and pouches of all things. Erika seemed to agree with the clerk¡¯s assessment and set off as I handed back the previous load. I sat and exhaled, feeling oddly tired from the task that wasn¡¯t all that arduous. A soft weight was dropped on my head and I blinked as another voice spoke. ¡°Try this.¡± ¡°Sabrina?¡± I said before watching her step around a clothing rack to vanish. I glanced down at what she¡¯d dropped in my hands. It was actually a pretty good combination. A darker undershirt that would be form-fitting and even offered to wick away sweat when I was working out. Then on top was a thinly woven burnt orange jumper. In fact, I seemed to recall a version of Brock wearing this look. I took it to the changing room and tried it on. It looked really good on me. I stepped out in time to halt Erika in her tracks. ¡°Oh? You found something you wanted¡­¡± She eyed it critically, ¡°That¡¯s very nice actually?¡± ¡°Oh! A black undershirt! We have a range of those that also come in¡ª¡± The attendant immediately rambled but when they were done I tugged the jumper and nodded. ¡°Two of these for me and another black and green forest undershirt please.¡± Erika stepped forward. ¡°You might look better with longer hair for this look. Ever thought of growing it out?¡± She gently tugged my hair before blushing. ¡°Sorry! I usually do this with the girls in my gym!¡± I waved it off, not bothered by the casual touch. I was used to not having a ¡®personal space¡¯ due to my family. ¡°No, I hadn¡¯t thought of growing out my hair before.¡± I looked into the mirror and found I liked what I imagined. This outfit wasn¡¯t as practical for me with fewer pockets than my usual tactical vest I wore over a plain shirt, but for style, it was a clear winner. It made it funnier that it was Sabrina who was sneaking in her selection. A few raised voices from the shop''s entrance made me grimace as I realised that word had gotten around about my appearance. I collected up a few other shirts and singlets I had liked before placing them on the counter. Sadly the counter had a clear line of sight to the shop front and vice versa. The reporters didn¡¯t even bother waiting, they merely stormed into the shop. A few racks were pushed out of the way to make way to me. ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Gym Leader¡ª¡± ¡°Quiet down!¡± I shouted over the top of the reporters. ¡°You! Fix that display you knocked over! All of you, go back outside if you¡¯re not shopping! I¡¯m not running off, I¡¯m just shopping. Wait outside for me to finish up.¡± I turned back to the attendant that was now shooting me a thankful look. ¡°Ah, I forgot to apply your discount Gym Leader Brock. Your total now comes to¡ª¡± I smiled and winked at the attendant. Knowing full well that no discount had actually been available. I nodded in farewell then glanced at Erika. ¡°You going to be alright dealing with this group? I¡¯ll need to handle them before we can continue.¡± I then looked around to find Surge approaching with his own purchases. ¡°I¡¯m fine staying with you. I¡¯m a Gym Leader as well, and while I don¡¯t get this much attention normally, I have handled the press before,¡± Erika said while pumping her fists seriously. ¡°Surge are you going to¡ª¡± Surge shook his head as he approached. ¡°Sorry I got a call that I need to attend to straight away.¡± He gave me a serious look before turning to Erika. ¡°Hey, been great hanging out. Looks like I can leave Brock in your hands. He might not be showing it but I know he¡¯s freaking out. Don¡¯t listen to him claiming he¡¯s fine, alright. That¡¯s BS. What he actually means is that he is frenetic, insecure, neurotic, and emotional.¡± He clapped a hand on my shoulder to shut me up before I could speak. This time I wasn¡¯t ready for it and I buckled slightly, which stopped me from getting a word in. ¡°You cute kids enjoy your lunch together!¡± He then handed back Erika her giant tiered lunch. While Erika was too short to see it, I noted the wrappers on the top tier. ¡°What happened to the food?¡± Surge coughed sheepishly when Erika glared at him. ¡°Got hungry carrying it around? Anyway I got gym duties to see to so I¡¯ll leave you young ones to enjoy yourselves!¡± He nodded at Erika and turned to me. He gave me a wink that made my eye twitch. This guy! He got out and when the reporters tried to close on him he gave them a stern look. ¡°No comment! I have a gym emergency! Out of the way!¡± I rubbed my forehead with exasperation. With Surge gone, I just knew what people were going to assume with me and Erika being spotted together in the mall. I gave Erika another look. ¡°Still up for this?¡± I said, gesturing towards the prowling reporters. She swallowed before nodding stoically. I drew in a breath before nodding. I turned back and squared my shoulders before walking to the front of the shops, readying myself for another mini-press conference. I already knew what the first question was going to be. ¡°Gym Leader Brock, are you and Gym Leader Erika on a date?¡± Called it.
I¡¯d denied the insinuation between myself and Erika, not that it would stop the tabloids from printing their own theories on what we¡¯d been up to. I just knew they were going to ignore that we¡¯d been chaperoned by Surge for all intents and purposes. Other questions had flown, which were expected, such as my chances against the Champion. And others such as what my lineup would be, which I refused to answer. They¡¯d repeatedly asked me, in various ways, throughout the ordeal If I was sure this wasn¡¯t a date I was on. The more they asked for it, the more they¡¯d likely get to print on it was my assumption. I¡¯d spotted Celia during this and nodded at her, she¡¯d brightened up and given a huge wave. She¡¯d initially started to approach only to balk when she registered all the reporters and cameras surrounding me. That had caused her to about-face with huge eyes. That had gotten a chuckle out of me¡­ which I¡¯d then had to explain to the reporters. When I¡¯d ended the impromptu interview, I¡¯d stepped on one of the landmines I really should have avoided. I¡¯d announced I was going to go have lunch. Erika had then poured fuel on the fire by collecting her towering bento box. That had merely solidified my previous thoughts on this whole¡­ day. That it was too complicated to be worth getting out of bed. When we¡¯d gotten away from the reporters and found a quiet spot. Erika had the bento box that we¡¯d brought along with us down and began to lay out the various tiers. Steam wafted off offering the scents of well cooked and spiced curries with small dividers of rice. I could see multiple simple sushi dishes made up that made my mouth want to water. Erika had some serious skills in the kitchen if she¡¯d cooked all of this herself. I was finding myself rather impressed with how Erika had rolled with the rather tumultuous day. Erika saw my gaze on the food and seemed happy. She went about setting up a tasting tray as I got to lay there. Sadly I couldn¡¯t enjoy it without my traitorous mind supplying all the ways today could work out. I found myself less than pleased with a few of them. I let out a sigh before rubbing my eyes. In some ways, it was easier to be ignorant of the implications and possible overtures. It was easy to walk through a landmine field when you didn¡¯t know it was there. I was probably overthinking things but¡­ I should probably not set future me up for any more issues. ¡°Erika¡­ I¡¯ve got to be honest, today''s been a lot of fun¡­ and I¡¯m probably making an ass of myself by saying this but¡­ I¡¯m not looking to get into a relationship with anyone right now.¡± I kept my hands over my eyes so I didn¡¯t see the blow coming. If I saw it coming I might flex and use aura to block it out of habit. She might end up breaking her hand. I fell silent expecting a slap only for the wind to quietly blow through the garden. I decided to risk a peek at her and found her blushing and tottering as if she was about to faint. She swept her hands up to hide her face when she saw me peeking at her From the depths of the fabric she said.. ¡°I-is! Is that H-how it looks?¡± She sank into herself and like a flower closing up,.her kimono seemed to fold up over her hiding her from view. ¡°Uhmmmm,¡± I said intelligently. ¡°It did until now?¡± When she merely curled her legs up so her face could push into them and sigh loudly I decided to keep talking ¡°I apparently have been reading way too much into¡­ this?¡± I gestured at the secluded garden with the towering bento that she¡¯d hand prepared herself. Erika sprouted out of her hiding place and flapped her hands back and forth her face still red. ¡°That¡¯s not what I was intending at all! I just wanted something to give you to make a nice first impression!¡± She glanced around and noted the picturesque gardens and our privacy. ¡°Oh Bellsprouts, this does look like a date doesn¡¯t it?¡± She put her face into her hands and groaned. ¡°So you weren¡¯t trying to get me alone?¡± She sighed hugely into her sleeves. ¡°No. Yes? I¡¯m not sure anymore. I think I was reading into it too much. I listened to my girls when they were gossiping and heard all the people cheering for you and cheering for Lance and thought it might cause tension and I wanted to know if you were doing that deliberately so I needed to meet you but I didn¡¯t know you so I had one of my girls call up Surge to introduce us¡­¡± She sucked in a huge breath before continuing ¡°And you¡¯re not like that at all¡­ you¡¯re doing this all because what Lance said affecting your family.¡± ¡°O-oh uhm yeah?¡± I scratched my cheek at that and found myself now blushing. Erika didn¡¯t look up. ¡°It¡­ it was kind of obvious. You check your phone for messages from or about them while we were walking around. You even said as much. You outright didn¡¯t even bother looking at light-toned clothes because they¡¯d get so many stains on them.¡± ¡°Ahaha? Did I say that? I don¡¯t recall?¡± She huffed turning her head and looking at me her blush having calmed down. ¡°I am really bad at this¡­ even when I¡¯m not trying to date someone¡­¡± ¡°Had some troubles?¡± I said, more to make conversation than to pry. She flapped her hands about, her sleeves flapping about in frustration. ¡°Yes! What is up with some of the guys that ask me out! They all get cold feet and ditch me on the first date! Do you know how embarrassing it is to be stood up and have half your gym know?¡± ¡°Wouldn''t know, I¡¯m a bit too busy these days to do anything like go on dates.¡± I looked up at the sky, it was a beautiful crisp blue today. Only a few clouds ambled along. I could see a few pokemon with riders on them. I exhaled and looked down to find Erika watching me. ¡°Well that¡¯s a shame for some girls¡­¡± She blushed and straightened. ¡°Not that I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s fine Erika,¡± I said with a chuckle as her blush returned. She grumbled into her knees. ¡°I¡¯ll have to tell the girls that you¡¯re not looking for anyone, I know a few of them were talking about seeking you out.¡± I snorted amused by the very idea. Anyone that tried would run into a very firm turn down. I¡¯d had to explain as much to Sabrina of all people that I didn¡¯t have time for a relationship when I¡¯d started being a Gym Leader. ¡°Yeaaaaah, I have way too much on my plate these days.¡± I started ticking things off on my hands, ¡°There¡¯s this whole like challenge I have to deal with tomorrow, don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of it?¡± She giggled at my antics but remained silent to watch as I continued ticking things off. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a lot of drama over this, win or lose for the next few months at least. I also have my gym, my pokemon, the trainers that are part of my stable. Hmmm what else?¡± I made a show of waving my hands before appearing to remember something, ¡°Oh! Right! I have to look after my nine younger brothers and sisters.¡± I lay back and looked once more to the open skies. ¡°I love my family but it¡¯s not something I can or will drop. For so, so many reasons beyond anything I¡¯m willing to get into here.¡± I sighed again, ¡°I can¡¯t date anyone right now and really make it work.¡± I give her a small grimace, ¡°Sorry for¡­ reading into things so much. My bad.¡± Erika hummed thoughtfully at that before accepting my words. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m enjoying such insinuations,¡± she drew herself up and sat primly, turning so her legs rested underneath her. ¡°I shall have to forgive you¡­ this time.¡± She stared at me but the look was rather ruined by her twitching lips. ¡°That look doesn¡¯t work if I know you¡¯re holding yourself back from laughing. I¡¯ve seen that on Yolanda too many times for it to work.¡± She giggled at me before shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯re very mature aren¡¯t you?¡± She glanced at her towering bento box. ¡°I wanted to meet you and see what you were like. This¡­ this was a bit much wasn¡¯t it?¡± I could only shrug at her. I eventually went with, ¡°I mean, I liked it but it seems like a ton of effort?¡± She didn¡¯t respond beyond a hum. I glanced at the bento box. That had probably been the biggest thing that made me think ¡®date¡¯. I¡¯d read way too many manga in my past life not to connect dots into the wrong shape. Apparently, she was just a very traditional girl? ¡°Well, now that we¡¯ve cleared that out of the way, we can eat, I suppose!¡± she said cheerfully. Thankfully nothing else occurred after that. The food was good and I made sure to politely compliment her. We enjoyed our lunch together and I asked after how she¡¯d felt the circuit went for her before we eventually drifted back to the hotel. Before she left, Erika patted me on the hand. ¡°Don¡¯t put yourself too down Brock there¡¯s going to be a lot of people cheering for you and I think you¡¯ll do wonderfully.¡± ¡°Thanks Erika, today was great. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± She bowed in farewell and I watched her walk off before heading up to my room. Tomorrow, the symbolic flame of Moltres would be lit and the trainers would march before the assembled host to be welcomed officially. And then I would fight Lance. I entered my room and called my family to check in on them. I¡¯d do the same tomorrow before my match. It was good to hear their voices and hear that everything was going fine. Part of me unclenched. I¡¯d half expected to have to fly back home tonight. I lay on the lounge for a few minutes after that before closing my eyes and cycling through my rock and dark type energies. After half an hour I rose and decided to head to bed, but not before making sure the door was locked and barred. I entered the bedroom fully expecting to be able to lay down and go to sleep. But I didn¡¯t find myself too surprised when Sabrina teleported into the room. She turned a serious gaze upon me. ¡°I failed as a friend.¡± She slumped slightly. ¡°Huh?¡± I replied, confused about how this wild Sabrina encounter was going, a somewhat normal state of affairs all told. ¡°Today when you said you were fine, I did not understand the significance.¡± She looked into my eyes and I noticed how tired she was. Her hair, usually so straight, was out of place. She had small bags under her eyes and they were clearly a little red from strain. ¡°I tried to stick around today but the crowds and all their emotions and thoughts were too much. I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t help as a friend should have.¡± She looked thoroughly put out. I relaxed a little, comprehension of Sabrina¡¯s point of view on this entire day now laid out. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, it looks like just staying nearby was rough for you. I know you have a hard time of it with crowds, so don¡¯t stress yourself on my account.¡± ¡°I will be there tomorrow¡­ in the stadium¡­ I should be able to handle the match¡­ but there is something I can help you with tonight.¡± ¡°Tonight?¡± Concern settled in as my mind slowly clicked on what she might be alluding to. Had anyone explained sex to her? Surely she had picked up thoughts of people and looked into it right? Or had she ignored those thoughts and decided they weren¡¯t important enough to look into? Sometimes you could never really know with Sabrina. This also fell at the feet of bad parenting. Did I need to have ''The Talk'' with her? That felt¡­ vaguely wrong. While I was pondering on this, she grasped my arm in her hands and tugged me over to the bed before pushing me onto it with gentle hands. My throat bobbed as I felt my body freeze and my mind began to race. Was she going to? She joined me on the bed, walking on her knees before positioning herself behind me. She then rolled us both on our sides so that I was the little spoon to her big spoon. ¡°There, you may relax well as we will ¡®sleep together¡¯,¡± she said with a slightly triumphant tone. I turned my head. Was she? She actually looked smug. I felt suddenly disappointed with how this was turning out. That was quickly followed by guilt. Sabrina was naive. I shouldn¡¯t exploit her. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as sleeping with a drunk or drugged girl, something I¡¯d always steered clear of but it still felt skeevy to contemplate. I also didn¡¯t need the complications of mudding the waters once more with Sabrina. Sabrina rubbed my head gently. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Something my mother has started to... try to do with me." she remained silent a moment before continuing, "I have to ¡®not be creepy¡¯ with her and not tell her what she¡¯s thinking." I sighed. For a psychic as powerful as Sabrina that was a tough ask. Surface thoughts could sometimes feel like people were shouting at her. Emotions that were attached to them must have made it like an Escher painting that held so much more context than I could understand. Sabrina continued. "It¡¯s not as nice as now... but I understand the intention. She''s trying, I don''t like having to ignore her thoughts, but the physical sensation is nice, no?¡± I felt my desires wither in the face of that reveal. ¡°Is¡­ Isn¡¯t that progress for you and her?¡± It sadly was from what I knew of her home situation. Sabrina nodded from behind me. ¡°Am I doing it right?¡± ¡°S¡¯nice,¡± I grunted and thought about that. It was nice. And it was also the only hug I¡¯d received in ages. My siblings liked to get and give hugs but was this different? When was the last time I, as Brock, had been hugged by my Mum or Dad? In that light, the hug was actually way nicer for the lack of them. ¡°Thanks Sabrina.¡± I bit my lip before tapping her arms. ¡°Hey, when this fight with Lance is over, come over and I¡¯ll explain what Surge meant.¡± ¡°I know what he meant.¡± I stiffened in her arms. ¡°But I know you as well, Brock. You didn¡¯t need that.¡± She rubbed my head again. ¡°Rest Brock, I don¡¯t mind. And I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re not disturbed tonight.¡± I felt my heart thump a little at her words, her hands continued to rub and I slowly relaxed. ¡°You¡¯re a good friend, Sabrina,¡± I said back to her. Her hug tightened in response but she didn¡¯t say anything. I knew if I turned to look she¡¯d have a large smile. I went to sleep that night and found myself relaxing easier into the sleep than I had in many, many nights. Some part of me that usually stayed clenched relaxed more as sleep claimed me. I didn¡¯t see Sabrina sit up slightly and squint at my front door, her eyes glowing blue for a few moments. Just as I didn¡¯t I hear the screams of shock or outrage from people down the hall. Another part of the hotel also got rather loud, I¡¯d later learn. I heard nothing of this. Instead, I enjoyed the hug and comfort she gave. I didn¡¯t see her leave before I woke up. I awakened with a small indent in the bed and vague thoughts about what I should do. I rolled my shoulders and found them oddly loosened and ready. She¡¯d been right, I had needed that. It felt strange to be the one that got comforted. Usually, it was Sabrina that was overwhelmed with too many thoughts, her mind turning on her and her reaching out to me for a calm focus to centre herself lest she reverted to how she was so long ago. She¡¯d been so calm, she¡¯d been scary and unemotional. And fragile. She had obviously been rather stressed from the day¡¯s events but she¡¯d been able to push through her own stress to offer me comfort instead. If tonight¡¯s reversal didn¡¯t show me how she¡¯d grown as a person, I couldn''t think of a better example. I resolved to do something nice for her in the future. She was a good friend to have. I smiled to myself as I stood, ready for the day and the coming match with the Champion. Chapter 13 - Battle Start! The morning passed without any further incidents. I once more ordered a meal to be brought up to my room before changing clothes and heading to the gym to work up a light sweat. I tried to make it as close to my normal routine as possible. Before a light lunch, I called home. The family was fine. Honestly, they were more than fine. With my going away to battle Lance, they had all set up in the lounge room with a whole plan for the day leading up to the match. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. They couldn¡¯t demonstrate this level of planning while I was there; remove me and they had a three-act series of games before the match. I was impressed but was also realistic enough to know they¡¯d start the first game and forget about all the other acts with some kids wanting to do other things or becoming hyper-focused on the first game. Rematches would surely be demanded. Forrest just didn¡¯t understand how little kids were. The match was scheduled for early in the evening, which gave me just enough time to worry over my team choice. I had six pokemon line up with how I expected the match to play out. Now I could only worry over small details that could determine so much. Titan, Sanchez, Don, Shin, Bertha, and Selene. Each of them had a role to play. I didn¡¯t pull any of them out of their pokeball due to the chances of them being spotted. Anyone that was competent would be able to review my history of pokemon battles and expect certain pokemon on my roster. Some of them would no doubt be hard to find but there were videos in circulation for most of them. Sanchez, Shin and Don were going to debut in the eyes of the battle scene for actual televised events though. Titan and Bertha both had experience, while Selene had her own debut during gym matches. As it reached three, I decided to go and familiarise myself with the arena. While I walked, I did so with a focus on the stadium that loomed over everything else in the region. Part of the stadium housed the Champion¡¯s office. I could almost imagine him sitting in his tower, looking down at me as I approached. Lots of people noticed me. I could feel a great weight of focus settle on me. If anyone called out, I didn¡¯t notice. I kept walking forward to the stadium. On arrival, I wondered if they might turn me away as a ploy to mess with my mental state. The guards nodded, however, and waved me through. I was led to a prep area that was for me and a ¡®team¡¯ of other specialists. I had left all of them in Pewter. The room itself was large enough to house even the largest of pok¨¦mon. It served as a final checking area but it was also painted in flat, neutral colours that were likely meant to calm people down. It was a very neutral appearance with the walls having a few posters of ¡®Place your best foot forward!¡¯ and ¡®Bowing out results in less injuries! Consider your pokemon¡¯s long term health!¡¯. I blanked it out. I¡¯d had something similar when I¡¯d matched up against Lindsay in the Orange islands In the corner, a small computer rested with a transfer station on offer for those that wanted to perform any last-minute changes. Off to the side, a lounge and a basic television rested. I headed for that. Outside, parades were in action with lots of people being wowed by their daring displays of skill. Today wasn¡¯t a day for the competitors to fight but rather for shows to be put on. People were prowling around and enjoying a festival-like atmosphere. I couldn¡¯t allow myself to slip into that mindset; I¡¯m here to win. I didn¡¯t need something loud that would have me reflexively looking around for my siblings out of habit. I needed quiet relaxation where I wouldn¡¯t be hassled. I turned on the television to watch some daytime tv. The perfect, everyday normal event to set me at ease. Perfect to while away a few hours. I ended up leaving it for the computer area where I idly ran through some last-minute research on moves and pokemon that Lance might be able to call on. I was almost certain I knew which ones he would use, but it still niggled at me. Half an hour before the starting ceremony began, an official entered with a very serious looking Officer Jenny. They both gave me their identification badges before Jenny stepped away to offer me some privacy. She remained in the room though as the League official spoke with me. ¡°Gym Leader Brock, we received your payment earlier.¡± He had a list that he was ticking things off from. His pen fell to the next item on the list. ¡°I am here to lodge the six pokemon that you will be using to battle. As both yourself and the Champion have extended carrying capacities, you must lodge your claims. Do not ask what pokemon the Champion has lodged, I do not know and I cannot tell you. The team list is protected and placed in view of our team of security experts.¡± He offered a humourless smile while glancing towards the stern Jenny. ¡°Please record your pokemon, the order you release them is entirely up to you but you must not deviate from the six you record.¡± I¡¯d expected this, having been talked through the process with Surge. I looked the form over, the question of ¡®what if you had more than one type of pokemon¡¯ dying as I saw a line next to pokemon name with registration numbers. I nodded. This was fairly standard for high stakes exhibition, championship or tournament matches. If others didn¡¯t have the license for a larger pok¨¦mon roster like myself, I would have an advantage over others that were maxed out at six pokemon. For fairness¡¯ sake, I had to pre-record my team roster. Sanchez, Selene, Don, Shin, Bertha, and lastly Titan. These were the pok¨¦mon that were my strongest for this match. As I was representing Pewter City, I needed to do so with Rock-type pokemon. Otherwise, that list might have included some very different names. When that was done, I was directed onto the actual battlefield, or rather, just off to the side of it to await the Opening ceremony. I sat to the side of the main battlefield in a shaded bunker waiting for the ceremony to be over and the match to be called for. I was very much out of the sun but on display. The people that had come for their seats early noticed me. I waved at a few but otherwise settled in to wait. There was the usual Growlithe and Ponyta show first however, with people and pok¨¦mon from all over the Kanto and Indigo regions appearing. When they entered, they did so with abundant pomp and flare. Growlithe leapt through rings, or hopped along on their hind legs for the crowds'' entertainment. Ladies and men in skimpy clothing rode forth on various mounts, most of them Ponyta and Rapidash. People cried out or cheered at each pass. Particularly pretty pokemon or people got some catcalls and there was an air of cheer in the air as the performers worked their magic. Others came in demonstrating skills such as the flying pokemon who performed synchronised aerial acrobatics to get things underway. The people and pok¨¦mon representing the various types marched forth with a variety of fashion displays on show. I happened to know ¡ª thanks to Yolanda¡¯s keen interest ¡ª that each year a variety of different local fashion designers were selected. They did it for the honour while also boosting their brand¡¯s exposure. Watching from the sidelines as they paraded, sashayed and galavanted in, I was suddenly much more thankful to Erika, Surge, and Sabrina for helping me update my wardrobe. I got to watch a few large blimps, looking like balloons of various pokemon, be paraded forth. Pikachu was always a strong favourite but Jigglypuff also drew some cheers this year. Thankfully, no Jigglypuff with their notorious sing ability actually appeared. I considered that a small mercy, or a sign of the Jenny¡¯s and other police personnel¡¯s dedication in patrolling the stadium grounds. Rare and shiny pok¨¦mon trotted along, their trainers smiling widely. Most of them I recognised as travellers from Hoenn so they weren¡¯t all that unfamiliar to me. Fire pokemon paired up with fire acrobats and breathers in breathtaking synchronicity as they danced their way in, gouts of flame artfully unleashed at key intervals. A drummer marching in their centre made the entire stadium feel the beat as he pounded in time with particularly large tongues of fire. A number of key League officials marched after them and waved as people applauded and thanked them for their efforts in contributing to the League and the conference. And then an announcer called for the competing pokemon trainers to enter. It reminded me of the Opening ceremony for the Olympics to a degree but I knew it didn¡¯t have the same breadth. That would be saved for the World Championships, which was a tighter, more exclusive field. Still, the trainers, much like the Olympic athletes of my previous life, marched forward. They didn¡¯t do it in city-states or even previous nations but as a single large cohesive unit. In the stands, people were crowded in. Normally there wouldn¡¯t be this many due to only being the opening ceremony. An event that was more a formality than actual entertainment. The League¡¯s announcement of the exhibition match with Lance had resulted in more interest, which was probably their intention, but I had since learnt that my actions had made the exhibition match tickets one of the most in-demand items. Hawkers congregated out the front of the stadium and were even now selling their tickets in live bidding wars. There would be a lot of people watching through their televisions though, so the League and tv companies stood to gain the most from this event. Now the match seemed to loom over the actual conference. Everyone shifted and I could tell there was more desire to simply get the ceremony over and done with. I eyed the assembled trainers and was amused how they had found exactly two hundred and fifty-two trainers. Typically the best trainers were those that went on the journey to collect badges. It was the cheapest path to become a trainer but also offered the best experience. In the Indigo League, you could journey through either Kanto or Johto before competing at the joint tournament. People that completed the entire Indigo ¡®set¡¯ for big eight badges, from either Kanto or Johto, held a lot of prestige that served them well for later offers of employment. The badges weren¡¯t the only method of entering the League, however. Some trainers could choose the more sedate, studious option of the Pokemon Academies or Colleges. Pewter city had a nearby establishment by the name of the Pokemon Technical College. The last method, which I always forgot, was the League¡¯s own Admission exam. The difficulty of which could raise or lower depending on how many trainers completed the circuit with eight badges. This always made the actual circuit the best method to guarantee a spot at the end. Even that wasn¡¯t a sure bet though. I hadn¡¯t experienced it yet, but Surge had told me of years when more waves of trainers descended on regions en masse, causing overflow and strain to the system with too many combatants for the final conference to be fair. For those situations, seedings and preliminaries were called into use. People that completed the circuit got preferential treatment, with the badges they earnt earning them more ¡®weight¡¯ to their seeding and chances of progressing to the tournament proper. I waved when Celia walked into the stadium, making her smile even wider. When everyone was set up, the announcer for the event took to his microphone and everyone turned their eyes to the now entering runner. With one arm raised high, they carried a fire that symbolized the flame of Moltres. A pokemon that was said to embody the conference¡¯s virtues of passion and friendship. The Pokemon League¡¯s Competition President ¡ªA title I found far too grandiose¡ª stepped forth and from his giant bushy beard, a smile emerged. ¡°Welcome, one and all! I¡¯m Charles Goodshow and I¡¯ll be your competition host for the conference. We shall begin with the time-honoured tradition of the pledge! Please follow along after me!¡± He led the trainers through a slow but still short pledge, mainly stating they would act with honour and seek to better themselves and their pokemon while acting in good faith towards their competitors. As the last trainer finished speaking, the runner threw his flame into the giant torch. The torchfire lit up with an audible whoosh and the crowd cheered their approval. I drew in another deep breath before exhaling. As slow and controlled as I could make it. The moment was almost here. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Charles nodded at everyone. ¡°Thank you, trainers, for participating in this tournament! You more than anyone else will make this an event to remember! Now! I must ask for you to clear the battlefield. For those with tickets, please seek the north and south sides of the arena to reach the seating area. For those others¡­ Well, you best run to get in front of a television!¡± Celia turned to give me one last wave only to see me gesturing to her. She grabbed another person and dragged them over to me, making me chuckle as she approached ¡°Learned about the companion rule, did you?¡± ¡°The what? I just didn¡¯t want this one to run off and get a good spot in front of the tv before me!¡± I laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t bother. You¡¯re one of my sponsored trainers so I¡¯ll vouch for you to sit in my bunker and watch the fight.¡± I glanced towards the other trainer who¡¯d barely had a chance to be angry at Celia before becoming startled at my presence. Her facial expression flickered through from shocked to thankful. ¡°You can call me Brock¡­¡± I trailed off leadingly, watching as the brown-haired girl tugged on her ponytail in a nervous tic. ¡°June¡­ My name¡¯s June, from Celadon¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, enjoy the perks of your friend knowing the Challenged tonight, you¡¯re going to get better than front row seats. You¡¯re getting bunker seats.¡± I patted the long seats. ¡°Come and claim a spot.¡± Celia had no trouble dragging June into the bunker. ¡°Oohhh this is nice!¡± ¡°Yeah, perks of getting to take part in a high-level match,¡± I said as Celia helped herself to the minifridge to the side. She tossed a bottle of water at June who yelped. Celia then sat but didn¡¯t drink, fidgeting instead. ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± I nodded, giving her a confident smile while my stomach flopped about, ¡°Sure am!¡± She nodded before licking her lips and settling down. It looked like she wanted to talk about something else but I didn¡¯t prompt her, instead looking back to Charles Goodshow who was amusedly watching the last trainer leg it out of the arena. ¡°Well now Ladies and Gentlemen!¡± He said after another minute of waiting, ¡°We come to the final event of the night, and no doubt the thing you¡¯ve all been waiting for!¡± The crowd roared their approval as my face appeared staring straight at Lance. I recognised the image. It had been captured during our stare off when I¡¯d announced my counter challenge. We looked like boxers squaring off. A giant flaming ¡®vs¡¯ appeared between us and I rolled my shoulders. ¡°Wish me luck.¡± I received a singular boisterous and shy ¡®Good luck!¡± from both girls as I was announced. ¡°THE CHALLENGED IN THIS EVENT IS THE PEWTER CITY GYM LEADER! THE HOLDER OF THE TRADITIONAL FIRST GYM OF KANTO¡¯S CIRCUIT! THE ROCKY RUMBLER! GIVE IT UP FOOOOOOOOOORRRR¡± He dragged out the word like a pro, ¡°BROCK!¡± I emerged from the bunker fully and was hit by a solid wall of noise. I lifted a hand and felt the world slow down as I began to hyperfocus on the smallest things. My arms felt heavy even as I waved them to the crowd. Each action performed slowly, as my legs worked like automation, causing me to walk steadily forward towards the podium that would raise up to give me a good view of the field my pokemon would be fighting on. Even the lights that were dancing on and off around the stadium weren¡¯t enough to distract me. They had spotlights on me but I could see past them. I could see people going nuts in the stands with their cheering. It appeared there were a lot of Pewter residents in the crowds as banners and flags with the boulder badge, or my face, were waving about. I directed a number of waves and even a small bow in their direction. This only made them louder. I let my head turn and I noticed a section for Indigo Gym Leaders. There was a clear divide between Johto and Kanto Leaders with a wide gap in the middle. From Johto, Claire from Blackthorn, Pryce from Mahogany, and Chuck from Cianwood watched me closely. Faces inscrutable, until Chuck shot me a huge thumbs up, which appeared to gain him a tongue lashing as Claire noticed and laid into him. On Kanto¡¯s side I saw more in attendance. Blaine held the central spot followed by Giovanni, Sabrina, Surge and finally Erika. Oddly, Surge looked rumpled, his waves also looked rather stiff to my eyes. He had a tight smile as he waved back at me. Erika had bags under her eyes that I could just make out and also seemed tired. I was surprised to see Giovanni out in public as the man was rather reclusive. The same could be said of Sabrina in truth but she nodded at me. I directed a double-handed wave in their direction. In the gap between both groups, slightly raised up above the Gym Leaders, sat the Elite Four. Or as it currently stood, the Elite Three. Agatha watched me with a smirk, behind her, a shadow twitched. It shifted into a strange shape and back again so fast if I didn¡¯t know better I would have doubted my eyes. Bruno sat, body rigid and watching me stoically, his face akin to a mountain in winter as his eyes tracked me. Lorelei sat primly and had what could only be described as a resting bitch face. That or she had smelt something off and was annoyed by it. Which wasn¡¯t impossible with how well known it was for Bruno to train. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me to learn the man might have forgotten to shower before coming. Beneath them, the official that had stood between myself and Lance during the press conference was seated with two cases that clearly held the wager of this event. I noticed that they also had a plaque that made me think of a C.E.O¡¯s nameplate, but for some reason, it had fallen and didn¡¯t appear to show the man¡¯s name. I shrugged my head and turned to the front as I reached my destination. ¡°AND THE CHALLENGER IN THIS CASE! YOU KNOW AND LOVE HIM AS THE GRUELLING TRAINER THAT DEFIED THE ODDS! THE DRAGON MASTER HIMSELF! YOUR CHAMPION OF THE INDIGO LEAGUE!!!¡± The lights once more swept the arena before locking onto the entrance, just in time for his arrival. ¡°LANCE! BLACKTHORN!¡± Unlike me, Lance didn¡¯t wave. He stalked forward with his long cape flapping dramatically behind him. Each step caused a small puff of dust. He didn¡¯t wave to the crowd or indeed even acknowledge them. He only had eyes for me. I locked onto him as well and felt something stirring within my gut. My lips tugged upwards until I was baring a sharp grin. When he reached the podium, I saw him select his pokeball. I felt my own hand drift down. For a long moment, I held it there toying with what would happen. Thankfully the battleground didn¡¯t have to be a factor against me as a bare field was the accepted arena for this confrontation. If I had been a Water specialist or otherwise, I might have filed for the arena type to be shifted but I had not needed to. The standard League challenge arena would suit my needs more than Lance in truth. I just had to use that small advantage and build on it. His starter was what I needed to worry about. Some of Lance¡¯s pokemon might be not as strong but I couldn¡¯t rely on that. I had a plan for a certain run through of pokemon. I¡¯d done the research on what he could bring to bear, along with theoretical pokemon for when he might be pushed. It was possible that he¡¯d bring out his Dragonite. A pokemon that is widely, and correctly termed a monster. It flattened organizations, let alone teams of pokemon. I¡¯d never known about the Roughriders from the games. Nor the Raider Clan, or the Burning Men. Lance had wiped them out before challenging for the Championship role. Should I deploy my best chance of countering that pokemon first? Or stick with my research? What did my gut tell me? I took in a breath and considered the issue. Titan could and should be the one to face his Dragonite. It would take a heavyweight to match him. I knew this. Titan was my best shot. The best shot I had at sending a statement to all that looked at my gym and proclaimed it ¡®weak¡¯. It would see each one of my siblings puffed up with pride and not looking so defeated. That was not to dismiss the rest of his team. though. Lance possessed pokemon that could and should roll through a team of Rock types. If he stuck with that thought process then his first choice should be his Gyrados. So what was it going to be? Titan or Sanchez. Which should I throw out first? I watched Lance and noticed that he had reached towards his waist, and not his necklace where the very symbolic ¡®Strongest pokemon¡¯ was resting. That made things slightly easier. Now I just needed him to play for keeps with what should be his best chance. I grasped my choice and held it out. ¡°Trainers, are you ready!?¡± shouted Charles Goodman from the centre of the arena. I nodded, enlarging the ball in my hand with a deft touch of the button on the front. ¡°Release together on one!¡± He turned towards the crowd and raised his hands, ¡°Here we go, ladies and gentlemen. Let¡¯s start the countdown!¡± ¡°Three!¡± Lance and I locked eyes once again. ¡°Two!¡± We both drew back our arms, pokeballs and our first pokemon ready to go. ¡°One!¡± I planted my foot and hurled my pokemon out onto the field. Sanchez emerged with a mighty roar, arms spread wide like a luchador. ¡°Go-go-golem!¡± He said before tweaking his moustache. I looked up to see a large towering blue serpent rearing up before him. It bellowed out an inarticulate sound. A pressure swept through the arena as the mighty serpent pressed outwards with its aura claiming the territory with its emergence. I grinned as I crossed my arms and settled into my pose. ¡°OH! AND LANCE LEADS OFF WITH HIS GYARADOS! SOMETHING SURE TO GIVE BROCK SOME TROUBLE! BUT BROCK COMES OUT WITH A VARIANT OF GOLEM!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but hear the announcer screaming his head off. I smirked, it probably looked cocky as all hell but it felt good to be right. The first matchup was in my favour. During my journey, I hadn¡¯t made it as far as Alola. The lockdown of most regions saw to that. I doubted the League even started reaching out to the region yet. They existed, obviously, but were very hard to reach. You needed to chance out and risk life and limb to make it to new regions as an explorer. Some people dedicated their time and lives to rediscovering old routes to regions thought lost but it wasn¡¯t something that could be quickly achieved. It demanded huge manpower and hours of dedicated, institutional, attention to secure trade lanes with forgotten regions. But that didn¡¯t stop me from trialling methods to get variant typings for ¡®regional¡¯ pokemon. Having money truly was a superpower on its own. One that I had levered into a specialised breeding/rearing area for pokemon that I knew would benefit from exposure to higher voltages or constant magnetism. A specialty diet was added just to push things further. Sanchez might have been the youngest pokemon on my team but he was also one of the best surprise shock punches I had. He¡¯d also been able to handle the workload demanded of an Elite top six pokemon. From them, I expected their best, and he''d delivered. He took the beatings I had to give and rolled back in looking for more. I doubted more than a handful of people in the stadium, or indeed currently those watching, would have any idea of what this golem represented. They¡¯d learn soon enough. The referee checked the descriptors I¡¯d lodged just prior to the match of my selected team before nodding to indicate everything was above board. Then he raised his hands. A hush fell over the crowd as Sanchez and the Gyrados eyed each other off. Sanchez made sure to constantly toy with his moustache while smirking, which seemed to only aggravate the serpent. I readied myself as the referee clenched his fists before dropping them swiftly. ¡°Fight!¡± shouted the ref and Lance and I called our moves. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± said Lance with a sweep of his hand. At the same time, I ordered, ¡°Dig into TP Sanchez!¡± Both pokemon were already moving before we had even finished speaking, a clear sign of their ¡®level¡¯ of training. They barely needed orders, having gone through and experienced a lot with their respective trainer. ¡°Gyarados use Sur¡ª¡± before Lance could flood the field Sanchez emerged with a loud ¡°Golem!¡± His fist crackled with lightning and I saw the look of painful realisation sink in on Lance¡¯s face as a move that was four times as effective than a normal move slammed home right into the serpent¡¯s head. That would have to be a critical in game jargon. The thunder punch impacted, causing a thwap to sound out even as a surging electrical zap carried over the stadium. Lance¡¯s pokemon reeled back from the hit and fell backwards, writhing as electricity arced around their body. When it hit dirt, a thoom sounded throughout the stadium as air blew out from around it. Dust blew out and settled in the aftermath. The Gyarados was large enough not to be obscured. It surged back, a roar escaping it before twitching. It flinched and its mouth shut in a grimace. It tried to push on only to collapse as another arc of electricity coursed through its body. It lay still and the referee assessed it, waiting only a few moments before raising a green flag in my direction. ¡°Gyarados is unable to battle! The first point goes to Brock!¡± For a heartbeat, silence filled the stadium before the crowd went ballistic. Lance raised a Pokeball. Red light shot from it to Gyarados. The Gyarados was absorbed into it and I observed my opponent as he looked at the pokeball for a moment before nodding at it, accepting the defeat. He looked up to see me watching. He¡¯d been stoic until now but a slight frown had slipped in. His hand tracked to another pokeball before switching to a different one. I suspected that the ball held his Seadra, or if I was unlucky, he might even have a Kingdra. It was tough to judge which Lance would have but I suspected the second option as the most likely. It fit his Dragon Mastery, and also should stack up well against my Rock-type. The crowd continued to cheer and shout throughout it all but I ignored them. Lance drew back his second pokemon and the crowd instantly fell silent as a Dragonite took centre stage. Chapter 14 - Battle with Lance Part 2 While the crowd started to furiously clamour with each other over Dragonite¡¯s appearance, I relaxed slightly. This was not the Dragonite that was considered one of, if not the, strongest pokemon in two regions. One on one, many pokemon would find themselves losing. I hoped I had the answer in my own starter pokemon. I¡¯d promised as much, but that was for later. Still, I could relax slightly. This Dragonite didn¡¯t have the size, or the majesty that the other did. It was more juvenile. It still snorted and eyed off Sanchez with some contempt. I had to keep my head in the match. Sanchez had taken an early lead with his one-two combo on Gyarados, but I needed to extend that. Like any other sporting match, you needed to continue to keep on the pressure. Dictating the pace was often one of the crucial elements to winning. People began to murmur as they realized that this couldn¡¯t be Lance¡¯s beast. ¡°AND LANCE FOLLOWS UP WITH ONE OF HIS DRAGONITE! A POWERFUL SECOND MATCH UP!¡± The announcer¡¯s voice boomed over the crowd. The referee once more nodded and dropped their flags. ¡°Start!¡± It was a small space but if you were smart about using such breaks they could mean a lot. I knew people that deliberately tried to drag these switch outs as long as they could, having just used a costly technique like Hyper beam. It was a potential method for me to use and abuse but I had other options open for now. ¡°Soar high Dragonite!¡± Called Lance as he swept his hand upwards. Dragonite ascended and I clicked my tongue. Tactics shifted into place as I weighed what I could do. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said. Lance¡¯s frown deepened at the order. Sanchez dutifully obeyed. Rocks appeared along the edge of the battlefield and began to hover just slightly. They became a small threat for the next match. Lance¡¯s eyes flickered up and down from my Golem to his Dragonite and I felt an inkling of understanding take root. There was likely a chance this pokemon was more suited for speed than others of its kind. This could be applied on the battlefield in a multitude of ways. I eyed the circling dragon wondering if this theory held; It certainly appeared that way. It held distance at the absolute limit that the arena match would allow. This was mandatory to give the damage absorption mechanisms room to work. ¡°Aqua Tail!¡± Lance, it seemed, didn¡¯t want to wait for me to keep building up more stealth rocks. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± I shouted as the flying pokemon tilted as if on a hinge instead of flitting around at furious speeds. The Dragonite¡¯s body tilted as if on a dial while its wings fluttered minutely. It lined itself up with my pokemon. Then plummeted out of the sky, allowing gravity to claim it before snapping its wings shut and accelerating even faster. Rocks tore themselves out of the ground around Sanchez as he directed them upwards. ¡°Go-go-golem!¡± he chanted as more and more rocks took flight. I could almost imagine him serving as an old artillery commander with the over the top moustache and his bombastic attitude. Rocks ripped through the air. The Dragonite expertly juked and barrel-rolled in response. It would have avoided a lesser pokemon¡¯s barrage but I had not allowed my Golem to be anything but exemplary. There would be no denying the onslaught that Sanchez was unleashing. Rocks rifled through the air with some hidden in the visual gaps of others, resulting in a harsh wall of stone that should have cut the dragon out of the sky. The Dragonite proved its skill though, choosing which rocks impacted it and avoiding the worst. It continued to dive, taking glancing hits that allowed it to close. Sanchez held his position, glaring up in defiance as it closed. For a moment it looked like Dragonite would miss entirely only to slam into the ground and throw itself like some parkour sprinter straight at my pokemon. It whipped its body into a controlled spin and brought about its tail. A tail laced with water that whipped around to nail Golem. Sanchez skidded to the side and shook the arm he¡¯d raised to handle the strike. There was a divot that let me know that hadn¡¯t simply been shrugged off. Still, Sanchez was more than up for the fight, roaring his battle cry, ¡°GO-GO-GO! LEM!¡± I relaxed my gritted jaw, pleased to see that our work had paid off. I nodded at him as he stood and pumped his arms back and forth. ¡°Golem!¡± ¡°Rock thr¡ª'''' before I could finish the Dragonite accelerated out of close range, likely knowing that it would be destroyed without the speed to let it power through having boulders tossed at it. I hadn¡¯t even heard Lance give a command. With the Dragonite retreating, I decided to make the most of the reprieve by changing the order. ¡°Stealth rock!¡± Lance snarled slightly as his pokemon took a few moments to reach its previous soaring height. Time, that let me get off another potential trap. I observed the Dragonite, comparing its speed now to what it had previously demonstrated; It was roughly the same but as I watched I noted a slight hitch in its wingbeats. A tremor in its body. It was only a small sign but that was enough. Dragonite wouldn¡¯t be able to accelerate as quickly. Looking at Sanchez revealed to me he hadn¡¯t gotten out of his two fights scott free. His body shook, with a slight tiredness now showing through in how he tracked the dragon. ¡°Sanchez go for another¡ª¡± Lance punched his fist directly at my pokemon. His Dragonite was probably too far away for even a shouted command to be effective over the noise of the crowd but that didn¡¯t stop it from understanding the order. As soon as I saw the rapidly building ball of energy in Dragonite¡¯s mouth, I shifted gears. ¡°Dig! Now!¡± Sanchez dropped into the ground. I relaxed slightly before bracing myself as Lance¡¯s Dragonite discharged the hyper beam. The arena held its breath as the beam impacted. Dust and small bits of earth flew up, causing everyone to lose sight of the arena and for the extractor fans to kick in. I turned my head slightly and shut my eyes, using other senses to detect any developing changes in the battlefield. I felt a few small rocks knock into my body but I was used to harsher attacks from training with my pokemon. All trainers at this level were given damage absorbers but they were notorious in being limited due to a close proximity with the danger zone. It said a lot about this Dragonite¡¯s strength that they hadn¡¯t felt a secondary effect against myself or Lance would hurt us. They¡¯d keep the podium¡¯s absorbers for the true heavyweights. The second I felt the wind dying down, I looked back to the field with narrowed eyes. A large crater was now in the middle of the field. It wouldn¡¯t result in any pause with the match though. That would come later. I looked further up. spotting the Dragonite still high in the air, huffing and puffing, now visibly spent. My pokemon popped his head up as he¡¯d been trained to do if he couldn''t sense a pokemon actually touching the ground. It had been interesting to learn that teaching a pokemon dig didn¡¯t just convey the ability to burrow under the ground but to also detect where another pokemon was due to the minor vibrations that came from standing on the ground. Flying or levitating pokemon obviously had a much easier time evading Dig. Sanchez stood fully and twizzled his moustache while watching the flying pokemon. I needed to get moving. ¡°Sanchez! Stealth Rock!¡± I could imagine the confusion that this command brought on from anyone watching but a cursory inspection of the field revealed that Lance hadn¡¯t been able to have the beam scour deep enough that it might have had an effect. He should have been targeting the sides of the field, to break up some of the floating rocks. With this move, I had prepped the field to keep later matchups in my favour as much as I wanted to. It wasn¡¯t a well-used technique with most people seeing it as useless due to the time required. I had the team to make it viable, so I capitalized on it. From the battles that I¡¯d observed, Lance didn¡¯t face many trainers that utilised field effects. Something I planned to test. For now, he ignored the floating rocks, sweeping his hand forward, ¡°Descend on it again Dragonite!¡± If he was going to try his hand again I was more than happy to show him the definition of insanity. ¡°Rock throw Sanchez!¡± ¡°Goooooooolem!¡± Once more Artillery commander Sanchez called for the cannons, unleashing entire sections of rock. Something that was easier than last time due to the broken arena floor, thanks to Dragonite¡¯s Hyperbeam. This time the Dragonite circled, zigged and zagged but the earlier tribulations had clearly taken their toll. It avoided the Arcanine¡¯s share of attacks except it wasn¡¯t fast enough to avoid them all. Rocks began to not only hit in a glancing manner but fully impact with body strikes, causing the Dragonite to wail before losing control of its flight. It crashed into the ground throwing up more ground as it caused a crater. crashing into the ground. The crash landing would have had to have only worsened its condition. I stared hungrily at the still dusty cloud where the Dragonite would have been The stadium filled with a groan as the crowd of thousands leant forward in their seats. The air shifted as they drew in a breath and waited. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I held a hand up to Sanchez to signal a halt for the moment. We all waited as the dust was blown away to reveal a downed Dragonite on its side. It shifted, its wings beating feebly as it tried to stand. Its body twitched and spasmed its mouth opened to bare its teeth. For half a moment, I thought it was about to roar its defiance as it rose on a single, wobbly limb. Only for the limb to give out on it. It slammed into the ground with a hard thump. It now only gave out a sad cry as it slumped further into the crater, unable to rise. It couldn¡¯t and Lance was once more forced to withdraw one of his pokemon. ¡°AND ANOTHER POKEMON GOES DOWN!¡± Again there was a lull as the crowd became more than just part of the scenery. I held in a chuckle as I recalled the old games I had played on my Gameboy that even featured such calls from the crowd and announcer. Those had been long, glorious hours as a child. The old memory reminded me that I really was living the dream. I glanced about and smiled, letting my stern expression shift from pleased to actually happy. ¡°Excellent work Sanchez!¡± I directed my feelings toward my first pokemon out and he happily cheered back at me. ¡°Go! Go-lem!¡± He waved happily, even making finger guns at a few sections of the crowd. ¡°TWO POKEMON DOWN! I DON¡¯T THINK ANYONE EXPECTED THIS WHEN THE CHALLENGE WAS MADE CLEAR! BROCK IS SHOWING UP AND CLEANING UP! HOW WILL THE CHAMP RESPOND!?¡± Lance gritted his teeth and his hand twitched towards his necklace before stopping. I wondered if he truly thought leaving his best for last would be his smartest move. I didn¡¯t know his team but I did know there was a certain prestige in simply forcing Lance to field his strongest, let alone beat it. I had to aim for that. Two to zero was a good start but I was nowhere near clear. ¡°Charizard!¡± Lance shouted as he tossed his next pokemon. The crowd went nuts. I chuckled, knowing that while it looked like a dragon and knew dragon moves, it wasn¡¯t really a true dragon¡­ Unless Lance had access to mega evolution. I licked my lips as a cold chill broke out. Then I shook myself and looked within to the darkness. I centred myself once more before looking up. If he had something like that, I had options. I highly doubted he did as of yet, but I definitely had options. Mega evolutions weren¡¯t a game over but merely another obstacle. Mega evolved Charizard was still something to keep in mind. I hadn¡¯t heard anything regarding that and held to the belief that I would have if it ever occurred. Then again, he had ten million reasons at least to bring it out right now. I didn¡¯t see any bracelet on his wrist though, and the only necklace I saw was holding a greatball. With Charizard taking the field, stealth rock activated. The referee was forced to instantly call match start as the trap began to impact the fire-type. It tried to take to the sky to avoid it but the move was dogged and quick enough to hit. It roared in annoyance but didn¡¯t take enough damage to truly injure it. Lance seemed more annoyed as the rocks showed it wasn¡¯t able to ignore a move considered ¡®weak¡¯ by most trainers. It obviously pricked Lance and his pokemons¡¯ pride, enough to draw their ire. ¡°Fire blast!¡± shouted Lance. I grinned. ¡°Explosion.¡± Sanchez cackled even as the signature first generation fire move closed. He lit up and I locked eyes with Lance as he gaped. I had to hold myself from cackling along with my pokemon. As the explosion took hold, the damage absorbers on my podium and around the stadium lit up. This was enough to force them to activate and I had to blink back stars even though I had looked away from my golem before it detonated. ¡°OH!!! A CHEAP MOVE OR A WELL-TIMED SACRIFICE PLAY FROM GYM LEADER BROCK?!¡± I scoffed at them even thinking the move was classified as ¡®cheap¡¯. The only times it was not allowed or punished was if it was your last pokemon. Then it was seen as poor sportsmanship, or if your opponent was also on their last and had lost them, the win went to them. Anywhere else in the battle circuit? It was fair game. ¡°Go! GO! GOooooo¡­.lem,¡± said Sanchez before he fell to his knees, spent. He shot me a look and I raised two thumbs up. He smiled weakly and tried to reply with one raised hand only to fall. Before he hit the ground, I withdrew him. ¡°Great work buddy,¡± I said to his pokeball. I looked up to smile at the Charizard that was embedded into the ground. It had obviously not taken well to the explosion that swept the field. It must have crashed from the explosion. I grinned at my pokeball, Sanchez had done amazing. He¡¯d even taken out the opponent with¡ª Charizard stumbled forward but instead of falling down it took one step that turned into another. Then it flared its wings and roared out in rage, the flame on its tail blazing even stronger than before. I whistled, impressed despite myself. It had taken a stage three stealth rock followed by an explosion and been able to walk it off. I could respect that. I¡¯d respected it so much I¡¯d bring out something special to counter it. I withdrew a second pokeball for the next match. Time to show the entire world that I had prehistoric pokemon. ¡°AND NOW! We will pause for intermission as the arena floor is replaced. This replacement is brought to you by¡ª¡± I stumbled and recalled that yes, after three pokemon were knocked out there was typically intermission in these exhibition matches. I glanced at Lance and saw he too was rather annoyed at the forced pause. It might suit him a little more but not as much as if he¡¯d been able to get off a hyper beam or something else. The effect wasn¡¯t exhaustion so much as damage. If anything, he wanted to take his charged up Charizard and meet my next pokemon now. I nodded at him and turned toward my bunker where Celia and June were staring open-mouthed at me. I nodded at them before stalking towards the fridge built into a wall. I grabbed a towel and rubbed off some dirt before taking a long gulp of water. Celia looked from me to the field, a dry sounding croak working itself loose. ¡°That was incredible,¡± June said, her voice barely a whisper. I hummed. ¡°It was a solid start. Sanchez really brought everything I needed of him, and more.¡± My body didn¡¯t want to settle and I sat only to feel a nervous tick demanding that I bounce my leg. I stood instead and walked around, working my arms through stretches as I forced myself to breathe. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m all worked up now.¡± I clenched my hands and relaxed them before shaking myself loose. I didn¡¯t want to be here, I wanted to be back out there throwing down with my pokemon against Lance¡¯s team. I looked over and saw Lance was much the same. It appeared Claire had made her way down to his bunker and was talking to him even as he stalked back and forth. His Charizard sat before the podium still on the field. Very pointedly still on display and on the field. As a still ¡®active¡¯ pokemon with this match¡¯s rule, he wasn¡¯t allowed to go out of sight unless Lance was forfeiting him. There had been too many people that had switched out pokemon or used potions on them when they were out of sight. As a high stakes match, there was no way I or the League could let it happen. There was also the issue of reactivating the stealth rocks if Lance tried it. Said Stealth rocks were actually rather pitiful now that I looked. I¡¯d need to have another pokemon reactivate them, which would cost me time. I played that over in my mind as I assessed the damage to my trap move. I watched Machoke and Machamp haul broken rocks out of the way. The pokemon and the workers were extremely careful to not affect the few remaining floating rocks nor get close enough to cause themselves to become targets. It would probably make them work slower which was another reason that higher tier matches usually didn¡¯t see the trap move utilized. I had no doubt that the announcers and sponsors could run with the long break caused by slower reconstruction though. They seemed to be filling the screens scattered around the arena with highlights of the match so far interspersed with adverts. ¡°How are you able to stand up there like that? Can¡¯t you feel it?¡± Looking at Celia, I noticed how she had her hands curled around herself. The small hairs all over her forearms stood at attention as if she¡¯d been watching two powehouse electric types fight rather than Lance and I. June seemed confused. I merely nodded at Celia. ¡°Ah good, you¡¯re able to feel that? That¡¯s a subtle effect of battling someone like Lance.¡± ¡°Is this what Elite trainer battles are like?¡± said Celia. ¡°Do I need to be this level for the tournament?¡± ¡°Planning on taking on the champ when I¡¯m done?¡± I smirk before shaking my head. ¡°No, not actually. This is a bit of a slugfest with pokemon that can take and dish out beatings. There¡¯s strategy involved, obviously, but the methods vary depending on the trainers and the pokemon that they have access to. Don¡¯t rush into it. We''ll talk about what you are feeling now after the tournament. It isn¡¯t something to worry over for now. Focus on what¡¯s before you.¡± ¡°Play to my strengths, not my weaknesses?¡± I agreed with a nod before turning my hand over to show she was mostly right before switching topics. While June was Celia¡¯s friend, I wasn¡¯t going to talk about Aura in front of her. ¡°What do you think of the match so far? I was hoping to take out his Charizard with Sanchez¡¯s sacrifice.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you even sacrifice him? He was doing great!¡± demanded Celia as June nodded in hesitant agreement. I considered that for a moment before waggling my hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t think he had the legs to do as much damage to the Charizard. While on paper, it would appear to be a better match up with fire-flying, his Charizard was his second strongest pokemon. It shows up in most of his matches and will not be something easy to take down. I was hoping the stealth rocks would have been enough to soften it up. If he had brought out anything else, I wouldn¡¯t have made that call.¡± ¡°I think it was a mistake.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Perhaps. I didn¡¯t get what I wanted so maybe you¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t want to have Sanchez get forced underground though as I know Lance can take over the field with that Charizard and set himself up. So instead, I forced the issue.¡± ¡°How¡­ how would his Charizard have taken over?¡± said June. I gestured towards the field. ¡°If Sanchez got forced underground, I would have had more issues as Charizard could melt the upper layers of the arena. Which isn¡¯t a big issue but it would have been able to get rid of my Stealth Rock.¡± Unlike the games, some moves could force the trap field effects to be wiped, as demonstrated by my own explosion. It just took more concerted effort to actually affect the field. Celia and June seemed to mull that over. ¡°Huh, you¡¯ve thought about this a lot.¡± I nodded. ¡°The momentum started back when I announced my challenge. There¡¯s not a ton of information about my team compared to Lance. I have a list of pokemon he can draw on with suspicions on some more. Being at the top is harder, with people being able to work out counters. That being said, Lance didn¡¯t get there because of a fluke.¡± ¡°AND THE ARENA IS READY ONCE MORE! THIS BREAK WAS BROUGHT TO YOU¡ª¡± I turned, ignoring the advertisements. I palmed my pokeball and locked eyes with Lance once again. I grinned at him. For a moment he grinned back, seemingly just as eager to return to the match as I was. I felt his aura sweep over but I continued to stride forward undaunted as his Charizard flared his wings and roared. I waited for the podium to raise me up to level. The referee gestured to me and I drew back my arm for my next pokemon to take to the field. Chapter 15 - Battle Lance Part 3 ¡°Go Shin!¡± I hurled my pokeball with accuracy born from long hours of experience. It didn¡¯t seem like a large aspect of a pokemon match but you could set quite a lot up depending on where on your side of the field you deployed your pokemon. There was also the bounce-back feature that you needed to work in. It was actually possible to throw your pokeball and have it shoot back to a position nowhere near you. My Kabutops took to the field with a quick one two-step before flourishing his scythes. The commentators instantly jumped on my choice. ¡°OH! A POKEMON FROM ANCIENT TIMES! A KABUTOPS! THIS IS CERTAINLY A RARE SHOWING FROM THE PEWTER CITY GYM LEADER!¡± Shin was raring to go. Across the field, Charizard grunted and blew out a flame before flapping its wings. The referee checked with us both before raising his flags and dropping them. ¡°Rock polish!¡± ¡°Ascend!¡± Lance and I ordered over the top of each other. Lance clicked his tongue at the missed opportunity. ¡°Fire blast!¡± he tried to change things up. ¡°Hydropump!¡± I said to Shin. The two attacks impact and instantly I can see a potential trap with how the mist blocks sight of his Charizard. Lance doesn¡¯t react but I still decide to call out my next order ¡°Dodge!¡± This time Lance smirked, informing me I¡¯d made a mistake with that call. ¡°Fire spin!¡± is his answer. ¡°Rock polish again!¡± I call out even as a ring of fire drops from within the mist, grimacing as I do. Shin dodged the flame well but it only took a small tongue of fire to touch and for the burn to impact Shin. I hadn¡¯t been able to find an accurate list of potential moves available to Lance¡¯s Charizard. I¡¯m sure someone in the future would like to know about it having Fire spin. For now, it was going to bite me. ¡°Shin! Zig-zag firing patterns!¡± With the mist starting to dissipate, I¡¯d have more of a chance. I didn¡¯t have many good options with Lance knowing he¡¯d be able to counter with fireblast for a while. That was a crutch though. It was only for a while. Also, the mist would weaken his Charizard gradually the longer he remained within it. I felt myself relax as my mind began to unravel the potential paths forward available to me. Shin began to streak across the field, pause, fire off a hydro pump before changing locations. This forced Charizard to begin weaving in and out. Lance tried to have him shoot off some Fire Blast back but this made the air more sodden with water. It began to make both my pokemon and the Charizard difficult to target. ¡°Switch targets! Get the last of the floating rocks Charizard!¡± This order caused his pokemon to pause and I almost felt myself become psychic as I knew what would happen next. Shin stopped on a dime and from his mouth a dense ball of water built before launching out at highly pressurised speed. Charizard tucked on a wing and dove low making the attack whiff. I inhaled and felt everything come together as it finally came within range. ¡°Aqua jet!¡± Lance¡¯s hand began to raise as water built around my pokemon. ¡°No! Charizard gain alt¡ª¡± Shin didn¡¯t blur so much as glitch across the space to slam straight into Charizard¡¯s side to launch it into the side of the arena. It had taken a three-stage Stealth Rock, an Explosion, Mist weakening, and finally a two-stage empowered Kabutops hitting it like a truck with Aqua¡ª ¡°Chhhaaaaar!!!!¡± roared the pokemon as it staggered back to its feet . The flame on its tail pulsed from extreme to pitifully weak almost like a heartbeat. The Dragon in all but typing had its eyes narrowed as it stared straight at Shin. It raised trembling hands towards my pokemon. It was obvious it couldn¡¯t fight to anyone watching. That didn¡¯t mean it was going to just stop fighting though. I blinked in surprise before nodding in respect. This was obviously a Charizard that truly served as an exemplar for its species. The crowd roared and urged it on. I turned to look straight at Lance only to find him looking straight back at me. ¡°Shin, Hydro pump.¡± Shin stiffened, ¡°Kabutops?¡± he said, obviously concerned. ¡°We can¡¯t dismiss this dragon.¡± A few people booed me but others heard my words. They held their tongues as Charizard took slow, lumbering steps forward like he was going to build up momentum for a charging tackle. Each step merely looked painfully slow after the earlier aerial acrobatics. Shin bobbed his head once before lining up another shot. The Charizard saw the shot and staggered forward with a raised claw, delirious, but unwilling to back down. I felt something roil in my stomach but I knew I couldn¡¯t deny or demand Lance withdraw his pokemon. Some pokemon weren¡¯t like that. They abhorred being withdrawn from battle. Some pokemon didn¡¯t seem to have fight and flight. They only had Fight responses. To be a good trainer you had to identify them and develop methods for curtailing them. You also had to have a good deal of faith that an opponent would recognise the fact that they wouldn¡¯t go down and act for the best. Lance himself was watching on stoically but I thought I had seen him nod in acceptance when I gave the order. For a moment, I¡¯d even thought I¡¯d seen a smile. It really was too much of a beast to ignore. It seemed to be the type that had to be put down rather than it ever ceding a loss willingly. When the dragon dropped to the ground, the stadium went silent. As one, we held our breaths. We watched the downed dragon, shared in hopes of this not being a tragedy. The rise of the pokemon¡¯s ribs caused everyone to exhale causing the stadium¡¯s dust to stir as a small breeze swept through it at the synchronised action. I gripped the podium and shuddered. ¡°Kabu-tops?¡± said my pokemon. I waved off the concern. ¡°Sorry for that Kabutops, that Charizard wasn¡¯t simply going to accept going down. One of the issues of using Dragon pokemon. They¡¯re prideful beings. Like Don.¡± That got an understanding nod from Shin, well aware of how Don could be. ¡°You¡¯ve probably got a rival in that Charizard now. If you ever fight it again it¡¯s going to try twice as hard to knock you out.¡± ¡°Kabutops!¡± Shin brandished his scythes. I grinned before looking up at Lance as he stared at the pokeball in his hand. ¡°That happen a lot?¡± I called. Lance nodded, ¡°Yes. Charizard is very much a Dragon in temperament.¡± He inclined his head. "Most people don¡¯t like to recognise that in him.¡± His expression turned amused. ¡°And yes your Shin has certainly earnt himself a rival on this day.¡± He pushed the pokeball back onto his belt before sweeping his hand out, causing his cape to flourish. ¡°But don¡¯t think I have forgotten my reason for being here Brock!¡± He tossed another pokeball forward. ¡°Go Dragonite!¡± I held in my groan. Another Dragonite and still not his main? Dragonite¡¯s were huge commitments to train and Lance had three at a level he felt was appropriate for his best team? Insane. He was truly insane. ¡°OH! IS THIS IT!?¡± I shook my head but realised that the announcer shouldn¡¯t be that embarrassed that they¡¯d mistaken this Dragonite for Lance¡¯s brute. I could see the sheen of polished scales and rippling muscle as the dragon idly flexed. Once more the rocks rose up. The ref rose and dropped his flag once more. The stealth rocks swept inwards but before the rocks could hit fully the Dragonite¡¯s wings blurred and it shot upwards. I cursed at the rapid acceleration this pokemon was showing out of the gates. It made the stealth rocks work for the hit but they were unrelenting in their pursuit. They impacted and Lance started things off. ¡°Defog!¡± This time the Dragonite stopped and its wings started to thump as it knocked the air away, beginning to blow away the field effects I¡¯d so arduously set up. ¡°Hydro pump!¡± I watched as the Dragonite outright ignored the hit. ¡°Again!¡± I ordered when I saw Lance was willing to accept the hit. The Dragonite merely turned in the air and continued to thump at the air with powerful wings. Again and again, I launched more Hydropumps as the Dragonite cleared the field. I glanced at Shin and noted his lack of sheen. The way his scythes drooped and the size of the Hydropumps shot off, all this indicated that the burn from fire spin was taking effect on Shin. Making him weaker and weaker as time progressed. ¡°Thunder! Strike it down now Dragonite!¡± As soon as the last floating stealth rock was gone Lance cut a hand straight at where Shin stood. ¡°Aquajet out of there Shin!¡± I shouted in reply. Lance¡¯s Dragonite charged up a rumble of lightning before unleashing it, causing streaks of lighting to arc out in a huge area. Shin was up to the task though and with each arc of lightning, he shot away. Lightning flashed and just as quickly Shin vacated the spots where the attacks were aimed. The powerful move¡¯s inaccuracy actually made it harder to deal with, as it denied Shin room to work with. More than a few times I twitched as I watched my water-rock type ancient have to weave himself through the arcs of lightning. People in the crowd were lit up like Christmas lights as the flurry of lightning strikes landed. I couldn¡¯t hear anything over the booms of constantly releasing lightning bolts. Thankfully, fighting against Surge had allowed me and my pokemon to get used to the sound at the very least. You mostly had to grit your teeth and hope you didn¡¯t get tinnitus. The crowd ohh¡¯d and ahh¡¯d as discharges sounded throughout the arena, unmindful thanks to the damage absorbers once more taking some of the impact out of the sound for them. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Neither Lance nor I ordered another move, both of our eyes locked on the weaving, speeding, stutter-stepping Kabutops that shot around the arena. Pursued by lightning. I gripped my arms tight against myself, my heart swelling with pride as Shin demonstrated just why he belonged on my elite six over other options. I bit my lip as I knew I¡¯d only get another shot at the opening I¡¯d trained for. ¡°Now Shin!¡± his scythes instantly shone and bit into the ground. His momentum caused a huge gauge of rock to be torn up in his wake before he finally came to a harsh stop. He jerked roughly and I knew it had hurt. ¡°OH?! WHAT¡¯S THIS? BROCK IS GOING TO TRY AND ENDURE THUNDER WITH A WATER TYPE?!¡± shouted the announcer. Around the arena, the crowd inhaled in shock. They stood in surprise as the lightning descended. It struck and Shin grunted as he used his Metal claw to induce a flow through his body and safely to the ground. ¡°IT¡¯S DOING IT?! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?!¡± ¡°Dragonite! Iron tail!¡± The Dragon shot forward and forced my hand. ¡°Throw the rocks now Shin!¡± Shin ripped his arms up, lifting the rocks that had been skewered on his blades before flicking them at the charging Dragonite. The Dragonite wailed as it took the hits, only to power through and slap Shin aside. My pokemon rag-dolled before struggling to get up. I almost saw the burn sap more energy from him. I raised my pokeball. Shin wasn¡¯t so prideful that he¡¯d resent me for this later. He understood when he¡¯d done enough and I¡¯d make sure to convey that. ¡°Nicely done Shin. That was a great first showing.¡± ¡°AND BROCK WITHDRAWS HIS KABUTOPS AFTER TAKING OUT LANCE¡¯S CHARIZARD! THIS MAKES THE SCORE FOUR TO TWO NOW IN FAVOUR OF BROCK, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!¡± I smiled before palming my next choice. I just knew Lance was going to be green with envy when he saw this pokemon. ¡°Go Don!¡± My Aerodactyl took to the air screeching in a primordial manner. Dragonite flinched at the screeching dragon before narrowing its eyes while Lance stared openly at the pokemon. ¡°Where did you find that?¡± I merely shrugged my shoulders, then nodded to the referee. The crowd and the announcers were once more losing it as I revealed my third pokemon to be another ancient pokemon.
¡°Can you believe this Chuck?¡± said Brad in the announcer¡¯s box for the match as he stared at the resurrected pokemon. Next to him, Chuck flipped through an index on what was listed for Brock. ¡°He¡¯s certainly pulling out a lot of surprises here and now, Brad. None of the tournaments or the videos have shown him to have either of those pokemon. Nor for his Gym battles with people challenging his highest level Brad!.¡± ¡°Interesting. How many more shocks do you think he can bring though?¡± ¡°Well, I for one wasn¡¯t expecting to watch an aerial showdown when it was announced that Lance was going to be facing Brock! Rock types don¡¯t make you think ancient flying dragons!¡± ¡°Till now that is!¡± said Brad before looking to the screen that was being highlighted by a producer. ¡°And it seems the fanbase is starting to swing Chuck! At the start of the week, people were saying it was going to be a clean wash with Lance sweeping the Pewter Gym in our polls! But things certainly have shifted!¡± ¡°Oh? What are they now?¡± ¡°Now, at least forty percent of people think Brock has a chance!¡± ¡°Oh! Good odds! I for one still think Lance has this. We¡¯ve seen him field weaker teams but for the last pokemon! Let¡¯s see how that poll goes when his starter takes to the field!¡±
Don held his position as the flags went down. Then I ordered his first move. ¡°Go for it, Don! Stone Edge!¡± ¡°Iron Tail Dragonite!¡± Lance said as Don surged forward. The Dragonite snorted, shooting forward to whip around and slap Don out of the sky with a harsh thwack. I grunted as the podium shook. Don staggered out of a small crater that he had been launched into and I saw a fire ignite in his eyes as the Dragonite gave another dismissive snort. ¡°Dance Don!¡± I said, knowing that I needed to bring Don up to parity with this Dragonite. Energy instantly swirled around Don. Lance glared as Dragon Dance took effect. ¡°Take it out with Thunder!¡± ¡°Sweep low and tear up the earth! Stone Edge!¡± This time, instead of hamstringing my pokemon, I ordered it to stay low enough that each flap of its wings saw it kissing the arena. In its wake, large hunks of the ground were torn up and the earth was thrown up into the air. Precisely like flak that attracted the lightning. This resulted in lightning blowing the earth apart but leaving Don free. I watched the Dragonite continue to blast away before suddenly stuttering out. In the game, this would have been seen as running out of moves. In this world, Lance had pushed his Dragonite¡¯s reservoir of Electric energy too far and it now needed time to recharge. ¡°Dragon dance again Don!¡± I again capitalised on the momentary weakness. More purple energy built up within Don and when he moved now, each flap of his wing caused a harsh wind to blow about the arena. His eyes gleamed as he locked onto the Dragonite and his instinct demanded he attack now. ¡°Ice fang!¡± I ordered, making Lance hiss. ¡°Dodge it Dragonite!¡± This time it was the Dragonite that lost altitude to dive and dip around the landscape of carved rocks that had been leftover from its fight with Shin and now Don. I watched, tense, as Dragonite swept left and right through the field. Only for Don to keep closing on him. I watched, surprised as Don began to gain more and more ground. The rate that he was reeling in the more deftly maneuvering Dragonite surprised me. Perhaps I hadn¡¯t needed to use the second Dragon Dance. Were Aerodactyl¡¯s better fliers than Dragonites? There wasn¡¯t a lot of information on that but it appeared that with Don powered up twice he was easily beginning to catch up to the Dragonite. Something that everyone seemed to notice as more and more people became vocal. Don and the Dragonite only had eyes for each other though as they tore around the arena, pulling hairpin turns that had them spiral upwards before dropping like rocks to then loop-de-loop back around. Dragonite tried to obfuscate the way it was flying by blowing huge dust storms in its wake only for Don to ignore the dust and charge after. It was probably something to do with being a rock type. Professor Oak or another of the researchers around the world would have a more in-depth understanding of the how, but it wasn¡¯t an issue for Don to see through the dust. Lance clicked his tongue. ¡°Dragonite! Turn and brawl! Use Iron Tail!¡± Dragonite spun around, its tail glowing as it spun only for Don to barrel right into the attack with an open maw that had ice built up around it. Both hits connected but I could tell that Don had come off stronger from the attack. ¡°Dragon claw!¡± shouted Lance. ¡°Again! Ice Fang!¡± I was more than happy to meet Dragonite blow for blow here. I had empowered Don and already whittled away at the Dragonite with Shin. Now it became a slugfest with the two pokemon clawing and biting at each other. Don¡¯s wings even came into play, slapping his foe about the face to disrupt Dragonite as Don bit forward. A particularly good bite saw Don clamping down. Don held on as Dragonite tried to beat its arms and head down on the attack. I leaned forward much like Don, smelling the metaphorical blood in the water. Lance likewise knew what would happen if this continued. ¡°Dragonite crash land now!¡± Before Don could unlatch Dragonite plummeted towards the earth, crashing them both into the ground. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I commanded, not really able to see what was going on but adamant that Don wasn¡¯t out of the fight. Dragonite screeched as it was launched back to tumble before taking a kneeling stance. The dragon heaved in air while glaring at Don as my pokemon righted itself and flapped just above the ground. It seemed both were on their last legs. Lance swept his eyes from me to my pokemon before nodding. ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± I had half a heartbeat to come to terms with the order and plan my next move. I knew a lot was riding on this call. Don wouldn¡¯t be able to do much against the next pokemon that was coming out. Heck if this Dragonite was an indicator I truly might have to play for my ace in the hole. I could drag this out by possibly dodging but I didn¡¯t want to make things seem hedged. The ten million was a lot but, more importantly, I wanted people to respect me and my team. Here and now I had to earn that by showing that I could match Lance. ¡°Match it Don!¡± I said. Instantly energy built up in Don¡¯s maw as he locked onto his target. I tensed and braced myself, knowing exactly what was about to happen. Around the stadium, the damage absorbers flared up in readiness. Dragonite fired off his Hyper Beam and half a heartbeat later Don matched it. Both beams of energy were on target. They slammed into each other and the earth bucked as the two attacks tore into each other. The clash of energy didn¡¯t make any noise except the howl of the wind pushing away from the impact site. I watched as slowly but surely the beam of one of the pokemon pushed forward. I grimaced as I realised that it wasn¡¯t Don¡¯s beam. Don seemed to sense this pressure. Like an inverted tug of war, or more accurately two sumo wrestlers throwing themselves against each other, the attacks impacted against each other. Don dug deep and the shifting balance slowed before stopping. ¡°DRAGONITE! PUSH ON!¡± roared Lance as he noticed how Don was fighting off the attack. ¡°DON!¡± I called out. ¡°TAKE OUT THAT TWO-BIT DESCENDANT!¡± It wasn¡¯t how I¡¯d normally refer to another¡¯s pokemon but Don was a crude pokemon that liked smack talk. The beams from both pokemon intensified as more and more energy was poured forth. I looked to the Dragonite. Surely, surely they had to be running out of reserves. And sure enough, one of the pokemon inevitably ran out of energy. I grimaced as Don took the hyper beam and slammed harshly into the wall of the arena. Dragonite stood on the other side shuddering and shaking but still standing. Don stayed down, his chest rising and falling, allowing the grip that had clenched my heart to relax. ¡°Aerodactyl is unable to battle, the¡ª¡± A deep weary groan escaped the suddenly tottering Dragonite. Everyone watched in only for it to catch itself and flare its wings. It landed and more dust rose as everyone watched on. The referee coughed before lowering the flag in my direction. ¡°Aerodactyl is unable to battle! We will now hold an intermission as three pokemon have been defeated!¡± I withdrew Don and smiled at the pokeball as I idly walked back to the bunker, happy with his performance but dreading how Lance had now brought it to a three vs three match up. I had done well but I could feel Lance¡¯s team starting to inexorably pry my grip off control of the match. The last few pokemon had all been able to endure despite having type advantages on them. They¡¯d taken blows that had dropped some of Surge and Sabrina¡¯s pokemon. The hype surrounding these pokemon certainly wasn¡¯t just hot air. It seemed almost inevitable for Lance to simply outlast me with how things were going. I continued to walk back and forth, not even paying attention to June and Celia. I could recognise that I was in a funk from the way things had slipped but I had to be realistic. Had I been expecting for this to be as easy as the games where you could line up perfect matchups and have stronger pokemon than Lance easily with hours of play? No, and that was a trap I had tried to avoid as I grew up after having my first losses handed to me. Something you could avoid entirely in the game with careful forethought. Still, the trap was there and I occasionally, like now found myself tripping over the difference between expectations versus reality. It was seeping back in and messing up my mental state. I faced away from the girls and clapped my hands together, going through an old anxiety-release method from my past life. When the match was called to resume, Lance looked much more in control of himself. I smiled at the presumed challenge. I¡¯d gone through the stages of thinking I had needed. If this had continued without the break I would have probably had to use my minute delay before releasing pokemon but I was confident now. I could do this. I wasn¡¯t out of my depth. If he wanted to bring the big guns, I could do that as well. He¡¯d already brought out his fourth pokemon. Time for me to answer and tear this match back into my grasp. Chapter 16 - Battle with Lance Part 4 - Swinging for a homerun I resized a greatball from my hip and for half a second Lance perked up. Ah, so he had noticed that Titan¡¯s pokeball was a greatball variant, had he? He was twitchy for my ¡®Ace¡¯ to arrive. This match obviously was getting to him a bit if he was on the lookout for my starter pokemon as much as I was for his. Seems I might have shaken his cage with my early success. ¡°Go Bertha!¡± I shouted. From the ball a large form emerged from mid-air to land on the ground with a quake rocking the arena. From the light, a large bipedal, grey and rust-brown coloured pokemon emerged. She was a heavy beast covered in rugged armour that shifted with careful steps, each footfall causing a feeling of the world shifting as she adjusted her stance. On her head, two horns buzzed as they whirled to life. You couldn¡¯t notice it as much, but her fingers could also spin up like smaller, if blunter, drill rotors. She raised her arms and roared at her entrance. ¡°RHY! RHYPERIOR!¡± ¡°OH!? WHO¡¯S THAT POKEMON?!¡± The commentators were leaning forward in shock. The air in the arena seemed to grow thin as a thousand lungs gasped in surprise. Another commentator took up the silence as an invitation, ¡°WHAT¡¯S THIS!? NOT ONLY DOES HE HAVE ANCIENT POKEMON, BUT HE ALSO HAS AN ULTRA-RARE POKEMON! SOMEONE CALL A PROFESSOR! WHO IS THAT POKEMON!?¡± I had been forced to spend almost two weeks searching up and down Mt. Mortar during the offseason to have her evolve. I had yet to encounter another trainer to have one so I was probably way ahead of the curve with getting my Rhydon a Protector or, rather as I¡¯d found, a magma alloy hood that sparked her evolution. Lance narrowed his eyes but didn¡¯t react otherwise. His Dragonite flourished its head back and forth in agitation. The referee glanced at both Lance and me before raising his flag. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Ascend!¡± ¡°Track it Bertha,¡± I ordered. My pokemon lifted her head and slowly swiveled her head around. ¡°Now, Stone Edge,¡± She raised her arms and swaths of stone the size of normal Gravellers rose off the ground before being compressed into mere head-sized boulders. They launched upwards far faster only for Dragonite to dance around them, the dragon easily weaving in and out of danger despite Bertha¡¯s best attempts. I scowled at the dancing Dragon. Apparently the break had done it a great favor in allowing it to somewhat regather its energy. Rocks roared through the air but the Dragonite was like a leaf on the wind. Lance allowed this for a long minute before nodding to himself as the barrage stopped. ¡°Rest,¡± he called out firmly. His Dragonite didn¡¯t question him and instead shut its eyes while in mid-air. Notably, it did not stop flying and instead maintained its altitude. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I ordered. This seemed oddly disrespectful of Lance. The move was good to use in case his pokemon got worn down like Don had achieved but it should have made it a sitting duck. This time the rocks soared up, closing on the slumbering dragon. Only for the pokemon to twitch a wing and fade to the side out of the strike zone. I could only watch on in shock as each wave of Rock that followed was almost as easily evaded. A twitch or flap of the wing that saw it slowly losing altitude. A few rocks scrapped along the Dragon¡¯s side but none of the rocks struck cleanly, allowing the damage to actually occur. I looked down to see a very smug-looking Lance watching me. I clicked my tongue. A fusion move. A move that was created from combining two or more moves together. This was a sign of just how highly trained this pokemon was in a speciality. Lance would have had to hone it in this move above all others. I had to admit it was an amazing trump card to pull during a high-stakes match. Then he¡¯d combined it with rest. I suspected it might have been a flying-type move, rest and detect or sleep talk all merged together. There would be entire threads about this reveal on the pokenet later. He must have trained this pokemon extensively to be able to evade in its sleep even to that margin. I could probably continue to fire up at it with Bertha¡¯s Stone Edge and get it to where it would be if Lance hadn¡¯t achieved Rest but that was not taking into account how much energy it would take out of Bertha. There would be nothing stopping him from getting off another rest. I needed to force his hand. I needed to swing for the stands with a home run. I swept my arm up. ¡°Bertha! Stop the barrage and hang ten!¡± Bertha snorted, the equivalent of a giggle for her. Around her, small boulders dropped to the ground showing she¡¯d relaxed her control of them. Instead of grasping for rock, water rose up from the grates and surged towards her. The crowd shouted warnings, worried about some form of treachery. Instead of fearing the water, Bertha grinned as she stepped back. Her position dropped into a wide stance as the wave surged up more like a tsunami. It rose high and Bertha popped up on the top with her arms crossed. Her maw stretched wide as she stunned an entire stadium with her unexpected move. ¡°THAT ROCK POKEMON IS SURFING! I CANNOT BELIEVE MY EYES!¡± screamed the commentator over the roaring water. ¡°IT¡¯S PUT HER IN RANGE!¡± cried out the other commentator, having caught what I was aiming for. If the attacks were too easily read and avoided, I simply needed to close the distance. Something that Lance was not going to oblige me with. ¡°Dragonite! Awaken!¡± Lance shouted as my pokemon reached ten meters away from the slumbering pokemon. ¡°Dra?¡± The pokemon replied sleepily. ¡°Ice beam,¡± I ordered. This time it was Lance¡¯s turn to look at me in shock while I shot him a smug look. ¡°Get out of there Dragonite!¡± He cried out. In front of Bertha, a blue ball of energy built up before instantly discharging. The speedy dragon was quick enough to roll to the side but that didn¡¯t stop the ice from clipping it. It roared in pain at the hit and I was pleased to see part of its limb coated in ice. That was going to pay out dividends for me. Dividends I planned to cash instantly. ¡°Get under the wave out of range! Hide in the swell!¡± In another fight and another trainer it might have worked. It was probably a good idea against others. It should have forced me to pick a side that the Dragon might appear from. I didn¡¯t want to play that game. I¡¯d fought against Priscilla at Mikan Island Gym¡¯s water race. I had shamelessly gotten to steal Ash¡¯s move of freezing waves. ¡°Aim at your wave!¡± Bertha instantly turned the ice beam onto the wave beneath her forcing the heavier part to sink even as the ice expanded outward. Now instead of forcing a fifty-fifty split I had entrapped Lance in the wave that was collapsing fast. He could only force his pokemon out of the wave through ice now. Something no Dragon would be able to shrug off. With an idea of the next few sequence of events, I committed myself. ¡°Jump up!¡± I ordered Bertha before the wave could collapse any further. The frozen wave collapsed more like an avalanche upon Dragonite. ¡°Get out of there Dragonite!¡± The Dragonite shot towards one of the few openings it had available only for the ice that had frozen on its leg to catch onto the collapsing structure. It spun out into the wave and screamed as more ice collapsed upon it. Lance clenched his jaw. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Hyper beam out of there!¡± Before the ice could fully entomb the dragon and end the fight the hyperbeam punched upward and out, opening an avenue to rise. The attack was short-lived but it would have been enough for Dragonite to get out of danger. Would have been, if not for Bertha sailing in from her previous jump. She performed a perfect unscripted bodyslam and used Dragonite like a stamp to leave an impression in the ground as ice exploded outwards. I honestly wanted to lean back and congratulate myself for everything going to plan. ¡°Dragonite! Gain distance!¡± The smile I gave Lance was feral. Now, his pokemon was in the perfect strike range for my Bertha. ¡°Finish him,¡± I said as Bertha raised the Dragonite up in one hand while the other hand¡¯s fingers spun up. The finger drills whined as they spun up and she cocked her off-hand before it rocketed through the space and into Dragonite. The roar of pain it gave was high pitched before dying off quickly as Bertha held it up. It slumped in her grasp. In a darker world, I might have ordered another hit. In this world, Lance merely raised his pokeball and withdrew his pokemon. Bertha raised her fists and pumped them up and down before roaring out her triumph for all to hear. The crowd fell silent at the brutal power she had displayed. I grinned at her and nodded when she looked to me for praise. ¡°Excellent as always girl,¡± I gave her a big thumbs up which had her pumping her fists more like a happy school girl rather than the giant brute she was. Then I directed her attention back to where her opponent would appear. Lance was now looking very annoyed. I shot him a grin. I¡¯d once more reclaimed the momentum. In doing so, I had revealed one of my aces but this was worth it. But only one of the aces regarding this pokemon. She had another ace up her sleeve that might just carry me through. Even without revealing that ace yet, people understood that she was a powerhouse. Lance continued to toy with his pokeball before lifting his hand towards the greatball on his necklace. I watched this play out for a few more seconds before chuckling. ¡°Really, you¡¯re dragging?¡± I said as I glanced towards the ice that was¡­ very slowly melting. Lance gave me a sardonic smile before selecting the pokeball. ¡°It¡¯s a valid strategy. I had to use it against Pryce as he kept freezing the field in my bid to become Champion.¡± Lance gestured to the field, ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you haven¡¯t had more pokemon use ice attacks so far.¡± ¡°I had other options available for me.¡± I settled into a relaxed pose as my gaze turned towards the clock. ¡°Gonna run out your minute?¡± Lance nodded watching the ice begin to trickle. The commentators quickly picked up on the tactic and I just knew that the people at home were being forced into an impromptu ad break. I rolled my eyes. Lance couldn¡¯t just throw out his pokemon now. It wasn¡¯t something typically used but it was certainly a valid tactic. Referees were allowed to give trainers a minute to make their selection between rounds. True field effects like Stealth rock or toxic spikes wouldn¡¯t fade over time like a field that had magma or even ice. It was therefore worth keeping your cool and playing out the minute. Other matches wouldn¡¯t allow this break, demanding an immediate withdrawal and response from trainers. We didn¡¯t have to worry about that. The crowd got a little restless but that was something that you needed to learn to ignore at times. Allowing the whims of the crowd to dictate your pace was just a method of giving away matches. I checked over Bertha and saw that while she had not taken any actual damage she had obviously had to use quite a few moves. She¡¯d been much more mobile than most of her species were known for. She was more of a juggernaut, not that most people would know that with her current rarity. ¡°TEN!¡± I straightened as Lance¡¯s minute wore down. The field hadn¡¯t lost much of the ice but it had become more of a slurry rather than actual chunks that I might have been able to use. ¡°NINE!¡± I watched him sweep his cape out dramatically and the crowd roared as he worked up his throw to have it landing and discharging moments before he might have been penalized for his late send out. I stared at the pokemon that was revealed instead of paying any attention to the cheering crowd that had enjoyed Lance¡¯s showmanship. The Kingdra that appeared I had been expecting, but not this late into the match up. If he¡¯d brought it out against Sanchez I might have been much further ahead now. Apparently, he¡¯d been holding onto it in case I got this far along. I had recalled that it was a water-dragon hybrid and hoped to one-two it with the Gyrados. ¡°OH! AND NOW IT¡¯S THE CHAMPION¡¯S TURN TO REVEAL A RARE POKEMON! WHO IS IT!?¡± I blinked in surprise. Had Lance not revealed his Kingdra before? I ran back through the potential teams I thought he might have access to and I¡¯d immediately added in the Kingdra along with the Aerodactyl. A pokemon that he apparently wasn¡¯t going to call out at all. Or did he not have it at all? Had it appeared in the cartoon? I watched the Kingdra bob up and down across from me. It stayed well away from the ice. Apparently, he¡¯d never been shown to use it during a public setting until now. Lance was looking at me with a frown before shaking his head. For once I was glad of my normally non-expressive and narrow eyes that made it tough to cold read me. Mentally, I was pumping my fist up and down. Foreknowledge for the win! ¡°Trainers! Are you ready!?¡± shouted the referee. I resumed my pose and nodded. Lance copied me. ¡°Ready? Beg¡ª!¡± ¡°Impact driver!¡± I shouted before the referee could fully announce the start. Bertha perked up at the order. Her feet slid apart and one arm rose up to point right at the ground. The other arm lowered to touch the ground as if she¡¯d just performed a three-point landing. This wasn¡¯t just a pose for style though. Ideally, I would not have had Bertha be the one to face Lance¡¯s Kingdra. Ideally, it would have been Sanchez or maybe even Shin. That ship had long since been sailed by Lance holding the Kingdra in reserve. Apparently, because he¡¯d never before been forced to call upon it. I hadn¡¯t realized that however, and instead thought it might come out as his third or fourth pokemon. Instead, I¡¯d gotten powerhouses in Charizard and Dragonite. Now I had it much later than I wanted it to be, where it might cause a lot of problems for me. Bertha was slow. She was a tank that could handle huge amounts of damage. More than almost any of my other pokemon. Against a speedster like Kindgra I didn¡¯t like her chances with having to rely on ice beam. I doubted Surf would work in my favour. I might even lose if I wasn¡¯t careful. Unless I bucked up and swung for the stands again. Lance wasn¡¯t the only trainer that could create a Fusion move. ¡°Use Dragon¡¯s dance!¡± shouted Lance. His eyes locked on the raised arm. He could tell something was up but he obviously wasn¡¯t sure how it was going to come into effect. The arm began to hum as it vibrated. The drills on each finger spun up faster and faster as the arm pulsed slightly. ¡°Hydropump!¡± ordered Lance. From the mouth of his pokemon a torrent of water shot forward and slammed into Bertha. I let it, swallowing at the super effective move hammering into my pokemon. I wished I had another option that could see her deny Kingdra it¡¯s speed. Instead, I held my pose and watched Bertha tank the hit. I clenched up and willed her to hang on. ¡°Hold, Bertha!¡± She grunted. There was no doubt that she felt the hit but instead of the type advantaged attack knocking her out like it had with Lance¡¯s Gyrados, she endured. Her feet were dug in, this was a move I had practised with her time and time again. She just needed to endure the coming onslaught. ¡°Again!¡± shouted Lance as he leaned across the railing. His gaze was locked onto the heavily vibrating arm as a whine filled the air. Once more the Hydropump slammed into Bertha and she groaned, her body trembled now as she shuddered. Her eyes drooped. ¡°BERTHA HANG ON AND THIS FIGHT IS YOURS!¡± Lance¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Bide? Kingdra! END IT NOW!¡± I grinned. He only had it partly right. Bide formed only part of the move I was now using. Kingdra inhaled and I decided I needed to pull the trigger. ¡°NOW BERTHA! IMPAC¡ª¡± I didn¡¯t get the chance to finish as Kingdra shot out his Hydropump. Before it hit, Bertha unleashed the stored potential energy she had been building up. Her arm drove through the ground and from the impact site a blinding flash of light exploded outwards. The arena rocked. The hit landed more like a meteor crashing home rather than a pokemon move. I braced and leaned into the quake. Lance¡¯s cape billowed outwards as he was hit by the shockwave. Around the arena, the damage absorbers shot into active states to take the hits. The arena itself broke as fissures ruptured out from the point of impact. Canyons of the ground had been torn up revealing the underlying metal that stopped pokemon from merely disappearing into the ground during a match. Around the Kingdra, spiked boulders had slammed up and rammed into the pokemon. The Kingdra flopped to the ground. Out cold. The crowd roared to their feet, a clamouring mass of people that had been shaken up from the attack forcing them to stand. I could see some play backs of the crowd getting thrown about with Bertha¡¯s attack. ¡°OH!!!! BROCK UNLEASHES A ONE HIT K.O!¡± shouted the commentator. I exhaled in relief, only to hiss as a much larger body hit the ground. I looked up to see a ragged Bertha staring up at me with tired eyes. ¡°You did good girl. Better than good, even. Rest now.¡± I raised her greatball and returned her. She shut her eyes as the red beam of light touched her and let herself fall into sleep. I eventually looked up from the greatball to see Lance still observing the field. His eyes roamed across the large canyons of damage, and he toyed with his greatball on his necklace. His gaze comes up to meet me and I can see that I have forced his respect now. We don¡¯t make any move to actually deploy our next pokemon. We turn away for the final reprieve. There will be no more breaks after this. The next fight would see us putting our pride on the line. This was a battle of starter pokemon. Chapter 17 - Intermission Celia stared at her teacher as he stepped off the podium. The field behind him was once more torn and cratered as if a series of battles had taken place instead of an exchange of attacks. For all that Brock said this wasn¡¯t the ¡®level¡¯ she needed to reach, experiencing it made her realise just how far she and her team had to go. When Shin had been burned, she¡¯d opened a pokeball to hug her Wartortle. June had copied her with her starter, Flareon. It helped knowing she wasn¡¯t alone in how¡­ intimidating this was. She¡¯d never seen Brock this intense, this focused. It was surprising to see him rise to this level and force the Champion of the region to acknowledge his strength. She had no idea he was this strong! That being said, she knew the Champion was powerful, but to see him working through the oppression Brock had set up? It was so scary! Trainers could get this strong? Celia was sure she¡¯d seen the damage absorbers around the trainers flicker a little! It was completely different watching a match from the Champion in person instead of through the television. This time when Brock came back to his bunker, he swept in. He¡¯d nodded to acknowledge them but the intensity of his focus was too much. Even simply claiming a bottle of water to drink kept the girls both silent. He¡¯d said nothing, merely sitting with laced fingers before breathing in and out in a controlled manner. The difference this time from the first intermission was only more marked in Celia¡¯s mind. The first time Brock had roamed, twitchy and energised. Like a caged Arcanine. Now he sat and thought heavily enough to weigh down even their tongues. She shared a glance with June and swallowed before her eyes inevitably gravitated back to Brock. He¡¯d begun to toy with a greatball that he¡¯d attached to a necklace. That could only mean that Titan was going to be next. She felt herself squirming. The big pokemon was typically a great training partner for her pokemon, and had more than once been used to gauge how strong her team was. There was no doubt that he was strong, and sweet. Brock had a lot of strong pokemon. And he knew how to use them! Arceus did she find that attra¡­ Celia stopped that thought. She shuddered before trying to remember what she¡¯d been thinking. She refocussed on how Brock was taking losing out his last pokemon. She¡¯d have to re-examine her previous ideas on how strong they were. Brock, after all, had more depth so it could only be assumed that his starter would be able to match. She licked her lips and found that she couldn¡¯t wait for the next stage to start.
Sabrina let her attention shift from the mind of the trainer in Brock¡¯s bunker to Brock himself. Sadly she couldn¡¯t see him very well from her seating. ¡°Brock¡¯s doing great!¡± Shouted Surge with his typical bravado. The man didn¡¯t care about the number of bruises that had formed across his neck or arms. Sabrina had been forced to hear people project their views on how Surge had been intimate. This was always accompanied with waves of emotion that muddied the mind. Lust, disgust, disapproval, curiosity, spite, glee. People didn¡¯t understand how fast certain feelings could flicker out. It made things very annoying. Erika, merely bobbed her head. Listless, but for the spark of intense interest as her eyes remained forward, waiting like so many others for the next match to start. ¡°He¡¯s,¡± a large yawn escaped her lips causing her to throw her sleeve in front of her mouth as she blushed, ¡°He¡¯s done well,¡± she said. Surge turned his head towards Erika. ¡°Ho? Someone tired? Had a late night?¡± his eyes wiggled. Sabrina understood this to mean he was implying something sexual. From the context given it likely meant that he thought Erika had slept with Brock and they had stayed up together last night. Sabrina allowed herself a twitch of the lips. The man was wrong. No such event had occurred. Erika shook her head. ¡°I think my room was haunted, I never saw them but some mischievous ghost pokemon kept moving my things about in my room.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Surge said, scratching his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t think the Plateau would have any of them. Better watch out Sabrina. We all know how Ghost types work against your type.¡± Sabrina turned to direct Surge an unimpressed look. ¡°Do not presume such would bother me. I can deal with them.¡± As soon as she said it, Sabrina felt something run a finger up her spine. She flexed her focus behind her but the ghost vanished. Sabrina turned her head to look towards an old woman that was smirking. Sabrina narrowed her eyes at the woman but the old Elite four Ghost specialist didn¡¯t look in her direction. When Sabrina turned back to Surge and Erika, she found them discussing the match so far. Erika hopped back and forth. ¡°Brock has done amazingly! He¡¯s set up a team and a battle that is going to see him taking a huge advantage against Lance¡¯s Dragonite!¡± Sabrina turned her head further, interested despite herself as Surge rubbed his chin. ¡°Do you think he can win?¡± Erika opened her mouth before shutting it and chewing her lips in thought. Sabrina wanted to scoff openly. Brock would win. They¡¯d gone through his encounters together. Erika had little idea of the training and behind the scenes work that had gone into preparing for this match. Still, she didn¡¯t actually do that. Last night Sabrina could admit to being rather¡­ petty. She had used her telekinesis from Brock¡¯s room to float items around Erika¡¯s room to give the girl a scare. Something she hadn¡¯t done in years. Not since she was young and her mother¡­ Sabrina swallowed. She glanced at Erika¡¯s slightly baggy eyes before looking away. She shouldn¡¯t have done that. She¡¯d just been¡­ She¡­ She¡¯d¡­ she didn¡¯t like what was happening. She pointedly didn¡¯t look at Erika beyond small glances. She wasn¡¯t sure why she felt small when Erika yawned. It wasn¡¯t like anyone was around to catch or scold her. Sabrina had lurked around but as soon as the crowd of excitable reporters had come, she¡¯d had to leave. Too many emotions and thoughts were practically being screamed. So many of them were wrong or contrary to what was actually being said at any one time. She hadn¡¯t liked it. But¡­ that didn¡¯t make what she¡¯d done right had it? She¡¯d attend enough calls that she thought she had known what Erika was like. It seemed that phone conversations were not substitutes for meeting with people. She¡¯d hoped to cultivate such methods for developing relationships normally. Not with Erika though. She¡¯d never thought of the girl that way. Or indeed any of the other gym leaders she talked with. Erika had just seemed to be a formal girl. Nothing more and nothing less. Getting to sit next to her had revealed a few things. Sabrina hadn¡¯t pried into her thoughts. The girl was actually rather quiet most of the time. Which actually made her not objectionable to sit near. ¡°Heh! Well, I have no doubt about my man Brock! I even bet a ton of money on him!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t bet Surge, it¡¯s not a good appearance for us to gamble! As Gym Leaders, we need to be seen as role models!¡± Erika chastised tiredly. Sabrina watched them interact. She knew Surge well enough to know that he wouldn¡¯t be bothered by Erika thinking poorly of him. But Erika did believe. She tried, Sabrina easily noticed how Erika had ironed her clothes before coming. How she had done her make-up and held herself in a formal posture despite how she mentally complained about how it tired her further. Then she seemed to spiral into self-chastisement for not being able to do it naturally. None of which appeared on her face. It was good that she didn¡¯t need to look at Erika to ¡®hear¡¯ her thoughts. Still it was odd to find herself¡­ interested¡­ interested in Erika? She considered that statement. Erika was interesting, Sabrina concluded. She now felt a little bad about how she had acted. Perhaps she could do something for Erika one day? Surge, ignorant as to how Sabrina was watching them, or perhaps quite the opposite and exulting in it, puffed his chest out as he waved his hand back and forth. ¡°Nah! That¡¯s all crud! We¡¯re people too and it¡¯s a way of showing my support! I¡¯m bound to make a ton of money cause I even bet on him before he made his announcement! There¡¯s going to be some downright miserable bookies in Goldenrod tonight you count my words!¡± ¡°Why did you bet in Goldenrod?¡± Erika asked with a tilt of her head. Surge grinned, ¡°So I can take some of those Johto punk¡¯s money!¡± Sabrina glanced between them. Surge was unreadable to her. Erika was apparently worried about it for Indigo relations. Sabrina knew it to also be that Goldenrod had better odds against Brock. Sabrina let the comment pass. She had nothing that needed saying. ¡°Brock certainly looks good out there,¡± Erika said, deciding on another conversation. Sabrina nodded her head, lips curling upwards as Erika mistakenly thought she was inadvertently complimenting her. She didn¡¯t even need to step into the other girl¡¯s mind to know that she was patting herself on the back like an excitable Bellossom that completed a new trick. Truly Brock¡¯s earlier suggestions of reading some books to understand relationships and interactions had helped. Sabrina felt like she understood more of the interactions going on despite all the extra information she had. She had her own library at home and even used her knowledge to be able to mend her relationship with her parents after they had¡­ reacted poorly to her psychic skills. With her knowledge built empathy, she¡¯d been able to both talk with them and psychically link with them to make sure that no communication failure occurred. She was a master at getting her point across nowadays, and her parents were cordial with her instead of terrified as they had been years ago. A marked improvement. Even her gym had grown stronger from her increased communication skills. Trainers had learnt more about their pokemon, and her Gym easily was one of the strongest in the Indigo league now. It didn¡¯t matter that Erika was one of the most popular gym leaders. That mattered little, and no one really paid any attention to that sort of thing. Sabrina wasn¡¯t the worst there, with most people finding Koga¡¯s hidebound standards of challenge and the inconvenience of reaching Blaine¡¯s gym meant she was third last. It didn¡¯t bother her. At all. She could be popular if she wanted. She could make people outright love her if she truly wanted. But she didn¡¯t because that wasn¡¯t important to her and it didn¡¯t bother her. At all. ¡°Are you alright Sabrina?¡± Sabrina blinked as Erika¡¯s voice sheared into her thoughts. Sabrina replayed the last minute of the conversation. Surge had been aggrandising himself while Erika had been trying to calm him down. Nothing of value was lost not listening in. But Erika had apparently seen her scowling. ¡°Ah don¡¯t mind her! She¡¯s just miffed Brock hasn¡¯t used Selene! Sabrina helped out training Selene and wants to see their pet project throw down!¡± crowed Surge. Sabrina turned her head. ¡°Selene is not a brute to be thrown out without thought. Brock understands this. He is merely holding her in reserve for the best moment.¡± ¡°You helped Brock train for this?¡± Sabrina straightened in her chair and let her lips twitch slightly into a smirk. ¡°Yes, he asked for my help.¡± There, that would allow Erika to learn of the difference in their standings in terms of her relationship to Brock. She was closer and better understood him than this girl that appeared out of nowhere. Despite her desire to not like the other Gym Leader, she found herself¡­ enjoying her presence? Perhaps it was because it gave Surge another target other than herself to be loud towards? ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really amazing!¡± Erika turned eyes that practically shone with adoration towards Sabrina. Sabrina continued to look away from her, feeling vaguely uncomfortable and slightly guilty about how she had acted last night. It was¡­ nice having Erika looking up to her. ¡°He got me to help out as well!¡± Surge sadly couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut. Sabrina acknowledged him with a stiff nod. Erika made a high pitched noise that reminded Sabrina of a kettle. ¡°Eeeee! You three are amazing! Joining up like that! I wish I could have helped out¡­¡± She wilted into her large dress and chewed on her lip. Surge pat the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey this match up wasn¡¯t a good one for you. Lance has a few moves like that Gyrados and Dragonite knowing thunder that I could train Brock against!¡± He jerked a thumb at Sabrina and she glanced at the offending limb before he withdrew it. ¡°Sabrina here brought out some curve-balls or some such along with training one of Brock¡¯s pokemon in control I think. Other than that, I¡¯m not sure cause her top team is still a mystery. Ain¡¯t no one challenging Saffron¡¯s Elite challenge. But I¡¯m sure you helped out¡­ in your own way yesterday!¡± Surge¡¯s smirk was missed by Erika but Sabrina noted it with a roll of her eyes. Truly she didn¡¯t want to be able to read his mind. It would likely be a filthy place. She did a reflexive sweep of the minds around herself. She always paused on Surge. His own mind stood out for the noted different feel to it. Somehow the man¡¯s mind was shielded from her. It felt nothing like another psychic¡¯s defences or the aura based defences she¡¯d learnt few others possessed from self-mastery. It felt strangely mechanical. She noted it as an interesting oddity to research. Few people could defend against her mental prowess if she tried, quite a few she could feel right now, such as the ghostly creeping mind of Agatha situated in the Elite Four box. Next to her, Bruno¡¯s forged mind through discipline stood out as something she had to be careful around. Then there were the two on the trainers everyone was watching. Lance''s mind was not something she dared approach. To her, he felt like a powerful beast suppressed tightly into a small space. She could feel his energy shift about as he sat waiting for the announcement to resume the match. Directing her attention to the other, more familiar mind she found herself running into a rock hard shell that had been built up gradually. Sabrina knew she could tear through it and had done so in the past. She swallowed as she recalled the first time they had met and how much of an anomaly Brock had been to her. She hadn¡¯t liked that darkness he held deep within but it worked wonderfully in protecting his thoughts. The absence of thought or emotions or other feelings had been alien to Sabrina. She¡¯d been terrified at first as she¡¯d felt herself grasping about for something familiar. She¡¯d returned to herself and been shaken. At the time, she could admit she had been arrogant. Self-assured in her might only to have Brock appear as if from nowhere. He¡¯d been the first person able to tell her no in a long time. She¡¯d struggled during their match furiously trying to detect what and how he was going to have his pokemon do during their match. Until she¡¯d realised how peaceful the silence was. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. With her focus on Brock the world had¡­ gotten quieter. Without having half a hundred people¡¯s thoughts pushing at her, she had felt herself slowly relax. She¡¯d barely even noticed losing her match against Brock she¡¯d been so distracted. Brock¡­ Brock was important. For many reasons she felt. For now, she had to simply watch and will Brock to victory¡­ she felt her mind struggle under the clamour of the thousands. When the match was done, she¡¯d try and stay to talk with Brock but she knew it would be hard. She had set herself a duty however and she would stand by it. She¡¯d also make sure no one, absolutely no one, tried to cheat him of his victory.
Samuel Oak rubbed his chin in thought. To his left, Daisy was actually leaning forward and paying rapt attention to the television instead of messaging her friends. A marked difference from normal televised battles, but Oak had a suspicion as to what was actually holding her attention. In her lap, a typically flighty Abra lay placidly, something not unusual for the girl as she was much beloved by pokemon. To his right, Gary had his hands raised, he was as stiff as a statue and emoting more than most people were used to seeing from the cool kid of Pallet. ¡°This is insane!¡± His grandson shouted. Samuel merely chuckled, causing Gary to round on him. ¡°I thought Brock wouldn¡¯t be able to mount a fight like this! He¡¯s supposed to be one of the easier people to win a badge off!¡± Sam gave that proclamation a snort. ¡°That¡¯s because most people don¡¯t fight him later on. Most people do the traditional route of the Heroes¡¯ unification walk.¡± Gary chewed his lip and nodded. Gary waved his hand at the television. ¡°I mean yeah, but still? This strong? It¡¯s way¡ª¡± ¡°Do so many people still follow that fudy dudy old story?¡± Daisy asked. Gary bristled at being interrupted but a raised hand gently patting the air made the preteen subdue himself. ¡°It is not a story it is part of Kanto¡¯s history, young lady so many people follow it even if unknowingly. The Pewter city gym should be venerated as the first gateway and tribe to join with the Hero. Many in the past followed this to honour the Hero and the companions he formed along the way.¡± Samuel Oak wavered his hand back and forth, ¡°Buuuut most only associate it with the gym circuit and the museum these days.¡± Gary squirmed and Sam continued on. ¡°And to answer your question, I too am surprised by Brock¡¯s showing. He is doing excellently and truly drawing out some surprising pokemon.¡± ¡°That Kabutops! And the Aerodactyl!! And that last one? Rhyperior! What the he¡ª¡± A stern look from his Grandfather and an amused titter from Daisy stopped Gary in his tracks. He coughed before continuing, ¡°What gives? I¡¯ve never seen pokemon like that in your lab Gramps! How come?¡± Gary shouted. Daisy also gave Samuel a look at this. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve never had them in the lab. I think I will be making a visit to Pewter, or be asking for Brock to send over some pokemon, as those are certainly rare specimens. I hope he accepts.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he?¡± asked Daisy. Gary beat him to answer this question, ¡°Cause Gym Leaders don¡¯t have to give out their pokemon for research like some trainers do. Don¡¯t worry though, if Brock says no, I¡¯ll find some and catch them for my team!¡± This drew a chuckle from the older man and he wrapped an arm around his grandson¡¯s shoulders, getting a squawk from the young lad. ¡°Not to worry, I think I¡¯ll be asking after Lance¡¯s Kingdra first. He¡¯s often interested in talking with me. A polite young man I¡¯ve found him to be.¡± Daisy looked back to the television. ¡°Who do you think is going to win?¡± Gary stopped fidgeting in the hug and looked up, silently waiting for his grandfather¡¯s decision. ¡°It can still go either way honestly.¡± ¡°Even though it¡¯s five to four?¡± said Daisy sceptically. Sam nodded seriously, allowing his mind to begin picking apart what he had seen and begin to play out the options the trainers had along with what they could have or should have done. ¡°Brock and Lance have both made a number of mistakes with their judgements of the other. As trainers that have not fought each other before, that is to be expected. They don¡¯t have a good enough feel for the other to know what they will do. Any subsequent matches between these two will be much tighter, or even more one-sided affairs depending on the work put in. ¡°Brock has anticipated Lance wonderfully with his call on Gyrados coming out first. The electric type Golem was a rare variant that paid huge dividends, and could have seen Brock three to one up. I suspect the match from there would have been much more different if that had been the case. ¡°Lance has not had the advantage of knowing what pokemon Brock could call up, as Brock actually only has three tournaments to his name prior to becoming a gym leader. In the first, he only had to use a Lapras, a Golem, and a Rhydon. During his match in the Orange Island League he fielded a more diverse team with Noctowl, Lapras, Rhydon, Onix, and Pupitar. We barely have a register for Brock with his journey being cut short. His only Hoenn appearance during a competition, he only made it to the three on three rounds, losing with Noctowl, Lapras, and Lairon.¡± ¡°Brock has a Lairon? Does that mean he has the fully evolved Aggron?!¡± Gary squawked in surprise, head swelling from the television to his Grandfather. ¡°Is that going to be his last pokemon? Tyranitar or a¡­ what Noctowl, Lapras or Aggron?¡± Samuel shook his head. ¡°I doubt it. Lance challenged Brock as the Leader of the Pewter Gym so he needs to use pokemon specifically representing his Gym. So Rock Type or rock-themed. Two of those pokemon are not like that.¡± The older man noted both of his grandchildren still watching him, making him feel very pleased as they listened for once. ¡°For today¡¯s matchup, we still have to see his Onix I believe. This demonstrates that Brock has been very tight with his team line up though. I¡¯d expect an Onix from Brock to be well trained and I expect Lance knows this.¡± He rubbed his chin as Daisy and Gary continued to listen. ¡°Lance has had less time to train his pokemon and prepare them for this match. Something I believe Brock has taken advantage of. Lance also has had to deal with a number of type disadvantages from Brock that most were dismissive of. Brock was actually Lance¡¯s second-worst match up in the entire Indigo circuit.¡± ¡°Who was worse?¡± said Gary Daisy shivered theatrically. ¡°Mahogany town¡¯s Pryce.¡± At Gary¡¯s look, she rolled her eyes. ¡°Learn your geography twerp or my gift to you when you start your journey is going to be a map. Pryce is located in the mountains that are ice-covered. Ice is the biggest weakness Dragon¡¯s have.¡± Gary nodded and Sam smiled at Daisy. Daisy¡¯s absolute statement might not have been as true as it once had been. There had been that article that some professors were arguing over, but it needed to see a lot more research before it gained any traction. He¡¯d need to push some of his sponsored trainers into looking out for certain¡­ pretty pokemon. Gary and Ash wouldn¡¯t do it, so he might have to rely on Greta for that. ¡°¡ªamps?!¡± Sam hummed and turned back to Gary. ¡°Sorry I was lost in thought over something. What were you asking my boy?¡± Gary huffed, annoyed at being ignored. ¡°I said, is there anything else you can tell us about the match?¡± Sam nodded. From this match, he could write a number of articles, but he doubted his grandson wanted to read those. He wanted easily digestible facts or insights. Sam made a note to make the pokedex he gave out focus on that for the next update. The current format was too unwieldy, some people preferred scientific facts while others merely wanted snapshot information. ¡°Well, both trainers should have had a few more pokemon with attack negators as Lance is notorious for his powerful attacks. Brock has also demonstrated he will use powerful one-shot attacks. If either had used protect or endure at the right time they would have again changed the tempo of the match. I will complement Brock as he has controlled the tempo wonderfully from the outset and when Lance has tried to come to grips, he has evaded or landed a much more devastating blow than Lance was anticipating. Now he has to rely on his strongest pokemon.¡± ¡°The Dragonite, his starter, yeah?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Sam looked at the television ¡°It could still go either way. Lance is that powerful with his Dragonite, but Brock has shown he is capable. Win or lose I think he has gained the respect he was owed.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Gary pumped his fists up and down. ¡°This is pretty crazy, I never thought Brock would be like this. He¡¯s kind of being like¡­ Rawr!¡± Daisy made the noise while clawing the air playfully. Then she giggled. ¡°What¡¯s that go to do with anything?¡± Gary blinked cluelessly. Sam chuckled, suspecting where this would go. ¡°It¡¯s just kind of crazy to see him all serious and growly. He was sooo much more laid back with the gym a couple of years ago when I challenged him!¡± She squirmed a little, ¡°Him and Lance were just so intense during their pre-match meeting. They¡¯re kind of handsome you know? And both single! Maybe they¡¯re even¡ª¡± Sam coughed loudly as Gary tilted his innocent little head in confusion as to what Daisy was alluding to. Daisy giggled to herself and hugged the placid Abra in her lap before pulling out her phone to message her friends as the intermission continued. ¡°Girls are weird,¡± pronounced Gary. Sam nodded seriously and patted his grandson. Perfect, he¡¯d be able to use the cheerleader plan for the security team. Gary would prove far easier to protect than Daisy had been.
Agatha tapped her cane as she felt the little brat in the Kanto gym leader section sweep the stadium with her psychic senses. The little fool didn¡¯t realise she should also be trying to detect what she couldn¡¯t detect. As a powerful ghost-type trainer, Agatha had no doubt she could walk right up to the girl and tweak her nose before she noticed her approach. Psychic types! Pah! All over thinking fools that thought themselves too clever without the wisdom to contain themselves. Next to her, Bruno shifted before cracking his neck from side to side with a hideous pop-crunch. Further down, Lorelei shivered. ¡°Must you do that?¡± the prim girl said. Bruno grunted and clenched his fists to demonstrate that yes, yes he did and he didn¡¯t have to really pay attention to what Lorelei wanted. ¡°Interesting watching Lance get his butt handed to him like this,¡± said the muscle-bound fool. ¡°There¡¯s nothing ¡®interesting¡¯ about it at all. He is being led around and looking weak. This will not inspire confidence. He is going to make all of us look weak!¡± ¡°Just means more challengers,¡± Bruno said before putting his knuckles under his chin. ¡°Let em come. I get bored with no challengers.¡± Lorelei scowled. ¡°You¡¯re not the first person they will face!¡± ¡°So toughen up.¡± Bruno as ever was eloquent. Agatha smiled as Lorelei scowled. She, and everyone else at the Pokemon League, knew that the girl was on thin ice. Lance was just waiting to make a play. His natural dislike of Ice-types colouring his view of the young woman. Sadly he was also trying to oust Agatha herself, but she at least had a plan for that. An apprentice that was more than ready to step up when she stepped down. It might seem different, but the strings of power would still be hers to tug on. Except now she wouldn¡¯t be someone people would immediately turn to. She¡¯d been careful with her accumulation of power, but she¡¯d have more freedom out of the Elite Four these days. She knew Koga was due to be tapped with Blaine having only recently departed. The ¡®old guard¡¯ as it were, stood down finally. Agatha snorted. Only for appearances. But sometimes appearances were enough to cause certain types to rise up like Goldeen that had grown incautious after an Ursaring went still in a pond. The bear was still there but people forgot about it, unaware of the dangers that loomed over them. She¡¯d need to stay vigilant. The bad old days weren''t as far off as people really thought they were. It only took a few dominoes falling just so. You just needed to be correctly positioned to know. The big players were always the ones that needed to have the most attention to their surroundings. Often, they formed part of the dominoes that could be targeted to start the toppling effect. She looked at Lance and felt at his now raging Aura as it pulsed and writhed. Soon he¡¯d unleash his most powerful Pok¨¦mon and she¡¯d get a taste of his power once more. She turned to the Pewter boy and tilted her head in consideration. Now he¡¯d been a surprise. She wondered who his master was to teach him such basic control. His rock type energy was a strong armour that most wouldn¡¯t know of, but he had a certain conscious control. She¡¯d seen a few rocks not caught by the barrier bounce off him during the explosion and leave no mark. He had to have an understanding beyond simply having highly trained rock types. She¡¯d mark him as one to watch and investigate. Karen might even make some overtures. The boy would probably be flattered with a young beauty like her paying him attention. Agatha glanced back as another sweep ran over her. Karen would probably have to chase off some strays, but that sometimes made it more enjoyable. Crushing rivals for a man¡¯s attention was sometimes the better payoff in Agatha¡¯s opinion. Agatha paused when the boy grabbed a greatball off his necklace and for just a moment another pulse ran through the arena. Oh? Now she sat up fully. ¡°Lance might be in trouble here.¡± That got Bruno and Lorelei to shut their mouths. Agatha began to re-evaluate her plans before signalling a servant for a drink. She might just get to enjoy this.
Flint sat at the edge of the Pewter city park party and wrung his hands. His eyes were locked on the big screen where his eldest was shown. Battling Lance of all things. When he¡¯d departed, he¡¯d lashed himself mentally even as he¡¯d finally been able to regather himself and relax from the constant hounding of his family and his gym. He¡¯d come back stronger. More whole. He wouldn¡¯t have the flinches that had put him off in his pokemon battles. He wouldn¡¯t lock up anymore during crucial moments. He¡¯d trekked out, first to find his beloved wife but the trail had run cold. Perhaps with her there and by his side they might have¡­ He shook that thought away. He couldn¡¯t lean on Lola like that. He¡¯d done it before and she¡¯d struggled with his issues while pregnant with the first set of twins. He had to get stronger. That was what stood out to him. When he was young ,he¡¯d been able to handle the intense explosions and sleep like a babe as pokemon fought. When he¡¯d left, he¡¯d felt edgy. It¡¯d gotten so bad, he¡¯d¡­ he shook himself. The nightmares hadn¡¯t bothered him in months. He was better these days. He was sure of it. It was just that¡­ He¡¯d spent too long away. It hadn¡¯t been something he was even conscious of. Now he was unsure how to come back. Maybe it would have been better if he¡¯d come back with Lola? Then, before he knew it he¡¯d spent roughly two and a half years away from his family. It had been a bit of a gut punch to realise how time had slipped away from him again. He¡¯d first thought it¡¯d be quick, in and out. Find his wife, come back, and relieve Brock. He shouldn¡¯t have dropped that on Brock. But it wasn¡¯t like he wouldn¡¯t have support. The teachers at the schools, and even the pokecenter would have helped out. Surely? Had he left notes for Brock? He¡¯d been foggy about back then, just remembering Brock being angry over the mess. He¡¯d come back expecting to find things much as he¡¯d left them. For Brock to be plugging along stolidly with the family clamouring for his attention as the man of the house. He hadn¡¯t had a plan, but Flint felt for sure he¡¯d think of something when he got back to Pewter. Then he¡¯d come back and found the old gym with tape announcing the Gym as abandoned. That had terrified him. A quick word had allowed him to make the track slightly out of town to a much different Pewter gym. Something sleek and new and entirely unfamiliar with the old boulder gym Flint had left behind. Brock certainly hadn¡¯t been struggling at all. If anything, Brock was thriving. The gym wasn¡¯t a cramped affair, but something that had an entire district of the city practically to itself. Huge fields for free-roaming pokemon and their trainers to relax. There had also been the option for people to rent stable space for themselves during a one year journey! There had been smaller battle arenas to practise in, and a modern stadium with damage absorbers fitted into the arena. There were even trainer rooms for people living at the gym! The building itself was gigantic. It would have had to have been an architect¡¯s wet dream to design. Flint never would have paid for that, but Brock had apparently gone all in. There was a dedicated family apartment area near the side of the gym that was fenced off, and even had a garden. Out the back, the gym¡¯s dedicated pokemon had their own preserve with caves and canyons to roam through while others nest on the roof or peaks that Brock had set up for them. The insides were all high tech and crisp clean areas. Flint had snuck in during a match to watch Brock lay into a late badge challenge and been proud of how easily Brock seemed to handle it. He¡¯d hesitated then. Unsure what to do. Brock had departed before he¡¯d made up his mind that day. Flint didn¡¯t think it wise to pursue his son and instead retreated to camp in a field. He¡¯d come back into town a number of times for food, not able to meet the eyes of a few old ladies that shot him damning looks over his appearance. He suspected a few even saw through it to who he was, which forced him to move further out of town as he tried to work out what he needed to do. He¡¯d decided to wait, only for the challenge to come down from the Champion. That might have offered a window to talk with his son, maybe offer to help train with him, but Brock was always on the go. Busy and focussed. Flint had known just from that what his son was going to do. Now he was seeing that come into effect. It stung to see his son succeed like this. He was soaring so high. What did he need his old man back for? Flint found himself asking that question more and more these days. Maybe he¡¯d approach during the off circuit season. Brock would be free to talk then right? Or maybe¡­ Maybe if Brock los¡­ He grit his teeth. No, he wouldn¡¯t wish that upon his son. He knocked on his head driving the thought out. Arceus, he had some issues if he was even thinking that way. He looked up at the big screen as the intermission finally came to a close. In the Pewter park square the locals roared their approval as Brock stepped forward once more, a confident look on his face as he palmed the greatball on his neck. Flint felt the old sting come back. Another failure from him. Brock hadn¡¯t needed an Onix, he¡¯d already had something better. Sure it would have taken longer to train up, but Flint knew Brock¡¯s starter was strong. He sat down and watched his son march forward. Chapter 18 - Battle with Lance - Finale I spun the greatball in my grasp. It was a nervous tick. I knew it, and so did anyone who spent enough time with me. That didn¡¯t stop me from doing it. It was a soothing rhythm. A motion that allowed me to centre myself with the memetic action that was practically muscle memory at this point. Obviously, it didn¡¯t transfer to the pokemon within. Otherwise, during my first circuit people would have thought my pokemon were drunk with how disoriented they¡¯d have been upon emergence. The inner workings of the pokeball were vaguely understood. The broad strokes of how they worked were taught to the masses, but the small details were far too technical to understand without at least two degrees. It sort of reminded me of how people on Earth understood that phones sent signals, but had no idea how to make them. It was a poor metaphor considering that pokeballs had ancient equivalents with apricorns. Johto liked to claim that they were the traditional ¡®home¡¯ of pokeballs but too many other places also knew of the methods for me to believe that. The history of the apricorn was actually fascinating to learn about. The ability to catch pokemon with apricorn balls had caused a huge cultural shift along with raising the carvers guilds high with prestige and money. Then being able to grant something to help you hold your pokemon close at hand, while lessening the strain of feeding your pokemon to a tenth of what you previously had thanks to the stasis effect? Game-changing. While technology did play a huge role in those early models, most of their capabilities were powered by aura in the end. Old techniques handed down from masters to apprentices. I spun the greatball in my hand and felt the aura that connected me to the ball. Most wouldn¡¯t understand that all methods of capture used by trainers allowed for a bond to form using your aura. The only pokeballs I had heard of that didn¡¯t have this feature were the illegal balls used by criminal organisations. It tended to make the pokemon wilder. This helped criminal organisations control their minions. You couldn¡¯t simply steal the pokeballs as it would instantly flag you as a criminal to any authorities, thus forcing people to double-down, so to speak, with their organisation. The pokemon didn''t have loyalty to their ¡°trainers¡± and typically were more useful to simply point towards a target and release. It also made it so that they didn¡¯t register on the pokemon league¡¯s network. A network that automatically registered and recorded which pokemon you owned in real time. This had been a new development as of last year. Lance would have to know who my starter was. As the Champion he would have access to my listings that even ordinary trainers, Police, and even Rangers were restricted from seeing. You didn¡¯t just give out top tier trainers'' best pokemon to the wider public. As a Gym Trainer, mine was more well known but that was something of my own choice. I had created a system that challenged trainers for an appropriate level, but also helped keep me and my pokemon strong. I stopped spinning the Great Ball and enlarged it with a press of a button. I refocused with a quick breath, in and out. The momentum I¡¯d had prior to this match was gone. Double knockouts late into the match did that. It was not ideal. I would have liked to have had the Stealth rock remain in play the entire match, but this was the situation now. I had to deal with that and adjust. Regardless, I still had Lance in a tight spot. That was a big plus. Things had mostly worked out how I wanted them to. Ideally, Charizard would have been taken out with Explosion, but maybe that was asking too much. Shin and Don had done great. Sanchez had performed up to my hopes for him. Bertha had done exceptionally well in her first match against the Dragonite. Then she¡¯d backed up her performance against a huge type and speed disadvantage that should have seen her fall without the counterpunch. Now it all came down to this. I had two pokemon left to face Lance¡¯s most elite Dragonite. I tightened my grip on the Great Ball and imagined how this was going to play out. I knew I had another option. I had trained to give myself more options in fact. I didn¡¯t ever want to allow myself only one course of action in a battle. Battles were often won or lost by giving yourself as many options while denying your opponent. I thought of it as Game theory. A term I had encountered in my previous life with various games or high-end analysis. It wasn¡¯t something yet discussed openly and I was the only person so far to talk about it. Until proven otherwise, I considered it something discussed behind closed doors between Gym Leaders and their trainers. You needed to know what choices had been displayed, play odds, and lean into information. In truth, Game theory was simply a dramatic way of referring to targeted strategy. I was allowing myself to be distracted. I needed to centre myself. At this level of competition, mental acuity was just as important as the pokemon battling. I ran through the reasons I had to push for this. The reasons I had to win. I had ponied up a lot of money for this. Ten million wasn¡¯t something to scoff at, I had worked hard for that with my questing for pokemon along with investing in and challenging notable pokemon trainers when I could in the early days. That was a good enough reason, certainly, but not enough to have me grinding my teeth and keeping me up at night. It wasn¡¯t the reason I had trained with my pokemon an extra hour at least each day on top of my usual training. Lance had cast doubt on my capabilities and competency. A dangerous thing to do at the Gym Leader level. Citizens looked to their gym leaders as icons and leaders of their respective towns. We were multifaceted; part political figures, part criminal deterrent, part superstars. Having the certifiable biggest and baddest man in Indigo, the king of the hill, say what he did? That was going to cause me issues and I had to react in some way. People in this world were culturally set to rise to challenges; they got glints in their eyes and set their feet more often than not. With my previous life¡¯s experience, I was very different from the norm. I always liked to live and let live. I¡¯d been annoyed by Lance¡¯s claims but I could work through it. My pride wasn¡¯t worth this trouble. But Lance had made my family sad. He¡¯d taken away their smiles and their confidence. ¡­ I had climbed mountains to allow them that. I cooked, cleaned, and cared for them. I was a shoulder to cry on when that ache of abandonment reared its ugly head, the guide to look to when they felt lost. I tried to give them enough love to heal over any scabs from our parents ditching us. All in the hopes that they could smile, joyfully and without reserve. I knew I couldn¡¯t always make things happy. A teacher I once had mentioned it being important that he didn¡¯t want his son to ¡®always be happy¡¯. One emotion was not a harmonious mental state and simply chasing happiness would have meant them missing out on so many other feelings. But still¡­ It had been gut-wrenching seeing them act so subdued. In truth it was like spending hours making a nice sandcastle and showing it to your siblings only to have the big beach bully come and kick it over. But that was all metaphorically. My ¡®castle¡¯ hadn''t been damaged, and really it was laughable. It still pissed me off. I couldn¡¯t let them just take this on the cheek and turn the other way. I couldn¡¯t let my siblings think that it was alright to simply take that behaviour. Pride to most was a dirty word, but sometimes pride is what got you up in the morning. What made you look after yourself, made you demand more from yourself. Made you put in effort even if no one was watching. There was no one who was going to hand out a medal at the end of all of this and tell me I¡¯d done something right or wrong or grade my work. I wanted a lot of things. I wanted to be a good brother. I wanted them to be proud of me. I wanted to make things right and make the world bright and wonderful for them. I wanted to win. I opened my eyes and the world seemed to grow hyper-detailed to me. The crowd shifted forward once more as the Machoke¡¯s finished laying out the last adjustment to the wrecked arena floor. I stood, sensing that the time was now. I knew now was the moment, so I stood. I was right when a moment later, the announcers called out. ¡°LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THE STAGE IS SET, GET READY CAUSE THERE¡¯S GOING TO BE NO MORE BREAKS! NO MORE DELAYS! THE FINAL MOMENT OF THIS EPIC SHOWDOWN IS NOW!¡± I started to move towards the exit. ¡°You got this!¡± shouted Celia as she watched me walk out of the bunker. I shot her a look. I knew Celia and June had been kind of freaked out at how quiet I¡¯d been for the last few minutes. ¡°Thanks,¡± I gave a nod. It was a small gesture but it made them grin. I¡¯d thank them later for letting me work through my thoughts more earnestly, but I knew that they understood what I¡¯d needed at the time was for calm and quiet. I marched forward feeling each moment stretch out me as the crowd began to chant Lance and my names. I met his gaze and smirked. Lance¡¯s aura washed over me and I strode on. The flood of howling, snarling energy parting to my steadfast mountain. I was only ten metres out of the bunker, but the crowd was already the loudest it had been all night. Cameras were flashing out across the stadium, but they went ignored. Across from me, Lance held my eyes as we each approached our podiums before being lifted up. The crowd began to chant the name Dragonite like that of a heavyweight world champion. They¡¯d wanted me to do well, but now they wanted to see the devastation. They wanted to see a beast unleashed and power incarnate. Lance¡¯s previous pokemon were strong. Lance¡¯s previous pokemon had more endurance than most, if not all, of their species. Not one of them held a candle to the creature Lance was about to unleash. ¡°Drag-o-nite! Drag-o-nite! DRAG-O-NITE!¡± Someone started to stomp their feet and clap creating a stomp-stomp-clap that I recognised as the easiest action to get a crowd behind. I reached toward the podium and tapped my fingers to the rhythm, ignoring how they chanted for another pokemon as I played out the ¡®we will rock you¡¯ opening beat in my head. Part of me found it deeply amusing that they called for the Dragon while channelling a Rock song. Lance drew back his arm. For a second I considered simply letting him take the field first but the demand to match him surged within and I matched him. I drew back my own arm into the classical pitcher position. Both of our arms whipped forward, our voices roaring out our choice over a suddenly quiet arena as both Great Balls rocketed forwards. ¡°DRAGONITE COME FORTH!!¡± ¡°TITAN! GO!!¡± Twin forms emerged from radiant light. People rose from their seats in excitement as they coalesced into the towering forms of two pokemon. Then they were knocked back into their seats as both Dragonite and Titan took to the field. It would be tough for someone who¡¯s never experienced it before, having a powerful pokemon in front of you ready and willing to do battle. Intimidate was a trait pokemon could have as a singular ability in the games but here, in reality, most powerful pokemon simply exude that as naturally as breathing. If you¡¯ve ever stared into the eyes of an apex predator not confined by a cage and known they were coming for you, you¡¯d have perhaps a hundredth of an understanding of the chills that went down the crowd¡¯s spines. That was what having a pseudo-legendary stare you down was like. Having two lock eyes? The crowd had not slunk back voluntarily; they¡¯d done it in shock. They hadn¡¯t been expecting me to field a Tyranitar. The instant both pokemon had appeared they¡¯d only had eyes for their opponent. From there, instinct had kicked in and they¡¯d unleashed their auras. Both pokemon¡¯s energies clashed for a moment as they took the measure of the other. I felt the world crack as energies most couldn¡¯t comprehend came to the forefront. Dragonite¡¯s draconic aura exploded out as he leaned in and keened a battlecry. His wings flapped and gale force winds billowed out as dust was blown about. Titan¡¯s landing onto the arena floor had sent tremors throughout the entire stricture. Then he¡¯d taken a step forward and everyone had felt the simple mass of him as the earth rumbled at his movement. His tail scraped against the ground and caused deep gouges, more from its natural movement rather than any intent. Around him, dirt began to rise and swirl in eddies of wind that started small and began to grow. His dark eyes remained locked onto Dragonite and vice versa even as their mere presence on the battlefield caused the environment to shift. If the proverb regarding two trainers was something to be mindful of, two pokemon on this level that had come expecting a fight locking eyes was many times as powerful. Titan inhaled and then lowered his head, mouth opening as he did so to unleash a roar that sounded more like a Godzilla than a medium dinosaur. This was no mere pokemon''s cry, but something far more primal. Dragonite didn¡¯t back down and instead landed to impress his own weight onto the field before leaning in and growling. A thick purple aura emerged and billowed out unconsciously as it worked itself up. Titan matched it. Dark brown energy spiralling up and shooting upwards to stake a claim. They were more like natural forces now than physical pokemon. Their aura impacted and a strain occurred at the junction point. A creaking, groaning noise emerged like glass being scratched by a rock. It was a brittle sound of reality shuddering as two powerhouse pokemon squared off. Lance and I became mere extensions of our pokemon as we both allowed ourselves to simply be. We ignored the gale-force winds and the small rocks that it hurled. Around us, the arena¡¯s damage absorbers activated due to the emergence of our pokemon. I knew the league officials were probably screaming into phones to adjust and I could feel a thrum as the backup generators started up in preparation. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. In front of Lance and I, the shielding spluttered but neither of us cared. You didn¡¯t train pokemon like this and sweat the small stuff. If an attack was sent our way we would have to be capable of dodging or dealing with it. You didn¡¯t stand on stages like this without being able to handle the heat after all. Titan and Dragonite stopped roaring and the world took in a breath as neither pokemon immediately lunged for the other. Lance and I looked at each other before waiting. The referee proved to be up to the task as flags were raised. ¡°T-trainers!¡± he said with a slightly high-pitched tone. ¡°Ar-a-are you ready?¡± We both nodded our heads. ¡°Fight!¡± his flags dropped. Lance and I acted instantly. ¡°Dragonite Steel Wing!¡± ¡°Stone Edge Titan!¡± Dragonite blitzed straight at Titan only for jagged rocks to punch up into him causing him to stagger and slow. He almost reached Titan. Almost being the operative word. ¡°Giga impact!¡± Lance¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Break!¡± instead of attempting to continue, Dragonite planted his legs and kicked upwards while his wings swept downwards. Titan merely held his position and chuffed a laugh. I shared a smile with him. I¡¯d trained Titan to not react to that particular command. It was a wonderful way of making other trainers freak out and also test their reactions. Lance scowled at me. ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± he shouted back as his response. I set my feet and braced for the blowout effects of what was about to come. A gigantic energy ball built up within Dragonite¡¯s maw before he jutted his chin forward unleashing a huge orange beam straight at Titan. The crowd watched it descend and again as one drew in a breath. ¡°Protect!¡± I ordered moments before it hit. Around Titan hexagons of energy formed up a sphere and the beam impacted. The air didn¡¯t so much blow outward as it did explode outward in a shockwave. It carried with it rock and dirt that once more stopped any sandstorm that had naturally been forming. Earth and small rocks impacted the barriers in front of both Lance and I and once more they flickered. Turning yellow to dark orange as the pressure wave that Dragonite had unleashed caused the barriers to come under strain. I held my stance even as the beam of energy continued to slam home against Titan¡¯s shell of hexagons. Wind buffeted me and rocks flew around the barrier to graze me but I didn¡¯t mind them. I¡¯d had worse from Geodudes. When the beam finally died out a dust cloud blew upward and dirt began to track back in as visibility dropped away. It wasn¡¯t so bad however that you couldn¡¯t see the still standing form of Titan glowering upwards as his Hexagon shell fell away. Titan took a step forward to roar his defiance straight at Lance¡¯s pokemon. ¡°Stone Edge again!¡± With Dragonite¡¯s energy spent I made my move while it was still weakened from the ¡®two turn move¡¯. Much like other aspects of my life these days however, the games didn¡¯t hold up to how things actually worked. Dragonite flapped his wings and began to weave at its higher altitude as Titan began to blast rocks the size of menhirs upwards. Towering pillars of stone flew upwards and exploded like flak shells trying to blow an aeroplane out of the sky as the dragon weaved expertly through the onslaught. I held on. This was not like with Shin. This Dragonite was stronger and would endure more damage, it was easily as fast as any of the other Dragonites that had come before it. Everyone could see that. But that didn¡¯t mean Titan couldn¡¯t knock him out of the skies with continued effort. Unlike Shin, Titan was the powerhouse of my team and that meant he had the endurance to keep firing off more and more rocks. He led shots and staggered rocks to make it all the harder for Dragonite to evade. Like a leaf on the wind, it soared, wings flapping or cutting out to allow it to drop. It¡¯s form darting and flitting about like a pokemon a quarter its size. It had to take some hits, but it was extremely selective in what it tanked through and what it dodged. The longer it was in the sky however the longer Titan was able to build up his sandstorm. ¡°Dragonite! Hurricane!¡± Lance¡¯s order saw his pokemon going into a tightly controlled spin that had it facing straight down. A vortex grew around the pokemon before an outright hurricane formed up, sucking any attacks I launched straight into the vortex and making it impossible to target the Dragonite in the centre. Huge rocks were tossed about randomly and once more the damage absorbers of the arena activated. The crowd must have gotten quite the shock to see rocks hurtling towards them. Thankfully no one was going to get injured today. I considered my options as I watched the hurricane disrupt the sandstorm once more. Lance wasn¡¯t going to let this turn into an attrition fight. Or if he was, it was going to be on his terms. ¡°Step into the hurricane and knuckle down!¡± With the wind roaring through the arena my words were carried off, but that didn¡¯t stop Titan from following them. I was vaguely aware of people standing up once again as my pokemon strode straight into the storm. Most of the audience probably thought I was making a mistake. Those would be the people that forgot that the eye of the storm is the quietest place to be. Also, as a Tyranitar, Titan was damn heavy. He could take a little bad weather easily enough. It was better to meet the storm head-on than try to dodge. He wasn¡¯t quick enough for that and a simple protect wouldn¡¯t dissipate the attack. I had to do something else. Titan continued on straight into the hurricane, shrugging off the rocks that swung around to hit him. The winds swallowed him completely and for a moment all anyone could see was the raging hurricane. I couldn¡¯t see much with the hurricane in the middle of us. This was an obvious set up from Lance to deny me some options. I couldn¡¯t even see if he was directing his pokemon from where he was behind the hurricane. ¡°OH! HAS BROC¡ª?!¡± I merely smiled as the words were heard only to be torn away as the wind picked up. I couldn¡¯t see him but I believed in him. He¡¯d know what I was planning even if he couldn¡¯t hear me. For a long moment all anyone could see was the hurricane. Then, from the base of the hurricane a dark light shone forth. Like darkness swallowing light at dusk, it raced outward and devoured the space around it causing the hurricane to detonate outward right at the vortex¡¯s base. It instantly destabilised the hurricane and the winds shot outwards. I barely even felt the wind buffet me and Lance appeared on our sides of the arena as the hurricane vanished. Behind him, his cape flapped like a flag in the wind. Both of us ignored the wind and rocks that blew around us. I looked and found Titan rising from a crater and scowling upwards as Dragonite floated above him. The rapidly vanishing sheen of metallic energy informed me of a trap I¡¯d unknowingly stepped into. ¡°You had your Dragonite waiting in the eye of the storm as well with a steel wing¡­ I can destroy the storm and take a hit or ignore it and be round down eh?¡± I said to myself. Lance must have set the move knowing I¡¯d either have to endure it or negate it. Either outcome played into his hands. I considered that and began to run through options of what to do if he¡ª ¡°Again!¡± Lance commanded. If Lance was going to play that game I¡¯d have to try something else. I clenched my toes and grasped the railing in front of me before calling out my move as the winds began to build up once more. ¡°Fissure!¡± Unlike with Bertha, the organisers recognised the move for what it was and a thrum ran through the stadiums as more and more barriers lit up to protect the crowd. They hadn¡¯t been able to prevent Bertha¡¯s Impact Driver from causing a shakeup previously, but they knew to expect it this time. They likely couldn¡¯t let all these attacks through. So far just the collateral damage was proving worse with the area already gouged and cratered in sections. Titan raised a claw and his feet slid slightly apart as we¡¯d practised. Within him, his energy roared to get out. The trick wasn¡¯t to let it out straight away but to focus it to a point. His claw swung down. Then, the instant before impact, he spiked his energy into the very tip of the claw that was going to make impact. Titan hit the ground and the earth split like the ocean in the bible for Moses. Everyone became aware of the metal that held the actual training field as it became visible. It groaned hideously but only buckled slightly as the earth around it folded. The earth on either side lifted upwards like two slices of bread between the hands of an invisible being. They rose slightly and then clapped together over the head of Titan with Dragonite right in the middle. The sound was more like a deafening bang than a clap and I had to shake my head afterwards as the two slices of earth crumbled before falling back to the ground in pieces. I looked up and felt a grin slowly building on my face. ¡°Was that¡­¡± The resulting dust made it difficult to see, but the arena once more proved it had accounted for this as small fans rose and gently began to shift the air to let the crowd see. First, they saw Titan holding his stance but looking up with narrowed eyes. The crowd held their tongues as more and more dust shifted. Eyes searched the debris field for where the Dragonite was only to find nothing. Worried murmuring filled the crowd but I spoke over them. ¡°Titan! Get ready to keep fighting!¡± That made people redouble their efforts and a few seconds later it was revealed to them what I had seen and Titan had no doubt sensed. A sphere of perfectly round hexagons surrounding a tucked-up Dragonite right in the middle of where the two slices of earth would have met with the most force. I clicked my tongue but nodded. I had hoped he hadn¡¯t had that move and the earlier bait and switch had me thinking he didn¡¯t. I hummed thoughtfully. He¡¯d tried to bait me with that play by making it seem he didn¡¯t. Maybe then I¡¯d commit with an all-or-nothing play and miss. Instead, I had thrown down something that had forced him to reveal his hand. ¡°Ooooh? OH! OH MY SWEET PIKACHU! THE CHAMPION EMERGES UNSCATHED FROM WHAT HAS TO HAVE BEEN A DIRECT HIT FROM AN OUT AND OUT ONE HIT K.O! BROCK ROLLED THE DICE HARD AND CAME UP ALL SEVENS! ONLY FOR THE CHAMPION TO HAVE AN ACE UP HIS SLEEVE! OH! WHAT A MATCH-UP!¡± The crowd found new life and began to chant names. ¡°BROCK!¡± and ¡°TITAN!¡± being called out just as much as ¡°LANCE!¡± and ¡°DRAG-O-NITE!¡± People called out cheers and jeers that mixed into a roar that was equal to the earlier showing by our two pokemon. Titan and Dragonite eyed each other off before nodding their heads in respect. This only stirred the crowd up more when Lance and I smirked at each other. In some small way, we understood each other more from what was occurring before us. Both pokemon highlighted the dedication and style ingrained within their very being. It was strange to find that¡­ we weren''t all that different. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can do that move again!¡± Lance shouted to me. ¡°Press the advantage Dragonite, Hurricane!¡± I was tempted to call out that he underestimated Titan and I, but I knew his pokemon had the high ground and that was just begging for Murphy to step in. Instead, I merely gestured a hand. ¡°Stone Edge, but don¡¯t hold back!¡± Titan leered up at the hurricane that howled before him. Every bit a pokemon staring down something that seemed like a natural disaster. A rock formed up from in front of him, but then more joined it as more energy was pushed into the attack. The crowd gasped as a difference was immediately noticed. Where before Titan was throwing maybe three menhir-sized rocks up at Dragonite, now he launched up to ten at a time. Titan became his own missile launcher. ¡°OH! IT SEEMS THE TYRANITAR WAS SANDBAGGING?!¡± I grinned at the altogether incorrect assessment. Lance frowned, his eyes darting around the rocky field before biting back a curse when he saw my pleased expression. It might have stopped me from using another Fissure, but by breaking the field up I had made it easier for Titan to hurl sections of the ground straight into the hurricane at speed. Now Lance¡¯s defence became a target. Instead of ordering his pokemon futilely, Lance plugged his thumb and forefinger into his mouth and whistled sharply. Dragonite instantly stopped the Hurricane. With a wave of Lance¡¯s hand it began to weave around the onrushing rocks deftly, speeding up as much as it could. ¡°Fill the sky! Force. It. Down!¡± I commanded. Titan followed through with rocks hurtling into the air, only leaving the area low to the ground safe for Dragonite to hover. I watched the pokemon as it searched the sky for space to escape into should Titan turn his focus on not denying movement. On both pokemon, marks of damage had built up from the attacks they¡¯d used, but I could tell Dragonite had taken a heavier toll. I needed to keep pushing though. I could feel the victory just within reach. I could win this. I could drag it out with Titan using Stone Edge after Stone Edge. Failing that I had another pokemon that was ready to float out and slay a Dragon if I needed her to. Both of these methods would work but it would take a long time and perhaps be rife with potential errors on both of Lance and I¡¯s parts. Regardless, this was the most logical and surefire approach. But a part of me, the me that had been raised within the Pokemon world, disliked ending this battle that way. This was supposed to be a moment to prove myself without question. I clicked my tongue as I decided to throw down once more. I wanted there to be no doubt in people¡¯s minds. I slashed my hand. Instantly Titan stopped his Stone edge. I waited until the final rock had fallen with a heavy crash. Lance eyed me as I put my arms across my body into my pose. Part of me noted that I had a number of tears across my very new sweater but couldn¡¯t for the life of me remember being hit by anything. I¡¯d been too focussed on the fight for mere rocks to bother me. ¡°I think I know you well enough now to know you¡¯ll never surrender, yeah?¡± I called out with a grin. ¡°Of course!¡± snorted Lance. I looked around at the crowd. ¡°Want to do this the old samurai way? One strike that we each won¡¯t block. Think you can handle it?¡± Lance looked over my pokemon before looking over the arena which didn¡¯t need to be any more in my favour. Even if he knocked out Titan, the field wouldn¡¯t reset. He was fighting uphill with the field easier for Rock-type moves. I had the high ground and had no trouble throwing boulders down at him if he decided to go that route. He knew I could take him out by whittling him if I wanted and indeed I had just the pokemon for that in Selene. Instead, I was offering a salve to his pride. Something that would potentially let him turn the tide perhaps. He huffed, ¡°Let¡¯s see your best shot then Brock.¡± He swept his hand out and his cape went wide as he called out his best shot. ¡°Hyper beam!¡± I grinned. My mind screamed that I should just protect and blast him with Stone Edge to finish it. It was a valid move and perfectly suitable to win the match. But that was what villains do, and I didn¡¯t want to be a villain. I wanted people to remember this fight for all the right reasons. ¡°Titan! Go!¡± I cast my own hand forth, a grin stretching my face as I shouted. In the face of Dragonite¡¯s hyper beam, Titan strode forward. Like a mountain beginning to move it started slow. First a step, like a pebble preceding the boulders. Then, with the boulders came the soil before eventually, the entire cliff face gave out as an avalanche began in force. Titan continued to pick up momentum, and each step caused the arena to quake as he sped up. A quarter of the way across the field Lance¡¯s Dragonite unleashed his hyper beam and Titan lowered his head to take the hit square on. He took two more steps as he did so and a corona of energy built up around his body. The Hyper beam punched squarely into Titan and he was briefly stopped in his tracks. The crowd was off their feet having felt the blow such was its power. Despite that, it didn¡¯t stop Titan from advancing. Slowly, millimetre by millimetre, he began to lean forward. Around him the corona of energy flickered before solidifying. He leaned further forward millimetres turning into inches as he refused to break here and now. A roar of frustration escaped him as he struggled to put another foot forward. But he did. Then another. And another. And before people could rise from being knocked back into their seats Titan began to charge through the beam. He took each step, slowly building back up as the hyper beam tried to hold him off. From within Titan a glowing orange energy built like an inferno that grew stronger under the pressure. The steps became easier and soon Titan was outright sprinting straight into the beam of energy towards his foe, a roar escaping his jaws as he closed on his target. The beam gave out just as Titan reached Dragonite and with a sudden boom Titan unleashed the Giga impact he had been building straight into Dragonite. Dragonite rocketed back from the hit straight into the arena wall. Around it the damage absorbers flickered a bright red as their maximum threshold was reached. Dragonite lay in the crater, its chest working like great bellows. It stood with a piteous cry of pain, staggering forward to get back onto the arena. With the flickering absorbers, I didn¡¯t dare order another attack.Titan raised an arm to me, instructing me instead to hold back. I trusted in him, knowing that he had seen something or understood something that I had missed. The other Pseudo legendary staggered back onto the field and shuddered before locking eyes with Titan. Then it looked to Lance as its wings flapped weakly. Its body shook with tremors and its lungs heaved in breath after breath. The act was done weakly, but I couldn¡¯t help but be touched. Despite being so worn down it still held on and looked to its trainer. This was a pokemon that if his trainer asked he would continue to fight. Even if it killed him. Lance smiled and shook his head. ¡°You''ve done enough today old friend. We¡¯ll be ready next time.¡± He raised his Great Ball and called back his pokemon. The arena held its breath, not daring to believe. Titan nodded as his foe vanished into red light. When it was gone he threw back his head and roared his triumph. And like that the referee raised his flags up before dropping Lance¡¯s down while raising mine higher. ¡°The champion¡¯s pokemon is unable to battle! Brock is the winner!!¡± Chapter 19 - Cooling down The crowd was on their feet cheering and screaming. As everyone clamoured to make some form of noise I could only watch and take it in. Some cheered the Dragonite¡¯s fall, just as others wailed for the icon¡¯s loss. It smashed together into an inharmonious symphony that was more a wall of incoherent emotion than articulated words. I can only stare at the crowd in numb silence. Titan turned, his large reptilian face stretched in a gigantic grin. Then it clicks home. I unlock my arms from where I had crossed them over my body and I lean back, my mouth opening as I join the chorus of screams. Titan followed my lead as our roar of victory shook the arena. That only made it even worse in the arena as the crowd got louder. I couldn¡¯t hear the announcers over the mob and flashes were irritating my eyes as cameras blazed. With the groan of machinery, my podium lowered downwards but I leapt off before it could level out with the ground. The small issue of Titan making the field a misshapen wasteland that had sunk below its starting point caused me to stumble as I caught my balance. I wasted no more time as I scrambled over chunks of turned-up earth and rock to reach my pokemon before throwing myself into a hug that would make a Japanese anime about cute little girls and their big brothers proud. Titan took the hit and merely warbled his joy as I tackled him. ¡°You did it buddy!¡± He roared back and I laughed, knowing he was saying ¡®we¡¯ in his own way. We continued to hug, ignoring the world and just allowing ourselves this moment. It¡¯s only when I needed to take a shuddering breath that I dropped from him to pat his flank. I led the towering pokemon towards Lance where he¡¯s been standing next to his podium. Around him debris is still littering the field, showing off the aftermath. I took a moment to take it in. It wasn¡¯t just the arena rectangle that was damaged. The other sections had rocks strewn about, a brief look around revealing that the podium I had been on actually had a boulder embedded into it and hadn¡¯t been able to lower as it should have. Lance had an amused look on his face. Somehow, I¡¯d been expecting it. In some way, I felt that I knew Lance the Dragonmaster a bit better after this battle. ¡°You¡¯re an incredible trainer Gym Leader Brock, and I must apologise for my words.¡± He turned outwards to the watching crowd. ¡°I doubt anyone will dare to think you weak in the future.¡± ¡°Thank you, Champion Lance. It certainly helps to hear you say that.¡± I extended a hand, which he took. We shook firmly, both of our eyes locked on the other, not in challenge but in understanding. The crowd once more makes itself known with the cheers that had been dying off renewing at the friendly gesture after an impressive match. I glance to the side where a group of officials were entering the arena. The only faces that really stood out to me was Charles Goodshow with his gigantic grin. slightly in front of him to the side was the man that had entered with Lance during the initial pre-match interview, who I still couldn¡¯t match a name to. The other officials all had the air of being ¡®important¡¯ in the social circles they frequented but I couldn¡¯t attribute names to them. With them approaching and the less fun ¡®official¡¯ part of the match about to start I couldn¡¯t resist a dig at Lance. I clenched my hand with his still firmly in my grasp. ¡°You¡¯re still going to be paying me that bet by the way.¡± His face morphed into a grimace before he blinked and huffed at me. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought too much about that¡­ the Clan Elders will be annoying to deal with, but I¡¯ll make it back soon enough.¡± I hummed in thought. ¡°Sounds like ten million wasn¡¯t as much of an inconvenience as I thought it would have been.¡± Lance shook his head. ¡°It''s a not inconsiderable sum of money but you will come to learn there are plenty of people at our level that trade that around easily.¡± He squeezed my hand back. ¡°Welcome to the big leagues, I hope you¡¯re ready for the attention it will bring.¡± Lance chuckled at my wince. We released the handshake and he gestured to the small group of League officials. Behind them, a horde of reporters and cameramen surged past onto the grounds to get an interview. What followed was a lot of pomp where people that worked as administrators talked about how amazing the battle was. That it was a wonderful opening act, which would serve to¡ª I honestly stopped listening as what I could only assume were career politicians rattled on. They¡¯d been given a mic and a semi-captive audience, if I cared I probably would have kept an ear out for how they were trying to align the crowd. I was just too buzzed though. During a pause, where the man had tried to take a breath, the horde of reporters pivoted from him like well-oiled machines, their microphones all pointed at me. One reporter was quicker than the rest. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! With this victory are you thinking of making a formal challenge to become Champion?!¡± That made me pause. I¡¯d been so focused on winning I hadn¡¯t played out all the scenarios of what it would mean to win. Lance had hinted at it earlier with making people aware I was capable of a higher level of pokemon battles, but having this outright asked made it punch home. I was young and strong. At least that¡¯s how it must have looked to people looking in. The real situation was a little different. I had a huge leg up on people because of my wider knowledge starting off. You never could quite grasp how much of a difference it would make with your life to have a solid base to start from. Understanding what was and was not important saved you so much time when you were young. The games always pushed for two things. One, to catch all the pokemon in them. Becoming a ¡®pokemon master¡¯ in a sense, and becoming the Pokemon Champion. And now I was being asked specifically that. Did I want to become the champion? Visions of myself in charge of the league played out in my mind. I¡¯d have the power, the money¡­ a chipper tune cut through my thoughts as a small transceiver I had on my wrist signalled messages that were beginning to pour in. Most were from my family. They cheered for me and were horribly misspelled in their haste to message me. I noted a few from the Gym trainers, Mayor, Officer Jenny, Joy, and the museum staff I gave patronage to. I looked up to the sea of expectant reporters. Their mics honed as cameras captured my image. Standing quietly off to the side, someone shifted, drawing my gaze. Sabrina stared back at me. I couldn¡¯t read her expression from so far away, and she didn¡¯t approach. She merely hung back and watched me. And yet¡­ It felt all too similar to me. I remembered reading authors in the past who often commented on the scrappy patchwork way history repeated itself. ¡°Gym Leader?¡± The group of reporters leaned in unsure of this non-reaction. Lance stepped up next to me, concern appearing on his face for a moment. I gave the crowd a smile as I swallowed down the feelings that were bubbling up. ¡°Heh, sorry. It¡¯s all still sinking in for me I guess. It was a lot of work to get here, you know?¡± I smiled at Lance as he retreated half a step. ¡°It isn¡¯t easy to throw down against you Lance.¡± He nodded in appreciation. That wasn¡¯t enough for the reporter though, as he abruptly thrust his mic closer in. ¡°But will you? Will you be making a formal challenge now that you know you can do it?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m needed at home.¡± I waved the reporter off before he could ask a follow-up, ¡°This was Lance and I putting things to rest in a controlled manner that people can understand. It also helped to put on a great show. I think this year¡¯s Indigo tournament is going to really be something special, with us only serving as the opening act.¡± The rest of the questions pass slowly from there. I was still way too amped-up from the recent match to give them my full attention. The way they repeated the same questions time and time again, not wanting some of the answers while furiously scribbling down certain things I said really made me wonder how much attention they were paying to what was actually being said and what they thought or decided they heard from my words. Then I remembered that they were reporters. They were only here for a story, most of which had already occurred. Now it was the small follow-ups. Unless something else big took their attention they were practically halfway to printing. I decided to clap my hands and end things. ¡°Well I think I¡¯ve given enough of my time. I need to get my team to the pokecenter for a comprehensive look over.¡± I ignored the cries for more answers. One reporter even called out ¡®the people want to know more!¡¯ which almost got a laugh out of me for how cliche it was. Instead of answering any more questions I bowed from the hips in semi-formal thanks and turned away. Titan followed, easily making all of the reporters rethink their approach. Having a pokemon that causes the earth to shake just from moving will do that. Instead, the reporters pivoted only to find Lance had similarly departed. They didn''t even give the League official any consideration before the group began to drift away, looking for actual subjects of interest for their interviews . Others headed off to the stands to catch some images of the still cheering crowd. I waved to the stands and made a slow loop around the arena. When I passed the bunker I gestured for Celia and June to come up but they both shook their heads adamantly, too intimidated by the still present crowd. I shook my head at them. They¡¯d have to get used to that soon, as they¡¯d be the show which people would turn up to watch in the coming days. When I finished my lap I walked up to a group of annoyed looking officials. Goodshow broke away from them with his smile stretching his face. He proffered up the briefcase and offered me a handshake. ¡°Congratulations once more on a wonderful victory!¡± He peered back at the other officials to see they were still too caught up in their own drama. ¡°If you want, you can head off now.¡± ¡°Thanks, Mr Goodshow. I was going to do that right away. Get my pokemon seen to.¡± He merely nodded before waving me off. With the briefcase in hand, I marched towards the exit. Only then did Celia exit the bunker to catch up with me, leaving June to make her own way to her accommodation. ¡°Heh! Some match, yeah?¡± I said in greeting, tossing up the briefcase with my winnings in it only to catch it. Celia makes a noise like a teapot boiling over. Her hands twitch towards the briefcase momentarily but then lock into her sides. ¡°Brock! That¡¯s a lot of money! Don¡¯t you think you should be careful?!¡± she says through a locked jaw. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just dummy money with the only actually important thing being the documents in here.¡± I patted a pocket ¡ªnot the actual pocket I had put the documents in though ¡ª before flicking the case up and over. ¡°It¡¯s like the big cheques they give out for charity matches. Those are for show to put on walls more than to actually use to bank anything.¡± I continued to work through the hallways that made up passageways of the arena. Eventually, I reached a door too small for Titan which made him warble disappointedly. I shook my head and patted him once before withdrawing him. I pretty much needed to bring him back out of his greatball within another minute due to the crowd that was still waiting outside the arena. They greeted me with a huge cheer that only grew when Titan was released. I locked my face into a pseudo happy mask. I really should have just messaged Sabrina to teleport me to the pokecenter. I ignored the question that continued to be repeated over and over. ¡°Do you want to try for the championship?¡± By the fifth person asking this question, I recalled Selene being able to teleport me. I really could be an idiot sometimes. Now it was too late; teleporting now would be a serious snub, and everyone was so excited to see me. I knew I¡¯d feel bad for running off. Titan just grinned and stalked down the boulevard, his wounds from facing down Lance¡¯s Dragonite on proud display and only serving to make him seem so much cooler. I waved at some people, signed autographs, and just generally smiled for everyone. A five-minute walk to reach the pokecenter from the arena took half an hour. Most of the crowd knew better than to follow me into the pokecenter but more than a few trundled in before backing off when I made a beeline towards the front desk. The three Nurse Joys that stood behind the desk looked extremely amused as I gave them a smile they were all too wise to not see through. ¡°Congratulations on your victory, Gym Leader!¡± They chimed. A tray for six pokeballs was put before me with the clinical professionalism of nurses everywhere. ¡°Please place your pokemon in these trays!¡± they said like I wasn¡¯t an old hand at this. It was probably one of those things they said more from habit than giving any thought to it. One Nurse stepped to the side and smiled very politely at the crowd. I got a little breathing room for that. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said as I placed four pokeballs into the offered tray carefully, running my hands over them. My pokemon had done well. They¡¯d done more than that in truth. I would have to reward them. I looked to one of the only empty pokeball slots and at Titan who studiously didn¡¯t meet my gaze. Then I jerked a thumb to the tray at Titan who grumbled once more. ¡°No, no grumbling. Get in the ball so you can be assessed and treated.¡± He continued to grumble as I withdrew him and added his greatball to the tray. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Brock.¡± I glanced up, surprised to see Lance next to me. Apparently, I¡¯d been too occupied with handing over my pokemon to notice that Lance was standing in the waiting area. Around us, the bubble of space grew wider as the crowd of people that were watching me veered away. They¡¯d allowed me some privacy before but with Lance¡¯s approach, I noticed the space grow. As if we made more of a show but at the same time we were offered more space. Was it because it was Lance? I wasn¡¯t sure. He leaned against the counter, nodding as the Nurses took my tray of pokeballs away. His eyes tracked the tray back to the adjacent room which you could look into from behind the counter. This was primarily because trainers tended to get rather anxious when pokemon that were injured left their sight. It generally didn¡¯t do to take them out of sight unless things were really, really bad. The nurses each took a ball, placing them into a receptacle before a screen lit up with my pokemon¡¯s vitals. I grimaced as a number of minor red sections were highlighted. The other aspect of a high-level pokemon match was that there was practically a guarantee of injuries after the match. A glance to the side showed another two nurses working on a pair of screens with Dragonite displayed on them. When Titan¡¯s screen showed up I wasn¡¯t surprised to see he¡¯d gained a trio of fractures along with the superficial wounds to his hardened skin. He also had a number of tears and injuries to some internal structures. All of which were highlighted in red. It had been cool as hell to have him go head to head with a hyper beam but that came with some issues. Even winning didn¡¯t mean you¡¯d get away clean. Sometimes it meant you got away worse, in fact. I considered this for another few minutes as Lance stood next to me. He¡¯d also settled in to watch and wait for his pokemon to be healed it seemed. The recovery would take a bit of energy from them so it wasn¡¯t advised that you try and make pokemon like that go back-to-back across matches. When someone challenged the Champion they had to go through the gauntlet of the Elite Four. You could and should bring more than six pokemon but you were still allowed at least three days between each match. I turned the question I¡¯d been bombarded with since the conclusion of the match over in my mind. Did I want to be the champion? I¡¯d have to deepen my pokemon pool of elites, even more if I wanted to actually have a chance. I had perhaps eight to ten that could classify that way but I couldn¡¯t use the same strategies I¡¯d used tonight for the various Elite Four. I turned it over in my mind, thoughts and plans coiling as I played with possibilities. I¡¯d claimed victory, but if Lance had been prepared for the challenge and had as long as I had to get ready would he have walked away the victor? Being the champion had lots of glitter to the position. People hailed the champion far and wide. It was the ultimate position of status and prestige. It wasn¡¯t a position you could ever rest easily in though. I¡¯d just proven as much. Acknowledging that didn¡¯t fully curb the building hunger in my gut though. Nor the way it fought with part of me that knew I had to return to my gym. To my family that needed their older brother. For now, another part whispered. I stamped that out as the nurses returned with two trays, placing one before each of us. My own five pokemon were returned to me while next to me, Lance received his six. ¡°You¡¯re pokemon are healthy but highly fatigued. It is recommended that you allow them to rest with only light activity for the next week,¡± said the nurse in her chirpy tone. ¡°We hope to see you again!¡± She bowed and we both inclined our heads in thanks. Lance tilted his head, ¡°Care to grab something to eat?¡± I considered him. He gave a small twitch to the watching crowd before bringing up a hand, palm up. ¡°Otherwise I might head home for the night, but I really think a burger and fries might be what I need. I know a place close by. My treat?¡± I snorted and tapped the briefcase. ¡°I think it¡¯s supposed to be my treat actually.¡± I waved a hand in front of us. ¡°Lead on.¡± Lance and I walked through the crowd to a rather fancy burger joint that reminded me of the retro seventies old shoppe that were considered iconic of the times. The plush cushions and large open area arrangement allowed lots of people to enter and leave. The people that were already inside were rather stunned when Lance and I casually sauntered in. The man behind the till openly gaped as we both made a show of looking over their menu. I eyed the pokemon section before glancing at the ceiling. ¡°Think your Dragonite would mind if I let Shin and Sanchez out to eat with us?¡± Lance thought that over. ¡°Your Kabutops and Golem? I think I could let out my first Dragonite but not the others. My Starter is certainly too tall. The first Dragonite I have is quite juvenile.¡± I shared a nod as his eyes flickered to the ceiling. It was tall but not anywhere near tall enough for larger pokemon. I made my order before asking for a larger booth. A waitress practically sprinted to make sure the table was clean before sweeping her hands towards the booth. Lance swept in with an imperious nod claiming one side before popping Dragonite out behind him. The juvenile pokemon appeared with a shake of its head before glancing around. It let out a soft croon of sadness as Lance patted it on the belly. ¡°You did wonderfully girl.¡± I claimed the other side of the table and released my two pokemon. Shin and Sanchez appeared, and like Draongite they both glanced around curiously. When they settled their gaze on me I raised a thumbs up before patting the chair. Shin chose to settle into a squat next to the chair while the golem happily claimed a seat next to me on the booth. ¡°Golem! Go! Go!¡± He cheered happily before shutting up as a frothy milkshake was dropped in front of him. Shin bowed his head as a lemonade was deposited where he could drink it, and Lance with his Dragonite each had a root beer dropped in front of them. The waitress that deposited them then bowed before turning to sprint back into the kitchen. ¡°People always like this around you?¡± I said while watching Dragonite happily suck through a large metal straw. The erratic flapping of her wings was actually rather adorable as it trilled happily. ¡°For the most part. I¡¯d have to say I¡¯m rather used to it. Blackthorn residents are typically more reserved, but I¡¯ve been treated this way often. Both before and since becoming champion.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is it different¡­ as a gym leader? My cousin doesn¡¯t talk about that much, but she also doesn¡¯t leave Blackthorn often.¡± I considered that before shaking my head. ¡°There¡®s respect, certainly, but¡­ well, with Pewter things are pretty relaxed. A lot of the old folk remember me as a kid running around the streets. The older Ladies often call in to check on my family. The city only got smaller after I took over as Gym Leader.¡± ¡°Smaller? If anything Pewter has grown. I researched you after the initial challenge, and realized I¡¯d made a mistake when I saw all you¡¯d done. Your gym facilities are rather impressive.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said before waving about helplessly, ¡°Smaller was the wrong word¡­ Maybe closer-knit is a better word?¡± Lance made a noise that I couldn¡¯t really decipher. ¡°Well, taking over for your father has worked out well for you then. It¡¯s good to hear that you¡¯re close with your city like that.¡± Did I hear relief in his tone just now? ¡°But you should probably expect things to start changing. You¡¯ve shown yourself to be far more capable than people thought. Now people will have to reconcile their previous image of you with the revelation that you are strong.¡± He stared straight at me as he said this. He nodded slowly before continuing, ¡°You¡¯ll face more challenges. People will see you more as a worthy test than they might have in the past. More people will come with teams prepared to battle you for one of their final four badges as opposed to their first badge.¡± The waitress appeared next to us causing Shin to jerk in surprise as she started offloading burgers onto the table, rattling off the order as she did so. When she was done she heaved in a breath, causing her face to slightly lessen in its red tone. Had this girl been sprinting through cooking our burgers? She smiled winningly at us both as I surreptitiously checked that the burger had actually had a chance to be cooked. ¡°Is there anything at all I can do to help you further¡­ sirs?¡± I glanced over the meals before gesturing at the table. ¡°Some cold water for the table as well, please.¡± ¡°Sparkling water please,¡± Lance cut in. The girl practically vanished to get our order. Shin turned his head after her. ¡°Kabutops?¡± Dragonite stopped drinking to shrug her shoulders. This was apparently enough for Shin as he nodded and returned to his meal. I glanced over to the small drinks menu that had been left on the table. ¡°Is sparkling water even an option?¡± Lance coughed at that, his eyes darting to the menu. ¡°I¡¯ve ordered it here before?¡± I chuckled and waved my hand back and forth. ¡°Heh I think you¡¯re just used to fancier places in general.¡± I shifted in my seat. I wasn¡¯t going to chastise him for it. He hadn¡¯t done anything wrong by asking and neither had the place by meeting his request. It did however reveal that he was used to getting his way. Was this due to his clan or something else? I hadn¡¯t gone through Johto for my journey, and instead went for a quick trip to the Sevii islands before challenging the Orange islands and then Hoenn. Perhaps going to Blackthorn would have given me more of a sneak peek into how Lance was raised. Or perhaps it just highlighted the treatment the Champion received. ¡°Not sure if I¡¯ll get that sort of treatment even in Pewter.¡± Lance hummed noncommittally as he cut his burger into quarters. ¡°Your tactics were rather interesting against my team. It seems you anticipated me rather well.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It was a fifty-fifty on which pokemon you were going to lead with. Having Gyrados out first suited me best with my plan so things were ideal to start certainly. Would have preferred you followed up with the Kingdra. Your pokemon are beasts though. Wasn¡¯t expecting Charizard to be able to tank Sanchez¡¯s explosion.¡± Next to me Sanchez snapped a look at Lance and I. ¡°Golem!?¡± The pokemon was obviously stunned to hear he hadn''t taken out his last foe. I patted his shoulder. ¡°Nah you didn¡¯t get him Sanchez. Charizard was really strong.¡± ¡°Kabutops!!!¡± said Shin happily as he brandished his arms. He happily began to regale Dragonite and Sanchez of how he won his fight. Lance watched him for a moment as he chewed on his meal. ¡°Your pokemon are certainly strong. I must admit to being highly interested in your Aerodactyl.¡± I gave him a sly look. ¡°Thought you might be. Ancient dragon and all that.¡± ¡°It does rather fit with the template of pokemon I would be expected to field. Do you have a breeder lined up with him? I¡¯d happily pay for a pokemon like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯d be able to¡ª¡± ¡°Your water sirs!¡± Said the waitress as she heaved air in and out causing her chest to rise and fall in a rather distracting manner. ¡°¡ªsirs? Anything else you needed?¡± I coughed having zoned out. Lance likewise shifted before shaking his head. She bounced in place before nodding as she seemed to recall that there were in fact other people in the diner than us. She darted away, leaving us to share a look. He coughed to hide a laugh while I chuckled openly. Then we turned our attention to our meals. The rest of the meal went by rather well with Lance and I tentatively sounding each other out on how we think our pokemon did in the match. ¡°Surprised you don¡¯t have a Salamance yet,¡± I said after drinking some water. Lance nodded. ¡°I do have some promising Bagon. I tried my hand with one a few months ago but they are not yet up to my standards. If you challenge me at the end of the next circuit I will have an even larger grouping of pokemon to draw on.¡± ¡°Hmmm, that so?¡± I considered asking if another region had been located and ¡®opened¡¯ up yet but I doubted Lance would tell me. If he did it certainly wouldn¡¯t be in a diner. ¡°I would be interested, as would the rest of the Blackthorn Clan, in opening up options to have Aerodactyl breed. His specific breed would be a highly welcome addition to many of our trainers.¡± ¡°Sure, I think I will need to line up an actual breeder for that. I doubt you want me just letting it happen naturally.¡± Lance shook his head to show that no he would not. ¡°Do you have anyone in mind?¡± ¡°Not right now. I¡¯ve had other things on my mind. Don has only recently reached a proper maturity despite being an ¡®ancient¡¯ pokemon. ¡°Is that so?¡± He said, smiling as he mimicked my words. I nodded and we let the conversation lull as we finished our meals, neither of us feeling the need to talk anymore. Part of me was surprised at how normal this felt. Fight a high stakes match, then go for burgers with your opponent afterwards. It was pretty nice. When a few reporters came by I feared the worst but Lance gave them a pointed look and a small shake of his head. ¡°Huh, how do you get them to do that?¡± I asked when they kept their distance. When he raised an eyebrow I gestured at the empty space around us. ¡°I sort of got swamped after our match but you just gave them a look and those reporters stayed clear of us. In fact, most people are giving us space.¡± ¡°Mostly it is how I ask to be treated. Only certain people can casually approach me. Prior to becoming champion I made sure to be very clear that I didn¡¯t want anyone to be overly familiar with me. That has carried on since my rise.¡± He gestured to me and smirked. ¡°I¡¯d suggest hiring a media representative going forwards to teach you certain methods. You¡¯ll need to find what works for you, but I suspect your approachableness might cause you some issues.¡± I clicked my tongue but filed the information away. It was good advice even if it wasn¡¯t the surefire easy answer I wanted. ¡°Life can be complicated sometimes.¡± Lance merely shrugged. ¡°Sounds like a you problem.¡± I paused to stare at him before laughing. ¡°Nice one, yeah alright I¡¯ll see who I can talk with back home.¡± I then scrunched up my wrapper before considering the now empty cans. Before I could do anything the overly helpful waitress zoomed by, collecting them before checking in that we were happy with everything. Lance merely nodded and dropped one hundred poke dollars on the table. The girl grinned as I matched him, my pride acting up. ¡°You know we kind of overtipped just then yeah?¡± I said once we were outside. ¡°I overtipped but I hadn¡¯t known she was going so far out of her way to get me sparkling water in the past.¡± He nodded at me. ¡°Once again. I¡¯m sorry for my thoughtless words. Thank you for the wonderful match. I will be looking forward to a rematch in the future.¡± He smirked and gave a short bow only to pause. His gaze locked on mine. ¡°Brock, while you displayed great strength today in our match, you have also revealed some of your potential. People will expect things.¡± He held his smirk, ¡°When the time comes I hope I can call on you as a representative for Kanto for the World championship.¡± Then, he turned away, cape flaring out behind him. He marched off towards some central buildings. ¡°Later Lance!¡± I called after him, he tossed a wave over his shoulder before I turned towards my own hotel. I¡­ hadn''t really ever thought about the world championships before. But to have Lance of all people mention it, and certainly not as an idle thought, meant he fully expected me to be there in the mix. I whistled to myself and continued on home. I had a long road to go before then thankfully, but it held a lot more appeal than the previous suggestion of Elite Four status. It was something to dream for and look towards. For now though, I¡¯d call my brother to see if anyone was in bed yet before going to sleep myself. My plans for tomorrow? I honestly had no idea what to do. I spun the briefcase about before grinning. Cashing in on my efforts seemed a pretty good way to kill time though. Suddenly it seemed I had a lot more options open to me. Chapter 20 - Calling home and making plans ¡°Can I have a Ponyta!?¡± Was the first thing I heard upon calling my family in the morning. I¡¯d lucked out with my younger siblings all falling asleep long before I had gotten around to talking with them last night. Forrest had looked tired but he¡¯d held out for me to call. I¡¯d still promised to call again in the morning after the grannies that were staying with us got everyone up. I should have known that calling during breakfast would result in anyone but Granny Baux answering the phone. Cindy was practically vibrating in place as she stared through the video link at me. I opened my mouth only for her to cut me off. ¡°Oh! Oh! Or some technical moves for Munchlax to make him super strong! Or! Or! An Eevee! I¡¯d love an Eevee! Please Big brother I¡¯ve never ever, ever asked for anything before and I want an Eevee so bad!¡± She then dipped to the side. ¡°Cindy, dear, perhaps I should¡ª¡± I heard before a blur took over the phone as Cindy clambered up the cupboard we had in the kitchen. She came back flushed but rattled off her next list of demands. ¡°And new dresses! And can I have a bicycle!? I need a new one! Also! Also! I need more sweets! Suzie and Yolanda ate them all on us last night while we were cheering you on! Oh and a Lapras! I¡¯d love a Lapras!¡± ¡°You know I have a Lapras already. You met Tide when we took a trip to Sevii last year,¡± I pointed out reasonably. Cindy blinked in surprise before huffing. ¡°I meant my own Lapras! Not your Lapras! I don¡¯t want your hand me downs!¡± I snorted. She¡¯d have been better off with Tide. Even if I¡¯d not been able to keep him for the battles with my Rock Gym, Tide had the potential to be one of my strongest pokemon. I¡¯d ended up allowing him to stay in a cove that had a focus on breeding back up the endangered pokemon species. I¡¯d first heard of the cove due to the rather lovely story of how a young man and his wife had realized that Lapras were in danger of falling extinct due to the war and predations from pokemon like Sharpedo and Gyarados. They¡¯d gone out of their way to create an ideal breeding area that sheltered their young before letting them out into the world. Cindy¡¯s demand for a Lapras would actually be the cheapest thing I could give her seeing as I had contributed a breeding male to the cove. A highly popular breeding male, to hear the conservationists working in the cove speak of Tide. ¡°Tell you what Cindy, I¡¯ll think about what you¡¯ve told me but only for a day before forgetting about it.¡± ¡°Brock!¡± She cried in horror that I could be so cruel. I tutted. ¡°Utut! Little sister! You need to make up a list of what you want from me so I can¡¯t forget. I¡¯ll need it to be really, really detailed!¡± I considered her level of school. ¡°With pictures even! Of you and the pokemon! And I need you to tell me where you¡¯re going to keep them cause I can¡¯t just take in any pokemon, cause if we don¡¯t have the right areas for them they¡¯ll be sad!¡± Cindy nodded her head seriously. ¡°I also need you to get down from the cupboard for the Grannies. That¡¯s not nice of you. I will be asking them if you¡¯ve done this on them again, and I better not hear you¡¯ve been running off. You need to be nicer to them!¡± ¡°...Okay Brock,¡± she said as she moved to climb down. ¡°Good girl. Now you have a report to do, but I also want you to help the Grannies out before that! Can you give the phone to them now? I love you,¡± I said before she could hand me off. This got me a muffled ¡®luv you¡¯ back. ¡°Brock, dearie! Well done yesterday! You were magnificent against the champion!¡± Granny Dorris'' lined, smiling face appeared in the video. I didn¡¯t miss the grasping hands that were also appearing with her. A quick lift of the receiver and a tut from her had everything settling down. ¡°Granny Dorris, how¡¯re things going for you? I¡¯ve given Cindy a chore. She needs to write up a report for me, I feel like I might need to have the others do something similar.¡± She chortled at this before surveying her surroundings. ¡°Hmmmm well I suppose I could let Timmy talk next as he has finished his meal and has cleaned up for himself. Timmy! Would you like to talk to your brother?¡± Instantly there was a clatter of cutlery and scrambling feet. I had no doubt Dorris had just capitalized on my sibling''s desire to talk with me to ensure good behaviour. Much like I was going to do with them getting presents or pokemon in the future. ¡°Hey big brother! I can¡¯t believe¡ª¡± and so the next hour passed with me slowly going through all of my siblings. Listening to their desires for new pokemon, or a new room, or some other aspect of their life. When I¡¯d told Suzie I¡¯d consider her desire for an Eevee ¡ªnow the fifth such request¡ª she dropped the transceiver and performed a happy dance. Her little feet lifted and stomped while her fists clenched together as she tucked them in. ¡°YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!¡± She then dashed away hollering how I was going to get her an Eevee. This led to a round of me denying any such promise and restating that I was merely considering it. None of them believed me. I tried to tempt them towards saving the money for their future journeys but for so many of them, they seemed unconcerned about having money then. Part of me despaired that they would be so lax when only a few years ago we might have been living in an old gym, practically on top of each other. The other part of me was happy that this was perhaps the most normal reaction of children their age. Before I could question these contrasting emotions my siblings tossed me to another to begin proclaiming what they wanted on their list. I got the impression the grannies were having a nice quiet sit down while my siblings burnt off some energy with me. When I finally reached the eldest siblings, who were supposed to be the most responsible, I had to explain that I would be talking with a financial advisor regarding the money and that I wasn¡¯t going to simply spend it on whims. This was met with silence and a furtive shared glance between Forrest and Yolanda. I let my eyes fall shut. Don¡¯t sigh. Don¡¯t sigh, they can see and hear you, I thought to myself. I licked my lips instead, bracing. ¡°Did you have some suggestions as well?¡± Yolanda coughed. ¡°Uh, well I was hoping I could maybe¡­ possibly¡­ ask for a pokemon for myself?¡± I chuckled and rubbed my brow before nodding. ¡°Write me up a list. It¡¯ll be like a school report for why you want it, how it will impact you and the family going forward. What it will eat and what sort of environment it needs to be comfortable.¡± ¡°And if I wanted Technical Machines or items like stones?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯ll depend on what you want them for? We¡¯ll talk more when I¡¯m back home.¡± This at least sounded more like a set-up for her journey. If she had the right pokemon lined up for a starting roster with some time before even starting her journey she¡¯d do very well for herself. I raised a brow at Forrest and he scratched the back of his head. ¡°A bicycle?¡± I hummed before nodding my head. Another good choice. As long as he didn¡¯t want the top of the line bike. Some of the top tier bikes were seriously expensive, what with being foldable and shrinkable to make them similar to pokeballs. Then they came with motors that subtly made you way faster than most people could match. These were typically used for rangers in the wild with the ability to stealthily move over long distances. ¡°Depending on the type we should be able to look into it.¡± I take a more serious stance and look at them both. ¡°Any issues with your patrols? Have you been checking in with the local pokemon?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± They both said while adopting military-like poses, their chests puffed up like I was possibly going to award them medals for their service. By the time I¡¯m satisfied with their answers that nothing has tried to sneak in on us I say my goodbyes before promising to be back in two more days. ¡°That long?¡± Forrest asked. ¡°It¡¯ll give everyone time to do their little reports properly. And It will give me some time to just decompress.¡± I released a sigh and wiggled back into the lounge chair. Forrest gave me an unreadable look before opening his mouth. ¡°Hey, Brock did¡­¡± He glanced at Yolanda while I raised a questioning eyebrow. He blushed and shook his head. ¡°Forget about it. I¡¯ll see you in two days?¡± I nodded before signing off. I lay back onto the couch, resting my head and just relaxing. I stayed like that for a moment before glancing to the side. It was early enough to see some of the opening matches if I wanted to. I didn¡¯t have to head out until this afternoon for Celia¡¯s first match, but I still had hours until then. I could watch talking heads probably still arguing over my win on the television. Or I could head out and do something else. I let my head fall back to think on it. I hummed, shutting my eyes to weigh up my options. A flash of light made me open an eye to spot a new option appearing. ¡°Sabrina,¡± I said in greeting. Sabrina nodded her head at me before marching up to the lounge next to me. She plopped down without concern. I frowned and lifted my head only to have a muffin shoved into my face. ¡°I got you a muffin.¡± Is all I get. I grunted in thanks as she swung her legs up into my lap so she could claim as much room on the couch as possible. She then gave me an imperious look. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Good morning Sabrina. Are you well? I¡¯m well, want to come in? Oh sure, come right in, sit here, make yourself comfortable,¡± I said, the sarcasm outright overflowing in my tone. Sabrina merely nodded. ¡°I am well. I¡¯m also pleased. You continue to be observant of my moods Brock.¡± She gave me a ghost of a smile with a tiny nod, turning her attention to her muffin. The television remote floated up in front of us. ¡°What are we watching?¡± She asked between bites while turning the appliance on. ¡°Talking heads I presume.¡± I settled back and watched what was being pushed as the ¡®mainstream¡¯ perception of my victory. It was pretty much as I expected. Lots of praise but pertinent points on how I had been able to effectively sucker punch Lance by keeping calm and not commenting after his remarks more than a month ago. The footage of Lance and I chowing on burgers with our pokemon made it into the news to show everyone that ¡®all is well¡¯, with us. I watched the image placidly. I had been aware of the scene coming across that way, that I had no surprises over. What did surprise me was how good the image was. I hadn¡¯t been that caught up talking with Lance had I? Sabrina cut through my thoughts before I got lost in them. ¡°They are right, you know? You fought very well. I¡¯m happy that you won.¡± I glanced to the side. ¡°Thanks, Sabrina.¡± ¡°I would have preferred to see Selene beat his Dragonite though. You know she could have.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I was pretty amped up. It felt right to go starter versus starter. She could have, but I don¡¯t think she would have done so with the same statement as beating Dragonite with Titan did.¡± She hummed, but didn''t say anything more. A knock distracted me from the show as they shifted to talking about the impact of Lance losing ten million pokedollars. I moved to stand only for Sabrina to press her legs down. ¡°Sabrina someone¡¯s at¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not important, they¡¯ll leave.¡± I gave her an amused look. More knocks tap out and I once more find that I couldn¡¯t get up. I heard some muffled words being called out but again couldn¡¯t make out who it was at the front. Instead of calling back out I directed my attention to Sabrina. ¡°Who is it?¡± I asked Sabrina. She had to know with her psychic abilities. ¡°No one important,¡± she repeated. Another three rounds of knocking occurred with me getting slightly more anxious, while another part was thoroughly amused as Sabrina kept me pinned on the couch. I experimentally tugged at her legs only for the weight of her body to be way off for a woman her size. Alright, she was telekinetically weighing herself down to stop me getting up. There was something going on here, now what was it? The knocking stopped and I assumed that that would be the end of it. The first sign that it was not over was a scowl breaking out on Sabrina¡¯s face. Then she narrowed her eyes before sniffing pointedly. ¡°Surge is coming.¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± I asked just as the door unlocked and Surge sauntered in with a bellboy with a keycard in his hand. Behind him, Ericka tilts around the door to peer into the entryway. ¡°Brock! The man of the hour! Nice victory last night! I thought you would have been up and at¡¯em way earlier though! You need to be out showing your face, not hiding away with your little lady!¡± He bounced into the room, his huge form practically skipping as he bobbed back and forth while throwing a few punches. ¡°Good morning Surge.¡± I glanced at the clock before rolling my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s still eight. This is normal for some people and is frankly a treat for me.¡± Surge claimed another chair before tugging it forward to get a better view of the tv. Ericka hesitantly stepped in before bowing to me in greeting before turning to the bellboy that was looking slightly ashamed. ¡°Thank you, for letting us in?¡± ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be doing that at all, don¡¯t thank him,¡± Sabrina cut in, causing the bellboy to swallow and start babbling apologies. Surge waved it off. ¡°Hey! Hey! Don¡¯t sweat it. I made him do it cause I wanted to see you.¡± ¡°If you were looking for me, why are you here?¡± Sabrina said tightly. ¡°Cause this is where you¡¯d be.¡± Surge said as if that was the only reasonable answer. Sabrina twitched in annoyance before glaring at the bellboy. ¡°Oh sorry about that kid. Thanks for your service!¡± Surge plucked a small clip of pokedollars and tossed it to the kid. The boy quickly snatched it out of the air before mumbling his thanks and beating a quick retreat. Sabrina¡¯s scowl intensified. Erika also gave Surge a mildly disapproving look. Sadly, it wasn¡¯t very effective. Sabrina wasn''t deterred. ¡°And now you reward poor behaviour? He is only going to be worse about peoples¡¯ privacy.¡± Surge laughed, ¡°Were you two gonna do something? You need to leave a tie on the door next time!¡± I rolled my eyes as Sabrina huffed. Ericka stiffened, glancing from Sabrina to myself before blushing and shaking her head about. ¡°Ah? Oh, did you?!¡± I waved my hand back and forth in denial. ¡°Surge is being himself, don¡¯t mind him Erika. Good morning by the way.¡± ¡°Ah, good morning?¡± she said dropping into a bow before repeating it towards Sabrina. ¡°Good morning Sabrina!¡± Sabrina coughed. ¡°Morning,¡± she said. I blinked. Ooookaaaay something had happened. She actually acknowledged Erika? Had something gone on last night that I¡¯d missed? Surge likewise was looking between the two of them with a confused expression before shrugging. ¡°So! Brock? What¡¯re you gonna do today? Hope you didn¡¯t plan to just lounge around all day!¡± I waved about, gesturing at the Plateau at large. ¡°I was going to head out but¡­¡± I nudged at Sabrina¡¯s legs but she continued to hold me down. I huffed again. ¡°I seem to be too lazy to get up right now.¡± Ericka tapped her hands together, nervous as she shot furtive glances between Sabrina to me. She eventually swallowed and said what was on her mind, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you two were¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re not¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re taking a break,¡± Sabrina said over the top of my explanation. I sighed, loudly, before waving my hand at Sabrina. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the meowth¡¯s mother!¡± chimed in Surge, apparently not liking not saying or doing something in the past five seconds. Sabrina bristled like the aforementioned cat. ¡°Calm down, he¡¯s just teasing you Sabrina,¡± I said, patting her calf reassuringly. Surge merely chuckled and winked before looking back at the tv as they finished talking about which sponsors would still be interested in buying in with Lance. His defeat had given some people colder feet while others had apparently continued making offers. ¡°So what are you going to do with the ten million?¡± Surge asked. I roll my shoulders trying to get more comfortable only for Sabrina to nudge me back. I gave Erika and Surge both confused looks. This was very touchy for Sabrina. She had no problem sharing a bed but she was usually far more reserved in front of others. Had she ¡®upgraded¡¯ Surge as a friend? If so, how had Erika shot up to being such a friend that Sabrina was comfortably relaxing around? ¡°Well first I should pay you two¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that!¡± ¡°That is not necessary.¡± Surge and Sabrina said at once. ¡°I¡¯d still like to,¡± While I said it I watched Sabrina out of my peripherals. She was just the slightest bit tense. So she wasn¡¯t super comfortable right now, but she was pushing herself to be? Or appear to be at least? Regardless, that was still serious progress for her. I decided to not make a big deal out of it. This was a good thing for Sabrina after all. Instead, I focussed on the conversation. ¡°Heh, well shucks I appreciate it, but it was nice to get you trained up! You were able to step up and smack that sissy Johto boy a good one! Made sure everyone knows Kanto is where the strong come from!¡± Erika directed a much sterner look of disapproval at Surge but once more he ignored it. He sat forward. ¡°Anyway, I already got a sweet variant Geodude for my efforts. And I made sure to bet big on you Brocko.¡± Sabrina nodded her head. ¡°With how you were, it is a poor companion that isn¡¯t able to understand how you would perform. Profiting off of your victory is something only an idiot would not consider.¡± ¡°Heh! I sure did! I bet a hundred grand on you! I made two million cold hard cash!¡± ¡°Which you use to bribe bellboys.¡± Sabrina pointed out neutrally. ¡°I¡¯m just sharing the love!¡± Surge claimed with wide hands. He grinned then. ¡°How''d you do?¡± ¡°Well enough for my bet certainly,¡± she said. ¡°Heh got in too late? That¡¯s alright, I got in when you first started training with me! Ten-damn-near-twenty to one odds back then!¡± For those who hadn¡¯t spent long hours in her company ¡ªof which I and only a small handful of others could claim¡ª Sabrina¡¯s words would have seemed dismissive. As if she had only bet a small amount. However, I knew her too well to believe that. She was far too smart not to exploit something like the information I had given her by training with her while talking through my strategy. The gleam in her eyes and the matching pleased expression as she lay against the couch spoke of a meowth that had just aggressively performed a take over on a cream company. Forget the cream truck. She owned the entire she-bang. I was half tempted to check the pokenet to see if any corporate takeovers had occurred just from how pleased she appeared to be. Surge must have seen into Sabrina¡¯s reaction as he was giving her a thoughtful look. Meanwhile, Erika merely tilted her head and chewed on her lip while glancing between us all. When I glanced at her she sat straighter before coughing. She made soft ¡®ahem¡¯ to draw attention to herself. ¡°While I won¡¯t condone betting, I think I will have to work harder going forward so I can also be someone you call upon in tough times.¡± Ericka clenched her fists adopting a cute ¡®fighting¡¯ pose. ¡°I will train to get stronger!¡± Sabrina nodded. Surge coughed in surprise. ¡°What in Kanto did I miss?¡± He said to himself. I once more forced down the urge to pry as to why Sabrina was being friendly¡ªby her standards¡ª to Erika. Instead I offered the Celadon gym leader a helpless shrug. ¡°Sorry, but training against you wouldn¡¯t have set me as well up against Lance. Bad matchups.¡± For now at least, maybe things will be different once that one grass-dragon type pokemon appeared. Which region was that with? Galar? Or not unless she had an Alolan variant of Exeggutor. I considered that for possible future discussions with her. Perhaps if she let a few of them grow up in the Sevii islands on a reserve she might get a natural variant after a few generations of breeding like I¡¯d done to get Sanchez? Then she might have been way stronger with her Grass-dragon type pokemon. A telekinetic nudge reminded me that just as I am versed in Sabrinaisms, Sabrina is versed in Brockisms. She gave me a raised eyebrow, but I only returned her a smile before glancing at the tv. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to get anything more from this. I think I should do as Surge said and show the flag for a bit.¡± Surge pumped his fist at this before launching to his feet! ¡°Alright! Gym leaders of Kanto represent! Let¡¯s go strut our stuff!¡± I chuckled and this time when I moved to stand, Sabrina didn¡¯t stop me. Instead, floating up to her own feet and moving to walk next to me. Ericka joined in when I offered an open hand. She seemed happy to be included and for today it felt like more people would make things way better. I turned the tv off and headed out more than ready to start the actual day properly. Chapter 21 - Enjoying the Plateau Walking around as a group was hardly something I considered worth talking about. Walking around as a group that was made up of almost half of the Eight Kanto Gym Leaders? That drew attention. People noticed us coming, pointing us out as we passed by. This led to reporters approaching us for comments before we¡¯d gone more than two blocks. I bore the brunt of the microphones, but people were more than happy to listen as Surge spoke his mind. ¡°We¡¯re showing some Kanto solidarity! Brock was called out, and we acted in support!¡± ¡°Some of us more than others,¡± I heard Sabrina murmur too quietly for most to hear. I didn¡¯t look. There would be zero chance of it sliding past editors if I reacted in any way. She knew there was an open mic so there would either be editing done, or someone had a chance of picking up on it. My money was on the poke-net picking up on it first. Some people in my past life had dedicated their lives to finding tiny details. I¡¯d used to think that they simply had way too much time on their hands. In the pokemon world, people only had more time on their hands. Erika and Sabrina were tossed ¡®soft¡¯ questions about fashion as if they were just normal teenage girls on a walk. Sabrina doesn¡¯t say anything beyond commenting that I looked nice in my new outfit. That caused a bit of a stir in the reporters with them discussing Erika and I¡¯s shopping trip. Erika honestly pointed out that I actually selected it myself which earnt me some praise from the fashion-oriented reporter. I¡¯m more than aware of a non-visible, but nevertheless present, aura of ¡®smug¡¯ radiating off Sabrina. Or maybe I was just being dramatic? I decided to end our interview there with a raised hand. ¡° I think that¡¯s enough questions for now. We¡¯re going to continue with our day.¡± I then continued walking past, leading my ¡®gang¡¯ away from the reporters that each tried calling out another round of questions. When they trotted after us. Surge turned on a pokedime. The sudden movement of the previously friendly giant becoming sinister in how he held himself over them made them stop dead in their tracks. Or perhaps it was his smile that far too wide, with too many teeth showing to ever be mistaken as friendly. When he turned back and relaxed into his stride I hummed to myself. When Erika tilted her head in an unspoken question I gestured back at the reporters. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to take advice from Lance and get myself a press¡­ assistant?¡± ¡°Aide. Press aides or managers is how they are typically known¡± said Sabrina. I bobbed my head. ¡°Yeah, one of them. Seems I¡¯m going to be in the public eye for a while.¡± ¡°Heh! You¡¯re going to be in the public eye for ages Brock! You¡¯re young and strong! You¡¯re the biggest and baddest thing kids know of! That¡¯s going to mean a lot! I should think you¡¯ll have some more serious trainers coming your way as well this year!¡± I considered that. It¡¯s the second time someone has said as much. That¡­ would actually be nice. Being the ¡®traditional¡¯ first gym of the circuit meant that I usually have to fight with kiddy gloves. Getting to bring out other pokemon would be a bit more engaging. I perked up at that. ¡°Yeah, you know what? I like the sound of that.¡± ¡°Oh! This place looks nice!¡± said Erika suddenly. I glanced to the side to see a rather nice-looking cafe. I was pretty sure the assortment of small gardens that were tended to by Oddish and Bellsprout might have influenced Erika¡¯s interest. The group looked at her and she fluttered her eyes innocently/sweetly before adopting a poised expression. ¡°Or somewhere else might work as well?¡± I looked further along the street we¡¯d been walking down. Each of them was rather nice but had the feel of being something that was more seasonal. They all had the look of places where you would expect to pay twice what you would at a good local cafe. The fence and clear divide between guests ended up deciding it for me. ¡°Looks good,¡± I said. Surge merely grunted, for once being rather relaxed while Sabrina raised her hand and a menu shot into it. Erika flinched at the casual display of psychic power but didn¡¯t say anything. We ended up ordering and just shooting the breeze. The only semi-serious conversation we had revolved around the hassles young trainers put us through. A staple for any meeting of Gym Leaders I¡¯ve discovered. At least it was for the younger Gym Leaders. Koga, Blaine and Giovanni typically never stayed on the calls beyond the mandatory sections in the monthly meetings during the circuit. Trainers could be very dumb with their methods of defeating us. Surge merrily held the rest of the conversation before shifting onto the next most usual gripe. A.k.a having to deal with trainers after a match. ¡°Yeah, punks that can¡¯t accept losses are the worst. If you lose, you lose! Ain¡¯t no one getting through life without a few knockdowns from someone stronger turning up. No way, no how! I ain¡¯t ever awarding anyone that can¡¯t at least beat me in a battle one of my badges! You gotta handle the challenges life gives you!¡± Surge crossed his arms and shook his head empathically. Erika responded but I wasn¡¯t listening, instead watching Sabrina subtly rub at her temple. I suspected she wasn¡¯t listening either and rather was trying to deal with the thoughts being broadcasted around us. I tapped her foot under the table, trickling a little bit of dark energy along it, and she relaxed. She gave me a tight smile before shaking her head minutely to show she was fine. She didn¡¯t move her foot away from mine, however. I nodded along with Sabrina. It was amusing to think that Surge would be beaten by Ash in the anime only to have to use a trick against Sabrina. I had to wonder if that would play out once more. Sabrina was typically far more controlled with her battling these days. I knew for a fact she didn¡¯t shrink anyone down to make them ¡®play¡¯ with her, as the anime had shown. She¡¯d never done that in this universe as far as I¡¯d heard. Perhaps her taking off from the gym for the circuit with me might have stopped her from ever acting that way? Or it was just a cartoon. It was probably just a cartoon. The anime after all, wasn¡¯t the immutable law of the world. It merely provided a lot of little hints into it. Erika shifted, her hands tapping together in a move I was coming to recognise as a nervous tick. ¡°Sometimes, I admit, I award them if I think they meet the level of ability, but only if they have less than four badges. I think four badge trainers need to be stronger.¡± I tried to recall Ash¡¯s match with Erika. How had it gone? I thought Erika lost, but there may have been Team Rocket antics involved. Surge rubbed his chin. ¡°Yeeeeaaaaah, nah. It¡¯s win or nothing in my books! Ain¡¯t no prizes for last in the Vermillion gym!¡± Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°I prefer to keep the integrity of my gym to the simple forms of battling. A victory is the best sign of a strong trainer.¡± Erika wilted a little into her seat. I had a moment to wonder if one of the Bellsprout might mistake her for a flower in need of water before pushing the thought away. ¡°I agree with Erika. Sometimes I¡¯ll give out badges if they demonstrate the requisite level of skill and experience. It¡¯s just harder to demonstrate after the fourth badge, ¡®cause trainers need to put forward a lot more than a simple understanding of type advantages.¡± Erika perked up and beamed at me like a Sunflora. I moved the conversation on to another topic that I was curious about. ¡°How do you go about handling your roster choice for each badge level? I have to keep a pretty large number of pokemon for first badge challengers before dropping away the number per tier, for the tougher challenges.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty standard. I might have a slightly larger number of two or four badge challengers, but I don''t think I have as many showing up for the first-tier like you Brocko,¡± Surge said before leaning back into his chair. ¡°My standard of Gym challenge eliminates the need for first-tier pokemon. If they want to try they need to have four badges. They also need to go through the gauntlet of my gym¡¯s trainers,¡± Sabrina said with an authoritative tone. ¡°I¡¯m perhaps the most like you Brock,¡± chimed Erika causing Sabrina to twitch slightly. I once more moved the conversation to something else that wasn¡¯t enjoyed by any trainer, let alone gym leaders. ¡°Got any tips on lowering my tax bill in a couple of months?¡± Unsurprisingly¡ªfor me at least¡ª Sabrina had the best advice for this. We all listened carefully when she pointed out an easy handful of ways to control our taxes. I smiled at her. It was rare that she got the chance to shine like other Gym Leaders. After all, Sabrina wasn¡¯t as flashy as the Cerulean Sisters or Surge. She was, however, incredibly smart. I knew that. Still, it was another thing entirely to hear her be able to talk so succinctly about taxes. There hadn¡¯t been much of that while we were ¡®dating¡¯. I made a mental note to call her after this was done, as I had little chance of remembering all of this. Surge, as the eldest of our ¡®gang¡¯, knew enough to comment and even asked questions. Erika actually had a notepad out and was furiously jotting down notes like this was a lecture at some university with a looming exam rather than a sit-down talk at a cafe. My choked off laugh sadly broke the conversation. Sabrina and Surge both looked at me before turning their heads towards Erika who was still scribbling notes. Surge barked a laugh while Sabrina¡¯s lips tugged upwards. Erika jerked her head up upon registering the laughter before breaking out into a bright blush. ¡°A-apologies! I sometimes struggle with the accounting side of the gym! So hearing such good advice isn¡¯t something I want to forget!¡± She said while bowing in her seat. Surge just laughed harder. ¡°Heh! No worries from me, little lady! It¡¯s good stuff, this!¡± I offered her a shrug when she raised her head to check our reactions. ¡°I¡¯ll probably have to call Sabrina later to do exactly what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Erika licked her lips and glanced at Sabrina who had lifted her chin a little. I knew it to be Sabrina pose #fifteen, ¡®preening¡¯. I bit my lip to hold back a laugh. Erika didn''t notice anything though and humbly bowed her head. ¡°May I exchange numbers with you so that I could ask you some questions about this?¡± Sabrina held her pose for a long, uncomfortable moment that began to stretch towards a minute. Surge glanced at me but I remained outwardly unresponsive. I didn¡¯t want to force these sorts of things on Sabrina. Did I think it would help to have someone else she could talk with about things? Yes. Because other than trainers that worshipped her at her gym, her parents ¡ªwho were now only mildly terrified of her¡ª and me. She didn¡¯t have a lot of people to interact with. Still, the question remained. What would she do? It probably wasn¡¯t fair that in a way I was testing her, but I was certainly curious as to how she would react. Sabrina¡¯s transceiver levitated onto the table and swung around to show Erika her number. Erika beamed at her before pulling her own device out to trade numbers. Sabrina flicked me a look and I gave her an encouraging smile. Surge seemed to catch that, but he only smirked as if he knew what was going on between us. After that we finished up our snack, settled the bill, and then set off for the stadium. It was close enough now to Celia¡¯s match that I could claim my seat on the sideline. The gang all continued to follow me to the arena where we claimed the prime seats as gym leaders. The next few minutes were spent idly watching the matches as they progressed. After last night, the matches here seemed so¡­ well,I wasn¡¯t going to call them poor, as these were the trainers that have collected eight badges from their regions. Sadly I happened to know that all of the trainers currently on display weren¡¯t the sort to excel long term as battlers. I could tell from the way their matches seemed so one dimensional. Or perhaps the after-effects of yesterday¡¯s match were making me far too critical. I watched the matches for a bit longer before shaking my head. Nope. These guys just weren¡¯t that good. I¡¯m forced to watch a whole host of mistakes or assumptions play out in front of me. Everyone mostly tried to use type advantage to their favour without contextualising how the moves or their pokemon worked. We ended up watching an hour''s worth of matchups. ¡°Any of these impress you?¡± I asked, sipping a can of lemonade I had ordered from a salesman. ¡°Nope!¡± Surge said while picking at his ear. Erika had a fan in her hand that she used. ¡°They¡¯re not making a good showing of themselves.¡± ¡°The boy with the Machoke is holding back so I can at least applaud him for not showing off any of his plans.¡± I perked up at Sabrina¡¯s words and glanced to the field to my right. With this not being a final match, or more specifically it being a seeding round, the larger indoor field now housed two fields to fight on with four trainers in the early knockout rounds. I hummed thoughtfully as I watched the match, trying to notice any cues to support Sabrina¡¯s statement. I suspect, but don¡¯t voice, that she likely read his surface thoughts for her ¡®hypothesis¡¯. ¡°I remember this kid. He has a Poliwag, or he did when he fought me. Wonder if he was able to evolve it to a Poliwrath?¡± I glanced at the Growlithe he¡¯s fighting and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I see what you mean. He had the chance to pick something else with his pokemon for this match up. Might bite him in the backside though.¡± ¡°He had a Gastly.¡± I whistled at that. ¡°Oh? He used it against you?¡± ¡°He was proficient with it then. To the point that it evolved mid-combat.¡± I chuckled. He¡¯d likely won then. Most evolutions resulted in an energy high that pokemon could use to empower attacks for a short period of time. A natural side effect of being placed in a highly stressful environment. That being said, I doubt Sabrina made it easy. The four of us traded banter and insight between ourselves throughout the rest of the performances. I spied a few reporters with cameras angled towards us but didn¡¯t do more than offer a wave. The people sitting behind us seemed pleased to be sitting near the gym leader section. I caught more than a few leaning in as the four of us discussed a trainer or a pokemon fight occurring on the field. People had in the past paid me money to look over teams and give thoughts on match ups. They¡¯d done that when I was still widely considered ¡°merely¡± the first, or in some minds, weakest, gym leader. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I was fairly sure I was rated a touch higher now. When I spoke I¡¯d have a newfound weight to my words. I was after all, now a trainer that could throw down with the Champion. With me sitting and talking with three other gym leaders? The people around us were getting insane value having bought the tickets they had. I certainly wouldn''t mind claiming a seat behind some of the other Gym Leaders in Hoenn to get a read on their thoughts. But then again, I¡¯d probably still get to sit with them despite not being part of their region. Or maybe I was getting a big head? Just as I toyed with that idea, Sabrina tapped me on the foot. I glanced up to find Claire and Pryce claiming their own seats further down from us. They both nodded, and we all returned the greeting. They were a bit too far to say anything to, but I kind of got the impression Claire wanted to say something. With the way she twitched towards me every now and then it seemed apparent. That or it might have been Surge she wanted to talk with, as the man kept shooting a smirk and a K hand sign at her. Pryce turned once towards us only to narrow his eyes at the hand sign. When he locked eyes with Surge I felt a metaphorical spark fly through the air. Did they know each other? Did the K mean something deeper than just ¡®Kanto¡¯? I knew certain gestures to mean different things, like the middle fingers and the forks. This was the first time I¡¯d seen someone form a K by splitting one hand and chopping the other across it. I¡¯d certainly never seen Surge do it. It seemed Pryce recognised it and it had sparked something in the former Champion. Instead of standing and marching straight at Surge, Pryce swallowed. He turned his head away and instead of acknowledging us any further he merely tapped Claire and gestured for her to sit on his other side. I glanced from Surge to Pryce. What had that been about? I didn¡¯t get to think about it further as the announcers called out the match I¡¯d been waiting for. ¡°And from Pewter City! Celia Shardness!¡± I stood and clapped as loudly as I could. ¡°Looking good Celia!¡± I called into the arena as my protegee marched onto the field. She noticed me quickly, waving in my direction before adopting a stoic expression. I grinned before running an eye over her attire. I wanted to both cringe and dwell with pride. She¡¯d ended up going with a lot of the ¡®Pewter Gym¡¯ merchandise. The boulder badge symbol was stamped onto her cap while a jacket was opened at the front with a Geodude¡¯s face peering out from the shirt she wore. It was expected that a gym-sponsored trainer would have some merchandise highlighting their affiliation, but Celia had to be the most dedicated trainer I¡¯d had so far. ¡°Are those Pewter Gym socks?¡± Surge said. I could practically hear his grin. I didn¡¯t turn around and merely nodded. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ very loyal.¡± I watched her stride up to her podium before adopting her pose. Her eyes glinted as she selected her first pokemon. She drew her arm back before letting fly. ¡°Go! Mr Powers!¡± Everyone leaned forward at the name, obviously expecting a Machoke or some fighting type. They stared at the small pink fluffball that had instead emerged. ¡°Jigglypuff!¡± cheered ¡®Mr Powers¡¯ in front of the crowd. This caused a round of laughter while some people cheered the choice. I smirked, knowing how apt the name was. ¡°She¡¯s starting off with that pokemon?¡± Surge scratched his chin thoughtfully. I hummed, keeping my thoughts to myself as her opponent selected his pokemon. ¡°Go Pidgeot!¡± I smirked, knowing how this would turn out. ¡°Trainers, fight!¡± Called the referee. Celia swept her arm forward. ¡°Gravity Mr Powers!¡± ¡°Puff!¡± called out the diminutive pokemon. Instantly the flying pokemon found themselves grounded as the weight of the world tugged the flying type down. ¡°Pidgeot! Get out of there with Quick Attack!¡± called the trainer as he tried to get his pokemon out of danger. Oddly enough, the Gravity seemed to have a lot more strength than I was used to seeing. Celia must have trained hard before the tournament. ¡°Poor choice,¡± Sabrina stated. Surge and I nodded while Erika leaned forward in interest as ¡®Mr Powers¡¯ charged forward. ¡°Give ¡®em a strong right!¡± Celia said, even though it was clear her pokemon already knew precisely what to do. Electricity arced out over the small ¡®normal¡¯ type pokemon¡¯s fist before it slammed home into the Pidgeot. The larger flying type was thrown back with a cry of its name. It rolled painfully a few times before skidding to a stop on its front. It gave a weak cry as it tried to rise before slumping to the earth unconscious. ¡°Pidgeot!?¡± Called the trainer in shock. I settled back in to watch Celia let loose. I hadn¡¯t bet as big on her as I had on myself with my ten million, but I felt pretty safe with the thousand I¡¯d laid out before the official tournament began. Now I got to watch her go to work. ¡°Pidgeot is unable to battle! The first match goes to Jigglypuff and Celia from Pewter City!¡± ¡°Yeah! Nice one Mr Powers!¡± I cheered. The Jigglypuff spun towards me and waved both his arms. ¡°Urgh! Let¡¯s see you try this on for size!¡± said her opponent before hurling out his next pokemon. From the light of the pokeball a bull pokemon formed up. The pokemon stomped its feet and snorted irritably. ¡°Oh! I remember this kid!¡± Surge said, pointing at Celia¡¯s opponent. ¡°Anything special?¡± I asked as I watched Celia. Her eyes flicked over the pokemon and I nodded to myself. Good, she was inspecting and evaluating as we¡¯d worked on. She wasn¡¯t getting distracted by the crowd. ¡°Kid¡¯s got a Blastoise, but he wasn''t one of Professor Oak¡¯s nominated trainers.¡± I gave the kid another look over before remembering who I¡¯m talking with. ¡°Did he try using a Blastoise at your gym?¡± Surge shook his head. ¡°Encountered him during a patrol fighting a Hypno that he caught. That Hypno was the pokemon he used against me. Did well enough, I guess. Reckon he must be trying to hide his little tricks, or he¡¯s caught enough ¡®strong¡¯ pokemon that he¡¯s forgotten where his real strength came from.¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah these pokemon and styles aren¡¯t something I remember¡­ What''s his starter pokemon?¡± ¡°Venonat. He got his pokemon from the Safari zone before applying for his license with the League,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°His name is Charles.¡± A memory of a very annoying fight rises up making me snap my fingers. ¡°Oh! I remember this kid now. He reminded me of Koga with his use of Poison Powder for most of his matches.¡± I glanced at Celia. ¡°He¡¯s actually already fought Celia before at the gym. It took him three runs of the gauntlet to get through her though.¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Surge said, ¡°Can¡¯t be that good. And damn if that doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s going into this with an edge!¡± ¡°What was he lacking back then?¡± Erika asked as she watched the Tauros charge at the Jigglypuff, only to have Jigglypuff bounce out of the way. I grinned as Erika relaxed at Jigglypuff¡¯s dodge. She might not be cheering but she obviously wanted the smaller pokemon to win. ¡°Nothing. It was more a fault of Celia¡¯s.¡± ¡°Her fault?¡± Erika said in confusion. She tilted her head. ¡°What was she doing wrong?¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t holding back like she was supposed to. Ended up using a Geodude that I own which is way stronger than most people expect to smack him around.¡± I leaned forward. ¡°Should be an interesting match, but Celia¡¯s going to win. She doesn¡¯t have me holding her back now against a three-badge challenge.¡± The match ended up being rather amusing. Jigglypuff continued to float around with little hops, his absurdly light body bouncing around with double jumps that would have done Mario proud. ¡°How is her pokemon doing that?¡± Erika asked. I opened my mouth only for Surge to beat me to it. ¡°She got it using Double Kick. He kicks off the ground for a better jump, then diverts with a kick in the air. It¡¯s something that Mr Powers can do with his lightweight.¡± When I raise an eyebrow he coughs. ¡°She beat the hell out of my Magneton with it after I lost my temper.¡± He pointed into the arena. ¡°Sort of like how that Tauros is, there.¡± And just as Surge had said, the Tauros, having charged forward with a variety of takedowns and skull bashes, hit nothing but air or slammed into the rocks that made up the field ¡°Tauros, get it together!¡± Shouted his trainer but it was obvious his pokemon wasn¡¯t listening. The bull pokemon¡¯s eyes had turned red and it lifted a hoof before slamming it into the ground to unleash an Earthquake. Mr Powers merely hopped once off the floor and then twice up to a rock. He landed just as the Earthquake stopped. Then he pulled down his eyelid and stuck his tongue out. Tauros bellowed its frustration before charging straight at Mr Powers. ¡°Ready¡­ ready¡­ now!¡± shouted Celia as the bull bore down on Mr Powers. At the last second, instead of hoping away, he leapt down under the Tauros. Tauros tried to slam his head after the pokemon only for Mr Powers to prove too fast as he hit the ground and bounced straight up into a rising kick. ¡°Finish it!!¡± screamed Celia as her pokemon performed and finished the Double Kick. The Tauros was launched up into the air before falling with a loud crash. Once more Mr Powers claimed the win, seemingly with one move. Surge gaped at the move before he leapt to his feet. ¡°YEEEEAAAAHHHH! THAT¡¯S WHAT I¡¯M TALKING ABOUT! GET SOME!¡± I grinned before looking over to Sabrina and Erika. ¡°I think Celia has a new fan.¡± Sabrina rolled her eyes. ¡°Is that so?¡± She watched Surge shoot Celia double thumbs up, which had Celia bowing like a lady. I waggled a hand at her being cheeky before tapping at her temple to remind her to keep her head in the game. She resumed her pose and stared across at her opponent. ¡°Give it to them Venomoth!¡± ¡°Ah, that is a good match-up,¡± I said. This got looks from everyone around me. ¡°A Venomoth versus Jigglypuff is a good matchup?¡± Erika asked with a tilt of her head. I nodded. Not willing to say anything from the stands, especially with how so many people were listening in but Jigglypuff¡¯s true typing was something I had spoken to Celia about. I could see her holding back a grimace at her opponent unknowingly countering her pokemon. ¡°Venomoth! Use Poison Powder!¡± ¡°Charge in and use Thunderpunch!¡± The angry marshmallow rocketed across the landscape, but it became instantly apparent that this was not going to be enough when he ran into the diffused cloud of poison and stumbled. ¡°Fly up and Toxic Spikes!¡± Ordered Charles. Purple spikes shot out and glowed ominously across the landscape before vanishing from sight. ¡°Puff!¡± Shouted Mr Powers as he glared up at the flying pokemon. Celia made a face before pointing to a nearby rock. ¡°Smash the rock and then kick it straight at ¡®em Mr Powers!¡± ¡°Puff!¡± The pokemon jumped into action and with one mighty kick broke up the landscape before spinning about and kicking the rock again to send it hurling upwards. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it, make the arena work for you!¡± I said clenching my fist and tracking the kicked rock. Sadly Venomoth saw it coming and duked out of the way. Celia repeated the move but Charles grew wise to her attacks. ¡°Venomoth! Use Double team and then keep filling the field with Toxic Spikes!¡± his pokemon blurred for a second before reappearing in multiple locations around the arena. Mr Powers glowered before grimacing as more of the poison already in his system took effect. Celia assessed the field before raising her hand. ¡°I withdraw Mr Powers from this fight!¡± She declared to the Judge. The man raised a flag. ¡°Ordered withdrawal. In this round, Jigglypuff will not be allowed to retake the field!¡± Celia nodded and returned him, much to his ire. I watched the tiny puffball shoot the Venomoth a hate-filled glare as it disappeared. ¡°That is one angry little man,¡± Surge observed. ¡°Nah, he just loves fighting,¡± I replied before leaning forward. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to see¡ª¡± ¡°Go Lizzie!¡± Celia whipped out a pokeball. The ground shook a little as a large form took to the stage. When Lizzie appeared, she threw back her head and screeched loudly before lifting her arms in a ready position. Her dull purple armour glinted with the sheen of a strong and healthy Nidoqueen. Her horn might be short but her arms and legs were thick with muscle, signalling she had a lot of muscle. Around her the Toxic Spikes lanced up only to be shrugged off with a dismissive snort. The crowd murmured appreciatively at the pokemon. As a ¡®Royal¡¯ pokemon it was still thought of highly to this day. ¡°Oh, she does know how to evolve her pokemon?¡± Surge said, sitting forward. ¡°How come she didn¡¯t evolve her Jigglypuff?¡± I hummed at that, giving the listening audience a quick glance. They were very much eavesdropping now as methods to evolve pokemon were not things handed out freely. ¡°She wants Mr Powers to keep his mobility. Wigglytuff¡¯s have a harder time jumping around like he does.¡± Surge merely grunted. In the arena, the flags dropped once more. Celia doesn¡¯t hesitate to go for the throat. ¡°Use Flamethrower!¡± ¡°Dodge behind some rocks, Venomoth!¡± Charles ordered. His pokemon narrowly dropped behind a rocky outcropping. ¡°Mega Punch!¡± Celia said pointing right at the rocks. Her Nidoqueen charged forward with her fist pulled back. ¡°Venomoth pop up and use Psybeam!¡± His pokemon flapped its wings once and was lifted right above the rock, a ball of oscillating energy forming up in front of it. ¡°Punch the ground and go into Dig! Flame out high!¡± ¡°Queen!¡± Shouted Lizzie as instead of charging into the beam she punched downward and flowed into the ground quickly. The Psybeam passed right over her tail, scouring the arena. Surge nudged me. ¡°What¡¯s ¡®flame out high¡¯ mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a surprise,¡± I said, ignoring him as he continued to prod me. He didn¡¯t even have to wait that long. A few seconds later Lizzie shot out of the ground with a jet of fire having dug down, turned around, and then pushed herself up. With her head pointed down she unleashed a torrent of flame to soar up. I grinned at the shocked expression Charles was showing while Celia settled into a feral smile. I saw Lizzie¡¯s shadow fall over the Venomoth and found myself applauding Celia. ¡°Nice, she got up high enough to have the sun in her opponent¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡°Flamethrower!¡± From Lizzie a wash of flame lanced out. ¡°Psybeam!¡± Ordered Charles. A beam of psychic energy was shot straight towards the sun but he must have been hoping for a lucky hit as instead the attack shot wide. Lizzie¡¯s flamethrower however hit dead on. A second after the flame cut out Lizzie landed with an earth-shaking thump. Across from her, Venomoth twitched on the ground before laying still. ¡°Venomoth is unable to battle! Nidoqueen and Celia win!¡± I rose up with the rest of the crowd, my hands slapping together in applause. ¡°NICE ONE CELIA!¡± I called out. She punched the air. ¡°Yeah, go us!¡± she exclaimed, much to the crowd¡¯s amusement. Then she hopped down to pat her pokemon before approaching Charles and shaking his hand for the good match. Charles shook his head at her as she beamed up at him. I continued to clap for her and, when she was done, she trotted toward me. ¡°How was that?¡± I gave her a thumbs up which made her bounce on the spot. Surge whooped at her while Erika clapped politely. Sabrina merely observed my sponsored trainer. ¡°Trainer Celia! Trainer Celia!¡± I looked to the side. While the reporters were barred from hassling us while we were seated, it seemed some clever ones had found another method to gain a scoop. Celia looked at me but I merely shrugged and gestured for her to do as she pleased. She trotted over to take the interview with Lizzie at her back. ¡°Kid¡¯s good, Brock. Think she¡¯ll go the whole way?¡± ¡°I¡¯m confident in her,¡± I nodded. Surge grunted before tilting his head. ¡°Gonna stick around for all of it?¡± ¡°No, another day at most then I¡¯ll head home.¡± ¡°Gotta get home to protect the nest eh?¡± ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t need to hover for her. She can succeed on her own.¡± ¡°Surprised you¡¯re not rushing back. Isn¡¯t this the first time you¡¯ve been away for more than a night?¡± Surge said while watching me for something. I shrugged. ¡°I do the occasional trip out into the wilds for patrols. So not really. Also, I have the grannies looking after things and if they don¡¯t cut it, I have Knight, Shelly and Shrek at home with Yolanda and Forrest.¡± ¡°You and naming your pokemon. I ever met Knight or Shrek?¡± Surge asked. Sabrina gained the smallest of smiles. ¡°Nope, I might hang onto them and surprise you one day though.¡± ¡°Feh! It¡¯ll take more than a nicknamed pokemon to surprise me!¡± Surge boasted. I nodded along, humouring him. Most of my attention was on Celia as she nodded or shook her head while the reporters asked her questions. Due to Surge asking me his own questions I¡¯d missed what she¡¯d been talking about. She shot me a thumbs up and I returned it. Erika leaned forward. ¡°When is her next match?¡± ¡°Another half-hour. So might as well stick around.¡± I was rather amused that the people around us perked up at that. They were certainly getting their pokedollars worth today. Chapter 22 - Meeting the Alpha Celia had two more matchups that day. In all of them, watching her was like watching a nature documentary on Ursaring in a pool of Magikarp. Her Wartortle came out for the second-round match and tore through all of his opposition, despite some type disadvantages. She then finished up her last match with Nidoqueen once more, leaving lots of people guessing about her team and what she still had up her sleeve. She claimed her advancement for the next round with three clean victories. As soon as that was announced she once more raced over to my section. Her gaze turned up and I could almost imagine her sparkling up in anticipation like a well-trained Growlithe asking for praise. With her ginger hair, she¡¯d actually match the Growlithe¡¯s natural look rather well. Surge gave her his double thumbs up once more but Celia only had eyes for me. ¡°Nicely done Celia. That was a great showing.¡± With my praise given, Celia bounced from foot to foot and giggled in glee. I chuckled at her antics. I turned to my fellow gym leaders. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to have to have a meeting with my trainer. Ladies and gent¡­ well, Surge.¡± Surge gave me a sneer. ¡°Damn straight I ain¡¯t no gentleman! I work for a living!¡± I rolled my eyes at him before nodding my head toward Erika and Sabrina. Sabrina inclined her head before standing. ¡°I shall also depart. Today was¡­ agreeable.¡± She then vanished in a flash. ¡°Is that bad?¡± Erika asked aloud, her eyes locked at where Sabrina had been. Considering Sabrina? ¡°Oh, that was you and her becoming close friends. Have to say I¡¯m impressed. I think she likes you, Erika.¡± Erika sat up at that while Surge sniffed. ¡°You¡¯re still third to Brock and me!¡± he mumbled. Erika blinked at him before looking past him to see me shaking my head and mouthing. ¡®No way! She liked you better!¡¯ Erika turned her head and muffled her giggles into her sleeve. Surge let his head lull to the side, giving me a stink eye, but little else. I tossed a wave over my shoulder and made my way out the front of the arena. ¡°Gym Leader Brock!¡± A few people noticed me and I soon had a crowd around me asking for advice or asking if I had seen their matches. I honestly couldn¡¯t say yes to most of them but there were a few standouts. ¡°Impressive work with your Jynx. I¡¯m surprised to see such a pokemon here today. How¡¯d you find it?¡± The trainer blushed and ducked her head. ¡°I took some time to surf around some Seafoam islands. Got really lost and ended up in northern Sevii.¡± This got a round of chuckles before a few trainers were shoved aside only for Celia to shoot through. ¡°Brock! Let¡¯s go!¡± She grabbed my arm and tugged me off before anyone could react. I eyed the trainers that had been basically shunted to the side. A few of them weren¡¯t sure of how they ended up on the ground and there was a general air of shock at the abrupt theft of the large group¡¯s focal point. ¡°That was a bit rough, Celia,¡± I said to the small girl. She peered up at me. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± I merely shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. So where¡¯d you want to go for your victory celebration?¡± ¡°Ice cream!¡± she said right as a cold wind blew in from Mt. Silver. ¡°Alright, ice cream in autumn, why not?¡± ¡°I want a super¡ª¡± It was moments like this when Celia acted her age, instead of trying to be extra mature. But then again that was normal for a thirteen-year-old. I nodded along with her. When I¡¯d been her age¡­ in both lives actually I¡¯d tried to act older. Somehow being a sixteen year old gym leader it wasn¡¯t that I was sixteen but that I was a gym leader that people paid attention to. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of ice cream,¡± I said diplomatically. ¡°I can share it if I need to!¡± She grinned up at me hopefully. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll buy it for you and your team.¡± She responded by pouting at me and I raised a brow at her. ¡°What, did you want to pay for it?¡± She shook her head at me before leading me by the arm into the ice cream shop. At the shop, an older woman with glasses smiled in our direction. She must have been nearly blind with how thick her glasses were. They made her eyes huge things that blinked slowly at us as we approached. ¡°Well hello dearies! Do you two want to share a sundae?¡± She said in greeting. ¡°Yes!¡± said Celia. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you lucky that your older brother is lookin¡¯ after you dearie!¡± replied the old woman. Celia twitched and I thought for a moment I heard the sound of glass breaking. She slumped and grumbled to herself but was quick to rouse when I pointed to the list above the ice cream. ¡°You want peanuts?¡± ¡°I want an ¡®everything¡¯ sundae!¡± she declared, her mood whiplashing back to being peppy. The woman behind the counter went into action, and I was rather surprised to find her becoming a whirlwind of ice cream, condiments and serving spoons. Within a minute I was staring at an ice cream monstrosity that was more of a small hill than anything I could deem as dessert. Celia¡¯s eyes glinted when the older woman handed her a giant spoon. ¡°There you go dearie!¡± I stared at the woman who had just handed over so much ice cream to a teenager. The older part of my soul that had been an adult despaired as the woman gained her own glint. ¡°That will be two hundred and eighty poke dollars!¡± I opened up my wallet before pausing as I considered how things were playing out. ¡°Are you going to share with me?¡± I asked Celia as she staggered away with her prize. ¡°Nope! Thanks, Big Brother!¡± she said from the other side of the ice cream. I turned back and looked over the menu.
A few minutes later saw me eating a double scoop out the front of the shop. People walked past and gawked openly, for once ignoring me as Celia carved a sizable chunk into her now much smaller hill of ice cream. I contented myself with my cookies ¡®n cream, oranberry with a dusting of chocolate flavours mixed in. I nibbled at my cone and waited. It should be any second now. Noises of my small companion working furiously filled the air. I could just imagine her trying to reject the looming truth. I continued to wait. Another minute of eating ensued and Celia slowed down before groaning in pain. She clenched her spoon before shivering and clutching her head. Only then did Celia wilt in defeat. ¡°I can¡¯t eat all of this,¡± she murmured. ¡°We''ll share it with your team,¡± I said reasonably, lancing out with a spoon I had claimed from the clerk just for this moment. Celia nodded her head, happier with that idea. A second later pokeballs popped open around us. From within them, a Wartortle, Jigglypuff, Nidoqueen, Phanpy, Graveller, and a Ninetails. I glanced to the side and watched a few trainers perk up at Celia¡¯s reveal. I shot her a smirk. I knew for a fact that Phanpy wasn¡¯t ready for battling yet, and Ninetails was more pet than battler. If I could ever get Celia to try her hand at Contests, I knew that the fox pokemon would take to it like a Magikarp to water. As we ate I broached the conversation that I needed to have. ¡°So, now that I¡¯ve beaten Lance and you¡¯re well and truly on your way, I¡¯m heading home.¡± ¡°What?! But! Couldn¡¯t you stick around for longer?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Celia, you don¡¯t need me here. I can¡¯t always be there for your tournaments. This is just like the mini-tournaments that we had. Now you just need to put your best foot forward.¡± ¡°If¡­ if I make the finals will you come back and watch?¡± I sat back and considered that before nodding slowly. ¡°Sure thing, you¡¯ve got four days'' worth of battling to get through for that. I should be able to get some grannies lined up for the finals.¡± When I looked up Celia had her fist clenched around her spoon. ¡°We¡¯re going all the way!¡± She then rounded on her team. ¡°Did you hear me team! ALL! THE! WAY!¡± She then spun around and lanced a finger right at me. ¡°And then you¡¯ll be there!¡± I nodded along, happy to see her motivated instead of moping. She took a huge spoonful of ice cream to celebrate her gaining my agreement. She swallowed and I grinned as she clutched her head. ¡°Urgh!¡± I just laughed before heading for the hotel for my last night away from home. I had to admit to being surprised when I was left alone for the first time in a long while. I fell asleep and woke up at the usual pre-dawn time. I sat up and listened for any intruders. There was no one. No Surge, no Sabrina, no Erika. No little siblings needing something done. I lay back down. I¡¯d had six hours of sleep¡­ and for once¡­ I could have more if I wanted. I sat up and surveyed the room. Waiting for someone to take the moment away. Part of me fully expected it to happen. I lay back down slowly. I stretched and wormed around in bed. I sat up a little and glanced around before laying back down and shutting my eyes. I¡¯ll just shut my eyes and someone will¡­ I woke up two hours later, confused and feeling like I¡¯d stolen something. I got to sleep in. I sat up and crept out of bed. No one was waiting for me. Not even Celia. I¡¯d said goodbye to her last night and now I had the entire day to myself before returning home. I checked the amenities and found a basic cereal that I could make up before plopping myself down in front of the tv. Instead of turning on some more pokemon battles on the battlecast channel I flicked through the channels until I found the cartoons. There was a strange new show about a Furret as a samurai that reminded me of another show that I¡¯d loved in my past life. I settled in and watched it mindlessly, enjoying the rare quiet moment I had to myself. If this kept up I¡¯d have to think about getting a massage or something crazy. I snorted into my tea at that thought. As if. I checked my transceiver and sighed to myself. There were already a few messages asking when I¡¯d be back, and one from Surge asking to meet up. I messaged them all back before sending another off to Sabrina to check in. She replied back quickly. ¡®Tired from yesterday. The crowds were tough. It was nice.¡¯ I tapped my chin, considering her words. She was getting much better. It seemed like she was doing it much faster of late as well. It also seemed like it was tiring her out a lot more than it normally would. I¡¯d send her another message later when I was home. Instead of heading straight home I decided to do something I had been meaning to do for a while. So I packed my gear up and checked out. When I walked towards the door I saw a small crowd of reporters waiting for me. I turned and looked straight at the bellboy who startled before hurrying away to escape my ire. Sadly, the reporters weren¡¯t going to be so easily scared off. So I exhaled my dark mood and marched out to meet them. ¡°Brock! Rumour has it that you¡¯re leaving the Plateau today? Any credence to these rumours?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve spent more than enough time watching the new up and comers. I¡¯m proud of everything they¡¯re showing and I think they have a bright future ahead of them, no matter their showing this year. This year has been a tough one to take part in, with a lot of quality trainers and pokemon making appearances.¡± There, that sounded good didn¡¯t it? ¡°Do you feel you don¡¯t need to stick around because you think your Gym¡¯s sponsored trainer is guaranteed the win?¡± ¡°Guaranteed wouldn¡¯t be the words I would use. I believe she has a strong chance. She¡¯s impressed me a lot with her use of strategies that I both have, and haven¡¯t, taught her. It¡¯s great to see her growth.¡± ¡°And what of the other trainers you¡¯ve worked with that are performing strongly this year?¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I tilted my head, a bit caught off guard. ¡°Other trainers? I¡¯ve only worked with Celia in this tournament. The only other sponsored trainer of my gym is currently doing a circuit of the Sevii islands after making an attempt at the Orange Islands circuit.¡± Jackson had done well, reaching the quarterfinals before being beaten by an eventual finalist but that was neither here nor there for this question. ¡°So the success of the Pewter trainers isn¡¯t something you¡¯ll claim?¡± ¡°I have a hand in working with most youngsters these days with the gym¡¯s outreach program along with having school outings to the gym.¡± I shook my head, however, ¡°This wouldn¡¯t be anything that would have affected these trainers. Most of the kids that have been a part of this program are at least another year away from going on their journey.¡± I searched the reporters before settling on the man that had asked the question. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re referring to with the Pewter city trainers¡¯ success.¡± It was a bit of a turn to ask them for information but I knew they¡¯d like to have my ¡®reaction¡¯ on camera. ¡°Pewter trainers so far have boasted an eighty percent win ratio with at least five of them advancing to the next round out of the nine that entered the tournament. The other four of whom had to fight other representatives of Pewter for placement.¡± I whistled. ¡°Wow, go Pewter City!¡± I said loud enough that the mics would have had no trouble hearing it. It was impressive to hear as with the large number of trainers there was little doubt that they¡¯d have to really shine. I thought back to when I¡¯d met Celia coming out of the tunnels. ¡°I think a lot of this is on the trainers themselves. When they came to the Plateau, they came together and have really meshed as a group. I think this has helped bolster them as young trainers and people both. I¡¯m proud they¡¯ve done this, but it is not something I had a hand in creating.¡± ¡°Would you say your exhibition match against Lance might have inspired them?¡± I laughed and rubbed the back of my head. ¡°Haha! Well my team and I gave it our all so I hope others can take something away from that. It really depends on the individuals and their teams though. I can¡¯t deny it might have helped, but by how much? Who¡¯s to say?¡± I then gestured to the side, indicating that I was done with this interview. More of them called out to me but I ignored them as I strode away. With my hotel room packed, and goodbyes said I didn¡¯t have any need to stick around. I plucked a pokeball off my belt. ¡°Go Zephyr!¡± a gust of wind swept through the sidewalk and a few people shouted in surprise. I grinned as a much larger than normal Noctowl swept his wings another few times before settling down. His head spun around in the way that only an owl¡¯s neck could, blinking at me. ¡°Owl?¡± He said. I nodded. He crouched down further allowing me to clamber up and grab onto the harness that he wore whenever I called him out. Noctowl was one of the pokemon I¡¯d gotten early in my journey but he¡¯d slowly shifted from fighter to transport as I went around. I¡¯d been surprised when he¡¯d continued to grow beyond the norm of a meter fifty. He¡¯d eventually settled in at two-thirty, which enabled him to easily lift me. He didn¡¯t have the speed of Fearow or Pidgeot, the two most common pokemon to see trainers soaring through the air, but he certainly was fast enough for me. The only pokemon that allowed me to move quicker was using Selene to teleport around but she usually could only do a handful of teleports a day before resting for at least as long if I was trying for distance. ¡°Let¡¯s soar boy!¡± Zephyr hooted once before crouching low. Then he hopped while sweeping his wings down harshly causing another wave of air to rush out. I grinned when one girl performed the classic Marilyn Monroe pose. Another few beats of Zephyr¡¯s wings saw us rising up and away. However, instead of flying east we moved west. Towards Mt Silver. There was an old friend I needed to meet, and it felt right to go now. I couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on why that was but it simply was. It had been a long time since I¡¯d trekked my way into the nature preserve known as Mt. Silver. They called it a preserve, but the truth was that Mt. Silver and the Range that raced away northward were lands that were considered untameable without the efforts of hundreds of pokemon trainers descending and marching forth. It was a wild, dangerous place. It certainly hadn¡¯t been a place for a child, one that was far too cocky for his own good, to wander into with nothing to back him up. When I first came into this world, I had been unsure of a lot of things. The arrival had been strange and left me wondering where I stood in the natural order of everything. I had started at home in the original Pewter City Gym with my father. Heck, even Lola had still been around, pregnant as she was with the twins. Shortly after my arrival, there was an excursion by the gyl to the bottom of the range. Something I couldn¡¯t protest or fake sick on as Flint and Lola had been adamant on having me attend. And so I had found myself, as a young Brock, within throwing distance of what I knew to be home to some of the most powerful Rock types in the world. I was barely a week into this life and still highly uncertain what was going on. I¡¯d decided to do something insanely stupid. It¡¯s strange how sometimes the stupidest things you can do have the greatest payoff. I¡¯d always been rather cautious in my previous life. I¡¯d even worked out that, due to how much I drove, it wasn¡¯t a matter of if but when I had a car accident despite my caution. Finding oneself ¡®inserted¡¯ into a young Brock had been too surreal and for that week I had gone through the motions before deciding to dare to reach. And so, I¡¯d wandered straight into the preserve despite all the written and verbal warnings. I¡¯d sparked a few search parties and a very distressed Flint had been called only to arrive in time for me to return, scratched up, hungry, and cold, but with a young Titan in my arms. Zephyr flew west. He flew over land that I¡¯d hiked once and since returned to everytime upon his back. His head locked onto a peak close to the infamous ¡®Mt. Silver¡¯ but not the famous site where one would find the final hidden boss of the Gold or Silver games. That lay higher still and was usually not visible due to cloud cover.The Mt. Silver region wasn¡¯t a single mountain like in the game and it wasn¡¯t a site that was awarded to those that had passed through the League. Instead it was a free reserve where powerful pokemon wandered. That still made it an area people tried to get into, but more people entered it each year than came out. The peak I was aiming at was actually rather flat and had a hidden spring of water, making it the ideal resting place for certain pokemon. We received more than a few challenging snarls, howls and wails as we flew but Zephyr was able to direct a look that conveyed how beneath us those particular challenges were. When this only inspired more challengers I happily unsealed Don. ¡°Don! Intercept duty!¡± He screeched at being let loose before plummeting at an Ursaring that was even now charging up a Hyper Beam. Don swept in and raked him with his claws before spinning tightly about to snap his jaw closed around the bear¡¯s neck. I watched him, ready to call him away if he went further than he needed to as the Ursaring rolled harshly and got Don off his neck. Then he made a show of snarling at Don only to turn and run. Don flapped his wings and screeched loudly to announce his victory. I whistled to call him up. He rose eagerly to face the next challenger. Some rocks and water were hurled our way but they either missed or Zephyr diverted them with a casual use of psychic energy. Don descended on the pokemon that dared attack us with glee. As we closed in, Zephyr hooted loudly and some of the attacks that we¡¯d been facing died away. Either Don mangling all challengers or Zephyr¡¯s pronouncement of who we were here to see did the trick and we were able to soar into our destination. I chuckled at the thought, rubbing Zephyr''s head in gratitude as he alighted on the top of the peak. I¡¯d only come here once in truth, when I¡¯d finished the Orange and Sevii islands. Then, as now, I¡¯d come after completing a significant challenge for myself and the team. Today¡¯s milestone would be more significant with Titan¡¯s victory over Lance¡¯s Dragonite. I pulled Titan¡¯s greatball out. He appeared with a flash of red light before looking around. His stance morphed from wary to relaxed instantly. He eyed some old boulders and the trees with interest before opening his mouth. When he roared he did so in greeting rather than challenge. ¡°Tyyyyyyyyy! Tyran!¡± His call echoed and the cries of other pokemon throughout the wilderness died off at the call of the alpha pokemon. He called again. I hummed in thought continuing to rub at Zephyr¡¯s head, the Noctowl unconcerned with what was going on as his teammate called into the wilderness. That changed when something called back. Zephyr¡¯s head snapped up at the bellow that shook the forest. Titan only grinned harder before tilting his head back and matching it. Zephyr eyed Titan before huffing and nudging me for more scratches. I chuckled even as trees began to be pushed out of the way leading up one side of the peak. We all watched as a path was cleared up to us. The earth trembled like a giant was stomping its feet, feet that slowly picked up cadence and power the closer it came. Then a huge shape burst through the trees causing branches to splinter and break as another Tyranitar emerged. While it had been in the trees it had been tough to judge its height due to the hardy nature of the vegetation on Mt. Silver. But as it emerged it was clear that this Tyranitar was tall, taller than Titan by at least a head which made it stand twice my height. It sported large scars all across its front and sides that spoke of the battles it had endured to grow as it had. I grinned as it eyed us briefly before turning to Titan. It tilted its head before stepping forward cautiously, its nose twitching. It was strange to see such timidness from the pseudo-legendary, but it was only matched when Titan stepped forward just as carefully. His own nose sampling the air with tentative twitches. He moved forward glacially, while each step had weight to it. The large pokemon moved now with care, each step was slow and carefully placed. Like he might break the other pokemon if he wasn¡¯t careful, or they might react poorly. I watched, trying to make it look like I was unaffected even as my heart hammered in my chest. Instinct wasn¡¯t an easy thing to overcome and having such a powerful pokemon walk up to me was rather frightening even though I had sought this out. Titan and the other Tyranitar sniffed each other. Then they crooned at each other before finally nuzzling into the others¡¯ neck. If I didn''t know better I would have thought they were lost loves. I remained quiet as both pokemon slowly wrapped each other into a hug. Then they crooned to each other. A touching moment that one wouldn¡¯t expect to see in the wilds of Mt. Silver. I cursed my lack of camera but then realised that it would have ruined it. I resolved to simply lean back and enjoy the moment. This wasn¡¯t for me but for Titan. I merely had the good fortune of being able to witness it. Small moments like this are more important than most really consider. It made me think of my own welcome for when I''d get home. I felt a warmth building in my chest as I realized I¡¯d probably made the right call stating I wasn¡¯t going to make a challenge for the Championship. Funny how I was learning that from my pokemon. Titan¡¯s mother cracked an eye and looked at me. It had been years since we¡¯d last seen each other. She¡¯d been an enraged pokemon that had been chasing a poacher, and I¡¯d been new to this world. I¡¯d encountered Titan as an egg fallen off their truck and had hatched him with my own body heat. I¡¯d offered him back to her, but then I¡¯d gone a step further. At the time I couldn¡¯t really claim to be thinking of anything or perhaps the truth was I hadn¡¯t been thinking of all. And so I¡¯d asked if I could be his partner. I vowed then and there to make him strong. As strong as I could, to reach for heights he¡¯d never be able to achieve and see sights he¡¯d never have a chance with for anyone else. She¡¯d stood over me that day and I¡¯d felt terror the likes of which I¡¯d never thought to experience in both my lives. She¡¯d loomed like a mountain over a small village. The threat of an avalanche crushing it ever-present. The difference being that this mountain had teeth and claws that were in no way metaphorical. For long, long minutes she¡¯d merely observed me. And then she agreed. It had been nothing more than a slow nod but when a pokemon like her nods, it has weight. And so I¡¯d gained my starter in Titan as a young Larvitar. I¡­ hadn¡¯t been expecting so much back then. It had been a long road. I grinned. I still had a ways more to go but sometimes the best parts were stopping with friends. This time it was with an old friend. ¡°Hey there, remember me? I wanted to come to tell you how your son has done. He just beat the strongest Dragonite in the world the other day!¡± Titan¡¯s Mum cocked her head before giving her son another look over and sniffing before tilting her head in a disbelieving fashion. It was as if she was saying ¡®really? This son of mine? I don¡¯t believe you¡¯. Titan warbled at her in annoyance and she huffed before gesturing to me to tell my tale. And so I began to tell her all about the things her son had done since we¡¯d last seen each other. It took a few hours but it was worth it. By the end she had a proud look in her eyes when she looked at her son. Eventually, she turned back to me. At some point, she¡¯d sat down to listen. Now, she stood and walked towards me. She still towered over me. My heart still beat like it had back then. I wasn¡¯t as small as back then, and I liked to think I was stronger in a lot of ways, but having her assess me was still nerve-wracking. She bowed her head stiffly. I blinked before matching her. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said back hoarsely. ¡°I can¡¯t think of a better pokemon to be my companion and friend. Thank you for letting Titan journey with me.¡± She crooned back at me and I laughed. I looked to Titan. ¡°You¡¯re among the strongest, buddy, you ready for what¡¯ll be coming our way next?¡± For a moment I considered asking if he still wanted to be my partner. A greedy part of me denied my voice while another urged me to at least offer. Titan was my friend after all, not some mere pet. One of the first friends I¡¯d made upon awakening in this world. I¡¯d hated it when Ash did it in the anime, but I felt I had to do it, in case it was what he wanted. Titan huffed and merely walked up to me before giving me a hug, knowing how my thoughts had run away from me. He held me for a moment before relaxing his grip. Then he leaned over me and breathed heavily on me before tapping his Great ball with a claw. My face hurt from the smile that quickly grew. He really was the best friend I could ever ask for. Titan¡¯s mum huffed at me before stepping up to me once again. She huffed on me like her son had done before pointing at the ground. ¡°Tyranitar!¡± She pointed empathically down. ¡°You want me to wait here?¡± She nodded her head. And so I waited as she stalked off. It took a while, the sun slowly crawling further and further across the sky with me simply sitting and waiting on the peak, but she eventually returned. I blinked when I saw what she was carrying. She came back with an egg. ¡°That¡¯s? Ummm, I don¡¯t think I should take another egg!? I¡ª¡± She growled before leaning in and sniffing me. She pointed at her egg and then at me before sniffing pointedly. ¡°You can smell¡­ something about me?¡± She leaned down and made a gesture that seemed to imply ¡®small¡¯. ¡°My siblings?¡± She nodded again then pushed the egg into my hands, nodding once before she turned to walk away. I was rather stunned at this but bowed at her retreating back. ¡°Thank you for your trust!¡± She didn¡¯t answer, merely stalking out of the clearing without a backward glance. Zephyr nudged me and nodded before turning myself towards home. I climbed atop him more carefully now, a pokemon egg in my grasp. I wiped my face down before coughing out the tightness in my throat. ¡°Let¡¯s go home Zephyr!¡± ¡°Noctowl!¡± he cheered before leaping skyward and homeward bound. We soared back to the east. I vaguely noticed that we faced no challengers on the way out, something that might have had something to do with the roars from Titan and his mother making pokemon huddle down lest they draw attention to themselves. I felt something relax within me even as I held onto the egg she¡¯d given to me tightly. I was honestly touched by the act and would have to ready one of my siblings for caring for a Larvitar. I was actually finding myself rather looking forward to it as it would mean I¡¯d get to spend more time with them and teach them little things I¡¯d learnt myself from my time raising Titan. The plateau passed far beneath us as Zephyr caught a tailwind boosting his speed further. Half an hour later, I could see my family¡¯s home. Zephyr landed to the side where our family home entrance was located behind a tall fence with thick hedges that offered privacy. I lamented the fact that even with the clear signage of private property and owned pokemon, trainers still tried to walk in for a host of reasons. I detached the harness from Zephyr, allowing him to fly to a nearby peak that he shared with Don, then I opened the door. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m home!¡± I called. Instantly an avalanche of thumping running feet sounded out from around the house. ¡°Suzie! You come back here with that!¡± ¡°Brock! Tommy¡¯s being mean to me!¡± I huffed in amusement as the family drama had obviously continued without my being here. I wasn¡¯t sure why I expected anything else. Chapter 23 - Returning home ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Big Bro!¡± ¡°Brother!¡± One after another, the rest of the family piled in. ¡°Timmy, Billy, Tilly, Cindy, Yolanda!¡± I replied in turn. My hands went up over my head so the egg that I was carrying didn¡¯t get crushed as small bodies impacted me. Like a Growlithe with a treat in sight, their heads tracked the object. They gasped as one. ¡°IS THAT?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pokemon egg. I got it from a friend and was rather surprised, but they told me I could give it to one of my siblings.¡± They squealed in glee. ¡°What is it!?¡± I grinned at them before looking around. I turned to Yolanda. ¡°Where¡¯s Forrest?¡± Something flickered in her eyes for a second and I worried something had happened before she gave me a smile that didn¡¯t look right for some reason. ¡°He¡¯s in the gym, I¡¯ll go grab him.¡± She ran off quickly. Had I said something wrong? ¡°Brock! What sort of pokemon egg is it?¡± Salvadore asked. He approached with a notepad in hand, already busy sketching the pokemon egg onto paper. I smiled and winked. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until everyone¡¯s here first.¡± I led them into the lounge room and claimed a spot in the middle, keeping the egg in my lap. My siblings crawled over the back of the cough and crowded in on me. Tilly reached out and I watched her carefully stroke the egg. ¡°That¡¯s good. You have to be careful with it, Tilly. Eggs are delicate.¡± Her actions emboldened the rest of my siblings to reach out and touch it. Slowly, more and more of the family came in until finally Forrest was led in by Yolanda. ¡°Hey big bro, congra¡ª¡± He stopped when he saw the egg. ¡°Is that an egg?!¡± I snorted at the obvious answer. Instead of firing off something obnoxiously sarcastic I nodded. ¡°Yeah. I got this from Titan¡¯s mother. This egg will be one of his siblings.¡± ¡°Oh wow,¡± Forrest said quietly. I nodded my head before raising it out to him. ¡°Forrest, I want to offer you the chance to have this pokemon.¡± I watched him as he blinked and blanched. ¡°Do¡­ you not want it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t! I mean I do but I¡­¡± He trailed off and sighed before shaking his head. ¡°I mean I want a pokemon as strong as Titan but¡­ an egg?¡± I frowned. ¡°I know it¡¯ll take a long time to hatch. It doesn¡¯t yet have the minor tremors to indicate it¡¯s out of the first stage, sure. And a pseudo legendary egg will take longer than pretty much any other pokemon to get up to their true potential peak, but the pay off with pokemon like Titan outweighs the wait a hundredfold.¡± I offered him the egg. ¡°Trust me on this, I know.¡± Forrest took the egg awkwardly and shifted from foot to foot. ¡°...Thanks Brock.¡± Yolanda shifted next to him before stepping closer. Forrest glanced to her, momentarily taking his attention off the egg. Right as he did this his grip shifted enough to have the egg wobble. I tensed and began to throw myself across the ground to catch it. Images of it shattering like a mere Doduo egg for breakfast filled my mind before horror even had a chance to set in. Yolanda must have sensed the problem before I saw it as she whipped her hands out and snatched it from Forrest, leaving him gaping. He never had the option of even doing more than twitching wrong before Yolanda had it in her arms. I had already committed to the action though and had to bite back a curse as I landed on the floor belly first only to skid forward, knocking Forrest off his feet as I careened forward. Yolanda skipped backwards with the egg held firmly in hand. Forrest lay on top of me groaning as I tried to work out what had just happened. I glanced at the floor spotting my own reflection on it. I replayed the moment in my mind and wondered how I had skidded so far before inspecting the glistening floor closer. ¡°Oh?! You guys mopped the floors without me reminding you!¡± I grinned at them before looking at Yolanda who was now carefully holding the egg to her midsection. ¡°Good save Yolanda!¡± She gave me a tremulous smile as I rolled onto my feet and stood. Forrest thumped onto the ground and squawked before he scrambled up to his feet. I gave him a sheepish smile. ¡°Sorry about wiping you out like that. Leapt before I could stop myself, little bro, you scared me. You need to have a more careful grip and never let the chance of slipping them come up.¡± ¡°Yeah well, I had it.¡± He coughed and thanked Yolanda as well. Then he held his hands out. Yolanda eyed him dubiously. ¡°Brock was right. You were holding it wrong¡­ Here, hold it like this in the future.¡± Yolanda, I noted, looked extremely conflicted as she handed over the egg to Forrest. I felt my stomach twist as realisation set in. I hadn¡¯t had the chance to get anything else. The offer had been a surprise to me but now it created an issue in that I¡¯d accidentally snubbed everyone else by having a gift for only one of them ready upon my return home. I had already decided to do something for the family as a whole, but perhaps I should also consider giving something more personalised to Yolanda. She did a lot and deserved recognition. I clapped my hands together to try and drag everyone out of a depressive funk, my younger siblings mimicked me before continuing to clap like I¡¯d started a game. I chuckled. Alright, maybe I was just projecting my mood. ¡°Alright! Forrest getting this egg was a surprise even for me! That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not going to do something for everyone else though! So let¡¯s find a way to celebrate by having some food and you can all start telling me your thoughts¡ª¡± ''''THE CAKE!¡± gasped Suzie as her eyes widened. Then she snapped to look at me. She slapped her hands over her mouth as if that¡¯d stop me from hearing what she¡¯d said. ¡°Yeah! Cake!¡± Tilly and Billy cheered ignorant that this was obviously supposed to be a secret. I bit my lips to hold in my laughter. Cindy sighed while Salvadore tilted his head in thought. Salvadore tapped his lip with his pencil. ¡°Hey¡­ did anyone cover the cake before we all came into the lounge room?¡± I blinked at that before remembering that we¡¯d recently added a new pokemon to the ¡®family¡¯. It took the family a bit to register what he meant. Yolanda hadn¡¯t heard due to triple-checking that Forrest had a proper hold on the egg. ¡°I got it Yolanda! Leave me alone.¡± he muttered at her; she ignored him. Cindy and Tommy understood what Salvadore was talking about first. They turned together and sprinted towards the kitchen. ¡°Munchlax! No!¡± This time I couldn¡¯t stop the snort of laughter that escaped my lips. I laughed harder when a dramatic wail echoed from the kitchen followed by a content-sounding ¡°Munch¡­laaaaax!¡± I followed the others in and found the destroyed remains of a large cake on the island. In a corner, slumped against the cabinets, with frosting smeared over his lips, Munchlax lay. Tommy and Cindy stood over him berating him but he looked far too content to be bothered by their words. When Tommy raised a fist as if to strike at Munchlax I cleared my throat pointedly. ¡°No hitting Tommy. Munchlax didn¡¯t understand that he couldn¡¯t have the cake now. You can tell him what he did was wrong but you can¡¯t do something wrong yourself. And why is that?¡± I said with my best ¡®big brother¡¯ voice. ¡°Cause two wrongs don¡¯t make anything right¡­¡± He muttered before shaking a finger at Munchlax who did now look a little ashamed of eating the cake. Yolanda walked in and swept her gaze over the scene. Yolanda merely giggled before clapping her hands. ¡°Alright, everyone! It¡¯s fine! We¡¯ll just make another cake! A better one!¡± This got the girls to cheer while the boys groaned. Yolanda smiled at them fixedly. ¡°That means we need the bowls cleaned right now!¡± I eyed the bowls that had been left in the sink. ¡°Were those supposed to be a welcome back surprise as well?¡± This got them to trade some embarrassed looks before they set to work. I tagged Forrest to come along with me to get a proper egg carrier and incubator first though, before we got distracted. The gym had a few as it wasn¡¯t rare to find one of the pokemon huddling up on an egg occasionally. It wasn¡¯t something we promoted however and most of the pokemon were fed a mix that rendered their chances of making an egg much lower. I led Forrest into an area that served as the medical bay for emergencies at the gym. In a locked cupboard I drew out the durable glass incubator and showed it to him. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± he said. I smirked at him, picked it up and hurled it straight at the ground. ¡°Woah what are you¡ª¡± the incubator hit the ground and wobbled slightly. It didn¡¯t bounce and it didn¡¯t shatter. ¡°What the?¡± ¡°Forrest, I wasn¡¯t going to buy some cheap incubators for the gym.¡± I picked it up and gave it a quick polish. ¡°These beauties are expensive but they are redundant as anything. You can plug them into a computer and have it scan the egg, calibrate an optimal temperature, register the Egg¡¯s current health, protect the egg, and it can also be tracked if you happen to lose it.¡± Forrest leaned closer. ¡°It just looks like a glass display case over a slab of metal?¡± ¡°And most good backpacks just look like backpacks,¡± I replied. Forrest gave me a confused look. I shrugged. I didn¡¯t expect him to understand but, then again, you had to live another life where expansion technology wasn¡¯t standard. While they hadn¡¯t yet gotten it to the stage of improving housing for people, they had been able to make a two-foot box fit as much as a small storage container recently. The first corporations to crack the housing issue were set to become the big megacorporation. Silph Co, Devon, Poketech, and more, were all heavily invested in solving this. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if ten million pokedollars was a drop in the ocean compared to the funds they poured into R&D around that particular issue. I opened the case, grabbing a soft brown pillow literally designed for this before I settled the egg atop it and sealed it back up. ¡°There you go, keep it close so it can get used to your voice. That way it will imprint on you easier and follow your orders without too much hassle to start with.¡± ¡°To start with?!¡± Forrest said. ¡°Well, I mean, it¡¯s going to possibly one day be a Tyranitar. By then you¡¯ll need to be ready to handle a strong pokemon by already having its respect or else you¡¯ll have a huge problem. Best to work on it early, imprinting while it''s still in the egg.¡± Forrest nodded dubiously, eyeing the container. I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this will be a walk in the park. I¡¯ll show you some tricks and walk you through the whole way, it¡¯ll be great!¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°I guess.¡± I raised an eyebrow at his lacklustre response. ¡°Thanks Brock.¡± I decided to merely nod before leading him out. Before I left, I looked over the room. It wasn¡¯t all that effective without some highly trained people, or rather pokemon, to man it. I had rows and rows of antidotes, potions, revives, gauze and more. All of that was a stop-gap measure compared to a dedicated, specialised pokemon. I¡¯d never be able to get a nurse¡­ but a pokemon? That was more doable. I decided I¡¯d bite the bullet and buy a Chansey if one came up for auction. When we came back to the kitchen I was pleased to see everyone busily working, either cleaning or engaged in some aspect of the cooking. I patted Yolanda on the head before pointing towards my office. ¡°I¡¯ll make some calls then be back out, alright?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± She said leaning into my hand and smiling up at me. I gave her a quick hug and left her to it. I entered my office and sighed when I spotted a frankly intimidating tower of mail sitting in my inbox. I clicked my teeth together before deciding to run awa¡ª check something else first. Turning on my computer and booting up the email revealed a slew of more mail except this time in digital form. I sighed and set to work, either reading and ignoring, briefly deleting, reading and replying, or reading and setting aside as something to deal with later. Most of the mail, both physical and digital, was congratulations for beating Lance. ¡°Dear Brock, congratulations on your¡­¡± I read through a lot of mail that started in that vein before rambling on. A lot of the letters were fan mail. Some, though, were a bit more interesting. ¡°Dear Brock, congratulations on your victory. We at Silph Co. are interested in having you as the face of our new hiking attire. We¡¯d love to¡­¡± I created a new folder and named it ¡®Sponsor Deals¡¯ before flicking the email into that. I¡¯d need to hire myself a¡­ What had Sabrina called it? A Media Officer, before I dealt with this. It felt weird for such a thing to be an issue. I kept flicking through my emails and each company correspondence I got asking me to make an appearance, or to appear wearing, eating, or using the companies¡¯ goods made me feel¡­ Out of my depth. I had to sit in my chair for a while and wonder where things had gone so terribly right that this was a problem for me. It had only been a week ago that all I had to worry about was a pokemon battle. Sure, it had been a battle against Lance, but still. It was amazing what one strong showing did. Was this what it would have been like If I had managed to win a serious regional tournament when I was on my journey? Would that have meant that Flint would have stuck around? I stopped at that. My mind roiled as I considered how that would have changed¡­ everything. If I¡¯d had all my ducks in a row and really worked at it, surely I might have been able to win? I sat back and tapped the armrest of my chair. No. Truthfully it was not as easy as the cartoons or the games made it out to be. You didn¡¯t simply go about catching pokemon willy-nilly. There were restrictions and small considerations to take, such as the costs of having them stabled. Few were the trainers that got unlimited storage unless you were sponsored by the truly Elite. I¡¯d had an advantage simply as Flint¡¯s son with access to a pokemon stable to keep any captures I had as soon as I started my Journey. Other trainers had to pay or win the right to stable their pokemon in gyms or large organisations. Trainers that passed Oak¡¯s exams needed to do so with a certain percentage to earn the right for them to keep pokemon at his ranch. This made it tough to have more than six pokemon for the majority of people. Often it grew tougher for the majority of people on their journey as the decreasing slots available to them made them more conservative in what they might catch. Despite my access to a larger pokemon pool thanks to my father¡¯s stable, and all my prior knowledge, I still hadn¡¯t been able to win a tournament. I stared at the sponsorship offers and tried not to let my thoughts darken any further. I shook my head. I was only looking at the bad. In truth, this was a great issue to deal with, I just had to shift my point of view to realise that. I sat back pleased as the issue shifted to a positive in my mind. Then I spied an email that simply said, ¡®Thank you! So, so much!¡¯. The email address of Lolonranch@pokenet¡­ furthered my curiosity. ¡®Dear Brock, First and foremost, congratulations on your win! But most of all, thank you so much for choosing to drink our ranch¡¯s milk on Live tv during your interview! It might not have meant much to you, but it has made a world of difference for our family! We¡¯ve been inundated with orders and requests which will guarantee our family continues to operate our farm! Your support means the world to us! Thank you from all of us at Lon Lon Ranch. Sincerely, Mary-Sue Lonlon¡¯ I felt that same warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach. It had been a simple gesture, but it meant the world to someone and it seemed to have changed a lot for them. I glanced through the big sponsorships. For a moment I considered moving them to another folder that I¡¯d marked ¡®to be replied to¡¯. That folder held emails from people like the Mayor, the Chief of Police, Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny and other acquaintances. I decided to hold off for now. I would wait until I had a ¡­Media influencer? Is that what Sabrina had called it? That sounded wrong. I had a feeling I was associating it with an old-world memory but I couldn¡¯t recall what. I shrugged. I think I¡¯d just hire someone on as a Public Relations Manager and call it done. Then I¡¯d have them to bounce ideas off. My criteria for hiring might make it tricky. They would need to be local¡­ and someone passionate¡­ maybe? I wasn¡¯t sure, but perhaps someone with Surge¡¯s energy would be good? I hummed for a bit but then nodded. That felt good. Right in a way, I couldn¡¯t always coast along. I sat that aside for now having outlined what I wanted. I¡¯d send it to the employment agency later. For now, I continued to work through the emails. ¡°Spam, spam, sponsor deal to look over later, copy-paste reply for thank you to local businesses for ¡®knowing I¡¯d come through¡¯. Email from League to read later, another sponsorship deal, fan mail to be sent to folder for later response with signature and advice reminder...¡± I quickly worked through the stack making headway while writing notes with my right. When that was done, I repeated the action, only this time on the pile of mail. I once more found some letters that were heartwarming to read over. I also read some letters that I could only dub as hate mail, decrying me for what I¡¯d done to Lance. The language was colourful and I learnt some interesting insults. I¡¯d never been called a ¡®dung throwing pokemon-trainer-opportunist¡¯ before. It was interesting how many complimentary letters could also slot into hate mail if read from a different perspective. It was all about the way they had worded things. I stacked such letters to the side. I¡¯d fold them up into paper aeroplanes and have some of my pokemon practising Fire type moves use them as target practice after letting Rocko and Dennis read some of the letters. I continued to note down any letters that needed responses on a pad with my right hand while my left opened and flicked through them. Eventually, I unfolded another letter only to stare at its contents. I stared long and hard before glancing to the side to make sure no little siblings had crept into the room. Then I checked behind me that Sabrina hadn¡¯t flashed in behind me either. With the coast clear, I reached under my desk for a hidden key to unlock the middle draw on my left. There I opened a very different folder. On the front of the folder, in large emboldened text, the words ¡®CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS!¡¯ rested. Inside sat numerous other pictures, anything but innocent. I plucked the picture out and put it with the others of its kind. I noted the stack and my mind idly counted as I leafed through them. After going through the entire stack of mail I now had exactly twenty such fans along with some serial supporters. I felt a twinge as my self-restraint beat back the primal part of my mind that was demanding I send a more aggressive letter back. That was probably the teenager in me. Or perhaps it was something more in line with the canonical Brock? I promised myself I¡¯d only send the proforma letter I had created which thanked them for their strong feelings on the matter and that I would think about their letter fondly. I¡¯d do so after considering their letter in private for a while. Maybe I¡¯d give it a week or so? After taking a moment to centre myself ¡ªand hide the evidence on a corner of my desk¡ª I got back to work. ¡°Right¡­ Fan mail, more thanks to copy-paste, fan mail¡­ she certainly drinks her milk¡­.¡± Another photo was inserted into the folder before I returned to working through my stack. I mentally tallied everything up as either being fan mail, congratulations, sponsorship deals, ¡®Fan¡¯ mail, some hate mail and finally¡ª My hand clutched the last letter only for the notable weight to register. I glanced at the package and was surprised to find that it was a finely pressed charcoal paper. There was no sender address and the front only said ¡®Brock¡¯. I frowned. This was giving me some bad vibes but I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on the why. Perhaps it was because it was so different from the other letters I¡¯d received? Unlike the other letters, I opened it with a penknife. One I¡¯d gotten from the Pewter Museum¡¯s gift shop, shaped like a miniaturized Kabutops claw. A thick pad of metal fell onto the table when I tilted the letter down. My feelings of worry grew as I recalled old memories of hologram pads like these. Had it been that old hero movie? The Incredibles? The front of the pad pulsed with light before words appeared. ¡®Place on a flat surface. Do not stare directly at the screen on startup. Strobe lights starting in: Three. Two. one.¡± On two I had the pad flat on the table and when the counter hit one a bright light pulsed upwards before it steadied into a figure that began to lift off the screen. ¡°Huh. I was right, it is a hologram.¡± Instantly my mind began to whirl. Holograms were not something that was typically seen in public, not even from large corporations. They were known to exist but few people used them as the technology base simply wasn¡¯t there right now. The only time I had seen a hologram used in the show was¡­ I felt my gut drop as I recalled the first pokemon movie. Was this Mewtwo? I thought that wouldn¡¯t happen for a year or two at least! Suddenly my decision to merely watch the areas around Viridian seemed to be far too little, too late. The hologram thankfully did not resolve into a poorly disguised Nurse Joy, but rather a much older female. ¡°Greetings young Brock. You may know me as Agatha of the Elite Four. I am the Ghost Mistress and have served on the Elite Four for decades now. You must be wondering why I am contacting you?¡± She smirked at me for a long moment as the video kept its silence. The small form of Agatha remained quiet before nodding slowly as if coming to a decision. ¡°Your recent match with Lance has caught a number of figures¡¯ attention. Chief among those are the people that truly make decisions within the League. Your ability to control and use your Aura is impressive for one so young. I am also an Aura user of some skill.¡± She nodded her head seriously, while for a second her shadow played out behind her, despite her body not moving an inch. I swallowed out of reflex as the shadow leered out at me from the tiny hologram. ¡°However, it was by no means good control.'''' She raised her stick and jabbed it forwards. ¡°You are very brutish in your application of Aura. For that purpose, I would like to invite you into a select¡­group.¡± I noted the way she paused on ¡®group¡¯. Did she mean an organization or something else? ¡°We are not a well-known group, and it is not advised that you advertise knowledge of us in any manner. Overt or subtle. To extend a hand however, I will inform you of our name. A name you will not find in any textbooks for very specific reasons. ¡°We do not want most people to know we exist.¡± She thumped her stick into the ground. ¡°Our group is known as the Guardians. And our duty is to make sure that society¡¯s walls remain strong.¡± I was getting an old-school Freemason¡¯s vibe now. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. ¡°We will reach out to you further in future. Keep this pad. It works as one of the ways we communicate with each other. As you advance, more features and¡­ perks, will be made available to you, should you join us.¡± She smirked at me. ¡°We will be in touch.¡± With her message delivered, the hologram vanished. The room felt darker, and not just with the sudden absence of light. I sat back and swallowed. That¡­ had implications. Agatha of the Elite Four¡­ In the games, she was merely a barrier to overcome but in the comics, she represented something much darker. Hadn¡¯t she? I wasn¡¯t as familiar with those. I knew the comics weren¡¯t as nice as the other media forms of pokemon. Then again, the world seemed closer to the anime in structure than the comics or games. For whatever that was worth. I groaned, rubbing my eyes in frustration. I wasn¡¯t going to achieve anything right now. This was important. Extremely important. But it didn¡¯t sound like it would need an instant response. Not that I seemed to have an option to respond, I thought as I toyed with the hologram pad. It definitely sounded like they would come knocking soon but I had time to think about the offer. That let me relax for now. With the other letters and emails, it basically became ¡®important¡¯, but not urgent. I chuckled at that thought before standing; I¡¯d done enough for the evening. I clapped my hands and made my way back to the kitchen to check in with my family. Hopefully, I might even have a cake waiting for me. I¡¯d have some more work later on but for now, I was happy and I wasn¡¯t going to let tomorrow¡¯s work affect today¡¯s mood. I tucked the fanmail away and hid the hologram pad in another, secure drawer. Chapter 24 - Audit A knock at the front door was not an unusual event by any means. More often than not, a trainer had ignored all the signs I¡¯d posted and strutted up to my door to demand to fight me. Apparently, they think it helped bolster them and put me on the back foot. Most of the time I merely had one of my stronger pokemon boot them back over the hedge fence. By this point, my pokemon were so used to it that they knew to even tap the sign that helpfully laid out how to approach official Gym challenges. I had opening hours for a reason. Time outside of that needed to be given over to family time. So the knock that sounded out after breakfast two days after my return didn¡¯t get much of a reaction beyond me ordering a sibling at random to get the door. ¡°Tommy! See who it is please!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± He called back. I sighed before remembering the advice given by the parenting book I¡¯d been reading. ¡°You can either get the door or you can take over folding everyone¡¯s laundry for me!¡± Footsteps and grumbles under his breath let me know which he picked. I could just make out a conversation occurring at the entryway but not what was being said. Tommy seemed happy to see whoever it was so I ignored that and returned to folding the eighth top from a pile of unsorted laundry. ¡°BROCK! NURSE JOY IS HERE FOR YOU!¡± I set down the laundry on the bench, and made my way out. ¡°What have I told you about yelling inside?¡± I asked as I came to the front door of our house. Tommy coughed, ¡°She said it was important?¡± Nurse Joy looked amused at Tommy¡¯s efforts to throw her under the stampeding Tauros. I waved a finger at him. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you can do it. Billy and Tilly might have been resting, or someone else for that matter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the morning and everyone¡¯s had breakfast so that¡¯s no¡ª¡± ¡°Munchlax!¡± I grinned as the little munchkin of a pokemon rounded the corner, obviously annoyed at Tommy. I gave Tommy a look and the boy dropped his shoulders. ¡°Sorry, Munchlax.¡± After a pause I coughed, glancing at Nurse Joy meaningfully. ¡°Yeah?¡± He said while looking between us. I rolled my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to blame someone else for your errors. It¡¯s wrong, and even if I knew it wasn¡¯t the case, they might dislike what you tried to do. So it''s best to apologise to that person as well.¡± ¡°Sorry, Nurse Joy?¡± he said in a way that made it clear he wasn¡¯t sure why he was apologising, but was going to do it anyway because ¡®Big Bro said so¡¯. I merely counted my lucky Mareep that he wasn¡¯t digging his heels in. Once Nurse Joy offered a polite ¡°Apology accepted¡±, I patted him on the shoulder, proffering a hand inside. ¡°Care to come in?¡± I asked to which she nodded. I pushed Tommy back into the house and he grinned before running off. ¡°Hey what did I¡ª¡± ¡°Nurse Joy¡¯s here everyone!!¡± Tommy shouted as he ran into the house., instantly forgetting everything we had just spoken of. I sighed and rubbed my forehead as Nurse Joy giggled. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of recording a sitcom for Goldenrod to adapt,¡± I said to her. Nurse Joy tittered at my humour but didn¡¯t say anything further as we entered the kitchen. I gave her a seat at the kitchen counter looking into the prep area before claiming a chair on the other side. ¡°So what¡¯s¡ª¡± I was interrupted as Yolanda and Forrest, shadowed by Salvadore and Cindy, darted in. All of them zeroed in on Nurse joy and a wave of questions rang out. ¡°What¡¯cha doing here! Nurse Joy!¡± ¡°Nurse Joy!¡± ¡°Nurse Joy look what I can do with my face! sem whuh ib loogs lig?¡± ¡°Heal any strong pokemon!?¡± ¡°Heal any cute pokemon!?¡± ¡°Nurse Joy!¡± ¡°Nurse Joy!¡± Despite the wave of questions, Nurse Joy merely smiled and worked her way through the questions with an easy smile. I chuckled and set about preparing a light snack for everyone to enjoy as Joy handled them, showcasing her years of experience in dealing with excitable children. When everyone was calmly enjoying a beverage of choice ¡ªMilk and juice for the children, tea and coffee for the adults¡ª I returned to why the Nurse had come around. ¡°So what brings you to our home, Nurse Joy? I don¡¯t have any pokemon that are sick or injured right now if this is a check-up. Unless some of them are due for a booster of some type?¡± Joy set her drink down and then drew herself up in her seat. ¡°Brock.¡± I straightened as I understood just from the way she had said my name that I wasn¡¯t meant to enjoy the next thing she said. ¡°I have been instructed in my capacity as the local League Auditor to conduct a full assessment of your facility.¡± Around the room, multiple small plastic cups fell from suddenly weak fingers. Tilly and Billy who¡¯d snuck in later but had their own small cups glanced around, aware that something said had caused a reaction. They gasped theatrically and then made a show of hurling their cups away. They probably thought we¡¯d detected poison or some such. ¡°You¡¯re an auditor!?¡± Said Forrest in surprise. When Joy merely nodded, her eyes remaining on me, he fell back, processing that the woman that had helped so many of our pokemon was an ¡®Auditor¡¯. Yolanda took up the questioning in his place. ¡°What does this mean? Do you think big brother isn¡¯t good enough to be a gym leader?!¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s not the issue here.¡± I tilted my head and nodded once. She didn¡¯t really need to spell it out for me but, to let her know I was following along, I made a circle with a finger to the west where the Plateau rested. ¡°You said ¡®been instructed to¡¯? By your superior?¡± Nurse nodded her head stiffly, her lips tightly pressed. I hummed in thought, ¡°Well I guess now¡¯s as good a time as any. But first, I should get these kids¡¯ clothes off them before they stain.¡± Forrest and Yolanda whipped their heads around at me as I causally began cleaning up Tilly and Billy¡¯s mess. They hovered as I lightly scolded the youngest twins for the mess. ¡°What¡¯s up guys?¡± ¡°How are you okay with this Brock! She¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s auditing you!¡± Forrest said, grappling with the air in front of himself. ¡°Uhuh, yup she¡¯s doing her job as she¡¯s supposed to.¡± Joy chose to cut at my last comment. ¡°I¡¯m actually interested in why you didn¡¯t react.¡± She stared at me pointedly, ¡°Did you know that I was an auditor already?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± I said without a care. She tilted her head. ¡°Your father knew? He never seemed to try much harder to impress me before this. I don¡¯t think I gave him enough credit if he worked it out. Your mother¡­¡± I was glad I was kneeling down with my back turned to Joy, as my grimace felt ugly. I decided instead of digging at the issue of that woman, I would instead shrug her comment off. ¡°Shall we?¡± I gestured to the back exit that was directly attached to the gym administration area. It would be quicker to walk through there than go around the front. Also, it was less eye-catching. While the local reporters didn¡¯t outright stake me out, they weren¡¯t above strolling past in case something interesting was happening. Me having Nurse Joy here would be of minor interest most times, except it was not during the circuit. People would wonder why I had her around. Although, I did have a ready-made half-truth about looking into getting a Chansey for the gym. Then again most of the reporters were probably at the Plateau trying to get an interview with Celia. She¡¯d done well winning her matches through the second group rumble stage. She was now into the Quarterfinals. She just had three more matches to win and she¡¯d be crowned victor for this year¡¯s circuit. She¡¯d already become a trainer to watch, and was heralded as Kanto¡¯s darling after her dominance in the previous rounds. A tap of a button saw the arena lighting up. I directed Forrest to the referee¡¯s podium before claiming my own traditional podium. I deliberately only used the half-field format in my gym, which is best for smaller-level matches. On the way through the administration building, I had claimed a handful of pokemon for myself. ¡°Going through the rounds? Or¡­¡± I deliberately trailed off. Theoretically, she could challenge me with an Elite challenge, but who would be crazy enough to force that after I¡¯d made my previous showing? It wouldn¡¯t hold any weight beyond my pokemon potentially being tired. If anything it would have thrown more scrutiny towards the Nurses at the Plateau for a bad treatment plan. I¡¯d shown I could throw down at the Elite level, but being a gym leader wasn¡¯t just about throwing out your biggest and baddest each time some kid tried to kick your door in. Tempting as it was sometimes.. ¡°The first match for the¡­ audit,¡± Forrest squeaked a little at that before continuing on, ¡°Will be a two-on-two for a First Badge fight!¡± I threw out a Geodude while Nurse Joy threw out a Marill. I nodded at her selection. The fight went the way you¡¯d expect it to if this was the basic fight in the games. Water trumps Rock. Geodude went down with a Bubble Beam and Marill made short work of my Onix while I tried to use Bide to get off a hard hit. Nurse Joy of course knew to either backoff or bull through though. ¡°Water Gun!¡± Marill chirped happily as it spat out a deceptively powerful water blast. I withdrew Onix before he could collapse. I continued to smile at her. ¡°So that¡¯s the first-tier match-up. Trainers should, as you have now, demonstrate a basic understanding of typings and how to leverage said typings.¡± I gestured and Forrest raised his arms once more. ¡°The Second Badge challenge will now commence!¡± Once again I threw out a Geodude. This one was slightly larger and more muscular than the previous showing for her species. Marill pointedly remained on the field. Forrest glanced at me but only got a platonic smile in response. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Dig!¡± I ordered even as Marill fired off another round of water blasts. Nurse Joy giggled to herself as my tactics for this match were made apparent. She directed her Marill to adjust and listen, but my Geodude was too quick in burrowing herself. Geodude popped up and landed a heavy punch right into the small water mouse. ¡°Again,¡± I ordered. Geodude grunted and dove in before Maril could hit her once more. I nodded at her speed. She fought with skill using her arms wonderfully to dig while priming them for the next move. I was considering giving this Geodude a name. I felt she¡¯d earnt the right after staying a two-badge defender for me for the past two years. She had the best of skills in her range which was certainly not faint praise. ¡°Geodude, finish it with Mega Punch.¡± This time when she emerged she did so with a glowing fist that sent Marill rolling backwards. Nurse Joy withdrew her when she slumped to the ground. ¡°Nice work¡­ Moxy?¡± I asked her. She turned, her body slightly tilted in the way Geodudes often used to convey that they were unsure or questioning what a person was saying. I nodded at her. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re Moxy from now on.¡± She clapped her hands happily at this announcement before turning back and punching her fists forwards a few times. ¡°Go Ivysaur!¡± I whistled at Nurse Joy¡¯s next choice. She grinned back. This time I had the newly dubbed Moxy throw rocks at her before ordering another dig. ¡°Use Protect!¡± Joy responded, just as Moxy broke out from the ground to land a hit. The hexagon shell blocked the attack on Ivysaur before dissipating quickly. ¡°Now use Vinewhip to restrain and take it out!¡± One vine lashed around Moxy while the other began to whip her. ¡°Moxy close in and punch them down!¡± I ordered. Moxy got three solid hits in before going down to the vine whips. I withdrew her but pulled out a roll of stickers I kept mostly for family purposes. On Moxy¡¯s pokeball a small green gem was placed to remind me which one was hers going forwards. I then directed my attention back to Joy. ¡°Go Graveler!¡± I settled in for the next few rounds of pokemon fights. I found myself grinning as Joy revealed some of her personal pokemon and pushed me to the limits of the rules I had set for each tier of pokemon matches. All and all it wasn¡¯t a bad way to start the day for all that I was being audited right now. The next match-up between us, I scrapped a win. That got a begrudging whistle of surprise from Joy. I made sure to use Graveler to the best of his ability while not replicating the ¡®dig¡¯ tactic I had annoyed her with in the first round. ¡°Surprised you didn¡¯t stick with it,¡± she said as she withdrew her Ivysaur. ¡°I could still do it later on?¡± I pointed out. Then I shrugged. ¡°But having trainers adapt to just one strategy isn¡¯t what this level is about. There are plays and counters. This is where trainers start to show that they can adapt on the fly, not just plan in advance. In a way this showcases evolving meta-strategies and makes them handle situations as they develop.¡± I gestured with a hand expansively. ¡°This is where you need to have either a ton of brute strength or you need to have a brain between your ears.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Joy quirked a brow at me. ¡°A ton of brute force?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a strategy, of a sort.¡± I raised my hands in a ¡®what can you do¡¯ gesture. ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that most people that use it are people buying pokemon they never trained up to that level, or that they inherited an older relative¡¯s pokemon.¡± It was rare to have a pokemon passed down but some families did it. Ostensibly for legacy, but most pokemon were already used to taking some level of orders from family members. It could already be seen with many of my pokemon accepting basic commands from even Tommy. Tilly and Billy were mostly herded to safe areas if they found themselves in the pokemon area. Any commands they gave were followed only to make them follow along. The next tier of my fight with the Audit was relatively the same, only things tightened up a little with the matchups. This was where I could use my judgement to send out stronger pokemon if I thought I needed to truly test the trainer. Nurse Joy did just that by sending out a Venusaur as her first choice. I matched her with an Alolan Graveler. She still won that fight but not without me paralysing and taking out her Venusaur in turn. I grinned before tossing out a Rhydon to match up against her Machoke. The fight that ensued was raw and primal in a way that only two physical powerhouses could produce. My Rhydon charged, seemingly like a wild beast that left itself completely open to a counter. Only for him to pivot on one foot and slam an Iron Tail right into Machoke¡¯s ribs, hurling the fighting type away. Machoke rose with a furious roar, the dirt cascading off their bulging muscles before they rocketed back into the fight. ¡°Cross Chop!¡± Joy snarled. ¡°Mega Punch!¡± I countered. Both pokemon slammed their hits into each other, but this time Rhydon buckled and was thrown backwards. When Rhydon stood tall he did so with a snarl, the horn atop his head spinning in anticipation. ¡°Earthquake,¡± I commanded, causing the arena to buckle and shake. Machoke lost his footing which I capitalised on. ¡°Hydro pump and knock him away.¡± Nurse Joy withdrew her pokemon at that and raised a hand to signal her loss. I bowed my head towards her, agreeing that it was a good call as I had put on the pressure with my moves and made sure her Machoke wouldn¡¯t have been able to recover from the stumble. The last stage of testing was reserved for the four badges and up. Anyone coming to my gym asking for their fifth to final badge would face a daunting challenge. Here I stopped pulling my punches and making exploitable mistakes. Now, trainers needed to demonstrate they could adapt while also forcing battles into their favoured conditions. I opened that match with an Onix. My strongest Onix, in fact. Joy matched me with an Arbok. I chuckled as the two giant snakes eyed off against each other. ¡°Sandstorm,¡± I called out the opening move and denied all visibility on the field. Onix vanished into the ground a moment after the sandstorm appeared. I could just make out Arbok stiffening. ¡°Arbok! Leap up high!¡± shouted Joy over the top of the howling winds. ¡°Urgh,¡± I grunted at the dodge before smirking. ¡°Stone Edge Onix,¡± I ordered as my snake shot out of the earth, bringing with him a number of boulders that rocketed up to slam into the airborne Arbok. Arbok tumbled down. ¡°Close in!¡± I ordered as sand rasped at our foe. ¡°Arbok! Use Sludge Bomb!! ¡°Burn them off with Dragon Breath,¡± I countered. The huge wads of poison were spat out only for a blue flame to engulf them. Then the attack slammed into Arbok causing it to howl and crumple as it fainted from the pain. Nurse Joy withdrew her Arbok and, for a long moment, she didn¡¯t do anything else. I had to look up to the screen to the side that showed her staring into the sandstorm where my Onix loomed in and out of vision. She looked past it as if looking toward me before reaching up to her neck. I blinked as I realised I¡¯d apparently done enough to make her call out her best. She drew out an Ultra Ball, which was an obvious statement of how much she rated her next pokemon. For all that they were easy to get in the game, Ultra Balls were expensive. ¡°Go Latias!¡± I coughed in surprise at the announcement. I¡¯d known from the anime she might have such a pokemon but holy Arceus! Joy capitalised on my shock. ¡°Use Whirlwind to blow away the sand!¡± With the Sandstorm blown away, I was able to see my family gaping at the new pokemon. Forrest was likewise staring with his mouth hanging openly, despite being the referee and therefore supposed to remain stoic. I really couldn¡¯t fault him. ¡°What is that?!¡± shouted Tilly. I couldn¡¯t answer her, but I knew Yolanda would keep them entertained. I might not have told the youngest specifically about Latias yet, but I did like to include mythic and legendary pokemon in my bedtime stories. I nodded toward Joy in respect ¡°Onix! Dragon Breath!¡± ¡°No Brock, don''t beat it up! It''s beautiful and I love it!¡± screamed Tilly from the stands, making me suddenly feel like an utter heel for continuing to fight. I ignored her even as my heart lurched at her words. I really needed to focus right now. I¡¯d known she¡¯d had it from my previous knowledge, but it was still amazing to see it. ¡°Dodge it!¡± Joy shouted, making her pokemon blitz away as my pokemon swept his breath across the field. It was simply way too fast. My face hurt a little as I ordered my pokemon to hang on. ¡°Use Bide!¡± ¡°End it! Psychocut!¡± I hissed in a breath. I knew that move. One didn¡¯t grow up with Sabrina and not understand the danger of high-level psychic attacks. ¡°Pay¡ª¡± Before I could get the order out Latias appeared behind Onix. My pokemon spun around to attack only to twitch. My Onix stiffened a moment before slamming into the ground. It was like watching a speedy swordsman make a strike only for someone to realise they¡¯d been cut a moment later. I withdrew him with a nod only and selected another pokeball. ¡°Go Shelly!¡± I shout, tossing out my ¡®ace¡¯ for the Four and up badge challengers. In a burst of light, my Omastar took center stage. She appeared with a delighted wave of her tentacles and a trill of her name. When she noticed that it was only my family in the stands she tilted her head cutely. Then she oriented herself toward Joy and appeared to be extremely confused. She gave me a baffled look but I merely shook my head. ¡°No, we''re actually fighting Nurse Joy right now.¡± ¡°Ooooo¡­Mastar!¡± she said, accepting the reality of things and adopting a fighting stance. ¡°B-begin!¡± called Forrest. ¡°Ice Beam up a wall in front!¡± ¡°Take her out Latias! Psychocut once more!¡± Once more the Latias vanishes in a burst of speed but this time I¡¯ve already got a move in the air. Latias slammed through the ice beam and shrieked even as it landed a glancing blow. Both Shelly and Latias go spinning off in different directions. ¡°Stand up and go into Surf!¡± From where Shelly fell, a wave built up. ¡°Use Psychic!¡± A pink glow lances out and breaks up the wave before lifting Shelly up. ¡°Use Ice Beam to blast it!¡± I said, trying to make the most of the situation while the frighteningly fast pokemon was hovering instead of rocketing around the arena. ¡°Toss it!¡± Joy ordered, causing my pokemon to be thrown into a wall. Instead of slamming into it, Shelly created an ice slide that she slipped down. When she spun around to face Latias, the jet pokemon was staring at her in surprise. Joy stared across at me. She licked her lips and started to lean forward only to startle and glance around. Then she blushed before shaking her head. ¡°Ahem! I think you¡¯ve done more than enough to prove yourself Brock¡­ Care to stop here?¡± I blinked, surprised that she was actually conceding the fight. Or rather that she¡¯s ending things there. I¡¯d lost track of time with Latias¡¯s emergence, but she was still supposed to be auditing me, wasn¡¯t she? Still, I felt my blood running hot and I was in the midst of a fight I doubted I¡¯d get to experience again for quite a while. Shelly wasn¡¯t my strongest but I had the moves and methods to see her triumphant. A shout from the stands reminded me that there would be more outcomes than just winning or losing if I pushed things further. Suzie would probably not speak to me for a week at least. She was learning to be stubborn and knew how to use it. I couldn¡¯t even be annoyed as she probably picked it up from me. I coughed into my fist. ¡°Right, I¡¯m sure that¡¯d be fine¡­ As long as you let Tilly and Suzie pet your Latias, that is.¡± Joy turned her head and saw Yolanda holding Tilly back from leaping over the railing. Suzie was being held by Salvadore, but both of them looked like they might join in on Tilly¡¯s efforts to rush onto the field if the match wasn¡¯t called soon. If this had been a public match, I could only think that others would already be on the field to inspect the mythical pokemon. I nodded towards Forrest and he jerked in surprise. ¡°Right! So uhm¡­ the audit is officially concluded. In a draw?¡± I nodded at him and toggled the podiums to lower down. Shelly happily dropped her fighting pose and trundled up to Latias, trilling a proper greeting. Latias seemed just as happy to stop fighting as she lowered herself down and began talking with my pokemon. I walked forward to meet Joy in the middle. ¡°Well, I have to admit Joy, seeing you pull out a Latias was certainly a surprise. She¡¯s gorgeous.¡± I raised a hand and the jet-shaped dragon raced in to nuzzle it. This caused a shrill shriek of joy to emanate from the stands. Yolanda once again snatched Tilly before she could throw herself over the railing and instead led the procession of my family down the stairs to meet the rare pokemon. ¡°Does Lance know you have her?¡± I asked while watching my siblings pet the trilling pokemon. The Latias nuzzled into the pets which were coming from my siblings and my Omastar as well. It was amusing to see it being so affectionate after such a fierce fight. ¡°Hmmm hm! He does, and he knows he can¡¯t ever offer me enough for her. He tried everything under the sun when he learnt I¡¯d gained her as a companion. Nothing ever came a fraction close to her worth though.¡± I gave her a look before humming in thought. For all that Lance had been a braggart with me initially, he wasn¡¯t a bad guy, just proud. Joy wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any underhand actions from him at least. ¡°Where¡¯d you find her?¡± ¡°I get the occasional holiday. I found her when I went on a trip to Hoenn and she found me tending to an injured group of pokemon. For days after it felt like I had someone ghosting me, but I merely thought it was a Gastly or a Shuppet. It turned out to be so much more.¡± Her smile as she watched her pokemon nuzzle into Yolanda was soft and motherly. It made my guts spasm as something dark tried to rise up but I forced it down. ¡°So did I pass your audit?¡± I asked casually, hands tucked in my pockets. My family froze suddenly remembering that I¡¯d lost matches. I had no doubt that I¡¯d have to explain later that the purpose of these fights wasn¡¯t to force wins but to demonstrate certain levels of skill at each match. I could have pushed things perhaps at the end but I didn¡¯t have to. Joy huffed. ¡°Please, you and I both know this is a farce. I¡¯ve made my official audit and that¡¯s all they can ask of me and you for this year. I know from having access to your records that you keep more than enough pokemon on hand for most situations, and you have the understanding needed to be considered the best Gym Leader for both new and experienced trainers to face.¡± As my family heaved sighs of relief, I gestured to the side to talk more privately. Joy followed me without any worry and when we were out of the way I leaned next to her. ¡°Did someone ask that you run more than one audit?¡± ¡°Yes, and I pointed out that I could only run the one official audit to my superior. When they asked for more regardless of this, I denied them. That wasn¡¯t the answer they wanted though.¡± She sighed and shook her head. ¡°My superior is usually rather calm and put together, Brock. And then they gave me this order¡­ I could tell something was different with this.¡± Nurse Joy frowned and shook her head, ¡°They seemed out of sorts with how they were acting. They even asked me to push for more during my investigation. I pointed out my mandate as an inspection agent and they were forced to take things back. I suspect someone else was pushing things along.¡± ¡°So¡­ I¡¯ve made an enemy of someone in the League then?¡± I frowned, ¡°Lance wouldn¡¯t be this petty¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°No. Lance wouldn''t. He¡¯s brash and would face you openly, either with a summons or through a pokemon match. You¡¯ve won his respect, I¡¯m sure, with the recent fight you had. If anything he should be talking you up and looking out for you. That being said, he isn¡¯t the only one affected by his loss. Your victory certainly smeared his image as Indigo¡¯s golden undefeatable champion.¡± She shifted about and tugged on a lock of hair, ¡°I¡­ I honestly don¡¯t know what to think. Just keep an eye out, there are other ways to get at Gym Leaders that are all too legal.¡± I could only nod at her words. I spent another hour marvelling at the Latias. For Joy, the time spent was one of amusement as she rarely got to show off her pokemon, lest she had people hound her. With the huge gym arena being closed off to the public, Latias got to show off as much as she liked. She was like a miniature jet and when she streaked from one side of the arena to the other, she caused pressure waves to rock us. This only has the kids cheering for more. When she began to arc around in a wide circle she sped up, but she was controlled about it. She started leaving contrails in her wake. She spun over and over herself forming ribbons of cloud that slowly faded behind her. I can¡¯t help but notice that she just crossed roughly three hundred metres in roughly five seconds and that was with the second slowing down to tap the wall included. What would this pokemon be capable of in an open arena or a field? Joy wasn¡¯t someone you¡¯d ever want to throw down against but I doubted she was pushing her pokemon. In the hands of Lance, a pokemon like this would be a nightmare team killer all by itself. Hadn¡¯t a trainer in the anime done much the same? I sucked my teeth as I watched as the eon pokemon gambolled about at high speeds. She was incredible, a marvel of pokemon evolution that highlighted all the wonder that I and others still had to discover in this world. Part of me delighted in her showboating. Another part, that I couldn¡¯t shut off, noted all the ways she could use that grace and speed in combat. Eventually, Joy leaves, much to the complaints of my siblings but I hold them back before kneeling down. ¡°Hey, gang, remember how I talked about some secrets being bad?¡± They nodded their heads dutifully. This was a lesson I had made sure to teach them for a myriad of reasons. ¡°Right well, this secret, this one about Nurse Joy having her pretty pokemon? We shouldn¡¯t go telling people that, alright? This is different, as it¡¯s not something she wants to share. It¡¯s different as it is¡­ uhmm,¡± I floundered for the right words. If I had something prepared I might have been able to teach a lesson with this. A Gym Leader is never supposed to expect the Inspection agency, however. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ It¡¯s not a secret that can hurt people, and she¡¯s done nothing wrong but if lots of people knew they¡¯d make Joy sad and¡­¡± I trailed off as I got slow nods. ¡°Right so, please don¡¯t share her secret.¡± I put a finger to my lips and they mimicked me. I smiled and winked at them before waving back through the gym towards our house. ¡°Alright, you scamps! I have some more work to do today, so get yourselves home! That tv isn¡¯t going to watch itself!¡± I rose and clapped Forrest on the shoulder. ¡°Nice work today.¡± He grinned before he ducked out of my grip to enjoy slacking off. I headed to my office, where I turned on a small tv as I worked through emails and reports to close out the circuit. As I did so, I kept an ear on the way the talking heads sometimes downplayed my victory, or derided my tactics of not rising to the challenge straight away. I wouldn¡¯t have noticed if not for how I¡¯d space out only to catch my name, or Pewter, being discussed. I tapped my finger on the table in thought. It was an insidious thing, and I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if I hadn¡¯t experienced it in my past life. The phrasing they used was very important, more important than most would understand. It spoke of someone in power, possibly someone that controlled news, being interested in downplaying me. I flipped to another few channels and found only a few of them copying the other channel. Some were supportive of me. Battlecast was completely supportive, and the fashion channel liked my new wardrobe. I drummed my fingers on the table. I didn¡¯t need to see three actions against myself to understand that someone was targeting me. The question I had was, how I could respond. The most straightforward answer I had seemed to be shoring myself up. I turned back to the computer. It would seem I¡¯d need a Media representative and a Lawyer sooner than expected. Now I just needed to figure out who to hire. Chapter 25 - Shoring up the Gym I was, all told, a huge fan of being lazy where possible. When I was hiring people there was a simple way to stick to this ideal. I enlisted a local employment agency that managed most of my needs. I¡¯d used them in the past and gotten a number of good candidates. I actually found Dennis from them and most of the job seekers that use them were serious about their applications. Most people were content with posting something on community notice boards and letting things take time. But I was from a time and place where you had access to things at your fingertips. So I had a local Job Agency recruited to help speed things along. I had to pay for the privilege of browsing resumes and getting access to the better candidates that were around. But that just made them more professional in my mind. Plus, in all honesty, it wasn¡¯t all that much in terms of cost. but something about the Media Consultant role seemed to inspire people to act out. To be seen and heard. Their resumes were all different fonts, colours and styles. They screamed personality-or lack thereof-to the reader, and after the third one, I had a rapidly developing headache. Each person¡¯s information was screened before I received it. I only had some loose qualifications, which I hoped would simplify the process. I preferably wanted someone that had been local for at least a few years and, if not, I needed someone that had experience with modern facilities. While my gym was old in terms of how long it existed, it was new in facilities and with me at the helm. I cut through a number of resumes. Some seemed to have been very pigeonholed with their experiences. People with experience in governments had bland, no-nonsense resumes that spoke of getting a message across and just that. They had a formula that could only be described as calculated when they wrote their resumes. I read one and then found I had for all intents and purposes read the next five available to me. Their resumes all had a feel of being what was considered tried and true. They stuck with the conventions. Their resumes were stark with barren blank spaces to read and I almost found myself falling asleep a few times. On the other end of the spectrum, younger consultants went overboard with colours and fonts, making a confusing mismatch of stimulus that occasionally made me wonder what I was reading. Only one truly caught my eye and kept it. A young girl with a range of different roles working in traditional media for Celadon Radio as a host. Until she had gotten in front of the camera. Now she was something that she referred to as a Social Pokenet Specialist. Her resume had each segment alongside a photo of her working in the role with a diagonally cut picture of her. It almost read more like a life story than it did a resume except that each milestone was one of employment and development. In each picture she had herself smiling hugely. I read and found myself watching a girl become a teenager, then into a young confident woman. I liked the way she had pictures of people in parts of her resume with a descriptor mentioning them by name if they were willing to be her reference. It was heartwarming to see. It wasn¡¯t cold or formulaic but personal. By the end of the resume, I wanted to be part of her life story and possibly see pictures of myself among these others. She was certainly good at marketing herself. When I asked about her to the employment agency though, they were baffled. They were still rather traditional in their methods and didn¡¯t see the appeal of her style or skills. For all that the world was easily on par or, in some areas, better than my previous life, they didn¡¯t have developed online media platforms yet. They had Battlenet for pokemon battle videos, and a streaming website that was pretty much entirely cute pokemon, but they didn¡¯t have anything like Twitter, or Facebook. Hell, they didn¡¯t even have an MSN messenger equivalent. But people did have Pokenet pages where they posted information and thoughts. The world was becoming more linked together. There was not yet a connection to Hoenn, and there might not be one for a number of years, but there were talks of Orange and Sevii being linked up soon. This girl, therefore, was something of a revolutionary. ¡°I think I¡¯ll give her a call,¡± I said to the employment agency¡¯s guide. I clicked a link on her webpage and was drawn into a gallery of photos of her posing with various pokemon and their trainers. She had a good eye for detail, and a rather expansive collection to display. She also had some nice landscape photos of Mt. Moon and the surrounding mountain ranges. She even had pictures of the Rota Kingdom. I stared at those for a long time. I really wanted to go there. For so, so many reasons. Sadly my life had never, after my journey ended, allowed for me to spend the month it would take to have a dedicated pokemon acquisition trip up to Rota. As a Gym Leader, there would probably be a lot of scrutiny on me as well. I doubted I¡¯d just get to waltz up to them and walk around the Tree of Beginning, if I could even find it. It was somewhere in the forest in Rota but that wasn¡¯t as easy as finding Sunburst island or Grampa Canyon. ¡°Oh! Well, thank you for your time Brock! Your account will be billed as per normal rates! Is there anything else we can do for you?¡± The agent over the phone asked, jerking me back to the moment. ¡°Oh! Sorry, got lost in one of her photos.¡± I coughed, having gotten drawn into dreaming about all the pokemon that I could catch that¡¯d be amazing for the Gym in Rota. I shook myself to return to what I was supposed to be doing. Namely, interviewing this woman. ¡°No, or¡­ Yes actually, put out an advertisement for a few weeks time. I think I might be expanding the Gym. Do up one for trainers looking for a berth for at least a year. I will have more to expand on later.¡± ¡°The results of your victory, hmmm?¡± hummed the woman. I could hear her pen scratching away. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll get a generic trainer ad set out like we used last time. You¡¯ll handle interviews?¡± ¡°Yup. If that¡¯s all?¡± I asked. When they said it was, I gave my goodbye and hung up. I dialled the number and a young woman¡¯s voice answered. ¡°Hello, Rachel Raul here?¡± ¡°Hey, Rachel. It¡¯s Brock from the Pewter City Gym. I¡¯m in the market for a Media aide or¡­ well, a Public Relations Manager for the gym. Are you still interested in taking on an interview?¡± There was silence on the other end. I waited for a bit before coughing. ¡°Hello? Did the line cut out?¡± ¡°Brock?¡± she asked, ¡°Brock from the Pewter gym?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said back. I wanted to say a number of clever quips but decided to keep my mouth shut and remain professional. ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke? You''re calling me for a job?¡± ¡°An interview really. I¡¯d like to meet you and see what you could offer, and if you¡¯d be a good fit. Standard contract if you did take the job. You¡¯d have a period to test things out but you¡¯d be paid for your time.¡± ¡°Oh, that would be wonderful¡­¡± She swallowed loudly enough it carried over the line. ¡°Uhm¡­ when would be good?¡± ¡°When¡¯s good for you¡ª¡± ¡°Now?! Now¡¯s great!¡± I didn¡¯t even get the chance to finish as she blurted an answer at me. I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± ¡°No, no, it''s fine. You¡¯re eager. Tell you what, it¡¯s three now. Let me make up some snacks for my family then come around the back at five.¡± I considered something. ¡°You are in Pewter right now, right?¡± ¡°Yeah! No worries, I can be there at five!¡± ¡°Awesome, I¡¯ll see you then.¡± I ended up opening the door and inviting her in when she arrived at four-thirty. She had marched up well before even that. For a while I had only a vague awareness of someone walking around the front entrance. And then, a woman roughly twenty years of age hustled up along the hedge before peeking at the front door. Then she hustled back before starting to walk circles up and down the path. She had a folder in her hands which she continually flipped through as she walked. I stopped cleaning up in the kitchen after my family¡¯s afternoon snack and watched her on my tiny projected transceiver screen. It wasn¡¯t obvious, but I did have cameras along the hedged path. When someone walked up I typically got an alert. Most of the time it was trainers, or my own family running up and down the front garden. I usually ignored it most of the time. I watched her for a little while before stepping out the front door. I timed it well enough that I met her on the way back. She continued to flip through her folder while muttering under her breath. ¡°If he¡¯s looking for¡­¡± I decided to cut her off. ¡°Rachel, I presume?¡± Rachel snapped her head up. Her pink hair bobbed at the violent action and my eyes were drawn to the tips that were coloured like a rainbow. She hadn¡¯t had those in the last picture in her resume. ¡°Oh my gosh! I¡¯m sorry¨CI¡¯m not crazy, I swear!¡± I merely snorted. ¡°No, I get it. It¡¯s an interview. Did you want to come inside and sit down? If you want we can start early¡­¡± I eyed her thick folder. ¡°Or you can continue to review your notes for another thirty minutes?¡± ¡°No! Let''s do it right now!¡± She said, like a man marching into the ring for a match with a Machamp. She seemed determined to move before her mind could catch up with any actions she had already committed to. I decided to lead her into the kitchen. Thankfully there were only a few plates still dirty so it didn¡¯t look too sloppy. Rachel turned her head and looked over the room. Not in a critical way, but rather with an air of interest. She lingered on the hung-up finger paintings and the markings of height that featured near the pantry. She relaxed slightly, and a smile formed on her face. She looked much better like this instead of manically working through her notes. When she noticed me watching her, she sat upright. ¡°Sorry! I was just curious to see how a Gym Leader lived.¡± ¡°Not to worry. It¡¯s pretty much like everyone else. My home just has a lot more people than most I think.¡± Her eyes flicked towards the family photo. She tilted her head after a moment as I saw a question form in her mind about the missing parental figures. That was rather telling. ¡°You¡¯re not someone that grew up in Pewter, I take it?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Is that an issue? I moved here roughly two years ago.¡± ¡°Thinking of sticking around?¡± ¡°Well I was thinking of hanging on for a bit longer, but Pewter doesn¡¯t have the big businesses that need promoting.¡± She waved her hand about. ¡°It¡¯s not a sleepy place, but it¡¯s very relaxed¡­ I was hoping to find work here with maybe the museum, or with the local radio station? She waved her hand about, ¡°But they weren¡¯t hiring so I took on some other jobs.¡± I nodded, glancing around for her resume that I had left¡­ somewhere. ¡°I remember reading that you were currently working as a waitress¡­¡± A resume was offered. I smiled, pleased that she had a spare ready to go. The rest of the interview progressed from there. She was an interesting girl, and I made sure to express my interest in growing the Gym¡¯s Pokenet presence, which had her perking up. When I asked her to outline potential improvements for the perception of the Gym, she got a huge smile before reaching into her folder. I remember when I had graduated from my degree I had issues with demonstrating how smart I was by saying everything and everything that was there¨Cnecessary or not. It was an issue of how I¡¯d been taught at university. You had to give a deluge of information; more was always better in the university setting was how I¡¯d been taught; especially for verbal questions. Sadly, in the medical setting that was very much the wrong thing to do to a client. When Rachel began motor-mouthing how I could increase exposure and highlight all the wonderful facilities to get more local interest with battle clubs, hiring out the outside fields, having dedicated days for markets, or ¡®Come and Ceet¡¯ events for the Gym, she spoke her words like she was a racer that had just seen an open track with a fueled car waiting for them. She had other ideas as well, and I sat back allowing her to talk at me, instead of to me. She obviously had a lot to say, so I let her get it out of her system while jotting the ideas down as she spoke. I made a note to myself that I¡¯d probably have to ride herd on her if this sort of behaviour continued beyond her first few weeks. Still, as she spoke I noted the fire in her eyes. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing to have someone that was so passionate in the team. Most of us in the Gym right now were generally laid back in our approach. I could do with a firebrand go-getter to push us. I held up both hands which saw her lurching as if she was crashing out. ¡°Alright, there are some good ideas I like here.¡± I tapped the notepad. ¡°The starting salary is thirty thousand pokedollars. That¡¯s if you require board and keep. Without, we¡¯ll give another ten, but you may still use the amenities whenever you need to.¡± ¡°Does¡­ does this mean you want to give me the job?¡± ¡°Of course, but you¡¯ll need to pick out which office you¨C¡± Then she leapt across the kitchen bench and hugged me. ¡°Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Oh! This is going to be amazing! I have so many ideas!¡± She gushed into me. I patted her on the back gently. ¡°Yeah, I sort of noticed. We¡¯ll workshop some of those ideas, but for now, I think I better show you around.¡± I lead her toward the single-room apartments available to her with her contract. She looked it over before shaking her head. Apparently, she already had a fairly nice rental that she shared with a friend. She gaped at the facilities that were at the back of the gym, and got giddy when I showed her what amounted to a rather basic office that was still unfurnished. ¡°You¡¯ll be right next to the Tauros pen, which is where most of the trainers complete reports for things like patrols, matches, pokemon training plans, and such.¡± I pointed to a meticulous desk. ¡°Dennis sits there,¡± I then pointed towards a much more¡­relaxed desk. ¡°That one is Rocko¡¯s. If you have questions and can¡¯t find me you¡¯ll need to talk to either of them as they¡¯re senior trainers.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°This is so awesome!¡± She gushed before coughing into her fist and standing up primly. ¡°So! Is there anything that you¡¯re looking for me to focus on, specifically?¡± I chewed my lip. ¡°As I mentioned earlier, I mostly want you to help push a positive public image and keep it that way. I¡¯ve been noticing some channels being much more critical of our Gym. I thought I should get someone to help me handle media appearances.¡± ¡°Cool, want to get on a talk show? That¡¯s a good way to get your voice out there and can stop things from being negative or too fantastical.¡± ¡°Not¡­ really?¡± I said, not enjoying the idea of parading about while understanding that it was probably the best option. I just didn¡¯t enjoy that, at all. ¡°You may as well capitalize on your fame Brock.¡± She grasped the air in front of her, then exploded it outwards, ¡°You¡¯re the hot topic and I think it would be a good idea to get out and talk about your experiences. You hired a Public Relations Manager with me! And I¡¯m going to make sure people love you!¡± She wiggled a little as she said it. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at how she had, in the space of a few hours, gotten over her nerves. She was certainly pitching ideas with gusto. ¡°So, my advice is to get on some radio and a talk show and discuss what¡¯s happening, and maybe even what this will mean for the Gym!¡± She tilted her head. ¡°What are you going to do with the money, if it¡¯s alright to ask?¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°Well¡­ I was thinking of developing the stable area, and hiring on another trainer to handle pokemon raising so that more locals can get affordable stabling options for their journey.¡± ¡°Do you not like the larger corporate stables?¡± ¡°I prefer having the smaller, more intimate ones that grow naturally. I typically add in time with myself and advise trainers that rent stables from the Gym.¡± ¡°What are your current caps for trainers that rent stables with you? How many pokemon can they each have on their team before you won¡¯t take them on?¡± ¡°Currently I have eight stable slots free for the next circuit but I want to grow that to fifteen by the time the circuit comes around. Each trainer has a capacity to store twelve pokemon with us for a team of eighteen in total unless they can earn an increased carry limit.¡± Rachel snorted at that and I nodded, agreeing with her. I only got the increased limit due to being a Gym Leader. ¡°Anything else new for the Gym?¡± She asked as she wrote down notes on the stable expansion. She underlined a fifteen before glancing up. ¡°More pokemon for the gym. Right now we don¡¯t have any pokemon to stabilize injuries that occur.¡± I clenched my jaw, remembering a match that had gone wrong in all the worst ways last year. I now had a small plot in the local cemetery for my pokemon. ¡°I want to fix that by buying a Chansey the next time they come up for auction.¡± Rachel whistled at that. I nodded tightly. With the League supplying all pokecentres with the pokemon there was always a set price that Chansey would never dip below. Sometimes hospitals looked to add them to their own rosters as ready-to-go nurses and support staff. You needed to be ready to drop a few million if you wanted a Chansey. ¡°I¡¯m also going to put out a bounty for Corsola, and Relicanth.¡± ¡°Corsola are little rockfish pokemon, yes?¡± Rachel asked. I nodded. ¡°What about Relicanth?¡± ¡°They¡¯re actually pokemon that have survived since ancient times, and they still swim the oceans. So it is possible to find them all over the world, like Wailord and Sharpedo, but¡­ Well, they typically only swim around in extremely deep water, which makes them much harder to find. I¡¯d like to get one for the gym, but I¡¯m expecting that one to take a while.¡± I hummed in thought. ¡°I¡¯d also like some Bonsly.¡± Rachel flicked through her folder with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t you already have a Sudowoodo?¡± ¡°I do but I¡¯d like to have Bonsly for more options in the lower-tier fights. My Sudowoodo is great in my four badges or higher brackets, I want to have more diversity with lower-tier pokemon instead of Geodude, Rhyhorn, Onix, and the rare Aron making up my challenges.¡± ¡°Oh wow, didn¡¯t know it could get that strong.¡± ¡°Most pokemon can get that strong,¡± I said, which made her flick her gaze up. She stared at me long and hard. When she spoke she did so with a tone of faint surprise. ¡°Huh, you really believe that?¡± ¡°I think it depends more on the training methods and the trainer. Any pokemon, or person, can rise. It''s one of the best things about the world we live in.¡± I glanced ahead as I said that remembering how far I¡¯d come since my initial arrival. Rachel stayed silent for a while as we continued our tour of the gym. Eventually, she spoke up and resumed the conversation where we had left it. ¡°Huh, well I might use that for something later with regards to you.¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± I asked, not understanding the non-sequitur. ¡°Never mind. Instead, how about I write up a press release for the Gym¡¯s website to announce what¡¯s coming up soon? It would be better to hear all of this from your own mouth! Can I tentatively feel out some talk shows for you to appear on?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Cool, people will love to hear about you getting pokemon like these!¡± ¡°Ah, I had two others I was also going to acquire.¡± She perked up. ¡°I¡¯m going to order an Eevee for my family¡­ and a Scyther¡± I feigned a sheepish look. ¡°For myself.¡± ¡°Are you secretly a bug lover?¡± she said in amusement before shaking her head to show that the question was rhetorical. ¡°Boys and their Scythers. That pokemon has to be the most popular around, I swear.¡± She grinned. ¡°Definitely tell people about that, cause there are tons of kids and adults that would love to hear about you having a ¡®cool¡¯ pokemon like that.¡± I smiled at her innocently, like butter wouldn¡¯t melt in my mouth. Scyther had always been a pokemon that I¡¯d wanted on my team. But, I had another reason. Scyther, it turned out, had a rock-type evolution available to it. I¡¯d sat down and put words on paper about potential pokemon that could be complimentary for my future candidacy as Pewter City Gym Leader before my journey. I hadn¡¯t been able to acquire one during my journey, and I hadn¡¯t been able to justify buying one before this. Now I could pass it off as a whim. Something chunni even. Once I had it, I just needed some Black Augurite. Then it¡¯d all come together. Before she left I held up a hand. ¡°You won¡¯t be expected to fight but do you own any pokemon? Part of being an employee of the Gym is that you have a full team roster allowance and the pokemon can receive care and food from us.¡± Rachel perked up. ¡°I hadn¡¯t known that! I can get my Growlithe and Magnemite sent over from my mother¡¯s house!¡± I chuckled at her enthusiasm to have her pokemon returned to her. ¡°What do you have these days?¡± ¡°Just my Persian.¡± ¡°Alright, well from now on always keep at least two pokemon on you in case people try to hassle you when you come in or out of the Gym, alright?¡± She shot me two thumbs up. ¡°Got it! Oh! I can¡¯t wait to post about this! People reading my blog are going to be so impressed! This is great!¡± Rachel trotted off after that, her documents signed and ready to start in the next few days.
Trouble, it turned out, came in twos. The morning after I had hired Rachel I received another knock on my door just after breakfast. This time when I opened it, I found a man I could only describe as a bespectacled accountant. He wore a plain white shirt with a pen and calculator in his top pocket. To his side, a black briefcase sat at his feet. The tie around his neck was played with once before he moved his hand upward to adjust his spectacles. ¡°Good morning Gym Leader Brock! I am from the Inspection agency!¡± I noticed the lack of a given name. For some reason, I didn¡¯t doubt his words. This man seemed to enjoy acting as a faceless number. Merely one in a crowd that you wouldn¡¯t think of any more than a second if you passed him in the street. This man was more of a minion. Or perhaps he was more like a wheel in the machine? ¡°I was already audited by Nu¡ªAgent Joy less than a week ago.¡± I pointed out reasonably. The man chuckled and patted the briefcase by his side. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is rather different from Agent Joy¡¯s audit. This is an audit of your financial credibility. I am here to look over your books! As they say?¡± He said the last with a little tilt of his head and a smile as if to soften the blow of my stomach plummeting through the floor. I was no crook but this man was dangerous. My mind instantly leapt to a plausible excuse. ¡°Don¡¯t I have to see a written warrant first?¡± It was a shot in the dark. A statement that was so flimsy anyone would scoff at it surely. It was only a technicality. Anyone would see that I clearly had no idea what I was talking about. I¡¯d read through Flint¡¯s old notes, and he¡¯d never mentioned anything about having his accounts looked through! To anyone else, the tissue-thin paper excuse would have been ignored. This man paused, and inspected the words that were spoken. He blinked in surprise before nodding. ¡°Ah! You didn¡¯t receive a week¡¯s notice? Well, that is a problem. Hmmm.¡± He readjusted his spectacles in an idle gesture as he considered this issue. ¡°Ah! I know! I shall reschedule for next week! Thereby giving you the week¡¯s notice.¡± He checked his watch and nodded to himself. ¡°Very well then! It is nine am, Tuesday. I shall return in seven days. Please accept this as verbal notice that you are being audited.¡± He handed me a business card. ¡°If you wish to reschedule for an earlier time you may contact me on this number!¡± ¡°Can I reschedule for never?¡± I said before I could really stop the words escaping my mouth. The man blinked at me before bursting out into laughter like the very idea was ludicrous. Like I¡¯d just said a marvellous joke. He waggled a finger at me. ¡°Oh! That was very good, yes! I shall return in seven days!¡± he bobbed on the spot, collected his briefcase and strolled off. I stared after him, gobsmacked at what had just happened. Then I mechanically shut the door. I stared at it for a long minute before turning and sprinting into my office. ¡°No running!¡± called Yolanda before realizing it was me. ¡°Brock? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I turned on my computer and began to scroll through my accounting software. ¡°Yolanda! We¡¯re getting audited!¡± ¡°Uhm? You already did bro?¡± ¡°No! This is worse! This auditor is a Bureaucrat!¡± ¡°That doesn''t sound that scary?¡± Yolanda gave me a look that conveyed just how little she knew of the world and the monsters that lurked within it. I gave her a forlorn little shake of the head. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so young Yolanda.¡± She looked perplexed. I shook a finger at her. ¡°When you get the chance to, ask the Mayor or any adult about dealing with bureaucrats! You watch what they say! Okay? Just trust me, they¡¯ll understand!¡± ¡°Alright?¡± she said, her tone laced with dubiousness. She watched me for a bit as I sighed in relief before I turned away from the computer to rifle through a filing cabinet. ¡°Can I help in some way?¡± I had no remorse as I pulled another stack of files and slammed them onto the table. ¡°Go through that and pull out anything that even vaguely mentions Mt. Moon! I don¡¯t want that place getting skimmed over at all!¡± Yolanda nodded, suddenly serious. Forrest might have been the last of my siblings to go with me to Mt. Moon, but Yolanda had been there first and returned with me the most out of all my siblings. I¡¯d known she¡¯d love seeing the Clefairy. She understood that secret, but also understood that it wasn¡¯t something to be simply given out. Thankfully I had only vaguely mentioned one other secret in my personal logs. Now I just needed to find them. When I had gone through two sections of the filing cabinet I stopped for a break. Yolanda got me a cup of tea but I couldn¡¯t relax. I needed to work through this issue instead. I opened a pad. This was a new method of attacking the Gym. I didn¡¯t have to wait for a third ¡®strike¡¯ on my interests to lock in the person¡¯s actions as ¡®enemy action¡¯. I¡¯d need to review a few of my other interests just in case something else was quietly being pulled out from under my nose. This new avenue was rather telling though. I jotted down my thoughts. Using bureaucratic actions meant that they had some pull. I liked to think that this ruled out any of the Elite Four. As trainers, surely they wouldn¡¯t try this method to damage me? I chewed my lip while my eyes swept over another document. My understanding of Bruno ruled him out as a straightforward person but then again how much did I really know about him? He could be using a persona for the media. It was unlikely, but still possible. Lorelei was a straight-laced trainer. An Ice-type user. That was all I had on her. I jotted ¡®Not enough¡¯ information under her name as well. Agatha had reached out to me to seemingly recruit me but was that part of this? I remembered her being shady in the manga but not how bad it was. She was an enemy to the main cast in some form, wasn¡¯t she? Wasn¡¯t Lance as well? She¡¯d bear watching. I had a potential avenue to gain more information on her through her recruitment pitch. I suddenly had a lot of unease over the offer. I pushed the thought away for later examination. There wasn¡¯t currently a fourth active Elite four member as when Lance had ascended to challenge for the champion position there had been an older Johto trainer by the name of Shafner. He had been a trainer that specialised in flying-type pokemon. Lance had beaten him with one pokemon in his Charizard alone. Shafner had announced his retirement directly after the loss. I remember watching that and being surprised before feeling sad for the older man. His devastating loss had only sped up Lance¡¯s ascension to Champion. Shafner had retired entirely from the public, announcing that he felt he no longer had what was needed to meet the new challenges. He hadn¡¯t been seen since, and Lance still had to fill the spot. Lance. Lance, I wanted to dismiss. I felt I had a good read from him after fighting him. He was a straightforward sort of guy that had loads of power in his hands with his team. That was actually likely to grow after I had defeated him with a more robust roster becoming available. That would only grow as more regions became accessible. I could count a few that would soon appear such as Salamence, Flygon, and Aerodactyl. I made another note to reach out to Lance before considering that. Did I want to empower him if I had been wrong in my assessment? I rubbed my forehead in annoyance. I was forgetting someone¡­ who¡­ Blaine. Blaine had been one of the Elite Four prior to Shafner. He¡¯d been there since the union of Kanto and Johto to form the Indigo League. Now only Agatha remained. I had a vague understanding of the man but I knew he was a researcher, known for his work on Cinnabar island along with his aggressive battling styles. I didn¡¯t think I had done anything to draw his ire. He had been at my match with Lance. As had Giovanni¡­ which instantly made me think of his attachments. I frowned as I recalled seeing both of them there at the start of the match only for them not to be there at the halfway mark or the end. That had seemed so insignificant at the time¡­ Was I jumping at shadows though? Perhaps it was true what they said. You shouldn¡¯t succeed unless you are willing to deal with the issues that come with success. I certainly hadn¡¯t been expecting this as a result. The money and increased fame? Yes, those I had prepared for. ¡­somewhat. The sudden acts against me from the League though? Never even entered my mind. I¡¯d been expecting acts or raids from¡­ I jotted another note down. I needed to be more active with Team Rocket. I¡¯d have to set some serious time aside into considering what I could do about them. They also potentially had the reach into the League necessary to instigate this. I was well travelled and read enough to know that you didn¡¯t become a major criminal organization without setting people into power that looked out for your interests. ¡°Brock, aren¡¯t you supposed to be looking through these files as well or did you want me to do your job for you?¡± Yolanda said, cutting through my thoughts. I glanced at her work and was impressed with her work ethic. She¡¯d already gone through several stacks and cleared them of anything with Mt. Moon in them. I added those to my pile and got back to work. In the end, I had a few small documents that reference my ownership of a very specific section of land. Yolanda eyed the deed. ¡°What¡¯s there? Is that where the Clefiary meet up?¡± ¡°No, that''s protected land. The Rangers made sure of that years ago.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Yolanda said, sad that the secret wasn¡¯t something limited to just our family. I patted her on the back before she looked at me. ¡°What is that deed of land for then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a surprise,¡± I said, bopping her on the nose. She grumbled at me before gesturing at the documents. ¡°So are you hiding these away?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I think I need to speak to my lawyer first.¡± ¡°You have a lawyer?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah, I do. Got one after¡­ well, Dad, you know?¡± She nodded, her face falling into shadow. I continued. ¡°Well anyway, I need one now, ¡®cause I had no idea I could get the man to go away by saying I hadn¡¯t been notified beforehand.¡± ¡°Weird,¡± Yolanda said. I nodded, still unsure how things had gotten to the stage that someone had sent the pokemon world equivalent of an IRS agent after me¡­ Or was it that I needed to talk to a lawyer for help? Life was weird. Chapter 26 - Attorney at Law I¡¯d beaten the champion, but I found the looming audit of my books a far more terrifying challenge. Instead of sleeping I chewed my lip and rolled over and over in bed. I¡¯d lost more sleep wondering if a misplaced decimal was going to spell my doom than calling out the Champion for a duel in two days. Was that arrogance or practicality? Or was it a mania caused by lack of sleep? Was this what Flint went through after the twins were born? Why did the man keep having children? I twitched in bed before standing from my sleepless position. What other options did I have? Could I contest this? I¡¯d need to ask my lawyer tomorrow when they came around. Was this something I should talk to Surge about? He¡¯d been a solid friend to me in the past, giving me a shoulder to lean on while I weaned into the responsibilities of being a Gym Leader. ¡­ I didn¡¯t want to run to him every time I had a problem though. I wanted to be able to stand on my own. Sabrina¡­ was much the same. She¡¯d definitely be able to help; she was so terrifyingly smart I couldn''t imagine her not having a solution. On the other hand, she might just resort to intimidation with her psychic powers if she knew I was stressed out. I didn¡¯t want her getting in trouble¡­ and much like with Surge I also didn¡¯t want to trouble her all the time. She hadn¡¯t come around since the Exhibition match and most messages she sent were short. In Sabrina language that meant she was probably still tired from dealing with all the thoughts at the match. Erika, I didn¡¯t know well enough. I just needed to trust that I had this. Now if only I could go to sleep. I tried stretching. I tried my normal anxiety management methods of methodically pressuring myself and releasing tension. None of it helped; I was left frazzled and out of sorts. I ended up stalking out of my room and into the kitchen, where I made myself a messy snack, glancing around guiltily when I mixed up the vanilla ice cream with some chocolate toppings before devouring it. It was amazing I hadn¡¯t had Munchlax storming in demanding some when I¡¯d opened the fridge. I mentally patted myself on the back for getting away with it. I dropped the bowl off and made my way into the lounge room where I found Munchlax passed out. He reminded me of my dog from another life, lying spread-eagled on the couch with a dopey smile on his face. Not a care in the world. He kicked out a little. ¡°Mun! Munch! Munch!¡± he said in his sleep. I snorted and sat down on another section before turning on the television for some late-night program. The pokemon world had different shows at night than during the day. It was very much a restriction on appropriate television and content as I understood it. Anyone could learn about some very dark truths that were occurring in the world, but they either had to subscribe to receive an email each day about what was going on or they had to stay up and watch the late news. ¡°¡ªan unlicensed fishing operation was seized today off the coast of Fuschia after the Carvanah nets broke and a nearby beach became dangerous for swimmers. Thankfully, a team of Rangers and Fuschia¡¯s own Gym Leader were able to stop the pokemon swarm before anyone was fatally injured. Twelve were rushed to hospital and are expected to make a full recovery.¡± On the screen, an aerial shot of water near a beach with a facility that reminded me of the old tuna fish farms rested, only this one appeared to be attached to a boat that had broken down. I narrowed my eyes. Or had it been sabotaged? It was dumb of them to enter Koga¡¯s territory. ¡°Devon stock was shorted on today with international investors betting against Steven¡ª¡± I changed the channel. ¡°¡ªwhen your woman isn¡¯t enough for a man¡¯s nee¡ª¡± Another change, I didn¡¯t like the look of that Jynx winking at me. I knew what late-night ads for those typically meant. ¡°¡ªthe mating call of the¡ª¡± I twitched and changed the channel again. I especially didn¡¯t want to know anything about what that Tentacruel was doing. I ended up settling on what was the equivalent of the Pokemon history channel. On the screen, a large Arcanine was shown in a cage. It paced around the small space before slumping down and whining lowly. I watched it for a moment, wondering what this show was talking about. I was just about to change the channel, but then I recognised the articulated voice of the narrator. Professor Oak. ¡°During the latter half of the war, it was realized that pokemon trainers'' deaths were not just affecting their families and communities, but also that of their pokemon. When their trainer died during the war, unless they were claimed by a person the pokemon recognised, they were usually aggressive to captors.¡± ¡°Or if the captors were rivals that the pokemon knew to be enemies?¡± On the screen, the Arcanine narrowed its eyes as a shadow of a person fell over it. You could see the muscles ripple in preparation for the leap. ¡°They became violent,¡± Oak said just as the Arcanine attacked. I settled back and watched the show. It wasn¡¯t as well understood by the layman, but pokeballs operated on linking in with people¡¯s aura to capture and keep pokemon contained. When you ran out of pokemon you also typically found yourself passing out as the energy you invested in keeping them stable in their balls caused you to go into shock. It was why it was always best to keep at least one strong pokemon on hand in any situation. If you went through a complete team wipe it typically left you dangerously exposed. If you could limp into a pokecenter with one pokemon? You could sleep it off. It was interesting to see the issues this dilemma created during a war. I¡¯d never thought of what might happen to my pokemon if I was¡­ taken out. I swallowed and continued to watch. Apparently, a lot of the pokemon, if they didn¡¯t get claimed, would pop out of their pokeballs and discover their trainer¡¯s body. ¡°Normal behavior for pokemon that have lost their trainers is very similar to most humans. They mourn the loss. Some struggle to understand it. Their minds are initially unable to comprehend the concept, but like children, they learn the harsh truth.¡± On the screen, the Arcanine howls mournfully at the moon with tears trickling down its face. I continued to watch as Oak outlined how entire teams of pokemon attacked trainers from any side of the war after a while. This led to large disturbances to the ecosystem they had found themselves in. As more and more pokemon trainers fell, more and more powerful pokemon eventually found themselves in the wilds. ¡°This created pokemon that were wise to trainers tricks in capturing them, and often nature became the greatest hindrance against humanity''s attempts to tear itself apart.¡± Oak¡¯s voice was overlaid to a forest on fire as eyes that I could only describe as evil glinted out from the shadows. And then the credits rolled. ¡°Muuuuuunch!¡± said the pokemon that had crawled into my arms at some point during the show. ¡°Mhm,¡± I absently replied. I now saw why these shows were only shown so late at night. This was graphic horror fuel. It was meant for adults. It was darkly interesting. I now felt like I had a new reason why I wasn¡¯t going to fall asleep tonight. I turned the tv off and carried Munchlax up to my room where I cuddled with him. Something about having the small pokemon in my arms helped me to relax. I felt a little bad that I¡¯d accidentally scared him, but I made up for it by helping him relax and going to bed. At least I felt that way. He got me back by eating my shirt during the night. Apparently, there had been some chocolate on it. It didn¡¯t bother me all that much. I was just thankful I had been able to get a halfway decent night¡¯s rest. I¡¯d made do on less before, but I was little better than a Slakoth as a result. Thankfully I had four hours in me and could now get on with my day productively. I had slightly less time than before to deal with the looming audit.
I had a lawyer. Not one on retainer, or anything as serious as that, but I did have a man that I consulted with. When I¡¯d originally returned home from my journey I had needed someone to investigate the legal status of the gym, and my right to take it over as Gym Leader from my father. This had led me to the office of Lawrence Wright. I¡¯d almost dismissed Lawrence when I¡¯d first met him. In my defence, I¡¯d never seen a lawyer with a mohawk. It hadn¡¯t struck me as acceptable in a courtroom for one. But I was quickly proven wrong. In fact, no one else batted an eye at the man in a tailored suit with his outrageous mohawk when we walked from his office to my Gym to review my paperwork. He¡¯d actually been highly recommended, and when the Grannies asked who was making sure things run smoothly they patted me on the head for hiring him and thought better of me. It had been a very strange experience as a then thirteen-year-old. I¡¯d won approval from very tradition-bound grannies by hiring a man that looked like he enjoyed roaring up and down highways in leather and chains. It really hadn¡¯t made any sense to me. I ended up just chalking it up as anime logic and shrugged it off. I called the day before, but he sadly hadn¡¯t been able to come around yesterday. Instead, they booked him in to come to the gym today after lunch. This suited me wonderfully, as it gave me enough time to watch Celia¡¯s next match. He swaggered up the path, his mohawk bobbing with each step before rapping his knuckles on the front door. I opened it and gave him a wave. ¡°Yo Lawrence, thanks for coming.¡± ¡°Not a problem Brock, not a problem. As you should know, I¡¯m happy to help out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure your rate has nothing to do with that.¡± I snarked at the man as I gestured for him to follow me to the office. He put a hand on his chest in mock affront. ¡°You wound me Brock.¡± He winked. ¡°I don¡¯t charge that much, don''t worry. Although I certainly wouldn¡¯t mind having you sign a retainer for my services. Need some solid locked-in work. Then I could hire on others like you¡¯re going to be.¡± ¡°Who told you I was hiring anyone?¡± I asked, thinking that the employment agency had yet to send out the advert. Lawrence rolled his eyes at me. ¡°You¡¯re young with a huge, state-of-the-art Gym. You don¡¯t dream small, Brock.¡± He gestured towards the Gym properly. ¡°You¡¯re making something big here.¡± I scratched my check self consciously. ¡°Ah well, I think I just had a case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach when I designed the place.¡± Lawrence snorted at me. ¡°Suurrre you did. Still, I¡¯d love to have a proper contract set up if you¡¯re interested. Now show me what your concerns are.¡± It took all of ten minutes of looking through my accounts for him to drop two files on the table. Then he stared at me before speaking, ¡°Brock, I can tell something has been plucked from these files. They¡¯re very sparse on details, and they¡¯re also notably different from everything else here. Both are land titles outside of Pewter. They¡¯re not investments and there is no rent or returns listed in your accounts.¡± He stared at me, his mohawk now pointed right at me. ¡°What are you trying to hide?¡± My hesitation to speak made him sigh. ¡°Client privilege Brock. If it¡¯s something illegal¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just sensitive information I don¡¯t want to be known.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s good to hear. I was worried for a second that you might not be as ¡®aww shucks¡¯ of a good guy as you appear!¡± he said with a laugh. He leaned back in his chair amused as I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not seen that way by people am I?¡± I said with a splutter. He shrugged. ¡°By some around town. You¡¯re like a slice of nice apple pie. Humble young man that listens to his elders, while still looking out for his family. Good local lad. The ¡®stains¡¯ on your record are more others making than your own. And yet you¡¯ve held up mighty fine indeed.¡± He tapped the paperwork, ¡°Now, no more diversions. Care to read me in?¡± He raised one report that I had redacted. I relaxed a little at that, not too worried about that site. I didn¡¯t own it after all. It was Ranger preserve land. ¡°Mt. Moon¡­ It¡¯s got a colony of Clefairy and also fairly often has meteors that hit. I¡¯ve gained a number of Moonstones that I occasionally sell off. I had previously listed off the site as I take my family up there and also check in on the local pokemon.¡± ¡°Huh. Yeah, I can see how that getting out would be troubling. Lots of trainers and bounty hunters would sweep the place if it got out as common knowledge. Still got the documents for how much you¡¯ve earned?¡± I nodded and sent the nanny Graveler out to get the files from my cabinet. Lawrence snorted at that. ¡°At least it¡¯s not as cliche as under your bed!¡± He tapped his chin. ¡°Anything else at Mt. Moon?¡± ¡°Nothing I¡¯ve actually profited on, from Mt Moon. More of a hope for the future.¡± Lawrence considered that before clicking his tongue. ¡°Usually I would consider that good enough, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to have to push. You have two land claims here Brock.¡± He raised both deeds up to me. ¡°The first one that is glaringly obvious to me as being something different. That¡¯s due to its location. So, Brock. What is on this tiny bit of land on Sunburst island?¡± I worked my jaw back and forth. I didn¡¯t want to talk about it. I wanted to be as secretive with this as possible. ¡°During my travels I discovered that pokemon can have larger variations than most understand,¡± a lie, but a plausible one. If I was going to confess to owning some land I was going to establish an alibi now. ¡°Sunburst island is where I found a rare cave that is entirely made of crystals. I discovered an Onix there that was entirely made of said material. I have since been keeping female onix there to mate and lay eggs with the other Onix. I own it, but I keep it in the area. Any eggs that I can hatch I raise in the area so that they can develop with hides made of crystals. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve only been able to get one crystal Onix from as yet, however.¡± ¡°Lower fertility rates?¡± he asked. I shrugged. Lawrence nodded his head. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s actually a damn good idea.¡± He made a circle with a finger. ¡°I¡¯d bring in a professional on the matter however, for all you know it might be an easy fix.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded slowly. If I looked at it a little, perhaps this audit could be a good thing by forcing me to be more active with Sunburst island. ¡°So,¡± Lawrence tapped the other plot of land I had. ¡°What¡¯s this one? It¡¯s actually local so it might not get as much attention.¡± I coughed. ¡°... diamonds¡­¡± I said quietly. Lawrence leaned forward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t catch that, did you say Diamonds?¡± ¡°Ahahaha yeah I have a theory about some pokemon that I¡¯m keeping an eye out for.¡± Lawrence sat back and whistled. ¡°Damn, right well I can see how you felt so comfortable throwing out your bid like you did.¡± I frowned at him. ¡°Can you ever be comfortable bidding that much money?¡± Lawrence laughed at me. ¡°Ha! You obviously haven¡¯t gone to the Celadon casino before! The high rollers throw down that sort of cash nightly for things way less sure than a pokemon battle!¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°Lance said something like that.¡± ¡°Brock, my young friend, you are moving up in the world,¡± he said with a smile. He sat back and laced his fingers. ¡°Brock, I¡¯m going to be honest. You¡¯re a big name now. Your Gym is not small by any measure. I can easily see you being the big Gym. I¡¯d have to check the publicly available information so bear with me. But I think that based on the numbers, you¡¯re already there with the number of trainers walking through your doors. More than any other Gym due to the prestige of being the first traditional Gym, along with being one of the few that will face all challengers regardless of badge level.¡± He pointed at me. ¡°You need a lawyer full time, and you need an accountant full time. It makes the most sense for me if you have me on retainer for that. I can expand with your backing, and I will in turn be backing you, Brock. I need to look into any land claims and possible disputes of previous sites with valuable goods. Is the land at least closed off?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have it marked off and I have put out signs stating that it is a testing site for Pewter Gym pokemon attacks.¡± Lawrence nodded. ¡°Alright, that should be fine for now. I¡¯ll look into it. Have a think about my offer as well, but get yourself a full-time accountant, free yourself up.¡± He put the form down and laced his fingers together. ¡°Now, when this Auditor returns¡­ what did you say his name was?¡± I opened my mouth before closing it. Lawrence raised an eyebrow before sighing. ¡°Really leaning into that aww shucks image Brock. Always get their name, and if possible get a picture of their credentials so you or I can look them up. They¡¯re not common, but masters of disguise exist. Professional sneaks can slip in if you¡¯re not careful. Your recent match with ¡®Agent Joy¡¯ could have been a fake-out by dressing up as her. Unlikely as it is, with you being highly familiar with Nurse Joy. Some criminals are dangerous like that.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I bit my lip, remembering all the wacky disguises that Jessie, James, and Meowth used in the anime. They¡¯d seemed so innocent in the show, but now they potentially were people trying to steal from my family. Urgh, how was I going to handle them? I actually enjoyed some of their antics and felt bad about their personal situations, but still, they were Team Rocket. I pushed that off for future Brock to deal with and instead continued to work through tightening up my accounts for the coming audit. When Lawrence had looked things over enough that he didn¡¯t have any issues that he could see he sat back. ¡°Alright, like I said, I¡¯ve covered things as well as I can. We¡¯ll need an actual accountant to look things over.¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°Mind if I recommend someone to you? She¡¯s a whiz with numbers and she¡¯s been out of work for a while now, but is looking to start building up a nest egg for when her daughter begins her journey.¡± ¡°Think she can get through my accounts by the time the auditor comes back next week?¡± Lawrence sits back and smirks. ¡°She¡¯s a whiz. You¡¯re good with pokemon, she¡¯s good with numbers.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let her come talk with me and I¡¯ll go from there. Got her number?¡± He handed me the number and informed me that he¡¯d spend a bit of time working on reviewing claims. I glanced down at the contact information. Georgina Glass, accountant. He waited for a moment before reminding me that he will be dropping a contract for retaining his services long-term my way soon. ¡°Joy, I¡¯m looking forward to that.¡± He smirked at the comment before tilting his head. ¡°How have you been otherwise? All recovered from your match with the Champ?¡± I huffed, ¡°Yeah, just annoyed with this popping up out of nowhere. I have better things to do with my time.¡± ¡°I can imagine. The circuit is just ending and this comes rolling around? The League can¡¯t even be faulted for it, as they will just claim that they were making sure everything was clear.¡± He stood and clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Give Georgina the accountant lady a call soon, yeah?¡± ¡°I will after I watch Celia¡¯s next match,¡± I said as I rose from my office and made my way towards the lounge where my family and I sat to watch Celia¡¯s quarter-final match. My family trickled in and claimed spots around, or on top of, me to watch Celia''s upcoming match. Forrest came in last with a bag of treats almost as big as him and a morose-looking Munchlax. When Forrest handed out a handful of treats to start things off Munchlax was quick to give each recipient a look of absolute sadness. His eyes watered and his lip quivered. His ears were tucked back and a sad croon of hunger escaped him. ¡°Muuuuuuuuuunch.¡± He got treats from five of us before realizing he was now looking at me. He gave me a wink before moving onto Yolanda only to get a tap on the nose. ¡°Nice use of babydoll eyes, Munchlax but it¡¯s not very effective!¡± Munchlax recoiled at that before turning onto the other two siblings to find Salvadore and Forrest both impervious. He grumbled at that before sitting next to Forrest. He¡¯d have gotten smaller, more constant meals from sitting next to Suzie or Tilly but he obviously had his eyes on the prize in Forrest¡¯s lap. ¡°Don¡¯t let go Forrest!¡± Salvadore warned. I chuckled at them, not all that bothered and instead watched the announcers talk through the trainers before their match up. ¡°Celia¡¯s been red hot as a trainer, Henry! I think she¡¯s coming into this match strong! She¡¯s the leader of the pack from the Pewter City gang. I''m backing her!¡± announced the female presenter. The man nodded along. ¡°A nice conclusion, but you¡¯re wrong!'''' This drew some boos from my family. The man snapped to the camera. ¡°Celia¡¯s a young trainer and she still has a long way to go! She¡¯s shown she¡¯s got tricks, but her pokemon don¡¯t have the legs in them for this match! She¡¯s fought a lot and I think her pokemon are running low on energy! You need more to proceed!¡± Yolanda tapped me. ¡°How many pokemon does Celia have? Does she have enough depth?¡± I clicked my tongue and counted off the pokemon she had in my head. ¡°She¡¯s got ten pokemon but only nine of those are at the level to fight at this tournament. Her Phanpy is a bit young right now. She could have gotten away with fielding it in the earlier rounds and I think she should have, to give her younger pokemon some easy experience.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that mean she wouldn¡¯t have done as well?¡± Asked Forrest. I wave my hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°It¡¯s something you can do if your goal is beyond just the tournament. It¡¯s honestly incredible that Celia has gotten as far as she had. She¡¯s now in the top eight trainers this year. Most of the others are trainers that have at least three years under them, and at least eighteen to twenty pokemon to pick from that have all fought in tournaments before.¡± I gestured to Celia as she marched out. ¡°Celia is doing herself a bit of a disservice by thinking she needs to win this tournament. She''s pushing herself hard, and that¡¯s not a bad thing. I just think she isn¡¯t enjoying the process enough. But then again this is her first major tournament as well.¡± I shrugged, ¡°I think she¡¯s got good odds today.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t you bet on her to win the whole thing?¡± Salvadore chimed from his spot next to Forrest. Munchlax glowered at him, having been nudged away from the food by Salvadore¡¯s arrival. ¡°Yeah, but that was to show my support. It wasn¡¯t anything too serious.¡± ¡°Are¡­ No. How often do trainers win tournaments in their first year?¡± Yolanda said. ¡°Well, some tournaments are around only for first-year entrants. Those are good to enter so technically you can win a few tournaments, but the big internationally recognised tournaments like the Indigo Conference? I think there¡¯s been one first-year winner in the last decade.¡± ¡°Was it you?!¡± said Billy excitedly. I snorted and shook my head. ¡°No, actually it was a trainer by the name of Lance.¡± I smirked at them. ¡°Lance Blackthorn? You might have heard of him?¡± My family reeled back. ¡°Eh!?¡± They said as one realizing that I was speaking about the trainer that I just so happened to beat a while ago. ¡°Lance won on his first circuit!? When was this?¡± Forrest said. I grimaced. ¡°It was around three years ago.¡± The younger members of my family tilted their heads in confusion. Trying to, and thankfully failing to remember what had been going on three years ago. Yolanda, Salvadore and Forrest all nodded slowly. They had been rather withdrawn back then, and more worried about things closer to home. When I¡¯d come back they¡¯d returned to their previous selves, but it hadn¡¯t been a quick process. I wasn¡¯t surprised they hadn¡¯t watched the tournament that year. ¡°So, if Lance won three years ago how come he didn¡¯t try and become Champion then? I thought if you won you gained the right to challenge the Elite four?¡± Forrest said with a frown. I threw some popcorn into my mouth and munched on it before tossing Munchlax a kernel. ¡°That¡¯s right, you have the right to challenge the League¡¯s Elite Four if you win. What¡¯s not commonly known, is that you don¡¯t have to do it there and then. You have three years before your right to challenge is revoked. Lance used the entire three years to travel Johto, Kanto and then do a tour of the frontiers with the Rangers before returning with his team. In that time he got to watch every other challenger that went against the Elite Four. This wasn¡¯t just the other victors of the Indigo Plateau, but also the Masters Battle club tournaments, any of the Elite Rangers who complete a tour of service, Gym Leaders, or even the Elite trainers that had won enough prestige to earn a wildcard invitational right to challenge. ¡°He got to work out how Shafner fought with his flying types. That the old man loved being evasive and forcing engagements at extreme distances which suited him best.¡± I ticked off one finger. ¡°He got to watch how Agatha tricked people and poisoned them. Confused and beguiled them into sleep before draining them away.¡± Another finger rose. ¡°How Bruno clobbered people into submission with powerful pokemon that could take hits only to dish them out.¡± a third finger. I raised the fourth finger and twitched it about, every set of eyes, even Munchlax¡¯s, focused on it. ¡°Then I think he got really fortunate.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Yolanda said, ever quick off the mark. I twitched the finger again. ¡°Instead of keeping on Bruce who was an electric type master, the previous champion dismissed him and gave Lorelei his spot in the Elite Four.¡± Forrest nodded. ¡°I think I remember something about that? Wasn¡¯t it a big deal?¡± ¡°Yup! Now I think he did it for a few reasons, but most people like to point out that Lorelei is his Granddaughter so they claim nepotism but that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s nepotism?¡± said Suzie, cutting me off. I scratched my head. Right, I wasn''t giving a speech to a group of academy students, but my family. Some of them were only just learning some of these words. ¡°Nepotism is showing favour to someone that you¡¯re related to. Like, if I gave Forrest all the easy jobs in the Gym and left the hard stuff for the other trainers that would be nepotism.¡± ¡°You could show me some nep¡ª¡± I leaned over and flicked him on the forehead lightly. He grumbled at me while Yolanda and the girls giggled. ¡°It¡¯s character building,¡± I said, falling back on the tried and true reason for not going easy on him. ¡°Urgh!¡± he groaned loudly. That only got more laughter instead of commiserating looks. I smiled at the rest of my family. Their time would come eventually. On the screen, the presenters were going over Howard and Celia¡¯s teams. They were doing a wonderful job of analysing Celia¡¯s pokemon thus far. They had her Nidoqueen, Wartortle, Jigglypuff, Gloom and Ninetails all on display with video. ¡°So what were you saying about Lorelei being Pryce¡¯s granddaughter being a bad thing?¡± Salvadore said. ¡°Hmm?¡± I said, turning away from the tv towards Salvadore. ¡°What was that?¡± He rolled his eyes at me. ¡°Brock! Don¡¯t play dumb! Why was it a bad thing that Lorelei was his granddaughter!?¡± I replayed what we¡¯d been talking about. I had gotten distracted explaining nepotism, hadn¡¯t I? ¡°Oh right! So instead of holding her back later, he put her as the first trainer that anyone would face in the Elite Four roster. That was where he made a big tactical error. See Lance got to watch everyone have a run at her. And she fought with a lot of pokemon extremely similar to that of Pryce so Lance realized he needed to focus his scouting on her the most, cause she was giving away a lot of Pryce¡¯s tells.¡± ¡°So he had been able to watch all of the Elite Four and the Champion¡¯s fighting style before he challenged them,¡± Yolanda said. I nodded at her and made a ticking gesture she smiled. ¡°Right in one. When he challenged, he came through like a hurricane. He had them all planned out and had a method ready for each of them. He even predicted the adjustments that Pryce was going to make to his team after he thrashed Lorelei.¡± I splayed my hands out. ¡°Which resulted in him becoming the champ a couple of months ago, right before his right of challenge would have expired.¡± ¡°And then you beat him!¡± cheered Billy which most of my siblings cheered at. I grinned at them and thought about mentioning all the tricks I¡¯d used to come in stronger. Forrest shot me a look. ¡°So are you going to be a champ or an Elite Four? As a Gym Leader you have the right to challenge once every two years, yeah?¡± I nodded at him, pleased he¡¯d been doing some reading on what came with being a Gym Leader. ¡°Yeah I could.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ve got enough on my plate looking after the gym and you guys. I¡¯m happy riiiiiiight here!¡± I grinned at them and reached out to tickle Billy and Tilly who squealed and rolled away. Munchlax hoovered up their dropped candy before running away as they gave chase. For a moment the living room got loud as they shrieked and ran about. I watched them fondly only to feel a gaze boring into me. I looked over to find Yolanda staring at me. I wiped my mouth. ¡°Got something on my face?¡± She gave me half a smile and shook her head. She looked to the tv without saying anything. I tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°No, nothing is wrong,¡± she replied before glancing away. She glanced at my side before tapping Cindy who¡¯d claimed the spot to my left. ¡°Can I sit there for a bit?¡± Cindy leaned over and pushed Timmy out from my right. Once she had secured that spot she clambered over without a care for her foot placement. Yolanda slid into a cuddle at my side. It would have been a nice sweet moment, if not for Tilly and Billy shrieking loudly and for Cindy having stepped on my groin. Being a pseudo parent really had a lot of drawbacks sometimes. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Yolanda said when she saw me biting my knuckles to keep in a groan. ¡°Never better,¡± I said hoarsely. ¡°Billy! Tilly! Sit down, the match is about to start!¡± They broke off chasing Munchlax and hopped onto the couch. Munchlax staggered to the front of the couch and collapsed tiredly in front of us all, too tired to beg for scraps. I¡¯d give him some more treats later. A small soft pokemon like him was great for burning off my siblings'' energy. Charles Goodshow, much like he had for my match, took center stage with two flags in hand. ¡°Alright! On the northern side of the arena, Celia Shardness from Pewter City!¡± The crowd and my family cheered loudly as she rose on her podium, her ginger hair was tied into a ponytail today and she had a stern look on her face while she held a pokeball in her hand ready to be thrown forth. ¡°On the southern side, Howard from Bluefinland!¡± My siblings sat down and didn¡¯t clap but the crowd on the tv continued to cheer. A teenager with long wavy blue hair appeared and smiled widely. He waved at the crowd and received a louder cheer and a scoff from Forrest for his efforts. He selected a pokeball from his belt after eyeing Celia for a moment. ¡°Trainers!¡± Shouted Charles with both flags raised. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Both nodded and Charles dropped the flags. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Go Boomer!¡± Celia called revealing an Electrode as she released her first pokemon. Howard was halfway through his toss but I could already see him flinching ¡°Go Tentacruel!¡± Yolanda shot to her feet. ¡°Yes! Nice match up to start with!¡± I nodded along with the other siblings while Yolanda sat back down on the edge of the lounge. ¡°Boomer use T W!¡± She called. ¡°Screech to weaken it up Tentacruel!¡± Commanded Howard. Tentcruel opened its beak and released a shriek that was only mildly annoying to listen to across the tv. Celia grit her teeth, revealing it was more than just an annoyance on the field. You could almost see the air ripple as soundwaves radiated towards Boomer, only for the grinning white and red sphere to blast out electricity with a harsh ¡®zap¡¯ that reminded me of a noise from lightning hitting a faraday cage. The blast of electricity overwhelmed the supersonic scream and cancelled out the noise only for the electrical waves to continue out and zap Tentacruel. It spasmed before growling and standing upright. ¡°Rain dance!¡± Declared Howard. His pokemon twitched but released a gout of water that exploded above the pokemon¡¯s head to cause rain to fall over the entire field. The tentacruel notably relaxed as the raindrops touched it. ¡°Must have a restorative ability if it¡¯s gaining health from being in the rain.¡± ¡°Thunderbolt!¡± Was Celia¡¯s answer. ¡°Wait! Wait! Now! Throw yourself to the side Tentacruel!¡± the pokemon leapt to the side only for the paralysis to kick in. Instead of trying to stay upright however the pokemon let itself fall which served to help as it flopped to the ground, avoiding the attack. ¡°Water pulse!¡± ¡°Thunderbolt again!¡± This time Tentacruel shot three rings of water at the Electrode as lightning raced across the field. Both attacks slammed home. Boomer shook off the attack and leered at his foe. I leaned forward and stared into the electrode¡¯s eyes. Was one a slightly different size than the other that would mean¡­ ¡°Fight on Tentacruel!¡± Tentacruel rose slowly with trembling limbs that grew more controlled as the rain continued to fall. ¡°Finish it with thunderbolt Boomer!¡± Shouted Celia. Boomer nodded and shot a bolt of lightning. It missed. ¡°Eh? Boomer again!¡± ¡°Tentacruel use Toxic spikes!¡± While Boomer fired and missed, Howard made the most of the situation and began scattering spikes all over the field. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Shouted Salvadore. Yolanda chewed her thumb in annoyance leaving me to point out what I¡¯d noticed a few moments ago. ¡°Boomer is confused. That water pulse has knocked him around and he¡¯s not able to accurately judge distances right now like he should. Notice how his eyes are different sizes?¡± Everyone in the room leaned forward; Munchlax lifted his head up slightly. ¡°Eh?! That¡¯s wrong! He¡¯s an electric type!¡± said Forrest. ¡°It happens sometimes, pokemon can take a bad hit. It¡¯s why you have to go through a lot of toughening up. It can still happen in the higher ranks of pokemon battles.¡± I gestured towards Celia¡¯s look of annoyance. ¡°But it¡¯s rare and you¡¯re rolling dice when you try it. You have better consistency with your victory percentage if you don¡¯t rely on lucky hits disorienting your foe.¡± It was actually supposed to be better odds but I knew Boomer should have been strong enough to shrug that water pulse off. Howard had gotten extremely lucky and he knew it. ¡°Toxic spikes!¡± He called as he ordered the field filled. When he ordered another round I shook my head. ¡°He should have tried to put more hits onto Boomer instead of going for a fourth round of spikes. Three field effects are more than enough before it drops away.¡± Yolanda and Forrest nodded seriously; Salvadore drew out a notepad and wrote what I¡¯d said down. ¡°Thunderbolt!¡± This time Celia¡¯s order resulted in a hit. And this time Tentacruel went down. Howard wasn¡¯t worried though. If anything he looked very pleased with how his pokemon had performed. I sighed and sat back. That¡­ Had not been a good start for Celia. Unlucky? Extremely so. It seemed her foe was going to take that tiny moment though and run with it. When Howard called out a Dugtrio, Celia answered perfectly with a Gyroball. It would have worked out wonderfully as Dugtrio were typically speedy pokemon and that would have resulted in a smaller gap for more damage with the gyroball. ¡°Earthquake!¡± Sadly Howard had the moves to stop it dead in its tracks. Boomer went down. Celia growled and weighed up two pokeballs in her hands. The decision of which pokemon to throw out right now playing out in her mind. I sat up. ¡°Come on Celia, you can do this.¡± ¡°Go Spunky!¡± she called out. I sniggered as a gloom took to the stage. Yolanda and Forrest huffed at my sniggers. Salvadore gave me a confused look. ¡°What¡¯s so funny about Spunky?¡± ¡°Spunky¡¯s Rocko¡¯s friend!¡± I said, aware that they wouldn¡¯t get the reference. I had no doubt Celia thought I might have been teasing Rocko when I had suggested the name. It was anything but a tease against Rocko in truth. Sometimes knowing shows from a past life was amusing, but referencing such shows only ever got you strange looks. Yolanda shook her head. She probably thought I meant Rocko the gym trainer and his habits with his own gloom that I¡¯d spoken to her about a few months ago. Salvadore looked confused. Forrest just patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Big Bro is weird sometimes.¡± And that seemed enough of an answer for Salvadore as he turned back to watch the toxic spikes have no effect on Spunky. ¡°Sleep powder!¡± said Celia. ¡°Dig!¡± Dugtrio vanished into the ground. Celia leaned forward. For all intents and purposes, she appeared to be studying the field but I could see from her body language she was paying a lot of attention to where Howard was looking on the field. ¡°Wait for it! Wait for it!¡± Just as some rocks shifted near Spunky she swept her hand out. ¡°Leap up with Vine whip!¡± ¡°Gllllloooom!¡± shouted Spunky as he leapt upwards. Dugtrio followed after him for a bit revealing its mole-like body, only to startle as it realized it had left the earth. It scrabbled at the air to no avail. ¡°Spin to constrict your vines!¡± Ordered Celia making her still soaring Gloom turn about. The vine closed around Dugtrio. Spunky landed roughly, but Celia merely grinned. ¡°Use Megadrain while it¡¯s in your clutches!¡± That was enough to take out the Dugtrio. ¡°Yes!¡± Yolanda pumped her fist. ¡°She¡¯s got this.¡± I nodded. Not willing to voice that I thought it would have been better to send out Lizzie, her Nidoqueen. Both Lizzie or Spunky could ignore the toxic spikes, yes, but Lizzie had the moves in her arsenal to handle the field-effects permanently. She might have fallen into the trap of a trainer holding back their starter pokemon too long out of pride. I hoped I was wrong. Sadly I wasn¡¯t. Right as the rain gave out Howard tossed out a Rapidash to blitz through Spunky. Instead of sending out Lizzie to answer, Celia held back her starter and sent out Stylish, her Wartortle. The little guy took a face full of spikes only for Howard to withdraw his pokemon and send out an Ampharos which the announcers reported as his starter pokemon. I clicked my tongue at that. Forrest scowled. ¡°Is that allowed at this level?¡± ¡°In the finals, yes. It¡¯s no restrictions on withdrawals. It¡¯s clunky but you can still do it. You can¡¯t do it to dodge a move, but if you¡¯re quick and set up a lull between moves it is allowed.¡± I said. In truth, there was a lot more to it, but Howard was using his right to change out his pokemon well. Well enough that he was able to beat Celia. Lizzie held out against the Ampharos, and the Rapidash, only to fall to a still fresh Victrebell. Celia slumped down with the loss and a collective groan went through the room at her defeat. Tilly and Billy both threw themselves onto Munchlax. ¡°Noooooooo! It¡¯s not right! She¡¯s not supposed to lose.¡± Munchlax instead of crawling out from under them to eat their dropped food, consoled them as they cried into the pokemon. I mentally gave myself a reminder to give the little guy a big treat later on as I let him continue to soothe them. They eventually calmed down and watched Celia accept her defeat by shaking hands with Howard. Both of them looked spent. I doubted Howard would advance past the next round, unless he had some stronger pokemon still in reserve. Celia waved to the crowd and they cheered her on despite her loss. She walked out and I stood from my seat. It wouldn¡¯t be good to leave her to stew in her loss. I made my way to the office to let her know we were all proud of her. Chapter 27 - Corralling, and Consultations ¡°I¡¯VE FAILED YOU!¡± wailed Celia over the video. I could only stare back and chant one thought over and over in repeat. Don¡¯t laugh. Don¡¯t laugh. She didn¡¯t mean to quote that silly Dexter cartoon from your childhood. ¡°I¡¯M SOOOOO SORRRRRYYYY!¡± She continued, unaware that I found her hysterics amusing. She certainly wouldn¡¯t find it funny if I said as much. I opened my mouth to remind her how proud I was, only for her to continue shouting self-castigations. ¡°I should have sent out Lizzie earlier and swept the field! I should have evolved my Wartortle before reaching the League! I should have used some field effects of my own! I didn¡¯t prepare enough!¡± ¡°CELIA!¡± I eventually shouted over the top of her. That got her to quieten down. She stared at me in a mix of fear and some other indecipherable emotion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I talked too much. I¡¯m a waste of a trainer!¡± she said. ¡°Celia, don¡¯t you dare hang up on me or I will fly up to the Plateau right this moment! Don¡¯t see if I won¡¯t, young lady!¡± I promised, channeling my best big brother voice. It was super effective as she remained on the line and watched me like a small frightened animal. ¡°...sorry,¡± she murmured, shrinking in on herself. I huffed. ¡°Celia¡­¡± I said. ¡°You did incredibly well. Not many trainers in their first year make it out of the group stages, let alone advance through the knock out matches to make it into the top eight of the tournament. That other trainer was also seeded second for this tournament, and has a team that possesses way more tournaments and years of training under their belt.¡± I grinned at her. ¡°Your problem isn¡¯t that you didn¡¯t go far enough, it''s that you¡¯ve forgotten how far you¡¯ve come from.¡± ¡°W-what d-d-do you mean?¡± She asked with a hiccup. ¡°Celia, let¡¯s rewind to what you were doing for yourself precisely one year ago? You weren¡¯t a sponsored trainer yet. What would you have been doing?¡± ¡°I was researching your sponsorship tournament¡­¡± She said quietly. ¡°Exactly. You didn¡¯t get to start training with Lizzie until two weeks before the circuit started, where you had to build up trust and work with her. Since then you¡¯ve travelled all over Kanto, made a ton of friends, won a lot of battles, and grown up wonderfully.¡± ¡°B-but I didn¡¯t win!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s not a problem. You¡¯re learning, and it¡¯s never guaranteed like people might presume.¡± ¡°I just wanted to make everyone proud,¡± she said while looking down at the floor. Her bangs hid her eyes but reflected the small tear tracks on her cheeks. ¡°Everyone is proud of you, Celia. You¡¯re putting too much weight on your shoulders. There¡¯s probably going to be a parade for you when you get back. You may even have to make a speech to inspire the orphans. Everyone knows your name more than they did two weeks ago.¡± I chuckled. ¡°But don¡¯t live your life for other people¡¯s praise, find your own reason that works for you, alright?¡± I propped my chin up and leaned on it lazily. ¡°Did you think you were going to go all the way when you started out last year? What were your goals? Do you remember them?¡± She chewed her lip and frowned to the side. I hummed and leaned over to a folder detailing Celia¡¯s training record that I¡¯d created. On the first page, in her own messy scrawl, her goal was written down. ¡°Remember this?¡± I turned it around so she could read her own goal. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you set them.¡± ¡°I wanted t¡­to... To make ten friends¡­ and, make Lizzie strong¡­ and earn all eight badges¡­¡± ¡°This last one was written after you tried against Sabrina. Remember how badly she beat your team back then? But you wrote it down and were determined, ¡®cause it meant Lizzie wouldn¡¯t be weak.¡± I tapped a finger on the first goal. ¡°You¡¯ve made a ton of new friends this last year. Both with pokemon and people. Heck, you organised the Pewter trainers so well the organisers thought I had been running a boot camp. You kept working on this goal right up until now! The number of friends you had in the last week alone has probably skyrocketed!¡± She nodded, a small smile appearing for just a moment. I let my finger slide down to the second goal. ¡°Make Lizzie strong. Lizzie is a powerful, fully evolved Nidoqueen now. You asked me three times how to evolve her and I held you back twice until you displayed more depth and understanding of how Lizzie would change with her evolution. When I told you about the method you didn¡¯t run off and force it, but made sure Lizzie was ready. You worked with her and set a goal with and for your starter. That¡¯s a great sign.¡± ¡°Do I need to mention this last one?¡± I tapped the ¡®collect eight badges¡¯. She shook her head and giggled to herself. ¡°You made it to the top eight in the Indigo region, Celia. You didn¡¯t fail me, or anyone, or your pokemon, and especially not yourself. You¡¯ve done fantastically.¡± She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m kind of being ridiculous, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± I shifted in my seat, gathering my words. ¡°You¡¯re caught up in the first loss that has meant something in quite a while. These sting, ¡®cause you think you¡¯re used to handling loss, but those losses didn¡¯t hold the same meaning. Just like you remember your first official loss, you also remember these significant losses. You¡¯ve been on a real streak, so this might be worse for you.¡± ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡± I flipped through her rather dense folder and selected a page that showed her League sheet as reported to the public. ¡°You have a seventy-four percent win ratio Celia. That¡¯s huge. If you wanted to, next year, you wouldn¡¯t need to rely on my sponsorship.¡± Her breath hitched. I raised a hand to stop her from jumping to a bad conclusion. ¡°I¡¯d like to extend the sponsorship to you once more, but I thought I might point out that you don¡¯t need to just rely on me. You¡¯ve built up a very, very, tidy nest egg, and you have a lot more options. I imagine there¡¯s going to be a lot of corporations asking for a private word when you¡¯re out and about so get ready for that.¡± I prompted her with the hand again. She loyally stayed silent. ¡°I just wanted to highlight that you had options. I¡¯d like you to stay, but you should definitely talk with some people, and consider their offers. Enjoy the Plateau. Think about what you want, we can discuss more later. Today was rough with your loss, and that always sucks. But at the end of the day, it won¡¯t matter too much. You did fantastically and you don¡¯t need to be sad because you think you let us down. You could never let us down.¡± The sound of small feet running up the hall towards my office had me smiling. ¡°Ready for your fans?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Celia said just as the door to my office creaked open. Three heads peeked around and I waved for them to approach. Salvadore, Tilly, and Billy all bundled in, only to have the rest of my family follow them in. Tilly claimed my lap and waved at Celia. ¡°Silly! You did great!¡± ¡°Yeah! You were amazing!¡± ¡°Your pokemon were so cool!¡± ¡°You looked good on tv!¡± said my family all over each other. Celia laughed and wiped the last of her tears away and began talking with them. There was a small chance that Celia might find an enticing deal or sponsorship from someone else, but I doubted it. Even if she had a better deal she¡¯d probably stick with Pewter just because of how I gave her the start into the circuit. She really had come a long way from being a small orphan of Pewter City. Eventually, Celia was found by her friends on her side of the call and she had to beg off as they dragged her out to start the night¡¯s celebrations. I had the opposite problem, with the night supposed to be ending for most of my little brothers and sisters. ¡°Rawr! I¡¯m a Nidoking!¡± roared Billy towards Tilly only for her to push him back. ¡°I¡¯m a Machamp! Guoh!¡± They then proceeded to push each other around in a play fight. Suzie and Timmy sprinted off towards another part of the house, and I sighed to myself. I gave the clock a glance. Then I chuckled. It wasn¡¯t a school night. I stepped up to the tousling twins who paused as I loomed over them.¡±I¡¯m a Tyranitar! RAAAAAAAAA!¡± I said loudly. Both of the twins shrieked and ran for it. I turned on the still lingering little brothers and sisters. ¡°I¡¯ll gobble you all up!¡± Yolanda giggled and ran for it, joining in while Salvadore blinked and looked to Forrest who scoffed. I grabbed him and spun him around before charging into the lounge room. I tossed him down into the cushions before pointing down at his unamused face. ¡°PUNY HUMAN!¡± His face shifted from unamused to annoyed at being called puny. He threw himself into a tackle only for a pillow I had snatched up to whip around and club him. Yolanda peeked in, to laugh at our antics. She eventually joined in on my side to swat at Forrest. When he fell over she betrayed me without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Raaaaa! I am too strong for your puny blows to hurt me!¡± I roared through her hits. She stepped back with a determined glint in her eyes before undulating a warrior¡¯s cry and tossing multiple pillows at my face before shoving herself into my midriff. I stood against her, and grabbed her around her own stomach before lifting her up. Then I spun around. And around again. ¡°Brock! No! I¡¯m going to be sick!¡± She panicked. Her shouts and my laughs served to draw in the rest of the family that had hidden away. The two sets of twins peeked in and found Forrest swatting at me as I spun Yolanda around. Salvadore stood nearby laughing at our antics. They charged into the fray thinking it was great fun. Eventually, I was toppled with the combined might of Tilly, Yolanda, Suzie and Cindy, much to Suzie¡¯s delight. While I was ¡®down and out¡¯, she began weaving ribbons into my hair. I lay still and allowed it while the other kids bounced around like wild children of a lost tribe, rather than my normally calm little brothers and sisters. When Suzie was done she patted me on the head. ¡°Good boy!¡± She said before gesturing for me to rise. I stood up, planted my feet and put my hands on my hips in an authoritative pose. ¡°Alright, you children! No more play! There is only time for bath and bed now!¡± I only got laughter and jeers like I had expected. I grinned at them knowing that I had other tricks up my sleeve. ¡°Oh? No bath! No ice cream!¡± There was a sudden rush to the bath at that, with Munchlax appearing in the bath before anyone else. He got a little shower cap for his troubles. Timmy watched on and nodded.¡±He¡¯s sticky!¡± ¡°I think you mean stinky, Tim,¡± I said as I lathered up the hairy little stomach on legs. ¡°Munch!¡± He said as Suzie began to play patty cake with him. I kept an eye on the youngest twins as they lounged in the bath. ¡°Magikarp!¡± ¡°Goldeen!¡± They both said to each other; continuing their earlier game but much more passively now that they¡¯d burnt off their energy. ¡°Time to hop out and dry off!¡± I announced as I washed Munchlax off with a shower hose. ¡°Cindy, think you can use the hairdryer on Munchlax?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± said Cindy. Suzie stayed close to ¡®help¡¯. ¡°You missed a spot! No, here! No, there!¡± said Suzie. I dumped a towel on her before she could annoy Cindy any further. When all of the youngest were cleaned up, I led them back out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where temporary peace awaited me. For the next five minutes the only sound was the clinking of bowls and Munchlax begging for just one more scoop. I hummed and shared a bit of my ice cream with him. Instead of indulging in the ice cream myself, I watched my family. When I put them to bed I ended up having to read at least four story books, but that wasn¡¯t an issue. Cindy and Tommy had put themselves to bed but I made sure to swing around and tuck them in. Then I checked in on Salvadore to find him reading a textbook. ¡°Twenty more minutes, then go to bed Sal,¡± I declared from his door. ¡°Kay!¡± He said, his eyes not lifting from his book. I found Yolanda checking in on Forrest and his egg. When she was happy with it she bid both myself and Forrest good night. I patted her head when she walked past me. Forrest played with the incubator for a little, shifting it about minutely before leaving it be. I didn¡¯t say anything but I kept catching a complicated expression when he looked at it. ¡°Hey, everything alright?¡± I interrupted. ¡°Yeah, just¡­ it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°You sure? If it¡¯s bothering you it''s not nothing.¡± In reply Forrest just shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, night Brock.¡± ¡°Night,¡± I said. I left him be for the moment but I certainly wouldn¡¯t forget that something was bugging him. For now, I¡¯d let the issue rest. I¡¯d deal with it when it came time. For today, things had gone well enough. I went to bed that night with a lightness that made sleep come easily.
¡°Good morning¡­ is it Miss or Mrs?¡± I said to the older woman. She smiled gently at me and tucked an errant lock of blue hair behind her ear. ¡°Miss Glass, but please just call me Georgina. How should I address you, Gym leader?¡± ¡°Brock¡¯s fine,¡± I said, waving her off. I glanced to the side to find a shrunken down version of the woman only instead of her loose bun of hair, this girl had two pigtails that draped over her shoulders. She didn¡¯t have anything else of note, but my mind leapt across a gap and added a missing yellow cap on her head and stuck up her hair in a cartoonish method that some hairstylists were renowned for. I knew this girl¡­ or at least I had known her¡­ vaguely. ¡°And this is your daughter?¡± ¡°Yes! This is Crystal!¡± Georgina said, putting her hands around her daughter and smiling beatifically. Crystal grinned at me. ¡°You can refer to me as Lord Kris!¡± ¡°Crystal!¡± said Georgina. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about her. She thinks she¡¯s a little comedian, but she isn¡¯t funny!¡± She growled at her daughter. A tinkling laugh caught our group¡¯s attention. Yolanda leaned out of the front door. ¡°I thought it was pretty funny?¡± ¡°Heh! See Mum? You¡¯re just old!¡± ¡°Young lady, if you think acting like this is going to help your cause for that bicycle, you are sadly mistaken.¡± Crystal just huffed before marching over to Yolanda. ¡°Call me Kris.¡± ¡°Yolanda, want to come see the pokemon?¡± Yolanda asked, opening the door. I coughed and jerked my head towards her mother, an obvious prompt to Yolanda. ¡°If that¡¯s alright with you Miss Glass?¡± ¡°Please Mum!¡± Instantly all traces of rebellion vanished from Crystal as she turned watery eyes to her mother, her hands collapsed together. Georgina stared at her for a long moment, until Crystal began to fidget. ¡°Very well but don¡¯t make a nuisance of yourself.¡± ¡°Sweet! Lead the way!¡± said Crystal. I watched the girls run off to the back of the gym before gesturing in another direction. ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡°Yes! Please, lead the way.¡± I led her to the office and made some idle conversation. ¡°I was able to review the information you sent me, and I can only assume you have been using accounting software for your Gym''s needs?¡± ¡°Yes, it seems to have been enough for me.¡± ¡°I find it handles most nuisances but with the audit, you also need to have everything sorted. One aspect that stood out to me, from the questionnaire you filled out, is that you don¡¯t have separate legal entities for the gym and yourself. I believe you need to create a degree of separation.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I scratched my head bemused at how that had played out. ¡°I hadn¡¯t been expecting you to send me a questionnaire when I sent a message that I¡¯d be interested in having a talk about potentially hiring you.¡± Georgina gave me an amused smile. ¡°you will find there¡¯s more to accounting than just making sure numbers add up or divide properly.¡± ¡°Huh, is that something you learnt from your work in the bank?¡± I asked, recalling her resume. Her document had been very professional and no-nonsense but she boasted a number of different experiences. ¡°Any interesting stories from being a bank clerk?¡± I asked, assuming it would be rather tame but deciding to avoid diving straight into what was to come. ¡°Oh, one time Team Rocket robbed us. That was rather terrifying as they had to fight their way out with the police appearing. I think they lost most of the money when the bank¡¯s security team also started to arrive from other parts of Kanto. It was rather scary, all told, but then we had to go through a long round of interviews to make sure there wasn¡¯t any inside assistance.¡± Georgina leaned in. ¡°Turned out there was! They had some new hires replaced!¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s something¡­¡± I then stopped and eyed her. ¡°Would you think less of me if I asked you for some identification right about now?¡± I joked, mostly in jest. Georgina merely laughed and showed me her valid trainer permit which entitled her to have six pokemon, along with her driver¡¯s license. I eyed the second one. ¡°Don¡¯t see these often. Go driving much?¡± ¡°I might own a sports car that I take out to the track,¡± she said with a quiver that seemed to energise her. I nodded at that unexpected affirmation. ¡°You like cars?¡± ¡°I like going fast! I had a hard time with slower pokemon when I was a trainer since I always wanted to be running places or flying! I had a Rapidash, Dodrio, Pidgeot and a Fearow!¡± ¡°You got rid of them?¡± ¡°Oh! No sorry, they¡¯re all a little old now. I rent a spot at the ranch for them to live out their twilight years. They¡¯re only good for taking Crystal on little adventures now.¡± I opened the door to the office and gestured to my seat behind the desk. I stood behind the chair and adjusted the screen. ¡°Alright so, Lawrence recommended you to look over my books and see if there were any irregularities. He also suggested I might look into hiring you on a more permanent basis, due to the gym getting more hires instead of sending information out quarterly like I have been.¡± She raised a hand to the computer. ¡°May I?¡± I leaned in, hitting enter on the keyboard before tapping the screen. Georgina gave me a confused look. It was obvious that this wasn¡¯t a touch screen so my tapping on the screen shouldn¡¯t have done anything. She got the answer to her unasked question when a Porygon zipped onto it. It glanced at me with a digital eye before squawking. It promptly broke apart and vanished over the screen. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re good now. Go right ahead.¡± ¡°You have Porygon cyber-security?¡± Georgina asked as she clicked open the spreadsheet. Her eyes began to flick through them and suddenly she was working the mouse as hard as a professional Korean gamer. Numbers began to float through as she selected panels and tracked invoices. ¡°Where are the invoices? Is this the complete set of books?¡± She asked casually. I directed her to the scanned or emailed documents. Then I pulled out two folders that had some documents that had yet to be scanned in for the end of the quarter but that had been accounted for in the spreadsheet. ¡°That¡¯s all of the accounting information. We haven¡¯t had to do anything but pay expenses since the closure of the circuit.¡± She nodded and tapped at a few numbers asking the occasional question. ¡°Are your accounts in accordance with accepted IGAAP?¡± That drew a blank stare from me which caused her to huff and make a mark on a notebook. I shifted in my seat. Had Sabrina mentioned that the other day at the cafe? Georgina clicked through the accounting software. ¡°... Yes¡­your software is up to date. So if this has been used correctly you should have been compliant.¡± More questions followed on from there such as ¡°This is how much you charge for the basic challenge?¡± and ¡°Where do you keep your pay¡­ ah I see it, yes you pay weekly with holiday allowance set aside.¡± She worked through the spreadsheet and teased at it until she had everything she apparently needed. She began to work through it with her hands shifting to the keyboard, prompts and calculations occurred in shorthand that went far over my head. She created a graph and ¡®tsked¡¯ at the display before reworking it. She clicked her tongue again and continued to work through the numbers. It seemed she was tightening things up. She continued to flick through the various sheets before nodding to herself. ¡°Alright, where are your last three tax returns? Also from what I can see here, you are the sole proprietor of the Gym?¡± ¡°Yes. I made sure to transfer all the deeds when I took over.¡± I directed her to a file that was listed for each financial year. Georgina paused in her work and gave me a searching look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear what you went through. I wasn¡¯t paying much attention but when you reached out to me I looked into you.¡± She nodded, ¡°You appear to have handled yourself remarkably well. Also from a financial standpoint, it makes things much cleaner for everyone involved.¡± I coughed at the praise and looked away from her. Feeling self-conscious, I redirected her attention back to the work. ¡°So how long do you think you¡¯ll take? Lawrence only needed ten minutes to find a few issues.¡± She continued to watch me for a moment. Her eyes tightened with displeasure before she took the prompt for what it was and returned to work. ¡°He was most likely glancing through it for anything glaring. He¡¯s showy like that, but you might be surprised to find how much time out of sight he¡¯ll spend doing lots and lots of research on the potential issues you might face. He just likes to have the answer and appear all-knowing.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s rare when he admits he doesn¡¯t have the answer on hand.¡± ¡°Land claim rights and disputes had him stumped for me,¡± I said in an off-handed manner. That drew a hum of interest from her but she didn¡¯t pursue it, instead teasing out some more information and following a trail before dropping into a sum calculation and dividing by nine in some eldritch approximation of common sense. When a number appeared she perked up. ¡°Oh, very good!¡± I stared at the number in complete incomprehension. She ploughed on without stopping. Within two hours of her arrival, she had things squared away but her hands flipped through the folder I had prepared. That¡­ had still seemed insanely fast. ¡°Did Lawrence give you any heads up?¡± I asked, prompting her for why she had been able to dismantle and work out my spreadsheets so quickly. ¡°Hmmm? Oh no, it¡¯s just that I have worked with this layout before¡­ or, well, you could say I had a voice in designing it while I was working for that bank. Your accountant created a few errors in how they were using it that I¡¯ve corrected and adjusted.¡± I coughed and mumbled to myself. That had mostly been me, Georgina seemed amused by this. ¡°So am I right to assume you did most of the paperwork prior to this?¡± ¡°Yeah, I took over and found that we already had the software and all I needed to do was expand on it with paying for employees, and then the stable usage.¡± I scratched the back of my head. ¡°With things growing and the increased income, I think I will be looking to have someone hired on at least part-time to handle the work.¡± ¡°Very well. I also noticed some other points that I think would be worth reviewing, such as creating more separation with your revenue streams. Your Gym, your stables and indeed you yourself, should be individual entities for tax purposes. This will require you to have an accountant on to keep everything straight lest it overwhelms you, along with your expected growth, but in the event of an audit the League would also only ever be able to audit the Gym.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I mused, appreciating the distinction. She nodded at me. ¡°We can get to work on that over the off-season, if you¡¯d like? More options for making sure you¡¯re getting the best value for your work would be another part of my job.¡± She tapped the number that represented the initial cost of challenging the Gym. ¡°This number is something I believe could come up, but I¡¯d need to do some more research to tell you anything more specific.¡± ¡°Like Lawrence, eh?¡± I teased. She nodded, not at all ashamed. ¡°Just so.¡± She chewed her lip for a moment before raising a hand. ¡°Brock¡­ I know this is a tough question.¡± She wet her lips. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer it either¡­ But have you considered setting up funds for your brothers and sisters should anything happen to you? Or perhaps even a trust fund for them to use for their own journeys?¡± I sat there, and part of me recoiled at the idea of leaving my family to fend for themself. Still, it was a good question. I had fallen into the trap of thinking I¡¯d always be around for them. If I wasn¡¯t here¡­ it¡¯d fall to Flint. I stayed quiet and eventually nodded tightly. ¡°I think that would be a good idea.¡± I hurriedly waved my hand. ¡°Find anything else?¡± I said, trying to move things along. I didn¡¯t want to linger on this with the woman. ¡°Yes. the Pokemon League owes you money,¡± she said with a softer smile. ¡°Heh, I¡¯m sure they will rush to return that.¡± ¡°I know a few people that work in the accounting department,¡± she said. ¡°I can make them correct their figures and reimburse you.¡± She then turned to me and smiled. ¡°Otherwise you should have nothing to worry about with your books.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± I glanced from the spreadsheet that was now much easier to run my eye over to the woman merrily sitting in the chair after taking a plastic surgeon¡¯s scalpel to my seemingly healthy spreadsheet. ¡°What are your hourly rates? And are you interested in joining the team?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to! I¡¯ll send through an email with my rates depending on what you need, it might be better to set up a salary eventually? I assume you want me to come here?¡± She tapped the screen. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything quite up to the standard of a Porygon network at home.¡± ¡°Hmmm, best to come in then, if that¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll have to see how many hours I need you for each week. I sometimes run some meetings and I think it would be good to have you weigh in. I have a meeting coming up in a few days and I think it would be good for you to meet Rocko and Dennis, as they¡¯re effectively my management staff when I¡¯m unavailable.¡± Georgina nodded. ¡°Well, I shall keep the date free. I¡¯ll review the contract when you¡¯re ready to send it my way.¡± She stood and waved to the door, ¡°Could you lead me to my daughter?¡± I once more led her out but this time I headed right to the back. We didn¡¯t find Yolanda or Crystal in the open area at the back of the gym that served as the feeding and communal space for the pokemon. I walked into the free-range area and listened as a voice rang out. ¡°MUUUUUMMM!¡± I looked up at the small rocky outcropping that stood above the cave leading to Tyranitar and the ancient pokemon¡¯s area. At the top, Crystal and Yolanda grinned down at us with Selene and Quirina floating next to them. Both girls leapt off the heights and Georgina stiffened. ¡°Crys¡ª!¡± was all she got to shout before pink and blue energy surrounded Yolanda and Crystal respectively. Both of my pokemon used their psychic powers to catch and lower the girls to the ground. Yolanda and Crystal giggled as they landed. I walked over. When Yolanda grinned up at me I raised an eyebrow. She blushed furiously but smiled and shrugged. ¡°Sorry!? I got carried away?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to talk about this later,¡± I said firmly. This was different for the usually reserved Yolanda but¡­ she was smiling in a way I hadn¡¯t noticed before. I looked over to find Crystal frozen on the ground while her mother loomed over her. ¡°Am¡­ Am I in trouble?¡± asked the girl. Georgina answered by snorting out a gust of wind from her nostrils that would have had a Tauros backing down. ¡°We. Will. Talk. About. This. Later.¡± Her mother said through clenched teeth. Crystal stood and contritely moved to her mother¡¯s side. ¡°Sorry Yolanda, I got us in trouble.¡± ¡°No! I also went through with it¡­ So I¡¯m to blame as well! Or more so ¡®cause Crystal didn¡¯t know about Selene and Quirrina¡­ and I told her about how cool they were and¡­¡± She bowed to me and Georgina with her hands clapped in front of her in apology. I put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Yolanda. I¡¯m not mad. You scared Georgina more than me. I know that Selene would have made that catch a hundred times out of a hundred. She did so while we climbed Mt. Moon many times. I know you know this, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should have done it without giving Georgina a heads up. You got a bit caught up in showing off to your new friend, and leapt before thinking everything through.¡± I turned to Georgina and bowed. ¡°Sorry for my sister. She¡¯s very mature more often than not, but sometimes she acts her age.¡± ¡°Oh, no! You don¡¯t need to, Crystal is exactly like how I was and I have no doubt she would have pushed Yolanda to let her do something crazy!¡± I rose into a standing position only to find Georgina bowing to me. ¡°Mum!¡± Said Crystal before offering her own bow. ¡°Sorry! I was having a lot of fun! Don¡¯t get mad at Yolanda because of me!¡± I shared a glance with Georgina before we both smiled faintly. ¡°Well¡­ maybe remember to ask before leaping the next time, okay?¡± Crystal and Yolanda bowed. I chuckled at them. When I turned to lead them back inside I found Georgina squirming and her eyes darting up at Selene. I blinked and recalled that she was something of a self-confessed thrill-seeker herself. An obvious solution presented itself. ¡°Would you like to have a go, Georgina?¡± She answered with a half-hearted nod. ¡°Oh- well, I suppose I could have a go. Just to make sure it was safe for the girls.¡± She didn¡¯t jump but outright backflipped off the edge. She laughed the entire way down. This was met with huge applause from the audience. I chuckled only to have my sister and Crystal push me to also ¡°jump off the cliff¡±. I merely laughed harder at their word choice. I made a show of hemming and hawing but I eventually scaled the rockwall. ¡°Ready?¡± I shouted down to them. They waved and whooped. I walked away as if I was backing out only to then run right off the edge and keep running with a classic running man to start things off. By the time they left, I think Yolanda and Crystal had become fast friends. I sent the contract through to Georgina. It was promptly signed and returned before the end of the day. Two days later she met me with Rachel at the Gym. The new Accountant and Public Relations Manager seemed to be getting along alright. I led them in and got them both log-ins for the system and key cards for physical access to the Gym. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re about to run a quick end-of-circuit meeting for some things. Mostly a meet and greet.¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Rachel coughed pointedly. I raised an eyebrow at her and she bounced excitedly. ¡°I have some items I have been reviewing for the Gym that I¡¯d like to mention!¡± ¡°Alright, we can handle that in a bit.¡± I led the two into the meeting room that had a large open space, with chairs around a set of many little desks that connected together to allow for the shape and orientation of the table to change as needed. Dennis and Rocko were both there so they were quickly introduced. I then pointed to two pictures. ¡°The small ginger girl is Celia, she¡¯s the gym¡¯s sponsored trainer this year and in the photo next to her is Jackson. He was last years. Neither of them are here right now. Celia finished up at the Indigo Plateau and Jackson is down touring the Southern Islands.¡± ¡°Oh? Sevii or Orange?¡± asked Rachel ¡°Both,¡± I said. ¡°He¡¯s got some errands and tasks to do for the Gym down there, but he¡¯s otherwise enjoying the different vibe.¡± ¡°What sort of jobs do you have him performing?¡± asked Georgina. ¡°Investigating potential pokemon that we might be interested in, such as Relicanth that are known as deep-sea pokemon. The islands are the best place to get training for diving operations. Also, there¡¯s always some interest in investigating fossils. I have an agreement with the Museum Curator, in fact, for specific fossils.¡± I didn¡¯t mention that the man had also gotten a sizable donation for future access to another machine the man was building right now. I decided to shift topics. ¡°Rachel, you had something for us?¡± She grinned and her eyes gained a gleam as she gestured towards a projector that hung from the roof towards a blank wall. ¡°Can I get access to that, please?¡± Rocko chuckled. ¡°Dang, new girl has a presentation for us on her first day? Good bye my lazy days!¡± He said with a laugh as he claimed a chair. Dennis sat next to him in a much stiffer position. He didn¡¯t say anything, but his alert position made it clear that he was paying avid attention as he laid out some papers and pens on a desk, ready to take some notes. Rachel connected a small laptop and then set herself up with a powerpoint titled ¡®Image development for the Pewter Gym! The first steps!¡¯ ¡°Oh dang,¡± Rocko said, sitting up despite himself as Rachel¡¯s highly detailed powerpoint was shown for a few moments. ¡°I was kidding about giving up my lazy days!¡± I chuckled at his antics before waving for Rachel to get started. The room darkened and Rachel began to lay out her pitch to improve the image of our Gym.
Rachel stood in front of a small projector with a laser pointer. Her eyes gleamed as she finished, I clicked a remote and the room brightened. Rocko scratched his head. ¡°So? I need to make up a feature piece about myself on pokenet?¡± ¡°Yes! We need the long-term personalities on display! Continue to let people new to the region know who is representing them!¡± Rocko glanced at me and shrugged. ¡°I guess I¡¯d have no problem with that.¡± I waved my hand about. ¡°It¡¯s usually a method I see more used for medical settings¡­¡± At least it had been in my old world? I gestured for them to continue. ¡°Keep it personalised though, I don¡¯t want to have it read like a corporate-approved introduction of their CEO or something like that.¡± ¡°Hmmm, ¡®kay,¡± he said. Rachel bounced in place, happy that her suggestions so far had been met with general positivity. She¡¯d created a group share file for employees to send images of interesting moments that occurred around the gym or their lives for later marketing or to create a Pewter Gym picture gallery. Now she was updating the pokenet webpage for us, so that it was a much more substantial site in general. She¡¯d gotten everything about the story of how I had designed it, and what had inspired the aesthetic. She¡¯d even gone and gotten thoughts from the builders. Rachel turned off the projector so we could talk normally. At shoulder height, her newly arrived Magnemite floated happily. It bumped into Rachel on occasion and she gave it fond little looks before nudging it back. Apparently, it had been a while since they¡¯d hung out openly. Rachel turned her attention towards me. ¡°Alright! So now that we have the webpage planned out, I think we need to get you out in public on some radio waves and tv screens!¡± She tapped on a page and gave me a copy before dropping one in front of Dennis, and Rocko. ¡°So! I put some feelers out and got some interest from Battlecast, Lifestyle, and PTN for a television segment.¡± Rocko grinned at me. ¡°I double Doduo dare you to go on Lifestyle Prime boss!¡± Rachel brightened up. ¡°Brock could really raise his appeal if he went on that channel, especially as a young male! It would be great for everyone!¡± ¡°But mostly the ladies that watch it, no?¡± Rocko said back with a lazy smirk. Rachel huffed at him. Rocko nudged Dennis, ¡°Hey, you like watching the Lifestyle channel, don¡¯t you?¡± I glanced over, surprised by this little tid-bit. I would have thought he enjoyed watching other shows. Dennis stiffened and his eyes dimmed a little. ¡°From three to seven the channel will not be changed in my household from the Lifestyle channel.¡± I blinked as the light returned and Dennis looked away. I was impressed. I¡¯d never seen a long-range possession but just then I had almost seen Dennis¡¯s wife manifest through him to state the rules. I held in my amusement as he shifted uneasily. ¡°It is highly advised to be quiet during this time as well when around my house.¡± Rocko made whip-cracking noises and Dennis flushed. ¡°My wife has only a few rules, but that¡¯s one of them. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love to see you on there, Brock.¡± I coughed, ¡°I think I might pass on that for now. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m too interested in appearing on tv at all.¡± Part of me squirmed at the idea. Rachel gained a determined glint that made me think she was about to challenge me for a badge. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this more,¡± she said instead. She then offered up another page. ¡°Radio chats then! We can let people do call-ins, and it will feel far more casual. No glaring spotlights or cameras on you.¡± The unspoken ¡®for now¡¯, somehow echoed. I looked over the list. ¡°Radio seventy-sixer FM, Pewter, and WPR?¡± ¡°Yes, I think it would be best to go with Seventy-six as they¡¯re the most local for Kanto. You could also do a spot on Battlecast, but for their magazine department. We should use your natural good looks to our advantage.¡± She grinned widely at me. I blushed and waved my hand. ¡°That¡¯s just silly.¡± Rachel stopped, blinked and then slowly tilted her head. ¡°Brock¡­ people would love to see you on the cover and read your take on it. Let me line it up for you, okay?¡± ¡°Argh, alright. Set up the magazine and the radio chat. When will they¡ª¡± ¡°Tomorrow! I can have it set up tomorrow!¡± I gave Rachel¡¯s response a flat stare. ¡°I do have¡­ something of a life, you know?¡± Rachel squirmed. ¡°It is just that it''s best to strike while the iron is hot and you are present in people¡¯s minds. You¡¯ve already let it lapse more than you should have! Can you do it?¡± I grumbled more for show than anything else. ¡°Very well, but the day after I can¡¯t ¡®cause I¡¯ve got that PIA accountant coming through.¡± Georgina sniffed. ¡°He won¡¯t find anything wrong with your books.¡± I gave her an amused look before waving to Rachel. ¡°Get me the time I need to go to¡­ where is Seventy-six?¡± ¡°Celadon!¡± said Rachel before she whipped out her transceiver. ¡°Hi, Franko? It¡¯s Rachel Hi! Yeah, I¡¯m great, I got Brock to agree! What time!?¡± I stared at her as she rapid-fired a conversation. A few seconds later she hung up and rounded on me. ¡°Eight o¡¯clock! I¡¯ll get you some talking points we can go over, shall I?¡± she said. Rocko turned to me and clapped his hands together before bowing over them in fake condolences. ¡°Goodbye to your lazy days boss.¡± I gave a weak laugh at that. I had wanted to do this, hadn¡¯t I? Chapter 28 - Audit round two ¡°Goooooooooood morning listeners old and new! Today! Huge news! Our old friend Rachel Raul has set us up with one of the hottest topics around! Today, we¡¯re joined by Gym Leader Brock of Pewter City! Listeners! Can you dig it or what!?¡± The scruffy-looking radio host grinned into his microphone. When he turned in his chair he made sure to drag the microphone with him. ¡°Brock! Loved your fight during the lead-in to the Indigo Tournament! Weren¡¯t you worried about stepping up against the Champ? Lance had an amazing showing when he ascended for the championship, that had to be playing on your mind! How did you do it? You had to be sweating buckets, right my man?¡± I played with the microphone before speaking, ¡°I didn¡¯t let the situation go to my head. That gets more people than most will understand. I just went in with a goal to accomplish.¡± I put my hands together in front of me and pushed them forward like a spear. ¡°I had a trainer that I needed to win against. In a few ways, Lance is easier than some of the challengers I get, because I could research a lot of information on his team and his methods. He had plenty of tricks that I hadn¡¯t planned for, but I was confident in my ability to adapt.¡± ¡°I imagine Lance is going to be cursing that you forced his hand so much, no?¡± ¡°Not really, I got the chance to talk with Lance and he was really relaxed after the fight. The fight was tense, yeah, but, it helped bleed the poison, to use a metaphor,¡± I said in reply. ¡°You mentioned not letting the situation get to you, but you were very aware of the crowd, no? How¡¯d you shift from battle to crowd like that, or was it all just acting?¡± I chuckled. ¡°I like to think a lot of them were cheering for me. When you have a crowd like that, it¡¯s all noise, energy and emotion. There was one moment that they made it clear, but¡­ it was easy for me to twist.¡± ¡°Which¡­ Oh! The moment with Dragonite getting called out?¡± ¡°Yeah, it got this huge lead-in. Super hyped up, but the way they did made me laugh, and that just made it easier.¡± ¡°Laugh? Why was that?¡± ¡°Well, the crowd did this thing where they stomped twice then clapped. They meant it for Dragonite, but it felt like a rock song opening which is something I¡¯m kind of all about.¡± The radio host laughed at that. ¡°Hahahaha! Nice one! I¡¯ll have to check with my producers ¡®cause I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a song like that?¡± ¡°Nah, more''s the shame but there should be, I imagine that as a rock song intro.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but lay the breadcrumb trail. I really wanted some good music like ¡®We Will Rock You¡¯. ¡°Heh! Any aspiring rock stars out there, you heard it here first! Make us a song for that beat!¡± A few more questions were bandied about before the host began to get to the ¡®meat¡¯ of the questions. ¡°So, Brock, the circuit¡¯s over, your Gym¡¯s trainer is done with her running of the tournament, ah- an amazing run by the way.¡± ¡°Thanks, she really impressed me out there,¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Next is the down period for us at the Gym. I get to give my trainers time off, and I get to do other things like let my pokemon recover. Run some maintenance around the place and also spend some time in the community.¡± ¡°Ho? What¡¯s that entail for you?¡± ¡°I like to train youths with Little League Baseball.¡± The host raised his hands up and tamped down the air. ¡°Wait, wait, wait, you? Brock, you train pokemon most of the year and during your off-season train kids?¡± ¡°Coach them, it¡¯s got a lot of overlap and some of my pokemon can throw a mean curve ball or fastball. Makes for great training for the kids. I only get them for a few months but it''s a ton of fun.¡± ¡°Ever thought of trying your hand at some of the major leagues?¡± ¡°Ha! No, I¡¯m not good enough for that. I went the pokemon training path instead of the athlete. I like where I¡¯m at right now.¡± The host shook his head back and forth. ¡°I never understood the whole training and playing during the winter months.¡± ¡°Blame the pokemon circuit. It runs longer than any other sporting season but it¡¯s not such an issue for us, even in northern Kanto, thanks to the indoor training facility that we have.¡± ¡°Lucky~! There¡¯s actually an early snow predicted this year I believe, so if you¡¯re listening from northern Kanto, I¡¯m talking Cerulean and Pewter, make sure you button up next week!¡± The host turned once more to me. ¡°So? Baseball for the off-season? Anything else planned?¡± ¡°Probably a trip down to Fuschia for some warmth. Might even go down to Cinnabar with my family.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± The host grunted as a stick appeared from the side to prod him. I tracked it back to its origin to find Rachel holding a broomstick. She held up a whiteboard. ¡®Talk about what¡¯s new and coming up for the gym!¡¯ was written in large letters. The host grinned. ¡°You got a big payout from your match with the Champ, anything new coming to Pewter Gym?¡± Rachel lowered the broomstick. ¡°Ha! There are going to be a lot of changes. I¡¯m happy to announce Pewter Gym is expanding the stable capacity for trainers ready to start their journey, starting at competitive rates for the applicants next year. I also will be taking on at least two additional sponsorships instead of the one in past years. With these expansions, I¡¯m also on the lookout for pokemon trainers looking to sign on for employment at the Gym, along with stable handlers and some receptionists to make things run smoothly for next year¡¯s circuit. There are also some long-term plans to perhaps one day run a contest out of the Gym.¡± ¡°Wow! Looks like you¡¯re about to become a Super Gym! And contests? Bleh! I¡¯m sure the Hoenn trainers might like that but I''ll stick with the tried and true pokemon battles.¡± ¡°I think Pewter needs to be big, as it¡¯s the most frequented Gym. Lots of trainers start their journey with us. I know in the past we¡¯ve always touted Pewter as the first challenge and that should be something that is really memorable for anyone challenging us. I¡¯m all about making the experience a great one for people on their journey.¡± I decided not to push on the topic of the pokemon contests opening up trainers to a wider dynamic than just fighting. I could see it being much more popular than most people stuck with their traditional mindset might realise. The host nodded, ¡°Cool, cool, cool my man. Now! Listeners, it¡¯s that time of the day! With Brock as our guest, our producers will begin screening calls. Call in now and you, lucky listener, might get the chance to ask Brock a question! We¡¯re going to a song now, it¡¯s the hottest hundred songs count back with, ¡®That Ain¡¯t My Wool, That Ain¡¯t My Mareep!¡± He then held up three fingers and counted down. When the last finger dropped the light signalling we were on air turned off. The host leaned over his screen before waving for a glass of water. ¡°You need a drink, man? This is good stuff, don¡¯t let yourself go dry from talking too much.¡± ¡°Tea?¡± I said. Rachel nodded and rushed up with a thermos. ¡°Yolanda mixed it up when I asked her what you drink,¡± she said when I hummed in appreciation ¡°Heh, thanks.¡± The host grinned. ¡°Ah, I remember when you all used to keep me good to go with snacks and coffee. You just don¡¯t get the same help like the old days!¡± This earned him a round of jeers from the producers that could cut in when they wanted. He ignored them and winked at me. ¡°You take care of little Rachel for us Brock!¡± I smiled at him, but any further conversation about Rachel¡¯s past work at the radio channel had to wait as he raised up his fingers and began counting down slowly. He then flicked a switch and a red light above him announced silently that we were ¡®on air¡¯. ¡°Welcome back listeners! Isn¡¯t Alisha Shepherd something special with that hit song?! We¡¯re back live with Brock and now we have some call-ins crossing to¡­.¡± he looked at the screen, ¡°Joel, hello! Joel, what''s your question for Brock?¡± ¡°Hello, Seventy-Six! My question for Brock is this: what pokemon would be best to start out with?¡± ¡°Oh, the classical starter question to start things off!¡± said the radio host as he swivelled to me. I chuckled at the joke before leaning into the microphone. ¡°Professionally, any pokemon can serve as a good starter. Personally, I prefer if the pokemon has the capacity to grow with a person starting out. If you¡¯re inheriting a powerful pokemon or having it fall into your lap you''re doing yourself and the pokemon a disservice, because there are a lot of little things that you learn early on with a fresh starter that you don¡¯t with older, stronger pokemon. So start small and plan to grow rather than going out hard.¡± ¡°Thanks for your question Joel! Now we have Chelsea!¡± ¡°Hi, there! Long time listener of seventy-six! Wooooh!¡± called the woman before she settled down and asked her question. ¡°Which pokemon is the prettiest you¡¯ve ever encountered?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve had the pleasure of fighting a Latias actually. It was a real treat as afterwards, the trainer was nice enough to stick around and let me pet it.¡± I found myself relaxing more and more as the radio show continued. I wasn¡¯t sure why I¡¯d been worried about this, it was just talking, and Rachel had covered most of the questions that would be asked to me already. There were some really good questions being asked. Such as; "Brock, how do you find the time necessary to train and take care of such a large cadre of Gym pokemon, your own personal pokemon, and your Gym? I struggle to find the time with only four pokemon!" ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a well-thought-out question with a lot of parts to it. In the early days when you¡¯re starting out as a trainer on your journey, things are hard because you don¡¯t have a great handle on how best to train your pokemon. You don¡¯t have an idea of how your team will work or not work together. I find that it¡¯s great to have a team that is synergistic or willing to work together. Sometimes I will have my pokemon train with themselves or in set patterns. I admittedly have it easy with most of my pokemon being the same typing which makes a blanketed training approach highly appropriate. Type specialists will always have this as a benefit but there are lots of considerations. I find setting out a plan for the week can be one of if not the most important thing I can do. It¡¯s like anything, it¡¯s always better with a plan. Put in the important items for you and plan your exercises or your discussion time depending on what¡¯s coming up. That¡¯s the easiest way thing to implement.¡± Another asked more personal questions. ¡°If you or your family couldn¡¯t run the gym for whatever reason who would you pick to be your stand-in?¡± ¡°Oh! Now, this is an interesting question as I have a delegation of authority if something were to stop me from acting as Gym Leader. Forrest my younger brother is currently listed as Vice-gym leader in the event something put me out of action however after that it would pass to Rocko, who¡¯s our senior gym trainer.¡± Things were going quite well in my opinion until one lady called in. ¡°Are you a playboy?¡± she giggled. I sat there dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean?¡± I answered with a bemused cough. ¡°Well it¡¯s just that I heard a rumour about a number of ladies coming around to your room, and then there was that date with Erika, and then you had two young girls in your trainer box during the match with Lance! So you must be rather popular, no?¡± I stared at the blinking light that signified that we had a caller on the line. For a long moment, silence filled the room until the host leaned forward, causing his seat to creak. I could tell he was extremely interested, in a way his interest probably reflected everyone listening in. I licked my lips realising that I had probably let that go on too long. ¡°Ah well, I¡¯ll have to dash your image of me, sorry! The meal that got ordered was because of Surge, a fellow gym leader and close friend, who called around to hang out. He also brought Erika to introduce her to me as she wanted to meet me properly. We ended up going out as a group but Surge got called away. The news didn¡¯t mention him being there but it had started out that way. Erika and I are just friends.¡± I took a sip of my drink to wet my tongue. ¡°And lastly, the two girls that came into the bunker were Celia, who was my gym¡¯s sponsored trainer and a close friend of hers. I thought I¡¯d treat them to front row seats to the action.¡± ¡°Hoooooo,¡± sighed the woman sadly. I quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Rachel. Had the woman wanted me to be a playboy? I looked over to the radio host but he had a huge smile on his face that seemed to be his default expression. ¡°Thanks for the question! Next we have¡ª¡± before the caller was even identified I felt a sliver of premonition. The next questions were going to be about my love life, weren¡¯t they? ¡°Got a special someone?¡± Called it. The questions continued until the next small break for a song. This time it was Electric Exploud Evolution playing out over the waves. I was about to ask Rachel how she thought things were going when my transceiver rang. I glanced down at it and frowned. I was about to hang up on the call when I noticed who it was that was calling. ¡°Hello! Gym Leader Brock? This is Lapras Cove over on Chrysanthemum Island. We just had someone claiming to be acting on your behalf to secure your Lapras?¡± I stiffened at that. ¡±I most certainly did not authorise anyone to take Tide away from the cove!¡± A dread formed in my stomach. Someone was making a play for one of my pokemon. ¡°Not to worry! They didn¡¯t seem to know which Lapras was Tide, and then they tried to say you wanted him to come along with a few of his ladies! They got greedy so we kicked them out.¡± I stared at the transceiver and felt my eyebrow twitch. ¡°So you were initially going to let them take Tide if they hadn¡¯t messed up and tried for more?¡± The music in the background and the very pointedly eavesdropping radio host and producers were distant concerns for me. ¡°...¡± There was silence on the line as they realised they¡¯d given themselves away. ¡°Oh! I think my manager is calling for me! Please swing around when you have the chance!¡± The worker said quickly before hanging up. I glowered at the transceiver on my arm and exhaled hugely. ¡°Rachel, I think something has come up,¡± I said to my PR manager. She nodded and stepped in, handing me a few things. I glanced at the radio host. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡ª¡± ¡°Brock you can¡¯t go now, we¡¯re getting into the good stuff!¡± I inhaled and exhaled slowly. ¡°I need to go.¡± I felt my annoyance spike as the host raised his hand only to stop when I directed my glare unto him. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry but I have to go. Rachel, I¡¯ll let you handle this,¡± I said, dumping the task of dealing with the fallout of having to duck out from my radio show only about halfway through. ¡°Yup! You, ah, go take care of that!¡± she said as she marched towards the producers. I nodded, feeling my annoyance spike. I charged through the building and when I was outside a pokeball was flicked out. Zephyr appeared and I expertly leapt onto his back. ¡°We¡¯re going to Chrysanthum Island buddy! Let¡¯s go!¡± It took a minute for me to realise that I had probably been channelling Dark-type energy with how annoyed I¡¯d been at the news. This made three strikes. I hadn¡¯t needed more than one to know that someone had it out for me. This felt different though. More targeted. This stunk of Team Rocket.
The Cove¡¯s manager, a portly older man, must have been warned as he was waiting for me upon my arrival at the cove. Hiding behind him was a very sheepish-looking worker. I gave them both glares. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Is Tide alright?¡± I asked before I had even landed on the beach. ¡°Tide is fine, thankfully we ran them off before they could try to claim him or any other pokemon.¡± I looked over his name badge. ¡°Alright. Vincent, where is Tide?¡± Vincent led the way to part of the shore where a number of Lapras had deliberately beached themselves to get pampered by what looked like some local kids. Their shells were being scrubbed and their necks were being massaged. A lone female lingered on the water and a dark shape rested in the water underneath her. She trilled a greeting at me but kept an eye on the open water. Looking at the Lapras on the beach I quickly realised they were much younger due to their smaller size. ¡°Baby pokemon?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes! We were able to incubate a new clutch recently and these Lapras are now roughly two months old. Give them another six and they¡¯ll be up to size with their mother.¡± I hummed before smirking. ¡°Any of them likely to reach their father¡¯s size?¡± I eyed the dark shape in the water realising what it was. The man shook his head before I put fingers into my mouth and whistled out a tune that Tide would recognise. Bubbles shot up from the dark mass and a few seconds later a large blue head emerged, water cascading as it continued to rise. Tide was a large pokemon for his breed. Not an alpha variant, or with a king gene as some researchers and rangers referred to the huge pokemon that occasionally appeared in reserves. Lapras sang in greeting and I eyed him off as he swam to shore. His head was easily the size of my entire torso and when he pushed his head into my I slid back in the sand before giving him some scratches. The part of me that had been worried fully relaxed now that I had my Lapras in my arms acting like a giant puppy. The kids that had been cleaning the smaller Lapras were all staring in shock. Even the smaller Lapras were staring. I grinned and continued to scratch. I paid special attention to where he had some scars along his neck and down towards his shell. Vincent watched on with a chuckle and the worker that had been hovering stepped hesitantly forward. ¡°Sir! I am so sorry I let those people proceed like I did! I won¡¯t let it happen again!¡± I continued to scratch Tide¡¯s neck as I answered. ¡°No, certainly not, ¡®cause we¡¯re going to do an overhaul of your security from now on. Also, you¡¯re going to tell me everything about the people that came in. If you have any pictures or videos that would be even better.¡± One thing I learned from watching the cartoons, Team Rocket weren¡¯t usually the sort to give up unless you ¡ªsometimes literally¡ª blew them away.
When I had talked through the security measures I wanted put in place I had spent an hour riding around the cove on Tide. The big lug had been more than happy to frolic around and, despite the circumstances of me being called down here, I found myself relaxing as I recalled the summer where I had glided through the islands down south with him. We¡¯d spent long days surfing the waves and even the odd night on the water. Tide enjoyed it as well, and we must have made for a sight swimming slow laps around the entire cove. Tide¡¯s kids followed us in their tiny school with a trio of the mothers following along, always with a careful eye kept on open water. When I was satisfied I returned to shore and extracted a picture of a man and a woman that had come to claim him in my name. I stared long and hard at it. I¡¯d never seen these two before. I had no idea who they were. But I¡¯d remember their faces. ¡°I¡¯m going to do a sweep of the island,¡± I announced eventually, not willing to leave things at just a review and update of security. The manager nodded, understanding where I was coming from. ¡°Very well, but just be aware that the north-eastern side of the island is currently undergoing a lot of construction. There are plans to build a large resort.¡± ¡°I thought they couldn¡¯t build on the nature preserve? Isn¡¯t the inner part of this island all-natural rainforest and vegetation?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the draw, or at least one of the draws. The people funding it are hoping to make Chrysanthemum into a town of the future, with an eye for tourism and nature retreats while having amenities close by. There will be established nature hikes, swims of the reefs and some rock climbing along the coast. All of that, and we¡¯re only ten minutes boat ride from Fuschia.¡± I raised an eyebrow at the man¡¯s pitch. ¡°The cove will stay safe for the Lapras?¡± ¡°This is private land that is donated to us under the direction of seeing to the nurturing and maintenance of re-establishing the Lapras population. We will be working with a few conservationists but the hotel shouldn¡¯t impact us much. Might see some more traffic. The owner of the land is committed to making sure Lapras are no longer endangered.¡± The man rubbed his chin. ¡°Probably needed to update our security as you told us in the future anyway. Today¡¯s incident was just a wake-up call, we¡¯re isolated but not separate from the outside world here.¡± I merely grunted, released Zephyr and waved goodbye to the cove. Tide saw me off with a loud sonorous call. We performed a long slow sweep of the island. I could see the construction as the manager had said. It looked like in a few years there would be a well-established town, at the very least. I could see it becoming a popular site for tourists. I performed three carefully measured laps of the island in the next hour. Sadly, nothing jumped out as being suspicious. There were no large mechanical constructs lumbering towards the cove. There was no secret base within the rainforest. There was no naval base hidden along the coast line or even a convenient ship at anchor nearby. I could only growl in annoyance. If only the people were more like the cartoon, and more determined to have another run straight away, but it seemed they were at least competent and had gone to ground at the first sign of push-back. I clicked my tongue and tapped Zephyr on the back. ¡°Home time I think, boy.¡± It¡¯d take a few hours but we¡¯d get there. I couldn¡¯t linger around, not with the audit I¡¯d be facing tomorrow. I rolled that over in my mind. Did they know I was being audited and assumed I wouldn¡¯t be able to follow up if they¡¯d gotten away with the theft? Did they know I had been busy with the radio show? I stewed on those thoughts all the way back home. No answers presented themselves.
My paranoia was justifiably spiked with all that had happened in the last few days. When it rains it pours, is how the proverb goes. I was expecting the auditor to be someone out to get me in a way that I couldn¡¯t deal with. When the day arrived I sat in the kitchen after feeding everyone, fidgety and completely unable to relax. When the doorbell rang early, I panicked a little. I wrenched it open only to find Lawrence bemusedly smiling at me. ¡°On edge?¡± I grunted and quickly waved him inside before outlining what had happened since we¡¯d last spoken. He drummed the kitchen countertop and nodded. ¡°Hmmm, yeah, I see why you¡¯re so worked out. Think it¡¯s the same official trying something?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel the same. If anything, this feels like a Team Rocket probe.¡± He raised his eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ve tangled with Team Rocket before?¡± I flapped my hand, not willing to explain that I only had peripheral experience. Lawrence let it sit. But he still watched me as I cleaned the countertop for the third time that morning. ¡°Brock, you signed the retainer, so I want you to know that even if the worst were to happen,¡ª¡± His hands shot up to pat the air in a relaxing gesture, ¡°¡ªwhich it won¡¯t, you will have me here. This is standard procedure and that¡¯s all that¡¯s going to happen, alright?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I said tightly. ¡°Very well. Now when this Auditor returns¡ª¡± I listened to Lawrence, his calm tones helping to relax me until the doorbell rang once more causing the tension in my body to ratchet up. ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± I said. Lawrence held up a hand and I remembered to stop and breathe in and exhale loudly. Then, once I had relaxed I stepped up and opened the door to find the same boring little man smiling up at me blandly. ¡°Hello there! Ready for your audit?¡± I know he was just being polite, but¡­ ¡°No?¡± I coughed, ¡°Could I check your credentials first, if you wouldn¡¯t mind?¡± ¡°Certainly not!¡± Said the man, as if pleased I had asked for such. His briefcase popped open and a folder with his credentials and a license to operate as an auditor for the Pokemon Inspection Agency, for the accounts and assessment division, were clearly pronounced with the number and the name of his supervisor. ¡°Agent Timothy?¡± I said, reading over the paperwork. The man merely nodded affably. I made sure to get a picture of his official credentials, much to Lawrence¡¯s approval. Timothy then produced a signed ¡®Order of Investigation¡¯. My mind shortened it to ¡®warrant¡¯. Lawrence intercepted the document before I could do more than read the top line. He glanced over it and took his own photograph before handing it to me. ¡°Everything appears to be in order,¡± Lawrence said to me. I grunted, looking at the man happily standing at the front door. My own eyes glazed over the document only to sharpen when I came to the section where the official signature was recorded. ¡°Who¡¯s Helga Masken? Oh never mind she literally wrote her title¡­¡± I stared at the form proclaiming that the Secretary of the Pokemon League had ordered this audit. I felt a little piece of information lock itself into place. It felt good having a name. Perhaps if I had been more aware with Joy I might have gotten this information earlier. Sadly I had no idea what to do with it but I made a note of it nevertheless. Who was the secretary of the pokemon League was that like a C.E.O¡¯s assistant or was it something much more grandiose? ¡°Ahem?¡± said a polite but intrusive voice. I glanced up to see Timothy smiling blandly at me. ¡°Shall we, Auditor?¡± I asked with a pained smile, gesturing up towards my office. ¡°Certainly!¡± said the man that surely must have fed on others'' happiness to be that gleeful. My mind ascribed all the world¡¯s evils to him. Surely a man like this must kick Growlithe puppies when no one was looking? His mild manners had to be a front! Or, I just wanted him to be evil. Lawrence followed along and mimed taking another deep breath. I grumbled at him but tried to force myself to relax and not glare too much at Timothy. I claimed my seat behind my desk while Lawrence sat down next to Timothy as the auditor began reviewing my accounts. It wasn¡¯t a quick process. The man drew out a notepad that was probably stolen from an orphanage somewhere while using a pen that probably used distilled tears and burnt dreams as its ink. I sat and watched him like a Noctowl, when I got bored I tried to find something else evil about his horribly bland appearance. Occasionally, he would ask for some clarification or tap away at his calculator to do some sums. Lawrence observed and occasionally shot me some reassuring looks. ¡°Hmmm, I can see the receipt of sale for your Onix here. The impressive sum of money for such a pokemon. For what reason¡­ Ah, I see it was a variant of Onix that¡¯s never been seen before. A crystal Onix?¡± I nodded from my seat. ¡°The sale was done on an international account?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I was informed of from the auction house. The buyer paid them extra to remain anonymous,¡± I said, not willing to voice my suspicions. Across the table, the Auditor happily made another note on his file as he cross-referenced my earnings and expenditures with receipts of sale. His questions made me wonder if I was failing in some manner. It was worse when he didn¡¯t say anything. Merely tapping his pen and making a note. Each scratch of his pen made me feel like I had a Weedle crawling up my back. The stinger on its head glistened as it readied itself to drive into soft, exposed flesh. It brought back old memories of tests I¡¯d undergone at university in my old life. I¡¯d hated those tests at the time, and the memory of them slamming to the forefront of my mind only intensified my feelings of anxiety. I wanted to walk out and leave him. Part of me thought that would make it easier. It probably would have been less emotionally taxing. I could go and do things like train pokemon or work with my Gym¡¯s trainers but another part of me railed at the idea of leaving this man alone with my records. Lawrence made it slightly better. It helped settle my nerves having someone nearby ¡®in my corner¡¯. ¡°You chose to auction the Onix instead of training it? That seems to be an odd choice for a Rock-type trainer. It would have been a large boon for your gym.¡± ¡°My client was able to use the earnings to establish his Gym much further than by keeping the pokemon. He already had a number of powerful or unique pokemon.¡± Timothy noted this response down before asking his next question. ¡°I noticed the unique pokemon you displayed in the recent fight. I see here that you¡¯ve started up a breeding program along with the sale of these pokemon?¡± ¡°Those pokemon do not count towards the cap that all Gym Leaders have to deal with of having less than one hundred pokemon at any time.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I murmured, surprised by what Lawrence had just said. ¡°I can only own a hundred pokemon?¡± Lawrence nodded ¡°It¡¯s an archaic law from when wars with pokemon were more common. The treaties that were signed between regions state that there is a hard cap on the number of pokemon any one Gym Leader can own for their roster. Even with the pokemon you have on hand and that others hold for you in trust, you¡¯re only up to seventy-four. The pokemon you have in your breeding group don¡¯t count.¡± I leaned back at that. Huh, that kind of made sense. More pokemon meant more ability and influence to exert power. ¡°What¡¯s my holding limit allowed to reach?¡± I asked out of curiosity. ¡°Ten, like any other Gym Leader. Only Elite Four members or Champions are allowed to carry twelve pokemon on them at any point in time.¡± ¡°Your ¡®Shin¡¯ and ¡®Don¡¯ will of course not be discounted from the counting of your pokemon, viable as they are to the breeding roster. They are still listed as part of your strongest team,¡± Timothy said as he made a note of the pokemon in my gym. ¡°Which still leaves Brock at seventy-four,¡± Lawrence calmly stated. I decided to lean back and let Lawrence do his thing. It was an odd feeling being thankful you¡¯d spent your money well. ¡°Your Omanyte, Kabuto, and Aerodactyl were previously extinct pokemon, however. As previously extinct pokemon, these pokemon are supposed to be granted to reserves that the League has set up, do you understand?¡± Timothy said without inflection. I was surprised that this actually was something I knew, having read about it in what little law books I had perused before initially hiring Lawrence. Lawrence still spoke up first though, experience at this sort of verbal sparring leaving him quite prepared to counter. ¡°Those pokemon were encountered in the wild during Brock¡¯s journey. They were not resurrected from labs as some others have attempted for their own profit and therefore incorrectly labelled. It was merely that people hadn¡¯t encountered them yet. Brock¡¯s pokemon are therefore not subject to release to the League unless he voluntarily does so of his own volition.¡± When Lawrence paused to look at me at the same time as Timothy I shook my head. ¡°And there you have it. The League may purchase a breeding set of the pokemon for their own purposes, but Brock¡¯s pokemon will not be subject to the Resurrection Act.¡± ¡°Jolly good, then!¡± The auditor didn¡¯t even seem phased that he¡¯d been rejected, carrying on without missing a beat. Lawrence gave me a smile and a nod. I settled back trying to get comfortable as the man continued to scrutinise my work. Eventually, he turned over the last page, made another note on his pad and then began to efficiently pack his things away into his briefcase. ¡°My thanks for your work here, and for streamlining the process. I dare say this has been one of the most straightforward audits I have had to do!¡± He said with his signature wide smile. He reached across the table and shook my hand before repeating the gesture with Lawrence. ¡°I shall submit my report to my superior.¡± ¡°You¡¯re done?¡± I said in surprise. That felt completely anti-climatic. Shouldn¡¯t he grow frustrated and try and slip in some information or a document that would work as a ¡®gotcha!¡¯? I¡¯d half expected someone to call me up and announce that Tide was in danger from a small platoon of Team Rocket. I glanced around and clicked my transceiver to make sure it was working. ¡°Indeed I am. It has been a pleasure working through your books. Very well kept, I might add! Timothy merely packed away his things in an officious manner. ¡°We would request a copy of said report be sent through to our office, for our records,¡± Lawrence interjected. I felt my stomach lurch. I both did and did not want a ¡®report card¡¯ but trusted Lawrence on his reasons. ¡°Of course!¡± With that said, Timothy waved once and was led out. Lawrence and I retreated to my kitchen where I slumped onto a stool. Timothy made a note. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll write up the notes and make some calls to make sure everything progresses smoothly. Any more questions before I go?¡± Lawrence said while checking his watch. I considered him for a moment. ¡°How do you think it went? Is that it?¡± ¡°As well as it could. He didn¡¯t take any of your pokemon or point out any large irregularities. With a copy of his report, we will know more and also be able to make sure no one misrepresents his findings.¡± Lawrence steepled his fingers, ¡°And for as mild-mannered as it was, the financial audits can be just as deadly to some Gyms Brock. You handled this correctly by requesting I consult with you along with having Georgina square everything away. ¡± I nodded, pleased but still feeling like something else was lurking around the corner, ready to jump out at me. I chewed my lip. ¡°Joy could only audit me once a year¡­ does he have any such restrictions?¡± Lawrence drummed his fingers on the counter. ¡°They should only do that with probable cause, or with something suspect being clear to them. None of your accounts were, as we had them all sorted before his arrival.¡± ¡°But they still can if they want?¡± He nodded and I grimaced as a potential worry was confirmed. ¡°What''s stopping them from bugging my Gym with further audits?¡± Lawrence¡¯s face twitched. ¡°I could make a case for harassment if they did such an action within the next two years. There have been previous cases in the past where things got political with local councils. The ruling is currently highly in favour of the Gym Leaders in such cases as everyone wants the Gym to operate seamlessly. Something you are known to be very good at.¡± He waved his hand around. ¡°They can¡¯t just walk in and take away your hard work, Brock.¡± ¡°And if they dragged things out? Made it costly?¡± I waved my hands towards the lounge room. ¡°Couldn¡¯t the League throw their weight around?¡± ¡°It would raise serious flags. From what has been described to me, they¡¯d flush themselves out if they chose to pursue such an action and then Lance or others could step in. Also, there would be public outcry so I think we¡¯d be safe over that course. You¡¯re very popular and known as a good Gym Leader. The fight with Lance has only cemented that.¡± He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, alright?¡± I sighed before nodding my head. ¡°Well at least I know it was worth putting you on retainer.¡± ¡°Lawyers are always worth having on retainer,¡± he said with a serious expression. I gave him a flat look. ¡°Said the Spinarak to the Caterpie.¡± He snorted and patted me on the shoulder. At that moment Tilly walked in, stopping when she spotted Lawrence. ¡°Well hello there, little one!¡± he said in a friendly manner. Tilly put her hands to her mouth and started giggling like crazy. I turned to watch as she giggled manically. ¡°Never seen her react like that to someone before,¡± I said when Lawrence winked at me. Tilly got control of herself to shoot off back into the house. ¡°Yolanda there¡¯s a big Pidgeotto man in our kitchen!¡± I snorted as Lawrence ran a hand over his mohawk with a pleased expression. ¡°Ah, kids always react that way. My nieces and nephews all love it when I visit.¡± He nodded at me before walking to the door. He didn¡¯t escape before Tilly led more people in to see the ¡®Pidgeotto man¡¯. The next day he called. ¡°It seems dear Auditor Timothy is an efficient sort of man. Open up the file and see what he¡¯s written.¡± I gave the video image of Lawrence a dubious look but did as asked when I reached my office computer. I began to look over the report and felt my eyebrows climb upwards. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ actually complimentary of the Gym?¡± Lawrence nodded, ¡°Oh yes! Quite by the book. So by the book, in fact, he¡¯s found the points where the League owes you money and agreed!¡± I blinked and scrolled further before finding out that Lawrence was right. ¡°Huh, I was not expecting that,¡± I said. Lawrence gave me a fanged smile, ¡°While it might be chump change for the League, it¡¯s still a bit of egg on their faces. Certainly a good result, no?¡± I agreed and felt my stomach unclench. With that out of the way and plans in place for other situations, I felt back to even footing after the recent events that had come hard and fast. I might now be able to move on and enjoy a bit of breathing room. Somehow I doubted it¡¯d be that easy. Chapter 29 - The other Gyms I knew there were at least a few people circling and probing my defences, so to speak. I couldn¡¯t lock everything down but I certainly was going to be looking into tightening up some loose details. When I¡¯d gotten home from my trip to Chrysanthemum Island, I had one of the gym¡¯s trainers, Dennis, subtly follow after my family while they were walking to school. I wanted to make sure that while these big, flashy actions and attention-grabbing issues were occurring, nothing small escaped my notice. I may have forgotten how¡­ enthusiastic Dennis could be when given an order. I received two calls from the school asking about him leaping from bush to bush behind my family so he¡¯d remain unseen. After that fiasco I had him tone it back down to merely walking distantly behind them. He still saluted this new order. This time I only got one phone call about his use of binoculars to sweep the grounds. Most parents that spotted him merely challenged him to a pokemon fight, which they lost, but they apparently earned some great ¡®cool¡¯ points with the kids. So¡­ in a way, he had the parents looking out for the kids and the school a little more zealously¡­ I made sure to make some calls around so that nothing was escaping me in other locations such as the stables, or the trainers that I had sponsored in the past. The chief of police had responded affably with my asking for anything suspicious going on in Pewter. ¡°There¡¯s nothing strange being reported, Gym Leader Brock. Things have quieted down wonderfully for the end of year, which is to be expected with winter approaching,¡± said the man over the phone. ¡°If you have any concerns, I can send Jenny around?¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be necessary. I just wanted to know if anything odd had come up, thanks for your time,¡± I said before hanging up. When Dennis returned he stood at attention before my desk. ¡°Brock!¡± He said as a private would shout ¡®Major¡¯ in the army. I rubbed my ears at his booming tone before gesturing for him to continue. Why had this man chosen my gym? Oh right, he had a wife and child that loved Pewter City. He was a dedicated trainer, just not the most creative of thinkers. ¡°There is nothing major to report! I have continued surveillance and noted that while the Gym occasionally has some reporters swinging past there have been no significant concerns of anyone or any pokemon scouting out your family!¡± ¡°Anything else of note?¡± I asked. ¡°There was a rather scruffy-looking hobo that has been swinging around but¡ª¡± I raised a hand to stall him out. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ complicated. But rest assured that the¡­¡± I snorted in amusement, ¡°Hobo, is not an issue. He¡¯s something I am hoping to address soon.¡± I leaned back, pleased despite my paranoia being spiked. Everything was fine. I should have been able to relax. But I still felt an almost physical itch of wariness that wouldn¡¯t go away. It wasn¡¯t so much that I was waiting for the next shoe to drop, because I¡¯d already had three all but thrown at me from different angles. It was more that I was trying to ready myself to dodge or catch the next throw, and throw something back myself. I was still able to get through all the work I had lined up for the day. Finishing a list of tasks, especially ahead of schedule, always felt good. I glanced through the spreadsheets that Georgina had reviewed and wrote back a message to Rachel regarding the Gym¡¯s pokenet page¡­ and I was done. I stretched. I didn¡¯t need to stick around for any office hours with this being an off-circuit. The job as a gym leader was hard, but it was a rare day that I didn¡¯t find myself loving it. Despite my feeling of having accomplished a solid day¡¯s work, I felt like I still needed to do one more thing. So, I made a call to the Pewter Museum. ¡°Is Director Crowley in?¡± ¡°One moment, who is calling, may I ask?¡± ¡°Gym Leader Brock,¡± I said. ¡°... oh, I¡¯ll get him right away,¡± the receptionist said before the sound of running feet reached my ears. She hadn¡¯t even put me on hold. Apparently donating money for the purpose of developing and locking in the ability to resurrect pokemon fossils made me a V.I.P. It still struck me as strange that the man insisted on not having a phone so that others wouldn¡¯t distract him. The phone was soon picked up. ¡°Crowley here! Hello Brock! If you¡¯re calling for an update I am proud to announce that we were able to resurrect a plant from the ancient period!¡± ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s wonderful but I was more calling to make sure that no one had been bothering you, Director Crowley. The Gym¡¯s gone through some audits, and while I listed my contributions to the Museum as donations, I wanted to make sure everything is alright on your end.¡± ¡°Feh! Please! Most of the time people forget about us!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a sham¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s incredible! We get so much done without people bothering us! Brock! I want you to know that by the end of the next circuit, at the latest, I predict we will be able to resurrect a fossil without League oversight! As a private entity not affiliated with the League, we will be able to create a viable population before using any funds from the sales for more research! I have my own personal amber fossil ready for that day! When it occurs we¡¯ll be swimming in funding, but we shan¡¯t forget your contributions! It has made a world of difference! I shall keep you apprised. Also! I will need to schedule a time to make some more videos for the ancient pokemon. There has been some discussion of showing them alongside the museum¡¯s current displays.¡± ¡°Well you¡¯re welcome to come down anytime¡ª¡± ¡°Many thanks!¡± he said before abruptly hanging up. I snorted to myself, pleased that he seemed to be unbothered. If he held up the deal, once he had the machine I would have two Aerodactyl which would mean I¡¯d have more chances of breeding stronger pokemon. Relying on ditto only worked in games. You could do it, but it was known to produce weaker pokemon until a diverse enough pool of the pokemon to build up from was established. That took years. I¡¯d seen some discussions regarding my own pokemon with this in mind. I was hoping I¡¯d have some more options soon. I still hadn¡¯t been able to find the Helix or Dome fossils despite scouring Mt. Moon multiple times over these past few years. I quickly fired off a message to Lawrence, my lawyer, to verify that the League wouldn¡¯t be able to interfere with the little deal I had arranged with Crowley. ¡°Broooock!¡± called Suzie from down the hall. ¡°We¡¯re out of chips!¡± I glanced at the clock. I still had to go shopping. My job as a Gym Leader might have been over, but now I needed to pick up the reins of full-time parent. I exited my office and lifted Suzie into my arms. When I swept into the lounge room to find everyone watching tv I adopted a wide smile. ¡°Who wants to come shopping with me?¡± I got no response beyond Suzie raising her hand. I glanced from my siblings to the tv, seeing that Furret Samurai was on. ¡°Is it really that good?¡± ¡°Shhhh!¡± all my siblings said as one. Their eyes tracked the Furret as it bounced over the screen with a stick screaming its name. Huh, it did actually look¡ª Suzie pinched me before I could sit down. ¡°Oh right! Shopping. Forrest, hold down the fort.¡± I got a grunt in reply as I left the room. Good enough I suppose. When I stepped outside I gave Suzie a conspiratorial smile. ¡°So, think we should get some lollies while we¡¯re out?¡± She gave this due consideration before another warm body rushed up to my back. ¡°Munchlax!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± translated Suzie somewhat redundantly. I chuckled and carried pokemon and little sister to the store.
¡°Three cans of sweet corn.¡± I scratched another item off the list, then paused to reread the label. ¡°Which is the kernel type?¡± I gave a glare towards the nearly identical labelled cans that had the same colouration right next to the corn I wanted. The label of ¡®creamed-corn¡¯ innocently glinted back. I¡¯d fallen into that trap way too often. I couldn¡¯t help but feel those were supposed to be in an entirely different aisle at least. ¡°Brock, I think there is a difference between lollies earnt and lollies just given,¡± Suzie chimed up around a mouthful of candies. Munchlax nodded seriously from his spot next to her in the shopping cart. ¡°These ones taste better.¡± I nodded along not having a clue what she was talking about. I chalked it up as ¡®things kids say¡¯ and was merely thankfully she wasn¡¯t accidentally swearing. She tilted her head. ¡°Can we stop for ice cream as well?¡± I continued to search the shelves for the groceries we needed. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be held hostage to those demands. Also, I already gave you a treat for coming with me.¡± Suzie pouted adorably at me. Her little arms crossed over her chest as I continued to ignore her. ¡°Do you want this to be a dip or a taco mix tonight?¡± I said more to distract her, I already knew what she¡¯d say after all. I secretly stashed two of each as she held up another box in each hand, her head whipping back and forth. I could almost hear her little mind cogitating the decision. ¡°... If I¡¯m good and I do Cindy¡¯s chores at home, then couldI get ice cream?¡± ¡°You could try to bargain with Cindy for her ice cream but I don¡¯t think she would agree to that deal.¡± The wheel on the trolley jerked slightly but I held it steady instead of letting it crash into the shelves. ¡°Now, we need some seasoning.¡± ¡°No! No spicy food! It¡¯s yik!¡± ¡°Yik?¡± ¡°Mhm! Yik! Spicy stuff makes it no good to eat!¡± Suzie said as the resident expert of ¡®yik¡¯. ¡°That¡¯s alright then I will just make a bit of it for myself and set it aside for Forrest as well. He likes it.¡± I mentally said a prayer to Arceus in thanks that none of my siblings had allergies or needed specialised diets. I once had a friend that was allergic to lactose. I loved her as a friend, but I hated having to buy party foods for her. Grocery shopping was already hard enough with there being nine children to buy for plus myself. I still made sure to print and stuff a ¡®suggestion¡¯ of having a pokenet shopping online option into the market suggestion box every time I shopped. ¡°We should buy Graveler some make up!¡± Suzie decided as we passed the toiletries aisles. I considered that for half a second before shrugging and grabbing a cheap ¡®learn-to¡¯ kit that was for young girls. That should be a fun afternoon for the girls and Graveler. ¡°Anything we should get Munchlax?¡± I already suspected the answer to be¡ª ¡°Chicken pops!¡± Suzie said with another serious nod. Munchlax perked up at that and hugged Suzie happily. I paused. ¡°Not ice cream?¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s for us!¡± she then tilted her head. ¡°Well, he¡¯ll eat it as well but he actually prefers chicken popcorn,¡± she said while hugging the greedy little pokemon back. He purred into her side. I considered that before narrowing my eyes. ¡°And how do you know he likes those exactly?¡± ¡°Salvadore has been running tests to determine Munchlax¡¯s favourite food. I helped!¡± she said proudly. I glanced down at the trolley that was already stacked high. I slumped a little, resolving to come back tomorrow after checking how much had been given over to Munchlax from our freezer for ¡®science¡¯. Honestly, this small mountain of food for my siblings was just a normal shop for me. I really shouldn¡¯t have been surprised by the unexpected angle of having to buy more food. I¡¯d make do. What made it more than a little unusual was how the lettuce heads seemed to have a camera sticking out of them. Or how two or three shoppers kept holding cameras directed at me with focussed looks that were more like Mightyena waiting for a Tauros to be separated from the herd so they could feast. These were obviously not local reporters, as I had gotten familiar with all of those when I¡¯d first become Gym Leader. They¡¯d gotten a pretty good run of stories with the drama of my family, before I proved myself locally. The announcement to rebuild the Gym had certainly surprised them, but it had also won me a lot of popularity in town. It felt a little ridiculous to be honest. I got to watch locals stare at the weirdly acting photographers as they ¡®hid¡¯ using fruit stands and more all over the shop. A clerk had an uncaring, minimum wage look of apathy as he merely trundled out a mop to wipe up a spill of broken jam. I gave the reporter that had caused the accident a pointed look. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The man gave the clerk a note that the clerk pocketed without comment. I snorted at the byplay. I didn¡¯t have to report them for their antics. I was a Gym Leader, not a Jenny. Also, I was not on the clock. ¡°Hello, Brock! Hello, Suzie!¡± Chimed a local mother that I knew from Tilly¡¯s kindergarten. Instantly cameras snapped into action and a chorus of murmurs broke out as reporters spoke into handheld recorders. The woman blanched. ¡°Uhm? What¡¯re they doing?¡± ¡°Inventing torrid fictional tabloids most likely. Congratulations you might feature in such literary giants such as ¡®This week¡¯ or ¡®Expose!¡¯ magazines,¡± I said sardonically. This was met with a weak chuckle that died off when I gave her a small apologetic shrug. ¡°Are you serious?¡± She glanced from me to the photographers. ¡°Yeah, I checked and when I¡¯m out in public like this they¡¯re allowed to follow from a distance. If they make too much of a disturbance I can call Jenny on them, but until then they get to follow me.¡± ¡°Oh, I guess it¡¯s not all glam and living the life when you¡¯re the hot topic?¡± She asked as I began to load up the groceries onto the checkout. ¡°No. Also, Hot Topic''s reporter is hiding over in the lettuce, I think.¡± I pointed at the location and the mother of my sibling¡¯s playmate perked up. ¡°Oh! I have some questions about last month¡¯s article!¡± She happily skipped up to the man which made me shake my head and look at Suzie. ¡°At least someone¡¯s enjoying it, hey Suz? Also, put that chocolate back. You¡¯re not ruining your appetite.¡± This earned me another pout. Thankfully those have long since become ineffective against my ¡®older brother typing¡¯. I finished up my shop, paid and packed my bags into my backpack which swelled as I added more and more into it. I lifted Suzie out of the trolley, and stored it before setting her down. Munchlax scrambled up to the top of my backpack. She grabbed my hand and we departed the shop. A bang accompanied with a round of cursing had us both turning back to the amusing sight of the reporters getting stuck in the shopping centre¡¯s door. A small brawl broke out and I lifted a small camera I¡¯d started to carry around to snap a picture of the reporters growling at each other. The same minimum wage employee prodded them outside with the application of his trusty mop. From there, it devolved into the standard practice for two disagreeing parties as pokeballs were drawn and a pokemon fight broke out in front of the shopping centre. I¡¯d been kind of tempted to stick around and watch. Only in the pokemon world would such an occurrence appear. Truly, having your rabid stalkers settle into a soft brawl before deciding to resolve it with pokemon was a strange sort of civility but, somehow, it made sense. Sadly I couldn¡¯t stick around to watch. I¡¯d denied Suzie some ice cream during the shopping and if she learnt I¡¯d allowed the family¡¯s share to melt she¡¯d do worse than pout. I¡¯d be in full tantrum territory. So I got out while the getting was good. It was actually nice to just walk home without having to worry about the reporters for once. Suzie picked up on my better mood. ¡°Can we stop at the park?¡± Which meant she was going to try and leverage it. Damn young kids and their perceptiveness. I allowed Suzie five minutes on the swings which turned into ten. I then only had to threaten no ice cream once to get her to walk home with me where I began making up dinner early. I was just about to start chopping the onions when my transceiver rang. I leaned away from the chopping board and picked up the call. ¡°Brock here,¡± I said as a way of greeting. ¡°Good evening Brock, it¡¯s Erika. How are you this afternoon?¡± I paused and gave the transceiver a look to see that it was indeed projecting Erika¡¯s tranquil face to me. I rearranged it to where it was at a better angle to talk. ¡°Uhm, hi there? I¡¯m pretty good, currently making up dinner for my family. How about yourself?¡± ¡°Uhm well I am in a bit of trouble as I have been audited¡­ so I find myself in a spot of bother. Sabrina must be busy, as she has not called me back yet, but I was¡­ hoping you¡¯d be willing to hear me out?¡± ¡°They audited you as well?¡± I asked. That surprised me. Then again as I thought over the situation I felt a suspicion build in my mind. ¡°Hey, hold on, I''m going to add Surge to the call. See if he got audited as well.¡± I pulled the phone away and looked to my transceiver for Surge¡¯s number then I set up the call to be a group call. It rang for a few rings before Surge picked up. ¡°It¡¯s Surge, who''s this?!¡± He barked into the phone like it had offended him. ¡°Surge, hey, it¡¯s Brock. I''ve got Erika on the line as well. We got audited¡ª¡± ¡°Huh you guys too huh? How¡¯d you go?¡± ¡°I had a lawyer look over things. Initially, I rejected the audit as I knew they needed an actual warrant ordering them and allowing them access,¡± I lied. They didn¡¯t need to know I had totally flubbed that initial meeting. I moved over to the window looking out to the garden. ¡°Oh Bellsprouts! I could have done that?¡± Erika said. A chopping sound began behind me and I gave what I believed to be Yolanda a thumbs up without looking. ¡°Yeah¡­ the Lawyer also recommended that I get their details and a few other things for future reference. Then my lawyer had an accountant look over my books.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t think to do that little missy? Huh, I would have thought you¡¯d be better set up in Celadon.¡± Surge murmured. There was a scratchy noise as Surge rubbed at his chin. Erika tilted her head. ¡°What is that on your face?¡± I bit my lip at her innocent question. Surge bristled and the camera panned out to show all of his face. ¡°It¡¯s my off-circuit beard! I grow one every year!¡± he said with a growl. ¡°It looks like a lawn that only gets watered¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to be rude!¡± Erika said her camera¡¯s view swinging about as she swept her arms about. I laughed, which only made Surge glower harder. ¡°You young punks have no appreciation of a man¡¯s pride. Brock, I doubt you¡¯re even old enough to grow something like this!¡± ¡°Eh, I¡¯m good being smooth,¡± I said while smiling widely. I knew from experience that the man liked to grow a beard during the off-circuit period so his appearance hadn¡¯t been a surprise but I always forgot how poorly it initially grew in. By the end of the circuit he would sport a mountain man¡¯s beard, but right now? It was kind of sad to look at. Surge coughed and redirected us so he wouldn¡¯t have to endure our teasing. ¡°Listen, Brocko is right. You need to get yourself a good lawyer and a good accountant. Now if you messed up, the League can fine you and, with them likely having a weedle crawling up their skirt, they''re going to hit you with what they can. I¡¯m gonna hang up and call around, see if the other gyms have been hit too.¡± ¡°K, thanks for answering Surge,¡± I said in farewell. Erika replied with a more heartfelt, ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Erika, did this just happen, as in today?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh! Yes! Just now! I was so flustered! I let them in!¡± I groaned a little at that. Erika muttered something before saying, ¡°I think I better go make some calls to get myself some help. I have an uncle that usually handles this sort of issue. I think I better talk to him?¡± ¡°That sounds like a good idea,¡± I said. I glanced up at the ceiling before dialling Sabrina¡¯s number. My transceiver rang only for a similar tone to sound out immediately behind me. I whipped around to find Sabrina telekinetically dicing up the onions I had left out. She gestured and they floated into the taco mince. ¡°Sabrina¡­hey?¡± I stared at her. ¡°Hello Brock,¡± she answered blandly like she hadn¡¯t just snuck in. At least, I hoped she¡¯d only just snuck in on me. It worried me that I couldn¡¯t say it wouldn¡¯t be abnormal for her to be lurking around for longer. ¡°Welcome, I guess. How long have you been there?¡± ¡°I arrived a few moments ago,¡± she said before indicating the mince. ¡°I wanted to get that out of the way. Sometimes mother cries when she chops them. She shouldn¡¯t, they are just vegetables that give off chemicals. With even her psychic abilities she should be able to do as I do, but she often forgets¡­ It has become a habit of mine to sometimes assist her.¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds nice,¡± I said before thinking through what she¡¯d said and who I was saying it to. ¡°Sabrina¡­ do you move the knives around while in the same room as her?¡± ¡°I can do it from the other side of the city if I needed to, but I mostly do paperwork at the same time so I am in my office. It doesn¡¯t distract me.¡± I put my hands together. Sometimes I got really frustrated with Sabrina¡¯s parents¡­ and then there were moments like this I got a small inkling of what they had to go through. It made me commiserate with them. ¡°Maybe set up in the kitchen with her so she realises it is you helping her. It¡¯s a touch scary when the knives start flying around without knowing why they¡¯re doing that.¡± Sabrina gave me a long, slow blink. ¡°I see. That would explain why she screams.¡± I decided to put that to the side. For later. I certainly wasn¡¯t going to forget about that. ¡°Ah well, thanks for chopping that up for me. Did you hear what I was talking about with Surge and Erika?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± was all she said. I swear, it feels like I''m yanking teeth sometimes¡­¡°Did you also get audited?¡± ¡°Yes, but they didn¡¯t find any issues with my Gym. There are none and I would never allow there to be,¡± she stated placidly. ¡°Were they on the up and up?¡± she frowned at me. ¡°I mean the auditor. Were they legit and not just trying to find dirt on you?¡± ¡°Yes, the woman that inspected my Gym was very professional. I checked her memories and she had no dubious intent.¡± ¡°You know¡­ Actually, never mind,¡± I said, not really feeling like I should bother chastising her. If I had the ability to read, the PIA financial auditor¡¯s mind I totally would have. Then again that sort of man would probably only have numbers and methods of torturing the innocent in his mind. Damn Timothy¡­ protecting his mind with numbers and¡­ dark arts? I mentally shook myself out of my thoughts. Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be such a good idea to read people¡¯s minds? I was already prone to getting lost in my own head as it was. Sabrina merely lifted a single eyebrow. Right, I¡¯d been quiet for a while. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. You¡¯ve always had a good handle on most aspects of being a Gym Leader.¡± Sabrina turned away and gave the wall a fixed look. ¡°Most?¡± I felt the room drop in temperature slightly but I ignored it as I laid out the tomatoes. The knives lifted off once more as I approached them. I stepped back to let Sabrina help. ¡°Yeah, the whole moving things around the gym from other rooms tend to scare trainers¡­ also you tell people answers to questions they haven¡¯t asked yet which freaks them out. Apply that to matches and things really ramp up in difficulty.¡± I knew it was better than it might have gotten but there was no good way to comment on a possible future so I let the issue drop. I ran my tongue over my teeth. ¡°Who gave her the order?¡± Sabrina gave me another look that, for her, was a harsh stare. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m curious. I had Nurse Joy come around and test me and she didn¡¯t think her orders were on the up and up. I also had someone try and take Tide from me that was supposedly acting on my orders.¡± Sabrina nodded, ¡°Orders you obviously never gave. This implies someone is targeting you.¡± I nod my head in agreement. Before I can say anything else my phone rings. Upon answering, ¡°Hey Brocko, it''s Surge again.¡± ¡°That was quick, who¡¯d you call?¡± ¡°I called the others, couldn¡¯t get hold of Sabrina but Giovanni, Blaine, and the Cerulean sisters all got audited as well.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ how¡¯re the sisters?¡± ¡°They¡¯re blubbering messes. Absolutely incoherent.¡± Surge nodded slowly, ¡°I think they did bad.¡± I stared at the transceiver stunned at Surge¡¯s blunt statement. He was being sarcastic right? I think even Forrest, who could sometimes be emotionally thick, would realise something was wrong when a girl became a blubbering mess. Surge continued on, ¡°I¡¯ve set up a meeting with all of the Gym Leaders in a couple of days. Or at least I¡¯ve sent a message out. You know how it is with Koga.¡± I nodded. Most of the time the man didn¡¯t attend. ¡°Can you make it?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah I can,¡± I said before tilting my head. ¡°Do you think the smaller Gyms got audited as well?¡± I didn¡¯t say anything about Sabrina being here with me. Surge would just read into it way too much. ¡°Hmmmm, don¡¯t know. I only ever really talked with Kong, and after Sabrina drubbed him he¡¯s been like a spitting Ekans to any of the eight that approach him. Reckon I could get that new Gym Leader in. Think his name was Grey?¡± ¡°Did someone new get put into the minor four? Who got relegated?¡± I asked with interest. ¡°Yeah, Silph Co. has been pushing a corporate-sponsored group for a while now. The League gave them approval, and they went after Kaz, with his Dark City Gym, ¡®cause he had a huge downturn. New gym is based out of Neon Town. They¡¯re going to try and make it a Steel-type Gym.¡± I scowled at the transceiver at that. ¡°Can¡¯t say I like the idea of a corporate Gym getting approval like that.¡± ¡°Heh, them¡¯s the Pidgey¡¯s, Brocko. I¡¯m gonna call around. Might get the other two¡­ but I doubt it. Grey should come. Then I can haze the hell out of him as the rookie! Heh! Be like old times when I made you¡ª¡± I hung up before he could continue. Sabrina gave me a long stare. ¡°What did he tell you to do?¡± ¡°Tried to tell me I had to announce myself from the town square and accept all challengers for a day¡­ I didn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She flicked her eyes and the tomatoes soared into the mix. I stayed quiet and pondered over what had been revealed to me. Had this round of audits been an attack? It seemed a bit too widespread to be targeted at me. ¡°Who ordered the audit for you? Did you get many details?¡± I said to Sabrina quietly. ¡°It was considered a standard review from the auditor that approached my Gym. They didn¡¯t have to do anything but put in the order. None at the inspection agency considered it strange from the accounting team. I did learn that this was something pushed by the secretary, however.¡± ¡°Hmmm, good to know, I did see her name on the paperwork. Ever¡­ talk with her?¡± Sabrina shook her head and I hummed in thought. I set the mince to cooking. Sabrina didn¡¯t say anything more but that wasn¡¯t unusual for her. Merely enjoying the moment of quiet. She did quirk an eyebrow when Munchlax sauntered in, opened the fridge, got himself and the others a packet of juice and waddled back out. I merely waved after him, ¡°New playmate for my little siblings.¡± She accepted that and I returned to my musings. If it had just been Erika, Surge and Sabrina it would have been suspicious. Or was that the purpose? Start a wide fire to hit a specific point without being obvious about it? I turned that over for a bit more. When the mince was done I tapped Sabrina on the elbow. ¡°Feel up to staying around for dinner?¡± I watched, not saying a word as she gave the offer due consideration. She shook her head. ¡°No, you enjoy your family dinner.¡± She still scooped up a pair of tacos. I grinned at her. ¡°Know why pirates are bad at reading?¡± She blinked at me. ¡°No?¡± she said, not understanding where I was going with this new line of conversation. ¡°They couldn¡¯t learn the alphabet properly ¡®cause they kept getting stuck at C.¡± Her lips twitched upwards and she giggled before coughing once and levelling a tepid glare at me. I opened my mouth for another joke but she flashed away in a teleport. So I typed the message into my transceiver and sent it to her. Then I looked towards dinner for the rest of the family. I noted that she had selected the spicy mixture to take from. I tilted my head. Had she been aware of that? I don¡¯t think she was around when I mixed that in. I didn¡¯t think she liked it? I couldn¡¯t recall her ever positively speaking out when we¡¯d been ¡®dating¡¯. ¡°Kids! Dinner!¡± I shouted into the house as I began to plate up food. I mentally added another marker to my schedule as I turned over what I¡¯d need to take to a meeting of Kanto Gym Leaders. I also still had Celia¡¯s return from the Conference to handle. ¡°It¡¯s snowing outside!¡± shouted Salvadore as he passed the window. I looked up. Huh, looks like I¡¯d need to make sure my free range area was all set up for the coming winter. I merrily crunched on my spicy dinner and smirked when Forrest egged Salvadore to take a bite. For now, things seemed to be fine. I¡¯d gotten through the audits with a bit of stress and a ¡ªmost likely¡ª Team Rocket probe on some of my interests that were not close by with Tide. I could take the events as they came, it felt like I had some time to breathe. Chapter 30 - Celias Triumph I made sure the kids were out of the way for Celia¡¯s return home to the Gym. It wasn¡¯t too hard with last night¡¯s snow. The kids had been eager to sprint outdoors. I¡¯d stood in their way in the mudroom carrying a small mountain of scarves, gloves, jumpers and beanies. ¡°Broooooooooock!¡± They whined as they each ran for the door only for my much longer arms to snag them and ensnare them with the missing articles of clothing for each child. When Yolanda didn¡¯t appear I had to go looking for her. I found her in Forrest¡¯s room cradling the incubator with a look of contented peace that I backed off instead of announcing myself. When I was a few rooms away I rubbed my brow and played back the egg¡¯s arrival to the house. Yolanda had been¡­ not angry. Yolanda always remained composed, but she had been ruffled at the arrival of the egg. My gifting it to Forrest hadn¡¯t slighted her¡­ had it? He was the next eldest in our family. On the other hand, Forrest¡¯s reaction to receiving a potential Pseudo-legendary, to use the game terms, had been extremely¡­ Well, lacking was perhaps the best way to put it. He hadn¡¯t been very enthused, and neither had he sought me out about how to look after a young Larvitar. I tapped the wall and decided that this was not something that I should leave be. Instead, I was going to pry into Forrest¡¯s thoughts. A tug at my pants had me looking down to find Munchlax with a scarf and beanie held out towards me. ¡°Munch!¡± he said with a big grin. I chuckled and set him to rights. ¡°You go have some fun out there Munchlax,¡± I said while patting the beanie onto his head. He hugged me and ran off. Amused by his antics, I walked to a window overlooking the front entrance. Munchlax ran out the front door and straight into a snowbank creating a perfect divot of his body before he popped his head up and trudged towards the closest family member. I snorted and headed towards the front of the Gym through the back of our house. I settled into the trainer lounge and made myself a hot chocolate as I waited. A few minutes later the bell at the front of the gym chimed and I walked out to find a shivering Celia at the doorstep. My big brother instincts kicked in without any conscious input, and I dragged her into the lounge to plop her down in front of a heater. A blanket swaddled her and a hot cup of chocolate was pushed into her hands. ¡°T-t-t-t-thanks Br-br-br-brock!¡± she said through chattering teeth. I patted her on the shoulder. ¡°You flew from the conference? You know it might have been smarter to just catch the bus that would have come with the rest of the Pewter trainers, right?¡± I said as if I didn¡¯t have blankets, a heater and a warm cup of cocoa already set up. When I¡¯d been told about the bus I¡¯d bet Officer Jenny twenty pokedollars Celia wouldn¡¯t be on it. ¡°Ii-itit¡ª¡± I held up a hand. ¡°Alright, you just worry about warming up before you worry about talking. I can¡¯t talk to you while you¡¯re shivering like a Dragonite in winter.¡± That got a giggle out of her rosy cheeks. While she was lulled into the warmth, I toggled my transceiver and fired off a quick message to Officer Jenny notifying her that Celia had turned up here while asking when the bus was due to arrive at the transit centre. I traded a few messages back and forth and made some plans for later. When Celia perked up and let the blanket fall off her shoulders I stopped and sat up myself. ¡°Alright, first of all, don¡¯t ever fly into the winter wind. Pokemon trainers that are experienced flyers are leery of doing it, and it¡¯s the sort of idea that results in search parties out in the mountains. You got your flying license but don¡¯t think for a moment I¡¯m not informing Officer Jenny and making you sit through remedial lessons on weather conditions.¡± ¡°But! But! I wanted to come back as fast as I could, and Pride and I could take it!¡± I merely gave her an unimpressed look before making a show of sending off another message to Officer Jenny. She pouted at me, but as always, it wasn¡¯t very effective. I clapped my hands to snap her out of her pout. ¡°Right! With that chastisement out of the way for now,¡± she slumped a little. ¡°Congratulations on making it to the top eight in your first tournament! You did incredible!¡± She shot back at my exuberant tone before beaming. ¡°You mean it? I thought you might have been playing it up since I was so¡­¡± She waved and made a vague pushing gesture that I took to mean her despondency after her loss. ¡°Celia, I will say it again. You, a first-year trainer, making the top eight in your first big tournament that also features some master-level opponents, is beyond incredible.¡± I held my stoic expression until she blushed and couldn¡¯t meet my gaze. Then I grinned. ¡°Now c¡¯mon. Tell me you didn¡¯t get multiple sponsorship offers from practically everyone!¡± Celia giggled before shaking her head, ¡°I can¡¯t, I got so many! I¡­ what am I supposed to do with all of them?¡± She said waving her hands about. I snorted. ¡°Accept, reject, and send back emails with your own counter-offers if you have them.¡± My shoulder shot up and down as I sat back in my chair. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that¡­ I want to stay with you and the Pewter Gym¡­¡± She shot me a shy look, watching for my reaction. I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°Well thanks, I was worried ¡®cause I don¡¯t doubt that you would have a ton of great offers now.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Are you sure this is the best idea for your own growth?¡± I shifted back and forth. ¡°I can¡¯t really ask you to share what offers you got because that¡¯s very much a con¡ª¡± I stopped as she reached into her pack and began to lay out a pile of written notes and offers. ¡°And you''re just going to give them up to me,¡± I said with an amused tone. ¡°That¡¯s very loyal of you Celia, but sometimes it might be better to keep some of your cards closer to your chest for future negotiations, yeah?¡± Celia scratched her cheek. ¡°Ehehe? But I know you won¡¯t take advantage of me?¡± I sighed at her. ¡°That¡¯s not the point, you should learn how to handle discussions like this.¡± Not that I could talk as it did please me to have such a loyal trainer attached to the Gym. I¡¯d still have to teach her to negotiate for her own good. It wouldn¡¯t do to stifle her potential. I gestured to the pile and when she nodded her assent I began to read through a few. I reached out and grabbed a notepad I had sitting next to my, now cold, drink. I began to note down the various offers and sponsor deals that she was receiving, organising them into a few different piles based on topic. I pointed to one pile. ¡°You might want to think about some of those first. Offers for sponsorships with clothing, equipment, cosmetics, or even a small appearance in a television show would be a great idea to look into.¡± I tapped the pile. ¡°It¡¯s probably something that we should talk with Rachel about.¡± ¡°Who?¡± I blinked before remembering that I had hired on, technically, three new employees for the Gym with Rachel, Lawrence, and Georgina. ¡°Well, after I got audited I hired Rachel as a Public Relations Manager. She¡¯s really switched on about the job and has some great ideas. She¡¯d love to go through these with you, and there might be some synergy for the Gym as a whole that makes this more appealing.¡± I pat the stack affectionately. When I didn¡¯t get a reply I looked up and found an enraged-looking Celia staring at me. ¡°When were you audited and why is this the first I¡¯ve heard of it!?¡± I chuckled at her reaction. ¡°Huh guess I have a lot to catch you up with.¡± I scratched my chin. ¡°Right, well it all started with a knock on my front door¡ª¡± By the time I was done regaling Celia about what had happened and how it was all wrapped up nice and neat now, she sat listlessly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you were audited!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, the battles were no trouble. I was honestly more bothered by the audit of the accounts.¡± ¡°As if they could have canned the Gym because of that! The whole idea that the Pewter Gym needs an audit after you beat Lance is ludicrous! You could have failed it ten times over and it wouldn¡¯t be possible to uphold the ruling!¡± I pointed a finger at her, shaking my head. ¡°Now that thought is exactly the type of thinking that we need to make sure doesn¡¯t sneak in. It¡¯s complacency and pride speaking, and it has no place with the good management of my Gym.¡± Celia was flabbergasted a moment but ducked her head. ¡°Sorry.¡± I waved it off before gesturing at the other stacks. ¡°The rest of these¡ªif you¡¯re serious about sticking with Pewter,¡± Celia shook her head frantically so I continued pulling out a notepad and jotting down some notes regarding each as I read through them. ¡°¡ªare probably not something you need to look into. It¡¯s more interesting to see who offered you sponsorships. There¡¯s a pretty compelling offer from Growing Strong Stables; a free year¡¯s stabling rights for twenty pokemon is nice. Combine that with another offer from one of these corporate¡ª¡± ¡°Brock! I¡¯m not going to accept those deals!¡± Celia said hotly. I raised my hand ¡°Sorry! Sorry! Just pointing things out.¡± I rifled through and selected a paper that had stood out in light of the recent news Surge had mentioned. ¡°It¡¯s just very interesting to see an offer from them. Neon City¡¯s Gym is now one of the twelve accepted badges that allow qualification for the Indigo Conference from Kanto.¡± Celia growled rather cutely, likely misreading my comments of interest as trying to push her off on these other Gyms. I waved a hand at her. ¡°No, it''s just interesting, I swear! I learnt about them getting their new status yesterday¡­ that¡¯s all.¡± I put the paperwork back on the pile and turned my attention fully onto her once more. ¡°Right! With that said, the circuit is over but your work is just beginning. Now comes the time to consolidate the lessons you¡¯ve learnt over the entire course of not just the Conference but also the circuit in general.¡± I turned the notepad over to her along with a pen. ¡°In the coming days, I¡¯m going to have you talk with Rachel about some of these offers. I¡¯m also going to have you write up a report for each of the three quarters that the circuit takes up. What did you do well during these periods, what could you improve on, and what would you avoid doing in future? I¡¯m very interested in your thoughts with the entire year¡¯s perspective. Some things that might not have stood out to you in the moment, might do so now with the benefit of hindsight.¡± I rolled my hand about, ¡°We¡¯ll focus on that for now and then in a few weeks we¡¯ll start considering where to go for next year, alright?¡± I stood and clapped my hands together, finishing my impromptu lecture. ¡°Until then, you¡¯re on light duties with the Gym if not outright on holidays to let yourself relax. You¡¯ve done it hard for a long time, and now it''s time to just sit back and recover.¡± Celia grinned at that. ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± I chuckled. ¡°Before you go running off for a nap, I need you to get changed into some cold gear and join me for a walk into town. There¡¯s one more thing we have to handle.¡± Celia promptly tossed the blanket aside and slipped into a bigger jacket that she had stashed away in a nearby locker. I resisted the urge to wrap a scarf around her neck and pat her on the head. Instead, I settled for a nod and waved her to follow me out of the Gym. Outside the Gym, a number of snowmen had been assembled while I¡¯d been busy. Celia glanced around looking for my family, but I could tell they weren¡¯t around. The tire tracks leading into town gave away the culprit, but Celia didn¡¯t notice them. Or if she did she didn¡¯t make mention of them. Instead, she happily bounced along next to my much longer strides. When I led her into the middle of town she perked up as we walked past a number of cafes and restaurants. Her mind was obviously turning back to her previous reward of a huge snack. Ice cream wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d suggest in this weather, but what I had planned should be even better. It wasn¡¯t much longer before we reached a building that connected to the main road for buses and trucks to enter the city. I spotted a certain cross-looking Officer Jenny standing in front of the transit building¡¯s doors with her arms set at her hips. Celia continued to bounce along for another few meters, her eyes locked onto the cafes. ¡°How come all the cafes are closed? They should be open!¡± She said petulantly. ¡°They all have somewhere to be,¡± I grinned. Celia turned her head to frown at me but in doing so spotted the scowling Officer watching our approach. Celia stiffened like a Vulpix that had just encountered a Mightyena. When Officer Jenny didn¡¯t advance on us but held her ground and waited for us to continue approaching, Celia whirled onto me with huge, watery eyes that would make an expert of Baby-Doll Eyes proud. ¡°Brock! I said I was sorry, I won¡¯t do it again! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re making me do this on the day I came back!¡± I pinched my side to stop myself from laughing. Despite this, my face twitched and I had to struggle not to smile as I said stoically. ¡°This is for your own good Celia. Face the consequences of your actions.¡± ¡°But-but-but-!¡± She whined plaintively before reaching out to grasp at my arm to tug me away. I was amused that she wanted to run off but she didn¡¯t even think of doing so on her own, instead trying to have me ¡®forgive her¡¯ and offer her protection. Officer Jenny saw this and turned her head away to snort before looking back. We both shared an amused look before she gave Celia a stern expression. ¡°Celia Shardness! Do you have any idea what you might have done, young lady?¡± She demanded. Celia wilted, turning to offer a meek. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I was just so excited to get home¡­¡± Jenny approached her and loomed over her. ¡°Young lady, there are a lot of people that were extremely worried for you when you flew off like that.¡± She held her stern expression for all of a moment before breaking out into a smile. ¡°We were so worried we wouldn¡¯t get to hold your welcome back party!¡± Celia blinked. ¡°I¡­ wait, what?¡± Jenny turned to the side and waved a hand towards the doors of the transit building. I nudged Celia forward and she stumbled a step. When we reached the doors Jenny and I dropped back so Celia could tentatively open them herself, entering into a large watching area that usually served as a waiting room with rows of chairs. The chairs had been stacked neatly to the side and in their place a crowd stood under a banner. ¡°CONGRATULATIONS!¡± Shouted the crowd at Celia¡¯s entry. Celia took a step back and gaped as the horde surged forward to drag her into hugs and pats on the back, all while a babble of noise washed over her. Trainers that had taken the bus or flown and likewise been directed to the transit building were all grinning at Celia. Around them, locals and notable people for the community were mixed in such as the Mayor, Nurse Joy, and a few workers from the pokemart. My own family were some of the fastest off the mark and Celia was almost overwhelmed as my siblings swept over her. A number of people that couldn¡¯t reach Celia instead clapped me on the back. I glanced up at the banner that read ¡®Congratulations Pewter City Trainers!¡¯. I chuckled and shook some hands in introductions as people mingled with the newly returned trainers that were still walking around, many of them still stunned at the reception they¡¯d gotten upon coming home. Celia seemed the most stunned. When she eventually got to emerge from a group of people that wanted to shake her hand minutes later, she hovered next to me. ¡°This is crazy. I barely know half these people!¡± ¡°Welcome to fame. You don¡¯t know them, but a lot of them know and like you. These are your fans, Celia.¡± I swept an arm about, gesturing at large to the banners, the balloons, and the small stage that had a DJ whom people could request music from. And of course, the tables that were stacked with food around the edges. The few elderly that had come had claimed a corner for themselves with chairs and tables while sending out younger relatives to either gather choice selections of food or bring someone over to talk with them. I snickered when most of the relatives disappeared into the three hundred-plus strong crowd and only returned much later. It featured people such as the wealthy gentlemen and ladies that liked to experience a bit of excitement with high-stakes matches with young up-and-comers, the local bug enthusiasts, and the hobbyist parents that liked to try their hand with friendly matches. They and more had all been invited openly with a community billboard announcement along with a quiet word in the right ears. Celia and the other trainers deserved this for their wonderful showing. If we did it right, we might have more of these in future. Having a breather, Cela was finally able to take in the room with an air of wonder. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this was organised for us¡­¡± I patted her on the head. ¡°You¡¯re not the only person who can surprise people by rallying the hometown.¡± I shot her a wink. She stared at me before grinning. She opened her mouth to say something else but was cut off as someone tapped a microphone, the loud reception cutting through the air. ¡°Alright, people, alright!¡± Shouted a voice into the microphone. I turned and sighed explosively as I spotted Mayor Jonathan standing atop a small platform that definitely hadn¡¯t been there a few minutes ago. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Who gave him a mic? People should know better with a politician.¡± I stage-whispered to Celia. The people around me heard my less than subtle comment and laughed at my joke. Jonathan beamed out at the crowd, happy as only a politician can be when they¡¯re handed a microphone, a crowd, and an agenda to fulfill. ¡°Alright, folks, we''re all here to congratulate the young trainers that have collectively brought pri¡ª¡± I sighed and settled into having to listen to Jonathan as he waxed on about the importance of Pewter coming together to support its young trainers and how this boded well for the future. A future that he would certainly support. I turned my attention away to people watching. Maybe a quarter of the crowd of people actually stopped what they were doing and listened to the Mayor. Everyone else treated it like background music and continued as they were. The DJ hadn¡¯t stopped either, I noted with amusement. A tap on the shoulder got my attention, and I turned to see a smiling Nurse Joy. ¡°Oh hey, Nurse Joy,¡± I said, happy to see she wasn¡¯t avoiding me after the last time we¡¯d talked. I glanced around and saw a number of rather amusing reactions from my family that were nearby. All of them waved so she must have left them with a good enough impression to overshadow the ¡®horror¡¯ of her being an auditor in their minds. Celia was giving Nurse Joy a rather weak glare from the midst of the crowd that was congratulating her. I¡­ hadn¡¯t told Celia that Nurse Joy was an auditor, had I? I hummed to myself but didn¡¯t get the chance to play it back over in my mind as Joy stepped up next to me. ¡°Brock! This is a wonderful event! I¡¯m surprised we haven¡¯t done something like this before!¡± ¡°Hmmm, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever had a group of young trainers come together like this year''s group. I agree there is something here though that I¡¯d love to see continue.¡± ¡°Oh? What were you thinking?¡± I began to outline some ideas of having training camps in the lead-up to the League along with some generalised mini-tournaments with breakdown discussions and lessons. Joy pointed out a few areas I¡¯d need to tighten up or expand on and I found myself rather liking the idea. I made a mental note to jot all these suggestions down when I got home. I¡¯d have to set something up towards the middle of the circuit next year¡­ I hummed to myself and shook my head. That was¡­ If I was even still here with the next circuit. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Joy said, suddenly leaning in to inspect me. I blinked, realising I¡¯d begun frowning. ¡°Just¡­ started thinking some heavy thoughts is all¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± My words did nothing to calm her and instead her eyes squinted a little more in suspicion. ¡°Joy, really, I¡¯m fine. Just some stuff coming up that will be resolved. One way or another.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯ve seen him, then?¡± I didn¡¯t need to clarify who ¡®him¡¯ was referring to but I didn¡¯t want to talk about that now. So instead I grunted and nodded. Thankfully a distraction presented itself in the form of an approaching Officer Jenny. In each hand, she held a plate. ¡°Can I interest you in some cake?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll say no to that!¡± I said cheerfully. For some reason, Joy turned her head away and giggled into her fist. Jenny gave the nurse a glare while I spooned some of the delicious cake into my mouth. Joy giggled to herself. ¡°Oh Jenny, you know it¡¯s rather forward of you to offer up¡ª¡± Jenny groaned ¡°Oh Ho-oh! Is this about that stupid nickname?! I told you that privately! How about you don¡¯t bring it up this time yeah?¡± I glanced between the pair of them. ¡°So this is some in-joke?¡± I got the impression that Jenny didn¡¯t mind it being brought up, more that she was used to it, if in an irritated way. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± said Joy and Jenny over the top of each other. Jenny glared at Joy. ¡°It¡¯s not all that interesting so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Joy grinned as she turned her focus to me. ¡°Enjoying Jenny¡¯s cake, Brock?¡± I blinked before a lightbulb flashed on as I realised the nature of the joke. I grinned and Jenny blanched as she saw me swivel onto her, joining Joy in teasing her. ¡°Is there something special about your cake?¡± Enjoying the turn of phrase as much as I enjoyed Jenny¡¯s now red face. Jenny coughed and mumbled something about winning a prize in the local fair for it only to then learn she¡¯d also won a vote on best ¡®cake¡¯ in Pewter city as voted by her fellow officers. She''d only learnt of this when she¡¯d encountered a form detailing who people could vote for. ¡°¡ªI didn¡¯t even realise what people were voting for until a week later when I realised that Joy¡¯s never baked a thing in her life!¡± Joy giggled. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so innocent.¡± I laughed along and finished my treat. ¡°Soooo, out of¡­ professional interest, who else was listed on there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dignif¡ª¡± said Jenny only for Joy to tick off her fingers as she listed off names, ¡°Myself, Jenny, Macey Meadows, Mary-Sue Lonlon, Trixie, Samantha Summers¡­¡± Joy clicked her tongue. ¡°I think those were the serious contenders?¡± Jenny groaned, her hand cupping her face. ¡°Why!? Why am I friends with you?¡± ¡°I make your life interesting in the best of ways!¡± chirped Joy without a hint of shame. I chuckled at them, more than happy to be included in their back and forth. I eventually was dragged away to talk with other people. I made sure to talk with each of the trainers that had completed the circuit and congratulated them on making it to the conference and being wonderful examples of Pewter City trainers. I liked to think that they left these conversations with their heads held high from the praise, but also with a few ideas of things to work on that would see them grow. Eventually, the party had to end, and I had to lead my family back home along with Rocko, and Celia who lived in the Gym¡¯s accommodation built for live-in trainers. ¡°Bye-bye!¡± said Suzie as she walked backwards away from the transit building. My big brother instincts, honed to a razor¡¯s edge from having so many little siblings, flared up and I leaned down in time to catch her before she could trip and fall more than a short distance. ¡°Careful now!¡± I demanded, using my hand to spin her about which only made her giggle. She decided to continue the spin and began to twirl as she walked. I sighed as my instincts demanded that I stay close and catch her when she inevitably fell again. Sadly her antics inspired the rest of my family to join in. Yolanda spun like a graceful ballerina past me with her tongue stuck out. I huffed when Salvadore tried to copy her, only to trip instantly. I lunged and grabbed him before he hit the ground, shaking my head at their antics. He got up and continued without so much as a ¡®thank you¡¯. I threw my hands up. If this was how they were going to be then it was time to let them fall and let the tears come. Forrest merely walked along next to me, ¡®too cool¡¯ to take part in twirling around like his brothers and sisters. Seeing him reminded me that I had a very pressing issue to talk to Forrest about. I grimaced and searched around for a method to break the ice. Sadly not finding any, I had to resort to the standard big-brother/parent mode of making conversation. ¡°Did you clean your room before you left for the party?¡± I asked. Mentally facepalmed. He spluttered at me and grumbled something inaudible. ¡°Hmmm, what¡¯s that? An excuse? I¡¯m sure Backpack the Geodude will love to listen to those tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°I said I couldn¡¯t ¡®cause Yolanda was in there!¡± I nodded, thankful for the link. Then my mind connected some dots as to what Forrest would need to clean up that he couldn¡¯t while she was in the room. I swatted the back of his head. ¡°Hide your magazines better in the future.¡± He blushed and didn¡¯t meet my eyes before I clapped a hand on his shoulder. I swallowed and sighed to myself. He gave me a confused look when I squeezed his shoulder lightly. This next part wasn¡¯t going to be fun. ¡°Also¡­ we need to talk.¡± It was rather telling how young and innocent he was that he didn¡¯t blanch at the mere use of those words. No one that has gone through their teenage years likes hearing ¡¯we need to talk¡¯ said to them. Ever. He gave me a clueless look while I internally cringed. ¡°Alright? What about?¡± he asked, watching me. I gave his siblings, still pirouetting around us and miraculously without casualty, a pointed glance. ¡°Can you stay up? I¡¯ll come to talk with you about it before you go to bed, alright?¡± ¡°Sure, no problem,¡± he said with a careless shrug. I nodded and upon reaching home set about bustling through the various tasks that I had to do. I made up a light snack to curb any hunger for my family. Then it was into the shower. Then bed and story time for the younger siblings. This time I had a new book to show support for Samurai Furrett. All the kids loved the story, and I was more than happy to encourage them to read. When I swept through the rest of my siblings'' rooms, it was to give a perfunctory check-over. They didn¡¯t have anything that needed handling and so I finally entered Forrest¡¯s room. ¡°Brock!¡± He said, jerking in surprise while sitting at his desk due to my entrance. ¡°Knock next time!¡± I heard something thrown underneath his desk but chose not to comment. I made a show of sniffing haughtily. ¡°I¡¯m your big brother, I don¡¯t have to.¡± I pointed at him. ¡°Also, this is my house!¡± That got some grumbling from him and I rolled my eyes and nudged him over to make some space on the bed. I swept my eyes over the room. The room featured the typical features of any teenage boy. He had some band posters, a provocatively posed trainer reclining next to a pool in a bikini. I let my gaze linger on the unmade bed, the discarded clothes, snack wrappers, and what looked like a stack of books with some homework that still needed to be finished. I gave him a very unimpressed look. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t have time to clean it!¡± I held the expression and shook my head. If I had time to shower two sets of our siblings, then dry them off and read them stories¡­ I shook my head again. ¡°Whatever. Get it clean by tomorrow.¡± ¡°Sure, sure,¡± he said, shifting in his seat and turning around to face me properly. ¡°So what¡¯s up? What did we need to talk about?¡± I clicked my tongue a little and sighed before directly looking at him. ¡°Do you actually want that egg?¡± I said pointing towards the Egg that was sitting in the only clean corner of the room in its incubator. For a moment Forrest sat without really comprehending what I was saying. Then he blinked and leaned back. ¡°Yes! Of course I do!¡± His eyes wouldn¡¯t meet mine. ¡°Who¡¯d give up a pokemon that could one day fight a Dragonite?¡± ¡°Alright¡­ Let¡¯s say that¡¯s so, how come you haven¡¯t been walking around with the incubator?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to seem lame around my friends!¡± He said. ¡°Your friends would die of jealousy if you ever turned up with an egg that you knew contained a Larvitar.¡± I gave him an unimpressed look. ¡°What¡¯s your next reason?¡± ¡°It¡¯s heavy?¡± ¡°You regularly carry Backpack around, and he¡¯s just as heavy and way more awkward to lift ¡®cause he fights against you,¡± I stated, ruthlessly striking out his second excuse. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± He slumped. ¡°I wanted Dad to give me my starter¡­ I remember he used to be really bummed out when he didn¡¯t get to give you an Onix. He had one selected and everything and then you came back from that camp with Titan¡­¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said, not really sure whether I should strike that down or let it stand. I shifted on the bed. ¡°I knew he wanted to gift me an Onix, but Titan was a way better fit for me.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to have a super-strong pokemon one day¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I want Dad to give me my starter. I can just rent pokemon from the Gym until he¡¯s ready to give me my own personal starter pokemon, y¡¯know?¡± Forrest flexed his hands. ¡°I know it¡¯s dumb ¡®cause who gives up one day having a Tyranitar? But¡­¡± He gestured helplessly and I nodded understanding the dilemma he was facing. ¡°I¡­ kinda get it.¡± I didn¡¯t hold as much stock with Flint, but I could recall trying to reach out to my dad from my past life. I¡¯d offered simple things like asking to learn how to shave, or how to polish boots only to find he didn¡¯t have the time right then. It had stung. It hadn¡¯t been about just learning the skill. It had meant to be about having something that brought me and my dad together. Forrest nodded slightly. He probably thought I had some similar experiences with Flint. Sadly he was wrong, and for some reason that made me want to squirm. I didn¡¯t though and instead, I looked to the side, recalling how sometimes it was better when talking to another ¡®male¡¯ to not look them directly in the eyes when talking through sensitive topics. Sometimes you needed to lock eyes but right now we needed the perception of space. To look past or away from each other instead of being overly conscious. At least that was my reading of Forrest right now. ¡°This egg,¡± I waved towards the egg in its incubator. ¡°It was a surprise for me as well. I went to Mt. Silver just to give Titan something nice after his victory. He appreciated it, but his Mum¡­ She might have been way more impressed with me and him than I really understood at the time. I think she wanted to offer the same to one of my siblings, in the hope her children would each grow strong¡­ The timing though¡­ It really put me on the spot.¡± I scratched at the back of my head. ¡°I half thought of sneaking in the back and hiding it, but then that would have been like me saying I didn¡¯t think you deserved this.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he muttered eloquently. I grunted back at him. We let the quiet moment linger before I decided to speak up once more. ¡°I do think you''re capable,¡± I said before rushing out the next words, ¡°Of raising a strong pokemon like Tyranitar¡­ But I think your idea isn¡¯t that bad either. Having something like that with him¡­¡± Forrest sighed and I could tell that he preferred the idea of not having to claim the egg as his starter. The clinical, cold part of my mind wanted to scoff, but the emotional side understood where he was coming from. Giving a starter to another was a big deal and they, at the very least, would always remember the day. They¡¯d remember the person, what they wore, and how it all played out in their memories for the rest of their lives. In a way, I had denied Flint that chance to do the same for me when I¡¯d staggered home with Titan. Not that I could ever regret finding and taking in Titan all those years ago. He was the first and best thing to happen to me upon arriving in this life. I coughed to signal that I was done getting lost in my thoughts. Forrest also jolted before chuckling nervously. ¡°So what should we do? I don¡¯t think it would go down well if we gave the egg back, would it?¡± I gave him an amused look. ¡°Forrest, think about this for a moment. You might not want the egg, but who¡¯s shown a lot of interest in it since its arrival?¡± Forrest blinked at me, not comprehending what I was getting at. Arceus, had I ever been this slow? I didn¡¯t think I wanted to know. Perhaps all young teenage boys were this sluggish in their processing? I could almost hear the cogs in his mind thunking along. He squinted at the egg. ¡°Yolanda?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yolanda,¡± I agreed. I grinned at him. ¡°You know what might be really cool for a big brother to do?¡± He tilted his head at me as I stood, taking up the incubator. I placed it into his hands. ¡°Be the one to give it to her.¡± His eyes widened and he stared up at me. ¡°But! But-you¡¯re!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the eldest, yes, and I gave it to you. And you have thought about it and come to¡­ an admittedly very mature and well-reasoned decision. Do you agree with me that Yolanda deserves this?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah she does!¡± He said standing up. I grinned at him and let him lead me to Yolanda¡¯s room. When we reached it I knocked on her door. Forrest stopped and scowled at me. ¡°Why¡¯d she get a knock?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different for girls,¡± I argued. ¡°You don¡¯t knock on my door but you do for her? That¡¯s not right!¡± he whispered hotly. ¡°You¡¯ll find it is, little bro. You¡¯ll find it is,¡± I said, putting a hand on his head and ruffling his hair. He glared at me, obviously not understanding the difference. I didn¡¯t elaborate. ¡°Come in!¡± said Yolanda. I opened the door and prodded Forrest to enter first. ¡°Forrest? Bro¡ª¡± She fell quiet when her eyes landed on the incubator in Forrest¡¯s hands. If it hadn¡¯t been extremely obvious to Forrest now he must have fully realised how much Yolanda wanted that pokemon. She licked her lips. ¡°W-what¡¯s up guys?¡± She said while letting her face fall into a placid expression to cover up her prior expression. Forrest shifted from foot to foot. In doing so he drew Yolanda into a ready state. I could see she was coiling up in readiness in case he slipped with his grip like the first day. I decided to progress things along. I clapped Forrest on the shoulder. ¡°Forrest and I have been having a talk about how things played out, and we¡¯ve come to a decision. Forrest would like to say something.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh right¡­ Yolanda, I¡¯ve decided that¡­ I don¡¯t want this egg.¡± I held in the grimace. That was a poor choice of wording. He barreled on, not realising his slip. ¡°But you do, and you deserve it. I think¡­ I think it would be better suited if you raised this little fella,¡± He raised his hands and offered her the incubator. Yolanda didn¡¯t say a word but she did raise her hands and take the incubator. She drew it in and smiled hugely. ¡°Girl, it¡¯s going to be a girl.¡± She stared at it for a long moment before looking up. ¡°You really mean this Forrest? You¡¯re giving up this egg for me?¡± ¡°You wanted it, right?¡± I squeezed his shoulder in warning. ¡°I think he means you deserve it, and it would be a wonderful starter that he wanted to give to you.¡± She giggled at my interruption. Forrest merely gave me a confused look, obviously not understanding how what I¡¯d said was different in any way. I held in my sigh. I¡¯d talk him through it later. ¡°So,¡± I waggled my eyebrows, ¡°You looking forward to training with me on how to handle the Tyranitar evolution line?¡± She beamed a huge grin. ¡°Yes!¡± She said. She didn¡¯t leap up to hug us like she wanted to but she did stand after putting the egg safely to the side. Then she gave Forrest the biggest hug I¡¯d ever seen her give him. He blushed as she whispered into his ear. ¡°Thank you so much for this Forrest! I love you, big brother!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± I rolled my eyes at his words. Yolanda giggled into his side knowing what he was like. I held in the urge to cuff him. The book on parenting was adamant I not cuff him about the head, no matter how stupid his words were. Yolanda broke the hug and rocketed in to hug me. ¡°Love you too Brock,¡± ¡°Love you too Yolanda.¡± I leaned down to whisper into her ear, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t offer it to you first¡­ I was dumb. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you by snubbing you.¡± ¡°No, I understand,¡± she whispered back to me. I patted her on the back and stood. Forrest watched us and I nodded to him. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave it to you but we¡¯ll talk more about this tomorrow, hmmm?¡± Yolanda¡¯s head bounced up and down, whereas Forrest merely grunted. I let him exit first. Before I departed, I watched Yolanda curl her blankets and pillows into a pseudo-nest for herself and the egg to be cradled in. I chuckled and waved at her. ¡°Night Yolanda, sweet dreams.¡± ¡°Night Brock.¡± She called out to my back. I walked back to Forrest¡¯s room and knocked on his door frame. When I opened the door a second later Forrest was on the bed looking at me. ¡°Now you knock? What is up with you?¡± ¡°You showed some maturity so I think you deserved it,¡± I said offhandedly, not wanting to admit I¡¯d done so out of habit. It also sounded wise and played into reinforcing positive behaviour. I nodded at him. ¡°Good work.¡± I decided not to mention how he¡¯d been too rough in his delivery, I¡¯d do that later. For now, it was better to stick with the positives. ¡°Thanks, it felt good. She¡¯ll be great with that as her starter, and with dad coming home I won¡¯t have long to wait for my first pokemon. Think dad will have something strong?¡± ¡°..¡± I held my thoughts to myself before adopting a smile that felt all too fake. ¡°He might, yeah.¡± I walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Still, nice work tonight. Have a good night bro.¡± I turned and in doing so spotted what he had hidden under his desk that was hidden with most of the litter around his room. I turned around. ¡°Also? ¡° He gave me a curious look, ¡°Clean your room little bro.¡± I pointed at the magazines with ladies in various states of dress or undress, clearly visible. He blushed hugely and I waved off his splutters. ¡°It¡¯s a friend¡¯s and I¡¯m holding it for him!¡± ¡°That just makes it kinda grosser. I don¡¯t want to know. Just¡­ clean your room and hide your magazines. Yolanda was in here earlier. The other little ones probably wander in here all the time as well. You want them reading that willy-nilly?¡± I shook my head and chuckled at how things had turned out. I fell asleep just as another body pressed itself into my side. It reminded me of another night¡¯s sleep almost a month ago now. The sleep was at least as good if not better. Once again though I woke up to only an indent. I shook off the mild feeling of loss and instead fired off a message to Sabrina. She was obviously feeling better. I¡¯d be seeing her in an official capacity soon anyway. Chapter 31 - Meeting of Gym Leaders I had a good sweat going on as I dodged another jostle from a Rhyhorn. ¡°Ole!¡± I shouted while slapping the pokemon¡¯s rump. It had been a few days since talking with Surge about the Gym Leader meeting. Nothing of note had happened beyond day-to-day tasks for the Gym and family. Only now with the added spice of occasionally having some reporters tripping over themselves to snap pictures of me as there wasn¡¯t the draw of the Conference. So they sought out other stories. The Rhyhorn that was currently serving as my sparring partner snorted. Then he gouged out some dirt as he dug his feet into the ground. I adopted a sumo stance paired with a cocky smirk. ¡°Rhyhorn!¡± He bellowed before charging. I shifted posture to spin away. This time I didn¡¯t slap him on the rump but rather caught him and flared my aura into my muscles. I felt energy surge through me and for a judicious application I was able to throw my weight with a tackle directly into Rhyhorn¡¯s side. He buckled around my tackle and was thrown out. I released my hold on as he continued to barrel further out. Rhyhorn skidded to a halt and blinked before groaning as the other watching pokemon slumped a little and chastised him for his hot-headedness. Rhyhorn turned ¡°Rhyhorn!¡± He growled. I shrugged. ¡°Learn from it buddy. You outweigh me by at least twice my weight. I have to dodge and you have to land a hit.¡± ¡°Rhy! Rhyhorn!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to stand there and take it. Just ¡®cause I can doesn¡¯t mean I should.¡± Aura allowed for some great tricks but it wasn¡¯t worth depleting my reserves trying to tank a takedown from a Rhyhorn just to show off. This was supposed to be a workout for me. I¡¯d work on my aura as best as I could after the next match. I glanced around the circle of pokemon. ¡°So, last match before I cool down. Who¡¯s going to try and win those treats I offered?¡± Sanchez vibrated in places pointing at himself while nodding vigorously. I rolled my shoulders and shook my head at him. ¡°I¡¯m not wrestling you, Sanchez. This is supposed to be possible for me to win.¡± I had no thoughts regarding my chances if I fought one of my Elites. If I could beat them, I¡¯d be seriously reviewing their training. To incentivise a harder training session today I had announced that if I lost I¡¯d grant everyone treats. This had resulted in multiple matches against highly motivated pokemon. They were showing good attitudes and bonding well with me as the ¡®enemy¡¯ in this instance. They all cheered each other on and after each loss I handed out, there were more than a few pokemon sharing tips. Honestly, I¡¯d give them the treats anyway but for pokemon, pride was a big factor. A Graveler stepped into the ring with her smaller arms set into karate punch positions. It made me think she was posing on me. I tilted my head as I spotted the small markings and smudges that indicated that this was the Nanny Graveler that liked to work in the house rather than fight. I shrugged. ¡°Alright Graveler, ready to wrestle?¡± I got my answer when the Graveler sank into a low stance that would have made a linebacker in the NFL proud. She started things with a charge before digging her hands into the ground to adjust as I sidestepped. I got a solid shove in before she rounded on me. Her arms swung about and I swiftly dodged her pushes only for a smaller arm to swing up carrying something in it. A Mud Shot to the eyes was enough to blind me. I usually didn¡¯t use the method, but my pokemon clearly understood that it was a valid tactic. Graveler was on me in an instant. From there I couldn¡¯t get a leverage point, and while blinded as she held me down. Around the circle, pokemon began tapping the ground. They all chanted out in excitement. I squirmed and writhed but couldn¡¯t seem to escape the Graveler¡¯s four-armed grasp. It didn¡¯t help that she was using her smaller arms which made for less throwing points for me to exploit. Her larger arms were spread and dug into the ground and I uselessly batted at them for a moment before shifting focus. I drew on my aura and pushed against her. She strained, her muscles bulged as I began to loosen her grip. She stared in shock but grit her teeth. She just had to last just a moment¡ª The third tap hit the ground and I went limp, lungs burning from the harsh strain I¡¯d demanded of them to break the hold. If I¡¯d started straight off with enhancing myself further with aura, would I have been able to match her? It was something I was only just starting to work on. It showed how the moment¡¯s usage was enough to have me feeling winded like a harsh sprint. Graveler shifted off me allowing me to wipe the mud from my eyes. ¡°Nice shot, although you¡¯re really not supposed to use pokemon moves like that during our spars.¡± Graveler nodded but still crossed her arms with a smug look. She looked to the crowd of other pokemon and raised a fist. This got a chorus of cheers, as if she was a returning champion from some mighty conquest. Sanchez was being his usual hammy self. He was on his knees looking betrayed at me as he handed over a few pebbles to a smug-looking Geodude. I had no idea who taught them how to gamble, but then again pokemon are more perceptive than people understand. I was of the opinion that they worked on a scale. If something interested them, they would pick up on it but other concepts or acts would be ignored. I was nudged a few times and had to push off a Rhyhorn. I had been too confident in myself it would seem. I adopted a fake obedient pose. ¡°Ah! I was too conceited! I could not see Mt. Moon, Fierce Lady!¡± Around me the pokemon cheered, feeding into the silliness of the scene. Graveler rolled her eyes at my antics before cuffing me on the leg. I chuckled, heading towards a shed where I unlocked a few bins that contained rich minerals that are tasty for my Rock types. I began divvying up the treats to my pokemon while faking a sigh of regret at having to hand the treats over. I¡¯d have to buy another round of supplies, but honestly it didn¡¯t bother me at all. I worked through my pokemon, patting and feeding them. When some greedy types tried for more, I gently scolded them. I made sure to toss some treats for the pokemon I had hidden in the swamp next to my sectioned-off land. A loud croak of thanks indicated that they¡¯d been spotted. Then I turned towards the dark cave that Titan liked to inhabit. He gave me a curious look when I offered him a treat. ¡°Ty?¡± ¡°I offered the gang treats for everyone if they could beat me.¡± ¡°Ty? Ty-Ty-Ran?¡± ¡°Graveler did, the one that looks after my siblings.¡± ¡°Tarrrrrr,¡± said the Pseudo-legendary before giving me another curious look. ¡°Your little sibling hasn¡¯t hatched. Doesn¡¯t look to be anytime soon.¡± Tyranitar only nodded at this. He patted the rock next to him, his pose shifting into a relaxed position that made me compare him to a Guru of my past life. My own Guru of Darkness. Arceus, that is so edgy. I hated that I loved it a little. Titan gave me a pointed look, his own way of telling me that he was aware I was distracted. I coughed into my fist before shutting my eyes and focussing my attention on the two pools of energy that I had within me. It made me think of tales of cultivation. There was no option of developing a mixed core from my Rock and Dark energies. In truth, it was more like a pair of reservoirs that I could slowly grow. It was slow progress, but it was noticeable. It also became easier the more I worked at it. I hadn¡¯t been taught anything formally regarding aura. There were precisely zero texts even stating that it was possible. I had looked. There were old myths that spoke of heroes able to channel the power of their pokemon, but that was a single line of text that most people associated with training your pokemon as best you could. I hadn¡¯t started ¡®looking within¡¯ from day one but I had started within the first week. Which had been around the time that I received Titan. It¡¯s what made me so curious regarding the offer that Agatha had sent. Perhaps there was a secret society of aura users that could bolster my efforts. But the thought of having a pokemon Illuminati contact me had me checking my surroundings a lot more of late. ¡°Ranitar!¡± barked Titan. ¡°Sorry!¡± I said bowing to my Darkness Guru before beginning to channel the energies like I was supposed to be doing. I couldn¡¯t worry about Agatha. I had other issues like the coming Gym Leader meeting later today. Today¡¯s cool-down was all about getting me in the best head space possible for that. I pushed those thoughts aside when Titan growled at me. I settled in for the moment and readied myself for the coming day by not thinking it out right now.
The meeting ended up being held in Celadon City. It had been determined as the most central location for all involved. I¡¯d mounted up on Zephyr and taken all of half an hour to get there thanks to a beneficial tailwind. This had seen me arrive among the first of the Gym Leaders of Kanto. But not the first. Erika had the honour of hosting, but she looked very out of her depth in the conference room. Notably, she had not taken the head of the rectangular table, and instead Giovanni had laid his claim already. He was seated looking as casual as you please, like this was merely an extension of his Gym and not another Gym Leader¡¯s City. With his slicked-back hair and his suit, he looked the part of a CEO. Or a mafia boss. I happened to know that both were true. He must have used a pokemon to teleport here or arrived the day before. He didn¡¯t have a hair out of place, or a mark on his expensive suit so I doubted he had ridden a pokemon here or even driven. ¡°Ah, Kanto¡¯s golden boy. Brock, welcome, welcome.¡± He had a rich low baritone that made me think he spent a lot of time speaking softly with a glass of scotch close at hand. ¡°Let me offer my congratulations in person. I was quite impressed with your performance against the Champion.¡± I offered back a nod, noting that Giovanni did not rise from his seat. Addressing someone from a position of power somehow suited the bespoke man. ¡°My thanks. It¡¯s a nice sentiment. Weren¡¯t you there at the start of the event though? I could have sworn I saw you?¡± I chose not to comment on the fact that he had portrayed me as subordinate, with how my having his pleasure was something of value. I felt a little oily just talking with him. I really needed a plan for what I should do with regards to Giovanni. I hadn¡¯t yet found a ¡®good¡¯ idea. Plenty of possibly terrible ideas, though. So for now, I had to endure him. ¡°I ended up having some business to attend to, but I didn¡¯t miss your fight. In fact, I have it saved and have taken great pains to analyze it since that day.¡± In a way, that was both a threat and a complement. To have another trainer acknowledge that they saw worth in your strategy was a huge compliment, but it usually preceded a demand to fight with you knowing they¡¯d seen some of your cards. The small uptick in Giovanni¡¯s smile let me know he knew how his double-edged words were landing. I decided to merely nod and move away from him for now. I turned to the rest of the room. Giovanni had brought his signature Persian. There was also an assistant, dressed very appropriately in a smart vest. I chose not to linger on the fact that they were likely a plant from Giovanni that would offer another perspective. A small glint on the collar let me know that Giovanni also had a camera on his Persian. That or I was being paranoid and it was just a diamond, but I was confident in my observation. I quickly checked over the rest of the room. To the side, Erika was talking with all three of the Cerulean sisters. Daisy, Violet¡­ and Rose? I think there was a flower motif, much like the Evans family from Harry¡­ oh wait, it was Lily. The three of them were all talking rapidly and the sisters were listening as Erika spoke of her own experience. Her usual style of dress saw her long sleeves flap about animatedly in her retelling. The Cerulean Sisters were all actively listening and occasionally dodging as Erika spoke. I noted the dark irises and the less than clean applications of make-up they sported. It seemed the Sisters had been caught out. If I held the anime as canon, then perhaps they had been the least prepared for the audit. I couldn¡¯t see the other Gym Leaders being too affected. Erika turned and waved at me, much more sedately, which I returned. Hmmm, with just the girls here I didn¡¯t feel confident on calling Giovanni out on his Persian just now. Conveniently enough, the door opened behind me and Surge entered the room. I chuckled when he had to stoop to get through the door. The man truly was huge and with his fuzzy, patch work beard he was only larger than ever. I noted that Surge had a hand on a small dark-haired man that looked troubled with the loud entrance and his position next to Surge. ¡°Look what I found loitering around in the dumpster! Fresh meat!¡± Surge¡¯s mischievous grin was enough to inform me that this was likely ¡®Grey¡¯, the Neon City Gym Leader, and one of the minor Gym Leaders that was approved to grant accepted Indigo Conference badges. Across the table, Erika and the Cerulean Sisters stared at Surge. The sisters all had confused expressions. ¡°Is that¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s up with his face?¡± ¡°Shhh! He¡¯s very self-conscious about it!¡± The girls whispered between each other. Grey shot Surge a smug look. ¡°Oh? Is this rough hobo look not the norm for you Surge?¡± ¡°Nonsense! Good things just take time to grow. You¡¯ll understand that one day but, for now, let¡¯s talk about what you need to do to make sure you¡¯re officially recognised as Gym Leader of Neon City!¡± I snorted and was about to approach only for the door to open once more. Blaine stepped in with an assessing gaze. His glasses and bald head glinted in the light while he stroked his long moustache. He nodded at Giovanni, dismissed Erika and the Cerulean Sisters with a single look, and locked upon me. He stalked forward with a large smile, his lab coat opening as he marched straight up to me. ¡°Gym Leader Brock, good fight the other day!¡± He reached out and shook my hand, the other encircled me to clap on my shoulder. Then he leaned in as his moustache twitched upwards and the glint on his head and glasses became slightly ominous. ¡°I enjoyed watching that young whelp being smacked around. Tell me, though. Wherever did you get those ancient pokemon of yours?¡± There was a certain tone that I couldn¡¯t quite place in his words. Like a hint of accusation? The hand resting on my shoulder felt decidedly less friendly now. Still, I couldn''t let this hinder me. ¡°I have a lab in cinnabar that is heavily invested in researching such developments and we¡¯ve only just recently begun testing the technology with pokemon genetic samples.¡± His gaze over the top of his dark sunglasses held repressed anger. ¡°We recently had a break into our lab, did you know?¡± He said all too casually. He thought I might have stolen something from him? ¡°I found them during my journey.¡± ¡°Found them, did you now?¡± Blaine continued to smile as his gaze bore into me. ¡°Wherever did you find them?¡± I stared straight into his eyes. ¡°Oh, around. I didn¡¯t find them as genetic samples, but as living, breathing pokemon. Shin, Don, and Shelly were all very much active in their little part of the world. It pays to be interested in spelunking and mountain climbing, and I¡¯ll leave it at that.¡± He searched my expression. Eventually, he clicked his tongue. ¡°Hmmpf. if you say so.¡± He looked aside for a moment before tilting his head, his hand came off my shoulder. ¡°Wherever did you come up with the Golem?¡± The edge of his previous tone had been dropped and now only raw interest filled his voice. ¡°Oh, I very much bred for him within a controlled setting,¡± I said flippantly like it hadn''t taken three years of keeping a Geodude community within a specialised cavern that had lots of electricity arcing through it. He turned and his interest was palpable. He almost looked hungry. I swallowed, feeling at once that perhaps being so cheeky in my response had not been the best approach. ¡°Did you now? How did you come up with that idea? Have you ever considered publishing your methods and findings? Such research into variants on typings and natural developments would be something quite a few people would be interested in. It would also gain you a lot of clout in various intellectual circles.¡± ¡°Mostly it was something that made sense to me. There are notable differences in different pokemon depending on their environment, or the energies that they¡¯re exposed to.¡± When he continued to stare without offering his own thoughts I felt I needed to reach for an example as to how I could have made such a leap in logic. ¡°Eevee of course being the prime example of this.¡± ¡°Ah, of course. You really should write up a paper on this. Do you have much experience in research articles?¡± ¡°Not as such, no.¡± My mind cast back to a lifetime ago at a university. ¡°Might I offer my support then? I¡¯d love to see your setup, and the scientific community would be greatly improved from your contributions!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, I¡¯m in talks with some people.¡± ¡°Oak, I should presume?¡± Said Blaine. When I nodded he stroked his moustache. ¡°Brilliant man, don¡¯t let his affable nature fool you though. I¡¯d like you to consider myself. I¡¯m less well known with my self-imposed reclusion on Cinnabar for science, with most people only thinking of me as a former Elite Four member, but I would be greatly interested in reviewing any studies you produce.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t really want to make an enemy of this man, but I also didn¡¯t want to draw him in. I had my suspicions, suspicions that deepened when Blaine nodded at me and marched over and sat right next to Giovanni, at his right hand. I glanced up to find Grey still being hounded by Surge, with the much larger man talking about something with wide gestures. ¡°Surge! Surge! Would you please explain to the sisters what you were talking to me about? I¡¯m afraid I didn¡¯t understand all of it and am doing a poor job conveying it to them!¡± Erika said loudly, drawing Surge out of his conversation. Grey used that moment to duck away from Surge. Surge turned to say something, only to flinch when the room filled with a flash of light. ¡°We don¡¯t have the time for that, Erika. All of us are now here. We can discuss you and the Cerulean Gym Leader¡¯s issues as an item later.¡± The woman paused and swept her eyes over the three girls, causing them to wilt before continuing. ¡°We should be able to resolve it easily enough.¡± I held in a whistle. Huh, Sabrina was being nice to them. The four other girls didn¡¯t seem to know what to think of it however. Erika bowed politely and bustled up to the table to claim a seat. I frowned and was about to ask about Koga, only for me to blink in disbelief. Koga was already there at the table. Daisy and Lily shrieked in surprise at the man¡¯s appearance. Koga merely snorted at them before looking over the assembled group. His eyes lingered on me before he nodded once. I swallowed before returning the nod. There hadn¡¯t been any noise or even anything to indicate movement. One moment nothing, then he was seated comfortably. How had he done that? I glanced at Sabrina. She¡¯d known somehow that he was here, but that was more a testament of her skills as a psychic to be able to detect the ninja. Everyone claimed a seat. Grey sat next to Giovanni and Surge grumbled before smirking and claiming the seat next to Grey. The man blanched slightly and looked to Giovanni for help only for the businessman to ignore him. Instead, Giovanni only had eyes for Koga who had set himself directly on the opposite side of the room. The Cerulean Sisters practically claimed an entire side of the conference table for themselves while Sabrina claimed a seat to Koga¡¯s right hand. The seat between Koga and the Cerulean Sisters remained open, as did the spot between Erika and Sabrina. ¡°Are we not¡ª¡± ¡°Alright you punks! I¡¯m here! You all thought you were going to start without me!?¡± Roared a man wearing a karate gi as he bashed open the door. The man was extremely muscled, beyond merely conditioning with martial arts. This man obviously sought to hone his body. His face was tensed up into a furious scowl as his dark eyes roamed. He glared around at the room before locking onto Sabrina¡­ who ignored him. He bared his teeth at that. I watched them quietly. I didn¡¯t know much beyond what Sabrina had mentioned off-handedly years ago about her father ousting Kong¡¯s gym as the premier Gym of Saffron. When Sabrina had taken over from her father, Kong had been rather at a loss as to what to do with the ¡®pipsqueak running the Gym¡¯. Sabrina had offered him a match and he¡¯d decided to accept. I wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d fought half-heartedly but, even as a child, Sabrina hadn¡¯t pulled her blows. Supposedly he¡¯d been humiliated again and faced some public backlash at accepting the match in the first place. Sabrina deigned to look at Kong when he stood in the doorway. ¡°We did not start yet. You were merely waiting outside the door for a dramatic moment to enter. Take a seat,¡± she said. ¡°Heya Kong!¡± Surge said, perking up and waving at the other man. Kong grunted at him, but remained looking at Sabrina. If looks could kill¡­ which with some pokemon¡­ I was about to move up next to Sabrina before a polite cough had everyone looking to Koga. ¡°Sit,¡± he said simply to Kong. The man sat. Koga turned his head and regarded me. A quirked eyebrow informed me that I too should follow suit. Instead I made use of having the group''s attention on me, making a show of glancing at Persian, and sauntered over with as natural a gait as I could manage. I made to pet Giovanni¡¯s Persian. It glared at my approach but I ignored their baleful eyes to rub its head, allowing my hand to turn the collar slightly. I then pointedly hum thoughtfully. ¡°Nice cat, Giovanni. But I think you should return it before the meeting starts.¡± Everyone instantly looked down at the collar to see me pinching the small camera. Surge¡¯s eyes widened as they landed on the collar. Giovanni didn¡¯t react beyond a small shrug. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s just Persian¡¯s tracker. I left it on for his training session earlier. I like to sometimes see matches from my pokemon¡¯s perspective. Gives me a better understanding of what they¡¯re dealing with.¡± He lifted a pokeball and returned his Persian without any further comment but he did watch me as I moved behind Erika to claim my seat. Blaine merely chuckled at what just happened while giving Giovanni a look. Koga didn¡¯t move, but in some way our attention was drawn to him. He projected his voice, ¡°Young man, thank you for preparing the room for us, but I will have to ask you to depart for now. This is only for Gym Leaders,¡± Koga said, not even looking at the assistant in the corner. The man stiffened but instead of saying anything, or looking toward anyone specifically, he bowed and departed without comment. When the door clicked shut no one spoke for a long moment. Glances were exchanged from the people on the sides while Koga and Giovanni stared at each other. Koga snorted after a long moment and gestured to Giovanni. The proctor of the Earth Badge smirked before nodding. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll be chairing this meeting. No notes will be taken at this time, as this is not an officially scheduled meeting of the Gym Leaders of Kanto, which would require such an accounting. Something I¡¯m sure none of us wants to be caught out on with how we¡¯ve all been audited of late.¡± Everyone nodded with a few agreeing murmurs from some. Everyone but Kong and Grey, who frowned. Giovanni noticed this. ¡°Not you Kong? Or you, Grey¡­. Hmmm, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for them to audit you, Grey. You¡¯ve not even completed a circuit yet.¡± Grey perked up at that and relaxed. Surge elbowed him and I felt my kidneys cry out in sympathy as the smaller man hunched over. ¡°Did none of the smaller Gyms receive audits?¡± I asked, curious if they rated such attention. Kong bristled. ¡°They¡¯re going to get to us eventually, and we¡¯ll have the best rating out of all of you!¡± He shot a glare at me before turning it upon Sabrina, as if she¡¯d been the one to speak. She pointedly didn¡¯t look at him. Giovanni scoffed while Blaine snorted derisively. ¡°The small Gyms can¡¯t be held to the eight¡¯s standards, Kong. Don¡¯t fool yourself. The agency has different standards for such.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Grey said with interest. I turned to observe the new Gym Leader from Neon City. He had been happy to remain quiet prior to this. ¡°Small Gyms are only held to the requirements of needing twenty pokemon on their roster at any time for challengers. Most of that is their elite team. Or they have trainers that serve for an extended gauntlet,¡± Giovanni explained. Kong twitched at this and grumbled before eyeing Sabrina. ¡°Has she got an extended gauntlet challenge!?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Koga simply, ¡°She also has Standard four-badge challenge or more, Gauntlet, and even an Elite Challenge if people request such of her Gym. I hummed, interested but not surprised that there was so much dismissiveness shown to the smaller Gyms. Giovanni rapped the table in front of himself with a simple golden ring. ¡°Let us return to the issue at hand. If we pool our information, we should have the most appropriate response available to us.¡± I held myself still and watched as Giovanni outlined the timeline of events, with my Gym being the first to be approached by agents of the Auditing Department. ¡°Talking with some of my friends in the agency, I have determined that most of us have passed.¡± He then outlined how things had progressed that once they had finished auditing me they made a move on the other Gym Leaders of Kanto; or at least the major ones. There was a pointed moment of quiet where most people didn¡¯t look at Erika and the Cerulean Sisters. Kong excitedly looked at Sabrina like a little boy hoping for his journey¡¯s start day to come early, while also hoping his rival had fallen down a set of stairs. Giovanni inclined his head. ¡°That being said, there are some of us that have fallen short. Ladies, I feel one of the objectives of today¡¯s informal meeting is to set you all up with steps that should be taken to resolve your clerical errors.¡± Erika and the Cerulean Sisters eventually cracked. They bow their heads. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°Sorry!¡± ¡± ¡± ¡± they all chimed. When they straightened up, Erika slumped into her formal dress, hiding like a Victrebel waiting to pop out on its predator. The Cerulean Sisters slumped into their seats as if all the weight they had been under had been removed. I glanced between them all, and decided to say what I could only assume most of the other gym leaders were thinking, ¡°How bad was it, if I may ask?¡± Erika coughed, ¡°Ahem! I made some mistakes with my finances. it seems I¡­ miscalculated, and ended up having to pay some more taxes.¡± She then nodded toward Sabrina. ¡°Sabrina has recommended a good accountant for me to work with. I also need some more depth with my pokemon, along with some more four badges and up fighters.¡± ¡°A straightforward solution,¡± said the ninja in the room. Everyone paused at the words Koga voiced before nodding along with him. Koga then turned his attention to the Cerulean Sisters. He merely emoted an eyebrow at them. Daisy ended up being the speaker for the girls. ¡°Ah, ehehe¡­ We¡¯ve, ummm, been focussing on developing more contest styles and holding things down¡­ Our sister, our youngest, has been the one that actually wants to run the Gym, but she hasn¡¯t yet gone on her journey. We¡¯re pushing her out this year, to get her some experience in the world first, but, ummm¡­ We¡¯ve let things lapse since Mum and dad¡­¡± She murmured something that I couldn¡¯t hear. Koga scoffed, ¡°If you are entrusted with your family¡¯s establishment, and plan to hand it over to your sister, you do her no favour handing it over poorly maintained and damaged.¡± Daisy flinched as though struck. Her eyes watered for a second but she nodded tightly. ¡°What is the extent of your failures?¡± He continued, his words driving the dagger in and causing Lily and Violet to flinch and huddle up to each other in some perceived notion of safety. Daisy visibly gathered herself. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough depth in our roster. Typically, we haven¡¯t had to worry about middling badge challengers, so we had let this lapse apart from our own Elite teams, but the audit was very thorough and went through all of our test levels. We need to train up another thirty to forty pokemon at least.¡± I blinked in surprise. It might not sound like many, if you used the games as a reference, but to get the right pokemon to the right levels was actually a lot of work. You typically had to catch and check the temperaments of at least two to three pokemon for each pokemon that you eventually kept for an official team. So they actually had to catch and test, close to or over, one hundred pokemon. That initial phase would take at least a month or two depending on how skilled they were and how broad they were willing to go for their pokemon pool. ¡°I can ask the Lapras Reserve if any of Tide¡¯s mates have eggs they could give you?¡± I offered. Daisy glanced at me. ¡°Tide?¡± ¡°Ah sorry, during my journey I went to the Sevii and Orange Islands. I ended up catching a Lapras. He¡¯s a big boy and ended up getting pretty strong, but with Pewter being landlocked, and my Gym¡¯s typing, I didn¡¯t think it was fair on him so I have him held in trust at the Lapras Reserve near Fuschia.¡± Koga weighed in. ¡°Tide is a powerful pokemon. I have witnessed him fighting off a pod of Gyarados. His progeny would be a strong addition if his strength breeds true.¡± I blinked in surprise at the praise offered from Koga. I gave him a short bow in thanks before looking to see Daisy giving me a hopeful look. Violet was giving me an assessing, albeit slightly hungry, gaze while Lily was looking more serious. ¡°You will still need to find other pokemon,¡± Sabrina stated pointedly. I glanced at her, but she was looking straight at the sisters with slightly narrowed eyes. I almost wanted to offer the services of another water type I owned that was closer to home, but I didn¡¯t want to reveal that pokemon with Giovanni in the room. My Shrek served as a useful hidden guard for the perimeter that most people wouldn¡¯t expect me to have. ¡°You will need to expand your efforts. You will most likely receive a failing grade from¡ª¡± ¡°Actually, we got the Agent to agree to give us another assessment at a later date,¡± Lily said while not meeting anyone¡¯s eyes. Koga tilted his head, ¡°How did you secure this boon?¡± ¡°Violet offered him a date.¡± Everyone turned to give Violet a look only for the girl to shrug. ¡°It¡¯s just a date.¡± Giovanni rapped the desk with his ring in some kind of clear habit, ¡°Ignoring the¡­ unconventional method of avoiding a failure on your Gym¡¯s record, you¡¯ll need to spend the rest of the off-circuit period picking up your Gym. I have some specialists that can assist. Do you have enough assistants for Gauntlet challenges?¡± ¡°It¡¯d probably be better if they found some local trainers, or retired rangers,¡± I quickly said to shut down Giovanni¡¯s offer. It was bad enough the sisters had just handed blackmail over to Giovanni with how they had ¡®bribed¡¯ an official. Suddenly, I was very glad that the Persian was not in the room and the waiter had been asked to leave. I didn¡¯t look at Koga. Had he done that deliberately in expectation? Had been acting against Giovanni? Said man gave me a pointed look as the girls gained thoughtful expressions. I gave Giovanni a small raised brow before directing my attention towards the sisters. ¡°More than any Agency telling you how well you¡¯re doing, you need to get the support of your community. From what I hear, most of your support is based on your shows. If you convert that into proper contests you¡¯d probably do well. That''s not something Kanto is well known for, after all.¡± ¡°It''s not something Gyms are known for,¡± Surge weighed in. I wavered my hand in a gesture to indicate a maybe. ¡°They¡¯ve already done most of the work that they¡¯re known for in such events. I¡¯d not let that work go to waste. Focus most of your attention on fixing your faults, but you have a large advantage over everyone else here with your Gym.¡± The girls perked up. ¡°Our shows are that good?!¡± ¡°Nah, not really,¡± Surge replied like a proverbial battle axe of truth. The sisters all slumped. ¡°I mean I hear things about people heading up your way for them, but yeah, there¡¯s not yet pull from the entire region, ya hear?¡± ¡°Thanks, Surge,¡± I said, redirecting the conversation with a more positive tone. ¡°What I meant was that there are three of you. You can divide and conquer, no?¡± The girls gave me sheepish looks. ¡°We usually get distracted¡­¡± I rubbed my forehead and sighed into my palm. Sabrina took over with a frosty glare. ¡°Get a handler if you can¡¯t focus. I suggest you follow Brock¡¯s suggestions and get yourself an old Ranger to assist your Gym.¡± ¡°Alright, alright! We¡¯ll do that!¡± said Violet before shivering. ¡°No need to look at us like that.¡± I leaned forward to see what Sabrina was directing at them. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just her resting face actually.¡± Violet shook herself. ¡°Could have fooled me. I thought we were sitting across from Lorelei. RBF much?¡± She then flinched. ¡°Ow! Daisy, don''t pinch me!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t though?¡± Said her sister. I hummed at their byplay, pointedly not looking at Sabrina as I glanced towards Koga. ¡°Any news on movements for trainers taking up the Elite four positions for Lance? He only has three right now.¡± Koga huffed, ¡°You rejected his offer before it could ever be made.¡± I blinked at that. ¡°Yes, you were potentially a candidate, young Brock.¡± He let the room contemplate that for a moment before continuing, ¡°I can announce that Agatha will be looking to retire, her position is being sought after by her apprentice.¡± ¡°Feh! That old woman needed to retire before I did! But she was stubborn! Always has been!¡± Blaine said with a cackle. Surge leaned forward. ¡°Her apprentice? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A young Dark-type specialist by the name of Karen,¡± Koga informed us. I glanced at Sabrina, feeling her annoyance more than seeing it. Did she know Karen? ¡°Lance will still be scouting others. The League has stated that the audit was specifically to assist with this,¡± Giovanni interjected. He tapped his ring on the table. ¡°I happen to know that Lance made no such order. Also of note, is that the League has not conducted any audits on the Johto side of the Silver Mountains.¡± ¡°Should we request that an audit occurs on the Johto side as well?¡± Surge asked while scratching his approximation of a beard. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem fair we¡¯re getting so much attention. I doubt little Falkner would do any better than the sisters here, and while Morty¡¯s decent, I don¡¯t hear him being too consistent.¡± I shrugged, ¡°Might be nice, but it would seem like we¡¯re just flinging dirt around if we did that.¡± Erika nodded along. ¡°I agree. In the end, it is for us to resolve, and not try to use it to drag others down.¡± ¡°Hmph, if you say so!¡± Surge huffed. I glanced at the others, but there didn¡¯t seem to be much else to talk about. Giovanni chose to rise and nod to the room at large. ¡°I think this has been a very productive meeting for us all. Should an official meeting be called, I will look forward to formally hearing how things are for each of you. Not that I expect such an occurrence, usually we only have one of those every two years. But, as we all know, being a Gym Leader doesn¡¯t provide for much time to socialise. Perhaps we can change that this year?¡± This got a round of murmurs from a few people but no large shows of support. Kong straightened out of his perpetual glower at Sabrina to take in the room. ¡°Wait, you''re all just rolling over? I thought you were coming together to solve this issue!¡± ¡°The issue is something that is legitimately raised and something the League is within their rights to act on. It is notable that the audit occurred for the entirety of Kanto Gyms¡ª¡± ¡°The important ones at least,¡± Sabrina said, cutting off Giovanni. He frowned at her but Kong reacted by shooting upright. ¡°Screw you and your daddy! I can¡¯t believe I let that man set up his Gym all those years ago! First there was him and then you! You think I¡¯m afraid of you!?¡± Sabrina laced her fingers together and for a moment I saw a vision of a much different Sabrina. One far colder and so much less than she was now. ¡°If you feel you can challenge my Gym, I welcome it. But I will not restrain my pokemon when you challenge me. I am not my father.¡± She flicked her eyes up and down. ¡°You still have much to work on if you have failed to realize the gulf dividing us.¡± ¡°Consider it done then. I will be challenging you soon!¡± He snarled, slamming his fist into the table. He gave the room at large a sneer. ¡°I see you¡¯re not going to do anything so I¡¯m out of here.¡± Not even Koga¡¯s disapproving stare stopped him from turning and storming out of the room. We all watched him go. I rubbed my chin. For Sabrina, that had been actually rather amicable to the challenger. She¡¯d tried to warn him off. Kong¡­ didn¡¯t strike me as the type to understand that, however. Surge chuckled, ¡°Nice one Sabrina, but we need to work on your smack talk.¡± ¡°I do not boast,¡± Sabrina said. Surge chuckled again and turned to grin at Grey, who swallowed loudly. Giovanni rapped his ring once more on the table to redirect attention. ¡°Well, that was not how I wished to finish the meeting. However, Kong did raise an interesting point. I will be making a formal complaint to the League and I suggest you all do likewise.¡± He glanced at me. ¡°While it might appear to be mud-slinging, having fair treatment for all Gyms under the League¡¯s purview is important. I will be applying for audits to all Gyms if this is going to be their stance.¡± Erika shifted and chewed her lip like she wanted to say something but she kept it to herself. When no one offered any rebuttal of this comment Giovanni nodded once more and extended a hand to the Cerulean Sisters. ¡°Very well. Ladies, I will be giving you some contact details, otherwise, I wish you all a good day.¡± He turned and walked out without a backwards glance. I watched him go before nodding to Surge as he got up to depart as well. I remained sitting. I had half a mind to stay and talk with Erika but before I could announce my intentions Koga coughed from next to my seat. ¡°Young Brock, would you escort me on a walk in the nearby gardens?¡± I struggled to contain my shock that he had just repeated his no-movement trick. Had I been distracted, or had he done instantaneous movement without causing a flash as Sabrina had? I shook myself off and rose from my seat at his politely phrased order. ¡°I¡¯d be delighted to.¡± Koga gestured to the door and walked at my side out of the meeting room, a number of eyes following after us with vague interest. Sabrina made to stand, only for Erika and the Cerulean Sisters to close in around her. So. I was going to traipse through the tulips with Koga? This¡­. Was not how I was expecting my day to go. Chapter 32 - Talking with a Shinobi With the meeting taking place in Celadon, it was no surprise that the walk Koga and I found ourselves on went through a rather picturesque garden. The flowers that were currently blooming were particularly suitable for the winter season that always matched up with the off-circuit period. The pokemon world mindset might be very lax with the idea of child endangerment by giving them access to powerful monsters, but it wasn¡¯t so wrong-headed as to send children out into the wilderness during winter. Some areas of Johto, such as Route forty-four and the Ice Path through to Blackthorn, saw a year-round Ranger posting of three platoons due to the hazardous and inhospitable nature. There, the Rangers were constantly fighting trainers seeking to move off the path lest they have to retrieve their corpses. Still, the garden was nice. Celadon being close to the large bay that made up a large feature of Kanto¡¯s geography resulted in it being more temperate than Pewter, Cerulean and Viridian. Snow was starting to fall in a few spots and the city had fire-type pokemon marching about the streets openly. Celadon was known as the Flower City, and it showed. The trees, mostly evergreens, only added to the garden¡¯s beauty The setting made the scene I found myself in that much stranger. I was walking along the garden path with a ninja. I tilted my head and strained my ears only to realise that yes, when Koga walks he doesn¡¯t make any noise on the gravel pathway. I had so many questions. ¡°Your victory over Lance was well fought, young Brock.¡± Koga got things started as we walked. His eyes roamed the area occasionally, assessing a particularly dangerous-looking shrub or a large enough tree. Then again, remembering how he had suddenly appeared, he might have a point to be so watchful. If he could do it, didn¡¯t that mean so could others? ¡°Thank you,¡± I said with a slight bow of the head. I could say a lot more but didn¡¯t feel it appropriate. Perhaps I was still running off my previous behaviour high with Giovanni but I didn¡¯t want to seem like I was seeking his approval. I didn¡¯t need it. ¡°I must admit that I was surprised when you didn¡¯t press your claim for one of the missing Elite Four positions.¡± ¡°Heh, that wasn¡¯t actually me ever making that claim. That was just the reporters fishing for something. I¡¯ve never been officially offered the position but I think my answer would have to be the same regardless.¡± We walked around a corner and looked over some nice white roses that bracket the path. Small plaques stood before each different bush or plant notifying me of their name, their botanical name and if there was any medical use of each plant. The contemplation was broken when Koga chose to speak once more, ¡°You had the backing of the crowd. You underestimate the importance of striking at the opportune moment. You are still a¡­ ¡®hot topic¡¯,¡± he said as if quoting something he had heard. ¡°If you desired, you could retract your statement. Lance would have to seriously consider you.¡± I again felt the temptation creep up on me but I shook it off. ¡°No, I can admit the appeal of the position but it would cause too much disruption all around. It also wouldn¡¯t be the right way to go about doing it.¡± ¡°If your father were to return, would you¡ª¡± ¡°My father¡¯s already back in Pewter,¡± I said over the top of Koga. I glanced away, feeling oddly strange. I hadn¡¯t been expecting to be talking about Flint, now I found myself in the awkward position of having to do so. I really didn¡¯t want him to become Gym Leader once again. My ideal situation would be Forrest stepping up if I left. ¡­ It still left Flint, or Forrest, looking after my siblings. I glared at the flowers now. Koga chose to ignore my behaviour and instead observed me ¡°I apologise, I see that your father is a sore topic.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be surprised by it, but I do find that I am. I¡¯ve been aware of his return to Pewter, but I¡¯m not sure what to make of him.¡± ¡°Ah, I suppose he must be in much the same situation.¡± I gave Koga a questioning look. ¡°I suspect that your father has been away from society for a good while. Pewter City is close to the borders of Kanto. The Silver range is nearby, along with the northern mountains. If Flint did take a job to investigate possible routes through to any other regions still as yet unfound he would not have been aware of your tremendous efforts to raise up your family¡¯s gym.¡± We continued to walk along. I hadn¡¯t thought of what Flint had been up to but that did potentially fit. I seemed to recall him offering Ash different types of rocks in the anime. Unless he had been seriously just trying to scam him, he would have known what type of rocks would be worth lots to the right sorts of people. Heading into the wilds of the mountains might have helped him secure a good source of rare rocks much like I had found during my own forays into Mt. Moon. I reached into my pocket and felt the small pebbles I had taken to keep on hand. With the discussion focusing on my father I was becoming agitated. I turned the pebbles over in my pocket and let the motion lull me as I touched on my rock-type energy. Calmness swept through me. ¡°He expected to come back to the gym as it was, with you in a tough situation.¡± Koga stopped on the path to turn and fully face me. ¡°Instead of merely treading water, or struggling to stay afloat, you are soaring high upon a mountain of your own creation. The Pewter City gym is in the strongest position it has ever been. You are to be commended.¡± Koga let his lips turn upwards as he nodded once at me. I scratched my nose and nodded my thanks. Feeling very self-conscious. I had to remind myself that I didn¡¯t need his praise. It was still damn nice to be acknowledged for the work I¡¯d put in. ¡°Now he is the one floundering. It will be interesting to see what solution you both eventually come to.¡± He turned, continuing to walk down the path. ¡°For all the good work and success you have had, I do however have to offer a warning.¡± I stiffened before I registered the sentiment behind his words. He wasn¡¯t threatening me. At least, it didn¡¯t seem that way. He was being far too mild-mannered. For him, this was a nice walk through the gardens of Celadon. I didn¡¯t doubt that he could offer a threat with the same expression as one would request a glass of water from a waiter but I didn¡¯t get that impression right now. ¡°During the meeting, you called out Giovanni on his behaviour. Giovanni is a dangerous man that has held his position for a long number of years. He is second in his seated Gym Leader duration only to myself.¡± ¡°He¡¯s of an age with you?¡± I asked thoughtfully. Koga merely nodded. ¡°He has been ¡®on the scene¡¯ for many decades. He has never sought to become an Elite Four member, which I find notable. Despite not becoming an Elite Four member, he has still consolidated his power through other means. He works in many circles and has many options available to him.¡± Koga fixed a look at me. ¡°You were right to call him on his actions, but standing opposite him is a dangerous position to be in. Be careful of being antagonistic with him in future, lest you find more than audits.¡± I rolled my jaw wondering how much I should say regarding Giovanni. ¡°His actions today were just a bit too shady for me not to call him out. It seemed all too innocent and I don¡¯t want to let things like that merely slide by.¡± Koga gave me another searching look. ¡°His actions are typically ¡®shady¡¯, as you say.¡± Koga stopped again to turn fully towards me. ¡°Do not go looking into him further. You would not be able to handle what you would find.¡± Koga held my gaze. I tilted my head. ¡°And if I had an idea of the issue already?¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°You would not even have scratched the surface. Giovanni is being investigated by organisations other than the League. The issue is not that he is shady. It is that toppling him would cause untold fallout.¡± I frown at that. ¡°Other than League? I thought the League was the governing body that could hold him accountable ?¡± Koga raised his hand and swiped it through the air. ¡°I have said enough. My warning is delivered. Do not be too antagonistic against Giovanni. He is being investigated, and I expect you to be wise enough to not seek out more information against him lest you risk all you have gained.¡± I offered back a tight nod, lips pursed. Koga returned this with a curt nod of his own. ¡°I did have something else to talk with you as well, if you are still amenable to listening to an old man such as myself?¡± Koga didn¡¯t make a move to walk off. I tilted my head and gestured down the lane to continue our walk. Koga shook his head. ¡°No, this is not something so serious we must remain on the move. I would be happy to let people know that I made this offer.¡± He held still. ¡°As I stated earlier, the development of your Gym into a strength of Kanto is something to be commended. For that purpose, I would like to take you into my confidence.¡± I raised an eyebrow but didn''t say anything. ¡°I have been offered a place on Lance¡¯s Elite Four and I mean to take it. It is an honour for my efforts. However, I would be remiss if I do not ascertain my own Gym¡¯s future. For that purpose, I have a trainer that I would like to foster at your Gym for part of the next circuit so she may gain experience.¡± My mind turned that over. I¡¯d known he had the best chance of any of the Gym Leaders canonically. He took up the mantle with Agatha and Lorelei being dropped from the first to second generations. This game knowledge was supported by the current Gym Leader standings. Blaine and Pryce were out of consideration, having previously been Elite Four or even Champion themselves. That left fourteen of the sixteen Gyms to look to first and foremost as the strongest trainers around. And that number dropped when Giovanni¡¯s reluctance to enter the limelight came into consideration, as did the Cerulean Sister¡¯s¡­ weakness. Claire appearing in the League would only be a mirror of Pryce¡¯s previous misstep. So that left ten people on the list. From this, the only notable name that stood out to me would be Sabrina, but she didn¡¯t have a strong enough personality that let people know just how strong she was, for all that people understood she was a hard Gym to get a badge from. Therefore Koga could only be offering Janine, his daughter. ¡°Oh? I have to say I¡¯m surprised by the offer.¡± ¡°You have a lot that I think my successor would benefit from learning. Your organisation is solid and your trainers strong. I would like to allow her more experience with how another Gym operates to let her broaden her horizons. In the olden times, when the gateways were in place, the families or Lords of the towns would offer fosterings to develop good relations. I would like to enact this for our arrangement.¡± I thought for a moment. It was a good opportunity, but¡­ ¡°Would it be possible to meet her first?¡± Koga nodded once and, with a gesture towards a nearby tree, a lithe-looking young woman darted forth. While I hadn¡¯t detected her, after Koga¡¯s appearance at the meeting, her own entrance left something to be desired. If anything it actually seemed kind of cute how she was obviously trying but still falling short from her father¡¯s terrifying mastery of stealth. ¡°Brock I would like to introduce to you my daughter, and successor, Janine.¡± ¡°A pleasure,¡± I said with a smile. She had a rather intense expression but she was actually quite pretty. At least if you ignored the glare she was sporting. Her brows were set in a harsh line, as if annoyed at the world at large for some reason. ¡°Well met! I am Janine! I look forward to learning from you in the future, Gym Leader Brock!¡± She offered me a bow before repeating the gesture to Koga. ¡°Thank you, dear, if you want you can¡ª¡± ¡°Hap!¡± Before Koga could say anything more, Janine threw a small dark object. It exploded and smoke burst out, obscuring her from sight but oddly I could feel the direction she shifted. Was this an aspect of my aura that I hadn¡¯t been aware of? What was going on? I turn my head slightly in the direction she left and wait for the smoke to clear. When it does Koga is observing me with a thoughtful look before glancing after where his daughter ran. ¡°She¡­ still has much to improve on, be patient with her. She is very eager to learn, however. You¡­ would be good for her to work with.¡± ¡°Well send her over when the circuit starts. I¡¯ll get in contact for further details later on but I shouldn¡¯t have any issues with letting her take a room at the Gym with the other trainers that we keep rooms for.¡± Even as I agreed I was aware that this could possibly be a method of Koga making sure I didn¡¯t go digging into Giovanni. Then again, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d know if they were watching me. Janine, for all that she was a cheaper version of Koga, had still been able to hide until she chose to reveal herself. ¡°Thank you for accepting. As you said, I will be in touch.¡± He then offered another shallow bow. I offered back my own only to rise and see that he¡¯s gone. ¡°Not gonna lie, if you¡¯re still nearby that disappearing act is terrifying.¡± I swallowed. Maybe this is how people feel when Batman does that to them? Wonder if Koga has a butler. I licked my dry lips and made my way out of the garden, only to find Sabrina sitting with Erika in a gazebo enjoying some tea. Erika was shooting Sabrina furtive glances while otherwise appearing to be at ease. Sabrina merely sat stiffly and took her time with sampling her drink. I waved at them, unsure if I should approach. Sabrina perked up, as good an invitation as any. I gave Erika a quick look. Sabrina paused for a moment and on anyone else a questioning frown would appear. She merely remained still. Then she turned to Erika to say something. Erika perked up like a Bellosom at a flower nursery that had been asleep only to have someone sprinkle some water on it in the morning. She turned and offered me a welcoming smile. ¡°Brock, would you like to join us?¡± I was about to accept only to feel someone step out from behind me. I whipped around to find a stoic-looking Janine staring at me. She coughed and flicked her eyes toward the gazebo. ¡°Father suggested that I¡­ socialise with you and your¡­ friends,¡± she said. I nodded. Why did I get the feeling that Janine was someone that didn¡¯t enjoy socialising, and this was Koga¡¯s equivalent of me prodding my little sister to ¡®go introduce herself¡¯ to the other kids on the swings? ¡°Sure, let me just check.¡± I turned back to find Erika and Sabrina both standing and watching Janine very carefully. Sabrina looked annoyed while Erika merely looked cautious. ¡°Hey girls mind if my¡­ new friend¡ª¡± at this Janine twitched her head around to stare at me. Why did I get the impression she didn¡¯t do ¡®friends¡¯ so casually as a normal person. But then again, pokemon world. ¡°¡ª joined us?¡± ¡°What is your friend¡¯s name?¡± Sabrina said, as if challenging the basis of my ¡®friendship¡¯ on this. Janine twisted in place, her heels clicking together as she shot into an at attention stance. Then she bowed from the hips. ¡°Greetings, I am Janine from Fuschia.¡± She glanced at me. ¡°Brock and my father have come to an agreement about my fostering at the Pewter Gym.¡± Sabrina did not relax at this, if anything, her scrutiny increased. Janine narrowed her own eyes back. ¡°You will find I am not so lax in my arts, Gym Leader Sabrina.¡± Sabrina clicked her tongue in annoyance before looking at Erika. ¡°Is she welcome?¡± She said as if some stray Growlithe pup had just wandered in rather than another person. Erika offered a gracious bow that had her opening her hands towards the small table she had been sitting at prior. ¡°We have enough tea and snacks¡­ I had planned on spending time with the Cerulean Sisters but none of them could stay. Sabrina was thankfully interested and now we are back to four! Please, more company always makes the tea taste better I find!¡± Sabrina very nearly perked up. Was she pleased with herself? Honestly, I was as well. That had to have been at her own initiative to spend time with Erika. It looked like Erika was becoming someone Sabrina considered herself friends with. ¡°Well, that sounds wonderful.¡± I approached and sat down. Janine darted forward only to trip over something I couldn¡¯t quite see. When she recovered, she glanced down before giving us all a harsh stare. ¡°I am well.¡± Erika, who¡¯d been half-ready to stand and offer assistance, settled back down. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good! Please take a seat.¡± ¡°And mind the ledge,¡± Sabrina said conversationally. I glanced at her as a suspicion formed in my mind. Had she tapped Janine telekinetically to stumble? Janine sat and glowered at Sabrina. Erika smiled graciously but I could see her hands fidgeting nervously through her long sleeves. I took up my teacup and bowed to the grass specialist. ¡°What tea are we enjoying today?¡± And so I found myself going from tip-toeing through the tulips with Koga to sitting and sampling snacks and tea with three Elite women. Moments like this made me want to look back and wonder how I¡¯d gotten to where I was in life. Chapter 33 - Tasty Treats and Tea! ¡°We have nice black, green, white, herbal, or oolong tea to enjoy,¡± said Erika, pointing to different compartments of her now seemingly ever-present bento tower with drawers. ¡°Some black tea, please,¡± I said, pinching my fingers together, ¡°A bit of milk as well.¡± Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°I will also have some black tea with milk.¡± Erika nodded and began to assemble a teapot for this. As she did this she glanced towards Janine. The small kunoichi was sitting stiffly upright. When she spoke, she did so in a lilting tone. ¡°Grown up now,¡± ¡°More tea than milk,¡± ¡°My cup lightens.¡± ¡°Oh! A Haiku! Thank you for that, it was wonderful!¡± Erika chimed. ¡°Which flavour would you like?¡± ¡°...black with some milk,¡± Janine said after a moment of delay. I hummed to myself and decided to see if I could spark some conversation. ¡°Do you like poetry, Janine?¡± ¡°It is a traditional practice that all should be familiar with. Historically, the gateway into Fuschia was known for its gate guards using riddles and poetry to test the entrants to the town. Some of the phrases are still located around Fuchsia if you look carefully.¡± Janine¡¯s shoulders curled forward and she played her fingers together. When she noticed Sabrina, Erika and I watching her she shot upright. ¡°That is to say! I enjoy the heritage of my city!¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said, rubbing my chin, ¡°I¡¯ll have to make more of an effort to see what things were like in Pewter. So you had slates hidden around Fuschia? Is it well known or something secret?¡± ¡°They are not hidden but they are¡­ difficult to reach,¡± Janine said. ¡°You need to search through the safari zone for more than half of them, as Fuschia was originally much further north before the Great War.¡± Erika presented us all with our teacups. I thanked her and took a sip. ¡°Oh, nice, thank you.¡± Then I looked back at Janine. ¡°Really? I hadn¡¯t known that Fuschia had to shift? ¡°Not at first. It faced lots of immigration after the war. So while it was heavily damaged it had grown stronger but, in doing so, lost much of its heritage. Now that the Safari zone has encompassed the area, it is not as visited.¡± ¡°A shame. How did Fuschia end up that way?¡± Erika turned towards the conversation. Sabrina also showed some interest. Janine spoke with a stern conviction, ¡°My father was called away to save another town, and then one of the Legendary Birds swept into the city. Instead of going to ground, a few trainers tried to fight off the Moltres. They only lasted long enough for half the town¡¯s population to evacuate.¡± Janine stared into her cup of tea. ¡°Open fires are still something many elderly people avoid where they can, and we no longer live in the forests with treehouses like we used to. Fuschia used to be more vertical than wide. Now we live closer to the water.¡± ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t know that.¡± I contemplated my teacup. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know if there was much damage done to Pewter during the war. Do any of you find that it¡¯s strange that information about the war is restricted?¡± Erika shifted ¡°They try to restrict it from young minds so that people don¡¯t think that way. There has been some research done into the intent of pokemon moves resulting in different effects.¡± ¡°Intent?¡± I asked curiously. Janine nodded. ¡°If children fight with their pokemon and are trying to ¡®fight to the death¡¯, as was previously common, it results in attacks being sharper and more penetrative. It is supposedly due to the bond that we have with our pokemon. The pokemon interpret the intent and either soften or blunt their attacks. That being said, the tyranny of strength can still see injuries occur.¡± Janine took a sip of her tea. ¡°It is why ancient pokemon, or pokemon taken from the depths of the wilds, require at least a few weeks of training before being OK¡¯ed to use in matches. Their instincts are more primal.¡± ¡°Ah. Don used to be that way and is still rather dangerous to deal with as he doesn¡¯t like to hold back.¡± ¡°Just so,¡± said Janine. We all enjoyed our tea and snacks for a few minutes after that. There was a slight chill in the air but I was used to it, the warm tea helped us relax. I noticed that they kept holding their cups rather than setting them down though. Sabrina takes the initiative to lead the next conversation. ¡°So, how did you meet Brock?¡± She said while looking at Janine. Janine merely sipped from her cup, unbothered by the scrutiny. ¡°My father asked him to foster me at his Gym. When Brock mentioned meeting me first, I came and was introduced to him. My father speaks highly of Brock¡¯s prowess as a Gym Leader and wants me to learn underneath him.¡± ¡°And who is your father?¡± Sabrina asked with a suspicious tone. I blinked, running back through the events and realising that I hadn¡¯t mentioned who Janine¡¯s father was. Merely that I¡¯d come to an agreement with her father. Technically, you could infer that Koga was said man, if you were considering it logically. But¡­ Logically, you wouldn¡¯t associate Koga as someone who had a daughter. He was a widely known Gym Leader, highly respected and often feared. But to consider him a father? I could imagine that only a close group knew of Janine¡¯s relation to Koga. He had a mythos around him as being taciturn and hidden. ¡°My father is Gym Leader Koga,¡± Janine said with a touch of what sounded like pride to my ears. ¡°Your father is Koga!?¡± said Erika in surprise. Sabrina I suspected had been merely verifying, but Erika obviously hadn¡¯t put two and three together to come up with five. It seemed a simple enough inference, what with her ninja attire. But then again perhaps Erika, being closer to Fuschia, saw a few ninja each year¡­ or she just waved it off as eccentric fashion choices. There were weirder people passing through my Gym each circuit, once I thought about it. They were certainly better than the eccentrics who challenged me dressed like Pikachu. ¡°Indeed!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s your mother?¡± I asked, curious if I¡¯d know of her in any manner. ¡°She was a retainer that caught father¡¯s eye. She is no longer with us, unfortunately.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to hear that! My father¡¯s no longer with my mother and I either. My mother didn¡¯t take his passing well.¡± Sabrina glanced around at us all. ¡°My mother and father are not dead, they are quite alive?¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. Sabrina was obviously trying, but sometimes it was like she just kind of swung at pitches not even thrown her way. I decided to take the fall as well to reduce the awkward looks she was getting from¡­ Well, only Erika really. Janine merely nodded, not at all bothered. ¡°My dad¡¯s a deadbeat and my mum¡­ I honestly have no idea what she¡¯s doing with herself.¡± I drained the rest of the tea. ¡°Wow, we¡¯ve fallen into some morbid topics!¡± ¡°We did?¡± Sabrina wondered. ¡°I had not considered it so?¡± Janine said with a tilt of her head. Erika shared a glance with me. It would seem there were possibly two awkward ducks I knew now. I mentally made a note to myself that I would need to socialise Janine. If today was any indicator, I was going to be looking forward to a lot of awkward situations where Janine¡¯s bluntness ran into things face first. ¡°So are we looking to do much in the coming weeks?¡± I said, determined to push onwards. ¡°I will be training with my father!¡± I was sensing a certain increase in engagement when Janine spoke of the topic. ¡°Your father trains with you? On shinobi¡­ stuff, or pokemon?¡± I mentally cringed at using ¡®stuff¡¯ to describe Shinobi activities but I didn¡¯t want to show too much interest. I was trying to keep things light and casual. ¡°We do both! My father is extremely knowledgeable and as his heir I need to learn as much as I can from him to safeguard in the future. I also learn how to use my pokemon to the best of their abilities!¡± ¡°What sort of pokemon do you have?¡± I said. I glanced over to see Erika was rather amused while Sabrina flicked her eyes about the group. She¡¯s happy to stay neutral for now but she must be taking cues from myself or Erika. Then again, she¡¯s probably reading Erika¡¯s mind for the analysis of the discussion so that should steer her in good stead. ¡°I have an Ariados, Weezing, Nidorino, Golbat, Tentacruel, and a Venomoth.¡± ¡°Venomoths are useful due to the number of psychic abilities they have access to in their move pool,¡± Sabrina said casually. Erika shifted. ¡°No grass-type dual poison pokemon? Gloom or Vileplume are wonderful with poisons, as is the Victreebel line!¡± ¡°Roserade or¡ª¡± Erika frowned and interrupted me. ¡°Roserade? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of such a pokemon before? Did you mean Roselia?¡± I blinked. Wait? Had people not yet discovered Roserade? Was this something that was not widely known? Or was it outright unknown right now?¡± Janine leaned forward intent on watching me. Sabrina also seemed to sense something amiss as she was scrutinising me. I coughed. ¡°I thought I had encountered a different pokemon during the last¡­ circuit? Did that trainer not come around to fight against you? They didn¡¯t have a Roselia, I¡¯m pretty sure.¡± ¡°Noooo,¡± said Erika with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t recall anyone using a Roselia against my Gym¡­ I will have to review my records¡­ Perhaps I did face someone with such a pokemon, it¡¯s tough to recall.¡± ¡°Father didn¡¯t face anyone with a Roselia.¡± ¡°Neither did I,¡± said Sabrina. Erika chewed her lip. ¡°Did the trainer say anything about their pokemon?¡± ¡°N-no, not that I can recall.¡± I felt bad as I watched Erika wilt. ¡°I will have to do some more research.¡± I decided to throw Erika a bone. ¡°Perhaps it has a stone interaction, like with a leaf stone?¡± ¡°Hmmmm, perhaps?¡± She said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Nnnnnn suspicious,¡± muttered Janine. I glanced over and raised an eyebrow. She continued to watch me. ¡°You say something?¡± I said, unsure if I had actually heard her. She shook her head. ¡°Riiiight,¡± I said doubtfully. ¡°What were we talking about before that?¡± ¡°Pokemon that would be good for Janine!¡± Erika said. ¡°You really can¡¯t go wrong with a grass-poison typing! I remember when I went against Koga, he loved using poison in his strategies along with confusion effects. I was able to stop one part of that approach with my Ivysaur¡± ¡°Hmmm, I will have to acquire some of these pokemon.¡± She looked to me. ¡°While I am working under you, may you¡ª¡± Erika twitched and Sabrina stiffened a moment later before narrowing her eyes at Janine. Janine, sensing that something had occurred, glancing between them both. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± I looked between the blushing Erika who was shaking her head while Sabrina continued to look annoyed. I wanted to sigh and rub my head as I played back the last few moments. Apparently, Erika couldn¡¯t always be trusted to keep Sabrina from thinking wrongly. ¡°Never mind that. When you¡¯re working at the Pewter Gym,¡± I said pointedly so as to not create any more accidental double entendres ¡°I could help with¡­ what were you going to say?¡± ¡°My Nidorina. How would I go about evolving it? Father has been most circumspect, but he assures me that you know and would be willing to help once I prove myself. Your Gym sponsored trainer Celia¡¯s Nidoqueen makes this observation obviously true.¡± ¡°Oh, sure, I¡¯ll make sure¡­¡± I stopped myself from saying ¡®work for it¡¯ and instead chose to say, ¡°You learn all about it when you¡¯re at Pewter. I could also help out with your Golbat,¡± I said without thinking. ¡°You know how to evolve my pokemon into Crobat?¡± She said eagerly. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy,¡± I said, much more confident in this answer being common knowledge. ¡°Friendship.¡± ¡°...¡± Janine stared at me. ¡°... Are you sure it is not eating a rare fruit or using a stone of some sort?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°No? It¡¯s all about making your bond with Golbat strong. This isn¡¯t just about making your pokemon strong, but also fostering a positive and supportive relationship. You do groom it regularly and share the occasional meal, right?¡± ¡°I had not considered that useful for our training. I¡­ am very doubtful in this method¡­ you are sure I must¡­ become better friends with my pokemon?¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I scratched my head and found Erika staring at Janine in pity. ¡°Yeah? Most pokemon don¡¯t really become as strong as they can be unless you¡¯re friends with them, otherwise you¡¯re just making them work out and battle.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± She crossed her arms and tilted her head before slowly nodding. ¡°I will meditate on this.¡± She then raised her teacup up to indicate that she was done with the conversation. I got the impression she was embarrassed and didn¡¯t want to keep talking about why she might not have done what was such a basic step for other trainers. Was Janine as bad as Sabrina socially? Did she really not have any friends? Right now, I was starting to wonder if I wasn¡¯t just a magnet for awkward people. Or did they just develop more often in the pokemon world? It was supposed to be easier to make friends in this universe, thanks to pokemon. I shared a glance with Erika. She looked like she agreed with me. She smiled and huffed. ¡°Brock, when are you getting your new pokemon? I heard you on the radio the other day, any news on them?¡± ¡°I think Scyther and Eevee are coming soon. The others are all bounties so they could turn up whenever a pokemon trainer finds them and wants to sell them off. So, not something I can predict.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting a Scyther?¡± Janine said quickly. I looked over and found her usual stoic expression gone and instead she looked very excited. ¡°Yeah? You like them?¡± ¡°Scythers are the best pokemon for a ninja to have! They are extremely fast! They strike quickly and then vanish out of engagement! There are historical texts of my family using them often in the past. In fact, the Legends state that my ancestor used one against the Hero when he toured Kanto!¡± ¡°Are you looking to get any more Solrock or Lunatone?¡± Sabrina interjected. ¡°Ah, not at the moment. I¡¯m instead looking into securing some Shuckle, Magcargo and other such pokemon to the list. As well as Bonsly and the others I mentioned previously.¡± ¡°Hmm. Bonsly and Sudowoodo, the fake plant pokemon!¡± Erika chimed in. Deciding to throw Sabinra a bone I addressed her next, ¡°What about you Sabrina? Getting any more psychic-type pokemon?¡± ¡°Ralts and Beldum,¡± she said without expression. ¡°Oh, those are strong pokemon. Are they going to join your Elite pokemon?¡± ¡°If they perform up to expectations. The Ralts line can be difficult to train, so I will have to see how they develop.¡± A chime from my wristwatch had me glancing down to see a message waiting for me. I read through it quickly and whistled. ¡°Well wouldn¡¯t you know it! We were just talking about my pokemon arriving and the company has them arriving in an hour or so!¡± I looked up to explain that I would have to leave only to see three looks of interest on each girl¡¯s face. Erika spoke up first, her fingers coming together. ¡°Could I come along and see the Eevee? I hope to one day get myself an Eevee to evolve it into a Leafeon, but am thus far happy with the pokemon I have. Soon, though¡­ soon,¡± she said, promising herself. ¡°I would like to see the Scyther!¡± Janine declared. Then she coughed. ¡°I would also like to see your Gym so I might know what to expect when I foster¡ª¡± ¡°Intern, fostering is the archaic expression I think,¡± I said, correcting her. She shrugged, ¡°Either will work to describe our relationship!¡± Sabrina turned her head to narrow her eyes at Janine. Janine turned back to face Sabrina and there was a small smirk on her lips. Ah, it seemed Janine had worked out that she was poking Sabrina when she phrased things that way. Sabrina turned her eyes towards me before speaking, ¡°I want¡­ to see the Eevee as well?¡± I nodded. ¡°Do you have Espeon with you? I¡¯m sure the kids would like that, and having one of her family line might help Eevee ease in.¡± Sabrina straightened up and a small smirk was directed at Janine. ¡°I can do that.¡± Her smirk grew wider. ¡°I can also teleport us all to your home.¡± I blinked in surprise and even Janine and Erika seemed startled. ¡°R-really?¡± I said Sabrina made to nod before shaking her head. ¡°I actually need Alakazam to help but he will be able to take one person.¡± It was still impressive that she could teleport two people and herself such a distance. Was she getting stronger or was it that it was just a familiar spot for her to teleport to? ¡°That would be great!¡± I glanced at the group before chuckling. ¡°I guess we can stick around and finish off Erika''s treats instead of having to fly there!¡± I sat back before realising that I was about to introduce three girls at once to my family. Damn, if the reporters caught onto this they¡¯d have a field day. Hadn¡¯t I already been accused of being a playboy? Maybe no one would notice? It was my home, after all. After half an hour we decided that we¡¯d eaten enough treats. Erika had also run out of tea and both her and Janine were almost exclusively watching the clock with how they bounced in their seats. Sabrina didn¡¯t appear as interested but I could tell she still wanted to come along. When Erika and Janine excused themselves to go to the bathroom before we teleported, I made sure to lean in and tap Sabrina¡¯s wrist. ¡°You sure you¡¯ll be alright to handle my little brothers and sisters? You know they can be pretty high energy.¡± ¡°I want to keep going, today has been¡­¡± she flicked her eyes towards Janine. ¡°Mostly good.¡± ¡°You and Erika are friends now?¡± I asked. ¡°... Yes,¡± Sabrina said and for a moment I saw a heartfelt smile on her face. I grinned and stepped aside. The other girls quickly returned and I shot them both smiles. ¡°Alright Sabrina, the show¡¯s all yours.¡± ¡°Alakazam, come out,¡± she said, not even moving her hands to press the button. From her waist, a ball popped open and a form appeared with a large moustache. ¡°Kazam?¡± Sabrina merely glanced at him for a moment and her eyes glowed, her pokemon matching her glowing eyes. After a short period, he nodded. ¡°Kazam!¡± ¡°We will be teleporting in five seconds. Four, three, two, one¡ª¡± The world flickered around me as I held in my aura. I had a moment of vertigo and then my ears popped from the pressure difference before I found myself in the middle of the trainer lounge behind the front entrance at my Gym. I glanced to the side and found Erika bracing herself against a couch. ¡°Where¡¯s¡ª¡± A small form darted out of the women¡¯s toilets. ¡°Your pokemon needs more training,¡± said Janine. Alakazam floated after her and when Sabrina looked at him he shrugged and vanished into a red beam as he returned to his pokeball. Sabrina noticed us watching her. ¡°He did admirably.¡± ¡°He almost dropped me into the toilet,¡± Janine said with a slight hiss. Erika and I both looked down at her feet but found that they were dry. Janine flicked her head in a haughty manner. ¡°I was able to react fast enough!¡± ¡°A shame,¡± said Sabrina quietly enough that I barely heard her. Janine did as well, based on the way her eyes narrowed. Erika, ever the peacemaker, put her hands together in a soft clap. ¡°I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t mean to do that, but it was a long distance and to such an unfamiliar destination. It¡¯s impressive he got us so close together!¡± I decided not to point out how that very much was not the case and that Sabrina regularly teleported into the Gym with ease. That would raise questions such as why she was so familiar with the place? And why are your anti-teleport features not barring her access? Those sorts of questions would only raise further questions. I clapped my hands together. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s all head on through to the back and we can get comfortable while we wait! I¡¯ll introduce you to the family!¡± Janine coughed. ¡°May I have a tour while we wait instead?¡± Erika perked up, showing she¡¯d also be interested in how I ran things. I glanced at Sabrina but saw nothing to indicate she didn¡¯t want to come so I shrugged. ¡°Sure! This here is the trainer lounge where if we¡¯re not fighting we¡¯re just chilling out between matches. This has direct access to the arena through these doors while also leading to the reception in case anything is wrong.¡± I began the tour. A routine that I was very familiar with, having given it to Dennis and Rocko, then my first sponsored trainer, Jackson, then Celia, and finally the last two hires with Georgina and Rachel. It also helped that I¡¯d literally sat with the architect and helped design everything from the ground up. When we entered the arena I was surprised to find it in use. I had half an idea what was going on when I heard squeaking noises in the place of actual sounds of combat and orders that we so personalised to be either over the top or outright silly. Erika, Sabrina and Janine all looked extremely confused at the sounds they were hearing, however, so I kept my silence and led them into the spectator stands of the arena. There we found Celia standing on one side, with a silly dress on, fighting against what looked like Dennis with a wizard robe that was far too short for him, given that I could see his calves from the other side of the arena. Atop his head, a huge witch''s hat covered up his close cut hair. I noted the silly giant blown-up boxing gloves on all of the pokemon''s limbs as they ¡®duked it out¡¯. ¡°Lizzie, use super-queen-megaslap!¡± Celia shouted while waving her hands about theatrically. ¡°Brucey! Withstand it by flexing your muscles together as strong as you can!¡± Shouted Dennis to his Machoke, who adopted a superman pose before tensing up every muscle he had. With the giant inflatable gloves and headgear, he looked ridiculous. Erika and Janine openly gaped. I chuckled and scratched the back of my head as my trainers fought each other in a slapstick fight. Sabrina merely stared. ¡°What...What am I witnessing?¡± Janine said with wide disbelieving eyes. I waved a hand. ¡°This is just a match between Gym Trainers. It¡¯s meant to be over the top and help get rid of stress. It''s entirely for fun.¡± I gestured to Rocko who¡¯d set up a hammock on the referee stand. He raised a red card in Dennis¡¯ direction. ¡°Red Card! That¡¯s a warning for using seduction on me!¡± Dennis spluttered at that, ¡°That¡¯s not a thing!¡± ¡°Is too, I just made it up!¡± said Rocko from his hammock. Lizzie spun her arms about and slammed them into Brucey. ¡°Machoke!¡± Cried the pokemon. He staggered backwards a little before regathering. He attempted to wipe the sweat off his brow only to punch himself in the head with the giant boxing glove. ¡°Pfft!¡± I blinked and turned to the side. Sabrina was similarly holding her hands to her mouth to contain her laughter. ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± she said with a wheeze from between her fingers, her eyes taking it all in with delight. Janine, who was also engrossed in the ¡®farce¡¯, nodded. ¡°Indeed! There is no tactical gain from messing about like this! I will be sure to tell my father about this¡­ this¡­¡± she waved at the arena just as Lizzie bopped Brucey on the head. Her boxing glove exploded with enough ¡®bang¡¯ to startle both pokemon. They fell over each other and landed on their backs, where they scrambled like Squirtles on their shells "Farce of pokemon fighting!" Janine declared with a sniff. Sabrina fell to her knees as she held in her laughter. I nudged her and pointed back the way we had come. She teleported away and a second later I could just make out her laughter. Janine turned around. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. Sabrina just had to run out. Let¡¯s continue the tour.¡± Janine huffed, her eyes turning back to the ¡®fight¡¯. ¡°I¡¯m sure my father knows best, but¡­¡± she trailed off and I shook my head. It was harmless fun that I encouraged among my trainers. If I didn¡¯t have guests I¡¯d have gone and gotten an Onix to hand paint with my siblings before sending him out to ¡®fight¡¯. It wasn''t about being serious. It was about having fun. When the tour was done, Janine looked impressed but still dubious. Erika looked highly energised, and Sabrina ¡ªwhen she returned after getting control of herself¡ª looked very relaxed. Eventually, we reached the door that connected my house to the Gym. When we entered, there was immediately a lot of noise that had been dampened through the closed door. ¡°Young lady, you need to put pants on!¡± called the day¡¯s caretaker in Granny Weathersby. ¡°Nude is freedom!¡± Shouted what had to be Tilly. I saw a small form streak past the end of the hallway. I was sincerely thankful she hadn¡¯t sprinted down this way. I coughed, and gestured back out the door we¡¯d just come through. ¡°If I could just have one moment please, ladies?¡± Erika giggled and led the other two out. Sabrina was already rubbing at her head. I grimaced at that before shutting the door in their faces and about facing. Then I loudly stomped down the hall to announce myself. ¡°You children better have your clothes on or the delivery man bringing the new pet is going to be sent back with the Eevee!¡± This did not cause instant obedience but rather inspired chaos. ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°No! Don¡¯t take my Eevee away!¡± ¡°Munchlax!¡± ¡°Brock, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡° I¡¯ve got my clothes on, this isn¡¯t fair!¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t¡ª¡± I chose that moment to cut them off. I clapped my hands and stood firm at the end of the hallway. ¡°No buts! Especially not nudey butts!¡± I said pointing at Tilly who glowered. ¡°Eevee won¡¯t like naughty children! Now, I also have some guests so let¡¯s get this place cleaned up! Salvadore, lounge room! Forrest, entryway with the shoes! Yolanda!¡± ¡°Already in the kitchen!¡± She called out. I nodded before sweeping up Tilly and tickling her. It still took another ten minutes to have things put to rights. I then approached the door and opened it to find two bemused girls staring at me while Sabrina grit her jaw. ¡°All sorted ladies! Now let¡¯s introduce you before the main attraction arrives!¡± We entered the lounge room, which was the only room large enough to hold the entire family plus guests. The children were all sitting happily munching on some snacks. Munchlax was between Suzie and Billy with his own juicebox. I nodded at him and then smiled at the group. ¡°Alright everyone, this is my good friend Sabrina,¡± I said, deciding to introduce her and then move things along so their focus shifted. ¡°And this is Erika. And this is Janine!¡± Sabrina and Erika nodded politely while Janine dropped into a bow while forming a hand seal. The boys instantly zeroed in on her. ¡°Are you a ninja?¡± She straightened and darted around behind them in a blur of movement before leaning in. ¡°Am I?¡± They shrieked in surprise. ¡°She¡¯s a ninja!¡± They cried. I blinked. That hadn¡¯t been that fast, had it? Then again you needed to be able to track faster-moving objects in a pokemon battle at the Elite level. Did that mean Koga moved even faster or was there something else at play? I shook that off and found the girls approaching Erika, who smiled beatifically at them. They complimented her dress and hair and got kind words back. Only Suzie approached Sabrina, and she did so with Munchlax holding her hand. Even the little gutsy pokemon was intimidated, however, and he quivered as he walked. Sabrina regarded them both coolly while I watched on. ¡°Hi!¡± said Suzie quietly. ¡°Hello,¡± replied Sabrina. Suzie smiled, stepping closer, ¡°I like you,¡± she said. Sabrina blinked at that. ¡°Thank you¡­ small child.¡± Suzie nodded at that before skipping away. Sabrina watched her go. ¡°What is her name?¡± she asked as she watched Suzie sit down and bounce on the couch instead of approaching either Janine or Erika, who had their own fans to deal with. ¡°That¡¯s Suzie, she¡¯s four.¡± For some people that would be enough to explain her behaviour. Sabrina crossed her arms, set her feet and nodded seriously. ¡°She is my favourite,¡± she said like one would a grand proclamation. I blinked at her. ¡°Uhm, Sabrina, she¡¯s four?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard you,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°And I have decided that Suzie is my favourite.¡± ¡°Uhmm¡­ They¡¯re not like pets, you know?¡± I said, wondering if I should really bother. Sabrina didn¡¯t listen and instead marched over to sit next to Suzie. Munchlax watched her do so with large eyes. I raised a finger but was unsure what to say. Across the scope of potential outcomes, this was perhaps edging towards the best possible option. Sabrina had never wanted to meet my siblings before, but perhaps having Erika and Janine here alongside her helped to divert the focus. I could tell she was straining herself whenever one of the boys exclaimed loudly about something cool Janine had shown off. Speaking of¡­ I looked over to find her doing a handstand while balancing a vase of flowers on her foot. ¡°We don¡¯t use vases as toys in this household,¡± I said, projecting my best ¡®parental¡¯ voice. Janine hurriedly caught it and offered a bow. Just to check, I made sure Erika wasn¡¯t also doing anything strange. She was merely sitting and happily chatting on the couch with the girls. Yolanda with her Larvitar incubator had the place of honour at her right hand and looked extremely pleased. Well, that looked innocent enough. Then Cindy set off a bomb with a loud, ¡°Are you Brock¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Sabrina¡¯s head swivelled around and, even if they hadn¡¯t been interested before, all the boys peered over their shoulders. Janine wasn¡¯t as overt but I could see her ears twitching like she was straining them to catch the answer. ¡°No, I¡¯m a friend and fellow Gym Leader.¡± ¡°Oooooooh!¡± said the girls. Cindy hummed with a faint frown on her face. ¡°But do you want to date him?¡± she said without letting up. Erika blushed. ¡°Ah-uhm, I don¡¯t think that would be wise for either of us right now. I¡¯m not looking to date¡­ much.¡± If she hadn¡¯t added that last part she might have escaped further scrutiny. I weighed up whether I should save her only for the doorbell to ring. I checked the camera feed and sure enough, a man was at the front with a suitcase. I ducked out to get the pokeballs. ¡°Gym Leader Brock?¡± The man asked, checking over his forms. ¡°Sign here please, and provide identification.¡± I handed over my trainer badge and signed for the package. The man unclipped the suitcase from his wrist and handed the entire thing, now without handcuffs, over to me. ¡°One Scyther, one Chansey, and one Eevee, all healthy specimens with no breeding restrictions. They are now yours. Scyther is in the fastball, Chansey is in the luxury ball and Eevee is in the premier ball. Good day, sir,¡± he said before hustling away, not waiting for a reply. I shut the door and opened the suitcase to find all three pokeballs in question sitting on soft cushions. with a card from the auction house I¡¯d bought the pokemon from which thanked me for my services. They also included an itemised bill of their services which made me snort. The pokeballs they¡¯d used were specifically the more expensive specialised sort that you really didn¡¯t need, but they had seen a chance and taken it. Getting all three pokemon so quickly was a bit fortunate, but then again with the auction house I only needed access to a pokenet computer and the rest was easy. The kids lost all interest in Janine and Erika when I entered with the three pokeballs. I pointed at the couch. ¡°Nope! Go sit down on the couch and then I will release them one by one! Scyther alone is a pokemon that should not be crowded.¡± Janine nodded along, agreeing with this as she sat next to Salvadore. I blinked at her and then realised that Erika had likewise joined my family in sitting patiently. I eyed Sabrina, she wasn¡¯t looking too good with how she was rubbing at her temples. When I gave her a questioning look she grimaced. Apparently, the thoughts of nine excitable children were a bit much for her to handle. I gave her a smile and continued on. She''d know when to leave if she had to. ¡°Alright, first off, come on out Scyther!¡± In a flash of light a green pokemon with large blades for hands appeared. The boys all gasped in awe and Janine looked like her eyes were lighting up. ¡°Scyther!¡± The pokemon declared as it swept its hands aside and then performed a kicking action that broke the vase Janine had been playing with earlier. The kids all winced and Scyther huffed smugly. I reached over and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°When we¡¯re inside we don¡¯t break things, understand Scyther?¡± ¡°Scy-scyth!¡± He said with a nod. ¡°Good. Now, no cutting anything or hurting the kids. Be gentle and I¡¯ll get you some strong pokemon to test yourself against. Sound good?¡± ¡°Scyther!¡± he said. Then he oriented towards the kids and brandished his blades into a resting pose that would have them out of reach unless someone reached for them. ¡°Alright kids. Come up slowly, don¡¯t spook him,¡± I said. The boys instantly shuffled up as quickly as they could while sticking to the letter of the law I had laid down. Janine squirmed, not willing to be addressed as ¡®kid¡¯ but obviously interested. ¡°Want to join them, Janine?¡± she nodded and hopped up to pet the green pokemon. I watched for a few minutes and then turned to the still waiting girls. ¡°Alright, everyone. Don¡¯t spook her. Come on out Eevee!¡± In a flash of red light, a small fluffy pokemon appeared at my feet. ¡°Eev!¡± It trilled. It cast its eyes around and saw all the waiting girls. ¡°Eev!¡± it said and instead of them coming to her, she leapt up onto the couch and began nuzzling into them. ¡°Awwwww!¡± The girls cooed as one. I hummed, pleased that interaction seemed to be starting off slightly better. I had expected them to launch onto the fluffy pokemon. Instead, she launched onto them. The final pokeball wasn¡¯t going to get as much interest for now but it might later on. I approached Sabrina. ¡°Let¡¯s see if this pokemon can help.¡± I opened the ball and a Chansey appeared. It looked around with a vaguely hopeful look. ¡°Cha!¡± ¡°Did that Chansey just click its tongue?¡± I asked. Sabrina stared at it then her eyes glowed. Chansey looked at Sabrina and tilted her head before sniffing pointedly. She waved her rounded limbs vaguely but eventually gave her egg to Sabrina with a sniff. ¡°Uhm?¡± I said eloquently. ¡°Your Chansey is disappointed that there is no ''proper'' work for her,¡± Sabrina said by way of explanation. I stared at her. I was about to ask what she meant when another voice spoke up from Sabrina¡¯s side. ¡°Are you Brock''s girlfriend?¡± Sabrina swallowed her egg. ¡°Brock and I once dated but we are currently not dating,¡± She said to Suzie. Suzie tilted her head before nodding. "Oh! OK." ¡°Sabrina! Don''t tell her that!¡± I hissed. ¡°She¡¯s four!¡± I said as a way of explaining that she was never going to keep that to herself. ¡°Yes? And she¡¯s my favourite.¡± Said Sabrina, swinging and missing at the point that I was trying to emphasise completely. I facepalmed, then knelt down to Suzie¡¯s level. ¡°Hey Suzie, that¡¯s, ahhh, something I don''t talk about, alright? No telling everyone, please?" Suzie considered that before shrugging and crawling back to the Eevee petting group. I groaned. That¡­ was totally going to bite me in the backside. ¡°I am feeling better, but still very tired. I will depart now,¡± Sabrina said. She graced me with a smile. ¡°I enjoyed today. Thank you for inviting me.¡± I straightened. ¡°Thanks for coming.¡± I looked around the room. ¡°Erika, Janine. Sabrina is leaving now.¡± Erika looked up guiltily while Janine looked conflicted. Eventually, they approached the girl. Janine gave Sabrina a suspicious look. ¡°Thanks for coming ladies,¡± I said. Two of them offered bows while Sabrina merely inclined her head. Suzie waved at them all while the rest of the kids gave disinterested murmurs of goodbye. They vanished in a flash of light a moment later. ¡°Argh, it¡¯s sharp!¡± shouted Salvadore, waving around his hand. ¡°Chansey!¡± Shouted my nurse pokemon. Who rushed over and poked the wound. ¡°Chansey?¡± She continued to poke. ¡°Yes, it hurts! Can you fix it?¡± Chansey nodded before waving her limb about, giving what appeared to be a lecture. ¡°Chansey! Sey Chan! Chan Chan! Chansey!¡± Her limbs moved from Salvadore¡¯s cut to Scyther¡¯s blade. Occasionally she poked Salvadore''s cut. He seemed to be regretting his decision to test Scyther''s blade now, at least Eventually, she healed it with a glow of soft green energy. Then she sniffed pointedly and marched off but not before patting Scyther on the head. Well, I doubted Salvadore would grab something sharp again without remembering this incident. Maybe having this Chansey as a nurse wasn¡¯t a bad thing? It''d be educational at the very least. Chapter 34 - General Day to Day Tasks of a Gym Leader I blew my whistle and bodies threw themselves forward. Arms and legs pumped, sometimes even in unison. I held in a chuckle rather than groaning. It helped that I didn¡¯t have high expectations. Thankfully, all of them showed some determination so I didn¡¯t need to come down on them like the first session where I spent more time identifying the slackers than I did actually training. ¡°Seven! Eight! Nine!¡± I continued to count as the last few struggled across the line. I clicked my watch and stared at it before turning to the crowd of tired, hopeful eyes. I turned the watch over. ¡°Less than ten seconds! That means we¡¯re doing batting practice now instead of running more laps!¡± Around me, the boys and girls that formed the Pewter Pebbles Little League team broke into cheers. I rolled my eyes at their antics. They were so dramatic. I gave them a session of conditioning to start things off and warned of doing it again, just once. Once! And they act as if I¡¯m a tyrant. I knew they could make the distance in less than ten seconds as a team easily. I had made them run it while tired last time and pretended to be disappointed. Then I¡¯d told them that I would not move any training session from conditioning to ¡®the fun stuff¡¯ until they were able to run the same distance in ten seconds. The joke was on them. I''d just slowly increase the distance over the next few weeks until they actually were running thirty to forty metres in ten seconds. Not a great time for nine-year-olds all told, but you had to account for certain body types and fitness levels. The kids didn¡¯t need to know that though. Deception is not just a tool for warfare, but also for coaching. Or pokemon training. In fact, being a Gym Leader meant I had a lot of skills that were transferable to human children. In my experience pokemon were easier though. Some of the pokemon also got to work with the kids. I set up a few Geodudes on mounds and had the kids gear up. Behind each of them, a Graveler took up a catcher position, except for the actual kid that wanted to be the catcher. I still moved around the group as a whole while calling out suggestions, but with more pokemon I was able to give the kids plenty of time to work on their batting. I¡¯d have them cycle the Geodude in a bit to give them pitching practice. Then it was on to fielding. For now I needed to work out where the kids¡¯ skills were good and bad. Or who was just one of both. Not that it mattered. They¡¯d all get a chance to play, this was a Little League and not the seniors, who were more selective. ¡°Nice one!¡± I called as one of the girls slugged a homer. A few of the parents that were watching scrambled with each other only for a petite woman to launch herself over the top and snatch it. She then waved back at the girl who was hiding her face behind her hands at the woman¡¯s antics only to peek and offer a hesitant wave. ¡°I see you Mum!¡± I chuckled at the girl¡¯s response. ¡°Nice one Missus Donahue!¡± I called out as I made a mark on Jamie¡¯s file. Over the next five minutes, more such hits began to pile up, even as I rotated Geodudes for her, to make her face off against faster pitching pokemon. There was some real talent on display so I marked her down as highly skilled with the bat and moved on. I was tempted to linger but I had to remind myself that I needed to spread my attention around as much as I could. A more¡­ spherical bodied boy continued to swing at pitches sent his way only to miss every time. ¡°Tomas, right?¡± I say, stepping up to correct his stance and make him focus. He fell over himself, having not seen my approach. I chuckled as I helped him up. ¡°Let¡¯s get your stance sorted out before having another swing.¡± I adjust his feet, and his back, and his grip¡­ and where he has his head¡­ and¡­ actually it¡¯s easier to point out what he isn¡¯t doing wrong. Which is watching the ball. He¡¯s just not swinging at it properly, sadly. ¡°Hmmm, I got it. Try putting your bat in the way of the ball,¡± I offered. Tomas performed a rather admirable bunt that sees the ball falling well short of the pitching Geodude. ¡°Hmm, nice. That¡¯ll score some runs if we use it in the right situation. Practise that for a little bit and we¡¯ll pick up your swings again in a bit.¡± He grinned at his success and the ¡®thunk¡¯ of noise informed me he was dutifully honing this skill as I continued onwards. I worked through another five kids before calling for a break. ¡°Drinks! Kids, let''s break for some drinks and snacks before we get into pitching and catching!¡± The kids all turned towards their waiting parents instead of the dugout where the more senior players would keep their drinks and snacks. Tomas was now one of the fastest to cross the distance, instead of being the slowest. I made a note of that before glancing towards a few kids that were milling about, obviously having not prepared anything for themselves. I don¡¯t ask about where their parents were. That¡¯s a can of worms that a lot of the kids didn¡¯t really want to be opened. ¡°We¡¯ve got some bottles of water in the dugout, along with some orange slices. If you don¡¯t want anything, go there before the others get back. I¡¯ll talk to everyone there, alright?¡± This gave them something to do. I walked about setting up some markers for today¡¯s last round of practice. When the kids were back together I demonstrated how to field from the ground and for a high ball. Then just to help it stick I had them demonstrate it in groups of five. ¡°No, Richard! Like this!¡± I demonstrate the pose once more for catching and then point out five kids. ¡°Five of you wait for the next round.¡± Sadly, sometimes training kids was more like herding meowth as eight ran out all at once onto the field. When I spread the kids out for their game I was unsurprised to see that half of them had forgotten their postures. I continued to watch and make some notes for the kids that performed well or needed some additional practice. An old song comes to mind as I watch the kids scramble and struggle. I sing it under my breath as I work. ¡°Let¡¯s~ get down to business¡­¡± Eventually, the two hours of training were done and dusted. The parents all collected their kids, and the kids without parents trundled off up the hill towards the building that was in sight of the school. It had a new coat of paint and I could see a number of men, women, and pokemon working around the structure to update it, funded by a sizable donation I¡¯d given. The kids all had clean clothes, but that wasn¡¯t new. The staff at the orphanage took good care of the kids. It was just that buildings took a lot more money for upkeep than clothes. I waved them off and smiled. A trio of photographers watched me like Mightyena waiting for prey to stumble. If something had happened that they thought looked interesting, I probably wouldn¡¯t know about it until this week¡¯s celebratory magazine came out. The parents had been a bit confused at the photographer''s presence, and a pokemon fight or three had broken out until the newcomers agreed to only photograph me and not the kids. I expected that they¡¯d leave soon enough. It still amazed me that winning against Lance had caused all of this. What were they expecting me to do? March up to them and announce a formal challenge? That would be ridiculous. A glint of silvery-grey hair caught my eye just behind them. My eyes tracked downwards, noting that that hair was attached to a body that wouldn¡¯t have been out of place on a swimsuit model. I shot my eyes upwards as I realised I had been staring for a moment. Damn hormones. I found the woman grinning widely at me as she cocked her hip, making my eyes track down again only to rocket back up. I swallowed as my memory caught up with my hormone-filled brain. Karen was at my Little League practice and was watching me. Karen, who was known to be Agatha¡¯s apprentice, and who I knew was eventually destined to become one of the Indigo Elite Four alongside Koga, Bruno, and a trainer named Will. Also, if she was connected to Agatha then it most likely meant that she was with the Guardians. I walked across the field towards the stands where Karen was sitting, only to notice her smile turn into a smirk. She got up and walked around the structure with a wink that made me notice the sway of her hips. And while my brain knew what was about to happen with experience coming to the fore, a part lower down roared that something very different could be on the cards. I walked around the corner and found no sight of Karen. A small part of me was disappointed, but a larger, more logical, part of my brain relaxed. What on earth had that been about? I found I had far too many speculations and not enough information to properly glean anything constructive so instead I focussed on packing up the training session. When I was done I headed home. The encounter stuck out in my mind, however, and I found myself watching the shadows a little more on the walk back.
¡°See how your pokemon is losing sight of its opponent by turning a bit too much? Then she has to reorient herself, which is costing her time. She¡¯s setting herself back more than she needs to.¡± Rocko rubbed his chin before nodding excitedly. ¡°Woah, yeah! I totally see what you mean. She¡¯s overcommitting. Heh! I don¡¯t think I could have worked it out without your fancy tech!¡± I gave Rocko an amused look. ¡°It¡¯s just a camera and some review on a TV Rocko. This is hardly cutting edge.¡± Rocko shrugged. ¡°I ain¡¯t never heard of anyone else doing this. Must be why you¡¯re so strong. You¡¯re real smart for how young you are.¡± I gave Rocko another dry look. It was true he was no spring chicken, but he wasn¡¯t even middle-aged. He was only thirty after all. Then again, some of the women in town did get a bit funny around that age. Just the other day, I had seen a kid run through a cafe yelling something about cake one time. In his wake, he left a good quarter of the women looking harried and depressed. With Officer Jenny¡¯s recent revelation at the welcome home celebration, I suspected a few more than just Jenny and Joy knew about the ¡®poll¡¯ and their own position on it. Then again cultural norms, and the term ¡®christmas cake¡¯, were probably still applicable and damaging to their self-worth. I gave Rocko another look. He was¡­ well, he was rough all over with how he had grown his hair into braids. His facial hair could also use a clean-up as it was kind of patchy. I tilted my head. He wasn¡¯t copying surge, was he? I eyed him for a moment before shaking my head. No, this was just him being lazy. When you said ¡®Ace Trainer¡¯, most people didn¡¯t think of Rocko. They think of the sleekly dressed trainers that hang around the League trying to earn themselves sponsorship deals or positions beyond mere entry-level jobs with the top organisations in Kanto: the Rangers, the Explorers, or the major corporations like Silph and Devon. To be an Ace Trainer you needed to have undergone the Gym Circuit and won eight badges. From there, it didn¡¯t matter if you did well or not at the Conference; you were able to take part in challenges with other trainers and your win-loss record resulted in you scoring or losing points. Your performance at the Conference did give you more or less points to start off your ¡®Ace Career¡¯ however. You could challenge for Gym Badges in a new region but if you wanted to keep building your Ace Trainer career you needed to face the Gym Trainers at their best. Their best being their pokemon team with no restrictions. For example, I could even field non-rock pokemon if I desired during an Ace trainer challenge. Otherwise, they had to reset everything but one pokemon on their team and only use pokemon that could be found within the region. The whole system reminded me of tennis but the best Ace wasn¡¯t recognised as the best trainer. That title always went to the regional Champion. If you were in the top eight of the Ace Trainers you could put in a challenge to the Elite Four. Professional battlers for the most part, you could still have this title while working as a Gym Trainer, Ranger, or even another full-time job. Most people made sure to dress a certain way or have some emblem that showed off their rank. Rocko looked and acted a bit like Shaggy from Scooby Doo. Only not at all afraid to stand and fight. He was much more laid back than most trainers, and insulting him rarely caused him to demand a challenge. On those rare occasions, people would smirk and send out their pokemon expecting an easy match. Then he¡¯d release his Gloom or his Kangaskhan and wipe the floor with them. He was very useful to have for people attempting to run the gauntlet at the higher badge challenges. ¡°Something on my face Brock?¡± ¡°Nah, I was just wondering how come you¡¯re not dating anyone.¡± ¡°Oh, that.¡± He flicked his fingers into the table a little before looking off to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t really¡­ I just don¡¯t feel attraction to people¡­¡± I gave him a look at that before glancing at his pokemon fighting in the arena as we chatted to the side. ¡°Pokemon?¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± He gave me a confused look before realisation sets in, ¡°Oh! No, no-just, I¡¯m asexual entirely, I think it is termed? Just all around not interested in relationships or sex. Like, at all.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said, more surprised by that reaction than if he¡¯d said yes to my question. ¡°Yeah alright then.¡± I was about to move on before deciding I better ask another question just to check. ¡°No one gives you any trouble over that, do they?¡± He rubbed the back of his head. ¡°My parents did, but then I convinced them to foster some kids and that seems to have gotten them off my case. Also helped out the local orphans so now they¡¯ve got like five at a time living in their house. They¡¯ve had twelve other kids so far.¡± he smiled at that. ¡°Kinda weird how super effective that move turned out to be, yeah?¡± I laughed and returned to working with him on improving his pokemon¡¯s battling ability. ¡°I consider it weirder what you can learn about someone when you just chat sometimes.¡± Rocko merely chuckled and gave me a look like he knew something I didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t elaborate and instead directed me to help him tighten up his Pidgeotto¡¯s turning radius. When I''m done I clap him on the shoulder. ¡°Also, you qualified for a raise this last quarter so expect another pay increase.¡± ¡°Dope,¡± was all he said as he returned his Kangaskhan and Pidgeotto before picking up his Gloom. Instantly his entire demeanour relaxed a little more. ¡°You can try and talk with me about the raise, you know? Ask for a little more?¡± I offered as he walked off. ¡°Nah, I trust you boss Brock man. I¡¯ll send some of the extra stuff home! Got another two little siblings coming up for their journey this year!¡± I chuckled before moving on to my next task in the Gym. When I reached my office I keyed in a number on my phone. Sadly, the person on the other side of the line didn¡¯t answer on the first call. I did some paperwork for ten minutes and called them again. They still didn¡¯t answer. I finished my paperwork and started toying around the pokenet information on my Gym, clicking through links to see how things feel. Rachel had been hard at work from what I could see, and the website was looking much more appealing and was easier to navigate. Then I checked the clock before calling again. This time the call went through. ¡°Hello! Hello? Can you hear me?¡± said the purple-haired man on the other side of the call. His face fills the screen of the call. Cheers, shouts, and music filled the audio. ¡°Jackson! It¡¯s Brock!¡± I could barely hear him over the music that was pumping in the background. ¡°Brock? I¡¯m on Pummelo island! There¡¯s a huge festival going on because some crazy new trainer took over for the region as their ¡®Supreme Gym Leader¡¯! It¡¯s so wild!¡± ¡°Lindsay lost? She was pretty strong!¡± I shouted back, recalling my own time in the Orange Archipelago. ¡°Yeah! She went down three to six! The new guy is really good! There is so much beer flowing right now!¡± I whistle at that before making a decision. ¡°Right, well I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in any state to do anything related to work. Are you alright down there, having fun?¡± ¡°So much fun! I love it down here! And Brock! Brock, there are soooo many beauties down here! I can just walk to any beach and they¡¯re there! This is my paradise! Thank you for sending me here!¡± ¡°Glad you''re enjoying yourself.¡± ¡°I love you so much,¡± he said with a sob. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll talk again later. Maybe stop drinking everything offered to you? Otherwise, you have fun tonight and I¡¯ll call again late tomorrow to remind you of the meeting you need to be proxying in for.¡± ¡°Wooooo! Yuji¡¯s number one!¡± Was the last thing I heard as it looked like Jackson was making his way into another bar. From the brief snippets of his surroundings, it looked like Jackson was right, and an island-wide party was in full swing. I suddenly felt jealous that I¡¯d sent him instead of going myself. I should have gone down there and¡­ well, I wouldn''t have been able to enjoy the party as much, given that the League mandated the drinking age to be eighteen. Still, I would have had other ways of enjoying myself! I huffed and headed off to find my own amusement. ¡°Brooock!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go running to Brock!¡± I rolled my eyes as the anthem of being a single pseudo-parent with nine younger siblings began. Looked like it was family-time now instead of me-time. Arceus forbid I get some time for myself.
¡°¡ª with Rocko acting as secretary to record the dialogue for the Pewter Gym.¡± I glanced at the clock and recited the time while Rocko dutifully noted down anything said. Again, despite looking unreliable, he was a solid worker. I¡¯d probably have to give him another pay bump soon. ¡°Attendants for this meeting are Brock, current Gym Leader, with trainer Rocko acting as Secretary. Dennis, Celia, Rachel, Georgina, and Jackson are attending via transceiver, with Gym worker Yolanda also present.¡± I pointedly glanced at the door before shifting to Yolanda. ¡°Forrest is at his friend¡¯s house and isn¡¯t coming,¡± she said. I rolled my eyes. Was it too much to ask for some professionalism if he was going to be stepping up? I grumbled at that. I could have another talk with him, but then again what could I expect from him? He was thirteen. I tapped the desk as I played that thought over in my mind. I¡¯d been thirteen¡­ Well, actually that was a lie. I had way more life experience than Forrest when I took over. I couldn¡¯t focus on that right now. I needed to run this meeting to make sure the Gym was sailing smoother than a Wailord after a school of Magikarp. ¡°Right, first order of business is welcoming our new accountant. Everyone, please welcome Georgina Glass to the team.¡± I gestured to the woman with rather dark navy hair. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Dennis gave the bespectacled woman a polite nod while Celia leaned over and waved at her. Rocko merely watched on placidly. ¡°She came highly recommended from Lawrence, and when I tested her with our accounts she had us really straightened up for the audit on our finances. To the point that the League has reimbursed us for the last two circuit¡¯s taxes. You might see her daughter also floating around. Please keep in mind that her daughter does not have access to our pokemon unless I allow her.¡± Georgina giggled. ¡°See was rather put out when you wouldn¡¯t let her practise with some of the pokemon. I believe you have her sitting a trainer''s course at the Technical Academy?¡± Yolanda grimaced. ¡°Oh, poor Crystal, that course is soooo boring.¡± ¡°It¡¯s important,¡± I said firmly. Georgina merely nodded her head. ¡°Well, she¡¯s determined to contribute so please be nice to her when she¡¯s around. She looks a lot like I did when I was younger, so you can¡¯t miss her!¡± I coughed to reorder my thoughts before continuing with the meeting. ¡°Also, the Gym now officially has Lawrence on retainer for any legalities we need looking over. He also helped out tremendously during the recent audit .¡± Everyone in the room shivered but Georgina merely shook her head in amusement. ¡°Alright, is there any old business to review?¡± I asked. Rocko lifts notes from the end of last season. ¡°You announced that you were looking into getting another two Gym Trainers to be hired full-time.¡± ¡°Right I have posted that around the community, and I also put in a submission through our employment agency.¡± ¡°Oh, did we not get any? Yolanda said with a frown, ¡°Then again it might have gotten plastered over if you used the community notice board,¡± Yolanda pondered. ¡°There were a lot of notices torn down around the time of your match. We could do some more word of mouth adverts while you set them up.¡± I stopped and smiled at her. ¡°Ahhhh, well¡­ the issue is not so much that we didn¡¯t get any applications¡­¡± I leaned over and grabbed the first tower of paperwork. When it landed on the table it gave off a solid whoomp of weight. Rocko sat back in his chair while Dennis stared with wide, horrified eyes. ¡°H-how many applied?¡± said Dennis a quiver of fear in his voice. ¡°Through mail? And at the steps of our Gym?¡± I brought up another two towers of paperwork. ¡°Exactly this many people applied.¡± In the horrified silence that followed, Rocko nodded his head. ¡°So¡­ guess we¡¯re still pretty popular, then?¡± Rachel did a little wiggle of joy in her seat and pumped her fist. I shot him an amused look. ¡°Yes, physically this many people applied. However¡­¡± I dragged the word out and Rocko groaned as he put two and two together. ¡°I also put out a call to the job agency and through pokenet. So we have an additional¡­ oh, fifty applicants to work through?¡± Dennis scratched his head. ¡°How many did you get from the agency? They¡¯re usually selective?¡± ¡°I got eight from them and from a casual read-through of their resumes, all of them are making it through the first round of the job application. I got another forty-two from online pokenet users that still need to be reviewed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of pokenet applicants?¡± wondered Dennis, scratching his head. Rachel huffed at him. ¡°It¡¯s a growing resource! Just you wait! When I have the Gym¡¯s page done we¡¯ll have people coming to the Gym virtually all the time! I¡¯ve even almost got an online store set up!¡± Rocko and Dennis both hum in an equally disinterested fashion. They had gone most of their lives without the pokenet. It seemed like a new fad to them. Physical community notice boards were still the current best way forward with getting out news as in the pokemon world communities were tied together closely and more people checked them. They¡¯d never think to look online at the pokenet community notice boards. Or at least, that was the case currently. I expected things to shift soon as more people found how easy having a good pokenet would be for their life in general. I was half toying around with the idea of creating something easy such as a dedicated messaging board. But that was for the future. Rocko and Dennis both collected a slab of resumes to look through themselves. As senior trainers, vetting applicants to the Gym did come under their responsibilities. I gestured for them to give them a read now or later. Both started now. Dennis with a serious expression while Rocko leaned back into his chair. ¡°Alright! What¡¯s going to happen is that we¡¯re all going to go through and give these a skim. I want people qualified with at least four badge applicants. Locals preferred. Exclusion criteria would be bad spelling or a shoddy resume right now. We¡¯ve got a big pool of candidates here so let''s be picky! That¡¯ll cover the initial draft and then we will do further reviews going forward along with going through face-to-face interviews eventually. The job agency people are all through for the face to face and I have them scheduled in fooooorrr a few days,¡± I said with a vague hand movement. I snapped my fingers. ¡°Oh, also, set aside receptionist applications and anyone that is coming in for the breeder side of things¡­ the Agency didn¡¯t have any of them.¡± ¡°Not surprised,¡± said Rocko as he flicked through a resume idly. ¡°They get really good rates from corporate groups for hanging out in the wilds.¡± ¡°Huh, you¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t post anything about wages¡­ I¡¯ll need to look into that. I would have thought some might have applied for the chance to work with ancient pokemon.¡± Dennis grunted. ¡°They pay really, really well.¡± ¡°Might be worth asking around at Pokemon Tech? A young idealised applicant, maybe?¡± Rocko said as he paused on another resume. ¡°Say, what should I do with resumes that send in¡­¡± He flicked his eyes about the room, ¡°graphic attachments.¡± Rachel tilted her head but I could see that Georgina understood straight away what Rocko meant. Her eyes swivelled to me. I gave the ¡®correct¡¯ answer. ¡°Just toss ¡®em,¡± I said. Georgina beamed at me while Rachel gave a coy tilt of the head. ¡°I still don¡¯t get it?¡± she said. I rolled my eyes at her while gesturing at Yolanda and Celia to stay seated. They both pouted at me but it was ineffective. Rachel stood up and walked around to see what Rocko had. He handed her the resume and she giggled. I gave her a raised eyebrow. ¡°Satisfied?¡± I asked with a dry tone. She rolled her eyes and hurried back to her seat. Georgina huffed at her but seemed more amused than anything. I shook my head. ¡°Anyway,¡± I said, getting us back on track. I looked to the notes I had laid out. ¡°Next item of business¡­ We¡¯ll have to match up holidays so that I have someone else around to help me vet them.¡± Rocko raised his hand and I motioned him to say his piece. ¡°Gonna try and save up my holiday time this year for the period after the initial surge, boss. Might go on a trip with my new brother and sister to help them along until they get their fourth badge.¡± ¡°Right, put in time for it and we¡¯ll make it happen.¡± I wrote that on the calendar before reminding everyone that we needed to keep at least two to three other trainers on hand in case there was a later influx of trainers after the initial rush at the start of the season. Then I asked for any other time off requests before moving on to the next topic. ¡°We¡¯ll also be looking into getting a receptionist trained up to handle further duties. The Gym has gotten a lot more popular of late. We can probably blame Rachel for this,¡± I said with a smile. She huffed. ¡°As you should! With my work, you¡¯ll have more trainers than you know what to do with knocking on your front door!¡± I chuckled and wrote a note about scheduling another media appearance in the future. I¡¯d mention it later with her. Then I moved on to the next item. ¡°With us looking to hire at least two more trainers, we will likely be one of the largest Gyms around. I think Saffron has more people under their banner training, but not as many employed trainers. The only others would be Cinnabar and Viridian. Oh, or Saffron¡¯s fighting Gym under Kong.¡± Dennis huffed at that as Celia sniggered. I tapped the whiteboard I had sat in front of. ¡°Also we will be developing closer ties with Fuschia this year, as Koga has asked me to host his daughter as a Gym Trainer, to give her an insight into how things work at a larger Gym. We will be treating her just like anyone else. It might work out well with the new hires, too, as I can just slot her in with them most of the time. When she fights for the Gym I will be having her use some of our communal pokemon so I expect someone will have to train her out of poison-style and delay tactics.¡± ¡°Koga¡¯s sending his daughter to us?!¡± Yolanda was up on her feet in surprise while Dennis and Rocko shared a look. ¡°Koga has a daughter?¡± Celia asked. Georgina merely watched on with her ever-present smile. ¡°Koga does indeed have a daughter. Her name is Janine.¡± I watched as Yolanda connected the dots between Koga¡¯s mystery daughter and the oddball who had been in our living room a few days prior. ¡°You¡¯ve met her already,¡± I confirmed. Yolanda coughed. ¡°I¡­ Ummm, I spent more time talking with Erika and petting Eevee¡­ Janine seemed nice?¡± I chuckled while everyone else looked at me with curiosity. I ploughed on. ¡°I think this is a great opportunity for us all and I will be expecting for you all to welcome her when she comes. We don¡¯t have to show her everything, but do expect to be teaching or training with her. As much as she¡¯s going to be receiving instruction, you should also take advantage of getting the chance to work closely with a poison-type specialist.¡± I drummed my fingers on the table as people started talking amongst themselves in excitement. I let them throw around some potential training plans, and recorded a few on the whiteboard to work into our training shifts for when Janine joined. ¡°The next item I want you to be aware of is that I have been talking with my financial adviser and they have a suggestion. Having run this by Georgina, I think this is a good topic for her to introduce.¡± I gestured at her and she stood, straightening out her attire as she did so. ¡°A recent analysis of how many challenges it typically takes trainers to achieve the Boulder Badge¡­¡ª¡± She coughed for a moment, ¡°¡ªdiscounting those that never get the badge, has determined that on average trainers will face this Gym two point seven times. This means that, at a higher than two average matches per trainer, there is a significant chance to earn back what we pay out upon the normal winnings.¡± She adjusted her glasses and glanced around to make sure people understood. Yolanda just looked lost and Dennis was scratching his head. ¡°It costs only a little to challenge us but we pay out pretty well when they beat us?¡± Rachel surmised with a tilt of her head. Georgina nodded. ¡°Yes! Now, obviously, we have other earnings, and the higher tier challenges such as running the gauntlet have a better payout, but the average number of times that Brock has to fight trainers results in this figure.¡± She approached the whiteboard and wrote out a figure that was, by my reckoning, about ten percent higher than our payout. She shifted to another page of her notes. ¡°Currently, trainers can afford to challenge us twice easily, without it biting into their funds. From the analysis performed, Brock should raise prices for the entry challenge rate to accrue more earnings. I also advise tha¡ª¡± I listened as Georgina outlined her report on raising our costs all over the gym. I announced that challenges will be raised in price, but that other features such as rental and training sessions will remain the same unless the trainers themselves wished to increase the rates for people requesting training time with them. Dennis voiced his own desire for this as did Celia. I also get a timid desire to raise the price from Yolanda which surprised me. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you got that many training requests?¡± ¡°I also sometimes took part in your gauntlet run for the last circuit!¡± She said with a bounce in her seat. ¡°I ended up with a few people looking for tips on raising Rock types that I¡¯ve sort of absorbed by living with them so much. It wasn¡¯t the best pay, but if you¡¯re offering a bit more pocket money for me I won¡¯t say no?¡± Yolanda said with a sheepish look while still puffing her chest out in pride. I nodded at her before gesturing to Rocko. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll start raising prices but add in bonuses for people who partake as Gym Trainers. I hope you all realise this will mean I expect you to try and direct more trainers down this tougher path while keeping to their badge level. I don¡¯t want you to hustle them.¡± Everyone agreed seriously with this and seemed happy with the change overall. Then again I did just include a bonus for them that was directly linked to their work. I suspected the two-point-seven average might change in future as more effort was put into pushing trainers toward the gauntlet challenge. Georgina considered her notes before speaking up once more, ¡°Are you sure the Gym shouldn¡¯t raise prices across the¡ª¡± I waved her off. ¡°The Gym makes enough money as it is. We will soon have the breeding program set up for a number of our pokemon that are extremely rare. I¡¯m hoping to hear back from the Blackthorn Clan soon about Don¡¯s progeny, and I know I saw an email from Professor Elm that is in my inbox for later review.¡± I raised my fingers as I listed them off, ticking off revenue streams, ¡°We have the ticket sales for seats with some of the bigger challenges when they roll into town. We have posters, and other nicknacks that I¡¯m hoping to set the receptionist up with.¡± Rocko raised his hand. ¡°We still need a breeder. We¡¯re counting eggs that haven¡¯t been laid, let alone hatched otherwise.¡± I blinked at him before realising that I had forgotten to list it. I knew I had written it down in my personal notes. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. If we want to make sure the young pokemon and eggs are healthy we should hire a dedicated breeder.¡± It went on the list of jobs to be handled along with notes on how we would get one. ¡°We should also add toys for your Elite team!¡± said Yolanda passionately. I hummed and wrote that on the board. Rachel leaned forward. ¡°You could be paid to do TV or radio gigs as well! You already did a guest appearance on Seventy-Six Radio, and I know there¡¯s a lot of people that would love to have you on and would pay for it!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll keep that as a money for me idea rather than a Gym idea, but I see what you mean. It isn¡¯t exclusive.¡± I said. I sounded out the rest of the room for ideas. Celia wanted me to try doing a calendar for the Gym. It sounded like a good idea, and she got excited for some reason while Dennis chuckled and shared a look with Rocko. Holding a local tournament close to the start of the year was also suggested. I shot that idea down as there wasn¡¯t really a need for it. We saw plenty of people in Pewter at the start but towards the middle or end of the circuit? That¡¯s when challenges slowed right down and a tournament might be well received or, more importantly, possible. Regardless, it was also added onto the list. I then added in a ¡®contest¡¯ tournament with question marks which had Yolanda bolting upright in her seat. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about doing a contest!? Really?!¡± ¡°Pewter traditionally doesn¡¯t take part in the Contest Circuit, and it isn¡¯t recognised like Fuschia, Celadon, Saffron or Cerulean. But there¡¯s no reason we can¡¯t have our own charm on display. I think it¡¯s worth investigating,¡± I said I barely finished speaking before Yolanda was standing with both arms raised. ¡°I¡¯ll help! I want to help! I¡¯ll do the research and find out what¡¯s needed!¡± I blinked at her before pointing my pen. ¡°Alright! Do some research and we¡¯ll look into it.¡± Dennis tilted his head and looked at the suggestion sceptically. ¡°Not too sure about that boss. Not many people turn up for those¡­ Do they even see much popularity?¡± Celia spoke up before I could, ¡°I spoke with some Hoenn trainers at the conference and they¡¯re always going on about them. They might like to have more, and it doesn¡¯t have to be a smashing success. Something new for the locals might be nice?¡± Dennis rubbed his jaw and shrugged. ¡°Might make for a nice change of pace for a week to have coordinators flouncing around.¡± Rocko merely nodded his head, not at all bothered as he dutifully read through another resume. This one made it into what I assumed was his ¡®keep pile¡¯. ¡°Any other suggestions?¡± I asked around. Jackson chimed in for the first time that meeting, ¡°More challenge matches between us and other Gyms or even top-ranked Ace Trainers for increased ticket sales, like they do down in the Orange Islands!¡± ¡°Oh, nice! Yeah, that is something that will draw people in. We can also licence the local food industry for supplying rights.¡± I jotted that on the whiteboard with large bold letters that I underlined. ¡°Any suggestions on who I should offer the challenge to first?¡± Rocko gave me a sly look. ¡°How about Celadon or Saffron?¡± I frowned before nodding. ¡°Those would be two popular Gyms. With us linking up with Fuschia, those two would also be good Gyms to become closely associated with.¡± Everyone nodded happily at this. It seemed like a good idea. I looked over my page and saw there was nothing else written that couldn¡¯t be handled with a private discussion with Rachel. I mentioned this to her and she bounced in her seat, happy to have me interested in lining up another media appearance. I then recalled that I probably should mention one other potential wrinkle. I glanced at the door and sighed. With Forrest not being here, I couldn¡¯t fully announce my intentions to increase his duties but that probably wouldn¡¯t have been the best way to handle things regardless. As it stood I needed to talk to him about stepping up more. ¡°Before I call the meeting to a close there is one more item.¡± I looked up at the ceiling not looking at anyone and most pointedly not looking at Yolanda. I¡¯m not sure what I wanted to see there so I tried not to look. ¡°Recently we¡¯ve had someone scouting out the Gym perimeter. You might have noticed the rather scruffy man with the beanie and jumper loitering around the grounds.¡± Dennis grumbled a bit but I waved him off. ¡°That man is Flint. Yolanda and I¡¯s father.¡± She gasped and I found myself looking despite myself. Yolanda looked hopeful. I chewed on my lip and swallowed what I could before pushing on. ¡°He is likely looking to return to my family. He may even ask to resume his duties at the Gym.¡± Celia stood at this, slamming her hands into the table in front of her. ¡°No way! Flint didn¡¯t build the Gym up like you have, and he didn¡¯t hire that many people before! He didn¡¯t train people!¡± Rocko watched me closely. I clenched and unclenched my hands. ¡°The situation is¡­¡± I waved my hand before flapping it about uselessly. ¡°Awkward all around. Flint left a little over two years ago now. I think for my family it would be¡­ nice, if he could return to be a part of it.¡± Celia glared at the ground before nodding. Rocko and Dennis continued to watch me. I¡­ hadn¡¯t really thought about it before but the Gym back then hadn¡¯t been very big, nor had it been open to employment. If I ever left, I¡¯d be putting¡­ everyone in this room into uncertain hands. I blinked as that realisation dawned on me. I¡­ hadn¡¯t really thought it through before beyond just my family, had I? If Forrest were to take over he¡¯d probably listen to Flint more than Rocko or Dennis. Flint hadn¡¯t hired anyone for the Gym when he¡¯d run things. They probably thought if he returned and took things over, they¡¯d be out of work if I didn¡¯t lock things down and restrict Forrest from certain actions. But that would be like playing puppet master with Forrest. Which didn''t sit well with me, and would be terrible for everyone involved. Rachel¡¯s eyes flitted around the room. Her lip was chewed on as she held in the questions she obviously had as someone that had only recently moved to Pewter. It was probably more awkward for her with little to no reference. Georgina gave me a supportive if sad smile. ¡°What¡¯s that mean for us?¡± Dennis asked. I was suddenly reminded that he had a wife and had been talking about having a kid soon. ¡°I will be securing your contracts for the year and then the next circuit as normal,¡± I said, turning to him and watching how he relaxed only a little. His gaze stayed on me. I rubbed my forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t think you have anything to worry about Dennis. I have checked with Lawrence so things are squared away, but having Flint back would¡­¡± I rethought what I was going to say, ¡°Is going to create some rough patches. There¡¯s going to be some drama there, so your forbearance would be appreciated ¡®cause I¡¯m not sure I want to get into it now but it is probably going to affect you,¡± I made a vague waving gesture, ¡°in the future.¡± I rubbed my face. ¡°Until then, we¡¯re really just waiting for Flint to come to talk with us, ¡®cause I don¡¯t think me dragging him in is going to be good for anyone. Rest assured that he will not be Gym Leader upon his return.¡± I gave the room a look. Rocko, Dennis and Georgina had all relaxed a lot more while Celia looked like she¡¯d calmed down from her earlier fit of annoyance. Yolanda gave me a hesitant smile. I sighed and pushed on with the meeting, very much wanting this discussion to be done with. ¡°Anyone else have anything they want to say?¡± The room was quiet as they contemplated that the Gym might potentially have a very large hurdle to clear soon. Jackson chimed in once more. ¡°Arceus, that killed the mood¡­ Guess I¡¯ll keep an ear out for if anything changes before I can get back.¡± I gave the room another look before checking the clock. ¡°Right. We¡¯ll end the meeting here. There is a paid holiday coming up in a few days time for everyone that is on wages. Jackson, Celia, you keep developing your teams. We¡¯ll talk again soon about where you want to explore next, who you can take will change depending on your answer. Until the next formal meeting in two months'' time, we¡¯re operating as normal during the off-season.¡± I grinned, ¡°If you¡¯re still around the Gym over the next month I have Trixie coming in with her Hitmonchan.¡± Rocko groaned while Dennis got a far-off look in his eyes. Sometimes it paid to stay in shape, especially as a Gym Trainer. To make sure everyone kept up a standard of fitness I occasionally hired a local personal trainer to do a bootcamp with us. Rocko hated those sessions. Dennis endured them. Celia didn¡¯t know much about them, having been spared them in the past. Jackson groaned across the phone line. I collected my things, watching as the others filtered out of the room. I glanced at where Forrest should have been seated as Yolanda darted out the door after Georgina, likely to ask after Crystal. That whole Flint situation probably could have been handled better, I mused to myself. Then again, not all days could be great. Nor could everything be tactfully worked around. Sometimes you just had to work through it. I made a note to myself to talk with Forrest as well, maybe even set him up for a match with me to see where he was at skills-wise. A quick look ahead on my calendar had me smiling at the note regarding an upcoming meeting with Professor Oak and Elm in the next few days. That would prove to be interesting, of that I had no doubt. I tapped the note. Speaking of professors and scientists, maybe I should give Blaine a call? He¡¯d been¡­ Well, I had my suspicions about him and Giovanni working together that made me really lean away from offering him access to my Gym. I turned the thought over in my mind and decided against it. It was already going to be chaotic enough with two Professors coming by. I was about to close the book before pausing at the other appointment blocking out a full evening, two days later in my calendar. ¡®Meeting with Guardians¡¯. I felt a shiver run through my spine. That hadn¡¯t been there earlier in the day when I¡¯d checked. I stared at the location marked out, along with the note about bringing my best pokemon team. It looked like I was in for a few interesting days. Chapter 35 - Meeting with the Professors Next to me, Salvadore vibrated in place. I leaned against the entrance desk that had been installed to greet new trainers. I would eventually have a receptionist sit here, but that wasn¡¯t needed until the circuit kicked off. The only work we had right now was the local trainers looking to get some training, or a battle, in with the gym to keep their pokemon up to snuff. Celia had been encouraging a number of them to do so, and thanks to her efforts I was to run a training session with Rocko tomorrow morning. Dennis was off on patrol duties in conjunction with the police and Celia was linking up with the Rangers for a wild patrol. Salvadore checked his lab coat for the calculator that he¡¯d stuffed into his top pocket. He also had a thick notepad that I¡¯d noticed him scribbling into the entire day. He¡¯d started working on it after I¡¯d called and scheduled a time for the two top professors of Indigo to visit. Announcing that at breakfast had seen the younger members of the family staring at me in confusion while my older siblings perked up. Salvadore, however, had shown the most interest in the news. For the last week, he¡¯d popped up to observe me all over the place. Such as when I was training pokemon, feeding them, wrestling them or even just doing paperwork. He appeared and questions poured out of him. I¡¯d eventually gotten him to relax after promising he could meet the Professors with me instead of going to school that day. ¡°Sal, if you¡¯ve forgotten something you can just run and grab it from the house.¡± My suggestion was met with all of the imperious scorn a nine-year-old could muster. I yawned and smacked my lips together making him scowl. ¡°Brock! These are some of the best scientific minds in the world! I can¡¯t show that I¡¯m forgetful! What if they''re looking for apprentices?!¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯d be better off showing them your report card then.¡± This caused Salvadore to freeze before giving me a wide-eyed look. ¡°They won¡¯t ask for that will they?¡± ¡°It¡¯d be a useful indicator.¡± ¡°In pokemon studies only right?¡± ¡°Nah you need good writing, numeracy, and science scores I should imagine.¡± I scratched my chin before eying the now worried Salvadore. ¡°Sal, would you say you¡¯ve been serious with your studies prior to this?¡± He shook his head, not meeting my gaze. ¡°Well, there you go. You¡¯ve still got a number of years before your own journey.¡± ¡°I want an apprenticeship! Not a journey!¡± Salvadore said heatedly. ¡°And a journey would help open the door for that. For now, I think you should follow along, watch, and ask questions after giving them due thought.¡± ¡°What, why?¡± he said immediately. I chuckled as he proved my point. ¡°People get annoyed having to answer every question. It¡¯s better to think on the issue for a bit and present your best questions to show that you¡¯ve already thought deeply on the subject.¡± I considered that for a moment. ¡°You know in those science reports you have to do at school?¡± Cue the grumbling from Salvadore. ¡°Well, you need to write a hypothesis. You can voice some questions with this. Then right or wrong you show you¡¯ve got a good mindset for science .¡± I offered another shrug. ¡°Who knows, you might think of a question they have yet to ask, eh?¡± That got Salvadore to settle down. I chalked it up as a win as he seemed to seriously think on the issue instead of just reacting to whatever first comes to mind. It was rather interesting to learn that Sal wanted to go the research route. I¡¯d have to adjust a few of his future presents to give him some more chances towards that. The door hissed open a few minutes after that and Salvadore perked up as I stood. ¡°Professor! Hello? Professor Elm!?¡± yelled Salvadore in greeting. In the doorway, a tall thin man steps back in surprise before patting himself down. ¡°Eh? Yes? That¡¯s my name?¡± He said while tilting his head. He made a small ¡®Aha!¡¯ noise when he plucked a lanyard with his image and name printed on the front. He proffered it to use. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m Professor Elm!¡± He then flipped it around as if to double-check it. He blinked blearily and scratched at his receding hairline as he looked at us. ¡°This is the¡­ Pewter gym, yes?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± I smiled and wondered if I asked him what month it was if he¡¯d know. While he didn¡¯t seem confident in his own name, I had no doubt this man was the esteemed Gold/Silver starting Professor. He had the exact match to his in-game sprite with his thin hair and thick glasses. He obviously knew enough to come here today. He¡¯d even arrived at the right time which was impressive. It did surprise me that he hadn¡¯t brought any aides but I shrugged it off. ¡°I¡¯m Salvadore!¡± Shouted my brother, grasping and pumping one of Elm¡¯s hands up and down. I coughed pointedly. ¡°And this is my older brother! Brock!¡± Elm¡¯s gaze sharpened as he turned towards me. Then he lost his edge as he glanced to my side before approaching. I got the impression he was trying to look behind me over the desk like I was hiding something. I reached out and shook his hand, an inkling of an idea forming. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Professor, would you be interested in some tea and snacks¡­¡± He seemed to wilt a little, ¡°Or would you like to jump straight into reviewing the pokemon we spoke about?¡± He shot up like a magical beanstalk. ¡°Oh yes! Yes indeed! I¡¯d rather begin examining the prehistoric pokemon that you have! And so many of them! There¡¯s so much potential there! So much to learn from the ancient methods used!¡± A notepad appeared in his hands. ¡°Have you¡­ ever observed the pokemon breeding by any chance?¡± I grimaced and shook my head tightly. I wanted to say no. Then I recalled a particular instance of Don preening and¡­ I shuddered. I tried to shut that line of thought down, but Elm smelt blood. ¡°You have!? Tell me! What behaviours did they display?¡± Memories of spending a night in a tent being forced to listen to Don with his harem of Pellipers surged. The memories came up, I recalled the squawking, crooning beach full of pokemon mating that. Just. Had. Not. Stopped. I¡¯d been stuck on that beach for an entire night because Don refused to come back! I could still feel the cold of having to camp out along with all the noises, and the smells¡­ Urgh! I grabbed for the dark energy within myself forcing it up and jolting my mind. When I spoke I did so with a cool detachment. ¡°I think it would be better for you to handle that yourself.¡± Elm blinked in surprise but held his position. Salvadore flinched back at my sharp tone. ¡°Salvadore, please take Elm out back to meet the pokemon in question.¡± That served to divert Salvadore as his interest overcame his discomfort. ¡°Right! Right, this way Professor!¡± He grabbed the man and dragged him out the back. I remained where I was, waiting for the other Professor that had agreed to come. I exhaled and once again tried to push away the horrid memories. ¡°Ugh¡± I knocked on my head before reaching into a pocket. When I pulled my hand out I held a few varieties of stones. They weren¡¯t anything impressive or special. Some were smooth, some were rough, and some were flaky to the touch. They were all types of rock though. I turned them over in my hand letting my mind document their properties as I soothed my nerves. I didn¡¯t like having memories like that drag themself up, but Don¡¯s little sojourn on the beach was enough to leave scars. That little evening of enjoyment for him had bled into a rough day. I¡¯d ended up almost as tired as him only to then be challenged to a pokemon battle I didn¡¯t want to reject. So I went into a battle that to this day was one of the worst losses I¡¯d ever had in my career. I barely remembered stumbling into the pokemon centre to rest my team. The Nurse Joy that had cared for me had scolded me when I¡¯d woken up. I continued to turn the rocks over and over in my hands, feeling the hypnotic rhythm lull me into a more relaxed state. No¡­ that didn¡¯t match up. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten so agitated with just that. I rolled the rocks over. Perhaps I¡¯d focussed too much on Dark Aura of late. Or perhaps I¡¯d only focussed on the negative aspects of it? Or¡­ honestly, a whole host of possibilities arose, such as being stressed out and annoyed. People expected me to have the top Professors of the regions involved with the ancient pokemon I owned. I had been getting a few questions about it. Enough to make my more mulish side want to dig his heels in for the sheer hell of it. The phrase, cut my own nose off to spite my face came to mind. I was half tempted to reject them like I had Blaine''s offer but¡­ I could admit that some of the nostalgia bled through from my first life¡¯s childhood. This was Elm¡­ and Oak. In this life, Oak had an even larger legend to him beyond merely being the top professor in Kanto. So, I did want to talk with him, pick his brain and see what he was like in person. He¡¯d be very interested in the pokemon I had no doubt. When I¡¯d first sought out Grampa Canyon I¡¯d known the pokemon there would contain ancient types. They¡¯d been none too pleased with my entering their territory. The difference had been that I¡¯d been ready for them. The Kabutops and the Aerodactyl had even proven strong enough for me to begin training up for my potential future as Gym Leader of Pewter. I¡¯d rechristened them Shin and Don. That had been a big win for my younger self. I¡¯d gained two powerful pokemon for my team and truly vindicated my knowledge. I¡¯d also been able to examine their current habitat. Allowing me to later replicate certain features such as mineral content in their water, and soil. Which pokemon were around which served as prey for them along with any vegetation that they might have eaten. All important information to have to keep their diet healthy for them beyond simple pokechow. You couldn¡¯t raise an elite-level pokemon on pokechow despite any claims the company liked to make. Breeding them would likely need a specialised team along with some people far smarter than me. For all that Don had probably already a few Wingull to his name as a parent, actually having a pokemon reproduce a specific species would involve¡­ Well, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure. I chuckled to myself as I recalled an old comic regarding the daycare worker and an egg. There had been a rather funny line regarding how he had no idea how it got there. I resolved that I¡¯d hire someone else to handle that side of things cause yeah, no. I wanted nothing to do with the process other than the results. The door did not open at that moment of dramatic realisation, sadly. Instead, I had to wait another ten minutes. This time when it opened Professor Oak did not enter alone. He entered with an entourage of three research assistants who all had serious game faces on as they walked lockstep slightly behind the former Champion of Indigo. He swept into the gym with a determined expression. His entire appearance was in contrast to Professor Elm. Where Elm was befuddled, Oak was radiating an intent so sharp he could wield it like a scyther blade. His grey hair didn¡¯t detract from his appearance or make him look old, but rather crowned him with wisdom and charisma. Oak walked straight up to me, his hand reaching out as he spoke, ¡°Brock! It¡¯s fantastic to finally meet you face to face! I have been watching your progress rather closely, and have to say I am impressed! The calibre of young trainers that make it through to the Indigo league has had a significant increase in their capabilities since you took over as gym leader.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I felt myself draw upwards slightly as I shook his hands. I looked down to realise that he had in fact used both hands to shake my own. I coughed and tried to push down the blush forming on my face while rubbing the back of my head. ¡°Well, thank you for the compliment.¡± ¡°More an observation. I think the bonds that pokemon and humans develop are some of the most important aspects of our world, and your inclusion on the gym circuit has helped strengthen more bonds than you can directly witness.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still nice to hear.¡± ¡°It is, I have no doubt.¡± Oak then chuckled, ¡°I just have the fortune of being the one to point it out!¡± He then seemed to shrink a little, relaxing into himself. Not so much lessening but folding his presence in on himself. ¡°My apologies! These are my assistants.¡± He gestured to a young man that tickled my mind. ¡°This is my senior assistant Cerise¡ª¡± he indicated a young brown-haired man with his glasses and a rather amicable face. He shook my hand then stepped to the side for the next assistant. ¡°¡ªthis is my assistant-aide Delphine,¡ª¡± this time a dark-haired woman that only came up to chin offered a bow while holding a set of notes to her chest. ¡°¡ª and finally assistant-aide Stephen.¡± Stephen was a light brown-haired man. Like the others, he wore a lab coat, but his top pocket bulged oddly. Stephen offered a bow only to jerk into a handshake after reconsidering it. I spotted the pokemon treats in his top pocket with the half bow. ¡°Gramps!¡± Shouted a voice from behind the group. Stephen and Delphine shifted to the side as another girl around my age stepped forward while giving me a megawatt smile. For half a second I wondered if she''d learnt a normal type move before I shook it off as her just being a rather cute girl. ¡°Hi there!¡± She chimed at me. I grinned at her enthusiasm. She was certainly a charming young girl¡­ who was actually my age by the look of her. ¡°And my granddaughter, Daisy Oak,¡± Professor Oak supplied. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± I made to nod my head only for her hand to swing forward in a clear invitation. I dropped lower, but don¡¯t actually touch my lips to her hand. It still made her giggle to herself while Oak huffed, rolling his eyes as she coiled a finger with her long light brown hair. She batted her eyes and laughed as I straightened up. That¡­ had felt rather nice? Oak coughed to break up the moment. ¡°Daisy, I¡¯m sure there will be plenty of time later to talk with Brock.¡± Daisy huffed and I pushed away my own disappointment to turn to the original Pokemon Professor. ¡°I guess, but I¡¯ll hold you to that!¡± said Daisy, looking straight at me with a considering gaze while addressing Oak. I gave a nervous smile. I hadn¡¯t agreed to anything, but it seemed she¡¯d just locked me in for a future meeting regardless. Oak offered a smile as if he was sorry, but I could see the amusement sparkling in his eyes. ¡°My team and I have already arrived late so perhaps we can progress to meeting the pokemon in question? I¡¯d hate to take any more of your time, Gym Leader.¡± ¡°Not a problem at all Professor Oak,¡± I said, turning and gesturing through the main doors that would let me lead them onto the free-range area. ¡°Shall we?¡± Daisy skipped up and grabbed my arm in her own, batting her eyes at me as she did so. ¡°We shall!¡± she said, tugging me slightly. Why did I suddenly feel I was in danger? I almost looked around for one of the Porygon I used for cyber security to leap out of the data cables while flashing a warning. That or Sabrina teleporting in. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. No such event occurred however and instead, I walked through the gym, giving the group with me a quick tour of the gym. Daisy stayed glued to my side the entire time, smiling up at me in a way that felt extremely odd. I should have been annoyed with having her just claim my hand like that, but I couldn¡¯t seem to muster any such feelings. If anything I felt comfortable, like I was being swaddled in a warm blanket that I could lean into. My nostrils were filled with the smell of wildflowers and honey. I had to constantly force myself to divert my focus to other things even as my mind turned over the strange feelings Daisy Oak was causing me to experience. If I didn¡¯t know any better I¡¯d have thought I was going through puberty all over again for a third time! I swallowed, pulling up some rock-type energy to settle my nerves. Oak chose to throw me a bone, and give me something else to focus on other than his granddaughter. He nudged an aide and the woman stepped up to my other side, assessing her notes as she did so. ¡°You mentioned in your message to me that you had originally discovered the pokemon within the Grampa Canyon?¡± I relaxed a little as Oak¡¯s aide, Delphine, began grilling me for information. The taller woman had a more harsh appearance that was all business with her long pants and buttoned-up blouse. She held a clipboard with a pen poised and ready for my answer. The other aides looked interested, while Daisy looked mildly annoyed at my attention being drawn to the older woman. I focussed on her. She was only trying to get some information confirmed so that she can probably scour the area sometime in the future. I was more than happy to gift her the information, having spent a good week spelunking during my Kanto journey. She fished around for some more data and seemed rather pleased when I continued to be open when I could while shrugging when I didn¡¯t have an answer. None of this information bothered me to give away. It was, after all, knowledge that was now four years old. I¡¯d given the Grampa canyon multiple visits for the possibility that I¡¯d be able to find a fossil or some other ancient pokemon. In the end, I¡¯d only gotten the five ancient pokemon and nothing else. The scientists would likely get more out of investigating those areas in one trip than I would in multiple at this point. When we entered the backyard we all paused. Before us, Elm was hurriedly rushing around Shin and my other Kabutops, comparing their lustre and other aspects while furiously scrawling on his notepad. Or ¡ª much to Salvadore¡¯s delight¡ª calling out observations to my younger brother. ¡°And these flaps around his groin seem to protec¡ª¡± ¡°AHEM!¡± Oak announced himself loudly. This caused Shin¡¯s swipe of his scythe that had been to warn off Elm, to shave the point of the man¡¯s hair as he whipped around. ¡°Oak! Oak¡­ Oak? Oak! Hello there!¡± greeted the much younger professor as he ran through a gamut of reactions. ¡°Elm,¡± said Oak in a much more controlled fashion. ¡°I see you¡¯ve stolen a march on us.¡± Elm chuckled and waved him off. ¡°Oh no such thing, no such thing! I was merely so excited that I had to get here as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Without any of your assistants?¡± Oak pointed out. Elm shook his head before gesturing to Salvadore. ¡°Nonsense Bianca and Joshua are right¡­¡± He trailed off when he met the gaze of Salvadore. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re very young? I hadn¡¯t realised you weren¡¯t my assistant.¡± I decided to give Sal a little boost. ¡°Heh! Must have been doing well then! Nice work! Professor Oak, this is my little brother Salvadore, watch out or he¡¯ll talk your ear off!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± Snapped Salvadore before turning to Oak, ¡°Hello sir,¡± he whispered. ¡°Another budding researcher eh? If there¡¯s anything the world needs it¡¯s more people with questioning minds! Come! Show us what you know of these magnificent pokemon your brother trains!¡± If Salvadore had wings he¡¯d have fluttered away with how excited he became. He opened his notepad and turned it to show some rather nice drawings of my Omanyte. ¡°Omanyte is a prehistoric pokemon that is actually rather shy. He has the typing of water and rock. He seems to¡ª¡± I grinned as Salvadore began to unleash a torrent of words at the researchers. Rather than being surprised though, they took it in stride with notepads or recorders appearing to record their own notes. Stephen pulled out a red case that took me a moment to recognise as a pokedex that he used to snap a few pictures of my pokemon. He also held out a recorder towards Salvadore. I listened for a few minutes and realised that there didn¡¯t seem to be a stopping point coming any time soon. Salvadore really had put in some serious time researching my pokemon hadn¡¯t he? A glance at his notepad showed that despite having a book nearly filled with writings, his work wasn¡¯t just prolific, but also densely packed. I could see drawings of various parts of each of the five prehistoric pokemon that he turned around and gestured to seriously while talking through his points. I pursed my lips. Salvadore had a lot of content to still work through. The sun was also rising and I could do the math. ¡°Perhaps we should retire inside the gym?¡± Elm shook his head. ¡°Oh no, that would not let us observe them in their natural environment.¡± Salvadore was quick to perk up and page to another section of his notes. ¡°Actually, much like where Brock found them, his pokemon prefer the section of the caves where he has a water lagoon set up!¡± Oak and Elm shared a glance before turning to me. ¡°Would you feel comfortable with us moving there instead?¡± I nodded slowly before clicking my tongue. ¡°I¡¯ll need to get you some tables and chairs with some lights. They like the dark¡­¡± None of the assistants seemed at all bothered by that. Even Daisy appeared interested. I nodded and whistled to some Geodudes and Graveler that had been sunning themselves nearby. ¡°Right, here¡¯s what we need!¡± I laid out some orders and within ten minutes we¡¯d all relocated into the cave system I had for my pokemon. I¡¯d had to grab Elm when we¡¯d walked past Sanchez¡¯s electrical cave. The man had been about to walk right into the cave despite the multiple warning signs to avoid doing any such thing. When we reached the grotto, the researchers all got themselves situated before continuing from where they had left off. Don claimed a spot high up on a ledge overlooking the caves that even had an outlet that led up to the top of the small plateau. The others wandered in and out of the water with only Shin¡¯s head being visible as he lingered in deeper water. Salvadore eventually ended his impromptu lecture on my pokemon before realising how he¡¯d just been word vomiting for the past hour. Before he could withdraw into himself stronger than a Shellder, Delphine and Cerise talked over each other with questions. ¡°You mentioned their feeding habits changing between the evolved forms?¡± ¡°You spoke of their preference for watery cave systems, how did you determine this?¡± Both gave each other a little glare, before eagerly turning back to Salvadore. ¡°Oh, I read through my brother¡¯s notes on them. I also laid out pictures of foods and environments for them! They pointed out their preferred options. Sort of like a yes-no quiz to narrow things down.¡± ¡°Very well reasoned young man. Too often people forget that while pokemon don¡¯t speak our language, they can easily overcome that impairment with us taking steps to provide more communication methods to them.¡± Oak praised from where he was sitting at a table with his own stack of notes laid out while he coaxed my Omastar onto a rock before his chair. ¡°Yes! Yes! Truly good work!¡± Exclaimed Elm as he flipped my Kabuto onto its back to tickle its stomach. ¡°Professor Elm!¡± ¡°ELM YOU NINNY!¡± Shouted a pair of voices as Yolanda led another pair of researchers who I could only assume were Joshua and Bianca. The echoes of their angry roars reverberated throughout the grotto. All my pokemon twitched and stirred Kabuto, Omantye, and Shin all jumped into the water. A few pokemon deeper within the caves rumbled and the earth shifted slightly underfoot, making everyone turn and glare at the newcomers. If there was one thing every trainer worth their salt learned on their journey, it was to not make loud noises within a cave system. Yolanda edged away from the suddenly contrite pair. They softly put their hands together and whispered a ¡®sorry¡¯ that carried to us. I inspected them with a highly unimpressed stare. Joshua appeared to be a muscled man with a bald head that shone like a well-polished eightball. Next to him, Bianca was a rather curvaceous-looking woman with a satchel slung over one shoulder that hung low as she held her bow. Her blonde hair was plaited in what was locally known as a Hoenn braid. In my past life it was a french braid. Don soared over to them and glared down at the pair of them. I stood up and snapped my fingers. ¡°Don, over here.¡± He glanced in my direction, then gave the pair another baleful look. He puffed at them and made his way over slowly to show that he wanted to come, not that he was coming because he¡¯d been ordered in any manner. I stroked his head with an exasperated smile. Daisy slowly approached us and trilled something softly that made Don inspect her. When he accepted her touch someone could have brushed me with a feather to knock over. Daisy Oak crooned a low hum from deep in her throat that got a response from Don as he nuzzled into her. ¡°How did you do that?¡± I said hoarsely. I thought I knew most of his quirks but to see Don so easily tamed. It was humbling. Daisy smiled at me. ¡°I¡¯m able to make all sorts of pokemon relax, Gramps loves it when I settle down the stirred up pokemon at the ranch for him. I¡¯ve always just kind of known what to do?¡± She said with a shrug. ¡°Huh,¡± I said. My attention was drawn from watching the young woman as Elm yelped as his aides reached him and began tearing into him for abandoning them. ¡°You said we should be at your lab at ten!¡± said ¡®Bianca¡¯ in a carrying whisper. ¡°Yes!? Ten, Kanto time?¡± Elm said nervously. This only made ¡®Joshua¡¯ growl at him harder. ¡°We live in Johto! Why would we use Kanto time unless you said so!?¡± Bianca kicked him in the shin causing him to hop about erratically. I settled in to watch the slapstick scene. Oak hadn¡¯t even bothered to stop documenting Shelly, I hadn¡¯t seen how he¡¯d managed that. Almost all of the other pokemon in the grotto had ducked under the water. He didn''t look up but still addressed me, ¡°Brock, have you any thoughts on loaning out your pokemon? I understand that you have a rather strong Lapras doing wonderful things for the reservation near Fuschia? Would you be intereste¡ª¡± Elm broke off his chastisement to cut off Oak. ¡°Now hold on a second there Oak! Don¡¯t you try and poach pokemon! Your research is on the relationships between man and pokemon. Not breeding like my own!¡± Oak put down his measuring tape. ¡°I merely meant that my own laboratory is the best equipped¡ª¡± ¡°Mine is more specialised!¡± ¡°Mine has a wider arrangement of pokemon for interactions to be documented. You need to establish potential breeding partners.¡± ¡°Most of your pokemon are from the trainers you sponsor! Brock would be locked into negotiations with each of them any time his pokemon bred for the egg!¡± They went back and forth for a while, Elm stepping forward and gesturing erratically with each point he made. Eventually, Elm had moved forward enough that he was leaning over Oak, with the older man not at all bothered by Elm¡¯s antics. Instead, he continued to write his observations down as Shelly waved her tentacles about. Cerise, Oak¡¯s head assistant, decided to be the voice of reason by placing his hands in the middle and dividing them. Or rather settling Elm back a bit. ¡°Gentlemen, gentlemen, perhaps you should see if Brock even wants to loan out his pokemon? Two of the ancient pokemon serve as part of his best six pokemon after all. I doubt he¡¯d be willing to lose them for long.¡± Elm and Oak looked up at that, their eyes questing the grotto for where I was sitting. ¡°He¡¯s correct. I¡¯m looking to establish a breeding programme here.¡± I decided to offer another option for them. ¡°Perhaps you could suggest a specialist for me?¡± ¡°Bianca here is well versed in my studies and looking to further document breeding groups!¡± Elm was quick to offer. Oak looked at his own assistants before clicking his tongue. ¡°Hmmm Stephen?¡± He said after weighing up his assistants. I felt like he was giving an ¡®off the hip¡¯ answer right now. Stephen coughed into his fist. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind remaining around Pewter, but I think I¡¯d prefer to continue my own research on the side. I¡¯m close to having something to present after all Professor!¡± Oak frowned at him and he raised his hands and waved them back and forth. ¡°But I¡¯d love to work on that as well! Honoured even!¡± I got the impression this was like having a doctoral candidate not volunteering for a project after their boss had already done so. I could remember a very tense moment in my past life when I was at University as a student. I¡¯d dropped in to talk to a tutor, who did the academic work on top of their own research, only to have to sit in the office while the head of the department stormed in, laid into them and then departed like a thundercloud. The experience had been enlightening. I had left that meeting with a quiet ¡®I¡¯ll ask this question another time¡¯. Stephen now looked at me imploringly. He¡¯d realised he¡¯d overstepped and it would be up to me. Honestly? The idea of having two Professor aides around¡­ didn¡¯t strike me as too bad an idea. If I could talk shop with them enough and ¡®spitball¡¯ certain theories I had, I¡¯d have witnesses ¡ªhighly credible ones at that¡ª as to how I came up with my rare pokemon if I wanted to continue really making the most of my knowledge. I decided to throw Stephen a bone. ¡°That actually sounds like a great idea. I think having a researcher like Stephen around would be great to get new insight into our pokemon!¡± I smiled at him and Stephen exhaled in relief. Oak smiled. ¡°Wonderful! So Stephen will operate out of Pewter gym for a while!¡± ¡°As will Bianca!¡± Said Elm hurriedly, his gaze frantically whipping from me to her. I looked at her and she smiled as she put a large blue glove on. She snapped it onto her wrist and for a second her smile gleamed. ¡°Breeding is my speciality!¡± Don growled in a way that I really didn¡¯t want to read into. I coughed. ¡°Well, I¡¯d love to have her. I¡¯ll have my lawyer create some contracts for the gym and the two labs to collaborate on.¡± I looked to Stephen who was quietly testing water samples. ¡°What was your area of interest?¡± He looked up from the machine he¡¯d brought with him. ¡°Oh me? I¡¯m looking into the differences in pokemon interactions with wild and tamed pokemon. It¡¯s a rather wide field all told, as there are many different aspects to account for!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to set up some housing options for you,¡± Oak said, nodding and letting the matter rest. His head turned back to his work only to find Shelly having moved on. I spotted her in Yolanda¡¯s arms, who was petting her. ¡°Actually, I still have some rooms available.¡± I offered to each professor, ¡°I try to keep some rooms free in case the local pokecenter gets filled up during the circuit.¡± I waggled my hand. ¡°Mind you it¡¯s not family-sized. They¡¯re single bed, bath and kitchenettes with only a single cupboard for personal effects.¡± ¡°Perfect! I¡¯ll be in and out on the routes between Viridian forest and Mt. Moon, so having something small would suit my needs,¡± Stephen chimed in. He then coughed. ¡°Along with being right here to document all the pokemon interactions in the gym of course!¡± He gave Oak a glance, but the man wasn¡¯t listening to him anymore. I gave Stephen a nod and made a mental note to see if I could have a talk with him and Bianca separately later. Bianca sounded like she was happy to set up shop here. Stephen sounded like he was going to roam further afield. If he learned about the Clefairys¡¯ ritual what would he, or Oak, do with the information? Bianca seemed rather pleased. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to claim a bunk in your gym Brock. That would help with the breeding programme!¡± She bounced in excitement and my eyes dipped to follow the rather pleasant effect of her movement before I tore my eyes away. Before we knew it I looked down at my watch only to find that it¡¯s one o¡¯clock. ¡°Ah! I think now is a good time to stop for lunch,¡± I said aloud. Elm waves a hand. ¡°You go right ahead! I¡¯m more than willing to push through!¡± I eyed the thin man. That¡­ made a lot of sense. Oak walked up to him and said something rather pointedly into Elm''s ear. The man stiffened. ¡°I would never sneak around! Anyway, I have more than enough to keep me busy here with just one of these marvellous pokemon!¡± Oak put his hand to his face. ¡°Why do I bother sometimes?¡± He redirected himself to me. ¡°Brock, would you prefer to have us out of here while you can¡¯t supervise us with your pokemon?¡± I gave him a so-so gesture. ¡°More than I think I should be here in case something does happen.¡± Oak nodded slowly turning towards Don, who Daisy was no longer pampering. He was instead being approached by Elm. He snapped his jaw loudly and Elm retreated. ¡°You know Oak, I think you¡¯re right! It might be best to let the pokemon settle for a while before we come back in say¡­ thirty minutes?¡± Don growled lowly. ¡°An hour?!¡± Elm corrected. ¡°That sounds like a good idea,¡± I said tossing some treats to Don before handing Shin, Shelly, Omantye and Kabuto each a treat of their own. ¡°What are you feeding them?¡± Cerise asked. ¡°Meat strips,¡± I said, amused that even this was being noted down for their research. I dusted off my hands and stood after that. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s get some lunch!¡± I said. Thankfully I had thought ahead enough to order food for all of us and any possible allergies we might have had. I was very amused to enter my kitchen to find a groaning Munchlax propped up in the corner while Cindy and Suzie played nurse to him. They nodded and gave me a serious look. ¡°His prog¡­ prongosis!¡± Said Cindy trying to work out the word she wanted. ¡°Prognosis?¡± I said. ¡°Prognosis!¡± she said happily before then garbling it, ¡°His ¡®progneesus¡¯ is not good! He needs ice cream!¡± In the background, Munchlax groaned. I patted her on the head. ¡°Nice try. No ice cream for lunch. Instead of more food I think your patient needs a quiet bed and a nap.¡± Munchlax agreed with this and so he was carted away. ¡°Dawwww! They¡¯re adorable!¡± said Daisy Oak. Professor Oak chuckled, glancing at the remains of the platter of food. ¡°So it looks like we will be orderin¡ª¡± I opened the fridge and pulled out the second platter I¡¯d ordered and hidden in the vegetable drawer. Oak blinked at that before throwing back his head and laughing. I chuckled myself and got rid of the mess the kids had left to cater for the professors and their team. I found myself rather looking forward to getting to sit down with them and asking more questions. Especially to Samuel Oak. The former first champion of the Indigo League. Chapter 36 - Picking the mind of an old legend The platter was rather quickly demolished and everyone broke into small groups to discuss their observations. I could almost see hypotheses and conclusions zipping through the air as people spoke, sometimes by themselves but most of the time there seemed to be another that was acting as Darkrai''s advocate. Salvadore for all that he wasn¡¯t contributing looked like he was loving every second of the intellectual back and forth. Daisy had been caught up with my younger siblings and dragged into the lounge room where I could see them playing with Eevee. Oak himself had remained at the table with his team¡¯s notes. He read through them all with a sharp eye but the smile and his bouncing frame showed that he was in his element. ¡°Anyone want a drink?¡± I offered the room at large. The group of debating scientists shook their heads, pausing for a moment only to return to argue over the importance of soil content. Oak perked up. ¡°If I could have a coffee with some milk and sugar that would be just lovely!¡± I had his drink made up alongside a tea for myself quickly. I claimed the seat next to him and settled back. Oak stopped reading through his notes and took a drink. Then he laid his drink back down and sat so that it was very obvious that I had his attention. The smile told me that he knew I had questions and this was an old routine for him. ¡°Might I help you with something Brock?¡± He said amicably. I chuckled, ¡°I guess you get this a lot?¡± I said gesturing towards myself. ¡°Everyone seems to think I have answers for them. I¡¯ve lived a good life for the most part. It¡¯s had its ups and downs. Coloured, is the best way I have heard it described. Some good, some bad. I¡¯ve gotten used to it. I rather like to believe I¡¯ve helped the majority of people that talk with me even!¡± He said with a proud puff of his chest. Then he rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Or at least I like to think so! Hahaha! So, what did you want to talk about?¡± I propped up my chin. ¡°Hmmm if only I could make up my mind about that myself¡­¡± Oak shrugged and gestured to the paperwork. ¡°Oh dear! That usually means you have a lot to ask!¡± He said with a teasing tone. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s one big question that needs to be approached delicately? Like trying to get an egg from a fearow¡¯s nest for breakfast?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done that?¡± I said trying to picture the man that had walked into my gym so calm and confidently with a man that would be silly enough to try stealing from a fearow. ¡°It was when I was young¡­ger!¡± He said making sure to say the last part under his breath, but I still heard it. I wondered for a moment if it hadn¡¯t actually been that long ago. I chuckled only to jolt as I realised how at ease I was with a man that was known far and wide in Kanto. He was surprisingly affable, but then again he¡¯d been that way in the anime. So perhaps it was how he was. Still, I had a number of questions I wanted to ask him. The question was where to start? My eyes drifted around and paused on Salvadore. ¡°What do you need to do to become a Pokemon Professor?¡± Oak followed my gaze to Salvadore. His expression softened. ¡°Well you need to want to be one first. It¡¯s a highly regarded role, but not a financially highly regarded role. There are certainly ways to make money off it but it depends on your field of interest.¡± He sipped his coffee. ¡°There are many years of hard work and rigorous learning that come before anything can progress. It might not seem that way right now,¡± He gestured towards Cerise pulling a face at Elm as the man decried Bianca¡¯s suggestion on the grotto needing to have a waterfall rather than a pond as it did right now. ¡°¡ªbut a lot of this information needs to be set out as precisely as it can be. For that, I¡¯d recommend that any aspiring man, or woman, looks to pursue their high school education and then take a university course. I lectured for a time at Celadon University so I¡¯m rather partial to it myself. ¡° He rubbed his chin, ¡°Being an intern at a lab would help to keep the goal in sight as well.¡± ¡°Would you recommend not going on a journey?¡± ¡°I think it is important to have the journey. It becomes a shared experience for so many of us that it shapes us for the rest of our lives.¡± I scratched my chin in thought. ¡°Despite less than a third of people actually getting to experience said journey to completion due to the restrictions?¡± Oak raised a single finger. ¡°There need to be some standards for trainers. Not all who use pokemon should be allowed to do so lest they train their pokemon and discard them creating problems for everyone with a lack of care and breaking the trust between mankind and pokemon. This would create serious problems for everyone were it the case.¡± I waved my hand back and forth. ¡°Ah, I was actually referring to the financial limitations that people face. You need sponsors willing to stable your pokemon for a journey, to have a better shot at going the distance to the conference.¡± ¡°That depends on what you want to get from the journey,¡± Oak rebutted gently. ¡°Some people just want a year off and to travel around. For those, it is the experience, but for the serious trainers there are still people rising up to be serious contenders with just six pokemon. Some people are more than able to enjoy themselves with the six pokemon holding limit the League enforces without stable rights.¡± I bobbed my head from side to side before speaking. ¡°It does limit their chances at more frequent wins however, and limits their possible experiences. People that make it to the Conference with only six pokemon are not as prolific as people with stabling rights. More pokemon usually means more chances at experiencing different battling styles or moves, leading to better performances.¡± Oak watched me. ¡°Hmmm is that your take on the issue of more pokemon versus less?¡± ¡°I acknowledge that a good trainer can make less pokemon work very well for them, as they are able to focus their efforts.¡± I raised a finger, ¡°However! More makes things easier as you have a wider choice of pokemon to pick from. Having more pokemon affects their ability to fight in more matches as well as their win ratio which impacts their cash reserves. This has a direct impact on how they get around, where they go, what they purchase for their pokemon and more. You can see how the issue compounds itself from there.¡± I wave my hand about, ¡°The new pokenet registry system they''re implementing might make the difference even more stark.¡± Oak nodded to show he was listening. I tapped the table. ¡°Pokemon trainers will be able to know what pokemon their opponents have ahead of time at tournaments, or if they¡¯re regularly using the pokenet. Previously trainers went into such matches mostly blind, but now they will be able to scout out opposition teams much easier. Again, quantity creates a difference. If you have to prepare against just six pokemon compared to a fully stabled trainer of twenty-six, who is going to have an easier time of it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s discounting the fact that some trainers are better than others,¡± he said. I got the impression he was more making an argument for the sake of it rather than believing his words. ¡°I¡¯m not discounting that, I¡¯m just saying that it becomes easier. You can win and the most dedicated or skilled or richest trainers will rise to the top but the middling trainers? They¡¯ll fall off in place of trainers with deeper pockets or sponsors footing the bill.¡± Oak drummed the table. ¡°That could potentially have some concerning ramifications¡­¡± He assessed me with a shrewd look. ¡°How would you address this issue?¡± ¡°How I¡¯m currently combating it, is by using an equity equals fairness approach for sponsorships.¡± ¡°Ho?¡± He said leaning forward. ¡°I offer sponsorships to young trainers for two years and allow them access to training with me, either in person or over a transceiver. Previously I have done this for two young trainers but starting this next circuit I will be offering it to four such trainers at once. I have the means to give back and invest in them. This on the scale of Kanto as a whole, however, only addresses a small percentage of the people that want to be trainers. It gives some people a chance, though. Now to qualify for this sponsorship you need to be assessed first with a means test, where people that have well-paying parents, those willing to support them that is,¡± I said as an aside. Oak¡¯s gaze sharpened at my words but I barrelled on. ¡°Those children don¡¯t qualify for the sponsorship. Whereas those children with no parents are given chances to work with pokemon for a week and demonstrate their skills. This allows people that seriously want to become pokemon trainers more opportunities.¡± I waved a hand. ¡°It¡¯s not a perfect solution.¡± ¡°Is there ever a perfect solution?¡± Oak said, taking a long drink of his coffee, his eyes vacant as he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m not unaware of what you speak of you know? When I was champion I was very aware of the division between the rich trainers and the poor. In my time the issue was more centred around pokeball purchase.¡± At my interested look he raised a pokeball from his belt. ¡°Pokeballs were limited in number and were more apricorn balls, lanterns,¡± He laughed once, ¡°I¡¯ve even seen a staff used to transport pokemon in!¡± I blinked as I recalled the Rota movie. ¡°But the issue back then was that only people with the closest of friendships with pokemon could have companions. This limited the strength of pokemon they could have unless they had access to the pokeballs of the time. This led to lots of issues, as transporting weakened pokemon was much tougher when they couldn¡¯t be returned.¡± Oak looked down as he rolled the pokeball around in his hand. ¡°Things¡­ things were rougher back then.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything and let him sit as he worked through his memories. Had he lost a pokemon that way? Unable to take it to a caregiver? The noise of the debate washed over me. I glanced over to find that they¡¯d found a whiteboard and were writing things, crossing them out and creating diagrams that I couldn¡¯t decipher. Or maybe that was just Joshua¡¯s handwriting? Oak sat up and shook himself lightly. ¡°I tried to address that issue during my time as a champion of course. To combat this I implemented a subsidy while investing League funds in research into technology for developing the ease with which pokemon can be captured. At the time this seemed a contentious issue and I had many sleepless nights over it, but it ultimately created what we enjoy today. The use and ownership of pokemon has grown explosively in our society and we¡¯re better off for it.¡± This time he looked at the pokeball in his hands with a smile. He tucked the pokeball away. ¡°Today the issue is one of finding the right answer.¡± He twirled his hand about the air. ¡°The pokenet is advancing our understanding and capabilities wonderfully. There is work occurring right now of creating digital storage for pokemon. If the ethics of such a system can be proven then it may solve the issue of stabling rights.¡± ¡°Digital storage?¡± I said, sounding it out like I had never heard of such an idea. Bill had been the one to set that up hadn¡¯t he? Was he currently working on that? Stolen story; please report. ¡°Yes, with the possibility of transferring pokemon through pokenet there is work being put into holding them long term in the pokenet. This is being highly investigated first. We want the solution to be something better for us, and the pokemon in question.¡± I nodded my head. There were ethical concerns for that type of storage. Would it result in damaging relationships? Or would some pokemon end up lost due to glitches, or even because of people forgetting about them or other incidents? What about people working against the system or seeking to compromise it? Digital security had been a large concern in my old world, and it wasn¡¯t something a lot of people would understand the necessity of right now due to the relative novelty of the pokenet. It was a way forward, but would new issues, potentially more damaging ones, not also arise with this solution? The security of such a system would always be at risk with any crippling of it resulting in dire effects. An entire region could be crippled by destroying the network. Those were just the drawbacks I could think of in the past few seconds. Perhaps I was being more negative than I should be however? I rubbed my chin before shrugging. It wouldn''t be for me to worry about. Possibly weigh in on if someone shoved a microphone in my face, yes¡­ I made a mental note to do some more research soon. Eevee darted into the kitchen and ran up to me. She slumped into my lap and puffed a little. ¡°What¡¯s wrong little girl? Need a break from the kids?¡± I said, rubbing her head gently. Oak glanced at her. ¡°She¡¯s a healthy-looking pokemon.¡± He held out his hand for her to sniff before he reached further and rubbed her head. ¡°Eeev,¡± she said as she purred into the touch. Oak withdrew his hand only to pause at her collar. He turned it over. ¡°Is that everstone?¡± I nodded. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if Eevee stays an Eevee for now. Maybe one day in the future we¡¯ll evolve her, if she wants, but for now? I think a smaller fluffier pokemon is for the best.¡± She nuzzled into me before Yolanda approached and claimed her. I grinned at Oak. ¡°Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll find an evolution for her as a rock type Eevee?¡± He beamed. ¡°Well if you manage to do that then be sure to call me! Eevee evolutions, or ¡®Eeveolutions¡¯ as the young kids say, are extremely fascinating! Much work remains to be done in understanding them, as is the case for all pokemon!¡± I merely nodded. A comfortable quiet settled between us both, that I eventually broke, ¡°The dealing with social issues¡­ was that what it was like for you?¡± At his inquisitive look I elaborated. ¡°As Champion?¡± ¡°Heh, in those days my position was very, very different from that which Lance finds himself saddled with. I had to create much of the infrastructure, so it was like I was working constantly. It was bitter work, and not something I could enjoy all the time, which is why I dropped the title eventually.¡± He eyed me and smiled. ¡°You know that question was what I was expecting you to ask first.¡± He glanced at Salvadore. ¡°Rather telling¡­¡± he mused to himself. I laughed. ¡°Sorry for being predictable?¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s curious, it¡¯s a good thing, even if the question is perhaps one that I hear often when I come out of my lab.¡± He crossed his arms but didn¡¯t say anything else. Oak was more than happy to finish his coffee before he spoke once again. ¡°Honestly, it was work that I hated, but that needed to be done.¡± ¡°Hated?¡± I asked, surprised. ¡°I always found myself straddling a line. Working with many, many¡­ oh so many difficult personalities,¡± he said as his eyes gained a haunted look. ¡°The strongest pokemon trainer does not mean that they are the wisest, I have come to discover. Often, strength of personality can carry you far. Still, I had my reasons for not falling on the route I was walking so I managed to do what I needed to before retiring.¡± I opened my mouth before closing it. Asking what reasons he had felt rather a step too far. I was considering asking about Agatha and what he knew about her when he gave me a sly look. ¡°It was the same reason you have to be strong, young man.¡± He clapped my shoulder before rising and clapping his hands. ¡°Right!¡± The debate stopped instantly with even Elm turning to Oak expectantly. ¡°We still have a lot of work to do and I think an hour is more than enough to let the pokemon settle. We will come in quietly and then work through some of these potential issues we¡¯ve highlighted.¡± He jabbed his finger at a few written on the board and pointed at his aides. Joshua and Bianca watched them go before turning back to Oak. Then they must have remembered that they should be looking to Elm. The man coughed in surprise. ¡°Sorry! Old habits from my time at Celadon university! You know what to do!¡± He pointed to two other issues. Bianca approached me while Joshua gestured for Salvadore to follow him back out to the grotto. ¡°Gym Leader Brock, might I look over some of your pokemon¡¯s health records? For today I¡¯d like access to Aero¡­ that is to say, Don, Shin, and Shelly. As fully evolved pokemon¡­ as we understand it, they have the best chance of breeding. I¡¯m going to be setting them up with a ditto if that¡¯s alright with you?¡± ¡°I¡­ If a better option presents itself can we go with that?¡± I said alluding to the hopeful future of Crowley and his resurrection machine. Bianca merely nodded and I relaxed, happy that I wouldn¡¯t be weakening Don¡¯s progeny if I couldn¡¯t avoid it. ¡°Also¡­ I don¡¯t have to be present for that, do I?¡± I said, feeling memories stir while my stomach roiled. She laughed into her hand then brushed a loose lock of hair. ¡°Certainly not! I understand it can be rather disturbing how some pokemon are able to¡ª¡± I held up a hand. ¡°I¡¯m good. I very much do not need a picture drawn.¡± Bianca giggled. ¡°Very well. Those health records?¡± I nodded and waved at her to follow me to the office. On the way past I checked in with my family to find them all sitting around Daisy as she read a book about a magical Abra learning at a school. She even had Forrest and his group of friends sitting around listening. Now there was something I wanted to research. How was she doing that? We collected the papers, and Bianca tsked at the lack of certain information but was pleased that I had their activity levels, trips to nurse Joy, diet, and even weights recorded for the last few years since I took over as gym leader. When we returned to the grotto, Elm and Oak had their heads together pouring over the stack of notes while Salvadore assisted Stepehn in measuring Don¡¯s wingspan, claws and even teeth. When Don was directed to bite down on a machine he did so gleefully. Stephen whistled. ¡°He¡¯s got a bite that ¡®s almost equal to a bull Sharpedo!¡± Don notably tried harder at that comment. A buzz on my wrist had me looking down to see that my transceiver was being called. I raised a hand to the professors. ¡°Excuse me for a second.¡± They nodded, distracted, and continued to mutter to each other. When I answered the call I got a lot of static so I quickly hurried outside. ¡°Can you hear me now?¡± ¡°Brock! Brock! I heard you¡¯ve got Professor Oak and Elm there!¡± Shouted the voice of Crowley, the director of the Pewter Museum. His bedraggled appearance came through as he stared through the transceiver''s raised screen. I rolled my eyes at him openly. ¡°Hello Crowley, and yes, they have come around. We¡¯ve worked out someone to look over the breeding programme from Professor Elm¡¯s lab.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to remind you of our arrangement with the ancient types!¡± shouted Crowley. I nodded. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°How¡­¡± I shut my eyes. ¡°The reporters?¡± Crowley nodded and brandished the transceiver at his assistant. ¡°She heard from a friend who heard it from them! Brock! Should I come down there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for that unless the machine for resurrecting pokemon is finished.¡± ¡°Ninety seven percent complete?¡± he said while looking shifty. ¡°Best to present a completed product. When the time comes I¡¯ll put in a word with them and we¡¯ll get it all on the up and up.¡± He beamed at me. ¡°Expect results within the week!¡± He then hung up on me before I could tell him to settle down. I wasn¡¯t that rushed for another Aerodactyl after all. I was leaning on my game knowledge, but I did have faith that Crowley would have results. He might have had them far, far later in the future but I wasn¡¯t expecting or needing a payoff any time soon. Supporting him really only costs me another pokemon trainer wage for the gym each month. ¡°Brock!¡± Called Yolanda as she dragged Daisy towards me. I raised an eyebrow, dropping the arm with my transceiver down. ¡°Brock!¡± She called out again as she stormed up to me. ¡°Yes Yolanda?¡± I asked, curious as to what could inspire this reaction. ¡°You should hire Daisy as your receptionist!¡± She said bouncing on the spot. I raised an eyebrow at this and glanced at Daisy, who shook her head with a smile. I looked back to Yolanda who beamed at me expectantly. ¡°Hmmm, well for that to happen she first has to want to take the position. You shouldn¡¯t go around offering people jobs like that.¡± Yolanda tilted her head. ¡°Why not?¡± I chuckled. Most of the time Yolanda was easily the most mature of my siblings but in times like this where she didn¡¯t have much experience, I got to see her acting as a kid. ¡°Well, receptionist work isn¡¯t the most glamorous of roles. Telling someone you want them to work in that position could be taken as an insult.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way!¡± Yolanda said, whipping around and rapidly shaking her head no at Daisy who merely laughed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I knew you didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± She then smiled at me. ¡°Some people wouldn¡¯t be insulted you know?¡± I nodded. ¡°I know, but it¡¯s a niche headhunting sort of question. While you¡¯re great with handling pokemon and little kids, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯d make a good receptionist.¡± Somehow I doubted that. She put a hand to her chin and continued to smile. ¡°Oh? I almost want the job now? Is that your game?¡± I snorted and shook my head at her. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m interested in how you tamed my family so easily, but no. No games.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Were you thinking of applying for the receptionist position seriously? The application cut off is tomorrow if so.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I think I will keep my work as an intern for my grandfather for now. I enjoy it.¡± She glanced into the cave system behind me. ¡°Speaking of, we should probably return, no?¡± I nodded and joined her in walking back in, Yolanda trudged along. ¡°Aww, you¡¯d have been great to have around here all the time.¡± ¡°If your brother wanted me to come around I¡¯m sure he could find a way,¡± she said while wiggling her eyebrows at me. I shook my head. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve got enough on my plate, pass.¡± Daisy¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Hmmm, is that so?¡± She said with an undertone that I couldn¡¯t quite place. It did send goosebumps up my spine though, and for a second I thought something much larger was watching me. I paused when I realised Bertha was sitting in the tunnel doing just that. ¡°Oh! Hey girl, want to come with me? There are some people that will love to get a look at you.¡± Bertha stood and rumbled her assent. Daisy stared at the giant drill pokemon. ¡°Oh my, the television really didn¡¯t do her justice.¡± I grinned. When I led her into the grotto Shin greeted her loudly. The researchers all stopped what they were doing and gaped at her. Don was up on his ledge, but I could see his annoyance as Bertha lumbered in. He sniffed and stuck up his nose, curling into a bundle to ignore us. I knew he¡¯d be back down soon. His pride wouldn¡¯t let someone else be the centre of attention in his territory. I¡¯d have to move things out of here if the professors wanted to look Bertha over. Elm squealed a little in joy. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right I forgot you had her! Oh! And also your Geodude line that has an electric typing! We need to see them as well!¡± Bianca perked up at that. I sighed. It was starting to look like I was going to have trouble having this group out of here by tomorrow now. Still, a small price to pay for having someone highly specialised in pokemon breeding looking over my rare pokemon. Crowley might be a long-term payout, but Bianca and my ancient pokemon? By the end of the next circuit, I might just have another few Kabuto, Omantye and Aerodactyl hanging around the gym. ¡°Show me show me!¡± Elm said running up to me like a child that couldn¡¯t wait. I laughed and turned to Yolanda. ¡°I think we better make up the spare beds in the gym for tonight, unless everyone is happy to transit in again?¡± Elm¡¯s team all looked very pleased by this announcement. Daisy smirked. ¡°I think I wouldn¡¯t mind¡ª¡± Professor Oak leaned over and put a hand on her mouth. ¡°We¡¯ll transit in. I own an Alakazam who can do so. Although Stephen might like to examine his future quarters?¡± Stephen nodded absentmindedly as he read through a handful of notes, before stopping and peering up at us in confusion. ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± I chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s find you a spare room and some sheets for tonight.¡± I led Bianca, Joshua, Elm and Stephen to the rooms we kept. Chapter 37 - Testing the troglodytes I would have loved to have sat down with Elm, his aides, and Stephen to pick their minds and potentially set up excuses for future pokemon acquisitions. Sadly I couldn¡¯t do that. I had to focus on getting some food in front of my family and going through the nightly routine. I instead had to leave them to their own devices. I¡¯d planned for lunch, I hadn¡¯t planned for dinner with an additional four adults. By the time that I¡¯d gotten through cooking dinner, feeding it to my siblings, cleaning up the kitchen, cleaning up my siblings and then reading some of them stories, I had no chance of catching up with the researchers at a reasonable hour to trade around ideas and pick their minds for ideas. Heck, I still had to do some final gym sweeps having been rostered for this in the schedule. This entailed making sure everything was locked away. I finally got the chance to check in on the researchers only to find none of them in the communal area. The only person up was Rocko. Who was sitting in the communal space that the apartments shared playing on the Nintendo sixty-four. I¡¯d been about to turn around when I¡¯d spotted the game. ¡°Is that Mario Kart?¡± I said, unable to hide my interest. Rocko turned and raised another controller. ¡°Want in?¡± I grinned and leapt over the couch to sit next to Rocko. He had his Gloom out on the other side of him. ¡°Tomorrow off?¡± I asked as I selected Toad as my racer. ¡°Yah, you know it!¡± coughed Rocko as he lined up a race. I was crushing him on all of the maps until the end when we decided to do the rainbow road. There he seemingly leapt over the edge of the road only to land perfectly halfway along the course. I stared at him in slack-jawed awe. ¡°No way you pulled that off!¡± I shouted. He grinned and we replayed the course only for him to repeat the feat from the first lap. I tossed the controller onto the couch in disgust. He chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I can only do that one while I¡¯m sober, haven¡¯t had any hits with gloom.¡± Next to him, his Gloom gave a small groan of its name. I chuckled but Rocko grinned, ¡°Gotta get my buzz on before I really break the game.¡± I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°How come you¡¯re not?¡± Rocko put down his controller. ¡°I got to talking with the researchers when we were having takeout. Didn¡¯t get the chance to,¡± he said while catching a speed boost in the game. ¡°Nice work getting Bianca and Stephen to stick around, they seem like really smart people,¡± he said as an aside. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said. I was very pleased to hear that while I hadn¡¯t been able to talk with them, Rocko had made conversation and gotten to know them. Rocko rubbed his chin. ¡°So anyway, we were all munching down on some pizza, and they mentioned they¡¯d love to see some of your pokemon fight. The ancient pokemon have been moving around a lot and they thought that was good, but they¡¯d love to get some information on how they fight.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I said I¡¯d mention it to you.¡± He tilted his head and eyed me. ¡°So? Need me to come in tomorrow?¡± ¡°No it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll tap¡­ Hmmm, might be good to get Forrest to fight against me. I¡¯ve been meaning to give him some one-on-one training. Might double up on it.¡± Rocko nodded. ¡°Sounds good, so still a day off for me?¡± ¡°Yeah, no change there,¡± I said. ¡°Nice! So want to see me break this game?¡± he said lifting up his controller. I shrugged and gestured him to go right ahead. He grinned, sitting back and raising a hand towards his gloom that had been happily sitting next to him throughout. ¡°Ready bro?¡± Rocko said, rubbing Gloom¡¯s head. ¡°Glooooom,¡± said his pokemon blearily. I watched as Rocko relaxed even more, his pupils dilating in the sure sign of someone that was high. He cued up a race and proceeded to destroy almost every map. Some had simple shortcuts that I knew about while others saw him jumping his racer through walls or the ground only to be deposited right where he needed to, advancing his racer beyond anything you could compete against. It was like watching a speedrunner from my first life. I whistled. ¡°How¡¯d you work this out? Pokenet?¡± ¡°Nah, just messing around.¡± He waved his hand at the screen. ¡°All sorts of dumb thoughts come to me when I¡¯m buzzed like this. I sometimes try them out. Turns out some of them aren¡¯t so dumb.¡± I chuckled at that and rose, clapping him on the shoulder. ¡°Right, well later, enjoy tomorrow!¡± ¡°Night Brock, might come watch you in the morning if I¡¯m up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to be playing around with Forrest,¡± I said over my shoulder. ¡°Yeah, that''s where good ideas start. Plus it¡¯s always nice watching you fight! You make it fun!¡± I chuckled and walked out. Before bed I shot off some messages and knocked on Forrest¡¯s door. I even held off barging right in. ¡°Come in!¡± Forrest said gruffly. I opened the door. ¡°Hey, Elm and crew want to see the ancient pokemon fight. I need you as a training partner tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Aw! Bro!¡± He said with a whine ¡°Can it be someone else? I¡¯m going to go biking with the guys!¡± I gave him a look. ¡°No, it can be you. The guys can wait until later. It¡¯ll barely take half an hour, if that, and then you can go. I haven¡¯t had a pokemon fight with you in a while, time to see how strong you¡¯ve gotten!¡± I shot him a wink, but his response of hunkering in on himself did not inspire confidence. ¡°You have been training, right?¡± I said, a tone of accusation dripping into my words. ¡°Just been¡­ busy¡­¡± He said to his desk. ¡°Riiiight, you¡¯ve been busy,¡± I said. He grimaced and I nodded. That was right, him talking about being busy to me was laughable. I sniffed. ¡°Arena floor, you and me tomorrow. You can use your usual gym team.¡± ¡°...¡± He grumbled something that I didn¡¯t care to hear. I waved my hand at him. ¡°Do some research, cause I¡¯ll be throwing some curveballs at you, alright? See you in the morning. Night Forrest,¡± I said, deciding to give him some space. When morning came around Forrest and I faced off on the gym¡¯s arena floor, both of us standing in our own podiums. There was no referee for today¡¯s match since I didn¡¯t anticipate needing one. In the stands, Elm and his team were set up with cameras and notepads at the ready. Oak had been content with me supplying him the playbacks through the gym¡¯s own camera feeds, but he¡¯d still set up to watch our battle in person. Around him his own research team was also set up, ready to catch every detail. Notably, Daisy was not here today. I chose not to read into that too much. She probably had other things to do. With my own family and Rocko, ¡ªwith what looked like a breakfast burger in hand¡ª Forrest and I had a small audience for our match. ¡°So? You think to challenge me?¡± I said, sweeping my hand out like a bad-pokedrama actor. Forrest groaned. ¡°Brooooock! We¡¯re not practising lines for you to say during the circuit! Let¡¯s just fight!¡± He tossed a pokeball and an Onix took the field. I sniffed. ¡°Spoilsport.¡± I tossed out Omanyte and she appeared on the field on my side. ¡°Water pulse!¡± I announced to start things off. Omanyte fired off a ring of water in front of himself and Forrest was caught on the backfoot. ¡°Oh shoot! Onix dig!¡± Sadly his order came too slow and the water pulse hit before Onix could burrow down fully. Onix still tunnelled underground though so it wasn¡¯t a knockout blow. I rolled my shoulders and let myself relax. This was what I did day in and day out for most of the year. It was like riding a bike. ¡°Omanyte get ready to go on the defensive!¡± My pokemon nodded and called out his name. I watched the field while keeping aware of where Forrest was looking. He knew to flick his eyes around and not linger on any one spot. While he might not be as dedicated as some, he still had the skills needed to be a good trainer. Most of the lessons I gave to Jackson, and then Celia, had come from teaching him to be better during his matches. Supposedly he had a streak going on with local challenges outside of the gym. Which couldn¡¯t be true now as he¡¯d lost the other day against that hiker, but then again¡­ Onix surged out and I opened my mouth to give the order only for Onix to suddenly launch itself to the side of the field instead of attacking. Forrest and I both blinked at this strange turn of events. ¡°Onix?!¡± Shouted Forrest. I tilted my head, realising what had occurred. Water Pulse wasn¡¯t a super damaging move, but it did have the potential to cause confusion. Usually you needed to get a headshot to increase your chances, but sometimes the pokemon moves had that little extra oomph in how they were formed when a pokemon set up the move. ¡°Onix! Knock it off, he''s over there!¡± shouted Forrest. I mentally marked Forrest down for not realising what the issue was. I couldn¡¯t expect him to recall all of the moves and their effects. Very few people could do that. I might have a chart in my office listing off possible moves and the impacts they had, but I only had even odds in recalling everything despite my constant exposure to moves and their effects. Still, he should have been able to understand that this was a ¡®confusion¡¯ status playing out. That he was taking this long was a sign he hadn¡¯t been battling or reviewing battles. I wanted this fight to drag out for Forrest and the researchers, so instead of going for the kill I ordered, ¡°Rain dance!¡± From out of the water channels that were just within the marked-off rectangle for the field, the water rose up to form a series of interlinked clouds that began to drop water at an increasing rate. Onix roared in annoyance and charged forward. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s more like it! Slam into them!¡± Forrest ordered. ¡°Omanyte use defence curl,¡± I said. Omanyte ducked into his shell while around him a small glow formed up making it even harder to damage him. In truth, this was almost a fusion move with ¡®withdraw¡¯ coming in but it didn¡¯t take much training to combine them unlike with other moves such as I had created. Bertha¡¯s impact driver alone had been a nightmare with endure, bide, and horn drill being worked together. Onix came down on my pokemon and when it raised up I wasn¡¯t at all surprised to see Omanyte coming out of his shell without any ill effects. ¡°Tch! Use Iron tail this time!¡± ¡°Brine,¡± I said to stop Onix in its tracks. Omanyte raised two tentacles and fluttered them causing water to splash out in a much less controlled manner than moves like watergun or hydropump. The splashes of water were no less damaging however and Onix toppled back from the empowered attack. ¡°Oooooon!¡± It cried. It slammed into the ground to rise back up with feverous twitches to assume a ready pose. ¡°Yes! Nice work Onix! Use Dig to escape its attacks!¡± He said. I clicked my tongue. Not liking that he was pushing Onix further. I could see that he was spent, and this wasn¡¯t a fight where you needed to draw out everything to win. This was a training match and I had the advantage along with an easy answer for when he tried to rise up. I settled in and Omanyte copied me, more than willing to follow my lead. When the ground near him broke up I repeated the earlier defence curl and once more he took little to no damage. Onyx reeled back and I clicked my fingers. ¡°Brine once more Omanyte.¡± This time Omanyte took down the much larger pokemon. Onix had done well but it wasn¡¯t able to handle the three weak water moves despite being a stronger pokemon in battle experience. It spoke of Onix¡¯s strength that it had been able to take those even if one had been a glancing blow. Forrest withdrew his pokemon and gave me a look of annoyance. I gave him a neutral look as I gestured to the open field. The next move was all his. A small round of applause greeted Omanyte¡¯s win. When everyone else dropped away, a small pattering remained. Glancing up revealed the light applause to be coming from Chansey in the front row. She had a rather scary expression as she applauded. I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on why, but I felt like she was applauding Onix¡¯s defeat rather than Omanyte¡¯s victory. Forrest chewed his lip. I watched him delay as he thought through his options. It seemed straightforward enough to me. With rain dance in effect, my pokemon would have an easier time with its moves and a lot of pokemon he had would have a tougher time of it. He needed to send out a pokemon that could deal with the field effect. The longer he delayed the more water would pool around the field. It was both a pokemon effect and an environmental effect. Heavier pokemon would have a rougher time moving about due to the mud. I made sure to remember that and plan for it in future. If I used Bertha she would be less than pleased to be sent out into a mudpit where she¡¯d struggle. The water about the field would actually highly suit Sanchez however¡­ ¡°Go Aron!¡± Forrest said, breaking through my introspection. I bit my lip. I knew what I was about to do and I knew how Forrest would react to it. ¡°Omanyte! Use Attract!¡± Forest twitched. ¡°Brock! No! That¡¯s cheating!¡± I grinned as I formed a love heart with my fingers and thumbs of both hands. ¡°Feel the love little brother!¡± He stomped his foot and I dropped the pose. It had gotten some giggles from my family. Forrest was less than impressed as the only girl on his team wagged her stumpy little tail and sidled up to Omanyte. I felt a little bad as I ordered Omanyte to dispatch Aron with ¡®Brine¡¯. She was tossed back and Omanyte looked very sorrowful as Aron collapsed. Once more Chansey applauded with her little limbs as Forrest had to withdraw another pokemon. Omanyte wilted however and I could see that he didn¡¯t have the heart to fight anymore today. While using Attract was a valid technique it wasn¡¯t something he liked using. Which was an extremely interesting development as I hadn¡¯t taught it to him. I¡¯d caught him and he¡¯d already had it in his move pool. I would have to mention that to Oak and Elm later after the fight. Omanyte gave me a sad look and I nodded. ¡°Yeah sorry buddy,¡± I said, raising his pokeball to return him. He¡¯d probably even go and apologise to Aron after the fight with how things played out. Forrest sighed in relief. ¡°Urgh, I hate when people use that move!¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly valid. You just need to have methods of dealing with it in place for when it pops up. Either an order they will follow or a trick that lets you ignore it.¡± I gave him a look that if a teacher had given me, would let me know that this question would be on the exam later in the semester. I would use this on him in a few months, and he better have an answer of his own. Forrest grumbled as he drew out another pokemon. I plucked another and decided to test out a different pokemon. ¡°Go Graveller,¡± I said, throwing out a graveller that was much like every other of his species, apart from the electric sparks atop his head. It was therefore very interesting to see that Forrest had decided to match me with a Graveller of his own. ¡°Earthquake!¡± Forrest said, not letting me dictate the entire match. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I responded, more than content to let this play out. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. My Graveller clenched his fist and rocks slowly formed up around him before drifting off. Forrest¡¯s Graveller stomped his foot only to have his weight cause his foot to slip underneath him. Instead of causing an earthquake there was a ripple in the mud before he face-planted. His pokemon quickly regathered itself, but had to take the time wipe the mud off his face. ¡°Mud shot,¡± I ordered my pokemon, more than happy to double down on the accuracy effect just as Omanyte¡¯s rain clouds began to fade. If things had played out differently with Aron against this Graveler, I might have chanced a Thunder but I was well in control of this match. I continued to test Forrest while displaying the various different pokemon that the researchers had come here for. I never threw out any of my Elite pokemon, but they got a good view into the electric-typed Golem line, Omanyte, Kabuto and eventually Shelly. When it was done Forrest was frustrated, but also a bit embarrassed. When I approached him he sighed, his shoulders slumping forward and his gaze locked on the ground in front of him. He looked exhausted. ¡°I did terribly didn¡¯t I?¡± I hummed before rubbing his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a good showing, but that is gonna happen when you let yourself sit back and relax. Okay? You need to be working with your pokemon team. I know you¡¯re still waiting to assemble a pokemon team of your own, but you need to have some plans for things like stall tactics, confusion, debuff plays and even methods to shake up the field.¡± I gestured at the torn-up mud field that I would have to repair later on. ¡°You need something to deal with the field effects.¡± ¡°What could I have done?¡± He said, sounding defeated. I continued to rub his head, squatting down to put myself lower so I could peer up into his eyes. ¡°Hey, you had options. It might not be seen as ¡°cool¡±, but withdrawing your pokemon for a different match-up is perfectly valid. Did you know that every Onix can learn dragonsbreath?¡± He looked up with interest. I gave him a smile. ¡°Yeah, pretty cool huh? He could have come in later and dried out the arena for you if you teach him that move.¡± I tapped his head. ¡°He¡¯s more than a big rocky snake just like you¡¯re more than a young kid. If you¡¯re getting frazzled just take a moment and think alright? Sometimes you¡¯re getting too flustered which is causing problems for you early which compounds your problems.¡± He nodded, a smile emerging. ¡°Right, thanks¡­ I didn¡¯t know Onix could do that? You¡¯ve never used it before?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t had to. Onix are cooler than most people know, yeah?¡± I said talking up Onix who was obviously the pokemon Forrest was holding out on Flint giving him. ¡°Oh yeah, I really like using them with Sandstorm most of the time, and then hiding with a Dig during a match. People sweep the field and freak out when they can¡¯t see the giant snake. Works like a charm!¡± I straightened up and led Forrest over to our waiting nurse who was bouncing back and forth at the doors to our medical bay. Some pokemon were probably about to learn of a very different type of care and gain a new appreciation of being ¡®looked after¡¯. I let Forrest go spend time with his friend¡¯s after that. It would help him decompress from the match. I turned my attention back to the researchers. Oak happily greeted me after I swung past the security room for his recording of the match. ¡°Thank you for doing that Brock,¡± he said, accepting the CD. ¡°It was very informative to see not only how the pokemon moved in battle, but also how they interacted with you.¡± ¡°Oh, thanks, it wasn¡¯t anything that impressive,¡± I said, waving the comment off. ¡°Most of my pokemon are fairly relaxed with fighting. The ancient pokemon are no different. It might be because of their rock typing perhaps?¡± I shrugged. ¡°That being said, Don¡¯s also a rock typed pokemon and he¡¯s easily the most temperamental pokemon I have.¡± Oak rubbed his chin. ¡°Indeed, I spoke with Lance and your Aerodactyl came up in our talks! He identified a lot of pointers that indicate that Aerodactyl as a species perhaps was a precursor for many Dragon typed pokemon.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been speaking with Lance?¡± I said, interested to hear that little tidbit. ¡°Oh yes! He and I met before he became Champion. He was a very engaging young man. He has some good ideas regarding security and policing he¡¯s hoping to implement for Indigo, did you know?! But I digress! I was actually inspecting his Kingdra! It¡¯s a fascinating pokemon. I¡¯ve never seen an evolution for Seadra. Hadn¡¯t thought it possible.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Shows what you know!¡± He looked energised now. ¡°Our world truly is a wonderful place! Who knows what we¡¯ll discover tomorrow!¡± He smiled widely at me. ¡°Or even today!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, completely understanding what he meant. Oak looked over me for a moment, not saying anything but also not stopping when it was obvious I was aware of his gaze. When I tilted my head in question, he shook his head with a fond smile. ¡°You really are a wonderful gym leader to have as the first challenge that many of our young trainers will face. You handled young Forrest well.¡± He stood from the seat and clapped his hands together. ¡°Right! We shouldn¡¯t dilly dally any longer! This was a wonderful point, but we need to get this boulder rolling¡­¡± He tilted his head. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t make a bad poem actually¡­¡± He fetched out a notepad and began scribbling. ¡°Rumbling tumble, ¡­. Boulders crashing downhill, ¡­. a mess certainly?¡± He tapped his chin, his eyes far off. I looked to Cerise who looked amused. ¡°The Professor likes to dabble with poetry¡­ most people aren¡¯t game to tell him he¡¯s rather bad at it,¡± said Cerise. I nodded in understanding, deciding to wait for Oak to follow after his research team. If he lingered for much longer I¡¯d be able to ask about Agatha. Rocko wandered up however, and gave me a thumbs up. ¡°Nice battle down there Boss. Looks like you kept it pretty casual.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not about to lay into Forrest with my best moves,¡± I said with a shrug, ¡°Have a good night?¡± ¡°Yup, got a messenger Pidgeotto with the newly released game! Smash Bros! Played it after you left and unlocked Luigi. Game is dope,¡± he said. The sound of a pencil snapping stopped me from casually asking if I could play with him. Oak gave Rocko a winning smile. ¡°What¡¯s this? Video games?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, the newest!¡± said Rocko. ¡°I¡¯m going to play it cause today¡¯s my day off!¡± He grinned. ¡°There¡¯s a mode where you can play against other people if you want, so come on by if you¡¯re interested?¡± he said casually. I assumed he was just being friendly. Oak beamed. ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡± He put a hand under his chin. ¡°You know I used to play video games when I was young¡­ger,¡± he said once again using that inflection that made me think it really wasn¡¯t that long ago. ¡°I used to be known as flying finger Sam,¡± he coughed and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°At least at the arcades they did!¡± He glanced around. ¡°Just don¡¯t tell my grandchildren alright?¡± Rocko and I chuckled along. ¡°Nothing to worry about from us,¡± I said. I nodded to Rocko. ¡°Expect to see us later then.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Oak said, rising from his seat. ¡°It is a challenge!¡± Rocko grinned, ¡°Cool, see you then Brock¡­¡± He tilted his head before shrugging and nodding his head, ¡°Professor.¡± He ambled back to the living areas of the gym and I chuckled. He had known this was Professor Oak right? Yeah¡­ he had to¡­ surely. I stood and began to walk Oak back towards the grotto before remembering the other topic I¡¯d wanted to raise. ¡°So, what do you know about aura?¡± Oak stopped and looked me over. ¡°Ah! I thought I saw you shrugging off rocks during your final match with Titan and Dragonite. I didn¡¯t see any emissions but then again the camera never seems to capture aura radiated from humans¡­¡± He tapped his chin in thought. ¡°I should have known you were one of the rare people able to tap into the energy source. What kind? Rock I assume?¡± ¡°Uhm,¡± I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°Rock and dark actually.¡± That made Oak blink, and then blink again. ¡°A dual typing? My goodness, that is something I¡¯ve never heard of!¡± He frowned in thought. ¡°Your starter pokemon I assume? Tyranitar? You¡¯ve been learning how to use energy as he does?¡± ¡°Yeah? What other ways are there?¡± Oak crossed his arms. ¡°It¡¯s not widely noticed, and not something the pokemon League likes to advertise, but there are people born with a natural affinity to aura. I should imagine that you are one such individual. Having two energy types to draw on is a marvellous achievement at your age.¡± He nodded and continued, ¡°The other method is to train yourself exclusively with one type of pokemon. I should imagine that working with so many Rock types has enhanced your rock type energy making your dark type falter behind?¡± ¡°Uhmmm, nope?¡± I said. Oak frowned. ¡°Hmm interesting, do you use it more often?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Seems to come easily enough. Why would Rock typing en¡­ it¡¯s because of the pokeballs on my hips cycling my energy isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed, another part of yesterday¡¯s discussion is that you need more pokemon to expose and open you up. People with one pokemon type typically become more receptive and aware of that type''s energy and how to use it themselves.¡± He raised a hand. ¡°It does come with ramifications however!¡± He raised a hand like he was lecturing, ¡°For example, a dragon type master will become extremely proud; Taking on more draconic traits that they need to curb and control lest they find much of their time spent reacting to slights great, small or even only imagined. The Blackthorn gym has known about this for years and you will often see them acting out on impulses. Sometimes they can have wild fluctuations in temperament depending on how their training is progressing or what stimulus they are exposed to. You might even attribute Lance¡¯s recent showing where he disparaged you as an impulse he had lost control of. Your battle with him would have helped check his impulse but I don¡¯t doubt that his clan elders would be intensifying his training.¡± Oak rubbed his chin. ¡°For all that I am highly familiar with them, and quite friendly, they won¡¯t let me into their records. It would make for a fantastic research paper.¡± ¡°Huh so most people don¡¯t gain aura because you need to be sensitive to it either through exposure or being born to it¡­ Which is something pokeball creation has only allowed for in more recent years?¡± ¡°Yes. It is perhaps something we will see more of. The ancient tale of the ¡®hero¡¯ travelling and uniting Kanto features a boy capable of wielding aura. Some of the feats of strength and skill he performs¡­ it could be implied that he had access to his aura and on some level controlled it. Aura itself is a rather recently created term. Only a hundred years or so¡­ it is tough to judge as many of the old buildings and records were destroyed during the war either through man or pokemon.¡± He stared away from me before adopting his more relaxed, thoughtful expression. ¡°There¡¯s not really a number for how many people possess it right now, but I have estimated it as less than one in a hundred thousand. After that, there is no way to accurately know. Machines as yet can¡¯t measure it. Just as they can not emit it. It remains something intrinsic to man and pokemon. It¡¯s why we are able to form bonds with pokemon and is perhaps at the heart of my study into the relationships of pokemon and humanity.¡± That made a lot of sense with everything that I knew. ¡°What about the people that can use it?¡± I said, turning to the other looming issue I was facing. ¡°The people that can use it are relatively rare, and usually have to be working with pokemon often.¡± ¡°How do you train it?¡± ¡°That is one of the issues that is not well understood. Most people need to be constantly using it.¡± He smiled. ¡°It is another facet of our world that is so poorly understood, but open to so much.¡± ¡°Agatha noticed me using it,¡± I said, testing for a response. Oak sighed, his head dropping slightly. ¡°She would have, wouldn''t she?¡± He ran a hand across his face. ¡°Agatha¡­ Agatha is someone that has let the world shape her¡­ she and I grew up to the tensions and the harsh times. She saw the world how it was, and adapted to it. She¡¯s not a bad woman, and if she has offered to help you then she will help but¡­¡± He grimaced. ¡°She¡¯s very jaded. I¡¯m not really able to talk with her much as she and I have a¡­ history that makes communication rougher than it should.¡± He chewed his lip. ¡°Brock, if you train with her, make sure you keep that in mind and be prepared to duck when she throws something unexpected at you. Her intentions are good, but her delivery¡­¡± He raised his notepad. ¡°Well it needs some work that she doesn¡¯t care to do.¡± He clapped me on the shoulder, ¡°If you¡¯re interested I¡¯d like to talk more about this in the future. I¡¯ll put together some research I have on the matter and send it over, if you¡¯d like?¡± I nodded at that. I had gotten a lot more than I bargained for and was slowly working through the information. Oak smiled ¡°Well, I think that was a very interesting talk but I really should be getting back to my team lest they send someone after me.¡± ¡°Ah sure,¡± I said, leading him back to the cave system that housed my pokemon. The rest of the morning and afternoon passed with the research team and myself in the cave system once more. We eventually got to looking over the electric Golem line I had. Bianca had been extremely animated here as well as rather interested in how I¡¯d used a generator to create an ¡®faux natural faraday cave¡¯ that the pokemon were encouraged to spend time in. The use of treats and small alcoves where the pokemon could avoid the zaps had helped make the habitat and minerals they absorbed slightly more charged than any other cave system on the property. Sanchez woke up when Elm almost ran into the electrical field, and he stood posing in the middle of the cave while electricity arced around him. He played around with the shape of his moustache and beard. Oak had been highly interested in that. ¡°How is he doing that?¡± Salvadore perked up. ¡°The moustache isn¡¯t hair but actually small iron shavings that he¡¯s collected, he can reshape it into various styles of beard and moustache.¡± He looked to me hopefully and I waved a hand. Salvadore grinned as he gave the order, ¡°Sanchez! Muttonchops!¡± The shavings on his face rearranged onto his checkers with a chin peeking out. Salvadore made another command. ¡°The verdi!¡± The cheeks receded and the moustache twirled around under his nose. ¡°The handlebars!¡± ¡°Winter beard!¡± The researchers were all watching and Salvadore¡¯s grin was huge as he swept his hands out in a flourish one last time. ¡°The gentleman!¡± I tilted my head. I hadn¡¯t created a look for that. The iron shavings shifted around until a circle that vaguely looked like a monocle encircled Sanchez¡¯s left eye while his moustache twanged up and out. ¡°Go-go-golem!¡± He said as he mimed drinking something with his smallest finger extended. I laughed at that while the researchers applauded the show and took pictures. Eventually, they returned to actually studying the habitat, which was of most interest to Elm¡¯s team. Or more specifically Bianca. ¡°This is so interesting and is a proof of concept that it¡¯s not just Eevee lines that can adapt quicker than expected to their environments. This is a literal energy adaptation evolution that links up with your work Professor Elm!¡± said Bianca. That had gotten a lot of interest from Elm. Apparently, my rather rudimentary set-up would work wonders in providing evidence to a number of theories they had postulated in the past. When she¡¯d begun suggesting other potential typings that might be possible due to a golem¡¯s environment I had weighed in with Ice, grass, and fire. Not because I knew they existed, but I knew that I needed to lay some tracks now while obfuscating what my intentions were. If I could get an Avalugg I¡¯d have an ice-rock typing ready if I had everything set up. Growlithe should have been the easier achievement, but I needed ready access to a volcano. Which might have me talking with Blaine. Bertha¡¯s habitat near Titan saw us going much deeper into the cave system. With her being the only one of her species the research team were quick to make their observations and recordings. She was interesting as a case study and proof of concept, but none of them asked how I had evolved her. Not even Oak. When I led them back out to the front of the gym, Elm and Oak were profuse with their praise in the habitats I had set up along with thanking me for letting them in. ¡°You¡¯ve really helped advance a number of my research papers! I have evidence that supports so many of my theories now! There¡¯s going to be a lot more support for proposed changes and potential experiments in the future! So thank you! And thank you for agreeing to take Bianca on!¡± Elm said as he shook my hand. Oak shook my own ¡°Excellent work, I¡¯d be interested in talking with you anytime you feel interested in doing so.¡± He tossed out his Alakazam and smiled. Then his whole team bar himself vanished in a teleport. Elm tilted his head. ¡°Uhmm professor you missed your teleport?¡± he said. Oak grinned. ¡°Oh no, I didn¡¯t miss my teleport.¡± He turned to me. ¡°So, where¡¯s Rocko? I believe I made a promise with him?¡± I nodded to Elm. "Later Professor!¡± I then led Oak and a highly confused Salvadore into the living quarters of the trainers. Rocko was slouched down on the couch and on the screen he had Starfox chasing after what looked like Samus with a hammer. He connected and she went flying off. Oak took off his lab coat and sat next to Rocko. ¡°Oh hey Professor, decided to come after all?¡± ¡°I never back down from a video game challenge!¡± Rocko grinned and quit his game to set up a multiplayer game. He glanced back at me and Salvadore. ¡°Want to join?¡± I grinned as I took up the old to me, but new to them, controller. ¡°Oh I think I could play around for a bit.¡± When Salvadore accepted as well, Rocko straightened up and returned his gloom. I gave him a thankful nod. Sadly when I got to the character select screen I learnt that because I was in the pokemon world they didn¡¯t have Pikachu or even Jigglypuff. Must have been because the developers of this Nintendo didn¡¯t want to make things too on the nose. ¡°Guess I¡¯m playing as Kirby then,¡± I said. ¡°Who¡¯s good?¡± said Salvadore. ¡°I think I¡¯ll try this space guy called Samus! He looks cool!¡± I opened my mouth to correct him only for Oak to beat me to it. ¡°Actually, Samus is a girl! I was shocked when I reached the end of the game and it was revealed to me! Stunning bit of story! Never suspected it!¡± Oak bounced in his chair, ¡°I¡¯m trying Donkey Kong!¡± said Oak like a gleeful child. The round started and I let them learn their moves before batting them off with a few well-placed hits. When Rocko came after me with Fox I showed him no mercy. ¡°Hey what¡¯s this baseball bat for?¡± said Salvadore I grinned and felt the darkness stirring within me. ¡°Let me show you, little brother,¡± I said. Within two rounds of the game Oak, Salvadore and Rocko were teaming up against me. Not that I expected any less. I¡¯d grown up with this game and the best inevitably drew challengers. I dispatched them with ease before they demanded I play someone else. So I played as Mario and thumped them around. Then I had to play as Starfox. I was just starting a new game as Samus when Daisy trotted in with Yolanda. I turned to address them only for Oak to sneak attack me. ¡°Yes! Yes! The hammer is mine! Prepare to be crushed!¡± ¡°Ah! Stay away!¡± screamed Salvadore as he tried to evade with Donkey Kong. I huffed in annoyance at Sam¡¯s antics. ¡°Can I help you ladies?¡± I asked. Yolanda watched on in confusion while Daisy looked amused. Daisy shook her head. ¡°I can wait till you''re done. Grandpa looks like he¡¯s having fun.¡± I looked back to see Oak half standing and leaning to the right. ¡°Get him! Get him!¡± I saw my own character go flying again and decided I¡¯d given him enough of a handicap. When the round was over and I was announced as the victor Daisy tapped her grandfather on the shoulder. ¡°Come on Gramps time to go home.¡± ¡°Oh! Yes! Did you see me Daisy? I almost won that one!¡± He said before he remembered to bow towards us. ¡°Until next time gentlemen.¡± Yolanda hopped from foot to foot. ¡°It¡¯s dinner time.¡± I stood at that and left Salvadore to enjoy fighting with Rocko. I hummed a little as I walked back to our home with Yolanda, she watched me with a giggle. ¡°What?¡± I said. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just you looked like you enjoyed yourself.¡± ¡°Heh, yeah I was.¡± It might have been nostalgia speaking, but the game was as good as I remembered it being. I stretched and went about my chores for the evening. I¡¯d gotten a lot more out of letting Oak and Elm look over my pokemon than I had been expecting. Tomorrow I¡¯d¡­ I stopped what I was doing as I recalled what someone else had penned into my calendar. I started making dinner and worked through my normal procedures. Talking with Oak about Agatha had relieved most of my worries. But I still wanted to batten down some of the hatches. So, before bed, I put Dennis on notice to be on guard around the gym, along with giving Yolanda and Forrest a heads up about tomorrow night. I even went as far as to hand Quirrina over to Forrest. The Solrock would serve Forrest well if anyone came knocking that wasn¡¯t meant to be here. I toyed with the idea of marching up to the swamp and recalling Shrek, but he was a hidden ace. It only looked like I didn¡¯t own the swamp with how I¡¯d built the wall around the back free-range area. From the swamp, he¡¯d be able to spot anyone that didn¡¯t belong and be in his element. I reminded Yolanda and Forrest to feed him. I flicked a message to Sabrina just in case I needed to bring a little more muscle beyond pokemon¡­ Then again, perhaps the destination was chosen with her in mind. Sabrina wouldn¡¯t be at her strongest in Lavender town. Calling Sabrina into a place known for its ghost pokemon was going to be setting her on the back foot, so it wasn¡¯t going to be something I did without a damn good reason. Having that option available did make me feel better though. Chapter 38 - The Guardians Lavender town is most known for the Pokemon tower. And Ghosts. Not just Ghost types, but actual ghosts. There was enough documentation to fill a whole row of shelves on the topic in the library. Of course, humans are still humans regardless of the universe, and people still dismiss the topic when it is brought up. This is despite there being a standard job in each settlement that was large enough to have a graveyard needing to have a channeler or spiritualist working at least part-time. It wasn¡¯t seen as a prestigious position but it was seen as necessary. It was something typically funded by the local government. From what I¡¯d seen looking into the issue there had only been one instance of a local government ever defunding the program. The council halls becoming haunted had quickly seen the funding reinstated. These days fire departments got less funding. I¡¯d already been open to the idea of ghosts thanks to my reincarnation, alongside some of the game knowledge, so it wasn¡¯t surprising for me. Lavender Town itself was more than just that, however. There was a whole culture that was based around remembrance and honouring the past. Lavender town was perhaps one of the most traditional towns that existed in Kanto. There were multiple red lantern festivals alone each year. There were also multiple shrines with their various attendants. In the game, they were labelled as mere Channelers. In reality, there were temple elders, monks, shrine maidens and spiritualists along with the channellers. I could confirm that the shrine maidens were very cute. They were sadly less cute when you had to arrive at a shrine near dusk. The shrine maid I got came under the category of creepy scary instead of the cute innocent type. I suspected Agatha had done this deliberately to mess with me. If you took everything at face value you¡¯d think her a normal shrine maiden, but within five minutes of interacting with her, I knew exactly what type she was. The scary kind that probably loved it when it came time to set up a haunting pathway for trials of courage. She earned her stereotype by giggling under her breath while occasionally turning her head towards me. I couldn¡¯t tell what she looked like due to a veil she wore, and when we eventually set off she led the way with a small lantern down a long gravel path. The lantern barely lit the gravel path that we were walking along and cast barely visible shadows flitting about in the night. With my ¡®danger Brock danger!¡¯ senses tingling I wasted no time in calling up some of my Dark energy to better see my surroundings. I watched as a Rattata raced between trees and peered out. A lone Murkrow flit through the woods as if watching us. Hoothoot and Noctowl¡¯s swooped by overhead with Zubat and the occasional Ekans struck out from a hollow to snatch up one of the Rattata for dinner. The cries of the pokemon that was its dinner only added to the issue of my paranoia. Just because I could see what was going on did not make me feel in any way more comfortable. ¡°Tihihihi!¡± I shuddered for perhaps the seventh time in as many minutes. ¡°Has anyone told you that it''s mildly unsettling to hear your laugh when walking down a dark path at night?¡± I said to see how she reacted to being called out on her antics. The shrine maiden paused before continuing forward. ¡°Honoured sir, I have no idea whatever you could mean?¡± ¡°Your habit of giggling like that,¡± I said bluntly. When she continued to stare at me I shrugged unapologetically. ¡°Sorry if you can¡¯t control it, but it really makes me think of that recent horror film. Graveyard tryst, I think it was called?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I have no idea what you mean,¡± she said demurely. I huffed at her as we walked on towards what I could now make out was a large wall surrounding¡­ what appeared to be a dark manor with a large rolling set of grounds. ¡°It was Grave Lovers¡­¡± said the maiden under her breath. ¡°You say something?¡± I decided to throw her a bone by making it seem like I hadn¡¯t heard her. ¡°Tihihihi!¡± I instantly regretted it. When we reached the gates I had to give the owner props for sticking to the theme, the iron wrought monstrosities wrapped with ivy were suitably creepy and gothic. They towered over me with sharp points at the top to ward off intruders. ¡°Really going all in on the haunted mansion look. I assume this is Agatha¡¯s place?¡± The maiden didn¡¯t answer, but I could feel how she wanted to grumble or pout at my deduction. When she gestured at me to open the gates I braced two hands on them. Then I pushed. The gates bent before rebounding slightly with a harsh clang. I stepped back in shock before blushing as I noticed the rather prominent latch that locked them together. ¡°You¡¯re something of a brute aren¡¯t you?¡± said the Shrine maiden. She then raised her sleeve to where her mouth would be to give her now-signature giggle. ¡°But I don¡¯t mind that in a man. Tihihihi!¡± She reached forward with a key that was similarly on theme and unlocked the latch. I could feel her watching me in amusement as I pushed on the gates a little more experimentally. There was a small groan and that was enough as they swung slightly. I applied more force with my next shove, even putting a little rock-type strength into it. The gates didn¡¯t get the chance to swing openly shrilly, it was instead a single harsh scream as they were flung open. ¡°Yeah, guess I am a bit of a brute,¡± I said as she stared at the gates. I don¡¯t think she considered how much I¡¯d shaken the gates from pushing them earlier. ¡°You coming?¡± I asked as I gestured towards the open courtyard leading to the front door. ¡°I will not be coming with you any further Gym Leader. I hope you have¡­ an interesting evening.¡± She then stepped back quickly while dimming her lantern. If it had been anyone else I expect she would have appeared to vanish into the night spookily. Instead, I got to watch her scuttle away. It was still creepy, but also kind of endearing. For all that she was trying to scare me she went about it in a sort of childish way that once you were expecting it didn¡¯t seem that bad. It was scarrousing? Hmmm, that didn¡¯t seem right. I clicked my teeth and walked further up the stone path leading to the house only to stop when I spotted the people standing atop darkened balconies watching me. I could only just make out their profiles but I already had suspicions about two of them. One was thin and held in an upright tight position that reminded me of Koga. The other was slightly slumped with a small cane in front of her, which made me think Agatha. I considered them for a moment more but that seemed to cause a reaction as lights around them activated. Agatha grinned at me while Koga stared impassively. The third person to the side was a younger woman with long and silver hair falling down to frame her face. I¡¯d seen her at the Little League match and she must have thought her ¡®reveal¡¯ to be surprising to me now. But I¡¯d known who she was the entire time, If only because of our battles in another life on my gameboy. The pixelated avatar and fanart didn¡¯t do her justice. Karen was fit and obviously confident in herself. She had her hip cocked, her arms resting under her chest to slightly promote her breasts in a pose that would make models proud, and a smile that made me think she was seconds away from saying ¡®ahoy there sailor¡¯ and beckoning me closer. ¡°Welcome Brock!¡± Agatha said. I nodded my head before pointedly glancing at the other two. Agatha noticed my furtive looks. ¡°You have met Koga before but allow me to introduce you to my apprentice and future Elite Four member, Karen.¡± I glanced at the woman once again before humming. There was obviously a story there as typically you needed to have a strong showing with lots of people understanding that you were beyond merely powerful and skilled before becoming an Elite Four member. Challenging wasn¡¯t as simple as the games made it seem. Agatha obviously had confidence in her if she was announcing that to me. I decided to voice my thoughts. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a touch presumptive?¡± ¡°Lance will be introduced to her soon and she will be allowed to demonstrate her strengths in a few upcoming matches,¡± Agatha announced grandly. I hummed noncommittally at this. Koga didn¡¯t react at all. I decided to test the waters and get to the point of them calling me out. ¡°So, I¡¯m here now, we going to head inside and talk like adults?¡± Karen gave an amused look that oddly matched Agatha. I suddenly had doubts that Agatha and Karen were only ¡®Master and apprentice¡¯. Were they related? Agatha gave a little cackle only to raise her cane up and strike the ground with it. ¡°In time. First, I am afraid you must pass a test.¡± ¡°A test?¡± I said flatly. ¡°Indeed, a test. You see the Guardians are not just a group of Aura users. We act as the defenders for Kanto. For that purpose, you will need to prove your skills in the only way that matters.¡± Agatha expanded a pokeball in her hand and I rolled my eyes as I plucked a pokeball of my own. What other way would ever count for much in a pokemon world but a pokemon battle? ¡°Go Gengar!¡± She called as a pokemon appeared below her but level with me. It landed and dark red eyes flashed ominously as a chill swept through me. ¡°Go Knight!¡± I released my choice and the earth thumped as a pokemon that hadn¡¯t been shown against Lance took the stage. ¡°Aggron!¡± Bellowed my pokemon. The larger pokemon glowered at the smirking Gengar. ¡°Oh? A strong pokemon young man.¡± Agatha¡¯s words were mocking in the way only a backhanded compliment could be. I suspected if I stuck around with her I¡¯d be getting a few of those. I grunted before crossing my arms. ¡°Knight buff sequence!¡± Instantly my pokemon adopted a stance with one leg sliding backwards. Agatha didn¡¯t say a word as her pokemon slid into one of the shadows abundantly present on the impromptu battlefield. The gardens that had sparse trees still had enough statues to make it easy for the ghost type to almost be lost in the shapes and darkness Then it began to flit about the courtyard like some sort of horror villain. If Agatha thought I was above wrecking her garden she¡¯d be in for an expensive gardening bill. Red eyes shot out at Knight but he merely grunted and tightened his stance. I felt a strange sensation sweep through me as the eyes peered at me and pulsed. A chill zeroed in on my chest. Had that been glare? It didn¡¯t seem to have paralysed my pokemon so it either was and it didn¡¯t work or it was something else? Well, whatever it was I wasn¡¯t backing down from this fight. I inhaled and settled in. I allowed Knight to continue buffing himself up while observing the Gengar. A flicker of movement to my right showed a small Murkrow landing on the wall. I turned back just in time to see Gengar launch out at Knight from the side. ¡°Pulse,¡± I ordered. Instantly blue-white energy appeared from Knight before blossoming outwards, forcing Gengar to run face first into the Dragonpulse. Gengar faltered but still managed to swipe its tongue across Knight. I hummed in thought. This seemed more like a debilitating style of fighting but I doubted Agatha was going to try that against me. Her best moves of poison wouldn¡¯t work with Aggron¡¯s typing. Another pokemon flitted around to the left so fast that I couldn¡¯t spot what it was. I glanced up at Agatha, a frown forming on my face only to blink as I noticed the other two balconies were now empty. ¡°Knight close in and thunder punch.¡± Instead of lumbering, my Aggron shot forward with thunderous steps that came as a barrage of noise rather than a simple beat. ¡°Ohoho!¡± crowed Agatha as she swept her arm out. ¡°Float up and away Gengar! I thought you were just increasing your pokemon¡¯s defence before, but it appears you went for speed over defence.¡± I grunted, not wanting to confirm or deny such information to my opponent. Not a habit I ever wanted to get into. I glanced about as another form flickered past. I was getting thoroughly unnerved by these sudden movements in the corner of my eye. ¡°What game are you playing here Agatha?¡± I said as Knight missed another punch when Gengar came down. Agatha only grinned. I clicked my tongue and considered this match-up. No official rules were laid out. It was something of a choice of pride to not withdraw your pokemon first but that was a dumber part that wasn¡¯t currently feeling slightly paranoid. I raised my pokeball. ¡°Return Knight!¡± Instead of the light connecting. Murkrow swept around and glared with large eyes appearing out of the dark above it. I recognised it for what it was. That Murkrow had just used Mean Look to stop me from withdrawing my pokemon. There was a beat of silence as I digested this. With the way pokemon were flitting around near me and how Agatha had just used more than a single pokemon in a match-up, my stomach dropped as Agatha¡¯s grin grew. In the pokemon world, Agatha had just broken a big taboo. Pokemon battles were seen as honourable duels with all the stories talking about how people were able to face legendaries in honour duels with only one pokemon coming out at a time. The world had to have been a harsher period. That or the Legendaries weren¡¯t as strong back then. But that was beside the point. By using another pokemon Agatha had just announced that she had malicious intentions toward me. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. If this had been another person or perhaps even the canon Brock I might have paused to complain. I¡¯d grown up seeing Ash and co fight through situations with only one pokemon themselves or only until they matched up. I¡¯d also seen it go wrong for them often enough that I had a prepared response when I left on my journey. I swept my hands across my belt in a move I¡¯d practised but always dreaded ever having to use. ¡°TEAM OUT AND FIGHT!¡± I said with a loud shout. Instantly my entire carry roster of pokemon took to the field. Shin stood to the side with scythes proffered dangerously. Don took to the skies with a screech with Zephyr who was a silent wraith to the wrathful ancient pokemon. Selene hovered above my head. Her psychic power reached out to take stock of the situation. Behind me, Sanchez adopted a wide stance that announced he had my back. Twin thumps announced the arrival of my two strongest pokemon, front and centre. Titan glowered at all around him and roared his warning as he began instantly building up energy. At this Gengar even stepped back in fright. Next to me a slightly smaller but no less heavy pokemon stomped her feet back and forth before growling as the horn atop her head began to spin up. Her large orange arms pumped back and forth once before bracing at her sides. ¡°Rhyperior!¡± Bertha called out. ¡°Outstanding! Simply outstanding!¡± Cried Agatha from her balcony. Instead of saying anything to relax my mood she drew four of her own pokeballs to toss down. From them, a Crobat, Arbok, Misdreavus, and another Gengar emerged. From around the grounds a large Venomoth floated out accompanied by a Weezing and a Muk. I grimaced at what that meant even as my nose stung from being downwind of the pollution pokemon. From the other side of the courtyard, a Houndoom stepped forward accompanied by an Absol. I felt that was rather apt with how this moment appeared from my point of view. I wasn¡¯t running though. I still had some options. I wouldn¡¯t even need to message Sabrina. No I should be able to take these pokemon. I leant my neck to the side in a back and forth motion to release the tension before settling in. If they wanted a fight I¡¯d give it to them. ¡°Blast away!¡± I shouted while sweeping my hands outwards. Instantly rock throws were fired off in all directions that sped towards the approaching pokemon of Agatha.. Arbok countered with a surf only to face a slab of rock being the follow-up answer. Shin darted out towards Koga¡¯s pokemon only for me to order him back against Houndoom where he would have a slightly better match-up. The ancient type twisted on a dime and rocketed back with aquajet to engage the pokemon. When Absol tried to interject Selene called down a Moonblast. When it hit it flattened the Absol into the ground a gasp of surprise rang out into the night, revealing where Karen had been. Just like the dark night benefited Agatha and Karen, the full moon that brought the shadows they thrived in gave strength to Selene''s attack. She raised a pokeball and withdrew her downed pokemon before growling at me. Foreknowledge certainly paid off. She had likely been expecting a psychic-type move that her pokemon would shrug off. No such luck with Selene. I might have had her train her psychic abilities with Sabrina but I had made sure to have her keep some of her starting moves. It just took a concerted effort to hone into strength. The existence of the Fairy type might not be widely known, but I knew of them and that meant I could educate a lot of other people. Karen¡¯s next pokemon proved to be more of a threat as a Weavile appeared and began peppering my pokemon and I with ice shards. At my front, Knight and Titan linked up with Dragon and Dark pulses to keep back Agatha¡¯s pokemon only for a Shadowball from Agatha¡¯s heaviest hitter to break through. Titan instantly used protect and absorbed the hit without issue. ¡°Knight switch to fighting against those ghost pokemon! Sanchez¡ª¡± before I could give the order a heavy thunder launched up and arced down causing the attacking groups to scatter. Sadly Crobat and Murkrow dodged, but then again Thunder wasn¡¯t the most accurate of moves. Still, he¡¯d brought us slightly more breathing room. I spotted Zephyr trying to dive out of the darkness onto Crobat but the nimble bat pokemon proved too agile. ¡°Zephyr! Use Hypnosis!¡± I called to him. The night above began to have attacks splash out as pokemon traded attacks. With the back and forth of attacks I couldn¡¯t hear Agatha, Koga or Karen ordering their pokemon. ¡°Quake!¡± I called out to my pokemon that could perform it. Next to me Rhyperior stopped punching the air and lifted her feet in time with Titan, Sanchez, and Knight. ¡°Selene! Lift!¡± I said urgently. Around me, a blue glow lifted me up alongside Shin as the earth buckled and broke. Pokemon shouted in fear as they lost their footing. Agatha didn¡¯t bother catching herself and instead allowed the balcony to break. Around her large cracks formed in the walls. I took a dark pleasure in breaking her house. If she wanted to play games she could learn that I could play rough when I wanted to. Instead of retreating or demanding that I stopped, however, she grinned at me as she fell forward. ¡°Gengy, catch me would you?¡± She said like she had all the time in the world, instead of falling off the balcony. Then suddenly her Gengar was behind her and cradling her to the ground. ¡°Thank you, dearest! Now use hypnosis!¡± ¡°Selene! Magic co¡ª¡± I¡¯m not sure what made me do it but before I finished the order I twisted to block a strike from Koga as he appeared behind me. I grunted but held firm, my eyes narrowed on the man. Another taboo broken. Most trainers that got injured in trainer battles were due to being hit from stray effects. It was only criminals that directly attacked the trainer. That still made up a significant percentage of trainer deaths. But that wasn¡¯t something the public was made aware of. I glared at Koga. He had a focused expression and nodded once as though he was pleased by my block, only to try to sweep my legs with his next action. I braced, channelling Rock aura into my body causing his leg to slam into my much stronger legs. He didn¡¯t even make a noise pain as my legs didn¡¯t shift. He stepped back as Zephyr dropped into the space he had been. My owl whirled around and raised his wings in a threat display while Sanchez turned and growled. Koga didn¡¯t seem at all bothered by their obvious displeasure. He merely took another step back. ¡°You are doing well. Keep it up,¡± he said cryptically before flipping away back into the shadows. Behind me, the two floating pokemon protected the rest of my pokemon from Gengar¡¯s attack. Don was thankfully out of range of both as he duelled with a Murkrow while a Crobat flitted back and forth to swipe at him. ¡°Don! Sweep into Dragon dance!¡± Houndoom unleashed a huge torrent of flame only for Shin to counter by punching up the middle of the gout of flame with an Aquajet. When Weaville swept in with claws glinting with ice he retreated quickly enough to only have a small cut on his flank. I scowled. This wasn¡¯t working for me. They would be able to continue forcing the issue with more reinforcements. There was also the fact that there might be more of them than just these three. Koga had shown he wasn¡¯t above striking the trainer just to further complicate matters. This was far from a typical pokemon match. If anything this was a brawl or an actual battle. My mind lingered on that before I glanced at Bertha who nodded at me once. ¡°Return! I shouted as I raised pokeballs to pokemon that couldn¡¯t escape what was to come. I found myself oddly unable to return Knight before I recalled the earlier mean look on him from the Murkrow. I clicked my tongue and called for my psychic types for an assist. Selene raised both myself and Knight off the ground. The battlefield stilled for a moment at my strange move before everyone¡¯s eyes swept to Bertha who was posed with a fist pointed straight down at the ground. She gave out a fanged grin. I glanced up only to see Agatha staring at me with a hungry look. ¡°Seismic Twist.¡± In the old games there were ways to increase the chances of a one-hit K.O move from landing. Most of these involved temporary buffs or items. That didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t possible to raise a pokemon to learn the moves. Sadly they would be underpowered, meaning you needed another route to empowering them. I¡¯d found such a method by watching duo fights where one trainer had allowed their heavy hitter to hold back while building up with Focus energy. A marvellous strategy that I¡¯d then built on with learning how to use combination moves. I¡¯d had Bertha doing nothing but that for the last minute. In a battle, a minute may as well be an eternity. Bertha¡¯s fist launched out and dug into the ground like a boring drill then the earth around her fist twisted as she gripped into it. Then, like metal being rent, she grasped the area like a giant grabbing a child¡¯s playmat before spinning it. The pokemon on the ground were hurled about. The front section of the manor was sheered off as it was also caught in her grasp. Pokemon cried out while others grabbed their trainers protectively as bubbles of hexagons formed up around them. It lasted only five seconds, but in those five seconds, everything changed. The layout of the battlefield became hazardous to charge across and the areas of small bushes and trees that had been idyllically placed about the grounds were now thrown about offering no cover for Karen or Koga. Houndoom growled from its position beside Karen while Koga hovered back to the ground having been raised up thanks to his Venomoth. His other pokemon had to be withdrawn, I noted. I glanced about only to see Agatha fade into a fully corporeal form. I tilted my head. Was that something people versed in Ghost-type energies could do? I had to admit, that was kind of cool. She had a hand on her Gengar that was still smirking at us, unbothered by the destruction we¡¯d just unleashed. I grabbed my pokeballs to return my team to the field as Knight dropped down next to me. Bertha drew in huge lungfuls of air as she recovered from the AOE attack. Agatha threw her head back and cackled, ¡°Hahahaha! Yes! That¡¯s what we¡¯re looking for! Stupendous! Absolutely fantastic! I thought you might have some proper bite to go with your bark!¡± I raised a pokeball as she continued to smile. I jerked my head aggressively. ¡°What in the world are you playing at? You invite me out here and try ganging up on me?¡± ¡°Yes, as I said it was a test. One that I do believe you passed with flying colours!¡± She smiled widely at me. I only scowled harder at her, not liking what she was saying. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be leaving if it''s all the same to you.¡± I looked to Selene who would serve as my getaway in this instance. ¡°Peace, Brock!¡± barked out Koga as he slowly approached. ¡°While it was shameful it held merit for the purpose of pushing you more than most are used to! Too often trainers become locked into the mindset of only ever fighting in show matches and they do not understand the harsher, more dark aspects of our world. How often do you hear of pokemon hunters stealing a trainer¡¯s entire team by dishonourably ignoring the traditions of battle?¡± I shifted. That was information I was allowed to know thanks to making sure to stay friendly with Officer Jenny. The police department didn¡¯t broadcast the number of thefts to the general public. You had to go looking for them. The anime had only ever demonstrated it once with Hunter J being dedicated to it. But then again Team Rocket for all their antics, were cut from the same cloth. ¡°So I can fight with more than just one on one or two on two¡­ What does that matter?¡± I said testily. ¡°It means when people step outside the ¡®rules¡¯ you can and will match them,¡± Karen said with a rather husky voice that sent tingles running up my spine. Agatha brushed aside a loose strand of hair. ¡°The Guardians aren¡¯t about being nice,¡± she said with a tone dripping in condescension. ¡°We¡¯re a group that needs to be able to fight harder than others, and not in ways the League would ever condone. Instead of neutering ourselves, we hold to older practices. When you were ganged up on by not one or two but three trainers you dug in and fought back! Better you even had thought of this! Do you know how many trainers in your generation would fail this test? As a Guardian, you may need to fight any number of trainers at once should you need to!¡± She stamped her cane into the ground. ¡°Guardians need to be able to be strong! But they also need to be as a shield to the weak!¡± Agatha nodded to herself only to stamp her cane into the ground again. ¡°The League has forced mediocrity upon many of the trainers these days! Made them blunt their fangs for the good of all. But that does not mean there are not others out there similar to ourselves promoting certain trainers. Kanto needs to have strong trainers in more than just one idea of what strong constitutes.¡± She stepped forward and raised a hand in my direction. ¡°I will formally ask, Brock of Pewter city, would you join us and learn our ways. Grow strong and in turn, offer your strength to us so that we can continue our work for the betterment of Kanto?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t agree with how this was handled and it leaves a foul taste in my mouth so I think I will have to¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t reject us because we push you to be more!¡± Snapped Agatha. ¡°You don¡¯t have the experience in wielding your Aura! You won¡¯t find anyone else with the contacts, or the training methods like we do Brock! You might harm your family without meaning to if you don¡¯t control yourself!¡± I turned that over for a moment before clicking my tongue. Oak only had research, not contacts and training methods, and even then he¡¯d seemed uncertain of his materials. He¡¯d also said that Agatha would be rough to deal with. This was her rubbing me the wrong way I supposed. Still, that didn¡¯t mean I was going to roll over for her. ¡°Pull that sort of thing again and I will walk away. Got it?¡± I locked eyes with Agatha and she matched me, her smirk growing. ¡°I understand perfectly.¡± She seemed to be happier from my drawing a line in the sand. She then raised a trio of pokeballs to withdraw her pokemon. ¡°Come, let us retire back to the shrine. I¡¯m sure Tiffany will have a lovely tea service made up for us by now.¡± She strutted out with her cane barely having to support her. Karen walked up with her Houndoom still eying me warily. She gave me a welcoming smile and a wink. ¡°Those were some very nice moves out there. I think I¡¯m going to enjoy working with you.¡± She offered her hand and I shook it once. ¡°Hmmm you¡¯ve got some rough hands there,¡± she said while winking. My eyes were drawn to her hips as she sashayed after Agatha. ¡°Beware the women in this group, young Brock. They are very forthright but no less dangerous for it.¡± I inhaled sharply as Koga appeared at my side. ¡°Can you not do that?¡± I said. He turned to look at me. ¡°Do what?¡± I rubbed my forehead. ¡°The appearing at my side like that out of nowhere!¡± I was apparently a bit too wired from the fight to be giving the more senior gym leader and future Elite four member as much respect. ¡°Hmmmm,¡± he considered this for a moment, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes as if to consider the request. ¡°No.¡± ¡°You know what? I¡¯m really not as surprised as I feel I should be.¡± I rolled my shoulders before frowning after the departing women. I glanced back at the house that was now wrecked. A suspicion formed in my mind that wouldn¡¯t leave. ¡°Who¡¯s house is this?¡± Koga pat me on the shoulder. ¡°It is good that you know to ask the right questions. It is one of the people that have wronged Agatha recently. Do not scorn a Ghost-type master,¡± he looked me straight in the eyes, ¡°without expecting ramifications.¡± He then gestured after the women. When he stepped he did so with a small hitch that made me feel oddly happy. It was good that he couldn¡¯t walk off kicking me in the shin. Another thought occurred to me. ¡°You didn¡¯t use a poison attack on me when you went to punch me did you?¡± ¡°Not this time,¡± he said. ¡°We are to be allies, not enemies. That being said, you have a number of openings in your defence. I shall inform Janine to rectify those while she is working with you.¡± ¡°Why do I feel like that just means she¡¯s going to start attacking me at random?¡± Koga chose not to answer, causing another sigh to escape me. ¡°I suppose you were the one to infiltrate my gym and leave the message in my schedule?¡± He nodded. ¡°Indeed. Your gym had good security.¡± ¡°You still made it in to pencil in this appointment,¡± I said. His lips twitched in amusement. ¡°It¡¯s only good, but no defence is perfect.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just messaged me on the hologram pad Agatha sent me?¡± ¡°I could have, yes,¡± he said without elaborating. I sighed. Wonderful, as much as Agatha liked to play games I got the impression Koga was no less eccentric. This suddenly seemed like so much more trouble than I thought it would be. Still, I walked after the group to the shrine I¡¯d passed when I arrived. It would be good to start learning more about Aura. Sadly it came with strings. Chapter 39 - Joining the Guardians I dreamt of flipping the table. That was all I could imagine as I sat around the small rectangle table as Tiffany methodically went through what I¡¯m sure was a lovely tea ceremony. I could feel the weight of social expectations on my shoulders to remain where I was, but it sat poorly. Moments like this where people demanded manners seemed like the most annoying aspects of life. I¡¯d faced enough of it in my past life to recognise it. I¡¯d also taken more than a little pleasure in ¡®flipping tables¡¯ back then as well. After the recent ambush ¡®test¡¯ I was way too amped to be sitting around drinking tea. My blood was running hot in ways that demanded action. Something I knew I wasn¡¯t going to get here and now. And so, I longed to flip the table. Koga didn¡¯t even react as I practically vibrated in place. Agatha stared at me with a raised brow in challenge that made it harder to relax. Karen¡­ Karen inspired different reactions but I couldn¡¯t be certain if that was by design or just how she was. Her choice of dress left little to the imagination. Her top clung to her chest while the jeans she wore would have to be peeled off her. I gritted my teeth and inhaled through my nose before releasing it. This, I decided, was just another method of control set up by Agatha. She seemed to be the leader. Or at least the ¡®face¡¯ of the organisation. I¡¯d have to keep my eyes open for more clues into their structure, but right now keeping my eyes open was likely to cause different parts of me to pay attention than I wanted. Tiffany leaned over me to pour the tea. The weight of her breasts saw them brush against my thigh and it was all I could do to stare at Agatha''s craggy face that I didn¡¯t instantly harden like a Metapod. Agatha¡¯s expression twisted into something mockingly cruel as I knew that she knew how my body wanted to react. Tiffany, it turned out, was the Shrine maiden that had escorted me to the manor. The manor that I still had no idea who owned, but left partly collapsed. Tiffany was a classical beauty under her veil. She could turn heads and hearts wherever she walked I had no doubt. She had a wonderfully trim body with a large chest that was now stretching her maiden¡¯s robes. I was certain that she had not worn something that tight when we¡¯d walked up the path together. She had to have changed. That thought led to me imagining her opening the front of her¡­ I killed that thought ruthlessly as Tiffany leaned back. Her eyes searching my face before slipping to my pants helped me to verify what her game was. In another setting without the old man and woman in the room I¡¯d be much bolder and shameless. The older part of me wanted to shrug it off while my feelings wanted to cringe and curl in for how my body was reacting to the feel of a beauty so close. Instead of doing either I openly drew out a few pebbles from my pocket and turned my attention to them. The soft clatter of rocks pulled the women¡¯s attention away from my lower region. I turned the pebbles over without any pattern in mind. Today¡¯s rocks contained a few with some quartz in them that sometimes caught the light. The steady swelling of my own energy at the mnemonic trick caused my body to relax more and more. I started turning the thoughts over in my mind. Each thought rose to the top eventually. Some of them should have alarmed me but I¡¯d practised meditating enough that I was able to keep my thoughts tumbling and loose. Like happy little rocks rolling down the side of a hill or being carried along in a stream. Or like a child playing with some pebbles with innocent joy. ¡°Huh, I¡¯ve never thought of Rock energy as anything so relaxing and free,¡± said Karen. I considered Karen. She was no longer looking at my hands but rather at me as a whole. Agatha looked more relaxed, instead of goading. Tiffany had a startled expression but I could also see a flash of heat in her eyes just as I could feel the warmth of her body. It washed over me, but not only as part of the room, not a flame that I had to pay attention to. When I remembered Koga was in the room I looked over to see him lifting his cup of tea to drink without commenting. He nodded seemingly at the taste but yet again I wondered if he was not in some way encouraging me like he had during our ¡®fight¡¯. ¡°Multifaceted¡­ you¡¯ve certainly contemplated the nature of your energy quite a bit, haven¡¯t you Brock?¡± asked Agatha as she raised her own cup. I hummed consideringly before leaning back on my hands to shrug. It wasn¡¯t a safe position to be in by any means. In fact, there were a number of blaring red flags such as not keeping my pokemon near me while we talked. Was the tea something I wanted to drink or was it potentially some poison that I hadn''t heard of? Suddenly I was reminded that I was a small guy playing with much bigger stakes. But I didn¡¯t start freaking out. I was no longer heart-thumpingly tense. Now, I was calm. And the truth was that I was small, like a pebble. I always had been. I could try to be a mountain, but in the end, everything was small in one sense or another. I didn¡¯t need to try to be more. I simply was. My mind was calm now. It wasn¡¯t so much a move as a state of being. The way of rock perhaps? ¡°Hmpf! Not going to drink your tea Brock?¡± Agatha prodded. I gave it a glance before shaking my head. ¡°Nah, not really a fan of green tea.¡± Tiffany slumped a little. The pout she levelled at me would make others want to drink simply to spare her feelings. I ignored her. Erika would have asked what I wanted and had a host of options available with her lunch box. Tiffany fell short in that regard. Agatha sniffed. ¡°Truly you¡¯re acting more and more like a young brute. If I didn¡¯t know any better I would have thought Bruno was sitting across from me.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised he¡¯s not here. He seems strong enough and I have no doubt he has access to Aura.¡± There was a question to my words that I opened to the room at large. Koga set down his cup. ¡°Bruno¡­ is careless with his words and too open. He does not have an appreciation for the subtle need to keep some threats unspoken. He is too brash. He is also too invested in the League.¡± ¡°Sounds like a story there?¡± I put a pin in the question of what they had seen of me that didn¡¯t inspire the same reactions. Agatha tapped the table before speaking, ¡°More of a history in truth.¡± She shifted for a moment and waved Tiffany to a cushion to the side of the room. ¡°It will take a while to explain so I should get comfortable. This among other things needs to be told for you to have a better understanding of our purpose.¡± Agatha shifted about on the cushion and I copied her as I got as comfortable as I could. I would have preferred an actual chair but alas Agatha had decided on a more traditional meeting place with hardwood floors. I could just feel my buttcheeks aching already. ¡°The war with Johto is something that most educational texts like to brush over quickly these days.¡± That had me perking up. ¡°The reasons for the war are never explored in the books, only that the war was a great catastrophe.¡± Agatha¡¯s face crinkled in disgust. ¡°Revisionism at its finest. As if people will merely never go to war if they don¡¯t know the causes.¡± When she looked up from the floor her eyes blazed. ¡°The war was over territory, but also the supposed capture of a Legendary pokemon when it was weak¡­ Most blame a region known as Sinnoh, but there was also a Johto trainer claiming that they had captured a Legendary dog by the name of Entei¡­ We never learnt the truth of that claim but it was enough to make a fragile situation where too many people were posturing. A Blackthorn Lady attacked in Hoenn is commonly thought to be the spark that lit the flame, but the kindling had already been set before that incident¡­¡± ¡°As it is known, the war ended just twenty-five years ago. While the history books of our own region like to discuss the conflict in a regional setting, but it was in fact a war that spanned much of the world. There are regions that entered the war only to find their trainers severely lacking. This resulted in them being wiped out from engagements.¡± ¡°Thousands of trainers entered the world stage only to fall short. The towns and people they left behind were thus weakened and exposed to both human enemies and nature itself!¡± She glared into the night. ¡°While wild pokemon were known to become more agitated from constantly being surrounded by battle, even when they themselves didn¡¯t participate, we¡¯d never had information on how they would react to an all-out war. Pokemon that had long slumbered awoke due to the turmoil. First in ones and twos which led people into not understanding how much of a threat they could be. It was a price some paid more heavily than others.¡± Agatha gestured to herself. ¡°That¡¯s not even accounting for the issue of pokemon and people dying. How many experts do you think there were of the Ghost type before the war?¡± ¡°... a handful every city?¡± I glanced towards Tiffany. Agatha shook her head. ¡°There were less than two or three in each city in truth. Ways of life were different back then. Culture had degraded, and there was a push to modernise and drop the old ways. This caused other issues with pollution.¡± She nodded towards Koga. Koga set down his tea cup. ¡°Cities need to closely monitor their waste production, or else they cause a swarm of poison types to arise. This is well known, but was yet another factor that was overlooked during the war.¡± He raised his cup at that, and I wondered if he was going to say anything else. I felt there was a lot more that he could say. Perhaps I had to fill in the blanks myself though. Agatha took over, ¡°To this day some regions are still lost, either destroyed from the fighting, or still hidden away.¡± She sniffed, ¡°Or they might still be dealing with the issues that arose for them during the wars. The wild pokemon were not easy to tame. Some areas around Kanto saw giant pokemon like that scam of a tourist trap pokemon island likes to show off! During the war we had giants like that appearing almost monthly!¡± I nodded, keeping my thoughts to myself. There had been that episode where Ash and crew destroyed pokemon island accidentally after the St. Anne tragedy, but there had also been something to do with ruins and giant pokemon hadn¡¯t there? I hadn¡¯t recalled that little factoid until Agatha mentioned it. But that was interesting and potentially concerning. The information on the precise time frame of the war was also interesting to discover. Twenty-five years and the world was still reeling. It might seem like a short period of time to lose access to people but it wasn¡¯t in truth. Nature could reclaim areas of land much faster in this world due to grass pokemon. Water types could ruin trade lanes, and with Dragons and Flying types flight became much tougher. Psychic teleports over distances of entire regions was beyond rare. I knew of only one person that could achieve it, and she never did it back to back. She made it look easy but that was merely a testament to her prowess. Agatha shifted. ¡°Our own region was heavily impacted of course. At the time it was expected that trainers would have a one in four chance to survive to their twentieth birthday. I, among others, lost many friends and family. I was one of the strongest to emerge for Kanto. The others were people like Samuel, Koga, and Blaine. Together we formed the first iteration of Guardians.¡± ¡°Oak was part of the Guardians?¡± I said. I¡¯d surmised as much from his earlier comments but it was good to have confirmation. Agatha bobbed her head. ¡°Indeed, Oak ended up being instrumental in giving us a fighting chance. We hadn¡¯t had anything like the clans of Blackthorn. We lacked the Dragon¡¯s natural predators with ice types, which were their own allies. Oak however was able to raise a Dragonite and demonstrate that Dragons were weak to themselves. He fought them to such a standstill they had to back off.¡± She smiled fondly at that before scoffing, ¡°Then he did something stupid enough to gain their respect.¡± I tilted my head in question. ¡°What did he do?¡± ¡°He learned that Raikou had grown enraged and attacked the town of New Bark. The fool didn¡¯t even stop to gather the rest of us. Instead, he took off and fought with the beast for over an hour until others arrived. Then he stuck around and helped them get back on their feet!¡± Agatha stared into the distance. ¡°It didn¡¯t make any sense to anyone at the time. That was a town that was positioned to be a threat to us, most of all Pallet! ¡­But Oak still saved them¡­ In doing so he brought Johto to the negotiating table. From there he stopped the war and our own headlong rush into annihilation.¡± Agatha stared off into the distance. ¡°He could have named himself a king of Kanto back then, and made it stand. The government, such as it was at the time, had all but collapsed and we were working more as city-states that identified as a ¡®Kanto League¡¯. So the Government back then was mostly ignored. People didn¡¯t follow their orders but instead looked to their local strongest.¡± Agatha took another sip of her tea. ¡°A more aggressive man would have taken what was in front of him, but not Oak. Instead, he formed the initial framework for the League with the Elite Four. From there the League grew from administrative support for strengthening trainers and redeveloping our two states until we became Indigo. Then they snuck themselves into governance. Samuel¡¯s dream took many years where he travelled far around Kanto and Johto, he won people over and had them let go of their anger. I served as his third back then, along with Pryce and Arthur. Eventually, people pushed for a higher position that he¡¯d held for Kanto in truth.¡± Agatha got a pleased look on her face at this and I wondered for a moment if ¡®people¡¯ included her. ¡°Oak fought some contenders and then faced challenges from his fellow Elites. When he won he was crowned Champion with history recording his tenure as starting from when he took the Kanto Championship and through the war until he retired out of respect. He had everything at his fingertips back then! ¡°Again he remained light with his authority.¡± Agatha sniffed at this last point. ¡°He did elevate Blaine however.¡± ¡°You think he should have done more?¡± I asked as she took a sip of her tea. ¡°...No¡­¡± She said slowly. ¡°At the time I was, and I recognise I still am, a firebrand. I was all for pushing Kanto superiority¡­ I detested Oak¡¯s methods but¡­¡± She got a fond look on her face. ¡°I admired his strength among other things. In the end, I think he has created a stronger Kanto than I ever could have.¡± Her eyes became sharp. ¡°That does not mean that I agree with everything the League would have us do! If they had their way, there would be caps on all trainers and lower pokemon limits. They¡¯d see all of us weakened!¡± ¡°Sure, sure old lady, but do keep telling us about how hot Oak makes you under your petty coat yeah?¡± Said Karen. I was surprised to see her speaking ¡®out of turn¡¯ like that. Agatha whipped her head around to Karen. ¡°You¡¯ll keep your mouth shut on topics you barely know of young Lady or I will discipline you and teach you why you respect your elders!¡± Karen responded with a smirk that showed her teeth. ¡°By all means old woman,¡± she said. ¡°Feh! Expect it when we¡¯re done here, little miss!¡± Replied Agatha. I hummed and almost reached out for the tea before realising I wouldn¡¯t enjoy that so I aborted the action. Tiffany perked up only to droop when I stopped myself from drinking the tea. That¡­ did make me feel a little bad, but not bad enough to drink something I knew I wasn¡¯t going to like. I did enough of that at home. Instead, I turned what I¡¯d learnt over in my head. Oak¡¯s actions almost resembled that of an anime selfless hero. He¡¯d been larger than life and something so out of the ordinary it probably had been a huge dynamic shift. I found myself respecting the old professor a bit more. It was harder to be peaceful and helpful in a world so ready for fighting. The news of the League didn¡¯t surprise me, but it was good to know that the guardians were also aware of the sociopolitical issues that could arise from the League mandating a lower pokemon cap. I could count a few times where it was worth having a larger team of six even if it was just to have pokemon that could swim, fly, or traverse harsh environments. ¡°Ah,¡± I made a noise of consideration. I decided to test the waters. ¡°So why the Guardians then? If the league does a good enough job¡ª¡± ¡°Good enough is not what people should allow themselves!¡± Snapped Agatha turning away from her staring match with Karen. She glared at me before huffing. ¡°Harsh times lead to strong people and that leads to peaceful times! I am aware of this. People have become complacent however and this is leading to weak people! To stop this cycle there need to be people pushing themselves and remaining strong so that others can be allowed to be weak!¡± She jabbed a finger at me. ¡°One in four! The League does not acknowledge the sacrifice it took to get where we are, and it continues to do acts in the name of ¡®good¡¯ that is anything but!¡± Her finger closed into a fist that dropped to hammer at the table between us. ¡°The war itself pushed the world to a breaking point! During the war, it wasn¡¯t uncommon to face wild pokemon. But as we continued to fight and kill each other, the pokemon we faced grew stronger until cities and entire people were being swept from the earth as we faced Legendaries! This continued for roughly three years after the war until the agitated pokemon settled enough that proper growth could be even considered. Legendary pokemon still rampaged about though. Most of the time it was caused by foolish men and women, certainly, but sometimes,¡± she raised a finger to underscore her point. ¡°Sometimes they rampage for no discernable reason and it takes strong people to stand against them.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I decided not to try and be reasonable and state that chances were more than likely it was again humans as the cause. ¡°So you formed the Guardians?¡± ¡°The Guardians were something that was already created during the war. We simply have faded from people¡¯s minds and memories as we have grown old. Few of us remain from the bad old days. Saffron might be the capital, but Lavender is where the Guardians were based from. This allowed us to block attackers from the east that came for Kanto, and on occasion strike out to sea on raids. We had members in Pewter, Pallet, Fuschia, and Cinnabar island as well though. We had a formal disbanding, after a few years of peace, but have actually been continuing to operate in secret.¡± This made me think of another organisation from an anime I liked that had ¡®supposedly disbanded¡¯. Thankfully this wasn¡¯t a ninja village, and we weren¡¯t meeting in the sewers below the village. I glanced over to Koga and decided to remain vigilant. I didn¡¯t want to wake up drinking from a skull one day and wonder if what I was doing wasn¡¯t what a bad guy would do. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the locals know?¡± I asked. You could never underestimate the neighbours in a pokemon town after all. Agatha waved her hand. ¡°It is no secret to them. In fact the locals of Lavender are the best equipped to understand the situation with specialised meetings for people that have grown up here. Lots of them support us in their own way.¡± She smiled and nodded to Tiffany before lifting her now empty cup. ¡°The locals are also raised with a different curriculum than the others in Kanto with a larger focus on the costs of the war. With the graves of so many valued trainers and their pokemon around them, they understand.¡± She then gestured around the table at the four of us sitting down. ¡°As deterrents, the Guardians have a duty and slight elevation in the hierarchy.¡± She leered at me. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised if some nubile young lasses come your way soon Brock. People will learn of you becoming a Guardian soon enough.¡± I rolled my eyes at her. Pushing the issue of women being interested in me to the side for now. ¡°If your issue is with strength, why not work with the gyms or the auditing group of the League, to make sure only worthy trainers get through?¡± ¡°We have been, but there were always arguments for the opposite. Or people with select interests pushing for certain things such as tax breaks or preferential treatment. A weaker trainer base means a stronger authority for the League. I was, and still am, being marginalised during meetings so we will need to make sure that the gyms remain strong.¡± She nodded to Karen. ¡°Other trainers will need to step up.¡± I nodded slowly thinking it over. Tiffany filled up Koga and Karen¡¯s tea before looking at my own. I ignored her. ¡°So where does aura training come into it?¡± I said after mulling things over. ¡°Naturally the guardians need strong trainers. Only those with natural talent have the ability to learn. Or, those that push themselves and their team notice how the link between the two is not just how well a pokemon responds. For type specialists, this is multiplied. The original ¡®challenges¡¯ that the Hero faced were all against type specialists for a reason beyond just being the most abundant pokemon type nearby.¡± Agatha gave Karen a look and the other woman sat up. Karen coughed once and took over the conversation, ¡°Pokemon trainers of that era all knew about Aura manipulation and many tried to develop it. It was, however, very, very rare. Using aura was a giant symbol of power and consolidated the local leaders. We have some tablets from that period that highlight this. Most notably was of course the hero that united the various city-states. The Hero back then was able to wield more than one type which made them beyond special however only after defeating an Aura wielder did they start to expand their range of abilities.¡± I tilted my head and considered how that worked together slightly with the knowledge of the games. Trainers that completed various gyms became able to handle HM¡¯s and various stronger levelled pokemon that had been traded to them. Perhaps there was something like that at play and still in play. You¡¯d need to study an entire group to determine that however¡­ or a population. ¡°Oak still works to maintain the strength of the regions,¡± I said, recalling Oak¡¯s supportive comments and research when we¡¯d met. ¡°Of course he does. He selects the cream of the crop, and hands them some of the best known pokemon in our region.¡± Karen raised an eyebrow at me, not seeing what I was referencing. Koga spoke up, ¡°He means that Oak is the best suited to observe the true level of trainers. He typically researches relationships between humans and pokemon, but gyms all feed information to the League that he has access to for his studies. He knows when trainers are lacking not just on an individual level but also on a population level.¡± Karen grinned, ¡°He also has access to this information on a global level.¡± I merely hummed at that. Agatha set her teacup down with a firm click. ¡°Yes, Samuel is still supporting Kanto as he blunders around with his studies. Not everyone will have access to that. There are more than just those that obey the law, as foolish as it can sometimes become!¡± Agatha gave everyone a look. ¡°Criminals for example, do not operate within the constraints of laws. Neither do wild pokemon or, indeed, Legendaries. What do pokemon care for the rule of mankind? Not a wit! Lance himself has had to face people that abandoned society and have taken to the wilds. There are yet more of them you can be sure!¡± Agatha tapped on the table once more. ¡°We need strong trainers. We need trainers that are able to unleash that strength without constraints to do away with threats before they can become too great! Or,¡± And she sniffed pointedly, ¡°act as shields when the worst occurs. We need beacons within the community that act to raise the standard for people to aspire to!¡± I could imagine that if Agatha had been standing she would have stabbed her cane into the ground to capitalise that point. ¡°The Guardians serve in all these roles and more!¡± She jabbed a boney finger at me, ¡°If you were to join with us we will seek to empower you more with your Aura development and support you in other ways; information, training methods for resistances and skills development beyond what you already possess.¡± I nodded at that in consideration. I ran the conversation back over in my mind. ¡°What would you do if I rejected your offer? Say I decided to run for Champion even? Would you stand in my way?¡± Agatha threw back her head and cackled. ¡°You? Ha! You wouldn¡¯t be able to make your run against the Elite four as we stand boy! You¡¯re strong, but we¡¯re well aware of your tricks along with those pokemon you don¡¯t show off to the public!¡± She shook her head. ¡°But no, if you were to make a challenge we would merely fight you as our status demanded as Elite Four trainers. Should you emerge victorious or even on the Elite Four roster itself, we would ask that you take our advice seriously. You otherwise would be left alone unless you acted against us.¡± When I opened my mouth she held up her hand preempting my question. ¡°If you were to unknowingly act against our interest, an intermediary would present themselves to inform you, and depending on the situation either ask you to back down or possibly lend our support.¡± I grunted at that and let silence retake the room. So they weren¡¯t so secretive and all demanding that they¡¯d work against me unless I worked for them. Not so bad, but still had the potential to be problematic. I waved my hand about. ¡°Returning to an earlier point you made, is Bruno not here because he¡¯s not supportive of your views?¡± Koga nodded his head. ¡°He¡¯s supportive of the League and doesn¡¯t want to bother with taking a larger view. The man is very focused on his own development and little else. He¡¯s a wonderful patsy for some League officials, but more than strong enough to remain in his position.¡± I prodded, ¡°Lorelei is from Johto as well, no? How does she fit into the situation with the League right now?¡± Agatha sniffed dismissively. ¡°Pryce installed her before he was beaten by Lance. She¡¯ll be removed after I will, no doubt. The Blackthorn clan might have been allied with the people of Snowdrift, but Dragon masters are always touchy when ice types are close to them. Lance is young and doesn¡¯t see the value of keeping her close, but overall I am glad the girl is being removed. She was causing some damage with her good intentions.¡± ¡°Sounds like a story there?¡± I ask. ¡°Not for tonight,¡± Agatha waved me off. I rubbed my chin. ¡°Other regions must have similar groups surely? Aren¡¯t you concerned that building up like this will cause them to build up as well? Sort of strength build-up?¡± I wanted to say arms race but guns were beyond rare in this world. ¡°Hmpf! As if that would stop them.¡± She eyed me for a moment before harrumphing once more. ¡°We stay within our own region until we¡¯re invited mostly. And we don¡¯t shake the world too much. We shelter our region first and foremost. That¡¯s why we¡¯re called Guardians and not the Raiders or something equally as asinine.¡± She gestured again outside. ¡°Kanto, Johto, Sevii, Orange, and Hoenn were regions that have obviously recovered the fastest and re-emerged to a ¡®global¡¯ status. This has been a boon for the trading of trainers, pokemon and ideas. Strength is required to reach this level, however. As more regions re-emerge there will be risks, have no doubt of that.¡± ¡°What will be expected of me?¡± I asked, tapping the table. What had been said so far didn¡¯t sound unreasonable. ¡°Mostly to become a beacon of strength. You¡¯ve already achieved this with your recent performance against Lance. You have a strong grounding in Aura but little beyond the foundations or channelling it within your body.¡± She leaned forward. ¡°Tell me, have you yet managed an actual pokemon move yet?¡± I shook my head. Her gaze intensified. ¡°How did you first discover your aura?¡± ¡°I just worked with Titan a lot and meditated. I eventually felt something and started to move it around.¡± Karen giggled. ¡°Like with the comics kids like to read? Oh, are you one of those types?¡± she said with an amused snort. I gave a bemused smile and shrugged a shoulder. ¡°It worked.¡± ¡°So it did,¡± said Karen with a shake of her head. I considered her. ¡°Were you taught from the get-go about it?¡± ¡°Being Agatha¡¯s ¡­ apprentice has perks like that, yes.¡± I wondered if she wasn¡¯t going to say daughter¡­ or Granddaughter. I decided not to voice the thought, it didn¡¯t really matter right now. It was worth remembering when discussions like this occurred in future. ¡°Honestly it¡¯s rather impressive how a trainer as young as yourself has such a strong foundation.¡± She tilted her head, ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Sixteen.¡± I avoided saying that I would soon be seventeen as I knew that to be more child-like. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Her eyes swept over me before grimacing. ¡°That¡¯s surprising.¡± I looked to Koga who had so far been the most neutral if tightlipped of the group. Something about the way he suddenly loomed over the conversation gave off the impression he would be speaking next. How he did that without moving a muscle I had no idea. ¡°It is a wonderful accomplishment to have some control over your aura at such an age. That you have deep pools is impressive.¡± I blinked again in surprise. ¡°And how can you tell that?¡± ¡°Sensory abilities with aura are something that can be developed beyond the traditional channelling skills. You will eventually be able to feel sources around you depending on your training.¡± I had to wonder if that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d be able to stop him sneaking up on me. He gave me a look as if knowing where my thoughts were going. His lips twitched upwards into a smirk that almost seemed challenging before it vanished making me wonder if it hadn¡¯t been a trick of the light. ¡°You will be given some primers on expelling aura from your body and retaining control over it. This will form most of the ¡®moves¡¯ you can learn and is the next step for you as an Aura wielder. From there you will have many different choices but know that it is not advised to try for all of the paths. Each path will take a long time to master and it is not advisable for you to attempt using them in actual situations unless you have mastery. Such sloppiness in the past has led to injuries or¡­ deaths.¡± I nodded my head at that. The mystical source of energy having drawbacks made sense, otherwise, it would be more commonplace. ¡°You have Dark-type and Rock-Type energy Brock?¡± Agatha asked. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve attuned myself to Titan more than anyone else so I ended up with a dual typing you could say.¡± ¡°It will be harder for you to advance but your early start will perhaps offset this. With most of the pokemon you spend time with being Rock typed, that should be the easier aura type to train up.¡± I tilted my head at that, I hadn¡¯t found that to be an issue. Sometimes it felt like Dark type aura came easier to me. Karen narrowed her eyes but Agatha didn¡¯t notice my confused expression and instead barreled on with the conversation. ¡°If you decide to develop the bond between your pokemon further, make sure you only channel the type of energy they have within them into the bond.¡± ¡°What would that serve to do?¡± I played ignorant even as I considered the possible applications. Was this what Mega-evolutions, Z type moves and gigantamax might require? Didn¡¯t the anime show that you needed an item for both yourself and the pokemon? Was this a method to do it without either? Or was it something different? I had spent a lot of time frequenting jewelers during my travels or at crystal sellers, just in case such a strange rock fell into my lap. Agatha frowned at me. ¡°With you pushing energy into your pokemon they can be empowered beyond their current level to something stronger. They will hit harder, be able to endure more and be stronger in general. They will also be able to use what some texts refer to as ¡®signature¡¯ moves. ¡°That sounds pretty damn good.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think it won¡¯t be hard work,¡± Agatha said seriously. ¡°I didn¡¯t get where I am from laying around. I¡¯ve been lucky, of that I have no doubt, but I¡¯ve still worked hard.¡± This was true but probably undersold how lucky I was. Who could say they¡¯d been granted another life with a general idea of what was going to happen and how to navigate the system? No one that I knew of. Agatha nodded her head pleased. ¡°Well then Brock I would like to formally invite you to join us. I will warn that once you join, you may be called on in the event of a Legendary going out of control. This is something of a heavier responsibility than is currently expected of gym leaders with the focus not being just your area, but the entire Kanto region.¡± Koga stared at me. ¡°You will also not advertise or tell others of us without our approval. It would require us discrediting you to protect ourselves along with making us distrustful of anything you were to do or say going forwards.¡± He bowed his head towards me with a small incline of his head. ¡°Just so you are aware of the stick such as it were. If you are discovered through no fault of your own we will take measures to protect you as required.¡± I nodded tightly at that. Agatha leaned forward. ¡°You will be asked to continue training any apprentices you take in leading them towards Aura awareness. This will allow for stronger trainers in general. If we ask, you will train a select trainer for us, this will not be an outright apprenticeship unless you wish it to be, and the person is open to the idea. Certain trainers have floundered in the past without someone to act as a support for them. We in turn will take any trainers you have for us into the same arrangement. You will be allowed access to our resources to better learn. The best of which is access to current aura wielders and to a library specifically for this.¡± I nodded, extremely curious as to what I would find in the library and who would serve to teach me. I forced my eyes not to flicker hopefully to Karen. If my choices were an old woman, an old ninja and a beauty like her I knew who I was hoping for even as my mind pushed me for a different choice. ¡°How do you support yourselves? Financial and such?¡± I asked, interested. ¡°The war was good and bad.¡± Agatha watched me closely. ¡°During this time I supported a number of people but I realised this was untenable. I eventually developed a network to get things where they needed such as supplies and mail. Don¡¯t worry about financials or having to contribute there. I took care of the Guardians for this many, many years ago.¡± I decided to let that issue rest for now. ¡°Have you extended the offer to Sabrina yet?¡± I watched them closely. Agatha¡¯s lips tugged into a smile. Karen¡¯s lips pinched slightly and Koga remained impassive. Agatha inclined her head. ¡°She¡¯s strong.¡± Karen turned her head away and pouted, apparently annoyed at what had been said. Agatha clicked her tongue at the younger woman. ¡°Don¡¯t deny it. She is. She has all of us beat in her potential. Her use of Psychic energies is something that would be a massive boon for us all. It has sadly made her less developed in areas we would require.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a brat!¡± Karen spat. I glanced from Karen to Agatha with a raised eyebrow. Agatha smirked. ¡°Karen waltzed into the gym expecting to face her father and trounce him during her own journey, only to come face to face with a young Sabrina. She expected to crush the girl and tried taking it easy on her only to be flattened in turn despite the type advantage.¡± ¡°She did not flatten me!¡± hissed Karen, her hair rising up as dark tendrils whipped around her. I bit my lips at the oddly childish reaction. ¡°How many attempts did you have at the badge?¡± Agatha said haughtily. Karen clicked her tongue. ¡°I won against her best team!¡± Agatha chose not to say anything and merely signalled to a giggling Tiffany for more tea. When Agatha had her refill she turned back to me. ¡°She¡¯s shown remarkable development in her weaker areas of late. She also has shown greater finesse with her skills. Her pokemon roster is obviously strong, but there is still room for growth. It is understood she has not yet retained a pokemon from the Ralts line for example. We have long considered her, but you were judged to be the better offer. We typically make sure to only take in a few people at most a year. We space things out to help you acclimatise to how we operate. Too many too fast makes for things falling through the cracks and friction that doesn¡¯t need to be there. We¡¯re already very busy people.¡± ¡°Some of us busier than others,¡± snarked Karen towards Agatha. ¡°My retirement will be well earned, yes,¡± Agatha replied as if she wasn¡¯t saying it just to ignore Karen¡¯s needling. I hummed to myself. The calmness of Rock still holding me in a very clear state of mind let me recognise that it wasn¡¯t just for my benefit but also for the groups beyond the obvious. It was a method of controlling the culture. By ¡®teaching¡¯ their methods they made sure things didn¡¯t change too quickly or for groups to form from the new inductees. It wasn¡¯t a secret these days that I was friendly with Sabrina after all. There was also the possibility that they didn¡¯t have such an easy ¡®hook¡¯. I needed training for my dual typings. Sabrina was extremely advanced already. If anything they¡¯d be coming to her asking for favours instead of the opposite. I¡¯d have to watch how things progressed. ¡°She¡¯d be perfect for being a strength within Kanto though. You should probably still make the offer,¡± I said, putting the choice in their hands. Koga and Agatha nodded, Karen slumped, grumbled something into her lap but then nodded. I got the impression she resented that she had to respect Sabrina. ¡°Yes, yes we will be approaching her in the future Brock, don¡¯t worry for her.¡± Agatha waved me off. ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Good. Now, do you accept our offer?¡± I glanced around. ¡°No old roll of parchment with a blood quill?¡± Koga snorted while Agatha laughed. Karen rolled her eyes. ¡°A verbal agreement is best. Words might be wind, but for us, it is more than enough. We will tell our people you have joined us and people will introduce themselves or be introduced to you. Nothing official is written down lest sloppiness results in more people knowing than we desire.¡± I considered everything I had learned tonight. I wanted to grow stronger. I so far didn¡¯t have anything glaringly of concern but that didn¡¯t mean I would forget how this night started. ¡°When you make your offer to people do you do that to all inductees?¡± I doubted many would be able to stand against two, if not three Elite Four members. ¡°Again, it was a test for new potential Elite trainers within our organisation Brock. We needed to know you had the ability to walk the walk. You can¡¯t avoid tossing people into the deep end sometimes in life.¡± I huffed at her. ¡°Going to do the same to Sabrina?¡± Karen leaned forward. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to her destroying you then,¡± I said with a smirk that made her bare her teeth. Definitely, a rivalry there although I had no doubt Sabrina didn¡¯t even remember Karen. That would be amusing. ¡°I accept.¡± Chapter 40 - Maximum suck The books weren¡¯t heavy, but they still caused an audible whump as they landed on the table. I glanced at them before picking up the first one. ¡°You¡¯re feeling new things growing up within you? What you need to know, and how to approach conversations about it?¡± I picked up another one. ¡°The importance of crystals in your sanctum, and how this can work for you.¡± I looked up at the three other members of the Guardians. ¡°You¡®re screwing with me right? This is like an initiation hazing for the new guy?¡± Karen sniggered before biting her lips as Agatha turned a gimlet eye. Koga chuffed once in amusement, then replied, ¡°No, the names are in fact very deliberate. The books even tell you what their purpose is for but you would be surprised about how often a book¡ª¡± ¡°Is judged by its cover,¡± I said, finishing the quote. Koga inclined his head. ¡°Just so.¡± ¡°So you give them awkward-sounding titles that make it read like a puberty book. Or an interior decorator''s book?¡± I lifted both in turn before looking through the second book. I paged through it and paused at the recommended section that was at the start. ¡°Evolution Stone?¡± Karen bobbed her head once up and down. ¡°Yes, you know, Dawn stone, thunderstones, Water stones¡­¡± I groaned in annoyance. Karen frowned before realisation set in. ¡°You¡¯ve never used evolution stones before?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, not ever.¡± ¡°But you use rocks and pebbles?¡± She said incredulously. I nodded glumly. I¡¯d been patting myself on the back this entire time for using a focus to get a ¡®feel¡¯ for the energy with my pebbles and rocks. Hadn¡¯t I been clever? Turns out I was an idiot that couldn¡¯t see what was staring him in the face and should have been obvious. I shut my eyes as I made the next ¡®logical¡¯ step. ¡°And what is an evolution stone but a stone that has within it a ¡®typing¡¯ of energy?¡± I said rhetorically. I felt like facepalming at the oversight. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as an evolution stone for the rock type but then again Rock itself works well enough for me.¡± I tilted my head in thought. ¡°Dusk stones, right?¡± I got nods at that which made me grumble. It seemed so simple and straightforward once someone had pointed it out. ¡°What about berri¡­¡± I trailed off when the third book revealed itself. It read. Growing big and strong like a pokemon! A food advisory. ¡°Well, I think I need to retire for the night to kick myself.¡± Agatha cackled at my antics while Karen smirked. Koga remained stoic but there was an air as if he was amused by my antics. After a moment he tilted his head. ¡°You are young Brock. These are things that people constantly overlook in their day-to-day life. I am sure there are many other oversights or applications of everyday items that we take for granted. Your prior use of pebbles was impressive.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°Also, you have more on your plate than many others in your circumstance.¡± It took a second but I realised he was referencing my family¡¯s situation. I worked my jaw. That¡­ wasn¡¯t ever an excuse I wanted to accept. Falling back on it felt wrong. I shook my head and pushed down the stirrings of dark energy as I pointedly avoided thinking of my father or¡­ her. When I looked up I noticed Koga and Agatha both asking Tiffany for another cup of tea. Karen however was laser focused on me. When Agatha turned back she flicked her eyes to Karen to see if the younger woman would say anything. When it was obvious nothing would be forthcoming she spoke up, ¡°You¡¯ll want to start using more hard rocks or gems for the difference if you haven¡¯t already.¡± Agatha smirked. ¡°Good thing you¡¯re so flush with cash from your match. I would also see if you can¡¯t just find some more star pieces.¡± I jolted in surprise. Lots of people knew of the Onix sale, as I¡¯d announced as much, but the rest of the money I¡¯d had to grow the gym had been found from my trip in Hoenn. She smirked as she gestured a hand towards Karen. ¡°Karen will¡­ make herself available to you. She¡¯ll be the primary point of contact to work on your Dark energy. I¡¯m sure you two young ones would enjoy not having Elders breathing down your necks.¡± Karen smiled playfully. ¡°Best make sure to read up beforehand Brock. I¡¯m a strict teacher,¡± she said. With how husky her voice normally was, I suddenly had an image of her in a tight pencil skirt and a long wooden ruler turning to¡ª I pushed those thoughts aside, nodding seriously at her. Agatha leered at me, likely knowing where my mind had wandered but didn¡¯t say anything beyond, ¡°Well I shall return to my own home for the evening. Thank you for the earlier entertainment.¡± Her eyes flickered to where the wrecked manor was as she rose. She left with a low laugh that seemed to haunt the room long after her departure. I rubbed my head. ¡°Is that¡­ is it normal to go and trash some man¡¯s house as a Guardian?¡± Karen rose and flicked her hair over her shoulder. ¡°A woman scorned Brock. Do take note, when you throw weight around at the Pokemon League it has chain reactions.¡± Karen nodded her head towards the house, ¡°John Able is an old man that switched his support of Agatha for an advantageous business choice. He¡¯s going to make money while letting the League ¡®retire¡¯ Agatha. Tonight was just a warning for him. Mr Able will have his summer house fixed up before the next fall of snow, don''t worry.¡± I put my hands over my face and groaned into them. ¡°That was the property of the owner of the pokeblock corporation?¡± Karen nodded, smiling at my distress. ¡°Make sure you stay on your toes with Agatha in the future. She¡¯s a ghost type and likes tricks like that. And she¡¯s not above hitting five targets at once.¡± She then pushed her transceiver towards me. ¡°Let¡¯s trade numbers so we can talk more. It¡¯ll be good to have another in the Guardians I can talk with.¡± Koga twitched. ¡°Do not trade information over an unse¡ª¡± ¡°I know!¡± snapped Karen at him only for him to plow on with his reprimand, ¡°¡ªcure line, that is begging for information to leak into dangerous hands!¡± He glared at Karen as she huffed at him. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I¡¯m expected to work with you for the next few years when I make Elite Four! Urgh! Thank Arceus you joined Brock.¡± She gave me a wink as she dialled my transceiver to make sure it was all set. Another wink and she flicked her hair as she swept from the room. ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch!¡± I sighed, wanting to relax but knowing that I still had a long day ahead of me before I was able to do so . I shut my eyes and then opened them to find Koga still sitting. ¡°Again, beware the women-folk, Brock.¡± He inclined his head. ¡°Welcome to the Guardians, and a good evening to you.¡± And then he vanished without a trace. I blinked. This time I had made a point to not blink expecting to see some sort of flicker or rapid acceleration that indicated to some degree how he¡¯d done that. Instead? Nothing. I stood, collecting my new reading material only to be reminded that the Guardians weren¡¯t just the trainers but also the help. Tiffany was suddenly very close. ¡°Brock, let me know if there¡¯s¡­ anything I can do for you. Any need you have? I can handle it.¡± I coughed. ¡°Oh... That¡¯s good to know. Right now I just need to get home.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a shame.¡± She slumped and in doing so forced my attention to places it didn¡¯t need to go. ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± I mentally slapped myself before shaking my head. ¡°I need to go. Thank you for the¡­¡± I waved at the tea I hadn¡¯t touched before waving around the room. ¡°Hospitality.¡± I then courageously left at a controlled and by no means hurried pace. She obviously noticed my ill-concealed eagerness as her giggles trailed after me, but this only just reaffirmed my desire to make a quick exit Plucking the last ball from my belt. I called forth Zephyr before mounting up. He flapped his wings and called out into the night before taking off with silent grace towards the west. As we flew I considered how the night had gone. Different. That was the easiest way to summarise the past few hours.. It had been different from what I had expected to occur, while still being roughly in the same spirit. I¡¯d gained a far better understanding of the group though, and at least some insight into their motivations, so that was worth something. Plus I¡¯d also gained methods of making myself and my pokemon stronger. I patted Zephyr as we flew. Probably not all of my pokemon, but that was just an assumption I was making. I considered that thought, as beneath me, Lavender town began to fade away behind us. I¡¯d need to approach this slowly and with an open mind. As open a mind as I possibly could. Koga himself had said they themselves might have overlooked something. Perhaps if I went in seeking to test and push the boundaries where I could I¡¯d be able to pick some hidden gems out of the silt? It was worth a try at least. There might also be some interesting crossovers with what I could get from Oak. Or did they have access to his research as well? I yawned. I¡¯d need to write my thoughts down, but sadly this wasn¡¯t the best time to do so. Not unless you had a much more restrictive harness that locked you into position, but those weren¡¯t any good for the acrobatics I got up to with Zephyr. Flying was not a great time to try writing down your thoughts. I mentally tried to impress into my grey matter the need to sit down specifically for this sometime later¡­ Tomorrow, or today technically. The appointment had been rather late after all. As we began to pass Saffron, a growing urge to simply fly down to Sabrina¡¯s gym and ask for a bed for a few hours pressed on me. Part of me squirmed at the thought of it. In a way that I knew was stupid pride, I didn¡¯t want to lean on her. It was a point of pride to be a steady rock for her when the world got too much. That and it might create some tension with her parents. For all that she was forthright and would deny it, I had no doubt they¡¯d draw conclusions from a young man visiting their daughter in the early hours of the morning. Then again maybe they¡¯d grown used to her¡­ Quirks? It felt different regardless. It was one matter for her to appear in my room after a nightmare, or when she had something to discuss and she didn¡¯t feel comfortable asking others. For me to appear at her house¡­ I was¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted there. Certainly not complications. I had enough of those in my life as it was. More than enough of. I rubbed my forehead as I chuckled. I¡¯d just increased said complications tonight if anything, so maybe I wasn¡¯t the best at practising what I preached. I pushed on and ignored the tantalising offer that passed away to the south as to the north Cerulean glinted like a jewel. It was much safer to look towards. I doubted Sabrina could sense me. She typically only felt a small void around me so I doubted she could pick up on that from this distance. I usually needed to be in the same room. At least that¡¯s how it used to be. When we first met it had been as challenger and Gym Leader. Falkner had only just recently taken the title of ¡®youngest¡¯ gym leader from Sabrina by a few days. She¡¯d been like a small doll standing in the gym. She¡¯d been very confused when the trainers at her gym presented me for the challenge with her. She¡¯d frowned in a tiny way that I¡¯d known even back then was off, but then again, perhaps I¡¯d gone into Saffron expecting her to have some¡­ Issues. I¡¯d known from watching the cartoon that she would possibly be skewed in how she saw the world. When I¡¯d first spoken, she¡¯d taken a long minute to react before asking if I was real and not a ghost. I couldn¡¯t remember precisely what exactly I¡¯d said, but it had made her frown a little more pronounced before she¡¯d raised her nose to look down on me. She¡¯d accepted my challenge as a heavyweight would accept a featherweight¡¯s challenge. When I¡¯d sent out Titan in his pupitar stage she¡¯d been very intrigued. Her confusion on her inability to ¡®read¡¯ or look into my future had severely vexed her at the time. I had forgotten that it was technically possible to ¡®look into the future¡¯ as a psychic, and see how things might turn out. In the games it had been a bit of a joke/hint with how you could overcome Sabrina with the right types. Types that I¡¯d had with Titan. When I¡¯d won, Sabrina had been obviously annoyed. She¡¯d teleported to me to shove the Marsh badge into my hands only for our hands to touch. She had gone still and I still remembered her whispering something about the silence. Her hand had lingered on mine and she slowly, oh so slowly, relaxed. She¡¯d even smiled for a moment. When she¡¯d realised she was touching me she wrenched her hand back only to apparently have her mind take on everything around her once more. That had annoyed her. She¡¯d grown more annoyed when I stated that I wouldn¡¯t be staying in Saffron for longer than a night. Her solution to this annoying state of affairs had been to set her mother up as a temporary Gym Leader, as her father was away. And then she¡¯d joined me on the rest of my Journey through Kanto, the Orange islands and for a brief week in Hoenn before I had been called back. In a way, I think I had been too accepting of her, and too relaxed about the entire affair. I really should have just denied her but in a way I knew she hadn¡¯t been asking for a mature ¡®relationship¡¯ but something that she could latch on to. It gave her a harbour to venture out from to learn how to be social and ¡®fit in¡¯. If I hadn¡¯t had another life¡¯s experiences specifically in health I might not have identified that as her need. It¡­ really wasn¡¯t something I could be too sure of. Still, I liked to think I had helped her. Just as I liked to think getting her out of one of the largest cities in Kanto, and away from the expectations of people helped her out more. With a second lifetime to draw on, I was smarter than the average child, along with being more emotionally aware of the effect my words could have, but that really didn¡¯t mean I was qualified to ¡®help¡¯ how she¡¯d needed. Strangely enough, she¡¯d listened to my advice and decided that I was suitable as a ¡®boyfriend¡¯. I suspected old ladies were involved somewhere, and there had been a miscommunication on multiple levels, but it had been innocent enough. I blinked and yawned again. I shook myself and underneath me, Zephyr hooted a reproachful warning. ¡°Sorry! Guess I¡¯m more tired than I thought I would be.¡± I glanced down at his face in the light of dawn before frowning. I looked up and scowled. ¡°And that fight, discussion, and now flight home took all night.¡± I leaned forward and began to run through the list of tasks I had to see to today. ¡°Wonderful, just wonderful¡­ today is going to suck.¡±
One of the perks of being a gym leader was delegation. I could only thank past me for his foresight in assigning Dennis to feeding and checking the pokemon in the morning roster. That meant I only had to see to feeding my younger siblings. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. It was a task in itself, but one I knew how to handle in a quick efficient manner. ¡°I don¡¯t want yucky cereal!¡± Timmy shouted at me. ¡°I want pebble-os!¡± ¡°They¡¯ve got no nutrients in them! Eat your Bricka-brix blocks made of wheat or no tv!¡± Sadly my reasonable demands were met with a defiant glower. I shrugged and moved on to Billy and Tilly. ¡°Come on now, eat up kids or you won¡¯t have the energy to play!¡± Reason had as much sway on them as it ever did. Which was to say none of them ate any quicker. I gave a forced smile as I ate my own meal. Maybe if I got them all doing something I¡¯d be able to nab a power nap? A knock on the door saw me scarf down the food and make for the door. Part of me hoped it was another trainer come to challenge me at my house. I¡¯d happily use dogpile, declare it super effective and claim my victory prize of a nap while the trainer dealt with my excitable siblings. Sadly it was Georgina and her daughter Crystal. ¡°Oh Georgina, Crystal! Good morning!¡± I said while looking them over. ¡°Was there a reason you¡¯re here early? I thought you had all the accounting done for the week?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Georgina said, nodding her head. ¡°I¡¯m here to remind you about the personnel interviews you have to conduct.¡± I froze. ¡°That¡¯s today?¡± My mind chose that moment to helpfully remind me that yes, that was today. Past me had scheduled a number of people to come in for interviews today. Yolanda walked past at that moment. Crystal perked up, slipping past me to chat. Georgina peered at me. ¡°Yeeees? Brock are you alright? You look a bit tired?¡± I waved it off. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m just tired. I had a late night.¡± She nodded slowly. ¡°We could reschedule some of them?¡± she said. I grimaced, not liking that idea. I shook my head. ¡°I can deal with it.¡± Georgina chewed her lip. ¡°Do you need any help with the family?¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s a school day, and tonight I have the grannies coming around to watch things.¡± I chuckled. ¡°These days, I¡¯m pretty sure some of the grannies use my place to get away from their husbands and play bridge in peace.¡± Georgina gave me the ghost of a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. I led her into the kitchen where I made up two cups of coffee. One for her and the other for me. I wasn¡¯t a coffee drinker but surely if I just dumped some milk I¡¯d be able to suck it down, right? I did so with a grimace that was mirrored by Georgina as she sipped at her own drink. She laid down the files she had. ¡°These are the candidates that made it through the screening and a phone call with Dennis for the set questions you wanted answers for. We ran background checks on all of them and they came up clean with one standing out positively.¡± ¡°How so?¡± I said as I flipped through the first file. ¡°Daniel Domino. He has a new wife with a child on the way and he hasn¡¯t run off,¡± Georgina said with a chipper tone, like she was happy for the other woman. I felt something twitch within. ¡°Well¡­ good for them.¡± I tried not to cringe at that being a bar that needed to be passed for a sizeable number of men and women. My own family was in a way an example of this. ¡°Good for him being a good father by trying to get employment before his kid comes.¡± I glanced at the other slightly denser stack of files she had. ¡°And those?¡± She laid those to the side. ¡°Those are for the receptionists that made it through the screening. You wanted to talk with all of them. There¡¯s seven to do today¡­¡± She eyed me, ¡°if you¡¯re feeling up for it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s today as well isn¡¯t it?¡± When she nodded I took another chug of my drink and drained it down. When I set the mug down Georgina grimaced. I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are just¡­ that¡¯s not how coffee is supposed to be drunk,¡± she said as she curled around her own mug like something small and precious. She cradled it and inhaled the fragrance through her nose. ¡°It¡¯s meant to be savoured.¡± I huffed at her. ¡°It¡¯s instant coffee.¡± ¡°And that can still be savoured,¡± she said with her eyes half shut. ¡°Thought you liked things fast?¡± I said teasingly as I flicked through the next file. ¡°My cars, my nights, my pokemon. Not my coffee, not my quiet little moments.¡± She smiled as she looked into her mug like it was an adorable growlithe. I chuckled and prepped for the first interview. They¡¯d have an interview with me and if I liked them I¡¯d do the standard procedure for a gym trainer interview, and have a quick match to see what they were like. I wouldn¡¯t be asking for that from my receptionists. I would merely be having a face-to-face conversation and going to discuss their experiences and what they could bring to the team. The morning would solely be for trainers and then I¡¯d switch tracks to interview the receptionists. It was expected for a trainer interview, but I heard that some corporations still made people demonstrate their skills for initial employment even for non-battling roles. It didn¡¯t surprise me, in a way it made sense in the pokemon world¡¯s logic. Being a good pokemon trainer meant more than just being strong yourself. You had to have empathy for one. So it made for better all-rounded people. When the first interview arrived barely an hour later I was moderately more awake, clean, and dressed crisply. The first trainer hopeful entered the office and smiled at me before batting her eyes. I felt my smile grow a bit more brittle. ¡°So what made you want to sign up with us? I value your honesty.¡± I wanted to gag at the typical sounding questions. It always made me feel weird being on the other side of the interview and having to give standard questions that I could use as a ¡®measuring stick¡¯ for the people coming through. The first woman smiled before leaning forward. ¡°I wanted to sign up to be¡­ under you.¡± The interviewee used seduction. I stared at her before offering her an open hand indicating the door. Seduction was not very effective. ¡°Please see yourself out I don¡¯t have time for that today.¡± I had things to do and she wasn¡¯t one of them. I glanced at her resume. She¡¯d had a good one done up and her references were good, so for her to have gotten through¡­ she either planned this or someone had messed up on my end. I¡¯d have to schedule some time with Dennis and Rocko to make sure it wasn¡¯t something on our side. ¡°Aren¡¯t you at all interested?¡± She said with a shrill disbelieving tone. ¡°I think you¡¯re looking for the local hiker¡¯s bar, not the gym ma¡¯am.¡± She gaped at me like I¡¯d just called out a magikarp and slapped her with it. I nodded to the door again, ¡°Please, see yourself out.¡± She left with a huff. She ended up being the first of three others to attempt that method, with the third being a very effeminate man. I gave him props for trying, but also directed him towards the local Hiker bar. He seemed the most pleased with the idea. The rest of the morning passed with me having to slog through the trainers. I remembered there being a lot more applicants in the initial stage, but with the background checks and initial screening, a lot of applications were eliminated. There was still a decent number to get through, however. I probably had myself to blame with the very lucrative starting wage and option of lodgings for trainers,pokemon, and families if required. Now I had to deal with the success of my job advert. I had to run trainers through a sheet of questions each, with some answers being more important than others, while allowing for individual interpretation. Most of their showing really came down to how well they battled. In the gym setting their past achievements were as much their resume as what they¡¯d written down. There were rarely any answers that saw me losing interest in the interviews and only the three that had slipped through the initial screening were not suitable in some manner. I had to ask them about their experiences, and their current roster of pokemon. It made for a rather interesting affair on one or two instances with tales of places I¡¯d never been filtering in. I¡¯d still needed to choke down another poorly made coffee through them all, all while ignoring Georgina¡¯s judging looks for my lack of appreciation. Despite the caffeine boost, I still felt drained by the end of interviewing the trainers. It turned out being the interviewer was a tiring affair. In the end, I hired two trainers. The first was a young girl by the name of Missy. And by young, I meant that in truth she was my age, had done three years on her journey, and was now looking for something more solid for a time while retaining her pokemon team for herself and her future endeavours. She was a local girl and had a good understanding of the region and the various pokemon that called it home. She even came with a team of mostly rock-type pokemon, which made her a fairly easy fit. When I¡¯d asked one of the ¡®standard¡¯ questions about why she wanted this job she had grinned and replied, ¡°Because it¡¯s the most interesting job to do in my home city, and the best paying!¡± I had stared at her for a moment before laughing aloud. I recalled a number of ¡®overly honest¡¯ interview jokes in my past life, but to have it actually happen to me was refreshing. I smiled and nodded while making a note which made her grin hugely. It was, at the very least, something a lot of other people hadn¡¯t been game enough to say I¡¯d appreciated that, and continued the interview before learning that she¡¯d placed sixth in the standings at this year''s Hoenn League. That had been the initial draw that opened the door for her despite her age and rather sparse employment history. This girl knew how to handle her pokemon. She¡¯d done the circuit route twice with a longer tour of Kanto and Johto before trying her hand at the Indigo conference. She¡¯d done well enough then, reaching the knock-out stages and making the top thirty-two. That had been good enough for a relatively new trainer. For her to then back it up with a top eight showing had been excellent proof that she¡¯d learnt her lessons from her first circuit and applied them for her second. Now she was eying going for the Ace circuit to become a professional battler, earning money and fame. Instead of leaping into a different league of fighting straight away though, she had sought stability. I¡¯d tested her just as hard as any other trainer to make it this far by forcing her to fight against some of my best with Shelly and Shin. Then I¡¯d unleashed Knight against her which had caught her by surprise, but she¡¯d rallied marvellously and used her starter ¡ªa Growlithe¡ª wonderfully to box and pressure Knight before he had rearranged the field and taken out the fire type with some well executed rock moves. I¡¯d smirked at the victory, which made her slump as though she¡¯d failed the interview. When I told her I was impressed she dared to look hopeful. I¡¯d especially liked her Rhydon. That had some serious potential at this gym. I told her as much and she¡¯d left expecting a call by the end of the day. When I called and informed her she had the job she accepted instantly. The next trainer ended up being the young man that had been mentioned to me earlier in the day. Daniel Domino was for all intents and purposes, an Elite trainer. He had served a number of years in the Rangers before apparently getting himself and a girl in a ¡®family way¡¯. Something I felt spoke well of him for sticking around and seeking a better paying, and safer, job to be with her. The battle had been a lot closer but he had a number of tells that indicated he was more used to fighting wild pokemon than a trainer-raised pokemon. It showed in how if I fell silent and let the pokemon do as I trained for certain moves he would become focussed on the pokemon to the exclusion of everything else. Something I¡¯d not let Celia adapt. He obviously hadn¡¯t had to fight many swarms before. When I barked a terse order he¡¯d jerked upon realising that I was there before shaking it off. He didn¡¯t have many trainer fights under his belt recently if that was the case which might have been an issue. On the other hand¡­ ¡°So you¡¯ll be needing a family unit then?¡± I asked, making a note after we wrapped up the match. ¡°If that¡¯s not a problem?¡± Daniel said while tugging on his collar. I shook my head, making the green-haired man sigh in relief. ¡°I think I can happily accommodate you.¡± I tapped his file. ¡°You have an impressive resume. I¡¯ll need to speak with your supervisor in the Rangers first, and we¡¯ll need to get you used to fighting against pokemon with trainers instead of wild pokemon but tentatively I¡¯d say keep an ear out for my call alright?¡± He beamed at me before vigorously throwing my hand up and down when he shook it. I chuckled, happy with how the morning and early afternoon went. I felt I had made two good hires. My good mood came to an end with a call on my transceiver. ¡°Hello Karen? This is early, we only spoke last night.¡± ¡°Yeah well, we just got reminded from a local that you¡¯re taking on trainers for the next circuit. I¡¯m going to send you a profile and we¡¯d like you to consider them for training.¡± I hummed into the receiver before checking the clock. ¡°Are they coming around today?¡± ¡°No, the silly man is traipsing around the wilds. We¡¯ll send him your way as quickly as we can, but we¡¯d appreciate you taking him on.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± I said, testing the waters. ¡°Thank you Brock, that¡¯s all we ask. I¡¯d love to talk more, but I need to see someone about a grass pokemon.¡± She hung up just after I said goodbye. I drummed my fingers. That had¡­ Huh, they¡¯d stuck to what they said they would. They had a guy with some potential but weren¡¯t pushing me. That was good. It seemed like they were going to hold to their word about leaving me run my ship how I wanted. I glanced at my emails and saw a file waiting for me from Agatha herself. I resolved to give it a look over later. It was important after all, but not urgent. I instead turned my attention to the stack of receptionist resumes for people that had sent them in. During small breaks, I winnowed them down. Now only three tan folders lay to the side of my desk. Thankfully this role hadn¡¯t gotten as many applicants as the trainer role had, but that was to be expected. The best applicant for this job ended up being a much older woman. She had all the experience but sadly her hearing was going on her. That¡­ I tapped her file¡­ it wouldn¡¯t work out. When I¡¯d called her on the phone to schedule something in I¡¯d had some issues with her hearing. When she was face to face I got the impression she was lip-reading me more than actually listening to what I was saying. Still, she had been able to outline a number of ways to improve the ¡®front¡¯ of the gym and make things smooth and hopefully more enjoyable for all. The second applicant had ended up being fine over the phone but in person she¡¯d been very twitchy and anxious. Not something I wanted at the front of the gym as one of the first people to associate with my gym. She¡¯d been put down as a maybe while I mentally began writing a letter that would recommend methods of controlling or lessening her anxiety. The last lady ended up having no experience as a receptionist, but a rather decent grounding in another job. ¡°A daycare you say?¡± I said across the transceiver, imagining what she¡¯d have had to see within a daycare around these parts. Memories of Don and the Wingulls threatened to rise up. ¡°Oh yes, I rather enjoyed it, but I think I¡¯d like to try something different in life.¡± ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll have any issues dealing with trainers? You¡¯ve dealt with them in the past while handling their pokemon, no?¡± She had tilted her head while blinking. ¡°Oh no! I worked at a daycare for children!¡± She put a hand over her mouth and laughed politely at my error. I chuckled at my mistake. ¡°Ah apologies.¡± She shook her head, ¡°I imagine I might have to use some of my methods for directing children more than anything. I think I will have a good time. Hopefully, there will be fewer tantrums.¡± She gave another light laugh. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on that. Trainers can be very passionate.¡± ¡°As can three to five-year-olds.¡± ¡°Hmmm can you come in and run through some tasks for us?¡± An idea formed in my mind. Being the receptionist for a pokemon gym would be an ill-defined role but I had an idea of what I wanted. When she agreed to come sit in I sat back after bidding her a good day. So I had two candidates in truth. One with a wealth of experience but poor hearing, another that was trained in another field but not as specifically geared. I turned the issue over in my head before shrugging and saying aloud, ¡°Why not both?¡± I chuckled before giving it more thought. If I had the Daycare lady while also employing the older woman to be her training supervisor I really would get the best of both worlds. Effectively hiring a face for the gym while getting some experience as well. If they got annoyed with a trainer giving them any grief they could swap out. I imagined a nearly deaf woman would handle things differently than the daycare lady. It promised to be amusing nevertheless. With that finally out of the way and no other pressing concerns, I turned the gym over to Rocko to pack up. I had tasks for the next week to handle the onboarding for the new hires,but that could wait for now. There were at least two hours before I needed to start cooking dinner and my bed was singing a siren song to me for an early nap, one that I¡¯d been looking forward to for the past hour. I entered and found some of the Grannies still at the table. There was also a smell that I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on. One of the grannies signalled a pause in their game so they could approach me. ¡°Brock, we gave Suzie some medicine as the poor dear was feeling a bit under the weather. It also seems little Timmy has her bug. They¡¯re napping right now,¡± she said delicately. ¡°Ah thanks for that,¡± I said as I decided I¡¯d poke my nose in before having a nap myself. I didn¡¯t get even that far as Suzie toddled into the hall. She gave me a sleepy look as she approached before raising her hands up in the universal toddler silent speak for ¡®pick me up¡¯! I did so smiling at her. ¡°Hey there Suz¡ª¡± She threw up down my shirt. I swallowed the urge to reply in kind from long experience as the sticky muck rolled down my front. The Grannies shifted into action with some getting towels while others got cleaning products to clean the floor. I sighed, giving the grannies thankful nods. Then I smiled at Suzie as she clung to me. ¡°Did you throw up in your bed?¡± I asked, already putting two and two together as I recalled the smell I¡¯d been greeted with. She nodded and snuggled into me. I sighed again, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s clean it up and get you down to the doctors for a check-up.¡± The Grannies shook their heads and told me they¡¯d take care of it. I gave them a tired smile in thanks. Then I checked in on Timmy only to find him throwing up in the bathtub. I groaned. I¡¯d been right when I¡¯d said today was going to suck. It seemed today was going to suck for just a bit longer and a bit harder still though. I really should have seen the last little jab of suck coming. ¡°Alright, looks like we''re going to the hospital,¡± I said to the room at large. Chapter 41 - Pewter city Hospital ¡°¡ªging Dr. Statham, paging Dr. Statham. Report to C wing please,¡± called a voice over the speakers. I sat in my chair ignoring it, and the building annoyance that came from having to wait in such a clinical setting. I had given up trying to be comfortable. These were hospital chairs, they weren¡¯t made to be comfortable. That would result in people falling asleep or wanting to linger. Hospitals were interesting places. You went there to get better, but you were never supposed to enjoy it lest you linger longer than you should. This was a universal truth that probably had to be drilled into designers. That, or it just so happened that the lowest cost chairs were also the most annoying to sit in. ¡°Broooooock how much longer?¡± Groaned Suzie from next to me. I rubbed her back. ¡°Soon little girl, soon,¡± I said in as consoling a tone as possible. Coughing and sniffling erupting from my other side made me check on her twin. Timmy hadn¡¯t thrown up again, but he hadn¡¯t stopped sniffling and coughing which might be good? Or bad? I had no idea. I had each wrapped up in some blankets to keep them warm before I had dragged them with me to our family doctor. Or I would have, had our doctor not decided to go on holiday to the Orange islands this week. I was less than pleased at this as this was one of those small life hassles that would have been much faster to fix with our personal doctor, or at least his clinic, being open. Money, as the saying goes, sure can solve problems. Sadly you can¡¯t always throw money at problems. So instead of having the issue resolved quickly, with an in-and-out visit to our family doctor, with me already home and me feeding my siblings chicken soup, we were waiting in the local hospital. The very full local hospital meant we had to sit in a waiting room waiting among other people that were sick or injured. Unlike the pokecenters it wasn¡¯t a quick in and out with the healing machine or Chansey looking over the injured. So here we were until we got to see a doctor. Then we¡¯d maybe get a prescription or some instructions if it was just a virus. I rubbed my face and sighed heavily. I had been through this song and dance a lot over the last few years. I knew how it went from my past life with an ailing aunt that caused most of her own maladies. It didn¡¯t make it better. It made me itch in annoyance. ¡°Growlithe!¡± Barked a small dog pokemon as it wandered over to Suzie and Timmy. It whined when they didn¡¯t notice it. It inched forward and pushed its snout into Suzie¡¯s face causing her to gasp in shock before giggling at the pokemon as it wagged its tail. I relaxed a little. It was good to see she could interact with a comfort pokemon like this. If she¡¯d pushed it away she obviously would have been much worse off than I¡¯d been aware. Timmy watched on but didn¡¯t get envious. He seemed more tired and resigned. Another wet snout touched him and he jerked in surprise to turn about and see a Flareon bumping into him. ¡°Flare? Eon?¡± the pokemon asked with a tilt of its head. ¡°So warm,¡± said Timmy in a whisper. I sat back and watched the two pokemon slowly make my siblings more comfortable. As fire types they had good control of their temperatures, and it looked like they were groomed with an eye for making them as cloudlike soft as possible. Timmy was more than happy to nuzzle into the Flareon while Growlithe was stroked by Suzie. The receptionist glanced over at us and smiled before nodding at me. I returned the nod. As the ¡®trainer¡¯ for these pokemon she would have to have them cleaned off between each petting to not spread infection, but it was an effective method for keeping kids calm in a stressful situation. A machoke accompanied an orderly with a clipboard. ¡°Mrs. Adeline?¡± He said while looking around the room. An old woman raised her hand while a young man tried to help her to stand. The orderly walked up and waved his hand back and forth. ¡°Sir, please let Machoke assist, she¡¯s trained for carrying people safely.¡± ¡°Machoke!¡± The buff bodybuilder pokemon leaned down and picked up the elderly woman carefully. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m being swept off my feet!¡± cried the woman as she was carried away. ¡°Choke! Ma!¡± I watched them go. The Machoke had a rather well-defined back, but I suspected that was because she spent all day working out in one form or another. They wouldn¡¯t be the only Machoke I¡¯d see around the hospital either. For all that they were more known for their gym-junkie tendencies. Machop¡¯s entire evolutionary line had long since been integrated into Hospital support. Now people could work as orderlies without the risk of developing chronic back pain, or ruptured discs, as pokemon that loved to lift things took the load. People also seemed to prefer the pokemon even over hoist systems. They weren¡¯t the only other pokemon that were ¡®normal¡¯ to see around a hospital either, with comfort pokemon like Growlithe also featuring in different centres. I glanced to the side to spot a Bellosom floating around with a small spray bottle in her hands. Occasionally she would pause and spray herself before a tiny puff of gas would escape her. It made the place smell a bit nicer while also helping with airborne bacteria. I watched her float around cleaning and cheering people up with her smells and chirps. A few times she even danced in front of a waiting patient to entertain them. When she saw me watching she spun around a few times and skipped before puffing out some more sweet scent that had the Growlithe and Flareon both relaxing further into my sibling''s grasp. I chuckled and gave her a head pat which she nuzzled into. When I withdrew she gave a small, disappointed, ¡°los!¡± I shook my head and gestured to the rest of the room. As nice as it was to pet the pokemon, she had work to do and I didn¡¯t want to be too much of a distraction. She patted me on the knee before sauntering off once more with a small song of her name playing out. Another person came and sat down near me. ¡°Brock?¡± I glanced toward the voice. ¡°Oh, Mrs Haridan. What brings you here?¡± For a woman with a mean-sounding name she seemed to exist to reject any thoughtless first impression. She had a ready smile and when she reached out and patted my hand I wasn¡¯t surprised to find a butterscotch candy placed within. ¡°Oh nothing so major, I just had a sniffle.¡± She directed her watery eyes towards Suzie and Timmy. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯ve certainly got them bundled up! Are they bug pokemon?¡± Suzie and Timmy seemed to have gotten a bit of energy back as they smiled at the older woman and chirped pokemon names at her. ¡°Weedle!¡± ¡°Caterpie!¡± ¡°Meta-pod!¡± They chanted in unison before giggling into their hands as she dispatched more candy for them each. I gave her a fond, if exasperated, look. I nudged the bucket closer to Suzie just in case her stomach acted up again. Mrs Haridan noticed the gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I handcraft my candies to be gentle on stomachs!¡± I nodded. ¡°I should have suspected as much from the best chef in Pewter.¡± She flapped a hand at me. ¡°Pshaw! Don¡¯t butter up an old woman like me! You should be out there chasing young lasses or being chased!¡± She gave me a searching look. ¡°Have I introduced you to my daughter?¡± ¡°I believe she¡¯s married already Mrs Haridan.¡± She tapped her chin at that pesky setback. ¡°My granddaughter?¡± ¡°Still on her journey no?¡± I said after thinking for a moment. The old woman nodded. ¡°Rather enjoying the Sevvi Islands last I heard from her. I¡¯ll have to make her swing by to train at your gym! I¡¯m sure after your recent tete-a-tete with Lance she¡¯d be very open to having you offer pointers!¡± I shrugged at her, I probably would have indulged her but it had been¡­ a very, very long day with the interviews along with not really enough sleep. So instead I diverted to a safer topic. ¡°So any thoughts on how to get dinner to stay down? I¡¯m thinking chicken soup, but I only have so much stock in the kitchen right now. Any tips to stretch things out?¡± She perked up and began questioning what I had in my kitchen. In truth, I had lots of things. I always made sure the pantry was stocked ¡ªif locked at night¡ª to handle the kids and the Munchlax we¡¯d taken on. That didn¡¯t stop her from outlining how to cook what sounded like an amazing recipe. ¡°This an old family secret?¡± I asked jokingly. She waved her hand daintily. ¡°Oh goodness no! I got it from a magazine years ago! I tell my family it is though!¡± She giggled into her hand and I shook my head. ¡°Brock!? Mr Brock?¡± Called a nurse. This time they were accompanied by two Machops that had a bed between them. It was at times like this that my lack of a last name really stood out to me. It wasn¡¯t considered strange here though and some people even seemed oddly proud of not having one. It obviously had some cultural or historical context that I hadn¡¯t been told about yet. I stood and nodded to Mrs Haridan. ¡°I¡¯ll cook that soup when we¡¯re done here. Thanks for the recipe.¡± I flipped the notepad closed and looked to Suzie and Timmy. ¡°Want the Machops to wheel you into the Doctor?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± They said as one before groaning as they got a bit dizzy from trying to move. The Machops quickly moved to support them. The small humanoid forms gently lifting the smaller humans. Then they marched back to the bed they had brought before placing the kids onto it. ¡°Chop! Chop! Ma!¡± They said as they worked. The orderly gave my siblings a smile. ¡°Feeling a bit under the weather are we?¡± My siblings nodded into their blankets, withdrawing further in shyness. When the man turned to me I handed him a small folder. ¡°Our usual doctor is on holiday and his entire practice is closed up.¡± ¡°Ah yeah, thankfully it''s not the worst weather to come up to the hospital.¡± He glanced over their medical history with a hum before nodding slowly. ¡°Seems all up to date. Anything to note?¡± ¡°Suzie has been vomiting up food and feeling drowsy, while Timmy has been sneezing green phlegm and getting stuffed up, he also threw up earlier. I¡¯m not sure if it''s the same thing but because they share a room at the moment I thought it better get them both looked over.¡± The nurse merely hummed in thought before giving the kids another friendly look. ¡°Right! Let''s get you to Dr. Pritchard, he¡¯ll have you all seen to as quick as a zoomy Zigzagoon!¡± A quick walk through the hospital halls had us passing the maternity ward where Chansey and Happiny bounced around with their own carts. When we reached the paediatrics wing I saw a number of brightly coloured rooms with nurses wearing vibrant coloured scrubs walking around, and interacting with the kids. I chewed my lip hoping that this wasn¡¯t about to turn into an overnight trip. I¡¯d need to run a number of chores or have someone else handle them at the very least if so. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Before I could get too stuck into the rabbit hole of that line of thinking the nurse opened the door and a young male doctor looked up from his paperwork. ¡°Ah! Brock.¡± He looked to the two bundled-up kids on the bed being pushed by two machop. ¡°So you must be Suzie and Timmy, let¡¯s have a look at you shall we?¡± He was quick with his assessment. Much like the nurse I had to repeat the same information while allowing him to look over the twins medical records. Then he felt up their thyroids and listened to their breathing with a stethoscope. ¡°Cold!¡± Said Timmy when it was his turn, squirming away from the metal on his chest. One of the machop jumped onto the bed and began flexing at him. I could just imagine the little pokemon reprimanding him and saying ¡°Don¡¯t be a sissy. Be tough like me! Don¡¯t worry about the cold! Look at these muscles!¡± The rather mediocre guns display ended before the other Machop could get a chance to argue with the other pokemon. It served as a good distraction for Timmy as the doctor got through the assessment without any other complaints. ¡°Hmmm, I think you¡¯re on the money. You won¡¯t be able to treat this with anything normally available. I¡¯m going to write up a prescription for you. Want me to have them bill and deliver it to your home?¡± ¡°Please,¡± I said, happy that in this world things were often more streamlined. The pharmacy really went out of its way to prescribe and deliver. Especially to young or elderly clients. Just as long as you signed on with a spending account that is. But then again, people had to eat and get paid for the work they did. ¡°Now I assume you know not to teleport home yes?¡± Dr Pritchard turned to me. ¡°Yeah. No teleporting sick or injured unless it''s an emergency. Otherwise, you might make it worse or lose something,¡± I recited the pokemon first aide course I had to undergo as a Gym Leader. The Doctor nodded at me. There had been a rather famous case a few years ago of a man being mauled by a Pidgeot in the wild. It had left his arm barely hanging on. The man had decided to teleport instead of being transported to the hospital. Parts of him had never arrived. It was still considered a good call but one that highlighted the dangers. For the sick, it often resulted in intensified conditions. Sick people might find their sickness slightly displaced resulting in a worsened condition. ¡°Did you want some help taking them home?¡± He gestured to the Machops that were putting on a muscle show to my siblings. ¡°You kids want these strong pokemon to carry you home?¡± Timmy thought about it but Suzie shook her head to reach out toward me. I plucked her up without complaint. She hopefully wouldn¡¯t throw up on me again but I had a spare shirt in my backpack. Timmy pointed at one of the Machop that raised its arms like it had just won a bantamweight boxing championship. The other slumped. With that taken care of, I passed by the reception and settled up the bill before trudging home. Besides me, Timmy held onto the machop¡¯s shoulder having gone for a ¡®pony ride¡¯. As we walked I looked over the white-topped mountain ranges that now surrounded Pewter. Thankfully it hadn¡¯t snowed today, but the city employed fire types and onix to keep the roads clear so that wouldn¡¯t have been a large issue even if it had snowed. Still, I had made sure to bundle the kids up with the colder wind making them huddle into their blankets. On the way home I passed by a man that was simply sitting and watching the road toward the gym. Most people would have ignored him. The man made a wonderful rock impression with how still he was. Combine that with his dishevelled appearance you wouldn¡¯t be wrong in thinking he had obviously been roughing it for a long while now. The man turned his head when he heard us approaching. He stiffened when he saw us. I didn¡¯t make a show of acknowledging him. I merely looked to Suzie and Timmy who weren¡¯t paying attention to their surroundings. Suzie looked like she was trying to sleep while Timmy was trying to urge his Machop to jump. ¡°Hey Suzie, do think you¡¯ll be able to eat some soup when we get home? I think you need to eat something with this medicine,¡± I said out loud. ¡°Mmmmm,¡± she grumbled before burying herself deeper into my back. When we came level with Flint, Timmy sneezed and I heard the splatter of snot impact Machop¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ma! Macho!¡± cried the Machop before sighing and patting the bundled up boy on his back when Timmy apologised. I leaned over and wiped the snot. ¡°That¡¯s good manners Timmy. Sorry Machop, let me get you cleaned up.¡± Even as I did so I felt my eyes shift towards Flint to see how he was reacting. The man had curled into himself and was staring at the ground. I felt something bitter rise up and I opened my mouth to ask if he didn¡¯t want to do anything. Anything at all. I wanted to grab at that feeling and lash out. I felt something dark filling me and for a moment I consider¡ª Suzie grumbled and her stomach gurgled. ¡°We going home?¡± I bit back what I was going to say, watching Flint pointedly not look at us. I pushed the feelings aside. ¡°Yeah we¡¯re going home Suzie, come on Timmy.¡± I didn¡¯t look back as we walked on. Instead, I very pointedly entered the house. Thanked Machop. Collected the medication when it arrived. Cooked Mrs Haridan¡¯s soup and fed the kids. I stayed very quiet throughout. I felt if I had said anything else I might have bitten out the words and that wasn¡¯t a good behaviour to have around small children. I made sure to make enough so that the entire family that was present¡­ That was in the house, I corrected mentally, could eat the soup for lunch tomorrow. Then I deposited the kids into bed. I layed on the floor next to them to monitor them for a while. Suzie blearily watched me and shifted back and forth. I fluffed her pillow, trying to make her more comfortable. She lay still but kept watching me. ¡°Brock? Can you sing to me?¡± I rubbed a hand down my face. ¡°Are you sure you wouldn¡¯t prefer a story? You know I¡¯m bad at singing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not¡­ you just don¡¯t get to practise enough,¡± she said. ¡°Who told you that?¡± ¡°My kindergarten teacher, she says nobody is born good at something, they have to practise, practise, practise,¡± said Suzie with a sing-song tone, then she coughed a little. I patted her back. ¡°You really want me to sing?¡± I rubbed my chin. It had been a long time since I¡¯d last sung for my siblings. I used to do it a lot¡­ back when I first came home and Billy and Tilly had been tiny. I¡¯d stolen songs like, ¡®you¡¯ll be in my heart¡¯ by Phil collins, the lion sleep¡ªluxray in this world¡ª,¡­ or at least as much as I could remember of it. I had some notes about it and other scribblings of my past life in my office locked away. I could only sing by the most charitable measure of skill. I typically tried to sing with a low slow style. I usually got off with the kids preferring my stories where I could do a ton of different voices. But tonight apparently was a song night. I wasn¡¯t going to deny her. So instead I laid my head against the wall and sang something I¡¯d adapted from my past life. ¡°Man~, I feel like hell tonight, Tears of rage I cannot lie I''d be the last to help you understand Are you hard enough to be a man? My man,¡± I dragged the words out, eyeing Suzie as she yawned but continued to watch me. So I kept singing. ¡°Nothing''s true and nothing''s right So don¡¯t leave me alone tonight ''Cause you can''t change the way I am Are you hard enough to be a man?¡± I sighed out the next words as Suzie¡¯s eyes slowly closed. ¡°Lie to me I promise I''ll believe Lie to me But please don''t leave Don''t leave,¡± I sang before making to stand I got to the door before Suzie coughed. I checked her over but she was now fast asleep. When I left the room I found Yolanda waiting outside the door. She smiled at me. ¡°They alright?¡± ¡°They¡¯re sleeping now.¡± I patted her on the head and heaved a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get some sleep myself. Night.¡± ¡°Night Brock.¡± She hugged into my side, ¡°love you,¡± she said into my ribs. I mirrored her words and headed straight for my room where I collapsed into bed. I let my mind wander. Everyone was in bed now, right? My family was fine? They¡¯d been fed hadn¡¯t they? I vaguely remembered Yolanda heating something up from the freezer for the others while I¡¯d been busy. I tried to relax and force sleep to claim me. It didn¡¯t work. My mind kept going to the walk back to the gym and what had happened. Could I really leave Flint to look after my siblings? I kept coming up with an answer that made me chase my tail. He¡¯d seen us! He couldn¡¯t deny that! And¡­ he just sat there. I wasn¡¯t the person that had had so many kids. I had never signed on for this. I¡¯d known it was coming though. I¡¯d tried to avoid it. Part of me hated myself for that. Part of me longed for the open road again and I despised that part of me that knew it was a selfish reaction. Life was easy when you were on the road. You lived day to day without too many worries. It made you more¡­ present? I wasn¡¯t sure how, but it made you focus on the now. It was easy to be free when you didn¡¯t have any responsibilities. It was one of the best things about living in a pokemon world. Everyone understood that, it was why pokemon journeys were so prevalent in our culture. Sadly they could be addictive if the number of single parents was any indication. I¡¯d had mine and loved it. I¡¯d despaired when I¡¯d been called back early. But I had made the best of the situation. I looked at the walls of my room, imagining the walls beyond them. There were strong walls around a strong gym. I looked at the colours and toys I¡¯d collected spread across the room. My siblings were happy and had most of what they needed. If I only wanted to consider my happiness, I would do as Flint did and walk out the door. I grit my teeth at that comparison. And it was a comparison. If I left, wouldn¡¯t I be no better than him? Did I know that I needed to accompany Ash on his journey? Brock in the anime had been a stabilising feature that cooked meals and helped look after pokemon. He¡¯d also been a recurring joke with his failed flirtations with women. He might not have been the main character, but he had his role to play in guiding said character. Did that make it an apples to oranges situation then? What about the gym? What about all the work I had put in? I turned over and tried to get comfortable. I could feel the fatigue in my bones. I felt tired. It was an experience I¡¯d gotten used to in my older life. Now I was not even seventeen and I was already feeling like an old man. Maybe it was just my old soul? Or, and this had taken me a while to understand through experiencing it enough in my past life, maybe I was just having a no-good-rubbish day. You got those sometimes. I¡¯d bounce back. Sometimes we all struggle a bit in the dark after all. I chuckled to myself at the accidental pun. Then I grimaced, sitting up to fluff my pillow. Maybe that needed to be changed out soon? I wasn¡¯t getting more comfortable despite my efforts. Yup. Today was one of those days. Those no good, rough days that made you feel like you were about to either be kicked or do some kicking yourself. I felt my eyes slide shut as I breathed out loudly. I had no idea when I next opened my eyes, but I did so to find myself looking into red eyes. I was held in a blanket that was scooping me up from the floor and carrying me. Had I rolled out of bed? Or had I eventually decided to try sleeping on the floor? I¡­ couldn¡¯t really recall. I dozed with my eyes just barely opened. When I was set into bed I felt a softer form lay down behind me and wrap me in a hug. I had to wonder what Sabrina was doing here. My sleeping mind offered up the answer. ¡°Had a rough night, yourself?¡± The form behind me nodded once. ¡°I tried spending some more time outside¡­ with my father and mother. We ended up with a lot of people wanting something from us. Mother wanted me to stay though so¡­ I stayed,¡± said Sabrina. I rolled in her arms and lay an arm over her. She stared at me and I smiled at her. ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry. That happens sometimes,¡± I said lightly trying to let myself fall back asleep. I hadn¡¯t realised it but I had been rather cold down there. Thoughts could get heavy sometimes. I could only imagine how being a psychic could make things harder. ¡°Thanks for picking me off the floor,¡± I said with my eyes shut as sleep claimed me. I woke up the next morning alone. Next to me, a small depression marked where another body had laid. I sighed and sat up before making my way out to start a new day. I found myself slightly more relaxed than I had been though. I hummed and shot Sabrina a message to thank her, even if she¡¯d needed me, her being there last night had helped. I headed out and found all of my siblings'' bar Suzie and Timmy already fed and getting ready for school. Suzie and Timmy were still sleeping. I sent them off and when my sick siblings woke up, got them to eat something. Then Georgina called to tell me she had no paper work for me, leaving me to enjoy a lazy morning on the couch, watching cartoons with my siblings. Today already seemed to be off to a better start. Chapter 42 - Pewter city days ¡°Alright, the Grannies are coming to pick you up this afternoon,¡± I said to my siblings as I locked the door. I waved to Graveller, Munchlax and Eevee through the window. Graveller was having to hold Eevee as she¡¯d started to try and sneak after the kids when they went to school. I¡¯d been halfway home from dropping them off when I¡¯d come across her last time. Since then it became Graveller¡¯s duty to hold onto her. The little fluffy pokemon whined and made pawing motions after us and my siblings made their own whines. ¡°Big brother I¡¯m sure the teacher won¡¯t mind¡­¡± said Cindy. I shook my head. ¡°You¡¯re going to school to learn, not play with eevee. There are going to be days you can bring her but those are special days.¡± ¡°I have one next week!¡± announced Suzie proudly. ¡°Yeah but you¡¯re a little baby! You only have Kindergarten lessons!¡± said Cindy. I coughed pointedly. ¡°Let¡¯s not fight over Eevee. Alright? Cindy you¡¯ll get your chance to take Eevee to school just as Suzie has her chance. She wasn¡¯t teasing you¡ª¡± ¡°Yes I was!¡± said Suzie primly. I sighed and continued on. ¡°Alright so she was teasing you, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should react to it. It¡¯s water off a lapras¡¯ back. No problem for you! Right?¡± Cindy considered this as Suzie pouted at me. I gave her a firm look and she ducked her head. ¡°Sorry, Cindy!¡± ¡°Hmph! No problem! Want to see if we can make it to that tree before Timmy!?¡± Cindy said, showing a modicum more maturity than her little sister. ¡°No you can¡¯t!¡± shouted Timmy as he began to run with all the grace a four-year-old could muster. He fell over at the halfway point. Then he looked back to me to see if he should be crying. I gestured for him to keep running and he remembered what he¡¯d been doing. I hummed and walked my family into town. This was merely part of the routine for the off-circuit. Most of the time I had to send in a pokemon to escort them during the circuit. In the early days that had resulted in a lot of incidents as the pokemon didn¡¯t know to ignore some of the firmer commands my siblings could give. I¡¯d ended up with Jenny tapping me on the shoulder due to Onix being ordered to give rides, only, not to the school but rather to the local playground. I¡¯d ended up having to make Yolanda and Forrest walk them in. Forrest zoomed past on his new bike grinning from ear to ear. On days that I wasn¡¯t able to, he still had to walk them in but on days like today? He got to race up to a friend''s house and go on from there. What did that mean? With there still being half an hour before he needed to be at school? That meant he had almost enough time to go anywhere he wanted on his bike. Somehow thirty minutes as a kid seemed like an eternity compared to thirty minutes as an adult. I drew in a breath before continuing my walk into town. I felt the urge to whistle as I watched the kids tumbling and bumbling down the road. The snow had mostly all melted away. It was only briskly cold now which gave me hopes that this winter wouldn¡¯t be too bad. We¡¯d had some snow but I don¡¯t think any more was predicted in the forecast. Hopefully the cold winds coming from the north didn¡¯t linger into spring. The kids all became professional pokemon spotters as we walked. But it was pretty easy when it was mostly pidgey and rattata with the occasional caterpie running around. Suzie practised her pidgey song for the fifth time that day and I rolled my shoulders and smiled. Yolanda trundled along next to me getting used to the scooter she¡¯d gotten over the weekend with her own pocket money. ¡°You¡¯re chipper this morning?¡± she said as she worked at scooting along with a concentrated look of determination. ¡°Got to have a full night¡¯s sleep, got the gym jobs all done for the moment. I got in a good workout, threw a cheeky onix¡­¡± I took another breath and looked up. ¡°Just seems like today¡¯s going to be a good one.¡± ¡°Hmm if you say so,¡± She said as she kicked off the ground only to bunny hop a little on her scooter. When we reached the outskirts of town my siblings called out to the people they knew that were setting up shops/stalls for the day and the occasional jogger still running about. Some of the joggers had pokemon themselves with Growlithe, Meowth and Poochyena all following along or being led. The occasional pokemon fight broke out but it was usually handled with a command to return or an acceptance of an early morning battle. It was for this purpose that the running tracks had small battle areas set up every few hundred metres. One stall owner had objected to a growlithe snatching a nice scarf and not paying only for the jogger to reject their claim. So they were resolving it with a pokemon battle. I watched the aipom dish out a wonderful iron tail to earn his trainer the ¡®winnings¡¯. ¡°Hey scooter girl!¡± shouted Crystal as she rolled up with her own scooter. Her smile was huge as she stared at Yolanda¡¯s. I made an ¡®ah-ha!¡¯ noise that Yolanda shot a look at me for. Now I knew why she¡¯d wanted to buy a scooter of all things. Yolanda smiled back. ¡°He-hey! Crys!¡± she stumbled a bit on the scooter, obviously not as used to working it as Crystal. Crystal pouted. ¡°No! You have to call out to me as ¡®hey yourself scooter gal!¡¯ like we¡¯re in a gang!¡± She performed circles around Yolanda and showed her how it was done. I watched her. Hadn¡¯t her mother threatened her about a bike? Was this her method of flouting her mother or her mother finding something else for her daughter to do? I¡¯d have to ask Georgina later on. ¡°The scooter gang?¡± Yolanda said. I chuckled as she rolled off to spend time with her own friend leaving me with Salvadore, Cindy, Billy, Tilly, Tommy, Timmy, and Suzie. They all watched Yolanda scoot away enviously. Almost as one, they turned their heads towards me. ¡°When can we have a new bike/scooter?¡± most of them said. I chuckled and shook my head. ¡°When you¡¯re eleven or when you can buy it yourself! Or have you forgotten you already all have bikes? You just don¡¯t like riding them during winter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s soooooo long!¡± Suzie said sadly, ignoring my earlier comment. I shrugged. ¡°Guess you¡¯ve gotta get good at running then.¡± I pointed to another tree. ¡°Race! One, two, three!¡± She turned and sprinted off with most of the other kids chasing after her. The rest of the walk passed with everyone playing among themselves as we dropped them off. Thankfully the kindergarten and daycare for Timmy, Tilly, Billy and Suzie were the first stop. Then we came to the school for Salvadore, Cindy and Tommy. I stood at the gates and waved at them as they wandered in. A few kids waved at me but otherwise moved on, my fame in town has long since gone back to normal levels since the victory against Lance. I had barely turned around when a police siren whirred once. I glanced over to find Officer Jenny giving me an amused look that she quickly schooled into a stern expression. In the sidecar, she had Forrest and his friends all tied up together. ¡°Gym Leader Brock? Do you know how fast your brother was going through the market?¡± she said. I gave him and his friends a look. ¡°Not fast enough if they got caught,¡± I said cheekily. Jenny¡¯s eyes narrowed but I merely locked gazes with her. No one I had met so far could outglare me thanks to how naturally narrow my eyes were . It also helped that her lips were twitching at my joke but her ¡®cop face¡¯ was good. I gave her a smile. ¡°Shall we lock them in chains in the square and order people to throw fruit at them for their crimes?¡± Jenny¡¯s lips twitched fully into a smile in amusement. ¡°Hmmm, I think it would have to be rotten fruit. Then it wouldn¡¯t be wasted.¡± ¡°Oh hahaha! Very funny Brock!¡± said Forrest from where he was tied up. ¡°Can you please have your girlfriend let us go?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Said another boy before squirming. ¡°I gotta pee!¡± That got some more shouts and squirming from the crowd which I was sure would only make things worse. I looked at Jenny and offered a fake look of remorse only to find her blushing at their tease. I bit my lip and coughed to cover a laugh. ¡°Ahem! I¡¯m sure it would be a shame to have more mess to clean up would you say? How about you let them off with a warning this time and save the public punishment for next time?¡± Jenny tapped her lip as though considering it. ¡°Fine! But you¡¯ll owe me one Brock!¡± She grabbed a knot and with a flick of her wrist, the entire coil of rope loosened. The squirming gang of boys flopped over the side like suddenly limp spaghetti. They then scrambled over the sides and towards the large carry case that let them draw out their bikes or, in one case, made a sprint for the nearest bathroom. Huh, so he hadn¡¯t been making it up? Before Forrest could ride off I caught him in a headlock. ¡°Don¡¯t go riding through the market even if it''s not full of people! You can¡¯t use that there!¡± I said fully enjoying the irony of getting to use Oak¡¯s most annoying memo from the games on someone else. ¡°Alright! Alright! Get off me! I promise not to ride my bike in the market!¡± I almost tacked on a few other locations that he shouldn¡¯t ride his bike as well but the school bell gave its first warning chime and suddenly children were streaming into the school like water through floodgates. I even spotted Crystal and Yolanda tearing into school before dismounting their scooters. When the flood of kids was over I gave Jenny a smile, ¡°So, did they damage anything?¡± ¡°No, they were just being hooligans!¡± she said with a growl, ¡°They need to learn to obey the road rules if they¡¯re going to be riding their bikes around!¡± I glanced at her motorbike and then at her. ¡°How¡¯d you catch them?¡± She blushed and coughed. ¡°I was in hot pursuit! That makes it different!¡± she said. I nodded sagely, not bothering to hide my amusement at her claim. ¡°No problem from me, no problem.¡± I waved her down. ¡°So how should I pay you back?¡± Jenny opened her mouth and from the glint in her eye, I could tell she was going to say something along the vein of teaching Forrest proper rules. Instead, a dull roar sounded out from her stomach making her blush so red I almost thought she was trying to mimic a Mr Mime with how red her cheeks were. I pointed to a nearby stand that was selling coffee, and breakfast-like foods for parents. ¡°How about coffee and some food?¡± She coughed and regathered her dignity from the dirt. ¡°That would be nice,¡± she said primly. When we got to the front of the line she got a breakfast burger and a black coffee that she then dumped milk into. ¡°What?¡± she said as she sat on her bike and tore into her breakfast like a starved woman. I shrugged, my own hot chocolate bobbing up and down with me. ¡°Nothing really, just watching you eat that like you were starving. Have you been busy?¡± I said leadingly. She grunted and waved her hand side to side in a so-so gesture. ¡°Sort of, we¡¯re getting some on and off work but a lot of it is just small-time stuff. The cold has most of the usual crooks tucked up from what we can tell. Got everyone a bit squirrely cause we know something is coming up, but we can¡¯t tell what. If you hear or see anything be sure to pass it along alright?¡± ¡°The usual crooks?¡± I said. ¡°Team Rocket mostly, although there are some kids doing dumb things like egging stalls and being brats around. It''s why I chased after your brother and his friends so hard.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°Makes sense.¡± I took another sip of my drink. ¡°And yeah, if I do hear anything I¡¯ll be sure to pass it along. I certainly don¡¯t want Team Rocket sniffing around.¡± She nodded. ¡°I got your gym on my patrol route so expect to see me around!¡± I flicked my eyes up and down before I could even stop myself. Jenny sat up in surprise before grinning at me. I hummed, oh well in for a pokecent, in for a pokedollar. ¡°I¡¯m sure I could stand to see more of you¡­ Oh, that actually sounds way worse than I intended it to be.¡± I scratched my head and felt a blush coming on. I¡¯d meant to tease her a bit but somehow I¡¯d flubbed the tone and made it sound kind of ¡­desperate. Jenny grinned at me, leaning forward like a Meowth that had just seen a choice Ratata. She was just opening her mouth to say something when her radio chirped to life. ¡°Hey Jenny! Got some reports of people spray painting the mayor¡¯s office!¡± She huffed and answered, ¡°Copy that, Jenny, on my way!¡± She gave me a small grimace. ¡°Well this was fun, we should do this again.¡± She leapt onto her motorbike and swung her well-toned leg over her bike grinning at catching my wandering eye once more. ¡°What¡¯re you doing today?¡± ¡°Got Gym training with the new guys. Trixie¡¯s coming over to keep us in shape. Then I have a little league match against Cerulean this afternoon.¡± Jenny grimaced. ¡°Ouch Trixie? You train with her?¡± She ran her eyes up and down my body. ¡°Well guess it had to come from somewhere. Thanks for the coffee, maybe you should offer me another one?¡± She shot me a wink and throttled her bike. It didn¡¯t stop me from spotting the light dusting of red across her cheeks as she tore off towards the Mayor¡¯s office. I hummed to myself only to stop. This¡­ had almost been a date, hadn¡¯t it? I turned that over in my head. That was rather nice. Jenny was a nice lady and I didn¡¯t think I would mind spending more time with her. But did I even want to date someone right now? It might sound bad, but I¡¯d learnt from my past life that to properly ¡®date¡¯ both parties really needed to be invested in it or understand that it was just something fun. Jenny seemed fun, but I had only interacted with her in a work setting or during small moments like this where we crossed paths. Would that change if I tried dating her? It could potentially be awkward with us having to work together occasionally. At eighteen years of age she was doing well to have risen from a junior officer position from when she''d joined at sixteen, following her stint in the police cadets. We were obviously both workaholics. So we wouldn''t have time for serious dating. Also, I totally had other things to focus on. Still¡­ My mind couldn¡¯t help recalling the way she¡¯d mounted that motorbike or the way her smile got sheepish or boisterous. I tossed my empty drink and decided to jog back to the gym, hoping to clear my head. I arrived just in time to catch another jogger knocking on the front door. Instead of wearing jeans or a windbreaker like many of the other people out and about, she was wearing form-fighting yoga pants, a sleek jacket that strained to hold in her upper body and a sweatband on her forehead that kept her shoulder-length auburn hair out of her face. She jogged on the spot and glanced at her wrist. I knew her well enough to know she was not checking the time so much as she was checking her heart rate. She was a tried and true fitness fanatic. While I had gone on my journey, she had been training. When I¡¯d undergone tournaments, she¡¯d been training. When I returned and began running the gym, she¡¯d been training. While I¡¯d dropped off my siblings and had a coffee date with Jenny? Trixie had been training. ¡°Hey Trixie!¡± I called out. She rotated her jogging on the spot and beamed a megawatt smile at me. ¡°Brock! Wonderful morning we¡¯re having aren¡¯t we!?¡± While she wasn¡¯t wrong, it was actually a nice day, Trixie was a happy person. But not just a normal everyday happy person. Trixie was the type of person that could be neck deep in mud, with rain coming in sideways and she¡¯d still be smiling and telling everyone how great the day was. ¡°Yeah, ready to run the training session with the new trainers I picked up? Rachel asked to join in so go gentle on her alright?¡± ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Trixie giggled. Something that was deeply disconcerting for such an amazonian. ¡°Oh Brock, I¡¯m all about working people within what they¡¯re capable of, I don¡¯t push past that!¡± I smiled. Oh well, I¡¯d tried. The front doors of the gym opened to reveal Rocko grinning up at Trixie. ¡°Trixie, what¡¯s up girl?¡± he said before stepping back out of a chilly wind. His chosen training gear of a loose singlet and basketball shorts not at all suitable for the still brisk morning. ¡°Oh, my new clean and jerk record!¡± said the girl happily as she bounced into the gym, taking the words literally. ¡°Nice!¡± Rocko said without batting an eyelid. He gestured in towards the arena where everyone that was taking part was assembled. I held up a hand for Trixie to wait for me to introduce her and she nodded. Then she dropped into single-leg squats in the trainer tunnel. Rocko shook his head. ¡°If a Gengar ever gets me I¡¯m going to think of this to scare them off,¡± he said out the side of his mouth to me. I chuckled. When I got to the field proper I spotted Dennis, Daniel, Celia, Rachel, Missy, and surprisingly both Stephen and Bianca in sports attire. I gave them both a surprised look. ¡°Uhm? Are you sure you want to take part in this?¡± Bianca nodded. ¡°It would be good for me to stay fit!¡± Stephen agreed amiably. ¡°I¡¯ve been getting a little flabby and will need to do some proper hiking soon!¡± Rocko and Dennis looked at each other and laughed. They then stopped laughing to drop into stretches. The others looked at them in confusion. ¡°Well just to warn you but Trixie¡¯s not like other personal trainers. She guarantees results but her guarantee is¡­¡± Dennis grunted as he flicked his leg up behind himself to stretch his quads. ¡°It¡¯s carved from steel and plated. You¡¯ll be the fittest you¡¯ll ever be and only death¡¯s sweet embrace will free you otherwise.¡± Rocko snorted. ¡°Nah Brock got a chansey this year. We¡¯re screwed.¡± Celia who¡¯d had the luck to avoid the fitness regime sessions last time stared in surprise at Rocko¡¯s tone and how worried Dennis looked. ¡°Uh? Is she mean about it?¡± ¡°No. Trixie could never be described as mean,¡± I said as I swung my legs through an active warm-up. Rachel and Celia sighed in relief at that while Bianca looked more confused. Missy tilted her head and glanced around while Daniel rubbed his chin. ¡°Where have I heard the name Trixie?¡± he said. ¡°Well she¡¯s won Miss Mountain Indigo the last four years in a row, so maybe from a magazine?¡± I said, taking off my jacket. I looked at my shirt before shrugging and stripping out of it as well. Rachel, Celia, Missy and Bianca stared at me. I shrugged at them. ¡°I¡¯ll get a towel and another shirt during the breaks she gives but no point getting something dirty. Plus, you know, chafing.¡± I turned and cupped my hands to call back down the tunnel. ¡°Alright Trixie! We¡¯re ready for you!¡± I ignored Dennis¡¯ muttered, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Two pokeballs popped out from the tunnel and discharged a Machoke, and a Breloom that glanced around. When they spotted us they flexed their muscles. And then Trixie emerged from behind them. In the space of time since I left her, she¡¯d discarded her top to reveal she was wearing a tubetop underneath to preserve her modesty. Each step made muscles ripple that I knew the name for from a previous life¡¯s field of work in health. Trixie advanced like a tectonic plate moved, certain of its trajectory with the knowledge nothing would stop it. She had a light sweat up now. While I¡¯d been checking in with my trainers. She¡¯d been training. Trixie was the sort of fitness fanatic that people of my previous life could only dream of being. In a world with aura and the ability for belief to produce results, Trixie had made a temple with her body. She had to have been cut from the same clothe as a certain leotard wearing ninja. ¡°Oh sweet mama,¡± said what might have been Rachel. Trixie grinned at us. ¡°Ready to start? Good!¡± a fire entered her eyes as she clapped her hands together causing a tiny clap of thunder. ¡°Now... Run!¡± Dennis, Rocko and I turned and ran at her command. The others were startled at our reaction only for Trixie to suddenly be among them urging them on with good cheer while her pokemon prodded and poked people into running. ¡°Let¡¯s go! G! O! Let¡¯s go team run, run, run! I want ten laps out of all of you!¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I tried to get as much of a lead as I could. While it was dragon types that were known for it I still had my pride and it was demanding I push myself. I ran a lap around the arena and was three-quarters of the way around for my second when I overtook Daniel who was being hounded by Breloom. Trixie was urging Rachel and Celia on and Machoke was cheering Stephen on. Surprisingly Bianca was with Missy and Rocko as the next group and Dennis was running madly behind me by a few paces. I continued to run, settling in as much as I could, even drawing on the slow steady energy of rock and stone to make it easier. Trixie worked her way through everyone and I had run four laps before she suddenly started lapping everyone with a smile on her face. ¡°You¡¯re all doing wonderful!¡± She made sure to clap each person on the back in encouragement. I tried to pour on the speed to keep her off but I could tell she was still closing in as I spotted her catch Dennis who I¡¯d lapped a while ago. Then she turned her sights onto me and began to open up with her long muscular legs. With each step she took, dirt kicked up behind her. I spared a glance back and realised I was also leaving small gouges in the ground as I ran. I dug in. Just ten laps! I could stop in five more laps! With two to go she caught up to me and smiled. ¡°Oh! Wow, you¡¯re doing really well Gym leader Brock! You¡¯ve gotten really good since we last did this! I¡¯m so happy that you kept up your training!¡± Then she was past me and I was cursing up a storm. She had to be using fighting-type aura! She had to be! I tried to feel for any energy like the books had mentioned but I was obviously lacking in my sensory skills. That had to be the reason I told myself She continued to loop around and she continued to cheer people along as she passed them. When she caught up to me she smiled. ¡°On your left!¡± I grit my teeth, was this how Sam felt when Steve Rogers overtook him? Trixie didn¡¯t have a mean bone in her body. But on some level she understood that when you challenged someone in the right way in this world they simply had to respond. It was like she could flip the switch of having a pokemon challenge initiated only to make you do your best with training with her. You couldn¡¯t do anything else. Some part of the brain just activated and you found yourself sprinting for all you were worth¡­ and it still wasn¡¯t enough to match her. She competed with the other fitness junkies in a world with aura and had claimed the national title four times in a row. She only had to do it another two times to claim the all-time record. When she was about to complete her tenth lap, instead of crossing the finish line she jogged backwards and caught up with each person to help cheer you across the finish line. I wished I could hate her in that moment, but somehow she was just too pure in her support. Also, she always guaranteed that you¡¯d come out fitter than you went in. I staggered across the line and she cheered me on for finishing before pointing to a set of towels and drinks that she¡¯d somehow had set up while we¡¯d run. ¡°Make sure to breathe and stretch out after your warm-up!¡± she said as she darted back to Dennis who was looking red in the face as he pumped his arms to finish. I staggered over to the towels. Most of the people still running jerked at her words. Daniel even screamed. ¡°WARM UP!? THIS IS A WARM-UP?!¡± Trixie just smiled. ¡°Why sure! You¡¯ve got me for the next two hours!¡± Everyone shot me hateful looks. I shrugged. They could hate me, but they¡¯d also love the results that came with this sort of training. Rocko and Dennis hadn¡¯t been lying, results were guaranteed. Just not in the way most people thought they were. Still, I was so planning on having a nap once Trixie was done. I¡¯d need some extra energy this afternoon for when I coached my team. Today¡¯s match was against our ¡°rivals¡± in Cerulean.
¡°Come on David! Swing for the stands!¡± I shouted to the boy. He gave me a hesitant thumbs up as he trudged out to the plate with his baseball bat. I returned the thumbs up and felt my muscles ache. I took a sip of the shake Trixie had left us with. It tasted like warm celery mixed with some berry. It helped muscle recovery¡­ Somehow. I didn¡¯t question the woman that had been crowned Muscle mountain champion. If she told me to eat something I¡¯d eat it like I was Deku being offered one of All Might¡¯s hairs. It did helped quell the tremors that ran through my body, so it must be doing something right. Next to me the next batter twitched and muttered to himself. I glanced at him and listened in when I realised he was muttering something. ¡°It¡¯s a mistake sending David in now, we¡¯d be better off with George or Julia. They handle fastball throwers like this much better. Julia has a better average¡­¡± He continued to mutter to himself while I stared at him. ¡°¡ªike three!¡± called the umpire. I glanced up from the kid to see David¡¯s dejected form slouch his way back to me. ¡°Bad luck David you¡¯ll get him next time!¡± I said. ¡°Doubtful,¡± said the boy next to me. I stared at him. His name was Manny, and he¡¯d been a late addition to the Little League team. His mother had marched him to team practice and begged me to start training him. He¡¯d initially refused until I¡¯d made him the ¡®rest¡¯ point for the geodude if he started to slack off. He¡¯d spent the entire time muttering darkly at me and I¡¯d thought he was doing the same now. I¡¯d thought he was a kid that preferred video games or reading only to be forced into the daylight by his mother. I could sympathise, but with his mother pushing him onto me I had to make him participate. He¡¯d gnashed his teeth, dragged his feet and gotten into practise. He¡¯d eventually taken part in conversations with the other kids. Honestly, he¡¯d seemed surprised to get them talking with him. Sadly his performance in catching, throwing, batting and more made him easily the least skilled kid. He¡¯d taken to watching the others kids intently. I¡¯d thought he¡¯d been trying to learn how they were doing things. Instead, it looked like he¡¯d done some research and gone another route. He glanced up at me only to realise that I was watching him. ¡°Urgh! You expect me to go out there don¡¯t you?¡± I hummed. ¡°Eventually¡­¡± I looked past him to the bench where George and Julia were sitting. ¡°Julia! You¡¯re up now!¡± Julia grinned, grabbing her bat and trotting out. I gestured to the home plate and she ran up. She swung at the ball. She missed on the first throw. Then the second. And on the third¡­ CRACK! She didn¡¯t get a home run but she did send it ripping along the field forcing the fielders to scurry. By the time they had it, she was already on her way to third base. ¡°Nice one!¡± I called to Julia. ¡°Woooooooah!¡± screamed a woman¡¯s voice from the stands. I glanced back expecting to see Julia¡¯s mother. Instead, I found Karen standing and cheering wildly. I stared at her, the aviators on my nose sliding down a bit. What the? She had a big drink in one hand and a large hat to shade her features but¡­ that was Karen wasn¡¯t it? This seemed¡­ well I couldn¡¯t say out of character because I didn¡¯t really know her did I? Not beyond meeting up with her in a pitch to join a quasi-secret society and fighting her and the other big names of the group. I wouldn¡¯t have thought her to be someone to turn up to a Little League match though. She grinned at me and waved as she pulled down her own sunglasses to wink at me. Then again if she was here to mess with me¡­ Yeah, that made a lot more sense. The boy next to me nudged me in the kidney. ¡°Stop staring at our mums and sisters!¡± he growled. At his words, my eyes flicked to said women in case they thought I had been staring at them¡ª ¡°No! Stop that!¡± I stiffened before glowering at him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t doing that. That woman just now¡­ She¡¯s someone I know.¡± ¡°Well stop staring at her, and send in someone else!¡± said Manny. He gestured to the team. I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°I should send you out,¡± I said, pointing out that he had a helmet and a bat ready to go. He stiffened, apparently having forgotten they were even there. ¡°Uhmmm please don¡¯t? I don¡¯t think I can hit those pitches!¡± I snorted and looked to see that while I¡¯d been gawping like an idiot at Karen. A new kid had been sent out. One that threw harder and faster than everyone else on his team. I¡¯d been having trouble with this kid but he only had like eight good pitches in him before he tired out. Probably less now. Not that I¡¯d let it get that bad. I had an answer to him. I checked my clipboard first though. So far Manny hadn¡¯t batted, just as Tomas, Wayne and Tracey were all still waiting for their chance. I tapped Tomas¡¯ name. He¡¯d be my answer for this kid in a second but first I called out for Wayne. He raced out with a huge grin. His swings were equally as enthusiastic and on his second swing he connected and sent it rocketing right back to the pitcher. I was impressed when the kid plucked it out of the air. ¡°Damn it,¡± I said before coughing when Manny giggled next to me. Julia was sprawled out atop third base having thrown herself atop it when she had to abort her sprint for home. ¡°Damn it huh?¡± said Manny snidely ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I said Blastoise it!¡± I said, lying like a pro. ¡°You should get your ears checked.¡± I cupped my hands to call out some encouragement as Wayne realised that his getting to first base meant nothing. ¡°Woooooah! Next time just aim for his head kid!¡± shouted Karen from the stands. This got a round of chuckles from the Pewter parents but the Cerulean parents that had come grumbled. I saw one woman standing and glaring back at Karen who shamelessly waved. Wayne returned with a huge blush on his face. ¡°Sorry Coach,¡± he said. I pat him on the head. ¡°Nah it¡¯s all good, nice job hitting that throw.¡± Manny rolled his shoulders. ¡°Time for Jaimie?¡± he said, taking off his own helmet. I stared at him and let a small, evil-looking smile form on my face. He blanched. ¡°You can¡¯t send me out! My weedle-like arms can¡¯t hit those throws!¡± I snorted and looked away from him. ¡°Just messing with you Manny. Tomas! You¡¯re up!¡± ¡°Tomas? He can¡¯t hit that!¡± Manny practically shouted. ¡°Oh he will,¡± I put up two fists and Tomas nodded seriously. When he stood on the plate he took up most of it with his larger frame. He made a grand show of swinging as if he was going to aim for nothing but the back fence. His swings caused loud wooshes of air and a few of the fielders backed up at their own coach¡¯s urging. Manny bit his lip, holding in the giggle. ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s it tubby! Save yourself the running and just walk it in with a homer!¡± Karen gave another shout. This got a bit more laughter from the crowd on both sides. I shot Karen a glare along with a shake of my head. She really shouldn¡¯t tease him about his body. He was a growing lad. Tomas blushed but stepped up to the plate. When the pitcher wound up he stepped in, choking up the plate and grabbing the end of his bat. I could see the Cerulean coach¡¯s eyes bulge as he realised what was about to happen. ¡°It¡¯s a bunter!¡± he called. Thankfully he was way too late and despite his pitcher''s fast throw his speed meant nothing in the face of Tomas¡¯ soft hands and sharp eyes. The ball dribbled forward and the pitcher had to scurry forward. I saw Tomas lumber into a run and slide into first base. When I turned to see Julia home I was surprised to find her once more sprawled out but this time only a little away from third base once more. The third baseman slid his foot back and I knew what he¡¯d done. I knew, but I couldn¡¯t believe it. She scrambled back to third base and safety. ¡°What the?¡± I said in shock. Manny scowled as he spoke, ¡°Their third baseman tripped her.¡± ¡°The hell he did!¡± I said. I stormed up to the umpire. ¡°Hey!!? What the hell was that shiii¡­¡± I stopped the words as he stood and narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°What was that!?¡± I gestured towards Julia who was scowling at the boy standing next to her. Instead of the umpire speaking another man in pinstripes stepped up. ¡°Nothing there. She tripped,¡± said an official. The umpire shot the other man a surprised look only to get a look that carried a message. I glowered at the man ¡°Tripped! She tripped because he¡ª¡± I pointed at the boy trying to act far too innocent, ¡°¡ªtripped her!¡± I shouted. The crowd behind me roared their approval. The official shook his head. ¡°Calm it down before I give you a warning Coach.¡± I turned to the other Coach only to see him very much not looking in my direction. I glared at him and marched over Julia. ¡°You okay?¡± She nodded and shot the third baseman a venomous look. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I nodded and for half a second I wanted to say something to the brat that had tripped her but that wouldn¡¯t be good. Instead, I pushed down the dark urges. It was hard. And only made harder when the Cerulean crowd heckled me as I walked back to my side of the field. Manny was watching me. When he saw my expression he swallowed. I turned back and took a deep breath to control myself. I knew what I thought should happen now but¡­¡± I shot a glance at the scrawny kid. ¡°Who now?¡± ¡°... you¡¯re asking me?¡± Manny said. I shot him a challenging look, one I¡¯d perfected at the Gym. ¡°We¡¯re two bases loaded, a bit down and our team is spitting mad. This has got everyone rattled. What do you do?¡± I said playing up the situation. For me, it really should be a schoolyard scuffle of kids but the parents and the umpire acting like that had my blood up. Still, it would feel big for the kids. That meant it was a pressure situation. What could Manny come up with when he was feeling the pressure? ¡°...¡± He licked his lips and swallowed again watching me. Then his eyes looked over the team as they bristled. Then his gaze stopped on one that had kept her cool. She was annoyed, but it was focused. ¡°...Jaimie. Send her out,¡± he said. ¡°I agree,¡± I said, pointing at her. ¡°Jaimie! Need you out here!¡± The team all cheered as Jaimie stepped up with her baseball bat. The Geodude I had with pom poms raised their arms and shook them like cheerleaders heralding the return of the golden girl. Which Jaimie really was. I smiled at her and showed her some teeth. ¡°Think you can get us out of this pickle?¡± She chuckled and nodded. ¡°Yes!¡± I waved her up to the plate and she trotted up. When she swung the bat it didn¡¯t sound impressive but there was a crispness to her movements that had people that were watching sit up. ¡°She looks good up there,¡± Manny said. I gave him a look and he blushed. ¡°For a girl that is!¡± I chuckled and patted him on the head. ¡°You¡¯re a smart kid Manny, don¡¯t worry if some things confuse you.¡± A pitch was hurled down and Jaimie watched it come without twitching. ¡°Strike one!¡± called the umpire. Manny twitched. ¡°Urgh! She didn¡¯t swing¡­ oh¡­ she¡¯s getting her eye on the ball, isn¡¯t she?¡± I nodded, my grin growing. ¡°How would you like to try being the team¡¯s manager? You¡¯ll still have to train with us, but I¡¯ll have you focus on some different things like getting info on us and the opposition.¡± ¡°Strike two!¡± called the umpire as Jaimie swung this time. She missed but I got the idea that she was once more testing herself. I¡¯d seen her do it against the Geodude when I restricted her to only three pitches. ¡°Ha! Here we go Cerulean!¡± cried one woman shrilly. I grimaced and rubbed my ear. Karen stood up. ¡°Come on girlie! Send these cheaters packing!¡± ¡°What¡¯d you call my baby?!¡± cried the shrill woman. ¡°A cheater!¡± shouted Karen. I couldn¡¯t turn my attention from the next pitch. This time when the pitcher wound up Jaimie shifted ever so slightly into them. Her shoulder rolled and her grip shifted. I could see her relaxing into it as her eyes locked onto the ball. When she swung through this time the ¡®crack¡¯ of a bat striking the ball sweetly rang out. I watched it soar right over the back fence. Julia grinned, made to run off third base. Stopped, and then she pushed the third baseman over while everyone was still watching the ball. ¡°Homerun!¡± cried the umpire as it landed past the fence. Manny jumped and whooped and the kids that had been sitting leapt up to run up to the home plate. Julia grinned as she trotted home. Behind her the third baseman was standing back up from the ground. He sadly got in the way of Tomas as he jogged around, resulting in him being bumped back into the dirt by the larger boy. Jaimie followed right after him and when she hopped onto the plate the kids roared their approval. Manny charged up to clap everyone on the back and get amongst the team. I watched them carry on before whistling sharply. ¡°Oi! we¡¯ve still got another two innings to go and we¡¯re still batting!¡± I pointed at Manny and then to my side. ¡°George, you¡¯re up now!¡± I said as I ushered the kids back to their seats. I handed Manny my clipboard so he could do some notes of his own. I was just settling in when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I glanced back to find a rather sheepish-looking umpire. ¡°Uhmm, you¡¯re Gym Leader Brock right?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m on the field, it¡¯s just Coach Brock,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, well see, we kinda need the Gym Leader right now? The parents have broken out into a fight behind the stands and there¡¯s a woman with a Houndoom. Think you can go calm things down?¡± he said, wringing his hat. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Arceus damn it Karen¡­¡± I said as I wandered around the back to save some hapless parent that had decided that challenging Karen of all people would be a smart move. I came around the back of the stands to find Karen laughing as another woman was gaping at the flattened Delcatty and a Nidorina, both unconscious. ¡°Karen¡­¡± I give her a flat, unimpressed look. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Enjoying myself!¡± she said with a smug grin. I sighed. ¡°Alright you¡¯ve proven you¡¯re the big girl on the block, can you return your pokemon?¡± She eyed the worried-looking woman for a long moment. The woman swallowed and licked her lips. Karen sniffed, ¡°Return boy.¡± the Hounddoom returned in a beam of light. The official that had skulked after me decided to lean out from behind me. ¡°You can¡¯t return to the stands! Supporters that get into fights aren¡¯t allowed back!¡± He glanced at me and whimpered when he saw how very very unimpressed I was with him. Karen growled. ¡°Gonna try and reinforce that¡ª¡± I held up a hand. ¡°He said you can¡¯t go back to the stands, come sit in the dugout,¡± I said as I waved her to follow me. ¡°Wait! No that¡¯s¡­¡± I shot the man a glare. ¡°What? It¡¯s what you said. Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not like she tripped anyone.¡± Karen chuckled as she trotted up to me. ¡°Nice one, so are we winning? Cause I only cheer on winners.¡± ¡°We¡¯re winning,¡± I said, turning to see that despite my being called away the game had continued. It should have paused. I shot the official a glare as he slinked back into the stands to whisper with another man. I led Karen over to the kids. ¡°Here, take a seat.¡± The kids instantly closed around her and kept her occupied. I looked at Manny after taking a peek at the scoreboard. ¡°We¡¯re up five?¡± Manny grinned and tapped his head with a pen. ¡°I got us another two¡­ but now we¡¯re out of batters¡­¡± I shrugged, ¡°Time to field then.¡± I made a sign and the call was made to switch things out. Karen watched the kids toddle out. I took the change over time to talk with Karen. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I said. ¡°Checking in on what our newest recruit does when he¡¯s not training. Never thought I¡¯d enjoy sports, but there¡¯s something about heckling brats that just warms the heart.¡± she propped her chin up and gave me a wicked smile. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ kinda evil,¡± I said with a judgemental tone. She shrugged. ¡°Eh, that¡¯s how people like to see Dark types. I have no problem living up to the stereotype. Makes life more fun.¡± She picked up one of the spare uniforms. ¡°The Pewter Tyrants¡­ cute.¡± She grinned at me. ¡°I think I can get behind cheering for a proper dark type. Need an assistant coach?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said firmly. ¡°I¡¯ll only come to matches and don¡¯t bother calling me for training sessions,¡± she said, continuing to talk as if I hadn¡¯t spoken up rejecting her. I rubbed my forehead. ¡°Seriously? What are you doing?¡± She shrugged. ¡°Not much, sadly. I¡¯m mostly boosting my Ace trainer rating for now.¡± She winked. ¡°Bit of a ¡®dark¡¯ horse you could say. I have come up from nowhere and am now in the top fifty for the Ace division. By the time the circuit comes around, I¡¯m going to be making a name for myself. I¡¯ve got it planned out. To get some hype I¡¯ll be announcing challenges to the big gyms through radio and on Battlecast but I¡¯ll get in the small gyms'' faces first up to get a ¡®grass root¡¯s following as it were. With the gym leaders having to use their best pokemon and not just their limited best I think there¡¯d be some real interest.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so,¡± I said. ¡°Well, maybe you should go fight some people that will raise your points, rather than annoying parents.¡± ¡°Nah, this is more fun. I¡¯ve just gone through eight matches this week. My pokemon need some rest and I¡¯m running kinda flat myself.¡± She kicked her legs. ¡°You should really treat a woman nicer, you know.¡± ¡°Yeah, pass, I¡¯m good,¡± I said as behind me Manny directed the kids to close up on the current batter. I assessed it and patted him on the head. Manny looked away from the field and around me. Karen grinned at Manny and stretched. Manny stared openly and then blushed when he was caught staring. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s cute,¡± Karen said teasingly. Manny lifted his clipboard and hid his face. ¡°Brock? Who is that woman?¡± I sighed. ¡°I think she¡¯s going to be our mascot or something like that¡­¡± When I didn¡¯t get a shout of denial I turned my head to find her with a finger raised, but her face was locked into a half-annoyed half thoughtful expression. I clicked my tongue. Damn it she actually liked that idea! It¡¯d probably even incentivise her to come and get into fights! I facepalmed as Karen grinned at me. If she wasn¡¯t a dark-type specialist I would have thought for a moment that she¡¯d somehow just read my mind. Perhaps I was just too in sync with her and could tell what she¡¯d do. In this case that meant the most troublesome thing she could. ¡°How old are you again?¡± I asked ¡°Nineteen? Why?¡± Karen said with a tilt of the head. I turned away. ¡°No reason.¡± Well, it was safe. Also she couldn¡¯t get drunk at the game with this being a public space. As if to prove me wrong she took a swig from a small flask. I stared at her and she grinned in challenge. ¡°Want some of this?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if she was offering the drink¡­ or something else. I turned away and tried to smother the feelings that were coming from something much lower than my brain. Manny, who¡¯d been watching all of this play out, shook his head. ¡°Adults are weird,¡± Manny muttered aloud. I could only agree. Damn, I missed being twelve and on the open road. I waved Karen to sit back and not annoy me, she just took another swig of her flask and grinned. In the end, Karen only taught the kids three swear words and affirmed herself as a ¡®cool older sister¡¯ to all the girls. The boys might have gotten an inkling of puberty rearing its head. Oh, and we won, which was nice. But I was pretty sure the most talked about thing from this match would be how Karen got into a fight with a parent behind the stands. The best part of my team winning for me, however? That was getting to shake hands with the opposing coach, then the umpire, and then finally the official. I made sure to squeeze extra hard on those last two and stare right into their eyes as I did so. Karen then trotted up next to me. ¡°So Agatha wanted me to check in on you and make sure you¡¯re training your aura. Been reading the books and putting them to use?¡± she said while the kids accepted praise from the supporters that had come along. ¡°Yeah, with how easy Dark energy has been coming I¡¯ve been trying to incorporate more Rock energy into tasks. Makes carrying things around pretty easy I have to say.¡± Karen sniffed. ¡°Yeah well, Dark energy is better for subtle effects and beguilement.¡± Her grin didn¡¯t change and yet I found myself liking it for¡ª her hand brushed against my jawline. ¡°Hmmm? You sure you¡¯ve been reading those books?¡± she said with a teasing tone. I spiked both dark and rock-type energy. The feeling of being drawn into her rather fetching¡ª I cycled my energy and then switched up the direction of the flow. The smile was still attractive but then again Karen was rather pretty. I couldn¡¯t deny that. She grinned as I huffed, pulsing my energy again. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading but putting it into practice is a bit harder.¡± What on earth had that been? Had that been a pokemon move? A dark-type attraction move? What even would that be? Beguilement? I wanted to call it Foul Play or Dark Plot, but for all that the wording amused me the effects didn¡¯t match to¡­ whatever she¡¯d done. Karen raised her hands and waved them in front of herself. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re really here.¡± She chuckled. ¡°That, and to entertain myself. The off-circuit is kind of boring you know? Lot less trainers of worth or interest around. It¡¯s why it takes so many matches to raise my Ace rating.¡± ¡°Well, it was nice catching up and all, but I¡¯m going home to finish up a training program for my new trainers now,¡± I said feeling exasperated. ¡°Bleh! This is why going straight to Elite Four is going to be so much sweeter! None of this organisational muck. Whatever! Later!¡± she waved and walked off. I watched her go. Or more specifically her backside. She turned around quick enough to catch me, or she would have if it weren¡¯t for the aviators. It didn¡¯t stop her from winking at me though. I inhaled and spiked my energy again. Damn it, another thing to work on. I shook my head and turned to the kids. ¡°Who wants ice cream!?¡± I said loudly, earning cheers from the kids. Karen twitched to a stop. She was stuck turning around and losing her cool exit or not getting to needle me. She shot me an annoyed glance over her shoulder and kept walking. I chuckled to myself. I might have lied to Karen. But then again, I was part dark type as well. Chapter 43 - Pewter Gym Trainers Rachel whimpered while lying face to the ground. The wonderful trustworthy ground. It was always there to catch you when you fell. Good old dirt. Nature¡¯s bed. ¡°You¡¯ve all done wonderful today! Especially you Brock, you really put in some solid effort! I saw you working harder than anyone here! Rachel, great job on the battle ropes! Bianca your footwork¡ª¡± Rachel felt a warmth build in her chest but at the same time her legs locked in cramp. She cursed the feeling and her past self for thinking this was a good idea. She glanced up and saw Trixie¡¯s beatific smile¡ª No! Bad Rachel, don¡¯t get suckered into the lure of her praise! That¡¯s how she got you to do those damn burpees! And those lunges¡­ and those planks¡­ ¡°Great jobs everyone!¡± Trixie said exuding good vibes that subconsciously made Rachel sit up and smile back. Then she remembered how much doing so hurt and she lay back down. Around her, the other employees that had been dumb enough to take part in the gym¡¯s training session for trainers were also sprawled out. Not a single one of them was on their feet and bouncing around like Trixie. Not even Brock who was sitting against a wall. He¡¯d thrown a towel over his head and Rachel could see the puffs of air disturbing said towel. Trixie continued to traipse around the group offering praise. Rachel turned her head when darkness fell over her. ¡°Oh! Wow, you did so good today! Here let me stretch you out!¡± Rachel didn¡¯t have it in her to resist. She flopped uselessly in the amazonian woman¡¯s grip as she was pushed beyond what she had known only a few hours ago to be her breaking point. ¡°You''re so inspirational!¡± whispered Trixie into Rachel¡¯s ear as she finished the last stretch. With Rachel done, Trixie moved on to work on Bianca, Celia, and Missy. By the time Trixie reached Celia, Brock had stood up and started helping Rocko stretch out. Dennis was flat on his back staring up into the lights above them. Daniel was face down still. For a moment Rachel thought he was dead. Then his muscles spasmed¡­ which didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t dead. Just like the groan of escaping air didn¡¯t mean he was alive. When he rolled onto his back Rachel gave him the benefit of the doubt. ¡°H-h-how is this not abuse?¡± Daniel rasped. Dennis chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s character building¡­ also it''s for your own good. Trixie makes you better than you were.¡± Trixie began stretching Dennis out. ¡°No, this is all you! This is what you¡¯re capable of when you really put your minds to it!¡± Rachel perked up, that did sound. Argh! She did it again! Daniel stared into the lights as if wishing they were lights of a different sort. ¡°I read about the fitness regimes being included in our duties and mandated but¡­ to this extent? This is insane!¡± Brock walked over and began stretching out Daniel. ¡°It¡¯s good for you. You''ll be able to last through a lot more battles like this and complete patrols around town, through the caves, mountains and forests around Pewter. It¡¯s overkill, but overkill that will leave a great impression on you. Trust me on this.¡± Brock glanced over to Dennis who was now upright thanks to Trixie. ¡°Dennis, your wife doesn¡¯t complain when you come home way fitter right?¡± Dennis shakily stood like a newly hatched Ponyta. His legs shook and he had a look of triumph on his face at holding his posture. Trixie gently patted him on the shoulder before he replied. ¡°I think she¡¯s mostly disappointed I can¡¯t help her get things down from the top of the shelves while I¡¯m like this. She won¡¯t enjoy the gains for another week yet.¡± ¡°And those gains?¡± Brock said leadingly. Dennis mumbled something about this being the reason they were having another kid. Rachel giggled only to abort the action as her stomach muscles clenched at being forced to do anything else. ¡°Uhhhhhh! I¡¯m spent! Brock, please tell me this isn¡¯t on all the time?¡± Brock gave her an amused look. ¡°You came to this session after the first two. You knew what Trixie was like. You didn¡¯t have to ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sick! I can¡¯t believe I came back for this!¡± Rachel shot Brock a pleading look. ¡°Can you at least put me in a chair? I can¡¯t sit up?¡± That got a round of laughter that turned into groans. Brock smiled at her and picked her up¡ªlike a princess¡ª and she was then deposited into a chair where she could do her best impression of a Muk, becoming ooze-like and limp. Maybe next time she could just sit in the stands like she had intended to. She glanced over to said stands only to find Chansey sitting in them eating a pokeblock treat slowly with obvious pleasure. But not near Chansey cause that pokemon was just weird. Whenever Rachel looked to her for healing the pokemon just took another slow bite of her treat as though she was savouring watching all the people stumbling around. ¡°I¡¯m so glad this session was scheduled for the afternoon,¡± she said to the others as they joined her. Or rather were deposited gradually by Brock, Trixie, and Dennis. The girls all got princess carries. Rocko tried for a princess carry only to get slung over the shoulder like a sack of potatoes by Brock. ¡°Urgh! No Brock! I wanted the royal treatment!¡± said the shaggy-looking man. Brock merely snorted and repeated the action with Stephen and Daniel. Soon enough they were all sat up in a line on the lowest tier of the stands. Trixie grinned at them. ¡°Alright! This is our last session this week! I¡¯ll be back next week but until then keep up your fitness! Remember! Stretching every day, limit your sitting time to hour blocks! Running five times a week and two gym sessions! Next week will be weight work in the weights room!¡± Dennis and Rocko slumped further into their chairs. Rocko groaned out loud, ¡°Oh thank Arceus!¡± Trixie giggled. And shot them a thumbs up which her pokemon, a Breloom that apparently used Sunny Day to keep it constantly able to chase after you, and a Machoke copied. ¡°Great work otherwise! If you can, please come cheer for me in this weekend¡¯s women¡¯s weightlifting tournament in Vermillion!¡± She beamed at everyone. Having spent close to four hours with the woman she likely actually did hope to see them. Rachel gave a tiny smile and raised her arm to return the thumbs up. It sounded like she had something to do this weekend. Her arm wobbled like she was under a paralysis effect. Trixie¡¯s smile gained further brightness. Then she bid everyone a good afternoon and jogged out of the gym with her pokemon following after her. Brock turned to the group. ¡°Great work today guys. I know this is a lot to make you do but there are reasons this is paid work. You enduring this does lead to you being able to put in more effort both on and off the clock. Bianca, Stephen, and Rachel, huge thanks for coming back for the third session. As Trixie said, we won¡¯t have another one of these for another week.¡± Stephen groaned while Bianca gave a tremulous smile. Brock smiled around at the group. ¡°As a reward for your hard work today, tomorrow is off for all of you. Forrest is scheduled to do the feeding and watch over the gym. The police don¡¯t have us slotted in for a call up so that just leaves the Ranger duties, which I¡¯m going to handle. So enjoy your weekend and I¡¯ll see you all on Monday. Next week is the route patrol review and¡­¡± Rachel recalled that she did have something to say, so she raised her head, ¡°You¡¯re booked in for a magazine shoot. BattleMag wants a spread on you and your pokemon for what new challengers can face.¡± ¡°Okay, cool.¡± He glanced around before nodding and clapping his hands together to signal that the impromptu discussion was done. ¡°Well, when you¡¯re feeling up to it, you can head on out.¡± Brock then walked¡ªalbeit stiffly¡ª out of the gym leaving them to sit around like some AA meeting. None of them were able to leave their chairs immediately, and various parts of their body that they¡¯d only learnt of during Trixie¡¯s first training session had returned like a bad Grimer to that pile of garbage that you totally should have thrown out but had forgotten about... Rachel stared at a jug of water just outside of easy reaching distance. Perhaps now she¡¯d learn if she was psychic? She squinted at the water, willing it into her mouth. Nothing happened. It was probably for the best. If Trixie learnt that she could make you ¡®flex¡¯ your mind she¡¯d probably have an exercise for it as well. ¡°I repeat¡­¡± wheezed Daniel, ¡°How is this a perk of the job?¡± Rocko spoke up, ¡°We¡¯re getting paid for this?¡± Rachel let her head loll around. ¡°You are? Am I?¡± Rocko grunted. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if Brock worked it into your contract. He¡¯s got a lot of incentives in them for things categorised as self-improvement.¡± ¡°How is he still able to walk? I saw him running like a mad man!¡± Daniel griped. ¡°He still got run down,¡± said Dennis as he put his leg out in front of himself to continue stretching out his shaking muscles. ¡°Is Trixie from a line of people that fu¡­¡± Daniel started to say only to glance at Celia and rethink his words. Celia huffed at him. ¡°I know what some people get up to! Don¡¯t baby me!¡± she said grumpily. Which only made her seem younger to Rachel; her puffed-up cheeks were so cute! If Rachel had the strength to raise her hand and hold it steady she would have taken a picture. ¡°It¡­ usually isn¡¯t viable?¡± said Bianca with a thoughtful if tired tone. Aaaaaannnnd now they were seriously all thinking about it. Rachel went a little green along with the others. ¡°Can we talk about something else?¡± she said hopefully. If they were going to be stuck here until their legs could let them wobble out then she hoped something actually interesting could be discussed. Celia hummed but Missy slowly turned her head over to face them. ¡°Hey, Rachel, what was up with you and Bianca? I don¡¯t think either of you knew where to look when Brock had his shirt off.¡± Celia sat bolt upright, her head snapped to both women with suspicious eyes. Rachel giggled. It was obvious the girl was crushing hard, but Skitty was it cute watching her puff up when people pointed out Brock was fit. Bianca hummed. ¡°What can I say? They¡¯re beautiful physical specimens.¡± Missy grunted ¡°Ewwww you made that sound like you¡¯d stick them in a lab and make them breed.¡± ¡°It would be for science?¡± Bianca said jokingly. ¡°Brock would never!¡± hissed Celia. The adults all shared a look and giggled. Celia was too easy to rile up. Rachel flopped an arm towards her. ¡°We¡¯re just teasing.¡± Rocko and Dennis laughed before both got thoughtful looks. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t his fan club get upset¡­¡± Rachel gave them an interested look only for Dennis to wave her off. Missy lolled her head to look at Rachel. ¡°I¡¯m amazed Brock is even capable of halfway keeping up with that woman.¡± Rocko raised a finger like a lecturer about to make a point. ¡°While we ate dinner¡­ Trixie trained!¡± said Rocko sagely. Rachel stared at him. What the hell had that even meant? Somehow it halfway made sense to her? Stephen twitched into a sitting position and made a lunge at the water. He landed on the table and got a cup that he slowly drank from. He ignored the vile concoction that Trixie had made up at the start and left for them. They''d take it¡­ and drink it¡­ because it did result in gains. But not now. When Stephen finished his drink he spoke up, ¡°Was that a movie quote¡­ or a video game or something?¡± Rocko waved his hand. ¡°Nah not a movie quote it¡¯s a Brock quote. I heard him muttering something like that when Trixie started running him down. He sounded a bit manic.¡± ¡°Oooooooh!¡± said the group at large. Then they shared a look. Celia bit her lip. ¡°While we were sleeping? Trixie was training?¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°While we were reading books, Trixie was training!¡± said Missy, following up on Celia. Rachel giggled, it didn¡¯t hurt as much as before. ¡°While we were working! Trixie was training!¡± said Bianca. This got a ¡®meh¡¯ response that had the woman pouting. ¡°While we were laying about hurting from training¡­ Trixie¡­ was training!¡± said Rocko ominously. This got a few laughs before they settled in. Dennis stopped stretching and stood to get his own glass of water only for his leg to spasm on the way forward and for him to collapse to the ground. ¡°I¡¯m okay!¡± he said, raising a thumbs up. ¡°Good old dirt,¡± Rachel said with a nod. ¡°Nature¡¯s bed.¡± The others laughed at this. Daniel adopted a chipper voice that sounded sort of like Trixie if you were half deaf. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re on the ground and ready to do Push-ups! Well, aren¡¯t you a real go-getter! Think you can do six before I can do twenty?! GO!¡± he said. Rachel gave a half-hearted laugh at the joke. In truth that had been her a few times and Daniel at least once. Dennis stood up stiffly. ¡°Think I¡¯m good¡­¡± He tested a few steps and then grimaced. ¡°Oh, sweet Machop, I think a newborn pokemon could lay me out for experience right now.¡± He got his water and was about to sit down when Bianca fluttered her eyelashes. ¡°Please? Could a gentleman help me out?¡± said Bianca. Rocko sniggered as Dennis made a conflicted expression. When he collected a cup for Bianca, Rachel sat up and used Mirror Move. It was super effective. When Celia and Missy waved wobbly limbs and chimed ¡°Ditto!¡± together, he slumped and got them all water. ¡°¡°¡°Thank you Dennis!¡±¡±¡± chimed the girls. ¡°Urgh! Whatever!¡± said Dennis, blushing as he handed out the cups. ¡°Oh sweet prince!¡± said Daniel with a falsetto tone. Dennis rolled his eyes and got everyone water then which only made everyone settle in harder into their chairs. Rachel sighed in contentment. If they had Georgina here, they¡¯d have everyone but the ¡®boss¡¯. Which¡­ actually would have been a shame to not include him cause when Brock relaxed he could be pretty fun. Somehow he always felt older though? Then again, hadn¡¯t she wanted to ask something¡­ She chewed her lip for a bit trying to recall what it was. It was about Brock¡­ something to do with¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± She perked up and looked to the people most likely to know. Rocko and Dennis. They had been hired on first hadn¡¯t they? ¡°Uhm hey guys? You know how I only came to Pewter like a year ago?¡± ¡°Thought it was two years ago?¡± said Dennis factually. Rachel wobbled her hand. ¡°Year and change, but yeah I¡¯m not a local, local, like you guys¡­ so¡­ I have a question that all the locals obviously know about¡­¡± ¡°The bones in the museum are the actual bones of prehistoric pokemon,¡± said Dennis. ¡°Taking a girl to Waluigi¡¯s on a Wednesday is a great way to get half-priced food thanks to the date night special!¡± said Daniel. ¡°Mt Moon is named because of how the moon rises up over it when you look at it from the founding building in the centre of town,¡± said Missy, joining in on the game. ¡°If you see a ghost outside the graveyard don¡¯t call the police, call the ghosties,¡± chimed Rocko. ¡°Oh! The Butterfree migration in late summer is best viewable from Mt Moon!¡± said Celia. Rachel huffed at them all. ¡°Har har! That was¡­ actually kind of good to know , but not what I meant I wanted answers to!¡± She sat up properly, ignoring the twinges of pain. She levelled a stern gaze at the two older gym trainers. ¡°What¡¯s the story with Brock¡¯s parents?¡± Instantly, everyone lost their joking atmosphere. You could tell who were locals as they all had conflicting expressions on their faces while the outsiders, namely Stephen, Bianca and herself were watching the others with interest. Rocko stopped slouching and sat forward, his hands lacing together as he dropped his lazy act. Rachel had spent enough time with him to know he was serious now. He looked straight at her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing bad¡­ for Brock that is. It¡¯s more amazing really it¡¯s just¡­ Well it¡¯s kinda your everyday parent ditches their partner to keep travelling around, mixed with this being a gym family. So of course everyone was watching it develop and play out. Most just waved it off as your typical tragedy really¡­¡± Rocko chewed his lip. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°It¡¯s just that the scope of the issue is a bit more¡­ pronounced.¡± He rubbed his chin with his hand. The scrape of stubble seemed loud with how silent everyone was now being. ¡°Right¡­ to understand it you need to know that Brock¡¯s family situation is¡­ well it¡¯s messed up. Lots of people knew this years and years ago. Flint, who if you remember is Brock¡¯s dad, wasn¡¯t actually the person to earn the Gym title. That was Lola, his mother who then married Flint and had him take over the running of the gym. Only Flint fluctuated¡­¡± Rocko made a spiking shape with his hand, ¡°Like, a lot. He was either too hard on newbies or not hard enough, there were quite a lot of complaints but you couldn¡¯t oust the guy cause of how he¡¯d gotten the gym.¡± Rocko waved his hand around. ¡°That was one issue that was always hanging around. Now the other issue was that Lola was a bit of a party woman and while Flint was working she got seen on a lot of people¡¯s arms at various events.¡± Dennis made to say something but Rocko held up a finger. ¡°Now this is all rumour honestly. It¡¯s not worth even the trashiest magazine printing it cause there''s no substance or evidence to it. People knew Lola and Flint adored each other. It¡¯s just that Lola liked to go out to big parties and dance, which saw her going with other people, which¡­¡± Rocko grimaced. ¡°It didn¡¯t look good and people¡ª¡± ¡°Gossipy people with too much time on their hands and nothing better to do,¡± interjected Dennis with a bark. Rocko nodded. ¡°Yeah, that. Now some rumours started circulating around and Flint got angry and caused some people¡¯s faces to get bruised. Resulting in a lot of the rich folk ending up with black eyes and being much more respectful after Flint caught up to them but¡­ that kinda caused its own issues with support for the gym drying up.¡± Rachel raised a sceptical eye and glanced around at the state-of-the-art facility. ¡°Nah, this was all made by Brock. He played his odds well and did so well on his journey that he was able to build all this. The old building used to be owned by the local government but Brock bought it before realising he needed more land for his plans.¡± ¡°Huh cool, I think that needs to be mentioned more. I¡¯ll have to make up some brochures on this place!¡± Rachel said, her mind cataloguing this ¡®known¡¯ information. Daniel grunted. ¡°How bad did the rumours get? I never really paid them any mind cause that might have been around the time I was on my journey? Why¡¯d he get into those pokemon battles?¡± Dennis and Rocko shared another look. Rocko grimaced and Dennis shook his head emphatically. Rachel tilted her head. They were so bad neither wanted to mention them? Huh might be worth snooping around for. A glance to Missy let her know who she could approach later. Rocko put both hands down in a chopping action. ¡°So! You¡¯ve got a tense situation all around and a gym that¡¯s being reviewed constantly for fluctuating performance. Then you¡¯ve also got Brock¡¯s rather huge family. If you¡¯ve not stopped and counted them there are ten kids including Brock. So, right as Brock was set to depart for his journey at age ten, Lola runs off while pregnant with the second youngest set of twins¡­ I think?¡± Rocko scratched his head. ¡°Don¡¯t quote me on that. So! This happened close to the end of the off-circuit period so for a moment it looked like Brock was going to have to run the gym at age ten! Back then he didn¡¯t even have a starter. He was supposed to get one from Flint, but he had chased after Lola before doing so.¡± ¡°But before Brock had to accept any challenges as Gym Leader Lola and Flint had come back, things were still tense. So Brock couldn¡¯t leave for his journey which didn¡¯t raise that many eyebrows, but it must have been a bit of a gut punch to young Brock cause, yeah most kids go on their journey at ten.¡± Celia shifted in her seat. Rocko glanced at her. ¡°Most, it¡¯s not that strange to wait until you¡¯re sixteen these days.¡± This seemed to mollify the soon-to-be fourteen-year-old girl. Rocko turned back. ¡°Right, I think around this time Brock went on a trip to Mt Silver for some reason¡­¡± He glanced at Dennis who shrugged. ¡°Right so when he was ten he got Titan and for another year he stuck around the gym and then convinced his dad to let him go on his journey when he was twelve. ¡°Brock started his journey, Lola gave birth to her youngest set of twins and then¡­ she ran off again. This time Flint couldn¡¯t chase after her. He had to hold down the fort and there was no one immediately available to replace him. Things apparently got pretty bad. Bad enough that Brock had to end his journey early. This supposedly was a shame cause a lot of his pokemon were able to skirt under the accepted standards for entry into the Hoenn region¡¯s circuit start. So he was coming into tournaments with some pretty strong pokemon and from what I later looked up, he was improving with each tournament. Didn¡¯t matter though cause he had to come back by the third month of the circuit. Brock ended his journey and came home, after which Flint ran off and he took over the gym. For the rest of that year¡¯s circuit, he ran things out of the old gym.¡± Rocko held up a finger and grinned. ¡°But! He wasn¡¯t just spinning his wheels.¡± Rocko shook his head, waving the finger back and forth. ¡°No, he was not. Turns out that while he hadn¡¯t won any of the tournaments he¡¯d been making a lot of money through catching and selling rare pokemon. I think he caught a rare Onix somewhere in Hoenn?¡± Dennis shrugged when Rocko looked at him again. Rocko shrugged and turned back. ¡°Right, well anyway, he had plans for the gym and not just little ones.¡± Rocko waved a hand about the rather large field as if to point out the giant building that was dedicated to pokemon battling. Rachel nodded, she¡¯d been impressed when she¡¯d first seen it. Getting more details like this was good and only made her more impressed. Rocko continued his story. ¡°So that season as soon as the circuit was over, Brock went to work creating this new gym for Pewter. He hired Dennis, and me, and expanded the pokemon we had available to us. Since then, Pewter Gym has been nothing like it used to be. The second circuit for Brock saw him hit the ground running. We had a few little speed bumps, sure, but by the end we had it all smoothed out.¡± Rocko smiled warmly. Dennis rolled his shoulders. ¡°For all that Brock is praised for how he fights I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what makes him a good Gym Leader. He¡¯s really smart, you know? He plans ahead and always tries to have contingencies for stuff that could go wrong.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± said Daniel. ¡°Always got a plan eh?¡± Daniel eyed the gym. ¡°Kid must be swimming in the ladies!¡± Dennis frowned at the younger man¡¯s tone. Daniel shrugged. ¡°What?¡± Dennis shook his head and said something about ¡®your wife won¡¯t like hearing you talk like that¡¯ quietly but Rachel had great ears for hearing little whispers. Her ears twitched as she listened to the by-play. Rocko ignored Daniel and continued to address the group. ¡°Well, anyway, that¡¯s pretty much the whole¡­ thing you wanted to know about yeah? It¡¯s something that happened a number of years ago but it¡¯s still causing issues and is really messy which is why it¡¯s a big¡­¡± He waved vaguely. ¡°Thing, that Flint is looking to return.¡± Rachel nodded. ¡°Thanks that uhmm, wasn¡¯t what I was expecting to hear.¡± ¡°Thought Brock¡¯s Mum was dead and Flint just ran off?¡± Rocko asked with a knowing expression. Rachel shrugged. ¡°Well I mean it¡¯s not unusual for one parent to run off¡­ But both of them?¡± Rocko nodded. Celia sniffed and Rachel stiffened. Oh! Right, she had forgotten about Celia not having any parents hadn¡¯t she? She shot the girl an apologetic look which drew a smile of thanks. Bianca looked thoughtful before a frown marred her face. ¡°Wait! She would have almost had to leave within a year of giving birth to Tilly and Billy? Surely that¡¯s not right?¡± Rocko grimaced and shook his head. ¡°Nope you¡¯re math is right. Brock¡¯s family has always been a source of gossip in Pewter.¡± Dennis rolled his shoulders. ¡°We don¡¯t talk about it with non-gym members if we¡¯re asked anything.¡± He narrowed his eyes around at the entire group. Daniel held up a hand. ¡°The cops thought Brock ran things well enough then that he could¡­¡± he trailed off as Dennis glared. The older man nodded slowly. ¡°Not anyone¡¯s business, but yes. The cops did check in on him.¡± His eyes flickered to Celia for a moment and Rachel understood that the whole. ¡®Orphanage¡¯ situation was something the man was trying to skirt. Rachel coughed, happy to lend a hand and lead the conversation elsewhere. ¡°Right! Thanks for telling me. It¡¯s good to know about.¡± when Dennis turned his gaze upon her she held up her hands to indicate that she¡¯d never spread around what she¡¯s learned. Dennis grunted when he¡¯d gotten some form of agreement from everyone, ¡°Well just be careful, as employees of the gym we might get asked something. Alright?¡± The group nodded as one. Celia even gave an ¡®Uhn!¡¯ of agreement. Rachel didn¡¯t have the heart to tease her for her cute reactions. ¡°Well¡­ sorry for asking about that but I¡¯m kind of glad I did. This sort of potential fiasco might be something I have to deal with as PR Manager. I¡¯ll keep a closer eye on the reporters and what the magazines talk about.¡± Rocko and Dennis nodded. Missy sniffed, ¡°They won¡¯t say anything, Brock was a golden boy in Pewter before he beat Lance.¡± This got some agreed murmurs from the group at large before a rather heavy silence settled over the group. Each person had something they were thinking about. Stephen eventually shifted about, giving the group a tentative look over. ¡°While we were feeling down and sad¡­ Trixie was training?¡± Rachel snorted at the attempt and the others shared a little laugh. ¡°Nice one Stephen,¡± she said, appreciating the attempt to lighten the mood. Daniel sniffed. ¡°I have a question now.¡± Everyone looked to him only to see him staring towards the stands to the side where Chansey was still watching them. ¡°Why did Brock get a pokemon to nurse us back to health only to have her just stand there watching us? A healing pulse would have done wonders earlier!¡± Dennis chuckled. ¡°Using Healing pulse doesn¡¯t let the muscles hypertrophy so you actually lose your gains if you do it that way. It¡¯s all pain, no gain. So she¡¯s actually doing the right thing by not helping us.¡± ¡°Well, couldn¡¯t she have nursed us a little? Gotten us some water?¡± Daniel said in annoyance. ¡°Nah she¡¯s not like that. She¡¯s only going to help you when you actually need it,¡± said Dennis. ¡°Urgh! The worst Chansey ever!¡± said Daniel. Rachel could have sworn she saw the pinkette pokemon glare at Daniel before standing with a sniff and marching off. ¡°Uh oh. You hurt her feelings¡­¡± said Celia. ¡°I think she¡¯s going to remember that Daniel¡­¡± said Missy. Daniel merely rolled his eyes. Rachel glanced over to see Chansey still watching them and shaking her tiny cute fist at Daniel. Dennis and Rocko stood up and tested their legs. Rachel decided to copy them. Her legs wobbled. Rocko rolled his shoulders. ¡°Well I don''t know about you guys but I¡¯m gonna see if my new pal is up for hanging out and playing some Smash. Catch you all later!¡± Learning about what the hell was up with Brock¡¯s frankly messed up family situation was well it was good to know. She was glad she hadn¡¯t had to demand Brock tell her¡­ that would have been awkward to get from the source. Celia muttered something about Professor Oak that Rachel only caught half of. Stephen looked amused for some reason while Bianca merely shook her head. The people that were living in the gym headed off and Rachel envied them for not having to go far. She tilted her head. Surely she¡¯d heard that wrong? There was no way Professor Oak was coming over to hang out with Rocko to play a video game was there? She shook her head. Nah. No way. She wobbled for the gym showers. She¡¯d try for home after a nice long soak. On the way out she grabbed up her shake that Trixie had mixed up. She wasn¡¯t about to waste the woman¡¯s efforts on her. She took a tentative sip and blanched at the flavour. No pain, no gain.
Rocko yawned as he walked out into the open area behind the gym a few days later. He popped his pokeballs back onto his belt and his team emerged around him. Spunky the Gloom copied his trainer with a yawn. Fanfare, his Pidgeotto, fluttered straight up into the sky where he circled around and stretched his wing while Bighead, the Kangaskhan, rumbled in greeting. His emergence caused a number of pokemon around the gym to perk up at the perceived challenge only to settle down when an older Onix greeted Bighead. Rocko still didn¡¯t understand why Brock had been disappointed when he¡¯d introduced him to Spunky and Bighead. Then again Brock had plenty of quirks. Such as wrestling his pokemon in the morning and calling it a simple work out. Dude was crazy strong. Rocko watched Brock manhandle a Graveller before calling a stop to the training. Then he walked over to the assembled pack of Aron and held up a thick chain. Instantly all the Aron barked in joy as the new game of tug of war began with Brock anchoring himself against the small pack. The sound of playful growling broke out and Rocko chuckled as the Aron started to slowly drag Brock around the field. Their tiny bodies vibrated with glee at the game. The ground rumbled mid-game, announcing a new player joining in as Brock¡¯s Knight shoved his unevolved forms out of the way to snatch at the chain and begin towing Brock around the field. Rocko snorted a laugh as Brock grinned. The Aron threw themselves onto Brock¡¯s side not at all bothered by the way the game changed. If anything they looked gleeful that Knight had joined them. The mighty Aggron¡¯s tail whipped back and forth. ¡°Like giant Growlithe, the lot of them,¡± Rocko said aloud. A door opened behind him and Rocko turned to see Dennis marching out carrying a few sacks of feed with ¡®pokechow rock type¡¯ written across the sides. On each elbow a bucket with a number of berries also hung. Rocko glanced at his own trio of buckets and sacks of pokechow. ¡°Morning, Dennis!¡± he said with a slow wave. Dennis grunted his own ¡°Mornin!¡± as he trudged up to the feed troughs. A group of Golem were already set up in front of one. The most eye-catching of the lot, Sanchez, waved. His head now sporting a mohawk that was oddly square while he had a faint handlebar moustache. ¡°Looking good Sanchez,¡± Rocko said as he opened up a pokechow bag. From his bucket he selected some Oran, Pecha and bluk berries that he used a large metal spoon to mix into the upright trough. The pokemon bowed over it. Then they looked to Sanchez. Rocko had been interested to learn that the Golem line had an almost formal arrangement with how they ate when in groups. As the strongest, Sanchez was expected to always eat first if he was present. Despite having an entirely different diet, he still had to make a show for the other Golem. He¡¯d get his own highly specialised meal from Brock later. As an Elite he needed something beyond the ¡®rank and file¡¯ the Gym pokemon received. He took a handful of the pokechow and ate, giving a show of thinking it over before nodding happily at Rocko. ¡°Back it up! Back it up!¡± growled Dennis to the Onix that were knocking into each other. Unlike the Golem line, the Onix didn¡¯t have any traditions concerning order. Rocko jogged over to help out, you usually had to be quick with them lest they have little scuffles over their larger food trays. Dennis and Rocko worked quickly, well used to the routine of feeding a host of pokemon. When they were done there was a chorus of pokemon happily devouring food and occasional scuffles breaking out as greedy pokemon tried for more. The gluttonous pokemon were quickly herded away by Spunky or Bighead, with Fanfare calling out the locations of the troublemakers. Dennis stretched himself out, groaning as his back cracked into place. Rocko yawned again. ¡°Late night?¡± he said as a way of starting a conversation with his fellow ¡®senior¡¯ gym trainer. ¡°Urgh, kids were a bit unsettled and Martha needed me to go get eggplant for some reason at two in the morning¡­ She was asleep when I got back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s rough bro,¡± Rocko said sympathetically. Dennis shrugged. ¡°Eh, It¡¯s alright.¡± he rolled his shoulders as Brock ran away from the pack of Aron with the metal chain over his shoulder. Behind him, Knight held his hands over his head like a child counting to ten before he gave chase. When he reached high enough he gave pursuit as well causing a shaking with his bounding huge steps after the fleeing Brock. They both watched their Gym Leader run away. Rocko yawned again. Dennis rubbed his chin and shot him a sidelong look. Rocko smiled invitingly. Any second now¡­ ¡°So, what do you think about the new hires?¡± Dennis said carefully. Rocko hummed. ¡°I think they¡¯re pretty good, they should make things easier.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think they¡¯ll complicate things?¡± Dennis asked carefully. Rocko shrugged. ¡°The gym¡¯s gonna be pretty popular. I think this is just Brock anticipating that. He¡¯s got a full crew on these days. I think Georgina is a great hire honestly cause if you haven¡¯t noticed Brock isn¡¯t having to do much paperwork lately.¡± Dennis considered that as Knight ran past with the chain trailing after him from his mouth. The Aron in hot pursuit. Rocko and Dennis looked around to find Brock being tripped up by Bertha who was wallowing in a mudpit she¡¯d apparently claimed as her own. ¡°He does look like he¡¯s more relaxed these days,¡± Dennis said. He then shifted. ¡°What about the others?¡± ¡°Bethany¡­ well she¡¯s old but she knows her business, but I think I¡¯m gonna have to tap Brock on the shoulder and tell him to get her some hearing aides.¡± Dennis coughed. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that¡­ will that mean he even needs Alexa then?¡± ¡°Eh, having two receptionists just means a lighter load for them,¡± Rocko said. ¡°And you¡¯re all for a lighter load of work.¡± Dennis¡¯ words were teasing but the grin he had took any sting they might have had out. Rocko shrugged. ¡°What can I say, I don¡¯t dream of labour?¡± Dennis snorted. Rocko assessed the shorter but more thickset man. ¡°Why do you ask? Is there something bugging you about the new hires?¡± Dennis worked his jaw. ¡°I don¡¯t like how sometimes Daniel says some things about the girls or the women. Feels like he¡¯s still a skirt chaser despite having a wife and kid on the way.¡± Rocko hummed. ¡°I can see how you might find that¡­ offensive?¡± he said carefully. Dennis nodded tightly. ¡°I love my wife and kids and to have him acting like that. Hnnn!¡± he shook his head. ¡°Just rubs me the wrong way.¡± ¡°Eh you don¡¯t have to be social with him. This is work after all,¡± Rocko said. ¡°Yeah, yeah it¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s a big change from last season. Guess I got used to things being just you, me, and Brock officially on the roster. ¡°Don¡¯t forget Forrest and sometimes Yolanda,¡± Rocko said cheerfully. ¡°They¡¯re like part-timers¡­ or casuals?¡± Dennis said. ¡°Well those casuals technically take over if something happens to Brock,¡± Rocko said, pointing out how the chain of command actually worked with the Gym being owned by Brock. Family would come first. They both glanced over to find Brock rolling Bertha around in the mud. The giant heavy pokemon laughing like a school girl and her friend relaxing in a pool rather than a pokemon and trainer rolling around in the mud. ¡°Well let¡¯s hope nothing happens there,¡± Dennis said loyally. Rocko nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. He lolled his head back to Dennis, ¡°Hey, speaking of the new hires what do you think of the others?¡± Dennis hummed in thought. ¡°Rachel is a go-getter and I think she¡¯ll be almost as much of a reason for us having a huge number of trainers to face next circuit as Brock¡¯s showing with Lance. She¡¯s really getting out there and getting Brock out there as well.¡± Dennis rubbed his chin. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really have any strong thoughts on Missy. She¡¯s solid as a worker and taking things on but yeah I think she¡¯s here to learn and become stronger for the Ace circuit?¡± Rocko shrugged. ¡°I think she doesn''t know what she wants to do but as things go this is pretty good as a job.¡± From the cave system, Bianca emerged with her lab coat on and a giant blue glove. In her arms, she carried a large carry case with fluids that sloshed as she walked. Dennis and Rocko shared looks before deciding as one that they didn¡¯t want to talk about what might be in those carry cases. Instead, they opted for the safer of the two Researchers that had joined the gym. ¡°Stephen¡¯s not really an employee but he¡¯s a nice guy. Very focussed on his research when he¡¯s on the clock, but he still tries to fit in.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still trash at Smash,¡± Rocko said with a laugh. Dennis huffed. ¡°Can¡¯t believe you¡¯re friends with Professor Oak.¡± ¡°How long before Rachel works out I wasn¡¯t kidding about him being cool?¡± Rocko said with a grin. ¡°Nnnnn another week?¡± Dennis said after giving it a moment¡¯s thought. They watched Brock emerge like a swamp beast from the mud only to squelch over the fence. He called something out and from the other side of the fence, a wave of water cascaded over to clean off the mud. ¡°Thanks, Shrek!¡± shouted Brock as he jogged over to Rocko and Dennis. ¡°Hey guys! Got everyone fed up?¡± he said as he moved over to the feed shed for his own pokemon teams special blend. Rocko and Dennis gave their own greetings and affirmatives. Rocko leaned on the doorway as Brock began mixing berries and nuts into various mixers. ¡°Hey Brock any word on where Celia is going to go?¡± Brock shook his head. Sending droplets of water out with the act, ¡°Nah, It''s something I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to her about, but gotta get the others up to scratch. She say anything to you?¡± ¡°Nope, just seeing if she was going to stick around here.¡± ¡°Nah, I think she needs to be enjoying her trip. I¡¯m thinking of seeing how she feels about Hoenn. I loved the few months I had in Hoenn and I think it would be good for her.¡± Rocko and Dennis shared a look before deciding not to comment on the journey that had been cut short. Most Ace trainers these days had at least two or three years before they tried their hands at the pro-circuit or more. Brock began packing up meals into a bag for his team. He shot them a smirk. ¡°Oh also Jackson is coming back soon and he¡¯s looking to work with us this year.¡± Rocko and Dennis perked up at that. Dennis shot Rocko a sly smirk. ¡°He gonna be back in time for Trixie¡¯s workouts?¡± Brock¡¯s laugh was dark, as were Dennis and Rocko¡¯s grins. Rocko watched Brock head off into the cave system. ¡°Ah, our fellow senior gets to join us in suffering.¡± Dennis nodded, his eyes staring into the distance. ¡°It¡¯s good to know there¡¯s justice in the world.¡± Rocko snorted and a moment later Dennis joined him. The pair headed back into the gym. They had other jobs to do for the day but it was a good day to be a Pewter Gym Trainer. Chapter 44 - Ranger Patrol Pidgeot and Fearow were renowned for their speed in the air. In fact, they are considered the fastest pokemon that the common trainer has available to them. After all, there¡¯s only a small amount of people that could raise and keep a Dragonite. It was possible for elite courier services ¡ªowned by the Blackthorn Clan¡ª to have them, but you had to pay for it. They were still considered rare to see flying anywhere however. The most commonly seen Dragonite was in fact, Lance¡¯s Dragonite. And if Lance was flying around as fast as he could go, then something big was going down somewhere, as he typically had a procession around him. Claire would probably also have a Dragonite to call on, but no one had ever seen her fly off on one publically. Then again I didn¡¯t, and still don¡¯t, check any magazines for her appearances. Although she might not appear in anything big. She was rather overshadowed by her cousin Lance. Some people rode Charizard, but that was almost as much of a status symbol flex as it was practical. You¡®d certainly get where you were going but it was generally faster to get there on a Pidgeot or Fearow. Also, it was a smoother ride. In the racing circuits, flying-type pokemon were bred, raised, and trained to be paragons of flight. Typically if it was just speed that was being demanded of them then the pokemon would be smaller than the average members of their species. Pokemon that needed to go fast and carry riders? Those tended to be much larger. The average Pidgeot came in at one and a half metres which was perfect for battle. A good middle ground for power generation with speed and enough evasive ability to dodge most attacks. Fearow¡¯s had a one-point two-metre height which made them fit the same role in a trainer''s roster. For commercial purposes or rider roles, these pokemon could easily be found in sizes that were twice, if not three times, as big making it easy for them to carry people, packages, or even both. The Sevii and Orange island regions were particularly dependent on the messenger birds being able to fly with the speed they did. If you had bigger items that couldn¡¯t be delivered piecemeal by a flock, then you had to get them shipped. Which, with some pokemon objecting to ships sailing through their territory, created other hassles, even in tamed or well-charted areas. Still, Pidgeot and Fearow were the most prolific pokemon for flyers to use. It made my own choice in Zephyr, my much larger Noctowl, stand out. Unlike those birds, he couldn¡¯t fly as fast or as far. He needed to use the move tailwind to reach their lowest levels of speed. Where he was better was in his ability to fly at night, and on silent wings. This made it much easier to patrol the wilds with the pokemon that might be causing disturbances or being problematic being none the wiser of our approach. This didn¡¯t hold true for dangerous areas like the Mt Silver range where you learnt to keep an eye on the sky or you or your offspring got eaten. Other, more shaded or protected areas, however, had inhabitants that weren¡¯t used to this. When I flew into Ranger command ¡ªwhich for Pewter was located to the northwest of the city¡ª I could use this fact to literally spot the veterans out from the student rangers. The people that looked up while their hands slid to their waists practically shouted their experience if you knew to look for it. I landed in front of a set of buildings that had been built into and around trees. The entire structure was made of wood with tightly packed joints that made for an impressive two-storey structure. Where patches of the roof should have been exposed, a netting of khaki greens and browns that matched the vegetation was hung. The Student Rangers startled at my sudden appearance, one of them even tossing out a pokemon before they could think to check who it was. ¡°Go Jolteon!¡± I glanced at that trainer as I dismounted off my pokemon. When they bristled I made a show of huffing. Instead of rising to their challenge, I scratched and straightened out some feathers for Zephyr as he drank from a nearby trough of water. He was ignoring the pokemon growling at him. ¡°Hey! You! What¡¯re you doing here?! You can¡¯t just fly in!¡± shouted the trainer. I didn¡¯t pay any more attention to them despite their bristling. ¡°Get your pokemon back in your ball Gonzo!¡± barked another trainer. The patch on their sleeve marked them as a third-class Area Ranger. The tree patches with the three symbol on it along with a patch showing a one on a mountain highlighted that they had been at this a while. The Jolteon vanished in red light and the student ranger grumbled about being praised before for good reactions. This drew a snort as the veteran ranger marched them off. I chuckled at their interactions as another Area Ranger bounded up to me. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! Thanks for coming today!¡± she said, giving me a polite bob of her head. This one had a patch with mountain two on it. ¡°No problem, I got the message that Commander Hank wanted me to swing by with my next rostered patrol so here I am.¡± I made a sweep over my body as if presenting myself. ¡°So, what¡¯s the news?¡± The young woman shifted back and forth. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s for the Commander to discuss with you, but it has to do with Mt Silver!¡± I frowned at that. ¡°Mt Silver?¡± She nodded and gestured for me to follow her. There were no cement footpaths Leading up to the building and you needed to watch where you were going to avoid being tripped up by the tree roots everywhere. A few of the trees surrounding the clearing bore berries. I pointed Zephyr over to them to let him eat and relax. He hopped once and glided over to a sitrus berry tree. ¡°Huh, I thought he¡¯d have gone for the Oran or the Pecha tree,¡± said my guide. ¡°Nah he likes the tang of sitrus berries more than the others. Got a taste for it over in Hoenn when I was roaming the wilds for a week or so in one of the forests.¡± ¡°Oh? What was it like? Did you go very deep?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh yeah, the Hoenn Rangers were way laxer than you guys are in keeping people close to the routes. Spent a ton of time walking through what¡¯s now known as route hundred and eleven¡¯s desert. Got super sunburnt on the first day and then spent the rest of the time wandering around with every part of my body covered.¡± I remembered Sabrina in her giant hat and huge scarf trudging along with me. She¡¯d been part of why that trip had truly been so successful. I¡¯d made sure to share the spoils of what I¡¯d found in the desert. I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t catch your name by the way?¡± ¡°Oh! It''s Rei! Sorry about that! I¡¯m so used to everyone knowing me around the Ranger commune!¡± She scrutinised me for a bit before shaking her head. ¡°I can''t believe you went into the desert in Hoenn! What were you thinking?¡± ¡°Ohhhh you know how it is as a young trainer, interesting sights, rare pokemon, experiences to call my own!¡± I said. I wasn¡¯t going to admit to looking for fossils or even a pokemon that I thought should exist in the desert such as a Dwebble. I¡¯d actually come out with nothing I¡¯d wanted to find and more than I¡¯d ever bargained for with all the rocks I¡¯d ended up smashing. I¡¯d also been able to scale a giant rocky outcropping thanks to Sabrina. It had been there that I¡¯d found Selene and Quirrina. Sabrina had also gotten the attention of a Baltoy that she¡¯d captured. Sadly during that aborted Hoenn trip I hadn¡¯t been able to find a Beldum or a Ralts. Or rather we¡¯d found Ralts but none that wanted to spend time around me or Sabrina. I¡¯d asked about that but apparently, Sabrina hadn¡¯t projected her emotions like normal people so she scared Ralts off. I had enquired about getting an egg for her but apparently, they were as hard to get as Chansey eggs. ¡­With my recent winnings maybe I¡¯d rethink that idea. Still, the desert had been lucrative for both of us. They should call that desert the Star falls desert rather than the Mirage desert it was once known as. Interestingly no one had known about the Mirage tower when I¡¯d asked around about structures or ruins. I¡¯d come across as a very odd foreigner, but I¡¯d been able to pass it off as being a history maniac. Sadly it had eluded even Sabrina. I might not have found any fossils but I had come away with a number of rare metal finds that I was pretty sure the game called Starmetal pieces. I jolted as we walked through another set of doors, having been lost in memories. I coughed to hide any sheepishness. The trip through the Ranger base was quick, not really letting me reminisce. While the building was large, it prescribed to an open floor plan with there being a number of pillars to hold everything up while small desks littered the space in between them. Groups of rangers sat around tables discussing findings and reports of pokemon numbers. Others sat writing up reports at separate desks. I spotted one ranger giving a lecture on survival in the wilderness should the worst happen. I tapped Rei on the shoulder. ¡°Can I get a heads up on the next time some of those courses are on offer? I have two pokemon trainers at the gym and those would be great for them to sit in on,¡± I said thinking of Celia and Missy. Daniel already had the lessons having spent time as a Ranger. ¡°There¡¯s usually one every six weeks, either as a refresher for the older rangers or the new trainers we get coming in. I¡¯ll make sure to put your trainers down for a spot!¡± said Rei helpfully. When we reached the largest desk we came upon an area that felt more like a strategy meeting room. There were numerous maps about the walls tacked up and on each map coloured zones had been marked out. I could see the topographic map along with simple colours of what each area¡¯s vegetation level was like. Different greens announced either forest or scrubland while greys and browns marked out canyons or rocky cliff faces. Next to this map, there was another map that showed off cave systems but there was a large disclaimer announcing ¡®that we know of!¡¯ atop it. Another map showed the other two maps once more but this time small stickers with faces of pokemon glared out. Each of these stickers was surrounded by circles that were either larger or smaller depending on the pokemon displayed on the sticker. Off centre to the highest peak in the Silver range a sticker with a Tyranitar glared outwards. I knew this to be Titan¡¯s mother. Her ¡®territory¡¯ overlapped at least eight other pokemon territories. A marker rested next to her sticker. Possible nest? It said simply. I glanced at the surrounding pokemon. Most of them were Ursaring but there were some other Tyranitar that interestingly enough had their own small territories. Notably there was a large area that was clear of any other pokemon influence at the top of Mt Silver. This was despite there being lots of pokemon around that area. No pokemon claimed the actual mountain as their own. Atop it was a black sticker that might have been a pokemon face but white question marks showed that not even the Rangers were sure what was there. Around it they had stickers with what I recognised as Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres and what might have been a Raikou but each of them had question mark stickers which I knew meant they were unsure. I stood in front of the map and took it all in. It was interesting to see that there were at least eight known Tyranitars over the southern mountain range that the Rangers knew of. Areas that went too far north were greyed out but clusters of stickers announced what pokemon had been sighted. ¡°Checking in on the old Empress eh?¡± said a voice, cutting through my inspection of the maps. I looked over to find a man with a number of scars watching me. He had a rather unfortunate scar that ran from the top of his nose across the top of his head. The scar forced him to have a long line that disrupted his hair. He might have been able to cover it if he had hair but instead, he had shorn himself bald, making it stand out all the more. Glinty, steel-like eyes watched me as I turned from the maps. ¡°Commander Hank,¡± I said, raising a hand in greeting. ¡°Gym Leader Brock,¡± he said with a nod, catching my own hand with his very scarred hand to shake it once. I glanced at the burn marks that were shown up along the back of his arm. It was tougher in this life to take an injury that really left a mark. That didn¡¯t mean you couldn¡¯t do it. This old man had obviously put himself into a lot of dangerous situations to have just the visible scars. I suspected he had a lot more under his clothes which would only reveal a tapestry of a harsh life. His clothes themselves perhaps mimicked this with the patches all being in gold with a mountain fifteen and a forest ten resting near an ocean eight. He waved a hand towards the maps. ¡°Checking on the Old Empress eh?¡± he said again. I nodded, turning back to the maps, ¡°I swung by after the match with Lance. Told her about how Titan¡¯s been doing.¡± He snorted harshly. ¡°Course you did.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re insane for getting that close with her!¡± ¡°Helps that I have her son as my starter.¡± He levelled a look at me. ¡°Brock, I¡¯ve seen her mate. The period after such an act is when those pokemon are supposed to be most docile. They''re supposed to calm down for a few days. Not her. I¡¯ve seen her kick her mate out of her territory minutes after she¡¯s done with them.¡± ¡°Soooo she¡¯s a private pokemon?¡± I shrugged, ignoring the ick factor of that last comment. I looked at the clear space around her. ¡°It probably helps that I don¡¯t come into her area much and I¡¯m never trying to claim space. Just stopping by.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not some old granny you drop in on,¡± Hank said gruffly. I shrugged, not really having an answer. When I¡¯d come back as Gym Leader I¡¯d learnt just how ridiculous my asking her for Titan had been. She should have mauled me at least. For some reason, she¡¯d accepted my request. It remained a question I didn¡¯t have an answer to. One that had grown with her recent gift of another of her children. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Hank snorted and waved a hand at the maps. ¡°Well, she¡¯s not the issue this time. Nothings¡¯ stirring her up like the time a swarm went through Mt Silver but there have been some issues for the other Tyranitars in the area.¡± He pointed towards the other seven marked territories. ¡°Your success has drawn a lot of attention to Tyranitar as a pokemon that can match or exceed Lance¡¯s Dragonite.¡± I snorted at that and Hank nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re idiots for thinking it¡¯s that simple but sadly some idiots are rich. The demand for the Tyranitar line has resulted in trainers that have no business being out here trying to stray into the mountain range. There are also dedicated poachers. Some of them are legitimate professionals, while other groups of criminal origin have also been spotted, such as Team Rocket.¡± I straightened up at that. Hank grunted. ¡°We¡¯ve had some fights, but they¡¯re being as evasive as ever. The Mt Silver Ranges aren¡¯t an area they can set anything up permanently. They employ snatch and grabs only.¡± He pointed to a brown area. ¡°We used to have a bunch of Tauros ranging around here, but now there¡¯s only young timid pokemon as the strongest of the bunch have been taken. We suspect that to be a dedicated snatch op but we only caught the dust cloud of people getting out of there.¡± He huffed in annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s got a whole squad of rangers locked into that area now as those Tauros are still too young to fend off the Ursaring and Donphan that roam around there. Forget it if a Tyranitar comes down from a peak or some Onix emerges from the caverns through there.¡± ¡°So things are busy and we need to push back some people that are looking to make a quick buck.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Seems like business as usual except for the usual troublemakers aiming a bit higher, and ranging a bit deeper than usual.¡± Hank¡¯s lips twitched in a facsimile of a smile. ¡°Heh, you¡¯re not wrong. It¡¯s just what the current situation is.¡± Another person might have reprimanded me for my defeat of Lance. This was a flow-on effect of my victory. A giant spotlight on one of the Pseudo legendaries. It was well-known that Tyranitar roamed the mountains. Dragonite however were only thought to be found in the Blackthorn area. If people ever worked out what was hidden in the storm off the coast of Vermillion I had no doubt that others would be trying to find their way in. I¡¯d never heard anything about it from Surge or the Rangers that did stints there, but then again the rangers were never going to openly talk about it. Surge probably would have also kept quiet about it. For all that he had a lot of bluster, he could keep secrets and not talk about some things. I tapped the area that had a much smaller tauros sticker. Something about that stuck out to me but I wasn¡¯t sure why that was. Something to do with Tauros. ¡°What tracks were there?¡± I asked, pulling at the threads of memory. ¡°Mostly off road bikes. They knew not to fly in as we would have caught sight of them.¡± ¡°Unless they came in fast¡­ what about psychic pokemon?¡± A memory of an old movie where a psychic pokemon assisted Team Rocket in capturing a lot of Tauros came to the fore. Could this have been something like a Mewtwo appearance? ¡°Most pokemon don¡¯t teleport in if they can avoid it. It¡¯d take a strong Alakazam or Gardevoir to do that with what the tracks showed and that¡¯s also taking into account all the pokemon that use dark-type moves. Some sections like the Ol¡¯ Empress¡¯ area is something pokemon either flat out won¡¯t or can¡¯t teleport into.¡± ¡°They do say that Psychic pokemon are the smartest of us all,¡± I said, recalling another factoid from the games about Alakazam supposedly being as smart as a supercomputer. The veracity of that statement was debatable, however. This got another snort from Hank as he crossed his arms. ¡°So you¡¯ve got the Tyranitar areas under watch?¡± I said to continue our conversation. ¡°Yeah, everyone but hers of course. She gets mad when too many squatters are around. Her getting agitated tends to cause a flow-on effect to all the other pokemon in the area.¡± ¡°Like a landslide?¡± I said, checking which pokemon surrounded Titan¡¯s mother. ¡°Eh, technically yes but that doesn¡¯t give it the right scale. She¡¯s more like an explosion atop a mountain. It¡¯s similar but more sudden and dangerous. We keep people well clear. If we had to do something with her¡­ I¡¯d need to bring a few teams to handle her.¡± I glanced at Hank. I wasn¡¯t sure I liked the idea of her being ¡®handled¡¯ but that might have been my bias. I¡¯d spent time with her in close proximity while she¡¯d been almost docile. An enraged Tyranitar would be a much different beast. ¡°If anything ever stirs her up you have my number. I might be able to calm her down.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t teach your grandmother¡­¡± He got a pinched face. ¡°I always forget that most of your generation¡­¡± he trailed off with a shake of his head. I gave him a tight smile. It was rare that a saying involved grandparents these days. I stared at the mountains that served as a natural divide between Johto and Kanto. My eyes relaxed as I took in the mapped territories of pokemon. How many of these species had been here before the war? I turned that over for a while before shaking off my thoughts. ¡°So, patrol and push back for me?¡± I asked running a circle around the common routes that trainers would attempt to enter the mountains through. Hank nodded. ¡°Yup just wanted to read you into the situation.¡± ¡°Appreciate it.¡± I nodded and walked out of the building after collecting a radio that would have me linked to the Ranger radio channels. When I made it outside I whistled and Zephyr who¡¯d tucked his head under his wing for a quick nap perked up. ¡°Simple search route for us today and tomorrow boy,¡± I said. He chirped into my touch and I indulged him. A few Rangers walked past and spotted me. They instantly started whispering among themselves and scurried into the building. Most of the job was actually doing the assigned work, but as I¡¯d come to learn in my time as a Gym Leader. You had to also be seen working with the organisations. This helped everyone below me. I hadn¡¯t had to stand around next to Commander Hank like I had. Everything he¡¯d told me could have been handled over transceiver, but it was important to be seen talking with him. The Rangers seeing that would understand that a good relationship between my gym was to be expected. Hank treated me as important enough to talk with. When my own trainers worked with Rangers they would do so for longer stints of time but they would do so with a sort of social lubricant already established. I¡¯d need to spend some time with Missy and Daniel up here in future. They wouldn¡¯t be assigned to the Mt Silver areas. Typically you needed a year or more of experience in the mountain region or a ¡®mountain one¡¯ before you were trusted with simple tasks around Mt Silver or the dangerous mountainous regions around the Indigo region. The same applied to the forested areas, the oceanic, the caves, or even the swamps, rare as they were. I had been elevated after my first year liaising with the Rangers and when I¡¯d revealed to them that I had a Tyranitar born from Mt Silver. Most of the time my trainers would only have to work the routes. Viridian forest was considered relatively safe just like Mt Moon was, apart from the warning around the swarm of Beedrill and Zubat respectively. ¡°Brock!¡± called out a familiar voice. I turned to find a rangy-looking woman with teal-coloured hair waving at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you were coming in today!¡± ¡°Hey, Sylvie!¡± I said waving at her. She trotted up to me only to pause as she had to look up at me. ¡°Urgh, stupid boys and their height! I¡¯m catching up though!¡± she said. I opened my mouth to correct her with a tease about how the crick in my neck from looking down would say otherwise but the heat of her gaze made me rethink it. My shins were always in kicking distance after all. Her eyes narrowed as if she could tell I was still thinking about how small she was compared to me. Another ranger approached and gave a lazy wave. ¡°Brock,¡± he said with a drawl before letting his arm fall back to his side. His actions caused his rather rotund form to jiggle slightly. I tilted my head. ¡°I see you¡¯re doing well Andrew,¡± I made a pointed look at his expansive stomach. Rather than being offended he threw his head back and laughed. ¡°The rookies can¡¯t work it out! How can there be a fat ranger? Ha!¡± He slapped his stomach and I watched it ripple slightly under his shirt. ¡°Shows what they know! There¡¯s food all over if you know where to look!¡± I could only nod at that. Sylvie bounced on her feet. ¡°So! Are you on patrol? We¡¯re the next team going out! Are you our third?¡± ¡°Yeah I think I am,¡± I said. I looked around. ¡±No Roo¡ª I mean, Student Rangers with us today?¡± Sylvie and Andrew snorted. ¡°Just call em rookies. The HQ might insist on the new terms but everyone knows that they¡¯re rookies. And no, no rookies with us today. They¡¯re in a training course.¡± I gestured to Zephyr. Sylvie raised her own pokemon and a large Fearow appeared with a flap of her wings. Andrew tossed out a Rapidash. ¡°I¡¯ll stay on the road and look for tracks. Radio in anything of note.¡± Sylvie and I nodded as we mounted up. Sylvie keyed her microphone. ¡°Mic check, mic check this is Fearow omega come in Nightwing.¡± I chuckled as I keyed my own radio. ¡°Read you Fearow, this is¡­ Nightwing¡­ thought I was Rocker last time?¡± ¡°I have to get my fun somewhere Brock, now maintain radio discipline! Heavy, you read me?¡± said Sylvie. ¡°Roger Fearow One,¡± said Andrew deliberately calling her what actually radio should dictate her name would be on radio if she insisted on a number with her callsign. Usually, you only did that when there were two trainers with the same pokemon. Higher ranked Rangers always got lower numbers. ¡°...alright let¡¯s get out there!¡± Sylvie said after deciding not to get into it with Andrew. Andrew and I shared a thumbs up behind Sylvie¡¯s back. She swept her hand up in a Ranger sign for ¡®take wing¡¯ and Zephyr and the Fearow took off. We swept around and circled up towards the road where we saw Andrew riding his Rapidash along the Victory road that cut north. When we reached a point of a service road to help with access for some jeeps that the Rangers used, Andrew dismounted and methodically searched the road. I swept around in wide circles. Zephyr¡¯s head, much like my own, turned slowly to take in the area we were passing. If there were any fallen trees, dust clouds, or large-scale pokemon moves then we¡¯d call it in. More often though it was trainers. ¡°This is Heavy, got some tracks here that don¡¯t match our Jeeps¡­ There''s also tracks from a jeep with our tread on this road, but I know for a fact no one¡¯s been on this route for a week in a jeep; someone thinks they were clever.¡± ¡°How do you know that Heavy?¡± said Sylvie over the radio. ¡°Made sure to check the register when I got the assignment. Hasn¡¯t been anyone doing any road checks or medical call-outs since Jason¡¯s team. They had a Tauros they had to take to Nurse Joy.¡± ¡°Hmmm so we have some suspicious behaviour for sure then¡­ or some idiot not registering their jeep usage.¡± ¡°Get that much?¡± I asked. ¡°...¡± There was a notable silence that made me chuckle. Most of the people acting as Rangers were still young by my old world¡¯s standards after all. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me that they might go on some joy rides with the jeeps. ¡°Right well we¡¯ll see what the situation is when we come upon them!¡± Sylvie said getting us back on track. ¡°Coming down the track now Fearow One,¡± said Andrew. I glanced over and saw him mounted up and trotting down the road. His eyes swept from side to side as he kept to one side of the road. His Rapidash was quite a large pokemon but that made sense with him using it for his own purposes. It left its own tracks, along with the occasional burst of charred earth as it trotted down the road. A flash of light had Zephyr shifting position and I snapped from watching Andrew to where Zephyr was taking me. ¡°Got a pokemon move¡­ looks like Sunny day?¡± I said as I squinted against the mirroring effect that was coming in around a set area. ¡°Roger that Nightwing!¡± said Sylvie gleefully. ¡°You are cleared to engage!¡± I huffed and shook my head at her antics. I didn¡¯t need her ordering me in but she must have been feeling rather energetic. I came in low onto the battle and found a young trainer fighting with an ivysaur. I had to applaud their use of Sunny day as it had been used rather well to allow his pokemon to apparently get off a quick Solarbeam. Across from the celebrating trainer and his pokemon was an unconscious Onix. I landed to the side on a slight rise. ¡°Hello there!¡± I said cheerfully. Zephyr hopped to the side as I dismounted. He went into a minor threat display with his feathers bristling up in warning. The Ivysaur was confused. I dubbed the move a mix of not very effective and effective. I clicked my tongue and had him settle down. I kept a hand on him and trained my eyes on the trainer''s hands. ¡°Nice day we¡¯re having!¡± ¡°Gym Leader Brock? O-oh! Hey yeah! It¡¯s a great day!¡± said the trainer with only a small stammer. That could be good. Usually, people that are in the wrong reacted one of two ways. Still, it was possible that he might be a wonderful actor. ¡°Cool, so this is a bit awkward but I need to check your papers to make sure you¡¯re cleared to be out this far,¡± I said quickly before he could say anything else. It was quick and tough, much like ripping off a band-aid. The trainer blinked up at me. ¡°Ah? Papers?¡± he tilted his head before perking up. ¡°Oh! The papers that the Ranger gave me! Sure thing!¡± I relaxed and moved forward. Zephyr remained on watch with his much sharper eyes as I closed in to inspect the papers. Papers for clearance into a restricted area usually looked like a small booklet. The booklet¡¯s themselves never remained the same colour, style or even shape to make it harder for criminals to fake. Still, it was possible. I toggled the Ranger HQ channel. ¡°This is Brock getting a check-in on Trainer¡­Justin¡­¡± I frowned. That name was familiar and not just because I had probably fought him. I glanced at his Ivysaur. I couldn¡¯t recall an Ivysaur but a young trainer with a Bulbasaur¡­ I snapped my fingers. ¡°You fought Celia in her last match before her quarter-finals! You made the top sixteen?¡± Justin perked up. ¡°You saw?¡± Then he blushed. ¡°I mean! Of course, you saw¡­¡± He kicked the ground sheepishly, ¡°Chonk and I were against your sponsored trainer.¡± I glanced down at the Ivysaur. ¡°Chonk?¡± ¡°Saur!¡± replied the Ivysaur. Justin continued to blush, ¡°Oh yeah! I plan for him to be a beefy boy one day! A big old Venusaur!¡± Chonk perked up and waggled his flower back and forth. My radio broke through our conversation. ¡°This is HQ, Trainer Justin is in the log and cleared to access Mt Silver. He¡¯s even got clearance to camp on the mountain.¡± I smiled at that. ¡°Well that¡¯s a good start to the day,¡± I said aloud. I nodded to Justin. ¡°Sorry for coming in like that.¡± Justin waved his hands back and forth. ¡°Oh no! I completely get it! Restricted area and all!¡± I made a gesture to the downed Onix. ¡°Going to catch it?¡± Justin shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m here for training with Chonk. We¡¯re going to go for a drop-down second year to Johto so I¡¯m getting my starter as strong as I can.¡± ¡°Saur!¡± said Chonk happily. I hummed in approval. ¡°Well best of luck then! Stay safe!¡± ¡°Ah! Actually¡­ If you wouldn¡¯t mind Gym Leader¡­ how did you capture your Tyranitar?¡± I huffed as I checked over Zephyr. ¡°I got stupid lucky. I¡¯d advise against it Justin, don¡¯t go straight for a Tyranitar, stick to your first objective.¡± ¡°No chance of getting a Larvitar?¡± said Justin. ¡°Larvitar usually don¡¯t leave the nest of their mother,¡± I said as I mounted up on Zephyr. I looked sternly at Justin. ¡°If you¡¯re thinking of creeping into a nesting mother Tyranitar¡¯s nest don¡¯t expect to keep your rights to the mountain for long. Or you know¡­¡± I grimaced and left the words unsaid. ¡°Ah, right that¡¯s fair,¡± he said, understanding how he¡¯d be literally putting his head into the maw of a beast if he did that. He waved as I took off. It was nice to have the first interaction of the day be someone who actually deserved to be here. It used to be that anyone that made it past the group stages were allowed into the Silver mountains. I¡¯d seen the death toll from those misguided times and nowadays you needed to make it to the top sixteen to earn the right. Justin, following my ¡ªextremely hypocritical¡ª advice would probably determine whether or not he¡¯d be leaving the mountain soon. I hoped he had a good head on his shoulders. I soared away and switched my radio back to my ¡®team¡¯s channel¡¯. I linked back up and found Fearow dropping down. Before Fearow had even reached the ground I could already tell this was going to be someone caught out. ¡°Got a runner!¡± screamed Sylvie into her radio. I tapped Zephyr and he dove to intercept. I braced as Zephyr opened his wings near the ground to break his descent. The trainer stopped dead in the face of the sudden dark wings blocking out the sun in front of them. I stayed atop Zephyr as we hovered. ¡°This is the part where you get on the ground,¡± I said firmly. The girl got on the ground and that signalled the first arrest we¡¯d be making for the day I suspected. It wasn¡¯t even lunchtime yet. Chapter 45 - Ranger suprises By the time we¡¯d stopped for lunch I¡¯d only encountered four trainers. Three of them had been well within their rights to be on Mt Silver having reached the top sixteen in the last cycle. I was happy that my pessimism was proven wrong so far. The one young girl had been, so far, the only trespasser. Thankfully she¡¯d chosen the easy option by trying to flee. Sylvie had carried her back to HQ to deposit her while Andrew and I had continued to patrol. Now, it was lunchtime and I was happily setting up with a lunchbox next to some berry trees. Rapidash, Fearow and Zephyr happily munched away. My own lunchbox amusingly had riceballs. ¡°Mmmm donuts,¡± I said to myself. Sylvie and Andrew gave me concerned looks but I waved them off. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, it''s a silly joke I heard one time.¡± They both shrugged and turned back to their own lunches. I gave Andrew¡¯s extra large lunch box a pointed look. ¡°What? It¡¯s in the wilds so it still counts!¡± he said with a cheeky grin. I snorted and shook my head at him while Sylvie ignored us both as she chewed some jerky. She relished each chance to tear into her food, punctuating each bite with exaggerated growling sounds. ¡°Not too bad so far,¡± I said to start some conversation. ¡°Yeah, still, this period is always a bit busy cause of all the newbies coming into the area with the conference over. They go home to decompress and then they remember that as a part of the top sixteen they¡¯re worth something and that they have the right to be here! So out they come!¡± Sylvie said while Andrew dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief. ¡°You can¡¯t stop them from coming Sylvie, it is their right,¡± the large man said. ¡°I know! I know, and I¡¯m not one of those legislation change types that wants it to only be the top eight or top four that you hear people talking about sometimes. But I do think there should be a cap on how many people can be on the mountain at one time.¡± I rubbed my chin, interested to hear this gossip. ¡°People are talking about upping the restrictions?¡± Sylvie waved her hand. ¡°Not really, it''s just one of those things that people talk about occasionally. There¡¯s no real push for it to happen right now. With how things are, the pencil pushers are more focussed on other things than Mt Silver.¡± ¡°Other things?¡± I said, interested in what could be more important than one of the most dangerous sites in the Indigo region being ignored. Sylvie and Andrew shared a look. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not something we can really talk about!¡± I tilted my head at that. ¡°Not even to a Gym Leader?¡± I closely watched their expressions as they licked their lips and glanced at each other. Apparently, they had already said too much. Now, I was very interested. Had they encountered something like a Legendary pokemon¡¯s nest? Did they finally know what was at the top of Mt Silver? Sylvie and Andrew squirmed in their seats. ¡°It¡¯s not bad news. It¡¯s just news that has to be¡­ managed,¡± Sylvie said. Andrew rubbed his chin. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why it would bother Brock¡­¡± he said leadingly. Sylvie straightened up. ¡°It is on a need-to-know basis and he does not need to know!¡± she said waspishly. ¡°Fiore will eventu¡ª¡± before Andrew could say anymore Sylvie had stood up and swept her hand out sharply. ¡°Zip it Andrew! Brock is cool but we shouldn¡¯t be discussing this at all. Not here, not at HQ! It¡¯s not a habit we should let form!¡± she said, suddenly much more serious. Andrew bowed his head. I glanced between them in interest. Fiore¡­ Fiore¡­ that was¡­ It was a region that was part of the game series, wasn¡¯t it? It was known for a different gameplay style where you played as a pokemon Ranger. You couldn¡¯t capture pokemon but you could have companions that would come with you for fights. I¡¯d actually seen some of the styluses used in the games on some of the Area Rangers hips in the past but I¡¯d never seen them used on pokemon. I knew from the games that it was possible to make pokemon much more amenable to working with you using them. Legendary Pokemon like Celebi, Mew and Suicine came to mind as examples if you were committed enough. In this world Fiore had been a well-known area with an interesting quirk in that they did not believe in the capturing of pokemon using pokeballs. This had resulted in the widespread use of the stylus and in Rangers being extensively employed throughout Fiore according to the history books. Or at least the ones that I now had access to as a member of the guardians. The past however¡­ had not been kind to Fiore. Their cultural practice of not capturing pokemon and instead befriending them had resulted in a number of instances where they were overwhelmed. Or when the friendship was revealed to be, more fair weather than anything solid. There were records of Fiore trainers holding their ground with truly powerful pokemon but those were rare. This resulted in them being raided often and almost destroyed as other nations plundered them for pokemon or other resources. It wasn¡¯t until Legendary pokemon roused in large numbers around the Fiore Region that any fights had stopped. But that was due to losing actionable routes to the region. Routes that had now calmed enough to return Fiore to the fold. It made sense that the Rangers and the Pokemon League were going to be in a bit of a tizzy over this. Many history books claimed that the Ranger methodology and spiritual heart began in Fiore. A ¡®weak¡¯ region re-emerging would possibly lead to a lot of poachers and trainers trying to flaunt borders to capture any rare pokemon. Fiore would need to have tight restrictions on who could come in. People coming out would probably be in for a rude shock with how every other region captured pokemon on a much larger scale than before. If they hadn¡¯t changed¡­ they¡¯d be much, much further behind in strength. I chewed on my rice balls and turned over the idea of Fiore. It was a very different place to the rest of the world as it currently stood. Or indeed as it had been. I could see lots of potential friction over trainers from both regions moving about. How would Fiore be able to stand without support? I turned the idea of what they could do and how their culture would shape their potential response. Their culture of abhorring the use of pokeballs put me to mind of another person that had emerged in the games advocating pokemon freedom. An antagonist by the name N. Now specifically N was from the Unova region and hadn¡¯t grown up exposed to Fiore but his methods could be used similarly couldn¡¯t they? His creed of not having pokemon in pokeballs would have been very popular in Fiore. Instead of fighting other regions Fiore could exert soft power and convert people to their way of thinking. He was also supposedly charismatic enough to get some trainers to give up their pokemon in large numbers after listening to him speak. Perhaps that might be something they might use? People weren¡¯t unsympathetic to their pokemon after all. There were potential arguments to be made for it even. I¡¯d even offered Titan the chance to leave not long ago. Other people not as close might not stick together with their pokemon. It would almost be like having a wave of priests trying to convert a heathen group. I finished my rice balls and dusted off my hands. Would that be realistic now however? It held a certain potential to be possible perhaps and might be something to keep an eye out for. It could just as much be me jumping at shadows or thinking too much on an issue. Still, it was an interesting consideration. Sylvie stood and I realised that with my slipping into introspection she and Andrew had endured a somewhat awkward silence after she¡¯d shouted over Andrew. Whoops. ¡°Hey Brock, sorry for saying you shouldn¡¯t know. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be one of the first people to be told but everything is still in the early days on this development alright?¡± she said carefully. I waved a hand and shook my head. ¡°Sylvie. It¡¯s perfectly understandable and I don¡¯t think I need to be read in if you¡¯re not comfortable.¡± I¡¯d honestly just ask Karen when I saw her next and she¡¯d tell me if my suspicions were true. The perks of joining a secret society I suppose. Still, it made Sylvie visibly relax as she accepted the reasoning. She gestured to Andrew and he packed his lunch case away into a silph co bag. Then it was time to mount up once more. When we took to land and air we spotted a few other ranger patrols floating about. One pair of rangers dropped low. ¡°Ranger team six on intercept,¡± chimed the radio from their group. They had apparently spotted something or someone worth investigating. I could tell what they¡¯d found a moment later when an explosion bloomed up from the region. ¡°Contact! Ranger team in battle! Poachers are located in zone seven-gee! I repeat! Seven-Gee!¡± ¡°HQ this is Team Two, we¡¯re close enough to move to intercept! No need for fast responders!¡± chimed Sylvie into her radio. ¡°Roger, Team Two, you¡¯re good to assist! Team Five holding pattern for any stragglers or sneak attempts,¡± said the radio. Sylvie¡¯s Fearow turned and I didn¡¯t need to see the arm rising and falling in the direction of the explosion for Zephyr to already be beating his wings furiously to get moving. Unlike Fearow, who flew in a straight line Zephyr instead rose up only to tuck his wings. I leaned in to reduce our drag as much as possible as we rocketed through the air. The wind stung my cheeks as we hurtled downwards. The smoke from the explosion was causing visibility to be an issue and when I arrived with Sylvie we directed our pokemon to clear the field. ¡°Gust!¡± ¡°Whirlwind!¡± we both shouted. Our pokemon flapped their wings and a wall of wind swept the area clean of dust to reveal a battlefield with two rangers fighting against two trainers that each had pidgeot and were half in their saddles while behind them a Scyther, Machoke, Raticate and Beedril attacked the Rangers pokemon. The Blastoise of one ranger seemed to be holding out well enough now that he had visibility and the other trainer¡¯s choice of Victribell helped to control the area. ¡°What do you wanna do Sylvie?¡± I said into my radio as the two poachers took off. This was going to become a much bigger hassle than I wanted it to be due to it becoming either an aerial race or aerial battle. When the poachers didn¡¯t pause to return their pokemon and instead ordered them to keep fighting Sylvie grunted her order into her radio. ¡°Get in there Andrew! Take those pokemon down!¡± Andrew, who¡¯d only been a little behind us, blasted out of the woods with his Rapidash charging into the fray as Andrew jumped off and rolled to a stop. He righted himself and another pokeball was hurled forwards as he reached into his bag for something else. I lost track of that as the poacher¡¯s pidgeot came straight at us. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Hypnosis!¡± I ordered. Zephyr¡¯s head snapped at them and I could see the air in front of us filled with psionic energy. Both pidgeot faltered only for the Poachers to prod them with electric batons. They shrieked and flew up and over us. ¡°Shit! Poachers are furreting on us! They¡¯ve dumped some fighting pokemon and Andrew should have them but the pidgeot are going to give us trouble! Are they worth pursuing?¡± Sylvie barked into her radio. A trumpet from behind us had me looking back to see a herd of Donphan emerging looking enraged. The team on the ground were quick to fill us in on just how bad this situation was about to turn. ¡°HQ! The poachers got some baby Phanpy! The herd is going to rampage if we don¡¯t get them back or get the hell out!¡± ¡°Zephyr! Tailwind on us! We need to catch up!¡± Zephyr beat his wings and I could feel the winds pushing us along. Ahead of us Sylvie was slowly catching up with her Fearow. It looked like she¡¯d be able to soon do something to slow them down. Sadly the poachers were not only morally bankrupt in their actions but also paranoid as they looked over their shoulders and saw Sylvie coming for them. Two more pokeballs were hurled over their shoulders and a second later a pair of golbat were charging towards Sylvie. ¡°Damn it! They¡¯ve got more aerial delays! HQ I need a fast response unit to help us clean up the Donphan that we¡¯re going to have to knock around!¡± Sylvie shouted into the radio. ¡°You can¡¯t get through!?¡± as they said this Sylvie began her aerial dogfight with the golbat. I could see they were specifically using supersonics and delaying moves. It was already letting the poachers pull ahead. ¡°No! I¡¯m in a fight right now! Brock! I need some help!¡± Sylvie screamed into her radio. ¡°Hold on! We¡¯re coming!¡± I channelled my dark energy into Zephyr. This wasn¡¯t a move we could do often from my practice and he couldn¡¯t handle much but his normal typing made him much more capable of absorbing the energy and using it. The next beat of his wings saw him accelerating. He tilted his body just in time to slam into one of the golbat and stop the pressure on Sylvie. Sylvie performed a loop-de-loop and as she was upside down just above the other golbat she opened her bag and tossed a net at the pokemon. It missed but it did force the golbat to break off its flight path. Now Sylvie was on its tail. In a few more moments she¡¯d have it. I turned towards the now very distant pair of poachers. My stomach churned. They must have gotten a good number of Phanpy to both enrage the Donphan herd so much and to make it worth ditching so many pokemon. It irked me to see them simply write those pokemon off as losses like a business would a bad investment. It spoke of a ruthlessness that I could only wish didn¡¯t belong in the pokemon world. Worse, they were obviously going to get away with it. Just as I thought that the radios crackled to life. ¡°Hello Ranger team, this is Dragon-one, I¡¯m passing by and I can see your scuffle, would you like me to nab them?¡± came a voice that anyone in the region would know instantly. I could recognise it from having to fight him. I grinned as relief swept through me. ¡°Champion!? You¡¯re cleared to assist! Please and thank you!¡± gushed the radio handler back at Ranger HQ. I chuckled, glancing around for wherever Lance was. If I was him I¡¯d be¡ª Two black shapes materialised from the sun and like perfect dive bombers intercepted the fleeing poachers. I whistled and judged the distances involved. That had been fast. But then again Dragonite were considered some of the fastest pokemon around. I turned back to find Sylvie taking out her golbat. In Zephyr¡¯s claws the other golbat had gone limp, not willing to struggle against my pokemon. Sylvie levelled out and glanced around. ¡°Bro- I mean, Nightwing! What happened?¡± ¡° Dragon-one just intercepted our criminals,¡± I said in response. ¡°Think we can return to try and settle things down.¡± ¡°Hmmm, I missed that, but rightio. We¡¯ll trust in Drag¡­ Oh¡­ oh!¡± she said as her mind connected the dots as to who Dragon-one had to be. I grinned as I turned around to the area we¡¯d left. We returned as fast as we could but things were still tense. Off to one side the Rangers had the poachers pokemon. All of them looked thoroughly trampled and more than a few now had bruises, cuts and dents to their bodies that didn¡¯t belong. None of them were in any way conscious despite this. One Ranger, who looked like a Student Ranger on their first tour judging by the nervous looks they were giving the herd, ¡ªand the blank sleeve where the badges of duty were placed¡ª was in front of them with a Blastoise by his side protecting them. Andrew was standing slightly in front of them with his hand slightly raised. In front of him was another girl with aqua hair and what looked like a baton. She waved it back and forth with a series of clicks and whistles while occasionally speaking in low careful tones. ¡°Heeeeeey, heeeeeey, caaaaalm down now,¡± she said. Andrew spotted us. ¡°Guys unless you have the baby pokemon do not land they¡¯ll take it as aggression. It¡¯s all Ginny can do to keep them from killing the poacher¡¯s pokemon and then going on a rampage. Give her time,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ve got good news on that front, a fast response team got them.¡± Sylvie made her fearow turn. ¡°Uhmmm E.T.A is¡­ Holy shit! ten¡ª¡± whatever Sylvie had been able to say was disrupted when a wind swept through us and Zephyr cried out in shock as he had to work to stay in the air. I glared up as the Dragonite that had blown past us rose into the air before coming down into a landing. In its arms a struggling poacher and limp pidgeot were deposited to the ground. From that Dragonite¡¯s back Claire dismounted onto the suddenly much quieter field. I glanced over to see another dragon pokemon coming in, only this one had the pidgeot clamped in its jaws. The bird was alive but staying as still as possible. The blue dragon passed me and for half a heartbeat I locked eyes with Lance. He nodded with a tight smile, then he was gone. When he landed, all the Donphan took some steps back, suddenly unsure of themselves. Lance, still standing on his pokemon¡¯s back instead of being strapped in like a normal pokemon rider, swept his hand out. His cape flapped wide and caught everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Donphan! There is no need to rampage! The Rangers and I have captured the poachers that attempted to steal from you! On my honour your kin will be returned to you!¡± he said with a clear carrying tone. Sylvie¡¯s fearow flapped over to me. ¡°Crazy how his words mean nothing to those pokemon but that doesn¡¯t matter cause of the way he said them.¡± ¡°Are you referring to his calming, sure tone or how he came in with two Pseudo-legendaries?¡± I said with a cheeky grin. Sylvie snorted. ¡°More of the second I should think.¡± The Donphan didn¡¯t try anything as Claire and Lance assisted the Rangers in divesting the poachers of their stolen pokemon. When they were releasing them, the pokeballs that had been used to capture the pokemon were destroyed while the pokemon that were injured were returned for emergency treatment. Those got handed over to Sylvie. Claire approached the Donphan with bottles of potion outstretched to the pokemon. For a moment the Donphan looked like they wanted to object to her assisting their Phanpy but Claire¡¯s dragonite trilled something and waved his antennae. The Donphan listened and relaxed. I landed, giving Lance a nod in greeting but otherwise kept my eyes on Claire as she slowly saw to the Donphan herd. Soon all the injured pokemon had been treated and Claire walked out with a few of the small elephant-like pokemon trumpeting at her and nudging her in thanks. She had a rather nice smile as she pet a few of them but didn¡¯t let them waylay her for long. When her eyes turned to me there was a pause as her eyes narrowed for half a second. I waved and she grimaced before jerking her head in a tight greeting. Hmmm might I detect some annoyance directed my way? ¡°Well done Rangers,¡± Lance said as the herd began to fade back into the forest. The rangers all straightened up at his praise, with the Student even adopting an at-attention pose, their chest puffing out so much I thought they were about to lift off the ground for a moment. Sylvie glanced over to Ginny and I could see a silent conversation happen between them with Ginny stepping forward a second later as Sylvie ducked her head. ¡°Thank you for your words Champion Lance, and for the assistance. We didn¡¯t have the speed to catch up with them.¡± I nodded in agreement at that. Claire perked up and smiled at Lance who accepted the praise with a rather stoic nod. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m glad we were able to help. This is rather fortuitous for us all.¡± He then looked at me and his smile grew slightly. ¡°Well met Brock! I¡¯ve been meaning to get in contact with you but sadly the role of a Champion is rather busy,¡± he said with a grimace. I offered a shrug, ¡°I can only imagine. Good to see you though!¡± I said approaching and offering a handshake. He accepted it happily and then got a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°Say, are you almost finished your patrol?¡± I looked over to Sylvie who stiffened when everyone turned to her. ¡°We could finish early!¡± she said shrilly. I snorted. ¡°What she means is we still have like¡­ an hour or two before we¡¯re done.¡± Sylvie, and indeed most of the people in the clearing snapped their heads towards me as they blanched. Lance merely rubbed his chin. ¡°Hmmm, if you¡¯re amenable I wouldn¡¯t mind sticking around and assisting you Rangers?¡± ¡°We¡¯d be delighted to have you!¡± said Ginny with a smile only to turn to me and mouth ¡®what the hell? He¡¯s the champion!¡¯ I rolled my eyes at her. When Lance glanced around, obviously aware of the undercurrent of nervous energy but not sure how to address it, I decided to drag it into the light. ¡°They¡¯re intimidated and don¡¯t want to say no to you despite needing to finish things off. Think they¡¯re a bit annoyed with me for seeing it through.¡± Sylvie whirled on me. ¡°Brock! You can¡¯t act like that to the Champion!¡± I chuckled and smiled at Lance. ¡°I dunno, I think I¡¯ve done worse than just act unruly around you, no?¡± Claire inhaled with a hissed breath at the joke, only for Lance to laugh loudly. ¡°Ha! I should agree with that Brock!¡± He then grinned and showed some fang. ¡°If you¡¯re interested I¡¯d like to test out one of my pokemon and having you here is wonderful timing!¡± he gestured to the Salamance that was inspecting me. ¡°Ho?¡± I said as my blood began to stir at the chance of a friendly, but very challenging match.. ¡°Holy Ho-oh! They¡¯re gonna fight!¡± whispered Sylvie out loud. I felt my hand creeping down to my belt. I had just the pokemon to put Lance in his place. Selene hadn¡¯t gotten her chance to shine and¡ª A chorus of roars coming from the peaks had us all breaking out of the battlelust. Ginny stiffened. ¡°We should probably get out of here if we don¡¯t want to have some alpha pokemon coming to defend their territory! No fighting right now boys!¡± she said as she tossed out a Fearow. Lance and I both clicked our tongues before sharing a smile. I nodded, ¡°When we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°When we¡¯re done,¡± he agreed. The riders took to the sky and land respectively. Sylvie keyed her radio ¡°Damn it Brock you¡¯re bold! You¡¯re just gonna fight him? Just like that?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± I said. Andrew snorted over the radio. ¡°Maintain radio discipline Fearow-two¡­ also Dragon-one is on the line.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± said Ginny. I chuckled as Sylvie drifted away from me with a furious blush. I glanced over to the side and found Claire easily keeping pace with me. Her gaze was very assessing as we flew, I offered a wave but she merely shook her head as though exasperated. I looked at Lance and felt a surge of anticipation. Things were looking much more interesting than I had been planning for a simple patrol with the Rangers. But then again, random events occurring outside of the norm seemed like a pretty common event in the pokemon world. Claire and Lance began to perform some aerial acrobatics with each other as our patrol continued. They tested each other with speed and agility in the air and I found it half distracting, but not distracting enough to not spot something. A flash of light off to the side caught my attention and I ducked away. ¡°Got a pokemon battle over here.¡± As the first person to see it, I got to confront the trainer. Not that it stopped Sylvie from accelerating her Fearow away from the group, likely trying to put distance between her previous embarrassment. Sylvie landed and shouted her challenge. ¡°Team Rocket! On the ground now!¡± I perked up and had Zephyr fly a bit faster to catch up with her. I landed on a small hill much like the first confrontation of the day, only this time I was behind the team Rocket grunt; he was easily identifiable in his black uniform with the red R. You could almost consider him ¡®card carrying¡¯; he looked that cliche. ¡°You ain¡¯t taking me out Ranger!¡± he said with a snarl as he tossed out an Arbok. The Arbok emerged and hissed at Sylvie only to stiffen and look behind itself. Arbok lowered its head as Zephyr twitched his head back and forth in a threat display, his wings rising up to the side to make him look even bigger and more menacing. The grunt turned and blanched when he saw me standing next to my pokemon. He took one look at me and put his hands behind his head. ¡°Alright! Nope! Screw that! No fight from me! I¡¯ll get on my knees!¡± I nodded at his wise decision. Claire landed next to me and peeked around her Draongite¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What have you got?¡± The Rocket grunt stared at Claire. ¡°Alright! Alright, I¡¯m getting on the ground!¡± he said as he lowered himself to his stomach. His hands stayed laced behind his head. Lance then dropped in with his Salamance. The Grunt looked up and gaped ¡°Uhhhhh?!¡± He gaped at the three of us watching him before wailing, ¡°What do you want from me!? I can¡¯t get any lower?!¡± he said. I snorted while the Dragonmaster and Mistress tilted their heads in confusion. Was it wrong to feel a little bad for any poachers we encountered for the rest of the patrol? It really seemed like overkill to have two gym leaders and the Indigo Champion sweeping a portion of Mt Silver. I grinned, it was looking to be a very good day. Chapter 46 - The friendly rematch There was movement at the HQ, for word had passed around, I thought to myself as we flew over the final stretch of trees. Lance and Claire had been darting in close only to then fall back and into aerial dogfighting maneuvers for the rest of the patrol. It was no different as we came to land. When we had landed and our pokemon had been returned to their pokeballs, they swept in. Their landing was controlled, but there was still a great stirring of the people watching from the buildings and the shadows. It wasn¡¯t normal to see so many people obviously lingering near the landing site. Now that Lance had appeared I could feel people¡¯s gazes flitting like Beedrill from me to him. There must have been some doubt as to the veracity of the rumors. I hadn¡¯t heard anything being said over the radio, but Rangers obviously had their own grapevines off the air. A quickly fired transceiver message would have worked. But seeing was believing and with both myself and Lance? The Rangers were practically salivating to see what I¡¯d promised Lance. I gave him a look and smirked. We were well aware of the attention but not bothered at all. I let my grin show some teeth and he responded in kind. A cough reminded us that we still had some business in the handover for the next Ranger team. I assumed Sylvie and Andrew had handled this when we¡¯d departed, but then again maybe we were an extra patrol? The two teams that were replacing us trudged out unhappily, their eyes shooting to Lance and I. The knowledge that they were about to miss something big while everyone still on base was going to be watching obviously weighed on them. Ginny and Sylvie informed their respective team leaders of what had happened in a brief overview in HQ. Honestly, the number of people we¡¯d encountered had been pretty crazy. The competence of the poachers, in particular, had been startling, but then again commander Hank had said it would be this way. ¡°Were these incidents an outlier or is this on par for you right now?¡± I asked Sylvie. She shook her head. ¡°We got lucky or unlucky depending on how you want to look at it. We encountered a lot of people today. Usually, there are only registered trainers on the mountain and not so many people doing the wrong thing. I¡¯m hoping today doesn¡¯t mark a trend¡­¡± she made a face, ¡°We¡¯ll have to see.¡± She gestured into the building ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll type something up quick and drop it off with Commander Hank. Then I think I¡¯m going to need to claim a patch of grass in the training area.¡± I nodded, giving Lance a look. ¡°You coming with us or just going to hang out?¡± I said casually. Next to Lance, Claire watched me with narrowed eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but Lance merely nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll come with you. How has Pewter city been?¡± ¡°Busy!¡± I said as I began to relay all of the different highlights since our match. He chuckled when I told him about the new hires and how I spent a sizable chunk of my winnings on getting an Eevee for my family, a Chansey for my gym and a Scyther for myself. ¡°Urgh! Boys and their scythers!¡± said Claire with a shake of her head. Her words caused a number of nearby trainers to scowl at her only for them to nod approvingly at me. Scyther was seen as a ¡®cool¡¯ pokemon to have so they could probably understand where I was coming from in buying it. Some of the girls shot Claire looks of solidarity. Bugs weren¡¯t typically seen as cool with female trainers. Lance rubbed his chin. ¡°A shame I have committed to the dragon style of pokemon.¡± ¡°Dragon style?¡± I asked. ¡°Gyrados and Charizard both aren¡¯t dragon type,¡± he said in reply. ¡°Although I don¡¯t suppose¡­ Don?¡± When I nodded to show he got the name right, he continued, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose Don is a dragon type either?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Rock and Flying.¡± I then shrugged. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t give up on always counting out some pokemon as being dragon typed. My own golem breeding methods show that pokemon can grow in a lot of different ways.¡± Lance perked up and Claire looked thoughtful at my words. ¡°That is true. A dragon typed Gyarados¡­¡± he said wistfully. I kept my mouth shut on the probably very near future where Charizard would be able to mega evolve depending on some shiny rocks. I was keeping my eyes out for anything like the Mega Stones but I honestly wasn¡¯t sure what I was looking for. So far I¡¯d only been able to talk to hikers traversing Mt Moon and walk it myself but I suspected I needed to look into areas where the pokemon in question were heavily concentrated. Charific valley was therefore possibly a site for Charizard Megastones¡­ but this was only a theory. For now. Which¡­ if I was looking for the ultimate Mega stone for my team would mean I would need to spend some serious time looking around the peaks of the Mt Silver Range. That would see me stirring up a lot of very powerful pokemon and probably having lots of Rangers on me like a Shellder on a Slowpoke. Chewing my backside out. I jerked my head towards Lance¡¯s belt. ¡°So you¡¯ve got yourself a Salamence, did you also get yourself an Altaria?¡± Lance stared at me. For a moment I wondered if I had said something odd. It didn¡¯t seem that strange for him to get two Dragon-type pokemon did it? He huffed. ¡°You anticipate me well Brock.¡± I grunted realising what he¡¯d been talking about. ¡°Nah, when you narrow the scope of pokemon that are possible for you to go for.¡± I ticked off a finger, ¡°there¡¯s also only a few regions to look to that have different Dragon types.¡± ¡°That obvious?¡± he said. I shrugged, ¡°A number of the regions that are open right now share a large portion of each other¡¯s pokemon population right now. It makes it pretty obvious that if you wanted to expand your pool of pokemon you¡¯d need to expand through the Hoenn side of things which is further afield.¡± Claire had a mix of peevishness and pride on her face as I spoke. She shook her head and coughed. ¡°Lance has been able to expand his team a great deal since the last time you two fought!¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I thought that would be the case. Your Salamence looks strong,¡± I said to Lance. Claire tilted her head. Me complimenting Lance obviously hadn¡¯t been what she was expecting from prodding at me. I got the feeling she was rather out of her element seeing Lance being so relaxed with someone. Lance smiled, his chest puffing up as he spoke ¡°I¡¯m very proud of him.¡± Any further conversation had to wait when Sylvie stood up from her desk with a printed-out report. She marched straight up to Commander Hank and dropped the report into the ¡®In box¡¯ on a table to the side. Commander Hank turned from regarding his wall of maps. ¡°Rangers, Gym Leaders, Champion,¡± he said without changing his tone at all. ¡°Good work out there with capturing those poachers and settling down that Donphan herd.¡± He gave Lance a smirk. ¡°Just like old times for you, Area Ranger?¡± Lance chuckled. ¡°Simpler times, what wasn¡¯t to like?¡± Commander Hank nodded once and then gave us all an amused look. ¡°A little birdie mentioned there was going to be a¡­ friendly match.¡± At the word friendly, he narrowed his eyes and all but commanded that it would be so. Lance and I both nodded amiably. Hank grunted. ¡°Very well, give me five minutes to get another cup of coffee and I¡¯ll be out to watch the match.¡± He smirked at us. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing a good battle.¡± Lance and I grinned. The Rangers that had been lingering and keeping busy ¡ªread eavesdropping¡ª jolted in excitement. With the Commander announcing it, it was locked in that Lance and I would be fighting. Some had obviously been expecting Hank to shut it down. Lance and I smirked. This was going to be fun.
The Rangers didn¡¯t have a giant arena to train their pokemon in or use for show matches. That would have gone against their creed. It also wouldn¡¯t have been suitable for their needs. They fought battles in the wilds where there weren''t clear skies and flat ground. An arena for the rangers would be a gigantic waste of money and a sign that things were very, very wrong. What they did have was a level field with small built-up hills that acted as a natural amphitheatre. The grass was long enough that if I wasn¡¯t wearing long pants it would have tickled my shins as it swayed in the wind. Around us, the Rangers that were still on base and not handling critical tasks were all sitting on the hill and settling in. It was surprising to see just how many of them there were for the Pewter region. I knew the Rangers were a popular field of employment, but to see almost three hundred people as ¡®part¡¯ of Pewter¡¯s Ranger cohort was enlightening. Commander Hank claimed the seat of honour in the middle of the hill with a few of his trusted veterans sitting around him. I saw him point out a few Student Rangers and signal them to join him. It almost felt like an old general picking out young cubs to sit and learn at his side. Directly across from him on another hill, at the halfway point between Lance and I, Claire was sitting in seiza. She sat with impeccable poise and the only thing that gave away her excitement for the coming match was the way her hands laced and unlaced repeatedly. I couldn¡¯t see Sylvie or Andrew but I assumed they were somewhere in the crowd of rangers. The various Ranger uniforms made them blend in better than any natural camouflage on their part. I rolled my shoulders and let the crowd fade away. If they moved in I¡¯d be aware of them as potential obstructions or threats. Instead, I focussed on the field, the feel of it and how the wind blew across it. I searched it for any little points of difference that could be exploited. Not that I expected there to be anything I¡¯d need to worry about from the ground. I had said I was going to use Selene and I was sticking with that. This would be her time to shine. I locked eyes with Lance and as one we both reached for pokeballs on our belts. ¡°Go Salamence!¡± ¡°Go Selene!¡± we both shouted. Two pokemon appeared in bursts of red energy. From Lance, a blue and red western-styled dragon appeared and cried out. On my side of the field, a floating rock in the shape of a crescent moon drifted and trilled in excitement. ¡°Steady girl,¡± I said as she bobbed back and forth. Hank raised a hand from where he was lounging. ¡°Trainers! Ready?¡± we both nodded and he dropped his hand. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Steel wing!¡± Lance said with a sweep of his arm. His pokemon leapt into the attack, wings glinting as the Steel type energy infused them. If I hadn¡¯t seen him playing around with Claire earlier I might have been taken by surprise at how fast such a large pokemon could move. Instead, I raised a lazy hand straight at his oncoming pokemon. ¡°Moonblast!¡± Selene¡¯s eyes glowed and if you were watching close enough you could almost spot something pulsing above us. I knew it to be an effect whereby she pulled on energy from the moon. A moon that wasn¡¯t actually there but the move itself had to be taught and trained during a full moon to actually develop it. Perhaps it was the nature of fairy-type energy, in general, to be elusive, I¡¯d had to work hard to have Selene learn this move. A large white orb formed up and floated forward. It was a deceptively slow-moving attack that was so translucent you could almost see through it. If this had been a fire-type move or a dark-type move, you¡¯d have been correct in thinking that it was an attack that hadn¡¯t been formed correctly. That was not the case. All it would take was a single hit to bully this Dragon. Which was why I was surprised when Lance¡¯s eyes bulged and he swept his arm to the side. ¡°BREAK OFF, NOW!¡± he roared. His Salamence barrel rolled to the side and upwards forcing the Moonblast to miss. Selene warbled in annoyance as her eyes tracked the arcing dragon. I frowned at Lance. Had he experienced fairy-type moves before? The common consensus was still out on them, but Lance had instantly broken off the attack. Lance wasn¡¯t looking at the fight and instead looking at his hands which were¡­ trembling? Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. He stared at them in shock before looking up to Selene with an expression that radiated confusion. Then he looked down at his hands once more. He tightened them into a fists and nodded shaking himself and returning to the match. ¡°Salamence! Don¡¯t let that attack hit you! Whatever you do!¡± I leaned back. Now that reaction? That was very interesting. He could recognise it as a threat and had reacted accordingly. This was almost like the gag of Iris always reacting negatively against cold situations or moments where Ice type pokemon were in the picture. Only Lance had reacted instinctively in the middle of a fight. Those were some great instincts. Or was it something else? I already knew that Lance had access to Dragon-type energy. In the cartoon, Iris, who much like Lance, was a self-professed Dragon trainer always reacted just as poorly to Ice-types as her pokemon. I¡¯d thought that just a gag from the cartoon. Now I was re-evaluating that thought. ¡°Future sight,¡± I said to Selene. If he wasn¡¯t going to make it easy for us, I wasn¡¯t going to let him have time to bring his speedy dragon back in for another attack. ¡°Tch, Dragon dance!¡± His pokemon weaved through the air and returned fully into the enclosure. As a friendly, it wasn¡¯t a concern that he went out of bounds for a little bit. Then again this field wasn¡¯t to regulation League standards so he¡¯d also have more room in any actual challenges. ¡°Dragonbreath!¡± Lance said, causing his pokemon to emit bluish-purple flames from its maw. ¡°Psychic,¡± I said in response. Lunatone¡¯s eyes glowed and psychic energy wrapped around the oncoming inferno only to be tugged upwards and form into a disc-like shape that hurled itself back at the Salamence that once more dodged. ¡°Follow up with Rock tomb!¡± I said to get his pokemon locked into place. ¡°Protect!¡± commanded Lance with another sweep of his hand. Around his pokemon, a hexagonal pattern protected his pokemon from my entrapment. ¡°Hold!¡± I said to Selene. She paused as I held up a hand. ¡°Moonblast!¡± Once again the pulsing energy built up in the sky before Selene fired off an attack straight at Salamence. Once more Lance hissed like a cat rubbed the wrong way by an oily yet sticky hand. ¡°Aerial ace out Salamence!¡± he said. Just as the hexagons fell and Selene¡¯s attack should have landed his blue dragon flickered and vanished in a burst of speed. Only to then appear right in front of Selene with his wing coming down. I clenched in surprise before my mind could dismiss the attack for a flying-type effect. Not that Selene let it hit. As the wing came down her eyes glinted blue and the tips of her crescent-shaped body gouged upwards to slam into Salamence¡¯s wingtip. For a second there was a grinding noise only for Salamence to be blown backwards and go tumbling. Selene was buffeted backwards but appeared to come off better as she shook herself off and returned to the fight faster. ¡°Selene! Like you were taught! Teleport now!¡± Selene¡¯s eyes glowed and a frankly huge amount of energy built up around her before it was her turn to wink out and reposition directly above the recovering Salamence as it got onto its feet. ¡°Moonblast!¡± I said clenching my fist as Salamence snapped its head upwards. ¡°Salamence use protect again!¡± ordered Lance. Once more the hexagon shield formed¡­ only to collapse when the Moonblast orb slammed into it. It carried on and pressed Salamence into the ground. The dragon cried out in pain only to slump when the orb dissipated. I watched it for any twitches that would indicate that it was seeking to return to the fight. That Aerial ace would be a wonderful repositioning tool that I¡¯d remember. Lance shouldn¡¯t have been able to escape from the protect as he had¡­ only, he had, thanks to that move. Lance grunted and raised his pokeball to return his pokemon. He looked at the pokeball for a long tense moment before nodding his head. He looked up to Selene to see her wobbling back and forth in what I knew to be a happy dance. ¡°This was your last pokemon for your match with me wasn¡¯t it?¡± he asked. I nodded. ¡°Yup, she would have been my sweeper if it came to that.¡± He inclined his head. ¡°I see¡­ in that sense Salamence did well¡­¡± I got the feeling he still wasn¡¯t satisfied with the loss but then again you didn¡¯t become champion by being content with a loss. His hand clenched once and he put the pokeball away. ¡°Thank you for the match Brock, it was highly informative.¡± He plucked another pokeball off his hip. ¡°I don¡¯t supp¡ª¡± ¡°Alright! Breaks over slackers!¡± shouted Commander Hank as he stood up and began to assign jobs to the watching Rangers. His intrusion broke through the haze of another match. Lance and I both blinked at the disruption. ¡°Awww!¡± some of the younger Rangers said. ¡°They were about to have another match!¡± ¡°No they weren¡¯t!¡± said Hank in the tones of a parent that was trying to use raw stubbornness to make their unruly children see reason the way they needed them to. ¡°They were done!¡± He shot a look at Lance and I and we both nodded in agreement. Selene floated down with a sad tone. She had obviously been looking forward to laying out another of Lance¡¯s team. I rubbed her rocky face. ¡°Nicely done girl. I knew I could put my faith in you!¡± That had her instantly perking up. Sylvie ran up and gave me a hug. ¡°That was great! Thanks for showing us that Brock!¡± ¡°Area Ranger Sylvie! You¡¯re on radio duty in ten minutes! That means you should be there now!¡± barked Hank. Sylvie shot off. The Rangers trickled out but they continued to cast hopeful looks at Lance and I as though we were about to ignore the Commander¡¯s order and fight again. I just kept rubbing Selene until they were all gone and Lance had approached me with Claire at his side. Claire looked conflicted. ¡°Good fight,¡± I said to Lance. ¡°Indeed, I thought I had anticipated some of your rock moves rather well with my dragon but you¡¯ve got hidden depths.¡± He looked over my Lunatone. ¡°I¡¯ve never known a Lunatone to be able to teleport?¡± The unasked question of how mine could, stood out. ¡°Ah, well, it pays to have the best psychic trainer around to help train her in how to do it.¡± I wasn¡¯t going to mention how it took her way, way longer than any other pokemon that could learn it normally. While most of Selene¡¯s training for fighting Lance had been to strengthen her Psychic to be able to pull off the fire control she had, I had also asked Sabrina to attempt to teach Selene teleport. The ability to evade or reposition was one that was often overlooked but that I knew paid out with huge dividends. It wasn¡¯t until after Sabrina had already reported her success to me that I remembered that what she¡¯d done¡­ technically shouldn¡¯t have been possible according to game logic. Then again it was only game logic. Or was it just a case of Sabrina being the deciding factor? It said a lot about Sabrina¡¯s skill with psychics. Soooo, I mostly decided to chalk it up to Sabrina. She was pretty great like that. ¡°Sabrina right?¡± Claire said tentatively. ¡°Yup,¡± I said, giving Selene another pat as she wobbled into me for affection. ¡°She¡¯s the strongest you say?¡± Claire said with a tone of interest. ¡°Oh yeah, easily,¡± I said. I couldn''t imagine another trainer beating her in the psychic department ever. Claire didn¡¯t comment on that, instead watching my pokemon wiggle in happiness. ¡°She¡¯s very well trained¡­ what was that white orb attack? Moonblast?¡± she said, her tone oozing casualness. I gave her and Lance both looks that showed I knew they were fishing for information. They had blank faces. Each sported a studied casualness to them that made me want to invite them both over for a poker night so I could rob them blind. Still, Lance was¡­ a pretty nice guy, so it wouldn¡¯t be an issue to give him a heads up. ¡°Have you been paying attention to the recent news in the scientific communities regarding the newest energy type they¡¯ve found pokemon to possess?¡± ¡°Fairy type they are calling it, yes?¡± Lance said, a thoughtful frown appearing on his face. ¡°I had read some of the papers, but they¡¯re finding it tough to nail down which pokemon possesses it. There are a lot of established professors that are arguing against it. Claiming it to be a hoax.¡± I snorted in amusement. ¡°Those are great!¡± when I got confused expressions, I shrugged and explained, ¡°Some of those scientific debates can be as good as watching clowns have a fight with each other.¡± I laughed once before coughing and getting serious. ¡°But I¡¯m in the camp supporting the Fairy typing.¡± I rubbed Selene¡¯s body. ¡°Selene isn¡¯t a Fairy type, I¡¯d say she¡¯s a psychic-rock still but I think she can tap into it due to her connection to the moon. I think fairy types will have a lot to do with celestial bodies in a way. Sun and stars and all that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about clefairy, aren¡¯t you?¡± said Lance, still rubbing his chin. Claire hissed in surprise and narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°And Pewter city is the closest to Mt Moon, where Clefairy can be found in large numbers!¡± I could see where her train of logic was heading and decided to stop her from thinking I was about to become some specialised anti-dragon trainer. ¡°Hmmm, yeah nope. While they''re cute and I could probably work them into my team I don¡¯t actually own any of the little puffballs. Most clefairy are pretty shy and actually don¡¯t like fighting. If you were looking for a pokemon more¡­¡± I searched for the right word. ¡°Threatening to your pokemon in terms of technical skill while having power to go the distance I¡¯d be thinking of the most popular Hoenn pokemon,¡± I said giving them something to focus on. I hadn¡¯t ever really considered the convenience of having dragon-slayer pokemon right near Pewter and across the range from the biggest threat to Kanto. Maybe some of the defenders during the war had been assisted by the local pokemon more than they knew? Claire scowled. ¡°Gardevoir!? The pokemon that fools drool over?!¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯re aware of that are you?¡± I said, interested to see her bringing up how some of the groups, that were argued to be a small minority, adored the pokemon. Or even loved the pokemon, for a given aspect of ¡®love¡¯. Claire opened her mouth only to blush furiously as she realised what she¡¯d brought up in ¡®polite'' conversation. Lance chuckled at her reaction and she shot him a venomous look as she got herself under control. ¡°I¡¯m merely stating that it has a distasteful reputation.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± I hummed non-committally. It wasn¡¯t something I wanted to pry into. I¡¯d tried to keep a policy of what happens at home between consenting legal parties was between those two¡­ or more parties. It was only when it got illegal that I was going to throw a rock through a window in the form of Sanchez ¡®tactically¡¯ entering. I still hadn¡¯t had to do that. Attempts by ¡®concerned¡¯ citizens and pearl-clutching, sharp-tongued, men and women that sought out trouble to stir things up had targeted this aspect of pokemon and trainer relations. Only for the movement to be dissolved overnight. The rumours, if you cared to listen, had something to do with the Pokemon fan club having a much more persuasive voice which they rarely used. ¡°Hmmm Gardevoir¡­ I shall have to watch the scientific communities developments much more closely.¡± Lance rubbed his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve trained to endure ice moves, but another weakness for my pokemon and I comes as a surprise¡­ something that I will have to develop a method of dealing with.¡± Rather than looking vexed Lance actually looked intrigued like he was welcoming the challenge. ¡°That¡¯s if the Elders haven¡¯t already recorded it in the archives!¡± said Claire with a flick of her ponytail. Lance considered this before shaking his head. ¡°We would have known earlier about Fairy types if they were known¡­ perhaps some older stories might need re-examination though, with this information for context?¡± Claire hummed and bobbed her head up and down. I watched the two cousins trade theories back and forth, apparently, I might have been closer to the mark with there being two recorded incidents of ¡°cute¡± pokemon being surprisingly effective in stopping Blackthorn members from beating a Kanto trainer during the unification dispute. A thought intruded in my mind and I decided to bring it up now that Lance and I were alone from other less discerning ears. ¡°Hey Lance, what was up with the audit that the Pokemon League did after I got back from our match? That really¡­ seemed kind of targeted, I¡¯m not going to lie.¡± ¡°Ah! Yes, that was something that the League officials implemented and while it was legal in the strictest sense. I had words with Kruger about his auditing team¡¯s zealousness.¡± He offered me a bow of his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that. Not that you had anything to worry about. I saw your gym''s records and they are impressive¡­ Especially with your winnings,¡± he said with a small smile. I chuckled. ¡°Ten million would do that.¡± I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms. ¡°Were you getting a sneak peek at what other pokemon I had?¡± Lance nodded, ¡°I won¡¯t deny I was curious about that, but only a to a small degree. While the League instigated the investigation I made sure to approve the results. I have also given the Kanto gyms approval for continued operations for another two years due to the heavy-handedness shown by the League. I shouldn¡¯t expect another audit any time soon. I know they were being zealous but it certainly was taken too far,¡± he said with a firm tone. ¡°And if they don¡¯t abide by that?¡± I said probingly. ¡°Then they shall be expelled from the League. I want things to run smoothly and to the law,¡± he said. When I nodded back an awkward silence took hold. He rolled his hand in Selene¡¯s direction looking to break up the awkwardness. ¡°You said this Lunatone was your final pokemon for our previous match? Before this match, I was confused about that decision but I see now why it was her. She would have been a wonderful sweeper, but don¡¯t think I won¡¯t have a counter for her next time!¡± he said with a fanged grin. Selene chirped out a challenge of her own. I smirked. ¡°We¡¯ll be ready for you, Dragonmaster Lance.¡± Claire puffed herself up. ¡°I would also like to fight you!¡± I grinned at her. ¡°Hmmm is that so? Well, I won¡¯t say no if you want to step up,¡± I said. Rather than grinning she almost seemed to wiggle. That¡­ wasn¡¯t the reaction I had thought I was going to get. When I looked at Lance I saw him looking away and biting his lips to stop himself from laughing. Oh, it seemed this was normal for Claire. She was just pleased that I¡¯d acknowledged her. I bit my own cheek to stop myself from teasing her. I didn¡¯t need to borrow any more trouble. I rolled my shoulders and jerked my head to the side. ¡°Well, it has been great to catch up with you, but I should probably be getting home.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Unless you want to come hang out?¡± I¡¯d already hung out with Professor Oak and he still came around to play Smash often enough to be a semi-familiar face. That really sort of normalised the idea of inviting Lance over to hang out. Sadly, Lance shook his head. ¡°Another time perhaps. This was a bit of a scenic flight turned afternoon spent well for us, but we should be off as well.¡± ¡°Ah alright then,¡± I nodded in farewell both before putting a hand over Selene. ¡°Think you can teleport us home girl?¡± She nodded her head and channelled her energy. A second later we vanished and reappeared. We notably didn¡¯t make it home. I glanced around and judged it as being maybe a third of the way. I patted Selene on the head as she slumped in dejection. ¡°Hey, this is still pretty good, take your time and let¡¯s just give it a few tries.¡± It turned out we needed another three teleports before we reappeared in front of my home. Selene wobbled tiredly after me and I directed her to the couch. I still had another hour before the kids got out of school. I didn¡¯t have training with the Little League or my own trainers. So instead of doing something productive I settled in on the couch next to Selene and turned on the Tv. ¡°Luuunaaa!¡± chimed Selene when a game show came on. As the host began to ask questions she perked up and chimed her own answers only to gasp in shock whenever she got it wrong. ¡°Yeah, girl this seems good enough,¡± I said as I wriggled deeper into the couch to enjoy some me time. The events of the day played out in my thoughts as I lazed there. It had mostly been good and productive, but a moment of helplessness had stood out to me. I hadn¡¯t been able to catch up to the Pidgeot when they¡¯d chosen to loosen those Golbat on us. Zephyr wasn¡¯t the fastest pokemon, but he was strong as a transport pokemon while retaining a lot of his fighting skills. Sadly he didn¡¯t have the raw speed that I had needed. Don wouldn¡¯t have been able to do any better however so where did that leave me? I needed a pokemon that could engage and break off at it''s leisure. Don would get caught up in fighting. I considered the fight and realised that the answer was rather apparent. I¡¯d have to see about getting myself a Crobat. I grinned as Selene chimed out again at getting another question wrong. It would be a nice homage to Brock¡¯s cartoon team. Chapter 47 - Training days I set up the projector and nodded to myself once it was aligned with the blank whiteboard. I had the room set up, the presentation set up, the powerpoint aligned and the clicker ready for the presentation. With this being my third start of the circuit proper I was feeling pretty confident in my ability to have my gym trainers hit the ground running. Or, at the very least avoiding a lot of the pitfalls that would come from dealing with trainers. Rocko was the first to turn up and claim a chair at a halfway point for the seven I had laid out. Forrest came in after him, and then Dennis, Daniel, Celia, Missy, and Yolanda came in as a group. Yolanda bounced up to the front with Missy and Celia while the boys filled out the other seats. A knock on the door had me pausing. Rachel stuck her head in. ¡°Hi! I thought this might be something that I could sit in on!?¡± I bobbed my head from side to side. ¡°This is mainly the discussion on what they¡¯ll be encountering as gym trainers when they have to represent Pewter. There¡¯s not a lot of marketing I should think?¡± ¡°Heh! Even just a photo of this is something to throw up on pokenet for people to see!¡± she said. ¡°Oh, we have followers?¡± I said thinking of my previous life. Rachel blinked. ¡°Followers? Uhm no this isn¡¯t a cult¡­¡± She glanced around. ¡°Right?¡± Dennis and Rocko shared a look before glancing at me. I thought I heard a muttered, ¡°...Fanclub sometimes could be?¡± Pass between them but they didn¡¯t volunteer anything when I raised an eyebrow at them. So instead I turned back to Rachel. ¡°Ah sorry, it¡¯s a term I thought I read about for people that follow news releases or information about a set topic¡­¡± Rachel blinked slowly. I decided to shut up before I dug myself any deeper. Rachel tilted her head and rubbed her chin. Then she shot me a thumbs up. ¡°I like it! I¡¯ll be sure to have it as a feature for people to ¡®follow¡¯ the news for the gym!¡± I gave her a nod and let her take some pictures before we got underway only for another knock to announce Stephen. ¡°Stephen, can I help you?¡± I said carefully. He rubbed his chin. ¡°I was curious to sit in if that would be alright? Sort of a curiosity of mine to get a sneak peek into how things run at a gym like Pewter.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think what I do would be representative for any of the other gyms and vice versa, but sure.¡± Stephen grinned and trudged to the back of the room after waving to everyone. I glanced after him. ¡°Bianca isn¡¯t going to join us is she?¡± He shook his head. ¡°She had some equipment being shipped in from Elm that she is setting up in her office space. She sounded excited about it. Something about the virility of Don¡¯s¡ª¡± I held up a hand. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± I said firmly before clearing my throat. ¡°Right! Thanks for getting here on time everyone! Today¡¯s discussion is going to be some of the first presentations that I need trainers to know about. Rocko and Dennis have sat through all of these before so for you most of this will be a refresher, but I have added some new information so make sure to follow along. With this being your third year I¡¯ll be relying on you for more senior trainer duties.¡± I looked over the rest of the team. ¡°While Forrest is officially my second in command he still has school so he will not be asked to run any of these sessions unless he wants to.¡± ¡°Uhm pass?!¡± Forrest said, making me roll my eyes. Not that anyone could see them. Yolanda and Forrest knew what I was doing though. They returned the gesture with smiles. I clicked the remote for the powerpoint and decided to start things off. ¡°Alright, so as trainers for the Pewter city gyms there are going to be a lot of different people and pokemon coming through our doors that we will have to deal with.¡± I clicked through a slide. ¡°The personalities of the trainers is something that we will deal with later and that will include the reception team that are learning the systems today instead of being here with us,¡± I said as an explanation as to the lack of Alexa and Bethany. ¡°Based on previous years, the most common trainer that we¡¯ll see are those relying heavily on type advantages to carry them through. It¡¯s not a secret what type of gym we are and we don¡¯t have a rotating roster like some other¡­ now failed gyms.¡± ¡°Heh suck it Commerce city,¡± said Daniel in a carrying whisper. I wagged a finger at him. ¡°Yeah, that was an organisation that had way too much money and not enough sense.¡± Forrest groaned and I paused. ¡°Oh, I hadn¡¯t even noticed that I was being punny¡­¡± Forrest sank further into his chair. ¡°No more! No! I¡¯m not listening to you make bad jokes again!¡± I wanted to point out I¡¯d only ever done that once when I was trialling some jokes to see if they might be something Sabrina would like but Forrest in his oh-so-mature understanding hadn¡¯t enjoyed them. The younger twins had liked them well enough. While I¡¯d never done it again I¡¯d given Forrest the impression that I wanted to do stand-up comedy. I coughed to get things back on track. ¡°Regardless! The trainers will mostly be dependent on using type advantages so expect to be seeing some of the following pokemon and their typing.¡± On the screen, I flicked through Grass types with images of Oddish, Bellsprout, Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko, Shroomish, Exeggcute, Paras, Lotad, and a Hoppip. Another click had evolutions of these pokemon appearing until the common grass-type pokemon we¡¯d be facing were done. ¡°These are just some of the pokemon that we will be facing. At the lower levels expect to see vine whips, bullet seeds, razor leaf, leech seed and synthesis. If you¡¯re not thoroughly familiar with all of these by the end of the season I¡¯ll be amazed. Those are the grass types bread and butter. There are some interesting esoteric uses of all of these however that aren¡¯t as well known. When we get into the three badges and up be on the watch for energy ball and solar beam as the current signature grass type moves.¡± Dennis and Rocko shared confused looks but didn¡¯t say anything else. I held in my grimace. Frenzy plant hadn¡¯t yet been discovered but I was more than ready for one of the strongest pokemon moves to appear. Not counting the Z-type moves that would come whenever we found the Alola regions. Bloom doom would then claim the strongest slot. But that was getting ahead of myself. I clicked the remote and showcased another screen, this one showing off the fighting-type pokemon I¡¯d be expecting us to encounter. I went through them and then moved on to the ground-type pokemon. Then the Steel-type pokemon. And finally, the water-type pokemon. The room shifted in agitation or surprise that I¡¯d been able to showcase so many pokemon that would have advantages against us. I merely smiled at them. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of type weaknesses, no?¡± Daniel grunted, eyeing off the printed pokemon/summary lists I¡¯d provided for them all. Yolanda chewed her lip and Forrest looked annoyed. The other trainers mostly watched me. ¡°In truth, Rock pokemon have the most weaknesses. We¡¯re only equalled by grass typing with our five different weaknesses.¡± I stared around the room. ¡°For most of the first-level badge that¡¯s all they need to demonstrate. An understanding of base typing interactions and putting those moves to use¡­ barring the strange instances where their attacks are honestly not strong enough to last against a first badge pokemon.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± said Daniel with a snicker. Rocko coughed into his fist. ¡°Yeah, there have been instances of pampered pokemon that are more pets than battlers turning up and the trainers thinking they wouldn¡¯t have to do much for a badge. They were quickly disabused of this,¡± said Rocko. I nodded. ¡°The other strategy that you will see a lot of is pokemon using power-based attacks. What I mean by this is pokemon that have been trained to tough it out and shrug off hits as well as dish them out. Usually, this is from trainers that have been building up their team for the day their journeys began or they have been handed older more experienced pokemon. I have no doubt after Lance and my showing we will have a lot of trainers trying to emulate this.¡± I waggled a hand and grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s a valid strategy, to be honest, but if you see them just relying on power to win then force them to adapt or to use a different method. That doesn¡¯t mean making them use speed moves or otherwise but try to get them to maybe stop and rethink what they and their team are working on. Power can get them through most of the badge circuit all told, but I doubt they¡¯ll be getting a full big eight badge case. If they try to go the Ace trainer route they will be languishing for a long time unless they double down hard.¡± ¡°Technique, skill and having the right moves set up for a diversity of situations can mean a lot more in the battle club run tournament or in the open format.¡± I clicked to a slide showing the local, rather humble, battle club with its smaller training fields. Since we¡¯d set up a lot more trainers had started to run some of their challenges out of the outside training fields instead of just relying on the battle club fields. I clicked again showcasing pokemon using withdraw to attack and defend. I pointed to the screen. ¡°Creative thinking is something that is tough to have trainers learn, but something worth us attempting. This is something I like to reward as it shows them thinking through situations more and having plans ready or being adaptable. Again this is on a scale. Those with too much technique and not enough power are going to seem too weak. If they have finesse they need to have the strength to make sure the hits they land are devastating.¡± I began ticking off my fingers. ¡°Good applications of environmental effects, traps, environment awareness, move set up, positioning during matches, or making the most of quirks of moves or pokemon are the things I look for when I¡¯m talking about technique. Speed is something I consider to be more of a power domain as people think about it in just straight-line speed rather than speed of reaction or speed of a dodge. They think about crossing the distance between two pokemon or the arena battlefield and not what it would take to divert or break off. This cycles back around to positioning during matches.¡± ¡°Now there are going to be different levels of skill, power, or strength of pokemon in general that you should be expecting. If a new trainer is bringing something approaching an Ace team then they better be challenging at a four badge or higher level,¡± I said firmly. I tapped the remote and the slide switched from video clips showing various demonstrations of pokemon showcasing speed to that of a pokemon belt featuring six pokemon. The six pokeballs were broken into three different colours. ¡°At Pewter gym you will only ever be asked to face a trainer with a run of one or two pokemon for the set badge level. I still expect you to also have pokemon for the four or higher challengers in case someone is trying to pull a fast one by claiming a badge that is way, way under their level.¡± I stared out at them, my face locking into a stoic expression. ¡°Trainer¡¯s claiming a first-level badge while having pokemon that are far stronger are the leading cause of injury and mortality for our pokemon. A young or not fully toughened up Geodude for example will not handle a hydro pump from a Blastoise well.¡± I started looking around the room. Locking eyes with everyone present. ¡°If it looks like your pokemon is getting overwhelmed I want you to pull it out and cede the match. I can give badges out all day but I can¡¯t just keep catching pokemon for them to go through what would amount to a grinder.¡± A few of the girls got green expressions at my turn of phrase. I get them a moment before I bulled on. ¡°If a trainer is being cheap then flag it in the system or with the next trainer if they¡¯ve selected a gauntlet challenge, or with me if it¡¯s gotten that far. Do not keep it to yourself,¡± I said firmly. I slowly made sure I met everyone¡¯s gaze. Even Yolanda and Forrest. There was a reason we had a medical wing and I¡¯d spent so much money on getting a Chansey. We¡¯d need her. ¡°What happens if we¡¯re still on our first pokemon and we work out what¡¯s going on?¡± Daniel asked carefully. I grinned and let a little darkness shine through. ¡°Then you use one of the other two pokemon on your belt.¡± I gestured back at the powerpoint with the pokemon belt that was colour coded. ¡°With your holding limit being at six pokemon you already will have two slots taken for that level of badge challenge. The other two are for stronger pokemon and the final two are for personal pokemon. If someone is not giving the challenge the respect it deserves then toss out one of your stronger pokemon and smack them around.¡± I raised a hand as Daniel and Forrest looked very pleased by this. ¡°Within reason!¡± I said to clarify and calm them down. Missy shifted. ¡°What if they¡¯re bringing far stronger pokemon than even a fourth badge challenge?¡± I tapped on the final two pokemon. ¡° If you have a personal pokemon that has a Rock typing then by all means send them out just like this was an Ace trainer battle instead of a circuit battle.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± said Daniel. ¡°You¡¯ll probably get a good number of fights for them as it is. This is thanks to Ace trainers being able to challenge a gym every three years for Ace points to boost their standings on the points board. Again, with Lance¡¯s fight I think those numbers will grow, so expect plenty of work for your best pokemon.¡± I quickly jotted down a note to bring that up with Georgina. That would be something I¡¯d have no issues raising the price of for the next circuit. ¡°Now some of these lower tier fights are places where you can still showcase a lot of finesse. You¡¯re limited in power and the number of pokemon you can call out but that doesn¡¯t mean you need to be dumb about how you fight. By the time a third badge is challenging you we¡¯re only a few steps down from an Ace trainer technically.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna run so many rings around those kids!¡± Daniel said with glee. Forrest sniggered. ¡°Roll rings around them more like it.¡± I waggled fingers at one and then the other. ¡°Hey, keep it reasonable. We¡¯re not here to bully the new trainers but to teach them alright? Forrest, I¡¯ll be watching you, because towards the end of the circuit some of your pokemon fights were getting a bit rough.¡± ¡°It had been a while since we regraded which pokemon went where!¡± he said, throwing his arms up in exasperation at my calling him out. ¡°Hmmm fair point,¡± I said, conceding that he probably had a point. I clicked to the final few slides for this presentation. ¡°Now the pokemon typings that Rock types are strong against and therefore the pokemon that I expect you to be testing heavily if a trainer sends one out against us are Bug, flying, fire and Ice.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Testing heavily?¡± asked Daniel. ¡°Educating on the error of their ways,¡± I clarified. ¡°At the start if they bring a weak one of these pokemon into our gym then I will back you up should you order your pokemon to rock throw them and wipe them out or use something else to that effect. If they can¡¯t finesse or work through the type advantage then send them packing for not doing their homework!¡± Daniel glanced back at Dennis and Rocko, ¡°Please! Tell me people are dumb enough to try sending those types against us!¡± Dennis snorted and Rocko grinned as he said, ¡°We¡¯re right next to Viridian forest which is known for its bugs and flying types. What do you think?¡± Daniel pumped his fist. I shook my head at him. I kind of got the impression that he was the kind of guy that wouldn¡¯t mind hanging out around the Battle club for new trainers and doing some rookie crushing. It was rather interesting to see what he was like personally. I¡¯d have to probably ride herd on him a bit but I wouldn¡¯t outright stop him. Young trainers needed to experience all sorts of trainers and it was better for them to recognise it in a safe setting. If he proved too harsh I could always assign him other tasks or the higher badge matches. I clapped my hands. ¡°With that said, that¡¯s the last thing I had to talk about with this presentation. Get familiar with your typings for when you¡¯re using rock pokemon cause for the next¡­ year at least you¡¯ll be using them a lot. If you¡¯re not familiar with what moves they have then I¡¯d suggest doing some study of the gym register for what I and the other senior trainers will have the various pokemon know. Standouts like Izumi and Moxy from our Geodude groups will of course have a number of other tricks, but I usually keep them for my own battles.¡± I ended the presentation there and pointed to the trainers as I reminded them of their duties for the day. ¡°Small patrol around Pewter for Rocko and Missy, Dennis and Daniel you¡¯re on meals for the pokemon. Celia you have the rest of the day off. Yolanda and Forrest you have to go back to school from lunch. You only got the morning off for gym duties.¡± Forrest grinned, there were still at least two hours before lunch and I could tell he was going to be goofing off. I tilted my head. ¡°Got all your homework done?¡± When he nodded I shot him a thumbs up and left him to it. I gave Yolanda a raised eyebrow and she nodded as well earning another thumbs up. ¡°Which leaves me working with Rachel to discuss that magazine photo shoot, yes?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she said happily, leaping forward to grab my arm. ¡°To the office!¡± she said happily. I chuckled and led her on. It wouldn¡¯t be anything super interesting today. Merely a chat over the phone to schedule something in. Then I¡¯d spend most of the afternoon talking with Alexa and Bethany on their duties and seeing if we needed anything else for their role to operate smoothly. The most interesting thing turned out to be when I was setting up for the Little League baseball training session. I had just sent out the Geodude to throw some baseballs to each other and warm up their arms when I spotted a very recognisable figure sauntering up. ¡°Hello Karen,¡± I said as I straightened up from arranging the bats that the kids would be using. ¡°Brock, what the hell! You have a friendly match with freaking Lance and you don¡¯t think to invite me along!? I¡¯m offended!¡± she said as she planted her feet and put her hands on her hips. ¡°Oh? You heard about that?¡± I said curiously. It had been a Rangers-only event apart from Claire, Lance and myself and I doubted they were going to talk about it. So that left the Rangers. Who¡­ would be prime candidates to have agents of the Guardians seeded into wouldn¡¯t they? Karen sniffed and flicked her head to the side, ¡°Of course I did!¡± She was trying to be dismissive but she couldn¡¯t stop a grin slipping into place as she vibrated in place. ¡°I heard you laid an absolute smack down onto him!¡± I huffed at her ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it that, I still had my final pokemon from our match last time.¡± ¡°Yeah! I heard! What the hell! You saved that pokemon against Lance? Why?¡± ¡°I wanted to keep that one close to the chest. She was going to be my sweeper if things went badly,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Feh! Well, I¡¯m super bummed out that I didn¡¯t see that!¡± She shot me a sly look. ¡°Heard you did it in front of Claire¡­¡± she said leadingly. When I merely raised an eyebrow at her she huffed at me. ¡°She can be really hot or cold. We¡¯ve looked into her and when she watched you beat Lance she was like an angry school kid that had just seen their idol beaten up in front of them.¡± She looked down to her transceiver and began flicking through the apps until she got to a picture of Claire that had caught her looking¡­ ¡°Ouch, looks like I broke her heart,¡± I said, feeling like a heel at the pain that was being shown. Karen snorted. ¡°Please! She likes to get on a high horse from what I¡¯ve heard of her. Seeing Lance lose will be good for her,¡± Karen gave me a sly grin, ¡° and amusing for me if I can get some more pictures of her like this.¡± She looked at me hopefully like I might have said picture. I shook my head. ¡°You know you can be¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want to offend her by calling her ¡®kind of a bitch¡¯ so I settled on, ¡°Vicious.¡± ¡°Duh, I¡¯m a Dark-type trainer and wielder.¡± When I raised an eyebrow she rolled her eyes and cocked her hip to the side. ¡°That means personality traits like taking pleasure from other people¡¯s suffering or ¡®schadenfreude¡¯ are right up my alley.¡± she grinned hugely as she glanced to the side to see a Geodude miss a catch and get beaned in the head. ¡°Arceus, I could watch videos of people being dumb all day for example.¡± She waved her hand about. ¡°You know those feelings that typically get labelled as bad or that we push to the side? Well, you can use those with Dark typing. Helps if you lean into it cause you can grow if your understanding of it is higher. If you use them when channelling energy the energy also responds a little better.¡± She shrugged, ¡°If that means I come across a bit ¡®mean¡¯ I have no problems with that.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that run the risk of you developing narcissism or other extreme personality traits?¡± I said. She scoffed. ¡°Please! You think I don¡¯t deserve to be adored?¡± She chuckled at my stern expression. The books had been rather apparent that you needed to not focus on just one emotion like that. She shook her head. ¡°You just need to have a line. I have no problem leaning into the traits and being sinister or mean, life¡¯s meant to be lived after all. I have a team to help ground me as well as a regular touchstone session for checking how things are going up here.¡± She tapped the side of her head. ¡°Really? The books said that was to be avoided, ¡°I said, giving voice to my earlier thoughts. She waved her hand back and forth. ¡°The books are good for building foundations and I¡¯ll acknowledge that there are some potential issues but it''s worth it. I have some friends that understand me and help keep me in check¡­ just like the old hag does sometimes.¡± She directed a manicured fingernail at me as she pointed. ¡°Now what about you?¡± ¡°Me?¡± I said in surprise. This was not how I was expecting things to go. I glanced around and saw that no parents or kids had arrived yet and that so far only my geodude were on the field. She nodded ¡°Uhuh! You! Agatha might be an old hag and it comes across as her being an old crone when she assigned me to look after you, but there are some things you need to be reminded of to look out for.¡± She waved a hand at me. ¡°Your Rock energy is no less dangerous to you than mine is. You can become complacent and reactionary if you don¡¯t work against it. Reactionary isn¡¯t something you want to be when you¡¯re swimming with big fish Brock.¡± I blinked. ¡°Well, it¡¯s more that I¡¯m in my off-circuit season. Most of my work comes during the circuit and that¡¯s when I have the biggest¡ª¡± Karen held up her hands. ¡°Bzzzzt! Wrong!¡± she said like some sort of electronic buzzer. ¡°See, you¡¯re strong, everyone knows that. The thing is you need to be able to make some waves yourself and be the driving force!¡± she punched the air. ¡°Have people react to you rather than you to them! You¡¯ve taken a lot of people by surprise cause well even us Guardians had dismissed you until you threw down with Lance. But now they know to be aware of you. Coming out of nowhere only works when you¡¯re an unknown. You need to be predicting and throwing punches of your own!¡± She jabbed at the air again only to then direct another finger right at me. ¡°Doing your gym circuit like you have been is slow progression stuff! You¡¯re also looking at it wrong. Times like now? When you¡¯re not locked into the gym? That¡¯s when you can be the freest! Change up your line up! Teach your pokemon new moves. Go to a few battle clubs and utterly stomp them into the ground just cause you can!¡± She clenched her fists like she could imagine just that and she liked the thought of it. She slashed her hand through the air. ¡°Or scrap that line of thinking entirely! Do not let yourself be chained down. You¡¯re the boss of your gym so act like it! Take a day off if you want it! Cancel on trainers!¡± The part of me that had been a health care worker in my previous life squirmed at that even as I agreed with her. I had been rather passive of late, hadn¡¯t I? Hmm Karen had mentioned friends but I already had a go-getter in my team for Pewter that could help make me get out there and make some waves. The more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of being more driven and not letting the rocks land where they fell. I rubbed my chin. ¡°Huh, this is not how I was expecting our chat to go. I thought you were just going to come around and be snarky while teaching the kids swear words.¡± ¡°I can still do that!¡± She grinned in delight. ¡°but I¡¯m also one of your contacts for aura training.¡± She clicked her fingers. ¡°Also, we need to talk about your dark energy.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got way too much of it. I got a look at your team and what you normally do for training, you only have the one pokemon that¡¯s dark typed.¡± She held up a hand to forestall me. ¡°Sure it¡¯s a Arceus be damned Tyranitar and your starter, but numbers count in this game!¡± She then clapped her hands together, ¡°So! Just as you¡¯re now aware of how your Rock-type energy is showing itself you also need to be aware of those pesky dark emotions .¡± she grinned to show she was joking. ¡°This usually means that you don¡¯t get too gleeful and all that muck like you were telling me earlier yeah? The best way to track yourself is to be reflective or to have a touchstone you can use to centre yourself emotionally. Keep a journal, take a hike, all that jazz.¡± She flapped her hand about but then got serious. ¡°Also watch what you meditate on.¡± ¡°Like, where I meditate?¡± I said unsure if I was on the same wavelength as her. She shook her head. ¡°Nope! Specifically what you meditate on. If you have a recurring thought that you associate with dark type energy it will cling to it and make it harder to ignore when a situation that with that happens to you. It¡¯s like if I channelled my dark type energy into the glee of when a clown fell on their faces if I encountered a clown I¡¯d find myself either wanting to see them fall or even actively setting them up to fall.¡± she then shook her head. ¡°Not actually a thing for me but you get my point right?¡± When I nodded slowly in thought and didn¡¯t say anything in response she hummed. Then she huffed and stuck out her chest. ¡°Damn! I¡¯m not bad at this teaching shit!¡± She then winked at me as she tugged on her sweater and exposed a bit of her cleavage. ¡°Got any dark thoughts to get off your chest Brock~?¡± she said with a husky purr. I sighed as she slipped into teasing me. ¡°No, Ms Karen,¡± I said sarcastically. Sadly this only got a thoughtful look. ¡°Oh? I like the sound of that! Might get some fake glasses and steal Lorelei''s school teacher look! Would you like that?¡± I groaned into my hands as she cackled in a way that made me think of Agatha. And suddenly, blood that had been rushing below my belt aborted its descent. ¡°I¡¯m good. Hey, what¡¯s up with Fiore?¡± I said as an obvious distraction. She gave me a faux sad look and toyed with her shirt a little longer but I didn¡¯t look at her. I just had to remember that she had Agatha¡¯s laugh and that made the old woman¡¯s wrinkled face appear and block Karen¡¯s teasing. She huffed and let go of her sweater. ¡°Fiore¡¯s not going to be a problem, it¡¯s a backwards region that doesn¡¯t use pokeballs. It¡¯ll have some of the Rangers in a tizzy cause not many of them are able to use their little baton thingie.¡± ¡°Stylus,¡± I said, correcting her. She rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever, They¡¯re going to be raided by criminal organisations and we¡¯re going to have to pay attention to them because of that more than anything else. There¡¯s going to be a lot of people poaching pokemon cause it¡¯ll be easier with most people only having companion pokemon compared to caught pokemon.¡± I hummed. ¡°What about their legendaries?¡± ¡°They got something like the Beasts of Johto¡­ or well Indigo I suppose these days,¡± she said while rubbing her chin. ¡°Hmmm? What¡¯s this?¡± I was surprised by her expanding the name. ¡°Oh, some people got evidence of a Suicine over near Cerulean. Which has all the locals in a tizzy. It¡¯s on some of the news channels,¡± she said off-handedly. ¡°Apparently there were sightings of some of these pokemon fighting with people during the war. Read about it in the texts we have, check it out on your holopad if you¡¯re curious.¡± ¡°Huh, interesting, I might do that. Interesting to know about Suicine showing up like that.¡± That had happened during the games, hadn¡¯t it? Karen sniffed. ¡°Yeah, I suppose. The recent sighting has the Cerulean sisters in a tizzy cause it was seen up at the cape that they like to go to for dates and when they capture pokemon.¡± A chorus of voices announced the arrival of the kids and parents, making me glance at her. ¡°So are you sticking around?¡± I said with a smirk, thinking she¡¯d only come to talk shop with me. She grinned though, and from a pouch on her hip drew out a cap with the words ¡®Offense coach¡¯. I raised a hand ¡°Baseball doesn¡¯t have an offensive¡­ oh wait I see what you¡¯re doing here,¡± I said as I realised the play on words. She grinned. ¡°Time to teach some kids some life lessons!¡± she said. I sighed. Then I smirked as I decided to enact what we¡¯d been talking about. ¡°Right, well I¡¯ll have you lead the kids on the warm-up runs and then you can do some batting practice against the good pitchers.¡± I gave her a wink as I popped my whistle into my mouth and blew on it, the shrill tone had her grimacing and the kids sprinting towards me. ¡°Three laps to warm up!¡± I shouted. She blinked at me in surprise as the kids started running. ¡°Yeah, no, nice try, I¡¯m not some kid who¡¯s going to fall in for you Brock,¡± she said. I shrugged. ¡°Geodude! Motivate her!¡± I said with a grin. The Geodudes that had been throwing baseballs to each other all turned as one and began chasing her. Karen hissed at the small avalanche approaching her. I grinned as she took off, joining the team in running laps much to the children''s delight. I chuckled. ¡°Alright I got her training with the kids like a proper assistant coach¡­ now I just need to make sure she doesn¡¯t teach them any more swear words.¡± I mulled that over as I watched Karen settle into the middle of the gaggle of kids. I grinned as I ran to catch up. Time to put those training sessions with Trixie to good use. ¡°Loser has to do ten push-ups!¡± I said as I ran past her. I laughed as she scowled and came after me like an angry ursaring. When the three laps were over I had her do her push-ups with the kids while I grinned off to the side. The kids had egged her into doing them at my urging and Karen proved to not be immune to social pressure as she pushed up and down with the kids. She shot me dark looks that promised retribution but I found myself smiling regardless. Karen had been right. It wasn¡¯t all bad to lean into some dark tendencies. I¡¯d make sure to give Rachel more free rein to suggest and set things up. I had a whole other life to draw knowledge on and I could make some changes for good in the world. I could also set about working on some new pokemon for myself. And maybe it was time to draw some of my other pokemon out to train up for a line up shift for Ace battles. People knew about my Ace team. Maybe it was time to call back Hypnotoad from that fighting trainer that asked to work with her. She¡¯d love to hang out with Shrek again and both of them would be great to have on my roster once more. Sort of like having my journey team once more. I¡¯d have to be mindful of the energies going forward. I hadn¡¯t considered how rock energy was affecting me. I didn¡¯t want to become like a mountain, fixed and immovable. Still, I could address that. It hadn¡¯t gotten too bad I didn¡¯t think. Still, that was for future me to deal with. When physical training was done Karen shooed away the kids that lingered to hang out with the ¡®cool big sister type¡¯ and levelled a glare at me. ¡°Cute, real cute Brock.¡± ¡°I thought it was pretty funny,¡± I said as I took a sip from a water bottle. ¡°Wanna let them practise catching with you?¡± ¡°What I want is to throw down with you. Which! We will be doing!¡± she said with a glare. I shot her a grin. ¡°Cool, sounds like fun!¡± I blew the whistle and called the kids back for the next training routine. I realised she didn¡¯t have a response and a quick glance revealed that she was still drawing in breaths from the warm up. ¡°Are you out of breath from just that three-lap run?¡± I said incredulously. ¡°Shut up! You caught me by surprise is all! And good I can¡¯t wait to fight you! Lock in the date! You and I are throwing down!¡± ¡°Cool,¡± I said, letting out some dark energy as a desire to fight came through me. I couldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t looking forward to it. ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Coach¡± shouted some kids only for a bespectacled kid to emerge at the front. ¡°Hey Brock and the weird lady! What do we do now!?¡± called Manny as the kids returned from their drink break. Karen spluttered and glared at Manny. I sighed. Sadly I had to be the adult in this situation and not throw down with her here and now. I assigned a training drill and considered what my calendar looked like. The next free space of time¡­ well It wasn¡¯t for ages. There was perhaps that training session I could bump though¡­. There were still a number of days to go and a lot of work to get through until then. Oh well. Having something to look forward to for the end of the month always made it go faster. Chapter 48 - Training days, sweets ¡°So we¡¯ll be doing this a lot then?¡± asked Daniel as we walked through the Viridian forest. I pushed aside a branch that had started to grow over the path. ¡°Yup! We¡¯re out here because the routes leading to the city are something that should be checked and maintained as part of the gym charter. Walking them for any strange or unnatural behaviour is something we need to be doing. This is in conjunction with the Rangers. We work with them and help link things together with our jurisdiction,¡± I said from memory. I¡¯d had to teach this to most of the people that I took on as trainers for the gym. I didn¡¯t sigh but I wanted to. Daniel was merely the latest in the line of trainers that didn¡¯t like having to patrol the routes. He most likely didn¡¯t enjoy being away from the gym, or more specifically his wife I suspected. ¡°Scyther!¡± cried my bug pokemon who was more than happy to be out and in his element. I watched him dart around through the trees like a ninja, his shape blurring and reappearing on different tree branches. I whistled and signalled for him to return. He vanished and returned to me in a show of speed. ¡°Scyther!¡± he brandished his blades grin firmly attached to his face. I gave him a rub on his head. ¡°Enjoying this bud? You¡¯re doing well with your speed drills. I¡¯ve got some balls I want you to keep in the air while staying within ten metres of us. Think you can do that?¡± He nodded enthusiastically. I¡¯d lucked out with his personality, as he was an enthusiastic and very upbeat pokemon. This made it a lot easier with motivating him to be a ¡®great warrior¡¯ like his ancestors before him. That had him puffing up in pride. Daniel and Missy watched him dart around. ¡°The training brace sure seems to be working on him,¡± Missy said as she watched Scyther work at his drills. ¡°Yeah, shame he¡¯s going to wear it out so quickly. I¡¯ll be able to get him strong but if I want to keep him there I¡¯m going to have to keep him training pretty hard.¡± ¡°Shame,¡± said Daniel. When I raised an eyebrow he continued. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to keep his training up when the circuit starts. He¡¯s a nice vanity pokemon.¡± ¡°Eh, I need a pokemon like him that I can dabble with. Either way, he helps to give me more insight into how some of the local pokemon trainers do things with their bug pokemon. He certainly grows in response to the training I give him a lot faster than most of the pokemon I¡¯ve trained in the past. It also adds a new challenge cause he can take on bad habits faster than others. Bug trainers need to be rather well thought out in their training plan. They also need to have great eyes for detail.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°It¡¯s interesting stuff and exploring it has made me revisit a lot of what I have my other pokemon do.¡± Missy nodded slowly. ¡°Huh, I¡¯d never thought of how that would impact a bug specialist. Interesting!¡± Missy glanced around. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind Brock could I catch a caterpie today?¡± I gestured for her to go right ahead. ¡°By all means.¡± The sound of voices approaching had me whistle and draw Scyther back to my side. Soon enough a trio of young boys emerged. Each of them had bug nets over their shoulders and the eldest had a trio of pokeballs. The younger kids held a pokeball each in their hands, holding it like a prize they feared would slip from their grasp if they weren¡¯t careful. I raised a hand. ¡°Hello there!¡± I said waving in greeting. The boys¡¯ eyes looked to me and bulged only for Scyther to step up and wave a blade in greeting and their eyes to snap to him. ¡°Is that a scyther!?¡± they cried out as one. Daniel snorted. ¡°And the prize for the gifted goes to¡­¡± Missy coughed and shot him a look to behave but I ignored them. ¡°Hey kids, out to catch your starter pokemon?¡± I said drawing them back to me. They blinked and blushed when they realised they¡¯d been staring. The eldest boy bowed his head, then realised he was alone in bowing. He rose, grabbed both of what looked like his younger brothers and dragged them both into a bow. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! We¡¯re sorry for staring sir!¡± as he did so his hat flopped off his head revealing ginger hair a similar shade to that of Celia. ¡°Hey, hey no need for that guys,¡± I said, waving them off. They slowly straightened up, eyeing me carefully. ¡°As you noticed, I¡¯m Brock and this is Missy and Daniel,¡± I said pointing at both as I introduced them ¡°What¡¯re your names?¡± ¡°Mason!¡± ¡°Blaire!¡± ¡°Ron!¡± they said over the top of each other. The elder knocked both his brothers¡¯ heads and coughed. ¡°I¡¯m Blaire and these are my younger brothers Mason and Ron. They¡¯re going to try and do the circuit this year with me. I¡¯ve already caught three pokemon and if we go together we¡¯ll have a better chance,¡± he said only to wilt. ¡°That is¡­ we would but the Beedril swarm has moved further north than usual¡­ I don¡¯t want to hurt my pokemon by making them fight so many Beedril. I¡¯d try for deeper into the forest, but again my starter is the only one that could handle it and it¡¯s too risky with all three of us¡­ So we¡¯re heading home for today.¡± I nodded. ¡°Hmmm, that¡¯s a good call. I¡¯ll need to check in on the swarm to make sure they¡¯re not too large, but we¡¯ll probably be turning west to skirt around them for a bit of a check today before heading home. Want to come with us?¡± The boys all perked up at that, their eyes sliding to Scyther as they nodded quickly. I chuckled as they joined us. I kept Scyther close enough to let them fan over him and how cool he was as he traced their steps back up the route. As we did so I probed Blaire. ¡°So how come you¡¯re out here and not one of your¡­¡± I didn¡¯t parent but Blaire understood what I meant. ¡°Mum works full time. She¡¯s been saving up enough to get us these pokeballs for today. But I¡¯m the one with three pokemon so I¡¯m taking my brothers out to catch something.¡± ¡°Ah, nice work then.¡± I didn¡¯t ask after their father. That was something of a faux pas in this world. Sometimes people just left. For good or bad reasons. Soon enough we came upon the Beedrill swarm and I whistled in appreciation. ¡°Hmmm, looks like a lot of them are going to be migrating soon.¡± A glance up saw a number of circling Pidgeotto and Pidgeot along with some Fearow. ¡°Not sure how many will make it with the birds waiting for them but another swarm might form up if they make it.¡± I wrote a quick message to the Rangers and shot it off. ¡°Couple more days and things will calm down.¡± I gestured to the west. ¡°Let¡¯s skirt west for a bit. I doubt they¡¯ll go that way cause of the sea and the Silver range, but they might be feeling tough enough for it if they don¡¯t listen to the older beedrill.¡± ¡°Older beedrill?¡± asked Blaire. ¡°I thought most Beedrill only lived a few years?¡± I pointed towards a particularly scarred Beedrill near the centre. ¡°See that one? Those scars are from an Ursaring paw. If they have those they went west. That or there¡¯s an Ursaring that¡¯s moved east.¡± The boys all shifted at that but I waved it off. ¡°Most of them prefer caves and mountains so it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. It¡¯s more likely that Beedril went to them than the other way around.¡± I glanced over Ron and Mason. ¡°What sort of pokemon were you boys looking to get?¡± ¡°Heracross!¡± ¡°Pinsir!¡± they said together. I chuckled, ¡°Or a Scyther?¡± They nodded and Scyther puffed himself up. ¡°What about Pineco, Spinarak or Venonat?¡± ¡°You can find those around here?¡± asked Daniel in surprise. I glanced at him and found him paying much more attention. It seemed he wasn¡¯t immune to ¡®cooler¡¯ bug types. ¡°They can be found throughout the forests of Kanto with special methods. You¡¯d probably have better odds at night for Venonat or Spinarak but you could find them still. Otherwise checking trees for pineco would be possible.¡± I caught a sweet smell and redirected us towards the smell. ¡°One of which you can find by being clever, come on!¡± I led them deeper into the woods and found a tree with leaves that were a deeper red compared to the evergreens that typically made up Viridian forest. I pointed right at it. ¡°Scyther, fury cutter on the tree to scar the bark.¡± Scyther exploded forward and slashed the tree with speedy strikes. When he hopped away he did so with a pleased expression that he¡¯d suitably marked the tree. I looked at Missy. ¡°Can you mark this as a waypoint to return to for us on your pokenav? I can navigate us in and out of the forest but finding a specific tree is a bit of a tall task.¡± Missy did that and I waved the group on, much to their confusion. We continued to trudge through the forest but perhaps with there being so many of us and Scyther being rather loud in his training, we didn¡¯t encounter any pokemon the boys were interested in. When we reached a small clearing with a shrine in the middle I called a halt for an early lunch. The boys approached the shrine tentatively. ¡°What is this? I¡¯ve spent a lot of time in the Viridian forest and have never seen this shrine before?¡± said Blaire. I chuckled. ¡°Technically we¡¯re on the western outskirts of Viridian right now. We¡¯re fairly close to route twenty-three. We¡¯ll soon come into some plains and cliff faces. This is an old site for the guardian of the forest. There are plenty of sites like this that are said to honour the guardian. I know they¡¯re more prolific in Johto, but you can still encounter them if you spend enough time roaming the forests.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the guardian of the forest?¡± asked the boys. I smiled. ¡°Who can say,¡± I said whimsically. Then I thought about it some more and decided to make this a little more memorable for them. The pokemon world was all about mystery and wonder after all. ¡°Perhaps it was a strong Shiftry, or a Venusaur, or even something small and friendly like Bellosom, but know what I think?¡± I said. The boys shook their heads practically hanging off my words. ¡°I think it might have been a Legendary pokemon.¡± The boys all inhaled and I thought I heard something from Missy and Daniel as they too got caught up in the story. ¡°Which pokemon is that?¡± whispered Mason, as though afraid I¡¯d not tell them. I smiled faintly and looked into the branches of the swaying trees. ¡°They say it''s called Celebi, a pokemon that makes trees and grass flourish wherever it goes. It has the ability to fly and is thought to be a psychic grass type pokemon.¡± I let the group inspect the small little shrine for a while longer before opening a pocket on my backpack. ¡°Make sure you leave something sweet for it alright?¡± The boys all nodded and deposited a candy that they unwrapped. I deposited a part of my doughnut ¡ª an actual doughnut mind you¡ª and even Missy and Daniel joined in. Then we bowed as a group to the shrine. A wind blew through the clearing as a quiet held between us. Nothing strange or mystical happened however and we finished our lunch after that and began to track back the way we came. The boys all seemed a bit more thoughtful. I smiled and glanced back¡­ but I didn¡¯t see anything. I sighed. A pity, for all that I didn¡¯t really expect a pokemon known to inhabit Ilex forest I thought¡­ maybe¡­ just possibly¡­I glanced around hoping to see it. When nothing came I shrugged it off. Oh well. We continued our poor showing and the boys, while disappointed, didn¡¯t seem to mind much as instead of catching pokemon they spent time with scyther. I traded some pointers with Blaire over how to train bug pokemon and was interested in how he strengthened up his Butterfree¡¯s gust without tearing the pokemon¡¯s much more delicate wings. ¡°Push ups with the wings are a good idea,¡± I said, complimenting the young boy. He blushed and rubbed his nose. ¡°Thanks, it was just something I thought of trying after our teacher got annoyed with us in P.E and made us do jump push-ups.¡± I nodded along. Missy checked her pokenav, ¡°Should be just over this hill boys.¡± I nodded and crouched down. ¡°Alright gang from here on out we¡¯re going to go slow and quiet so as to not spook any of the pokemon off.¡± Daniel and Missy nodded while the boys grinned as I made a hand seal like I was playing ninja. Scyther flapped his wings in a quick vibration and then whispered his name adopting the game of ninja happily. Then as one, we all slunk forward to spy the tree I¡¯d had Scyther slash up. Around it, a number of pokemon were clustered. Some sat up in the branches and others jumped up from the ground, all of them ignored each other so they could focus on licking the leaking tree sap. I could see Pidgey chirping at Spinarak in the branches while a Mankey nudged other pokemon aside. Caterpie and Weedle hung onto the side of the trunk. On the ground a pair of Pichu hopped up and licked the tree one after the other. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°What the?¡± Missy said quietly. She looked at me. ¡°What did you do?¡± I pointed at the tree. ¡°That¡¯s a maple, trees like that in forests can be drilled into and the sap is extremely sweet. It draws in pokemon like now.¡± I gestured for the boys to step up. ¡°Well boys? What pokemon are you going to catch?¡± The boys both pointed straight at the Pichu. I waved them onward. As they crawled forward I tapped Blaire and pointed in one direction. ¡°Missy and I will go to the right, you go left with Daniel to stop them if they get away from the boys.¡± He nodded and plucked a pokeball with a determined expression on his face. ¡°Got it!¡± In the end, we needn¡¯t have bothered as both boys tossed their pokeballs and both caught the pichus. The other pokemon startled and broke away but we let them escape. Mason and Ron danced happily with their pokeballs held high. ¡°¡°We did it! We did it!¡±¡± We spent some time congratulating them. Before we left I collected some sap into a container as a treat for my scyther and other pokemon. Titan would enjoy it if I made it into a giant thick taffy syrup for him to enjoy. He¡¯d have gunked up teeth for hours afterwards but he loved the taste of sweet things enough that he¡¯d been one of the first pokemon I¡¯d taken off childminding due to the kids being able to bribe him. The boys were a bundle of energy the entire way back to Pewter and they announced a thousand and one plans to make their pokemon the strongest of all Pikachu or Raichu ever. I gave them a few suggestions. They thought my idea of giving their pokemon lots of pancakes was a laugh, but agreed that it would be appropriate with how they¡¯d used something sweet to catch their pokemon. I just smiled. Chances were it wouldn¡¯t change anything, but perhaps the old joke might hold just the smallest grain of truth? I had no doubt I¡¯d hear about it in the future if my ¡®joke¡¯ resulted in big news of a new Pikachu evolution. When we parted ways with the boys I knew I had new converts to the fan club that I¡¯d heard of in Pewter for the gym. They couldn¡¯t bow low enough to me and ran into Pewter literally singing my praise still. I watched them go with a fond smile. They¡¯d been good kids. When we reached Pewter I gave Daniel and Missy a nod. ¡°And that¡¯s about as good a day trip for the local routes as you can get. Think you can do the same for future trips? You¡¯ll be doing them alone of course but what we did with checking the route and the pokemon population is the main job. Sometimes helping out young trainers as well.¡± Missy nodded and bounced back and forth. ¡°It felt nice to do that! I never knew you could attract pokemon using tree sap before either!¡± I made a so-so gesture ¡°It¡¯s not usually as effective as it was today but with winter coming to an end there were bound to be some hungry pokemon around. You¡¯ll notice we didn¡¯t stop and camp around there as well. We made the slashes and then left straight away. Wild pokemon can get skittish if you stick around but when you let them gorge themselves on something sweet like that they¡¯re easier to catch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± said Daniel rubbing his chin. Then he looked over to Missy. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to catch a caterpie?¡± Missy blinked before groaning. ¡°Shoot! I got too caught up in helping the boys out! Urgh!¡± She shook her head and sighed ¡°Oh well, I¡¯ll have plenty of time.¡± I nodded at her before waving them on. ¡°Right, now I¡¯ll show you how to write a report and file it. You¡¯ll copy that report and send it to the Rangers as well so that they''re kept in the loop.¡± The rest of the afternoon passed quickly from there with paperwork and scheduling. I returned home and found my family bouncing around the lounge room. Cindy saw me and cheered. ¡°Yay! Brock¡¯s home!¡± The rest joined her only for them to stand and begin twisting their hips through their hands. It was rather adorable to see them flossing. When I¡¯d first taught them this it had been in an attempt to get them to look after their teeth and to wash properly with a towel. They¡¯d loved the silly dance immediately. Since then I¡¯d learnt that it¡¯d become very popular throughout Pewter schoolyards. It was even cuter to see Billy and Tilly trying and failing to synchronise their hips with their hands. They flubbed it horribly but they didn¡¯t care. Eevee stared at us all and began to run through our feet barking her name as she did so. Her soft fur tickling legs caused a lot of my siblings to flub the floss. I joined them, a huge grin splitting my face. Munchlax joined in and soon we were all giggling as he tried to throw his much too wide hips through his arms like the rest of us. ¡°Ready?¡± I said. ¡°Ready!¡± they chorussed back. ¡°Three, two, one! What time is it!?¡± I shouted to them. ¡°¡°PIZZA TIME!¡±¡± they shouted, stopping their dance moves to throw their hands in the air. Munchlax¡¯s eyes bulged and he leapt with glee. He didn¡¯t know how to floss but he obviously knew what Pizza meant. I called up the Pizza company and got our usual orders. Twenty minutes later a huge Rapidash stormed up to the gym with a saddle laden with pizza. I collected our orders, gave the Rapidash a rub on the nose and settled in for the night. A message on my transceiver from Sabrina had me glancing around. Hmmm she wanted to hang out? I could probably do that. ¡°Hey, you guys okay with a friend coming around?¡± I got a general murmur of agreement from everyone. They were more focussed on their pizza slices. I sent off a message, telling her it was pizza night and she was more than welcome to come over. When Sabrina walked in she got mostly a disinterested greeting apart from Suzie who put her pizza down and waved her hands. ¡°Hi! Hi! Sabrina!¡± Sabrina perked up at that and gave a more subdued response, ¡°Hello¡­ Suzie,¡± she said carefully. Yolanda stared at her only to then turn her gaze towards me. I gave her a look in return. ¡°What?¡± She grinned at me. ¡°Nothing~!¡± she said before scooching over so there was a space between her and myself. She looked to Sabrina only to find Suzie had already claimed the older girl. ¡°What do you do with your hair?¡± Suzie said as she tried to sit up like a big girl and have a proper conversation. Sabrina smiled at her. ¡°I wash it and brush it out. I also have a silk pillowcase.¡± Sabrina was more than happy to accommodate the younger girl with ¡®big girl talk¡¯. ¡°That is so interesting!¡± said Suzie. ¡°Want¡­ I mean¡± she coughed. ¡°Would you care for some pizza?¡± Yolanda put her hands to her mouth and giggled. I chuckled as I took a bite of my pizza. I shot Yolanda a look. She¡¯d been rather obvious about making space next to me just now. Had Yolanda thought Sabrina and I were dating? It seemed that way. I tapped Yolanda on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re not dating,¡± I said, trying to be clear with her. Yolanda blinked, glancing from me to Sabrina. Then she gave me a smirk. ¡°Suuuuuure you¡¯re not.¡± She then took a big bite of pizza and made a show of obnoxiously eating it. ¡°We¡¯re not!¡± I said truthfully. Yolanda continued to chew on her pizza. ¡°Uh-huh!¡± she said loudly. I huffed at her and made a face as I chewed my own piece of pizza back at her. ¡°Urgh! Show a little deck rum!¡± said Suzie loudly at us from where she was having a ¡®big girl¡¯ dinner with Sabrina. ¡°Decorum,¡± corrected Sabrina gently before nodding in agreement with Suzie. She lifted her head to look down on us but I could see her lips twitching. It seemed like she was enjoying herself with how the kids were more focused on their food than different things around us. I picked up the remote and instantly eyes turned upon me. ¡°Oh! A love story!¡± said Yolanda smugly. I flicked a piece of Salvadore¡¯s pineapple pizza at her. ¡°Hey! Not my pineapple!¡± he said, dragging his pizza away from me. Forrest shrunk into the couch. ¡°Can¡¯t believe we¡¯re related.¡± Salvadore stuck out his tongue. ¡°Can we watch the Eevee and friends movie?¡± asked Cindy. Tilly agreed and I could see Suzie wanted to as well but she was watching Sabrina. Apparently, watching Eevee and friends the movie would seem too ¡®little girl¡¯ for her tastes right now. Our Eevee chirped up and bounced in excitement which made Suzie¡¯s desire to appear older obviously waver. The boys groaned aloud. ¡°Urgh! Can¡¯t we watch Battlecast? They''re going to have some good matches on replay!¡± said Forrest. I rubbed my chin not really wanting to watch replays. ¡°Hmmm, maybe next time.¡± Forrest groaned and reached over the couch to grab some gameboys which he handed out to the other boys. I rolled my eyes at him and set up the girls with Eevee and friends. Eevee was rather cute to watch as she darted about the room mimicking the pokemon on the screen with their attacks or how they ran away from certain attacks. When she eventually settled near Cindy she was close enough for Sabrina to reach over and stroke her fur. I checked in with Sabrina. She seemed to not be having any issues unlike last time with Erika and Janine. But then again the kids were more relaxed this time around and she seemed to be handling it well. Yolanda caught me checking Sabrina over and shot me a smug, knowing look. I shot her a shake of the head which she ignored. When the movie was done she watched me escort Sabrina out and I spotted Yolanda and Cindy, and Suzie watching us from a window as I said goodbye. ¡°Thanks for coming over to hang out¡­ even if we didn¡¯t really do that much.¡± ¡°No we didn¡¯t, but I still enjoyed myself, ¡° Sabrina said before inclining her head. ¡°Thank you for inviting me.¡± When she didn¡¯t say anything else I nodded. ¡°Well good night,¡± I said in parting. Sabrina returned the gesture and then vanished in a teleport. When I walked back in, Yolanda and Cindy both shook their heads at me. ¡°What?! We¡¯re just friends!¡± I said, trying to correct their assumptions. Both of them just sniffed. Suzie waved her hand. ¡°Brock how did Sabrina vanish? Is she a ninja-like Janine? Only a better one?¡± The boys perked up at this. I bit my lips to not laugh. If Janine heard that comparison she¡¯d be mad. I coughed. ¡°Uhm no, Sabrina¡¯s a¡­ she¡¯s a psychic so she knows how to teleport.¡± Suzie blinked. ¡°Oh! Wow, so she¡¯s really strong?¡± I nodded ¡°Yup! One of the strongest people I know!¡± Suzie smiled and bounced to the bathroom at my urging. ¡°I¡¯m friends with her!¡± she sang. Yolanda stared after us. ¡°Wait? She can teleport?!¡± I grinned, apparently, Yolanda had missed that little fact over her thoughts on our relationship. ¡°Bedtime kids! I have some more work in the morning!¡± I said aloud. Forrest glanced over at Yolanda who shifted back and forth as the rest of the kids moved upstairs. Yolanda shot Forrest a pleading look after everyone else was gone. Forrest grumbled before straightening up. ¡°So, uhm I have to come clean about something¡­¡± he started. I stopped cleaning the room and straightened. ¡°Oh?¡± I said, expectations lurching to the forefront. Were he and his friends the ones spray painting parts of Pewter? Forrest suddenly looked much more nervous and I realised I wasn¡¯t being ¡®open¡¯ like the parenting book suggested. I coughed, ¡°Sorry, I meant, alright, I¡¯m listening?¡± I sat down and leaned onto my hands and laced my fingers to show I was listening and being neutral as much as possible instead of standing and possibly looming. Forrest swallowed. ¡°Right well¡­ I¡¯ve been riding my bike around and trying to¡­ uhm¡­ run into Dad lately?¡± I blinked in surprise. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, feeling everything suddenly jerk under me. ¡°What made you¡­¡± I rethought what I was going to say here. ¡°Did you get to talk to him?¡± Yolanda and Forrest shared a look before shaking their heads. I relaxed a little and then wondered why I was relaxing. ¡°Alright¡­ so do you want me to talk to him?¡± Yolanda shifted back and forth. ¡°Well it¡¯s¡­ just that!¡± she bit her lip. ¡°We had seen him around and we thought maybe we¡¯d talk to him.¡± She raised her hands when I turned to look at her. ¡°But we only decided to do that over the last couple of days!¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s¡­¡± What was going on here? Did they think I was mad about them seeking out Flint? ¡°I¡¯m not mad.¡± Yolanda searched my face and relaxed. ¡°Oh¡­ I was worried you might have been cause¡­ Well Dad did make you come back so early from your journey and you might still be mad at him and¡­¡± I rubbed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Suddenly I felt like I was on one side of a divorce with the kids asking to see the other parent¡­ which was pretty much how things were. ¡°Alright, you wanted to see him. That¡¯s fine. I''ve been mostly waiting for him to approach and talk but¡­ well he hasn¡¯t been doing that.¡± I felt that tickled my mind. Something about waiting being a bad thing¡­ who had said that to me recently? Yolanda looked away, her eyes glimmering with tears. ¡°We noticed that as well.¡± I dismissed what I had been thinking to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder, staying low so she didn¡¯t have to look up at me. ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s alright. I¡­ I get it. It¡¯s fine. Honestly, it''s good that you decided to do something like this.¡± Right. Karen had mentioned my waiting being a possible issue. I hadn¡¯t expected it to manifest this way however. Although with how Flint was also¡­ hmmmm. I was starting to get a sneaking suspicion that I wasn¡¯t the only Rock aura user in the family. I had adopted a wait-and-see approach but the same could be said about Flint. He was known to have trained exclusively rock types for years before I was even on the scene. So it was technically possible if not highly probable. Yolana nodded and sniffled to get herself under control as I continued to pat her shoulder. Forrest coughed. ¡°Well! Anyway, we ummm, have been looking for him, but lately, he hasn¡¯t been around¡­ You¡­ didn¡¯t happen to say anything to him did you?¡± I blinked in surprise. Did they think I had spoken to him? ¡°No?¡± Forrest blinked back, just as surprised by my answer. ¡°Oh? We thought you might have gotten angry with him and¡­ chased him off¡­ which now that I say it sounds dumb¡­¡± I opened my mouth before reconsidering what I was going to say and how things might seem to them. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say I¡¯m not mad with him, cause I am!¡± I said quickly. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have run off like that again. Not with how things were. And a whole host of reasons but I haven¡¯t spoken to him at all.¡± I worked my jaw around before shaking my head. ¡°The last time I saw him was¡­¡± The hospital trip with the twins¡­ I¡¯d been pretty annoyed then, hadn¡¯t I? Yolanda wiped her eyes and smiled at me. ¡°Do you think you can just ask him to come home?¡± I swallowed down the feelings that wanted to blurt themselves and smiled at her. ¡°Sure, I can do that.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, ducking her head. I rubbed the top of her head before planting a kiss on her forehead. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to be. I¡¯ll find him and we¡¯ll talk.¡± I looked into her eyes. ¡°I promise.¡± Yolanda smiled and I felt myself relax. I looked over to Forrest to include him in the promise as well. ¡°If you guys happen to see him first though then by all means. Talk to him and invite him back.¡± Forrest sighed in relief. ¡°Oh good, That¡¯s good. Really good even¡­¡± I shot him a glance and he coughed. ¡°We were worried you might reject him.¡± I snorted. ¡°You guys do know that the bedroom at the end of the hall closest to you is not just an empty guest room right?¡± Yolanda beamed at me while Forrest made a slow face of realisation. I shook my head then deliberately rolled my eyes at him. When he rolled his back at me I ruffled his hair making him scowl and splutter. I rolled my eyes at him and signalled for them to come help out with the other kids. I felt a weight lift. I had a course of action and now I just needed to find Flint and talk. That shouldn¡¯t be too hard right? Chapter 49 - Behind the scenes Life continued from Yolanda and Forrest¡¯s heart to heart with me over Flint. I started looking out for him when I walked around Pewter on patrol. When I dropped off the kids I was expecting him to be there, watching them gambol around in glee. I wasn¡¯t alone in looking for him. Just as I had promised to do so, Forrest and Yolanda had also started keeping an eye out with the understanding that they could approach him freely. Now Yolanda had her head on a swivel. When Forrest passed me on his bike he had a focused look on his face. It bothered me that two days had passed and we had yet to see even a hint of Flint. I couldn¡¯t help but find his disappearance strange. He¡¯d been lingering around the gym for¡­ months now? Only to vanish? Strange. Very Strange. Unfortunately, a disappearing parent was not something that the police, or indeed anyone, would bother themselves with. It was far too common for some parents to simply walk off. Police didn¡¯t even consider it ¡®missing¡¯ when parents just¡­ left. The freedom of the pokemon world was a double-edged sword at times like this. With Flint not immediately returning, my siblings thankfully hadn¡¯t become depressed. However, that didn¡¯t stop me from becoming frustrated with the man. I vowed, once again, that we would have words when I next saw him. Thankfully the kids and I had outlets. Forrest rode his bike around town more and more, and Yolanda spent more time with Crystal scooting around town. She also dedicated a lot of time talking with her egg. It made for a rather adorable sight. I had my own pokemon to train. So I threw myself into that. ¡°No, Scyther you need to parry the strike with your blades not meet it head on!¡± I said. In front of me, my newest pokemon once more tried to throw himself into a head-on clash of strength. He didn¡¯t stand a chance against Shin, but he was being headstrong and brash. He stepped out of the crater he¡¯d been tossed into with a loud, ¡°Scyther!¡± while glaring hatefully at Shin who merely shook his much larger head at the younger pokemon. Don, who was watching on from the sideline, tore into the flank of meat that I had given him for lunch. He cackled in a degrading manner that had Scyther bristling. I clicked my tongue and flicked a rock at Don who growled at the disruption to his teasing. Bertha, who was sitting up against the rocky plateau, chuffed at Don¡¯s antics but the prideful monster rounded on her with a flap of his wings. He often tried to throw his weight around with my team as he could be a prideful pokemon. Bertha snatched him out of the air and brought him up to her face where she blew a dismissive snort of air into his face. He hated that, clawing and biting at her. I sighed and raised a pokeball. ¡°Don! Calm yourself down, you know the rules for when we¡¯re training new pokemon. If you¡¯re not going to be quiet while the new pokemon is getting trained up I won¡¯t bring you to these sessions!¡± He turned to glower at me but I stared back, unimpressed. When he lowered his head, Bertha let him go and pat him on the head. ¡°Rhy-Rhyperior,¡± she said soothingly. Don sniffed and strutted off with his head held high. Bertha looked at me and made a show of rolling her eyes. I snorted and nodded. Don pointedly ignored us and tore into his meat once more. Every now and then I had to lay out the law with the overly proud pokemon. If I wasn¡¯t firm with him he¡¯d constantly be pushing for more and more until he either left or I had to give him up. Not that I ever had that issue. It was easy to stand your ground after you¡¯d stood before a Tyranitar and asked for their son. It also helped that every other pokemon on my elite team were powerhouses that Don could respect. The issue re-emerged however when I had a new candidate for the team. Scyther shifted nervously from foot to foot. Scyther was literally and metaphorically green. He was a strong pokemon with a lot of potential. I could see as much with how fast he was without having any training, but he was still untested. He was like a young kid that had stepped into the human workout gym only to find himself in the heavyweight lifters and gym junkies section. In his case, he had me urging him on and telling him he would be just as strong one day. Scyther continued to fidget. I watched him, documenting how he moved and how he reacted when he was nervous. Social cues with body language were important to pick up for any pokemon you wanted to train and it was best to learn them early to ensure a healthy development. I clicked my teeth and gestured for him to approach Shin. ¡°There¡¯s a nuance to it, Scyther. You need to have softer hands rather than stronger, firmer hands. Rigidity is not what I want. I want you to be able to control the exchange of blows. It¡¯ll make a lot of difference in close combat exchanges in future.¡± I demonstrated with a few taps and parries as Shin swiped his claws at me at half speed. I made a show of demonstrating movements that were simple. ¡°While you don¡¯t have to worry about ¡®grip¡¯ like the old Kantonian fighters with their swords, you still need to focus on having soft hands. This training session is to show how things will change and give you a feel.¡± I gestured at Shin. ¡°Shin is, in a sense, an ancient branch of your species. Probably not a direct branch though.¡± Scyther tilted his head and raised his blades to point at Shin¡¯s blades. ¡°Hmmm he has similar blades?¡± I said. Scyther nodded letting me know that I had guessed his question correctly. I chuckled, ¡°Heh yes. There is a theory about that, and I don¡¯t think people are wrong, but there is also another potential path that your pokemon species can follow.¡± Scyther looked dubious but interested. I scratched my chi wondering if I should tell him my plans before shrugging. ¡°Ah, alright, I¡¯ll let you in on a secret? There¡¯s the possibility that the evolution of the scyther blade is actually a more recent development.¡± Scyther tilted his head. ¡°There¡¯s a little-known rock type evolution that you can take,¡± I said. Shin shifted into a squat next to us much more interested in this than he had been a moment ago. Scyther stiffened in surprise and then glanced around at the others. Don had perked up from his meal and Bertha was also watching me. I held up my fingers to my lips. ¡°Shh though, it¡¯s a secret. If it works out you¡¯ll be super rare as an evolution.¡± I pointed at his blades. ¡°But you won¡¯t have scythes anymore, you¡¯ll have axes.¡± Scyther tilted his head again. It took me a moment to realise what he was confused about. ¡°Oh! Axes are more specialised tools that can be used to chop trees or as weapons. They¡¯re similar to swords in that you need to have deft hands to use them well, but the edge is typically shorter.¡± I sketched out an axe in the dirt for him. ¡°You¡¯ll have an axe somewhat like this.¡± I indicated the axe shape I had drawn. ¡°This part is a beard, and you¡¯ll also have a reverse point that you can use to use the back of your hand or the butt of your axe. This will allow you better armour penetration and also the ability to catch blades. So you will learn soft hands and then I hope to evolve you if I can find enough of the item you need for this.¡± Scyther¡®s wings vibrated and he stamped his feet up and down in excitement. ¡°Scy! Scyther!¡± Don and Bertha wandered over to look at my sketch. Shin rubbed his chin before shrugging, not at all bothered with the new information. Don sniffed and stalked off after nodding once at Scyther while Bertha rubbed her chin with her huge hand. She then held up her thick fingers and pointed to the butt of the drawn axe. ¡°Hmmm? Oh yeah girl, we¡¯ll get him to learn a bit from you for the armour penetration that your drills offer. Will you be up for it?¡± I said with a grin. Bertha shot Scyther a thumbs up and Scyther beamed at her before going back to his happy dance. ¡°Rhy!¡± barked Bertha to Scyther causing the bug type to look up at her. Bertha pointed a finger at herself with a grin. ¡°Perior! Rhy! Rhy!¡± Scyther nodded seriously and bowed to her, which had her huffing in a pleased manner. I got the impression that she wanted the new pokemon to call her ¡®big sis¡¯ from that interaction. Bertha then formed a grip like she was holding a weapon. She lifted her arm and swung it. ¡°Rrrrr!¡± she said as she did so with a smile. Scyther perked up and copied her in his chopping action. I snorted and watched her play around with Scyther. I got the impression that I¡¯d need to think of a good name for him when he reached his potential. I was starting to think he¡¯d well and truly live up to my hopes. Most of the move pool for Scyther and Kleavor, as far as I could recall, were similar but I¡¯d probably play into Scyther''s known strengths with speed and technique over power. I ticked off my fingers: stealth rock, sword dance, rest, psycho cut, sleep talk, aerial ace, stone edge, x-scissor, along with giga impact or hyperbeam were all possible if I wanted to spend the time training up to those. ¡°Rhy!¡± shouted Bertha as she ¡®chopped¡¯ a rock in two. Scyther had stars in his eyes. I shook my head as I rolled my eyes at her. ¡°Did you forget that your tail is a giant club Bertha?¡± Bertha whipped her head around and gaped at her tail. She then made a show of presenting it to Scyther like it was something new. Scyther ¡®clapped¡¯ his blades together with a ting sound, like metal hitting together. I facepalmed at her antics before deciding to leave them to their fun for a few more minutes. I glanced over to find Shin squatting next to Don and sharing his meat. Their long friendship apparently meant Don never begrudged his friend taking food from him. In fact, any of the ¡®ancient¡¯ pokemon I found in Grampa canyon were all like that. Don might be a prideful pokemon, but he never tried to ¡®lord¡¯ it over the other pokemon I¡¯d found with him. From what I had learned, they¡¯d all spent so much time together they¡¯d gone beyond having any hierarchy. Or maybe it had to do with the food scarcity in the Grampa canyons, which may have forced them to share what they had. They weren¡¯t super talkative about the times before I caught them. Even when I¡¯d employed the yes-no method Salvadore liked to use for learning more about them. ¡°Brooooooooock!¡± shouted a shrill voice that had me glancing around. ¡°Celia?¡± I shouted back. ¡°Brooooock!¡± called Celia as her voice began working its way closer to me. I tilted my head and checked my transceiver. I still had another hour before our meeting didn¡¯t I? Celia ran around the plateau and waved. ¡°Brock! Oh, I couldn¡¯t find you! Sorry, I¡¯m late!¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Uhm you¡¯re not though? We didn¡¯t have anything scheduled until twelve?¡± Celia blinked. Then she blinked again. Then she deflated. ¡°Oh gosh, I¡¯m sorry! I must have written it down wrong!¡± A crash of rock breaking behind me made me look back to see Bertha having smashed another rock. I rolled my eyes at her again as Scyther cheered her on before attempting to copy her. He got his blade stuck and Bertha laughed at him before she helped unsheathe his arm. I turned back to find Celia shifting back and forth. I shook my head and jerked a thumb behind me. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get any more training out of them for a while. They¡¯re in a playful mood, so how about we have that chat?¡± Celia perked up, almost lifting off the ground in her excitement. ¡°Sure! That''d be great!¡± I nodded at her. ¡°Right, well formally this might be a chat best had indoors¡­¡± Celia shifted from foot to foot. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to just talk here if it''s all the same?¡± I nodded at her. ¡°Alright then. Well seeing as you¡¯re sticking with us for the next year at least.¡± I ignored her muttered ¡®and beyond¡¯ and pushed on, ¡°We need to decide what you¡¯ll be doing for that year. Now your options will depend on what you eventually want to explore in the future. If there is a field of work you want to pursue we can set you up with a college study plan?¡± Celia hummed and considered that before shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯ll pass on that, I think¡­ I think I want to keep working with pokemon specifically. Maybe as a breeder so I can snuggle up to cute pokemon!¡± I chuckled at her rather typical young girl desires showing through. I suspected if I had her work with Bianca she might not want to work as a breeder, but perhaps she might. ¡°But honestly¡­¡± she chewed her lip, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that right away¡­ I want to keep seeing new sights.¡± ¡°So perhaps you should be looking to have another journey? Another circuit somewhere else perhaps?¡± I said thoughtfully. Celia nodded her head. ¡°Yeah! That¡¯d be great!¡± ¡°Hmmm, if you¡¯re looking for new experiences¡­ honestly I¡¯d recommend Hoenn as your next circuit. I went there during my journey and I loved the variance that came from learning about new pokemon. Also their climate is completely different from Kantos. They have a desert and a lot of waterways compared to Indigo.¡± I rolled my hand. ¡°Nothing on the waterways in the Sevii or Orange islands of course.¡± ¡°I doubt anywhere is like that!¡± Celia said confidently. I shook my head. ¡°Nah, I think there are plenty of regions that will come out that are similar to the archipelago regions,¡± I said, thinking about Alola. Celia nodded without any argument. I gestured for her to walk with me and we left my pokemon. ¡°With your showing, you won¡¯t be able to bring more than one pokemon with your team for any serious matches such as gym battles,¡± I shot her a questioning look, ¡°unless you¡¯re going to go the Ace challenge route?¡± Celia shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ll go into the starter bracket and then build up for the end-of-year conference. I will be able to have a lot of my team by then from this last circuit right?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, you will be restricted to only one pokemon from this year for the tournaments you take part in for the first three months.¡± I made a circle to indicate that period of time before moving on to the next with hopping action with my hands. ¡°And then the next three months you will have access to three pokemon for the local tournaments. In the last three months, you¡¯ll have complete access to them.¡± I grimaced. ¡°Not that there¡¯s typically a lot of tournaments running during the last period of the circuit.¡± ¡°Huh, how come they do that?¡± Celia asked. ¡°So they can give young trainers more of a chance to adapt to an increasing scale of skill. People that are serious will have had six months with their pokemon if not have a full roster by the time six months are up. It gives them time to also adjust to the increase in skill while showcasing strong pokemon at the end of the year tournament. It¡¯s something the various Leagues all agreed on.¡± We reached the perimeter and began to slowly walk around it. ¡°Who will you take with you? Any thoughts?¡± I already knew who she¡¯d say but she might surprise me. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking Lizzie. As my starter I¡¯m most familiar with her and she¡¯ll also offer me the best safety.¡± ¡°Good call, but don¡¯t fall into the trap of thinking that just cause you can¡¯t use them for the big tournaments doesn¡¯t mean, you can¡¯t take other pokemon with you. It¡¯d be good to keep cycling them to get more experience along with giving you a bigger safety net.¡± I grinned. ¡°Also Hoenn is somewhere you¡¯ll be able to experience true examples of Co-ordinators with their contests. With some of your pokemon that might be a great way to bond or broaden your own skills.¡± Celia made a face. It looked like she was disgruntled to be told to try contests while wanting to put on a brave face for me. It made her look kind of grouchy. I offered her my view. ¡°Just give it a shot. It¡¯s something new alright?¡± That got a nod from her. ¡°So¡­ when will I need to depart?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You¡¯ll need to arrange transport to leave at least a week before the start of the circuit. You¡¯ll also want to look into what you will need and if any of your friends are going over there. It can be a pretty big deal to link up with friends for a different region.¡± Celia nodded. ¡°Right, I can do that!¡± I hummed, pleased that Celia had made making friends one of her goals. I¡¯d have her try and stay on the route as it was a great way of expanding her horizons and skills as a person. We walked for another few minutes with me detailing a few things to be aware of such as not talking down contests while actually in Hoenn. Or talking badly about pokemon such as Darkrai, Kyogre, Rayquazza, Groudon, or the Eon pokemon. Those pokemon were held up with an almost worship status in Hoenn. Or, in Darkrai and Giratina¡¯s case, spoken of in careful whispers and never at night or while the moon was in the sky. I had never learnt why, but enough people in Hoenn had mentioned it that it was either a shared joke at my expense¡­ or something specifically cultural to Hoenn that had to be mentioned. When we completed a loop around the pasture Celia looked very thoughtful. ¡°Is there anything I can do while I¡¯m over there to help out at the gym?¡± I opened my mouth to say no before I shut it and thought more seriously about her offer. Celia perked up when I didn¡¯t say no. ¡°There is?¡± I rubbed my chin and looked straight into Celia¡¯s eyes. I gestured for her to walk another lap with me. ¡°What do you know about fossils and ancient pokemon?¡± And so I gave Celia a job for her circuit. With how fired up she was at receiving a mission I almost expected her to raid a museum. I had laughed at the thought before deciding to outright say very specifically to not do that to her. I then outlined some other pokemon that I wouldn¡¯t mind getting. She looked confused at my descriptions of Dweeble but highly interested in my descriptions of shiny stones that had helix patterns within them and how they potentially unlocked certain pokemon¡¯s hidden power. When we were done Celia looked like she had a goal in mind beyond merely winning the conference. I decided to give her another incentive so she didn¡¯t spend all her time in the desert. ¡°Hey, if you make it to the conference and get through the group stages I¡¯ll come over to watch your matches in person, sound good?¡± She gasped in surprise as I shot her a wink. ¡°I¡¯ll be hoping for an excuse for a holiday so give me a reason, yeah?¡± She nodded firmly and I mentally blocked out some time in my calendar when the circuit ended. I fully believed she¡¯d follow through on her end and so I would follow through on mine. I wasn¡¯t going to say no to revisiting Hoenn. If the showing from this year''s tournament was any indication then I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she reached the finals. Barring of course anyone like Tobias from the cartoon showing up. I honestly had no idea how someone like Tobias would be taken in this world if he existed. Having a full-on Legendary wasn¡¯t something that was currently considered possible, let alone a Darkrai. There had to be something going on there. I rubbed my chin. Although, wasn''t there that one trainer that was able to use Articuno for battling purposes? Noland had something going on that actually felt more like the Fiore method of companionship rather than actually capturing the pokemon. There was also Brandon to consider. Brandon had things like Regirock, Registeel and Regice¡­ Was he the person with the most legendaries? I¡¯d have to keep an eye out for them¡­ or, l could use my connections with the Guardians to ask around after Legendary pokemon. I rubbed my chin in thought. That had potential. ¡°Anything else you wanted to talk about?¡± I asked Celia before I marched off. Celia shook her head. ¡°Nope! I¡¯ll set up the tickets and also get the paperwork to you soon!¡± she clenched her fists. ¡°Expect to be at the Hoenn conference Brock! I¡¯m going to win it all this time!¡± I smiled and nodded at her. ¡°I can believe that, now you best run along.¡± A crash from behind the plateau over the cave system made me remember that I still had my pokemon out and playing around. ¡°Looks like I need to stop Bertha and Scyther from wrecking all the rocks just for laughs. The Onix don¡¯t like having to push new rocks around too often.¡± Celia giggled, waving as she left me to my pokemon. I turned and headed for my team before sending the Guardians a few messages. With that done I checked the schedule for the rest of the day. Hmmm, looks like I was patrolling Mt Moon with Daniel and Missy to show them the ropes. That might be an opportunity for Scyther. I pocketed his pokeball on the way to collect my gear for an overnight camping trip. Before I departed with the gang I picked up the holopad from my locked drawer. With it in hand I pinged the group, fully expecting to merely leave a message. Instead, Agatha connected, her face appearing in a flash of light above the pad. ¡°Brock, good to see you, I¡¯ve been talking with Karen and she¡¯s been praising your efforts in developing your aura control.¡± I made a surprised noise. ¡°Ho? That¡¯s news to me, she seemed to be more disparaging of my efforts.¡± ¡°Hmpf, well don¡¯t tell her I told you this but she is. Good work implementing our training methods. Have you begun training any of your own in your methods?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Celia is focusing on her training and my own family¡­ they seem too young to grasp it just yet, along with not having pokemon of their own.¡± ¡°Hmmm it¡¯s never too young really. But if you feel that way about them there is still a young man with some potential¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± I said, deciding to put it off again for now. Agatha inclined her head. ¡°Very well, now was there something you wished to discuss or have looked into?¡± The previous talk with Karen came to mind about Rock types becoming passive. I¡¯d been accepting a lot of things recently and rolling with the punches. Karen wasn¡¯t wrong in her description but I had reflected on it and realised it was an oversimplification. I might be slow to act, but that didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t. ¡°What can you tell me about the audit? I didn¡¯t bring it up with Koga as I mostly agreed with the other gym leaders when we came up with our response. But I still want to understand more about what was going on there.¡± Agatha nodded. ¡°Koga would be the one with the most information, but he is a rather stoic man. Given to short discussions. Do you have time for a longer talk?¡± I checked the clock. ¡°I have time.¡± Agatha made a flicking gesture to the side and a chair slid into the hologram which she sat in. ¡°Thank you Gengy,¡± she said to a shadow that suddenly had red eyes. She settled in and looked at me. ¡°Very well, the issue itself started with your Gym demonstrating that you had a lot more resources than they thought you would. Pewter gym was not thought of well despite being the traditional beginning challenge. It has long been a rather shabbily run affair that was only running on a shoestring budget. People hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the idea that change could happen so quickly with a new gym leader at the helm. Your expansion and increased tax had been noted but not reviewed. You were perhaps going to be due a review soon, but your announcement and rather gauche demand for such a large prize pool with Lance lit quite a number of fires in people. You became a hot button topic that got many people sitting up and paying attention.¡± Agatha grinned at me. ¡°Well done there once again.¡± I got the image of her being like a kindly old granny. I could just imagine her praising Karen for beating someone up at school and offering her some candy. Agatha sniffed. ¡°There are however inner factions within the Indigo League. It was realised that reviewing you would be seen as pragmatic, and justified while pleasing a number of people at League headquarters upper hierarchy.¡± ¡°That sounds like departmental politics¡­¡± I said carefully. Agatha perked up. ¡°Oh? You do know about that concept then? Good well, that was certainly going on. There were a number of ¡®young up-and-comers¡¯ or people trying to make names for themselves. When you reach a certain position in some organisation politics always comes into play Brock.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure I liked where this was going and Agatha¡¯s next words only proved my instincts right. ¡°A young man by the name of Fletcher, who happens to be the son of the Pokeblock CEO, was the original petitioner of the audits. He was able to get ahead of others and get the approval of the secretary of the President. It was quite the feather in his cap I assure you.¡± I felt dark energies begin to rise up within me. Agatha watched me as she spoke, ¡°His agenda was never about doing right but rather showing himself to his superiors, or more specifically getting praise and earning himself a promotion in the League. I had to intercede with who he was sending where, otherwise people much less caring would have knocked on your door or that of the Cerulean sisters.¡± ¡°You¡­ sent Timothy at me?¡± I said incredulously, my dark feelings stuttering in the wake of that revelation. I wasn¡¯t sure I could ¡®thank her¡¯ per se but in review, Timothy hadn¡¯t been¡­ bad. Just¡­ extremely inconvenient. You couldn¡¯t exactly thank someone for their choice in auditor though, it just¡­ no. I shook my head slightly at the thought. ¡°Yes Brock,¡± Agatha said in a matronly tone of a grandmother being amused by a young man, ¡°I sent Timothy to you. Timothy, even if you had been in error, would have followed the book of rules and pointed out how to correct your oversights and given you a small slap on the wrist unless you had truly dropped the ball. That is how most audits should go. Audits when we, the original Elite Four of Indigo, introduced them were never meant to be tools to break people.¡± Agatha glowered away from me and at something on her side. Then she grinned. ¡°The Cerulean sisters in turn got that dumb fool, Sven, who they proved up to task, leading him by his nose. I think they¡¯re still leading him by the nose so perhaps I did them more than just a favour, but also played matchmaker! Fehehe!¡± she cackled to herself. ¡°What about¡­ Fletcher was it?¡± I said dark emotions and energy rising up at the mention of the man that had caused me and my friends weeks of stress for his ambitions. Agatha sniffed pointedly. ¡°Thanks to his raise he had also been able to petition to grant corporations, specifically Pokeblock, a small tax break.¡± ¡°... I really hope you¡¯re joking,¡± I said with a flat tone. Agatha raised an eyebrow at me before scoffing. ¡°Please, I wouldn¡¯t joke about this Brock.¡± She held my gaze for a few moments longer only to then grin in a sly manner. ¡°He has since been removed from his position after information was ¡®leaked¡¯ that brought him to the attention of the internal auditors. Timothy is a wonderful man, so clinical by the book.¡± Agatha accepted a cup of tea from the side. ¡°Thank you Gengy!¡± she said again before taking a sip. She looked very pleased with herself and I suspect the timing of her getting the drink was no coincidence. A cake sliding into the picture only completed the picture. I snorted in amusement as she literally had her cake and ate it in front of me. ¡°Ah! Dear Gengy! Always giving me too much sugar in hopes it¡¯ll kill me one day so I can become like him! Fehehehe! I¡¯m much too bitter for that to happen any time soon!¡± Her shadow roiled and I got the impression it was laughing at her very dark joke. I swallowed. ¡°So is that it then?¡± Agatha nodded. ¡°For now¡­ people might get ambitious with my retirement as I had to use some favours to have Fletcher¡¯s review accelerated before he could dig in too much. I made sure to let the other ambitious fools know to keep their heads down, but I have no doubt my retirement will embolden others in other ways. It¡¯s why it¡¯s vital that we get Karen in alongside Koga. With both of them we will actually strengthen our position while apparently losing out due to my retirement.¡± I nodded at that before realising I should probably say something. ¡°Thank you then, for what you did. I didn¡¯t know that was happening.¡± ¡°The League should mind their business most of the time Brock, and thank you for noticing my efforts. It¡¯s good to see a polite young man,¡± She grinned at me teasingly. ¡°Does it make you feel good knowing you didn¡¯t take part in destroying a man¡¯s house without reason?¡± I coughed, glancing to the side. Agatha cackled once more. When she spoke she did so with a leer, ¡°Oh, you young ones! You¡¯ll need me and Koga around for a while yet to show you how things actually get done!¡± she crowed gleefully. I shook my head at her before settling in. ¡°I had another question about something if you know anything about it?¡± Agatha inclined her head. ¡°Certainly, certainly, ask away young man.¡± ¡°How many people are there that¡­ own Legendary pokemon?¡± I said carefully. Agatha¡¯s grin vanished and she stared at me. ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m surprised you could even consider such blasphemy¡­¡± ¡°It is possible though, right?¡± I said, not conceding the point. It was interesting to hear that Agatha considered it ¡®blasphemy¡¯. Agatha worked her jaw. ¡°It depends on your definition of ¡®Legendary¡¯. Trainers such as Young Nurse Joy in Pallet town with her Latios? There are a handful around.¡± She peered at me. ¡°Or were you thinking of other pokemon specifically?¡± I sucked on my teeth wondering how to approach the idea of Mewtwo with her. Could I? I decided to tread carefully. I did not want to face an angry Mewtwo. His idle threats of remaking the world didn¡¯t seem so hollow when I had spent some time reading the Guardian¡¯s unredacted accounts of old pokemon battles and history. A Moltres had torched Fuschia, supposedly in a single pass over the skyline of the city. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading up on my history. Have any of the Legendary birds been captured before? Or perhaps the Legendary titans?¡± Agatha hummed. ¡°I suppose you wouldn¡¯t have met him, but we do have a Ranger that has captured two such pokemon. Specifically Regirock and Regice.¡± she tapped her fingers on her jaw. ¡°You have also been read into the Fiore situation, yes?¡± ¡°I know that Fiore has been located and that they supposedly have much of the Indigo biodiversity for pokemon,¡± I said. ¡°Indeed, the Fiore region itself is directly north-east of Cerulean and Lavender. A land route is still being worked on but the border is contentious. It is technically close enough to Kanto that we should share a land route, but the route itself would only be possible for powerful trainers. The League wants to establish travel, but due to cultural concerns there is a lot of hold-up. They want to have a¡­ shared area where the best of their people can be shown off while screening newcomers into Fiore.¡± Agatha took a large swig of tea. ¡°And to make matters worse Silph co has been touting they have a ¡®perfected pokeball¡¯ that is capable of capturing any pokemon. They¡¯ve dubbed it the ¡®Master ball¡¯ creating more tensions as that was one of the first things the Fiore representative heard on the radio when they arrived,¡± she said with a scoff. ¡°Master ball! Please! They delude themselves if they truly think it has a perfect capture rating.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°And Fiore is a region that doesn¡¯t capture pokemon¡­ yeah that¡¯s gonna be rough.¡± Agatha nodded. ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous we¡¯re entertaining their petty demands, but they do have a trainer that has demonstrated a bond with one of our most famous Legendary birds in Articuno. He has other pokemon that are happy to follow him along. He is for all intents a trainer, but he¡¯d never stoop to capturing his pokemon. Feh!¡± she huffed. ¡°Hmmm, so like a Battle frontier?¡± I said remembering something from the cartoons where Ash got to fight an Articuno. Hadn¡¯t his Charizard beaten it? Agatha stiffened. ¡°A battle¡­frontier?¡± she said, repeating what I had said. I coughed. ¡°Well yeah!¡± Bugger, damn it! I did it again! Stupid mouth! Wait for the brain to catch up! Urgh! Alright damage control or commit? Before I could think I found myself once more speaking, ¡°You know? Have the area as somewhere where highly skilled trainers can meet up? Maybe have a sort of gym challenge for strong trainers?¡± Agatha gave me a dubious expression so my mouth continued. ¡°But we wouldn¡¯t call them gyms, more challenges or ¡®sites?¡± What had they been called in the Anime? ¡°Pyramids? They could be bosses and the positioning or repositioning of them could have trainers moving through the wilderness and fighting back wild pokemon while civilians or transports move back and forth.¡± Agatha stirred her teacup while looking off to the side thoughtfully. Eventually, she nodded. ¡°That is actually a very good idea, Brock.¡± I relaxed and coughed. ¡°Just a re-adapted gym system really.¡± It was kind of making me cringe with how I was really just stealing future arcs of the pokemon cartoon and feeding it to Agatha. ¡°Well, sometimes being able to reinvent the wheel is a good thing,¡± she said with a thoughtful tone. I very much got the impression she didn¡¯t truly think it was a good thing and they were mere hollow words. ¡°I think I will mention it to the people looking into how to set up the ¡®neutral area¡¯ between Kanto and Fiore¡­¡± ¡°Hmmm cool,¡± I said, happy to shut myself up now. Agatha continued to rub her chin. ¡°We could have the Rangers nominate ¡®Leaders¡¯ for two of these Pyramids¡­ Brandon could take over one and the other¡­ someone young, possibly even Koga¡¯s apprentice¡­ Lucy should be a good candidate. She¡¯s done a number of years with the Rangers¡­ Hmmm.¡± I blinked, surprised to hear Agatha outlining her plans while recognising the names. Brandon being the trainer that showed up in the cartoon with three of the Titan Legendary pokemon and Lucy¡­ hadn¡¯t she been the girl that had actually been receptive of Brock¡¯s affections? Then again Lucy was a pretty common name. It was just that she was being put forth as a potential Pyramid boss¡­ much like Lucy in the cartoon. So¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be that strange would it? Agatha nodded and glanced back at me. ¡°Hmmm this discussion with you is bearing more fruit than I thought!¡± She set her teacup aside. ¡°Good to see you young ones have ideas in your heads!¡± She stood. ¡°Well this was nice, I¡¯m pleased that you have taken Karen¡¯s information about your Rock typing affecting you and you¡¯re being more proactive Brock.¡± She smiled before tilting her head, ¡°Was there anything else you needed to talk about before I left you?¡± I chewed my lip but decided to take the leap. ¡°What are we doing about Giovanni?¡± Agatha stilled but then sighed. ¡°Giovanni¡­ He is a difficult topic and person to deal with. He has ingratiated himself into many different levels of Indigo with his business, his social connections, and also his strength. Koga informed me that you have been suspicious of Giovanni for a while but¡­ he is a necessary evil Brock. He serves a purpose and allows us to act in ways we otherwise couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s cold comfort to a lot of people,¡± I said bitingly. Agatha narrowed her eyes. ¡°Do not deride our understanding of Giovanni Brock. When you were not even a babe he was hard at work forming deals and rebuilding much of Kanto. When your father was but a brat serving as a reserve during the war Giovanni was in the thick of things. He has earned his leeway.¡± I blinked in surprise. I hadn¡¯t ever thought about what Giovanni would have done during the war. But one right in the past didn¡¯t mean he should be merely allowed to run free. If he had developed Mewtwo in this world he could be potentially playing with the equivalent of nuclear weapons while people are ignoring him. ¡°I still don¡¯t think you should be giving him a free ride. Just because he did good in the past, doesn¡¯t mean he is doing good in the present,¡± I said while feeling a niggle. What had that been about Flint? ¡°We monitor him and his associates, don¡¯t you worry about that Brock,¡± Agatha said firmly as she stood and if she had her cane I could imagine her stamping it to signal the end of this discussion. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not ignoring him, Agatha.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to. But don¡¯t antagonise him needlessly.¡± ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯m not going to promise anything,¡± I said. ¡°Feh! Young ones! You¡¯ve barely wet your toes in the deep end and you¡¯re already thinking you know what¡¯s best!¡± She grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t lose that drive Brock, just make sure it¡¯s used in the right direction!¡± She nodded one final time before the signal cut out. I stared at the blank holopad and sighed before toggling a different feature. I flipped open their files and began to read what I had access to of one Giovanni of Viridian city. I had just opened the file when I got a knock on my door. ¡°Brock! It¡¯s Missy? Are we still doing the patrol of Mt Moon?¡± she said. I glanced at the clock and cursed. Apparently, my talk with Agatha had taken longer than I¡¯d planned. ¡°Yes! Sorry! Got stuck on a phone call! Ready to go?¡± Missy nodded before adopting a sheepish expression. ¡°I am but Daniel is a bit annoyed, I don¡¯t think he realised we were going to be out for the night.¡± I snorted and grabbed my travel bag. ¡°And he was once a Ranger? I think he got used to living in the city faster than any former ranger I know!¡± Missy giggled as I led her out. I ducked back in a moment later and locked away the holopad once more. I didn¡¯t want that sitting out in the open. I would be back and I would be learning what I could about Giovanni. Just because the Guardians weren¡¯t going to do anything right now didn¡¯t mean I had to sit on my hands. I just had to come up with an idea of what I could do¡­ which I¡¯d have to do while raising my family and running this gym. ¡­And also finding Flint. I grumbled to myself; so much to do, so little time. I adjusted the pack on my shoulders as I got ready for a night in the wilds. Chapter 50 - Training days, Mt Moon Scyther darted up the rocky path to inspect a stone. His head tilted this way and that before nodding his head and slicing a specific section out of the surrounding hill. Then he darted back to me with the rock balanced on top of his blades. Then he darted back down to us. ¡°Scyther!¡± He presented the rock to me with a proud grin. I inspected the rock seriously and nodded to him. ¡°Hmmm this is good. Want me to keep it for you to show the others?¡± Scyther tilted his head and gave the rock another look before shaking his head. I deposited the rock on the path and patted him on the head. Slightly behind me, Missy giggled while Daniel coughed. ¡°Why is Scyther bringing you random rocks?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I think he¡¯s been inspired to start a rock collection,¡± I said innocently. Scyther rubbed his chin as if giving this some thought before nodding seriously. Then he dashed off in a different direction to find anything else interesting. ¡°A¡­ rock collection?¡± Daniel said carefully, his scepticism was obvious to anyone listening in. Missy strode up level with me as we continued up the mountain path. ¡°I think it¡¯s nice! A pokemon with a hobby! It makes him happy so why not! It¡¯s sweet! What with Brock having so many rock types it kind of makes sense that Scyther might get some interest in rocks!¡± I smiled at her. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought,¡± I said innocently. In truth, I¡¯d told Scyther to do just this. I¡¯d even told him the reason I wanted him to do it this way. It was all about developing a plausible understanding that my pokemon liked to do this. Established habits and whatnot. It wasn¡¯t me suddenly flying to a volcanic region and strip mining the place for any block of shiny rocks. Which I suspected had something to do with obsidian. I¡¯d done some snooping for rocks known as Augurite and been redirected to augite which was a mineral known for its trace elements of titanium, aluminium and sodium. Augite was known as a common rock but black Augurite wasn¡¯t as well known. I had checked around with my Golem¡¯s and Gravellers to see if there was anything they might have been carrying on their body but I¡¯d only gotten small dust particles¡­ which might have been the rock that we were looking for, albeit finely crushed. Sadly if the evolution was anything like what Scyther¡¯s evolution to Scizor was like then it would take a lot of material. One thing they didn¡¯t show in the games was the quantity of metal that was needed to make the pokemon evolve. I was also somewhat tempted to still have Scyther evolve into a Scizor due to knowing that Scizor could mega evolve. Although perhaps Kleavor could as well and I just needed to find the right gem? Or maybe I could get another scyther¡­ then I¡¯d be seen as extremely eccentric. Scyther darted back with another rock for me. I could tell this one wasn¡¯t what we were looking for and once more said as much with the preplanned phrase, ¡°Take it or leave it?¡± By leaving it up to Scyther I made it apparent that this wasn¡¯t what I was after but that we could still take it if we wanted. This time he nodded. I inspected the quartz before nodding back, depositing the rock into my pack. ¡°If he keeps this up the entire time that we¡¯re up here you¡¯re not going to be able to carry it back home,¡± Daniel said. I nodded, ¡°Yeah maybe, still it¡¯ll be good training nevertheless.¡± ¡°Urgh! You¡¯re a bit too into training, you know that?¡± Daniel grumbled. I chuckled. ¡°You realise you applied to a Gym right? Pokemon training and training ourselves is pretty much half of what we do.¡± ¡°Yeah that¡¯s becoming apparent,¡± he said in reply, ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ I was expecting to be fighting pokemon trainers more you know?¡± I snorted. ¡°This is the off-circuit period. Just wait until the circuit starts up, then you¡¯ll have more than enough trainers to face.¡± ¡°I kind of like it!¡± said Missy from my other side. ¡°It¡¯s not everything I expected but it¡¯s not bad! It¡¯s just¡­ different? I¡¯ve never thought about how much work I need to put in myself to get fit and having the sparring program for the pokemon is great for my team! I think a few of them have gotten stronger than ever!¡± I smiled at Missy¡¯s more upbeat response. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Make sure you''re not just beefing them up with strength training though. Really look into how they''re moving or performing various attacks or moves. It¡¯ll make a difference to focus now on skills development while you¡¯re on a break. Long term the pay off is better as well.¡± A rumbling of earth had us stopping as a trio of Graveller appeared on a ridgeline. They glowered at us before pausing to inspect us. I drew up a whistle to my lips and blew into it. ¡°Daniel, take the one on the left! Missy, the right! Scyther! Take the one in the middle.¡± A green blur shot from some nearby rocks having returned at my whistle call. Scyther shot forth and made to slam his arm blades into his rocky foe. I clicked my tongue. ¡°Abort! Do a fake out and slash on the way out of close range!¡± Scyther did just that, his aborted attack caused the Graveller to raise up his arms only for Scyther to swipe his blades across the pokemon¡¯s flank as he retreated. ¡°Uhm¡­ Brock, that¡¯s a rock type?¡± Daniel said as he released his Raticate took to the field alongside Missy¡¯s Rhydon. ¡°Yup, and this is a good time to test him out. He¡¯s not going to always have favourable matchups and he needs to work for some wins. Give us some room if you can please?¡± Scyther''s wings vibrated in glee at this announcement as the Graveller squared up on him. The other two were forcibly pushed back by Daniel and Missy allowing me to focus on the match in front of me. A closer inspection showed that this was a decently strong Graveller. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find out that if I had left them to their business there would have been a Golem rolling around Mt Moon if it could get a big enough pack, or ¡®avalanche¡¯ as they were known, of other Graveller around it. This trio appeared to be the early formation of said avalanche. Scyther was most likely outmatched along with this being a bad type matching for him. But that wasn¡¯t any reason for him to give up. ¡°Scyther! Boost your speed with Agility!¡± We¡¯d have to work on getting Swords Dance eventually but as ¡®low-levelled¡¯ as my pokemon was he hadn¡¯t yet learned that. Still boosting speed was a good move. Graveller met this by grasping the earth and throwing rocks with each of its four hands. ¡°Double team in close and swipe with your blades in but choose your moments!¡± I said. Scyther buzzed to the side, leaving an after image that the rocks passed through. ¡°Now!¡± I said while the Gravller was still adjusting from throwing the rocks. Scyther buzzed in and tried to slash with both blades one after the other causing the Graveller to twitch. Sadly he over-committed by going for two. ¡°Back out!¡± I shouted only for Scyther to get clipped with a backhand as Graveller spun on the spot. The spin turned into a burrowing move that saw Graveller vanishing into the ground. I clicked my tongue. ¡°Keep moving but keep your foot placements as light as you can manage; use your wings to give a little lift!¡± ¡°Scy!¡± grunted Scyther as he did just that. I watched the hill that we had started this match on. I made sure not to move lest the Graveller¡¯s attention be drawn to me instead of my pokemon. While uncommon it was possible for pokemon to target trainers occasionally. They were, after all, wild and not going to stick to rules. Typically they did prefer to beat the trainer¡¯s pokemon first. A head poked out of the ground to the side of the field and peered around making me hold in a snort as I realised Graveller didn¡¯t know where to emerge. ¡°Use the back of your blade! Chop down on him!¡± I ordered. Scyther sprinted over and chopped down. Then he jumped back as Graveller emerged with an angry bellow. ¡°Uhm what was that supposed to be?¡± asked Missy as she approached. I glanced over to see her Rhydon poking the passed-out pokemon she¡¯d faced. ¡°Setting up the early stages for Scyther to learn Brick Break. If he learns to use the sharp edge he¡¯ll associate it with¡ª¡± I swiped my hand out. ¡°Double team!¡± I ordered as Graveller tossed out another rock throw against my pokemon. Scyther blurred away but not as quickly as the first time. I huffed. ¡°Where was I? Oh, right he¡¯ll associate with the move as a cutting move. I need him to project energy in a blunt edge to make it slam rather than bite into whatever he¡¯s fighting.¡± I watched another barrage of rock sail towards Scyther only this time he jerked the wrong way and ended up getting clipped. He went spiralling before collapsing to the side. ¡°Scy! Scy¡­ther!¡± he tried to stand. His body trembled as he rose up to brandish his blades at the defiant Graveller. The four armed pokemon snorted and dug into the ground. With Scyther injured from taking so many hits with the super effective type matching being against him I knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge this dig. ¡°Scyther, you¡¯ve done well for now, return buddy.¡± He slumped and I could see that he obviously thought he¡¯d failed as I lifted his pokeball from my belt to return him. I stood perfectly still but Missy shifted from foot to foot. ¡°Oh, poor Scyther¡­¡± she said I hummed and pulled up a little rock energy to feed it into the ground beneath us. I could feel another vibration coming from below growing in strength. ¡°Hey Missy I¡¯m going to need you to jump backwards in a second.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± she said, turning on the spot in confusion. I pointed to the side. ¡°Jump as far as you can cause Graveller is coming for us now.¡± Missy¡¯s eyes bulged as realisation set in. She threw herself to the side and I twisted on the spot as two arm lunged after her. I caught them and shifted forward as the Graveller pulled me slightly only to lock in as my feet dug into the ground with an aura trick I¡¯d been practising. I was basically copying the tree walking technique from a cartoon about ninja. Who knew using a different world''s training methods might work like this? It hadn¡¯t appeared in any of the books from the Guardians but they had good methods of focusing and moving energy around your body. Just not little niche moves like this that were more useful as utility abilities. I¡¯d started trying to use it against Trixie to improve my push off phase when I ran but Trixie was still too much of a physical beast for me to beat. This Graveller on the other hand? It struggled in my grasp for a moment only to still as it realised it had been caught. It twisted slightly and looked around its body to stare at me. ¡°Grav?!¡± it said in surprise, testing my grip only for it to basically spasm in my clasp. ¡°Graveller!¡± It gaped at me. From this close, I could see the smoother ridges around its eyebrows and above its lower arms which indicated that this was a female Graveller. I stared her down. ¡°Graveller. You¡¯ve got a good head for battling on your shoulders and it looks like you were on your way to creating the avalanche that you need to evolve. You can go far if you want but I¡¯m curious if you want to push yourself to see just how far you can go?¡± She relaxed and her face scrunched up. ¡°Vel? Gra?¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°You have a few options. I can release you and you can head north to rougher parts of the mountain where you¡¯ll have to get strong or perish.¡± She glared at me for that and her limbs twitched but once again barely moved. ¡°Or you can be captured by me where you will be fed, trained and able to evolve when the time comes.¡± I quickly offered her the carrot to the proverbial stick. I continued to stare at her as she stopped and considered that. ¡°You will not be remaining here,¡± I said firmly. I moved my arms and let her turn to face me as I released my grip. ¡°I can make you strong if you want. Today you faced one of my weakest pokemon with a type advantage and he still cut you up. Imagine what I could do if you came with me.¡± I held her gaze. She lowered herself but her head tilted. If she had continued to lower herself she¡¯d have been readying herself for a rollout but with the tilt of her head she was merely thinking. I knew the pose well from all the other Graveller I owned. ¡°Grav! Grav!¡± She stood and made a show of flexing her arms. She then pointed at me. I tilted my head. I wasn¡¯t sure but¡­ ¡°Would I make you the strongest?¡± I felt this was a safe assumption. Lots of pokemon wanted that before they truly understood the different levels of strength. She nodded her whole body. I rubbed my chin, relaxing. ¡°... You have potential. Could you beat out my strongest golem, Sanchez?¡± I continued to rub my chin as the graveller perked up at the mention of my owning a golem already. ¡°Well you could certainly try and take his spot on my best team.¡± I didn¡¯t mention that he wasn¡¯t actually my strongest pokemon. Titan was a stoic pokemon that enjoyed relaxing after workouts. He wouldn¡¯t be amused if some careless words on my part brought a pesky pokemon around after him at all times of the day. Sanchez would love the attention and probably help train her. Graveller stomped her feet and jutted her body in a pose that said she accepted the challenge. I selected a pokeball and raised it up towards her. ¡°Get ready to train then Graveller, if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.¡± I lobbed the pokeball at her and she grinned as it hit. It didn¡¯t wobble at all but rather dinged to show the pokemon had accepted the capture. I collected the pokeball and smiled down at her. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how far you can go,¡± I said to her. When I got home I¡¯d put a Graveller sticker I had made up with another flat bar sticker on top indicating she wanted to go the distance. How that motivation developed would be something we¡¯d wait on. I put the pokeball on the belt and turned to find Missy gaping at me. She had her hands out and her eyes bulging at me, Next to her, her Rhydon was equally as stunned. ¡°I!¡± She gestured at where Graveller had burrowed out of the ground. ¡°And you just¡­¡± She gestured at all of me. ¡°How did you do that?!¡± I rubbed my chin in consideration then grinned. ¡°You work with pokemon and train with them long enough you pick up some tricks,¡± I said teasingly. ¡°... If I train as you do with Trixie will I be able to do that?¡± she said. I made a so-so gesture. ¡°It¡¯s part of it but you¡¯ll need to go a little deeper.¡± I turned so that she knew I was paying all my attention to her. ¡°Work hard and show me what sort of trainer and person you are and I might teach you those tricks one day.¡± Then I gave her a shrug. ¡°Or don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Missy stared as I walked past her to see how Daniel was doing only for him to march over the ridge with a scowl. ¡°Sorry about that, had my Raticate get tossed and had to get more vicious. What are we doing with them now?¡± I pulled two khaki green pokeballs with the Ranger motif on them. ¡°These pokemon are a bit strong. I¡¯ll send them to the rangers to introduce further north where they can get taken in by another group of Gravellers.¡± Daniel accepted the pokeball without comment. ¡°Right, standard procedure for clearing the routes then?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± I said, tossing the other to Missy who looked confused. ¡°Never heard of this before?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, what do they do?¡± ¡°You know how the system came up a few years ago that instantly transports the pokeball over your cap to your registered place of care or home?¡± She nodded and I pointed at the specialised balls. ¡°These are balls that capture pokemon and instead send them right to the Rangers for release in an area they won¡¯t cause issues.¡± ¡°Huh, neat.¡± She frowned and I could see the next through forming up. ¡°How come they don¡¯t do that to all the routes?¡± ¡°Such as with the Beedrill?¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re a nuisance right?¡± she said as he tapped the Ranger ball to the downed Graveller. The ball drew in the pokemon and wobbled once before vanishing in a flash of light. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°They¡¯re first of all native to Viridian forest so removing them is in a way just kicking them out. There are always developers that want to do just that but the Rangers put a hard stop to that. It doesn¡¯t stop them but Beedril are fast growing, fast evolving pokemon. This is to be expected as a bug type but that¡¯s not the true reason; it is merely why a small group of trainers haven¡¯t cleared them out in the past despite people trying to throw money at the issue.¡± Missy nodded and I continued, ¡°It¡¯s also because there¡¯s the risk of creating a huge flux in the ecosystem if you remove so many pokemon at once. The swarm isn¡¯t just three or four pokemon that will seek out weak trainers or other pokemon and cause issues like these Graveller you have but actual hundreds if not thousands with an established home. This flux can draw out some pokemon that are much stronger, as well as local pokemon all becoming more hostile as they see humans as potential threats instead of just passing through.¡± I rubbed my chin, when I said it like that, it really was quite a bit like how the fighting of the war had disturbed powerful pokemon. ¡°What would that mean for Viridian?¡± Missy asked with a frown. ¡°The Pikachu groups that roam the forest might evolve into Raichu. The Pidgey and Pidgeotto might evolve into Pidgeot. The Spearow to Fearow. The Spinarak to Ariados, as a territory fight broke out over food.¡± I said ticking off the pokemon that I could think of off the top of my head. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting. I never thought of it that way before,¡± Missy said as we waited for Daniel to trudge back up with his rather scuffed-looking Raticate. I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s one of the things you don¡¯t really get taught as much but you have to consider if you take up a position as a Ranger. We work with the Rangers so therefore we need to know about it. You typically would only encounter it if you caught a large group of one pokemon like an entire beedrill swarm. That¡¯s a great way to have the rangers and the police knocking on your door or tapping you on the shoulder if you are on your journey.¡± Missy made a thoughtful noise as Daniel reached us. I nodded. ¡°An issue?¡± ¡°Nope, got him sent off with no issues.¡± He looked down at his pokemon. ¡°Mind if we rest up while I check over Raticate?¡± I shook my head and released Scyther who was still looking beaten up. He slumped into a downcast expression and I reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Hey, hey buddy none of that. That was a frankly terrible match-up for you. You did great despite that. Don¡¯t think of it as a loss but a learning experience. I got a good idea of how you move in rough situations along with areas we can work on. Also don¡¯t let it bother you that pokemon had way, way more experience than you. But I know you¡¯re going to catch up.¡± I leaned in. ¡°You cut her you know? Cut right into her rocky defence. A few more of those and you would have emerged the victor. When your attacks get stronger¡­ well you know what we spoke about for my plans.¡± A small spark of interest glimmered in his eyes as he recalled what we¡¯d discussed. He nodded his head and I patted him on the head. ¡°That¡¯s it boy. Learn from it. You¡¯re going to be strong, this is just your starting point.¡± that had him perking up a lot more. His wings vibrated and buzzed as he raised his head. ¡°Scyther!¡± he glanced around looking for another pokemon to fight. I tapped him on the snout before he could get too gung-ho. ¡°Nice bounce back Scyther, but before we go looking for another fight let''s get your wounds seen to.¡± I drew out a blue spray bottle and a cloth that I used to rub in the potion. He twitched when I sprayed the potion on him and cried a little as I rubbed at his carapace with the towel. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a good boy. Just getting this into your rough spots so you¡¯re all healed up and can fight again later on alright?¡± He stood still after that. I still returned him to his pokeball to give him a chance to rest. If everything went right I¡¯d have him ready to go for more fights tomorrow. Missy watched attentively and when I was done and we continued to move she peppered me with a lot more questions. Apparently, I had sparked an interest in her learning by demonstrating that I didn¡¯t need a pokemon to beat that Graveller. I pat myself on the back for this. It hadn¡¯t been ideal but if she proved herself? Maybe I might just take her on and teach her what I knew about aura. For now, we had to continue our patrol of Mt Moon. For the rest of the afternoon, we trekked across the top of the mountain. We encountered geodude, sandshrew, paras, and the occasional oddish. But no Onix or any more Graveller. We also encountered only one hiker that was happily camped up at a point on the route. I recognised him due to hiring him to guard this exact point. He glanced our way and made a show of raising up his thermos to nod in our direction. We stopped to talk. ¡°Hello there! Are you enjoying the scenery?¡± I said leadingly. The man blinked in surprise at my tone before noticing my twitch towards Missy and Daniel. What he was guarding for me wasn¡¯t something they needed to know about after all. He grinned, his large beard twitching as he did so. ¡°Indeed! I¡¯ve got a good camp and the best view in all the land! Also it¡¯s quiet!¡± He nodded. ¡°Care for a cup?¡± We shared a cup of tea with him and I made sure to lead the conversation away from any other reason that he might be sitting atop Mt Moon during the colder months. Missy and Daniel didn¡¯t seem at all curious but then again you ran into all sorts of people that simply preferred to live in the wilds. When we were done I announced we¡¯d continue on for another hour before setting up our own camp, leaving him to his peace and quiet. Daniel shook his head as we walked away. ¡°I never quite get those hiker guys. They scale mountains and sometimes just sit up here for weeks or months on end. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t want to enjoy the good life.¡± I looked back over the grand vista that the man was having to guard for me. It certainly was a beautiful view. ¡°It takes all sorts.¡± Daniel and Missy didn¡¯t say anything more and I was thankful for that. I didn¡¯t need to burden them with the knowledge of there being a plot of land with diamonds down a small trail nearby. It wasn¡¯t something they needed to know. If the hiker was bothered or harassed, or it wasn¡¯t feasible for him to stop any interested parties he had my direct number. I¡¯d looked into the security company and they were discreet. Lawrence, when I¡¯d mentioned them, had even praised them for their work. I honestly hoped they never had any reason to call me. We continued on for another half an hour before the sun began to dip down. In my old world dedicated campers would have pitched a fit over leaving it even that late to set up camp but once we found a good spot we only had to pull out our tents and press a button before they self-assembled. Then we had a pokemon dig out a campfire pit and another lit a fire and we were set up. Daniel used Raticate to clear the area with tail lashes, while his Rhyhorn stomped down the area where we¡¯d be setting up tents. Missy used her Growlithe to start a fire and her Rhydon to help her hold poles while she assembled her own tent. Within ten minutes I had a stew I¡¯d precooked on the fire heating up. I tossed some more pepper and flavour into it and stirred it around. Daniel shifted around and I raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Would have thought you¡¯d be used to roughing it?¡± I said, alluding to his stints as a ranger. ¡°Yeah, used to it but I never really enjoyed it. This is sort of the first time in a long while I¡¯ve actually had to camp out.¡± Then he blinked and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Also uh¡­ guess I¡¯m kind of missing my wife?¡± He glanced to the side as he said this like he was ashamed. ¡°Ah, that makes sense,¡± I said. Missy giggled. ¡°That¡¯s cute! You really love her! Worried about her and the baby?¡± When he nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else Missy prompted him. ¡°How far along are they?¡± ¡°Uhmmmmmmm first trimester?¡± he said. I stopped stirring the pot and looked up at him. ¡°Have they had an ultrasound yet?¡± ¡°Yeeesss?¡± he said. ¡°So after five or six then usually it happens around ten if you¡¯re willing to leave it.¡± I rattled off some more questions and when Daniel got flustered I hummed. He fidgetted and didn¡¯t meet my gaze. ¡°Daniel you¡­ you probably need to read some books on pregnancy you know? This is important stuff.¡± ¡°I know! I know, I just get really grossed out and I guess I¡¯ve had other things to deal with! Like getting this job!¡± he said as he threw his hands up. He leaned back and stared up at the sky. ¡°Guess I¡¯ve been falling short on that¡­ this is just¡­ well I wasn¡¯t expecting it.¡± He glanced at me. ¡°I just wanted to do right by her¡­ we¡¯re still working things out really.¡± Missy chewed her lip and glanced away. I decided to not pry too much. ¡°Well, that makes sense and for what it¡¯s worth I think you''re doing a good thing taking responsibility like you are.¡± He flashed me a smile at that and I nodded, deciding to leave it at that. He coughed as I returned to stirring the pot. When he coughed again I realised he wanted to say something. ¡°Well thanks for that, it means heaps.¡± He once more didn¡¯t meet my gaze instead looking away. I nodded again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. If you need I still have my¡­¡± swallowed the words and restarted. ¡°I have some books on what to expect when you¡¯re expecting that might be good for you to read through with her.¡± I stirred the pot staring into the contents. I couldn¡¯t fault their initial preparations as parents because Flint and ¡­ Lola had taken all the steps in the lead-up and following the birth of the last two sets of siblings. It had only fallen apart afterwards. I leaned down and picked up some rocks by my shoe to rub them over each other. I centred myself and pushed the darker emotions away for later. ¡°Also,¡± Daniel said carefully like he was testing dark waters with his toe as he spoke. ¡°Could I uhmmm¡­ get a bit more heads up on the next time we¡¯re going to be camping out like this? Just so I know in advance or if there¡¯s a scheduling conflict?¡± I nodded as I scooped up some stew. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that. The next session that¡¯ll have us out and about was going to be a group training session later towards the end of the off-circuit. I¡¯ll give you the dates when we¡¯re back if you haven''t seen them on the calendar.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± he slumped in relief. ¡°Thanks I was worried that¡¯d be an issue?¡± ¡°No issue. If you need to skip it cause of family issues,¡± I gave a wry smile. ¡°I more than understand.¡± He smiled at me and leaned back when he got his bowl of stew. Missy smiled at me as she got hers. We traded some small stories and I got to know that Missy¡¯s favourite colour was glitter which sparked the debate of whether it was a colour or not with Daniel. I held my tongue and let them talk instead of just saying that I was in favour of it. When they prompted me for my opinion I merely nodded and said she could like what she wanted. After that we watched the stars for a while. When the moon came out and a number of Hoothoot and Zubat flew overhead I stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to see if I can find an interesting zubat for myself,¡± I announced. ¡°A Zubat? They¡¯re pests though?¡± said Daniel. I shrugged. ¡°I think their final evolution has some worth.¡± ¡°Gonna try racing it?¡± Daniel asked with some interest. I considered that. I did want it to be the fastest of its kind but if I was going to be demanding it be able to give and take some hits it would be likely a little larger than the racing crobat. ¡°I want it to be fast but not something you can ignore when fighting.¡± Daniel rubbed his chin. ¡°You¡¯ll be looking for a female of the species then. They¡¯re usually a bit bigger and probably something that¡¯s a lone hunter rather than something that operates in a flight of other Zubat.¡± ¡°Had one before?¡± I said with some interest. ¡°Yah, it was one of the first pokemon I caught after my Ratata and Ekans¡­ I don¡¯t have those Ekans or Zubat anymore though.¡± He looked away in a manner that loudly said he did not want to talk about it. Missy gave him a commiserating look before standing up. ¡°Well if it¡¯s all the same to you I¡¯m going to leave Rhydon and Growlithe to guard me and go to bed. Goodnight!¡± ¡°Alright, just remember that occasionally we¡¯ll need to look into doing some night patrols for you to make sure the nocturnal pokemon aren¡¯t getting too strong just as the ones we do for the daylight pokemon.¡± Missy glanced around into the night before shivering. ¡°Brrr not sure I like that idea.¡± I snorted .¡±We won¡¯t do it during winter but during some of the circuit nights you will have to.¡± I waved to them both and bid them goodnight before tightening up the jacket and gloves as I selected Zephyr¡¯s pokeball. Zephyr emerged, flapping his large wings. Despite the rush of wind, no noise came from him as he adjusted. I scratched at the back of his head. ¡°Ready to fly boy?¡± He looked up at the moon and trilled in joy. I mounted up and together we took off. It wouldn¡¯t matter if we were actually successful tonight in finding the pokemon we wanted. Instead, I directed Zephyr to just fly around as he wanted while keeping the camp in mind. Unlike the other times when we had places to be and areas to look over, flying with nothing but flying in mind became a much more enjoyable pastime. Zephyr would fly through canyons to bank and turn like a fighter jet only to then lift up and over the lip of the canyon. His claws sliding through the edges with a ringing scrape that echoed behind us. Then he flew up high; high enough to see our breath misting despite the slowly turning warmer weather. When a flock of zubat approached us we dove and they wheeled about to give chase only for Zephyr to easily outmanoeuvre them. A small flock of Hoothoot fluttered after Zephyr and he twisted his head, slowing to inspect them each like they were all small chicks and he was the rooster. One landed on his back and hopped up and down his back before shrieking in surprise when it realised I was riding Zephyr. ¡°No-Noct-noct!¡± laughed Zephyr as the little Hoothoot returned to its flock. This sparked indignant cries from the smaller pokemon as they tried to weave around him only for him to gently buffet them away with a mighty sweep of his wings that saw them tumbling through the air. They landed and staggered around for a while much to Zephyr''s amusement. We stuck around with them for long enough for the Hoothoot to find some Caterpie and snatch them up before returning to their nest. I smiled at their freedom and merely watched like a silent observer. When we left the Hoothoot fluttered their little wings in goodbye. I turned Zephyr back to Mt Moon proper. When we got close I spotted a number of small campfires from the sky. I could see our campsite and decided that had been enough for tonight. I patted Zephyr on the back. ¡°Time for bed I think boy.¡± I gave a final glance around. I hadn¡¯t seen any interesting singular zubat but then again I hadn¡¯t really been looking. I might make a more serious effort one day but I didn¡¯t need to rush things right now. When we landed we did so on silent wings. I landed near a boulder only to be surprised when I heard Daniel speaking on the other side. ¡°¡ª yeah I know when I¡¯ll be away next time so it shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± I coughed to announce my presence. He stiffened and shot me a worried look. I waved at him. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to talk to your wife, have a good night,¡± I decided not to be a creep by hanging around and listening in. Instead, I walked into the camp while Zephyr hopped after me. When I walked past the pot I grumbled. ¡°Urgh they left it out¡­ damn it that¡¯s going to take ages to clean.¡± Zephyr started bunting me and gave me hopeful looks. ¡°No, I¡¯m not reheating the flakes of tonight¡¯s dinner!¡± I said back to him. He gave a sad chirp, his body curling into itself in sadness. I stuffed the pot into one of my backpack slots only to draw out another, clean pot that had little pokemon running all over it. ¡°No! Instead, I¡¯ll just cook you a new meal!¡± The Growlithe and Rhydon on guard duty shot me hopeful looks. ¡°You¡¯ll get some as well if you stay vigilant!¡± They immediately began watching the skies with focused eyes. Zephyr hopped up and down on the spot hooting happily. I chuckled and got to work feeding them. I had just scooped up the meal and deposited on a raised rock for Zephyr only to turn back to plate up the other pokemon when a Zubat slammed into the ground next to me. I blinked. It raised its head and wiggled its ears in a blink of its own. Zephyr tilted his head. Growlithe jumped forward and growled in a manner that sent shivers down my spine. The Zubat flinched and threw itself into the air, taking off as the move took effect. I raised a hand after it futilely. Growlithe strutted up to me and barked once. Pleased with himself at chasing off the wild pokemon. He shot a look at the pot and I sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ good work protecting your trainer Growlithe,¡± I spooned him some food into a bowl amused at how I¡¯d almost had the pokemon falling into my lap. I fed Rhydon but something kept niggling at me. Why had that zubat been green? I was forgetting something¡­ something important that made me want to kick myself¡­. But why? That thought kept bugging me as I lay down and continued to show Missy and Daniel what would be expected of them throughout the next day. I was halfway off the mountain before I remembered and had to refrain from cursing up a storm or causing an avalanche. When I got into Pewter my foul mood of letting a shiny zubat through my fingers had mostly dissipated. I made a pass through the pokemon centre to have Joy heal up my pokemon before returning to the gym. When I reached the back free range area I spotted Yolanda holding the egg while a number of pokemon such as Titan and Sanchez stood around her and Cindy. Cindy appeared to be practising her flute. Sanchez was grinning hugely but Titan was sniffing at the egg with an air of delicacy while smiling softly. When he was done he puffed a playful breath of air at her. The others sat or lazed around as Cindy haltingly practised her song. Yolanda giggled when Titan snorted heavily. ¡°Titan!¡¯ she said with a giggle as she scrunched her neck. Titan rose up to his full height and nodded at her, apparently pleased with how she was looking after his sibling. I felt my heart warm a little and raised up my transceiver to snap a picture. Sadly the sound made Titan twitch and glance over, ruining the moment. I chuckled as Yolanda waved at me. Cindy stopped playing much to the pokemon¡¯s disappointment. She waved at me only to check her watch and run back home. Apparently it was her tv time. I waved at her back and opened up the pokeballs on Selene, Zephyr, Knight, Scyther and the newest Graveller I had acquired. This new pokemon drew a glance before the others greeted my Elite pokemon and Scyther. Scyther waved at them before he realised he knew the Graveller next to him. He glared at her only to be ignored as she marched forward and hopped onto a small rock to let her look over the area. As Yolanda and Titan approached me we all watched the coming spectacle. ¡°GRAV! GRAV! LER! GRA LER! GRAVELLER!¡± she said emphatically. Sanchez began bouncing up and down, waving his hands. The new Graveller nodded once then rolled forward, grabbing the rock she¡¯d been standing on as she did so to throw it right at Sanchez. He caught it and tossed it up into the air cackling as lightning began to arc off it. The female Graveller charged him only for him to spin forward into a ball and knock her flying. When she landed she only had a second before he was upon her. His foot slammed her to the ground where he kept her pinned. He twizzled his moustache as he grinned hugely at her. ¡°Go! Go! Golem!¡± He then punched her in the face and knocked her out. He gestured at her downed form and shouted his name before walking off with a pleased expression on his face. Yolanda tilted her head. ¡°Uhm¡­ what did I just watch?¡± ¡°Pokemon greeting and establishing of the hierarchy. Golem and their line are very structured. Graveller wants to be the strongest and I told her about Sanchez. She called him out and he accepted her challenge only to show why he was the strongest. She¡¯ll keep challenging him when she feels stronger.¡± Yolanda frowned. ¡°But¡­ Titan¡¯s your strongest pokemon.¡± Titan leaned down and shook his head. ¡°Ty! Tyran!¡± he shook his head and held up a claw to his lips. ¡°Huh?!¡± Yolanda said, confused by Titan¡¯s words. I sniffed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to be bothered by pokemon like Graveller constantly coming after him so he doesn¡¯t announce himself. He prefers to relax when he¡¯s out of training.¡± Titan nodded at this. Titan stiffened as Bertha approached the slowly waking Graveller. The giant rhino pokemon prodded the Graveller and gestured for the new pokemon to follow her. When the Graveller dismissed her Bertha picked the Graveller up like an unruly child causing the Graveller to squawk in surprise.. Yolanda giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t think she was expecting that!¡± Titan warbled a groan of annoyance. Yolanda looked to Titan then to me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why¡¯s he upset?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not worried, just exasperated cause Bertha¡¯s showing the new pokemon how things work.¡± I pat him on the flank. ¡°Don¡¯t worry buddy Bertha won¡¯t tell Graveller about how you¡¯re the strongest¡­ at least not straight away. She¡¯ll be able to settle in and calm down first. If she does learn about you I have another pokemon for her to fight.¡± Titan tilted his head only to follow as I looked to the side to find Scyther buzzing angrily. I reached out. ¡°Hey Scyther, isn¡¯t it nice to have a training buddy to overcome?¡± Scyther buzzed once only to stop when he registered my words. He thought about it before nodding slowly. I gave Titan a smirk, ¡°Think you can help me train him up?¡± Titan smirked slyly. For all that everyone thought of Psychic pokemon when they thought of smart pokemon, Titan was no fool. He was the undisputed strongest pokemon I had but he also worked as the best manager for any pokemon I possessed. For Titan, all the Onix, Aron, Lairon, Geodudes, Gravellers, Golems, and more eventually understood and respected that he was the strongest by a long margin. Before that though he had usually won their respect through other means. It was sort of like having a cool big brother that helped you out only to learn he was secretly the biggest and baddest around. He was the example that all my pokemon came to acknowledge. Graveller would eventually understand how far she had to go. I looked forward to working with her just as I did with any of my pokemon. I glanced down to see Yolanda watching me with an inscrutable look. I merely smiled and drew her in for a side hug. Chapter 51 - Training day tricks I chewed on my gum as my aviators glinted in the afternoon sun. Before me, my once hopeless baseball team of miscreants and minors were chasing a victory. They were in position for one of the last pitches they¡¯d get a chance at. I rubbed my chin in thought and made a vaguely stroking gesture. Next to me, my manager made the actual gestures they were supposed to follow. I¡¯d spent a lot of time pushing him to train his body just as hard as his mind and while he put in the effort he was academically brilliant when it came to absorbing and analysing data. Child prodigies in this world seemed to be all over the place if you cared to look. Or maybe I was just lucking out. Two kids like this in the same team did not a trend set. ¡°What are our odds Manny?¡± I asked. ¡°George isn¡¯t on point today so I think the batter will have a better chance of getting two of his runners off base.¡± I looked at the kids on first and third base and grimaced. ¡°Trade him out?¡± Manny flicked through his sheets before shaking his head. ¡°He¡¯s the best matchup we have. If Tomas was more accurate¡­¡± He quickly adjusted his glasses before glancing over his sheets. ¡°George! Swap it out for Tomas!¡± I made a sign to the umpire and he nodded his head before signalling we were trading pitchers. I hummed. Beside me, Manny shifted back and forth. ¡°I said if he was more accurate. Not that we should trade him out!¡± ¡°Eh, gotta give him some more experience. I think he¡¯s put in some good effort over the season.¡± I patted the top of my head while next to me Manny lifted his right foot to scratch it. ¡°Really, a fastball?¡± I asked. ¡°May as well give him the best chances of a catch or a strike,¡± Manny said. I nodded and the kid got into position. On the sidelines, parents and siblings called out for their families. In the dugout, Karen was leaning back with her feet kicked up watching on. She¡¯d led no small number of chants with the parents against the opposing team''s coach that got them twitching and glowering back at Karen. Food sellers walked along the lines happily pitching their wares. The more lucrative of them had Machoke to carry their goods. Today¡¯s opposing team had an Elekid, their team¡¯s namesake, sitting out in front of the crowd stirring up trouble while across from me the opponent¡¯s coach glared at me. The Elekid was cute but it had nothing on a fully painted-up Titan as he sat on our side. The kids ¡ª both my little siblings and the team¡ª had loved getting the chance to paint his scales in their colours. I rather liked the way the girls had painted some pretty flowers on his flank that he couldn¡¯t see but made the girls giggle whenever they saw them. ¡°She is taking this way too seriously,¡± I said more to myself than anyone else. I eyed the opposite coach as she furiously spoke with the next kid she was going to send out to bat. ¡°She¡¯s not just a coach but also a minor gym leader in Johto,¡± said a husky voice from behind me. I sighed as I realised Karen had snuck up on me once again. ¡°Oh so this is not just about beating my team but also showing me up?¡± I said to Karen. Beside me, Manny bristled. ¡°Hey get back in the dugout! You¡¯re only the offensive coordinator, not the coach!¡± Manny said, trying futilely to push her back. When she flicked him on the forehead he stumbled back and glowered impotently at her. I merely rolled my eyes. Almost half a season together butting heads and they couldn¡¯t play nice. I grabbed the smaller boy and directed him to the other side of me. ¡°Leave it for now Manny,¡± I said. Manny didn''t say anything but he did lean around me to glower at Karen as he made a sign for the next pitch. ¡°Strike Two!¡± called the umpire as our catcher tossed to second when the runner on first tried something only to catch the ball again when it was hurled back at him. ¡°Yooooooou¡¯re out!¡± claimed the umpire as our catcher swatted the oncoming runner. Manny fist-pumped. Karen punched forward and I nodded. Alright just needed two more¡­ just two more¡­ ¡°Two more, yeah? And then another few rounds of that and we can hoist the big trophy?¡± Karen said with a grin. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re in the running for the Indigo Little League trophy¡­¡± I rolled my shoulders in agitation. Karen shot me a look. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, think we¡¯re not good enough?¡± ¡°I think we need to play our best today and a few of the kids are off cause of the trip being sort of rough¡­ Otherwise, I think this would be much more in our favour,¡± I said. She hummed as she considered what I¡¯d said. A hard crack sadly followed my words as Tomas¡¯s pitch was struck along the ground. Sadly the batter was either skilled or lucky enough to space it into the area of two of our outfielders. Who promptly ran into each other. Manny and I both put our hands to our faces. ¡°Well it¡¯s certainly not our offence that¡¯s falling short,¡± she said as the batter made it all the way to third base before they threw the ball in. I gave her an unimpressed look. Our batting had already been strong before her arrival. All she did was lighten the load slightly. Honestly, with Jamie on the team, I wasn¡¯t surprised to have found myself hoisting the Kanto Little League cup a week ago. Now at the next level, things were tougher. Instead of saying anything of this though I cupped my hands together. ¡°Sally! Crowley! You alright?¡± They waved at me and I waved back. ¡°Alright walk around a bit and call for the ball as we practised!¡± Karen made a K sign at the opposing coach as Tomas threw a ball. Across from me, the other Gym Leader¡¯s glower seemed to intensify instead of being happy meaning she¡¯d definitely seen the gesture. ¡°Why have you been pi¡ª¡± I shot a look at Manny and he gave me a look as if to say ¡®I know what you were going to say and don¡¯t mind¡¯. I coughed ¡°¡ªpoking the Primeape with the opposition Coach? Why the K?¡± I asked Karen as we watched Tomas strike out the next kid. I pumped my fist. ¡°Nice Tomas, one more!¡± ¡°Well she¡¯s our opposition first of all. Second of all she¡¯s trying to play herself off as a ¡®Dark Type¡¯ Specialist so you could say it¡¯s personal.¡± I could hear the disdain in her voice. ¡°And the K?¡± ¡°Her Daddy fought in the war but fought is a stretch. Her family earned a lot of respect and were looking to establish themselves as one of the big eight of Johto before it was proven her father didn¡¯t fight in the battles he claimed and in fact never even stepped foot on a battlefield.¡± Having half an inkling of how bad that was in my old world I whistled lowly. ¡°Huh,¡± I said intelligently. ¡°So you¡¯re going to, what, distract her from coaching her team?¡± ¡°That¡¯d be a bonus! But I want her spitting fire like a Magmar when I talk with her.¡± Karen winked ¡°I think it¡¯s time I spread my wings and made my run with the Ace Leaderboard. I will set up a match and then make a showing against her that will make it clear who the best Dark type gym is straight up. From there I¡¯ll fight some other big name Ace Trainers along with challenging the gyms that have Ace challenges set up in Johto.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lose,¡± I said simply. It was something lots of gyms wanted to reach but it typically took a number of years or you had to inherit an already set up system and team from a family member to run Ace Challenges. Some gyms like Cerulean didn¡¯t offer the Ace challenge but others such as Viridian, Saffron, Fuschia, Vermilion, Cinnabar and of course myself, did for Kanto. In Johto¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure who offered them, but I could probably suspect Blackthorn and Mahogany gyms at least. I¡¯d need to do some research on that. The drawback for the trainers, if they lost, was that they lost a sizeable down payment as it was expected you were worth the time of the Gym Leader¡¯s using their best pokemon against you. You had to pony up anywhere from ten to thirty times the standard fee for each gym. Against Giovanni? You were measuring an expense of roughly a hundred thousand just to face him once. Your match would also be televised with Battlecast which could be live or delayed depending on the gym¡¯s agreement. Viridian for example always delayed to offer up prime time snippets during the circuit even if the match ran at midday. This helped the gyms capable of this level of pokemon battle to rake in a lot of money. ¡°Please!¡± she threw her hair over her shoulder and lifted her chin at the opposing woman. ¡°Little girl doesn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Karen from the Indigo League¡­ you placed second against Lance¡­¡± Manny stared at Karen while rubbing under his nose. I blinked in surprise. Wait? Karen had been the other finalist against Lance back when he made his run of the circuit? That was news to me but then again I didn¡¯t really chat with Karen all that much. So that meant if she¡¯d challenged at the same time she would have faced Sabrina when Sabrina was back from Hoenn with me¡­ I¡¯d asked Sabrina about Karen and she hadn¡¯t even remembered Karen. ¡°Come on Tomas!¡± shouted Manny, disrupting my musing. Tomas sent in a slider and I clicked my tongue when the umpire shook his head. ¡°Ball three!¡± the batter grunted in annoyance and reset himself. Manny scratched his foot again. Karen watched Manny hoot and holler. ¡°Got a good memory on you there kid. Usually, people don¡¯t remember further back than three years ago, or more specifically the winners.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your hair¡­ you had a really scary Houndoom,¡± Manny said while watching the pitch. ¡°I still have him.¡± She gave Manny a proud smile only to click her tongue as the next batter got to walk, advancing the first runner onto second base. The next kid stepped up from their team and I knew from Manny¡¯s stiffening we were in trouble. The kid proved my trust in Manny¡¯s analysis right as he smacked a hit deep into the field and I clicked my teeth as they got a solid lead for the first time today. We traded out pitchers after that but started to slowly bleed runs. By the eighth, we were down six runs. When the kids returned to the dugout I clapped them on the shoulders and directed them to the drinks bucket that I had stashed with juice and waters. ¡°Jaimie you¡¯re in last¡­ but first I want Craig¡­ George¡­ and Manny to get your helmets on.¡± Manny squawked. ¡°Coach! I¡¯m the manager!?¡± ¡°And your mother and father didn¡¯t come all the way to Bloomingvale to watch you flip sheets around. Get your helmet on and swing for the stands! Have some fun!¡± I said. Manny stumbled off. ¡°I¡¯ll need to watch their pitcher and determine the..¡± He trailed off as he walked away leaving me alone with Karen. I waved to Manny¡¯s parents before pointing to their son as he donned a helmet. ¡°MY BOY! WOOOOOOAAAH!¡± It turned out Manny¡¯s father was the foreman in the local steel mill of Pewter. That meant that by definition he was big, burly, and loud. However, he was out shouted by his wife who was two heads smaller and a quarter his weight. ¡°YEEEEEEEEAHHHHH MANNY!!!! GO MANNY!! GO GO GO GO!!!¡± I smirked as I sent Manny out first. Karen sighed, muttering under her breath. ¡°Making my job to bring us that Trophy a bit hard Brock.¡± I huffed at her as she patted Manny on the helmet a touch roughly. ¡°Just bunt it and get a run for your stat sheet. Make it on base brat!¡± That instantly had him refocusing on something other than trying to swing big and something much more reasonable. He stepped up to the plate and raised his bat into a terrible position. Karen and I both cringed. ¡°Yeah you were the one in charge of him,¡± she said, pushing me under the Tauros stampede. I rolled my eyes at her but didn¡¯t comment. Instead, I watched as he swung out on two pitches before lucking out into a hit. He startled badly before his mother roared at him to run like the wind. He started running while holding his bat over his head. The first baseman didn¡¯t know what to do. It must have looked like Manny was threatening him as he leapt out of the way instead of standing his ground and catching the ball as it was tossed in. I whistled. ¡°Huh, he did it.¡± I shook myself before nodding seriously. ¡°I mean of course he did!¡± Karen snorted into her fist. When the next kid swung out she spoke up. ¡°You free at the end of the week?¡± ¡°I have a training session with my trainers. One of the only big sessions I¡¯ll be able to get in with most of them before the circuit kicks off.¡± Karen sniffed. ¡°Leave a Lady in the cold, why don¡¯t you? Just dump it on an older trainer. I want to fight to see how you¡¯ve been going with empowering your pokemon with rock and dark type moves. Or were you lying when you offered me a date?¡± I huffed at her. ¡°... I might do that,¡± I said after thinking about it for a bit. I could and should delegate, and it wasn¡¯t that important a session. I nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll fight you before the weekend.¡± I might have Celia stick around to watch and instead have Rocko run things. She¡¯d be off soon and Jackson would be back so a high-level match would be a good show for her to motivate her. ¡°Tomas! Go get us a hit!¡± I sent out the kid that was easily the worst batter I had on my team. Well, worst now after Manny. He hadn¡¯t changed much from day one. He¡¯d gotten better at pitching, fielding and his one skill with the bat. ¡°It¡¯s a bunt!¡± shouted the opposing team¡¯s coach after the fact as Tomas sprinted to first and Manny hurdled towards second. ¡°Go go go Manny! Go Tomas!¡± The fielders didn¡¯t know who to throw to and I grinned as both of them made it to base. I turned to the rest of the team before pointing at Craig. ¡°See if we can get a run or bases loaded kay?¡± He nodded seriously, his face locked in a scowl. ¡°Hey relax your grip a bit as well!¡± I shouted after him. He did for all of a second before taking a huge swing that hit nothing but air. ¡°Impressive swing. Shame he didn¡¯t hit it,¡± Karen said snarkily. ¡°Keeps closing his eyes,¡± I said while watching Manny and Tomas who were getting twitchy. ¡°Manny get back!¡± I shouted. The pitcher twitched and turned to find Manny hadn¡¯t moved. He glowered before hurling another pitch straight over the plate. I clicked my tongue and watched Craig get struck out. I nodded to my ace. ¡°Jaimie.¡± The girl nodded and marched past her team, getting cheers as she moved to the plate. She took a few experimental swings while her eyes marked where people were on the field. I could almost see her working out the field in her head and matching how and where was safe to hit to. She watched the first straight over the plate without a twitch. When the umpire called strike one the other team cheered. Karen tilted her head. ¡°She¡¯s cool under pressure.¡± I nodded, watching as the kid lined up for the next shot. She breathed in, resettled her grip, and then let loose. The park filled with a solid ¡®crack¡¯ as she swung through at just the right time and sent the ball sailing over the back fence. The kids on both sides stood and stared as Jaimie leisurely ran around the field. When Tomas got to Manny he pushed the smaller boy to remind him to get going. Manny sprinted like he¡¯d been hit with a Weedle¡¯s poison sting. He got a loud round of cheers as he crossed home. As did Tomas a few seconds later. Jaimie happily rounded it out to both team¡¯s praise, albeit begrudgingly from the home team of Bloomingvale that we were facing. Karen for once had nothing bad to say merely watching the girl with a thoughtful look. ¡°She really is great isn''t she?¡± ¡°Yeah, she is. Shame I didn¡¯t have another of her. But she¡¯s going to be getting a lot of interest from the scouts.¡± I was sadly proven right on the first part of what I said when the next kid was caught in the outfield, resulting in us going down two down. Then we struck out. They then extended their lead and despite Jaimie repeating her homerun with bases loaded, we couldn¡¯t catch up in the final round. I still lead the team in cheers for the winners before having us funnel them off. The other coach worked out what we were doing and reciprocated which I found nice. When we shook hands at the end I grinned at her. ¡°Great game coach!¡± She grinned back at me. ¡°Not a problem, You were a good test for my kids. Still doing the whole ¡®everyone gets a chance to play¡¯?¡± she said while nodding to Manny who was blushing as Jaimie talked with him. Heh cute, looks like he had a crush on the sporty girl. I shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re a good bunch of kids.¡± Perhaps it was the old health worker in me but I wanted to encourage the kids to keep up their healthy habits. That baseball was the best translation to throwing a Pokeball was widely understood. Pewter city itself had no less than four teams. We¡¯d beaten the locals and gotten to advance to the regional Kanto league. We¡¯d won that tournament and now were playing in the finals. Which was honestly pretty great. Making the finals in the Indigo Little League was nothing to scoff at. This was my best showing and I was rather pleased to add some small silverware to my office. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the Bloomingvale Gym Leader as well right?¡± I asked. She got a bit stiff at that before tilting her head. ¡°Yes, yes I am, Danica Nightfall is my name. Nice to meet you Brock,¡± she said after clenching her jaw for a moment. She extended her hand for another handshake and I clasped it again, amused at the repeated gesture. ¡°We¡¯re not one of the big eight but still valid for the League circuit, I¡¯m¡­ happy to know you¡¯ve heard of us. I know you didn¡¯t go for a Johto circuit when you were on your journey.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, the shared pokemon population and limited timeframe I had made me want to range further afield once I had proven I could handle myself.¡± I tossed a thumb over my shoulder. ¡°Sorry about Karen,¡± I said knowing that Karen wasn¡¯t going to be apologising for her antics. Danica snorted as her eyes shot to where Karen was smirking. And just like that two trainers locked eyes, and I could almost feel the acknowledgement and unwritten statement forming between them. They would be fighting, and soon. I watched them for a moment more before turning away. I clapped my hands to attract my kids¡¯ attention. ¡°Alright, Let¡¯s get our medals and celebrate how far we¡¯ve come! Karen¡¯s paying for the local Miltank¡¯s Milk bar!¡± Karen broke her staredown to splutter at me and I grinned and shot her a wink. Surprisingly she did actually catch the gesture but then again, aura was wonderful for conveying intent. Dark type was particularly good at showing playfulness with slightly malicious undertones such as kicking her in front of the Taurus herd. The kids all cheered as if they had won the game instead of losing. I grinned only for it to get wider when Manny¡¯s mum took up the cheer with the parents. ¡°Yeah!!! Coaches shout for the arcade games!¡± This got the kids cheering harder. I blinked as I realised I¡¯d just been kicked after Karen by Manny¡¯s mother. Sneaky woman. I now knew where Manny got his size and smarts from. Before I departed with the kids Karen tapped me on the arm. ¡°Three versus three at your gym. I¡¯m going to go have a chat with Miss Nightfall.¡± A Look of dark amusement played out across Karen¡¯s face and I made a note to pencil in some time to watch her and Danica¡¯s match. Hopefully, it would be shown live. I nodded and continued on. Titan carried half the team on his shoulders as we tromped our way down to the local Miltank Milk bar each kid had a medal around their neck for coming second in the tournament and overall things were ending on a high note. Honestly, we¡¯d gone much further than I thought we would have. They were a good group of kids. I was amused to see the Pokemon Academy official approach Jaimie and her mother for a scholarship and was pleased when they accepted. When we were done I had to drag Karen with me to the register to pay the bill. The till operator had a megawatt smile that didn¡¯t dim at all as thick wads of pokedollars were presented. She gave back a scattering of coins which I let Karen nab. When we were done the kids all departed with their parents and hopped on the bus for those whose parents couldn¡¯t be here. Karen tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°See you later!¡± ¡°You too,¡± I said, finding myself looking forward to the coming match against her. The end of the next week couldn¡¯t come fast enough.
I stretched my arms over the top of my head, enjoying the way my muscles felt. It had been a few days since Trixie had last been around, so I was feeling fairly recovered. When the front door buzzed I hopped up and opened it, ignoring the slightly colder wind blowing. Karen and another man stood in the entrance. Karen¡¯s glowering look was answered by my raising up a frankly huge cup of coffee. She stared at it. ¡°Tell me that¡¯s straight black right?¡± ¡°Yup, it¡¯s also the biggest they had¡­ which is apparently called a bucket,¡± I said, glancing at the man accompanying her. Karen waved her hand back. ¡°This is Tony, my publicist.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take photos and videos. Add anything good to highlight Karen,¡± he glanced over at me. ¡°We¡¯ll have to blur you¡­¡± I frowned, feeling slightly offended. I wasn¡¯t ¡®dressed up¡¯ by any measure but I didn¡¯t look bad. Karen snickered into her bucket. ¡°Relax Brock, it¡¯s to hide our relationship until I¡¯m ready. I need to make my own name without hitching it to yours right now.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°No one knows about you and Agatha then I take it?¡± I said as I led them into the arena. I glanced at Tony only to realise just how big this guy actually was. He easily had two heads over me and I could only compare him to Surge, who was the largest man I knew. ¡°Also I will have someone take you to the security wing where you can make use of the cameras in our gym.¡± Tony perked up at that only to let his glower reclaim his face. When we got into the arena I waved at Celia who I¡¯d told to stick around so she could watch this match. The same applied to Forrest who I¡¯d gotten to come along as well. Although he wasn¡¯t meeting us and had instead claimed a good seat to the side and was sitting with his legs kicked up so he could doze. I whistled at him and he waved back sleepily. I scowled at him but didn¡¯t get any further response, making me shake my head. He¡¯d regret not coming down here in a few months when Karen was announced as an Elite Four member. I had to wonder if he¡¯d remember her. Karen marched up to me and looked over the field. ¡°Urgh¡­ it¡¯s early.¡± ¡°Nah it¡¯s perfect! There¡¯s nothing better than having a match in the morning!¡± I said hopping over the edge before jogging over to my podium where I began setting up the arena. Karen stared after me. She glowered at me from over the top of her drink. ¡°Brock, when I said you could set something up for us to have a match I didn¡¯t mean to schedule it in the morning,¡± she said followed by a giant yawn. I shrugged and swung my hands about as the podium began to rise up. ¡°Eh, I have things to do today beyond just fighting you. And you know what they say. Early Pidgey gets the Caterpie and all that jazz.¡± ¡°Urgh! You¡¯re a morning person, I should have known¡­¡± she said as she walked around to the stairs which she proceeded to stalk down. ¡°Which doesn¡¯t fit with you being a partial dark type. I would have thought the rock made you slower to get going in the morning.¡± I dropped into a leg stretch with a side lunge. ¡°Nah! I¡¯ve always been something of a morning person!¡± I blamed my family in my first life. Growing up in the country demanded that most people get up before the sun. The habit had remained when I¡¯d gotten older and carried through into my second life. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Not up for it now?¡± ¡°Urgh, at least you know how to treat a girl.¡± She slurped from her ¡®bucket¡¯ and let out a slightly breathy moan of delight as she reached her podium. I coughed, highly conscious of the watchers in the form of Forrest in the stands and Celia and Tony in the camera room. I did not want to give Karen a video of me checking her out. ¡°So what¡¯s up with Tony?¡± I said as I twisted about slightly to get more warmed up. Karen stretched out her neck. ¡°He¡¯s my publicist, like he said.¡± When I merely raised an eyebrow she rolled her eyes. ¡°Gyms aren¡¯t the only people that have support crews Brock. I also have a small team that helps keep me sharp along with getting me the best things.¡± She took another drink. ¡°Like I deserve.¡± At my hum of interest she rolled her eyes. ¡°I also have some girls that I spar with over at the Battleclub fleecing some punks. Tony¡¯s support is different though cause he sucks in fights. I huffed at her. ¡°So, how do you want to do this?¡± I selected a pokeball and enlarged it. It was interesting to watch Karen¡¯s entire demeanour change. She went from sleepy to switched on with an intense expression as her eyes roamed over the field once again. This time instead of her eyes merely passing over it they catalogued everything. Then her gaze turned towards me and I felt something ripple over me. I pulled up some of my own energy and felt my own body firm up as my feet suddenly felt more rooted into the platform underneath me. I felt like I could stand against the world and it would break against me. Karen tossed her coffee cup over her shoulder carelessly. The splatter of wasted coffee merely making her smile wider as I scowled. ¡°You¡¯re cleaning that up,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Make me Brocky boy~!¡± she said with a sing-song as she selected her own pokeball. I grunted and flicked my head. ¡°On three?¡± She nodded and we counted down together before unleashing at three. From my pokeball Knight took to the stage with a snort, his heavier weight causing a shudder to cause a rumble through the podium. In the stands, Forrest sat up as the chairs shook slightly. His legs were dislodged from where they rested. Across from me a much smaller light appeared with a white cat like pokemon. The pokemon bristled as it locked eyes with Knight. ¡°Absol!¡± I hummed in consideration. If she had the chance, this would be a wonderful pokemon to use as a stall out pro. I could recall it featuring in the games and online pokemon competitions as they typically had good defense and health pools. Then again that was with specially designed pokemon. Breeding pokemon like that wasn¡¯t possible just as IV training wasn¡¯t something that actually happened in this world. I knew it was a Dark type with some ghost moves which suited Karen with her apprenticeship under Agatha. ¡°Curse!¡± Karen called out to start things off. Absol¡¯s body shimmered with dark purple energy before the energy field tore itself in half. Absol lurched. I swore. And she can just do that, I thought to myself. ¡°Damn dark types, Knight return!¡± I barked, raising his pokeball and returning him which was one of the most convenient ways I had to stop the curse from taking effect. I selected another pokeball and tossed it out. Karen was obviously making me play games so I would shake things up. ¡°Go Titan!¡± I shouted releasing the greatball from my neck in a practised gesture. Titan emerged like an angry god. He roared and the air vibrated at his power. Karen whistled. ¡°Well hello to you too,¡± she said. ¡°Curse him Absol!¡± ¡°Earthquake,¡± I commanded to my pokemon as the energy built up once more around Absol. ¡°Break off and AA!¡± Her pokemon crouched low and when Titan stomped her pokemon leapt only to hover in the air and then blur back to a rock as the earthquake ended. I whistled. That had been an impressive use of aerial ace. ¡°Sandstorm,¡± I said after considering the field. ¡°Curse him Absol,¡± Karen said threateningly. The slowly building sandstorm that had emerged with Titan¡¯s appearance whipped up and became a proper storm worth its name. The wind whipped around us and I narrowed my eyes more than usual to ward off the loose sand. I could just make out Karen¡¯s form and the shapes of our pokemon. Absol had a large energy field around it and was once more building up an energy field. I hummed before raising my pokeball. I had at least forced her hand a bit with the field effect this time and while it was anticlimatic there was no need to commit and weaken my pokemon right now. Karen was forcing my hand and I was letting her but that wouldn¡¯t be for long. Her pokemon had taken two curses now to force the change out from me. Absol didn¡¯t have a ghost typing. Was this Agatha¡¯s influence or had Karen trained her pokemon to handle curse better than other pokemon? Still, her use of it was reckless. Unless her plan was to see what my pokemon choices were now? Hmmm that wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea actually. I decided to go for something risky. She had wanted to see how I beat Lance hadn¡¯t she? So I would show her with a pokemon technically weak to her. ¡°Go Selene!¡± I shouted as I whipped her pokeball forward. Selene appeared and wobbled in the sandstorm before floating up and around. ¡°....!¡± said Karen, her words lost in the wind as she must have deliberately not spoken up. Her pokemon shifted into a more upright position but that appeared to be it. ¡°Selene Moonblast!¡± I shouted. In front of her, a large orb of pink energy built up. I saw Karen stiffen and order something. Her pokemon twitched and another dark energy built up around Absol from what I could see. Karen slashed her hand and over the howling winds I heard her shout . ¡±No not ¡ª one!¡± to her pokemon. Had her pokemon just disobeyed? This was one of the issues with having a sight obstructing sandstorm in play. It was strong enough to grind down opposing pokemon but to do that it had to be strong enough to cause issues with sound and sight. I¡¯d have to ask later what she¡¯d been intending. The pink orb of power slammed into her pokemon and sent her Absol hurtling back. I pumped a fist at that. While Selene might have been a poor choice on typings she made it up in moves that she could pull. A fairy-type move? Perfect for slapping down dark types. Her Absol stood only to be buffeted in the wind. A red beam of light shot out from Karen and I clicked my tongue. Her pokemon was withdrawn before I could go for the kill. She must not have been feeling too confident. Her next pokemon emerged and I could make out the canine shape with the horns on her head. I didn¡¯t need to hear to know she had called out her Houndoom. I wasn¡¯t sure which was her starter. The Houndoom or her Umbreon, but I suspected I knew why she had sent her pokemon out. ¡°....!¡± I heard words on the wind but again could not decipher them. It didn¡¯t stop me from shouting an order of my own. ¡°Psychic!¡± I shouted to Selene. From the vague Houndoom like shape a fire lit up the sandstorm before it rapidly expanded and became a literal inferno that exploded outwards. The sand was blown outwards due to the flamethrower Hounddoom had unleashed. The front of my podium and the edges of the arena lit up as the barriers for our safety activated. Around us, rocks were now glassed from the heatwave that had swept the sand away. In front of Selene, a wall of fire pulsed in her psychic grip. I was about to order her to throw it back before thinking better. ¡°Smother it,¡± I said instead. Odds were that tossing it back would only empower the fire-type pokemon if it had the ability flashfire. Karen¡¯s rather pronounced click of the tongue let me know I was right. She grinned at me. ¡°Thought you might oblige a lady Brock.¡± I snorted at her in amusement. ¡°I think it¡¯s going to take a bit of sandblasting to get the glass off Karen,¡± I said in reply. Karen eyed my third pokemon. ¡°So Aggron, Tyranitar and Lunatone eh? Hmmmm I¡¯d say the last one is your most deadly so I think I¡¯ll be taking her out now! Use Nuuuu!!¡± she said, dragging out the order in a practised manner. ¡°Selene, get ready with future sight!¡± I ordered. Around both pokemon energy built up and it was only a few seconds later I realised she¡¯d used nasty plot to boost her pokemon. Specifically her ¡®Special attack¡¯ stat. ¡°Selene build up with Calm Mind!¡± I ordered, preparing for the next play. ¡°Use Darkpulse!¡± called Karen. Her pokemon once more erupted but this time in darkness. ¡°Fire off Moonblast! Create a passage of safety!¡± I commanded. Selene built up her moonblast once again but this time she almost seemed to hold it close to herself as she shot it and herself forward. The attack slammed into the onrushing dark pulse only to open up a passage through for her. ¡°Crunch!¡± ordered Karen as suddenly her Hounddoom was emerging from the side. She must be used to having her pokemon fire off a pulse and then change positions. It made sense she would create an opening with opponents losing sight of her pokemon in the small window. I couldn¡¯t copy the trick I used against Lance due to dark pulse stopping teleport dead. I¡¯d done as much the first time I faced off against Sabrina. Her Kadabra''s tricks of teleporting and controlling the field was no use in the face of Titan¡¯s Dark Pulse. It wasn¡¯t something I was going to replicate with my pokemon. Instead, I had to accept that Selene had been caught out. She was tackled to the side but she¡¯d already passed through the pulse so she couldn¡¯t be slammed into it as well. She warbled in pain as the dark energies and fangs of the Houndoom tore into her. I had to grit my teeth. ¡°Use ROCK TOMB!¡± I shouted trying to get the order to her through the pain she must have been going through. She responded wonderfully as two rocks shot up out of the ground and caught the Houndoom about the leg. It wasn¡¯t as strong as it should have been but I suspected that had to do with being caught in the jaws of Houndoom. ¡°Dark Pulse!¡± shouted Karen. ¡°Rock Tomb again!¡± I had hoped that Selena¡¯s attack would have forced Houndoom to drop her but sadly he seemed to have a trap for a jaw as it remained locked on my pokemon. Dark energy erupted once more from Karen¡¯s pokemon just as more rocks snapped up around Houndoom¡¯s leg. This time the attack reached all the way up to the hip. It made Houndoom cry out in pain and drop my pokemon but instead of floating back upwards she dropped to the ground, too spent to rise. I made a signal to Karen which she accepted. If we had a referee they¡¯d have announced I was withdrawing Selene from the match. Overall I was happy with how she¡¯d done. She¡¯d fairly savaged two of Karen¡¯s pokemon despite the match up. Houndoom limped back in front of Karen and growled. It tried to shift positions but I could see it was uncomfortable. I selected Titan¡¯s pokeball from my necklace once more and felt my anticipation build. She¡¯d used her strongest to take out Selene. Now I was going to dunk on her with Titan. I was just winding up to throw his pokeball when an alarm blared out through the gym. I growled at the interference before stiffening. ¡°Shit! That¡¯s a gym alert! The Gym is under attack!¡± Karen gave me a look that conveyed how little that meant to her. I threw myself over the podium and began running for the security room, only to pause as the loudspeakers rang out with Celia¡¯s voice. ¡°Brock! The gym¡¯s wall has been breached to the west! People are charging in and there seems to be a large¡­ aircraft?¡± Celia said only for another voice to speak up. ¡°Zeppelin, an oddly streamlined one at that,¡± said what had to be Tony¡¯s ¡ªKaren¡¯s publicist¡ª voice. Forrest had bolted down to me. ¡°Brock? What should I do?¡± I worked my jaw and considered him. I wanted to storm out with Titan at the front of my team with me ordering them to lay waste. But then I rethought that order. Things started clicking into place. Jenny had mentioned that Team Rocket had been sniffing around and Team Rocket meant Giovanni. Giovanni who had a Legendary. I needed to be careful. But I couldn¡¯t let this simply pass without acting. I just had to not be dumb. ¡°Forrest, take Knight and lock down our house. If anyone tries to enter there you blast them,¡± I said tossing him Knight¡¯s pokeball. He caught it and hurriedly ran to our house. The rest of my family would be safe at school. If Giovanni tried something there he¡¯d draw far too much heat. At least I assumed he would, the darker part of my mind supplied. I clenched my jaw and cycled my rock energy to keep myself calm as I stormed towards the security room. Karen hopped down from her podium to join me. When she landed she stumbled. I half turned in concern but she waved me off. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just an awkward landing!¡± ¡°Right let¡¯s get to the security room and see what we¡¯re dealing with,¡± I said to her as we broke into a jog. I opened the normally locked door in advance with a tap of my transceiver before I even reached them. When I reached the security room I still practically slammed into it. ¡°Report!¡± I barked to Celia. My eyes swept the room to find her and Tony sitting in front of a set of monitors that showcased Team Rocket. They had grunts and one rather dressed-up man fighting a number of my pokemon. The spread of water and grass types with dewgongs, Starmies, and Victreebels meant they had come ready to fight my pokemon. They weren¡¯t ready for my electric typed pokemon with the variant geodude I had along with the pair of Onix I had that breathed dragon breaths to create limited mobility for Team Rocket to advance. A Rhydon and trio of Tauros emerged and started using rock and earth moves to counter these attacks while reclaiming space for themselves. I found myself rather pleased with how my pokemon were acting. The newest Graveller had planted herself in front of a number of weaker Geodudes and was using Rock Throw very deftly. Scyther was on the field blitzing in and out to harry Team Rocket like we¡¯d been practising. He was getting a good deal of attention as a rare and popular pokemon, but so far whenever he was in danger he either buzzed away or another of my pokemon was able to block for him. These Team Rocket members were having to work for each step they gained but they were still advancing. These were obviously not the Team Rocket that most people from my world initially thought of with Jessie and James. These were the professional hardened criminals. That didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t be keeping an eye out for them, however. Jessie and James were names that now jumped to the top of my list to research with the looming circuit. That was for later. Right now I was facing off against a criminal organisation that had set its sights on my gym. I narrowed my eyes and considered everything I knew. Next to me, Karen leaned forward. ¡°We gonna get em?¡± ¡°I plan to do more than just get these ones,¡± I said as I felt a plan form in my mind.
¡°What the hell¡¯s the hold up?¡± shouted one of the Rocket Grunts only to duck as a rock hurtled through where his head was. Another grunt that was squatting down behind a boulder nodded to the newcomer. ¡°Welcome to the trenches boyo.¡± ¡°What the hell was that?¡± said the first grunt. ¡°That was a Geodude,¡± said the second grunt, now lighting a cigarette. ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Geodude,¡± said the second as he puffed out a ring of smoke. ¡°No fecken way that was a geodude! Those pokemon are weak as hell!¡± claimed the newcomer only to lean out to look. He threw himself into the wall as another rock ripped its way through the air. ¡°That¡¯s a feckin Geodude!¡± The squatting man nodded his head. ¡°Makes sense why management wanted us to take a run at the Pewter gym¡¯s pokemon if this is how strong they are. Damn well trained.¡± He plucked a pokeball from his belt and nodded behind himself. ¡°Gonna gas it up then blow it up. You got the capture device?¡± The younger grunt grabbed another device that was more like a lantern with a circle opening where a black pokeball with green marking on it rested. ¡°Yup! Knock it out then I¡¯ll capture it.¡± ¡°Koffing gas it up!¡± A pokeball was tossed out and from it a Koffing arose, trails of smoke beginning to billow out of the purple pokemon. ¡°Kooff¡ª¡± The pokemon¡¯s cry was cut off sharply as it took a rock to the face. It was blasted back towards the grunts who scrambled over themselves to get away from the gas the toxic pokemon was spewing out. ¡°Damn it Boxer! I told you that wasn¡¯t going to work!¡± squealed the man with the capture device. ¡°The shit you did!¡± shouted ¡®Boxer¡¯ as he ran swallowing his cigarette as he did so lest the flame ignite the koffing gas. From atop the nearby plateau, I chuckled while Quirrina hovered next to me. He¡¯d given Karen a pointed glower when we¡¯d arrived via the hidden tunnel from the medical bay. It was unfortunate timing that Selene was knocked out but I¡¯d deposited her with Chansey before locking things down. Celia was now holding the back entrance of the gym. I glanced around to see another pair of Rockets being bodied by the small herd of Rhyhorn I had. Shin and Scyther shot in and knocked them down with the back of their blades. The Rocket¡¯s cried out. ¡°Damn it where are the electric pokemon we were promised against these ones?!¡± cried out one. I hummed in interest. Now that was¡ª An electrical surge shot up over the wall on the southern side where the swamp was only to cut out quickly. I smirked while Karen frowned. ¡°What was that?¡± she said. Before I could reply an Electabuzz and a Voltorb were hurled through the wall making me sigh as a loud ribbit sounded from the swamp. A trio of Rocket grunts ran through the break only to book it to the west and out of the fight, ignoring the others'' cries for them to come back and fight. From the swamp a large blue pokemon emerged on all fours. ¡°SWAMPERT!¡± cried out Shrek as he lined up on the earth pokemon and began blasting with Hydro Pumps. The impact of having one of my Elite pokemon joining the fight was immediate with Rocket pokemon going flying. Karen rubbed her chin. ¡°I¡¯d heard that you had one of those but never saw you use it¡­ Thought you didn¡¯t have very long in Hoenn?¡± I smirked. ¡°I¡¯m very efficient,¡± I said smugly, turning my attention elsewhere. With that area taken care of and a number of the grunts looking frazzled, it didn¡¯t seem like it¡¯d take much more for them to run away. Scyther and Shin were cleaning up with my Rhyhorn working well with the Aron I had to harass a group that had come in from the north. The western group that had entered had been stalled and were being pushed back. Which left only another group that was trying to sneak towards my sheds where I kept the food for my pokemon. I decided I didn¡¯t want any of that. I was just about to order Quiirina to carry me down when I heard something. I tilted my head and glanced around. This time I looked up and spotted a small dark spot in the sky. I narrowed my eyes. ¡­That shape. ¡°Don! Take out the Fearow!¡± Don appeared with a screech that had all the rockets looking up and spotting me on the edge of the plateau. ¡°Go Arbok!¡± ¡°Growlithe!¡± ¡°Raticate!¡± ¡°Machoke!¡± ¡°Weezing!¡± ¡°Magnemite!¡± ¡°Venomoth!¡± ¡°Purugly!¡± cried out a number of Rocket grunts and the one rather stylishly dressed man. That last pokemon had me snapping my head to the cat pokemon. That wasn¡¯t from a region that was open to anyone. I hadn¡¯t even heard of the Sinnoh region being discovered and I had a secret society feeding me information. How did a Rocket Executive have that pokemon? It being here had quite a few implications. None of them good. I glanced at the trainers before me as they unleashed their pokemon. I raised another pokeball. ¡°Sanchez go!¡± My moustached pokemon landed on the side of the slope and instead of allowing his toes to dig in he allowed himself to slide with his hands crossed over. It¡­ actually looked pretty cool. ¡°Thunder,¡± I ordered. Sanchez tweaked his moustache and winked before punching the sky and unleashing lightning bolts upon the pokemon. Instantly the Venomoth, Growlithe and Raticate dropped as paralysis took hold. Sanchez continued to slide forward. ¡°Arbok, use Toxic!¡± shouted one of the grunts. ¡°Leap over it and shake them up!¡± I said in response. Sanchez bent at the knees before throwing himself up and over the sizzling poison. ¡°Go-lem! Lem! Go!¡± He raised his hand and I grinned knowing what was to come. Sanchez leaned forward just enough to allow his hand to reach the ground as he slammed into the ground in a picture-perfect three-point landing. A classic for any person that had watched a superhero movie. Sanchez just so happened to love movie night and with younger siblings Superheroes were a safe bet to regularly feature. The fingers slashed across his eye as he winked with a sideways V made me think he¡¯d been spending a bit of time watching the girls'' choices in superheroes. It didn¡¯t make him any less dangerous as a huge ripple of earth flexed outward from his landing point sending pokemon flying. The only pokemon left unmolested was the Magnemite that hovered forward with its eyes locked in a glare. ¡°Quirina, take it out with Flamethrower,¡± I ordered my Solrock. Quirina hovered forward and spat a gout of flame that stopped the Magnemite dead in its tracks. ¡°Hey you can¡¯t use more than one pokemon!¡± shouted one of the grunts. I snorted down at him before looking at all the pokemon that I was facing. I could probably have Sanchez continue to body them but I wanted this wrapped up cleanly. ¡°Turn about¡¯s more than fair. Shrek, small area of effect Rainy Day. Sanchez use thunder. ¡± Rain poured down and Sanchez grinned as he threw his hand up to the skies theatrically. Then from the rain five bolts of lightning shot down onto pokemon to lay them out. The Rocket grunts all took steps back at that. ¡°Signal for the blimp! We need to get out of here!¡± shouted one of them. Another raised a clicker and pressed a button. Instantly a whirring noise filled the air as a large metal zeppelin rose from the west. I opened my mouth to shout an order to blow it from the sky before remembering the plan. Instead, I pointed to the trainers. ¡°Sanchez, take them out!¡± but I didn¡¯t order any more Pokemon forward. I was surprised when the back door of the gym opened and Bianca and Stephen stormed out with pokeballs in hand. ¡°Stay away from the gym!¡± they both shouted. From Bianca, a Ditto and a Pidgeot emerged and from Stephen a Porygon and Swablu took to the field. The Ditto glanced around and grinned when it spotted Purugly causing Bianca to gasp in surprise. A red pokedex emerged from her hip and I saw her mouth beginning to dictate something to it. Stephen spared the new pokemon a glance before ordering his pokemon to attack with tri-attack and aerial ace. Celia emerged trying to grab an obviously enraged Selene as she hovered out. Behind Celia, Chansey stalked out with an annoyed look only to stop when she noticed the number of injured pokemon hiding behind rocks. She ducked back into the gym and then sprinted out to start administering care. ¡°Luuuunatone!¡± cried Selene as she started to throw rocks at the now thoroughly fleeing Team Rocket members. I whistled to catch her attention ¡±Celia! Let her go! Se¡ª¡± before I could order her to Selene teleported to my side and nuzzled up to me. I frowned at the feeling of something circling around Karen spike up. ¡°Are you passively emitting?¡± I asked, eying the ¡®zone¡¯ she was emitting. Goosebumps rose over my skin as I felt her energy. ¡°So that¡¯s a common trick?¡± I said. She gave me a look like I¡¯d just said something very stupid. I coughed into my fist. ¡°Right, forget I said anything.¡± In front of us the Rocket Grunts were being hurled around. The Magnemite was trying to absorb any stray electrical attacks from Sanchez even as the metal zeppelin closed in. I nodded as the zeppelin closed in. ¡°Want to follow after that and take it down when it reaches their base?¡± Karen tilted her head. ¡°I was wondering why you weren¡¯t blowing that out of the sky¡­ it didn¡¯t make any sense to me.¡± ¡°Ah, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get away with it if I didn¡¯t have Don blinding them.¡± I pointed up at two now very, very distant dots that were trading attacks. ¡°They had watchers?¡± Karren bit her thumb and scowled. ¡°Hmmm I didn¡¯t want to openly advertise our connection but it might be for the best.¡± She shot me a look. ¡°Would you mind letting me take point on the raid of their base?¡± I considered what she was asking me. She hadn¡¯t wanted to advertise our connection and that was probably not a bad idea. It did reek of duplicity but it also took into account that if people knew of our connections they¡¯d think less of her or expect her to act on my behalf in future. Karen entering the Elite Four would potentially offer a lot of benefits to me as an unknown. Or maybe I was looking into it too much¡­ I scratched my head. Life had gotten a lot more complicated since Lance¡¯s challenge. ¡°Sure, you take point and deal with the authorities.¡± Perhaps the smartest thing would be to let her handle it. I waved towards the Zeppelin that the Rocket grunts were piling into. ¡°After you?¡± Karen grasped two pokeballs and enlarged them before sending them both out. ¡°Crobat! Murkrow! Track that zeppelin and when it lands send Murkrow back to lead us there!¡± I watched as Team Rocket fled with their tails between their legs. I felt a sting of envy at her Crobat, especially after having a shiny zubat slip through my fingers on my last trip up to Mt Moon. Celia glanced up and waved. ¡°Brock! Sorry I couldn¡¯t stop Stephen or Bianca from running out as they wanted to help out!¡± I gave her a wry smile. I had no doubt she did as well. She glanced down at the ground and coughed. ¡°Uhm otherwise the Gym is secure with no pokemon or pokeballs missing! I have called Rocko and he¡¯s coming back now with the others!¡± she said. I nodded, proud she¡¯d thought of that step on her own. ¡°Alright when he gets home inform him he¡¯s in charge and that I want them to patrol around the gym and city for the next few hours. We¡¯ll check the pokemon that were outside. I¡¯ll call Dennis to join me.¡± Celia hopped from foot to foot ¡°What are you going to be doing?¡± I nodded towards the fleeing zeppelin. ¡°We¡¯re going hunting.¡± Chapter 52 - Rocket Raid Traversing the wilds in the pokemon world was a skill. It required that you have a level of awareness of your surroundings beyond just your sides, like you would when walking a route. The routes didn¡¯t advertise it, but there was a natural deterrent with the trees. Some Rangers even planted certain species of shrubs that deterred stronger pokemon or acted as irritants for larger pokemon. People were often surprised by the number of Pokemon they encountered when forced to traverse caves and "long grass" areas. To them, that was unnatural. In truth, it actually reflected the wilds as they were supposed to be, but these areas were still being screened by rangers. In the wild, you could face any number of pokemon coming from the trees, the bushes, the tree canopy, the ground, or even the sky. Each and every angle saw a potential attack avenue that you had to be aware of. Trainers'' belongings were frequently stolen or beaten up by pokemon that attacked them from behind.That was a normal ambush instinct for wild pokemon. There were, of course, ways to mitigate this. Repel¡¯s helped push most pokemon away. Most wild pokemon would evade the cloying scent that came from using repel, and your own pokemon could be trained to handle it. However, that didn¡¯t account for some pokemon that ignored or sought out the irritant in their environment to remove it. It was a numbers game. The deeper in you went, the more powerful pokemon became. In the deep wilds, it was sometimes recommended that you don¡¯t use repel. One in ten became a guarantee of eventually being hunted down by the local area¡¯s alpha. An example for this would have been one of the peaks of the Silver range belonging to Titan¡¯s mother. So you needed to rely on other methods. One of these was making sure to keep a pokemon out that could handle challengers. Being strong yourself had an effect on the pokemon. I had linked this to pokemon being able to sense that you were not one to be messed with unless desperate or very brave. Sadly, that still meant a good portion of pokemon would face off against you while travelling through the wilds. Some of them might want to be caught, but others would just want to fight and grow stronger. Pokemon understood that most humans could bring out more potential from them and develop stronger and more varied methods than their natural instincts allowed. The other method of going through the wilds without having to face too many challenges was to do it fast. Flying worked well in most instances, but if you didn¡¯t have that option, you either needed to be highly skilled as a bike rider, if the conditions allowed, or you needed a pokemon to carry you. With the requirements of needing something fast and strong, I had to go back to an original rock type; an Onix that I was seriously considering evolving into a Steelix. While it didn¡¯t have what I wanted in a pokemon to be part of my top six pokemon for a tournament-style battle, that didn¡¯t mean it was useless. As evidenced by my riding it along with Dennis at my back. He even had his Machoke out behind him, acting as a rearguard for us on the giant rock snake. Onix suited the gym with people¡¯s expectations. Sadly, Onix were large and easy to hit with most attacks which meant they either needed to be much faster ¡ªa tough ask due to being one of the largest pokemon around on average¡ª or they needed to be much more resilient. I¡¯d seen them as a staple in my gym but never as one of the Elite. Since my induction into the Guardians, I was re-evaluating their worth. The current state of pokemon battles meant they didn¡¯t get as much of a chance to play to their strengths. That wasn¡¯t their fault. It was like grading a fish on its ability to dig. There were plenty of old pictures of Onix rampaging during the pokemon war. Some people even still associated them in that way. Brutish, warlike beings. In pokemon fights that weren¡¯t constrained by things like collateral damage or rules, Onix would be a powerhouse. Steelix even more so. I hadn¡¯t paid to have an Onix get a metal coating due to the cost in the past. Now it was merely a matter of getting some time to see it done. Then my Onix would earn a nickname and become one of my strongest pokemon. It wouldn¡¯t be one of my type of pokemon due to evolving but it also opened the door for potential mega-evolutions. I resolved to book some time for this Onix to be treated soon while playing with potential names for him. Alongside us Karen rode a larger-than-average Houndoom through the forest. Specifically, not her starter pokemon. Flanking her, two other trainers rode Arcanine and Rapidash after her. She had called them up and identified them as Molly and Annabelle. Apparently, they worked as Ace trainers in her employ. I designated them as support crew in my mind, much like Rocko, Dennis, and the other staff I had. Often, it paid to have others run errands for you as a high-level trainer. There were quite a lot of perks for Ace trainers with these sorts of arrangements. However, it also served to show that Karen had some support in place, with Molly and Annabelle expecting her to rise up the ranks. I leaned back and rode Onix as he rose up to flick his tail. The flick caused a Gloom to be smacked aside before it could make more of a nuisance of itself. The Gloom had enough sense to run for it before the two fire types could leap over Onix to beat on the grass type. Karen and I continued forward as Annabelle switched sides to flank me on the right. Dennis tracked her, and I leaned back and pinched him. "You¡¯ve got a wife," I said, ignoring the weirdness of me, as Brock, chastising another for gaping at a woman. Dennis spluttered a denial, but I ignored him and hid my grin. It was probably hard to suddenly find yourself surrounded by three beauties without knowing it was coming. Karen was easily the hottest of her crew, but if Molly and Annabelle hadn¡¯t been introduced as Ace trainers I would have thought of them as ''Beauty Molly'' and ''Beauty Annabelle'' in my head. I kept myself looking forward, scanning the oncoming trees and rocks as Onix did a marvellous job slithering around them. I glanced back and noted that he wasn¡¯t leaving too much of a trail. Nor was he causing any dust to rise from his passing, despite slithering faster than I could run. Karen continued along at my side with her pokemon seemingly unbothered by the pace. She glanced up where her Murkrow was flying ahead occasionally and offered some course directions when we were too out of line. "So I couldn¡¯t help but notice that little powerhouse of a geodude back at your gym. They were surprisingly devastating with their rock throws." I nodded, "Yeah, Izumi¡¯s a special case." "Training up a normal golem for yourself and making it as strong as it can be before evolving it?" Karen asked. "Ah no. She¡¯s not that. She¡¯s a rescue. A trainer a year or so ago came to ask about what they were doing wrong with her not evolving. She¡¯d won tons of matches and was friendly enough with them but wasn¡¯t evolving." Karen listened at my side, her Houndoom bounding a rock to keep her close. "Turns out she had ingested a rather large amount of Everstone during their travels." Karen winced. Unlike the games, it was widely known that if you wanted to restrict or stop a pokemon from evolving for a while or like Eevee from evolving in certain circumstances, then you had to get it to wear a necklace or bracelet. Or, eat a very, very small dose of Everstone crushed into their food. For Rock types that could be dangerous though as Rock types absorbed and formed parts of their body with the minerals they ate. Eat enough of a certain type of mineral and you had a pokemon that sometimes carried those traits. It was why the crystal Onix I sold at auction had gone for as much as it had. "So it won¡¯t ever get any stronger?" asked Molly, having listened in. I waggled my hand in a so-so gesture. "In the traditional sense, yes, but I find that she¡¯s probably one of my most used pokemon. She¡¯s highly intelligent and is able to utilise a lot more strategies than most pokemon. She can match up easily to one of my six but doesn¡¯t have the endurance to outlast them, nor the power. She does have some of the best aim though and her ability to hit weak points is unmatched." "Critical hit ratio?" asked Annabelle from my other side. I glanced from Annabelle to Karen at the words. "Annabelle¡¯s a bit shy with her words around men. She means, what are Izumi''s chances of hitting such strikes?" "I¡¯d give her fifty-fifty odds in general in a match if I call for it. It¡¯s tough to say though as some pokemon can force a miss or I don¡¯t use her that way. She features from my first badge challenge through to my final badge challenge. She doesn¡¯t feature in the Elite Challenge though as people don¡¯t want to see those types of matches." "Isn¡¯t that a bit unfair on new trainers to face such a strong pokemon?" Molly asked. I waved that off. "Nah, she can fake a knockout on herself like a champ and has grown to be one of the best pokemon to use for the gym. She¡¯s not slighted by taking a dive on younger trainers but if she¡¯s dismissed or threatened by trainers owning pokemon they have no way of controlling she can pull them into line." Dennis chuckled at this. "I¡¯ve seen her flatten a Taurus some kid had that was rampaging around. Kid asked for the first badge gauntlet to make some money and flattened all the pokemon we use for that level then tried talking smack only to lose out big." "It helps to have little checks like that in place I find," I said while chuckling at the memory. "Izumi?" asked Annabelle. I again looked to Karen for translation. "Why call her Izumi?" Karen said. "I knew a lady that was impaired like her but still an absolute terror in a fight. I thought it appropriate," I said in answer. "Krow! Mur-Krow!" cried the small black crow pokemon as it descended on us. We all slowed to a stop as the pokemon gestured for us to stop. A few moments later it was joined by a Crobat that looked straight to Karen before pointing behind it. "Bat!" said the pokemon causing Karen to nod before dismounting. "Alright, Murkrow and Crobat have tracked the Rocket¡¯s Zeppelin to a base nearby. We should be careful of any traps on the way in." I returned my Onix and landed on my feet lightly. Dennis raised his own pokeball and I shook my head. He stiffened before nodding once. "Sir!" I raised a finger to my lips. "Oh, right, sorry sir!" he said at a much quieter level. Karen and the other girls giggled before gesturing for us to continue on foot. We approached and ended up having to weave around some passive vibration detectors. I spotted a number of plants that gave off noxious fumes to pokemon and then stopped when I found a number of bones scattered around the area. "Bit archaic¡­" I said, shifting through the bones with my feet. "Cheap if they''re this deep in the wild. Fight a few locals. Use their bones to warn off others. Predators establish a territory much the same way if they¡¯re big enough," Molly said while lifting a part of a skull. "Looks like Pidgey¡¯s evolutionary line." "This would have disrupted the local ecosystem terribly!" growled Dennis. I agreed, but continued on after Karen who had paused at the bones for only a moment. When we came close enough to spot the building, we held ourselves still in the treeline out of sight. "It¡¯s nothing but a big warehouse." "Cheap and easy to set up," I said, almost parroting Molly¡¯s earlier words. Karen nodded. "They¡¯d be able to subdivide it if they needed but this is also something that can hide what they¡¯re doing here." She turned and knelt down. "Brock, could I ask you to check for any tunnels with your pokemon?" "Easily done. Want me to make an entry for us?" "No, I want you to check first then maybe make your entrance from within. If you can get close enough without disrupting or letting them know, we can enter from the sides." She gestured at the four different sides, allocating herself and the other three. "I want us to hang back a little. Crobat and Murkrow will watch for any stragglers. My team will hit hard and try to stop any people from teleporting out." I raised a hand. "We could probably wait until we get some Police here as well for more support." Karen and the others stared at me with Karen nodding eventually. "That¡­ would work, but I¡¯m worried they¡¯ll leave or might have the local police on their payroll." I drummed my fingers on my thigh. "Set up, observe. Make a call, and if they make any sudden changes we spring the trap? Tell the police we¡¯re on our way instead of here already?" Karen considered that before again, nodding slowly. "That should work." "We should synchronise watches," I said, pulling out my watch. Karen huffed at me. "This isn¡¯t some little spy game." "No, but if we decide to message each other and say ¡®break in¡¯ at ten o¡¯clock we all want to be on the same page." Karen blinked at that. "Surprised you thought of that," she said while checking her watch against mine. "I¡¯ve watched movies." I didn¡¯t say which movie or that it was even a movie from this life. I backed out of sight as Molly, Annabelle and Dennis forwarded me their details so I could message them if I detected something. "How close can you get?" asked Karen. I put my hands roughly a metre apart. "I¡¯ll get closer than that even by having Bertha form up a sheet of rock. Should be able to hear and even poke my nose up to see what¡¯s around." Karen hummed appreciatively at that. Then she glanced around. "Also¡­ Thank you for letting me take over this operation. It¡¯ll help get my name out there for my build-up." "Don¡¯t mention it," I said before releasing Bertha. She appeared and made to roar out her name only for me to shush her. "Shhh! Shhh! Sorry! Sorry girl, we¡¯re not fighting Karen right now! We got attacked by Team Rocket!" She gasped at that and glared around, likely looking for a member of said team to clobber. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "We¡¯re about to raid their base. I need my best digger to form a tunnel underneath them." I paused for a moment. "There will be concrete, so think you can be careful when drilling through it?" Her arm and horn spun up quickly as she nodded. "Nice, alright let¡¯s go!" Bertha practically swan dove into the ground. In moments, dirt was flying out of the hole before it began to be pushed into the sides as she became more careful. "You going after her?" Karen gave me a quizzical look. "You don¡¯t just follow a digging pokemon into a tunnel. Give her a few minutes to shore up the walls so it doesn¡¯t collapse." I knelt down and got comfortable. "Ah, that makes sense." I waited for a few minutes until she popped her head up and gave me a thumbs up. I looked at Karen. "You can make that call now." I followed one of my heavy-hitters in. After barely a minute¡¯s walk, we reached a point where Bertha turned and put one of her massive fingers to her lips. "Rhy!" she hissed in a facsimile of shushing. I held in the chuckle to nod. She then scraped out the last bits of concrete before putting a claw to it and shaping a large circle that she lifted slightly. Instantly, I could hear people talking and machines working. One of the voices was barking orders "Shift that box of supplies over there! Make sure to use your Machoke; I don¡¯t want you dropping it again!" "I wanna use the forklift!" said a whiney voice. "Forklift is busy, don¡¯t give me cheek!" said the first voice. I crawled up to find myself staring out from the ground towards the inner parts of the warehouse. I checked my transceiver and was happy to see that it was registering a single bar of reception. I quickly sent a message reporting what I was seeing. Another look showed that we were in a safe enough location away from foot traffic. We appeared to be in the shadow of two containers. I patted Bertha on the back. "Nice selection. Can you check for any tunnels through the concrete?" She nodded, putting her other hand to the side. She focused for a few moments before shaking her head. "Any doubt?" She snorted and shook her head more empathically. I sent a message to Karen to that effect. There appeared to be around ten Rocket members working away from where I could see. A set of stairs led to a storied office section on one side. That was going to be the side Molly came in from. I made sure to mention this as I continued to watch. For a few minutes, I watched them load supplies around for later processing. Pokemon continued to saunter around the warehouse, helping out or generally laying about, it seemed. These usually got badgered into some task within a few minutes of ¡®lazing¡¯ by a white-clothed man with the emblazoned red R on the front. It looked like we had an executive. I watched them very closely. If anyone here had strong pokemon it would be them. They¡¯d be Karen''s or my first target. Said Executive had green hair that they¡¯d chosen to slick back. I wondered if they¡¯d be able to help point us towards Giovanni. That got me a bit excited. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever sit easy while Giovanni was lurking. Then again, I doubted he got everything he had from being lazy. I could only hope for the best while making plans for now¡­ I¡¯d also need to be on the lookout for any further retaliation coming my way for this. I chewed my lip as possible weaknesses came to mind that I might need to shore up. First and foremost being my siblings. The Rocket Executive¡ªwho I still hadn¡¯t learnt the name of¡ª stopped what they were doing as a ringtone went off from their wrist. They looked at it before raising it up to their faces. "Yeah, Proton here¡­ What?! How far out?! Shit!" Proton cursed. I fired off a message for the group, not liking what he was saying already. Sure enough, he hung up and glanced around with a snarl. "We¡¯re stung! Everyone we¡¯ve got to get moved ASAP! I want us boots off the ground in the next ten minutes! We got cops on their way here in the next thirty!" Instantly the warehouse¡¯s activities stopped with people beginning to sprint for different crates. Another ran into the office. I clicked my teeth. Turns out Karen had been right. Karen must have read my message as another pinged on my wrist. I read it. "Go. Now!" I tapped Bertha. "Loud and hard." Bertha rocketed up into the base, and the first pokemon that turned to address her was instantly flattened as she landed a heavy Horn Drill using her arm. "RHYPERIOR!" she cried as I unleashed my entire team. Onix wrapped around me and formed a protective wall as Shin stood atop him. "Shin! Go into the offices and disable anyone from destroying anything in there! Disable them!" Shin brandished his scythes once before charging off. A returning Rocket opened the door only to be tackled so hard Shin would have been recruited as an offensive tackle had he been born human in my old world. Karen reenacted the Kool-aid man by blasting through the wall with her Umbreon and Houndoom at the front. Their eyes glowed instantly upon everyone. Proton turned to me and growled. "Gym Leader, you¡¯re persistent, aren¡¯t you?" he then five pokeballs out, revealing Machamp, Wartortle, Weezing, Arbok, and a Kadabra. Another wall was burst through with Annabelle leading her Rapidash alongside a Victribel that began wrapping people up. Proton paused as Dennis joined the show with his Machoke and Primeape. "I think I know when I¡¯m outmatched. Kadabra! Get us out of here!" Proton said. A glow formed around him and the Psychic pokemon only for Karen¡¯s Umbreon to stalk closer, eyes glowing harshly despite it being the middle of the day. "Umbre!" said the dark type. Karen stepped forward with her Houndoom, behind her, her healed-up Absol, and Weaville raced off to the sides. "Shit!" called Proton, glancing around. "Destroy any documents!" And just like that, it became a melee in a metal house as attacks began to soar. Onix tanked a few hits only for Shrek to body the Machamp. They fell to the ground as they both began pummeling each other, only in Shrek¡¯s case, he was able to bring his mouth to bear as he shot blasts of water into the Machamp. "Bertha, leave Shrek with that Machamp and keep those grunts pinned!" I didn¡¯t want those Grunts causing any issues or trying to run. She roared as she stormed forward. "Selene, throw down some Barriers!" My moonrock pokemon hovered for a moment before her eyes glowed, and barriers began to form around us. "When you¡¯re done with that, get the crates as well!" She bobbed once to show she had received the order. I turned back to Proton only to find him being laid into, with Karen¡¯s pokemon taking over the fight. His Wartortle was already laid out. "Weezing Explosion!" "Gengar use Destiny Bond on his Kadabra!" said Karen with a laugh. I didn¡¯t even see the ghost pokemon form out of the air before it leapt into the exploding Weezing, tanking the hit and passing out only for Proton¡¯s Kadabra to also go down. The barriers took the brunt of the explosion and I grunted as a small ringing occurred only to vanish quickly. "Triple shit! This is going to see me demoted!" Proton shouted. Arbok whirled about only for Shrek to reappear, having knocked out his opponent. "Boss! Got Rockets trying to run!" called Dennis as he scrambled out after a trio of grunts that had evaded Bertha. Annabelle began tying up some of her captured trainers. She¡¯d sadly gotten close enough to the office that she was taken by surprise as the wall to the second-story office broke open and a Graveller rolled out. "Onix, protect Annabelle!" My pokemon threw himself forward and crossed most of the room to wrap himself around the young trainer before the Graveller could land on her. Her own pokemon turned on the threat instantly. Then someone tried to cheap-shot me. I had barely a moment to raise my arm and leg as a large rock hurtled into me. I skidded backwards, and for a second, the warehouse went still as eyes turned towards me. I straightened and dusted myself off before glaring at the Grunt and his Dodrio. They¡¯d likely just used a mirror move on me from one of my pokemon. His face was locked in a smirk, only to blink and stare as I cracked my neck from side to side. "Really, you tried to use a Rock Throw on me?" I said. Titan stepped out from behind a container from where he¡¯d been taking care of some other pokemon to lay a fist on the bird¡¯s body. It squawked as all three heads whipped around, only to croak as he slammed it into the ground. The trainer quailed as Titan loomed over him. But his eyes spun back to me. "How the hell did you shrug that off? That should¡¯ve laid you out at least?" I snorted and shrugged. "Healthy eating." Proton clapped his hands. "Woah alright woah! Criminals we might be, but I am not letting things get out of hand! We don¡¯t do hits! Arceus, Tommy, you trying to get the League down on all of us bodying the Pewter gym Leader!" He raised his hands and knelt on the ground. "We surrender. I¡¯ll be asking for my lawyer before I say anything though!" he made sure to say the last to all the grunts still conscious. They all got a knowing look that made me suddenly wonder if superhero worlds weren¡¯t the only places that had a possible problem with ¡®revolving door¡¯ for villains. Still, something he said caught my attention. "What is this? Criminals, with rules?" Proton grinned. "I¡¯ll give you a freebie. It¡¯s called organised crime for a reason. Gotta have rules and limits otherwise things get much worse for everyone." "With a few bad eggs sometimes thrown in?" I said, looking towards ¡®Tommy¡¯ who¡¯d just tried to snipe me. I had to give him chops. It was a good move and probably would have worked on another trainer. I just happened to be able to reinforce myself with Rock aura. Proton didn¡¯t say anything else, merely smiling from where he knelt. When Molly came out with a stern expression, I noted Proton only getting a smugger look. "They had electrodes connected to most of their computers¡­ Only got a few." That had him losing some of his smugness. "Secure them and take some photos of the place. Police should be here soon enough," said Karen. I grunted and stalked outside to check on Dennis only to find him in a running battle with two grunts that were trying to flee. "Go Don!" I shouted as I released my most vicious pokemon onto them. When he was done with their pokemon I had a moment where I hesitated. Then I shook myself. For a moment, it felt like I could almost feel their fear. I didn''t need that, though I could tell just by looking at them. "Don, hold! Let Dennis tie them up." Don snorted and stood over both grunts as they lay on the ground. Dennis shot me a worried look but I just shook my head and gestured for him to get on with tying them up. When he was done I stalked around and calmed myself. Part of me was sad no one else tried anything that might have let me let loose on them. When I reached Karen, I scowled at Proton and he lost his smirk. Karen bumped me. "Hey, what''s up with you? We got them. Smile Brock." I grunted and waved her off before something that hadn''t stood out at the time, but that had niggled at me, now came to mind. "How come your Gengar was affected by the Explosion?" Karen snorted. "That Gengar? Please, I got plenty of them. They''re set up as sacrifice pokemon so I can take out people fast without risking myself what with them being ghost types." Ring Target was an item that made the holder lose its immunities... but to use it in the manner Karen had... "That''s... cold," I said. "Nah, dark~," said Karen with a smile. It ended up taking at least another half an hour. We ended up cracking open some of the containers to reveal shelves of pokeballs of all sorts. I hummed in consideration, this had not been an insubstantial hit. I could already see the total for goods recovered adding up to at least six figures. It depended on which type of pokemon they had stolen. When I¡¯d prodded Proton about the strange cat pokemon he¡¯d gotten a very fixed look of ¡®I will not talk¡¯. Sadly, the other man, that was dressed differently from the grunts that ¡®owned¡¯ the pokemon likewise didn¡¯t talk, despite having been unconscious when Proton gave his orders to stand down. He was obviously higher in the organisation than a grunt but not an executive. What did that mean when coupled with the Purugly? Officer Jenny was the first to bound in, closely followed by a pair of snarling Arcanines. Then came the Machamps with billy sticks that outright bent as they flexed them at the Rocket grunts. I didn¡¯t need to understand pokemon to know they were asking the Grunts to ¡®make their day¡¯. "What in the world were you thinking going in like this!?" snarled Jenny from where she stood. Karen stepped to the front and smiled. "We were stopping them from getting away. We made the call and told you we were in position. Within a few minutes of us making that call we observed them getting ready to pack up and depart. So¡­ perhaps someone from your establishment slipped them a tip?" Jenny scowled. "I¡¯m not going to stand that sort of statement! My fellow police officers are loyal to the force!" She pointed straight at Karen. "How do I know one of you didn¡¯t leak the information!? That¡¯s a much more likely scenario! You could have tampered with the evidence!" I stepped forward and patted the air to calm things down. "Jenny, Karen was able to track Rocket from their raid on my gym. We went into hot pursuit from there and called you the first chance we had. We¡¯ve taken what photos we can and have secured a number of Grunts, an executive, and a good amount of their documents and information. We don¡¯t need to be at each other''s throats. We can review how things went down later. Karen will be sure to lead you through things. It¡¯s all above board." I decided not to comment on how her view of the ¡®force; might not be as shared among the rank and file as her and her cousins. Jenny continued to glare. "I don¡¯t know you Karen, but you look like trouble! Brock!" She turned to me and softened. "You, I know, and if you¡¯re vouching for her I guess I¡¯ll let it slide for now." "What, being an Elite Ace trainer isn¡¯t enough these days? Brock says something, and¡ª" Karen¡¯s carrying whisper was ignored beyond a small tick in Jenny¡¯s eye that showed she was not pleased with the Dark trainer¡¯s needling. I continued to smile and led Jenny around to show her the spoils. Proton merely smiled at our approach. When Jenny perked up he sing-songed "Lawyer!" Jenny looked like she wanted to sic the Machamps onto him at that, but she contained herself with roughly handcuffing him and reading him his rights. I stepped outside, and an officer approached me for a report that I dutifully filled out. Dennis was likewise detained with paperwork. Jenny eventually sidled up to me. "Was she telling the truth? Did they get a tip after she called us?" I grimaced and nodded. "I observed and overheard the Executive Rocket get a call that stated you were thirty minutes out. He tried to escape with a Kadabra but Karen¡¯s pokemon stopped that." Jenny gritted her teeth and cursed. She drew in a deep breath of air, nodding her head. "Right¡­ right, damn, alright! I¡¯ll have to do some investigating on my end. Thank you, Brock." She glanced into the warehouse. "Any of those your pokemon? We got a heads up about your gym and had just gotten there when we got the call about this place" I shook my head. "They didn¡¯t get any of mine. I just didn¡¯t want them to get off trying to attack me like that." A small frown formed as Jenny considered something. "Why did you call him an Executive?" I paused, realising I had let my game knowledge colour my term of addressing Proton. Something about that niggled at my mind but I couldn¡¯t think why. "I heard the Grunts call him that?" Jenny accepted that easily enough. Jenny patted me on the shoulder. "Well, good work. We should be able to get these pokemon back to their rightful owners and if not, the Safari zone will be able to assign them to environments suitable to them." She then tilted her head. "Another important question... What should I bring for Tommy and Cindy''s birthday? They gave me an invite the other day... if that¡¯s alright?" I groaned. I once again vowed never to have as many children as my parents in my head. I had two days to get a cake organised, party decorations set up and entertainment along with gifts. But... despite this, I didn''t want to.I just could not care about that right now. "Sure, sure, Jenny, they''d love that," I said tiredly. Jenny frowned, and I realised that she''d been trying to lighten the mood. I waved her off, however and headed outside. I released Zephyr to fly back to the gym, I''d have to see to that still. I only had another two weeks until the circuit started now but there were still plenty of things to see completed before then. This latest distraction had been resolved and hopefully, Giovanni would get the message to not try this again. The question was, did I want to leave it at this? My gut churned, and I realised I couldn''t leave it just at this. He''d tried something on me. I needed to let him know I wasn''t going to let that stand. The issue remained that it was Giovanni, and it wasn''t a simple thing to ''warn him off''. My transceiver buzzed, and I answered it. "Rachel, what''s happening?" "Uhmmm Brock there''s a lot of reporters and police asking questions... are you coming back soon?" "I''ll be back soon," I sighed. And then there was that to also handle... and the day had started so promisingly. My transceiver buzzed again, and I glanced at it thinking it was Rachel messaging me details. Instead, I saw the caller''s ID: Sabrina. Oh, it looks like she found out about the raid¡ªthat was good. Right? Chapter 53 - Firing a shot over the bow ¡°Hey Sabrina, you heard about the incident, I take it?¡± I said in greeting to my¡­ ex-girlfriend. ¡°... Brock, where are you?¡± she said in a calm, neutral tone that I had not heard in years. I swallowed as alarm bells rang in my head. ¡°Uhmm, I¡¯m flying back to Pewter to check things over at the gym and handle the reporters. I just finished raiding the Rocket base they launched their operation from.¡± ¡°And where is that?¡± she said, again, perfectly calm. I wasn¡¯t fooled. She might not emote well but she knew wrath wonderfully. Still waters could hide deep pools after all. "Sabrina, take a breath. First of all I¡¯m fine. My family is fine, my gym is fine. The Rockets didn¡¯t get anything and the processes I¡¯d set up in case this ever happened worked perfectly. The weaker pokemon faded away and let the stronger pokemon handle the battle.¡± ¡°... I¡¯d like to see you?¡± she said, and there was the barest hint of a quiver. I nudged Zephyr to descend. ¡°I¡¯m landing now and I¡¯ll send you my location,¡± I said, worried about how she was obviously stressing out. When I landed, I pinged her with my location. I barely had a moment to raise Zephyr¡¯s pokeball to return him when Sabrina appeared in a flash of light behind us. ¡°NOCT!¡± hooted Zephyr as he launched himself skyward only to come down in his defensive position with his feathers fluffed up and his wings bared. Sabrina spared him a glance, and he sheepishly blinked at her before straightening out to begin preening his feathers as if nothing had just happened. ¡°Zephyr is still afraid of me?¡± she said with a minute frown. I shook my head. ¡°Most people or pokemon find it scary having someone suddenly behind them.¡± She stared at me, and I shrugged. ¡°Most people.¡± She nodded before flicking her eyes up and down my body. I could feel small taps and nudges across my body as she used her psychic powers to check me over further. I let her with a roll of my eyes as my hair was ruffled. When she reached my forearms and legs, where I had tanked the rocks from that one grunt¡¯s cheapshot, her eyes narrowed and the nearby trees trembled. I raised my hand and pulled back the torn sleeve to show her the unblemished skin underneath. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m fine. Some guy tried to use a Rock Throw on me.¡± Sabrina blinked slowly and I grinned. "I know, right?!¡± She shook her head, causing her hair to flick from side to side. ¡°When two fools fight, can there be a victor?¡± She was still prodding me with her psychic touches, trying to determine if I was injured anywhere. She¡¯d reached my fingers, and it was a decidedly strange feeling. I was further distracted by watching her hair, so it took me a moment to realise she was criticising me. ¡°Hey! ¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s fair! I had back up and I was more than able to handle that situation!¡± I said with a frown. She raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°I was at the gym. You only took Dennis with you?¡± I shook my head, "No, that¡¯s not true. I also had Karen and her team of Ace trainers.¡± ¡°Karen¡­ who¡¯s that?¡± she tilted her head. I stared at her. ¡°She¡¯s that girl that I mentioned as part of the Guardians¡­¡± Sabrina blinked languidly. ¡°You¡¯ve fought her before? Twice? She thought she¡¯d beat you easily with her dark type pokemon?¡± Sabrina kept her head tilted to the side but there was a faint thoughtful look. ¡°That was the girl that challenged me twice? She was very¡­ annoying,¡± Sabrina said, settling on the word. I bobbed my head up and down. "Yeah, I¡¯ve spoken about her before. She joined in with my baseball coaching. She¡¯s the one that mostly talks with me and works with me to develop my Dark Aura.¡± ¡°Hmmm is that so?¡± Sabrina said, eyeing me with a hint of suspicion. Her psychic touches turned into prods as she poked me in the back of the head and sides but still gently. ¡°Yeah, anyway, she¡¯s going to take point in this cause it will keep most of the attention off me¡­ for a given value of most,¡± I said, only to squirm as she found a ticklish spot. ¡°Does that hurt?¡± Sabrina said, reaching towards my ribs where she¡¯d ¡®touched¡¯. I turned my body and put my hands around my ribs protectively. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Brock, if you are hurt it does not serve to hide your injuries.¡± I coughed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m hurt, it¡¯s just that¡­ it was ticklish¡­¡± I said sheepishly. Sabrina blinked, and for a second, her lips twitched upwards. Then I felt something brush against my ribs. ¡°Heh!¡± I said before I could stop myself. I twisted away and eyed her. ¡°Stop that!¡± She coughed, but her smile was much more noticeable. ¡°I am merely checking you over,¡± she said. Her eyes were zeroed in on the spot that had caused the reaction, and I could see her tucking that little fact away in her mind. ¡°Yeah, sure you are. I¡¯m perfectly fi¡ª¡± I stopped as I recalled how she¡¯d reacted to that particular wording back during that whole Lance drama. Her eyes had narrowed slightly. ¡°I¡¯m well. Healthy and fit.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°But something still bothers you?¡± I clicked my tongue for a moment before nodding slowly. ¡°Yeah. The people who did this. We caught them, but the person behind them¡­ they¡¯re the ones I want to do something about.¡± ¡°You know who they are?¡± she said. I hesitated for a second too long and Sabrina leaned in. ¡°Brock? Do you know who they are?¡± I sighed and glanced around. ¡°This is probably best explained sitting down.¡± I claimed a spot under a tree with a nice-looking patch of soft grass, only for Sabrina to claim the spot right next to me. I gave her a look as she inched towards me. She was less than subtle as she adjusted herself until she was leaning into me. She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes, Brock?¡± Zephyr started laughing at me and I raised his pokeball to return him, leaving just Sabrina and I in the clearing. I sighed and tried to ignore how nice it was to have her leaning into me. ¡°I¡¯ve known for a while that Giovanni has been in charge of Team Rocket¡­ or suspicions really. He just seemed too¡­ well off compared to everyone else. He¡¯s a gym leader for the prestige it brings him and control, not for the duty of seeing trainers ready for the League.¡± ¡°... It is strange that only a few pass his challenge each year,¡± Sabrina mused. ¡°I¡­ had always thought he simply used as strong a pokemon as he feasibly could. He doesn¡¯t accept anything less than people that have six badges to their name.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some of it, but he¡¯s sitting on the Viridian Gym. It¡¯s the final stopping point for a lot of people if they want to stick to the cultural route of unification that is undisputed. He should still be facing a sizeable number of trainers and you know how some trainers are.¡± Sabrina shivered slightly, which said more than words could. I nodded. ¡°Yeah exactly. The normal ones will just keep coming at you until they can eke out a win. Sometimes by just ramming their heads at the problem.¡± ¡°Sometimes literally,¡± said Sabrina. I opened my mouth for that story only to shake my head. That wasn¡¯t what I should be focusing on right now. ¡°Right well, the numbers were probably the¡­ no. That¡¯s a lie. I¡¯ve always been suspicious of the man. The numbers were something that stood out to me, however. With my inclusion to the Guardians I have a lot more information that I can pick through¡­ well a ton of things honestly.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°The Guardians know a lot about the man. Did you know that during the war he fought on the front lines until he was injured? When he healed up he found a position as a quartermaster and he always seemed to have extra rations or supplies for people that worked with him.¡± I had a suspicion about that. Had he been stealing the supplies and then gifting it on as something only he could deliver? Was he giving people something they were already owed? The Guardians sadly didn¡¯t have those answers, but it stood out to me as something someone would do if they had no issues with corruption. It was never picked up on as the man had a clean service record and was praised for his battling ability. He was never suspected of corruption or theft. But what if it was just a trading of favours? Small little things that would have been harmless, until they started to build up and up and up. Then again, that was my just thoughts on what evils Giovanni could have done. There was no evidence. There never seemed to be evidence. Just a slew of praise and then advancement for the man. His ascension to Gym Leader had been something that had the backing of the local council, once more with glowing praise and he ran a tight ship with no incidents in Viridian. This gave Viridian its reputation as the safest town in all of Indigo. Part of me wondered if that wasn¡¯t just because he had all the angles covered. If you operated in Viridian he¡¯d know. I told Sabrina all of this and she sat and listened to me without commenting. She simply thought on my words and frowned slightly. ¡°So he is highly connected, and you don¡¯t think you can just strip him of his position? If I went with you we could¡­¡± Sabrina trailed off at the shake of my head. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I could beat him¡­ even with you at my side. The Guardians are a fairly broad organisaiton but from what I¡¯ve gathered, they''re sort of passive as long as Kanto itself is stronger. Giovanni, as messed up as it is, is part of Kanto. Hopefully, this raid will be a wake-up call to them.¡± I also wasn¡¯t confident in our victory considering that Giovanni would have access to Mewtwo¡­ ¡°Plus he still has all of Team Rocket, which has Rocket Executives, who are Ace trainer equivalents as far as I can tell, and countless grunts he¡¯d be able to call on. If they were all Proton¡¯s level I don¡¯t think they¡¯d be too much of an issue depending on how many there are.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Maybe if we had all the Gym Leaders¡­ but I think some of his connections might include our fellow Gym Leaders,¡± I sighed, slumping a little as I did. Sabrina stayed silent but leaned in and tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re talking about Blaine?¡± I bobbed my head in a side-to-side action. ¡°Him and Grey.¡± ¡°Grey?¡± I nodded. ¡°He was quick to speak up for Giovanni a lot, and he was also quick to put himself next to Giovanni during our last meetings¡­ It felt like he was almost in his pocket.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°I¡­ also got that impression, but I thought that was my psychic abilities only being able to read his barest of surface emotions due to his mental protection.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t just need psychic abilities to read a person.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Sabrina said, watching me closely as she twirled a leaf down in front of us. I paused for a moment before picking up where we''d left off in our conversation. "Grey, I don¡¯t think, is at our level... But I¡¯ll have to wait and see how strong he actually is. He¡¯s running a Steel-type gym, so he should have some strong pokemon but we both know that strength isn¡¯t everything.¡± ¡°Blaine is strong,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Yeah, he is a former Elite Four member... but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s only dangerous for his pokemon abilities but also his mind.¡± I worked my jaw and considered how to brooch the next issue. ¡°The information I have on Giovanni is good, but there¡¯s an interesting tidbit that the Guardians don¡¯t possess much information about his parents. Giovanni¡¯s father is unknown while his mother was noted as the boss of Rocket before Giovanni. She was said to merely run it like a business but she was also highly elusive and careful in her dealings. They have conflicting pictures of her. The only other thing they have in regards to her is that she had a standing bounty on any and all information of Legendary pokemon.¡± ¡°...¡± Sabrina glanced up at me but remained quiet. ¡°Specifically the Psychic pokemon known as Mew. A Psychic pokemon thought to have tremendous power, enough to cause massive storms and fire giant psychic attacks.¡± ¡°What does it look like?¡± said her interest clear to me. ¡°It¡¯s said to be pink¡­ or blue,¡± I added after recalling the strange mew that appeared in the cartoon credits or had that been a shiny? I pushed those thoughts aside. ¡°The point I wanted to make is that Blaine has been working on the genetic fossil resurrection machine. A machine which only needs a strand of intact DNA from a fossil to create a pokemon.¡± ¡°And if they could get a strand of Mew DNA¡­¡± Sabrina sat up. ¡°Do you think they could control a Legendary?¡± ¡°I think when you¡¯re focused enough, in this world, you can achieve great things if you put your mind to it. Great things... which doesn''t mean they have to be only good in nature." I gritted my teeth. ¡°They probably have enough money to throw at the issue and the ego to try. They aren¡¯t going to care if they should.¡± Sabrina nodded before tilting her head. ¡°Have you spoken to the other people in the Guardians about this?¡± I splayed out my hands. ¡°With what evidence? I¡¯m new to them and should be working with them through their methods. To them, Giovanni is someone that is a known quantity. He invests money and builds places up, which all seems good, but it comes with a price.¡± I rubbed a hand through my hair and caught the leaf that Sabrina was playing with in front of my face deftly. ¡°I''ve mentioned my suspicions before. I think I just want to do something about him¡­ but I¡¯m not sure what. He¡¯s dangerous.¡± I said with a sigh, releasing the leaf to float off in the breeze. ¡°...but you still told me?¡± Sabrina said. There was an implied ¡®because you trusted me¡¯ in her words. The small pause told me that much. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I blushed. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to get hurt doing anything against Giovanni without knowing the risks.¡± She tapped me on the nose. "Hmmm, you trusted me.¡± I glanced down and found her watching me with a sincere smile. ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± She sighed happily and laid her head on my shoulder. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± I could feel her glance at me with a silent question. ¡°For tearing off like I did. I should have thought to call you, but a lot of the time it just feels like a me issue and not something I should drag you into¡­¡± I licked my lips. ¡°Also, I was pretty mad. I wanted to chase them down.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°And hurt them?¡± she said, her words were quiet and oh so careful. I blinked in surprise. ¡°What? No!¡± I said, surprised at what she thought I would do. ¡°Or well¡­ I wanted them locked up. So I wanted to hurt their organisation, but not them as people.¡± ¡°Good,¡± she said, patting me on the chest. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading your books as well for when the Guardians contact me, and I was worried you might have let the dark aura affect you.¡± She patted me again. ¡°You can be very cold when you¡¯re in action. Sometimes I wonder¡­¡± I glanced down at her, ¡°What?¡± "No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± she said as she used her power to raise my arm to encircle her. I let it happen and tugged her in closer before letting the issue rest. We stayed like that for a little while. The wind moved through the clearing, and I remembered a time before all the drama occurred in my life when I¡¯d been on the road and we¡¯d sit next to each other like this and just enjoy the moment. It felt nostalgic, and I found myself missing those moments. ¡°This is nice, like when we were on our journey,¡± Sabrina said, mirroring my thoughts. ¡°I was just thinking that,¡± I said. She glanced up. ¡°... I still can¡¯t read your thoughts.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said. What else could I say about that? She didn¡¯t say anything more but we didn¡¯t return to the quiet, instead, she sat up. ¡°So what do you want to do now?¡± She tilted her head and shifted so she could watch me better. If this had been anyone else, I might have thought they were showing themselves off but not Sabrina. She didn¡¯t act that way. I shook my head slightly. ¡°Well what I want to do is¡­¡± I coughed. "Well, I want to slug Giovanni in the face, but I''m never going to be able to get away with that. I want¡­ I want my family and my gym to be safe places. So¡­¡± I grasped the air in front of me. "It just seems like he''s a little too... big for me to do anything about..." I said lamely. ¡°Brock, when some issues are too large to deal with completely, we should break them into smaller, manageable pieces.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ actually good advice. Thanks,¡± I said. ¡°I got it from a book,¡± said Sabrina factually. ¡°Oh,¡± I coughed. ¡°Of course you did.¡± I smiled as I considered the issue. The Guardians were hesitant to deal with Giovanni, which honestly suited the man far too much for my liking. Previous actions of protecting Kanto didn¡¯t mean he had not done it for self-serving purposes. He was now deeply entrenched. He also most likely had a few Gym Leaders supporting him. Not to mention the whole Mewtwo issue. So¡­ where did that leave me? With a big man that had a lot of friends. I shook my head. No, I couldn¡¯t think like that. If I did nothing he might think he could get away with things like this. It was like I told the kids. Don¡¯t start fights but don¡¯t be pushed around either. Stand up for yourself. So¡­ how did I do that? ¡°I want to warn him off¡­ or get him to back off and realise he can¡¯t just do what he wants with me,¡± I said aloud. ¡°And how would you do that?¡± Sabrina asked curiously. I raised my hand to scrub at my face. My eyes caught on the torn threads of my sleeve where a Rocket Grunt had Rock Throw¡¯d me. I blinked and felt an idea forming in my head. ¡°What¡¯s the heaviest rock you can throw?¡± I said as a plan formed in my mind. Sabrina didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, her eyes glowed and a rock the size of house rose up above the treeline. I hummed, watching her twist and float the rock around. A rock that heavy¡­ I really shouldn¡¯t. I really, really, shouldn¡¯t. Fuck it, I was gonna do it. I told Sabrina what I wanted to do and her smile turned vicious and pleased. Like a Meowth that had just caught and roasted a pidgey to go with its cream. My smile was dark as Sabrina teleported us close to Viridian Gym to begin the plan. ¡°Can you sense Giovanni?¡± I said as I called up my dark energy. ¡°No, there are currently only two trainers at the gym and some cleaners. I shall avoid them,¡± said Sabrina as she lifted up a rock the size of a small caravan. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d be good,¡± I said. We were far enough out that it should be impossible to spot us. Still, it wasn¡¯t the cameras that I was worried about. It was having to deal with Mewtwo who would later be housed in Giovanni¡¯s gym. I doubted that was the case right now but I still needed to be careful. If Giovanni wasn¡¯t here though chances were reduced that Mewtwo was here. I was rolling the dice with where Mewtwo might be. Just in case I was wrong about Mewtwo¡¯s location, and he was at the Viridian gym I channelled my dark energy and held it around myself and tried to will it around Sabrina. Sabrina sighted up on the Viridian Gym and threw her rock before picking up another one.
When we got back to Pewter Gym there were a number of reporters standing around the back of the gym. The police had blocked it off with crime scene tape and were holding the reporters back while Rocko and Celia stood nearby. Stephen and Bianca were being interviewed to the side by a pair of police. Bianca kept gesticulating at the Purugly with strange-looking eyes that must have been her Ditto. More than a few reporters had cameras and microphones pointed directly at her. Ah, that was going to be¡­ well it was going to be all over the news. Team Rocket had access to a never seen before pokemon. Rachel found me from my spot by the window. ¡°Brock!¡± she said, rushing over to me only to pause as Sabrina remained standing next to me. She gaped at Sabrina before blushing. Sabrina blinked before huffing. I coughed to pull Rachel out of whatever fantasy she¡¯d dredged up. ¡°What''s up Rachel?¡± ¡°Oh! Right! There are all these reporters, and there¡¯s all the damage, and you couldn¡¯t be found, and some woman turned up that said she¡¯d been with you, and only Celia could vouch for her!¡± she spoke in a great rush of words. ¡°Karen, right?¡± I said after thinking about it for a bit. Rachel nodded her head. ¡°Yeah, she was with me having a spar with some of my pokemon.¡± I raised a hand. ¡°We¡¯re going to focus on how she helped me fight them off before leading a daring pursuit of Team Rocket.¡± Rachel tilted her head, and I could imagine the question marks forming above her head. ¡°We¡¯re trying to give her the story and fame. I don¡¯t want or need it.¡± Rachel gaped as though she couldn¡¯t understand the desire not to¡­ Oh right. I put a hand on her shoulder. ¡±We¡¯re already going to be in the news and probably overshadow her without trying.¡± Rachel sighed in relief as though someone had threatened to take away a box of Growlithe puppies only for another box to show up for her. Sabrina coughed, and it sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Rachel turned to her. ¡°Why is Gym Leader Sabrina here!?¡± ¡°I was checking up on Brock,¡± said Sabrina. She gave Rachel a smile. Huh, was that progress? She was being friendly from the get go? ¡°I might have to do that more often in future,¡± said Sabrina. I blinked. My eyes slid from Rachel to Sabrina. She¡¯d picked something up from Rachel. What was it? Or was I just imagining the ominous undertones of what Sabrina had just said? No, there had definitely been some undertones. ¡°Sabrina¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± I said carefully. ¡°Nothing,¡± she said before patting me on the side of the face while looking at Rachel. Rachel¡¯s eyes widened. This felt very¡­ territorial of Sabrina. I caught her hand before it could withdraw. ¡°Sabrina, nothing is happening between Rachel and I.¡± Sabrina nodded in agreement with me. ¡°No, of course not.¡± She patted my hand with her other hand and then slipped out of my hold. ¡°I¡¯ll be back later,¡± she said placidly before teleporting away. I sighed and looked at Rachel, who had wide eyes. She beamed at me. ¡°You and Gym Leader Sabrina!?¡± she gushed. I sighed. ¡°No, just¡­ it¡¯s complicated! And no.¡± Rachel smirked in a manner that screamed ¡®Suuuuuuuure¡¯ In a loud disbelieving way. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ deal with the press. What do I need to be aware of?¡± Rachel perked up and began to spew out a deluge of information that I was aware of as well as the significance of having such a large criminal act performed against a gym. Apparently, this hadn¡¯t happened in decades and the only comparison people had was to the war¡­ which might get worse with what Sabrina and I had just done. Oh well. It¡¯d just make the shot across Giovanni¡¯s bow all the louder, hopefully.
Giovanni took a deep pull of his cigar. In his other hand, he raised a martini glass towards the newly raised High Gym Leader Yuji of the Orange islands. The man raised a glass of his own from the other side of the pool of the new resort that Givanni had just finalised the purchase of. Pummelo was a small town in terms of Kanto sizes, but it had a wonderful tropical island and was ripe for further development. With the local authority approving many of their development plans Giovanni could see a bright future for business and tourism in the area. He might even bring Yuji into the fold with an Executive position. Make him a leader unto himself of the Orange Archipelago operations? Giovanni liked the idea of that but it wouldn¡¯t do to count his Exeggcute before he could scramble them. Still, the future was looking bright. A buzzing drew his attention to his pocket, where he¡¯d deposited his transceiver; unlike the thin models that people wore on the wrist, his was a multifunction tool and when he flicked it, a face appeared on the screen. Around him, a small field of privacy was created, allowing him to talk without fear of anyone overhearing him. ¡°Yes?¡± he said without preamble. The face on the other side smiled waxenly. ¡°Sir there has been a¡­ development with the Pewter City Gym. One of the Executives ordered a raid on the Gym.¡± ¡°...What?!¡± said Giovanni sharply as he felt his brow twitch. Did they not watch that boy¡¯s match against Lance of all people? Or was that the problem? Too much greed for them to resist? ¡°Who?¡± he said instead to his secretary. ¡°Executive Sham sir.¡± Giovanni drew up his cigar and took a furious puff. ¡°She¡¯s enjoyed my mother¡¯s favour for too long. She needs to understand that I run the organisation now!¡± he gritted out. ¡°Strip her of her rights and access immediately and tell her she will report to me for reallocation.¡± Giovanni exhaled a cloud of smoke. When he drew in another breath, he scrutinised the woman on the other side of the line. ¡°What were the results of this ¡°raid¡±?¡± ¡°One of the lower-ranked executives, Proton, led the attack. From what footage we did get, the pokemon were alone at the time and fell back, but did so with discipline. Gym Leader Brock has obviously planned for this as a possibility. We saw Gym Leader Brock emerge from the plateau at the centre of the free range area he has.¡± The woman adjusted her glasses. ¡°Gym Leader Brock should have been on a training exercise with his gym trainers but instead responded within minutes of the raid¡¯s start. He was sighted with another woman¡­¡± Giovanni raised an eyebrow and wondered why his secretary made a special emphasis on that before waving for her to continue. ¡°We have identified her as Ace trainer Karen. She came second to Lance a number of years ago but rebuffed any sponsor deals when they were offered to her by us or others.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± said Giovanni. They''d picked up a number of successful trainers and been able to lead them to various positions thanks to their sponsorship. Yuji was merely the most recent example. ¡°What then?¡± ¡°The raid was soundly run off as far as we can tell. Gym Leader Brock spotted our flying camera and sent his Aerodactyl to engage with it¡­ we have yet to recover the camera or pokemon.¡± ¡°Hmmm, very well, where is Proton? I will talk with him. I assume he¡­¡± Giovanni trailed off as The secretary winced. Giovanni pointedly set his martini glass down before he reflexively crushed it. He could tell he wasn¡¯t going to like the answer to his next question. ¡°What happened to Executive Proton?¡± The secretary coughed. ¡°He has been taken into custody along with all of the members that were at the Pewter facility.¡± Giovanni¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°How?!¡± ¡°Apparently Ace trainer Karen was able to pursue our escape vehicle without being detected and then led a counter-attack on the facility. It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s all on the news now sir?¡± she said in a rush. Giovanni turned from the poolside and stormed into his private office. He snapped the phone shut as he did so. He dimmed the lights and activated a television to watch as the Kanto news covered a ¡®special¡¯. On it, Gym Leader Brock was smiling like nothing was wrong. His slightly ruffled appearance and the sizeable hole in his gym¡¯s surrounding wall made it clear that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°¡ªthank the police for their timely follow-up with securing the gym alongside Pewter Gym¡¯s own trainers. I want to assure everyone watching at home that the damage to the gym is purely cosmetic. No pokemon were seriously injured or stolen from us.¡± The young man rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I would also like to thank Nurse Joy for taking care of what few injuries there were!¡± ¡°Gym Leader Brock! Was it true that you were in the gym with a woman?¡± shouted one reporter before the others could even open their mouths. It didn¡¯t stop a cry of ¡®Another one!¡¯ from being called out by a few reporters. Brock was unphased by the looks of envy that were shot his way. ¡°The trainer in question was Ace Trainer Karen. We were putting our pokemon through a friendly sparring match to see how they would be before the next circuit starts up. They took point after Team Rocket were repelled from our gym.¡± Brock then made a show of stepping to the side and directing questions to a grey-haired woman that Giovanni thought he recognised from somewhere. ¡®Karen¡¯ took over for a while, and Giovanni listened furiously as she spoke of following the Rocket blimp in hot pursuit and alerting the police after setting up observers. They then moved in when it became obvious the perps were attempting to flee. Giovanni made a note to have the Pewter informants protected in some manner as well as discreetly thank them for doing their jobs. It seemed they would have been enough, but Karen appeared to be a wily woman¡­ His eyes flicked back to Brock who had remained standing off to the side. Still present but no longer the centre of attention to many of the reporters. He doubted that would remain the case for long. When Karen referenced the police, a Jenny stepped forward, but Karen notably held the centre spot, and Jenny had to edge around her to gain the reporters¡¯ attention. ¡°Officer Jenny! What do you say to the allegations that this recent raid is a show of rising crime levels?¡± ¡°The police force is working tirelessly to protect and serve the citizens!¡± said Jenny sternly. Giovanni rolled his eyes at the cliche answer. Stick a Jenny from anywhere in front of a camera and you usually got the same dogma. That family bred true, and he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if ¡°police¡± was the first word of baby Jenny¡¯s across the world. Linear thinkers, the lot of them. ¡°Is this not the worst criminal event in years!? Surely you can see that these scum are growing bolder!¡± another reporter followed up. Giovanni sat back and felt himself starting to relax and, dare he say it, enjoy the show. Jenny opened her mouth, only for a loud ringing to occur. A number of people jostled about, and there were a number of scowls on people¡¯s faces as they turned, only for them to pause as Brock raised his transceiver up and answered it. ¡°Brock! There¡¯s been another¡­¡± the volume of the call dropped away but Giovanni leaned forward, and so did all of the reporters as Brock spoke with someone. Nothing but the first part came through but the call was short and Brock gestured to the front when he hung up, his face a stern visage where before he¡¯d been smiling. He raised a hand and cleared his throat. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I¡¯m afraid I just received news that my Gym was not the only site attacked today.¡± The reporters all gasped, and Jenny looked stunned. Giovanni raised an eyebrow. Somewhere else of his had been attacked? Had another Team Rocket Executive realised how much attention Sham was going to draw and decided to perform a dual operation? He¡¯d applaud them if successful but only after making it abundantly clear they needed to inform him of operations regarding the gyms of Indigo going forwards. Brock continued. ¡°It appears that while Pewter city has been able to stave off the advances of Team Rocket, a more destructive raid has taken place against the Viridian Gym. It appears that multiple entry points have been created and at this point, no representatives can be found to comment on what has been stolen.¡± Giovanni bolted upright. ¡°WHAT!?¡± he bellowed. Jenny hurriedly tried to cut Brock off but Brock ignored her silent pleas to stop talking. Brock looked right into the camera as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯d like to extend an offer of support to Gym Leader Giovanni¡ª¡± Giovanni didn¡¯t hear anything else. Instead, he had lifted the transceiver on his desk and stabbed the autodial for his gym. When the trainer on duty answered, Giovanni practically snarled as he spoke, ¡°Report!¡± The woman swallowed. ¡°Ah¡­ I only just got here and was about to call you, sir! Uhm the report is that ah¡­ it seems a number of boulders have been rammed through the doors¡­ the entire front and rear entrances are exposed, with some internal doorways being torn open as well¡­ I¡¯m sorry sir but the cameras didn¡¯t pick anything up!¡± ¡°Hnnnn,¡± Giovanni said as a vein throbbed in his forehead. ¡°I will be returning immediately. Have things ready for my arrival, Juliette,¡± he said before hanging up on the woman. Giovanni stared straight ahead at the television. On it, Brock continued to talk only for him to step back from the reporters and let a now much more frazzled-looking Jenny step forward. Giovanni¡¯s mind ran in circles. Executive Sham had been acting without orders and most likely wanted to present her operation as a fait accompli. Was someone else acting within the organisation? He¡¯d need to scour the Executives, Sham most of all. Was she a patsy or a lurking threat to his control of the organisation? On the television, reporters levelled their microphones at Jenny. ¡°Officer Jenny! What can you say to that!? Nothing like this has occurred since the war! Can we expect more raids and criminal acts?!¡± Giovanni found himself stumped as he recalled that yes, things had been that bad at the start of the war when he was a boy. The situation was much more different than then however. But then again¡­ What if this was an international incident? Giovanni felt an old fear clench his heart. Was this someone attacking the perceived strongest gym in Kanto? This¡­ This was big. Team Rocket¡¯s raid had suddenly gone from an easily dealt with spot fire to a potential inferno. This would cause a lot of changes¡­ to everything! Team Rocket would need more single cells and more deniability. Some plans would have to be scrapped and others¡­ other more silent operations would need to be re-examined. Trainers looking for backing would need to be more tightly monitored and screened going forwards. That didn¡¯t mean that it should stop, indeed, perhaps it should be intensified. A message came through an hour later as he was boarding an express jet back to Kanto. Giovanni glanced at it and rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°So, Brock is going to host a Gym Leader¡¯s meeting at his Gym?¡± Giovanni said with a hum of thought. He accepted a drink from the flight stewardess before waving her away. He didn¡¯t need her lingering near him as he thought over what this would mean. It seemed the boy wasn¡¯t going to wait for anyone else to call the meeting. And with two gyms attacked a meeting would have had to have been called eventually. Giovanni stared out over the ocean as the flight accelerated north to Kanto. He had a lot to do and very little time to do it. Chapter 54 - For every action... When I sent out the call to all the Kanto gym leaders about this meeting, I knew I would have a strong response. But I hadn¡¯t expected everyone to message or call me back almost immediately upon receiving the message with their confirmation. I had all three Cerulean sisters¡ªViolet, Daisy, and Lily¡ª, Erika, Surge, Kong, Grey, Koga, Blaine, Giovanni, and the two gym leaders I¡¯d yet to meet in person¡ªManny and Sophia¡ªrespond within half an hour. Sabrina, of course, had already committed herself to attend. She¡¯d been my sounding board for my plan. She¡¯d been the one to throw three giant boulders through Giovanni¡¯s gym doors. She really was the best friend a guy could ever want. Need a giant boulder thrown through your eternal enemy¡¯s only known residence? Done. No questions. That girl¡­ Damn. I shook my head and focussed on what I should be focusing on. I had a few hours before the gym leaders came. Now the issue with what I had planned was that I needed a space to house the meeting. I didn¡¯t want to have it in a hall or room away from the Gym. I wanted it to happen at the Gym so I could convey a sense of strength, something that was especially important with Blaine and Giovanni attending. It was just that none of the rooms were naturally set up quite the right way. So instead, I was planning to compromise. I had my pokemon clear out the rock field in the center of the arena and instead have them raise up a round, circular table that I had polished and cleaned up, with Shin and Scyther styling the table. The chairs were slabs of stone that I had formed into something like thrones. Rachel had added small pillows atop each. I then set the fifteen thrones around the rim. While I waited, I finished up all the jobs I had to do. This now included reassuring my siblings that I was fine and that the gym was fine. They¡¯d been very anxious upon learning that the gym had been attacked. That had almost caused me to call Sabrina up and demand that she teleport me into the middle of Giovanni¡¯s gym, but I retained my cool and focussed on the plan. The kids had departed for the day after I¡¯d pinkie-promised them that everything was fine. Missy and Celia, as one of her last duties for the Gym before she departed for Hoenn, took the kids to school. So I was able to stick to the plan. It was a good plan. I¡¯d spoken with a number of people after announcing the Gym Leaders¡¯ meeting. I¡¯d also written down my thoughts into a¡­ hopefully concise and compelling argument about Giovanni to Koga and Agatha while attaching it to the documents I¡¯d been reviewing about said man. Hopefully they¡¯d read it and agreed. If not, I¡¯d need to find other options. For now, I focussed on setting the stage. When the table and chairs were ready I had the usual light snacks and glasses of water set out in case anyone needed something. Then I had Rachel set up in the reception area to meet and greet and lead them in. Twenty minutes before the meeting was set to start, Sabrina teleported to my side and claimed her seat to my right. "Hey, Sabrina,¡± I said, having expected her. ¡°Brock, I¡¯m sorry for being late. Mother was... well, she was rather anxious with everything that happened yesterday.¡± ¡°Oh, but you¡¯re not late?¡± I said, tilting my head to the side. Sabrina shook her head slightly. "No, I was supposed to be here much earlier, but as I mentioned, my mother. She was being very emotional... I had not known that I used to have an uncle¡­¡± I noted the past tense and gave a grim nod. ¡°Well, thanks for coming and for, well, yesterday.¡± Sabrina ¡®perked¡¯ up. And by that, I meant she straightened and gained a certain air of smugness. ¡°I was happy to help. You should call on me for such issues more in the future.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Alright, alright, you¡¯re right. I will try to remember in the future.¡± Sabrina stared at me. I could see the disbelief written plainly across her face. I coughed and looked away. "Yeah, alright, I will! I won¡¯t just try!!¡± I said. She made a satisfied noise and I shot her a smile which she returned. She was getting good at ¡®bantering¡¯. She must be spending a bit of time with Erika. I just hoped she wasn¡¯t¡­ no¡­ it wasn¡¯t for me to say what she could and couldn¡¯t adopt for herself. I¡¯d been with her for years and she¡¯d barely had as much progress as she¡¯d had of late. Her development and growth were good. ¡°BOOM BABY!¡± shouted Surge as he kicked in the doors leading into the arena. Rachel trailed after him, flapping her arms about. ¡°Ah! You didn¡¯t need to do that!¡± she said, gesturing toward the doors, only to be ignored by Surge. Surge grinned at me, his face now cleanly shaven instead of sporting his off circuit beard. ¡°But I wanted to! Hup!¡± He jumped over the side instead of taking the stairs. I wanted to roll my eyes at his dramatic entrance, but then again¡­ I did pretty much the same thing during the circuit to create a drama-filled moment for the trainers. Sabrina frowned at him. ¡°Surge,¡± she said in greeting. ¡°Yo Sabrina!¡± He waved at us as he rose from his crouched position. ¡°Brocko! Long time since we all got together!¡± He shot finger guns at us both. ¡°Sabrina, you should come hang out in Vermillion some time since you¡¯re pretty close!.¡± He turned to me. ¡°And Brock! I know I sent you invites to my world-famous smoked barbeque!¡± ¡°Your weekly barbeque?¡± I asked with a tilt of my head. He dropped into the chair on my left and grinned. ¡°Yup! World famous!¡± ¡°In a good way?¡± asked Sabrina flatly. Surge frowned. ¡°It¡¯s world-famous!¡± he said, as if that should obviously mean good. Sabrina merely stared at him languidly, as if she shouldn¡¯t have to explain herself. I snorted at them both before speaking, ¡°Well, regardless, things here have kept me busy. I¡¯ve been cloystering up certainly, but that¡¯s part and parcel these days.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say!¡± Surge made a show of looking around the vast room with the seating areas and large doors leading to the gym proper. ¡°Damn sure looks better than that old boulder gym you used to operate out of. Fancy without being too slick or.. What do they call it? Gucci?¡± he said, rubbing his chin. ¡°Garish I think you mean,¡± I said. ¡°Eh!¡± Surge shrugged. ¡°Same, same!¡± He waved me off. He then sat up and adopted a more serious pose. ¡°But for real, Brock, are you alright? I heard in the news that Rocket didn¡¯t get anything, but is that for real? Or just a stunt? Giovanni claimed pretty much the same.¡± I nodded. ¡°They never got into the buildings or stole any pokemon away. I¡¯ve done the counts and checked all the areas. They didn¡¯t get anything beyond a swift kick in the backside and then some.¡± I considered it for a moment before continuing. ¡°What about Giovanni? Heard anything there?¡± Surge leaned back .¡±I ain¡¯t heard nada about it. Which has me worried¡­ those reporters weren¡¯t wrong that multiple gyms, and big ones at that, haven¡¯t been attacked like this since the war.¡± Surge ran his hand over the top of a few scars on his hands and his eyes got a faraway look. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will get that bad Surge. That¡¯s what today¡¯s meeting will be about mostly. Team Rocket are getting too brazen,¡± I said, reaching over and patting him on the shoulder. He gave me a tight smile before nodding. Then he swept his eyes around the room. ¡°... got a few too many chairs don¡¯t you there Brock? Or are you inviting the unofficial gyms Like Kaz and Yas as well? Is everyone showing up?¡± He grimaced. ¡°You didn¡¯t invite Manny, did you?¡± ¡°He did indeed!¡± called out a gleeful voice as a man that was brightly dressed followed Rachel out. Sabrina perked up, and it took me a moment to realise why she was reacting so positively to the man. He was a middle-aged man with a huge bald spot, rosy red cheeks and nose, and brightly coloured clothes¡­ He looked somewhat like a clown. He walked with an unusual gait, almost swinging his hips around. I half expected him to tumble and rise up juggling some pokeballs or something else, but he did no such thing. Much to Sabrina¡¯s disappointment, I suspected, judging by her tiny slump when he sat down. ¡°Hey Manny,¡± said Surge with a very reluctant tone, like he¡¯d rather not have to sit across from the man and was forced to be polite. Manny grinned at Surge. "Hello, hello from Cremini town! Thank you for the invite, and I¡¯m terribly sorry for the need to have this meeting!¡± He looked at me. ¡°Is there anything I or my pokemon can do to help?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, things are handled.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Sorry for the question, but what sort of gym do you run? It¡¯s rare that we get to speak in person, and you didn¡¯t attend the last meeting.¡± ¡°There was a meeting? I never heard of it? What was it about?¡± said the man as he leaned from side to side. Surge glanced to the side and whistled childishly, as though his feigned innocence didn¡¯t make him look more guilty. I shot him a look. ¡°The audit that a lot of us went through.¡± ¡°Oh, I had my accountant and lawyer handle that. No issue. Auditor Timothy was rather quick and straightforward about the whole thing. Very complimentary of my gym!¡± ¡°Which is in Cremini town, but what sort of gym is it?¡± I asked, trying to nudge him back to the other question I had asked while tucking away that we¡¯d had the same auditors. Had that been by chance, or was it Agatha at work once again? ¡°Oh sorry! Normal type! I have a team that features the Meowth line, Ratata, Lickitung, Cleffa, Igglypuff, Eevee, Tauros, Teddiursa, Sentret, Snubbull and such. It makes for a pretty fun fighting style with me being able to whip out so many moves with my pokemon!¡± he said with a chuckle. I nodded at him while noting that a good number of his pokemon would probably be re-categorised in the future as fairy-type and not normal-typed. If he stayed in Kanto, he might end up as a fairy gym rather than a normal type. If he got some Marill, Mr. Mimes and Ralts he¡¯d have a fairly strong lineup. The other pokemon line he¡¯d mentioned that sparked a memory was otherwise Teddiursa. Get that pokemon some peat block and a full moon and he¡¯d have a variant for himself. But that might end up as one of Giovanni¡¯s pokemon and I was loath to hand him any potential information/advantage. Which reminded me of another pokemon with interesting evolutions that I wouldn''t mind giving to people I trust. Stantler would need to be taught Psyshield bash and then trained for speed. Something that might be possible if I bought one of the young racer Stantler that were used for the winter races¡­ hmmm I liked the idea of that. Perhaps I could make it work. I¡¯d already shown that variant evolutions weren¡¯t dependent on residual energy as some would claim in my old world. I¡¯d just have to try and see if it worked for Stantler. Sabrina telekinetically nudged me and I shot her a small nod for drawing me back into the conversation. ¡°¡ªfalling for your tricks?¡± Surge was saying to Manny. The brightly coloured bald man smiled whimsically. ¡°Oh indeed! They have no idea how to handle it when I use Trick Room, or Gravity, or Baton Pass!¡± He laughed to himself. ¡° I have an entire wall of people¡¯s reactions when I use it on them the first time, and I go from a simple Jigglypuff coming down on them under gravity to a Snorlax!¡± Surge winced before nodding. ¡°Oooooh, I like it!¡± ¡°Oh!? Well be my guest and come on over¡­ any time Surge,¡± said Manny with a slight tone that I couldn¡¯t put my finger on. Surge¡¯s eyes widened as though he¡¯d just remembered something. I suspect it was linked to why he didn¡¯t invite Manny last time. ¡°I¡¯m actually super busy! Maybe some other time!¡± Surge blurted out. Sabrina leaned forward. ¡°Perhaps Manny can come to your ¡®world-famous barbecue¡¯ Surge?¡± she said neutrally. I stared at her. Sabrina was acting too innocent. She¡¯d picked something up from Manny. I knew she couldn¡¯t read Surge, but if she had his reactions and Manny¡¯s thoughts... What was going on here? ¡°I think I¡¯d love to try that! I do enjoy my meat!¡± said the man as he laughed and smiled happily at Surge who now looked a little ill. Oh. Surge was being flirted with. Manny shot me a wink, and I realised Manny understood what was going on and he was messing with Surge. Heh, turns out Surge couldn¡¯t handle a little compliment and teasing. I looked away and bit my lip so I didn¡¯t give the game away. Sabrina glimmered with amusement, and I smiled. It was nice to have Surge, ever the bombastic one in our group, on the back foot. I was so inviting Manny to these things in the future. ¡°ORA!¡± shouted a voice as my tunnel doors were punched open. They slammed harshly into the walls and I rolled my eyes as Kong announced himself. Sabrina gave a little huff of annoyance as he strutted in, glowering at her. He set himself down across from her and right next to Manny. The bald man happily watched Kong huff and flex at Sabrina impotently. He apparently wasn¡¯t going to turn down a free show. Following directly after Kong, and notably more quiet in their approach, Erika led the Cerulean sisters into the arena with a polite bow of greeting. She claimed the spot next to Sabrina, leaving Daisy, Violet, and Lily to claim the next seats on Erika¡¯s other side. ¡°Hey Brock~!¡± Daisy and Lily waved at me, and I nodded back in greeting. Sabrina leaned forward slightly, and her eyes narrowed at the pair, but they didn¡¯t notice as they smiled at me. Lily played with her hair. ¡°Like thanks for all the help you organised for us!¡± I waved my hand through the air. ¡°I really didn¡¯t do anything. I spoke to the Rangers once and mentioned talking with you and the Lapras reserve but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Yeah but I got a super cutey in Babe! She¡¯s such a darling pokemon! We went down there last month to talk with them and I saw your Tide! He¡¯s huge!¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Any chance we could get him on loan? We can talk about it later!¡± ¡°Psst Brock!¡± Surge leaned in ¡®subtly¡¯ to whisper at me but his giant frame made it obvious what he was doing. I glanced at him. He nodded slowly, mouthing behind his raised hand. ¡®Do it and her!¡¯ He shot me a thumbs-up. I shook my head at him and he narrowed his eyes. It didn¡¯t stop a stray gust of wind causing some dust to blow into his face. I turned back to find Daisy and Lily likewise having to clean their faces. I wiped the table and ground, checking for dust. ¡°Sorry about that, I thought I cleaned the room.¡± Oddly, on both swipes, my fingers came back clean. I sat up and frowned before shooting Sabrina a look. She was pointedly not looking at me. I rolled my eyes at her before looking at Lily as she finished wiping her face for dust. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m thinking of maybe featuring him this year in my Ace Challenges along with some of my other pokemon that don¡¯t get as much battle time.¡± I shot Sabrina an unamused look when she telekinetically pat my head. ¡°How are your new trainers otherwise?¡± Daisy bobbed her head up and down a few times and started commenting on how things were easier with the older Ranger helping them out and riding herd on the newcomers from Erika and Giovanni. Daisy turned to Erika. ¡°I have to say it is just so nice having so many other girls to train with! It just makes it so much more enjoyable!¡± Erika beamed like someone had just performed Sunny Day on her and she was collecting the energy. ¡°Yes! Some of the girls still keep in touch, and they are really enjoying the posting! Perhaps we should set something up for you like I have with my gym?¡± Daisy, Lily and Violet all nodded. I tilted my head as I recalled something else while also noting that Violet hadn¡¯t had dust thrown into her face. ¡°How¡¯d the date go?¡± I said quickly, before any girl talk could start up. It had been Violet that had decided to date the man who came as an auditor. I was a bit slow with it being months since she¡¯d told us but eh. Her sisters smirked at Violet as she squirmed. ¡°He¡¯s like, not that bad, alright! He¡¯s really sweet!¡± Lily and Daisy shared a look before sing songing, ¡°She put out on the second date~!¡± I blinked. Wow these girls were rough on each other. With sisters like this it was no wonder Misty was shown to have a hair trigger. Violet turned on her sisters and I could practically see the hate boiling in her eyes. ¡°I told you that in confidence! Now everyone thinks I¡¯m loose!¡± she roared. Surge leaned forward and in a carrying whisper said, ¡°Well that boring conversation now has my attention!¡± He leaned forward and grinned at Lily and Daisy. ¡°Hello Ladies!¡± Sabrina scoffed and I chuckled. Sometimes he made it hard to remember that he was a highly observant, battle-hardened trainer when he talked like that. The cerulean sisters gave him strained smiles that made it clear Surge was not in their strike zones. The opening of a door had us turning to find Grey entering only to pause at our collective focus settling on him. He fidgeted and glanced around only to note all the free seats. He claimed a spot on the end next to Kong and swallowed, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice how his eyes quickly slid over to the door. ¡°Grey! Ready for the coming circuit?!¡± barked Surge as he spotted his previous hazing target. I snorted, just happy he wasn¡¯t trying to hit on the Cerulean sisters anymore. When Giovanni came in, he did so with Blaine by his side. Giovanni stalked with a straight face that was set in stone. Blaine seemed distracted, but he had enough presence of mind to nod at us all. I hummed, surprised he wasn¡¯t trying to strike up a deal to visit my variant golem site or my ancient pokemon. I¡¯d been gambling when I decided to host the event here, but ultimately decided not to shy away from claiming home turf advantage. Blaine didn¡¯t seem to want to talk with me, but he claimed a seat on the open side, and Giovanni claimed the seat next to him. When Grey got up to sit next to them, my eyebrows shot up. Now that was a tale I was very interested in. I glanced around and saw a few people eyeing Grey suspiciously. Three seats remained empty. The door opened once more, and we looked to see a rather thickset woman stomp her way in. She wore biker leathers with patches that were actually kind of cute to look at. She had Flareon, Jigglypuff, Weezing, a Pidgeot, and a number of other pokemon over her arms and shoulders. She notably had a fray along the stitching of her Butterfree patch like it¡¯d been torn at. I looked into her eyes and saw they were red and puffy. ¡°Sophia? ¡­Are you alright?¡± I asked. This was not territory I felt prepared for. I¡¯d barely spoken with her over the transceiver perhaps four to five times in the past. To see her in person and see her upset¡­ Had she been raided as well? She swallowed and nodded at everyone. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m just¡­ Had to let Chilli go yesterday, and I¡¯m still a bit torn up bout it.¡± she sat with a slouch. ¡°I¡¯m alright, this is important, and I need to be out doing stuff.¡± I tilted my head. I hadn¡¯t dealt with her before, but Chilli sounded like a pet name. Grey leaned forward from next to Giovanni. ¡°Isn¡¯t Chilli your old Butterfree? Don¡¯t you go through them like every couple of years cause they¡¯re bug pokemon?¡± Sophia sat up, her hair left long on the top while being shorn along the sides hung over one eye as she straightened. Despite that I could feel the intensity of her gaze as she settled it upon Grey. "Grey, shut the fuck up about things you have no idea about. I barely speak to you during the little gym leader meetings we hold so don¡¯t think you can mouth off without me smacking you across the chops.¡± Grey reeled back and became aware that everyone was giving him stink eyes. Manny laced his fingers together. ¡°I think you should be considering an apology, young Greyhold Stern,¡± he said with a tone that made me want to take notes. It was perfectly paternal without being overly familiar. It was polite and stern all at once. Interestingly ¡®Greyhold¡¯ swallowed and blushed. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my words Sophia,¡± he said quickly. Sophia sniffed. ¡°I¡¯ll punch you in the throat or the dick next time. Consider that your only warning.¡± With that, I sat up as I glanced at the suddenly full chairs, bar one. Koga nodded once in greeting. Giovanni opened his mouth but I was ready for him. ¡°We''re still going to be waiting on one person. I have, as is my right, invited another interested party to this discussion.¡± Everyone, barring Sabrina and Koga, shot me curious looks. I smiled innocently as the doors opened once more and Lance stepped forth. His cape flapped dramatically behind him and he stood with the light of the entrance as backlighting. ¡°Gym Leaders of Kanto, greetings,¡± he said as he stepped forward. Koga looked at me. ¡°You¡¯re invoking the rules of invitation to the Champion as this is a regional issue, yes?¡± "Indeed, I am; according to official meeting minutes, the Champion has been invited in the past to discuss issues that will affect all of Kanto... or indeed more," I said, alluding to the magnitude of what I was about to discuss. Giovanni¡¯s gaze bore into me and despite his stoic expression, I could tell that he was less than pleased with this development. Perhaps he wanted to just sweep it under the rug or downplay it. With the Champion present and with an agenda on the cards he¡¯d have to work twice as hard to do so. Lance swept down to the round table and claimed the final spot but did not immediately sit. Instead, he remained standing and put both hands down on the table as he turned his head around to look each of us in the eyes for a moment. My own eyes dipped to a new bracelet he wore on his right arm. In the middle, a small gem that reminded me of a red and blue catseye marble sat. Was that¡­ Lance spoke, and I looked up to find him gazing in my direction before he turned to Sabrina next to me. ¡°I know of all of you. I do not know you. This is perhaps a failing on my part, and one I will be seeking to rectify. I understand that recent events have fragmented our unity as a nation. Indigo is something more than just Johto and Kanto. The recent audit is an example of something poorly executed, and I would like to take this moment to acknowledge it was wrong and that the parties responsible have been dealt with.¡± He continued to survey the room. ¡°I feel I have failed you and for that I am sorry.¡± He bowed his head, and I found myself appreciating him a little more. I¡¯d knew he was capable of it, but to see it in action was something else. When he raised his head I bobbed my own back. Others, such as Sabrina, Blaine, Giovanni, Surge, Sophia, Grey, Manny, and Koga, did not nod back, for what I assumed were different reasons. The Cerulean sisters waved it off, while Erika had to abort her own bow so that she didn¡¯t headbutt the table. I caught the smallest colouring of pink energy on the table in front of Erika and re-examined that statement. Apparently, she may have done so only for Sabrina to catch her. I shot Sabrina a small smile, but her eyes remained locked on Lance. He straightened and retook his stance, this time not leaning forward but still standing. ¡°If any of you have any personal misgivings, my door is always open to Gym Leaders.¡± He nodded again before coughing. ¡°With that out of the way, I would like to address the issue that has brought all of us here today.¡± He looked at Giovanni and me. ¡°Two gyms of Kanto have been attacked in a short amount of time. People have always seen Team Rocket as an organisation that was more a nuisance than a real threat, but with this recent attack there needs to be a¡­ re-examination of priorities.¡± Grey leaned forward. ¡°What¡¯s that mean? Is the League going to pay us more to do more patrols and catch crooks seeing as the police obviously are not enough?¡± Giovanni shook his head. ¡°The League doesn¡¯t give out funding like that. They could loosen restrictions on us though, and allow greater sovereignty over our areas. Before yesterday, Viridian had a perfect track record with the police and my own gym trainers handling any scuffles or incidents. If Team Rocket has grown, I need to be able to investigate.¡± Koga barked a laugh. ¡°Sovereignty!? You speak of the old times before Kanto was even an idea! I suppose as the Viridian representative you would raise that as an option!¡± I frowned before recalling how the Viridian ¡®state¡¯ had been the last to join with Kanto as a nation according to the founding Hero story. Blaine leaned forward. ¡°I find that I too would not mind greater¡­ freedoms to enact justice.¡± Blaine, I noted, was staring at the bracelet on Lance¡¯s arm. When he looked up, there was a flash of something in his eyes, and I almost wanted to grasp a pokeball and send out Titan to defend me. But the expression passed as if it had never been. Sabrina and Erika had seen it. Erika didn''t seem to understand what she''d seen, and Sabrina''s eyes narrowed slightly. Lance looked at Blaine before huffing. ¡°It is not freedom to enact ¡®justice¡¯ or a greater burden that I wish to speak of. It is the fact that Team Rocket, and indeed many criminal elements have become widespread across the world. Granting you greater authority would be a bandaid. We need something that will encompass the world. It is something I have long considered that we¡¯re in need of! My work with the Rangers highlighted the shortcomings of having the many nations that make up our world not working together!¡± He raised a hand as others sat up in fear. ¡°I do not speak of further uniting of nations or anything that could lead to conflict, but rather evolving the law and order of the world. I speak of creating an international police force.¡± I¡¯d known this was something Lance in canon had been involved with. I had known of his past and even looked through his records since I¡¯d gained access to them as a member of the Guardians. When he had to attend dinners or give speeches there had been an underlying trend of him advocating law and order. Lance sighed hugely and let his body droop. ¡°This will be something that I will not be able to enact for quite some time.¡± I almost saw Giovanni relax in his seat at that, but it was minute and you had to be looking for it to tell. Blaine adjusted his glances and sniffed. ¡°It would take more than us agreeing to it.¡± Lance nodded. ¡°I am going to formally announce a Grand Conclave of Gym Leaders and Elite Four Trainers for this purpose at the end of the next Indigo conference. I will start small and link up the Johto and Kanto police jurisdictions, but I will also be in talks with the Orange and Sevii islands. Hoenn, and other nations that we encounter in future, will need to be discussed at a later date. I hope to broach the topic with Steven Stone once our own region is structured for international policing.¡± Blaine snorted loudly at the last comment, drawing more looks. He gritted his teeth and waved our attention off. I tilted my head but didn¡¯t say anything about how Blaine was acting. Blaine was being very touchy about this. More than I would have thought. Or had something just been said that set him off? Giovanni set a finger on the table firmly. ¡°It¡¯s all well and good as an ideal, but in practice, it can just as easily be a noose for us.¡± He planted his hand on the table firmly. ¡°I won¡¯t agree to anything until I see all of the fine print.¡± Surge grunted in agreement. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m going to be jumping in at the idea of it either.¡± He worked his jaw. ¡°Bit too much history of you Johto types pulling sly ones on us Kantonians.¡± Grey laughed and slapped the table. ¡°I thought you made a killing recently on Johto bookies?¡± Surge glanced at him and grinned with all his teeth on display. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I did.¡± Lance raised his hands. ¡°I understand this is ambitious of me, but I thought I should be open. In the wake of Pewter and Viridian being raided, we need an appropriate response.¡± I leaned in. ¡°I think the first step we need to be taking is increasing our patrolling and having more information regarding Team Rocket. We¡¯re talking even bigger than them right now. Ultimately, their raid on me didn¡¯t just fail, we were also able to capture one of their sites with them still in the act. I know there are still going to be some lawyers quibbling over the details of the arrests but thanks to Ace Trainer Karen, we were able to stay in hot pursuit.¡± I turned to Giovanni and channelled my rock energy to hold in the grin that threatened to tug at my lips. ¡°What happened at your gym? Was everything accounted for?¡± I said it like I was actually concerned for the man¡¯s well-being. I hope he choked on his cigar when he heard his gym had been trashed. He leaned back. ¡°My gym merely had cosmetic damage, I assure you. Nothing was taken from us.¡± ¡°Good that you were there to stop them then,¡± I said with a nod. When Giovanni didn¡¯t say anything, I tilted my head. ¡°You¡­ weren¡¯t there? How do you know nothing was stolen?¡± ¡°My trainers were able to reach the gym within minutes of the alarms going off.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°That makes it sound like something could have been taken or changed around¡­ It is still early days yet. If you need assistance, I would be happy to help.¡± She then nodded towards the Cerulean sisters. ¡°Or indeed others that you have shown kindness to.¡± Giovanni¡¯s jaw twitched. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, I assure you.¡± Lance sat back and watched the byplay with interest. ¡°Very well, I understand that recent events will have strained you, so I will be increasing the police presence in both Viridian and Pewter to assist¡­ I will also be allocating further funding to the police and pushing for advancement and development skills with a special task force for Team Rocket.¡± Sophia raised her hand in a strangely timid gesture for such a large woman. Lance nodded towards her. ¡°Yes, Sophia?¡± "Well, that¡¯s good and all but it still doesn¡¯t stop the big issue that I came to talk about? What can we do if our Gym is attacked? I can¡¯t just accept that the answer is to wait for the police!¡± she said loudly. The Cerulean sisters, Manny, Erika, and Kong all nodded. Kong stiffened when he realised he¡¯d nodded along and brushed his nose to try and cover up that he¡¯d agreed with the others. He defaulted to glaring at Sabrina like she¡¯d made him do it. I hummed. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a matter of preparation as well then?¡± When everyone looked at me, I shrugged. "With our responsibilities, we''re so caught up in the dueling challenge mindset that we forget we don''t have to fight them with just one of our pokemon. We can use more just as they do. This is not a nice exchange but rather a true fight.¡± I allowed myself a grimace. ¡°When they attacked my home they weren¡¯t restricting themselves to just using one pokemon for each of themselves but rather two or three per trainer in most cases. I had strategies for my pokemon to follow in such an event as I deemed such a raid possible.¡± I waggled my hand in the air. ¡°If highly unlikely at the time¡­ now? Not so much. I¡¯ll be keeping up their training and maybe developing more methods to stop raids on my gym.¡± The room took a moment to process this, and the thickset biker woman was the first to speak up. ¡°You¡­ used more than one pokemon against them?¡± Sophia asked with a tilt of her head, like that was a foreign concept. For some people, it would be, with how regimented matches are. Two on two matches had only become possible in the last five years and were still rare for the average trainer to take part in. ¡°During my journey in Hoenn, I ran into some trainers that had encountered bounty hunters there. Often, they would strike hard and fast. When I spoke with the people that had pokemon stolen from them, I learned that they needed to be able to get out of the blocks with everything they had earlier instead of waiting until it was too late and they¡¯d lost their pokemon.¡± I tapped my head. ¡°It takes a bit of awareness training to be able to keep track of what¡¯s happening, but it pays in situations where there¡¯s more pokemon in play.¡± I looked to Koga. ¡°You understand what I¡¯m talking about, yeah?¡± Koga inclined his head. ¡°Indeed, I often keep my skills sharp by performing not just teamwork tasks but tasks that are different for all of my pokemon when I train with them. Young Brock is correct that we have let ourselves grow lax in how we fight.¡± Lance drew in a breath. ¡°That¡­¡± He sighed, ¡° I won¡¯t gainsay anyone that needs to train different methods of fighting to protect themselves or loved ones, but I do not want to hear of others using this method in common battles. I don¡¯t want it adopted with more trainers as it has the risk of more damage to areas. It is too dangerous and too reminiscent of the old times.¡± Lance gave me an appraising look before continuing. ¡°It is not an escalation to meet them with an equal level of pokemon, but remember that using more pokemon at once will put you at risk of whiteout should your pokemon faint. This means that not only will your pokemon be helpless, but so will you. If you wish to pursue this as your option, then train for it.¡± He raised his off-hand, ¡°Or invest in more security or trainers to support your gyms. I will be increasing police presence, creating a task force, and hopefully developing an international body to deal with such criminals in future.¡± Koga laced his fingers together. ¡°This¡­ seems a wise course of action.¡± He glanced at Sophia. ¡°If you are unsure how to train your pokemon and yourself in a more¡­ chaotic style, then by all means drop in for a chat. I have much experience in this.¡± Surge sniffed. ¡°I¡¯m more used to shock and awe with fewer pokemon but I¡¯ve got some tricks if you want em.¡± Sophia, Erika and Manny relaxed at this while the Cerulean sisters all shared looks. ¡°Like uh, we¡¯ll talk about it ourselves, but we might go with another option.¡± Rather than looking disappointed with the sisters, Lance seemed relieved that not everyone was going to be ¡®arming up¡¯. He nodded, and the girls all preened at his attention. ¡°Lance,¡± said Koga before any other items could be raised. Lance glanced at the leader of Fuchsia gym. Koga inclined his head and hummed before nodding sternly. ¡°I will tentatively voice my support for your international police force. I think there is a need. I would like to work with you on this.¡± Lance grinned and I smiled. I had thought that Koga might not enjoy the idea with his position on the Guardians, but it seemed he was going a different route by making sure he had a say in how things developed. At least it seemed that way to me. I leaned forward. ¡°I¡¯m not great at investigative work, but if you need someone to break open some doors I¡¯m more than willing to help out.¡± I held in the smirk as I made sure not to look at Giovanni. Surge slapped me on the back. ¡°That makes two of us! But like Giovanni said. I¡¯ll be reading all the fine print!¡± he said, pointing two fingers at his eyes before turning them onto Lance. He chuckled at Surge and nodded. ¡°I hope to make this as transparent an organisation as I can, I assure you.¡± ¡°Yeah we¡¯ll see.¡± Surge leaned back and crossed his arms while shooting me a wink. I held up a hand. ¡°Is there any chance the cap on Arcanine in the Police force could be raised from five per city?¡± Lance considered that before nodding. ¡°I can look into that. That would help I think. Johto will of course see the same with Houndoom or other equivalents.¡± He gave that some thought. Blaine grinned at that and it took me a moment to remember that with the Cinnabar islands he¡¯d probably be the primary seller of fire stones. There was a moment of quiet where no one else spoke up. I leaned forward, deciding to prompt things along. ¡°Well, I think we have covered a lot of potential solutions so recent events don¡¯t repeat themselves. Was there any other business to discuss?¡± Lance shot Koga a look and the man nodded once. Lance coughed. ¡°I may as well use this moment to make the announcement that with Shafner¡¯s¡­ retirement from the Elite Four,¡± started Lance, only for Surge to cut him off. ¡°You mean he didn¡¯t run off all butt hurt cause you beat the pants off him with just one pokemon?¡± Surge tilted his head as though asking innocently, but I could see the way his lips were twitching. Lance coughed while the Cerulean sisters giggled. Erika shot Surge a glare that was about as effective as a normal move on a ghost. ¡°As I was saying, due to Shafner stepping down, there has been a position available on my Elite Four.¡± A few notable eyes shot towards me, and I felt a stirring of pride at that response. Lance however, turned to Koga. ¡°I can think of no one better suited to upholding the position than Gym Leader Koga from Fuchsia, and after this circuit, he will become one of the Elite Four officially. I will also be looking for other trainers that have the skills for another, future opening.¡± Blaine leaned forward and leered at Lance. ¡°Getting rid of that little ice maiden are we?¡± Lance stared for a moment, but shook his head. ¡°Not¡­ as yet. Lorelei is a strong trainer and will remain with us. I was instead speaking of Agatha¡¯s desire to step down.¡± Blaine snorted so loudly that the sound echoed for a moment. Everyone stared at him. He waved his hand across his face. ¡°My apologies, the dust in here must be affecting my sinuses.¡± The Cerulean sisters all nodded in understanding, but I thought I heard Blaine whisper under his breath. ¡°That or all the Tauros dung he¡¯s shoveling at us.¡± Lance gave Blaine a pointed stare that the bald man had no trouble matching. When it looked like they weren¡¯t going to stop, I coughed pointedly. ¡°Well, I for one think that deserves a celebration both for Koga¡¯s accession and another for Agatha¡¯s retirement. Will there be a party for Agatha?¡± I said, deciding to give Agatha another chance to needle some people. The girls in the room, excluding Sabrina, all perked up. Sabrina did so after glancing at them and reading something. I looked to Koga and started to clap, resulting in the others following suit. Surge took it a step further by standing and punching the sky. ¡°Wooooooh! Yeah, Koga!¡± he bellowed. Koga inclined his head. ¡°Thank you for your kind words.¡± He shot me a look before nodding again to Lance. ¡°I assure you I desire no¡­ party.¡± Lance gave a noncommittal hum that had Koga narrowing his eyes. When Koga shot me a look, I pointedly looked to the side, not meeting his gaze. Surge, having stood up, clapped his hands on the table. "Well, that¡¯s a good enough ending to this meeting. If anyone wants some tips to shock some punks getting too frisky with you, by all means call me. Otherwise, I should be getting back.¡± He winked at me. ¡°I got a Graveller to keep training!¡± With nothing else keeping us there, the meeting broke up. Lance made his way around to my seat. ¡°Thank you again for inviting me today, Brock. This has been something I have been hoping to present for a while but the climate never seemed right.¡± He bobbed his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it took your gym coming under attack for people to take Law and Order funding more seriously at the League.¡± He softened slightly. ¡°I have heard it said that everything was fine apart from cosmetic damage, but that does not mean it hasn¡¯t affected you or your family. Are you well?¡± I stared at him for a moment before smiling. ¡°The kids are fine. I spent a good while talking with them yesterday afternoon. Forrest was a bit freaked out as was Yolanda but everyone else was just like ¡®of course Brock chased them off!¡¯.¡± Lance laughed. ¡°It must be nice having such support.¡± I returned a wry smile. ¡°Just gotta keep working hard to live up to it I suppose.¡± He reached down and squeezed my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll do more than that, I have no doubt.¡± A small squeal of delight had Lance and I looking away from each other to find the Cerulean sisters lingering and shooting us hopeful looks. Sabrina stood up, and the chair that should have been unmovable scraped loudly on the floor. When the girls glanced at her, she shook her head before inclining it to Erika. ¡°Erika, Sophia,... and Daisy, Lily and Violet, we should have something to eat, together.¡± She looked to Sophia who looked startled at the sudden attention. Erika perked up. ¡°Oh, tea perhaps?!¡± She glanced over to Sophia who still had slightly red eyes. ¡°Would you like that?¡± When Sophia nodded the Cerulean sisters formed up around her. The group of girls then all looked at Sabrina. ¡°Uhmm, are you not coming, Sabrina?¡± Erika said. Sabrina offered a small smile. ¡°I need to discuss something with Brock first. I will try to come along soon.¡± The girls accepted that and left. I glanced around and noted that everyone else had also departed. Lance clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°My thanks once more, Brock. Call me if you need anything.¡± He then made his way out with a wave over his shoulder. ¡°Good vigilance,¡± said Koga from next to Sabrina. Sabrina didn¡¯t react, and I held back my twitch. Sabrina put a hand on my forearm as I stood up. ¡°I have realised I need to keep an eye on what¡¯s important,¡± she said while looking at me. I coughed and blushed at her attention. I pat her hand. She meant that in so many more ways than just that she was going to help me out, didn¡¯t she? I¡­ did not want to open that can of weedles right now. Instead, I directed Koga and Sabrina to my office. Agatha and Karen were seated comfortably in front of my desk, with the screen turned towards them. On it, the arena we¡¯d just come from was shown from multiple angles. I stepped around the table after nodding at each of them. Sabrina came with me instead of claiming a seat and leaned on the wall behind me. Koga smiled while Agatha tittered. Karen narrowed her eyes. Yeah¡­ I was positive Sabrina had meant what she said in so many different ways now. ¡°So? What¡¯re your thoughts?¡± In a way, I was ceding control of the conversation, but in another, I was prompting them for their thoughts while keeping my own as close to my chest as I could. Agatha smiled and inclined her head. ¡°Very well played. When you contacted us with your plan for this meeting, I thought you were being a touch too daring, but¡­¡± She tapped the screen. ¡°I don¡¯t think Blaine or Giovanni suspected a thing. Lance appears to think this is all his idea even. You have them thinking of many things, but certainly not you.¡± She sat back. ¡°After all, everything you raised was perfectly reasonable and justified from what they understand of you.¡± She exuded satisfaction. ¡°Willing to admit you were wrong about Giovanni and that he is an issue?¡± I said, popping a water bottle open and taking a drink. Sabrina grasped the bottle when I was done and took a sip herself. I rolled my eyes at her and left her to her little games with Karen. The other woman seemed to be locked into a staring contest with Sabrina who wasn¡¯t deigning to acknowledge her. I decided to remain focused on Agatha. Agatha sniffed. ¡°Wash your mouth out! Me? Wrong? The sky will turn green before that day!¡± I got the impression she¡¯d still deny it even if the sky shifted through all the colours of the rainbow and more. She sniffed. ¡°Still, just because I was not wrong doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t also have a valid point. I will revisit my previous decision regarding Giovanni. I will be slipping a few more operatives at Team Rocket and having some people try and rise up the ranks to keep tabs on what is going on.¡± She tapped her cane on the floor. ¡°Giovanni has gotten too bold¡­ or he¡¯s losing control of his organisation. Both are unacceptable.¡± I brought up an image that had been caught on camera during raids. ¡° What do you make of this pokemon? I don¡¯t recognise it. Do you? Does this mean that Giovanni has access to another region than just Fiore or was this a pokemon from Fiore?¡± I knew it wasn''t, but they didn¡¯t know I knew that. Agatha shook her head. ¡°No, and that¡¯s another telling sign of his growing influence.¡± She glanced at the screen. ¡°Lance is certainly showing his draconic nature by trying to establish an international police organisation. Hnnn, it was good that you gave us a lead on what you were planning Brock. Now Koga will be at the forefront of the organisation.¡± I smiled. ¡°I''m surprised you didn¡¯t try and stop me.¡± ¡°I''m not going to try and stand in front of an avalanche Brock, even with my mastery of Ghost-type energy.¡± Karen broke off staring at Sabrina to shoot Agatha an incredulous look like she couldn¡¯t believe what the woman had just said. I caught Sabrina perking up in the reflection of my monitor at ¡®beating¡¯ Karen. Agatha turned her attention. ¡°Usually we are also the ones inviting others into our organisation.¡± She flicked her eyes at me and then Sabrina. I shrugged. ¡°She got tired of waiting for you.¡± A cough sounded from Koga that sounded like a laugh. Agatha sighed. ¡°No respect for traditions.¡± She tutted before grinning. ¡°I shall have to organise a match against you and Karen. Or perhaps I¡¯ll step in myself! What do you say to that, girl?¡± Sabrina raised her chin. ¡°If you must amuse yourself, don¡¯t expect me to go easy on you.¡± Agatha laughed. ¡°Good, good! Well, with things being rushed along I might as well do that.¡± She glanced at Koga. ¡°We¡¯ll need to start inviting your daughter as well. Get her ready to swim in the deep dark waters.¡± Agatha stood at that. "Well, these old bones have had too much excitement for today. I shall be off.¡± She paused in the doorway and glanced back at me. ¡°You¡¯re riding a wave of success right now Brock. Don¡¯t let it get to your head. The crash is worse the higher one goes after all. ¡° With that final warning tossed out she departed. Karen followed her out. She nodded to me and sniffed at Sabrina. Koga sketched a bow before vanishing in a blur. A moment later the door closed itself quietly. I sat back and sighed. That¡­ had pretty much gone to plan. I could chalk that up as a win and a very convincing one at that. There were just some loose ends to tie up. ¡°Sabrina¡­ can you sense my father at all in Pewter?¡± I didn¡¯t want him wandering around Pewter anymore. He¡¯d become a potential liability if he was kidnapped by Team Rocket. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d go to those depths but still... It was possible. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed and her lips turned downwards and I sighed. She gave me a grimace. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Brock¡­ I¡­ I can''t sense your father at all within my radius. I¡¯ve only sensed him a few times but he did stand out to me in the past. It is more difficult with distance involved.¡± I leaned back. ¡°Was he like me? With his aura showing through?¡± I had to wonder if what Karen had warned me about with rock-type energy didn''t also apply to him. Sabrina had been able to notice certain things such as Blaine¡¯s mind being particularly poor to read as it could burn her with his energy. ¡°To a degree¡­ from what I can recall. I¡­ I didn¡¯t pay any attention to him when I visited in the past.¡± I leaned forward and put my head in my hands. ¡°Damn it Flint.¡± I stared down at the table for a long moment. A hand slowly patted my shoulder before it stopped awkwardly. ¡°Brock¡­ would you like¡­ a hug?¡± she asked carefully. I leaned back and turned. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I think I would.¡± She stepped in and gave me a hug. It was still as awkward as I remembered. She could cuddle, but hugs still seemed to come off wrong with Sabrina for some reason. It was still nice. Chapter 55 - Celebrating I loosened a sigh of relief. Ticking another item off the shopping list was a good feeling. With that picked up, I was finally done with today¡¯s shopping. Now I just needed to check out, go pick up Tommy and Cindy¡¯s gift¡­ and then I should be able to get some me time. I chuckled to myself at that. And to think, for a moment there I¡¯d entertained the idea of trying my hand at a Championship run. Screw that. Life was already complicated enough as it was. I didn¡¯t need or want any more pressure. I just wanted things to settle down. ¡°Brock! Getting ready for the circuit? Buying yourself some protein?¡± shouted a man I had never met. In my head, I assigned him the name ¡®Rockclimber Chad¡¯. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be!¡± I said with a wide smile. This reminded me so much of a movie in my old life where the hero proclaimed his love to a random citizen. Ah Megamind, wonderful story. It made everyone smile at least. For a second, I wondered if he was someone that was well-known in the city and if I was supposed to know him. I¡¯d have to see if I could spend some more time doing community work to learn about any names or faces that I really should know. That, or sit down with the Granny cabal and ask them to bring over some of their family albums. They¡¯d get me up to date like a student cramming for a final. A ding from my transceiver indicated I had mail. I opened it to see Karen writing a message to me. ¡®Brock. I¡¯ll be looking forward to our rematch when I¡¯m an Elite Four and you ditch the kiddy club. Watch Battlecast in a week¡¯s time as I¡¯ll be fighting Danica then. We got a prime-time spot for the match! Should have her wrapped up before your bedtime!¡¯ Another message rolled in quickly. ¡®Check your holopad for instructions to that rock-type trainer.¡¯ I hummed. They had been alluding to him for a while. Karen had shown me a few tricks, one of which I was tempted to pull out with the Gym leader meeting but with so many high-end trainers they¡¯d probably notice it. Blaine being the most prominent in my mind. A final message came, just as I was lowering my arm. ¡®Thanks for letting me claim the spotlight for that Rocket raid. Even if you stole a bit of my thunder announcing that Rocket raid on Giovanni. Wild how that happened.¡¯ I chuckled. She probably suspected something but I wasn¡¯t worried about her. While Agatha was cautious, Karen was typically more than willing to throw down. I hummed. It really had cost me nothing to let her feature during the press conference. There were way, way more positives for me to take a step back. Then, I¡¯d be able to let the focus of public attention fall on other sources. Like Giovanni and Team Rocket. The news had run with a ten-minute piece on Karen¡¯s raid, only to then spend an entire hour discussing the ramifications of the assaults on Pewter and Viridian. They never mentioned the war again, much to my interest. I suspected the League officials had gotten involved and put some weight on the broadcasting groups to not bring that out during any prime-time shows. I did see discussions of it breaking out on some forums that Rachel kept me appraised of though. I hadn¡¯t heard anything from Jenny, but then again it had only been two days since the raid so she might not have been able to ¡®crack¡¯ Proton yet. I knew that a Lawyer had appeared, and offered himself up for Proton and the other Rocket officials on a ¡®Pro-bono¡¯ deal which was far, far too clean to be anything but polished Tauros dung. I¡¯d been hoping to learn a bit more this afternoon when Jenny swung around for the party. For now, I had to bake two cakes. One in the shape of a zubat ¡ª because apparently bats were in right now for Tommy¡ª, while the other needed to at least attempt a castle set up. They would both be chocolate, however, as that was both twins'' ¡®most favourite thing ever¡¯. I had thankfully been able to hire a small pokemon circus with an attached petting zoo. Kids loved having the baby pokemon around as they were typically the most cuddly. There were also the speciality bred and raised mini pokemon such as the tiny Ponyta and Miltank. Tiny purse Growlithe were also considered adorable. Completely impractical for any fighting scene. But adorable enough for practicality to be thrown out the window. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! I challenge you to a¡ª¡± My hand shot out and blocked a young trainer that was holding out a pokeball towards me. ¡°Come back in a week and a half when the circuit starts. Before that, I¡¯m not accepting any challenges for recognition or badges.¡± I straight-up walked past the trainer. He stared after me cluelessly. ¡°Huh? Wait, you can¡¯t do that!?¡± ¡°Check the League rules! You have to wait like everyone else. Wait until the Monday after next! The gym will be open from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon to accept challengers. Until then, you can rent, or challenge some of the staff for practice or accept patrol or clear-out jobs from us but that¡¯s all the Gym currently offers!¡± I called back. This was something I had strangely gotten used to. It was like remembering the way you answered or left a message on the phone. The first ten might be a bit clunky but you got the message across in the end. Since that first year, it had become my go-to response when I was challenged outside of official times. Could I do more? Sure. But if there was one thing I learnt from my last life, it was to work when you were supposed to work and set aside time for yourself or your family for the rest of that time. This was not an absolute, however. They often intermingled. In the offseason, I was much more focused on ¡®me¡¯ time. I tried to let things be as slow and relaxing as possible. I was both dreading the return of the circuit and super excited about it. It was easily the busiest period of the year for the gym. Then we¡¯d slowly drop off until the last two months, when it wouldn¡¯t be considered out of the norm to see a only single trainer challenge the gym a week. The start of the season typically meant I¡¯d end up facing off against around two to three hundred trainers in the first two months. That typically boiled down to seven matches a day on average. These matches could be exciting, terrifying, boring, or any other emotion. It might be a bit of a snore-fest to schedule first badge trainers all in a row, but it was consistent. I didn¡¯t have to alter my mindset. I had tougher days when I¡¯d jump between various skill levels. Those took more out of me. By the end of the circuit, you could typically chalk up something close to five hundred trainers having passed through the gym on the low end of things. But this year promised to be much more different due to two major inclusions. Gary Oak, and Ash Ketchum. Both had officially registered and been accepted. As a gym leader, I had access to their unfinished trainer profiles, which would be filled out as they earned more badges and pokemon. This was a new development by the League and something that was still being filled out for active trainers, but would hopefully see a lift in overall trainer skill levels as they became able to access more information. I¡¯d be checking on them at the start for the Squirtle and Pikachu that should be registered to each. And then, well, I suppose I¡¯d have to see Ash for myself. It would be weird to see the kid that I spent so many hours watching in a past life in person. I¡¯d never been to Pallet Town before, but now it wouldn¡¯t matter. Ash was going to be coming to me. I unpacked the groceries and deposited the treats for the later party while my mind worked on other thoughts. My body preheated the oven, and I laid out the recipe card for today¡¯s chocolate cake. Yolanda was going to be able to handle breakfast for me, so that was a task I didn¡¯t have to worry about. The work distracted me enough that I was able to ignore the thoughts that nipped at me like a pack of growlithe. I cracked the eggs, mixed the flour, poured in the cocoa, and deposited Tilly on a bench seat to watch. Tickled Billy, and sent him after Munchlax who¡¯d had made off with the packet of chocolate chips. Then I reached in and grabbed another packet, knowing how that chase would end. I made sure to share one with Tilly, then I continued with baking. When Billy returned with the empty packet and chocolate around his mouth, I gave him a pointed look. ¡°He was too quick for me!¡± he said as though the chocolate around his mouth wouldn¡¯t melt in his mouth. I stared harder at his mouth. Billy tried to whistle. I knelt down. ¡°Billy, are you lying to me?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Billy¡­ I¡¯d be really sad if you lied to me, cause it would mean I couldn¡¯t trust you. So I want you to reeeeeeally think about what you just told me.¡± I gave him a moment to take in what I¡¯d just said. ¡°Was it a lie?¡± I made sure to stay low and neutral. I didn¡¯t want to stand over the little guy. It was also important to let him work through the process to reinforce good, ethical behaviour. I ignored the slight sound of rustling up on the bench for now. Billy thought hard about it before slumping. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright, thank you for apologising. Can you go clean your mouth and help Yolanda set up for the party? And remember, don¡¯t lie.¡± Billy nodded before going off to do as I asked. I stood and sighed to myself before patting Tilly. She had more chocolate around her lips. ¡°Did you eat the chocolate chips?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she said without any guile. I paused at that. She hadn¡¯t lied. Ummm, alright, she wins this round? ¡°"Well,alright then.¡± I grabbed one for myself and popped it into my mouth. ¡°And now cause we ate something, we need to clean our mouths and hands. That way we¡¯re clean while we cook!¡± This was accepted easily, and she happily returned to the bench to watch me set up trays for kids and parents that were coming as the cake baked. I checked over the expected guest list and plucked a few small signs that indicated what was what for the people with allergies. ¡°Graveller!¡± I called out into the yard. The nanny-like pokemon trundled in with a small apron wrapped around her front. ¡°Grav?¡± ¡°Do they have the tables set up?¡± She nodded with her whole body. ¡°Right, start taking this out and put the covers over it. Then I¡¯ll get you and Sanchez to stand guard over it so no Pidgey make off with it before the guests turn up.¡± I got another full-body nod before she took two trays and ambled off. Tilly chose to follow her. I swatted Munchlax away as I checked on the cakes. And now I was all set to hurry up and wait. I sat on the bench and I popped my lips. I had just enough time for it to be annoying but not so much time I could go off and do anything. I grabbed Munchlax as he made another swipe at the food. ¡°Hey, go check if everyone¡¯s ready. If everyone¡¯s ready for the party, I¡¯ll give you a bag of veggies?¡± Thankfully, Munchlax as a species mostly care about quantity rather than quality. If he had a choice he¡¯d go for his preferred meal, but just getting food was a win in his book. This made it easier and cheaper to fill them up, at least temporarily. With only a bit of time, I started doing some call-ups on my transceiver from the kitchen. First, I checked that everyone was settling in with the new hires. Daniel was still moving in with his wife, a woman much like him, young and very skilled with pokemon. She was also very pregnant. She expected to have the baby in another two or so months. Missy had already set up her room with posters featuring motivational quotes and rock stars. I¡¯d been rather touched that she had a picture of me on the wall facing off against Lance. In high resolution as well, as our starter pokemon emerged from their pokeballs. Rocko took the day off to visit his stepsiblings and assist them with their new pokemon. Dennis was coming with his wife and their kids. Granny Bethany, who I¡¯d hired on as one of my receptionists, was bringing her grandchildren, some of whom were my age. If I heard the tone in her voice right, I was pretty sure she was going to be trying to set them up with me as some grannies were wont to do. My other receptionist, Alexa, wasn¡¯t coming today. She probably knew, correctly, she¡¯d end up having to herd around the kids that had been in her care for the last few years. Apparently, they were rather devastated that she was not staying on and had taken to following her around town like baby Farfetch¡¯d. I didn''t have to call Rachel because she marched in and reported on how things were going with the petting zoo and the performers. She also informed me that she¡¯d wrapped the presents I¡¯d gotten that morning from the shops. I sent her back out with some vague orders, but it honestly felt like she had things well managed. Stephen had gone on a hike up to Rota. Bianca had stayed around, and it turned out was already at the party, but she was in the middle of questioning the circus on their petting zoo and how they managed the mini-pokemon. Just as I was hanging up on by her, Munchlax reported in with a dirty Suzie and Timmy. ¡°What were you two doing?¡± I asked as I eyed off their cobweb-ridden forms. Both had dirt all over them. ¡°We thought we saw a rare shiny Ratata run through some bushes so we chased it! But then we lost it¡­¡± said Timmy enthusiastically. I nodded along. ¡°Of course you did, well, bad luck, but now you both need to have a shower.¡± I said before letting loose a whistle. Graveler returned, saw the trays and the dirty children, and picked up the easy option. I barked a laugh as she walked out with the two trays of food. The twins watched her go, starting to follow her, but when I clicked my tongue, they stopped and grumbled. I sighed and rolled my eyes at them, just as the oven timer went off. Munchlax perked up from his stool, where he was happily crunching away on his veggie bag. ¡°Munchlax?¡± he said, pointing at himself and looking hopeful. I shook my head at him before looking at my two grubby little siblings. ¡°Do I¡­¡± I stopped to stare at them before looking at the clock. ¡°Who am I kidding of course I need to go with you or else I¡¯ll be pulling you out of the bath in an hour blue and shivering and in no way ready to play.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just going to get dirty anyway!¡± They both cried at me. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not having you filthy when the guests arrive! Now hup hup! Into the shower like good little Staryu!¡± I clapped my hands and then mimied hopping forward into the staryu position. That got them distracted as they chanted the pokemon¡¯s name and tottered down the hall with little hops. Another reminder ding, louder than the first made me turn to get the cakes out. I then levelled a serious look onto Munchlax. ¡°Munchlax, I¡¯m not going to tell you not to eat that cake. I just want you to know that if you do eat that cake, I will be stuffing you into a pokeball for the next month. No snacks and no scraps from the table.¡± Munchlax stiffened, his eyes watering and his lips quivering. ¡°Hey, I know it¡¯s your instinct to eat what you can. So maybe you should go guard the food with Sanchez and Graveller? Hmmm?¡± Munchlax nodded at that and headed off, determined to avoid the cake at all costs, lest he lose his privileges. Then I turned and began to toss my siblings into the showers. By now I couldn¡¯t even remember what I¡¯d been anxiously trying not to think about. I still had a cake to shape and guests to greet. I got my siblings dressed and started shaping the cakes after sending the twins out to help Graveller and Rachel. ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful psyduck,¡± said Sabrina as she appeared behind me. I held the knife a little tighter. For once startled by her sudden appearance. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be a Zubat.¡± Sabrina tilted her head and squinted at it before stepping around me to look at it from another angle. ¡°Ah, of course.¡± She nodded seriously, and I stared at her before explosively sighing and taking a step back. ¡°Right¡­ right¡­ I really should have hired a cake decorator or just ordered out. What was I thinking?¡± Sabrina shifted from foot to foot. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to offend you¡­ I merely didn¡¯t know what to look for.¡± I scratched the back of my head. ¡°And I still have to try and make a castle.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°The castle should be easier. It is merely shapes stacked with supporting lattice and cream filling to cement it in place.¡± ¡°Have you ever made one?¡± I asked, suddenly hopeful. Sabrina shook her head, dashing my hopes. "No, but I have observed my mother. She finds it¡­ relaxing¡­ at least she says it is.¡± Her eyes flicked to the bowl of icing. ¡°She sometimes gives me the bowl to clean up.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It is quite lazy of her.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I held up a finger. ¡°Uhm¡­ Sabrina¡­ she wants you to lick the bowl ¡­ It¡¯s meant to be a treat for helping out and as an early taste of what¡¯s to come.¡± Sabrina stared at me for a long moment. ¡°That seems highly unhygienic. But perhaps it would explain things.¡± She vanished in a teleport and reappeared with a woman that looked like her only much older, and there were some grey hairs at her temples. She looked a little harried. ¡°Sabrina! I was talking with your father!¡± said the woman only to blanche when she noticed me. ¡°Oh! Brock! Hello! I¡¯m sorry Sabrina¡­ that is to say I was startled!¡± I raised a hand and waved it off. ¡°Hello Sandra, and no. No, I¡­ I understand what is going on. Sabrina just wanted to help out and she¡¯s uhm¡­ cutting to the heart of the issue¡­¡± I scratched the back of my head. Sandra shifted back and forth, and I held in a grimace. Sandra was still very wary around me. I suspect that had a lot to do with how I had upon talking with Sabrina the first time discovered she was practically raising herself. I¡¯d¡­ said some heated words back then. Saul ¡ªSabrina¡¯s father¡ª and Sandra had been stunned to have me as a pre-teen swearing my head off at them and demanding they try harder to raise Sabrina. I remember saying something about them not having the excuse of there being so many other children to focus on. Merely one that they should love above anything. If Sabrina refused to do what they told her, they needed to improve their methods so she understood. I rubbed my chin. Actually, maybe that dressing down was why Sabrina had appeared next to me a few days later and declared that she would be travelling with me? Sabrina nudged me and I coughed as Sandra shot Sabrina and a look. ¡°Right! Sorry for that. I was just uhmm having some trouble with this and Sabrina started telling me how she¡¯s seen you make cakes. Then I was trying to explain the bowl of frosting.¡± ¡°Yes, Sabrina is very good at cleaning it,¡± Sandra said. I blinked. ¡°Uhm it¡¯s meant to be a treat to give though?¡± Sandra tilted her head. ¡°That¡­ that would be unhygienic though?¡± I had a moment of deja vu as I realised that Sabrina and her mother shared the same expression and head tilt. I waved it off and coughed. ¡°Oh! Sorry. Different house, different rules.¡± Sandra made an ¡®ah¡¯ noise as her eyes dropped to my own cakes. ¡°That¡¯s a lovely¡­ Bulbasaur?¡± she said. I palmed my face. ¡°It¡¯s a Zubat!¡± Sandra stepped to the side and squinted, and I was again struck by the similarities the two women had. Sandra shook her head. ¡°Too bulbous.¡± She shot a glance at the other cake. ¡°What is that going to be?¡± ¡°A castle!¡± I grunted out. I was starting to suspect that a lot of Sabrina¡¯s mannerisms actually came from her mother. Was she this stilted with everyone? No wonder Sabrina had started so far behind socially. Sanda shook her head. ¡°Hmmm, Brock¡­ would you mind¡­ I mean,¡± she coughed. ¡°Would you care if I did this? I rather like making cakes. And your attempts¡­ Well they¡¯re nice.¡± I stared at her for a moment before deciding to hell with it. I stared at her as she unapologetically looked at me. ¡°You know what? Fine.¡± Sandra had the knife out of my grasp a moment later, whereby she started recutting the zubat into cleaner lines. I had been planning to rely on the icing to convey the zubat the most, but Sandra had it formed up in a minute. When she made up the icing for it, Sabrina stepped over to me. ¡°What did you mean by tasting?¡± she asked with the air of one interested in sampling a foreign cuisine for the first time. I stared at her. Oh, Sabrina, you poor, poor child. I never knew. When the bowl was finished, I snatched it up before it could be thrown into the sink. I then grabbed two spoons, one of which I gave to Sabrina. The other, I used to scoop out a bit of icing before eating it. ¡°Mmmm! This is really good Sandra!¡± I said happily. I then offered Sabrina the bowl. Sandra looked slightly horrified, but Sabrina tentatively took a scoop for herself. She gave it a tentative taste and smiled. That seemed enough to stop Sandra from saying anything and I smiled as well, taking another scoop myself as Sandra seemed to understand something as she stared at the bowl of icing I shared with Sabrina. ¡°I think¡­ I like this,¡± Sabrina said authoritatively as she took another swipe. I chuckled and knocked her spoon away from a spot I wanted. She shot me a confused look, and I smiled. ¡°Sorry, habits from a large family. We share the icing bowl in this house. But usually, a fight breaks out over the icing." I shrugged. ¡°Different house, different rules.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°Mother makes cakes for her job, so I would be very fat if I were to clean every bowl in this manner.¡± I chuckled and explained to Sabrina that we¡¯d still clean the bowl properly after we were done with it. Sandra continued to make up the cakes but she did so while watching Sabrina and I with that oh-so-familiar tilt of her head. Eventually, the cakes were done. I gave Sabrina a look as she stiffened. ¡°I forgot to get your siblings a present!¡± She then vanished in a teleport. I held out a hand, meaning to explain that she wasn¡¯t required to do such a thing. That left me and Sanda in the same room. I coughed awkwardly, and Sandra didn¡¯t even blink. I cast a look around for something to say. It had been¡­ Uh, years since I¡¯d last spoken with either of Sabrina¡¯s parents, and that was over the transceiver to call in and make Sabrina talk with them. Now¡­ I found myself stuck in the same room, knowing I¡¯d been very, well actually, way more brutal than they deserved back then. ¡°Did I ah¡­ ever apologise for what I said?¡± I said, looking out the window at the now almost-ready party. Sandra tilted her head. I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°When we first met. I¡­ I was out of line saying what I did.¡± Sandra smiled and shook her head. "No, I understand that we... failed Sabrina and were still failing her. You stepping in like that... It helped. So I should instead thank you. You¡¯re good for her.¡± She smiled and I was about to say she didn¡¯t need to, only for a giant Gyarados face to emerge in front of me. I lashed out with a punch hoping to buy room only for the face to compress and squeak in an adorable manner. Sabrina leaned around the giant doll. ¡°I have found presents for your siblings,¡± she reported dutifully I nodded slowly. ¡°I can see that.¡± I noted the small bow on the Gyarados pokedoll¡¯s head along with the much cuter looking Snorlax. Sandra tapped her daughter on the shoulder. ¡°Take me home, please. Then you should come back to enjoy the party.¡± She nodded in my direction as Sabrina shoved the giant toys into my arms telekinetically. They vanished in a flash and I was left staring at the now professionally shaped cake and the toys that were as big as me. Well, I think the kids were going to love this.
[/hr] ¡°¡ªHappy birthday tooooooo you!¡± sang the group as a whole while Nurse Joy took some photos. ¡°Alright, blow out your candles and make a wish!¡± I announced. Tommy and Cindy blew with serious expressions before grinning in delight. They turned and gave me a hug. ¡°Thanks for the cake Brock! These are amazing!¡± they said into my hip. I grinned down at them. A flash indicated Joy had gotten that on camera. "Well, be sure to write a nice letter to Sabrina¡¯s mother, alright? She helped out the most!¡± They nodded and looked at Sabrina who was standing with Suzie in front of her like some shield. Suzie was happily leaning back into Sabrina who was actually looking rather tired. Then again, two hours at a small children¡¯s party was a solid effort for her. I clapped my hands. ¡°Alright you two, start unwrapping your presents, and I¡¯ll cut up some cake!¡± Tommy paused in running away at that announcement.¡°I want to eat its head!¡± This started a chorus of his friends calling out what parts they wanted to eat. I wasn¡¯t surprised when one called out. ¡°I want his butt!¡± This got a round of laughter and ¡®ewww¡¯ from some, before Tommy turned back to his presents. I picked up the knife, ready to chop into them only for Officer Jenny to appear at my side. ¡°You know you have to kiss the girl closest to you if you hit the base!¡± She then grabbed my hand and jerked it into the zubat cake, decapitating it. She smiled winningly at me only to to find herself cuddling up to the Snorlax doll a moment later. Sabrina coughed and presented Suzie who was making a kissy face. I glanced over at the clearly confused Officer Jenny. ¡°That¡­¡± was actually kind of smooth, I thought to myself. I knelt down and kissed Suzie on the forehead before blowing a raspberry on her cheek making her squeal and throw herself back into Sabrina who was looking suddenly much more tired. Jenny extracted herself from the snorlax doll and marched over. ¡°Hey! I was there first!¡± Then she stomped over to me with a cross look on her face. She opened her mouth to say something only to be cut off. ¡°I want the cake now!¡± declared a very young voice from close to my hip. For a moment, I had a different thought over what had just spoken. Apparently so had Jenny as she looked down only to see a much younger copy of herself, likely a cousin, that was staring up at me and pointing towards Cindy¡¯s cake. I nodded along and told her that I¡¯d make sure she got part of it. Jenny smiled at me sheepishly before tugging little Jenny off to watch Cindy and Tommy unwrap their gifts. Everyone was distracted as I quickly sliced and plated the cakes. I made sure to keep the head for Tommy and the moat with the princess on it fighting something that looked like a Dragonite for Cindy. Damn, Sandra was good. My hand suddenly slipped as I chopped into the tower and I found someone else nestled next to me. I turned to see Sabrina standing innocently next to me. ¡°There are two cakes¡­¡± she said. ¡°Did you want me to kiss you?¡± I said, unsure of how to feel about this. Yes, she¡¯d ambushed me but I was also kind of proud of her for doing it? Also¡­ I was kind of looking forward to it? She didn¡¯t say yes or no, merely continued to look at me. I leaned down and pecked her on the cheek, causing her to gain a bit of red. ¡°Are you alright with this many people around?¡± ¡°I¡¯m probably going to leave soon,¡± she said. The group of children all shouted as Cindy revealed her new bicycle. Sabrina grimaced. ¡°I need to get used to this. I don¡¯t want to keep avoiding parties. Agatha dropped off a holopad for me and we have spoken of my¡­ shortcomings.¡± I huffed; I doubted Agatha was as polite with her point, but sadly, she wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Well, try to not throw yourself in the deep end. You can take small steps. Taking on too much can¡¯t be good for you. It¡¯s your mind taking the hit, not something like your muscles.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°I know. It¡¯s my mind after all.¡± I watched on as both Cindy and Tommy tore into my gifts to them. Revealing rather nice necklaces with what appeared to be their birthstones in them. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a nice gift,¡± Sabrina said, only to perk up when the twins lifted up the giant toys they¡¯d each gotten. They then proceeded to fight each other with the giant dolls. I glanced at Sabrina. ¡°Can they thank you for that? Or should we hold off?¡± Sabrina¡¯s grimace was answer enough. She shook her head minutely. Sabrina continued to hang around for a while, she got part of the wing of the zubat and seemed to enjoy the icing the most. She must have been doing something to make people ignore her, as she was far too pretty to be ignored easily. She eventually tapped me on the shoulder and shook her head, signalling that she¡¯d had enough before vanishing. I shot her a message congratulating her on staying for l most of the party. She¡¯d done well to last through the party with such a large crowd of excited children. Eventually, the kids started to crash as well, and parents or older siblings moved in to cart them home. As the host, I had to deal with clean up instead of worrying about travelling home, but everyone left with a small treat bag that featured the child¡¯s favourite pokemon from my gym. The girls typically liked Lunatone, while the boys were divided between Titan, Knight, or Sanchez. I decided not to make a big deal of it when I spotted one or two parents taking more than one for their kids. Jenny hung around and approached while her own cousin continued to play. ¡°Hey Brock, great party, thanks for inviting us!¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem. Little Jenny¡­¡± I said leadingly. Officer Jenny nodded to show I had the right name. ¡°Is pretty good friends with Cindy.¡± Little Jenny stood next to Cindy as my sister coached her through a dance move. I snorted at their antics as they tried to make the snorlax doll do the move while Munchlax copied along. Jenny laughed before coughing. ¡°I also have news, sadly.¡± I nodded and gestured for her to continue. ¡°Proton lawyered up and hasn¡¯t said a word that isn¡¯t vetted by his Lawyer. We held him and have been able to nail him with a large number of fines, but he¡¯s going to walk with community service and minimal jail time if I¡¯m reading the wind right. Someone has paid out big for him. I applied for psychic readings for truth detection that could lead into deeper investigations, but the lawyer was quick to file for a medical exemption.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a thing?¡± I said. This had never come up when I¡¯d spoken with her before, but then again, I never really wanted to poke the issue of how legal or illegal it might be for Sabrina to read someone¡¯s mind. Apparently, it was something employed by the police but only in certain circumstances. ¡°Yeah, mostly for people with mental disorders or illnesses as people claim the psychic energy can be felt and disrupt their ¡®state of being¡¯. For every study that is produced that disproves it, there¡¯s another two produced that prove it!¡± said Jenny while gnashing her teeth. I mentally held in the urge to correct her by stating ¡®support¡¯ and not prove but held it in. ¡°Why do I get the feeling it¡¯s not just criminals that would prefer psychics aren¡¯t able to gather evidence that would be admissible in court.¡± Jenny snorted loudly and chuckled before nodding along sadly. ¡°Politicians and businessmen¡­ not that it stops some of them.¡± I hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Any chance of following the money?¡± I said. Jenny shot me a thoughtful look. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you¡¯re such a good gym leader, cause you¡¯d make a great detective Brock.¡± I got a feeling that was high praise from a Jenny. I shrugged at her, and she nodded. ¡°We¡¯re already on that, it just takes time to connect the dots. I got a front company footing the bill for the Lawyer which is something but not much. They''re supposedly based out of Goldenrod but that¡¯s baloney. These people aren¡¯t lazy about what they do, and most of the time money is scrubbed and washed through intermediaries that still act according to Team Rocket¡¯s orders.¡± She shifted her weight and glanced around. ¡°About ummm that raid¡­ I did some digging on anyone that I told about moving on the Rocket warehouse¡­ I think I found a lead on who sent the message.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°And you¡¯re not nailing them to a wall because¡­¡± Jenny got a sheepish look. ¡°It¡¯s someone important isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No. They¡¯re not important. Who they¡¯re related to however?¡± Jenny grimaced. ¡°Officer Andrews is the nephew of Saffron¡¯s mayor and is currently a lieutenant on the force. It¡¯s gonna cause some waves.¡± Jenny gained a determined glint in her eyes. ¡°But I¡¯m going to do it!¡± I felt my respect for Jenny rise a few notches. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be backing you,¡± I said with a smile while mentally making a note to send a note to Agatha and Koga to help Jenny not get sidelined for doing the right thing. Jenny shot me an amused, if disbelieving look. Her little cousin marched up and yawned hugely. ¡°I¡¯m tirrrrrrrred Jenny! Can we go home now?¡± she said with a whine. The older Jenny snorted and scooped her up, accepting the gift bag as she adjusted Jenny¡¯s position on her hip. On her hip little Jenny mumbled something that could have been a sleepy thank you. Jenny grinned at the girl before looking back at me. ¡°Walk me to the front door?¡± I glanced around, the pokemon could clean up most with Munchlax all but vibrating in anticipation. I pointed to some foodstuffs I wanted in the fridge before releasing Munchlax on the rest. As we walked to the front, Jenny whispered to her little cousin and got some grumbles. I hummed in thought, glancing at the little Jenny. ¡°Probably shouldn¡¯t say anymore now, should we?¡± Jenny shrugged. ¡°Jenny knows not to talk about mine, or any of my family''s work.¡± I glanced at her and her little cousin. ¡°How is it there are so many women that look alike? You and Nurse Joy must have a shared secret.¡± Jenny grinned before using the hand not holding her cousin to fan herself. ¡°Why Brock, if you want to find out how Little Jenny¡¯s come about you¡¯ll have to do more than buy me a coffee~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not seventeen for another two months.¡± Jenny wiggled her eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll go fast enough for you with the circuit starting up. Anyway, I¡¯m only eighteen!¡± She winked. ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch!¡± I watched her go before a thought that wasn¡¯t how nice she looked in her short skirt popped into my head. ¡°Hey! If you see a homeless guy lurking about can you¡­ Tell him to come back home?¡± I said, offering up one of the twin¡¯s take-home baggies. Jenny gave me a searching look. ¡°That, is an oddly specific request.¡± There was an unspoken question there. ¡°Yeah, my¡­ father,¡± I said stiffly, ¡°has been hanging around, and we haven¡¯t seen him in a while. We¡¯ve gotten sick of waiting for him though and we¡¯re going to talk.¡± I said the last few words with a clench of my hands and a glare to the side. Something clicked in her head as she got a look of realisation on her face. Perhaps she¡¯d seen him loitering? ¡°Oh! I see.¡± Her look darkened. ¡°If I see him I¡¯ll bring him to you!¡± ¡°Yeah, well thanks, the others¡­ they want their dad back,¡± I said waving behind me as I pointed glared to the side. Jenny reached out and put a hand on my arm. ¡°Hey,¡± she said in a tone that made me look at her. ¡°You¡¯re an amazing gym leader and an even better big brother Brock.¡± I felt strangely touched by the honest statement. Maybe it was because I felt like I couldn¡¯t brush it off like I would someone that didn¡¯t know me. Jenny and I had worked together for a few years now. Which raised the question of how young had she joined the police force? I thought they only took sixteen year olds? Hadn¡¯t she been on the force for a few years now? Still¡­ what she¡¯d said. It felt nice to hear it. ¡°Ah, thanks.¡± I looked away and rubbed my nose. Jenny¡¯s continued assessment only made me more self-conscious. I felt another pair of eyes watching me, and I looked down to see little Jenny watching our interaction. I waved and stepped back with a cough. ¡°I should let you go. Thanks for coming around, and thanks for the presents.¡± I watched her go and settled my emotions before returning to the cleanup. By the time things were done, it was time for an early bed for most of my brothers and sisters with them having spent most of the afternoon playing with other kids. Eevee was likewise wiped out. When I gave her dinner, she¡¯d almost faceplanted into the food before I¡¯d cleaned her up and deposited her with Cindy for the night. I returned to the lounge room to find that Yolanda had happily claimed the couch for some television with her egg at her side. Forrest meanwhile, was playing his Game Boy off to the side. I lay down on Yolanda¡¯s right, my body easily able to stretch out along the couch that usually housed five smaller bodies. My body was unclenched even as my mind continued to spin about, like a Hitmontop until I finally settled on one topic to ponder. Yolanda perked up and began to tap me. ¡°Oh! Oh! Your ad is on!¡± she said. I looked up before chuckling. ¡°It¡¯s not my ad, I¡¯m just in it.¡± Yolanda shushed me and Forrest perked up as the ad that began with Lance standing atop a tower looking out monologuing about the next group of trainers being ready. He spoke of the challenges they¡¯d face. On screen, wild pokemon attacked the trainer, then they swam across a river with a weak looking oddish in their arms. They raced into a pokemon centre. They scaled mountains and walked through caves. Then views that were majestic in nature opened up and quiet moments of having lunch with pokemon were shown. Lance monologued again about the ones that wanted more needing to rise to the challenge. The screen turned dark only for a single light to shine forth. I was shown looking away. I looked over my shoulder at the camera and grinned. ¡°So, are you ready?¡± I said with a cocky smirk as a pokeball enlarged in my hand. The screen cut away, and a huge banner crossed over the screen announcing the start of the circuit in the coming week. Yolanda bounced up and down. ¡°You looked really cool!¡± I rolled my eyes at her. ¡°Thanks, they cut it down a lot more than I thought they would though.¡± I remembered having Rachel approach me about this a few weeks ago. It had taken a whole day of filming, and they only used ten seconds of it? Urgh, was that show biz? I shook my head while Yolanda huffed at me as I continued to think. What would the circuit bring for me? Gary was a given but what should I do with Ash fast approaching? I glanced at Forrest. He¡­ really wasn¡¯t going to step up and¡­ well I should probably tell him that I wouldn¡¯t be leaving. The whole leaving or staying dilemma¡­ I didn¡¯t think I could leave now¡­ Not if I wanted what was best for my family. What of Ash? In more than a few movies, he had been called on to save either the world or regional areas. Wasn¡¯t there something with time once as well? If he wasn¡¯t strong enough would that mean he would fail? I couldn¡¯t ignore that Brock in the series had served as an older voice that helped teach Ash the ropes. He also made sure Ash and co didn¡¯t starve. If I didn¡¯t go with them would I be dooming the world by not acting as a supporting role to Ash? I sat and thought over and over on this before eventually sitting up. ¡°I¡¯m going to head to bed. Might as well grab some sleep. Circuits not far off. Might enjoy my sleep while I can.¡± Yolanda paused with a look on her face for a moment. She looked like she wanted to say something but then settled with a wave and murmured "goodnight." Forrest merely grunted. I went to bed wondering if I was ready for what was to come and the decision I would have to make. Chapter 56 - Crossing ts and dotting is ¡°Alright gang, for today¡¯s training session we¡¯re going to be working through the moves that you should have.¡± I looked over the small classroom that I had in the depths of the gym. The trainers that had signed on watched with various postures and expressions. Rocko was laid back; for him, this was old news and more of a refresher with some small updates. He could probably deliver this speech himself next year, and I might even promote him to do just that. He¡¯d probably hate how reliable he¡¯d become. Dennis, however, sat ramrod straight with a notebook set up before him, pen poised to document my every word. He also sat next to the camera, which would serve as a reminder and review for myself and the rest of the trainers who wanted to check in on expectations. Celia wasn¡¯t here, having departed a few days ago. In her place, Jackson had arrived. The man now sported a darker skin tone than ever before, and he had also apparently decided to frost his hair since the last time I¡¯d spoken with him. Apparently, the Orange Islands and Sevii Islands really agreed with him. I kept expecting him to invite me to "flavor town" or to perform a famous song. Crystal was also joining us, with today being a day off from school. Georgina was in the gym but not present; she was just happy to let her daughter sit in and learn about rock-type pokemon. Crystal had passed the training course I¡¯d asked of her. Now she was practically vibrating in her seat with another small booklet opened that detailed trainer strategies commonly used. Ultimately, she¡¯d not be expected to ever step up to fight for the gym, but with her young age, these were good skills and knowledge to have regardless. This would be an amazing start for her journey. Her career would be one I¡¯d follow very closely. Along with some notable others in her age group, specifically my sister. Stephen, Oak¡¯s assistant, was also here. He had a table of his own but was merely listening for now. Bianca was still out back doing her work and had said she was hopeful of getting some eggs from my ancient pokemon soon. This lecture was primarily focused on the new hires who would be competing. Daniel and Missy would need to be able to either use their own pokemon or the gym pokemon with set moves that to a lesser degree ¡®represented¡¯ the gym. Yolanda wasn¡¯t present today as I had her ¡®in-charge¡¯ of the rest of our siblings with a Granny helping out at home. Forrest sat in the back and appeared to be writing notes, from what I could see. ¡°As a Rock-type gym, most trainers will be expecting us to have a solid defence, a simple offence, and be rather slow. This will indeed be the norm for any trainers that face us for the first two badges. However, as soon as they start trying to get the third badge with us I expect moves like Rock Polish, Dig, Endure, Detect, Sandstorm, and even Fissure towards the higher levels.¡± I gestured towards each move as it appeared on the powerpoint for this lecture. ¡°Fissure?¡± gasped Missy, who was now leaning across her desk. ¡°We get to use pokemon that know Fissure? I thought that was restricted!?¡± ¡°It is.¡± I smirked at them, ¡°For other people. As trainers of this gym one of the perks is that you will be allowed to utilise this move in battle. As a ¡®One hit K.O move¡¯ it is something that is not offered to most fresh circuit trainers. It has to be earned through your pokemon, or as an award with the recipient being monitored for their use of said move.¡± I looked straight at Daniel and Missy as their eyes widened. "This move is known by two Rhydon, three Golem, and one Onix in the gym. You will be expected to learn when to use these moves. "I don''t want trainers coming in complaining about Fissure being spammed on them." I glared out, arms crossed in my signature¡­ pose. Missy nodded seriously. Dennis underlined that twice. Crystal peered at me through her bangs. Daniel licked his lips. After a moment of glancing between them, I nodded. ¡°I want this to be a move that throws off their tempo. They should be building up a head of steam before we throw them off their game. Fissure is a great method to do just that. It can be a devastating opener that will drop off in reliability unless you perform setups with specific moves. You will not be allowed to use substances or drugs on any of the pokemon prior to a fight.¡± Crystal raised her hand. ¡°Why is this move considered restricted?¡± ¡°For the reasons that I previously stated. This move has a lot of chances for abuse as the power overloads a receiving pokemon¡¯s natural defences and typically knocks them out at least. Some trainers have been known to load up their pokemon with the aforementioned drugs, or buff up moves, then quickly challenge a gym or a pro to a match hoping for a big payout. If this move is ever used on you,¡± I considered that before amending my statement, ¡°Or any, one hit K.O moves, report the trainer so they can be watched by the league as this method does result in extreme damage to the pokemon¡¯s health.¡± Crystal chewed her lip, ¡°People do that?¡± I nodded and decided to list another example. ¡°Ever been to the pokemon races or Fighting type matches? The pokemon are always on display in an open area or with video feeds in their rooms for an hour in the lead-up to the event. This stops buff-ups or drugs from being used. When money is involved people can go to great lengths. I had to sit through this myself against Lance only recently.¡± Crystal accepted that with a firm nod. ¡°As Gym trainers, we have lots of trainers that will be coming to fight against us. You¡¯ll probably end up fighting more trainers this year than you would in three years on average. You don¡¯t get as much for winning against them as they do for beating you due to the gym contract you all signed, but there are certain rewards, obviously, for good results. The tough part is staying within the range of acceptable strength for the trainers that will be coming. I¡¯d suggest sticking with gym pokemon for the lower badges unless you¡¯re training something new but keep it at least related to rock type or rock environments..¡± I checked the room to see if there were any more questions before tapping a different move on the powerpoint list that I had on display. ¡°The most important move that you will learn to defy people¡¯s expectations of us as Rock-type users will be Rock Polish. It very much plays to our strengths but you should be able to use it alongside other moves to make your pokemon move at much faster speeds.¡± A click of my finger had the slide changing. ¡°The move Rock Polish is shown to increase speed by roughly ten to twenty-five percent. This is a huge boost, but it does require a pokemon to pause for a moment. We will, for ease of reference, refer to them as ¡®Stages¡¯. This allows a widespread word for discussing moves that improve or lower a pokemon¡¯s abilities.¡± Another click, another slide. ¡°I have trained some of the pokemon to be able to use it with Dig so they will go down for longer than normal, pause, boost up and then emerge much faster.¡± Crystal raised her hand, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you demonstrate this against Lance?¡± ¡°Because taking too long in the ground against Lance would have been a huge slap in the face if I¡¯d pulled it off. However, the true reason would have been that the chances of pulling it off against Elite trainers drop away as they can counter it with any move that breaks up or destroys the ground. When you¡¯re simply above ground using Rock Polish, your pokemon will take at most five seconds. During a dig? That becomes ten¡­ at least.¡± Another slide ticked over. ¡°Factors that can change this time can include the amount of damage a pokemon has taken, various status effects, and most importantly, the pokemon¡¯s starting level of strength. A pokemon that has trained for this move combination with no damage can pull this off in ten seconds but they would be a sitting Farfetch¡¯d or the opponent could perform two to three buffs of their own in the same timeframe.¡± I then clicked another slide onto the screen behind me to show how things added up. ¡°If we are just focussing on the speed you can see how moves like Rock Polish grow for set ¡®stages¡¯ with each pokemon when used more than once. This boost can also stack with those from other moves such as the Aqua Jet I used with Shin against Lance.¡± The slide now showed graphs with Shin¡¯s estimated base speed before showing how he increased at each stage. ¡°Now, there is a drop-off point after two initial uses of Rock Polish. The rate of return becomes more like five percent to seven percent after two uses. With the pauses it takes in battle, I¡¯d therefore recommend not using the move more than that. It¡¯s better to use other moves with the potential payoff being higher.¡± This had most people writing down the information apart from Rocko. Stephen raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard these numbers used before, why isn¡¯t this more well-known?¡± he said. ¡°This is more related to battle strategy. I have seen trainers base their whole attack patterns on this method, but it is something that most researchers wouldn¡¯t focus on. It also falls in and out of popularity depending on what ends up televised with the big matches. It¡¯s a meta in and of itself.¡± ¡°Meta?¡± he asked. ¡°A popular strategy that is well known. It can be something that falls in and out of favour depending on what the top contenders are seen to be using. The current Meta with Lance on top of the League is very much focussed on power, over speed or technical orientated metas.¡± I began ticking off my fingers. ¡°I could also reference hyper defence, trap setting, delay and distract, debilitisation methods and finally fake out methods.¡± I tapped out the moves I¡¯d listed off behind me. ¡°We will be going into the following moves today and in the lead-up to the circuit¡¯s start so that we have you all on the same page. These sessions should outline potential uses along with discussing the meta that they apply well to. Rock Polish is a set up/speed type meta obviously. For our pokemon you should¡ª¡± I began to lay out how this could play into strategies with Gravellers and Golems using Rollout against others. ¡°The next move I¡¯d like to have you aware of is using Sandstorm. This is a field effect that means you will be limiting visibility along with causing a slow corrosive damage due to the way the sand will whip at pokemon that aren¡¯t Rock, Steel, or Ground types.¡± I continued the lecture from there detailing the need to have delaying tactics ready with some of the pokemon. When I was finished with the morning¡¯s lecture I settled back into a relaxed pose atop the desk at the front. ¡°Alright, any questions regarding the lecture so far?¡± No one had any questions about this so I turned my hand over. ¡°What about in general? Daniel raised his hand. ¡°How much will we be able to use our own pokemon during trainer battles?¡± I hummed. ¡°I did mention that, most of the time I would ask that you restrict yourself to only fighting with one pokemon not set to the gym. As a Gym employed trainer, you will get the chance to use them to make sure people stay on their toes while also giving your own pokemon way, way more experience. I will ask that you only do that for team-based challenges. If it is a simple one-on-one and no more then don¡¯t use your own pokemon. Use the Gym pokemon.¡± I raised a finger. ¡°The exception to this rule is for the double team challenge. If you are challenged in this manner feel free to use your own pokemon. Trainers choosing that option need to know their business so some of the restrictions related to weaker trainers are lifted.¡± I wagged my hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°Again, if they¡¯re new trainers however use only badge-level-appropriate pokemon.¡± Daniel nodded at this. Rocko rubbed his chin. ¡°I¡¯m surprised we haven¡¯t had any challengers yet.¡± I snorted and Rocko gave me a smile. ¡°Well the gym itself. You¡¯re a gym leader, that¡¯s different.¡± ¡°I truly wish it wasn¡¯t.¡± I deadpanned back at him. Missy frowned. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re already taking challenges?¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯m merely getting challenged. I won¡¯t be expecting any actual challenges for the first few days. Serious contenders typically wait at least two weeks. There¡¯s also travel time to consider between cities. I haven¡¯t yet had anyone try beating down my door to challenge me.¡± Rocko, instead of nodding along at this information as the rookie trainers were, looked to Dennis. ¡°Two weeks,¡± he said with a grin. Dennis chewed his lips as the other trainers glanced between them in confusion. Dennis narrowed his eyes. ¡°One¡­ and a half.¡± Missy tilted her head. ¡°Wait, what are you betting on?¡± She glanced from one to the other, ¡°Are you betting on how long that will take for the first challenger?¡± asked Missy incredulously. They waggled their hands while shaking their heads slightly. Missy glanced at me. ¡°How long it takes someone to beat on his door at home?¡± Dennis nodded tightly, eyes still locked on the lazing Rocko. ¡°Thirty of them this season.¡± ¡°Twenty, they¡¯ll be intimidated.¡± Rocko looked to Daniel and Missy, ¡°Want in on the bets? We have a standing bet on the prime holiday time slots.¡± Missy seemed very confused by that before Daniel shrugged. ¡°Four weeks and five days?¡± Dennis and Rocko shook their heads. ¡°Poor rookie.¡± I almost thanked Daniel for his hopeful bet. Missy gave a more hesitant, ¡°A week and¡­ a hundred?¡± Rocko gave her a look like he was asking if she was sure, and she nodded. ¡°A week, yes! And a hundred of them!¡± Dennis snorted at that, and Crystal stood while packing her books up. ¡°Six days, and there will be eighty-seven and a half trainers that try to beat down Gym Leader Brock¡¯s home to challenge him.¡± Dennis raised his eyebrows at that, while Rocko chortled. ¡°You work that out with math? Some law of averages?¡± Crystal replied with a bored, ¡°I expect there will be more people, not less interested in trying to put Brock on the back foot, last year¡¯s numbers are written in a margin I saw my mother working on so I calculated a thirty percent increase in the later with a twenty-one point three percent in the former.¡± She blushed as we all stared at her incredulously. I considered that. With what I had grown to learn about this world¡­ she was more than likely right. I clicked my teeth and waved them out. ¡°Gah! Get out all of you! Rocko I hope you only get holidays at the end of the circuit! Dennis, your wife would chokeslam you if she knew you were betting holiday time.¡± I then pointed at Daniel and Missy. ¡°Forrest is going to show you both the setups for pokemon assignments once the circuit begins.¡± Forrest spooked, revealing his carefully created facade of interest to in fact be him sleeping at the back of the room. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Say what?!¡± he said. I stared at him and repeated myself. He rubbed his eyes before yawning. ¡°What are you going to be doing?¡± I stood and made for the door. ¡°I get to watch a Youngster League finals bracket for people that will be getting ¡®performance¡¯ scholarships if they do well enough.¡± ¡°Oh, giving out pokemon to new trainers,¡± Forrest waved it off. I paused. He really shouldn¡¯t dismiss the importance for some youngsters to have their first shots at interacting, training and fighting with pokemon. Most of the trainers that signed up for this route of gaining a starter typically were unfortunate enough to have been born into poorer families or to have no parents or guardians. Other, better off trainers could sit tests or have recommendations for their pokemon. Those were city-sponsored starter programs. I made sure that since taking over the reins of Pewter Gym, each start of the circuit had more opportunities for advancement for young trainers. Not all Gyms had this on offer. I¡¯d learnt that the only other gyms to do so were in fact Fuchsia and Celadon. Fuschia didn¡¯t have the tournament-style chance but a camp where trainers worked with potential pokemon over a week. It was considered highly intensive, and very in line with Koga from what little I had gleaned from the man¡¯s personality. Celadon instead had a means test and an academic test for any hopeful trainers. If they or their parents didn¡¯t have the resources to help them purchase a pokeball or starter pokemon then typically trainers around Celadon went to Erika. Apparently, all the funding Erika received from training, managing, working with, and providing for the young socialite women allowed her to purchase a lot for her community. Erika offered starting trainers Oddish, Bellsprout, Exeggecute, or Paras which saw a bit of grumbling due to how ¡®common¡¯ those pokemon were, but they were solid starter pokemon that were easy to care for. Each applicant for my youngster tournament that signed up didn¡¯t have to do anything as extreme as Koga forced hopeful trainers to go through. I instead tried to have them spend time bonding and caring for their pokemon before they fought. Rachel had taken the project on with a passion; she and Alexa were the first point of call for many of the applicants. I gathered the trainer hopefuls last week and assigned them common pokemon to work with. More than a few had been rather put out when I revealed the Pidgey, Nidoran, Rattata, Spearow, or Geodude that were theirs to train. They got a week to feed, play, and train their pokemon. They had the option to take their pokemon home with them, or if they couldn¡¯t do that they could leave them at the gym and return daily to do what they had to. This allowed me to secretly check their levels in two fundamental trainer skills. Care for pokemon and the ability to train pokemon. In a week there could be significant growth, especially for pokemon starting out so weak. There were only a few ¡®failure¡¯ situations. Those being that if the pokemon were abused I stripped them of the pokemon and removed them from the tournament. Trainers that impressed me would be offered the pokemon they trained to be theirs, along with a few pokeballs, a formal license, and the ability to store up to six of their pokemon with the Gym for a year before they had to make other arrangements. This would allow them twelve pokemon for their circuit. Something that was more than enough to challenge the Gyms without getting too crazy. The winner of the tournament was offered the choice of an entirely different starter pokemon as their first ¡®official¡¯ pokemon, a technical machine, or extra funds for their own use. When Celia had emerged the victor a year ago, she¡¯d chosen to stick with her Nidoran. This was one of the last ¡®tests¡¯ I offered the winning trainers. People who formed bonds only to desert them raised rather large red flags for me. Celia had crushed her fellow trainers and passed the tests of her character with flying colours. For that, she¡¯d had her pokemon team restrictions lifted to twenty pokemon along with gaining the offer of a fully-sponsored role representing the gym and not a partial sponsorship. And then a year later, she¡¯d made it to the quarter-finals at the Indigo League. I entered the small battlefield courts that I had dotted around the gym¡¯s side. They reminded me of small tennis courts in truth, but they served as clay courts that pokemon trainers could safely train and battle on without too much ¡®field¡¯ advantage. The kids that were there swivelled as one to stare at me. Around them, small pokemon loitered. They all went quiet without my prompting. I gave all the kids a grin before clapping my hands together. ¡°Alright! We all know why we¡¯re here! Tomorrow is the official start of the circuit, and that means today is one of the best chances to show your stuff! Remember today¡¯s objective is not just about winning but displaying the bond that you¡¯ve created with your pokemon.¡± I then turned to my receptionist, Alexa, who had been hard at work before my arrival and had been drawing the attention of any kids that might cause trouble, or those getting distracted while I finished the lecture. She¡¯d already set up the brackets for who would be facing who. The first stage featured round-robin pool matches to give the kids more than one fight that would have occurred with a knockout elimination tournament. ¡°First up! Johnny versus Mia!¡± Both trainers marched out, their pokemon, a Geodue and a Rattata followed them out dutifully. Both locked eyes and glowered. I stepped between them and raised my hands. ¡°Call your pokemon up to the starting line!¡± ¡°Geodude, head up front!¡± ¡°Silly Mouse to the line!¡± I smiled at Mia, the girl winning points for nicknaming her pokemon. I raised my hands. ¡°Ready! Begin!¡± ¡°Tackle!¡± ¡°Tackle!¡± Both pokemon slammed into each other and I held in a sad chuckle. It was only ten o¡¯clock and I had at least another twenty-nine fights to oversee. ¡°Growl!¡± ¡°Screech!¡± ¡°Now use tackle!¡± ¡°Dodge then tackle!¡± I watched both pokemon weaving very clumsily around each other, occasionally trading blows. This must have been how all judges for child tournaments had felt. It was important for the kids but I really had to brace myself for a long, long event. Eventually, Johnny emerged victorious, I raised an arm towards the whooping boy. ¡°Johnny is the winner of this round!¡± Mia ran up to Silly Mouse and checked him over before carrying him to a smiling Chansey that was more than happy to sit under an umbrella and watch the matches play out. On another field visible to me over the short heads of the kids, Rocko began another battle as we called for the next two for my battlefield. The last fight had barely taken two minutes, a frankly tiny amount of time for pokemon fights. If this rate kept up I should hopefully have things wrapped up by tomorrow. ¡°Ronnie and Robbie, are you and your pokemon ready?¡± For now, I just had to get on with it.
I sat in the trainer lounge behind the reception area. In the end, Mia had been the trainer to emerge as the most successful. I¡¯d rewarded her in public at the front of the gym and now I had asked her into the gym to discuss her future options. While she had won I would be offering training licenses to at least another six children today and Rocko had quietly tapped them on the shoulder to stick around for a chat. I¡¯d originally thought to only offer three trainers the extra offer, however with my victory over Lance I had the opportunity to let my good fortune lift a lot more than just my family. In truth, I could probably take nine trainers on with the partial sponsorship without issue but only six had caught my attention. Five youngsters this year had to be asked to leave after they began to shout at their pokemon or tried to physically intimidate another of the youngsters in front of us. I suspected a few more kids of some other shady actions but hadn¡¯t been able to confirm anything. I just hadn¡¯t given any of them a look at the sponsorship. Much like being the boss running an interview, I didn¡¯t need to offer every applicant more benefits just to make things fair. I had positions available for a few kids, and I was going to do just that. They¡¯d gotten a pokeball for taking part, which might help them grow. If they wanted to they¡¯d be able to buy their own license to take part in the circuit, but they wouldn¡¯t be doing so under my banner. I¡¯d said as much to the kids before letting them leave. I now stood in front of a small desk that held a few pokeballs. Each of the following six trainers would be receiving six pokeballs from me and the right to hold six pokemon at my gym for a year. Now came the exciting part. Mia entered with a bounce, still jazzed up from her victory. In her arms, her Rattata, Silly Mouse, was smushed up against the small trophy that I offered for the victor. ¡°Mia, congratulations once again,¡± I said. ¡°Ohmygosh! Brock! Thank you so much! I still can¡¯t believe it! Silly Mouse and I trained so hard but then we lost our first match and I was so worried and then we barely won the next but then we made it through and then¡ª¡± I held up a hand to cut her off. ¡°You won the rest of your matches. I¡¯m aware.¡± Her mouth clicked shut before she blushed. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said to her shoelaces. Silly Mouse nuzzled her consolingly. ¡°Not to worry, I can understand. This is a big step up. It¡¯s a little rough, cause you don¡¯t get to enjoy it as much with me having to make my offer now.¡± I gave her a tight smile. ¡°The circuit is going to start in two days, and I, therefore, need to submit your information for you.¡± I looked down at Silly Mouse, ¡°Including which pokemon is going to be your starter.¡± Silly Mouse went stiff in her arms. Mia stared at me before looking towards the pictures I had behind me. I had deliberately put up pokemon such as Pichu, Ekans, Psyduck, Shellder, Sandshrew, Drowzee, Staryu, Seedot, Wurmple, Poochyena, and finally an Aron. She tightened her grip on the small rat in her arms. ¡°I think I¡¯d like to stick with Silly Mouse if it¡¯s all the same to you.¡± I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s perfectly fine. The other prizes that I can offer for you is a TM from the following list or more funds to set you up for your journey.¡± She looked at the listed amount of money and licked her lips before lifting up the list to read through it. ¡°Your pokemon as a normal type will have the most chances to draw from this list.¡± ¡°I can teach Silly Thunder?¡± I nodded, and she rattled off the others as her eyes dropped down the list. ¡°Dig? Blizzard?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said aloud. I hummed for a moment before considering if she had ¡®met the standard¡¯ for me to offer her a full sponsorship. I eventually decided against it. ¡°If you¡¯d like, you can take this list outside. I¡¯m going to be talking to a few others and informing them that I¡¯m willing to sponsor them for the coming year.¡± Mia smiled at that. ¡°Was that why Angie was sticking around?!¡± I smiled, nodding. Mia turned and sprinted out of the tent. ¡°Angie! Brock said you¡¯re also going to get a year for your journey!¡± I chuckled at her antics. She¡¯d pretty much stolen the news out from under me. I really couldn¡¯t blame her though as she was only eleven after all. I opened the tent to point at the six new trainers ¡°Would you six like to join me?¡± It really made me feel good to watch them stumble forward as their hopes for this tournament came true. They might not have won, but they¡¯d certainly leave this tournament much better off. ¡°First of all, congratulations." ¡°I beamed at them all, ¡°You six had the characteristics that I feel more than justify my sponsoring you for the year¡¯s upcoming circuit. You may each keep your pokemon, however, you will be assigned six more pokeballs to begin filling out your team. This will entitle you to a monthly stipend along with the ability to take jobs in any city. If you complete the circuit with eight badges you will obviously be able to take part in the tournament. Do well this year and you will no doubt be offered a number of lucrative jobs or be able to apply for them. I will be listed as your advisor so you will be able to call the gym for advice from pokecenters or from a pokewatch if you own one.¡± ¡°Gym Leader Brock?¡± asked a tall boy who seemed to do everything to make himself smaller than he was. "Humphrey, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I said after taking a moment to recall his name. ¡°Yes sir!¡± he said, straightening up and causing himself to tower over the other kids. ¡°What was your question?¡± I said carefully. He shifted from foot to foot before looking up only to look back down. ¡°What should we do if we didn¡¯t¡­ we didn¡¯t get along with our starter pokemon? I tried working with Spearow, but it was a struggle, and I think¡­ I don¡¯t think we want the same things¡­¡± I kept my face as placid as possible. This was a serious issue; if I frowned, he¡¯d probably spiral into a bigger mess than he already was. ¡°Your pokemon and you didn¡¯t click after a week?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°You won¡­ three of the matches in your pool before entering the final knockout rounds. You were very concise with your orders, your spearow followed them perfectly well for your level as a trainer.¡± ¡°I talked with Spearow, and they said they didn¡¯t want to battle but instead return to the forest. I asked them to stick with it just for this tournament.¡± Humphrey shot me a nervous look. I looked down to the Spearow that was, unlike the other pokemon with the kids, still lingering near the door. ¡°Is this correct Spearow? You¡¯d rather return to the forest instead of battle or be a companion for this trainer?¡± The small bird nodded once. ¡°I see. Spearow¡­ if you wish, you can leave now.¡± I reached over to a pokeball that I knew to house the Spearow. I triggered the release pokemon feature, and a small beam shot out. When it was done, Spearow nodded again at me before turning and bobbing its head at Humphrey. Then it flew off. I flicked my eyes to the rest of the kids that were listening in raptly. ¡°Did anyone else experience similar issues?¡± They shifted about before looking at each other, apparently waiting for someone else to offer themselves up. ¡°To be clear, I¡¯m not mad or in any way upset. If anything, Humphrey, I¡¯m impressed with your ability to still get a reluctant pokemon to follow your orders, even if for a limited period of time. So, did anyone else experience issues, like this, or something different?¡± The kids again looked around before, one by one they shook their heads. I considered everyone before nodding. ¡°Are you all happy to stick with your pokemon as your starters?¡± This time they nodded quickly. At their feet or shoulders, the pokemon puffed up happily. Mia stepped forward. ¡°Brock if it¡¯s alright, can I offer Hump my prize for a new starter pokemon.¡± That made me stop. I had been considering other methods. I wasn¡¯t so restricted with my funds this year. It did speak very well of Mia though. I chuckled and ran a hand over my jaw. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting that, Mia. No, you don¡¯t need to do that. Humphrey, Mia, with how you¡¯ve both acted, I have to admit to being very impressed.¡± I gave them a big smile. ¡°I¡¯ve advertised the reward for this tournament as a partial sponsorship which only allows you to stable six pokemon with me. However, partial doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t upgrade it. Mia, Humphrey, I will be offering you a full sponsorship for the year. That means you get twenty stable slots. Do well and we¡¯ll see about extending that beyond a year.¡± Both of them straightened. I could see this meant the world to them. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching both of your coming circuits with great interest. Mia, you and Silly Mouse still have a decision to make. Humphrey, here¡¯s a list you can look over.¡± He took it and looked over it only for his eyes to lock onto one pokemon name. ¡°Is the Aron from your Knight?¡± I nodded and he shot the list straight back at me. ¡°I¡¯d like Aron, please!¡± I threw my head back and laughed. ¡°Haha! Alright, then let''s get you all signed on for the coming circuit!¡± Then I waved Humprhery on, ¡°And let¡¯s get you introduced to your new pokemon Humphrey.¡±
When I had all the paperwork squared away, a new pokemon in my new sponsored trainer¡¯s hands, and a few photos with the kids, I got to put my feet up for the day. ¡°Munchlax!¡± The small glutton pokemon sprinted around the couch, Suzie, Eevee, and Timmy in hot pursuit. I watched them play chasey. When they cornered Munchlax they tapped him on the face lightly. ¡°Tag!¡± They then sprinted away leaving Munchlax to point to one of them before giving chase. I watched on. That wasn¡¯t how the game was supposed to work, but it was keeping them entertained. If Munchlax got upset, I¡¯d step in, but for now, they were having fun. Yolanda entered after the twin¡¯s game saw them tearing down a different hallway to continue in another section of the house. ¡°Hey Brock.¡± She moved around and sat on the couch with me. I leaned forward to turn the television on. I glanced at the egg chamber she was carrying before dismissing it. ¡°Hey, do you know Mia and Humphrey from school?¡± ¡°They were two years above me at school, but yeah, I did know them. How¡¯d they go with the tournament?¡± ¡°They did excellently. Really surprised me. I ended up offering them full sponsorships for the year.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good Humphrey¡¯s a really nice guy!¡± I gave her a look that made her blush. ¡°He¡¯s just¡­ nice alright!¡± ¡°Do I need to have a different conversation with him when he comes to pick up Aron tomorrow?¡± ¡°No! ¡­ He¡¯s getting an Aron?¡± she said before coughing as I smirked at her. ¡°It¡¯s not like that he¡¯s just¡­ nice.¡± ¡°Nice looking?¡± I asked with a slight tease. Yolanda threw a pillow at me. I caught it and chuckled before waving at her that I wouldn¡¯t keep teasing her. We sat for a little while, on the tv a news anchor discussed the early reports from various gyms around the region and how things were shaping up for the coming circuit start this monday. They¡¯d later pitch some potential names to be on the lookout for such as Gary Oak and other trainers with high pedigree/background. Surprisingly, after I¡¯d finished my little tournament a reporter had approached the kids for information on who¡¯d been taken on. The fact that I had five partial and two full sponsorships would probably be brought up. Celia¡¯s results from last year meant people were going to be paying some attention to the ¡®stable¡¯ she called home, aka our Gym. Koga¡¯s full sponsorship, if there was one this year, would also get a good degree of attention as a ¡®trainer¡¯ to watch for. For most people, this wouldn¡¯t mean much, but for trainers that wanted to challenge the best, they¡¯d seek out these trainers as ¡®up-and-comers¡¯. Some of the residents of the cities not part of the actual circuit would also seek to test these trainers. It wasn¡¯t uncommon to see a little old granny currently readying her pet Growlithe or helper Graveller for a few quick and easy fights with young trainers. It was a fun little past-time for the most part. Some people liked to target the younger kids and while technically wrong it wasn¡¯t anything actually punishable. Punks and even Ace trainers could often nab some pocket money this way if they desired. It was all part of the journey to learn when to accept and when not to accept. Or more importantly, when not to wager big. I looked towards the television. With two more days until the circuit started I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how things would look in a month. Gary Oak would be coming soon, and then so would Ash Ketchum. Chapter 57 - A Challenger appears ¡°I¡¯ve come to challenge the gym!¡± The words echoed through the reception room. The trainer¡¯s words were a proclamation, intended to give pause to all who heard them. It cast the moment into people¡¯s memories. This would be the day this trainer would face the gym and hopefully overcome it. In truth, the words themselves were a formality from a bygone time when the cities of today were little more than small towns. Each their own hub of life that sheltered the residents from wild pokemon and others that might seek to harm them. From a time before the unification of Kanto. It was a period of history that was not very well understood but nevertheless espoused in history lessons. The trainer that was standing before us was the same one that I¡¯d fought towards the end of the circuit. He¡¯d obviously been in a rush back then with the circuit coming to a close. Now he stood before me far more confident. His gaze was intent to a degree that had Alexa sitting up unconsciously. ¡°Your match has been scheduled. To confirm, this was the Fourth badge Challenge, and you wanted to run the Gauntlet?¡± she said seriously to the young man. The trainer nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m ready to start now. Who will I be fighting?¡± Behind a one-way mirror that was directly behind the reception desk I turned to Missy and nodded at her. ¡°That¡¯s your cue.¡± With that, Missy rose from one of the chairs in the lounge area for the gym¡¯s trainers while the circuit was on. It served to let them monitor the front desk as a backup if needed while also giving them a spot to relax in between fights. I sat with Rocko, Dennis, and Jackson. ¡°You know today is technically your day off, right?¡± I said to the extremely tanned teenager. Jackson grinned, his white teeth a stark contrast to his bronzed skin. ¡°It¡¯s fine! I want to feel the start of the circuit! It¡¯ll help me get into the swing of things.¡± Jackson nearly vibrated in his seat. I chuckled at his enthusiasm. It was good to have the first trainer I¡¯d sponsored back in the gym. ¡°So how much tanning lotion did you use?¡± Rocko said while wiping a finger over Jackson¡¯s arm. He then inspected the finger as one would when dusting a cabinet. ¡°Shaddup! I had beach babes offering to rub it into me! I wasn¡¯t going to say no! I like how I look anyway!¡± Dennis and Rocko shared a look before bursting out into laughter. I shook my head before waving them to join me in the other gym trainer area that overlooked the arena. Missy had been thrilled to be the opening match of the season, and I was looking forward to seeing how she handled her first match as a gym trainer. She moved to the podium and twisted while thrusting her chest out, pokeball in hand enlarging as she did. ¡°Think you¡¯re getting through me? Think again!¡± she called out. The small crowd of fans that had gathered for the first fight of the circuit cheered at the banter. ¡°Oh nice, she¡¯s got some decent smack talk!¡± Jackson said happily. He nudged Dennis. ¡°Remember Celia¡¯s attempts?¡± ¡°I thought she was just insulting them?¡± said Dennis with a slight frown. ¡°Yeah, I think she called at least three girls flat-chested and one woman a miltank accidentally,¡± I said, remembering the way it had made the fights way more intense. The crowd began to become more engaged, and the cameraman that had been employed to catch this circuit¡¯s matches was giving a huge thumbs up. I chuckled at that. In truth, I could have had him out of the way in the video room, but then he¡¯d have access to the other security features. I hadn¡¯t been expecting to be offered a television deal, but apparently fighting Lance in an exhibition match was worth the local station setting one up. I was still trying to work out how to get alerts sent out for people that wanted to stream the matches live. Some workplaces had no issues with showing matches on their televisions, so I thought it might be a good idea. It sort of reminded me of how things worked with rugby when I went to New Zealand in my old life. Everyone there got to watch their local clubs on the television. Why should this be any different? Plenty of people, both locally and regionally, would like seeing the small fries fight and I would be able to pay out better to winners with the buffer of more funding. It was a huge win for everyone. I might even get more takers for the Doubles battles and the Gauntlet runs. Those paled in comparison to Elite Challenges or Ace Trainer challenges though for popularity. Put those on television? Huge money makers. However, that was still in the works and would be something for the gym to work on. I looked to the referee podium and was happy to see Forrest in position. He looked at me and raised his hands when I nodded. ¡°Challenger Gio! Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± shouted back the challenger. ¡°Gym Trainer Missy! Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. ¡°Release your pokemon and begin!¡± ¡°Go King!¡± a pokeball was flung forward and a Nidoking materialised with a roar. He impacted the ground and swung his tail about. His skin shone under the stadium lights, the air whooshed as his tail swept through it. ¡°Go Rhydon!¡± answered Missy. Her bipedal rhino landed with a thud that shook the ground. She rose up to her full height with a snort before Missy swept her arm forward. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± ¡°King, match it!¡± Rocks ripped from the stadium ground and began to hurtle away from each pokemon before impacting in the middle of the arena. Explosions of dust resulted, and within a few seconds a dust cloud was set up in the middle, obscuring the battlefield. ¡°Close the distance!¡± shouted the challenger. Nidoking surged through the dust, appearing suddenly. ¡°Mega Punch!¡± Only to meet a glowing fist that rocketed forward from Missy¡¯s Rhydon. ¡°Protect!¡± shouted the challenger. A globe of blue hexagons shot into existence and absorbed the hit causing Rhydon to stall out. As it reeled back to catch its footing, the challenger pressed the attack. ¡°Fury Attack!¡± One-two-three hits landed with a furious tempo into Rhydon, forcing it further and further back. ¡°Rhydon, leap back!¡± Instead of trying for a small space that Nidoking was crowding into constantly Rhydon heaved itself and gained some breathing room. ¡°Use Dig!¡± The challenger smirked, and I knew he¡¯d come prepared for that this time around. ¡°Earthquake.¡± I chuckled before turning to Rocko. ¡°Make sure to work more out of him. See if you can trip him up with the Protect timing with some fake out attacks. See if he¡¯s ready for that.¡± Rocko nodded. It wasn¡¯t something that we advertised, but when you ran the Gauntlet you also had to adapt to the trainers you¡¯d face next observing your fights and prepping their team. We also made up strategies to shake up their confidence. This wasn¡¯t something I got to do with people that were just going for the singular battles, for the real experience, it was always better to do the Gauntlet run. And not just for the payout if you won at the end of it. Trainers that typically challenged the gauntlets exclusively almost always ended the season ready to take on for the Ace pro circuit and start advancing up the duelling leaderboard. I watched as Missy¡¯s Rhydon proved why she had chosen it for the first match. Dragging Nidoking into another slugfest before falling finally. Interestingly, the Nidoking only looked more fired up from the fight. ¡°Looks like he used that as a warm-up.¡± Nidoking all but flattened the Onix that Missy chose to follow up with. It staked its claim on the arena with a tilted head and a roar that echoed. A few people that I recognised as serious fans of the Gym cheered the young man¡¯s success or just the good showing of a pokemon battle. I smiled fondly down at them from the rail I was leaning on. In another sporting arena, this would probably serve as a VIP area but I kept it rather utilitarian. I patted Rocko on the shoulder. ¡°Your turn.¡± Rocko went in with a practised swagger that just made trainers want to throw down on principle. Nidoking turned to watch Rocko make his way down and trade out for Missy. Missy departed with a forlorn look. I held in the chuckle. It never quite stuck with the new hires that they weren¡¯t supposed to win each fight. For them, it was as if the honour of the Gym was at stake with each showing. It would take a while, and I¡¯d need to make time for them, but eventually, they¡¯d understand it wasn¡¯t about winning but allowing the trainers the chance to grow. ¡°Hey, great show out there,¡± I said with a smile when she made it to the Gym lounge. ¡°I lost¡­¡± She gripped her opposite arm with her hands and almost huddled into herself. I shrugged, ¡°And that¡¯s fine. You fought hard. I imagine that was a good experience for your Rhydon. She held up way better than our Onix sadly.¡± I looked straight at her before tapping her on the nose, bonking her out of her depressive thoughts. ¡°Hey, look down there; look at the crowd that are cheering and laughing. They loved the show.¡± ¡°Was that what it was about? Putting on a show?¡± she said hesitantly. I shook my head. ¡°They¡¯re nice, but it wouldn¡¯t matter if the stands were empty, and this was just on an empty plain.¡± I pointed towards the challenger. ¡°That young man was horribly out of sorts last season. He came to this gym and only challenged for the singular challenge for his fourth badge. His showing was, in a word¡­ rough.¡± I turned my hand over as my smile grew. ¡°But look at him now, he¡¯s evolved his pokemon and put some serious work into it. I¡¯m looking forward to testing him, and that¡¯s what we¡¯re here for. To test trainers and help them grow, not smack them down or put on a show.¡± I pointed towards her. ¡°You put on a great test for that young man and he¡¯s going to remember it cause this is his new starting point for the year.¡± Missy chewed her lip. I could still see the doubt. It had been the same with Celia when she¡¯d tried her hand at being a gym trainer for the experience. Dennis watched from off to the side and let me do the talking, ¡°Give it time and know that I¡¯m proud of how you performed down there.¡± ¡°Thanks, Brock,¡± she said before turning and moving off to work through her feelings on ¡®successfully¡¯ having lost. I turned back to watch Rocko. I laughed out loud when he threw down Onix as his first choice before making it use Bide. It wasn¡¯t something I typically used, but Rocko employed this method fairly often. It seemed to suit him in some odd way that just seemed right. I couldn¡¯t put my finger on why that was. Nidoking got a solid hit in and Onix did a great job of making it look like it did a lot more than it did before groggily getting up. Rocko grinned. ¡°That¡¯s it! Hold in there buddy! One or two more and you can cream that Nidoking!¡± The entire stadium leaned forward to watch what would happen next. Gio¡¯s eyes dilated for a moment only to hiss in a breath of air. ¡°King! Back off! They¡¯re bluffing!¡± Nidoking backed off with a leap that mimicked the earlier Rhydon only for Onix to charge in and pursue. Rocko leered from atop the podium. ¡°You ain¡¯t getting away that easy boyo! Onix give it back!¡± Onix lunged, committing to the attack. ¡°Protect again!¡± The shield formed once more, but it did so with a small fluctuation in it. While he¡¯d been allowed a few minutes for Rocko to strut down for the challenge, that wasn¡¯t enough time to let the weakness in Protect fade. It was still enough to stop Onix however. The rock snake slammed into it before keening out annoyance at being denied the hit. Rocko maintained his expression, however. ¡°Pivot into an Iron Tail!¡± Onix turned, his head acting as the pivot point to let almost his entire length swing around. Gio saw this, ¡°Leap forward out of the attack!¡± And responded the right way. His Nidoking leapt forward, dodging the glowing tail. ¡°Flex around Onix,¡± Rocko didn¡¯t let it end there however and Onix contorted as Nidoking flew over his head. This time, Nidoking had nowhere to go and had to take the hit. The large purple pokemon flying into the barrier before rising with a growl. Onix returned to an upright position and matched its growl with one of its own. The crowd roared their approval at the exchange. Gio blinked at this, caught off guard by the noise. ¡°Dragonbreath Onix!¡± ¡°Eh!? Damn it! Nidoking, use Earthquake!¡± His pokemon slammed its paws into the ground and unleashed a powerful shockwave into the arena. The attack also silenced the crowd as they felt their seats vibrate. In truth, they weren¡¯t actually feeling the effects of the attack but rather mild vibration features I had installed to enhance the crowd¡¯s experience. The flame washed over Nidoking and he screeched in pain. Onix was tossed to the side only to rise up without too much issue. ¡°Damn it! Nidoking, use Toxic!¡± Gio flourished his hand out and Nidoking rose up with his horn glowing a sickly purple. Then he threw his body forward, flicking his horn and causing a splatter of purple to fly outwards and splash all over Rocko¡¯s Onix. Gio then raised his pokeball. ¡°King! Return!¡± Forrest raised his hand. ¡°The challenger has withdrawn his pokemon! He has five seconds to¡ª¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Go Poliwrath!¡± I whistled as another strong-looking pokemon emerged. Taking in the grimace and the quick glance he shot my way, I got an idea of his plan. ¡°I do believe he was going to hold onto that one until he reached me.¡± I nodded at Rocko and Missy. ¡°Also Missy, yours and Rocko¡¯s fight help set me up to look way cooler.¡± That got a snort from her and a giggle from Crystal, who¡¯d apparently just joined us. ¡°Swimmer! Use Aqua Ring!¡± The swirls on the pokemon¡¯s belly whirled around for a long moment. Rocko clicked his tongue. ¡°Use Bide!¡± Rocko said before clicking his tongue in annoyance. A shimmer went over the Onix. Gio gritted his teeth. It looked like he either had to bull forwards or he had to back off with the shimmer of bide in place. The poison ticking over on Onix made him make his move. ¡°Swimmer, use Water Gun!¡± The attack hit and Onix reared back at the super-effective move before collapsing onto his side, unconscious. Gio pumped his fists only for Rocko to raise up another pokeball. ¡°Ready for the next round?¡± Rocko flicked his pokeball and a Graveler with small sparks arcing off it landed with a growl. I had to hope the cameraman¡¯s microphone wasn¡¯t sensitive enough to pick up on Gio cursing under his breath. ¡°Water Gun again!¡± ¡°Use Thunderwave,¡± ordered Rocko in response. From the Graveler, a large arc of electricity shot out. It was slower than the water gun, and Rocko had to order a dodge, but the Graveler did so quickly enough. ¡°Swimmer! Roll under it!¡± said Gio. His poliwrath dutifully rolled forward, attempting to dodge only for its leg to get caught in the electricity. It went down with a spasm as electricity arced over its body. ¡°Graveler, use Discharge!¡± The attack hit and this time the challenger had to withdraw one of his pokemon as the Poliwrath went still as it fainted. ¡°Return King! Clean em up!¡± Once more his Nidoking returned to the field causing another burst of power. I noted, however, that it wasn¡¯t as strong as its first appearance. The pokemon was tiring. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± called Rocko to start this round off. Nidoking quickly matched the attack, much like he had against Rhydon earlier. Only this time when he tried to burst through the cloud, Graveler was counter-attacking with a charge of its own. Both pokemon slammed into each other, causing the dust to be blown apart from the impact. Nidoking proved to have more inertia however and the boulder pokemon began to be pushed back. Then it buckled lower and got the chance to grip into the ground with its smaller hands. ¡°Fury Attack! Loosen that pokemon¡¯s grip!¡± Gio called, ordering his pokemon to end the tackle and go for body blows that shook them both. Four rapid-fire hits impacted the Graveler, causing it to skid back. It stood upright shaking its head. Gio proved his offseason wasn¡¯t wasted, pressing the advantage. ¡°Use Seismic Toss!¡± Nidoking gripped the Graveler, and before the extra arms could grip in once more, the pokemon was lifted like a weight in the gym before being thrown across the floor. Graveler landed with an almighty boom. It stood while cradling one of the smaller arms. I narrowed my focus on that and grunted, ¡°Huh, landed awkwardly; it might have jarred or even dislocated its arm.¡± ¡°Thought you couldn¡¯t force a boulder pokemon like them to land awkwardly. They¡¯re mostly round?¡± Daniel chimed in, having just walked into the trainer area.. ¡°Nah, Graveler and Geodude can¡¯t retract their arms like Golem can. They¡¯re tough but they can still land poorly,¡± I said before following up with, ¡°How¡¯d your patrol go?¡± ¡°Eh fine, there were no problems. Looks like I missed Missy¡¯s fight though.¡± He glanced in her direction and she gave a small smile. ¡°She did fine,¡± I said happily. On the field, Rocko raised his pokeball and withdrew his Graveler. I nodded when he shot a look my way before relaxing. He could have pushed on with the fight for more ¡®style¡¯ but he did the right thing by looking after the pokemon. Rocko raised a hand openly to Forrest and Forrest blinked before remembering the meaning of that gesture. ¡°Rocko has conceded Graveler! The Challenger wins!¡± This round didn¡¯t get as much applause due to the rougher ending. Rocko made sure to bring Graveler back out to the side of the podium. I watched as he explained to the pokemon why he didn¡¯t keep fighting. Graveler seemed annoyed but eventually nodded, still cradling its arm. On the field, Nidoking watched on before snorting and nodding his head at his prior foe. This got some more applause, which continued when Graveler was led out of the arena and into the medical area. He¡¯d be back up by this afternoon in truth, but we¡¯d still have him off to Nurse Joy to have it checked before he fought again. I let Gio have a few more moments before pushing a button that dimmed the lights. Then I strode to the staircase. I activated the microphone and spoke, ¡°So, you¡¯ve returned to challenge me have you?¡± Lights focussed on my position while also highlighting Gio and his pokemon. Gio stood tall and looked up at me. I grinned down. And just like that, two trainers locked eyes. In moments like this, I wanted to have proper gym music start up. Or something iconic like ¡®we will rock you¡¯. I still hadn¡¯t found a good enough rock band to interpret my frankly terrible memory for music though. They all waved it off as a bad idea. Instead, I marched forward as the crowd cheered my name. When I reached the arena I didn¡¯t cross the floor but instead leapt up onto the podium in a display of strength. The crowd loved it. I stayed focussed on Gio. ¡°You¡¯ve returned.¡± I made a show of looking over Nidoking before selecting a pokeball. ¡°Let¡¯s see how strong you¡¯ve grown, Go! Graveler!¡± The Graveler that just so happened to knock out this Nidoking last time emerged with a solid thump. It rose and locked eyes with Nidoking. It seemed to recognise him despite his evolution. And like the perfect heel, he smirked and raised a hand in a ¡®come get¡¯ gesture. Nidoking snarled, and the battle began. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I ordered. This time, instead of rocks floating up into the air from both sides only Nidoking¡¯s rocks floated upwards. On my side, a trio of rocks jerked up as if ripped by my pokemon. Graveler grinned before hitting them at Nidoking with an open palm. They shot straight at him as though blown out of a cannon, and it was all Nidoking could do to throw himself to the side and roll away from the attack. Nidoking¡¯s own attack shot forward much more diminished, only to have Graveler idly roll to the side. The attack was cleanly evaded with far less movement being needed. ¡°Toxic!¡± ¡°Quick underground!¡± I ordered my pokemon, the order specifically designed to have him skimming low. Gio gasped before clenching his hands and ordering an Earthquake. I watched him, not saying anything as I knew my pokemon was taking a lot of damage. Then Gio stopped, and instead of ordering the move again, he gained a shrewd look. ¡°Continue to cover the arena with Toxic, King!¡± That got a nod of approval from me as his pokemon used his poison move to trap the field. When Graveler emerged, it had no choice but to slam into Nidoking before bouncing back into the small ring that Gio had created around the centre. Perfectly in range of his brawler of a Nidoking. ¡°Fury Attack once more!¡± ¡°Defence Curl!¡± I ordered once more. Graveler dug in forcing the hits to impact but not allowing Nidoking to follow through with Seismic Toss like he would have on his previous foe. Three hits landed. ¡°Again!¡± ¡°Another Defence Curl,¡± I ordered, more than happy to build up stages of defence and make his attacks weaker. With his blows petering out, Gio clicked his tongue. ¡°Finish spraying the field with Toxic!¡± This time my Graveler took the hit with nowhere else to go. Gio then ordered the Nidoking to close in once more. ¡°Use Dig,¡± I said, deciding I wanted to put down as much damage as I could. I was already formulating a potential second pokemon to take over. I had one that could outright ignore the poison ¡®field¡¯ he¡¯d set up, while another would make things much rougher. The first sadly would probably be a bit much for a trainer, even one challenging for their fourth badge. Maybe if he¡¯d gone Elite level, or if he was going for more than his fourth badge I might have called out my Quirina. The Solrock serving perfectly to ignore his trap field with his ability to levitate. ¡°Swift!¡± ordered Gio, making my choice to go under the earth cost me further. I was glad to see he still had a lot of the moves up to some degree of skill from our previous fight. I hadn¡¯t seen anything for buffs however. Graveler leapt out to tackle Nidoking from the earth, looking much worse for wear. Nidoking happily accepted the tackle before rolling them through the poison that was on the ground. One of Nidoking¡¯s arms got free, and Gio used that to deliver more Fury Attacks into my Graveler¡¯s side. Graveler locked down with his front arms and used his upper arms to punch back, turning the fight into a brawl. Even with Nidoking¡¯s earlier fights exhausting him however, it was my pokemon that fell first. I withdrew him, and nodded at Gio and his Nidoking. The Purple pokemon heaving in huge lungfuls of air. I grinned as my eyes spotted the tunnel Graveler had shot up out of. That spot didn¡¯t have any poison on it due to upturned earth. ¡°Go Chou!¡± I shouted releasing my Omanyte onto the field. The crowd ooh¡¯d theatrically at the ancient pokemon appearing. I waved my hand forward. ¡°Use Surf!¡± The attack drew on the small grated water channels around the arena edge but also some of my pokemon¡¯s energy to create a large tidal wave. A wave that swept the poison off the field before dropping ontop of King. This time, King went down for the count. ¡°BROCK!¡± WOAH!¡± ¡°ANCIENT POKEMON FOR THE WIN!¡± My little Omanyte happily trilled at the praise before posing with fake muscleman poses for the crowd. Gio glanced around at the roaring crowd. I looked over to him. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t sweat the crowd Gio. This is little compared to the big leagues. Ignore them and focus on what you came here for.¡± I crossed my arms and gave him a smirk, allowing him to focus on me, his goal. I was his barrier here and now. He nodded, hand sliding to one pokeball before stopping. He blinked before chewing his lip in thought before selecting another pokeball. ¡°Go Raticate!¡± ¡°Raticate!¡± shouted the pokemon as it appeared. I hummed with interest, he hadn¡¯t had that pokemon the last time he¡¯d faced me. ¡°Raticate! Use Thunder!¡± ¡°Dig,¡± I replied instantly. Before my pokemon could be touched, it vanished into the earth. Gio looked at that before looking up at me. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have an earth type! It has a Rock-Water typing doesn¡¯t it?¡± I smirked. ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°Raticate! Use Focus Energy! Be ready! We¡¯ll end this in a single attack when he emerges!¡± ¡°Chou, use Rock Polish.¡± I said with a shout. That got a click of his teeth from Gio. I raised an eyebrow as he chewed his lip before ordering another Focus Energy. ¡°Chou, use Water Gun to take him out!¡± ¡°Raticate use Assurance!¡± Gio crowded as Chou shot out of the ground using Water Gun to propel his body backwards at speed. Raticate turned in time to take the hit on the side instead of the back of his head. Then, at the moment that Chou would have shot past, Raticate¡¯s entire body surged with dark-type energy. The energy lashed out and struck Chou down, inflicting double damage. My smallest ancient pokemon hit the ground and fell unconscious. I raised my pokeball and withdrew him. Then I looked at Gio. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve grown up very well indeed.¡± I hit a button and to the side, the screens that showed the fight exploded with the words ¡®Challenger wins¡¯ shooting across them. The front of the podiums opened, and Gio threw himself at Raticate. ¡°We did it! You did it! You were amazing!¡± I grinned at the kid''s antics. It was always good to overcome a challenge that had previously stopped you flat. I made sure to walk slowly over to the kid as the crowd cheered for him. Forrest¡¯s referee podium lowered, and he met me next to Gio with a small case in hand. ¡°Congratulations on your victory Gio. I¡¯m more than happy to confer onto you the Boulder badge. You earned it.¡± Gio looked at me and then the badge before accepting it. He took it and cradled it close. ¡°Thank you!¡± he said reverently. ¡°No thank you for the great match.¡± I then gestured over my shoulder. ¡°Also, now the crowd is all yours. Give them a wave.¡± Gio looked up, surprised to find that I was right. The crowd that had gathered at the start of his gauntlet run was now much bigger. They chanted his name and his pokemon¡¯s name. He cried fat happy tears before raising his Raticate up onto his shoulders, where the pokemon grabbed his head. He then raised the badge aloft as the pokemon grinned happily. Hmmm perhaps he had this pokemon and hadn¡¯t brought it out against me last time¡­ That or he¡¯d really developed a bond with the pokemon in the threeish months since I¡¯d last seen him. The crowd cheered louder. I let it go on for a few minutes before raising my own hand. ¡°I will now complete the less fun paperwork. Thank you all for coming and watching Gio¡¯s matches! Our next scheduled match will be in half an hour if you¡¯d like to head out or stick around!¡± I gestured to a doorway. ¡°Let¡¯s get your winnings. Interested in some feedback as well?¡± Gio nodded his head. I led him into the room. ¡°Well, first off, you were right in that Omanyte wouldn¡¯t have handled Thunder at all, so good read on him not having the earth typing. His water typing would have seen that being a one hit k.o.¡± I then made a circle. ¡°You¡¯ll need to get used to using the Gauntlet runs for trainers to scout you out. I imagine your Poliwrath was going to be your ace against me, but instead Rocko dragged him out early. This is much like a smaller tournament. Every method you use can be adjusted for. This is worse than the tournaments, as you can¡¯t change out your team of six so be ready to have something tailored against you and know how to adjust for it.¡± I tapped away at the computer before looking at him. ¡°Cash or digital?¡± ¡°Cash¡­ if it¡¯s all the same to you.¡± I nodded and punched in the amount. The computer whirred to life and from a chute, a tube of money with the exact amount popped down to me. I inspected it before laying it out, casually counting it out. Gio stared at it. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ more than last year.¡± ¡°I too had a very successful off-circuit,¡± I said smugly. Gio laughed before nodding. ¡°Yeah, you were crazy¡­ I wasn¡¯t game to try your Elite Challenge.¡± I waved my hand. ¡°You¡¯d only get the prestige badge on the first challenge, but the payout might have been worth it if you managed it on the third or fourth. It would have been a different beast. As strong as Chou and my Gravelers are, it''s a different climb up a much steeper mountain for trainers when I¡¯m using one of my top pokemon.¡± ¡°Any other advice?¡± he asked, looking at me hopefully. This caught me slightly by surprise, people usually only accepted the first few pieces. Perhaps my win over Lance had other benefits with my street cred being high enough that people would actually listen when I spoke. That¡¯d be a weird sensation. ¡°Well, I mainly thought I¡¯d repeat that you did a good job getting your team to that level in a few months. I think your Nidoking is seriously stronger, as is Poliwrath and Raticate. That¡¯s the beginning of a solid team.¡± I considered him for a moment. ¡°How¡¯s your stable situation?¡± ¡°I had to lose access to them. I¡¯m restricted to just six pokemon¡­ I currently only have five that are up to strength.¡± He chewed his lip and gave me another furtive look before swallowing. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t suppose my showing here was good enough that I could apply to be part of your ¡®stable¡¯ this season?¡± I sat back and considered that. ¡°Your showing was good¡­ however you are a trainer that has been out for a year now. You¡¯ve had a few runs at gyms.¡± I brought up his battle history and looked it over. ¡°You¡¯ve got a fairly even win-loss ratio on here with a lot more wins piling up, but that might change as you move around.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°You got two of your now four gym badges from ¡®small¡¯ gyms.¡± I turned that over in my mind before deciding, ¡°Tell you what, win another two gym badges through the gauntlet from the big eight without losing a match on any of the runs and I¡¯ll offer a partial sponsorship. Sounds fair?¡± Gio grimaced. ¡°I really regret taking Cerulean and Celadon off my list of potential gyms. That will only leave Surge.¡± ¡°It will depend on your strategy for sure. You have Surge, Giovanni, Blaine, Koga or Sabrina to overcome if you want stabling rights from me.¡± ¡°Urgh, no way am I challenging Sabrina!¡± Gio shivered. ¡°She¡¯s scary! I tried her for my fourth badge and she was so powerful! And skilled! I¡¯ve never seen psychic pokemon do the stuff she got them doing!¡± I nodded in commiseration. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I sparred with her in the lead-up to my match with Lance. She¡¯s strong.¡± Gio considered that before sighing. ¡°I can still get two from the smaller gyms¡­ but that¡¯d be the easy way out.¡± I stood. ¡°Well it depends on what you want to get from this. You¡¯ve won a hard fight from me. You don¡¯t absolutely need more than six badges from the big gyms to make a good showing at the Indigo Plateau but it would help. Look around and see what your options are, but most of all keep your end goal in sight.¡± Gio nodded, walking out to the front desk. ¡°Now, let¡¯s smile for the camera. You are the first trainer to earn their badge for the circuit this season!¡± Gio looked up in surprise to see Rachel ready with a polaroid camera. With a quick photoshoot, Gio departed. I sighed. ¡°And off he goes into the world.¡± I looked back to Rachel. ¡°Alright then, who¡¯s next?¡± And just like that, I moved on with my day, preparing for the next challenger to earn their badge. I only had two that day, but it was a nice start to the season. I personally chalked up another win by having no-one knock on my door in an attempt to challenge me. It was a small win, but I¡¯d take it. I knew it wouldn¡¯t last, sadly. In the end, Missy won the first part of the bet she¡¯d made with the others as I got a challenger knocking on my door late at night, exactly four days into the circuit. I sent them scampering off and resigned myself to having this happen much more frequently from now on. I just hoped she didn¡¯t also win the second part of the bet. Chapter 58 - Challenger, are you ready?! I tapped the board behind me and the kids all dutifully wrote down what I had projected onto it. ¡°As you can see, you need to account for your budget for things such as medicine in the field, food, tents, and more when you leave Pewter. For now, I know you have the tents that I gave you, but those need to be assembled correctly. I have a trainer available to lead an expedition for any that might have gotten rusty on setting up camp.¡± Dennis, who was standing to the side, straightened a little and nodded seriously to the kids. I gestured at him. ¡°This is Dennis and for the next two days if you have any desire he can lead an expedition around Pewter and give you a little more of a safety net. He¡¯ll also practise with you, both here, and when you¡¯re out and about.¡± The kids looked a little relieved to hear this and I chuckled. ¡°Yeah I know a lot of this was covered for you last year in school, but the refreshers help. Especially now that you have pokemon to help you. Now with the busy work and announcements out of the way, let¡¯s talk about local pokemon and pokemon team compositions.¡± The kids sat, if possible, more upright, their pens poised. ¡°Alright, so the foundation of your team is always going to centre around the pokemon that you got as your starter. It, along with you, are the beating heart of the team. You should expect it to be your most powerful, or versatile, as it is the pokemon that will have the most experience. If this is not the case I will be shocked.¡± ¡°Now at Pewter, we start with a pokemon that don¡¯t have any large risks such as if you started with a fire or electric type pokemon.¡± I gestured around at the rattata, pidgey, geodude, nidoran¡ªboth male and female¡ª and finally an aron that was happily nudging Humphrey in the leg for attention. ¡°Aron, come on buddy,¡± Humphrey whispered as he rubbed along Aron¡¯s head. I hummed. Everyone thought that Humphrey would have it better having been given a ¡®stronger¡¯ pokemon. The truth was that he¡¯d need to also work harder to draw out that potential. It also would mean that he¡¯d need longer to evolve his pokemon compared to someone like Mia with Silly Mouse. She could have her Raticate within a few weeks if she wanted to, and be ready to work on perfecting a style of fighting with him by the time the mid-circuit tournament came around. This would see her hopefully gaining momentum while others were playing the longer game. ¡°Now, if you are looking to create a team that will make things easier for you as you travel I would highly recommend getting yourself a flying type such as Pidgey or Spearow. Their final evolutions will not only allow flight, but they are also powerful pokemon in their own right with a versatile set of moves. But if you¡¯re looking for a comfort pokemon that will help around the camping area, and in the battling arena, then I think you need to go with the risky pokemon.¡± The kids tilted their heads. I smiled at them. ¡°I¡¯m talking about a Fire type. Now if you think about it, the two easiest pokemon to catch in all of Kanto. Who are they?¡± I waved a hand about and Mia shot her hand up. Silly Mouse glanced at her before copying her. I pointed at her. ¡°Oh! OH! Oddish! Weedle! Caterpie! Goldeen! Zubat! And¡­ and uhmmm oh¡­ Pidgey?¡± she said while biting her lip. I nodded. ¡°That¡­ was much more thorough than I was asking for, but you¡¯re correct. Ten points to Silly Mouse House,¡± I said, feeling rather ridiculous myself. Humphrey raised a tentative hand. ¡°I thought Magikarp was the easiest to capture?¡± I pointed at him. ¡°Point to the Aron trainer, you¡¯re correct. However in the context of you having to face such a trainer, then unless they¡¯ve put in an obscene amount of training, the Magikarp is sadly not going to have the strength. Its evolution is what makes it amazing but you need to really dig deep or fulfill a real niche emotional sweet spot depending on that specific Magikarp¡¯s temperament. If someone throws out a Magikarp and you keep your guard up for a trick then you should walk out of that fight with an easy win.¡± I then grabbed a black pen and wrote in huge letters. NEVER TOY WITH IT! I then underlined it. ¡°If you all only take one thing from this lesson today? It is that you should; Never, Ever, Ever! Spend time smacking around a Magikarp, and lording it over the trainer for their pathetic choice. That is one of the best methods that people using Magikarp have to get an evolution from them and for you to suddenly face a fish that just leapt from a puddle to an ocean in terms of strength.¡± I underlined it again and then spent a moment locking eyes with every child in the room. ¡°I get stories about this every year, and I have to say, the trainers that force this? Well, they had it coming. There is no better irony than having that happen. If you see it happen back up and watch from a safe distance of roughly fifty metres and stick around in case the newly evolved pokemon can¡¯t be controlled by its trainer. If that is the case you might need to help them or get that trainer out of there.¡± The kids all swallowed tightly at that. I smiled at them. ¡°But, I was talking about Fire types. And what do we not want a fire Fire type to face?¡± I said leadingly. ¡°Water types!¡± chorused the group. I nodded, pleased. I gave out booklets to everyone who participated in the tournament, but some people thought they were too good to read the matchup list. ¡°Good! Now obviously, fire types need to be monitored in places such as forests, grasslands, and caves if they¡¯re using their fires. Pokemon like Ponyta and Charmander will always have a fire on them, so be aware of this. High-emotion states will result in the occasional spray of fire. For all of you, the perfect pokemon to get yourselves if you find them, is a Growlithe or a Vulpix.¡± I clicked the projector and began to extol the virtues of the pokemon. Both of them were easy to train and had the potential for strong fire moves with other skills. This made them high value to people that I taught as they came with minimal risk but high growth potential. One of the girls raised her hands. ¡°If¡­ If I don¡¯t want to go for a gym circuit what should I do?¡± I nodded at her. ¡°Good question, and I¡¯m glad you¡¯re thinking about that sort of thing. If you haven¡¯t thought about it, this year is pretty much entirely about considering what you want to do. No one will demand anything of you.¡± I raised a finger. ¡°However! This is also a good time to open some doors and experience some new things. I would recommend trying to at least get four badges; that way, you''ll have had a good trip around Kanto. Also, this will look good to any prospective employers looking to hire you.¡± ¡°Also,¡± I waved a hand around. ¡°You get to spend it with other people that are in the same boat as you! The bonds you form on your journey with people and pokemon can last a lifetime!¡± Humphrey raised his hand. ¡°What if we do want to go for the end-of-year circuit?¡± This had more of the room perking up. I chuckled at the greater show of interest before replying, ¡°Well, find a way to train yourself and your pokemon as much as you can. Do it in the wild and against other trainers. You¡¯ll need as much experience as you can because there are going to be people that have had their starters for longer. However! With your minds and dedication, you can overcome this! The circuit lasts nine months and for some people, that¡¯s going to be a whole new lifetime.¡± Humphrey coughed sheepishly and ducked into himself. ¡°Oh thanks! But I meant¡­ what pokemon should we catch?¡± I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s not for me to tell you. I will caution against trying to just get a perfect team with a ¡®pokemon for every situation and type match up¡¯. That doesn¡¯t work out as well thanks to being able to swap out pokemon or having an initial bad call. Create a team that you can work with and identify your strengths and your weaknesses. When you start getting more than four pokemon I will be in discussion with all of you to help you specifically identify what your team has and lacks.¡± The kids shared smiles at that. I heard the boy with the Nidoran outline how he¡¯d get a pikachu first, then a growlithe, before getting an exeggcute before he broke into mumbles on pokemon and moves to create a great team. I coughed to refocus the kids. ¡°Alright! That is it for the talk today. Remember that we¡¯re going to have another two of these, and then I have you all locked in for a match with me in two weeks.¡± I grinned evilly as the kids swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m putting you under the pump here, but if you¡¯re not up for it then just swing by and tell the receptionist. A deadline will just help keep things in perspective.¡± These kids obviously didn¡¯t know what to make of this, so I just waved them off. ¡°Remember that Dennis is available for anyone wanting to go on an expedition to brush up on their camping skills. Otherwise, make good use of the battlecourts out in front of the gym.¡± Mia tapped one of the girls with a Geodude on the shoulder, and they both got a look as they locked eyes. I chuckled and stuck around to answer some simple questions while avoiding the one boy''s request to help him create the perfect team for his journey. Eventually, I was done with the morning session. I was walking to my office when I was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. Janine smiled at me with a hint of pride shining through. I blinked at her in surprise. ¡°Oh¡­¡± She stared at me and a small frown marred her aura of smugness. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I just¡­ well, I had been expecting a message for when you were coming around but this¡­¡± This made so much more sense. What had I been expecting? Koga to call and set up the date and time and have a drop-off with his daughter. I really should have known better. ¡°You''re not surprised to see me? You¡­ Your response to this is rather sub-optimal. Where is your flinch response?¡± she said with a scowl. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°I think it got conditioned out of me?¡± Janine stared harder at me. ¡°Hmmm, I see I have my work cut out for me then,¡± she said with a sigh. I grunted noncommittally. ¡°Hnnn, say how long have you been around?¡± ¡°Since you have been advocating Growlithe. That is a suboptimal pokemon. They should catch themselves a pokemon like an Oddish. They are easier to care for and some of their spore moves can be used as fire starters.¡± I considered her for a moment. ¡°Eh, that¡¯s not something I knew. Maybe I could get you to hold a lecture in future?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°But you are supposed to be teaching me?¡± ¡°Sometimes you learn best from teaching others,¡± I said sagely. Then I shrugged. ¡°Anyway, I can¡¯t know everything, some things certainly, but I think your father merely wanted me to show you a different way of doing things.¡± I looked her over and noted a large carry satchel that was hanging over one shoulder. ¡°Got everything you¡¯ll need there?¡± ¡°Indeed! I am ready to camp out!¡± I shook my head and checked my watch. ¡°Hmmm I can¡¯t give you the tour straight away as I have a match against an Ace trainer for some Championship points, so stick around for that. Then let¡¯s do a tour.¡± ¡°You¡¯re holding matches already?¡± Janine said as I walked towards the arena. ¡°Oh yeah, we start taking all challengers from day two of the circuit starting up. Does Koga not do that?¡± Janine shook her head. ¡°There is a week blocked out where Koga spends it on this circuit¡¯s apprentice. He will be doubly sure to train this one better!¡± She shot me a look as though I had said I would doubt that. Then I recalled that Celia had in fact knocked out Koga¡¯s sponsored trainer in the group stages to advance. ¡°Ah, well, you just saw my gym¡¯s selections this year.¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking six of them?¡± she said, glancing back. ¡°That seems ambitious.¡± ¡°I want to give more to the community. If I had my way it¡¯d be way more than that.¡± I pointed to a set of stairs that would lead us up the back to the trainer area overlooking the arena. ¡°Right, hang tight up here. If you want a drink, feel free to take something from the fridge. Bathroom is through that door. I¡¯ll have a break after this.¡± I stepped to the edge of the trainer area that was sectioned off with a low-rising wall that looked like stone on one side but sported a simple railing that you could pull a chair up to if you wanted to watch the fights going on below. I toggled a microphone to a private channel. ¡°Alright Missy check if we have the challenger yet?¡± ¡°Roger Brock! Challenger Himiko Hess is ready. We¡¯re just getting through a few spectators, and then I¡¯ll ask Rachel to do the introductions.¡± ¡°Roger,¡± I said as I began to toy with the pokeballs on my belt. With this being an Ace trainer match I wasn¡¯t restricted to just pokemon that represented the Gym. I had the option of other pokemon as well. When the time came, Rachel ran out. Her pink hair acted like a banner to draw people¡¯s attention while a jacket that was way too big trailed after her with the gym¡¯s symbol proudly on display. Instead of stopping to hype up the crowd, she did a half-hop into a flip. She spun once in the air and then landed in a perfect gymnast finishing pose. She grinned as the crowd cheered. She must have had her microphone set for the gym trainer group, as I heard her whispering to herself under her breath. ¡°Hell yeah, those Trixie sessions paid off! Go me!¡± I snorted. ¡°Change to the gym-wide broadcast before you start talking Rachel,¡± I said helpfully. Rachel flushed red enough that I could see her from where I was standing before regaining her composure admirably. Her hand dipped to the radio at her side as she did just that. She held her huge smile though as she waved to the crowd. ¡°Hello! Hello! People of Pewter! Welcome one and all! Today we have a truly spectacular battle awaiting us with the first Ace challenge of the circuit! The contender, a trainer that has been a hot topic for quite a while and is known for their fiery personality! Give it up for Himiko from Kasado City!¡± A tall willowy woman swept into the gym and glanced around at the crowd as she sped down the stairs to her podium. Her dark black hair hung over each shoulder and hugged her body before being tied off behind her back in a strange style. Perhaps it was something cultural? Rachel swept her arm towards me. ¡°AND NOW PEOPLE OF PEWTER! TO FACE THE CHALLENGER FOR AN ACE BATTLE WITH POINTS ON THE LINE! GIVE IT UP FOR YOUR GYM LEADER! BROCK!¡± Lights slammed on and from long practise I avoided looking up and blinding myself. I held my pose and let my eyes adjust before marching down the stairs. Rachel made a sign and from the speakers music that was oh so close to Queen¡¯s famous we will rock you began to belt out. ¡°PEWTER GYM ARE YOU READY!? WE, WILL, BROCK YOU!¡± I almost stumbled at that. I had to bite my lips to not burst out into laughter at the horrible flub as she tried to lead a ¡®Brock you!¡¯ chant that really didn¡¯t have the backing it should. When I neared her I shot her a small shake of the head. She gave me a confused look, but I waved her away. I¡¯d talk with how¡­ cringe I felt that chant was later. When I reached my own podium I crossed my arms. ¡°Welcome Himiko. As this is an Ace challenge, depending on your placing on the Ace board you will win a different amount of points. I will remind you that I am not restricted to only Rock or rock-themed pokemon.¡± ¡°Rock themed?¡± Himiko muttered under her breath, then she shook her head. ¡°I understand and am prepared!¡± ¡°Very well!¡± I said. I looked to the side and found Rocko already standing ready as the referee. Forrest had tried to argue with me over fulfilling the position, but with it being in the middle of the morning I had instead sent him off to school with his friends. He¡¯d have plenty of time to sit in and watch me fight more experienced trainers than the norm as that was one area that we expected a lot more challengers from for the year. Rocko went through the usual ritual of checking that we were both ready before dropping his flags. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Go Medicham!¡± ¡°Go Zephyr!¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. On the field a Medicham and my Noctowl appeared. Himiko blanched at the pokemon and I could hear her cursing the poor first match up. ¡°Medicham return!¡± she said as her opening move. I grinned, ¡°Calm Mind!¡± Zephyr¡¯s eyes glowed and his head twitched in a rather creepy manner. With Himiko pulling out her first pokemon she had given me a free set-up move which she was already cursing herself for, but to be fair, it might be the best move available to her. ¡°Go Raichu!¡± she said, tossing out another pokeball. I whistled as the orange electric mouse appeared and began sparking instantly. ¡°Rai!¡± growled the little mouse. I grinned at it, more than ready for this match up. Just as Shin had his own methods of dealing with Electric pokemon I hadn¡¯t skipped Zephyr¡¯s lead-up to the circuit. ¡°Attack it with Steel Wing!¡± ¡°Raichu use Thunderbolt!¡± Himiko ordered. My pokemon swept forward from his low position as Raichu lit him up. The Calm Mind became useful straight away as the attack didn¡¯t do anywhere near as much damage as it should, much to Himiko and the crowd''s apparent confusion. Then Raichu suddenly had a faceful of angry owl. The wings swept in and slammed it away before stabbing into the ground and earthing any charge that was still coursing through him. ¡°Raichu up! While he¡¯s grounded use Quick Attack!¡± I watched carefully and let Noctowl remain where he was. Without my order Noctowl stayed still. This hold served to let all of the electricity be ground out as well as giving Himiko an apparent weakness to exploit. Only it wasn¡¯t a weakness. ¡°Hypnosis,¡± I said firmly. Noctowl snapped his head to the side and locked onto Raichu. Instead of charging into the Hypnosis, Himiko swept her arm to the side. ¡°Circle around to take it from the back!¡± she said. I chuckled as instead of being caught out, Zephyr¡¯s head twisted around as only an owl could. By the time he reached two hundred and seventy degrees of rotation, the Raichu had notably slowed before collapsing into sleep just shy of a full rotation. ¡°Tch!¡± she raised a pokeball and withdrew her pokemon. Her next pokemon was quickly tossed out to reveal a Ninetales that had everyone in the crowd oohhing in appreciation. I chuckled and raised up my own pokeball. ¡°Return for now Zephyr!¡± I said as I pulled him out. A few people in the crowd made noises of surprise only for their neighbours to helpfully remind them that as an Ace challenge, I was not restricted in withdrawing or the tactics I could use. ¡°Go Sanchez!¡± I said. That got the crowd on their feet as the pokemon that had the most toy sales of the gym took to the stage. He waved expansively like the great hammy actor that he was. Himiko was not willing to play to that script though as she stabbed her hand forward. ¡°Attract!¡± I groaned as Ninetales sashayed and flicked her tails in a ¡®come hither¡¯ manner. Having just withdrawn a pokemon I had to either endure or pull a move off myself. ¡°Sanchez show off for her! Rock Polish!¡± Sanchez obviously thought that was a great idea as he began rubbing at his body quickly to get it to shine. Himiko sniffed. ¡°Show this suitor he¡¯s not worthy! Fire Blast!¡± she said. From Ninetales¡¯s maw, an inferno shot forth straight at Sanchez in the shape of a fire symbol. I punched forward and roared my own command, ¡°Show her your passion by blasting it apart like a stylish man!¡± ¡°GO! GO! GOLEM!¡± said Sanchez as he lit up and blew apart the oncoming attack causing lightning and fire to clash and explode in a firework. Sparks and embers flittered down and I grinned. I¡¯d picked that use for Thunder from watching a contest. As the firework cleared, I caught Himiko scowling at me. I looked down to Sanchez. ¡°Still like her, Sanchez?¡± I asked. Sanchez dropped to one knee. ¡°Go! Go! Lem Lem go!¡± he said like one would recite poetry. ¡°Riiiight, alright boy, take a break she¡¯s not that into you,¡± I said as I returned him before Himiko could push her next move. ¡°So, Attract?¡± I said. Himiko grinned at me. ¡°Most boys like having male pokemon!¡± She shrugged and gestured with her arm. ¡°I merely make use of that weakness!¡± I grinned as I selected my own female pokemon. ¡°Go Bertha!¡± Bertha landed and snorted as she locked eyes with the Ninetales. She was clearly unimpressed with what she was seeing. Himiko growled and glanced at the sideboard where her withdrawals were listed. At the Ace level to stop it from just becoming who could switch out pokemon to find the best match up there was a limitation on the number of withdrawals that you could use. Moves such as Roar, Baton Pass, and others that enacted changes, were not counted towards this limit but it was rare to see them used. I could tell from Himiko¡¯s expression, she apparently didn¡¯t have a pokemon that knew any and with how I was pressuring her she needed to be wiser with her substitutions. Also, anyone who¡¯d seen Bertha fight Lance knew that you couldn¡¯t give her time to build up in any way shape or form. ¡°Tch! Use Psychic!¡± she said, deciding to try her hand against Bertha with her Ninetales. ¡°Earthquake!¡± I said to show her the error of her ways. Psychic energy built up and slammed into Bertha, but she barely flinched as she stomped and caused the ground to buckle underneath her. Ninetales was thrown up, and when she hit the ground, she landed awkwardly only to be tossed up again as the shaking continued. When she landed the second time she did so with a limp thud that indicated she was out cold. ¡°Bertha! Stop!¡± I ordered not wanting to ragdoll throw a limp pokemon and potentially injure them. Bertha stopped, allowing Himiko to quickly recall her pokemon out of danger. I swallowed and watched as Himiko checked her pokeball for any warning lights that indicated the pokemon that was within was injured. She relaxed, and a collective sigh of relief was released by everyone in the room. I shot her a chagrined smile. ¡°Sorry for the scare!¡± I said. She merely nodded and selected her next pokeball with a determined glare. ¡°Go Medicham!¡± And once more the fight was back on. I grinned. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± The crowd roared their approval at the move, having watched it be used to great effect against Lance. Huge slabs of stone shot forward at Medicham. ¡°Medicham! Use Detect and weave your way through the attacks!¡± I grinned, amused at her method of closing the gap. Ah? So you needed to come closer? By all means then. I thought as I watched the pokemon gracefully dance her way through the attacks. When she got close I smiled. ¡°Earthquake!¡± I shouted. Bertha once more stomped her foot down. ¡°High Jump Kick!¡± Himiko responded quickly enough and her pokemon leapt high with her pokemon soaring with its leg raised in preparation. ¡°Dig!¡± I ordered as fast as I could. Bertha pulled a hard twist from her planted foot and threw herself into the ground, causing it to be ripped open as she created a giant hole. ¡°Medi!¡± cried the Medicham as it suddenly came down with no pokemon to dampen the blow. It cratered the ground where it landed but grimaced in pain. I exhaled in relief. Whew, I definitely hadn¡¯t wanted to take that hit. Medicham hopped back from where it impacted only to fall to the ground. Himiko raised a pokeball to use her next withdrawal option, only for Bertha to emerge in all her glory and smash into Medicham from the side. Medicham went flying into a wall and just like that, two of Himiko¡¯s pokemon were down for the fight. ¡°Urgh!¡± she said, pulling her pokemon out for good as Rocko signaled the knockout. The crowd cheered, and Bertha grinned before rolling her shoulders and getting ready for the next match. ¡°Go Blastoise!¡± she said as a signature giant blue turtle took to the stage. I chuckled. She obviously thought she had a good match up here. ¡°Earthquake,¡± I said to start things off. ¡°Surf!¡± said Himiko. From behind Blastoise a huge wave rose and bore him skyward where he grinned at Bertha as she stood with her foot planted once more. This time she wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge with a well timed Dig as I could see the wave was deep. I just shook my head. They¡¯d obviously forgotten the other move that Bertha had used to great effect. ¡°Ice Beam the wave,¡± I said. Bertha blasted a beam of blue energy that froze whatever it touched. Himiko tossed her head slightly. "Blastoise, don¡¯t worry! You¡¯re resistant to it! Push through!¡± I chuckled as Blaistise tried to do just that, only to find himself overextended and toppling from the wave. ¡°Blas!¡± he shouted. I watched him fall and waited for the next order. There would be a window here¡­ I just needed to have Bertha ready for it. ¡°Blastoise withdraw into your shell!¡± Himiko ordered before her pokemon could slam into the ground. He tucked his legs, head and water cannons in and slammed into the ground causing a great wave to blow outwards. ¡°Move in, Bertha!¡± I said. From the dust a large form rose up only for another to charge straight up to it. ¡°Finish it!¡± I said suddenly, and just as the dust dispersed the crowd were treated to the sight of my pokemon in close range with one arm cocked back just as Blaistosie was fully standing. The Blastoise spotted Bertha just as she smirked. Her arm spun up and launched forward to impact into Blastoise. Then he twisted as though a giant hand had grabbed him and started him on a cartwheel only instead of rolling to the side he was blasted backwards while spinning around. He slammed into the wall and was knocked out signaling the third pokemon down for the count. Himiko stared. ¡°Darkrai¡­ what did I sign myself up for?¡± she said quietly enough that I doubted the crowd would have heard her. I merely grinned at her. She must have thought she could come in here and stomp me like others had when they came for their first badge. It always amused me when people had a mental disconnect between my first badge team and my Ace/Elite team. It also surprised me that my showing against Lance hadn¡¯t made her more cautious coming into this match. ¡°Go Cloyster!¡± she said for her next pokemon. I nodded. A good pokemon to use in this situation and she obviously had a number of her pokemon ¡®ready¡¯ for me. She just wasn¡¯t ready for the actual divide in strength my pokemon had over hers. I whistled and raised a Pokeball straight away without a hint of shame. ¡°Return Bertha, and let''s go Sanchez! Redemption time!¡± With the quick return of pokemon, I was still at risk but obviously in a much better position with an electric pokemon on the field against her Cloyster. Sanchez looked around hopefully before making an ¡®oh shit!¡¯ face. He knocked himself on the side of the head and laughed before adopting a much more serious pose against his new opponent. Himiko growled and swept her arm forward to resume the match. I grinned as I set to work dismantling the rest of her team. When she only had her Raichu left she made a sign to forfeit instead of sending them out. I nodded and Rocko raised the flag in my direction. ¡°Gym Leader Brock is the victor!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Pewter city!¡± Brock you!¡± cheered the people that made up the crowd. At that last chant, my burgeoning smile became forced. I really hoped to nip that ¡®Brock you¡¯ chant in the bud. I mentally made a note to correct it with Rachel and give her a few lyrics from what I could remember. Coming into a gym match with the crowd chanting ¡®we will Brock you¡¯? Yeah no. That was way too much cringe. I marched across the arena and shook hands with Himiko. ¡°Hey thanks for the match! Good luck this season.¡± She sighed and nodded. ¡°Yeah, thanks¡­ I think this will serve as a good wake up for me¡­ Urgh I¡¯m going to lose a few points for this.¡± I hummed. ¡°Oh? You were higher on the list than me?¡± She shot me a bemused look. ¡°You didn¡¯t check my ranking?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really keep track of it. I get a few Ace Challengers each year, so I know I¡¯m on the board in the¡­ five hundred range?¡± I said sceptically. ¡°Again, it isn¡¯t what I focus on. I have a gym to run and young trainers to test. The Ace battles are mostly fun for me.¡± ¡°Fun for me, he says,¡± she muttered under her breath. She shook her head. ¡°Well, I was four hundred and fiftieth on the chart¡­ I think with this loss I will be dropping a good number of spots.¡± I hummed. ¡°So that will net me¡­ six Ace tournament points?¡± I said carefully. I wasn¡¯t sure of the exact mechanic. You could win more points for taking part in Battleclub tournaments and from beating trainers higher than you but after about a hundred places difference there was no worth in challenging a trainer as you only got one point for a victory. Most people looking to soar up the ranks had to either pony up a lot of money to make it worth a higher-ranked trainer''s time or meet them in a tournament and beat them there. Fighting and winning against a Gym leader added a small addition to the points you could earn but you only got one shot at it each circuit period. When I first started out I lost a few matches but my wins versus losses ratio was very strong these days. It would be further tested with the upcoming circuit. ¡°¡ªyou¡¯ll get seven points, all things considered,¡± Himiko said, making me tune back in. I nodded as though I had been paying attention to her and not lost in my thoughts. ¡°Hmmm, that¡¯s nice. Hey out of curiosity, your Raichu. It knew Iron Tail right?¡± Himiko blinked at me. ¡°It did not, as a matter of fact.¡± I hummed. ¡°Might be a good move to look into for him for fighting rock and ground type pokemon. I think you need more moves that defy expectations of type match-ups ready.¡± She blinked at me. ¡°Oh, thank you?¡± she said tilting her head. I chuckled and waved my hand back and forth ¡°Sorry! Force of habit.¡± I turned and gestured to the camera that Battlecast had. ¡°I¡¯d keep an eye out for tonight''s broadcast. I think we might have been live locally, but there will also be a run down later tonight.¡± Himiko perked up before wilting. ¡°Oh¡­ my first Battlecast appearance is a defeat.¡± I shrugged at her, ¡°It¡¯s still something.¡± I led her off the arena floor and returned to the trainer area. Thankfully I didn¡¯t have any other trainers booked in so far. I quickly checked my transceiver for the schedule and relaxed when that was still the case. I walked back up the stairs to the trainer area. A number of fans approached and spoke to me for a while before I eventually broke off. I tapped Rachel on the shoulder and gestured to the side for a quick chat. ¡°Hey, so I think in future maybe stick with we will, we will, rock you? Brock you is¡­¡± I coughed and shook my head. ¡°A bit on the nose¡­¡± Rachel squirmed. ¡°Sorry! I was working on this to surprise you, but I should have tried it out earlier.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Just try a stomp, stomp, clap next time?¡± I then looked at Himiko, who was talking with a few people from the crowd. ¡°It seemed to have gotten her off balance anyway, so there¡¯s that going for it. But let¡¯s try and get rid of that for now, yeah?¡± I patted Rachel on the shoulder and moved back to the trainer-only area. Leaning on the dividing wall Janine watched me with an inscrutable expression. ¡°So? First match! What do you think?¡± I said, happy that I got to put on a good show for everyone. ¡°Your gym¡­¡± she eyed the crowd of people milling about with some talking with Rachel who was rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. Everyone had smiles and there was a lot of laughter. I spotted that Himiko had gotten dragged in front of the camera by a reporter and she was being interviewed. ¡°It is very different than the Fuchsia gym.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so lively, and¡­ modern. Everything is a big show but the fights are still well done¡­¡± She eyed me. ¡°That use of Thunder? How did you know Sanchez would accept the attack order? Usually, besotted pokemon refuse to even potentially harm the target of their affections.¡± I smiled. ¡°It¡¯s all about knowing how your pokemon reacts to certain things like that. Sanchez likes showing off, so as long as I make it so that he is doing that for his new ¡®love¡¯ then he will follow the order. It¡¯s all about how the order is given.¡± I waved a hand toward the back door. ¡°Come on, let''s give you that tour.¡± I led her through the gym and introduced her to Rocko and Dennis. Rocko happily took the rest of the afternoon off and when I found him sprawled out on the couch in the common area, I wasn¡¯t surprised to find him playing on his game console. Janine gave him a disapproving look that he ignored. I opened a room halfway down the hall and gestured inside. ¡°So! This room will be yours to treat as you like. It has an attached ensuite for privacy. Sometimes I rent these out for trainers that want to work with us as part of the package or people that are looking to stay the night when the Pokecenter is full.¡± A door opened behind me and I turned to find Daniel and his wife staring at me and Janine. Daniel was in fact openly gaping. Janine offered them a bow. ¡°Hello I am Janine from Fuchsia! I have the honour of attending your gym for the next few months to learn your ways. It is a pleasure to meet you!¡± I hummed. She¡¯d been just as formal when meeting Dennis, but she¡¯d been notably more distant with Rocko. So she had meant that as a snub then? Daniel sketched his own bow. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m uhm, Daniel and this is¡­ my wife! Yes! My wife!¡± ¡°Helen!¡± said the woman as she continued to stare at Janine. I gave Janine a look over, Helen and Daniel must be weirded out by her ninja attire. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to have to get you a change of wardrobe. The ninja look¡­ might not be so smart for Pewter¡­¡± When she frowned at me I raised my hands. ¡°Or do your own thing. I don''t mind. I just think that some of your clothing choices might see you¡­ freezing your toes and fingers off. This isn¡¯t Fuchsia after all.¡± She relaxed at that. ¡°Ah, I understand¡­ I will consider changing my attire.¡± She stepped into the room and deposited her satchel. ¡°There. I am unpacked.¡± ¡°Cool well, I¡¯ll show you the back of the gym where you can let your pokemon roam. That¡¯s where we will do most of our training. I happen to do it in the morning with my pokemon so if you¡¯d like to join me by all means. It¡¯s not a requirement though.¡± Janine looked mildly scandalised by this. ¡°Trainers should join the Gym Leader in training!¡± she said with a firm stomp of her foot. I shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re more relaxed here.¡± I began to lead her out. ¡°Oh Daniel, throw me that report on your tour around Pewter later alright?¡± I said over my shoulder. When we stepped out into the common area once more Janine stiffened. ¡°Professor Oak!?¡± she said in surprise. Oak spared her a glance only for a clobbering noise to herald his character being hurled off screen. ¡°Tch! Cheap move Rocko!¡± he said cuttingly. Rocko merely smiled and patted his Gloom. ¡°All¡¯s fair in video games, Sammy my bro!¡± he said with a dazed tone. ¡°Pro¡­ Professor Oak?¡± Janine said again weakly. This time Oak ignored her as he squinted and furiously began to mash buttons. I tapped Janine on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, just to get ahead of you. Yes, that is Samuel Oak. He likes to come around to.. Well he tells his granddaughter he¡¯s checking in on the breeding program and his assistant he left here, but he mostly comes to hang out with Rocko, me, or Salvadore to play games.¡± Janine rocked back as though I¡¯d just struck her. ¡°Huh?! How does that¡­¡± She held a hand to her head. ¡°I think I must request that we pause the tour here for now¡­ I am¡­ I feel unwell.¡± ¡°Oh, uhm, sure thing,¡± I said, leading her back to her room where she promptly sat on the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll come check up on you in a bit yeah?¡± She nodded, her eyes staring fixedly at the wall. I then walked back out. Rocko smiled and raised the third controller. I grinned and accepted it. As we were selecting the battlefield I checked my schedule and paused. ¡°Your Grandson is booked in,¡± I said aloud. Samuel grinned. ¡°Wonderful! I¡¯ll hide in the crowd and watch on!¡± ¡°Why do that?¡± I asked, slamming his character off the screen. He clicked his tongue. ¡°Kids these days don¡¯t want their Gramps hanging around looking lame.¡± He looked a bit sad by that. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just saying that?¡± I said reasonably. ¡°Cheer for him anyway.¡± I grinned as Oak considered that for a moment. Rocko and I focussed on each other and left him be until he tried to sneak attack us. I relaxed fully, more than ready to enjoy the next hour or so. Janine poked her head out and seemed more startled to find me playing along with Rocko and Oak without a care. I barely won the few games I played. I was honestly more caught up in the thought of having Gary Oak turn up. He¡¯d be first¡­ Chapter 59 - Gary sets out! Gary Oak waved at his adoring crowd as the car slowly rolled down the road. ¡°Thank you for coming out to see history in the making! Now I¡¯m off to begin my pokemon journey!¡± He could see Ash talking with Gramps about getting his pokemon. For the life of him, Gary couldn¡¯t work out which pokemon he¡¯d be given. Gary already had his first pokemon. A rather cheerful Squirtle, something that would open a lot of doors for him. After all, Squirtle was clearly the superior choice! It had the best versatility while also allowing Gary to power through some of the roughest areas where strong pokemon would exist. With Brock showing off how strong Rock types could be, Gary had re-evaluated his dream team to eventually include one in the top ten. Maybe a Tyranitar like Brock had? Or maybe he¡¯d discover an ancient pokemon in his journey? Or he might discover a new pokemon all by himself! He was going to be the best thing out of Pallet Town in years! Maybe even become Champ like his grandfather! People all over the world were going to know the name Gary Oak! He¡¯d be following in his parents'' and his gramp¡¯s footsteps, but that wasn¡¯t a terrible thing. From what he remembered of his parents. They¡¯d been great, and everyone said as much¡­ Gary glanced down at the car, his stomach rolling as he sat in the back, a driver handling the actual driving. There were multiple benefits for driving around in a convertible, beyond just being awesome. He¡¯d never told anyone about his fear of cars after the accident, but his gramps had worked it out when he shied away from them passing by or when he had to go on camps. Gramps had never said anything, just clapped him on the shoulder and said it was perfectly normal. But today he was overcoming it! He was in the car, moving along. At a walking pace perhaps¡­ but still in the car! He felt like he was in control as well. He gave the crowd following along another wave. They were all locals that he¡¯d gotten to know around Pallet Town. His gramps had all but pushed him into mowing lawns, painting fences, walking pokemon, minding kids, and other tasks to justify the ¡®allowance¡¯ he was going to be getting. That had sucked big time, but now he was getting to enjoy the benefits of knowing tons of people who could come cheer him on! It was great! His life was great! He had his pokemon and he was starting his journey! When they reached the Oak house that was a ways away from the Lab, Gary leapt out of the car and shot the crowd a wave. ¡°Thank you! Thank you for coming! I¡¯m going to¡ª¡± A backpack was shoved into his gut making him gasp and stop talking. Daisy grinned at him, ¡°Stop being a little glory Growlithe and get moving already!¡± ¡°Daisy! I wasn¡¯t doing that!¡± He stomped his foot to emphasise his point. Daisy merely rolled her eyes before looking at the few remaining people in his crowd of fans. ¡°Oh? Hello there ladies, what are you all doing¡­ dressed like that?¡± she said. The group of women all looked at each other before tittering into their pom poms. Gary puffed up his chest. ¡°They¡¯re my girlfriends!¡± Daisy stared, open-mouthed. Ha! That¡¯d show her! ¡° As you can see, big sis I¡¯m just that good! They were taken in by my winning ways! They know a good thing when they see one and are getting in before I¡¯m establisheded¡­¡± His tongue got tied and he quickly changed what he was going to say. ¡°¡­ While I¡¯m building myself up!¡± ¡°Really?¡± said Daisy, her tone dripping with sugary sweetness as her hand drifted to her pokebelt. Gary crossed his arms while nodding before changing his pose to something cooler. One hand on hip the other snapping outwards! Yeah, so much better! ¡°I¡¯m just that amazing! I ran into them at Gramps¡¯s lab!¡± Daisy¡¯s hand stopped reaching for her pokeball but Gary didn¡¯t notice. He¡¯d put a hand under his chin, suavely. ¡°Yeah, they were pretty taken with me!¡± Then they¡¯d asked if he had anyone close to him. He¡¯d never admit he¡¯d said his Gramps and Daisy though! Then they¡¯d asked about anyone else¡­ like a certain younger or older girl. He¡¯d said he hadn¡¯t had anyone like that! Then they¡¯d told him they were interested in being his girlfriends! All of them! That would show people how amazing he was by having so many girlfriends! Gary had liked the sound of that. It was another thing he had beaten Ash to first! Therefore it had to be good! One of the girls, Fiona, gushed. ¡°His grandpa was so proud of him when he showed up at the Lab with all of us today!¡± Daisy blinked at that as another of the women skipped up. Fiona leaned closer to Gary and gave him a hug that he stoically endured. That was what all the cool guys did when women threw themselves at them. So it was obviously the best thing to do. When another of the girls leaned on him, he stumbled and missed whatever it was Sarah handed to Daisy. When he extracted himself from the two women Daisy had an amused expression which meant she knew something he didn¡¯t. Gary narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°What¡¯re you smiling about?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing. Well, you look like you¡¯re in good hands.¡± Fiona coughed. Daisy rolled her eyes at the older girl. Gary puffed up his chest ignoring their weird girl behaviour. ¡°They¡¯re safe with me you can be sure!¡± Daisy¡¯s head bobbed up and down before she pat him on the head. ¡°That¡¯s totally what I meant!¡± She then pointed at his backpack, ¡°I got you a gift,¡± Gary tore open the package grinning as a mix of differently coloured pokeballs fell out. ¡°Sweet! Poke balls, Great balls, and Net balls and even¡­ is that a Heavy ball?¡± Daisy jostled his hair back and forth. ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t get you a birthday present this year or last year! You¡¯re welcome, little bro.¡± Gary wanted to bounce in place, run off and use them, or even¡­ he pushed the thought down of hugging his sister. That wasn¡¯t something cool guys did. He packed them away and rubbed under his nose, ¡°Heh, thanks I guess sis, they¡¯re alright!¡± Daisy¡¯s smile became a bit forced, but Gary turned away from her. ¡°With all my gear ready it¡¯s time to head out ladies!¡± Gary leapt over the side of the car into the passenger seat to let the ladies have the backspace to themselves so they could gossip about how cool he was or what sorts of dresses they wanted to buy. Girl stuff. He tried to get comfortable in the front seat which he found oddly stifling. Daisy lowered her fist and stared at him. ¡°You¡¯re taking a car?¡± she said, her hand turning white as she gripped the edge like she was stopping herself from tearing him out of the car. Gary nodded tightly, ¡°Yup! I¡¯m going to skip through the first area cause there¡¯s not much that¡¯s important there! Then go to route twenty-two for the day to catch some strong pokemon and then work my way through Viridian forest over the next few days!¡± He gave her a thumbs-up that was perfectly steady and not shaking at all. ¡°You¡¯re going in¡­ well,¡± Daisy looked to his girlfriends, who all smiled and fluffed their pom poms. Eventually, she nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re able to get in a car¡­ after what happened with¡­¡± Gary grimaced and looked out the side. He didn¡¯t want to think about Mum and Dad. But he wasn¡¯t afraid! He wasn¡¯t! Daisy patted him on the head. ¡°Look after each other ladies. And Gary, good luck on your journey, please call when you can alright?¡± ¡°If I remember!¡± he said while lifting his nose. He again pushed down the thought of hugging her. He didn¡¯t want to get out of the car and back in. He didn¡¯t like that idea for some reason. ¡°See ya sis! Watch out for me on the tv cause I¡¯m going to be big!¡± He pointed forward like a boss. ¡°Drive!¡± The car slowly departed, and Gary waved over his shoulder at his sister. He didn¡¯t look back. He was a cool guy, and with the girls in the back seat, he probably wouldn¡¯t see anything anyway. He passed a few trainers who had also collected pokemon on their way. Damian shouted at him. Gary pulled his eyelid down and stuck his tongue at the other guy. He couldn¡¯t stand that guy; he¡¯d bought his way into getting a Charmander from his Gramps. Gramps wouldn¡¯t confirm it but Gary was positive that¡¯s what had happened. He didn¡¯t see the other girl who had scored the traditional starter for Kanto but he did see a bucket hat bobbing around in some long grass so maybe she was already catching something weak like a Pidgey or a Rattata? He would have to watch out for her as her Bulbasaur would have an advantage against his Squirtle. Not that it¡¯d do her any good! He watched the countryside pass by and before long they were approaching Viridian. A walk that would have taken a day or two passed in an hour or so. Gary nodded to himself, pleased with his plan to get ahead of his fellow trainers. Fiona hopped out after him and looked around as the other girls walked around to stretch. They formed a loose circle around him, smiling and waving at the locals as he strutted up to the local pokemart. ¡°What¡¯s the plan for today Gary?¡± Gary shot her a confident look. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some potions and antidotes in case we run into some poison types. Then I¡¯m heading out to route twenty-two. There should be some Spearow, Nidoran and possibly even a Mankey that I can catch! I¡¯ll train up Squirtle with some encounters and then camp out before heading out early!¡± ¡°You should probably get some repel in case you lose track of time and need to camp out!¡± Gary nodded. ¡°Yeah, yea goo¡ª¡± He jerked to glance around, noting the people that were nearby, ¡°I mean! I knew that! Hahaha, good to see you know that though!¡± He then tossed a repel quickly into his basket. When Fiona coughed he bought another two. She coughed again, and he bought four more. When the shopping was rung up, he exited to find a few of the girls waiting for him along with the driver. ¡°Hey, Heather? Do you want to secure us some rooms? I¡¯m going to go out and battle some wild pokemon for the rest of the day on route twenty-two.¡± The woman merely nodded, choosing not to speak before driving the car around the back of the pokemon centre. Gary couldn¡¯t help watching it drive off. ¡°Gary?¡± Fiona tapped his elbow and he jolted. ¡°Right! Off we go to catch myself some new pokemon!¡± Gary swung his arm heroically upward. The girls all bounced in place and beamed at him. ¡°Yah! Gary!¡± and so Gary heroically¡ª ¡°Did someone say catch a pokemon!?¡± Before Gary knew what was happening an old man barged through their group and had his hands on Gary¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Young man! I shall teach you how to catch a pokemon! Come!¡± ¡°Hey! No! I know how to catch a pokemon old man! Let go!¡± Gary said as he was dragged along. ¡°Nonsense! Young whipper snappers like yourself are always wandering off into the woods without the slightest clue how to catch a pokemon!¡± Gary swatted at the man¡¯s arms only for the man to have a grip of steel. ¡°Look out! Grampa¡¯s loose and got another trainer!¡± shouted a passerby. Fiona approached those people while Gary was dragged further towards the fields where some pokemon were idly scratching at the ground. Gary missed what Fiona and the other man were discussing as instead, he found himself stuck next to the old geezer. ¡°Right! Youngin! Watch closely. When you encounter a pokemon it will either fight or run away. Pokemon that fight are the easiest to catch. If you¡¯re after a pokemon that is going to run like an Abra you need to use moves or items that stop pokemon from running off.¡± ¡°I¡­ I knew that! Mean Look is the best for stopping pokemon from getting away!¡± Gary said calmly, not at all whining as the man kept one hand on his shoulder. The old man nodded his head seriously. ¡°Indeed! You can also use leashes to entangle them to stop them. Outright using physical traps are banned and Rangers will detain you if you do use them, so remember that! Many a young fool have lost their license from using old Ursaring traps on much smaller pokemon!¡± He gestured to a Rattata that was not purple but instead a light yellow-gray. ¡°Now watch closely as I catch this pokemon!¡± He reached out and snatch one of Gary¡¯s pokeballs from gary¡¯s belt. ¡°HEY! THAT¡¯S MINE OLD MAN!¡± ¡°Shhhhh! Quiet!¡± He pushed Gary back a step before leaping forward against that Rattata. ¡°Ha Have at the!¡± The rat pokemon startled and turned to bare its fangs at the old man. Gary grimaced, his hand shot to his pokeball to withdraw Squirtle to save the old man only for the old man to shift into the perfect pitcher pose. ¡°Take this you pokemon!¡± He then leaned back before letting rip the mother of all pitches. Rattata¡¯s eyes bulged as the pokeball howled through the air before slamming straight between the little rat¡¯s eyes. The pokeball lined up on the rat and a red light shot forth to connect with the downed pokemon. The light swallowed the pokemon and drew it in. The pokeball wobbled once, twice, three times, ¡­ four times, ¡°Oh! Got some fight this one!¡± claimed the old man before the pokeball settled and clicked, signifying that capture had gone through. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The old man then casually walked forward and grabbed the pokeball before raising it up towards Gary. ¡°And that¡¯s how you catch a pokemon young man!¡± Gary grimaced. ¡°Yeah¡­ alright that was kinda cool. How¡¯d you get so good at throwing a pokeball? Usually, you have to battle em first I thought?¡± The old man tossed the pokeball towards Gary. His hand drifted up to rub at this chin. ¡°Ho? A curious mind eh? You want my secrets?¡± He leaned closer. Gary leaned in only to get the smell of old man and bad breath. ¡°I forgot!¡± He then looked a little sad before shaking his head. ¡°But I do remember that you don¡¯t always have to fight the pokemon. There are other methods than just catching them through fighting. You can form a bond much sooner, or even offer the pokemon a deal. They might have something they want, you know?¡± Gary considered that before nodding. He looked down at the ball that now housed¡­ his Rattata? ¡°Well thanks, old man but maybe you should keep this one seeing as you caught it?¡± The old man shook his head and then began walking back to Viridian. ¡°No, that¡¯s a young pokemon. I think a young trainer would be best for it. Treat it well; it¡¯s a strong one, I can tell.¡± With that said, the old man continued to walk away. Gary looked to the girls feeling oddly like they¡¯d set him up by letting the man through, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on why that was exactly. ¡°Who was that guy?¡± ¡°Local old man,¡± said Sarah. She shrugged at his look, ¡°He¡¯s harmless. I grew up in Viridian before moving in with the other girls in Pallet. He mostly wanders around and tries to help out with various tasks. Has a really bad memory though, so he forgets that he was a famous pitcher for the Vermillion Electabuzz when baseball first took off. He¡¯s got a strong arm on him, neh?¡± Gary considered how the old man had kept him there despite his protests before nodding. ¡°Geezer was strong, yeah.¡± He checked the pokeball over before putting it on his belt. He hadn¡¯t caught it but it was his. It was like the old man said, you don¡¯t have to battle all pokemon yourself, just like you don¡¯t have to catch them all yourself either. He still headed east for the day though. Just cause he had new ideas floating around didn¡¯t mean his old plan was bad. ¡°Time to catch me some more pokemon! Let¡¯s go Squirtle!¡± He flicked the pokeball out, a lesson he¡¯d learnt thanks to his Gramps. Always keep a pokemon out and ready when in the wild. When they reached the path to the east he dove straight into the bushes and began to search around. The first pokemon was a pidgey. ¡°Squirtle use Tackle!¡± And so the fight, and Gary''s rise to the top, began.
By the time he returned to Viridian for the day, he did so with a male Nidoran, a Spearow, and the Rattata the old man got for him. All in all, it was not a bad start to his day. His Squirtle had gotten to fight a number of pokemon and even when two mankey had tried to pincer him, he¡¯d fought them off. Sadly, Gary had¡­ Well actually those Mankey were just quick and dodged his throw, that was all! He¡¯d also taken the time to delay the fight by snapping a few pictures of them with his pokedex, like his Gramps wanted. Still, it stung a bit, missing out on the chance to catch one of the Mankey. Fiona and the girls had bounced along after him the entire time. A few trainers had approached them while they rested on the road as Gary fought with squirtle. He¡¯d seen them accept a few battles and had been surprised to see them field a Tangela, a Tauros, and a freaking Quilava during the fights! His girlfriends were strong! He thought about that. If they were strong and thought he was good¡­ Then he really must be great! He grinned to himself and nodded at that. When they got to the pokecenter they had a normal meal. ¡°Is¡­ this what pokecenter meals are always like?¡± Gary said looking at the rather bland thin meat with boiled veggies that steamed. ¡°Yah! Hot food! Great isn¡¯t it?¡± said Sarah. Gary gave her a look that caused her to giggle. ¡°Oh! Give it a few days of camping and you¡¯ll understand! Also, it¡¯s practically free and you don¡¯t have to cook it yourself.¡± ¡°Sure, but I mean where¡¯s the flavour? This is so¡­ bland and tasteless.¡± He cut into the ¡®steak¡¯ and looked at it sadly. The nearby Chansey narrowed its eyes at him. He gave it a look. ¡°What? It is?¡± The Chansey sniffed and swept its head up before turning and stalking away. Sarah pointed to the pokemon waddling away. ¡°Chansey are the cooks at some of the pokecenters. Nurses get busy and sometimes the pokemon take over duties like that. It¡¯s not just the people you might offend when saying things like that.¡± ¡°But it sucks!?¡± he said around a mouthful of the food. It was practically a single step up from gruel! ¡°What will they feed us in the morning?¡± he asked, a thought rising up. ¡°Porridge with berries, or eggs, always lots of unfertilised eggs around to use,¡± said Sarah with a shrug. Gary relaxed, his fear of gruel not appearing. Fiona rubbed his head. ¡°Oh Gary, you¡¯re just used to the finer things in life that¡¯s all, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gary grumbled out of her noogie to huff at her. She merely smiled at him. ¡°Awww, don¡¯t worry we can eat at restaurants, but you¡¯ll need to win some matches for that.¡± Gary brightened. That was right, he got an allowance¡­ and Gramps was subsidising that a bit more and he had a bit more stashed away¡­ he could eat at nice places instead of just eating bland meals. ¡°Tomorrow I will trounce six other trainers and take us all to the Mr Mime¡¯s house for their finest cheeseburger!¡± Sarah choked on her glass of water. Heather bit her lip and thumped Sarah on the back. When Sarah was able to breathe she gave Gary a watery smile. ¡°Oh¡­ bless your little heart, that was just¡­ So precious.¡± Gary shot her a thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriends, right? That means I take you out for dinner! Only the best for my girls!¡± The girls couldn¡¯t look at him and instead looked down and shook slightly as they shot each other glances. Gary rubbed his nose. He must have the Oak charm as his Gramps called it! They were speechless! ¡°Hey, I want to head out early tomorrow! Let¡¯s check out the rooms. Heather? Where are our rooms?¡± Gary said. Heather rose and led the group to two rooms across from each other. Gary took one key and inserted it into the door to check inside. ¡°Huh? They gave me a giant bed?¡± Heather stiffened. ¡°Ah, you should probably take the other one.¡± Gary looked at her before taking the other key. This room had a smaller bed but also a computer that he¡¯d be able to do some research on¡­ and maybe call his family if he wanted. It also had a small pond for water pokemon with a heat lamp. Perfect for his Squirtle. ¡°Alright I¡¯ll take this one, but we better change your room. They only gave you girls one bed.¡± The girls shared a look before biting their lips in unison. Fiona stepped forward once more. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no problem, we¡¯re used to sharing. You get used to sharing like that when you¡¯re camping.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ well alright then! Night girls!¡± Gary waved them off before heading into his room. He took his shoes off and jumped on the bed a bit. A noise made him stop. ¡­ Were the girls laughing? Must be having a pillow fight. He shrugged and released his pokemon to start getting to know them better.
The next day did not start well. ¡°Squirtle dodge!¡± Gary¡¯s pokemon threw itself to the side only for the Oddish to turn on a pokedollar and launch its spore-ridden body straight into the pokemon while it was down. Squirtle locked up as paralysis took over. ¡°Squirtle fight through!¡± His Squirtle rose up with a tough warcry. ¡°Heh! Young man you should learn to call a match when your pokemon are backed into a corner! Oddish finish it with Mega Drain!¡± The small Oddish swished the leaves atop its head and green energy bubbled out into Squirtle. This caused the turtle to collapse. ¡°Squirtle!¡± yelled Gary as it dawned on him. He was going to lose. He stared at his downed pokemon for a long moment before raising up his pokeball to return his pokemon. The older man raised his hands. ¡°Ha! Another victory for Crusher Carl! Pay up brat!¡± Gray blinked. ¡°Oh, right. Here.¡± He handed over the agreed-upon sum and found himself oddly light from the exchange. He looked down at the pokeball in his hands. ¡®Crusher¡¯ Carl walked off loudly, leaving Gary to consider his defeat. Fiona approached and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be too sad. Everyone loses occasionally,¡± she said carefully. She¡¯d lowered herself down to his level and Gary looked at her. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m not supposed to lose?¡± Fiona gave him a small smile. ¡°Everyone loses,¡± she said seriously. She gestured out to other areas where pokemon trainers were fighting even now, ignoring him in his defeat. ¡°Even the best lose occasionally Gary. It¡¯s pretty much a universal truth. You remember that Brock beat the Champ in an exhibition match right?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was awesome.¡± ¡°And has anyone beaten the Champion recently in any of the matches he¡¯s had?¡± ¡°No, he crushed them. Even Agatha¡­¡± Gary said as he started to get what Fiona was saying. Fiona nodded. ¡°Yeah, sometimes it¡¯s a bad match up, sometimes it¡¯s the other trainer being better or you¡¯re having an off day. But losing isn¡¯t the end. It¡¯s just part of the process.¡± She tapped him on the chest. ¡°Remember the mistakes and don¡¯t make them again alright? Also, that guy? He¡¯s named Crusher for a reason. He¡¯s a washed up punk that hangs out to fight new trainers as they make their way through. He wouldn¡¯t ever venture out into the wilds to get stronger pokemon. He just beats on people while they''re weak.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a bully?!¡± Gary said, glancing over to see the older man looming over a small girl with a Sentret in her arms. ¡°He is!¡± Fiona nodded. ¡°Yup! He is, there are plenty of people like him. Just like there are plenty of nice men and women more than willing to have a match to help you work your team while you travel. There are plenty of good eggs to make up for the rotten ones.¡± Gary nodded before considering Carl. ¡°I¡¯m going to challenge him again!¡± He stalked up, just as it seemed the girl was about to agree to the match just to get the older man to leave her alone. ¡°Hey! Carl, I want a rematch!¡± The older man turned, leer fixed in place. ¡°Hoh brat wants a rematch? Sure. Let¡¯s go!¡± Gary lost twice more before discovering that his Rattata could use Quick Attack to great effect. Carl handed the money over with a grunt. ¡°Got lucky punk!¡± Gary met his gaze. ¡°This time I did, but give me a couple days? You won¡¯t even be a challenge!¡± Carl grunted at that and stalked off. The girl that had almost been bullied into the fight bounced up only to shriek as Fiona and the girls all jumped into a line with pom poms flourishing. ¡°Gary! Gary! He¡¯s our man. If he can¡¯t do it, no one can!¡± Gary shot them a smirk before giving a thumbs up to the girl as she gaped at him in apparent awe. Then he sauntered off like a hero. Nurse Joy sadly wasn¡¯t as impressed with his heroic antics, instead reprimanding him and telling him to be more mindful of his pokemon. ¡°Remember young man if your entire team falls unconscious or worse you can get energy feedback!¡± ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡± He remembered that. Nurse Joy stared at him ¡°Do you remember that young man? Your Rattata was very close to being knocked out. Remember your energy is shared with your team to make the pokeballs work. But that can short out. If you¡¯re going to take things so far I¡¯d suggest getting a full team before testing your limits like that!¡± Gary nodded, chagrined at the grilling. ¡°Now you will sit over there and not go anywhere while I check over your pokemon! Urgh young trainers!¡± she said while storming off with a tray with four pokeballs on it. Gary sighed and sat down at the table. Only to have a cafeteria tray with cold meat and cold veggies put in front of him. He looked up to see a Chansey glowering at him. ¡°I¡¯m not eating that!¡± Chansey pointed towards a sign which read ¡®Pokemon knocked out? You might also need a pick-me-up! Get a meal in you before you leave!¡¯. Gary looked back at Chansey. ¡°I¡¯m not tha¡ª¡± Chansey shovelled a spoon of mushy carrots into his mouth. His girlfriends watched on, tittering to themselves. Heather pulled a small flag with his face on it and waved it. Then with a flat monotone, the driver said, ¡°Yaaaaah, Gary!¡± This caused a giggle to go through his girlfriends before they nudged Heather to be quiet. Gary huffed at them. ¡°I can feed myself!¡± He snatched up the spoon and made a show of doing just that. Chansey watched him before sniffing and marching off. ¡°Damn Chansey!¡± he said under his breath. He still ate the meal. The puffball of a pokemon wasn¡¯t wrong after all. When he had his team back with the Nurse¡¯s approval to head out he decided he left the pokecenter proper. ¡°Alright ladies! I started my legend today with my first victory over that punk Charleston¡ª¡± ¡°Carl¡± supplied Heather. ¡°Whatever! He¡¯s a footnote! Now! I hear you asking where are we going? We¡¯ll progress to the Viridian Forest and camp on the outskirts. Then Heather will take the car to Pewter, and we will progress through the forest!¡± Gary pointed forward like he was a famous explorer of old. The group all cheered at his leadership. Gary glanced at Fiona and she gave him a subtle nod. He relaxed at that before walking out to¡­ the car. He licked his lips and hopped into the front seat as the girls took their seats. His gramps hadn¡¯t wanted him to see the pictures of what had happened to his parents¡­ but he¡¯d snuck into the lab and broken into the filing cabinet. The car had been unrecognisable. Fiona leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a squeeze that he suddenly found himself appreciating. This time some of them sat in each other''s laps. Heather drove out a bit quicker. He clenched his jaw as the world sped by. A loud giggle made him glance away from the road to see the girls fooling around in the back. The car rocked slightly before thumping and Gary stiffened, ready to throw himself out of the car after his girlfriends. ¡°What was that!? Did we hit something?!¡± Heather checked the mirrors. ¡°Nope, just a puddle. Oops splashed a trainer back there. Want me to go back and apologise?¡± Gary spared the mud monster-looking trainer a look. ¡°Nah!¡± He then pinched his nose. ¡°Urgh! I can smell them from here! What was in that puddle?¡± The girls looked at each other. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± They all leaned into another girl''s neck as though that would escape the smell. Maybe it would. Gary would take girl perfume over that smell any day! ¡°Why, what was it?¡± he said while holding his nose. Urgh! Were they downwind of it still? The girls shared a look before shrugging. ¡°Sometimes Giovanni lets his pokemon roam around town. He can''t always get people out to clean up after them quickly though so they leave little presents¡­ that sometimes people step in¡­ or in this case, get splashed with.¡± Gary felt a little bad at that, but the trainer had already run into the pokecenter. They¡¯d get cleaned off surely? Eh, not his problem anymore, even if that was gross. He glanced towards the Viridian gym. Maybe if he mentioned he was ¡­ Nah that wouldn¡¯t be cool. He¡¯d earn his badge, not rely on his gramps. He looked forward and nodded. He was starting to get used to driving places. Good, that meant he¡¯d conquered his fear. He¡¯d probably get Heather to drive them around later but when he reached Pewter he¡¯d do some serious planning on what type of pokemon he¡¯d get. He wanted the strongest and the smartest. And that meant he needed a plan. Today he¡¯d beat some more trainers and camp in the forest. Then he¡¯d get to Pewter tomorrow and be ready for the Gym Leader. What could go wrong? For him? Nothing! For that poor schmuck that had¡­ Gary turned his head, ¡°Hey was that Ashy boy we just splashed with Rhydon dung?¡± The girls gave him confused looks. Right, they didn¡¯t know Ashy boy. Gary waved it off all while grinning to himself. He was so going to say ¡®smell ya later!¡¯ to Ash when he saw him next! Chapter 60 - Garys adventure II ¡°Argh! This place is so annoying!¡± Gary shouted. ¡°Weedle!¡± another bug pokemon leapt out at Gary, causing the Rattata that Gary had out to sprint at it. Rattata intercepted it with a tackle mid-leap. Gary watched the fight progress, more than happy to let his pokemon fight without instruction for now. His pokemon won anyway. Gary looked over the Weedle before shaking his head. So far he hadn¡¯t been impressed with how the Weedle and Kakuna he¡¯d come across had acted. And no way was he going to get something as lame as a Butterfree. Urgh, no. Daisy had loved hers and had it for ages. He didn¡¯t want to be compared to her, so no Butterfree. He glared at the trees around him. He¡¯d ended up getting lost. So one could possibly say he hadn¡¯t planned things out quite how he should have. ¡°Should have bought a compass! Urgh, idiot!¡± The girls didn¡¯t say anything, they merely sat around in some fold-up camp chairs while watching him shout at the tree. The same tree that he¡¯d walked past at least six times today! He should know. He¡¯d made a mark on it to show he¡¯d been through here. He glared at the ¡®Gary rules and Ash drools!¡¯ he¡¯d carved into the bark. Damnit! If he didn¡¯t stay ahead of Ash, this would turn him into a joke! A laughing stock! A loser! He sat down, his brow furrowing as he started to think. It was up to him, as the man among the ladies to have a solution! He sat up. ¡°Didn¡¯t someone say something about moss growing on only¡ª¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t work,¡± said Sarah from her chair. Gary frowned at her. "Well, if that doesn¡¯t work, how am I supposed to move around without knowing which way to go?¡± ¡°Most people stick to the roads through the forest and only venture off a small way.¡± ¡°I thought I saw a Pikachu! That¡¯d be perfect for the type of team I need to assemble!¡± An evolved pokemon that was an electric type this early in his career would do wonders for him! ¡°Oh well, you¡¯ll learn next time, and it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t gotten the chance to fight a lot more pokemon now. You¡¯ve even got to try new things with your team. Imagine how you¡¯d go against other trainers now?¡± Sarah sipped from a soda can before tossing the can into her bag. Gary liked the thought of that. He nodded. Once he got out of here, he¡¯d be so much stronger! The girls all sat up and looked at one side of their clearing. Gary watched them in confusion for a moment before an older boy stepped out. ¡°Ah! You must be Gary Oak from Pallet town! I have been expecting you!¡± The boy clanked as he approached, his body covered in plates that made him look like an old samurai. On his back, a pair of bug nets rested in a criss-cross. Gary stood, ¡°Heh! Heard of me have you? I knew I was famous, but I didn¡¯t think people would seek me out for my autograph so soon!¡± He grinned at the boy only for the samurai boy to frown. ¡°I have not sought you out for an autograph! I have sought you out to fight you so I might see the strength of the new trainers from Pallet Town this year! Come! Fight with me and my pokemon in battle!¡± ¡°Oh? Yeah, I think I have time for that, prepare to lose though!¡± Gary selected a pokemon and hurled it out to reveal Spearow. The small bird pokemon hopped back and forth in irritation as it glared at the samurai kid. ¡°A flying type eh? You have done your research well but I shall not falter! Go Weedle!¡± Gary looked at the revealed pokemon before raising his pokedex to capture a few images. He looked over the written details and whistled. That wasn¡¯t too shabby a pokemon. The horn on its head made him a bit weary. ¡°Spearow watch out for the horn! We only have a few antidotes left!¡± ¡°Weedle lunge forth with your horn and strike this bird from the skies!¡± The samurai thrust his hand forward. ¡°Dodge it!¡± Gary commanded. Weedle lunged straight at Spearow, but the attack missed as Spearow hopped to the side. ¡°Great! Use Peck!¡± Spearow began peppering the bug pokemon with pecks furiously. The Weedle was tossed aside, and Gary grinned as it struggled to get up. ¡°Weedle use string shot!¡± the bug shot a string from its mouth straight at Spearow, this time the attack connected and Spearow tripped. ¡°Now! Poison sting!¡± ¡°Spearow roll to the side!'''' This order saw Spearow roll instead of trying to hop or flap out of the way, overriding Spearow¡¯s instincts. This allowed Spearow to dodge once again. And again, and again as Weedle kept up the pressure, after a few more near misses the Weedled lunged too far and face-planted into a tree before slumping down. Spearow rolled to the side and struggled enough to break free. It turned and rounded on the still limp Weedle with a mean look in its eye only for the foe to vanish in red light. ¡°Your pokemon is well trained. I am bested on this day! Congratulations, young Gary!¡± ¡°Heh! I knew we could do it Spearow!¡± Spearow glared at everyone around it before hopping up into a tree branch to eat some berries. The girls, now all standing close by burst into cheers for Gary and his Spearow. This had the small bird puffing itself up more and more. Gary grinned as he accepted the cash from the samurai boy. An idea struck him. "Hey, you spend a lot of time around here, how do you navigate around?¡± ¡°Oh? Did your compass break?¡± ¡°Uh, something like that,¡¯ Gary said back. The boy nodded stoically before pointing to the sun. Gary followed to look at the sun before looking away as it was too bright. ¡°Always remember. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west! That means if you keep the east to your left you will be heading north!¡± Gary blinked before nodding. It made sense. He coughed into his fist. ¡°Alright girls, we''re going that way!¡± The Samurai boy nodded. ¡°Good luck on your journey Gary! I shall await the rest of the trainers from Pallet! Also, watch out for the Beedrill nests. If you hear lots of buzzing, go around it!¡± Gary perked up, he¡¯d get the chance to see if they were strong pokemon! ¡°Sure! Sure!¡± He turned and waved the girls onwards. ¡°See ya later Samurai!¡± he called over his shoulder. And with that said he strode northwards, finally getting closer towards his first gym match against Brock! Gary bounced a little more as he walked and started to speed up. He was practically buzzing with energy¡ª ¡°Hear that buzzing?¡± asked Fiona. Gary stopped. That hadn¡¯t just been himself buzzing but also the forest in front of him. He snuck up to some trees to peer around them. Sure enough, in the next clearing a large tree was set with Weedle and Beedrill moving about. Upon numerous branches Kakuna watched on, only their eyes flitting around as they worked through their second stage of evolution. Gary watched them all carefully. His eyes constantly returned to how the Beedrill zipped around, a few of them even slamming into each other with their needles like swordsmen. He raised his pokedex and set it to record the area. He sat and watched for the next ten minutes, trying to figure out how the pokemon lived as a community. They were actually all stronger than he had come to expect of wild pokemon. He¡¯d encountered a small ¡®hive¡¯ earlier in the day but they¡¯d been much weaker. Clearly, those were stragglers, and the pokemon here were united. They trained together and looked after each other. That would mean they were healthier and stronger. Gary pulled back the pokedex and tapped out his observations to attach to the video file before resuming his recording. After another ten minutes. Fiona approached him. ¡°Got enough video?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Oh, yeah. Gramps will be pleased. I think I¡¯d like to try catching one of them as well.¡± Fiona¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°One of them? One of the swarm pokemon?¡± Gary nodded. ¡°They¡¯re bigger and stronger.¡± A pair of Beedrill clashed. ¡°Faster too.¡± ¡°And how are you going to do it?¡± Gary chewed his lip and looked around. He didn¡¯t want to enter the swarm¡¯s territory, instead, he wanted to lure one out. But he probably couldn¡¯t take it too far or it would lose interest. He needed a way to make the pokemon like him. ¡°Let¡¯s find some berries. The sweeter the better.¡± He retreated to find a few leppa and pecha bushes. It took him and the girls a few minutes but they soon had a few of each berry. They¡¯d had to knock out some Pidgey and Spearow that had been claiming the bush as their own but Squirtle, Nidoran, and Spearow had taken care of them. ¡°Yeah Gary!¡± the girls whispered as he set up his plan. He looped a string around one of the berries and tossed it lightly to the edge of the swarm¡¯s territory. His eyes roamed over the nearby Weedle before pausing on a large one happily nuzzling through some leaf litter. This one had some energy to it. He leaned down and toss a rock close to but not at the Weedle. The little bug stiffened before whirling around to look at what had thrown something at it. Gary gently tugged the berry backwards. The movement making Weedle¡¯s eyes lock onto the slowly retreating berry. ¡°WEe!¡± cried the pokemon before hurriedly giving chase. Gary grinned and dragged the berry to his prepared area. Then he dropped the string so that the berry would just so happen to rest on the edge of the clearing. ¡°Clear out girls, I don¡¯t want to intimidate it!¡± The girls that had been guarding his berry pile darted behind a few trees leaving Gary to lounge near the berry pile. He selected a nice-looking one and made a show of biting into it slowly. He made loud noises of enjoyment. When the Weedle pounced on the berry he¡¯d left it only had to glance up to see him enjoying his own berry pile. The little bug¡¯s eyes locked on the pile and inched forward. Gary ignored it, eating his own berry. When it got three-quarters of the way to him Gary made a show of finishing the berry off and turning to select another. When he ¡®happened¡¯ to spot the Weedle it froze. ¡°Huh? Oh! Hey, did you want some of this?¡± He offered up a pecha berry. The Weedle tracked it up and down, left and right. It slowly nodded. Gary smiled and tossed it to it before selecting another for himself. When the Weedle finished, it looked up hopefully at the pile. Gary tossed it another. And then another, and finally another. When the pile was done the little weedle was now rather round in the middle. Gary stood making the food lethargic pokemon remember that the nice human was still there. It wobbled backwards giving Gary a look that was probably thoughtful. ¡°Heh well, it was nice to share a meal with you¡­ I love having little breaks like this all the time.¡± Weedle twitched at that giving, Gary a deeper look over. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep heading though.¡± He made his own show of looking over the Weedle. ¡°Hey? You didn¡¯t want more berries or food even better than this, did you?¡± The Weedle perked up and nodded. Gary grinned and raised a pokeball. ¡°Want to come with me? I promise to give you good food while you do!¡± The Weedle leapt at him, causing Gary to flinch for a moment, thinking he¡¯d messed up. Instead of stabbing him, the pokemon slapped itself into the pokeball allowing the ball to absorb it. It didn¡¯t even wobble, instead merely clicking home instantly. Gary glanced at the pokeball before looking to the buzzing part of the forest. He pumped his arm one. ¡°Yes!¡± he said quietly. ¡°Yeeeeeaaaah Gary!¡± whispered the girls from the trees, swishing their ever-present pom poms softly so as to not attract the swarm. Gary gave them a theatrical bow before signaling they¡¯d move on. He tossed the pokeball up and down, thoroughly pleased with his success for the day even if it was only the morning. They passed by the swarm without anything alerting the Beedrill of their presence. They continued to walk a bit towards the west only to turn northward once more when Gary felt they¡¯d gone far enough. As they walked, Gary had his new Weedle out crawling all over his arms and shoulders. Behind him, a few of the girls cringed away from his newest teammate. After a few minutes of this, he handed the pokemon another berry off a bush they passed, and instead raised up his pokedex to record any pokemon that they happened upon. Sadly, they found no rare pokemon. Only more Pidgey, the occasional Spearow, a Rattata, Weedle, Caterpie and Metapod. He¡¯d have loved something more exotic to appear before him but it didn¡¯t seem to be a super lucky day. They broke into another clearing around lunchtime. Unlike the other clearings where the sun peeked through, here the trees were tall enough to have a full canopy that cast the area in shadow. They entered carefully in case it was a pokemon¡¯s resting area. Not that it should be a concern. There hadn¡¯t been any rangers around that would have pushed them away from a dangerous area or tested them with a battle. The clearing did hold something. In the middle, made from wood that had been carefully treated, rested a simple shrine with a small doll-like figure made of wood resting within. Gary looked over the buglike eyes and sprout-like head before shrugging and taking a picture with his pokedex for posterity. His sis would like to see things like this on his pokenet page. The girls approached the shrine and as one clapped their hands. ¡°Dear protector of the Forest! Let Gary win his next pokemon fight!¡± They then clapped their hands together three times before offering another bow. Gary snorted. ¡°Please! I don¡¯t need luck ladies, I have skill!¡± Fiona merely shrugged. ¡°It never hurts to show a little faith. Someone obviously cares for this little shrine.¡± She glanced around and exhaled slowly. ¡°It¡¯s rather nice here. Care for a drink?¡± Gary looked around. The long but thin grass swished idly back and forth causing the whole place to have an almost hypnotic effect. He relaxed and slowly sat down. ¡°Yeah, that sounds good.¡± He enjoyed some milk while the girls all had tea. They even offered the shrine a cup, much to Gary¡¯s amusement. Gary toyed with the idea of writing his name on it but decided against it. Ash probably wouldn¡¯t come this far anyway. And Fiona had been right. The shrine was looked after by someone. No need to write his name on it. If Daisy found out she¡¯d fly out on her Pidgeot and beat him up. Instead, he released his pokemon to let them roam around a little. Some of them sidled up to the girls and got some tea and snacks. Weedle had to approach Gary as most of the girls seemed a bit put out having the bug pokemon crawl over them. When they were done they packed up and Gary made to take back the offering only to find it empty. ¡°Heh, nice one girls, I didn¡¯t see you even swipe it!¡± The girls all blinked at him before looking at the empty shrine. ¡°Hadn¡¯t there been a little doll as well?¡± Sarah asked with a tilt of her head. Gary frowned. There had been¡­ hadn¡¯t there? ¡°It¡¯s gone now,¡± Gary said before looking to see the girls checking the area, only to shake their heads. Gary rubbed his chin before snapping his fingers. ¡°Must have been a ghost pokemon of some sort. They get up to all sorts of tricks!¡± He looked around, hoping for one such pokemon to appear. A Gastly would be great to have! Or maybe a Misdreavus! He continued to look but didn¡¯t find anything. He did think he heard something giggling at him though but he could never put his finger on where it had come from. Eventually, he decided to leave it be, making his way further north. They exited Viridian forest with only an hour¡¯s walk to see them into Pewter itself. The city sat nestled in the cradle of large mountains that made heading north and east tough affairs for the most part. Faint lines could be seen where people had built in roads to travel in said directions. With the city before him, Gary led the way proudly. Other trainers were set up nearby with campsites strewn about. A few making up an early dinner. Some picnickers were packing up their baskets and what looked like the last few matches of the afternoon were already wrapping up. Like them, Gary planned to be in the city proper tonight. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Gary stumbled on something only to turn around and find a small face sticking out of the ground. ¡°Diglett!¡± cried the pokemon ¡°Hey! Whose pokemon is this?¡± The pokemon vanished as trainers turned their heads. They looked away, shaking their heads at Gary only for the Diglett to poke its head up and stick its tongue out at Gary. ¡°Diglett!¡± ¡°Oh she¡¯s a sassy girl!¡± cheered the girls. Gary grumbled at that, giving the now watching trainers a look. None of them seemed to be interested in the Diglett. He looked at the Weedle on his shoulder before looking at the Diglett. He selected another pokeball and called out, ¡°Go Squirtle show up this chump!¡± ¡°Squi¡ª¡± Mud sprayed into the turtle¡¯s face and the cry was aborted. Gary blanched. ¡°That thing is fast! Squirtle use Bubble! Fill the area! Don¡¯t worry about aiming!¡± ¡°Squirt!¡± With the Mudlsap affecting it, Gary didn¡¯t like his chances of hitting it. Mudslap was like Sand-attack. A move he¡¯d learned enough about through the last few days of fighting off Pidgey. Thankfully, he and Squirtle had come up with a decent method of countering this. Fill the area with bubbles. The Diglett seemed a bit astonished by this before trying to swing around the bubbles. With the air filled with bubbles however the areas it could move were limited allowing Gary to direct his pokemon. ¡°Shoot your bubbles to your two o''clock!¡± It had taken a bit and so far only Squirtle had understood the idea of a clock face aiming system but after being blinded he¡¯d needed a way to direct the attacks. This was what he¡¯d come up with. Squirtle dutifully fired in the direction. His bubbles floated out quickly to impact the mole. ¡°Diglett!¡± cried the pokemon as each bubble slammed home. When it came out the other side it looked annoyed. Gary raised a new pokeball. Perfect, he¡¯d catch it as the final win for the day. The little mole had already proven itself to be pretty quick, with endurance like that against a water move it would make for a good battler. ¡°Go pokeball!¡± he shouted, hurling the ball forward. Sadly the Diglett saw it coming and dropped into the ground. It shot up and stuck its tongue out once more, causing Gary to snarl, especially when he saw that his pokeball had slammed into a tree and broken. That right there was a huge loss of pokedollars. ¡°Bubble again Squirtle! Two o''clock!¡± The Diglett didn¡¯t look as willing to stick around after that but before the bubbles ran their course he was already throwing the pokeball. With the bubbles hiding the throw the Diglett didn¡¯t get the chance to dodge. It wobbled a few times before breaking out. In the time it took to do that however Squirtled had frothed up his mouth and used the bubbles to clear his eyes. A final bubble attack saw the Diglett down for the count and captured. Gary thrust the pokeball up to the heavens. ¡°Yes! Another pokemon for my team of champions!¡± ¡°Squirt! Squirt! Squirtle!¡± cried the pokemon at Gary¡¯s side with his arms crossed over. ¡°Yaaaah Gary!¡± The girls kicked their legs together and Gary smiled while feeling odd. Something about how their legs were kicking up made him want to keep watching. He shrugged it off and waved his hand towards the nearby city. ¡°Onward to the pokecenter and then!¡± He clenched his fist as the girls swooned, ¡°The first Gym match!¡± ¡°Hooray!¡± shouted a small girl that had approached while Gary was fighting the Diglett. She tried mimicking Gary¡¯s girlfriends which got a lot of laughs from people watching on. Gary gave her a nod while her mother ushered her back to the family picnic blanket. Riding high with success, Gary entered the city, glancing over the earthy-toned city that also had newly painted areas with slate grey and lighter browns. Sarah skipped over to an information kiosk just before the person manning it could shut it up for the evening. She skipped back with a few brochures and information booklets that she began reading. Gary didn¡¯t bother to stop, he kept walking on. In truth, it was hard to keep ahead of the girls with their slightly longer legs. But he wasn¡¯t bothered, he knew he¡¯d be taller than them soon! As they walked, Gary caught sight of numerous signs that indicated where they needed to go for things like the pokecenter, the pokefeed building, the Battle club, the museum, and finally, the Gym itself. These signs were all in newly done slate grey with fissure-like paint put onto them. Gary had to admit that he liked them. He looked down the road. ¡°Reckon the Gym is still open?¡± The girls all shared a look before Fiona shook her head. ¡°Brock¡¯s probably already closed up. Also, it¡¯s probably best to give Squirtle a rest tonight before trying early in the morning.¡± ¡°Yeaaaaaah I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Gary said, continuing to walk forwards only to cough. ¡°Oh! Muk! What¡¯s that smell?¡± The girls dry heaved before tugging Gary back and away as a particularly rank-smelling hiker jogged past them towards the pokecenter chanting about hot showers under his breath. ¡°Urgh! People can get that bad out in the wilds?¡± The girls shook their heads. ¡°Only if you go without a water type. Usually, they can help you keep clean with a light-powered Water Gun,¡± said Sarah. Fiona nodded before waving her hand towards the man trotting away. ¡°He probably can¡¯t even smell how bad he was, he''s gotten that used to it.¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± Gary said before pausing and sniffing himself. He hadn¡¯t bathed in a few days and he had a water type. He shot the girls a sheepish look. They had been standing further back for a few days now¡­ ¡°Alright! Pokecenter, showers and then the finest Mr Mime¡¯s bur¡ª¡± ¡°Actually how about Mr Raticate¡¯s grill?¡± Fiona cut him off. Gary grumbled. ¡°But! Burgers!?¡± ¡°Next time alright? Also, Mr Raticate¡¯s has burgers.¡± That got Gary to brighten up and lead the girls on for a bath and dinner. On the way Gary could have sworn he heard the girls ask why they didn¡¯t try for Gaston¡¯s only for Fiona to say something about having realistic expectations for a kid. Gary wondered who they were talking about.
[/hr] The Pewter city gym was a building that made people stop and take it in. ¡°Wow, I think I should have Brock design my mansion when I¡¯m Champion,¡± Gary said from atop the small rise. They had stopped on the path to the Gym. At a site on the road with numerous benches that allowed you to stand slightly above and enjoy the Gym¡¯s design. It had obviously been created with an eye for large crowds to appear and vanish from the building quickly. Multiple walkways led to and from various entrances, and to the side, Gary could see multiple smaller battle courts. That would probably be a great place to learn some tricks from visiting trainers or even train some of his current teams. The area didn¡¯t have bushes or flowers like in Pallet Town but instead featured boulders, pebbles and slate rockways that gave it a harshness that allowed the gym to be imposing without even casting a shadow. ¡°Brock didn¡¯t design the gym,¡± Sarah said from behind an information brochure. Gary waved a hand at her. ¡°I knew that¡­¡± When the girls gave him blank looks of disapproval, he coughed. ¡°Right, sorry. How¡¯d you learn that?¡± Sarah raised the brochure before reciting, ¡°The local Pewter City gym was originally located in a more central position to the city. This original gym¡ªwhich was actually a city-owned building before being gifted to Brock¡¯s family for service to the city¡ªwas merely boulder shaped. This Gym however, was deemed too small for the demands of the pokemon battles and the needs of the city.¡± She flipped to another side of the brochure. ¡°Since Brock took over running the Gym, he has used his own funds¡ª secured through his journey, and the sale of a number of rare or exotic pokemon ¡ªto construct the new Pewter City Gym. The Local Stonecutters were hired to design and construct a building that paid tribute to the local natural beauty that is so often overlooked by rock formations. Local timber from the viridian forest was sourced to create the soft interior. They achieved their style with the gym by working with the rocky landscape of the mountains that surround Pewter.¡± Gary listened as they walked closer and closer to the gym. Along the way, various boulders stood planted with plaques on them that listed off basic trainer advice like making sure you had a pokemon that could generate light for cave explorations along with common cave exploration tricks and tips. Gary read through them. Never enter a cave alone, always check for signs of a cave in, do not use earthquake or large-scale pokemon moves while underground, have an emergency plan, avoid making loud noises while inside caves or the wild. The last one Gary read more seriously as it showed pictures of trainers being swarmed due to attracting hundreds of zubats that had been resting in the caves. A few of the boulders only had pictures of old men and women with their stories. Gary didn¡¯t look over them. Important people didn¡¯t have boulders dedicated to them. They had statues and were written into books or told about so much that everyone simply knew their name! Gary already had plans for a five-part movie series in mind for his own story. ¡°¡ªthe sharp geometric shapes also allow for the entrances to mimic cave entrances while keeping the energy costs of the gym down thanks to the solar panels built into the roof through miniaturisation technology. The Stonecutter¡¯s have since won numerous awards for their innovative ideas. Brock was said to be a large part in the design concept stage along with using numerous pokemon from his gym during the building phase of the project,¡± said Sarah, apparently having continued to talk with the other girls who were listening avidly. ¡°The Gym itself, and much of the surrounding area are owned by Brock. This allows for the Pewter Gym to serve as a stable for numerous trainers should they be sponsored by the gym or trainers willing to pay the stable rental fee.¡± ¡°How much land does that take?¡± Gary said, absently entering through the greyed out but still reflective doors. ¡°It says here that it¡¯s roughly four hundred hectares.¡± ¡°Is that big?¡± Gary said, eying the small line of pokemon trainers that had gotten to the gym before him. Two receptionists stood behind another blocky-looking desk. Sarah leaned towards him. ¡°That¡¯s like a thousand League battlefields.¡± That made Gary stop. ¡°Oh¡­. that¡¯s almost like Gramp¡¯s farm.¡± Sarah flipped through the brochure. ¡°It apparently gets Brock into the top hundred stables in Kanto just on size alone.¡± Gary whistled at that. Brock was clever, not a lot of people realised how much money there was in stable rights. Even a year¡¯s rent at a decent stable was expensive. Having it attached to a Gym? The pokemon that roamed here were bound to learn a trick or two. They¡¯d certainly toughen up from hanging out with rock-types. Gary grinned when he reached the front of the line. ¡°Hello there! How can I help you today?¡± said the receptionist politely. ¡°Name¡¯s Gary Oak, and I¡¯m here to challenge the Gym Leader for the Boulder Badge!¡± The receptionist gave him a wide smile. ¡°Perfect! Which challenge would you like to undertake?¡± Gary gave her a confused look. ¡°Which¡­ Challenge?¡± The woman inclined her head before turning in her seat to gesture above her. Above her in a board chiselled into the wall were a group of Geodudes, Gravelers, Golems, Onix and all sorts of rock-type pokemon. The first challenge was held in place by Geodudes and Gravelers. It read; ¡®The Traditional Challenge¡¯ The trainer may battle the gym leader with two pokemon and two pokemon only. The Gym Leader is not allowed to substitute his pokemon during the match. To earn the Boulder badge you must demonstrate skill equal to that of your current badge challenge. The second challenge featured pairs of rock pokemon standing together in the corners and looking out. It read; ¡®Double pokemon Challenge¡¯ A trainer will select two pokemon to fight at the same time on the same battlefield as will the Gym Leader. Your bonds and teamwork will be tested. No substitutes will be allowed during this match. The last pokemon on the field will earn victory but this does not guarantee the earning of a pokemon badge. Gary whistled to himself. ¡°Wow, you don¡¯t see many gyms offering trainers the chance to fight two-on-two for a gym battle.¡± He looked down at the receptionist. ¡°Does he get many that challenge him like that?¡± ¡°A few, it¡¯s a wonderful method for him to stay flexible with his planning as you often have to consider the way moves can counter or bolster each other,¡± said the receptionist. ¡°Huh, cool.¡± Gary looked for the third option and found it being held by trainers with stone faces staring back and multiple pokemon roaming the border looking protective. At the top, a badge symbol rested. ¡®The Gauntlet¡¯ In this challenge, you may challenge the gym with a full roster of a pokemon team at six pokemon and no more. You will face no less than two trainers prior to the gym leader. You are not allowed to leave for the pokemon centre and return. Only one healing item may be used between matches. At the end of running the gauntlet of Gym trainers at your skill level, you will face off against the Gym Leader. You must defeat his team to claim victory and earn your Badge at this level. This is a test of endurance and planning. You may Challenge with either standard or Double battles for each match upon selection. Prepare yourself. Gary stared at that plaque, he wanted that. The way it was worded had to be a test. The real trainers obviously took note and challenged at the Gauntlet level! You had to if you wanted to call yourself an actual pokemon trainer! Now that, that was a challenge! Gary shifted in place. Part of him wanted to find Brock right now and demand the Gauntlet Challenge. He liked the sound of that. He also liked the signs that listed the payout if he won at each challenge. Winning against the Gauntlet gave over three times the amount that the standard and Doubles battle did. Before he signed on for that though he turned to the final challenge. This one was written in dark stone and had a scratch through it with broken rocks to highlight it was the next level again. A single pokemon sat at the top of the plaque with a crown underneath it. Gary stared into the oddly lifelike Tyranitar as it glared down at him before reading the text. ¡®The Elite Challenge¡¯ Bring only your best six pokemon. Challengers of this level will face one pokemon from Brock. One pokemon¡­ from his strongest team. This will be completely randomised but you will face one of Brock''s strongest pokemon that represent the Gym. If you can beat this challenge on the first attempt you will earn a Bejewelled Boulder Badge to highlight your accomplishment. If you complete it otherwise you will gain a golden badge to signify the achievement. This challenge is not recommended for trainers until they are finishing their Badge collection run. The Gym Leader will not pull their punches against your team. Weakness is a sin for this challenge. Gary felt himself drool. A special badge? Something better than all the rest? He wanted that so, so bad. He licked his lips and nodded to the last challenge. ¡°Any takers for that?¡± The receptionist grinned. ¡°Oh certainly. But, if you meant any winners?¡± She grinned wider. ¡°Then no. Brock has a record for that level and so far he has been challenged in his entire career fifty-eight times. Only three have won and that was early on when Brock was starting out. Not a single challenger has won on the first attempt.¡± Gary clenched his fists. ¡°If I run the gauntlet can I come back and challenge for the Elite?¡± ¡°You may. If you want the bejewelled badge however, you will, as it says, need to win on the first challenge.¡± She stared at Gary. ¡°Good luck if you choose that.¡± Gary nodded. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± He slumped. ¡°I¡¯m not ready for that yet.¡± It hurt to say the words. Perhaps all the more because they were true. He¡¯d seen Brock throw down with Lance. He¡¯s seen the sheer endurance of the Dragon-type pokemon on display and been amazed. He had to accept that right here and now¡­ he didn¡¯t. No! Couldn¡¯t measure up. ¡°I want to do the standard Gauntlet challenge.¡± The receptionist looked at her screen. ¡°Very well I will book a time for you. This takes a little longer than a normal challenge, so I will try to fit you in. The earliest available timeslot is in three days time as the first match of the week. Does this suit you?¡± ¡°Three days!? But that¡¯s forever! Can¡¯t I challenge him now?¡± The receptionist shook her head. ¡°There are a lot of other trainers that are already scheduled in. You can slip in easier with a single challenge as there is time set aside specifically for them in Brock¡¯s schedule but the gauntlet takes a little longer. Don¡¯t worry about the delay. There¡¯s plenty to do in Pewter. Such as the Museum, or the jobs board if you are low on money.¡± Gary waved that off. ¡°Guess I can train my pokemon for the matches. I¡¯ll take the slot and be back in three days. Hope your gym¡¯s ready for me!¡± ¡°We will be. Please hand over your license for official registration and lodgement in the League database. You will have the fee deducted from your account, and should you win you will be reimbursed.¡± When all was done, she bowed politely and gestured to the side. Gary grunted a goodbye, making for the exit only to pause when another door opened, a small crowd pouring out. ¡°¡ªand then he used Rock slide!¡± ¡°I know!¡± ¡°Hey what was that pokemon they used third? It didn¡¯t match up well but it was really pretty and I¡¯ve never seen it before!!¡± ¡°It was an Espeon obviously!¡± ¡°It was green though?¡± The crowd passed him with barely any looking at him. Gary gave them all his signature smile, puffing his chest out, ready for the usual nods or waves. Instead, they merely walked past him. In fact, more attention was given to his girlfriends than him. That¡­ That didn¡¯t happen back in Pallet¡­ He stared after the first people to emerge as more people walked past. It felt strange how none of them recognised him. Oh well, if he wasn¡¯t recognised yet, he would be in the future! Gary looked at where they had come from. It obviously led to the stadium, where you could watch the fights taking place. It would be amazing to watch and pick up information ahead of time. He only considered it for half a heartbeat before signalling he was leaving to the girls. The girls closed around him and they cut their way out of the gym. He¡¯d do it the right way. He didn''t need or want any advantages! ¡°Let¡¯s go get some battling in. I want to be ready in three days'' time!¡± He made his way to the battle courts to the side of the gym, pleased that he didn¡¯t even have to walk far before getting the chance to challenge someone. Chapter 61 - Garys adventure III When Gary returned to the gym he felt more than ready for the coming challenge. He walked in with his best pokemon at his side. Squirtle was practically strutting after the last few days of fighting other trainers. They¡¯d made some real strides together, and Gary had let his pokemon know how pleased he was with their progress. ¡°Go Gary go!¡± The girls gave them one last cheer before entering the reception once more. This time there were a lot more trainers lingering around. Gary couldn¡¯t help but pat himself on the back from his earlier foresight to use the car to get ahead of others and get a lead on Ash. He still hadn¡¯t seen Damian or Greta who¡¯d chosen Bulbasaur yet. Not that they mattered as much. It was Ash he had to stay ahead of. When he made it to the front the receptionist greeted him with a smile. ¡°Ah! If it isn¡¯t Gary Oak from Pallet town. Are you ready for your matches?¡± ¡°You betcha!¡± he said with a pump of his fist. The woman nodded. ¡°Sign here and then you can go through the main trainer doors. You will be called out for your match. Good luck!¡± she said as Gary signed the form. When he turned to the door he found himself staring down at stonework that featured a roaring Onix and a beckoning Graveller. ¡°Squirt!¡± croaked his pokemon fiercely. Gary nodded to it. ¡°That¡¯s right Squirtle! Let¡¯s go!¡± They walked through the door to find a large hallway that had benches along the walls. On each wall rules were listed for what was and was not allowed at the gym. Posters with Machamp pumping up before a match with large crosses over them. On the other the side pokemon overcoming incredible odds as they fought through for the win decorated the wall. Some faces and pokemon came up on a wall-mounted screen along with the date they had won their badges. Gary smirked. ¡°I¡¯m going on this wall!¡± he said. Squirtle nodded seriously. When Gary got close he found an older girl with a headset on with a clipboard in hand. ¡°Gary Oak from Pallet town? Ready for your match?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± he said, slightly annoyed at being questioned once more. She shot him a grin. ¡°How do you want to be introduced? I¡¯m the hype stylist and have a whole range of intros ready! I¡¯m going to use it to announce you to the crowd. So did you want a standard intro?¡± Gary almost nodded his head before what she said registered. ¡°Any introduction?¡± She smirked. ¡°Gotta be short and sweet.¡± Gary felt a grin stretch his face. ¡°I know exactly what I want.¡± He then whispered it to her causing her to snicker. ¡°Nice one kid. Alright, I¡¯ll wave you in when I¡¯m done warming the crowd up,¡± she winked at him. Gary nodded back, more than happy to wait as he was introduced to the world. ¡°Annnnnnnnd Now! Ladies and Gentlemen! The greatest trainer to come out of Pallet since the Champion of old! He¡¯s running oh so hot! The one! The only! GARY MOTHER¡ªa loud beep cut over the woman for a moment¡ªING OAK!¡± Gary grinned as people laughed and cheered him on. Gary looked forwards and found his path lit up with a bracketed set of lights that let him walk down through the crowd from the high position. People clapped and whistled. A few people cheered and used the actual nickname he¡¯d tried to slip in. The girl didn¡¯t seem to mind the swearing at all. That was way cool. ¡°G! A! R! Y!¡± spelled out his girlfriends who had claimed an entire section of the stands at the front for him. He waved at his adoring fans and put his hands to his lips. ¡°Mwah! Mwah! Thanks for coming!¡± He reached the arena itself and walked onto the battlefield. He wouldn¡¯t get a podium yet but he didn¡¯t mind. You worked up to having the podium for the big matches. Across from him a trainer from the gym strode forward. The guy looked very laid back. He had ridiculously tanned skin and blond hair that made him look weird. Gary had been expecting a hiker-styled trainer, not someone that looked like they just came in from the surf. ¡°Sup little man, ready to throw down? I¡¯m Gym trainer Jackson, your first match up!¡± He gave a wink and a thumbs up. Gary merely sniffed, selecting his pokeball. ¡°Go Rattata!¡± His pokemon landed with a ready pose, mouth open and tail up and alert. ¡°Ho? Someone is eager. Alright, ref you ready?¡± Gary looked up to see a kid around his age as the referee. She kind of looked like Brock. Maybe a sister or something? The kid raised her flags and Jackson tossed out his own pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s do this Geodude! First match, first win, coming up!¡± The geodude that appeared raised its arms and roared before punching the air in front of it. ¡°Heh! You wish, old man!¡± snarked Gary as the flags dropped. ¡°Rattata! Go into Quick Attack straight up!¡± Rattata sprinted forward and launched into a tackle that threw the geodude back. ¡°Grapple with it, Geodude!¡± shouted Jackson. The Geodude swept its arms together only for Rattata to leap backwards. ¡°Nice one Rattata! Now, use Tail Whip!¡± He¡¯d looked up a few matches and while he didn¡¯t really see the reason online, a number of people seemed to agree that this was a good move near the start of a match. Geodude shifted slightly and dropped its arms as it glowered at the tail that twitched back and forth. Gary nodded. ¡°Another Quick Attack but circle it and take it from its weak spot!¡± Just like they had practised and practically perfected against other trainers, Rattata sprinted around the slower pokemon to get in the blind spot. ¡°Geodude, use Defence Curl,¡± said Jackson as Rattata closed in on its back. A small shell of energy surrounded the rocky pokemon and this time Rattata¡¯s attack didn¡¯t seem to do as much damage. ¡°Back out and Tail Whip again!¡± ¡°Geodude, Tackle!¡± Jackson swept his hand, and the Geodude leapt forward on the offensive. ¡°Dodg¡ª¡± Rattata tried to skip out of the way only to have the wider grasp of the Geodude come into play. Rattata was launched backwards from the hit but quickly shook off the hit. ¡°Hang in their Rattata! Give it another Quick Attack!¡± This time Jackson¡¯s Geodude wasn¡¯t able to ignore the attack with a Defence Curl. Rattata was quick enough to slip in and nail the pokemon in the back where it was weak. Gary pumped his fist as the geodude wavered and fell unconscious. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the way, Rattata!¡± Jackson withdrew his pokemon. ¡°Nice work kid, time for another challenger to take over!¡± Jackson turned and walked out as the referee raised her flag towards Gary. ¡°Gary mother¡ª¡± the beep cut over her words ¡°¡ªOak of Pallet town was victorious and will advance to the next challenge.¡± Gary grinned as the crowd giggled. Jackson, who had been steadily walking away, turned and rushed over. Gary could just make out the whispered conversation. Apparently, she wasn¡¯t supposed to swear, and the announcer really shouldn¡¯t have done what she did. Gary could see the pink-haired woman laughing while shooting worried glances up towards the back of the stands. The referee blushed and nodded before waving to the next challenger. ¡°And now from the Pewter City Gym! Forrest!¡± A kid that looked like a mini Brock strode forward. This time Gary was certain the other kid was Brock¡¯s brother. The older kid sniffed and raised a pokeball. ¡°You¡¯re a thousand lightyears too early to take on Brock!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± Gary raised a finger to correct the kid only for a pokeball to be pulled back and loosened. ¡°Go Sandshrew!¡± ¡°Stay out Rattata! You¡¯ve got this!¡± shouted Gary. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted the ref. ¡°Sandshrew! Use Sand Attack!¡± shouted the boy. ¡°Rattata, evade with Quick attack!¡± Sadly, unlike with a normal tackle this attack was much tougher to dodge and his pokemon got a spray of sand to the eyes. It then missed a step and took a tumble. It rose and rubbed at its eyes in frustration which was apparently what Forrest had been waiting for. ¡°Use Rollout!¡± ¡°Rattata! Roll to the side now!¡± Thankfully Gary¡¯s pokemon obeyed him and threw itself out of the tumbling path of the now rolled up Sandshrew. The pokemon rolled past only to spin in place and pivot like a maddened pinball at an arcade. ¡°Rattata, get ready to leap again!¡± Gary ordered as he eyed the spinning up Sandshrew. The Sandshrew bit into the ground and began rolling. Gary licked his lips. Just a second longer¡­ ¡°Now!¡± Once more his Rattata leapt to the side and evaded. ¡°Arc around!¡± shouted Forrest, causing his pokemon to not lose speed and instead turn in an arc that saw it lining up on Rattata much faster now. ¡°Jum¡ª¡± this time Gary was too slow and his Rattata took the hit head on. It went down with a cry and Gary had to sigh as it collapsed, unable to rise up. The ref raised a flag in Forrest¡¯s direction. ¡°The Gym Trainer has defeated Rattata! Withdraw your pokemon and send out your next pokemon!¡± ¡°Haha! Yes, nicely done Sandshrew! We¡¯re schooling this kid!¡± shouted Forrest. Gary twitched. ¡°Alright no more Mr nice guy! Go Squirtle!¡± Squirtle leapt from his side and onto the arena as Rattata was taken off. Gary gave the pokeball a quick pat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry buddy Squirtle¡¯s going to avenge you!¡± ¡°Squirtle!¡± shouted the turtle pokemon. Across from him, the Sadshrew continued to spin slowly, staying in the rollout-ready form. ¡°Go Gary go!¡± chorused the girls as a number of them stood and began another routine, pom poms flailing around. ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight!¡± The crowd rose to cheer with them at that and Gary found himself really pleased that he¡¯d been able to charm the girls so well. ¡°You¡¯ve got this Gary!¡± called a voice that almost had Gary taking his eyes off field. Had that been gramps? ¡°Begin!¡± Gary snapped back to the match and swept his hand out. ¡°Layer the area with Bubble!¡± His pokemon instantly began to fill the space between them with bubbles that would act like landmines. ¡°Circle wide, Sandshrew!¡± The rolled up pokemon spun around the danger zone and instead came at Squirtle from the side. ¡°Leap back and keep up the bubbles!¡± It was a shame he didn¡¯t yet have a stronger move, but he knew from talking with trainers for years at his Gramps¡¯ lab that water-type moves were super effective against rock types. This time the Sandshrew was coming on too fast and raced right through the bubbles. It kept up enough speed however to clip Squirtle on the way through. It spun up and onto its feet before shaking its head and giving a small cry of pain. ¡°Squirtle, go again!¡± Squirtle shot off another round of bubbles straight into the back of the Sandshrew putting it down. ¡°Tch! Good work Sandshrew!¡± said Forrest before withdrawing it. Gary grinned as the crowd shouted at his victory. Forrest selected another pokemon. ¡°Go Diglett!¡± A mole pokemon very similar to the pokemon that Gary had gained appeared and chirped out its name. The flags rose, then dropped, and the battle resumed. ¡°Mudslap!¡± called Forrest. ¡°Withdraw!¡± shouted Gary causing his pokemon to turtle up by pulling in its head and limbs into the shell. The mud thwacked onto the shell but should have mostly avoided having any effect on his squirtle. ¡°Now, use Bubble again!¡± The Diglett took the hit and Gary pumped his fist. ¡°Use Scratch!¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Keep up the bubbles!¡± Gary commanded firmly and just like that the mole pokemon was taken out. Forrest slumped slightly and Gary grinned. ¡°Ha! That¡¯ll teach you about using lightyears the wrong way!¡± he said Forrest gave him a look of confusion before groaning. ¡°Oh, damn it you¡¯re right!¡± He put his hands to his face. ¡°Urgh! I¡¯ve been using that line for a week!¡± The referee giggled at him and then coughed. ¡°Trainer Forrest you may leave the field. Challenger Gary, are you ready to face the Gym Leader?¡± Gary held up one hand and plucked a potion out to use to clean off his Squirtle¡¯s shell. It probably wasn¡¯t that bad but it paid to go into a fight as strong as he could. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m good now.¡± The Referee raised a flag and lights around the stadium fell dark with an ominous ¡®Choom¡¯ that echoed as people fell quiet. Each light fell until Gary found himself alone in a sea of darkness. The ground underneath his feet rumbled and he swallowed. ¡°You challenge the Pewter City Gym?¡± said a voice that filled the room. Gary looked up in time to see another light turn on and land directly on Brock as he stalked forwards, his face locked into a frown as if Gary was beneath him. Gary straightened his back. ¡°I am! I¡¯m here to claim the Boulder Badge!¡± Gary said. Brock descended to the lower seats but when he came to the divider, instead of dropping the stairs, he leapt over the edge and landed in the trainer section of the arena in a perfect three-point landing. Despite himself, Gary was impressed. Brock rose up, and Gary was suddenly reminded that there was a guy that had taken on the Champ and won. He swallowed as he stared across the field at Brock. ¡°Are you ready?¡± A pokeball enlarged in his grip and Gary nodded. Brock swept his pokeball forward and then caught it as it opened and bounced back. Gary¡¯s heart pulsed as Brock revealed a Geodude that punched the air before crying out a roar. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted the ref after checking them over once more. ¡°Squirtle, attack with Bubble!¡± ¡°Izumi, evade and use Tackle!¡± Gary wanted to say that wouldn¡¯t work Rock pokemon were too slow. Then the geodude hopped around the various bubbles that his Squirtle was using and launched into the turtle¡¯s shell. ¡°Squirtle!¡± he cried in shock before staggering back with a low growl. Geodude grinned. ¡°Geodude, use Iron Defence!¡± called Brock. Geodude clenched up and a small circle of energy formed around its body. ¡°Quick, use Bubble again!¡± ¡°Now Rollout to the side!¡± commanded Brock before Geodude could be hit by the slow hitting bubbles. It tightened into a ball and rolled to the side before spinning about and straight at Squirtle. ¡°Dodge it by jumping!¡± Geodude swept past where his Squirtle had been before arcing around. ¡°Create a wall of bubbles! Squirtle!¡± Gary was surprised he was being pushed this hard. Brock wasn¡¯t a push over and despite the type advantage he was being pushed to connect with an attack. He¡¯d need faster options or some way to guarantee the hit. That made him decide to change things up, by turtling up. ¡°Use Withdraw! Then foam yourself up with bubbles like in the bath!¡± ¡°Squirtle?¡± his pokemon said in confusion. ¡°Just do as I said!¡± Geodude rolled around the bubbles and came straight on as Squirtle ducked its head back in and foamed up the shell. This time he allowed the hit but Geodude obviously took it worse as it popped a number of bubbles. Geodude reeled back with a harsh cry before falling to the ground and groaning. For a second Gary thought the pokemon looked at Brock, but Brock merely nodded and made a stern expression before raising his pokeball. Gary felt something within him unclench as Brock withdrew his pokemon. That had been closer than he would have liked. That pokemon was strong! ¡°You have a good bond with your pokemon and can adapt well,¡± said Brock as he selected another pokemon. Gary grunted at that. ¡°Course we do! Squirtle and I are gonna go all the way!¡± ¡°Hmmm is that so? Well, you still have one more pokemon to overcome before you get my approval. Go Onix!¡± From the pokeball a huge snake appeared and roared in rage before turning its head to look down upon Gary and his Squirtle. ¡°Ooooooooooonn!¡± It screamed before settling back. ¡°Trainers, are you ready?¡± Gary nodded, knowing that he¡¯d have to settle this with Squirtle, his other pokemon wouldn¡¯t be able to handle things if it got past him. Maybe they could wear it down but he didn¡¯t want to barely win, he wanted to crush this gym challenge! ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Onix, use Rock Throw!¡± Gary opened his mouth to counter with Bubble, only to realise how bad that would play out as large rocks rose up and were thrown forward. ¡°Squirtle run! Get out of there!¡± His pokemon leapt forward and waddled for all its worth as rock pummelled the ground behind it. ¡°Onnnn!¡± roared the giant pokemon as it was denied the chance to crush his Squirtle. Gary gritted his teeth before seeing how it hadn¡¯t moved, and now Squirtle was kind of close to its tail. He¡¯d need to get way closer though to make a hit get through. ¡°Squirtle! Jump on its back and run up to blast it with Bubble!¡± His Squirtle didn¡¯t question him this time thankfully and to the surprise of everyone made the leap on a single bound before latching onto a much higher segment. ¡°Shake it off, Onix!¡± ordered Brock. ¡°Hang in there and you¡¯ve got this Squirtle!¡± Gary countered. He clenched his fist as the giant snake threw itself about, a few times he saw his little guy hanging on as bubbles continued to pound in before Onix gave one last mournful cry and collapsed to its side. The ground rumbled and Gary threw his hands up.¡±Yes! We did it!¡± ¡°Gary! Gary! He¡¯s our man! If he can¡¯t do it, no one can!¡± cheered the girls. ¡°Way to go Gary!¡± cried out the voice. This time Gary was able to look but he couldn¡¯t see who he was expecting to see. Had his Gramps actually come? Gary waved to the crowd. ¡°Thank you, thank you! Squirtle and I will be here for another day or so! Autographs can be gained from the pokecenter!¡± he said to his adoring fans as they cheered for him. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right¡­ Squirtle?¡± He glanced about for his starter only to see it still laying on his side. Gary gasped as onix was removed. He sprinted forward realising that his pokemon might have gotten crushed from hanging on where it had! ¡°Squirtle!¡± He sprinted over to it and swept it up in his hands. ¡°Hey! Hey Squirtle you okay buddy?¡± His pokemon gave a weak, ¡°Squuuuirtle?¡± ¡°Ha! Ha you¡¯re going to be alright buddy!¡± Gary said as relief swept through him. He cuddled his Squirtle and relaxed. ¡°May I check him over?¡± asked a deep voice. Gary looked up to find Brock kneeling down with a concerned look and a potion in his hands. ¡°Oh? Uhm sure, if that¡¯s okay with Squirtle!¡± His pokemon nodded slowly. Brock reached out, not taking Squirtle from Gary but rather running his hands around the shell and face. He pressed lightly on each limb and watched for Squirtle¡¯s face for any reaction. In the end his Squirtle merely yawned loudly. ¡°Heh. I think the little guy¡¯s just all battled out!¡± Brock stood and waved to the crowd that had stopped cheering when Gary had cried out. Brock spoke loudly, ¡°He¡¯s okay, just tuckered out from his fights!¡± The crowd clapped at that and breathed their own sighs of relief. Brock offered Gary a hand up and Gary took it to stand still feeling slightly off balance at the fright. It was also weird to have Brock suddenly there and helping out. ¡°Uhm, thanks for that,¡± Gary said quietly. ¡°No problem. I¡¯d advise some rest and let the Nurse look him over, but I doubt there¡¯s any issues. That was a good battle plan though.¡± ¡°I was worried he might have gotten hurt from it,¡± Gary said ¡°Nah, Squirtle¡¯s healthy, that means his shell can stand up to a lot of abuse. Just make sure something like a Kingler doesn¡¯t get him in its claws. Then you might be in trouble. Normal force from a large pokemon merely falling on it? Not as much of a risk. Once he¡¯s a Blastoise? Forget about anything damaging his shell except the most powerful pokemon.¡± Gary considered that and said, ¡°Huh, that¡¯s¡­ good to know, thanks.¡± ¡°You had some good plans with laying out bubbles but your mobility could do with some work.¡± ¡°Squirtle¡¯s kind of slow right now, I know.¡± Brock wavered his hand. ¡°Eh. There are a number of ways around that. I use water moves to make Shin move faster but you can also use techniques like rollout only more like a spin for your Squirtle. Try it out some time, yeah?¡± Gary nodded again. ¡°Hey yeah, that would work. Thanks!¡± Brock nodded before turning to the referee who was now holding a small case. Gary noted with her standing next to Brock that she was obviously related to Forrest and Brock. She opened the case in her hands. Within the Boulder badge sat on a cushion. Brock picked it up and offered it with both hands towards Gary. ¡°Congratulations on your victory, you have demonstrated the skills and knowledge to a degree that I hereby recognise you officially earning the Boulder badge.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± shouted Gary. He punched the air with one hand raising the badge while the other held Squirtle as it waved its arms about in celebration.
[/hr] I stared at Gary Oak as he celebrated. A few people still called out to me saying I''d put on a good show which was part of what being Gym Leader was about. But mostly, I tried to make it worth it for new trainers. Trainers like Gary. He¡¯d done well. I¡¯d pushed him to the limits of what I could justifiably do as a first badge challenge, and he¡¯d done great. It was strange to see a kid that, in the games and cartoons, would rise up to Champion level. And here he was just starting out on his journey, but then again, each day trainers that potentially had the same chance walked through my doors. This was just a name I knew that would do well given the chance. ¡°So want to get a victory photo?¡± I asked as he waved to his¡­ Huh, he actually had cheerleaders. That was kinda weird. Gary nodded. ¡°Yeah, my girlfriends can join in!¡± he said with a wave as they trundled down giving giggles that sounded fake to my ears. Part of me twigged at him referring to them as his ¡®girlfriends¡¯. Was this¡­ was this safe for Gary? I gave them all looks as they approached, but none of them got touchy with him. One even noticed my attention and approached. ¡°Great match Gym Leader!¡± She smiled, and I grunted at her, wondering what her plan was. She glanced back at the girls. ¡°Looks like he really learned a lot from battling you. I don¡¯t think I learnt as much from battling your dad when I started out.¡± I grunted again and swallowed down how that was the point of being a good gym leader. She didn¡¯t say anything for a moment before shaking her head and pulling out her purse. ¡°My card.¡± I frowned as she offered me a business card. I glanced at it, uncertain how it would change¡­ Oh? It read; ¡®Fiona Riley¡¯ Bodyguard, Nanny, Protective services for Youths¡¯ Discreet, League approved, and Experienced¡¯ Her number was listed and I accepted it to give it a more serious look over. ¡°You¡¯re not his girlfriend?¡± ¡°Oh, I like to think we¡¯re friends with him but well,¡± She gave Gary a fond look as he made poses that had the girls that were distracting him coo over, ¡°He¡¯s still very young no?¡± ¡°Ah, you were hired by Professor Oak then?¡± ¡°We actually approached him. Sometimes it pays to do some legwork. He approved, pending our ability to stay close to Gary.¡± ¡°Huh, I might have to hire you for Forrest¡­¡± I trailed off as I saw him lingering and looking on enviously at Gary and his ¡®girlfriends. ¡°Right never mind that. Maybe for Yolanda¡¯s turn on her journey.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± she looked over to see Yolanda watching off to the side in amusement, ¡°She helps out in the gym? Isn¡¯t that just precocious!¡± Fiona said. It had been innocent, but with a touch of mischievousness. ¡°Well she¡¯d be more than welcome to come with us¡­ but she might learn more than you bargained for. Girls tend to pick some things up a lot earlier after all.¡± She cocked her hip and smirked at me. I gave the cheerleaders another look over as a suspicion formed in my mind that they would be, as the historians of my old world liked to say, ¡®All very, very good friends¡¯. ¡°I see,¡± I said neutrally. Then again I had over-thought a lot of things with women so maybe I was just¡­ Yeah no. These women were all in a group relationship and Fiona was basically reminding me that while to Gary it was just ¡®weird girl stuff¡¯, a young girl would notice and understand what was going on. Girl¡¯s typically matured much earlier after all. I hummed in thought. I didn¡¯t really want to think about how exposing Yolanda to a wider view of the world, particularly that part of people¡¯s lives might affect her. There were some things a big brother didn¡¯t need to know. Or was I supposed to know that as her pseudo-parent? I pushed that aside for now, and instead posed for the camera as we took a photo and sent it off to Professor Oak to signify Gary had passed one of the challenges on his circuit. I shot said man a pointed look as he stayed sitting up in the stands. He hadn¡¯t stopped clapping since Squirtle was announced as alright. ¡°Hey, before I go,¡± Gary said near the exit. I raised an eyebrow in an invitation for him to ask his question. ¡°Any chance I could buy or earn one of your ancient pokemon?¡± I hummed at that, ¡°I might consider it, but you¡¯d have to do both. Buy and earn it. Wouldn¡¯t want a bad trainer to have access to a rare pokemon like an Omanyte or Kabuto. Tell you what, you earn another four badges through the other Gym¡¯s gauntlet challenges without losing once, and I¡¯ll consider it.¡± That would most likely have him facing the Cerulean sisters, Surge, Erika, Sabrina or Manny. Sophia in the small town on the Cycling road was also a possibility. A few of those names would be tougher than the others. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m out of here!¡± Gary said. I shook the thought off and waved Gary away. ¡°So long Gary, come back if you want a tougher challenge!¡± ¡°Count on it! I¡¯m coming for that Bejewelled badge!¡± cheered Gary as he and his protective detail departed. And just like that Gary Oak was gone. I hummed at the odd feeling. I¡¯d seen countless other trainers do exactly that. It was a strange feeling to be the roadbump that they passed over. They were supposed to clear it and move on. It made me remember my own journey. Passing a gym was a serious milestone. For some reason Gary doing it made it all the more poignant. I sighed and shook my head. I had another six matches at least to handle. I clapped my hands together, exhaled and inhaled before turning to prepare for the next gym match. ¡°Brock! Brock! I think I need your help!¡± Alexa''s voice chirped from the radio I had at my hip in case of emergencies. I plucked it up and spoke into it, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a lot of trainers here.. Like a lot¡­ I can¡¯t count them all. Is this normal?¡± I frowned. That didn¡¯t sound right at all. I turned towards the reception area. Just another thing to handle hopefully. When I arrived and looked through the one-way mirror I had to gape. ¡°What the hell?¡± Usually, you only saw twenty or thirty trainers queuing up. But now? Now trainers were jammed into the area and spilled out into the outside area. There were at least a hundred trainers milling about. Some were arguing, jostling each other as they moved about, and some were already storming off with another trainer to have a fight outside at the battle courts. Their eyes having locked. This was not normal at all. Janine appeared at my side and tapped me on the ribs. ¡°Sharpen your awareness¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°What is going on?¡± I bit my lip as a horrible conclusion formed in my mind, ¡°A trainer surge¡­ shit.¡± Then something struck me as odd. ¡°Wait, you mean these trainers snuck up on you?¡± I said teasingly. Janine blanched. ¡°What!? No! I just don''t have an information network established yet!¡± I raised a brow at that. ¡°Are you setting up spies in my city?¡± Janine squirmed before coughing. ¡°I think I hear Dennis calling me back to the office to finish up my paperwork!¡± She threw a smoke bomb and ran away. I chuckled, feeling a bit better as I turned back to my newest problem. I¡¯d need to find out what was going on here. This was highly unusual for so many trainers to turn up at once. Chapter 62 - The Trainer Flood A trainer surge was the term used in the event of a sudden spike where the trainers that you would normally see over an extended period of time ¡ªsay a month or even three months¡ªdescended on a gym all at once. When I looked at my schedule, which was quickly filling up, and at the still-waiting trainers, I knew something was off. There was a feature on the webpage that linked into our booking sheet that allowed people to use the pokenet but most people either came to the gym and made their booking in person, or they called. The only people I could think that actually called for setting up Gym meetings however was the local pokemon academy. People still hadn¡¯t grasped Rachel''s work with the pokenet page and stuck with what they knew worked. This meant that an already booked month of matches with what I was already looking at was raising red flags. I stared out at the sea of people that were still waiting to book in, let alone challenge me today. I only had another five matches for the day. It was only the start of the second week. This was abnormal, and part of me wondered how many people were actually coming. Just how popular would my gym be? Rachel had suggested more people but how was I to anticipate them? I chewed my lip. There¡­ there was a way My eyes paused on a number of the pokemon that were idling around at their trainer''s feet or shoulders. Their cries merely added to the cacophony of noise. I tapped Alexa on the shoulder. ¡°Open the schedule book up for an extra two hours a day from Monday to Friday and run a session on Saturday from eight till twelve.¡± She nodded, fingers flying on the keyboard accompanied by a furry of clicking from the mouse as she got to work. As the computer slowed down a small digital duck face appeared in the corner. I tapped on the screen. ¡°Need you to keep the system from crashing Cyber, think you can sit on this computer for now?¡± The small cyberduck spun its body around in a nod before backflipping off the screen. ¡°What the?¡± said Alexa in surprise. She turned to look at me. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°That was part of our cyber security team. I own a few Porygon¡¯s that sit in the system and defend it from malware or viruses. They can also make sure things are running smoothly.¡± I pointedly didn¡¯t tell her that they also stop people from copying large segments of information about the gym or my own findings. People can read and take notes but that takes a lot longer and puts them at greater risk of discovery. Someone coming in to steal information was more likely to try copy-pasting it onto an external before bugging out. ¡°I¡¯m going to make some calls, how long before the next fight?¡± ¡°Twenty minutes?¡± Alexa said as she checked my schedule. I gave a short nod before jogging up the ramp to a doorway. I swiped my keycard over it before repeating the gesture at my own office. I shut the door before pouncing on the computer. ¡®Local port office¡¯ I thought to myself as I looked up the phone number. I had an idea that wouldn¡¯t leave me alone and I was hoping I would be wrong. I¡¯d seen the normal Hoot-hoot, Pidgey, Rattata, Oddish, and Bellsprout. I thought I¡¯d even seen a girl with a Bulbasaur timidly holding onto her spot at the back of the line. A cyndaquil had also been present. All of that was considered normal and wouldn¡¯t have me worried. Those trainers from my brief sweep of the gym only made up a third of the current host. And that caused red flags in my mind. I¡¯d very much noticed the Shroomish growling at another pokemon, the Vigoroth bouncing on its toes and looking around in anticipation. The Ninjask buzzing back and forth, the Aron barking, the Plusle and Minum playing underfoot. I would have had to have been deaf to not hear the Loudred shouting. And those were only the pokemon that I could see. All of these Pokemon were very much not found in this region. ¡°Port office, how may I help you?¡± came a crisp response a few rings into the call. I noted that there was no video for the call so they must have been operating under an older system. ¡°Hi! It¡¯s Brock from Pewter City. I was hoping to talk to the records department?¡± I said. ¡°G-gym Leader Brock? Of course! If you want I can get the Harbour master to help you! He iss a big fan of yours!¡± said the voice. I chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to disturb him. I need to talk to someone in records as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll transfer you now!¡± the phone dialled in my ear and I clicked my tongue after waiting a minute. I started typing away at my computer as I investigated the other vectors that people could enter Kanto from. The ships were the safest method, but some people did come via plane. I knew there wasn¡¯t currently a land route to Hoenn because there had to be at least two regions between us¡­ also Hoenn was mostly surrounded by water from what I understood. Any region between us wouldn¡¯t be passable as yet. They¡¯d be regions that were considered wild by the Rangers. I opened a tab for the Ranger home office just in case. I had just started to find the numbers for the people I would need to call when the call I was on was picked up. ¡°Port record department, Gladys speaking?¡± ¡°Hi Gladys, it¡¯s Brock from Pewter City gym. I had a question I needed answered.¡± I already had a suspicion but I wanted confirmation. ¡°Hmmm yes? What was your question?¡± said Gladys in a dry tone that all but informed me she wasn¡¯t a fan and was only asking as it was expected of her. ¡°Could I see a record of the new arrivals for the Kanto circuit? I think what I¡¯m looking for is the average arrivals for the last¡­ let''s say, three months.¡± That would be long enough to be just after my exhibition match. ¡°Actually could I get the average for the last few years as well, if it wouldn¡¯t be too much to ask for?¡± ¡°... that¡¯s quite a bit of information to work through you realise?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask if it wasn¡¯t important.¡± Gladys clicked her tongue. ¡°I will check if I can with my superior. Who did you say you were?¡± she said in the tone of ¡®I don¡¯t have to do this but I don¡¯t want to cause trouble by saying that¡¯. She¡¯d probably shoot it off to the Harbour master in her own time. I made a note to call the front desk and prompt her to make sure it got done in a somewhat feasible time frame. I then jotted down the phone numbers of the other port offices. I¡¯d have to deal with Fuchsia and ¡­ Neon City next? Then also call the airport for who to talk with about arrivals from them. Surely someone would be tracking that sort of information? Who though? A buzzer went off and I grimaced, I¡¯d barely started on an email. I got up though, and when I passed the off-duty lounge I stuck my head in to find Stephen in his hiking gear blearily drinking some coffee. Missy was also there, lazying about on the couch with what looked like a fashion magazine. I couldn¡¯t see Daniel who I knew should be about somewhere. Then again, he might be dealing with medical appointments with his wife. ¡°Missy, I need you up front to help Alexa, we¡¯ve got¡­¡± I actually wasn¡¯t sure what it was officially called. ¡°A flood of trainers coming in and I need everyone sorting them out. If Alexa doesn¡¯t need help I need you to supervise the trainers on the courts.¡± ¡°I can help!¡± shouted a voice from behind the couch. Crystal popped up, a few sheets of paper flying up as she stood abruptly. I glanced down. ¡°What were you doing just now?¡± ¡°Just some homework the school gave me!¡± She kicked it into a pile before grinning at me. ¡°I can work through it whenever I want now! Perks of straight A¡¯s at school and impressing the teacher! I get half days!¡± I raised a finger, unsure what to say. Should I congratulate her or call her school to check that she wasn¡¯t skiving and actually lying to me? Missy coughed a laugh into a raised hand. Stephen glanced up from his coffee. ¡°Can I help?¡± I stared at him. ¡°You¡¯re not one of my trainers. I can¡¯t ask that of you.¡± ¡°Ah, but I can use this for Professor Oak. He always wants me to observe trainers and pokemon interacting. The growing bond, such as it is! He¡¯s always looking for more data points or potential outliers!¡± A more insistent buzz on my wrist made me nod. ¡°Sure! Talk with Rocko to see where we can use you. I need to get to a gym match.¡± I looked from him to Crystal who was bouncing in place. ¡°And thanks.¡± I started to walk off only to pause as I remembered something. ¡°Crystal do you have a pokemon?¡± Crystal slumped. ¡°Not yet, no?¡± I plucked a pokeball off my belt and tossed it to her without looking at it. ¡°Take Selene, she¡¯s smart enough to understand what you¡¯ll need help with and can back you up in a pinch.¡± I gave the room another look over. ¡°Anyone seen Jan¡ª¡± I reached behind me more out of cliche than any actual instinct and found myself palming Janine in the face. We stared at each other in surprise before I removed my hand from her face. ¡°You need to be less predictable,¡± I said as she nodded tightly. I then tapped my transceiver. ¡°Can you call your father about Fuchsia port and if he¡¯s heard anything about how many pokemon trainers have arrived in Kanto?¡± She nodded and hurried away. I decided not to point out how red with embarrassment she was. I was too busy to stop and tease her. Instead, I got out of there, my mind already on the jobs I would need to get done in the next break. Behind me, Crystal released Selene while squealing with joy.
I clapped my hands and pressed them together. I stared at the point at which they connected intently, my focus solely on them as everything else was pushed to the side. I felt muscles in my arms and neck clench up with how much pressure I was exerting. I held them for a moment longer before releasing them, looking up and inhaling a huge breath of air. I felt the giddy rush of new air in my lungs surge to the needed parts of my body. My mind blanked for a moment and then I returned to the moment. The weight of my thoughts vanished as I stood just out of sight. I was a moment from entering the arena where the crowd could spot me. Dennis shifted next to me. He¡¯d seen this method of dealing with stress more than enough times to recognise it. He¡¯d at first been sceptical of my claims but had tried it, and nowadays he even used it himself when he thought I couldn¡¯t see him. ¡°...¡± He opened his mouth and I shook my head. ¡°Can¡¯t talk about it right now. Got a gym match.¡± I clicked the radio twice to signify I was ready. This was only a first gym badge but that shouldn¡¯t make it any less special. I wanted trainers to enjoy the moment, and not feel like my dealing with them was a chore I didn¡¯t want to do. This was the start of their journey in so many ways and the first obstacle so many worked towards. I stalked forward and barged through the gym doors, eyes lighting up on the trainer that stood tall against me. I immediately noted how he held a full six pokemon team on his belt. He also had richly decorated clothing along with being a bit older than normal for people starting out. I glanced at the screen subtly and noted that he had specifically asked for the single gym badge challenge and nothing else. I approached silently. When I stood across the arena floor from him I raised an eyebrow. This kid was obviously better off than the normal trainer. He hadn¡¯t revealed any of his pokemon. A sign he was used to pulling them back in cities. In the wild, you always kept one pokemon out for safety. But in the city the main threat was from trainers. So having one member of your team already out before the match risked revealing your hand early. ¡°You¡¯ve come for the first gym challenge?¡± I said, testing his response. He nodded and smirked. ¡°I¡¯m here for the badge Brock! I¡¯m not leaving here empty-handed!¡± I nodded at him before looking to Yolanda who was acting as the referee today. She had argued with me a few years back about wanting to help out more and I¡¯d tried the argument of ¡®keeping her grades up¡¯. She¡¯d turned up at the next school term with a drive that saw her acing her exams and gaining the right to take part in the family business and some days off a week from school. Damn, I wished I¡¯d had that sort of option in my past life. Then again Pokemon alone would have been pretty awesome. I caught the kid across from me shooting her a wink that she flatly ignored as she raised her flags. I breathed in, channeling my rock energy. Don¡¯t let him get to you. Don¡¯t send out Titan just to make him piss himself. Be the bigger man. ¡°Go Onix!¡± ¡°Heh! This¡¯ll be easy!¡± the kid said, taking way longer than he should have to eye off my selection. ¡°Go Tentcruel!¡± I stared at the trainer and his pokemon. It was obviously a strong pokemon with how its skin glistened in the Gym lights and the tentacles were nice and wide. Way stronger than a first-level gym badge entailed. He shot another wink at Yolanda as she raised the flags. ¡°Doing anything in five minutes?¡± Yolanda dropped her flags, ignoring his antics. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Onix use Bide!¡± ¡°Use Ice Beam!¡± shouted the trainer. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Oh kid,¡± I murmured to myself as the attack slammed into Onix. My pokemon reeled back with a cry before landing on her side. I held myself still, rubbing at the bridge of my nose. He¡¯d used a move that I was damn near certain Tentacruel didn¡¯t learn on their own without a TM. He¡¯d used an ice-type move against a rock Gym, sure he had the Ice bonus for using it against Onix¡¯s partial Ground typing but¡­ He had so many better options available to him, and finally, he was already celebrating. Kids like this made me fear for the future. The kid pumped his fist and did a stupid dance where he grabbed his heel and pumped his knee. I was happy to watch him as Onix slowly rose back into a fighting position. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Yeah! Take that! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!¡± He stopped mid-leg pump as he realised his move hadn¡¯t one shot my Onix. ¡°Hey, what gives?! That should have knocked your pokemon out!¡± I stared at him. ¡°Unleash Bide Onix.¡± My pokemon called up a white ball of power before firing it straight at Tentacruel. The kid merely gaped as it slammed into his pokemon and threw it to the ground. ¡°Hey no! That¡¯s cheating! You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re cheating!¡± ¡°And you¡¯re using a pokemon vastly stronger than this level challenge requires. You have a type advantage with your water type but chose an ice type move instead. Something rock types have a strong defence against. Or were you targeting Onix¡¯s ground typing?¡± I said only to get a blank look. I shook my head. ¡°Well, regardless, you could have probably knocked my pokemon out with a one-two hit but you were too busy celebrating.¡± I stared at the kid as he shrunk in on himself. ¡°Also, you¡¯ve failed to realise your pokemon is still able to battle.¡± The kid snapped his head to see that his Tentacruel was doing as I said, emerging from the wall of the gym with tentacles raised. ¡°Oh. I mean! Oh! Yeah! We¡¯re bad!¡± I facepalmed as he regained his swagger. ¡°Use Ice beam again and take him out this time!¡± ¡°Onix Endure,¡± I said, deciding I wanted to shake this kid¡¯s cage a little more. The attack landed, but once more my Onix rose up causing the kid¡¯s face to whiten. ¡°Oh¡­ not weak to it¡­¡± he said to himself as he recalled what I¡¯d said. I looked from him to my Onix that was barely holding on. I ground my teeth and raised my pokeball. ¡°Onix return.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I ignored the kid as I patted the pokeball. I didn¡¯t need to hurt one of my pokemon to teach a kid a lesson. Not with this Onix. It was too weak. Yolanda dutifully raised a flag. ¡°Gym Leader Brock has withdrawn his Onix. The first battle goes to the Challenger!¡± The kid seemed a bit stumped at the anticlimax. ¡°Does that mean I won?¡± ¡°It means you won the fight yes,¡± I said from my side while drawing out another pokeball. I held it up in front of me and stared across the field at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest kid. You¡¯ve done nothing to impress me or demonstrate you deserve my badge, even as your first badge.¡± ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not right, I just have to beat you!¡± I shook my head. This wasn¡¯t the games where you could sit in the grass for a couple of hours and work on rattata or another pokemon only to then approach the Gym. This was real life. Then again from what I was seeing from this kid, I doubted he had trained his pokemon. They obviously listened to him so I was starting to think there were family-reared pokemon that had been gifted to him. ¡°That¡¯s only at the higher levels where strategy and skill have to be present to have a chance of winning. At this level, as you¡¯re demonstrating, you can walk in with a much stronger team. You are failing at the smallest hurdle however. Think about what I said previously, and you¡¯ll understand!¡± I wasn¡¯t going to spoon-feed the kid anymore. He had the type advantage; he just needed to use it. Instead, he was trying for flashy moves and gaudy stunts. I tossed out my next pokemon. ¡°Go Izumi!¡± Yolanda twitched at the name before eyeing off the pokemon I had selected. The kid rubbed his chin. I could almost hear the gears in his mind creaking as he tried to think back. ¡°I had the advantage with my pokemon?¡± I nodded slowly before gesturing to Yolanda. I¡¯d given the kid long enough now. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Rock Throw! Hit em hard Izumi!¡± I called out. Izumi heard the hidden command to not hold back and unleashed a blistering rock right into Tentacruel¡¯s head. It screeched once again and flopped back. ¡°Eh? Oh sharpedos! Use Poison Jab!¡± My face met my rising hand. ¡°Rollout to evade,¡± I said around my palm. I really couldn¡¯t watch any more of this. I wasn¡¯t surprised when I was able to snipe his Tentacruel down. When he threw out a Cacnea I felt my hopes lift. ¡°Pin Missle!¡± I resisted the urge to face-palm again. I was suddenly just so done with this entire challenge. I could see Yolanda watching me while biting her lips. At least one of us was enjoying the moment. ¡°Rock Throw again!¡± Once again Izumi took a moment and sniped a headshot that sent the Cacnea reeling as it was knocked out. ¡°Cacnea!¡± screamed the kid. ¡°Cacnea is unable to battle!¡± Yolanda said. The kid grunted and returned his pokemon before tossing out an Arbok. I took a deep breath and tried to hold in a glare. The Arbok flinched slightly as it looked up at me. ¡°Rock Throw, again!¡± Izumi¡¯s rock shot forth but this time the Arbok dodged making the attack miss. Izumi narrowed her eyes and one-two¡¯d another Rock Throw straight at Arbok, miffed she¡¯d missed. This time it took two headshots to knock out the giant snake but he made us work for it. ¡°Argh! Arbok!? What!? What¡¯s going on?! That pokemon made it to the quarter-finals last year?!¡± I rolled my eyes as I got confirmation of the strength of his pokemon. ¡°Go Gloom!¡± His next pokemon made me wish I could believe he¡¯d make the right call. He partially had to call any move but a grass attack with Gloom. ¡°Sleep powder!¡± he said with a huge sweep of his arm. ¡°Dig into rock polish,¡± I said. Izumi vanished and I watched as my opponent struggled with what he should do with my pokemon effectively out of his reach. He hesitated and mumbled to himself, making it clear he had no idea what he was doing. Izumi shot out of the ground and smashed into his pokemon sending it flying. ¡°Rollout,¡± I said. Izumi rolled up tight and accelerated. The kid gasped. ¡°Urgh!? Poison powder!¡± I eventually had to signal for Izumi to ¡®take a dive¡¯ after she took out his Gloom. I doubt Izumi even got poisoned, but she couldn¡¯t be too strong against a pokemon trainer at this level. When I recalled her I stared across at the challenger as he raised his hands. His Squirtle, the last pokemon available to him, looked very confused as to how it had won. He had one shot for me to let him slide through with a badge. The most basic of basic questions. I wouldn¡¯t ask it straight away but I could easily slip it in. He¡¯d made some not-terrible moves but when you were all but tripping over the right answers I found his performance very lacking. ¡°Kid, do you think you earned the badge?¡± I said when we got close. ¡°Heh? I won didn¡¯t I?¡± he said proudly. ¡°What strategy did you use?¡± I said, undaunted by his reaction. ¡°Use strong pokemon!¡± he said. I held up a finger, ¡°What makes them strong? Why use Tentacruel, Cacnea, or Squirtle against my Gym? What made them the best choices?¡± He stared at me for a long minute. Again, I could see his mind ticking over, the cogs of his mind grinding at being called to use. I made a note to call whoever this kid¡¯s teacher was. They¡¯d apparently let him skip past some glaring basics that I was damn near sure could be learned passively. I had a chart detailing strengths and weaknesses in the kitchen! I knew Tilly understood grass, water, fire interactions in pokemon for Arceus¡¯ sake! There were kids games in school yards about this! I¡¯m pretty sure there was a guy whose entire job was to stand around out the front of my gym and sell advice for Arceus¡¯ sake! The kid shrugged and I sighed hugely. ¡°Kid, you may have won this match but that is not all it takes to earn a Gym badge. You¡¯ve fallen short of the required understanding of your first gym badge. I will not confer a Boulder Badge on you today.¡± He blinked in shock, his lips quivering. ¡°You! You can¡¯t do that!¡± I grimaced, ¡°Actually, I have to. Go back to your lodgings and learn about how pokemon typings work before challenging again. You had this in the palm of your hand and you failed that, or any other method of earning the badge.¡± ¡°This is taurosshit!¡± ¡°No, this is the challenge everyone faces. Strong pokemon do not make a strong trainer. These pokemon respect you enough to listen but you¡¯re doing them a disservice right now.¡± That pulled him up as he looked down at his Squirtle. That had me relaxing a bit. He wasn¡¯t a bad kid, just not educated where he should have been. He nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll come back and challenge you again!¡± ¡°Sounds good, but hey you won so you at least get to collect the payout for winning. So just treat this like a lesson and not a defeat okay?¡± He nodded and blinked furiously. I could tell the kid was not far off crying. He sniffled piteously, giving a wet sniffle that had as much chance of moving a mountain as it did to make me change my decision. I led him to the door and pushed him through it. He blinked in surprise. ¡°Wait, you''re not going to reconsider?¡± he said as I turned to leave. I glanced back and saw that his tears were all gone. Huh, I hadn¡¯t been sure he¡¯d been using totodile tears. Suddenly, I had way fewer reservations about not giving him the badge. ¡°Nope! Have a nice day!¡± I shut the door and walked off. I felt no guilt as I put him out of my mind. I grabbed the hastily scrawled list in my office and began making more calls to port officials. I needed information and soon. I set my watch for the next challenge to start and raised my transceiver up and began making those calls. Over the course of the rest of the day, I got to talk to a number of record keepers and the Harbourmaster. When I called the airport I got rebuffed after being passed up to the Airport Manager. I¡¯d gotten to talk with the man but he¡¯d been a gruff no-nonsense kind of man. ¡°Brock I¡¯ll level with you. I don¡¯t think you have any right to that information! I¡¯m not required to do it as it will frankly create more work for my people and I¡¯m paying them to do their jobs not assist you on flights of fantasy!¡± I gave the man an incredulous look but had to leave it be. He was right, sadly. I also had other issues to deal with right now. ¡°What was your name again?¡± ¡°Levi Layman, Field Commissioner of the Saffron airport!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to remember that when I tell people precisely how¡­ helpful you¡¯ve been.¡± I let the words linger but the man didn¡¯t seem to notice how one could interpret my words. ¡°So are you not going to do anything to assist me in my inquiry?¡± ¡°No! Now stop wasting my time!¡± he said before hanging up on me. I grimaced; that had been a dead end for me. I called the League when I¡¯d sat down and had some time to really think who would have access to that kind of information. The League, perhaps upon reflection, should have been my first call. And then I¡¯d spent an entire two breaks between challenges stuck on hold. The League did not have good music for getting stuck on hold. Dennis had seen me do my stress release technique three more times in one afternoon. I¡¯d had to wonder if I needed a personal assistant with how run around I felt. If anyone had asked me that question even this morning, I¡¯d have laughed. Now I was finding myself stretched thin and considering it. I had a lot of issues that had been little chores that would have been easy to deal with. I walked up to the lounge behind the receptionist''s desk. Looking out at the sea of pokemon trainers I had to conclude that things were not improving. If anything they were getting worse as more trainers trickled in. I was going to have to make a lot of calls and do a lot of changes in a very short space of time. I stepped out to talk with Alexa. ¡°Alexa I¡ª¡± ¡°Gym Leader Brock I challenge you!¡± I looked up and found a young boy trying to vault the desk to get in my face. I called up my dark and rock energy. The next words out of my lips had enough edge to them to cut a Steel type. ¡°Get. Off. The. Desk. Now.¡± The boy froze, his eyes dilating as his hindbrain kicked in that he was in danger, but he had no idea how or from where. I raised a hand and pointed outside where trainers were waiting. ¡°Go to the back of the line. Now.¡± He slid back away from me and slunk away. When he got out of sight I exhaled the energy. Around me, the room was silent as people watched me like one would watch a Slaking that just ambled into a children¡¯s play area. I looked down to find Alexa staring at me with a gobsmacked expression. ¡°Sorry, you probably had that handled. I¡¯ve had a bit of a trying morning.¡± I flicked my eyes up at the lined-up horde. ¡°As you have as well, I imagine.¡± Alexa merely nodded, her throat bobbing up and down. I sighed. ¡°Sorry, shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± I sighed, licked my lips and continued. ¡°Schedule a meeting for everyone in the gym after we close up. I need to talk to everyone and make some changes.¡± ¡°Right I can do that¡­ also Bethany called and she has another lady set up to watch her grandchildren now and is coming in for the rest of the day.¡± Just as she said it I heard a hustling click-clack of a walking stick and a mumbled, ¡°Make way there, old woman coming through! Make way.¡± Bethany emerged from the crowd and beelined up to the desk, popped the latch to let herself in and claimed her chair next to Alexa. She then logged onto the computer, cleaned her glasses and laced her fingers. If I hadn¡¯t flexed my energy earlier I probably would have flinched as she pushed her hands forward. Her joints clicked like a typewriter firing at full speed as she stretched out her hands. I could only imagine her skeleton popping and locking as she performed what was apparently her pre-work warm-up ritual. She soon had the sign in front of her desk pulled down and her glasses settled on her nose. ¡°NEXT!¡± she said without any care for the spectacle she¡¯d become. I patted the table and nodded at her and Alexa. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got this. Any issues I need to be aware of right now? Otherwise, write them down for the meeting so we can address them.¡± Alexa gave me a tight smile. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a lot of those.¡± I mirrored her before heading off to the next challenge. By the end of the day, I started to get some information back from Harbourmasters, Record department heads, and a small email notifying me from the League to ¡®be on the watch¡¯ for larger than normal trainer numbers for this circuit. That had gotten a snort from me. Oh, larger than average they said. Hahaha, oh I was going to have words with them. I opened the emails and noted the various files that had been sent through from the other immigration points. A porygon appeared before I could do more than look and jumped into each file to check it for anything dangerous. They glanced around, the various parts of their body breaking apart to bounce around like an old screen saver. They sometimes did that when they fell asleep on a still-active computer. This was done to scan the documents and emails I¡¯d received. It reformed and nodded before shooting off-screen and back into the Gym¡¯s data network. ¡°Thanks, Cypher,¡± I said as I looked through the files. It didn¡¯t take me long for a frown to appear. I didn¡¯t like the numbers I was seeing. I started making notes as my heart plummeted. This¡­ Someone had to know about this. I looked at the numbers and found myself wondering who had done this. Someone had to have been advertising the trips and the challenge of coming to Kanto for this circuit. It struck me as very worrisome that this hadn¡¯t been made available to me before I¡¯d flagged it with the League. There¡¯s no way you could have nearly four times the number of normal trainers arriving while not informing the gym leaders. I paused at that and quickly typed up an email for Sabrina, Surge, Erika, Manny, Sophia, and even Koga to see if they had been informed prior to the start of the circuit to expect such increased numbers. I glanced back to the email from the League. They were late with their email and it was missing a lot of details. Was this someone from the League once again coming after me? This felt like a third action after the last two audits. I had someone coming after me and they were very much doing it from the shadows of bureaucracy. I wanted to dismiss it, but there were far too many coincidences that I happened to be caught right in the crosshairs of. I needed to get through a meeting with my own staff to address this oncoming flood of trainers. This was certainly not a surge. There was not going to drop-off in numbers for at least a few weeks or months. Lots of trainers hanging around in one city was just asking for issues to crop up. I rubbed my forehead. So, I had to talk with my people. Talk with the other Gym Leaders. And probably get a late call in with Mayor Jonathan. ¡°Brock!¡± Cindy entered my office having just made it back from school. I smiled tiredly. How had this day gone on this long? It felt like it¡¯d been a week rather than a day with Gary¡¯s arrival and then seeing all those trainers, and that snot-nosed brat, alongside all the call ups I¡¯d done. Cindy, of course, had no idea what I¡¯d been going through in the last eight hours since she¡¯d seen me. She had a huge smile and a large book in her hands. I smiled at her, knowing what she was about to ask. ¡°Can you read me a story?¡± I really didn¡¯t have the time for it, but¡­ her hopeful smile¡­ ¡°Sure, Cindy, let¡¯s get your brothers and sisters. I have enough time for one story,¡± I said as I crushed the whimpering part of my mind that loved sticking to schedules and preplanning. Damn the trainer flood and all the jobs I still had to handle. I had my family to see to first and that was more important. The meeting could wait. They¡¯d understand. ¡°So what are we reading tonight?¡± I said as I fired off a quick message that I was going to be ten minutes late for the meeting. ¡°Detective Pikachu!¡± Cindy said as she raised up the book I laughed to myself, remembering a popular movie from my past life. ¡°Right! Of course! Let¡¯s see how close I can get to Ryan Reynolds¡¯ voice.¡± ¡°Who?¡± said Cindy. I chuckled and waved the question off. I had a lot on my plate coming up but for now, I pushed back on it for something more important. Reading Detective Pikachu to my family. Chapter 63 - Meetings with Movers Detective Pikachu had saved the day. That hadn¡¯t been enough for my siblings and I¡¯d ended up reading two more books before arriving late to the meeting. I¡¯d apologised, but everyone understood where I had been. Or in the case of the new hires, had been informed of what I¡¯d been doing. I hadn¡¯t done anything formal to start the meeting and instead dove right into the nitty-gritty. I laid out how things were looking for the next month or two as it currently stood. ¡°¡ªin light of the frankly huge surge of trainers we¡¯re going to need to have everybody on deck and active,¡± I said to the trainers in the meeting room. Crystal was in the corner happily petting Selene as the moon pokemon ate her dinner. Georgina sat next to them happily watching on. ¡°I honestly feel like we¡¯re going to need more than just our current team can deliver. So there¡¯s going to be some shifting around that I will be discussing tonight.¡± I pointed to the daughter-of-my-accountant turned pokemon-trainer-wrangler. ¡°Crystal, great work for handling the trainer courts. Damage was kept to a minimum?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± she said, petting Selene. I pointedly didn¡¯t ask her to clarify if she meant property damage or damage done to trainers. Georgina waggled her hand in a so-so gesture and I resolved to assign some money to fix them up by tomorrow. I flicked through the notes I¡¯d made from a quick walk-through of the gym. I still needed to patrol the actual area but that would have to wait until the morning. With more people testing us, I might need to hire on more staff for security. I already had two people on at night and one on during the day but perhaps another on each shift wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea? The patrol outside the Gym I could do during a morning run with my pokemon before the day started. ¡°As I mentioned to Alexa, I¡¯m extending the gym hours to work through more trainers so we can get them out of Pewter and on the road.¡± I looked around. ¡°I know it¡¯s going to be difficult but with the extended hours, you will all be earning the bonus rate for overtime hours at time and half-pay. That includes the entirety of Saturday so make some plans for when it¡¯s time to pay your taxes cause you¡¯re going to be in a much higher bracket.¡± I waved towards Georgina, ¡°See Georgina if you need it explained to you.¡± I¡¯d mentioned it offhandedly at lunch, while waiting on hold with the airport, and she¡¯d taught me things about taxes. She really was a terrifyingly smart woman with how she somehow taught you things you had no interest in. ¡°I¡¯m going to be posting some more temporary jobs as well. Alexa, I need you to get in contact with the list of trainers that I¡¯m sending through to you. They reached the shortlist last time but didn¡¯t make the cut. I need them now to run gym duties, and also fulfil patrols of Pewter to assist the police.¡± I flicked to another page and sighed, ¡°Along with also making sure the wilds are safe for the new trainers wandering about the routes for the first time.¡± The room at large shared a grumble at all the duties that were expected of a gym trainer. ¡°How come we don¡¯t just have the Rangers and the Police take that over?¡± asked Daniel. ¡°These are duties that we as a Major Gym are expected to take care of. This is to allow us to continue upholding the Gym¡¯s agreement. Failing to uphold them can create tension with the league and could even lead to a review of our gym license. It¡¯s by no means easy for the League to strip us of our license, or even renegotiate, but it¡¯s not something I¡¯m going to allow to be counted against us.¡± I glanced around before smirking. "It also comes with some privileges." ¡°What sort of privileges?¡± Daniel said while scratching his neck. Janine bounced in her seat. ¡°Oh! Your gym signed on under the old charter?¡± At my nod Janine beamed. ¡°Excellent! With how new your Gym¡¯s facilities were I thought you were under the new agreement! So that means you get preferential tax rates, a roster of pokemon that act as a reserve for the city in emergency times, and a political voice.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, my family earned the Gym charter after the war. Though I have no idea what they did to deserve that,¡± I grumbled to myself. Forrest looked interested, but I made a gesture to show we could talk about it later if he wanted. Instead I waved the issue away. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s beside the point.¡± I coughed to reset people¡¯s attention. ¡°We hold a prestigious position in the Indigo conference, and that means we have duties to perform alongside it. If things lapse, lots of people look to the Gym before the Rangers or the police. We¡¯re the first point of contact for a lot of trainers who further serve to keep things calm¡­ most of the time.¡± I added on at the end. ¡°We do have some overlapping responsibilities with other regional organisations, such as the Police, Rangers and local government, but that is by design. We work with them, we¡¯re not and never should be antagonistic towards them and vice versa. We¡¯re not beholden to them though, and they can¡¯t order you about any more than a civilian. In some instances, you actually have better legal standing than civilians as long as you¡¯re acting in good faith. I might have Lawrence come in and talk to us about that one day.¡± I tapped the stack of papers in my hand, ¡°Until then, our focus is on dealing with this surge. The influx of trainers is going to put a strain on us. We need to be ready for what that will mean.¡± I pointed to Alexa. ¡°Alexa, I¡¯m promoting you to be my personal assistant. Your duties will remain the same until we can get another receptionist or two, they will work under you and alongside Bethany. You¡¯ll be in charge of the receptionists along with getting my schedule streamlined and making calls while I¡¯m busy.¡± A few people blinked in surprise at that and I grimaced. ¡°I spent way, way too much time chasing my tail today.¡± Alexa nodded seriously and I continued. ¡°I¡¯m doing this to try and take some work off my shoulders as I need to be either out and about or in the gym taking challenges. I can¡¯t keep trying to call up the League or other people. We¡¯ll talk about an increase in salary and if this needs to be permanent in a month¡¯s time.¡± Alexa smiled happily. ¡°Should I schedule in the talk for you?¡± she said teasingly. I nodded at her before lowering my finger to the next names on my list that I¡¯d jotted down while waiting on hold. ¡°Rocko, Dennis? You¡¯re going to be the point of contact for trainer-related issues. I want you to talk to any newcomers about duties and roles that well need to be taken over. I expect with this surge that we¡¯ll need another four trainers taken on temporarily to cover our duties.¡± ¡°Janine,¡± I said and she shot to a standing position. ¡°You¡­ you might need to talk to your father. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s going to want to recall you with this surge occurring as he will be under strain as well. We¡¯ll have to talk with him. Otherwise, perhaps I have you doing security work?¡± She got a conflicted look but slowly nodded her head. ¡°I will mention it to him tonight.¡± I gave her a tight smile and moved on. ¡°Lastly, and this is for everyone, we will be blocking out three days of the gym¡¯s schedule in a month¡¯s time as we will need to catch new pokemon.¡± ¡°That soon Brock?¡± asked Rocko, sitting up with a worried expression. I scratched my cheek. ¡°I¡¯m hoping I¡¯m being over dramatic here, but yeah it looks like it¡¯ll be that soon. We¡¯ll need to block out at least one day specifically for evaluating where we¡¯re at with our pokemon roster. How strong they are, what badge level they¡¯re appropriate against and if the Gym¡¯s roster is spread out enough for our needs. As always, I know we¡¯ll be short on first badge challenges but we might get lucky with some pokemon like Izumi and Moxy.¡± ¡°Actually, Moxy is pretty close to evolving I think? She¡¯s been putting on mass lately and is being picky with what rocks she devours for her evolved form.¡± Rocko said. Dennis grimaced at that. I shared a look with them before shrugging. ¡°That¡¯s fine. She¡¯s wanting to grow steadily but she might be a pokemon that we look to hand off to or sell to a trainer¡± I gave the group a glance. ¡°There will also be a number of pokemon that will be too strong for certain challenges but those can always be sold unless any of our trainers form bonds with any pokemon in particular. If you have a favourite or notice a pokemon whose disposition stands out to you, by all means, make a note and bring it up in later meetings.¡± I glanced at Rachel. ¡°Can you post a notice on our pokenet page that we¡¯ll be doing a sell-off on the last day of the break?¡± ¡°Oh yeah! That¡¯d be popular! I could do it like an auction if I get enough hype for it!¡± Rachel jotted down my suggestion along with her own thoughts. I coughed. ¡°Make sure to also put up some flyers on the community notice boards in the city and local towns.¡± Rachel grumbled to herself about people not knowing how good they had it with pokenet access and I nodded in silent agreement while Rocko and Dennis rolled their eyes. I made a circle in the air. ¡°I will be scheduling more meetings that I hope are short at the end of each week. I want you to consider any issues that you¡¯re encountering and bring them up even if they seem small. If they¡¯re urgent I want you to tell Rocko or Dennis as soon as possible alright? The earlier we identify an issue, the earlier we fix the issue. Any questions or items to raise for now?¡± No hands were raised, so I clapped my hands together. ¡°All right people! If you want to head out for dinner, I¡¯ll reimburse you, otherwise, you¡¯re free to head out.¡± ¡°Keep your receipts! If you want reimbursement, get receipts!¡± Georgina was quick to chime in. ¡°To Mr Mime¡¯s house!¡± proclaimed Crystal loudly. Rocko laughed while Daniel rolled his eyes. Janine lingered at the door until I gestured for her to stay for the next meeting. As the others bounded off for a night at Mr Mime¡¯s finest family restaurant, I chuckled before stacking some sheets of paper together. Alexa approached me and laid out my schedule as it currently stood. I pointed out a few people that needed to be rescheduled along with some blocks of time I wanted her to block out for other duties or, more importantly, family time. ¡°Oh, can you also call the Pokemon Academy and tell them they need to book in now due to the large numbers of trainers we¡¯re facing right now?¡± When we were done, she headed off, and I leaned back into my chair and rubbed my face. A vibration on my wrist had me sighing loud enough to echo through the now-empty room. One meeting down, two more to go.
[/hr] I clicked accept on the video link. The link held everyone in a lobby until all eight invitees were logged in before opening the video and sound. My image appeared to the side as nine other faces appeared before me. I started things off, ¡°Good evening, this is Brock from Pewter, with Janine from Fuchsia shadowing me as an apprentice.¡± Next to me, Janine bowed stiffly to the transceiver. ¡°Like Daisy, Lily and Violet are here!¡± ¡°From Cerulean of course!¡± ¡°Yuh!¡± chimed in three voices as the blonde Daisy, the red-haired Lily, and the blue-haired Violet waved into the camera. ¡°Lieutenant Surge from Vermillion! How¡¯s everyone this evening?!¡± crowed Surge. On his shoulder, Raichu smirked into the camera. ¡°Good evening to all from myself, Erika at the Celadon gym,¡± Erika said with a small bow. Behind her, the gardens that featured throughout her gym could just be made out as her background. ¡°Sabrina, Saffron city,¡± Sabrina said. She had no special features to her video and said her words quickly with a flat tone. ¡°Koga from the Fuchsia gym. Good evening.¡± The ninja-styled expert inclined his head, his eyes searching over his daughter before relaxing minutely. ¡°Hmmm yes, hello everyone! Blaine here!¡± said Blaine from a room that looked to be full of other computers and items that seemed to belong in a mad scientist¡¯s lab. ¡°Giovanni here, Viridian, Surge stated that this meeting was being called by you Brock? What seems to be the issue? The circuit is only a week old? Issues already?¡± Giovanni didn¡¯t bother to let anyone else talk and instantly took control of the meeting. I inclined my head. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been facing a surge of trainers and I know from records that the League has allowed roughly four times the normal amount of trainers to undergo the circuit this year. This is straining our resources as lots of people have arrived at Pewter.¡± ¡°A surge you say?¡± Giovanni said. ¡°Have you ever experienced a surge in trainer numbers? I believe the last was during your father¡¯s stewardship of the gym.¡± ¡°It was. He recorded having to face roughly twelve trainers a day and that took him three weeks to work through.¡± I glanced at my schedule and grimaced, ¡°I am reporting that I currently have all of the next month booked full, with sixteen trainers a day booked in.¡± I leaned forward. ¡°That¡¯s included half days on Saturday for an extra six battles.¡± Daisy tilted her head. ¡°Sixteen by five, plus six¡­ you¡¯re going to face¡­ over three hundred, nearly three-fifty trainers in the next¡­ month¡­¡± Daisy blanched ¡°And then they¡¯re going to be coming here!¡± Lily and Violet stiffened at that, glancing at their sister. ¡°What?!¡± They both said. ¡°You¡¯re pulling our leg right, Brock? You can¡¯t have that many trainers in the first month! That¡¯s way too many! Right? Brock?¡± I gave them an apologetic look. ¡°I¡¯m expecting more to turn up. If the worst case occurs I might face close to seven hundred trainers before the third month this year.¡± Daisy, Lily and Violet began hyperventilating. ¡°Like, oh my gosh. Oh my gosh! That¡¯s way too many trainers!¡± Koga clapped his hands. ¡°Girls! Control yourselves! You are Gym Leaders! You are also in a much better position as you will be able to bolster each other and process the trainers much faster!¡± The Cerulean girls nodded before swallowing. ¡°We¡¯re going to need more pokemon¡­ like way, way more¡­ and some more trainers to help out¡­ Can any of you¡ª¡± ¡°I would be happy to assist you ladies in this time of need,¡± said Giovanni. I felt a chill run down my spine as Giovanni smiled like a Persian that had just ransacked the cream warehouse. Visions of all the ways that could turn out terribly ran through my mind. I glanced at the girls and saw them relaxing. Like Pidgeys thinking the Persian was going to keep them safe. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I might be able to send someone over,¡± I heard myself saying. Giovanni looked at me and for just a moment his brow creased. ¡°Same here girls!¡± shouted Surge. Erika shifted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure some of my girls would be able to help out as much. But I can send you three of them! Or five! I have quite a few!¡± That had me stopping and reassessing. Erika had that many Gym trainers? ¡°Like thanks so much guys!¡± ¡°Yeah, you guys are the best!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± cried the Cerulean sisters into the camera as they slumped into their chairs. I mentally wondered if it was worth asking about Misty. Was she still with Ash? Had they met each other or had events drifted enough to not have them meeting each other? Would she get called in to handle the gym now? I wasn¡¯t sure but I knew that I certainly did not want Giovani helping out the naive trio of sisters. I had no doubt that would result in Team Rocket all but running the place in name. ¡°Hehehe,¡± chuckled Blaine, cutting off any further discussion. Everyone frowned at the man but he waved his hands back and forth. ¡°Hehehe! Ha! Well, this certainly wasn¡¯t something I expected to occur when you defeated Lance Brock, but then again, success breeds its own problems!¡± ¡°It seems a bit ridiculous for my victory to cause this level of response,¡± I said reasonably. Blaine huffed. ¡°Oh you simple child, your match was televised to the international community! The world is a larger place than you understand!¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°I have no doubt a huge number of people would have seen it and young trainers had the entire off-season to make plans. It¡¯s not every day that you get to challenge a Champion. But a man that has beaten a Champion?¡± He leered at me over the top of his glasses. ¡°Brock, Brock, Brock, there are going to be lots of trainers interested in wanting to say that they¡¯ve beaten you. Your badge has a lot more value these days.¡± He grinned ¡°I hope you raised your prices at least! You¡¯re in for a long start to the circuit!¡± He threw back his head and cackled. When he was done he grinned. ¡°I only take challengers with four badges that can reach me and make it worth my time. Good luck to the rest of you!¡± And just like that, he disconnected. ¡°That was rather¡­¡± Erika mumbled aloud. ¡°That is how Blaine is,¡± Giovanni said before tapping his desk to signal he had more to say. ¡°Brock, what Blaine said is correct. I have been looking through the information you sent to Surge earlier and it shows a large spike in Johto, Hoenn, Sevii and Orange region trainers coming here. This is going to be a tough period, but we¡¯ll get through it. I will not be lowering the challenge level as I wish to preserve my badge¡¯s value but it may be worth reaching out to the four minor gyms along with the Admissions Exam Board to notify them of the issues that will be arising. Does anyone have any issues with including the four minor gym leaders in future meetings?¡± None of us raised any complaints and Giovanni nodded once. ¡°Very well, I will get in contact with them. Brock, how long can you handle the current workload? Do you need any more trainers like the Cerulean gym?¡± ¡°We¡¯re coping,¡± I said, resisting the urge to glare at the man for having the gall to attempt such a thing with me. I¡¯d need to watch for any plants coming my way and make sure to keep security as tight as I could. Challenges like this would lead to tough times but also the occasional opportunity. I just had to make sure I wasn¡¯t someone else''s opportunity. Erika voiced her support of drawing some trainers away as did Surge. Sabrina chewed her lip only for Koga to speak up. ¡°I will lower my own gym¡¯s standards for now, but I will shorten Janine¡¯s time with you. It might be a good test run to have her handle the first, and second badge challengers.¡± He turned to his daughter, ¡°Janine, make the most of your next week.¡± ¡°Yes, father!¡± she said. A buzz on my wrist had me glancing down and grimacing. It was late already, and I still had other people to talk with. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to sign out as I have to talk with the Mayor. Thanks for attending and for doing what you can everyone.¡± ¡°Thank you for alerting us to the situation. We will remain in contact,¡± Giovanni said as others chorussed their own goodbyes. I hung up with a nod. I stood and shuffled some papers into a folder before stuffing it into a backpack. ¡°Thanks for that Janine¡­ would it be possible for you to occasionally poke over to Cerulean to check up on the¡ª¡± I was cut off as Sabrina appeared in a flash. Janine reared back and threw out a pokeball with Beedrill punching forwards only for Sabrina to arrest the Beedrill¡¯s attack with psychic energy. Beedrill buzzed harshly and broke out, reading to strike again only for Janine to call the pokemon back. Sabrina stared at the younger girl. ¡°Oh, I apologise, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you,¡± she said. Janine bristled. ¡°I wasn''t scared!¡± Sabrina merely glanced at the Beedrill still in the room. Janine flushed and returned the pokemon. I hummed, a small note of concern rearing its head. If Beedrill had gone for a bug-type move would Sabrina have been able to stop it? Or a dark-type move? I pushed the thought aside and instead shook my head. ¡°Alright let¡¯s calm down. Sabrina, I assume you just wanted to check up on me?¡± Sabrina nodded and I gave her a smile. ¡°Right, give me a moment?¡± She nodded again and I turned to Janine. ¡°Hey I¡¯m going to talk with Sabrina but could you check in on the Cerulean girls later? I don¡¯t trust Giovanni.¡± Janine nodded. ¡°I know why, I will do so!¡± she said before offering me a bow. Then she pulled out a smokebomb. I raised my hand to stop her; I didn''t want smoke lingering in my office. ¡°Don¡ª¡± was as far as I got before she threw it. Instead of it exploding it was caught in a psychic grasp. Janine was already dashing out the door but she stumbled when she realised she was clearly visible. ¡°What?!¡± she said as she skidded to a halt only to whip around to glower at Sabrina. ¡°Stop that!¡± she said, her leg twitching like she wanted to stomp it. I bit my lips to stop myself from laughing. I coughed. ¡°Uhm, please don¡¯t throw smoke bombs in my office in future, Janine.¡± Janine blinked before blushing. ¡°Ah, that is reasonable.¡± I nodded and gestured to the door. When the door closed, I huffed a laugh. Sabrina tilted her head at me as though curious about my reaction. I wagged a finger at Sabrina. ¡°Don¡¯t bully her.¡± Sabrina hummed before stepping up to me. ¡°Brock? Are you alright?¡± she said, her eyes checking me over. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She narrowed her eyes and I held up a hand. ¡°Just harassed. I have a lot to deal with with this whole trainer surge¡­ or well I¡¯m calling it a flood honestly.¡± Sabrina stayed quiet before looking to the side. ¡°I could lower my challenge level and allow¡­¡± I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Sabrina¡­ No offence, but I think you¡¯d scare a lot of people off because you don¡¯t exactly hold back when you fight.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°Why should I?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Nah, you shouldn¡¯t. You do you. If a trainer challenges you then they should be ready for a tough match. I''ll talk to Sophia, Manny, Kong, and Grey, they already see first-badge challengers and a bit more attention sent their way might be good for them.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Think you can drop in on the Cerulean sisters when you¡¯re able to?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡° Sabrina watched me with narrowed eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just worried they might pick up some people that won¡¯t have their gym''s best interest at heart.¡± Sabrina continued to stare at me. Her eyes felt like they were boring into me. ¡°You want me to look into them? You¡¯ve usually wanted me to refrain from looking into people¡¯s minds.¡± I worked my teeth back and forth. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want you to stop, just not be flagrant about it. Be mindful I guess? I can admit that I don¡¯t like the idea of you doing it with no regard, but for certain scenarios,¡± I opened a hand up and shrugged, ¡°it''s a warranted tool. You don¡¯t have to if you¡¯re not comfortable with it, but I just¡­¡± I scratched the back of my head searching for what to say. ¡°Is there any reason you¡¯re asking me to do this now?¡± ¡°I trust you,¡± I said simply. Sabrina blinked before a light dusting of red appeared across her nose. ¡°Ah, I apologise I thought you might have¡­¡± I glanced away from the wall to her, ¡°Never mind!¡± she said quickly at my curious look. It took me a moment to realise why she was acting strangely. I¡¯d asked her to look into the potential trainers for¡­ ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not interested in the Cerulean sisters. I just don¡¯t trust Giovanni.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°I understand. I will investigate them if I find anything.¡± I clicked my teeth. ¡°Alright, just be careful, you know what I¡¯m worried about with Giovanni.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m not garnering as much attention. They didn¡¯t detect me when I threw those rocks through his gym,¡± she said. She flicked her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will let you know if I discover anything. If they attack me or mine, however, I will not hold myself back.¡± She squeezed my hand once before stepping back and disappearing in a flash of light. I ran my hand over where she¡¯d squeezed. She¡¯d counted me in that, hadn¡¯t she? Part of me wanted to call her back to clarify while another laughed at the willful ignorance I was trying to use. Another part then tagged in and reminded me that I was now very, very late with meeting with the Mayor. I started to run only to pause as I recalled I too had a psychic pokemon capable of teleporting. ¡°Selene! I need to be teleported to the mayor¡¯s house,¡± I said. ¡°Luuunatone!¡± she cried before bumping into me. The world vanished as she wrapped me up in psychic energy. I held in my dark energy so as to not disrupt the teleport. We appeared a moment later in front of a fancy manor. I could see a light on in a room. I rapped smartly on the door with the knocker. A few moments later I heard shuffling from inside and within a minute a woman¡¯s face peered out at me. ¡°Gym Leader Brock? This is a late call out for my husband.¡± ¡°Ah no, I called him to meet up. I need to fill him in on something.¡± The Mayor¡¯s wife tutted at me. ¡°Oh silly! It probably could have waited or been done over the phone. Don¡¯t let him string you along now.¡± She gestured to a door. ¡°He¡¯s through there. I¡¯ll bring some snacks if you¡¯re going to be here long.¡± I watched her glide away, amused at how very different she was from the rather forceful personality of the mayor. I opened the door and stepped through. ¡°Mayor Jonathan, we¡¯ve got a situation.¡± Jonathan looked up and snorted. ¡°You¡¯re late Gym Leader!¡± His words were harsh but his grin took the sting away. The words also felt like he was quoting something but I couldn¡¯t place it having not watched all that many pokemon movies. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find I arrived precisely when I should have,¡± I said, twisting an old quote to my own needs. Jonathan observed me before snorting. ¡°Feh! You¡¯re learning at least. Very well, tell me what the situation is.¡± And so I spent the next hour laying out the issues that would likely arise from the coming trainer surge. Within a few minutes, Jonathan¡¯s wife ¡ª Who, I learnt was named Caroline¡ª came in with milk and cookies. She then glided on out leaving me to take up the story once more. Jonathan listened intently throughout; When I was done he drummed his fingers on his desk. ¡°You¡¯re projecting four times the trainer volume to come through Pewter cause of how you kicked Lance in the tail? Heh! Nice, we¡¯ll be rolling tourism!¡± I shok my head. ¡°Mayor, idle or frustrated trainers are known to cause damage if they can¡¯t get access to what they want. They¡¯re young, headstrong people that are more likely to find their own entertainment.¡± ¡°Pewter City can supply that!¡± Jonathan said while expanding his hands. ¡°We have attractions! Natural ones even! Mt Moon! The canyons and hot springs! We¡¯ve got the tunnels and the forests to the south. People should want to spend more time here as it is!¡± His chest puffed up, and I could almost feel him rattling off those exact words at some town hall meeting to sway the people that turned up to such events. I hummed, not taken with his plan. ¡°I think we need to process what we can and get the other trainers to move on.¡± ¡°Move on!? No way! Get ''em to stick around! I can come up with distractions! Heck, you should capitalise on it and run that Contest I heard people talking about.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll put a strain on the hospital, the police, the pokecenter, even the food market,¡± I said before addressing the second point. ¡°That is only in the early stages of concept planning. We barely have an idea on how to run such an event.¡± Part of me wondered who had mentioned it to the Mayor as I hadn¡¯t said a word of it in months. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone swing around for you to talk with. I know a young lass whose family were avid Contest goers in Hoenn. As for the other issue? Don¡¯t you worry about the civil side of things, you just handle the Gym and its duties.¡± He gave me a sly look, ¡°Any chance you want some of them taken off your plate?¡± ¡°No. Thank you for the offer, however, I think I will be able to handle things sufficiently,¡± I tightly said as if he wasn¡¯t trying to entrap me. This wasn¡¯t how I was expecting this to go. ¡°Brock, you have to see things from my perspective. This is your first surge and it sounds like it''s going to be rough. I think for the moment¡ª¡± ¡°I said I¡¯ll handle it.¡± I glared at him but the man gave me a mulish look. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hiring more staff and have systems in place. Not, that it¡¯s your business. Perhaps you should handle the civil side of things. I thought it courteous to inform you of something that would affect you.¡± Jonathan patted at the air. ¡°Brock, Brock, Brock, I apologise. I¡¯ve pushed too far. I can see that. Thank you for the information, we¡¯ll be able to handle it better knowing it''s on the way. I¡¯ll schedule a talk with the Chief of Police and the other services to give them a heads-up. Was there anything else you wished to discuss tonight?¡± ¡°Not unless you were interested in setting up routes for trainers to move to other cities, to space things out¡± ¡°I think that means I should see you out then,¡± he said affably. I nodded tightly and made my own way out. Caroline who¡¯d apparently been staying close perked up when she saw us leave the office. ¡°Oh Brock! I was thinking you might appreciate an invitation to my gala in a few months. I could never quite get your father to¡­¡± My face must have turned to granite as she stopped talking for a moment. Her tongue darted out and wet her lips and Jonathan moved to her side, suddenly much more aware of me. Caroline smiled tightly. ¡°Oh, well never you mind that! I¡¯d feel terrible if I didn¡¯t extend the offer to you. You¡¯d be a hit with some of the young ladies making their debut this season!¡± I made a noncommittal noise, unaware that we¡¯d had such events while also feeling that agreeing would mean I¡¯d be like a Meowth on show for Caroline. I beat a hasty retreat home and reviewed the day to come. Thankfully when my head hit the pillow I was quick to fall asleep. The next morning I was up and running hard on the outside perimeter inspecting the fences and warning signs that were up. I had very different terrain to both sides. On my left a swamp haunted the land with willowy trees and fronds while to my right rocky landscapes proved perfect for my rock pokemon. Some of whom were running along the fence. In front of me, the road was well maintained which allowed me to somewhat keep up with my pokemon as they rumbled along. A honk had me turning around to find a motorbike approaching. When it neared it slowed down and I waved to Officer jenny. ¡°Jenny, morning!¡± ¡°Morning Brock! How¡¯re you doing today?¡± ¡°Pretty good, gotta get a few things done though with the trainers coming in.¡± Jenny relaxed. ¡°Oh good, the Mayor told you about the surge coming your way?¡± I blinked at that, something about the emphasis of the words stood out to me. ¡°The Mayor, told me?¡± ¡°Yeah! He got some figures of incoming trainers and spoke with the chief and a few other community leaders last night. I assume he spoke to you?¡± I stopped and spat to the side of the road earning me an unimpressed look which I ignored as I felt dark feelings stir. ¡°I told him about the damn surge. Urgh! Politicians!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ well yeah, that is what politicians will do. Next time, just tell the Chief of Police yourself.¡± I sighed and exhaled the darkness. In a way, Jonathan had spared me a lot of time. It rubbed me the wrong way that he¡¯d stolen the credit for himself. But¡­ I had to agree with Jenny. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll remember that,¡± I said. Jenny nodded, ¡°Well, I wanted to come out and check up on you. Good to hear that things are on the up and up. The rest of the squad and I are going to be on patrol. Who should we touch base with if we have any issues?¡± ¡°Probably Rocko, Dennis or Alexa.¡± I wiped some sweat off and stared into the swamp. ¡°Alexa?¡± asked Jenny in surprise. ¡°Thought she was acting as a receptionist for you?¡± ¡°Promoted her to PA.¡± ¡°Ho? Good for her, hope it sticks. Say I was¡ª¡± before she could finish her radio squawked and she snatched it up. ¡°Jenny here!¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Trainers are doing what in the park?¡± ¡°.....!¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± She slammed it in before whipping her bike around the road she¡¯d just come down. ¡°Gotta go Brock! Trainers are fighting in the middle of the memorial garden, and someone¡¯s painted graffiti on the hospital!¡± Before I could even respond, she roared back down the road. I coughed at the dust cloud I found myself in. A loud croak from the swamp made me turn to see large yellow eyes watching me. I nodded amicably. ¡°Morning Shrek.¡± My Swampert ambled out and nuzzled up to me. I patted him and sighed. Somewhere in the next month, I had to deal with Ash and¡­ my father. Compared to them, Jonathan stealing credit and being himself really was a minor detail. I still had chores to do and trainers to handle. Most notably this morning was teaching Missy how to handle gravity training and Janine with aura training. I also needed something. ¡­ A response to the League. At this point, I didn¡¯t care if it was negligence or something targeted. Chapter 64 - Training pokemon and people Missy was working with her Rhydon and her Growlithe as I emerged from the gym. Chansey was on my left and Janine flickered into place on my right. She jabbed at me but I stepped to the side out of habit. She brightened up at my reaction. ¡°Excellent! You can also follow up by sweep¡ª¡± Her advice had to be dropped as Chansey reacted poorly to Janine¡¯s sudden appearance by unleashing a Double Slap that Janine wasn¡¯t expecting. She rocked back onto her heels from the first hit only for the follow-up backhand from Chansey to knock her off her feet. I put a hand on Chansey¡¯s side. ¡°Woah, easy there girl,¡± I said while trying to hold in my laughter. I hadn¡¯t known that Chansey reacted so poorly to surprises. Apparently, violence was her go-to option. Janine bounced up to her feet into a fighting position and glared at Chansey. They both locked eyes and Chansey raised her tiny arms in preparation. I considered, for half a moment, just stepping back and letting them fight. Then the responsible adult within me reared its head and I stepped between them. ¡°Alright, alright, we should just calm down. Janine, the issue with your training method just made itself very clear I think, no?¡± I held up a hand and she blinked before scowling. ¡°That! That was just¡­ a lucky shot!?¡± she said but I could tell even to her it was a weak excuse. Her gaze was locked behind me though. I shook my head, then turned to Chansey who was still bobbing back and forth and shooting her tiny arms out with the occasional ¡®come get some¡¯ at Janine. ¡°Chansey, that¡¯s not helping.¡± ¡°Chansey! Chan! Chan!¡± she said as she shot out punch after punch. ¡°Chansey,¡± I said firmly. Chansey settled down and sighed. I almost turned away only to stop as Chansey started to twitch into throwing her fist upwards while the other slapped it in an offensive gesture. ¡°Chansey, do you want to help train Missy¡¯s pokemon with Gravity or not?¡± Chansey dropped the aggressive stance and bowed politely to Janine only to skip past me and wave happily to Missy. ¡°Morning Brock!¡± Missy said as she noticed us. She glanced at Chansey and then at Janine. ¡°Uhm? Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Just Janine learning how people react differently and one method of teaching isn¡¯t a guarantee of success,¡± I said, summarising without restarting that little spat. Missy watched me and I realised that my lips were twitching. I coughed to reset my mood. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s talk about your training methods. I reviewed what you¡¯ve been doing and noticed the gap with no gravity training. That¡¯s going to be especially important for pokemon that you¡¯re looking to evolve such as your Growlithe and your Rhydon. Increasing their muscle mass prior to evolution can make things a lot easier than waiting.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Missy asked with a tilt of her head. I glanced at Janine and gestured for her to take over. I wanted to test her and see how she would answer the question and any subsequent questions. Janine straightened up. ¡°Yes! Gravity training increases muscle density, bone mineral density and ligament strength! This allows for an earlier development for pokemon so when they undergo their evolution there is a greater mass for the multiplicative effect to come into play.¡± Missy blinked. ¡°Wait so my Rhydon has missed out because I evolved her already?!¡± she said with a shriek. Next to her, her Rhydon gasped theatrically and put her hands over her shoulder and chest where the most prominent musculature of a Rhydon was. I had to resist the urge to step in as Janine scowled. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Your pokemon still has the chance to regain the mass she missed out on. She has a range of growth, it is just something you will have to work out and increase her nutrient intake. Her growth factor will resolve all of that!¡± Janine crossed her arms and nodded. Missy notably did not look relieved and in fact, looked more worried. ¡°But my Rhydon has been evolved for a year and a half now¡­ wouldn¡¯t that mean her growth factor has stopped?¡± Janine raised a finger before perking up. ¡°Her next evolution will restart her growth factor!¡± Missy considered that and slowly nodded. ¡°So how long will it come into effect for her?¡± ¡°It typically lasts a month after the evolution takes place so it is important that if you want certain physical characteristics such as size or unusual arm reach for your pokemon then you should have training that will facilitate this!¡± I decided to interject. ¡°There are supplements that help induce more growth but these are expensive. It will depend on if you actually want the size increase or if you¡¯re trying to stay quick and nimble! As a gym trainer, this will be covered by the Gym. It is recommended that you hold off evolution for at least a month with this training to get more from it.¡± I then rolled my hand to show Janine I wanted her to continue. Janine stepped forward once more. ¡°That concludes what you need to know!¡± I coughed, and Janine and Missy stared at me. I sighed. ¡°The risk factors and considerations for this type of training also need to be explained, Janine.¡± ¡°Oh! Yes! Stay within your limitations, and when your pokemon is tired, you should stop!¡± she said. I facepalmed. ¡°That explanation is missing a lot of details,¡± I said lightly. ¡°In the future, it is best to explain all the details. For instance, why is gravity training not used extensively?¡± ¡°It¡­ causes bulk up in pokemon?¡± Janine said. I nodded. ¡°Indeed. Some pokemon you will want to stay small and nimble. Also some pokemon, such as bug pokemon, won¡¯t react well to having their wings suddenly weigh a lot more. There are benefits to getting them used to gravity training, but this is more so that they can handle the strain if they encounter it. Sustained gravity training will also negatively impact their ability to dodge. It is better for Pokemon that you want to hit with physical attacks or be able to handle heavier hits.¡± ¡°Like Flamethrower!¡± said Missy. ¡°No,¡± Janine and I said over the top of each other. Missy reeled back. Janine glanced at me and checked to see if I wanted her to say anything, but I decided to take over. ¡°Right, so I haven¡¯t gone into this yet but Flamethrower has a physical component certainly, but it mostly uses energy. So Flamethrower is not an example of what you could improve from Gravity training. Gravity training is best for improving a pokemon¡¯s vitality, or its physical stats. So in this case attack and defence or how hard it can punch or how hard it can take a punch.¡± ¡°What about speed?¡± Missy said. I held up a finger. ¡°Speed has had¡­¡± I rethought that. ¡°Well honestly, the whole classification system has been something that researchers get into fights over.¡± I said scratching my head. ¡°There hasn¡¯t yet been something more applicable ,so yeah I¡¯ll put a pin in that whole conversation. But with regard to your question? Speed, as people use it for stats with pokemon, refers to both agility ¡ªaka the ability to change directions and control acceleration¡ª and what is known as straight-line movement or velocity. There is a marked difference between these. This is also where people can get into a lot of trouble with gravity training. It¡¯s also where all the warnings about gravity training mostly come from.¡± Missy nodded, looked intently at me to show she was listening. I circled my hand about. ¡°Now! Forgive me for dropping this on you but if you want to look it up, it is in the Gym network files that are for trainers to use.¡± Missy nodded slowly and Janine tilted her head. I pointed to her. ¡°Sorry, forgot to grant you access to it. Ask Alexa later alright?¡± I then paused as I regathered where I¡¯d left off. ¡°Right! So when we stand, gravity is naturally pulling us down. Our joints come under normal body weight pressure. What happens when we start moving, even at a slow walk, is that the amount of force a joint is under increases in multiples, which can then be compounded with gravity.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Missy said. Janine nodded. ¡°The amount of pressure placed on joints, ligaments and muscles increase when we move.¡± I pointed at her and nodded. ¡°Correct! Now when we move faster this pressure increases until it can easily reach over two times the normal pressure when factoring in our body weight at a quick walk.¡± I pointed to Rhydon. ¡°So, if we think about a pokemon like Rhydon running, there is a rather large force being placed on her joints, and when we add in Gravity? The risk of injury increases.¡± Missy glanced at Chansey. ¡°So she¡¯s here for that? Healing any injuries?¡± ¡°And to increase her Gravity control. For today you are only going to be moving around slowly. You should never rush straight into the higher levels of agility drills with your pokemon as that will result in torn muscles and ligaments. We want muscle hypertrophy to occur. Don¡¯t worry though, those levels will come but give your pokemon time and proper care. You just need to get over an initial hurdle that makes Gravity training dangerous.¡± Missy nodded seriously as her pokemon eyed off Chansey excitedly. Chansey, for her part, merely smirked, knowing how much this training was going to suck. ¡°What about special attack and special defence?¡± I wavered my hand. ¡°We''ll touch on that another day,¡± I said, not wanting to get into the whole ¡®aura education¡¯ that such a conversation would require today. ¡°Just pay as much attention as you can to how your pokemon uses their energy reserves. The more they attack and the more powerful the attacks are, which is a good indicator of their reserves, and also that their special attack stat is increasing.¡± Missy nodded. I quickly glanced down at my watch, relaxing as this talk had only taken ten minutes. I still had time before the day¡¯s challenges started. I exhaled some of the tension that had built up and clapped Janine on the shoulder. ¡°Right, you¡¯re with me today.¡± Janine perked up as Missy began to order her pokemon to ¡®endure the Gravity¡¯ as Chansey laid it upon them. I gestured to the cave system at the back and led Janine into the darkness. ¡°So you wanted to see how I trained my aura you said earlier,¡± I said, referencing a talk we had had over the weekend. ¡°Indeed,¡± Janine said seriously while furtively glancing backwards. ¡°Are you sure we can leave Missy¡¯ and her pokemon with that¡­ Brute?¡± I shot a glance back to find Chansey shooting Janine a glare. ¡°Chansey is probably the best for this. She understands how far she can push and is extremely professional.¡± ¡°Her tendencies aside?¡± ¡°Her tendencies mean she understands the breaking point a lot better. When she¡¯s working there¡¯s no issues from her. Trust me!¡± I said with a grin. Janine hummed before nodding. ¡°Very well. And, yes I wanted to discuss Aura development as it is something I¡­¡± She stopped at the cave entrance and kicked at a rock. ¡°Have not yet developed.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I said surprised at the admission. ¡°Are¡­ Are your fathers training methods not working for you?¡± ¡°My father¡¯s training methods are wonderful!¡± Janine said with a snap of her teeth like an ursaring that had just been poked. I waved a hand, turning to face her front on. ¡°I didn¡¯t say they were bad, merely that they haven¡¯t worked for you is all.¡± Janine worked her jaw and nodded tightly. ¡°Tis true¡­ I have not responded to them. I¡­ I was hoping that your method might have some clues into helping me unlock my poison.¡± ¡°Hmmmm alright then.¡± Janine bowed. ¡°My thanks¡­ For your guidance and discretion.¡± She fidgetted. ¡°I have read all of the books that my father has supplied and found that I still have not been able to manifest or control my own energies.¡± Janine faded from sight, using the darkness of the cave to hide. ¡°It is most shameful,¡± she said from somewhere off to the side in a whisper. I channeled dark energy to my eyes and she became¡­ Well not easy to spot. But certainly possible to see. She glared at me when she noticed I was watching her move from rock to rock as quietly as possible. She huffed and returned to walking at my side. ¡°I feel like using your dark aura is cheating¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°I think it is using what is natural to me. Also, it¡¯s probably best if you don¡¯t wander off down here.¡± I gestured for her to hurry along. While I still had time, I didn¡¯t have as much as I normally would have. Before she could ask why, a bolt of lightning lit up a cave nearby, revealing Sanchez sitting among a crowd of much smaller geodudes. The larger pokemon had his hands splayed out to the side and was catching bolts of electricity that were being shot at him from the five electric-rock geodude variants that the Gym now owned. ¡°I see,¡± said Janine carefully. ¡°Yeah, Sanchez¡¯s area would knock you out. But he¡¯ll bundle you up to the gym pronto if it happens. No, the big threat down here is from loose rocks and turning your ankle honestly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the worst thing that can happen?¡± Janine said incredulously. I grimaced. ¡°Ah no. If you get caught out of place by Don he¡¯ll rip you apart. He¡¯s very territorial.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the researcher¡­ Bianca? Come in here all the time?¡± ¡°Yes, and she¡¯s been introduced a number of times and knows exactly how touchy he can be. She is a trained professional. She¡¯s not someone slinking around that¡¯s new.¡± Case and point as soon as I walked past the grotto that housed the ancient pokemon, Don shrieked a challenge. ¡°Go back to sleep!¡± I called out to him, tossing a few pokeblock snacks into the cave as I did so. I rolled my eyes as he continued to growl and make a loud showing of how fierce he was. I heard the other ancient pokemon join him in enjoying the snacks as well. When we reached the deepest cave I paused. ¡°You sure you¡¯re going to be alright in the dark?¡± ¡°I am a trained Koga ninja and the future Gym Leader of Fuchsia! Darkness is not enough to deter me!¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said intelligently, I¡¯d put my foot into it again. ¡°Right, sorry. Come on then.¡± I stepped forward and whistled to Titan to let him know I was coming in before speaking. ¡°Hey buddy! Got a friend coming with me today for training!¡± I moved to the open area that had been worn down by Titan constantly moving to and from the small rise. I claimed a seat and indicated a spot for Janine to claim as we waited for my ¡®darkness guru¡¯. Two mighty bodies shifted within the darkness. Bertha trudged out with a huge yawn and moved back to her own cave. Another yawn sounded out and the entire structure of the cave seemed to quake for a moment. Then Titan shifted and the grinding of stone rang out as he dragged himself out of bed. ¡°Have an eventful morning?¡± I said, teasing the mighty pokemon. ¡°Tyyyyy,¡± said Titan as he sat heavily. Then he shook himself and a cloud of dust and sand exploded outwards. I had my eyes shut, having experienced Titan when he had only just woken up more than enough times to know what would happen. ¡°Bleh!¡± said Janine as she spat dirt out of her mouth only to snort as she realised she¡¯d inhaled some as well. Titan stared at her. I could just make out the glint in his eyes as he roused fully and became aware of her and what I¡¯d said. Usually, he woke up much earlier. It was rare for Titan to sleep in. Then again he and the other elites usually had a training day, then a rest day scheduled in. Titan on the other hand usually trained seven days a week in the morning. As my strongest pokemon, I¡¯d spent long hours talking with him about how he would embody much of what my pokemon team was to become. He¡¯d taken these discussions very seriously. Then again, unlike a lot of other strong pokemon, he was required to go through the second evolution dependent completely on me for mobility. He had nothing to do but sit, watch, and listen. His first evolution had occurred just a week into the start of my journey. I¡¯d had to get a lot stronger and a lot faster to be able to carry him around. Bug pokemon trainers had it easy in that their second evolution for Caterpie, Weedle, and such only took a week or a month at most. Titan¡¯s had lasted roughly eight months. Eight months of not being able to move without someone or something else acting upon him. He got very good at tanking hits. He got very good at being patient and listening. He got very good at controlling the flow of his energy. He¡¯d had nothing else to do with all the time stuck immobile. That perhaps made Tyranitar as a species unique among other psuedo-legendary pokemon. None of the others had to endure complete immobility. The closest in comparison was Shelgon wanting to fly but being stuck in a chunky, heavy form. It could still run though. In a lot of ways, Tyranitar reminded me of Gyarados. They both had that awkward phase of growth where they were weak and they could easily grow to be resentful, spiteful pokemon if the wrong circumstances occurred to them. Titan warbled a greeting to me and Janine before putting his hands together, the claws clicked as they tapped against their opposite. Then he repeated the gesture with his feet. He¡¯d picked it up from watching me work through some stretches and Tai chi moves with some grannies for pocket money during our journey a few times. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. He¡¯d been rather taken with it and I¡¯d carted him to a few around Kanto while he¡¯d been trapped as a Pupitar. It always seemed to interest him, even if I¡¯d thought it slightly cruel. He¡¯d shown me after evolving that he¡¯d been paying a lot more attention than I¡¯d realised at the time. Titan inhaled deeply, and then slowly exhaled. He was perfectly in time with a three count for his inhale before exhaling rapidly. I made sure to copy, breathing out and in at the same time so as to not be going opposite and inhaling any of the dust he was stirring up. Janine coughed and spluttered causing Titan to drop his serene pose. ¡°Ty!¡± he barked at her. ¡°He wants you to copy him. It¡¯s best to follow as if you¡¯re wrong you end up getting some of his exhale instead which is what¡¯s causing you so much trouble right now.¡± Janine took another minute to cough before she got control of herself. ¡°I-I r-read-y!¡± she said wheezily. Titan hummed and slowed down even more. His breaths were careful and controlled with Janine in the room. He focussed on her. His hands rose and fell with his inhales and exhales. Janine fell into sync with us, and we continued this for another five minutes before Titan stopped, his claws unlaced and he bobbed a greeting. He then pointed to me. ¡°Ran? Tar? Tyranitar?¡± he asked. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯d think it would benefit her mostly if we did a sensory training drill. Or at least let her watch one.¡± Titan considered this, his claws tapping on his chest before he nodded. He then raised up both hands. Nothing outwardly changed but I closed my eyes to pay as much attention as I could to what I felt. Sight wasn¡¯t what I wanted right now. ¡°Your left¡­ middle, no! Hey don¡¯t change it mid-drill!¡± I said snapping my eyes open and growling at him. Titan merely shook his head back and forth. ¡°Ty, ty, ty!¡± he said, clicking his tongue in mock disapproval. ¡°You were too fast!¡± Titan snorted and gestured that we would start again. I shut my eyes and tried to feel it out faster. ¡°Left middle finger, dark, right pointer, rock, your¡­ Tail? Rock?¡± Titan grunted out a ¡®yes¡¯ and we continued with him varying the position, energy type, and amount of time it would remain around himself. When he held a ball outside his body of rock I had to call out what move he was using. Janine watched on and didn¡¯t comment until maybe twenty minutes in. ¡°So¡­ you let him run the session?¡± she asked. Titan stopped the training and glanced at her with a tilt of his head. I scratched at mine. ¡°You know that pokemon are going to be the first point of reference for energy awareness yeah? Especially for specialists like us, yes?¡± Janine fidgetted. ¡°I knew that it was just¡­ I was expecting you to tell him how things would go, not to have him training you.¡± I shrugged, an old lyric coming to mind as being much more appropriate than the writer likely intended. ¡°I teach him and he teaches me.¡± Janine chewed her lip. ¡°My Venomoth¡­ I might be able to train with him like this¡­¡± She frowned into her ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have thought of doing this,¡± she said glumly. I shrugged. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of using dusk stones for dark type training.¡± I scratched my head and worked some of the dust out of it, well used to how dirty hanging around rock-types would get me. ¡°Say what items do you use when working with Poison types?'''' The only ¡®rock¡¯ poison-typed item I could think of was the poison gem of poisonum z which I wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d have access to. ¡°We have an old plate that was said to be found in the sludge and slurry of a ruin. We also have the sludge remains of a number of Muks that are¡­ very pungent,¡± she said with a grimace. ¡°Ah¡­ that might actually make it tougher on you as you''re getting a stimulus that might distract you. Can you ignore it or is it too potent?¡± I considered for a moment that it might be like pepper spray with the ability to cause issues through the skin and eyes without being smelt. Then again, I had very little experience with the ¡®old sludge¡¯ and had no desire to in any event. I shook my head. ¡°How have you been thinking of poison energy by the way? What do you associate it with?¡± ¡°Protection! Poison-type pokemon are the defenders of Fuchsia, and have been for generations!¡± she said straight away. I shot a look at Titan and he tapped his chest in thought. I hummed. ¡°That uhm¡­ was not how I thought you were going to answer.¡± Janine sniffed only to inhale some dust and sneeze. Titan barked a laugh at her that had her glowering ineffectively at the much larger pokemon. ¡°Hmmm any other things you meditate on when trying to feel the energy?¡± I asked not wanting to offend her more. ¡°... medicine,¡± Janine said. I found myself stunned. She¡¯d obviously wanted as many good associations with poison as possible. ¡°Huh yeah, poison in the right dosages can be medicine.¡± ¡°And vice versa,¡± said Janine with a pleased smile. ¡°I happened upon an old scroll that details such a pokemon move but I have yet to make it work with any of my pokemon.¡± I tilted my head. Was there a pokemon move like that linked to poison type? It wasn¡¯t an area I had much, if any knowledge of. I knew of Toxic Spikes, Acid, Sludgebomb, and Toxic as the most commonly used moves but was there something like Janine was describing? I wasn¡¯t sure. I opened my mouth to mention that she should perhaps consider the ¡®core commonly thought of¡¯ concepts of poison types, but Titan shook his head slightly. He flicked his finger between me and him with a slight nod before flicking it between me and Janine. I frowned. ¡°Not my place?¡± I said after thinking about what he could mean for a while. Titan nodded, his maw breaking into a happy smile. Janine tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s not your place?¡± I huffed. ¡°I was thinking about what you¡¯d said, and how that isn¡¯t the association I¡¯d have made but¡­ Yeah, I think Titan is right on this. I shouldn¡¯t pidgey-hole you into a specific mindset. What you come up with for poison as a concept works for you, it''s just about harnessing it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Maybe, just keep walking your path.¡± Janine smiled. ¡°Thank you, I shall. I will also consider what you have shown me today. I think it could be very helpful.¡± I nodded and unbent my legs. Then a thought occurred. ¡°Hey, your dad also knows normal type energy as well doesn¡¯t he?¡± Janine didn¡¯t even bat an eye. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°When he gets close to me he¡¯s using a quick attack or something like that yeah? That¡¯d require normal type energy, no?¡± Janine snorted. ¡°Or, perhaps he is simply a Grandmaster in ninjutsu?¡± I searched her expression but didn¡¯t find anything but smug amusement. Alright, so I wasn¡¯t going to pry their secrets of how they did it from her. I still thought I was on the right track. Somehow I doubted I was the only dual-wielding aura user. It made sense that Koga kept an ace like that up his sleeve. At least, I believed so. Admittedly a little less as I stared across at Janine¡¯s amused expression. I stood and dusted my hands off. ¡°Right well, I have to go raise a fuss soon with the League. So I need to give the team a heads up before I head off. Are you good to shadow Daniel today and have him show you around Pewter city?¡± Janine nodded her head. ¡°I shall enjoy the tour from a local!¡± I nodded and moved to clap hands with Titan. He did so happily and warbled his own goodbye before resuming his meditation pose. I left with Janine looking over her shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s very dedicated,¡± she said, her tone laced with approval. I chuckled. I¡¯d never questioned Titan¡¯s desire or dedication to becoming strong. Titan had been strong when he¡¯d evolved into his Tyranitar form. This was thanks to the nutrition plans I had fed him, training, and the sheer determination he had to grow from what he had been. Whenever people saw him these days they assumed he¡¯d been a big Larvitar. They wouldn¡¯t have guessed he¡¯d been a runt. I suspected that had played a bit of a part in Titan¡¯s mother handing him off to me, but not much of one. Whenever we went back, she always seemed glad to see him and never dismissed him. Janine continued to walk alongside me for a while before coughing. ¡°Brock, before I leave I would like to have a match with you. I know it would help my team more than yours at this stage, but facing pokemon as strong as you would help my team grow immensely.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure they¡¯d enjoy it and find it aggravating, no doubt. But the experience would be good for them. They don¡¯t get enough Champion tier trainers challenging them usually. Think that might change with all the Ace challenges I see coming in. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be crazy people chasing the next most powerful pokemon.¡± Some people were known to get a bit crazy and attempt to challenge people increasingly stronger than them in a quest to increase their pokemon onwards and upwards. There were stories about trainers trying for greater challenges only to find themselves across a field from a Legendary, and realise how wide a gulf there was. Or worse they did something that caused a Legendary to rampage. That was one of the biggest issues of raising champion-tier pokemon. You needed worthy foes to raise them up. Technically as a gym leader, I had a lot of options to get those. While my training would see them gradually improving the best improvements would come from fighting. Thankfully these days we didn¡¯t lack for challengers. Lance and a lot of other people would need to watch out with how my team was bound to be stronger by the circuit¡¯s end. I couldn¡¯t wait to show them off when Rachel and I finalised a proper exhibition match. Sabrina already wanted first rights to such a match. That was a rematch I was looking forward to. Until then, I had the League to growl at. This was the second time they had interfered with how things were operating. It might be different but the theme seemed the work of the same architect. I checked my watch and grimaced. I just barely had enough time to jump in the shower, check to confirm the kids were on their way and make it to the first match. I jogged up the stairs, running my hand through my still-wet hair. Jackson, watching over the current gauntlet fight taking place, tapped his watch in amusement. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know, cutting it close.¡± I clapped my hands and did my reset ritual. Then I inhaled and shook myself. ¡°Alright, go time!¡±
The day¡¯s matches actually ended up going much quicker than I¡¯d planned. Which I felt worked perfectly for me. Rarely would I get so much free time at the end of my day to catch up on the various bits and pieces of being the Gym Leader. Not now that the circuit was underway anyways. I doubted the last two Gym Challengers for today had been expecting quite as hard a match-up as they did when Rocko and Jackon beat them but that sometimes happened when we had gauntlet runs. Daniel had been annoyed that I¡¯d tapped him to lead Janine around the city. With nothing to do I¡¯d closed off the main arena and let everyone relax after they saw to their pokemon. People could still reserve the battle courts for matches, but I wasn¡¯t going to see any more challenges. Then I¡¯d departed for my house where I¡¯d sat at the kitchen counter with a wad of paperwork. Munchlax sat across from me with a bowl of cereal I¡¯d made up for him. Eevee was sitting curled up in my lap as I finished up the paperwork ¡°Brock I need your signatures on these,¡± Alexa said as she handed me a few hiring forms. I looked them over, recalling the people that had made it through the last round of hiring. Some of them had been ecstatic about a temp job with us. I signed the forms and handed them back along with a few others. ¡°Alexa?¡± I said as a thought occurred to me. ¡°Yes, Brock?¡± ¡°How many people have put down for the Elite challenge right now?¡± She frowned and tapped on her handheld computer. ¡°None,¡± she said after a while. She tapped a few more times. ¡°Usually you don¡¯t see any takers for that until after the third month.¡± I hummed. ¡°Put a sign over the Elite challenge out front. Say that we¡¯re holding off on accepting that challenge until¡­ let¡¯s say four months into the circuit? Then people that are international trainers will have a chance with their stronger pokemon if they¡¯re confident. I''ll keep the attention otherwise on single, double, gauntlet and Ace trainer fights for now.¡± Alexa shifted. ¡°It might streamline things if we had the gauntlet challengers start on the battle courts as well and then be escorted in.¡± I considered that before shaking my head. ¡°No, I want people challenging for the badge to have an experience here. Changing courts might cheapen that.¡± Alexa hummed as though she thought otherwise but nodded to show she understood my reasoning. I drummed the table. ¡°Should I cancel the Ace challenges as well?¡± Alexa promptly deposited a page that detailed how much the Gym made for ¡®reserving Brock the arena along with television rights for matches¡¯. I also pocketed part of this as a separate entity. I tapped the figure. ¡°Ah, yeah best not drop the Ace challenges if we want to handle the increase in costs we¡¯ll be facing then,¡± I said. Alexa made an agreeing noise before she departed. With her gone, I could focus on other things. Like making some very pointed inquiries at the League. I drew out a notepad to jot down some thoughts. While Giovanni had been right about my showing and advertising drawing more people in, there was a limit to how many trainers I could face and someone had to have been ignoring things at the League for it to get this bad. Someone wasn¡¯t doing their job and I felt like I needed to make my point clear. This after all was another problem for the gym that could have been handled better. So, I¡¯d probably need to go to Lance and give him the heads up that I wasn¡¯t happy to have so many challengers. I might even have to lay out the ramifications of this many trainers being let through. I just needed to jot down my thoughts. ¡°Alright, so what sort of¡ª¡± I started to say to myself. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! I challenge you!¡± cried out a voice through the window. Eevee startled out of her nap and ran off with a cry. I glanced up and saw a trainer standing with his pokeball extended towards me. I also noted he was standing in the middle of the flower garden. ¡°Get off my petunias!¡± I shouted at him as I wound the curtain down. ¡°What? Oh! Sorry! Hey! You can¡¯t just hide behind your curtain I saw you!¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t! I¡¯m just a recorded hologram!¡± I shouted back. There was a moment of silence. Then the trainer said, ¡°Really? That¡¯s kinda coo¡­ Wait a second! You saw me in your flowerbed!¡± I clicked my tongue. I should have known he¡¯d be one of those pesky not a complete idiot sorts. Then again, he was, after all, standing in my garden shouting challenges. ¡° Read the signs kid! I don¡¯t accept challenges like this, go around the front!¡± I was already turning to the Graveler that served as the nanny. I jerked my thumb towards the kid. She bobbed her whole body once and marched out. ¡°Your signs won¡¯t stop me! Ahaha! So you accept my¡ª¡± there was a moment of scuffling and an aborted shout. A few minutes later Graveler walked back in, dusting her hands off. I shot her a thankful look. Munchlax merely handed her his empty cereal bowl before toddling off. The cheeky pokemon patted me on the side as he did so. He certainly had it good living under my roof. Six meals a day by my count and his choice of places to sleep when he wanted to. I grumbled as I made another mark on the tally for trainers that had challenged me so far at home. That had been the tenth¡­ I was only two weeks into the circuit¡­ I looked down at the points that I would be able to raise in argument with Lance. The need to give my pokemon rest was a serious concern and the increased strain on infrastructure were good, solid dependable points. They sadly had no zing to them. I needed points with punch. I shot a message off to Rachel and she mentioned the two I¡¯d already come up with. ¡®Got anything the League would be interested in? Also, don''t you have a Lawyer for this?¡¯ she messaged back. I paused at that. She was right! ¡­ On both counts. I sent a message to Lawrence and he shot me a picture of a slowpoke. I grumbled some more before he sent me a message that he¡¯d start looking into the issue straight away. I flicked through my address book on my transceiver and called the first number that might have some potential for something ¡®the League¡¯ would be interested in. ¡°Hey Bianca, got any fertilised eggs from Don yet?¡± I said to the in-house breeding specialist. ¡°Yes actually! Good timing! I was going to talk to you when you had a chance, as there has been a clutch laid!¡± she said. I grinned through the screen. ¡°Enough to send one to Professor Elm and Professor Oak as per our agreement?¡± ¡°Oh yes! Don has been most vigorous with my team of Ditto!¡± Bianca said happily. I nodded, not really wanting that imagery, but having it now despite my best attempts to push it away. ¡°... Right. Got another left over? I happen to know someone else interested in buying an egg.¡± Bianca turned to the side. ¡°Three, four, five¡­ Yeah I think with six of them now you¡¯ll have a good start on a breeding population that we can expand on slowly¡­ one of those to a seller should be no issue. Are you going to be putting any restrictions on your sale to others?¡± I blinked at that. Not expecting to be asked that by Bianca. I considered it before shaking my head. ¡°No, I¡¯ll allow them to breed as they want. I¡¯ll just make sure they know and charge them extra for it. Alright?¡± Bianca nodded. ¡°That¡¯s perfectly fine with me! I¡¯d prefer there being more options in breeding partners out there in fact!¡± ¡°Any other eggs?¡± ¡°Not as many no. I have a Kabuto egg and an Omantye egg but no one so far has been as wonderful as Don with his ardour.¡± I nodded again. ¡°Alright cool. I¡¯ll swing around to talk with the client this afternoon, so can you put the Aerodactyl egg in an incubator for me?¡± ¡°Can do!¡± Bianca said as she signed off. I hummed, considering the next number. It would probably be overkill, but I hadn¡¯t heard anything from the man recently and it might be nice to have another arrow in my quiver. ¡°Afternoon Crowley!¡± I said as the dark haired man answered my call. ¡°Brock! Yes, good morning!¡± I tilted my head and glanced at the clock. Crowley blinked blearily at me. I had an idea to ask him what day he thought it was, but decided against it. Crowley nodded again. ¡°I am pleased to hear from you¡­ I¡¯m sorry to say we¡¯ve stalled out on making the leap from plants to animals in resurrecting ancient pokemon¡­ I¡­¡± The man licked his lips. ¡°I might need to ask for another extension of funds?¡± he said, cringing away from me like he expected this to be an issue. I stared at the video in thought. It had been an idle thought with some loose money when I started funding them. I knew in the games, that after you lose Cinnabar as an option, Pewter Museum had become the site to resurrect pokemon, but perhaps I was throwing money down the drain. On the screen, Crowley fidgeted. Oh well, I wasn¡¯t hurting for money and I could back myself a bit longer. I was about to open my mouth to say I had no issues with that before a pink flower pokemon inched its way along a shelf behind Crowley¡¯s shoulders. It turned and inspected Crowley, its dark eyes shining out of its hidden face as its fronds waggled about. ¡°Lileep!¡± it chanted as it tickled the back of Crowley¡¯s head. I pointed at it. ¡°Crowley. Who''s that pokemon?¡± Crowley glanced back to see what I was talking about. ¡°Oh! This is one of the plants we resurrected. We''ve gotten very good at resurrecting plants but we¡¯re still not to the animal phase quite yet.¡± He glanced back and some atrophied social instinct he had must have twitched as he tilted his head. ¡°Are you¡­ Interested in them?¡± I sighed. ¡°Crowley, consider your funding requirements a thing of the past. I, and at least one other trainer I know, would love those in our roster.¡± ¡°Consider them yours!¡± he said. I nodded before tilting my head. ¡°How many did you resurrect?¡± ¡°Fifty!¡± said Crowley happily. ¡°I had to make sure the process was viable and repeatable! Sadly we ran out of genetic samples before we proved what the success rate truly is. It¡¯s an untested hundred percent so far!¡± Crowley, rather than looking pleased, shook his head sadly. ¡°How many tests are you thinking you need to conduct?¡± I said before I could stop myself. ¡°Oh?! Well Brock, as a Gym Leader and not a scientist, I¡¯m sure it must come as a shock, but proper research standards dictate at least a few thousand!¡± He then panned his screen around to show his lab with a number of Lileep inching around it with an intern shooing one off some paperwork. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°I¡¯ll be over to pick them up, along with depositing some money to you soon.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± said the man in a totally normal and not at all maniacal way. He hung up quickly. I sighed. ¡°Why¡­ why is this my life?¡± I said to the air. I shrugged, it could be way worse actually. I called Lawrence and he spat what looked like coffee over himself when I announced Crowley¡¯s failure to him. ¡°I¡¯ll be right over there in a few minutes!¡± he said before hanging up. I stood to walk outside and ride Zephyr over. Then I stopped as I considered something. I opened my transceiver and dialled Sabrina. Sabrina appeared next to me instead of answering. ¡°Yes Brock?¡± She considered me. ¡°You have a look of exasperation on your face.¡± I pointed at her. ¡°Correct,¡± I said. Sabrina nodded and walked forward to pat me on the head. It was nice and I relaxed into being pat. Then the doorbell began to ring obnoxiously. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! I, Vandal Vicenzo challenge you¡ª¡± Graveler stormed to the front door only to open it to reveal no trainer. I frowned. Had I been rang and dashed? Then I remembered Sabrina. ¡°What did you do with him?¡± ¡°Deposited them in the pond in the middle of Pewter city,¡± Sabrina said neutrally. I felt such a surge of emotion I almost blurted out how great she was. Instead, I hugged her. She returned to patting my head. It was nice. ¡°Hey, I was surprised the other day.¡± She tilted her head and I grinned. ¡°The stationary store moved,¡± I said. Sabrina¡¯s shoulders twitched. ¡°I went to the bank and saw a woman with a stain on her blouse, should I teller?¡± Sabrina giggled and I enjoyed the sound before telling her how things were. Then, because I liked her smile more than her serious face, I told her another joke. ¡°There¡¯s a really annoying guy going around. He thinks that just cause he¡¯s the only chimney sweep in town he can raise his prices through the roof.¡± I continued to tell some jokes for a few minutes. With all my farfetch¡¯d in a row, it was time to go poke a sleeping Dragon master. Chapter 65 - Stomping around Headquarters Sabrina used a watering can on the small garden of Lileep. The Lileep wriggled with glee, and Sabrina appeared content. I couldn¡¯t help but stare. Something about that scene seemed off, but I couldn¡¯t put my finger on why. It wasn¡¯t that the plants were chirping and responding to the nutrient-rich water. I¡¯d long since gotten used to seeing that happen with this being a pokemon world. Perhaps it was such a strangely domestic scene for Sabrina to be enjoying? I suddenly wanted Lileep, and not just for my pokemon roster. If anything, I should get more grass-type pokemon for my front garden. Then people would be a lot more cautious when they stepped on my petunias. Sabrina patted the garden of Lileep and put her watering can down. ¡°These will be good pokemon for your gym,¡± she declared. I hummed and glanced over to where Lawrence was flicking through at least a tree¡¯s worth of paper. Crowley was floating about in the background of his lab. When I¡¯d deposited the money into his account he¡¯d been more than happy to proclaim that he¡¯d have the resurrection machine fully operational, not just partially, within the next few months! ¡°¡ªperhaps we need a better focusing lens to extract the genetic information?¡± he said as he toggled through the program he used with the machine. The machine itself took up half the room we were in at the back of the museum. It was a giant metal contraption that reminded me of the early computers that used punch cards and there was a strange amalgamation of that, that linked up to a modern laptop. The assistant consulted a large file as she adjusted a number of punch cards and then drew out a trio of lens that apparently magnified the computer''s analysis engine. A chamber on the other side of the room housed a fossil with a very recognisable helix pattern. ¡°He will arise,¡± I said to myself. Sabrina tilted her head. I waved her off and she shrugged before asking, ¡°How much are you going to sell these for Brock? I think I wouldn¡¯t mind having a few for my garden.¡± She floated a few Lileep around her and they squirmed and wiggled in a manner that I assumed meant they enjoyed it. ¡°For you and Erika I would sell them pretty cheaply, all things told. Then I¡¯d ratchet it up for others though. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t even charge you?¡± I scratched my chin. ¡°Erika as well?¡± Sabrina said with a tilt of her head. She squinted at the Lileep. ¡°They¡¯re grass type?¡± I nodded and turned to Crowley. ¡°Where did you find their fossil?¡± Crowley waved a hand at the back. ¡°There are plenty of ferns that have been fossilised and root fossils that people don¡¯t find very interesting.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­ That might change with this discovery,¡± I said. I glanced at the old amber that sat as paperweight. ¡°You realise this is a pretty significant discovery, right Crowley?¡± Crowley scowled. ¡°By my standards, I will not consider it a success until I have the capability to resurrect anything from ancient times! We already have the helix, dome, amber, root, and claw fossils that we can resurrect!¡± Crowley stood, one foot resting on the table in front of him. He looked like an explorer statue. Sabrina glanced about the room before clapping politely. Crowley nodded in thanks and sat down. Lawrence coughed. ¡°Brock, as your lawyer, I have a few concerns, but I also think I have found a few methods for you to evade the resurrection act!¡± Sabrina glanced at him, patting the Lileep as she spoke up, ¡°Is it because these are plant-based instead of animal as the act is limited to?¡± Lawrence stumbled. He blinked. ¡°... Yes actually.¡± He sighed. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever heard of building dramatic tension?¡± Sabrina blinked at him. ¡°This is not a courtroom.¡± Lawrence sighed. ¡°Some people don¡¯t enjoy drama enough. There¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s a certain gravitas at revealing this information at critical times see?¡± Sabrina gave him a blank stare. He sighed and waved the sheaf of papers at me. ¡°But, she¡¯s right. The resurrection act doesn¡¯t apply to plant pokemon that have been resurrected. Interesting bit of oversight.¡± He tapped the table. ¡°We can make some serious arguments for you retaining and selling the Lileep if you wish to. This will be something the League will have to protest though and it will be throwing Muk back and forth for a while. We should get it on a technicality though¡± Lawrence stared at me. ¡°I can do it if you want me to. Otherwise, I can work to get concessions in other areas.¡± I drummed my fingers and glanced from Lawrence to Sabrina who remained neutral. She nodded as I considered what I wanted. ¡°Go for the concessions,¡± I said before gesturing to him. ¡°I think between you, and Lance being amiable we can come up with something that works. I want to retain a lot of them and I think keeping Bianca around would be good. I have a lot of plans for future fossil pokemon. I want us set up for that,¡± I said, revealing some of my future plans. Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°You think there will be others?¡± I nodded confidently. ¡°There will have to be. I think fossil pokemon will see a major return, and I want to be on the forefront of that.¡± Lawrence wrote that down. ¡°Alright. I have a goal to argue for when things are laid out!¡± He then clapped his hands together. ¡°So! When are we off to the League¡¯s headquarters?¡± I chuckled at his and Sabrina¡¯s back and forth. ¡°We¡¯ve got everything here locked down?¡± Lawrence shot me a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯m confident you have all the advantages!¡± I hummed and picked up the incubator with the Aerodactyl egg within. On my hip, a new pokeball with my newest pokemon in Lileep rested. The gym would be getting at least another ten which would be a new draw¡­ I frowned as I realised that would only make my gym more popular. It¡¯d have to be future Brock¡¯s problem. I shook my head to get rid of the mood that had overcome me. ¡°Alright, Sabrina? Think you can get me and Lawrence to heaquart¡ª¡± Alakazam appeared next to her. A moment later, I found myself in the foyer of the Indigo League headquarters. This was where much of the governance occurred and it was attached to the side of the main stadium. At the top, I knew Lance had an office as that was now considered the ¡®traditional¡¯ office of the pokemon Champion. It had the same prestige as the houses of some country leaders of my previous life. Or perhaps it was most similar to the Oval Office of the U.S? It was ¡®traditional¡¯ in that it had only been five years since its creation. The League liked to hype it up as much as they could and people loved getting the prestige of ¡®earning¡¯ a tour. Lawrence shifted and glanced up through the glass roof of the foyer towards the office that was bracketed in golden statues. They used to have ice-type pokemon like Sneasel and Frosslass, but now Dragonite and Charizard bracketed the office. ¡°So, how are we getting up there?¡± said Lawrence. Around us, a number of people in suits and professional attire rushed through the front and towards elevators. All of them notably avoiding the central elevator. I huffed at him. ¡°I have my ways.¡± I then made a show of raising my transceiver and dialling Lance¡¯s number. ¡°Brock?¡± Lance said as he answered the call. I could see from the background that he was in fact, in his office. Then again I had shot him a message that I¡¯d been dropping in to talk business this afternoon. ¡°Hey Lance, good to come up? Have that issue to talk with you about.¡± I then raised up the incubator. ¡°Also, guess who produced an egg?¡± Lance¡¯s eyes locked on the egg, and he grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll key the elevator to let you up!¡± he said, sounding like a kid that had just been told Christmas was coming early. Lawrence stared at me. ¡°That¡¯s way less impressive than you made it sound!¡± Sabrina leaned around me. ¡°Did you want me to overwhelm the anti-teleport features in the office and appear that way?¡± Lawrence coughed. ¡°Let¡¯s not go committing crimes!¡± He glanced down at the pad that we¡¯d arrived on and realised it was a teleport terminal for these purposes. ¡°We should get moving.¡± On other pads in the corners of the room, some Kadabra and a single Gardevoir teleported in. The Kadabra all paused when they registered Alakazam floating next to Sabrina. Sabrina herself got a few looks from the psychic pokemon. The Gardevoir that had come in with a finely dressed gentleman tapped the man on the arm and floated over to take Sabrina¡¯s hands in hers. She trilled a greeting. We paused, and I was expecting a ¡®conversation¡¯ to break out. Instead, the Gardevior merely smiled and nodded her head before floating back to the gentleman, who inclined his head amicably towards us. I gave Sabrina a glance. She smiled her small smile. ¡°Gardevoir detected that I have a Ralts egg and she thinks that the egg will hatch soon.¡± ¡°Oh! Well, that¡¯ll be a great day for you,¡± I said. ¡°Congratulations on finding an egg. I know they¡¯re tough to get a hold of.¡± Sabrina nodded. Lawrence shot me a look before he broke into a sly grin. Sabrina blinked as her eyes darted to Lawrence in a tell-tale manner. ¡°Thank you for investigating that for me, Brock.¡± I coughed, realising Lawrence¡¯s thoughts must have leaked, and informed Sabrina that I¡¯d been making enquiries for a Ralts egg. Obviously for her. I waved it off as I stepped up to the central elevator and pushed the button. Around the room people stilled as the elevator dinged as it opened for us. As the doors shut we caught a few of the carrying whispers. ¡°Two gym leaders and a punk?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the mohawk guy?¡± ¡°Maybe going to replace Lorelei?! He could be some super strong trainer from Kanto!¡± I shot Lawrence an amused smirk. He was beaming a huge grin. ¡°This is going to be so good for my reputation with the other lawyers!¡± he said as he preened, spiking up his mohawk. I chuckled and Sabrina continued to bounce slightly with a still-happy expression. She was likely still considering Gardevior¡¯s news. The elevator shot upwards and when it opened, Lance was in front of it with a wide smile. ¡°Welcome!¡± He smiled at me, nodded at Sabrina, paused, then dipped into a formal bow, then he smiled at Lawrence quickly, only to stare openly at the egg in my hands. ¡°Is that it?!¡± I chuckled and handed it over. ¡°Congratulations on your purchase of an Aerodactyl egg. It¡¯s not been neutered so that we can slowly grow the population back up.¡± Lance¡¯s head snapped up and he blinked at me. ¡°You didn¡¯t chemically neuter it?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Nah, I spoke about it with our resident expert and we¡¯re all for spreading the gene pool around as much as possible. If it¡¯s a girl I know she listed off a number of pokemon that should be viable. Most of them are flying types.¡± ¡°Pidgeot?¡± Lance said with a frown. ¡°No actually,¡± I reached into a pocket and drew out the form Bianca had written up from her research. ¡°Our breeding expert listed Farfetch¡¯d, Swablu, Altaria, Hoot-hoot, Noctowl, Wingull and Pelliper along with Crobat as being potential partners that she could find with the work she did with Don.¡± Lance hummed. ¡°That is good news,¡± he said with some cheer. He gestured back into the room and indicated some chairs in front of his desk. There was a notable distance from the chairs to the front of the desk that created a sense of supplication when talking with Lance behind his desk. When he set the egg down to the side and laced his fingers together he looked quite intimidating. His aura of professionalism was somewhat lost with how his eyes kept darting to the side where the egg sat. He kept one hand on the incubator, stroking the glass idly. I smiled. ¡°So, now that the fun part is over, we need to talk business,¡± I said to start things off. I gestured to my right hand side, ¡°You know Sabrina, Gym Leader of Saffron, of course.¡± Lance offered another bow and turned his attention to Lawrence. ¡°This is Lawrence Wright from Pewter. My Lawyer,¡± I said simply. Relishing in the lapse as Lance worked through what I¡¯d said. Then Lance shot me a look. ¡°You brought your lawyer?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave home without one?¡± I joked. I chuckled as Lawrence preened. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Lance nodded. ¡°Right! So you mentioned that there has been an issue with the number of approved licenses for this year¡¯s Indigo competition? I admit I¡¯ve been looking into other tasks this morning and haven¡¯t been able to give this any attention so please, enlighten me to the issue.¡± I opened my mouth only for Lawrence to take over. ¡°Champion Lance the issue is that the League has approved roughly six times the normal pokemon permits so far.¡± I raised my hand to interject. ¡°Permits, not Licenses. They¡¯ve been letting far, far more people into Kanto. The League has approved what appears to be any and all international applicants!¡± Lawrence began laying out papers with graphs that compared last year''s numbers of international applications compared to this year''s numbers. ¡°The Pewter City Gym is already booked for the next month with five and a half days of work a week, with an average of about fifteen to sixteen trainers a day.¡± He tapped a table on the papers for Lance to look over. ¡°Brock has already discussed the issue with the Mayor to facilitate a greater spread of trainers to other Gyms. Koga, Erika, Surge, the Cerulean Sisters, Sophia, Manny, and Grey have all agreed to open their doors for first-level badges but there is still going to be a significant strain on the system with these numbers!¡± Lawrence tapped at a few lines of the papers he¡¯d laid out for Lance. Lance¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°This¡­ This is highly concerning.¡± He set the papers down and looked at us. ¡°I¡¯m happy that you¡¯ve already acted to manage the issue, Brock.¡± He scowled. ¡°This is going to have a flow-on effect to the end of the circuit conference, isn¡¯t it?¡± I grunted and nodded. ¡°At least. But the more immediate concern is that this will put a huge strain on my trainers, pokemon and myself. I am going to be fighting more trainers in three months than I typically fight in two years of running a Gym, Lance. This is a monumental failure on the League¡¯s behalf¡­ And after the recent audit,¡± I trailed off as Lance frowned. ¡°You think this is maliciously inspired¡­¡± He sat back and groaned. Then he tapped a button on his computer¡¯s transceiver. It dialled for a moment and a grouchy voice answered. ¡°This is Kruger,¡± said a male voice before pausing, ¡°I meant to say, President Kruger! Yes! This is President Kruger, who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Kruger,¡± said Lance, not bothering with the title. ¡°It¡¯s me, I need you to come up to my office. Grab the Head of Permits for the circuit as well.¡± ¡°Lance? What¡¯s this about!¡± said Kruger. I sat back and got comfortable as Lance scowled at the screen. ¡°What it¡¯s about is the issue of there being a trainer surge that might break the entire gym structure of Kanto! Get him here now, this is unacceptable!¡± Kruger stared at Lance¡¯s glowering face for a moment before swallowing and nodding tightly. ¡°I¡¯ll fetch him.¡± The screen went blank as he hung up. Lance inhaled and exhaled for a moment. ¡°My apologies for that unsightly scene.¡± I shrugged. ¡°No problem for me.¡± Lance nodded only to frown as he turned his attention to Sabrina. ¡°I''m sorry to say this, but I feel I should ask. Why are you here, Gym Leader Sabrina?¡° Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m a concerned party,¡± she said as though that was obvious. Lance held up a finger, only to lower it as he conceded the point. ¡°That¡¯s true. I would have thought the Gym¡¯s that usually only faced challengers with four badges or more would have not been as affected.¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°There is going to be a large shift and I am contemplating lowering my standards for this year to three badges¡­ I am still unsure of the value in this as it will cheapen the value of overcoming my gym.¡± Lance grimaced. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right about that. That¡¯s going to have a lot of people protesting because there¡¯s so much stock placed in earning the more selective Gym¡¯s badges.¡± The door to the elevator pinged and two men marched in. One man wrung his hands and his eyes darted about. The other looked annoyed and his bushy moustache was practically jutting out to the side. He looked familiar. Hadn¡¯t he been at the press conference when I¡¯d laid out my challenge? ¡°Kruger,¡± Lance said with a nod. Kruger nodded and his eyes glanced around at the assembled group. We in turn watched him, and it took me a moment to realise that he was looking for a chair that didn¡¯t exist. None of us offered our spots. ¡°You¡­ Summoned me Lance?¡± said Kruger, his moustache twitching irritably. Lance narrowed his eyes. ¡°I have been informed that there have been¡­¡± He worked his jaw. ¡°There¡¯s no other way to say it, a reckless amount of permits approved for this year''s gym circuit.¡± The other man, ostensibly the Head of Permits, wiped at his wet brow. ¡°There¡¯s no way to control the number of people applying from within Kanto!¡± ¡°I am not speaking of the Kanto applicants but rather the number of international permits. You have so far, it would seem, approved every trainer to apply for the Kanto circuit.¡± Lance stared the man down. ¡°We¡¯ve never limited them in the past! We don¡¯t have a policy for that!¡± he said weakly. Lance didn¡¯t look impressed. ¡°As Head of Permits that should have been your duty to establish,¡± Lance said coldly. The man¡¯s gaze flickered about the room as though he was seeking some support from any of us. We merely watched him. He slumped. ¡°I¡­ I have no excuse, I¡¯ve been at this job for years and this is unprecedented.¡± Lance inhaled and exhaled. ¡°You have been negligent in your duties. This is an unforgivable failure. Consider yourself on notice. We will be reviewing your entire department. I want you to suspend granting any more permits.¡± The man opened his mouth to protest only for Lance to stare him down. He swallowed and dabbed at his head with a handkerchief. ¡°Very well, I will need some more staff.¡± He managed to cough out. Kruger coughed. ¡°I will see to the¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Lance said, raising a finger towards Kruger while conotinuing to stare the Head of Permits down. ¡°There have been entirely too many failures and oversteps by the League of late. Special measures are going to have to be taken with appointing people that can complete their duties competently. I have been greatly disappointed by my League¡¯s performance.¡± Kruger straightened. ¡°That is¡ª¡± ¡°The truth. I am the face of the League as its Champion. The recent events that we have allowed have gone too far. I don¡¯t doubt that measures will have to be taken to support Kanto.¡± Lance stared at the Head of Permits. ¡°You may leave. Start writing up what needs to happen and I will be along after I am done here. If there are any emergency changes that need to occur then I expect an email to be sent to myself, and,¡± he held a finger, ¡°my Elite Four.¡± The man hurried off. Kruger watched him as Lance turned to his computer and began typing up an email. He spoke as he typed. ¡°I¡¯m going to send a memo to my Elite, Agatha, Lorelie, Koga, and ¡­¡± He paused. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find something for Bruno to do.¡± He coughed and sent off the email. He then turned back to us. There was a silence that was rather awkward as if no one knew how to proceed. Lawrence seemed a little star-struck. Kruger was still standing there and looked like he was holding himself back from spitting something rather than saying anything. Sabrina looked like she wanted some popcorn, and Lance was rubbing his temples and breathing in and out. I coughed to remind the room that we were present. ¡°And that¡¯s a good time for me to re-enter the conversation I should think.¡± Next to me Lawrence blinked and jolted. Apparently, he¡¯d been drawn into the drama as well. Sabrina lounged, unmindful, more like a Meowth ready to watch a show play out than a fellow Gym leader. Kruger turned to me. ¡°You think you can make demands?!¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, rightly so, I should think.¡± Lance chuckled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bite. What are your demands?¡± I smiled and sat back. Lawrence almost preened as he opened the briefcase that he¡¯d brought, for what I suspected was entirely for dramatic effect. ¡°We¡¯ll start with lowered taxes and even grants being set up. Trainers from Kanto will need a lot more support in the face of so much international competition.¡± Lawrence tilted his head looking so much like a Pidgeot asking a question. ¡°Unless you wanted the world to think we couldn¡¯t make a strong showing?¡± Lance shook his head. ¡°No, so far I can understand where you¡¯re coming from. A half percent reduction in tax¡ª¡± Lawrence laughed. ¡°Oh! Champion Lance I¡¯m not going to waffle, we need at least a three percent decrease in tax on all Gym incomes!¡± Kruger hissed. ¡°All of them!? Are you mad? That¡¯s hundreds of thousands, if not millions of pokedollars that the League won¡¯t be able to use next season! How will the Rangers function!? The administration!? The transport crews?!¡± Lawrence shrugged. ¡°Well, that sounds like an issue for next season, you still need to make it through this one.¡± He shrugged as though to say, ¡®them¡¯s the brakes¡¯. Lance hummed, ¡°I think this will need to be a discussion between a number of interested parties. I don''t think Blaine and Giovanni would want to be spoken for after all.¡± I nodded, conceding the point. I wanted to strike while the iron was hot. ¡°I¡¯m going to be empowering Lawrence as my stand-in to represent Pewter¡¯s interests. He knows all of the salient points.¡± When Lance raised a brow at this I shrugged. ¡°I have a gym that is going to be very, very busy for the foreseeable future.¡± I circled a hand through the air. ¡°One of the changes that I will need to stop the bottlenecking of trainers is for the League to sponsor and run a number of small tournaments in other cities. Draw trainers away from Pewter, for now, to let things calm down. Perhaps Celadon or Fuchsia for example?¡± Lance glanced at the report that had been handed to him and nodded. ¡°That will be done. I¡¯ll see if we can divert any incoming trainers to the Johto side of the Silver range to also lessen the load. With numbers like this¡­ The Johto representation will be only a fraction this year.¡± I hummed, unmindful. That would be one side effect, yes, but it wasn¡¯t something I needed to worry about. Lance glanced at Kruger, ¡°I¡¯ll also appoint new staff to support the Head of Permits within the day and will reach out to the Gym Leaders to set up a meeting to discuss further measures. May I see your demands now?¡± Lawrence smiled genially. ¡°Oh no, I think I¡¯ll wait until the meeting proper. You have the first of our suggestions.¡± Lance grunted. ¡°Very well, I will offer a formal televised apology regarding this failure on my League¡¯s behalf.¡± I nodded slowly, then laced my fingers and brought forth my aura to show what I was about to say had weight behind it. ¡°That¡¯s twice now Lance. I think you need to get things in order.¡± Lance frowned at me but Kruger spoke up first, whirling about to face me. ¡°What is that supposed to mean!?¡± I continued to stare at Lance. ¡°Lance, I like you. You¡¯re a great trainer and I think you¡¯ve implemented some great initiatives with how you¡¯ve increased funding and training for the Police and Rangers. But this whole situation?¡± I waved my hand at the offices that rested below us. ¡°I might not be the only disgruntled trainer that considers if things need to change. I don¡¯t want to believe such a situation is needed though.¡± I raised a hand to soften the words I¡¯d said. ¡°I still believe you can correct it.¡± Then I lowered my hand. ¡°But my faith in you has taken some hits.¡± Lance worked his jaw for a bit before nodding. ¡°Very well, I¡­ I can see where you are coming from. This is a stain that I will be working to cleanse.¡± Kruger stiffened. ¡°Champion!?¡± Lance held up a hand, ¡°Brock is correct Kruger. I expect there might be a number of people making runs at the Champion position this year. It would make sense after all.¡± He sighed. ¡°I understand and apologise once again Brock. I¡¯m sorry it came to this, and I thank you for your continued belief in me.¡± He paused to see my reaction. When I nodded, he smiled tightly. ¡°Well, I suppose I have a few things to see to now.¡± He shot my group a searching look. ¡°Unless there was something else?¡± Sabrina continued looking smug as Lawrence coughed politely. ¡°Actually, Brock will be announcing the sale of a number of rare ancient pokemon beyond the ones currently on his roster. He has been funding a researcher and the man has created a working machine that has reached the¡­ first stage of effectiveness.¡± Kruger inhaled sharply before something flashed in his eyes. ¡°The Resurrection Act stipulates¡ª¡± he started to say only for something to flick into his mouth and make him splutter. It reminded me of someone swallowing a fly from my old world. Something that I didn¡¯t have to worry about in a pokemon world. Sabrina radiated innocence as Kruger spluttered. ¡°About that,¡± said Lawrence with a flash of teeth. When the loophole Lawrence had found was announced Lance nodded with a small smile. Kruger turned increasingly green, before settling into a puce colour. ¡°This! This is ridiculous! The intent of the act was to support the development of a viable population! Selling them like this will work against everything the act was created for! You¡¯re not just side-stepping it as much as you are wiping your feet with the paper the act is written on!¡± Lawrence shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s how the Law is you¡¯ll find. But the intent of the Resurrection Act is based on the premise that an entire fossil needs to be used to create one pokemon. With the Lileep, a grass-rock pokemon, the machine does not require a large sample to recreate the pokemon. They¡¯re remarkably robust in that regard, so you won¡¯t be able to make that argument as it won¡¯t be long before they are merely rare and not under threat of extinction.¡± Kruger¡¯s mouth flapped open and shut before he clenched it. ¡°And I suppose this is acceptable to you Lance?!¡± Lance merely shrugged. ¡°This is merely how the law was recorded under Pryce. Brock...¡± He stared at me and I felt him re-evaluating me. ¡°How would you feel if I were to offer you a sponsorship for a Lileep breeding colony? You have the history of successfully rearing ancient pokemon. You also have the rock typing that all fossils are proposed to possess. Your gym has strong security along with housing a resident breeding expert.¡± He nodded before raising up a finger. ¡°However, before any of this can be locked in, the resurrection machine itself will need to be examined. I will have¡­¡± He chewed his lip. ¡°Lorelei. I will have Lorelei inspect it as one of my Elite Four. If you reach the stage of resurrecting any type of pokemon we can see about¡ª¡± Lawrence coughed, looking oddly pleased and ashamed to have cut the Champion off. ¡°That may be up for discussion actually! As you¡¯ve mentioned, Brock can simply take the pokemon as they currently stand as they¡¯re not covered under the Resurrection Act. This will be a talking point in our meetings going forward.¡± Lawrence then shot me a look as if telling me to agree to nothing. Lance grimaced and I took a moment to realise that with Lance saying it, Lawrence had leverage for that discussion. Then Lawrence looked back to Lance like he was a Pidgeot that had sighted prey in the open. ¡°Other points such as the recent League¡¯s¡­ negligence towards Kanto? That will be pertinent for the League and Pewter Gym to discuss.¡± Lance sighed. ¡°Of course, yes, it will be. Anything else?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, I think I¡¯m good, what needed to be said has been said.¡± Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°I will be attending the meeting when you call it.¡± Lance shot her an amused look and I got the feeling he was very much underestimating her due to how quiet she¡¯d been today. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be sure to message you. Expect it to be within the next few days.¡± I stood and offered Lance my hand. ¡°Glad we could talk it out.¡± I looked into his eyes and gave him a nod. He gave one back and I tried to soften the tension further. ¡°Feel free to come around when you can by the way. I¡¯m sure people would get a great kick with having you show up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they would,¡± he said. We left Lance and Kruger to their work. I marched out feeling remarkably good about how that had gone. Lawrence had a grin plastered on his face and Sabrina floated slightly which got a lot of people flinching when they realised what they were seeing. I chuckled. I might have a lot of work ahead of me, but I was going to make certain I got as much as I could from this fiasco. Life was simpler when I just had to focus on pokemon battles and dealing with trainers. I glanced over my shoulder at the Champion¡¯s chambers at the top of the tower as we left. I really, really didn¡¯t want to have to unseat Lance and take over running the League. I had enough on my plate. Chapter 66 - Interlude - Lance stared out of the windows of his office. Far below, Brock, Sabrina and their lawyer were still in sight. They stood out with how others made way for them. The lawyer was practically strutting alongside the two Gym Leaders while Brock and Sabrina walked close enough that people could mistake them for holding hands. Brock paused, and for a moment, Lance wondered if their eyes had locked despite the distance separating them. Then Brock vanished in a teleport. Despite his disappearance, his words echoed in Lance¡¯s mind. My faith in you has taken some hits¡­ they were simple words, but no less impactful for it. Lance gritted his teeth and turned away from the window. He wanted to roar and gnash his teeth at the disaster that dropped into his lap, but he¡¯d learned control since his public defeat. Something that he¡¯d had to spend long hours meditating with the elders to gain. He liked Brock. Lance felt that there was an understanding between them. An understanding that they lived in an imperfect world where issues arose. Lance merely considered it a vagary of fate that he was so often on the other side to Brock of late. What could they achieve if they were on the same side, he wondered? Lance shook off his idle thoughts. He had work to do. He immediately began reviewing the information that had been given to him by Brock. This would be a mere starting point. Lance reached out and pressed a button on his office transceiver. A woman¡¯s voice chirped up a moment later. ¡°Champion, how may I help?¡± ¡°I want a memo sent out to the Records department regarding trainer numbers for the past five years. Also get me George, Dale, Marsha, Timothy, Matthew, and Clair. Inform Clair that I need her to bring Elder Chisoma with her.¡± ¡°Can do Champion!¡± chirped the woman as a staccato of keyboard clattering rang across the line before Lance hung up. A pointed cough was ignored as Lance opened his emails and began to review what the Head of Permits had sent through as a preliminary notice. Another cough. Lance didn¡¯t look away from the email. ¡°Kruger, I should think that you have better things to do than wait around. This issue will affect the entirety of the League.¡± Kruger proved stubborn though, and he shook his head. ¡°You let Brock get away with far too much.¡± Lance stopped what he was doing, his pride warred with his mind for a moment before he bit out, ¡°I made no deals and I only made suggestions on what was possible.¡± And it still left a foul taste in his mouth to act in such a way. ¡°And I know you, Lance. You will agree more than you would with another.¡± ¡°Brock has proven himself time and time again.¡± Lance raised a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear it. It¡¯s plain to me with how you¡¯re acting. Whatever grievance you¡¯ve developed with him is compromising your professionalism. ¡± Lance levelled an assessing gaze upon Kruger. ¡°Do I need to be considering replacing more than just the Head of Permits?¡± The threat lingered, and Kruger sucked in a breath. ¡°I dislike how he has made us look weak.¡± Lance snorted. ¡°He stepped up when I was being prideful. I respect him more for it. In doing so he showed that I wasn¡¯t invincible. Not all of us can have the legend of Samuel Oak.¡± Lance opened some emails and read through them. ¡°I had grown complacent.¡± Kruger grunted. ¡°Very well. I will make sure that other¡­ zealous officials are contained.¡± Lance narrowed his eyes at Kruger¡¯s back as the President marched out of Lance¡¯s office. It seemed he¡¯d need to keep a closer eye on this President of his. He didn¡¯t want more complacency, or worse, to slip into his administration. That had already cost him enough. Lance rubbed at the bracelet that contained the megastone he¡¯d gotten from Steven Stone. Steven Stone who¡¯d turned right around and used the favour he¡¯d bargained for faster than Lance had expected. Lance let out a small rumble of displeasure as the elevator doors opened once again. Lance glowered as Lorelei entered the office, followed by Bruno. Agatha floated through the floor in a show of power that had Lorelei watching the older woman more than Lance. Lance shook his head at the elderly woman¡¯s antics. Agatha claimed the centre seat and inclined her head. ¡°Champion, what might we do for you this day?¡± Lance sighed and gestured for the other two to sit. Bruno sat in a chair that was far too small for him. Lorelei folded herself into another chair, her glasses flashing as she observed Lance closely. Lance felt an instinctive need to show no weakness with an ice specialist in the room. He straightened up and huffed. ¡°It seems that our Head of Permits has allowed far too many international trainers to enter Kanto. This has been projected to cause a huge strain on the region¡¯s infrastructure, as this number of trainers is unprecedented. According to him, the Permits Department did not have a procedure in place to prevent this, and so now we are left with trying to stem the flow.¡± Bruno grunted. ¡°Seems like closing the gate after the Tauros are already among the Miltank.¡± Agatha cackled. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong for once! I doubt you¡¯ll have many situations like this in future. Unless you plan on creating a run on us with any more losses!¡± Lance focused his gaze on her. He wouldn¡¯t miss the cutting remarks from the old woman. The end of the circuit and her retirement couldn¡¯t come soon enough. Her replacement with Koga would make things much more straightforward. It would see them at three people for the Elite four due to Shafner¡¯s resignation. While he was replacing members, it might be a good idea to replace Lorelei as well. Then he just needed two trainers of suitable standing. Lance fully expected a challenge from Walker, Shafner¡¯s son, in the next few years. With Falkner taking over as Gym Leader he knew the man only had another two years before he lost the right to challenge the Elite Four. Lance huffed. ¡°Jokes aside, we need to have a response for this. I will be¡­ reviewing the Head of Permits. He¡¯s been in his position as long as you, Agatha. It might be time for someone that is more forward-thinking.¡± That made the old woman narrow her eyes. The faintest flickers of a smile appeared on Lorelei¡¯s face and Bruno remained unmoved. ¡°I¡¯d make sure that who you assign the position to is up to the task. It is deceptively simple on first appearances,¡± Agatha said primly. ¡°It¡¯ll draw in fools and gobble them up!¡± Lance flexed his draconic aura to get rid of the ghostly energies Agatha had loosened. Lorelei nodded, unmindful of the subsequent cold while Bruno merely snorted like a Tauros. Truly, Lance couldn¡¯t wait until Agatha was gone. He fully expected her replacement to be much easier to get along with. ¡°I have a few people in mind and have a number of people already assigned to the task. In the meantime, I will have Elder Chisoma to sit in as an observer to preserve Gym interests.¡± Agatha snorted. ¡°Blackthorn interests you mean.¡± Lance raised a finger. ¡°I will also have Koga tapped to weigh in. I have no doubt that he has the best understanding of the situation. He will be a good balancer. But, if you do have some names I will review them,¡± Lance said, conceding the minor point to allow Agatha a small win that would help her calm down. Agatha rattled off some names and Lance was surprised to find three of them being among those he¡¯d already nominated. He nodded, pleased that his initial thoughts were on the mark. Perhaps a few of them could have slightly expanded roles within the League. It would need to be reviewed. He made a note to do just that later. Talent needed to be nurtured after all. He turned to Lorelei. ¡°Lorelei, I will also have you as part of the process. However, that is not all you will be doing.¡± She raised a brow, coolly waiting for the task. ¡°Brock has been privately funding a resurrection machine. It has reached a level of function to the point that Brock has a small colony of ancient pokemon by the name of Lileep: A grass-rock type. I want an evaluation of the staff, the machine and other potential parties that could be offered the ancient pokemon to improve the genetic diversity.¡± Lorelei tilted her head in thought. ¡°The only one that comes to mind would be Erika. Other breeders wouldn¡¯t have the security. The second you handed an ancient pokemon over to them they¡¯d be in danger.¡± She then flicked her eyes to Agatha. ¡°Also only giving a Kanto Gym the rights to ancient pokemon would be a slap in the face to some. Perhaps our own Olivine city Gym could be considered? They have a storied past of being rock typed.¡± Agatha snorted derisively. ¡°Storied? I have dresses with longer histories than that Gym!¡± ¡°Agatha, Lorelei!¡± Lance barked out before they could start fighting in his office. ¡°I will consider it Lorelei. I think it has potential. It will need to be reviewed and kept secret that we¡¯re giving out any such deals.¡± Lance clenched and unclenched his fists. The fact that the League was still leaky as a bucket used for bullet seed target practice galled him. His pride stung at finding such aspects of his life he¡¯d apparently been a sleeping Dragonite on. So many improvements were made with his staff, the training they underwent, the policies and procedures, and still, documents and plans were slipped to people that had no rights to that information. Lorelei bobbed her head. ¡°Well, I suppose I can see to Pewter¡¯s machine then.¡± Lance turned to Agatha. ¡°I want you to go and talk with our finance department and plan to have two tournaments made up away from the usual first badge gyms to make people spread out away from Pewter, Celadon, or Cerulean.¡± ¡°Lavender town is beautiful at this time of year,¡± Agatha said, unmindful of the blatant favouritism. Lance had known what she¡¯d suggest when he gave her that task. He grunted. ¡°See that the other happens near Chrysanthemum city. They could do with some increased exposure.¡± Agatha waved a hand at Lance in vague agreement before she sank through the floor. She cackled on the way out and the sound echoed throughout the room. Bruno sniffed. ¡°Want me to go to Saffron and call out some punks? Let people know I¡¯m taking any and all takers?¡± Lorelei pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered under her breath. "Urgh, you¡¯re such a meatheaded fool sometimes Bruno.¡± Lance opened his mouth to say that, that wouldn¡¯t help, only to pause as he realised it actually would. Having an Elite Four member in a city and openly accepting challenges would be a large draw for said city. After all, trainers both young and old would find it hard to turn down a free chance at an Elite Four member. Saffron City would also have the infrastructure to deal with a large number of trainers, and Sabrina not changing her gym requirements should prevent her from being overrun. ¡°That¡­is actually a good idea,¡± he said, causing Lorelei¡¯s eyes to bulge and her head to whip from scowling at Bruno to stare at Lance. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± she said. Lance smirked. ¡°I might have you do the same soon.¡± Lorelei grimaced, and Lance found himself liking the idea all the more for her displeasure. His pride was partially soothed by the fact that the proposal enraged the icy woman. He waved his hand. "For the time being, go handle those tasks. I want to stabilise the situation. Bruno, you have two weeks to roam around as you wish.¡± Bruno grunted and marched off with a grin. Lorelei followed, shaking her head but otherwise following orders. Lance turned his attention back to his computer. He had a small flood of emails come in during the past two meetings. He sighed. Tonight was going to be the first of a lot of long nights. He just knew. He really wasn¡¯t looking forward to when the media caught hold of the situation. He suspected he¡¯d need to schedule a media release for tomorrow, and then an appearance in another day or two.
Karen smirked. Across from her, Falkner scowled. The little birdy was about to have his wings clipped on live television. Karen shot the camera a saucy wink and cocked her hip to the side. ¡°So, ready to get sent back to school, little pidgey?¡± Falkner¡¯s scowl intensified. ¡°You will not be talking so smugly after we¡¯re done!¡± he said, his feathers obviously ruffled. It hadn¡¯t been hard to get a match with him. Karen had already made a show of trouncing the four small Gyms of Johto. Now she was starting her true run. The other matches were just teasers to get her name out there. She¡¯d been noted down thanks to their agents in Battlecast and her fights had gotten a little more screen time than they would have otherwise. Due to that additional publicity, she had Gym Leaders like Falkner unable to reject her challenge lest they lose face. Then again, as the first of the big eight on the Johto side, him going first made it clear she considered him the ¡®starting Gym¡¯. Or as people liked to think, the weakest. That would have stung his pride worse than a Beedrill sneaking up on him. Little Falkner''s snarling and spitting for the cameras when she issued her challenge had certainly pumped up the crowd. Karen had merely told him to set a time and place, like he was beneath her, and that she¡¯d be there. She hadn''t let up since, continuing to challenge other Ace trainers and openly train her Pokemon team in public places where friendly matches could occur. So far, for Ace matches for actual points, she was on a sixteen-straight win streak. More than enough to catapult her up into the top hundred Ace trainers. Today¡¯s match was very much her true ¡®coming out¡¯ day. She had all eyes on her, just where she wanted them. The referee raised his flag and dropped it. ¡°Release!¡± he shouted. Karen hurled her pokeball and released Gengar as her first pokemon. Falkner chose his starter¡ª Pidgeot¡ªas his first pokemon. Karen threw her head back as she realised the little fool had called it out on the ground. ¡°Oh, sweet darkness, you''re too simple! This isn¡¯t even going to be a match!¡± she said loudly. She got more than a few boos from the home crowd, but she ignored them with a toss of her head as Falkner bared his teeth. ¡°Trainers ready! Fight!¡± said the referee. ¡°Pidgeot, use U-turn!¡± shouted Falkner like he''d played a perfect move to start the match. Karen made a show of yawning. A bug move was so beneath her. Then again he probably thought he was being clever setting up for his combination one-two with his pokemon. ¡°Fling!¡± she said gleefully. The onrushing Pidgeot¡¯s charge was sidestepped before Gengar slapped a handful of rocks across the Pidgeot''s face causing it to flinch. The energy that Pidgeot had been building up broke apart and the move was disrupted. As it flapped its wings to create space Karen grinned. ¡°Thunderpunch!¡± she said. Her Gengar exploded from his position fist sparking as Falkner was left gaping at the display of speed. ¡°Protect!¡± he said, giving his pokemon a stay of execution. Gengar¡¯s fist slammed into the protective shell as Karen pointed at it dismissively. ¡°Hypnosis.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Once more, Gengar¡¯s eyes glowed only this time in a pulsing pattern. The shell of the Protect crumbled, and a sleeping pokemon was revealed. Karen nodded once and another fist of electricity slammed forward to knock out Falkner¡¯s pokemon. The crowd gasped, and Falker clicked his teeth. Karen rolled her eyes. He must have thought his pokemon would have been able to handle more than one move(?) and come back into the fight. He obviously didn¡¯t do enough homework on her. She¡¯d practically gift-wrapped chances to check out her training sessions with her ¡®public¡¯ team. Falkner ignored the cries of the referee as he returned his pokemon, selecting another quickly. Karen smirked at him. She loved how it was getting to him. His hand fidgeted from pokeball to pokeball. Eventually, he licked his lips and selected his second pokemon. This one a Honchkrow. Karen narrowed her eyes. Was he challenging her? Falkner jutted his chin at her, and she huffed. ¡°Alright, I see where this is going. I accept,¡± she said, returning her pokemon to send out her own Honchkrow. She didn¡¯t care that it was tactically a mistake. This was about sending an Arceus be damned message. Both of their pokemon locked eyes, and there was a moment as they glared, only for their trainers to sweep their hands up. ¡°Icy wind!¡± called Falkner. ¡°Thunderwave!¡± said Karen. Electricity and ice blasted out of each of their respective pokemon only to meet in the middle and cause a divide. Both attacks negated the other but Falker pointed upwards. ¡°Get above it! Claim the skies Honchkrow!¡± he said. Karen huffed. ¡°Stay low, you''re fine, Honchkrow.¡± ¡°Ha! A true master of their pokemon would know that flying types operate best from a superior vertical position!¡± Karen yawned. ¡°Are you done? I¡¯m pretty sure if this takes too long your mother will be along to put you to bed.¡± Despite themselves, a few of the crowd laughed as Falkner spluttered. ¡°I do not have a bedtime!¡± ¡°Well, some of us don¡¯t want to miss happy hour then!¡± Karen said, pumping her fist and getting more laughs from the crowd. ¡°Descend with Drillpeck!¡± ordered Falkner, his pokemon dropping on Karen¡¯s. Karen hummed. ¡°Oh! Well, guess I should do something like Sucker Punch!¡± she said, causing her pokemon to flash black for a moment only to disappear as it repositioned to the other Honchkrow¡¯s side and slam a dark wing into its opposition. Falkner''s pokemon crumbled and fell to the ground, only to be trampled by Karen''s before it could recover. Karen bared her fangs. ¡°Thunderwave again!¡± Arcs of electricity slammed into the downed pokemon and locked it in place. Karen followed up with another order while Falkner was left reeling. Karen¡¯s Honchkrow cried out triumphantly when it slammed its own Drill Peck into the weakened Honchkrow. Falkner¡¯s arm shot up with a pokeball in it to withdraw his pokemon. He scowled. ¡°You could have given me a chance to withdraw my pokemon. It wasn¡¯t going to be able to escape with how you entrapped it.¡± Karen shrugged. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m just making sure of it.¡± Falkner hissed as he drew out his next pokemon, a Noctowl. Karen hummed and returned her Honchcrow. She was done proving who had the better Honchkrow. She returned her Gengar to the field and there was a murmur of confusion from the crowd. Noctowls were known to be strong psychic pokemon after all. Karen didn¡¯t care. Tonight was about style. She had the strength in wagonloads to walk all over Falkner. She just needed people to recognise it. ¡°Psychic!¡± said Falkner. ¡°Dark Pulse,¡± replied Karen. Gengar¡¯s body exploded with dark energy, and the various loose rocks that had been affected by the Noctowl dropped. Noctowl itself took some damage and staggered back. And that was all it took for Karen to slash her hand forward. ¡°Thunderpunch!¡± Once more Gengar closed the distance in the blink of an eye and once more another of Falkner¡¯s pokemon was put in the ground. ¡°Return Noctowl! Go Fearow!¡± shouted Falkner, desperation entering his voice as he hurled his pokemon up into the sky. Karen hummed. She knew from her own research that Fearow and Pidgeot shared a lot of moves. Such as U-turn, a clever move if you weren¡¯t expecting it but something Karen had already demonstrated she had an answer to. So what would he do instead? ¡°Heatwave!¡± said Falkner, causing a gout of fire to be shot out of his pokemon. ¡°Dark Pulse again!¡± Karen ordered, making the two attacks clash before vanishing as both pokemon cut power to the moves. Karen grinned. That told her more than enough about the strength of the Fearow. It was true that both attacks covered a wide area, but to have them negate each other was telling. ¡°Now! U-turn!¡± shouted Falker as his pokemon was revealed to her, already mid-stab with glowing energy. Karen clicked her tongue. ¡°Thunderpunch but hold it!¡± she ordered. She knew her pokemon could endure the first hit. It was what came next that she needed a solid counter to. Fearow hit and caused Gengar to grimace slightly, only for Fearow¡¯s energy to break apart as it was returned via a specialised move, therefore not costing Falkner a withdrawal. It was a trite little strategy that looked good at the four-badge level. ¡°Pursuit!¡± said Falkner with glee as a Dodrio took to the stage. Karen could see what he was aiming for. Most people might see the returning pokemon and return their own to change that match up and gamble on what came out. Pursuit would do a lot of damage to Gengar if that had been the case. These were good solid fourth badge and higher strategies. ¡°Meet it head on with your Thunderpunch,¡± said Karen harshly. Dodrio ran straight into the electric move and while two heads plunged on at Gengar, the centre head was slammed into the ground. The rest of the body followed suit a moment later. The outer two heads took a moment to register the knocked-out central head, and both huddled over it protectively before a feedback of shock passed through to them and knocked them all out. Karen grinned. ¡°Cute move. But this is an Ace Challenge little boy. Step up your game!¡± Falkner stared at his downed pokemon as he returned it. Then he looked up to the screen where he was four pokemon down to her none. His hand raised and clutched at his chest as his breathing began to speed up. Karen clicked her teeth as she spotted this. "Urgh, this damn brat really can¡¯t handle the pressure, can he? Urgh!¡± She chewed her thumb as she thought about what to do. She tossed her hair and pulled on her dark energy and shot a tendril out to him. ¡°Hey brat,¡± she said. Falkner¡¯s eyes shot up to her unable to resist the effects of her ¡®Flatter¡¯ to make him sit up and draw him out of his funk. She didn¡¯t want him going to pieces on her. She needed him to be fired up to make it look somewhat interesting. She put her arms under her bust and deliberately pushed them up. The cameras would no doubt pick up on it and get a few pulses beating faster as she wiggled her breasts teasingly. ¡°Is little boy going to cry? Give up cause he¡¯s getting spanked?¡± she taunted with a babyish tone. Falkner reeled back, realising for the first time how this must look. The comparisons to his grandfather¡¯s loss to Lance¡¯s Charizard haunting his family. He clenched his teeth and a fire entered his eyes. ¡°No, I¡¯m not giving up!¡± ¡°Go Fearow! Once more, take to the skies!¡± he shouted, causing his pokemon to take wing. The crowd of locals cheered at his pick up. Karen smirked and withdrew Gengar only to send out Weaville. Falkner¡¯s eyes bulged and his gaze snapped to her. She grinned. She¡¯d always had all the answers for his team. His Fearow went down with a few icy winds that he tried to counter with Heatwave but it wasn¡¯t enough with her pokemon now fresh and full of energy compared to his own. When he revealed Xatu as his last pokemon Karen put it down in one move and considered it a mercy. Falkner slumped on his podium and stared at the ground. Karen made a show of waving to the crowd as her pokemon walked up to accept some praise. Then she sauntered over to the morose Falkner. ¡°That was pretty pathetic. I can see why you¡¯re thinking of running off into the hills like your granddaddy and your daddy did,¡± she said without preamble. Falkner¡¯s head shot up as she glared at her. ¡°What do you know!?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re running the gym and just holding the fort, waiting for daddy to come home for you. You¡¯re not getting stronger and changing things up. Your placement in the Ace rankings is the second lowest of any Indigo Gym Leader and that¡¯s not saying much with the Cerulean sisters on that list.¡± Karen inspected her nails like it didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°You were just a stepping stone for me brat,¡± she said. She stared straight at him and watched as his face morphed from rage to impotent despair and back again. Eventually, it cooled into something else. Karen could feel the dark emotions fill the boy as resolve took hold. She mentally nodded. Good, he had been smacked around by her but hadn¡¯t been broken. ¡°I will face you again, and you will lose next time Karen!¡± he spat. Karen tossed her hair, amused at his now useless show of resolve. ¡°Good luck with that boy.¡± She pointed upwards, raising her voice as she shouted the next words, ¡°If you want a rematch then you¡¯re gonna need to soar to the top! Cause I¡¯m going all the way, and making an official run for the Championship!¡± She looked into the cameras and grinned. ¡°I¡¯m hereby putting the League on notice! I¡¯m not just going for Top Ace status! I¡¯m coming for the best of the best! Watch yourself Lorelei cause you¡¯ll be first when I¡¯m done with the Johto Gyms!¡± she walked up to the now visibly excited camera crews for her post-match interview, pointedly not looking back at the roiling ball of emotions that was Falkner. Ah teenagers, they made it so easy sometimes. She shot a quick message to Brock asking what he thought of her match. He didn¡¯t reply until the next day. ¡®Ah! I forgot! I had to read the twins and Munchlax a story! Sorry! I¡¯ll get the next one! How¡¯d you do?¡¯ Karen shut her transceiver away calmly, and in no way, shape, or form, threw a hissy fit.
Giovanni swirled his drink around before taking a leisurely sip. ¡°The girl is playing with him¡±, he said to the other occupant of the room. On the couch with his own drink, Blaine scoffed. ¡°Bah! I could have told you that before the match started! This girl is practically screaming dark-type specialist. She¡¯ll play with her food and tease them out. If she makes an enemy that will come for her later she¡¯ll just think it¡¯s good entertainment and stomp the brat back down!¡± Giovanni nodded and changed the channel. He didn¡¯t need to finish the match to know the result. ¡°Our sources at the League have announced that Brock has a working resurrection machine.¡± Giovanni kept a careful watch on his fellow Gym Leader. Blaine didn¡¯t flare up however and instead scoffed. ¡°Grass-type pokemon as fossils! They¡¯re so basic and unrefined! I would have no issue resurrecting them with my current machine! No recalibration needed! It¡¯s not a proper resurrection machine until it resurrects something of complex cellular structure like another Aerodactyl! Then Brock will have a viable pure bloodline to work from before he looks to diverge!¡± Giovanni nodded. ¡°What do you know of Crowley? He¡¯s apparently the lead scientist.¡± ¡°Hidebound. The man won¡¯t accept case studies as evidence or proof. A diehard stickler for getting proper sample sizes before he announces anything properly. He also has no financial sense. The man throws good money at bad situations!¡± The bald man then rubbed his moustache. ¡°I had hoped to have him be signed on for Project Mewtwo actually¡­ the man wouldn¡¯t care about what we were doing but rather the science involved. He¡¯d need to be silenced eventually like the others of course, but he¡¯d have been tunnel-visioned on getting a result. Not that you needed him eh?¡± Blaine said with a tilt of his head and a raise of his glass. ¡°Project Mewtwo is operating wonderfully,¡± replied Giovanni. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it without your mind Blaine.¡± ¡°Please! Save your platitudes for someone that cares for them. I enjoyed the challenge. The next trick would be to repeat it with another Legendary. We just need to recreate the entire lab!¡± Blaine said with a scowl. ¡°Project Mewtwo became emotional after gaining full consciousness for the first time.¡± ¡°How many of the controls were confirmed before his power expressed itself?¡± Blaine said carefully. ¡°Eighty-five percent of the controls and behaviours were imprinted. Project Mewtwo is compliant to me.¡± Blaine nodded, his eyes distant as his fingers flickered lightly on his glass. ¡°Be careful with it. A pokemon with the potential of a Legendary¡­ It is more than I thought possible when you first approached me.¡± Blaine grimaced. ¡°There will be a lot of heat if people realise what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve done,¡± Giovanni said firmly. Blaine locked eyes with Giovanni for a long moment before the bald man nodded. They each took a drink to settle their nerves. Blaine waved his hand. ¡°Put out a call to acquire as many fossils as we can. If Brock is going to enter the Ressurection game we¡¯ll just stymie the supply he has of fossils. We¡¯ll need to send some grunts into Mt Moon to sniff around. Perhaps some others at Grampa Canyon as well.¡± Giovanni accepted the suggestion with a nod. ¡°We have enough interested parties willing to buy the ancient pokemon to make it a highly profitable venture.¡± Blaine raised a finger. ¡°Not Stone,¡± Blaine spat the name like a curse. ¡°That whelp snuck an intern into my lab and had them steal the files regarding the machine''s template. His recent success in establishing it for Devon corp is nothing short of corporate espionage!¡± Blaine put down his glass and Giovanni eyed the slight warping it now had. His eyes then turned to the couch that Blaine was sitting on. He relaxed once he confirmed it was fire-resistant. Blaine continued his rant, ¡°Worse still that I had him dead to rights before Lance stepped in!¡± Blaine threw back the rest of his drink. ¡°All for a fucking Megastone! Crafty of Stone to sell one to earn himself some protection. Unlike Lance, no-one¡¯s broken Steven¡¯s aura of invincibility.¡± Blaine grasped his hands forward like one would strangle someone. ¡°I¡¯d have broken him over my knee! Shown him true firepower that you can¡¯t buy!¡± he said hotly. Giovanni stood and walked around the table to pour Blaine another drink with a new glass to help him calm down. ¡°What are your options from here? I doubt you¡¯ll let this rest.¡± Blaine snorted loudly. ¡°I have to sue the man! Sue him!? The nerve! It used to be once that if a man wronged you, you could burn him and send a message! For all the world was rougher, things were simpler before the war. Pompous shits like this Steven Stone would have known better than to steal from me!¡± Giovanni nodded. ¡°The price we pay for peace.¡± Blaine snorted again. ¡°Sue the man¡­¡± he muttered under his breath as he took another drink. He clicked his teeth and exhaled a gout of smoke. ¡°Any thoughts on running a challenger or two against Steven?¡± ¡°None that we can trust. Our resources are tied up in other projects right now. It won¡¯t be put forth as something important. We have some candidates that have the potential for Hoenn but sounding them out will require a delicate touch.¡± Blaine nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll want front-row seats when we have someone slap Steven Stone back into place.¡± Giovanni hummed. ¡°Done,¡± he said easily. He considered the other item of business he wanted to raise. This too needed to be handled¡­ Delicately. ¡°Has my mot¡­ has the Madam contacted you recently?¡± Giovanni said carefully. Blaine glanced up from his drink. ¡°She making moves on your position again? No, not as yet. If she reaches out I¡¯ll let you know what my price is for her and then for you.¡± He smirked as Giovanni nodded his head. ¡°That is acceptable. With that in mind, I have a gift, one that you can use straight away.¡± Giovanni reached into a case and withdrew a red box with a blazing inferno within. It smouldered and charred the table when Giovanni set it down. Next to it he set down a rock with red crystal growths protruding out of it. It pulsed with heat as well but it was nothing compared to the furnace next to it. Blaine made no move to pick either up. ¡°You found the Heat Rock? You do know I¡¯d been looking for that rock to complete my research on the Magmarizer?¡± he said quietly. He snorted. ¡°Of course, you know.¡± ¡°Indeed, congratulations on your success,¡± said Giovanni, standing and raising his glass to Blaine. ¡°I imagine the research community will be taken by storm with your discovery, no?¡± Blaine stayed where he was, staring at the Magmarizer before his eyes turned to the other gift. ¡°Where did you get a Heat Rock?¡± Giovanni sat down with a smirk. ¡°We have fully established contact with Sinnoh through a fellow organisation by the name of Team Galactic. We were both interested in exchanging information and more, so here we are. Enriching each other and those that stand with us.¡± Blaine snorted before he threw his head back and laughed. ¡°Ha! That¡¯s going to make you a very rich man Giovanni! Access to a new region! And here the League is all in a tailspin because they found Fiore! And Silph Co is claiming to have a perfect pokeball!¡± Giovanni smirked wider. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let them work on Fiore. As for the Masterball¡­¡± He considered Blaine for a moment and decided to give the man an innocent shrug. Blaine chortled as he picked up the Magmarizer and inspected it. Giovanni tilted his head innocently. ¡°Also, who said anything about just one region being discovered?¡± Blaine snapped his head up. ¡°Which region?¡± ¡°Orre,¡± replied Giovanni. Blaine frowned, then blinked. Then he laughed, his head lolling back. This time he stood and offered Giovanni a salute with his glass.
Sabrina stared. In her lap, the egg wiggled a little and bounced before settling down. Sabrina extended a hesitant mental touch to the egg. The Ralts that was still forming within gave a vague feeling of content and curiosity before their mind slumbered once more. Sabrina withheld her disappointment that the small being within wasn¡¯t going to hatch today. It seemed the twitches weren¡¯t up to speed as yet. There wasn¡¯t anything wrong with the egg of course. She¡¯d had it checked multiple times and had taken to carrying it around with her for meals and when she slept at home. When she wasn¡¯t checking in with Brock she otherwise left it with her parents. Both of them were under strict orders to call her back the instant the egg looked like it was hatching. Sabrina had never hatched a pokemon egg before. The closest she¡¯d ever come to raising a pokemon had been her Alakazam which had been a young abra when she¡¯d first taken over the Gym. They¡¯d worked together for years and had a good understanding of each other. They shared impressions of how they were feeling, what foods they were eating, how battles had gone and more but Sabrina would have struggled to say they were close. That had only started to develop more recently. The time spent together either meditating to control her power or to just relax had gained a new element to it. Alakazam had started to show her more of himself. She¡¯d in turn done the same. Now it wasn¡¯t unusual for Alakazam to sleep in her family¡¯s house on the couch at night,almost like an uncle. He enjoyed the late night shows and Sabrina had heard her mother complain about the puzzles in the newspaper already being done when she collected the paper in the morning. Sabrina had tested a theory and presented a bookcase full of puzzle books. Alakazam had finished them all within the day and thanked her. Progress. Lately, Sabrina had felt like she was making progress herself. Now she just needed to make progress in other areas. Namely her relationship with Brock. They would return to dating. Which would involve¡­ Well more things than they¡¯d done as trainers during their journey together. She just needed to wait for things to settle down with Brock¡¯s family. Sadly the recent flood of trainers wouldn¡¯t lighten the load. Brock appeared to be able to handle it though. He had adjusted and was going to do fine, she was sure. He had nice shoulders. Sabrina felt her cheeks grow a little red and she made sure not to feed her feelings to the Ralts egg. Things were developing nicely. She rubbed the egg, and it twitched sporadically, like the occupant was more doing it to get as comfortable as possible than seriously trying to get out. Sabina could wait for them. She was good at waiting for the things she wanted. That didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t anticipating what was to come so very soon in the future. Chapter 67 - The return of Silly Mouse! ¡°¡ªand then Veronica caught herself a pikachu!¡± Dennis read stolidly from his report, his eyes sliding from side to side. I made a noise of amusement as Missy and Daniel tried to look interested but they were too wiped out. They¡¯d been the first trainers facing the gauntlet challengers, of which we¡¯d had seven today. That, alongside the rest of the duties expected of them when in the Gym saw them leaning on their desks with droopy eyes. Next to them, Janine was alert and upright. The very picture of a professional pokemon trainer. Behind her, Rocko was doodling in his notepad with a bemused expression while Forrest shot glances at whatever Rocko was drawing. Jackson was leaning in and making suggestions on whatever was being drawn. I could feel Janine radiating disapproval even though she wasn¡¯t able to turn around without compromising her pose. Crystal and Yolanda were also here, both looking interested as Dennis reported on the recent foray into the surrounding areas with the Pewter-sponsored trainers. ¡°Alright,¡± I said clapping my hands to end the torture I¡¯d unleashed by letting Dennis debrief on his trip into the wilds with the kids. There was no one better to check and teach bushcraft¡­ Beyond possibly Daniel but he was a new hire. It was just dangerous letting him report on what he¡¯d done. ¡°So, they¡¯ve had their time to train, get used to their pokemon and battle among themselves, and a few others. That¡¯s good. Are they ready for the sessions tomorrow?¡± I asked. Dennis nodded. ¡°Yes, although Veronica stated she wants to look into contests¡­¡± he trailed off as though guilty or ashamed. I shrugged. ¡°It would be a nice claim to have a professional coordinator. It also is something that has less competition for sponsorships. Smart.¡± Yolanda frowned, ¡°How do you mean Brock?¡± I waved my hand about. ¡°Everyone else has been treading a path that is established with set markers that we can use to easily judge. Veronica will be doing something new that is different but it will work in her favour. Doubly so with most of the people coming to Kanto this year being Trainers. There will probably be a few that dabble in Contests which will make it slightly harder but she stands out for being different. Everyone else will be comparing themselves against the others in the group except for Veronica.¡± I turned back to Dennis. ¡°How¡¯d Mia and Silly Mouse go?¡± Dennis flipped a few pages on his report, grumbling as he did so about still having more to talk about. He drew the pencil he had behind his ear and tapped it on one page. ¡°Mia did well with practising Thunder. She has it up to the strength of a Thundershock at the moment but that¡¯s to be expected with Silly Mouse¡¯s estimated age. Her other move shows more immediate application so Mia spent a lot of time training on both moves more than she did anything else. As such, she still only has Silly Mouse on her team.¡± Dennis furtively glanced around and flipped a page. ¡°Humphery on the other hand was able to catch three¡ª¡± ¡°Dennis,¡± I said, cutting him off. I shook my head. ¡°Save it for a surprise, as the others are going to face the gym¡¯s sponsored trainers.¡± I turned towards the others. ¡°Missy, Janine, Forrest¡­ Yolanda, I¡¯ll have you all rotating through on those that are undergoing the gauntlet challenge.¡± Yolanda perked up. ¡°Me?! You want me to fight them?!¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re more than qualified to handle some of the pokemon. Just remember to go easy on them.¡± Crystal nudged Yolanda and said something that had Yolanda blushing. Oddly Crystal looked annoyed by this instead of pleased. Janine raised her hand. ¡°Why me? The others make sense but they will not be expecting me.¡± I nodded. ¡°Precisely. Sometimes it¡¯s important to throw them a curveball. They¡¯ll be expecting rock or rock-themed pokemon. I want you to use the gym pokemon for this alright? You can deploy your own strategies but keep it within their skill level.¡± Janine¡¯s hand shot into the air. ¡°Question! How many of the lower-strength pokemon know how to perform Sandstorm!? Or Rock polish? Or Mudslap?¡± I raised a finger as Forrest chuckled maliciously. Yolanda was biting her lips while the older trainers stared at Janine. I coughed. ¡°... quite a few actually,¡± I said neutrally. ¡°Keep it possible for them to beat you, yeah?¡± I sent a mental apology to any kid that faced Janine tomorrow. I flicked a glance to Dennis who had a determined glint in his eyes. So, who¡¯d win? Dennis¡¯ week of preparation or Janine¡¯s out-of-the-box thinking? I shrugged. Oh well, it¡¯d be good for the kids¡­ I hoped.
Veronica barely scraped a win against me with her pokemon limping across the line, but good use of her terrain to tire out the Onix I¡¯d sent against her got her there. She¡¯d proceeded to whittle down my pokemon and when the match had been called she almost collapsed from how much energy she¡¯d used shouting commands. I marched across to her and offered her a hand. ¡°That was a tough-fought match. I saw a lot of potential there.¡± She smiled up at me. ¡°Thanks, Gym Leader Brock,¡± she said. I gestured to the side where Jackson was waiting with a tray of gym badges. ¡°So, do you want your prize?¡± She bit her lips before raising her head to the stands where the other kids were all waiting. One and all, each of them so far had won their matches and earned their badges. And one and all of them had said they would wait for the others in their group to celebrate together. Veronica shook her head. They were putting a lot more pressure on themselves than they needed to. It was their decision though, so I left them to it. I led Veronica to the medical wing for her pokemon to get checked over. There I traded out my Onix and Geodude before grabbing up Izumi¡¯s pokeball. I was actually glad that after Humprey and Mia¡¯s challenge I¡¯d be done for the day. Before the sponsored trainers, I¡¯d had a few two and three-badge matches. As things stood I was really turning over the pokemon that were used for my first badge challenge with the flood. I sighed. I¡¯d have to be careful, soon some of these pokemon would be too strong to use on the new trainers. My options would get smaller and smaller until the rostered break in a few weeks time. Until then, I¡¯d have to stay vigilant. ¡°And now! Representing the first of this year¡¯s fully sponsored trainers for Pewter City Gym! Humphrey Stoneman from Pewter city!¡± shouted Rachel as Humphery walked into the arena proper. Rachel grinned as she turned to the trainer arena. I pat Yolanda on the back. ¡°This is just like a tussle in the schoolyard. Go have some fun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say! You don¡¯t have to worry about people laughing at you!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do fine. If anyone laughs I¡¯ll send Titan to sit behind them,¡± I said jokingly. Yolanda shot me a furious look. ¡°That is not helping!¡± Then her gaze softened. ¡°Really though?¡± I smirked at her. Yolanda huffed at me, only to glower as a stray lock of hair floated in front of her face. I reached out and plucked her scrunchy out before retying her hair in a braid that was more firm. She blinked only to snort and give me a much more grateful look. It was short-lived as Rachel raised her microphone. ¡°And now! Representing Pewter City Gym for the first time! Yolanda!¡± Yolanda marched down the stairs like she was a square block of stone rather than flesh and bone. When she reached the podium. She glanced around and I made a gesture to try and get her to calm down. She nodded and clapped her hands together and shut her eyes. Dennis whistled. ¡°Huh. She really does take after you, doesn¡¯t she? She¡¯s going to be a terror when she goes on her journey if she can get that egg to hatch.¡± I nodded, feeling rather proud as she released the pose and adopted a pose with a hand on her hip. ¡°Trainer Yolanda! Ready!¡± she announced. When the crowd cheered she got a little spooked but settled back in. Humphrey merely held his game face. ¡°Trainers release your pokemon!¡± announced Jackson. ¡°Go Geodude!¡± said Yolanda. ¡°Go Seedot!¡± said Humphrey. ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°Impressive! Those are tough to find in Viridian forest.¡± I glanced at Dennis. He smiled widely. ¡°Humphrey was quick to work out that certain pokemon had a different cycle of being active. He started varying when he was waking up and exploring at twilight and night. He¡¯s gotten himself a good team with that Aron we gave him as the starter.¡± I nodded and watched as Yolanda tried to use tackles to nail the Seedot. When that didn¡¯t work she switched to Sand Attack only for Humphrey to order his pokemon to use absorb. Geodude toppled quickly at that. Yolanda grit her teeth as she withdrew her pokemon. Then she pulled out another pokeball. ¡°Go Zubat!¡± she said. I frowned. ¡°Where¡¯d she get that from?¡± I asked. ¡°Crystal caught it,¡± said Dennis loyally. ¡°Georgina¡¯s been letting her catch and train two pokemon in preparation for the day she goes out on a journey. They¡¯re shopping around for an official starter but otherwise, those two are good training pokemon for her to practise with.¡± Janine appeared behind me. ¡°I was not aware I could use a Zubat for this challenge?¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s rock-themed. I hadn¡¯t expected her to use it but it works.¡± I considered it before nodding. ¡°We should consider getting some in the next acquisition run. After all, they''re mostly found in caves." Dennis rubbed his chin at that and I watched as Yolanda unleashed Zubat on the Seedot. The type advantage didn¡¯t even become a factor. ¡°Supersonic!¡± shouted Yolanda happily as she punched the air. Across from her Seedot wobbled and wavered only for her to keep up the assault. Humphrey eventually remembered that he could withdraw his pokemon and did so to reveal a young Pidgeotto. I shot Dennis another look. Dennis shrugged. ¡°Kid¡¯s impressive.¡± I nodded and watched the larger bird pokemon outspeed and outpower Yolanda¡¯s Zubat. I nodded, deciding that I might feature a few Zubat in the next rotation of pokemon. It would work well with most people going through or past the tunnels of Mt Moon. An early warning of what these pokemon could be like. I tapped Janine on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re up next.¡± She bounced in place only for me to cough. ¡°Wait for Yolanda to get off the arena and Rachel to announce you first.¡± ¡°Ah, of course,¡± Janine said. It took a few minutes for Yolanda to depart. Humphrey apparently recognised her from school and stopped her to congratulate her for the good match. Then he turned his attention away and in doing so missed her saddened expression. I clicked my tongue. Dennis shot me a look. ¡°You¡¯re gonna shake him up a bit boss?¡± I worked my jaw only for Janine to speak up first. ¡°I shall avenge Yolanda¡¯s loss and remind him to be more gentle with a young girl¡¯s heart!¡± ¡°Also representing Pewter today we have¡ª¡± Rachel was saying only for Janine to sprint down the stairs and leap over the edge. The crowd gaped as she flipped end over end in a gymnastics flip before landing in a perfect three-point pose. ¡°It is I! Janine of Fuchsia!¡± she said. She held up a pokeball. ¡°Are you ready!?¡± she said, daring him to reject it. Humphrey was confused. ¡°Do you even go here or are you a fan that jumped the fence?¡± he said looking to Jackson who wasn¡¯t helping as he burst out laughing. Janine bristled. ¡°I am studying underneath Brock to learn how he runs his Gym! Now is not the time for talk! Are you prepared to fight!?¡± He nodded slowly, still looking to Jackson in case this was some sort of joke. ¡°Go Geodude!¡± said Janine as she whipped a pokeball out only to expertly catch it when the bounce-back feature activated. That had Humphrey straightening up. ¡°Pidgeotto, use Gust!¡± ¡°Geodude! Defense Curl!¡± Janine answered, causing her pokemon to curl up into a ball as the wind swept aside dirt and small rocks. What it didn''t do was move the small boulder pokemon. Humphrey clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡°Pidgeotto stay up high! They¡¯re going to try and use Rollout!¡± he said, sweeping his hand. Janine sniffed loudly, ¡°Rock Polish!¡± she said. Humphrey gritted his teeth before raising his pokeball and returning his pokemon. ¡°Return Pidgeotto! Let¡¯s go Seedot!¡± he said instead. His Seedot bounced out and Janine grinned. ¡°Use Sandstorm!¡± she said, causing Geodude to spread out her arms and spin widely creating a dust cloud that expanded quickly. I hummed. ¡°She¡¯s going a bit harder than she needs to against a first badge trainer.¡± Dennis nodded from next to me, not saying anything. I shot him a sly look, had he bonded with the kids during their trip away? He seemed highly invested in their success. ¡°Seedot, get into the sandstorm and surprise them!¡± Humphrey said. I was surprised by the call and leaned in to see what he would do. I watched vague shapes move into each other and it looked like Janine had ordered her pokemon to use Tackle instead of Roll Out. I watched the Geodude-shaped form lunge only to strike something and rear back. Then Humphrey was shouting something and I saw hints of green energy. Dennis pumped his fist. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the way! Astonish into Absorb to keep your pokemon in the fight!¡± he said. I chuckled, realising that Dennis had it right. The Sandstorm slowly fell apart and a dirty and bruised-looking Seedot emerged with a downed Geodude laying across from it. Seedot puffed itself up victoriously. Janine observed this clinically before inching her hand towards another pokeball only to stop and shake her head. ¡°You have demonstrated enough skill that you may advance. Geodude return!¡± she said before backflipping out of sight. The crowd gasped in shock before Jackson diverted their attention with a flag raised in Humphrey¡¯s direction. ¡°Seedot wins and Trainer Humphrey advances!¡± This got people clapping, but I noted that more than a few were still trying to spot where Janine was. I turned and spotted her inching over the fence that divided the Gym trainers from the crowd. ¡°Have fun?¡± I asked. She paused, caught with one foot awkwardly over the fence. She coughed and hopped over before Dennis could turn. ¡°Indeed. He was most skilled, but I wanted to make him sweat first.¡± I hummed. ¡°Well, I don''t have to question his skills. He demonstrated enough for a two or three-badge challenge just there.¡± I eyed Humphrey, while pointedly not looking at Yolanda who was looking glum off to the side. ¡°No reason to make it too easy though.¡± I toggled the radio and Rachel beamed as she raised the microphone. ¡°And now! The Challenger has advanced enough to face off against the Gym Leader! Give it up, for Brock!¡± she shouted. I marched down and frowned when I realised that merely leaping across the divide wouldn¡¯t be as impressive now that Janine had demonstrated she could do a flip over the same distance. Damn, she¡¯s upstaged me and probably hadn¡¯t even been trying. I still made the leap, lacking anything better to do and chuckled to myself as I stood. ¡°Humphrey, good to see you again.¡± I glanced at his pokemon. ¡°You¡¯ve grown in an interesting way.¡± He nodded tightly and returned his Seedot. ¡°We have, and we¡¯re ready for you! Let¡¯s go Aron!¡± he said, releasing the small metal dog I¡¯d gifted him when I¡¯d taken him on as a fully sponsored trainer. Aron barked harshly and I smirked. ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s see how you¡¯ve grown. Go Onix!¡± Jackson raised and dropped his flags. ¡°Harden,¡± I said to start things off. Onix gained a sheen around his body as his defence increased. Humphrey punched forwards. ¡°Metal Claw!¡± he said, causing his pokemon to charge across the distance. I smiled to myself, realising he¡¯d set up his pokemon too deep to make the distance without me getting off another move. A small mistake, but one that was telling. ¡°Use Dig,¡± I said to evade the charging Aron. Onix leapt into the dirt and vanished into a large hole. Aron skidded to a halt and growled. ¡°Go after it!¡± Humphrey shouted. I raised an eyebrow. Aron typically needed to be tutored that move so how had he had the time to¡­ I watched as his pokemon sprinted down the tunnel my pokemon had left with harsh barks echoing after it. Stolen story; please report. I sighed as Humphrey stared in shock. ¡°I meant for him to Dig his own tunnel and intercept Onix¡­¡± I chuckled as the sounds of barking continued. Onix emerged a minute later and slid out with an annoyed look on his face. The cause was quickly revealed with a tiny Aron gnawing on his tail. I noted it wasn¡¯t with any actual energy to make it effective. Lots of enthusiasm though. ¡°Onix use Bide,¡± I said. Onix glowed and Humphrey clicked his teeth., ¡°Let¡¯s commit! Aron, use Metal Claw!¡± His pokemon stopped biting mine and his front paw glowed silvery as he leapt in to strike my pokemon. Onix reared back but held strong. ¡°Again!¡± shouted Humphrey as he gained a bead of sweat on his brow. Once more Aron struck, only for Onix to rise up with a glint in his eyes. ¡°Finish it quickly!¡± Humphrey said, knowing he had to stay committed now. ¡°Onix attack,¡± I said, causing Onix to build up energy as he prepared to lunge. He was just coiling up when Aron struck once again and a small blast of dust radiated out of the impact site. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see Onix down for the count with Aron heaving air into its tiny, trembling frame. Humphrey was also shaking. ¡°Oh, wow! That was close!¡± he said as he wiped his brow. I nodded. ¡°And that¡¯s all I need to see. I can tell that you¡¯ve more than earned your first badge.¡± I cocked my head to the side and flicked my attention towards the stands. ¡°Are you going to hold off as well?¡± I asked. He nodded, a grim look on his face. ¡°Y-yeah¡­ But Uhm¡­ Brock, are you going to go easy on Mia? She only has¡ª¡± I raised a hand and cut him off. ¡°I will treat it like I always do. Mia has to show me her best.¡± I shooed him away and nodded to Rachel as I made my way back up. I tapped Yolanda on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re up again. Don¡¯t go easy on her, but keep it controlled, alright?¡± Yolanda nodded seriously and when Mia was called, she came out with Silly Mouse in her arms. She was notably stroking him in a gesture that screamed ¡®I am not at all calm¡¯! Silly Mouse himself looked a bit agitated, but I looked past that. He had a good lustre to his coat, and his body had bulked up a lot since the last time I¡¯d seen them. She¡¯d obviously doubled down on her pokemon and it showed. I was curious how she''d handle the upcoming challenges. I nodded and Yolanda marched forth, this time much more settled in. Mia perked up and waved happily when she spotted Yolanda causing Yolanda to wave back. Then she got a stern face on and Mia remembered what she was there for. Yolanda sent out a Geodude as her first pokemon. Silly Mouse took to the field and Yolanda was quick to have Geodude go on that attack with Sand-attack. ¡°Quick Iron Attack!¡± shouted Mia, making Silly Mouse blur away from the sand before sprinting in close to the side where he stopped on a pokedime. His body I noted was spinning in a tightly controlled arc like he was performing a dance rather than just turning. With one foot dug into the ground, his body whipped around, and a silvery glowing tail revealed itself. It slammed home into geodude and sent the other pokemon flying. Geodude slammed into the wall where it collapsed in a slumped pose. The crowd went silent in shock at the ferocious combination attack. I glanced at Dennis and he had a huge grin on his face. I laughed and that triggered a storm of cheers and applause as the crowd roared to life. ¡°She made very good use of that Iron Tail training then,¡± I said. Dennis nodded. ¡°Worked on nothing but her pokemon since she got it. That¡¯s going to be one strong Rattata when it finishes growing.¡± I nodded and watched Silly Mouse wave happily. Yolanda returned her pokemon and pulled out a Diglett which proved a much tougher match-up as Silly Mouse¡¯s speed couldn¡¯t let it close with the mole pokemon. In the end, Mia had to allow a hit to land and rely on her timing to be good enough to get Silly Mouse an Iron Tail in retaliation. I clicked my tongue. ¡°She should have used the boulders to escape Diglett. Diglett is one of the only pokemon that won¡¯t leap out of the ground when using Dig after all.¡± Dennis shrugged but Janine to the side looked intrigued by that information. ¡°Silly Mouse come here!¡± said Mia gesturing for her pokemon to approach. I nodded, pleased that despite not catching any other pokemon she had the foresight to get herself a potion or three. Janine waited until Mia was done, then threw something that went off with a bang. Instantly everyone¡¯s heads snapped in that direction while I shot her a glare. Janine, either unrepentant or not noticing, sprinted down the stairs and was on the podium without anyone else noticing her deception. ¡°Well met!¡± she shouted, causing everyone to flinch and realise she was suddenly just ¡®there¡¯! Mia tilted her head. ¡°Hello? I don¡¯t know you?¡± ¡°I am Janine, I am interning under Brock. You might face me again in Fuchsia if you make it that far!¡± Mia made a surprised expression at that. ¡°Oh! Alrighty then! That¡¯s pretty neat! Silly Mouse and I are ready for you today, and we¡¯ll be ready for you in Fuchsia!¡± ¡°Rat!¡± said Silly Mouse defiantly. ¡°Go Geodude!¡± said Janine once more, tossing out another of the Gym¡¯s pokemon. ¡°Begin!¡± Announced Jackson. ¡°Geodude use Sandstorm!¡± said Janine, this time not waiting around. ¡°Silly! Use Tail Whip while we can!¡± said Mia. I nodded. She¡¯d done a good job judging her pokemon¡¯s speed and knowing that she would have probably had to have been a lot faster with her pokemon. The arena became shifting shapes and whistling winds as the sandstorm whipped at the pokemon. I could see Mia bracing and leaning into it. ¡°Hang in there Silly!¡± she shouted as loud as she could. I knew from experience that she would have gotten a mouthful of sand from that but respected her dedication. ¡°Get up on a rock out of the storm! Use your claws!¡± I heard from Mia. I noted that I couldn¡¯t see the Geodude which let me know Janine had likely ordered it to dig. A few moments later I was proven right when a shape shot out of the ground to try and slam into Silly Mouse. Only for the Rattata to parry the attack. ¡°Now! Iron Tail!¡± shouted Mia, seeing her moment of opportunity. Her pokemon lunged and once more another win was chalked up. This time instead of finishing the match however, Janine sent out a Rhyhorn that she sent bulldozing around the arena after Silly Mouse making the pokemon have to run away. A number of rocks were destroyed in the rampage, but eventually, Silly Mouse won out with greater endurance and agility. When Rhyhorn faltered Silly Mouse once more turned and nailed the other pokemon into the ground with an Iron Tail between the eyes. ¡°Rhyhorn is unable to battle! Silly Mouse and Mia advance!¡± announced Jackson earning some applause from the crowd. I settled onto the top of the stairs as Rachel got ready, my eyes on Silly Mouse as he heaved in huge lungful after lungful. This was where the issue of only having one pokemon made itself abundantly obvious. Until that one pokemon became amazingly powerful and well-trained it would not be able to handle a gauntlet challenge. Mia was wiping at Silly Mouse with a cloth to get rid of some sand from his eyes while spraying other parts of him with potion. His grimaces and cries made it obvious that he hadn¡¯t escaped the last battles unscathed. He must have been clipped a few times there, either by tackles or flying rocks. ¡°¡ªBrock!¡± shouted Rachel alerting me that it was time to move. I made my way down and had to resist the urge to slow down. On the podium, Mia was furiously rubbing potion into Silly Mouse as Silly Mouse tried to turn away from her and face me, the oncoming threat in his mind. I considered the pokemon on my belt and I slowly came up with a plan. I leapt across the fence once more and landed in my kneeling position before rising up. Silly Mouse was baring his fangs and ready for me, despite Mia holding him back to get one more squirt of potion onto him before letting him hop forward. Mia eyed me and then her pokemon. ¡°Go to the front!¡± she said to Silly Mouse ordering him right in close to the centre of the battlefield. I smirked. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this. Time to show what you''ve got Mia and Silly Mouse.¡± I enlarged a pokeball and nodded to Jackson. ¡°Go Lileep!¡± I said as I threw my pokeball to the middle of my area thereby giving my pokemon a bit of breathing room without making it too far back and therefore letting Silly Mouse have a run-up. ¡°Eh? Who¡¯s that pokemon?¡± Mia said, unknowingly mimicking most of the crowd as murmurs broke out. On the field my pokemon swayed innocently from side to side, her fronds retracted where her face was. Jackson took a moment to shoot me a surprised look. He obviously hadn¡¯t been expecting me to reveal the Gym¡¯s newest acquisition on a first badge match. I smirked at him and he nodded. ¡°Trainers! Ready!? Begin!¡± he said, dropping his flag. ¡°Silly Mouse! Go for the kill with Iron Tail straight away!¡± she said, punching forward. Silly Mouse charged forward and I hummed as he leapt into the air. ¡°Lileep, use Acid.¡± My pokemon snapped her head up straight at the oncoming Rattata and spat a wad of poison. It must have been a critical hit as Silly Mouse cried out and missed with his Iron Tail as he crashed into the ground to the side of Lileep. ¡°Good, now use Wrap!¡± I said. Mia gasped. ¡°No! Silly Mouse get out of there!¡± She said only for Silly Mouse to be locked in Lileep¡¯s fronds and body as she curled around him. His tail was most notably restrained. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± She gritted her teeth. ¡°Fine! Silly Mouse use Crunch! Bite them back if they¡¯re not going to let you go!¡± I chuckled as the match became a drag-down fight with my pokemon trying to smother him while SIlly Mouse bit for all he was worth. I was impressed that her pokemon knew Crunch and that likely was what earnt her the match. ¡°Lileep is unable to battle!¡± said Jackson as my pokemon went limp. I nodded and withdrew it. While I had a lot of these to potentially draw on, I wasn¡¯t going to use them to float the weakest badge teams. That would be bandaging something that needed much more delicate care. They¡¯d feature, but not in large numbers. Silly Mouse heaved and trembled as he staggered back towards Mia who quivered and looked at me. She shut her eyes as I selected another pokeball. She held up her hand and raised Silly Mouse¡¯s pokeball to signal she wasn¡¯t going to test her luck. I felt my respect for her grow. She¡¯d pushed as far as she should and she¡ª Silly Mouse refused to go into his pokeball. The red beam of energy connected, and he started to be drawn back only to be aborted. Silly Mouse glared at me as though I had done it only to pause and shoot Mia a startled look. ¡°Rat? Tata? Rattata?¡± Then he got an angry look on his face as he gestured at himself. ¡°Rat Rat Rat! Tat Ta!¡± He waved at me and chomped his fangs and turned back digging his claws in. I whistled. ¡°Little guys got some fighting spirit that¡¯s for sure¡­¡± I said, ¡°Are you willing to test that?¡± Mia shook her head. ¡°No! Silly Mouse I don¡¯t need to win a badge today! I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt anymore! You¡¯ve fought too much as it is! I should have gotten another pokemon to help back you up, instead of training you so hard!¡± ¡°Rat!¡± Silly Mouse said in a way that made me think he disagreed. He pointed at me and then made a gesture at his eyes and then back at me. Mia chuckled and nodded. ¡°W-w-we¡¯re going to c-con-continue,¡± she said. I enlarged my pokeball. ¡°Very well.¡± I threw out Izumi. She emerged with a cry of her name before taking in the scene. She tilted her head and considered Silly Mouse. ¡°Be¡ª¡± Silly Mouse charged before Mia could give her order. I hummed. That wasn¡¯t what I wanted to be taught here and now. ¡°Rollout backwards,¡± I said. Izumi tucked and rolled backwards out of danger as an Iron Tail came down where she¡¯d been. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I followed up with. Silly Mouse started to charge ahead only for Mia to scream. ¡°SILLY MOUSE STOP BEING STUPID AND DODGE THOSE ROCKS LIKE WE TRAINED!¡± He tripped as he lunged to the side, taking a rock as his instincts warred with his determination to prove himself. The Rock Throw saw him sliding back. I made a sign to Izumi to hold, which honestly was entirely unnecessary. She could read the room. Silly Mouse struggled to his feet and shook Mia shouted, ¡°Silly! Stop, and listen!¡± Silly Mouse paused tilting to show that he was listening while watching me and my pokemon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I doubted you, I was scared for you. But charging in like that won¡¯t win us this fight. You¡¯re tired and that Geodude is fresh! We need to trust each other¡­ I realise that¡¯s a lot to ask but I believe in you, can you do the same for me?¡± Silly Mouse considered that for a moment before nodding. ¡°Good now¡­ Use Thunder.¡± Silly Mouse paused only to nod, charging up electrical energy and causing his whiskers to spark more like a pikachu than a rattata. I frowned, the crowd were screaming for her to stop as it wouldn¡¯t work. I knew Mia to be a smart girl. This wasn¡¯t her not knowing that. I saw the glint in her eyes and smiled. It looked like she had a plan. ¡°Ready yourself Izumi!¡± I said, causing my pokemon to make a show of punching the air. Silly Mouse charged up, and then Mia shot her hand out pointing ahead of her. ¡°Blast the spot right in front of the geodude!¡± I blinked in surprise as Silly Mouse arced a bolt of electrical energy up into the air and down right in front of Izumi. I blinked furiously to get rid of the flash of lightning and boom of Thunder causing me to miss what she said to Silly Mouse next. The attack worked to blind me and Izumi to Silly Mouse and when the dust cleared we found ourselves suddenly face to tail to a leaping rattata with Iron Tail dive bombing us. I grinned. ¡°Clever girl,¡± I said aloud as Silly Mouse slammed into Izumi. Izumi was thrown backward and rolled over herself a few times. When she came to rest at the base of my podium I leaned over to see if she was alright. She opened both eyes and then winked at me before faking being knocked out. I glanced up to find Silly Mouse flat on his stomach as he stared defiantly at Izumi, willing her to stay down. When I raised my pokeball and returned her, he slumped. Mia leapt over the edge of her podium even as Jackson raised his flags. ¡°Brock has withdrawn his pokemon! Silly Mouse and Mia are the victors!¡± The crowd in the stands erupted in cheers as Silly Mouse was raised up into Mia¡¯s hands. He grinned at her and waved weakly at the crowd. I watched her, letting her have her moment. When I got to the ground level, I made my way to her and coughed to announce myself. Mia and Silly Mouse both grinned at me. ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t how I thought things would go.¡± I shot Silly Mouse a look. ¡°You and Mia had already earned the right to the Pewter badge when Mia tried to withdraw you. That seemed good sense to me.¡± I made a thoughtful face. ¡°But then again, I don¡¯t know what you two are capable of apparently.¡± I nodded. ¡°Mia, and Silly Mouse. It¡¯s matches like this that show just how much our bonds with each other matter. Moments like this make me love being a Pokemon trainer. I¡¯m honoured to have witnessed you fight. You truly surprised me.¡± Mia and Silly Mouse were speechless as I gave them a shallow bow of respect. I felt that they had deserved it. I shot them a wry smile. ¡°I might have to use that Thunder trick with Sanchez you realise?¡± ¡°O-oh? Really?!¡± I nodded. ¡°It was a great move.¡± I glanced at Jackson. ¡°So, I think there was an agreement with the Pewter Gym trainer group to get your badges as one today, no?¡± Mia beamed as I waved the others down onto the field. Instead of just the trainers I sponsored, the entire crowd poured onto the field like their home team had just won a match. In a way, it was, as there were only local parents and family and friends present for this series of matches. They¡¯d cheered and cried and supported the kids just as much. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised by them ¡®storming the pitch¡¯. I raised a hand, considering stopping them only for the adults to host up the other kids and make them all part of the moment. I lowered my hand and chuckled. ¡°Well, this works as well.¡± When the kids got their badges, everyone cheered for them. I got a number of claps on the shoulder from the locals as well for the ¡®great matches¡¯ I¡¯d had with the kids. I shook hands, and made small talk for a while. Internally, I was glad that I¡¯d scheduled the matches as the last part of the day. This had allowed parents and families that worked to come and witness their children¡¯s success. When everyone was done celebrating the matches and the awards for gauntlet runs had been given out, I bid everyone good night and they all departed. As I was cleaning up, Janine edged up to me. ¡°That¡­ that was very different from how matches work at my father¡¯s gym.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have crowds? Or something else?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ but how the crowd included you. In Fuchsia¡­ In Fuchsia, my father and I are respected but we are kept at a distance¡­ We¡¯re the Guardians of the town, and people revere us. They wouldn¡¯t have included us in celebrating their or other children¡¯s success as they did today. They¡¯d certainly never storm the arena after the match¡­ Despite it being disrespectful in so many ways I¡­¡± She clenched and opened her hands. ¡°I liked that,¡± she said, as though it hurt her to admit it. I frowned, that didn¡¯t seem right to me. ¡°Why does it sound like you think that¡¯s a bad thing?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to erode all the traditions of my family!¡± she said, stomping her foot. ¡°But! But, I find myself longing for some of the grandeur you have. The battle courts, the immersion into the community, the showmanship!¡± I shrugged. ¡°So just work the traditions into what you want.¡± She shot me a look. I gestured at the Gym at large. ¡°I kept a lot of the rocky aesthetic for my Gym. Why not do the same for your own Gym? Keep everything that makes it feel like your Gym while embracing the new. It won''t be as easy perhaps but if you pull it off you¡¯d have something unique. I spent an entire year and a lot of money just workshopping what I want. It¡¯s still developing and that, honestly? Makes it a lot of fun!¡± I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Does that¡­ help at all?¡± I said carefully. Janine nodded. ¡°It has certainly given me a lot to think about. Some of your traditions are silly, but I can see your intent.¡± I shot her a look and she tilted her head towards a poster that proclaimed the gym would be dressed up and styled in a ¡®Sevii island theme¡¯ in a few days'' time. Which was just my version of Hawaiian shirt friday. I coughed. ¡°That¡¯s to keep things fun.¡± She huffed at me and put her chin on the broom. ¡°Well, thank you for the chat Brock. If you don¡¯t mind, I will clean up the stands on my own from here. I think I would like some time to think.¡± I patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Alright, great job today.¡± She smiled. I didn¡¯t miss how she reached up to where I¡¯d pat her on the shoulder after complimenting her. Somehow, I doubted she got much of that at home. I returned home and found my siblings just starting dinner. I winked at Yolanda. ¡°Great work today little sis,¡± I said. She beamed at me. While the rest of my family watched some television or played with their toys I finished up some paperwork for the Gym. Then I turned my attention to a few sheets from the school. ¡°Hmmm, bakesale and the school festival. Alright, I think we can get something whipped up.¡± ¡°Ohh Rocky Road! Everyone loves your Rocky Road big Bro!¡± chimed Salvadore. I winked at him. I was pretty sure they loved the theme I stuck with but that was just for marketing. When it was time for bedtime Suzie and Timmy grumbled at me. ¡°No! We don¡¯t want a storybook. Tonight we want a Brock story that you make up!¡± I hummed. ¡°I haven''t done that in ages?¡± They nodded with the seriousness that only four-year-olds can muster. ¡°Yeah! We noticed!¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s get your teeth cleaned, and I¡¯ll see what I can manage.¡± They did so with speed. Munchlax decided to join them tonight, and he even got tucked in next to Suzie. With him in the room and a vague idea of an easy story to cheat from, I began to weave a story about a mighty Snorlax that was actually a Dragonslayer. Munchalx loved that story, and Suzie and Timmy got more joy watching Munchlax¡¯s expressions. When the Snorlax got sad, Munchlax got sad. When Snorlax got angry, Munchlax growled. When Snorlax was startled, Munchlax hid under the sheets, only to be coaxed out by Suzie. ¡°¡ª and though Snorlax had defeated the terrible Dragonite, he was wounded!¡± ¡°No!¡± gasped Suzie as she cuddled up to Munchlax. Munchlax looked very worried for his new hero. I nodded, trying to keep a serious expression. ¡°But he was safe! For you see he had food in his pouch! And so, the Might Dragonslayer proceeded to eat a whole wheel of cheese and recovered from his ordeal! By the end, he ate the wheel, rind and all, and was as healthy as could be!¡± Munchlax¡¯s eyes practically had stars in them as he beamed at the way his hero had saved himself from injury. I think he liked that more than the fighting. I nodded. ¡°And all the men, and women, kids, and pokemon cheered him on, and they lived happily ever after. The end.¡± ¡°Hoo-ray!¡± yawned Timmy sleepily. I nodded and gave him, Suzie, and Munchlax a kiss on the head. ¡°Indeed, alright, good night now.¡± ¡°Thanks for the story Brock,¡± said Suzie as she cuddled up to Munchlax. ¡°Munch~,¡± said Munchlax. I left the room feeling warm and cozy. I found Yolanda sitting in the hallway with her egg in her lap, and a huge smile on her face. ¡°That was amazing,¡± she said happily. In her lap, the egg squirmed a few times before settling back down. I pat her on the head. ¡°Good work again today. Now get some sleep, Gym trainers need to be rested up. Got a lot of battles coming your way soon.¡± ¡°Thanks, night Brock,¡± she said after a quick hug. That night I lay down with a huge smile. Today was a win on all fronts, it felt like. I went to sleep with a smile only half as wide as Munchlax, but still more than content. When I felt the bed dip as another body joined me later, I merely shifted to wrap her in a hug. Chapter 68 - Fighting against the surge It¡¯s crazy how something as insane as training pokemon and running a gym can almost become boring if you let it. I very much sought to enjoy the process, so I usually liked to try different things with varying match ups of pokemon. This could be battle tactics, to pokemon themselves, coming up with unusual moves. I knew that some pokemon had a lot of different moves depending on methods of rearing, training, use of technical machines, and even who their parents were. There had to be a thousand different variations to use against just as many opponents, and as Gym Leader, I got to take part in lots of battles. As the first gym, this meant that I had the most trainers to challenge me. So I actually had the highest participation rate of challengers in the entire circuit. However, I didn¡¯t just limit my methods of making things fun for myself. On some days, I would have the gym stylized differently, with snacks that we sold taking on different flavours. During the day of the departed, I typically opted to use jack-o-lanterns and provided extra winnings for anyone that used a ghost pokemon during a gym match. During the warm, sunny days, I notified the crowds that we¡¯d be having a ¡®tropical¡¯ day which I used to highlight places such as the Orange and Sevii islands. In my past life, these would have been known as ¡®Hawaiian shirt¡¯ fridays. People that tried for the Elite challenge on these days unknowingly had a higher chance of me bringing out Bertha due to her ability to surf. Which made for a very interesting situation when Alexa approached me at the start of the day. ¡°Brock I think I better flag a trainer for your attention,¡± Alexa said with her clipboard in hand. Around her neck, a lei rested to go with her otherwise semi-professional attire. ¡°Alright? What¡¯s so special about them?¡± Could this be Ash she was talking about? ¡°His name is Brawly.¡± Something about that tickled my mind. I knew that name¡­ how did I know it though? Alexa noticed my confused expression. ¡°He¡¯s a young trainer that, when I checked his credentials, came up as a trainer that has learnt under Chuck from the Cianwood gym in Johto. He¡¯s challenging you for a fourth level badge but he doesn¡¯t have any to his name so far. What did you want to do?¡± ¡°Brawly, trained under Chuck¡­ do we have a picture of him?¡± I was getting a suspicion that I did know this guy, only I knew him because of my previous life¡¯s knowledge. ¡°No, but I was there with the new receptionists and worked through his application. He was a rather fit young man with aqua blue hair that stuck out to the sides.¡± ¡°Was he tanned?¡± I said, forming an image in my head. ¡°Umm,¡± Alexa scrunched up her eyes before nodding. ¡°Yes, he was. Do you know him?¡± ¡°I think I know of him,¡± I said to evade the question. ¡°He¡¯s fine. In the future, trainers who wish to challenge for a higher level don¡¯t need to be flagged.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make a note to the front desk. I thought it pertinent to alert you as he is a past gym trainer for another Gym. You¡¯re not worried about him?¡± I shook my head. ¡°As a Gym, we¡¯re a challenge, not something insurmountable.¡± Alexa nodded and made a note before passing over the day¡¯s schedule. She¡¯d highlighted Brawly on the list and I hummed. Huh, it looks like I was going to have the future Gym Leader of Dewford challenge me. I¡¯d almost forgotten he¡¯d learnt from Chuck. I whistled in surprise and found myself very eager for the day''s matches. I was also deeply amused that Brawly was going to be challenging me on Tropical Friday. It struck me as highly appropriate for the Gym Leader most recognised as a ¡°surfer bro¡± sign-up today. Had that been by chance, or by design? As the third listing, I still had to get through two other matches before him. The first trainer easily brushed through the gauntlet with a well-trained Growlithe that used its speed and surprised me with a dig maneuver to claim its trainer a badge. I¡¯d then faced off against a young girl with a Poliwag that was easily able to earn her own badge. She¡¯d earned herself a compliment at her out of the box thinking to have Poliwag pound the ground to allow it to effectively jump and dodge or attack in mid-air. With those matches out of the way, I was actually both disappointed and relieved that Brawly hadn¡¯t opted for the gauntlet. Part of me wanted him to run the gauntlet for a serious challenge to some of my trainers. Another relished the chance to go against him without too much foreknowledge of what his team was. I knew he was supposed to be a fighting-type specialist, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t have something else. I was an example of that, with my Lapras and Noctowl. ¡°Trainer Brawly, welcome to the Pewter City gym.¡± I settled into my pose. I had a feeling Celia was giggling to herself somewhere, knowing she''d forever made me aware of what I did. I guess I¡¯d just have to own it. Across from me, Brawly sauntered up to the podium with a sheepish expression. ¡°Hey there! Gym Leader Brock! I have to say you know how to tempt a guy into sticking around! When I showed up at the start of the circuit I saw your upcoming events and just knew I had to challenge you on your tropical day.¡± ¡°You could have taken the morning slot if you wanted to challenge me earlier.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Yeah, I could have, but Pewter to the coast isn¡¯t that far as a Pidgeot flies.¡± he ran a hand through his hair, ¡°I couldn''t miss out on a morning surf!" That stumped me. I blinked before realising that in the anime, Brawly had actually delayed facing Ash multiple times due to his love of surfing. I chuckled at that. ¡°Is that so? Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve done that much. Maybe I should try it when things settle down.¡± ¡°Yeah! You totally should! When I complete the circuit, I¡¯m so setting up camp down near Pallet town! That little town is just the choicest place to relax! Nice quiet town that¡¯s only two minutes from the beach! There¡¯s gonna be a lot of fun this circuit I can tell! Looking forward to the festival as well!¡± I brushed off the comment about the festival and instead focussed on something else. ¡°When you complete the circuit, eh?¡± I selected a pokeball and looked to the side to find Daniel on the referee stand today. I nodded. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re confident. Show me what makes you think you deserve my badge.¡± Between us, Daniel stepped up and said, ¡°Trainers! This is a fourth level gym challenge issued by trainer Brawly! The Gym Leader is not allowed to withdraw his team, but the challenger may! Only six pokemon can be used by the challenger. The Gym Leader has opted to use four pokemon!¡± Both flags went up. ¡°Trainers are you ready!?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Begin!¡± He dropped his flags and Brawly and I each threw a pokeball forward. Mine landed and disgorged a tall thin pokemon that bent and flowed like a willow branch. ¡°Sudowoodo!¡± cried my pokemon, pumping its arms back and forth. On Brawly¡¯s side, a heavier pokemon took to the field. It landed with a heavy thump but then instantly bobbed back and forth on its toes. Its arms rocked forward. ¡°Champ! Ma-champ!¡± That got a whistle out of me. I could tell that this was not a pokemon that had just gotten big from time in the gym. Each line of muscle was like tight whipcords, and the air whooshed with each punch. ¡°An impressive pokemon. Are you sure you didn¡¯t want to wait and try for the elite challenge?¡± ¡°Ho, I have to admit to being tempted when I saw that set in stone. But I think I¡¯ll pass, I have a good team right now, but I don¡¯t have one I feel confident in. Especially if you brought out your Tyranitar.¡± I shrugged and offered up a hand, signalling he should start things off. ¡°Machamp, let¡¯s start off strong with Focus Energy!¡± Instantly his pokemon tensed up and a white energy built up just around the pokemon¡¯s chest. I nodded. ¡°Not bad, Copycat Sudowoodo.¡± My pokemon smirked as it adopted a pose precisely like that of Machamp with the arms cocked back. It was like watching a twiggy nerd flexing on a martial artist. Machamp growled at the display while my pokemon built up white energy in front of it. ¡°Machamp if he¡¯s not coming to you, then make him! Use Rock Throw!¡± The four-armed pokemon reached down and grasped the earth. Around it, brown energy ran down its form and into the ground. Then four small boulders tore themself free of the ground to hurtle straight at my pokemon. I watched them come before announcing my move with a lazy drawl, ¡°Dodge them.¡± Sudowoodo became a willow in the wind and bent around the attacks. Instead of his form being stiff as one would expect, he was fluid and flowed around each attack. Brawly chuckled. ¡°Huh, it seems you¡¯ve taught your pokemon some good balance there Brock! Sure you don¡¯t surf much?¡± ¡°Positive, I rock climb instead. Sudowoodo Thunder Punch.¡± Electricity arced around my pokemon¡¯s fist and the tree like pokemon grinned before leaping forward at Machamp. The much larger pokemon growled but held his position as we closed. ¡°Mach Punch when they¡¯re close!¡± shouted Brawly ¡°Take a knee and punch into the ground!¡± I counter-ordered, unwilling to let Sudowoodo walk into that sort of punch. Machamp flinched as my pokemon took a swing only to find its fists soaring right over my pokemon and hitting nothing but air. ¡°Now use Low Kick!¡± I said. With my pokemon¡¯s fist already planted, Sudowoodo spun like a breakdancer and knocked Machamp¡¯s legs out from underneath it before the other pokemon had a chance to respond. Fun fact, Low Kick is a move that scales off how heavy an opponent''s pokemon is. Machamps typically average in at one hundred and thirty kilograms meaning the move hit for close to full force. Also? Losing your footing in a match against a Gym Leader and having to take time to get up? Not something I¡¯d allow at a fourth-level badge challenge. ¡°Thunderpunch!¡± I ordered again. Sudowoodo smirked as he punched down on the much larger pokemon. ¡°Machamp! Get out of there! Punch the ground and bounce up!¡± the Machamp flexed before doing just that. Two arms rifled into the ground and launched it up. My pokemon was still in close range so Brawly decided to push his luck. ¡°Close Combat!¡± Before the upper arms could snap closed fully and damage my pokemon I stopped him in his tracks. ¡°Counter,¡± I replied. Sudowoodo caught both of the reaching hands and bent over itself in a move that made my spine ache just watching. It tilted over itself and once more planted Machamp¡¯s face into the dirt. Machamp stopped there like a potted plant. When it fell to the side instead of rising or even twitching, I signalled Sudowoodo away. Daniel raised a flag. ¡°Machamp is unable to battle, Brock wins this round!¡± The crowd whistled and cheered at this. They were obviously pleased to see a higher-level match and some of the tactics that could be used in a close combat fight. It was always heart-pumping to witness two strong pokemon engage in a physical contest. Brawly chuckled as he withdrew his pokemon. ¡°Damn you¡¯re strong! I was kind of annoyed that your guy said you were only going to use four pokemon, but now I think I might just appreciate not having two more like this guy to face off against.¡± I smirked at that. ¡°I¡¯ve got some other tricks up my sleeve. Hope you¡¯ve got some to match them.¡± Brawly nodded and selected another pokeball. He tossed it out and this time a large blue frog like pokemon emerged. ¡°Poliwrath!¡± it announced before punching out. ¡°I¡¯m seeing two for two fighting pokemon so far?¡± I said idly. Brawly nodded. ¡°I got a favoured typing, that¡¯s for sure.¡± He winked. ¡°And some other tricks, don¡¯t you worry.¡± I decided to not remind him that he¡¯d already announced that he owned a Pidgeot but I supposed he hoped to not use that pokemon. ¡°Poliwrath, use Body Slam!¡± The Poliwrath launched itself across the field with speed. ¡°Dig! Don¡¯t give it a chance to grapple Sudowoodo!¡± My pokemon dove into the ground. Brawly¡¯s smirk was all the clue I needed that he¡¯d prepared for this. ¡°Earthquake Poliwrath!¡¯ I clicked my tongue as the pokemon stomped the earth and broke up parts of the arena. Sudowoodo was ejected from the ground and Brawly followed up before it could land. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± A large blast of water shot from Poliwrath¡¯s mouth and nailed my still-falling Sudowoodo. It cried out and landed harshly before tumbling. It fell still after a few rolls and struggled to stand only to collapse as it ran out of energy. I nodded and withdrew it. ¡°Nice work Sudowoodo.¡± ¡°Sudowoodo is unable to battle; the challenger wins this round!¡± ¡°Nice one!¡± Brawly gave his pokemon a thumbs up. I hummed in thought playing with my choices before going for the tried and true Rock pokemon. ¡°Go Onix!¡± The giant Rock pokemon emerged with a dull roar. Poliwrath braced in the face of the much larger pokemon and I settled in for a tough match. The flags dropped, and I didn¡¯t wait around. ¡°Use Dragonbreath!¡± That got a look of surprise out of Brawly but he punched the air in front of him. ¡°Hydro Pump! Take it out Poliwrath!¡± Once more Poliwrath unleashed a powerful blast of water. My pokemon inhaled and unleashed blue flames that raced across the field. Instead of being flatly negated by the water attack, they instead blew the water away before pushing on. ¡°Again Poliwrath!¡± Brawly ordered to offset the oncoming attack. When the field was covered in a light mist I nodded to myself and eased off. ¡°Stealth Rock Onix.¡± I couldn¡¯t make out Brawly from my position on the other side of the field, but I could imagine he¡¯d be forced to do something now. My fight with Lance had sparked a lot of debate over the usage and reemergence of field effects with multiple talk shows and radio channels wondering why they had fallen out of fashion. ¡°Poliwrath fire your Hydro Pump like a hose and sweep the field low!¡± ¡°Tackle leap!¡± I shouted to Onix. I wasn¡¯t willing to see it go into a dig with Brawly showing that his pokemon would punish me for it. My Onix, which to me was a dark shape in the mist, leapt up and over a large beam of water that arced around like a hose. My luck held out as I ran a calculation on my pokemon¡¯s trajectory in my head. A second later a loud impact resounded through the gym and Brawly once more shouted out. ¡°Poliwrath! Ah! I withdraw it!¡± I nodded. The mechanical suction fans that I had here weren¡¯t great at clearing field effects, and it would take a while but the red light from the pokeball locked onto where Poliwrath was and it highlighted the much larger form of my Onix laying on top of it. I held in a chuckle as some of the crowd applauded the dodge-turned-attack. No one suspects a pokemon that weighs roughly two hundred kilograms to actually be able to jump very high but like a snake, it had surprising strength to do just that. It just couldn¡¯t be repeated back to back. ¡°The challenger¡¯s pokemon is withdrawn! The challenger may return this pokemon later in the match! It may not be returned instantly, as that would confer a technical foul and be seen as a forfeit for that pokemon!¡± announced Daniel. I nodded again. This time happy that my trainers had learnt the rules. It also spoke well of Brawly using his right to withdraw a pokemon effectively. He couldn¡¯t see his pokemon and knew it had just been taken down, I hadn¡¯t given another order so there was a lull he could use. He could also return it to the field later. Far too many trainers didn¡¯t grasp this tactic. It was also tough to judge. If my pokemon had been close enough and in mid-attack, his pokemon could have been ruled out of the match entirely. In a no holds barred challenge both of us would get to use withdrawals and change outs, but as Gym Leader I had to give some chances to trainers challenging for my badge. Still, part of me wanted to try my best against Brawly of all people. I knew he was supposed to be a Gym Leader in the future, and part of me wanted to know how we¡¯d match up, despite his technical advantage. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. After all, I might get to face him in the coming World tournament in a few years. Then again, lots of things could change by then. I had no doubt he¡¯d be stronger and more confident at the very least. ¡°Go Medicham!¡± Brawly¡¯s next pokemon stopped me from getting too far down that rabbit hole. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted Daniel somewhere in the mist. I hummed to myself. My pokemon had withdrawn slightly, and the mist was fading away. I had half an idea about what could be coming my way with a Medicham on the field due to its typing. I heard the thumps of the Stealth Rocks coming into play, and the crowd to the side gave a loud. ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡± as they apparently had forgotten about my earlier play. Brawly didn¡¯t worry though and instead calmly ordered his next move. ¡°Mind Reader!¡± I clicked my tongue. Not the exact move I¡¯d predicted but nevertheless something to watch out for. I mentally made a note to spend some more time with Sudowoodo. If I had some more versatility to him I might have been able to have him take all three of these pokemon. Then again it was on me that he¡¯d gone into a failed Dig. ¡°Stealth Rock again Onix!¡± If he wanted to do a set up I could do likewise. This time, when the rocks formed up they came to a part of the field close to me. That would help to judge an initial position if the mist stayed up much longer. I felt like it served its purpose so I needed to get rid of it soon. ¡°High Jump Kick!¡± Brawly commanded, drawing another tick of approval. The one-two follow up would work wonderfully with most pokemon. ¡°Protect!¡± I countered. From within the mist, a frankly huge dome of orange hexagons formed up around my pokemon. Medicham¡¯s form was already mid-leap and wouldn¡¯t be able to back out of the attack. Which suited me perfectly as it slammed into the protective field and hurtled off with a pained cry. ¡°Dragonbreath Onix!¡± Once more my pokemon unleashed blue flames. The fire burnt through the mist. Medicham growled before leaping back. I could see smoke rising off the pokemon before it began getting blurry with what was left of the fog. ¡°Again Onix!¡± time to either knock out his pokemon or give myself some clear vision. ¡°Take the hit and use Reversal!¡± Medicham started to sprint into the oncoming flames, its eyes blazing. The fire swept over it and I leaned forward as instead of going down the pokemon began to speed up. I watched it push through the flames leaving it with a sizeable space still to cover. ¡°Dig Onix!¡± Brawly loudly clicking his tongue let me know he didn¡¯t have an answer this time. His pokemon struck high as my pokemon dove into the ground before instantly rising like Jaws from the depths to knock his battered and bruised pokemon away once more. It didn¡¯t get up this time, and once again, Brawly had to return his pokemon. Onix gave a loud roar as the crowd cheered at his success. ¡°Nice one, Onix!¡± I gave a thumbs up and readied myself for the next pokemon we¡¯d face. Brawly selected another pokeball and held it out in front of himself. Would it be the return of Poliwrath or something else? ¡°Go Heracross!¡± A large blue bug pokemon with a singular horn appeared on the field, and the crowd gasped in surprise. I had no doubt that a number of them were also bug enthusiasts despite their support of my Gym. Viridian Forest being so close made lots of people that liked that style of pokemon prefer to live around Pewter or Viridian city. ¡°Heracross, use Aerial Ace to close and take it out with¡ª¡± Before Brawly could enact his plan the Stealth rocks once more activated. Knowing what he was going to do, I instantly pounced as the rocks slammed into the Heracross. ¡°Dragonbreath now! While it''s off balance!¡± Onix unleashed its flame straight at the rare bug type. I could just make out a few Bug Catchers in the crowd wailing at seeing one of the favourites of their type getting lit up. Sadly, while Dragonbreath had been a great choice against the Hydropump to push it back, it didn¡¯t convey the benefits of a true fire-type move against this bug. Heracross¡¯s wings blew the flames that engulfed it away, and it shouted like a samurai as its eyes locked onto Onix. ¡°Hera!¡± ¡°Aerial Ace into¡ª¡± "Go into Dig!¡± I wasn¡¯t going to wait. With a pokemon like Heracross, which ostensibly had the ability to fly, I didn¡¯t want it closing in to use fighting type moves. That was just asking for Onix to get flattened. Onix dove once more just as Heracross vanished from its side of the field. It reappeared and swept both fists forward at where my pokemon should have been. It growled in annoyance before spinning about on its rapidly flapping wings. The rapid flapping making me wonder for a moment if¡ª Onix once more rose up and slammed straight into Brawly¡¯s pokemon. I hummed. I hadn¡¯t thought that would work, but apparently, Heracross didn¡¯t have the same ¡®flight¡¯ pattern as other pokemon capable of flying. Perhaps the speed of its wingbeats allowed my Onix to gain a better understanding of where it actually was? I¡¯d have to experiment with that in the future. ¡°Heracross! Can you fight, buddy?¡± Brawly said as Heracross rose into the air. It was clearly battered and bruised now but also highly annoyed. ¡°Hera!¡± It swept its arms in front of itself and growled across at my pokemon. The bug fans in the crowd hollered their approval. ¡°Right on buddy!¡± Brawly squared up on me, his gaze determined. ¡°Heracross, Aerial ace once more but this time follow up with Megahorn!¡± ¡°Use Protect!¡± I said, deciding to gamble. I knew he¡¯d have to have some sort of answer to my move and I had to admit that a Megahorn into the earth would have been just as effective as an earthquake in truth. I watched the hexagons struggle to form around my pokemon right as Heracross accelerated before vanishing in a burst of speed. A hexagon formed up right infront of the Heracross. A loud boom echoed through the gym and a shockwave billowed out causing both pokemon to reel back slightly. I grimaced as my much larger pokemon struggled to get back into fighting position. Brawly¡¯s eyes gleamed as he capitalised on the delay. ¡°Close Combat!¡± Heracross charged in, punching and kicking my Onix into submission.. It fell with a final sad moan, but I withdrew before it could fully hit the ground. I turned the pokeball over in my hand. ¡°That was great Onix.¡± I resolved to myself that I would evolve and give this Onix a proper name. He had demonstrated that he had the skills to be added to and expand my Elite Team. I¡¯d just have to give it some serious thought for what other moves I should teach him. The crowd got on their feet and cheered, and Brawly heaved a huge sigh of relief at seeing my pokemon off the field. ¡°Damn! That pokemon was strong! He almost had two of my pokemon if I hadn¡¯t had some advantages!¡± ¡°Hmmm yeah¡­ I noticed you¡¯re using a lot of fighting types against me.¡± Brawly rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Yeah, I think I want to be a specialist in the field back home in Hoenn, see? But I¡¯m going to do it from home in Dewford, catch some choice waves as much as I can.¡± I nodded. ¡°Well don¡¯t let yourself get weak from losing out on pokemon matches. I think I want to face you one day with my best.¡± I spun up a ball into my hand and let my smile turn decidedly evil. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to kick it up another notch however.¡± I flicked the pokeball and grinned as a floating pokemon was revealed. ¡°Let¡¯s go Quirinna!¡± My Solrock emerged with a cry of its name. Brawly cursed. ¡°Damn, one of your named pokemon? For a Fourth badge level?¡± ¡°Oh? Noticed that I named my best pokemon did you?¡± ¡°I did my research. There are like three whole threads about you on the pokenet man. Mad respect for what you¡¯ve done!¡± ¡°...Thanks?¡± While it was good to know Brawly had looked into me before the match, part of me cringed at the thought of ¡®three threads¡¯ talking about me being considered ¡®a lot¡¯. Still, the prior research was another tick in his list for this match. I gestured to my pokemon. ¡°Also about the naming trick I use? You¡¯re partly right. Quirrina here¡¯s definitely one of my best, but he¡¯s not yet up to the Elite level. You¡¯ll work well to let him flex though.¡± Quirina spun in position before crying out, more than happy to be out for a match. I glanced to Daniel and he raised the flags before dropping them. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Aerial Ace into Close Combat once again!¡± ¡°Counter its charge with Zen Headbutt!¡± I commanded. Quirina spun as Heracross appeared behind him, arms glowing with fighting-type energy, only for my pokemon to practically slam into it to perform its own move. Heracross was hurled into the ground with a harsh cry where it lay. It twitched once before fainting properly, causing Daniel to raise my flag once more. ¡°Heracross is unable to battle! Brock wins this round.¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± Brawly said as he withdrew his pokemon. He quickly drew out another pokemon and brought it forth. ¡°Come on out Wailord!¡± From this pokeball one of the largest pokemon to yet be discovered across the ¡®open¡¯ regions appeared with a gurgle before hitting the ground and smiling. I couldn¡¯t even see around it to where Brawly was. I blinked in surprise. I hadn¡¯t been expecting that to be one of his pokemon, but it made sense for him to have some sort of water-type pokemon. I whistled. ¡°Daaaammmn that¡¯s a big one.¡± In comparison, my Solrock looked downright tiny. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted Daniel. The stealth rocks that slammed into the Wailord barely seemed to bother it as it merely held its position. I knew I only had one shot at this but thankfully I had exactly the right type of pokemon to counter this surprise. ¡°Sunny Day!¡± I ordered. Quirrina formed up a harsh yellow ball of light that he shot up into the air. It hovered high up before unfolding into a dome that caught and refracted the light harshly down onto the arena. ¡°Wailord! Surf!¡± called out Brawly. I chuckled at what had to be the most cliche move from Brawly of all people. Wailord called forth what had to be the entire reserve of water that we had ringing the arena from the grates just outside the arena boundary behind itself. A titanic wave formed up behind it that actually lifted the giant whale up. It sang a happy song as I heard outright manic laughter coming from Brawly. I stared at the wave before leaning over to press a button on my podium to make sure the barriers were working properly. Rachel stepped in front of the crowd and smiled hugely, ¡°All crowd members currently in the stands, please be aware drying facilities are available in the communal parts of the gym and laundry services can be provided. Thank you, please remain seated and have a nice day.¡± She then scurried to get out of the front row making others suddenly realise they too were in the splash zone. I turned back in time to brace as the wave dropped onto myself and Quirrina. ¡°Protect,¡± I said as the wave came down on my pokemon. I merely braced for the oncoming wave. I heard more than a few crowd members cheering at the giant wave before I lost them. The water ground over me and I found myself gripping the railing as I tried to brace against the force. My Rock energy very much roiling within me at being submerged. Thankfully the water withdrew after a second or two. I shook myself out and grimaced at the way my new attire clung to me. I shook out my head and looked up to see if anyone needed help. The crowd looked to be in various stages of wetness and shock but they quickly got to their feet and cheered at the experience. I toggled the stadium speakers once more. ¡°Please check to make sure no one accidentally swallowed some water around you.¡± I continued to watch the crowd as the Wailord settled down. Daniel staggered to his feet and signalled a pause as we checked to see if anything was amiss. Thankfully, none of the actual weight of the water had hit the crowd. The barriers I¡¯d installed being up to the task of taking the shock out of the wave. Water had still splashed everyone in the front rows, but that only seemed to make them come more alive. Rachel shot me two thumbs up despite being the wettest person I could see. Apparently, she¡¯d tripped on the stairs? I huffed a breath out before looking over at a very sheepish Brawly. ¡°Sorry!¡± he said, clapping his hands together and bowing his head. ¡°I got a bit carried away.¡± I shook my head. ¡°In another gym apart from maybe Cerulean, I would advise against that. Seems no one got more than drenched so it''s all good Brawly.¡± I glanced down to find Quirrina floating above the wet ground disdainfully. ¡°Ahahaha! I just wanted to show off a little with my big boy out on display! Thought I¡¯d wipe you out on that!¡± Quirrina floated up and spun about in agitation. Brawly stared in surprise and I grinned. ¡°I said he was one of my strongest. That does mean something, you know?¡± ¡°Ready to restart?¡± Brawly nodded dumbly and once more the flags were dropped. I pointed straight at the giant pokemon. ¡°Solar Beam,¡± I said firmly. Instantly a ball of energy formed up and before anyone could do anything else, a beam of energy lanced across to hit Brawly¡¯s Wailord right between the eyes. Wailord cried out and flinched back before tottering over to its side where it cried out. It vanished in a red light leaving Brawly staring across at me. Brawly started laughing, ¡°Ah man! Really? You¡¯ve really thought of almost everything I swear!¡± Once more another pokeball was drawn out. I shrugged before grimacing at the feeling of my wet clothes. I was almost tempted to do as the original Brock had done and go shirtless. I turned that thought over before shrugging and deciding to say to hell with it. I stripped off the jumper and tossed it behind me. A few ladies from the crowd began whistling and some catcalls came out when they realised I was going to fight the rest of the match shirtless. Brawly seemed amused as he selected his next pokemon. ¡°Go Breloom!¡± Once more a fighting type pokemon appeared. This one looking like a Kangaroo that was formed from fungus. Their thick tail swept back and forth before the pokemon¡¯s eyes alighted on Quirrina. I tilted my head. I had been expecting Hariyama for Brawly¡¯s last pokemon. I had to admit that Breloom on paper would make the most sense however. ¡°Bre! Bre! Loom! RE!¡± it cried out before leaning back onto its tail to kick the air. My pokemon reacted with an agitated spin and returned with ¡°Sol! Rock!¡± Apparently they were having a little smack talk before their fight. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Much obliged for the Sunny Day Brock! Use Solar Beam!¡± I grit my teeth at that. ¡°Match it! Solar Beam!¡± From both pokemon energy balls developed and fired beams of sunlight off in rapid succession. They slammed into each other right in the middle of the field and once more the battlefield felt a shockwave go off. Both attacks eventually ran out of energy, and Solrock staggered from the back to back attacks. For a moment I was confused as to how the Breloom with the Type advantage for firing off a grass-type move hadn¡¯t won out only to spot a single floating rock orbit just to the side. I¡¯d been expecting most of my Stealth Rocks to be swept away with Wailord¡¯s gigantic Surf, but it seemed one had stuck around and been a bit slow to hit Breloom upon his arrival. Breloom shook its head in annoyance and glared across, apparently thinking Quririna had done something. Brawly looked confused himself, and I decided to not inform him that there was still a trap in play. He¡¯d have to work it out himself. ¡°Breloom close in and use Mach Punch!¡± Brawly pointed forward. Instantly a glow appeared around the Breloom as it charged across the battlefield quickly. ¡°Cut off its advance with a Flamethrower!¡± I said to Quirina. From Quirina a torrent of flame was loosened onto the field and Breloom had to skid to a halt. ¡°Jump over the flames and take it out with Giga Drain!¡± Breloom crouched low before jumping. The leap seeing it carry itself well over the laid down wall of flame. As it flew, balls of green energy shot forward towards Quirina. ¡°Light it up before it hits!¡± I ordered. Quirina did just that. The mushroom Kangaroo landed while on fire before rolling to get the flames out. It rose just in time for the balls of energy it had released to sweep through Quirina and bounce back, returning energy to the slightly charred pokemon. Quirina staggered once before falling to the ground with a thump. I raised his pokeball. ¡°Another solid performance buddy,¡± I said, pleased at his showing despite his eventual loss. ¡°Quirina is unable to battle! The challenger wins this round!¡± The crowd applauded both of us and I drew up my last selection. I eyed the angry-looking grass type on the field. This wasn¡¯t a matchup I was hoping for. I toyed with the idea of declaring that Brawly had demonstrated enough to justify the Boulder badge. But I didn¡¯t want to do that. I found myself enjoying this match. It was tough, it was kind of crazy the back and forth I was having with him but it made me want to bring more to the table. ¡°Go Shelly!¡± I announced. From the pokeball a small pokemon with a helix shell emerged with multiple tentacles. The crowd cheered at her appearance and she turned to them and began blowing little kisses from her beak as tentacles waved about. My Omantye wasn¡¯t as popular as Sanchez but she had a certain charm that won people over. ¡°Oh wow, one of your ancient pokemon?¡± Brawly said, leaning forward on the podium to get a better look. Shelly turned herself back and forth so that Brawly could observe her closer. ¡°Showy little thing isn¡¯t she?¡± he said. His Breloom turned and growled in annoyance before fluffing at its mushroom cap. I merely nodded and gestured to Daniel, eager to get the match underway. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Breloom! Take it out with Solar Beam while Sunny Day is still in effect!¡± I glanced up and hummed, he was right in that the Sunny Day was barely there. It had maybe a few more seconds. It was yet another tick in Brawly awareness box for field effects. Something that was only marred by his missing the single floating rock. Still, I wasn¡¯t going easy. ¡°Use Ice Beam!¡± I countered. Like before both attacks were built up and released. This time it was very obvious that something different was going to play out as Grass-type move impacted with Ice-type move. Shelly¡¯s Ice beam began to devour the Solar Beam, slowly pushing Breloom¡¯s attack back towards the struggling grass kangaroo. Then, Breloom¡¯s attack cut out and I blinked in surprise as the Ice Beam suddenly had no resistance. It slammed into Breloom and threw the pokemon back into the arena wall. I signalled to Daniel worried about foul play. ¡°What happened there?¡± Daniel held up both flags as he glanced at a screen. He ran through a quick playback that was shown on the big screen. It showed Breloom straining itself against Shelly¡¯s attack only for a section of charred skin to flare up with fire. I relaxed. For a second I was worried something else had occurred but apparently Quirina had well and truly left a mark on his foe before succumbing. Brawly had already withdrawn his pokemon but he was looking up at the big screen in surprise. ¡°Is that a playback feature?¡± ¡°It allows for video review. Makes sure nothing nefarious occurred such as ghost-type interference.¡± Brawly nodded slowly. ¡°Huh, never heard of something like that before, but it makes sense you¡¯d get a lot of people crying foul.¡± Brawly raised his last pokeball up and turned it over. He looked at Shelly before looking once more at the pokeball in his grasp. I was already going through the next few moves. With his Poliwrath he¡¯d need to¡ª ¡°I forfeit.¡± The words rang out loud and clear, but it still made everyone stop. I blinked, just as caught out as everyone else. I stared at him. I was finding myself constantly surprised by Brawly. I stared at him for a long time before tilting my head. ¡°Are you sure you want to make that call?¡± Brawly grit his but nodded. ¡°I¡­ I was cocky. I wanted the badge, and I wasn''t able to come with my best team cause my starter got injured yesterday. I thought I had a good enough team to still win but¡­ You¡¯ve shown otherwise¡­ Poliwrath doesn¡¯t have the moves needed and I¡¯m not going to throw him down just to have him crushed¡­ You fought amazingly well, and I¡¯ll come back better prepared next time.¡± I accepted that, gesturing to Daniel. ¡°The challenger has forfeited the match. The winner of the match is Gym Leader Brock!¡± The applause from the crowd was rather muted, and I could understand their reasoning. They¡¯d had a great match and win or lose it was shaping up to be a very dramatic showdown. I signalled for Brawly to wait before waving for the crowd to remain. Something about what he¡¯d said and how he¡¯d backed down struck me as highly odd. It was rare that a trainer would give up as he had. As I approached, I signalled that I wanted some quiet. The crowd complied as I reached Brawly. ¡°Brawly. You¡¯re an amazing judge of your pokemon and I¡¯m sad that you weren¡¯t able to bring your best. However, even falling short of that, I have to say you are one hell of a trainer.¡± He made to bow but I stopped him. ¡°Brawly, you have demonstrated the tactics, knowledge, and skills of a pokemon trainer to a high enough degree that I can more than justify you earning the Boulder Badge. Will you accept?¡± I gestured to the side and Daniel approached with a small case with the badge in question revealed. The crowd stirred at this, surprised but pleased that I was acknowledging a trainer like this. Brawly had certainly earned it. Brawly rubbed at the back of his head and grinned. ¡°Heh! Wow, that¡¯s really great to hear, it¡¯s nice to be recognised like this.¡± He glanced at the badge before shaking his head. ¡°But¡­ I want to earn it by beating you.¡± He stared at me, and a flicker of battle-lust leaked through. I grinned at him. There was the spark he¡¯d lacked a few moments ago. ¡°Very well, I want you to know that I am very much looking forward to that next match.¡± I then pointed to the rock that was now losing its energy. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth I think withdrawing your Poliwrath and not returning it was a good move. Make sure you look out for those traps.¡± Brawly laughed. ¡°Ha! I¡¯ll remember to keep more of a lookout for things around me like that in future!¡± He shook his head and inhaled once before exhaling. ¡°Ah well! This just gives me more reason to stick around for the festival you¡¯re having!¡± I blinked at that. ¡°What festival?¡± Brawly tilted his head. Before reaching into a backpack. From within it, he drew out a sheet of paper announcing the ¡®Celebration of Pewter city! Brought to you by Townhall. Celebrate a month of Pewter city at its finest!¡¯ I pinched the bridge of my nose and exhaled. Damn that Mayor! "Urgh!" I exclaimed as I let go of my grip. ¡°Looks like I should have been paying more attention to what¡¯s going on around me as well.¡± Chapter 69 - Big names in Kanto ¡°Looks like I should have been paying more attention to what¡¯s going on around me as well.¡± My words echoed a little as I glared at the pamphlet. Brawly tilted his head. ¡°Uhm? What do you mean?¡± I gestured at the pamphlet. ¡°I had no idea the mayor was going to be running something like this.¡± I ran a hand across my face before scratching at my still-wet hair. ¡°Damn that man. I asked him to help me get trainers out of Pewter and to other locations, instead of lingering around.¡± ¡°Why would you want them gone?¡± Brawly said cluelessly. ¡°Because trainers that haven¡¯t got something to do, or feel like they are being denied something get¡­ well, they start to have ideas which are usually bad. Like knocking on my door at ten o''clock at night. Or challenging me in the middle of the supermarket. Or breaking into the free-range reserve area that I let my and other stabled pokemon have as their space. They see the signs and choose to ignore them.¡± I stared, but at nothing in particular, my mind remembering the incident from last year that caught a trainer literally staring at the signs before shrugging and climbing across the two fences that separated public land and the gym¡¯s land. ¡°That ah¡­ happens a lot?¡± I sighed, ¡°At least once every circuit so far. I honestly think with this surge of trainers in Kanto it will be worse.¡± I frowned when I realised Brawly had a notepad out and was jotting something down. ¡°Are you¡­ writing down what I¡¯m saying?¡± He nodded. ¡°Oh yeah! I want to be a gym leader one day, right? But I still want my own privacy and a chance to enjoy life. So I¡¯m totally going to have my house separate from the gym! Keep it as basic as I can. Self-sufficient.¡± He looked up from the notepad. ¡°Any other hints of things to avoid?¡± I felt my eye twitch as an urge to smack the notepad out of his hands grew. I huffed at him instead, and shook my head, causing droplets of water to splash out. ¡°If you want some serious insight, then by all means stick around for the closing of the gym and I¡¯ll show you around.¡± ¡°Really?! That would be gnarly!¡± he said with an incredulous look. ¡°Yeah, no skin off my back to have another trainer looking into how things work.¡± Plus, I wouldn¡¯t mind making a connection with a man that had an extremely good chance at becoming the Dewford Gym Leader. I¡¯d be watching his career very closely to learn how that might work out. ¡°Sweet! Man, I¡¯d love that! Expect me to be there! For now, I gotta go make a booking for the next shot I have to take at you!¡± I was about to wave him off when something he had said early drove me to speak. ¡°What did you mean earlier?¡± He gave me a clueless look, so I elaborated. ¡°You came in without your starter? Did something happen?¡± Brawly¡¯s expression flashed and at that moment I knew how the fun-loving off the wall surf loving trainer looked when angry. So something must have happened. Or more specifically, someone. ¡°We got into a fight. I think I understand what you mean when you talk about Trainers getting up to no good when they''re idle.¡± He clenched his hands into fists. ¡°I encountered this guy, really fancy clothes and he was talking trash to a lot of trainers. Lots of people were backing away from him though. He then started talking trash about me, and so I accepted his challenge. He proposed a one-on-one match and I sent out Hariyama¡­¡± Brawly glared at the ground as if it had offended him. ¡°Turns out this guy was a psychic specialist, but he had a mean streak. It wasn¡¯t enough to just beat me, he had to taunt and flatten me.¡± Brawly slumped. ¡°Hariyama got injured. Too much psychic energy throwing him around. He¡¯s tough and would have bench-pressed that Onix of yours, but he couldn¡¯t handle that guy''s pokemon.¡± I frowned, annoyed that there was someone that was going around doing such acts in my city. ¡°What was his name?¡± ¡°Will,¡± Brawly said with a scowl. I nodded slowly, not letting the inner turmoil play out. Will was the name of a prominent Psychic trainer that had the potential to become one of the Elite Four members for the Indigo region. I chewed my lip, I¡¯d need to make some calls, was this someone that was part of the Guardians? As someone that I knew had the potential to be an Elite Four member I had no doubt there would be a file on him. And if they didn¡¯t? Well, that would be another matter entirely. His actions against Brawly raised some serious concerns. I¡¯d need to find out more about him, and it sounded like I needed to do it soon. I had a suspicion about why he might be here, though I really hoped I was wrong. ¡°I¡¯m going to make some calls.¡± I shivered and sneezed to the side, remembering that I was currently shirtless, standing before Brawly. I glanced to the side and saw a small crowd still in the stands taking pictures of me. Damn it. There were certain parts of fan clubs that you didn¡¯t want to entertain or ¡®feed¡¯. Me being shirtless was just asking for trouble. Damn it past me! Why did you take your shirt off? I glanced back to the podium. ¡°... Where are my shirt and jumper?¡± I pointedly looked around before looking at the amused-looking Daniel. ¡°Daniel? Did you see where my clothes went?¡± "Some chick leapt the stands, sprinted over, and stole them while you were having your moment with Brawly." I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Why¡­ Why did you not stop her?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t want to get in the way of your moment. It''s just some clothes anyway," he shrugged. ¡°Little harmless theft is all.¡± I gave him an unamused expression. ¡°As your boss, theft is bad, mmkay? Don¡¯t just watch it happen, especially with my stuff. I should make you sit through some retraining with Alexa.¡± Daniel got a sly smile. ¡°Me and Alexa in a room for an afternoon? Yes please!¡± I shot him an annoyed expression. ¡°Should I tell your wife you think that?¡± He blanched at that and didn¡¯t meet my gaze. I scoffed at him, unwilling to tie Alexa down like that for too long. I instead turned back to Brawly. I shook my head. ¡°Lesson one, good help is hard to find.¡± Brawly laughed but still wrote it down.
I still had to deal with another twelve trainers that day. The first of whom ended up being a young lass with a Jigglypuff as her starter. With this being her first badge challenge for her first badge I had to rein in my eagerness. Something I didn''t quite manage, as when I leapt from the railing in the stands to the podium in the arena, I sent out a much larger shockwave than usual. The poor girl clenched her jigglypuff to her chest in fright, and the pokemon squeaked. They both looked terrified before the match had even started. I felt a little bad, so I made sure to play up my ¡®bad guy¡¯ vibe that had her stiffening up. I thought I''d gone too far when she looked like she was about to forfeit, only for her Jigglypuff to leap forward and puff up in a threat display. It was adorable. I heard a number of squeals of delight and saw a few flashes of light that indicated some people were taking pictures. I grinned happily letting the tension drop as I flicked up a pokeball. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s do this!¡± I said exuberantly, helping the girl relax. I sent out a Lileep to test her and she adopted a fighting pose. ¡°Let¡¯s go Miss Strong!¡± I grinned. ¡°A fan of Celia and Mr Powers I take it?¡± I said as Daniel raised the flags. The girl nodded quickly, and I hummed as the flags dropped. ¡°Double Slap Miss Strong!¡± said the lass, making her pokemon charge. I could practically see Mr Powers overlapped atop Miss Strong. This girl had done her homework. She made good use of Jigglypuff¡¯s natural mobility and the move Minimize to avoid my pokemon¡¯s Wrap. Then she followed up with the tiny puffball slamming into my pokemon with multiple Double Slap to lay out Lileep. To test her further, I plucked another pokeball and tossed out an Onix. She showed much better composure than what she started the match with, as she raised a pokeball and returned her pokemon before tossing out a Poliwag. And with a few narrow dodges and some Bubble attacks, she claimed her first badge. When the girl got her badge at the end, I made sure to get a picture with her and collect her transceiver number to forward to Celia. I imagine Celia would love getting a chance to talk with a fellow Jigglypuff lover. From there, I was much more settled, and I was able to get into the rhythm once more. I even managed to score a break right at the end when the last trainer I was to face decided to not show-up. It was something I was used to as a healthcare worker in my previous life. Dennis, on the other hand, treated it like a personal affront with how worked up he got. Then again, even Rocko got put out if people ¡®no showed¡¯ on us. From my past life¡¯s experience, I considered their reactions amusing. They failed to understand that sometimes, life got in people¡¯s way, or that they could have flat-out forgotten. Bad luck kid. I wasn''t filling that slot, but rather using it to catch up on paperwork and see if there were any other known names kicking around besides Brawly. I loaded up the list of approved licenses for Kanto, and my eyes drifted over the mass of names of the hometowns they came from before stopping on a few that very much stood out to me. Bugsy from Azalea. In the near future, he would be known as Azalea''s Gym Leader. I knew he¡¯d get it as his grandfather currently ran the Azalea Gym. Flannery from Lavaridge, and right next to her was Roxanne from Rustboro. Both of them would one day be gym leaders. I considered them very interesting, due to how far afield they were from home. Had they come because of my actions, or was that vanity talking? I passed over the rest of the names without finding anyone of importance before I stopped on a report that had been sent in from the port. It was included as an idle note. No more than a comment from a harbourmaster that mentioned the Devon Corporation. I tapped my finger on the screen. Why did that stick out to me? I tapped the screen and typed the name into the computer to learn that the Devon Corporation was a company from Hoenn. It was also, more notably, embroiled in legal battles with the Cinnabar Island research facility for corporate espionage claims by said facility. According to the news article, the Corporation''s C.E.O. and Champion of the Hoenn region, Steven Stone, would be meeting with League officials and the Cinnabar Head of Research Blaine to settle things down. I sat back. That was huge news. Steven Stone was in Kanto? That was news in and of itself, but the fact that he was fighting legal battles with Blaine of all people was even more shocking. Wow. Just wow. I sat there for a moment processing what that meant. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Suddenly, all of Blaine¡¯s suspicious looks when I first announced my ancient pokemon made a lot more sense. I was still stunned, but then I felt relief that he was here for Blaine and not me. I chuckled and shook my head. Steven Stone had more reasons to come to Kanto than just little old me. Damn, I must be getting a big head if I instantly assumed he felt he needed to come and fight me. Then I paused. Shit. not only did I have Mt Moon nearby, I had also been a big deal in the news while having ancient pokemon. Alright then, maybe it was paranoia, but I had a lot of reasons for him to come to me, didn¡¯t I? I eyed the report and shot off a quick email to the security company to order another guard for the Pewter Museum for the foreseeable future. I also decided to pen a note to Alexa that I wanted to be informed of any developments regarding Steven Stone for the foreseeable future. I¡¯d be able to keep one eye open that way. Just in case. Then I considered the other avenue for information that was available to me. I reached into the locked drawer in my desk and drew out the holopad. It booted up and I tapped out a search regarding any and all information regarding one ¡®Steven Stone¡¯. I started flicking through pages of information. Apparently, he was considered ¡®old money¡¯ in Hoenn as his family had made it rich many generations ago during a mining rush. His family had then transitioned from mining into sales and more. His family¡¯s rise to riches was considered a point of pride for them, and they documented most of that journey on their corporate website. I noted that some of the historians we had tapped for review of these notes had a commentary regarding how certain richer mining sites had seen lots of battle and that the family had also needed to be strong battlers. Further queries into The Devon Corporation revealed it to be a publicly traded company in which the Stone family owned a controlling stake. In the years since its inception, it has grown to be the primary mining operator for metals, oils, and processing in Hoenn and the surrounding regions. They had also branched out in recent years, selling running shoes, medicine, PokeNavs and variations of pokeballs that they claimed patents for. I placed a watch order on any news regarding Steven Stone in the Guardians only to find that he already had three from Koga, Agatha, and Karen. I added my name to the list and shut the holopad off, having learned a little but not as much as I¡¯d hoped for. I then clicked onto my own computer and penned a note to be informed if Bugsy, Flannery, and Roxanne challenged the gym. I strongly suspected that was a when rather than an if, though. Then I started looking into another trainer, one that I was feeling a little worried about. Will was someone who, at least according to the games, would become an Elite Four member. I don¡¯t recall him ever being mentioned in the cartoon, however. I quickly ran into an issue with how little there appeared to be of him at tournaments. He didn¡¯t have anything linked to his trainer profile, but for older trainers, that wasn¡¯t a surprise, as the system was still new. So I had to turn to other methods of gathering information. I pulled out my transceiver and called a number. It rang three times before being connected. ¡°Oh? Miss hearing my voice that much Brock?¡± Karen said upon answering. ¡°Haha, no, sadly this is a more serious call. You know, from our little group get-togethers and such.¡± The line went quiet for a moment before Karen spoke up again. ¡°Give me a second to get away and somewhere private.¡± ¡°Sure sure. How are the gyms going for you? I missed your fight with Falkner, who¡¯s next? Hannah from Goldenrod right? Ready for her?¡± ¡°Urgh keep up Brock! I already challenged and flattened her! She constantly used delay-heal-attacks that slowly built up. I beat her, but it was frustrating. It''s gotten a lot of attention, though, and lots of people have been talking about it. It''s good to see you¡¯ve been watching me, Brock. Do I look good on tv?¡± ¡°Fishing for compliments is not a good look,¡± I said as I signed off on some forms for more food for the stables. I then picked up another sheet to find that it was a roster of duties as proposed by Rocko. I glanced it over before adding some chores to Forrest¡¯s list while checking to make sure Yolanda wasn¡¯t overcommitting. Unlike Forrest, who was in an easier stream of schooling and technically valid to go to work or on his journey now, Yolanda still had a full course load. I also added in a round of refereeing for Salvadore. He''d requested more work around the gym, so he''d get his chance next week. I¡¯d start him off with two hours shadowing Rocko for the referee role, and then helping patrol the outside courts. Crystal would probably tag along with him. She¡¯d become something of a guard of the court. Then again, I think that might have had something to do with getting to have Selene as ¡®her¡¯ pokemon for the duration of her shift. ¡°¡ªand I made sure to tease him quite well before crushing him beneath me!¡± Karen gloated. ¡°Uhuh, that¡¯s nice,¡± I replied, putting the completed form in the out tray for Alexa to collect before reading over another form to approve Rocko¡¯s selection for a trainer that had made the shortlist. I gave it a look before signing off on it. ¡°Brock¡­ are you even listening to me right now?¡± ¡°...¡± I coughed. ¡°I am now?¡± ¡°Brock, you should treat women that show you any attention with more respect!¡± ¡°Oh well, sorry, just got lots to handle here.¡± ¡°Urgh! Fine, I understand you are busy. Spoil my fun, why don¡¯t you? Also I¡¯m somewhere private now. Go ahead. What did you want to talk about regarding the Guardians?¡± I grimaced at her instantly assuming the phone line was secure. I was most likely being paranoid, but I¡¯d read tons of spy fics and it was best to always assume someone was listening rather than not. ¡°I fought a trainer today, but he¡¯s not the interesting one¡­ well he is to a degree, but he¡¯s not the important person. He told me about a trainer that I¡¯ve had some trouble looking into. He is apparently a psychic trainer by the name of Will. Heard of him?¡± ¡°...Hmmm that name does ring a bell. I think he¡¯s on the Ace circuit but I¡¯ve never faced him. Prissy guy, yeah?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said carefully, having never actually laid eyes on him. A clatter of keys let me know Karen was also in front of a computer. ¡°Hang on, I have Agatha¡¯s login and can use her clearance level to see if there¡¯s anything else.¡± A few more moments of clattering occurred before Karen returned. ¡°Fucking Darkrai! What is this guy''s deal? There¡¯s something here¡­ He¡¯s from Hoenn but moved around. There¡¯s not actually a listed place of origin, but he has been moving in a lot of circles but doing it quietly.¡± Some more clicking and Karen hummed. ¡°Kay, says here that he mostly rubs elbows with the big rich types. The Pokemon League has made some commentary about him on their ¡®private files¡¯,¡± she said with a snort. ¡°It says that they really, really like him as it helps them push their multinational approach and that having him so high up in the Ace rankings is a good thing. Feh!¡± I considered that, and for a moment I wondered when that was a bad thing. Was it to people like Karen and the rest of the Guardians? I wondered ¡ªjokingly¡ª for a moment if I wasn¡¯t a bad guy. "We have here confirmed reports that he acts as a gofer for some rich types. It took us a long time to figure out it was him, and many promising trainers having their teams wrecked. He¡¯s vicious when given the chance." Okay then. I thought to myself. Never mind, I''m only on a slippery slope, not an outright baddie. ¡°Urgh! Get this? He¡¯s already defeated a number of other elite trainers and has some crap about ¡®Rangers liking him¡¯ in his official record. I can''t see this ponce going into the wilds and slumming it. Urgh! People will eat this trash up!¡± The clatter of keys picked up, and I was forced to wait as I continued to work through my paperwork. ¡°Oh? Oh! I think I have something here! There¡¯s a little comment about him being seen at the League Headquarters only to storm out later.¡± "Hmmm, that¡¯s interesting,¡° Karen said. ¡°I already know they have Koga lined up for one spot with Shafner¡¯s resignation. So that leaves two spots free.¡± "Lance¡¯s gone through with pushing Lorelei out?¡± I said with surprise. "Well, he¡¯s certainly toying with the idea and people know it!¡± said Karen with glee. ¡°Hmm you realise this will make Sabrina look bad if they go with him for an Elite Four position, yeah?¡± I frowned at the transceiver. ¡°Sabrina probably wouldn¡¯t even want that position.¡± ¡°Who cares? It¡¯s about people¡¯s perceptions! Elite Four is better than Gym Leader.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said noncommittally. I agreed with her but knew it wouldn¡¯t matter as much to Sabrina. I got a long minute of silence. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t believe people think you should be in the running for Bachelor of the Year! Urgh!¡± She huffed before sighing. ¡°But seriously, Will looks like he is going to be putting his name in the running. The League seems to have broken ties so the question is, who¡¯s backing him now? They get their guy into the seat and Will gets to claim one of the most prestigious positions around. As a psychic pokemon specialist, he¡¯d be dangerous in a position of power like the Elite Four.¡± Karen continued. ¡°He¡¯s going to be challenging you and her, you do realise that right, Brock? If I was him? I have no doubt that Sabrina is going to be saved for last. It adds a certain suspense that makes people sit up and pay attention while making it clear who the best psychic trainer in the Indigo region is.¡± I nodded along, agreeing with Karen. He could craft a mythos around himself with the right timing and public exposure. The right words in any reporters¡¯ ears could spark interest. A chance of there being a dramatic narrative around it? Some reporters would even consider trading their starter pokemon for such a scoop. Karen brought me back. ¡°Brock, you¡¯re going to be the first domino. His opening act. Sabrina could be his coup de grace to get him the Elite Four position. You? You get to be the hot item that gets his name out there.¡± I sat back at that. I didn¡¯t like the sound of that. To know I would be little more than a springboard for him to launch off. In my mind, I could imagine him lining up the various Gym Leaders like steps that he¡¯d stomp his way up. Similar to the Pokemon games actually. He¡¯d fight his way through us and not look back until he was able to look down on us. I drummed my fingers. I could understand the reason for Will approaching it this way. Hell, I could also almost respect it from the angle of promoting international cohesion, with someone that wasn¡¯t from Kanto or Johto into the Elite Four. But with the way things were falling into place and with what I¡¯d heard from Brawly, I don¡¯t think I could agree with their selection. Cohesion was a good thing. But if the messenger was someone that punched down, wouldn¡¯t it be an issue in the long run? It would even weaken the message by being a terrible, and highly visible example of it not working. This was especially true considering the relative youth of the Pokemon League in general. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go learn more about this Will.¡± I clicked off his profile, lacking as it was and began flicking through my schedule. ¡°Huh, He¡¯s not listed on my schedule?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Karen said, her incredulous tone carrying. ¡°I would have thought he¡¯d be pushing for it quickly. Hmmm, keep an eye out yeah?¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Also keep an eye on me!¡± Karen said cheerily, ¡°Cause I¡¯m going to be going into a tough match with Chuck in a week or so. I¡¯m going to use him to boost awareness further. You can be sure that will be a shot over any other contenders for the Elite Four position to get their acts in order if they haven¡¯t already. So expect a proper challenge from Will and people like him soon.¡± I considered that and thought on who she had left to face. ¡°Cianwood, which is Chuck, Mahogany who is Pryce; and Blackthorn who is¡­ Clair?¡± ¡°Yup! But you missed one, which is Ferros of Olivine who uses Rock-type pokemon. They¡¯re all going to be tough, but Chuck has the best advantage against me so he¡¯s going to be the one I use to lock in people¡¯s support and show them that I¡¯m serious about making this run for Elite.¡± I nodded along at that. Unlike myself, none of the Johto Gym Leaders had made any waves lately that others could ride along. If I hadn¡¯t been here fighting Lance, Will might have had to rely on fighting someone else big to make a splash. That sparked an idea. ¡°Hey, any interest in fighting¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fighting Will for you,¡± Karen said. I scoffed, ¡°Heh, no, I¡¯ll fight him myself; don¡¯t worry. Instead, I happened to come across an interesting piece of information about Hoenn¡¯s Champion being in Cinnabar. That got any potential for you?¡± ¡°Steven Stone is in Kanto? How is that not in the news? He¡¯s uber-rich and strong!¡± I pulled up an article and considered how small it was compared to other articles on the pokenet page it struck me as odd. Dare I say it was almost, hidden? ¡°I think the Devon Corporation is keeping the news off the front page. He¡¯s here to handle a lawsuit with the Cinnabar Research facility.¡± ¡°Huh. Thanks for the heads up. I hadn¡¯t planned on trying my hand against other Elites like Lance, Bruno, or Koga, cause that might mess things up for my formal challenge. But Steven¡­ People would like to see him fight.¡± There was a moment of quiet before a dark chuckle emerged from the transceiver: ¡°Agatha would be positively gushing over me if I beat him! Might even agree to finally teach me some more Aura tricks.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t teach you much?¡± I asked, curious about the oldest current Elite Four member. ¡°She did, but she¡¯s been much more sparing in her training in the last year. She keeps some of the good stuff for herself and keeps telling me to develop my own tricks, the old crone.¡± The words were harsh but said with a slight affectionate tone that really made me wonder how close Agatha and Karen actually were. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t made any breakthroughs, and the way things are going, I doubt I¡¯ll get any actual time to make any progress, let alone keep up my training.¡± ¡°Heh! This is why you should just make a formal challenge for the Elite Four position. Knock Bruno off his perch and have an all-new, all-star team for the Indigo Elite Four!¡± ¡°Yeeeeah, we¡¯ll see,¡± I said evasively. I still had to make up my mind on what to do with Forrest and Flint, let alone Ash turning up. ¡°I got a lot on my plate right now, I¡¯m going to go meet up with a trainer and make nice. I¡¯ll be watching for your next Gym challenge, so good luck!¡± "Alright, but I won¡¯t need it! Expect to be amazed!¡± The line clicked off, and I sat for a moment, looking over the work that still had to be done. I considered it before shaking my head. It¡¯d still be there tomorrow and the day after. I¡¯d go and talk with Brawly instead, something I was actually looking forward to. It''s strange how you can almost become friends from a single match, but that''s Pokemon for you. Chapter 70 - Brock and Brawly ¡°Brawly!¡± I said, waving to the aqua-haired teen. I¡¯d found him merrily conversing with Missy, while Rocko and Dennis sat near them. Brawly looked up and nodded. ¡°Brock! Hey!¡± He gestured around the room. ¡°I might not want as big a gym as you have, but wow, this place has some nice features that make me want to reconsider that.¡± I chuckled at that. The lounge wasn¡¯t that special, in truth. There were a few glass bar fridges along one wall for snacks and free drinks for the trainers, along with some lockers where people could store personal effects in if they desired. There was also a microwave and a small kitchenette if people wanted to get fancy with a long table that could fit five or six people at once. Toilets for people to use were tucked away near both entrances. The centre of the room had a ring of lounges that were spaced haphazardly, along with a number of beanbags and chairs. I always liked that the roof was high enough that I could release Titan in here without him having to stoop. Something Rocko was making good use of, with his Kangaskhan happily seated beside him. Missy had her Arcanine and Rhydon out as well, while Dennis only had a Geodude sharing his couch. Crystal toddled in from the receptionist area and made a beeline straight towards the fridges with the sugary drinks. I nodded to Dennis. ¡°How many of those has she had today?¡± This got a chuckle from the group as they smiled fondly. Rocko waved his hand. ¡°Relax Brock, she¡¯s on her second since this morning. No need to big brother her.¡± I raised an eyebrow at him, amused that he thought of it that way. I glanced to Dennis. ¡°And how many have you seen her have?¡± ¡°...two as well?¡± he said, starting to see where I was going. Missy popped up from the couch. ¡°Hey! No more sugar! You¡¯ll wreck your teeth!¡± Crystal spun about with the bottle firmly lodged in her mouth, huge bubbles glugging up and down like a bubbler instead of a small girl with a soda bottle. Missy ran across to her. ¡°Hey! No!¡± Crystal finished before she could be stopped and then dove between Missy¡¯s legs. ¡°Ahahaha! You¡¯ll never catch me! I¡¯m all hyped up on energy! Raw unfiltered¡ª¡± ¡°Selene,¡± I said calmly. Selene, who¡¯d been following Crystal around, glowed softly, and Crystal rose up. ¡°Eh?! What? No! Selene! I give you the good scratches, don¡¯t betray me!¡± ¡°Lunnnna!¡± warbled my pokemon as she deposited the small girl onto a chair in front of me. Crystal looked up at me and pouted. ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just good resource management. Now, I¡¯m not going to ask how much you''ve had. The answer is too much. However, I want you to know that you¡¯re not going to get access to those drinks if you can¡¯t control yourself.¡± Crystal squirmed in her seat, eyes not meeting mine. ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Good, cause otherwise I have to stop you from having any. And if you were to go behind my back, I might not want to let you borrow Selene.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be good!¡± Crystal said, much more earnest now. ¡°Alright. Go find your mum, and tell her what we said, alright?¡± Crystal ran off at that. I huffed to myself before turning to find Rocko and Dennis sharing an amused look. Brawly rubbed his chin. ¡°Man, I thought they were joking but you really are a full-time dad type.¡± I coughed at that. ¡°That¡¯s!... I¡¯m not that bad am I?¡± Rocko waggled his hand while Dennis shook his head loyally. ¡°Not at all Brock! You¡¯re an inspiration with how you look after your brothers and sisters along with any young trainer that enters the gym!¡± I stared at Dennis. I felt like he was, in his own way, teasing me. Rocko glancing away while shaking in silent laughter only deepened my suspicion. ¡°Riiiiiiiight well,¡± I waved a sheet of papers. ¡°Your chores, children.¡± Rocko laughed heartily at that, while Dennis broke into a smile. Missy leaned forward to look at the roster I had laid out. Brawly made a gesture that took a moment for me to realise meant, ¡®may I?¡¯. I nodded and he leaned in. ¡°Huh, division of labour, with jobs everyone needs to do for the week. There are a lot of jobs on here.¡± I shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to manage with this being a pretty big gym. We have a lot of facilities and a lot of pokemon to handle. Both our own and pokemon that have been stabled with us.¡± ¡°Huh nice. Get many rare ones?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Need to have a lot larger roster for those. The rarest pokemon around here are my Ancient pokemon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m patrolling the Rota route? I don¡¯t think I ever went that way before?¡± Missy asked before glancing at me. ¡°Ah that¡¯s a small route, you¡¯ll pretty much have signage the entire way, but it¡¯s a walking path that climbs up into the mountains. Check the files as you¡¯ll have to take a climbing and tent pack with you. If there¡¯s anything that you own that¡¯s better than any of the gym gear, remember to lodge it with Dennis and Georgina.¡± Dennis perked up at this, and when Missy had more questions she directed them at him. I turned towards Brawly. ¡°Still want that tour?¡± ¡°Oh, for sure, man!¡± Brawly shot up and waved to the other three trainers. ¡°Later dudes! Thanks for letting me chill here!¡± The other three all waved at him. Seeing their reactions to him, I couldn¡¯t help but be a little envious at how easily Brawly had inserted himself into the group and become fast friends with them. I shook it off, it wasn¡¯t something you could control. I liked being me. ¡°Right, well guess I¡¯ll show you the inside stuff, and then work my way out to the back where the pokemon are.¡± ¡°Ah! Saving the best for last, eh?¡± Brawly said. He trooped along next to me, his hands laced behind his head as he glanced around. ¡°No, just that there¡¯s a lot more to see. Plus, if I time it right, most of the pokemon will be coming in for their evening meal. Forrest should be looking over it.¡± I led him back out into the arena. "Right, so you already saw the arena and the stands. I had this built with the latest features, such as the damage barrier casters that can catch multiple Hyper Beams should the referee trigger the need for such.¡± ¡°They actually hold against that much?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I made it a condition that I¡¯d have them installed and then would be putting those features to the test. Silph Corp practically has it as part of their standard contract.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s kinda sweet. Do they actually stand up to it?¡± Brawly said thoughtfully. ¡°They stood up to Titan, Knight, and Onix all unleashing a Hyperbeam at once, back to back. I had the parts replaced, but I have a technician come in every weekend. They also have an on-call technician for particularly rough days.¡± ¡°Huh, nice. Hey, I noticed the grills of water around the arena, how come you allow those? Lots of other gyms don¡¯t allow something that will weaken their pokemon. Especially not with easy access to water for some of the bigger moves. No way I could use Surf easily in Chuck¡¯s gym.¡± ¡°It makes battles more similar to those that will occur at the Plateau. These are mostly standard fields apart from the Rocks we have thrown about.¡± I gestured to the rock-strewn field. "The majority of people who come here are younger trainers, and they don''t have the pokemon that would be severely hampered. Also, I want my pokemon to be exposed to their weaknesses. It¡¯s not so much about avoiding them as it is controlling them and coming up with methods to counter them.¡± Brawly leaned over the railing, eyeballing the grills of water. ¡°Huh, never thought I¡¯d find myself envious of Rock types'' more physical-based weaknesses. It¡¯s almost easier to do it your way than it is for psychic types.¡± I merely nodded and gestured to the next series of rooms. ¡°Right, so the next lot of rooms are for admin with trainers having desks that are open for interaction while my senior trainers get larger spaces. We¡¯ve got filing cabinets and reference material in those along with some supplies.¡± I walked through another door to reveal a hallway. ¡°My house is up that way, that¡¯s back to the arena, and this is my office.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that door?¡± Brawly said, pointing to a door that had black and yellow paint bordering it with a large ¡®restricted access¡¯ printed across it. ¡°Security and server hub. Or as I call it, the duckpond.¡± I waved off Brawly¡¯s confused look. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s an inside joke.¡± I opened the door to my office, revealing a mess of papers scattered around with a number of seats both in the corners and in front of the main desk while a large office chair rested in front of dual monitors. Brawly whistled, ¡°Damn, looks like you spend a lot of time in here.¡± I grimaced. I probably should have cleaned up a little. Especially considering I could have gotten rid of the mugs that rested around the place. ¡°I see what they mean. You¡¯re really like a parent.¡± He pointed to a few toys stuffed in a corner, along with a nappy bag that had been shoved atop a shelf. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Ah, yeah. Kids always know to come here first if they need to find me and I¡¯m not home.¡± ¡°How come you don¡¯t have an office at home?¡± ¡°Oh I do, but it''s smaller and I find I just get more done when I¡¯m not being interrupted all the time.¡± ¡°Man I hate to say this, but you¡¯re kind of a symbol to not get hitched before you have it all worked out. I can¡¯t imagine setting all this up while raising a family.¡± ¡°Yeah well ¡­ guess it just worked out?¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll say, man, you ever get to relax?¡± Part of me instantly felt like I knew what was coming. I raised my hands instinctively only for Brawly to speak up. ¡°You want to go surfing this weekend? I found some good spots and we can be there and back again, easy!¡± I lowered my hand. I¡¯d¡­ Well, I¡¯d honestly been expecting something like what Surge would have said. ¡°I can¡¯t, I have a lot of work to do,¡± I said out of reflex. Surfing¡­ didn¡¯t sound like something I¡¯d usually do, but it did kind of sound nice. ¡°Work will be there for work hours man!¡± I chuckled, hadn¡¯t I said as much to myself earlier today? ¡°Ah, well yeah we¡¯ll see, come on I¡¯ll show you the temporary infirmary we have then lead you out to the back.¡± ¡°Infirmary?¡± Brawly stiffened. ¡°Why do you need that?¡± ¡°Cause accidents happen sometimes. You¡¯d be surprised... Well, if you¡¯ve spent time with Chuck, you probably have a better idea than most, but lots of trainers like to overestimate themselves. I like to brag about never losing an Elite challenge but I do have the odd trainer attempt it, when they really shouldn¡¯t have. But those are rare and my pokemon are honestly great at controlling themselves.¡± I opened a door and lights flicker on to reveal a sterile room that I know from past experience can hold an Onix comfortably. ¡°Most of the injuries in the Gym occur to my pokemon nine times out of ten. Sometimes, I need to stabilise them before getting them to Nurse Joy.¡± ¡°Ah, People sandbagging and choosing fights easier than they should?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I didn¡¯t have to say anything else about the room and instead shut the door and led us out through our gymnasium which was rated for pokemon and personal use. Brawly was a bit more impressed with this. ¡°Nice! You got all the gear that you want to stay fit! Urgh, this big complex is messing with my dream for low budget low fuss! There¡¯s so many features that I want!¡± he said as he picked up some of the padded headgear that could be used for training pokemon. ¡°Well this took a few years to put together, I¡¯m not going to lie. Maybe you can build from a basic set up?¡± Brawly hummed thoughtfully before I waved him off. His eyes lingered on the training area and I chuckled. Trust a Fighting type specialist to instantly be enamoured with the weights and sparring mats. I started to bounce in anticipation as I led Brawly out into the reserve. I was extra looking forward to this with the new acquisitions that I''d recently signed off on, particularly the trio of Slugma being added to the gym. Finally, I¡¯d have the pokemon to build up some proper fire types! I also had a Corsola, which was neat. I led Brawly out into the yard just as the sun was starting to vanish over the horizon. I noticed pokemon milling about troughs and small dishes around the yard. Justin, Phoebe¡ªboth new temporary hires¡ª, and Daniel carried bags or buckets of feed towards various pokemon that were spaced out, or they were ordering various pokemon through some moves. Daniel himself was using an Onix to fill in a trench while Shrek watched on with the newly acquired Corsola who looked dubiously at the new trench. Salvadore was happily sitting and explaining things to my new Corsola acquisition, while writing something on a notepad. I suspected it was an initial impression of the Corsola. I decided to leave him be and just gave a wave of greeting. Near the feed troughs. Bertha loomed over the feeding frenzy. When pokemon started to try and fight each other over meals she gave a harsh growl that had them settling down before more trouble could occur. The Gravelers and Golems were off to the side watching Sanchez trade blows with a Graveler I recognised. She seemed to be doing well for herself right up until she tried to grapple with Sanchez obviously thinking herself stronger thanks to her extra set of arms. She was quickly corrected when Sanchez picked her up off the ground and hurled her skyward. Then he leapt after her and slapped her into the ground. It reminded me of watching a volleyball player more than a pokemon fight. He landed and crossed his arms cooly, only to get a mudslap from Izumi the geodude, who wasn¡¯t impressed with his antics having been disrupted while eating her own meal. Brawly whistled. ¡°Daaaamn, this is a lot of pokemon.¡± ¡°Need em all for the gym challenges. We go through a lot. There are more that we keep in the pokeballs but the ones that fight expel more energy than those in their balls so we feed them. Also, they need to be cycled for rest purposes. Gets a bit hectic, but once you set up a system it works out.¡± I leaned down and brushed my hand over a Geodude that had taken a nasty Mega Punch earlier today. It grunted at me and made sure to keep stuffing its face so I knew it was going to be alright. Another injured pokemon, a Rhyhorn, was being fed straight from a bucket while its leg healed up. It crooned when Phoebe shook her head. ¡°Sorry girl, no more for now.¡± I nodded at her before inspecting another pokemon. I caught her slipping the injured Rhyhorn a treat with my peripherals. I grinned to myself; that girl would work well back here. She had already earned a lot of the various pokemon¡¯s affection after only two days of work. Brawly¡¯s smirk when I rose from patting an Aron let me know he¡¯d also spotted the sneaky move. I shook my head before gesturing towards the cavern. ¡°Daniel! How are the Slugma?¡± I called out to him. He looked up from his work with the Onix and rubbed his chin. ¡°We got them some tunnels near your cave system. They seem to like the dark but they have a central cavern. Ask Salvadore, he literally crawled after them and mapped it out with Izumi following him along for safety.¡± I grunted at that. ¡°Hmmm good to know.¡± I glanced about only to frown when a face I was expecting to see wasn¡¯t visible. ¡°Have my pokemon been fed yet?¡± I glanced around for Forrest only to not spot him. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Ah? Ummm no, not yet. I was going to do that!¡± I turned slowly and shook my head. ¡°That wasn¡¯t your job. I had Forrest doing that cause he wants to get a chance to use some of them in fights. If they¡¯re not familiar with him, they''re going to ignore most of his orders. No one else apart from him, Yolanda, Salvadore or myself are to feed them. It¡¯s supposed to be Forrest¡¯s turn.¡± I pointedly looked around. ¡°Is he around?¡± ¡°Ah, uhm. No?¡± Daniel swallowed as I looked straight at him. I sighed explosively. ¡°Right well, if Forrest does this again, tell me.¡± ¡°Sure I can¡¯t just do it, boss?¡± ¡°No.¡± I didn¡¯t elaborate on it, and I really shouldn¡¯t have to. I marched towards the shed. Brawly walked along next to me, not saying anything but nevertheless following along. I grabbed two bags of pokechow before snatching up another two. I balanced all four on my shoulders before grabbing some meat out of a fridge. ¡°Need a hand?¡± Brawly eyed the stack of pokefood on my shoulders but I just shrugged. ¡°Nah, I need to be the one to feed some of them. Shin is fine, but Don,¡± I raised the meat,¡± Can be a real shit. When my brothers and sister came to do this they had Titan and the others to look out for them at the start but lately, Don¡¯s really relaxed around them. He¡¯d probably attack Daniel or anyone else though if they came in with meat.¡± There were more reasons on top of why I didn¡¯t want other people feeding my pokemon but those weren¡¯t worth raising here. ¡°They have to do that often?¡± Brawly asked. ¡°Nah, they do it three times between themselves.¡± I paused, "Actually, Forrest is supposed to be doing jobs like this more. He¡¯s trying to pick up jobs around the gym but¡­¡± I gestured around and shook my head. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in losing time from his other interests.¡± ¡°Eh he¡¯s young, he¡¯ll get there eventually.¡± I nodded once more, not thinking about how he might need to get it a lot faster than ¡®eventually¡¯. Daniel hovered at the feedshed¡¯s entrance. ¡°Uhm boss? Was there supposed to be a Stantler in that new patch of pokemon you got delivered?¡± I smirked. ¡°Yup, and don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s a gift I plan to train up for someone.¡± Sabrina was going to be so shocked when I gave her a Wyrdeer! ¡°Just feed it for now and introduce it to Scyther. They¡¯re going to be running drills together tomorrow morning!¡± That would take care of the ¡®agility¡¯ aspect of Stantler¡¯s evolution. Now I just needed to create a psychic rich environment. Daniel nodded dubiously, and I smiled innocently as I trudged towards the caverns. The food itself I deposited into raised bowls around the various caverns. When I came down to the grotto I signalled for Brawly to wait before taking the meat out of the cryovac bag. I slapped it against the wall. ¡°Don! Dinner time!¡± I then hurled it up in the air and over the water. The four ancient pokemon I owned that weren¡¯t flight-capable all perked up at the soaring meat only for a screech to sound out as Don rose from his rock nest to snatch it out of the air. He then settled back and made a show of ripping the meat apart. He loudly gulped and tore at the meat while leering at the others that looked up. The Kabuto and Omantye did so with small whines while Shin and Shelly approached me. Both old enough to know that this was all a show to let Don preen and feel special. They took their meals and bobbed their heads before calling out to their unevolved fellows. ¡°Wow, they''re pretty impressive,¡± Brawly said from where he stood at the entrance of the grotto. Don snapped his head up and growled. ¡°Don! Eat your dinner!¡± I said, pointing at some of the meat that was now falling into the water beneath him. He snapped his head down to see it splash before snapping his head straight up at Brawly. His glare intensified, and I could just see that he was practically shouting ¡®you did this!¡¯. ¡°Dinner!¡± I said again before gesturing for Brawly to follow once more into a darker part of the cave. I started to walk into the dark before I realised that Brawly wasn¡¯t joining me. ¡°Oh, right, sorry!¡± I reached into a pocket and withdrew a flashlight. ¡°Huh, you¡¯re that used to the place you can navigate by memory?¡± he said while squinting at the bright light. ¡°Something like that,¡± I said, avoiding the question. I led him deeper into the dark cave and eventually, we reached the point that opened for a large cavern. ¡°Ty?¡± said my starter as he noticed me coming but with a flashlight in hand. ¡°Hey Titan, made a friend today and wanted to show him around. This is Brawly.¡± Titan shifted and stalked over to me before leaning down to inspect Brawly. He sniffed and the other trainer happily accepted the inspection, before Titan leaned back and nodded seriously. ¡°Ran! Ty!¡± He said with a smile before nodding at myself and Brawly. ¡°Ha! Yeah, more friends are always nice aren¡¯t they?¡± I said. Brawly chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll agree with that!¡± Brawly chimed in from where he stood appreciating titan. A rumble of earth informed me that the cave heralded another two large pokemon crawling out of their own caverns to inspect myself and Brawly. Bertha snorted and made grasping gestures at the food while Knight lowered his head. ¡°Huh, you have a strong Hoenn pokemon here.¡± Brawly ran his hands over the metal plates and smiled when Knight crooned happily. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a couple of these back in my hometown of Dewford but they rarely travel above ground.¡± ¡°In the Granite cave yeah? That¡¯s where I found Knight and a bunch of the other Aron that I own. Couldn¡¯t find a Probopass at the time though.¡± ¡°Oh, looking for one? I know a few people that like those! They¡¯re great pokemon! I¡¯ll see if I can get in contact with them for you!¡± ¡°That would help actually,¡± I said appreciatively. ¡°I was in Dewford when I had to call my journey short so I feel like I missed out on a lot of great pokemon from Hoenn.¡± ¡°Oh man that¡¯s bogus!¡± he said with a shake before rubbing his chin. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not surprised you didn¡¯t find a Nosepass or Probopass. They¡¯re only in some of the more dangerous parts or in the depths of the Granite cave, and if you go that deep you run into weird types.¡± ¡°Weird how?¡± I said, thinking of the pokemon that turned up in the games after you captured Groudon or Kyogre. ¡°There are people that swear they¡¯ve seen ruins and others that are just as good as bandits with how they attack people down there. But that¡¯s only way, way deep in the caves. Now that I¡¯m a lot stronger I¡¯m planning to make a proper dive of it to see what¡¯s down there with my team.¡± ¡°Huh, interesting.¡± It wasn¡¯t often that you heard of bandit groups or stray people that weren¡¯t part of the region''s governance. I knew Lance had apparently fought a few tribes but I had no idea what that actually involved. It¡¯d be something to look up using the Guardian¡¯s information network. Knight interrupted my thoughts by crooning and thumping the ground with his foot as Brawly got to a good spot. ¡°He likes the spot to the side of his neck but be careful he doesn¡¯t shut the plates on you when he leans into the scratch,¡± I said. Brawly carefully scratched the specified area and almost had to leap as Knight practically fell over from going limp. He caught himself before he hit the ground though, and gave Brawly a confused look. ¡°Sorry! You¡¯re too heavy for me!¡± Brawly said sheepishly. ¡°Oh! Sorry, I usually let him lean on me while I give him scratches.¡± Brawly gave me a stunned look before pointedly looking at the indent Knight had caused from flopping on the ground. ¡°... huh, you ever learn any fighting styles?¡± ¡°Noooo?¡± I said, carefully, knowing I was treading dangerous territory either way. ¡°Huh, shame you¡¯d be a terror on the mats with strength like yours!¡± I shrugged, more than happy to not be offered training that would see me grappling another guy. I changed the conversation and pointed to an adjacent stairwell. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll take you up there before the sun goes down. It¡¯s a pretty good view and we can feed Selene and Quirrina.¡± We marched up the winding stairs. In a few places metal rods were spaced to make the structure overall more stable but otherwise the entire structure was something that I''d had my pokemon create. The top of my pokemon built plateau gives a great view of Pewter city. In the afternoon it acts like a perfect observation deck as lights start to become more prevalent. During the actual night it is rather cold up here with how exposed it is but the view of the stars was wonderful. When we reached the top I got to watch as Brawly¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. I grinned before turning to the other person that was up here. ¡°Yolanda?¡± My little sister turned, in her grasp, the egg incubator wobbled slightly making her tighten her grip. ¡°Brock! And¡­ Who¡¯re you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Brawly! I had a match with Brock earlier and we¡¯re friends now!¡± he said with a thumbs up causing me to laugh. It really was that easy in the pokemon world I¡¯d found. Yolanda looked to me in shock before getting a teasing smile. ¡°Well, be nice to him. He doesn¡¯t have many friends.¡± Brawly bowed while his shoulders shook from laughter. I huffed. ¡°I have friends.¡± Yolanda gave me an unamused look. ¡°Dennis and Rocko don¡¯t count cause they work for you.¡± ¡°I like to think they count extra despite working for me!¡± I countered. ¡°Nuh uh!¡± I shook my head at her antics. ¡°I¡¯m not getting into that with you,¡± I said, choosing the higher ground. ¡°And I have other friends. Friends you¡¯ve never met!¡± A pokemon journey did make you interact with a lot of different people after all. I smiled towards Selene and Quirrina as they floated down towards me. ¡°Also, I have my pokemon.¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah alright then,¡± Yolanda grumbled, unable to refute that. I set up some dishes for my pokemon and she checked over her egg. Brawly merely sat off to the side turning slowly to take in the landscape. ¡°Did I see the egg jump just now?¡± I asked. Yolanda bounced up and down. ¡°I knew I wasn¡¯t imagining it!¡± I grimaced. ¡°That just means it¡¯s out of the first stage of being hatched. The third, and final will be pretty annoying. It''ll move around a lot. Have you been talking with Bianca?¡± ¡°A little, she¡¯s in and out so often that I don¡¯t get to talk with her much. She did give me a good list of books to read over for when it actually hatches.¡± I don¡¯t say anything more to that. Instead, I tilted my head. ¡°Where¡¯s Forrest by the way? He was supposed to feed the pokemon today. If he wants to use them for some of his matches eventually or get a feel for them he¡¯s going to need to feed them and get used to them. If he can¡¯t do it he needs to tell me so I can take over.¡± I said with a grumble mostly to myself. Yolanda hopped up. ¡°I think I saw him riding off to look for¡­¡± she trailed off and her eyes flicked to Brawly before giving an awkward smile. ¡°Well anyway, I didn¡¯t know it was his turn but I can do it!¡± She hopped up and Quirrina spun to the other side of her to make sure she didn¡¯t fall off the ledge. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of it. I just¡­ this is getting a bit ridiculous. I¡¯m going to have to talk to him.¡± Yolanda had a momentary smirk that vanished faster than a stray chip near some Winggull. Yolanda merely nodded again before hugging her egg tightly. I sat down on the edge of the plateau, when Quirina was done he floated into my side and provided a nice warm body to hold. For long minutes, no one spoke. We merely watched the world pass on by as pokemon returned home to roost and people began to come home as lights in Pewter city grew brighter. ¡°The mountains around here are pretty big. We don¡¯t have anything quite that big back home.¡± ¡°Mt Chimney right?¡± I said, trying to recall the exact landmark in question. Brawly bobbed his head up and down. ¡°It¡¯s about the size of Mt Moon over there but we don¡¯t really have such big mountain ranges is what I meant.¡± He gestured widely to the north, ¡°What¡¯s out that way?¡± ¡°Only place we¡¯ve kept contact with is the Kingdom of Rota which is really a singular city nestled in the valley of the ranges. Has a nice little ecosystem that we send patrols up to pretty often. Not a large place but it is very traditional. They have a Queen running the Kingdom right now. Queen Ilene.¡± ¡°Huh cool. Anything else?¡± ¡°Only the wilds that we¡¯ve found so far. The ranges themselves haven¡¯t been crossed in any meaningful way apart from out west which is Johto, but the route around Mt Silver is much easier to travel through.¡± ¡°Crazy that there¡¯s so much of the world out there that we don¡¯t know about, or can¡¯t reach. Some of it is right there in front of us.¡± ¡°Coming from the man that surfs the oceans, I think you¡¯d have a good grasp on that.¡± Brawly merely hummed, while Yolanda glanced between us. ¡°Huh you are actually friends aren¡¯t you?¡± I reached over and rubbed the top of her hair, messing it up. ¡°Brock!¡± she slipped my hold and brushed her hair out before giving me a stink eye. I clapped my hands together. ¡°Want to head down now?¡± Brawly agreed, his eyes looking around the plateau. ¡°Do we have to go back down the stairs?¡± ¡°Nah, we take the express route. Selene, if you would please?¡± I drew in my dark energy as tightly as I could. Around me, a film of blue light grasped hold of us and lifted up Yolanda, Brawly, and myself. ¡°Woah!?¡± Brawly said before pausing as we were rapidly lowered over the side and back to the entrance of the cave. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s neat.¡± ¡°Bit faster way of getting around, when I¡¯m not leading people around I usually just have Selene lift me up before gliding down the stairs.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± Brawly rubbed at the back of his head. ¡°Well I¡¯m gonna head back to my accommodation and get an early sleep, then I¡¯ll be able to get out in time for tomorrow''s peak waves. Any chance you¡¯d come on Sunday with me man?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯d love to!¡± Yolanda said. I gave her a look. Was she trying to get me out of the house for something? ¡°What are you up to?¡± I asked suspiciously. She shot me a flat look. ¡°Brock you go out and have fun with your friend!¡± her tone was spot on and with her egg in her arms she gave off just the right ¡®motherly¡¯ vibe to make me want to agree with her. I held her gaze before slowly turning to Brawly. ¡°Alright, what time?¡± Brawly whooped and gave me his transceiver number to send me the information when he found out himself. Later that night, I made another call. ¡°Hello? Kanto Lapras reserve, this is Hermoine, how may I help direct your call?¡± ¡°Hey Hermoine, it''s Brock. I was wondering if I could come to collect Tide for this sunday, I¡¯d need to come in late.¡± ¡°... one moment please.¡± I heard some rustling before Hermoine returned. ¡°Sir what is your pokemon trainer I.D number and may we also have¡­¡± she opened an envelope and read it. ¡°The name of the first girl you kissed?¡± I rattled off the number before glancing around carefully, ¡°... and Elizabeth.¡± ¡°Your details check out! Alright, we¡¯ll have Tide ready for you, when did you want him?¡± ¡°Think I¡¯ll grab him on Saturday. I¡¯ll be arriving by teleport.¡± And with that done, I shut off the phone and headed into the lounge room to enjoy an evening movie with my siblings. ¡°What movie are we watching?¡± I was fully expecting ¡®Macho Machamp¡¯ from the boys ¡°Furret Samurai!!¡± shouted Tommy and Timmy together. ¡°No Macho Machamp?¡± I said in surprise. I noticed the girls perking up as well and was more surprised. The boys nodded and started to make cutting actions like they were wielding swords. ¡°Yeah! Furret is a samurai that has to wander all over and save people!¡± I merely nodded. ¡°Well alright then.¡± I eyed the strangely excited-looking girls. This didn¡¯t sound like something they¡¯d typically like. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to watch play with these.¡±I gestured to some gameboys but no one but Forrest picked one up. When no other takers happened I checked the room once more making sure all my siblings and the essentials were present for a good movie night. I paused on a missing detail. ¡°No one made popcorn yet?¡± Instantly Cindy threw herself over the couch towards the kitchen. ¡°Munchlax, no!¡± I huffed. One day they¡¯d learn. And that should have been the last notable event of the evening. The movie was rather odd with the main hero being a small, adorably fluffy, Furret that toddled around in some instances before stalking like a honed warrior in others. Most of the cast were pokemon, and the dialogue beyond the pokemon¡¯s names was nonexistent. And yet¡­ it was captivating enough to have everyone in the room watching it. Even Forrest completely ignored whatever was on his gameboy to watch the movie. The smallest of my siblings fell asleep halfway through and had to be deposited in their rooms when it was over. Then I pushed the others off to clean up for bed before returning to potter about cleaning up. Before I went to bed, I knocked on Forrest¡¯s door, ¡°Hey little bro, what was up with you ditching out on feeding the pokemon? You know I don¡¯t want Bertha getting grouchy and breaking into the shed for her dinner. She¡¯ll stop after eating her fill, but some of the other pokemon won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh! Oh¡­ I left a note?¡± he said sheepishly. I gave him an unimpressed look and tapped my transceiver. ¡°Alright, I went biking with my friends. I was hoping to find dad.¡± I gave him a slightly less stern look. ¡°You should have organised that after feeding the pokemon. It doesn¡¯t take long and you know that.¡± A sat on his bed and levelled a look at him. ¡°What¡¯s up recently. You¡¯ve been¡­ well you¡¯re dropping your game on a lot of tasks and forcing others to pick up on you.¡± He clenched his jaw. ¡°I just know dad is out there is all. And you¡¯re too busy!¡± I raised a hand forestalling what must appear as a justified argument from his point of view. ¡°Forrest. I have Janine, Sabrina, and Jenny all keeping an eye out for him. I know he liked to lurk around the Gym, and have been keeping an eye out. But that isn¡¯t a reason you can ditch your duties.¡± ¡°It just feels more important! Dad¡¯s out there somewhere!¡± he said with a snap. I stared at him as he glared at the floor, not willing to meet my gaze. I inhaled and exhaled to get rid of the urge to snap back at him, something I¡¯d likely regret. I felt the darkness stirring within me and so I pulled on my Rock energy to sooth myself. When I was calm I spoke, ¡°Forrest, it might not seem like it because you¡¯re so focused on one thing but if you lose sight of everything else you¡¯re going to be in a terrible position. Do you want Flint coming back to things in shambles?¡± Forrest grumbled something that I took to mean ¡®no I don¡¯t want that¡¯ before plowing on. ¡°Good. you can do both things but it means you need to be more earnest in finishing one before running off. Unless he¡¯s right there at that exact moment, all you¡¯re going to be chasing after is an idea.¡± What I was saying rang certain bells, and I once more considered if I needed to get someone in to talk with the older kids. Heck, I¡¯d probably need someone to check the younger ones as well. ¡°So, Flint not being here is not an excuse you can use. Without a sighting you''re just tearing off and making problems for people. If you want to trade duties, talk to people, don¡¯t just assume it is going to happen.¡± I scratched my chin. Was now a good time? I hesitated and felt my reluctance kick in only to pause. I was channelling my Rock energy. Therefore I was going to be more patient than good. I dropped the energy and exhaled before deciding to just rip the band aid off. ¡°Forrest, I¡¯m not going to make you run the Gym. I don¡¯t think it would be good for anyone, the Gym, you, me, or our family to do that.¡± His head snapped up and I held up a hand. ¡°The Gym is big, Forrest. I didn¡¯t notice it as much having been the one to build it so I know how literally everything works and why it was built the way it was but dumping that on you is irresponsible of me. If you¡¯re worried about that, I want you to just relax and reconsider. One day you can take things over but we need to teach you the skills first.¡± Forrest got a conflicted look before he nodded. ¡°Alright,¡± he eventually said tightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been messing up.¡± ¡°Alright. I hope this news takes some pressure off.¡± I almost mentioned how he obviously hadn¡¯t handled it well but that wasn¡¯t the right thing to say. I was already being brusque about this. So instead, I nodded.¡°With that out of the way, tomorrow you can make it up to me by cleaning Bertha¡¯s cave.¡± I wished at that moment that I had a camera as his face morphed into a look of horror. ¡°What!? Brock no!¡± ¡°Brock yes! You messed up, and that means you need to make it right. Clean her cave, and make sure you use the oran berry spray. She likes it the most. If you don¡¯t and she¡¯s annoyed I¡¯ll tell her it was you. And no using your pokemon or any of mine beyond spraying the cave down.¡± ¡°Urghhhhhh!¡± he said with a groan. I grinned. It looked like my job as his older brother and his boss was done here! I departed feeling much better having hopefully given him the kick and the relief he needed to grow. Chapter 71 - Lingering suspicions ¡°Scyther! Get those blades slicing through those wooden posts!¡± I shouted as I moved through the training area of my Elite pokemon. ¡°Ther!¡± said the bug pokemon as he tried to maintain his momentum past the wooden posts while slicing through them. A tough ask, but one that I had predicted would become easier for him when he had heavier axes. The trick would be to either maintain his speed or to work on a slower style of fighting. I moved on and found Bertha and Titan locked in a wrestling match. Both of them looked slightly ridiculous with their headgear on, but when a flick of a tail could see them knocked out or injured, it wasn¡¯t worth risking them for the day or even days to come. Bertha got a good grasp on Titan and pivoted into him to hurl him over her shoulder, only for him to break the hold and slide away. As he did so, he twisted and tried to snake his tail around her ankle, only for her to step backwards. They both huffed at the other before slamming back into each other, their hands locking firmly as they sought to dominate the other. Betha blew some air into Titan¡¯s eyes only for him to shut them, tighten his grip, roll to the side, and try for a lock on her. She used her larger arm to leverage herself out of the toss with a small kip before swinging about to backhand Titan. He ducked under it and drove himself into her under the armpit. When he threw her, she caused a small quake. Pleased with what I was seeing, I checked my watch before blowing my whistle, causing them to both break-off. They took heavy breaths as every other pokemon around us dashed for the water troughs or supplements that I had laid out on a rocky table. I nodded at them and said, ¡°I have no criticism. Bertha, I saw the throw you went for, but Titan blocked it well enough before trying to counter which you evaded before closing in.¡± I pointed to Bertha. ¡°Good use of your arm to get off the ground, and nice work defending when you got turned around with the backhand. Titan? Good positioning to get her on the back foot which set you up for the win. Bertha, don¡¯t be afraid to get Titan on his back; his spikes make it harder for him to reposition.¡± They both nodded thoughtfully. I looked over to Knight, who was edging towards the drinks table. ¡°Did you get that?¡± He waved his hand back and forth, and I nodded. ¡°Well keep watching them and learning. Now that they¡¯re a little tired, I¡¯ll have you wrestle with Titan in a second.¡± That had him straightening up. Titan merely clapped him on the shoulder as he moved past my Aggron to get a drink. ¡°Rhy! Rhy!¡± called out Bertha from where she¡¯d chosen to sit down. Titan glanced back and huffed at her. He still tossed her the water bottle that was made to fit her hand. In truth, it was a large barrel. She held it easily and squirted the water into her mouth before splashing it around her face. I hummed, moving on before she could feel playful and squirt me with a water bottle that would have the pressure of a firehose behind it. She¡¯d done so in the past. Instead, I moved towards my rather worried-looking Stantler. He was snorting and stomping his foot up and down as he watched the Elite pokemon drink and cajole each other. Don was hissing at Sanchez, who was grinning playfully and sparking some electricity through his moustache. Shin looked amused, so I judged that to mean whatever had happened had been innocent enough. ¡°Hey there,¡± I said as I moved up the skittish deer pokemon. Stantler eyed me before tossing its head towards the others. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, worry about how your own training is going. If you¡¯re getting too distracted by watching them all the time, we can shift training areas. How have you been doing with your moves?¡± Stantler shifted around before settling down and showing off his Agility skills by racing across the field with a quick clatter of hooves. I was impressed when he got to a section of loose stone, where Sanchez had been training his Stone Edge attack, and he didn¡¯t lose his footing. ¡°Nice, any luck learning Zen Headbutt yet?¡± I asked as he returned. He shook his antlers back and forth in agitation, and I shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll need to make it larger than a normal Zen Headbutt anyway. For now, I¡¯ll focus on loading you out with as many psychic moves as possible to give you the best chance at that evolution we talked about.¡± That had Stantler stomping his foot with a proud, ¡°Stant! Ler!¡± I nodded. I in truth, didn¡¯t have the best idea of how to make up for the agility style from the games but I was hoping to adapt Zen Headbutt to make up for the lack of Psyshield Bash move. Perhaps I could blur the lines enough to make him learn it and then practise it enough to evolve. That was my plan for now. ¡°Alright, show me how fast you can go from Calm Mind to Agility,¡± I said, starting Stantler¡¯s training up as the other pokemon returned to their own activities. I¡¯d give him a bit of time with me one-on-one before I moved, hopefully, that would make him less likely to lose focus with the others fighting. One could only hope.
There was a lot on my plate. I knew this and hoped that others entering the Gym knew it as well. It should have been obvious. After all, the Gym was positively teeming with trainers. I had all my gym trainers arrive at least half an hour before the doors opened and stay at least an hour after the doors closed each day. As requested, Alexa had gotten in touch with a number of people who had just been beaten out in the hiring process. I got only five that I wanted for temporary/possibly long-term jobs. The others had found different employment but thanked Alexa for the phone call. I now had enough people to patrol the area surrounding Pewter. The routes to the east, south, and north were all manned, along with Pewter City itself, having at least two trainers wandering and handling any issues every day. Most of the time, it was making sure pokemon fights happened where they were supposed to, and with the recognition that it was a bad idea to throw down an Earthquake or Hyper Beam in the middle of the street. If people wanted to get that fired up, they needed to come out and fight at the courts located outside my gym. Courts that were permanently full. Bethany¡ªour elderly receptionist woman¡ª now worked alongside two other receptionists for bookings and handling trainers. Outside people were constantly hiring the battle courts to train or fight matches with other trainers that had rubbed them the wrong way, or just seemed interesting. Georgina was already sourcing a vending machine set up for hiring the courts instead of having one or two of the Gym¡¯s trainers locked down, monitoring the courts and collecting keys and rental fees. Despite the busyness, I stuck to my routine with an early start which saw me exercising, for myself and my pokemon. I now had to try and build up Scyther and Onix while also working on Sabrina¡¯s future Stantler/Wyrdeer. Then breakfast with the family. By the time I finished that, Alexa usually had a clipboard full of the day and night reports. Anything noteworthy that had happened got marked down, and I got a look at it in case I needed to follow up on it. Alexa usually used this time to make herself what I hoped was only her second cup of coffee. I shook my head. She was a grown woman and didn¡¯t need me chasing her around. She wasn¡¯t like Crystal. I was falling into my ¡®big brother¡¯ antics way too much. I continued to flip through the notes. ¡°Less crime since we got those trainers on the streets. I see a ¡®thanks¡¯ from the police chief here.¡± I chuckled at the note that probably hadn¡¯t meant to be included about how Mayor Jonathan had gotten greedy. I couldn¡¯t help but agree. Alexa smiled over the top of her coffee, likely aware of what I was reading. ¡°It¡¯s strange to be seeing all this information that I would never hear about as a civilian. I¡¯m finding it kind of rough not to correct a lot of ladies at the get-togethers we have. They¡¯re catching on though as apparently my poker face needs a lot of work.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I said, not quite catching her meaning. ¡°I never realised that Gym Leader¡¯s have access to crime statistics, detentions, the number of fights, the load on the local pokemon centre, and even the local ecosystem. I mean, I probably would have understood some of it crossing your desk, but you¡¯re a lot more tapped into the beat of what¡¯s going on than most people know. They only see Brock, the local gym leader, and Pewter''s face, but they don''t see everything." ¡°Isn¡¯t that the way it is for most people? I don¡¯t have a clue what doctors do most of the time, just like this is only snippets in truth.¡± I weighed up the clipboard that showed all the last day¡¯s information. ¡°It¡¯s a responsibility as well as a perk of the job.¡± I flipped over a sheet. ¡°Oh.¡± I swallowed my suddenly dry mouth. ¡°That¡¯s a lot more money than I was projecting for.¡± Alexa nodded. ¡°Georgina ran the numbers for last week and got them to me last night. Turns out that having the rentals, the matches, and the higher fees this year is paying off. Feel like giving out a bonus?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± I said without missing a beat. That drew a surprised but pleased look from Alexa. ¡°I think by the time this surge is over everyone will have earned it. That and some time off, we should consider offering it as a lump sum or as paid time off. I¡¯m sure people would like that.¡± I eyed the numbers, and a few of them were jumping out at me for some reason. ¡°Am I really beating back that many challengers? The rate at which people are reapplying¡­¡± ¡°Seems a lot of people don¡¯t want to move on until they get their first badge from you.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that. They¡¯re going to stick around and, if anything, extend the duration of the surge on us at this rate.¡± ¡°Going to go easier on them?¡± I snorted, ¡°Not a chance. They need to demonstrate a level of skill.¡± I tapped the next number that had been bothering me. ¡°Like I thought, there are a lot more people applying for the Ace Challenge.¡± I flipped onto my weekly schedule and noted the different colourations marking them in my planner. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ six, seven, eight in the next two weeks alone?¡± I looked up at Alexa, but she didn¡¯t have the experience to understand what that meant. ¡°I usually only get twenty a year, and we¡¯re only in the first month.¡± She made a small ¡®ah¡¯ of understanding as I returned to the clipboard. Something about that was making me itch, but I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it. ¡°You also have an invitation from Mandy, the Mayor¡¯s wife for a gala next weekend on Saturday evening for the orphan¡¯s charity fund.¡± That drew another snort out of me. ¡°Pass.¡± Alexa grimaced. ¡°See, now¡­ I might have mentioned it to Rachel¡­ She¡¯s going to be after you to attend.¡± She bonked her head and stuck her tongue out. She then got serious. ¡°Also, it''s for the Orphan¡¯s Charity fund. The same one that you regularly support.¡± I stared at her as I slowly pieced together what she meant by that. ¡°Damn it,¡± I said, putting a hand over my face. I eyed the wonderfully decorated invitation card that may as well have been dripping with poison. ¡°I don¡¯t own a suit.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll schedule some time on your Saturday¡­ or sunday for that,¡± Alexa said helpfully. I gave her a gimlet eye. I sighed and rubbed my temples. That was another event on my calendar when I would have preferred to just stay in. Or was that just my inner introvert whining? I just needed to get¡­ Oh, right, Forrest wasn¡¯t going to be taking over. Damn it past me! I flicked through the crime statistics and sighed. ¡°Things are getting a bit crazy out there with my not really being able to walk the streets of Pewter without being challenged. I never thought it¡¯d get this bad.¡± Alexa shrugged, not having a response for that one. I huffed and flipped through the rest of the information. ¡°Alright, so we¡¯ve got a normal morning with mostly First Badge challenges, and then an Ace Challenge today for the lunch crowds. They¡¯ll like that. Following that is a first badge challenge, then two gauntlets before finishing things off with a single firstie.¡± I clapped my hands together. ¡°Alright, no meeting is needed for today; everyone¡¯s got their assigned jobs. Let¡¯s get out there and see what these trainers have got!¡± Alexa fell in behind me, and on the way into the arena, we were joined by Rocko as he sauntered out of the Gym¡¯s trainer residence area. He shot me a thumbs up which I took to mean he¡¯d finished his tasks and was ready to get to work as well. I grinned; it was going to be a good day.
The first few matches weren¡¯t anything special. Both of the trainers that selected to and ran the gauntlet had a good enough understanding of type match-ups and depth to see themselves advancing beyond Pewter. I was more than happy to give them the boulder Badge and wish them well on their circuit. It wasn¡¯t that hard to go out and have an Oddish or a Bellsprout in the team but people sometimes had a well-trained Rattata. The last two had won with a Machop and a Mankey, which were much more uncommon. Still, I had another trainer, and probably the biggest treat for the day looming now. I stood on my side of the gym in the raised trainer area in the arena and watched the lunch crowd file in. We always tried to schedule Elite or Ace Challenges around this time so that we could get more locals that had ¡®season tickets¡¯ to come in. That way, people had less disruption to their lives. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for some shops to post ¡®BRB after Brock¡¯s match¡¯ on their storefront windows these days. I had a fairly loyal group of locals and with the surge, the gym was packed. I waited for my opponent for the Ace challenge up in the trainer area overlooking the arena. I glanced over to Dennis. ¡°What do we know about this guy?¡± Dennis held a pose that made me want to say ¡®at-ease¡¯. ¡°Trainer Fred completed his journey roughly five years ago with a tour of Kanto! He¡¯s now a former Ranger! He used to work around Cerulean for a while but then got reassigned to the inner regions with Celadon and Saffron. He has since been scouted to work in security roles for some of the corporations on boat trips to Sevii and Hoenn. ¡°Hmmm, alright, do we know much about his pokemon?¡± I said. ¡°Known to have a Slowbro as his starter, he also has a Kadabra, but he otherwise had the standard recommended field response Ranger pokemon of Pidgeot, Victrebel, and Arcanine. Since he shifted to working with the corporations, he has an Electabuzz registered as well.¡± ¡°Hmm, so he has some depth then.¡± I rolled my shoulders. I was used to fighting people with no lead up to what they had or where they¡¯d come from, so getting this information was nice but not critical. Still, that didn¡¯t mean I had to go in blind to what strengths and weaknesses he might have. I stretched my neck. ¡°Bit weird he¡¯s challenging the gym despite being out of the Ace circuit for so long. Is this a pride thing you think?¡± Dennis shook his head. ¡°Couldn¡¯t say boss.¡± I ran my hand over the pokeballs at my belt before selecting one of them. I entered my selection into the computer and bounced on my feet. Alright, opening pokemon locked in. I hummed before smirking, I wonder how far I could take this? Maybe treat it like a faux Elite challenge? Make my pokemon work for it? This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen! From the seas of Pomecia! We have a pokemon trainer that is widely travelled and ready to throw down with the best that Pewter has to offer! Give it up, for Fred of Fuchsia!¡± ¡°Rachel¡¯s working well in the announcer role,¡± I said as a tall, wiry man strutted out from the main entrance, the lights tracking him perfectly as the crowd roared in approval at his brave appearance. ¡°Annnnnnnnd now!¡± Rachel said theatrically, like she was announcing a heavy-weight boxing champion. ¡°Your local hero, and the Pewter City Gym Leader! Give it up! For BROCK!¡± The crowd started one-two stomping before clapping. I smiled, much happier at getting a proper ¡®Rock you¡¯ chant going. Supposedly, Rachel was also talking with a musician to get a song for it after I¡¯d given her what I could of the lyrics. Hopefully, her efforts resulted in some great rock music. I''d intervene if they messed up and tried to cram half a dozen Pokemon names into the lyrics. I walked down the stairs with my eyes firmly locked on Fred. He licked his lips. A sign of nervousness, especially with how his eyes twitched around the room instead of matching my gaze. When I landed on the already raised podium, I rose upwards and smiled at him. ¡°Trainer Fred.¡± Fred jerked his head towards me and nodded. ¡°Gym Leader Brock.¡± ¡°You understand that this is a standard Ace Challenge? I will be able to withdraw and return pokemon to the field as normal?¡± I gestured to the side where Rocko stood as the referee. Fred nodded. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± I said. I raised the pokeball with my choice up. The crowd began calling out names for who they hoped to see. Most prominent was of course Titan, but I did hear Don and Shin also getting called out. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready!¡± We both nodded. Fred selected his own pokeball. ¡°Throw your pokemon and begin when they¡¯re both on the field!¡± I drew back before hurling the pokeball straight forward. ¡°Go! Sanchez!¡± The crowd roared as my variant Golem landed on his knees and skidded forward in a slide. He raised his arms like he was praising the heavens. Then he stood and shot a wink at the crowd which only made them cheer louder. Across from him, Fred tossed out a pokeball to reveal a Hypno. ¡°Hypno! Use Hypnosis!¡± ¡°Quick, Dig!¡± I ordered. Waves of pink energy shot out of the Hypno as it swung its pendulum. Sanchez dove into the ground only to bob up precisely like he had been ordered to. The pink waves shot past him, missing thanks to the stone floor. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± Rocks lifted up and hurtled forward as Sanchez performed his rolling grasp and throw maneuver to speed up the attack. ¡°Psychic!¡± said Fred. Around a few of the rocks, pink energy appeared, catching the rocks and stopping them. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop all of the rocks from getting through, however. Hypno flinched as two rocks slammed into its body causing the rocks it had been gripping to clatter to the floor. ¡°Commit to the Rock Throw!¡± I shouted as Hypno lurched forward. ¡°Hypno! Use Future Sight to dodge!¡± ¡°More rocks! Tighten the target around it!¡± I ordered in response, making it so that Hypno would only be able to ever dodge some of the flying rocks. When it staggered back again I held up a hand. ¡°Stealth Rock!¡± I said instead of committing for the win here and now. If I wanted to test Sanchez and take him as far as I could, then I needed to play it smart. I needed to plan for the other pokemon I was going to face. With Sanchez that meant I needed to have the field set up to knock down each pokemon that came in. ¡°Hypnosis!¡± ¡°Dig again!¡± I said, countering the move before it could really be a threat. As soon as Sanchez was up I followed up with another Stealth Rock. Sanchez stood and twizzled his moustache. Fred gritted his teeth before raising up his pokeball. ¡°Return Hypno!¡± I hummed, wondering what he was going to play here. ¡°Go Slowbro!¡± on the field a pink pokemon with a shellfish attached onto its tail formed up. It blinked languidly as the stealth rock slammed into it, eliciting no response as yet. Instead, it slowly said its name. To anyone unfamiliar with the pokemon they would have thought it was unbothered by the attack, or that it was ineffective. Rocko dropped his flag. I wasn¡¯t sure how Fred thought this was going to play out but I had an idea. ¡°Dig into a backstab.¡± I deliberately said. Sanchez nodded, understanding the specific order. He dove into the ground and vanished. ¡°Slowbro use Surf!¡± ¡°Sllooooooooooooow,¡± said Slowbro as it gathered up the water. Then it jerked. ¡°Bro!¡± it shouted as the pain from the earlier hit registered. A wave formed and roared out across the arena. The hole where my pokemon had vanished was submerged, but I wasn¡¯t worried. The wave splashed over the barrier in front of me harmlessly. It stood out to me that this wave didn¡¯t have anything close to Brawly¡¯s Wailord. That had been a powerful Surf. I grinned as another hole behind the back of the wave appeared. Fred¡¯s eyes bulged even as Sanchez rolled away from the hole. He did so with impeccable timing as a geyser of water chased after him but due to the pressure could only go upwards. ¡°Thunderpunch!¡± I called out; my pokemon now more than close enough to the slowly turning Slowbro. ¡°Slowbro, Psychic!¡± shouted Fred as he realised the problem. Slowbro turned, still trying to register where he needed to attack, only to take a Thunderpunch to the face. Slowbro sailed into the wall as electricity arced over his body. Slowbro stood up, blinked once, and then collapsed. ¡°Brooooooo,¡± it said with a yawn as it toppled over. ¡°Slowbro is unable to battle! Brock takes out the first pokemon!¡± announced Rocko, raising a green flag in my direction. Fred withdrew his pokemon. ¡°One hit?¡± he said in shock, not realising that the microphones on his podium picked up even the smallest sound. I leaned forward. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was going easy on you did you? Sanchez wouldn¡¯t be on my Elite team if he didn¡¯t have at least this much strength.¡± The best way I could think of it in-game terms was perhaps like having a level seventy pokemon fight a level fifty pokemon. You knew that level fifty was good, but there was a world of difference in stats available to the higher levelled pokemon. Levels, of course, weren¡¯t a thing and neither were IV¡¯s or stats. You could train things like special abilities, physical attacks, defence, speed and awareness though. I always made sure my Elites could take what they could dish out. Most people didn¡¯t understand the scope of difference until they faced me. Fred was learning of the difference between a highly trained pokemon, and one of my Elite. He glanced at the roaring crowd again before nodding his head. ¡°Well, don¡¯t expect me to back o-off!¡± he said, sadly with a quaver. I merely nodded, more than happy to meet him. ¡°Go! Xatu!¡± he said. I frowned. Three Psychic pokemon? That was strange. Especially considering he was using a flying type against me, something Sanchez was more suited to than almost any of my pokemon. ¡°Future Sight!¡± he said, in the opening when the flags dropped. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said, happy to get the third stack of rocks around the arena. Fred clicked his tongue. His Xatu, despite starting with Future sight, hadn''t been able to dodge the field effect, as it took a number of hits that hadn¡¯t been wiped out by his earlier surf. This was another thing I¡¯d train Sanchez in. Proper placement of Stealth Rocks could set him up very, very well. It would only get worse for Fred with each pokemon he sent out. ¡°Use Air Slash!¡± ¡°Roll to dodge,¡± I said. I chuckled as Sanchez threw himself into full-on combat rolls to dodge the Air Slash sent his way like some sort of action movie hero. The crowd loved it. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I said, once Sanchez had reached the previously dropped stones. With those accessible, he was able to shoot his attack off much faster than normal. Sadly the Future Sight must still have been in effect, as only one rock actually hit. It was enough to send the bird to the ground. ¡°X-xatu?¡± Fred said. He looked at me in shock. I shrugged. Alright, so it seemed he hadn¡¯t grasped how wide the gap was. ¡°Xatu is unable to battle!¡± ¡°Go Espeon!¡± When the next pokemon was revealed to be another Psychic I couldn¡¯t help the frown that appeared on my face. Hypno, Slowbro, Xatu, and Espeon. I could understand Slowbro seeing as it was his starter but for him to have four of the same type? It stunk worse than a Muk. I hovered my hand over my necklace. If I sent Titan out and he continued this trend¡­ Sadly, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off the match right now. The gap might have been demonstrated, but that didn¡¯t mean I should lapse in my attention. Espeon took some hits, which drew a pained cry from it. That in turn made me refocus. I cursed at myself having zoned out for a moment there. Something that should have been a costly mistake. ¡°Sanchez, Stealth Rock,¡± I said quickly to get the field effect up to full strength. ¡°Rock Hold!¡± I said, giving a variation. Sanchez paused as he registered the order before nodding, around him, rocks rose like a typical Rock Throw but were held, like hovering threats. ¡°Future Sight!¡± said Fred as his pokemon¡¯s eyes glowed. ¡°Close in and grapple,¡± I said, making Espeon have to dodge a few furious swipes. When Sanchez fired off his punches he did so with a cry like a machine gun. ¡°Go, go, go, go!¡± His fists flew furiously, and I hummed. He wouldn¡¯t be able to keep this speed up so I¡¯d need to be more conservative after this. When the small cat pokemon committed to a jump I punched forward. ¡°Now!¡± I barked, the rocks suddenly shooting forward to nail the airborne Espeon. The Espeon was still able to stand up despite being thrown back, but it was clearly on its last legs. Sanchez closed with a fast movement, anticipating the order to keep up the pressure from me. ¡°Protect!¡± shouted Fred to give his Espeon a bit longer on the field. My pokemon¡¯s fist slammed into the orb of hexagons before he rolled backwards. ¡°Now Hyper Beam!¡± Fred shouted as my pokemon was caught on the back foot out of his roll. ¡°Protect!¡± I ordered. Fred gaped at me, not expecting the counter. His pokemon¡¯s beam lanced out only to slam into Sanchez¡¯s defences. When the beam wore off my pokemon was revealed. The cocky pokemon idly brushed at his shoulder before winking as he flicked his arm about to hurl a rock throw right into Espeon¡¯s shocked face. While Rocko announced my victory, I leaned over the podium. ¡°Sanchez, feeling good? Think we can go for a one-pokemon sweep?¡± Fred¡¯s head snapped up at that to shoot me and Golem an incredulous look. It was a bit of a slap in the face that I could declare my intentions like that, but he obviously needed a wake-up call. Unless he revealed something strong with his next pokemon at three to zero, this match was already lopsided. ¡°GOOOOOLEM!¡± he shouted while shooting a thumbs up back at me. He then pointed to a woman in the audience. ¡°Gol, Lelemlem!¡± he said like he was asking a maiden for her favour. ¡°Hey, keep your head in the game!¡± I shook my head at his antics even as Fred gritted his teeth. Sanchez adopted a more serious pose but still shot some winks at the crowd. I huffed. It might seem strange, but I knew he actually worked better when the crowd was energetic and hyped up. I just needed to rein him in a little on occasion. He was far from the trickiest pokemon to handle. That honour went to Don. I just needed to work with his quirks. ¡°Go Starmie,¡± Fred shouted once more, following his trend. The hair on the back of my neck rose as my suspicions grew. Once more, the Stealth Rock came into play giving me a moment to get Sanchez moving. ¡°Bit late to send this one out,¡± I said to myself before sweeping my arm in a wide gesture for Sanchez. ¡°Use your rolls and stay tight!¡± I said as Starmie started blasting out Hydro Pumps. ¡°Zig zag it up!¡± I said as Sanchez advanced on the firing Starmie. ¡°Now hold!¡± I said when he got behind a particularly large rock. I eyeballed the angles and noted where Fred was looking. ¡°Ready to close the distance! Dig deep for this one Sanchez!¡± ¡°Starmie! Get ready to nail that golem!¡± said Fred as he focused harder on the rock. I held back my grin. A few moments later, I swept my hand. ¡°Charge!¡± I said¡­ only for nothing to happen. Fred blinked only to gasp. ¡°Starmie, it''s a trap!¡± I laughed as Sanchez surged out of the ground and slammed a Thunderpunch straight into the starfish pokemon. ¡°Staaaaaaaaaaaarrr!¡± it cried as it soared backwards. Sanchez landed behind the hole he¡¯d dug to reach Starmie. I mentally patted myself on the back for that little trick. Fred had been so focussed on the rock and which side Sanchez would come from he¡¯d forgotten that I had another option rather than just going around or over the boulder available to me. When Fred threw out his Arcanine, he did so with gritted teeth. ¡°Use Iron Head!¡± Instantly, he went on the attack. I nodded. This was a better match-up for him and one he was obviously much more comfortable with it. However, before he could land a hit on Sanchez Stealth Rock once more came into effect. ¡°Roll to evade! Get behind a boulder!¡± I said, making Sanchez tuck and roll like the Elite he was. Fred was once more intently focused as my pokemon rolled behind a boulder and out of sight. ¡°Watch out for the trick where they di¡ª¡± ¡°Punch through it,¡± I said instead of ordering a Dig. Sanchez slammed a fist into the boulder revealing that over, around, and under were never my only options. Arcanine flinched as rock shards peppered him and he yelped. ¡°Thunder Punch.¡± My follow-up order was immediate. ¡°No! Iron Head Arcanine!¡± Fred shouted desperately. Before his pokemon could lower his head to slam into Sanchez, my pokemon slid in and then launched himself upwards with a rising uppercut that lifted the Arcanine into the air. Arcanine landed heavily, and his body sparked with electricity before slumping into unconsciousness. I exhaled in relief. The earlier setup was paying serious dividends. We¡¯d been caught out of position with that initial Iron Head. It wasn¡¯t just about Sanchez keeping his head in the game. We¡¯d been able to regroup, though. I needed to use what was available if I wanted him to take a one pokemon sweep. Sanchez was panting lightly now, and I checked him over. One more pokemon and he had it. Fred slumped, the fight going out of him as he tossed out his Hypno once more. The Hypno stepped back and I knew they¡¯d already given up. Sending out Hypno was merely playing out the match. ¡°Hypnosis,¡± said Fred. ¡°Dig and go for the end.¡± Was all I had to say, and we ended it. Hypno fell and didn¡¯t stand back up and like that the match was called. I blew out a breath of air I hadn¡¯t realised I was holding. I¡¯d been expecting a teleport, or barriers, or even more tricks from Fred but he didn¡¯t seem comfortable with this team. Which, more than the pokemon selection itself, really made my suspicions flare up. When the fight was over I marched over and offered Fred a handshake. Fred cringed as the crowd roared their approval for Sanchez pulling off a one-man sweep. Sanchez, the great ham, was kneeling before the woman he¡¯d singled out earlier playing out some bit of drama. ¡°Thanks for the fight. I¡¯m surprised you went with a psychic line up against me? It didn¡¯t seem you were very comfortable with them though?¡± ¡°Oh, uhm, well you know, I thought they were pretty strong but man, looks like I have a long way to go if I ever want to try being able to contend again. Must have lost my edge!¡± he said while sheepishly laughing. ¡°Is that so?¡± I hummed while eying Sanchez as he started getting bouquets of flowers from the crowd. He was now crying like he was the belle of the ball instead of the charming prince. I¡¯d missed how that had developed. I suspected Sanchez pokedoll sales were going to spike for a good while. ¡°Well, I would have preferred you come against me at your best,¡± I said to Frank. When he looked to the stands, I didn¡¯t turn with him to see where he was looking, but I noted the direction. When I turned to wave to the crowd, I did a slow sweep, not minding that I didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary. While the crowd trickled out, I didn¡¯t linger. I whistled to Sanchez and then pointed to the medical bay only for Sanchez to happily leave, a small meadow¡¯s worth of flowers clutched in his arms. I laughed, and I made my way to the back rooms and opened the security room. ¡°Morning Andrew,¡± I said to the lone security guard manning the console. He put down a mug that announced himself as the ¡®world¡¯s most meh uncle¡¯ to begin toggling the camera feeds into playback. ¡°Brock! Got something suspicious to look into?¡± the man asked. ¡°Nothing bad, just something I want confirmation of.¡± I sat down and toggled the camera that watched the stands. I zoomed in on a section of the stands and played it with that as the locked-in perspective. Andrew watched on without comment. If I didn¡¯t have my previous life¡¯s knowledge, and the warning from Brawly I wouldn¡¯t have known who to look for. But I had both, which meant I was able to spot the dark-haired young man in the crowd. I watched the playback as Will sat on the sidelines and documented how I fought. ¡°Sneaky,¡± I said to myself as I watched him. I ran this morning''s conversation back through my mind. Eight Ace Challenges were a lot at this stage of the circuit. Unless they were specifically here for a reason, such as to scope out my talent pool. Other than Fred''s behavior, I had no evidence that this was the case. That and my gut instinct. I stood and marched back out to the trainer lounge for lunch. Looked like I didn¡¯t have to go find any trouble. It was already coming my way. Alexa chose that moment to charge up to me. ¡°Brock, Lorelei of the Elite Four is here to talk with you!¡± she said hurriedly. I felt a moment of panic as my paranoia ran rampant. Then I blinked. ¡°Oh, right. Lance said she was coming around.¡± I relaxed as I scratched my cheek. ¡°I¡¯d been expecting her a bit earlier though¡­¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s cause we¡¯re just busy people,¡± I said casually. Alexa merely shrugged back. I clapped my hands and exhaled the momentary jolt of anxiety away fully. Alright, ignoring Will lurking about, I needed to go talk with Lorelei and hopefully seem reasonable while doing so. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard, right? Chapter 72 - Icy inspections Lorelei had been asked to wait in the trainer lounge, something that hopefully wasn¡¯t taken as a slight. Then again, it was a nicer space than sticking her in my office and asking her to wait. I paused at the entrance to observe her. Lorelei was seen as the ¡®cool beauty¡¯ of the Elite Four. It was also well known that she and Lance didn¡¯t get along. Not since Lance took over from her grandfather, Pryce, as Champion. I could only imagine that it caused her a lot of stress to be waiting for her official step-down order. I wasn¡¯t sure if that translated into the tension in her jaw or the way she tapped her finger on the chair as she flipped through a magazine with her other hand. I swallowed my worries and stepped forward. ¡°Lorelei,¡± I said in greeting. Lorelei raised her gaze from the magazine she¡¯d been reading through. I noted that it was not one of the magazines that we supplied to the Gym¡¯s trainers. I paused. ¡°You brought your own magazine?¡± I said in surprise. Lorelei nodded, not at all bothered, as she packed the magazine away into her purse. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to being sent on errands and kept waiting,¡± she said with a clipped tone. She assessed me critically, ¡°I understand that you¡¯re rather busy, Brock, so thank you for agreeing to meet with me so quickly.¡± I blinked in surprise, still hung up on the point she¡¯d raised earlier. ¡°People are making you wait?¡± I said. ¡°But you¡¯re an Elite Four member?¡± She narrowed her eyes, shooting a frosty look at me through her glasses. ¡°Let us not pretend that I am favoured by Lance. I know of his hang-ups with me. Any complaints I have, fall on deaf ears.¡± ¡°I kind of expected better from Lance,¡± I said sternly. Then again, he¡¯d have to overcome his distaste for her as an Ice trainer, which meant she was also a threat to him, so it made sense he would naturally be antagonistic or evasive. I could feel the room was a few degrees cooler than it should be, and the only difference was that Loreli was sitting in it. That, more than any I.D badge she had, served as her credentials. I imagine a number of people could have copied her red hair and schoolteacher vibe to a tee. But they¡¯d fall short of exuding ice-type energy. Lorelei inspected me critically, and I could see her lips narrowing. She opened her mouth only to be interrupted by another voice. ¡°Broooooooock!!!!¡± wailed Cindy as she raced into the lounge, uncaring that Lorelei was here. ¡°I accidentally tripped and tore my homework while I was in the playground! Miss Spencer is going to be so mad!¡± ¡°Ah?¡± I said, finding myself caught in a lurch as I shifted from Gym Leader to Big Brother Brock. ¡°What was your homework?¡± I asked before I could stop myself. Cindy shoved a sheet of paper that was ripped into two parts which I looked over critically. ¡°Okay, calm down.¡± I was about to say it didn¡¯t matter all that much, but then I recalled that that would never work with distraught kids. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea! How about we use the photocopier to line up the torn sheets and then print them out like new.¡± Cindy sniffled as she got herself back under control. ¡°She won¡¯t mind that it¡¯s all dirty?¡± she said. ¡°No, any teacher worth her chalk won¡¯t care,¡± said Lorelei suddenly, making me startle. I¡¯d forgotten about her, or rather, I¡¯d been expecting her to not get involved. Cindy glanced at Lorelei. ¡°Oh! Sorry Brock, I should have realised you were busy!¡± She sniffled again, and I handed her a handkerchief which she blew into. When she handed it back to me I grabbed a corner and shoved it into a pocket in my pants that was well used to receiving such gifts from my siblings. ¡°No problem, I¡¯m going to get Alexa to help you out, I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t mind alright?¡± I said gently, leading her to Alexa who¡¯d been hovering outside the door. I handed Cindy over to get her homework seen to and then returned back to school. I gave her some more assurances that all would be well before I turned back to Lorelei. ¡°Sorry about that!¡± I said with a slight chuckle. Lorelei stared at me for a long minute. ¡°You¡­ you were telling the truth about not wanting or being able to take on the Elite Four position, weren¡¯t you?¡± she said suddenly. ¡°Huh? Oh that, yeah.¡± I waved a hand behind me. ¡°I have way too much going on to worry about something like that.¡± Lorelei nodded slowly. ¡°I see. I¡­¡± She worried at her lip before sighing explosively. She rubbed at her forehead. ¡°I should apologise. I came into this expecting Lance to be shoving you in my face. So I delayed and dragged my feet.¡± I tilted my head. Two days was her dragging her feet on a job? Lorelei kept talking, not noticing my conduct. ¡°With how the media won¡¯t stop talking about you potentially joining, I thought this was supposed to be a very different trip.¡± ¡°Oh! Well, that actually makes a lot of sense,¡± I said with a smile. She tilted her head as if confused before shaking it off. ¡°Well, regardless, how would you like to proceed with my review of the ancient pokemon and the resurrection machine? I scratched my cheek and then glanced at my watch. ¡°Would you like me to reschedule my afternoon? I only have half an hour for lunch, and that might not be long enough for your needs,¡± I asked. Lorelei stared at me. Did¡­ Not many people do that for her or something? It made me wonder more about her. I¡¯d¡­ well I¡¯d not really considered how she was treated, but now I empathised with her a bit. It always sucked being stuck waiting for things to happen. When the Pokenet got more solidly filled out and useful, I had no doubt that if her circumstances were the same she¡¯d be carrying a laptop around instead of magazines. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± she said while adjusting her glasses, ¡°I merely wanted to inform you that I am following up on the task that Lance assigned me. We can meet up at another time or¡ª¡± ¡°You just need access to the back reserve right?¡± I said, cutting her off. She nodded her head and I grinned. ¡°Alright, easily done! Did you also want to talk with Bianca, our resident breeding specialist?¡± Lorelei once more considered me before nodding slowly. ¡°That would actually not be a bad place to begin. I will inform you that I am going to document your facilities and will be applying the League¡¯s standard for breeding facilities. If you don¡¯t have certain levels or are missing facilities, you will need to reapply at a later date with the error or errors fixed.¡± I opened my mouth to point out that it sounded like her job could have been done by an auditor but then my mind kicked into gear and shut my mouth. I didn¡¯t want¡­ Auditor Timothy back here again. I repressed a shudder. I nodded. ¡°If those are still the same from a few months ago, I know Bianca saw to that first when she moved here.¡± I ticked off my fingers. ¡°Resident certified specialist, care facilities, suitable habitat, nutrition plans and¡­¡± I chewed my lip. What was the last one? ¡°Options for genetic diversity, for the pokemon with matings witnessed,¡± said Lorelei distastefully. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the one I always deliberately forget,¡± I said, more to myself than her. She nodded though and I found a companion for the ick factor of breeding. Damn Don and that flock of Wingull. ¡°That should be agreeable. Then after you¡¯re finished with today¡¯s challenges, would you be available to visit the resurrection machine itself?¡± I considered my timetable. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have any pressing details I need to see to, so yes.¡± Lorelei nodded again, this time with a pleased expression. ¡°Excellent, this might be wrapped up by tonight.¡± She stood and offered me her hand. ¡°My thanks Gym Leader, I will get to work reviewing your proposed breeding facility, and we can talk again this afternoon.¡± I shook her hand, pleased that she had been for all intents and purposes, easy to work with. A thought occurred to me. ¡°Oh, if you see a younger version of me running around named Salvadore, would it be alright for him to shadow you? He¡¯s really interested in being a researcher, so maybe what you¡¯re doing will catch his attention.¡± She nodded. ¡°That should be fine. I¡¯m used to dealing with students from my time as a teacher before I became Gym Leader at Mahogany.¡± ¡°You were a teacher?¡± I said with surprise. She nodded. ¡°Yes, I actually still give lectures at the Indigo Academies, such as Pokemon Tech outside Pewter.¡± ¡°Oh, cool. I deal with them to set up badge challenges to demonstrate skill level during their coursework.¡± I recalled something about them. I glanced over my shoulder to where Alexa was lingering in the doorway, apparently having seen Cindy back off to school. ¡°Hey Alexa? Did Pokemon Tech rebook their matches for this year¡¯s accreditation?¡± Alexa shook her head. Lorelei pursed her lips. ¡°That will be a problem for them. Hmmm, I will ask around. Perhaps they are going to another Gym this year?¡± ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯d usually be bothered if they did, but I¡¯m honestly busy enough to not notice if that was the case,¡± I said with a grimace. ¡°Terrible attitude to have though,¡± I said rubbing my chin. ¡°I might send them a message to check in.¡± Lorelei straightened up only to pause and look me over. ¡°Have you ever considered lecturing?¡± ¡°Me? Yeah, I do it sometimes, but only at Pokemon Tech.¡± Lorelei tapped her lips thoughtfully. ¡°Would you be open to talking at other schools?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Depends how busy I am.¡± Lorelei bobbed her head up and down once more. ¡°I will make some inquiries at my alma mater, Glacier College, in Mahogany. With your rare pokemon you would be a welcome addition to their list of speakers. Also, as a predominantly ice trainer facility, I imagine having a Rock specialist come and speak would be something novel for them and offer valuable insight.¡± I chuckled but agreed with her. A buzzer went off on my wrist and I clicked my tongue. ¡°I need to see to some tasks before the next match, but here¡¯s a guest pass.¡± I said, handing her a lanyard with a guest pass attached to it. ¡°I¡¯ll have Alexa lead you to where Bianca is. Also, watch out for Don, my Aerodactyl. He¡¯s the most likely to take a swipe at you.¡± ¡°Noted,¡± said Lorelei as she strode up to Alexa. Interestingly, Lorelei¡¯s icy aura had vanished. I frowned. Had it been there when Cindy ran into the room? Interesting. Lorelei gave me a smile. ¡°My thanks for meeting with me so quickly Brock.¡± She then departed with Alexa, leaving me to a speedy lunch. I mulled over what had been said. That had been perhaps one of the easiest interactions I¡¯d had with a League representative in a good long while. The initial reception had been, heh, frosty, but she¡¯d relaxed when Cindy came into the room. Hmmm. I made a note to myself for later. For the time being, I had a first badge challenge, two gauntlets, and another first badge challenge. I¡¯d have this dealt with in no time.
[/hr] ¡°Go Oddish!¡± shouted the gleeful lad as he hurled out his pokemon against my Onix. I held in a smile at his correct choice in pokemon only to falter with the next words he spoke. ¡°Use Tackle!¡± ¡°Bide,¡± I said to my pokemon, more than happy to let it build up power and give the kid another chance. His pokemon smashed into mine and then bounced off only for the lad to punch forward. ¡°I believe in you Oddish! Keep up the attack, and we¡¯ll break his pokemon down to size!¡± I glanced up at my pokemon and made a mental comparision of just how many times bigger my Onix was to his Oddish. By committing to Bide I now had to watch as the kid gave his pokemon head trauma. Onix glanced back at me slowly due to the effects of the Bide, but even she seemed to be less than impressed with this showing. I made a mental note to set this Onix aside. She was showing a lot more restraint and intelligence. Hopefully, she could become like Izumi and be a strong fighter that I could use at all levels. ¡°Onix, do it,¡± I said after seeing that the kid wasn¡¯t going to make the smart choice. His pokemon was promptly swatted across the arena where it slammed into the podium he stood on. It slid to the ground with a sad little ¡°Oddd!¡± before it slumped to the side. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The lad gaped at me. ¡°My pokemon?¡± I pointedly looked down and he leaned over the podium before returning his pokemon. ¡°Hahaha! Very well! I have a new plan! Go Pidgey!¡± I stared at the tiny bird and it gazed up at the giant rock snake it was facing. It fluffed itself up and cried out cutely. Well, his pokemon certainly believed in him? Or had he had them slamming into things so often that they all had some form of brain injury? I waited for the flags to drop before pointing right at the Pidgey. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I said flatly. Onix unleashed a barrage, and Pidgey flew up into the air only to get tagged by a few and be sent crumpling to the ground. I turned my attention to the kid only for him to smirk. ¡°Pidgey! Use Sand Attack!¡± he said loudly. From the dust his pokemon shot out and blasted a spray of sand into my pokemon¡¯s eyes. Onix reared back in shock. ¡°Huh? You trained it to overcome Rock attacks?¡± I said with surprise. That would have taken some serious effort. The lad grinned wider. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you my secret!¡± he said in the tone of one that was dying to tell another person. I decided not to pry and instead shrugged. ¡°Alright, suit yourself. Rock Throw again Onix,¡± I said, interested if I could work out what had happened. Perhaps a Steel Wing at the last minute? A rock slammed into the flying Pidgey, the other rocks in the barrage missing easily. With one rock hitting though, the Pidgey was flattened. I tilted my head. ¡°Where was its trick?¡± I turned to the lad, who was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. ¡°Ahahaha!¡± said the kid while rubbing at the back of his head. ¡°Turns out it could only take the one hit?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Huh?¡± What item did that? Was it a talisman or a type of rock? I felt a twitch in my forehead. Flint better not be hanging about selling rocks that negate super-effective rock-type attacks. I vowed to send out Janine to do a search of the area when I was done with this¡ª ¡°I don¡¯t have any more pokemon. I forfeit!¡± said the lad. I blinked and shared a surprised look with Onix. ¡°Oh, well alright then.¡± I hopped over the edge of the podium as the match was called. I checked over Onix before turning my attention to the kid. ¡°So, can you tell me what you think you did wrong?¡± I said to start things off. By the time I was done with the kid I had a serious desire to talk with whichever teacher was letting some of these kids pass. How had they not learnt the typing charts and the basic moves of pokemon that they caught. You could have them checked at the pokemon centre if you didn¡¯t have a pokedex! Thankfully, the kid had actually been receptive to my information. When I asked him about the item he used he got evasive though. I decided to drop it for now. Hopefully it was just a one-off item that wouldn¡¯t be an issue. I¡¯d need to read through my notes and find out if I had ever written down an item that might cause such an effect. Nothing was springing to mind though. I shrugged and returned Onix but made sure to put a marker on her pokeball. This girl had potential that I¡¯d be looking into for the future. Then I waved to the crowd and thanked those that had stuck around before I walked away. With the trainers seen to for the day, I had some quick paperwork to check over, sign off on, and then I was out into the reserve only to find that Lorelei wasn¡¯t out there any more. Bianca swirled something white in a beaker¡ª I hoped that was a soil sample¡ª and shook her head. ¡°No, we finished up a while ago. She ended up talking with Salvadore and Yolanda while they were feeding your pokemon. They went to your house to talk a bit more and wait for you.¡± ¡°Huh, cool,¡± I said, pleased that they¡¯d taken the initiative like that. Before I went home I ducked into the caverns to check Bertha¡¯s cave. The cave itself was clean. Bertha, lounging in the middle with her food, was a muddy bog monster. ¡°You look like a brown Muk,¡± I said from the entrance of her cavern. She lolled her head around and I got the impression she was being deliberately indolent. ¡°You know if they haven¡¯t found a mud pig pokemon yet I will have to submit you as one right?¡± She put a hand over her forehead and swooned. ¡°Urgh, Sanchez is a bad influence on you.¡± she flicked a finger and sent some mud my way which I dodged away from. ¡°Fine! Fine, enjoy your filth, but remember to shake it off before you hang out with Titan. You know he hates it when you''re filthy.¡± She rumbled at that and returned to lounging and eating her meal. I huffed and headed for home. Well, I could confirm that Forrest had done as asked and that it had probably lasted all of a day before Bertha got to it. When I entered the kitchen I found Lorelei surrounded by my family. Sitting opposite to her was Tommy and Cindy who were teamed up against her with what looked like a card game. ¡°I use Rock attack! It¡¯s super effective against Ice, Fire, Flying and Bug! Can you match it?!¡± said Cindy causing everyone to nod along before watching for Lorelei¡¯s response. ¡°Well in that case I use Water. Which is super effective against you. And that should win me the game,¡± said Lorelei cooly. Cindy and Tommy squawked and counted out the damage tokens only to slump when they worked out she was right. The other kids gasped. ¡°She¡¯s strong!¡± some of them whispered. I chuckled at their antics and the kids all turned to me. ¡°Brock! Brock! We¡¯ve been playing with Lorelei! She¡¯s really good at the trading card game!¡± Tommy said at a dull roar. ¡°Inside voice pal, and I can see that.¡± I paused when I noticed Lorelei was frowning. I considered what I¡¯d done and coughed. ¡°Sorry for laughing,¡± I said to Lorelei. ¡°It¡¯s just funny to hear them calling you strong considering, well¡± I tilted my head and gestured at her. That got her to relax. ¡°Ah I see,¡± she said. The younger kids all had confused expressions. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± said Suzie. I glanced at Salvadore only for Yolanda to beat him to the punch. ¡°I told you before! She¡¯s part of the Elite Four! She¡¯s one of the strongest trainers around!¡± The kids gasped, and then Billy and Tilly copied them. I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing at their antics. They still looked confused but Billy decided he should congratulate Lorelei. ¡°Good for you!¡± he said with a pat to her thigh. She chuckled. ¡°Ah, children. I certainly miss this from my teaching days,¡± she said whimsically. ¡°How¡¯d that work? You being a teacher that is?¡± ¡°Well, Mahogany Town, due to its location, sees the least amount of trainers of any Gym in Indigo. This allows for me to have a lot more time to myself. I had a system where I would teach classes in the morning and any Gym Challenges could be run in the afternoon.¡± she looked out the window with a fond expression. ¡°I had three classes each year, two of children and one of teenagers. It could get rather chaotic though,¡± She said, her tone laced with nostalgia. Yolanda grinned. ¡°You sound like you loved it!¡± Cindy nodded, ¡°She was really nice to me today.¡± This drew her sibling¡¯s attention and she recited her accident and how she¡¯d run all the way home to get it fixed. Unsurprisingly, Lorelei¡¯s role in her version of the story was greatly expanded. Apparently, she¡¯d been riding a Lapras while I¡¯d been riding Onix in preparation for battle before we¡¯d dropped what we were doing to help her. ¡°You were about to fight each other?!¡± said Billy, sounding hopeful. ¡°We were not about to fight each other,¡± I said before pausing and looking straight at Lorelei. ¡°Were we?¡± She shook her head, and the kids groaned. ¡°Awwwwww, why not!¡± I felt a flicker of disappointment. Fighting an elite Four member would be fun. I laughed it off though and pushed the feeling to the side. I was about to apologise to Lorelei for my siblings, only to find her laughing into her hand. Then Yolanda perked up and shot me a sly look that I knew spelt trouble. ¡°Hey Brock, remember how it was my turn to clean up around the house?¡± Alarm bells were ringing in my head at her innocent tone. I knew something was up. Like a soldier stepping onto a field with possible planted Electrodes throughout, I advanced warily. ¡°Yeeeeeees?¡± I said. Yolanda rocked back and forth on her heels. ¡°Weeeell Nanny Grav and I,¡± At Lorelei¡¯s confused look she elaborated. ¡°That¡¯s the name we call Graveler.¡± She pointed to the Graveler who hung around the house and¡­ acted like a Nanny. ¡°Ah, Nanny Grav, I understand.¡± She eyed the apron-wearing Graveler before shaking her head and dismissing it. Yolanda nodded and continued. ¡°Well, me and her were cleaning the hall and me, being such a good little sister, decided to clean your room for you!¡± I narrowed my eyes at her. The true translation of what she¡¯d said read as ¡®I felt like snooping and needed a reason that you can¡¯t fault me for.¡¯ ¡°How nice of you, I might return the favour.¡± She grinned widely. ¡°I know, that¡¯d be nice! But I had a problem see¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure how to do your laundry.¡± Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°For a silk pillow case!¡± I smiled back. Damn, she¡¯d noticed Sabrina¡¯s pillowcase on my bed! ¡°That¡¯s just a delicate spin cycle. Thanks though. If you had wrecked it I wouldn¡¯t have such silky smooth hair,¡± I said, lying like only an older brother can. She stared long and hard at me before clicking her tongue. Then she played her next card. ¡°Why do you have two brushes in your bathroom?¡± ¡°I use one toothbrush for my top teeth and the other for my bottom teeth,¡± I said, doubling down. ¡°Tch!¡± she said, this time clicking her teeth audibly. I turned and coughed into my fist. It seemed like a good time to tactically relocate before she found anything else. ¡°Lorelei, we should probably be going if we want to review the resurrection machine?¡± Lorelei accepted this with a highly amused expression, and we left despite my sibling¡¯s protests. When I released Selene and she released a Jynx we teleported away. When we arrived she spoke up. ¡°She¡¯s not going to be fooled for long~,¡± she said. ¡°Urgh, she doesn¡¯t need to involve herself. It¡¯s already complicated enough!¡± Lorelei rolled her eyes and walked into the museum. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re the one making it complicated. It seems cut and dry from what I¡¯ve heard, and that¡¯s only knowing you keep a pillow and toiletries in your house for her.¡± I huffed. ¡°Let¡¯s just, review the machine!¡± I said. Damn it, why was it that people picking fights were easier to deal with than actual nice people?
[/hr] Crowley slammed down his hand into the byzantine calculations that he¡¯d been drawing out for us with his ¡®brief¡¯ explanation.¡±¡ª and that is why there will need to be at least ten thousand sample cases before I consider this machine fully operational!¡± said Crowley. I was startled awake and wiped some drool from my chin as I nodded. Nailed it. Next to me, Lorelei bobbed her head and made a mark on her page. ¡°Hmmmm.¡± I glanced at her, impressed that she¡¯d been able to take in that¡­ I glanced at my watch. Huh, thirty-minute lecture. Then I noticed her vacant eyes. I coughed and the focus returned to her eyes, it was like watching a computer screen turn on as she awoke. ¡°Thank you for that explanation. I will take that into consideration.¡± she collected her papers. Then she patted the assistant on the head, nodded to the Lileep amicably, and walked out the door. I followed her out and found her looking back with a confused expression. ¡°I think I pat the wrong thing back there, I was in such a hurry to leave.¡± I tried to remember what she¡¯d done before barking out a laugh. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll mind though.¡± I rolled my shoulders. ¡°I should have warned you not to ask too many questions. Crowley is pretty good as long as you keep the questions low. If you start showing lots of interest he will explain everything and then some.¡± ¡°Noted,¡± she said as she looked at her notes. ¡°There was a lot he said there, but it seems to be close to getting to an alpha testing stage soon which will be enough for a lot of interested parties.¡± She adjusted her glasses and then turned to face me properly. ¡°Brock, would you be interested in further licensing rights for the use of the machine?¡± ¡°I would tentatively, yes.¡± I then rolled my hand about. ¡°It would depend on the details but I think that¡¯s something I can push onto my accountant and Lawyer. What would the League be interested in?¡± Lorelei bit her lip. ¡°For this I¡¯m not acting in my role as a League representative but rather a representative for my grandfather Pryce.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh, right. He has an interest in ancient pokemon?¡± I said, my mind flitting to Amaura or Aurorus. ¡°Indeed,¡± Lorelei said before glancing about. She nodded to herself before tossing out two pokemon, one was her Jynx and the other her Glaceon. She waved her hand in a circle. ¡°Perimeter, me and him only,¡± she said to them. Both pokemon bobbed their heads. Jynx stayed close to us with her eyes glowing while Glaceon darted away and started circling in a patrol pattern, its eyes scanning around. I almost opened my mouth to ask why she didn¡¯t use a Frosslass before what I was about to say caught up with me and I shut my mouth. Lorelei coughed into her fist. ¡°It¡¯s not a huge secret, but it¡¯s also not one that we give out very often. Mahogany Town is known for its icy caverns and crystals. What it isn¡¯t as well thought of is that the ice can preserve as well as any fossil can. At Mahogany gym we have a sizeable store of pokemon that we¡¯ve dated to ancient times. We¡¯d be interested in collaborating with you on this. You could then claim the pokemon for your breeding facility.¡± ¡°After paying you for the genetic samples,¡± I said, pointing out what she hadn¡¯t said. ¡°Of course. If, however, my grandfather¡¯s hopes are proven true and due to the difference in preservation method the resulting pokemon share an ice typing, we would like your support in establishing our own breeding license.¡± She watched me carefully. ¡°A new line of pokemon would be a large draw for the Mahogany Gym.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, it would be, and I think I agree there¡¯s a lot of potential for an ice-typed ancient pokemon.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°What if they¡¯re rock-ice typed?¡± ¡°We will have to set up terms for that,¡± she said. I nodded my head and hummed. ¡°I see no issues. There might be difficulties with going from fossils to frozen samples but I¡¯m not willing to ask Crowley that right now. I¡¯ll inform my team, and we¡¯ll make this work, I think.¡± Lorelei beamed at me, ¡°Excellent, grandfather will be pleased with your willingness to help even if we don¡¯t end up getting a new pokemon for our Gym.¡± ¡°Ever do any mining up in Mahogany?¡± I asked before I could stop myself. ¡°No, the environment makes it tough to do so and the caves we have are mostly heritage listed for their cultural significance to our Town. why?¡± ¡°No reason,¡± I said with a wave of my hand. ¡°I just thought you might have some rare rocks, what with you being so high up. Ice rocks and things that come from getting as much sun as they would.¡± Lorelei watched me. ¡°I will have to make some inquiries, perhaps there has been something found that I am unaware of.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It never hurts to keep an eye out. You might have treasure sitting under your nose,¡± I said while looking up at Mt Moon. ¡°Hmmm, quite, well thank you for working with me and tell the children I said good night to them. It was¡­ it was nice meeting you Brock,¡± she said, offering me a handshake that I gripped and shook once. ¡°It was nice meeting you properly as well Lorelei,¡± I said. I chewed my lip before smiling in as charming a manner as I could, ¡°Sure I couldn¡¯t interest you in a casual one-on-one?¡± I offered, feeling my pulse race at the prospect at fighting an Elite Four member. She shot me a cool look. ¡°Another time perhaps,¡± she clicked her fingers to call her pokemon back before she teleported away with her Jynx. I returned home to find the kids eating with Janine sitting at the table. When I entered, she offered me a bow. ¡°Brock! I must apologise for I will not be able to complete my term as your apprentice! Father is in dire need of me at the Gym!¡± ¡°No need to be like that,¡± I said with a wave before sighing.¡± I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t expecting this but¡­ not for a bit longer.¡± I pursed my lips and looked her over. She looked different in her more rocky colour gear than how she¡¯d arrived. ¡°I hope you got to learn a lot from how we run things here,¡± I said. ¡°You can¡¯t leave!¡± shouted Cindy. Salvadore nodded. ¡°Yeah! You said you were going to teach me how to throw kunai!¡± Janine went from casual to alert in a second. ¡°I made no such deal!¡± she said quickly. Salvadore grinned at her and she avoided looking at me. Forrest chuckled. ¡°Well, I got her to teach me to do a flip!¡± ¡°So cool!¡± said Billy as he looked up at his older brother. I chuckled. ¡°This, I think I¡¯m going to have to see.¡± Forrest paused at that. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I snorted at him and looked back to find Janine still being mobbed by my siblings. The kids all complained at her departure. Then they whined as one, in a move I knew they practised. ¡°I am unmoved by such acts!¡± she said firmly. I noted she wasn¡¯t meeting any of the girls'' eyes as they used their baby-doll eyes. I chuckled. ¡°Come on, gang, that¡¯s not fair to Janine. Her father needs her back and that¡¯s fine.¡± I grinned. ¡°I believe you wanted to have a spar with me before you left though?¡± Janine¡¯s eyes widened and then she locked eyes with me. ¡°Yes!!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take this outside then!¡± My siblings cheered as I led everyone outside with a grin. I might have been rejected by Lorelei, but I still had a fight to look forward to tonight. Chapter 73 - Farewell fight! Forrest stood between us. Behind him, on the stands, the rest of my family and any of the trainers that were in the Gym were seated. Rocko had made some silly-looking little flags with a drawing of Janine¡¯s face and was using the flags to draw my siblings into cheering for Janine. I shot him a flat, unimpressed look that was not very effective as he waved the silly-looking flag about. ¡°You know you want one too!¡± he said teasingly. I pointedly looked towards Sabrina, who I¡¯d messaged. She had taken one look at Rocko¡¯s flags and made some featuring me which she had Suzie hold in her lap and wave. Munchlax sat on one side, lured by some snacks Suzie had in her lap while on the other side, Yolanda smirked at me. I huffed and turned my attention to Janine, who was blushing furiously. ¡°Get rid of those things! They¡¯re ridiculous!¡± she hissed like an offended Meowth. Rocko tossed the flags aside, allowing Janine to relax, only for him to rip out some purple and yellow shirts, with the same badly drawn face on it and the words ¡®poison for life!¡¯ on them. Janine gaped. ¡°How long have you been preparing for this? No! Wait, how did you sneak this past me? My network should have informed me!¡± I spotted Sabrina¡¯s shoulders shaking in amusement. She seemed to approve of the comedy act that was playing out. Rocko snorted, ¡°If you mean the old grannies? Ha! Then that¡¯s because I¡¯ve known them longer! I know how to bribe them! They¡¯ve all got these shirts as well!¡± he said leaning back like a terrible cartoon villain now revealing his masterful plot. Sanchez, always one for a bit of drama, popped out of his ball and rolled up to Rocko. He examined the shirt before pointing to himself. Janine glowered. ¡°Do. Not. Give. Sanchez. That. Shirt!¡± she said through clenched teeth. Rocko conceded with a nod. ¡°Well, alright, but only because I don¡¯t have a shirt in his size right now.¡± Sanchez slumped. I chuckled at their antics, imagining Janine and Rocko fighting while he was wearing a shirt with her face on it, before coughing. ¡°Well, as amusing as this has been, I think we were gathered for something a bit more serious,¡± I said as I returned Sanchez to his pokeball. Janine straightened up, and her face switched into a stoic mask. ¡±Indeed! I said I would face you before I left, and I shall!¡± I inclined my head in response. ¡°Alright, do you think you can mount a full six-on-six challenge or would you prefer a three-on-three with Ace rules?¡± Janine thought that over for a moment before a look of distaste appeared. ¡°The three on three. I have six pokemon on hand, but not all of them would give me a good showing compared to only using three of them.¡± ¡°Lot of them bug types or flying as well, yeah?¡± I said, mentioning the likely Golbat, Venomoth, or Ariados that she was known for in the games. Unless she¡¯d evolved her Golbat and was feeling more confident with its speed, but I had answers for agile pokemon. She nodded tightly. ¡°I have other options, but yes. I believe I will be seeking to expand my pokemon roster when I have the chance.¡± ¡°Might be worth talking to Erika,¡± I said before nodding towards Forrest. Forrest raised his arms. ¡°This is a three-on-three pokemon battle, you may only withdraw and return your pokemon six times! Doing so to dodge an oncoming move is a violation and will be treated as withdrawing the pokemon for the duration of the match! Trainers, are you ready?¡± We both nodded as pokeballs appeared in our hands. I narrowed my eyes and thought over what pokemon Janine likely had. With her potential pokemon roster limited, I had good odds of her sending out her Tentacruel. ¡°Go Bertha!¡± I said, deciding to switch things up by sending out my Rhyperior. ¡°Go Venomoth!¡± shouted Janine. Her pokemon took wing, and I blinked in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re really going to try it?¡± I said. Janine nodded her head. ¡°Venomoth is my pokemon! I believe in him despite his disadvantage against rock pokemon!¡± ¡°Ven!¡± chanted the pokemon. Bertha shook her head and rumbled while grinning at the much smaller bug pokemon. ¡°Well alright then,¡± I said. I glanced at my family that were cheering for both of us. I hoped she knew what she was doing. Forrest dropped his hands and we both called out our orders. ¡°Bertha, Rock Throw!¡± ¡°Quiver Dance! Dodge those rocks Venomoth!¡± shouted Janine as her pokemon buzzed on the spot. When the rocks shot forth it had to duck and weave in tightly controlled shifts. It looked like she¡¯d trained her pokemon to dodge by the narrowest of margins. I nodded impressed. ¡°Bertha, we''re going to build up your power!¡± I said deliberately. Bertha adopted a locked-in pose and Janine hissed in surprise. ¡°Venomoth, use Stun Spore! Stop her!¡± she said, guessing that I had Bertha building up for a K.O move that she was famous for. Venomoth shot forwards with green spores trailing behind him. I grinned. ¡°Ice Beam,¡± I said. Janine gasped as Bertha revealed she hadn¡¯t locked herself into a Bide combination move and had instead been carefully watching and judging Venomoth¡¯s speed. The Ice Beam was blasted out and Venomoth ducked to the side only for the attack to just clip it. It didn¡¯t crash, but had to back off quickly. I eyed the field and hummed. There were still some spores that could harm any of my pokemon if they took to the field. It wasn¡¯t a true field effect but it was best to clear them away. It would also be good to deny Janine. ¡°Surf!¡± I said, sweeping my arm wide. Bertha stepped back and adopted a balanced pose. Water was drawn to build up a surging wave that Bertha rode to the top. Janine hadn¡¯t been idle during this and had her pokemon build up another quiver dance to make her pokemon an outright speedster. ¡°Get behind it and use Confusion on the wave!¡± said Janine. Venomoth practically buzzed behind my pokemon and I hummed as the wave collapsed. ¡°Fall backwards and use Icebeam on the wave, build it up some,¡± I said. Bertha obeyed, more than happy to roll backwards and fire an Ice Beam into the wave as it buckled only to solidify and form a partially collapsed ice wall. I nodded. I could use that. Bertha hit the ground and caused a quake from her impact. She snorted as she stood up fully. I glanced at the Venomoth and made a call. ¡°Return Bertha.¡± I then plucked out another pokeball quickly. ¡°Let¡¯s go Don!¡± I said, eager to let him out. Don appeared with a screech and instantly locked eyes with Venomoth, the pokemon buzzed away only for Don to sweep after the Venomoth. It had to use the ice walls and stay in tight to avoid his snapping jaws but it was clear that he wouldn¡¯t be denied. ¡°Use Stun Spore!¡± shouted Janine. ¡°Back off and use Steel Wing on the ice!¡± I said, not willing to chase after it into a trap. Venomoth had to buzz out of the way, and then when he tried to soar above Don it didn¡¯t work out. ¡°Ice Fang,¡± I said as Don finally got a hold of Venomoth, who cried out as Don shook it like a toy. Janine clenched her teeth. ¡°Giga Drain!¡± she ordered. Her near-down and out pokemon fired off a weak grass attack. I grunted before shrugging my shoulders. ¡°Ice Fang again,¡± I said unmindful of the grass move. If it had been another of my team I¡¯d have been worried, but Don¡¯s Flying-Rock typing made it easier to shrug off Grass-type moves. If I¡¯d gone with Shin this might have been a very different exchange. ¡°Sludge Bomb!¡± ordered Janine, her Venomth fighting through the pain to give another move despite being tossed around in Don¡¯s grip. Purple sludge oozed out of Don¡¯s mouth but that only made him madder as he bit down harder. ¡°Tch!¡± Janine said as she raised her pokeball and returned her Venomoth, conceding that she didn¡¯t have a way out of that situation. ¡°Don¡¯s not the type to give up what he catches,¡± I said. ¡°It might work on another pokemon but yeah, I¡¯ve seen him clutch onto rancid food before just as a point of pride.¡± I glanced at the purple ooze in his mouth. I needed to get rid of that so it didn¡¯t poison him properly. Because it was in his mouth, there was a good chance it was already in his gut and possibly circulating. ¡°Go Tentacruel!¡± she said, tossing out a blue and black jellyfish like pokemon. ¡°Cruel! Tenta!¡± cried the pokemon. ¡°Use Scald!¡± barked Janine. ¡°Don dive behind the ice wall!¡± I said, making Don get behind cover. ¡°Good! Now Dance!¡± I said. Don glowed with golden flames from within and then he shuddered. ¡°Toxic Spikes!¡± said Janine. I grimaced. I¡¯d been right, he was poisoned. I had a limited window of time now. I reached for another pokeball before shaking my head. No, he could take the damage for now. ¡°Dance again!¡± I said. ¡°Toxic spikes!¡± said Janine again, layering the field and her chances obviously for my next pokemon. Don snarled and did as commanded, drawing on more draconic energy to empower himself. When he was done I swept my hand up. ¡°Go! Get low and use Stone Edge!¡± Don hurtled down to the ground before banking hard to swing around fast. ¡°Scald!¡± said Janine as my pokemon charged straight ahead. I grinned as the Stone Edge rock that he¡¯d picked up shot forth and intercepted the watery bullets. Then Don was slamming into the Tentacruel at speed. ¡°Iron Wing,¡± I said just to make sure it hit as hard as possible. It wouldn¡¯t be very effective but I was counting on inertia a lot here to boost the impact. Tentcruel was hurled back but not put down. ¡°Scald again!¡± I punched forward, done with this Tentacruel and not willing to make Don endure more. I was taking this win. ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± I said. Janine flinched as Don built up a ball of energy and fired before she could give a reply. Tentacruel was hurled away and then went still in the furrow of earth Don¡¯s attack had caused. I nodded as Don shrieked out a victory cry. Janine returned her pokemon with a grimace. She assessed Don for a long moment before nodding to herself. ¡°Go Weezing,¡± she said, announcing her final pokemon. I nodded and simply raised a pokeball to return Don. He protested, but I ignored him. Janine faltered as I selected another pokeball and tossed it out. ¡°Come out Knight,¡± I said, revealing my Aggron. He landed with a heavy impact the Toxic spikes that Janine had set up triggered and shot straight into him, only to ping off his steely body. Knight roared in challenge, probably feeling pretty hot after ignoring the attack completely. Janine clicked her tongue. ¡°And now you reveal your best pokemon against me!¡± she said. I shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to treat you with kiddy gloves. I always had him on the cards for if I fought a poison-type specialist. With your Tentacruel gone and your Venomoth having taken up the other slot, you don¡¯t have another option.¡± Janine''s face switched between a grimace and a smile before shook her head. ¡°I will not yield! As a Defender of Fuchsia I won¡¯t sully myself or my pokemon! Weezing, use Toxic on the ground in front of you!¡± I frowned, what was she planning? ¡°Knight, close in with Iron Tail! Let¡¯s end this!¡± Knight roared once and charged forwards as Weezing shot a line of noxious liquid in front of itself. With how the gunk made the air shimmer I knew straight away what Janine¡¯s plan was. ¡°Drop into Dig!¡± I said, countermanding my earlier order. Knight lurched forward like he had tripped, only to vanish into the ground. Janine clicked her tongue. ¡°Use Will-O-Wisp!¡± In front of Weezing a blue flame appeared and shot into the ground causing a spark in the Toxic and igniting it but also shooting down into the ground. I heard Knight groan in pain before shooting up at where Weezing had been. Weezing instead shifted to above the roaring flames and used its gaseous body to float higher than normal. I blinked in surprise. ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t know Weezing could do that,¡± I said. Knight glowered up at the Weezing as it leered down at him in turn. ¡°Knight, Stone Edge!¡± ¡°Flamethrower!¡± said Janine. Both attacks slammed home into the other pokemon but Knight shrugged his off easier. Then he fired off another powerful burst of rocky bullets and Weezing went down. Knight shuddered as the burn hurt him, so I withdrew him instead of keeping him out. Forrest coughed and raised a hand in my direction. ¡°Weezing is unable to battle, therefore Brock is the winner!¡± The crowd of my siblings and the Gym trainers all cheered. Stephen and Bianca must have wandered out at some point as they politely joined in with the applause. I grinned and marched over to Janine and offered her a handshake. ¡°Good match; I learned some things,¡± I said. Janine nodded despondently. ¡°I thought I would acquit myself better.¡± ¡°Did you think you would win?¡± I said. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Well, there¡¯s one problem. You need to believe that a win is possible. Then find a way to make that belief reality,¡± I said. Janine tilted her head and repeated what I¡¯d said quietly to herself. ¡°I need to believe the win is possible and find a way¡­¡± She offered a bow. ¡°My thanks Brock. I have learned much under your tutelage.¡± Sabrina and my siblings approached, and surprisingly, Sabrina spoke up first. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, you did fight well.¡± She gave Janine a small nod. ¡°If you would be interested, I would¡­ enjoy sparring against you.¡± Janine gaped in shock and made to bow in thanks only for Sabrina to grimace. ¡°After you train up your Venomoth¡¯s psychic abilities some more. That Confusion¡­ it needs work.¡± Janine¡¯s face flattened like a snorlax had just rolled over it before she sighed and glowered at Sabrina. ¡°Thank you, Gym Leader Sabrina,¡± she said tersely. Suzie, ever the Sabrina loyalist, nodded. ¡°Sabrina¡¯s nice!¡± she said. Then she turned to Janine. ¡°That was a good fight! Better luck next time!¡± I smiled as the rest of my family congratulated Janine. Yolanda pointedly thanked Janine for giving her some pointers on how to train Zubat which earned a surprised hum of pleasure from me. Forrest thanked her for showing him how to do a backflip which he then tried to demonstrate only to have the ground slip as he kicked off. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I reached out to grab him, only for Sabrina to beat me to it and hold him in midair with her telekinesis. Janine coughed. ¡°I remember teaching you to practise on good ground or mats as well!¡± she said primly. Forrest coughed sheepishly, and I patted him on the shoulder. ¡°It looked kind of cool, maybe you can show me how to do it?¡± I offered, which made him straighten up. Sabrina shot me a look and I shook my head slightly. She knew I knew how to do it but it wasn¡¯t something I had ever done in front of my family. It¡¯d give Forrest some good feelings. Janine received some more praise from the Gym trainers and when Daniel offered a hesitant goodbye to his ¡®neighbour¡¯ she offered back a polite bow. ¡°Thank you for having me, and I hope your child grows up well!¡± Daniel gave her a smile and relaxed before stepping back so Rocko could step forward. He did so with a hug. Janine glared at the shirt he was wearing. ¡°I have also learned much from you. By appearances, I did not expect much from you, Rocko. You appeared lazy, unmotivated, and uncouth.¡± She slumped. ¡°But you are in fact hard-working when you need to be, wise, and very caring. Thank you for your teachings.¡± She said with a bow. Rocko straightened up, taking off the shirt so only a plain white shirt was underneath. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and bowed formally much to Janine¡¯s shock. He grinned at her. ¡°I know it¡¯s important to you, little kunoichi, but learn to live a little.¡± He winked. ¡°Or a lot, up to you! I¡¯m bringing my little bro and sister around this circuit, don''t doubt it!¡± he said with a grin. Janine smiled at that before coughing and stepping back. ¡°I will depart then.¡± She made a show of raising a pellet only to grin and blur suddenly away. The kids and others all gasped but Sabrina, Rocko, and I were all able to track her as she darted around to the back door of the Gym. I leaned into Sabrina. ¡°Think she forgot to pack before announcing she needed to leave?¡± Sabrina nodded, and I chuckled before I noticed I had a bunch of mopey kids to deal with. Alright, I had an easy solution to that. ¡°Who wants ice cream!?¡± ¡°Munchlax!¡± ¡°Stephen!¡± shouted two poke¡ª I paused and looked at the grinning research assistant. I chuckled and waved everyone towards the kitchen. ¡°Alright, the more the merrier! Let¡¯s go!¡± Munchlax led the charge as I sedately followed. I was sad to see Janine depart so quickly. I¡¯d hoped to keep her around another few months, but with how things were, it made all too much sense. Using her as a lower badge-level challenge would work great to integrate her into running the Fuchsia Gym for Koga¡¯s eventual promotion. I had to wonder what would change from the lessons she¡¯d learned while here. I eyed Yolanda and Forrest before humming happily. She hadn¡¯t been the only one to learn a thing or two. I rubbed my chin. I wonder if I could get any other future Gym Leaders to do a stint with us. There were quite a few in Kanto right now. Sabrina tapped me on the arm and I shook my head pushing the idle thought aside. I could consider that later. First I had to feed Don some antidotes and everyone else some ice cream. With all of my family, Sabrina, Stephen, and Rocko eating ice cream, we were fairly crowded in our arrangement. Not that it was a problem with most of the smaller kids claiming various laps as their seats. Forrest tilted his head after a little while. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you throw out Knight straight away?¡± he asked. ¡°Cause I wanted to see what she had first off, I had a decent all-rounder that had a vague threat in Bertha, Don, Sanchez, or maybe even Shin. So, instead of hard committing and showing my hand with Knight, I went for a more vague but no less dangerous opening. Don was able to work out well against her team. Janine needed to be more dynamic with her team which can be tough as she¡¯s currently Pidgey holed herself into only poison types which are good but there''s a lot of ways to counter them.¡± I waved a hand. ¡°The ideal optimised choices for each of us would have been Tentacruel first to set up Toxic Spikes, and probably Knight but we were anticipating each other I suspect and so we didn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± said Forrest with a thoughtful look. ¡°Hey Brock?¡± said Yolanda. ¡°Didn¡¯t her picking three on three play more into your favour?¡± I waved my hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°A lot of her pokemon are weak to mine with Ariados, Beedrill, Venomoth, and Golbat being some of her strongest pokemon. She needs to bolster her team up a lot with other options.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± asked Cindy. Sabrina chose to weigh in there. ¡°Venusaur, Vileplume, Victrebell, Gengar, Nidoqueen, and Nidoking.¡± Forrest and Stephen whistled. Stephen wiped his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s a strong list of pokemon!¡± I shrugged. ¡°I imagine there will be other options available to her when we open up more regions,¡± I said, thinking of the Galarian forms of the slowpoke evolutions. Or of the Hisuan Sneasel. Heck, she¡¯d have a perfect option against me in the future with a Croagunk. I then pretended to be interested in stealing Suzie¡¯s bowl of ice cream. She gasped, and Sabrina telekinetically defended my little sister with a spoon. I let myself be fought off before grabbing up all the dirty bowls from the kids and adults. Rocko stood with a stretch and waved good night. Stephen followed himself a moment later leaving me with a group of drowsy children. I checked the clock; today had sort of stretched on with all the people turning up. ¡°Right! Bedtime, I should think!¡± I said to the kids. They groaned as one, and I remained unmoved. Then Tommy smiled. ¡°Only if you tell us a story! A long one!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I said, amused by this show of cunning. He nodded quickly. ¡°Yeah! Like, can you tell us the story of the hero! We learned about it in class today!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you already heard it today?¡° I pointed out reasonably. Tommy¡¯s face shifted before he grinned. ¡°I forgot it!¡± I stared at his proud expression for a moment before sighing. ¡°Of course you did.¡± I rubbed my forehead. ¡°I¡¯m not super familiar with it, I will need to look it up.¡± Sabrina, who¡¯d been staring at Nanny Grav in her apron, spoke up. ¡°I know it.¡± I hummed and eyed my family. ¡°Did you want to tell it to them?¡± Sabrina turned her head and inspected the sea of suddenly interested faces. Their eyes pleaded with her and she remained stoic. Then their lips started to quiver. Sabrina remained unmoved. The girls put their hands together and begged ¡°Pleeeeeeeasse Sabrina!?¡± Sabrina glanced at me and I realised now was the time to teach Sabrina how to get the most out of bargaining with kids. I made a show of brushing my teeth and plucking at my shirt. ¡°You need to brush your teeth and change,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Then I might¡ª¡± My family burst into action, running for the bathroom or their rooms in a well-choreographed division of resources. The eldest helped change clothes while the middle children brushed their teeth. Then they rushed to their rooms to get changed as others traded places. I made up some tea to enjoy as bangs and stomps rattled through the house. Sabrina listened with a tilted head. ¡°Are they always like this?¡± I shrugged. ¡°They know how to deal like a bicycle salesman.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Sabrina said. She collected her own tea and we relocated to the lounge room. A minute later the kids swept in like a tidal wave. I made a show of walking around and inspecting their teeth and their pyjamas. I sniffed haughtily and nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll do, I suppose,¡± I said. Sabrina smiled and floated to the front of the room. Around the room blocks and toys floated after her. She quickly assembled a series of buildings while toys were placed in various junctions. It took a moment for me to realise she¡¯d assembled a barebones map of Kanto with the major sites of the gyms before us. Sabrina coughed. ¡°Alright, listen well for I shall now tell you the story of the Hero,¡± she said with the air of one reciting something from memory. On the map one of the toys started to dance about, drawing everyone in. ¡°Long ago, there was much suffering in the land, for the people were divided. They were many, and all had hopes and dreams and loves and fears. But they did not recognise that in each other. Rather, the different people stole and fought each other.¡± Two dolls from different ¡®cities¡¯ rose up and started smacking each other around. The kids giggled and I smiled. They stopped laughing when one toy tore at the seams and fell to the ground. ¡°There was much pain across the land,¡± Sabrina said simply as other dolls rose from the cities and attacked each other. ¡°Then, a child from the forest emerged one day and saw all the suffering in the world. All the pain, and realised that the land would not heal as it was. So he set out to change that. To do so he sought to change the hearts and minds of people.¡± A brave toy stepped forward on wobbly legs and moved south to what would be Viridian. ¡°He approached the leader of the people south of his village first and asked that they stop fighting. He was dismissed and laughed at. When he challenged the Leader the man laughed as he did not have any companions of his own. The boy stormed out, ashamed, and found a Bulbasaur that he captured and made fight for him. The Leader was challenged again, but the man was mighty. He beat the boy and his Bulbasaur.¡± The toys fought and the smaller toys were cast down. ¡°The boy returned to the forest where he was found and tended to by a Beedrill of all pokemon. The pokemon nurtured him and Bulbasaur and fed him honey from their hives. The boy was greatly depressed as he had thought he would win and he wasn¡¯t sure what he had done wrong. At first, he blamed his Bulbasaur. But being a kind boy he could not fault the pokemon. He vowed instead to make it strong!¡± The little toy curled an arm and leaned back as though making a vow. ¡°And so, he trained, and trained, and trained his Bulbasaur to become strong!¡± ¡°However, things did not go well for the boy as their training eventually caught the attention of a mighty Pidgeot! The bird attacked them and the boy was terrified as he knew his pokemon was weak. He tried to flee but the Pidgeot was too fast! It cornered him, and his pokemon. His Bulbasuar stood strong only to once more be beaten horribly.¡± ¡°Then, just as the boy feared his pokemon would be eaten, the Beedrill appeared and attacked the Pidgeot! They fought in teams and never did one pokemon go in at once, and despite their disadvantage in power and type, they drove the Pidgeot away.¡± The kids cheered at this and I chuckled. ¡°The boy was ashamed that he had once more been beaten but he was also inspired by the Beedrill. They had been weaker than the Pidgeot by themselves only to overcome the greater foe by working together. He asked the Beedril to come with him but only one of their kind listened and joined him, along with a Butterfree that happened to pass by and hear his desire to stop the fighting. And so, the boy now had a Bulbasaur, a Beedrill, and a Butterfree.¡± The boy¡¯s doll looked around for a bit before pointing north. ¡°The boy decided not to go back to the first tribe until he was stronger. It was obvious they only valued strength, and that wasn¡¯t what he now valued. Instead, he marched north to the Rock tribe!¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s us!¡± Tilly whispered. ¡°Indeed,¡± said Sabrina. ¡°When the boy reached the Rock tribe, he was met with suspicion and fear. The Leader came out to the boy, and demanded to know what he wanted. The boy spoke of healing the land and working together now, no longer would he seek to dominate and control.¡± The Leader was sceptical and asked the boy what dream he thought he was living in. To which the boy replied, this dream called life. Should it not be my and every being''s desire to make it better? ¡°The leader then asked how many others agreed with the boy. The boy smiled and held out his hand to the Leader. He said, if you agree, you will be the first. ¡°This caused the Leader of the Rock tribe to laugh and dismiss the boy. The boy asked again and said that surely he could see that there was potential there. The Leader said he could not chase a dream. ¡°The boy said, then make it real. ¡°The Leader snorted and said, prove yourself. ¡°This time when the boy fought, he did so by working with the pokemon that accompanied him. When the Leader of Rock sought to smash and crush, the boy evaded and teamed up with his pokemon until finally, the Leader¡¯s pokemon were laid low. The Leader was in shock, he had never seen this before. What a marvellous way to fight, said the man. ¡°No, it is a marvellous way to live, replied the boy. And so the boy earnt the respect of the Leader. It is said that he also was gifted a symbol of their support in the form of a jewel from their home. The boy took this and stayed with the rock tribe for a while to learn more about them, and in turn teach them how he lived with pokemon, instead of fought with them. ¡°The people took to the teachings well, and soon their land thrived. The boy, emboldened by this, considered turning back south only for his Bulbasaur to grow sick. The Leader of Rock informed him that the only medicine in the land was thought to be controlled by the people of water to the east. And so the boy departed. But as with the forest, he did not depart alone. This time a boy from the Rock tribe came with him. ¡°When he reached the people of the water he was once more met with suspicion especially because of the Rock tribe boy. The boy made his plea once more, and this time the people paused to listen, as he had another tribe¡¯s symbol. They wondered if this was not a trick, and so they denied him. The boy asked for medicine, and they apologised because they themselves did not have the herb to make it. They could see the boy cared greatly for his Bulbasaur. ¡°The boy was directed by a girl to the north along the cape where the herb was found. There they ran into a great number of grass-type pokemon that the water tribe could not overcome or calm. The boy could though. Once he had beaten the pokemon he asked that they live with the people and the pokemon listened. When the boy returned with the herb, the girl that had gone with him told of what had happened. The next day the boy¡¯s pokemon was healed and the tribe was willing to listen as the grass pokemon were calm and let them pass through now. ¡°They demanded that the boy fight their leader and prove himself, which he did, earning his second symbol and tribe¡¯s support. Once more the boy stayed with the tribe and showed them the way to live with pokemon. But he also showed them how to live with the Rock tribe. Soon, the two people were moving back and forth and becoming friends. ¡°The boy was greatly gladdened by this and decided to continue meeting with the tribes. Having already come so far to the east he decided to head south to where a great many tribes. There he was met each time with suspicion, and fear, only to emerge after showing them how his way was better. By the time he had four tribes working together, he had caught the attention of another tribe that approached and challenged him. ¡°This tribe was strong. Strength was all that mattered to them. They had many powerful pokemon and had raided other tribes often for the best resources and pokemon. The boy fought, he fought long and hard with his pokemon and he pushed back many of the tribe only to be greatly weakened. He was about to be hurt when his Butterfree threw itself in front of a blow meant for him. The butterfree fell and the boy was thrown into a river that sent him far to the east, leaving him without any of his friends, pokemon or people.¡± ¡°Nooooo!¡± wailed Tilly. I glanced up to find a number of shocked faces at the news that the boy had lost once more and his pokemon had been killed. I grimaced. I¡¯d forgotten most of the story but I knew it didn¡¯t get any worse than this. Sabrina continued her story, the small doll that represented the hero tumbling to the west only to stop with a slump. Then he crawled slightly. ¡°When the boy staggered out of the river he found himself in another tribe¡¯s lands but this time he had no support and a wound no bandage or potion could heal. He staggered into the tribe¡¯s village saddened but instead of fearing or rejecting the boy as an outsider they saw his pain, and knew he was no threat to others.¡± I cocked my head. That particular line had evaded my notice when I¡¯d first heard the story but it stood out as very telling now. ¡°The boy cried for many days and when the Leader, a wise old man, approached him to talk of what had happened the boy spoke of his pokemon and the journey they had been on to unite the people and stop the pain. The boy called himself a fool and now he understood the pain that people went through. He understood the thoughts of fighting back and hurting others as he had been hurt and he was greatly saddened. The leader stayed silent for a long while before asking if that meant he had given up on his dream of healing the pain. ¡°The boy wasn¡¯t sure what to think but he nodded and the leader smiled and gave him a jewel from his people. Tell my people your story, said the leader. And so the people sat and listened to the boy and were captivated by what he had done. When the boy¡¯s story was done they all began to talk amongst themselves. It was then that they agreed, that they too would like to join the boy¡¯s way of life. They said that they knew pain and were tired of greeting it as an old friend, having been beaten by the strong tribe many times. ¡°The boy was not sure what to think when they gave him their symbol without a fight but the Leader had laughed it off, saying that if they can only get support from fighting, then the way of healing would not work.¡± The boy on the map straightened up once more and once more he turned back to the centre of the map. ¡°The boy returned with the new tribe and found the strong tribe once more fighting with the united tribes. With the boy returned to them the united tribes gave a great cheer!¡± On the floor, the dolls representing the united tribes all raised their arms while the strong tribe whirled about and leapt at the boy. ¡°The boy and the leader once more fought. This time the boy was more careful and controlled and this time it was the leader of the Strong tribe that was beaten. The Strong tribe demanded that the boy end him then and there only for the boy to put his hand on the other''s head and tell him he forgave him as the man did not know any other way to be strong. The boy then offered the man a new way to be strong.¡± ¡°How? Said the strong leader.¡± ¡°Together, replied the boy.¡± ¡°And so the boy united all of the central plains. He swept around the coast and the tribes were fearful at first of the great united peoples shown before them but they were offered their place. Some challenged the boy to show he was strong, some demanded he complete tasks for them thought impossible. Some merely accepted him and the new way, curious at this new nation that was forming. ¡°The boy sailed with his pokemon around to the west where he fought an island people, joining them with his nation. And then, finally, he turned for home, and the last tribe, but also the first tribe that had rejected him. The Ground tribe. ¡°They had seen him coming long before he arrived and the leader was dismissive as he had been training his pokemon for a long time now knowing that the boy would come for him eventually. The boy asked if he would not see another path only to be rejected. The boy accepted this and said ¡®such is your way now, but I hope to open your eyes¡¯. The boy then sent out his pokemon, his first pokemon, now no longer a Bulbasaur but a Venusaur. The boy did not send out any other pokemon. Instead, he marched forward with only his Venusaur at his side. ¡°They fought as they lived, together, and in doing so brought all people together. ¡°When the Leader had fallen, he accepted the boy as the greater leader of all leaders, the champion of all peoples he was called. The boy reminded them that he had not done so alone and that they had in truth done it together. And so the nation of Kanto was formed, from the dreams of a young boy and made reality.¡± For a long moment, no one spoke. Then Billy clapped. ¡°Wow! That was great!¡± ¡°Best story ever!¡± said Timmy. The others joined in and thanked Sabrina. Suzie though was pouting. ¡°Why¡¯d Butterfree have to die?¡± Sabrina brushed her hair, ¡°He didn¡¯t have to but he did so because he loved the boy and believed in him.¡± Suzie nodded glumly and I patted her on the back. ¡°It¡¯s something that takes a while to understand,¡± I said delicately. ¡°When I¡¯m older?¡± she asked. I shook my head. ¡°No, you can think about it now, but it might take a while to work out how you feel about it and what it means. Or don¡¯t. It can just be a story if you want it to be.¡± Suzie slowly nodded at that, and I relaxed, glad that I hadn¡¯t accidentally traumatised her by giving her a story that was too mature for her. ¡°Munchlax!¡± said Munchlax as he lifted up one of the toys and trotted them around only to pick up another. He shot Sabrina a huge grin. I chuckled. ¡°I think Munchlax liked the way you used the dolls.¡± ¡°I liked how the boy fought the Leader at the end!¡± said Timmy. ¡°I liked the way he beat the strong guy up!¡± said Tommy. ¡°I liked the different lessons it teaches!¡± said Salvadore. ¡°I liked that he cared, and that was what helped him win in the end,¡± said Yolanda while hugging her egg. Forrest was frowning. ¡°Is that story why we can give away badges to people that don¡¯t beat us?¡± I nodded. ¡°It becomes a judgement call. If you¡¯re working with your pokemon and demonstrating the skills needed, we can award them. Just as if you perform enough tasks, or one singular impressive task, you can earn the badge from an area if they think you deserve it.¡± Yolanda eyed me. ¡°Do you give out many of those?¡± ¡°Not really, no. There are lots of people that are more interested in earning them through fighting.¡± I rubbed Munchlax¡¯s head as he came in for some cuddles. ¡°Which, now that I think about it, is a shame.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± said Yolanda as she rubbed her egg while looking at me. I looked at Sabrina. ¡°You ever give out a badge that way?¡± She shook her head. Salvadore perked up. ¡°Oh! The Strong tribe! They were the Fighting Type Gym nowadays weren¡¯t they?!¡± I hummed. ¡°It seems that way, doesn''t it? The story doesn¡¯t really say. They might have been any sort of place or type of pokemon honestly. I don¡¯t think the Gyms were really big concepts back then.¡± Tilly kicked her legs as she accepted a hug from Munchlax. ¡°I liked that story!¡± When no one else spoke up I grinned. ¡°I like how it got you all to go to bed.¡± ¡°Awwww Brock!¡± they all said to me while Sabrina giggled. Chapter 74 - Fruitless The brochure I had in my hand proclaimed the festival to be a ¡®Celebration of Pewter city! Brought to you by Mayor Jonathan! Celebrate for a month of Pewter city at its finest!¡¯. I glared at it as I walked my way into town. Around me, my siblings ran about. Some were happy to stay close to me and my older siblings, while others sprinted away only to run back just as quickly. Timmy was one such child. He was occasionally tripping over something, only to stand and give me a look. I nodded at him, happy he was ¡®being tough¡¯ and not just falling to the ground to cry. Timmy brushed himself off and returned to chasing after Tommy. Next to me, Suzie huffed at the twin¡¯s antics while skipping along, her actions made me lightly swing my arm as she held my hand. Next to her, Munchlax copied her, a glimmer of hunger on his face as his eyes were locked forward. We all knew he¡¯d probably act up, but I had enough money to afford a Snorlax an-all-you-could-eat buffet for a few days. As a lesser version of his evolved form, Munchlax wouldn¡¯t be able to get into too much trouble. Cindy had also said she could totally handle it. I was looking forward to the lesson she was going to learn. Yolanda, Forrest, and I all shared dubious looks at that before assigning Salvadore as her helper to lessen the drama that I¡¯d face at the end of the night. That left Tommy, Timmy and Suzie to look after, with Billy and Tilly being deemed too young for this expedition. The grannies would handle them while ostensibly Forrest and Yolanda would look after the other three. I had one of the grannies lined up to meet me at the festival, though. We made the walk from our block of land without any hassles, apart from Tommy tripping Cindy and having to be separated before we got into the heart of town. For this festival, the town square had been rented out, and I could already see semi-permanent stalls with various vendors selling their wares. Entertainers wandered through the streets with their pokemon. A few of the acts looked very familiar from those that I¡¯d seen at the Indigo League¡¯s opening ceremony. They¡¯d likely been hired on. The entire square was full of people I recognised and obvious tourists. And then there were the trainers. It reminded me more of the sideshow for the local town¡¯s show from my past life, only larger due to the inclusion of pokemon. Then I spotted the Ferris wheel and the tiny pocket Ponytas. Huh, it was actually exactly¡ª ¡°AAAAAAAAH!!! THEY¡¯RE ADORABLE AND I MUST HAVE SIXTEEN OF THEM!¡± screamed Suzie as her eyes locked onto the tiny Ponytas that had been bred to be tiny and cute. The ultimate little girl¡¯s weak spot that translated into wrenching open wallets for guardians everywhere. Granny Babs chose that moment to appear right in front of the Ponytas. She waved at us cheerily before noticing the tiny Suzie sprinting straight at her. She opened her arms and braced for what she must have assumed was going to be a heartwarming hug. She lowered for impact, only for Suzie to duck under the questing arms with a textbook slide that she must have picked up from coming to baseball practice with me over the winter. Granny Babs arms closed on air, and she blinked down at them before opening them and glancing behind her. ¡°Yeah! Pocket Ponytas!¡± cheered Suzie. Granny Babs rounded on Suzie while I directed a formal bow to Yolanda, who was looking mortified while staving off her giggles. ¡°Good luck! Here¡¯s Sanchez, don¡¯t give him too much sugar cause he gets silly on that stuff.¡± I handed over Sanchez¡¯s pokeball with small lightning bolts across it before rising from the bow and grinning mischievously at her. ¡°Remember, anything you can keep of the six hundred pokedollars is yours!¡± ¡°How much did he give you for us to use tonight?¡± said Cindy as she sidled up to Yolanda with a ruthless glint in her eyes as I jogged away. I could feel the evil eye on my back as Yolanda calmly stated, ¡°He didn¡¯t give me anything. Must have given it to Forrest.¡± I chuckled as I popped open Zepyhr¡¯s pokeball. From within my Noctowl appeared with a mighty cry. I hopped on his back, and we ascended above the rooftops in short order. The birds-eye view of the festival showed that it not only operated within the city square but even spilled over into outlying streets. I could see that some of them had road-closed signs while others had been kept open. I made a slow loop of some residential areas. It didn¡¯t seem like anything was happening in any of the houses. I also couldn¡¯t see anything that stuck out as ¡®suspicious activities¡¯. I passed another trainer on a Fearow and realised they were a police officer. I gave a nod before continuing my patrol of the city. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to be thorough for now. I didn¡¯t see any people around or people running while carrying goods that had no purpose being moved at this late hour. I did spot a purse-snatcher but an Officer was already in hot pursuit and had them to the ground before I could even get near. The afternoon slowly trickled into a still early twilight, and I turned Noctowl towards the festival. I was dreading this a little. Should I make a flashy appearance or merely waltz in quietly? Would either matter? In the end, I decided to land in one of the less densely populated areas and make my way into the festival. I reached the fourth stall ¡ªa stall where you could pick a floating rubber psyduck and win a fabulous prize!¡ªwhen it happened. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! I challenge you for your badge!¡± I looked to where the voice was, and I was not surprised to see a young trainer. He was roughly dressed. Smirking as if he¡¯d just spent all day combing around my ¡®hiding spots¡¯ to find me and had successfully located me. He even had a pokeball in hand. ¡°Sorry kid, schedule a match at the gym. I don¡¯t accept challenges outside my hours. I need time to rest just like my pokemon do.¡± I waved him off and continued to the side, unbothered to all outward appearances. ¡°What are you, scared?!¡± he shouted, glaring at me. I let my head turn to lock eyes. ¡°Nah, just don¡¯t have to fight.¡± Then I broke my look and sauntered past him. ¡°Schedule a time. Then I¡¯ll face you.¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time I had faced this sort of behaviour. It was always more frequent at the start of the circuit before vanishing as young trainers became aware of how things differed from gym to gym. They all, dare I say it, matured from having to walk, fly or ride around all of Kanto and prepare their own meals. ¡°Hey wait!¡± called out the trainer that had challenged me. I didn¡¯t wait and merely continued to walk. A few locals heckled the kid and one rather dapper gentleman stepped forward right in front of the kid. ¡°Ha! Young whippersnapper! Think you can just stride into our fair Pewter and challenge the Gym Leader! Let¡¯s go! You and I, two pokemon each!¡± I chuckled. Of all the ways that things could have played out, that was the best. I continued on, observing the stalls and the variety of attractions on offer. There were a number of large tents set up for pokemon shows where trainers had their pokemon perform various tricks like having a Growlithe do backflips or chase a man dressed like a clown around. I watched one rather good rendition of a clown policeman chase after a criminal only to have his Growlithe bite the wrong person. This then resulted in the man''s shoe being stolen by the Growlithe before a chase that mirrored the earlier perp chase ensued. I could practically hear the Yakety sax song playing over the top of it. It was hammy as any comedy routine I¡¯d seen in either life, and people loved it. They particularly liked it when the show was over and Officer Jenny and her Arcanine stalked in. She glared at everyone assembled before nodding, adjusting the clown¡¯s uniform and badge and proclaiming. ¡°It¡¯s hard work on the streets, Officer! Keep it up!¡± She then gave another nod and marched off while the clown and his Growlithe saluted her. The crowd loved it, and I caught Jenny giggling to herself as she moved away. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! I¡ª¡± I rolled my eyes and repeated my line for the second time that night as a trainer ambushed me. ¡°Sorry kid, schedule a match at the gym. I don¡¯t accept challenges outside my hours. I need time to rest just like my pokemon do.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± I liked it when they were merely shocked at my rejection. It was most likely these were the sorts that struggled with their confidence, and my sudden appearance sparked them to throw out the challenge. Sadly for them, I couldn¡¯t give them a sop for their confidence by accepting. That way lay ruin due to good intentions. I had to be firm with them all. No one was getting an official match for the badge out of me tonight. ¡°Gym Leader!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± The locals all waved to me and a few people clapped me on the shoulder as I passed them by. When I reached the square proper, I found an entertainer dancing on the stage in bright pink and blue colours as behind her an Eevee, a Jolteon, a Vaporeon, and a Flareon moved in time with her singing. I whistled, that was one cashed-up performer. I had no doubt that a lot of parents were going to face a lot more begging for the insanely popular Evolutionary pokemon. It would be educational for the kids and parents as to how expensive those pokemon actually were. Surprisingly, no one that I knew had a Sylveon. It stumped me how that was possible, as surely a pokemon that had been raised alongside its trainer for a long while would have had a ¡®love¡¯ relationship with them. That had been one of my earlier investigations when I learnt that the ¡®fairy typing¡¯ was not an officially recognised typing as yet. The fact that Sylveon was a thing should have blown that secret wide open. And yet, no one seemed to have one. I hadn¡¯t investigated too much, but I did have a hypothesis on it. I believed that the earlier threshold of ¡®friendship¡¯ was being triggered first and foremost, making it tougher for people to become¡¯ ¡®loved¡¯ and therefore causing the fairy-type evolution for Eevee. Which¡­ Sounded very flimsy to me, as surely someone out there had an eevee that had loved them? Then again, they were rare. It was impressive to see four of the pokemon but a glance at the sponsors for the event made me snort. ¡°Eevee Family Trust indeed,¡± I said aloud. Next to me, a man nodded while his daughter stared avidly from atop his shoulders. ¡°I like their performances, but the way they make everyone want them is kind of annoying,¡± said the man. ¡°Shhh daddy!¡± said the girl as she swatted him, never once turning her eyes away from the cute pokemon. I nodded at the man in commiseration. With the mystery of how the performer could have four of the pokemon resolved, I continued to wander. The Eevee Family Trust was a breeder ¡®farm¡¯ for lack of a better term that had almost all of the eevee which could be found for sale. They made a huge profit from said sales while also making sure any pokemon, unless specifically asked/paid for, would be passed on as incapable of breeding. Perhaps that also factored into why there were no Sylveons around? The next stop I made also had my siblings merrily chomping away so I dropped into a seat next to them. ¡°Golem!¡± Sanchez greeted from within a mane of fairy floss that had his head just poking out of it. ¡°You fed him sugar?¡± I asked Yolanda. ¡°Yeah, he used Baby Eyes on me,¡± she said, not meeting my gaze. ¡°He doesn''t know that move,¡± I said rationally while nodding towards Cindy, who was now recounting how she¡¯d ridden the Ferris wheel three times! ¡°Well, he¡¯s really persuasive?¡± Yolanda said hesitantly. I gave her an unamused look. She bit her lip and let her eyes water. I snorted and shook my head but let the issue drop, they were having fun. Granny Babs cleaned off my sibling¡¯s faces and I inspected them and their ill-gotten gains. Each of them now had a show bag with various toys and lollies. All of them, cheaply made, while being pricey as all hell. And the mayor wanted a month of this? I think the parents were going to want to strangle him by the end of the week with how much sugar kids were going to be getting. ¡°What happened to Munchlax?¡± I asked as I collected up everyone¡¯s loose rubbish. ¡°He tackled Sanchez and started eating his candyfloss mane. Sanchez couldn¡¯t fight him off due to his position, and he ended up eating all of it. Sanchez got really sad ,and Munchlax started lining up on the Candy floss merchant. So he got returned to his pokeball instead,¡± Yolanda said, raising the pokeball in question that twitched as if the pokemon inside desperately wanted out. ¡°Good call.¡± I lounged with them for a while more, only to have someone approach. ¡°Gym Leader Brock!¡± called a new challenger. Yolanda giggled as I groaned into my hand. I turned. ¡±I¡¯m not accep¡ª¡± ¡°Can I have your autograph?¡± said a tiny child while their mother hovered nearby. I relaxed instantly, a smile forming. ¡°Sure thing, who do I make this out to?¡± I plucked the pen and paper pad and wrote out a message and signature to the kid before sending them off to their mother. I sat back and glanced around, hoping for more of this positive reaction. Apparently, I was now popular enough for children to ask for such things, as before a minute passed, I had a small swarm of children asking for my signature and photos with me. From age five to ten they all crowded in, offering up various items for me to sign while their parents either assisted, hindered or lingered. "Now, my Herbie, he¡¯s such a dear, would you mind signing his pokemon cap for him?¡± asked a nasally-toned mother. I deftly did as asked only for her to give a smile that looked entirely too plastic. ¡°Great! Now, can you sign his¡ª¡± And that is how I had to put down a limit of one signature per child that was present. When that was done, I looked around to find my own family starting to nod off. ¡°Alright, gang let¡¯s get you all home for bed. I need to do another few runarounds, but home time for all of you first I think.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡± Timmy gave out a huge yawn while rubbing his eyes, ¡°¡ªsleepy!¡± ¡°Nope you are. Come on, first two up get carried home.¡± ¡°Munchlax!¡± cried the gluttonous little pokemon before throwing himself into one of my arms. That gave everyone pause. I looked to Yolanda who was staring at the pokeball in her grasp. ¡°He? What? When did he get out?¡± Yolanda looked from the ball to her surroundings. I had to wonder what mischief my pokemon had gotten up to in the time he had been free but when no vendors approached with a list of all the things my pokemon had eaten I shrugged it off. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Alright, one arm is claimed, who wants the other?¡± ¡°Munchlax can¡¯t have one of your arms! That¡¯s not right!¡± Timmy stopped to argue. Suzie had no problem leaping onto my other arm and plopping her head on my shoulder. ¡°Suzie and Munchlax!¡± ¡°What!?¡± cried Timmy before leaping onto my back to dangle from my neck. I huffed before offering Munchlax to Yolanda before repositioning Timmy into the now vacant spot in my grip. ¡°So everyone have some fun?¡± I asked the group at large. Yolanda nodded before raising her hand,¡± I was wondering if I could stick around for a little longer?¡± She kicked the ground a bit. ¡°I know Forrest is sticking around and the festival is going to have fireworks soon¡­¡± She chewed her lip but perked up when I nodded. ¡°Sure, just don¡¯t go off anywhere and stay close to the square. Your transceiver all charged up?¡± She nodded, placing Munchlax on her hip before skipping to a stand that appeared to be a ball toss. I chuckled darkly. Poor carnies were in for a shock when she unleashed a blistering fastball. On the way out, I ended up seeing a number of the kids I coached during the off-season and their parents earning another round of greetings and goodbyes before I could depart. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! I challenge¡­¡± I turned and gave the kid a highly unimpressed look. They paused before coughing. ¡°I¡¯ll find you later.¡± ¡°Good thinking, get a scheduled match lined up kid,¡± was all I said before heading home with Tommy, Cindy, Salvadore, Timmy, Suzie, and Granny Babs. When I reached home I turned the kids over to the awaiting Granny who Babs joined for a cup of tea while the kids went about their nightly bedtime rituals. Instead of walking back as I had at the start, I once more opened Zephyr¡¯s pokeball and took flight. This time, I spotted a few things that had me investigating closer. One such act had me diving low onto a house that had no lights on, but multiple flashlights searching around. I approached the house from the front and saw the door wasn¡¯t open before trudging around the back to find it broken down. I toggled my transceiver and rang a number. ¡°Gym Leader Brock at hundred and three Pebblebry road. Break and enter in progress. Moving to detain. Send pick up.¡± I then tossed a pokeball over my shoulder before popping another in front of myself. ¡°Hold for now Shin. Izumi, you¡¯re with me.¡± ¡°Geo!¡± said Izumi quietly as she hopped up onto my shoulder. I marched straight past the broken door and into the unlit house, unperturbed by the darkness. When I happened upon the first would-be criminal searching through a jewellery case I walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. He whirled around to reveal he was wearing a ski mask pulled low. He had all of a moment to lay eyes on me before Izumi performed a straight right that saw him flopping to the ground. ¡°Bert? That you tripping over in there?¡± Another voice called from deeper in the house. I blinked away the momentary blindness from the flashlight before marching on in. A quick return to true night vision being one of the many perks that came from training myself with Dark type energy that I had so far learnt. Another flashlight preceded the partner in crime walking out into the hallway. ¡°Bertram I swear if you¡¯ve¡­¡± He trailed off as his eyes alighted on myself. ¡°Oh¡­ uhm, evening Gym Leader! You would not believe it, but we forgot our keys!¡± I nodded seriously before pointing right at him. ¡°Tackle.¡± Izumi launched herself straight forward to lay the other man out. When he was down and held firm by Izumi I patted him down. ¡°Ya, you¡¯re right I don¡¯t believe you. Police are on the way.¡± A thumping of feet announced yet another person remained but I didn¡¯t bother to hurry. The police would likely already be out the front, but he wasn¡¯t headed that way. ¡°Take them Shin!¡± I called out and sure enough as soon as the running feet crunched on the outside gravel a loud. ¡®Oof!¡¯ was called out. I suspected they had run right into Shin. Or vice versa. I patted the burglar on the back of the head. ¡°Stay here, and be good. Don¡¯t add any charges of resisting arrest alright? You¡¯ll have your rights read to you in a moment when I hand you off.¡± ¡°Wait! Does that mean you¡¯re doing this illegally? I¡¯ll walk! Ha!¡± I pat him on the head again. ¡°Nope! Gym Leaders and Gym associated trainers are fully deputised to make arrests for police. If a police unit is not present or the lock up is full I can even hold you for a set period of time on the Police¡¯s behalf.¡± ¡°What? They never said anything about that in school?¡± I glanced around at the burglary site. ¡°You listened in school?¡± His grumble was more than enough of an answer so I moved to secure the other two before carrying them out the front where a police van was parked with two police officers and a pair of Growlithe waited. ¡°All yours officers; it might be worth checking if there¡¯s anyone else. The third one was smart enough to let me pass him before making a run. Might be another hiding out.¡± The police practically bristled in excitement at that before they turned on each other. ¡°Shotgun!¡± shouted the one on my left before clicking his fingers and leading off the Grolwithe while I helped the leftover policeman by loading up the burglars in their car. The entire operation took all of five minutes and by the time ten minutes were up. The police were on the phone with the owners to inform them of what had occurred. I waved to them, returned my pokemon and lifted off with Zephyr to continue my circuit. I started to head towards the square when a series of spotlights flashed upwards to mark out a ¡®no fly¡¯ zone. Unlike the games, if you wanted to fly your pokemon around it wasn¡¯t a simple HM that you needed but rather an extra test and license. It was much like a learner¡¯s driving test from my old world with laws such as; not buzzing residents of the cities, keeping aware of electrical powerlines, and never flying over certain mountain ranges or islands in each region. Or, as was important now, during celebrations, being aware that fireworks could be set off. It was thus highly recommended that you do not fly during such events or if not possible, remain well out of the marked-out zone lest you create a tragedy. A number of fliers buzzed around the square before beginning to circle as the police worked to clear the no-fly zone. I decided to land instead of pushing through and potentially delaying the show. This saw me landing near a stall that was well and truly on the outskirts of the festival. Strangely the woman stiffened when she saw me and threw a towel over her goods in an action that was far too frantic for my liking. I looked straight at her. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°What was what?¡± said the woman in a far too innocent tone. She smiled guilelessly like a pro. I stared at her face, trying to place it. I had a list of swindlers and hoodlums to be on the lookout for. She had a freckled face with a cute button nose that was currently being tickled by some loose strands of her strawberry blonde hair. She looked more like a farmer than a crook. Then again, people did have make-up and hair dye so she could be anyone if she was skilled enough. I stepped closer and the woman swallowed firmly. ¡°E-evening Gym Leader! Anything I can do for you tonight?¡± I stared before relaxing and smiling. ¡°Yeah, you can give me your name. You know me and have me at a disadvantage.¡± Her eyes widened at that before she spluttered. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m no one special. I¡¯m just a simple berry farmer selling her produce!¡± I looked down and saw that yes, she was in fact selling berries. Zephyr approached and hooted at a few before turning his neck to look right at me. ¡°Can I see your papers? How come you¡¯re not closer in? And your name?¡± I prompted once more. ¡°Oh! Papers! Right.¡± She leaned over and handed me a clipboard. ¡°Names Kelly Meadows! I started up a farm.¡± She scratched at her arm nervously. ¡°Had some trouble getting workers for a while there but I got some help just a while ago! Ha!¡± she said with a slightly manic look in her eyes before she shook it off. ¡°Had to rush to get my stock put together since I¡¯m not from one of the big farms so the Mayor didn¡¯t let me know about the festival. I only found out I was missing out a few days ago! Took a bit of time to get the farm sorted out so I could come in. Got my sister looking after things now.¡± I nodded. She had most of the normal berries you saw sold, such as Oran, Chesto, Peacha, Leppa, Razz and Bluk berries but also some ones I wasn¡¯t familiar with such as Pamtre, Watmel, Charti, Liechi and Spelon berries. I handed the sheets back over after spotting the seal of approval, ¡°This seems to be in order. Sorry for startling you. Were you packing up for the night?¡± I said, glancing at the towel she¡¯d thrown over some of her produce. Kelly smiled widely. ¡°Oh! Um, yup! I was packing up.¡± I hummed, unsure with her answer, before having Zephyr bump me and bob his head towards some Oran berries. ¡°Mind If I buy my pokemon some food?¡± Kelly perked up. ¡°Oh!? Well, I¡¯m not packed up yet! Sure, how many berries do you want?¡± I pointed towards the Oran and Watmel berries that Zephyr was interested in. Then two of my pokeballs popped open and Knight and Bertha loomed over me to stare hungrily at the berries. ¡°Three boxes,¡± I said without missing a beat. ¡°How much?¡± Kelly paused before nodding quickly. Her smile turned much more genuine which made me glance around for something off. I couldn¡¯t find anything. Perhaps it was me overthinking things after coming from that crime scene? ¡°Uhm you got five hundred pokedollars for that?¡± she said before blushing. ¡°Sorry! Of course you do! I watched you beat down the Champ!¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, opening up my wallet and handing over five crisp hundred pokedollar bills that featured the face of the original shrine maiden of Bellsprout tower. One Fiona Flowers, renowned for her skill with grass types and a historical icon for Johto. When I grabbed one of the boxes before pointing two other boxes out for Knight and Bertha each to carry. I stepped back, tossing two berries to Zephyr. Then I let out the other four pokemon I had on me. Izumi, Shin, Chou, and Sanchez all locked onto the last box of berries before claiming their own to chow down. I turned back to find Kelly watching with fascination. ¡°Do alright for yourself out here?¡± I said more to make conversation than anything. I noted that she was still holding the money in her hands. ¡°Oh¡­. no not really. I¡¯m only getting people coming and going from this way unlike the other big fruit stalls further in near the entertainment.¡± She wilted slightly at the confession. I hummed, giving her stall another look over. ¡°Need something to keep people around. Maybe get a friend to buy another stall next door and get a pond with a flimsy drop chair over a pond. Crowds love that sort of thing.¡± I circled a finger around her produce. ¡°If you had a juicer and some cups you could also sell some juice to people and their pokemon. Fresh juice always goes down well.¡± Kelly perked up at that. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s actually a good idea.¡± She gave me a furtive look. ¡°Thanks Gym Leader.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Make me feel sorta bad now.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± She stiffened. ¡°Oh! Uh! Cause I was cheering for Lance to win is all!¡± I snorted. ¡°We all have our favourites; I won¡¯t be annoyed at you going for him over me.¡± I then shot her a wink. ¡°Maybe cheer for me next time, yeah? Then you won¡¯t feel so bad.¡± She laughed at that. I checked on my pokemon to find them circling Izumi whose smaller mouth didn¡¯t let her devour her pile as quickly. She used one arm to warn off the larger pokemon while shovelling berries into her mouth. ¡°Annnnnnd I think I should be off soon.¡± I returned my pokemon, bar Izumi, who relaxed at not being pressured. She made quick work of the last few berries before hopping onto my shoulder. I half considered making a joke about her weight, but my instinct flared up and warned me away from the terrible idea. I shot Kelly a nod before walking in further. ¡°Might see you around Kelly, good luck with your sales!¡± ¡°Thanks for the sales and the idea! And I will cheer for you next time!¡± she shouted after me. As I approached the square, a raised platform flashed with lights, and an announcer raised his hands dramatically just as some fireworks launched into the sky. The still-present festival goers oohed and ahh¡¯d as the light show began. I marched on, spotting a few people I knew, including Lawrence, my Lawyer. He waved me over. ¡°Brock!¡± said the tattooed-up Lawyer. ¡°Meet the apple of my eye and my sweet, sweet lady love! This is Tanya!¡± he gestured to a woman and I greeted her politely before smiling at Lawrence. ¡°You¡¯re a lucky man Lawrence,¡± I said before clapping him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to enjoy your night. I have to go find my younger brother and sister. Find out if they¡¯re still here before heading out. I¡¯ll be in touch soon though.¡± Lawrence and his girlfriend Tanya let me go without any issue but a number of others greeted me having been made aware I was present. ¡°Gym Leader¡ª¡± a firework went off, cutting through the trainer¡¯s challenge. I promptly used that as an excuse to outright ignore them. Amusingly enough, it seemed to work as they couldn¡¯t call out for me to stop thanks to the fireworks. I eventually found Yolanda talking with a few of her friends. She had a nice mask of a Tyranitar on her head while she peered upwards. Munchlax was right at her side holding her hand, his gaze fixed upwards even as his jaws worked at the large slab of meat he held. I approached and tapped Yolanda on her shoulder. ¡°Hey,¡± I said before glancing around. ¡°Seen your brother?¡± Yolanda shook her head before gesturing in a direction. ¡°Might be over near the bike racing set up?¡± I headed off in that direction. I hadn¡¯t actually spotted that during my last pass of the square. If I had missed that, perhaps there was a lot more to this festival. I stopped when I found Forrest lined up on the slope for the mountain bikers to ride a set course. He had his helmet on, which let me relax a tiny amount, but he soon had me clenching in fear as he sped down the slope to perform a number of speedy actions that saw him bunny-hopping small hills and skidding around tight corners. When he was done I sighed in relief alongside another man. I chuckled. ¡°At least he¡¯s good enough. I hopefully don¡¯t have to worry about him crashing out.¡± ¡°Yeah, kids surprise you. don¡¯t they?¡± said a familiar voice as I stared at Forrest lining up for another go. ¡°Ha! Yeah, I just wish he¡­¡± I trailed off as my mind registered where I had heard that voice from. I whipped around. ¡°Flint?¡± The spot next to me was empty. I turned fully around to see if I could spot him slipping away. Overhead more fireworks went off and I cursed. I wouldn¡¯t be able to jump up onto Zephyr. A nearby bike starting platform for the mountain bikers though would serve as a higher vantage point so I leapt from the ground to grab onto the railing. The biker atop it squawked in fright at my sudden appearance, but I paid them no mind. Instead, I stared out into the crowd to look for the shabby appearance of Flint walking away. I licked my lips as I failed to find anything. There were plenty of people still moving about, despite others standing and watching the sky above. I passed my eyes over Yolanda and found nothing. I growled in annoyance and thought about what to do next. It was a shame Janine was gone; otherwise, I would have had her track him down instantly. I was considering calling Sabrina when another firework went off. The crowd roared their approval, and I sighed. Calling Sabrina into this crowd would just be hurting her. There would be too many thoughts if she had to seek out Flint from among them. I wasn¡¯t even sure if that had been him. I think that annoyed me the most. I continued to search for any sign Flint was present only to not find anything. I eventually had to give up. I trudged back to Yolanda to find Forrest wiping off his face with a towel. They looked at me and blinked. ¡°Brock? Is something wrong?¡± Yolanda said carefully. I blinked, surprised they¡¯d caught onto my mood. Then I huffed. If anyone was going to detect it, it would be them. I waved about the crowd. ¡°I thought I spotted Flint. I¡­¡± Yolanda perked up at that before looking around. ¡°Want to keep looking?¡± she said hopefully. I almost said no, but her hopeful look made me hold off. ¡°Sure Yolanda.¡± We spent another hour walking around through the festival but came back without spotting Flint once again. I ran a hand across my face as we walked home. Yolanda held herself upright as she carried a snoring Munchlax back home. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing! He¡¯s coming closer right?¡± she said tightly. We hadn¡¯t seen anything and now I felt like a schmuck for getting their hopes up when I wasn¡¯t even sure I¡¯d seen anything. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think it is.¡± I considered it for a moment before pointing at Forrest. ¡°He was watching you I think. You were pulling some good moves on your bike.¡± Forrest perked up at that. ¡°Really? Heh.¡± He smiled widely and I spotted Yolanda smiling wider as well. They must have been happy that their father might have possibly been showing some interest in us. I decided not to dampen their mood by reminding them that I wasn¡¯t sure if it had even been him. It might have been some other shabbily dressed man. ¡­ Which said things about what I expected of Flint, but that was neither here nor there. Before I went to bed, I diverted to Forrest¡¯s room. There I knocked on the door and waited until he called out to me. I found him still awake and working a cloth over his bike. ¡°Really? You should be doing that downstairs in the workshop.¡± ¡°Heh, sorry Brock!¡± He said shamelessly. I glanced at that backpack he¡¯d stored it in and grimaced. Evidently, he should have done it before folding it up because his backpack was filthy. I gave him a look before shaking my head. ¡°Leave it for tomorrow.¡± I then tapped his desk. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you as well. You¡¯re not picking up your jobs around the gym like we talked about.¡± Forrest didn¡¯t meet my gaze. ¡°Sorry! I just, I wanted to hang out with my friends.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few times now Forrest. You said you wanted to take on a bigger role, even possibly one day take over for me. That means you need to do the jobs you''re assigned and learn how to run the gym.¡± ¡°I try but there¡¯s so many jobs!¡± he said suddenly. He shook his head. ¡°How do you do so much?¡± This time he met my eyes. ¡°I don''t do it alone but I worked my way into it,¡± I said honestly. ¡°Sorry for letting you down¡­ I didn''t mean to.¡± His lip wobbled, and he scrubbed at his eyes to wipe away any tears. I stepped up and hugged him. ¡°Hey, hey. No, it''s cool. You¡¯re still learning, don¡¯t beat yourself up over this stuff. There is a lot and if I didn¡¯t have as many people helping me out I¡¯d be drowning as well. Things are tough with the surge and Dad and the family but we can get through it alright.¡± ¡°Right, right!¡± He said before sniffing wetly. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll start getting serious tomorrow.¡± I snorted and knocked him on the head lightly. ¡°Bratty little brother. You were supposed to get serious ages ago.¡± He stuck his tongue out at that before I grabbed a pillow and swatted him. ¡°Go to bed.¡± I then pointed at his muddy floor, clothes, bike, and backpack. ¡°And clean those up tomorrow.¡± I pushed him into bed. ¡°Now go to sleep before I summon a Gengar to make you go to sleep!¡± He snorted at my faux macho tone. ¡°Night bro.¡± ¡°Night,¡± I said as I made my way out. I lay down and relaxed. I might not have found my dad but I couldn¡¯t consider today to be fruitless. And tomorrow? I¡¯d get a day to just hang out with a friend. I smiled as I fell asleep, very much looking forward to my upcoming surf lesson with Brawly. Chapter 75 - Surfs up Zephyr flew over Viridian as I chowed down on my breakfast with one hand. We had a good tailwind, but I¡¯d urged him to go faster with the need to make up for the time I¡¯d lost when I¡¯d reminded the kids that the grannies were looking after them today. Suzie had demanded to come with me, and had latched onto my leg like a Shellder on a Slowpoke. She¡¯d have refused to get off until I gave in and accepted that this was my new form and way of life. Sadly, she vastly underestimated my strength and forgot that she was ticklish. So I had my leg back and was soaring away. A buzz on my wrist notified me that Brawly was calling. ¡°Brock! Where you at? Rocko and I are already out on the water!¡± I quickly swallowed before replying, ¡°Had some family stuff. I¡¯m flying down your way now. What am I looking for? Is it where the river meets the ocean?¡± ¡°That¡¯s where I¡¯d aim to start with, and then I¡¯d head south. You¡¯ll see an island chain that will be where we¡¯re at!¡± I signed off before shoving the rest of my meal into my mouth. I tapped Zephyr to line him up with the small river that ran from the mountain range near Cerulean, past Mt Moon and straight south to the ocean. Zephyr beat his wings before adopting a glide. I huddled in to help him stay as streamlined as possible before popping back up when we reached the mouth of the river. There we hovered before orienting towards a distant island that quickly grew larger. When I got to it, I had my pokemon circle lower and lower until I spotted a group of people riding boards while on the beach more people lounged about. In the water around the people various pokemon bobbed. I could see Seaking, Golduck, Horsea, Staryu, and when I swept over the entire group I noticed a shadow in the water that had to be big enough for a Wailord. I made for the beach. ¡°Yo Brock! Jump in!¡± Brawly called out. I looked at him before looking down at myself. I had my swimmers underneath, but I¡¯d need a moment to get through my upper layer of clothes. I tapped Zephyr towards the beach only to receive boos from some of the swimmers as I ignored their calls to leap from my flying pokemon into the water. I snorted, unclipped a pokeball from my belt, and tossed it out. ¡°Tide! Give them some waves!¡± From roughly ten meters up, a very large Lapras appeared. The swimmers all jolted as they saw it. Tide cried out in glee before opening his fins wide. He fell and I grinned as people scrambled about only for a loud ¡®fwap¡¯ to sound out. From where my Lapras hit the water, a large wave formed up and lifted everyone in. Pokemon and people alike, none were spared. Then the wave began to tumble forward. The surfers whooped with glee while some people grabbed onto their pokemon to ride along as the wave carried them. They raced onto the beach, with some sliding along the wet sand while others face-planted and became like strange moving trees as their legs and arms twitched. One swimmer that was ¡®planted¡¯ was approached by a Psyduck, who poked at it before the swimmer twitched, scaring off the little psychic duck. He came up for air, spat some sand and laughed before diving into the surf. I shook my head as Rocko and Brawly approached. ¡°Nice entrance! That was a sweet wave!¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s good.¡± I gestured around the beach. ¡°You know everyone here?¡± ¡°As much as anyone can know people that like to share some waves at a new place. I¡¯ve met a few, and they¡¯re all good people.¡± Brawly shrugged. I hummed as I lifted my shirt and tossed it into a bag. I turned back and shook myself off. Brawly grinned. ¡°Damn bro! You gonna catch some envy rocking up to surf like that!¡± I glanced down at myself. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°Nah, you¡¯re just ripped as hell is all.¡± He nodded his head towards a pair of swimmers that were openly staring. One girl even had her mouth hanging open. Brawly sniggered at their expressions, then stepped up and clapped me on the shoulders while grinning at the girls. ¡°Sorry ladies! I¡¯m gonna have to give him a vest to keep him safe! So the show¡¯s about to end!¡± One girl pouted while the other accepted it with a nod. She then raised up a camera and took a picture of me before giving us a ¡®nice¡¯ gesture. Her friend smacked her on the shoulder in mock reprimand even as she leaned in to check out the picture. I ignored them before donning the surfer vest Brawly had. He gestured to the boards. ¡°Right, so how much do you know about surfing?¡± I nodded like a sage and cupped my chin. ¡°I know next to nothing!¡± I said without shame. Rocko snorted. ¡°He¡¯s all yours Brawly. I¡¯m gonna go surf with Gloom.¡± Brawly stiffened and shot Rocko some worried looks. His eyes slide from Rocko¡¯s retreating form to me as he wet his lips. It took me a moment to realise why Brawly might be nervous about Rocko¡¯s Gloom. He tried to adopt a calm tone as she coughed. ¡°He uhhh didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± I waved it off. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about his life choices. I know, and he knows that I don¡¯t care as long as he¡¯s sober when work starts. If I need him for an emergency, I have to take him how he is or not call him.¡± That seemed to give Brawly pause. He blinked a few times and raised a finger before dropping it. ¡°Huh, cool.¡± ¡°It is what it is,¡± I said before pointing at the surfboards. I made a mental note that Brawly had a terrible poker face. ¡°So? Wanna teach me how to surf?¡± Brawly¡¯s grin grew once more. ¡°For sure!¡± And so I spent the next twenty minutes being instructed exactly how to paddle on a surfboard. Brawly made sure I had a longboard to practise on before he had me learn how to transition into a standing position. ¡°Okay, you need to be a bit smoother with your shift and snap up!¡± He jerked a thumb out onto the water. ¡°Let¡¯s take you out into the shallows and get you practising that before I get you on some baby waves!¡± He then paddled out further, leaving me to one of his pokemon. I spent the next half an hour having small waves splashed my way with Brawly¡¯s Poliwrath. The pokemon would walk up and prod me in certain positions and point out issues before getting on a surfboard of his own and showing what I was doing, and what I was supposed to be doing. I eventually got a begrudging nod from the pokemon. I turned in the water and began paddling out into the deeper water. In the time I¡¯d been learning how to surf Tide had become a rest spot. With his size that meant he¡¯d become a pontoon with swimmers lounging about on him while other pokemon leapt over or under him. He leaned his neck into the swimmers that were scratching at his neck while he also kept one eye open. I closed in and sat up on my board before shifting around. Brawly grinned at me. ¡°Nice one! You ready to try surfing properly?¡± ¡°I suppose, think I¡¯m more ready to wipe out a lot.¡± I scooched up, still not comfortable. Brawly merely laughed, ¡°Ha! That¡¯s half the fun! Just make sure you don¡¯t belly flop! Pokemon can handle it, but it¡¯ll leave a sting if you do! If you do it right, your wipeouts are some of the best fun you¡¯ll have.¡± I snorted at that, only for Brawly to put his hand below the water and shake it up. ¡°I¡¯m gonna set up a wave for myself. When you¡¯re ready, just wave your hand in a V under the water. Wailord will set you up. So paddle out and turn towards shore.¡± He did as he said, paddling away from us before spinning. A swell soon built, and Brawly grinned as he began paddling it in. From the angle we had, I got to watch as he paddled before kipping up to his feet. Another surfer approached me, smiling happily while adjusting her swimsuit. ¡°Hi there! I¡¯m Billie! This your first time?¡± I nodded. ¡°Nice! Well, watch what Brawly does! He¡¯s a natural at surfing!¡± she said, singing Brawly¡¯s praises. "Oh, he¡¯s about to do some cutbacks!¡± I tilted my head but made sure to keep my eyes on Brawly as he rode the wave only to rise up and perform a fast turn at the top before dropping low and repeating the gesture. He did this a few times before lowering himself into the curling part of the wave. ¡°He¡¯s in the tube!¡± Billie informed me as my new friend surfed along the wave. He held his hand out and held it in the water before leaning forward and speeding up. He shot out of the tube and then launched himself up and over the wave to flip up into the water. ¡°Yeeeeow!¡± He cheered as he let himself flip over. Billie laughed before dropping her hand into the water to call up her own wave. A set of bubbles signalled that Wailord had recognised the order. She paddled out and got ready for her wave while Brawly glided back towards me. ¡°Hey man! How was that?¡± I shifted on the board and nodded at him. ¡°It was uhm¡­ solid?¡± ¡°Heh! You¡¯re such a landie Brock. We call it a sweet, or a sick ride! Not solid!¡± I shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m a rock type trainer. Guess it shows.¡± Brawly hummed. ¡°Yeah, but we aren¡¯t like our pokemon man.¡± I merely nodded, if Brawly hadn¡¯t yet encountered aura, I wasn¡¯t going to inform him. Most people I had discussed it with prior to the Guardians thought I was a charlatan. Well,except Sabrina of course. With my body in the water, I was feeling a small weakness, but it wasn¡¯t anything more than a slight stiffness. I wouldn¡¯t want to play water sports but I had been described as a brick in water in both lives so that was never a concern of mine. Rocko swam out and deposited his Gloom onto the back of Tide. Brawly gave us both hesitant looks. ¡°I¡¯m still weirded out that you know and don¡¯t care man.¡± I shrugged again, only for Brawly to squint at me. ¡°Waaaait, do you also¡ª¡± I shook my head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve never huffed or smoked anything. Always been careful with my lungs.¡± Having asthma and being hospitalised as a child in a previous life had guaranteed I was never tempted, in both lives. Brawly stared at me before shaking his head. ¡°Damn, guess that¡¯s a sweet deal.¡± Rocko scratched at his belly and smirked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty solid.¡± Brawly and I shared a look and chuckled while Billie caught her wave. We watched her pull some moves of her own before crashing out when she tried to double back on the crest. Brawly clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Wanna give it a try?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I shifted back up onto the board. I had rather been enjoying just being a part of the group but¡­ I did want to have a go. ¡°Sure,¡± I made the gesture under the water. Bubbles tickled my fingers that had me shivering, it was certainly one way to let you know something big was underneath you. "Alright, so just paddle out? And catch it yeah?¡± I asked. ¡°Yah man! I¡¯ll tell you what to do!¡± Brawly said. Rocko raised a thumbs up and the people that had been playing around on Tide called out their encouragement. ¡°Baby Brock¡¯s first wave woooh!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t screw up!¡± ¡°Nah do it in a cool way!¡± ¡°Do a flip when you wipeout!¡± I shook my fist at them before turning and paddling out in long strokes that worked muscles I wasn¡¯t used to working. I might have to try swimming with Shin and Shrek more. I reached the point and paddled around until I faced the beach. Brawly waved at me. ¡°Watch behind you for the swell!¡± I glanced behind while trying to stay on my board. Eventually, a swell began to build up behind me. I lay low on the board. ¡°Not yet! Don¡¯t go now¡­ Wait! Wait! Alright, paddle hard man! Go go go!¡± called Brawly. I started paddling hard and felt myself being dragged back into the wave as it began to suck me in. It built, and I heard the wave cresting farther down from me. ¡°Try standing! Make it as smooth as you can!¡± I nodded. Right, right. I needed to snap up but be balanced. I pushed up slightly, dropping my paddling and began to ready myself. I shot up onto my knees and wobbled horribly. I just hung on before standing slowly. With a tentative feel, I stood upright and waved to the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m doing¡ª¡± The board twitched under me, and I felt the board shift. ¡°Shit!¡± I cursed as I lost control and was thrown. I slammed into the water and pushed down slightly to make sure I didn¡¯t get clubbed by my board. I let the wave pass and then rose up. I gasped in a lungful of air before looking around for my missing board. ¡°Nice one! You actually stood for a bit there!¡± Brawly shouted. I gave him a thumbs up. Rocko cupped his hands. ¡°Try doing it for longer next time!¡± I shot him a rude gesture and swam towards my board before hopping onto it. I then turned to make sure I was out of the next person¡¯s wave only for them to wave for me to have another go. I shrugged and had another go. I did just about the same before crashing out. They let me go again, and again, and again. After the fifth wave, I got a run of roughly five seconds before crashing out. When they gestured for me to run again, I shook my head and paddled over, strangely tired from riding the waves. I paddled over and set up next to Brawly and Rocko as another surfer paddled out. ¡°That was¡­ pretty fun,¡± I said between heaving breaths. Brawly chuckled and clapped me on the back. ¡°It was sweet Brock. Nice work for your first tries! We¡¯ll have you hanging ten proper soon!¡± Rocko shot me a thumbs up and I sat up. ¡°Right, well I think I need to work on a lot but yeah. I¡­ wouldn¡¯t mind that.¡± Brawly grinned and watched the next surf. I shook out my hair. ¡°What¡¯s it like having a pokemon make up the waves instead of surfing naturally?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice, convenient that you can pretty much set up anywhere and have a surf. Pretty much has me always having Wailord on my team but it''s not the same.¡± Brawly swept his hand out to the sea. ¡°There¡¯s something just so honest about having to watch the waves and make a choice of if a wave is going to be right for you or too much even. You might spend hours out on the waves at a time with a natural surfing spot but that¡¯s part of the charm. You get so long where nothing but the next wave matters. It¡¯s really freeing.¡± That was kind of romantic to hear about. Romantic in the sense of being alluring and wondrous. Brawly shifted and squinted out into the water. ¡°Well, the waves and pokemon that is.¡± He put his fingers into his mouth and whistled. ¡°Hey! Who¡¯s on Sharpedo duty!? I see fins out there!¡± A curse from atop Tide had one of the girls sitting up and grabbing from her belt. I coughed as her chest bounced around unhindered by any top. Apparently, she¡¯d decided to catch a tan. She gave Brawly and I gimlet looks as she put a hand over her chest. Rocko just yawned, unmindful of the show she was putting on. ¡°Ah! Let me get that,¡± I said before clicking my tongue in a pattern. Tide opened his eyes from where he¡¯d been asleep a moment ago. ¡°Tide, Hyperbeam.¡± Everyone that had been resting or playing about on his large shell sat up in surprise as he lifted his head and formed up a ball of energy in his maw. ¡°Holy Ho-oh!¡± cried one girl. Tide swept his flippers right as he discharged the beam towards the approaching fins. For a moment, I thought the fins stopped as if they detected the approaching attack but then the beam lanced into them and the water exploded upwards like the fist of an angry giant had punched down. When the water cleared, a number of floating bodies appeared. I nodded, ¡°All good.¡± Brawly laughed loudly while the people that had been casually lounging on Tide stared at the pokemon that had been languidly resting with them. They obviously hadn¡¯t seen the scars on his flanks and front or else they might have realised he was a fighter. He turned his head at the people on his back and smiled at them. ¡°Nice one Tide!¡± I said shooting him a thumbs up. He splashed around himself with his flippers, trilling with glee before shivering slightly. He swept his long neck down and cleaned out his mouth with some water. The girl that was supposed to be on Sharpedo watch was still standing. She stared up at Tide in awe. ¡°Is this what it was like to be a naval commander during the old times? Damn, I swear I could feel the build-up of power before he fired off that Hyper Beam.¡± She shivered before bouncing from foot to foot. ¡°Alright everyone! We¡¯re going to be running a patrol with Tide as our vessel! Who¡¯s with me!¡± She thrust her arm up and spun about maniacally ¡°Ahem!¡± I coughed pointedly, but she ignored that she was still giving everyone that cared to look a show. Brawly shut me up by reaching over and pushing me off my board.
The rest of the morning passed by easily after that. I got a few chances to ride some waves and I felt like I made some progress in my surfing cred. Rocko agreed with me while Brawly grinned, merely happy to have me sounding like I¡¯d come again. The flasher girl had gotten to ¡®patrol¡¯ the ocean with Tide. Apparently, she had a small idea about Lapras being used in the past as patrolling vessels. They were apparently popular with coast guards until they were targetted by criminals resulting in the endangered status. When I¡¯d told her that Tide was a breeding male at the cove, she had been very interested. Brawly had smoothly slid in and mentioned heading there later in the week, resulting in getting her number and some plans to meet up later. When the sun had gotten higher in the sky, I had decided that was enough surfing for me. The swimmers and surfers didn¡¯t begrudge me taking away their convenient meeting spot on the water but that was probably because Brawly had made Wailord rise up to fill in the spot. I said my goodbyes and took off for home with Zephyr. I¡¯d had to put on a lot more clothes before flying off. I was feeling pretty good as I soared home. I had a certain lightness of body now that I was out of the water but I¡¯d also really enjoyed just hanging out with people that were so relaxed. There hadn¡¯t been anything that needed to be done or an event I was building toward. Just waves and chill. I snorted as I remembered the old saying for hooking up. I doubted Rocko was there for that but as I glanced over my shoulder I saw that a number of men and women sitting very closely on the island proper on a more private part of the beach. Huh, waves and chill indeed. Well, I suppose they had their fun for the rest of the morning all lined up. I continued north, not all that bothered with what I might be missing out on back in or around the water. I¡¯d had enough fun for today to be happy. I sighed expansively and spread my arms wide. The air swept through them, and I felt Zephyr bank around playfully. He must have caught my mood and was more than happy to comply. I pat him on the back before coming to a quick decision. ¡°Hey buddy? Want to do some loops and speed runs?¡± ¡°Noct!¡± he cried before flapping quickly to reach a safer height for aerial acrobatics. I grinned and locked my legs into the straps. Zephyr rose before flattening out. Then he tilted forward and let his wings hang in front of him like some modern fighter jet. His wings glowed silvery as he channelled his Steel Wing to add more weight that saw him drop away. He built up speed as he fell before twitching his wings to spiral off to the side. I hung on and grit my teeth at the feeling of being tossed and turned only for Zephyr to throw himself into a loop de loop. Then he flipped over so that we were flying upside down. ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± I laughed before letting my arms fall down. I looked down at the ground with my grin hurting it was stretching my face so wide. With the trees, ground and even the truck below me I felt¡­ I paused as I registered the discrepancy. ¡°Zeph! Level out!¡± ¡°Noctowl?¡± he said, doing so while spinning his head about to check on me. I pat his shoulder joint. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just saw something weird. I stood in the saddle and stared down. ¡°Is that a truck buddy?¡± His head rotated around to see where I was pointing before spinning back. ¡°Owl!¡± He nodded. I nodded back. We weren¡¯t anywhere significant. There weren¡¯t any villages or discrete manors that I could see that sometimes dotted the landscape around Kanto. There seemed to barely be a road that the truck could rumble down. It wasn¡¯t a small truck either. I rubbed my chin and glanced off to the west where Viridian rested. Viridian, where Giovanni was. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°We¡¯re following it Zeph stay out of their sight though.¡± I glanced around to check that there weren¡¯t any other patrolling riders but I couldn¡¯t spot anyone. Or anything in the air. ¡°Stay high just in case anyone¡¯s watching from the ground,¡± I ordered, just to be sure. Zephyr hooted once before once more ascending upwards. He reached his gliding height and from there we followed along after the small dot. It trundled along seemingly without knowing we were watching it. For ten minutes, it continued on. With each minute it spent driving I only had more and more doubts that anything legitimate was occurring beneath me. Was this a poaching operation? Perhaps even a Team Rocket run operation? I kept watching the truck until I suddenly lost sight of it. ¡°Where is it?¡± I said aloud. Zephyr circled wide; his much sharper eyes must have been tracking the ground as his head turned carefully before he adopted a hover. He turned his head and shook it sadly. I chewed my lip, staring at where I had last seen the truck. ¡°Land over there buddy. I want to check something.¡± Zephyr did as ordered. I made sure to not withdraw him when we landed. I instead kept him close but not too close with my hand on another pokeball. I stalked along the road and stared at the recent tire marks that showed that the truck had existed and had been driven down this track. And then suddenly it vanished in a patch of grass that was just oh so crisp. Far too crisp to be natural. I walked around that patch of grass. Then I checked the forest around me. There didn¡¯t seem to be any cameras watching me but I still felt exposed. This was very suspicious. I wanted to kneel and dig a little earth up but the hair on the back of my neck was standing up. This entire set-up was unnerving. I checked Noctowl and found that he was also glancing around as if something was agitating him. I clicked my tongue and decided to get out of there. But not before I marked it on my transceiver map for later review. I wasn¡¯t ready to investigate what I suspected was a hidden bunker. Not while no-one knew where I was. I¡¯d have to ask around and find out if there was any information on someone buying and building something out here in the past. But that might tip someone like Giovanni off. I doubted he hadn¡¯t covered his tracks and set up watchers on his potential interests. Still, if this was a hidden bunker I had little doubt it was a Team Rocket base. But what would they¡­ Hadn¡¯t Giovanni had Mewtwo in a facility near Viridian? I glanced back over my shoulder and stared at the innocent patch of grass. Was that what was under there? A Legendary pokemon? I licked my lips suddenly very nervous. For some reason, I had thought that Giovanni might have made his facility that contained Mewtwo above ground and to the west, instead of east of Viridian. But wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to have it hidden in the southern parts of the forest instead? I had just barely noticed it and it was very out of the way. I¡¯d only spotted it thanks to luck. Or perhaps I was counting my pidgey before they had hatched. Still, I had something to investigate. When I dared to, that was, it might be something for the Guardians to poke their noses into. Now I just needed to decide if sticking my head into the metaphorical jaws of a Legendary was worth the risk. My transceiver buzzed and I nearly jumped three metres into the air at the shock of the sudden noise. I answered and tried to calm my racing heart. ¡°Brock here, what¡¯s up?¡± I said. ¡°Hey Brock, it¡¯s Rachel, Sabrina¡¯s ready to go shopping for your outfits for next weekend!¡± I blinked at the transceiver. I had mentioned it in passing to her hadn¡¯t I? And she would have¡­ I chuckled, what had I been thinking, I¡¯d basically offered her the date.. And it wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d have wanted to go with anyone else after all. Hmmm, Sabrina dress shopping, that sounded fun. ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± Chapter 76 - Shopping Girls could be a unique mystery. When I had first met Sabrina she¡¯d been a girl that had avoided going out in public as much as possible. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t, but more that it was uncomfortable for her. Something we¡¯d struggled with a fair bit during our time together when we¡¯d been younger. I¡¯d given her some help by being a ¡®safe zone¡¯ she could be around to stop thoughts flooding her mind. Back then, she would have stayed very close or been skittish going through towns. Nowadays she openly walked next to me and spoke of going out with Erika, or her mother, and I had to wonder how much I¡¯d really helped at all. I must have done something as obviously she was better than what she would have been like according to the anime but still¡­ I felt a little envious that she seemed to have made better strides of late with others than she had with me when we¡¯d been younger. She¡¯d been increasingly able to handle time with my army of little siblings. She¡¯d also seemed perfectly happy to sit with my little sisters and play dolls with them until I¡¯d come back. She appeared to be going out of her way to be nice to new people. Or, at least she¡¯d reacted well to Rachel. Rachel, who was walking along with a pleased little smile on her lips, all without Sabrina acting like a Meowth rubbed the wrong way. During our journey, Sabrina had reacted worse to anyone that tagged along. Perhaps it was a matter of maturity or just that Sabrina¡¯s tolerance had grown. Or maybe Rachel was just a nice girl according to Sabrina¡¯s senses. I sent another glance towards Sabrina, she¡¯d been playing with my siblings for at least an hour by the time I¡¯d gotten home. This was followed by us walking in public instead of teleporting directly to the venue. I couldn¡¯t see any slumped shoulders or tiredness from her at all. Still, it might pay to ask. ¡°Hey, you alright?¡± She turned her head and observed me as we continued along into town.¡°I am perfectly well. Are you alright?¡± ¡°Bit tired from all the battles I¡¯ve been going through this last week, but I feel good having gone surfing. It was fun despite all the times I wiped out.¡± Sabrina tilted her head and her eyes flicked up and down my body. I waved a hand back and forth, ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fi¡ª¡± I cut off the word remembering that Sabrina associated fine with a cry for help. ¡°Well. I am doing well.¡± She bobbed her head and continued to walk along. I looked back to find Rachel watching us with a happy smile on her face. I shook my head at her and she merely smiled wider. I huffed at her. ¡°So, where are we going?¡± ¡°I looked around for the best tailor in town that does suits! They actually reached out to the Gym first, but not about their suits. Rather they wanted to know about the contests that you¡¯re going to run Brock!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not running any contests,¡± I said. ¡°Right now you¡¯re not, but you did have some plans to set them up, no?¡± Rachel said logically. ¡°Maybe.¡± I rubbed my eyes in irritation. ¡°Things have been rather hectic with the gym.¡± I considered the other part of what Rachel had said. ¡°So they¡¯re tailors that enjoy Contests? Who are they?¡± Rachel grimaced. ¡°Oh¡­ well I¡¯m sort of going against the girl code here but¡ª¡± I snorted. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as the girl code.¡± Rachel raised an eyebrow. ¡°And you¡¯d know this how Mr Brock?¡± she said pointedly. ¡°I¡¯d know,¡± I said firmly. I looked at Sabrina. ¡°Back me up¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the girl code Brock,¡± she said without inflection. I flicked my eyes between them both. ¡°You¡¯re both messing with me right?¡± There was no such thing. I was sure I would have picked up on it before this. The guy code sure, but the girl code? I¡¯d lived two lives and I was sure¡­ ¡°Nah, you¡¯re messing with me.¡± They continued to walk along and Rachel sighed, her head shaking in a sad ¡®what can you do¡¯ way that made my guts squirm. Alright, apparently I was wrong and it was a thing¡­ at least in this lifetime. And somehow Sabrina knew about it? Sabrina? The girl that hated having to deal with most people!? I eyed her suspiciously. Sabrina notably didn¡¯t meet my gaze. I hummed and glanced between them. Alright so there might be a girl code, but Sabrina probably hadn¡¯t known about it until now when she drew it from Rachel¡¯s thoughts. So it might also just be something Rachel thought up. But now Sabrina was going to think it was a real thing which would probably see it spreading¡­ if it wasn¡¯t already a thing. I knuckled my forehead. This kind of thinking always gave me a headache. ¡°Why would you be going against the girl code to talk to me about them?¡± I said, deciding to get back on topic. ¡°Oh, you used to go to school with one of them.¡± ¡°One of them being a girl obviously?¡± I said scratching my chin and trying to recall any notable names or faces that had shown an interest in tailoring and/or contests, but coming up blank. Rachel nodded while Sabrina now had her head turned to watch my reactions. I shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t think of them sorry. What was her name?¡± Rachel sighed sadly and shook her head. ¡°Solidad, Brock, remember her now?¡± ¡°Yeaaaaahhhh. Nooooo?¡± I said slowly trying to dredge up why that name did ring some bells. I couldn¡¯t think of a reason though. Rachel gave Sabrina a look that was supposed to be a moment of shared female commiseration. Sabrina made an attempt at looking understanding but it looked more like she had a facial twitch. I bit my lips to hold in a laugh. Rachel was obviously fully on board and Sabrina was cheating by using what she could ¡®see¡¯ from Rachel¡¯s mind but she certainly wasn¡¯t used to doing commiserating looks. Sabrina shot me a glare that I ignored. It really was the equivalent of her pouting at me in truth. So all it achieved was making it harder for me not to laugh. ¡°Alright, so Solidad, who I went to school with. So, it¡¯s been years since I saw her, right?¡± ¡°Yeeeeah but you know you really shouldn¡¯t just forget a school friend like that Brock.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Sorry I¡¯ve had a lot happen since I was at school.¡± That got a silence that was much heavier than I was expecting. I grimaced as I realised I¡¯d pointed out the whole ¡®Brocks family ran off on him¡¯ tragedy that I seemed to be tripping over so much of late. ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it like that, it''s just, yeah. I¡¯ve been busy so yeah.¡± ¡°No, no, I understand, but yeah. Guess I just forget sometimes that you¡¯ve had it rough.¡± I waved a hand. ¡°Eh, I handled it. Lots of people have it worse than me.¡± Sabrina and Rachel shared another look. Sabrina¡¯s look was more like a grimace but it was progressing. I decided to move things along. ¡°Alright so is Solidad home? She¡¯s not on a circuit herself is she?¡± ¡°Yes she was, but when I confirmed your booking they mentioned her. So they¡¯re expecting us. I explained that you are merely here for the suit but I don¡¯t doubt that they¡¯re going to ask about the Contest announcement that you made when we had you on the radio.¡± ¡°Hmm, alright, I¡¯d like some more heads up on this in future though,¡± I said firmly. Rachel coughed and blushed. ¡°Sorry about that. I only got the heads up from them about Solidad this morning and you¡¯ve been in and out.¡± I hummed. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°Gym Leader Brock! I Challenge you!...¡± A trainer emerged from the streets and pointed his hand straight at me before his gaze slackened. Then he frowned as his expression turned introspective. ¡°Oh shoot! Did I forget to turn off the oven when I left home? The Vermillion fire department is going to be so mad!¡± The trainer turned and sprinted away from our group. Rachel stared after him. ¡°What¡­ What just happened?¡± I looked at Sabrina who had adopted an innocent expression. ¡°Just trainers being weird, nothing that strange. Say how long till we reach the tailor shop?¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s right there on the corner!¡± she said as she pointed right at a rather nice-looking shop with dresses and suits in the front window. I whistled as I got a good look at their styles. They had tuxedos with black and white tie styles, then they had business suits, classical suits, and even some very nice looking casual clothes for men and surprisingly also for women. I glanced at the suit mannequins and found they had styled the women very nicely as well. The dresses took up another half of the shop so there was a clear divide. I spotted a couple of people lingering around some wedding dresses. They also had more ¡®evening¡¯ dresses and some more risque ¡®little red numbers¡¯ on display. Overall I had to give my approval, I liked what I was seeing. ¡°Shall we?¡± I said, turning to find Rachel looking pleased with my interest while Sabrina looked over the displays. We entered and a small bell tingled from the top of the door to announce our arrival. The store was tastefully open with more mannequins highlighting the various fashions that were on display with an entire wall set up with small labels. I stared at it for a moment before concluding that it was a wall solely for displaying fabric. A man and a woman each wearing suits of their own glided up to us. ¡°Welcome to the Monsoule¡¯s Haberdashery! I¡¯m Monique and this is Matthew!¡± said the woman that had light blue hair next to her husband that had soft pink hair. They blinked when their eyes slid from me to Rachel only to stop on Sabrina. They recovered wonderfully. ¡°Welcome to our humble shop Gym Leader Brock, Gym Leader Sabrina, and Rachel.¡± They bowed at the waist to us and gestured to some comfortably arranged chairs. ¡°Would you care to take a seat? We have magazines for the styles we can create and it serves as a nice place to chat and get to know what brings you to us!¡± ¡°Oh, uhm thank you,¡± I said as Monique led us towards the chairs while Matthew ducked away and came back with a trolley with a tea set, biscuits and coffee ready to be deployed should we ask. I sat down feeling well cared for while also adding a zero to the price tag I could expect when I had a suit. ¡°So we understand that you have been invited to the Mayor¡¯s little soiree for the Pewter City celebration, yes? A nice formal event from what the invitation says,¡± Monique began. I nodded as a magazine was offered to myself, Sabrina, and Rachel although the girls also received a magazine for dresses that were flicked through. Rachel took the dress magazine and happily flicked through it while Sabrina took an entire stack of magazines ranging from suits, dresses and everyday wear. Monique looked thrilled at Sabrina¡¯s interest before she readjusted herself and waved her hand about. ¡°Not too much formality really but I imagine you might want something that could be considered iconic? Or perhaps something more¡­¡± She flicked the magazine she was using to indicate certain styles to a much less formal style and instead show something off lazy or punkish. ¡°Gauche.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯d rather stick with the suit all told.¡± Monique gained a much more heartfelt smile. ¡°Excellent! A true gentleman! Do we have any idea of colours that could work?¡± ¡°Autumns with burnt orange suit him,¡± Sabrina said while flicking through her own suit magazine. Monique and Matthew both blinked in surprise, their eyes swivelling from me to her. ¡°I agree with that. A lot of my wardrobe features those colours,¡± I said not mentioning that Sabrina had heavily influenced this with my last shopping trip. Matthew nodded, ¡°I have some sample fabrics here!¡± I glanced at him. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. When did he have the chance to do that? I glanced to the side and spotted Monique fading away to get another magazine of fabric choices for the ladies as Matthew held most of our attention. Ah, misdirection was applied to create a seamless flow of service. I had to give it to them, they knew their business. I selected a nice burnt orange, a black, and a brown fabric before Matthew gestured to a closed-off area. ¡°If the gentleman would like to follow me we can have your measurements taken. He clapped his hands once. ¡°Johnny! Some assistance for recording Brock¡¯s measurements?¡± A smaller boy, about Salvadore¡¯s age, stumbled out in his own suit. He didn¡¯t wear it as well but his earnest attempt made him rather endearing. I glanced over and found Sabrina being led away by Monique. She looked rather excited instead of annoyed. She seemed to be handling this smaller group rather well. I decided not to say anything. Sabrina was able to look after herself and make her displeasure known very easily if she wanted to. Instead, I allowed myself to be measured and poked into various positions. Matthew had the tape measure flicking around like it was an Ekans. For a second I wondered if there might be some psychic energies involved before I pushed those thoughts to the side. Throughout it all, Matthew asked a deluge of questions such as how much I¡¯d be looking to wear it, how I moved, did I sweat, or have sensitive skin, and more. When they had everything settled they once more led me back to the sitting area. Matthew served up another cup of tea. ¡°I¡¯m sure the ladies will be along soon but ladies do have so much more to consider when buying good clothing, I¡¯m sure you understand?¡± I chuckled. ¡°That has got to be the most polite phrasing of, ¡®Ladies take longer when shopping¡¯ I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± Matthew gave a small laugh. ¡°Ahaha, I know but the cliche has so much merit, or at least we try to give it merit here. We cater to all sorts of tastes so it can make it tough. Men already have an idea most of the time of what they want.¡± He smirked, ¡°Or want to be elsewhere. Women? Women want the experience.¡± I nodded and settled in to enjoy my tea. After five minutes I decided to broach the other topic. ¡°Rachel informs me that your family has an interest in the Contests I am considering hosting?¡± Matthew perked up. ¡°Indeed! You see, our family migrated here almost a decade ago after we fell in love with the rustic charm of Pewter City!¡± He smiled at me grandly. ¡°We also recognised that our skills were sorely in demand, and so have been greatly enjoying our time here. However, we greatly miss our beloved Hoenn past time of Contests. Something that is not as well regarded in Kanto.¡± He made a sad face. ¡°It¡¯s slowly gaining some recognition, but Indigo is rather entrenched in their fighting so when we heard that you were looking to expand we were overjoyed!¡± I put down my tea cup. ¡°I think pokemon have more to them than fighting, and pushing the traditional fighting-centric culture that we have limits the opportunities for some people or pokemon.¡± Matthew beamed at me while his son stood nearby and watched us. ¡°You¡¯re a very forward-thinking young man Brock! Tell me, when were you thinking of running the event?¡± He leaned forward and I almost thought he was hoping I¡¯d say ¡®tomorrow?¡¯ but that would be crazy. I grimaced and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve only ever gotten a small bit of the planning done. Things have stalled as of late with the recent surge in gym challengers we¡¯ve been facing.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he said, his expression morphing as if I¡¯d just told him his pet Butterfree was too old. I shrugged helplessly. ¡°These girls are going to be the height of fashion and draw all the eyes at the coming soiree!¡± announced Monique as she returned with Rachel and Sabrina who both looked very pleased with themselves. Accompanying them was a salmon-haired girl my age. I blinked as my memory clicked. ¡°Solidad?¡± The girl perked up. ¡°Brock! It¡¯s great to see you again! I haven¡¯t seen you since school!¡± Monique and Matthew both glanced between us with pleased expressions. Rachel nodded at me while John rolled his eyes as Solidad bounced up to me and bowed. I noted she was wearing her own suit which was very well-tailored. The yellow colouring suited her. I recalled now that she would be a name that would mostly be a rival for May in the contest scene. Hadn¡¯t she won a few of the contests? She stood out so she was probably going to become quite good. She had to be if I was going to recall her after all these years. Or did she play another role? Monique nudged her husband. ¡°Darling, you looked rather sad when we came over. Were you not able to get Brock a suit to make him look dashing?¡± ¡°No! No! We managed that my love, it''s just the recent hardships that have delayed Brock¡¯s plans from hosting a contest in our hometown!¡± Monique and Solidad gasped. John merely yawned. Matthew nodded at them before gesturing. ¡°He has some plans but sadly lacks the time to develop anything more.¡± Monique held a hand to her breast as though the thought that a contest that I had vaguely promised not going ahead was painful to her. ¡° Oh my, no, no, no, no that, that! We cannot allow that to be so!¡± she whirled upon me. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! Please! We must have a Contest in Pewter! We need to show the people of Kanto the charm of a proper contest!¡± I could almost see the fire in her eyes. I raised both hands to placate her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s just not possible as things are. I can¡¯t give such an event the attention it would need!¡± Monique stepped back and looked like she¡¯d cry at this news. Solidad scowled at the ground before perking up. ¡°But what if we volunteered to help organise it? We could be¡­ major sponsors! Yes! Then we could assist with the planning, and the advertising, and the invitations! If we were allowed to act as planners under you and run things by you we¡¯d be able to lighten the load!¡± Monique and Matthew both brightened at that while John got a fearful look. I suspected that he understood that he¡¯d be part of the group ¡®volunteering¡¯ their services. ¡°Oh yes! Brock! We could do that for you! You could host it and be the person that would facilitate it and we could do the leg work to get Contests into Kanto properly!¡± I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°I¡¯d like to contribute more than that. I wasn¡¯t going to plan anything too large as I don¡¯t really know how popular it might be.¡± ¡°It would be very popular! I assure you Brock that there are a number of trainers both young and old dying to showcase their pokemon¡¯s skills in more artistic ways!¡± said Matthew. I hummed and turned it over. Did I really need to have so much control over this? I wanted to let that aspect of pokemon culture grow as I could see the appeal. I bobbed my head from side to side. ¡°Say I went ahead with this, what would you need to have decided? I¡¯d need at least two months before the surge is probably over.¡± Matthew, Monique, and Solidad gasped in glee. I raised my hand. ¡°IF, I went ahead with it.¡± Monique, whom I was learning was the spokesperson for her family¡¯s interests, stepped forward. ¡°We would need a date, I suggest a weekend for the best chance to draw people in! We would need to organise some reputable judges for the events, we would need to advertise for the event, we would need to design a ribbon, and also I suppose set up a style for the contest itself.¡± I nodded before smiling. ¡°Oh, I think a Tough style would best suit the Pewter Gym contest.¡± I got blank stares while Rachel facepalmed. Monique tilted her head. ¡°Eh?¡± She blinked uncertainly. ¡°A tough style? Whatever do you mean?¡± I blinked. Was I misremembering contests? ¡°Uhmmm don¡¯t you typically see the styles for beauty or cute pokemon? I was thinking of making the style for ¡®Pokemon that are ¡®tough or trying to appear tough for the cutesy factor. Or you know¡­¡± I trailed off as I got a room full of uncomprehending looks. Thankfully Monique slowly turned thoughtful. ¡°That¡­ might be something rather niche and chic actually. Most contests do like to tout beauty as the be-all and end-all no?¡± She glanced at her husband and then to Solidad who nodded. Monique bobbed her own head up and down. ¡°Yes! Yes! I could see it now! Pokemon appearing tough! It would still have the traditional style but be a much larger draw for the Kanto crowd!¡± She laughed. ¡°Inspired Brock! You are rather more thoughtful of these things than I thought you would be. I merely meant the colour styling! I was going to suggest a brown with metallic trim but taking it further into.¡± She swaggered her shoulders and hips in a fake macho way. ¡°Tough!~ I love it!¡± With a fire in her eyes, she nodded. ¡°We will have to come over and continue planning things soon! Solidad will be our main liaison for this!¡± Solidad perked up. ¡°Heh! It¡¯ll be just like old times when we hung out after school and little league!¡± I gave her a slow nod and she picked up on it. ¡°Brock¡­ you do remember me right?¡± ¡°I remember, I remember!¡± I said hurriedly. Solidad frowned. ¡°What position was I on the baseball field then?¡± ¡°Pitcher?¡± I said throwing blind. ¡°I was the catcher!¡± she growled. She stared at me. ¡°Brock! Are you telling me you forgot me!¡± ¡°A little?¡± I said before I could stop myself. I was already kicking myself as she snarled and stormed away in a huff. Monique and Matthew both gave me very unimpressed looks. Matthew coughed. ¡°Shall we settle the bill now?¡± he said cheerfully. He produced an invoice and handed it to me. I stared at it in shock for a moment. Then I looked up. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about making her cry but¡­ this is a bit cruel isn¡¯t it?¡± He snorted a laugh. ¡®Brock, I am¡­ displeased that you have not remembered my daughter spending time with you in the past but I am a professional.¡± He gestured around the store. ¡°I create great suits. That,¡± he pointed at the invoice, ¡°Is the cost of making such suits.¡± He then chuckled. ¡°If I was petty I¡¯d have doubled it. But not to worry, she¡¯ll get over it and come back determined to make a stronger impression so you can¡¯t forget her next time. Trust me.¡± I laughed nervously as Sabrina stopped leafing through her magazine and inspected Matthew and me critically. I suddenly felt like I was in danger. ¡°I¡¯ll have your suit made up in three days. I have all the materials and my pokemon will be able to help out.¡± He tapped a pokeball and an Ariados appeared with a happy wag of its legs. ¡°Can you call around ¡­ oh at least Thursday evening after your matches are over?¡± ¡°That would work wonderfully,¡± I said while paying for the suit. Rachel bounced up to me. ¡°Cheer up Brock this is tax deductible! It¡¯s practically a write off!¡± I shook my head and led her out into the now-dark street. ¡°Remind me to have Georgina explain tax write-offs to you.¡± I looked over to Sabrina who was still leafing through the fashion magazine. ¡°Did you enjoy yourself, Sabrina?¡± She nodded slowly and gave me a small smile that I knew was the equivalent of something huge and heartfelt from another person. ¡°Yes, that was¡­ I like shopping¡­ when there¡¯s not too many people I can relax more.¡± She nodded to Rachel. ¡°Thank you for your advice.¡± She then looked back at me with an expression that I couldn¡¯t quite place. ¡°I will talk to you later, have a good evening.¡± She stilled and I expected a teleport flash to occur only for her eyes to narrow as she stared into the distance. ¡°You¡¯re going home after this, correct?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah? Why?¡± I said, suddenly worried something had happened. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°I think Forrest has it handled. You¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll leave it to your judgement and check in later tonight,¡± she said cryptically before flashing away. I hummed. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m actually not sure what to make of that.¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s rather different from how I expected her to be,¡± Rachel said tentatively. ¡°Oh? What did you expect?¡± I said putting emphasis on the last word. ¡°She has a rather distant personality and is infamous for being very inhospitable to people that come and challenge her. She¡¯s also known to be very powerful and very scary. Most people say to avoid challenging her gym because of it.¡± I hummed. ¡°She just comes across that way. She tries in her own way, but her strength is, in its own way, the biggest weakness for her.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something I should say more on but¡­¡± I considered it for a moment more. ¡°Rachel, she actually seemed very relaxed around you. Usually, she¡¯s not like that. She had to take time to warm up to Erika who¡¯s a little flower that¡¯s polite to everyone she comes across. If she comes around maybe just try to be nice and see if she wants to be friends.¡± I scratch my head. ¡°She could use more friends.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really good together,¡± she said, watching me closely. I couldn¡¯t stop the blush even as I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯re not like that. We ¡®dated¡¯ when we were kids, sure, but that¡¯s nothing big. She just needed a friend and well¡­ I was young so yeah¡­¡± I said, trying to play it off as the innocence of being a young boy. Most young boy¡¯s wouldn¡¯t have thought it meant anything to be boyfriend and girlfriend; it probably just meant you hung out together more. It wasn¡¯t something I could ever claim in this second life. Rachel didn¡¯t seem to be buying what I was trying to sell her. She merely hummed and skipped along. ¡°Hey! Gym Leader Brock! I called my mother and checked! I didn¡¯t leave my oven on, so now I demand a challenge!¡± I shut my eyes and groaned while Rachel goggled as the trainer from before emerged. I glared at him. ¡°Make a booking! I don¡¯t accept challenges in my off time!¡± ¡°Oh come off it! You could fight me here and now! Just make an exception!¡± I shook my head and continued to walk back home. ¡°Oddish¡ª¡± I heard the pokeball popping behind me. I looked straight over my shoulder and channelled dark energy into my eyes before ¡®expelling¡¯ it straight at the revealed Oddish. The little pokemon stiffened as I gave it a Mean Look. Its eyes flickered around before pausing on me and quivering in place. The trainer gaped at the reaction and I turned my head away and kept walking. ¡°Huh, damn that was intense.¡± Rachel said as she eyed me. I huffed at her and rolled my eyes. She blinked at me and I remembered that she wasn¡¯t like Forrest or Yolanda who knew when I did that. I waved her off. ¡°Night Brock, see you tomorrow!¡± shouted Rachel as she turned for her own home. I waved back and rolled my shoulders. I was already running through the checklist of chores I¡¯d need to do tonight. If I was quick about it I might even¡­ I stopped in front of the main gym doors, half-turned towards the hedge to the side where I¡¯d enter my family¡¯s home. ¡°Someone has left the lights on in the gym?¡± I said aloud. I turned that over in my mind. That shouldn¡¯t have happened. No one had done that in a long while and the security guards usually walked around with flashlights when they made their rounds. I frowned as I saw the lights flash slightly. I turned fully to the Gym and entered it. When I pushed through the doors next to the reception desk leading into the arena proper I found myself spectating a battle proper. What in Moltres¡¯ name was going on here? I flicked my eyes from Forrest on one podium with an Onix in front of him. To the other podium. Upon it stood a boy that could only be Ash Ketchum with his Pikachu standing on his side of the arena. In the middle, in the referee box, Misty stood tall with an exasperated look on her face. In the stands a bunch of boys that I knew were Forrest¡¯s friends sat cheering for the fight. They were immaterial though. Of more importance was Flint who was sitting front and centre in the stands watching Forrest and Ash fight. I blinked. For the life of me, I had no idea what was going on. None of this made any sense. I wanted to storm in and demand answers but the fact Ash had slipped into my gym had me rather stunned. There had to be a story as to how this developed. I stood in the shadows and decided to watch on as things developed. I¡¯d wait, for now, but I¡¯d be asking a lot of questions to find out how this whole situation came about. Chapter 77 - Ash emerges Misty squinted at the ground. They¡¯d gotten off the road again. Probably because Ash had actually listened to that Samurai brat after beating him. He¡¯d given them the wrong directions as Misty knew he would! Sadly, Ash was adamant that they follow them. It had taken a few days to course correct when they ended up at Viridian and the same ¡®Ash sucks¡¯ message that Gary Oak had apparently written. Ash would never admit it, but Gary had accidentally helped them with his messages by showing them they were going in the right direction. Ash stumbled in front of her, and Misty blinked as she realised they¡¯d finally exited the forest. Misty followed him, scowling into the early morning light. Misty glanced at him. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re not¡ª¡± Ash let go of the branch that he¡¯d been holding, causing it to flick back and smack into Misty¡¯s face, in turn causing her to fall back, more in shock than actual pain. Ash nodded, not realising how Misty was now glaring at him. She wanted to see red but then she remembered that she sort of owed him one by freaking out so much with all the bugs in the forest. She sighed and instead looked past him and found herself looking at Pewter city and the road right there past the treeline. If it wasn¡¯t filthy, she¡¯d probably kneel down and kiss it! ¡°Ohhhh, that Gary!¡± Ash suddenly exclaimed. Misty shook her head, ignoring his antics. You got used to Ash sometimes spouting things like that or making declarations. He was such a kid sometimes. Ash clenched his fist towards the City. ¡°Pikachu, we¡¯re going to win our first gym badge and overtake Gary! ¡°Pfft!¡± Misty snorted as she stood up and spat out some leaves. Overtake a guy that was driving a car and likely a week ahead of them now? Yeah, good luck with that! ¡°Pika Pi!¡± said Pikachu as the small yellow mouse leapt from Ash¡¯s shoulders, the cute little mouse pokemon rose to his toes and his nose twitched as he inspected to see if Misty was alright. Misty felt her anger trickle away at that. ¡°Oh, Misty?¡± Ash said, turning to look at her with some worry. Misty tilted her head and felt something shift in her hair causing her to stiffen as it continued to move. ¡°What¡¯s in my hair?¡± she said through clenched teeth. Ash didn¡¯t say anything, instead reaching for an empty pokeball. ¡°Don''t move!¡± ¡°Do not throw that pokeball at me!¡± she hissed. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± he said sternly, drawing his arm back. ¡°You don¡¯t need that¡ª¡± Ash threw the ball, and whatever had been on her head responded by leaping out of the way and the pokeball to slammed into Misty¡¯s face. She fell back into the bushes again and lay there for a while. ¡°Damn! It got away!¡± Ash said before walking over to her. ¡°Sorry about that! It was a Spinarak!¡± Misty whimpered before her eyes narrowed as Ash leaned over her. ¡°Are you alrigh¡ª¡± Misty responded with a strong right fist to his face, sending him flying. She then rose to unleash a scathing attack on why you don¡¯t throw pokeballs at people¡¯s faces. Ash stared at her once she was done. ¡°Should I have had Pikachu shock it first?¡± Pikachu slapped his little paw into his face. Misty felt her brow titch and she scooped up the mouse and grumbled as she walked past Ash and towards warm showers, clean clothes, a nice bed, and best of all, no more bug pokemon! Ash caught up and shot Pikachu a betrayed look before regaining his usual pep within a minute. ¡°So! Today is the day I¡¯ll fight Pewter¡¯s gym leader! Brock!¡± ¡°Wooooh Brock!¡± shouted some locals that happened to be out picnicking on the hills overlooking the city. A cheer went up at this before the group of people laughed happily and returned to what they had been eating. Misty blushed, realising that she¡¯d likely put on a bit of a show for the picnickers before she stoically marched on. She glanced at Ash. ¡°Ash we still have to make it to Pewter and there¡¯s no guarantee that we¡¯ll be able to get you in to challenge Brock before the end of the day.¡¯ ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter! I can wait! Or¡­ I¡¯ll find him when¡ª¡± ¡°That never works Ash. Have you been reading that silly comic about the ten-year-old that completed the entire circuit in a few months and then became Champion on their first circuit?¡± Ash coughed and looked away. ¡°I have the limited edition¡­¡± He trailed off in the face of Misty¡¯s unimpressed gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to the gym. Then you can get a match, and if you do well enough, maybe, just maybe, you might be able to afford¡­¡± Misty frowned. Ash had to pay someone¡­ he owed her something, what did he¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go Pikachu! Last one there¡¯s a rotten egg Misty!¡± Ash shouted all of a sudden, making Pikachu leap from her arms to give chase. ¡°Hey! Ash, no fair!¡± she said as Ash took off running. Misty ran after him shouting the entire way until they reached the outskirts of Pewter City. Ash leaned against a handy sign and heaved in the air. ¡°See Misty! We just needed to run, then we¡¯d make it in one burst.¡± He sucked in another lungful of air. ¡°Wh-where is the gym?¡± he said leaning back against the sign, blocking what was on it. Misty scowled from her bent-over position. ¡°H-how sh-should I know? There''s usually some signs around though!¡± She jerked her head into the city. ¡°I think I can see something up there.¡± Ash straightened up to grab Misty. ¡°Hey! Ash, didn¡¯t your mother ever tell you not to drag a lady?¡± Ash stared at her. ¡°Yeah and?¡± Misty felt her eye twitch before she unleashed another straight right that Ash dodged this time. ¡°Urgh! You¡¯re impossible sometimes!¡± She grabbed Pikachu up into her arms and snuggled up to the most tolerable part of hanging out with Ash. ¡°Cha!¡± said Pikachu as he nuzzled into her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s right Pikachu! Ash is a big dummy. Now let¡¯s find the gym!¡± Ash grumbled after her and Misty grinned to herself as she forced him to follow along like a well-trained Growlithe. Eventually, they found a very old-looking sign. ¡°You¡¯d think Brock would be able to afford better signs having won against Lance like he did,¡± Misty said. Her fist tapped on her chin in thought. The odd wagon symbol next to it. That meant something¡­ what was it? ¡°This can¡¯t be right. Is that symbol a heritage symbol?¡± ¡°Misty, it¡¯s a sign; people wouldn¡¯t just leave signs up like this! Come on, let''s go!¡± Ash said. This time, when he reached out to grab her, he received a glare that had him thinking better. Instead, he straightened up and walked forward at a much more controlled pace. Within a few minutes, they found themselves in front of a large derelict-looking building with tape over the front declaring it a hazard. Ash rubbed his chin. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like I thought it would?¡± ¡°Ash, I think this is the old gym that Brock abandoned. It doesn¡¯t look like it''s been well looked after¡­¡± Misty said while inching into a better position to see into the rather creepy darkness of the gym. Ash shook his head. ¡°Maybe it just looks this way?¡± He waved a hand up at the boulder that rested atop the gym. ¡°I mean look at it! It¡¯s a giant rock which is perfect for Brock as a Rock-type gym trainer!¡± He pulled a map out from his bag and raised it up. ¡°It¡¯s the right place according to the map.¡± ¡°Ash, I can¡¯t see a gym trainer like Brock running his gym from this building. Also Ash, that map of yours is years out of date! Just buy a pokenav! They¡¯re way better! No way this is the actual gym!¡± Instead of agreeing, Ash gained a mulish look in his eyes. Misty wanted to facepalm. She¡¯d only been with Ash for a little over two weeks or so now, but she understood what that expression meant. ¡°She¡¯s right you know young man,¡± said an intruding voice, cutting through Ash¡¯s Tauros headedness in an instant. Ash and Misty jumped on the spot; as one, they whirled around to find a very scruffy-looking man standing behind them. They both relaxed. It was just an old man. The man smiled genially at them. ¡°Did you come here looking to challenge the Pewter City gym Leader?¡± the man asked. ¡°Yeah, that''s right!¡± Ash said, stepping up and clenching his fist to show how determined he was. The man looked up at the old building with its tape that announced it as a hazard and an area to be avoided. ¡°Well, Gym Leader Brock won¡¯t come around here anymore. He took over a number of years ago and since then he has built a newer facility to face his challengers. He has a large building out of town.¡± The man pointed back the way they had come. ¡°It¡¯s off the main route into Pewter. There are signs and everything. I¡¯m surprised you ended up here of all places.¡± ¡°Uhhhh! Really?¡± Ash glanced back at the building. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°Yes, in fact, I just came from there. If you¡¯d like, I can walk you out to the gym?¡± ¡°Would you?¡± said Ash jubilantly. Misty approached. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, kind sir, that would probably save us a lot of hassle.¡± ¡°Hmmm It¡¯s not an issue at all. And please just call me Flint!¡± said the man as he turned and gestured for them to follow him to the actual Pewter City gym. Misty glanced back at the old gym. It seemed sad to see it so neglected. She glanced at the entryway and noted a lot of footprints leading in and out of the door. It seemed someone was still coming here though. Misty swivelled her gaze around to the rather scruffily dressed man. Ah! He had dirt the same colour all over his shoes like he¡¯d been scuffing around the old gym. Misty followed next to Ash and Flint, Ash kept up a running commentary of all that they¡¯d run into over the last week. When he reached a particularly untrue part Misty had to butt in however, ¡°Ash, you didn¡¯t take on those Beedrill all alone! Kid Samurai was also there to help out with his Pinsir and I had my Staryu!¡± Ash waved her off, ¡°Yeah, but it was my Butterfree that was able to take them all down!¡± ¡°That¡¯s impressive, young man. Swarms of Beedrill can be very dangerous to handle. It was quite brave.¡± Ash leaned around Flint and pulled down his eyelid with his tongue sticking out. Misty raised her fist. ¡°What are you?! Nine? Grow up already!¡± She growled at his antics as she stuck her own tongue out. Ash made a show of sniffing and sticking his nose up. Misty held in her anger. She didn¡¯t want to seem too rough in front of a stranger. Flint merely watched their byplay with an amused expression. ¡°You¡¯re much like my children in how they act with each other!¡± Ash made a gagging nose. ¡°Me and Misty, no way! She¡¯s only sticking around cause¡­¡± Misty blinked, why was she sticking around again? She narrowed her eyes. She¡¯d forgotten something, what with how their trip had them running around. It had all been so quick even if it dragged on a little. ¡°Hey! You owe me for my bike!¡± she said as she recalled how they had met because Ash had stolen her bike only to char grill it. Ash clapped his hands together and bowed his head. ¡°Sorry! Sorry! I¡¯ll make it up to you, I swear!¡± ¡°Yeah, you better!¡± she said, stymied from hitting Ash again but pleased that he at least seemed to be holding onto his promise. Flint merely laughed once more. When they reached the crest of the hill they all stopped and gaped as they viewed the Pewter gym. ¡°Woah!¡± Ash said, his eyes darting around. ¡°There¡¯s so many people and pokemon down there!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s a lot of people but look at all the facilities! There¡¯s at least eight battle courts! A range for pokemon of all sort! Oh my gosh, look people are allowed to let out their pokemon! Look at all the water types!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen some of those pokemon! Who¡¯s that pokemon?¡± Ash whipped out his pokedex and began to scan the area as they walked down. ¡°Sharpedo, the brutal pokemon! Sharpedo are thought to roam the oceans in ¡®packs¡¯. Large enough packs cause disruption to shipping and in some areas, cut off access to entire continents.¡± Misty glanced towards the pokemon in question and hummed. It was a rather well-known, if notorious, pokemon. Its rough skin made it very tough to train. Misty coughed to get Flint¡¯s attention. ¡°What are those pillars of stone for?¡± she said, gesturing to numerous raised rocks that had writing all over them slightly off the main track. A number of younger trainers were reading them and taking notes. ¡°Those are survival guides. You can find all sorts of recommendations on them, such as how to navigate caves or more importantly get out of caves. There¡¯s information on how to forage. How to set pokemon battle wagers so you can afford the wager and get a warm meal. Where to find shelter and the importance of respecting nature unless you¡¯re looking to have certain Grass types pursue you.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Huh, wow!¡± Misty began to drift towards them, curious to read them. There¡¯d already been a number of times so far during their trips through Viridian that she wouldn¡¯t have minded having a little more variety in their meals. She hadn¡¯t known which mushrooms were safe. Not that it stopped Ash from gobbling most things down and not showing any ill effects. The guy had an iron stomach, that was sure for sure. ¡°Misty we don¡¯t have time for that! I need to challenge Brock!¡± Ash said, grabbing her and Flint. A few trainers that were lingering around looked over only to snigger at them for some reason. Misty suspected she knew why. Ash bristled. ¡°What¡¯re you laughing at!?¡± ¡°You,¡± one man said with a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s hilarious how you think you¡¯re just gonna waltz in and challenge Brock. Ahhh baby trainers are so adorable!¡± ¡°Oh yeah! Who¡¯s gonna stop me! You?¡± ¡°Ash you don¡¯t need to¡ª¡± Misty started to say. ¡°You know what I think I might!¡± said the other guy brandishing his own pokeball. ¡°Follow me if you think you¡¯re ¡®Hard enough¡¯!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so hard, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll!¡± Misty facepalmed as she followed Ash along. They were obviously hitting below the belt with that comment, but Ash was so innocent it may as well have been a swing and a miss. It still made him growl and splutter. Instead of walking into the gym proper, they marched around to the side and found themselves negotiating for access to a Battle court with a young blue-haired girl accompanied by a beautiful floating pokemon. Next to them, a brown-haired girl of similar age was playing the guitar. An older gentleman was standing next to her and pointing out where to place her fingers on the strings as they worked through a song. ¡°Lunatone, the meteorite pokemon. Lunatone is believed by some people to have come from outer space. It moves around actively during full moons, and its powerful red eyes instill fear in the hearts of the wicked,¡± chimed Ash¡¯s pokedex. Misty approached carefully. ¡°Can I pet it?¡± ¡°You may pet her,¡± said the girl. ¡°This is Selene. She¡¯s mine.¡± The Lunatone trilled in a way that Misty interpreted as admonishing which drew a giggle out of her. She ran her hands over the smooth yet warm rock. Selene shut one eye and nuzzled into her. ¡°She¡¯s beautiful,¡± Misty said, before stiffening. ¡°For a rock type that is!¡± Selene retracted herself and turned away. Misty blanched realising she¡¯d accidentally put her foot in her mouth. ¡°No, I mean you¡¯re pretty! Gorgeous even! It¡¯s just that I like water types!¡± Ash and his opponent snickered before pushing their way into the battle court. ¡°Better luck next time Misty,¡± Ash said as he squared his shoulders. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and performed some stretches. ¡°You wanna fight buddy?¡± Pikachu made a thoughtful face before nodding and running out in front. ¡°Pika!¡± ¡°Huh, a Pikachu? Well alright let¡¯s see how you go against my Kingo~¡± he drew out a pokeball with a web pattern that Misty recognised as a netball. ¡°Go Kingo!¡± shouted the guy as a Beedril was revealed. Misty stepped back quickly and shut the court to seal it off. No more bugs! Her mind screeched as he darted back to the blue-haired girl and her friend on the guitar. Then she relaxed. She then blushed when the blue-haired girl pointed out the barrier around the battle court. The girl and her musician friend stiffened when an explosion rang out and they suddenly had to run to that court with ¡®Selene¡¯ clearing a path for them both. Misty slumped a little, she¡¯d been hoping to talk with them a little. Oh well, at least there was now a barrier between her and the bug. It was fine! Everything was fine! Then her traitorous eyes glanced upwards and noted that there was no roof and the Beedrill could just¡ª She shook her head back and forth then put her hands to her mouth. ¡°You got this Ash! Pikachu¡¯s strong against flying types!¡± ¡°Heh! I remember! Beedrills are nothing for me now!¡± Ash rubbed at his nose and puffed out his chest. Pikachu sparked his cheeks in agreement. A terminal between the two trainers chimed a tone. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready! Deploy pokemon now!¡± Ash tilted his head. ¡°Uhm we already have?¡± The terminal continued without listening, but then again it wasn¡¯t as if it was being operated by anyone that Misty could see. ¡°Ash it¡¯s just a recording telling you the rules for the space. Lots of rookie trainers use areas like this and they aren¡¯t always supervised! Just go over and select ¡°Start Fight¡± and it will start a countdown for you both!¡± ¡°Oh right!¡± Ash said as he ran over and tapped on the screen. ¡°Rules, training situations, pokemon agility training. Trainer fitness routines? Tennis? Oh! Here it is! Start Fight!¡± ¡°Thank you Trainer for choosing Pewter Gym battle court we will now count down from 10 seconds. If you require attention for any reason, call out ¡®assistance¡¯, and a Pewter Gym Trainer will be summoned! Ready!? Ten, nine¡ª¡± Misty hunkered down and got ready to watch the bug get zapped. ¡°Begin!¡± chimed the terminal with a smiley face that for some reason had a duck-like pokemon waddling across the screen beneath it. Misty ignored that oddity and instead watched as Ash and the other trainer swept their hands forward. ¡°Kingo! Use Quick attack!¡± ¡°Pikachu, use Thundershock!¡± Ash said in return. Misty watched as the electric attack shot forward only to miss as the Beedrill blurred to the side and then straight into Pikachu as soon as the attack finished. ¡°Uh! Pikachu! Thundershock again!¡± ¡°Now retreat!¡± ordered the other trainer. The Beedrill shot backwards. Ash gritted his teeth and his eyes narrowed. ¡°So you¡¯re pokemon¡¯s pretty fast huh? Well so¡¯s Pikachu! Pikachu, use Tackle!¡± ¡°Tackle? Pfft! That¡¯s a baby move for a baby pokemon. Avoid it and go for Poison Jab, Beedril!¡± Once more Pikachu¡¯s attack, this time seeing his body thrown at the opponent whiffed only for the Beedrill to stab forward. ¡°Pikachu! Dodge it!¡± Pikachu tucked his shoulder and rolled out of the way in time to avoid the stinger that lanced through the air. Ash released a sigh of relief. ¡°Now use Thundershock while it¡¯s over-extended!¡± ¡°Quick¡ª¡± before the trainer could get his pokemon out of there Ash¡¯s Pikachu latched onto the stinger with both hands and an evil-looking grin as his cheeks sparked. ¡°Chu!¡± shouted Pikachu as lightning surrounded them. Beedrill twitched once and tried to step back only for it to spasm again and fall to the ground. ¡°Urgh! Damnit he¡¯s paralysed. I concede, kid. Damn it Kingo, looks like it wasn¡¯t our day.¡± The Beedrill nodded sadly and buzzed over to its trainer who pulled out some potions and a yellow bottle of some sort. ¡°Ha! Yes! We did it, Pikachu!¡± Ash cried out happily. ¡°Pi! Pikachu!¡± shouted the very chatty Pikachu as it trotted up to Ash. ¡°Nice one Ash! Way to go Pikachu!¡± Misty cried out, happy that the bug was defeated. ¡°Your friend¡¯s pokemon is rather quick on its feet.¡± Misty flinched before remembering that she had come here with another person. She hadn¡¯t realised they¡¯d stuck around. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s always been pretty strong.¡± ¡°I think his pokemon¡¯s Thundershocks are more like Thunderbolts in truth,¡± said Flint as he rubbed his chin. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Misty said as another trainer from the group that had been laughing at Ash marched onto the battle court. ¡°My turn, kid!¡± announced the trainer. Ash grinned and accepted. Flint hummed. ¡°Most of the difference is power and accuracy. Thundershock is a weaker move, but it has slightly better accuracy. Most consider it a good trade off for the stopping power though.¡± Ash must have been listening in as the next fight saw him starting with ¡°Thunderbolt Pikachu!¡± When the opponent¡¯s Rattata went down another trainer marched in. Ash laughed. ¡°Hah! I don¡¯t care how many you bring against me! I¡¯ll beat you all!¡± Misty sighed to herself. ¡°He¡¯s completely forgotten why we came here hasn¡¯t he?¡± She settled in and watched Ash fight with Pikachu. When he tired out Pidgeotto came out and then finally Butterfree after Ash¡¯s fifth match. Ash staggered up to the gate with slightly slumped shoulders despite his attempts to stand tall. ¡°Heh! Knew I could do it!¡± ¡°Nice one Ash, you¡¯ve won a lot of matches today. Were you still going to challenge the Gym Leader with your pokemon this tired?¡± Flint watched on, his presence not being a constant as he¡¯d instead chosen to drift around and watch other fights. At one time, when a trainer had called out an Explosion move he¡¯d started running away only to come back a few minutes later with a frown. His hands had been very twitchy. He had waved it off but Misty could recognise when someone was struggling. Her own parents¡¯ had explained their own hang-ups to her, so she could sympathise if he had to get some air after hearing that move. Ash stood bolt upright. ¡°Eh! Oh no!¡± He looked up into the sun. ¡°It¡¯s almost midday!¡± Misty sighed. ¡°Ash¡­ how about we get you a watch so you don¡¯t have to look into the sun to work out what time it is?¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t need one?¡± he said while wiping his watering eyes. Misty sighed. ¡°I swear if I wasn¡¯t around, you¡¯d be twice as lost by now.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ash said with a smirk. ¡°I seem to recall that you ran off screaming when you woke up with a Weedle in your bed one morning, that led to us wasting an entire day trying to find the way back.¡± ¡°We found a sign!¡± Misty looked to the side as they approached the Gym¡¯s main doors. ¡°Eventually¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Oh that Gary!¡± Ash said to himself. Misty shook her head. She had no idea why Ash was so fixated on his childhood friend like that. It was kind of cute how they kept encountering small signs teasing Ash along the route. It would drive Ash into fits to find them. Although they probably encountered one sign at least four times due to going in circles. When the glass doors slid open Misty and Ash blinked in surprise when they ran into a large open area that was filled with trainers and the occasional pokemon. ¡°Urgh! What¡¯re all these people here for?¡± Ash crept to the side to peer around them. A girl at the back shot her arm out. ¡°No cutting!¡± ¡°What¡¯re you in the line for?¡± Ash asked. ¡°Duh! To sign up to challenge the Gym Leader.¡± She gestured to the front where a long desk with glass separated the people on the other side. The whole queue looked like it was actually being processed rather quickly with only twenty or so actually ahead of them but it still surprised Misty to see so many trainers here. Cerulean never got this much attention. ¡°Why¡¯re there so many trainers here today?¡± ¡°Today?¡± The girl snorted. ¡°Try for the last two weeks! Apparently, there¡¯s way, way more trainers applying for the Kanto circuit this year! The conference is going to be nuts, but it¡¯s making it tough if you want to challenge the good gym leaders! I¡¯ve heard some other trainers aren¡¯t willing to wait for Brock and they¡¯ve moved on to the other gyms like Erika, Surge, the Cerulean sisters, or some of the lesser gyms.¡± ¡°Wait? How many people are there challenging this year?¡± Misty said, suddenly worried about how things were back home. Her sisters¡­ she¡­ lo¡­ tolerated them, but they could be terrible at running the gym! She¡¯d had the biggest fight with them when she¡¯d learned they¡¯d needed help from the other gyms to pass their audit. The fact that they¡¯d tried to hide that they¡¯d even been audited from her had been enough to make her see red. The girl shrugged. ¡°No idea, but there¡¯s a ton. Everyone¡¯s saying as much. It¡¯s going to make it interesting though. Lots of places are supposedly putting on festivals or trying to get trainers to stick around.¡± She turned fully but kept her place in the line as it advanced. ¡°I¡¯m Heidi by the way!¡± ¡°Misty, and this is Ash.¡± Misty waved towards the boy next to her who was squinting towards the boards that hung over the receptionists¡¯ desks. ¡°Gauntlet Challenge?¡± he said, reading the boards. ¡°Oh wow, that¡¯s a lot of money I can win!¡± Misty snorted but looked up only to find that the prize money for winning was very lucrative. ¡°Wow, they pay out well here, don¡¯t they¡­¡± She looked over each challenge board, chewing her lip in thought. That was way more than Cerulean paid out... ¡°They don¡¯t offer as much for the Elite Challenge? Oh, wait, it¡¯s marked as off-limits for now.¡± ¡°Supposedly you gain a special badge if you can do it on your first go but there is a small payout if you win. People only try it for the bragging rights,¡± Heidi said before waving her hands to a pair of doors off to the side. In front of the doors, a pair of Gravelers stood with large sunglasses on their faces. They looked like security guards and they seemed to enjoy playing up their little act as they flexed at each other and rejected anyone that approached with large stoney hands. ¡°Apparently there¡¯s an Ace challenge going on right now,¡± Heidi said before sighing loudly. ¡°I¡¯d have loved to see it, but I only got in an hour ago and despite coming right here I doubt I¡¯ll be going anywhere.¡± She waved around, indicating the number of people loitering and challenging others to matches outside. ¡°Might even have to camp out tonight with how full-up the Pokemon centre is going to be.¡± Misty grimaced. She didn¡¯t need to sniff herself to know she was a little strong on the nose. She¡¯d been camping for the last week at least and she had been looking forward to having a shower. ¡°Will this line hurry up!¡± Ash said as he bounced from foot to foot. Heidi watched him for a moment then shared a look with Misty. Misty knew he wasn¡¯t going to like what he found when he got to the front of the line. While they waited, they chatted with Heidi, or at least Misty did. Occasionally they would hear a loud noise like a pokemon move impacting something or the crowd next door cheering loudly. At one point a man had hurried up to the Graveler¡¯s and produced a ticket which saw him pass. In that moment Misty had gotten to peer in and see the battlefield. It looked like an ancient pokemon flying around against another but Misty couldn¡¯t make out what it was. Ash had buzzed in place. ¡°That was an Aerodactyl!¡± He¡¯d then busied himself flicking through his pokedex to find its entry. ¡°Aerodactyl, the fossil pokemon. Once considered extinct due to the number of fossils discovered of it. It has recently been discovered in extremely remote locations. However, their population is still not in the double digits and is thus considered Endangered. Research laboratories are investigating options to revive the pokemon through the genetic material found in fossils.¡± Heidi had perked up at that. ¡°Oh! You got yourself a pokedex too? Which professor is sponsoring you?¡± She produced her own pokedex. ¡°I got mine from Professor Elm along with my pokemon Bubbles!¡± From her hip a small crocodile pokemon appeared and waved shyly. Heidi picked the pokemon up which seemed to soothe it. Misty highly approved of this and began happily discussing the Johto starter pokemon Totodile. Twenty minutes later saw them at the front desk. Ash was not pleased by this development for long however as he slammed his hands down on the bench between himself and the old receptionist. ¡°What! What do you mean I have to wait two weeks until the next slot to challenge Brock?¡± The old woman behind the desk blinked at him blearily. ¡°Oh dear, are you hard of hearing as well? I¡¯m sorry I thought it was only me!¡± She made a show of adjusting her hearing aids before speaking louder, ¡°You see young man! The gym can only take on so many challengers at once, and everyone wants to challenge Brock. So they have booked in times to challenge him. The next booking that is free is not for¡­ Oh dear it¡¯s now two and a half weeks, it looks like someone else booked in that slot while we were talking!¡± Misty glanced aside and bit her fist to stop herself from giggling uncontrollably. Ash stared in shock. ¡°But! But! I want to fight him now!¡± ¡°Most do!¡± said the woman. ¡°Would you like to book an appointment for a few week''s time?¡± Ash drooped as if all of his prior energy was suddenly spent. ¡°Okay¡­¡± he said morosely. ¡°Could I have your trainer I.D please?¡± Ash handed over his pokedex and this was inserted into the computer. The woman adjusted her spectacles and tapped away at the computer. Eventually, she nodded her head. ¡°Very well! We have you all booked in! Best of luck young man! Our Boulder badge is not one so easy to claim!¡± ¡°I guess. Thanks Granny.¡± ¡°Ash! Don¡¯t call her Granny!¡± Misty said, mortified at the pre-teen¡¯s forwardness. The woman merely laughed and waved them off. Ash tilted his head. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Ash you shouldn¡¯t call an old person a Granny or a Grampa just cause they''re old, they might not be and it can be rude. You only say it to your own Granny and Grampa.¡± ¡°But, I don¡¯t have one of my own? I just have Mum? We have a group of old ladies though, and growing up they used to let us call them Granny back in Pallet.¡± Misty opened her mouth to ask before realising why Ash wouldn¡¯t have a Granny or Grampa. Right. Some people didn¡¯t have parents. Her own had been¡­ She swallowed and nodded. ¡°Right. Well, we need to find some accommodation for tonight. You need to get your pokemon seen to and then¡­¡± Misty tilted her head. ¡°What are we going to do for three weeks until you can challenge the Gym Leader?¡± Ash got a glint in his eyes as he exited the gym. ¡°I¡¯m going to fight him sooner if I can.¡± Misty really didn¡¯t like the way he said that. ¡°Ash don¡¯t do anything stupid!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Ash said with a look that made Misty just know that he¡¯d locked onto an idea but his brain had not actually thought anything through. Misty rubbed her forehead. ¡°Let¡¯s just get some food and find a place to sleep before you try whatever you¡¯re going to try.¡± Chapter 78 - Boys will be boys! ¡°Alright Ash. Let¡¯s hear your plan,¡± said Misty as she stared at her travelling companion. They hadn¡¯t been able to find any available accommodation and so instead they had set up their tent in an open field which saw them camping out close to the old derelict gym. ¡°Right! All we have to do is find Brock and challenge him to earn the badge!¡± Ash waved the stick he¡¯d been poking the fire with around. The glowing tip swung about and Misty tracked it carefully. She wasn¡¯t going to repeat their fourth day¡¯s problem of a small fire turning into a tree near the road only being useful for charcoal now. They¡¯d decided to get off the main roads after that little screw-up. Misty doubted Officer Jenny would have let them off with a warning. Misty let her hand track to her pokeball belt. She hadn¡¯t been close enough to see what had caused the issue. She still didn¡¯t believe Ash that Team Rocket had caused the entire affair. Ash noticed what her eyes were tracking. ¡°Sorry!¡± Misty put her hand to her face. ¡°Be more careful, and also¡­ Ash¡­ that¡¯s not going to work.¡± Ash stared at her in shock. ¡°Sure it will! You just need to beat a gym leader to earn a badge, duh! Everyone knows that!¡± ¡°What she means, young Ash, is that Brock already has a lot of demands on his time,¡± said another voice. Misty shot into a standing position and a pokeball was halfway out of her grasp before she recognised the voice. ¡°Oh, Mr Flint! Sorry I didn¡¯t see you there!¡± Flint gave a small laugh, his head turning towards the derelict gym. Misty remembered the footprints she¡¯d seen walking in and out of the building. ¡°Are you¡­ staying in the old gym sir? That can¡¯t be safe! It¡¯s been abandoned!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m something of a Rock-type specialist myself. I¡¯ve shored up the walls with my pokemon.¡± He looked up at the old gym building. ¡°This old girl isn¡¯t about to collapse anytime soon¡­¡± Misty opened her mouth only to shut it. Somehow she didn¡¯t think he was talking about just the gym. She settled for sitting back down and coughing. ¡°Well, it¡¯s still not the safest option.¡± She peered up at him. ¡°What did you mean about Brock having lots of demands on his time?¡± Flint went still only to then relax. Misty frowned. What had that been about? Flint took a seat near their fire. ¡°Well, Brock¡­ obviously he wasn¡¯t always the Gym Leader. The Gym Leader before Brock was Brock¡¯s father. He¡­ used to be strong but he kept feeling like he was lacking in a lot of ways. Brock at the time had been on his own journey much like you young trainers.¡± Flint smiled at the two. Misty and Ash both returned their own. ¡°Sadly¡­ the previous Gym Leader abandoned his gym as he felt like he was no longer the right person to handle the duty so he called back Brock and had him take over the gym.¡± ¡°Urgh, having it dumped on you like that would be the worst! My¡­¡± Misty croaked as she suddenly felt her words drying up in throat. Ash stared at her but Flint gave her a commiserating look. ¡°Ahem never mind!¡± Ash turned to Flint. ¡°So Brock had to take over for his dad? That doesn¡¯t sound so bad!¡± Flint snorted. ¡°The previous Gym Leader didn¡¯t just leave Brock with his gym but also the rest of his family. All nine little siblings.¡± ¡°Nine!¡± Misty said in shock. ¡°Urgh! What a schmuck! I bet he ditched his wife as well!¡± ¡°No¡­ she¡¯d departed a few months after their youngest twins were born, but she promised to come back! Eventually, that is.¡± ¡°Urgh they both sound horrible,¡± Misty said, pushing her own stick into the fire. She didn¡¯t see Flint shift uncomfortably. She sniffed. ¡°If they were this bad what did the previous Gym Leader do to deserve the gym?¡± Flint stared into the fire and ran his hand over a set of scars on his hand. His eyes stared deep into the fire, his mind lost in a time far away from the current moment. Eventually, he answered with a shrug, ¡°Who can say? The League usually keeps such details to themselves. The Gym is much better off now with Brock at the helm.¡± He waved a hand at the old gym. ¡°As you¡¯ve seen.¡± A grin reappeared on the dour man¡¯s face. ¡°He even beat the Champion!¡± a note of pride entered his voice. Ash hummed. ¡°Wow, you sure know a lot about Brock and the Pewter gym!¡± He put a finger to his chin. ¡°You¡¯re also a rock specialist and you¡¯ve been camping out in the old gym¡­¡± ¡°Urgh! That is! I have been¡ª¡± ¡°You must be part of his fan club!¡± Ash said as he smacked a fist into his other hand. Pikachu who¡¯d been sitting next to him fell over backwards. ¡°Pika!'''' The small electric mouse approached Flint and turned to Ash before pinching the other parts of his eyes and making them squint like Flint. ¡°Knock it off Pikachu! We get it, he¡¯s a fan of Brock!¡± Ash said, waving his hand. Pikachu let out a sigh and a shake of his head as he trudged over to Misty. Misty tilted her head. She felt like something had just been missed. But she couldn¡¯t fault Ash¡¯s logic. She did feel guilty when Pikachu looked at her with expectant eyes. She hugged him up to her chest. Poor little guy must be looking for some warmth. He sighed again. Misty smiled at her good instincts. Flint laughed and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Ha! Yes! I suppose you could say I am Brock¡¯s biggest fan! I certainly try and make it to all his matches!¡± ¡°Yeah! I never knew he was so good until I saw him fighting Lance! His Tyranitar is so cool!¡± Ash clenched his fist and grinned as he got a gleam in his eyes. ¡°But we can take him!¡± He looked over to Pikachu. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right buddy?¡± Pikachu raised a hesitant thumbs up that did nothing to dim Ash¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°We just need to find him!¡± Misty was about to berate him for forgetting everything they¡¯d just spoken about only for a boom to fill the air. Misty shot to her feet and whipped around. Ash was a few seconds behind her in standing and surveying their surroundings. ¡°Is it Team Rocket again?¡± Ash said, his hand going to his belt. A laugh had them looking to find Flint chuckling to himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but no, it¡¯s just the festival''s fireworks!¡± ¡°Fireworks?¡± Ash said. They turned and looked up to see a streak of red shooting up into the air where it boomed into a large display of light. ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± Misty said in realisation before giggling. ¡°That was silly of me. Of course, it¡¯s just fireworks.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a festival going on?¡± Ash said, staring up at the fireworks. Pikachu leapt from Misty¡¯s arms to Ash¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Pika-Pi!¡± said the pokemon gesturing towards the fireworks, his tail wagging excitedly. ¡°Looks like Pikachu wants to go to the festival!¡± Ash pointed his hand towards the distant festival before he began to march off. ¡°Ash! Wait up! I¡¯m coming too!¡± Misty said as she moved to follow. Flint stayed by the fire. ¡°Have fun kids!¡± Ash waved, happy to continue on. Misty gave the man a final look as they left. Didn¡¯t he seem¡­ really sad? Misty turned away. She might get him a dessert from the festival to show her thanks for his commentary for the day. He¡¯d been very helpful, especially in helping them find the real Pewter Gym. But that was for later, now was the time to see if there was anything great at the local festival! She hurried to match Ash¡¯s annoyingly faster pace. She might be taller than him but he had a lot of energy that made up for it in the speed department whenever they ran anywhere. As they got closer to the festival proper, more and more people filled the streets. Ash kept up his headlong sprint. Just as Ash was starting to get lost in the crowd, Misty called out to him, ¡°Ash! Slow down! You¡¯re going to run into someon¡ª¡± Misty tripped and staggered to the side only to run into a boy that had been walking with some of his friends. ¡°Urgh!¡± grunted the boy. ¡°Oh my gosh! I¡¯m so sorry about that!¡± Misty said, mortified as she straightened up to find herself being held up by the surprisingly strong hands of a boy that looked no older than herself. The boy¡­ looked familiar for some reason? He was olive-skinned. His dark brown hair rested on his head with small spikes that were messily spread out. His rather cute blush let Misty know he wasn¡¯t used to handling a lady. She smiled widely. ¡°Thanks for catching me!¡± ¡°Misty we don¡¯t have time to hang about, come on!¡± said Ash just as her saviour opened his mouth. Misty felt a hand clamp on her arm and drag her away before she could learn the name of the other boy. ¡°Ash!¡± she hissed at the rude boy. He continued to drag her through the crowd only to stop at a stand that surprisingly had a rather large gathering of people. She ignored that for now and rounded on Ash. ¡°Ash! That was rude!¡± He gave her a confused look. ¡°What do you mean? I came back for you? Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?¡± ¡°But I was¡­ Urgh! Never mind!¡± she said, stomping her foot. She looked around hoping that the other boy might have followed after him but Ash apparently was too quick. She sighed and turned to the stall that Ash had led them to. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ash grinned and swept his hands about like he was revealing some great secret. ¡°It¡¯s something that will guarantee my victory over the Pewter City gym!¡± Misty stared at the stall. It was, well, like any other stall that she¡¯s seen before at a market. More specifically, a farmers market. It had stacks of berries and melons piled up around with signs sprouting out of each pile of produce. Ash was gesturing to one set of signs. ¡°Charti Berry juice? Guaranteed to help against Rock types?¡± she said aloud. She gave Ash a pitying look. ¡°Ash? You know this doesn¡¯t work right?¡± ¡°Au contraire my dear customer!¡± said one of the stall¡¯s workers as they sidled up to Ash and Misty. ¡°We have proven testimonials of this juice helping young up-and-comer trainers defeat Brock and earn their first badge!¡± The man nodded his head back and forth as Misty stared at him dubiously. ¡°Do I know you?¡± she said as she stared into his eyes. They were behind thick glasses. He must have a crazy strong prescription. She glanced down at his name badge that said ¡®be nice! It¡¯s my first week!¡¯ and pronounced that his name was Julian. Another name had been written above it but it was scratched out and Misty couldn¡¯t make out what it said. ¡°Indeed!¡± said the female attendant as she hustled over with a berry in each hand. ¡°The Gym Leader has been having to print out more badges than normal thanks to these magical berries don¡¯t you know!¡± This woman had flowers through her hair to such a degree that Misty could only just pick out that her hair was a deep red. She also had a gardener¡¯s pesticide mask on. She also had the same ¡®it¡¯s my first week¡¯ badge that announced her as Jannette. ¡°What¡¯s the mask for?¡± ¡°I have to keep pests off the stock,¡± replied the woman without missing a beat while brandishing the broom she had in one hand. Misty glanced around carefully checking her surroundings for any bug pokemon. She relaxed when she saw she was fine. Ash bounced on the spot. ¡°This! This will be exactly what I need to help me beat Brock!¡± Both attendants nodded their heads. ¡°¡°Indeed! Indeed!¡±¡± they said together. They then pointed at the signs. ¡°What fruits will you be looking to purchase? The Charti berry is best for Brock¡¯s pokemon!¡± ¡°Soften up those hard-hitting rock types that¡¯s for sure!¡± chimed a third voice. Misty and Ash looked around but couldn¡¯t find who had spoken. ¡°But he does also have some ground types!¡± continued the male fruit seller. ¡°Need to watch out for shakey ground there!¡± chimed the voice once more. ¡°He also has some fighting-style moves!¡± the female seller indicated another tray of fruit declaring their effectiveness against fighting-type moves. ¡°Dodge, Duck, Dive, Dip and Divert! Certainly don¡¯t look to drag out the drama!¡± called out the third voice. Misty tilted her head. Where had she heard that nasal tone before? The man and the woman rubbed their hands together. ¡°So what berry would you like to purchase?¡± ¡°All of them! I want them blended up!¡± shouted Ash as he pointed to another sign that informed customers they could blend the fruit in the shop for a small additional fee that resulted in ¡®greater potential being unleashed¡¯. Misty gave a sheepish laugh at Ash¡¯s enthusiasm while the seller''s eyes glinted. ¡°Very good sir! Would you like the double pack for the buy two, pay two special?¡± the man said. Misty frowned. Something about that deal didn¡¯t seem right¡­ ¡°No! I want the six-pack!¡± Ash pointed at the sign. Misty and the two stall workers stopped together. ¡°Sir has a full team of pokemon?¡± asked the red-haired woman. Misty blinked. Ash hadn¡¯t demonstrated a full team to her! Did he have more than just Butterfree, Pidgeotto and Pikachu? Ash shook his head before gesturing to Pikachu riding on his shoulder. ¡°No! I¡¯m going to have Pikachu drink all six!¡± Misty and the fruit sellers stared at Ash. Pikachu blinked and then looked at the size of the juice cups. Misty could see he was multiplying the cups and coming up with a drink far too large for the little mouse to drink. She coughed politely. ¡°I think you meant you were going to share them out for your pokemon and us as well Ash.¡± Ash tilted his head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more effective the more Pikachu drinks?¡± ¡°Wow this kid doesn¡¯t get how juice works does he?¡± said the voice once more only for a small hunched-over form to hop up onto the table. Misty stared at the weirdly fluffed-up pokemon. ¡°Who¡¯s that pokemon?¡± Ash said as he shot up his pokedex. Only for Julian to stand in the way. ¡°Oh, sir! It¡¯s just a¡­ Mankey! That¡¯s it! A Mankey!¡± Misty leaned around Julian to stare at the fluffed-up pokemon. It certainly looked scruffy enough and it also had a curly tail¡­ ¡°Looks kinda short for a Mankey?¡± she said dubiously The Mankey bared its teeth at her. ¡°And you look kinda flat for a gir¡ª¡± The female attendant swatted the ¡®Mankey¡¯ with a broom. ¡°Damn pests!¡± she said. Misty nodded at the woman in soli¡ª She scowled when she realised the woman was actually a good deal curvier than her. Nevermind. No solidarity with this woman! Ash scratched his cheek. ¡°We sure do come across a lot of pokemon that know how to talk our language?¡± ¡°Pika-pi!¡± agreed Pikachu. Ash shrugged and opened his wallet. ¡°Six juices!¡± ¡°Right away sir!¡± chimed Julian the fruit stall worker as he bustled to create the juice while Jannette accepted Ash¡¯s money. They happily handed over the sixpack of juice and Misty was pleased to get one for herself. Deciding it might be nice for Staryu she summoned it out and poured some juice over its gem. ¡°Uhm, isn''t that wasting it?¡± Ash asked. ¡°No, this is how pokemon like Staryu and Starmie take in nutrients. They need to absorb them through their jewel. Most of the time they merely absorb sunlight but they like having other things every now and then as well!¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Ash said as he opened his other pokeballs to offer juice to his pokemon. Julian and Jannette got a strange glint in their eyes watching the group let their pokemon drink. They were about to speak before another woman approached while carrying a towering stack of trays with fruit on them. ¡°Julian! Jannette! I¡¯m not going to pay you for standing around! If things are finished with those trainers, then go rustle up some more business with your Mankey!¡± ordered the woman. Julian and Jannette snapped to attention. ¡°Right away ma¡¯am!¡± They both bustled off but not before reaching over a tray of berries to grab Mankey. ¡°Come on! Our bonus is on the line!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t monkeying around I swear!¡± said the Mankey. Misty watched them go with a shake of her head. When Staryu was done with his juice she returned it. Ash returned his pokemon. ¡°Haha! Watch out Brock, my pokemon are all powered up now!¡± The owner of the store nodded at them. ¡°Thanks for the business, make sure to come back if you need more berries for your pokemon!¡± Misty and Ash waved at her as they walked further into the middle of Pewter. They soon found themselves in a much busier area with personal space being practically nonexistent as people moved about. Various stands proclaimed their wares while in other areas lights flashed as men and women shouted their offers to draw people in. ¡°Come right up! Come right up! We¡¯ve got a man that can out-wrestle a Machamp! He¡¯s Musclio!¡± cried one man in front of a tent before gesturing to a huge muscle-bound man that flexed at the passers-by. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Step into the ring and win and you earn yourself a prize champion belt!¡± said to once be worn by Lance!¡± Ash whipped his head around. ¡°What?! Really! Is that true?¡± he called out. ¡°It is said!¡± said the crier with a nod. Misty rolled her eyes and dragged Ash on, ignoring his protests. As she walked away, a towering amazonian woman emerged from the crowd. ¡°I¡¯ll take that challenge,¡± she said with a glint in her eyes before ripping off her tracksuit to showcase a body honed beyond even Musclio. Musclio gulped in fear and Misty giggled only for Ash to drag her away. ¡°Try your hand at winning the most beautiful pokemon of the seas! A Milotic¡¯s pokeball rests within this lucky dip! Come! Buy your chance at this jewel of the sea!¡± cried another. Misty stopped dead in her tracks. Her head swivelled around slowly. ¡°What did he just say?¡± ¡°Misty, that''s obviously a scam!¡± Ash said before tilting his head. ¡°What¡¯s a Milotic?¡± Misty swept around on him. ¡°What¡¯s a Milotic? Ash! Milotic are known to be the most beautiful water-type pokemon to exist! Now come on! We need to win that pokemon!¡± Misty dug into her purse and approached the now-grinning man. ¡°Pewter City Police! This stall has been ripping people off with its false claims!¡± shouted Officer Jenny as she advanced with a group of men at her back. The man that had been about to take Misty¡¯s money blanched before throwing something. ¡°You¡¯ll never catch me alive coppers!¡± A cloud of smoke blossomed out and when it dispersed the man had vanished. Jenny released her Growlithe to give pursuit, leaving Misty standing in front of the stall despondent. An officer approached. ¡°Did he con you young miss? Take anything?¡± ¡°Only my hopes and dreams,¡± she said forlornly as she stared at the picture of the pokemon that the man had been ¡®offering¡¯ as a prize. Ash butt in with, ¡°Are those worth much?¡± Misty growled and swung an elbow into his gut. As they left she reached out and grabbed a photo to store away. One day, one day she¡¯d have a pokemon like this. Sadly her loss of hope had her slumping and not paying attention so when the next shiny object attracted Ash¡¯s attention and he ran off to inspect it she kept moving. When she looked up he was nowhere in sight. ¡°Urgh! Dang it Ash. I need to put a bell on you.¡± She began to move around, taking in the pokemon and people that had been brought together with the Pewter city festival. It was strange. She could swear she would have heard of something this big happening each year in Pewter having grown up in Cerulean. Still, it was a pleasant surprise. She wandered through some clothing stalls and checked out some water exploration gear that people were offering. There were even chartered trips out to a nearby lake that held her interest. Ash did say they were going to be here for a while with how long it would take to get through to Brock. She made a note to herself for later on. She turned from a stall that was selling festival bags with candy shaped like pokemon in each bag only to bump into someone. ¡°Sorry!¡± she said only to blink as she found herself face to face with the boy from earlier. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s you! Thanks for catching me earlier!¡± The boy blushed again. ¡°I-it wasn¡¯t a problem!¡± he said shyly. ¡°Hey Forrest, who''s this?¡± said a boy next to ¡®Forrest¡¯. ¡°Oh this is a girl that I caught when she tripped earlier,¡± said Forrest while shifting nervously. Misty smiled at him and he blushed redder. His reaction was kind of cute. His friend saw the blush and crowed in delight. ¡°Oh! Do you like her Forrest! Oooooh! Forrest likes a girl!¡± he said in an obnoxious tone. Forrest whipped around on him, ¡°I do not!¡± Another boy about their age joined the group only for another two to join right after him. ¡°Forrest has a girlfriend!?¡± they jeered. ¡°Shut up guys!¡± Forrest said heatedly. Misty sniffed at their childishness. ¡°I¡¯m not his girlfriend. And frankly, I¡¯m amazed he¡¯s your friend!¡± They boo¡¯d at her and Forrest turned to them. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not cool.¡± He then turned to her. ¡°No need to say things like that either Miss.¡± Deciding to not stick around with this group of mankeys she walked around to get away from their teasing. ¡°Neither¡¯s how they¡¯re acting. Nice to get your name Forrest, I¡¯m Misty I might see you around.¡± She looked back to find Forrest watching her. She offered him a half smile, and he brightened only to have one of his friends put an arm over his shoulder, and say something in his ear. With that done for now, she decided she¡¯d seen enough of the Festival and instead left for her tent. When she arrived, she found Ash sitting in front of a fire regaling Mr Flint about everything that he¡¯d seen at the Festival. ¡°And this super fat guy challenged Musclio! And instead of fighting him he jumped on him and sat on him like a snorlax! Musclio hadn¡¯t won a single match after that big woman got through with him!¡± Misty giggled at what sounded like a good story, settling in for the evening. At one point Flint headed into the old gym to use the still-working toilet. Ash had been content to sit and wait for him, his eyes turning towards the sky that was showing a few stars. ¡°Is it weird that I regret being in the city right now?¡± Ash said. ¡°No, sometimes that''s the best part of exploring the wilderness. Being able to simply look up and enjoy the stars.¡± Misty put a hand under her chin and joined Ash in watching the stars. Both of them were comfortable enough to simply sit quietly. In a bit they''d each crawl into their own tents and¡ª ¡°What are you doing?!¡± called out a voice. Misty and Ash sat up only to find Forrest and his group of friends stalking up to them from outside their campsite. Forrest, rather than looking contrite like Misty had last seen him, looked furious. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, camping out here!?¡± Misty stood up. ¡°We¡¯re just camping out cause there¡¯s no free rooms anywhere!¡± Ash followed her. ¡°Yeah! And what¡¯s it to you!?¡± he said with a defiant tone. Forrest inhaled like a Tauros that had just been challenged. ¡°This land is still in my family¡¯s name! Did you get permission from us to camp here?¡± Misty reeled back. ¡°Your family¡¯s?¡± Ash frowned. An answer came quickly enough that he stepped forward. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Brock? You look different than you do on Tv?¡± Misty stared at Ash. How could he think this was Brock? Brock was taller and ¡­ well¡­ a few other things. One of Forrest¡¯s friends laughed like some Mightyena goon. ¡°Hahaha! This kid¡¯s an idiot!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stupid!¡± Ash said with a growl. He pointed at Forrest. ¡°Who¡¯re you then?¡± The boy that had laughed stepped forward and gestured to Forrest. ¡°This is Forrest, the right-hand man and second in charge of the Pewter Gym! If he doesn¡¯t want to let you face Brock, you don¡¯t!¡± Forrest jutted his chin in a way that Misty found made him look kind of stupid, but this whole situation was getting into stupid boy territory¡­ Which now that she looked around made so much sense with only her to cool tempers. The boy that had introduced Forrest sniffed. ¡°You and your girlfriend aren¡¯t welcome here!¡± Misty bristled. ¡°I AM NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND!¡± she shouted, raising her fists. All the boys unconsciously took a step back. Forrest coughed. ¡°Oh, uhhh that¡¯s good?¡± he said with a small squeak. He coughed again and nodded firmly before crossing his arms. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change that you need to leave though. This is my family¡¯s land until the city lease we paid runs out.¡± Ash narrowed his eyes. ¡°I need to fight you to see Brock right?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Forrest said his own eyes locking with Ash¡¯s. ¡°Let¡¯s fight for it! You beat me and we¡¯ll leave! I win and you talk to Brock to face me¡­ tomorrow!¡± ¡°Ha! You¡¯ve got no chance!¡± crowed one of the boys in Forrest¡¯s gang. Forrest sniffed. ¡°Or I could just kick¡­¡± he paused as Flint emerged from the old gym doors. ¡°Is everything alright out here I heard¡­ Oh¡­ hello Forrest, you¡¯ve grown.¡± Misty instantly understood. Seeing Flint and Forrest together. It was obvious who Flint actually was. Forrest worked his jaw, and for a moment Misty thought she saw something glimmer in his eyes before he blinked a few times quickly. Ash glanced between them as the silence stretched. Forrest squared his jaw. ¡°We¡¯re fighting¡­¡± He pointed straight at Flint, ¡°And you¡¯re coming with us¡­ we¡¯ll talk after I deal with¡­ this.¡± Forrest waved his hand around the campsite. Then he jerked his head towards where the Pewter city gym was located. ¡°Come on,¡± he said, his voice turning a little raspy. The group of boys fell in with him. Ash hung back for Misty and Flint to join him. Misty glanced at Flint. ¡°Are¡­ you going to be okay?¡± she glanced at Forrest, the boy obviously didn¡¯t know what to do with this situation and was relying on fighting Ash to work through whatever this had turned into. Flint swallowed. ¡°This was going to happen eventually. I¡¯ve just been scared to meet with them¡­ this¡­ this is better than I hoped for.¡± ¡°What were you worried about?¡± Ash asked. ¡°Him punching me,¡± Flint said. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure this is better.¡± Ash rubbed his chin. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re his uncle then?¡± Misty stumbled in disbelief, she almost screamed at Ash, only for Flint to shake his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m his father¡­ I¡¯m the man that abandoned them.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Ash said quietly. He didn¡¯t say anything else and instead adopted a thoughtful silence. Thankfully, it only took five minutes of walking to reach the new gym from the old gym. You just had to know where to go. When theyarrived,d Forrest had a keycard that he used to open the front doors. He walked in and typed in a code into a separate panel to the side and then put his finger on a square panel. ¡°Authorised entry,¡± said a digitised voice. ¡°Welcome, Trainer Forrest,¡± ¡°Wooooah that¡¯s cool!¡± Ash said staring at the panel. He reached out to push a button but Misty swatted his hand. ¡°Focus on your fight Ash!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ash said, slapping his cheeks. He glanced at his starter. ¡°Ready for this Pikachu?¡± ¡°Pika!¡± said the electric mouse with a spark forming up on his cheeks. ¡°Are you coming?¡± said Forrest, his position standing in front of another set of doors. Misty recalled that they hadn¡¯t actually been through these doors due to the Gravelers barring anyone from just walking through to watch. Everyone entered a tunnel that had a run of lights along the edges leading upwards to a dark room. When they reached the end of the tunnel Forrest reached to the side and popped another panel where he flicked some switches. With each switch, lights burst into life around the arena with huge ¡®thooms¡¯ to announce themselves as they chased away the darkness. ¡°Woah!¡± said Ash as the huge space was revealed. His voice echoed through the gym and Misty had to admit that she was impressed as well. This, this was a state-of-the-art facility. There were crisp lines with a flowing striation of different browns, reds, greys and other earth tones throughout the facility that spoke of what this Gym was representing without a single word ever having to say it. The arena battlefield itself was strewn with rocks along with having a grill around the edges where water flowed for water types to use. Forrest led them to a keypad. Once more the keycard came out and from the side of the arena a slow inclining ramp popped out of the wall to the arena floor. ¡°Alright let¡¯s do this!¡± Ash said as he strode across the arena floor to the podium. Misty laughed at how he was bouncing with each step, his eyes darting around the field. ¡°Shall I act as¡ª¡± Flint¡¯s words were cut off when Forrest raised his hand. ¡°No, not you.¡± Forrest looked over his friends before looking at Misty. ¡°Can you call it, as ref?¡± Misty puffed out her chest at being appointed to such an important position¡­ in a frankly amazing gym. She nodded and moved towards the refs podium that had its own control system which could control the scoreboard! There were a few things such as barriers but they shouldn¡¯t need those. This wasn¡¯t going to be a champion-tier match as much as Ash liked to puff himself up. She did activate the podiums though. Misty adopted a serious pose and pulled up the flags. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± Forrest nodded and Ash clenched his fist as he turned his cap around a sign of how serious he was. ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± ¡°Select your pokemon!¡± ¡°Go Butterfree¡± ¡°Go Geodude!¡± Both pokemon appeared on the field. Misty checked to make sure Pikachu was within the trainer podium before raising the flags into a ready position. ¡°Begin!¡± Misty shouted as she swept her flags down. ¡°Geodude, use Defense Curl!¡± ordered Forrest. ¡°Butterfree use Tackle!¡± The butterfly pokemon raced across the field with furious flaps of its wings to throw itself straight at the Geodude. The Geodude only rocked back a little from the hit. It then grinned smugly at the Butterfree as it flapped away quickly. ¡°That¡¯s not going to work! Geodude use Roll Out!¡± The geodude tucked up and threw itself forward. When it came up to Butterfree it bounced upwards and straight into the flying pokemon. Butterfree shouted in pain before flapping to stay in the air. Geodude hit the ground finished its roll attack and spun about to face the other pokemon ¡°Nice one, Geodude! Now finish it with another Roll Out!¡± Forrest said. ¡°Uh! Butterfree fly up and use Stun Spore!¡± From his wings glittering golden powder floated down upon Geodude who began to leap only to spasm mid-leap and lose control of his charge. It crashed into the ground forcefully and Misty grimaced at the noise. ¡°Geodude! Damn it! Use Rock Throw!¡± Misty frowned. That shouldn¡¯t be something a weaker Geodude could perform. Geodude grabbed up some rocks and hurled them straight at Butterfree before the paralysis could stop it. It mostly missed so it must have been still a bit affected. One of the rocks hit though. Butterfree, however, shook it off quickly. ¡°What the?¡± shouted Forrest as his pokemon failed to take out Butterfree with what should have been a type advantage. ¡°Ha! I knew that juice was worth it!¡± called out Ash. Misty kept her mouth shut. As the ref she really shouldn¡¯t react to him or call instructions. Even if he was probably wrong. ¡°Geodude, use Rock Throw again!¡± Geodude tried but this time his limbs locked up. ¡°Butterfree! Now¡¯s your chance, use Tackle!¡± the butterfree once more charge in. Geodude rocked back from this hit and Ash swept his hand out. ¡°Once more to finish it!¡± ¡°Freee!¡± said Butterfree as it swept in on the helpless Geodude. Misty checked over Geodude and made the call when his body slumped and his eyes shut. She dropped the flag towards Forrest. ¡°Geodude is unable to battle!¡± ¡°Yes! Hahaha! Way to go Butterfree!¡± ¡°Come on Forrest!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let this punk beat you!¡± ¡°Pewter Pride yo!¡± shouted Forrest¡¯s gang of friends. Misty raised the flag towards Forrest and made the ¡®wait¡¯ sign to Ash like she¡¯d been taught in school for times when she would be acting as a Ref for a friend. ¡°Go Onix!¡± Forrest said upon selecting his next pokeball. From the pokeball a giant rock snake emerged. It roared upon its entry and when it lowered its head it was staring straight at the fluttering Butterfree that got a lot more nervous than it had been a moment ago. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± Misty said once more to control things and keep it civil. Both trainers nodded once more. ¡°Begin!¡± she shouted. ¡°Onix! Use Sandstorm!¡± The Onix roared and from around it, a sandstorm built up as it sank into the ground. ¡°Uh! Butterfree, blow it away with Whirlwind!¡± Butterfree began to work its wings furiously to blow away the storm. Misty blinked in surprise when it took Butterfree a while to do just that. This must be a much stronger Onix to be able to make the bug-flying type pokemon work this hard. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± shouted Forrest as Butterfree stayed in one position too long. This time the rocks were much larger, faster and more accurate. They slammed into Butterfree and he crumpled. ¡°Uh! Butterfree! Are you okay buddy?¡± Ash cried out. ¡°Freeeee!¡± said his pokemon weakly. Misty dropped Ash¡¯s flag and raised the wait sign to Forrest. ¡°Butterfree is unable to battle!¡± Ash looked up at her in shock. For a moment she thought he might contest her call. Instead, he nodded and returned his pokemon. He selected another pokeball and threw it out. ¡°Go Pidgeotto!¡± ¡°Trainer¡¯s ready?¡± Once more she raised and dropped her flag. This time, Onix led off with a Rock Throw. ¡°Dodge it!¡± ¡°Pidg!¡± shouted the bird pokemon as it ducked side to side. ¡°Keep up the pressure!¡± shouted Forrest. More rocks rose up and launched straight at Pidgeotto. Eventually one clipped it and it dropped from the sky with a shriek only for another Rock Throw to nail it on the way down. ¡°Pidgeotto is unable to battle!¡± Misty watched Ash stare in shock at his second lost pokemon. He slowly raised his pokeball and returned it. Misty turned her head to Forrest to see if he was feeling good about crushing Ash like this. Only¡­ he wasn¡¯t even looking at the match; he was looking up into the stands where Flint was watching. Oh. Misty swallowed. This¡­ was really a lot more complicated than it seemed. Movement from the tunnel that they¡¯d come in from had Misty turning her head further to the side to spot Brock himself watching them all with a frown. Oh dear, he was going to be so mad! This was like the time her parents found her paddling with Gyarados, wasn¡¯t it? When he noticed that she¡¯d spotted him, he raised a finger to his lips before he stepped back into the shadows. Huh, alright, so he was going to let this play out? Alright then, this was his gym, so it was his call. ¡°Go Pikachu!¡± shouted Ash, drawing Misty back to her job. ¡°Ready?¡± she said once more. Both trainers rolled their shoulders and lowered their bodies like they were about to charge each other. ¡°Begin!¡± she said. ¡°Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!¡± Forrest outright laughed when the electric mouse launched a strong electric attack at the Onix¡­ only for it to do nothing. The gang of friends sitting in the stands laughed out loud and began to jeer Ash. ¡°What in Pewter are you thinking!¡± ¡°Not much obviously!¡± ¡°Rookie!¡± ¡° Don¡¯t you know Rock types are immune to lightning!!?¡± Another of the friends slapped the person that said that over the head as a mutter broke out. Misty ignored them, telling the boy that it was due to the ground typing, and instead watched as Forrest went on the attack. ¡°Onix! Use Bind!¡± ¡°Pikachu dodge it!¡± Ash ordered making his pokemon run to the side and avoid the larger pokemon. Its body crashed to the ground and the earth shook at the effect. Ash furiously looked around the field. ¡°Dodge through the rocks!¡± ¡°Onix! Tackle it! Ignore the rocks!¡± the Onix rose upwards with a mighty roar and charged forward through the rocks. ¡°Uh! Pikachu get into the corner!¡± Misty frowned at this order. That¡­ it sounded like a really bad order, but she could see a glint of something in Ash¡¯s eyes. She searched the field. He had some angle that he¡¯d seen. What was it that made him so confident he could still win this fight? ¡°Take it out! Onix!¡± Forrest ordered once Pikachu was in the corner. ¡°Pikachu! Use your tail to leap to the side¡­ now!¡± Ash ordered. As the Onix came down upon his pokemon. Pikachu reacted instantly his tail coiling up and letting him leap to the side and out of danger. Onix on the other hand slammed into the corner and caused the water that edged the gym to surge upwards and splash all over the Onix that roared at the water drenching it. Ash leaned forward and grinned. ¡°Ha! Take that! Pikachu Tackle now!¡± ¡°Onix use Bide!¡± he shouted. A glow of energy built up around Onix right before Pikachu slammed into it. The tackle pushed it back a little but it obviously wasn¡¯t that strong. ¡°Again!¡± ordered Ash not realising he was potentially giving Forrest what he needed. Once more Pikachu slammed into Onix and the energy field built around Onix. ¡°Get into another corner Pikachu!¡± Forrest gritted his teeth. ¡°Onix slam yourself into the field and disperse the build up!¡± Misty blinked in surprise, why was he doing that? She heard a murmur from Forrest¡¯s friend about ¡®Bide¡¯s effect¡¯ but couldn¡¯t make it out. Did Bide have a weakness that meant he needed to attack? Had Ash known this? She found herself surprisingly leaning forward in interest as Forrest and Ash reset their pokemon. Onix had a few scuff marks on his body and Pikachu was huffing and puffing in lungfuls of air. ¡°Onix! Use Dig!¡± Forrest ordered. Misty grimaced. This would be tough for Ash to face. Ash grit his teeth. ¡°Pikachu onto your tail again! When it comes up, leap onto its head!¡± ¡°Pikachu!¡± shouted his pokemon as it readied itself. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation, and Misty saw the instant the earth underneath Pikachu¡¯s tail broke open and Onix surged upwards. ¡°Oooooon!¡± cried Onix as he surged up to hit Pikachu only for Pikachu to leap upwards and land as Ash had ordered. ¡°Pikachu! Hang on and keep using Thunderbolt now that it¡¯s wet!¡± Forrest reeled back. ¡°No! Onix! Slam it into the boulders to get it off!¡± Onix threw itself head into a boulder and roared as the boulder broke. ¡°Hang on Pikachu!¡± Ash urged. ¡°Again!¡± Forrest shouted, making his Onix rise up and slam his pokemon into the ground. A cloud of dust rose up with this impact and took a few tense seconds to disperse. Misty toggled the fans to disperse it quicker, her eyes searching the field only to blink at what she found. Onix was laid out and straining to rise but couldn¡¯t. Across from it, Pikachu was obviously knocked out. She waited for a moment and Onix slumped down, relaxing when it saw its opponent was down. ¡°Pikachu!¡± shouted Ash as he threw himself over the side of his podium. He landed with a stumble only to scramble towards his pokemon and scoop it up in his arms. ¡°Are you okay buddy?!¡± ¡°Chuuuu!¡± said the small electric mouse. Misty sighed in relief before raising flags in both directions. ¡°Onix and Pikachu are unable to battle!¡± She paused, unsure if she should announce it as a draw or Forrest¡¯s win. She¡¯d forgotten in the rush to confirm how many pokemon he was going to use. Forrest reached towards his belt with a grin only for another voice to call out. ¡°Which means this match is a draw¡­ no?¡± Misty smiled up as Gym Leader Brock announced himself. He looked from Forrest to Ash and then to her. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing as they realised he was there. Misty decided to do as he said. ¡°Both trainers have used their roster of pokemon and this match, therefore, is a draw between Ash and Forrest!¡± Brock smiled at this and clapped his hands. ¡°Wonderful! That was a nice match, don¡¯t you think so¡­ Flint?¡± he said as he turned his head to look directly at his father. Misty swallowed as something seemed to flicker in Brock¡¯s eyes. Flint was locked in his seat but he nodded quickly. Brock turned to look straight at Forrest''s friends before turning his head to Misty and Ash. ¡°So¡­ who wants to explain to me why you¡¯re all in my gym, late at night having a pokemon fight?¡± Misty swallowed and coughed out a ¡®Not it¡¯ half hopefully but not expecting anything from it, but it might pay to cover her bases. Chapter 79 - Flints return home The more things change, the more they stay the same. I wasn¡¯t sure how much I wanted to read into that as I stood at the entrance to the arena. They said a picture could paint a thousand words, but the picture before me could say at least ten times that. Especially if you know all the parties in said picture Firstly, I had the least guilty but largest in number who were Forrest¡¯s friends. They all wore loose clothes. They had caps on backwards and fake tattoos that must have seemed cool to them. Two wore gaudy necklaces with pokeballs on them. They sat slouched, slumped, or in sloppy positions one and all. They also all sported ¡®oh shit¡¯ expressions plastered across their faces. They had their feet up on the backrests of the chairs in front of them. A few of said feet still had mud on them and now on the backrests. It did not speak well that they didn¡¯t wipe their shoes on entering. They gave the impression of young hooligans that had been allowed to roam a little too freely with too little responsibility or consequence. Honestly, they were the easiest to deal with. I then had Misty chewing her lips and looking nervous. She was a young woman who still wasn¡¯t comfortable with herself but was obviously sticking to what had worked for her. Her demeanour, somewhat stereotypically, reminded me of a young Ponyta. A guilty Ponyta that was hunching into her shoulders. She should have known better than to let this match progress at night and unsupervised. Having experience with a gym¡­ I would have expected better from her. But then again, she was still young. She had a tentative smile on her face as though glad that someone responsible was now present. I had Forrest on one of the podiums, still in shock that he¡¯d lost to an electric type with the Onix he¡¯d used for this match. He also sported a guilty look, but I could see a glimmer of anger in his eyes as he had himself half-turned towards Flint to make sure he hadn¡¯t run off while he lost sight of him. Forrest, like Misty, knew better though and had drawn in on himself. He was obviously expecting me to tell him off. That¡­ was going to be a whole thing that the next person was only going to complicate. Flint was sitting as if he was made from stone. Fragile stone. The sort of stone you could put your fist through. I felt a great deal of annoyance at him just sitting there, but it was at least better than him running away in front of me. He might have slipped away on me in the past, but he wouldn¡¯t do so now. He was too locked in. It was too clear-cut that turning away now would be going too far. His eyes were slightly widened in surprise at my appearance. His face looked scruffy and worn as though he hadn¡¯t been looking after himself. Which made sense if he¡¯d been camping out for ages. He had huge gray bags under his eyes, and while he was shocked, he was also drinking in the sight of Forrest and me. Which left the last and¡­ theoretically, most simple yet most complicated person to deal with in the room staring up at me in shock. Ash Ketchum. He was still on his knees where he was cradling Pikachu. He had small tears in his eyes and looked shocked and overwhelmed. He was obviously so far out of his element and only just realising the depths he had jumped into. There was a lot going on but for now all that seemed important to him was his pokemon. He had Pikachu close to his chest to shield it from anything that might happen. His signature generation one cap was still turned around showing that he¡¯d been putting his heart into the fight with Forrest only to be taken out with two pokemon. I drew in a deep breath, and everyone twitched in preparation for an avalanche that would likely appear from nowhere. I stopped at that reaction. I was many things. Annoyed, tired, mad, certainly¡­ But I wasn¡¯t about to start shouting at them. I had always tried to avoid doing that in anger. It didn¡¯t serve a purpose, and if you were having to shout at someone to be heard they weren¡¯t going to be listening. It was better to speak clearly and definitively. Or just walk away and come back later for an actual discussion. I sighed and rolled my shoulders to loosen them. ¡°Let¡¯s first get the pokemon seen to, hmmm?¡± I said, making most of the group relax. Flint continued to watch me with a hopeful expression. When I gestured towards the medical area Forrest began to move, raising his pokeball to return Onix. ¡°Sorry Brock,¡± he said as he ducked his head. I just shook my head. ¡°I¡­ we¡¯re gonna talk about this later but¡­¡± I gave the room another look as the podiums began to lower and people began to move. Notably, Forrest¡¯s friends all began to slip off to the side. ¡°Boys, I hope you¡¯re not thinking of leaving without cleaning up after yourselves,¡± I said pointedly. They lurched to a stop and looked back. They¡¯d left wrappers, bottles of drink, and mud where they¡¯d been sitting. I pointed towards a side of the stands. ¡°There are cleaning supplies in the closet at the back of the stands. See to that, and I might consider not dropping in to talk with your parents,¡± I said, like I wasn¡¯t going to do just that anyway. They¡¯d been running a little too seriously; it wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d done anything truly bad¡ª but the bluff worked as the kids turned and darted towards the supplies cupboard. I used my transceiver to unlock the door to the cupboard, continuing down to the arena floor. When I reached it, Misty and Ash were already standing together looking over Pikachu. Forrest stood off to the side. I looked up to Flint. ¡°Are you going to join us?¡± I said casually. He must have realised the weight of the words despite the lack of tone. Or perhaps the blank way I said it spoke louder than any inflection I could have given them. Forrest shifted back and forth, eyes darting between everyone before settling on me. When Flint joined us I worked my jaw, then shook myself as I led the group to the medical area. I switched on some lights only for Chansey to be startled in her sleep and roll off the bed she had to the side of the room. Her arms raised in readiness as she checked the room over only to stop on our group with narrowed eyes. ¡°Chansey?¡± she said groggily as she straightened up, a facemask of cucumbers that I had no idea how she got, falling off. She must have gotten it from the gym trainers so I pushed that to the side as she picked the cucumbers off the ground. ¡°Chansey, I¡¯ve got some injured pokemon for you to look over,¡± I said. I glanced back at the group. ¡°Or should we be going straight to the pokemon centre?¡± Misty shook her head. ¡°None of the pokemon got that badly injured. Just wiped out of energy and roughed up some.¡± ¡°Hmmm, Chansey give them a look over please,¡± I said. She nodded as she wiped away the rest of the facemask. I gestured to the beds, some of which were huge slabs to allow pokemon like Onix to rest on fully. ¡°If you could put your pokemon on these beds please?¡± Forrest put the pokeballs for Onix and Geodude into small recesses that caused the pokemon in question to appear on beds. Ash copied him after a moment of hesitation, revealing his Butterfree and Pidgeotto. He put down Pikachu but remained within touching distance as the electric mouse watched Chansey approach and begin running her hands through his fur carefully. A few touches drew shivers and small cries of pain that had Ash glowering at the Chansey. ¡°Hey! Watch it! You¡¯re hurting him!¡± he said angrily. Chansey stopped what she was doing and glared at Ash. ¡°Chan!¡± she said with a little huff of annoyance. Misty put a hand on Ash¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ash, she¡¯s mapping out his injuries and making sure Pikachu didn¡¯t break anything. It¡¯s not like the healing tables that just flush healing energies into pokemon; she has to check that nothing is out of order.¡± I nodded and didn¡¯t volunteer that Chansey would have preferred to watch people in pain but not actually be hurt in any serious way. The phrase ¡®she liked to watch¡¯ best applied in Chansey¡¯s case. Chansey eventually settled with creating healing energy and feeding it into Pikachu causing the smaller pokemon to perk up. When she checked over the other pokemon she copied the actions before reporting back to Brock with a clipboard. ¡°Chanse! Cha! Cha! Sey!¡± she said as she tapped something out on the clipboard. On the board, small boxes were ticked that indicated the health of the pokemon before and after. I noted that all of them had clean bills of health but that they were still exhausted. She prescribed no fights for any of them for the next two to three days. She then wrote a note for herself saying she would need a vacation prescribed by herself. I chuckled at her joke before realising she wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°Oh¡­ Uhm I can give you tomorrow off? Maybe see if Yola¡­ No, how about I send you with Alexa into town with a spending budget for yourself?¡± It might make tomorrow¡­ more interesting than I thought it already would be but eh. We had procedures in place to take pokemon to Nurse Joy if we had to. Chansey perked up at that, her little arms flipping in happiness. Then she pointedly looked at her bed and then the door before looking at us. ¡°Alright! Alright, we¡¯ll let you get back to bed.¡± I waved at Ash to collect his pokemon. As we walked out of the medical wing and to the front lounge, Forrest¡¯s friends had cleaned up and, thankfully, already left. Forrest dropped back to Flint. He opened and shut his mouth a few times before marching back up to me with a growl. If this hadn¡¯t been such a tense moment I might have teased him about having emotions as a teenager which would have helped relax him. Instead, we entered the employee lounge at the front of the gym. I gestured for everyone to claim a seat. Misty and Ash took a couch together with Pikachu between them with Flint on a chair next to theirs. Forrest sat to my right with a squirm. ¡°Alright¡­ so I have half an idea of what¡¯s probably happened in the largest of brush strokes.¡± I pointed at Ash. ¡°You¡¯ve come in thinking that you could enter and challenge the Pewter gym straight away but instead of that being the case there was a huge line of other trainers wanting to do the same thing. So you tried to find a way to skip the queue and face me to get the badge early so you can continue to the next challenge?¡± Misty looked to the side while biting her lips. She radiated amusement, letting me know that I had pretty much hit the nail on the head. Ash rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Well, when you say it like that it sounds kind of bad¡­¡± ¡°Ash¡­ right?¡± I said after a moment, for once recalling that I wasn¡¯t supposed to know his name and would be unfamiliar with the iconic pokemon character. He nodded, glancing back at me as I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s something that is fairly common for young trainers to do. So I¡¯m not surprised, but by doing it that way you¡¯re basically ignoring the rules. It¡¯s very disrespectful. I¡¯m not going anywhere, and I¡¯m not putting off the fight but there are a lot of people looking to gain the Boulder badge.¡± I turned my attention to Misty. ¡°You¡¯re Misty from Cerulean right? Daisy, Violet, and Lily are your sisters?¡± Misty opened her mouth before tilting it. She¡¯d obviously seen the way I¡¯d termed the relationship but couldn¡¯t put a finger on why it pleased her. She also noticed I didn¡¯t state who her sisters were, just their names. ¡°Yeeeeahh?¡± she said carefully. ¡°When two knucklehead boys start to get too rowdy, you either make them walk away from each other, knock their heads together or let it play out.¡± Forrest, who¡¯d perked up when I¡¯d mentioned where Misty was from slumped when he was described as a knucklehead. He slumped further when Misty nodded. ¡°I thought the last option was best?¡± she said timidly. ¡°Initially? I would have disagreed with you, but upon reflection and how things would have been rather tense at the time I can see that now.¡± I looked at Forrest. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you got kind of worked up with your friends and decided to accept Ash¡¯s idea. You thought it was going to be a bit cathartic.¡± Forrest nodded. ¡°And you know it¡¯s not a good idea to go into pokemon battles looking to fight cause you¡¯re hurting right? All that leads to is¡­¡± I trailed off leadingly. ¡°You just hurting others¡­¡± Forrest finished. Without prompting he bowed his head to Ash. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ash, I shouldn¡¯t have accepted your challenge.¡± Ash scratched his cheek in embarrassment. ¡°Ah! Well! I shouldn¡¯t have done what I did either! That¡­ it was wrong.¡± He bowed his head to Forrest and me. Misty sighed in relief. I nodded. ¡°Good, I hope that we can call this settled then. Ash, Misty, wait until your scheduled matches. From what I did see of Ash¡¯s match, it wasn¡¯t bad and I think you have a good shot at winning your first badge if you keep working hard.¡± I held up a hand to restrain Ash as he shot to his feet in glee. ¡°I¡¯m not going to advance your match. My pokemon have been fighting all week¡­ and then some.¡± I flicked my eyes at Forrest who coughed at the silent reprimand. ¡°And it will not be happening. Wait until it¡¯s your time, and until then train up your team.¡± I offered a shrug. ¡°Or continue on and get your next badge and then come back. The number of trainers will otherwise continue to precede you unless you get ahead of it or ahead in badges.¡± Ash scowled at that offer. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere without my first badge!¡± I nodded. ¡°Hmmm well alright.¡± I stood and showed an open hand towards the door. ¡°Can I show you both out? I need to talk with Flint.¡± Ash who¡¯d been about to walk out stopped and turned around. ¡°Uhm! What¡¯re you going to talk about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s private and between Flint and myself¡­¡± I shot a glance at Forrest. ¡°And well the rest of our family.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh,¡± Ash said. He hesitated, obviously knowing that he was crossing a line but not willing to leave things as they were. ¡°He really helped us out by showing us around, so please don¡¯t be mad?¡± Misty stood and bowed her head as well. ¡°He was very kind to us! So please don¡¯t be mad that he let us stay at your old gym!¡± I paused at that. ¡°You¡¯re staying at the old gym?¡± I said thinking of how run down that place was the last time I¡¯d been there. It would only be worse. ¡°Yeah no. I have some rooms that I keep free. There should be a bunk room left, fortunately.¡± I gestured to Forrest. ¡°Can you take them there and I¡¯ll talk to them in the morning¡­¡± Forrest didn¡¯t move. ¡°What are you and¡­ dad going to do?¡± I sighed, long and low. Letting out how tiring this coming conversation was going to be. ¡°We¡¯ve got some history to get through¡­ I think it would be best if you gave us a bit of time.¡± When he stood slowly I shot him a smile. Flint spoke up, his voice tight with emotion. ¡°We¡¯re just going to talk Forrest. Neither of us are going anywhere.¡± That had him relax. ¡°Alright. Cool, cool. Uhm Ash and Misty? How about we go get your tents first and then we¡¯ll set you up in a bunk room,¡± he said, giving Flint and I a rough estimate of how long he would be away. I smiled at him as he led them out. Then I turned to Flint. I took another breath and let it out. ¡°So¡­¡± I could say a lot of things here. I could do a lot more. Instead of punching him though I worked my jaw. I felt a dark urge to ignore my desire to keep things civil. It was harder than the time I¡¯d been rubbed the wrong way by the Guardians and wanted to flip the table. Now, as then, I kept my composure. ¡°You came back.¡± There, that was better than ¡®you left¡¯. It went unsaid of course, but still, it was a slightly more positive start to the conversation. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry Brock,¡± He immediately threw himself to the ground. I hadn¡¯t expected him to drop to his knees and lower his head. I didn¡¯t like it. It was too easy. Too laced with the meaning of great regret. I didn¡¯t want a single action to be enough. I wanted more! ¡°Get up! Off your knees and sit up! Face me damn you! Don¡¯t just beg for forgiveness!¡± I said with a hiss. I drew in a breath. Then I reached into my pocket and selected a single stone to roll around my palm. I pressed down on the dark urges to lash out. With him suddenly moving I had half a thought of kicking him away from my feet, but that wouldn¡¯t help things. Flint sat back in his chair but instead of looking in my eyes, he glanced down at my hand, a flicker of a smile formed on his lips before he let it fade. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said but that only made me grimace. I grunted at him, ¡°I don¡¯t want you sorry, I want you¡­¡± I grappled with what I wanted to say to him. ¡°I want you to be there for the others. Forrest and Yolanda saw you around, and Salvadore isn¡¯t dumb.¡± I waved a hand at the gym. ¡°You¡¯ve been coming to the gym since the end of the last circuit and when I sought you out you vanished! Do you know how that looked to them? It was like you left all over again!¡± Flint flinched. ¡°I left because you¡­ well, I thought I wasn¡¯t welcome when I saw you with Billy and Tilly.¡± I scowled at him. ¡°Wasn¡¯t welcome? I was having to rely on a Machop to help get them back and forth! What in Kanto¡¯s mountains made you think that?¡± ¡°You did,¡± he said, causing me to pull up short. ¡°What?¡± I said dumbfounded. ¡°Brock,¡± He glanced down at my hand which now had a small handful of rocks rolling around to keep myself calm. ¡°I can use aura as well¡­ I felt how you were projecting your emotions at me. I wasn¡¯t welcome.¡± I blinked. That¡­ I hadn¡¯t¡­ Had that been true? I remember being angry and tired and¡­ that was months ago. What could I even say to that? I¡­ I had scared him off cause I was angry? ¡°Guess I owe you an apology then.¡± I worked my jaw. ¡°Sorry I scared you off.¡± The words had more than a little venom in them. Flint grimaced but didn¡¯t flinch from them which just annoyed me a bit more. I wanted him to flinch and be hurt by them. My own words of going into a fight angry came back and I breathed and tamped down on my dark energy. Flint took in a slow, shuddery breath and relaxed from where he¡¯d been grabbing at the couch. He swallowed, his Adam''s apple bobbing up and down. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have left.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said. The single word carried with it a lot of emotional weight. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have. You shouldn¡¯t have left either time.¡± ¡°No! You don¡¯t understand! I just!¡± He held out his hands. ¡°I needed to find your mother and¡­ either help or just have her back!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my mother,¡± I said. He gave me a confused look before shaking his head. ¡°Brock, you don¡¯t understand, your mother needs my help. I keep an account open for her to draw funds from and occasionally she will draw from it.¡± His hands flapped about uselessly. ¡°She had drawn from it just after you got back from your journey and I thought I might be able to bring her back,¡± he said hurriedly. ¡°Stop.¡± I held up a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t care about her. What I care about is our family¡ª¡± ¡°She is family Brock! I was trying to keep us together!¡± He said leaning forward with a desperate air. I snorted. ¡°You broke things up worse though.¡± He flinched and slumped but I continued to speak slowly, ¡°You did that by leaving. You should have stayed.¡± Flint swallowed and made to say something only to slump back into his chair. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have left, and I¡¯m sorry I left everything on your shoulders like I did.¡± He looked up and made a show of looking about the room.¡± But look at what you''ve done without me¡ª¡± I held up a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± I pointed around us. ¡°Me succeeding without you here does not negate you leaving.¡± He opened and shut his mouth a few times before nodding his eyes haunted. ¡°I- I, I guess you¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Stop saying that! It doesn¡¯t help,¡± I said, straightening up. I swallowed and clenched my fist. The pebbles in my hand crunched and I exhaled before loosening my hand to let the dust fall. ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. You¡¯re going to come home.¡± I leaned forward and laced my fingers together. ¡°You¡¯re going to help out around the house and the family. I want you to spend time with them. Tilly and Billy have no idea who you are.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t remember me?¡± he said before getting a chagrined look. ¡°Oh, they were very young when I left, weren¡¯t they?¡± I nodded tightly. Flint gave me a hurt look. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell them about me?¡± ¡°What did you want me to tell them about you? That you ran away?¡± I said with a dark feeling of amusement. That got him squirming, I shrugged. ¡°I think I¡¯ve done a decent enough job of telling them of you in an abstract kind of way, but I think the others might have said something.¡± I shrugged. ¡°They once came back from day care and asked why they don¡¯t call me dad.¡± He grimaced. ¡°I thought Clare at the daycare would have known better.¡± ¡°Our situation is not typical. Most people have at least one parent. Not just an older brother.¡± I laced and unlaced my fingers, now wishing I hadn¡¯t crushed my rocks if only for the lack of something to do with my hands that didn¡¯t involve forming fists. ¡°So¡­ are you coming back?¡± Flint blinked. ¡°Of course!¡± Then he grimaced. ¡°That is¡­ if you¡¯ll have me.¡± I held my peace for a moment. ¡°It would be best for everyone¡­¡± I drew out my suggestion and saw the way that he tensed up as if expecting a blow. I exhaled. ¡°If you came back and stayed. The others want and need you in their lives.¡± He blinked. ¡°You? You want me back?¡± he said incredulously. ¡°I think it would be best for them,¡± I said diplomatically. He caught on my words and blinked, nodding slowly. ¡°Right¡­ right. That makes sense,¡± he said, swallowing and watching me closely. I worked my jaw and considered what I should say next. I found myself drawing a blank. What was I supposed to say? What have you been up to while avoiding us? Part of me wanted to know but it was so linked with his avoidance that I couldn¡¯t find a reason to be interested in it. It was time wasted. No, worse than wasted. He had practi¡ª I inhaled and shook myself again. ¡°Where were you staying tonight?¡± I said carefully. ¡°Oh¡­ I cleared out some space in the old gym¡­ Had my Golem shore up some walls with some rocks placed in the right spots and then¡­ I have myself set up.¡± I rubbed my head. ¡°I¡­¡± I sighed loudly. ¡°We have a room for you here.¡± ¡°You made a room for me?¡± he said, voice laced with emotion. I nodded, not trusting myself in saying that I knew he would come back. Perhaps that was what made it both easier and harder. The double-edged sword of knowing how things should play out to some degree. With that understanding, I had found myself somewhat counting down the days until Flint¡¯s return. Which was wrong on so many levels but still, I had done it. A knock on the door sounded like angel horns to me as Forrest returned and stuck his head in. His red cheeks showed that he had probably hurried Ash and Misty along to get back here as fast as he could. I stood up. ¡°Want to talk with him?¡± Flint sat up as Forrest nodded and marched in. I clapped Forrest on the shoulder heading out. ¡°He¡¯s going to stay with us alright so¡­ don¡¯t hold back and say anything you need to alright? I¡¯ll give you some space.¡± Forrest shot me a confused look, and I just shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be good for me to hang around. When you¡¯re done, I¡¯m going to be in the office.¡± I left Forrest to talk with his father. When I reached the office I stared at my computer. If I wanted to I could listen and watch through the cameras. Part of me wanted to while the other was again demanding that I give Forrest and Flint their moment to reconnect. Before I could agonise over the choice any further, or stalk into the gym facilities to pound on the boxing bag, Yolanda walked in with a smile on her lips and the incubator in her arms. ¡°Hey Brock! What are you doing?¡± I chuckled. I couldn¡¯t tell her I was agonising over moral decisions or contemplating murder, so instead I shrugged. ¡°Adult stuff.¡± When she frowned at me and huffed I laughed and waved her to take a seat. ¡°Got some good news for you.¡± She perked up. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Forrest ran into Flint and got him to come back.¡± She blinked in surprise. I waved a hand towards the front of the gym. ¡°They¡¯re talking now. I had some time to talk with him earlier after I sorted out Forrest¡¯s¡­ yeah.¡± I waved my hand. ¡°That¡¯s a whole¡­ thing in itself but yeah.¡± Yolanda watched me. ¡°Are you going to be alright?¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯m going to be fine,¡± I said, giving her a small smile. ¡°Just going to be some changes.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± she said dubiously. ¡°Yolanda. I. Am. Fine.¡± She continued to stare at me. Who taught her to be so doubtful? ¡°Do we need to get your girl¡ª¡± ¡°Sabrina and I are not¡­ Oh forget it!¡± I said with a groan. She continued to stare. I could feel the doubt radiating off her. She hummed before putting the incubator down to the side where it wiggled once before settling down. Then she walked around the table and wrapped me in a hug. ¡°Thanks for bringing Dad home Brock. I love you,¡± ¡°Love you too,¡± I said back to her. She held the hug for a long while before settling back down in her seat. I tilted my head. ¡°You¡¯re not going to go talk to him?¡± She gave me a smirk. ¡°He can come to me.¡± I chuckled and waited. In the end, Forrest ended up leading Flint right into the room and Yolanda¡¯s waiting ambush. Once more I gave them space. This time it only took five minutes before they both emerged with slightly redder eyes than they¡¯d entered. Flint stared at the incubator and shot me a look. ¡°You really have done well Brock.¡± I merely nodded and waved for him to follow. There weren¡¯t any more reveals to my siblings, as they were all asleep. Even Salvadore, with his hands still holding a thick book on science while another on math rested nearby. I moved through each room and adjusted things as they needed to be done while Flint watched on from the door. When I was done, I led him to the final room that housed a large room for a bed with an attached ensuite. On the way, we passed by a cabinet that held trophies I or my siblings had accumulated. I had the badges from my Kanto journey all on display alongside a certificate of my ¡®making it to group stages¡¯ for the Indigo League. Then there was a picture of me with my team after defeating Lindsay, who was Yuji¡¯s predecessor for the Orange Islands challenge. Titan looked so happy in the picture. He¡¯d come in clutch and that had been one of his first matches as a Tyranitar. Next to it rested a case with the three badges I¡¯d earnt from the Hoenn League. The five empty spaces were glaringly obvious to me. I had a trophy for best little league coach that sat amongst the others proudly. There were other trophies and family pictures on display. Forrest had a picture of himself with a few kids with a baseball bat over his shoulder and a best and fairest trophy. He also had a good report card and Yolanda had a picture of her at her guitar performance. Cindy had a picture at a flute session and a scattering of child art was in the cabinet for the others. ¡°I really have missed a lot, haven¡¯t I?¡± said Flint. ¡°Yeah, you have,¡± I said simply. I opened the door at the end of the hall. ¡°This is yours. There¡¯s sheets in the cupboard.¡± I swallowed and shifted back and forth. Flint nodded then opened his arms as if to hug me. I nodded at him and stayed where I was. ¡°Breakfast is usually at seven. Give me some time to lead in that you¡¯re here to the others and you can meet them then, alright?¡± Flint lowered his hands. ¡°That¡­ that would be wonderful thank you son.¡± ¡°Good night Flint,¡± I said back before turning and marching to my bed. When I lay down I ended up staring at the ceiling for long into the night. I had Flint back but what would that mean? I wasn¡¯t sure. I only knew that things were going to change, and I could only hope that it was more for the better than the worse.
Flint sat on the edge of the made bed and stared around at ¡®his¡¯ room. That¡­ that hadn¡¯t been how he¡¯d planned things to go but then again he¡¯d never really had a plan on how to approach Brock or the others in his family had he? He sat back and looked up at the ceiling. He should probably be happy they didn¡¯t just punch him but instead they¡¯d said what had to be said. Forrest had cried and hugged him which made things seem more hopeful. Brock¡­ Brock had been so cold and closed off. Flint swallowed; he wasn''t sure what to think of that. Brock had been very plain in drawing a line in the sand with how he¡¯d called him Flint. Flint sighed and sat up. There wasn¡¯t anything he could do about the past now. He couldn¡¯t force things if Brock didn¡¯t want to talk. He¡¯d just have to be there and present. Help out and be a father. Flint nodded; he could do that! A flash of light made him flinch back as old instincts warned him to throw himself behind cover. Part of his mind worried about the sudden teleport into his family¡¯s home and how that meant they¡¯d overpowered the barriers that were meant to stop unwelcom¡ª ¡°Good evening Flint,¡± said Sabrina. Flint blinked and adjusted himself from behind the bed. ¡°You¡¯re Sabrina¡­ from Saffron right? You¡¯re Brock¡¯s little girlfriend.¡± Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°Indeed, we are dating. Until you returned we were officially on a break.¡± From behind Sabrina a shovel appeared with a flash of light and floated ominously. ¡°W-what¡¯s that for?¡± Flint said. ¡°I understand that it is necessary for the talk we are about to have,¡± she said seriously, her gaze never wavering from him. ¡°You will not be leaving Brock or his family again, Flint. Or I will make sure you can¡¯t.¡± Flint felt chills run down his spine at the casual threat of violence from the clearly powerful psychic. ¡°I¡­ guess it¡¯s nice to see you care so much about my family?¡± Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°Indeed. We have become close. Brock once spoke to my own family this same way when he knew they were¡­ Not looking after me well enough.¡± She tilted her head and assessed him carefully. ¡°I think returning the favour to you helps to make my intentions for Brock clear, yes?¡± ¡°Crystal,¡± Flint said, swallowing. Sabrina nodded her head once. ¡°Good, welcome home Flint.¡± Then she vanished. Flint sank back onto the bed, suddenly weak. Well, that made it clear that he wouldn¡¯t be leaving if he could help it. Flint licked his lips as he stared at the shovel that Sabrina had left leaning innocently against the wall. Did Brock know how terrifying his girlfriend was? Chapter 80 - The day after I woke up the next morning and rolled out of bed, smacking my lips and blearily reached for the water bottle I kept near my bed. The alarm had gone off and I needed to get up but today was one of those days that I just wanted to lay back down. The fact that it was a Monday only heightened that feeling. I groaned as I stood up, shaking out my limbs; I¡¯d need to be ready for an annoying day and starting off on the wrong foot wouldn¡¯t help. It was still early, no one else would be up yet, but as a Gym leader during the circuit that didn¡¯t mean much. If anything it meant I had more to do. Gone was my long break where I could do other things such as baseball or spending time at home during the middle of the day. Sleep-ins were something I only got on Sundays if I was lucky. With everything that had happened over the weekend, I felt like I needed another break to recover. Not possible though; I had pokemon to feed, train, groom and check over. I clicked my tongue when I couldn¡¯t find my transceiver, only to spot it still on my arm. Why had I gone to bed with it still on? Oh. Flint was home. I huffed and ran that thought over in my mind. Flint was home, and according to the canon that meant I should head off with Ash. But that wasn¡¯t going to happen. There was no way I could leave things as they were with Flint. I¡¯d made the Gym too big for Forrest. Just as the family couldn¡¯t be trusted wholly to Flint. Dumping that work on Forrest and Yolanda wasn¡¯t what I wanted to happen either. My family wouldn¡¯t do well if I left as abruptly as Brock had in the cartoon. It might have been a nice break from family duties for canon Brock but I wasn¡¯t going to just ditch them. They had already experienced enough life-changing events that I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if they developed separation anxiety. It was a minor miracle that they hadn¡¯t and I didn¡¯t need to tempt fate by walking off. Me, as their only stable source of family? No, I thought to myself as I flipped through the transceiver''s features to bring up the file I''d created detailing which Pokemon needed training today. I stopped when the names highlighted were my Elites. Oh. I really was out of it if I¡¯d forgotten it was their turn. I hurried outside through the back of the gym, but not before knocking on Forrest¡¯s door. ¡°Up, you¡¯re on roster for¡ª¡± I stopped when Forrest emerged, rubbing at his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m up, I¡¯m up. I was just getting changed.¡± He yawned hugely before smiling sleepily at me. He perked up as his head swivelled to the room at the end of the hall. ¡°Do you think Dad would like to hang out?¡± I grunted. ¡°Maybe, if he¡¯s awake.¡± I turned and left Forrest to do what he wanted. ¡°See to the pokemon,¡± I said firmly, glancing over my shoulder at him. He gave a vague wave back at me but continued to stare at Flint¡¯s door. I half considered barking at him but bit down the impulse. It wasn¡¯t his fault I was annoyed. Or was it? Barely back for a night and he was already¡­ No, that wasn¡¯t fair. Forrest was a kid and he wanted to spend time with his father. So, this was natural and to be expected. I exhaled as I stalked out of my home. It was way too early for this much drama and introspection. I gave the rocky area an inspection as I approached. While the Onix typically preferred to sleep in the tunnels that fed into the caverns under the plateau it wasn¡¯t unusual to find them sleeping out in the open either. Today just happened to be one such morning. Most of the other pokemon had huddled in next to them as living windbreaks that also gave off warmth. The Aron and Rhyhorn were happily dozing under one Onix, while Geodude piled up over the top of another. The few shelters that I had built around the area were like rocky igloos but they were more used for pokemon to play around in than they were for actual resting areas. It was only when it rained or snowed that the shelters were used for their main purpose, but again most of my pokemon preferred the cave system. Most, but not all. I did have to return some pokemon to their pokeballs when winter hit. I made a detour over to the wall. ¡°Hey! Shrek!¡± I called out. A series of squelching noises heralded that I had a pokemon¡¯s interest. ¡°Time for training!¡± I said. A large ribbit preceded a blue and white form landing in perfect three-point superhero landing. Then she winked at me. I scoffed at my Poliwrath. ¡°I was talking to Shrek, Hypnotoad. You¡¯ve been spending too much time watching television instead of training if this is how you¡¯re acting¡± I said teasingly. She whirled into movement, dropping to her knees to beg, eyes glimmering with desire to take part in the training. She cried out her name a few times and I rolled my eyes as she begged to test herself, to thrive, to be part of the team once more. I made a show of thinking it over and then clicked my tongue. ¡°Alright, alright, you can come as well.¡± Another form leapt over the wall and a second later a heavier body thudded down. This time on all fours. When the large frog-like face glanced back I rolled my eyes. ¡°You two bored? You¡¯re not usually this enthusiastic. Or are you looking to show off to Hypno?¡± I put my hands up when Shrek barked a warning at me. But I noted he shot Hypnotoad a careful look as she perked up and fired off some punches. I chuckled and put my hands on both of them, patting them happily to show I¡¯d just been playing around. They ribbited happily and leaned into the touch. ¡°You guys sure you wouldn¡¯t prefer me to set you up with some breeders or¡ª¡± Shrek tilted his head in thought, only for Hypnotoad to latch onto him. Her arm wrapped around his neck. Shrek locked eyes with me and slowly shook his head, a dopey grin on his face. Hypnotoad relaxed. I chuckled at her antics. When I¡¯d gotten her during my first journey I¡¯d thought the name Hypnotoad was rather clever with how she¡¯d used her Hypnosis to lead lots of pokemon on in fights. She¡¯d even retained the move after evolving twice into a water-fighting type. If I¡¯d known she was going to take one look at Shrek and fall in love, I would have called her Fiona. Sadly, she hadn¡¯t let me rename her despite liking the idea of being named for a famous couple that had transcended all boundaries as a couple. She identified herself as Hypnotoad and would remain so. She was also why pretty much no one who tried to go through the swamp knew about Shrek. She either hypnotised them, or she used her forget-me-fist that usually made people not want to come back any time soon. I glanced up at the only now brightening morning sky. I popped a pokeball and Zephyr emerged with a silent flap of his wings. When he swung around his face took on a happy tinge as he saw Shrek and Hypnotoad out. He landed and hopped in front of them, hooting out his greetings and talking as we walked along. I let them continue for a while before clearing my throat. ¡°Zephyr, I want you to do a sweep of the skies. I have some training to do with all of you and a discussion that is going to be centred on some things that I don¡¯t want people learning about. So no eyes or ears on us while we¡¯re training, alright?¡± He bobbed his head and took off. I raised up my transceiver and began flicking through it until I reached the recorded music section. Shrek and Hypnotoad sat down and adopted relaxed poses. I hummed a refrain of what was to come and then hit the play button while holding my arm up high. A song performed by an inexperienced flautist was heard from my arm. It stumbled and dropped away in some parts, but it was more than enough to be used for the purposes of awakening my elite team. The song was a bit on the nose with my having adapted it from another of Nintendo¡¯s series, but in my defence what could be greater for waking giant pokemon up? The Sonata of Awakening was just what I wanted. The earth moved underneath me as I felt large bodies stirring. From where I¡¯d come, the Onix raised their heads only to lower them in supplication as Sanchez walked out of a cave, his iron beard being stroked into a Fu Manchu moustache. His signature grin was wide as he jogged up to me. When he reached Shrek and Hypnotoad, he dropped onto his backside and sat like a kid in his favourite class at school. Shin was the next to emerge, low and careful as he watched the skies. Selene descended from the top of the plateau. Don rocketed out and up only to circle me in lazy swoops as the halting melody continued to play. And then, from the depths, Titan stalked out, a gentle expression on his face; Bertha and Knight followed in his wake. They walked up and settled down for the last part of the song as it piped off slowly. Then the recording ended, but not before my little sister¡¯s voice started. ¡°There! I did the song is that what you¡ª¡± the recording stopped there and I chuckled. I could have edited that out, but it felt wrong to do so. Instead, I kept it and it never failed to make my pokemon and I smile. Yolanda originally performed the flute piece. Since then Cindy had taken over as Yolanda dropped the flute for the guitar. It still embarrassed her that my Elite pokemon loved hearing her play to them above anything else. Titan yawned, and when he did, the term ¡®hugely¡¯ definitely applied. Within his maw, a pokemon could only make their final prayers due to the sharpness of his teeth. He sniffed and shook himself off. Knight rolled his neck, producing a chorus of metal plates sliding and grinding against each other. Every other pokemon shrunk back at the noise only to then glare at Knight as he smacked his lips. When he noticed the looks he coughed sheepishly and offered them a shrug, as if to say ¡®what can you do¡¯? Bertha stalked over to a shelter and leaned down to call her name out. A moment later, a bleary-eyed Scyther darted out and followed her. Titan huffed at him but left it be, instead, he stood and barked once to signal that the team should be going through their training exercises. He then pointed to a distant rock. ¡°Tyran!¡± He started jogging towards it, and soon the others were following or running past him. Sanchez rolled but he did so with his face sticking out the side instead of retracting himself into a ball of rock. ¡°Go! Go! GO!¡± he shouted at the morning. I shook my head and twisted about, only when I felt limbered up did I dart after them. Titan had started them off and typically always led the morning routine. When we¡¯d started out I¡¯d explained to him that as the starter, he was something like the team captain, leading people and maintaining morale. I was, of course, the coach, calling the plays, substitutions, and training program. He¡¯d taken that to heart, and ever since I¡¯d caught my first Geodude, he¡¯d been there leading the charge. Well, apart from those few months where he was a Pupitar, but that went without saying. During those months Sabrina had been very amused to see me running around with my pokemon with Titan slung over my shoulder or held aloft like a trophy. It had gotten too tiring for him to propel himself with the small bursts of movement a Pupitar could manage. I¡¯d never had the issue of having to earn Titan¡¯s trust and respect when he evolved; I think those many, many hours of me carrying him when he wasn¡¯t able to stuck with him. I had to be smart about how I was running with giants like Bertha, Titan, and Knight storming forward. When we reached the rock we turned around and ran back. I drew level to each pokemon and watched how they were running. They seemed a little stiff to start but that was to be expected with having just woken up. When I¡¯d gotten through the entire team I signalled Titan to lead them through some energy drills. Or Special Attack and Defence flexing, as I thought of it. Really, it was just them circulating their energy to get ready for a hard workout. Their energy systems needed just as much a wake up as their physical bodies did after all. I spent the time laying out food bowls for those that would need an earlier meal for those who preferred to do proper intensive exercise on a full stomach. Others that preferred nothing instead continued to lightly stretch. Sanchez was one of the pokemon that preferred not to eat beforehand. Instead, he danced about throwing punches and occasionally announcing himself in various fashions, like he was a Mexican wrestler from my past life, perfecting his craft. Don landed and devoured his meal, with Shin sneaking a few bites from the side. I knew when it was Shin¡¯s turn to eat, Don would return the favour. With my pokemon still lightly occupied, I glanced up in time to see Zephyr returning from a sweep of the perimeter. He hooted in greeting to everyone and dropped down next to me. ¡°All clear?¡± I asked. He nodded seriously. Don raised his head and grunted something at Zephyr, only for Zephyr to shake his head. Don sniffed at this and shoved his face back into the bowl of food. I hummed but decided not to question the exchange, beyond noting that Don was now eying the skies occasionally. I clapped my hands together to signal that I had something to say. The group either stopped what they were doing or did it much more quietly. Sanchez threw some little punches but he watched me as he did so. ¡°Alright team, I¡¯ve been monitoring a situation that¡¯s coming our way and I think I¡¯m going to pre-empt it.¡± The team¡¯s interest grew even more. Don¡¯s muzzle lifted out of the bowl of food to growl a question. ¡°There is a trainer like Karen. Some of you have had the pleasure of facing her before. She was part of the Guardian¡¯s initiation. You should know that her pokemon are considered strong enough to challenge for an Elite Four position. Something that she¡¯s now well on the way to achieving.¡± This got a rumble of interest, with Don sniffing loudly. I held in a smile. "She may not have fared as well against you during the guardian initiation, but she is still a skilled trainer." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I offered them all a smirk. ¡°Just not up to our level.¡± This got a cheer of agreement from my pokemon, it was always good to control when you talked your pokemon up, but you did need to do it. ¡°Nevertheless her method of building up her reputation and advancing up the Ace trainer listings other people are going to use.¡± That got them to quiet down. Bertha had a confused look on her giant craggy face. ¡°In her run for Elite Four status, she is targeting the gyms of Johto. Someone else is going to be targeting the gyms of Kanto. Starting with us, ¡° I said. Bertha gasped before clenching her fists and shaking her head. ¡°Rhyp!¡± The others all nodded along. I chuckled, which cut through their hype-up session. ¡°I know who they are,¡± I said. That had them all leaning forward in interest. ¡°He¡¯s trying to remain hidden and have us play our hands by sending other trainers through. That¡¯s why there have been so many Ace trainer challenges of late.¡± I gave another smirk. ¡°Which we¡¯ve handled wonderfully.¡± This got another round of growls and nods from my pokemon. Titan grunted to quiet things down. I nodded in thanks and continued. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve been aware of this trainer lurking for a while and I don¡¯t expect him to make an appearance any time soon but I can see that he¡¯s probing at us. He¡¯s going to be setting us up as his great unveiling. I for one have no interest in being a rock he just kicks around to make an entrance, so we¡¯re going to trip him up at the starting line.¡± I slowly looked at each of my pokemon. ¡°For that purpose, I am going to be working with you all an extra day a week to plan out strategies and prepare to fight him. Some of your move pools are going to get worked on, and we¡¯re going to hone some to be up to my standards. This is due to his identified specialist typing being Psychic type.¡± Don perked up at that and growled something with a gleeful look in his eyes. He still wasn¡¯t over Sabrina¡¯s Alakazam smacking him around so easily during the lead up to challenging Lance. He probably saw this as a good stepping stone to beating the powerful Psychic pokemon. Others looked to Titan straight away. They all knew that he¡¯d be the strongest against any Psychic pokemon. Then again, I could have announced that we¡¯d be facing Erika in a show match and they¡¯d still look to him first before any other pokemon. I pointed to Titan, and then to Selene. ¡°I¡¯m going to be looking to the pair of you for this match up. Titan, you¡¯re going to be the anchor, but depending on what we can dredge up from his fighting style, I may or may not deploy you earlier in any match we have.¡± I then indicated back to Selene. ¡°Selene, you¡¯re going to be the pokemon that we look to that will get us used to fighting against Psychic pokemon. You also have some strong moves in your arsenal that can help turn the tide in the coming battle. I will also be drawing Quirina for future training sessions. If we can keep honing him he might join the Elite team instead of being the four badge challenge team ace.¡± Selene bobbed her head at my words. ¡°Luna!¡± I turned to Knight who perked up. ¡°You¡¯re also going to be one of my go to pokemon if I can make it work. You have some good dark-type moves that will counter him. I will be forming up a plan for the rest of you but at this stage there are three slots left for this match.¡± I nodded at Don and his eagerness before grinning at Hypnotoad. ¡°You might also develop a certain move but more on that later.¡± She vibrated in place at that news and I chuckled. ¡°Good, now I¡¯ve done some initial analysis and there is a move that I want to be on the lookout for that is called Synchronise. Synchronise is deadly as it doesn¡¯t just damage the pokemon out fighting but the entire team that share a trait with the pokemon. Therefore if I load up too many Rock-type pokemon we¡¯ll be in trouble. I don¡¯t want you coming out weakened before you even get onto the battlefield.¡± this got a round of nods and some grumbles from others. ¡°For this purpose, I¡¯m going to field a few different pokemon so that he can¡¯t just hit us for our Rock type.¡± I indicated towards Hypnotoad and Shrek. ¡°Shrek, Zephyr, Hypnotoad, Tide, and eventually Scyther, are going to be taking part in the coming Ace trainer battles so we¡¯re going to have to blow some dust off that¡¯s built up for the higher tier matches for some of you.¡± Bertha clapped her hands and cheered something. I tilted my head at her and she made another expansive gesture. I considered it for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m getting the team back together?¡± She nodded and the other pokemon straightened up at that. Titan grinned and I hummed. It was true that it had been a while since I¡¯d had all of my pokemon from my journey together. Not that it was possible any longer. Not since I lost my first Onix¡­ I nodded, pushing the memories away at the same time. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll sort of be like old times won¡¯t it?¡± I glanced around the rocky plains. ¡°I might need to expand the swamp to have a lagoon for Tide though.¡± Shrek, Hypnotoad and Shin all perked up at that. I chuckled at them before waving my hand forward. ¡°Alright, alright, Selene I want you to pair up against ¡ª¡± Don screeched and flapped his wings to indicate he wanted to go first. Titan snorted at him, and Don looked annoyed but backed down when Titan sternly held his stare. ¡°¡ªShin, you¡¯re going first because a lot of your moves are physical and you¡¯ll need to practise working against a psychic pokemon.¡± I then pointed to Bertha. ¡°You¡¯re going to be working with Hypnotoad. Don you¡¯re against Shrek.¡± Both pairs of pokemon locked eyes and I grinned as I started getting into it. By the time everyone was assigned a training partner or working through a drill for a move there was a chorus of chaos as pokemon unleashed moves at each other, dodged them, or otherwise worked their bodies and minds. I grinned. This was what it was to be a pokemon trainer. If Will wanted to try and be sneaky then I was going to be more than ready for him. I was going to assemble my Elite Team with no restrictions. This hadn¡¯t been the team I thought I would have by the time Ash rolled around. I¡¯d gotten lucky in a lot of ways, and so, very very unlucky in others. Titan suddenly put his hand on my shoulder, and I was shocked to realise he¡¯d snuck up on me. I glanced up and realised he was looking at me in concern. ¡°Ty, Ty, tar!¡± he said, patting me slowly. I looked away. "Yeah, I know. It just surprised me to think of the old team again.¡± I looked over to Sanchez who was waiting for Titan. He was watching us, obviously confused as to what was going on but willing to give me and Titan space. I nodded at him before waving Titan forward to work with Sanchez. The two paired up and began to fight. I shook off the last of my maudlin mood and led Zephyr over to work with Scyther. Sycther grumbled about the match, but then locked eyes with Zephyr, and they began trading blows, or rather quickly attacking and dodging. After five minutes I called a break to their training and added some ankle weights to Sycther¡¯s ankles making him grumble some more. ¡°You want to be strong don¡¯t you? I then moved on to the others. At the twenty-minute mark I called a halt for Shin, Don, and Knight. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be using you all against a trainer today so don¡¯t get too tired. Light work for the rest of the session!¡± I barked out. When Don started acting up I pointed right at him. ¡°Do you want to be the first pokemon I send out today or the last?¡± That made him behave. When the hour of training was done I had Titan lead everyone through a cooldown as I laid out their food. While they were eating, I walked back to look over the Onix that I had. There was one that I thought might be ready to evolve and possibly advance. I walked back to the field in the back with that thought running through my mind. It would be expensive due to the cost of the metal coat but I couldn¡¯t overlook it. I nodded to myself. It was time to act, to switch things up. I found I was actually looking forward to it, I hadn¡¯t gotten the chance before that Sceptile... I sighed and shook the mood away again. Instead, I kept planning out my team. I already had a steel type with Knight but having another join my Elite team would help be a good idea. It also helped that Steelix had a mega-evolution that might be possible to unlock one day. I just needed to get lucky with some megastones. I entered the area behind the gym to find Forrest rubbing down the Graveler that I¡¯d dubbed ¡®Challenger¡¯ in my head due to how she acted with any of the Elite team nearby. She¡¯d been fighting them nearly constantly when she¡¯d learnt how far the divide was between herself and Sanchez. Finding out that he was technically the weakest of my pokemon, or at least the newest to reach the Elite status had shaken her. But then she¡¯d started trying to challenge the likes of Shin, Don, and on one memorable occasion, Bertha. Only to be smacked around harder by them. Bertha in particular had been all smiles right up until the Graveler was laying down her challenge. Then Bertha had backhanded her straight into the plateau where she¡¯d been embedded. She must have said something to piss Bertha off to get that reaction. Whatever it was, ¡®Challenger¡¯ hadn¡¯t tried climbing that particular mountain since. Then again, it might have also had something to do with Scyther scoring a win against her. I¡¯d have to talk with her cause she¡¯d been very depressed with that turn of events. Next to Forrest, Flint was indicating a number of things on the Challenger¡¯s body. I approached carefully. ¡°¡ªsee how she has a lot of sand built up in between her rock shell? Those need to be scrapped out when you¡¯re caring for pokemon like her otherwise it can irritate them.¡± Forrest nodded as he used the tool to clean out Graveller¡¯s rocks. ¡°We usually have the pokemon Harden and then use a hose.¡± ¡°That usually weakens their shell though and lowers their ability to withstand stronger blows,¡± Flint said with a raised hand. ¡°That¡¯s why they have to use Harden first,¡± I said, announcing my arrival. Flint glanced back and smiled at me. ¡°Morning! So¡­¡± He gave me a playful smirk, ¡°Finally up eh Brock?¡± I cocked my head to the side before narrowing my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been up for a while now.¡± He stopped smiling and coughed. ¡°Oh, I hadn¡¯t realised I was just teasing¡­¡± I grunted at him and glanced back over my shoulder where I¡¯d been for the last hour. My elite team were rounding the plateau and a number of the Gym¡¯s pokemon were noticing. Challenger perked up only to look down at the ground and kick the dirt, grumbling as she did so. I got closer and was surprised when Forrest kneeled next to her face, getting on her level. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re doing great with your training! You just need to have time. It¡¯s been great having that drive but you¡¯re trying to leap a gap too large right now. I¡¯m gonna start giving you building steps from now on.¡± She grumbled, but he reached out putting a hand on her. ¡°Hey, you know you¡¯re a lot stronger than you were, right? I read a report about Missy taking you out only to have you take out a roaming swarm of Beedril no? Could you have done that a few months ago?¡± She shook her head. Forrest leaned in and clenched a fist in front of Challenger¡¯s face, ¡°Well trust in me that you¡¯re getting stronger. You¡¯re getting a lot more experience, and it is showing! In a few more months you¡¯ll probably be a powerful Golem!.¡± She perked up at that and Forrest nodded. ¡°Yeah, keep that goal in sight, and we¡¯ll re-evaluate where you¡¯re at then yeah?¡± She raised her arms and bellowed her agreement at that. Forrest pat her on the head. ¡°Now let me and Dad pamper you. You deserve it.¡± Flint hummed in an approving manner while Forrest leaned in to work on cleaning Graveler out the old-fashioned way with a wire brush that Challenger seemed to like. I frowned, oddly conflicted at how Forrest was falling into what Flint told him but also proud that he was showing good skills with pokemon. I just hoped he realised that when you had more than three Gravelers or Golem to work on it was demanding too much to wire brush them all. You had to find other methods for treating sand in the cracks. I huffed and I let him do as he wanted. Instead, I checked over the other pokemon and then called out to Forrest that I was going to cook breakfast. Forrest waved back in a manner that let me know he¡¯d barely heard me while Flint didn¡¯t react at all. I rolled my eyes. Fine, if he wanted to be like that I didn¡¯t need to chase him around. He was an adult. I quickly whipped up breakfast and had the family up and eating. Yolanda appeared with her egg in hand and a beaming happy smile that died a little when she looked around and didn¡¯t find who she was looking for. A dark part of me was pleased for half a second before I realised how horrible that was. ¡°Sorry, Yolanda, Forrest has our¡­ guest bailed up out in the pokemon area. Yolanda blinked a bit and scowled. ¡°He does? But¡­¡± her eyes flickered around at the other kids before she sighed explosively. ¡°That¡¯s so¡­ what he would do, wouldn¡¯t he?¡± I nodded and ignored the way my guts wrenched as she slumped into her seat. Salvadore sat up. ¡°Is Professor Oak here?!¡± he asked. I shook my head. ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think he is¡­¡± I trailed off. There had been that one time I¡¯d come to ask Rocko something early in the morning about a report only to find him and Oak acting like zombies on the couch while playing on the console. Apparently Oak had challenged Rocko to a marathon match challenge or some such. ¡°Anyway, Forrest should be along with our guest soon enough and then they can take you to school¡­¡± I said. We then proceeded to go through the normal morning routine. ¡°Stop touching me! Brock! Billy is touching me!¡± screamed Suzie. Billy denied this straight away. ¡°No, I¡¯m not! I¡¯m touching around you!¡± ¡°Leave your sister alone and finish eating your food,¡± I said to them. ¡°I don¡¯t want eggs!¡± said Timmy, only for me to give his meal to Munchlax and for some cereal to be placed in front of Timmy. Timmy gaped at my solution as Munchlax happily devoured his second breakfast. Salvadore raised his hand. ¡°Hey Brock in this part of the book they¡¯re talking about standardisation as being important for electrical systems. Why is that?¡± I stared at him. ¡°I haven¡¯t got a clue little brother.¡± I reached for the book and gave it a read only to find myself quite lost. ¡°Maybe keep reading and come tell me if you find out the answer?¡± With a family of seven siblings to deal with for the morning, I barely got to watch the clock as it ticked down. Eevee was also in there darting around sticky or wet fingers to greet everyone. Nanny Graveler took up a spot near Billy and Tilly with a napkin to rub at their faces when they messed themselves up. Yolanda was the only kid that didn¡¯t have any issues. She instead was going out of her way to be helpful while keeping an eye on the clock. When it reached five minutes until the kids needed to be out the door, I felt like a heel as part of me was glad Flint had messed up. Another part was raging at him. I rubbed my temples and clapped my hands. ¡°Alright! Looks like Forrest won¡¯t be able to take you to school today! Yolanda!¡± I looked at her meaningfully. ¡°Can you please take them? I¡¯ll talk to Forrest about this.¡± I made sure to emphasise Forrest so that she knew I meant I¡¯d be talking to Flint about this. From the front door, a knock sounded out and Yolanda sprang into action. ¡°Hi there Da¡­ oh, hi Daniel¡­¡± Yolanda said as she slumped off to grab her backpack and lead the kids out the door. ¡°Uhhhh hey there Yolanda?¡± he said, obviously unsure at her reaction. He looked to me and I grimaced and shook my head. ¡°Just a thing. They have to get to school.¡± He pointed after them. ¡°Need me to escort them?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. They¡¯re safe enough.¡± Nanny Graveler rolled after them. Eevee tried to slip around her to follow the kids to school only for her to be deposited in my lap as the kids left. Eevee cried out for them but then settled down when I pointed out Munchlax was still here to play with. She darted off to do that. I directed my attention to one of my most recent hires as a Gym trainer, Daniel. He eyed the door with a thoughtful look, but I coughed. ¡°What brings you around Daniel? We still have¡­ oh we only have ten minutes now¡­ Urgh damn it, Flint,¡± I said as I stood and waved Daniel to follow me. He did so while taking in my home. I led him to the door that attached to the Gym from my house. Even from this side a keycard was needed to enter the Gym¡¯s facilities. ¡°Surprised it needs that,¡± Daniel said curiously. I huffed. ¡°Kids will get into all sorts of places you don¡¯t want them. You¡¯re going to learn about that soon, trust me.¡± ¡°Heh, guess I will!¡± he said with an amiable laugh. I marched through to the others waiting for me before loading up the first profile on the schedule. ¡°Huh, girl from Pallet by the name of Greta Evergreen, then two gauntlet runs, followed up by a single challenge match before we have our showpiece for the day with the Ace challenge before lunch?¡± Alexa nodded her head, and I hummed, falling into the role of Gym Leader as I checked everyone¡¯s roster for the day and what we had scheduled in. I found Daniel lingering nearby and I looked up at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you on referee duty for the first match?¡± ¡°Oh! Right! Sorry boss!¡± he said before darting off. I shook my head. ¡°Good to see I¡¯m not the only person a bit frazzled from the weekend. Alright, time to face one Greta Evergreen.¡± And ignore anything to do with Flint for the moment. Yeah, that sounded pretty good to me. Chapter 81 - Gruff Greetings for Greta I walked through the racks of pokeballs that were on offer for today with a thoughtful hum. It was the first day of the week, so none of the pokemon on these racks needed to be avoided. I walked to the section that was now dedicated to the first badge challenge and noted that it was heavily dominated by pokeball bearing Lileep stickers. I glanced at the information that I had for one Greta Evergreen. Sponsored trainer of Samuel Oak thanks to her high test scores and repeated attendance at his various pre-trainer camps. Interesting. I sent a quick message to Oak about her arrival and subsequent challenge. She¡¯d apparently booked in only a day after Gary, but a day¡¯s difference had resulted in nearly a week and change in how long it took for her to see me. Even with this being a simple, single challenge. With the idea of this being against a trainer that had a starter from the games, I felt a little nostalgic, so I grabbed up a Geodude and an Onix. I might switch it up a little with Onix going first though. ¡°Brock,¡± said an intruding voice. I glanced up to find Flint standing next to a sheepish Forrest. Forrest¡¯s keycard was hanging from his neck, and I huffed. Well, that explained how he¡¯d been able to get in here, I¡¯d hoped he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach me. ¡°Flint,¡± I said back, straightening with my selection for the first few matches. I set aside Don and a few other pokeballs for the later Ace challenge while Flint stared at me. ¡°You didn¡¯t let me say hello to the kids this morning,¡± he said tightly. I turned to him and locked eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t let you?¡± I crossed my arms and continued to stare him down as he let his eyes drop. ¡°Or you didn¡¯t get moving early enough? All of them were there. Yolanda knew to expect you but you didn¡¯t show up.¡± Flint shifted. ¡°I thought you were going hold them back from school today. It¡¯s more important after all.¡± I snorted heavily and marched past him. ¡°You¡¯ll find that me making them put their lives on pause for you won¡¯t be something I advocate for ever. There was enough of that in the past. I¡¯m not doing it ever again,¡± I said in passing. Forrest jogged. ¡°Sorry! Don¡¯t be mad at him! It was my fault I just got so caught up in having him back that I¡ª¡± I raised a hand towards Forrest even as I strode towards the stairs that would lead me up into the trainer area overlooking the stands. ¡°Don¡¯t apologise for him Forrest. He¡¯s a grown man, he needs to look after himself.¡± ¡°Well, maybe he was right though and we should have had the day off to..¡± he trailed off as I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯re not putting our lives on hold for Flint or ¡­ Lola,¡± I said firmly. ¡°What about us? Would you have put things on hold for us?¡± he said mulishly ¡°You and they are very different,¡± I said firmly. How could he say that? Wasn''t it obvious? I jerked my head back at the pokemon storage area. ¡°You¡¯ll need to go let him out before he triggers the alarms by the way. He doesn¡¯t have your keycard. And if he tries to get out without one it will lock down.¡± I lengthened my stride before Forrest could think to ask if I¡¯d give Flint a Keycard. As far as I was concerned, he could prove that he deserved one. I wasn¡¯t giving him access to the Gym so soon. I sent a message to let Rachel know I was ready for the next trainer when I reached the top. ¡°And now! A new up-and-coming trainer from Pallet Town! We have Greta Evergreen!¡± said Rachel for the few morning spectators we had, which really wasn¡¯t all that many. Apart from a few diehard fans that sat front and centre. I heard a loud voice standing cheering for Pallet Town that allowed me to zero in on Ash Ketchum and Misty sitting in the front row. From atop the stands I watched a small girl in a bucket hat with long auburn hair walk out. In her hands, clutched like a lifeline she held a single pokeball. On her belt, another pair of other pokeballs rested. She had a determined look in her eyes and I adopted my pose at the top of the stairs as the lights flashed down with a powerful ¡®thoom¡¯. The crowd that had been cheering fell silent. In the sudden quiet, I spoke. ¡°You dare challenge the Pewter city gym?¡± My voice booming out over the arena and causing Greta to stop still. I tried to channel my inner heel that people loved to see beaten. It made the victory all the sweeter for the new trainers. She swallowed when she looked up at me. I liked to think I looked imposing. When I first started I was told that I looked like I was a ¡®young master¡¯ that was annoyed at being challenged by the likes of them. I must have adopted a different stance after that feedback. It hadn¡¯t stopped Celia from poking fun at my ¡®posing¡¯ though. Regardless, I always made sure to be super friendly after a match for the first circuit trainers to leave them with a much better impression. I also gave them a number of pointers for any glaring faults that I might have noticed throughout our match. Hopefully, that way, they understood that I was being tough but that was by design. I was a hurdle for them to overcome. Her eyes hardened as she stared up at me. ¡°Yes! I am here to claim your badge G-gym Leader Brock!¡± she said. If she hadn¡¯t stuttered halfway, she would have given a perfect defiant response. I nodded slowly and leapt over the side to land atop the podium. ¡°Very well, the match is against two of my pokemon!¡± I gestured towards Daniel on the sideline. ¡°Challenger!¡± Greta jumped at the sudden call from another voice. She looked to see Daniel already atop his podium. ¡°Please step into the marked area! You will be raised up on a podium!¡± Usually, people didn¡¯t have to be told that, as it was a standard for trainers to stalk into the trainer box, only to be surprised at the high tech being put to use for their match. Greta did so and clutched the handrail that served to keep her from falling off. When it was locked in place at two metres above the arena floor, she relaxed. Then she looked over at me to find me waiting. ¡°S-sorry! I¡¯m not used to fighting from podium position!¡± she said worriedly. I nodded, not at all bothered. ¡°If you wish, we can lower this to a normal ¡®field¡¯ match with both of us at ground level. I would ask you to remain in the trainer box. However, I would recommend getting used to it now as their use will become the norm in future gym battles and at the Indigo Conference. .¡± Greta chewed her lip. ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered that¡­ Alright I¡¯ll stay up here!¡± I gave another nod before glancing at Daniel. He coughed. ¡°Very well! As the gym leader has stated, this is a standard challenge with you facing two of the gym leader¡¯s pokemon. At any point, you may withdraw or return your pokemon during lulls. You may not withdraw your pokemon during an attack to use the withdrawal to dodge a move. Doing so is considered a forfeiture of that pokemon and you will not be allowed to return it to the field. If you have more than one of that pokemon species you will be asked to set that pokeball to the side!¡± Greta nodded. ¡°So I just need to beat two of Brock¡¯s pokemon? I thought I needed to demonstrate my training?¡± ¡°You do,¡± I said, cutting in. ¡°You need a level of strength, skill, or understanding of strategy to earn a badge. I make each match appropriate to the badge being challenged for.¡± Greta frowned. ¡°What stops people from just saying that they¡¯re on their first challenge?¡± I huffed in amusement. Trainers typically had nowhere near this level of curiosity. The girl had an inquisitive mind. Around us the crowd ¡ªwhat few there were for a first badge challenge¡ª shifted, agitated at the delay. I ignored them, but Greta twitched as she realised there were people watching her. ¡°It used to be pride. Most trainers still challenge at a level that is appropriate for themselves and their pokemon otherwise they get very little from the challenge. The money is considered a pittance unless you are just starting out. However, that is no longer the case.¡± I said, more than happy to discuss how things had changed even over the course of the three years I¡¯d been Gym Leader. ¡°When you applied for your match you had to do so with the trainer license that you were assigned. The League has cracked down on keeping trainer records up to date. Gym Challenges, wins or losses against other trainers, the pokemon you own and your conduct during some matches are recorded. This is all public information. Before the match, you presented your trainer license once more and we could see your win and loss history along with if you have ever challenged or beaten a Gym.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± she said, nodding to show her understanding. I tilted my head. ¡°Any other questions?¡± She tapped her chin before blushing as one trainer called out. ¡°Just fight already!¡± I directed an unimpressed look at the trainer in question and gave him a stern expresison. ¡°Ignore them, this is yet more exposure to what you might have to face later on. If you have questions before we begin¡ª¡± ¡°No! No, I¡¯m fine.¡± She shook her head and raised up her pokeball. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Daniel raised his flags. ¡°Trainers! When you are ready toss out your pokeball¡ª¡± ¡°Go Bulbasaur!¡± Greta shouted as she tossed her pokeball only for her throw to be rather off. The pokeball tried to return to her with the recall feature but it flubbed and hit the handrail. Greta¡¯s hand also slammed down into the handrail causing her to cry out in pain. ¡°Asshole!¡± she swore, the curse carrying clearly throughout the arena. Her other hand shot up to cradle her injured hand while the pokeball rolled around at her feet. Then she snapped her head up, her pained hand held up with her other. ¡°Sorry!¡± she shouted as the crowd laughed. ¡°You alright?¡± I called back. ¡°Fine, just fine!¡± She nodded through teary eyes. ¡°Alright, but if you need to, we can have our Nurse look over your hand.¡± As though summoned, Chansey opened the door to the medbay and peered out holding a wire brush she liked to use. It looked a little rusty and ominous in her hands though. She looked around before pouting as if saddened that there weren''t any maimed pokemon. She gave Greta a look before sniffing and dismissing her. ¡°Bulba?¡± Greta¡¯s Bulbasaur had turned around to give its trainer a concerned look. Greta shook her head before waving for me to continue. I selected my Onix to get things underway. ¡°Go Onix!¡± I shouted. Even before the pokemon was fully formed I could tell something was wrong. The Onix emerged and did so with a mighty screech. It came out with a presence that I would have expected more of a three-badge challenge pokemon. This pokemon was far too strong for a new trainer to face and I¡¯d have to soften the orders to give Greta a proper chance. I¡¯d have to make sure Onix didn¡¯t resent me for ¡®flubbing¡¯ the match as well. If it had gotten this strong this quickly, it must have been on a bit of a streak with wins and matches. It also must have been used far too often in the last few matches. I needed to stress to my trainers that they should be spreading out the matches so the same pokemon didn¡¯t get too many battles too quickly. That, or they needed to pay better attention to where they placed the pokeballs. This might be a clerical error with someone putting a pokeball in the wrong area. It was rare, but it did happen, and with the numbers of trainers we had, it was probably a shock it hadn¡¯t happened earlier. Then again, it was more likely that one of the new gym trainers adopted a favourite pokemon from among a group. Something they¡¯d learnt from their own journey that had to be unlearned for working as a gym trainer. Sadly, I wasn¡¯t going to get a chance to ease the Onix in as Greta¡¯s Bulbasaur flinched at its intimidating arrival. Bulbasaur reared back and babbled its name before sprinting off the arena floor. I cursed under my breath as it made a beeline for the door to the first aid clinic that was left open. ¡°Bulbasaur!¡± shouted Greta in surprise. She reached for her pokeball that should have been resting on her belt only to remember that she hadn¡¯t caught it and it was at her feet. By the time she had leaned down to grab it, Bulbasaur was out of the room. I started to lower the podiums we were on. Greta wasn¡¯t willing to wait. Instead, she threw herself off the side and called out once more for her pokemon. ¡°Bulbasaur!¡± She landed roughly, stumbling but carrying on after her pokemon. The crowd were stunned for a moment, but just before Greta vanished a few trainers jeered at her poor showing. I glowered up at them and clicked my radio on. ¡°Dennis, give the crowd some coupons for the local shops we have on hand for a meal. I¡¯m going to have to check in with Greta.¡± ¡°On it boss,¡± Dennis said, marching out from the top trainer area and calling out to the crowd to stop any more poor behaviour. I gave Daniel a nod towards Dennis, asking him to back up the older man. Now I just had to deal with an emotional girl and her highly stressed-out pokemon. I marched towards the Medbay and grimaced. And not a few weeks ago, I¡¯d been considering having Forrest run the Gym? He¡¯d have struggled to help out a young girl like this. Just as I departed the arena, I spied Forrest and Flint watching me. Flint had a disapproving look that made me want to glower back. Obviously, this wasn¡¯t an ideal showing! It kind of annoyed me to see Forrest hanging around Flint like that. I could only imagine all the terrible habits Flint was teaching him by proxy. Urgh! I pushed that whole¡­ thing, aside and tried to focus on the more important immediate issue right now. I found Greta on her knees making soft cooing noises to a Bulbasaur that had opened a corner cupboard and was huddled up in the darkness. I sighed to myself and settled back to wait. Sadly, this was only the first such incident of the year. I expected at least three more before things were done. I thought I¡¯d set up a system to stop this from happening last year? Urgh, annoying. I had no idea how that number would balloon now. With the Surge? It''d probably be best to expect double. I paused before announcing myself. Damn, that had been a callous line of thinking. I¡¯d just converted all this into numbers and been ready to shrug it off as ¡®it happened¡¯. I¡¯d need to review how things worked. Maybe even set the goal to have less than last year? Or not let this happen again outright? ¡°Bulbasaur! Come on little guy! It¡¯s alright, you were just caught by surprise! We¡¯ve never seen an Onix before and they¡¯re known to be one of the biggest pokemon around! You got a fright is all!¡± ¡°Bulba¡­¡± came the depressed-sounding croak. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡± said the kneeling girl. ¡°He¡¯s probably over his shock and is now more ashamed. He got caught in a fight or flight response due to facing a strong pokemon.¡± Greta turned to find me resting on a table watching her. I very deliberately wasn¡¯t approaching and crowding her, or her pokemon. ¡°I thought most pokemon would typically fight?¡± she said, her curiosity once more rearing its head. I gave her a sad smile. ¡°They don¡¯t really teach this, but pokemon can understand if they have a good chance against another pokemon. Pokemon like Onix are able to push a lot of buttons due to their size. Couple that with coming out of the gates with a move to lower defences and have your pokemon doubting itself? It can result in situations like this.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that cheap?!¡± Greta said, standing now and looking angry. I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s an intimidation display more than anything else. As you get stronger you¡¯ll encounter various levels of it. When the difference between pokemon is too large it can make it much harder for the intimidated pokemon to make a good showing of its actual skills. You¡¯ll need to train your pokemon to endure it or have strategies set up to make them ignore it.¡± Greta chewed her lip. ¡°During the match with Lance, your pokemon and Lance¡¯s stood opposite and roared at each other. That was intimidation at the highest level, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°An almost textbook example,¡± I replied. ¡°Well ¡­¡± she scuffed her foot on the ground, ¡°No one else has tried that on us before, so we were just not ready for it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you encountered it here and not out in the wilds first. If this situation had played out in the wilds you might be endangered if your pokemon fle¡ª¡± my words were cut off when Bulbasaur launched itself out of the cupboard to stand in front of Greta. ¡°BULBA! BULBA SAUR!¡± it snarled. I hummed. I had no firm idea of what it was saying but if I read its body language and tone¡­ ¡°You think you wouldn¡¯t have ever fled if you¡¯d been in the wild? You wouldn¡¯t abandon Greta? Not ever again?¡± ¡°Bul!¡± it snapped. Greta dropped to her knees and scooped her pokemon up. ¡°Oh! Bulbasaur! Thank you but I never doubted you¡¯d leave me in the wilds! This just caught you off guard is all!¡± I held the defiant gaze of the Bulbasaur. I could tell it was young as it¡¯s bulb was still a dark colouration. Its size made it easily holdable compared to some of the other older versions I¡¯d seen around that were much larger. I nodded slowly to show that I understood its ¡®vow¡¯. This seemed to make the pokemon relax a little. ¡°I think you¡¯ve learned a lot from today despite the¡­ setback,¡± I said. I stood and then bowed my head. ¡°I need to apologise for this as well. The Onix that you faced was stronger than most first badge challengers face.¡± ¡°Oh! Uhm!¡± She shifted from foot to foot while Bulbasaur made a small growling question. ¡°What does that mean? Do I automatically get¡ª¡± I stood up and held a hand out to stop her. ¡°No,¡± I said firmly but not unkindly. ¡°You must demonstrate a certain level of skill depending on the badge challenge that you contend at.¡± I rubbed my face and exhaled a large sigh. ¡°The mix-up while an issue isn¡¯t something that was insurmountable.¡± I gestured back out to the arena. ¡°Would you like to try again?¡± Greta shrunk into herself and blushed red. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think I could! All those people were out there and laughed and¡­ Can I just reschedule?¡± I nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want. I will be reimbursing you for your fee to challenge us and I won¡¯t record a loss on your file against us. If an opening presents itself I¡¯ll do what I can but with the amount of demand we currently have, there is also going to be a wait.¡± I shifted uneasily, not happy to force her back due to an error on my part. She didn¡¯t sound comfortable fighting again today, I might be able to make an extra slot just for her on another day this week. It wouldn¡¯t be right to put her out after all. I shot a quick message to Alexa before looking up to find Greta looking around the medical room. I tapped my chin in thought. ¡°You had a lot of questions¡­¡± She blushed, her head ducking down. ¡°Sorry about those!¡± ¡°No, no. It¡¯s not an issue. Honestly, I would prefer more trainers to think to ask those questions; it might become tiring, but if people don¡¯t know something like that it highlights a gap in a lot of people¡¯s knowledge bases. I won¡¯t have time to reschedule a battle today¡­¡± I said, lying through my teeth so she had an excuse to grasp a hold of beyond ¡®I didn¡¯t want to after being embarrassed¡¯. ¡°So instead, how about you stick around till the close of business and accompany me as I finish up for the day? Any questions you have, I¡¯ll try and either answer them or point you in the right direction to help answer them.¡± I offered her a hand, ¡°Sound fair?¡± Greta¡¯s broad smile was answer enough but she still grasped my hand quickly. ¡°Deal!¡± I smiled at her. ¡°Well to start with let¡¯s get you a visitor pass so you can hang out in the Gym trainer area.¡± I checked my watch. ¡°I have another four matches this morning to see to, so you¡¯ll get to watch how we do things until I¡¯m free at lunch. We can chat then.¡± I smirked as I recalled the other event happening. ¡°Before lunch we have the Ace challenge for the day. I imagine that will be enough time for you to build up a ton of questions.¡± ¡°An Ace challenge?!¡± she said excitedly. ¡°Oh sweet! Bulbasaur we¡¯ll get to see some of Brock¡¯s strongest pokemon fight!¡± Greta bounced after me as I led her into the office space; her Bulbasaur continued to shoot me little glares from his spot in her arms. He wasn¡¯t so quick to forgive or forget as his trainer. I merely shook my head. If only every trainer that had a bad experience could be placated so easily. She hadn¡¯t even demanded I award her the badge or threatened to call a League official on me. Or were my expectations of some trainers too low? I remembered the trainer I¡¯d faced almost two weeks ago, and that Forrest had stomped a bit later. Nah. Some trainers were that bad. Still, Greta would serve as a wonderful positive from what had started out quite badly. I found myself looking forward to teaching her about pokemon and pokemon battles. It wasn¡¯t a big positive. But sometimes the little things in life mattered the most Chapter 82 - Dangerously overpowered The morning¡¯s challenges passed without comment. They came, they challenged, and they proceeded for the most part. Of the other five challengers after Greta I had four demonstrate enough skill while the last challenged at the fourth badge level only to not have a deep enough pokemon roster. He¡¯d been close though and I had no doubt he¡¯d get the badge in another week or two once he came back. Greta had shot a few questions at me each time I came and sat in the trainer lounge much to Dennis and Daniel¡¯s amusement. Missy had taken over-explaining a number of things to Greta when she¡¯d come on break from patrolling Pewter City. Forrest and Flint had also claimed some seats in the upper trainer area. Flint had watched and kept any comments about my methods to himself. I¡¯d in turn ignored him and was continuing to do so as Rachel finished introducing the challenger and leading the crowd in welcoming me. ¡°¡ªLeader Brock!¡± she screamed into the microphone. Music began to blare and I grinned. The crowd stomped twice and then clapped, causing an echo to reverberate through the arena. I stood unmoving at the top of the stairs leading down to the arena floor. On a raised podium in the arena, the challenger stood with spotlights shining on him. He squirmed in his spot and swallowed, his eyes questing about in the darkness at the noise. It wasn¡¯t a good sign for him to be freaking out before our match had already begun. For him that was. After the next stomp-clap sequence finished I clicked a button and lights activated to highlight me. ¡°Brock! Brock! Brock!¡± There was nothing quite so grand as having a crowd roar your name. In a pokemon world, this was taken to a whole new level. As the gym leader, I was top cop, role-model, and sports star all rolled into one. I walked down the stairs and the trainer was finally able to focus on something beyond just the noise. He steadied himself a little as he locked eyes with me. I marched on and when I reached the bottom of the stairs I flexed my aura a little to allow myself to jump over the edge and directly onto the platform. Then I turned and waved to the crowd, acknowledging them. They roared their love for me and I stamped down on how big-headed I was getting. It was nice, but I knew it was something to not become reliant on. I toggled the barriers around the room into activation and watched a shimmer form in front of the walls surrounding the battlefield. A quick visual sweep showed nothing was amiss so I clicked on my radio. ¡°Control room, all clean?¡± I said. ¡°Control room, barriers at one hundred percent Brock you¡¯re good to go!¡± said one of the security staff. I rolled my shoulders, pleased that the damage from the matches last week had been repaired. Sadly, I suspected I¡¯d need another after the week was done. I gestured to the side and Rocko nodded, raising his flags for the normal spiel before we got underway. I selected the pokeball I was going with for today¡¯s match. It was risky but I¡¯d promised. He was aggressive and wanted to fight so occasionally I needed to let him loose. I stared across at the challenger, Hobbs I believe was his name, and wondered if he¡¯d be ready for what I was about to unleash. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± At Rocko¡¯s prompting we both nodded. I drew back my pokeball and hurled it into the arena as the flags dropped. ¡°Go Don!¡± My Aerodatcyl appeared and with a flap of his wings lifted up to hover his eye glaring across at the coalescing red pokemon. ¡°Go Exeggutor!¡± said Hobbs as a large tree with multiple faces emerged. Don screeched in anticipation of the fight to come and I snapped my fingers harshly to remind him to keep his cool. Hobbs grimaced at the poor match-up. On paper, his pokemon would do a lot better against a lot of mine but I had quite a number of pokemon that would roll over it with a variety of moves. Don was actually the best pokemon I could have lucked into having on the field for this fight. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Leech Seed!¡± shouted Hobbs. ¡°Whirlwind Don!¡± I ordered. The grass type lowered its fronds and began to shoot clusters of sprouts towards Don. Don swept his wings forwards with a roar and the seeds were tossed about before being hurled away from my pokemon. ¡°Get some height!¡± I followed up with. ¡°Bullet Seed!¡± ¡°Dodge it!¡± I swept my hand as Don dropped and dived like a pro. Across from us, Exeggutor rotated its body so that the different faces could generate a sustained barrage of bullet seeds. Don had to continually dodge instead of there being a limited barrage as was usual with the move. It reminded me of the old gatling guns from the spaghetti westerns of a past life. It was rather ingenious. I¡¯d compliment him once I beat him. I waited until the derpy-looking face was about to switch into the firing sequence before pointing upwards. ¡°Go high now!¡± Don screeched as he swung high. The derpy-looking face switched in and began to fire upwards only to tilt backwards further and further until it suddenly lost balance. As one, every face of the Exeggutors¡¯ had a look of ¡®oh shit, as they toppled backwards. They tried taking control of the falling body but this made it worse as they spasmed on the recovery and landed on their back. Don hovered for a moment and I grinned as a glint came into his gaze. ¡°Wing Attack,¡± I said mercilessly. He descended upon his foe and slammed into them with glowing wings just as they got back to their feet. ¡°Exeggutor!¡± His pokemon was hurled back and crashed into the wall before falling still. ¡°Hey buddy are you alright?¡± His pokemon twitched but didn¡¯t get up. Don screeched his victory. I didn¡¯t say anything. His hit had probably been harder than I¡¯d thought him capable of. He was either very eager to fight, or his opponent wasn¡¯t that strong. Hobbs withdrew his pokemon and turned with a growl towards Don. ¡°Alright you¡¯re going down no-one treats my pokemon like that!¡± Hobbs shouted. Don gained a glint in his eyes and squawked. I didn¡¯t need to translate for Hobbs to understand that Don had said ¡®wanna bet?¡¯. ¡°Go! Girafarig!¡± A giraffe with a small head where its tail was. There was a moment of quiet in which I heard a faint robotic tone speaking. ¡°Girafirig, this pokemon possesses a small brain in the tail that allows it to sense danger from behind. Ambushing this pokemon is extremely difficult and the head has been known to take in its own sustenance when the pokemon passes throu¡ª¡± I held in the chuckle and kept my focus on the pokemon in front of me. Greta was apparently making good use of her pokedex to record and understand more about the pokemon that were being put on show. ¡°Don DD,¡± I said to start things off properly. Don spread his wings and while I tried not to see it I couldn¡¯t help but notice how his body formed a T¡­ ¡°Psybeam!¡± commanded Hobbs. Girafarig looked straight up at my pokemon and a beam of rainbow energy built up and was fired off. Don had to stop posing and drop into a hard descent. ¡°Whirlwind on the ground to blow up some dust!¡± I shouted. Don swept his wings, but instead of creating just a wave of wind rock and dirt was hurled up into the air, causing visibility to drop. ¡°Girafarig use Future Sight!¡± The giraffe pokemon¡¯s eyes on its head and tail both glowed faintly. I suspected that might play a part with how his earlier pokemon had a gimmick. If I let that move come to fruition, I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d be able to get a proper hit in. Time to end it now before it could take effect. ¡°Don! Ice fang!¡± I shouted, deciding to make the most of my pokemons earlier buffing. Don shrieked as he turned on a dime, causing some dust to puff away as he swept his wings. Girafarig twitched into a bucking motion that saw its feet coming up and intercepting Don in what I recognisted as a Stomp. Don took the hit and twisted to prevent himself from being pushed back too far. Instead, he landed and kicked off, a dangerous glint in his eyes, apparently, he was pissed that his opponent had gotten a hit in. His jaws glinted with ice. Girafarig screamed in pain as Don bit down at his back and bore it into the ground. I narrowed my gaze as I saw blood splatter onto the ground. Instincts I¡¯d honed as a Gym Leader made me sweep my hand across my body and bellow at Don. ¡°Don! Release!¡± Instinct warred with his training, and for a moment I worried he¡¯d commit to the bite. Instead, he released the other pokemon and hopped backwards, flapping his wings to gain some altitude as he did so. He jaw was dripping with blood. Girafarig raised itself up weakly and bleated weakly. Don shrieked in a barking manner that sounded like a harsh laugh. The crowd stared as they realised that Don was letting everyone know he was looking down on Hobbs and his pokemon. Looking down and laughing. I huffed. I was pleased that he¡¯d followed my orders but annoyed that he was being such a heel about it. Hobbs watched his pokemon stagger to his feet. Don tilted his head and licked his chops when Hobbs made no move to return his pokemon. I held my tongue and stared at Hobbs. If he kept that pokemon out, he was going to have issues. He shifted his gaze from my stoic expression to my pokemon''s now hungry circling, then up to the crowd. ¡°Girafarig¡­ Nasty Plot!¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I felt my brow twitch. It was clear his pokemon was too injured to keep fighting but instead he was going to push his luck? Worse, he¡¯d exploited my instinct to allow the withdrawal due to his pokemon clearly being severely injured. This wasn¡¯t something a simple recover would solve. ¡°Don, Wing Attack!¡± I said punching forward. It would still hurt his pokemon but not as bad as my pokemon mauling it with another Ice Fang. ¡°Baton Pass!¡± shouted Hobbs as he held up a pokeball. I twitched as his Girafrig was returned safely, but still in an injured state. He should have withdrawn it. ¡°Don carry through!¡± I called as an Espeon took to the field. Don swept in only for the Espeon to dodge by the barest margin. The gem on its head glinted as it landed. ¡°You¡¯re playing a dangerous game with your Girafarig,¡± I said to Hobbs as Don circled around. ¡°He¡¯s not down yet!¡± I stared long and hard at him. ¡°I will not allow mercy again Trainer Hobbs. Returning that pokemon in its current state is not something I would advise.¡± Hobbs squared his jaw. ¡°I¡¯m the one making the calls for my pokemon Gym Leader.¡± I grunted at that and raised my pokeball to return Don. And just like that I had a minute to send out something else. Around the room, the crowd stirred as they realised that Hobbs was going to push the package and that I was less than pleased. Usually, just the sign that a pokemon had caused such injuries was enough of an indication that it was way out of its weight class. There was every chance that Don could have continued and maimed or killed Girafarig. It was rare, but pokemon power imbalances could show up, and when they did, it usually resulted in injuries. I stared at Hobbs and felt my estimation of him slip. To decrease the risk of a pokemon dying I raised the radio from my hip. ¡°Chansey, prep the medical room for casualties.¡± I then switched channels to the loudspeakers. ¡°Parents be advised this match is no longer considered safe for children to view, pokemon trainers may make their own decision.¡± A few of the locals that knew what blood on the field meant were already ushering protesting children out the front doors. Other parents were being informed of what it would mean, and soon a number of seats were empty as young children were dragged out of the room. I noticed Misty dragging Ash out of the room, much to his confusion, while Greta asked another person in the Pewter trainer box what it meant. Her expression soon turned a light shade of green, but she stayed. I couldn¡¯t say whether that was good or bad. Don¡¯s pokeball vibrated at his withdrawal, but I didn¡¯t care. I held his pokeball up. ¡°Hey bud, this guy¡¯s not on your level. I think I might use this to give some others a shot at him, then get you in to finish it off.¡± That had him settling down and I sighed before moving to a different pokeball. ¡°Go Scyther!¡± I shouted, hurling my pokemon to a middle position. Scyther appeared and blinked in confusion before perking up when he realised where he was. He glanced back at me in hope. ¡°Game face on!¡± I called to him, and he snapped his head around and leaned forward in preparation. Rocko dropped the flags he¡¯d had raised as the countdown above his head vanished. I¡¯d only had five seconds left to call out my pokemon before facing an infraction. ¡°Fight!¡± Rocko called. ¡°Scyther! Double Team into X-scissor!¡± ¡°Espeon! Future sight!¡± The small cat-like pokemon¡¯s eyes glowed, and when Scyther buzzed in with his claws raised from what should have been a blind spot, Espeon leapt aside before unleashing a Psybeam. ¡°Slash it apart with your X-scissor!¡± Scyther lifted his blades and did just that, weathering the attack and dispelling it with the Bug-type move. ¡°Aerial Ace!¡± ¡°Protect!¡± shouted Hobbs as Scyther got behind Espeon once more. ¡°Scyth!¡± said my pokemon as his blades slammed into the barrier. Espeon whirled around and I hummed. I had his number here. My pokemon was faster, and without set up, his pokemon wasn¡¯t going to escape me. ¡°Baton Pass!¡± cried out Hobbs once more, making me click my tongue. That was one way to get around the withdrawal restriction. He raised up a pokeball and a Jynx took to the field. I was suddenly extra pleased that I had warned the parents that this match wasn¡¯t going to be child-friendly. The Jynx emerged with a salacious shimmy and a wiggle of her hips. She kissed the air and winked at the crowd before gesturing with a come-hither hand gesture at Scyther. Scyther stiffened and looked unsure of himself. I snorted only for Hobbs to grin and point forward. ¡°Attract!¡± he said, causing pink waves to radiate out from the Jynx. I channelled some dark energy into myself causing the wide area of attack to wash over me ineffectively. I was not embarrassing myself like some trainers did when Attract impacted them. Rocko, on the referee podium shook his head but didn¡¯t react. Scyther sadly blushed and gained a dopey look on his face. I sighed. Well, that answered how he¡¯d react to such tactics. I raised a pokeball and withdrew him without hesitation. Hobbs grinned like he¡¯d just beaten my Scyther. I rolled my eyes and sent out Don. Don twitched and snorted in annoyance as he locked eyes with the Jynx. Jynx winked at him and I watched him do an odd humping motion in the air. Oh dear¡­ I was really gonna do this to Hobbs wasn¡¯t I? Hobbs grinned thinking he had his answer while my pokemon reacted. Don¡¯s blood going to anywhere other than his brain. I sighed. I knew what was about to happen. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted Rocko. ¡°Dragon Dance,¡± I said, already knowing that Hobbs was going to shout. ¡°Attract!¡± shouted Hobbs with a smug tone as if he¡¯d just performed the winning move that would carry him all the way. I didn¡¯t order Don to dodge. It might be showing my hand on how Don reacted to charms and attractions, but there wasn¡¯t much I could do about it. I didn¡¯t see Will using this method in the future, as it was highly despised. Mostly because if things got too amorous, they had to censor it on television broadcasts. Don twitched in the air before locking onto the Jynx that was wiggling her hips as if she was about to climb atop a wrecking ball and release a top of the charts single. He dove straight for her. Hobbs looked at me only to blink when I made no sign of being annoyed or otherwise worried. Jynx turned and gave Don a wink. Don flapped harder, building up speed. The poor Jynx worked out far too late that Don was not going to slow down for her. Don outright tackled her to the ground and began to nip and bite her like an animal. Jynx shrieked and scrabbled away. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to call out a move? He¡¯s helpless?¡± Hobbs said in disbelief. ¡°Nah, he¡¯s already going to beat her up.¡± I gave a helpless shrug. ¡°Don¡¯s kind of a selfish lover?¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. There had been a lot of feathers left over from his mating with that flock of Winggull. I was positive he must have eaten some of his prospective harem during his orgy, and if that didn¡¯t make the noises I heard throughout the night worse¡­ well, I already had enough reasons to not want to think about it. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see him batting his wings and biting his ¡®true-love¡¯ in Jynx. ¡°Jynx! Use Icy Wind to blow him away!¡± ordered Hobbs after I made no sign of ordering my pokemon off. I chuckled as Don was blown back while he dug his claws into the ground and growled at the disrespect his mate was showing him. When they kept trying to blow him away, I decided I¡¯d had enough fun. ¡°Don! Cool down. She¡¯s not even breedable by you!¡± This was true but it might not stop him from trying. ¡°She¡¯s trying to sneak a win against you!¡± That made him snap his head around in shock. He was a lustful creature, but he was also extremely proud of not giving away any losses. He still had a vendetta against Sabrina¡¯s Alakazam and Lance¡¯s Dragonite. Don flapped up and shrieked his annoyance. I grinned, knowing I had him back in the fight. Hobbs clicked his tongue. ¡°Tch, Perish son¡ª¡± My grin vanished like mist in the morning. My voice boomed through the Gym as I gave my order. ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± Don reacted instantly, and a giant blast of energy built and was discharged before a single note of any song could reach my pokemon¡¯s ears. Jynx had enough time to flinch before being blasted back into a barrier that formed up in front of the stands. When the beam ended, she was burned, and her arms, which she had apparently thrown up in front of her face to protect her body were bent. I gave Hobbs a pointed look. His pokemon were not strong enough to be facing off against me. ¡°Hobbs, do you want to hand her over to Chansey to get some early care in?¡± I asked. It wouldn¡¯t be as good as a pokecentre but early access would make a world of difference to an injured pokemon. Hobbs returned her and when Chansey trotted out, he tossed the pokeball carelessly towards Chansey. The gesture struck me as very strange. If he had any bond with that pokemon he should have¡­ Ah. It would seem Will was not just supplying challengers but also the pokemon to give himself the best view at what performed well against my pokemon. It explained how the previous challenger had had four psychic types to use against me. There was honestly a lot wrong with that method but it was possible to glean certain things. He¡¯d know now not to use a non-bird pokemon to try and charm Don. Or, if he did try, he needed to be ready for the abuse Don gave out with his brand of loving. But it also showed that Will had deep pockets. The two Espeons that had been supplied were not cheap. Did he have backers? Or was he himself a rich trainer? ¡°Go Starmie!¡± Another Starmie? After Challenger Fred¡¯s had not done well? Was Will covering his bases? Or was he trying something tricky? ¡°Don, return!¡± I shouted, pulling him from the field before he could get injured. I raised another pokeball, a decision came easily. The crowd shifted forwards, they must have been expecting Sanchez. Instead, I threw out Scyther¡¯s ball once more. He appeared with a flourish and growled, his eyes locking onto Starmie. ¡°Starmie use Thunderbolt!¡± Sparks built up on the other pokemon before lancing out. ¡°Slice the boulders then kick up!¡± I ordered. Scyther didn¡¯t hesitate to blitz towards a nearby boulder where he slashed it apart and kicked the boulder up into the air where it took the oncoming Thunderbolt. ¡°Aerial Ace!¡± I shouted once more causing my pokemon to blur only to reappear behind Starmie with his claws raised. The attack rocked Starmie who stumbled forward only for Hobbs to click his teeth. ¡°Recover!¡± ¡°X-scissor!¡± I said while the other pokemon quickly glowed. Scyther leapt onto the attack only for Starmie to twist away with water blasting out of it. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± Scyther was knocked back as Starmie cartwheeled out of danger. ¡°Dig your claws in!¡± I said making my pokemon do just that. ¡°Agility!¡± I said, causing him to flap his wings quickly before he grinned. ¡°Starmie use Trick Room!¡± Hobbs said gleefully. I hummed. So, two of my pokemon would obviously be much faster with Scyther and Don now both being empowered. And if we were going to use any slow pokemon, well Slowbro was perfect for psychic pokemon trainers and this situation. I raised my pokeball. ¡°Return Scyther!¡± As soon as he was in his pokeball I grabbed another and hurled it out. Hobbs really didn¡¯t know he was doing me a favour by letting me field a much weaker team than usual. It was honestly very disrespectful, as it showed I wasn¡¯t expecting much from him but I really found I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Go Onix!¡± ¡°Oooooonnn!¡± cried out my giant rock snake. I wanted to test this one. See how it handled a top level battle. ¡°Use Hydro Pump!¡± Hobbs shouted! ¡°Dig!¡± I countered, causing my pokemon to vanish as Trick Room now benefited my pokemon more than his. My pokemon emerged much faster than usual and was able to land a hit before Hobbs could get a command out. The attack launched Starmie back but it landed on its feet and shook itself off. ¡°Sandstorm!¡± I shouted, playing to my pokemon¡¯s strength and giving him more room to work. ¡°Starmie get rid of the Sandstorm! Blow it apart with Hydro Pump! Twist your way through the Sandstorm!¡± I hummed. It sounded good in theory but it wouldn¡¯t work out as well as a move like Surf would have. I pointed forward. ¡°Lay low and use Stealth Rock!¡± Onix lowered itself and did just that. Starmie passed over it and I grinned happily as the Sandstorm grew a little weaker. Hobbs wasn¡¯t happy with that as he went for more. ¡°Again!¡± I shrugged, a path to setting up for Don¡¯s return to the field laid out in front of my eyes. ¡°Stealth Rock again!¡± This time the attack dissipated the Sandstorm but it had done what I needed it to. The field had a fine layer of sand across it now and while at first it hadn¡¯t been as noticeable, with no holes in the ground it was now obvious that my Onix had slunk away. It was just playing the natural instincts of a Rock-type like Onix or Tyranitar¡¯s hunting methods. ¡°Dragonbreath!¡± I said, causing my pokemon to rear up from where he was in the sand, surprisingly only a few metres away from Starmie. The Trick Room effect faltered for a second but held in time to slam into the weakened Starmie and knock it out. Hobbs grit his teeth as he raised his pokemon only to frown when I did the same. I then, rather cheekily, returned Don to the field where he started to catch his breath once more. I wasn¡¯t required to keep the same pokemon out after all, unless I used all six of my returns. The only requirement was the number restriction, and that I did so during a lull. With Don back on the field, I was making Hobbs choose fast as otherwise the knockout would play into Don¡¯s favour. He¡¯d tried to pressure me with Starmie, but it hadn¡¯t worked out for him. Now I was baiting him to make a move, and do it fast. ¡°Brock! Brock Brock!¡± ¡°Don! Don! Don!¡± chanted the crowd as they found their voices. ¡°Go Hariyama!¡± Hobbs said. A giant sumo like pokemon took to the stage. I hummed. A poor match up, or a bait and switch? The rocks that I¡¯d set up earlier emerged from the sand and slammed into Hariyama, weakening him for Don. I decided to test the waters a little first. ¡°Don, use Dragon Dance.¡± It was a waste as the gains that he got now were rather minimal compared to the previous two applications but Don followed the order and Hobbs growled. ¡°Hariyama! Stomp the ground and throw some boulders!¡± I watched the rocks soar dispassionately. It was extremely telling that he didn¡¯t have an answer to Don¡¯s flight. I must have lucked into a good matchup with his use of Exeggutor and Hariyama in his team. Both pokemon I hadn¡¯t known he¡¯d use today. He¡¯d come expecting someone else. Perhaps Bertha? Shin? Or maybe even Sanchez once more? I sniffed. ¡°Hyper Beam again.¡± Don grinned and unleashed another Hyper Beam straight at his foe. ¡°Hariyama use Detect!¡± I clicked my tongue as the huge Sumo threw himself out of the way of the oncoming attack just in time. Don missed. Don crowed hoarsely, celebrating his victory far too early for my liking. So, I cut him off. ¡°He¡¯s still in the fight, he blocked the attack Don.¡± Don stiffened and dropped out of what had to be a deliberate T-pose. Don snarled and stared into the dust. ¡°Hariyama jump up and use Heavy Slam!¡± The sound of running feet gave away where Hariyama was and a dark shape leapt from the dust straight up at Don. ¡°Roll away from the hit Don!¡± I ordered to mitigate the oncoming damage. Don tucked his wings and rolled away from the blow, making it nudge him rather than blast him away. He was still thrown to the ground, where he scrambled in the sand for a moment. I hummed. That worked for me more than Hariyama it seemed, as the pokemon slammed into the ground and was embedded up to his hips. Don must have sensed the same weakness I did seeing as he quickly swept his wings and leapt to attack. He was so quick in his recovery that Hariyama was still working himself out of the sand. I glimpsed an opportunity and went for it. ¡°Wing Attack!¡± I ordered. Hariyama got one foot unstuck before Don was on him. Don slammed him into the ground with a lariat like strike only to tuck hard and turn to use the other wing in a sharp bank and follow up Wing Attack. Don must have been annoyed that he had to share his prey with Scyther and Onix. It wasn¡¯t Sanchez¡¯s one pokemon demolition, but it was still impressive. I considered it more important as it let me see what Scyther and Onix were like during an Ace battle. ¡°Stay in tight and keep smacking him around.¡± Don latched onto Hariyama¡¯s shoulders with his talons and started smacking the other pokemon about the head. ¡°Hariyama use Counter¡­ or something!¡± Hobbs called out, confirming my suspicion that he was expecting us to glide in with a wing attack. I grinned. Hariyama wouldn¡¯t be able to do that with his feet sliding out underneath him. Pokemon like him needed solid footing, and with Don above his head, he couldn¡¯t generate the power to knock my Aerodactyl away. A crack heralded Hariyama¡¯s end and I leaned forward to bellow. ¡°DON! ENOUGH!¡± Don growled and flapped backwards away from his now injured prey. He glared over his shoulder at Hobbs, demanding that he ¡®return¡¯ his pokemon instead of withdrawing it. When Hariyama did not stand the decision was taken from him. Rocko raised a red flag in Hobb¡¯s direction. ¡°Hariyama is unable to battle!¡± The crowd exhaled a sigh of relief at that before tensing up as they realised that Hobbs only had an injuredGirafarig and Espeon. Hobbs glared at me. I stared back, unimpressed at his weak showing. ¡°Go Espeon!¡± he shouted, making everyone relax. I nodded at his decision before raising my hand. ¡°Hyper Beam.¡± ¡°What? Three Hyper Beams in one match!? There¡¯s no way¡ª¡± Don formed up and unleashed the move before Hobbs had finished announcing my ¡®bluff¡¯. His pokemon was launched back into the barrier where it remained twitching and defeated. He stared at it before turning and giving Don and I a disbelieving look. The crowd was silent for a moment before rising to their feet to cheer for me. I smiled at that before leaning forward and staring very intently at Hobbs. He only had one more pokemon to play. He licked his lips and looked to the crowd before slowly shaking his head. I watched him grimace and then make the forfeit gesture to Rocko. He should have been able to make that call himself. I felt my assessment of him dip a little lower once again. ¡°Trainer Hobbs has declined to send out his last pokemon due to injury!¡± announced Rocko. Rocko gestured to me. ¡°That makes Brock and Don the victors!¡± I smiled as the crowd cheered louder. Rocko waved at me and nodded towards the defeated-looking Hobbs. He made a sign that I didn¡¯t recognise but I could surmise he wanted to say something. I gestured for him to go ahead. Rocko tapped his microphone to signal that he wanted to talk and the crowd quietened. ¡°I¡¯d like to call out a good move by Trainer Hobbs just now. Tonight¡¯s match was rough on him and his team in a lot of ways but in the end I think he made the right decision to not bring out his injured Girafarig. I¡¯d like to applaud his bravery.¡± I smiled widely. It wasn¡¯t really the way it had gone down, but it did help reinforce to Hobbs that it was the right call. Perhaps in future, he¡¯d remember to make a similar call by himself. But it also taught the same to any watching trainers in the stands. I gave Rocko a firm nod. There was a reason he was my second choice outside of the family to run the Gym, and it was moments like this that really shone through. I made sure to reaffirm the message to Hobbs when we had our little chat after the match. I pointed out a number of errors he made but he hardly seemed to listen. He nodded along, but otherwise didn¡¯t react to what I was saying. When I was done he worked his jaw and asked me a question back, ¡°How come you were so strong?¡± I chuckled. ¡°The Elite challenge I run isn¡¯t just for show Hobbs. Each pokemon of my Elite team? They stood against the highest level of competition in two regions and won. That means a lot more than people realise in terms of strength. These are pokemon that stood across from the champion. They had to be strong. Trainers that come and challenge me need to be up to snuff. And if you can¡¯t handle that level¡­¡± I made a gesture to show the field that was rather damaged but not the worst I¡¯d had it in a while. ¡°Well, it becomes rather obvious that you haven¡¯t put in the hard work with your pokemon. It shows with how badly your pokemon get tossed around.¡± I gestured towards the medical centre where Chansey was hopping back and forth in readiness. ¡°I think it would be good to have your pokemon looked over before you leave.¡± He accepted the offer much to my blood-thirsty nurse pokemon¡¯s delight. I also handed over Don into her care. She gained a euphoric look on her face as she got the swabs and wound cleaners. I waved Rocko over and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Nice touch out there.¡± ¡°Eh, it was nothing. Saw a chance to teach some people good habits and went for it.¡± ¡°And that, therefore, doesn¡¯t make it nothing.¡± I nodded. ¡°It was a good call. Nice work.¡± I stood around for a little while longer and waved to the crowd as they departed for lunch. I had roughly a little over an hour for myself now and they had the same. Then again this was one of the feature matches of the day so most people wouldn¡¯t return as it was just regular Gym challenges for the rest of the day. I chuckled at all the people departing the Gym. Even if I had lost I would have won out big on the ticket sales alone. I knew for a fact that a lot of locals were loving their decision to get a season pass which entitled them to a number of free or early access tickets when I had matches like this. The crowd and Hobbs left. With that done I made my way to the security office. I barely needed to say who I was looking for as the security guard tapped a screen when I sat down. ¡°That him?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yup, that¡¯s Will alright,¡± I said with a sigh. Sitting back in the chair. Technically there wasn¡¯t anything I could do. Some people would even applaud him for scouting me out. Heck some people would have their entire journey planned out. Then they¡¯d try the same thing on the Ace circuit with specially calculated teams and moves to maximise their chances of winning only to find it was a very different beast. Ace trainers adapted and evolved, in some ways even more than their pokemon did. Still, Will wasn¡¯t doing anything illegal. He was well within his rights to sit and watch any match as long as he purchased a ticket. When I played the video forwards to watch him leave I noted the way the two people sitting next to him fell into step behind him. I hummed, bemused at their appearance. He even had a pair of trainers with him that walked with him like his own Crabbe and Goyle. It might be wrong, I had yet to even meet the man, but already his actions were speaking volumes. I had a direct comparison with Karen going straight up and announcing herself to challenge the Gym leaders of Johto. That had to be better right? It at least wouldn¡¯t feel so¡­ slimy. It was taking what I had done with Lance¡¯s challenge and taking it so much further. Lance knew I was going to fight him. He wasn¡¯t expecting me to throw down as hard or stake as much on it as I had certainly, but he knew I was coming. It certainly felt weird having someone doing it against me to such a degree, only¡­ different. I sat in the security room and rubbed my jaw in thought, then I glanced to another screen where I found Rocko talking with Greta. Forrest was lingering nearby with a conflicted expression but no Flint. I leaned forward. ¡°What happened to Flint?¡± I said suddenly. The security guard sat up before looking at what I was looking at. ¡°Fellow with Forrest? He got white and ran off when Don bled that Girafarig. Had Forrest stay and watch the rest of your match before returning to your home.¡± The guard clicked to another screen. ¡°Hasn¡¯t left the house from the front or¡­ Oops looks like there¡¯s a challenger at your doorstep!¡± said the guard with a chuckle. I watched as the front door opened, and Nanny Graveler emerged with an annoyed expression. She then grabbed the trainer that was trying to challenge me at my house only to be frog-marched to the privacy hedge. She then sat the trainer down and made him read the sign. I chuckled and stood up. ¡°Right, looks like she¡¯s got that handled.¡± I let my eyes fall back onto Forrest who looked rather worried. He kept looking back towards where our house was but otherwise wasn¡¯t leaving. He really was doing whatever Flint asked of him. I grimaced. It felt wrong, but in some ways this just highlighted that Forrest couldn¡¯t be the one to run the Gym if I were ever to depart. He was too¡­ young. He was looking to impress Flint too much. He still looked up to Flint despite all that he¡¯d done and that¡­ well it made my gut churn. After me, Forrest should have had the best idea of how wrong it was for Flint and Lola to just leave us like they had. Lola still wasn¡¯t back and he seemed to just ignore it! Forrest was not ready to be a gym leader. He lacked the understanding and work ethic, and just so much else. He lacked the ability to stand up for himself. Finding him fighting Ash due to some childish taunts hadn¡¯t earned him any points, then again the reason for the fight really was Flint more than anything but¡­ well. He was fawning over Flint like a child would their father. Was that such a bad thing though? He was a normal kid. As much as anyone was really normal. I let my eyes roam over the various feeds around the gym. I had practically the entirety of my land under various levels of security. If I didn¡¯t have someone ¡ª such as Andrew the security guard, or in the case of the Porygon, something¡ª watching the feeds I at least had a playback of what might occur around the gym. I swept the feeds. I had cameras in the hallways of the administration area, each office space, the battle courts outside, the stands, the arena floor from a variety of different angles, the reception area, each side of the gym facing outwards, the roof, and the free-ranging area and the access road that passed by the fence and swamp. Was it paranoid and possibly overkill? Very much so, but you only needed to consider how easy it was for psychics to abuse their ability to teleport. The cameras were cheap. The technology to stop anyone that wasn¡¯t keyed into my security network had been the biggest expense I had and that was only for the region surrounding my work office and the pokeball storage area. I still had to have security guards walk the grounds at night. To patrol the halls and test the doors to make sure nothing was wrong. But that wasn¡¯t the issue, the issue was that I had made the gym big. It was probably the biggest gym in Indigo. I might have gone a bit crazy when I got the first influx of cash from the the Crystal Onix auction nearly three years ago. When I¡¯d learnt how cheap land and construction were in the pokemon world? I may have laughed maniacally and waxed poetically about what I wanted for my ¡®dream gym¡¯ to the architect. The man was considered internationally famous, and the gym had a number of awards for design. Could I really expect a normal kid like Forrest to step up and man the gym? My transceiver buzzed as an alarm went off, notifying me that the world was still turning and I needed to see to lunch. Like now. I clicked open my schedule from the security console and read through the notes. I had a challenger for the gauntlet that had failed early on next, which was why I had been left alone for so long. I squinted at the name and sighed. It was that rich idiot with the Tentacruel that used IceBeam and poison Jab¡­ Urgh¡­ Next to me Andrew the security guard chuckled at my groan only to then frown and lean towards one screen. He clicked some keys and zoomed in on a pokemon match going on between two trainers outside on the courts. He lifted his transceiver up. ¡°Dave we¡¯ve got a ten-eight-five-two on court six. Young trainer is getting some support from outside the fight from a friend. Notify the ref.¡± ¡°Roger!¡± chimed the radio on the desk. I looked at the court in question. It took a moment before I clicked my tongue in annoyance. ¡°Trainer¡¯s Marill using Helping Hand?¡± ¡°Yup, Dave¡¯ll nab em and the win will go to the other trainer.¡± Andrew tilted his head. ¡°You sure you still want us to log their trainer I¡¯D numbers to report them?¡± ¡°It should at least go on their file. Let them know it is on there and then leave it at that,¡± I said standing to get on with the day. When I reached the trainer lounge I found Flint had returned. I frowned at his slightly paler complexion before shaking my head and ignoring it, and the urge to go eat lunch in my office. Instead, I focussed on talking with my trainers and pretending I didn¡¯t care that Flint was here. That he wasn¡¯t intruding on my Gym. I focussed on my upcoming match with the rich kid. Hopefully he would have learned a thing or two and be more ready for this match. It should be an easy win for him. If I was lucky then¡ª ¡°Hey! Forrest just beat that rich punk!¡± said Daniel gleefully. I sat up, feeling so happy that I planned to force a hug onto Forrest for sparing me from having to face that trainer again. Then a thought occurred to me. ¡°Isn¡¯t Forrest off duty today?¡± I asked. Daniel scratched his head. ¡°Sorry, he wanted to show off in front of your dad?¡± I glanced over to find Flint laughing and Forrest beaming. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°What level did the rich kid apply for?¡± ¡°First?¡± Daniel said with a squirm. ¡°What pokemon did Forrest use?¡± I said. ¡°... Moxy the Graveler, and Lairon?¡± I sighed. Raising my transceiver to watch a playback of Forrest fighting against the other kid that was trying to show off as much as Forrest it seemed. I watched the playback on a screen and found myself relaxing at what I was seeing. He¡¯d used just the right amount of force. While his pokemon choice was dubious it was probably the best option with the rich kid¡¯s previous claims of his pokemon making the quarterfinals the year before. I frowned when it got the end of the match and Forrest waved the kid off. ¡°Go open a damned book on tactics!¡± The other kid had run off at that and I was left wondering if that was too much. It seemed a bit too much in review, but then again, the kid was using pokemon that were way too strong for a first badge challenge¡­ I brought up the rich kid¡¯s notes... He had another match already booked in advance, so had he even been expecting to win?¡­ His next match was in another two weeks or so.. And a double battle challenge? ¡­ I really wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this kid now. I shook my head and decided to just not worry about it for now. Instead, I turned towards Greta, ¡°So, got any questions?¡± She grinned and started firing them off. Answering her questions would be easier than dealing with Forrest, and whatever was going on with Flint after all. Chapter 83 - Afternoon antics ¡°Poliwhirl, use Bubblebeam to finish it off!¡± shouted the last trainer for the day. Moxy subtly gave me a look and I made a face as though I was ¡®saddened¡¯ that the trainer had used a pokemon move that was super effective against me. Moxy let the hit graze her and rolled backwards a bit more than strictly necessary. I grimaced and flicked a glance at the trainer but they were celebrating as I made a show of withdrawing my pokemon. They didn¡¯t notice how ham-fisted my pokemon had been with throwing the match after I¡¯d seen what I needed to grant them the first gym badge of their circuit. ¡°Graveler is unable to battle, the battle goes to Norris of Muscle Island!¡± announced Daniel calmly. I chuckled as he quickly grabbed the badge case and got ready to see the last trainer of the day off. ¡°Congratulations on your victory Norris,¡± I said, approaching the still celebrating teen as he flexed at the crowd, what few of them were still around. The last slot of the day typically saw some interest as people had just gotten enough time to come in after work so even with it only being a first badge challenge, Norris had been privileged to have a sizable crowd. Sadly, it had gone to his head. ¡°Oh yeah! I¡¯m bad! The next stop is Tauros tantrum for some victory ribs! Then, we¡¯re going all the way!¡± he shouted. I continued to hold out my hand, maintaining the patient focus needed for dealing with idiots that read too much into people giving them attention. I could probably lay down a bet on this man not getting the required eight badges on this circuit at least. I had little to no doubt that he¡¯d get at least four, but then even if he played it smart and challenged the lesser gyms for the last four badges he needed, he¡¯d run into some serious resistance. Then again, the circuit was all about maturing and making young trainers grow up. Perhaps he¡¯d surprise me? ¡°Hey! Who wants to chow down with the man who beat Brock!¡± My ability to believe in him was fading with every second in his presence. I lowered the hand that I had been reaching out with to offer a handshake. Norris obviously hadn¡¯t done as much reading as some about how the gyms worked if he was still showboating like this. In truth, most regular attendees understood how the gym operated, and his antics were merely highlighting how stupid he was. I could see a few girls giggling to themselves while eyeballing Norris. The poor fool thought they were impressed. I reached out and gave him the Boulder badge. ¡°Any questions for me?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good,¡± he said in a distracted manner. I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Well, good luck then,¡± I said before pushing him to send him towards the waiting group of girls. Daniel snorted and shook his head. ¡°Urgh, lucky!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you married?¡±I asked as I rubbed my temple. He stiffened and chuckled. ¡°Oh! Right Heh! Guess it¡¯s still weird for me. Don¡¯t tell my wife?¡± I huffed and waved him off. It wasn¡¯t something I agreed with, but Daniel would have to sort his own problems out if it came to wandering eyes turning into anything more. I clicked my tongue and jerked my head towards the back. ¡°Well don¡¯t you worry about that, give the pokemon that fought today a look over, and we¡¯ll go from there.¡± ¡°Does Don or your Scyther need a look over?¡± he asked. I shook my head and waved him off as Greta to the stairs. When I waved her forward she continued past the gate at the top. She bumped into Norris as he charged up the stairs. She scowled after him, but instead of saying anything turned away. I couldn¡¯t help the frown that appeared as I watched her slump and mutter to herself. ¡°Hey, if you want I can get him to apologise?¡± I said as she got closer. She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She shot Norris a look before grumbling, ¡°Can¡¯t believe those girls are going to hang out with him. Don¡¯t they know he¡¯s a muscle-brained idiot?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s a muscle-brained idiot, they''re hanging out with him,¡± I said. Greta blinked at me. ¡°Huh?¡± I pointed at their retreating backs. ¡°Those girls are like Victribell in the wild. They lure unsuspecting prey in and then gobble them up. Norris is about to get drained of any money he has on him.¡¯ I adopted a pose and a high-pitched breathy tone. ¡°Oh, it would be soooo impressive if you got me jewellery~.¡± Greta gaped at me before her eyes pivoted towards Norris. One of the ladies looked back and spotted us watching them. She gave a friendly wave and continued after the group. It was like watching a pack of Mightyena herding a stray Tauros. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we warn him?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± I said simply. Greta looked visibly confused. ¡°But aren¡¯t they going to steal his money? That¡¯s wrong!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not stealing if he¡¯s giving it to them.¡± Greta considered this before shaking her head. ¡°It still seems wrong not to do anything.¡± She got a determined glint in her eyes and looked like she was about to storm off and save Norris from himself. ¡°Sometimes you need to let people make mistakes. Honestly, it shouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal if he gets tricked. He can cry about it, but at the end of the day he was the one that was¡­¡± I reconsidered my next words in light of Greta¡¯s age, ¡°or rather, wasn¡¯t thinking with his brain. It¡¯ll be a lesson for him if he chooses to learn from it. These girls know not to push for too much. Mostly, it¡¯ll be something he laughs about later in life. If things get physical, then people like myself, or the police will step in.¡± I rubbed my jaw. ¡°That¡¯s if the girls don¡¯t just offer him a pokemon battle outside for him to show off against. They¡¯re fairly strong as locals go.¡± Greta instantly relaxed. ¡°Oh, well I suppose that¡¯s alright then.¡± I chuckled at the way that if they fought him for the money, instead of seducing it from him, everything was fine. It was a fairly standard perception of ¡®the right way¡¯ to earn money¡­ at least in the pokemon world. With outside knowledge, I couldn¡¯t help but find it amusing how ¡®working girls¡¯ could be looked down on but if they beat up their prospective clients, it was merely a pokemon battle. Perfectly respectable as a means of earning money. ¡°So? I imagine you have some more questions built up since lunch? Or were Rocko or Dennis able to give you all the answers you wanted?¡± Greta blushed. ¡°I might have asked them¡­ a lot of questions, but they were very kind to me. Sorry if they were supposed to be doing anything else?¡± ¡°If they were hanging out in the lounge or in the waiting area at the top of the stands to watch the fights, they were merely in a ¡®ready¡¯ state which lets them off work for the moment but they are expected to step up for some of the gauntlet runs or to duck into other areas if someone needs help.¡± ¡°Oh! That makes a lot of sense¡­ So Dennis mentioned that he is rostered on the gym for a while and that some other trainers are out patrolling the various routes. What does that¡ª¡± Greta began to bombard me about various topics. Such as what patrolling the routes entailed. Who ran the routes? How was this different from the Rangers? Why did we also do patrols within the city? As she traded questions for answers, I led her into the medical bay that she¡¯d chased her Bulbasaur through earlier. Chansey sat on the bench with a frown. She perked up when she saw me approaching. ¡°Nothing major to look after this time. Just the usual battle damage.¡± ¡°Chan!¡± she said with a click of her tongue. I shook my head at her. ¡°Moxy might have gotten some internal bleeding?¡± That worked to perk her up, as she accepted Moxy¡¯s pokeball from me. She opened it and when Moxy appeared Chansey began running through a series of tests. I gave Moxy a bow of forgiveness. I then propelled Greta out of the room. ¡°I thought Chansey were supposed to all be loving and caring? That Chansey seemed kind of bloodthirsty?¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s merely interested in being a triage nurse. She likes being in the thick of things. I think she would prefer a more¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want to talk about blood too much with this young girl. Instead, I waved my hand. ¡°Intensive care cases. She¡¯ll get her chances, I have no doubt. Having her here is going to lighten the load on Nurse Joy and the pokemon centre.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ alright.¡± She glanced over her shoulder before inspecting the room that we were now in. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of pokeballs!¡± She stared at the row upon row of pokeballs on display. I selected a few from my belt and popped them into the set positions after consulting a clipboard and the number I had on each pokeball to make it possible to differentiate each pokemon. I made some notes on a computer terminal to the side for two of them before closing the computer for the evening. Greta chewed her lip, her eyes darting from the clipboard to the row of pokeballs, to the computer terminal. ¡°I was marking down the pokemon experiences. What they fought, how they did, and any notable differences, injuries or potential power-ups they might have learned.¡± I tapped on a small Aron head. ¡°This Aron here has been growing larger recently and she recently learnt Iron Head which means that she¡¯s not far from evolving into a Lairon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re able to tell?¡± she said with surprise. ¡°Yeah.¡± I waved towards her. ¡°You have a pokedex right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got one from Professor Oak. Why?¡± ¡°Well, the pokedex can be used to look up information regarding certain breeds of pokemon. To encourage you to keep seeking out more experiences they lock some of the features behind a set number of sightings. The more you show that you¡¯re catching or contributing to the pokedex, the more features you will unlock.¡± I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°Or¡­ that¡¯s what I¡¯ve read about them. I never got one myself.¡± ¡°Professor Oak did tell Gary and I that we should try and document at least thirty pokemon to get more information.¡± Greta chewed her lip. ¡°Would you mind if I kept documenting your Gym battles¡­ or could I look at some of the pokemon on your reserve?¡± ¡°Oh? Going to come back tomorrow?¡± I said teasingly. Inwardly, I was relieved that she hadn¡¯t been scared off by today¡¯s matches. In particular that one match with Don¡­ Greta nodded up and down, her hair bobbing at the gesture. ¡°Yeah! I learnt a lot from Dennis, Rocko, and you! Also! Getting to watch so many different trainers was¡­ just wow! So different! I might try my hand at the battlecourts outside as well to get some more experience!¡± ¡°Careful about that,¡± I said, raising a finger. ¡°You need to look for some people in your range to fight. Check how many pokemon they¡¯re carrying and what they look like. I¡¯d typically try and aim for local Lads and Lasses as they¡¯re all in a similar situation to you. If you challenge or are challenged by someone stronger you might end up injuring your pokemon and setting them back... Or worse,¡± I said carefully as I ran a hand over an Onix¡¯s pokeball. ¡°W-what should I look for?¡± Greta said, fidgeting on the spot suddenly. ¡°Age can sometimes be the biggest predictor. Older trainers are typically people that have made lives from pokemon battles. So stay with the younger crowd until you feel confident in yourself. Or if the older person seems friendly enough.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there are a few grannies or grandpas out there as well that come around to spend time with ¡®the youngsters¡¯ as they call us,¡± I said with a fake old lady voice. Greta giggled and I smiled. ¡°They¡¯re not so worried about winning, but having fun with people. Some of them will smack you around six ways to Sunday, don¡¯t doubt that, but if you¡¯re earnest and polite about wanting a match, they will show you tricks and really help you grow. They might even give you some pocket money if you impress them enough.¡± Greta nodded her head slowly. ¡°Huh, that makes a lot of sense.¡± ¡°If you weren¡¯t around the gym itself, you might need to be on the lookout for trainers that have a chip on their shoulder and want to force fights.¡± I waved my hand. ¡°That typically happens more often in the city, or near the battleclub, but occasionally people can get hot-blooded in the wilds or on the routes. Make sure you never use your whole team in those cases, and call any matches well ahead if it¡¯s getting close.¡± ¡°Cause of the shock feedback right?¡± ¡°Got it in one.¡± I considered her for a moment. ¡°Hey, if you want to record some pokemon interactions for your pokedex, follow me. It¡¯s feeding time for the pokemon that are rostered to rest for the day.¡± Greta skipped into the free-range area and gasped in shock when she found a small throng of pokemon munching at troughs. ¡°Gonna record them?¡± I prompted. Greta whipped out a signature red pokedex that looked like a large phone from my previous life. The camera glinted before a digital voice spoke. ¡°Onix. The Rock snake pokemon. Onix possesses a Rock-ground typing. Onix in the wild will roam underground and rarely rise above ground. It is said that if you suddenly feel the earth move underneath you, an Onix has passed close by. Onix typical¡ª¡± I hummed as Greta read through the entry on the screen. When she had a minute of Onix eating through its large meal she turned towards another pokemon. ¡°Geodude. The Rock pokemon. Geodude have previously only been known as having a Rock-ground typing, but recent developments at the Pewter city gym have uncovered a variant with the Rock-Electric typing. Geodude are often found on mountain roads with half of their body buried in the ground so it can observe mountain travellers.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Your pokedex cites us for our work?¡± I said in shock. Greta looked away from the pokedex. ¡°Huh? Oh! It did, didn¡¯t it? Professor Oak must have adjusted the entry to account for it!¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said rubbing my chin, ¡°Your pokedex is a lot more factual than I had heard pokedexs were.¡± Greta giggled. ¡°You can adjust the settings on your pokedex to make it anecdotal, research focussed, or battle-oriented. The battle-oriented mode is rather notorious for being excessive and rather simple. It works to give generalisations especially if you¡¯ve never faced a pokemon before. It¡¯s better to have the researcher mode applied and just spend time collecting information on pokemon before you fight them.¡± ¡°I can get behind that,¡± I said. I waved for her to continue and Greta once more raised up her pokedex to capture some images of the pokemon currently strolling around the eating area. ¡°Aron. The Iron Armour pokemon. It is known as Steel-Rock¡ª¡± ¡°Graveler. The evolved form of Geodude. It¡¯s typings can be¡ª¡± ¡°Rhyhorn. The spikes pokemon. It is a Ground-rock typing. It is known for¡ª¡± Once Greta was done, she had a pleased smile on her face. She set her pokedex away and turned only to find me feeding a few Geodude and having them show off their Roll Out attacks. ¡°Daaaaah! They¡¯re adorable! Like rocky Growlithe!¡± she said with a squeal. I chuckled at the comparison. ¡°Yeah they can be like that but it¡¯s mostly the food.¡± I paused when I heard a shutter sound. I had a suspicion but decided not to peer around for the likely culprit. ¡°Want to try having them practise their moves? They should know how to do a Defense Curl, or a Roll Out rather well.¡± I handed her some pokemon pellets and she tentatively approached a Geodude that perked up when it saw the treats in her hand. ¡°G-geodude! Use Defense out!¡± Geodude stared at her before kipping back over itself to perform a backflip. I snorted. ¡°That¡­ was actually kind of impressive.¡± Greta flapped her hands about. ¡°Oh! No! I mean Defence Curl! Defence Curl!¡± This time, Geodude nodded and tucked himself into a ball. Greta sighed in relief at that, then tossed him a single treat that he gobbled down while eyeing the other pokemon nearby in case they thought to try something. ¡°Roll Out?¡± Greta asked after it was done. It blinked at her before shrugging. Instead of rolling back and forth front ways, it did a cartwheel. The sound of the shutter clicking away sounded off in the background. I held in a chuckle. ¡°Hmmm, an interesting variation you¡¯ve got it to do. Might need to use that to dodge in some of the upcoming matches.¡± I rubbed my chin and held in my laughter. ¡°Urgh! What am I doing wrong?!¡± she asked worriedly. ¡°You need to calm down. Pokemon ¡­ they¡¯re highly empathic and will pick up on your nervousness. Sometimes they pick up the emotional cues more than the words we say. If you¡¯re calm, they will be more likely to trust you. You¡¯re doubting yourself right now, so they¡¯re not sure what they should do. You need to be confident.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say! Urgh, I feel like I¡¯ve made a fool of myself.¡± I clapped my hands together to dust them off. I stood and Greta instinctively turned towards me. ¡°Follow along with me.¡± I inhaled. ¡°Deep breath, fill your entire lungs up. Then stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Make sure to have a strong stance. Ready to move but also grounded!¡± I said firmly. ¡°You can be whatever you need to be, either a staunch mountain or a delicate willow, be whatever works for you.¡± She adopted a fairly loose stance and her face turned a funny colour. The camera caught it but thankfully Greta didn¡¯t yet know we had a follower. ¡°You can breathe out, just control your breathing for the next little bit.¡± She exhaled heavily before taking in another breath to replace the spent air. ¡°In and out.¡± I led her through a mantra. Then I pointed towards the still watching group of Geodude. ¡°Now! Breathe in and order them to Roll Out!¡± ¡°Geodude! ROLL OUT!¡± she said strongly enough that she had the entire group curl up and roll forward and backwards before popping up. ¡°Geo-dude!¡± they said as one. Greta beamed at them. ¡°Oh! Great work!¡± I patted her shoulder. ¡°Just like that. Might not need to be so strong in your orders in future though¡­¡± She wilted a bit and I pointed at her hands. ¡°You don¡¯t have enough treats for this entire group after all.¡± She blinked at her hands and found them mushy with the treats she¡¯d squished. I handed her some more and she giggled before making her way around to feed the waiting Geodude. They bumped into her affectionately. ¡°They really are like little rock puppies,¡± she said when she returned to me. ¡°Yeah, once you learn a bit about them, Geodude make for great pokemon to have on your team. Solid, dependable pokemon that can anchor or act as sweepers for any team.¡± ¡°Anchors? Sweepers?¡± Greta said, latching onto the new term and instantly questioning it. I laughed at having walked into that one. ¡°I would save that question for later.¡± I looked to where our follower was sitting with her camera aimed at us. ¡°Hey Rachel.¡± She lowered the camera. ¡°Hi Brock! Nice work! Those were some great photos of you teaching little miss here! I think her face when that Geodude did a cartwheel will be very popular on the Gym¡¯s pokenet page.¡± She spun the camera around to display Greta with a gobsmacked expression. I looked very bemused. ¡°Oh! Ho-oh!¡± said Greta as she exploded into a blush. I merely laughed at her reaction. Rachel smiled before displaying some teeth. ¡°So, I need to talk to you about the Mayor¡¯s party this weekend. Are you free right now?¡± ¡°Maybe later!¡± I said, nudging Greta away. Rachel sighed. ¡°It¡¯s good for your image! You¡¯ll have to start rubbing elbows with them more often sooner or later! Better now, with the first invite you¡¯ve gotten!¡± I grumbled, deciding not to tell her that this wasn¡¯t the first invite I¡¯d gotten. Merely the first that I felt I couldn''t avoid. Greta popped up next to me and watched my Public Relations Manager¡¯s retreating form. ¡°She seemed¡­ nice?¡± ¡°She¡¯s very pushy for me and the gym to establish a presence and keep a strong, positive image going forwards.¡± I tapped my chin. ¡°Are you alright with having images of yourself put on the pokenet?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Greta said easily, the previous embarrassment apparently long forgotten. ¡°I¡¯ll have you sign some waivers before you leave.¡± I pointed towards the gym. ¡°I think I might¡ª¡± Before I could say anything more Greta¡¯s stomach roared to life, announcing its displeasure at its empty state. Greta¡¯s embarrassment, only recently lost, returned twice as strong. ¡°I-I-I¡¯m so sorry!¡± ¡°Heh no, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I glanced to the side of the gym after checking my watch. I hummed in thought before realising the time. I looked up and blinked when I realised I¡¯d walked around the side of the Gym towards my home. There I found Flint toying with some Lileep and eyeing the door. I rubbed my forehead. I had honestly been hoping to use Greta to avoid having to sit down for dinner tonight¡­ It wouldn¡¯t have been the first time I skipped a meal and the kids wouldn¡¯t be too bothered these days. Mostly I just didn¡¯t want to have to deal with Flint and that whole¡­ thing¡­ I sighed and realised Flint was still hesitating and that I¡¯d need to step in. ¡°Where are you staying tonight?¡± I said, expecting her to say the pokemon centre only for a nigglling thought to come to the forefront of my mind.. ¡°I¡¯ve been camped out for the last week! There are no rooms at the centre and the room rentals¡­ well the ones that aren¡¯t free are too expensive.¡± Greta sighed. I nodded. ¡°Too many trainers around. Great for all the people doing short term cheap rentals but yeah¡­ hmmm. Now. I¡¯d honestly give you dinner with my family but I have a whole¡­ thing going on right now that I need to deal with so I can¡¯t do that.¡± Greta¡¯s eyes flicked towards Flint who had perked up when he spotted me. He stopped toying with the Lileep, much to my newest garden feature¡¯s dismay. ¡°I¡­ see?¡± she said with the tone of one that didn¡¯t understand but knew better than to poke her nose into another person¡¯s business. I snorted. ¡°However, I do have a number of spare rooms in the Gym itself. I¡¯ll have Rocko show you them and you can either go out or help yourself to the communal food. Fair warning it¡¯s only normal pokechow and cup noodles in the pantry of the kitchen with some cereal. If you stay with us though you¡¯re more than welcome to check out the reserve in the morning.¡± Greta stared at me. ¡°Do I have access to a shower and a toilet?¡± ¡°Ye¡ª¡± ¡°Yes! Oh Ho-oh yes!¡± she said quickly. ¡°Ah, frugality butting heads with cleanliness?¡± I said, amused at her reaction. She nodded and I chuckled. ¡°No problem. And yes, you have access to a communal shower area with privacy cubicles. There is also a communal kitchen and living area. Rocko boards there but he has his own ensuite as do other trainers that sign on with the Gym longer term. Also, there is another of your Pallet town cohort there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Gary is it?¡± she said with a pinched expression. ¡°No,¡± I said, amused at her reaction. ¡°He can never remember my name despite us going to the same school and sporting teams for years! Him and Ash just call me¡ª¡± ¡°Green!¡± shouted a new voice. Greta¡¯s face morphed into a wonderful picture of ¡®Oh not this idiot again¡¯ as I looked up and found Ash, Forrest, and Misty walking around the garden towards us. Ash waved. ¡° Hey Green! I saw your match! Sorry your pokemon got scared and ran away! Did you get a rematch set up?¡± Greta put her hands to her face and screamed a little into them before dropping her hands. ¡°Oh, of course it¡¯s you Ash¡­ And of course you saw that,¡± she said bitterly. Ash nodded seriously, not picking up her hostile tone. ¡°Yeah, looks like you need to do some more battling with him!¡± I coughed. ¡°Sorry to interrupt this¡­ highly amusing reunion,¡± Greta shot me a look of annoyance, while Misty bit her lips. ¡°But perhaps Ash and Misty could show Greta to the communal area. I¡¯ll have Rocko give you a keycard to get around on your own. I have a thing to deal with.¡± I jerked my head towards Flint who shuffled about impotently. ¡°Oh! Did you¡ª¡± I raised a hand towards Ash. ¡°We can handle this. Please, enjoy the rest of your night. Oh, and Greta? I¡¯ll see you in the morning. I start bright and early.¡± She nodded her head and tugged Ash away while leaning around him. ¡°Hi there! I¡¯m Greta Evergreen from Pallet Town! What¡¯s your story?¡± I heard something about a bike and Ash before they made it through the hedges. I instead turned to Forrest. ¡°You¡¯ve had like all afternoon to have him talk with the others. Why is he still out here like a lonely Poocyhena?¡± Forrest looked down and a suspicion formed in my mind. ¡°You¡¯ve been dragging him around all afternoon and showing off to him have you?¡± Forrest nodded. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s great having him home and all to myself! I didn¡¯t want to just give it up.¡± I sighed, all too aware that, for a young kid that was probably a highly sound reason. I shook my head. ¡°Well it¡¯s not right that you¡¯ve hogged him to yourself. What about Yolanda and Salvadore? They¡¯ll be ecstatic to spend time with him,¡± I made sure to emphasise the next words. ¡°Proper time alright? Give him some time with all of them. He already owes you time to go and get your starter, wait until then to monopolise him, ok? You¡¯re back on Gym duties tomorrow. No doing it just to show off in front of him okay?¡± I paused, almost ready to ask about a certain Onix and any training he might have been doing with it before deciding not to press. What was done was done. I¡¯d bring it up another time. Instead, I marched to the door. ¡°Ready?¡± I said. Flint opened his mouth but I didn¡¯t wait for him instead marching straight into my home and seeing what chaos awaited me. ¡°¡ªonslayer Munchlax! Save me!¡± shouted Suzie as Tommy and Timmy waved small foam swords about only for Munchlax to leap from the couch and eat them. I was rather amused at the cardboard helmet that they¡¯d made for him that seemed to have horns on its head. ¡°Hey! No eating the swords!¡± shouted Tommy as he tried to pull them out of Munchlax¡¯s mouth. He spat them out and the boy¡¯s groaned at how wet they were. I glanced around further and found Salvadore supervising, albeit from the couch with a book in his lap. Yolanda was staring intently at the incubator as the egg within bounced around. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ sooo close!¡± she said and I had to agree. It seemed it was about to hatch any day now. The other kids were playing other games around the lounge room and I clapped my hands to get their attention. Yolanda perked up before repositioning herself so that she had the egg and the door in sight. I shot her a smile. ¡°Alright family! I have an announcement! Last night someone¡­ well we found a certain someone and I think it¡¯s important you all know he¡¯s home.¡± I stepped to the side and gestured for Flint to step forward. He did so carefully, like a man testing the ground under his feet before he trusted it to handle his full weight. Then he shifted from foot to foot before smiling into the room and the children that inhabited it. ¡°Hello everyone! I¡¯m home!¡± he said happily. Salvadore was the first up and out of the couch. ¡°DAD! You¡¯re home!¡± he slammed into Flint and Flint wrapped his arms around them. I moved past when I saw Cindy slip from the couch. I caught her but she only had eyes for Flint as she got her feet under her and hit him from one side while Tommy hit the other. Flint rocked back before he got a foot placed back. For a long minute there was a lot of babbling and tears as the four of them hugged. I sat on the couch and sighed, pleased that the kids were reacting well to his return. Then I realised that not all of the kids had run up to him. Instead, Yolanda had stayed sitting and was watching me. While Timmy, Suzie, Billy, and Tilly were all looking confused. I bit my lips as they continued to look confused. Flint eventually broke the hug and looked up to see the rest of the kids looking at him. ¡°Suzie, Timmy, Billy ¡­Tilly? It¡¯s me, dad? Can I have a hug?¡± Tilly, Timmy, and Billy both looked to me. I made a ¡®go on¡¯ gesture, albeit slowly and they hopped off to give him a perfunctory hug that he seemed taken aback by. Then he realised Suzie was still seated and watching me. She scooted closer. ¡°Brock? Who is that man?¡± she said, her whisper not at all that quiet. I coughed to hide the laugh I wanted to give. Yolanda groaned a little. ¡°That¡¯s your¡­ our father Suzie, do you want to give him a hug?¡± She considered him before shaking her head. ¡°Not right now. Maybe later.¡± She then tugged on my shirt. ¡°Can I have a juicebox before dinner?¡± I coughed again as Flint wilted and looked sad. Yolanda sighed. ¡°Suzie, can you please give him a hug? I¡¯ll hug him as well!¡± she said, ever the peacemaker. Suzie scrunched up her face in thought. As this happened Munchlax took off his helmet and approached Flint spreading his arms wide. Flint tilted his head. ¡°Uhm?¡± Flint looked confused. ¡°He wants a hug,¡± Suzie said as though it needed to be explained. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hug your¡­ kids?¡± ¡°Yes? But he¡¯s not mine? I never did that with¡­¡± he shook his head. ¡°No, I was only with your mother!¡± Suzie blinked, while Timmy, Tilly, and Billy reeled back in shock. ¡°But he¡¯s like our brother.¡± Yolanda facepalmed. ¡°Just hug Munchlax Dad, please?¡± He did so with a highly confused expression. Munchlax laughed and then licked his face causing him to groan. Yolanda then coaxed Suzie off the couch and towards Flint to give him a hug. Suzie jumped to the other side causing Yolanda to frown. ¡°Uhm why?¡± ¡°Cause I don¡¯t want Munchlax¡¯s spit on my face! Duh!¡± she said as she hugged the dry side of Flint. I snorted. Oh, I was so telling Sabrina about this later. Once everyone in the family had hugged him I clapped my hands and smiled. ¡°Alright family! Let¡¯s get dinner sorted! Everyone else you know what you have to do!¡± They sprinted off to clean their hands as I made up a quick and easy dinner. Flint hovered near me and I couldn¡¯t help but notice that a stain on his shirt was one he¡¯d had yesterday. ¡°Do¡­ how many shirts do you have¡­ actually how many outfits do you have?¡± ¡°Oh, uhmmm¡­ most of them are rather worn down!¡± He said sheepishly as he realised where I was looking. I sighed and shook my head. Yolanda, having cleaned her hands first leaned across the counter top. ¡°Maybe we can go shopping early tomorrow morning! Before we have school and before you have to start work Brock! That¡¯d be nice right!?¡± she said fixedly. I raised a brow at her and she continued to stare. I rolled my eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll have to cook breakfast and get everyone up on time,¡± I said before raising a hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do their lunches though. I still need to see to the pokemon. Alright?¡± Yolanda beamed like she¡¯d just won the lottery and not barely gotten me to agree to go shopping before work with Flint and the kids. ¡°No problem!¡± I sighed and turned back only to grin when Salvadore entered. ¡°So? "How long will you be here for Dad? You know, before you leave again?" That made him splutter, like Salvadore had just sucker-punched him. I pointedly focussed on working the stove. Heh. Good one Salvadore. I reconsidered what tomorrow might be like and felt myself rather now looking forward to it. Hmmm, if today¡¯s interactions were any indication, it might even be cathartic. I felt my smile turn a little dark. It wasn¡¯t wrong to see Flint get his comeuppance, was it? Chapter 84 - Awkward Breakfasts I was up and about early the next morning. The sun hadn¡¯t yet risen over the horizon, and I was lapping some pokemon around the perimeter with my morning jog. When I was done, I set the pokemon to wrestling each other and warm their bodies up for when the other trainers came out. I was about to turn towards my Elite pokemon team to work on one or two of them when I was interrupted. ¡°Woah!¡± said an unexpected voice. I turned around and found Ash, Misty, and Greta walking towards me. I waved at them. ¡°Hey there, morning to you all. You decide to come out for a walk?¡± Greta yawned. ¡°I was hoping to watch how a Gym Leader trained. Ash heard me leaving and decided to tag along¡­.¡± she shot him a look that was obviously a prompt but Ash was too busy staring at the pokemon. Misty sighed and bowed her head but most of her attention was on the pond that contained my singular Corsola. Greta shook her head. ¡°Sorry, is it alright that we¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. I have no problem with any of you watching me but just no recordings of it alright?¡± I pointed towards the pokedex she had in her hands. She nodded quickly at that and nudged Ash to get his attention. ¡°Ash, no recording Brock¡¯s training with our pokedex, alright?¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah, sure¡­¡± Ash ignored her, his eyes still roaming about the various pokemon on display throughout the reserve. ¡°Wow! There¡¯s so many pokemon back here!¡± he said, his fists clenched as his head snapped from one to another. ¡°This is almost as many as Professor Oak¡¯s ranch!¡± Greta sighed and shared a look with Misty before shaking her head. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right Ash,¡± she said. I chuckled at his poor attention span. When he pulled out a pokeball and enlarged it I blinked in surprise. ¡°Hey what¡¯re you doing there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to capture one of them! Pikachu, are you with me?¡± Ash said as he narrowed his eyes. The small electric mouse that had been happily walking along at our feet blanched as it locked eyes with the closest pokemon. The Graveler known as Challenger turned and grinned, the arms on her left side curling into fists before they slammed together with her other side, promising violence if Pikachu thought of trying anything. I walked over and tapped the pokeball in Ash¡¯s hand making it shrink while Misty stalked forward and grabbed Ash by the shirt front. ¡°ASH KETCHUM! What in the watery maw of a Gyarados were you thinking of doing just now!?¡± Her scream should have deafened Ash but he merely shrunk away from her clutches and shot hopeful looks around at the rest of us only to see equally unamused looks being directed at him. Greta shook her head. ¡°Unbelievable Ash¡­ just¡­ unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°Sorry Misty!¡± shouted Ash. Misty pointed at me. ¡°Don¡¯t apologise to me! Apologise to Brock! They¡¯re his pokemon you were attempting to poach!¡± I raised a hand. ¡°Hey, hey. It¡¯s fine, the pokeball wouldn¡¯t have done anything beyond annoying some of them. So he was really only putting himself at risk.¡± ¡°Huh? Why wouldn¡¯t it have done anything?¡± asked Greta, interested despite herself. I plucked out a ball from my belt. ¡°When a pokemon is caught their energy signature changes slightly. In a ranch or free-roaming area like this the pokeball can impact them but it ultimately won¡¯t do anything. Now if the pokeball that corresponds with the pokemon was present,¡± I gestured towards Zephyr or Titan who were both walking towards us and talking with each other. Ash¡¯s eyes widened at both pokemon¡¯s appearance. ¡° it will actually activate and try to break the offending poachers'' pokeball. In some cases rendering the poaching ball destroyed for the attempt.¡± ¡°Huh, I never knew about that,¡± Greta said thoughtfully. I shrugged. ¡°Most people assume that people know better than to try poaching pokemon.¡± I pointedly didn¡¯t mention that it was possible for criminal elements to create thief balls. The various companies had at first waved it off as not their concern until the League had mandated a policy of reimbursing a trainer. Then it had become their problem. Cue the criminal elements and the companies waging a war of pokeball security and robustness. No longer was it just about capturing a pokemon but also stopping a pokemon from being stolen from a trainer. That wasn¡¯t even touching on some of the things that occurred in the games, cartoons, or manga. Mewtwo¡¯s pokeballs as an example¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t something that needed to be discussed with kids starting out on their journey, even if one of them was possibly a chosen one. I waved to Zephyr and Titan as they approached and they perked up before responding with a quiet call of their respective names. Ash stared enviously at them and Pikachu made a small noise of surprise when they reached us and cast us into shadow easily. Titan smiled toothily down at us and Misty swallowed loudly. ¡°Ty! Ty!¡± he said amiably. I coughed in amusement. ¡°He¡¯s saying good morning.¡± Greta was the only one to wave and loudly respond. ¡°Morning Titan!¡± Ash stiffened. ¡°This is the Tyranitar that beat Lance¡¯s Dragonite!?¡± Titan ducked his head and scratched the back of his head waving a claw back and forth. Zephyr hooted at his friend¡¯s antics. Misty giggled nervously but I got the idea that she wasn¡¯t going to be put at ease until she got used to Titan. It probably didn¡¯t help that Corsola had vanished into the water with Titan¡¯s approach. ¡°Right, well, before I get into training with my elite team I have a pokemon that needs to officially be called up¡­¡± I tapped Titan on the leg and nodded towards the Onix that I¡¯d been using for the fourth level badges and that had even gotten to fight with Don and Scyther. Titan nodded back before adopting a stern, unimpressed look. I chuckled. ¡° You wanna handle it that way huh?¡± Titan stiffly nodded. I sniffed and copied my pokemon with a stoic, unimpressed expression claiming my features. When I was like this people thought I was hewn from granite. My eyes became flinty and my jaw set. ¡°Tyranitar!¡± barked my starter pokemon. Instantly the entire area stopped what they were doing. Eyes swivelled to lock onto the seemingly furious expression on Titan¡¯s face. The Onix that had been called out carefully raised his head. ¡°Ooooon?¡± it said. ¡°Tyran! Tar!¡± Titan barked at him. At his side I nodded along with whatever he was saying. When Titan finished speaking, the Onix looked very nervous and there was an undercurrent of worry among my pokemon. It must seem like this Onix had messed up bad because I never ever chewed them out like this. I sniffed and raised my chin. ¡°Onix!¡± I said, my voice carrying across the field of still pokemon. ¡°You¡¯re in the wrong training area!¡± Onix blinked slowly. Obviously confused. Onix warbled a question back at me. I sniffed again, cutting over his question. ¡°No excuses! In the future I expect you to make it to all Elite team training sessions early!¡± There was a moment of stillness before the Onix tilted his head. ¡°Onix?¡± In unison, Titan and I broke our stern expressions, grins appearing on our faces. ¡°Onix! You¡¯re being called up for the Elite team officially! Congratulations!¡± I said. Onix swept his head to Titan who nodded seriously. Zephyr hopped up and down happily and trilled his name. Onix then tilted back his head and roared as if he¡¯d just won a match against Lance. He wasn¡¯t at that stage yet. But maybe one day soon I might have him up to take on one of the champion¡¯s pokemon. Around him the pokemon that had been frozen in worry cried out their own congratulations before they advanced on the Onix to pat him on the back/head/tail or just hop around him. I chuckled and turned back to the dumbfounded young trainers that had only moved a few metres away before I started this little show. ¡°Titan likes to make it a memorable moment when other pokemon make the cut into the Elite Team.¡± I paused when I noticed that at some point Forrest, Flint, Salvadore and Yolanda had joined the others. I gave them a nod. ¡°Still got thirty minutes until breakfast, no?¡± Yolanda nodded. ¡°I just thought I¡¯d check in.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll be there. Maybe someone should stay at home in case someone wakes up though.¡± Flint hummed, ¡°Perhaps I should do that?¡± Salvadore and Yolanda both moved off while Forrest remained where he was, offering Misty a dopey-looking smile. I glanced between them to find she had merely smiled in greeting at him before returning to look for Corsola who was now watching the celebrating pokemon. ¡°Hmmmmmmm, interesting¡­¡± I said aloud. Forrest straightened up. ¡°What¡¯s interesting?¡± I gave him a look and he blushed while furtively glancing at Misty. I huffed, he really wasn¡¯t subtle in any sense of the word. Greta giggled having seen it as well. I tapped Forrest on the shoulder. ¡°Maybe you should see to Challenger,¡± I said, indicating the gobsmacked Graveler that made a point of challenging all the Elite pokemon. Onix probably hadn¡¯t even been on her radar. Forrest moved over and started patting her on the head.¡°This isn¡¯t about you right now girl. Onix really earned this. Try and enjoy his success but remember that it might be you one day soon if you keep up the hard work. I know you¡¯ve been putting the time in!¡± She grunted and rumbled but didn¡¯t move away from his pats which I made a note of. She clenched her fists and nodded. I could almost see her making a vow to herself as she watched Onix gain the crowd of pokemon¡¯s congratulations. I clapped my hands just as a few of the Gym¡¯s trainers wandered out and started putting the various pokemon through their paces in preparation for the day along with feeding them in groups. ¡°Alright! Elites! You¡¯re with me!¡± I called. I waved for Forrest to bring Challenger along. ¡°She can observe,¡± I said. I then pointed to Misty. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a water specialist right?¡± I said leadingly. Misty stiffened. ¡°Oh! Yes! A specialist!¡± She perked up. ¡°Oh! You have a few water types in your Elite team, don¡¯t you?! Like your Omastar and Kabutops!¡± ¡°I have way more than that,¡± I said as we walked around the plateau. Misty perked up as soon as she spotted a certain group of pokemon. ¡°Oh! My! Gosh! You have a Poliwrath, a Swampert, and a Lapras!¡± She squealed, darting towards them. She practically tackled Tide¡¯s shell as she rubbed her face into it. ¡°He¡¯s so handsome! And big!¡± I felt a sharp jab in my calf and turned around to Forrest pouting. Challenger looked amused which made me realise what had just happened. ¡°Did you just kick me?¡± I asked. ¡°Stop showing off!¡± he grumbled. I snorted. ¡°You could try talking to her, you know?¡± Forest kicked a stone on the ground and grumbled. I hummed. ¡°Or, I could go¡ª¡± ¡°Hey Misty! Want to see a trick that Shrek can do?¡± he said, almost sprinting to talk with her. I rolled my eyes while Challenger laughed. I spent the next little while working with Hypnotoad on perfecting how to chokeslam someone with her arm with the perfect lariat. She got it down after a few attempts and I nodded. ¡°Nice, now we can start working in dark-type energy and you¡¯ll have a really powerful move. It will all come down to the acceleration that you can pull off. That¡¯s going to be the key to making it hit hard so work on that when I¡¯m not with you. The faster you can burst into movement the more you¡¯ll catch another pokemon by surprise.¡± Hypnotoad nodded seriously just as a buzzer went off on my wrist informing me that I had run out of time. I whistled to my pokemon just as Salvadore rounded the plateau with a number of meal bowls for my team. ¡°Alright gang I have to go! Keep up the good work. Onix congratulations again on making it to the Elite team. You train around here with us from now on!¡± I turned to Forrest. ¡°Alright, breakfast time little brother!¡± A gurgling noise had me stop and glance around to find Ash, who¡¯d been watching Sanchez practise his electrical moves, now drooling. ¡°Did someone say breakfast?¡± I chuckled and checked Greta and Misty who both looked a little hungry. ¡°Did you want to join us?¡± I pointedly didn¡¯t watch Forrest perk up at the thought of Misty having breakfast with us. ¡°Yeah!! Breakfast!!¡± ¡°Pi! Pikachu!¡± ¡°Go-lem!¡± shouted the trio. Sanchez marched off with us and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Sanchez you realise Don will eat your breakfast if you come with us right? You know it gives him gas.¡± Sanchez turned and ran back to the food bowl Salvadore had come out with for him. I turned to the waiting crowd of people. ¡°Alright! Breakfast time! Let¡¯s go!¡± I nudged everyone into action with my shout before physically shoving Forrest so he just so happened to be next to Misty. ¡°Hey Forrest! What do you think of Sidewinder for Onix¡¯s name?¡± I said more to distract him from Misty being right next to him than seriously asking for his opinion. Today was looking good. I had some interesting people to entertain, and while Flint was probably going to trigger a lot of landmines he unknowingly planted with his departure, that was very much a him problem. I was going to enjoy my breakfast and the show that was sure to arise. I was part dark type after all.
Breakfast was already being seen to by a humming Yolanda while a sleepy Munchlax helped out. It turns out as long as Munchlax knew that good food was on the way he would assist. Assist and occasionally taste test, of course. I could hear Flint moving about upstairs waking everyone up which drew a thoughtful hum from me. Yolanda glanced back at us when we entered. Misty, Greta, Ash and Pikachu weren¡¯t visible to her as she smiled at Forrest and I walking side by side. When I moved further in to make up some more batter of the pancakes she was making she shot me a confused look. ¡°Who¡¯s that pokemon?!¡± Ash said loudly. Yolanda was startled by his voice and whipped around to find she had missed the others in our group. ¡°Oh! Hello there¡­ who are all of you?¡± ¡°Greta Evergreen from Pallet Town,¡± Greta said with a bow. Pikachu hopped forward and bobbed his head. ¡°Pi! Pi-kachu!¡± he said. Yolanda giggled and bobbed her head back. ¡°Hello there Pikachu! I¡¯m Yolanda!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Misty from Cerulean!¡± said the ginger-haired girl. ¡°Ash Ketchum from Pallet town! Pikachu¡¯s my pokemon!¡± he said before leaning in to look at Munchlax. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this pokemon before¡­ I think?¡± He scrunched up his face and hummed loudly. Misty shook her head. ¡°What do you mean you think you¡¯ve never seen this pokemon before? You either have, or you haven¡¯t?¡± Ash shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember everything!¡± ¡°That¡¯s obvious,¡± Misty said out the side of her mouth causing Forrest and Greta to laugh. Ash ignored them. Or he didn¡¯t hear them as he pulled out his pokedex to scan Munchlax. ¡°Munchlax! The big eater pokemon! It will devour food in huge bites, sometimes without swallowing! It has long body fur that allows it to hide food only for it to forget about said food!¡± Munchlax frowned before putting the bowl of pancake batter aside. He then ruffled through his fur only to pull out some fruit, a chocolate bar, a hairy-looking slice of pizza, and a few wrapped-up candies. He gasped hugely and quickly wolfed them down. I stared at the pizza slice. That¡­ surely that was last week¡¯s pizza¡­ right? Yolanda grimaced. ¡°Ewwww Munchlax that¡¯s worse than watching Salvadore eat pineapple pizza!¡± Forrest rubbed his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Flint walked in and glanced around having heard the conversation. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Pineapple pizza? I like it!¡± Forrest grimaced. ¡°Urk! My own father?¡± Misty giggled at their antics but I was paying attention to Ash and Greta. Greta was pointing at Ash¡¯s pokedex. ¡°Ash you realise you can make it more factual and less short clips of information right?¡± Ash shrugged. ¡°Yeeeaaah but I like this one better! It is short and to the point!¡± ¡°It¡¯s barely got any content worth reading!¡± Greta argued. ¡°I need snappy information in the field when I encounter new pokemon!¡± ¡°The pokedex isn¡¯t for snappy information but for collecting accurate data! Have you even been recording pokemon in their natural habitat like Professor Oak asked us to?¡± ¡°I have! I¡¯ve been doing it everyday! At least once a day even!¡± Ash said to the now mollified Greta. He then sat up. ¡°Oh no I forgot to scan all those cool pokemon Brock had out back!¡± Greta sniffed. ¡°I did that yesterday!¡± I raised a hand and waved him back to his seat. ¡°Professor Oak is well aware of all the pokemon I have¡­ well mostly anyway. But he has a research assistant here by the name of Stephen.¡± ¡°Oh! Stephen was really nice. Sometimes he would run expeditions into the ranch for young kids around Pallet town!¡± Greta said, perking up while Ash looked stunned. ¡°I never got to adventure through Oak¡¯s ranch!¡± ¡°Ash¡­ you grew up with Gary. You probably did it all the time,¡± Greta said with an aggrieved look. Ash opened his mouth before shutting it as he realised Greta had a point. Then he grumbled something about Gary not inviting him over as much recently¡­ and ¡®oooh that Gary with all his fancy pokemon¡¯¡­ Ash continued to grumble while I chuckled. He was such a kid. I blinked at that and stopped mixing batter to actually look at Ash. I hadn¡¯t really thought about it because of the whole¡­ Flint situation that had transpired last night and was still technically occurring but Ash¡­ Ash was a kid. He wasn¡¯t some destined chosen one. Heck, I¡¯d heard and seen him do stupid things that were perfectly normal for kids. I mean I¡¯d known he¡¯d be young. You couldn¡¯t think of Ash as old due to the ongoing agelessness he had for the cartoons. And yet seeing him sort of made it apparent. Ash was young, barely starting his journey and I thought I could leave the possible world or regional disasters to him? Did that mean I needed to go with him? I glanced up from my batter of pancake mix as Munchlax picked up the bowl to inspect it. He nodded and took it over to join the other bowl next to Yolanda who was now furiously working the stove to create a bigger number of pancakes. I tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Here let me take over.¡± She nodded in thanks and hopped around to claim a spot next to Flint. ¡°So how¡¯d you sleep?¡± she asked him. I kept an ear to their exchange while physically working the pan. A few pancakes got burnt as I split my attention but thankfully Munchlax was an expert at not wasting food. Although occasionally I had to tap him on the head to stop him from rummaging around his fur for any more food he might have stored away but forgotten about. The conversation picked up slowly with Flint asking about how Yolanda was and had been with school and her life. She gushed about hanging out with Crystal while Salvadore came back in and claimed the other seat next to Flint. Forrest blinked, realising he¡¯d lost his chance as he¡¯d instead chosen to sit next to Misty. He dropped the issue though as he was quickly drawn into an argument with Ash when Greta was brought up to speed on Ash¡¯s arrival. ¡°I didn¡¯t lose!¡± snarled Forrest as he glowered at Ash. Ash shook his head. ¡°I dunno, I think I¡¯d pretty easily have you next time!¡± ¡°That doesn''t mean I lost!¡± pointed out Forrest. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it?¡± Ash said as he tilted his head, now genuinely confused. ¡°I don¡¯t think it should?¡± Misty said reasonably. Greta rubbed her chin. ¡°If Forrest just needs to adjust his fighting strategy and Ash needs to get stronger who¡¯ll emerge victorious next time?¡± ¡°Me!¡± ¡°I will!¡± said Forrest and Ash together before they locked eyes. Ash sniffed. ¡°You sure about that?¡± Forrest grunted and nodded. ¡°I know it!¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s have a poke¡ª¡± I flicked some food at both boys causing both to topple off their chairs in surprise. ¡°Awah!¡± Ash screamed as Munchlax pounced on them, his tongue sweeping across both his and Forrest¡¯s faces. When they sat up, they positively dripped with saliva. I reached into a pocket and handed Munchlax a treat. ¡°Good boy!¡± ¡°Munchlax!¡± said the little guy, not really knowing what he was getting rewarded for but nevertheless enjoying it. Forrest and Ash glowered at me. I merely raised a finger at them. ¡°No pokemon fighting at mealtime. Also Forrest, no more fighting with the gym pokemon cause I think I ran across a certain Onix.¡± I said. He didn¡¯t meet my gaze and instead look away only to lock eyes with a highly unamused Greta. He shrunk into himself and I sighed. ¡°You need to get yourself a starter if this is how you¡¯re going to be.¡± I then looked at Flint and coughed pointedly You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. He blinked before sitting up. ¡°Oh! Right! How about you and I head out this afternoon and get you one Forrest? We can make a proper trip of it!¡± Forrest beamed. ¡°That¡¯d be great!¡± Ash sniffed, grumbling under his breath, ¡°My pokemon aren¡¯t going to lose to some newly caught pokemon.¡± I snorted at that and shook my head. He really had no idea just how strong pokemon could get in their natural environment did he? Ash shot me a confused look but before I could answer him a small stampede of feet cut through the room as Tilly, Billy, Timmy and Suzie all ran into the room with Nanny Graveler at their heels. They spotted the food and were quick to claim a spot at the table. They looked at me. ¡°Brock can we go to the park today?¡± said Suzie as she kicked her legs on her chair. I almost nodded before shaking my head. ¡°Not today, sorry. Flint needs new clothes.¡± Suzie turned her head to him. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re still here?¡± She stood on her chair and leaned close before sniffing. ¡°Brock¡¯s right, you need new clothes.¡± She then sat back down and kicked her legs back and forth under the chair. I chuckled at Flint¡¯s gobsmacked expression while helping Tilly and Billy into their seats. Tilly and Billy stared at Flint. ¡°Who¡¯re you again?¡± they said unapologetically. ¡°I¡¯m Flint, remember? Your father?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Tilly simply. Billy however stared at Flint¡¯s beard. ¡°Is that fake?¡± Timmy leaned over Yolanda and tugged on Flint¡¯s beard causing him to grunt in pain. ¡°It¡¯s not fake!¡± Timmy continued to tug. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Ouch! Yes I¡¯m sure!¡± He pried Timmy¡¯s hand off his beard. ¡°Why would you think my beard is fake?¡± ¡°Samurai Furret¡¯s bad guy sometimes claims to be his father but Samurai Furret never believes him. He wears a fake beard!¡± Billy and Timmy said seriously. Salvadore and Tommy both nodded seriously. I hummed. I must have missed that episode but it sounded right for tv logic with kids. ¡°Samurai Furret? What?¡± Flint said. I coughed. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a show they like to watch. It¡¯s weirdly good.¡± Misty and Greta looked to Yolanda who shrugged. ¡°It has its moments.¡± I watched Flint as he continued to feel out how the youngest of our family felt about him. ¡°So¡­ you don¡¯t remember me?¡± ¡°I remember someone that looks like Brock. Brock doesn¡¯t have a beard!¡± Timmy refuted earnestly. I huffed and set out some pancakes on the table for people to claim then selected two small pancakes for the youngest twins before grabbing some presliced berries from the fridge to drop among their pancakes. When I turned around I was surprised to find everyone smiling. Everyone in my family was sitting around and listening as Flint talked about what some of them had been like as babies or how he¡¯d worked things at the old Gym. He told some story of finding one of the biggest Onix he¡¯d ever seen out in the wilds and having to run away from it. It sort of sounded like a fishing story with how he stretched his arms out wide and exaggerated things so much. Still it had everyone smiling¡­ and that¡­ that was a good thing right? They all looked happier with him back. That made me relax a little. This¡­ would take some work but it was a good thing. They obviously wanted him back and I could work with this. I had the evidence right here. I just had to deal with it. I watched them laugh and smiled a little, happy that they were happy. I set the rest of the pancakes that had been whipped up around the table in reachable positions. One plate of pancakes ended up in front of Ash. Ash grinned and pulled them towards himself. ¡°Thanks!¡± Misty swatted him. ¡°That¡¯s for all of us Ash!¡± she said as she took a stack. Pikachu claimed some for himself and Greta quickly snatched up some of her own leaving Ash a paltry inch-high tower of pancakes. ¡°Awwwww,¡± he said sadly, causing a laugh to go around the table. Flint smiled and looked at the others. ¡°So¡­ can I get a good morning hug?¡± Flint asked, sounding out the youngest. Suzie shrugged, hopped off her chair and gave him one without any real feeling behind it. I¡¯d seen her hug her friends at preschool with more feeling. The others ignored him to munch away at their pancakes. Suzie turned to me. ¡°So after he¡¯s done shopping can we go to the playground?¡± I shook my head and Suzie huffed only to angrily devour her breakfast. When breakfast was done I sent the kids off while quickly making up and packing their lunches. Ash, Greta, Misty Pikachu, Flint, Yolanda, and I remained in the kitchen. When everyone was done with breakfast the sun had well and truly risen. Ash stood up and stretched a little. ¡°Thanks for the meal Brock! That was fantastic!¡± He then gave me a sheepish grin. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could¡ª¡± I shook my head. ¡°Wait until your scheduled time like everyone else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an entire month away though!¡± Ash said pleadingly. ¡°It¡¯s like a week and change seeing as you booked a single challenge actually.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But, like I said, plan ahead. This is going to be a tough season for new trainers with the League allowing so many trainers to take part in the circuit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take this year to learn more about pokemon and then go for the Plateau at the end of the year at least Ash,¡± said Greta. Ash turned to her. ¡°What? But? You¡¯re giving up?! You could come with Misty, Pikachu and I if you¡¯re having trouble!¡± Her eyes widened and she made a face that said she wanted nothing to do with that. ¡°Nope! I think I¡¯m good slowing down!¡± I snorted. I got the impression that whatever had gone on during their childhoods hadn¡¯t endeared her to Gary or Ash. She sniffed and straightened up. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not giving up!¡± Greta said firmly. ¡°I¡¯m just broadening my understanding of pokemon.¡± Ash crossed his arms. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not giving up!¡± Greta shot him an annoyed look at how he¡¯d ignored what she¡¯d said. ¡°I¡¯m going all the way this year! And nobody is going to stop me! Right Pikachu?¡± Pikachu nodded his head and smiled at Ash. Misty hummed. ¡°We¡¯ll probably get lucky when things are towards the later half of the season with more trainers dropping off. The badges get harder after the first three.¡± ¡°The pokemon that other trainers can bring are also harder,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot about that. My sisters¡¯ always whined about the tougher trainers making a later run after the first three months.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ash said, staring at Misty. Misty coughed. ¡°Nevermind!¡± she said, trying to get Ash to drop that line of conversation. Ash did so with a shrug although Greta gained a thoughtful look. I looked over the group. ¡°So, while I take my family into town perhaps you four could look around the festival again?¡± The first part got nods while the second destination got some lacklustre shrugs as they started cleaning up the table. Flint frowned. ¡°What is the festival for, I saw that it¡¯s about the ¡®celebration of Pewter city¡¯ but not anything significant like the founding so is there an actual reason?¡± asked Flint looking to me. I sniffed. ¡°Money.¡± When I didn¡¯t elaborate he blinked. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I shrugged, ¡°Mayor Jonathan basically thought it would be a great idea to have a prolonged festival as I informed him about the strain that all the trainers were going to have on the city. I spoke with him and he got some buses organised to help distribute the load but then also organised a large festival to make the most of the incoming trainers and their pokemon. It¡¯s been going on now for¡­ two weeks? I think the residents are going to start complaining about it soon, as while they¡¯re getting lots of money it is also really disruptive to their lives.¡± ¡°What? Jonathan? What happened to Mayor David?¡± asked Flint. ¡°He got sick and retired two and half years ago. There was an election but I didn¡¯t get involved. I was too busy with¡­¡± I made a vague gesture at the Gym and family members still present. ¡°He moved out of the city to run a small farm with some Tauros and Miltank, and he doesn¡¯t make the trip into Pewter much. Jonathan ran for office and won,¡± I said. ¡°Oh¡­¡± said Flint. I raised a hand and started ticking off my fingers. ¡°They replaced Police Chief Warren as well, now it¡¯s old man Bosco. The family doctor also retired and now we go to Dr Annabelle.¡± ¡°She¡¯s got a tan from the beach!¡± supplied Yolanda who¡¯d been the last to have a check up since the doctor came back from holiday. I nodded and smiled. ¡°Oh¡­ wow people have really moved on since I¡¯ve been away.¡± I merely shrugged again and took a sip of my tea. ¡°Yeah, life won¡¯t wait for you,¡± I said neutrally. Yolanda must not have liked it as she shot me a ¡®be nice¡¯ look that I rolled my eyes at. Flint stared at the counter. ¡°I thought¡­ I thought they might remember more about me,¡± he said. Yolanda gave him sympathetic eyes then rounded on me with a look that said ¡®help him!¡¯. I gave her a ¡®nope, not my problem¡¯ look back. She jerked her head forward in the silent ¡®do it!¡¯ that all women develop when men are being reluctant to do something they think needs doing. I frowned at her. She widened her eyes in a threatening display that reminded me of Zephyr. I turned to Flint. ¡°You¡¯ll have better chances with Cindy, Tommy and Salvadore obviously, they¡¯ll remember you,¡± I said. Then I shrugged. ¡°The others were too small to remember anything about you when you left. Give them time and spend time with them.¡± I gave Yolanda a ¡®there! I did it!¡¯ look and she rolled her eyes at me. Misty who¡¯d been watching this play out looked confused. Flint however perked up. ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re right!¡± When all the kids trooped back in, once more with Nanny Graveler herding them, I gave them their backpacks. Flint stared at Nanny Graveler, ¡°What¡¯s with her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s Nanny Grav!¡± announced Suzie. Flint nodded slowly as though he understood what was going on. It was obvious he had no clue. I gave Nanny Grav a fond rub. ¡°She helps watch the kids. She sort of dropped the battling life to just help out at home and has beena natural fit. Flint, meet Nanny,¡± I said introducing the female Graveller. She had some paint and chalk drawings on her sides from where the kids had apparently used her as a surface to play on, but that didn¡¯t stop her grunting her name and nodding politely. ¡°Huh, I never had one with the temperament to help out before,¡± said Flint. I just shrugged and led the family out to get ready. ¡°Perks of having a bigger gym,¡± I said before inspecting everyone. When I was satisfied they were all set I led them to the front door. ¡°Gym Leader!¡± shouted a new voice, making me turn to find a random trainer pointing at me. The kids all giggled while Flint had leapt to the side and raised a pokeball. The trainer looked at him askance. ¡°Not you old man! I¡¯m talking to the Gym Leader!¡± He then turned back to me as Flint blinked and realised he¡¯d just reacted. ¡°How long have you been out here?¡± I asked the kid. ¡°Three hours!¡± said the kid before sneezing. ¡°Hmmmm, impressive,¡± I said. When they perked up, I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t take challenges like this. You know who does take challenges like this?¡± ¡°No?¡± said the trainer in confusion. I grabbed Ash and pushed him to the front. Ash locked eyes with the kid. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting a dumb kid!¡± ¡°What!? You¡¯re a dumb kid!¡± shouted the kid. ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡± replied Ash. I simply ushered my family away. Misty hovered, unsure if she wanted to watch and make sure nothing happened or continue on with us. Greta followed with a giggle as Misty sighed and stayed behind. ¡°That¡­ was kind of funny,¡± she said. I merely smirked and shot her a wink. She tilted her head. Oh right, she¡¯s not like Yolanda who can realise when I wink. Damn my narrow eyes! ¡°So, dad? Where have you been?¡± Cindy asked. I tilted my head, curious about how he was going to ¡®sell¡¯ the idea of his disappearance as we walked along to the shops. Flint grimaced and looked down. ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ trying to find your mother, children. She¡¯s been out there for a long time now and I thought I could find her and bring her home.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Cindy sadly. ¡°We have one of those?¡± said Tilly to Billy who just shrugged. I saw Yolanda give them a worried look so I put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Hey, it¡¯ll be fine, trust me.¡± I looked at her egg. ¡°Hmmm it¡¯s gone still¡­ might want to take tomorrow off school, usually that¡¯s a day¡¯s warning.¡± Yolanda snapped her head around to notice the incubator wasn¡¯t moving anymore. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re right!¡± she said. We continued to walk for a bit only for Tommy to approach Flint. ¡°You said what you were doing, but where did you go?¡± Flint hummed. ¡°I ended up spending a fair amount of time around Cerulean to start off with but then I had to go around the Sevii and Orange islands as I found information leading there. The last I heard was that she was in Hoenn but¡­ I wasn¡¯t willing to go that far¡­¡± ¡°How far away is Hoenn?¡± said Tommy. ¡°About a week on a cruise ship,¡± I said, answering before Flint could. I checked over the family quickly to make sure we didn¡¯t have any stragglers. I turned back in time to see Cindy tapping Flint on the side. ¡°What did you do when you weren¡¯t looking for Mum?¡± I felt my insides twist a little at that word but I set my jaw and kept walking. Flint hummed. ¡°Well, I trained my pokemon to make them as strong as they could be!¡± ¡°Oh so you¡¯re as strong as Brock then!?¡± said Cindy cheerfully. I could tell there was now a lot of attention on Flint as my entire family plus Greta, listened in. Flint coughed his eyes darting around. He obviously hadn¡¯t been expecting that question and it wasn¡¯t something he could ignore. But it wasn¡¯t something he could claim easily. I had proof in the form of a televised match against Lance¡¯s best. ¡°Uhm! That is to say¡­ Well¡­ No,¡± he wilted and I got a dark satisfaction at the words. Like I had just been stroked in just the right way. It felt good to see him squirm like that and hear those words. To hear him admit that he¡¯d trained in the mountains and tried to get strong only to have me pass him here at home. Looking at it objectively it looked like a giant waste of time when I¡¯d been able to achieve more while balancing more responsibility. The only reason he had for leaving his family, which was somewhat plausible, was the excuse of looking for¡­ her. Flint rubbed the back of his head and laughed at himself. ¡°Hahaha! Guess that¡¯ll show me! But then again Brock always was an overachiever!¡± That felt like a backhanded compliment. I glanced at the kids who were listening and watching him avidly. Yolanda shot me a look and I gave her a tight smile. The kids started to fall into their normal routine of running about before coming back in as though on invisible bungee cords. When Yolanda dropped back near me I tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, I used your song to wake up my pokemon again.¡± She blushed, ¡°You¡¯re still doing that?!¡± ¡°Course I am, they love that song!¡± I said happily. She put her hid her face in her hands. ¡°Broooooock! Delete that song! It¡¯s so bad!¡± ¡°Nope it was you honestly trying really hard to learn how to use the flute, I¡¯m not deleting it! ¡°I don¡¯t even play the flute anymore!¡± whined Yolanda. ¡°You stopped?¡± said Flint, butting into the conversation. Cindy grinned and popped up in front of Flint. ¡°She stopped and started playing the guitar! But I¡¯ve taken over playing the flute! Mrs Elliot, our music teacher that is, thinks I¡¯m better!¡± Yolanda rolled her eyes and I chuckled as Cindy sniped at Yolanda. I merely huffed and gave Yolanda a one armed hug, causing her to huff at me and my smile to grow. I¡¯d been trying to reinforce her self-esteem by playing the song regularly for my elite team. I listened half-heartedly as Flint praised the girls for their musical interests. Both girls beamed and shared a sisterly smile before Cindy poked her tongue out and Yolanda sighed. I chuckled. Flint¡¯s praise of the girl¡¯s drew the others in and they all started chiming in like an out-of-tune orchestra about the instruments they had been learning at school. Mostly the drums or the sticks or the triangle as none of them had really tried apart from Cindy. It¡­ bugged me to have them fawning over him. Urgh, I¡¯d have to deal with that and suck it up. I plucked a few pebbles from the ground and rolled them around in my hand. Almost instantly I felt a calm peacefulness come over me. Yeah, it wasn¡¯t a problem. It was fine. They¡¯d be fine. I was fine. I led the group into the city but in doing so walked the kids past a park. The struggle to corral them all reach new levels after that little oversight. Suzie pleaded for just five minutes on the swings, but we both knew she really meant at least thirty so I was unswayed. A Kangaskhan stood in the middle of the park watchfully looking over the kids and little pokemon. It occasionally looked up to the skies but otherwise seemed happy to be a small mountain for the kids to clamber over. Forrest spotted some of his friends and moved to talk with them only for me to call out to him. ¡°Forrest! Stick with us for now!¡± I said. The gang of boys stiffened at my shout and took off. I was tempted to call out that they needed to learn to put things away when they were done. I¡¯d checked the area they dirtied in the gym only to find the mops and trash bags left out. Still, now wasn¡¯t the time to run them down, as tempting and hilarious as it would be. Forrest jogged up and rolled his eyes at me. ¡°You really have to scare them off like that?¡± ¡°Not my fault they spook easily. They¡¯re kinda nervous kids, aren¡¯t they?¡± Forrest shrugged. ¡°Eh, none of them got a pokemon from their parents to go on their journey this year. They¡¯re kinda annoyed.¡± I raised an eyebrow at him. He still hadn¡¯t gotten a pokemon or gone on his journey. He blushed. ¡°It¡¯s different for me cause I can borrow the gym¡¯s pokemon and that makes me pretty cool.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Well, not really, but hopefully you can head out with Flint later and deal with your lack of starter.¡± Forrest nodded, a grin firmly etched in place. We trundled on with the entire family once more orbiting myself and Flint as we walked. Munchlax tugged at my pants when we passed a few food stalls and I bought him and the kids some snacks to keep them a little closer at hand. Flint grumbled when I bought three snacks for Munchlax. When I looked around for Greta I found her talking with another trainer. She waved me off and indicated she was staying with her friend. Flint coughed, drawing me back to my family. ¡°Do you really need to give him so much?¡± he said, looking at Munchlax as he devoured his snack. ¡°He¡¯s a Munchlax. It¡¯s healthy for him to have a solid layer of fat. That just means he needs more food than the normal pokemon,¡± I said with a shrug. As we continued on, we passed by a group of people selling crystals and rare metals. ¡°They¡¯re said to be as good as a metal coat! Gym Leader Brock! You have a Scyther! Why not buy this and see it evolve!¡± said the salesperson as he proffered a large tub of what looked like metal but the glint and glitter in it seemed off. I shook my head and waved them off. Flint wasn¡¯t happy to leave it at that though. ¡°What are you trying to pull here? These aren¡¯t anything special! This is quartz? And that¡¯s just a pebble you¡¯d painted in gold paint! And these are¡ª¡± ¡°Sir! Please you¡¯re only looking at the sales models!¡± ¡°Sales Models!? They¡¯re rocks and minerals! How are you selling this garbage?!¡± I coughed and spiked my energy to stop the argument. ¡°I think we should move along. Flint, if people want to buy goods from a festival shop then they should understand the risk they run doing so.¡± ¡°But! But! This is trash! He doesn¡¯t even have an actual evolution stone here!¡± he said pointing to a back display. I frowned. ¡°Sir you do realise those stones, or even claiming to sell those stones, require certain certificates, yes?¡± The man laughed and nodded only to turn and sprint away. Flint looked like he was going to give chase but I put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Leave it, we¡¯re here to get you some clothes not chase after rock salesmen.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t a rock salesman! This is just¡­. Stuck together dirt!¡± Flint said hotly. I prodded him to get him moving along. ¡°I never knew you were so passionate about rocks Dad?¡± said Salvadore. Flint rubbed his head. ¡°Ah! Well with my specialty being Rock types I have a pretty strong interest in investigating rocks and what are some of the best around. I studied to be a geologist for a while there!¡± Salvadore perked up at that. ¡°Huh, so are there many rocks that affect pokemon?¡± ¡°Tons! There¡¯s the metals that need to be mined and then refined for things like the metal coats used for Scyther and Onix to evolve, just as there are certain hard rocks that empower pokemon!¡± He said gushing about rocks and their importance for pokemon. ¡°I found a few interesting rocks that seem to extend the effects of certain moves as well!¡± ¡°Weather rocks?¡± I said as a memory tickled at my mind. Flint blinked in surprise. ¡°You know of them? I thought I was the first to discover them?¡± ¡°No, I just assumed that was the logical name,¡± I said quickly. ¡°Certain moves extended? Only moves that I could think of were weather effects?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Things like Sandstorm?¡± I said, deliberately choosing the wrong weather effect to throw off any suspicion. I didn¡¯t think there was one for that, was there? Damn there was! Smooth stone! ¡°Not¡­ yet no,¡± said Flint. I blinked in surprise. He hadn¡¯t found that yet? Flint continued to speak, heedless of my surprise, ¡°I found something I call a heat stone and a damp stone for rain and sun effects, but nothing for Sandstorms yet. I suspect those might be more present somewhere with winds to wear away at stone however. The Hoenn Desert comes to mind.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said eloquently. Then I stopped and jerked my head towards the shop. ¡°Alright Yolanda he¡¯s all yours.¡± She grinned only to frown. ¡°Are you not coming with?¡± ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t need to help a grown man pick out his clothes,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m going to walk around for a bit with the twins and tire them out.¡± The twins nodded along with that and then took off running. I hummed and used my longer legs to catch up. ¡°Meet back here in half an hour!¡± I called back. The twins then led me on a run around the streets only for me to corral them back after twenty minutes had passed. By twenty five they were stumbling and staggering. At twenty seven minutes they were nestled in my arms. Suzie was hanging off my neck and Timmy was being held by Nanny Graveler. I was passed by Forrest¡¯s friends once more as they hooned around, only to turn around when they saw me coming down the road towards them. That got a good chuckle out of me. When we rounded the corner to the street the shop was on I found Jenny¡¯s bike parked on the corner. Jenny herself was crouching down outside the shop and peering inside intently. I walked up, curious to see what she was doing. Flint emerged with a large number of shopping bags in hand and a sheepish look. I could see Yolanda back in the store paying for the items and huffed. He must not have had enough and needed to use the family card I¡¯d given to Yolanda and Forrest. Jenny launched herself into Flint¡¯s chest, arm swinging up to catch him in a textbook clothesline move while she swept his feet from under him, ¡°You¡¯re coming with me mister! Your family has been looking for you! You have the right to give parental love and support!¡± she declared loudly as bags of clothes fell to the ground. ¡°Whuh?¡± Flint said intelligently from the ground. I held up a finger. Oh damn, I forgot to tell Jenny we¡¯d found Flint, hadn¡¯t I? I hummed for a moment before chuckling. This was actually pretty funny and probably just another moment of Flint getting something he¡¯d had coming for a while. Jenny grabbed Flint¡¯s wrists and began cuffing him. ¡°You are going to go home and start helping out! You have a lovely family and you will cherish them so help me¡ª¡± I coughed pointedly. Jenny stopped what she was doing and snapped her head up to find me watching with a sheepish smile. ¡°Heeeeey Jenny, nice take down¡­ Ummm yeah Forrest actually got him to come in ¡­ a few nights ago¡­¡± Jenny gaped at me like a Magikarp before her face flushed red. Tilly giggled, ¡°Do it again!¡± she said in her shrill toddler voice. Jenny looked mortified while I was rather amused. ¡° Jenny¡¯s radio squawked to life, saving her from any more awkwardness. ¡°Got reports of multiple graffiti spots! I repeat, multiple graffiti! The perps are mobile and currently active!¡± said the radio. Jenny grasped that like a drowning man grabbed a lifeline. ¡°Officer Jenny is on the case!¡± she shouted into her radio. Then she lifted Flint up, dusted him off, swept his shopping bags into his arms, and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Apologies citizen! Stay well!¡± She then sprinted off as fast as she could, only to turn around and have to run past me to her bike. I watched her go and felt a mix of amusement and guilt at unexpectedly setting her up like that. Flint rubbed at his chest, and I huffed. ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, just knocked the wind out of me is all.¡± He glanced at me as Yolanda approached with a confused expression. ¡°You had the police looking for me?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, among other people.¡± I considered him. ¡°Watch out for some ninja alright?¡± ¡°Ninja?¡± Flint said. ¡°I¡¯d believe you sent the local grannies after me more than I would ninja.¡± He snorted a laugh only to stop when Forrest made a cutting gesture at his throat. ¡°He¡¯s serious dad. We¡¯d all seen you hovering around and were getting tired of waiting. Soooo, yeah? Janine from Fuchsia was looking for you while she was here¡­¡± Forrest glanced around. ¡°She might have left¡­ but you never know with ninja.¡± Suzie snorted. ¡°It¡¯s easy to know! You just ask Sabrina!¡± Flint twitched at that, and I chuckled. Heh, that¡¯d teach him to mock my claims of sending ninja¡¯s after him. I waved to the family at large. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s time to get you all to school.¡± The kids all grumbled at that but we quickly had them dropped off at the right locations. Munchalx waved, hugged, and gave good bye licks to any that wanted them. Flint seemed to enjoy the experience of dropping his kids off. I left him to enjoy a long chat with a teacher at the front of the gates who was very pointedly discussing his absence in their lives and its effects. I settled in on a bench and began toggling through my transceiver for various newsfeeds to catch up on what had been happening around Kanto and ¡®the world¡¯. I couldn¡¯t see anything regarding Devon Corp and the Cinnabar research facility anymore which was notable in how it had been a headline until it suddenly wasn¡¯t. There was a notice of there being a lot more trainers than normal. ¡®Experts¡¯ predicted that roughly four times as many trainers were expected to be present in the Kanto circuit this year. I hummed. I was expecting roughly five times with how I had at least a month booked up solidly of pokemon trainers and there would probably be a lot more still to come. Thankfully the frequency and density of the work would be more spread out. I¡¯d probably also have a number of takers for the Elite challenge this year and that would see us facing more challenges. But I expected that to be more of an issue towards the end of the year. I continued to scroll and spotted a report on Karen¡¯s match with Chuck. She¡¯d apparently beaten him four to six and the match was being touted as a must see with another showing going to be on Battlecast tonight. I made a note to tell Forrest about it. He¡¯d love to see that and I also had an interest in it. I could even call her and get her take on the match afterwards. I read through the weather report and was glad to see that there weren¡¯t any spring rains predicted until next weekend. Bertha wouldn¡¯t have a chance to jump into any mudpits and wallow. For all that she was supposed to be like a rhino she was more like a pig in how she loved the feel of mud on her thick hide. ¡°Pikachu! Use Thundershock!¡± I glanced up to find Ash had apparently made his way after us and was outside the school with what looked to be one of the parents engaging in a casual match to the side of the gates. The Dad¡¯s Mightyena took the hit and wobbled before collapsing. The kids that had been cheering on the Dad groaned as Ash whooped and hollered at Pikachu¡¯s victory. Before the Dad could even return his pokemon a small kid stepped forward with a pokeball raised up. Ash grinned and leaned forward more than ready to take on the next challenger. I chuckled. ¡°That young man certainly has a lot of spunk!¡± Flint said as he approached me. I considered it for a moment before nodding. ¡°That he does, if he keeps his determination I think he¡¯ll go pretty far.¡± ¡°Hmmm, have to say I envy his energy. I look at him and feel tired with how he throws himself around.¡± As he said this Ash swept his arms to the side to indicate how Pikachu should dodge. ¡°Hnnn,¡± I said expressively. I looked him over. ¡°All done dropping off the kids?¡± Flint paused before sitting on the bench with me. ¡°Ah, yes, I am.¡± ¡°Alright, time to head home then,¡± I said. Flint got a wobbly smile at that before nodding and walking along with me. ¡°Say I have some gifts I¡¯d like to give to you and the kids¡­¡± Munchlax tugged on Flint¡¯s hand and pointed at his mouth. ¡°Munch?¡± Flint gave him a confused look and I chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think he meant food, Munchlax.¡± Flint nodded and turned away from Munchlax. ¡°I know they won¡¯t ever be enough to make you forgive me for¡­ going away but...would you kids like some gifts I picked up in my travels?¡± I laced my hands behind my head. ¡°Are they rocks?¡± Flint blinked and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Well¡­ yes mostly¡­¡± ¡°Hmmm, well you can give them out this afternoon after I¡¯m done with the Gym. We¡¯ll see how that goes then yeah?¡± ¡°Right!¡± he said happily. I hummed and put it to the side, my mind instead turning towards the Gym and what I had to do for the day. Chapter 85 - Gift giving and not forgiving The last trainer for the day ended up being a doozy. They¡¯d selected the gauntlet run and on paper they looked like they knew what they were doing. They had a good sized team with pokemon of various sizes and types. They even had a grass type with an Oddish, and a water type with a Poliwag. What they didn¡¯t have was good luck. Yolanda had gone out first leaving me to hold her trembling egg. Perhaps that had resulted in her wanting to end the match quicker. She¡¯d dropped all defence and left herself open with Rock Throw after Rock Throw only to land a number of what I had to assume were critical hits with how his pokemon folded at the blows. By the end of the first match, Yolanda was startled to have taken down his Oddish and Poliwag through dumb luck more than anything. Rocko had then come out with a Rhyhorn and the kid had knuckled down to fight. He¡¯d lost two more pokemon taking Rhyhorn down, but that was to be expected with a Spearow and a Beedrill as his next pokemon. That left him with a Growlithe already on the field when I made my way down to him. I stared across at him and his tired pokemon. There were six pokemon here and they were young. The kid himself was starting to shake which wasn¡¯t a good sign. ¡°Kid, I think you should call it,¡± I said, trying to reason with him. He shook his head and I sighed, hitting a button on the side of the podium that would send an alert to Chansey. I sent out Geodude and decided to match what Yolanda had done earlier with leaving my pokemon open. I threw out some Mud Slaps to make it easier but the kid shook himself and clenched his fists before ordering Growlithe to push through. Growlithe did not push through and instead collapsed when he advanced to Bite my Geodude. I stared at the kid as he drunkenly grabbed another ball of his belt. ¡°G-go! Butterfree!¡± he said and I winched. The kid was swaying and acting like he was punch drunk. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I said, ending the match before it could get started. The podiums were already lowering but I hopped off mine as Butterfree collapsed with a cry of its name. Then the kid folded like wet paper. I was quickly next to him and checking his pulse as I rolled him into the recovery position. Chansey exploded out of the medical wing and firmly relocated me before she began tending to the trainer. I stood up and raised a hand to the crowd that were anxiously watching on. ¡°Got a pulse and he¡¯s breathing fine everyone,¡± I said firmly. The kid gasped as Chansey laid a glowing hand on his chest. ¡°Huh? What happened?¡± I put a hand on his shoulder as he tried to stand up. ¡°Hey, easy there. You whited out from using your entire team and them being knocked out. Your body couldn¡¯t handle the strain. Just lay back, you¡¯re safe. Do you remember your name and where you are?¡± ¡°Bob?... and I¡¯m at the Pewter Gym?¡± he said carefully. I nodded, pleased that he didn¡¯t appear to have an altered state of consciousness. Within a minute he was able to sit up and the crowd applauded his recovery before slowly breaking up. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think about that¡­¡± he said as tears ran down his face. ¡°Hey, you got really unlucky with that first match. I was watching, Yolanda got lucky with some solid hits that took out the pokemon that by all rights would have let you breeze through your first badge. After that your team composition didn¡¯t have the moves or the advantages. I think you need to train yourself up. You had a good plan but hit a hurdle.¡± ¡°Y-yeah,¡± he said sadly. I patted him on the back and stayed with him. When I was confident he could make it back to the pokemon centre on his own¡ª after Chansey had healed two of his pokemon¡ª I let him leave. He nodded quietly in thanks, obviously still shaken up over how it had played out. Greta was of course waiting for me when I was done, chewing her lip and practically vibrating with unasked questions. ¡°That was whiting out wasn¡¯t it?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, that was it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen trainers lose with their entire teams before and not faint like that¡­ what¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°Whiting out is caused by pulling too much on your body¡¯s energy reserves. You know how each pokeball syncs up to the trainer that buys it? Well, the pokemon can work off that as well. Sometimes it helps make them easier to handle or even help them require less food.¡± I raised a hand to forestall any more questions. ¡°However, the more pokemon you have the greater the strain that can build up on your energy reserves. Trainers with a full six-team roster are putting themselves under the most strain due to having their energy spread so thin. Most times new trainers won¡¯t feature a full six pokemon team, this can be due to a host of reasons.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± Greta said, dutifully writing down what I was saying. ¡°Hmmm, three off the top of my head? Not having stables set up, they only want certain pokemon on their team, or even that they¡¯re holding out for a specific pokemon for their team. Their reasons are their own. Trainers with the full six this early in their careers are pretty rare, but they can be around. There are also differences in an individual''s energy capacity to consider. Some people naturally have bigger or smaller energy stores which feeds back into how many pokemon they can have on their teams at one time. If you can comfortably handle six pokemon and not faint you¡¯re in a rare group as people usually need a couple of years as a trainer to reach that level.¡± I personally had a theory regarding aura manipulation, both purposeful and instinctual, helping to make people more or less resilient but I wasn¡¯t going to mention that to Greta. ¡°But¡­ don¡¯t you and some of the Elite Four have expanded pokemon carrying capacities? How do your energy levels handle that?¡± ¡°Training and experience. We can handle the strain and that results in us being allowed to take on more. It¡¯s one of the perks of reaching certain heights with your pokemon or raising strong pokemon. When you get to that level it¡¯s no longer a one-way street of us just giving energy to pokemon.¡± Greta hummed thoughtfully at that before nodding. She opened her mouth only for Crystal to appear and wrap her arms around her shoulders. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re coming with me to hang out seeing as my usual scooter buddy is busy!¡± I chuckled as Greta was dragged away before turning to wrap up the day myself. I went through the usual checks and paperwork before giving the reserve a walk-through. Flint was once more out front inspecting the Lileep and when I walked past he stood up and followed me in. ¡°Brock! How was your day?¡± I considered him as I opened the door. ¡°It was alright, all my challengers arrived, and most of them came away with their badges.¡± ¡°Oh, good. Were you doing anything else now? I had been wrapping up the gifts with Yolanda and wanted to give them out¡­¡± I was about to answer when my transceiver buzzed. I glanced at it and saw a message from Sabrina. ¡®Hey, I¡¯ve got nothing today,¡¯ it read simply. The unwritten, ¡®may I come over¡¯ was supplied by my mind. Sabrina usually never asked after all, she¡¯d just appear. Typically she just showed up without asking, unless she wanted to try and hang out with my family. Then she would ask. She was oddly polite about spending time with them. ¡®Can¡¯t hang out,¡¯ I wrote back. ¡®Flint came back, so you can stop looking for him and now I have to¡­ yeah,¡¯ I left the message there cause it wasn¡¯t exactly clear what I needed to do. In many ways I envied canon Brock¡¯s path of leaving things to his father but for so many reasons I felt like I couldn¡¯t do that. ¡®... where are you now?¡¯ she wrote back. I frowned at the message. What did she¡­ ¡®In my doorway?¡¯ I wrote back, a suspicion forming in my mind. ¡°Hello Brock. Flint,¡± Sabrina said as she appeared in a flash of light from the corner. I nodded in greeting only for Flint to flinch and stumble backwards over the shoes that were in the doorway. ¡°Oh! Hello there Sabrina! You scared me. Hahaha!¡± he said as he stood up. ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Sabrina said back, observing Flint and how he was sprawled out. Flint chuckled helplessly for a few more seconds before standing up. ¡°I¡¯ll just go¡­ check on Yolanda!¡± he said before hurrying past Sabrina and I. He notably made sure to give Sabrina lots of room. ¡°Hey Sabrina, what¡¯s up?¡± I said only to be met by Sabrina stepping in close to me. Her eyes roamed my face and I got the impression of the air tapping at parts of my body. Was she? ¡°Are you¡­ checking me over?¡± I said. She hadn¡¯t done this since¡­ we threw a boulder at Giovanni¡¯s Gym¡­ this was something she¡¯d learnt to do after I¡¯d taken a bad tumble during our journey in Hoenn. She¡¯d teleported to my side and been a bit of a mess with not knowing what to do. I¡¯d lain there, catching my breath. I¡¯d instructed her on how to assess and triage any potential injuries, which had been more to help her calm down rather than me actually being hurt. As a former health worker, the DRSABCD and other first aid acronyms had been basically seared into my brain. ¡°Yes, you have a notable problem with your father. Your shoulders and back are tense as though you are expecting to react instead of being relaxed. Your heart rate also spiked notably with my arrival,¡± She said matter of factly. Sabrina had obviously done a lot more reading on the subject of cues that people give off when they¡¯re stressed or injured. ¡°Maybe, I also had a sort of bad end to the day,¡± I said with a shrug. I waved a hand and led her towards my room. She shook her head as she followed and took my hand in hers and began rubbing the back of it. ¡°No, that is not a typical response for you on a rough day. You¡¯re more slumped and tired.¡± ¡°Maybe you startled me?¡± I offered. She again shook her head. ¡°No you don¡¯t react that way when I arrive in such a fashion. Others will sometimes shriek and wave their arms about.¡± she pointedly looked at where Flint had tripped over himself, ¡°but you are usually much calmer in greeting me.¡± My curiosity got the best of me. ¡°Wave their arms about?¡± ¡°Erika is still getting used to being friends. Her trainers react worse even when I appear in front of them, but she typically stiffens and makes a small meeping noise these days.¡± Despite myself, I chuckled as I imagined such a scene. Sabrina¡¯s lips quirked upwards but she didn¡¯t step out of my personal space. ¡°When the mayor of Saffron wanted to talk with me as a child I made him fall out of his chair by arriving before he could hang up his transceiver.¡± I chuckled and Sabrina perked up even further. ¡°My mother once wet herself,¡± she continued. I raised a hand. ¡°I really, really should not find that so funny.¡± ¡°And yet you do. It is neither good nor bad. You are not causing their reactions. In hindsight, I can see that they are rather comical. It was also not wrong of me, but not the best use of my powers.¡± She tilted her head, however her smile remained. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Yeah well¡­¡± I blinked. This moment felt oddly similar. ¡°Did you just use my own words against me?¡± She bobbed her head forward. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°Huh, I¡­ I¡¯m not sure how I feel about that.¡± If anything I felt a little¡­ bad? Usually, I was the one shoring her up. I otherwise¡­ why did I oddly feel warm? Was I blushing? I swallowed. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten really good at being friends with someone haven¡¯t you?¡± Sabrina didn¡¯t preen. She wasn¡¯t so taken with large shows of emotion but she nonetheless tossed her hair slightly and her smile grew another fraction of a millimetre. ¡°I have been working on my weakness for quite some time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a weakness,¡± I said reflexively. She shook her head. ¡°No, it has been. I am not good with¡­ well mostly people, as they are complex and sometimes they can think and do different things. Sometimes I know what they will do thanks to my psychic powers but still the why escaped me. Now I understand them more¡­ I know that their thoughts aren¡¯t everything about them.¡± ¡°The mind isn¡¯t the only thing that makes people act,¡± I said remembering something I¡¯d heard once. ¡°You said as much when we first met,¡± she said, ¡°I understand it more now,¡± she repeated. ¡°Did I?¡± I said in surprise. She nodded her head. ¡°My pokemon had just been beaten by your ¡®Titan¡¯ and I had been¡­ I had been having a tantrum I believe.¡± I squinted. Thinking back. Oh! She had hadn¡¯t she? She hadn¡¯t stomped her foot or been screaming, rather she¡¯d been so flat and monotone that I hadn¡¯t registered any emotion. But if I applied what I¡¯d learnt from spending time with her to how she¡¯d been acting¡­ she''d almost been having a hissy fit hadn¡¯t she? ¡°You said¡­ you said¡­ why can¡¯t I read your mind? Why¡­ can¡¯t I understand people? No. You said,¡± I rubbed my chin as Sabrina blinked at me in surprise. ¡°No, you said something like, ¡®why are people so strange¡¯.¡± Sabrina nodded, a small genuine smile taking hold as she watched me. Were her eyes glistening a little? I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Hey, hey it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Yes, it really is¡­ I am not sad Brock. Right now I do not need support.¡± She tapped me on the chest. ¡°But you do,¡± I tilted my head when I noticed her smile remaining. ¡°Okay? I¡¯m a bit¡­ I¡¯m not really sure what to do with Flint. I mean yeah he¡¯s my dad but¡­ Why are you smiling at this?¡± I said, unable to wrap my head around why she was. ¡°I apologise, it is just¡­ for so long it has felt like there has been a¡­ a gap between us in terms of emotions, interpreting them, understanding them, acting on them, letting them simply be¡­¡± She made a gesture that indicated just how close we were. ¡°I have been working on this for a long time and it has been extremely frustrating for me.¡± She smiled despite the odd tension in her voice, ¡°I have struggled.¡± I nodded, ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± She nodded back acknowledging that she had recognised her difficulties. ¡°Yes, and you have been very supportive of me and explained a lot.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°In many ways, it has been like building a house brick by brick only for there to be smaller details that I have not thought of once finishing a room. The taps or colours of the walls, or that you need more than one room? When is it right to be in each room or let certain emotions out more precisely.¡± She made the gesture to reference the gap once more. ¡°In the beginning, that gap felt like it would never shorten. But I kept trying and lately¡­ lately it feels like I have caught up. And now I am close enough to offer you support,¡± she looked at me with her small smile and for some reason, I felt like¡­ like things would be better. I swallowed again feeling oddly dry in my mouth. ¡°And how are you going to do that?¡± She walked past me and sat on my bed. In doing so she crossed her legs which made my eyes glance down and notice that they were very nice legs, attached to a very attractive woman. I swallowed away the dryness as the room suddenly felt much hotter. I was a young man and she was a young¡­ ¡°I will be here with you and I will listen,¡± she said with her small pleased smile. I felt a moment of disconnect as my mind stalled down the path it had been charging along as hormones got the better of me. I coughed and nodded. ¡°Of course, heh! You¡¯re good at this,¡± I said as I grabbed a chair from in front of my desk to sit in myself. Sabrina nodded. ¡°I have good friends.¡± She leaned forward. ¡°Also, the Ralts egg is going to hatch. She has started to form a bond with me¡­ That bond has helped a great deal in my efforts and I am looking forward to meeting her. She said she will be hatching tonight. But before that, I will listen and help you.¡± I blinked. Was Sabrina bragging in a way? I suppose in a way it must have been a milestone moment for her. ¡°That¡¯s great news, Can I come to see her hatch?¡± I said. Sabrina chewed her lip. ¡°The bond that I am forming with Ralts will be delicate¡­ I¡¯m sorry to say that your Dark energy might not be a good thing to include in the initial moments.¡± she bowed her head and I waved it off. ¡°No, that actually makes a lot of sense. Just film it for me yeah? I¡¯d like to see it,¡± I said. Really I wanted to see her reaction to Ralts more than Ralts¡¯ hatching. She nodded her head. ¡°Very well, I shall do that. Now, how are you?¡± she said. I hummed, feeling oddly domestic with that question but I relaxed into my chair and thought about what I wanted to tell her. In the end, I just shrugged. ¡°So things are really awkward¡ª¡± In the end, I just unloaded everything that had been weighing me down since Flint¡¯s return. Sabrina listened and offered no advice. She apologised for not being able to do so but I waved it off. She¡¯d helped just by listening. That seemed to mollify her. I straightened up. ¡°I should probably head back out, I have no idea what the kids are up to.¡± Sabrina glanced at the wall, and her eyes glowed. ¡°Suzie is drawing a picture of herself and Munchlax. Timmy, Tommy, Salvadore and Forrest are watching cartoons. Yolanda is helping your father wrap his presents. Cindy is on the toilet and Tilly is waiting for her turn.¡± I blinked and raised a hand before lowering it. ¡°Huh, that was pretty useful. You¡¯d make a great¡­¡± I stopped before I could say the words and Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯d make a great?¡± she asked. If I said mother, she¡¯d take it and run with it. Dodging that charged up Electrode, I instead said, ¡°You¡¯re going to be a great carer for your Ralts. You should bring them around when they hatch.¡± Sabrina nodded, standing up. As she did so, her skirt straightened itself out with a flex of her mind. ¡°I should be returning home¡­ if you need to talk again, I would not mind listening,¡± she said. I nodded and she flashed away with a teleport. Huh, turns out it wasn¡¯t just my little siblings growing up. Sabrina had as well. I smiled, feeling much better. Sabrina hadn¡¯t offered any advice, but I did feel better having her listen to me, and now I sort of had an idea about what I wanted to do with the whole¡­ Flint situation. I turned in my seat and grabbed up the family health records and some of the financial information. I marched out to the living room and nodded at the boys after finding them watching Samurai Furret. I shot a message to Yolanda. The other kids trickled in and finally, Flint came in with Yolanda carrying wrapped-up presents. Yolanda¡¯s rather befuddled expression was very interesting. That could mean that the gifts were good, strange, both or something more. The kids perked up at this and I hummed. This was certainly a good way to make a favourable impression early on. He wouldn¡¯t be able to keep giving though or there would be issues. ¡°Alright kids!¡± Flint said with an exuberant tone. I tilted my head. He was much more upbeat than he had been earlier. Was he trying to inject some energy into himself or was he just really counting on this to work to bridge the gap that had grown since he left? ¡°Who¡¯s ready for presents?¡± The kids shot up and raised their hands. ¡°Me!¡± ¡°Me!¡± ¡°Me!¡± ¡°I am!¡± they shouted over the top of each other. Flint grinned and gestured to the presents as though expecting them to simply rip in. The kids sat forward only to pause and turn almost as one towards me. I gave them a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s take turns so nothing gets broken just like when it''s Arceusmas, alright?¡± This had the kids bouncing in place. I made a show of thinking it over and hovering my hand out. ¡°Hmmmmmmmmmmmm let¡¯s go with Cindy first!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she shouted as she skipped forward. Flint blinked. ¡°Oh, I was going to just give them out all at once.¡± Cindy shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not how we do it.¡± She chopped the air firmly. ¡°We all take turns and have the presents given out. That way we get time to enjoy it and see what each other got as a family!¡± she said, explaining it pretty much how I had sold it to the kids during our first Christmas. The rest of the family nodded seriously, causing Flint to make a surprised noise. ¡°Oh, well alright then.¡± He reached down and plucked a small box that had a number of matching boxes. A small tag on the top was read and he set that one down. Then he selected another only to grab another. I was suddenly very glad I had enforced that little family tradition. If the kids had simply torn into the presents, they would have mixed things up. ¡°Oh! Here it is! Here you go Cindy!¡± said Flint as he gave her the right box. Cindy gave him a hug. ¡°Thanks dad!¡± she chirped. Then she sat down and tore open the present to reveal a water stone. ¡°Ooooooohhhh!¡± she said. ¡°A waterstone! Wow, aren¡¯t these expensive?¡± she said, glancing from me to Flint. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Eevee who¡¯d been lounging near Suzie, sat bolt upright and leapt over the couch at the reveal. No one else seemed to notice as their eyes were locked onto the waterstone. I nodded absently at what Cindy was saying while leaning down to click my fingers. Eevee scurried under the couch to me and sat in my lap. While I did that Flint had proudly spoken up, ¡°Hah! Only if you don¡¯t know where to look! Like I said! I¡¯m a rock expert! Now! Who wants to go next?!¡± I held in a smile as once again all eyes in the room turned to me. ¡°Billy,¡± I said after waving my hand about once more. Flint went and got another small box before handing it to Billy, who tore into it. It revealed another water stone. Eevee stiffened at the reveal again and I calmed her down with gentle pats. ¡°Hey girl, it¡¯s okay. No one¡¯s going to force you to evolve if you don¡¯t want to,¡± I whispered. I made sure to tap the everstone on her collar pointedly. This seemed to help her relax. Still, I would obviously have to explain that to the kids. It was interesting to see how she was against evolving right now. Not that there was any issue with her remaining an Eevee. Too many people thought Eevee¡¯s only value was in evolving and not as remaining unevolved. I couldn¡¯t wait until Gigantimax Eevee was revealed. I felt a sinking suspicion about what the rest of the small boxes contained. I glanced at Yolanda and she had a wry smile as Billy gushed about the rare stone. A stone that slowly became rather common as each other member of the household under eight got one of their own, totalling six water stones. It was a not inconsiderable display of wealth, as each water stone typically took trainers a while to build up the funds for. It wasn¡¯t uncommon to be only able to purchase one after three months on the road. If you were employed under the average wage, it was practically a month¡¯s savings. It didn¡¯t pass my notice that we had only just made a dint in the pile of boxes and that no small number were the same size. Did all of them contain water stones? How long had he been running around waterways to find so many? The next stone for Salvadore broke the trend with the reveal of it being a Leaf Stone. ¡°Oh, I got that when I was wandering through Ilex forest on the way to Goldenrod city in Johto!¡± Flint said in fond memory. I hummed in a noncommittal fashion. He really shouldn¡¯t be happy about the¡­ I crushed that thought as he continued to hand out ¡®rare¡¯ stones. The next being a thunderstone for Forrest, with Yolanda getting a moonstone. When he got to me I held up a hand. ¡°Hold onto it for now.¡± Flint¡¯s face flashed with concern but I shook my head. ¡°I just want to talk about something before I take any presents.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want a present?¡± said Cindy. ¡°Yeah? Are you alright Brock?¡± said Salvadore. With my siblings voicing their confusion, I held up a hand. ¡°I just want to talk before I accept anything. I¡¯ll do it afterwards though cause it looks like everyone¡¯s enjoying themselves.¡± There was already a small cloud of worry forming across a number of their faces but I just smiled and waved for Flint to continue. In the end, he gave out six water stones, two thunder stones, two fire stones, two leaf stones, two moonstones, and what surprisingly appeared to be a sunstone. The items so far that weren¡¯t stones had been a number of ribbons for the girls, socks with rock pokemon for the boys, and a map that he had scrawled notes on pokemon about all over the margins for Forrest. ¡°For when you go on your journey!¡± Flint said with a grin. ¡°I thought of it as I was going through my bag with Yolanda!¡± Forrest accepted it with a rather befuddled expression. I hummed as Salvadore leaned around Forrest in obvious interest. If he¡¯d asked Yolanda, she probably would have given it to Salvadore instead of Forrest. On paper, it seemed the better gift for Forrest, but Salvadore would probably still use it more. I whistled at the gift to Yolanda which was the sunstone. She looked it over before asking ¡°What pokemon evolves with this, Salvadore?¡±. ¡°Bellosom from Gloom?¡± Salvadore said carefully as he leaned in to inspect it. I nodded. ¡°It also causes Sunkern to evolve into Sunflora and Cottonee to evolve into Whimsicott.¡± ¡°Cottonee?¡± said Salvadore with a tilt of his head. I cursed to myself. ¡°It was a pokemon I encountered in Hoenn on my journey,¡± I said, lying smoothly. That settled Salvadore as everyone turned back to the sunstone to appreciate it. Yolanda glanced at Eevee who was sitting on my lap. ¡°Should we be letting her run around with all these evolution stones?¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as she keeps her everstone collar on. It stops her from evolving.¡± Eevee tilted her head at that and approached to sniff the stones. When nothing happened, she relaxed further. ¡°Hey kids, just so you know I don¡¯t think Eevee likes the idea of evolving right now, so don¡¯t force her to, alright?¡± Tilly and Suzie held up their waterstones. ¡°But¡­ water doggy?¡± I smiled at them and shook my head. ¡°No, no water doggy right now. Maybe in the future.¡± The kids all looked at their stones. ¡°What can we do with these then?¡± Tommy asked. I smiled. ¡°Well you can hang onto them or have them made into cool necklaces. They¡¯ll be great for when your journey comes around. Or maybe we put them together as a family store of stones that we can all draw from when we go on our journeys. Then you could have more options than just a water or firestone,¡± I said as I looked at Billy¡¯s two stones. He perked up at that and glanced around. ¡°Yeah! Yeah! Let¡¯s share!¡± he said while looking at Salvadore and his thunderstone and leaf stone. I chuckled at his blatant interest but approved of the ¡®sharing¡¯ even if it wasn¡¯t in the right spirit for now. I got up and headed out to get a display case that the stones could be housed in. The stones were all laid out on a soft velvet case with small indents that let them be spaced out. They looked rather impressive like that. ¡°If anyone wants to make a necklace, then talk to me,¡± I said before remembering that Flint was here and that I was trying to include him. ¡°Or Flint. But you need to know that people might try and take them because they are worth a lot of money.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Flint said, somewhat superfluously. I got the impression he was just saying something to join the conversation. Munchlax tugged at my pants and pointed at the stones before pointing at himself. I shook my head. ¡°Munchlax don¡¯t evolve with evolution stones.¡± ¡°Munch?¡± he said. ¡°They do it with friendship and when they grow strong,¡± I said. He considered that before nodding and waddling back to sit on the couch. Suzie looked to Flint seriously. ¡°Did you get Munchlax or Eevee anything?¡± Flint rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I needed to? I¡¯m sorry Munchlax and Eevee!¡± he said. He reached into his pockets and drew out a black stone. ¡°Here, this is some interesting stone I found while checking out Cinnabar island!¡± My eyes locked onto that and I hummed casually. ¡°You know Scyther has a rock collection, right kids? Maybe he¡¯d be interested in those rocks?¡± I said smoothly. Eevee huffed and Munchlax waved his hand in a ¡®I don¡¯t mind¡¯ manner. The kids twitched at the rocks that Flint had offered with Salvadore mentioning he¡¯d show them to Scyther. The kids then shifted about restlessly while the older kids glanced at the two remaining presents. Both of them clearly marked with my name. Flint shifted and looked at me before his eyes slid to the folders at my side. I gave the kids all a smile. ¡°Hey gang, if you want you can go play now, Flint and I need to have some grown-up talk.¡± Instead of going anywhere, the kids sat and watched us. I smiled. ¡°It¡¯ll be really boring?¡± At that Suzie, Timmy, Billy, and Tilly all got up and departed after giving Flint a hug in thanks for the stones. Eevee raced ahead of them causing them to give chase which drew Munchlax off the couch. The sounds of running feet and laughter starting up had Tommy and Cindy shifting around for a bit before deciding to also leave. Cindy poked me on the way out the door. ¡°You need to call me back when you¡¯re going to open your gifts though!¡± I smiled and nodded. Then I turned to Yolanda, Salvadore and Forrest. They remained sitting. I inhaled before exhaling. ¡°Alright then.¡± I sat up and leveled my gaze upon Flint. ¡°Flint,¡± I said, causing him to straighten up. ¡°Yes Brock?¡± ¡°You¡¯re home,¡± I said succinctly. I raised a hand when he opened his mouth. ¡°No, I have a lot to say and I¡¯m probably going to ramble but I¡¯ve been trying to put my feelings in order and been having a lot of trouble with it but I think I have a decent idea of what I want¡­ No. What I need to say.¡± I glanced at my family and flicked my eyes to the door but they remained sitting, as quiet as a Pichu with a Hounddoom stalking the grass. I looked back and drew in another breath. ¡°Flint, you left and I think that was possibly one of the most selfish things you could have done.¡± I levelled a glare upon him. ¡°You abandoned your family to chase after your wife. This was after letting things fall into neglect around here. When you called me back I had to come a long way in a very short amount of time to not only try to figure out how to run a gym and a family but also do damage control for the mess you made!¡± The words made Flint twitch like they hurt for him to hear. Part of me enjoyed the reactions but I didn¡¯t let it linger. I needed to say what I had been holding onto otherwise I was going to do much worse in the future than just express my feelings. I¡¯d act on them. ¡°You abandoned us and left me in charge of our family. I had nine little brothers and sisters to look after. Sure Forrest, Yolanda, and Salvadore were able to help out, but they shouldn¡¯t have ever had to! Forrest was a kid that was trying to work out how to feed the others. Yolanda was learning to operate the gas stove! Salvadore was staying home from school to look after Suzie, Timmy, Billy and Tilly on a rotating roster with the others!¡± ¡°Billy and Tilly were twelve months old at the time!¡± I snarled. I held my glare at Flint as he looked down, shame obvious on his face. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said with a choked gasp. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to be sorry back then or now. I needed you to be there to help out. You had me running the gym back then, which I had no idea how to do beyond the basics. The pokemon team you took was the best the gym had at the time! I had to have my own pokemon take over!¡± I waved a hand around the room to indicate the building at large. ¡°The gym we had was old as well. It wasn¡¯t in good condition, and it constantly needed to be repaired with the building not being up to standard for stronger matches. I blew a hole through two walls when I first accepted a challenge from a trainer going for his sixth badge with Titan. It was not safe so I had to do something new.¡± I leaned forward. ¡°All of that?¡± I swept my hand out before chopping it down in front of me. ¡°And then you left again after sniffing around the gym for months at the end of the last circuit only to not come back?¡± I shook my head as I straightened. ¡°You failed in ways that I just struggle to understand. Do you even have an excuse?¡± I held up a hand to clarify that statement, ¡°No. Not an excuse¡­ an actual Gengar be damned reason?¡± Flint clenched his hands on his knees and continued to look down. ¡°...No¡­ I¡­ I¡­ You¡¯re right son... I failed you as a father... I don''t... and there was no reason for what I did¡­ Not a reason I can accept. Not ever for all of that¡­¡± I felt something within me unclench at that admission, despite how angry it made me. Vindication battled with acceptance and anger. I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the tumult of emotions. ¡°Very well,¡± I said sternly. I inhaled long and slow. I shut my eyes as I did. I loosened a long breath of air slowly in a meditative trick that I had read to Titan years ago and he had demanded that I adopt while we worked on our energy together. I took another two long, slow breaths before opening my eyes. I glanced at the spectators to this¡­ argument didn¡¯t seem right, as I was basically smacking Flint down and he was just taking it. He wasn¡¯t mounting a resistance against my words which¡­ somewhat affronted me. Perhaps it was just the pokemon mindset that had me expecting him to argue against my claims. I could see what I had said affected him. He was slumped over. A hollow, brittle man. I turned my next words over in my mind. I hadn¡¯t planned to say that in front of the others but they wanted to be here and perhaps that made things better? Or worse? I didn¡¯t really know. I just knew that things were messed up and I had to not let them fester. I had to act and not sit patiently, trying to weather it out like I had when Flint had first appeared. ¡°For those reasons, I will not be calling you Dad or father. I just... I struggle to think of you that way.¡± ¡°I¡­I understand,¡± he said wetly. I nodded and continued. ¡°I will also not be handing the gym back to you,¡± I said. Flint nodded. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ probably for the best. I¡­ I don¡¯t think I could match up to you. You¡¯re incredible, you know?¡± He glanced up and I could see his watering eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through all of that but you¡¯ve really become great despite that. I certainly would never have been able to beat Lance or Pryce like you did.¡± I nodded at his words. I chewed my thoughts for a moment to get them where they needed to be. ¡°...Thanks,¡± I said, deciding to extend an olive branch. He looked a little more hopeful at my words. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe I could stick around and help out at home or be a gym trainer for you?¡± I huffed. ¡°I think it would be best to get you helping out at home. You no doubt have some strong pokemon but I think family needs to be focused on first. Be their dad, yeah?¡± ¡°Y-yeah!¡± Flint said as he rubbed his nose. He swallowed. ¡°Can I still call you son?¡± ¡°...Sure I¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯d mind that,¡± I said carefully. Flint lit up a little in hope. ¡°Can I be a super proud old man that wants to brag about you to his friends?¡± he said in a manner that made me think he was mostly joking. I snorted. ¡°Only on weekends,¡± I said back to him in jest. Then I put a hand on the folders I had next to me. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be a dad for the rest of our family though, it''s probably best that we discuss the family health records, what they like, dislike, how they¡¯ve been doing in school and get you caught up so you can actually help properly. How much money we have coming in¡­ all that jazz.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Flint perked up even more at that. ¡°I mean! I¡¯d like that!¡± I smiled and made to open up the health records only for a wet sniffle to remind me of the spectators. I glanced over to find Yolanda rubbing at her eyes furiously. ¡°Sorry! Sorry! I¡¯m being all emotional cause I was sad that Brock was so angry, but then he made a lot of sense and I¡¯m sorry we were a burden and it was hard! Cause I know it was hard and I just wanted dad back but I knew you were having issues with that and-and-and I¡¯m glad you¡¯re getting on now!¡± She rubbed at her eyes as the words spilled from her like a waterfall. Flint and I shared a look, both gesturing for the other to go ahead. Then I felt a sort of understanding of what we needed to do click home. Without talking we both got up and set ourselves on either side of Yolanda and wrapped her in a hug. In doing so, we sort of overlapped each other. It was almost like I was hugging Flint and him hugging me. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright,¡± I said. She sniffled and Flint said some comforting words as well, but we remained there until she calmed down. She rubbed her eyes and then blew her nose into a hankie that Flint had in his pocket. ¡°T-thanks for that.¡± I just smiled before letting my smile grow. I turned and grabbed Forrest. ¡°How about you? Do you need to have a man hug little brother?¡± he dragged him into it and he flinched as he found himself in the middle of the group. ¡°Urgh! No! Yuk! Stop it!¡± Flint laughed and threw himself into the hug. Forrest made a show of putting up a fight as he grumbled. I rubbed his head. ¡°It¡¯s alright to admit you have feelings!¡± He grumbled more. When we broke apart, I opened my arms to Salvadore. He tapped his fingers together. ¡°I get the feeling this is not a choice but something I am required to volunteer for¡­¡± ¡°Correct!¡± I said as he stepped in and trapped Forrest in the hug once more. I glanced over and saw Flint looking down at the others. Then he looked up and mouthed ¡®thank you¡¯ to me. I nodded and let the hug remain for a bit longer. Then I sniffed. I leaned back and stared at a very sheepish Forrest. ¡°Really? While we were hugging?¡± ¡°Sorry! I just couldn¡¯t hold it in with you squeezing me like that?¡± he said. Flint, Yolanda and Salvadore all frowned in confusion only to sniff and gain identical looks of revulsion. Yolanda threw herself out of the hug. ¡°Ohhhh that¡¯s disgusting! I can¡¯t believe you farted!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ that is rank,¡± said Flint as he edged away from Forrest. ¡°You could knock a Muk out with that bro!¡± said Salvadore as he crawled away. I chuckled at Forrest¡¯s blush and opened the room to let it air out. I picked up the folders. ¡°Hey Flint let¡¯s talk about this later alright?¡± ¡°Please yes!¡± he said while holding his nose. Suzie walked up and tugged my pants. ¡°Are you done with adult talk now?¡± I nodded and she huffed, ¡°Good! Are you going to open your presents yet?¡± ¡°Yeah alright, come into the kitchen and let''s do that,¡± I said, relocating the meeting for the sanctity of our noses. Suzie shouted for everyone else to come see what was in my present and I tapped her on the nose for shouting in the house. When they had all emerged from their rooms I opened the first package to reveal a rather dull-looking stone that had a lot of heft to it. It also held a lot of rock energy that I could feel was sitting dormant within it. ¡°It''s a Hard stone! They have the effect of further empowering pokemon that use rock-type moves!¡± said Flint proudly. ¡°Looks kinda boring?¡± said Tommy, only for Cindy to punch him where she thought none of us could see her. I held it in my hand and smiled. ¡°This is actually pretty good for me in the gym. It¡¯ll help with a lot of my stronger matches. Do you know how it stacks up with STAB?¡± I said casually. ¡°Stab?¡± said Flint in confusion. Forrest perked up. ¡°Brock teaches trainers that train with us about same-type-attack-bonus. So a rock-type pokemon using a rock-type move will be stronger than another type like a normal-type using a rock-type. He said it¡¯s one point two times stronger?¡± ¡°One point five,¡± I said, correcting him. Salvadore looked very interested in that information. I rubbed my chin. ¡°Hmmm I still have to run that lecture for the new trainers with us¡­ I¡¯ve been kind of busy haven¡¯t I?¡± I still had to work in concepts such as adaptability as well, but that was a good reminder. This item would work well with a lot of my team, but it also seemed to be a good focus for me to train my rock aura energies with. ¡°Thanks Flint,¡± I said. Suzie bounced up and down in her seat. ¡°Oh! Open the next one! What¡¯s in it?! It¡¯s way bigger!¡± I hummed and lifted the rather clunky-looking package. Flint coughed. ¡°This is a stone or a cluster of stones. I think it still needs to be refined a bit, but I encountered this when I¡­ well when I left Pewter recently¡­¡± He glanced down before shaking off his maudlin mood. ¡°Well, I found this in a cave north of Cerulean and collected it, but I thought you might like it. My instincts say that it¡¯s worth a lot, and they¡¯re usually not wrong. After all, they helped me find the evolution stones in my down time!¡± I hummed at that. If Flint could find this many evolution stones without trying, what could he find when he put actual effort into it? I made a mental note to take him on a hike to Mt Moon with me sometime in the future. I unwrapped the present and found that it was indeed a roughly shaped geode of rock. It was like two spheres encased in brown rock. The larger sphere had a tawny, brown, and yellow colouration, while the smaller stone was like a rainbow to look at. I frowned and rubbed some dirt off one of the spheres only to hiss in surprise as a helix pattern was revealed. I swallowed. ¡°Where did you say you found this again?¡± ¡°North of Cerulean, near a meadow that had a cave. Inside I found some strong pokemon. I stumbled upon this!¡± He tilted his head. ¡°Why? Is there something wrong with this?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m just surprised. If this is what I think it is, then your instincts are very good when it comes to rocks.¡± Suzie leaned in. ¡°Is it a super evolution stone? A rock stone!?¡± I chuckled and shook my head. ¡°No Suzie. I think it¡¯s a Mega Stone.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Mega Stone?¡± said Salvadore. I opened my mouth to explain further before humming and deciding to not say anything. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise.¡± I packed the stone away and nodded at Flint. ¡°Thanks, this could be big.¡± I didn¡¯t want to say it was worth scaring him off back then but now I couldn¡¯t find it within myself to be regretful of doing so. Canon Flint never found one of these, that¡¯s for sure. Now I just needed to see if it worked for any of my pokemon. I suddenly had a lot more options open themselves up for me and in pokemon battling that meant the world. Just as I was about to relax the egg in Yolanda¡¯s incubator cracked loudly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and whipped their heads around. ¡°Oh my gosh! It¡¯s hatching!¡± shrieked Yolanda. ¡°I thought it would neve¡­ No, I¡¯m being silly! What do I do?!¡± I chuckled and lifted the top of the incubator off before shoving yolanda into the prime position. ¡°Nanny Grav!? We need an old bed sheet!¡± Thumps resounded through the house and the kids looked at me. This¡­ they weren¡¯t going to like this part. ¡°Sorry kids, to give Yolanda a better chance at bonding with her pokemon we¡¯re going to have to remain out of sight while the pokemon hatches. Let her get first impression.¡± Flint nodded. ¡°Oh! Right!¡± He frowned. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to get us out of the room?¡± I snorted and glanced down to the younger kids that were already looking defiant. Flint nodded his head. ¡°Right, alright family, we¡¯re going to hide and let Yolanda have her moment!¡± he said with a raised fist. When Nanny Grav handed me the bedsheet, I set it up only to pause at the Mega Stone. ¡°Put this in my room, I¡¯ll secure it in my office later, alright?¡± she nodded and hurried off to do that before bustling back to help contain the little kids. They whined and Billy tried to peek his head around the side only for Forrest and Salvadore to pull them back. When the egg cracked it did so with a loud clatter of shells exploding outwards. And then there was a soft cry. ¡°Tar? Larvitar?¡± ¡°Hi! Hi little one!¡± said Yolanda, her voice was clear and she was holding so much emotion and love in her words that I couldn¡¯t help but smile. The pokemon shifted and I knew it was now locking eyes and imprinting with Yolanda. ¡°Larv! Larvitar!¡± it cried out happily. I put a finger to my lips for the kids and lowered the bedsheet, allowing them to watch as Larvitar approached Yolanda and they had their first hug. I was able to hold back the tide that was my family from spilling over for thirty seconds before Suzie leapt forward. ¡°Hi! I¡¯m your auntie Suzie!¡± that startled the little Larvitar and it huddled into Yolanda causing me to chuckle as Yolanda growled. I stepped back and grabbed some premium-grade food before mixing it up with berries and other nutrients that would be good for a baby pokemon. I offered it to Yolanda and she took it before giving it to her new pokemon. The rest of my family cooed and giggled as Larvitar threw herself headfirst into the meal and began to swell in the belly. I inspected the pokemon and nodded. My earlier assessment was correct. ¡°It¡¯s a girl.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± asked Salvadore. ¡°Larvitar have physical markers such as the slightly curved horn on her head and her slightly longer eye markings.¡± The little Larvitar lifted its head took a huge breath, and then plunged her head back into the food. ¡°Well¡­ She¡¯s a hungry girl,¡± I said, causing Yolanda to nod proudly. Munchlax watched enviously until she was done before stepping in and giving the little Larvitar a greeting. Then he licked the crumbs off her making the little pokemon giggle. A flash of light heralded Sabrina arriving. I turned, a smile on my lips only to pause. ¡°Your egg hatched?¡± I said as I took in the Ralts in her hands that was happily nuzzling into Sabrina. Sabrina beamed at me, and I felt my smile widen in response. The Ralts stiffened at my voice and locked onto me. ¡°Rrrrrrrrrrralts!¡± said the little pokemon. Sabrina petted it on the horn. ¡°She¡¯s very feisty. It¡¯s a good sign.¡± She then peered around me and noted the newest addition to the family. ¡°Oh, look Ralts, a friend your age!¡± She then deposited Ralts onto the bench. Ralts tried to hold on only for Sabrina to push her closer to the other baby pokemon. Salvadore tilted his head. ¡°Should we be pushing them together like this?¡± Sabrina nodded firmly. ¡°It is important to establish good social behaviours with newborns. Especially with people and pokemon they will be encountering in the future. Ralts, this is Brock, my boyfriend,¡± Sabrina said, putting a hand on my shoulder. Ralts glared at me like it was my fault she¡¯d been put on the table. Larvitar leaned over and sniffed the little Ralts causing her to cry out in shock and squirm away. She sadly fell on her face in the attempt. Larvitar gasped and ran over to help only to trip and land on top of her. Larviatar considered this new position before wrapping her tiny arms around Ralts and crying out happily. Yolanda giggled ¡°Ahhhhh! They¡¯re hugging!¡± ¡°Actually, I think Ralts is tapping out?¡± I said as Ralts slammed her fist into Larvitar and the countertop only for it to do nothing. Try as she might, Ralts couldn¡¯t escape Larvitar. ¡°I think Ralts wants to go back to you Sabrina,¡± I said carefully. ¡°Hmmm, yes she is most happy around me. I shall indulge her as a baby but not for too long,¡± Sabrina telekinetically lifted Ralts back to herself and out of Larvitar¡¯s arms. Lartivar cried out, sad to lose her friend before relaxing as Yolanda took her up. ¡°Oof! You¡¯re a heavy girl!¡± she said as she readjusted Larvitar. She grinned down. ¡°I think I know what I¡¯ll call you! Your name from now on is Terra!¡± ¡°Terror?¡± said Sabrina. ¡°No, Terr-a! Like the old stories of the earth goddess?¡± ¡°Earth Titaness,¡± I said with a cough, ¡°From the stories I sometimes told the kids?¡± Sabrina looked down at the Ralts in her arms. ¡°Would you like a name?¡± Ralts shook her head and Sabrina accepted it easily enough. ¡°Very well, I shall call you as you call yourself, which is Ralts for now. You will make for a wonderful Gardevoir.¡± Salvadore tilted his head. ¡°How do you know she¡¯s a girl?¡± repeating his earlier question to Sabrina. Sabrina turned to Salvadore. ¡°The shape of her horns along with the tones of her voice. Female Ralts have more shrill tones while males are deeper in how they announce themselves.¡± Salvadore wrote that down. Sabrina hummed. ¡°Well, I am glad to introduce you but now I need to introduce Ralts to my parents. She will become very familiar with them, I should think, just as much as all of you.¡± Ralts whined at that but Sabrina merely continued rubbing her head. ¡°Good bye for now and congratulations, Yolanda.¡± ¡°Bye Sabrina!¡± said the kids before Sabrina lifted one of Ralts¡¯ hands to wave at them. Then she teleported away, but not before Ralts shot me an adorable glare. I rubbed my chin, getting the feeling that Ralts was holding me responsible for her rather traumatic introduction to the family. Ah well, I¡¯d just have to swing her around to liking me. Yolanda rubbed Terra¡¯s head causing the happy little pokemon to burble her name and smile in delight at the gesture. ¡°Welcome to the family little one!¡± But that was for later. For now, I¡¯d rather focus on this new spot of sunshine. Titan was going to be over the moon when I told him that his little sister had hatched and that she had a name that vaguely referenced him. Chapter 86 - Interlude - Pride on the line Mia was rather enjoying Cerulean. It had lovely water features, was a nice temperature, and was not nearly as packed as Pewter City. It also hadn¡¯t been nearly as hard to get the Gym badge after Pewter, but then again Brock had said he was going hard on all of them. Oh well, Mia was just glad she and all her friends had so far gotten all the badges they¡¯d tried for. She¡¯d even caught herself another two pokemon with an Ekans and a Zubat that were working rather well with Silly Mouse. Things were going great! "Well, I think my Rattata is in the top one percent of all Rattata!¡± claimed a loud voice. Mia stopped walking instantly. She turned so that Silly Mouse could take in the fool that had dared to say such words where she could hear them. She stormed through a group and shoved a boy with a group of women dressed like cheerleaders out of the way so she could reach the idiot. ¡°If your Rattata is in the top one percent then Silly Mouse is in the top percent of a percentage!¡± Mia said as she gestured to her specimen of a Rattata. Silly Mouse nodded and bared his fangs while twitching his tail. The youngster stared at her pokemon before sniffing and turning up his nose. ¡°Nope! Mine is better!¡± He gestured down at the Rattata on the ground next to him that Mia inspected. It had a glossy coat, and there was a nice polish to his front incisor, along with having a well-oiled tail. There was also a decent amount of muscle to it. It was well looked after but Mia had her doubts that the youngster before her could bring out the true potential of his pokemon in a battle. Mia sniffed. ¡°Only one way to¡ª¡± ¡°Heh! That pokemon isn¡¯t even a rare Rattata! That¡¯s your common everyday variety Rattata!¡± said a nasal tone that had Mia whirling about. Someone dared besmirch Silly Mouse!? She locked eyes with the boy she¡¯d pushed out of the way earlier. He was now standing in front of the cheerleaders as they fluffed up their pom poms. Mia ignored them. They weren¡¯t important. Instead, she glared at the boy. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± she said through clenched teeth. The boy flicked his hair and tossed up a pokeball to reveal what Brock had called a ¡®shiny type¡¯. The Rattata had a wonderful sheen but hadn¡¯t bulked up like hers or the other kid¡¯s Rattata had. Mia suspected the kid was giving it a generic pokechow instead of something specialised to the Rattata line. Their fang wasn¡¯t as shiny either. What did give her pause, apart from the different colouration, was that the kid held himself well. He also had three badges on display on his belt meaning he was making a return trip through Cerulean with the Boulder, Cascade, and Thunder badges. This kid had to be ahead of the trainer surge and he likely wasn¡¯t a pushover with three badges to his name so quick into the circuit. ¡°Name¡¯s Mia! I¡¯m from Pewter!¡± She said crossing her arms over her chest like Brock would when he was getting serious. The other boys straightened up. ¡°Gary Oak From Pallet Town! Remember the name!¡± the kid with the cheerleaders said. ¡°Joey Junior! Leader of the local Youngster¡¯s chapter!¡± ¡°Edward Harrison!¡± said a much older man as he stepped in with a Rattata with a shiny collar around its neck and a good sheen to its coat. Mia, Joey, and Gary all shared a look. Who¡¯d invited this guy? When everyone shook their heads slightly they turned as one to the old man. ¡°Hey old man this is between us!¡± said Gary. Mia winced. That was perhaps a bit more hostile than she would have been but the old man merely sniffed and adjusted his tophat. ¡°I assure you with the claims of the best Rattata being shouted bout meant I had to step in.¡± He raised his nose, ¡°To correct you young ones that is!¡± He then reached into his pocket and drew out a thick wad of pokedollars. ¡°I shall set the prize if it¡¯s all the same to you children?¡± Mia tilted his head. Was he actually interested in fighting for the title of best Rattata or was it like Brock said, where sometimes old people liked to tangle with young trainers to contribute to their journey. Joey was staring at the money, dollar signs practically appearing in his eyes while Gary still seemed annoyed for some reason at the old man¡¯s intrusion. Mia decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. ¡°Alright, each of us will pair off and fight then! I¡¯ll fight Gary and Joey will fight Mr Harrison. Then the winners will face each other after a small break!¡± Everyone relaxed at this with Joey even pumping his fist. ¡°Me first!¡± he said, beating Mia and Gary to the draw. Both of them eyed each other speculatively before nodding and stepping back to give Joey and Mr Harrison room. Both trainers locked eyes and gestured forward. Mr Harrison¡¯s Rattata stepped forward proudly while Joey¡¯s growled. Mia rubbed her chin, in most pokemon battles, the same pokemon fighting each other really did become a display of who¡¯s pokemon was stronger or which trainer was better. It would obviously depend on what the pokemon knew as well though. Mia knew she had a number of aces up her sleeve now though and she was looking forward to using them against Gary. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted one of Gary¡¯s cheerleaders¡ª and that thought struck Mia as weird¡ª who¡¯d taken over the role of referee for the match. Mia ignored the oddity of the Cheerleaders for later. One of these two would be who she fought next. ¡°Quick Attack!¡± ¡°Quick Attack!¡± both trainers called out, causing their pokemon to blur around the fighting space. Mia hummed, it was a typical starting move but only because it was a good one. Both pokemon ended up being precisely the same speed however and neither were able to beat the other so the pokemon turned and rammed into each other. As the two headbutted a cloud of dust blew out, obscuring them for a few moments. Neither Joey or Mr Harrison¡¯s Rattata backed down as they glowered at the other. Joey grinned, however. ¡°Focus Energy!¡± he said, causing his pokemon to glow. ¡°Laser Focus!¡± cried out Mr Harrison causing Mia to hum. Brock had explained moves like this to her as increasing the chance to land a ¡®critical hit¡¯ which she understood to mean more damaging blows. Focus Energy had a permanent boost for the duration of a fight while Laser Focus guaranteed the next move of Mr Harrison¡¯s would be critical. She leaned forward. The next moves could determine who emerged the winner. ¡°Take Down!¡± cried Joey. Mr Harrison punched forward with ¡°Quick Attack¡± once again. This time Mr Harrison¡¯s Rattata blurred away only to then rocket into Joey¡¯s Rattata¡¯s flank sending it spinning. ¡°Ah! Hang in there and go for the win!¡± said Joey as he urged his pokemon on. Impressively the Rattata did just that and launched itself across the gap with his head lowered to slam into the other pokemon only to reel back. A Rattata hit the ground with a groan while the other wobbled precariously. Mr Harrison slumped and raised his pokeball while Joey whooped with joy. Mia sniffed and shared a glance with Gary. It really wasn¡¯t that impressive and more of a fluke that Joey had gotten such a solid hit in. Focus Energy might have helped but using Take Down had been risky. Mia inspected the weakened Rattata. If she won the next match she¡¯d have an easy time claiming the victory of Best Rattata for Silly Mouse, as he deserved. Mia stepped forward and claimed her side of the battle field. ¡°Go Silly Mouse!¡± she said once Mr Harrison and Joey were out of the way. Gary sniffed. ¡°A fancy name doesn¡¯t make up for a lack of ability! Go Rattata!¡± Mia ignored him and glanced to the Referee who raised her hands. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Quick Attack!¡± ¡°Quick Attack!¡± Gary and Mia said straight away. It might have started with the same orders but Mia could tell her pokemon was better off. Silly Mouse gained on the yellow Rattata and pounced on it only for Gary to surprise her. ¡°Break off into Iron Tail! Spin to win like Squirtle!¡± said Gary as his pokemon dug a claw into the ground only to spin about. It¡¯s tailing whipping around. ¡°Break off into Dig Silly!¡± said Mia, making her pokemon drop under the shining tail and avoid damage. ¡°Jump!¡± Gary said, causing his pokemon to kip up as Silly Mouse leapt out of the ground. Both pokemon skidded and locked eyes and Mia looked up and nodded across at Gary. Alright, he was good¡­ but how good was he? ¡°Thunder!¡± she said, causing Silly Mouse to spark up and fire off a huge burst of lightning. ¡°Eh! Rattata use Protect!¡± Gary called. Mia blinked. He¡¯d taught his pokemon Protect? That was crazy expensive to get as a ? due to it¡¯s popularity. She¡¯d had a chance to claim it, but that was thanks to winning the tournament with Silly Mouse! She wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it for a while! She was happy with her choice though. Thunder suited her way better honestly but still! The lightning attack washed over the protective shell and both pokemon twitched their whiskers at the other. ¡°Shockwave!¡± cried Gary. ¡°Dig!¡± Mia said. ¡°Follow up with Iron Tail! Smack him when he comes out!¡± said Gary ¡°Rise out with an Iron Tail of your own Silly Mouse!¡± Mia ordered. Her pokemon surged out of the ground spinning to add momentum only for Gary¡¯s Rattata to meet him with a deft Iron Tail that saw both pokemon missing. Then they whirled back onto each other and slammed their tails against each others like old warriors with swords instead of two small rattata. ¡°GO SILLY MOUSE!¡± Mia said, knowing the importance of cheering her pokemon on. ¡°You¡¯ve got this Rattata, remember your training! You¡¯re all style and grace over their brute force!¡± Gary shouted back. Mia didn¡¯t even hear the cheerleaders calling out a chant or Joey and Harrison shouting their own support. She focused entirely on Silly Mouse. Suddenly both pokemon broke through and their tails slammed into each foe. They were hurled back before standing tall and scowling at their foe. Then, something amazing happened. Both pokemon began to glow, and not the glow of a move but a glow that took over their entire body. Mia¡¯s breath caught in her throat. ¡°They¡¯re evolving!¡± she said in surprise. She watched Silly Mouse grow wider and stronger. His tail became much longer and his teeth glinted even more. ¡°Raticate!¡± he cried out only for his response to be mirrored. Mia grinned. ¡°Go for Iron Tail again!¡± ¡°Shockwave! Don¡¯t try to match style now!¡± cried Gary hurriedly. Both pokemon attacks landed with them both twitching only to stand up once more. ¡°Again!¡± Mia shouted. ¡°Use Super Fang!¡± Gary said, having raised his pokedex without Mia¡¯s notice. Mia grinned as they clashed. She¡¯d been told about this move and the odd utility it had for keeping its foe still standing by Brock. Iron Tail slammed into Gary¡¯s pokemon only for Raticate to bite harshly into Silly Mouse. ¡°THUNDER!¡± Mia said, causing Gary¡¯s eyes to bulge at the blunder he¡¯d committed. Silly Mouse lit up and Gary¡¯s Raticate toppled. ¡°Yes!¡± Mia said, punching the sky. Gary slumped and returned his pokemon. ¡°Bad luck buddy. Great job on evolving though. You were great out there.¡± He then nodded to Mia. ¡°Looks like you showed me who had the better Rattata.¡± He grinned. ¡°Or should I say, Raticate?¡± Mia bounced on the spot as Silly Mouse slammed into her happily. Joey coughed and Mia redirected her gaze to where he was standing next to Mr Harrison. Mia grinned, ready to take him on only for him to grin back, reach over and grab the money from Mr Harrison¡¯s top pocket and laugh. ¡°Haha! Looks like I win on who has the best Rattata! Thanks for trying your best! Later!¡± he said, running off. Everyone stared. Mr Harrison tilted his head. ¡°I mean¡­ he¡¯s not wrong¡­¡± then he perked up. ¡°Guess this means I have the second-best Rattata around! Ha! I can live with that! You kids take this for the good show!¡± He handed them each a smaller wad of cash and sauntered away. Gary and Mia blinked and Silly Mouse slumped. ¡°Raticate¡­¡± Mia rubbed his head consolingly. ¡°They only won that fight on a technicality, Silly Mouse. We¡¯re the real winners.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± said Gary with a firm nod. ¡°We didn¡¯t lose! We won in a different way!¡± Mia shot Silly Mouse a look and decided not to point out she¡¯d been talking to her starter. Gary nodded while the cheerleaders all coughed to hide their laughter. Mia felt a bit bad for the other kid. ¡°You know, your use of Iron Tail was pretty cool.¡± ¡°Your Raticate is strong. It knowing Thunder is crazy!¡± ¡°I know! Hey want to trade tips on our pokemon?¡± Mia said with a friendly smile. Gary nodded. ¡°Sure thing! I¡¯ll teach you a thing or two!¡± Mia rolled her eyes. It looked like her newest Raticate Rival and friend would be someone tough to get along with. Oh well, that was all part of the Journey! ¡°Let¡¯s go to Mr Mime¡¯s!¡± said Gary. Mia grinned. ¡°First one there¡¯s a rotten Exeggcute!¡± she said, already running. She blushed as she realised she¡¯d flubbed the sentence before smirking and letting him overtake her. He was gobsmacked when she told him how she¡¯d tricked him, but he forgave her and tried to show off by ordering the challenger burger only for her to match him. They both didn¡¯t finish it but they traded pointers on a lot of pokemon with him even telling her about how to catch an Abra above Cerulean near that cave structure to the north! She headed north straight after lunch with his number in her transceiver still laughing at how the Cheerleaders had created a chant about ¡®Gary making a friend¡¯. ¡°Raticate!¡± said Silly Mouse from her shoulders. He was big enough now that he needed to sit on both shoulders instead of just one. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right Silly Mouse, he was weird, but in a good way!¡± she said happily as she trekked north to try and make another new friend for the day.
Brawly sauntered down the streets of Saffron. It wasn¡¯t really his scene. Too far from the coast for him to really enjoy, but Chuck had been adamant that he spend some time with Kong if he was going to be going through Kanto. Chuck apparently knew Kong and had some respect for him. Chuck had then amended that statement with a ¡®just keep an open mind¡¯. Which was saying something as Brawly knew he was the best apprentice Chuck had in terms of outside the box thinking. Brawly made his way along the main streets of Saffron, squinting at all the skyscrapers in their central district along with the style of double-storied homes that all the people seemed to adore here. Brawly preferred coastal towns that were lower, and lazier. Give him a sleepy little town like Dewford any day of the week. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t need to go into the CBD of Saffron but instead made his way around to the north where the Gym district was. There, he immediately noticed a rather glaring issue. On one side of the street a traditional dojo style Gym was set up with the various training tools and equipment for outdoor work. Brawly could see more than a few students being chased around by instructors or going through the motions. Their pokemon accompanied them in a few instances and there were a few matches where the trainers were even sparring with fighting type pokemon. One man was loudly fighting off a Machoke while a small crowd of kneeling students observed him inside the open-door dojo. The scene made him more interested, so he hopped the fence with an easy grab and hop. Brawly approached, making sure to take off his sandals at the door and kneel before inching his way in to claim a seat. He stood out like a sore thumb due to his lack of gi but he wasn¡¯t too concerned about that. He watched the man deflect a few arm thrusts from the Machoke before grappling his arm and throwing the Machoke over his shoulder with a roar. Machoke flipped in mid air and landed deftly before bowing. The man bowed back and the crowd applauded. Brawly couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head at the display as it struck him as odd. Especially with how twitchy everyone was being. There was a tension, and Brawly would have called it anxiety for the class to end but people were too focussed on sitting still and watching. Like they wanted to be here. Brawly rubbed his chin, it was more as if they were waiting for something. Brawly just didn¡¯t know what. The instructor towelled himself off and gestured to a student. ¡°You see now my student how by merely focussing on deflection you encountered more issues than you should have?¡± The student bowed his head. ¡°Master Kong, I am chastised.¡± Kong shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to chastise but to educate.¡± Kong glanced around the room. ¡°Who saw any other things that I did wrong? I know there were a few. That was by no means meant to be a clean match. So by all means point out where I erred so we might all grow!¡± ¡°You let go of the throw too early?¡± said one student. Kong nodded his head and walked up to Machoke. Machoke threw a slow punch and Kong caught it and slowly threw him to the ground almost like he was laying down a fragile sheet of glass rather than a fighting type pokemon. ¡°Indeed! I had the option to continue the throw and control where I released him but I did not! This was a mistake I couldn¡¯t afford in a match! Anything else?¡± ¡°You remained static despite there being more room to move?¡± Kong made a so-so gesture. ¡°I had the option, but I didn¡¯t need to. Smaller more controlled movements are sometimes the key to victory than jumping around.¡± Brawly nodded at this which drew Kong¡¯s gaze. He assessed Brawly for a moment before humming. ¡°I see we have a visitor today. Might I ask if you had any insight?¡± Brawly bowed his head as he would have done to Chuck. The gesture coming easily to him but raising some eyebrows among the older students and Kong. ¡°Hi, Brawly from Dewford, and recently Cianwood! You didn¡¯t break his foundation at all. You were on the offensive but you didn¡¯t try to mess up his footwork or attack it.¡± ¡°Ah! A fellow trainer of fighting types! Chuck has taught you well! Indeed!¡± Kong nodded and took a stance. ¡°Notice students that you should not just take note of what is happening up here.¡± He fired off a few punches only to drop his hands. ¡°But also down here.¡± He repeated the movements, but this time people looked down and noticed how and where he was planting his feet. Kong extended a hand to Brawly. ¡°As you have stated, awareness of the whole body is crucial in a fight!¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Brawly nodded. ¡°I¡¯d say your footing is most important!¡± he agreed. There was a moment as the dojo stared at Brawly for talking when apparently he wasn¡¯t supposed to. Brawly grinned, more than used to this reaction from his time with Chuck. Kong huffed and turned back to the class. The crowd shifted in agitation but Kong paid it no mind before calling out a few students and having them pair up with each other or other pokemon. Brawly got to watch a few spars, but he didn¡¯t move from his kneeling position, well used to how Fighting type gyms operated. Kong eventually approached him. ¡°Greetings, thank you for observing and contributing. I find myself curious, what brings you here?¡± Kong said formally. Brawly smiled. ¡°You actually! I wanted to come and get my second badge from Kanto, you know, do the circuit and get the badges!¡± Kong huffed. ¡°I would indulge you rather than reprimand you for your cheek for infiltrating the Gym. How did you get in?¡± Brawly rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Oh! Sorry, that fence was so small I thought it was just a training exercise not something to actually keep people out! Hahaha! Sorry about that!¡± Kong merely snorted. ¡°It is both actually, but as I said I will not be having any other fights today.¡± Brawly tilted his head before flicking his eyes to the other students around the room. ¡°You¡¯ve got something else on the cards. Something more important?¡± Kong nodded his head. ¡°Indeed. Bruno has seen fit to approach me and challenge me. There will be a great deal of attention on us!¡± Kong clenched his fist with a pleased curl of his lips. Brawly perked up. ¡°Oh wow! That¡¯s gonna be today!? When?¡± ¡°Another hour,¡± Kong said happily, thumbs in his belt. ¡°Where?¡± Brawly said, glancing around to see if he might be able to claim a seat only to spot Kong¡¯s expression sour. ¡°There is a slight issue with¡­ it being popular enough to need a larger facility.¡± Brawly turned his head to the only structure nearby that dwarfed the sprawling Fighting type Gym. The Saffron Psychic Gym. It almost reminded Brawly of the Pewter Gym with how big it was, but there were obvious stylistic differences with purple waves and geometric patterns that were Brawly heard people describe a ¡®cerebral¡¯. Whatever that meant. There were even floating towers and circles where some pokemon appeared to be meditating. It was an impressive sight. ¡°Oh nice!¡± Brawly said. ¡°How¡¯re the ticket sales?¡± Kong made another face. ¡°We sold out¡­Sabrina¡­ she is a cunning girl and knows how to capitalise on such situations,¡± he said with a scowl. ¡°Oh,¡± Brawly said. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you get a solid cut of that as the challenged? So shouldn¡¯t that mean congratulations are in order for it to be sold out?¡± he said. It really would have been good news, shouldn¡¯t it? Brawly knew for a fact that Chuck had been happy with his recent challenger at the Ace level, that Karen chick had beaten him but it hadn¡¯t bothered Chuck too much. From what she¡¯d shown, Karen was a serious contender to go all the way for the Champion challenge. Still, it seemed Kong wasn¡¯t happy with the revenue? Or something about the situation. Kong shook his head only to sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will be able to watch from a nearby restaurant or barbecue and grill if you desire. But there are no more tickets to sell. I should know as only half of my Gym secured tickets prior to their being sold out.¡± Half the students slumped sadly at that and Brawly nodded, now aware of why they were so amped up. Brawly hummed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to see if there¡¯s anything I can find! Thanks for the heads up, and the showing. Good luck out there!¡± He stood and walked out to claim his shoes before grabbing the railing once more and kipping over the fence. This time a few students shouted protest but Brawly ignored them. He had some tickets to seek out. He started looking for any hawkers around the impressive Psychic Gym only to find that there weren¡¯t any in his price range. Who seriously sold a single ticket for a hundred times the initial price? ¡°Sorry fella! Them¡¯s the breaks. Selling information to newbie trainers ain¡¯t gonna cut it this season so I gotta find money in other ways!¡± said a dark glasses-wearing man. Brawly sighed. Of course, it was one of these types of people. ¡°You have tickets for sale?¡± said a prim-sounding voice, making Brawly look to the side to find a rather straight-laced girl standing near him staring at the hawker. The man grinned and made his pitch. The girl nodded. ¡°Two please,¡± she said, not even batting an eye or attempting to bargain. The hawker winced. ¡°Sorry, I sold all my others. I literally only have one left.¡± The prim girl frowned. ¡°That¡­ is not ideal¡­¡± Just as she said this another girl with red hair ran up. Brawly hummed, appreciating the suddenly improved view. The prim-looking girl glanced at him and cast her own eyes up and down his form making him smile a little more. The red-haired girl ignored Brawly, instead looking to the other girl. ¡°Roxanne! You found one? How much were they? I¡¯ll pay you back I swear!¡± Roxanne shook her head. ¡°No, they only had one ticket. I believe this gentleman was going to buy it?¡± Brawly raised his hands, shaking his head back and forth. ¡°No! Nonono! Way too expensive for my blood!¡± The girls nodded slowly before turning to each other. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± ¡°You should take it! I¡¯ll watch from a bar!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just leaving you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡± said another voice, cutting through the argument the girls were having. Brawly looked over to find a man happily grasping the ticket and scampering off while the Hawker counted his pokedollars merrily. The red-haired girl deflated. ¡°Uh! Sorry! I was too slow!¡± Roxanne shook her head. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t your fault Flannery. We both broke off to find a Hawker only to not find anyone but this man. Who has also sold out.¡± Flannery nodded her head sadly. ¡°I guess. Looks like we¡¯re going to a restaurant to watch the match?¡± Roxanne sighed and inclined her head. ¡°Indeed, unless you know Sabrina who owns the facility.¡± Flannery shook her head. Brawly tilted his head. Sabrina¡­ Sabrina¡­ that name. ¡°Oh! Brock¡¯s girlfriend!¡± he said as he remembered something Rocko had said. Hadn¡¯t it been right after that busty chick had been flashing them and Brock was being stupid? Yeah! ¡°Brock?¡± Roxanne said, now including Brawly in their conversation. ¡°What does he have to do with Sabrina?¡± Flannery vibrated on the spot. ¡°Oh! There was that rumour running around that they were dating right! Do you know something!?¡± ¡°Yeah, Brock and I are friends!¡± Brawly said. He got two disbelieving looks in reply. ¡°Hey Brock¡¯s a fun-loving guy like me! We went surfing after I fought him.¡± Flannery perked up. ¡°Oh! You got your Boulder Badge?¡± Brawly coughed. ¡°Not as such. He offered it to me on merit but¡­ I wanted to beat him and claim it that way which¡­ seems kinda dumb now¡­¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± said Roxanne, making Brawly smile. ¡°I still don¡¯t think you know Brock that well though,¡± she followed through, with making Brawly frown. He raised his transceiver. ¡°Watch! And behold my power!¡± he said cheesily. The transceiver rang, and rang, and rang. And rang. He started to sweat, and Roxanne and Flannery were starting to give him pitying looks. Then the call connected, and Brock¡¯s face appeared. ¡°Brawly? Hey what¡¯s up? I¡¯m sorry to say I¡¯m in the middle of my work right now so if you want to surf it¡¯s not a good time.¡± Brawly grinned as Roxanne and Flannery both gaped in awe at his connections. Brawly shook his head. ¡°Nah man! I need a huuuuuuge favour, please?¡± ¡°Alright? What is it? If you¡¯re in prison I can send Lawrence to help you out,¡± Brock said with a grin. Roxanne giggled while Flannery guffawed loudly. ¡°Ha, ha. Really funny. No! My friends and I were hoping to catch the fight between Bruno and Kong that¡¯s happening soon! Any chance you can talk to Sabrina to get us some seats?¡± Brock sighed and shook his head. ¡°Hmmmm. You know what, sure. Sure. I¡¯ll ask her. Who¡¯re your friends?¡± he asked. Brawly turned the transceiver around and Brock had a flash of recognition. ¡°Oh, hello ladies. I hope Brawly¡¯s been a gentleman.¡± Roxanne and Flannery both waved. ¡°He¡¯s ¡­ been very¡­ chivalrous?¡± said Roxanne as she thoughtfully eyed Brawly. Flannery chuckled. ¡°Wants a flower in each hand more likely!¡± Brawly chuckled and scratched the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m just being friendly! I swear!¡± Brock chuckled. ¡°Nothing wrong with Hoenn trainers meeting up in a foreign region and making friends. I¡¯ll talk to Sabrina and you should hear back soon. Where are you?¡± Brawly told him and Brock hung up. Brawly then tilted his head. ¡°You girls are from Hoenn?¡± ¡°Rustburo,¡± said Roxanne. ¡°Lavaridge!¡± chirped Flannery. ¡°Nice! I¡¯m Brawly by the way! I¡¯m from Dewford!¡± he said. ¡°I am Sabrina, from Saffron,¡± said a voice directly behind him. Brawly whirled around his fists coming up defensively while a pokeball detached itself only to float back onto his belt as the Sabrina sniffed and glanced at him. ¡°You are Brock¡¯s¡­ friend?¡± she asked. Brawly nodded his head. ¡°And you wish to watch the match?¡± Brawly nodded again. ¡°Girlfriend,¡± Sabrina said firmly. She assessed the girls before nodding and suddenly an Alakazam appeared next to her. Then, a moment later, Brawly found himself standing in a plush room overlooking the arena in the Gym he¡¯d been standing out the front of. Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°You can sit in my private viewing box and watch it with me.¡± Brawly blinked. Huh? How? What now? Roxanne sat and eyed Brawly. ¡°Well, guess you were right Brawly, it pays to be friendly.¡± She then introduced herself to Sabrina with Flannery following up a second later. Brawly sat, more than a little confused at how quickly that had progressed. He could only shake his head as she shifted in the cushioned seats as a Machoke in a tux approached with a tray of drinks and finger food. Damn, Brock was good to have as a friend!! ¡°So, you¡¯re Brock¡¯s surfer friend? He has mentioned you,¡± Sabrina said, causing Brawly to look away from the food to her. She had some finger food hovering where she could nibble on it. Not a single crumb fell from her delicate bites. Or was it all telekinetically held up? Roxanne elbowed him. ¡°Ah!¡± Brawly said before coughing. ¡°Yeah! I invited Brock to go surfing with me. We had a lot of fun. That Lapras of his sure is powerful! I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t trying to challenge him at the Ace level, but then again this is officially my first circuit.¡± Brawly shot her a grin. ¡°If you¡¯ve got some free time I¡¯d love to schedule in a fight for the Marsh badge at the fourth badge level!¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°Brock mentioned that you¡¯re a fighting type specialist. If you think you can overcome my team for that challenge then by all means.¡± She turned and locked eyes with him. ¡°Be aware that I don¡¯t hold back though.¡± Brawly nodded his head. ¡°Yeah! I doubt Brock did either but it was still close.¡± Before any other conversation could be started the lights in the arena started to flash to announce that the main event would start. The crowd that had been trickling in slowly started to rush to claim their seats and soon everyone was seated. Then the ref¡¯s podium highlighted itself and a tall man with a chin strap beard smiled widely. ¡°Welcome! Welcome, one and all to the Saffron Gymnasium! Today we have a real treat with the Fighting type Gym Leader Kong facing off against Indigo¡¯s very own Elite Four member Bruno!¡± The crowd roared their approval and the ref gestured to one entrance. ¡°And now, please give a warm welcome to our hometown fighter. The mighty, the indomitable, KKKKOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG!¡± from the tunnel Kong emerged with his gi firmly cinched. He now sported a headband with the word FIGHT written across it. He took up his position on the podium and shot the referee a heated glare before sniffing and turning away. Roxanne hummed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t appear happy with the choice of referees.¡± ¡°My father and he have a history that Kong has clung to.¡± At Roxanne and Flannery¡¯s questioning looks Sabrina elaborated. ¡°My father deposed Kong as the main Gym of Saffron. My father and I have both faced challenges from him and both of us have beaten him handily. He is not allowed to mount another challenge against me for another year.¡± Brawly blinked at Sabrina and then glanced down at Kong. ¡°Huh.¡± Roxanne grimaced. ¡°New Gyms rising to position can sometimes cause that sort of issue. I imagine I will face my own issues when I apply to become a Gym Leader.¡± Brawly paused. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re going for Gym Leader too?¡± Roxanne snapped her head around. ¡°Indeed, the current leader of Rustboro doesn¡¯t have any heirs and has announced that they will be opening their doors to applicants at the end of this season. I have already spent time training there and I also did rather well in last year''s Hoenn circuit, but I felt it a good idea to bolster my chances by coming to Kanto this year and competing.¡± Brawly nodded. ¡°Oh! Cool! I¡¯m going to apply to run a small Gym, hopefully get something started at Dewford if I can!¡± Roxanne nodded with a hum. ¡°Good luck then.¡± Flanery hummed. ¡°Well if everything goes well we¡¯ll all be sitting in on the Gym Leader meetings! I¡¯m locked in as my grandfather¡¯s heir after my cousin had a meltdown. So expect to see me too!¡± ¡°Hmmm interesting,¡± said Sabrina before she took a sip of a glass that wasn¡¯t in her hands the moment before. ¡°¡ªBRRRRRUUUUNNNOOOOO!¡± announced the ref, successfully cutting through any further conversation. From the other tunnel a giant of a man swaggered in. ¡°Oh my!¡± said Roxanne, while Flannery leaned forward and whistled. ¡°Got any binoculars?¡± said the redhead as Bruno walked forward. The man was the definition of ripped with how his muscles bulged. Brawly noted the surety of his steps and the controlled manner he held himself in. When binoculars landed in his lap he didn¡¯t even question raising it up and getting a closer look at the man. His knuckles were callused and huge which indicated he liked striking and his fingers also gave away that he sometimes grappled with his opponents. ¡°Oh my!¡± said Flannery from next to him. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you played for the other side Brawly~¡± she said teasingly. ¡°I doubt that very much with how he has been taking in Roxanne¡¯s legs or your own form,¡± Sabrina said from around the straw leading into her soda glass. ¡°He is merely inspecting Bruno¡¯s fighting style.¡± She then slurped loudly as Brawly tried to not drop the binoculars as Flannery coughed and Roxanne pushed her skirt down. Sabrina paused in sipping her drink and tilted her head. ¡°Ah, I should apologise; that was out of line¡­ I think¡­¡± Flannery rubbed her nose and muttered, ¡°She thinks?¡± under her breath. Roxanne kept her gaze fixed ahead, and Brawly grabbed some food to stuff in his face to avoid saying or doing anything else too awkward. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say about how things had played out so instead he just tried to ignore it. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted the ref, causing everyone to forget the potential faux pas and instead focus on the match with Kong throwing out a Hitmonchan only for Bruno to send out a Machamp. Both pokemon locked eyes and then at their trainers'' orders rocketed into each other to fire off punches at a rapid pace. The Machamp had the advantage with its four arms while the Hitmonchan was faster and fleeter. It made great use of its footwork to evade a number of what would have been devastating blows. ¡°Close Combat Hitmonchan!¡± bellowed Kong. Bruno snorted like an annoyed Tauros, ¡°Low Kick, sweep the leg!¡¯ Bruno commanded as Hitmonchan surged forward. Machamp dropped and spun. Brawly whistled at how well-controlled the motion was. Machamp had flowed into it before rotating on one foot so fast that Hitmonchan hadn¡¯t stood a chance. Hitmonchan fell with a cry only for Bruno¡¯s Machamp to rise up. ¡°Cross Chop.¡± Machamp¡¯s arms slashed in an X pattern that sent Hitmonchan flying. The two, devastating hits, were too much for Hitmonchan and the pokemon fell. The Ref called a pause as Kong returned his pokemon and Brawly fidgeted. ¡°Come on Kong give a better showing of yourself man!¡± he said. Flannery and Roxanne gave him a look but he shook his head. ¡°Go Hitmonlee!¡± shouted Kong, throwing out the kick specialist pokemon. Brawly chewed his lip and leaned forward to watch. ¡°Bulk Up!¡± he ordered first off. ¡°Machamp, advance with Bullet Punch!¡± Machamp leapt forward with his arms punching dynamically. ¡°Evade and Low Kick!¡± shouted Kong. Hitmonlee expertly darted to the side before sweeping his leg to knock Machamp over. ¡°Punch the ground!¡± ordered Bruno causing the pokemon to tilt on the spot and his fists to slam into the ground and cause himself to flip over the resultant attack. Then he landed and snapped around to face Hitmonlee as the other fighting type rose up and bounced on the spot. ¡°High Jump Kick!¡± shouted Kong only for Brawly to shake his head. ¡°No man no!¡± Brawly said to himself as Hitmonlee committed to a jumping kick, only for it to be caught by the Machamp that tsked and slammed the pokemon into the ground. ¡°Reversal!¡± snarled Kong before his pokemon could be taken out. A single leg swept up and slammed into Machamp¡¯s chin that actually caused the other pokemon to stumble backwards. Hitmonlee rose greatly battered and barely able to bounce around like he would normally. Kong raised a hand. ¡°I withdraw my pokemon from this match!¡± he announced. Brawly sighed and nodded. It was a good call. Bruno inspected his own pokemon before shaking his head. ¡°Machamp! You need more training if you¡¯re letting hits like that through!¡± the Machamp barked its name and bowed to the Elite Four member. Bruno grunted. ¡°You¡¯ll stay on the field.¡± Roxanne tilted her head. ¡°That seems a little disrespectful¡­¡± Brawly nodded. ¡°It¡¯s cause it is. He didn¡¯t need to bolster his pokemon like Kong did and now with what would have been a very strong hit making its way through his pokemon¡¯s guard, he¡¯s saying he doesn¡¯t need to swap out. Kong is getting it handed to him. Does he have a Medicham he can send in to smack around this brute of a Machamp?¡± ¡°No,¡± Sabrina supplied as Kong sent out a Hitmontop. ¡°He¡¯s already sent out his strongest pokemon in Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee. Due to his grievances against my Gym he refuses to raise a Meditite or Medicham. Just as he refuses certain moves such as Mind Reader.¡± Brawly slumped. ¡°Oh, guess this match is over then¡­¡± Flannery tilted her head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have another fo¡ª¡± In the Arena Hitmontop was backhanded away and spun like a child¡¯s toy before slamming into a wall and being knocked out. Flannery clicked her tongue. ¡°¡ª alright make that three pokemon left.¡± ¡°Go Heracross!¡± shouted Kong, around the arena the crowd stirred at the bug-fighting type pokemon taking to the stage. Sabrina blinked. ¡°That¡¯s new.¡± Kong swept his hand through the air. ¡°Aerial Ace!¡± Bruno was quick to react. ¡°Detect! Evade that strike!¡± Machamp put two hands to its temple as Heracross disappeared, and immediately did a backflip to evade Heracross¡¯ attack from behind. ¡°Nail it with Dual Chop!¡± Once more all four arms slashed across the other pokemon making it slam into the ground. ¡°Counter!¡± shouted Kong, causing his pokemon to stamp its legs into the ground and rise up with its horn to smash into Machamp. This time Machamp was thrown back and visibly weakened from the hit. ¡°Aerial Ace again!¡± shouted Kong as he leaned forward. ¡°Detect!¡± Bruno said again only for Machamp to flinch in pain as it tried to touch its temples. Heracross slammed into it and Machamp fell to the ground. Heracross leapt back and huffed and puffed. When the dust cleared and a passed-out Machamp was shown the crowd stood and roared their approval. Brawly joined them.¡±That¡¯s the way Kong my man!¡± Bruno snorted and returned his pokemon. ¡°Well, looks like you¡¯re worth my time after all. Go! Lucario!¡± The crowd gasped as another widely known pokemon emerged onto the field. Brawly gaped. ¡°He has a Lucario!? Woah!¡± Kong grimaced. ¡°Remember your training Heracross! Aerial Ace!¡± ¡°Aura Sphere,¡± Bruno said dispassionately. The blue jackal pokemon leapt up and from within its chest a blast of energy raided outward catching the attack Heracross on its attack vector only to throw it to the ground. Kong slumped as he returned his pokemon. Then he clenched his fists and selected his next pokemon, a Poliwrath. ¡°Earthquake!¡± bellowed Kong. ¡°Detect and get close,¡± said Bruno. Brawly stood as the arena rocked and cracked only for Lucario to dart forward and dance lightly across the shaking floor. Not once did it stumble or falter and when Poliwrath¡¯s Earthquake ended Lucario was right in front of it. ¡°Body Sla¡ª¡± Kong tried to call out only for Bruno to beat him to the punch. ¡°Thunder Punch,¡± Bruno said firmly as his pokemon¡¯s fist sparked up and slammed home. Poliwrath was thrown backwards and the hit was so decisive that Poliwrath was downed after a single attack. ¡°One pokemon left¡­¡± Flannery said glumly. Brawly sat and sighed. ¡°Unless he¡¯s got some sort of Legendary Fighting type, he¡¯s not got much hope now¡­¡± Sabrina snorted. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t so boneheaded with his grudge with us, he would have better chances. Medicham alone would help out but there are other pokemon. The Heracross was a surprise but so far all of his pokemon aren¡¯t up to the standard of matching an Elite Four member.¡± Roxanne rubbed her chin. ¡°Heracross also displayed another training method that he could use in future. He could have his pokemon learn moves such as Acrobatics for example! The different style of training that such a move requires would also benefit his pokemon¡¯s training regime, of that I have no doubt. Gymnasts are some of the most physically fit people I know after all.¡± ¡°Depends on your definition of fitness,¡± Brawly said in an offhanded manner as he watched Kong select his final pokemon. He wasn¡¯t sure what Bruno was playing at having his pokemon return to the back of his side of the field. A fighting type typically always wanted to be up close. It was sending off warning bells in his head. ¡°Go Primeape!¡± shouted Kong. The Primeape appeared with a growl and started throwing punches straight away. The referee dropped his flags and Bruno punched his fist forward. ¡°Extremespeed.¡± ¡°BRACE!¡± shouted Kong making his pokemon clench up and lean forward as Lucario accelerated across the gap. A shell of protection appeared around Primeape and Lucario slammed into it making Kong pump his fist. ¡°Good! Use Outrage!¡± shouted Kong. Sabrina sighed. ¡°Kong is just trying to do as much damage as he can now. He¡¯s given up on winning.¡± Brawly nodded, accepting the point but still rooting for the Gym Leader. On the field the Primeape roared and slammed into Lucario,dragging it back into a hold as it began to beat on it. Bruno grimaced. ¡°Aura Sphere!¡± The move blasted out of the Lucario once more and knocked Primeape back causing it to blink in confusion only to scream in frustration and throw itself forward to continue attacking. ¡°Detect! Evade those hits!¡± shouted Bruno, Lucario immediately following through and deftly ducking through Primapes attacks. It dodged seven ferocious swipes only to take the last on the body and skid away. ¡°Extremespeed!¡± barked Bruno, using the space given to him. ¡°Brace!¡± shouted Kong again only for Primeape to glance back at Kong, not understanding the order. Brawly clicked his tongue as Lucario rocketed into the confused Primeape and hurled the ape backwards. ¡°Tch! Use Stomping Tantrum!¡± ¡°Aura Sphere!¡± Bruno said, causing his pokemon to blast out another energy boom that flattened Primeape. The pokemon was knocked into a crater only to stagger upwards and keep throwing punches. Kong sighed and returned his pokemon only to have it reject the order. Bruno frowned. ¡°Control your pokemon!¡± ¡°Primeape! Peace! Hear my voice and remember our training! Hold your rage for another day! We will need your strength!¡± He raised his pokeball again and this time Primeape allowed it, albeit with a fixed look at Bruno and then back at Kong. ¡°PRRRRRRRRRRRIMEAPE!¡± It screeched before it departed as though affirming a promise. It returned and Brawly relaxed. The Referee raised his flags towards Bruno. ¡°And the victor! Bruno! Of the Elite Four!¡± Bruno nodded towards Kong as he gestured for Lucario to come and be checked over. The crowd applauded the show. Brawly and the ladies joined in. Sabrina did so with a subdued manner but Brawly didn¡¯t hold it against her. Bruno shook hands with Kong before turning and waving to the crowd. Then he looked up and for a moment Brawly¡¯s breath hitched. Was Bruno looking at him? Then he blinked and realised he was looking at Sabrina who was matching his stare disinterestedly. Bruno sniffed and looked away when an official approached him, breaking the deadlock. Brawly licked his lips. ¡°There¡­ ah, any history there?¡± ¡°None,¡± Sabrina said disinterestedly. Brawly shared a glance with Flannery and Roxanne. None of them believed that statement but then again perhaps it was just the tension of a Fighting-type specialist standing in the midst of a Psychic Gym and not battling the true power in Saffron. Brawly decided he might stick around in Saffron for the next month or so¡­ just in case. It didn¡¯t seem Sabrina was interested in fighting Bruno, but a guy could dream. He looked down at Bruno. Then again, if the guy was sticking around maybe Brawly could fight him himself? He liked the sound of that just as much. He¡¯d love to see how his Hariyama matched up against Bruno¡¯s Machamp or that Lucario. Sabrina turned to Roxanne and Flannery. ¡°Would you like to meet my Ralts?¡± Both Roxy and Flannery squealed and Brawly nodded to himself. He¡¯d totally stick around, and then maybe make his way back north to Pewter in a few weeks time. Chapter 87 - Terra, Training, and tests Yolanda had been adamant that they meet as early as possible. Terra, as a baby pokemon had other ideas and had promptly fallen asleep when Yolanda had picked her up causing the plan to be shifted back. Yolanda had happily accepted the compromise and gone to bed with her new pokemon and starter. On the way to bed I¡¯d made sure to tap Flint on the shoulder. ¡°You probably need to get Forrest his starter as soon as possible seeing as Yolanda now has hers.¡± Flint nodded. ¡°Do you know what he wants?¡± ¡°An Onix from you,¡± I said. Flint nodded and instead of turning to his room turned and began marching to the front door. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in the morning¡­¡± he paused. ¡°If¡­ that¡¯s alright?¡± I blinked and realised that if he wanted to he could leave again. It would almost be like he¡¯d gone to get milk. I grunted. ¡°Be back by morning,¡± I said, turning away and feeling my stomach tighten. If Flint pulled a ¡®going for milk¡¯ now¡­ I pushed the thought down. I had just decided to trust him a bit. I could extend this small olive branch to him, couldn¡¯t I? I nodded and pushed it aside. Come morning I¡¯d have an answer either way. I lay down after checking that everyone was asleep and promptly fell into a meditative sleep. Rock Aura was perfect for slowing the body and forcing it into a sort of hibernation if you wanted to. It wasn¡¯t my alarm that woke me up the next morning but Yolanda kicking my door open. ¡°Brock! It¡¯s morning! Terra¡¯s eaten and done her business! Let¡¯s go let her meet her big brother!¡± ¡°Lar!!¡± cheered Terra happily. I blinked at Yolanda and leaned over to glance at my alarm. It was an hour earlier than I usually woke up which made it earlier than early in the morning. Yolanda coughed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep? Sorry? I actually didn¡¯t know it was that early¡­¡±She shifted on the spot and I couldn¡¯t fault her for her enthusiasm. I sat up and smacked my lips. ¡°I need¡­ a minute to wake up¡­¡± a yawn escaped me and I ran my tongue over my teeth. I¡¯d forgotten to brush them last night with all the excitement hadn¡¯t I? Urgh, yuk. I moved to my ensuite and ran some water to clear the sleep out of my eyes before I grabbed my toothbrush to scrub the gritty feeling off my teeth. ¡°Ha! I knew you were lying!¡± Yolanda said from where she was standing in the doorway. I blinked at her. ¡°Whuh?¡± I said intelligently. Yolanda¡¯s eyes flicked to Sabrina¡¯s toothbrush and her pillow on my bed. Terra was sniffing around my room with the curiosity of a newborn. ¡°Tar!? Larv!¡± she said as she crawled under the bed and found some underwear that most certainly weren¡¯t mine. Yolanda smirked at me and I rolled my eyes at her. ¡°What? I like to feel pretty?¡± I said, digging deeper into the lie. She pointed at me. ¡°Yoooouuuu! Just admit those are Sabrina¡¯s and you lied! No way you wear girl¡¯s clothes!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a complex man, don¡¯t limit me!¡± I said, hiding my face in a towel lest my smirk give me away. Yolanda didn¡¯t say anything and when I straightened up she was looking at me with a tilted head. ¡°You¡¯ve worn girl clothes?¡± ¡°There are a few restaurants and places around Kanto, let alone Hoenn, that charge cheaper meals if you wear a dress.¡± I wiped off the last of the water. Hadn¡¯t Ash worn a dress to challenge Erika in the cartoons? ¡°Huh,¡± Yolanda said before shaking her head. ¡°Confess! They are and were your girlfriend''s!¡± she said only to wince when she realised how loud she was being. I huffed. ¡°Yeah alright, they¡¯re Sabrina¡¯s¡±. I knelt down and looked under the bed. ¡°Oh, she has a whole suitcase under there¡­¡± then I paused as I recalled something from last night. ¡°Oh¡­ she announced it last night to her Ralts didn¡¯t she¡­ Yolanda giggled, her head bobbing up and down. ¡°Yeah! You only just realised?¡± Yolanda knelt to see the suitcase. ¡°Wow. I swear that wasn¡¯t there last time I looked.¡± ¡°When was that?¡± Yolanda didn¡¯t meet my eyes. ¡°The¡­ last time I was helpfully cleaning your room?¡± She then coughed. ¡°So how long have you been dating Sabrina?¡± she said, leaning forward. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I mean technically we were on break and I had said that one time that I couldn¡¯t do it while Flint¡­ Did this mean we were back together in Sabrina¡¯s eyes? ¡°You two are good together! I approve! Sister approval is given for you to date Sabrina!¡± she said with a nod. I dragged a hand down my face and sighed. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ Urgh whatever. Yes! We¡¯re dating¡­.¡± Yolanda giggled and I palmed her face causing her giggles to be muffled but not stopped. I huffed at her and released her, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll grab some food to help me wake up and then we can go get Titan up.¡± When we reached the kitchen we found Flint asleep on the countertop with a blanket around him. Yolanda smiled fondly and adjusted his blanket to cover him and I paused when I noticed the pokeball clutched in his hand. ¡°Looks like Forrest is going to have his starter pokemon.¡± Yolanda nodded happily as I scrounged for some food. The rummaging must have woken Munchlax up as he walked into the kitchen, yawning and blearingly investigating. ¡°Munch?¡± ¡°Tar!¡± said Terra as she popped out to surprise Munchlax who jerked back and landed on his backside. Terra giggled to herself while Munchlax grumbled. I handed Munchlax a juicebox to help him get over it while I slurped up a breakfast shake that had me feeling a little more awake. ¡°Right, let¡¯s go!¡± I said, leading Yolanda out and inadvertently waking Flint up. ¡°Huh?! What¡¯s that?¡± he said as he marched out. ¡°Go to bed dad, Forrest won¡¯t wake up for another two hours,¡± she said kindly before rushing after me. I shut the door behind us and walked through the garden of sleeping Lileep before making my way to the cave system. When we got outside the cave I hoisted Terra and Yolanda onto my back. ¡°No lights, you¡¯ll startle the pokemon that are still asleep. Titan will wake up fine but Don and some of the electric Geodude will react badly to light at this hour.¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± Yolanda said while wrapping me up. I just patted her elbow and channelled dark energy to my eyes allowing me to walk down the tunnels without issues. ¡°Tar?!¡± Larvitar said as she snapped her head up to look at me. Huh, interesting, she could pick up on what I was doing? She watched me curiously as we moved through the tunnels. I could probably have navigated them from memory at this point but with Rock pokemon a shift in the path was likely to happen from their passage so it wasn¡¯t a sure thing. When we got to the lowest section I deposited Terra back into Yolanda¡¯s arms as I had her stand off to the side. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to wake him up and then turn the lights on so you can see.¡± ¡°How did you see?!¡± Yolanda whispered. ¡°I never knew you could do that!¡± ¡°Secret big brother power?¡± I said teasingly. ¡°Brock! Be Serious!¡± ¡°Hmmmm, secret¡­ but one that you can technically unlock if you and Terra form a close enough bond. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll tell you for now.¡± I could see her thoughtfully looking at her pokemon as I stepped away. Yolanda, by gaining a Larvitar, had stepped onto a path I¡¯d already walked. She¡¯d be able to avoid a lot of the pitfalls while getting my insight into her pokemon. If she wanted it that was¡­ I really hoped she did though because I had a few journals of notes that I could offer her. I whistled a few times to announce myself before I got too close to Titan. Bertha wasn¡¯t with him today, apparently choosing to sleep in her own cavern. Titan was sleeping on a slightly raised stone that came up to my hip for his bed. When I whistled his eyes snapped open and I heard Yolanda¡¯s breath hitch as his eye gleamed in the dark. ¡°Hey Titan, it¡¯s me buddy. Sorry for waking you up so early but I have good news and a surprise!¡± ¡°Ty?¡± he rumbled as he shifted into a more upright position. ¡°Watch your eyes buddy. I¡¯m hitting the lights.¡± I moved over to the side where a switch was located before flicking it. The light flickered on slowly but it still was enough to cause Titan and I to shake our heads as we adjusted. ¡°Tar?¡± he said, flicking a claw at his eyes to get rid of the gunk in them. ¡°Tar?¡± said a much smaller voice. Titan blinked and tilted his head. I could see his sleeping mind comprehending the noise and the oddity of it but not matching it up to a pokemon he knew. He swivelled his head. ¡°Tar?! He barked out, causing Yolanda to step into view with Terra clutched in her arms. Terra wiggled as she spotted Titan and Yolanda almost dropped her only to kneel and deposit the little pokemon onto the ground. Titan stood as Terra waddled up to the base of the ledge to gaze up adoringly at Titan. ¡°Taaaaaaaarrrrrrr!¡± she said in awe. Titan shifted, his body shaking to loosen up before he stepped off the edge. He did so carefully, his weight coming down gradually so as to not shake the earth with his passing. When he reached the same floor as Terra he stood and looked her over. She was tiny compared to him. As a baby pokemon she hadn¡¯t even reached the ¡®typical¡¯ height of a normal Larvitar and seemed like a tiny figurine as he stared down at her. ¡°Taaaaaaaar!¡± she said again grinning hugely. Titan knelt and then lowered himself onto his belly so that his head was level with Terra. His head alone was bigger than her. He then extended his neck and sniffed her carefully. She giggled and tucked her head into her shoulders before leaning towards him and sniffing him back. She then darted forward and started to inspect the various parts of him while crying out in happiness. Titan shifted so that he could keep her in sight, his eyes were latched onto her and drinking her in like she was a wonder to behold. Yolanda danced from foot to foot. ¡°Titan! Meet your little sister! Terra!¡± Titan glanced at Yolanda for a moment before smiling widely. I moved up and rubbed his head. ¡°Terra is the name of an ancient Earth Titaness.¡± Titan snapped his head to look from me to Yolanda before he wiggled with glee which caused Terra to shriek in surprise. He stopped only to resume when Yolanda and Terra giggled at his antics. He stood then and shifted about happily and barked his name out. This caused Bertha and Knight to wake up and investigate, which drew them into sniffing the new baby pokemon. Terra laughed happily when Bertha held her aloft with one hand. Yolanda shifted nervously as Bertha lofted the little pokemon about and I chuckled as Yolanda fretted over her baby pokemon. When I checked my watch it was only ten minutes before my normal wake up time so I hummed and looked up at Titan. ¡°Want to show off for your little sister this morning?¡± Titan clenched his claws and punched the air causing a small quake. ¡°Tyranitar!¡± he barked fiercely before grinning towards a suddenly nervous Knight. Bertha laughed and gave Terra back to Yolanda. ¡°Rhy! Rhy! Perior!¡± she called as she jogged head of us. I hummed. ¡°Well, looks like they¡¯re not getting a nice calm song to wake up to this morning,¡± I said casually as Bertha roared into the Ancient pokemon¡¯s cavern causing Don to shriek in protest and a scuffle to break out. I clapped Knight and Titan on the flank. ¡°Escort Terra and Yolanda to the training area would you?¡± They nodded while I headed off to break up Don from trying to eat a laughing Bertha. Don wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt her and that would just enrage him more and make him harder to handle. Not that Bertha cared about that by the sound of her laughter. I set about breaking them up and then marched up to meet the rest of my bleary-eyed Elite team that were circled around Yolanda and Terra. Terra was once more squirming to escape Yolanda¡¯s grip but my sister wasn¡¯t having that happen again now that all of my big pokemon were out and close by. I nodded approvingly. ¡°Alright gang back it up! Give them some room! Titan! Start it off!!¡± Titan straightened up and barked out an order causing my pokemon to whirl about and start jogging towards a distant rock. Titan usually was at the back but I saw him sneak a Rock Polish before he sprinted to the rock much to the other pokemon¡¯s shock. He then sprinted back and bowled through them like pins at the bowling alley before hurtling back to Yolanda and Terra. I rolled my eyes at him and the others that were gaping at him. ¡°Someone is motivated!¡± I shouted to the team. Titan nodded and puffed out his chest as Terra cheered for him. He then proceeded to out wrestle Bertha, Onix, Sanchez, Knight, Shrek, and Hypnotoad. He¡¯d then eyeballed Tide and the others only for them to square up on him with Tide giving a warning bark,a Hydro Pump held ready in his mouth. This forced Titan to stop and calm down. ¡°Woah! Titan¡¯s motivated!¡± shouted Forrest as he walked around the plateau with a very young-looking Onix at his side. On his other side, Flint was walking with a pleased look on his face and a huge cup of coffee. He looked like he¡¯d been up most of the night judging by the bags under his eyes. I offered a nod before noticing that Challenger was also with them. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Challenger locked onto Sanchez who was sadly readjusting his iron sand moustache after the beatdown Titan had given him. She smirked and advanced, only for Titan to slide in front of her and lock claws with her. Challenger baulked at the new opponent only for Titan to not care and whip her around and hurl her away. He then adopted a hero pose. Terra applauded Titan causing him to get a pleased smirk. Yolanda merely stared at Challenger, who was looking more than a little shocked at her instant loss. She hadn¡¯t even gotten a chance to say anything about a fight before she¡¯d found herself in one. ¡°Gooooolem!¡± said Sanchez as he shifted his moustache into a fake feminine haircut and swooned theatrically. Titan scowled at Sanchez¡¯s dramatics before Sanchez shifted his moustache back and slapped his knee at the joke. Terra stopped clapping and giggled at their antics with Yolanda joining her. I huffed. ¡°Alright big guy, why don¡¯t we let you really show off and get the most out of your motivation with some resistance training. I¡¯m not going to have an Elite team left otherwise. Selene fetch Chansey would you?¡± When Chansey arrived, she looked pleased at the battered appearance of my team. I merely pointed at Titan and made him move through a few fighting moves we¡¯d worked out for him. ¡°Gravity!¡± Titan instantly shifted downwards as the ground beneath him buckled. He kept his body unbent however and continued to move through the poses. His eyes sliding to Terra as she cheered him on. I snorted. ¡°Right, with that handled I think I¡¯ll see to some of my other pokemon¡¯s training,¡± I said aloud. ¡°And I can do the same for my pokemon!¡± Forrest said happily, moving away and leading his Onix to start working on some maneuvers. I considered shifting my focus before shaking it off and moving about the rest of my pokemon to give instructions. When I reached Onix and Scyther I had them play a game of tag with Scyther having to only target markings I put on Onix¡¯s sides. Both pokemon threw themselves into action and I nodded as Onix writhed to make Scyther work for his hits while Scyther had to work on his precision. Their game went on for a few minutes before I was disrupted by a new voice announcing itself. ¡°Tyranitar, the Armor Pok¨¦mon. Tyranitar has a heavily armoured body that can withstand powerful attacks and is able to crush a mountain with one hand,¡± said a robotic voice that had me looking away from my pokemon. I found Ash staring at Titan in awe as my starter continued to move through his work out with little Terra cheering him on. Yolanda was now looking much more impressed so I decided to give Titan a moment to catch his breath and have a drink. ¡°Selene cut the gravity, Titan? Grab a drink!¡± I called out, making him nod and march off to the side where he discretely took some huge lungfuls of air to recover from what had to have been an intense workout. I moved over and patted him on the leg. ¡°Doing alright? Or still trying to be a hero?¡± ¡°Tyran!¡± he said, snorting at me. I shook my head. ¡°Well, now you can show off how good of a boss you are,¡± I said before pointing him towards Don, Bertha who was trying to take over Terra¡¯s attention along with Knight, Shin, and Zephyr. Titan barked at them and happily made them scatter. I frowned, looking around only to find Don locked onto Pikachu who was sniffing the Stantler. ¡°DON!¡± I bellowed, making him startle and break off his flight so he didn¡¯t snatch up Pikachu. Ash blanched when he realised he¡¯d been too focussed on the deer. Stantler himself bucked in surprise and ran off making me sigh. ¡°Alright, I think you need a time out if you¡¯re stalking like that.¡± Ash approached. ¡°Hahaha, thanks for that, he sure gave us a scare!¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry, he must have thought Pikachu would make for a good snack before breakfast.¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± Ash said as though I¡¯d told him a joke. I raised an eyebrow at him and he stopped laughing. ¡°Oh¡­¡± he said as he realised what I was saying. I offered a shrug. ¡°Yeeeeaaaaah, Don¡¯s not what I¡¯d call domesticated or tame. He very much will hunt if he¡¯s feeling hungry. That¡¯s why he gets fed twice a day usually.¡± Ash nodded loosely and I clapped him on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you. How are you and Pikachu doing?¡± ¡°Good! But I was curious, how do I get Pikachu to fire off Thunderbolts like your Golem?¡± he said pointing to where Sanchez was performing Thunder on Zephyr with his Steel Wing grounded into the earth. ¡°Hmmm show me your Thunderbolt?¡± I asked, surprised that Pikachu could pull off such a move. ¡°Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on that rock!¡± Ash said, causing Pikachu to fire off a respectable lightning attack. I hummed and made an ¡®again gesture that took Ash a second to work out. ¡°Go again, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!¡± When the attack was pretty much the same I nodded. ¡°I¡¯d say your pokemon still hasn¡¯t reached the necessary power threshold for Thunderbolt. It¡¯s impressive for a Thundershock, but it falls a bit short of that next level. The move that Sanchez is using over there is Thunder, a move further along the power chart.¡± ¡°Power chart?¡± Ash said, tilting his head. I scratched my chin. ¡°You know how the big impressive moves are typically moves like Hyper Beam or Giga Impact?¡± Ash blinked at me cluelessly while Pikachu tilted his head, causing his ears to flop to the side. Misty and Greta who¡¯d been talking a small distance away stopped talking and started paying attention. ¡°Right, well you typically have to work up to high power moves like Giga Impact or Hyper Beam. It¡¯s possible for it to be taught to pokemon early using Technical machines, but the results are almost always subpar without additional training. It¡¯s actually better to work along a chain of pokemon moves that lead into each other. Now for the sake of argument and familiarity, I¡¯m going to use Giga Impact as an example. Giga Impact is a powerful normal-type move that hits really hard, however, what a lot of people don¡¯t understand is that it comes about from having a pokemon that knows Tackle.¡± I made a fist and slammed it into my palm, ¡°Tackle can then progress to Slam, or Body Slam, or even moves such as Double Edge. This trains the pokemon to throw itself into the attack while also building up energy channels for stronger moves. Some pokemon moves that use similar parts of the body are also able to be strengthened with this type of training. I¡¯m doing something like that for Stantler over there,¡± I said pointing towards my meditating deer pokemon. Zephyr was inspecting him and nodding every now and then before offering advice. Forrest, who¡¯d sidled up to listen in, jerked in surprise. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you talk about this before but¡­ what about the TM''s you give out? Wont Mia and Silly Mouse be affected? And I know you¡¯ve built up moves from TM before so what gives?¡± I raised a hand. ¡°Excellent point, Forrest. Now, what I said earlier only applies to pokemon that don¡¯t have trainers and have to build up pokemon moves the natural way. Trainers can funnel a pokemon towards certain moves and make some moves stronger. Technical Machines allow people to skip those steps and this can result in the pokemon move initially being weaker. That doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t get the strength up to what would be seen naturally, however.¡± I held a hand up to forestall Forrest. ¡°How would you go about doing that?¡± ¡°Use the move lots?¡± Ash said with a tilt of his head. Misty groaned only to stop when I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s one way, there¡¯s another you can use.¡± I was met with clueless expressions. ¡°Order Pikachu to build up the attack for a Thundershock towards that rock, but not fire it off.¡± Pikachu, use Thundershock but don¡¯t!¡± Ash said, making me grimace as Pikachu blinked before slowly building up an electrical charge that surged out of his body and zapped Ash. Ash¡¯s hair stood up straight but otherwise he was fine. ¡°That was weaker than his normal thundershocks¡­¡± Ash said. ¡°Pikachu¡¯s not used to building up a charge or stressing himself in this manner. It takes a bit of work but you can also train energies with a build-up and hold method like we just tried.¡± I whistled and Titan turned his head. ¡°Come over here and show off your Dark Hold move,¡± I said. ¡°Ty!¡± barked Titan as he moved over. He drew in a breath and then exhaled as dark energy built up over his body only to remain there. ¡°Oh wow it¡¯s sort of giving me chills to feel!¡± Misty said. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, this is one way of building up a pokemon¡¯s special energy attacks.¡± I hummed ¡°It¡¯s also good for other tricks,¡± I said pointedly towards Yolanda. Her eyes widened as she realised what I was alluding to before she nodded. I made a note that I¡¯d have to spend some time with her¡­ Her, and maybe Missy. Missy had shown that she was capable enough and interested in learning more from me. ¡°Anyway, Mia is aware of this with Silly Mouse and has been working on it with the move I awarded her from day one. Her Thunder is going to be quite strong by the end of the circuit.¡± ¡°Not as strong as Pikachu and me!¡± Ash declared before leading Pikachu off to practise the new form of training. Misty nodded with a thoughtful expression before wandering off herself. I rubbed my chin when she moved over to Tide¡¯s area and released her Staryu and began practising with it. I smiled towards Greta who finished writing her notes and likewise ran off to start working with Bulbasaur only to sheepishly come back. ¡°We don¡¯t have a move like that¡­¡± ¡°Tackle is perfectly viable. Otherwise, try building up the strength of his Vine Whips.¡± I pointed to where Chansey was standing with Bertha practising moving under Gravity. ¡°Try lifting some rocks with his vines in that area, just go slow alright?¡± Greta nodded and moved off to do just that. I considered the groups of pokemon and saw that they were all training well. I considered the various trainers I had just given an impromptu lecture to. I was tempted to go talk with Ash but he seemed to be working through the lesson easily. Honestly, he was working through it the fastest with Pikachu working on eclectic attacks and also on doing a speedy tackle that informed me he was trying to get Pikachu to learn Quick Attack. That or he was trying something else out. Perhaps hoping to make his Quick Attack¡¯s hit harder? No, he had this lesson well in hand and as he released Butterfree to try other moves with another of his pokemon I decided against it. Instead, I turned to Misty who was looking frustrated. ¡°Hey Misty, how¡¯re you doing?¡± I said as I approached her. ¡°Fine!¡± she said through gritted teeth. ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said neutrally as her Staryu tried to hold in the water attack only to end up spiralling off like a children¡¯s spinning top. ¡°How did you word it?¡± ¡°Like Ash did! I didn¡¯t do anything different!¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. Misty scowled at me. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not Ash. You¡¯re Misty. Pikachu is also not Staryu. Both of them will respond differently to different cues.¡± Misty considered this with a thoughtful nod. ¡°Staryu¡­ don¡¯t hold it in¡­ instead¡­ think about the flow of energy as building up through your body like a pool of water being filled!¡± I nodded, as Staryu cried out and repeated the move. This time he held for ten seconds before a blast of water shot out. ¡° Looks like progress,¡± I said with a smile. Misty beamed ¡°Yeah! Way to go Staryu!¡± She bowed to me. ¡°Thanks for that Brock!¡± ¡°No problem, say, while I¡¯m here, could I ask a question?¡± I said, alluding to the real reason I¡¯d come over to talk with her. ¡°Sure?¡± she said. ¡°How come you didn¡¯t apply to challenge my Gym alongside Ash?¡± Misty blinked. ¡°Oh, well I guess¡­ I¡¯m not really not doing a circuit I guess.¡± ¡°How come?¡± Misty fidgetted and glanced over at Ash. I waved a hand. ¡°He won¡¯t hear us, and I¡¯m aware of who your family is, Misty. I¡¯d have thought it would have been a good thing to complete the circuit.¡± ¡°Really? I just hadn¡¯t really considered it before¡­ Plus you know, I want to be a Gym Leader one day, won¡¯t it look bad if I fail against another Gym Leader?¡± ¡°It¡¯d look worse if you never tried,¡± I said. She was startled at that, having obviously not thought of what it might look like. She shot me a look and I shrugged. ¡°But then again you could get away with it if you wanted. It¡¯s not something that¡¯s actually written anywhere. I was just surprised. I thought you wanted to take over the Gym from your sisters?¡± ¡°I do! They barely run it! When I take it over I¡¯ll give it the dedication it deserves!¡± She fidgeted ¡°How¡¯d you know about my goal anyway?¡± ¡°I have talked with your sisters, you know? They¡¯re aware of what you want. They mentioned in passing once that they¡¯d drop things on you when you were ready.¡± ¡°Urgh, those stuck up bit¡­¡± she swallowed what she was going to say and coughed. ¡°Well yeah, they¡¯re right. I want to be Gym Leader.¡± I nodded. ¡°Well going on a journey like this seems like the perfect chance to build yourself up.¡± I pointed to her Staryu. ¡°You can build up a team, make some mistakes without it mattering too much, learn how other people do things and how you do things.¡± Misty considered that and I hummed before deciding she needed some time to think things over. ¡°Give it a thought. I¡¯d love to face a challenge from you. If you take over as Cerulean Gym Leader one day we¡¯ll have to have a match and you can be sure I¡¯ll bring my best pokemon.¡± I pointedly looked towards Sanchez. Misty turned her head towards Sanchez and watched as he unleashed a powerful Thunder and obliterated a boulder. ¡°Oh,¡± she said. I patted her on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t let that bother you though. Set goals and go from there. And feel free to ask questions. I get asked a ton already so don¡¯t feel like you need to hold back!¡± I said while looking towards where Greta was working with her Bulbasaur. Misty giggled at that and I moved off to work on a few others. When I made my way over to Stantler I found him looking a bit sad. ¡°Still struggling with it bud?¡± He nodded sadly and I gave him a few rubs. ¡°No problem. What I¡¯m asking of you is tough. We¡¯ll keep working on it, but don¡¯t for a minute think I¡¯m putting the blame on you. Let¡¯s take a step back and work on holding the Calm Mind move in your head and horns for now. We¡¯ll keep building from there, alright?¡± It would be worth¡ª My alarm started to blare and I looked down before grimacing. ¡°Alright gang! That¡¯s enough for today! Let¡¯s get you all fed and then I need to get my own breakfast!¡± I checked my transceiver and was relieved that I didn¡¯t have any Ace battles today. That¡¯d be rough with my pokemon tired from a harsh workout. Titan leaned against the rock wall and heaved in air having apparently continued to go all out. Terra was just out of sight and when she walked around and chirped Titan whirled around and adopted an upright pose that made it look like he was still willing and able. I had no doubt about that. Terra had stars in her eyes when I returned and deposited Titan¡¯s food bowl. She licked her lips and inched forward only for Titan to nudge some food her way. He then devoured the rest. Terra looked over to the others eating and Yolanda quickly grabbed her up. ¡°No, you might be able to get away with it from Titan and Bertha but other pokemon won¡¯t like you stealing their food. Come on, I¡¯ll get you some food at home.¡± I cupped my hands over my mouth. ¡°Ash! Misty! Greta! I can¡¯t leave you out here! Turn in for now. We can meet up tomorrow for more training if you want!¡± The others marched up quickly and I led them to the breakfast table for what was becoming a regular occurrence now. Flint was thankfully already making breakfast which earned a nod of approval from me. I started making up the kids'' lunches when a thought occurred to me. ¡°Hey Ash, Misty? Why did it take you so long to reach Pewter if you were just coming from Pallet town.¡± Ash shrunk into himself. ¡°I thought that Samurai knew what he was talking about¡­¡± I tilted my head only for Greta to snort some milk out her nose. She hurriedly wiped her face with a napkin. ¡°That bug catcher cosplayer?! His advice was the opposite of good! Literally! You listened to that?¡± Greta swept her attention from Ash to Misty who both didn¡¯t meet her gaze. Forrest leaned in. ¡°What did he say?¡± Ash squirmed before adopting a stern expression. ¡°The sun rises in the east and sets in the west! That means if you keep the east to your left you will be heading north!¡± he said with a pompous tone. Misty tilted her head. ¡°Or was it the other way around? Keep East to your right?¡± Greta facepalmed and I chuckled. Forrest awkwardly tapped his fingers together. ¡°If he said the first thing he was wrong. If he said the second then he was right¡­ Uhmmm do you guys not have a compass?¡± Ash shrunk further into his seat and murmured something about Pikachu breaking it on their first day. I shook my head and made a note to give him an electric type resistant compass before he left Pewter. Greta groaned. ¡°Urgh, I can¡¯t believe you listened to him! Gary and I had no problems ignoring that idiot! You should have been the same!¡± ¡°Gary just got lucky!¡± Ash said with a snarl before sitting back down. ¡°Most likely¡­¡± I turned my attention to my schedule as I finished up making up the lunches for the kids. I started to switch into work mode as I considered what else I needed to do. Urgh, it was still only the middle of the week! I couldn¡¯t wait for the weekend! I paused as I realised that no actually, this weekend was the Mayor¡¯s ball. Wait, no¡­ Sabrina was going to come with me. Sabrina who had¡­. Hmmm, I needed to address this before it got away from me. Sabrina¡¯s little declaration had escaped me last night. So¡­ she thought we were back together. I tapped my transceiver and sent a message. ¡°So we¡¯re together¡­ right? I forgot to talk about that last night¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she sent back. I glanced around expecting her to teleport near me only for her not to appear. I shrugged and got through my morning chores and was about to walk into my office when Sabrina teleported to my side. ¡°Oh hey Sabrina, is something¡ª¡± She approached and put a finger on my lips, silencing me. ¡°I have been talking with Erika and she told me I should make sure there is no doubt. We¡¯re dating, yes?¡± I nodded glancing down at the finger that was still on my lips. ¡°Good, in that case I will pick you up for the ball this weekend.¡± She nodded and was about to teleport away only for me to grab her hand before she could. ¡°No,¡± I said. When she blinked I hurried to elaborate. ¡°No, you come over to my house and I¡¯ll organise something. We should make an entrance.¡± Her lips tilted upwards. ¡°Hmmm, very well, I look forward to what you come up with.¡± she leaned back in and pecked me on the cheek before teleporting away. I rubbed at the spot where she¡¯d kissed me and felt myself grow oddly hot. Alright, well good. That was¡­ good. Yes. Damn. Now I needed to find something cooler than teleporting in for our entrance¡­ Urgh, there had to be something for that right? That would be future Brock¡¯s problem. Right now I had to get to my first challenge of the day. Still, it gave me something to look forward to for the weekend. I just needed to reach it without too much going wrong. Chapter 88 - Prepare for Trouble! Cindy¡¯s sonata of awakening roused the pokemon the next morning and I started the routine warm up for them before jogging around the plateau. When I spotted the two rostered trainers on the breakfast shift, I jogged up. ¡°Morning Daniel, Jackson! Ready to start up?¡± I said loudly. Both men nodded their heads, and Jackson stretched to the side. ¡°Which ones do you want me to take boss?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the tougher job with the first badge pokemon for order practice and then have you limber them up. If any are too good though...¡± I trailed off. Jackson nodded, ¡°bump ¡®em up and make a note of it! Roger boss! Little ones! You¡¯re with me. We got some fun games to work through. Come!¡± he said while rolling his arms around. Daniel bounced up and down. ¡°Who¡¯ve I got boss?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the fourth-tier badge pokemon to train,¡± I said. Technically they were the easiest to train as you didn¡¯t have to hold back with them. Daniel grinned. ¡°Ladies and Lads you¡¯re with me! Over to the plateau!¡± he led his pokemon off for a simple warm-up drill and practising of moves. Some of them would be working on their Digs, their Stealth Rocks and then going through their special movies. Challenger, the Graveler that was ostensibly Scyther¡¯s rival, was front and centre pushing to work hard. I hummed and turned to the two and three badge challengers. ¡°Alright! Who¡¯s up for some trick moves?¡± A few of these pokemon were starting to figure out how to work Sand Attack and Rollout together while others had Defence Curl into the traditional Rollout down to an art form. This made them tough to close in on. I also had some of the stronger pokemon start to work Stealth Rock into their arsenal of moves while other pokemon like the Rhyhorn and Aron were working in metal moves or powering up their Tackles into Takedowns. In a different area of the field, some of the Onix were practising a different form of securing Bind by straightening out and rolling like giant logs over and over. A smaller group of Aron and Rhyhorn got a workout in by jumping over them, making it seem like a big game to them. I joined in and was rather enjoying myself as well. ¡°Let¡¯s join in Pikachu!¡± shouted Ash. I stumbled and had to throw myself over the next in a bit of an ungainly jump due to the surprise. A moment later I found myself joined by the pokemon protagonist as he and Pikachu leapt over the pokemon joining in on the training game I had set up. ¡°What does this training do?¡± he asked loudly. ¡°It strengthens the legs, along with having them judge distances and timings!¡± I said as I jumped over the next Onix. ¡°Ash where did you¡­ oh¡­ I should have known,¡± said Misty as she walked up to me. I waved at her and Greta as I performed another jump. ¡°Morning girls! Sleep alright?¡± ¡°Uhmmmm yeah?¡± Misty said while incredulously watching me hop backwards or sideways over the oncoming Onix while Ash and Pikachu got caught on top of one. They started running on it like one of those log tricks on a game show. Huh, I wonder if I could set up a gag game show for the trainers. Sabrina would find it funny. Maybe when the trainer surge settled down I could try it. Then again, it might make for a fun event with more people to take part in? I could do a charity event? I¡¯d pitch it to Rachel and see what she thought. She was keeping busy taking lots of pictures with trainers and getting out awareness of some of the matches that were taking place around the gym. I kept hopping over the Onix while rubbing my chin. ¡°Awah!¡± shouted Ash as the Onix stopped rolling only to send him toppling over. I drew out a whistle deciding that was enough for the warm up. A short burst had all the pokemon stopping and hurrying over to grab some food before they got put away. Jackson and Daniel saw to that as I collected the food for my Elite team. I made sure to include another large bucket of food for my new Elite Onix that had joined the team in their training. Ash started to follow me, no doubt to hound me for a match only to get distracted as Greta started feeding an Aron from her hands ¡°Who¡¯s that pokemon?¡± he whipped out his pokedex and got to scanning. I left him to it and saw to my own pokemon¡¯s needs. I found Titan sloughing off some mud while Bertha was happily wallowing in a mudpit that no doubt had to do with Hypnotoad or Shrek. I whistled. ¡°Breakfast! Bertha get rid of that mud or no meal! You know the rules!¡± She grumbled and hopped out of the mudpit to shake herself off like a giant dog. The other pokemon groaned as they copped some of the flying mud. Don screeched when he had to dodge around some, while Selene merely blocked the oncoming mud with a barrier. Titan tapped Selene on the shoulder and she turned her attention to the rest of the splattered mud. It rose up and was thrown back into the pit leaving the area somewhat tidy and my pokemon mostly clean. I set out the meals on large metal plates onto a raised flat rock that worked as my pokemon¡¯s table. I felt like a bit of a waiter like this. REally all I was doing was piling the food up on colour coded plates. When everyone had their meal Titan barked out a cry and everyone began eating. I stood next to him and started laying out the important information for the day. ¡°Alright gang, there¡¯s only one Ace trainer challenge today. I think I¡¯ll be fighting them with Selene, Onix, and Don.¡± All three pokemon perked up at this with Don puffing himself up. Selene merely bobbed her head while Onix leaned in and tilted his massive head. ¡°Ooooon?¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to back you now bud. I want to see what you¡¯ve got. Advancing to this level means you will be called into action.¡± I glanced at Shrek and Hypnotoad. ¡°I think I will come over here tomorrow morning to remind myself of your move pools. Hypno, you kept your Hypnosis practice up yeah? I asked the surf lifesavers that needed to borrow you to keep working that into your training for a reason after all.¡± Hypnotoad nodded her head and the swirl on her belly began to spin in a distracting manner that made me want to stare. I shook myself and nodded. ¡°Good, I think I will have you two back into the roster soon. Might bring you out with¡­¡± I glanced over my pokemon and pointed to Shin. Shin perked up. ¡°Might go for a water-style battle to throw some people off,¡± I said with a smirk. I approached Titan. ¡°Any problems buddy?¡± Titan chewed his food while rubbing his chin. ¡°Ty, tyran¡­ tar,¡± He pointed to Hypnotoad and Don. ¡°They got into a tussle?¡± He nodded his large, scaly head, and I sighed. ¡°Course they did. I¡¯ll work on some training programs this afternoon and show them what I want them to focus on. Might have Onix work with Don to give them both something different to work on, should keep them distracted.¡± Titan grunted before going back for another mouthful from his plate. When everyone else was done I had most of them return to their resting areas. I returned Don, Selene and Onix for later though and also decided to keep Bertha with me today. I patted Titan as he returned to his cave earning a croon of goodbye. When I returned to the other area Jackson and Daniel had also started returning the pokemon into their balls. I hummed as large swathes of pokemon returned and were then placed into set up racks that would make it easy for the gym¡¯s trainers to adjust which pokemon they needed depending on the challenge we were going to face. ¡°Not as many gauntlet runs today so might be worth letting half stay out,¡± I said before the boys could get too into it. ¡°That so? Hmmmmm,¡± Jackson looked over the group before shrugging. ¡°Reckon that¡¯ll do for them.¡± He then pointed out three pokemon. ¡°Those ones need to spend some time with Chansey and rest up longer as they¡¯re lame,¡± he said, pointing out a Rhyhorn, a Graveler and an Aron. I watched the pokemon sheepishly try and hide their injury only to draw further attention to themselves. ¡°Yeah I can see what you mean,¡± I approached and started probing the rhyhorn¡¯s front left leg. When he barked a cry and leaned away from me I grunted. ¡°Hurt his middle toe¡­ need to get that looked over. Might be out for the next few days.¡± I stood up and dusted off my hands. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the others you think?¡± Jackson scratched his chin. ¡°Aron¡¯s shell is cracked and Graveler has a rock mold I think¡­ I¡¯m gonna have to keep an eye on that in case it is infectious.¡± I snapped over to Graveller and saw the odd reddish-brown patch. ¡°Yeah good call, get em to Chansey to look over.¡± All three pokemon groaned. I rolled my eyes and clicked my tongue, pointing to the backdoors of the gym. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that sass! Go on now!¡± Jackson and Daniel laughed as they led the pokemon into the medical bay. I turned my attention to Ash, Misty and Greta. ¡°So that eager to get out and train again eh?¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Ash couldn¡¯t sleep in,¡± Misty said with a slightly heated tone, before glancing happily towards my water pokemon. ¡°But yes, watching your Poliwrath, Lapras, Swampert, and Kabutops train is just wonderful!¡± Ash nodded. ¡°Yeah! Also, I wanted to see if you¡¯d changed your mind at all!¡± He clenched his fists. ¡°So have you, can I face you early? I¡¯ve trained a heap since I last asked!¡± I could hear the sound of Misty¡¯s palm impacting her face along with Greta¡¯s giggling at Ash¡¯s obstinacy. ¡°Nope!¡± I said with no shame. ¡°Awwwww,¡± said Ash sadly. Pikachu patted him on the leg consolingly. ¡°Give any thought on going to the next gym and then doubling back?¡± Ash straightened up. ¡°Nope!¡± he said as though proud of not planning out his route a little more efficiently. I rolled my eyes at him but it was obviously lost on him. ¡°What, are you trying to match the old Legendary Hero¡¯s route by getting your badge here first?¡± ¡°Legendary¡­ hero?¡± Ash said with a confused expression. Pikachu matched his trainer in tilting his head. ¡°Pi pi ka chu?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Never heard that story?¡± I said in surprise. Ash, Misty and surprisingly Greta all shook their heads causing me to make a little noise of surprise. ¡°Huh, usually they tell it to kids in school.¡± Misty tapped her lips. ¡°I¡­ think I remember something but¡­ it¡¯s been years¡­ It was the founding myth of Kanto wasn¡¯t it?¡± I nodded and Misty scrunched her face up. ¡°Something about the route a young boy took to heal and bring together the land¡­ I think?¡± I glanced at Greta to find her humming. ¡°I know the first bit which is that the Hero of legend emerged from the south during a time when the land and people were fractured. They thought themselves whole but they were closed off from others and in their own minds¡­¡± She chewed her lip. ¡°I know I¡¯m garbling this horribly but I think the Hero loses a friend to the conflict and at first he wants to vow revenge only for his friend to be a gentle soul that asks for him to not cause more hardship but instead heal the land and people¡­ The Hero then sets forth with their pokemon, which most people think was a Bulbasaur, while some others think it might have been a Rhydon for some strange reason.¡± Greta shook her head. I smirked to myself having an inkling as to why Rhydon could potentially have been one of the first pokemon thought of for the Legend. ¡°Others claim Squirtle or Charmander of course but it¡¯s not really well known. What is known is that he first challenges Viridian¡¯s leader to see his way only for the leader to reject him and cast him out believing that no one would follow him. The Hero then comes north to Pewter only to have to flee through the forest and the pokemon reject him. The Leader of Pewter however arrives and saves the Hero. When he asks what the hero is doing the boy explains his goal. The Leader of Pewter laughed at the boy''s dream and rejected it only for the boy to challenge him and lose. The Leader of Pewter at the time however is not unkind and advises the young boy how to grow stronger. The boy learns from this and challenges him again, this time winning and earning the Leader¡¯s respect.¡± She then coughed. ¡°At least that¡¯s how I think it goes? It was really long and I didn¡¯t have as much interest in it back then¡­¡± ¡°Oh it was long and boring!¡± said Ash with a fist meeting his palm as he understood why he probably hadn¡¯t heard of it. ¡°I probably fell asleep during it!¡± Cue another facepalm and groan from Misty. I merely shook my head. ¡°Well there are probably story tellers and songs about it being performed if you wanted to learn more. I think some of the older ladies like to do recitals in the park. You¡¯re not wrong that it''s a long story, but it''s good.¡± I smiled at Ash. ¡°You can pick up a lot if you pay attention to it,¡± I said leadingly. Ash shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯d rather battle some other trainers. Poetry is sissy stuff!¡± I shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it sissy. It¡¯s not useless to have a clever turn of phrase ready to use that rolls off the tongue. I rather enjoy it despite my lack of talent. But if you¡¯d prefer to get into some trainer battles then go nuts, but just watch out cause some of them will be much stronger than the others. I¡¯d recommend training up or catching another pokemon perhaps?¡± Ash frowned and I watched him. ¡°Or, if you want, you can also sit in the stands today to check out some of the matches?¡± I reached into a pocket and drew out a notepad that I scrawled a note and then signed it. ¡°Here, just show this to the Gravelers on the doors and one of the trainers will let you into the gym trainer section to watch the matches. Greta has watched a few matches already.¡± I directed a look to her. ¡°Would you say it was worth sitting in on?¡± She nodded her head sending her auburn hair bobbing up and down. ¡°Yeah! So worth it! The atmosphere alone is completely different, especially in the Ace challenges! It¡¯s so cool having the stronger pokemon throwing down!¡± Ash perked up at this. ¡°Strong pokemon?¡± he said. Misty shook her head. ¡°Typical boy,¡± she said. I nodded towards the back door. ¡°Want some breakfast again?¡± Greta and Misty raised their hands to politely decline only for Ash to grin. ¡°Sure thing! Last one there is a rotten Exeggcute!¡± I laughed, chasing after him, causing Misty and Greta to be the rotten ones that came in the door together with haughty sniffs of disapproval. I grinned into my tea, not commenting on how they had both subtly tried to knock the other behind them on the way into the door. Breakfast was a rather loud affair with my sibling being led in by a happy-looking Flint. They happily munched away on their food and then took to entertaining themselves. It made for a very loud start to the morning but I was used to it. ¡°Flint! I¡¯m putting the lunches in the backpacks! Make sure they go with the kids for school today!¡± I said as I did just that. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Oh!? Anything I can help with?¡± ¡°Nope I have it handled. Do you know which schools to go to? I¡¯ll send Graveller along with you to¡ª¡± I kept up a stream of chatter at him as I moved around the kitchen eating and cleaning where I needed to. Flint nodded along before coughing. ¡°What does it mean when Suzie comes and puts her hand on me? I was leading them to school yesterday and got talking with an old friend I hadn¡¯t seen in years and she put her hand on my arm but then got upset with me.¡± ¡°Ahhhh,¡± I said, understanding the issue. ¡°I have them do that when they want something from me but i¡¯m talking with someone else. If they want me they put their hand on my arm and I put mine on top of theirs. That shows that I¡¯m aware of them but that I want to keep talking with the other person. It acknowledges them but says that, unless it needs to be handled right now, I¡¯m doing something and will be with them in a moment. Helps them be patient.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± said Flint thoughtfully. ¡°Where¡¯d you pick that up from?¡± ¡°Books,¡± I said easily. Flint nodded and looked at a nearby shelf only to notice how many were ¡®an idiot¡¯s guide to¡¯ series for parenting. ¡°Mooooorning!¡± yawned Forrest as he slumped into the room. He sat down still in his pyjamas and scratched at his leg only to turn and find Misty sitting next to him. He hissed in surprise and almost toppled off his chair, only to catch himself at the last moment. Misty smiled at him. ¡°Morning Forrest!¡± Ash swallowed his mouthful of egg. ¡°Morning! Nice pyjamas!¡± Forrest twitched and glanced down at his brown and yellow pyjamas that were littered with different types of pokeballs. He opened his mouth to say something snarky to Ash only for Ash to grin and compliment him. ¡°Are those limited edition Pokemon League PJs? I applied for them but wasn¡¯t able to win.¡± Forrest stiffly nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­yeah they are. I got lucky.¡± He flicked his eyes to Misty to see if there was any scorn and relaxed when she merely hummed thoughtfully. He notably perked up when she gave them another look over. I chuckled in the background. ¡°I¡¯ll say! When they ran the competition for this cap I sent in like a bazillion letters to give myself a better chance!¡± Ash said, tapping the cap that, oddly, was sitting next to him but notably had no stains or smears on it. He must take good care of it. Misty turned her head. ¡°Oh really? That¡¯s a limited edition? Huh, I¡¯d forgotten about that competition.¡± She put her hand to her face. ¡°I only sent in one!¡± ¡°Oh, did you try for the swimsuit that¡¯s coming out?¡± Forrest asked. Ash perked up. ¡°They have a swimsuit? I should send in for that as well!¡± Flint and I snerked loudly as Forrest coughed. ¡°Uhm¡­ it¡¯s a one-piece for girls with water pokemon¡­¡± Misty perked right up at this. ¡°I¡¯m definitely applying then!¡± Flint and I shared an amused look as Forrest offered to help. Flint put a hand to his chin. ¡°Ah water types, truly they¡¯re a Rock type¡¯s greatest weakness.¡± I snorted only to recall that Lola had once advocated for the gym to become a water-type gym and I lost the feeling. I turned back to working through what I had to and before long my family was packed away and Forrest was changed and ready for the day. ¡°So any gauntlet challenges?! I¡¯m looking forward to having some matches!¡± he said. I rolled my eyes at him. ¡°You got the morning off school to help out but there¡¯s no matches like that scheduled for today. How about you ride to catch up with the others and remind Flint that you¡¯re supposed to have gone and caught a pokemon together.¡± Forrest sat bolt upright at that. ¡°Oh! Yeah!¡± Ash also perked up. ¡°Then we can have a proper match!¡± Forrest snorted. ¡°Please my pokemon would crush yours in a one-on-one!¡± ¡°Well you drew to me last time, and I know how to beat you this time!¡± Ash said smugly. ¡°I¡¯m not going to fall for that this time!¡± said Forrest hotly. ¡°Urgh boys!¡± said Misty as she looked at Greta with a roll of her eyes. I hummed and set my now empty cup into the dishwasher. ¡°Well you go do that Forrest, and meanwhile everyone else is going to have to vacate. I have some paperwork to see to before the first match of the day and I don¡¯t want you lounging around the house. Why not go see if there are any trainers you might test yourself against? Use that note to gain entry later when you¡¯re ready.¡± Greta, Ash and Misty all perked up and joined Forrest on his way out the door. I locked up and then turned to stalk through the house and give it a quick tidy up before moving on to the paperwork. Alexa met me in the Gym and I started to get into the day proper. I drew up an image I had enlarged a few nights ago. ¡°Alexa, when this trainer or these people around him enter the gym send me a message. They¡¯re scoping us out in preparation and trying to be clever about it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t¡­ that a good thing to scope out the gym?¡± Alexa said carefully. ¡°It would be if they were just going for the Ace challenge which affects Ace standings points. I think they¡¯re bankrolling a few people to challenge me and then see what pokemon I have, what their moves are, and any tricks to watch out for specifically for their team,¡± I said. She blinked. ¡°How would you even¡­ the psychic pokemon you¡¯ve been facing?¡± she asked with a slight frown. I nodded. And she looked down at the picture of faces. ¡°I have seen these people around¡­ is what they¡¯re doing¡­ illegal?¡± ¡°No, just highly unsporting. It¡¯s throwing money around to get results. If what I otherwise suspect also occurs? They¡¯re going to be trying to make a bid for the Elite Four. But they¡¯re uncertain about beating me and are trying to improve their odds by getting as much information specific to my team as they can.¡± I pointed to the photo. ¡°I can¡¯t stop them from doing it unless something goes wrong, but it¡¯s worth having it documented and when they submit their details I will put it on their file for any employers or the league to review.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll notify you immediately if I spot any of these faces,¡± she said seriously, staring at the photo to commit their faces to memory. ¡°Are you going to do anything else?¡± I smiled and finished up the last form I had to do for the morning. I was well ahead of schedule with Flint taking the kids to school. ¡°Me? Oh nothing out of the ordinary¡­¡± I smiled like a Meowth that had dividends coming due on their cream company buyout. ¡°It just so happens that my ordinary elite training sees me interacting and sparring my pokemon against Sabrina from Saffron.¡± Alexa straightened. ¡°Oh! I see! Well, I¡¯ll be looking forward to your coming matches Gym Leader!¡± she said collecting the paperwork and setting about sorting it where it needed to go or sealing it in envelopes for later mailing. I got up and made my way up around the gym. The shelves of pokeballs were all being judiciously worked through with Jackson leading two other trainers in opening the storage port on each pokeball. It was a small button that clicked open and allowed you to attach an item to a pokemon. But we mainly used it to feed pokemon a small food capsule that would see them able to stay in their pokeball for a few days. It wasn¡¯t something you could use reliably for long periods of time as otherwise the pokemon atrophied from lack of movement and proper nutrients but it worked for large stables where the pokemon could be rotated. With that checked in on I headed up to the trainer lounge where I had a whole half an hour of sitting around waiting with Jackson and Missy. When it finally came time for the first match there was a small crowd that Missy was more than happy to hype up with her introduction. ¡°From New Bark town! We have the challenger! Ethaaaaaaaan!¡± The crowd gave a few cheers and a good amount of applause before they turned towards where I was. I descended and they cheered for me. Poor Ethan swallowed heavily as the moment got to him. I leapt over the railing and landed on the podium to lock eyes with him. ¡°Trainer, are you ready?¡± I said as the podium lifted up, throwing on the cocky attitude that had Ethan firming up like a kid to a bully. I gave a small nod at him and my smile grew a touch more honest. In the middle of the field one of the new hires raised their flags. ¡°Go! Totodile!¡± Ethan shouted. ¡°Onix! Come on out!¡± I threw forth my Onix to start things off for the week. And just like that things clicked into place. ¡°Totodile, use Bubble!¡± ¡°Onix! Sand Attack! Go for the eyes!¡± We both shouted as soon as the flags dropped. I grinned as Ethan set the field up with watery bubbles that stopped the sand attack from connecting and started to close on my pokemon. ¡°Onix, use Bide!¡± I said as I set up a trap. Either Ethan had enough strength to push through and knock my pokemon out or he would back off, or¡­ if he wasn¡¯t up to snuff his pokemon was going to get smashed. It turned out to be the latter case as he pushed for the victory with his pokemon spamming bubbles into my pokemon that had it tighten up on itself before unleashing in a coiled whip that swung around and slammed Ethan¡¯s Totodile away. The Totodile slammed into the walls and hit the ground only to defiantly rise up with a growl. I nodded. ¡°Your pokemon has endurance, but lacks strength.¡± I said aloud. ¡°We¡¯ve got plenty of strength! Totodile! Onix is on its last legs, use Bubble!¡± he said. His pokemon shot some bubbles and I grunted as they impacted. Onix at this stage was too slow and going into a Dig would have been a bit too rough for a first badge challenge. Ethan had obviously done some training with his starter but he needed to get their special attacks up. Bubble was a good move to create a visual field effect or stopping some other attacks but he would need more. Before Onix could become too spent from the bubbles impacting him I raised his pokeball. ¡°Return Onix.¡± I raised another pokeball and tossed it forth to reveal an Aron. The small metal dog growled. Ethan brightened up at the new pokemon and I hummed. Interesting, I thought, he must have a plan ready for Aron. ¡°Aron! Tackle!¡± I said, causing the small pokemon to throw itself forward into a sprint. As it closed in on the weakened Totodile Ethan pointed to the side. ¡°Now! Roll to the side and use Mudslap!¡± The gator rolled and tried to follow through with the move but it couldn¡¯t do both well enough. The attack whiffed over my pokemon and Aron¡¯s attack just clipped Totodile sending him spinning away with a cry of pain. I breathed a sigh of relief. That move would have been four times as effective against Aron. It seems Ethan truly had done his research into the first-tier team I typically assembled. He just needed to spend more time training if he was so reliant on one pokemon. As that last move had been very rough. Despite taking the hit, Totodile straightened up. Ethan leaned forward and grimaced before raising his pokeball. ¡°That¡¯s enough Totodile! We¡¯ll hold you in reserve!¡± I nodded at the move as Ethan returned his pokemon. He soon tossed out another pokeball to reveal a Mankey. It hopped from foot to foot as my pokemon growled. ¡°You¡¯ve done your homework,¡± I said. Ethan grinned at me. ¡°I¡¯m leaving here with a badge, Gym Leader Brock!¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m not giving them away!¡± I said loudly back. ¡°Aron, Growl to weaken it!¡± ¡°Close in with Karate Chop!¡± Ethan replied with. My pokemon growled and then leapt to the side as I ordered it to roll to the side. When Mankey overcommitted I punched forward. ¡°Tackle again, Aron!¡± ¡°Take the hit and use Karate Chop to end it!¡± said Ethan. His pokemon did so causing the two pokemon to exchange hits with Aron coming off slightly worse for wear. ¡°Growl again!¡± I didn¡¯t really want to make this a slap fight but thankfully I had more options than just Tackle and Growl available to me. ¡°Aron, use Rock Tomb!¡± beneath the Mankey rocks ruptured upwards and threw Mankey up into the air before he was sent crashing down. ¡°Uh! Mankey hold on!¡± Ethan said in shock. Mankey got up and shook its head only to slap its face a bit and screech in anger. Ethan grinned, ¡°Hah! That¡¯s it, use your Rage!¡± ¡°Rock Tomb again!¡± I said only for the hit to end up launching Mankey towards us. Aron gave a metallic yelp as the Mankey came down atop it and began hammering its fists into Aron¡¯s metal body. I raised my pokeball knowing how this would end. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Return, Aron!¡± The small dog vanished from its beating causing Mankey to twitch its body side to side in search of its foe. When it spotted me standing with the pokeball it screeched and made to charge me. Thankfully I didn¡¯t need to punt a raging Mankey as Ethan quickly returned his pokemon and I nodded at him. I marched up to Ethan and looked him over. He seemed about Ash and Forrest¡¯s age but he had a bit more maturity to how he stood. Like he was confident in what he was. ¡°Congratulations on your victory and good match. That was a good showing out there. You really showed that you understand type matchings with the moves you used. You would have been able to do a lot of damage to my pokemon with Totodile.¡± I handed him the boulder badge and he grinned. ¡°Want some advice?¡± I said carefully. Some kids got sort of touchy about beating you and then you offering advice. Ethan perked up though. ¡°If you have any for me, please!¡± he said happily. I nodded at him. ¡°Your pokemon tactics aren¡¯t bad but I think you need to work on them a bit more before you come into a match. You had two for your Totodile it seems, but you need a bit more adaptability. There is terrain your pokemon could and should have used during our match.¡± I point at the water and the rocks. ¡°It sort of feels like you settled for merely good enough before coming to this match.¡± He laced his hands behind his head. ¡°Hahaha! You got me there! I was too eager to get here but I''m glad I did, cause any longer and I might have had to wait an entire month!¡± I nodded at that before pointing out the last flaw I had seen. ¡°You also try to charge your way through hits too much. Dodge what you can because you¡¯re not always going to know the effects of certain moves. I saw some good blocking and some attempts but then you dropped it to have Mankey just charge on through. Mankey can be a great berserker pokemon but don¡¯t fall into that trap and train them to contain themselves as much as you can before it becomes a Primeape. If not, you might find it pounding on you much faster than you¡¯re ready for.¡± Ethan nodded his head. ¡°Hmmm yeah that¡¯s¡­ I hadn¡¯t considered that. Thanks!¡± I smiled. ¡°No problem. You¡¯re a promising trainer and I think if you keep showing this level of thought you¡¯ll do well.¡± ¡°Not great though?¡± he said, catching my word choice. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to dig deep for that,¡± I said firmly. I rubbed my chin. ¡°Think of coming back for the Elite challenge towards the end of the circuit and see how far you¡¯ve come and how far you still have to go.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± I hummed before taking a picture with him and his team. The Mankey tried to kick me only for me to slide my leg out of the way and for the Mankey to eat dirt. The flash went off perfectly and I chuckled knowing that would make a rather candid moment. Ethan seemed happy enough with it as he decided to accept it as it was instead of retake it. Then he was off. I returned to the podium. One down. At least five more before lunch. I settled in as the clock ticked down. And waited. ¡­. And waited. ¡­ And waited. I glanced at the clock and the restless crowd. Then I looked to the referee stand. The man shook his head and spoke into his mike. Around the gym his voice rang out. ¡°Would the next challenger to the gym please step forward for your allocated time?!¡± the man squinted at the form he had and then looked at me. ¡°Brock, I can¡¯t make out this person¡¯s name.¡± His voice boomed around the gym and I chuckled as he sheepishly toggled the radio from ¡®gym-wide¡¯ to just me. ¡°Well let¡¯s give them another few minutes then just call it a forfeit from no show,¡± I said. It wasn¡¯t common and I would have thought people would have been much more zealous of their time slot due to the trainer surge. In the stands, I could almost see Ash twitching to throw himself down to ¡®fill the slot¡¯. Him and most of the crowd in truth. The time passed and the crowd continued to grow more restless. I sighed as people started calling out that they¡¯d fill the slot. I looked at them and shook my head. I looked to the ref. ¡°Call it from a ten count.¡± ¡°Alright. The Challenger has ten seconds to appear or their match is forfeit by League rules! Ten!¡± I glanced around and looked for anyone that was hurrying. In the tunnel Missy was looking around but she glanced back with a shake of her head. ¡°Four!¡± ¡°Three!¡± The crowd had taken up the chant. ¡°Two!¡± ¡°Stop! We got them here!¡± shouted Rocko as he emerged from the doors at the back of the gym. I frowned at him as he waved his hands behind him. The doors opened and from them, Daniel emerged and at his side the startled-looking trio of Jessie, James and Meowth stared at the arena they found themselves in. I blinked. What the hell were they¡­ I trailed off as I felt a dark emotion surge through me. Had they been looking to steal from me? I¡¯d known they were going to be no good thieves that sometimes stepped up to the plate when they had to but they were still crooks. Especially at the start of the story. I gritted my teeth and leaned forward. ¡°What is going on?¡± I said. Damn it all I had been trying to be more active. I was trying not to be passive about things only to have this slip past my notice with the surge, and Ash, and Flint¡­ damn it that was no excuse though! My tone must have conveyed how very close I was to anger as Rocko took a step back in surprise. Daniel, less used to me, stepped forward. ¡°Hahaha! Sorry boss, I was showing around my old friends here! I didn¡¯t realise they had challenged the gym!¡± What? Daniel knew Team Rocket? That instantly sent my mind burrowing after small instances that I had been ignoring in a fevered mad conspiracy web plot. Everything he¡¯d ever said and done now became questionable. Jessie, ever the Leader of the trio, stepped forward when Daniel made to wave them forward. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m sorry I am¡­ Jessadia! Your Challenger!¡± she said confidently. I narrowed my eyes at her. There was a long tense moment where I ignored the crowd, ignored the others and stared into Jessie¡¯s eyes. She held my gaze despite quivering slightly. If anything she slowly became firmer in her stance and more resolved in her conviction to fight me. Interesting. ¡°Very well, step forth onto the podium,¡± I said after giving it a moment¡¯s thought. Perhaps it was madness but I did want to see what she was made of. I¡¯d decide what to do with her while we fought. Jessie didn¡¯t understand what was about to happen but her very character was about to be tested by this fight. She better not leave anything in doubt. Chapter 89 - Make it double! Jessie lay atop the hill with half her body sticking out of a bush. She had some of the best binoculars that money could buy ¡ªstolen from the Rocket stores reserved for the Executives, of course¡ª at her disposal. In front of her the Pewter city gym sat. Next to her James and Meowth lay, equally entranced with the gym. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ really big¡­¡± said James from her right. ¡°That means they must have a ton of good pokemon, right?¡± said Meowth. ¡°Hmpf! It means they have something worth having, but everyone knows that seeing as Brock won so much money when he fought Lance!¡± Jessie said as she moved her binoculars over to the front where trainers were already queuing up. People could be seen working the crowd to maintain straight lines and others had set up a booth to the side for rental of the outdoor battle areas. Other people had even gone as far as setting up stands selling food, drinks and various other goods. It hurt to see the shoddy merchandise and not be the ones making a mint selling it. Their recent ¡®jobs¡¯ ¡ª and she shuddered to think how they¡¯d been gainfully employed by Miss Meadows to run the berry stall after the woman had encountered them eating (stealing) her berries¡ª had been a side hustle! A stop-gap solution! Still, it hadn¡¯t been too bad. Jessie had been rather impressed by their recent success in helping Miss Meadows sell her berries. She was even more impressed with the bonus the woman had given them for selling out so quickly. Now Miss Meadows had to return to her farm to look after it which had caused Jessie, James, and Meowth to remember that they weren¡¯t supposed to be selling berries but stealing rare and powerful pokemon! Pokemon like that twerp¡¯s Pikachu! There was obviously something going on there! It had to be a variant of some sort! Maybe an Electric¡­Electric type? Well, it didn¡¯t matter! It was obviously strong! ¡°Where do you think he keeps his money?¡± James said as he flicked his binoculars around haphazardly. ¡°Probably in a bank!¡± said Meowth, not unreasonably in Jessie''s opinion. ¡°Maybe he sleeps on it?¡± James said hopefully. Meowth stood up and turned the binoculars onto James to examine his head. ¡°I think you¡¯ve been reading too many comic books. People don¡¯t do that. Money is heavy and don¡¯t make for a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only because you¡¯ve never done it!¡± said James. Jessie huffed. ¡°And you have?¡± she said snarkily. James coughed and said something but Jessie couldn¡¯t make it out. Meowth twitched though. ¡°When did you ever get a score that big?¡± ¡°I just¡­ found my chance to when I was younger.¡± ¡°During your grunt days?¡± Jessie said with interest. James muttered something and Jessie raised an eyebrow before dismissing it as unimportant. She looked back through her binoculars. ¡°I think we can get around the back and enter through the rear entrance he¡¯ll no doubt have! The best entry will be through the swamp.¡± She nodded to herself, decision made as she straightened up to a standing position. ¡°Swamp!? I hate swamps! That has water worse than the worst sort of water!¡± whined Meowth. Jessie rounded on him. ¡°Can it! We can handle a little mud!¡± Meowth glared at her. ¡°Listen! You know how you don¡¯t like getting your hair wet during the rain cause it takes ages to dry out?¡± Jessie nodded slowly sensing the trap that was sure to come with Meowth¡¯s words. ¡°Well, now imagine having a body covered in fur! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get dry? Now, imagine that the water you plan to trudge through is a swamp! Are you going to carry me?¡± Jessie shook her head and sighed. ¡°Alright! Alright! We won¡¯t go through the swamp, despite the tactical advantage of approaching unseen,¡± she said pointedly, only for Meowth to not shift from his stance. James sat up, binoculars still locked on the gym. ¡°How do you want to get in? I can see a lot of people and a lot of cameras around the place.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple! We walk in the front doors!¡± said Meowth earning a raised eyebrow from Jessie and a turned head and stare down from James. Jessie stared towards the distant doors before brightening up. ¡°There are so many people down there that it doesn¡¯t matter if we simply walk up to them and then sneak our way in! Meowth you¡¯re a genius!¡± ¡°At escaping water? Most certainly, but also yes in general!¡± he said while puffing up his chest. James frowned through his binoculars, still locked onto Meowth. ¡°You¡¯re a genius that has some dandruff.¡± Meowth swatted the binoculars from James¡¯ hands. ¡°Well if some people would stop stealing my shampoo, I wouldn¡¯t run out all the time!¡± Jessie flicked her hair over her shoulder, momentarily caught with how the lustre caught in the sun just as James tossed his own. ¡°Looking this good isn¡¯t something you can get without crime,¡± he said suavely. Meowth glowered at them. ¡°That stuff is meant for pokemon not people!¡± ¡°We break many rules, what are shampoo and conditioner suggestions in comparison?¡± said James with another toss. Jessie smiled for a moment before reaching into their pack. ¡°Right! We¡¯ll need to ditch the rocket garb as Brock is familiar with our attire. He has taken out grunts and Executives before!¡± James and Meowth sat bolt upright at that. ¡°You didn¡¯t mention that!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry he¡¯s never taken us down before!¡± Jessie said with emphasis. James and Meowth shared a look. ¡°That isn¡¯t as reassuring as I think you meant it to be.¡± said James. ¡°I think it was precisely as reassuring as she meant it to be!¡± said Meowth. ¡°No more lollygagging! Now strip those rocket clothes and put these on!¡± said Jessie as she shoved a dress into James'' hands. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can pull off green¡­ got anything to match my eyes?¡± he said after holding the dress up to his body. Jessie rolled her eyes at him before tossing a simple shirt and jeans combination which he accepted without comment. She quickly threw on a neat skirt, shirt and jacket before topping it off with a cap over her hair. Meowth tilted his head. ¡°What about me? Not going to give me a pig nose and call me a Mankey again?¡± he said. Jessie shook her head. ¡°No, I think just having you on our shoulder will work well enough. Lots of trainers do that. Just look around and look tough!¡± Meowth shot her a grin as he hopped up onto her shoulder. ¡°Claws! Claws! Claws!¡± she said frantically as his claws dug through the jacket and into her shoulder. Meowth shot her a smug look. ¡°Ooops! Sorry!¡± He retracted his claws and Jessie shot him an unimpressed look. James adjusted his top and put a beanie on to hide his signature blue hair along with adopting some fake glasses. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m ready to go!¡± Jessie smiled and led the trio onwards. Not once did they look back and notice the tree that held a camera overlooking the hill that overlooked the gym. The trio themselves walked up the front doors with almost no challenge. ¡°Hey! Beautiful~!¡± James and Jessie both paused and looked to the speaker. ¡°Yes?¡± they said together. Then they realised they were both talking and turned to each other. ¡°Jessie/James, they¡¯re talking with me!¡± they then turned back to the now retreating trainer suddenly holding up a pokeball. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ this isn¡¯t where I parked my Rhyhorn!¡± he said before scrambling away. James hummed and Jessie sniffed. ¡°Urgh! Only a Rhyhorn rider? Please! I would have only hung out with a Dodrio owner or better!¡± Meowth tilted his head. ¡°But you ain¡¯t got a Dodrio yourself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point Meowth!¡± said Jessie. ¡°Come on James, let''s head inside!¡± James mumbled something but quickly fell into line following Jessie. When they reached the front doors the doors parted to reveal a number of trainers already queuing up. Jessie looked over the crowd of waiting pokemon trainers and the pokemon, licking her lips as she did so. It was a veritable buffet of strong pokemon. And some of those trainers would surely be dumb enough to use their ¡®healing pokemon courier service gimmick¡¯... Jessie stopped dead when she spotted a sign. ¡®Trainer tips! It is your duty to take your pokemon only to official nurses and/or healing centres. Anyone else offering this service is likely scamming you and stealing your pokemon.¡¯ Meowth tapped her on the head. ¡°What¡¯s this? Trainer tips¡­.¡± She glanced at her shoulder. ¡°How did you teach yourself to read?¡± ¡°Perseverance and sitting through a number of primary school classes.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re the one who reads the technical manuals when we get a new machine?¡± said James in confusion. ¡°It was a technical school,¡± Meowth said. Jessie and James considered that for a moment before nodding. ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jessie said as she looked around and spotted a number of different signs that actually stated how to authenticate things like League official badges, watch for people that are in disguises, or even have a team ready to fight off pokemon poachers. ¡°This place is offensive!¡± said Meowth as he read a sign about not trusting pokemon to ¡®hold pokeballs due to their ability to be trained¡¯. ¡°This is making our jobs harder!¡± he said as he scratched a ¡®do¡¯ into the sign so that it read ¡®do trust pokemon to hold your pokeballs!¡¯. Jessie and James nodded. Jessie glanced around and realised a sigh of relief. ¡°Thankfully it doesn¡¯t seem like anyone is actually reading them so they¡¯re just treated as background details, not anything useful.¡± Still, she¡¯d have to mention this in her next report to the boss. She lifted her transceiver and took a number of pictures of the room, trainers and pokemon. When she was done she hustled to the side where a number of trainers dubiously watched her in case she or James tried to cut the line. More than a few held pokeballs ready to stop them. Jessie smiled and waved at them in an absentminded fashion while James winked at some others earning blushes and smiles as the trainers relaxed. ¡°Hmmm how should we get into the back?¡± Meowth said with a whisper. Jessie hummed before her eyes alighted on a door that was guarded by Graveler and another door that blocked off a wheelchair toilet? That was weird. Part of Jessie felt it was also nice but she ruthlessly crushed that part of herself as she formed a plan. ¡°Follow me, we need to change into our next outfits!¡± She walked without any hurry to the marked-out toilet which was just out of view and quickly tugged James in. Then she reached into her pack and burrowed around for the janitor disguises. ¡°Put these on!¡± Meowth tilted his head. ¡°What about me?¡± Jessie pulled out a mop bucket and shoved him into the bottom before stuffing a stick into it. ¡°Hey! What gives!?¡± said the bucket. ¡°Janitors don¡¯t have pokemon to help them¡­ I think, but we also don¡¯t have a disguise for you!¡± ¡°Yeah! Who¡¯s ever heard of a janitor pokemon?¡± asked James. ¡°That¡¯s cause we have more self-respect!¡± said Meowth as he tried to get comfortable in his bucket. With their new disguise set up the pair marched out to the main doors with their heads down and their hands full of cleaning supplies. When they reached the Gravelers no one had bothered to challenge them. ¡°Got a spill to get to,¡± James said gruffly. The Gravelers looked at each other before shrugging and letting them through. Jessie grinned, lifting her head and sharing a triumphant look with James. ¡°Oh! Good! Brock did hire those janitors! I put in a suggestion about you guys last week. Can I get one of you to clean up the spill in the front row?¡± said a young purple-haired girl with the Pewter city emblem on her chest. ¡°Uhmmmm¡­ yes?¡± said James as he glanced at Jessie. ¡°Fantastic! I¡¯ll lead you to where you need to go,¡± said the girl whose name badge identified her as Missy. Jessie watched James walk off with Meowth in the bucket. Alright, this was suddenly not going to plan, she thought furiously. It would look too suspicious to follow along unprompted¡­ unless it was a gigantic spill. No, that would be ridiculous! ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the back break room!¡± she said to her ¡®fellow¡¯ janitor as he was tugged away. Jessie bustled her way to the back side of the gym where she came upon her next issue. The doors had passkeys on them. Because of course, Brock was apparently security conscious as well wasn¡¯t he? Jessie cursed a little in her mind before recalling that she had seen something hanging off the lanyard of the girl that had taken James away. Right, all she had to do was ambush one of the Gym trainers or other staff and get¡ª An old woman walked through the suddenly open door. As she did so she played with a hearing aide. ¡°Ach! Damn things don¡¯t work properly I swear!¡± said the old woman. ¡°Here let me help you with that,¡± Jessie said as she unconsciously leaned forward and began adjusting the hearing aide so that it fit better with the woman¡¯s ear. ¡°Oh! Thank you dearie!¡± said the woman that had large glasses. She blinked up at Jessie. ¡°Hehe! Nice to see another young lady working in the gym. Working as a Janitor are we? Nice respectable job that. You can start at the bottom and work your way up like my husband did with Grundo snacks!¡± Jessie nodded dutifully while cursing herself in her head. Stupid former Nurse training kicking in at the wrong time! She should have just walked past the old woman and ignored her instead of helping her! Now the door was closed and she was stuck talking with the old woman. The woman noticed her eyes flicking to the door. ¡°Oh dear! Did someone not give you a passcard for the back area? Here take my spare one dearie. It¡¯s only a guest pass but it¡¯ll let you go where most of the mess is, the other spots you won¡¯t be let into anyway!¡± The woman patted Jessie on the arm and bustled along to the front, leaving Jessie to gape at her good fortune. She swiped the card and grinned as it opened up to reveal a hallway that was coloured with slate whites and earthy browns. At eye level, a number of lines ran along the wall with arrows indicating directions for certain facilities. ¡®Trainer room, main office, security, pokemon holding area,¡¯ Jessie read. She grinned. That last one sounded precisely what she was looking for. She hustled along only to come across another entryway. When the door opened she almost had a heart attack until James walked in with a bemused look on his face. ¡°James!¡± Jessie hissed in surprise. ¡°Eeei!¡± said James as he threw himself against the wall. ¡°Oh! Jessie, you scared me. I thought it was someone important!¡± Jessie paused at that before shaking her head. James was just being his usual weird self. ¡°What happened with the spill? Did you ditch that girl?¡± ¡°Oh, uhm no we cleaned it up¡­¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t have a mop?¡± Jessie said with a tilt of her head. ¡°Urp!¡± burped the bucket. Jessie looked down to find Meowth happily licking his chops. ¡°Turns out they spilled Lonlon milk?¡± said James. Jessie blinked. Meowth put two fingers together and kissed them in appreciation. ¡°Deluxe grade Lonlon milk!¡± Jessie raised a finger. How had they mopped it up without anyone asking questions? She had so many questio¡ª She shook her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, come on! I found the pokemon area! We¡¯ll be in and out in record time and have earned a big bonus with months to spare!¡± The other two perked up at this and followed as she led them to the pokemon holding area. Jessie proudly used her gifted keycard only for the door to make a shrill tone that had Meowth flinching. ¡°What gives Jess?¡± Jessie glanced at the keycard and cursed as she remembered the old woman had only given her a guest pass. ¡°It must be broken,¡± she said, tucking the card away. ¡°Meowth!¡± she jerked her head at the door. ¡°Pick the lock.¡± Meowth glared at her before turning his eyes to the door. ¡°Electronic lock. State of the art, thankfully there is a trick to these that was highlighted in locks monthly.¡± Jessie scowled at Meowth. ¡°Is that where our ice cream money sometimes disappears?¡± Meowth coughed. ¡°You can thank me for stopping you from having to buy a new wardrobe. Now gimme that magnet and that card.¡± Jessie handed it over and Meowth vigorously rubbed them together before slapping them on the reader. Meowth grinned as the door gave a confused blart and then opened. ¡°Nice! It worked!¡± ¡°Nice work Meowth!¡± Jessie grinned as she stepped into the room to spot shelves of pokeballs with small stickers on them that announced what type of pokemon were within each pokeball. Jessie hugged herself. ¡°The big, big bonus! We¡¯re so guaranteed to get it this month!¡± James nodded, taking off his jacket to get at the storage bag. Jessie flicked her wrists and in moments she was much more comfortable in her skirt and top combination that she had underneath her disguise. Sadly she still didn¡¯t have the signature R top on but she hadn¡¯t thought she¡¯d go from reconnaissance to robbery. Meowth tilted his head. ¡°Why¡¯re you ditching the disguises?¡± ¡°Because the best thieves know that you need style when you do something. You don¡¯t just do it, you do it while looking your best!¡± Jessie said. James nodded along at that and stripped into his jeans. Meowth held up a dubious claw only for a horrible popping noise to occur along with a groan. The trio all shared a look and crept around the corner to find what made the noise. On a large table an Onix was attempting to writhe around only for straps to be holding it in place. On the other side, one of the Gym trainers was watching a Chansey rapid fire punches into the pokemon causing clicks and pops. Jessie could see the issue. The pokemon¡¯s spine was out of alignment. Not something that would be dangerous but would certainly stop a pokemon from fighting in any serious manner. The Onix didn¡¯t seem to appreciate the finely applied hits to correct the alignment however, and thus had to be strapped down. Oddly, the Chansey seemed to be smiling as she delivered the treatment. The trainer also seemed rather dubious. When Chansey was done she wiped her brow and gave a happy trill. Then she laced her little hands together and pushed them to cause popping as she cracked her own knuckles. The trainer shuddered. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with that Chansey,¡± whispered Meowth. Jessie sniffed. ¡°The pressure point massage was masterfully done, it just seems wrong to the untrained.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Meowth gave her a raised eyebrow and she waved him off. ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s get back to¡ª¡± before they could slink away the trainer looked up and spotted them. At the same time the door behind them opened and another trainer emerged. This one looked far more relaxed and even¡­ stoned? ¡°Hey¡­ people aren¡¯t allowed back here!¡± The man¡¯s hand dropped to his hip and a pokemon emerged frighteningly quickly. The Gloom locked eyes with them and lowered its head in a threat display James and Jessie raised their hands to deny the newcomer only for another voice to cut over them. ¡°Sorry, they¡¯re with me! I was giving them a tour!¡± said the trainer that had his Onix on the table. The Gloom trainer frowned. ¡°You let them in here, Daniel?¡± Daniel rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Hahaha sorry Rocko, they¡¯re old friends and they were curious!¡± Jessie and James shared a quick glance. Did they know this guy? Both shook their heads minutely to indicate that no, they did not. ¡®Rocko¡¯ frowned at the younger man. ¡°That¡¯s no excuse to let them in here. This is a gym trainer only area.¡± The man opened the door behind him. ¡°You frankly shouldn¡¯t be let in here at all.¡± James opened his mouth and Jessie covered it. ¡°We were just waiting for¡ª¡± she was about to say ¡®friend¡¯ when an announcement rang out through the room. ¡°Would the next challenger to the gym please step forward for your allocated time? Your time is now due!¡± There was a moment¡¯s pause before the voice returned. ¡°Brock I can¡¯t make out this person¡¯s name?¡± Jessie felt words tumble from her mouth before she was even conscious of what they were. ¡°¡ªmmmmyyyyy gym battle! Which is a thing¡­ that I participate in,¡± she said. She ignored the incredulous looks from James and Meowth. Daniel coughed. ¡°Yeah! Yeah! Looks like we better get back to the arena for them!¡± Rocko gave them all a narrowed-eyed look. He then slowly nodded. ¡°Very well, but no trainers back here again in the future. I¡¯ll be mentioning this to Brock, this is not professional Daniel.¡± Daniel swallowed and nodded his head before ushering them out. Jessie tossed one look over her shoulder to see the Chansey watching her with narrowed eyes. When she looked down she saw something rather alarming. Why did that Chansey need so many needles and scalpels? Did the pokemon get injured that much here? She licked her lips as she followed the group. Daniel dropped back to them and smiled. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± he said aloud, but at a whisper he growled. ¡°You owe me one, you idiot grunts!¡± He then adopted a genial smile as Rocko¡¯s gloom turned its head to watch them. Jessie smiled at it but for the rest of the trip she pondered what was going on with this guy. Did he know they were Rocket? If he did then he should know they weren¡¯t Grunts. They were Specialists! When they entered Rocko took the lead. Daniel shot them a look and gestured for them to go next without saying anything. It was as she was walking out the doors that she glanced back and spotted a blinking red light behind a dark orb near the door. Were those cameras? ¡°Stop! We got them here!¡± shouted Rocko as they emerged. Jessie snapped back around in time to enter the arena and suddenly found all eyes on hers. She swallowed. Oh¡­ that was a decent-sized crowd. She glanced around, thankfully there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone that recognised her. She¡¯d recognise them from how they laughed or scowled at her. If her boss was watching the Pewter Gym highlights he might¡­ she licked her lips and glanced at her team, at least they were with her for this. She hurriedly tugged a cap lower over her eyes to make it harder to recognise her, before turning her attention to the actual person of importance that was lounging like an Arcanine atop his favoured rock. Gym Leader Brock was an imposing sight even when he was relaxing. His attention flickered to them and Jessie stiffened as she felt something more settle on and inspect her than just eyes. Why did his gaze feel different? Like it had weight to it? ¡°What is going on here?¡± his words were spoken like a rumble that might herald a coming avalanche. She swallowed again. He was obviously not amused to see them coming in from the back of his gym. Damn, they messed up! They messed up bad! Their ¡®friend¡¯ Daniel stepped up and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Hahaha! Sorry boss, I was showing the gym off to my old friends here! I didn¡¯t realise they had also challenged the gym!¡± Brock turned his gaze upon Daniel, and the man instantly became much smaller. Brock¡¯s frown grew sterner and the shadows deepened on his face so that he became a stark relief of a man that almost looked like he was going to pass judgement on them. Jessie didn¡¯t like that. She needed to act! Jessie, ever the Leader of the trio, stepped forward. The movement made Brock turn his attention to her. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m sorry I am¡­ Jessadia! Your Challenger!¡± she said, trying to hide the way her knees were quivering. She clenched her muscles. She was not going weak at the knees damn it! Not from simply being looked at! The Gym Leader¡¯s attention locked onto her and for a moment time fell away as he judged her. Then as if some unseen quality had been detected, he nodded. He straightened up and the air around him seemed to vanish, leaving Jessie wondering if it had all been something she¡¯d thought up in her own head. ¡°Very well, step forward onto the podium,¡± he said, gesturing to the far side of the arena. Jessie nodded robotically and for a moment James and Meowth made to follow her. Brock raised a hand. ¡°Sorry only the challenger gets to stand on the podium¡­ well actually, your pokemon can go with you as well¡­¡± he trailed off. Jessie looked at Meowth and the small cat shrugged before whispering, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll come stand with you cause it¡¯s a better view.¡± Jessie snorted and James was led to the stands. She and Meowth ascended on a podium with her to face off against Gym Leader Brock. It struck her then that she was about to face off against a Gym Leader. Her! A failed nurse¡­ This was bad. This was so bad. This was going to be like her time at the school¡­ everyone would realise that she¡­ She swallowed and plucked her Ekans pokeball with trembling fingers, ignoring how Meowth watched her with eyes far too sharp for his own good. This was not how the day was supposed to go! She swallowed again. Maybe the Gym Leader was just as nervous? She locked eyes with him and felt herself hold back a whimper. Why did he look so angry?!
Team Rocket had come to my Gym. I had so many mixed feelings right now I wasn¡¯t sure where to start. There was the fact that they¡¯d been in my city for so long and I hadn¡¯t encountered them. Or had I and I hadn¡¯t noticed? I would have thought that with hair their colour, they would have stood out. I glanced to the stands as James made his way up to the slightly emptier sections. I didn¡¯t spot Ash or Misty there. They must have departed for something else. Or knowing Ash he was trying to push his agenda of getting an early match onto the receptionists. It was crazy how¡­ he was perfectly himself while at the same time not. I tilted my head and stared across at Jessie and Meowth. Or ¡®Jessadia¡¯ as they were trying to pass themselves off as. I¡­ Urgh Team Rocket. As the trio of goofy loveable losers that tried and failed to steal Pikachu from Ash they had been amusing or annoying depending on the episode. I often found myself enjoying them for the comic relief they offered. But at the same time, I could recognise that they were self-professed professional thieves. Their presence at the back of my gym meant they¡¯d been snooping around. How they¡¯d gotten there without flagging any of the security measures in place would be a question for later. Right now I had Jessie in front of me trying to pass herself off as a mere over-eager challenger. She stared at me and shifted from foot to foot as if nervous. When I saw the sweat beading on her forehead, I narrowed my eyes. She swallowed heavily, and Meowth sat up, his eyes growing wide. They were scared of me. I glanced at James. In a way¡­ I knew these people. These strangely loveable rogues tried and failed and sometimes¡­ just sometimes, they helped save the world. They did it when no one would see them. The cartoon even had a small gag about that at the end of the second movie. I knew their stories¡­ in Jessie¡¯s case perhaps even better than she did¡­ her mother lost chasing a dream and her daughter was almost locked into the same fate only with a lesser pokemon. James and his fear of going home. How they didn¡¯t accept him and forced him to do things he didn¡¯t want. With how he occasionally dressed I suspected he was also possibly trans but the cartoons never touched on that beyond him never having issues wearing the dresses in their disguises. He almost seemed to revel in his chance to wear them. Meowth¡­ well his back story was pretty sad and highlighted how much pokemon could be partners. It always amused me that Team Rocket for as terrible as they were, never tried to stuff him in a pokeball for themselves. Nor did they serve him food on the ground. Something I had also attempted to avoid as much as possible with many of my pokemon on my journey, until they expressed their own lack of concern. Regardless, I still made a point of occasionally having them eat at the same level as me. What was the quote? A lifetime of evil, at least he didn¡¯t add animal cruelty to the list? Or was it that they still had good in them? Was I just hoping for that though? I sighed and mentally flipped a coin. If I was going to do this¡­ I selected a pokeball and straightened up. Jessie stiffened. ¡°Challenger! You kept me and my pokemon waiting,¡± I said with a voice that filled the room. People that had been talking quietly suddenly fell silent and when I stopped speaking there was silence as Jessie stared. ¡°Well Challenger!? What do you have to say for yourself!?¡± I said. Meowth nudged Jessie¡¯s leg prompting her to cough and bow her head. ¡°Apologies! I was too interested in learning about your gym¡­ I still wish to battle you!¡± I sniffed. The sound conveyed a wonderful sense of disdain that would do an old dwarf proud. ¡°And you¡¯ll bring your best? Very well, let¡¯s get this over with!¡± I said dismissively. I said it in a way that never failed to ruffle people¡¯s pride. When you were a gym leader you wanted people to act up. You wanted them to feel the moment. I enlarged my pokeball as the referee raised his flags to us both. ¡°Choose your pokemon!¡± ¡°Go! Geodude!¡± I said tossing out one of my basic pokemon. I wasn¡¯t going to throw out Izumi here and now. Instead, I was going to use the standard challenge pokemon. ¡°Go Ekans!¡± said Jessie. Her purple snake landing with a hiss of warning. It gave its surroundings a quick inspection before relaxing. It at least was ready to fight compared to Jessie who was rather distracted by the people in the stands and the apparent weight of the moment. ¡°Jessadella! You can do it! Don¡¯t lose hope!¡± shouted James from the stands. Jessie turned her head. ¡°It¡¯s Jessadia! Don¡¯t forget my name you oaf!¡± she shouted before shooting me a fearful look. I crossed my arms and gestured to the arena with a vague wave of my hand. ¡°First move goes to the Challenger.¡± This was not something that was actually a rule but it was a cultural expectation for the early badges. It allowed the person to settle a little before making their move. At higher levels, a trainer would need to be ready as soon as their pokemon were called out lest they get blitzed with a series of moves while standing around. It was a valid strategy I used with a specific Aron. No one suspected a sixty kilogram metal dog to be fast. ¡°R-right! Ekans use Glare!¡± her pokemon responded by rearing up and letting its eyes glow. I didn¡¯t nod as I would if this was a simple sparring match. It was a good move for her. ¡°Mudslap,¡± I said, making my pokemon hurl some mud straight into the glowing eyes. They acted as wonderful targets for my pokemon¡¯s attack. Despite the quick response, the attack still made Geodude stiffen up, while mud splashed into the snake¡¯s eyes. Ekans reeled back with a cry and my pokemon clenched his muscles as a low groan escaped him. ¡°Tighten up your muscles with Harden!¡± I shouted clenching my fist in front of me. A pulse of Geodude¡¯s energy saw his body tighten even further. Jessie hissed much like her pokemon. ¡°Ekans, use Poison Sting!¡± The attack shot out small needles of poison that stabbed into my pokemon but didn¡¯t appear to poison him. My pokemon twitched a little and groaned as he remained unable to move. I didn''t have to worry too much about the poison in truth as there was an odd phenomenon where only one status effect at a time can afflict a pokemon. This was due to muscle paralysis not letting poison seep into the blood and around the body properly. The same was true of sleep. And with a frozen body it was thought that the poison had to work its way through the ice shell that usually restricted the afflicted pokemon. There were numerous other mechanics to take into account but the one status effect held true. Also, poison moves against a geodude¡­ weren¡¯t going to be very effective. ¡°Ekans use Bind! Tighten your coils and let''s end this match!¡± Jessie launched her arm forward. Ekans loyally lept forward. Her pokemon quickly coiled itself around mine, but I could see it was having some trouble getting through the increased defences of Geodude. ¡°Shake them off with Roll Out!¡± I said hoping that Geodude would be able to pull it off. My luck seemed to be on the rise as Geodude threw himself forward, and suddenly Ekans was hurled into the air like a wobbling noodle. ¡°Ekans!¡± hissed the snake. ¡°Ekans! Use Dig to burrow into the ground!¡± Jessie ordered. Her pokemon stopped flaying and turned its head straight at the ground where it burrowed like it was diving into water rather than solid earth. ¡°Geodude! Use Harden!¡± I said, deciding not to make this an underground and out-of-sight fight. Instead, I banked on my pokemon¡¯s defence. However, instead of performing his move he twitched and cried out in annoyance making me grimace. Ekans tore up through the earth straight underneath him in the most textbook example of a dig around and knocked Geodude flying. Now a ground-type move against this Geodude? That was super-effective, if only twice instead of the possibly four times multiplier an alolan variant would have. My pokemon tottered but raised his fists and shouted out his name defiantly. ¡°Rollout!¡± I ordered not willing to let his defiance go begging. ¡°Ekans turn around and use Poison Sting!¡± Jessie ordered. The weak move barely impacted my pokemon as he flattened the snake. Only¡­ the move tipped Geodude over the edge and saw him collapsing. The ref raised a flag. ¡°Geodude is unable to battle!¡± ¡°Yes! Way to go Jessie! I knew you could do it!¡± shouted James from the stands. I blinked in surprise when I realised he¡¯d found some pom poms. He was doing a rather well-choreographed single-man cheer routine. He was getting a lot of attention from the crowd as they joined in cheering for Jessie at his urging. Jessie only had eyes for her pokemon who was panting and looking rather worn. I returned Geodude. ¡°Your pokemon is tired,¡± I said, using my most ominous tone possible. Jessie glanced up. ¡°He can do this all day!¡± My lips twitched at the accidental quote. I selected the next pokemon from my belt. It felt right using the ¡®traditional¡¯ pokemon here. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± I tossed the pokeball and revealed Onix. The pokemon loomed over the much smaller snake and Ekans shivered as Onix groaned its name. Ekans obviously knew he was in trouble here as he glanced back at his trainer. Jessie nodded at him and he snapped back into a fighting pose. The referee dropped his flags. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Onix use Slam!¡± I said not allowing Jessie the initiative this time. Onix lunged forward and Jessie flinched at the onrushing pokemon. Onix slammed into Ekans and sent the smaller pokemon flying into the wall where it hit with a thump. It then raised its head and slithered forward. I let it come while watching Jessie have an internal dilemma. I noted I wasn¡¯t the only one watching Jessie closely. Meowth was staring up at her from where he was standing. I could tell Jessie wasn¡¯t looking at him though, and instead wrestling with a decision. Jessie raised her pokeball and returned her pokemon. She dropped her arm and swallowed before straightening as a small grimace wracked her for a moment. ¡°Well, with that I shall have to for¡ª¡± Meowth lunged onto the field. ¡°What she means is she¡¯ll have to send out her best pokemon!¡± said Meowth as he landed in front of my now-confused Onix. The arena gasped and murmurs broke out. ¡°Did that Meowth just talk?¡± ¡°Nah! It¡¯s a gag! Like a radio on his collar or something!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that pokemon!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Meowth idiot!¡± ¡°Meowth¡¯ can¡¯t talk!¡± ¡°Most pokemon can talk, they just speak pokemon!¡± A small fight was apparently breaking out, but I was too busy watching Jessie come to grips with the realisation that Meowth was putting himself into the ring for her. James was also gaping in shock. I sniffed pointedly. The noise cut through the susurrations of the crowd. ¡°A neat trick but not something that will help you win. Gimmicks aren¡¯t going to carry you here! Onix prepare to fight!¡± Onix roared his name and slammed his tail in a threat display that had Meowth swallowing and looking over his shoulder at Jessie. ¡°Hope you¡¯re ready to help me out Jess!¡± Jessie nodded before blanching. ¡°Uhm!? Use Scratch?¡± Meowth made to lunge forward only to apparently trip in shock. ¡°What kind of tone is that? Use Scratch? Do you not know what moves I know?!¡± he shouted back at her. Jessie shrugged. ¡°Taunt?¡± she said. Meowth narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head before finding himself unable to say anything. ¡°... well whatever but don¡¯t order Scratch! I know Fury swipes!¡± ¡°Onix, Tackle,¡± I said deciding that I¡¯d allowed the comedy routine to carry on long enough. ¡°Eh!?¡± shouted Meowth as he spun about. ¡°Meowth! Jump out of the way!¡± screamed Jessie. Meowth leapt to the side. ¡°Jeez! Why didn¡¯t I think of that! Got any other orders Jess?!¡± he said in a half-sarcastic manner. ¡°Again,¡± I said firmly. ¡°KEEP MOVING!¡± screamed Jessie as Onix threw himself back after the fleeing Meowth. Meowth threw himself to the side and rocks pelted him as he just made it out from where Onx impacted. ¡°Wah! You should go on a diet mister!¡± said Meowth. Onix rose with a growl. ¡°Screech to shut him up,¡± I said bringing my hands up to cover my ears. Onix opened his maw and a high-pitched whine filled the arena. Small barriers protected the crowd from the worst of the noise but Meowth staggered as he took the full tone. Jessie shook her head. ¡°Meowth! Stop wobbling and run! You need to stay on the move!¡± ¡°WHAT DID YOU SAY!?¡± shouted Meowth as he rubbed at his ears. The crowd laughed and I shook my head. ¡°Onix, use Slam and finish it,¡± I said. Onix whipped his tail around and Meowth turned in time to see the large rocky tail slap him aside. Meowth spun through the air and I felt bad as he impacted the ground before falling to the ground with a pained ¡®Feh!¡¯ I turned to Jessie. ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got? An Ekans and a Meowth? You¡¯ll need to do better if you want to ever earn a Boulder badge. Your pokemon is obviously more of a gimmick than anything trained for actual fighting. He¡¯s a pet,¡± I said while channelling my inner ¡®douche tone¡¯. ¡°Meowth is stronger than you realise! And he¡¯s not a pet! He¡¯s... he¡¯s Meowth and he¡¯s our partner!¡± Jessie said, slamming her fist into the railing. Meowth staggered to his feet. ¡°Usually I¡¯d stay down after a hit like that. But with both of these lugs cheering for me I think I¡¯d never live it down. And I can¡¯t say I enjoy the idea of being called anyone¡¯s pet! You have no idea how degrading that is to someone like me after what I¡¯ve been through to get where I am!¡± Meowth said while shaking his fist at me. I resisted the urge to apologise because I did have an idea of what he¡¯d been through. Instead, I grunted at him and dismissed him as I raised an eyebrow at Jessie. Meowth spat out some dirt and began to limp forward. ¡°Feh! Usually, I¡¯d agree to walk it off but I can¡¯t stand smug guys like you talking down to average James and Jessies like us!¡± He inched slowly towards the line that would see him back in bounds. I cocked an eyebrow in surprise. I saw him adjust himself slightly as he walked, testing out his limbs and body discretely as he walked and held in a whistle. He was a good actor. He was pretending to be more hurt than he actually was. He took the time to limp forward though and his eyes darted from Jessie to the grate of water that another trainer had not too long ago noticed and put to good use. ¡°Jessie! Stop being so reactive and breathe! We¡¯ve got this! I want to spit in this guy¡¯s eye for talking down on us! So let¡¯s do it!¡± Jessie blinked before looking at my Onix and then to Meowth. There was obviously some subtext going on here as she nodded. ¡°Right! Meowth prepare to move!¡± The ref dropped his flag as Meowth reached a few metres into the arena. ¡°Onix! Use Slam!¡± I said obliging them to come at them. I was curious what they were going to do. ¡°Meowth leap to the side and then back with a Quick Attack!¡± Meowth leapt to the side but he notably didn¡¯t do it that fast. He still leapt back before Onix could rise from where he¡¯d thrown himself into the tackle however. ¡°I don''t know that move but I can still attack quickly!¡± ¡°Use your claws and scale that Onix! Go for the eyes with Fury Swipes!¡± I snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna just let you do what you want, Onix throw yourself into a Tackle!¡± My Onix rose up and Meowth, like some video game character clung to the giant snake as he threw himself into the ground. ¡°Again!¡± I ordered ¡°Twist yourself around as you come down this time!¡± I said as Meowth scrambled for purchase. This time, he came off but he threw himself back onto Onix¡¯s back again, slightly higher than his last starting position. "Onix, roll over yourself with a log roll!¡± I said, throwing another curve ball at Meowth. ¡°Meowth run on all fours; you¡¯re faster on all fours! It¡¯s the only way!¡± Meowth dropped to all fours, and much like Ash and Pikachu earlier today, he ran on the top of the spinning Onix. ¡°Jeeves cheese! This is degrading is what this is!¡± ¡°Less talk, more running!¡± Jessie shouted. Onix stopped, and instead of being thrown off he sprinted up at Onix¡¯s face. Jessie pumped her fist. ¡°Yes! Now Meowth! Use Fury Swipes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± shouted Meowth as he unleashed a storm of swipes at my pokemon''s one weak point¡­ which was most assuredly not the horn, but rather the eyes. Onix reeled back in pain with his eyes tightly shut. ¡°Ooooooooon!¡± he cried. ¡°Onix! Listen to my voice!¡± I shouted, trying to get him to settle down. ¡°No! How about you listen to my voice instead!¡± said Meowth with the rough smugness that had Onix whipping his head towards the smaller pokemon. ¡°Yeah, That¡¯s right you big lug! How¡¯d you like them oran berries!? Want some more where that came from? I can scratch up pokemon like you all day! Mark you up like a scratch post!¡± he said, brandishing his rather dull-looking claws. Onix roared at this and threw himself forward. I held in a chuckle. Meowth was literally taunting my pokemon. I repressed the grin as Onix lunged straight at Meowth. ¡°Jump Meowth!¡± shouted Jessie. Meowth dodged just in time and my Onix slammed headfirst into the water grate that bracketed the arena. I watched as Meowth was forced to dance back from an irate Onix. My pokemon rose and Meowth had repositioned himself once more in front of a grate. ¡°Onix! Use Rock Throw instead!¡± ¡°Yikes!¡± shouted Meowth as a rock the size of his head soared right at him. ¡°Meowth I swear to you when we¡¯re done here I will make you run laps around camp every day until you learn Quick Attack!¡± screamed Jessie as Meowth was forced to leap to the side. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of Rattata! Meowth don¡¯t learn Quick Attack!¡± Meowth said as he ran away from his impending doom. Onix continued to unleash attack after attack which Meowth narrowly dodged. When one clipped him and once more sent him soaring into the air he yowled. ¡°I¡¯m going to talk to my lawyer when we¡¯re done here!¡± he shouted before he hit the ground and skidded. I snorted a laugh. ¡°Meowth Dig deep!¡± said Jessie. I held in the smirk. It wasn¡¯t a bad move to call for with Meowth having thrown up a bit of dust with his landing. I was about to order my Onix to counter it only to recall that this was technically a first badge challenge and not a third or more challenge. I coughed. ¡°Onix use Slam,¡± I said, readopting my persona. When Onix slammed into the spot lots of people in the stand rose up and cried out only to gasp when it was revealed that there was a hole. I held in my nod of respect and ordered Onix to ready himself only for Meowth to instead launch himself out of the hole he¡¯d just dug instead of another spot. I reeled at the odd choice before realising that Meowth wouldn¡¯t have wanted to dig all that way. ¡°You¡¯ve ruined my nails you big lug! Take some of these! And some of this!¡± he said, jabbing handfuls of dirt into Onix¡¯s eyes. Onix reeled back and Meowth flipped backwards to land on one knee. He was covered in dirt, heaving in lungfuls of air and staring at my pokemon with half-lidded eyes. ¡°Meowth! Meowth! Meowth!¡± cheered the crowd. Meowth didn¡¯t hear them. ¡°Taunt it!¡± said Jessie. ¡°You¡­ you big dumb rock!¡± shouted Meowth. Onix turned and launched itself forward and Meowth barely threw himself out of the way as Onix splashed down into the water. It rose up dramatically before slumping over. The referee raised his flag. ¡°Onix is unable to battle and the victory goes to Jessadia and Meowth!¡± The crowd roared their approval and Meowth who¡¯d been about to pass out jolted in shock before looking up at the crowd cheering his name. He gaped at them as did Jessie and James. I lowered the podiums and approached them. ¡°Congratulations on your victory!¡± I said beaming happily. I offered up a hand with the badge in it. Jessie ignored it to run up to Meowth and snatch him into a cuddle. I felt, not for the first time today, that I¡¯d made the right choice in giving them a chance. Now they¡¯d get their rewards and I¡¯d pry some answers out of them. Such as how they knew Daniel. Chapter 90 - To protect the world! ¡°Yeouch! Eepers jeepers Jess! Careful with them mitts you call hands! I¡¯m roughed up goods!¡± Meowth whined as Jess hugged him. He pushed at her for a bit only to squirm a little as he tried to look at her. ¡°Are you wiping your face on¡­¡± He paused when he saw some tears in her eyes, settling and looking around as if for help. I stopped approaching them to give her a moment to regain her control. Meowth locked eyes with me and we shared a moment of solidarity. We both understood that this wasn¡¯t a moment for any talk. So we just nodded at each other and let Jessie wipe her eyes. Meowth¡¯s face twitched as she used his body to wipe her eyes. When she straightened she coughed once. ¡°Uhm thanks Meowth and sorry, I forgot you were hurt¡­ you were pretty cool out there,¡± Jessie said while pointedly not looking at Meowth. Meowth looked at the damp patches of fur on his chest that were only made worse by the amount of dirt he had on him. I raised a hand to the side, and a potion bottle and a towel were handed to me. I stepped closer and coughed. ¡°Would you like a potion?¡± Meowth made a face but Jessie snatched it up and began to squirt him. I noticed she aimed for the ¡®evidence¡¯ spots where she¡¯d left some tear marks first. Meowth reeled back and would have darted away only to step back into the towel I had in my hands. I wrapped him up and began to work the potion through his fur in a gentle lathering motion. ¡°Hey watch your¡­ oh this is pretty nice actually,¡± he said as he shut his eyes. He began to lean into the rub and Jessie continued to lightly administer the potion when I opened up the towel. I didn¡¯t have to point out the bruises or cuts. Jessie if anything beat me to it. She worked efficiently and when she was done there was still at least half a bottle of potion left. She gave me a nod and watched me work the towel over Meowth. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ rather good at that¡­¡± she said softly, a question hanging on with her words as to how I¡¯d gotten so gentle with pokemon. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I have eight little brothers and sisters to look after. You have to learn to be firm while not being rough.¡± She frowned at that and swallowed. ¡°I forgot about that,¡± she murmured. I hummed and finished wiping Meowth down. He leaned after the towel only to blink and look down at his fluffy appearance. Jessie snorted a laugh at him but kept her mouth clenched as he muttered something. I raised a hand and bowed over it. ¡°Sorry about being a jerk during the match, by the way, most people don¡¯t mind that I come across as a bit of a jerk for the match. It makes winning for them all the sweeter.¡± I gestured at them both. ¡°You both seemed a bit¡­ well I think it got under your skin more than I intended. Sorry if I went too far, it''s just an act.¡± Meowth coughed. ¡°Yeah, I knew that! You need to work on your acting.¡± Jessie looked away. ¡°I was pretty taken in by it¡­¡± We both ignored Meowth¡¯s light kick to shut her up. I gave Meowth a look over before stepping in. I took Jessie¡¯s hand in mine and she shot me a confused look as her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. I stepped back and turned to the crowd, her hand rising up with mine. ¡°Give it up for the challenger and her pokemon!¡± I shouted to the crowd. The crowd roared their approval and Jessie blanched as she recalled that there were other people watching us. Meowth gaped as people waved and cheered. James led a small crew of what looked like local mothers through a cheering routine. ¡°M-E-O-W-T-H! MEOWTH! WAY TO GO!¡± they chorused. James then shook his pom poms before starting up another chant. ¡°Give me a J!¡± ¡°J!¡± ¡°Give me an E!¡± ¡°E!¡± ¡°Give me an S!¡± ¡°S!¡± ¡°Another S!¡± ¡°S!¡± Jessie ¡®subtly started miming an A at James and he winked at her. ¡°Give me an A!¡± ¡°A!¡± ¡°Give me a D!¡± ¡°¡ª¡± Instead of performing the cheer the women that had until that point been following along fell over themselves giggling. I chuckled as James cluelessly tilted his head before gasping and shooting the women annoyed glances as they laughed at him. Meowth and Jessie chuckled. They otherwise enjoyed the moment of watching a group of strangers that had never met them before this moment, cheer¡­ for them. I¡¯d seen it so many times before for the other trainers that came through my doors. Just as I typically portrayed myself as a barrier, I had also made sure to cultivate a group of enthusiasts that enjoyed watching pokemon battles. People that were active and supportive as a crowd. Missy and Rachel had both been good hires for their ability to hype up the crowds. I¡¯d given them ¡®games¡¯ and themes for the gym with people coming in on certain days getting to do ¡®Pewter¡¯ avalanches. Which were really just the Mexican wave from my past life. When it was beach party day in a few weeks, I expected more than a few people to turn up in tropical clothes and I knew Jackson was already jockeying to be in the gym so he could bring out all the clothes he wore during his journey through Sevii and the Orange Islands. I fully expect beach balls and hammocks to be set up around the gym for that day. And I¡¯d probably have Brawly back here again. Still, that was for later. For now, it was time to enjoy the moment of a young trainer receiving adulation for their victory. For them to stand in the limelight and be praised. For some people, it was a high they never forgot. When you gave such acknowledgement to a young person it resonated with them. It was a defining moment, and better yet it was a moment that they knew could be repeated. When they did the right thing and fought tooth and nail. Using their brains and working as a team with their pokemon. When they displayed true empathy for their partners like Jessie had done just now? The crowds I¡¯d brought cheered as loud as they could as they tried to raise the roof. I let the cheers continue for a long while. I got a good laugh when it started to die off only for a spirited group to raise the cheer back up again, only for it to die off again. Then James led another group in rousing the cheers. It reminded me of the antics we got up to with applause in my high school. This wasn¡¯t malicious, in any way. It was meant in only the best of ways. Jessie laughed at the show, and eventually the applause died away. I took the small badge case and raised it up. ¡°Jess¡­adia, Ekans, and Meowth, for your victory against me here I hereby acknowledge your right to display the Pewter City Gym badge. With this, you are one step closer to being able to register for the end-of-circuit tournament where the best trainers that have completed the Indigo circuit compete. If you continue to grow, I have no doubt you will be among them.¡± I smiled at Meowth. ¡°With a pokemon as intelligent as this Meowth I should imagine that the sky''s the limit. I¡¯d suggest deepening your move pool. I would also work with your Ekans to make it faster and more accurate with its moves. Your use of Glare was not wrong, but the execution left much to be desired.¡± I nodded my head towards the back. ¡°Now there were some details we needed to work on, such as which account to distribute your winnings to." I smiled innocently like nothing was wrong, and it was all part of the routine. ¡°You paid in cash, no?¡± Jessie and Meowth blinked in surprise. Then they shared a sly look before nodding. ¡°Oh! Yeah! We did! That was us!¡± they said happily. Meowth then coughed. ¡°How much do we win again?¡± I told them the number and Meowth coughed. ¡°Maybe we should do some more pokemon gyms¡­ if they all pay like that¡­¡± I hummed. ¡°It¡¯ll give you a few nights at a good restaurant, certainly. But then again, most Pewter restaurants like to make it a point of giving a discount for trainers that have the local badge.¡± Then again, they might just start with their prices marked up considering that most of the time it was a first-tier badge people were fighting for. As Gym Leader, I got an even bigger discount when I went out to eat. But most of the places I went typically saw me, and nine other mouths considering Munchlax tagged along these days. I almost always saw the pokedollar symbols flash in people¡¯s eyes. I waved for James to join us, and he scrambled down. ¡°What¡¯s going on Jess¡­adia!?¡± he said. I ignored the shot to the ribs Jessie gave James as I swiped my card against the door and passed through. Meowth explained to James what was going to happen, and I smiled like a host showing them the V.I.P area. I led them to my office, where I claimed a seat after seating them and shutting the door. I spared a glance at the clock and hummed to myself. I had enough time for this. ¡°So what account did you want the money transferred to?¡± I said conversationally. James rattled off an account number and I wrote it down for later investigation. ¡°Oh sorry, did you want me to pay out in cash instead?¡± I already had them in my trap after all. Jessie and James stiffened. ¡°That¡¯s an option?¡± they said. I made a show of nodding. When they nodded back, I scrunched up the note and tossed it aside into an out tray. I made a special note of where it landed for later. I¡¯d have the Guardians tap that account and put special watches on it and any other accounts feeding into it. It might just be James; personal account but odds were it was linked to Team Rocket. I opened a lock box and ¡®ignored¡¯ the way they watched where I had gotten the money from just as they ignored the passcode I used on the lockbox. ¡°Say, how did you know Daniel?¡± I said as I counted out the money and handed it off. Jessie waved her hand about. ¡°Oh, you know you just sort of bump into people like him.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± I said tilting my head to the side. ¡°You were part of the expedition into the Northern wastelands he was on for the last few years?¡± I said with a sceptical tone. It was a lie but one they shouldn¡¯t know. I knew what Daniel''s time with the Ranger''s entailed, I''d spoken with Hank about him before I hired him after all. They didn''t, and I could tell by the way they sat up and inhaled sharply. Jessie reacted the fastest. ¡°Oh, we knew him before that but¡­ well it was just a friendship from our hometown¡­ I barely recognised him! The Northern wastelands you said? No wonder he looks different!¡± ¡°Barely recognisable!¡± Meowth chimed in. James nodded quickly. ¡°A completely different man!¡± ¡°Amazed he recognised us,¡± Jessie said with a nod, not realising how they were putting nails into Daniel¡¯s coffin. With them not knowing him, he must know them. And they¡­ they were interesting figures that stood out only in one organisation. ¡°Huh¡­ that¡¯s interesting¡­ He must be a good friend to cover for you snooping around like you were,¡± I said turning the computer screen around to show Jessie ripping off her janitors'' uniform to reveal her current attire while James did a more showy stripping number to take off his. I laid my head on my hands and watched them realise that I knew they were up to no good. They snapped to look me in the eyes and I smiled lazily. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask him how he knows a pair of thieves. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be devastated to learn what¡¯s become of you.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. James twitched but aborted the gesture. Jessie licked her lips and Meowth began to take in the room at large. When he glanced at the door and measured how far he had to get before looking at me, I could see him performing the math in his head. He was working out if he could get out that door before I could get to him. He didn¡¯t seem to like the result of that equation, as he sat very still. ¡°It¡¯s interesting, you know? Most thieves know not to come around here. After the Team Rocket raid they understood just how much I train my pokemon. They understood that they¡¯d have to fight for even a scrap of what I had worked to create here.¡± I stared through them and channelled my dark and rock energy to loom over them like some shadowy mountain. Unlike some fantastical mountains though, they¡¯d find no adventure or treasure from me. ¡°You are extremely skilled at what you do, and obviously have a high estimation of your skill to think you can come and take what is mine.¡± They swallowed, and James¡¯ hand inched downwards. I pushed aside the dark energy lest I decided to break the man for doing something ¡®brave¡¯. Still, if he touched that pokeball he¡¯d learn how out of his depth he was. Jessie caught the movement though and her head twitched into a small shake that had James stopping. Hmmm, interesting. ¡°Did you know before I took the challenge?¡± Jessie said quietly. I locked gazes with her and hummed. She was holding herself so tight. I ran through my mind how things might look to her. Ah, did she think I¡¯d thrown that match to facilitate this moment? I eyed her. I looked at her and could almost see how brittle she was with her confidence. Where moments before she¡¯d been exuberant at her and Meowth¡¯s victory, a malaise was taking over now. To me, it seemed like I¡¯d offered a toy only to snatch it away in some cruel prank. ¡°I knew before the match what you were up to¡­¡± I let the moment hang as Jessie shrunk into herself. ¡°But I still went through with it, because I was curious.¡± Jessie remained staring at the floor. Meowth shot her a worried look before taking over. ¡°Curious? About what?¡± I relaxed a little more into my chair, leaning back and humming. ¡°What sort of people you were. Beyond thieves.¡± I twirled a finger around. ¡°Did you know that pokemon battles can tell you a lot about a person?¡± James snorted at that. ¡°That¡¯s a myth. A silly fable based on old stories about people fighting Pokemon and each other with weapons to ¡®carry the intent¡¯ or some such nonsense." I let my hand make a so-so gesture. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t discount it like that. I just think it would take a lot more¡­¡± I considered the implications of aura and what that would do to carry¡­ I coughed. ¡°Sorry, got lost in thought for a moment. But no. I was instead referencing how you treated your¡­ companions. When Ekans was injured you didn¡¯t force him to continue battling. You were also careful with them and they reciprocated that care with you.¡± I rubbed my jaw and huffed a laugh. ¡°If anything I was too rough with you for a first badge challenge. You impressed me and I pushed for more to see what you were made of.¡± I smiled. ¡°Sorry, not sorry!¡± Jessie blinked, her head shooting up to look at me incredulously. ¡°What?! You¡¯re¡­ sorry, not sorry?! What does that mean?!¡± ¡°Means he¡¯s not sorry that he¡¯s not sorry¡­¡± said James who was tilting his head. ¡°That¡­ an apology with the words but no substance to them.¡± He sniffed and I saw a glimpse of all the lessons on etiquette that he must have endured growing up with his family. ¡°Hmmm, well regardless, don¡¯t worry about that badge or that money,¡± I said pointing to the Badge that was in Jessie¡¯s hands along with the money in Meowth¡¯s paws. ¡°You earned that.¡± Meowth looked down at it and regarded it strangely. ¡°Huh¡­¡± he said eloquently. I rubbed my chin. ¡°Why crime?¡± I said. The trio blinked at me and I watched confusion and befuddlement paint itself across their faces. They opened their mouths and shut them only to frown as they struggled with the question. Perhaps they¡¯d never asked themselves that question before? I glanced at the clock and decided that I wasn¡¯t going to get an answer. I wasn¡¯t that interested in it to be honest. It was a whim. Nothing more. I sat up and loosened a groan like how rocks grind against each other when warning of an impending avalanche. ¡°Well regardless, you¡¯ll be free to leave. I can¡¯t hold you for what you did¡­ If you¡¯d gone to my house I might do something else but¡­¡± I let the dark rise up again and they shivered as they nodded quickly as they understood the unsaid threat. ¡°Good, then we understand each other.¡± I smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t ever try to steal from me or mine again,¡± I said firmly, drawing a line in the sand. Their heads bobbed up and down like bobbleheads. I nodded and held my position. The video I had up on my computer showed a security flaw I wasn¡¯t aware of. Meowth perked up when I toggled the sound on before his ears went flat to his head. ¡°Electronic lock. State of the art, thankfully there is a trick to these that was highlighted in locks monthly.¡± his voice played over the video and I hummed as Jessie started asking about Ice cream of all things. ¡°I hadn¡¯t known about that¡­ I¡¯ll have to have that fixed.¡± I stared at Meowth before inspecting the others. Meowth was now drawn in on himself, with Jessie and James leaning slightly in as if to protect him. ¡°You¡¯re part of Team Rocket as well, right?¡± They shot each other a look. Knowing that confirming that statement was good enough to see me detaining them. ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about that." I shook my head. ¡°I just want you to pass along a message.¡± I held out a hand to let a sly smile slip out. ¡°Tell your boss that if I find another attempt on my gym, I will hunt down Team Rocket. I won¡¯t care where they commit their crimes, and I won¡¯t care if it costs me a fortune. I will ruin Team Rocket for coming after me and mine.¡± I circled the air with a finger. ¡°This is my home, and I built it for my family. Coming in here means so much more to me than just theft.¡± I leaned in towards them. ¡°That¡¯s a promise,¡± I said. Perhaps for a moment, they glimpsed my aura. Usually, only those that had the capacity could ¡®see¡¯ it but that didn¡¯t stop people from feeling it. They nodded as one. I dropped the aura and brightened up. Adopting my usual persona as the friendly big brother that was more than happy to help out young, up-and-coming trainers. ¡°Well good, I¡¯m glad we had this chat! I have a pokemon match to get to, so if you come on out I¡¯ll see you back to the public area.¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your winnings.¡± I led a silent trio out to the stands, locking up as I went. They were as quiet as a group of Whismur. They were startled when the crowd shouted in greeting at their return. I clapped them on the shoulders. ¡°Think about what I said both out here, and back there.¡± I gave Jessie an earnest look. ¡°I truly believe that you do have the potential to be at the conference at the end of the year if you so desire.¡± Jessie opened her mouth, but no words came out. I smiled and waved towards the exit. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching for you¡­ I just hope the circumstances are good,¡± I said before turning towards the podium where I would call forth the next challenger. The trio left, but they looked like someone had hit them with Confusion before sending them off. Hmmmm, that was probably good, right? I turned to the next pokemon trainer. Ready to get through them. I hadn¡¯t lied by mentioning that the next Team Rocket action against me that I caught would see me hunting down Team Rocket. I hadn¡¯t lied about that. It was just that the trio didn¡¯t know I¡¯d worked something out about Daniel. So, I was already planning on doing that. They didn¡¯t need to know that, just as they and their boss didn¡¯t need to know I knew who their boss was. Still, it would look rather reasonable to people looking in when I discovered their next move against me. Such as the Guardians. How soon that happened would depend on the sort of answers Daniel gave me when I was done with these trainers. That could wait. I was good at waiting. I held my Rock Aura and relaxed into the rest of the day. I faced a trainer that chose a Pidgeotto for his first pokemon. I started the match with a Rock Throw and stared them down when they blustered demands at me. They sent out an Oddish after that and regathered well enough for their first badge. The trainer after that had a Growlithe that was quick, but that was it. They couldn¡¯t weather my pokemon¡¯s attacks and they couldn¡¯t break through fire¡¯s weakness to rock pokemon. If they¡¯d been lucky they might have gotten an Aron but instead, I started off with an electrical Geodude. The crowd was very appreciative of a rare pokemon like that making an appearance. When I got a trainer challenging for the fourth badge level, I was able to go a bit harder on them. They immediately started off on the back foot as I unleashed Izumi in all her glory. Critical hit after critical hit made short work of his team and he was left gaping. ¡°But¡­ but I prepared for this so much?¡± he said as he stared at his downed Nidorino. I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Turns out you weren¡¯t fully ready this time. Some people will have pokemon like Izumi who are much more than they appear.¡± I rattled off a few methods to prevent such an incident from happening again before looking to the next trainer. The next trainer sent out a Mudkip which actually broke me from my funk. I looked up to see them smiling broadly. I had thought for a moment that I¡¯d see an auburn haired girl with a bandana on her head but instead I found myself staring at a blue-haired girl. ¡°Mindy right?¡± I said, taking a moment to recall her name. She nodded. ¡°Yeah! Present!¡± she said happily. I snorted and signalled to the referee to start the match. She ended up winning her first badge. When she got her feedback and winnings from me she lingered. I cocked my head to the side. ¡°Yes?¡± I said with a smile, wondering which of the most commonly asked questions she would ask. ¡°Could¡­ could I ask after your geodude line? The variant typing? How does one go about getting one from you?¡± I nodded. ¡°Well right now¡¯s not a great time, but we do have a batch of eggs that might hatch in a few months. I¡¯m only going to sell them on to trainers that have proven themselves though.¡± I brought up her challenge. ¡°See how you just came for the badge challenge. If you want to seriously attempt to gain the right to get a variant geodude from me,¡± I had to struggle not to say Alolan Geodude, ¡°then I expect at least four gauntlet runs with nothing but victories, or better.¡± ¡°Or better?¡± she said with a tilt of her head. ¡°The Elite Challenges,¡± I said, answering her question. ¡°Oh¡­ how long do I have?¡± she said while tugging on her hair nervously. I shrugged. ¡°How long is a piece of string?¡± She gave me a confused look at that. ¡°Sorry, what I meant was that there are lots of interested parties. So you¡¯re going to have four months before the eggs get close. I could give some out then, to help the bond trainers will get with the eventual pokemon, but that¡¯s going to be tough.¡± Mindy got a determined look. ¡°I¡¯ll be back! I saw your Golem¡¯s performance and I want that! The dual rock-electric would be perfect to build a team with when I go pro Ace trainer!¡± ¡°Good to see you¡¯re thinking of this early,¡± I said, happy to compliment her. She nodded and said her goodbyes. Vowing to come back soon. I waved her off and headed for the lounge to enjoy a break for lunch. There I ran into Daniel, and just like that everything that had been rubbing me the wrong way came rushing back. He raised his eyebrows and I gave a fake smile before grabbing some food. I didn¡¯t want to create an incident now. Better to let everyone go home. Or perhaps I could just cancel the day and use this as an excuse? I chewed my lip in thought while trying not to pay too much attention to the Donphan in the room. Just as I made sure to not pay too little attention to him. It was a tough balancing act. I must not have been that good however as before the break ended he approached me. ¡°You alright Brock? The others are saying you were kind of brutal with that last fight?¡± I held in the urge to grab him and demand he confess. Instead, I grimaced. ¡°Urgh yeah, guess it¡¯s just feeling like the start of the week.¡± Daniel bobbled his head from side to side. Then an alert pinged us. I sighed. ¡°People are getting too rough outside as well it would seem.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it Brock!¡± he said, stalking off. I felt an idea form in my mind. As he walked off, I whistled to get his attention. ¡°Hey, call Jenny around for me, will you? I think we need to have them toeing the line better. This is the start of the circuit. Let¡¯s put everyone on notice to behave a bit more.¡± Daniel grunted at that and nodded before heading off again. I smiled to myself, enjoying the moment of making him unknowingly tighten his own noose. It didn¡¯t seem like he suspected anything. When the final match finished ¡ªa rather spirited showing by a trainer with a very well trained Primeape¡ª I pinged Daniel to come to my office. I also shot off a message for Rocko to bring Jenny around to the office and wait outside for me. Then after a moment¡¯s thought, I sent out another message to Sabrina to meet them outside my office. Daniel walked up the hallway and waved. ¡°Hey Brock? Something happen?¡± I made a show of rolling my eyes before remembering that he wouldn¡¯t get what I was doing, so instead I shook my head. ¡°Routine stuff. Wanted to go over your paperwork.¡± He gave a grimace and stepped into the office. ¡°Oh sorry, I didn¡¯t get everything cleaned up cause I was uhmmm trying to get home quick?¡± he said. Now that I was looking for it I could taste the lie. How had I believed that before? ¡­ now that I thought about it, his ¡®backstory¡¯ of being a Ranger that had gotten over his head with his partner and was trying to do right for her and their kid¡­ didn¡¯t that just tug at my heartstrings? Like it had been pieced together specifically for me to just lap up. I glanced at him and while he looked chagrined, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he wasn¡¯t laughing at me in contempt. I must seem like an idiot to this man with how long I¡¯d been strung along. I stared into his eyes and saw something dark within. I considered that with a frown. I sat on my desk instead of behind it. I didn¡¯t want him to have even a moment¡¯s lead if he decided to run. ¡°Brock?¡± ¡°How¡¯s your wife?¡± I asked with a tilt of my head still wondering if, perhaps¡­ He rolled his eyes and waved his hand. ¡°Urgh, the usual, complaining about the baby and her back pains. She¡¯s alright.¡± the way he said it, now that I was focused on it¡­. It smacked of contempt. I stared straight through him as I tried to come up with what to say to him after. I wanted to be sly and subtle in trapping him. Lead him by the nose, and before he could realise how deep a hole he¡¯d dug, close it up on him. I wanted to say something clever. Instead, I found myself hung up on that prior thought of how he had seemed contemptuous when I mentioned his wife. ¡°You don¡¯t love her do you?¡± I said, feeling unimaginably sad all of a sudden. Perhaps it was because I had wanted to believe in his attempts to do right by his wife¡­ Or perhaps it was because I had such a glaring weak spot that someone like Daniel had looked at me and seen it clear as day and used that to get close. Daniel blinked and for a moment his mask held. Then he snorted, and a sneer took over his face. I knew what he was about to say. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s just a girl I picked up.¡± He eyed me and said, ¡°What gave me away?¡± I sighed, hating myself for letting a man like this into my gym. Now, with his mask pulled away, I watched him like one would watch a wild Houndoom near the Mareep. Still¡­ Damn, I hadn¡¯t wanted to be right about that. Perhaps that was the trick, making me want to believe in it? Daniel smirked a little through his sneer, and I hated him for, in a way, spitting on something I held so important. He sat there like he knew he was safe. Like I couldn¡¯t hurt him. I was going to prove just how wrong he was. Chapter 91 - Confrontation A sneer can do incredible things to a face. Typically, none of them beautiful. Daniel¡¯s sneer made his face sharper and more angular. His eyes seemed to sink into his face and become like dark gems that glitter out at the world. His lips twisted and thinned to display all his teeth without an inkling of joy. The most drastic change, however, was his nose. It physically remained the same, what changed was how I wanted to push it through his face. I drew on rock energy as heavily as I ever had before and let myself be the mountain in front of the breeze that was this tiny man. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s just a chick I had a fling with. Kid¡¯s not mine, useful though isn¡¯t she?¡± He tilted his head, scrutinising me. ¡°What gave me away?¡± His words resounded with me for a long moment as everything started to click into place properly. Ah, he still doesn¡¯t know how many connections I¡¯ve formed. I decided to let this play out. With Sabrina nearby, I¡¯m going to be interested in what I can get. Jenny will no doubt be confused about my asking her to stick around. Until she suddenly won¡¯t be. I hummed. The words themselves slid off me easily enough, but I felt a deep sadness at my core from the meaning behind them. ¡°I think¡­ pretty much everything from the past five minutes. I always thought it weird how you¡¯d have those little offhand comments about your wife, but then again I figured each to their own. Plus, you seemed like the type of a guy who liked to play the field so I could understand that you needed time to adjust to the thought of suddenly having a family.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°But¡­ you never actually wanted to change your ways, did you?¡± I don¡¯t specify that I mean for his fake family, and I don¡¯t feed his lie. He can do that well enough. I raised a languid hand and traced the lines of his face in the air. ¡°For just a moment I saw something that made me realise¡­ that you can¡¯t stand her.¡± His sneer falls away into one of confusion before it becomes more neutral. A mask that he¡¯s become apt at holding, but now I know it for what it is. I look into his eyes and I can practically see the emotions conveyed that he tries to hide. It helps to know what to look for, I suppose. He had been very good. I could see how it all must have been laid out. A good infiltrator with a very good cover story. Not perfect. Certainly not. But good. Certainly good enough to get in the door. He must have spent years working in the Rangers as a plant for later assignment. Or perhaps that had been the assignment until an opportunity arrived. He would have funnelled information to his superiors in Team Rocket with the Rangers none the wiser. Then he got the chance to sign up with my gym. So he does some research on what I¡¯m like. My media appearances. What I say, what I do. What I don¡¯t say and don¡¯t do. Professionals would tear apart what I¡¯ve put out into the world and my comments on certain aspects of the world. So he deepens his appeal by appearing to be a man caught in a tough situation with a kid on the way. And he¡¯s trying to do right by them. Now where have I heard a story like that? He must have felt really clever when he set that up. He would have been patting himself on the back for playing on my heartstrings like a damn guitar. And there I had been thinking I was being oh so benevolent in offering this man a place in my gym. I¡¯d fallen for it hook, line, and sinker, easier than a magikarp with a stick and a string attached to it. Or as the old timers called ¡® an old rod¡¯. And now he had a ton of information that he has likely already passed on. Things like what composition of pokemon I had. The moves I prioritised training. Where I got my pokechow from. Hell, some of the pokemon at the gym would have happily followed him out the gates and into the waiting arms of Team Rocket if he wanted by now. I¡¯d let him closer than any threat I ever wanted to me and mine. For Arceus sake, he¡¯d offered to feed my Elites, and escort my family to school. It made my skin crawl. I found myself hoping, wishing, he¡¯d try something right now. I might not be a fighting-type trainer, but I¡¯d gladly break him in two. The smallest flinch from him lets me know I¡¯ve dropped my own mask. I smile. Like nothing was wrong but he must know that I¡¯m less than pleased. ¡°Guess I¡¯m just not cut out for it like you are, eh?¡± he said casually like he wasn¡¯t too worried about being caught. I suppose if I hadn¡¯t known about Jessie and James and their connection, it might not be something I¡¯d make a leap of logic to. I just had to ignore the previous signs and red flags¡­ like that damn phone call on Mt Moon. I narrowed my eyes and sighed. ¡°Hmmm, I think I¡¯m going to have to call you out now cause I¡¯m not sure how much more I can stomach of you pretending to not be a sack of shit.¡± He blinked in surprise. I don¡¯t often swear. You can¡¯t with so many little siblings running around or else they¡¯ll all be cursing like sailors. I let the mask drop fully and glared at him. ¡°Let¡¯s put our cards on the table. If I confronted your ¡®wife¡¯ over what she¡¯s doing here and that I knew you were full of it. What would she do?¡± I stared right through him. He searched my face, looking for the answer. I could see he understood I knew something more than just his hate towards his ¡°wife¡±, but he was still in the dark as to what it was. ¡°She¡¯d be devastated¡­ the baby¡­¡± I glared harder. As if this man cared for the woman he had been using as his¡­ his prop to evade further investigation. I decided to rip the band-aid off the conversation. ¡°When the raid failed cause you gave your superior faulty information. How mad was your boss?¡± He gapes at me for a long moment. He makes to deny it only to catch my look of derision. Yeah, I wasn¡¯t going to buy whatever Rhydon shit he tried to sell. He snorted and relaxed into the chair. His posture shifted until he was more sprawling in the chair than sitting in it. It reminded me of an Ekans I¡¯d watched once lure a rattata into its clutches by playing dead. Perhaps he still thought he had some control of this situation. Now that was interesting. ¡°So you know it all, huh?¡± he said with a jutted-out jaw, there was a gleam in his eyes like he was still laughing at me internally. I got the impression that he was thinking things over. Reviewing how he¡¯d played things out. Where he might have erred. I still got a glimmer of amusement from him. Like he was certain he¡¯d tricked me. ¡®Please try something, please.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, when you take that into account, there¡¯s no reason that you wouldn¡¯t have stuck it out. And while a gym job is good I doubt you¡¯d have stuck around with a family. You don¡¯t care for it. Not unless you were ordered to.¡± This was assuming that his wife, Helen, wasn¡¯t also part of Team Rocket. It struck me as odd that a criminal organisation wouldn¡¯t have any women in a similar state. Unless they practised safer sex or support for those that found themselves in a family way. Somehow, that struck me as incongruous. Imagine a world where criminals got better health care than everyone else¡­ Hmmm, now there was a thought that would be worth thinking about later. For now, I remained focused on Daniel. ¡°Tch, I thought that having her around would be a risk. But I figured people would prefer to see she existed instead of just lying. Always knew she¡¯d be the weak point of my plan.¡± I grunted. ¡°So how angry was your boss with you?¡± I said, restating the question he¡¯d rather niftily dodged. I¡¯d have to watch out for that. ¡°...¡± he stared at me. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t bother with me even if I did give that information.¡± ¡°Soooo,¡± I drawled, ¡°you don¡¯t think it was a coincidence that I gave you heads up on the date of the bonding exercise that just so happened to be when we got raided?¡± Daniel worked his jaw. I sniffed. ¡°Guess you weren¡¯t that clever then.¡± He narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°It would have worked.¡± I held in the smirk and instead raised an eyebrow in disbelief at him. He sat up. ¡°It should have been easy. You¡¯ve never mentioned training your pokemon like you had and no one had seen your Swampert in months if not years! It didn¡¯t even come up on the audit register they got a hold of!¡± He shot me a stink eye like he was put out by my ¡ªnow-justified¡ª paranoia. I sniffed dismissively. ¡°And still you¡¯re fishing for information.¡± I shook my head at him. He shrugged confidently, as if he knew I couldn''t do anything against him. I didn¡¯t correct him. Let him think the law was on his side. He really should have known better than to try this on a gym that had been raided before. If this had been a corporation, they would have made sure the law never factored in. But it was different for this situation, and now I could use the Law like a bludgeon or a scalpel, whatever I so desired. ¡°Where are your bases located?¡± I said with a glare. He huffed at me. ¡°Why would I ever answer that?¡± he said with an amused lilt to his voice. ¡°Are there any more bases in Pewter that you know of? Cells of Rocket operatives?¡± He shook his head but I continued. ¡°What about Cerulean city? Any Rockets you know of there?¡± He raised his eyebrows at me. ¡°Celadon? Saffron? Vermillion? Lavender town? Cinnabar? Hophophop town? Gringey city? Hollywood? Neon Town?¡± I said, giving each location a small break. I watched him carefully but only got mild flickers when I mentioned places like Vermillion, Gringey city, and Neon city. ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk!¡± he said, happy to sit there. I continued to stare him down. ¡°Viridian? Any cells there?¡± That got a twinge and I leaned forward. ¡°Oh?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Nope, you¡¯re playing a game you can¡¯t back up any more Brock. Read me my rights and open the door to let Officer Jenny in.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s obvious you¡¯ve got her waiting out there for me by now. I worked out that little trap of yours. You¡¯re not booking me, so she can¡¯t read me my rights and stop you from pestering me.¡± I smirked at him, my amusement no longer able to be contained. ¡°Is that what you think is happening right now?¡± His look of superiority flickered for a moment as uncertainty crept in. I hummed. ¡°Where is the Rocket Academy located?¡± He blanched. ¡°How the hell do you¡­¡± He clamped his mouth shut like a Cloyster under attack from a Squirtle. ¡°Not! TALKING!¡± he said suddenly looking murderous. ¡°Ah good to get that confirmed. I¡¯d heard rumours,¡± I said drawing on my prior life¡¯s knowledge of the training that Jessie, James, Butch and Cassidy had to go through. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Who the hell breathed a word of that place?¡± Daniel stared at me in shock. I smirked at him. ¡°Hmmmm, who knows? But what I do know is that I¡¯ll be able to put out word of it and have people know that I¡¯ve got you locked up as a Rocket member. And if people start to link you and that little slip up together in their minds, well that¡¯s just a logical connection, right?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°How big was your class at the academy? Twelve, twenty students that were all fellow Rocket grunts? How many classes do they hold each year?¡± Daniel glared at me. ¡°Fuck no, I ain¡¯t talking no more! Get Jenny in here and cuff me already!¡± He made to get up and march to the door. I barked a laugh, unable to stop myself. ¡°Haha! Oh it¡¯s hilarious that you think you¡¯re not deep in it.¡± He frowned at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s just that¡­ well this isn¡¯t like being a spy for the Rangers. In the Rangers unless you had been around some of the senior rangers family there wouldn¡¯t be a similar level of action brought to bear.¡± I raised my hand and started ticking things off. ¡°You fed information to outside parties which is first a breach of your contract with the Gym.¡± A second finger. ¡°You fed information to a party that damaged and injured pokemon on the gym¡¯s property.¡± A third. ¡°You once asked to walk my family to school.¡± My gaze promised him he would not like what I was going to do to him. ¡°I can fill in the gaps about what might have happened now if you¡¯d ever been allowed to do so.¡± Kidnapping was escalating in the worst of ways, they¡¯d have me over a barrel¡­ If that was on the cards, I¡¯d need to draw a line in the sand in someone else¡¯s blood. Thankfully, I had a system in place that hadn¡¯t included Daniel. Yolanda and Forrest were very good at making sure one of them was walking the other kids to school with two of my Elite team ready to be called out. Daniel swallowed. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not provable!¡± I stared him down. ¡°Daniel, I did some reading since the last Team Rocket Raid. Did you know there¡¯s a difference for people attacking a Gym and people infiltrating one according to Indigo law? Were you aware that the Gym, should another war break out, is to be designated as a military outpost that is deemed vital to Kanto¡¯s defences?¡± Daniel blinked. ¡°What? But there¡¯s no war?¡± For some reason, something I¡¯d said had made him go white. I waggled my finger. ¡°Ah! But that¡¯s not important. What matters is that as a spy caught red-handed, you will not be granted certain privileges, such as the right to counsel." I smiled darkly at him as his face turned green. ¡°Just as you are not going to be allowed to claim any right to not being interrogated by a Psychic.¡± His eyes were huge as he stared at me. They involuntarily darted around the room. He sucked in a breath of air. Then he snapped his head to me and he snarled, ¡°Haunter! Take him out!¡± From his shadow, a purple form shot towards me. I had half a second to gasp in surprise before the pokemon was on me. Then I punched out with my arm and let my emotions out. My fist connected with the smirking Haunter¡¯s face and hurled the ghost pokemon to the opposite wall where it hit and slid down. Daniel had taken a step back and was reaching for the door. His face was caught half in a smirk and half in shock as I strode up to him, darkness roiling out of me. I felt a deep anticipation for what was to come now well within my rights to do as I wanted. ¡°Wha? But you can¡¯t punch ghos¡ª¡± I raised a leg and kicked him square in the sternum. He rocketed back into, and then through the door. The door shattered into splinters at the impact and he slammed into the wall on the other side of the hall. I strode after him as he struggled to draw in a breath through suddenly empty lungs. ¡°You!¡± It came out as a wheeze. ¡°Can¡¯t!¡± Another pained sob. ¡°Do this!¡± he said. ¡°This is my home.¡± I stood over him. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find I¡¯ll do anything to protect it.¡± I so wanted to lift my foot and stomp down on him. It¡¯d be so easy. Like crushing a bug. He stared at me in fear as I stepped forward again. Then Jenny and Rocko grabbed me. ¡°Woah! Woah! Brock! Calm down!¡± Rocko said. ¡°Gym Leader Brock he¡¯s no longer a threat! Let me take over!¡± I still inched forward despite their grasp. Then I felt something else draw me back. I looked back and noted Sabrina standing to the side. ¡°Brock, relax. Your family is fine. I can feel them all with your father right now.¡± I relaxed at that, exhaling out my dark energy. Jenny patted me on the shoulder. ¡°Wow you¡¯re strong. I¡¯m going to have to start working out with Trixie as well if this is the result she produces.¡± Rocko shook his shoulders loose and huffed before turning to glare at Daniel. ¡°Damn man¡­ you were an Ekans all this time?¡± He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. I inhaled and took the moment to work out my next step. ¡°Jenny you¡¯re going to have to only let people you¡¯d trust little Jenny with have access to him.¡± Sabrina coughed. ¡°Actually, you¡¯re going to have to include a League Agent in that list.¡± I frowned. ¡°Why?¡± Sabrina stared straight into Daniel¡¯s eyes. ¡°Because he wasn¡¯t just a Rocket spy, but also a spy from a Hoenn organisation called Team Magma.¡± Daniel¡¯s eyes shot wider at that and this time he turned green. ¡°H-how?!¡± he said through his injured lungs. ¡°Your mind is like a book to me,¡± she said as her eyes glowed. ¡°Now, sleep.¡± she said, tapping him on the forehead. Daniel¡¯s head fell to his chest. Jenny gave a small chuckle. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re scary Sabrina.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Sabrina replied. I pinched the bridge of my nose. Damn it. This just became so much bigger than I¡¯d planned. Not that I¡¯d planned anything beyond nailing Daniel through a wall. Heh, I¡¯d actually gotten to literally do it. Still, things had developed further than I expected; I just needed to break it down into manageable steps. ¡°Right, right. Jenny, you can hold him here right?¡± I glanced back into my office. ¡°There was a Haunter in here¡­¡± She nodded firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Arcanine and I can handle him no worries!¡± She glanced into the room ¡°A Haunter?¡± I glanced back through my splintered door. Hadn¡¯t that been made of solid wood? How hard had I kicked Daniel? ¡°I thought it was down for the count?¡± I said. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed. ¡°... Interesting,¡± she said, tilting her head to the side. ¡°I usually can¡¯t detect Ghost types but this Haunter is fleeing and leaking energy¡­ You must have hurt it. It is currently running away.¡± She tilted her head for a moment. ¡°You terrified it Brock.¡± Rocko snorted. ¡°Now there¡¯s a joke waiting to be told. What¡¯re ghosts scared of!? Brock!¡± Sabrina tilted her head considering it before nodding. ¡°It is more a factual statement in truth than a joke, but it was a nice attempt.¡± Rocko blinked at her and then eyed me. ¡°Uhm¡­ yeah actually you¡¯re right¡­¡± He rubbed his jaw. ¡°Still feel like there¡¯s potential there though,¡± he said under his breath. I sighed, happy that I didn¡¯t need to get one of the channelers in to run around my gym after the pokemon. Although I probably could have just gone the nuclear option on it and asked Agatha to come flush Haunter out if it¡¯d tried to hide. Actually¡­. Hmmmm. I pointed at Rocko. ¡°I need you to call Nurse Joy and get her up here to¡­ monitor and hold Dani¡­ Helen.¡± I clicked my tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t want her freaking out. She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s not in trouble but¡­ she¡¯s going to have to answer some questions for us.¡± Jenny got a pinched look on her face. ¡°Procedure is to not stress out a pregnant woman.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can understand that, but I also don¡¯t want her hanging about the gym unsupervised knowing what we do now.¡± I glared up at the ceiling. There wasn¡¯t really a cut-and-dry answer in this situation. Jenny swallowed. ¡°Right, well I¡¯m glad you¡¯re still thinking like that. I was worried.¡± I looked down at her. ¡°Hmmm?¡± She shifted and straightened up having just cuffed Daniel¡¯s hands after frisking his unconscious form. ¡°Well it¡¯s just seeing you kick Daniel through that door and march out. It was kind of scary, I have to admit.¡± Rocko made robotic movements. ¡°It was like watching the Magemiteman! Part steel, part man with how on a mission you were to mess up Daniel!¡± Jenny coughed in surprise before nodding. ¡°Well, yes, but it wasn¡¯t something I expected to see from you.¡± ¡°Guess he got a reaction from me.¡± Jenny chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± She gestured at Daniel. ¡°I think I¡¯ll keep him here until Joy can look him over, but no rush. I¡¯ve seen these sorts of injuries before and they shouldn¡¯t be an issue for him. Bit of rest and we¡¯ll have him singing.¡± She smirked, ¡°Have to admit I¡¯m looking forward to having full access to a psychic interrogation for once!¡± I nodded. ¡°Best make sure no one else gets access to him before that." I rolled my shoulders. ¡°He just became a very important prisoner.¡± I glanced at Sabrina and she nodded. I relaxed. Excellent, my baiting and poking at Daniel before I told him how deep in it he was had gotten some information. Jenny and Rocko made their calls. I stepped back into the office and sent a message of my own off to the Guardians to inform them of what had happened. I made sure to ask to have Koga and Agatha present to lock things down. I was going to take this as far as I possibly could. Team Magma had a long-term spy with Daniel? Damn, I hadn¡¯t seen that coming. Joy arrived quickly, her Rapidash was perfect to see her blazing a trail up to the gym on the security cameras. I had no doubt that there would be a number of reporters knocking on my door, but Nurse Joy rushing up to the gym would be small news with what was to come. I shot off a message to Alexa to cancel all my gym matches tomorrow and escorted Joy to Daniel and Helen¡¯s shared room. I paused when I heard young voices still up. Great, Ash, Greta, Misty, and Forrest were in the common area as we strode past. They waved only for Forrest to bolt upright. ¡°Bro!? Is something wrong?¡± he said. I held a hand for Joy to stop for a moment. ¡°Hey guys there¡¯s been something that¡¯s gone down and I¡¯m going to have to ask you to steer clear of it.¡± Ash of course only stood up. ¡°Need any help?! Me and Pikachu can help out!¡± Pikachu nodded firmly at that, and I chuckled. ¡°Afraid not. I just need to have a chat with Helen.¡± At Forrest¡¯s clueless look, I rolled my eyes. ¡°Daniel¡¯s wife,¡± I said. Next to me Joy, having been read in, clicked her tongue. I shot her a look before looking back to the young trainers. ¡°Hey tell you what? How about you go over to our house and set up the sixty-four in there. We¡¯re going to need some space.¡± Forrest nodded and started packing up the games and console to lead Ash away. Ash scratched his head. ¡°Why¡¯s he need space to talk to some lady?¡± Misty¡¯s agonised sigh lingered as she followed Ash and Forrest out. Greta lagged behind and shot me a worried glance. I smiled as best I could and shooed her away. Then I led Joy to the family apartment and knocked. Helen opened the door. ¡°Hey Helen¡­ we need to talk,¡± I said. This was not going to be fun. ¡°Please!¡± she gasped as her eyes widened. I could see the realisation setting in for what was going on. ¡°I just wanted what was best for my baby!¡± I felt any residual darkness that had been latched onto me vanish. Memories of another life as a health care worker making me empathise, with and understand her. ¡°I can understand that¡­ Let¡¯s just talk and we¡¯ll go from there,¡± I said as I closed the door.
When I was done, I was glad to have Helen settled in the rooms under watch with a tentative agreement not to run away. Joy had agreed to stay with her for the night and keep her calm so that nothing happened to Helen or her baby. In the morning Jenny from Viridian would be here to look after her throughout the investigation. And eventually, when Helen was ready. She¡¯d move back to her parents with whatever pay Daniel had accrued in his time ¡®working¡¯ for the gym. I had almost not wanted to give her anything as crime shouldn¡¯t have been rewarded. She likely would have already gotten a payment if she was smart but I wanted her gone. While we¡¯d talked with her Sabrina had cleared her of any active or passive issues. Thankfully it turned out she hadn¡¯t wanted anything but a pay check to set her and her newborn up with. She hadn¡¯t been involved in spying on me. Just acting as a patsy. Sabrina walked with me back to the office. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she said carefully. I sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ just¡­ just annoyed. The whole issue with single parents isn¡¯t usually something that bothers or affects me, but seeing Helen used like this just kind of highlights how it can make people vulnerable. I thought there was a system of support for this?¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°There is, it is just that she wanted more than a basic government allotment." Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Women will do many things for their children,¡± Sabrina said with an odd lilt to her voice that I couldn¡¯t place. ¡°Oh,¡± I said eloquently. Well, that was better than her just being greedy, and I couldn¡¯t fault her for wanting better for herself and child. It just struck me as sad how the issue of single parents wasn¡¯t an issue until it suddenly was. Single parenthood would obviously affect women far, far more than men. I might have to do something about that as it left a foul aftertaste even with it being handled in the best way I could stomach. ¡°Brock, there was something I think I should mention,¡± Sabrina said, coming to a halt. I stopped and turned towards her. ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s up? Is there someone else I need to investigate?¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°I investigated the others while you were busy with Helen and her¡­ tears. They are safe but no, this is about something else¡­ during the investigation, I felt something in your office. Something that was giving off psychic energy.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I led her into said room. Had someone snuck something into the room? My mind jumped to Will. He was a psychic. She made a beeline to my desk and opened the drawer with the lock with a flex of psychic power. I almost had a heart attack when she lifted the folder with the collection of fan mail only to set it aside without looking through it. I only relaxed when she reached in further and pulled out the tawny, brown, and yellow rock that Flint had given me. ¡°What is this?¡± she said with wonder. I blinked as I made the connection to what this meant. It was a psychic Mega stone. Chapter 92 - Planning the offensive ¡°Brock¡­¡± Sabrina stared at the rock that I had laid out on my table. With how she was staring at it in open wonder I knew this had to be resonating with her. It had to be a psychic-type pokemon megastone. And the first psychic type to come to mind would be¡ª At her hip a pokeball opened and Alakazam appeared in the room. He nodded in greeting to me before leaning forward to inspect the rock with Sabrina. ¡°I think that clinches it as Alakazamite.¡± ¡°Alakazamite,¡± Sabrina said, her fingers gently rubbing over the edges. She tapped at where a small marble like gem was set. ¡°There are two resonances?¡± I nodded. ¡°I think these types of stones grow in pairs. It helps to link the trainer and the pokemon that it is attributed to.¡± Sabrina nodded long, still entranced by the stone. ¡°Where did you find such a thing?¡± I rubbed my cheek. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Flint found it and thought it would be useful for me to have.¡± I watched her. ¡°But I actually think that you might be a better person for this.¡± Sabrina didn¡¯t say anything so I tapped her hand. ¡°So? Do you want it?¡± Sabrina snapped her head upwards. "You¡¯re going to give this to me?!¡± ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t have an Alakazam and you¡­ this would be amazing for you.¡± Sabrina shifted from foot to foot and I tilted my head. She was that uncomfortable with it? ¡°Brock, you do realise that Lance got his Megastone due to you defeating him during your friendly match?¡± I blinked. ¡°No¡­ I hadn¡¯t made that connection.¡± Did¡­ Did Lance feel threatened by me? That, kind of made sense actually. Sabrina nodded. ¡°Usually Lance has a disciplined mind. During the meeting we had in the aftermath of the Rocket raid Lance noticed you had seen his bracelet. He thought about you noticing it specifically and thought you might understand that it was a new trump card.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said. Everything she¡¯d said¡­ It made perfect sense. I scratched the back of my head. I kind of felt bad that Lance was obviously feeling threatened by me. I hadn¡¯t meant to do that. Well¡­ not back then¡­ ¡°Brock, why are you smirking?¡± she said with a tilt of her head. I coughed ¡°No reason!¡± I said. Okay, so I found it a bit amusing! It was kind of a compliment. ¡°You¡¯re still smiling,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah let¡¯s not worry about that!¡± I said defensively. Sabrina huffed at me but she obviously thought it was amusing. Her lips were twitching as well after all. She tapped the rock. ¡°How does it work?¡± I grinned. ¡°Well we¡¯ll need to get a jeweler to work the stones out without damaging them. Then we¡¯ll fit a bracelet for you or a necklace that you can use to link up with Alakazam.¡± I then tapped Alakazam on the shoulder. ¡°Alakazam will get a slightly larger gem that he will have to carry with him. From what little I know, there will be a synchronisation period for you both but eventually, you will be able to mega-evolve your pokemon.¡± ¡°What about a rin¡ª¡± Alakazam¡¯s eyes glowed and Sabrina stopped talking, turning her head to her pokemon as he stroked his moustache. Sabrina nodded grimaced at him before gesturing towards him, ¡°Alakazam wants to know what Mega-evolution is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a temporary empowerment that boosts every trait a pokemon has. In some cases it even changes the typing of the pokemon,¡± I said, thinking of Charizard and Gyarados as merely two examples. ¡°Do you know how many pokemon can mega-evolve?¡± Sabrina said after conferring with her pokemon once more. ¡°Uhmm.¡± I started counting them off to myself and Sabrina''s eyebrows shot up in surprise. I decided to just give a best guess. ¡°I think there¡¯s at least¡­ thirty mega evolutions?¡± I had no idea if that was still true. Alakazam stared at me as his eyes glowed. ¡°What Pokemon do you know of that can Mega-evolve?¡± ¡°Alakazam obviously,¡± I said before leaning back. ¡°Venusaur, Blastoise, Charizard, Gengar, Gyarados, Aerodactyl, Tyranitar, Steelix, Aggron, Swampert, and others like Beedrill.¡± Sabrina stared at me. ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice that your own team happens to have alot of pokemon capable of mega-evolution.¡± I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Well I think that has more to do with rock types and Mega stones but yeah I got lucky like that I suppose.¡± She continued to stare. ¡°I know you have Alakazam, Slowbro, Metagross, Gallade, Gardevoir, and Medicham as possible mega evolutions for psychic types though, you now have three of those potentially.¡± I stared at her. ¡°Isn¡¯t that going to be a good portion of your team?¡± Sabrina sniffed. ¡°I only learned about Mega evolutions now. You?¡± she tilted her head. ¡°I keep my ears to the ground pretty well, I like to think. Steven Stone is big into investigating mega stones as aggressively as he can get away with, or so I hear. Among corporate espionage, apparently.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± I waved a hand back and forth. ¡°The radio, the television¡­¡± I grimaced. ¡°Not great sources of information I have to admit as it will be skewed, so I¡¯m not really sure about Steven Stone.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Apparently, Blaine sued him. I haven¡¯t heard how that¡¯s been going on but apparently Steven Stone is in Kanto because of it.¡± ¡°Hmmm, I see.¡± Sabrina nodded her head. ¡°What are we going to do about Team Rocket and Team Magma?¡± I leaned past her and plucked the holopad that I used to talk with the Guardians. I prepared the record section and got ready to send out a message. I took my seat and Sabrina came and leaned on the chair. I rolled my eyes but she merely shot me an amused look as she tapped the record function forcing me to begin talking. ¡°Team Rocket sent a spy into my gym. We were able to learn some surprising facts about him. Apparently, he wasn''t just an agent for Team Rocket but also for a foreign team from Hoenn known as Team Magma. I want his cell as secured as possible. Officer Jenny is currently holding him at the gym. This makes three attempts at my gym now by Team Rocket. I¡¯m going to act on the intelligence of Team Rocket¡¯s bases before they have a chance to escape those sites.¡± I stopped recording and sent the message off. As it was sent it played back for me and I realised that with Sabrina lounging next to me and with the room not lit I looked a bit like a mob boss calling for a hit to be made. I didn¡¯t have time to linger on that however as a videocall from Agatha came in. ¡°Brock,¡± she said in greeting before she turned her eyes to Sabrina. ¡°Young Sabrina¡­ we still haven¡¯t performed your initiation test.¡± ¡°I think with the circumstances that can wait Agatha. I trust Sabrina more than anyone.¡± Sabrina psychically squeezed my shoulder and I shot her a small smile. ¡°Hmmm, how quaint,¡± Agatha said. A moment later another screen popped out and Koga appeared sitting on a leather couch while Janine stood behind him. Agatha sniffed ¡°I see even you have given up on tradition Koga!¡± Koga merely shrugged. ¡°I merely agree with Brock¡¯s idea. We should not wait. I will point out that I find it rather amusing that the Rock wielder is the one to be the most proactive of us though.¡± Janine shot her father a look like she couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d just made a joke. Agatha merely huffed only for another screen to appear and Karen to appear with tousled hair. ¡°Yeesh! Marking your territory much girl?¡± Karen said. Sabrina merely hummed. I glanced at her positioning and realised that it was a bit of a ¡®power-move¡¯ wasn¡¯t it? I decided I should probably double down. Sabrina was the one I trusted the most after all. I patted her hand and she shot me a smile while Karen¡¯s eyes narrowed. Janine merely tilted her head. Agatha scoffed. ¡°Urgh! Children!¡± she said before slamming her cane on the ground. ¡°Moving on, I agree with Brock that securing his prisoner just became top priority. Daniel of Gringey City just became a person of extreme interest. I¡¯m glad you had the good sense to not let him be carted off to the police station. We shall take custody.¡± I considered that. ¡°Perhaps it would serve our purposes best if the ¡®League¡¯ were to take custody of him officially.¡± ¡°Yes, then lose him in the bureaucracy of¡ª¡± Agatha began, only for me to shake my head. ¡°No¡­I was thinking more along the lines of using this to boost Koga¡¯s strength and allow him greater sway on Lance¡¯s dream of forming an international police force.¡± Koga nodded but Karen and Agatha both looked uninterested. ¡°While this is going on we could lead raids on the Rocket bases that Sabrina was able to glean from Daniel. Team Rocket will eventually learn of Daniel¡¯s traitor status and this will be a gigantic hit to them.¡± Karen perked up at that but Agatha merely sniffed. I considered her. I didn¡¯t really need to win her over but I could play the game and keep everyone happy. So why not keep her on her good side. I was obviously already ruffling her feathers with how I was going about accelerating Sabrina and subsequently Janine¡¯s inclusion into the Guardian¡¯s Leadership meetings. ¡°Why should we settle for one objective when we can have it all Agatha? We can weaken Team Rocket. Empower our agents within the League. Truly get Koga a seat at the table if not the first seat at the table of international policing. And what does it cost us? The dubious control of a foreign agent that we¡¯re already going to get information from? Sabrina is already the strongest psychic in Kanto. They can¡¯t overlook her.¡± Karen hummed. ¡°Heard a rumour~! Some little boy is trying to claim otherwise!¡± Koga and Janine huffed with Koga even shaking his head. ¡°Those claims are trumped up paid rumours at best! Janine¡¯s¡­ agents have said as much!¡± I tilted my head. Janine¡¯s agents? Did Janine leave a spy network in my¡­ wait! Did he mean the grannies!? I shot Janine a look and she refused to meet my gaze. Janine! What was going on here!? Agatha shook her head and stabbed it forward. ¡°Urgh Karen! I thought I taught you better than this. To think the next generation will be led by that flaky boy¡¯s son! ¡­" she grumbled but I got the impression it was more for the sake of it rather than any true objection. I was proven right when she grinned. ¡°Very well! I shall arrive with a League official and take custody of Daniel! Koga you will lead the raids on the Rocket facilities! While it¡¯s good to see you young ones being so proactive you need to temper yourselves with the wisdom of your seniors!¡± She stomped her cane into the ground. ¡°Prepare to shake up Kanto!¡± Sabrina coughed and Agatha glowered at her. ¡°Yes, initiate Sabrina?¡± she said, tacking on a title I¡¯d never read of or heard being used. Apparently, she wanted to remind Sabrina she still wasn¡¯t officially part of the Guardians. Sabrina ignored it though. ¡°I learnt of six Team Rocket Bases along with possible sites of interest. Each will require a team to detain the Team Rocket agents that Daniel knew to always operate there. We will need the police. We best bring Jenny and other forces into the plans.¡± I blinked. Sabrina hadn''t mentioned specific numbers before. I had tossed out a few locations, but I had to wonder which locations she had learned about. ¡°The most concerning base is in Celadon. The local Games Corner is a front for Team Rocket where they launder money and pokemon.¡± I stared at Sabrina. Oh damn. I¡¯d been to Celadon once and hadn¡¯t found anything iffy, despite knowing it was possible. This location alone would be a huge dent to them. I had hoped Daniel had known about it and it turns out I was really swinging for the back fence with how lucky I was getting. ¡°You mentioned six facilities? Where are the others?¡± Agatha said pointedly. ¡°There is the Games corner in Celadon, the radio shack next door to the pokemon fan club in Vermilion, a warehouse on Chrysanthemum island. There are recruiting facilities in Hollywood, and Pokemon Land. As for the Team Rocket Academy¡­ sadly I don¡¯t know the location of it yet as all Daniel knew of was that it existed as he was transported there while blindfolded and the journey took hours from Cerulean.¡± ¡°Hmmm that is what our agents have determined so far as well. We have not been able to hide trackers on anyone going to that facility as of yet,¡± Koga said with a scowl. ¡°Investigations are closing in however and we suspect that they are within the mountain ranges north of Cerulean. The secret route has not yet been discovered.¡± ¡°Damn, that¡¯d be a proper kick in the teeth if we got both the money laundering site with their Games Corner, and the trainer facility,¡± said Karen dreamily. ¡°Indeed,¡± Sabrina said stoically from next to me. Agatha hummed. ¡°Koga will need to take the lead with the League. We¡¯ll need to have you at Indigo headquarters so that Lance can ¡®happen upon¡¯ you for the purpose of recruiting you.¡± Koga nodded. ¡°He shall think it is his own idea,¡± said the man firmly. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I hummed. That was mildly terrifying to think about. Being led around by the nose without ever realising it. I considered Agatha and Koga. They probably had done it a bit with me. Then again¡­ I¡¯d also gotten them to start paying a lot more attention to Team Rocket. When I¡¯d first brought up Giovanni and Team Rocket I doubt they would have worried about Daniel. Now? They were more than willing to sack some Rocket bases. And speaking of Rocket Bases, I might know of one that I would be interested in investigating, albeit with a lot of back up. ¡°I ran across a secret base last weekend as well,¡± I said. Koga and Agatha stared at me. Agatha huffed. ¡°And you didn¡¯t present this then why?¡± I worked my jaw, ¡°¡®I got very busy¡­ that and the base, it gave me the creeps. It was a secret base and I only happened upon it due to catching a supply truck coming in.¡± Agatha stiffened. ¡°Where was this?¡± I opened my pokenav and started toying with the saved point before flicking the details to the holopad to present to the others. ¡°Curses!¡± Agatha swore, causing Karen to blink in suprise. Koga groaned. ¡°I recognise that base. It is one that we used as a supply depot during the war... ¡° Koga looked to the side. ¡°It seems not all of the bases were decommissioned properly¡­ that is not a site that can be messed with. I will investigate it in my own time.¡± Koga locked eyes with me, ¡°Do not approach it.¡± His tone made it clear this was not something for me to stick my nose into. ¡°Alright,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t say I know what an old war base would involve but if you¡¯re reacting like this I expect it¡¯s serious.¡± Koga inclined his head and loosened up slightly. ¡°Any other business?¡± Agatha pointedly stared at me as though daring me to say I¡¯d not presented something else for the Guardians. ¡°Erika should be informed and included in the raid on the Celadon site,¡± Sabrina said firmly. ¡°Well, I second that then,¡± I said, understanding that it would be rather important to avoid making Erika look bad. I leaned slightly forward. ¡°For that matter, we¡¯ll need to tell Surge the news as well.¡± Janine raised her head slightly and coughed to indicate she wished to talk. Koga nodded without looking back at her. ¡°Yes, daughter?¡± ¡°I can deliver the message to Erika!¡± she said with a hint of excitement. Agatha drummed her fingers on a table near her as she considered everything. Eventually, she gave a stiff nod. ¡°Very well. Janine will inform Erika and have her ready any trainers she can trust¡­¡± Agatha then made a face. She considered that before correcting what she¡¯d said, ¡°On second thought, it might be best for you to take along some trainers from your own gym.¡± Sabrina coughed and Agatha scowled. ¡°Yes yes! We¡¯ll let the little flower girl not lose face!¡± She looked to Janine. ¡°Make sure they are female or can pass as women! Erika¡¯s little socialite club caters to the wealthy daughters most of all. Some of those girls are so vapid they¡¯ll think they had to have had some part to play. But don¡¯t take any that will lose their heads. Erika¡¯s trainers are more for show, remember!¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Maybe we need to find some serious trainers for Erika?¡± Agatha snorted. ¡°Please! That little girl has a wonderful web of networking set up and she is one of the best off gyms around. If gyms were merely rated on income, hers would be the best gym in Kanto!¡± She stabbed a finger straight forward. ¡°Never underestimate how much people will pay to have their daughters happy and safe in a good environment that their little darlings don¡¯t want to run screaming from! There are lots of businessmen that bid viciously for the right to have Erika host their daughters each year.¡± Karen made a noise of surprise. ¡°Huh, well surprises never end. I always thought she was kind of weak but she¡¯s got half a clue it turns out. Shame she can¡¯t convert that into anything.¡± Sabrina shifted and I got the impression that Erika would be getting some pointed conversations about how to wield her wealth in the future. Money wouldn¡¯t carry her to the strongest position. But it¡¯d certainly make things a lot easier. ¡°Very well! I shall be in Pewter soon and from there we will work to curtail some of Giovanni¡¯s excess! Brock, Initiate Sabrina! We will be talking soon!¡± she said before hanging up. Koga nodded and Janine gave a small wave in farewell. Karen remained on the line. ¡°Hmmmm I didn¡¯t get a job¡­ not sure if I can justify nosing my way into this one¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we can handle this,¡± Sabrina said before I could offer anything else. Karen scowled at her and I decided to get ahead of the argument. ¡°You could watch a hot spot perhaps? Maybe try to watch Giovanni himself or another site like Cerulean? We know the Academy is around there but imagine if, due to the pressure we¡¯re about to apply they got sloppy and revealed more? That¡¯d be big, no?¡± Karen settled down like a Persian that had just been complimented and stroked the right way. Her eyes glinted. ¡°I like the idea of that. Very well, I¡¯ll watch for something worth my time. See you soon Initiate.¡± Sabrina clicked her tongue. ¡°She and Agatha are very annoying.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re acquired tastes, that¡¯s for sure. But they''re damn good to have when you need some back up.¡± Sabrina tapped me on the shoulder and I looked up. ¡°Brock? What sort of Grass mega stones are there? I think Erika will need more help. I dislike people talking badly about her.¡± I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re a good friend Sabrina.¡± that had her perking up as I leaned back in my chair. ¡°So for Grass types I know of Venusaur, A¡­¡± I paused about to say Abomasnow, but that pokemon hadn¡¯t been discovered and wouldn''t appear until Sinnoh was found. Which reminded me. ¡°When you¡¯re interrogating Daniel¡­¡± I grimaced at having to say that once more. ¡°Find out what he knows about that Glameow.¡± ¡°Glameow?¡± Sabrina asked curiously. ¡°Yeah, that cat pokemon that Proton had when he raided my gym. It was a pokemon from somewhere the League either doesn¡¯t have access to or they¡¯re not telling us they have access to¡­ I still haven¡¯t heard anything as yet though so chances are it¡¯s the first. Which raises the question¡ª¡± ¡°Of how Team Rocket has access to it,¡± Sabrina said, finishing my sentence for me. I nodded seriously. ¡°If they have access to another region there are going to be pokemon we have no idea about.¡± ¡°Does the reopening of a route to a new region not cause that? What happens when a region is discovered?¡± I raised a hand. ¡°Actually I looked into that cause I was kinda curious with the recent unveiling of Fiore to the public. It turns out that the pokedex entries are gifted to the region to keep them up to date on the recent pokemon that are found within the region. It actually works against the other region if they don¡¯t share because the League was able to retain some of the regions information prior to the war. So if they don¡¯t reciprocate it, it''s seen as a point against them, with the added bonus that it doesn¡¯t cost our officials all that much.¡± ¡°Hmmm sneaky,¡± Sabrina said neutrally. I felt something cold sweep through me and I shivered. Sabrina straightened up. ¡°Agatha is here.¡± I sat up. ¡°That was fast, does she have a pokemon that knows teleport?¡± ¡°She apparently employs a trainer for that purpose. They have a decently strong Xatu¡­ they need to work on containing their thoughts though.¡± I nodded noncommittally at that. If I wasn¡¯t so adamant with training dark energy I suspected that I wouldn¡¯t be considered ¡®controlled¡¯ with my thoughts either. I stood before I could go down that Sentret hole and waved for Sabrina to follow me. I met Agatha in the reception area with Alexa standing next to my receptionist Bethany. I blinked when I realised Bethany was talking with Agatha like they were old friends. ¡°¡ªand my Charles is doing quite well I¡¯ll have you know! How about yourself, Agatha? Found yourself a silver fox to play around with?¡± Agatha sniffed. ¡°I¡¯m too busy for such foolishness!¡± Bethany tutted and shook her head consolingly. ¡°I remember you being such a flirt! And remember the celebration when we cleared out Viridian? I remember waking up in someone¡¯s arms!¡± Bethany said with a laugh. ¡°Hmpf! You live too much in the past,¡± said Agatha before looking to me. ¡°Ah Gym Leader Brock, I was informed that I should make my way here with all due haste. What do you require this old woman for?¡± she said. If I hadn¡¯t spent so long interacting with her, and if this was the first time I¡¯d met her, I would have believed her act of ¡®innocent old woman¡¯. I had to wonder who she was putting on a show for. Bethany apparently knew her in ways I didn¡¯t want to think about. I glanced at Alexa and found her smiling warmly at the Elite Four member. I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that and so instead I played my part and invited her in to help with the transfer of Daniel to the Plateau. Alexa blinked in surprise. ¡°Eh?! Daniel has been detained?!¡± she said. I nodded, my face set in stone. ¡°Yeah, turns out he was a plant from Team Rocket. Keep that to yourself. He¡¯s got a lot of questions to answer and I don¡¯t want it getting out.¡± Bethany nodded seriously and glanced at Agatha. ¡°We won¡¯t say a word¡­ in fact perhaps we¡¯ll depart now instead of finishing up that paperwork¡­ Was there anything else you required from us Gym Leader?¡± ¡°You rescheduled tomorrow¡¯s matches?¡± I said. ¡°Yes most of them were your new sponsored trainers and very understanding!¡± said Alexa. I grimaced at that. ¡°Urgh¡­ I might have to break my no fights on days off rule to get them through in a timely manner¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that later though.¡± I waved Alexa and Bethany off and led Agatha into the gym. I guided her to a room that I was surprised to find an Arcanine sitting in front of. He dropped into a guard position and his growl was low and menacing. Agatha actually stopped and assessed him rather than marching forward like I sort of expected from the old woman. The door opened, and Jenny peeked out with her arm raised. I noted the active transceiver. ¡°This is Officer Jenny reporting that it appears to be Gym Leaders Brock and Sabrina escorting Elite Four member Agatha to the prisoner. Please advise!¡± The voice on the other side said something quickly that I couldn¡¯t catch. Jenny continued to watch us carefully. She then nodded. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! Identify using your trainer ID number and answering a personal question!¡± I rattled off my number and tilted my head. ¡°What¡¯s the personal question?¡± ¡°During a birthday party I attended with my cousin, what action figurine did you give me?¡± she said seriously. I huffed. ¡°You were randomly given a Selene, but then you learnt that other parents got more than one and came back to ask for a Quirinna and a Sanchez figurine.¡± Jenny nodded her head, the faintest blush appearing as she turned to Sabrina. Sabrina sniffed. ¡°I teleported you onto a Snorlax toy because you tried to steal a kiss.¡± Jenny stiffened. ¡°I knew it was you!¡± She then stiffened and coughed. ¡°I mean! Alright you pass. Did you perform a check on Aga¡ª¡± From the depths of Agatha¡¯s shadow, three Gengar emerged. The Arcanine yelped and took a step back. Jenny lost all the colour she¡¯d gained and she swallowed. ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah, that¡¯ll work as identification.¡± I approached as she urged Arcanine back. I just caught her muttering to herself and Arcanine, ¡°Who the hell keeps three Gengar in their shadows! Crazy old woman!¡± I shot Sabrina a smile but she was eyeballing Agatha¡¯s shadow. I paused in the entrance and let Agatha go through while the three Gengar floated through the walls. Then her shadow winked at me. Damn, she really was crazy. When I entered the room I found Jenny blushing once more. ¡°Uhm sorry for the method of detaining¡­ I didn¡¯t have more than my rope and cuffs on me¡­ so I improvised¡­¡± I stared at Daniel as he glowered back at us. He¡¯d been duct taped to the wall in a spread-eagle fashion. It made me think of my past life where this would occur after a wild night of drinking. Agatha merely nodded. ¡°Excellent improvisation! Jenny, you, Daniel, and I shall be going to Indigo headquarters. There we will conduct an interrogation with Gym Leader Sabrina¡¯s assistance.¡± ¡°I know my rights!¡± screamed Daniel. Agatha tutted and shook her head side to side. ¡°No, clearly you don¡¯t young man otherwise you would know how monumentally bad an idea it is to infiltrate a Gym. Gym Leader Brock is correct in the charges that you can face and the rights that you have voided. We will get the information we want. For now though,¡± she raised up and squeezed into his shoulder with her thumb. ¡°Sleep!¡± I felt a spike of something shadowy and cold pulse out of Agatha. A moment later, Daniel¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of his skull, and he flopped down, unconscious once more. Jenny whistled. ¡°I¡¯d heard rumours that you knew how to do that¡­ damn that¡¯s cool I mean! Sorry, Lady Agatha!¡± Agatha waved her off. ¡°Not a worry, not a worry. Now Gym Leader Sabrina, care to teleport us?¡± Jenny frowned. ¡°But Brock has an anti-tel¡ª¡± her words died off as Alakazam, who¡¯d spent the last twenty minutes studying the megastone in a corner of my office, appeared in a flash of light before nodding once at me and flashing away with Jenny, Agatha, Daniel and Sabrina. I hummed. ¡°Alright, that leaves me at loose ends¡­ I could join Janine and Erika in raiding the Games Corner¡­¡± I chewed my lip. Vermillion having a Rocket base worried me. It hadn¡¯t been a priority target but I¡¯d noticed it perhaps more than any of the others bar the Games Corner. I gave the gym a sweep and checked in with Forrest only to find him sitting in the kitchen with Flint who¡­ Actually looked different with how he assessed me as I walked into the room. ¡°The gift I gave you?¡± he said firmly. Forrest blinked and shot him a confused look. I startled, realising that he was mimicking Jenny¡¯s identification call response method. ¡°A rare stone. A mega stone.¡± Flint blinked in surprise. ¡°Is that what it is called?¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡­ kind of forgot that you¡¯d be here.¡± Flint frowned before opening and then shutting his mouth. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°One of the Gym trainers, Daniel,¡± I said at Forrest''s curious look, ¡°was a spy for Team Rocket.¡± ¡°Hnnn, that¡¯s one of the reasons I never took Gym Trainers on. Too many people are mucking things up and making it chaotic. Didn¡¯t need that, didn¡¯t want it!¡± he said while staring at the bench. Forrest glanced between me and Flint quickly, a worried look on his face. I shook my head. ¡°The gym¡¯s different now Flint. I need the support and they bring a lot to the table. They also just happen to have some risks associated with it. I¡¯ll have to be more careful in the future.¡± I huffed. ¡°That being said we learnt some things from him and I need to go talk with Surge.¡± ¡°Surge? Why do you need to talk to that maniac?¡± I frowned. ¡°When you left he was one of the only gym leaders to approach and check that I had any idea what I was doing. I¡­¡± I was about to say I didn¡¯t need his help but that wasn¡¯t completely true. ¡°He helped me out a lot more than people realise. Now I think there¡¯s some trouble coming his way and I want to help him out.¡± I looked at Flint and Forrest. ¡°Can you hold down the fort here for the night and possibly tomorrow?¡± Flint nodded. ¡°Yeah, I can do that. There going to be any matches tomorrow I need to step in for?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. I cancelled those. This is more important.¡± Forrest stared at me and I tilted my head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just¡­ You never cancel matches if you can help it.¡± he swallowed. ¡°Guess it¡¯s really serious.¡± I snorted. ¡°If anything I¡¯m underselling it. Keep the family close. Keep Sanchez out. I¡¯m taking the others with me.¡± With that done I marched out the door. I was about to release Zephyr and take wing to Vermillion but then I considered the distances. I could do it with Selene but then she¡¯d be exhausted¡­ I sheepishly sent a message to Sabrina and she appeared a moment later in a flash of light. She put a hand on me. Then we vanished and reappeared on the road leading up to the Vermillion gym. ¡°I need to go back to deal with the League officials. Agatha is having to threaten people to get through the red tape. Lance is on his way and Koga has reached the Plateau. Should I tell Agatha you¡¯re here?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Sure thing.¡± She vanished and I lifted my transceiver. It dialed up and after five rings it clicked as Surge answered. ¡°Blugh! What the? Brock? What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Hey Surge¡­ we need to talk, I¡¯m outside.¡± On the screen Surge narrowed his eyes at me and tried to look over my shoulder. ¡°Are there a gaggle of women behind you? Cause I swear I ain¡¯t dealing with no ex-girlfriends! Don¡¯t be suckered into their sob stories! I broke up with them fair and honest in a cafe and everything so they could throw water in my face!¡± I chuckled and shook my head. ¡°Not what I wanted to talk to you about actually. It¡¯s about Team Rocket.¡± Surge went still. ¡°Oh? Well I¡¯m all ears, I¡¯ll be out in a second.¡± I hummed and got ready to deal with an irate Surge. As the doors opened I remembered I¡¯d need to enlist the local police. I shot Jenny a message to see if she could do just that while I spoke to Surge. I suspected I¡¯d have no trouble getting him pointed at the Rocket base. If there would be anything left of it when Surge was through with it would be another matter. One I¡¯d probably need the police for more than actually helping take down the Team Rocket members. I was strong¡­ but Surge was a big guy that I had no doubt I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop if he went too far. I messaged Jenny again, urging her to send them around without giving the game away too soon. I took a deep breath before heading inside, I was going to have to control Surge in the meantime, and that would be half the battle. Chapter 93 - Rocket Raid II electric boogaloo I told Surge why I was there. It was a long and rather shameful handful of minutes admitting my own failures. Surge¡¯s grin only held for a few seconds. Then it morphed into hard lines. It wasn¡¯t a scowl. It was something more calculating. There was an edge there that I wasn¡¯t used to seeing in my once mentor/now friend. He rubbed his chin. ¡°So, Team Rocket set up a base in my city¡­¡± He rolled the words around in his mouth as though tasting them. He eyed me. ¡°How sure are you of this? The intel good?¡± I sighed. ¡°Yeah. Positive. You know Daniel?¡± Surge shook his head. ¡°Nah, he that one you thought would have been good down here with me?¡± he said. Starting to pace back and forth. This time it was my turn to shake my head. ¡°No that¡¯s Dennis. Daniel¡­ he was a new recruit that I got from the Rangers. He¡¯d been with them for years, so I figured he was a safe bet. He had lot of the skills I wanted and¡­ well he had some good reasons to hire him on.¡± Surge¡¯s pacing became a little too distant to hold a conversation with so I started pacing with him. He must have been agitated to force it into this sort of action. ¡°Turns out he was a plant for Team Rocket, and they saw a chance to slip him into my Gym. They even got him a fake wife.¡± Surge shot me a look. ¡°Shit¡­ they really crafted him to hit your buttons just right didn¡¯t they?¡± I grimaced and nodded tightly. Surge shook his head in a faux consoling way. ¡°See this is why you have big shiny issues like being a playboy! The bad guys want to get information out of you, so they send hot chicks!¡± He made a show of slapping his cheeks. ¡°Oh no! Whatever will I do with these women!¡± I rolled my eyes, not missing how we hadn¡¯t stopped pacing during the entire tirade. Surge sniffed. ¡°Still this situation is fucked, I tell you. They¡¯re damned close enough to roll some damn Electrode down the hill at me! Damn City giving me a gym located on the water! This is a terrible defensive position! I¡¯m a sitting duck!¡± He scratched at his arm irritability. He shot me a look. ¡°Do they know that we know? Suspect anything at all?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Everything has been kept in house. We got Jenny to hold him in the gym while we got him moved.¡± Surge whistled. ¡°You must be treating her good. Jenny¡¯s are hot for justice and not much else. Surprised you got one to break protocol like that. Usually, she would have marched him into the police station, which I remember having some¡­ staffing changes recently.¡± I grunted, having to stride to follow him through to a long hallway. ¡°Yeah. Thing is I was well within my rights to have him locked there. Just like I was within my rights to have Sabrina there.¡± Surge stopped dead and stared at me for the first time in the evening, stumped. ¡°You got Sabrina there as well? She¡¯s¡­ Kind of not going to¡­¡± Surge tilted his head. ¡°No you wouldn¡¯t have done that and gotten away with it with Jenny there to bag him. You play the good honest man. The aww shucks family man to the public, but you can throw some sneaky punches when you need to.¡± He eyed me. ¡°What gives? There¡¯s something more going on with this Daniel beyond him being a stinking Rocket. What did you learn?¡± I hummed. ¡°He already qualified as breaking the Espionage Act." Surge tilted his head and opened his mouth, but I continued. ¡°Vermillion is rated as a central Gym. Pewter is still a border Gym, so different laws come into effect.¡± Surge stared at me before I shrugged. ¡°But we also found out he¡¯s a foreign plant.¡± Surge hissed. ¡°The fuck!? Who? Unova? Kalos? I tangled with those pricks during the start of the war, and they¡¯re messed up!¡± I blinked. ¡°You did?¡± Surge merely sniffed and nodded. His jaw working tightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t start out as a Lieutenant Brock. I started things as a Private. In a war? You can get a lot of promotions if you''re in bad situations.¡± I blinked, nodding slowly. I didn¡¯t really get what he was saying. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really follow.¡± Surge opened and shut his mouth before shaking his head. ¡°Never mind¡­¡± He started walking again and led me through another door. He marched into a room that had tesla coils and a number of pokemon lazing about. Surge pursed his lips and trilled a whistle, and instantly, pokemon were up and moving about the room. Some formed up into what I could only describe as ¡®ranks¡¯ while others bolted outside. Surge watched them go before looking at a single line of pokemon. A Raichu held pride of place, followed by a Jolteon, Electrode, Electabuzz, Magnezone, Ampharos, and then oddly enough a juvenile-looking Graveler. I stared at the Graveler. Surge huffed at it and clicked his fingers. ¡°Straighten out that spine soldier! Damn private, I should bust you to cleaning latrines for a month looking that sloppy!¡± Graveler stood slightly taller, as much as a boulder could anyway. Surge sniffed and continued on. I glanced at the other pokemon and noted that he also had a small pond with Lanturn and Chinchou present. Surge turned to me. ¡°Who¡¯d you bring with you?¡± ¡°Zephyr, Titan, Bertha, Knight, Shrek, Hypnotoad, Don, and Shin.¡± Surge continued to stare at me blankly while nodding as if he had any clue who I was talking about. I rolled my eyes at him. ¡°My Noctowl, Tyranitar, Rhyperior, Aggron, Swampert, Poliwrath, Aerodactyl, and Kabutops.¡± Surge nodded once. ¡°Oh yeah, of course! You, you, you, you, you and you.¡± He said turning as he did so to point at his Raichu, Magnezone, Jolteon, Lanturn, Electabuzz and Electrode. I lingered on his Electabuzz. That sort of pokemon needed a special, most likely man-made item to evolve. Perhaps I could experiment with a voltage converter or socket set to create one? I¡¯d have to talk to someone at the powerplant in Pewter for where to start. It wouldn¡¯t be as simple as AC to DC would it? Still¡­ I looked over to the other pokemon that was ¡®early¡¯ in terms of its arrival if this were a mere pokemon game. Magnezone, which required a specialised magnetic field which in an electric gym probably wasn''t that hard to fall into. I had no idea if anyone else had seen it before but no one had commented on it in the past. I¡¯d need to review some of Surge¡¯s matches to see if he ever used it. That made me pause. Surge had walked me into the seat of his power which wasn¡¯t something a lot of people typically would do. I was looser with letting people into the area at the back of the gym, but much more selective with who entered the cave system where I kept my elite team. Surge hadn¡¯t even batted an eye when I followed him in. Surge withdrew his chosen pokemon, and selected a number of other electrodes for his team. Then he nodded. ¡°Alright, so we have good intel about some punks that have set up in Vermillion next to the Pokemon¡­ Fanclub. That might make things a little tricky, but as long as we don¡¯t get too frisky with our area of effect attacks then there¡¯s going to not be all that much backlash.¡± It took a moment for me to recall that there were a lot of very rich men and women that happened to sponsor such clubs. If we did something against their club, I¡¯d probably need to call Agatha for help. Then again, this would probably be something she¡¯d gladly leave me out to dry for just to mess with me. Still, I nodded. ¡°No damaging the next-door building, got it!¡± Surge grunted. ¡°Let¡¯s go kick their teeth in.¡± He said as he cracked his neck by rolling it from side to side, then he broke into a jog out the back door. I had to hurry to keep up with his frankly huge stride. ¡°I was going to have the police join us to have the place locked down properly?!¡± ¡°Nah, I got my scouts roaming the gym and some circling us. I¡¯ll have them lock the place down when we get there." We jogged up the hill and I could instantly tell which building was which. One building was done up with privacy hedges and dark shutters. The grounds happened to have a number of secluded alcoves that were roofed over from what I could see as well if patrons of the club wanted to go outside. The large gate on the front door with the sizeable security lock made it clear that you had to know someone to get in. The burlesque house in Pewter had less features to keep people from seeing inside. Not that I¡¯d been inside. I¡¯d merely patrolled past it. Surge whistled again and broke into a faster jog. Around us, a pair of Raichu and a small pack of Manectric sprinted out and surrounded the building neighbouring the fan club¡¯s manor. "Alright, I¡¯m going in the front! You back me up Brock!¡± He then broke into a sprint. ¡°Gonna getcha! Gonna getcha! Gonna getcha!¡± ¡°Surge wait!¡± I called as he bolted away from me. Surge wasn¡¯t listening. His pokemon shot forward in blurs. I cursed and hurled Zephyr and Don¡¯s pokeballs overhead. ¡°Aerial blockade!¡± I ordered them. Surge pounded up the entrance, and when he reached the door, he stomped one foot into the ground while rocketing the other into the door right at the side of the lock. The door splintered inwards and hung like a wreck on its frame. ¡°Knock knock!¡± roared Surge as he loomed in the doorway. A young woman hesitantly walked up. ¡°Uhm! Sir, we¡¯re part of the pokemon club¡­ You¡­ You can¡¯t do this!¡± Surge stepped into the house. ¡°I¡¯m the Vermillion City Gym Leader I think you¡¯ll find I can! Also!? I ain¡¯t ever seen you at a club meeting!¡± The woman blinked in surprise, and I skidded to a halt behind him. Then I registered what he¡¯d said. ¡°Wait what?¡± The woman reacted by reaching for a pokeball on her belt. Surge proved faster on the draw though. However, instead of releasing his pokemon he hurled a pokeball of his straight into her gut, knocking her flat. ¡°Ha! Gottcha! Get good, ya baby!¡± ¡°Team! Out! And clear the house!¡± he barked. A moment later, his pokemon were out of their balls and partnered up. They went through the room before two of them broke off to a door to the side. I stared at the coordination. ¡°Damn, you¡¯d be the Champion if things were done with duo battles,¡± I said, impressed with how he had trained his pokemon. I glanced down at the wheezing woman. ¡°Nice fake out with Pokemon fan club!¡± Surge tilted his head at me. ¡°Huh? Fake out?¡± I stared at him a moment before deciding to let that lie. I didn¡¯t want to get into that conversation with him. Instead, I walked through the room that his Jolteon and Magnezone had cleared. At a window, I wrenched it open and tossed out Bertha and Knight to start roaming the grounds. ¡°Also, don¡¯t touch the fence,¡± I said seriously. Bertha glanced at the fence and sniffed at it. I knew her well enough to know she was calling it ¡®weak looking¡¯. "Seriously, just don¡¯t.¡± I then turned back and grimaced. ¡°I should have brought my Geodude line instead.¡± ¡°Your Kabutops and Poliwrath should work out for you,¡± Surge said as he opened another door only for his Raichu to dart in while his Lanturn stayed on his shoulder. ¡°What the hec¡ª¡± said a voice before a zap and a thump announced that Raichu had found someone. Surge opened the door carefully all the way. ¡°Clear,¡± he said after inspecting the room. I followed him in to find the room to be merely a bedroom with a set of binoculars and what looked like a radio dish with an antenna sticking out of it. Surge picked it up and growled. ¡°Damn listening devices! They musta known that I inspect my Gym for devices like this! Instead of putting something in the Gym, they had an external team monitoring me.¡± I whistled. For a moment I was about to ask why they would do that before remembering that Surge was a veteran of the last war. It would have been more surprising if they didn¡¯t have people monitoring him. I would be paying extra attention to, if Cinnabar-rated surveillance teams. ¡­Or Pallet Town, for that matter. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Shin, Hypnotoad, come on out,¡± I said releasing them. They both appeared and took in the room. I waved them into the building which had an annoyingly twisted hallway with a number of doors. ¡°We¡¯re clearing rooms,¡± I said. Surge coughed pointedly. I glanced at him and he shifted. ¡°Uhm, listen Brock maybe have your team at the rear.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I said. Surge grimaced. ¡°They trained to clear out rooms?¡± ¡°Ah, no. They¡¯re not,¡± I said, now understanding where he was coming from. A boom from outside had me running to the window. There I found Knight pounding on an Arbok that was hissing furiously while Don had tackled a Fearow and rider out of the sky. ¡°Maybe I should go outside?¡± I offered. Surge shook his head after checking the window. ¡°Nah, you¡¯re good here, just let me take point. Have them guard our six.¡± he winked. ¡°Watch and learn. This guy¡¯s got some tricks!¡± he said while pointing at himself. I snorted at his bravado but followed along. I had to admit that it was actually extremely interesting to watch Surge and his pokemon go room to room. When a room didn¡¯t receive a ¡®clear¡¯ from one of the pokemon Surge had me send in Shin to start stabbing walls. ¡°Got a basement there!¡± Surge said when I ordered Shin to flip up a rather suspicious-looking carpet. Surge studied it before clicking his teeth. ¡°Urgh¡­ is it trapped or is it an escape tunnel¡­¡± he clicked his teeth and nodded to me. ¡°Have him cut around it if there¡¯s a trip wire we should be able to avoid it.¡± I nodded, agreeing with his take. Shin tapped out the grove for the door before cutting around it. Hypnotoad stood next to him and lifted the entire door piece out of the ground. We were greeted by a smirking white and red pokemon rolling up the stairwell. The pokemon spotted us and then grinned wider as it began to flash white across its body. Surge turned and leapt at me. ¡°Trap! Buckle up!¡± he said as he tackled me out of the room. I had enough time to call up my rock energy before I hit the ground. The Lanturn that had been on his shoulder fired off an electric wave back at the Electrode but I failed to see what it did to the other pokemon. Then the explosion detonated. Surge lay over the top of me as the explosion rocked the building. A concussive wave hit us and Surge was tossed a little but he clenched harder down ontop of me me. A moment after it was done I was shaking my head and Surge was kneeling and looking into my eyes. ¡°BROCK! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?¡± I nodded. ¡°I can hear you,¡± I said before shaking my head to clear a slight ringing. Surge nodded. ¡°THAT¡¯S GOOD CAUSE I CAN¡¯T HEAR SHIT! GLAD YOUR OKAY SOLDIER! DON¡¯T WORRY! WE¡¯LL WALK IT OFF!¡± A door to the side, that Electabuzz and Electrode had been approaching to clear before the explosion went off, was kicked open. A Rocket Grunt stood behind it with a Raticate snarling. It leapt forward only for Surge to once more throw himself into the fight. He grappled with the Raticate only to be pushed back when the pokemon swatted him. ¡°FULL AUTO!¡± roared Surge as he hit the wall. His pokemon stilled for a second before leaping to attack both the pokemon and the trainer. The trainer gasped in shock as a sparking fist from Electabuzz slammed into him. The Electrode blasted lightning at the Raticate and kept up electrocuting it even as the rat pokemon screamed in pain. I grabbed Surge¡¯s arm and tugged on it. ¡°Surge! Cool it!¡± Surge snapped to look at me, and his eyes were slightly unfocused. They were both different sizes. I relaxed my grip and waved my hand slowly. ¡°Surge? Hey! Calm down buddy,¡± I said. Something must have gotten through to him, as he blinked and his eyes returned to normal. ¡°SAFETY ON!¡± shouted Surge. Instantly his Electrode stopped roasting the Raticate and the Elctabuzz paused. It gave us a glance before dropping the lightning from its fist. The Grunt slumped in the Elecktrabuzz¡¯s grasp. ¡°Oh thank good¡ª¡± Then it cold-cocked the Rocket grunt one more time to knock him out. I shot it an unimpressed look but the pokemon merely dropped the Grunt and continued clearing the room. Surge stood up shakily. Then he looked at me. ¡°YOU ALRIGHT?¡± he bellowed. Lanturn hopped up onto his shoulder and began forming up a small ring of water that lapped at Surge¡¯s ears. I nodded at him and he smiled. ¡°THA¡¯S GOOD!¡± shouted the man. I pat him on the shoulder. ¡°Thanks! But maybe next time just focus on yourself; I can handle an explosion or two.¡± His eyes watched my lips closely and there was a long delay as he worked through what I¡¯d said. He snorted and pat me on the head. ¡°LITTLE ROOKIE IN HIS FIRST BATTLE THINKS HE¡¯S HOT SHIT!¡± He rubbed me harder and I grumbled. I shook my head at him and checked quickly on Shin and Hypnotoad. I found them dusty but otherwise unbothered. The section of the floor they¡¯d been holding up was in pieces but it apparently served as a barrier for them better than the wall had for me. Then the ringing in my ears cleared fully and I realised it wasn¡¯t ringing so much as it was sirens. Then came the sound of running feet. A moment later, police poured into the building, with Vermillion¡¯s Officer Jenny leading the charge. ¡°Vermillion Police! Freeze!¡± she screamed while holding out a pokeball in front of her. At her feet, a Growlithe snarled. Then Jenny blinked and sighed. ¡°Alright Surge what have you¡ª¡± ¡°Got a Team Rocket member here!¡± called one of the policemen from another room. Jenny lost her exasperated look and stiffened up. Her pokeball was released and revealed a Graveler. A normal rock-ground type. Surge sniffed pointedly. ¡°HEY JENNY! WE¡¯RE BUSTING UP THIS BASE! CAREFUL OF THE BASEMENT THERE WAS AN ELECTRODE TRAP!¡± Jenny¡¯s eyes widened before she had her radio in hand relaying the news. ¡°All units be advised! Team Rocket base with potential booby traps! All units be advised!¡± Surge chuckled. ¡°Heh, booby!¡¯ he said at what he assumed was a whisper but carried clearly throughout the room. I sighed and shook my head. Jenny nodded. ¡°Got the message from my cousin in Pewter. She said you¡¯d need us at the gym but we found that place locked up tight with pokemon blocking any entrance. Then we heard the explosion. Couldn¡¯t you wait?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Turns out I needed help holding back Surge.¡± Jenny gave me a look before sighing. ¡°He started pacing and it seemed innocent but he secretly was walking to an objective of his?¡± I tilted my head and recalled that, yes, Surge had done exactly that. Huh, I hadn¡¯t even realised what he was doing. Surge grinned widely and winked at me. ¡°Yeah, that,¡± I said. Surge winked again. ¡°I WASN¡¯T WAITING AROUND WHILE NO ROCKET PUNK WAS OPERATING IN MY HOME TURF!¡± Surge shouted. Then Lanturn dropped the watery ring and Surge blinked. ¡°Oh, the sound¡¯s back!¡± Another explosion rocked the building and Surge stiffened. ¡°SHIT!¡± He snapped his fingers and instantly Jolteon and Racihu tore down the room to the back room only for a Rocket grunt to step out with a smug grin. Surge pointed at her and before she could say anything Raichu was launching into her gut and she was convulsing. Jenny marched up. ¡°Enough! Surge!¡± Surge whistled and the Raichu stopped zapping the woman. She lay on the ground gasping. Jenny cuffed her and read the woman her rights. Surge sniffed. ¡°Shame I can¡¯t pull what you did with this being their base instead of them infiltrating my Gym Brock.¡± Jenny glanced up at that having heard what Surge said. ¡°Your Gym was infiltrated Brock? Is Jenny there?¡± Surge grimaced. ¡°Oh shit! Thought she knew!¡± he said sheepishly. I shot him a look and rolled my eyes. ¡°Keep that close to your chest. This is the first raid of many that are happening tonight,¡± I said. Jenny and Surge stared at me. Surge whistled. ¡°You got other sites to raid?¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯m down!¡± I snorted at him and then caught Jenny¡¯s hopeful look. ¡°Ha, no sorry, other people are getting involved. I¡¯d say more but¡­¡± I flicked my eyes around the room, ¡°I¡¯ll wait until we¡¯re out of the probably bugged house.¡± Surge gave the room a look over and clicked his tongue. ¡°Yeah good call, she must have fried all the equipment to stop us, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t still be watching and listening to us.¡± A buzz on his wrist had him raising up his transceiver. ¡°Can¡¯t talk baby girl I¡¯m busy cleaning house with my favourite rat.¡± Raichu who¡¯d been patting down his fur bristled at the name. Surge winked at the pokemon before leaning in. ¡°Listen snookums I have to go. I can come around in a day or two. There¡¯s a lot going on kay! Love you bu-bye!¡± He hung up and coughed. ¡°Nothing to see here.¡± I shook my head and moved back into the building to poke around a little. A number of policemen were poking around downstairs and I trailed in after them to find a room with a few trays of pokeballs. Onix, Geodude, Graveller, Rhydon, Nidoking. I whistled. ¡°Looks like this was a room with pokemon that were prepared to fight against Surge,¡± I said aloud. The police grunted their agreement and continued to take photos of the scene. One approached me and coughed. ¡°Gym Leader Brock? We¡¯re going to need a statement.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah sure. No worries, best we do this outside though we¡¯re worried the place is still bugged.¡± That got a reaction as instantly the nearby police officer stopped taking photos and began inspecting the room much more thoroughly. ¡°Got one!¡± ¡°Got another!¡± announced two people, one after the other. The man that had approached me nodded and gestured back out the door. I signalled for my pokemon to follow and soon we were outside on the lawn. The building had been sectioned off by a number of Machoke that stood behind two onix that had been painted in yellow and blue along their sides. The words "Police" were also prominent on their bodies. Behind them, reporters were already dashing up with cameramen following after them. I could see a number of red lights glimmering already. I suddenly wasn¡¯t sure if giving a statement out here would remain private. The policeman seemed likewise as unsure. Then the gates from next door opened, and a very dapper-looking gentleman with a magnificent white beard sauntered out of the manor. He gave the police a curious look and then made a beeline for the reporters. The reporters looked at him in annoyance as he approached them one by one. Then their faces morphed into looks of worry. They each made a chopping gesture at their necks and the cameramen dropped their cameras to their hips. When one reporter tried to continue the man leaned into her space and whispered something while dropping a card into her hands. The female reporter turned white and ran for it, leaving her highly confused cameraman, who the gentleman merely nodded to. I stared at the suddenly empty space beyond the onix. The gentleman approached the onix and gave them both quick pats. He nodded at the policeman and then sauntered back to the manor he¡¯d come from. The gates closed without a sound behind him. In the space of not even five minutes, he¡¯d cleared out the reporters. I pointed at the gates. ¡°Who the hell was that?¡± I said incredulously. The policeman coughed. ¡°That was uhm¡­ well he is the Chairman of the Kanto Pokemon club. Big name. Very¡­ influential. He founded Silph co before he gave it over to his nephew¡­ Big mover. Reclusive gentleman that likes to not be bothered.¡± The policeman glanced at the empty space where the reporters were. ¡°Apparently he doesn¡¯t want trouble with people snooping around. The news will do a piece later, but they¡¯ll make sure not to mention where it happened or what¡¯s next door like some of those houndoom reporters would have.¡± I scratched at my temple. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that answered my question or raised more¡­ Soooo I¡¯m just gonna leave it be.¡± The man nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good call. Now could you tell me¡ª¡± I wrapped up the talk quickly and then sought out Surge. He was talking with Jenny and the woman seemed highly unimpressed. ¡°¡ªCan¡¯t go nuts like that! I know it must have set you off with the explosion but that¡¯s more of a reason for us to get involved instead of you haring off like you did! You dragged Brock into it as well! Did you think about him?!¡± Surge didn¡¯t meet her gaze. ¡°Yeah, sorry, just¡­ I kept him close, alright?¡± I was tempted to step in and defend him, but held back. He certainly didn¡¯t need my support in this. Jenny sighed. ¡°Urgh stop giving us heart attacks. Can¡¯t you just be like other Gym Leaders?¡± ¡°Which ones? Koga? Blaine?¡± He leered. ¡°Or should I be like the Cerulean sisters? Dress in drag and do the hula? Want me to shake what my momma gave me?!¡± Jenny groaned. ¡°Alright, so that¡¯s a bad example! Just don''t fly off the handle and wreck a place!¡± ¡°This place warranted it!¡± Surge said. Then he got a sly look. ¡°Say you doing anything now? Wanna get a beer?¡± Jenny shot him a highly unimpressed look. ¡°I literally, not ten minutes ago, heard you talking to your girlfriend.¡± ¡°Nah she was my side girl. I got a slot for a main girl!¡± Jenny groaned into her notepad. Surge glanced around, spotted me, and waved. I waved back only for a pokemon to call out. ¡°Jynx~!¡± I glanced behind and found a Jynx waving from the gates of the manor at us¡ª no actually at Surge. He coughed and waved at her before marching into the house. I marched up to him and gave him a look. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t give me that look!¡± he turned to the side to find Officer Jenny giving him the same look. He walked faster. ¡°Damn punks judging me!¡± he said. I sighed and shook my head only to pause as my transceiver buzzed. ¡°Sabrina?¡± I said. Surge spun about and nudged Jenny sending the much smaller woman stumbling. ¡°Heh! He¡¯s getting called by his girlfriend as well!¡± I shot a look at him¡­ But didn¡¯t deny it. It was¡­ true. Sabrina looked at me. ¡°Brock I see you have already raided your site. Well done. I am at the Plateau and we have begun interrogating Daniel. We¡¯re getting a number of facilities but are starting to get all that we can.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,. Are you feeling alright?¡± I asked carefully. Sabrina nodded her head. ¡°I am fine. I can do this with no issues.¡± A small groan to the side made me know Officer Jenny ¡ª from Pewter¡ª was listening in. Sabrina¡¯s eyes flickered off screen for a second before she said, ¡°Thank you for asking after me though. I appreciate it.¡± I snorted. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Surge and I took the Listening outpost with all the Rocket members but the last one destroyed some equipment. The police are still combing through the building.¡± A huff announced Agatha entering the conversation. ¡°Gym Leader Brock, you and Gym Leader Surge should make your way to League headquarters to debrief. A teleporting pokemon will be sent your way.¡± A moment later a familiar Alakazam appeared. ¡°Debrief and then meet up with us,¡± Agatha ordered. I nodded and hung up. I waved goodbye to Jenny ¡ª from Vermillion ¡ª as well as calling back my pokemon. Then I vanished in a teleport. When I reappeared, I did so in a new clean building that just screamed high-tech and rich. Clear strips of metal ran along the floors and walls. With a number of signs indicating what room was in what direction. ¡°Gym Leader Brock we meet again!¡± said a voice from my nightmares. I spun about my hand landing on my belt. ¡°Auditor Timothy!¡± I said. Next to me, Surge jumped backwards. ¡°Oh, shit where!?¡± He spun about and took a defensive position. Timothy laughed. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful to see you again. Sadly, this isn¡¯t a social visit though. I have been asked to compile a report. Shall we?¡± ¡°Urgh,¡± I groaned. ¡°Do we have to?¡± I said as I felt my heart rebel about being questioned by this Gengar puppeting a human body. The man laughed jovially. ¡°Hahaha! Oh, yes, yes we must.¡± Then he smiled, evilly, and indicated a possibly booby-trapped couch. ¡°Let¡¯s begin shall we? Get this all sorted out and filed away quickly!¡± I sat down and sighed. This was not how I expected this night to go. Chapter 94 - Interlude - Erika Gaiden Erika knelt in her garden. Golden light split through the trees that had been artfully arranged to allow for optimal light while keeping the clearing temperate with the chance of small gusts of wind. She¡¯d altered her garden this season. Not a large change, merely the addition of the small bridge that rose and fell over a ditch that was currently being dug with trowels. She was getting some heated looks for ordering it done and assigning it to a group of rather unruly girls. They¡¯d thought she¡¯d wilt in the face of their animosity. Some ladies forgot that Roselia had thorns. Sometimes Erika didn¡¯t give out gloves to protect the delicate hands. ¡°Julia,¡± Erika said to her oldest aide, ¡°I think we could do with some goldeen in the water, don''t you?¡± Julia¡¯s lips twitched as she noted the casual tone Erika had. ¡°I think that would look lovely. Perhaps we could even get some Milotic from the Cerulean sisters one day? It would make the newest feature even more pleasing.¡± Erika nodded her head in a slow, exaggerated fashion. The girls who were digging stopped as they realised what was being discussed. The heated looks turned into glowers as Julia gasped in faux surprise. ¡°Why! That will mean it needs to be deeper! And wider! Girls add an extra half metre in each direction!¡± ¡°This is tauros dung!¡± shouted the youngest girl¡ª Tanya ¡ªon trench duty. She hurled her trowel to the side. ¡°It started as a little water feature but now we¡¯re digging a damned moat! Is this so you can sit on high and be a Princess Erika! Quit trying to heap more onto us for punishment!¡± snapped the girl. The others nodded mutinously, but Erika met the looks calmly. She stared the girls down, and a few of them started to fidget. Tanya however, didn¡¯t flinch. She held the girl¡¯s glare before inclining her head minutely. ¡°I should apologise for teasing, however Julia is not wrong.¡± Erika flicked her eyes up and down. ¡°This is a task I have assigned you and the other girls for a reason. Yes, it is certainly more physical than others but lately, you have all been¡­ lacking in your duties to the Gym. I enjoy having a Gym that is beautiful, that is certainly correct. But saying this is a punishment is not entirely correct. This is a task that needs to be completed for our newest pokemon. It is a task I have given to your group of girls specifically as you have slacked in other tasks and I can no longer trust you with other basic duties.¡± Erika swept her hand to the side where a few other girls were sitting enjoying tea. ¡°I don¡¯t have to stand watch over those girls when I ask them to feed the pokemon. I don¡¯t have to remind them to change out the flowers at the Gym¡¯s entrance. I don¡¯t have to follow up on any of their chores. I don¡¯t have to waste mine or Julia¡¯s time.¡± Tanya slumped, but her eyes were still defiant. ¡°Tanya, you are being trusted with duties in my Gym as a trainer and your performance is not meeting expectations. You give jobs only half the effort you are supposed to. You never asked how deep the water feature needed to be. You merely decided to put in the least amount of effort you could from the start. You also made the task much harder than it needed to be.¡± Erika reached out and clasped Tanya¡¯s hand, inspecting it. ¡°You didn¡¯t go to the garden shed and get the gloves, wheelbarrows, or shovels this job needed. You simply grabbed the nearest tool. Some of the tasks here will not be spelled out. It is up to you to stop and think.¡± Tanya stared petulantly at the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t think cause I¡¯m tired!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t think because it involves effort,¡± corrected Erika gently. She once more indicated the girls enjoying the shade with their pokemon. ¡°If you wish to enjoy the nice things in life you will have to put in effort Tanya. I hope the rest of you girls understand that.¡± The girls wilted, and there was some sniffling. Julia stepped up, well used to being the much more vicious Vine Whip to Erika¡¯s soft Stun Spore. ¡°Hey! No sniffling! I don¡¯t care for Totodile tears! Stop moping and think about the job! Are you going to stand here doing nothing or start acting properly! Use what¡¯s between your ears girls!¡± A pair of girls hopped out of the small divot of earth they¡¯d dug and made for the garden shed to collect the right tools. Erika nodded, pleased that some were taking the initiative. Tanya kicked some dirt and grumbled as she followed the group of girls. Erika watched her go with a fixed smile. Why was it that with every new batch of trainers she took on, there were so many young girls like this? A high-pitched giggle made Erika turn and catch sight of the surprise that had also come with this latest batch of girls to enter her Gym. Jo and Zoe were twin girls that were barely able to own and train pokemon, but despite that, they were delightful young girls with wonderful attitudes. They cared deeply for each of their pokemon and that showed in how both of them had strong grass types in Victreebel and Vileplume by their tenth birthdays. It also helped that their father¡ª a single parent working as the Director of Internal Communications at Silph Co¡ª doted on them. Somehow, the girls had not ended up ruined by how he showered them with gifts. It might have had something to do with how each weekend the girls made sure to head out to pay their respects to their mother with him. They truly kept the grave site bright with flowers. A tragedy to be sure, but one with fresh new flowers growing in the aftermath with the twins. Both twins danced with a Lileep of their own while older girls watched on. The flowers truly were in bloom around her. Erika let herself breathe in and take in the scents of so many petals floating about. A Fearow swept overhead, and Erika could swear she saw a body leap off it. She shook her head. That wasn¡¯t right, surely no one would¡­ she stopped and reconsidered that. There was a trainer surge going on at the moment, wasn''t there? And trainers weren¡¯t known to respect her days off for Gym training and maintenance. ¡°¡ªcan¡¯t go in there!¡± shouted a voice. Erika wilted. Urgh! She had been right. Oh well, the girls would take care of it. They knew what to do. ¡°Stop her!¡± shouted another girl¡¯s voice. That had been a bit closer¡­ ¡°Jumpluff! Stun Spore!¡± shouted Michelle. Erika could recognise her voice, making her frown and turn to where the voices were coming from only for a figure to burst into her garden at a sprint. Julia stepped in front of Erika and raised a pokeball to release her Parasect. The form skidded to a halt and sketched a bow. ¡°Greetings from Fuchsia! I am Janine! I beg your forgiveness for the intrusion, but I must speak to Erika! I have a message from my Father! Priority Black!¡± said the girl that was clad in dark purple cloth like a ninja. Erika could only stare at her. There was an actual ninja in her garden? Priority Black? That was old speak for something important! She remembered this! She¡¯d gone over it once¡­ but that had been years ago, when she¡¯d taken over the Gym for her uncle¡­ Oh dear, this was going to be like the audit, wasn¡¯t it? Julia jutted her chin, ¡°How do we know you are who you say you are?¡± Her challenge raised. Erika had to concede that it was a good point¡ªthis could be a girl dressed up as Koga¡¯s daughter. Then again, there was a very easy way to tell who it was. After all, she¡¯d appeared on a Gym Leader call behind Brock a few weeks ago. ¡°Who is Brock¡ª¡± ¡°Sabrina,¡± said Janine instantly. Erika blinked, and Janine rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s obvious what you were going to ask. Everyone knows, try another question.¡± ¡°Knows what?¡± asked Julia looking between Erika and Janine. Erika smiled. ¡°You will find that it is not something widely known actually¡­ but yes, you did predict my question.¡± She then shifted her feet back and forth before looking away. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t quite recall what a Priority Black entails.¡± Janine sighed, and her whole body slumped as tension seemed to drain out of her. She gave Erika a sad look that Erika wanted to hide from. She just knew that she¡¯d failed to live up to the other girl¡¯s expectations of her somehow. She instead had to shift awkwardly, only to recall that this wasn¡¯t the time. It was obviously important. So she took a bracing breath and stood tall, like a mighty Exeggutor. ¡°What is the message?¡± That had Janine straightening up. ¡°A foreign agent has been detected within one of the Kanto Gyms and subsequent interrogation has determined key sites of criminal activity that need to be locked down immediately!¡± Erika blinked. Around the garden, various girls that had been listening in shouted in surprise. ¡°Foreign Agents?!¡± ¡°One of the Kanto Gyms?¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the police be informed?¡± Erika laced her hands. ¡°It¡¯s Brock isn¡¯t it?¡± Janine twitched. ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to say. The investigation is ongoing¡­¡± Erika nodded. That pretty much confirmed it. It seemed everything these days had something to do with Brock. Ever since he¡¯d been challenged by Lance more and more people had been looking his way and lots of people had been worked up. Which¡­ wasn¡¯t really fair as Blaine had been in the news of late as well¡­ Even Cerulean had made the news recently with their increased workload and efficiency being commented on. Erika couldn''t help but pat herself on the back for that. Two of her more senior girls had reported back that they¡¯d integrated really well into the Cerulean Gym. The Cerulean sisters were even set to send a pond of Goldeen and Seaking. Erika shook her head, forcing herself to stay on topic. ¡°You must be here due to something else then. The criminal activity, no doubt? What do I need to do?¡± ¡°My father has ordered that we liaise with the local police force but move with all haste to secure the location! You will have to secure your own Gym, and bring a team with me as the site is in your city!¡± Erika swallowed. ¡°I-I see.¡± She glanced at Julia her mouth opening to tell her to come with her only to pause. With the two other aides at Cerulean Julia was the best she had and person she most trusted. ¡°Julia¡­ I need you to take care of the Gym and the girls I leave here while I head out with Janine.¡± Julia blinked. ¡°Erika, I¡¯m honoured, but are you sure you¡¯ll be alright? I know you don¡¯t like going out and arresting people or seeking out fights like this.¡± Erika puffed herself up, ¡°I must! As Gym Leader I need to see to the care of my city!¡± She swallowed. ¡°You see to the Gym.¡± She then turned to the girls that were with her and surveyed who she would take with her. ¡°Tina, Mary, Tamia, and¡­ Lina. You will come with me.¡± She then pointed to a few others. ¡°Mai, Kay¡­ Jo and Zoe,¡± she said pointing at the two little girls. ¡°You will work under Julia.¡± Tanya, who¡¯d returned with her shovel had obviously heard enough to have an idea what was going on, leapt forward. ¡°What about me? Erika? I¡¯m one of the best trainers here! I can help out!¡± Erika grimace. Perhaps she had misspoken when assigning others to work with Julia¡­ She was now regretting it but she would have to push on as Janine had made it sound vital that they move as quickly as possible. Erika decided to rip the wax strip off. Yes, it would hurt but she would be better afterwards. ¡°I am not sure I can trust your work ethic,¡± she said firmly. Then she flicked her eyes to the poorly dug creek. Tanya shrunk back at that, and Erika wanted to reach out to soften the sting of her words. Janine, however, coughed, cutting short any further discussion. ¡°Very well, we have our team, let us be off.¡± She turned and began jogging out leaving Erika to blanche and realise she¡¯d need to keep up with her geta shoes and her much longer skirt. She stumbled for a few steps before popping a pokeball. An extremely large Parasect emerged, and Erika hopped onto his mushroom back so she could sit side saddle and continue after Janine. Once she had caught up she asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡± Janine flicked a look over her shoulder and then eyed the other girls that were either running to keep up, or like Erika, had started riding a pokemon capable of taking their weight. ¡°We are going to a den of vile debauchery! A place of wicked intentions that is a parasite on any good and proper community! It grows through simple intentions and becomes something so much worse!¡± Lina tilted her head, riding her Dodrio alongside Erika. ¡°Like the discount beauty salon that uses cheap goods?¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Janine frowned. ¡°What? No! The Games corner!¡± Erika blinked at that. ¡°The Games Corner? That¡¯s a gambling¡­¡± She considered what Janine had said, and she considered it. You never really considered how much people paid into slot machines. They were always just there. People associated Celadon with three things, The Grass Gym, the department stores, and the Games Corner. ¡°Who¡¯s running it?¡± ¡°Team Rocket, they have a huge basement establishment.¡± Janine then raised her wrist. ¡°Father, this is Janine reporting in. Oscar Mike, I have secured Erika and we are a block away from the Games Corner. Inform the police.¡± Erika jolted. ¡°You haven¡¯t yet informed the police?¡± ¡°Observers are in position to watch for any that delay, waylay, or send out information about this raid,¡± Janine responded back coolly. She then eyed the girls. ¡°None of you have done so despite having been told the target. This is good.¡± she said, then ran backward and eyed them more seriously. ¡°But, do not think I am lax in my vigilance!¡± Tamia ran up with a scowl. ¡°Like! We¡¯re tots loyal to Celadon Gym and Erika! Don¡¯t disrespect us like that!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± said the others with only the other girl faltering, but that was due to tripping on a loose rock. Erika blushed at their show of loyalty but felt raised up like a Jumpluff on the wind. Janine merely turned. ¡°We shall see!¡± she said before raising her fist and suddenly stopping. Erika and the girls ran past her before realising that she wanted them to stop. They sheepishly moved back while Janine eyed them. She then shifted. ¡°When I hold out my fist like this, that means stop¡­¡± she said with what Erika thought might have been an embarrassment in her tone. Hmmm, perhaps Janine wasn¡¯t as confident and self-assured as she showed herself to be. Janine coughed and gestured toward the building that was just visible now. The Games Corner was itself a misnomer, as the actual building was a series of buildings that were interconnected. In reality, it took up almost an entire block, with only one small old lady¡¯s home stopping them from claiming the entire block. Erika knew Mrs Grace quite well, she had been adamant about not selling and had faced a good deal of pressure to sell out only to beat back any and all attempts. Suddenly, those pushy lawyers had a much more sinister tone to them. She had to wonder if Mrs Grace hadn¡¯t also had some less-than-legal pressure placed on her? Erika fidgeted atop her pokemon causing him to glance back at her. ¡°Para?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine Parasect,¡± she said with a quick pat of his mushroom to calm him down. She coughed. ¡°Right! Janine! You¡¯ve informed the police and we¡¯re here outside the building. What do we need to do?¡± ¡°We need to secure the building. The main risks are high-value targets fleeing, or risks to civilians. Some of the civilians might also be Team rocket members so we will need to detain them all. The roof will also need to be secured but anyone that we encounter there will likely have a Flying Type pokemon.¡± Janine frowned. ¡°I should perhaps head to the roof and work my way down from there.¡± Erika was about to nod before Tamia spoke up, the dark-clothed girl shook her head. ¡°No need for that, If we get there first we can set up clouds of Stun Spores, Sleeping Powder and other areas that will capture anyone trying to flee via the roof.¡± Tamia glanced at Erika. ¡°We could also just flood the Games Corner and any buildings associated with it with Sleeping Powder no?¡± Erika considered this before nodding. ¡°T-that would work?¡± she said looking to Janine, despite the mess up with the raised fist the girl still seemed the more experienced in this sort of operation. Janine tilted her head. ¡°What pokemon does this group have?¡± ¡°Parasect, Venusaur, Victreebel, Vileplume, Tangela, and Exeggutor.¡± Erika rattled off. ¡°Cacnea, Shiftry, and Ivysaur,¡± said Tamia. ¡°Gloom, Bellsprout, Pidgeotto, Charmeleon,¡± said Tina. ¡°Exeggcute, Oddish, Skiploom, Roselia, and Nidoqueen,¡± Mary said. Lina squirmed, ¡°Tangela, Dodrio, Hoppip, Bellossom, and Meganium.¡± Janine nodded her head. ¡°Those are good pokemon¡­¡± She rubbed her chin. ¡°Tina, can you get to the roof instead and lock it down? I would then be able to infiltrate and get as deep as possible. Tamia, I need you to come in with Erika while the others lock down the front and back.¡± The girls, apart from Tamia, all shifted about with Erika chewing her lip. Janine turned and looked at her. ¡°Does this sound acceptable to you? I need your team but I also need to get as deep into the Rocket base to stop any executives from escaping with pokemon.¡± Erika nodded. ¡°Very well, how will we remain in contact?¡± Janine raised her transceiver. ¡°Set them to silent and vibrate. I will message you when I am in position or I have no choice but to make a move.¡± Erika swallowed but nodded. ¡°V-very well, we will come in as quickly as we can! Girls, to your positions!¡± Tina nodded and released her Pidgeotto, allowing it to carry her to the roof where Erika saw her release the rest of her pokemon. Tamia stayed with Erika. When the other girl reached out and squeezed Erika¡¯s hand. Erika stiffened before relaxing, glad for the show of support. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s going to be fine. I¡¯m here for you. Nothing is going to hurt you. Your uncle would be irate with me if that was the case.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not the issue,¡± Erika said squirming like she couldn¡¯t root herself properly to the ground. ¡°This is something I should be able to handle as Gym Leader but I¡¯ve never taken part in raids before. What must it look like with Janine, someone barely two weeks into her tenure as a Gym Leader being so much better at this than me?¡± ¡°Not all that much considering that she¡¯s Koga¡¯s kid,¡± said Tamia. Erika nodded after a second¡¯s consideration, and Tamia continued. ¡°Also, if we¡¯re comparing you to other Gym leaders, you have to account for the Cerulean sisters. They don¡¯t even police their city, just run shows. Brock and Sabrina are workaholics¡­ You¡¯re more like Falkner, he¡¯s pretty normal.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Erika said feeling slightly mollified. Tamia grinned. ¡°Anyway, Grass types are best indoors and for capture!¡± Erika considered that only for an urgent buzzing to make her look at her transceiver and spot that Janine had been spotted. ¡°Janine¡¯s in danger! Let¡¯s go!¡± she said, sweeping her hand in front of herself and clicking a button to send out a distress beacon that had the other girls locking down their sides of the building. Erika pointed and Parasect surged forward. Just as they reached the door a wave of people met them and shouted in surprise at her sudden appearance. ¡°Parasect! Sleep Powder!¡± she cried out causing her pokemon to exhale a cloud of white dust that swept over the crowd and had them slumping over to the ground. Erika tossed out her Tangela. ¡°Protect these people, but don¡¯t let them leave until the Police detain them!¡± She then swept into the Games Corner atop her pokemon with Tamia releasing her Shiftry and Cacnea. They instantly saw Janine, who was engaged in a one-on-three battle, with, what had to be, Team Rocket members and their pokemon against Janine. She leapt over a row of slot machines as a wave of sludge slammed into it. ¡°Idiot! Those are expensive! Don¡¯t ruin them!¡± said one man as he slapped the other over the back of the head. Further conversation was cut off when a Venomoth shot above the machines and retaliated, only for a Tentacruel to follow after and smash another pokemon. ¡°Shiftry! Leaf Blade!¡± ordered Tamia making her pokemon join the fray. Cacnea stood in front of Erika and Tamia reminding Erika she wasn¡¯t to simply watch. This wasn¡¯t a sanctioned pokemon fight but a battle. ¡°Go Venusaur! Use Vine Whip!¡± Her Venusaur emerged and roared before a thick vine snapped out from beneath her flower. The Vines cracked as they swept through the men and pokemon knocking them down and resulting in all of them losing the chance to fight back as they had pokemon ready to put them down if given the word. Erika swallowed but held a stern expression even as she wanted to check no one was hurt. Janine reappeared. ¡°My thanks! I noticed that the wall had a door behind it but when I tried to investigate, I discovered they had a pressure plate and a security system.¡± ¡°So, we need to get through the wall?¡± Erika asked, pointing with her hand towards the wall. Janine shook her head. ¡°One of these men should have a key¡ª¡± Venusaur¡¯s vine snapped out, and with a bang the wall bent. In one section, it completely crumbled inward and crashed as the door was knocked off its hinges. Tamia giggled. ¡°That¡¯s one way to do it! Nice one Erika!¡± ¡°Hey! No! You can''t go back there!¡± said one of the men as he tried to stand. Janine appeared behind him and chopped at his neck, causing him to crumple to the ground. Erika gasped. ¡°Did you just!?¡± she could barely finish the thought let alone speak it. ¡°Hmmm no, this is a ninja trick.¡± She then proceeded to chop her hand into the necks of the other two men, making them slump. Janine released a Muk to loom over the men. ¡°Detain them,¡± she commanded before gesturing to the newly revealed base. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Every second we tarry will result in more information being lost!¡± Erika eyed the door before returning her pokemon and hurrying after Janine. Tamia followed her with her pokemon able to walk down the stairs. When they reached the bottom there was no sign of Janine once more making Erika nervously look around. Tamia tapped Erika on the shoulder. ¡°You should send out your pokemon once more.¡± Erika nodded and released her Vileplume and Victreebel before glancing around at the oddly spaced room with a number of what looked like cubicles. The floors were tiled in large ceramic slabs that were strange with how they pulsed different colours. ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Erika whispered. ¡°Probably around. They¡¯re most likely trying to destroy evidence if they know we''re coming,¡± Tamia said as they crept forward. Erika couldn¡¯t help the fear creeping up on her. She inspected each cubicle but only found a few documents and the rare still active terminal. On each of these, a code sequence was spooling out. Erika knew nothing about computer coding but it looked like they were being scrubbed of information. She sat at one and tried to stop it only for none of the actions she took to do anything! She even tried control-alt-delete! Tamia solved the issue by unplugging the terminals which became their answer to any terminals they found still turned on. ¡°It¡¯s still odd that we haven¡¯t run into anyone¡­ Where do you think Janine went?¡± ¡°Probably ran off on us again,¡± said Tamia. ¡°Well, well, well!¡± said an oily-sounding voice that made Erika¡¯s skin crawl. ¡°Looks like the boss lady was right! There are a few weeds in our garden!¡± From around a corner, a group of men stepped forward with grins. Alongside them, a host of pokemon were also present, ranging from Golbat, Arbok, and even the odd Growlithe. Erika frowned. They had pokemon that were rather well-suited to fighting her, but regardless she would fight! She had methods for dealing with such disadvantag¡ª Before she could order her pokemon to engage, the tiles underneath everyone¡¯s feet flashed, causing the men to blanche, and their pokemon to shout in surprise creating a cacophony of noise. Erika just made out one man¡¯s shout of, ¡°The security system! Someone has activated it on us!¡± The tiles then blinked to life and showed a number of arrows that created odd patterns. The men began to spin and were pushed around and around in a row of tiles that had them moving in a large circle with their pokemon. Erika snapped her head down and breathed a sigh of relief when she realised she wasn¡¯t standing on any such tile¡­ but that might change at a moment¡¯s notice. She glanced towards what had to be a camera and frowned in thought. Then again, perhaps it wasn¡¯t a coincidence that they hadn¡¯t been targeted like the men? Tamia laughed, ¡°Ahahaha! Those idiots got caught in their own trap!¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± Janine said as she suddenly appeared at Erika¡¯s side causing Erika to eep and leap to the side. Janine smiled at the men. ¡°Actually you will find I activated their security system. Come, I was able to infiltrate deeply into their system. I have stopped the crash of their systems as well!¡± Janine led them to a room with a number of computers and a large wall with lots of cables leading into it. Erika wasn¡¯t sure what it was. ¡°Oh! A serverbank! Wow, I didn¡¯t know Koga taught you to hack things like this! You¡¯re really good!¡± Tamia said. Janine blinked and nodded. ¡°The ways of a ninja are many and varied.¡± Tamia nodded and turned to the camera feeds, missing how Janine kicked a pulled power cable out of sight. Erika bit her lips and pretended she hadn¡¯t seen. ¡°I was just unlocking the elevator to the next floor, which should be the executive suite. I will need you for that! Come!¡± Janine said, leading them to yet another elevator, that she produced a keycard, which she swiped. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± she said before stepping in only to have to stand and wait as the door closed. Janine fidgeted in the elevator as the doors slowly closed, all while tranquil music played in the background. Erika bopped along to it even as Janine glared at the speakers. Tamia smirked, ¡°How come you didn¡¯t just shimmy down the elevator?¡± ¡°That is impractical and only suited to movies!¡± snapped Janine. Erika tilted her head. ¡°There weren¡¯t stairs we could have taken were there?¡± Janine shook her head. ¡°They are criminals in every sense, including their building codes! The city will have a tough time reconciling with or ever using these facilities in the future!¡± she said heatedly, as though the idea of Team Rocket not building safe hideouts annoyed her. The doors dinged open, revealing a long hallway that wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place in a corporation¡¯s penthouse level. Numerous doors were open and obviously pulled apart with the faint smell of smoke wafting through a few rooms. Janine raced into those rooms and her Tenatcruel quickly saw to them as Erika and Tamia advanced on the last set of doors. They swept the doors open only for a pair of Rocket members to stand in front of a table with a chair. The chair was turned away from Erika but she somehow knew someone was sitting in it. Janine stiffened as the pair facing them released a Kangaskhan and a Flareon. ¡°Sunny Day Kangaskhan!¡± ¡°Flamethrower!¡± ¡°Exeggutor out and use Confusion!¡± shouted Erika before she even knew what she was doing. Her palm tree pokemon emerged with angry looks on all of its faces. Its eyes glowed at the oncoming flamethrower only to take control of it and swept it back at the pokemon who staggered. ¡°Boss! We need to go!¡± shouted the woman as Tamia¡¯s Shiftry entered the room. Janine darted forward only for Kangaskhan to screech, making her drop to one knee. ¡°Very well,¡± said a woman¡¯s voice only for a finger snap to cause the room to shake as Kangaskhan stomped its feet. Shiftry and Janine were thrown off their feet and Erika had to brace herself against her Exeggutor. ¡°Better luck next time Gym Leaders,¡± taunted the woman¡¯s voice as she and her assistants vanished in a flash of light. ¡°NO! Dark Pulse!¡± shouted Tamia ineffectively after they had escaped. Shiftry only just got back to his feet and pointed his arm only to wilt when he had no target. Erika patted Tamia on the shoulder. ¡°There, there. Let¡¯s check her computer and unplug it if there¡¯s anything on there.¡± Janine was instantly behind the computer, nodding seriously, only to be stymied by a screen demanding a password that blanked out a moment later. ¡°Tch! Damn it! Too slow!¡± Tamia nodded with a sigh before reaching out and unplugging the computer. ¡°Might be something left on it?¡± Erika and Janine could only nod their heads sadly before making their way back out. When they reached the group of men caught in the tile trap there were police trying to fish them out. They did so with long sticks and very pinched expressions. A group of water pokemon were waiting to wash the men that now sported brown and yellow uniforms instead of their black rocket uniforms. The police gave the girls their space very respectfully. ¡°Sure did a number on them!¡± said one of the lead detectives, nodding to the Rocket men that were covered in vomit and other body fluids. ¡°Oh,¡± Erika said. She¡¯d forgotten about them. Janine puffed her chest out. ¡°Erika was instrumental in defending her city!¡± Erika smiled fixedly as the men around them gave her a worried look. One even muttered something about ¡°it¡¯s always the quiet ones,¡± with a carrying whisper. Erika sighed and looked to Janine, who looked oh so proud of herself. ¡°Do we need to talk to anyone at the League?¡± she prompted. Janine blinked before sweeping up her transceiver to report to her father. Erika listened in as it was recommended that they make an appearance at the League headquarters to debrief. Erika bounced on the spot as they waited for a Teleport. ¡°At least you didn¡¯t find any corrupt policemen!¡± she said happily. Janine blinked at her and checked her transceiver. ¡°No, we found six and have detained them.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Erika wilted at the news. Janine patted her on the back but Erika ignored it. It seemed she still had areas in which she needed to improve. "I will improve!" she vowed to herself as she clenched her fists! Janine made a funny noise and Erika blinked. ¡°Oh dear¡­ I said that out loud didn¡¯t I?¡± she asked Tamia, who was biting her lips and shaking. Erika wilted into herself, today was turning out to be a very odd sort of day. Chapter 95 - Debriefed I could say one thing about Timothy: he was quick about his business. I tried to shield Surge from any issues by pointing out how I was with him the entire time, but Surge was quick to denounce me as merely being dragged along in his wake. Timothy hummed and didn¡¯t write anything down. ¡°Hmmm, perhaps we¡¯ll just say you were enthusiastic in performing your duties while assisted by Gym Leader Brock. It appears that you were able to take as many precautions as you could and you may actually have been the best suited for the task from what I gather. The business with the Electrodes¡­ I haven¡¯t heard anything like that since¡­¡± He shook his head and clicked his tongue. He then made a few notes which left Surge and I to share a sceptical glance. Timothy finished his report with a flourish. ¡°Very well, I do believe that about covers all of the questions I need to have answered. I believe Lady Agatha of the Elite Four wanted you to come and speak to her after that was done?¡± He shot a glance at the clock before checking his own watch. ¡°Oh! And we wrapped it up in twenty minutes! Look at that!¡± I shot the clock a disbelieving look. Hadn¡¯t it been hours? ¡°Oh wait! My mistake! The clock is wrong!¡± The man stood and adjusted the clock on the wall as I mentally screamed that I knew it. ¡°Just need to correct this¡­It¡¯s two minutes out, can you believe it?¡± He shook his head again before waving his hand to a set of doors. ¡°You both head down the hall, I need to get this reading properly!¡± I stared as he set about correcting the clock. I mentally made a note to myself, run the clocks in my house slightly wrong so if he ever comes again I will have time to escape as his obsessive-compulsive disorder trapped him. Surge dragged me out of the chair. ¡°Right! Thanks, bye!¡± he said as he led the tactical withdrawal. When we reached the doorway he pushed it open and paused when instead of Agatha we ran into a wall of muscle that flexed in preparation to knock us back. I looked up, half of me wondering why Trixie was here, while the other part of me remarked that she was most likely doing some form of training. ¡°Hmpf!¡± said a much deeper voice. There was also disdain there which was something I¡¯d never heard from Trixie. I peered up and found myself staring into Bruno¡¯s face. ¡°Bruno! Baby! How¡¯s it been?! When was the last time we hung out?!¡± Surge said with a jovial grin. From behind Bruno a Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee swaggered out to inspect us. I inspected both and found them impressive specimen. Both pokemon were held in the same regard as Scyther as ¡®cool¡¯ pokemon to own. But then again they were also all pokemon with a deep well of potential for any trainer. Bruno¡¯s pokemon were pros. Hitmonlee stayed light on his feet and Hitmonchan had his hands slightly raised while his body bounced from side to side. Bruno stared, like a rock wall. Then he spoke, his voice rumbling from the depths of his throat, ¡°We¡¯ve never, hung out Surge.¡± He then pivoted his head to look at me. ¡°Agatha said to expect you.¡± He turned back to Surge, ¡°Surge.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°... You can go in as well.¡± ¡°Great! Great! Good to see you!¡± Surge said as he walked around Bruno who was pointedly standing in the middle of the hallway watching the door we¡¯d come through. ¡°That guy is nuts,¡± Surge said as soon as the door closed behind us. I shot him a look. ¡°Bruno? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°Just a meathead. And I¡¯ve seen enough meatheads to be a pro at judging them. Sadly this meathead is damn good at what he does.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± I said glancing around at the room we found ourselves in. There were a number of other entrances. So why was Bruno standing in front of that one and not another? I practically knew where to go based on the Machamp standing in front of one of the doors. It practically announced that something important was going on behind that door. We approached slowly. ¡°He¡¯s a gatekeeper, or a guard. Ask him to hold a position, and he¡¯ll do it until he¡¯s ordered to stop.¡± Surge gave me a look. ¡°He does after all have the best record against challengers against the Elite four. Then again all he does is train and fight strong pokemon in the wilds. He doesn¡¯t do any of the other duties of the Elite four.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he the second in the roster for Elite Four?¡± ¡°Yeah but way I hear? He¡¯d prefer to be first so he gets to face everyone. Lance wants to keep him second though. Doesn¡¯t stop Bruno from throwing himself against Agatha though. When she¡¯s gone, he¡¯ll be the longest-serving Elite Four member.¡± I frowned at Surge. ¡°Do you respect him or disdain him?¡± Surge worked his jaw back and forth. ¡°Eh, I can do both.¡± He put a hand under his jaw. ¡°I¡¯m a rare breed of man. Complex and mysterious and such!¡± I stared at him. ¡°You read that out of a comic book didn¡¯t you?¡± He sniffed. ¡°I plead the fifth,¡± he said before pausing in front of the Machamp. It sniffed at us and tossed its head to the side, indicating a door to the left. A shadowy arm reached out of the wall and beckoned us forward. Surge swallowed and eyed the hallway we were in. ¡°Listen, if the lights flicker and the walls start bleeding I¡¯m blasting my way out. Fuck this horror show vibe I¡¯m picking up.¡± I blinked and stared before considering how, if you weren¡¯t used to Agatha¡¯s antics with her ghost pokemon, that would be rather unsettling. I merely nodded as I noted that Surge would be the person most likely to survive in a horror setting. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably a good idea.¡± ¡°Good idea? That¡¯s how I got out of at least three death traps back in the war!¡± he said as he scratched at his elbow, eyeing the walls, ceiling and floor with furtive glances. I raised my hand. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s cool. I understand.¡± Post-traumatic stress was something that could lay dormant for ages until triggered after all. Surge grunted and edged up to the room. This time, he was much more cautious when he opened the door. Inside we found a room that I could only describe as an interrogation room. Or at least the viewing room. We had an obvious one-way mirror that we were on the viewing side of. In the room with us was Agatha, Koga, Lance, Officer Jenny ¡ªwho was looking way out of her depth¡ª along with what appeared to be a man. It was tough to judge due to how he was hidden from the neck down in a trench coat. I assumed it was a man due to the five o¡¯clock shadow stubble that featured on his face. He didn¡¯t look at us as we entered but remained locked on the scene on the other side of the glass. I glanced in and found Sabrina sitting behind Daniel. Daniel was trying to peer over his shoulder at Sabrina, but Sabrina was just out of sight. Not that there was much to see. Sabrina was as stone-cold as I¡¯d ever seen her. I hummed. In fact, was this the least expressive I had ever seen her? When had she ever been so flat and emotionless? When I first met her perhaps? That almost sounded right to me, but also made me rather concerned. The man across from Daniel was a solidly built man. With his coat off and no tie, badge on his belt next to two pokeballs, he announced himself as cop to anyone with eyes. He also looked like a man for whom this was merely another day at the office. Like this was just routine. A simple chore. He occasionally made an aborted gesture to reach for the cigarettes in his top pocket before stopping. His eyes had shadows but there was a spark of intelligence that made me wonder how carefully curated this entire procedure was. I took it all in before I spoke. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± I said to the room at large. Jenny swallowed, her eyes darting at the other people in the room. Lance grunted and nodded. The man in the trenchcoat ignored me. Koga stroked his chin. Agatha gave me a smile. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re learning quite a lot more than we thought we would. Daniel is quite the catch it would seem.¡± She flicked her eyes to Surge who was glowering at Daniel through the one-way glass. ¡°Want me to go in and make him squeal? I know how to do it,¡± Surge said tightly. Jenny stiffened. ¡°What?!¡± Lance gave Surge an assessing look. ¡°There won¡¯t be any need for that Surge.¡± The trenchcoat-wearing man grunted. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be effective. I¡¯ve seen the results from such methods. You end up frying the captive and only getting a portion of the actually actionable information. This method¡­¡± He waved a hand towards Sabrina and the man in the room with Daniel. ¡°It¡¯s slower but we¡¯ll get more.¡± He continued to watch Daniel. ¡°There! He just lied again, mark that for later playback.¡± Jenny hurriedly noted it down on a notepad but I spotted that the man also marked it off for himself. So, a discerning man with interrogation and investigation skills. One that had lived through the war? Or just studied the restricted documents? I hummed. ¡°Should I ask for your name?¡± I said pointedly. The man flicked his eyes to Lance and Lance hummed. ¡°This¡­ This won¡¯t be something I want to be spread around, but I am thinking of enacting code names so that agents in the field are better protected.¡± His eyes flicked to Agatha¡¯s shadows and the door we¡¯d come through. ¡°For now call him¡­ Agent¡­ Coat¡­¡± That got a few looks as he coughed. Surge snorted. ¡°Just call him Agent Brown and be done with it. Any attempts on this punk by Rocket or otherwise?¡± his eyes lingered on the cameras in the rooms. ¡°Got the vents covered?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve had two Haunters come and a Mr Mime we thought was just on cleaning duty try to break into the room,¡± Jenny offered up. She glanced at the vents nervously. Koga chose to answer the question Jenny wasn''t sure of. ¡°I have some Muk in the vents in minimized forms waiting. The vents are secured.¡± I whistled, impressed at the security they¡¯d laid out for this, before tilting my head. Something had just occurred to me about the layout of the hall. ¡°What door do you have Bruno¡¯s Machamp standing in front of?¡± ¡°A meeting room that we have filled with security pokemon,¡± Koga said, his lips twitching. He seemed to enjoy the ruse, perhaps it had been his suggestion? ¡°Why have Bruno standing at the door leading into the corridor?¡± I said as a flaw presented itself. Agatha cackled. ¡°Hehe! Oh Brock this hallway only has two normal points of entry and the other is guarded just as well.¡± I considered that and then shot Lance a look. ¡°You have Lorelei standing guard?¡± Jenny coughed. ¡°I offered¡­¡± she said quietly but was ignored. Lance coughed and didn¡¯t meet my gaze. Was he still making her do annoying errands? Was this bullying? ¡°She understands the importance of what we¡¯re doing. She took down the Mr Mime in fact,¡± Lance offered up. He almost sounded begrudgingly complimentary. I huffed and looked back at Daniel. My stomach clenched as I remembered how close he¡¯d been to my family. I felt a dark urge rise up before I sated it with the memory of kicking Daniel through a door. I smiled a little and listened as Daniel was grilled about his involvement. The man in the room was completely relaxed about the entire thing. He merely asked his questions and when Daniel got agitated he merely shrugged. Daniel snarled and tried to twist around to spot Sabrina. ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to do! I¡¯m not going to just give you that information!¡± The interrogator paused. ¡°Hoh? Not just, so you do want to do a deal then?¡± he said while lounging in his chair, his hand inching towards his cigarettes before stopping once again. ¡°Well, that¡¯d be fine and dandy. You¡¯ve gotten yourself in quite the pickle after all. You¡¯re Magikarp with no puddle and the Houndoom are circling young man. We want everything you can offer. Any intel and sources, names, faces. We want the lot.¡± Daniel twitched to look behind him. But he could only just see Sabrina. With how he was cuffed he couldn¡¯t twist to face her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just taking it?¡± The man across from him smirked. ¡°Oh? That? Now that¡¯s just our little¡­ guarantee that you¡¯ll give us what we want. See that¡¯s the beauty of having a psychic in the interrogation process.¡± the man leaned in and his next words were spoken with a carrying whisper. ¡°You really have no idea what we know. But we¡¯ll have lists, names, places, and faces that we can work from. You? You won¡¯t know when we know for sure you''re lying. But that¡¯d take time and a bit of effort, which we honestly have plenty of. Don¡¯t know about you but I¡¯m getting double pay for this so I¡¯ll happily sit on my hands.¡± The man snapped his fingers. ¡°Oh wait you¡¯re worse than fired, you''re burned. No sweet paycheck waiting for you¡­ Unless you talk.¡± The man scratched his chin. ¡°So, much easier all around if you start talking.¡± Daniel remained silent and the other man sat lower in his chair. I noted his chair was much more comfortable looking than Daniel¡¯s. ¡°Is this¡ª¡± I started to say only for Agent Brown to shush me. ¡°Quiet now, he¡¯s close¡­ we¡¯ve got him right where we want him. Just¡­ Stay quiet.¡± I shut my mouth. We waited five minutes and eventually, Daniel collapsed in on himself. ¡°I¡­ I want a deal!¡± The man sat up. ¡°Well you start thinking about how you¡¯re going to tell your life story and I¡¯ll go deal with that pesky paperwork and get you something to sign. You sit tight.¡± He got up and walked out. Sabrina most pointedly did not. Daniel relaxed in his chair only to frown and glance behind himself and realise that he could just make out that Sabrina was still behind him. Waiting, and watching. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Why are you still there?! I agreed to talk!¡± he said. Sabrina didn¡¯t say anything. She merely sat and waited. Daniel continued to try and glance back at her as the man that had left them marched around the corner to our group. Agent Brown handed him a sheaf of papers. ¡°Nice work in there Agent Blue,¡± he said. Blue blinked and shot a look around. ¡°Thanks? What¡¯s with the name?¡± His hand reached to his cigarettes and he opened it to reveal an assortment of lollipops and not, in fact, any cigarettes. ¡°A layer of anonymity for you on official reports,¡± Lance said. He inclined his head to the trenchcoat-wearing man. ¡°He¡¯s Agent Brown.¡± ¡°Huh, right then.¡± He shoved a lollipop into his mouth and sucked on it a bit for humming. ¡°Reckon we let Sabrina sit in there for another five then she teleports out to debrief on whatever she has so we can compare notes before we get into it more with him. Maybe don¡¯t have her visible at all for that part to make him relax even more.¡± Brown and Blue went back and forth on how they planned to proceed and I found the entire process fascinating in a morbid fashion. Jenny started taking notes so I had to assume this was like getting a play-by-play explanation from a pro. It was a literal experience on the job for her and she looked delighted to be sitting in for this part of the talk. The room rocked suddenly and the lights flickered. Sabrina appeared next to me. ¡°Bruno has started fighting a pair of ghost pokemon.¡± ¡°Ho?¡± Agatha said, ¡°He only noticed two of them?¡± Surge started searching the room only for a shadow to slip out behind Agatha and to raise through the wall where it formed up into Gengar. It then lunged straight at Daniel who reared back. Instead of the Gengar biting him though it tackled something in the air and a new ghost pokemon was formed. Agatha frowned at the pokemon that was revealed. ¡°My my, a Dusclops, I haven¡¯t seen one of those in years.¡± The Dusclops¡¯ body unravelled slightly. A gap appeared at the front that looked sort of like a mouth opening. It tried to ¡®bite¡¯ at Gengar only for Gengar to jump back and form a ball of shadowy energy that it shot into Dusclops. The Dusclops wailed and collapsed. ¡°Tch, I¡¯ll have to scold Bruno, he missed one.¡± Agatha said as she strutted around to open the door for her Gengar. Sabrina shifted from foot to foot in agitation. I patted her on the elbow, knowing that there wasn¡¯t anything she could do to detect a ghost that was hiding like that. Agatha was literally the best person for that. It must have stung her pride though. Gengar grabbed the slumped Dusclops and dragged it out behind himself while Daniel watched on with a horrified expression. Agatha merely tutted and shook her head. ¡°Sloppy. They¡¯re getting sloppy if they think I¡¯d miss this pokemon sneaking in. Let¡¯s see if we can find where it came from though.¡± She walked off without even looking to Lance. Koga gave Lance a look and Lance nodded his head. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, Koga, sweep the building.¡± Agents Brown and Blue watched him then turned and gave each other identical nods ¡°Yeah I think he¡¯s ready to talk now. Sabrina can you review these notes? Then we¡¯re going to get him talking so you can get what you can. Stay out here and press this remote if he¡¯s evading, lying, or otherwise.¡± Sabrina gave me a look before she went off to divulge as much of Daniel¡¯s secrets as she could. I had to wonder what she¡¯d learnt about him. That look made me more nervous about having him around my family. Surge started inching towards the door into the interrogation room. Lance pointedly stared at him. Surge whistled innocently and took another sizeable step to the side. ¡°I can see you. You do realise that you¡¯re not fooling anyone here right?¡± Lance said. Surge sniffed. ¡°Was hoping you¡¯d demonstrate good sense and have a moment of temporary blindness.¡± Surge waggled his eyebrows. ¡°Come on, sometimes you gotta let these sorts of things play out.¡± Lance¡¯s frown grew. ¡°I want you to understand that I consider that entirely unethical and I¡¯m offended you would think I would consider such methods acceptable.¡± Surge grumbled and stopped inching towards the door. Instead, he came and stood next to me. ¡°Sorry Brock, was gonna slug him one for you. I know how you wou¡ª¡± ¡°He tried to resist. I kicked him through a door,¡± I said. Lance and Surge blinked in surprise. Agent Brown, who¡¯d remained in the room gave me a thoughtful look. Then his eyes darted to Jenny. She nodded at his unasked question, her hands moved apart to indicate how wide the door had been, which gained a hum as he watched me. Koga returned before Agatha or Sabrina and Agent Blue. ¡°They must be long-range sniping us¡­ or it is possible they are merely putting up feints.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t use Psychic pokemon to scry us can they?¡± I asked. Sabrina, Jenny, Agent Brown and Lance all shook their heads. I accepted it with a nod, my gaze focused on Daniel. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to him?¡± It took me a moment to realise I¡¯d been the one to voice the question. Agent Brown shifted. ¡°He¡¯ll be secured here for a while. Held as we extract information from him. The process will take a while, however. After that¡­ if he¡¯s co-operative enough we will probably place him in protective custody with the understanding that he remains close to his assigned home.¡± Agent Brown shrugged. ¡°Maybe give him a nice mountain to brood on, or a secluded island. Plenty of those around. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s not going to be something you should know Brock.¡± I turned and locked eyes with him in challenge. ¡°Oh?¡± He matched me undaunted. ¡°You¡¯re too close to this.¡± He glanced around. ¡°In fact, we should clear the room of anyone none essential to this investigation for the next part. Narrow the potential points of weakness in our information security.¡± Surge, rather than grumbling and throwing up a stink like I expected, gave a tight nod. I blinked as I once more remembered that he¡¯d been in a war. Information security probably wasn¡¯t a foreign concept. Surge instead turned to me. ¡°You want to say anything to him?¡± When I tilted my head Surge huffed. ¡°You know, make sure he knows that if you ever see his face again you¡¯ll thrash him.¡± I chuckled and shook my head. ¡°Nah I¡¯m good. I don¡¯t need anything like that.¡± I jerked my head to the doors. ¡°They¡¯ve got our report and know where to find us Surge. I think we should get back to our Gyms. We¡¯ve got other things to see to.¡± Lance clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m glad Brock. I know this would be tough but I¡¯m happy you''re not consumed with needing to do something ill-advised.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I got him to you, you know?¡± I paused as though something had just occurred to me. ¡°... I guess I shouldn¡¯t ask about any other raids that might be being conducted from what we found should I?¡± Lance smiled. ¡°Erika and Janine were able to lock down the Games Corner that you uncovered. The executives escaped but Erika has a number of rare pokemon and a lot of money that will be held securely. They did miss out on the Executives however due to the Games Corner¡¯s¡­ structure.¡± Lance drummed his fingers on his forearm. ¡° They did well but for us in the League not noticing this? This is going to be a costly mistake Brock, but it is a victory I am going to tout for all Law enforcement as soon as it is advisable to do so.¡± Agent Brown shot Lance a pleased smile and Jenny straightened up. I nodded back, then, oh so casually, I said, ¡°Might be worth putting out a notice for any trainers that pick up suspicious behaviour to report it. With all this pressure on Team Rocket, they might make some other mistakes and show more of their hand.¡± Koga pointedly didn¡¯t react but I got the impression he was mentally tipping his hat to me as Lance nodded. ¡°That¡¯s something we already considered but good to see you¡¯ve considered this. Keep this in-house at your gym for now, and don¡¯t answer anything if any reporters ask questions.¡± I nodded and made for the door where I marched out past Agatha in the hall with the Machamp glowering at the Dusclops. She was prodding it with her cane to wake it up. Her shadow notably was not lined up with the lights. I offered her a wave of farewell. ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch,¡± she said, as she inclined her head. Her shadow smiled at me. I gave her a grunt of acknowledgement but didn¡¯t break stride as I made my way out. Bruno watched us march out, his hallway bore marks of fighting and his pokemon were both bouncing around with far more energy than they¡¯d had before. He didn¡¯t say anything and neither did we. When we got outside Sabrina¡¯s Alakazam was levitating and waiting for us. I nodded and started to relax, ready to put this day behind me. ¡°Guess I¡¯m proud of you too,¡± Surge said suddenly. I glanced up at him. ¡°Hmmm? What¡¯s this about?¡± He stared pointedly away from me. ¡°You not being all gung-ho to tear Daniel apart. Guess it was wrong of me to suggest you threaten him.¡± I snorted. ¡°Please, if Daniel ever appears in front of me he¡¯ll just disappear, but I wasn¡¯t going to say anything like that there.¡± I rolled my eyes and offered a joking wink. ¡°That¡¯d be possibly incriminating.¡± Surge turned back to me grinning. ¡°Heh! That¡¯s the way Brocko.¡± He glanced about and offered me a less-than-subtle wink and thumbs up. ¡°Still proud of ya!¡± He tapped Alakazam on the shoulder. ¡°Gonna steal a ride first, Vermillion good for you?¡± Alakazam nodded and vanished in a flash. I sighed and looked up at the distant stars. I didn¡¯t do anything else out there but wait. The doors of the building opened and running feet announced someone racing after me. I whirled around to find Jenny red-faced. ¡°Wait for me! Sorry! Sorry! I just got reminded that I wasn¡¯t need to know!¡¯ she stopped when she saw I was still here. ¡°Oh good, you haven¡¯t left yet.¡± ¡°Nope not yet, Alakazam will be back soon.¡± Said pokemon reappeared with a flash and eyed us both. I nodded at the unasked question and a moment later we vanished only to reappear in front of my gym. Jenny shook herself like a growlithe shaking off wet fur. ¡°Brrr! That always feels weird for me.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You get used to it after a few teleports,¡± I said mildly. Jenny shot me an incredulous look. ¡°Well, this ended up being a much longer, and way more interesting evening than I bargained for.¡± She looked up and for a moment I thought I saw fire in her eyes. ¡°But so good! Watching those detectives work on Daniel? That was incredible!¡± She smiled hugely at me. ¡°Thanks for trusting me Brock, that was amazing to sit in even with me missing some of it!¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, I doubt you¡¯ll be asked to sit out for much longer. The Champion knows your name now and will know you¡¯re trustworthy.¡± Jenny practically floated at that and I chuckled before a yawn escaped me. ¡°Well on that note I think I should get to bed.¡± I almost offered her a bed at the gym before considering how that might come across. Jenny didn¡¯t seem put out as she was still buzzing from thinking about Lance noticing her. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Night, Brock,¡± she said distractedly as she turned off to the space that was set aside to park her bike. I started walking around to the side entrance for my home. I made it to the front door when running feet once more had me turning back. I was turning around, ready to reject a challenge when I found a worried-looking Jenny running up. ¡°Hey uhm Brock? Any chance your gym trainers moved my bike? I know I left it parked in my spot is all and¡­ it''s not there?¡± I hissed at that, knowing that no one in my gym would have touched a police bike. ¡°Let¡¯s check the cameras.¡± I offered. Jenny¡¯s head bobbed up and down and I opened the door and led her through the house. When we passed the kitchen we found Forrest passed out on the kitchen bench with a blanket wrapped around him. Munchlax was likewise slumped over next to him and across from them was Flint. He straightened up. ¡°Is everything¡­¡± He trailed off when Jenny peeked around the door. ¡°Oh.¡± then he blinked. ¡°Oh! Right well have a good night you two!¡± he said as he picked up Forrest to carry to bed. I stared after his retreating form. Then realisation set in. ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like!¡± I hissed after his retreating form. Flint shot me nod that showed he totally didn¡¯t believe me along with a thumbs up. I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. How the man thought I could be like that I had no idea. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ come on,¡± I said to Jenny who was blushing crimson. We entered my office and I toggled up the cameras and clicked through them. When I got to the three that looked over the entrance Jenny leaned in closer. ¡°Where¡¯s this one from?¡± she said tapping the third camera feed. ¡°The hill overlooking the gym. It¡¯s a good vantage point and the camera is hidden, it¡¯ll pick up anyone watching the gym too closely. Also it¡¯s new.¡± I expanded the camera and ran it in reverse until the bike suddenly appeared on the screen. Jenny hissed as she caught sight of two small forms creeping up to the gym. I frowned at their covered-up forms. They were obviously up to no good with how they had face masks and hoodies. They¡¯d have been sweating buckets in that get-up. Jenny and I watched as they crept up to the bike, a few times vanishing from one of the cameras only for the third to keep them in sight the entire time. They were making¡­ What I could only deem amateurish attempts to avoid the first two cameras¡¯ arc points of vision. They only stood out thanks to the third. Out of curiosity I toggled the internal security feed and found out why this hadn¡¯t been flagged. The security team I had chosen to have someone outside the Gym¡¯s door and had been in the middle of securing another door. They were going above and beyond while also dropping the ball simultaneously. I clicked my tongue at how fortunate the kids that had done this had gotten. Jenny glared at the screen. ¡°Some punk kids have stolen my bike¡­¡± ¡°Yup,¡± I said. Jenny swore and I pat her on the shoulder only to have her storm off. I watched her march back out to the front of the Gym with a thunderous expression on her face. I toggled the sound as she unleashed an Arcanine. ¡°Smell! Find!¡± she ordered firmly. Instantly the giant fire dog dropped to smell the ground before sitting up and nodding. Jenny hopped onto the pokemon¡¯s back and slashed her arm forward. ¡°Arcanine! Hunt!¡± she shouted. Arcanine took off in a burst of speed with Jenny riding atop. I whistled as I watched Jenny disappear from the camera feeds. ¡°Those kids are screwed.¡±
The next morning I was extra glad that I had had the foresight to cancel the gym matches for the day. A number of reporters were quick to appear and claim I was being negligent. Rachel was quick to appear at my side while I was cooking breakfast. ¡°Brock, what¡¯s the situation? Alexa messaged me that all the gym matches were cancelled last night and I¡¯ve been freaking out! There are media all over this cause of how many trainers have been put out by this!? What¡¯s happening?¡± she said fluttering from foot too foot like a started pidgey. I plated up the pancakes and gestured for her to walk with me into another room while the kids were distracted. Yolanda tracked me with an assessing look but I just waved her off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I said as I swept past her. When we reached the room I shut the door and sighed. ¡°Daniel was a spy for Team Rocket,¡± I said deciding to go straight for ripping the bandaid off. Rachel gaped at me a whispered. ¡°Oh shit,¡± escaped her and I nodded. ¡°Needless to say when I discovered this we had¡­ words¡­¡± Rachel swallowed, ¡°Is he in police custody or¡­¡± I huffed. ¡°He¡¯s at League headquarters due to this being a serious crime.¡± When Rachel shot me a confused expression I continued. ¡°Spying on a gym that is on the border of Kanto like we are is considered a national crime with the charge being espionage against a defence asset. As such¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯s in it deep isn¡¯t he?¡± Rachel said with huge eyes. I nodded and she considered that. She licked her lips and looked me over. ¡°How are you feeling? Must have been a bit of a blow to learn he was a traitor?¡± I inhaled and exhaled. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said simply. I waved a hand towards the front of the gym. ¡°I need you to go out there and assure the media that I did what I did after careful consideration with an ongoing event affecting the Gym. The League is aware of this incident and working with us, but as yet we cannot offer more to the public due to the nature of the incident. Ask for people¡¯s forgiveness but know that we will be back in business as usual tomorrow with the displaced trainers having some temporary slots offered to them.¡± Rachel nodded seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± she said clenching her fists in determination. She then hopped from foot to foot. ¡°He made a mistake you know?¡± I raised a brow wondering what she meant. ¡°Just that working here should have been a dream job for anyone. Him spitting on that¡­ He really thumbed his nose at something great.¡± She chewed her lip. ¡°Does that make any sense or am I messing this up?¡± I snorted. ¡°Well, thanks for trying,¡± I said before nodding my head towards the door. Rachel turned and marched off, a woman on a mission. I smiled, happy that despite being betrayed I still had a lot of people willing to stand with me that I felt I could trust. I considered that for a moment before slowly nodding. Yeah, I¡¯d still extend them my trust. I didn¡¯t need to demand Sabrina or Jenny interrogate them. I wasn¡¯t going to let one bad egg ruin what I had here. I checked my watch and walked back to the kitchen to get ready for the day that was to come. I¡¯d have a gym meeting to clean things up and then I¡¯d reshuffle Daniel¡¯s duties to other people. I¡¯d be behind on trainer matches but those could be handled on the short term. I¡¯d just need to adjust the rest period for my gym and pokemon to much earlier. Yet another flow-on effect of the Trainer flood coming into play. But we¡¯d be back in business the day after, just as good as ever, I vowed to myself. Chapter 96 - Catharsis Scyther parried the blow, and Shin, making sure not to over-commit, brought his second blade into play. I watched their exchange closely with a camera positioned on a tripod in front of me. For minor technique pointers, it made a world of difference to be able to highlight moments where my pokemon had done something right or wrong. I was able to film at least two minutes of fighting before I noticed something. ¡°Hold!¡± I shouted. Shin and Scyther stopped, both of their blades ready to arc towards each other. Scyther¡¯s eyes flickered around for what I had noticed and Shin dropped into a relaxed pose. He bowed to Scyther and tapped the rock that he was now next to. I nodded and walked up. ¡°Shin¡¯s right Scyther, he¡¯s got you positioned in a bad spot. But not just because of the rock that he¡¯ll be able to flick at you with his next sweep but because there is a gouge in the ground behind you that will trip you up when you take another step back.¡± ¡°Ka! Kabu!¡± said Shin as he pointed out another advantage he had. I hummed and reached down to the ground, my fingers running across the pebbles judgingly. I stood and dusted my hands. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯m going to have to disagree. The ground being slightly flaky might not have played into your favour.¡± I looked up to Scyther. ¡°Were you aware of it?¡± Scyther shook his head and I glanced up as Shin perked up. ¡°Alright, if you knew he didn¡¯t know, it would have worked as a surprise.¡± I inspected Scyther¡¯s facial alignment and stood in his position before nodding. Scyther buzzed his wings angrily. And I rubbed his head. ¡°Hey, calm down you lasted two minutes in a melee which is great! In physical strength, you¡¯re doing great. You¡¯ve really been working well with the gravity drills! Your form is enough that I think we should reduce the amount working on the skill with your blades and instead work on your energy pool and endurance as much as possible.¡± Scyther gave me a shocked look and I rubbed his head. ¡°Hey, hey remember that your weapon of choice is going to change so we¡¯ll need to reteach you if you adopt too many techniques with a longer blade. You have the groundwork and a great understanding for when you face pokemon with swords.¡± I gestured to him and Shin who were the original sword pokemon. ¡°Remember there are going to be a lot of sword pokemon.¡± Bisharp, Gallade, Zacian, Sir¡¯fetch¡¯d, Aegislash, were just some of the pokemon that came to mind. Scyther¡¯s training would see him be a wonderful counter against those on skill alone. ¡°When we get enough of the augurite Scyther, we¡¯re going to have to learn all you can against as many humanoid pokemon as possible. Your axes will give you a lot of advantages. I have a friend I made on my journey that owes me.¡± Scyther perked up. ¡°Scyther?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the fighting type specialist I met in Hoenn that I lent Hypnotoad to. She made a lot of money on fighting matches while using Hypnotoad to spar with her own pokemon. She¡¯ll send over some fighting types for you to practise against.¡± ¡°Scyther!¡± Scyther bounced from foot to foot in a much more upbeat mood. I pat him on the head and moved over to the other training area where Titan was sliding and repositioning while Bertha, Knight and Selene fired rocks and various energy attacks. Onix rested to the side watching carefully. I was having him and Sanchez rest up as I planned to use them in an Ace match alongside a few others from my Elite team. Yesterday, I¡¯d spent most of the day locked in meetings with the gym trainers. Rocko and the others had been stunned when I announced Daniel¡¯s status as a traitor. Apparently, Rachel had held onto that until the meeting. She¡¯d merely sat to the side chewing her lips. I¡¯d had to lay out new rosters, and changes in who did what on which days to make sure things flowed. The usual things that happened when a trainer was sick or had a long-term duty to perform. I¡¯d¡­ I¡¯d honestly prepared this earlier in the year with Daniel in mind for when¡­ His fake child arrived. Helen was gone when I¡¯d gotten back to the gym. I had shot Joy a brief message to see if she needed anything from me. A statement or otherwise and she¡¯d merely replied asking if I wanted to do anything. My gut had roiled and clenched with the idea of pursuing anything that I¡¯d have to squint and turn my head to consider just or fair in any sense of the word. Any money she got would be hers to keep but I¡¯d not pay a pokecent more. I decided to wipe my hands of it and leave her be. It was just money. And that was that. It was someone else¡¯s problem to deal with in a few simple messages. It almost felt far too quick and clean. I wasn¡¯t sure what to think of that honestly, so I focussed on other things. Daniel, I had been told, was continuing to cooperate. Only some of the methods of getting to him had recently changed. Sabrina had informed me that she would be remaining close to him for the next few days. Apparently, there were too many unknown faces that happened to start sniffing around the League headquarters, mapping out the land instead of blindly rushing in. Instead, of inviting an attack at Headquarters and kicking a Beedrill nest with the media. Lance had relocated to a secure facility that only a few people knew of. I accepted it. When I¡¯d asked about her Ralts she¡¯d chewed her lip and hung up. I¡¯d been shocked when she didn¡¯t bring Ralts over but instead left Ralts with her mother with careful instructions. Sabrina had confessed that it was due to my dark energies possibly harming Ralts. That had made entirely too much sense despite my desire for her to look to me for these sorts of things. Then again I was busy as well and it probably would have fallen to Yolanda. Who¡­ would have enjoyed it as Terra seemed to delight in having another young pokemon to play with, but Ralts just didn¡¯t share that sentiment. I¡¯d also slipped some questions to Agatha and Koga about the Viridian facility only for them to remind me not to approach it and to let them handle it when Team Rocket relaxed their guard. Other than that, the gym had been cleared out of any trace Daniel had been there. Yesterday afternoon I¡¯d walked around with Rocko and two of the three porygon I¡¯d owned working out if there were any hidden microphones or cameras that might have been planted. When we didn¡¯t find any, I had a long period of paranoia. I was considering sending for Janine before I stopped. I¡¯d realised then that I might have just foiled any attempt to plant surveillance in my Gym by having Janine around for as long as I did. So I no longer had Daniel, or Helen, or nebulous Rocket threats to worry about. I simply had Gym matters to deal with such as facing off against challengers and training my pokemon. ¡°Your pokemon are strong,¡± said a gravelly voice. I held in the urge to sigh. And also deal with my¡­ Flint situation. I glanced over my shoulder to find Flint hovering a bit behind me. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve been working hard.¡± I left it at that, turning to watch as Titan ducked under a rock then slide to the side under a wave of mud Bertha unleashed on him only to have a rock that Selene had been controlling be placed under his foot. She then ripped it out as he tried to place his foot on it, which caused him to stumble. He took three hits quickly after that that he would have been able to evade. Bertha¡¯s mudshot to his eyes was particularly petty. I whistled to Shrek to clean him off and my Swampert swaggered up and gently rinsed his friend off. Titan shook himself off and shot Bertha an unamused look which she responded to by bonking her head. ¡°What is she doing?¡± Flint asked as Bertha acted all cutesy. I chuckled. ¡°When I started travelling with her I let her and a lot of my pokemon watch television when we were staying in lodgings. She always liked watching those magical pokegirl cartoons.¡± Bertha had also demanded that Sabrina sit with her and watch them. Sabrina had preferred to watch quiz shows that Selene eventually picked up on. Bertha had continued with her selections when it was her turn and when she¡¯d eventually become bipedal as a Rhydon she¡¯d adopted some of the mannerisms. ¡°Oh, alright then.¡± His eyes turned towards Shrek and Titan who were conversing. Shrek must have said something particularly funny as Titan threw his head back and laughed. ¡°Ty! Ty! Ty!¡± I snorted, which drew the two pokemon¡¯s attention. I waved them off. Flint decided to keep talking. ¡°Your water-type pokemon are really strong! You know, your mother favour¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I said, cutting off the conversation. ¡°I didn¡¯t catch them because of her. They¡¯re my team. If they happen to be water types then they are water types. They could have been fire types and one was before he asked to be released. The fact that I have so many water-type pokemon is just circumstances playing out for us to meet and grow closer. It has nothing to do with her.¡± ¡°Brock¡­¡± He shifted and I heard the pebbles crunch as he readjusted. ¡°Leave it,¡± I said. ¡°You must have picked up some good things from her to have¡­¡± he once more trailed off but this time it was because I was looking at him. ¡°Leave. It,¡± I said, biting the words out as my insides became dark as the deepest of caverns under the earth. I was mostly annoyed that it was true. I did have an easier time training and using rock and water types. I had come across her notes on training water types when I¡¯d moved my family out of the old Gym. She¡¯d written¡­ Well it was sort of a travelogue. She appeared to have written prolifically in it and about all sorts of things. Her meals for the day, her mood, any strange dreams she¡¯d had, but most of all about her pokemon and how she trained them. She wrote a lot about how to train her water pokemon and how she made them bore through rock for a fight or how you used certain moves for greater agility. How you trained pokemon to put out fires or create safe drinking water. There¡¯d been a few sections that I hadn¡¯t been able to read. Something about filling pans up in corners of streets and watching them for ripples. Another heavily scratched-out section had only had one part of it legible with her describing how hard it was to clean her pokemon which struck me as odd. I¡¯d wanted to burn the book when I first read it. There had been no mention of her family, which struck me as deeply insulting. Just her mood, her meals, who she talked to, where she went in vague detail, and then her pokemon. I had seriously thought about it before realising how that would put me in the same group as certain other notable book burners. People that hadn¡¯t liked what others wrote. It wasn¡¯t even what she¡¯d written that annoyed me, but what she¡¯d not written about. Upon reflection, it really wasn¡¯t a surprise to understand why I had so much ease calling up dark energies. I had more than enough fuel to ponder on after all. It wasn¡¯t until I was copying out a training plan to use that I came across a date that marked the diary at five years before my birth. So my feelings on that had been misplaced. So Flint complimenting my water types wasn¡¯t wrong. I had used her teachings to make them stronger. But she didn¡¯t own good training ideas. She hadn¡¯t given them to me. I¡¯d had to drag them from her leavings while ignoring the annoyance that came with reading her old journals. Flint stared at me and slumped once more becoming a shell. He pushed a stone around and glanced up ready to say he¡¯d leave me be. I could see it in how he was turning away from me. I grit my teeth and offered an oran branch. ¡°See those rocks Scyther is playing with?¡± I said, putting aside my musings. Flint perked up. ¡°Hmm? Yes? That¡¯s augurite, a variation of Augite.¡± ¡°A what now?¡± I asked. ¡°It''s a rock that contains samples of titanium, aluminium, sodium and other trace elements. It can be found in formerly volcanic areas or areas with still active volcanoes with iron deposits close to them.¡± ¡°Huh, interesting. I¡¯ve noticed that Scyther has been collecting a lot of that sort of rock. Think you can point me where to find some more locally?¡± ¡°I could show you?¡± he offered and I shifted from foot to foot. ¡°Or point it out on a map. I think I have a good enough idea of the local geology for that,¡± he said hurriedly. A silence grew when I nodded and I struggled for what to say. I didn¡¯t want to go hiking with him. He apparently wanted to obviously but¡­. I shook that off and cast around for something else to say. ¡°Forrest¡¯s Onix looked good, I might let him use it for the first badge fights if he wants to try it out.¡± Flint snorted and I frowned. ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong with letting him use it there?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to hold back Brock. He¡¯s going to take his pokemon to the battle courts not fight for the Gym. It would also be bad for his starter to get used to the idea of losing like that.¡± He was right. I hadn¡¯t considered that. I nodded and grunted to show I accepted that reason. ¡°I¡­¡± Flint began. ¡°I also have noticed that when he talks of the gym he feels rather constrained. He mentioned quite a bit that he has been annoyed with having to hold back.¡± I snorted. ¡°Forrest is currently getting to fight any trainers up to a fourth badge level. He knows a lot of techniques and good matchups. I haven¡¯t given him any of the stronger gym pokemon that¡¯s true, but he¡¯s got a way to go before he bridges that gap.¡± He needed to have more fights and in different settings to truly make that leap however. I scratched my head. ¡°I have noticed he¡¯s been disinterested in some of the duties around here or with the lower badge fights though.¡± I shrugged, ¡°that¡¯s just part of being a gym trainer though. You have to hold back against the rookies. We¡¯re not about crushing them but teaching them.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Flint said. I worked my jaw. ¡°Hmmm?¡± I mirrored back to him, questioning what he meant by that. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ Is Forrest being a Gym trainer what he wants?¡± ¡°We spoke. He¡¯s my second. If I were to step over he¡¯d be first up to take over. He said he wanted that.¡± I paused after that. Something I¡¯d just said rang false. Why was that? ¡°Brock, did he ever say that?¡± Flint said carefully. I nodded slowly but felt less sure. We¡¯d had that talk on Mt Moon that felt so long ago. Had he said what he wanted? He¡¯d wanted to be the Gym Leader¡­ but that was a memory of a cartoon wasn¡¯t it? Was I associating and projecting what I knew he wanted? That had been a much older Forrest. And it had been a cartoon Forrest. ¡­They weren¡¯t the same. I¡¯d messed up by knowing what he wanted. Anticipating a desire that hadn¡¯t ever occurred to him but had seemed locked in for me. I¡¯d thought I¡¯d been helping him. I clicked my teeth. ¡°I should probably talk with him.¡± I¡¯d already decided that I wasn¡¯t going to wander off with Ash. I couldn¡¯t leave my family and Gym with Flint and dumping it in Forrest¡¯s lap wasn¡¯t a good idea. I¡¯d long since worked that much out. What did it mean for Forrest? What did that mean for Ash? What did it mean for the world? ¡­ Or for me? I¡¯d been bouncing between event after event for so long that I hadn¡¯t stopped in gotten my breath back in a while. I¡¯d been barreling ahead like an avalanche caught up in my own momentum. I clicked my jaw together. Damn, Daniel getting caught was doing me a lot of favours. ¡°He should be getting ready to go on a journey honestly.¡± I blinked and looked at Flint. ¡°With you having just gotten back? That¡¯s a bit harsh,¡± I said scathingly. Flint flinched. ¡°He doesn¡¯t need me holding his hand. He needs some time on his own.¡± ¡°But he wants you in his life, just like all of my siblings do!¡± I snapped. ¡°Sending him off for a journey when you¡¯ve just gotten home wouldn¡¯t be smart. He wants time with his father damn it, Flint!¡± Flint blinked at that and the traces of a smile appeared before vanishing. ¡°You¡¯re right. But I also think he should consider the journey. Maybe next year? If he still wants to spend time with me he can drop in and out.¡± I hummed. ¡°Next year would be a better year. This year¡¯s circuit is crazy tough. Just making it to the conference showing will be a sign you¡¯re a good trainer.¡± We stood there with not much else to say. It was still awkward. I decided to end it. We¡¯d spoken and that had been¡­ good? It was like walking a path with lots of rocks on it. You knew you were going to step on a geodude eventually. You just had to hope where you were going was worth the hassle of having to fight all those annoyed geodude. ¡°I should get back to training my pokemon. Can you handle breakfast? Cindy will want a fruit platter. Also, the twins¡¯ lunchboxes have their names on them and are stacked by height. If they can¡¯t reach them, then they¡¯re trying to grab the wrong lunch box. Also, don¡¯t let Eevee out of the house with you. I got a message that she followed the kids to school and disrupted their classes.¡± ¡°Ah right¡­¡± Flint said intelligently. ¡°Sorry!¡± I huffed, about to ask that he stop saying he was sorry and start doing but I bit it off deciding not to hash on with that again and instead walk away. ¡°Right, thanks for the talk. Tide, Shrek are you both ready to fight today? We¡¯ve got an Ace coming in, and I suspect they¡¯re going to be coming in strong!¡± Both pokemon nodded. Titan remained where he was. When Flint left Titan came and wrapped me in a hug. Shrek was quick to join the hug. Then Bertha was there and Knight was wrapped around us. Onix offered a tentative pat with his tail. It was a nice if very rough hug. I had to channel my rock energy to withstand the pressures I was being put under but that came from having supportive pokemon in general. You had to handle their love and sometimes that was with what should have been bone-crushing hugs. Don pointedly snorted something that I suspect was ¡®Losers!¡¯ which got a lot of glares from the group. I chuckled and let the hug break off before sorting out the team. I was still feeling a bit out of sorts. Thankfully, the first match of the day would be the perfect way to work off some of that built-up pressure. If William was watching from the stands today, I planned to send a message. I headed back to my house to have breakfast with my family. On the way I caught sight of some electricity arcing around the training fields to the side of the Gym. I¡¯d wondered where Ash had gotten to. Apparently, he¡¯d gotten an early start to the day as well.
When we opened for the day, I wasn¡¯t surprised to spot a lot of media trying to poke their cameras in places that they didn¡¯t belong. The security staff had to prod a few people away before they got the message but there was an air of interest in learning ¡®what had happened¡¯ that caused the Gym to be shut down. I didn¡¯t go out to talk with the media. I had Rachel who¡¯d done that earlier, so instead, I could focus on the upcoming match. Today¡¯s first match would be the perfect way for me to blow off some steam with an Ace trainer match up. I had my team picked out and was curious to see how they¡¯d match up. A few of them I knew to be solid but for Onix this would be their first proper showing as part of my Elite. I still needed to think up a good name for them. When we opened the doors to the seating area there were a lot of people surging in with prepaid tickets. I narrowed my eyes when I spotted a, now familiar, face in line. I reached over and tapped Missy on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, instead of doing that paperwork can I get you to do something?¡± she stood up and listened as I pointed out Will and what I wanted her to do. She had a confused expression on her face but accepted my order with a determined nod. When I¡¯d announced Daniel¡¯s status as a traitor, she¡¯d been shocked and had later approached me to try to state that she wasn¡¯t the same. She must have felt worried she was tarred by association with him but I waved it off. Rocko sidled up to me. ¡°You alright boss?¡± he said carefully watching me without making it too apparent. I clicked my tongue. ¡°Not really, but I¡¯m looking forward to getting back to normal Gym work. I think this match will help let me blow off some steam.¡± Rocko gave me a smile. ¡°Heh, well that¡¯s good to hear. Looking forward to the show you put on!¡± he said raising a fist which I bumped with mine. ¡°If you otherwise wanna chill we can Smash or go for another surf sometime yeah?¡± I grunted. ¡°Yeah, that might be nice.¡± I clapped him on the shoulder and made for the stairs to claim the high ground with the announcements. Rachel once more had the microphone in hand as the crowd was seated. They weren¡¯t seated for long as Rachel shouted her greeting ¡°GOOOOOOD MORNING PEWTER GYM! ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE!?¡± She got a few cries and made a show of shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯M SORRY! I DIDN¡¯T HEAR YOU! I SAID DO YOU WANNA RUMBLE!?¡± This got some more cheers but Rachel wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°DID I STUTTER?! I WANT YOU TO SHOUT THE ROOF OFF! WE¡¯RE NOT HERE FOR YOU TO SIT DOWN! GET UP AND SHOUT! ARE! YOU! READY! TO! RUUMMMMBLLLLLLLEEEEEE!?¡± she screamed into the microphone while increasing the audio around the gym. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The crowd rose to their feet, caught in the challenge and roared their approval. Rachel grinned, she was in her element. Like an Onix in a tunnel or a Geodude rolling downhill. ¡°That¡¯s more like it! Today, we have a challenger from far off Hoenn! They¡¯ve come all the way to throw down. He¡¯s a rising ranker in the Ace circuit, can he overcome today¡¯s challenge!? Give it up for, Ace trainer Frank Higgens!¡± she whipped her hand to the side and I got my first proper look at Frank. I¡¯d checked his pokenet roster and he had a good spread of pokemon from Hoenn that were scattered in with some pokemon more commonly found in Kanto or Johto. He¡¯d done a tour of Hoenn before coming to Johto. Then he¡¯d gone pro. He was obviously hoping to boost up a few ranks by coming against me. I stepped up to the edge of the stairs and clicked the radio for Rachel to indicate I was ready. ¡°AND NOW LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND POKEMON OF ALL AGES! GIVE IT UP FOR YOUR HOMETOWN HERO AND GYM LEADER! BROCK!¡± She pointed to me and a musical rift that we¡¯d started using rang out and the crowd stomped twice before clapping once. I marched forward and found myself so, so glad that they no longer chanted ''we will brock you¡¯ anymore. I marched down at a steady pace before leaping across the intervening space. I was feeling more than ready for this. When I landed on the podium I locked eyes with Frank and felt my heart thunder in preparation. In the middle of the stadium in the referee¡¯s box Jackson raised the flags. ¡°Trainers! This is an Ace challenge! This is a six on six pokemon challenge. Trainers are allowed to only make six withdrawals. Any use of withdrawals to dodge a pokemon move that otherwise would have hit will result in that pokemon being considered withdrawn from the match entirely. No potions are allowed and there will be no intermissions or breaks. Are you ready?¡± We both nodded and Jackson winked at me. ¡°Trainers, select your pokemon and on my count down from three release them!¡± I nodded double checking my belt and the layout of my pokemon one more time. ¡°Three!¡± he said and the crowd joined in as his flags were raised. I selected my choice and enlarged the pokeball. ¡°TWO!¡± boomed the crowd. I drew back my arm. ¡°ONE!¡± I eyed the spot I wanted my pokemon to be released, a subtle nuance for fighting depending on which pokemon you were sending out. The flags dropped and the crowd roared "ZERO!" as both mine and Frank¡¯s pokeballs were hurled out. Onix appeared in the midfield for my side of the arena. On Frank¡¯s side, right up close to the middle a Rhydon appeared. I hummed, that almost seemed like a taunt to bring such a pokemon here. I almost wished I¡¯d released Bertha as my first pokemon. He had to know I had a Rhyperior which would have completely upstaged his Rhydon, surely? I frowned as I noted how sweaty his pokemon was. It looked in great health otherwise, but why he had used it before his gym¡­ I cursed as a suspicion formed. First match of the day and no need to sit around and wait. Jackson swept his flags in and out before sweeping them once more. ¡°Begin!¡± he said. ¡°Onix Iron Tail,¡± I said deciding to go with something that would be effective against the other pokemon. Onix¡¯s tail glowed as he lunged, landing slightly forward before starting to turn to whip his tail around. Frank smirked. ¡°Fissure,¡± he said confidently. I clicked my teeth as I was proven right. Rhydon¡¯s fist punched into the ground and a fissure was ripped through the field that slammed into Onix. Onix writhed in pain and collapsed into the ground. There was a moment of stunned silence before the crowd realised what Frank had just done. More than a few rose and started booing him, but he ignored them watching me with a smirk. I glowered at him. If this had been a more high stakes match then I would have demanded that he be observed prior to the challenge, but so far no one had dared be this cheap in an Ace challenge. Guess there was a first for everything. Onix opened his eyes and whipped his tail around to batter the unsuspecting Rhydon with his iron tail. I had known Onix had the innate ability to endure hits that should put him down for the count in one go. In the games it was known as ¡®Sturdy¡¯, here researchers called it Tenacious and believed it to be part of a pokemon¡¯s nature rather than an ability. I wasn¡¯t sure what it was properly but I knew how to use it. I grinned as my Onix reared up, trembling and weak but still defiant. ¡°Onix! Cover!¡± I ordered. Onix slumped rather than slithered behind a boulder as around the arena a Sandstorm whipped up, obscuring where my pokemon was. I could almost feel Frank glowering at me from the other side as suddenly rocks became potential threats. I knew roughly where his Rhydon was but Onix had thankfully chosen a good spot to huddle up. Sadly, I hadn¡¯t taught him any moves like Rest that he might have been able to use. This wasn¡¯t how I wanted his first showing to go. Frank¡¯s use of Fissure made me want to flip the table and send out Bertha instead of my prepared team of six, to hell with her being tired. I breathed in and out though, and steadied myself with rock energy. I had a plan, and Onix taking a hit that would have knocked out anyone else on my team wasn¡¯t a bad thing. If anything, it showed how useful he¡¯d been. No one else would have handled that as well as he did. I raised a pokeball. ¡°Return Onix,¡± I said. On the big screen the announcement was made and I was startled when it showed that Frank was returning his Rhydon as well. Interesting, Onix might have done more damage than I¡¯d thought with that trade of blows. ¡°Go Shrek!¡± I said, releasing his pokeball. I missed what Frank shouted but was able to spot on the bigscreen that a Ludicolo had been chosen. Hmmm, not ideal but still not bad. I could make it work. ¡°¡ª Dance!¡± I heard through the sandstorm. I frowned as I considered what was about to happen. ¡°Shrek, Bulk Up,¡± I said, happy to use the delay of Frank clearing the field. Making the field wet played into my strengths today more than it would weaken me. When the rain swept through the arena I got a bit wet but that was just part of taking part in a pokemon battle. The rain fell over my pokemon who looked like he¡¯d just spent a few days in the gym as his muscles flexed and he puffed slightly like he¡¯d had a jog. Frank made a twitch towards his belt before shaking his head, apparently confident in this match up. ¡°Giga Drain!¡± he ordered. Ludicolo bounced from foot to foot as a series of green bubbles wafted out at Shrek. ¡°Reposition and Rock Smash,¡± I said. Shrek leapt, more than hopped away from the threat and positioned himself to use some of the boulders to hide from the Giga Drain. I eyeballed the angles and called out Ludicolo¡¯s position. Shrek cocked back his fist in readiness for the order. ¡°Twenty metres, one o¡¯clock!¡± I said and Shrek¡¯s fist rocketed into the boulder. The rocks blasted out like they¡¯d been hit by an explosion rather than a fist and Frank startled but still had enough presence of mind to order, ¡°Water Gun! Knock them out of the air!¡± His pokemon fired off blasts of water only to still take hits that knocked it back. ¡°Ludi!¡± it cried in pain. ¡°Follow up with Rock Throw!¡± I said. Both moves¡ªfighting and rock type¡ªwould normally be effective, if I recall correctly. Shrek grabbed the shattered boulder and hurled it at Ludicolo as he got back to his feet. ¡°Roll to the side!¡± Frank barked causing his pokemon to dodge without seeing the threat. I pointedly didn¡¯t glance at what Ludicolo was rolling towards but felt an idea come to mind. ¡°Continue the assault, Rock Throw again, hound it,¡± I said. The specific command was important as it was the phrase I used to make Shrek aim slightly to the right. So when Ludicolo continued rolling to his right, he¡¯d eventually roll right into the fissure he¡¯d left with his Rhydon. ¡°Ludicolo!¡± shouted the grass-water type in surprise as it stumbled. I leaned forward slightly knowing this was what I¡¯d been hoping for. ¡°Now! Giga Impact!¡± I shouted. Shrek dropped his head and lined up on the other pokemon as Frank hissed in a breath. ¡°Ludicolo use¡ª¡± Whatever he was going to say was lost as my pokemon accelerated, using his bulked up muscles to deliver an almighty kick of his legs to leap forward and bodyslam Ludicolo. Ludicolo took the hit fully in the gut and then was hurled into the arena wall where it slumped to the ground before fainting. Jackson raised a flag in my direction and I smirked. And that was proper first blood. ¡°Ludicolo return!¡± I checked over Shrek to find him now properly sucking in huge lungfuls of air. The demands of using Giga Impact obviously coming into effect. It had worked though and I considered my next move. ¡°Go Sceptile!¡± shouted Frank. The Hoenn fully evolved starter got some murmurs of appreciation from the crowd, but nowhere near what he would have if he hadn¡¯t pulled the earlier cheap move. I nodded. Well that made it obvious what I should do. I raised Shrek¡¯s pokeball. ¡°Return!¡± I said. That was two withdraws for me now and one for Frank with one knocked out. Not that I planned to return Onix to the field. I¡¯d need some proper set up for him or Shrek to come back out. I selected another pokeball and hurled it out. ¡°Go Tide!¡± I said this time selecting the very back of the field on my side for my much larger Lapras to appear. Tide sang his greetings to the crowd and then locked eyes with the Sceptile that raised his arms and huffed. Frank frowned, obviously unsure why I¡¯d gone with another pokemon that was a bad match up. Around the arena the rain continued to pour the wet drops falling on Frank and I from his earlier move. I grinned at him as he frowned. ¡°Icy Wind!¡± I said starting the battle once more. ¡°Sceptile! Double Team!¡± he shouted causing his pokemon to blur. ¡°Get behind the boulders!¡± he said as a follow-up command as he saw a wave of wintery cold advancing across the arena as my pokemon unleashed Icy Wind. His pokemon and its doubles blurred behind some boulders, but the Icy Wind swept across the field causing it to become suddenly much colder. Small icy crystals were left everywhere due to the rain that had been falling. The rain itself stuttered for a moment before weakly restarting. ¡°Tide use Ice Shard! Ringed spikes!¡± I said telling him how I wanted the move to play out. Instead of creating and throwing the ice shards Tide shut his eyes and concentrated. Then from beneath him five large ice shards burst from the ground like he was sitting atop some huge crown of ice. It would suddenly become much harder for Sceptile to get to Tide. ¡°Tch! Sceptile use Energy Ball!¡± From the maw of a number of illusionary foes a green ball was channelled. I clicked my tongue. ¡°Icy Wind,¡± I said causing my pokemon to fire off another burst of wind while seven energy balls apparently shot towards my pokemon. I noted that the Icy Wind broke apart most of the double team illusions but I couldn¡¯t see the real body. The phoney energy balls were also denied. ¡°Protec¡ª¡± I shouted to Tide in hope he might be able to stop the hit, but I wasn¡¯t quick enough and the grass-type move rocked into Tide making him wail in pain. He endured, and I gritted my teeth. I should have made that a quick one-two move instead of waiting to see. Tide would have been good enough to do that. Across the field, the Sceptile hopped up from behind a boulder and shook off a thin crust of ice before jerking its chin up in challenge. I snorted as Frank punched the air. ¡°Nice one Sceptile! Let¡¯s finish this with another Energy Ball.¡± I smirked, the situation seemed precarious, but that was absolutely not the case. ¡°Match it with Ice beam,¡± I shouted causing Tide to open his mouth and inhale before a large blue ball of ice energy appeared in front of him. Sceptile shot of his attack only for Tide to unleash a beam of energy in response. This time, Tide traded up and Sceptile was blown back. Frank cursed. ¡°Get up Sceptile! You¡¯ve got this match buddy!¡± Above us, the rain finally stopped as the clouds lost cohesion. ¡°Scep-tile!¡± barked the tenacious pokemon that I suspected was Frank¡¯s starter pokemon. ¡°Yes!¡± Frank said punching forward. ¡°Go into Double Team again!¡± ¡°Ice Shard! Defense denial,¡± I said to Tide causing Ice shards to rain down on the boulders on Frank¡¯s side of the field stopping Frank from using them like he had before. This caused Frank to scowl only to see that the way was seemingly clear now for an attack from him. ¡°Charge in now! Leap over the shards and go for the throat with Leaf Blade!¡± shouted Frank. I drew in a breath, watching as a number of Sceptile raced in. They leapt as one from multiple angles in what should have been a deciding blow. ¡°Protect,¡± I said, this time able to give the command. I further watched the hexagon dome very closely as Sceptile and his illusions slashed at it. I saw sparks and locked my eyes on that illusion. ¡°Ice beam ten o¡¯clock!¡± I shouted. Tide snapped his head in the indicated direction and once more fired off a powerful Ice Beam that slammed into Sceptile. I nodded as this time Sceptile was struck into the wall where it slumped weakly. ¡°Ah! Sceptile!?¡± said Frank. The grass type weakly croaked a response from where he was frozen to the wall. Frank grimaced. ¡°I withdraw Sceptile,¡± he said. I hummed and inspected Tide. He¡¯d taken a bad hit there and was a bit scuffed up. Despite that, I decided to keep him out. Frank stared at me as he shifted his hand about, eventually he grabbed a pokeball and tossed out another pokemon. The lights of the emerging pokemon announced a big pokemon, and I drew in a breath when I saw the revealed Steelix. There was a silence in the gym as people realised that this had to be a taunt. I snapped my eyes to Frank and spotted the smirk. I gave him a quick once over and relaxed when I noted no gem bracelet or necklace on him or the Steelix. If he¡¯d had a Megastone I¡¯d have been much more worried. I rolled my eyes at him, and instead braced for the next exchange. ¡°Surf,¡± I said to Tide causing him to sweep his flippers forward and slide backwards slightly as a giant wave was drawn up from the moat around the arena. Frank growled in annoyance. ¡°Dig under it!¡± he ordered and his Steelix dove into the ground. I smirked as my pokemon swept forward on the wave. It took a few seconds but soon enough Tide was on the other side of the much wetter arena. He spun about in time to watch as Steelix was pushed out of the tunnel. In the games, it was possible to use Dig to evade Surf but when you swept the water over the tunnel some usually was drawn into it creating a trap for the digging pokemon. Unless you were very, very quick about it. ¡°Steelix, use Hyperbeam!¡± commanded Frank making me hiss in surprise. Damn it, Tide had used Protect only a little while ago. I cursed as my mind raced to find another option. I decided to roll the dice. It was that or try and match with an Ice Beam and I wasn¡¯t that confident that Tide, in his tired state could do it. If this had been when he first came out? Certainly. Not now though. ¡°Protect,¡± I ordered. Tide locked eyes with the Steelix and formed up his best hope. Steelix unleashed his attack. It lanced into Tide¡¯s dome of hexagons. For a moment I wanted to believe, but then the shell cracked and collapsed, causing Tide to be knocked back. He fell onto his side and cried out. I raised my pokeball and returned him before he took any more abuse. The Hyperbeam carved a furrow. Jackson raised a flag in Frank¡¯s direction. ¡°Gym Leader Brock has used a withdraw on his pokemon. It is no longer available for this match and Frank takes the knock out!¡± I held up a hand to Frank. ¡°I wasn¡¯t about to let him just take a beating to prove he could. He¡¯ll be sore tomorrow regardless, no need to have him stuck in the pokecenter for a few days.¡± Frank shrugged. ¡°Eh, good call, I suppose.¡± I rolled my eyes at him. I didn¡¯t need him to tell me that. I knew it was, and I hoped most of the crowd understood it. ¡°Come on Brock!¡± shouted one member of the quiet crowd. With the lull in fighting, they realised they could be heard and they started calling out their support. I waved to them with one hand while grabbing a pokeball with the other. Hmmm, yeah she¡¯d work. I hurled out my choice and Hypnotoad emerged, bouncing from foot to foot. Frank eyed my Poliwrath and shook his head. ¡°Return Steelix,¡± he said. I hummed. ¡°Make your belly dance girl,¡± I said giving a coded order. On her stomach her spiral began to spin and she wiggled from side to side in a dance that had a lot of people in the stands confused. I smirked. That wasn¡¯t the status effect I was going for but it was amusing. I otherwise noted that Frank had used two withdrawals now. He selected another pokeball and revealed a Medicham. That pokemon had not been on his pokenet page. And I¡¯d noted that it had only been updated last week. Not that it was the most reliable but I had noted that he had very few psychic types available to him. I wanted to suspect William for this, but it was possible this wasn¡¯t a plant to feel out my roster¡¯s depths. On paper, it was a good match up. ¡°Medicham use¡­ Eh?¡± he said as his Medicham suddenly faced my pokemon only for waves of pink energy to radiate out of Hypnotoad¡¯s belly. ¡°Eh!? What¡¯s going on?!¡± he shouted. I shrugged, not willing to give away the trick. It was rather obvious in truth but I didn¡¯t need to confirm it for him and any others watching on. It was known Poliwag were able to use Hypnosis. As it evolved it was thought to lose access to that move but with some careful training that hadn¡¯t been the case for my pokemon. I liked having access to that move as a surprise too much to give it up. Was it cheap? Not as cheap as buffing up your pokemon and then unleashing it on the first pokemon you faced. ¡°Return!¡± shouted Frank as he pulled his pokemon back. He grabbed another pokeball and tossed it out to reveal a Xatu. ¡°Hypno, DL,¡± I said firmly. Hypnotoad perked up and spread her arms wide as energy built up across her form. Then she sprinted forward. ¡°Xatu Teleport!¡± ¡°Catch it!¡± I shouted only for Hypno to leap and only close around empty air. I searched the field. ¡°Five o¡¯clock!¡± I said causing Hypnotoad to whirl about with a scowl, her swirls twitching in agitation. Frank breathed a sigh of relief ,and I assessed the moment. ¡°Future sight,¡± he said causing his pokemon¡¯s eyes to glow. ¡°Hydro Pump,¡± I said. ¡°Teleport,¡± said Frank with his smirk back in place. The move was dodged, and I clicked my tongue, assessing the state of the field. It was well and truely churned up now having endured a variety of powerful moves. The boulders were practically nonexistent but still I had options. Frank himself looked slightly more relaxed at this and a suspicion about Xatu wormed its way into my mind. Xatu had an ability about sleep didn¡¯t it? An early riser or ability that made it not effective? Not that it would matter I had other options. ¡°Rock Tomb, hold,¡± I said. ¡°Teleport!¡± said Frank again only this time the attack was held back. The delay order coming through to Hypnotoad. When Xatu re-emerged it did so with rock¡¯s rising out to snap around it. I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it Hypno!¡± I said glad to get a hit in. Frank hissed as I punched forward. ¡°Use Hydro Pump while they¡¯re reeling!¡± ¡°Psychic!¡± commanded Frank. Around the blast of water, a blue energy formed and stopped the Hydro Pump changing it to psychic typed and therefore extra deadly to Hypnotoad. ¡°Hypno charge through it with DL!¡± ¡°Xatu prepare your follow up with future sight after we knock it back!¡± commanded Frank. Hypnotoad once more charged forward. This time Frank didn¡¯t order his pokemon to move and I planned to make him pay for that. The Hydro Pump turned Psychic was weathered and set Hypnotoad back a step but she charged on. ¡°Side step and then lunge forward!¡± I said suddenly. Hypnotoad lunged to the side before rocketing towards Xatu. The future sight that Frank was expecting to use to knock her out materialised in the space where she had been charging if she¡¯d remained on a straight intercept course. It still clipped Hypnotoad and sent her spinning, but she was close enough to swing a fist full of dark energy into Xatu¡¯s face. Both pokemon slammed into the ground and didn¡¯t rise. I grimaced. That had not been a good showing for her, and I knew the issue. It was me. I was rusty with her. How she moved, how she fought, how she acted. I felt like there was a lot of room to tighten up on how and where I used her skills and I vowed I would spend some more time with her. She was skilled. No one expected her to know Hypnosis and her move ¡®Darkest Lariat¡¯? No one had ever seen a Poliwrath perform that move before today. That had been something she¡¯d picked up from sitting in on training sessions with Titan and myself. It made her quite the ace up my sleeve. Sadly, she was one that I had blunted from lack of use. She herself was still sharp but I felt I should have been smoother in my orders. I looked up and locked eyes with Frank. He¡¯d used three of his pokemon now. His Rhydon had taken a solid hit, his Medicham was asleep and his Steelix he¡¯d drawn back due to not wanting to match it against Hypnotoad. On my side of things, Tide and Hypnotoad were down for the count and Onix for all intents and purposes was the same. Shrek was probably still tired as well. So somewhat even although he didn¡¯t know what I still had in reserve while I knew his whole roster now. I smirked and he glowered. I selected a pokeball deciding to back one of my pokemon instead of drawing out another. Frank hesitated as I hurled out my choice. ¡°Go Shrek!¡± I said making Frank scramble for his pokemon as my pokemon was revealed still looking tired. ¡°Go Steelix! They¡¯re tired, you got this!¡± I wanted to chuckle, he¡¯d hesitated to bring out a pokemon as he was anxious about what I was going to bring out. With Shrek out and tired from the rapid depletion of energy from the Giga Impact he needed to throw something out quickly. Not that he had a lot of great options. ¡°Steelix go for Iron Tail!¡± ¡°Hop back,¡± I said to my pokemon trusting that even the few extra moments had been enough. Shrek watched the iron tail descend on him. Then, right at the last moment he hopped backwards and out of danger. He skidded across the still frozen arena floor and his colour returned to a deeper blue as his energy came back. ¡°Swampert!¡± he croaked. I grinned. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± ¡°Steelix, use Earthquake!¡± The earth rocked and Shrek was knocked about, but he still shot off two powerful bursts of water that caused Steelix to go down. When Frank clicked his teeth together as he withdrew his pokemon before throwing out his Medicham, I knew I had this in the bag. ¡°Giga Impact,¡± I said to the shock of the crowd. Shrek smirked and unleashed another powerful attack to end any hopes of Frank¡¯s that his pokemon would awaken. I felt my smile gain some teeth. Frank eyed my now wheezing pokemon as he selected his last pokemon. ¡°Go Rhydon! This one¡¯s all yours!¡± ¡°Return,¡± I said simply, not willing to play things out like he hoped. I selected another pokeball and tossed it out. ¡°Go! Go! Go! Go-lem!~¡± shouted Sanchez as he appeared finally. Frank clicked his tongue but still had a smirk. I whistled to get Golem¡¯s attention. ¡°They stole Onix¡¯s big reveal buddy. Time to get back at em.¡± Sanchez adopted a stern pose at that news. ¡°Rhydon use Surf!¡± said Frank with glee. I laughed. ¡°Dig!¡± I said without a hint of fear as Sanchez threw himself into the ground. Then, like a professional tunneller, he dug a shallow arc beneath the oncoming wave, only to tunnel up behind it tightly. He shot out of the ground like a surfer diving under a wave they didn¡¯t want and appeared at the back. Rhydon was just turning around when I ordered Sanchez to use Earthquake. Rhydon was tossed down and like that the match was over. ¡°Ace Trainer Frank is out of pokemon! Gym Leader Brock is victorious!¡± announced Jackson as the screens above us flashed with my face and highlight the pokemon that I still had active. I drew in a breath and exhaled all the tension. That hadn¡¯t been how I¡¯d hoped things would go but damn it felt good. The podiums dropped and I walked across the field, ignoring Sanchez as he knelt in front of a section of the crowd and either professed his undying love for them or recited poetry. It wouldn¡¯t have mattered, they adored him for it either way. I shook hands with Frank. ¡°Cheap move juicing before the match.¡± I said out the side of my mouth. Frank didn¡¯t bother looking ashamed. He just shrugged. ¡°Plenty of Ace matches have to deal with it. Reckon you needed your cage rattled a bit, cause you¡¯re too used to getting matches with kids gloves.¡± I snorted in disbelief at him. He obviously had never trained at a Gym if that¡¯s how he thought. I sent him on his way and waved to the crowd before heading out. The media in the crowd tried to surge to the front and call out questions but I ignored them. This was just the first match I had for today. I entered the medical wing and deposited my pokemon. Sanchez sat on the edge of his bench with a grin, kicking his legs up at the victory and his part in it. Shrek lay weezing. Hypnotoad was still knocked out, as was Tide. Chansey worked over them all thoroughly and when I released Onix the pokemon glanced around before falling onto the bed with a morose moan. I pat him on the head. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not disappointed with you. You did fantastic taking that hit. No one else on the team would have tanked through and still gotten a hit off like you did. You set us up more than you realise, alright?¡± Onix groaned something and I shook my head. ¡°Don''t be sad. I¡¯m happy how things went. We can keep working on this. It wasn¡¯t the showing I wanted, but that¡¯s pokemon battles for you.¡± Sanchez hopped off his bench and began patting onix. Then he started regaling Onix with the last parts of the fight. Onix seemed very happy to hear that Rhydon was taken down like a chump. Missy bustled in just as Chansey was finished with Tide. She tapped him and made happy noises before bustling on to her next patient. I glanced up at her arrival. ¡°You get close to them?¡± Missy nodded with an annoyed expression. ¡°It was like you thought. They were recording and documenting what pokemon moves and abilities your pokemon had. They know Tide doesn¡¯t heal from being in the water with the Rain Dance not healing him up. They think he¡¯s resistant to critical hits instead?¡± She said with a tilt of her head. She shrugged her shoulders when I shot her a questioning look. ¡°They had a small argument about what the reports said regarding Lapras?¡± She dug out a notepad and flicked through it with a pensive expression. ¡°They think Shrek heals when in water or rain though?¡± I nodded. Hiding my amusement. I knew Shrek had Torrent as his ability which made water moves all the stronger when he was fighting on his last legs. Missy reported some other observations, such as how surprised they were that Sanchez had been able to use Dig to evade Surf. I smirked, finding myself well and truly relaxing. My alarm buzzed, and I glanced at it. I had five minutes to make it back up to the raised trainer area in the arena before my next match. Thankfully merely a first badge match. I stood, ¡°thanks for doing that Missy, it¡¯s sneaky stuff but good to have confirmed. I could probably try and lip-read them with the cameras but this is easier.¡± Missy nodded, tucking her notepad away. ¡°Oh! No problem Brock, it was interesting. So they¡¯re obviously Ace trainers looking to challenge you but what gives with all the sneaking around?¡± I hummed. ¡°They¡¯re, or at least one of them, is going to challenge me soon. They¡¯re going to make a big deal out of it.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Have you been watching Battlecast lately? There¡¯s an Ace trainer working her way through the Gyms in Johto with Ace challenges and she¡¯s rising through the ranks.¡± I waved in the direction of the stands. ¡°Our person of interest is someone I think that is going to be doing the same.¡± ¡°Oh they¡¯re going for the top ten in the Ace Rankings to get the big sponsorship deals!?¡± she said. I paused, surprised by that answer but realising that she wasn¡¯t used to thinking on the same scale as I was discussing. I shook my head. ¡°No Missy, they¡¯re thinking of making a run for the Elite Four or Champion position.¡± Missy gasped. ¡°Really?! You know that?!¡± I nodded. ¡°I know as much for Karen. I have my suspicions about this Will.¡± ¡°How come he¡¯s waiting to challenge you? Is he waiting to get the right team set up?¡± she asked as she walked along with me. I hummed. ¡°Yes¡­ But I think it¡¯s more that he¡¯s waiting for a dramatic moment. Karen is making her own drama by stirring up people and fighting anyone and everyone that she can in the Ace circuit. William? I think he wants to announce himself to Indigo with flare.¡± From there the rest of the day passed without any incidents that I was aware off. A few trainers got heated out on the battlecourts but Missy and Dennis handled it by having the trainers, surprise surprise, fight each other to bleed out the tension. The conversation with Flint earlier in the morning had stuck with me though. So I sought out Forrest. I¡¯d assumed that I knew what he wanted. It was time for me to stop doing that. I needed to ask. Chapter 97 - Talking about the futures we want I found Forrest at the back of the Gym with what looked like his starter, Onix. Gathered around him were Salvadore, Ash, Misty, Greta and Stephen. Stephen appeared to have donned his ¡°professor¡± hat and was leading a group discussion on how the younger trainers felt about their starter pokemon. Greta, I could see cuddling Bulbasaur, Forrest was polishing Onix, Ash was patting Pikachu; Misty had a fond look on her face. Salvadore could only look on longingly as the older kids discussed their pokemon. Stephen asked a few more questions as I approached, but he paused when he spotted me. ¡°Ah, Brock! I was just asking about starter pokemon! It¡¯s rather interesting to see the bond that is forming between trainer and pokemon even in the early days!¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, the more you go through, the stronger it¡¯ll get.¡± ¡°Huh? How? Will Pikachu and I eventually just know where the other is?¡± Ash said with a tilt of his head. I shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s possible for some pokemon and trainers certainly,¡± I said, referring more to Sabrina and Alakazam than ¡®normal¡¯ trainers. Misty tilted her head. ¡°Who was your starter pokemon Brock?¡± I grinned and nodded to the side where Titan was walking through a group of Aron that had gotten too rough in their games. ¡°Titan, my Tyranitar, or as he was back then, a Larvitar.¡± Ash spun around. ¡°How could you not know that Misty!?¡± Misty bopped her head. ¡°Oh, sorry, it just slipped my mind. With all the pokemon you have around here, it¡¯s sometimes easy to forget who your starter is.¡± She smiled towards where Shrek and Hypnotoad were playing with the Gym¡¯s Corsola. Ash shook his head and shared a look of disbelief with Forrest and Salvadore who both nodded in commiseration. Stephen made a show of busying himself as Greta and Misty shot the boys stink eyes. I chuckled. ¡°So, I notice you¡¯re all enjoying and making good use of the reserve?¡± I said to the group at large. Ash nodded. ¡°There are so many cool pokemon out here how could I not like it!¡± he whirled around and grinned at the various clusters that were currently in the reserve. ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t just have one?¡± I nodded. ¡°Very sure.¡± ¡°Awwww,¡± he said with a slump. I rolled my eyes. ¡°If you want one of my pokemon you need to prove it and earn the right for it.¡± Misty stiffened. ¡°Wait!? Does that mean you¡¯re going to give away some of them?!¡± Ash¡¯s eyes lit up with hope and I chuckled before nodding once. ¡°For some trainers that prove themselves during the circuit that will be an option. I will hold pokemon for them exclusively. There is also the option of buying some through the auction we will be having in a few weeks.¡± Ash tilted his head. ¡°How do you prove you¡¯re a good enough trainer to earn one of your pokemon?¡± ¡°Win the Gym Challenges convincingly. I usually demand they challenge a number of Gyms with the Gauntlet challenge, which is going to be a tough ask for some.¡± Ash grimaced while Misty looked away, a frown on her face as she thought on my words. Greta slumped in on herself and patted Bulbasaur¡¯s head. I felt a little bad so I pointed out the other option. ¡°Another option might be through recommendations. Service to the community should be rewarded after all. It¡¯s usually a slower path than the other two, but sometimes people can find that slowing down is better for them and their team. Slow and steady versus being trailblazers ¡° Ash snorted, showing what he thought of that while Greta gained a thoughtful look. Misty still seemed troubled. She chewed her lip before speaking. ¡°Most of those will be on the Gym circuit though, right?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, most of them.¡± She nodded and sighed. When the others shot her a worried look she shook her head to show that she didn¡¯t want to talk about it. I coughed and turned to Forrest. ¡°Hey, I wanted to have a chat. Got a minute?¡± Forrest glanced at his Onix only to turn to Salvadore. ¡°Think you can keep seeing what foods he likes little brother?¡± Salvadore beamed as he turned and ran for the private shed where I kept my pokemon team¡¯s berries and supplements. All of which was notably better than the usual pokechow. I hummed, considering if I needed to remind Salvadore not to go too crazy. I turned away, letting myself trust him¡­for now. If he used up too much, I¡¯d just let him know what he¡¯d done and then parade him in front of Sanchez while the great ham of an actor cried Totodile tears about not getting enough premium sitrus berries in his meal. I gestured off to the side and led Forrest over to the top of the plateau. It would do for a private chat and give us a nice view while we did so. In a way, it took me back to when I¡¯d skirted around this conversation with Forrest so many months ago. ¡°So,¡± I said, starting things off strongly. ¡°So? What¡¯s up?¡± Forrest sat lazily on a rock, and I had to repress the urge to not remind him to sit up tall as he slouched. I scratched at my head as I searched for the right words to say. I¡­didn¡¯t think there were any to be perfectly honest. So instead, I swallowed. ¡°I was talking with Flint earlier today and he mentioned something that made me realise I¡¯ve been sort of ignoring you¡­ Or more specifically, ignoring asking about what you want.¡± Forrest tilted his head. ¡°Huh?¡± I sighed. ¡°I said ages back that I was going to possibly drop the Gym on you and have you take over for me. I¡¯ve since realised that was too much to demand of you and that I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± I waved my hand vaguely. ¡°I never actually asked you what you wanted to do. I just assumed that you wanted it. I dictated instead of asking¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Forrest scratched the back of his head and stared at the dirt. ¡°I mean, it was a huge honour to hear you say what you did but¡­ Yeah. I don¡¯t want to be Gym Leader I guess?¡± He chewed his lip and shifted about. ¡°Is¡­ that alright?¡± I nodded immediately. ¡°Yeah. Perfectly fine. I was in the wrong cause I had this idea of what you wanted and¡­ Yeah. I was demanding too much. I obviously made things worse with pushing Terra¡¯s egg onto you as well. I should have picked up that things were off back then.¡± There was a long silence before Forrest nodded. ¡°Well, yeah I guess. Thanks for not being mad about that. I¡­ I didn¡¯t want a Larvitar as my starter and I know that¡­ disappointed you, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I was sad I wouldn¡¯t get to share something like that with you, but it¡¯s not a problem. I think if anything, Yolanda is over the moon with your choice to hand Terra on to her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to be so crazy strong when she goes on her journey,¡± Forrest said with a chuckle. I nodded, laughing as I remembered how I¡¯d been in much the same position with Titan. Yolanda was in a good spot. Forrest and I spent a few minutes watching the Gym¡¯s pokemon roaming about before Forrest narrowed his eyes and chewed his lips, a thought apparently playing on his mind. ¡°Why did you think you¡¯d need to drop the Gym on me?¡± I sighed explosively. ¡°Flint.¡± ¡°Dad?¡± He cocked his head to the side. ¡°Why would Dad coming back cause that?¡± I waved a hand back at the Gym. ¡°Forrest. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but we¡¯re still tripping over each othe¡­¡± I fidgetted and twitched before relaxing as much as I could. ¡°There are times when¡­¡± I grimaced. Should I mention this to him? I decided to open myself up a little. ¡°There are times when I have to not shout at him and constantly remind him that the way he ¡®thinks¡¯ he once did something isn¡¯t the best way. I¡¯m just glad he accepted that I didn¡¯t want him taking part in the Gym because, urgh, it just rubs me the wrong way. I¡­ I thought I could trust him with the family, but I didn¡¯t feel confident in his ability to run the Gym as well. You know how it operates and have been here with me the entire time. So, I was going to have you run it cause I thought, again, that¡¯s what you eventually wanted to do.¡± Forrest nodded with a frown, showing he didn¡¯t fully agree with what I¡¯d said. ¡°So you were going to leave, yeah? To do what?¡± ¡°Mostly to give you all space. Things are rough right now, and I thought it might be better to remove myself from causing too much friction. Give Flint time to just be a dad with you guys.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid. Then you¡¯d have been just like him!¡± I glared at the landscape, not willing to turn it onto Forrest and cause him to flinch. ¡°It would have been nothing like what he did,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Same result¡­¡± Forrest muttered sullenly. I clicked my tongue and nodded, conceding the point. It wouldn¡¯t have been something my youngest siblings could understand. I sighed. ¡°Our family is very, very messed up. We¡¯re the definition of atypical.¡± Forrest shot me a confused look, and I twirled my finger around. ¡°Forrest, usually I¡¯d have moved out by now instead of being the primary caregiver.¡± Forrest shrugged. ¡°Not like you¡¯re still living at home with Mum and Dad.¡± I gritted my teeth at the mention of her. Forrest continued, not noticing my reaction. ¡°It''s the opposite. I don¡¯t think being untypical is so bad for us. It worked great.¡± I huffed. ¡°Atypical, not untypical,¡± I corrected. Forrest rolled his eyes at me. ¡°Urgh, whatever.¡± We enjoyed another moment of quiet. Then I tilted my head. ¡°So, I guess I should actually ask you, but do you have any thoughts on what you want to do?¡± Forrest chewed his lip. ¡°I¡­ No? Is that alright?¡± I snorted and recalled how many jobs I had gone through in my past life. It was considered normal in my past life to have at least gone through a handful of different roles. ¡°Honestly? That¡¯s fine. Perfectly normal, in fact." Forrest glanced at me. ¡°What about you?¡± I blinked, surprised to have the question turned back around on me. ¡°You know¡­ I hadn¡¯t thought about that in a while.¡± Again, I¡¯d built up an idea of what I was ¡®destined¡¯ to do with Ash and in the meantime, I¡¯d been the best Gym Leader and Parent I could be. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you want to do?¡± he said incredulously. I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m only sixteen Forrest.¡± And didn¡¯t saying that feel weird? ¡°Going on seventeen next week!¡± he said. I held in a snort. It was such a childish thing to say but I remembered it being so important as a kid to be taken more seriously that adding sixteen and a half seemed right. ¡°Well, regardless, I haven¡¯t really thought about what I wanted for a while. Guess I should start thinking about that more.¡± I leaned back before chuckling. ¡°Huh, that was actually an insightful question. Nice one, Forrest.¡± Forrest grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not just a handsome face!¡± he said smugly as he posed. I gave him a flat look. ¡°Please, don¡¯t fool yourself. I¡¯ve seen your report cards.¡± Forrest scowled and threw some dirt at me, which I threw back. This prompted a dirt fight with no real goal beyond getting the other person dirty. When we were done, we both lay there watching the sun slowly creep downwards. ¡°I think I want to travel some more when I can,¡± I eventually said. Forrest glanced at me. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What I want to do. I loved my journey.¡± I sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll probably have this experience next year with you having a starter now, but a journey? It¡¯s tough, fun, life-changing, and so much more.¡± I felt a tickling of an idea. Forrest could take my place with¡­ I crushed that thought. It wasn¡¯t a good idea to force something on Forrest. No, I didn¡¯t want to make that mistake again. Forrest could be Forrest, and Ash could sort himself out. I sighed and reached up into the sky, as though trying to grasp it. ¡°The world we live in is pretty amazing, you know? I was pretty sad when my journey got cut short, but coming back here and looking after you all? I¡¯ll never regret doing that.¡± I watched as below us Knight and Bertha locked eyes and charged at each other like linebackers from my past life. They slammed into each other and held as both powerhouse pokemon nullified the other¡¯s charge. Titan came to see what the noise was and found the pair play wrestling which he huffed at and turned his back on. I grinned as Bertha and Knight chased after him to play. ¡°I loved travelling, but I think I¡¯ve made something really great here with the Gym. So I¡¯m not going anywhere any time soon.¡± I could recall how far I¡¯d taken things in the last few years. I still had a lot of plans I wanted to implement. ¡°I think I could make the Gym something special, so I¡¯m sticking around. You¡¯ll be leaving before I will I should think.¡± I said with a wink. ¡°We¡¯ll have you super ready to take the world by storm with your journey.¡± Forrest looked away, I suspected the conversation had gotten too emotional for him and when he spoke next he did so with a slightly husky tone. ¡°That¡¯s nice to know. Thanks, I guess big bro.¡± I leaned over and nudged his shoulder. ¡°No problem, little brother.¡± He then shot me a look. ¡°So what do you want for your birthday?¡± I smirked. ¡°For you to keep your room clean and do your own laundry for a month.¡± ¡°Brock!¡± he groaned as I laughed. ¡°Urgh! You¡¯re so old sometimes! You¡¯re as bad as dad with your jokes!¡± I snorted at him but didn¡¯t say anything else. He shifted and shot me a few side eyes. ¡°So¡­ want to show me some tricks with Onix?¡± he said after another few minutes. I grinned. ¡°Sure thing!¡± Then I jumped to my feet and started running down the access ramp of the plateau. ¡°Last one down is a rotten egg!¡± I called over my shoulder. Forrest scrambled after me but with my superior legs and cunning, I easily reached the target first. I charged up to my Onix and slapped him on the flank. ¡°Goal!¡± I shouted. Onix turned and gave me a confused look. I just smiled at him and he rolled his massive eyes. Forrest gasped as he staggered up to his own Onix. ¡°G-goal!¡± he said as he slapped Onix¡¯s flank. His pokemon spun around at the slap and roared a question which Forrest waved. ¡°Sorry! Sorry, I was racing my brother, first to our pokemon was the winner. I was this close I swear!¡± he said to his pokemon. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. My Onix shot me a disbelieving look, and I huffed, making him chuckle. Ash, it turned out, was still around as he ran up as I started working with Forrest. ¡°Alright Forrest, as you know, Onix¡¯s greatest strength and weakness is their size. It makes them slower initially but gives them great physical offence and defence.¡± ¡°I know this!¡± Forrest said with a growl. ¡°Physical offence and defence?¡± said Ash. I hummed and turned to Forrest to see if he was alright with me including Ash in our training. Instead of nodding Forrest raised a finger. ¡°There are a number of basic stats used to give summarized information when discussing a pokemon. These are Health, Speed, Physical attack, Defence, Special attack, and Special defence. Each pokemon will usually have their strengths and weakness.¡± I patted my Onix. ¡°And what does Onix have?¡± ¡°Super high defence!¡± Forrest said. I nodded. ¡°And that¡¯s been seen as a detriment with the recent method of battling that people have been using. Onix are more about taking hits and taurosing their way forward.¡± ¡°Soooo how are they supposed to be used in battles?¡± said Ash. Once more Ash¡¯s question was answered by Forrest. ¡°Onix have a great set of moves and it comes down to ingenuity! You can lay down traps with Bide, or use them as setups for control effects like Sandstorm or Stealth Rock!¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of teaching my Onix Rest, and Sleep Talk to make the most of his strong defence. It might not be a move to prioritise, but they¡¯ll be good to have.¡± ¡°Prioritise?¡± said Ash with a tilt of his head. At his feet, Pikachu copied him. Forrest nodded quickly. ¡°Yeah! Most pokemon when they¡¯re young only really remember four moves really well. These are their most effective moves. As the pokemon and us as trainers get better we¡¯re able to get them to use more! It¡¯s all about getting stronger!¡± I smiled, happy to see Forrest rattling off facts like he was. ¡°There are the rare pokemon trainers at your level that have trained their pokemon to have five or even six moves at a high level, but they¡¯re rare and it takes years of work to get beyond that.¡± I tapped my chin. ¡°There¡¯s an older gentleman that frequents the local battleclub that has a Primeape that knows ten moves. He goes there and teaches people with his fights. Well worth a look.¡± Ash slumped. ¡°I went there this morning¡­the trainers were all really strong¡­ I had to take my entire team to Nurse Joy.¡± Ash rubbed his head and shook his head. ¡°Felt really sick for an hour afterwards.¡± I grimaced, understanding that Ash had been closing to whiting out. ¡°Yeah, that happens. As for the battleclub? You need to find the tells on who¡¯s strong and who¡¯s starting out. Age is usually a good place to start.¡± Forrest and Ash both bristled at that, and I huffed at them. Ash gained a thoughtful look, and his attention dipped to Pikachu. ¡°How do I learn what my pokemon are strong in for stats?¡± Forrest rubbed his chin thoughtfully. I was finding it adorable even as I refrained from stealing the moment from him. Eventually, he said, ¡°You need to make observations for yourself¡­ Or you can look things like that up online with what the norm is for that pokemon. They have averages calculated out.¡± I coughed pointedly. ¡°Ash, you have a pokedex which might give you some insight. You¡¯re able to use it to record and it has an analysing feature for pokemon that are yours.¡± Forrest shot me a look. ¡°Huh!? Really! That¡¯s so broken! I want one!¡± Ash stuck his nose in the air. ¡°Heh! Only really skilled trainers get these from Professor Oak!¡± ¡°What!? Gary I can understand! Greta seems smart, but you and Damian? Please!¡± I snapped my head around. ¡°Say what?¡± Forrest blinked at me. ¡°Say what about what?¡± I waved my hand. ¡°What did you say about Damian? We had another of Oak¡¯s sponsored trainers at the Gym? Who was he? I thought I would have noticed him.¡± Forrest huffed. ¡°He was all wind. He had an Oddish and Poliwhirl and he tried stomping me into the ground with them, but I used Rollout to evade them for a while. Doofus kept throwing out Waterguns and Absorbs but I dodged them all and knocked his pokemon out. He had no variability in his moves.¡± I frowned. ¡°Damian would have had Charmander wouldn¡¯t he?!¡± I said, suddenly worried I¡¯d messed something up horribly by not paying attention to a minor detail that would prove oh-so-important. Ash startled. ¡°Yeah? Greta got Bulbasuar, Gary got Squirtle, Damian got Charmander.¡± I clicked my tongue and glanced towards the east where Cerulean lay. That had happened after Ash got his second badge hadn¡¯t it? He¡¯d gotten Pidgeotto, Caterpie who evolved quickly to Butterfree, then Bulbasaur, then Charmander¡­ ¡°When did you beat Damian?¡± I said. ¡°... couple days ago?¡± ¡°Seen him around at all?¡± ¡°Yeah, actually. I ran into him with the guys after the match. He was really peeved at losing, and he tried to challenge me again to advance, but I ignored him.¡± He rubbed his head and I tilted my head. There was something he wasn¡¯t saying there. ¡°Something else happen?¡± ¡°My friend fought him with one of their pokemon and got beaten and he got all high and mighty. But then he lost against another of them and got angry as a mankey. It was so dumb.¡± I clenched my jaw. ¡°... Keep an eye out for him and tell me if he¡¯s still around. I have this weird feeling about him.¡± ¡°Weird feeling?¡± Forrest said. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, in a bad way though.¡± Forrest nodded. ¡°Alright?¡± He shot Ash a confused look before shrugging, ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for him.¡± Forrest glanced up at his starter. ¡°Me and Onix can fight him without using Gym pokemon now.¡± I nodded only half listening. There was no guarantee that things would play out the same way now. Damian hadn¡¯t swept through and gotten cocky. He¡¯d probably run face-first into a ton of strong trainers lingering around. Would he be dumb enough to abandon a Charmander though? That just seemed so ludicrous to me. Everyone knew that Charmander took longer to train to their full potential. If Damian did as I suspected he did in the cartoon I¡¯d be talking to Oak about him. ¡°Me and Pikachu will as well!¡± Ash shouted, not one to be left out of something that sounded serious. I nodded and glanced down at his belt. Hmmm, that reminded me. I waved a hand inside. ¡°Speaking of you battling with your own pokemon, I think we need to get you some pokeballs so you can start creating a proper pokemon team.¡± Forrest beamed. ¡°Thanks, that¡¯d be great! Dad was going to buy me some, but he said he needed to sell some rocks first!¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Course he did.¡± I waved my hand and led him and Ash into the office, where I opened up a locked cupboard. ¡°Alright, take six of any that you¡­¡± Forrest raced straight towards the yellow and black pokeballs making me sigh. ¡°Aaaaaaaand you¡¯re just going for the Ultra balls.¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose in exasperation. ¡°Course! They¡¯re the best!¡± said Forrest, like he had any clue. I sighed. ¡°Some of the others have better features like the speed or heavy ball you realise?¡± Forrest tapped the Ultraballs to a chip that was on his belt. The balls chimed as they registered to him, and he shot me a grin. ¡°Yah I know! I¡¯m good though!¡± I rolled my eyes and locked the cupboard as Ash watched on enviously. ¡°So many¡­ pokeballs¡­ I could catch an entire herd of pokemon with those!¡± I chuckled. ¡°While that sounds good and all, it¡¯s a bit irresponsible to do that unless you¡¯re going to release them after checking over their stats with your pokedex. But that weakens the ball and makes it more likely to shatter when you next attempt to catch a pokemon.¡± ¡°Oh? People do that?¡± said Ash with a frown. I nodded, remembering not just Paul from the cartoon but also the numerous trainers I¡¯d encountered during my journey doing just that, albeit with less success than simply using a pokedex. Forrest kicked the ground. ¡°Any chance I could get one of those pokedex?¡± "You can also speak with pokecenter staff about analyzing your pokemon for information. It just takes a bit longer and more set up.¡± I then hummed and was about to say I¡¯d mention it to Oak when he came around when I noticed a familiar face walking past with Yolanda. ¡°Daisy?¡± I said, wondering at the luck of Daisy Oak being here when we had just brought up her grandfather. Daisy stepped back into sight in the doorway. ¡°Brock! Forrest! Oh! And Ash as well, hello! Has the map been treating you well?¡± Ash blushed and muttered something that I think was ¡®when I remember it¡¯. Yolanda inched back in to see what Daisy was doing. I shot Yolanda a questioning look, but she merely smiled secretly. Daisy sighed while shaking her head. ¡°Oh dear, you¡¯re just like Gary.¡± She then glanced from Ash to me. ¡°Oh? Did you have your match for the Pewter badge already?¡± Ash shook his head. ¡°I have another week before my slot!¡± ¡°Oh well, just make the booking and go to Cerulean!¡± said Daisy easily. Ash sighed. ¡°But that¡¯s not the way you¡¯re supposed to gain the badges!¡± Daisy rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh well, just use one of the other methods of getting a badge that Brock has.¡± Ash jerked his head up. ¡°Huh?¡± I coughed. ¡°Battling is one way, but Gym Leaders are allowed to set up tasks that trainers can do to prove themselves." I considered Ash and Forrest for a moment before continuing, ¡°Or even demonstrations. If you¡¯ve ever read or listened to the Hero¡¯s journey, you¡¯ll recognise it from there. It¡¯s something only a few gyms with older charters can do these days, but for me, it¡¯s about completing jobs around the community.¡± ¡°The demonstration of skill will be entirely at the Gym Leader¡¯s discretion, and relevance to Hero¡¯s Journey is preferred!¡± said Daisy. I blinked. ¡°You know the exact wording?¡± Daisy nodded. ¡°It¡¯s how I earned my Earth badge. I had Giovanni recognise me cause he was way too hard to beat in a pokemon battle.¡± Yolanda tilted her head, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of you giving out a badge in that manner Brock?¡± I snorted. ¡°That¡¯s cause the Journey doesn¡¯t mention much about the Pewter challenge beyond fighting and growing to know the leader¡¯s family. I¡¯m not going to entertain heaps of trainers in my house just to let them have a freebie for my badge. It¡¯s already a low enough hurdle as the first badge typically.¡± Forrest snickered. ¡°Still trips some people up!¡± I nodded but noticed Yolanda had a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°What are you planning?¡± She smirked at me. ¡°Nothing!~¡± she said in a way that made it all too clear it wasn¡¯t nothing. I eyed Daisy and her. ¡°What are you two up to?¡± Daisy perked up. ¡°Oh! Yolanda felt like she needed an older girl¡¯s advice with helping out your¡ª¡± Yolanda covered Daisy''s mouth. ¡°It¡¯s a secret! And you¡¯re not allowed back into the house for another hour!¡± she said with a glare. I frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed in my own house for another hour?¡± I said testingly. Yolanda squirmed. ¡°Yes?¡± Daisy was quick to come to her rescue as she slid up with a disarming smile. ¡°Brock, this is going to be a nice surprise I swear. Can¡¯t you just go play with my Grampa in the meanwhile?¡± I considered it but quickly relented. I could trust Yolanda. She was a smart girl, even if she was setting something up. I nodded and waved Ash and Forrest on to the Gym common room after grabbing up some paperwork. ¡°Sure Yolanda,¡± then I had an idea. ¡°If this is a girl thing, maybe ask Greta and Misty to join in?¡± I said, causing Yolanda to consider it before nodding easily. I left her to it and jogged to catch up to Ash and Forrest just as they walked into the common room. Ash¡¯s eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he spotted the man playing on the nintendo. ¡°Professor Oak?!¡± said Ash, his words echoing through the room. Had he not encountered the Professor before today? Oak ignored him and swerved to the left with his racer. ¡°Not falling for that one,¡± said Oak. I snorted and waved the two younger boys to the couch to let them join him and Rocko after they were done. I set up to finish off the work that Alexa had piled up after I¡¯d thought I¡¯d finished it all. I got stuck in and listened to the banter that started to be thrown around.
For the rest of the week, things progressed normally at the gym. At home¡­ things were tougher. I constantly had to remind Flint about certain jobs that he insisted on doing and when the kids got fed up with him they usually turned to Forrest, Yolanda, or myself to get the job done, leaving him shamefaced and me feeling¡­ well, I was pretty smug. I hadn¡¯t realised how much malicious enjoyment I got from simply asking Flint to read the kids a story, only for them to tear into him about it not having voices. It wasn¡¯t long enough. Did he know any ¡®Brock stories¡¯? I tried not to be too pleased. Or rather, I tried not to show it too much. Flint was doing¡­ well, he was doing the job, which was good considering that he hadn¡¯t had to do this in years. He had some of the basics down, but there were constantly small things that were tripping him up. Such as where the laundry in our house was. Or where the vacuum was. Meal times became an effort of gritting my teeth and not snapping at him as he asked where pots and pans were and why we didn¡¯t have things arranged in certain ways. Or, and what was only the second time, why we had a Munchlax. That last question had not earned him any favours when he¡¯d said it in front of Munchlax and the rest of the family. ¡°Munchlax is part of the family,¡± I¡¯d said. Munchlax happily threw himself into a hug with me before hugging anyone else he could reach, causing some giggles and the tension to break. Flint had rubbed his head. ¡°So, you¡¯re not being put into debt feeding him and all the other pokemon?¡± I stared at him. ¡°No. I¡¯m not. I¡¯ve got things well in hand with expenses and income.¡± I reminded him pointedly. That got a nod, and he backed down, he meekly took up his plate and started looking around for anyone else that had finished their breakfast. Yolanda had sensed the tension and decided to change the subject. ¡°So, Brock, are you looking forward to the Mayor¡¯s party?¡± Flint, who¡¯d started cleaning up the bench, jerked and sent bowls flying to the ground. My youngest siblings, seeing their chance, copied him, uncaring of their still full bowls of cereal. I winced at all the spilled milk. ¡°I¡¯ll get a m¡ª¡± Our resident Nanny Graveler bustled in with a mop and bucket like she¡¯d been expecting this to happen. She had the broken plates gathered and the spilt liquids mopped up in moments. Then she posed and tapped my youngest giggling brother and sister on the nose before rumbling off. ¡°I should pay her,¡± I said aloud to myself. Yolanda nodded but shot her gaze back and forth to Flint, knowing she¡¯d said something to set him off but not sure what. Flint didn¡¯t say anything. Just put his head down and helped out before leading the kids off to school. Later, when I swung around the Monsoule¡¯s Haberdashery to collect and pay for my suit I spotted Yolanda and Daisy sitting in front of the dressing area. ¡°Yolanda?¡± I said. She shot to her feet, looking startled. ¡°Brock! You¡¯re not supposed to be here!¡± She must have been panicking as she grabbed a magazine from a seat and hurled it at me. ¡°Go! You¡¯ll spoil the surprise!¡± I opened my mouth to protest only for her to continue glaring at me. I frowned. ¡°We will be having words about this,¡± I said before I left with my suit. Before I departed the shop, Monique approached me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, she¡¯s just eager to help out your date for the Mayor¡¯s ball.¡± ¡°My¡­¡± Oh! Sabrina was over there? I blinked and turned, suddenly much more interested in what was happening in the dressing room. Monique put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°No no! Let girls have their mystery! You¡¯ll like it better that way!¡± I hummed and eventually nodded. Monique beamed and saw me to the door cheerfully. She paused in the doorway, about to close it before peering up at my face. ¡°You¡¯re going to get a haircut right?¡± she said, in a manner that made me know it wasn¡¯t a suggestion. I coughed and she raised an eyebrow before pointedly looking two shops down where a hairdresser was still open. I made my way down there and felt Monique¡¯s approval the whole way. On the walk home, I spent a lot of it considering how things were. I also made a call to a certain pokemon rental company but that would be my surprise for the night. The rest of my mind considered what going to the ball would mean. I¡¯d said I wasn¡¯t going to date until Flint came back, and Sabrina said she¡¯d accepted that at the time. Then I¡¯d gone with her to Monsoule¡¯s Haberdashery with her. So it was, for all intents and purposes, me giving signals¡­ Or had she been leading me around? I rubbed my chin as I considered that. With Sabrina, that actually sounded more likely. I found I didn¡¯t mind. When I opened the door, I found Flint folding laundry with Nanny Graveller. He smiled at me until he noticed the suit. Then he scowled. ¡°You¡¯re going to that woman¡¯s ball?¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s important that I go and chat. I¡¯ll make some connections, talk with some friends, and be seen rubbing elbows with Kanto¡¯s big names.¡± Flint snorted. ¡°Urgh, I never could stand that woman¡¯s need to showboat.¡± He worked his jaw, opened his mouth, and then shut it. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t tell you not to go¡­ But Brock. Those people? They only say they¡¯re the best. Don¡¯t be fooled because of all the pretty clothing. They¡¯re as rotten as any junkyard Muk you¡¯ll find.¡± He roughly folded the last shirt and then stomped off. I hummed in consideration. There had been some issues with Flint and her about balls hadn¡¯t there? I couldn¡¯t rightly recall all the details, but then again, I had spent most of my time working with Titan and trying to get out from under their feet. I shrugged and put my suit away. When the big night finally arrived, Yolanda had demanded that I get dressed and be ready by six. So I suited up and stood around in the lounge for her to inspect me. Then she¡¯d run off to her room for a bit. Forrest had been rather amused by the entire affair. ¡°You look weird in a suit,¡± he said from the couch. ¡°Eh, I like it,¡± I said as I posed in front of the hallway mirror. ¡°Ahem!¡± said Yolanda as she walked up to me with Suzie. ¡°Your date is ready!¡± she said before shoving a bouquet of flowers into my hands. I didn¡¯t have time to question why I needed them as Sabrina walked around the corner in a shimmering dress, and suddenly my mouth was dry. Part of me was thanking Yolanda for being the best little sister ever. The rest of me was watching Sabrina walk towards me and thinking one word. ¡°Daaaaaaaammmmmnnnnnnnnnnn.¡± Chapter 98 - Fancy Shindig ¡°Daaaaaaaammmmmnnnnnnnnnnn.¡± There was an echo for a moment as Sabrina paused in her walk. Yolanda grinned mischievously at me, but my brothers'' heads bobbed up and down, eyes locked on Sabrina. Sabrina¡®s lips twitched for a moment and then she smiled. Straight at me. My heart fluttered and I grinned back at her. ¡°I said that aloud didn¡¯t I?¡± She nodded her head and Yolanda and my other sisters giggled. I hadn¡¯t noticed my family arriving. I was so caught up in Sabrina¡¯s entrance. I swallowed and nodded. ¡°You look incredible.¡± I found that a little lacking but Sabrina nodded showing she appreciated it. Her eyes roamed up and down my own tuxedo that I noted complimented hers wonderfully. I chuckled as I spotted that her earrings held the Marsh badge while my own cufflinks glinted with the symbols of the Boulder badge. I shot her a grin. ¡°So, I hope you weren¡¯t just going to teleport us there.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°I was going to, yes?¡± I waved a hand back and forth. ¡°I have something else in mind that I think will make for a more flashy entrance.¡± Sabrina tilted her head and I watched idly as her hair cascaded across her shoulders. ¡°I can teleport in flashily?¡± I waved a hand. ¡°No, this is more about showing up with style.¡± A harsh snort made me snap a glare at Flint only for him to flinch as his eyes flickered to Sabrina. I turned to her and found her nodding to herself and smiling at me. ¡°Is it that important to you?¡± I coughed. ¡°Well no actually, but this is something I think you¡¯d like.¡± I offered a hand to her and smiled as suavely as I could. ¡°Trust me?¡± Sabrina bobbed her head up and down and I hummed as she placed her hand in mine. Then I blinked when I heard a camera lens rapidly firing. I turned to the side and found Rachel poised with a camera in her hands rapidly clicking away. Behind her, Rocko stood with a camera on his shoulder. ¡°How long have you been there?¡± I said incredulously. I hadn¡¯t even noticed them coming in. ¡°A while. We were hiding behind the couch!¡± said Rachel. She then let the camera hang and waved her hands together. ¡°Alright! I think I¡¯d like to get some shots of the couple together standing in front of the wall. Then we¡¯ll take some more candid shots with Sabrina on the stairwell. I think I got some great moments of her coming down but we can get some others as well!¡± I checked my watch and hummed. ¡°Sure, we¡¯ve got time until my surprise is here.¡± Suzie and Cindy perked up. ¡°What is it?¡± they said. I paused as I eyed them. ¡°Something you¡¯ll like too!¡± I said. ¡°A Ponyta!¡± they both said, causing me to falter. They stopped as one and like Bertha discovering a mudpuddle she hadn¡¯t jumped in yet, their eyes turned predatory. ¡°IS IT?!¡± they bellowed, closing in on me. Sabrina inspected my strained expression. ¡°Brock, did you hire Ponyta for us?¡± I coughed. ¡°Well not for us. I got us some Rapidash. I just thought it¡¯d be a cool entrance.¡± I kicked at the floor. ¡°Just wasn¡¯t¡­ Alright, I forgot that it would be their go-to answer!¡± I said flinging up my hands. Suzie and Cindy hugged each other and squealed with glee. The news that a Ponyta was coming for them to pet made them extra compliant and helpful when we were taking photos. They even wrangled Forrest off the couch where he slunk off between shots that didn¡¯t involve him. When Sabrina perked up I knew that our ¡®rides¡¯ for the night had gotten close. ¡°Brock those aren¡¯t just any Rapidash,¡± she said as she detected a difference. I grinned and led everyone outdoors. Rocko made a surprised noise when the Rapidash came around the road and dashed past the house before loping around in a graceful run. Their blue, fiery manes flowed behind them as blue fire hoofprints were left in their wake. In the centre of their trio a normal Rapidash ran at the point of their arrow with a rider on their back. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!¡± screamed Suzie, Cindy, Yolanda, and Tilly screamed when they noticed the pokemon cantering up to us. They arrived with precise grace and the rider dismounted with a flip. When she stood, she immediately dropped into a bow. The three Rapidash all dropped into bows of their own, their front legs dipping as they dropped their heads. The rider then stood in time with the Rapidash before standing and twirling. Once more the pokemon copied her by rearing onto their hind legs and twirling about. When they came back down the Trainer beamed at us. ¡°Good evening! Thank you for choosing Andulsia Pony express! The fanciest, and fastest horse service in Indigo!¡± She pulled the cap from her head and put it over her heart. ¡°I¡¯m trainer Zoe and these three are Prancer, Dancer, and Lancer!¡± The three horses bobbed their heads at the sound of their names. Zoe then plucked a pokeball off her belt. ¡°And this is Tinkerbell!¡± she said, popping the pokeball and revealing a blue flame Ponyta that stomped its feet and snorted before bucking its way around Zoe who giggled at the pony¡¯s antics. She then plucked a bag from her belt and held it out to us. ¡°I was told there would be some young ladies that would like to pat and ride my pokemon before the finely dressed gentleman and lady departed for their event?¡± Suzie must have learnt teleport because she was so fast off the mark to appear in front of Zoe. ¡°Me! Me! Oh! Me!¡± she said while waving one hand in the air, afraid Zoe wouldn¡¯t see her. Tinkerbell reared up behind Zoe and trotted around to sniff at Suzie. Suzie was handed a sugar cube which was in turn offered to the Ponyta. The other girls quickly filed up to get their own sugar cubes. Sabrina hovered her clutch purse onto my shoulder. ¡°Hold onto this.¡± She then joined the girls in petting the horses with a happy expression. The sound of furious photo-taking had me turning to find Rachel taking photos professionally, albeit with an expression of longing. I coughed, ¡°I¡¯ll get some photos if you want to join the girls.¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ I should¡ª¡± ¡°Look at how her feet tippy tap when you feed her!¡± squealed Cindy, ending any and all of Rachel¡¯s resistance as the camera was handed off and Rachel joined the girls. Salvadore approached with his notepad and curiosity in hand as he began asking Zoe questions. I dutifully began snapping pictures of the girls and Salvadore. Everything was going perfectly until my success proved too great. Suzie, Tilly, Yolanda, and Cindy all turned towards me with perfectly synchronised Baby Doll Eyes. ¡°Brock! Please can we have a ponyta like Tinkerbell?¡± they said in unison. My heart clenched and I cursed past Brock. He¡¯d been too successful, and now present Brock, aka me, was suffering from his success! ¡°Ahahaha, well we uhm¡­¡± I said looking to Zoe for a save only for her to be biting her lip and holding in a giggle. Sabrina was also ignoring me as she pet Prancer¡¯s snout. Flint spoke up. ¡°A pokemon like Tinkerbell wouldn¡¯t suit the Gym.¡± I started to nod. Then aborted the gesture as a wave of irritability ran through me. How dare he say I couldn¡¯t have a pokemon like that! So I opened my mouth and said, ¡°Sure girls! I¡¯ll talk with Zoe later! For now, you enjoy Tinkerbell while Sabrina and I mount up.¡± Flint shot me a disbelieving look, and part of me enjoyed his gobsmacked expression. I walked up to Lancer and Zoe pointed at where I should sit. I made sure Lancer was content to let me ride him first and he snorted his agreement. Zoe beamed at me. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not one of those sorts to just try jumping on his back!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Had to train him not to dump people after the first client tried that.¡± I clicked my tongue and rubbed his neck. ¡°Comes from actually talking with a lot of my pokemon. They¡¯re not human but they can certainly communicate with us if you care to pay enough attention.¡± I hopped up onto his back lightly and shifted around so I wasn¡¯t crushing anything delicate. Sabrina merely floated herself up onto Prancer. Zoe beamed. ¡°Now there¡¯s a trick! I¡¯d love it if more clients mounted up like that!¡± she put her hand on Dancer¡¯s neck and hopped up much more gracefully than I had. We took a few more photos with Sabrina and I on horseback and then I nodded. ¡°Go ahead and post any photos you like when you can. Maybe post some good ones tonight to beat the media that¡¯s going to be at the mayor¡¯s ball.¡± Rachel shot me a thumbs up, and Rocko gave me a mock salute. ¡°Say hey to Dennis for us!¡± he said and nodded. Zoe then whistled and pointed causing our pokemon to slowly rear up and turn only to then slowly canter away. I barely had to grasp with my thighs to hang on; the motion was that smooth. As we raced along the countryside, Zoe leading us on a circuitous route I tapped Lancer on the side and gestured for him to approach Zoe. ¡°So how much would it cost to get a shiny Ponyta like Tinkerbell?¡± I said aloud. Zoe considered me. ¡°Most people that ask me that, I say something ridiculous and get enough money to run my business for an entire year. I¡¯m only going to ask for half that but!¡± she held up a finger and grinned. ¡°I want any of your little sisters that are interested in horses to join my ponyta club and learn to ride!¡± I snorted. ¡°Oh dear, that¡¯s going to be such a tough sell!¡± I shook my head in mock horror. Zoe hummed. ¡°They¡¯re not fair-weather girls, I take it then?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. I might have to include another¡­¡± I paused and considered what I was about to say. ¡°I¡¯ll ask one of my employees if her daughter would like to take part as well. I might also buy some slots for some other kids.¡± I already donated to the orphanage in Pewter but they likely didn¡¯t spend it on anything but what they considered essential. How many girls and boys would like to try the Ponyta club? I¡¯d give a few the option at least. ¡°How much would ten slots cost?¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes practically became pokedollar symbols. Then Sabrina coughed. ¡°I would also like to join.¡± I whipped to look at her, daintily sitting on Prancer with her soft smile. I grinned as Zoe shot Sabrina a pleased look. When Zoe told me the cost, I was suddenly glad for the income that would be generated from the upcoming sale of some of the Lileep. Those spots, along with one shiny Ponyta for my sisters, wasn¡¯t going to be cheap. Still, it would bring a lot of smiles to little faces and lifelong memories. It was with this thought firmly locked in my mind, that we arrived at the Mayor¡¯s manor. Tonight it had been done up with banners and streamers and there were a number of fancy cars letting businessmen and their wives strut down a long red carpet. On either side of the carpet, with only a small red tape fence holding them back, the media was in a frenzy as tens if not hundreds of cameras swiveled about. Some reporters drew men and women in for brief commentary and there seemed to be a few famous faces strutting down the carpet and posing. Our own arrival went only momentarily unnoticed, with Prancer, Dancer, and Lancer all skipping the queue of cars to trot up to the front. I had half a desire to simply keep riding them past the media with a smile and a wave. But then I remembered I needed to be nice. So I dismounted and walked around to offer my hand to Sabrina. I wasn''t sure who said something but the audible whoosh of all the cameras in the area swivelling in mass towards us told everyone someone of importance had just arrived. The people on the red carpet all turned their heads as the cameras suddenly ignored them. I was only peripherally aware of this as Sabrina accepted my hand and slid off Prancer. With all eyes on us, I raised her hand to my lips and gave it a kiss. Sabrina gained a smug look and she drew her other hand around to catch my face in her hand. She drew me up and gave a chaste peck on the cheek. The thunder of cameras behind us announced that not a moment was being lost as Sabrina and I¡¯s status was ¡®revealed¡¯ to the public. I led Sabrina to Zoe and gave the still-riding Rapidash trainer a polite half bow, then I pat each Rapidash on the nose and side of the neck before turning to the crowd. ¡°Time to smile and wave,¡± I said to Sabrina as we proceeded down the carpet. ¡°I think they¡¯ll want more than that,¡± she said, still radiating contentment as she linked her left arm and fingers with my right. ¡°Suppose we can talk a bit with them.¡± I turned randomly and had a moment to smile before three reporters were practically lunging over the red rope barricade. ¡°GYM LEADER BROCK! HOW LONG HAVE YOU AND GYM LEADER SABRINA BEEN TOGETHER!¡± I chuckled. ¡°Oh, who can say?¡± I said playfully. Sabrina leaned forward. ¡°Three years, ninety-two days and sixteen hours.¡± I shot her a bemused look. The reporter gasped and whirled back to her cameraman. ¡°You heard it here first folks! This power couple have been dating for years secretly! Illicit romance or shy love only now ready to announce itself!?¡± She turned back with her mic already in position for another question, only to find we¡¯d moved along. I knew there were going to be a lot of questions like that. I wasn¡¯t going to get bogged down. I¡¯d give each reporter a few minutes and then move along. I was here for a party, not a gauntlet of interviews after all.
As expected, the questions mostly focussed on Sabrina and I¡¯s relationship. People had been astounded to not know that two Gym Leaders were dating. I heard more than one reporter refer to it as the secret romance of the decade more than once, which seemed more than a little melodramatic. Oddly, the fashion reporter was the most bearable interviewer as she asked after the designers and makers of our outfits. I was more than happy to praise Monique¡¯s haberdashery. When I encountered the Battlecast reporters they nodded, told me ¡®nice outfit and date, and then asked how I felt my last Ace challenge had gone. Considering I¡¯d won it, it was an easy interview. The Lifestyle magazine had lamented that my true love with Lance was apparently a thing of the past. Then they¡¯d stared at me as if expecting me to deny them and announce that such a thing could still happen. I¡¯d frowned in confusion and began to inch away. Sabrina must have picked up on something the reporter was thinking as she gave me a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Nope, all mine,¡± she said into the camera. She¡¯d tossed her hair in a slightly aggressive fashion that had me chuckling and leading her into the party proper. The doorman bowed politely and accepted my invitation before opening the door with exaggerated hospitality. ¡°Welcome sir and madam, please enjoy the Mayor¡¯s spring ball!¡± he said gleefully. Then he led us into the house and gestured to various rooms, explaining what functions they would serve for the evening. He pointed out the bathroom facilities and the off-limits areas, which were mostly upstairs, because they were the private rooms of the Mayor and his family. The man also pointed out the lounge, the conservatory, the library, the billiards room, and the smoking den as all places we could enter as we wished for the evening. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I nodded in acceptance, and we eventually made our way to the back room which was in fact a proper ballroom. The entire room was encased in stone and the floor was black and white marble in patterns with a glossy finish. Halfway along the hall, a platform had been erected with a band playing music for the guests that were mingling, drinking and eating as waiters carried silver trays around. I also spotted that there was a single staircase that was roped off leading upwards. I eyed it thoughtfully. Now if I was a pretentious git that wanted to make a spectacle¡­ I clicked my tongue and Sabrina glanced at me. I shook my head. ¡°Just a thought.¡± Sabrina glanced at the staircase with a frown before nodding in acceptance. I turned my attention to the people in the room as our guide bowed and walked back to his post at the front. No greeter announced our names, but a small amount of quiet did occur as we stepped into the room arm-in-arm. More than a few ladies gasped and murmurs broke out. I spotted someone I recognised and waved. ¡°Erika!¡± I said happily. ¡°I should have known to expect you here!¡± She offered a polite bow in greeting to me and then to Sabrina. ¡°Hello! I should say I am the one to be surprised to see you here. I have attended balls like this for years and have never seen you.¡± She glanced at Sabrina. ¡°Either of you.¡± Her eyes then took us in. ¡°It¡¯s a shame for certain, you both look amazing!¡± I inclined my head in thanks at her compliment before gesturing to her own, more traditional kimono. ¡°You look incredible tonight as well. As to not coming? I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve had the time in the past.¡± Erika blinked before blushing. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry that was terribly rude of me! Of course, with your family, you would have chosen to look after them rather than attend events such as this.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Are they old enough now to be left alone for the evening with a nanny?¡± I nodded and made a so-so gesture. ¡°That and Flint has come back.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Erika said before blinking. ¡°Oh! Oh¡­¡± she said as she bit her lip. ¡°What does that mean for you¡­ and Pewter Gym?¡± I waved a hand and shook my head. ¡°Nothing. I am the Gym Leader and that¡¯s the way it¡¯s going to stay. Flint¡­ He¡¯s mainly reconnecting with our family now.¡± A waiter walked past and I reached out to snag a drink for myself and Sabrina only to have the tray twist and a fruity drink find its way into my hands. The waiter smiled commiseratingly at me. ¡°A good attempt sir but we do have the police chief here tonight, and serving yourself alcohol is a felony.¡± He then retreated with a bow. I blinked. I hadn¡¯t even thought of it, I¡¯d just reached out. Not really out of habit, but perhaps my past life¡¯s instincts had made me reach for a drink to keep my mouth moist and my hands full for the amount of talking I was about to do. Erika giggled. ¡°Brock you can¡¯t drink here!¡± I smiled sheepishly. ¡°Ah, would you believe I thought it was apple juice? I hadn¡¯t even thought of it being alcoholic.¡± Erika giggled at my excuse and shook her head. Sabrina merely accepted her glass and sipped it, cooly. I hummed when I noticed some older gentleman being offered shots of what I thought was port only for the bottle to read ¡®Shuckle wine¡¯. ¡°Hmmm, I need to get myself a Shuckle,¡± I said aloud. Erika followed my gaze only to sigh. ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°No! Seriously they''re not bad for certain styles of fights! Not because of the Shuckle wine, I swear!¡± Erika gave me a look of serious doubt. Sabrina merely sipped at her juice watching Erika and I banter with each other. I was about to ask her how she was feeling when a large man joined our group. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! Names Patrick Pebbleman! My wife and I own, and work the quarries of Pebbleman co!¡± ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± I said politely, my smile coming out a bit forced. ¡°What can I do for you this evening?¡± The man opened his mouth only for what must have been his wife to brain him with her clutch purse. ¡°Patrick Pebbleman you rude man you! Don¡¯t just invade another¡¯s group like that!¡± Patrick rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Oh, sorry, dear. Yes dear!¡± he bowed to us. ¡°Sorry! I was just looking to bend your ear Brock! I know you did great work with your trainer Celia last season and the kids have really talked up this year. Our son, Pete Pebbleman? He¡¯s started his circuit.¡± I frowned. ¡°He had a Growlithe and a Shellder I seem to recall? Came by¡­¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. ¡°A week ago?¡± Something about this kid had sparked a memory, but I couldn¡¯t quite understand why. Pete Pebbleman. Was that someone significant? It didn¡¯t ring a bell. His parents were apparently well off enough if they¡¯d been invited, so they must have been big names in the community. A quarry in Pewter was a good start I supposed. Patrick beamed. ¡°That was him! Reckons you really taught him a thing or two! He stuck around to watch a few other matches that day and saw you fight some different badge levels and was super impressed. Wanted to train with you before the circuit was over! We¡¯re confident he can make it all the way to the League but with the news of the flood of trainers he¡¯s lost a lot of his confidence.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be running a few training camps this year as it has been a concern. I want our trainers to have a fighting chance against trainers from other regions.¡± Patrick beamed. ¡°Excellent! I¡¯ll tell Pete the good news! When you have dates please, by all means, send us a message and we¡¯ll tell him to make it back home for some training with you!¡± He then fished out a business card and offered it to me with both hands sincerely. I accepted it with both hands, an interesting cultural expression that I had noticed carried over from Japan. If I¡¯d merely taken it with one hand I would have insulted Patrick Pebbleman. By using both hands and bowing lightly, I¡¯d shown him respect. Patrick stood with a smile as I put the card in my breast pocket. He was about to say something else when his wife dragged him away with a polite thanks. Erika giggled. ¡°Oh dear, I think a lot of people saw that and are going to be after you for a good while now!¡± I glanced about and noted a lot of businessmen and women and regional bigshots eyeing me. I hummed and turned to Sabrina. ¡°Care to dance?¡± She smiled winningly and nodded. I grinned. There, that would keep them at bay! Sadly, I didn¡¯t account for people trying to ¡®cut in¡¯ on us. Thankfully, those people didn¡¯t account for Sabrina. We became two dancers in a circle of calm as others that had positioned themselves close to us and that had been about to make an abrupt cut in suddenly found themselves stumbling. I beamed at her, and we danced our way through a few songs before departing the dance floor. I led Sabrina over to one of the windows. On the way, I snagged us some snacks that we chewed on. I nodded politely as we made our way through the crowd but didn¡¯t pause. I found who I was looking for standing next to a seated, much rounder form. ¡°Dennis,¡± I said with a nod. The man pivoted and bowed politely. I grinned at him. He cut a sharp figure in his suit that was as close to military as he probably could get away with. The man really loved that style, then again it helped with all the paperwork. He was one of my best trainers for a reason. I noted his jacket was around the woman sitting down. I nodded to her. ¡°Nike, how are you and the kids?¡± I said to Dennis¡¯ wife. The woman waved politely and we exchanged some pleasantry. Dennis occasionally spoke up but he looked incredibly awkward. Nike sent him off for water and food when her stomach growled. Sabrina turned her attention to the other woman¡¯s swollen middle. ¡°When are you due?¡± Nike smiled. ¡°Still another four months. This one is twins. I think I might have to stop after this. It¡¯ll bring us up to four and that¡¯s enough for me and Dennis.¡± She then turned to me and swallowed. ¡°Brock¡­ Dennis, he told me about Daniel. Sorry for that¡­¡± She offered an empty gesture knowing likely it wasn¡¯t worth much. Dennis returned with food and water for his wife and I nodded. It was a stark difference to see how Dennis acted with his family and how ¡­ How Daniel had acted. I glanced away as I felt a dark mood come over me. Nike patted me on the hand and Sabrina leaned into me. Dennis coughed. ¡°I should have said something.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I wanted to believe the lie. It was a perfect fit, which I think is what bugs me the most. Makes me feel dirty, like someone picked through my life and had crafted the ideal way to manipulate me.¡± I clicked my teeth and shook my head. Nike leaned back and put her hand on Dennis. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m still not sure what to make of it. Helen¡­ I met her a few times, you know? She seemed normal, and that strikes me the most. I want to make her out to be a villain but¡­¡± Nike shrugged. ¡°Part of me understands. If you wanted more for your kids well¡­¡± she left the rest unsaid, and I nodded. Nike clapped her hands. ¡°Sorry for being such a sour-meowth, but I¡¯m rude like that!¡± she flicked her eyes between me and Sabrina. ¡°So what¡¯s this surprise?¡± She grinned widely. ¡°You tell me what I should say to the press and I¡¯ll have women by their droves coming up to talk to me!¡± I huffed. ¡°I think I can¡ª¡± I stopped talking when she pouted. ¡°You want them to surge you?¡± ¡°Yes! Since I started to show most of the people I talked to avoid me as they all assume I have none of the juicy gossip! Please! Also, I can¡¯t work the room like this!¡± She gestured to her swollen belly. ¡°Much better to have the room come to me,¡± she said. I gave her an amused look before nodding. As Dennis¡¯ wife, I could humour her. I leaned in and pretended to whisper something in her ear before leaning back. ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone know about that though¡­ yeah?¡± I said while watching her eyes glimmer with glee. ¡°Thank you Broc¡ª I raised a brow as Sabrina decided to plop herself down in a chair next to Nike causing Nike to startle. ¡°I would actually like a moment to rest if it¡¯s all the same.¡± Sabrina gave me an innocent smile, that let me know she was up to something. ¡°I¡¯ll rejoin you in a while. I''m just feeling a bit overwhelmed.¡± I gestured outside, and Sabrina shook her head. ¡°This will do for now. You best go talk with some of the other guests. There are a lot of people looking to talk with you.¡± I eyed Sabrina and Nike. Nike looked extremely pleased by this turn of events, while Sabrina looked slightly more relaxed. I eventually nodded and departed with a nod to Dennis and a pointed glance at Sabrina. He nodded back seriously and stepped slightly in front of his wife and Sabrina like he was a guard more than Nike¡¯s husband. Sabrina shot him a bemused look while Nike gave his back a fond smile. He gained a harried look when the first people to approach the seated ladies were the Cerulean sisters. Their gaze was locked solidly through Dennis, and on Sabrina. Sabrina shot me an exasperated look but waved for me to keep walking as the Cerulean sisters descended on her. I turned and waded into the crowd to start talking with the various people that were simply dying to talk with me. I pressed the flesh. I shook hands and smiled genially at various local and regional businessmen and women. Names came and went, and I felt certain I¡¯d barely remember a quarter of them in the hour I¡¯d been making the rounds. I tried to only spend ten minutes at most with any one group, but that made it harder to remember who was CEO of which company. When I passed the gardens, I was amused to find a number of gentlemen and ladies engaged in pokemon battles. They seemed quaint scuffles more than proper fights. The pokemon themselves were more bark than bite, but it seemed to get a few people¡¯s blood up if they were watching or taking part. There were people I was genuinely interested in talking with, such as Lawrence¡¯s group of Lawyer friends. Of them, he appeared the most thug-like. I couldn¡¯t stop staring at the man with a blue afro who was wearing suspenders and a small yellow bowtie. Apparently, he was another local lawyer. Next to him was a much older man with a flattened afro who was his father, and apparently a Judge for the local courts. Suddenly, Lawrence didn¡¯t look quite as silly with his sweeping mohawk. They were all happy to toast Lawrence¡¯s success and his new ¡®hog¡¯. Apparently, with all the work I was giving him, he was making a tidy sum and had purchased himself a motorbike to ride along some of the speedways made for such racers. Lawrence¡¯s girlfriend clung to him and seemed rather bored with the talk of motorbikes and law that invariably was thrown around. I left them to find a new group after a bit, moving to talk with Erika. She¡¯d been very interested in the news that I had some Lileep up for sale alongside the ones being gifted to a few research labs. Erika¡¯s group actually got the most attention as they were all young women that owned their own businesses. Amusingly enough Trixie was here representing her own fitness brand but looked extremely shy in her long dress. ¡°You alright there Trixie?¡± I said to her as she tugged at the sleeve of her dress while her other hand scrunched something in her purse. Her hand worked furiously causing a squeaking to continue as she spoke, ¡°Nope! I think I look ridiculous! This was a terrible idea!¡± I glanced at her purse, was that a grip strength trainer in there? I gave her dress a look and had to grimace. It wasn¡¯t a style that suited her. It covered her up and made her look rather¡­ frumpy. It was strange to see her in a dress as I always thought of her as ¡®eternally in fitness wear¡¯. Another woman in the group shrugged. ¡°Maybe just come in fitness gear next time? Lean into your brand?¡± Erika hummed in consideration, but Mary Sue Lonlon shook her head. ¡°Shucks, don¡¯t say that! Then she¡¯ll start doing it! You know how hard it was to get her into that dress!?¡± I rolled my eyes and gestured to Trixie. ¡°You don¡¯t look very comfortable in a dress. Maybe try a suit next time?¡± That got some thoughtful looks and even a blush from Erika. Trixie blinked a few times in thought. I bit my lip and stopped myself from suggesting Trixie rip off the sleeves of her dress. I was about to suggest Monique, only for said woman to appear at my side. ¡°I heard my name?¡± she said gleefully as I blinked in surprise. ¡°Uhm no?¡± I said, only for Monique to ignore me as she locked onto Trixie. ¡°Oh, dear. Whoever chose that dress did a terrible job for you¡­¡± She shook her head and ignored Mary-Sue as she spluttered. Monique nodded. ¡°Alright, come with me to the bathroom and we¡¯ll make it sit better, give you some more room in your stride.¡± ¡°I heard you do suits? Do you think I¡¯d look good in one?¡± offered the strangely shy Trixie as the squeaking emitting from her purse slowed.. ¡°Darling with your figure, suits would gain a whole new meaning of great, let alone good!¡± said Monique as she stole away the Amazonian woman from us. I shared a smile with Erika while Mary-Sue sighed. ¡°I just wanted her to try something new¡­ That was the first dress I could get her to agree to since her second year of school!¡± I patted Mary-Sue on the shoulder. ¡°There there. You were just trying to be a good friend.¡± I was about to suggest something else to Mary-Sue to help Trixie when Jonathan, the mayor, happened upon me. The man swept his arm around me and tugged but I pushed rock energy into the ground and he lurched as I became entrenched. I frowned at him as he blinked in bewilderment, only for my gaze to turn to the arm slung over my shoulder. He coughed and patted me on the shoulder in a friendly way to cover his slip. ¡°Ah! Brock! I heard you caused quite a stir with your arrival! Oh! Hello ladies!¡± he smiled before wagging a finger in my face. ¡°Brock you¡¯re off the market! Don¡¯t go teasing the ladies now!¡± he said jovially. I frowned deeper. ¡°We¡¯re all friends actually,¡± I said frostily. ¡°Of course we are!¡± he said. I let some dark energy seep into my glare ¡°Now, I just wanted to say hello, as the host it is expected of me after all! Enjoying yourself? Going to stick around a while?¡± he said. I gazed about. ¡°Nothing seems disagreeable. I might seek out Sabrina in a bit though and see how she¡¯s going. She¡¯s not used to heels.¡± It was a lie. I was more worried about the various thoughts of the crowd bothering her, but I didn¡¯t need to rub Sabrina¡¯s status as a psychic in people¡¯s faces. They got leery about that when they remembered she could,at any given moment, read their minds. ¡°Hmmm very good,¡± Jonathan said only to nod at Erika. ¡°Good evening to you as well, Miss Erika.¡± Jonathan stepped away only to bark a greeting. ¡°Giovanni, you cad! I hadn¡¯t seen you yet! Come to talk with your fellow Gym Leaders!?¡± boomed Jonathan. I stiffened and turned to find Giovani himself standing at ease with another woman about his age, a scotch glass in hand. Giovanni inclined his head politely at us. ¡°Indeed.¡± He eyed Erika and myself before nodding to Sabrina who was suddenly stepping up next to me. Mary-Sue didn¡¯t get a nod as he ignored her to lock eyes with me. Instead of there being a link that made my pulse race and my hands itch he looked at me in such a placid way that I felt nothing. I blinked in surprise. That wasn¡¯t what I¡¯d been expecting. I¡¯d been expecting some form of challenging glint in his eyes and a need to throw down to come over me. None of that happened, and I felt oddly out of sorts. It was like someone had just used Trick Room on me. Giovanni seemed unbothered and instead proceeded to drink from his glass, as cool as a Dewgong in icy water. ¡°You seem to be handling the flood of trainers very well, Gym Leader Brock. My congratulations. It seems all the uproar over the flood hasn¡¯t played out.¡± ¡°We took a lot of steps to mitigate and spread it out. I think the impact just hasn¡¯t been felt as much. We¡¯ll all find the bill coming due towards the end of the season. When there are more people closer to gaining their eighth badge.¡± Erika stepped slightly forward holding her smile as she did so. ¡°I have also had to handle an increased number of pokemon trainers. It will be a long circuit indeed.¡± Giovanni inclined his head. ¡°Just so. When two Gym Leaders have similar experiences, I¡¯d be a fool to ignore their predictions.¡± He paused as though a thought had just occurred to him. ¡°I heard that both you and Erika were involved in some unusual business with criminal activity?¡± Erika puffed up like a Bellosom under a Sunny Day. ¡°Yes! We received a worrying tip about Team Rocket activity in my city. I led a raid with the police and Janine from Fuchsia!¡± she said proudly. Giovanni inclined his head as though impressed. ¡°Well done! I imagine you did well then. The news said it was the Games Corner? That would have cost Team Rocket a pretty pokepenny.¡± HE rolled his drink around only to pause. ¡°Shame they went unnoticed for so long.¡± I frowned. He was taking this far too easily. Was it because it had been almost a week now, and he¡¯d reconciled the loss? Or was it something else? It took a moment to notice the dig he¡¯d slipped in at the end there, as Erika wilted only to regather and straighten up. Sabrina spoke before Erika could, however, ¡°Erika has many duties but the assessment of gambling establishments and their monitoring is not one of them.¡± Erika shot Sabrina a smile. I opened my mouth only for a sultry giggle to come from the woman next to Giovanni. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s admirable to see the young ones coming together like this. You¡¯re all so¡­ supportive.¡± I flicked my eyes to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t catch your name.¡± ¡°Madame Bossue,¡± she said with a strange inflection at the end. I tilted my head. Where had I heard that name from? Her answer had told me nothing but her name and with her being Giovanni¡¯s date that didn¡¯t mean a lot. ¡°How are you enjoying your evening? Giovanni showing you a nice time?¡± I said leadingly. Giovanni, who¡¯d been mid-sip of his drink suddenly choked as his eyes bulged out and he shot me an incredulous look. I could only frown. What had I said? Madame Bossue giggled into her hand, and Giovanni opened his mouth only for the lights to suddenly be cut. I inhaled and moved back to Sabrina and tugged Erika to my side, getting ready for what was to come next. Around the room, voices cried out in shock and surprise only for a clear-cut note of a wineglass being tapped to ring out. Everyone turned their gaze towards the sound. A single light turned on with a ¡®thoom¡¯ to reveal a sharply cut man wearing a mask that had whited out eyes. His purple hair draped down the sides of his face. He flicked his head to clear his face in that oh-so-obnoxious way that some men do when they refuse to wear their hair any other way but loose. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, I beg your forgiveness for interrupting this wonderful evening you¡¯re all having,¡± Will said from atop the stairs. I sighed and stepped away from Sabrina. I had a feeling I knew what was about to happen. ¡°I thought I¡¯d offer my own humble announcement to spice things up! Pray, do forgive my audacity to make this announcement!¡± he tittered as I rolled my eyes. The crowd settled, obviously used to the antics of young men. Some people even murmured excitedly, enjoying the man¡¯s showmanship. ¡°I, Will of no notable city of origin, am here tonight, a humble Ace trainer to announce that I will be making a run for the Champion¡¯s challenge! I intend to go all the way! To start, however, I must throw down the glove!¡± Another light turned on right as he said the words. I found myself lit up and in the centre of one of the only two beams of light in the room. I scowled up at him as he pointed down at me. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! I shall begin my run by challenging you! What say you?¡± His words echoed about the room as people turned to me. I chuckled and shook my head. ¡°What do I say? I say this!¡± I adopted my pose with my arms crossed over my chest as I glared up at him. ¡°It¡¯s about damn time.¡± Chapter 99 - No confidence ¡°It¡¯s about damn time.¡± My words rippled through the listening crowd, and there were a few gasps¡ª delighted and shocked ¡ªalong with a few scandalised murmurs. I ignored them. They were a side feature of what was going on right now. Instead, I looked straight into Will¡¯s eyes only to find myself looking into a mask. It was odd staring into a mask, as I couldn¡¯t know if I¡¯d actually locked eyes with him. ¡°You¡¯ve been lurking around my Gym and rookie-crushing for long enough. I should think you¡¯re more than ready to challenge.¡± Will tilted his head like a curious pidgeot. ¡°I beg your pardon!?¡± he said in an affronted manner. I huffed, and reached into my suit. When I withdrew my hand I had a Great Ball within it. ¡°Ace trainer Will. I shouldn¡¯t have to say it again. I accept your challenge. Did you have a time or were you hoping to get this sorted out here and now? Cause if so, I¡¯m down to rumble.¡± I spun the Great Ball on the tip of a finger and smirked. ¡°Right here, right now.¡± The crowd snapped their heads from me to Will to see his reaction. He stared at me. He hadn¡¯t been expecting me to be this aggressive, but I¡¯d suspected this as soon as I saw the stairs. From there, I¡¯d played with my knowledge of my past life to play out potential scenarios. Specifically dramatic scenes, like this was some soap opera. It shouldn¡¯t have held any bearing in my day-to-day life. Except that, well, this was a world that did enjoy its drama. Also, Will seemed the type to enjoy such acts. Was it overthinking things? Probably. But in this case? I was right. And so, now I was going to flip the table and reverse Will¡¯s expectations. If he wanted me to be on the back foot I¡¯d counter him instead. I¡¯d had more than enough of Will lingering around my Gym. Sadly, he remained calm in the face of the pressure I was turning back on him. ¡°Ahahaha! Oh, a wonderful jest Gym Leader Brock, but I shall not deprive the people, nay! The REGION OF INDIGO!¡± He announced loudly, while sweeping his arm out wide. There was some grumbling while others nodded and agreed. ¡°I shall not deprive them the chance to see me battle!¡± He smiled magnanimously while I glowered and clenched my greatball. He shook his head. ¡°No, I shall stick to the time I have booked, in three weeks. A Saturday match and the highlight of the month.¡± He put a hand to his forehead theatrically, ¡°Aie! Nay! The start of the season, I should think!¡± I clicked my tongue. The sentiment seemed to be shared by a few people, as a disappointed murmur broke out among the onlookers. I was half tempted to steal his show by marching up the stairs and asking if people wouldn¡¯t prefer us to fight now. But it seemed like he was going to prevaricate. My own blood was running hot, but I just knew that Will wasn¡¯t going to stand opposite me tonight. I could push the issue, but it was clear Will was going to be honourable. Or at least appear that way. Part of me wanted to call him a coward. Another part warned that there had to be a reason that he was pushing for a later date. Did he want even more information? Or was he waiting to get a new pokemon up to strength? Will was in the games as a psychic specialist of the eventual Gold/silver Elite Four. I recalled him having pokemon such as Exeggutor, Xatu, Jynx, Slowbro, Gardevoir, Grumpig, and Bronzong. I suspected that he wouldn¡¯t have that last one, as that was supposed to be only found in the fourth-generation games, aka Sinnoh. Still, there was potentially a lot of other pokemon that he could call upon to display his psychic mastery. ¡°So, the challenge is set!¡± Will sketched a bow towards the crowd. ¡°Dear friends, I hope you all will join us in three weeks to witness my ascension. Pewter will merely be the first step, but I plan to make it a grand affair! Thank you for your attention and I bid you good evening!¡± He bowed once more, and then as he rose, he vanished in a flash that signalled he had teleported away. I scowled. Really, all that drama and no action!? Urgh! Will was really starting to annoy me. It irked me that I hadn¡¯t been able to lock eyes with him due to his wearing a mask, I¡¯d felt rather confident in calling him out and decided to do just that so I could deny him, only¡­ it hadn¡¯t happened. That was twice tonight. Was there something going on with Giovanni and Will? Or was that just my mind trying to make leaps of logic that didn¡¯t exist? The crowd gasped as one at the psychic display of skill, but I wasn¡¯t impressed. Hanging out with Sabrina had made teleports rather commonplace for me. But for the layman, a teleport that was possibly unassisted by a pokemon was a loud declaration of his psychic prowess. I merely marked it down on a growing list of issues I had to raise with someone now well and truly on my shit list. I gave the stairs Will had teleported out on a lingering look. It would, if you didn¡¯t consider the logistics of such a move, seem rather innocuous or even, dare I say, impressive. But once you did? It became a rather damning detail of Mayor Jonathan setting this up. I turned my back on the stairs as the lights came back on. Giovanni and his date were observing me from the side. Giovanni raised his glass to me. ¡°I wish you good fortune Brock. I think I¡¯d rather like to see an upstart humbled in a few weeks time.¡± I nodded back and muttered something vaguely polite as I turned to Erika. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I worked my jaw back and forth as I considered what I should do next. The stairs and the notice and even the lighting were all nails in a coffin of confirmation for me. ¡°Brock? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Erika said. Sabrina hovered slightly with a pinched expression. I flicked my eyes to Giovanni and then jerked my head to an alcove that would offer some privacy. Erika followed Sabrina and me to it with more than a few people watching us carefully. When we paused I made sure to reject anyone approaching me with a firm head shake. Sabrina turned her body slightly and her eyes glowed, making more than a few people back further off. Erika swallowed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Brock? I know it was rather rude to have a challenge laid out like that, but it''s not unheard of. Lots of people have done it in the past.¡± ¡°Guess it just feels different having it done to me.¡± I chewed my lip. ¡°Also I don¡¯t like that the Mayor obviously had something to do with it.¡± I clenched my fists. ¡°I need to respond to this.¡± I just¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what would be best. Could I get away with slugging him in the face? Erika tilted her head as she considered what I said. She perked up. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± she said snapping me out of my dreams of punching Jonathan. ¡°He should be supporting you not another contender.¡± She tapped her hands together like a nervous Bellossom would to primp their flowers. ¡°He needed the dark energy emitters to be coded for his inclusion to teleport in. This is rather damning¡­¡± she chewed her lip and glanced up at me. ¡°What would you like to do?¡± I clenched a fist. ¡°I think I want to punch Jonathan for being such a slimy politician.¡± "Well, you can¡¯t do that.¡± Erika shifted from foot to foot before coughing. ¡°However, if you want to really cause some problems for the man¡­ You should go talk with your Lawyer friend if he¡¯s still here,¡± Erika said, standing up on her tiptoes to glance about. With her shorter stature, it didn¡¯t help much. ¡°He¡¯s still here,¡± Sabrina offered from my side, her eyes still glowing. ¡°What do you need him for?¡± Erika relaxed. "Oh, it¡¯s not him that you¡¯re looking for. It¡¯s all the legal workers. He will be spending time with them. Your Lawyer is your excuse to talk with them. You¡¯ll just¡­¡± She made an underhanded throwing gesture. ¡°Toss him some questions." She pointed to her ears. ¡°There are usually always people from that group that were candidates for Mayor or are thinking about running for mayor in the next election. If I¡¯m not wrong, Jonathan¡¯s term is almost up for vote soon isn¡¯t it?¡± I nodded, calming down with Erika¡¯s suggestions making my mind work instead of lingering of the ever distant dream of dropping Jonathan with a punch. ¡°That¡­ that could work as a starting point.¡± Erika nodded. ¡°Well, just ask your Lawyer to meet up later. Maybe see what else you can do as a Heritage Gym. You have a louder voice than the normal Kanto gym, no?¡± I ran a hand down my face. I¡¯d been aware of the possibility, I thought I¡¯d had longer. I hadn¡¯t wanted to jump into that pit of Ekans and Seviper¡­ it seemed that wasn¡¯t enough to avoid being bitten. I had to act on it, however reluctantly. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything like that before but yes¡­ I think you¡¯re right.¡± I shot her a smile. ¡°Thanks Erika, you¡¯re good at this.¡± She perked up before pouting. ¡°And other things!¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°Yes, you are.¡± That got a much more heartfelt smile as Erika beamed at Sabrina who offered back a small smile. I tilted my head towards where I¡¯d last seen Lawrence. ¡°Well I¡­ should be able to handle that.¡± Erika hummed and leaned in. ¡°It¡¯s easy, all you need to do is¡ª¡± she then proceeded to coach me through what I needed to do and say with quiet, simple steps. When she leaned back I was left wondering about this girl. ¡°Talk slow, keep on message with a few points, and breathe?¡± I repeated the most stand out points she¡¯d coached me on. Erika bobbed a bow. ¡°Of course! Just speak slowly and confidently to them. They¡¯ll be more interested in what you have to say! Oh and good luck! And I look forward to watching you fight Will!¡± She held up her hand hurriedly. ¡°Oh! Oh! Make sure to slip in something about you having no confidence in Jonathan! It¡¯s a very particular phrase that Lawyers will really read into!¡± I gave Erika a searching look as she beamed like she was sitting directly in a beam of sunlight cast by a Sunny Day. She really was in her element here, wasn¡¯t she? I nodded to Erika while Sabrina moved to my side and gestured forward with her chin. ¡°Lawrence is over there,¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°Right then. Thanks for the advice Erika, I think I have to speak to my lawyer.¡± I said in a carrying tone. Erika smiled up at me and stepped away. I could practically see all the waggling ears as people kept an ear out for potential gossip. More and more partygoers closed in on us as I headed to Lawrence. Lawrence saw my approach and raised a hand in greeting. His eyes flicked about my form before he relaxed, but his eyes remained watchful. ¡°Brock, that got a bit out of hand I¡¯d say!¡± he said when we got close. The group of judges and lawyers he was with all stepped back and made way for Sabrina and I to join them. I gave a polite nod in greeting to the men and women that I was once again sharing a circle with. I took a moment to consider what Erika had said and how I wanted this to play out. When I spoke, I did so calmly, like I was a mountain with a spring wind blowing over it, uncaring and immovable. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t say I was expecting that when I came to the ball. I suppose I was expecting a rather duller affair and instead I became the entertainment for some¡­¡± I let that sit for a moment before noticing Erika hovering. She made a grabbing gesture that had me reaching out to grasp a passing glass of water from a waiter. I took a bracing sip and mentally patted myself on the back. Nailed it; that must have looked smooth. I looked up to find Erika facepalming, Sabrina was biting her lips. Erika raised two fingers. Right! Right! Point two! ¡°It does strike me as odd though,¡± I said in such an innocent way that you couldn¡¯t fault me for what I was about to say. I was the flower atop the mountain now. Pristine and untouched by man. ¡°The stairs were set up as off limits to everyone for the event, only for Will to make his announcement?¡± Already, I could see people connecting the dots. Some merely nodded, as if they¡¯d already recognized such connections. Those clever few watched me all the closer, their focus on trying to see through me and work out where I was taking this conversation. It was a strangely powerful feeling to have such people caught on to your every word. Only one man leaned back and caught sight of Erika coaching me along. He chuckled into his glass but turned back to the conversation, his perspective now much larger than everyone else. He had been the lawyer¡­ or judge that looked like a clown. I had already forgotten. It hopefully wouldn¡¯t matter. One younger-looking man stepped forward. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t Will simply have teleported in? Bypassing the whole fenced-off area?¡± I hummed in amusement. Trust a Lawyer to argue a point, Erika had anticipated this however, and I had a reply ready. ¡°Well someone will have to tell Mayor Jonathan that his security needs some shaping up then. A man teleporting in¡­ that usually is not as precise as a pokemon.¡± I smiled and put a hand on Sabrina¡¯s forearm. ¡°Present company not included, of course. But it should have been easier to stop that from occurring in the first place. The system should already be in place after all.¡± The group flicked their eyes to Sabrina and she merely inclined her head. ¡°I can tell you that the Mayor¡¯s security is, in fact, still operational.¡± And now the pokepenny dropped for the younger group. I could see people still puzzling over it from outside our circle. The older, wiser, or sharper judges and lawyers all watched me with smiles. They¡¯d seen how I¡¯d led people to certain conclusions, and seemed to approve of my actions if the small nods and raised glasses I got from a few were any indication. Did Erika do this at her own social events? She was the most outgoing of any of the Gym Leaders apart from perhaps Giovanni, and was known to frequently rub elbows with the movers and shakers of Kanto. I felt like I¡¯d just been shown a different side of Erika than I¡¯d¡­ No, I had known about it. Knowing and seeing it in action though¡­ It was impressive. Lawrence watched me with a small smile. ¡°Want to outline what you need from me? I know you''re busy.¡± He tilted his head and caught sight of Erika before grinning at me. Ah, right, he would know me well enough to know this was out of character for me, wouldn¡¯t he? Lawrence made a show of looking around at the other people in his circle. I could see him marking off the people that thought they knew what was going on, the one man that knew and didn¡¯t speak up, and the people that were still in the dark entirely. ¡°I might need to pick up someone else with all the work you''ve been sending my way lately.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Sorry, not sorry. You have my confidence,¡± I said pointedly. Had I said that right or had I flubbed it? Lawrence considered me for a long, long moment, as around him, everyone inhaled sharply. The people listening in stirred, aware that something with the potential for gossip had occurred but unsure what. ¡°Me in particular?¡± Lawrence said. ¡°You make it sound as though others have¡­ lost your confidence¡­ or perhaps your vote,¡± he said leadingly. Ahhhhhhh, now I understood what Erika was getting at. I nodded and made a show of looking around at the room, not the people in it. But rather the building at large. The pokepenny dropped for a few more people. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve been too pleased with how tonight has been run. After all, if this is how he runs a regular social party¡­¡± I trailed off and flicked my eyes to my speech coach. Erika wobbled her hand and then made a gesture that I took to mean, get out while you look good! I nodded politely to the group and finished my glass of water in what I hoped at least looked suave. I turned to Sabrina. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a conversation for another day. For now, I think I might like to dance off some of this tension Will has left me with.¡± I smiled at Sabrina. ¡°If you would allow me the honour, my Lady?¡± Sabrina smiled and nodded. We walked back out and claimed the dance floor. Some people that had been lingering moved in on the lawyers and struck up idle conversations. I knew a hundred and one rumours would be the result, but the people in the know? The wise, clever movers and shakers of our community? I could only hope they¡¯d know that I just implied that Jonathan had lost all of my confidence. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I was going to say as much to the press soon, and he would come under a lot of scrutiny. I¡¯d need to talk to Rachel as well to deliver maximum shock when I spoke up. This little play of his was going to backfire, and I was going to start shopping around for the next mayor. Jonathan only had a year left in office, and without my nod of approval, candidates weren¡¯t even considered by the public. I¡¯d kept my hands clean of politics when I¡¯d taken over. It hadn¡¯t mattered to me in the face of other larger events. I¡¯d had some reporters ask what I wanted from local politicians and I remember saying something straightforward. Simple things, like lowering the cost of living, healthcare, education, and utilities, as a major consideration for their platforms and promises. I¡¯d re-evaluate them when it came time to campaign. Jonathan hadn¡¯t needed my approval; he¡¯d been voted in while Flint was Gym Leader. Or had it been the person he¡¯d succeeded? Hadn¡¯t he replaced Mayor David due to illness? Hmmmm, good thing he kept the same term limit. I started to hear a whisper pass itself around the room as people rushed to and fro while Sabrina and I danced unhindered; alone in a circle of controlled calm amidst chaos. It seemed that it really didn¡¯t take long for my annoyance with Will and Jonathan colluding to be worked out. Perhaps having Sabrina in my arms might have helped with that. A psychic specialist challenging a man dating another? I could only imagine the rumours that would arise. When we broke from the dance a few people looked at me askance as if I should have left already with my part in the drama over. But I ignored them, and instead made the most of the night. I spoke with Erika once more and got some more cues of what to say to some people. I might be busy but that wasn¡¯t an excuse anymore. I needed to be proactive with the Ekans and Sevipers not staying in their pit¡­ well, in this case, City hall. I needed to act yesterday. I couldn¡¯t change my inaction, however, and now I needed to be the boulder rolling downhill. I needed to be so much faster than Jonathan and Will predicted me to be. Right now, I only trusted Erika and Lawrence to steer me correctly. With Lawrence busy I had to rely on Erika to coach me through some quick conversations. She eventually led me into a conversation with a positively ancient-looking woman that I couldn¡¯t understand the need to talk with. One Madam Pennywrong? It turned out she was the head of the Pewter High Tea Society. Which¡­ was a thing? I did catch the woman nodding almost imperceptibly to Erika as I moved away. I glanced to Sabrina for answers, and she merely indicated the dance floor once more. I shrugged it off but noticed that other people had spotted the conversation, and more rumours flew as I danced with Sabrina a third and final time for the night. Sabrina only had to trip six people this time from trying to cut in. When we left the dance floor Sabrina had a wonderful flush that let me know she was tired but that she¡¯d enjoyed herself immensely. ¡°Shall we call it a night?¡± I said to her. ¡°I think that would be wise.¡± She pulled her transceiver out of her clutch and dialled up the Rapidash to take us home. When we walked towards the front doors, Mayor Jonathan suddenly appeared in front of us. ¡°Ah! Brock! Hope you had an entertaining evening! I see you tore up our dance floor!¡± Sabrina gave the dance floor a pointed look. ¡°Should I?¡± she asked innocently. I coughed. It had sounded innocent, but I knew Sabrina wanted to get her own back at the man. I shook my head while biting my lips. I coughed again to get rid of the urge to laugh and instead leveled a stern expression at Mayor Jonathan. Erika had also spoken about this moment. She hadn¡¯t thought Jonathan would take this long to reach me, however. Perhaps he was having to put out fires he¡¯d caused? ¡°I can¡¯t say I enjoyed all aspects. I am not used to being a guest and being¡­ so¡­ used.¡± I let my voice carry. ¡°It makes me wonder how other events have been run. I think I shall seriously consider any further invitations you offer.¡± I stepped past him only to pause. ¡°Oh, and Jonathan. I hope tonight was pleasant for you.¡± I held off saying that he wouldn¡¯t be enjoying what was to come. Some of my tone must have given away my feelings as he smiled benignly. ¡°Broooooock, it¡¯s just business!¡± Sabrina sniffed and I glanced at her. She shrugged. ¡°Sorry, but I find it rather trite when a man uses that phrase. It is known to be only used to excuse some moral or ethical malfeasance.¡± Jonathan stared at her, and I chuckled. People weren¡¯t used to hearing Sabrina talk and it always caught them off guard when she opened her mouth and revealed just how smart she actually was. ¡°My goodness,¡± said a man that looked like a clown. My memory vaguely recalled being introduced to him ¡­ Howard? I thought his name was. I chewed my lip. I thought that was right, but I couldn¡¯t be certain. Thankfully he didn¡¯t greet me. Instead, his eyes were locked on Sabrina. ¡°That was paraphrased from the book of arguments made in court, I do believe?¡± ¡°Chapter seventeen, page four,¡± Sabrina said. The man nodded. "Well, I am impressed." He said that while looking at Sabrina but also swept his gaze to me. He offered me a bow. ¡°I won¡¯t delay you, my interest was purely personal. We didn¡¯t actually meet earlier, I am¡­ or rather was, Chief Justice Howard, of the Pewter courts and judicial system.¡± He gave Jonathan a wide smile and I watched the man¡¯s face lose colour as Howard spoke. ¡°Lawrence wondered if you might let me talk with you. Sometime next week, he mentioned?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± I asked. The Judge, or former Judge, turned his gaze to Jonathan who looked pained. "Oh, Jonathan and I were old running¡­ buddies. You could say.¡± I nodded. So he was a former contender for mayor and was interested in getting in early to talk with me. Lawrence was working fast. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± I said, enjoying the way Jonathan¡¯s face twitched. I then inclined my head towards the door. ¡°Until then, I shall bid you both a good evening.¡± Jonathan opened his mouth, only for something to fly into it and shut him up. Sabrina and I walked out without any more drama thankfully. Prancer and Lancer, our Rapidash rentals for the evening, were waiting for us and when we mounted up we rode off without delay. We didn¡¯t go straight home however and instead enjoyed a night ride around the city before making our way back home. When we dismounted Sabrina did so with a stumble that made me reach out and catch her. ¡°Oh, careful. Are you alright?¡± ¡°Just tired,¡± she said as she held my arms. Then she smiled up at me. ¡°I had a wonderful night, Brock.¡± ¡°Me too, for the most part,¡± I replied. Zoe seemed to realise now was a good time for discretion as she and the Rapidash wheeled away and left without even kicking up any dust.I barely noticed them as Sabrina smiled up at me. I then realised how this must look. A young man and woman after a night out on the town. Alone on a doorstep? It was pretty much like a typical date ending in a movie, wasn¡¯t it? Sabrina leaned in. I grinned. She¡¯d taken over the guy¡¯s role in the plot. Then again, she never did seem to care about traditional gender roles. I smiled as I closed the distance and kissed her on the doorstep to my house. When we broke apart she had a wonderful breathlessness to her and a wide smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± she said before moving in for another kiss. I lost track of time as I enjoyed it with her. Then she broke it off and smiled. ¡°I¡¯d come in, but¡­ your family is waiting for you and Ralts is waiting for me.¡± I glanced towards the front of the house only to find Yolanda sitting at the window with a tub of ice cream that she was sharing with Munchlax. The smug look on her face told me she¡¯d seen everything. I rolled my eyes at her and made a shooing gesture. She shut the curtains a little but continued to peek. I sighed and leaned down to give Sabrina a final goodnight kiss before she teleported away. I didn¡¯t keep track of how long that kiss took either. All things said it was a good way to end the night. Before I let my head hit the pillows, I made sure to send Erika a very thankful message. I would probably need to lean on her in the future if tonight was any indication.
The next day saw me relaxing with my pokemon out back behind the gym. I had played tug of war with the Aron. Then Knight had joined in and it had become a game of chase. I spent a bit more time working with the Lileep that were new to the gym. Don still seemed affronted by their inclusion in the grotto but he was coming around to them as they didn¡¯t move or take up much room. They migrated out of the grotto at dawn to take in some sunlight, but otherwise were content to linger around the pool of water in the cave system. They had some interesting moves and I was still working out how to use them. What I was learning seemed to highlight that they had a lot of potential. I was just turning to start training some Alolan Geodude for proper fights when Rocko escorted Lawrence and the now familiar former judge Howard to me. ¡°Lawrence, ¡­ Howard,¡± I said, unsure how to address the man. He had no issue with the casual form of address though and merely nodded. ¡°Gym Leader,¡± he replied as his eyes roamed across the various pokemon I had in the reserve. ¡°This is quite impressive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s taken a lot of work to get here.¡± I looked over the reserve and found that it was rather idyllic with how the pokemon lounged and roamed around. I felt myself relaxing somewhat. I imagine others would consider it a rocky dust bowl but it was perfect for my pokemon. Bertha broke the moment of serenity when she stalked past us. Her body low to the ground. I watched her dubiously as she ¡®stalked¡¯ up to a sleeping Sanchez only to pounce on him and throw him into Titan and Knight who dragged him off to play a game. Titan paused to inspect my group and snorted once before charging in to play some rough-and-tumble game of football where the ball was a team unto itself. Scyther teamed up with Onix by riding on the larger pokemon¡¯s body and pointing to where the ball was when it got lost in the press of bodies. With the quiet loss, I made a gesture to the side. ¡°Shall we head inside to talk?¡± I got a few nods and after a little bit of a walk we had a teapot boiled for myself and cups of coffee for Lawrence and Howard. Howard set his coffee down and exhaled happily. ¡°Ah, that was wonderful! My compliments to the artist!¡± I glanced to the side where Nanny Grav, the housemaid Graveler, was flapping her hand in an ¡®ah shucks¡¯ manner. I chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s pretty great at making cups of coffee and a few other simple meals. The kids like her.¡± ¡°The kids drink coffee?¡± asked Lawrence. I shook my head. ¡°Nah, while they''re at school, Nanny Grav goes into the gym and sticks around the Trainer lounge. If they want something made up she does it for them these days.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s a perk. I¡¯ll have to find someone like that for my Law office,¡± Lawrence said with a thoughtful expression. Then he shot Nanny Grav a sly look. ¡°Unless you¡¯re interested in working for someone else?¡± She waggled a finger at him and marched off with her nose in the air. When Tilly and Billy tried to run into the kitchen she snatched them up. Howard chuckled as the twins were deposited into the lounge with the rest of the kids to play around and watch television. I could see Flint in there as well and he was looking happy. He¡¯d shot me some worried looks when I¡¯d walked in but I¡¯d waved for him to stay in the room. He¡¯d given Howard a look before relaxing back down which made me wonder if there was a history there. Howard and Lawrence had both noticed my silent order to Flint, but they hadn¡¯t commented on it. Nanny Grav shut the door for us, and I glanced at Lawrence. Lawrence shifted towards Howard, and the man set his cup of coffee down. ¡°Well, I suppose we should get to discussing last night shouldn¡¯t we?¡± He rolled his shoulders. ¡°First of all, thank you for indulging me in hearing me out Brock. I was, as I mentioned, a mayoral candidate running against Jonathan. That said, there were quite a few of us. I¡¯m merely one that has since bowed out of politics.¡± His lips twitched. ¡°I do, however, keep a finger on the pulse, and your little display last night has many people sitting up and paying attention. Having the Pewter Gym Leader showing an interest in politics is a shift that hasn¡¯t happened since before the war.¡± He gestured towards where Flint had been sitting. ¡°Flint was entirely hands-off with his duties.¡± Howard watched me as he stirred his coffee. ¡°I asked some questions to feel out the crowd. With your previous showing there is quite the positive sentiment for you to step into that role or speak out more.¡± I grimaced at the thought of taking on another task right now. Perhaps during a normal circuit¡­ but this circuit¡­ no. Howard hummed before inclining his head. ¡°I thought it might be nice for you as the Gym Leader to have a fuller picture from me.¡± He inclined his head to Lawrence with a smile. ¡°Not to say that you wouldn¡¯t have found this out yourself eventually, of course. I¡¯m merely expediting it by inserting myself in, for my own amusement let¡¯s say.¡± I ran a hand down my face. ¡°I might be new to wrangling these types of snakes but I doubt you¡¯re only doing it for amusement.¡± I rubbed at my temple and decided to just lay out what I wanted. ¡°I need Jonathan out of office. Right now he¡¯s a pebble in my shoe,¡± I said. Howard spread his hands to show there was nothing in them. It wasn¡¯t his hands that I was concerned about though. It was his mind. Perhaps he just enjoyed playing with some threads of power in the background. I¡¯d been touching base with the Guardians on any information he gave me later but I¡¯d hear him and see what he had to say. ¡°In any case, Jonathan, with your announcement, looks unable to mount a successful run for another term. Those without Gym Leader approval instantly lose ten percent of the vote to others.¡± I blinked at that statistic. Howard nodded. ¡°It is a statistic that is very well established, even the Gyms that don¡¯t have the larger remit have this power. Such is the weight of having a Gym Leader¡¯s approval, or in this case disapproval.¡± Howard turned his coffee cup around. ¡°However, this might not be an issue for him as I toyed around with some thoughts of what his goal might be and I happened upon an article that reminded me that being a Mayor for a successful region can be a stepping stone for higher roles. If Jonathan wished he could use his past success to vault into a very high position within the League.¡± Howard raised a finger. ¡°And it just so happens that the Indigo Presidency is up for election at the end of the year.¡± I clicked my teeth. ¡°And if he has a friend in the Elite Four, he¡¯d be a popular candidate for that, wouldn¡¯t he?¡± I gnashed my teeth. ¡°He¡¯s hoping to get a promotion.¡± I drummed my fingers as pieces in the grand chessboard of politics started to make sense to me. ¡°Not that he might even need that. Is Kruger that popular right now? There¡¯s been enough scandals that Jonathan can use.¡± ¡°Hmmmm, it also doesn¡¯t help that Kruger has let the position get to him,¡± Howard said simply. I raised an eyebrow. ¡°He seemed prickly and petty when I last saw him.¡± Howard grimaced. ¡°He used to be the Mayor of Chrysanthemum town, which is now Chrysanthemum City. so that should tell you what his track record was. It¡¯s one of the fastest-growing and best-managed cities in Indigo. That was thanks to Kruger. He had a hand in developing all aspects of it from what I hear. Running a town and its surrounding areas and running the League however¡­¡± Howard shook his head. ¡°The League is a very different beast. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that Kruger has changed, it happens.¡± I huffed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like Kruger with how his League has acted towards me, but I also can¡¯t stand how Jonathan is acting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s politics, but it might be something you can use if you wish. I¡¯m sure Kruger doesn¡¯t want an empowered Jonathan challenging him for votes. While he won¡¯t have your endorsement, that won¡¯t matter to the regions at large as they will subconsciously associate Pewter and your own success to Jonathan.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is,¡± I rubbed my temples, ¡°is that Jonathan might try to skip out on any ramifications of his actions and if he can get Will as an Elite Four he¡¯d have a strong case.¡± Howard narrowed his eyes. ¡°You keep saying only Elite, you don¡¯t think this Will can challenge for the champion position?¡± I snorted. ¡°Agatha and Bruno would eat him alive. Unless he waits for Agatha to retire. But then her replacement¡­¡± I trailed off. Karen would be an even worse match up for him. Howard leaned forward imperceptibly. If I hadn¡¯t been watching for it I wouldn¡¯t have noticed. ¡°You know something?¡± he said faux-casually. I smiled innocently and took a sip of my tea. Howard nodded slowly and took a sip of his own. Lawrence cleared his throat. ¡°So, while things will get rougher for Jonathan in the short term, he will probably know he can¡¯t mount a campaign for another term. You can stop part of his plan by smashing Will.¡± I smirked at Lawrence. ¡°Oh I plan to. Despite how it would have gone against my rule of not fighting outside of challenges I would have gladly faced him last night. If it wasn¡¯t a fight after all¡­¡± I trailed off with a dark smirk. Lawrence chuckled. ¡°All while wrecking Jonathan¡¯s garden?¡± ¡°That might have played into it a little,¡± I said with a smile. The other men chuckled, and we made some more small talk. Howard presented his business card to me, and I took it with a polite bow and thanks. Lawrence remained and I shot him a questioning look. ¡°Sorry for having to bring in Howard, he wasn¡¯t wrong that it would have taken me a lot longer to get that information.¡± I nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll still verify it. What¡¯s his angle?¡± He had to have one. ¡°Hmm? Oh, he¡¯s got a son that might make a run for Mayor next year. He¡¯s making nice with you and establishing connections, he knows how important those can be.¡± I nodded and took another sip. ¡°They really are,¡± I said, thinking of how much Erika¡¯s coaching had netted me. I tilted my head. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to know anyone that can help out with this do you? Or should we suss out his son?¡± ¡°Suss out Judge Howard¡¯s son,¡± Lawrence snorted with amusement. He chuckled a little. ¡°He¡¯ll be clean at least but there might be others. No need to go with just the first to offer their services. We have time to shop around a bit.¡± Lawrence pursed his lips before waggling his hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°It would be best to try and step into it yourself honestly¡­ but I know you¡¯re busy¡ª¡± ¡°Seeing as how that was been going for me, perhaps I need to step in¡­ for that¡­ and to not make a fool of myself¡­ I think I need someone to teach me.¡± I sighed and scrubbed at my face. Urgh, just urgh. I shook it off for now, I¡¯d work through this and endure like always. I glanced at Lawrence hopefully. ¡°Want to have a casual spar? I need to blow off some steam.¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyes bulged, and he coughed. ¡°Uhm, yeah I don¡¯t think I could match anything you had sorry Brock!¡± he said quickly. I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll go easy? Promise?¡± He shot me a disbelieving look before pushing his mug away from himself. ¡°I¡¯ll make some inquiries for someone we can trust.¡± ¡°Lawrence! Come on!¡± I said playfully. ¡°I didn''t spend all that time at Pokecollege for a fancy bit of paper, Brock!¡± he said as he packed away his pen and paper. He nodded in farewell before tilting his head just before the door. ¡°You realise that this would mean you¡¯d need to attend more balls and social events, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it,¡± I said with a roll of my eyes, which he didn¡¯t notice, so instead, I waved him off. When he opened the door to leave, my siblings launched themselves at him, apparently having decided to ambush him. ¡°Pidgeot man!¡± they cried as they tackled him. He gave a bird-like screech and flapped his arms before ¡®falling to the ground. Billy sat on Lawrence¡¯s chest. ¡°Rock beats bird!¡± he said proudly. Tilly flicked her head around. ¡°Where¡¯d the fairy man go?¡± Flint approached sheepishly and tried to offer Lawrence a hand. ¡°Sorry about them, and Tilly there¡¯s no such thing as a fairy type.¡± All the kids turned and looked at him sceptically. Then they shook their heads. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so old,¡± said Billy sadly. The other kids nodded along. I chuckled and pulled them off Lawrence only for him to start playing with them. I waved him and Flint into the lounge room to contain the mess just as a message from Agatha buzzed on my transceiver. It read, we have some time free to perform the rite with Sabrina, are you able to attend? I grinned. Miss throwing down with my girlfriend? I wasn¡¯t going to miss that! I paused as I considered how that sounded in my mind. Would it have been weirder saying it aloud or would it make sense. I was still thinking on it when I marched out to my elite pokemon. ¡°Shrek, Hypnotoad, Titan, Bertha, Knight,¡± I then turned my attention to my Onix and Scyther. I pointed straight at Onix. ¡°Jormungandr. Your name from now on is Jormungandr, or I might call you Jorm for short.¡± Onix squirmed like he was dancing while the others shouted their own congratulations. I nodded. ¡°I think I¡¯ll start looking into a proper metal coating for you as well. For today, all of you are coming with me cause we¡¯re going to get into a fight!¡± That got another chorus of cheers. I withdrew them into their pokeballs and paused when I noticed Scyther was looking sad. I raised his pokeball. ¡°What¡¯s with the sad look? You¡¯re coming too. It¡¯ll be good to see how the best in Kanto fight, make sure you stay light on your toes.¡± ¡°Scy!¡± he cried out happily as I returned him. I nodded to the other pokemon. ¡°Enjoy your day of rest gang,¡± I said to the rest of my still watching pokemon team. I turned and released Zephyr to carry me to the area the Guardians and Sabrina would meet up at. After being denied by Will, I was looking forward to getting into a scrap. Once this little fight with Sabrina was done I might also push to have a fight with Agatha or someone else to bleed some tension. This was going to be fun. Chapter 100 - Psychic Brawl The area that had been selected for Sabrina¡¯s ¡®initiation¡¯ with the Guardians couldn¡¯t have been any different from mine if they tried. Instead of it being a dark and foreboding manor at night, it was a wide-open meadow away from any signs of life during the middle of the day. I felt a little put out that I¡¯d had to go through a few more hoops. Then again, I didn¡¯t want to push Sabrina into a bad position just because the Guardians had been rougher on me. Also, Janine had probably had it even easier by being raised with the understanding of what her father did and what would be required of her. I stroked Zephyr and relaxed a little. Really I should be happy that there were signs the Guardians were adapting. A few shapes appeared on the far side of the meadow and I watched as Karen rode up on a large Houndoom. Then Agatha arrived with a flash of dark light that chilled me slightly. Next to her, a Hypno was standing with a fearful look. Agatha spared it no mind as she returned it to its pokeball. With those two here I started looking around only for Koga to appear next to Agatha while I was looking the other way. Janine, I caught popping out of some long grass. Agatha inspected the group before turning her attention to myself. ¡°Alright Brock, I¡¯ve given Sabrina the time, now you can give her the place. We won¡¯t jump her all at once and keep it manageable. This is just to test what she¡¯s capable of.¡± I nodded and stepped slightly away from the group before firing off a message to Sabrina as to my whereabouts. She appeared a few moments later. ¡°Hey you,¡± I said happily. She perked up and shot me a smile in reply. ¡°Hello yourself.¡± Then her eyes narrowed as she noticed the others standing around behind me. She nodded towards Koga and Janine. The younger girl was taken aback at the polite gesture but offered back a bow. Sabrina merely inspected Karen and Agatha, before she floated around me. Agatha rubbed her chin. ¡°You can teleport so far without having ever been to a location before? Or was it that you had something to focus on? You shouldn¡¯t be able to lock in onto Brock like that. He is a dark type after all.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°I lock onto his transceiver''s location though? It¡¯s a feature the new models have showing geographical location to friends.¡± I nodded in agreement. It had made things a lot easier when that model had come out and I¡¯d been able to share locations with other people. Karen groaned. ¡°Darkness you¡¯re such an old woman at times Agatha, need Janine to come show you how to plug the television in too?¡± Janine blinked and her head turned to Agatha and Karen, one of whom was glaring while the other was smirking. I suddenly had the image of Agatha calling on Karen all the time for those odd little chores that so often confused elderly people. Janine offered a bow to Agatha. ¡°I would be more than happy to assist the eld¡ª¡± Karen started laughing and Agatha¡¯s scowl intensified. ¡°There will be no need. Thank you for your offer Janine,¡± said Agatha through clenched teeth. I glanced down when I felt Sabrina slipping her hand into mine and when I looked up at her I found her floating up to peck me on the cheek. Only with my head turned it had become a peck on the lips. She blushed and floated back to the ground. I chuckled and gave her one back on the cheek. ¡°Oh! Young love, how wonderful for you both!¡± said Agatha with a leer, probably happy to have something else to focus on. Koga merely glanced away as though embarrassed by the display of affection. Janine openly watched like she was taking notes. Karen glowered. AH, was Sabrina staking her claim? Hmmmm. I shot Sabrina a look before nodding. It was probably the kindest way of dealing with it. There was no point in drawing it out for anyone. Koga coughed once. ¡°Well if we¡¯re quite done. I wanted to get this sorted out today. Sabrina you will be¡ª¡± ¡°Facing me!¡± crowed Karen as she cut off Koga. The man shot her a look that she ignored as she only had eyes for Sabrina. Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve faced you before¡­ you were¡­¡± She considered the word before nodding once. ¡°Loud.¡± Janine coughed once in a manner that made me think she was stifling a laugh, but she adopted a stoic expression when I glanced over at her. Agatha merely nodded. ¡°I had thought to face you myself Sabrina, but if we¡¯re going to let the young ones start taking over our duties then this is a good point to start.¡± Karen smirked but Sabrina wasn¡¯t cowed as she lifted her chin. Sabrina teleported into position and Karen stalked forward to claim her own spot, with them both posturing and having moved out of earshot I glanced at Agatha and Koga. ¡°How are we doing this today?¡± Janine nodded seriously, looking to her father for how she should proceed. Agatha eyed the group. ¡°To start with seeing as we¡¯re doing this so¡­ irregularly,¡± she shot Koga a look, which I took to mean he had pushed for this to happen quicker than Agatha had wanted. ¡°With Sabrina being evaluated, I doubt we will have too many issues. That being said I want to deny her psychic abilities as much as we can to see how she reacts in such situations. If she falls to pieces we need to know. I¡¯d rather know now.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t,¡± I said firmly. Agatha tilted her head. ¡°Hoh? You¡¯ve trained with her on that have you?¡± ¡°During our journey actually. I had Titan working on his Dark Pulse a lot. It stopped a lot of things Sabrina was used to doing and she used to have a tantrum over it until she got used to managing it.¡± "Hmmm, good to know.¡± Agatha mused. Koga sniffed. ¡°Keep your pokemon under control and follow normal battle rules. Leave testing Sabrina¡¯s responses to personal attacks to me. Unlike when we did our exercise in Lavender we don¡¯t have a convenient medic on hand if something goes wrong.¡± I tilted my head before considering the only other person I¡¯d met that night. ¡°The shrine maiden?¡± ¡°Indeed, Tiffany is adept at healing living pokemon and dealing with the departed ghosts,¡± said Koga. I glanced at Janine. ¡°So how come you weren¡¯t part of that little expedition?¡± ¡°I have only recently been promoted to this level of the Guardians¡­¡± ¡°She did well in her fight against Team Rocket,¡± said Koga and Janine straightened up and beamed like she¡¯d just won a prize. Koga sniffed. ¡°She still has much further to go as shown by her fight with you. The Game Corner showed that in a fight against people willing to not follow the rules, I have no fears for her.¡± Janine wilted at first but then puffed her chest out slightly at her father¡¯s praise. I chuckled at her reactions and turned my attention to Karen and Sabrina. ¡°I think Karen will want us to let her fight for a bit before we step in.¡± Agatha merely cackled at my suggestion. A moment later a shadowy mass appeared behind her in the form of a chair which she sat upon smugly. The Gengar transformed into said chair winked at me. Karen and Sabrina selected their pokeballs and both released their pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go Umbreon!¡± shouted Karen. ¡°Espeon,¡± said Sabrina far more sedately. Both pokemon appeared and both eyed the other with the Umbreon adopting a cocky pose. I bit my lip knowing how this first exchange was going to go down. ¡°Nasty Plot!¡± Karen said to start things off. ¡°Miracle Eye,¡± said Sabrina firmly. As with their appearances, both pokemon once more almost parodied each other with their moves as their eyes glowed. Karen glowered at Sabrina who looked unaffected by the dark move. ¡°Psybeam,¡± she ordered, causing a beam of energy to be unleashed straight at Umbreon. ¡°Quick attack out of the way and use DP!¡± barked Karen. Umbreon skipped to the side and then fired off a blast of dark energy. Sabrina shifted and sighed before her eyes glowed and she fell completely silent. Espeon skipped backwards without a word and fled what would be a full length of a battlefield to evade the Dark Pulse. Karen scowled but clicked her tongue in acceptance. Technically they should have set boundaries but it was an unspoken rule that in a field you could let your pokemon have the full area to maneuver if needed. It just made it slightly harder. Janine tilted her head. ¡°What, oh!¡± She eyed Sabrina thoughtfully. ¡°She¡¯s giving commands with her telepathy isn¡¯t she?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, one of the hardest things that happens when you challenge Sabrina at the Ace level is that she will stop verbally communicating with her pokemon if she wants to get serious. It¡¯s extremely disconcerting to realise how much you depend on your opponent to make the right orders or adjust. When you eliminate that it can throw off the tempo.¡± Koga nodded. ¡°Sabrina is ranked in the top thirty trainers according to the Ace points board. Lots of people challenge thinking to earn lots of points having beaten her during the Gym circuit. She is the strongest Gym Leader according to Ace championship points.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh wow, that¡¯s amazing. Great work Sabrina,¡± I said happily. Koga snorted and Agatha cackled. Janine glanced between them both but I spoke up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Is she even trying?¡± Agatha said. She jutted her chin. ¡°Brock, Karen isn¡¯t weak. She¡¯s been stomping her away around Johto. Her hardest challenge on paper, Chuck, she dismantled with ease. Now here she is having to work for any advantage against an opponent who should be at a significant disadvantage.¡± ¡°Hmmmm, alright, what¡¯s your point?¡± I said knowing Agatha must be building towards something. In front of us, Espeon charged in to engage Umbreon. Karen clicked her tongue and had her own pokemon meet it head-on with a Crunch. ¡°She¡¯s wasted as a Gym Leader,¡± Agatha said with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure she wants more than what she has right now though.¡± I pointed out. Agatha grumbled at that and I settled in to watch the fight. Sabrina had her pokemon match Karen¡¯s by lowering her head but I narrowed my eyes when I saw the gleaming jewel atop Espeon¡¯s head. Espeon had to twist to the side to avoid Umbreon latching on with a Crunch to her body only for the jewel on her head to erupt in a prismatic beam. ¡°Protect!¡± shouted Karen to stop the oncoming beam. I nodded. It had been the right move. The beam slammed into Umbreon¡¯s shield and a moment later died off leaving me blinking back stars at the sudden loss of light. Karen glowered at Sabrina before turning a gimlet eye upon me. ¡°Fairy-type moves?¡± I smirked. Sabrina had gotten a lot from helping me against Lance. Both from betting big, and working with Selene and her Moonblast. I hadn¡¯t known she¡¯d gotten to the stage of having her pokemon manifest it yet. I was pretty sure that would have been a Dazzling Gleam move. Sabrina¡¯s Espeon vanished in a flash of her pokeball and another pokemon emerged from her belt. A large black bulbous form emerged and from its head red eyes peered out. ¡°Claydol!¡± it said energetically. I waved at it and got a wave back. ¡°Did you name him?¡± I called to Sabrina. Sabrina shook her head and pointed forward, her eyes locked on Karen¡¯s Umbreon. I coughed and shut my mouth. Oh right, I wasn¡¯t here to cheer on Sabrina or distract her. ¡°Umbreon blast it!¡± From Umbreon¡¯s maw a purple ball formed up and was shot forward quickly only for another ball to follow rapidly after. Claydol put a nub on the ground and spun away from the oncoming attacks. The Rapid Spin move was rather well-suited for Claydol. The jolly Psychic-Ground pokemon evaded the Shadow Balls easily and then teetered backwards only to slam another nub into the ground where it caused a shockwave. I pulsed some Rock energy into the ground around myself and stopped the Earthquake from affecting us but Umbreon was tossed from its feet and took some damage. Sabrina took the time to toss her hair dramatically, causing Karen to glower. More Shadow Balls were the response and once more Claydol was kept on the move as he twirled and spun like a ballerina. ¡°Confuse Ray!¡± ordered Karen, deciding to change it up. Sabrina responded by making the area brighter with Sunny Day. I frowned. That move didn¡¯t make a lot of sense for her. She had to know that Karen was known for her Houndoom. I¡¯d mentioned it in the past hadn¡¯t I? I was suddenly worried that Sabrina''s ¡®joke¡¯ of forgetting Karen wasn¡¯t a joke. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Karen grinned and returned Umbreon straight away, knowing that this was a perfect moment for just that Houndoom. Sabrina inspected her own pokemon and returned it as well after a moment. As Houndoom took to the field for Karen. Sabrina responded with Starmie. ¡°Well, we should intercede now,¡± said Agatha. I blinked and Janine stiffened. ¡°Do we have to?¡± I said only to find that I¡¯d been copied by Janine quietly. We exchanged looks and grinned before looking back to find Agatha sighing exasperatedly at us. Koga seemed amused. ¡°Indeed, we should,¡± he said. ¡°There will be time enough for these two to fight again in the future I have no doubt.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°I shall probe her physically, Brock and Agatha will stop her movement. Keep things contained.¡± He slashed his hand to finalise the order and I nodded before darting to the side. Sabrina stiffened as I selected two pokemon and tossed them out. She snapped her head at me and looked annoyed. I shot her a helpless smile. ¡°Sorry Sabrina! You looked like you were having fun but we¡¯re not here for that today!¡± I said as Titan and Knight took to the field. Sabrina responded by teleporting back ten metres with her Starmie from the battlefield. This forced myself and the rest of the Guardians to be slightly out of position and have to sprint after her. As we closed she tried again only for Karen¡¯s Umbreon and a Gengar to appear with glowing eyes that I knew to mean Mean Look was being used to stop her from teleporting away again. Titan stalked forward with a huff and growled while Knight shifted and jerked his head. He wanted to charge forward recklessly but I barked an order for him to move in line with Titan and he did so. We closed around Sabrina in a loose circle once again. Sabrina glowered at me some more and tossed out her Exeggutor and Espeon to one side. Then she threw out her Slowking behind her. He blinked guilelessly and his eyes started glowing. What was she planning? ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you?¡± I said as she continued to glower at me, she obviously wasn¡¯t pleased about my joining in on the attack. She nodded slowly, and from her belt, her Alakazam and Claydol emerged. I hummed. I knew that her Claydol was likely still feeling the effects of the Confuse Ray so he¡¯d be an easier match-up against Knight. Alakazam had locked eyes with Titan straight off though and suddenly it was on. ¡°Titan, Dark Pulse now! Knight, match it!¡± Both pokemon blasted out dark energies as Sabrina¡¯s team of pokemon all glowed with psychic energy. Some of them flinched as Agatha took to the field with her Gengar shooting in to attack Espeon who was thrown to the ground with a cry. Watery eyes were leveled at the ghost only for the cat-like pokemon to smirk and blast Gengar with Dazzling Gleam. I saw Janine sending her Venomoth over to Sabrina only for a Xatu to appear and engage it. Sabrina¡¯s Exeggutor turned on Titan and suddenly it was all I could do to shout ¡°PROTECT!¡± as a Solar Beam was unleashed on him. Knight charged in against Claydol with a sweep of my hand. Titan shook himself only to have to counter a barrage of rocks ripped from the earth with a Rock Throw of his own. Sabrina¡¯s Alakazam seemed more than happy to make the battle a stalemate with his Psychic ability. I kept a sharp eye out on Titan¡¯s footing. ¡°Hop!¡± I said, making Titan hop to the side as some ground shifted underneath him, a subtle trick by Alakazam we¡¯d gotten used to dealing with as he¡¯d adapted to us and our Dark Pulses during our journey together. His answer to not being able to deal direct damage had initially been to use the environment. Knight got close enough that I felt sure I could get off my next move. ¡°Knight, blast them all! Dark Pulse!¡± Sabrina stumbled as a few of Karen¡¯s pokemon all fired off Mean Looks at her pokemon, stopping any teleporting tricks. Sabrina snapped her head up as she held her head in pain. ¡°Xatu, Future sight! Alakazam, keep it up! Espeon, use Baton Pass with Slowking now!¡± she said, now forced to use her voice as the dark energies disrupted her telepathy. Espeon and Slowking changed places and a hit that Espeon had been about to take slammed into Slowking. He stepped back and glanced down. ¡°...¡± He didn¡¯t react. Espeon darted out from behind Sabrina with a glimmering jewel atop its head and Sabrina smirked. ¡°Knight! Use Dig!¡± I said not wanting to be on the receiving end of whatever Sabrina had planned. ¡°Gengar, use Destiny bond¡ª¡± ordered Agatha only for a giant beam of psychic power to lance out of Espeon and blow the Gengar away. I could only stare in surprise. That had been powerful! Way more powerful than I¡¯d ever seen from her Espeon. I played back what Espeon had just done and realised the key set-up. She¡¯d used Baton Pass on Espeon and Slowking who¡¯d looked like he was doing nothing the entire time only to most likely be using Calm Mind to increase his Special Attack. Using Baton Pass would have allowed a short-range teleport and then the transfer of built-up power to Espeon. Interesting that Baton Pass got around all the Mean Looks tossed out earlier. I made a mental note of that for later. ¡°Espeon, Morning Sun,¡± said Sabrina, causing her pokemon to hop back to her side and use the earlier Sunny Day for an empowered heal. ¡°Fire Blast,¡± said Karen, aiming to take advantage last boost she could from the weakening Sunny Day. Starmie and Slowking tried to handle the attack from Houndoom only to get blasted back all the same. Slowking took some damage and to my surprise his eyes rolled up into his head as he fell unconscious. He must have vastly underplayed the damage he took when he switched with Espeon. Sabrina returned him, only for Knight to emerge underneath Alakazam. The moustached pokemon had a look of surprise at the interruption but if he was alright with Exeggutor stepping in on Titan then I¡¯d play the same switching game of targets. Alakazam was thrown back only to regain control of himself a moment later. Sabrina clicked her tongue as her gaze swept the field. Then she stiffened as Koga appeared behind her. ¡°You left your back exposed,¡± he said stoically as he put a finger on her neck to indicate the overstep. Sabrina slumped slightly and made a gesture for her pokemon to not react. ¡°You waited until I couldn¡¯t sense you,¡± she said to Koga as I called Knight back. He patted Alakazam on the shoulder cheerfully before returning to my side. Koga nodded his head. ¡°Indeed. It has been many years since I have been able to get the drop on you. Sadly if this were not a friendly setting you would be gravely injured or worse.¡± He stepped back and surveyed the field. ¡°But I am glad that it takes this sort of response to see you pushed that far.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Still, I would advise practising self-defence and being more aware when you are in such situations to always guard your back. You had Slowking in position until you traded him out and had Espeon move to attack. If you do this you need another pokemon in position. You are not like Brock or Janine or myself with physical skills to ward off opponents when your psychic abilities falter.¡± Sabrina nodded her head in acceptance and then began checking her pokemon over, her hands being used in place of her usual psychic check up. I stepped up and patted Titan on the flank as he rumbled at Alakazam in greeting. Alakazam nodded at something that had been said, and the two began talking amiably. Karen looked rather conflicted as she recalled her pokemon. ¡°Hmmm I¡¯m glad that you got shown up but urgh, I wish that match had gone longer. I was so ready to start blasting you with my Houndoom before the others got in the way!¡± I rolled my eyes at her and Janine glared daggers. ¡°I was not in the way!¡± ¡°I would have hit your Venomoth at one point! Sabrina was dragging you into my line of fire little girl!¡± I clapped my hands and adopted a stern smile. ¡°Alright, so we¡¯re not used to fighting together. That¡¯s just how things are. It might not be a bad idea to practise working in teams in the future. Agatha and Koga I noticed didn¡¯t get in anyone¡¯s way.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°Not that I saw Koga use any pokemon but he made good use of the Dark Pulses and Mean Looks and your Fire Blast nevertheless.¡± Koga inclined his head. ¡°Indeed. Brock has the right of it. While we were testing Sabrina¡¯s response to an intense and highly unlikely event, we also should reflect on our own performances. In the past, it has been easier as our group has been smaller. Nowadays we need to work with others.¡± He pointedly stared at Sabrina and Karen before continuing. ¡°There may be instances where we will need each other¡¯s support on missions.¡± ¡°Speaking of missions,¡± I said leadingly. ¡°Any news about that¡ª¡± Koga shook his head. ¡°The base near Viridian has not been infiltrated yet. It will not have lowered its guard based on previous wartime protocols. This is not for new members to attempt,¡± Koga said firmly. Agatha tilted her head and squinted into the sky. ¡°Speaking of new members, I had invited another of your generation to this gathering but it appears she¡¯s only just now arriving.¡± Agatha clicked her tongue. ¡°I¡¯ll have to teach her to bully psychic pokemon to get them to teleport you properly.¡± Sabrina stopped checking over Slowking and shot Agatha an unimpressed look. I walked up and offered her a potion bottle and cloth to use. I rubbed my chin as I watched a Pidgeot approach. ¡°Does your Slowking know Heal Pulse?¡± ¡°No, why?¡± Sabrina said as she cared for her downed pokemon. ¡°It¡¯s just with your positioning he¡¯d have been perfect as a backline support, shooting out Heal Pulse to keep all your pokemon up to good health. Or maybe another pokemon like a Chansey could do that. How you used him was incredible.¡± Sabrina looked up and smiled at me. ¡°Thank you.¡± She flicked her eyes to Karen. ¡°I¡¯d been aiming for Karen¡¯s Houndoom with that last attack of Espeon¡¯s.¡± I frowned and considered the angles. I hadn¡¯t seen it from my side, but had that Gengar who took the hit been making a sacrifice play? It seemed that way at least. I gave Agatha a considering look. That move just now. It was actually a supportive and selfless play for the team, which surprised me given how abrasive she was normally. Then again, her and Karen probably got on the best, albeit for a given value of ¡®best¡¯ out of everyone here. From the sky, a new figure arrived. I frowned up at the girl. Karen waved at her and none of the others seemed worried about her, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a niggle in my mind. I knew this girl from somewhere, but where? I really hoped this wasn¡¯t another Solidad situation. She had dark black hair that featured red highlights that fell over her shoulders and a long ponytail that trailed down to her hips. She wore close-fitted pants and a purple top that looked to be strongly made. She glanced in my direction as she hopped off the Pidgeot, only to stumble to a halt and stare. I checked myself over. I hadn¡¯t spilt something on myself, had I? Sabrina stepped up next to me. I shot Sabrina a look before smiling at the new girl welcomingly. ¡°Hello there! I didn¡¯t know we were going to have someone else join us today, I¡¯m Brock!¡± I said earnestly while Sabrina sighed in annoyance for some reason. The new girl continued to stare at me. I pointedly shot a look at Agatha only for her to scoff. The new girl jolted ¡°Oh! apologies! I just! I was¡­¡± She trailed off and coughed when Sabrina twitched. I frowned which caused the new girl to cough again to clear her throat. ¡°I¡¯m Lucy! And you have lovely¡ª¡± Sabrina stepped in closer to me and Lucy paused. ¡°I mean!¡± She shifted and looked away, biting her lips and clenching her eyes. I blinked, what was going on here? Had I met her before? ¡°Oh I¡¯ve heard of you, Lucy right? You¡¯re a Ranger,¡± I said aloud as a suspicion of who this was formed in my mind. Agatha had mentioned her, but I hadn¡¯t looked into it any further. I looked her over as a memory rose. Hadn¡¯t she¡­ Oh. In the cartoon, she was one of the notable exceptions to Brock¡¯s terrible attempts at dating. In fact, she¡¯d been rather receptive to Brock''s... cartoonish attempts at romance. Something notable considering his usual strike rate. In a sea of rejection, Battle Pike Lucy, Brain of the Battle Frontier had stood out. And now she was here and I had to deal with her in front of my girlfriend. Quick Brock! Do something! I wrapped an arm over Sabrina and smiled goofily. ¡°Nice to finally put a name to a face! Meet my girlfriend Sabrina. She¡¯s officially joined us now!¡± There. How had that gone down? It should calm things down right? Lucy snapped her head around as Sabrina seemed to mold herself into my side. Lucy slumped with a despondent look on her face. Oh. It seemed it was super effective but also a critical hit? Now I felt a little bad. Lucy shook herself off and offered a polite nod to the others. ¡°Koga, Agatha, Karen.. Hello Janine,¡± she said much more casually and with a smile. Janine nodded. ¡°Greetings Lucy. It is good to see you again!¡± Lucy nodded at this. Then she adopted a serious expression, ¡°I have news regarding the Brains of the Battle Frontier. Fiore and the Rota Kingdom have put together their representatives.¡± Agatha and Koga straightened expressions turning serious. ¡°Go on,¡± said Agatha. Lucy nodded. ¡°From the Kingdom of Rota an elderly man with a long flowing beard by the name of Spenser has joined us. He was apparently something called a Palace Maven from the Kingdom of Rota.¡± ¡°It means he was one of the Elite guards for the royalty,¡± Koga said seriously. ¡°What pokemon did he showcase?¡± ¡°two Slaking, Arcanine, Crobat, Lapras, Dusclops, and an Azumarill, but he hinted at something stronger.¡± Koga and Agatha nodded. ¡°Continue,¡± Agatha said. ¡°Noland from Fiore has a veritable army of pokemon that follow him and his commands. The most notable however was an Articuno.¡± Koga hissed in surprise. ¡°That¡­ is very good to know.¡± Agatha and he shared a look before Koga nodded. ¡°I suspect it is juvenille¡­ or else this Noland is much more skilled than we believed he would be.¡± Lucy nodded slowly, understanding that this would be for her to determine. ¡°Trainer Tucker had Charizard, Swampert, Salamance, Metagross and a Latias,¡± reported Lucy. ¡°Greta from Johto, has a large number of fighting type pokemon and she trains them all physically herself. She has no major pokemon that are out of the ordinary that I have discovered.¡± Karen laced her hands behind her head. ¡°This is all super interesting, but how come it wasn¡¯t sent as a report?¡± ¡°Oh? Does news of which trainers have Legendary pokemon at their beck and call not interest you Karen?¡± said Agatha. Karen bowed her head at the rebuke and offered Lucy a twitch that might have been a bow in apology. Agatha sniffed. ¡°You¡¯re getting to big for yourself girl. You haven¡¯t seen a Legendary in action yet. Feh!¡± Agatha turned her attention back to Lucy. ¡°Continue, this is vital intelligence.¡± Lucy licked her lips. "I actually thought of sending this as a report initially but¡­ well¡­ I did so in person because I... am not confident that I will be able to keep my position due to the last Fiore representative,¡± She shifted on the spot. ¡°Annabel is a skilled pokemon handler, who claims to be a simple Salon maiden." Lucy rubbed her arms. ¡°I¡­ I approached her to get a haircut and during the haircut, she picked up on my curiosity despite my not showing any outward responses.¡± She nodded towards Koga. ¡°I used your lessons but she was still highly aware. It went beyond intuition as I observed her predicting and reacting to various people¡¯s emotions before anything was visible.¡± Lucy straightened out. ¡°I believe Anabel is one of the rare few people that are gifted as a psychic and I am worried that she will be able to read my thoughts eventually. I am not confident in my role. I apologise for failing you!¡± she said in a rush, bowing at the hips towards Koga and Agatha. I hummed and tapped Sabrina on the shoulder and inclined my head towards Lucy. Sabrina pouted at me and I smiled nicely at her. She huffed and cleared her throat. ¡°Well it is a good thing I became an official member today then. I can teach you to stop psychic intrusion or detect it at the very least. If you are willing to learn.¡± Agatha tapped her chin. ¡°Hmm it is fortuitous. Lucy, you are to be commended for picking up on this. It might be that this Anabel is still developing her gift or is as of yet unaware of it. I suggest you learn under Sabrina for a time, as using other methods¡­ is not advisable for a number of reasons mostly due to the sudden suspicion you will be under if she can¡¯t detect you where she once could.¡± Lucy offered Sabrina a bow. ¡°I would be in your debt!¡± Sabrina nodded seriously. ¡°Very well. I have some conditions though.¡± Lucy straightened up. ¡°Name them and I shall follow them to the letter!¡± Sabrina pointed straight at me. ¡°Mine.¡± I chuckled and blushed while Lucy sputtered denials. Agatha merely threw her head back and cackled. Even Koga made a noise of amusement much to Janine¡¯s shock. When we were done, Sabrina had herself a new apprentice to work through during each of the girls'' spare time, and we had a lot more knowledge about the Battle Frontier¡¯s development. The world was moving on it seemed and we needed to move with it. It felt weird to be working against Anabel who had been such a positive force. Didn¡¯t she become one of the police officers working with Agent Looker? ¡°Brock, I understand that Mayor Jonathan has been giving you some issues?¡± Agatha said before she departed. I clicked my tongue. ¡°You could say that. Some people think he¡¯s making a bid for Kruger¡¯s spot.¡± ¡°Ambitious of him but not uncommon in his sort.¡± Agatha tapped her fingers on her cane. ¡°I will send some recommendations to you. Review them at your leisure.¡± She then clicked her fingers and a Hypno appeared. It offered Agatha a hesitant hand before teleporting away. I sighed but when Sabrina gave me a look I shook my head. ¡°Seems like everyone has something to say about it. Not sure what will be best right now is all.¡± Sabrina accepted it with a nod and placed her hand on my shoulder. ¡°You can work on it later. I¡¯ll help.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Home to watch television?¡± I grinned and said goodbye to the others before vanishing in a teleport to spend time with my girlfriend. It was a better way to spend my afternoon than worrying about politics. Chapter 101 - Psychic suprises ¡°So, want to go watch a movie?¡± I said when we arrived at my house. She nodded and started walking towards the loungeroom, she dragged me along and I laughed. ¡°I meant, go to the movies!¡± I said before jerking my head outside. ¡°You know, something different.¡± Then I paused. Ah, actually the movies might be a bit rough for her. Although she¡¯d been handling larger and larger crowds so maybe¡ª ¡°Brock¡¯s home!¡± said Timmy before I could get a reply. Sabrina¡¯s lips twitched as the smaller kids flooded out of the loungeroom to pile onto me. ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Bro!¡± ¡°Big brother!¡± ¡°You were gone for forever and a year! I counted!¡± ¡°Come play with us!¡± They started tugging at me, but like a mountain, I remained unmoved. Flint was the next to emerge, looking bedraggled, only to straighten up and tidy himself up when he saw us. ¡°Brock! Welcome home!¡± He then smiled timidly at Sabrina. ¡°Sabrina, lovely to see you as well¡­ You¡¯re looking nice?¡± he said. Part of me was cringing at his compliment, while the other was wondering what was happening here. There had to be a subtext that I wasn¡¯t picking up on. Sabrina merely nodded back. ¡°Flint,¡± she said succinctly. She then smiled down at Suzie as she wiggled in front of her. ¡°Hello Suzie, you¡¯re looking pretty today.¡± ¡°Oh Sabrina!¡± she said with a flap of her hand. Suzie then inspected Sabrina. ¡°I like what you did with your shoes!¡± Suzie then perked up. ¡°Oh! Can you tell us another story!? You tell the best stories!¡± The kids stopped tugging me and swivelled onto the new target. They rounded on her but still gave her a bit of room as they adopted begging poses. ¡°Pleeeeeeaasssssseeeee!?¡± they said as one. Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯m not sure. Your brother wanted to go on a date.¡± Yolanda¡¯s head snapped around the corner. ¡°Brock and Sabrina are going on a date?¡± In her hands, Terra waved hello. The little baby pokemon smiled and trilled a greeting. Sabrina dipped her head once. ¡°We were considering it.¡± I inspected Yolanda¡¯s Larvitar. ¡°How¡¯s she doing?¡± ¡°Pretty well, she still has the bad habit of giving some of her food to Munchlax, so I¡¯m having to feed her away from him.¡± Forrest rolled his eyes. ¡°Just tell him off.¡± Flint nodded, and opened his mouth to say something only for his eyes to pause on Sabrina. His mouth snapped shut after that. Yolanda shrugged. ¡°Eh, it''s fine. I don¡¯t mind spending more alone time with her.¡± The other kids continued to plead with Sabrina and Yolanda stiffened as she recalled what had called her out here. ¡°Oh! Uhm Dad was going to make a cake!¡± ¡°I was?¡± Flint said with a tilt of his head. ¡°Yup!¡± Yolanda said as she started pushing siblings towards the kitchen. ¡°First one there gets to lick the bowl?!¡± she said as our siblings stared at her doubtfully. They didn¡¯t want to leave us, only for Munchlax to charge out of the loungeroom and spring over their heads. ¡°Lax!¡± he said as he ran ahead, only to trip on Eevee as she came the other way to find out what was going on. They fell to the ground with a thump and the kids giggled before the boys straightened up. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be last!¡± they said as they gave chase. This led to an exodus of kids around us. Even Suzie only stopped to toss us a wave. ¡°Haha! Suzie¡¯s last!¡± crowed Timmy loudly. ¡°I am not! Forrest is last!¡± said Suzie primly as she entered the kitchen. ¡°What?¡± Forrest said, from where he¡¯d been leaning. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even trying to get in there?¡± he said as he stalked in to defend himself from a bunch of children. I shook my head. Poor Forrest, he¡¯d learn one day. I shifted my attention back to Sabrina now that we were alone. ¡°So? Movies? Go for a walk in the gardens? Or something else?¡± Sabrina hummed. Behind her head, I noted the calendar was open and there was a marking for the phase of the moon. ¡°Oh, but we need to be finished before the moon is in the sky.¡± She considered me. I gave her an innocent smile. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise, a good one! Promise!¡± ¡°Very well, how about we simply hang out until then?¡± I huffed. ¡°Alright, loungeroom, my room, or go do something with our pokemon?¡± ¡°Hmm, our pokemon I think,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d like to see what has changed since I was last in your reserve.¡± I nodded, pushing the slight disappointment aside as we headed out to release our pokemon. My pokemon all appeared and relaxed happily while Sabrina¡¯s took a moment to inspect their surroundings. Alakazam was the quickest to relax, as he adopted a hovering meditative pose before bobbing over to Selene who led him up to the top of the plateau. Claydol followed them along cheerfully, and the rest of Sabrina¡¯s pokemon moved about to explore the reserve causing a number of my Gym pokemon to poke their heads out at the new arrivals. I walked around with Sabrina and watched some fairly amusing reactions such as Hypno getting squirted in the face by my Corsola. Slowbro stood among the Lileep looking rather lost. I imagine he had no idea where the small trees had come from and how he had a grove grow around him. Eventually, he seemed to just shrug and accept it. When we came around to the Elite training area Sabrina frowned slightly. ¡°Why do you have a Stantler?¡± I sighed and gestured for him to come over. The deer bounded over happily and barked once before butting his head into my hand. I rubbed him. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to work out if I can make Stantler evolve. I¡¯ve been studying them for an idea I had. See, I came across something interesting with there being previous fossils and records of another deer pokemon. One very similar in build and size to Stantler.¡± I had actually gone through what data the Guardians had and discovered this information. It was not something many people had reviewed and there was actually very little commentary on it, but I knew it was something I could use. ¡°So Stantler can evolve into a rock type?¡± Stantler snorted and shook his head about before nudging Sabrina. ¡°Antler!¡± he said as he nudged into Sabrina. Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°Psychic?¡± she said in surprise. I nodded. ¡°I think it needs a different method to evolve, namely a move to be performed in a certain way. The pokemon images had the pokemon being very long-legged. I think if we have Stantler using agility regularly and work on Zen Headbutt something will eventually happen. That or we need them to be immersed in an energy-rich environment.¡± ¡°A psychically rich environment?¡± she said. ¡°You were trying to evolve this pokemon¡­ for me?¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry it has sort of fallen by the wayside.¡± I scratched at the side of my head. ¡°It will probably take me a while longer as well, with this not really being a psychically rich environment.¡± ¡°I would like to take this over.¡± Sabrina declared as she rubbed Stantler¡¯s head. ¡°Send me the notes you have, and I will continue Stantler¡¯s training along with giving him a small herd to breed with.¡± Stantler snorted and for a moment I thought I saw hearts enter his eyes before he brayed happily and rubbed his head along Sabrina. She laughed. ¡°He is open to that idea.¡± He rubbed his head back and forth and Sabrina laughed again. ¡°Very open to it.¡± I snorted. ¡°I can see that.¡± She eyed me. ¡°Did you know of any other potential psychic evolutions or variants.¡± I hummed and her gaze sharpened on me. ¡°You do?¡± I waved a hand back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s a silly thought, but I just wondered, if Stantler can do it, why couldn¡¯t another pokemon like Ponyta have a Psychic evolution?¡± ¡°Hmmm horse and deer pokemon¡­¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°Seemed logical,¡± I said, defending my future knowledge. It would be great to see Sabrina with a psychic Ponyta or Rapidash. But then again, she¡¯d probably become the most popular trainer with little girls everywhere if she pulled it off. Those pokemon were disgustingly cute. From what I could remember of the shiny variant? Sabrina would have little girls swearing eternal loyalty to her for a chance to pet one, let alone own one. The only other pokemon I could think of with a variant to psychic was Slowpoke but I wasn¡¯t going to advocate for a poisoning Slowpoke. Nor was I going to have Sabrina raiding an Articuno nest to raise one, as incredible as it would be. ¡°So have you been getting many challenges?¡± I asked. When I got no reply I looked up from petting Stantler to see Sabrina was ignoring me. Instead, she was looking into the distance, lost in thought. ¡°I will pursue this.¡± she eventually declared. ¡°I can set up the facilities without any issue.¡± She stroked Stantler¡¯s snout. ¡°I would like to have those pokemon around the gym as well.¡± ¡°Well alright?¡± I said, realising she was still thinking about what I¡¯d said. Or more likely giving it even more thought than I had ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t take it any further.¡± ¡°You have already given me a wonderful gift. I shall be sure to list you in any research papers I need to post once I am successful.¡± I shot her a smirk. ¡°If you¡¯re successful, don¡¯t you mean?¡± She stared at me. ¡°I have faith in your discoveries, Brock. They have proven true enough over the course of our journey, no?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Got me there!¡± I said. Our journey must have seemed ridiculously lucrative with all the pokemon I discovered along with the various areas or items that I happened upon. We left Stantler to frolic around in a much happier mood. I was glad for him, he¡¯d been rather downcast with how we hadn¡¯t had any success of late in developing the Psyshield Bash that he needed to evolve. Handing him off to Sabrina felt like a failure on my part, but then again she would have the best chance at getting him to evolve, so it wasn¡¯t that big an issue. ¡°Will you require me to help prepare you for Will¡¯s challenge?¡± she said. I considered it before shaking my head. It would honestly be overkill with the team I had. I doubted Will would be able to mount a proper challenge. That had been why I¡¯d felt so confident demanding a fight then and there at the Mayor¡¯s ball. We rounded the plateau to witness her pokemon lounging around with some of mine. Slowbro was still not sure what to do with the Lileep but now Zephyr was sitting on his head peering down at him. Sabrina didn¡¯t notice though as she was staring at me. She coughed pointedly, and I glanced at her. ¡°Hmmm?¡± ¡°I said, did you want my help to prepare?¡± I blinked at her and was about to tell her that I didn¡¯t need it, only to realise what she was really getting at. ¡°Oh! Yeah, I¡¯d love to have your help.¡± She perked up at that. I coughed to hide a sheepish chuckle. I¡¯d dropped the ball there initially before catching on. I mentally patted myself on the back, nice save me. Sabrina eyed the setting sun and then turned to me. ¡°What did you have planned for us?¡± I gestured to Mt Moon. ¡°Ever seen a Clefairy evolve naturally?¡± Her eyes gleamed with interest, and I knew I¡¯d thought up something interesting. I considered it a pretty big win when we got to sit on a rock on top of a mountain under a full moon as a tribe of pokemon danced their special dance. Sabrina was captivated. I¡¯d seen it a few times, so I didn¡¯t watch them. Instead, I watched Sabrina. She had a look of open wonder that I hadn¡¯t seen since our time journeying together. It made me feel good inside that I could still make her feel that way despite us having grown up. She also had this look of glee that made it all the more special. I knew she was getting more expressive these days, but these looks were especially precious as they were some of the ones I enjoyed the most when we were kids. ¡°Brock,¡± Sabrina said as she tapped me. ¡°Hmmm?¡± I said, noticing she¡¯d caught me staring at her. She had a lovely blush now that made me want to lean in and kiss her. I started to do just that only for her eyes to dart to the side. ¡°Clefairy!¡± chimed a voice, making me turn to see that we had a voyeur at our viewing show. A small Clefairy was laying on a rock kicking up its heels and smiling at us. It waved and stood before bouncing up to us when it noticed we were now both looking at it. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Cle! Clefairy!¡± It said, tapping on itself before grinning. Then it pointed right at me before nodding seriously. I glanced at Sabrina. ¡°What¡¯d it say?¡± ¡°He wants to go with you. He wants to get a strong female like you have,¡± she said, her blush returning. I turned back to the clefairy to find him nodding his head. ¡°Huh¡­¡± I thought about it for a moment before shrugging. ¡°Sure thing.¡± I plucked a pokeball and held it out. The clefairy bounced forward and headbutted the ball resulting in his body being absorbed. The pokeball chimed once for a successful capture. I stared at it. ¡°I¡¯ve been coming here for years and that¡¯s the first time one of them ever wanted me to catch it.¡± ¡°Apparently you lowered your dark aura for once, and he got a better view of you. He said you were very kind-hearted.¡± Sabrina continued to blush and not meet my gaze. ¡°Was that all he said?¡± I leaned forward and peered past her bangs. She huffed and a second later, she was kissing me furiously. I didn¡¯t know what I did that caused that reaction but I¡¯d take it. At my waist my newly caught pokemon emerged and sat down to watch us kiss. I was conscious of it, and weirded out for all of a moment; then Sabrina grabbed my face and made me pay attention to more important things.
When we returned, I was feeling pretty good. Yolanda took one look at my dopey smile and giggled to herself. Clefairy chose that moment to emerge from his pokeball to inspect his new home. ¡°Oh my gosh! You caught a Clefairy!¡± she said, causing the heads of every girl in the room to snap onto the new pokemon like a Pidgeot onto prey. Flint took one look at the Clefairy and chuckled. ¡°Another pet pokemon? Don¡¯t you have enough of those with Munchlax and Eevee?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Clefable are strong pokemon if used right.¡± Flint shook his head and I hummed, not all that mindful of his criticism. Clefairy was glaring at him though, apparently a little miffed. I knelt down next to my new pokemon. ¡°Hey, ignore him, I have a plan to make you a superstar of my team. If you can handle the training, I¡¯ve got a spot for you.¡± Oh, did I have a plan for him. ¡°Clefairy!¡± said the little puffball with fierce determination in his eyes. I grinned. I couldn¡¯t wait to introduce him to the gang. After the excitement of a new family member wore off, it was off to bed for the little ones and myself. Sabrina pointedly walked into my room and settled in to sleep with me much to Yolanda¡¯s amusement. She continually knocked to ¡®check in¡¯ with me on some training point I knew she knew. Worse, she knew, I knew, that she knew. She still smirked at me until Sabrina bid her good night, apparently she enjoyed the comedy act Yolanda and I had put on. The next morning, I woke up with Sabrina cuddled up to me. ¡°Good morning,¡± she said, sitting up and yawning as I got ready. ¡°This is for you,¡± she said, while lifting a card up for me to read. I opened it and blinked. ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s my birthday today?¡± I said, surprised. Sabrina yawned again and blinked blearily. I leaned down and kissed her on the lips. I hid the grimace I wanted to show at her morning breath before thanking her. ¡°How about you get ready on your own time. I have a few surprises I want to set up for today.¡± Sabrina nodded and glanced back at my bed, obviously considering it before shaking her head. ¡°I need to check in with Ralts. I will return to train with you soon.¡± I nodded and waved as she teleported away. I glanced down at the card. I¡¯d forgotten about the date with all the excitement of the past few days. I shook my head and chuckled before heading out to meet up with my team for the start of the week¡¯s training. And to introduce Clefairy to the elite team. I released him and he appeared with a shake of his head once my team had gathered. They all stared at the tiny pokemon. Don opened his maw, obviously expecting this to be a meal rather than a new teammate. ¡°Team, this is Clefairy, he¡¯s a pokemon I plan to train up to take on a utility role in our roster. He¡¯ll be able to learn a lot more moves than most of you, but as a Fairy-type pokemon he will also serve as a Dragonslayer.¡± ¡°Cle?!¡± said Clefairy in shock. Titan rubbed his chin thoughtfully and nodded while Bertha inched closer to the startled Clefairy. I could tell she just wanted to snuggle but it was amusing watching her ¡®sneak up¡¯ on the smaller pokemon. Don looked annoyed. ¡°Reeeee!¡± he screeched, before snapping his jaws in Clefairy¡¯s direction. He made to stalk forward to correct my mistake, only for me to step right into his path and glare at him. ¡°Clefairy isn¡¯t here by mistake,¡± I said firmly. Don locked eyes with me. Titan shifted slightly, probably ready to smack Don if he tried anything. Which wouldn¡¯t help this situation. ¡°Don, decisions on this team are not yours to make. I am the trainer due to understanding that there is more to fighting than just using power. Clefairy will fill a niche that we are seriously lacking. When I said Utility, I meant he will provide support with healing moves, both for himself, and others.¡± Don blinked at that. ¡°Aero?¡± he said, tilting his head. I nodded. ¡°There is a move that can heal other pokemon. It¡¯s called Healing Wish.¡± I looked down at Clefairy and knelt. ¡°Clefairy, the training I have planned for you is something that will be tougher than anything I¡¯ve done with any of my pokemon. I plan to make you master a move, that if successful, will knock you out. That¡¯s when you use it successfully. It will then confer health to the next pokemon that reaches where you were knocked out.¡± Clefairy gasped before looking down. Before I could say anything else he nodded. ¡°Cle! Clefairy!¡± he said before glaring at Don. I huffed in amusement. ¡°I wasn¡¯t done Clefairy.¡± I slapped Bertha on the shoulder, who was now in grabbing distance of Clefairy. She stiffened at the slap, realising she¡¯d been caught. ¡°This is Bertha, my Rhyperior. She¡¯s special in that she¡¯s smart enough to have learned how to combine powerful attacks.¡± I pointed straight at clefairy. ¡°You are going to learn the same trick with Healing Wish. I don¡¯t want you passing out. I want you to be a ghoulish nightmare that simply will not let any of my pokemon go down, yourself included. That is my plan for you. I won¡¯t lie, you more than any other pokemon on my team will have it tough. Most won¡¯t appreciate your arrival until that moment when you showcase yourself. It will not be a quick process either. It took Bertha years to¡ª¡± ¡°Cle! Clefairy!¡± he said, swiping his hand forward as though rejecting what I was saying. He pumped his fist and glared up at everyone, his fiery spirit back. ¡°Fairy! Cle! Clefairy! Fairy! Clefairy! Fairy!!!¡± he said with another slash of his hand before he stood defiantly and waited for a response. Don looked shocked. Hypnotoad, Shrek, Scyther and Shin all grinned before sharing pleased looks. Titan leaned down and stared straight into Clefairy¡¯s face before snorting. Clefairy tried to stand his ground, but the breath from Titan was too strong and blew him back. ¡°Cle!¡± said Clefairy as he clicked his tongue. He stalked straight into Titan¡¯s face and glared harder. Titan barked a laugh and stood tall before bellowing something then he shot Clefairy a thumbs up that had the rest of my team trumpeting their own approval. I raised my whistle. ¡°Alright gang, training time! Will¡¯s coming up soon and I plan to put the hurt on him! Bertha, Scyther, stick around!¡± My pokemon moved off with an eagerness that I hadn¡¯t seen since I¡¯d announced I was going to challenge Lance. I eyed my new puffball that was squirming in Bertha¡¯s grasp. ¡°Fairy!¡± he said with a whine as Bertha stroked him. I snorted. ¡°Better get used to it Clefairy, she¡¯s going to be your mentor in how to combine moves.¡± ¡°Rhy! Perior!¡± Bertha said like all her dreams had just come true. Clefairy wilted for a moment before bowing as deep as he could to the giant Rhino pokemon that was still patting him. I shot my head over to the side where there was a large free space. ¡°Clefairy, hop up on her shoulder and let her demonstrate her Seismic Twist, a move that combines Horn Drill with Fissure.¡± Clefairy gaped and bowed again as Bertha marched off with her new shoulder puffball. I turned to Titan who hadn¡¯t moved off before addressing Scyther. ¡°What did he say?¡± Titan rubbed his chin and made a clenching fist of determination. ¡°He accepted my challenge?¡± Titan clenched his fist harder, and Scyhter¡¯s wings buzzed excitedly. Something Clefairy had said had them all pumped up. I considered what could have been said to get such a response. I huffed a laugh and decided to jokingly say the most anime response possible. ¡°He rejects my claims that it will take him years and that he¡¯ll learn it in months, not years!¡± I said faux-heroically. Scyther nodded but Titan made a narrowing motion with his claws. I stared at him before looking over to the hyper-focused Clefairy as Bertha demonstrated her combination move. ¡°He said weeks didn¡¯t he?¡± Titan narrowed his claws further. ¡°Days?¡± The claws got narrower as Titan¡¯s smile got bigger. ¡°By Today?¡± I said in shock. Titan gave me a thumbs up with a smirk as he looked approvingly at Clefairy. I whistled. Damn, what a gutsy little guy. I suddenly was reminded that, in truth, I had no idea just how strong this little pokemon was. I¡¯d seen cute and cuddly and thought that meant he was ¡®low leveled¡¯, but that might not be the case. Did he already know Healing Wish? I glanced at Scyther. ¡°Alright, change of plans, you go get Chansey out here now, cause this is going to kill him otherwise. I¡¯ll need to ride herd on this guy or he¡¯ll kill himself without understanding what he¡¯s trying to do. His pride is good and all but I want an able-bodied pokemon, not a suicidal pokemon.¡± Beneath my feet, the earth bucked once making me stagger. Titan caught me and chuckled before waving me towards Clefairy who was already on the ground and putting his hands together with a pink bubble forming up in front of himself. Part of his body twitched and he suddenly fainted, his eyes going slack as he collapsed face-first into the ground, leaving a pink floating orb where he¡¯d been standing. I sprinted over to him as Bertha reached through the pink orb to check on her student. She snorted in shock as the pink orb was sucked into her and she suddenly became slightly more energetic as she shook Clefairy. I had to stop her as I was worried she¡¯d injure him worse. I started running through a rudimentary health check only for a new cry to make me look up. I did so in time to see Chansey switch from jogging to outright sprinting at me to get to Clefairy. She arrived in the blink of an eye and a dust cloud was about to follow her before Titan swept his tail through it and disrupted it. I nodded in thanks only to find myself pushed back as Chansey made me give her some room. She tapped her hands about Clefairy¡¯s face for a bit before nodding to herself and lifting up her egg to hand feed it to Clefairy. A moment later, he blinked awake. ¡°Clefairy?¡± ¡°Tch!¡± said Chansey as she sniffed disapprovingly. She opened her mouth to start giving him a dressing down only for him to push himself to his feet and shake his head. ¡°Clefairy,¡± he said simply before marching up to Bertha and barking a question. Bertha sheepishly rubbed her head and said something back that had him gaping. He then sheepishly walked up to me and said some words. From the gist of the situation I guessed he was asking about what two moves he needed to combine. ¡°I was going to teach you Endure through a TM and make you combine that with Healing Wish.¡± Clefairy had a shocked expression before he coughed and nodded seriously. I stared at him. ¡°You¡¯re the sort of idiot that jumps before the thought of even looking comes to mind aren¡¯t you?¡± Clefairy rubbed the back of his head and laughed as though I¡¯d complimented him. Chansey stared daggers at the little puffball only to be ignored. I sighed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get you that move and we¡¯ll work on it together.¡± I said, stressing the together. I waved at Titan. ¡°Teach him about controlling his energy channels.¡± Titan sat down with a crash and raised two hands so he started to teach. He was an old hand at teaching this lesson by now so I left them to it. I jogged into the Gym and passed a few of my trainers that were feeding the other pokemon. ¡°Morning! Nice day isn¡¯t it?¡± Missy said. I smiled and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m suddenly very glad we have some gauntlets to run cause I need a little more time to ride herd on my pokemon.¡± When she tilted her head and looked around for Don I chuckled. ¡°I got a new pokemon.¡± ¡°New pokemon?¡± said Missy, clearly interested. ¡°What¡¯s he like?¡± I hummed as I kept jogging. ¡°A surprise, for everyone I think.¡± I returned with the TM and found Clefairy once more holding up a pink orb, the others waving at him frantically. I snapped out his pokeball and returned him, making him abort the move. When I returned him, I glowered down at him. ¡°Damn it Clefairy you don¡¯t even know Endure yet!¡± When he tried to ignore me and return to talk with Bertha about his attempt I put my foot down. ¡°Stop,¡± I said, drawing on the depths of mountains and the darkness of the abyss to convey just how unamused I had become. Clefairy stopped and looked up in shock. I stared down at him. ¡°Clefairy, I know you want to be gung ho about this, but I¡¯m going to lay down the law. You are not going to learn this move without seriously hurting yourself, possibly permanently.¡± A glint of defiance entered his eyes and I snorted. ¡°It is also incredibly selfish of you.¡± That made him baulk. ¡°Cle?¡± I nodded. ¡°If you were to continue this training, I¡¯d need to hover around you, Titan would need to spend some time teaching you about using different energies, Bertha would need to constantly show you how to merge them with moves, and finally Chansey, who is the on-call healer for all of my pokemon would also need to stick. None of us would be able to do anything else while we watched you kill yourself.¡± Clefairy lost his defiance and stared at the ground with droopy ears. I felt like a heel, but I also needed to set some ground rules. ¡°We will help you Clefairy. I, and everyone who heard you speak, know that you have a lot of heart. I want you to show that it isn¡¯t a selfish heart. Cause otherwise I¡¯ll release you back onto Mount Moon.¡± Clefairy looked up at me and searched my gaze before bowing his head. ¡°Clefairy!¡± he said, bowing his head up and down before he jogged over to Titan and repeated the bowing. He did the same to Bertha, Chansey and even Scyther. Then he dropped to his knees before me and bowed his head. Huh, where had he learnt the dogeza from? I knelt down and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°You impress me for a lot of reasons Clefairy, but taken too far those positives can be big problems. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re willing to listen, I think you¡¯ll go a long way.¡± I pointed to Titan. ¡°Let¡¯s teach you Endure and get you to master it first and then start working on energy manipulation.¡±. I stood up and nodded at him. ¡°A month,¡± I said with a nod as I set the TM against his head. He perked up. ¡°You¡¯ll do it in a month.¡± I activated the TM and it flashed as it pushed the knowledge of the move into Clefiary. When it was done it turned a dull grey to show it was now empty. I¡¯d return it for a partial credit to the pokeshop, but that would be for later. Chansey snorted and marched off primly but I noticed she shot a considering gaze at Clefairy before she left. Seems she¡¯d also been moved by his guts. I set Titan off to work on the move with my new pokemon before patting Bertha on the side. She looked a little sheepish. ¡°Hey, it''s alright, we stopped him before he did any permanent damage. Kid¡¯s got heart.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°He¡¯s got a whole lot of heart¡­¡± I shook my head to stop myself from remembering something about a movie from my past life. The teasings of a potential name presented itself before I shook it off. I clapped Bertha on the shoulder. ¡°Go train Knight. He¡¯s a bit tougher and can take your enthusiasm. Don¡¯t let this get you down. This is all part of being a teacher. Sometimes the student is too eager. You did good otherwise.¡± She snorted and marched off. I huffed and tilted my head. What was I about to do again? Sabrina appeared in a teleport and blinked when she noticed the group of hyper-motivated pokemon along with the group looking slightly morose. ¡°What¡¯s been going on here?¡± I sighed. ¡°Well it started like¡ª
By the time I¡¯d finished recounting the story Sabrina was staring at the Clefairy, who was currently meditating with Titan and her Alakazam, with interest mixed with concern. I nodded. Then I turned to Scyther who I¡¯d now remembered what I wanted to do. ¡°Hey, weren''t you going to show me your rock collection?¡± I said leadingly. Scyther tilted his head before perking up and dashing towards a frankly huge pile of rocks. Sabrina must have sensed something was happening, as she stopped looking at Clefairy to focus on Scyther. ¡°Brock he thinks he¡¯s about to¡ª¡± she was cut off as Scyther dove into the pile of black, shiny rocks that he¡¯d been collecting. He submerged himself in the pile and a moment later, a blazing white light that any trainer would recognise shone out. I grinned. ¡°He¡¯s evolving.¡± From the rocky pit, a new pokemon emerged. ¡°KLEAVOR!¡± he said as he crossed his axes across his chest and knelt like a knight swearing to a lord. I grinned. ¡°Kleavor, I hereby name you Gawain, a knight known for wielding an axe with great skill and valour.¡± The newly named Gawain shot up and cried out in celebration. The rest of my pokemon swarmed him. Clefairy hung back, but I picked him up to put him on my shoulder. Sabrina stared before shooting me a suspicious look. ¡°You... knew about this didn¡¯t you?¡± I grinned at her. ¡°I certainly hoped I was right.¡± I tapped Clefairy on the side. ¡°Today will be Gawain¡¯s day, as he spent a lot of time working towards this. You¡¯ll be just the same in time. Trust in me, and I¡¯ll make you strong.¡± Clefairy nodded, his gaze locked on my new pokemon. I grinned, Bianca and Stephen were going to freak out when I told them. I tilted my head. Actually, so were Oak and Elm when they heard. I couldn¡¯t wait to see that reaction. Heh, their dumbfounded faces would be yet another present for my birthday. Chapter 102 - Brocks birthday ¡°This is incredible!¡± said Professor Oak as he stared at Gawain, my newly evolved Kleavor. "If the discovery of variant golems, an additional evolution for Rhydon and your ancient pokemon hadn''t already astounded me, I''d call this the find of the year!" Elm nodded, writing furiously at his side. ¡°Scyther! A pokemon able to evolve into two different forms depending on what it is exposed to! Metal or Rock! Incredible!¡± Elm snapped his pen only to snatch up another before lifting Gawain¡¯s forearms up. He ran a finger over the edge and stared at the cut he¡¯d given himself. ¡°They¡¯re sharp!¡± he said happily. Gawain shot me an incredulous look, and I shrugged. Stephen stopped taking pictures for a moment and rubbed his chin. ¡°Do you think their early stage weakness caused the shift from Scyther being able to evolve in this manner?¡± Salvadore, who was loving everything that was going on as he drew sketches of my Kleavor, perked up. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Oak glanced at Stephen and made a ¡®go on¡¯ gesture. Stephen coughed and cleared his throat. ¡°Well! It¡¯s just that as a Scyther they are weak to all rock-type pokemon. Something that the mountains they sometimes inhabit would contain a lot of. It stands to reason then that Scyther would o evolve into this ¡®Kleavor¡¯ form to better take advantage of this environment.¡± Stephen perked up. ¡°This might serve as supporting evidence of pokemon developing new evolutions based on their environment and/or due to a lack of other options. It wasn¡¯t until relatively recently that Scyther¡¯s ¡®Scizor¡¯ evolution was discovered, something which was only possible due the advancements in industry and metallurgy. Perhaps this ¡®Kleavor¡¯ form was the original evolution, and the man-made ¡®Metal Coat¡¯ was somehow able to activate the same response but with a steel-typing. I wonder what similarities the two stimulants share?¡±. .¡± Oak rubbed his chin. ¡°Now that does have some interesting implications!" He did a happy jig. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of potential avenues that this evolution makes possible!¡± Oak marched over and ran a hand over the discarded pile of augurite rocks. ¡°And you say this is what he used? A rather large pile of it in fact, to spark his evolution?¡± I nodded. ¡°He¡¯d been collecting it for a while, and I thought it weird, but not too weird as he seemed fascinated with rocks since he learned what type of Gym I run. His developing a hobby is different but not unheard of.¡± The words rolled off my tongue wonderfully, exactly as I¡¯d practised in the past. Just the right hint of surprise and joy in them that would make me sound innocent, but oh so fortunate. ¡°And then he started accruing more and more of one type of rock¡­ You simply assumed he had a favourite rock?¡± Oak said as he stared at the sample with a magnifying glass. ¡°I can¡¯t tell what this is!¡± rather than being annoyed Oak seemed gleeful. ¡°It¡¯s Augurite,¡± said Flint. He, along with the rest of my family, had been the first I¡¯d invited out to witness Gawain¡¯s new form. The boys had gotten stars in their eyes and they were even now making chopping sounds with plans to tell all their friends at school. I just knew that would result in there being a number of fights breaking out as they got called liars. ¡°Augurite you say?¡± Oak said, turning his head towards Flint. Flint nodded. ¡°Black Augurite specifically. You can find it in mountainous areas all over the region, and in particularly rocky areas like this. In volcanic areas, you¡¯ll find even more of them.¡± He scratched his chin. ¡°I¡¯ve seen Graveler and Golem pick them up and stuff them into the cracks of their bodies.¡± Oak nodded ¡°So there may be a possible linkage to the golem line and Scyther? Interesting! What do the Graveler and Golem use them for?¡± Flint shrugged. ¡°Not much honestly. Sometimes they just pick them up cause it seems augurite is the shiniest rock around. When they chip off parts of their body they tend to go for shiner parts to replace them, but it usually cracks after a while unless it melts into their shell. I¡¯ve seen a firetype cause them to get slightly glassed or crystalised in certain areas of their body.¡± Flint frowned. ¡°Made them weaker to fire if I recall it right?¡± he said, tapping his chin in thought. I hummed and didn¡¯t mention the Crystal Onix I just so happened to own. Oak wrote all of this down. ¡°Interesting!¡± Elm, on the other hand, was still interviewing Gawain. ¡°Any new urges with your evolution?¡± Gawain shook his head. ¡°Kle!¡± ¡°Any changes in taste? Would you rather eat berries, meat, or plants?¡± Gawain waved his hands about and made a chopping action. ¡°Vor!¡± ¡°Plants?¡± This got a nod, and Elm dutifully recorded it. ¡°Did you learn any moves from evolving?¡± That had me perking up. If I recalled correctly there was a signature move for Kleavor. Gawain grinned and darted across the training field to where the training posts he¡¯d previously practised against were. His axes glowed and swung down through the wood easier than they ever had before. I whistled, impressed at the showing. Only to blink when I noted a few shards of rock floating from where he¡¯d slammed his axes into the ground with his follow-through. ¡°Gawain, do that again, but this time on that boulder,¡± I said, pointing to the side. The researchers all paused at my sudden order but Gawain followed through without issue. The boulder shattered easily, but once more, stone shards were left floating in the aftermath. They were notably larger than the previous attempts. Gawain tilted his head in confusion as I stepped up and considered tapping them but decided against it. Elm bustled forward and poked them only to have the shards slam into his shoulder. ¡°Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!¡± the man said. He stood and rubbed his shoulder. ¡°That felt like a very weak Stealth Rock?¡± Bianca sighed loudly. ¡°Urgh, months away from him, and I forgot he¡¯s like this.¡± She straightened up. ¡°Professor! Stop cutting yourself and throwing yourself into pokemon attacks to work out what happens!¡± Elm nodded absentmindedly. ¡°Yes, yes, indeed.¡± I ignored them, being too busy assessing Gawain. He was supposed to learn Stone Axe as his signature move, which was a physical move that had a heightened critical hit ratio. I didn¡¯t recall anything about a Stealth Rock resulting from the attack. I stared at the floating rocks. ¡°Oh wow, Gawain, this is big.¡± At Gawain¡¯s tilted head, I gestured to the floating rocks. ¡°You just became a lot more threatening when you''re on the field.¡± It would certainly raise the priority in which I deployed him as well. I had no idea why Gawain was special but I wasn¡¯t about to complain about an extra effect. If I could empower his Stone Axe ability further he¡¯d make for a great set-up pokemon¡­ I eyed Clefairy and Onix. I had some nice new additions to my team. I turned back to the researchers and caught the tail end of something Stephen was saying. ¡°¡ªthat Scyther as a species are known to migrate and swarm certain locations, it makes a lot more sense. But the issue becomes that the areas they need to swarm are naturally filled with pokemon that are strong against them!¡± Oak nodded. ¡°It would be worth noting that there is a potential link between the Geodude line of pokemon picking up the rocks to stop migratory pressures. If the Scyther believes the area doesn¡¯t contain the resource they need they would avoid it.¡± ¡°How would we test such a hypothesis?¡± Stephen asked, rubbing his chin. Oak also rubbed his chin. ¡°I think I will need to reach out to a fellow researcher in Professor Ginkgo!¡± Elm snorted loudly and Oak shot him a look. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Ginkgo?¡± ¡°She¡¯s retired and has been out of the scene. It¡¯s Professor Birch that is researching habitats now!¡± Oak looked a little sad for a moment. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a shame, she had a wonderful style of writing that was a joy to read. I wonder if she still dabbles and keeps abreast with current research.¡± He stood and looked to me. ¡°This might be something we pitch to Professor¡­ Birch, would you mind if he or a representative came by?¡± ¡°I¡¯d have no problem, but I¡¯d need a method of identification, seeing as we¡¯ve had some security concerns in the past.¡± Oak nodded, a grim expression taking hold. ¡°That is a valid concern. We¡¯ll come up with something, but I think this has some serious implications for further research.¡± He smiled at Kleavor as he chopped apart another boulder while Bertha and Titan looked on. I hummed in acknowledgement, only for a tug on my sleeve to have me looking around. Sabrina was standing to the side with her arms crossed but that didn¡¯t mean she hadn¡¯t tugged my sleeve. I tilted my head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I thought we were going to be training this morning?¡± I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head. ¡°Sorry! I had to deal with a way too gung-ho Clefairy and then Scyther evolved! I might evolve Steelix soon once I nail down a metal composition I want for him.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°I think this mob doesn¡¯t need any more supervision, though.¡± I jerked my head to the side. ¡°Let¡¯s have a match!¡± Sabrina perked up, and a pokeball floated in front of her as we moved to the grass battlefield a few metres away. Gawain, my new Kleavor perked up, his eyes swivelling around, only to have Elm grab at his face and start shining a light into it. ¡°If you could stare into this light, that would be wonderful!¡± said Elm. I huffed and signalled to Hypnotoad. ¡°You¡¯re up girl!¡± Hypnotoad bounced forward and leered at Sabrina who tilted her head. ¡°A fighting type?¡± I nodded seriously. ¡°I¡¯ve taught her a new move that I think you¡¯ll find a bit surprising.¡± Sabrina eyed me for a moment, then inclined her head, her pokeball tossed forth to reveal her Slowking. ¡°King!¡± he drawled out before bowing his head towards Hypnotoad who adopted a fighting bow in reply. Then I picked up a rock and tossed it up. When it hit the ground I punched forward. ¡°DL! GO!¡± Hypnotoad threw her arms out into a lariat position and charged. When she reached the middle distance she kicked off the ground and started to spin only for a flash of light to come out of Slowking. Hypnotoad didn¡¯t blaze with darkness but instead landed and tripped as no dark energy built up. I blinked only for a sinking suspicion to form. I glanced up and found Slowking¡¯s eyes still glowing. ¡°Did... did you just use Disable?¡± I said with a tinge of annoyance. Sabrina blinked languidly. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Her lips twitching upwards gave away that she¡¯d just tripped me up on purpose. I slumped. I didn¡¯t actually give voice to my annoyance, but I was a little miffed that I wouldn¡¯t get to show off to her with Hypnotoad¡¯s success in Darkest Lariat. She raised an eyebrow, obviously reading into my mood. ¡°I am not required to play by your rules.¡± She gestured between us, ¡°And, this is a training match.¡± Her eyes glowed, and Slowking moved, for once getting the drop on my much faster pokemon as Hypnotoad continued to try and expel her dark-type energy to make the move work. ¡°Hyp! Get moving!¡± I barked, making her leap to the side and avoid the attack. I focussed. It wasn¡¯t an ideal start to the fight, but it was a valuable lesson. I¡¯d gotten too used to winning and having my way with gym fights. Sabrina tripping me up and reminding me just what a strong psychic could do was a good thing. I had to work hard to keep Hypnotoad in the fight, and when Sabrina¡¯s Slowking nailed her with a Psychic, she went down. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I''d never gotten around to having her line up a Darkest Lariat against Slowking again. She¡¯d only just gotten rid of the Disable before I¡¯d tried for it. Sabrina tilted her head as I withdrew Hypnotoad. ¡°Did you think it was a good idea to keep your pokemon out after I disabled the move you were relying on?¡± I chewed my lip and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯d been thinking of showing off my new move with Hypnotoad for you. I then stuck to her due to this being a good training sessions of fighting against something she¡¯s naturally weak against.¡± Sabrina bobbed her head up and down. ¡°I see, I had thought it a mistake as I assumed this was a match, not a training session. In a match I would suggest withdrawing her.¡± She indicated towards Slowking. ¡°He is fine to continue if you have another.¡± I smirked and pointed to Knight who grinned and bound onto the field before settling into his fighting stance. The rest of my pokemon now formed a perimeter with their bodies. I paused when I noticed Professor Oak had stopped looking over Gawain and was instead sitting on a rock watching Sabrina and I duel. He waved merrily but didn¡¯t say anything. Sabrina flinched when she spotted Oak. It took a moment for me to realise why, Oak had evaded her notice. Something very, very few people could claim to have ever achieved. I decided not to poke at that issue for now, and instead turned back to the fight. ¡°Knight, half Dig,¡± I said cryptically. Knight sank into the ground only for Slowking to blink and a cube of psychic energy to explode from his paws. I clicked my tongue. She¡¯d just used Trick Room, which would make her pokemon faster as speed inverted itself through an odd mechanic that the move had. Suddenly, Slowking was dashing to the side as Knight emerged slightly in front of him. ¡°Dark Pulse,¡± I ordered. Knight bowed down and a dark energy built up within him slowly. He was just throwing his arms out wide when Slowking¡¯s eyes glowed once again. I clicked my tongue, that was most likely Calm Mind coming into effect. Knight¡¯s Dark Pulse distorted the Trick Room for a moment only for it to stabilise. ¡°Again,¡± I ordered. Slowking opened his mouth, and a blast of water shot out slamming into Knight but he withstood it as another Dark Pulse finally ripped apart the Trick Room. Knight and Slowking both stumbled. Sabrina withdrew her pokemon and after a moment¡¯s consideration, I did the same. Then I pointed at Titan who stalked onto the field with a huge grin. Sabrina matched me with Alakazam and both pokemon locked eyes. ¡°Sandstorm,¡± I said to start things off. Sabrina had her pokemon flash into a Miracle Eye so her moves would actually work, but then her visibility got tougher as Titan¡¯s sandstorm whipped into effect. ¡°Dig,¡± I said, and this time Sabrina answered by having her pokemon levitate upwards. Titan launched out of the ground like a shark chasing a bird off the water. When he reached the top of his leap, I ordered another Dark Pulse, which Alakazam narrowly dodged with a teleport. When he reappeared, he flinched as the Sandstorm grated at him. Then he flashed with psychic energy and was suddenly pristine. I clicked my tongue. She¡¯d used Recover. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Despite that, I found myself smiling as I settled into the slugging match that usually occurred when these two pokemon fought. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said, and rocks were hurled forth which Alakazam matched carefully only to be driven back. Then he teleported to a new location to fire off a psychic wave that I matched with a Dark Pulse. I hummed. This could be dragged out a lot longer or I could find another way. ¡°Dig pop,¡°I said, making Titan burrow into the ground and force another Teleport out of Sabrina. That time though I merely had him pop out of the ground and stand. ¡°Step back and use Stone Edge,¡± I said as Alakazam hovered in the air, slightly out of reach. Now Alakazam had to start teleporting around, but with Titan¡¯s earlier loosening of the ground, it became much easier to hurl rocks than it did to teleport out of the way. Sabrina tried to hold the attacks with Psychic but between it and the Sandstorm in effect, her Alakazam was hard-pressed to avoid the attacks. During this I slowly had Titan box her pokemon in by walking a slow spiral from the centre of the field. When I judged it right, I stopped the Stone Edge. ¡°Dark pulse now!¡± This time Alakazam couldn¡¯t dodge and he collapsed into exhaustion. I grinned and pumped my fist. ¡°That¡¯s the way buddy! Good use of your Sandstorm and Stone Edge!¡± Titan raised a fist and the other pokemon cheered for him. Sabrina returned her pokemon before tossing out Slowking once again. I grinned and pointed straight at him. ¡°Titan, GO!¡± Titan grinned ferociously as he launched himself into a sprint at the much slower to react pokemon. Sabrina clicked her tongue, and then Slowking¡¯s eyes glowed letting me know that she unleashed another Disable to stop Titan in his tracks. I grunted like I was annoyed only to grin when Titan didn¡¯t stumble and instead continued to barrel towards Slowking. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed once again, and an orb of water built up and fired off at Titan. He skipped to the side, his landing causing the earth to shake and the Slowking to stumble. ¡°Dark Pulse!¡± I said gleefully, knowing I was well within reach now. He unleashed his attack, and Slowking stood in its wake. Sabrina got him to fire off another Hydro Pump that Titan dodged. I raised my eyebrows at her and Sabrina huffed as her Slowking blinked and flinched with pain. Then it toppled over, finally registering that it had been hit. I shook my head. It was a strange quirk, but damn useful to get a shot in beyond the metaphorical grave. I grinned, feeling very satisfied with myself at that. Sabrina returned her downed pokemon and another ball rose up only for a cry from Elm to give us both pause. We glanced over and found Gawain barreling towards us, having grown bored with being poked and prodded while something obviously much more interesting was going on. I hummed before returning Titan to my side. ¡°Gawain, you¡¯re up!¡± I said much to his delight. He took to the field, brandishing his axes and grinning while Sabrina released her Exeggutor onto the field. The heads facing us leered, and I hummed. A bug-rock against a psychic-grass. Interesting match up. The researchers trudged up and grumbled at the loss of their research subject but they settled down when they saw the fight. Cameras and pokedex¡¯ were once more raised to record how things went down. I pushed them out of my mind as I punched the air. ¡°Gawain X-Scissor!¡± Gawain threw himself into a sprint, the dying eddies of the sandstorm that Titan had left on the field ignored by him but not Exeggutor, as it flinched slightly. From above its fronds, a harsher light started to shine down as Sabrina completed her preparation. Gawain slashed both axes across the body of the tree, and the palm tree pokemon stumbled backwards only to flash as it used Synthesis before it could collapse. It turned on Gawain with a growl. I had him commit to that attack now that he was close enough to use his blades. ¡°Again!¡± This time when he launched forward Sabrina met him with a Solar Beam that forced me to abort that attack. ¡°Agility! Get out!¡± Gawain fled by digging his axes into the ground and turning at a ninety-degree angle to arrive at the edge of the field. I frowned at the gouge of earth that Sabrina had caused. It looked deeper than¡­ Ah, it¡¯s because of the earlier Digs I had used. The ground was becoming unstable in parts of it¡­ which wouldn¡¯t play into my favour now that Scyther/Kleavor was heavier when he ran. From Exeggutor a green barrage of leaves soared forth making me hiss. My mind raced for a solution or best option only for me to blurt out. ¡°Use Brick Break on the ground and toss up a boulder!¡± Gawain did so marvellously, showing that all the work I¡¯d put in to teach him that move hadn¡¯t been a waste of time as the boulder he tossed up was enough to handle the Leaf Storm barrage. ¡°Agility again!¡± I said as I readied myself for another charge. It was becoming clear to me that Klavor would struggle with his more physically oriented move pool, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have a lot of potential. Sabrina had her pokemon perform another heal with Synthesis. ¡°Go Gawain! Get in close!¡± I ordered my pokemon. Gawain sprinted around the boulder and into danger only to stumble as some rocks shifted underneath his feet. I grimaced as I noted Exeggutor¡¯s glowing eyes. The palm tree pokemon grinned as it unleashed another barrage of leaves. ¡°Stand your ground and use Fury Cutter! Cut your way through!¡± I said punching forward. Gawain gritted his teeth and did just that. He still took a lot of damage despite this but he closed the distance to make Sabrina very uncomfortable. Just as a beam of energy built up, I had him launch forward with another X-scissor. Gawain¡¯s axes slammed into Exeggutor just as the Solar Beam went off. A flash of light preceded a dust cloud that was swept away a moment later with a flap of Don¡¯s wings; apparently, he too couldn¡¯t wait for the result. The result was Gawain barely holding himself upright over a downed Exeggutor. His limbs trembled and his eyes fluttered, but he held on heroically. I grinned, very pleased with his first showing. Apparently, his bug typing had held up against his rock type¡¯s weakness to grass wonderfully. Sabrina inclined her head in a show of respect and returned her pokemon. I returned Gawain and grinned happily. ¡°Well done, buddy, have a rest now.¡± He hadn¡¯t gone down but he wouldn¡¯t be fighting any more. That was obvious enough for anyone with eyes. I then locked eyes with Sabrina and nodded. ¡°Thanks for not using Starmie against him.¡± ¡°You needed someone strong for him to face first. He surprised me,¡± she said before another pokeball detached from her hip. I glanced across the field for another pokemon, they all looked eager. Who to pick for the nex¡ª Oak clapped his hands. ¡°I think that¡¯s a rather fitting place to end it! Well done!¡± I blinked in surprise. I¡¯d forgotten that he was there. He smiled pleasantly and nodded again before looking up. ¡°I think it¡¯s breakfast time now, and there are a number of hungry bellies to feed, no?¡± As though they¡¯d been waiting for that cue, the watcher¡¯s stomachs all roared their agreement. They looked down at themselves as though their stomachs had betrayed them only to pout or grumble like children. I chuckled and sighed, the urge to keep fighting dropping away. Sabrina relaxed as well. ¡°Feed the kids and review?¡± I offered, moving towards the house. ¡°Flint can take care of the children. We can review at a cafe for your birthday breakfast.¡± Her eyes glowed. ¡°I have informed Alexa you will be having a breakfast date with me.¡± I blinked at that as Sabrina linked arms with me. ¡°And how did she react to that?¡± I asked as Sabrina teleported us to a rather nice looking cafe in Pewter City. The server nearby spilled her tray of food only for it to be telekinetically caught by Sabrina. ¡°Much like that,¡± she said as she claimed a menu from a stack and a table for us. I chuckled and sat down, amused at how this morning had been much more full than normal.
When I returned and started up the matches for the day I learnt that Elm and Oak had stuck around to catch up with Stephen and Bianca. Gawain was the newest attraction but they also spent some time looking through the growing population of Lileep I had. During the lunch break Oak approached me. ¡°That was a wonderful match this morning! I¡¯m happy to see such strong young trainers! I don¡¯t think Lance would have been mistaken if he wanted either of you on his Elite Four!¡± I inclined my head in thanks before shrugging. ¡°That¡¯s if either of us ever wanted to go for that.¡± I shouldn¡¯t speak for Sabrina but she¡¯d never mentioned desiring such a position. Oak laughed again. ¡°His loss then! I certainly don¡¯t mind all the work you¡¯re bringing my way!¡± He waved a hand and rounded upon the other researchers that had followed him in. ¡° Well everyone! It¡¯s lunchtime and I overheard Sabrina mention that it was your birthday! SO! I have ordered a cake! No Mr Mimes for us today!¡± he said as Stephen deposited a chocolate cake that was obviously professionally done in front of me. Bianca tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s up with his fixation with Mr Mimes?¡± ¡°Cause it¡¯s an easy, fast, family-friendly place to get food with a large number of people at short notice,¡° Stephen said with the sigh of one that has long committed an answer to memory. Oak pointed at Stephen like he¡¯d won a point in a gameshow before nudging everyone inside. Dennis, Rocko, Alexa, Forrest, Yolanda, Missy and Rachel chose that moment to enter from another entrance with a towering cake that was shaped like the boulder badge. ¡°Happy birthday to you!¡± they sang¡ªdeliberately badly¡ª as they approached me. The reception team followed them in. Then they noticed the professionally done chocolate cake. They all looked up and locked eyes with Oak who looked a little sheepish. Rachel practically slammed their cake into the table in front of me. ¡°Ours is homemade and therefore better!¡± she said in challenge. Oak, who¡¯d been about to apologise, stopped and narrowed his eyes as Rachel squared off against him. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know this is a cake made by one of the best patissiers in Kanto! They only use the best chocolate for their cakes! This Chocolate forest cake was designed with rich dark earthy tones in mind to exemplify the Pewter Gym!¡± Rachel wilted only for Dennis and Rocko to chuckle. ¡°Hah! We win then! Brock hates super-rich food! Especially super rich dark chocolate!¡± My siblings nodded along seriously. Oak blinked, obviously caught flat footed about that little factoid. Stephen stepped forward and thrust his arm out. ¡°We brought ice cream to go with it!¡± Oak nodded seriously and subtly patted Stephen on the back for the save. I just laughed and ordered everyone to gather around as I cut the cake. Sabrina teleported in next to me as I slipped and touched the bottom. When she was done kissing me she shot Rachel a thumbs-up. I chuckled and cut the cake up for everyone with any spare bits being held for later. When Elm was handed his slice of cake he devoured it mindlessly. I watched him devour the chocolate cake with no cream to reduce the intensity without batting an eye. ¡°You uhm¡­ want some ice cream for that?¡± I asked tentatively. Elm merely nodded along, his focus more on his pokedex as he replayed the recording he¡¯d taken of Gawain. I left him to it, amazed at the strength of his fugue. Oh well, not my problem. Instead, I turned back to enjoying my lunch break with Sabrina and everyone that was present in the room. Sabrina eventually left but not before getting another kiss. The rest of the afternoon passed quickly with most of it being spent talking with the Gym trainers as they cycled out to face trainers in Gauntlet matches. I realised then why Alexa had blocked out so much time for gauntlet matches today. I turned to her. ¡°You did this so I wouldn¡¯t have to fight much.¡± She nodded. ¡°Seemed a shame to not have your birthday off. So instead I lightened the load when I realised the significance of the date. It was easy to have it blocked off for only gauntlet matches.¡± I nodded in appreciation. I only had to face three trainers that day, which made for a ridiculously easy day. I spent most of the day talking and teaching Missy and the new trainers that had signed on to the Gym. In the arena, Forrest threw down in yet another Gauntlet match. When it reached the end of the day Sabrina appeared at my side with a cinema schedule. ¡°Oh? You want to go? Sure, when should we¡ª¡± We flashed away in a teleport and I blinked as I found myself in front of the Pewter Cinema. I shot her an amused look. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I have spoken to Flint and Yolanda. They were both insistent we make up for lost time.¡± She nodded seriously. I hummed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean cram in every dating option ever. It means making the most of the time we have together.¡± Sabrina blinked. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She chewed her lip and shifted. ¡°Should we schedule something for later in the week?¡± I hummed and considered the movies starting soon. ¡°Nah, this is fine too. Spontaneity is a good thing. Can¡¯t always be on a schedule.¡± I snuck a kiss onto her cheek and she blushed wonderfully as we lined up for the next showing of ¡®Dreams Lived¡¯, an epic romance between two star-crossed lovers in a world gone mad. ¡°Good, Flint and Yolanda wanted some time to prepare for your birthday as well.¡± I chuckled at her honestly and squeezed her hand. ¡°You going to be able to handle this?¡± Indicating the cinema at large. ¡°I handled the mayor¡¯s ball. I can easily handle a movie now,¡± she said. I nodded, feeling relieved at that and a little chagrined. I opened my mouth to apologise, only for another person to intrude. ¡°Gym Leader Brock I cha¡ª¡± The pesky trainer vanished in a flash of light and I blinked before smiling at Sabrina. ¡°Keep that up, and I might stop getting challenged that way,¡± I said hopefully. Sabrina snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t doubt the capacity for fools to ignore common sense.¡± The movie itself was as standard as romances went. I heard a lot of sighing and more than a few couples were leaning into each other and kissing instead of watching the movie. Sabrina watched the movie with an intensity that bordered on the terrifying. I choked on some popcorn when it got to the racy scenes. Sabrina leaned forward and her hand gripped my knee in a way that had me wanting to sit up, or rather stand up. When the movie was done Sabrina had a thoughtful expression that I knew meant she was processing what she¡¯d observed. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen scenes like that before?¡± I asked carefully. I knew she¡¯d read books but surely someone ¡ªnamely Erika¡ª had sat her down to watch some classical romance movies or television. Right? ¡°No, I have seen them before but the situation is very different when you do it with someone you are¡­ dating.¡± I got the impression she wanted to say something else. ¡°Hmmm yeah, I can see that. It kind of got a bit hot with you grabbing my leg like that.¡± Sabrina looked at me. ¡°It did, did it? You enjoyed being touched that way?¡± I nodded and she returned the nod seriously. ¡°Hmmm good.¡± She then leaned into me. ¡°I would also like to be touched.¡± I blushed and slid my hand from her hip to her behind. ¡°You okay with that?¡± I asked carefully. She nodded seriously before leaning into me. ¡°It feels very nice,¡± she said breathily before poking me with her fingers. ¡°Where else do you like being touched?¡± she said as she began to poke and prod me. Her lips twitched up. ¡°Stop that! I¡¯m ticklish! You know that!¡± I said, dancing away from her. Sabrina pursued me. ¡°I remember,¡± she said, recalling a point in time she¡¯d made me almost pass out when I¡¯d made the mistake of trying to tickle her during our journey. She wasn¡¯t ticklish at all, and I almost passed out that day. When we came back home at dinner time Yolanda smirked and made kissy faces. I rolled my eyes at her and kissed her on the side of the head. Then I made to kiss Sabrina on the cheek only for her to turn and accept it on the lips. She shot Yolanda a victory sign, which Yolanda and Suzie mirrored back to her. They then led me into the dining room where the kids jumped out at me. ¡°Happy birthday!¡± they shouted as one, or good enough for a group of kids. Munchlax, Terra, Nanny Grav, and Eevee shouted their own names. The kids then indicated a pile of handmade presents with a few others that must have cost a significant part of their allowance. I got some handmade cards, hugs and kisses from the youngest twins. Suzie got me a hug and a macaroni drawing, while Timmy got me a drawing I told him I¡¯d cherish and put at the top of the pile of said drawings. He loved that I did that. It didn¡¯t matter that the top of the pile was in truth a folder that I¡¯d set up years ago with each of my siblings'' names on it. Any artwork they gave me promptly went into it for me to peruse later. I¡¯d seen Flint looking through them in the past with the others nudging their own folders into his hands. Tommy got me some rock candy, obviously thinking it was a clever idea. I accepted it and handed out some of it to share with Munchlax getting the most. Then Cindy and Yolanda stepped up. ¡°For our gift, we¡¯re going to perform Brock¡¯s wake up song!¡± they said with Cindy bringing out her flute while Yolanda tuned her guitar. They performed a duet of the Sonata of Awakening that Flint found rather interesting while I merely chuckled to myself. When they were done, I made a big show of congratulating them. I could tell they¡¯d been working on it for a while. Salvadore got me a guide to business management for idiots. I tilted my head until I recalled that I had mentioned needing to read something like this in the past. I accepted it with a chuckle and a hug. Forrest got me a rough hiker''s vest that had a Swablu down feather lining that made it heavenly to put on. ¡°Oh this will be nice in the winter,¡± I said happily. The others then hugged me to enjoy the softness in turn. Yolanda got me a nice belt that was reversible for a black or tan flip side. Forrest grinned. Flint then coughed and produced a set of hiking boots. ¡°Oh thanks,¡± I said looking at the newer model of the shoe I already owned. I didn¡¯t need to see Yolanda smiling to know how Flint had known to get these for me. He seemed to glow a little only to wink ¡°Look within!¡±. I looked and found a Moonstone which I put with the other stones we now had. We had some more cake, which Munchlax was most excited for. It helped that it was shaped like Titan and there was more than enough to go around for all of us. Munchlax still had to be told to stop after his third piece of cake. From there we retired to watch a few episodes of Samurai Furrett much to the pleasure of the boys. When that was done Flint rounded up the kids and I shot Sabrina a smile as she tugged me off to my room. Sabrina wrapped me in a hug, and I blushed a little as she put a hand on my chest. She must have been able to feel how my heartbeat sped up from her touch. I felt hot and worked up as she leaned in slowly to kiss me. ¡°Brock¡­This¡­ I¡¯m not rushing you am I?¡± Sabrina said between kisses. ¡°Nope, not rushed at all!¡± I said back, amused, and exasperated that she thought she was being too fast for me. Shouldn¡¯t it be the other way? She kissed my neck, and I forgot my amusement as other feelings surged up. ¡°In fact, it feels really good!¡± ¡°Good,¡± she said before she began to unbutton my shirt. Her eyes locked on my revealed chest and I felt a surge of pride as she enjoyed the view. She got three buttons in before the holopad the Guardians had lent me buzzed with a call alert. We snapped our heads upon the hated holopad and glared at it together. We really should answer it¡­ then I huffed and shot Sabrina a grin. ¡°I¡¯m not answering that.¡± Sabrina shot me a beautiful smile. ¡°They can wait.¡± She telekinetically flicked the holopad into the bathroom before the door seemingly shut itself to dampen the noice. ¡°Now, where were we?¡± She undid a button and smiled coyly at me. ¡°I¡¯d like to try what they were doing in the movie.¡± I swallowed to keep my mouth from drying out. While the movie had been rather tame by some standards it had still gotten heavy during one scene... Sabrina giggled at my expression. I found myself enjoying the rest of the night from then on. It was a nice way to end my birthday, that''s for sure.
When we woke up, I was spooning her, and she was very awake and aware of me. We got up, and Sabrina gave me a kiss. ¡°I need to get back to my Gym,¡± she said, moving to clean her teeth and straighten her hair. She telekinetically gave me back the holopad. I opened it and found a string of messages from Karen, and then a more formal written message from Koga. I blinked away the sleep as what was written registered. ¡°Huh, Karen¡¯s going to fight Steven Stone.¡± Chapter 103 - Trouble found ¡°So you¡¯re going to fight Steven Stone?¡± I said over the holopad. On the screen, the Guardians'' various faces were shown, with the newest additions to the ¡®faces¡¯ of the group also being present. Lucy looked a little out of her depth, while Janine held a cool stoicism. Sabrina was in her own room with her Ralts sitting on her lap, receiving pats and rubs. Karen had instantly zeroed in on Sabrina and begun by shooting off a snarky comment, only for Sabrina to ignore her while I greeted the others. Karen flicked her eyes from Sabrina to me and huffed. ¡°Yeah, it will be good for me.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem a bit¡­ presumptuous?¡± Karen snorted and raised a brow as though asking if I meant her. I sighed and directed my attention elsewhere. Agatha cackled. ¡°It¡¯s a win-win situation for Karen, honestly. News of Will¡¯s challenge has been leaked to various news organisations, but we¡¯re going to steal a march on him and have a bigger display with Karen¡¯s match against Steven. It will play into our desires to test Steven, along with raising people¡¯s awareness of Karen as a highly skilled trainer.¡± ¡°Even if she loses?¡± I pointed out reasonably. ¡°You think I¡¯m going to lose?¡± Karen said with narrowed eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± Sabrina said immediately. I pinched the bridge of my nose as Karen¡¯s nostrils flared. Sabrina continued before Karen could reply. ¡°Steven has allowed himself to face a greater number of challenges than Lance and remain unscathed. He has a diverse team. His strongest pokemon is his Metagross, who he has used to defeat challengers alone. His other pokemon are known Rock, Ground, and Steel typed with powerful options available to him thanks to the funding he has put into securing strong pokemon. His Aggron is considered top tier.¡± ¡°Houndoom can match those two thanks to their steel typing.¡± ¡°He will have other options,¡± Sabrina said. I tapped on my personal computer and drew up his public profile while comparing it to the Guardians listed teams. They were identical. ¡°He doesn¡¯t hide any of his acquisitions, does he?¡± I said thoughtfully. Koga shook his head lightly. ¡°No, he believes he does not need to hide anything. Also most of them are publicly acquired or bred for him.¡± ¡°We¡¯re certain there¡¯s not something he is keeping back?¡± I said, thinking of something crazy like a Latios or Latias or maybe even a Legendary. ¡°With his money and connections, it is not hard for him to change out his pokemon team. Not that he should need to with what he has.¡± Koga replied. I nodded. Reading through Steven¡¯s list of pokemon, I was interested to see that he had a Swampert, Blaziken, and Sceptile all listed on his team but their appearances were rather low. I clicked on a comment that was linked between all three pokemon on the Guardians file. ¡°He gets negative press for owning all three starter pokemon?¡± I read aloud. Koga inclined his head while Karen snorted. ¡°It looks bad that he threw his money around so obviously and got himself something that is practically unheard of for most average trainers.¡± I hummed, that really made Ash¡¯s initial team of Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charizard and co far more ridiculous in hindsight. I made a small note to do a check-in after Damian. He still hadn¡¯t signed back up for a rematch. ¡°So if he comes against you seriously, he¡¯s going to have some powerful pokemon still, no?¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°So what if you lose?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to!¡± Karen said with some bite. Agatha raised an eyebrow, while Janine flicked her eyes to her father as Koga shook his head minutely. Lucy licked her lips and shifted back and forth. Karen sighed. ¡°But If I do, somehow¡ª¡± she said testily, ¡°¡ªlose, it¡¯s not a bad thing. It gets me more recognition for defending Indigo''s interests and not being afraid to step up to the plate. Also, I might be able to get Blaine on my side and interested in training me to ¡®avenge him¡¯ as he¡¯s been outright ordered to not cause a stir with Steven from Lance. I can get around that and still offer him a salve to his ego by representing him.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. ¡°What about the other Gym Leaders and the Elite Four that you still have to face in Indigo? Won¡¯t they be watching and taking notes?¡± Karen sniffed. ¡°Let them, I have more tricks up my sleeve than just what I¡¯ll use against Steven Stone.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t need a babysitter for this; I know what¡¯s at stake. I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not thanking me, Brock. This steals the spotlight from Will and makes his announcement have way less splash than he hoped for.¡± ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯d thank you, but this is more for you than it is for me.¡± I pointed out reasonably. Karen smirked. ¡°Damn straight it is. If there was more time and you weren¡¯t locked down with your Gym, I¡¯d spar against you as training against Steven. I notice there¡¯s a lot of cross-over pokemon there after all.¡± I scrolled through the list again. ¡°I note that he doesn¡¯t have a Tyranitar or a Dragonite listed on here despite the other powerful pokemon he owns.¡± I continued to look. ¡°Or any of the major three ancestral starters from another region.¡± Koga huffed. ¡°Outwardly, he claims that is because he has no interest in them, but in reality, some of his business rivals have put out paid bounties to ban him from gaining them. I doubt it has stopped him, in truth. It¡¯s merely a cost his rivals have to bear while he doesn¡¯t field those pokemon.¡± I had to nod at that. It made a bit more sense. Koga rubbed his chin. ¡°He has collected a sizeable host of pokemon and for all that he spends more time running his family¡¯s business than he does as Champion, he is still a powerful trainer with a tactical mind.¡± I flicked to the top of the list and whistled ¡°Two hundred and eight pokemon?¡± I paused when I noted that ¡®Crystal Onix¡¯ was listed there. ¡°Heh, I knew that buyer was him when I sold that pokemon,¡± I said with a smirk. Agatha cackled. ¡°Raised quite a bit of interest when that pokemon appeared, and we learned that it wasn¡¯t from one of his mines.¡± She shot me a grin. ¡°I was glad to see you were getting your pokemon¡¯s worth!¡± I shrugged noncommittally, not willing to point out that I¡¯d probably be able to sell another egg soon. Jackson had checked in on the cave when he¡¯d been in the Orange islands and an egg had been present. I¡¯d leave it to eat the crystals and gain a different body composition before making any sales or having it appear at the Gym. I decided to move the topic along. ¡°So any news regarding the Viridian facility?¡± Koga and Agatha shared a look while Lucy, Janine, and Karen all leaned in, interested in this topic. ¡°We¡¯re still waiting for their security features to be reduced. While no further Rocket facilities have been raided they will slowly relax. We know their movements. Don¡¯t worry Brock.¡± I shifted. ¡°I can¡¯t help but worry about Team Rocket. There¡¯s been a lot of pushing from us but no pushback from them.¡± ¡°We have reason to believe that Team Rocket and Giovanni have a good deal of their attention diverted to the other region that they have made contact with. This has been confirmed through a number of the Rocket members and data that we have been able to gather from raids.¡± ¡°Huh. So they¡¯re going to have access to other regions. That means other pokemon, no?¡± I asked. Agatha and Koga nodded. ¡°Indeed. The stability of the route is still extremely tenuous, as we have determined they are losing a number of their teams.¡± I drummed my fingers on the desk in front of me and decided to bite the bullet. ¡°What should we do if Team Rocket gets their hands onto a Legendary pokemon?¡± Agatha sniffed dismissively. ¡°Legendary pokemon are some of the hardest to use, let alone befriend or capture. Impossible! You have a limited time frame with most Legendaries as they can grow stronger as they age!¡± Lucy squirmed. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think it is so impossible, having interacted with Brandon and Noland. Both of them are strong personalities that were able to impress their pokemon or¡­¡± she trailed off as Agatha shot her an annoyed look. ¡°I think Lucy is right. We¡¯re also not considering that they might be rearing infant Legendaries with how they have access to Blaine¡¯s resurrection facility. What is stopping them from creating one of their own?¡± I said leadingly. Agatha looked like she¡¯d sucked on something sour, but Koga had a stern expression. ¡°If they have such a pokemon then they will be a much greater threat. Facilities that hold particular danger will need either Agatha or I to oversee the raids on.¡± He nodded to Agatha. ¡°We are, after all, the only people present to have survived against a Legendary pokemon.¡± I hummed. ¡°... You fought a Moltres once, yes?¡± ¡°...¡± Koga¡¯s eyes turned distant as he looked away from me. Janine stepped forward and nodded for him before indicating I shouldn¡¯t ask any more questions. I decided to drop the issue. Instead, I glanced at Agatha. She sniffed. ¡°During a raid on a region that had attacked us, I fought a pokemon known as Cobalion¡­¡± Agatha rubbed at her chest. ¡°That fight opened my eyes in many ways and left me changed.¡± I frowned and ran that name through my head. ¡°Cobalion¡­ that¡¯s a pokemon from¡­ Unova, as it was called?¡± Agatha blinked at me. ¡°You¡¯ve read the histories?¡± I nodded slowly. At the same time, that wasn¡¯t where I had learnt the name, I had in fact been reading through some of the historical texts the Guardians had regarding the war and more. Agatha tilted her head like I was a particularly interesting child that had just shown a new talent that surprised her. I glanced between Koga and Agatha. ¡°Sure I can¡¯t come along for this raid?¡± Both of them shook their heads. ¡°We will need to train you in certain threats. You dipped your toe into the problems that come from raiding a base with Surge but this will be a different kettle of Magikarp. Best to keep you disconnected from this. One of the benefits that we have as Guardians is that our organisation structure and membership are not known.¡± Agatha grinned. ¡°The same is not the same for Giovanni and Blaine!¡± I swallowed my protests and accepted it with a nod. ¡°Very well. Was there anything else that needed to be discussed regarding this?¡± I asked before bowing my head. ¡°I was doing something important last night, sorry I couldn¡¯t answer.¡± Sabrina perked up, and she and her Ralts gained an air of smug superiority, which Janine certainly didn¡¯t miss as she shot my girlfriend a searching look. Lucy shook her head while Karen leered towards Sabrina. ¡°Care to spar with me?¡± Sabrina tilted her head and hummed. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can help train you,¡± she said before disconnecting. Karen sniffed and copied her. ¡°Later!¡± Lucy chewed her lip and glanced around. ¡°She meant train pokemon right?¡± Janine spluttered, only for Koga to reach over and disconnect Janine¡¯s screen before nodding in farewell. ¡°Brock can explain that.¡± Agatha pointedly didn¡¯t disconnect and made a show of getting a cup of tea that she loudly drank from. I sighed and shook my head. ¡°Those two have a history,¡± I said to start off the explanation. Somehow I just knew that this would be a recurring role for any other new faces the Guardians took on. Me explaining awkward situations while Agatha watched on like this was her daytime television show. Lucy had a number of other questions that I was able to answer before I had to disconnect. I exhaled and shook my head before stepping out to deal with the day that was to come. ¡°BROOOOOOCK DAD BURNT THE PANCAKES!¡± wailed Tilly when I walked into the kitchen for breakfast. I glanced at said pancakes and noted there were a few black patches on them. Flint rubbed the back of his head. ¡°They¡¯re not that bad?¡± I offered him. My youngest siblings all looked at him doubtfully before turning towards me to see how I would correct this situation. I hummed. ¡°You know crepes can be a bit burnt due to needing a stronger flavour to go with the cream and fruit, yeah?¡± I said. The younger kids all tilted their heads. Flint frowned. ¡°Crepes? But that¡¯s just a des¡ª¡± Flint stopped when I made a chopping action at my throat. I was already fixing his mess. He nodded slowly and whipped around. ¡°Of course! These are crepes, not pancakes! Cream and fruit for all!¡± ¡°Ice cream!¡± cheered Billy, causing the others to start up a chant. Forrest laughed while Salvadore looked amused as Flint suddenly had to go along with what was being extorted out of him. I smirked and claimed a seat and a bowl of cereal. Yolanda nodded in greeting but kept her eyes on Flint while looking a bit sheepish. She bowed towards me with Terra in her lap while Eevee circled her legs, eyeing her lap. Apparently, being displaced by the new arrival was not sitting well with the little pokemon. Yolanda scootched over to me to whisper, ¡°Sorry! I was distracted looking after Terra and wasn¡¯t able to help out dad!¡± I shook my head at her. ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to do that if Flint said he was going to cook.¡± ¡°But I helped out more with you¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°And I was thankful for that. But that was also something we rostered. Flint doesn¡¯t want that roster and is trying to do this himself. Anyway, don¡¯t worry about that; right now you have someone that needs your care more.¡± I flicked my eyes down to Terra who was smiling up at us guilelessly. ¡°And someone who wants your attention.¡± I flicked my eyes further down. Yolanda looked down to see Eevee shooting her hopeful looks. Larvitar budged over a little, and eevee leapt up to claim the other half of Yolanda¡¯s lap making me chuckle. I finished up breakfast and helped get a few of my more distracted siblings fed properly. Forrest tapped me on the shoulder as I set Tilly up with her mini crepe. ¡°I still got today off, yeah?¡± he asked. I nodded and he pumped his fist. ¡°Hey, Dad! I have today off of Gym duties! Want to help me train Onix some more?¡± Flint looked up and started to smile, only for Billy to take his momentary distraction and upend his bowl over himself. Flint sighed and shot Forrest an apologetic look. Forrest grumbled and stalked outside to hop on his bicycle. ¡°It¡¯s cool I¡¯ll be out back when you¡¯re free,¡± he said. Flint merely nodded, too distracted with cleaning Billy to notice what had been said. I hummed, glancing to Yolanda, expecting to find her pouting at me to ¡®do something¡¯ only for her to be too distracted with the pokemon in her lap. I considered Flint for a moment before shrugging my shoulders. Eh, he¡¯s an adult. I stood and waved goodbye to everyone before moving off. Still¡­ I felt a bit guilty for Forrest¡­ he¡¯d be the person that would miss out if Flint¡­ Urgh! Why was this so hard? I just wanted to enjoy some well-earned schadenfreude that Flint was due! I leaned back in. ¡°Hey Flint, Forrest is waiting for you out back, maybe show him how to ride an Onix over rough terrain?¡± I said. Flint shot me a confused look as he nodded. I huffed and moved off, but not before catching Yolanda beaming at me in approval. I stuck my tongue out at her and got a giggle from her. Munchalx saw me do this and thought it was meant for him, causing him to stick his tongue out in response. And then suddenly every child at the table was copying him. I chuckled and left Flint to deal with the much more innocent problem of his children being cheeky. I sat in my chair in the Gym office and I had loaded up some emails and paperwork just as Alexa entered. Time to be a Gym Leader! This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°¡ªSudowoodo, use Hammer Arm!¡± I said to finish the match. Across from me, the challenger that had tried to run a Gauntlet with the Gym at the Fourth badge level clicked their tongue as their last pokemon was knocked unconscious. The crowd roared their approval at the match. It had been a good match, and I was decently considering still giving the trainer her badge. The trainer whipped out their pokeball and returned their pokemon only to storm off. I hummed after their retreating back. Well, that was one way of solving my quandary on if they deserved a badge or not¡­ I gave the crowd a few waves and retreated to claim a seat up in the trainer area. I tried to settle down only to shift about a few times. When Rachel announced the next match, I perked up, ready for another challenge only to huff when it was announced as another gauntlet challenge. Jackson shot me a curious look as he marched out to meet the challenger for their first match. I settled back and bounced my knee before standing and trying my pressure-release clap. It didn¡¯t help. I sighed and rubbed my face. Missy hovered a little and hopped from foot to foot. I gave her a questioning look and she got flustered. ¡°Do, do you need someone to talk to?¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± I said, curious at what she intended. She nodded towards me. ¡°You¡¯ve been a bit out of it for the last two matches after lunch, and you usually settle down after doing your little routine¡­¡± she made the clapping pose that I did to deal with momentary anxiety and stress. ¡°You¡¯re not settling though. I know you¡¯d usually talk with Rocko or Dennis, but they¡¯re both handling other duties right now.¡± I considered that before nodding slowly. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right I usually would talk with them about what¡¯s bugging me.¡± ¡°Soooo, there is something bugging you?¡± Missy said carefully. I nodded. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, scratching at my chin. ¡°Not sure I should really get into it with you though. No offence,¡± I said hastily. Missy raised both hands. ¡°Oh no, I understand Rocko and Dennis have been around long enough to have your trust, but I thought I might offer my ears?¡± she said delicately. ¡°Hmmm, well I guess I¡¯ve just got a lot of little things right now with some looming larger issues that I need to address. I¡¯m currently dealing with the day-to-day stuff, but I think it¡¯s just getting to me that we¡¯ve faced a lot of trainers over the last month or so.¡± Missy nodded in commiseration. ¡°My pokemon have gotten so many matches in it¡¯s crazy! They¡¯re getting way stronger from all of this, but yeah! I think I know what you mean. It might also make it worse that there¡¯s sort of a break coming up with the pause in gym matches to adjust the Gym¡¯s roster of pokemon for the next few months.¡± I snorted. ¡°Another thing that got dragged way earlier this year. But yeah, it feels like a holiday with us stopping matches but in reality, we¡¯re going to be just doing other tasks.¡± Missy nodded. ¡°How is it going to work exactly? This will be my first time doing this after all.¡± I settled back against the railing, keeping half an eye on the match playing out below as Jackson had Izumi perform a Defence Curl into a Rollout one-two move that helped him take out the first challengers pokemon. ¡°Well first we¡¯re going to hold an auction for a number of pokemon or gift them out to people we think have earned them. I have earmarked a few trainers that we will be contacting first and foremost. I noted that you had a particular Onix and a Graveler listed out though?¡± Missy nodded her head. ¡°I think I understand how to use her really well now. I also asked if she wanted it, and she said yes. I think in a month or two I will have enough saved up to afford even a crazy expensive metal coat for her.¡± ¡°Hmm nice, I will also be pitching out interest for any of the rare pokemon that we have such as the Alo¡ª¡± I coughed. ¡°I mean the variant Geodude, Lileep and one or two Aron. Then alongside the other pokemon that we sell, we will take stock of what we need for the coming month or two before seeking out these pokemon. Usually, this means low levelled Geodude, Onix, Bonsly, or otherwise. Thankfully the Lileep we get might fill a bit of this niche though so it might be an easier time for us with a few stable weak pokemon trickling in.¡± ¡°Alright! So there will be a bit of a break then?¡± she said with a bounce. I pinched my fingers together. ¡°Small one. I will also need to catch up with some of our sponsored trainers for their check-ins. Mia has been sending in twice-a-week notifications but others have been a lot more sparse.¡± ¡°Oh! How are they doing?¡± she asked with some interest as Jackson¡¯s pokemon finally fell. ¡°Good, they¡¯re staying ahead of the surge I think, as most of them already have their second badge from Cerulean and I read a glowing report from Surge about Silly Mouse being a Raichu in spirit with how they used Thunder. He also liked Humphrey¡¯s diverse pokemon.¡± ¡°Mia still got only Silly Mouse?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± I said happily as one of the other Gym trainers I¡¯d hired marched down to face the challenger. ¡°She has caught an Ekans and Zubat so she¡¯s got a fairly good team right now.¡± At Missy¡¯s tilted head I continued. ¡°She found herself an Oddish and a Growlithe around Celadon apparently. Named them Wiggles and Wags apparently.¡± I chuckled. Missy bit her lips. ¡°That¡¯s adorable.¡± ¡°Wags knows Fire Spin,¡± I said conversationally. Mia stared. ¡°... oh wow, she¡¯s a little savant isn¡¯t she? I looked up the training process for that and it doesn¡¯t seem all that straightforward.¡± ¡°Right conditions and the right pokemon will make a difference. Humphrey still has the most diverse pokemon roster and I made sure to message him to be a bit more selective from now on as he already has twelve of his spots filled up with only six left now.¡± ¡°Oh wow that¡¯s good news!¡± she said happily. I nodded and eyed her for a moment. ¡°You know I might have some time to do some training with you during the ¡®Gym Pause¡¯ we have coming up if you want.¡± Missy perked up instantly before chewing her lip.¡±Are you sure? I know that you have a lot on your plate¡­¡± I waved her off. ¡°Please, if anything, I think things are calming down. You¡¯re overdue for some more training advice. I barely gave you what you¡¯re due since I showed you how to do your gravity training. I think I saw a note from Rocko about that going really well for you, no?¡± Missy nodded her head, and I hummed. ¡°I might advance you a Firestone if you¡¯re interested for your Growlithe, then we can start working on her and building up for your other pokemon.¡± Missy grinned at that before another buzz sounded out, reminding me that I had other things to focus on. I ran the fight I¡¯d half been paying attention to through my mind. Hmmm, they had a Staryu and a Goldeen, while their Ekans had been beaten out by Jackson earlier thanks to Izumi despite its use of Iron Tail. I gave Missy a thankful look. ¡°Good chat, thanks for that it got me out of my funk.¡± I rolled my shoulders and shook them out. ¡°Now, it¡¯s showtime!¡± I said as I marched down the stairs and glowered like a pro-heel. Across from me, the kid stiffened up before adopting a ¡®ready pose¡¯ that had me smiling wider. ¡°Go Geodude!¡± I said sending out my first pokemon. The Alolan Geodude sparked a little and made the trainer gasp in surprise before selecting a Bellsprout they hadn¡¯t had earlier. I nodded pleased at the decision. When the flags dropped, I pushed aside all my concerns and focused on what I needed to do here and now, which was testing this trainer. ¡°Use Sand Attack!¡± I said, causing my chances of being hit to drop as Bellsprout copped a face full of dirt. ¡°Tch! Use Leech Seed!¡± replied the trainer. A number of sprouts shot out of their pokemon with one or two landing on my pokemon much to my Geodude¡¯s annoyance. ¡°Sand Attack again!¡± I said more than happy to be an annoyance to the other trainer. ¡°Growth!¡± ordered the kid ¡°Rollout! I said making the first move to attack. ¡°Now use Vine Whip while you¡¯re empowered!¡± cried the kid. I clicked my tongue and made a note of that as my pokemon barely dodged a Vine Whip that should have connected. My Geodude slammed into the other pokemon and sent it sailing back only for it to stand and shake itself off before my Geodude glowed green and small energy bubbles wafted to Bellsprout. ¡°Geodude, use Thunder Shock!¡± Instantly, my pokemon shot off some sparks of electricity at the Bellsprout. ¡°Dig your roots into the ground!¡± cried out my challenger. I smiled, pleased that they knew that trick. With their pokemon unwilling to move much and mine seeded, the match was a slow wear down that saw me recalling my geodude before the inevitable occurred. Crystal, acting as today¡¯s referee, raised a flag towards the challenger. ¡°The Challenger takes the first match as Brock withdraws his pokemon!¡± I hovered my hand over one choice before smiling and tossing out another. ¡°Go Lileep!¡± I said. The challenger stared at the pokemon before sighing in annoyance. I chuckled. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t expecting a Rock-Grass type, or at least he was hoping not to face it? I wore down his Bellsprout this time and then took out his Staryu before eventually succumbing to his Goldeen with its use of Horn Attack. They slumped their way over to me and happily accepted their badge while glowering at me. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to find a new Rock-type like that!¡± he said with a pout. I chuckled. ¡°Well, I did, and you have to deal with it. I think, for what it''s worth, you handled the surprise well.¡± I gestured to his pokemon. ¡°One thing that might need to be worked on is having some more moves ready for your pokemon. Also, Growth improves your pokemon¡¯s energy attacks more than physical attacks like Vine Whip. You¡¯d be better off with things like Razor Leaf or Energy Ball as such. Razor Leaf starts as a physical skill but can have Special energy applying to it as well.¡± They blinked at that and accepted the information before I took a photo with them to commemorate their victory. Then they were off, and I was once more in between fights. I trooped back up and sat at the railing, turning to Jackson, Missy, and the other trainer present with a smile. ¡°So, what are your thoughts on my holding a contest that is tough-themed?¡± I said to start up a conversation. It seemed the best way to deal with my mood as Missy had demonstrated, also it let me still work on some issues even if only through planning. ¡°Oh you¡¯re still going to go ahead with that?¡± asked Jackson as he scratched at his head. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I am. I think it¡¯ll be something fun. I¡¯m in talks with some locals to help host it. Which reminds me.¡± I fired off a message to Alexa to arrange a time to meet with them after the Gym was finished sometime this week. Then I straightened up. ¡°I¡¯m thinking biker jackets for our Geodude and some dark colouring on our Gravelers and Onix to set the theme for entrants.¡± ¡°That¡¯d be cute!¡± said Missy. Jackson huffed. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be tough Missy, not look cute.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°Maybe give them some fake scars?¡± Missy snorted. ¡°I think that will still be seen as cute by some people.¡± Jackson put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her Brock she doesn¡¯t understand manly aesthetics is all!¡± Missy shot him an amused look and I was about to say something when Rachel announced the next challenger. This one a direct challenge for me to face. I raised a finger. ¡°I¡¯m gonna come back to this,¡± I said as I marched out only to stop and stare when I realised who it was. ¡°I have returned!¡± announced the fop that had already failed twice in the last few weeks. I stared at him. I¡¯d forgotten about this kid. It had been a good time. ¡°How many bookings did you make in advance?!¡± I said from where I stood. Some titters from the crowd let me know some of my more dedicated fans were aware of the situation. The boy grinned without shame, and I sighed before clambering over the railing, my energy for this match suddenly vanishing. ¡°Alright then let¡¯s do this,¡± I said as I hopped over to the podium. Crystal raised both flags before pausing and shifting as she stared at the prompter. She chewed her lip before pushing a button that had Jackson jogging down to her stand. I tilted my head. What could cause her to act like that? Jackson stared at the prompter before nodding and gesturing for Crystal to step aside. He took the flags and took over the referee position. The crowd, alerted to the odd behaviour by the lack of matches starting as normal, stirred at this odd occurrence. Jackson cleared his throat. ¡°Apologies everyone! We¡¯re in for a treat today! Challenger Harold has locked in a doubles battle!¡± I stiffened, remembering that yes, Alexa had informed me of this only for me to forget. I reached around to the two pokemon I had selected for this match. Suddenly, I was much more interested in this match, despite the person I faced across from me. This would be a proper test of my skills regardless of Harold¡¯s previous showings. ¡°Go Onix and Aron!¡± Both pokemon appeared and I smiled as they appeared, took in their surroundings and nodded at each other only to glare across the field at Harold as he released his pokemon. ¡°Go Pidgeotto and Weepinbell!¡± I felt my brow twitch. Damn this kid. He was just tempting me with giving me half-hope at this point. Jackson nodded and went through the normal routine, only when he dropped his flags I had two pokemon to command instead of one. ¡°Pidgeotto, use Sunny Day! Weepinbell, use Solar Beam!¡± commanded Harold. I stiffened at that one-two punch. That¡­ that was a good opening move. ¡°Get on Onix¡¯s back Aron! Onix use Protect!¡± Both pokemon complied and Onix took the Solar Beam head on to his protective shell. I swept my hand forward. ¡°Aron, use Rock Polish! Onix, use Rock Throw on Pidgeotto!¡± ¡°Weepinbell, use Vine Whip on the Rocks! Pidgeotto, use Twister!¡± The rocks my pokemon hurled were intercepted handily, and then a small hurricane was unleashed towards my pokemon. ¡°Both use Dig!¡± I ordered causing my pokemon to dodge the oncoming Twister as they dove into the ground. When they emerged, they did so right next to each other once again. ¡°Weepinbell, use Razor Leaf!¡± ¡°Wide Guard, Onix! Aron, use Rock Polish!¡± I said causing a barrier to form up around Onix once more and defend against the wide area of effect attack. Harold cursed as his move was blocked only to curse again as he looked to Pidgeotto. ¡°Pidgeotto, reposition with Aerial Ace! Split them up!¡± ¡°Aron! Go on the offensive! Use Iron Head on Weepinbell!¡± I then pointed at Pidgeotto. ¡°Onix use Rock Throw on that bird!¡± Onix whirled around and once more hurled his load of rocks. Only for Harold to show some skill once again. ¡°Aerial Ace and intercept Aron! Weepinbell, use Solar Beam again on Onix!¡± ¡°Dig!¡± I ordered, causing the Solar Beam to just miss as I made my Onix evade the attack he¡¯d have not been able to block so soon after the last use of Protect. Aron was dragging along a Pidgeotto that had his claws locked onto his back. The Pidgeotto tried to stop my Aron but the little guy had too much steam built up and he slammed himself and Pidgeotto into Weepinbell causing them all to go tumbling into the ground. I had half a moment to grin to myself before Harold threw his arm up. ¡°Pidgeotto, get out with Aerial Ace to behind Weepinbell! Weepinbell use Stun Spore!¡± With My Aron basically on top of him I couldn¡¯t even order my pokemon back before he was sprayed with the spores. ¡°Pidgeotto spread the spores with gust!¡± Harold said. My Onix had just enough time to come up from his Dig only to fall victim to the spores. Harold punched the air with glee. ¡°Twister on Aron and Solar¡ª¡± I withdrew both pokemon and stared at the kid as he floundered at the sudden abort I had pulled. ¡°Hey! I was about to win!¡± he said. I shook my head. ¡°You just did win; I concede. I wasn¡¯t about to make my Onix face a Solar Beam head on. Also, you got me fighting way more seriously than I should have, which is impressive kid,¡± I said, raising my hand and gesturing to Jackson, who swept his flag up. ¡°Brock withdraws his pokemon, meaning Challenger Harold is victorious!¡± The crowd, who¡¯d been silent for the match, suddenly rose to their feet and roared their approval. I joined them in their applause, and Harold who¡¯d just started to come to terms with the announcement of his victory, flinched at the sudden wall of noise he was hit with. He stared up at the cheering crowd and seemed stunned to see them so animated. I lowered the podiums and marched across to him with Jackon holding the case with the Boulder badge in it. I loomed over the kid, and he looked up at me with a hesitant smile. ¡°I.. did it?¡± he said as though surprised. I snorted. ¡°Where the hell was that sort of tactical thinking and on-the-fly planning weeks ago?¡± He shrugged helplessly. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just had too much to think about.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t have that here?¡± I said incredulously. He shrugged again. ¡°I just felt like I had to move and make orders, I didn¡¯t have time to stop and think about what I was supposed to do. I read all of my brother¡¯s notes and so much of it I had to forget.¡± I held up a hand. ¡°Well, you need to do more of that. Cause what you showed today? That was promising. You used some great setups and pokemon that should have been weak here in great ways while working them in conjunction with your other pokemon. If you¡¯re like this for doubles battles, I¡¯d work on making this the norm for you because you¡¯re a natural at this.¡± He nodded and took the badge with a thoughtful expression. I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°The Pidgeotto¡¯s actually yours isn¡¯t it? Not just a pokemon lent to you yeah?¡± He nodded, and I smiled. ¡°Yeah, it shows. Keep finding more pokemon of your own cause you¡¯re better with them. Stop trying to be your brother.¡± I said. He smiled up at me at that and then accepted a picture before marching out with his head held high. I watched him go with some hope that he¡¯d actually turn out alright after all. I sighed. ¡°Well that was fun," I said before turning to Jackson and clapping him on the shoulder. ¡°Good work with taking over for Crystal.¡± He grunted and rolled his shoulder. ¡°Nice way to end the day at least.¡± I blinked and checked my schedule to find he was right. I wanted to grumble a little, that last match had actually amped me up a bit and gotten me excited. I shrugged and made towards the back hoping to use this energy to train with my pokemon. On the way, Greta ran up to me. ¡°Brock! I wanted to talk to you!¡± she said hurriedly. I nodded and indicated I was free to talk. She marched up and wavered for a moment. ¡°I want to sign on to be a Gym trainer for Pewter Gym! I think there is a lot that I can learn here! I can¡¯t offer a lot of skills and work history but I am serious about worki¡ª¡± ¡°I accept on certain conditions.¡± ¡°¡ªing here and I can learn quick! I was able to place well in¡­¡± She trailed off as she caught on to what I¡¯d said. ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ really?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen you poking around. You¡¯re an insightful young lady and you¡¯re dedicated. I think you¡¯re making a good call.¡± I then grimaced. ¡°Now¡­ due to reasons, my Gym¡¯s security features have increased since the start of the year. I¡­ probably shouldn¡¯t waive the need to have a Psychic review you but I don¡¯t want to set a precedent.¡± ¡°I have no problems with that!¡± she said quickly before tilting her head. ¡°Any¡­ other conditions?¡± I winked at her. ¡°Maybe also call your parents, yeah?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± she said before bowing. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her!¡± I nodded and held up a hand. ¡°Also to make sure you¡¯re not going to be stagnating, especially with regards to your starter pokemon, I think you should do an exchange with Erika¡­ and maybe Janine as well. Give your Grass-Poison a workover so that Bulbasaur can be the best he can be. I don¡¯t want to hamper your growth by restricting you. Its why I send all my sponsored trainers out onto the circuit instead of sitting on them. You can learn a lot at the gym but not all of it can be good. Falling into bad habits is something I want you to avoid.¡± She nodded slowly at that. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not expected to,¡± I said easily. I considered talking up Surge or Sabrina, but both of them wouldn¡¯t be good fits for further training. Maybe for a chat? I don¡¯t think Greta would do well with Surge for a long duration. I gestured with a lazy wave. ¡°Go talk with your mother about this and if you¡¯re still interested, then talk with Alexa, send the forms through to your mother and I¡¯ll talk with Erika and Janine. Both are trainers I know you¡¯d do well working with for a stint of time. I¡¯m just the first Gym Leader you¡¯ve encountered.¡± I shot her a smile. ¡°You might click with them even better you know? Don¡¯t settle for the first option.¡± She nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I see what you''re saying.¡± She shot me a polite bow and then walked off her head tilted in thought. I watched her go with a hum. I had suspected she¡¯d consider sticking around with me. She¡¯d do well here, or at least I believed she would, but I didn¡¯t want her to just settle down, that wasn¡¯t what the journey was about. Jackson approached and nodded to Greta as she walked past. He raised some forms for me and I rolled my eyes at him. I considered telling him to dump it on my desk and to come out back to spar with me. Sadly it was then that my transceiver started to buzz, making me eye the message with a dubious expression, only to relax when I saw it was Officer Jenny. ¡°Hey Officer Jenny, how¡¯s your day going?¡± She gave me a pained smile and told me precisely how her day was going. I inhaled sharply as Jackson swore. Then I told her I would be there momentarily before hanging up. ¡°Want me to take over the jobs you were gonna do this afternoon? I¡¯ll get Salvadore or Yolanda to feed the Elite?¡± I nodded tightly and sent a message to Rachel and Alexa informing them of the situation before calling for a Granny to come around. Then I paused, considered what I¡¯d been told, and shot off another message to Lawrence. Then I marched into my home to find Flint. The entire time, I kept thinking about how Forrest really, really didn¡¯t understand the level of trouble he¡¯d just found himself in. He better be alright. And he better have a damn good reason to be arrested! Chapter 104 - Interlude - Through the eyes of our youth Misty towelled herself off. ¡°Thanks for the swim Corsola!¡± She waved back at the little pink pokemon. At her side, Staryu and Starmie bowed politely. Misty glanced at her only other pokemon, her Goldeen that was happily still swimming around in the pond that Brock had steadily been developing. It had started as a simple pond, but now it ran a loop up to the plateau. It even had sections were you could go down a series of rapids if you wanted to! It was a surprising inclusion to a Rock type gym, but it made sense with some of Brock¡¯s latest acquisitions. She hopped to the side as said pokemon reached out with their fronds to touch her. ¡°Lileep!¡± said the happy Grass type pokemon. Misty giggled and tapped it on the frond, amused at how it wiggled in glee before dipping a root into the water and relaxing. ¡°Morning Misty!¡± shouted Greta as the other Pallet trainer approached. She paused as flicked her eyes up and down Misty¡¯s form ¡°Have a nice swim?¡± ¡°Yeah! No better way to start the day than to have a swim in my opinion!¡± Misty shot the other girl a thumbs up. A zap of lightning had her flinching and finishing off her towel down. Greta glanced in the direction that the lightning had come from. ¡°Ash is up and training I take it?¡± Misty nodded. ¡°His match against Brock is this week, and he wants to be ready.¡± Greta tilted her head. ¡°Has he caught any new pokemon?¡± Misty shook her head, Greta pursed her lips. ¡°Has he taught his pokemon a fighting, or Steel type move?¡± Misty shook her head and raised her hands. Greta facepalmed. ¡°He is such a doofus.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah he is.¡± Misty agreed before opening her bag and pulling out her shorts and top to wear over the top of her swimsuit. Greta crouched down and raised her near ever-present Pokedex onto Misty¡¯s Goldeen. Goldeen, the water queen pokemon, this pokemon posses an elegant fin that billows out around it. The fin provides an incredible amount of control over the water around it that helps propel it through the water in times of threat. It has been known to use its fins as a method of evading attacks by creating a veil for where it actually is. It has been thought to be similar to Tauros fighters in that regard. It is not unusual to see this pokemon leading Sharpedo into rocky outcroppings or metal hulls of ships, sometimes to the detriment of the ship. Greta nodded and then snapped a few pictures before hitting another button. This Goldeen has a slightly longer horn than most of its species. It is in a good weight range for speed without being too bulky, making it ideal in a pokemon fight. This Goldeen knows Horn Attack, Agility, Fury Attack, Supersonic, and Tail Whip. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s new,¡± Misty said, glancing towards Greta as she stood. Greta raised two fingers in victory. ¡°That¡¯s because Professor Oak was impressed with the work I¡¯d put in to add all of Brock¡¯s pokemon in the reserve into the Pokedex with some observations! I also have been going around with Crystal and Yolanda to watch matches on the Battle courts! I have over a hundred pokemon recorded on my pokedex in less than two months!¡± ¡°Neeeeeerd!¡± shouted a voice, interrupting what Misty was going to say. Greta and Misty turned to find Crystal riding her scooter towards them and waxing manically. ¡°Hey! Morning nerd!¡± Misty scowled, only for Greta to roll her eyes. ¡°Morning to you too Scooter girl!¡± Misty relaxed realising it was a nickname and Crystal wasn¡¯t being mean¡­ like Misty¡¯s sisters would have been. Crystal hopped her scooter and landed, only to stumble as she tried to adopt a cool pose. She coughed. ¡°You didn¡¯t see anything!¡± Misty giggled at the younger girls antics, while Greta merely pointed at her pokedex. ¡°I got everything on video!¡± Rather than be annoyed, Crystal merely huffed. ¡°Cool show me it later so I can see what I messed up!¡± ¡°Morning!¡± Called another voice. The girls all turned to find Yolanda trudging towards them with her ever-present starter pokemon in her arms. Terra waved in greetings at them, and Misty leaned down to coo at the little baby pokemon. One day this pokemon would be a terrifying powerhouse, Misty was sure but right now she was this tiny cute¡ª Heavy! Misty almost buckled as Yolanda handed the pokemon off to her. She had not been ready for such a heavy pokemon. Misty adjusted and returned to cooing at the pokemon while rubbing at her back. Ow. Yolanda glanced around as Misty subtly lowered the dense little pokemon to let it toddle around. ¡°Where¡¯s Forrest? Anyone seen him?¡± Misty indicated behind her and over a few boulders that some Geodude and Aron were sitting atop. ¡°He¡¯s over there fighting Ash.¡± ¡°Uhmmmm, is that a good idea? They always get sort of heated when they¡¯re left alone,¡± Yolanda said reasonably. ¡°Your dad is with them,¡± Misty assured the other girl. Yolanda did not look assured. ¡°I think I¡¯ll just check in on them.¡± ¡°Tar!¡± said Terra as she wobbled her way towards the rocks. Another blast of lightning radiated out only to wash over the Geodude and Aron without bothering them more than making them shift about. Misty supposed that with their Rock typing, they wouldn¡¯t be all that bothered with the lightning, especially only the minor stuff that was splashing out from Pikachu¡¯s attacks. It didn¡¯t stop Yolanda from scooping Terra up protectively, as though that would. Greta skipped up to Yolanda. ¡°You know that Larvitar are ground-rock dual typed yeah? Out of all of us, she¡¯s the best off to handle Pikachu?¡± Yolanda sniffed. ¡°That¡¯s not the point. It¡¯s about teaching her not to run into a pokemon fight. She only vaguely understands it right now, especially with pokemon and trainers she considers friends.¡± Misty nodded along to that. It was a good point. When they got through the boulders Misty spotted Ash squaring off against Forrest. It was Pikachu versus a very smug-looking Graveler. It was named pokemon wasn¡¯t it? That had a meaning, didn¡¯t it mean it was more powerful? Or at least it wanted to be stronger? ¡°Challenger! Use Sandstorm!¡± Forrest said with a grin causing his pokemon to flick up a huge torrent of sandblasting up. ¡°Woah! Quick! Pikachu, use Quick Attack around the Sandstorm!¡± Pikachu did just that only for it to not be quick enough to effect anything with the Sandstorm. ¡°Use Earthquake!¡± Forrest said gleefully causing Pikachu to stumble and skid only to be bounced up into the air before slamming into the ground as the little mouse pokemon collapsed with a sad ¡®Chaaaa!¡¯ ¡°Pikachu is unable to battle! Forrest has won the three-on-three match!¡± Flint shouted over the top of the howl of the wind. ¡°Urgh!¡± Ash said as he stepped forward to collect his pokemon only for the Sandstorm to hinder him. ¡°Onix if you could, blow away the Sandstorm please,¡± Flint said calmly. Releasing a very large Onix that roared lowly before thumping its tail. It caused the Sandstorm to die off almost immediately. Challenger whipped her head around to glare at the Onix. Misty could see that the Graveler was sizing up the much, much larger Onix. Forrest stepped up and patted her on the back. ¡°Hey, settle down girl! You just won! Thanks for that! You did great!¡± Challenger relaxed slightly before smiling at Forrest and shooting him a multi-armed thumbs up. With the fight over, Misty followed Yolanda up to her brother. ¡°Forrest, why are you using Challenger against Ash? She¡¯s way too strong for his pokemon, forget his Pikachu!¡± ¡°I asked him,¡± Ash said, stepping up before Forrest could even open his mouth. ¡°I wanted to get stronger, and the way to do that is sometimes to fight against pokemon stronger! I know it''s helping us! Pikachu is faster, and he¡¯s been able to learn Thunderbolt properly now!¡± Yolanda frowned. ¡°What about learning something to help you against Brock?¡± ¡°I have a strategy ready for him! I¡¯m looking beyond him!¡± Misty who¡¯d been chuckling at Ash¡¯s naivety, stiffened. Beyond Brock? He¡¯d been preparing to fight against her sisters!? Oh no! He was going to tear through them! ¡°You really need something that will work against Rock types as a whole! You¡¯ve got one solution against Brock at a low level!¡± Ash raised a finger only to open his mouth and nothing but a croak of disbelief escaped him. ¡°Oh no! I need to practise way more moves!¡± Greta giggled. ¡°That¡¯s just like you Ash!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t funny, Greta! If I don¡¯t get the badge, we won¡¯t be able to continue on to Cerulean!¡± Greta blinked. ¡°Uhmmm Ash? I¡¯m not coming with you? Remember?¡± ¡°What? But¡­¡± Ash floundered for a moment, his mind unable to handle what he was being told. ¡°But aren¡¯t you worried about not competing this year?! With the surge, we need to make up time!¡± Greta shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m actually going to go and talk with Brock about staying with his Gym. There¡¯s a lot that he can teach me about being a trainer. And I think I can make a better impact next year.¡± ¡°Next year!?¡± Ash shouted. Misty flinched before shaking her head. Was there an echo? It must have been one of the caves that ran under Brock¡¯s reserve. Ash shook his head. ¡°Next year is forever away! What are you going to do for an entire year in one place?¡± ¡°Get strong with Bulbasaur. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t leave Pewter as well, I¡¯ll be able to make expeditions out to catch a team and keep working on them. Any badges I earn are also valid for next year.¡± Greta made a circle gesture. ¡°There are going to be a lot of trainers that might stick around for the other half of Indigo and do the Johto circuit next year which will make it the crowded side. I¡¯m not confident enough to go over to a region I¡¯m not familiar with but I can get stronger. If you continue next year and collect enough badges I will see you at the end of next year¡¯s circuit.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Ash said with the tone of a person that had just been told the pokemon fight he¡¯d been looking forward to was now cancelled. Misty gave Greta a nod and a pat on the back. ¡°I think it will be a good idea! Brock has a lot of impressive pokemon and if you are able to get some for your team you¡¯ll be way better off!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a perk!¡± Greta agreed. Forrest sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll probably head out next year as well. With a starter now I think I¡¯ll be able to do pretty well.¡± He patted Ash on the back. ¡°It¡¯s not unusual to spend a year building yourself up before you leave for your journey you know Ash?¡± ¡°I know,¡± he said kicking a rock. ¡°I just thought it would be nice to travel with another Pallet trainer¡­ especially one that isn¡¯t Gary.¡± ¡°Or that Damian kid,¡± Forrest said. Ash got a confused look, and Greta sighed. ¡°The kid that came in the last year and tried to take the top spot only for me and Gary to beat him out on the exams.¡± Ash nodded in a manner that Misty knew meant he had no idea what she was talking about. Forrest laughed, apparently also used to Ash¡¯s mannerisms after spending a bit of time training with him. ¡°Hey, how about we head around to the battle courts?! We can fight some trainers there!¡± Ash perked up at that. ¡°Yeah! Come on! Last one there¡¯s a rotten egg!¡± ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± said Forrest as he sprinted off. ¡°Come on Challenger! With you and Onix, we¡¯ll roll these wannabes!¡± Misty sighed and shook her head fondly, only to catch Yolanda watching her in amusement. ¡°What?¡± ¡°So, I take it you¡¯re going to stick with Ash? You didn¡¯t say anything about not going with him?¡± asked Yolanda carefully. Misty nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve put some thought into something your brother said, I¡¯m going to claim some badges and make an attempt at the circuit.¡± Misty stretched as she followed Ash and Forrest around to the battle courts. ¡°I think your brother had a good point that I shouldn¡¯t be afraid of facing the other Gym Leaders. Eventually, I¡¯m going to be one of them!¡± She clenched her fist. ¡°Maybe even one of the best!¡± ¡°Well¡­ good luck with that. It¡¯ll be between Brock or Sabrina by then,¡± replied Yolanda. ¡°Really? I would have thought you¡¯d back your brother?¡± Misty asked. Greta nodded while Crystal shot Yolanda a surprised look. ¡°I¡¯ve seen her fight, she¡¯s just as creative in her battles, but she knows how to pull the rug out from underneath my brother. She might not have his diversity, but she¡¯s spoken with me, and she has a few pokemon she¡¯s looking into. I think she¡¯ll be just as diverse soon. She¡¯s already considered one of the strongest with Blaine, Giovanni, and Koga.¡± Yolanda shrugged. ¡°And they¡¯re all old, and Koga is going to become an Elite Four member at the end of the year.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± said the other girls as one. ¡°He¡¯s getting promoted?¡± Yolanda blinked slowly. ¡°Oh, has that not been announced yet?¡± she tilted her head and chewed her lips. ¡°Hmmm I know Brock has mentioned it in passing.¡± Greta got out her transceiver and started furiously searching through the League pokenet page for any official announcements. ¡°It only says that Agatha is stepping down? At the end of the year? But it does say that one slot will be to a worthy challenger?!¡± Greta looked up. ¡°I thought they meant that two slots would be open for grabs! It¡¯s not really all that clear!¡± Yolanda nodded. ¡°Forget I said anything?¡± she said while knocking on her head. Terra copied her and squinted, making Misty sigh. The younger girl and her starter were too cute sometimes. Crystal giggled. When they got to the battle courts, they found the boys searching for opponents that were roughly their level. ¡°What about him?¡± Ash said. Misty glanced over to find a young man that had his nose up in the air, it almost seemed like he thought everything and everyone was beneath him. ¡°He¡¯s got an Arcanine. I saw him hop off on top of the hill and unless that is just a travel pokemon it will have a lot of power behind it.¡± ¡°Hmmmm Butterfree wouldn¡¯t do well against him then¡­ Her?¡± Ash said pointing to a girl with a Poliwhirl. She decided to speak up. ¡°No, that Poliwhirl is way stronger than a normal Poliwhirl. You can tell with how it¡¯s body is starting to gain muscles, specifically in the arms and legs. It¡¯s trainer is probably going to evolve it soon. They¡¯re just looking to get a bit stronger from a few more fights I would assume.¡± ¡°Pikachu could take it if he wasn¡¯t tired!¡± Ash said back with a huff. ¡°Yeah, no,¡± Misty said. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°How about him?¡± Crystal said pointing to an old man that was twizzling his moustache. Crystal was sadly loud and obvious enough with her pointing that the man perked up having noticed them. Ash narrowed his eyes. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ kind of old?¡± he said, like that should disqualify him. The man huffed. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I have the second-best Rattata around young man! I¡¯ve even staked money on it and won during battles and Rattata races!¡± ¡°What are Rattata races?¡± Ash asked. Crystal sniffed. ¡°Cutesy racing events that you can bet on at the track. Mum says it''s for small timers to dip their feet in. The real money is in Rapidash, Dodrio, or Pidgeot races!¡± She nodded seriously, speaking as though she was an authority. ¡°Huh, well¡­ I guess he¡¯ll do?¡± Ash said stepping forward and raising a pokeball. ¡°Ready to battle old man?¡± ¡°My blood runs¡ª¡± the man started to say only for a loud shout to cut through the pre battle banter. ¡°Yahoo!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Check it!¡± shouted some boys as they rode in on their bicycles. They skidded to a halt in front of Forrest and grinned at him. ¡°Yo Forrest! Where you been?¡± the lead boy eyed the group and Misty bristled when his eyes paused on her and his smirk grew. ¡°Oh? Been hanging out with your girlfriend and the little babies!¡± Terra nodded and happily waved her hands out excitedly, very much not understanding that she was being insulted. Misty sniffed, whereas Ash growled and stepped forward. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not a baby!¡± ¡°Indeed! And I am a gentleman, I will have you know! One decorated at that!¡± said the man opening his jacket to reveal a number of what Misty thought looked like medals of some sort. ¡°Whatever! We weren¡¯t talking to either of you!¡± said the boy. He jerked his chin at Forrest. ¡°Hey Forrest? What gives? You ditching us for these twerps?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, I¡¯ve just been spending time at home with Dad back. He¡¯s shown me all these cool tricks!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± said the boy. "Well, I¡¯ve got something cool to so you as well!¡± The others in the group perked up and nodded quickly. ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s right! You gotta come check it out! We have a Secret base and everything!¡± Ash stopped growling. ¡°A secret base?!¡± Misty scoffed loudly. ¡°What? Did you find an old derelict building?¡± ¡°No way it¡¯s way cooler than that! It¡¯s this ol¡ª¡± ¡°Barney shut up!¡± growled the leader. ¡°You in Forrest?¡± ¡°Can I come?¡± Ash said indicating himself and his desire to see the ¡®secret base¡¯. The other boy sniffed. ¡°Only cool kids with bicycles can join!¡± Misty leaned around and pointedly looked at the boy that had glitter and pink paint that had flaked off his bike. That obviously had been a hand me down from a sister. Forrest huffed. ¡®Not cool man¡­ buuuuuuuuut you¡¯re not wrong I haven¡¯t hung out with you guys in ages and today is my day off from the Gym and school. Surprised you guys got out of school so early.¡± ¡°Eh, it was no trouble,¡± said the kid in a way that Misty just knew meant he hadn¡¯t gone. Forrest waved goodbye after bringing out his bike to ride off with his friends. Yolanda giggled as Terra waved goodbye enthusiastically. Ash moped. ¡°I wish I knew someone that had a bike that I could have borrowed.¡± Misty narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist. ¡°You did.¡±
Munchlax kicked his feet and resisted the urge to do a happy dance as he spread some mayonnaise around on his lettuce. Then he slathered up some peanut butter, bluk berry jam, and whipped cream on top before placing the final piece of bread on top. He eyed it thoughtfully before stabbing a Chesto berry onto a small skewer like they did in movies for those fancy people, and he inserted it on top of his meal. Perfection. Eevee walked into the kitchen and spotted the sandwich. She sniffed tentatively. ¡°That¡¯s disgusting!¡± she barked at him. Munchlax shook his head. ¡°You just don¡¯t know art when you see it.¡± He then inserted the sandwich into his mouth. His jaw closed around it as he munched to his heart¡¯s desire. The various tastes mixed and blended together wonderfully. Eevee made gagging noises. This caused Nanny Grav to enter the kitchen. ¡°Urgh! You¡¯re cleaning that up little one!¡± she said crossing both pairs of arms and glowering at him. Munchlax swallowed and shrugged it off. ¡°No problem! Once lunch is over!¡± he said. Eevee made a face. ¡°I¡¯m no longer hungry,¡± she said as she turned to walk away. Munchlax tilted his head. ¡°What¡¯s got into her?¡± ¡°Eh, no idea?¡± said Nanny Grav as she reached into the pantry. She drew out some pebbles that the kids had collected and melted some honey into. She tossed it into her mouth and crunched away loudly. ¡°Must be feeling sick?¡± Munchlax considered this. ¡°We¡¯ll have to check with Yolanda.¡± Both of them nodded at that only for Flint to walk in with a pile of laundry. ¡°Urgh, there¡¯s so much laundry to do! I really should have worn some¡­ oh hello there, you two!¡± he nodded to Munchlax and nay Grav. ¡°Wanna join us for lunch?!¡± Munchlax raised up his lunch sandwich, that was merely five layers of lettuce and tomatoes and cheese and cucumbers. Flint blinked slowly and stared at Munchlax¡¯s sandwich. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure we can afford to let you eat like this.¡± Munchlax gasped at him and used his Baby Doll Eyes. Flint huffed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not going to work on me.¡± ¡°Damn, I never should have taught Suzie and Tilly how to use that move!¡± Munchlax said. They were way too good at it¡­ Then again, maybe the little bows in their hair helped? He¡¯d need to put some on and try again to find out if they helped. He took a bit of his sandwich and considered it. It needed pepper and salt. He hopped down from his special stool. It apparently had his name on it an everything! Got the pepper and salt with the help of a stepping stool and then sprinkled it on his sandwich before putting it back. ¡°How come you don¡¯t raid the pantry anymore?¡± Nanny Grav asked from around a mouthful of pebbles. She idly offered Flint some and he considered it for a moment before shaking his head. He instead took some already cooked tauros steak for his lunch. Munchlax shook his head. It didn¡¯t have anywhere near enough condiments. With lunch done, Munchlax took a moment to enjoy how his meal had been. Should he start on post-lunch now¡­ or hold off? He thought long and hard before deciding to pack away what he¡¯d used. He put the dirty dishes and knives in the sink and then checked the pantry for his after-lunch mint. Brock always got a funny look on his face when he had a mint after a proper meal but Munchlax enjoyed how it made his tongue tingle. He shook his box of mints and nodded. He had enough for today and tomorrow morning, then he¡¯d put the box where Brock or Yolanda could see it and they¡¯d put it on the list for Flint to fetch while they worked! It was such a good system. He was glad they got Flint as live-in help. It amused him that they claimed he was their father, but Munchlax wasn¡¯t that naive. That was obviously Brock. Flint was the helper. Munchlax turned only to bump into Flint. ¡°Oops! Sorry about that Munchlax I didn¡¯t see you down there!¡± said Flint. ¡°Oh that¡¯s alright¡­ wait! Where¡¯s my treat?!¡± Munchlax whipped his head about looking for said treat only to not find it. He certainly hadn¡¯t eaten it yet! He¡¯d know! Flint tilted his head and frowned. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°My treat!¡± said Munchlax checking his box. ¡°One, two,threefourfivesixseven! Ha there were eight before and now there¡¯s only seven! I knew I got it out! Where¡¯d it go?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re saying,¡± Flint said fondly. Flint merely patted him on the head and moved off. Munchlax slumped, he was a good helper for everyone else in the family it seemed, but not for Munchlax. Munchlax turned his head to look at Nanny Grav but she merely shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I know I saw you grab one, but I don¡¯t see it now. You sure you didn¡¯t eat it?¡± ¡°No! I did not eat it yet!¡± he said stamping his foot. Grav hummed. ¡°Well just grab yourself another then.¡± Munchlax huffed. ¡°That wasn¡¯t right! I''ve read the book!¡± Nanny Grav raised a granite eyebrow at him. Munchlax huffed. ¡°Brock read it to me! There! I can¡¯t read! Are you happy?¡± ¡°Same, I can¡¯t read either, but alright then let¡¯s clean up and see if we can find it.¡± she then cleaned up the kitchen, slowly, making sure to check before she wiped anywhere down, lest the mint be squashed or tossed way. Munchlax helped. Sadly, they found no mint. Munchlax felt his stomach shrivelling up, he felt like he was wasting away to nothing. He collapsed to the ground and groaned, only for Nanny Grav to huff, pick him up, and deposit him on the lounge near Flint as he folded laundry. Munchlax groaned sadly. Flint shot him a look. ¡°Eat too much food?¡± ¡°Not enough,¡± Munchlax replied. Flint nodded as though he agreed. ¡°Well that will teach you.¡± Munchlax nodded. Next time he¡¯d make sure to put it in his mouth before he lost it! This was like all the other times he¡¯d lost his food! Like the pineapple pizza slice! ¡°Wait!¡± Munchlax sat up. He¡¯d found those? Where had they been? Flint continued to fold up clothes, occasionally he¡¯d check a piece of paper that seemed to have pictures of how to fold up the clothes. Munchlax idly took a pair of socks and helped him fold them as he tried to recall where he¡¯d found the stray pizza slice. Mmmmmm pizza it had tasted pretty good with some of his fur¡­ Munchlax stopped folding one of Tilly¡¯s shirts and reached into his fuzz to search around. Nothing under this arm or leg, or his belly. Behind his head? Nothing. Munchlax slumped back down and sighed. He¡¯d been so close to eating it and getting that wonderful tingle. Then he would have had a whole hour of delight on his tongue! He could almost¡­ wait, he could smell it! He sat up just as Flint stood and marched off with the folded laundry. Munchlax sniffed the air. Flint! It was on Flint! Or the laundry! Munchlax sprinted out into the hall and carefully hid behind the furniture as Flint deposited the laundry into the kids'' rooms. Munchlax followed him in, searching the clothes and then refolding them when he found nothing. The hunt continued, from Tilly and Billy¡¯s room, to Tommy and Cindy! Then Suzie and Timmy, then into Salvadore¡¯s room. When Munchlax raided Forrest¡¯s room and found no mint, he glared after Flint. Where was it!? ¡°Yolanda, I¡¯m coming in!¡± Flint said while he was knocking on the door. Now that most of the laundry was finished Munchlax could smell it. His precious. He licked his lips and silenced his raging stomach. Right now he needed to stalk his prey, like the Munchlax of old that stalked and brought down wild burgers and pizza in the wilds. ¡°Come on in!¡± Yolanda said. Flint stepped in with the last of the laundry and Munchlax did a tactical log roll down the hallway like Samurai Furret to get close before darting into the room and hiding among the plushies. ¡°Hi! Hello! It¡¯s nice to see you friend Munchlax!¡± shouted Terra in greeting. Munchlax put a finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet only for her to tilt her head and look to Yolanda. ¡°Mummy Yolanda! Munchlax is being funny!¡± Munchlax held in a sigh. Trust an infant pokemon to not understand the importance of remaining quiet on the hunt. ¡°Yolanda, can I ask you a question?¡± Flint said. Yolanda nodded, her attention drawn away from Terra who was pointing right at Munchlax. ¡°Yeah Dad?¡± ¡°Why has Munchlax been stalking me all day?¡± Flint glanced around, and Munchlax ducked lower into the plushies hiding, like Janine did that one time they played a game. ¡°Oh? Did you take any of his food?¡± ¡°No, Brock was very adamant that I never cut him off¡­ despite knowing that we¡¯re overfeeding him.¡± ¡°Hmmm no, no, we¡¯re not. Brock has shown me the calorie count that Munchlax has. He takes as much as he needs and not much more. Most of his meals are bulk, with occasional treats for simple sugars. The rest is pretty empty, like all the vegetables he eats.¡± ¡°I saw him eat two sandwiches just for lunch.¡± Flint mimed a tower. ¡°Big ones.¡± ¡°And he has normal Munchlax meals for dinner. The others are all empty.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ so why¡¯s he stalking me then?¡± ¡°Food, it¡¯s usually food.¡± Yolanda looked him over. ¡°What¡¯s that in your top pocket?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh it¡¯s a¡­ when did this get here?¡± Flint pulled out the precious. Yolanda giggled and Flint sighed. ¡°Really? An after dinner mint?¡± Yolanda nodded. ¡°Leave it with me; I¡¯ll give it to him when I see him.¡± Munchlax wanted to grumble. That was not how Munchlax of the wilds did it. Or did they? As long as it was successful, then it was a good hunt, no? Flint departed, and Munchlax prepared to leave the plushies, only for Terra to poke her head into them. ¡°Hi! Hi there! What are you doing?!¡± Munchlax sighed and stood from the plushies. ¡°I was stalking down my precious!¡± he announced. Yolanda blinked in surprise. ¡°Oh, hi there Munchlax! This what you were looking for?¡± she said handing over the mint. Munchlax grinned, opening his mouth wide only for Terra to bounce on the spot. ¡°Precious?¡± Terra said while tilting her head. ¡°Is it tasty? I¡¯ve never had a precious before!¡± Munchlax faltered in the face of her¡­ her innocence. She¡¯d never had a precious treat before? He considered his square of mint chocolate and licked his lips. He eyed it carefully and then snapped it into two parts. That made it count as half and half right? ¡°Here,¡± he said offering her the smaller half. Terra took it from his fingers and giggled. ¡°It tastes funny!¡± she said as she smeared it all over her mouth. Yolanda took a picture with her transceiver. Munchlax popped his half into his own mouth. It tasted wonderful, like victory and goodness. And with his mouth tingling in just the right way, the world was good and put to rights.
The world was a dark and unjust place Jenny mused. But it would be put to rights soon. She looked to her newest recruit/pokemon. ¡°Alright you blitzed through the training course, but don¡¯t let your head get big!¡± Across from her Haunter nodded seriously as his head started to swell. Jenny bit her lips and coughed. ¡°Precisely, good to hear you¡¯re listening.¡± Haunter nodded and pretended to explode his head with a pin. In reality, he just made a banging noise and turned his head invisible. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re an official police pokemon now, alongside Arcanine, Growlithe, Machamp, and Pidgeot! Prestigious company, to be sure. The streets out there are dark places Haunter, I want you to understand that! There are lots of thieves and vandals afoot!¡± Haunter nodded, munching on some chocolate that had Jenny squinting. Was that her emergency bad-day chocolate? Haunter ate another bite of it and produced a note from her that reminded her to get rid of her stash as she was trying to slim up for summer in a few weeks. ¡°Good call recruit!¡± she said through gritted teeth. Damn past Jenny for writing such a note! She snapped her fingers. ¡°Alright we¡¯re going to apprehend some criminals that have made off with my¡­¡± she coughed, ¡°Police property!¡± Haunter nodded. ¡°For that purpose, we have tracked them down to a section outside Pewter to the northeast. You are to infiltrate a few suspicious sites and if you discover their base, you will open it from the inside! Understand?¡± Haunter saluted with the chocolate bar before finishing it off. Jenny nodded and returned her pokemon. It had been an odd capture but she had high hopes. He was a joker but she¡¯d make him a force for good in this world! She knew it! She stood and strode out of her cubicle, ignoring some of the detective¡¯s snickers before approaching the other patrolmen and women that would be joining her on this raid. One of whom she was keeping a very close eye on. Hopefully, she could use today¡¯s mission to get some more reasons to linger around the potentially corrupt policeman. With a few nods, they all rose and marched out. The others all had to hop on their bikes while she released her Arcanine and led them to the northwest area where she¡¯d lost the trail last time. "Alright, so this is where you lost the trail last week. What do you hope to change?¡± asked Kimbal, the potentially corrupt cop. ¡°This is the area where I lost the scent, yes, but we¡¯ve got more options this time. For one! I have done some extensive research on this area. This used to be the location of a number of military bases that were decommissioned. You can tell from the indents left in the rockface. While it would take a lot of time to create a full-on military base once again, criminals will only need a single room to stash their ill-gotten gains!¡± ¡°Which we can¡¯t get into if they¡¯re using pokemon to get into. None of us have pokemon capable of teleport? Are you going to call up Sabrina for help? Good luck with that!¡± chuckled Kimball. Jenny coughed, deciding not to mention that she had met Sabrina before. That was on a need-to-know basis, and technically, she hadn¡¯t qualified for that list. She¡¯d just been the first on the scene thanks to Brock and then been in a great position to watch some pros in action! Captain Bosco had been initially impressed with her debriefing before getting annoyed at her loss of police property. Not that it would matter soon. The blemish on her record would be cleaned up, and justice would be served! She coughed into her fist. ¡°I have an answer for that! I have Haunter we will be able to use to investigate the areas within the cliffs. If a base is present, he will indicate where we need to excavate!¡± This got a few surprised murmurs and some approving nods. Jenny released her Haunter and he saluted officially. She liked that about him. He might be all snarky and sassy in private, but in the field, he was a reliable police pokemon! ¡°Where¡¯s the site Haunter? Think you can find the base?¡± He nodded and swung around into the rockface. Jenny turned to the others. ¡°Look around for anything suspicious to help narrow down the search!¡± They began to look around and it wasn¡¯t long before they found bicycle tracks. ¡°They must be getting around on bikes!¡± said one officer dropping to one knee. ¡°Official Poketech speedsters that are moded for off-road or highway cruising! Heh they must have some connections! Those aren¡¯t cheap¡­¡± He then inspected another tie track. ¡°Actually, I take that back only two of these are expensive. One of these bikes is dirt cheap¡­ probably many times secondhand, and judging by these rust flakes, poorly maintained too.¡± Jenny nodded and they followed the tracks over a rocky outcropping to a section of wall that had gravel in front of it. There wouldn¡¯t have been anywhere to leave tracks but while bike tracks came up, they never left. Jenny nodded and spotted a square indent with a boulder badge symbol impressed into it. Ah, she¡¯d been right! An old, decommissioned military base site! She signalled to the others to cordon off the area. She didn''t want the thieves, if they were here, to get away. She was just about to give an order for Kimball to pair up with someone trustworthy when the rock face in front of them swung open like it was a door, and Haunter appeared, grinning widely. "Stop that Pokemon!" cried out a voice within the base. "Send in the detention pokemon!" Jenny shouted as she hurled her Machamp into the cave. she then released her Arcanine to have it at her sides as other officers released Machoke to follow her pokemon in. Cries of surprise and shouts echoed outward. "Champ!" shouted her pokemon as Haunter shot her a thumbs up. All clear given, Jenny marched with a skip in her step. Her eyes swept over the base, instantly locking onto the very obviously stolen police bike. She grinned and looked towards the thieves. Kids faces looked up. she huffed, alright it looked like this was going to be a simple scare them straight¡­ she trailed off as her eyes locked on one of the boys. Forrest blinked back at her, dazed and highly out of place. Kimball walked up next to her and spotted what she''d seen. "Oh well, this is a catch!" he said greasily. Jenny cursed in her head. Damn it, she''d meant to keep her enemies close, not give them rope to use. Forrest shot her a hesitant smile, which she grimly returned. This had just gotten a whole lot more complicated. Chapter 105 - Dealing with trouble Flint went pale when I told him. ¡°Oh no! What happened?!¡± he said. I jerked my head tightly. ¡°No idea, I have Yolanda ready to look after things and Granny Legiga coming over to hold things down here. I¡¯m going to the station.¡± A flicker of hurt emotion appeared on Flint¡¯s face before he straightened up. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡± I felt a momentary flicker of¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what to call it. Surprise, validation, amusement, annoyance? I knew that he would come, expected it. But I still found it surprising? Perhaps I was still getting used to having him around. I jerked my head outside and nodded to Yolanda. ¡°We¡¯ll be back with Forrest soon.¡± She gave me a tight smile. ¡°Yeah, well save some of him for me to tear into! He shouldn¡¯t scare us like this!¡± I snorted and stalked outside to find Flint had already released his Onix. ¡°Climb on!¡± he said. I rolled my eyes and instead flicked out Selene. She appeared and turned to me with a curious tilt of her head. ¡°Forrest is at the police station. Can you get Flint and I there?¡± I said. Flint quickly returned his pokemon with a sheepish cough. Selene bobbed up and down and her eyes glowed before she, for lack of a better word, glitched and reappeared to the side. She shuddered and gave me a glare and warbled her cry. ¡°Luuuuuuuna!¡± she said. I tilted my head before grimacing. I grabbed at my energy, not even realising it had been radiating off me like it had before I tightly compressed it into a ball. Or at least trying to. It felt like it didn¡¯t want to go. Like it was too pressured to be held back. I took in a deep breath and tried again, only to find my control lacking. I let it go, and Selene flinched as it spilled out of me for a moment. Flint also stepped back, surprised. ¡°Brock?¡± I held up a finger and took another breath, ignoring the way the darkness within me had become more powerful with his interruption. ¡°A moment. Please,¡± I bit out. I took another breath and drew it back into my body before cursing under my breath. ¡°Great, just great.¡± I clapped my hands together and exhaled heavily before inhaling quickly and opening my eyes. I found myself staring into Flint¡¯s concerned expression. My brow twitched in annoyance, and I bit back the demand for him to give me room. I dropped the pose and shook my head. ¡°No, alright, I don¡¯t have time for that. I need to get to Forrest and save him from whatever he¡¯s gotten himself into.¡± I waved a hand at Flint, hating myself a little. ¡°Send out your Onix again.¡± Flint gave me a dubious look, and my gaze hardened. He released his pokemon and gave a reproachful look that I ignored as I hopped up onto the Onix¡¯s side before it quickly raced away. I ignored the voice that demanded I simply send out Zephyr and ditch Flint. Zephyr could carry two, but I didn¡¯t want to get cosy with Flint, of all people. Instead, I tried to control the energy that felt like it had suddenly become too potent. A hand in the pocket had me rolling rocks around and feeling their coolness as they clinked and tapped into each other. Flint chose then to speak up. ¡°So I think I can talk with the¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ve burned most of the goodwill you had with your departure Flint,¡± My rock-type energy slipped through my fingers. The energy no longer felt like I was toying with rocks and boulders but a mass of pebbles with something crawling underneath. ¡°As his father¡­¡± he started before trailing off, his jaw working. ¡°How did things get this way?¡± he said. I stared at him. He clenched his eyes shut and nodded slowly, realising what I was implying before he curled up a little on himself. I turned my head and reached into my pocket for the pebbles once more, resisting the urge to throw them at Flint. When we got closer to Pewter City, Lawrence appeared riding on the back of a Tauros. He pulled up level with us with a tight expression. ¡°Brock, got your message. Jenny is sure that Jonathan¡¯s sticking his nose into it?¡± I nodded tightly, and Lawrence cursed. ¡°Friggen dark types, that¡¯s annoying. This should be an open and shut case, with it being at worst a slap on the wrist for the brats before they get dragged around by their parents or relatives¡­ They do have relatives right?¡± Lawrence said shooting me a look. I opened and shut my mouth before shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t exactly talked with Forrest about his friends. I¡¯ve offered to hold sleepovers and parties, but he always declined. So I never met them much.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Flint said incredulously. I stared at him and silently reminded him that he was not one to talk about not knowing his family¡¯s likes, dislikes, or acquaintances. It annoyed me that he wasn''t wrong, though. I had slipped up, and if I had paid more attention, I would have known these details. I knew Yolanda was friends with Crystal because they hung out in the Gym so often, but that was practically gift-wrapped for me. What were the boys¡¯ names that Forrest hung out with? Ren, Stimpy? Snot boy? I had no idea. It hadn¡¯t been an issue in the past. And now suddenly, it was a huge, glaring issue. I pinched my brow and exhaled. "Alright, let¡¯s get in there, make sure Forrest is fine, and then get him out of there.¡± I hopped off the Onix when we got within the region of ¡®no riding¡¯ zone around the police station and started marching forward. This all started with Lance¡¯s declaration. Then people came out of the woodwork trying to have a piece with the audit and getting Team Rocket sniffing around. I¡¯d been so focused on all those issues with running the Gym, finding Flint, and balancing out my family obligations. Also the whole leaving with Ash issue had still been up in the air for a while there. Urgh! I¡¯d had this all managed, it felt like! Flint had come home. Problem solved, only it wasn¡¯t cause I had to deal with him and all the¡­ issues him being home brought with it. I¡¯d mostly handled Ash though¡­ just not the way I¡¯d ever planned to. I¡¯d let Daniel get close to me! In hindsight, he had glaringly large red flags with how he¡¯d acted! I felt like I was building up steam with all the recent issues. Some of them were successful, but I could only categorise some as unmitigated failures on my part. This was already shaping up to be the latter rather than the former. How had I let it get this bad?! ¡°Brock it would probably be a good idea to calm down,¡± Flint said. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly calm, I assure you,¡± I said as I held tight to the darkness that threatened to boil out of me. Lawrence coughed from next to me, jogging to keep up with my long strides that I now realised had just a touch of rock-type energy in them to propel me further. ¡°Brock, you¡¯re angry and you might lash out if things don¡¯t work out well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to lash out unless I have to,¡± I said firmly. Lawrence broke into a run and turned to plant himself in front of me. ¡°Brock! You¡¯re walking in there with a chip on your shoulder and intent. As your lawyer and more importantly, as your friend, I want you to stop! Take a second and calm down!¡± For half a second, I thought about going through him. What was he but a pebble in the way of of¡­ I stopped and stared down at him, realising where my thoughts were taking me. I shut my eyes but that didn¡¯t stop me catching the look of fear that had morphed across his face with how I was looming over him. I took in a breath and focused on something else. Something positive. Forrest was in the police station. Not the hospital¡­ or the morgue. Things weren¡¯t that bad. I didn¡¯t have the answers, and I¡¯d need to talk to Forrest to get them. Talk, not threaten or growl like some beast. Forrest was my brother, and I was just scared for him. I felt my lips twitch for a moment. It was a stretch but it was almost like the scene in the Lion King when Mufasa admitted he was scared. I was scared and lashing out. I let the breath out and found myself much looser. Lighter in both the sense of weight and illumination. I opened my eyes and nodded at Lawrence. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said simply. He took a shuddering breath of his own. ¡°Whew, yeah, no problem. It¡¯s my job to do that¡­ well for both roles actually.¡± He laughed weakly, and I nodded. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said. Lawrence merely nodded. ¡°Right, before we step in there, I imagine you want Forrest out, yeah? We¡¯re going to have to talk with him. Let him tell us the story, and then go from there. I can¡¯t imagine he¡¯s done anything too serious. He¡¯s a good kid; he¡¯s grown up well with you Brock.¡± I gave Lawrence a smile. ¡°Now you¡¯re laying it on a bit thick.¡± ¡°Take the compliment, Brock,¡± Lawrence said before standing up and adjusting his tie. ¡°Now, keep calm and let me do my thing yeah?¡± I nodded and followed Lawrence in. It took a moment to remember Flint was there with how quiet he was being as he walked next to me. I considered saying something but that would go against what Lawrence had said so I kept my mouth shut as Lawrence stormed up to the front doors and opened both doors wide together like he was some cowboy from the wild west films that had been oh so cool once upon a time in my past life. Lawrence stalked into the room with energy like he owned the place. Behind the front desk a grey-haired woman with a her hair done up in a bun glared at him. Her hands twitched towards a pokeball on the barrier. She looked like she wanted to release whatever was in it but held back as Lawrence hadn¡¯t overstepped himself, yet. ¡°Lawrence Wright and family members! Here to pick up Forrest of Pewter City out of holding for interview and¡ª¡± He rattled off a number of things that needed to happen. The receptionist bared her teeth as if she expected him to flee before responding with something about needing to see the necessary paperwork, which Lawrence slapped onto the dividing space. She squinted through her glasses as she assessed it. She flicked through each line, her eyes darting across each line as though expecting some error to leap forth and allow her to reject Lawrence and therefore us entry. ¡°Interrogation room four,¡± she said through clenched teeth. ¡°Has he been formally charged?¡± Lawrence said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, you would need to talk to Officer Jenny who led the raid on the¡­ gang.¡± ¡°That¡¯s as yet to be established!¡± Lawrence riposted. The woman sniffed and slipped out a tray to hold pokeballs. ¡°Please store your pokemon here.¡± I stiffened for a moment before realising that it was a sensible precaution, for all that it rubbed me the wrong way. Lawrence handed his over but held a hand out to me. ¡°Gym Leader privilege,¡± he said to me with a smirk. Then he gave Flint a consoling look. ¡°Current Gym Leaders only, I¡¯m afraid, are allowed to carry their pokemon with them.¡± Flint grimaced and deposited the five pokemon he had on him into the tray. I shot them an idle glance. Did he still have the Onix, Golem, and Sandslash he¡¯d had years ago? I hadn¡¯t seen him use any of them in a while¡­ but then again I didn¡¯t want to spend much time with him if I had to. Plus I was busy¡­ yeah, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t know what pokemon he had. I was just busy with other things. Lawrence nodded at the woman before waving his hand to Flint and I. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± He glided through the police station. Lawrence navigated it with the airs of someone walking a familiar haunt. ¡°Been here before?¡± I asked, unable to stop myself. ¡°Used to intern with another lawyer and ended up working with a lot of criminal cases that ended up here.¡± He glanced back. ¡°Lawyers have a grey reputation Brock, but I made sure I gave anyone I represented their best options.¡± We came upon a long corridor with a number of rooms that had numbers on them while other doors had no numbers. Lawrence walked past room four. Flint paused with a frown only for Lawrence to rip the door open next room four. ¡°Has my client been formally charged?¡± he said loudly as he announced himself. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I thought I heard a curse from the room and when I entered the room and looked around Lawrence I noted that there were three occupants. Two looked like the cliche detectives with suspenders over white shirts while next to them sat Officer Jenny who looked relieved for a moment before a flash of guilt flickered across her features. Then she adopted a stoic mask of professionalism. She stood. ¡°Mr Wright, thank you for arriving. We have not conducted any interrogations due to Forrest¡¯s status as a minor.¡± Her eyes twitched towards the other two in the room. ¡°If you¡¯d like to accompany us as we¡ª¡± Lawrence shot a finger out in objection, cutting her off. ¡°You will allow me and my client¡¯s family to confer first! While this is occurring, I want no one else in this room, and no recordings.¡± Jenny inclined her head and gestured to the other two. ¡°Detectives?¡± I glanced at the wall and realised this was a room looking into the interrogation room in which a miserable-looking Forrest was sitting. Both men swung themselves out of their chairs and grumbled past us. One shot me a look and muttered something about ¡®paying our way out¡¯. I clenched my jaw at that. It felt like something that I would have rejected in the past, but here I was, sweeping in with my lawyer and making demands. Jenny marched us out of the room, turned and locked the room. She then gestured to the other room which she unlocked with a keycard. ¡°You will have time to talk with Forrest.¡± Lawrence nodded cooly and swept into the room with Flint barreling in to wrap Forrest in a hug as my brother rose up. I sighed in relief as I noticed he didn¡¯t have any injuries. ¡°Brock¡­¡± Jenny opened and shut her mouth when I turned towards her. She exhaled and adopted a professional look. ¡°I was doing my job,¡± she said simply. I nodded at her. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said simply. ¡°I get that.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything else and instead moved into the room and shut the door behind me. I had no idea how to even deal with that tangled web of emotions. I liked Jenny for her professionalism. It was a strange world indeed when that professionalism was the thing biting me in the backside. I clapped Forrest on the shoulder, no longer feeling as tense. He looked up at me and then shot his eyes to the floor. ¡°Sorry! I¡­ I¡¯m not sure what was going on! We were just going for a bike ride when they started spray painting a wall and I realised it was them doing it all the time and then we were riding away and they were laughing and¡ª¡± Lawrence clapped his hands, startling Forrest out of his hurried and rather frantic retelling. ¡°Forrest,¡± he said simply. ¡°First off, I am Lawrence Wright, and I look after your brother¡¯s affairs. As he¡¯s the guardian of your family, you fall into that category. Now, everyone in this room, we¡¯re here because we want what¡¯s best for you and we want to help with this. There¡¯s probably a lot more people, but they wouldn¡¯t fit in this room would they? Your¡­ Onix for example?¡± ¡°Heh, yeah,¡± said Forrest wetly before he sat up. ¡°They took my pokeball with him in it!¡± Lawrence nodded. ¡°Standard procedure. We will be getting him back. So before we start getting into the details. Flint, Brock, aren¡¯t we glad Forrest is alright?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Flint and I said together. I stopped standing and moved to take the last seat around the table before reaching across and squeezing Forrest¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be fine little bro.¡± He choked back a wet cough. Lawrence produced a handkerchief that Forrest blew into a few times. When he handed it back Lawrence grabbed it with two pencils that he then used to flick at the wall where the two-way mirror was. It thwacked into it wetly and stuck. Forrest barked a laugh and I realised it was a calculated, and perhaps practised move to make people relax around him. Lawrence smiled easily. "Alright, Forrest, starting from when you left home, I want you to tell me what happened until we got here.¡± He put a notepad in front of himself and sat as though he couldn¡¯t wait to record the tale. Forrest licked his lips and shot Flint and me hesitant looks, only for us both to flash him supportive smiles. ¡°Alright, I had originally been called to come hang out, but I told the guys that I wanted to train with Onix and Dad.¡± Flint got a deliciously guilty expression at this which I had a moment to enjoy before I crushed the emotion. It wasn¡¯t helpful though so I held a neutral expression. ¡°We did that for a bit and I was finishing up with Ash when they came over. I decided to go with them cause I hadn¡¯t hung out with them in a while see?¡± We all nodded. It was perfectly reasonable after all. ¡°We were riding our bikes around and then we passed by this wall that had been painted over. The guys stopped and said something about it being crazy how often they repainted the thing. Which I thought wasn¡¯t as funny as them cause they didn¡¯t do charity work like I sometimes do with the Gym trainers. I said as much and they laughed, and then Bobby pulled out some spray cans and started shaking them up. I asked him what he was doing, and he said putting up his tags; he said it was something he did all the time.¡± Lawrence nodded. ¡°Did you or anyone else tell him to stop?¡± ¡°... not at first. I thought it was a bit funny but not all that serious.¡± Forrest licked his lips. ¡°So, no I didn¡¯t think it was that bad. I was amused that it had been going on so long, but then I remembered that as a Gym trainer, I should be stopping them, so I told them to cut it out.¡± He shifted about in his seat. ¡°They laughed at me, but then I pulled out my pokeball and told them it was serious and not a joke. That made them stop but they were really¡­ they were¡­ kinda of assholes about it.¡± Flint shifted but didn¡¯t say anything. Lawrence raised a hand. ¡°This was the first time you¡¯d witnessed this behaviour from them?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± said Forrest instantly. ¡°I had no idea they were doing it¡­ they had some jokes that talked about putting up tags but I never got the reference.¡± He swallowed as Lawrence made a few notes before prompting Forrest to continue with a polite nod. ¡°Right, so they stopped and started riding off and I wasn¡¯t sure what to do¡­ I guess I was going to report them later. They shrugged it off and said that if I didn¡¯t chill out I wouldn¡¯t get to come to the clubhouse, which I waved off cause I had the Gym which has everything. That got them kind of annoyed and they said their base was cooler and then the said to follow them. We rode out of town a bit to this really big oak tree. Chad pulled out his Drowzee and had it use this move that opened¡­ like a portal.¡± ¡°Secret Power,¡± I said. Lawrence glanced at me with a frown. ¡°The move is Secret Power and is used to create secret spaces that can be used by smugglers,¡± I explained. Flint shot me a look. ¡°It was a move that was used a lot when I was younger and things were¡­ rough,¡± Flint said tightly. I blinked. Oh, Secret Power could be used to make temporary bases or shelters couldn¡¯t it? Huh, that added an interesting angle to the pokemon move that had been little more than a gimmick in the games. Lawrence nodded slowly at that while Forrest stared. Lawrence coughed. ¡°What then?¡± Forrest licked his lips. ¡°They had like this really big space that we could walk around in. They had some ratty old couches that must have been in the dump and also like posters¡­¡± His face went red, and the adults in the room shared knowing glances over what was on said posters. ¡°Anyway! There was this uhm¡­ other thing that caught my attention straight away, which was that they had a police bike there. The one Officer Jenny had stolen from her¡­¡± He chewed his lip. ¡°I started to confront them about it when a Haunter entered the space and opened the portal from our side allowing the police to storm in. It was crazy! One second I was arguing with my friends and then¡­ we were getting tackled by Growlithe and Machoke.¡± Lawrence nodded. ¡°Standard procedure, I¡¯m afraid¡­ Unless they got overly rough with you?¡± Forrest shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve had worse from Aron before. These were hardly that bad, honestly. Bobby started blubbering straight away, and Jenny stalked in looking smug, then she seemed surprised we were all kids, and she got kinda angry.¡± Forrest squirmed in his seat. ¡°Then she saw me and got all quiet. I think she swore, but then the other cops came in and started dragging us away. Then we got transported here, and all our pokeballs got taken from us. They took us to separate rooms and then left me alone until you guys came in¡­ thanks for coming, by the way.¡± I shot him a grin. ¡°Not going to let them do anything with you, little bro.¡± Lawrence nodded. ¡°Quite so, now there is an interesting situation that we can claim by having you state that you were in the midst of arresting or having the boys turn themselves in.¡± ¡°They¡¯re my friends!¡± Forrest said, but there was a fear in his eyes now. Lawrence raised his hands. ¡°Arresting or having them turn themselves in. The second obviously holds lesser sentence. This whole thing is not all that serious.¡± Lawrence waved his hand about. ¡°Youthful indiscretion. No judge would give it serious time in court or entertain it. It¡¯s the police putting fear of the law into these boys. Scaring them straight if you would.¡± Lawrence laced his fingers. ¡°Where it becomes more complicated is with you.¡± Lawrence pointed a finger right at Forrest. ¡°You, Forrest, are the brother of the current Gym Leader.¡± He inclined his head towards me. Forrest face turned red. ¡°But that¡¯s not right! Why would they¡­¡± His face turned pale. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Ah, you are familiar with the¡­ politics of the situation. It doesn¡¯t look good, you see. You being arrested. If however, we claim you were taken in mistakenly while performing your duties, we can sweep a lot of this under the rug. The police won¡¯t have a leg to stand on, and no one can really fault you. This becomes a humorous story around the water coolers and goes no further.¡± ¡°The others won¡¯t get in more trouble? I won¡¯t be selling them out?¡± Forrest said. Lawrence shook his head. Flint shifted but didn¡¯t say anything. I could see the conflict he had in remaining quiet about telling Forrest he should be looking out for himself. I agreed with him but could also see how Forrest would be conflicted. These were apparently his friends, and it could burn a lot of bridges if it wasn¡¯t handled delicately. ¡°Alright, I think I can explain it to them later¡­¡± Forrest spoke slowly. ¡°They¡¯re not going to like it, but they did the wrong thing.¡± Lawrence beamed, and I could almost see the internal relief of ¡®oh thank goodness my young client is seeing reason¡¯. ¡°Excellent, so what we will do is¡ª¡± Someone knocked on the door, and Lawrence stood straight up and marched towards it. He opened it with a scowl. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I am still discussing this situation with my client!¡± he said waspishly. He stood in the doorway firmly, but that didn¡¯t stop me from seeing who was on the other side. ¡°Well, this is a surprise. I didn¡¯t know you were here Lawrence! Not that it matters,¡± said Mayor Jonathan. ¡°Why would I not represent my client, Mayor Jonathan? I¡¯m precisely where I should be! You are the one out of place!¡± Lawrence said testily ¡°Oh now that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. I need to look after the good citizens of Pewter! I hadn¡¯t heard you were in the building is all. Now as to what you were saying, it¡¯s all good and well but this is a serious matter that needs to be handled¡ª¡± ¡°Mayor Jonathan, you have no reason to be involved here, nor do you have any reason to be involved in any criminal process!¡± ¡°Ah? This is a criminal case?¡± Jonathan said leadingly. I bounced my leg as I heard the smug tone. I flicked my eyes toward Forrest as I felt my dark energy slipping. I didn¡¯t want to explode while sitting in the room with him. That wouldn¡¯t help anyone, so I redoubled my control. Lawrence was holding his own anyway. ¡°In the case of the other boys, perhaps, but I think we can work out something with all of them and their parents to make this a lesson. This has nothing to do with you!¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s interesting because I just came from talking with those boys, and they said the most interesting thing. Apparently, this was all your client¡¯s plan, the whole graffiti, or should I say, gang tags, and the theft of a police officer''s means of transportation, thus hindering them in their duties over the course of an entire week?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not really what happened!¡± snapped Lawrence. ¡°This is beyond irregular and I will be pressing charges on this ham-fisted¡ª¡± ¡°Mayor Jonathan!¡± I heard Jenny speaking up as Lawrence began to wind up. She was asking the Mayor to return with her to see the chief of Police while others also spoke up. It sounded like it was getting chaotic out there. I glanced at Forrest and noted how he¡¯d gone an interesting shade of pale green. He¡¯d obviously heard what the Mayor was insinuating. ¡°My man and I have been cleared with their families to act in their interests! I assure you!¡± Jonathan said merrily. ¡°Your man!?¡± said Lawrence with a snarl. ¡°Hello there, little lawyer man! If you could jus¡ª¡± I was out of my seat and surging past a slightly dazed-looking Lawrence. I locked eyes with Will, and the control I¡¯d been straining to maintain on my emotions broke as the realisaiton that Jonathan had brought Will with him. That stunk on so many levels. Will¡¯s eyes dilated as dark energy exploded out of me. I made sure to project the cold darkness straight forward. None of the malice I felt in this moment would touch my family. ¡°You overstep yourself,¡± I said with a snarl, ¡°greatly.¡± The hallway I was in pulsed as shadows crept out. A few feet back from Jonathan and Will, a few police officers reeled at the darkness that roiled about the area. I noted that Officer Jenny was suddenly being nudged back by a Haunter, an Arcanine and a Machamp while she stared at me in shock. The Haunter looked oddly familiar to me, but I dismissed it as irrelevant. I kept my focus on Will. ¡°Mayor Jonathan, as my good friend Lawrence Wright was stating, it is not your prerogative to interrogate people. Particularly children.¡± My eyes stayed on Will, and part of me delighted in how dilated with fear his eyes were. He¡¯d remember this moment as one of the biggest mistakes of his life and I planned it make it a mistake he knew never to repeat. ¡°You have also brought a known psychic-type specialist into a police station. This creates a number of¡­ questions that will need to be asked about proceedings.¡± I looked at the police officers. ¡°This entire case, as it is, seems to have lots of mishandling associated with it.¡± I turned my gaze back onto Will and watched him sweat. He hadn¡¯t known I was in there had he? Had he tried to scry Forrest or see a potential future perhaps? Sabrina had told me how I sometimes appeared out of nowhere to her if she tried that with me. Maybe I was reading into it too much? I doubted it though. Jonathan had been surprised at Lawrence being here. He now looked terrified with my appearance. He¡¯d thought he had a done deal, slam dunk before I¡¯d even made it onto the station. I let a smirk appear. I loved having dark-type energy. ¡°Lawrence, I think we¡¯ll be taking Forrest home right now. If this matter is raised again, then you will have carte blanche on everyone present and the police as a whole.¡± Lawrence didn¡¯t say anything, but I heard him shift back into the room. A few seconds later, I heard a ¡°We¡¯re leaving Flint, Forrest. The police don¡¯t have a leg to stand on.¡± I heard them approach and so reined in my energy. It collapsed back into me, and the room returned to its dull gray as lights suddenly illuminated the space properly. I stepped forward and waved for the others to follow me. When I got to Will I leaned into his personal space. He sucked in a breath, and I didn¡¯t stop myself from smiling at the thrill of pleasure his fear gave me. ¡°If you ever try anything against my family again, I¡¯ll break you. No laws of man or pokemon will stop me.¡± I stared at him and glanced across to Forrest. ¡°If you¡¯re smart, you¡¯ll drop your challenge and rethink your life choices.¡± Will stared at me in shock. He swallowed. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ like me?¡± he whispered. ¡°No, you and I are nothing alike,¡± I replied as I straightened up and nodded to my group to continue to the front desk where we collected our pokemon once more. Lawrence frowned at the front door. ¡°Best not go out the front door¡­¡± he said. I glanced up from watching Forrest check the metrics on his pokeball to spot a number of what looked like cameramen setting up. I huffed in annoyance. ¡°Damn that Mayor. Lawrence let our friend know I¡¯m more than open to my side of the deal, and let¡¯s go to the roof.¡± I drew in my dark energy when we reached the roof. A number of pokemon and three police officers on break eyed us curiously but didn¡¯t challenge us. I had no trouble controlling my dark energy now. Perhaps that little outburst had helped? I released Selene and nodded. ¡°Take us home girl.¡± This time we all vanished in a flash of light. We appeared a few hundred metres shy of the Gym and Selene warbled a defeated tone. I patted her. ¡°Hey, no sweat. I¡¯m asking a lot. Try again please?¡± This time we appeared in the living room. Forrest collapsed into the lounge with a groan. He stared up at the ceiling. ¡°Now what?¡± I nodded and sat down opposite him. ¡°Yeah¡­so about that¡­I¡¯m open to suggestions.¡± I looked at the group at large, just as unsure of what the future would bring. Chapter 106 - Finding the way forward Lawrence coughed delicately. ¡°Would you like to address it now?¡± He glanced around the room with a careful expression. ¡°We can come back tomorrow if you would like?¡± I sucked my teeth for a moment, I¡¯d need to shift some of my matches for tomorrow. Then I could make some calls, maybe get the Guardians to go to work for me. I was about to say just as much to the group only to chastise myself as I started to make plans without considering Forrest. I rolled my head towards the person this would impact the most. ¡°Forrest? Feel up for it now?¡± Forrest grunted. ¡°I think¡­ I think it would be best to do it now while I¡¯m feeling numb to what just happened.¡± He sat up and shook his head. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± He shut his eyes and scrubbed his face. ¡°No, actually I can see them selling me out. Ugh! That¡¯s so messed up!¡± Flint hummed. ¡°Perhaps it''s an indicator that on some level you already knew that they were friends of convenience only.¡± I merely grunted and kept quiet. Forrest looked up to speak, only for the door to slide open and Yolanda to peer in. A look of relief took over her face, and she beamed at Forrest. ¡°Oh, thank goodness you¡¯re alright!¡± She darted over and wrapped him in a hug. She squeezed him tight for a few seconds before releasing him. She stayed within touching distance as she checked him over again. ¡°I might tell the others? They were pretty worried, but they weren¡¯t sure what was wrong. They were a bit tough to get to sleep, but Salvadore is still up.¡± I checked my watch and grimaced. We¡¯d been at the police that long? I glanced at the window and shook my head at the darkness outside. Forrest shook his head at Yolanda. ¡°No, I think I need to have a talk.¡± He glanced at the others. ¡°Sorry, we, need to have a talk.¡± He licked his lips and glanced at me. ¡°What was up with how you reacted when you heard that posh guys voice?¡± I tilted my head and considered. Forrest swallowed. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you so mad or move so¡­¡± he tilted his head. ¡°No actually there was that time Tilly was dancing on the bed and she fell and you were just across the room in an instant to catch her.¡± I shuddered, remembering the incident from when I had just come back from my journey. I¡¯d only just started baby-proofing our home. ¡°I think I broke that bed doing that,¡± I said vaguely. Forrest snorted. ¡°Yeah, you were really quick.¡± Flint¡¯s eyes darted back and forth but Forrest kept watching me. ¡°What was up with that guy that had you acting like that?¡± ¡°That was Will, he¡¯s challenged me to an Ace challenge battle where he intends to use my recent wins to highlight himself as a contender for Elite Four.¡± ¡°Woah? He¡¯s that big a deal?¡± Forrest said. I clicked my tongue. ¡°He wants to be. He¡¯s not yet. He needs to do well first and after today there¡¯s no way I¡¯m doing anything but crushing him.¡± ¡°So he and the mayor shouldn¡¯t have been there?¡± Flint said with a glare towards the window. Lawrence shook his head. ¡°No, while Jonathan is a former public prosecutor, he had no reason, but Will being there was a particularly dangerous insinuation. Will is after all a psychic specialist and I have no doubt he has some psychic abilities.¡± ¡°Like Sabrina?¡± Yolanda said, speaking up. I shook my head. ¡°Sabrina has morals, and she wouldn¡¯t have lurked around the police station unless it was serious and she¡¯d been specifically requested. Jonathan having Will there was a threat. That or they thought they could get to you and pressure you before you had a chance to speak with us.¡± ¡°He looked surprised when I answered the door. He had been pulling out a key as if to open it,¡± Lawrence said. ¡°He also reacted very harshly when you¡­¡± Lawrence licked his lips. ¡°What did you do back there Brock? I didn¡¯t see you release a pokemon? Do you have a ghost pokemon in your shadow?¡± He eyed my shadow I shook my head as the others suddenly looked worried. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been able to do¡­ well not for ages, but I¡¯ve always had the fundamentals to do it.¡± ¡°What, are you talking about?¡± Yolanda said, glancing at Forrest and Flint for answers. Forrest perked up. ¡°He was all rawr! Like he was standing in front of us all like they would have to get through him to get to us! That Will guy was really freaked out!¡± Yolanda nodded slowly, but it was obvious she didn¡¯t understand. Lawrence continued to eye me thoughtfully from his perch on the couch. Flint squinted at me. ¡°You¡¯re dark type attuned?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Yeah, I have it and Rock type. It¡¯s what Titan taught me to use.¡± Flint got a surprised look. ¡°Two energies? That¡¯s¡­ incredible. I encountered people¡­ well when I was younger that had access to just one!¡± He shook his head. ¡°They were all incredible people!¡± Yolanda perked up. ¡°Oh? Old friends? You never have people over. Where are they?¡± Flint grimaced as a shadow passed over his eyes. ¡°They¡¯re not with us anymore¡­ they were priority targets during the war¡­¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Yolanda said eloquently. I stared at Flint. Sometimes, with how suppressed discussion of the war was, it was hard to remember that Flint¡¯s generation would have been smack bang in the middle of it. ¡°You have Rock-typed energy don¡¯t you?¡± I said, leading the conversation away from the depressing line of inquiry it had been shunted onto. Flint waggled his hand. ¡°Only a little, I¡­ I was trying my hand at it and have been trying to develop it while I was away. I have a bit of a handle on it.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said noncommittally. ¡°I¡¯ll need to talk with you about that later, you¡¯re aware of the effects it can have though?¡± Flint huffed. ¡°Of course I am!¡± he said with the air of one that thought they had it well handled. I merely hummed and pushed it to the side. I¡¯d been in a similar state of mind with regards to my energy. That I had a good handle on it. And then tonight had shown me that no, I really didn¡¯t. I¡¯d need to talk with him as well as put in some work on it. I shook my head. ¡°Right well, again we¡¯re getting sidetracked. Lawrence, I¡¯d suggest not making any inquiries about it as it is a delicate topic that has holdovers from the war.¡± I glanced at Yolanda and Forrest. ¡°You¡¯re a bit too young to try your hands at it. I¡¯d suggest forgetting about it for now unless you plan to pursue pokemon training to a very high level where it can help.¡± Both of them gained very interested looks, and I chuckled, realising that if anything, I''d fed their interest rather than dampen it. I waved a hand at them. ¡°Later, We can talk about it later. Right now, we need to talk about what we¡¯re going to do to help Forrest out.¡± Yolanda nodded and moved away from Forrest to claim her own seat. I tilted my head before shrugging. She was more than mature enough for this discussion. I held in the smirk. In some ways, she was more mature than¡­ I grimaced. Yeah, it was not a good time to think that considering how things had played out. I sighed and looked at Lawrence. ¡°So, Jonathan and the Police can''t raise any protest due to having Will there like that.¡± Lawrence¡¯s face was set in stone. ¡°If I¡¯d had half a clue that Will was there and that he could read minds... Urgh! I even saw him at the party and saw him come in. I dropped the ball on that one.¡± Lawrence ran a hand through his mohawk. ¡°Sorry Brock if I¡¯d been on my game I would have made the connection and sued on the spot.¡± I opened my mouth to forgive him, only for Lawrence to perk up. ¡°Wait! I still can sue them for you!¡± He grinned like a Mightyena on the scent of a weakened Tauros calf. ¡°It would even be in our best interest to do it!¡± I hummed and rubbed my chin. ¡°That¡­ well seems a bit cliche.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cliche because it works! They overstepped themselves, and if we set the state of events and control the tempo we might get to file for a more lenient judge!¡± he stood and nodded firmly. ¡°It¡¯s one of the first things we should do! I don¡¯t want them controlling any aspect of this!¡± Part of me squirmed at the ¡®sue them¡¯ option while the majority of me had me opening my mouth. ¡°Screw it. Sue em, you¡¯re right.¡± Lawrence looked like all his Christmases had come at once. Flint had a look of distaste that I ignored. Just as I ignored that part that agreed with him. I just¡­ didn¡¯t want to agree with him! ¡°That¡¯s not going to make things calm down though, is it?¡± Forrest said quietly. Lawrence lost his bloodthirsty smile in an instant and adopted a careful expression. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not going to calm anything down. The situation will be¡­ delicate.¡± he settled for. ¡°There will be a lot of attention on your family due to this.¡± He nodded his head. ¡°You in particular, Forrest.¡± Forrest sunk into the couch, his eyes stared off into the distance as he processed that. For a long moment, no one spoke before he nodded. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair considering I messed up.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t mess up.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault,¡± I said only to realise Flint had also spoken up. I didn¡¯t share a look with him this time and instead kept my gaze on Forrest as he looked up at us both. It took me a moment to realise we¡¯d both moved. When had that happened? Now we were standing side to side next to him. ¡°I did though¡­ I got suckered into hanging out with people that were using me.¡± ¡°Using you?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Have they done something else?¡± Forrest sighed. ¡°I think I accidentally told them where the cameras are in the gym that face outwards. They might have always been planning to do something¡­ hopefully just ¡®tag¡¯ the Gym.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. ¡°That would explain how they got so close to the Gym and how they made sure to not face any cameras when they were too close to not be on camera.¡± ¡°That¡¯s on them! Not on you!¡± Yolanda said firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself for them!¡± I nodded but Forrest shook his head. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I have the best judgment in people¡­ or just good judgment in general.¡± He waved a hand towards Yolanda. ¡°I mean, I gave up a chance at a Pseudo-legendary!¡± Yolanda opened her mouth and held up a finger before shaking her head. ¡°This and that aren¡¯t the same thing!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they?¡± Forrest said tightly. ¡°I¡¯m obviously an idio¡ª¡± ¡°They¡¯re not,¡± I said cutting in before it could become an argument or he could beat on himself more. ¡°Forrest. Your reasoning for not taking Terra was a decision that I thought had a lot of good reasoning behind it. I actually respected you more for making that call.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Flint glanced between us, not understanding what we¡¯d meant. I didn¡¯t choose to fill him in and instead ploughed on. ¡°Anyway, we have to allow ourselves the right to be wrong sometimes otherwise we are stubborn stagnant people. Growing mostly comes from failing our way forwards.¡± I put a hand on my chest. ¡°I hired Daniel, Forrest. That is a mistake I¡¯m not going to forget in a long, long time. It had the potential to go very poorly. But it didn¡¯t, just like your situation didn¡¯t go all the way bad like it could have. We can both learn from our mistakes.¡± Forrest smiled. ¡°Thanks that¡­ helps?¡± ¡°I think you don¡¯t have much to worry about Forrest,¡± Flint said patting his own chest. ¡°You¡¯re still a long way off reaching the lows I reached with my own choices. Brock is right. You¡¯re going to be alright, there¡¯s just going to be some rough patches coming up because of what happened.¡± Lawrence coughed. ¡°I have some suggestions for that as matter of fact.¡± We turned to him. He raised a finger. ¡°So firstly, we can continue as things stand and ignore the flak this causes. Those parents and Jonathan will probably be running damage control, which will involve some whispers I have no doubt. Especially with the social circle always with an ear out for any juicy rumours. They won¡¯t care if it¡¯s true, they just care if its salacious. There will also be some magazines that print some things so expect a few hits there regardless.¡± ¡°A lie can run a lap around the world before the truth has a chance to get its boots on,¡± I said from memory. Lawrence nodded and pointed at me. ¡°Precisely so. They won¡¯t get to smear you through any official channels and anything said will be conjecture. Anything beyond that? I¡¯ll be on them faster than a champion Pidgeot at the races.¡± Forrest nodded slowly. ¡°Is there any other options?¡± ¡°You could probably make yourself scarce for a while,¡± Lawrence said carefully, his eyes flicking from Flint to myself. ¡°Without you around, the rumours and muckraking will probably only last half as long. It will also give you time to work through all of this.¡± ¡°Like¡­ on a journey?¡± Forrest said thoughtfully. Lawrence nodded. ¡°That would work well, or perhaps joining the Rangers for a stint. More than a few young men and women run into trouble and choose a distant base to work at to escape awkward situations that have arisen at home.¡± Yolanda shifted. ¡°But¡­ we only just got Dad back¡­¡± She swallowed and I pivoted to deal with the new issue. ¡°Hey, hey, Forrest isn¡¯t going to abandon us.¡± Flint stiffened from where he¡¯d been about to join me on consoling Yolanda. He rubbed the back of his head and gained a downcast look. Yolanda didn¡¯t see Flint¡¯s reaction as she stared at the ground. ¡°Yeah, yeah! I know, It¡¯s just it feels like every time things get better for us¡­¡± she wiped at her eyes. ¡°Sorry! I¡¯m being a silly girl!¡± she said. I frowned. ¡°You¡¯re never silly, and a girl has nothing to do with it,¡± I said firmly. I turned and gave Forrest a pointed look. ¡°No! You¡¯re not! It¡¯s just that it might be best for us if I didn¡¯t hang around. Plus, it¡¯s not like we were all going to stick around. This is the journey I was always bound to take but had been delaying cause Brock needed me to help out!¡± I didn¡¯t point out that I barely needed that after the first year. Most of the said help came in the form of Surge as well but decided not to voice that thought. Recent events had shown that it might have been better to send Forrest out into the world on a journey earlier but as Yolanda had said, I¡¯d been hesitant to split the family up earlier. That, and my own hubris in thinking I knew what would be best. ¡°The other option is paying things off¡­ but¡ª¡± Lawrence started to say only to stop as I glared at the ground before pinching the brow of my nose. I inhaled. Oh how the world changes when the shoe is on the other foot. I worked my jaw and inhaled before exhaling slowly. ¡°How much would that¡ª¡± I started to ask only for Forrest to stand and stomp his foot. ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to be that kind of person! I don¡¯t want to make you that sort of person either!¡± I nodded at him, pleased at that and oddly glad that he didn¡¯t want me reaching into that poisoned option. Instead he¡¯d rejected it out of hand. I then gave Lawrence a sly grin. ¡°So more than fifty pokedollars for him?¡± Forrest stared as Lawrence snorted loudly at my poor attempt at humour. He then cast a critical gaze at Forrest before winking. ¡°He¡¯s worth at least a hundred.¡± Forrest stuck his nose up. ¡°Urgh! I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m worth way more!¡± I chuckled and rolled my shoulders around. ¡°Alright, so¡­¡± I stared into Forrest eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to go on a journey?¡± He nodded and I sat back down. ¡°Right¡­ alright.¡± I laced my hands together and gave him a serious look as an¡­ idea came to mind. ¡°You should probably go with a group.¡± Flint inhaled sharply. ¡°He is not going to be gallivanting around with those two-faced punks that called themselves his friends!¡± Forrest swallowed and nodded. ¡°Yeah, that doesn¡¯t sound like a good idea Brock. I don¡¯t think I should be near them right now. I¡¯d probably beat them up or try to.¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯d definitely beat them up if you got into a fight little bro,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°None of those kids have worked out with geodude or onix or even Rhyhorn like you have. You¡¯re worth a hundred of those boys.¡± Forrest blushed, but he sat a bit taller. I sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, my success is not something that I should ignore. I have had more than enough incidences of people attempting to steal from me or attacking my interests to learn my lesson.¡± I inclined my head. ¡°You are my brother,¡± I said with weight and let him grasp the depth of what that meant. ¡°That comes with perks, but as you learned tonight, it has its own downsides. Some of these are, for instance, that you shouldn¡¯t be sent out into the wild on your own. You¡¯re far too tempting a target. It¡¯s why I have people looking out for¡­ our mother,¡± I said, the words tearing out of my throat. Yolanda, Flint and Forrest all blinked in surprise. I shifted, uncomfortable with the looks I was receiving. It had been a spur of the moment thing, but I¡¯d still set it up with the same group that protected my cave of diamonds. I pushed aside the feelings I had about the whole¡­ Lola issue and instead continued to speak, ¡°She is potentially in danger with people no doubt looking into her and if a group like Team Rocket were to get hold of her¡­¡± Forrest and Yolanda went pale. I glanced at Flint only to find him shaking his head and smiling. ¡°Ah, actually your mother is a bad example of that. If anyone were in danger, it would be the people attempting to kidnap her.¡± Lawrence tilted his head. ¡°How so?¡± Flint shifted and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not my story to tell. Just trust me when I say she can handle herself¡­ she¡¯s not in danger. If push comes to shove¡­ she is the danger.¡± I stared at him and felt my brow twitch. ¡°You¡¯ll find I really can¡¯t just accept it as easily as that Flint,¡± I ground out. Flint shook his head. ¡°I only poked into it a little but she can handle herself. We met during the war, and it wasn¡¯t me saving her, that¡¯s all I¡¯ll say.¡± I rubbed at my forehead. Alright, that opened up so many questions. Perhaps it was time to open the files the Guardians had on Flint and Lola. It seemed like it would be much more educational than I anticipated. I¡¯d deliberately ignored those files in the past¡­ ¡°Right, well.¡± I shook my head and got us back on track. ¡°Forrest can¡¯t be sent off on his own. Pokemon thieves alone will be a threat to him looking to use him to get to him or just outright expecting him to have rare pokemon.¡± Forrest nodded, his focus shifting away from Flint and back to me even as Yolanda shot Flint a penetrative stare that he fidgetted under. ¡°Alright, but¡­ I still don¡¯t trust the guys and I don¡¯t know anyone else¡­ or were you going to call one of the sponsored kids back?¡± He said while fidgeting. I hummed. ¡°That¡¯s another option, but I have another.¡± I sat forward and grinned at him. ¡°Want to hang out with Misty from Cerulean a bit more?¡± Forrest blushed furiously even as he got a smile on his face. Yolanda sighed before giggling as Forrest rubbed his nose. Now I just had to talk with Misty and Ash and get them to agree. I¡¯d probably also need to give Forrest some stronger pokemon and get him a small boost to his holding capacity, but those wouldn¡¯t be issues. Just busy work that I could knock out before bed. ¡°Forrest and Misty sitting in a tree!¡± singsonged Yolanda all of a sudden. ¡°K, I, S, S, I, N, G!¡± I laughed as Yolanda teased Forrest, with him unable to mount a serious response. It felt like things were slotting into place. Like a strange puzzle piece, I hadn¡¯t known where to place had settled home. I stood and clapped Forrest on the shoulder. ¡°Right, well I¡¯ll go talk to them now.¡± I pointed to Yolanda and Flint. ¡°You both need to make sure he packs his gear up and has enough socks and underwear! You can never have enough underwear!¡± I said casually as I left Forrest to his fate. I signalled Lawrence to follow me. ¡°Make sure the police and Jonathan get what¡¯s coming to them. Will should never have been allowed in there.¡± Lawrence nodded at the reminder before looking me over. ¡°You alright?¡± I nodded before shaking my head. ¡°Yes in some ways, no in others. I think this is going to sting for a while.¡± Lawrence clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re making the most of a shit situation for your family. I think Forrest will come out of this stronger.¡± Then he smirked. ¡°You¡¯re just going to come out of it richer.¡± I grunted. ¡°Donate anything we earn to the police widows, the Rangers, and the orphans. I don¡¯t want money¡­ at least not earned that way.¡± Lawrence nodded, a curious smile on his face that made me tilt my head as I walked into the Gym. ¡°What? What¡¯s with that look?¡± ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just, you¡¯re still the aww shucks guy.¡± I snorted at him and huffed but looked away to scratch my cheek. He nodded, chuckling to himself. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± He then broke off when we reached the arena. I made for the trainer area and temporary lodging we had. I knocked on Ash¡¯s door and stood back. The door opened to reveal a sleepy Ash while Misty blearily watched on from her bed on the bottom bunk. ¡°Gym Leader Brock?¡± Ash said sleepily. Then his whole body jolted. ¡°Ah! No! Did I sleep through my alarm again and miss our match!?¡± He turned as if to lunge back into the room for his pokebelt. He leapt up onto the top bunk and caused it to jolt Misty in the bottom bunk bed. ¡°Ash! What gives?¡± she said sitting upright and shaking off the sleep fully while reaching for a nearby pokeball. I hummed, pleased at her reactions, as Ash reappeared in front of me, still in his pyjamas but obviously ready to fight. ¡°Ah, no,¡± I said confused for a moment before I remembered that Ash had in fact done so on his first day as a trainer, which had resulted in Oak giving him Pikachu¡­ which was actually not the case but regardless¡­ I shook my head again to clear it from the stray thoughts. ¡°No, I have had something personal happen, and I think you might be able to help out. It¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Ash said without a moment¡¯s hesitation. I stared at him, amused at his reaction. ¡°You don¡¯t know what I¡¯m about to ask.¡± I pointed out reasonably. ¡°What if it¡¯s shovelling the onix¡¯s leavings?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯m a man of my word!¡± he said as Pikachu shot him a worried look. Ash licked his lips. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not that though¡­ is it?¡± he said, obviously hoping for a different answer. ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± I said, amused as he sighed in relief. On the bottom bed, Misty groaned in exasperation. I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re on your journey right? I need my little brother to¡­ well experience more of what life has to offer and mature. I think I¡¯ve caused a bit of a stir of late, so much so I don¡¯t think sending him off on his own would be a good idea. Can he journey with you?¡± ¡°Sure?¡± Ash said. Behind him, Misty tilted her head before a look of realisation occurred. ¡°Is it that risky for him?¡± she said. I hummed and shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t expect so but I¡¯ve been bitten a bit too much lately to not have a precaution in place. I¡¯d feel better if he went with people I knew were of sound character.¡± Ash puffed his chest up. ¡°No problem! I¡¯ll look after him and teach him all that I know!¡± I nodded slowly, glancing at Misty who was facepalming. When she looked up she mouthed ¡®it won¡¯t take long¡¯ to me. I chuckled at their antics but then adopted a straighter pose. I then bowed my head to them. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate it greatly.¡± I held it for a moment and enjoyed Ash spluttering in surprise while Misty stiffened. I stood and shot them a smile before jerking a thumb over my shoulder. ¡°I know that you Ash were going to challenge me tomorrow but if you want I can make an exception and also give you a slot Misty?¡± I was already lumping my brother with them. Misty blinked. ¡°Eh?¡± I blinked, realising I¡¯d misstepped. I¡¯d just said it because there was the two of them, but Misty had never challenged the Gyms during the cartoon had she? She tilted her head and seemed somewhat agreeable to the idea now that it had been offered to her though. She smiled and shook her head. ¡°No¡­ I have decided that I¡¯m going to challenge my sisters for my first badge.¡± She stood and punched out in front of herself. ¡°I¡¯m going to come for your badge last Brock! Prepare yourself for me at the Elite level!¡± Ash stared at Misty. ¡°Who are you and what did you do with Misty?¡± he said cluelessly. I chuckled as Misty shot him a furious look. I raised a hand and calmed Misty, saving Ash from a beating it seemed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look forward to that then.¡± I then glanced at Ash. ¡°Don¡¯t think that doesn¡¯t mean I won''t be expecting the same from you later this circuit. You both will only get one shot at the Elite challenge regardless if you take the lower tier badge now.¡± ¡°Pi! Pikachu!¡± said Pikachu as he hopped onto Ash¡¯s shoulder and joined Ash and Misty in shooting me a determined look. His cheeks sparked with lightning. ¡°Chuuuuu!¡± I stared at them. ¡°Huh, I think you guys will go far.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°You¡¯d really depart without the badge?¡± I said to Misty. ¡°I¡¯ll come back! Like the hero did in the story with his first Gym challenge!¡± she said firmly. I chuckled, someone must have told her the myth. It sort of tracked if you rotated the starting position as Cerulean instead of the Viridian forest. I nodded, liking the symbolism. ¡°Well alright then. I¡¯ll be looking forward to your challenge Misty from Cerulean.¡± I looked back to Ash. ¡°Get your sleep, you have another few hours till your match with me.¡± Ash grinned, and Misty beamed at me. I nodded at them. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Forrest the good news.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll win and then leave straight away!¡± Ash shouted, only for another door to open and a sleepy-looking Rocko to stare out. ¡°Little man, it¡¯s eleven o¡¯clock go to bed!¡± He then shut the door firmly as Ash grimaced. I chuckled and left them to return to bed. Tomorrow would bring a lot of changes it seemed. I hoped they''d be changes for the better. Chapter 107 - The Pewter Badge farewell! When the morning rolled around and my alarm went off it took a moment to sit up and to parse what had happened and how things were going to change. It would really only be small changes but it would still be meaningful. I got out of bed, ran through my morning routine, only to pause in front of the mirror. I stared at myself. I had a sudden, incongruous feeling that I should be older. With wrinkles and crow''s feet, with sleep bags from stress. Instead, a youthful face stared back at me through thin eyes. Huh. I hadn¡¯t had this feeling for a long, long time. Not since the early years when I¡¯d just accepted that this wasn¡¯t all some strange dream and that I was in fact a child once more. I sighed and leaned my head against the cold mirror. With everything that had happened, I suddenly felt old. Like only someone that was old could be this tired. I shut my eyes. I had a lot on my plate but that shouldn¡¯t excuse the issue of letting my family not be my priority. Why had I¡­ I sighed. I¡¯d taken a step back so that Flint could come in. I¡¯d turned my attention to the Gym and Sabrina. That¡­ it didn¡¯t seem to be wrong. I couldn¡¯t fault it even with how things had played out. It was still awkward spending time with Flint and having him suddenly in so many roles that I was used to filling with the kids¡­ it had me annoyed and frustrated. So I had stepped back and given him space. It had honestly felt like a good thing. Like I could take a breath myself as I suddenly became able to have more time. Time for me and Sabrina to actually go out. Time to spend training with my pokemon. Time to just laze about. Why was it that you could make all the right moves¡­ and then still come up short? Life was strange and sometimes even cruel like that. I huffed, Forrest wasn¡¯t hurt¡­ or Arceus forbid¡­ worse¡­ but he was in a less than ideal situation. Things had happened and then I would have to work with them. I couldn¡¯t go back and change time. ¡­ I squinted and rubbed my chin¡­ well wasn¡¯t there that one movie¡­ I shook my head. No! Don¡¯t mess with time! That was how so many bad things happened! I tilted my head, well not more than I had already by existing at least. I shook my head. These were the sort of thoughts that really didn¡¯t lead anywhere. I couldn¡¯t change things and I needed to move on. I got changed and marched out of my room only to find Yolanda and Forrest waiting for me expectantly. ¡°Laaaaaaaaaaar,¡± yawned Terra in a sleepy greeting. I nodded to the little Larvitar before eying Yolanda and Forrest. ¡°Morning you two. Forrest, I got Misty and Ash to agree to group up with you for traveling. They also know to watch out for anyone that might try and take advantage or put you in danger.¡± I jerked my chin towards the reserve. ¡°I think I¡¯d like to set you up with one of the stronger pokemon though. Make sure you have something like an Ace up your sleeve if you need it.¡± ¡°Can I have Challenger?¡± Forrest said quickly. I paused and considered him. ¡°Challenger?¡± I said tilting my head. ¡°I would have thought¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been working with her a fair bit and I think she suits me the most of the stronger pokemon.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad choice.¡± I flicked my eyes to Yolanda. ¡°So you were both waiting for me I take it?¡± I prompted. Yolanda nodded. ¡°There was a lot of secrets that were mentioned last night! You can bet your pokedollar I¡¯ll be talking with dad later about Mum but you also were talking about something that you''ve mentioned a bit!¡± She pointed right at my face. ¡°Dark energy and Rock Energy! What gives! Don¡¯t try and dissuade me! I want to be a strong trainer!¡± I hummed, amused at how serious she was being. I flicked my eyes to find Forrest just as interested and nodding along with Yolanda. ¡°Hmmmm. Alright,¡± I said easily. I jerked my head to the side. ¡°Forrest will have it a bit rougher being on the road with this but he can still learn the foundation step. It takes the longest after all, but he has the requirements.¡± I glanced down at Terra in Yolanda¡¯s arms. ¡°You both do now.¡± I led them out to the reserve and from there down to Titan¡¯s cave. I pointedly didn¡¯t use a torch or turn on any of the lights to walk through the darkness. I could literally feel Yolanda vibrating with excitement as we got closer to Titan¡¯s area. I whistled as I approached, announcing us. When we got there Titan yawned hugely only to blink when Yolanda and Forrest walked in. behind him, on his small stone alcove, Bertha waved disinterestedly. Titan hissed as Terra glanced at Bertha in confusion. I could see the instant Titan realised that his little sister had come into ¡®his house¡¯ and caught him snuggling up to Bertha. His mind short-circuited as instincts clashed. He leaned back over his ¡®bed¡¯ and pushed Bertha off the edge, causing her to drop into a small gap and vanish from sight. There was a loud ¡®whump¡¯ as she hit the ground. Terra tilted her head even further. ¡°Tar?¡± she said, unsure what was going on. ¡°Rhhhhhhhhhh!¡± growled Bertha as she rose up from the other side of the rocky outcropping I could see her eyebrows twitching in annoyance. Titan glanced from her to Terra with an apologetic look only for Bertha to raise a fist and leap the divide. I led my siblings and Terra back out to give them room. Yolanda flinched when a loud impact echoed through the caves. ¡°What happened?!¡± she said spooked. I blinked for a second, remembering that while Titan and I could see each other, everyone else had no idea what was going on. Bertha probably thought Titan was being weird, kicking her out of bed like he had. I reached over and switched on a set of lights. It illuminated the room and revealed Titan being bonked on the head by Bertha who paused to stare at us. Terra waved and clapped her little hands before barking a question. Bertha sniffed and stuck up her nose before bonking Titan on the head again much to Terra¡¯s amusement. She then hastily marched out of his cave to get some more sleep. Yolanda watched her go in amusement while Forrest tilted his head. ¡°Can someone explain that to me?¡± he said plaintively. I coughed. ¡°Matters of gentlemanly behaviour and waking up surprised leading to poor life choices,¡± I said as though that explained anything. Yolanda giggled, obviously a bit more aware of what had played out from the context, while Forrest just scratched his head. ¡°Uhhhh sure?¡± he just said while Titan rubbed at his head sheepishly. I coughed. ¡°Sorry about that buddy but I need your help to teach something important to Yolanda and Forrest.¡± Titan tilted his head and I smiled. ¡°They¡¯re curious about aura,¡± I said causing him to blink in surprise. He turned and sniffed at them before rubbing his scaly chin in thought. Then he shot me a look before shrugging. He then settled down into his meditation pose and snorted. With a gesture a trio of rocks rose from the ground and offered themselves up to my siblings and I. I hopped up onto them and turned back to Forrest and Yolanda. ¡°Sit down and get comfortable. Forrest you should release Onix and have him listen in to this as this is a partner exercise.¡± Onix emerged with a loud yawn before squinting and looking around. When he spotted Titan he stiffened up only for Forrest to pat him comfortingly. ¡°Hey buddy, we¡¯re going to learn something new today. This is training that is going to take a while apparently.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Actually, if done right this training is something that you will be doing for the rest of your lives.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Forrest said as he and Onix blinked in surprise. I raised a hand and coughed to indicate I wanted to speak freely. ¡°The world we live in is one of wonder and excitement. With that comes a lot of potential. This can be good and bad, natural or even unnatural. One of the natural forces of our world is that of Aura. If you study anything with pokeball design or storage space design, there is a huge amount of technical understanding. At least, from what I¡¯ve read on the subject. Those are the scientific and technological developments, however.¡± I clenched my fist and suffused it with Rock energy. ¡°The natural aspect of aura is that it is within us all. It helps us be stronger, faster, and more capable in a lot of different ways. It can also be attuned.¡± I swept my hand through the rock I was sitting on to slice through it without a hint of resistance. ¡°There are currently seventeen accepted and public pokemon types. I know there are actually at least eighteen. They are Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic, Flying, Rock, Ground, Bug, Ice, Dragon, Ghost, Fighting, Normal, Dark, Steel, Poison, and Fairy. All of these interact with each other in often conflicting or supportive roles depending on what you¡¯re trying to achieve. What I want you to know though is that it is possible to use the aura that is part of all of us and attune it to one, or more of these types.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Rock and Dark?¡± Yolanda said, looking from me to Titan with a thoughtful look. When I nodded she tilted her head. ¡°It has something to do with your starter then?¡± I made a so-so gesture with my hand. ¡°Your starter pokemon will influence it or have a chance to. It depends. Technically, there is no reason you have to be limited to one or two. It is just a matter of the time it takes to develop these skills. I¡¯ve only just started to get a good enough handle on Rock and Dark type and that was with years of working with Titan to feel out the energy that is always within him and trying to shift my own energy to match it.¡± Forrest nodded slowly. ¡°How do you do that?¡± I smiled at him. ¡°The first step is something I already taught you.¡± Forrest tilted his head and frowned. Yolanda rubbed Terra¡¯s head as she started to squirm about. I made a gesture and she handed Terra to me. Only for me to hand Terra over to Titan to with a smirk. ¡°The build up¡­¡± Forrest said steadily, like he was probing the path to make sure it wasn¡¯t about to crumble underfoot. I nodded encouragingly and he straightened up. ¡°The build up of attacks or pokemon moves. We have our pokemon keep building up the energy for certain moves and we¡­ get used to it?¡± I nodded again. ¡°Correct!¡± I gestured to Onix and Forrest. ¡°Rock Polish is an easy one to use for Rock typed moves. Dark Type have moves like Dark Pulse that can be held until they are discharged.¡± I looked to Titan. ¡°The first step is making sure you can feel the energy.¡± I held up a hand. ¡°Get used to it and then test yourself with other types of energy. I trialled my water types and fighting types and even normal types with feeling out the various energies.¡± ¡°Why other energy types?¡± Yolanda said as she watched Titan lift a claw and have Terra track it as he darted it back and forth. I sighed. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t work it out straight away but one of the ways to work out how far one energy type goes is to compare it to different energies. It allows you to determine the edges of where one type ends and another might begin or overlap.¡± ¡°Overlap?¡± Yolanda said, jumping on what I¡¯d said. I huffed. ¡°Certain aura types will embody certain characteristics. Rock Type energy for example can make your strong and give you a strong defense against physical attacks but this is not unique to just Rock Types. Steel types might be the same. It can also impact your personality with such things as being more stoic, more stubborn.¡± ¡°What about dark type?¡± Yolanda said now watching me carefully. ¡°It can make you more vengeful or make you more able to see in the dark, something that¡¯s very useful for a lot of spelunking. It also makes you immune to psychic types if you want.¡± Forrest stiffened and shot me a glance. Ah, he would find that attractive wouldn''t he? With the threat of Will announced to him? ¡°Is Will one of these aura users?¡± he said tightly I hummed in consideration. ¡°Yes, psychic energy is another aspect of aura remember?¡± I tapped my temple. ¡°Some people are simply born more aware of their abilities. People born with Psychic talent might become aware of people¡¯s thoughts, or feelings for instance. Grass types will be able to grow greater gardens or raise healthy families. Water types can heal from wounds or be amazing swimmers, Fire types can sometimes emit a burst of fire or be entirely immune to heat.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Those are some examples that I can think of, I¡¯m a Rock-Dark type so there will be nuances to their types just as there are nuances with mine.¡± Both Yolanda and Forrest considered this for a while before Forrest spoke up. ¡°So¡­ we just meditate with our pokemon to learn this? How come everyone isn¡¯t a master at this?¡± scoffed Forrest. ¡°Cause¡­¡± Yolanda eyed Titan before looking back to me. ¡°A lot of people don¡¯t know it exists¡­ and like you said, it took you years right Brock? So it can¡¯t be easy¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°More the latter than the former but yes. This is not a short journey. Just sensing the energy is going to take you ages. My advice if you want to pursue this and have it available to you before you¡¯re twenty or thirty years of age? Make a habit of doing it everyday for an hour. Or at least surrounding yourself with one type of energy with a few select pokemon.¡± I gestured around. ¡°Rock was pretty easy for me. Some energy types will come more naturally to others, I¡¯d suspect Rock might be yours due to being surrounded by it for so long but that doesn¡¯t mean it has to be that way, it¡¯s just that odds are your environment and the starter you have will influence your aura.¡± Forrest and Yolanda nodded and turned to their starter pokemon. Titan handed Terra back to Yolanda. ¡°I¡¯ll show you how Titan and I practise.¡± Titan huffed and shifted himself. I licked my lips in preparation. ¡°Rock tail, dark head. Spines Rock!¡± I started to say hurriedly as Titan shifted the energy around himself. When I got it wrong¡ªsomething that had started to take longer and longer these days¡ª he stopped and wagged a finger at me. Then he restarted the game at a slower pace. After ten minutes my mind hurt, as I shook of the strange flexing I had been forced to perform with testing so quickly. It wasn¡¯t a new skill but it was still a difficult skill to train. ¡°That,¡± I said while rubbing my temples, ¡°is something that took Titan and I roughly five years to get to.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t seem that hard?¡± Forrest said only for me to chuckle. ¡°I was trying to mirror him with the energy. So when I detected the energy and location I had to put the same type in the same spot on my body while saying it.¡± Yolanda nodded thoughtfully as I turned to Forrest. ¡°Take one of the evolution stones we have, and some of the Hard rock and soft sand that Flint might have. Those are examples of natural deposits of rock or earth that have types suffused through them. But again, you won¡¯t get anywhere with this trying to sprint. It is slow and steady. Trade out the evolution stones occasionally.¡± When Forest opened his mouth to protest I raised a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want you taking more than one. You¡¯re already a potential target being my brother. Giving you items worth a lot of money is just asking for more trouble.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I sat back and rolled my shoulders. I chewed my lip as I considered if there was anything else that I needed to say to him. When something stood out I flicked my eyes between Yolanda and Forrest. I shot Yolanda a look that made her blink. ¡°Oh! I think I might go help dad make breakfast!¡± she said suddenly. I shot her a thankful look as she bowed to Titan and then marched back off. As she trudged off up the cave with her transceiver acting as her light, I turned to Forrest, now alone with me. ¡°You¡­ going to be alright out there?¡± I asked tentatively. Forrest nodded. ¡°I was ready for this ages ago honestly. I just didn¡¯t want to go¡­ I know all about camping out and wild pokemon and how to care for pokemon. I know a hundred and one things¡­ Just surprised it¡¯s finally here is all.¡± ¡°If you want I can still¡ª¡± Forrest shook his head. ¡°What are we going to tell the rest of the family?¡± I hummed. ¡°The truth, that you¡¯re going to go off on your journey and learn about the world and yourself.¡± Forrest snorted and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Hey don¡¯t mock me for that. Learning about the world is easy. Finding out who you are? Much tougher than you realise.¡± I flicked a rock at him. ¡°If you¡¯re going to meditate for a while on aura and try to work it out don¡¯t stop yourself from thinking about what you¡¯ve done each day or are going to do. This circuit is going to be crazy Forrest. It¡¯s going to be more important than usual to have a clear idea of where you are and where you want to be going.¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like some cheap fortune cookie,¡± he said with a huff. I rolled my eyes at him. ¡°Please I¡¯m giving you gold and here you are calling it cheap!¡± I shook my head before adopting a serious expression. ¡°Misty and Ash might have agreed to travel with you for safety but they need it just as much as you do.¡± ¡°Misty will?¡± Forrest said perking up. I rolled my eyes harder and flicked another rock at him as Titan chortled. ¡°Yes,¡± I stressed out before shaking my head. ¡°They might also need you to keep them going in the right direction. You were pretty good at that when we went trekking through nature. You¡¯ll need it for them.¡± At his raised eyebrow I waved my hand. ¡°If it didn¡¯t escape your notice it took them almost a month to make it here from Pallet. That is supposed to only take a week.¡± Forrest tilted his head. ¡°Huh¡­ I hadn¡¯t considered that they might need my help like that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to curl in after you¡¯ve been hurt but sometimes the best thing you can do it reach out and help someone else.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If you want, that is.¡± I waved my hand about. ¡°You go out on your journey and have some fun otherwise, alright?¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± Forrest said. I nodded and for a moment a quiet settled easily between us. I then shot him a smirk that had him tensing up in brotherly anticipation. ¡°I¡¯m only giving you stable rights for twenty-four pokemon by the way so don¡¯t go too crazy.¡± ¡°What! But I¡¯m your brother!?¡± ¡°Yeah which is why it¡¯s not fifty!¡± I teased. He huffed at me and rolled his eyes at me making me sarcastically respond in kind. He chuckled and I stood. ¡°Come on let¡¯s go talk with the others. Give them time to hang out with you. Ash¡¯s match is midmorning, I¡¯ll keep them home from school today and you can spend some time with each of them before you leave.¡± ¡°Urgh! fine! ¡° he said. I opened my mouth to reprimand him and tell him that it would be more important than he realised but then I shut it. He wouldn¡¯t understand. Not until he experienced them not being around would he understand how important small moments could be. I merely huffed in mock annoyance and led him back to our house after I forced him to help me feed my elite team. When we got to feeding Gawain he got a gleam in his eyes. ¡°Say, you still open to me taking one of your Elite with me¡­¡± ¡°Hell no,¡± I said as he eyed my secret ace against Will. When we made it to breakfast Yolanda and Flint had made Forrest¡¯s favourite breakfast. Pancakes with bacon cooked into them. I felt my arteries clog up just looking at them but took one and then a small side dish of yogurt and fruit. Halfway through the meal I clapped my hands together. ¡°Alright gang I have some news! Last night Forrest decided that he is going on his journey! That means that he will be heading out with some friends he made recently! Due to this you¡¯re all going to stay home from school so you can see him off properly!¡± ¡°Hooray!¡± some of them shout. Tilly and Billy of course take a moment to catch on before joining in ¡°Yeah! Hooray! Forrest is leaving!¡± they shout. The older kids, caught up in their ¡¯no school today¡¯ haze stop at that, and round on Forrest. ¡°What?¡± said Cindy. Forrest grinned. ¡°I think it¡¯s time that I go on my journey! I need to grow up and be my own man!¡± ¡°But¡­ weren¡¯t you going to go exploring with me in Viridian Forest now that you had Onix?¡± asked Salvadore. I grimaced at that but Forrest shook his head. ¡°Sorry little bro, dad will have to do that with you in my place!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll call right?¡± asked Cindy causing Forrest to roll his eyes and nod. ¡°Yeah, I suppose once a month.¡± I coughed pointedly. ¡°Fortnight!¡± I coughed louder. ¡°Alright I¡¯ll call once a week!¡± I nodded slowly at that before returning to watching the others check in with Forrest. Suzie tapped Forrest on the knee. ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re gone can we go into your room?¡± ¡°What? No! It¡¯s still my room!¡± ¡°But you won¡¯t be there, so it won¡¯t be?¡± Suzie said logically. Cindy and Salvadore snorted in amusement at this logic. ¡°Just because I¡¯m gone doesn¡¯t mean it stops being mine!¡± said Forrest. Suzie considered this before nodding slowly. ¡°Hmmm alright then¡­ but eventually we¡¯ll have a room for Sabrina to sleep in. When we get a bigger house.¡± I chuckled only to catch the glint in Yolanda eyes as she leaned forward. ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Actually, she already stays over. Remember? She sleeps with Brock?¡± Suzie gasped and shot me a look. ¡°And you didn¡¯t invite me for a sleep over as well?!¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°And on that note I am going to go to work. Forrest. Clean your room before you go. I don¡¯t want Munchlax eating anything off that you leave behind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any food in there!¡± he said. I snorted in disbelief. ¡°No really!¡± I turned to Munchlax who¡¯d just put his plate in the sink. I pointed up the hallway. ¡°Munchlax, any food you find in Forrest¡¯s room today is all yours. Go!¡± Munchlax didn¡¯t even hesitate, he sprinted straight for the room leaving Forrest to gape after him. I smirked and walked off to see to the morning¡¯s challengers. Among whom was a certain Ash from Pallet town.
When Ash entered the Gym through the doors the room was dark. He stepped forward with conviction and his jaw set. A boom light flashed to life to illuminate him and I called out from the dark. ¡°You challenge the Pewter Gym?¡± My words echoed through the room and Ash stopped to stand tall. ¡°I do! I¡¯m getting your Boulder badge today Brock!¡± A light illuminated me on the podium. ¡°Very well! Try your best!¡± I said exuding all the dark menace I could. I resized a pokeball as the other lights came on to reveal the rest of the arena and the crowd who came to life with the lights. They roared their approval but Ash didn¡¯t look away from me. His eyes remained locked straight ahead. In between us, Rocko raised the flags and called out the rules before indicating for us to release. Nostalgia swept through me as I tossed out my first choice. ¡°Go Geodude!¡± A classic. Ash squared his jaw. ¡°Go Pikachu!¡± ¡°Pika!¡± said his pokemon as he leapt into action, landing on the arena floor. I chuckled. ¡°A Pikachu? Well let¡¯s see how wise that was.¡± ¡°Begin!¡± shouted Rocko as he dropped the flags. ¡°Pikachu, use Quick Attack!¡± Pikachu threw itself into a sprint that tore around Geodude. ¡°Geodude, Defense Curl!¡± ¡°Glancing hits Pikachu! Don¡¯t try to go head to head!¡± a moment later saw Pikachu sprint past my pokemon only for Geodude to grunt in annoyance. Pikachu had swiped his paw over Geodude at speed, then turned around and did it again on the other side. I wasn¡¯t about to just let that play out however. ¡°Geodude, use Roll Out! Chase after that Pikachu!¡± ¡°Geo!¡± barked my pokemon as it threw itself into a ball and rolled after Pikachu quickly. ¡°Quick Pikachu! Weave through the boulders like we practised!¡± Pikachu began to sprint behind boulder after boulder, causing Geodude to slam into them one after another. I hummed. Not a bad move actually. It tired out Geodude certainly. ¡°Geodude, stop and use Rock Throw!¡± I said changing it up after the last boulder on the field was destroyed. Geodude stopped on a pokedime and swung his arms causing a huge cascade of rocks to go soaring through the air. ¡°Pikachu dodge!¡± Ash cried out desperately only for Pikachu to take a few hits. It shrugged them off and then sprinted back at Geodude who was caught off guard. This time Pikachu hit him head on with the Quick Attack and Geodude was tired and just weak enough to be taken out of the match. I hummed. Ash had done well to avoid a lot of damage from my attacks. Avoided throwing himself into head on clashes until my pokemon¡¯s defense was weakened and tired it out. That had all come at the cost of Pikachu running around a lot and taking a few glancing blows. But he¡¯d really made the field a lot easier for me to use Rock moves. I could easily sweep him if I wanted to, I just knew it. I stared across the field at him, measuring how far I could push him. ¡°Go Onix!¡± I shouted releasing an Onix that roared defiantly. Pikachu took a few steps back. I punched my arm straight ahead. ¡°Rock Throw! Sweep your tail about!¡± ¡°Uh!¡± Ash said in shock as Pikachu faced a wall of rocks. ¡°Pikachu! Quick Attack through a small rock!¡± ¡°Pika-chu!¡± said the electric mouse as it tried only to fail. ¡°Uh! Pikachu! Get up we need you to keep fighting!¡± Pi-pika!¡± said Pikachu as he rose unsteadily to his feet. I tilted my head as Ash flicked his eyes towards the grating that ran around the arena. Hmmm was he banking on getting me to attack him? ¡°Onix use Bide!¡± I said deciding to test him. Ash stiffened and went upright. ¡°Pikachu quick into the corner!¡± Ah, he was aware of part of how Bide worked it would seem. I smirked as Ash leaned forward. Onix coiled in on himself and clenched tighter and tighter while looking annoyed. Ash stared so hard I knew he was just waiting for the right moment. Onix spasmed and flinched causing Ash to point to the side. ¡°Now Pikachu! Leap to the¡ª¡± Pikachu was already moving only for Onix to remain in place. ¡°Huh?¡± Ash said as Pikachu turned his head. I smirked evily. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I said once more causing all the broken bits of boulder to rise up. This time Pikachu was out of position and nowhere near ready to dodge. A few rocks slammed into him and he tumbled away before skidding to a stop. ¡°AH! Pikachu!¡± Ash leapt off the podium and lifted his pokemon up. ¡°You okay buddy?¡± I watched Ash carry Pikachu to the side where he handed the still weak mouse to Misty who started spraying potion all over him and gently wiping him down with a cloth. Ash then turned back to me his eyes taking in the field that was littered with strewn rock form his earlier tactic of avoiding Geodude. I could see him working out that his own actions had led to my advantage. He frowned for a moment. ¡°Why didn¡¯t your pokemon attack? Bide forces the pokemon to attack.¡± I chuckled. ¡°It does, and it even returns the damage done to it double, but the key point is that it needs to take damage to be forced into it.¡± I said playing into the trope of ¡®bad guy¡¯ by explaining my ¡®move¡¯ to the protagonist. It wasn¡¯t like it was a secret. Ash had obviously done his research but he hadn¡¯t done it to the depth that was required and now it was biting him in the backside. He nodded slowly as the lesson took hold. ¡°Alright¡­ Go Butterfree!¡± He said sending out his second pokemon. I frowned. Butterfree had been a favourite of mine for many playthroughs. But I never sent it out against Brock in the games due to the double weakness of Flying-bug type. ¡°Butterfree we¡¯re going to take on Onix with Tackle a few times! Prepare yourself!¡± he said causing his butterfree to nod vigorously. I tilted my head. Did he expect me to ignore the¡­ Hmmm... Oh, I see; he wanted to bait me into using Bide again. Yeah, no. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± I shouted, enjoying the way Ash¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°Fly up!¡± Butterfree swept its wings and rose rapidly, just barely dodging the attacks and now fluttering nervously side to side as Ash looked on worriedly. Alright Ash, your plan isn¡¯t working. What are you going to do now? ¡°Sleep Powder!¡± he said. I nodded, a good move with his pokemon on high. ¡°... Rock Polish,¡± I said deciding against upping the ante too much with Dig. A sheen went over my pokemon and Ash clenched his fist as the Onix¡¯s eyes fluttered closed. ¡°Now! Go for Psybeam!¡± ¡°Free!¡± said his pokemon as it charged up and fired off a blast of Psychic energy. I grinned. So, he¡¯d really trained up his Butterfree alot it seemed over the last few weeks. ¡°Again!¡± he said just as Onix began to rouse itself. Another Psybeam was fired off and I had just enough time to shout out ¡°Bide!¡± to him which caused him to clench up before the beam hit. Ash twitched. ¡°Butterfree! Into the corner now!¡± Instantly his pokemon fluttered down. I hummed. ¡°Sure that¡¯s a good move Ash? My pokemon has Rock Polish, it¡¯s going to come faster¡­¡± ¡°I''ll believe in Butterfree!¡± Ash said firmly. I hummed. ¡°Alright then, unleash it Onix!¡± Onix twisted and rose up onto the tip of his tail before descending. ¡°Butterfree! Use string shot to pull out of the way!¡± Butterfree shot a line of string that it then tugged on while flapping furiously to evade Onix as he slammed into the grill. When the water splashed up over Onix¡¯s head he groaned in pain before slumping over. I returned him with a snort as Butterfree started flapping around madly in celebration. Ash punched the air. ¡°Yeah! We did it!¡± The podiums dropped down and I marched forth with Rocko. ¡°Congratulations Ash, you have proven yourself capable of defeating me and earning the Boulder Badge.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I got the Boulder Badge!¡± Ash grabbed the badge and whipped around to show it off to Misty and the crowd who cheered. He grinned as Butterfree hugged into the back of his head. ¡°It was well fought for a trainer that had pokemon that are at a disadvantage against Rock types.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Unless you caught something else other than your Pidgeotto recently?¡± Ash shook his head and I hummed. ¡°Maybe change that up before the next Gym yeah? Things will get tougher and with the pokenet people will be able to scout you out in advance. Also, some advice?¡± I said with an open hand. Ash sheepishly nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t be too invested in a plan that you forget other options exist. There are many ways to solve a problem. You found one and tried to force the issue, but remember I¡¯d seen you do it before with Forrest. I didn¡¯t have to take the bait.¡± I offered a shrug. ¡°Some people would have fallen for it though so nice work making the attempt. Also, beware changing the field around early if it ends up suiting the trainer your fighting. Rock throw and Stone Edge would have been easier on this field with it broken up. Pikachu had no areas to dodge into at the end.¡± I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°And have some more confidence. I don¡¯t think you needed to back off Butterfree¡¯s attacks like you did. Those Psybeams were great and another would have ended the match just as well as your trick did. I¡¯m impressed you were able to teach it Psybeam so early into your journey.¡± Ash grinned. ¡°Thanks! Selene showed me how to do it!¡± I snorted. That¡¯s cheeky, having another trainer¡¯s Elite pokemon teach him a move. Shameless, completely shameless. I gestured to Rachel and she moved in to take some pictures with Ash and I. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure your mum gets some yeah?¡± ¡°Yeah! She¡¯ll love these!¡± he said happily. It was a good picture with Ash in the middle with Butterfree on one shoulder while Pikachu was on the other wearing Ash¡¯s cap. I stood slightly to the side with Rocko, both of us making V for victory signs at the camera. I gestured to the side. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you in a bit. I have one more match before lunch. Then we¡¯ll see if he¡¯s ready to go.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Ash said as he ran up to where Misty was sitting. I chuckled when I saw him start recounting how the fight went to her. ¡°I know Ash! I was there remember?!¡± she said, leading him back to the rooms they¡¯d been staying in. The last match was over far too quickly for my liking. And just like that. It was time for Forrest to leave. Forrest stood in front of our home rather than the Gym where we¡¯d be swarmed by people. It wasn¡¯t just my family, but also some of the gym¡¯s employees like Dennis, Rocko, Jackson and even Missy there to see him off. Greta stood to the side, now officially a trainer of the Gym having completed the paperwork with the caveat that she¡¯d be interchanging with other gyms on occasion as well for further development over the year. Forrest gave everyone a hesitant smile. ¡°Sorry for all the trouble I caused!¡± he said with a bow. Missy bowed back. ¡°Thank you for the time you spent showing me how things worked in the Gym when I started! Enjoy your Journey and don¡¯t be afraid of trying some new things!¡± she said earnestly. Rocko waved a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the little things. Time will show you what does and doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s all relative little man!¡± Dennis sniffed. ¡°You were dragged down through dishonourable conduct. Don¡¯t be ashamed of what others have done. It will not blemish you unless you allow it!¡± I leaned closer, was Dennis trying to stop himself from crying? Jackson swept Forrest into a hug and whispered something into Forrest¡¯s ear that had Forrest shooting out of his grasp with a blush. He glanced back at Misty and seemed relieved when she merely gave a curious tilt of the head. I rolled my eyes understanding that Jackson had obviously just given some ¡®helpful advice¡¯. I let my little siblings weep around him giving him hugs and making him endure goodbye kisses. Flint hugged Forrest and there was a moment where Flint¡¯s eyes watered but he didn¡¯t cry. Forrest likewise had wet eyes but no tears that he most certainly didn¡¯t have to wipe away. I looked back after a moment and gave him a lazy smile. ¡°Alright, guess this is so long for now little brother.¡± I shared a smile with him and then gave him a hug that held. When we broke apart I adopted a serious expression. ¡°When you next come back, I expect you to show me how far you¡¯ve come.¡± I stared him down and he stiffened at being on the receiving end of my Mean Look. Then he rolled his shoulders and stood tall like I knew he would. ¡°I¡¯m going to surprise you Brock!¡± I smirked and nodded before reaching out and hugging him once more. ¡°I will look forward to that. You look after yourself, your pokemon and Ash and Misty alright?¡± ¡°I will,¡± he said back. I rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I love you little brother, come home safe and make sure to call when you can otherwise Suzie might claim your room for her dolls.¡± He snorted and stepped back only to pause when he saw Suzie looking hopeful. ¡°I¡¯ll call. I love you all.¡± He stepped away and started walking , Ash and Misty linking up with him a moment later, their own backpacks firmly in place. ¡°Good bye everyone!¡± he shouted while waving. We waved back and watched him round the corner. I sighed, and just like that Ash, Misty and Forrest were gone. Yolanda giggled, drawing my attention. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± She giggled a little more and then smiled as she said, ¡°He¡¯s going to so appreciate being home and having a laundry when he comes home! But no way I¡¯m doing his washing anymore now that he¡¯s finally gone on his journey!¡± I laughed, and a small tense part of me knew that my family and I would be fine. Chapter 108 - Close call A day after Forrest, Ash, and Misty had left, the reporters descended on the Gym. ¡°Gym Leader Brock, it''s been suggested that you have disrupted a police investigation, how do you respond to this?¡± ¡°Was your brother a Team Rocket Member in disguise?¡± ¡°How long can you remain as Gym Leader with ethics like this?¡± ¡°Where is the Gym going in the future?¡± I stared them all down. I¡¯d known this was necessary and when Rachel had tentatively approached me about the need to have a press release I¡¯d had to bend my neck into a nod. This was just part of the shitty situation that I would have to work through. This was about protecting Forrest. Lawrence had come out after I¡¯d accepted the need to say something. His advice? Say as little as possible and give nothing of our intentions away. I flexed my aura in a manner that had a cold feeling sweep through the crowd of reporters and silence them. I nodded as if they¡¯d played nice and fallen quiet for me to talk. ¡°First of all, good morning and thank you for coming out today. Over the previous few days a situation in my family has emerged that is difficult to parse. The sequence of events have been muddied and now a number of allegations, which I can assure you are fanciful to the extreme have emerged. The focus of these rumours, my younger sibling is still a minor under Indigo law and this adds further difficulty to the events. It has however highlighted a need for them to spend time away from the Gym to clear his head.¡± "I have done this to shield them from the harassment that sometimes occurs when overzealous reporters or individuals decide to go over the accepted line of a person¡¯s privacy. My family has had many invasions of our privacy in the past.¡± I gave a pointed look to each and everyone of the reporters as though they¡¯d been the ones to try talking with some of my youngest siblings. ¡°I cannot fault them for what occurred as they were innocent. Due to police mishandling of the situation and the subsequent events, they felt it best to remove themselves from a potentially toxic social environment. I understand that people are spreading salacious and sometimes outright false rumours about the Gym and my own family. Lawrence Wright will be in contact with many individuals as the Pewter Gym and my family will not stand for our image being tarnished like this. The Gym will continue to take on challengers and no changes in the operations will be occurring. We hold ourselves to a high standard at the gym and our record speaks for itself. This is not the first time someone has tried to degenerate us. We¡¯re tough though, as Rock type trainers we know the need for a strong exterior.¡± I nodded to the crowd of reports. ¡°Thank you there will be no more questions.¡± ¡°Gym Leader Brock!¡± A few people surged forwards only for me to ignore them and move back into the Gym. Lawrence stayed behind with an evil glint in his eyes as he pressed for names and sources of rumours with more than a few reporters clamming up. Rachel and a few interns that now worked for Lawrence flitted through the crowd reminding them precisely what they could and could not print. They were even given it in writing. I turned my attention back to the Gym and exhaled away the tension. That was just the start of it in truth. The first wave to roll in. I would leave it to Rachel and Lawrence to handle. I just had to handle running the Gym. A much tougher task I found. Yesterday I¡¯d been able to glide along on inertia. When I¡¯d stopped though I found myself merely going through the motions as I noticed all the spots I would have to reorganise jobs around Forrest and his departure. It left me distracted and annoyed. People earned their gym badges through wider, or much, much more narrow margins throughout the morning. It got to the point that Rocko approached me. ¡°You sure you¡¯re up for this man?¡± he indicated into the arena and the oncoming challenger for the Ace match. I played with the pokeball and sighed. ¡°... I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m feeling on top of the world right now, but¡­ that¡¯s life as a Gym Leader sometimes,¡± I said with splayed hands. Rocko grimaced. ¡°Yeah, it ain¡¯t all glamorous magazines and prestige. Just seems this year has been rougher than usual.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°Well, at the end of the day it doesn¡¯t really matter win or lose,¡± I said, trying to let myself relax as I twisted my pokeball around. ¡°Hmmm yeah, I suppose.¡± he said, scratching at his chin. ¡°I still feel like there¡¯s too much going on, you know?¡± ¡°Well we¡¯ve got it handled for now. And we can adjust for the future.¡± Rocko watched me for a moment. ¡°How much do you believe that? We¡¯re under a lot more pressure and with people probing at you more often these days¡­¡± he licked his lips. ¡°I think we might need to adjust things now. You¡¯re taking on too much work.¡± I chewed my lip unsure how to answer that. I ended up not answering at all as Rachel introduced the challenger for today¡¯s Ace match up, and likely Will plant, Talia. I stalked out a moment later with the crowd cheering my name. I tried to feel the moment but I found myself rather annoyed by it rather than enjoying it like I should have. I leapt across the divide to the podium and locked eyes with Talia who grinned in delight raising a pokeball in readiness. I grunted and gave a nod to Jackson. ¡°Go Onix!¡± I shouted, releasing my pokemon only to grimace as I realised straight away that I¡¯d tossed the pokeball too far. He was easily within striking distance of the Primeape that had just been revealed. Trainer Talia grinned at me, a sharpness entering her gaze that let me know she knew exactly what to do with my error. ¡°Begin!¡± announced Jackson as his flags dropped. ¡°Primeape! Use Close Combat!¡± ¡°Protect!¡± I said, already on the back foot and knowing this was going to be a tough fight. Primeape hammered into the shell that was emitted from Onix but that wouldn¡¯t last long. ¡°Use Swagger!¡± called Talia. I frowned. That was a good move for boosting power certainly, but it had a lot of downsides for controlling pokemon. Her Primeape stopped beating on the protective shell and strutted left and right while jerking his head back and forth in an exaggerated manner. Then it snapped its head around and glowered as some people in the crowd laughed. ¡°PRRRRRRRIIIIIIMMMMMMEEEE APE!¡± it screeched before locking eyes with Onix as the protective shell came down. ¡°Dig!¡± I said making my pokemon throw itself into the ground. Primeape threw itself where my pokemon had been before stopping and looking around in confusion. Then it screamed and raised a foot before smashing it into the ground. The ground cratered, and Onix was blasted up out of the ground with a heavy groan. I had no idea what move that was. Thrash perhaps? It seemed stronger but that might just be a testament to this particular Primeape. Before Onix could even land Primeape leapt up into the air and started hammering his fists into my pokemon¡¯s face. I cursed and whipped out my pokeball to recall my now knocked out pokemon before it could be brutalised any further. The flag raised in the direction of Talia and Jackson called her victory. Primeape landed and growled looking around for another opponent before it locked eyes with Jackson who tensed up behind his barrier as it marched towards him. He kept his eyes vaguely on the pokemon but not staring into its eyes though which it would perceive as a challenge. I readied another pokeball and tossed it out only to curse myself. I would have just let the potential foul play out. If Talia couldn¡¯t control her pokemon it would have been recalled and put out of the fight. Talia herself relaxed even as Zephyr, my Noctowl, took to the field, or rather soared above it. Jackson relaxed a little and I beat myself up over thinking about leaving him in even potential danger. Urgh I was really messing things up lately wasn¡¯t I? How could I think like that? ¡°Primeape! That bird¡¯s looking down on you! Use Thunderbolt!¡± Talia said more than happy to take my distraction and run with it. I grimaced. ¡°Zephyr, dive and use Steel Wing!¡± Across from me Primeape lit up like he was going Super Saiyan as lightning shot off him leaving his hair even more spiked up as it attacked. Zephyr dove and sunk his metal sheen wings into the ground allowing them to reduce the impact of the ability. Primeape charged across the gap screaming its name and practically frothing at the mouth. ¡°Hypnosis,¡± I said, making Zephyr lock eyes with the oncoming pokemon. Primeape jerked mid stride and skidded as it fell asleep. Its momentum saw it carried forward and it landed practically at my pokemon¡¯s feet. I glanced up to see if Talia wanted to withdraw it only for her to smirk. ¡°Use Thunderbolt,¡± she said. Primeape¡¯s head snapped up and it glared at Zephyr as it blasted him with another lightning bolt, this caught us both off guard and my pokemon was thrown back by the powerful lightning attack. Zephyr took a tumble before righting himself and glaring at the pokemon that was stomping and shaking its head. ¡°A sleep resistance?¡± I said aloud. Talia shrugged her shoulders, not playing into the trope of revealing anything much to my grudging approval. I clicked my tongue. ¡°Zephyr, return.¡± I selected another pokeball and tossed out my next pokemon and hopefully my answer to this rampaging pokemon. ¡°Go Selene!¡± This time I made sure to give her enough room to make it much harder on Primeape getting close. Talia clicked her tongue as she assessed Primeape. ¡°Stomping Tantrum,¡± she ordered, giving me a name for the move he¡¯d used earlier on Onix while underground. ¡°Moon Blast,¡± I replied with. Selene charged up a pink orb and launched it at Primeape while Primeape stomped his feet causing the ground to shatter even more and dust to fly up into the air and make visibility poor, sort of like a sandstorm. A screech of pain let me know I¡¯d landed the hit but the rampaging growls that followed also told me that Primeape was very much not down for the count. ¡°Psychic, clear the field.¡± In front of me, Selene¡¯s eyes glowed and the dust was swept from the field as though a giant had swung his fist. Talia and Primeape were both startled by the sudden visibility and I grinned. ¡°Psychic,¡± I ordered again. This time resulting in Primeape lifting up and slamming into the ground as my pokemon ruthlessly hammered the rage pokemon. I made a gesture and Selene stopped using Primeape like a chew toy. The angry ape still stood up and adopted a fighting pose, albeit one that wasn¡¯t very threatening as it trembled and quaked. I hardened myself to order Selene to continue only to be pleasantly surprised when Talia returned her pokemon. ¡°I withdraw him; he¡¯s going to be too injured.¡± ¡°I''m surprised you did that with how notorious that pokemon can be.¡± Talia snorted. ¡°I might have taught him the Wrath fist style of fighting but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t pull him up. He¡¯s not going to get stronger from killing himself or being killed after all.¡± I nodded, pleased that she was a caring trainer. She might have known how to use my concern earlier for maximum effect, but that and this were, in truth, two different situations. She grinned as she selected another pokeball. ¡°Let¡¯s go Blastoise!¡± she said, sending out a powerful-looking specimen. The crowd cheered for the evolved starter and the pokemon adjusted its water cannons onto my pokemon. ¡°Surf!¡± said Talia, once more eager to get things started before I had any time to set up. A wave rose and began to barrel forwards with Blastoise riding in the middle of the wave like a swimmer rather than how most would on top of the wave. ¡°Psychic!¡± I countered. The entire wave shuddered and crashed as Selene gutted its momentum. Blastoise grinned as he continued forward. ¡°Rapid Spin!¡± ordered Talia as her pokemon tucked its arms and legs into his shell and water shot out like whips. It raced in at Selene and I clicked my tongue. ¡°Teleport!¡± I said hoping I had enough time only to click my tongue as I realised I should have used Protect or something else. Selene got away, but she appeared on the other side with a weak wobble that let me know she¡¯d been hit before doing so. She swung around with a glower and I decided to pull her back. ¡°Return Selene,¡± I said. A flag went up and I worked my jaw considering who I should pick to answer this pokemon. While I did so I took in the state of the battlefield. It was a wreck. There was loose rock everywhere and it would make normal running attacks a nightmare for my heavier pokemon. Also with Blastoise ending up on my side of the field, there was going to be some issues with positioning when I released my next pokemon. ¡°Go Sanchez!¡± I shouted. My pokemon appeared with his usual bombastic cry as he squared up against Blastoise. Talia clicked her tongue though and returned her pokemon before tossing out a Victreebel right in the middle of the field and now arguably much closer to my Golem than I would have liked. ¡°Thunder,¡± I said, fully expecting her to have a reply but still wanting to test her response. ¡°Vine Whip!¡± she countered, her pokemon¡¯s large vines shooting into the ground. ¡°Sanchez! Leap to the side!¡± I shouted as I recognised the two-sided nature of the move she¡¯d just used. It could be used for defence and also for¡ª Two vines shot out of the ground where Sanchez had been standing even as the electricity died off from Sanchez¡¯s attack. I clicked my tongue. I really needed a strong fire or flying type right now to answer this and Sanchez wasn¡¯t going to be a good call. ¡°Return!¡± I said, hating that I was having to use my recalls so much during this match. ¡°Go Bertha!¡± I might not have a perfect option with Zephyr being tired from his earlier beat down but I did have another option. Talia hadn¡¯t been idle however as she¡¯d ordered a ¡°Sunny Day!¡± That let me know what she intended to do. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± was the next command out of her mouth like I¡¯d expected it to be. ¡°Match it with Ice Beam!¡± I said, confident in my pokemon. Bertha locked herself in with a twist of her feet and from in front of her a large blue beam was shot forward where it was met by a Solar Beam from Talia¡¯s Victreebel. Both attacks locked in an energy clash as both pokemon tried to power through each other. For a moment I felt my heart clench as the tug of war of energy ticked towards Bertha. ¡°FIGHT THROUGH!¡± I shouted in support. Bertha took a step forward rather than backing off and her beam stopped faltering and instead regained ground. A second later it cut off in time with Solar Beam leaving both Victreebel and Bertha heaving in lungfuls of air. ¡°Synthesis,¡± said Talia, making me grimace. With Sunny Day in play she¡¯d get a lot more out of that with making her pokemon recover its energy. ¡°Focus,¡± I said to Bertha. She relaxed herself and glanced back at me, the command more about readying her for my next command than any actual move. I swallowed, ready to roll the dice again. Stolen novel; please report. I locked eyes with Talia and she grinned, confident in her ability to power through this time. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± she said. ¡°Drop to your belly! Then Ice Beam!¡± I said. Bertha didn¡¯t hesitate to drop on her stomach like she was flopping into a mud pit then she tilted her head and fired her Ice Beam straight at Victreebel before the other pokemon could readjust where it was aiming. The Solar Beam roared straight over my prone pokemon even as the Ice Beam nailed the other pokemon. ¡°Yes!¡± I said, pumping my fist as Victreebel was frozen in place. Talia clicked her tongue and returned her pokemon after seeing that it technically could still fight but she¡¯d be putting it in danger. ¡°You¡¯ll be back soon buddy,¡± she said as she eyed the Sunny Day that had gotten slightly smaller. It would fade soon but for now it was still in play. ¡°Go Camerupt!¡± said Talia revealing another pokemon. I hummed. Camerupt, Blastoise, Primeape, and Victreebel. This girl had the makings of a very balanced and powerful team. ¡°Return!¡± I said. I chewed my lip and considered what I had as an answer to Camerupt. I¡¯d used Zephyr, Onix, Selene, Bertha, and Sanchez, meaning whoever I used now would be my last pokemon for this match. I glanced down at the broken field and felt like cursing. Bertha wouldn¡¯t be able to use her One hit moves as well with the state of the field¡­ If I sent out Titan he¡¯d be able to make good use of the field¡­ But then again, so would Sanchez. I decided to use my more bombastic pokemon and leave myself some options. ¡°Go Sanchez!¡± I said returning him to the field where he grinned in delight. ¡°Go Go GO!¡± he shouted. ¡°Eruption!¡± commanded Talia with a vicious grin. The Sunny day was faltering just as her Camerupt took a heavy step forward and lava blasted from the volcano in his back and splattered around the field. Lots of it began to fall on Sanchez however. I was almost about to order him to dig when I spotted the oncoming lava that was sweeping out of Camerupt to make the field much more dangerous to dig through. He could do it, it would just hurt him. ¡°Roll to the side and use Stone Edge to defend!¡± I said making my pokemon dodge before landing on one knee and hurling rocks into the sky. He started blasting away like an AA gun stopping oncoming missiles rather than mere rocks. ¡°Sunny Day!¡± said Talia as her follow-up move. ¡°Stone Edge on the attack!¡± I said, more than happy enough to go on the offensive. Camerupt merely took the hits with a harsh call, it stumbled on the still hot ground but otherwise snorted and held its ground. ¡°Return!¡± said Talia, making me grit my teeth. How many of those had she used already? I ran it back in my mind. I was on four and she must be the same. She sent out her Victreebel and for a moment I was confused before I saw the ice melt on top of the much hotter ground that her Camerupt had set up. She grinned at me and I had to nod in acknowledgement. It was a good move. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I said. Acknowledging it as a good move didn¡¯t stop me from attacking her while she was still weak though. She¡¯d more than proved that she was willing to not hold back. I couldn¡¯t afford to not do the same. The rocks slammed into the other pokemon, thankfully she wasn¡¯t resistant to it with Rock not being as weak as Electric attacks. I half considered it before reminding myself that even without the Vine Whip trick she¡¯d still be resistant to electric attacks. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± she said. ¡°Dig,¡± With the ground slightly cooled down I had no issue making my pokemon leap into the earth to evade the attack. When he came up he did so slightly glowing but otherwise not hurt. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± ¡°Synthesis!¡± she replied with, making good use of the Sunny Day. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said, reminding myself that I needed to play to Sanchez¡¯s strengths. I had room to breathe and I needed to make the most of that. Talia swore and I grinned. Oh? So she had been trying to stop me from setting up like I usually might? Interesting. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± she said again. Only for my response to lead to Sanchez getting closer. This time he anticipated my order and as he rose out of the Dig he lashed out with some glowing red rocks that hit Victreebel and caused it to squeal in more pain. ¡°Urgh! Victreebel quick! Use Vine Whip to wrap him up! Don¡¯t let him get away!¡± ¡°Sanchez get out of there with another Dig!¡± Sanchez leapt away evading the attak. ¡°Synthesis one last time!¡± Talia said as she glanced up at the fading Sunny Day. I grimaced. She was really going to drag this out wasn¡¯t she? ¡°Stealth Rock again!¡± Then again that suited me more than her. ¡°Victreebel Sunny Day!¡± she said as I got one more Stealth Rock in and completed my set up of the field, albeit much later than usual into a fight. ¡°Leap towards the light with Vine Whip!¡± Talia said, making her pokemon leap up. Sanchez cried out as the other pokemon forced him to lose sight of her with the Sunny Day blinding him. ¡°Thunder! Fill the Arena! Don¡¯t let them see you!¡± I said. I felt myself grinning, if Mia and Silly Mouse were watching they¡¯d recognise this move. Sanchez blasted out an attack and suddenly everyone was blinded as the flash of lightning made it impossible to determine what was going on. A thump landed close to Sanchez and Talia reacted. ¡°Use Leaf Blade and swing wide in an arc!¡± ¡°Dig!¡± I said to evade the attack only for Sanchez to be much closer than either of us realised as he yelped in pain. I blinked through tears and saw him skidding backwards. ¡°Again! Vine Whip!¡± ¡°Stone Edge! Fill the skies!¡± I said making my pokemon blast upwards and nail the soaring Grass Type. Victreebel went down and stayed down this time. I grimaced. My plan hadn¡¯t played out like I¡¯d hoped but then again it didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t a good one. I¡¯d just rolled dice against Talia and she¡¯d lucked out with how things played out. She returned her pokemon and sent out Camerupt once more. The pokemon snorted in annoyance as the Stealth Rocks activated and slammed into his hide before glowering at Sanchez who shot some fists forward in readiness. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I said to start things off. ¡°Earthquake!¡± Talia replied, making her pokemon endure the hits to take a heavy stomp that smashed into Sanchez. It proved too much as he fell to the side with a groan. A cry went up from the crowd at his loss and I smiled. He still remained a crowd favourite it seemed. I tapped my fingers between two pokeballs and considered my choices. The ground was much more solid now thanks to Camerupt and I didn¡¯t want that pokemon running about for any longer. I decided to knock it out now. ¡°Go Bertha!¡± Bertha appeared with a mighty roar. Talia huffed in annoyance. ¡°Impact Driver!¡± I said, committing to the move as I leaned forward. Bertha¡¯s horn and fingers spun up as she adopted her pose. Talia stiffened. ¡°Camerupt! Earthquake! Take her out now!¡± around Bertha the ground buckled and slammed into her but she merely grunted. Talia hissed in annoyance. ¡°Fine! All or nothing! Camerupt use Fissure!¡± I hissed. ¡°Now or never Bertha!¡± I said, forced to move at the threat of what could come my way. Both pokemon moved. Camerupt with heavy stomp while Bertha dropped to the ground and threw her fist downwards. For a moment there was stillness and it was only through instinct that I braced for impact. A moment later the arena detonated as rocks and even scraps of metal exploded. The barriers blazed into the visible spectrum for a moment before I lost track of where up and down was. The world shook and I had to drop into a three point pose to stay upright. When the attacks stopped it came just as suddenly and it took me a moment to realise it wasn¡¯t aftershocks but rather my own body shaking. I stood up and glanced around. The crowd were in shock but safe. The barriers were red but as I watched they slowly began to turn orange signifying they were out of the critical danger point of shattering and merely at ten percent functional strength. Across from me Talia was on her side. I was about to call out to her when she moved. She sat up and gaped at the field. ¡°Woah¡­¡± she said. I glanced down and whistled. The arena was a torn-up wasteland with even some of the underlying metal that acted as a ¡®basement¡¯ on how deep pokemon could go to evade attacks was visible in parts. I knew from talking with and seeing it poured that the metal was another good fifty centimeters thick, or, in my old life¡¯s terms, almost battleship hull thickness. I could see thin cuts along it where it had been affected, but it would take a lot more punishment yet. Bertha was flat on her back with a content smile on her face while across from her Camerupt was likewise on his side. Both of them passed out from the attacks. ¡°Woah, never had that happen before¡­¡± Talia said. ¡°It¡¯s rare enough to get two pokemon that know such moves going against each other, let alone both pulling them off. Did you train yours to be more guaranteed?¡± I asked. She shook her head still staring, apparently shock was enough to make her forget her plan to not give away any information about herself. I hummed and nodded. So she really had rolled the dice. I was starting to get the idea that this girl wasn¡¯t afraid to take risks on chance plays. ¡°Should we continue?¡± she said, glancing at the barriers. I hummed. They were becoming yellow now which meant they were at twenty five percent. ¡°Give them another few minutes. Let¡¯s return our pokemon yeah? That makes us both three down now.¡± I eyed the field and saw that none of the Stealth Rocks had survived the clash of attacks which wasn¡¯t all that surprising but still a shame. Talia stood up. ¡°Please! You¡¯ve shown five of your pokemon and I think we all know who¡¯s your last pokemon! I have answers for him!¡± I tilted my head and plucked the Greatball from my necklace. ¡°Is that what you think?¡± She smirked and threw out a Poliwrath. I paused before smiling as she threw it right to the centre circle that was actually cut through the middle with a small canyon. I grinned, my mind unable to keep up with the sudden flash of insight I had. She was confident she had answers, so why not let her have it. ¡°Go Titan!¡± I said releasing pokemon but instead of setting him up far away from a pokemon that on paper perfectly countered him I put him right in front of the Poliwrath and in the circle. Talia blinked in surprise before leering. My pokemon had no room to move, and in a very tight space. Titan glowered at the Poliwrath that looked like Christmas had come early. I felt both energies I had within me spiking as I synced with Titan. ¡°Quake,¡± I said even as Titan lifted his tail and slammed it into the ground. Before Poliwrath could launch into the attack he stumbled and cried out, the ground attack worked well against him thanks to the fighting type. Titan grabbed his foe before flipping it and throwing it into the fissure before Talia could order a water move. Poliwrath was thrown straight into the canyon where it rolled around to stand up and glower at Titan. Titan looked down with a snort before raising a foot this time. ¡°Quake,¡± I said once more. This time the move was particularly effective, as Poliwrath had no room to move. Poliwrath was blasted out of the canyon and landed with a thump. It didn¡¯t struggle to rise and Talia stared at her downed pokemon. The crowd fell silent for a moment before roaring to life,as I allowed myself a smile. Titan¡¯s sandstorm ability had barely even started to come into effect before I¡¯d taken apart her ¡®answer¡¯ to him. People really didn¡¯t understand the significance of my owning a Poliwrath and how it made for the perfect training partner for Titan when he finally evolved. I¡¯d gone out of my way to catch a Poliwag. A water-fighting type? Please, I was more than aware of how to fight against that. Talia returned her pokemon before throwing out another. ¡°Go Blastoise!¡± Her pokemon appeared, this time with a lot of space between them. She wasn¡¯t going to let Titan close it seemed. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± she barked, causing the cannons to level onto Titan. ¡°Dig around a bit,¡± I said. Titan dove into the ground and like a shark in water the spikes on his back stuck out. Above him, the Sandstorm whipped up into full strength and visibility died away. ¡°Use Surf! Evade the oncoming attack and flood the field!¡± Titan dipped lower into the ground before lurching upwards. I knew what he was doing even without giving the command as he retreated to where Blastoise would be. Then he got right in front of the wave in a leap that saw him dead centre of the crush point. ¡°Protect,¡± I said before my pokemon had even stood upright. The defensive move resulted in Blastoise being ejected from the wave to tumble end over end on the part of the field Titan was on. Titan dropped the Protect and whirled about like the predator he was. He stomped into the ground and once more the earth rumbled as he used Earthquake to make Blastoise totter and stumble. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said, making Titan keep his opponent off balance. ¡°Protect!¡± Talia said, making her pokemon turtle up fully. ¡°Get in close and grapple,¡± I said. Titan lurched forward and as the Protect shell dropped Blastoise suddenly found itself being grabbed up by my pokemon and lifted. ¡°Skull Bash!¡± ordered Talia. Blastoise drew his head in only for my pokemon to hurl it away and cause it to splash into the lagoon that had formed from the canyon in the aftermath of the Surf. ¡°Stone Edge again,¡± I said, causing the lagoon to suddenly become a much more dangerous space for her pokemon. The Sandstorm once more came into effect. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± She said only for the attack to miss what her Blastoise was targeting, to be revealed as a large rock. Titan lunged out of the Sandstorm from another position like his instincts demanded of him and he knocked Blastoise out of the water and back onto dry land where it fell still. The crowd erupted and began to chant his name like they had for him when I faced off against Lance. ¡°TITAN! TITAN! TITAN!¡± Others started the stomp stomp clap and Talia glanced up as the crowd really made itself felt. Titan smiled as he slunk back into the now-reformed Sandstorm. Talia let her hand wander before her expression firmed up. ¡°Let¡¯s go Machoke!¡± she said, revealing her final pokemon. I paused at that reveal. No psychic pokemon? She wasn¡¯t one of Will¡¯s plants? Or was he trying something else? ¡°Machoke, use Detect to get through the Sandstorm!¡± ¡°Earthquake,¡± was my response to make sure he didn¡¯t have an easy time of it. I could almost see Machoke leaping high into the sky to get to Titan despite that though. ¡°Leap back,¡± I said. Titan hopped backwards and I made out his shape evading a pokemon that had slammed into place where he¡¯d been. ¡°Bullet Punch!¡± Talia said, committing to fighting in close. I leaned forward, smelling the blood in the water. ¡°GO!¡± I said. Titan threw himself into the attack and from close range he shrugged off the Steel type attack to slam into Machoke and send him flying with Giga-Impact. Machoke hit the far wall where he slumped down. I let out a huge sigh of relief as Talia returned her pokemon and Jackson raised a flag. ¡°Machoke is unable to battle! Brock and Titan are the victors!¡± I leaned slumped in relief as Titan dissipated the Sandstorm and threw his head back and roared his victory. When he was done the crowd stayed quiet before erupting in applause. Titan waved at them with a huge reptilian grin. I started to lower the podiums only for it to lurch rather than glide down. I clicked my teeth. Looks like more than I had bargained for had been damaged when Camerupt and Bertha clashed. I hopped over the side and approached Talia to shake her hand. She approached with a slight slump to her shoulders. ¡°Urgh! I had you! I totally almost had you!¡± I inclined my head. ¡°Yeah, you kinda did.¡± Titan approached and smiled at Talia allowing me to pat him fondly. ¡°And then you didn¡¯t,¡± I said as I smiled up at my starter. Talia looked up at him. ¡°He really is a beast. Urgh, I thought I had it with Poliwrath. If only I could work out how to evolve my Machoke then I¡¯d break into the top fifty!¡± I hummed and tilted my head. ¡°Hmmm you haven¡¯t been able to approach Kong about learning to evolve your Machoke?¡± Talia grimaced. ¡°I had to spar with him and I¡¯m not great at hand to hand so he didn¡¯t want to train me. And before you ask, Chuck is full up on apprentices. He had one graduate earlier and there was a huge fight to get the spot which I missed out on even challenging for.¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. ¡°Do you like surfing? That apprentice that graduated from Chuck¡¯s Gym is around Kanto. He¡¯s a real surfer nut by the name of Brawly. If you want, I could get you in touch.¡± ¡°Oh? That would be great!¡± she said with a smile. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯d be interested in what he makes of your Primeape.¡± Talia grimaced. ¡°I tried the ¡®way of peace¡¯ training that so many people push for with Primeapes but he didn¡¯t respond well to it. He prefers to lash out and fight as much as he can.¡± She rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Gonna have to have his favourite food out and ready when I take him to the nurse. He¡¯s strong but you have to really work at him to get the most out of him, sometimes I don¡¯t think he cares if he dies when he fights.¡± I grimaced. It was a well-known cause of Primeape death, that their hearts gave out as their spirits demanded they keep fighting. Most people use a calming mind method of training them due to the risks of using ¡®wrath style¡¯ fighting that came naturally to Primaeape. ¡°Well you¡¯re managing him and looking after him.¡± I said. I then glanced to the side. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to have to get the base structure checked over and possibly repaired before I hold another match here. Might be onto the battlecourts for me for the rest of the day.¡± Talia glanced at it before giggling. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry about that!¡± She said as she surveyed the devastation. I waved it off before saying good bye to her. I marched into the medical wing where Rocko and Jackson were waiting for me. I gave orders for them as they handed me an energy drink and a sandwich that I chowed down as Chansey went to work on my team. All of them were worse for wear with only Titan having superficial injuries. Bertha was out for at least a week as were Sanchez and my Onix. I patted him. ¡°Next week buddy you¡¯re getting your metal coating alright?¡± He crooned happily at that and I grinned. I leaned against the bed and sighed. ¡°Damn, that girl almost beat me,¡± I said aloud. Rocko chuckled. ¡°She wasn¡¯t sixty-second on the Ace leaderboard without reason Brock. You sure you wanted to help her get stronger?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m supposed to do as a Gym Leader,¡± I said. ¡°Ah but as an Ace trainer, that shouldn¡¯t be what you think of.¡± I snorted and nodded, agreeing with him. ¡°Guess it just comes too naturally for me,¡± I said, taking my last bite of my sandwich. When I was done I picked up where I¡¯d left off an earlier conversation, ¡°I think you¡¯re right by the way. We need to start taking less challenges and ease the load on the gym.¡± Rocko relaxed at that, adopting his more typical slouch. ¡°Good to hear, after next week¡¯s break I¡¯m taking off, remember? It¡¯s for my leave with my little brother and sister. Give them two weeks of work on the road and get them some badges before we come back here.¡± I smiled. ¡°Ho? Not challenging here first? Where are you going first?¡± I asked. Rocko started talking and I listened in. I still had more matches to see to, but it was good to take some time. As Rocko had once said. You need to slow down sometimes. I couldn¡¯t wait for next week when I had some proper downtime. Alexa walked in and grimaced when she saw me so relaxed with my pokemon. ¡°Brock, the Chief of Police is here.¡± I groaned and stood up before my face hardened. Alexa shifted. ¡°He said he¡¯s here to apologise to you?¡± I blinked. ¡°Huh, well alright then.¡± Looks like I wasn¡¯t going to have another issue to deal with. ¡°How¡¯s the next match looking?¡± ¡°Missy just beat them so you have another hour of free time before the next potential Gauntlet challenge.¡± ¡°Will wonders never cease, ¡° I said standing and checking over all of my pokemon before moving away. ¡°Let¡¯s see what the Chief of Police has to say for himself.¡± Chapter 109 - Hat in Hand When I reached my office, I found the chief of Police sitting with his hat in his hands. He was literally, and physically sitting there, hat in hand, the very picture of a disheartened police officer. I took a moment to stare before firming up my resolve, I wasn¡¯t going to be swayed, even if he was sorry about what had happened. ¡°A little on the nose, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said, entering as he played with the badge on his hat. He jerked up, apparently having gotten lost in thought. I swept past him, assuming my spot behind the desk, my hands lacing together as I eyed him. ¡°I feel like I should be informing Lawrence of your visit here,¡± I said to start things off. Bosco, the Pewter City chief of police, chuckled only to shake his head as sadness took over his features. He ran a hand through his thinning hair and scratched at his head before running it down his face in an explosive sigh. ¡°Well, he¡¯d come and growl around a lot, but it isn¡¯t something I¡¯m going to put up any fight over. I looked through the logs and video records for how things played out.¡± He gave me a look. ¡°That was handled¡­ poorly.¡± When I raised an eyebrow and turned my body fully towards him. Making it clear through my body language alone, that I considered that an understatement. He winced, ¡°Well, alright, it was handled like a dumpster fire with the only pokemon on hand being a Koffing and an idiot to give it orders.¡± He threw his hands up and shook his head. ¡°Just about everyone that was involved in that field of Tauros shit is getting benched and retrained, minimum! There¡¯s a number of people that I can¡¯t just ship off, and firing them isn¡¯t an option with labour laws as they are!¡± Bosco slumped into his chair and shook his head in disgust. ¡°I¡¯ve just spent the morning shouting with the Mayor and while I know from talking with some people¡ª¡± he waved his hand about when I tilted my head. ¡ª¡±You know, the big names in the community. Like old Judge Howard, Mrs Haridan, Madam Pennywrong, Mr Wright, and such.¡± I tilted my head at Lawrence and Mrs Haridan being included on that list. ¡°They all know that Jonathan¡¯s making a beeline for something higher and he wants it worse than a starved Snorlax wants a ton of produce! He¡¯s charging through everything despite the people he¡¯s burning on his way through.¡± I frowned. ¡°Does this seem¡­ out of character for him?¡± I asked as a horrible possibility raised its head. Bosco sighed and looked down. ¡°Nah, I see what you¡¯re worried about with Will, especially with what we know about him now.¡± Bosco shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sad to say that Jonathan¡¯s always been a power-hungry fool. Needed to have the best house, the best wife, the best job. I think he¡¯s worked out that it''s possible to get the top job in the League in his head and he wants it. He has the best things in Pewter¡­ now he¡¯s dipping his toes into a bigger pool.¡± ¡°Why did this man ever get elected as Mayor?¡± I suddenly regretted not being aware of things when I took over. I¡¯d let it be¡­ and now I was regretting that. Bosco flicked his hand back and forth. ¡°People like us, those who have been harmed by him? We¡¯re in the small minority. He is masterful at weaving a public story that most people will eat up. He knows how to talk the talk, and he is nearly constantly doing it.¡± ¡°Hmmm, he has rivals and detractors on the city council though? Aren¡¯t they going to work against him?¡± ¡°He got a number of people that work for him or at least with him on the council in the last election. Up until now, it hadn¡¯t been an issue. Made him decisive with policies that helped out the city. He¡¯s made a lot of people, both his friends and the people of Pewter, wealthy, healthy, and happy.¡± I huffed in annoyance before something Bosco had said tickled at my brain. ¡°What did you mean by people like us? that have been harmed by him? How has he harmed you?¡± ¡°... I¡¯m being asked to retire. That is a power he still has, along with the appointment of the people that will select the next one.¡± I blinked. ¡°He¡¯s firing you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being asked to step down.¡± He gave me a smile that let me know how full of Tauros droppings that reason was. ¡°Labour laws remember. He doesn¡¯t need to fire me due to my age. I¡¯ve been here a long time, and it hasn¡¯t been an issue.¡± ¡°Until now,¡± I said. I drummed my fingers. ¡°I¡¯m now getting a picture of a Spinarak that has been weaving a delicate web that won¡¯t last very well without his control at the centre.¡± Bosco nodded. ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s my worry.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°You¡¯re not just here to apologise are you? You want something from me?¡± I said, my eyes narrowing. Bosco chuckled. ¡°Yes, as it happens, there is something you can do for Pewter City. Your agreement with the City, or rather your family¡¯s agreement with the Gym was something that was awarded at the end of the War. It has certain privileges that you¡¯ve never used, and now that¡¯s biting us in the backside.¡± I sat up to snap at him for accusing me of getting us into this problem only for him to raise his hands in supplication. ¡°Sorry, no that came out wrong.¡± He rubbed his hands. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy with running the Gym and your family. And that¡¯s only gotten harder with people sticking their nose into your business.¡± I leveled a look letting him know he was clearly doing just that. He smiled tightly. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to use your family¡¯s agreement to appoint someone to the committees and meetings that see the city operating.¡± ¡°I already have my Lawyer seeing to the Gym¡¯s interests at the League as my representative.¡± ¡°This is different, Brock. This isn¡¯t just for the Gym¡¯s interest but Pewter¡¯s. Pewter is more than just a place on the map; it¡¯s a home where people grow up, raise their kids, train their pokemon, and live their lives. They shouldn¡¯t be just hard numbers or lines on the page. I was hoping you might consider a suggestion of mine.¡± ¡°What, do you want to sit on the committees?¡± I said incredulously. ¡°No, it¡¯s annoying but I think¡­ I think Jonathan might have a good point asking me to retire, albeit he¡¯s gone about it in a terrible manner. Even if he backpedals hard and asks me to stay¡­ He¡¯s shown that I¡¯m just expedient. No, better someone younger rises up.¡± ¡°What, like Officer Jenny?¡± I said snarkily. Bosco, rather than dismissing the suggestion or laughing like I thought he might, shook his head sadly. ¡°No, I know she¡¯s been in the police for a while now, and done good work despite sneaking around the recruiting age¡­ somehow,¡± he muttered to himself. He straightened up. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have the experience. Not like her aunt does. I¡¯d like you to appoint her aunt to represent your Gym. She¡¯d come with a sterling reputation thanks to her family¡¯s work.¡± ¡°Which police district does she work with?¡± I asked, curious despite myself. ¡°She doesn¡¯t. Got into a bad accident with a murderer that was using a Scyther of all things. Got hurt bad enough that not even Joy and a team of Blissey¡¯s, nor using donated Ditto cells could get her walking properly. She retired,¡± I frowned at the way he¡¯d worded that, ¡°but she still knows right from wrong. Decided to help out in different ways, she chairs some charity organisations and such.¡± ¡°When was this?¡± I asked, curious despite myself. Bosco grimaced. ¡°Before you left, about seven, eight years ago?¡± I hummed and drummed my fingers. ¡°So, you¡¯ve come to apologise, admit fault, which as I said, Lawrence will plug you for all he¡¯s worth, and then you want me to appoint someone to the council? Specifically a former¡­¡± I almost said Jenny before shaking my head. She hadn¡¯t stopped being a Jenny despite her injury but now she was a former police officer. I drummed my fingers only to stop. ¡°I¡¯ll look into her, but I might have some other thoughts on who to appoint,¡± I said, lacing my fingers together. I was going to have to call Erika for this. Bosco nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll save you the time. They have to be a local that has lived here ten years at least. So, no outsiders, other than that I think it¡¯s your choice. Old Gym agreements are like that.¡± I didn¡¯t comment on that. Bosco must have known that I didn¡¯t know that to have mentioned it. Did he know I was going to tap Erika on the shoulder for her advice? Or was he afraid I¡¯d bring someone else in and make a fool of myself? Instead, I decided to check something I hadn¡¯t looked at in years now. I reached over and pulled out a file and leafed through it to find that it had Lola¡¯s name on it. I stared at it, wondering why her name was there. I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it in the past. Why wasn¡¯t it Flint¡¯s name? Bosco stared at it before pointing at a line. ¡°Yup, there it is, the bearer of this seal is entitled to owning, and the operation of the Pewter City pokemon Gym to represent Pewter as a whole. To be passed onto their descendants or successors of choice.¡± Bosco nodded his head. ¡°Hmmm, indeed. I have a question that I¡¯ve never had a proper answer to.¡± I tapped the name on the page. ¡°What did Lola do to earn the rights to the Gym?¡± Bosco sucked on his teeth and squirmed. ¡°Urgh, we don¡¯t really talk about it, you know? She did good work though, well and truly earnt it, there¡¯s no question about that!¡± he said quickly. ¡°What. did. she. do?¡± I said sternly. Bosco shifted back and forth in his chair like a Weedle was sitting underneath him and prodding him with its stinger. ¡°Brock, talking about the war, it brings up a lot of memories, mostly bad ones for folks. We all tried to move on. We don¡¯t like dredging up stories of that time, even the good ones.¡± ¡°I find myself blindsided with certain facts that make this relevant, Bosco. What did she do? Or do I need to go find my answers elsewhere?¡± I flexed my fingers in agitation and resisted the urge to crack my neck. Bosco¡¯s evasion of my question was getting to me. Bosco shifted before sighing heavily and folding in on himself. He reached into a pocket and drew out a small black box with a switch on the side that he laid on the table. ¡°These used to be big deals during the war. Psychic pokemon like Xatu could be put together in groups and be used to scry opposing forces for what they were planning. If you got one of these, you were in command of at least a platoon, which was either twenty or fifty people.¡± ¡°A dark emitter,¡± I said with a nod. Bosco snapped his fingers and jerked his head up and down. ¡°Right! Nowadays, almost everyone has one of these. Mind turning yours on? I¡­ I still don¡¯t like talking about the war. Also, on the off chance someone was listening in I wouldn¡¯t want Lola to come in danger.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°The emitters in this room are already on, Bosco.¡± I turned a screen around to show him the readings being fed onto a screen that a Porygon pecked at before spinning away. Even if we didn¡¯t have cyber security, I could feel the walls of the gym with my dark type energy. It helped that the topic we were discussing made sensing it all the easier. He chuckled and ran a hand over his thinning hairline. ¡°Damn, I really am showing my age aren¡¯t I?¡± He sighed again before firming up his jawline. ¡°Right, it starts with your mother being from a rather prominent family that used to own a lot of land. Then the war happened, and they started losing out big. War wasn¡¯t good for their business, but your grandfather, he was a firm supporter of Pewter and was willing to push on. His nieces and nephews? Your mother¡¯s cousins? They weren¡¯t as happy. Started making deals, getting certain people in the way of them inheriting taken out as they started selling information. Lola, she¡¯d been working as a scout for the army. ¡°She¡¯d go out into the wilds and monitor Johto or other threats movements. She caught a number of raids coming before they ever got in danger of reaching Pewter, saving a lot of lives. The Johto folk caught on or were tipped off and started trying to kill her and the other scouts at the time. Your mother bunkered down and had to endure a lot of things. Heard she dug a foxhole with her Golem and Blastoise. They survived despite the fact that the mountain they were on was flattened." Bosco snorted. ¡°Ever wonder about that little tidbit of Gyarados flattening mountains in their rage in the kiddies Pokedex?¡± Bosco smirked, his eyes distant, lost in memory. ¡°Lola lived through that, got the information back to us and we matched the attackers. Pokemon for pokemon. She came out shaken and jittery. She was given time off to try and recover, which she decided to take. Went home¡­¡± ¡°Where she learned about her family betraying Pewter¡­ and the rest of the family?¡± I asked, linking what he¡¯d said earlier together. "We''re not sure how she did it, but she found something out though, and that sparked a fight at the family home. At first, people thought it was attackers going for her home, but when we got there Lola was facing off three of her cousins while trying to save her father. He died and so did her cousins but not before they confessed what they¡¯d done. Scarred Lola something fierce¡­¡± ¡°She threw herself into working as a scout and then as a harasser against people attacking Pewter. Considering that it was mostly Blackthorn types by that stage of the war, she had it rough. Her pokemon got injured a lot and she had to get them carted into the nurses a lot. That¡¯s where your father met her, got her to settle down. By that stage, things were wrapping up and Lola was still a bit of a mess.¡± Bosco shrugged. ¡°The City saw her as a hero and wanted to reward her and her family for their sacrifice. Gave them the Gym Leader role, which Flint took over for a while there. Lola was still super jittery with pokemon fighting. She liked the wilds though, kept her love of it despite the war.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said noncommittally. I rolled the fact around and found that it fit with my understanding of Lola. It didn¡¯t change that she obviously hadn¡¯t sorted herself out in the ensuing¡­ twenty or so years? If anything she¡¯d been more flighty with her family. I didn¡¯t want to think about her anymore for today. I could feel my dark energy starting to leak a little. Bosco shifted and glanced about, possibly feeling it. I took a steadying breath before speaking up, ¡°I think I still have a lot more questions than answers, and a lot to think on.¡± ¡°Well, long as you¡¯re thinking. That was somewhat my intent coming here. Please consider talking with Old Lady Jenny,¡± His lips twitched while he said this for some reason. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°What do you find so funny?¡± Bosco made to wave it off before sighing. ¡°Alright, I shouldn¡¯t jerk your¡¯s Onix¡¯s tail for some fun. In the force we call her Old Lady Jenny but in reality she¡¯s only thirty-five. She got her injury quite early on in her life.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± I rolled my eyes at his idea of a joke and waved him towards the door. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it, but I think you¡¯re right. I have been lax in appointing a representative, and this latest¡­ farce means I need to consider what I have available to me.¡± Bosco nodded his head amicably. ¡°I¡¯ll be sending Lawrence a blank check today. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll know what to do with it.¡± I huffed. ¡°I¡¯m sure the widows, orphans and retirees¡­¡± I stopped and tilted my head. ¡°This older Jenny, she¡¯d benefit from donations to that as well, wouldn¡¯t she?¡± Bosco stared at me. ¡°Oh, I forgot that you¡¯re not like those others that sue us¡­¡± I raised an unamused look at him. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Bosco rubbed under his nose. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯d benefit from that¡­¡± He stared at me for a moment before nodding seriously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry things went down like they did Brock. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re still a kid others can look up to.¡± I snorted at him. ¡°I¡¯m hardly a kid, Bosco. Now, I¡¯m sorry to say that I need to see to my next challenger. You know the way out.¡± Bosco merely smiled wider at the dismissal and walked off like a man that hadn¡¯t been fired for all intents and purposes. I suppose the difference in years of outlook would result in it not being such a concern for a man like Bosco. I sighed and flicked on the screen to watch Missy¡¯s match up against another challenger. Banter was exchanged, and I could see the moment when the challenger said something ruder than they should have as Missy¡¯s brow twitched and her eyes glinted. Her hand also shifted from the normal position for a fourth-tier badge challenge and instead her Rhydon. She came out swinging hard and didn¡¯t stop swinging until she had her foe down and out. Considering they only brought two pokemon trained up to the level needed for a fourth-tier challenge, I had to consider them overconfident. As Missy had demonstrated. The gloves very much came off for a fourth-tier challenge if we wanted to. I sent a message to Missy to congratulate her on the impressive smackdown. Then I turned back to doing paperwork. Thanks to Missy I had a whole hour to work with, and I was going to make the most of it.
I was feeling a bit more of a pep in my step for this next match up. I felt like I¡¯d relaxed. Yeah, sure things had gotten out of hand with Forrest, but I was feeling optimistic about how things would turn out in future. After all, he was in good company. I marched out into the arena in time for my name to be announced. The challenger, Heidi, had done well for herself, challenging with the Gauntlet run at the third badge level. Interestingly, she had booked in two weeks ago. She¡¯d done so while she¡¯d been on her first badge. Since then, she¡¯d collected the Cascade, and Rainbow badges. ¡°You moved on and fought the Cerulean sisters and Erika before me?¡± I said, curious as to her story. Heidi nodded. ¡°Yeah, I realised I¡¯d get more experience from moving around. I had to run a few times to make it work, but out of three challenges so far I have two badges.¡± She raised her pokeball towards me and a glint entered her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m getting my third today!¡± I grinned, raising my own pokeball towards her. ¡°Surge or someone else?¡± ¡°Surge,¡± Heidi said before tossing her pokeball. ¡°Enough talk! I¡¯m taking you down Gym Leader!¡± On her side a Croconaw appeared. I tossed out my own choice. ¡°Go, Rhyhorn!¡± My pokemon emerged with a heavy thud and growled before shaking his head. Across from me, Croconaw bared its teeth, and I hummed. ¡°You¡¯re one of Elm¡¯s sponsors?¡± I said, eyeing the pokedex on her hip. Heidi merely bared her teeth, much like her pokemon. ¡°Croconaw, use Bubblebeam!¡± ¡°Bulldoze to the right!¡± I said forcing my pokemon to throw herself to the side with her horn glowing. She slammed straight through a boulder, causing debris to go flying and me to grin as the Bubblebeam missed. I was much happier with my placement now than I was earlier in the day. I was able to make way more use of the field. Now I needed to test her properly. The challenge came in making it slightly weaker than an out-and-out pokemon battle. She was a third badge challenger after all. ¡°Stealth Rock!¡± I said, setting up the field for the next few pokemon out. I had half an idea I wanted to test out. ¡°Croconaw! Stop that Rhyhorn from running! Scary Face!¡± The Croconaw growled and his eyes glowed causing my pokemon to stiffen up as the predatory threat from the other pokemon caused latent instincts to rear their head. ¡°Rhyhorn! Use Earthquake!¡± Rhyhorn raised a leg and stomped hard. ¡°Water Gun assisted jump!¡± Instead of leaping, her Croconaw did a headstand with its jaws facing down before rocketing up into the air. Heidi sighed at the frankly garish display. It soared over the ground as the Earthquake took effect. So, it looked bad but worked. I grunted as Croconaw landed and bounced a few times on his backside before whirling about. ¡°Water Gun again!¡± Heidi ordered. ¡°Dig!¡± I said to send my pokemon under the ground and out of danger. ¡°Protect!¡± Heidi called, causing a shield to form up around her pokemon. Only for nothing to happen for a while. Her pokemon¡¯s shield dropped, and Rhyhorn charged up out of the ground into an offensive position. Heidi coughed sheepishly as her pokemon shook itself off. ¡°Timing was off.¡± I hummed and didn¡¯t remind her that she¡¯d made the move slower with her earlier use of Scary Face. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said again in lieu of an answer. I¡¯d tell her after the match. Another trio of rock rose up and floated around the area causing Heidi to click her tongue in annoyance. ¡°Croconaw! Go for Focus Punch!¡± ¡°Dig!¡± I ordered again. Deciding to not make it easy. Heidi clicked her tongue. ¡°Keep focusing, Croconaw! He¡¯s going to come up soon! React as fast as you can¡­ you¡¯ll have the speed on him after all!¡± I smiled and nodded as she realised the issue on her own. She smirked when my Rhyhorn once more rumbled out of the ground. This time his lack of speed worked for Croconaw and Heidi as they met the attack with an empowered Focus Punch that knocked my pokemon out cold. I returned Rhyhorn and smiled. ¡°Nicely done. You¡¯re using good tactics and have the typing match up. Let¡¯s see how you handle something a bit different though.¡± I tossed out another pokeball. ¡°Go Lileep!¡± My Gym¡¯s new pokemon species waved happily before locking onto the Croconaw with a stern set to its fronds. I grinned at the confused look on Heidi¡¯s face. ¡°What the? That¡¯s new¡­ Must be Rock and¡­ Grass type?¡± she said aloud while rubbing her chin. She shook her head. ¡°Whatever! We¡¯re still going to win this! Croconaw, lock it down with Scary Face! Speed will decide this for us!¡± ¡°Ingrain,¡± I said, happy to get a free turn of set-up for my pokemon. ¡°Close in, but knock it around with Water Gun!¡± said Heidi, causing her pokemon to charge in. I noticed that they shot a spread of attacks rather than just firing in line. With my ordering my pokemon to root itself in however that shouldn¡¯t have been needed. ¡°Lileep, use Mega Drain,¡± I said only to frown as the Water Gun shots that should have missed arced around and hit Lileep. My pokemon rocked from the hits but the green glow of the Mega Drain didn¡¯t weaken at all, nor did my pokemon cry out. What was going on here? ¡°Eh? What the?¡± said Heidi as her pokemon¡¯s move didn¡¯t seem to bother my pokemon at all. My pokemon instead drained hers as it charged in causing Croconaw to stumble before continuing to charge. ¡°Focus Punch!¡± ¡°Astonish!¡± I called out making my pokemon snap its fronds wide and glare harshly at the Croconaw. Instead of building up for a punch that I knew would be super effective, it flinched. ¡°Wrap it up now that it¡¯s close!¡± My pokemon leaned in and grabbed the pokemon causing Croconaw to flail only for the fronds to tighten and Lileep¡¯s roots to dig into the ground. A pulse ran through my pokemon and I knew that it was only getting stronger thanks to the earlier Ingrain usage. ¡°No! Croconaw, use Ice Fang!¡± Heidi said only for her pokemon to not be able to get its jaw into the right position. My pokemon still shuddered at the closeness of the attack, showing that it didn¡¯t like it but it wasn¡¯t harmed too much. ¡°Mega Drain!¡± I called out, glad I could double down with Mega Drain potentially being stronger thanks to being in contact with the other pokemon. Croconaw flailed about but wasn¡¯t able to do much before slowly its struggles grew weaker and weaker. Then it clumped into my pokemon its energy spent. ¡°Urgh! Tough luck Croconaw!¡± Heidi said as she withdrew her pokemon. She grimaced before selecting her pokeball only to stop as her eyes flicked to the Stealth Rocks. She shifted from one pokeball on her belt to the next before clicking her tongue. ¡°Go Parasect!¡± Her crab pokemon revealed itself only for rocks to fly into it causing it to cry out in pain. ¡°Urgh! Fight through with Giga Drain! If Brock wants to do this, we have the stronger move to drain another pokemon!¡± I chuckled, she would come out better from the exchange, but she was discounting my use of Ingrain. She apparently didn¡¯t know what that did. She just had the benefit of having a pokemon that was resistant to Grass-type moves meaning Mega Drain wouldn¡¯t do much. ¡°Not going to try matching you hit for hit,¡± I said. ¡°Lileep, use Rock Tomb! Keep that Parasect locked down!¡± I was really bluffing here and making it look like I was more afraid of her bug attacks than her grass-type attacks. ¡°Ah!¡± Heidi said as rocks snapped up around her pokemon. Mine squirmed at the Giga Drain but seemed alright as her roots twitched. Heidi frowned, taking a moment to assess the situation. I gave her a two-second count before punching forward. ¡°Again! Rock Tomb!¡± Once more her Parasect was slammed and she grimaced. ¡°Stick to Giga Drain!¡± she said, backing herself. We traded blows, the slugfest now much more even, and therefore risky with her pokemon having a much tougher time as mine endured the Giga Drains. Eventually, both pokemon toppled. Jackson raised his flags in both directions. ¡°Both pokemon are unable to battle! Gym Leader Brock has one more pokemon to use!¡± I hummed, toying with the idea of just accepting her victory. Heidi stared at me, a glint in her eyes that spoke of her determination. I nodded, accepting the unspoken challenge to take this all the way. ¡°Go! Corsola!¡± I said with some glee. ¡°Eh? Corsola¡¯s a rock type?¡± said Heidi as she whipped out her pokedex. ¡°Corsola. A rock-water type pokemon that is known to inhabit coral reefs and rocky undersea cliffs along the coast. This pokemon is known to shed the horn and regrow it multiple times throughout its life.¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± Heidi said with annoyance. I hummed. ¡°So you¡¯re game to use your pokedex here and now?¡± Heidi grinned and pointed at the empty field on her side. ¡°No pokemon that you can target while I get information on your pokemon. I know I won¡¯t be able to do this in an actual tournament but I know this is allowed for Gym Challenges. Just about knowing when to use it.¡± I nodded, once again, she was ticking another box in my book. Heidi clicked her tongue. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go Vaporeon!¡± said pokemon took to the field with a cry of its name only to growl as rocks struck it. ¡°Hmmm a good answer,¡± I said. ¡°Corsola! Ancient Power!¡± ¡°Vaporeon, use Rain Dance!¡± It wiggled its tail and danced around, even dodging a few of Corsola¡¯s thrown rocks as water started to fall from the few quickly formed up clouds about the field. ¡°Using its water body eh?¡± I said. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t try this against Surge.¡± Heidi coughed, and I caught some mutters regarding the combination of Thunder and Rain Dance not being known to her. I chuckled. ¡°Ancient Power again!¡± I said, committing to the only move that wouldn¡¯t benefit her pokemon. ¡°Use Surf!¡± said Heidi, causing a rather large tidal wave to build up and surge forward. I whistled, for a little pokemon that was rather impressive. It still didn¡¯t match the biggest wave in the Gym though, that honour went to Brawly and his Wailord. The attack slammed down on the arena, Corsola was tossed back. Heidi pumped her fist when it was revealed that the Stealth Rock¡¯s were out of play. ¡°Bulldoze,¡± I said, causing my Corsola to surge through the muddy field and slam into Vaporeon. The other pokemon cried out in pain and tumbled about. Then it hopped onto its feet and shook itself off as rain fell onto it. ¡°Eh!?¡± Heidi said in shock. ¡°Vaporeon, use Baton Pass!¡± She held up a pokeball and Vaporeon vanished as the pokeball in her hand opened up to reveal a Flaffy that shrieked as it took in all the mud around it. It grabbed at the wool around its hips and raised it up to do a sharp tip tap dance while glaring at Heidi who looked contrite. ¡°Sorry! Use Thunderbolt and end this so we can get you washed up!¡± Flaffy leaped to obey, snapping around to launch a Thunderbolt at my pokemon. ¡°Bulldoze!¡± I cried out only for Corsola to take a powerful blast of lightning that ended the match. I returned her, impressed at the show of power. When we lowered the podiums, Flaffy leapt to Heidi and stood on her shoulders causing mud to be smeared over her face and shoulders as the Flaffy swatted at her trainer in reprimand. ¡°Sorry! Sorry! I just wanted you on the field to wrap things up! I forgot about how much you hate getting your fur wet! You did great though!¡± This got the Flaffy to slow its strikes before sticking its nose up. ¡°Nice work,¡± I said, marching through the muddy field without concern. Flaffy looked horrified as I approached. I gestured to Jackson who was taking a much more hesitant path through the mud to reach us with the Badge case. I turned back to Heidi. ¡°So, I¡¯ll tell you right now that I think you have what it takes to have earned your third badge from me. Watch out from now on though, as the challenges will get harder.¡± I pointed at her pokemon. ¡°You¡¯re going to need to up your game tactics and strategy if you want to have a shot at taking out Surge, especially with your current team roster.¡± Heidi nodded firmly. ¡°Yeah, he wrecked us last time. I won¡¯t make the mistake of using Rain Dance ever again against an Electric type.¡± ¡°Good call; also learn what other pokemon might have Electric moves in their pool that are common to see. Like Gyarados, Starmie and others. The other option is to look for a pokemon that can act as a Lightning rod¡­¡± I trailed off thoughtfully. ¡°Hey quick favour, can you scan my Lileep.¡± I released her back onto the field. Her fronds wilted tiredly as she glanced around. I drew out some potion and began to spray her. ¡°Lileep, a Rock-Grass typing. This pokemon is only newly discovered, having been saved from extinction through use of a resurrection machine. Information and observations of this pokemon are highly sought after!¡± Heidi perked up. ¡°Oh wow! Elm will be happy with me, when I write up a report on our fight and send it to him!¡± ¡°Hmmm, does your pokedex have the scan feature?¡± ¡°Scan feature,¡± she said, offering her pokedex over to me. I took it and flipped through the options before finding a feature that I¡¯d briefly discussed with Oak during a round of playing video games. I lined up the camera on my pokemon and the bulb flashed blue. ¡°Scanning pokemon, please maintain position and keep pokemon in focus.¡± ¡°Lileep?¡± said my pokemon as the pokedex emitted a blue light. I clicked my tongue. Oak really needed to work on making the scanner more long-range for people¡¯s safety but it would work for what I wanted. ¡°Lileep, this pokemon is quite young. It knows the move Wrap, Astonish, Ingrain, Mega Drain, Sand Tomb, and Rock Throw. It also appears to draw water sources towards it to empower its ability to grow. This allows it to negate most water-type attacks that don¡¯t overpower it.¡± ¡°Huh, Storm Drain,¡± I said aloud. ¡°Storm Drain?¡± asked Heidi. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°It¡¯s an extra ability that some pokemon have. Makes this Lileep immune to single-focus water attacks, or it will become the focus of attacks on its allies in a multi pokemon battle.¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. ¡°This pokemon really does have a lot of surprises.¡± ¡°Urgh, tell me about it! If it wasn¡¯t a Rock type and if you hadn¡¯t set up with Stealth Rock earlier, I might have sent out my Pidgeotto or Butterfree.¡± ¡°Good call on that, the Stealth Rock would have made things rough, and you couldn¡¯t have known what my pokemon could and couldn¡¯t have done. How¡¯d you find Erika¡¯s challenge?¡± I asked out of professional curiosity. It wasn''t often I got trainers going to her before me. ¡°Really great actually! I spoke with her a bit and spent a day or two in her Gym. She showed me how to manage my team¡¯s dynamic when they''re out of their pokeballs a lot better! It has made such a difference! She¡¯s so smart knowing how to get things just working with different personality types.¡± I nodded slowly as I remembered how she¡¯d helped me out with my last political problem. ¡°Yeeeeaaah, she really is clever about that side of things¡­¡± I said thoughtfully. I really needed to call her. Heidi departed with her Badge, her winnings in cash, and a plan for herself. I was confident I¡¯d be seeing her at the end of the circuit and said as much before I used a break to fire off a message to Erika. She tried calling me back in the middle of a pokemon match and I had to ignore her call and send it to voicemail. When I got the time to check it, Erika had responded with a ten-minute talk discussing all the possible candidates that would make for good representatives I could put forward. She mentioned the older Jenny, the former Judge Howard, Mrs Haridan ¡ªwho I actually knew rather well¡ª, and a host of other names that I vaguely knew but Erika could recite stories off the top of her head about. When she signed off the message, I had to stare at my transceiver in surprise, only for Erika to call me again. ¡°Erika hey, it¡¯s Brock I have ten more minutes before my next challenge. I got your message.¡± ¡°Oh good! I thought of some other people that would also be good! So, James Prendigast is another fellow who worked for the Fire department that also did some time on council¡ª¡± Erika then proceeded to talk my ear off for the next ten minutes about people she knew. I was rather gobsmacked that she knew so many locals. I didn¡¯t know who the pillars of the community were and I lived here! Jackson walked with me from the break room to the top of the trainer area overlooking the arena. ¡°You look a bit put off Brock. You feeling okay?¡± ¡°Hmmm, yeah I''m alright, just got a rather big shake up from a social¡­expert?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to call her, maestro maybe? In just how poor an understanding I have of the social scene.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all good at different things,¡± said Jackson with a shrug. I nodded. ¡°Guess it just wasn¡¯t something I thought worth all that much¡­ until it suddenly was worth a lot. Guess Erika just schooled me without even trying.¡± Jackson chuckled at that. ¡°Erika did that? Huh,¡± he said thoughtfully. I nodded and went on with the rest of my day. When it reached the end of the day. I had another short meeting with the trainers and announced that I would be scaling back the Gym¡¯s hours going forward. Everyone slumped in relief at this, which helped me know how tough things had been on the ground, so to speak. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean we¡¯re going to be extending the surge a bit?¡± asked Dennis carefully. I shrugged. ¡°There are more important things in life than just running pokemon battles all day. I think I need to make some more time in my life for those things.¡± Dennis nodded and Rocko gave me a thumbs up. Alexa smiled and didn¡¯t say anything more, just wrote a note while Rachel wrote up an announcement for the pokenet page of the Gym. I clapped my hands. ¡°Alright crew, another few days, then we¡¯re on lighter duties for the weekend. Then the sale at the start of next week before I send a few of you off to catch a thankfully short list of pokemon. Jackson, you¡¯ll be working with Missy, Rachel and our new Gym trainer,¡± I nodded to Greta who smiled from next to Crystal. ¡°Otherwise, enjoy yourselves, and I¡¯ll see some of you tomorrow.¡± By the end of the week, everyone was happy to see the break. When I got home on Friday night with the knowledge that I didn¡¯t need to be up and battling for Saturday thanks to blocking it off earlier at the start of the surge. I sank into the couch with a groan of delight. Munchlax approached me with a slice of pizza that my family had already ordered. I accepted it with a smile only to frown at the large bite that had already been taken from it. ¡°Hey!¡± I said as he scrambled away. I chased him into the kitchen and caught him up to tickle him before depositing him in a chair and claiming my own. Flint nodded at me before raising up the kitchen transceiver. ¡°We were about to call Forrest to see how he¡¯s been?¡± I smiled. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯d like to know how he¡¯s been, let''s call.¡± Forrest answered a moment later and his face came into vision. ¡°Hey family! You will not believe the week I¡¯ve had!¡± I chuckled, having something of an idea, he was after all with Ash and Misty. ¡°We rescued a Charmander! Oh! Also!¡± he bounced on the spot, ¡°I have a new pokemon! Can you believe it?!¡± I choked on my pizza slice. How the hell had he done that?! Did he just accidentally take Ash¡¯s Charmander? I really wasn¡¯t sure what to think of that. ¡°That¡­ sounds like a story. Care to share?¡± I asked. I really had to hear how this had gone down. Chapter 110 - Interlude - Encounters around the pokemon world Forrest looked straight ahead and tried to ignore what was going on behind him. Ash was loudly opening and shutting his mouth, while Misty was glaring Ash into silence. This hadn''t been how he¡¯d thought he¡¯d be setting out. He always imagined it would be with his entire family seeing him off and his team fully assembled, ready to make waves throughout Kanto. That had always been the dream, to stick around until Mum came home and then give it some time to settle before he went on his journey. Only, it hadn¡¯t gone that way at all, had it? Instead, he had to leave because of something stupid that wasn¡¯t his fault but should have been something he avoided. At least, he thought he should have. All he had to do was be firmer with the guys back home. Instead, he¡¯d wavered. He¡¯d had an idea they were spray painting stuff around the City but he hadn¡¯t realised they¡¯d gone further than that into outright theft. Forrest chewed his lips. If they¡¯d felt secure enough to steal Officer Jenny¡¯s bike then what else had they felt confident enough to do? He really hadn¡¯t known them as well as he thought he did. He certainly hadn¡¯t been expecting them to turn on him¡­ No, the sad part was probably that he wasn¡¯t all that surprised to learn they were putting the blame on him. Forrest wasn¡¯t sure that creep Will even would have had to be involved. Forrest shuddered when he remembered how furious Brock had been when he heard Will¡¯s voice. He¡¯d never known Brock could make a face so cold and rigid. ¡°Forrest, you alright?¡± Misty asked, stepping in and peering at him. He sighed. ¡°Yeah, just¡­ Thinking about stuff I guess.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good! If you need to talk, I¡¯m here,¡± she said easily. He glanced at her and found her watching him. He smiled halfheartedly at her, and she smiled back. He felt like he should have enjoyed that more, but for the life of him, he couldn¡¯t work out why that was. He trudged along in silence trying to get the answer. She was watching him. Which was good. He liked her looking at him. But, it was the way she was looking at him. It wasn¡¯t in admiration but in pity and worry. It felt like she was watching him cause she expected to see him trip. Like he was fragile. He didn¡¯t want to be fragile. He wanted¡­ he wanted to be like Brock. Brock could be immovable and know where he was going. He always knew where he stood and Forrest¡­ didn¡¯t have that. Brock had mentioned it before when they¡¯d gone hiking or been taking care of pokemon together. He¡¯d said it stemmed from knowing yourself and what you wanted. Plans were goals with the steps mapped out. The problem so far was that he didn¡¯t know who he was now. Things had changed so rapidly he felt like¡­ well it felt like he¡¯d built up on faulty ground. You could walk on it, thinking it was firm for ages only for it to one day collapse under you. Then you¡¯d need someone to bail you out. That¡¯s why you tested the ground you were on when hiking with poles or had different grips ready when climbing a mountain. Forrest chewed his lip. That¡­ kinda made sense. He rubbed his forehead. Which would mean he needed to¡­ Urgh! He wasn¡¯t sure where he was going with now. ¡°Charmander! Char!¡± said a pokemon in front of him. Forrest blinked. ¡°What¡¯s a Charmander doing out here?¡± Ash said stepping forward. ¡°This isn¡¯t the right terrain for them,¡± he said, remembering what he¡¯d learnt about them from Brock. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Misty said as Ash jogged up closer. ¡°Charmander¡¯s pokemon line prefer dry climates such as deserts, arid planes or light but robust forests that can handle them walking through it.¡± He pointedly glanced around at the pathway that was densely packed with vegetation that was yellow and brown in some patches that would go up if Charmander was to walk through it. ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s that mean?¡± Ash said. Forrest glanced at the flame on its tail and scowled. ¡°Nothing good.¡± He shook his head and dropped the scowl, instead adopting a small, toothless smile that was as neutral as he could go. ¡°Hello there, Charmander! I¡¯m Forrest from Pewter city!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ash from Pallet Town!¡± said Ash loudly while pointing a thumb at himself. On his shoulder, Pikachu waved before hopping off and approaching the fire type cautiously. ¡°Misty,¡± said Misty with a small bow. ¡°Char-mander,¡± said the little reptile, giving them all a searching look before laying down. Forrest chewed his lip unsure what to do. Ash glanced up at the sky and down at the little Charmander. ¡°Pikachu, can you ask him how long he¡¯s been out here?¡± Misty tilted her head. ¡°Why not ask him yourself? Most pokemon can understand us when we talk can¡¯t they?¡± Forrest spoke up, ¡°No, it¡¯s a good idea Ash. Most pokemon are more open with other pokemon. Especially if the pokemon has a reason to be a little bit more suspicious of a human.¡± ¡°Hmmm? What do you mean?¡± Ash said now glancing at Charmander worriedly. Misty gasped and her eyes widened. ¡°Oh! I see! You think someone abandoned it here.¡± Ash lurched back. ¡°What? Who¡¯d ditch a Charmander?¡± ¡°Someone that doesn¡¯t care about their pokemon,¡± said Forrest as he recalled a trainer that had fought against him with¡­ He released his Onix and it shook its head before lowering itself to Charmander. ¡°Onnnnnn!¡± shouted Onix in greeting. Charmander stood and growled lowly, its tail flickering feebly. Ash whirled on Forrest. ¡°Hey! What are you doing? You¡¯re scaring it!¡± Forrest shook his head. ¡°No, I wanted to confirm something. You were Damian¡¯s Charmander weren¡¯t you. You''ve faced Onix before. You remember him, don¡¯t you?¡± Charmander nodded and glared sternly ahead. Forrest smiled. ¡°Yeah, you weren¡¯t going to have much of a chance against Onix back then. Damian was pretty stupid to send you out when he¡ª¡± ¡°Char! CHAR! CHARMANDER! CHA¡ª¡± Charmander silenced Forrest, only to be cut off in turn when he gasped and shook. Small embers burst out of his mouth, that he hacked up with a faint cry of pain. Forrest stepped forward, his backpack swinging around so he could rifle through it. ¡°Ahah! Here we go!¡± he said as he pulled out a book. ¡°Common pokemon maladies?¡± Ash read aloud off the title. Forrest nodded, not saying anything as he flipped through the pages. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Misty asked leaning in. Forrest paused on the Charmander page. ¡°This,¡± he said tapping a section. ¡°When a Charmander doesn¡¯t receive proper nutrition, their lungs can weaken leading to a weaker Ember and weaker Flamethrower until their intake improves. Recommended foods include spicy meals with lots of natural oils.¡± Forrest returned to his backpack, pulling some berries and cooking oil out to place into a bowl. Charmander turned his nose up at it only for his stomach to growl. Forrest inched forward, the bowl still held out. ¡°Pllllleeassse Charmander? You need this to get your health back.¡± This made Charmander reconsider the food. Pikachu cheekily appeared on the other side and made a show of grabbing a piece for himself, causing Charmander to growl and push his snout into the food and begin devouring the food. ¡°Hehehe, nice one Pikachu!¡± Forrest said to the little yellow mouse. Ash shot it a thumbs up. ¡°Pika!¡± said Pikachu with a wink before popping the piece of food he had stolen into his mouth. Then he stiffened up and exhaled like he was trying to breathe fire. Forrest chuckled, and Charmander looked up and stiffened as it realised how close it was to them, only to decide to not leave the food until it was done. They all stayed close and quiet as Charmander finished his meal. Misty fidgeted, but soon enough, Charmander was done and back to his rock in the middle of the road. Forrest chewed his lip at that before turning and gesturing for the others to lean in close. ¡°Hey guys, we can¡¯t leave Charmander here. He needs more food and some medicine to clear up any further issues he has.¡± ¡°Other issues?¡± Ash said, peering at the curled-up Charmander. He eyed the rock and the area around it. ¡°How long has he been out here?¡± he asked, eyeing some melted parts of the rock. Forrest shrugged. ¡°I think he¡¯s been out here for a day and a night at least¡­ which isn¡¯t as bad for a fire type but exposure will get him if he stays here.¡± ¡°But, that¡¯s not what you¡¯re worried about?¡± Misty prompted. ¡°No, this area is pretty rife with Pidgeotto and Spearow, both of which are territorial. Even some of the grass-type pokemon aren¡¯t going to like having Charmander around.¡± Forrest glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Also, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a trainer tried to catch him and ended up driving him into the shrubs¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯d be bad,¡± Ash said cupping his chin in thought. ¡°What should we do? Catch him ourselves?¡± Forrest rubbed his chin slowly. ¡°We¡¯d need to get him to a pokemon centre and checked over. As an abandoned pokemon he can have his pokeball deactivated with a process they have, or if we encounter Damian¡­¡± Forrest clenched his fists. ¡°We¡¯ll sort him out.¡± Ash nodded. ¡°So first we have to get Charmander to leave with us¡­¡± Forrest rubbed his chin before perking up. ¡°Say Ash! Didn¡¯t we meet Damian a while ago?¡± he said loudly. Ash tilted his head but then realised what Forrest was getting at when Charmander perked up. ¡°Oh! Yeah! Yeah, we did!¡± Misty blinked. ¡°Oh right! He asked us to find his Charmander and lead him to the pokemon centre cause he messed up!¡± Forrest gave her a gesture to ¡®cool it¡¯ which she rolled her eyes at. Charmander was already off his rock and tugging at Forrest¡¯s pants and pointing to himself. ¡°Char! Charmander! Char?¡± said the little lizard. Forrest made a show of considering it before nodding. ¡°Yeah! We want to take you to Damian! Can you walk with us?¡± The little lizard nodded quickly and Forrest shot Ash, Misty, and Pikachu a thumbs up before he paused and considered his pokemon. ¡°Who wants to ride in style?¡± he asked, pointing towards his starter. Soon enough, they were all seated on the large rock snake and racing towards the nearest pokemon centre. Misty tapped Forrest on the shoulder. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we do this yesterday?¡± Forrest coughed. ¡°It uhm¡­ slipped my mind¡­ also isn¡¯t it traditional to walk?¡± Misty huffed. ¡°I think I can deal with some sore legs from riding a snake rather than sore legs from walking for hours if we get more chances to do other things each day!¡± Forrest nodded before he considered what Misty just said. He looked away from her and coughed. "Yeah, let¡¯s all ride your Onix to save time from now on Forrest!¡± chimed Ash. Forrest shuddered as the mental image he¡¯d had changed with the inclusion of Ash. Urgh. Thankfully, it only took ten minutes of riding Onix to reach the next pokecentre. Charmander and Pikachu hopped off with happy cries while Ash tumbled. Misty received a hand from Forrest and he got a smile and thank you as she slid off daintily. When they entered the pokemon centre they paused in the entrance at the number of trainers present. Forrest spotted Damian sitting on the nearby couches that had their backs to the door. Charmander perked up and started running towards Damian. Only for Damian¡¯s voice to carry, ¡°Heh! Powerful pokemon are the way to go. You need to make sure you catch good ones straight up! Thanks to the scanning feature on my pokedex, I can pick up on which pokemon with great potential! I scanned the pokemon Oak gave me, and he must have given me a dud Charmander! It was soooo weak!¡± Charmander stopped just behind Damian and stared up in shock as he continued, unmindful and uncaring of those who heard him. ¡°I ditched it in the wilds if anyone wants it!¡± Another trainer that had been listening sat up. ¡°Are you like¡­ an idiot or something? You ditched a Charmander? In the wilds?¡± ¡°What of it?¡± said Damian, glancing at the trainer that wasn¡¯t part of his group. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The other trainer shook his head. ¡°Just amazed at how stupid you are. Charmander¡¯s are great pokemon, anyway, all traditional starter pokemon start off weak and grow with the trainer. If Charmander was weak it was your fault!¡± The raised voices had drawn the attention of everyone in the room, and everyone was now watching with interest. ¡°Get lost! No one asked you!¡± Damian said only for Charmander to have apparently heard enough. The little lizard whirled around and ran from Damian, tearing up only for Ash to sweep him up. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s get out of here, little guy,¡± he said, turning and marching out of the Centre. Forrest and Misty came with him, both of them watching on as Ash comforted Charmander. When it finally regathered itself Ash set it down and knelt. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry about Damian¡­ turns out he¡¯s a bigger idiot than we thought...But, just cause he doesn¡¯t want you doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not worth something though. You¡¯re a really great pokemon for anyone to have.¡± ¡°Charmander?¡± The pokemon looked up with watery eyes and shook his head. Forrest nodded, ¡°Hey! Trainers are lucky to get a Charmander, you realise? You? You¡¯re small now, but you just need time to grow. By the time this circuit ends I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you were a super strong Charizard if you wanted to be!¡± Charmander nodded its head before opening a hand, it¡¯s head swiveling from Ash to Forrest, ¡°Charmander?¡± it asked with watery eyes. Forrest blinked. Was Charmander asking him if he wanted to be his trainer? Forrest remembered a time when he¡¯d been really young. Before even Brock had left, he¡¯d asked which starter was best and Brock had said any of them were good, but he remembered Brock saying Charmander was the coolest. Forest¡¯s¡­ old friends¡­ had agreed with him when he¡¯d asked them at school the next day. For a month then, he¡¯d thought of getting himself a Charmander as a starter, only for him to realise he¡¯d get something like an Onix or Geodude. If he¡¯d asked, though¡­ he could have had one¡­ couldn¡¯t he? Brock had the connections, after all. Forrest opened his mouth only for Ash to speak up first. ¡°Sure thing Charmander! With you on my team we can go all the way!¡± Forrest shut his mouth. Right, yeah, that worked out better, didn¡¯t it? He was going to be a Rock-type specialist, wasn¡¯t he? Only to watch on as Ash captured the pokemon, a stirring in his heart like he¡¯d missed out on an opportunity¡­ another one. His mind retreated back to Brock offering him Terra¡¯s egg first. Ash stood, and Charmander walked at his side as they made their way back into the pokemon center. Only to walk into a tense situation with the trainer from before glaring at Damian while Damian glared back. The room took notice of their entrance this time, the hiss of the doors opening during a lull apparently. Damian saw them and sniffed, his eyes falling on Charmander, ¡°Oh, you found my pokemon Whoopie; I¡¯d misplaced it,¡± he said flatly. Ash clenched his fists and stepped forward, a fist rising. ¡°I was in here before and Charmander and I heard everything you said! You don¡¯t deserve Charmander. I want him! Give him to me.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve heard how much they¡¯re worth!¡± Damian said sneering towards the trainer that had reprimanded him before and who had been arguing with him moments ago. The white-haired boy scowled at his words being used in such a way. Ash¡¯s mouth twitched before he nodded. ¡°How much do you want for him?¡± Damian grinned gleefully, and Misty and Forrest turned in surprise at what Ash was saying. Forrest knew Ash wasn¡¯t that well off, in fact of all of them¡­ he had the best funding¡­ ¡°Ash! You can¡¯t pay him after what he did!¡± Ash held up a hand. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°...one¡­ no! Two hundred thousand pokedollars!¡± said Damian with glee. Ash¡¯s fists clenched hard, and his arm twitched. He started to move to draw out his wallet, only for Forrest to put a hand on his shoulder and step forward. ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Ash.¡± ¡°Forrest! I¡¯m not leaving Charmander with Damian!¡± Forrest nodded. ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t, but I just remembered something.¡± He turned on Damian, ¡°I just remembered that I¡¯m still registered as an official Pewter Gym trainer.¡± He fished out his own wallet and flashed the ID to show his face and details. This was not a simple id, but rather one that identified him as being deputised for certain duties. ¡°... oh? I remember you, you¡¯re that punk that cheated with a too-strong Onix!¡± Damian said with a snap of his fingers, spotting the boulder badge symbol next to Forrest¡¯s picture. Forrest hummed. ¡°That¡¯s how it seemed to you, I¡¯m sure, but I bring this up because before Ash pays you anything¡­ I have to fine you.¡± ¡°What?¡± said multiple voices in surprise. Forrest blinked, had he just heard a man laugh and clap once? He shook it off, ignoring the urge to see who¡¯d done that. Forrest smiled, feeling like, as Brock would say, the Meowth slinking into the cream factory. ¡°You abandoned a fire-type pokemon with an open flame in a highly flammable environment instead of transferring it back to Professor Oak like you should have. This endangered the local environment, pokemon, and people that might have been passing through. That comes with a fine.¡± Forrest smiled. ¡°But there¡¯s also the issue of pokemon abuse. You see, the way you abandoned your pokemon, also comes with a fine attached to it.¡± ¡°Fine! Just take the stupid defective thing!¡± Damian said tossing a pokeball with a flame etched into it at Forrest. Forrest stabbed his finger into Damian¡¯s chest. ¡°I think you still need to be fined! So that way it¡¯s on your record that you¡¯re a terrible trainer!¡± Damian enlarged a pokeball. ¡°I¡¯m not a terrible trainer, and I can prove it! That Charmander is just defective!¡± Before Forrest could respond, the local Nurse Joy suddenly appeared between them. ¡°Please! No fighting with pokemon to resolve personal conflicts! It¡¯s not the way it¡¯s done!¡± she said. There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at her. Forrest tilted his head only for the white-haired trainer that had been harassing Damian to cough into his fist and mutter. ¡°Since when?¡± Joy flushed. ¡°No pokemon battles in the centre I mean!¡± ¡°Ohhhh!¡± everyone said in understanding. Damian sniffed and returned his pokeball. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t make me pay a fine then, cause I¡¯m just going to split!¡± He pushed past Forrest, causing Forrest to almost step on Charmander, who¡¯d been behind him and Ash throughout all of this. Charmander snarled and lashed out with his tail causing Damian to hop back and knock Misty backwards. She cried out and Forrest turned to growl at Damian only to realise Damian had pushed his hand into Misty¡¯s chest to stay standing. Forrest clenched his fist and started to turn only for Misty¡¯s hands to snap onto Damian¡¯s and an evil glint to shine from her eyes. ¡°Nurse Joy only said we can¡¯t fight with our pokemon.¡± Then she raised her fist and sent Damian soaring backwards. She didn¡¯t leave it at that though, and knelt on Damiain¡¯s chest before he could understand what was happening; he was being pummeled by an enraged Misty. ¡°This is for Charmander! And this is for those things you said! And this is because it¡¯s a Tuesday!¡± she roared. ¡°Wuh? Does! That! Have! To do with anything?!¡± wailed Damian as Misty pummeled him. Forrest stiffened. Oh wow, she was incredible¡­ and scary. He wasn¡¯t sure how those two went together, but they did. Nurse Joy made a show of slowly dialling for the police. ¡°Hello? What¡¯s that? It will take you an hour to get here? Oh, don¡¯t worry then. They¡¯ll have sorted themselves out by then,¡± she said before hanging up. The same laugh and polite clap rang out. Forrest looked away from the beating, expecting to find an older suit-wearing gentleman. He was right about it being an older man¡­ but he wasn¡¯t that old¡­ Forrest and the silver-haired man locked eyes, and Forrest knew, without knowing how or why, that this man was strong. Stronger than anyone he¡¯d ever seen before. Forrest blinked in surprise. Was he stronger than Brock even? The man nodded politely. Forrest wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that. He turned his attention back to Damian, who Misty was now done with. He already had a pair of black eyes and looked wretched. It didn¡¯t stop Forrest from officially lodging a report against him and what he¡¯d done. He said the fine had been paid through community service on the report to the police. Damian wouldn¡¯t have to pay any money, but people would know what he¡¯d done. Heck, Professor Oak would most likely revoke his pokedex for this. When he was done, he returned to his friends and watched Ash pet his latest acquisition enviously. If he¡¯d just¡­ A polite cough shook him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see the silver-haired gentleman from earlier smiling at him. ¡°Well done with handling that situation. I have to admit I was considering stepping in but you had it handled¡­¡± He eyed Misty and her hands. ¡°Very aptly at that.¡± Misty blushed, and Forrest chuckled, only for Misty to shoot him a look that had him shutting up. Forrest turned his attention back to the silver-haired man. ¡°Well thanks, I guess?¡± He tilted his head. ¡°You look familiar¡­¡± The man chuckled and waved a hand. ¡°Oh, I get that all time. He waved a hand. ¡°I¡¯m not all that interesting. Actually I¡¯m just a humble man passing by for the local mountains.¡± ¡°Fan of the mountains?¡± Forrest said feeling like he should be asking about the man¡¯s name for some reason. But, the man had said that wasn¡¯t important hadn¡¯t he? He decided not to press. It didn¡¯t matter. Even if his face looked oddly familiar. The white-haired boy from earlier stepped up, staring at the man. ¡°Wait, Are you¡ª¡± The man waved his hand again. ¡°Quite busy talking to my new friends right now.¡± The boy stiffened for a moment, blinked as though he wasn¡¯t sure what he¡¯d been doing only to then nod and walk off with a dazed expression. Forrest opened his mouth to ask what that had been about only to decide not to push when the man smiled at him. ¡°I was rather impressed¡­ and more than a little entertained by the show that was put on.¡± He hummed. ¡°You know, too often good behaviour passes us by unrewarded¡­ I think¡­ no, I know you¡¯d do well given the chance, young man,¡± he said, raising a simple pokeball. ¡°Take this pokemon young man, I¡¯m curious as to how you develop in the future.¡± Forrest looked down at the pokeball. ¡°You¡¯re giving me a pokemon?¡± ¡°Yes, yes I am. I¡¯m eccentric like that!¡± said the silver-haired man, turning and walking off. Forrest stood, ¡°Wait a second I don¡¯t even know your name! I have to thank you for this!¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t that¡¯s the point of a gift!¡± The man waved over his shoulder. ¡°And my name is Steven!¡± ¡°Thanks Steven!¡± shouted Forrest at the man¡¯s back as he walked towards Mt Moon. He sat back down with Ash and Misty. They both stared at the doors. Ash frowned, and he tilted his head. Then he sat bolt upright. ¡°Was that Steven Stone! Champion of Hoenn!?¡± A groan made them look to the side and spot the boy from earlier. ¡°Urgh! I knew it! Damn it my own region¡¯s champ, and I flubbed it!¡± Forrest stared, open-mouthed. ¡°How did I not recognise him? I have his poster and his fight with Karen is coming up soon!¡± The boy rubbed his forehead. ¡°Steven has this¡­ way of avoiding people¡¯s attention when he doesn¡¯t want it. He somehow just¡­ skates under your notice, or you have more important things to deal with.¡± Forrest tilted his head. How would he do something like that? Ash nudged him. ¡°What did he give you?¡± Forrest released his pokemon and stared as a Beldum revealed itself.
Jay set up his stall near the end of the gorge of route one hundred and eleven. It was a good spot for people coming up from Mauville City. he liked it for the view, which was particularly good with the Hoenn desert currently experiencing a rather intense sandstorm. ¡°Morning Jay!¡± called a Ranger as he moved to his post in front of a large sign. ¡°Morning!¡± Jay said waving back as he finished setting up his stall. The Ranger came over and looked over Jay¡¯s produce before picking out some berries for people and their pokemon. Jay took the man¡¯s money and glanced at the sign. ¡°Think you¡¯ll start to see many trainers today?¡± he asked probingly. The Ranger sighed. ¡°Lots of people went to Kanto this year, so trainer numbers are down, but I think this week will see some more people shooting through here and heading north towards Fallarbor Town or coming to us.¡± ¡°They should have the badge restriction now, no? It¡¯s been a whole month,¡± Jay said worryingly. His sales were well down for the circuit so far and he was projecting sales to stay that way. Which, wasn¡¯t the end of the world for him. This was just something he did in his retirement these days. He grew berries at home and set up his stall to get out from under the feet of his wife. Others around Hoenn were going to feel the pinch, however. There had been much grumbling about it of late but that was something for the League and Steven to handle. Not old man Jay and his simple stall along route one eleven. He set up his chair under an umbrella, sat and raised his book to start idling the day away. Across from him, the Ranger sighed and stood near the sign that stated you needed at least two badges to go through the desert. Occasionally, the Ranger would pull out some binoculars and glance at pokemon flying overhead to make sure that no one was being too clever. Trainers always thought they might be the first to consider using a flying type to evade a barrier. Jay liked this spot, plenty of entertainment on busy days. A noise made him look up to see a cheeky Cacnea approaching his stall slowly, its eyes on his berries. Jay popped open a pokeball and his old friend Torkoal appeared with a cry of its name, scaring off the Cacnea. Torkoal came and sat near him, and Jay returned to reading his book, keeping an ear out for anything different as he did so. Around lunchtime, with the sun blaring down overhead, the sandstorm ended and Jay could see further out into the desert. He could see the shifting sands, the moving dunes, and the shimmering mirages that sometimes tricked people into seeking out the heart of the desert. He squinted as a shape appeared. ¡°Hey, Ranger? That a pokemon or a person?¡± he asked, causing the Ranger to jerk up from the sandwich he¡¯d been munching on. The man spun about and raised his binoculars. ¡°Huh, got a trainer coming in¡­ with a Trapinch?¡± said the man, lowering his binoculars. It took a few minutes, but eventually, the shape resolved itself into the form of a young girl, her body covered by a large hat with a scarf around her face, googles about her eyes, and a poncho over her shoulders to cover her body. At her side, a small trapinch marched along resolutely. When she reached Jay, the Ranger across from Jay¡¯s stall coughed. ¡°Hello Miss! I¡¯m sorry to¡ª¡± The girl raised a hand and stopped the Ranger before lifting out a water bottle and draining it with long fluid gulps. When she was done, she gasped. ¡°Whew! Sorry about that! I¡¯d been holding out with the last of my water to make the trek so I could pick up anything that changed! That place shifts around a lot!¡± Jay nodded his head. ¡°The Hoenn desert is a dangerous place indeed, young lady. Well done on traversing it!¡± The girl tilted her head. ¡°Traversing it? I¡¯ve been there for three weeks now?¡± Jay blinked. The Ranger leaned forward. ¡°Did you get the required two badges before entering? Or skip over the blockade?¡± ¡°I came in through Slateport and got the minor Gym for Dockyard badge, and then fought Wattson for the Dynamo badge during the first week!¡± said the girl as she started to pluck her desert wear off. She shook out her ginger hair and shuddered. ¡°Urgh! I can¡¯t wait to get a shower!¡± She shook, and a cascade of sand went over her and the Ranger who was inspecting her Gym badges. ¡°Oops! Sorry!¡± she said sheepishly. Jay tilted his head. ¡°If you already have the Mauville Gym badge, why come back this way?¡± ¡°And walk uphill to Lavaridge? No thanks! I¡¯ll double back and check out the Verdanturf Contest coming up. Then I¡¯ll get my third Gym badge there before trekking on to Rustboro for my fourth badge!¡± Jay laughed. "Well, you¡¯re confident in yourself! I hope you do well!¡± ¡°Thanks old man!¡± said the girl as she took back her badge case. She eyed the berries he had and opened her mouth, only for a gurgle to echo through the gorge. The girl blushed, only to pause and look down when the gurgling continued. ¡°Oh! Nipper! Did you want some berries?¡± The little trapinch nodded once, its eyes never leaving the tray of berries. The girl chewed her lip. ¡°Shoot, I don¡¯t have much money on me¡­¡± Before Jay could suggest using her trainer card for a credit payment, she reached into her bag. Jay saw a few rocks with strange shapes imprinted on them that took him a moment to realise were fossils before the girl pulled out a pink jewel the width of his thumb. It sparkled in the light, and Jay gasped. ¡°How many berries will this give me?¡± she asked. Jay gestured at all of his stock, and the girl happily released all of her team. ¡° Lizzie, Hime, Stomper, Trumpet, and Tropo! Meal time!¡± she said releasing her team to reveal a Nidoqueen, Ninetales, Golem, Phanphy, and a Tropius on top of her Trapinch. Jay whistled in admiration. ¡°You have a good team assembled here, young miss! What is your name so I know who to look out for at the conference this year.¡± ¡°Celia! From Pewter City!¡± she said with a pleased grin as her pokemon devoured his entire day¡¯s stock. By the time they were done, Jay had learned the girl had spent the last three weeks combing the desert for fossils¡ªsuccessfully, it seemed¡ªbut she¡¯d also been looking for something more. When he tried to warn her off looking for the Mirage tower, she got a stubborn glint in her eyes that made him sigh. She at least had taken all the precautions she could and had handled the Hoenn desert at its worst. Coming back in a few months'' time shouldn¡¯t be a problem for her. When she was done, he rubbed his chin at his empty stall and the jewel he now possessed. It would make a wonderful thirty-year anniversary gift¡­ well, a make-up gift at least. The Ranger looked at him enviously. ¡°Gonna pack up for the day?¡± Jay chuckled, pocketing his jewel and flipping a sign to simply say his stall was closed. Then he sat back in his chair and lifted his book. ¡°Nope!¡± he said, reaching out and patting his Torkoal. It was, after all, never about making money that brought him out here. Chapter 111 - Time for friends ¡°A Beldum? He gave you a Beldum?¡± I said incredulously. Forrest bobbed his head up and down. ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s so cool! I was speaking with a trainer from Hoenn, and did you know that Beldum is considered one of their strongest pokemon!? It¡¯s a steel type as well which will match my Onix when I eventually decide to evolve him!¡± Salvadore bounced on the spot next to me. ¡°Oh! Does that mean you want to specialise into steel types? If so, there are a number of strong pokemon like Magnemite, Skarmory, Aron¡­¡± Salvadore gained a pinched expression before perking up. ¡°Scizor!¡± I chuckled and patted him on the head. ¡°Steel types have a good showing with a number of pokemon.¡± Mawile, Goodra, Registeel, Bronzong, Aegislash, and Empoleon were also pokemon that would be possible off the top of my head if Forrest decided on such a route. Forrest nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Then he shrugged. ¡°But I don¡¯t know anything about making myself into a type specialist right now. I think I¡¯m just going to look into making up a strong team.¡± He locked eyes with me. ¡°I¡¯m coming back as strong as I can, and then I¡¯m going to announce myself at the conference this year!¡± I raised a brow at that. He was certainly feeling more upbeat than he had when he left. Yolanda giggled. ¡°Nice to see you got your spark back! Good luck with that first goal, big brother! You¡¯ll need it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m training every day; I¡¯ll have you know! I¡¯ll get there before the end of the circuit!¡± Cindy leaned into the camera. ¡°Brock¡¯s gonna win~!¡± she said with a teasing tone. Forrest set his jaw. ¡°I¡¯ll show you! I¡¯ll have a super cool team!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will,¡± I said placatingly. ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°Cerulean! We¡¯re getting ready to face Misty¡¯s sisters for our badges. Misty is joining us for her first match.¡± He scratched the side of his cheek. ¡°She¡¯s also uhmmm¡­ helping us skip the line a bit.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°A bit?¡± Forrest coughed something that sounded like a week¡¯s worth, which made me snort. Ah well, if that¡¯s how they wanted to run things, that was for the Cerulean sisters to handle. Their gym, their challenges, and their rules. ¡°Well, good luck against them. Got a plan?¡± I said. Forrest nodded firmly, and I hummed. With Cerulean being so early, he¡¯d have a chance against their weaker team. By the time he got against Erika, he¡¯d have a tougher time with a type advantage and Erika using much more advanced tactics. Then I paused. Actually, Forrest could take Erika as his second badge if he was smart about it. ¡°Well alright, where are you going from there?¡± ¡°Surge next; I¡¯ll challenge him at a higher level.¡± ¡°Not Erika?¡± I said. Forrest rolled his eyes. ¡°Ash has been adamant about following the traditional path ever since he heard about the story of how the badges are laid out. That, and he forgot to try and challenge Giovanni.¡± ¡°Yeah, Giovanni wouldn¡¯t have entertained him anyway,¡± I said with a chuckle. Forrest nodded and I grew serious. ¡°Tell me when you are headed towards Cinnabar or Viridian. They¡¯re not going to be easy on you, and you need to be careful in those matches.¡± When Forrest nodded and huffed, I gave him a stern look. ¡°I¡¯m serious about this Forrest.¡± Forrest paused at that, searching my face as he registered that I was deadly serious. ¡°Alright¡­ why though?¡± ¡°Cause I think those are areas where you¡¯d be at risk. Giovanni and Blaine might be Gym leaders, but they also have fingers in some shady business. You present an opportunity in many ways.¡± I then coughed. ¡°Sorry to remind you about that. It sounds like you¡¯re doing great.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, thanks bro,¡± he said thoughtfully. I caught Yolanda eying me. Salvadore had a far-off look, and the message had passed over the rest of the family¡¯s heads. Flint nodded at me from off to the side. I signalled for Salvadore to take over the call and waved Forrest goodbye. I surreptitiously slipped over to Flint. ¡°You also had some trouble with Giovanni and Blaine?¡± ¡°Blaine was a nightmare to fight against from what I¡¯ve heard¡­ And he wasn¡¯t much better with him on your side¡­ His fiery attacks could devastate entire battlefields, but you had to stay out of his way. The man was chaotic. I know of a lot of good people and pokemon that got burned badly by him.¡± Flint rubbed at his stomach. ¡°Giovanni¡­ he had a reputation for being a dirty dealer among the rank and file. If you were in his good books, you had good supplies¡­ if not¡­ sometimes you ran short and had to scrounge around.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised to learn about that.¡± I shifted and worked my jaw. ¡°Bosco told me about Lola¡¯s situation.¡± Flint hissed in surprise. ¡°Ah¡­ that.¡± Flint scowled at the ground. ¡°Yes, she had to fight her own family. It has made her very¡­ touchy about all of you. She doesn¡¯t trust herself around¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t buy that,¡± I said, shutting off that line of conversation. ¡°She had more than enough time to work on her issues.¡± I almost said ¡®or not have us¡¯ but I shut my mouth before then. Instead, I huffed through my nose. ¡°What happened to her family and her leaving us are not events that can be compared.¡± ¡°Brock that¡¯s not fai¡ª¡± Flint said only for me to raise a hand and walk off. I didn¡¯t want to hear it. Before I walked off fully, an idle curiosity occurred to me. ¡°Where was Lola¡¯s family house?¡± ¡°It used to be called the Granite Mansion and was out of town¡­ Nowadays, it''s the pokemon academy¡­ Lola donated it when it passed to her, as she couldn¡¯t stand to live there or see it.¡± I blinked at that. I¡¯d been into the newer part of the pokemon academy but I¡¯d never heard that she¡¯d been the one to¡­ I shook it off. It wasn¡¯t important. So what if Lola could be charitable? She¡¯s still abandoned her family. I huffed and marched off. I walked past my other siblings and patted Yolanda on the head. She continued to eye me thoughtfully, her gaze shifting to Flint as I passed her by. Had she been listening? I wasn¡¯t surprised when she got up and approached Flint with an intensity that told me she wasn¡¯t going to be deterred from asking questions. The sound of the fridge being opened made me adjust my course from my room to the kitchen. I found who I expected, with Munchlax caught in the fridge. The surprise, however, came in the form of a shocked-looking Eevee who had some cream around her face. She stiffened when she saw me and chirped a warning to Munchlax. Munchlax jolted and shot me a sheepish look. ¡°Munch¡­ Lax, Mun mun munchlax?¡± he said. I merely huffed and pointed to the lounge room. ¡°Go report yourself to the rest of the family and Nanny Grav. No more free access from now on.¡± I shot a glance at Eevee. ¡°No leading him astray like that. He¡¯d been doing well with controlling himself. If Yolanda or Cindy are too busy to feed you, then be patient or ask someone else. No raiding the fridge like that.¡± She curled in on herself and whimpered. ¡°No Baby Doll Eyes on me either,¡± I said firmly. ¡°If that¡¯s your fallback, you need to get way stronger.¡± Eevee looked up at me and squinted fiercely at me. I smirked at her, only to chuckle as she stuck her tongue out and ran off. I paused when a thought occurred to me. Had she been teasing me and my family about our narrow eyes or inspecting me? Now I wasn¡¯t sure¡­ A buzz on my wrist made me glance down to see a message from Sabrina. ¡®I will be attempting to start training with the Megastone. Can I have you observing me?¡¯ I fired back an affirmative, and she appeared in the kitchen and put a hand on my shoulder. I smiled and kissed her. When we broke the kiss, we were at the entrance of her Gym in Saffron, and she was sporting a delightful blush. I inclined my head to gesture inside the gym, ¡°Shall we?¡± I said. Sabrina nodded and led me through the front doors. I hummed. It wasn¡¯t normal for her to lead me around like this. Was she showing off her Gym to me? Or was I being shown off to her Gym? The main doors opened into a foyer that hadn¡¯t been here when I¡¯d challenged her during my journey. I noticed that there was a reception desk off to the side with a number of tasteful double-sided couches for people to rest. A number of trainers perked up at our entrance only to blanche when they noticed I was walking at Sabrina¡¯s side. We walked past the line of trainers and made our way straight down a large hallway that could have easily allowed Bertha and Titan to walk next to each other without stooping. I could see the seating of the arena that I¡¯d sat in a few times since Sabrina had it installed. Along the sides of the hallway, training rooms were visible through long panels of glass. I noticed a number of people in one room staring fixedly at a spoon in their hands with pokemon like Hypno, Drowzee, and even Kadabra walking among them. Sabrina¡¯s father, Saul, was amidst them, giving out pointers. I watched one older man glare at a spoon, only for it to slowly bend in his fingers without touching it. He shot to his feet and cheered, causing others to flinch and glance over. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Sabrina said, vanishing in a teleport to appear in front of the man, startling him. Sabrina glanced at the spoon and then at the man. She nodded once and then teleported back to me. ¡°Sorry, I needed to give him some praise. He¡¯s been working on that for quite a while.¡± I heard some more congratulations ringing out from behind me, and it seemed Sabrina¡¯s actions had sparked the rest of the group to heap praise on the man. I shot her a smile. ¡°That was well handled.¡± ¡°Charles is an able trainer, but he has struggled with psychic abilities. It is a small thing but marks an improvement for him.¡± ¡°It must help to have both your father and you to talk to about it,¡± I said leadingly. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot to do with that aspect of the Gym¡­ Or rather, I didn¡¯t use to¡­ Erika suggested it to me, and I have noticed a small uptick in progress with my involvement.¡± She made a thoughtful noise before smiling. ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡± She then shot me a look. ¡°It is not something I would have felt comfortable with before this year, however.¡± ¡°Ah, well, it sounds like everyone is making progress then!¡± She nodded happily and led me into another room. I paused as the smell of horse pokemon registered, and I paused when I realised I was in a large room that was part stable, and part¡­ dressage arena? It led out into a meadow where I could see a number of Stantler, Ponyta, and even Girrafarig frolicking. The last pokemon, must have been there to create ambient psychic energy. Sabrina walked to the fence, and I blinked when I realised there was a small class for young girls on how to care for Ponyta. ¡°I took your advice, and I have expanded upon it," said Sabrina from beside me. I shot her a look and found her fondly watching the young girls brush their Ponyta. ¡°I discovered that the local Ponyta club was struggling and have taken them on. If any of your sisters wish to come over and participate, tell them they have but to message me.¡± ¡°You realise they won¡¯t want to leave if they learn you have this sort of setup.¡± I said it as a joke, but Sabrina nodded. ¡°Some of the local girls have said as much.¡± I hummed and nodded. Yeah, that made sense. ¡°So you¡¯ve become a lot more popular, I take it?¡± ¡°Very.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. That single word conveyed how pleased she was by this occurrence. When we reached another room, it was a simple room with a number of pendulums and silver spoons. Alakazam was sitting in the middle of the room with his legs crossed. At his side, Ralts knelt and looked suitably serious in her attempts to charge up her psychic energy. I didn¡¯t say anything as we approached. Alakazam nodded in my direction but kept his gaze on Ralts. ¡°Zam,¡± he said after a minute, and Ralts¡¯ aura of psychic energy dispersed. ¡°Raaaaalts,¡± she said as she slumped tiredly. ¡°Ala!¡± said Alakazam with a firm nod. He then indicated Sabrina and I. Ralts perked up and beamed at Sabrina, who opened her arms and Ralts leapt into her chest for a hug. Ralts sang her name a few times, and Sabrina nodded seriously. ¡°Yes, I did see. It was very impressive. You are breaking lots of records and are very dedicated.¡± Ralts squirmed at the praise. Sabrina then tapped Ralts on the spot where a nose would be, and Ralts wiggled. ¡°I need to do some training with Alakazam now, though.¡± Ralts wilted, and Sabrina giggled. ¡°You can stay in the room and watch, but I need you to stay with Brock so your psychic emanations don¡¯t get mixed in with what we¡¯re trying to do.¡± Ralts nodded, only to pause and register what Sabrina had said. Ralts then turned her head to find me standing to the side. I waved in greeting. ¡°Ralts!¡± said the little pokemon with a slump. She then raised her hands in my direction and accepted me holding her, albeit with a put-upon look and crossed arms. I very much got the impression of a small child that was accepting the deal but wasn¡¯t liking it. I sat with Ralts in my lap and watched as Sabrina brought out a wristguard with the Keystone that I¡¯d gifted her embedded into it. Alakazam adjusted his own pokeball to hold the Megastone and then withdrew into the pokeball before coming back out. I noticed straight away that the pokeball had made the Megastone attach itself to the base of one of Alakazam¡¯s spoons like a small trinket. Alakazam inspected the stone before nodding. Sabrina and Alakazam then both shut their eyes. I could feel¡­ something happening, but I wasn¡¯t sure what that was specifically. Perhaps psychic energies were being built up between the two of them? For many minutes, nothing seemed to happen. A frown appeared on Sabrina¡¯s face, and the feeling of energies shifting about grew stronger. I noticed sweat starting to bead her brow. Another few minutes passed, and Sabrina slumped before shaking her head. ¡°This¡­ is much more difficult than I had believed¡­¡± She rubbed at her forehead and I hummed, considering how the anime had shown Ash or any of the others training for Mega-evolution. I doubted it would have as much accuracy in real life, but it would have a sliver of fact in there. The difficulty would be in discerning it. ¡°What are you doing? Care to walk me through it?¡± ¡°I am focusing my energy into the Keystone and attuning it to synchronise with Alakazam¡¯s.¡± ¡°Hmmmmm,¡± I said nodding along. I had no idea what that felt like to her, but perhaps it was like matching energy as I did with Titan? Sabrina tilted her head and shut her eyes. ¡°I can feel the energy passing back and forth, but it feels like lots of it is being lost.¡± ¡°Alak, Zam! ¡° said her pokemon while stroking his moustache. He made a few gestures and then teleported away. He reappeared with a large whiteboard. He repeated this act three more times before nodding to Sabrina. ¡°Ah, of course,¡± she said, adopting her meditative pose once more. I raised a finger, curiosity begging for me to ask what was going on, only to lower it and huff. I glanced at Ralts. ¡°Any chance you know what¡¯s going on?¡± Ralts started to shake her head, only to pause and adopt a haughty look. ¡°Rrrrralts!¡± she said teasingly. I nodded. ¡°Gotcha, you have no idea.¡± Ralts softly swatted me with her arm and grumbled, but eventually nodded. Another few minutes passed. When Sabrina opened her eyes, she found me playing patty cake with Ralts. It made for an adorable sight as the small pokemon¡¯s mouth was scrunched up in furious focus. ¡°I see Brock is teaching you a game; I look forward to playing it with you,¡± Sabrina said making Ralts falter and miss the sequence of claps we had going. Ralts shot into Sabrina¡¯s hands and nuzzled her. I glanced over to find Alakazam hovering in front his whiteboards with a pen floating and writing various diagrams and graphs that I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s he doing?¡± I eyed the numbers and diagrams with some trepidation. The anime hadn¡¯t said there would be what looked like¡­ well beyond high school math. Would I need to go back to school if I ever wanted to mega-evolve one of my pokemon? I¡­ I could make it work, I¡¯d just need to set aside some time to¡­ No! I mentally shook my head. That wouldn¡¯t make any sense. Otherwise, how would people like Ash ever do it? ¡­ That line of ¡®logic¡¯ didn¡¯t assuage my sudden doubt. ¡°Alakazam is documenting his observations from this training session. We both were channelling energy into our respective stones but the energy seemed to be going both into us and into the space between us. It wasn¡¯t dispersing, which is of great interest, but there seems to be a needed tipping point or linkage that has to be developed first. We made good headway, however.¡± Sabrina rubbed at her temples and blinked a few times. ¡°Need the nurse?¡± I had barely ever seen Sabrina react like this before. She shook her head, but it looked like she regretted that. ¡°No, no the amount of psychic energy we used together is just¡­¡± She shut her eyes. ¡°It is making me rather woozy.¡± I reached out and put a hand on her, and her breath hitched for a moment as her eyes glowed. I felt something wash over me, only for my own dark energy to smother it. She blinked rapidly and straightened. ¡°Sabrina?¡± I asked, concerned. ¡°I am healthy now. I think I just needed to release the pent-up energy it would seem.¡± I watched her carefully for any hints that she might be lying to me, but she smiled up at me. ¡°I am alright now, Brock; I just wasn¡¯t used to that much energy being thrown around. I will have to get used to it if I want to Mega evolve Alakazam.¡± ¡°Hmmm, alright,¡± I said carefully. ¡°I suppose you scoured the Guardians¡¯ digital library?¡± Sabrina nodded as she leaned into me. ¡°I did, but Alakazam wishes to make this an experiment. He wishes to create a hypothesis and test a few theories himself before checking what is considered the common consensus.¡± ¡°So this is like a puzzle for him?¡± ¡°Indeed. He has also been involved in testing and creating the conditions for the various pokemon we hope to see develop variants that are psychic-typed. Thanks for your suggestions.¡± Alakazam shot me a happy look. I couldn¡¯t recall ever seeing him look so joyful. He flipped a whiteboard around, and I spotted a trio of drawings with attached graphs and some extremely small text about the Ponyta, Stantler, and Girafarig. I nodded along, not understanding a thing that Alakazam was indicating but not at all game to question a pokemon that was likened to a supercomputer. He¡¯d be very pleased when he got Ponyta and Stantler to breed/evolve into psychic types. He seemed to be sure that was merely a matter of time before meeting a certain psychic saturation. I blinked. Wait, had I somewhat understood his gestures? I tilted my head and rubbed my chin. Alakazam nodded happily. ¡°Kazam!¡± he said. I shot Sabrina a confused look, and she merely smiled. ¡°He¡¯s very intelligent,¡± she said as if that explained it. I suppose it did, so I nodded. Alakazam beamed at me and was about to return to educating me¡ªsomehow¡ª on his research when the door opened with Sabrina¡¯s father walked in. ¡°Saul,¡± I said in greeting, nodding to him. He paused and got a worried look, only to relax when he checked Sabrina and me over. I blinked for a moment. Wait¡ªwhat had he thought we were doing in here? He tried to shoot me a glare, only for me to ignore him as my attention slipped to the other person that walked in slightly behind him. ¡°Oh! Hello Erika!¡± I said. Sabrina nodded at both. ¡°Father, Erika, it is good to see you.¡± Saul searched the room, his gaze was still suspicious, like many a father across the universe that just walked into a room that their daughter and boyfriend had been in. ¡°What were you up to in here?¡± ¡°We were training,¡± Sabrina said. Erika stayed quiet while Saul eyed me. I rolled my eyes, but he didn¡¯t understand the gesture. Sabrina did, though, and when she copied me she did so with glowing eyes, which was an interesting effect. Saul gained a sheepish look. Ah, it seemed Sabrina had chastised him and told him we weren¡¯t doing what he was thinking psychically. Erika bit her lip. ¡°Is now a bad time?¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Brock can stay; I believe he has some things that might be good to discuss with you. I can train your pokemon on their psychic moves.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Grass-Psychic? Oh you mean Exeggutor?¡± Erika shook her head back and forth. ¡°Not just him! I have been working on a few of my pokemon and some of them have moves that would help them a great deal such as Rest!¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Synthesis be stronger?¡± Erika wobbled back and forth once again as she tapped some pokeballs, revealing her Exeggutor, Budew, Seedot, Bellosom, and a Chikorita. The last pokemon made me pause as it tippy-tapped on the spot only to lock its eyes on Ralts. ¡°Chiko!¡± It cried, darting forward and running around Sabrina¡¯s feet while looking upwards. It obviously wanted to play with Ralts. Ralts tightened her grip on Sabrina¡¯s shirt and shot Sabrina a look. ¡°No play for now, Chikorita. You need to work on your Rest,¡± said Sabrina with a small twitching smile. Chikorita chirped at that and hopped into position. The other grass pokemon trooped up, and I hummed. ¡°Why these ones?¡± I asked. Erika gestured at them. ¡°Synthesis is a good move for Grass types but it can also be affected by if the pokemon can deploy roots, and the landscape itself. Grassy terrain that is bountiful gives the best results, but some environments make it tougher, or outright impossible to regain health. The only pokemon that I have that can ignore this are Cacnea and Cacturne¡­¡± Erika licked her lips and looked a bit sheepish. ¡°They¡¯d¡­ try and get into fights if I brought them here¡­ they also don¡¯t need this training.¡± Sabrina coughed once and then nodded her head to Alakazam. ¡°Alright, would you like to take it from here?¡± Alakazam nodded and flipped another whiteboard to reveal a number of pictures of various pokemon and what looked like¡­ ¡°Is that a list of moves that they have learned?¡± I asked incredulously. Sabrina and Erika nodded. ¡°Alakazam is very meticulous.¡± I could only nod. Sabrina turned to Saul. ¡°Would you mind getting our guests some tea and snacks?¡± When Saul held his position, eyeballing me, Sabrina coughed, her eyes glowed, and her hair lifted up. ¡°Father, our guests are thirsty; we don¡¯t wish to be poor hosts, do we?¡± Erika coughed, and I suspected she was hiding a giggle as Saul nodded hurriedly and ducked out, only to return a minute later with a tea tray and a few cookies and crackers. I smiled politely at him, and he grumbled a little as he retreated, understanding that Sabrina didn¡¯t want him hanging around. Sabrina set the tea up to heat on a small cooktop that came with the cart and then turned her attention to Erika¡¯s pokemon which were all focused on using psychic abilities. ¡°The Chikorita is an interesting new acquisition.¡± Erika nodded. ¡°I was able to get one from a Johto breeder recently. I think she has a lot of potential. She¡¯s very upbeat and eager to train whenever I work with my pokemon. She¡¯s already up to a second badge level.¡± ¡°Huh, she might be part of the team that will fight my little brother when he comes around,¡± I said with some interest. Chikorita, sensing our attention, glanced in our direction only to receive a light tap on the head from one of Alakazam¡¯s spoons. ¡°Chiko!¡± she said as she looked ahead and returned to the ¡®class¡¯. ¡°Your brother is going to be challenging soon? I will be on the watch for him!¡± she said. I nodded and took a bite before recalling how Ash had been forced to challenge Erika. I chewed slowly as a thought occurred to me. On the one hand, I should just let things play out¡­. On the other¡­ ¡°Say, think you could mess with him when he challenges you?¡± Erika tilted her head, and when I made my suggestion, she tittered and nodded. ¡°Do you want photos?¡± ¡°Yes, yes I do.¡± I said evilly. The work of a big brother is never really done. Sabrina smiled at our plan and then tapped my hand. ¡°Wasn¡¯t there something else you wanted to talk to Erika about?¡± ¡°Oh, right! So lately there has been this issue with Mayor Jonathan, as you know. But since then¡ª¡± I detailed what had happened to Bosco and what he had suggested. I then mentioned I was considering some candidates for the position of Gym representative. Erika nodded slowly. ¡°It sounds like you have some prominent candidates from that list.¡± She considered me. ¡°What will you do to determine who will be best?¡± Oh, was she testing me? I put down my teacup and gave her question some serious thought. I started to feel like I was drawing a blank until I had a lightbulb moment. ¡°Oh! I know I interview them all and then have them offer up suggestions for the others! Like do a fake out on who they think would be better than them! I¡¯ll get lots of informa¡ª¡± A small silver spoon tapped me on the nose, with Erika holding the other end. She sighed and shook her head. ¡°Oh, Brock, no, just no.¡± I pouted with the spoon still on my nose. ¡°It¡¯s... not a bad idea? I think it has potential¡­¡± ¡°No Brock. This is not a spy thriller story or movie where these people will not talk with each other. Some of them are friends, and they will talk with each other. It¡¯s ridiculous.¡± She shot Sabrina an exasperated look. Sabrina nodded seriously, and I frowned. Why did I feel like I was being bullied? Erika coughed, ¡°You don¡¯t need to interview all of them.¡± I nodded slowly to show I was listening. ¡°You can eliminate a few of them straight away. I¡¯m going to state some points. Lawrence is too busy with the League, and the Gym right now. Mrs Harridan and Madam Pennywrong are a touch old, and that will bring with it some views that are going to be different than you might like. And Judge Howard? He will have a potential conflict of interest if his son runs for Mayor next year.¡± I considered what she¡¯d said. ¡°Ah,¡± I said eloquently. ¡°So that leaves Jenny¡­ or I search for some others.¡± Erika shrugged. ¡°Meet with Jenny first; that''s my suggestion.¡± I bowed and clapped my hands together. ¡°Thank you, Erika Sensei!¡± She bonked me on the head with the spoon again with a giggle, and I straightened up with a grin. ¡°If I have some more questions, can I come around this coming week?¡± "Yes, you can. I will look forward to it!¡± she said happily. A moment later, Alakazam announced that the training was finished by teleporting to the spare teacup Sabrina had set aside for him. Chikorita wasted no time charging in to throw Ralts on her back before cantering away. Erika giggled at the sight before giving me another look. ¡°What else will you be doing for your rest week?¡± I sighed happily. ¡°Catching up with friends.¡± I then smirked. ¡°Also, I have an auction coming up for some rare pokemon.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± said Erika with a feigned nonchalance that had me looking at her closely. ¡°I hadn¡¯t realised that was this coming week.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah it is¡­ you might be interested in some of the pokemon I¡¯m putting up for auction.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll make an appearance,¡± Erika said innocently. I stared at her and then rounded on Sabrina to fill me in. Instead of smirking and spilling Erika¡¯s secret, however, she had a stoic expression and lightly shook her head. Alright¡­ girl club secrets? Alright then. I¡¯ll just see what happens. Deciding to drop it, I instead teased what I was going to do tomorrow. ¡°I¡¯m also going to be visiting the foundry. It¡¯s time to evolve my Onix and truly make him part of my Elite team.¡± That sparked some more interest. I grinned, detailing how it was going to go, I had it all lined up and ready to go. It was time for Jormungandr to become a Steelix. Chapter 112 - Interlude - The mounting situation ¡°Ekans, blow up the water with Iron Tail!¡± Jessie said, chopping her hand straight down. The water exploded upwards when Ekans¡¯ tail impacted it, causing the Seaking they¡¯d been struggling against to shoot up into the air, astonished by the turn of events. ¡°Sludge Bomb!¡± screamed Jessie causing the Seaking to be nailed and hurled out of the water. It flopped uselessly before laying still as it went still to preserve itself. A beam of pokeball light impacted it, and it was withdrawn. Flags shot up, and the referee, a grizzled old man, growled. ¡°Lily¡¯s Seaking is unable to battle and has been withdrawn! The victor for this singles battle is therefore Jessadia from Viridian City.¡± Lily bounced on the spot. ¡°Like! Great battle! With that, you more than earned your Cascade badge! Congratulations!¡± The girl skipped over to her and handed her the badge. The old man coughed, and Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, alright! In future, you should uhm¡­ think about evolving your pokemon and making it stronger?¡± She shot the old man a look and he nodded before indicating he had something to say. Lily bobbed her head up and down, and the man stepped forward. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to have your Ekans enter the water. Ekans are naturally adept at hunting in water and would have been a perfect pokemon to engage with some of the pokemon Lily used.¡± He then glanced towards Meowth who was being blow-dried. ¡°Also, think about training your Meowth to shut up. It wastes a lot of its energy gas bagging like it does.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Jessie said before shrugging. ¡±I like him just the way he is.¡± She gave them both a nod and gestured for James and Meowth to follow her out of the Gym. When they were outside, Jessie tilted her Cascade badge back and forth, watching as it caught the light. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand how we can have so much success in some things but fail miserably when we set our sights on something as simple as stealing pokemon?¡± James rubbed his chin. ¡°Perhaps our methodology is flawed?¡± ¡°The results do sorta speak for themselves,¡± Meowth said as he started brushing out his fur. ¡°Good call with dodging that Water Gun by the way, I only got a bit wet instead of ending up in the drink!¡± Jessie shot Meowth a smile. She hadn¡¯t expected him to step up again, but he¡¯d surprised her and offered to go first. He turned his head away. ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to bail you out again or nothing next time, though! You hear?¡± ¡°I¡¯d never take your assistance for granted, Meowth,¡± Jessie said, reaching out and patting her friend¡¯s head. ¡°Would you like the prize money? After all, you did most of the work. Ekans barely needed to mop up Lily¡¯s Seaking.¡± Meowth glanced at her suspiciously before nodding his head slowly. ¡°Thanks¡­ shame we lost our Rocket expenses card¡­ but this Trainer gig is sure working out for us." She handed over the money without any concern. He¡¯d spend it on his shampoo and conditioner, which, really, was a team expense. She shared a knowing look with James as they both flicked their hair and enjoyed the way it shimmered in the afternoon light. She then returned to inspecting the Cascade badge. ¡°What do you think about our methodology is flawed?¡± ¡°Well we don¡¯t plan for your pokemon battles at the Gym but we plan lots for trying to steal pokemon. Perhaps that¡¯s the difference? We just wing it next time and see where it ends up?¡± James said with a one-two snap of his fingers. Meowth snorted. ¡°Jail, that¡¯s where it ends up. Jessie don¡¯t let it bother you that you¡¯re¡­ okay as a pokemon trainer and have therefore been winning some badges. Things will be tougher soon, and you¡¯ll need to buckle down. Also, you''re comparing Rawst berries to Oran Berries, they just aren¡¯t the same thing!¡± James tilted his head ¡°But they both grow on trees, are blue, and are fairly cheap?¡± Meowth glared at James. ¡°That¡¯s not the point I¡¯m making!¡± James raised his hands. ¡°I¡¯m just pointing out you can compare them¡­ rather easily in fact¡­¡± Meowth ran his paws down his face. ¡°I had my pick of Teams with the Rocket organisation and I chose you two¡­ urgh!¡± James shot Jessie a wink, and she rolled her eyes at his antics. She changed the topic. ¡°We should probably check in with our division manager¡­ hopefully they won¡¯t be too mad at us dropping out of communication for the last¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°How long has it been since we last checked in?¡± Meowth and Jame shot each other a look. James stuck his tongue out. ¡°Carry the three¡­ almost a month?¡± Meowth nodded, and Jessie huffed. ¡°So we¡¯re very late in reporting; better do that then.¡± James and Meowth grimaced but followed her to a private area where they could observe anyone approaching them. Jessie swallowed and dialled up the number, only for it to not go through. She tried again, only to get no result. ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­¡± Meowth scratched his ear. ¡°Perhaps they¡¯re on holiday?¡± James nodded his head. ¡°Crime is a full-time job with benefits, after all.¡± Meowth opened his mouth before closing it and shaking his head, muttering again about having his pick of the teams. Jessie scrolled down to another number and dialled it, only to get the same result. She selected a third and a fourth number, only for none of them to connect. ¡°This is odd. All of them on holiday?¡± She licked her lips at the last number on the list. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll contact the boss?¡± James stiffened. ¡°Now, now! Is there really a need to talk to him?¡± Meowth nodded his head quickly. ¡°Yeah! Yeah! He''s gonna be busy! I¡¯m sure of it!¡± Jessie adopted a professional stance and rang the number. This time, it connected. The boss¡¯ shadowy figure appeared, and he was shown to look them over. ¡°Jessie, James, and Meowth? Team Rocket White? Excellent! Good to see you were able to lay low and avoid the raids! Excellent initiative! After your silence, I had thought you might have been arrested. Good work!¡± Jessie, James, and Meowth all shared a look, having no idea what their boss was talking about but glad for the praise. ¡°Yes sir! Thank you, sir!¡± Jessie spoke before the others could open their mouths and ruin it. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re still in the field. I¡¯ll send you a new list of tasks to be on the lookout for! Until then, evade the police and the League! And stay away from the Rocket Academy! People are sniffing around for it!¡± With that said and done, the boss signed off. Jessie, James, and Meowth all shared a look. Meowth rubbed his chin. ¡°Sounds like someone really messed up! Glad it wasn¡¯t us!¡±
Giovanni laced his fingers together. His eyes turned to a computer screen, indicating the team he¡¯d just been talking with and their success rating. Team Rocket White¡­ Their academy scores and initial missions had been¡­frankly terrible. Jessie had been a natural leader, and her addition to the team of James and Meowth during their time at the Rocket Academy had seen them rivalling the top scorers in Butch and Cassidy. From there, they had been¡­ sporadic with their successes. It always seemed to depend on the type of mission they were given. Jessie herself was a legacy Agent, and that afforded her a certain leeway that Giovanni was happy to see she''d never had to use. The girl did her mother proud. Her team was a useful card to call upon in certain situations. They were incredibly independent and were often able to self-fund any missions without having to draw from Rocket expense accounts. A trait that had allowed them to escape unnoticed from the various raids Lance had been leading. Giovanni would even almost call them self-starters. Butch and Cassidy, Team Black ¡ªTeam White¡¯s direct rivals¡ª meanwhile, had to lead the police on a fierce chase during the whole blitz of Team Rocket¡¯s assets. So far, Team Rocket White had been performing well. He tapped a few keys and signed a commendation on their file. It was trainers like this that would help keep Team Rocket afloat in Kanto. Not that Kanto was the only area of influence they now had. These days, Johto was much the same as Kanto. The Orange and Sevii islands were soon to be the same. Orre was the new goal, and with resources being funnelled there, it became the safest area for Team Rocket to escape persecution. With Lance¡¯s idea of creating an international Police force or, G-men, it would be important to establish Team Rocket in Orre well and truly before anyone on the international scene even knew to look there. Still, the raid had hurt. The best money laundering facility in the Indigo region had been taken from them in the Games Corner. The radio shack in Vermillion had been both a monitoring station of Surge, a known warrior from the war, and an information relay point. The storage point in Chrysanthemum Island had seen millions practically go up in smoke. The recruiting facilities in Hollywood had been minor. Giovanni knew it wasn¡¯t over either. The League had taken a large bite out of Team Rocket¡¯s interests, and now it was having to swallow what they¡¯d bitten into. Giovanni had clogged their system with so much information that was both false and true that they¡¯d started choking on their prize. Giovanni still smiled at how one enterprising Rocket Grunt had led League agents through Pokemon Land, causing huge amounts of damage that Giovanni had been able to sternly demand recompense for. After all, being in hot pursuit did not allow the League¡¯s agents to get away with wanton destruction. They¡¯d destroyed so much more than just the theme park with how they¡¯d ravaged it but also a number of incriminating data terminals. Grunt Proton was due for a promotion when he was jailbroken. Giovanni frowned as he considered the next task he had to follow up on. He punched a number on his phone and glared at the Executive that answered. ¡°Report on Operation Chatot Silencing!¡± ¡°We¡¯re still observing the potential person of interest, sir! He does not at this point appear to be the target in question but with possible surgery¡­¡± ¡°Is he allowed freedom of movement without at least three watchers on him at all times?¡± ¡°No sir! He is allowed to move about with minimal security on his person!¡± The executive said. ¡°Hmmm so he is possibly a person the League has put into protective custody... but not our target. Mark him, take a few photos, and pull out.¡± Giovanni intensified his glare. ¡°Do not be observed!¡± ¡°Sir! The next target will be in Blackthorn!¡± The Executive saluted. "Extreme care will be taken!¡± ¡°Double your preparations. Bearding the dragon, if they do host our singing Chatot will be no mean feat!¡± This got another nod before Giovanni hung up on him. He glared. It was bad enough to learn that their agent had been captured, but to then learn that their agent had been a double agent? For Team Magma of all people? Giovanni lit his cigar and took a long draw to settle his nerves. He¡¯d never faced Major Maxie of Hoenn. He¡¯d tangled with Commodore Archie when the man had led a raid on Cinnabar. It was surprising how many organisations sprang up after the war that had roots in the military services. Not that such was the case for Team Rocket. Team Rocket had been established prior to the War. It had made good use of the war to advance Kanto and Team Rocket interests. His mother¡ª Giovanni¡¯s door opened, and his head snapped around to growl, ¡°I said I wasn¡¯t to be disturbed!¡± The very woman he¡¯d been thinking about sauntered in without a by your leave. Giovanni glared at the door. He¡¯d had the locks changed. Digitised even. It seemed he was going to have to steal a security tactic from young Brock and use a Porygon in his office. Stolen story; please report. Perhaps that might even stop any further intrusions from his mother. It might reveal a few more tricks she liked to always claim she had up her sleeve. But then again, sometimes it was worth letting her play her games. He held his scowl and prepared to play the usual little game that they¡¯d developed since he¡¯d taken over as leader of Team Rocket. ¡°Darling,¡± she said, speaking as if she hadn¡¯t just broken into his room. ¡°Madame,¡± he replied, maintaining the professional space. He barely wanted to acknowledge her as his mother. She¡¯d use it for her own means. It was best to keep things clearly drawn. She pouted, and he took a moment to draw on his cigar, ignoring her attempt to browbeat him. ¡°Gio darling, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that a rather large portion of my organisation has been¡­ liquated¡­¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± he said, turning his attention back to the work he had to do. She tapped her fingernails, one after another, as was her habit when she wanted to drag him into speaking. She knew it irritated him. Or it had when he was a child. She¡¯d cultivated certain behaviours in him that she used to help control him. He understood that now. Their relationship was like that. She¡¯d created him to be an heir but had found methods of extending her life that made it touchy for her to ¡®release¡¯ her control over the organisation she¡¯d built. Perhaps she¡¯d always known she¡¯d have trouble and had thought to make herself into a puppet master, allowing him to do the day-to-day tasks, but she¡¯d pull some strings, and like a Spinarak, she¡¯d create results and profits for herself. The steady click-clack of her nails made a vein throb in his temple, despite knowing what she was doing. Part of him respected her for what she¡¯d done. Since he¡¯d been five, she¡¯d groomed him in so many ways to take over. Giovanni had to applaud her for thinking so long-term. Sadly, much of her methodology was outdated. She ran Team Rocket like a business. It could be more, so much more. ¡°Your profits are down,¡± she said finally, when it was clear, twenty minutes later, that he wasn¡¯t going to break. Giovanni repressed a smirk. He¡¯d included her agents in the talks about the finances. They were skilled but also served to keep the Madame informed and directed toward things that were ¡®big issues¡¯ for her. She¡¯d look at the profits and losses and consider that the most important aspect. She would see what the money ¡®on the books¡¯ had been poured into. She didn¡¯t know of the facilities in Orange, Sevii, or Orre. She did not know about Project Mewtwo. And if Giovanni had his way, she never would. ¡°Yes, there is a need to cut our losses with those facilities. This year¡¯s outcome will be grim, but we have other methods of recouping our losses.¡± ¡°Good to know that you¡¯re not putting all your eggs in one basket.¡± Giovanni decided to take the bait. ¡°You taught me as much.¡± And there it was, a twitch of the lips and a small crinkling of the eyes. Yes, he¡¯d said what she¡¯d wanted him to say. ¡°Do you have a response?¡± Madame Bossue said, leaning forward intently. Giovanni tilted his head. ¡°Currently, we¡¯re making the League chase shadows while our actual businesses and interests are being explored in other areas. Expansion is continuing. Setbacks are part and parcel with business, Madame; you should understand this.¡± ¡°Hmmm, I see that I might have been mistaken in getting you a commission into the Quartermaster''s office back then. It¡¯s caused you to not understand that sometimes the profits need to be set aside and you need to give your troops a victory. Something to rally around, something to make your enemies more wary about approaching you.¡± Giovanni held in a smile. Ah, she¡¯d come to propose something. Excellent, it could be co-opted and repurposed. ¡°You have a suggestion?¡± he offered, eager to see what she had. For all that she caused him a great deal of annoyance, she often demonstrated her worth when she wasn¡¯t trying to wrest control of Team Rocket from him. Today she was playing nice, but he¡¯d need to defang certain aspects of her plan, he had no doubt. ¡°I have a two-fold plan. You need someone at the top. Someone¡­ equal to you in prestige that you can use to wield and direct the League if needed.¡± She raised a folder with the picture of a dark-haired man in a mask. ¡°Someone that¡¯s been looking for a little more support, in fact, and could be tied to our interests.¡± Giovanni hummed. ¡°I see you¡¯re reviving an older proposal for your purposes,¡± he said, letting her know what she was about to say was known to him. ¡°It wasn¡¯t worth consideration back then, but with the League acting as it has and the direction it¡¯s currently going?¡± She tsked and shook her head back and forth. ¡°It needs a course change.¡± She dropped the portfolio on his desk in front of him. ¡°You¡¯ll need to help him of course, when it comes time for him to challenge yourself and Blaine, you¡¯ll need to take a dive¡­ but then again, the bookies can make a field day off that.¡± A.k.a Team Rocket. Or rather, the legitimate side of Team Rocket. The gambling industry was a wellspring of funding and their control of certain fights allowed for match-fixing in the Ace circuit. Even with only three of the top twenty in the Ace circuit controlled by them, they made huge profits. ¡°Blaine will need to be placated,¡± he said. He wouldn¡¯t mind taking a dive. He could even see the sense in it. He tapped the young man¡¯s file. ¡°Why this one? We already have people at the top of the Ace circuit that we can promote.¡± ¡°He¡¯s rather arrogant, and before certain events of late, he had thought himself above seeking more aid. Now? He¡¯s coming to us.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Giovanni said, raising an open hand for the file. Will¡­ Will of the Elite Four? Hmm, it sounded reasonable. ¡°He¡¯ll need more training to defeat Agatha,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Something can be arranged,¡± the Madame said. Then she shrugged. ¡°Or we can set Lorelei up for a fall. Lance already dislikes her and wants her gone. Doesn¡¯t like having her around. Can¡¯t stand having a threat to his power linger so close.¡± Giovanni flicked his eyes up. That was the closest he¡¯d ever heard her talk about their own situation. Had she just¡­ praised him for allowing her to stay close? Or was he being chastised? She delighted in making it difficult to discern. He nodded over the form. ¡°We¡¯ll set something up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements,¡± the Madame said, smiling widely. Giovanni decided not to question how she¡¯d choose to approach the asset. Will was a handsome sort, as he supposed. He merely grunted. ¡°Make sure he gets wrapped up tight. If we¡¯re going with this, I don¡¯t want him even trying to slip our leash.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have him barking on command, don¡¯t you worry.¡± Giovanni considered taking over the project¡­ but then again, perhaps a degree of separation would be best. No one knew that Madame Bossue was his mother after all. ¡°Very well,¡± he said, drumming his own fingers on the table. ¡°What else did you have to propose?¡± ¡°How about we escalate?¡± Madam Bossue said, her smile starting to show some teeth. Giovanni eyed her carefully. ¡°I¡¯m listening?¡± She raised another folder and laid it before him. ¡°I call this operation Burning Mountain.¡± Giovanni sat and listened. It was daring. It was loud. It was aggressive. And it had high chances of working out for them and netting them a lot of assets while weakening their foes. He signed off on it and then took complete control of it. This, along with Operation Big Shot, would have a serious impact. It would need to be big though. Thankfully, as his mother had taught him, he knew how to set his goals and then achieve them. Giovanni and Team Rocket might have taken some hits, but they were still in this fight. And he was planning on winning.
Sabrina lounged on the couch. Her head was laying in Brock¡¯s lap while he showed Suzie how to braid hair. Sabrina could feel Flint watching on, a hunger to join in mingled with his trepidation to approach her lingered about him. She usually had to ignore him lest his feelings of inadequacy taint her otherwise pleasant times with Brock¡¯s family. Instead, she focused on how Ralts tried to ambush Terra with a tackle from above, only for the much lighter Ralts to fail miserably in her attempt. Terra merely hugged the young Ralts back, her mind tingling with joy at the perceived ¡®hug¡¯ from her playmate. Sadly, she tripped and began crushing Ralts, but a light application of telekinetic power saw Ralts spared any bruises. The boys bounced around the room or stared at Samurai Furret as it glared at this episode¡¯s villain. One Count Farfetch¡¯d that had stolen an entire village¡¯s leek supplies in the attempt to evolve into what it assumed would be the ¡®ultimate¡¯ Farfetch''d. Sabrina found herself enjoying the wit on display with how the writers had subtly included a number of meal recipes in the way the villain was testing the various leeks. Beyond the simple humour, there was an adult level that made it more enjoyable. She was beginning to enjoy these nuanced jokes. Still, the childish ones were rather good, and getting to feel the raw, unfiltered glee of the children at the simple jokes was always a treat. It made the jokes somewhat funnier, especially when Tommy snorted his milk. Billy and Tilly then copied him. This caused the rest of the family to laugh at the silliness of the scene. Thankfully, before Brock could stand and deprive her of his lap, Nanny Grav entered with a cloth and wiped everything up. A feeling of satisfaction bloomed from a job well done and a family member well looked after by the Graveler. Munchlax joined Ralts and Terra with Eevee at his side, creating a small game that Ralts was much more able to play than the play wrestling. After a while of playing that, they grew bored and Ralts showed them how to play patty cake. Brock carefully threaded her hair into a princess braid, and Sabrina drew back into herself, enjoying the feel of his firm fingers deftly weaving through her hair. It would be the work of a moment to use her own powers to braid her and the rest of the girls'' hair, but that wasn¡¯t the point. It felt nice. Sabrina allowed herself the moment to relax. It was a simple pleasure, but sometimes those were the best. It was a rather pleasant turn of events, especially with how overcharged she¡¯d been after training with Alakazam. She was sad because she knew it wasn¡¯t going to last. The psychic power had caused her to have a burst of unconstrained clairvoyance. She¡¯d had a rather strong one thanks to the built-up energies from working with Alakazam on his Mega-evolution¡­ and then Brock had touched her¡­ Unlike Ralts, her powers had latched on and shot her sight into the future. She tried to ignore the premonitions she was getting. They didn¡¯t belong in the now. They were a future concern, something vague and nebulous that if she looked for would always be on the horizon. She¡¯d told Brock about them, and he¡¯d taken them seriously. Sadly she hadn¡¯t been able to give him anything concrete. Just that they were in for some tough times. She didn¡¯t like the way these dark tidings felt closer to home for her. Then again, her premonitions hadn¡¯t always been right. Especially not with Brock¡­ She smiled up at him and hoped the darkness creeping his way would be something he could once again evade. If not, she made sure to stay close. She¡¯d be there to help, just in case.
Hiker Frank warmed his hands over the fire. It had been a chilly evening but then again nights on top of a mountain usually were. He thumbed through the pictures of his family and sighed. He¡¯d sent some money through to his wife but he still just¡­ he couldn¡¯t find it in him to settle down. Each job he took he swore would be the last but then he¡¯d be off again. And she¡¯d just get this look in her eyes. The kids understood. They must by this point in their lives. They¡¯d gone on their journey and seen what it was like. They were always happy when he was home. It probably helped that he sent back big fat paychecks each week. It paid well to be a security guard for a Gym Leader¡¯s secret diamond cave. Not that he could tell anyone that. Not with all the NDA¡¯s he¡¯d signed. Not even his own family could be told. They knew he did something secretive that paid well and never asked beyond making sure it was legal. Which it was. Plenty of folks did it. Frank stood and stretched, only for the sound of feet on stone to make him turn and adopt a huge smile. ¡°Why hello there!¡± he said as a rather¡­ well, dapper-looking man marched into view. The man had grey hair, and his entire demeanour screamed wealthy. But there was also an itch in Frank¡¯s mind. His instinct flared up warning him that this guy¡­ he was strong. It was an instinct you got after fighting enough people. You sort of had to earn it, the ability to just look at someone and know, if they were weak or strong. He was also doing something. Frank bit his lip and the feeling abated. Frank wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this situation. He licked his lips and lowered his hand out of sight to his pokebelt. Hopefully, the guy would keep walking. ¡°Morning,¡± said the man, pausing and looking around. ¡°Nice view you have here,¡± he said reasonably. Only to pause on the small trail leading down to the cave with the diamonds in it. The man stepped towards it, and Frank felt his gut sink even as he stepped into the man¡¯s path. The man stopped and assessed Frank. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Do you have a claim? Can I not go that way?¡± he said all affable-like. Frank shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t answer that. That¡¯s private property.¡± That pulled the man up. ¡°Who owns it?¡± The feeling came back, and Frank almost blurted out Brock¡¯s name. He bit his lip again, and the man tilted his head before speaking up. ¡°So, there is obviously something important down there¡­¡± The man reached down, and Frank pulled his pokeball out only to pause when the man pulled out a chequebook. ¡°Tell you what. You let me down there, and I pay for your silence. No questions asked, our little secret.¡± Frank shook his head. ¡°I ain¡¯t being bought!¡± The man put the chequebook away and reached for a pokeball. ¡°I could do it another way.¡± Frank grimaced. His instincts were blaring warning him that he wouldn¡¯t win this fight. So instead of releasing his trusty Machoke he pushed a button on his transceiver. ¡°That won¡¯t work neither now,¡± he said as an emergency message was sent informing his company and Brock that someone was sniffing around. ¡°What do you think that will do?¡± said the man. ¡°Call up someone that might have a better chance at putting you in your place. I recognise you now fella!¡± The man merely raised an eyebrow. ¡°That would be amusing, but I can see that you¡¯re serious. In the interest of not damaging whatever is in that cave, tell whoever owns his land that Steven Stone is interested in talking. I had suspicions prior to today, and your presence is enough confirmation for me.¡± The man flicked a business card at Frank, and he caught it. Frank merely grunted, feeling his guts flutter at how close he¡¯d come to fighting a Regional Champion. The Champion of Hoenn marched back down the way he¡¯d come, leaving Frank feeling like perhaps it was time to cash in on his holiday hours and spend some time at home. He¡¯d leave Brock to handle tangling with a Champion. He¡¯d done it before; maybe he could do it again? Chapter 113 - Steelix and Stone The foundry region of Pewter city was mostly on the northern side of the city. This was due to the main entrances being through the south, with the north being the closest side to all the mountains and mines. Salvadore, along with, Missy, Greta, Yolanda, Rachel, and Stephen, all trudged along with me as we made our way. ¡°¡ªand thanks to the fake attempts by the council in their rejected claims for part of the Viridian forest, they were later awarded greater control of the mountainous region surrounding Pewter to the north,¡± said Salvadore as he walked along with his book on the history of Pewter held in front of him. A few times I had to nudge him to the side to make him avoid stepping into something. Stephen rubbed his chin. ¡°That would have been a long-sighted idea on their part as the region is still considered rich in mineral resources, no?¡± I nodded. Yeah, it is.¡± Then I flicked a glance at Salvadore, who was pouting. The girls giggled at him, but I offered a smile. ¡°Sorry, go on reading, you¡¯re doing a great job! This is interesting stuff!¡± Salvadore nodded. ¡°The mountain range north of Pewter then proved to be highly rich in resources, that led to a large economic boom. In the early days, gold nuggets and silver were mined, causing a rush of people into the city. The Rangers eventually stepped in after too much ecological damage had occurred and the numbers of rampaging pokemon increased with reports of a giant Golem being sighted. The Rangers introduced an environmental legisation to the government of Kanto at the time, to create safe, sustainable practices that meant miners needed licenses and the ability to restore the land depending on the amount of land they would be processing. Large companies have to draw up long-term plans for various stages of mining with the impact on the land being kept as small as possible.¡± Salvadore turned a page, and I poked him to the side to stop him from walking into a pole. ¡°Since those restrictions were set in place no major pokemon rampages have been reported while industry in Pewter has continued, albeit at a controlled rate.¡± ¡°What do they have to do to restore the land?¡± Yolanda asked. Salvadore furiously flipped through his book. ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯m not sure?¡± Stephen coughed. ¡°They need to control the tunnels they cut, or fill in any open-cut mines they make. They also need to be mindful of any water flow that could be disrupted due to their mining, and create plans to ensure no waste is going into the water. Otherwise, there might be an increase in the number of Muks, Koffings, or even some pokemon like Gastly, if they¡¯re too damaging to the environment. There are lots of eyes on those businesses, but they¡¯re still very lucrative, so it¡¯s worth going up there.¡± He indicated his thumb. ¡°A nugget of gold this size can be enough to keep you and a full pokemon team fed and housed for a month. It''s why so many hikers just happen to carry pickaxes with them. As a single trainer hiking through the mountains, if they just happen to run across any exposed minerals, such as gold or metal, they can dig it out and sell it. All without the need for licenses. If they set up a sustained digsite, then they might run the risk of being fined or arrested, but it all depends on how greedy or how much risk they want to take on.¡± Missy leaned forward and grinned at Stephen. ¡°Sounds like you know a thing or two about hiking!¡± Stephen grinned. ¡°It¡¯s my hobby, and while I¡¯ve never been so lucky to stumble upon a vein of something precious, I have talked with others. Some of them¡­ were very cagey about how they found their gold on routes I know I¡¯ve trekked across many, many times in the past.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Missy. ¡°Alright gang, it looks like we¡¯re here!¡± I said when we reached the foundry that I¡¯d been in discussions with for a few weeks now. ¡°Time to talk with the foreman. Make sure to follow their advice alright? No wandering off!¡± I said to Salvadore and Yolanda. Yolanda gave me a bemused look before turning to Salvadore, who was tucking away his book. Stephen surprisingly shifted from foot to foot. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡± he said. Yolanda shot the larger man a look before biting her lips to stop herself from giggling. ¡°Gym Leader Brock and party?¡± said a growly voice. I turned to find a tall, powerfully built man in overalls standing at the gate. His salt and pepper hair was topped by a hard hat and his eyes had wraparound safety glasses. He flicked his eyes around my group and frowned slightly. ¡°You waiting on two more?¡± he asked. I coughed. I¡¯d originally planned to bring Forrest along, but¡­ ¡°Two couldn¡¯t make it,¡± I said simply. Salvadore shifted. ¡°Shame Dad had to look after the others. He¡¯d like this.¡± I hummed noncommittally, and Yolanda shot me a look before sighing and shaking her head. ¡°Crystal is also sick,¡± she said to the man. He nodded slowly. ¡°Riiiiight,¡± he said, searching me before shrugging. ¡°Well, their loss! I¡¯m Foreman Hendricks! I run this here foundry! Brock here has been in contact with us for a while about evolving one of his Onix into a Steelix!¡± Salvadore and Stephen perked up only for Foreman Hendricks to raise a hand. ¡°Please keep your questions until after we get through the safety briefing! I need all of you to wear the following hard hats, glasses, and gloves¡­¡± He glanced over at us and hummed. ¡°You ladies, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to change into some full-body clothing that is flame retardant and tie up your hair,¡± he said to Rachel and Missy. They both nodded their heads and did as asked. A few minutes later, we were assembled once more, listening as he explained where to walk, and what we were allowed to touch or not touch. He clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Brock here will be separate from you for the main event as it''s his pokemon but you¡¯ll all be on a railing overlooking the evolution vats we keep around. Now, any more questions?¡± Salvadore¡¯s hand shot out. ¡°Yes! So many!¡± he said, beating Stephen to the punch. Hendrick¡¯s smiled. ¡°Well, ask away!¡± Salvadore opened a notepad. ¡°What sort of pokemon are used in the foundry? How do you determine what metal is useful for a metal coat for pokemon such as Scyther, or for Onix? What does this facility mostly smelt? How long has it been operational? Why do it this way at all? How long have you been working here?¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± said Hendricks. ¡°All right then, got an academic or two in the crowd, it seems. Going to be a future pokemon professor?¡± ¡°I hope to sir!¡± Salvadore said earnestly. ¡°Hmmm, good! We need more smart people like you around! If pokemon professoring doesn¡¯t work out consider metallurgy, which pays well!¡± He then rubbed his jaw in thought. ¡°Hmmm, to answer your questions, we mostly use Machoke around here thanks to their ability to hold heavy loads and their ability to learn moves that make them safer against the molten metals. We still clothe them in gear much like yourselves but also apply an oil that keeps them from dying of heat exposure while making them less flammable.¡± Salvadore wrote that down before opening his mouth only to cough and write something else. Hendricks leaned against the wall, realising he needed to get comfortable. ¡°We also employ a lot of water pokemon such as Blastoise, Starmie, or even Kingler. Kingler are good at handling heavy loads with their bigger claw, and again, they¡¯re fire resistant. Lots of fire types otherwise! Magcargo, Camerupt, Arcanine, Rapidash, and pokemon like Flareon are useful around here!¡± he said with a smile. ¡°As to how we determine useability for a pokemon? A lot of that depends on what the trainer wants. You shouldn¡¯t use the same metal coat for an Onix as you do a Scyther. Scyther needs a lighter metal that can keep an edge while also still have a high abrasion resistance score.¡± He grinned. ¡°That means the score of how good a metal is at resisting abrasion, friction, or damage. Something that comes up for pokemon. To ¡®heal¡¯ that sort of damage a trainer will typically feed their pokemon a small drink of metal each weak or sprinkle metal flakes into their meals. The good ones will, at least,¡± Hendricks said in an offhand manner. He reached to the side and plucked a metal bar he had sitting to the side. ¡°This is the alloy that we will have made up for Brock¡¯s Onix. It¡¯s got a great abrasion resistance, so it will be able to handle longer-term abuse from pokemon battles. Now it isn¡¯t too heavy, but it will also have some benefits by making Brock¡¯s Onix slightly less weak to Ground-type moves. This will be thanks to the evolution creating metal networks internally for Steelix that will absorb the impact slightly better.¡± He then leveled a stern look at me. ¡°That is, if you have been feeding your Onix the metal, as we planned out for the last week?¡± I nodded firmly. ¡°I fed him the precise amounts and kept up weighing him. He¡¯s been a bit slower in his movements and slightly more lethargic in the mornings.¡± ¡°Good. Means he¡¯s at the threshold of naturally evolving from devouring the metals. The reason we¡¯re going to tip him over is that we can control the layering of the metal coat instead of just letting nature take its course. As you might recognise all fo this costs a pretty pokepenny which is one of the only real downsides,¡± Hendricks said to group before turning back to Salvadore. ¡°What were your other questions?¡± Salvadore repeated them only to tack on another at the end. ¡°¡ª and what is the oil made of that you apply to the Machoke?¡± Hendricks laughed. ¡°Last question? No idea beyond Rawst and Occa Berries in the mixture.¡± He gestured to the foundry. ¡°We¡¯ve been operating for over a hundred years. The foundry itself took a lot of damage that made us need to rebuild¡­ a few years back really¡­ but uh¡­ that¡¯s not really important!¡± he said quickly. Salvadore frowned but nodded when the man lightly shook his head. I held in a sigh. The world¡¯s method of dealing with the war by sticking their head in the sand sometimes resulted in situations where you couldn¡¯t help but trip over it. ¡°We mostly make steel for buildings that we ship to construction sites. There¡¯s a lot of work going on in Vermillion at the moment, and they¡¯re always looking to replate ships traveling on the oceans, so we have plenty of work to do! As for me? I¡¯ve been here for roughly thirty years!¡± he said proudly. I mentally marked that down as meaning that he¡¯d probably been here during the war then. I eyed some of the scars on his arms and wondered then which were from working here during those times. As a metal foundry, this place would have had some tactical significance, especially if it held the ability to evolve pokemon such as Scyther or Onix. Stephen coughed and raised his own notepad. ¡°What is the alloy that we will be seeing applied today?¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t really got a name¡­ got a complicated series of numbers.¡± Hendricks rattled it off quickly before tilting his head. ¡°Oh! Also, Brock has a few diamonds thrown into the mix that Onix will be laying in. Not sure why that was part of the request.¡± All eyes turned towards me, and I smiled. ¡°Oh, just something I want to test out,¡± I said simply. I rocked on my heels and didn¡¯t say anything else. I knew what they were for When Steelix Mega evolved. During those moments, he would have certain growths of jewels out the sides. Stephen tilted his head but made a note of it, while Hendricks merely scoffed. ¡°Diamonds don¡¯t add strength. They¡¯re pretty, but they¡¯re only strong in one plane of force.¡± I merely nodded. The diamonds wouldn¡¯t ever be exposed, and I honestly expected them to be crushed into fine pieces. They¡¯d only emerge during mega-evolutions as crystalline growths. Hendricks sighed and shook his head before glancing around to see if any more questions would be asked. Greta raised her hand. ¡°How did people work out that metal coating needed to be applied for Onix to evolve?¡± Hendricks nodded his head. ¡°Ah that! See, they don¡¯t really need a metal coating. The metal coating is to give them a stronger body. This is something we worked out only ¡­fifty years ago? Until then Onix would just devour a store of metals and go from there. But some blacksmith thought that like a tool, you needed metal internally and externally. He did that and found that his Steelix and Scizor were stronger¡­ if a bit heavier¡± Hendricks rubbed his chin. ¡°First discovery of metals being used in evolution, though, was around here. One of the warehouses that store the metals before they get shipped off got raided. The workers found a number of Steelix passed out from gorging themselves. Back then? They had no idea what those pokemon were! Wouldn¡¯t have been hard to see that the metal had been eaten, and then add two and two to get four!¡± Everyone imagined the expressions of people back then discovering new evolutions by accident. Greta giggled and nodded her head. ¡°Thanks!¡± Rachel surprisingly raised her hand. ¡°Will photography be allowed? Onix evolving for Brock will be a pretty important moment!¡± Hendricks nodded. ¡°Knock yourself out! Just be aware that the molten metals will put off a lot of light themselves so have a camera that can handle that otherwise you¡¯ll get lots of smudgy photos!¡± Rachel reached into her bag and withdrew a professional-looking camera and a few other pieces of equipment before she turned and smiled at Missy and Stephen. ¡°You¡¯re being recruited!¡± she said shamelessly as she gave them both bits to hold. Hendricks merely grunted and led us out into the factory floor, moving along specially marked walkways with red warning over a number of points and signs. Immediately we say what he had been talking about with a large number of oiled up, hard hat-wearing Machoke sauntering around. Blastoise and other water-type pokemon were also positioned in key areas with men and women overseeing the movement or manipulation of molten or red-hot metals. Rachel started taking photos immediately, and even with the flash on, it didn¡¯t disrupt or cause any problems as she documented our walk through the foundry. When we reached a side factory, we entered quickly, with Hendricks unlocking the front door. Hendricks pointed to a raised walkway that the others went up while he pointed to a spot for me to stand. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any splash from the metals! If there is we have some barriers set up but we¡¯ll control the pouring. You release your pokemon and have it lay in the vat we¡¯re going to use!¡± I did that, and Jormungandr appeared with a loud call of his name. He looked around before leaning down and sniffing the vat. ¡°Time to evolve Jorm! You ready?¡± He nodded and I had him lay down so he was as straight as he could be. I then offered Hendricks a small sack of diamonds which he sprinkled around Jormungandr¡¯s body. When a few landed near his face, Onix opened his mouth and munched on a few making me sigh and shake my head. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. When Hendricks returned to me, he fidgeted and rubbed at a scar on his neck. ¡°Word of warning Gym Leader?¡± he said, suddenly eyeing the walkway for anyone that might notice him talking with me. I glanced at him and he rubbed his scar. ¡°During the war, there was a captain that had a Steelix¡­ he did something during a really hard fight that I¡¯ve never seen before. It had these jewels coming out of it¡­ this was under intense fire you see¡­ Think he¡¯d gotten hurt, and we were getting pushed hard. He did something then¡­ some last ditch effort that I or any of the lads that survived that fight hadn¡¯t seen before.¡± His eyes were distant as memories took hold. ¡°His Steelix, it grew¡ªbigger, meaner, and way stronger. It rampaged something fierce against the enemy, but when they pulled back, it also hurt our lines. The captain had to take it out after the fleeing men and pokemon.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened with the captain, but after that battle, we never saw him or his Steelix again.¡± He locked his eyes with me. ¡°Be careful with whatever you¡¯re planning, Gym Leader.¡± I nodded, surprised that there had been another trainer with a Steelix they could megaevolve. Then again, it didn¡¯t surprise me to learn that some trainers had been able to mega-evolve during the war. That would have made things harder. With what Hendricks had told me though¡­ Perhaps they hadn¡¯t been able to stablise the bond yet? I could recall a few episodes of a Lucario rampaging when it first Mega-evolved I shifted still holding his gaze. ¡°I have a solid idea of what I¡¯m doing. Can¡¯t claim I know everything, though, so I¡¯ll be careful. I know what you¡¯re talking about, though, and I will take it very slowly should I ever get the chance to do what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Hendricks just nodded. ¡°Good.¡± He then shook himself. ¡°As long as you understand the risks. You¡¯ve so far shown to have a good head on you.¡± He turned away and grabbed a large control panel. ¡°Alright! Time to get this show on the road! ALL CLEAR!!¡± he bellowed before hitting a red button that sent warning lights flashing as two suspended vats that had been sitting close to a roaring flame that a trio of Flareon had been breathing fire on. A Blastoise wandered in with a set of shades around his eyes. He nodded seriously at me before watching the glowing metals move above Onix¡¯s position. ¡°LAST CALL SAFETY CHECKS!¡± he said before pointing at a few other men and women positioned around the area. They all shot back thumbs up. Blastoise did so as well, and then Hendricks looked at me. I glanced at Jormungandr, who nodded before closing his eyes and laying still. I gave the thumbs up, and Hendricks hit another button that caused the molten metal vat to tip on an axis and pour slowly over Onix. The mechanism holding the vat moved slowly to allow it to evenly pour over my Onix as the two vats made a slow loop. ¡°ONIX! TRY TO HOLD OFF AS LONG AS YOU CAN SO YOU GET AN EVEN SPREAD OF METAL! DON¡¯T STOP THE EVOLUTION BUT JUST SLOW IT DOWN! STRONGER BODY NEEDS A STRONGER SPREAD!¡± Hendricks shouted. Jormungandr groaned from where he was as the metal that was poured hardened about him like a shell. When the vats reached his nose and tail, respectively, his body began to glow. ¡°He¡¯s evolving!¡± shouted Salvadore. I heard Rachel¡¯s camera wildly firing away. The glow continued until the vats had looped his body. Hendricks hit another button and shouted. ¡°GO AHEAD NOW ONIX! DON¡¯T RE¡ª¡± Onix¡¯s body rose out of the molten metal. He was covered from nose to tail, and he roared as the white glow of evolution overtook his form. His body thickened, and large protrusions emerged randomly throughout his body. When the glow ended, he slithered out of the vat. ¡°Steeeeeelix!¡± he groaned loudly, causing the factory to boom at his call. I glanced at Hendricks, and he held out a hand as Blastoise sprayed down the vat he¡¯d emerged from as the overhead buckets moved out of the way. After Blastoise was done, Hendricks nodded, and I released Chansey. She moved close to Steelix and started checking him over while I approached. His body still radiated heat and I could only touch him for a little before I had to withdraw my hand. ¡°How you feeling?¡± I asked. Steelix grinned at me. ¡°STEEEEEEL!¡± he cried out. I grinned, thinking in my head that he had said ¡®strong¡¯. Chansey nodded her head and moved back to my side. We then weighed Steelix and noted that he was going to be much heavier than the normal Steelix. ¡°Gonna need to train him to be able to move around with that extra mass on his frame,¡± Hendricks said while rubbing his chin. I merely smiled. ¡°We¡¯re not afraid of a little hard work, are we?¡± Steelix grinned. I nodded. ¡°Now you¡¯re a true serpent of the world Jormungandr? Hey?.¡± He roared his approval, and we moved away from the foundry and headed back to the Gym. For the first task for my Gym¡¯s break, I considered this a pretty big success. When we got home, Jormungandr was instantly swarmed by my family. Even Flint was impressed when he inspected him. ¡°I know I should stop asking but¡­ are you sure you can¡­¡± he shook his head as he rubbed on a particularly shiny spot on Steelix¡¯s flank where a diamond had been laying during the metal pouring. I merely grinned. ¡°This circuit''s successful Ace matches alone have helped pay for this cost. Most of the money is the upfront cost really.¡± Flint shot me a look. ¡°Steelix can live just as long as humans can Brock. It¡¯s the constant cost that is the real factor, not the initial. Times are good now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got this,¡± I said with a sigh, sick of hearing this issue being raised. ¡°You stick to helping out around the house, yeah? Worry about that.¡± Flint nodded his head slowly and turned back to chuckle as Timmy stood on top of Jorm¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m the king of the castle!¡± That had everyone perk up and surge to knock him to the ground. Jormungandr kept his head on the ground, thankfully, so the fall wasn¡¯t that bad. Timmy was scrambling up a few moments later, trying to knock off Tommy. I glanced around, expecting to see Forrest in turn knocking off Tommy, only to remember that he wasn¡¯t here. I grimaced and shook the feeling off. ¡°Damn, still catches me out that he¡¯s gone,¡± I said to myself. Flint glanced at me, having apparently heard what I said. ¡°Kids going on their journeys can be like that¡­¡± he said while smiling at me. I huffed and watched Munchlax claim the King of the Hill spot. A cape around his shoulders as he puffed his gut out heroically. Tommy ended up tossing him off due to said cape. ¡°Kids are done playing Dragonslayer Munchalx?¡± I asked Flint. ¡°They¡¯re onto Hero Munchlax these days¡­ Something about a superhero that could shoot ice beams, had super strength, and could fly?¡± he said with a smile towards me. I coughed, recalling that I¡¯d cribbed together a basic Superman story for the kids to enjoy. They loved all the superpowers that the ¡®Hero¡¯ had, and of course this must have resulted in Munchlax getting a new outfit. I hummed and considered joining in only for my transceiver to buzz in a way I hadn¡¯t heard before. I frowned and glanced down at it only to curse. ¡°I need to go,¡± I said. ¡°Someone¡¯s threatening one of the¡ª¡± Flint raised his hands. ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain it to me.¡± He glanced at Jormungandr. ¡°Going to take him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not used to his body. Needs to get used to it.¡± I tossed him Jorm¡¯s pokeball before darting into the house. I was about to grab up my Elite Team¡¯s complete set of pokeballs only to pause as another message came through. ¡®Steven Stone has left¡­ he wants to talk.¡¯ I read with a frown. I frowned and retreated to my office. He wanted to talk after being caught sniffing around my diamond cave did he? Urgh, I felt like a meowth that had been rubbed the wrong way. I sat and considered things before shaking myself. I clapped my hands and exhaled, held the pose, and then inhaled to reset myself. Alright, so he¡¯d gone sniffing around. It seemed he¡¯d stopped before anything serious had happened. I fired off a message to the guard on duty asking for more details and was pleased to learn a fight hadn¡¯t even broken out. Steven had tried to bribe the man however. That struck me as very sketchy. I drummed my fingers on my table and considered whether I could just ignore this. It felt like something I¡¯d regret, however, so instead I reached for my office¡¯s transceiver and dialled. A musical tone played out and I raised my eyebrows when a receptionist answered the phone. ¡°Hello! This is Steven Stone¡¯s office. How may I help you?¡± I stared at the woman on the screen. He¡¯d¡­ given me a number to his office? That seemed a bit¡­ ¡°It¡¯s Brock from the Pewter City Gym. Steven was just sniffing around something of mine,¡± I said with a growl. ¡°If he wants to talk then¡ª¡± ¡°One moment! I¡¯ll have to ask you to hold!¡± said the woman as I was put on hold. I blinked. ¡°What?¡± I said, nonplussed at how this was developing. Before I could get mad, the line reconnected, and a suave-looking man smiled back at me. His hair was perfectly combed, despite obviously being atop a mountain range. He nodded amiably at me and raised the cup of tea he had in his hands. ¡°Ah Brock! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!¡± I blinked before narrowing my eyes. ¡°I think your actions rather required a response from me.¡± ¡°Oh! Don¡¯t worry about that! I had done a geological survey of the Mt Moon region and this was one site that I had identified as having some potential for having rare minerals! It seems I was proven right, but I¡¯m a little late with you having already secured the cave.¡± He nodded at me before tilting his head. ¡°How much do you want for it?¡± I blinked. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m not selling it.¡± Steven blinked back at me. ¡°You¡¯re not selling it? Brock you do realise that diamonds are crucial in a lot of manufacturing processes? They¡¯re not just used for jewelry! I¡¯m offering top pokedollar that no one will be able to match!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not looking to sell.¡± ¡°Brock,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°What do you want? Name a price, and I¡¯ll buy it! Everything has a price¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want money,¡± I said firmly, feeling more than a little annoyed at how he was barreling along with this conversation. Steven pursed his lips and assessed me. ¡°You don¡¯t want money? Do you want shares in my company then?¡± I snorted, and he continued to observe me while thinking. I must have seemed an odd person to him, but money wasn¡¯t something that was an issue for me. He tilted his head. ¡°I don¡¯t often suggest such an exchange but¡­ You¡¯re a rock-type specialist, so perhaps you can see the value in this trade more than most.¡± I tilted my head, curious as to what he was alluding to. He smiled more confidently now. ¡°Certain pokemon have the ability to harness energy from themselves and their trainer once they create a certain bond with each other. This isn¡¯t well understood and is in fact extremely rare. I know of only a few trainers that can pull this off but the effects of this¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about Mega-evolution?¡± I asked. Steven blinked. ¡°Ah? You know of it then? Lance I could understand with the Blackthorn records, but you¡­¡± He considered me much more closely now, like I was a surprising geode that had a depth he hadn¡¯t expected. ¡°So, would you be interested in a Megastone?¡± Steven said with a thoughtful expression. ¡°That¡¯s rather canny of you.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with being canny; I¡¯m just not selling.¡± ¡°Brock, you just haven¡¯t heard a price you¡¯d be willing to sell for. That¡¯s the truth of the matter. I applaud your forethought in grabbing the land. Now I¡¯d like to make a deal. Thanks to my company¡¯s mining rights I have a number of stones. Here is my current collection for sale.¡± He tapped something on his transceiver, and a long list sprouted up in front of me before my transceiver readjusted so the list was displayed alongside Steven¡¯s face. Without meaning to, I glanced at it and was surprised at how long it was. He had Gardevoirite, Ampharosite, Charizadite, Blastoisinite, Blazikenite, Houndoominite, Mawhilite, Metagrossite, Sharpedonite, Steelixite, Slowbronite, Salamnecite, and Beedrillite. I blinked before huffing. ¡°What no, Tyranitarite?¡± In fact, there was only one good option on here for me specifically. Steven finished taking a sip of his tea. He tilted his head at me. ¡° I wasn¡¯t aware Tyranitar could Megaevolve¡­ but I suppose that fits with what I¡¯ve learnt so far of which pokemon could do so.¡± He pursed his lips in thought. ¡°I have found that these stones typically occur around areas that the pokemon live in abundance¡­¡± He steepled his fingers. ¡°Mining or scouring a mountain with Tyranitar upon it is not something that is currently feasible. The sites that these Tyranitar are known to frequent are considered nature preserves.¡± I frowned. Something about the way he said, nature preserves felt like he was more saying ¡®areas I can¡¯t profit from¡¯ or perhaps I was misreading him? I considered him and watched him as he glanced around, watching something flit around near him. I considered the potential future of the site. A possible mythical pokemon¡­ versus a Mega evolution. I was about to suggest something when I remembered I had promised I¡¯d try and get one for my little sister. That made me feel a sudden gut punch. I shook it off and huffed, she¡¯d understand¡­ I frowned. Did I even need a Mega stone right now? Most of my pokemon at the Elite level could easily throw down with Lance, of all people. How much stronger did I need to get? I¡¯d said I wouldn¡¯t chase power once to Janine, and this felt almost, but not quite, the same. No, I didn¡¯t need or especially want to sell my diamond cave for this. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t accept this.¡± Steven tilted his head. ¡°I¡¯d be willing to sell you two Mega stones.¡± I flicked my eyes to the list, and possibilities played out. I did just get a Steelix didn¡¯t I? There was also the potential of gifting another stone to Sabrina. If she had Slowbronite, or Gardevourite, she¡¯d have a lot of potential for her pokemon. The others. Meh. Really, it came down to future potential with the caves being more than just mines. I frowned as something else occurred to me. ¡°You do realise that getting access to the cave would require a lot of change to the Mt Moon area don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Not a problem. Devon Corp is used to creating plans that will work with whatever regulations are in place. A decade of mining, and then we re-establish the native plants and pokemon into the region.¡± I again tilted my head at his choice of wording. It didn¡¯t sound like¡­ I hummed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work for Mt Moon. It¡¯s a nature preserve itself.¡± I shook my head, ¡°But that¡¯s beside the point. I don¡¯t think I really want to sell out the cave for a mega stone, or two.¡± He considered me before shrugging. ¡°Well I won¡¯t be selling it for three, that would be rather too much for one trainer,¡± he said. I frowned and glanced at the list he¡¯d sent me. If this was what he was willing to sell¡­ Did that mean he had others that he wasn¡¯t willing to sell? Or others he was controlling? ¡°Seems a bit hypocritical,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Well these are mine to sell,¡± he said with a smile I imagine others would call charming. ¡°If you find any of your own, you¡¯ll find you might not want to sell them just as I do. They are, after all, not simple stones.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said, not all that impressed with his argument. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be getting ready for your match against Karen?¡± ¡°I have it well in hand, my team are more than ready,¡± he said. He watched me for a while before sighing. ¡°Well, I see you won¡¯t be accepting my deal today, Brock. Keep me in mind for selling though won¡¯t you.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Ah well, think nothing of it, it was a whim on my part,¡± he said with a simple shrug that I didn¡¯t really believe. ¡°Now, if you don¡¯t mind I have much to do and see! I look forward to seeing you again soon!¡± he said. I barely grunted out a goodbye as the transceiver disconnected. I put my hand under my chin and considered what had been shared. I worked my jaw a bit before making a decision. I called Georgina, my accountant. ¡°Hello? Brock? Is something the matter, I¡¯m at home today looking after Crystal, remember?¡± ¡°Ah no worries, I just wanted to ask if I had the funds to purchase some more land around Mt Moon from my personal funds?¡± She snorted in an unladylike manner. ¡°Easily, that land is cheap as anything, as people can¡¯t do anything with it. There isn¡¯t thought to be much worth.¡± ¡°Hmmm, well I just thought it might be a good idea for the pokemon preserve to take any available land off the table. Can I manage that?¡± ¡°Hmmmm, it¡¯d be tight, but with the amount of Ace trainers coming your way you shouldn¡¯t feel too much of a pinch. You just won¡¯t be able to make any big bets safely.¡± ¡°Hmmm alright then. I¡¯ll put in¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it sorted out and email you the forms. I can do it from home and bill you!¡± Georgina said merrily. I snorted. ¡°Alright, tell Crystal we missed her today and that Rachel took a lot of photos of Steelix evolving. Bye for now,¡± I said. I hung up and stretched. Hopefully, I¡¯d beat Steven to the punch of snapping up any other land around. I didn¡¯t like the idea of him mining Mt Moon. Sure, there were old tunnels, but the place didn¡¯t need to be strip-mined. Maybe that¡¯s not what he intended, but he rubbed me the wrong way. So fuck that guy. I headed back out to find my family balancing and playing a sort of hopscotch game on Steelix¡¯s back. Flint raised a brow at me. ¡°Everything alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, I reckon it is now,¡± I said as I smiled at Suzie as she successfully completed a loop of Steelix. Right then and there, I knew I should never sell the cave of diamonds. Suzie¡¯s smile was huge as she turned it towards me, and that was just for a simple little game. There was something you should never try to put a price on. If things ever worked out and I got my hands on some Carbink¡­ maybe, just maybe, my theory might pan out for Suzie. That¡¯d put a smile money couldn¡¯t value properly on Suzie. Not that it stopped people like Steven Stone from trying such things. I rubbed my chin and considered the coming week. Steven versus Karen of Lavender Town was already being billed as the match of the week, to be held at the plateau''s Indigo Arena. That would see him at the League at the end of the week. I hummed, but he still expected to see me soon? I turned that thought over before the answer came to mind. I had been advertising the sale of the Lileep¡­ Somehow, I don¡¯t think Steven Stone was going to ignore that. Looks like I was going to be seeing him very soon indeed. Chapter 114 - The Pewter Auction I tapped on the favourites button on my transceiver and gave a giant smile when Celia answered on the first ringtone. ¡°Celia! Good to see you!¡± ¡°Brock! I¡¯m in Verdanturf town!¡± Celia said, grinning back at me. ¡°Good to know! How has your journey been so far?¡± ¡°Great! I was abe to capture a Tropius that likes to be called Tropo! And I also made friends with a feisty little Trapinch that I call Nipper! I have also sent the stable part of the Gym a Skitty that I haven¡¯t got a name for, and a Nosepass that I call Sneezer! ¡± ¡°Oh wow! I¡¯m going to have to look into those pokemon. I hadn¡¯t seen them come through!¡± I said in surprise, turning to my computer to see that they¡¯d only just been caught the day before. I blinked and tilted my head. ¡°You only caught them last night?¡± Celia coughed and I narrowed my eyes at her. ¡°Celia, what have you been doing for the last three weeks?¡± ¡°Oh, seeing the sights! Wandering the routes! I got three of my badges for this circuit so far!¡± I hummed and clicked onto her trainer profile. ¡°It says here that you only got your third badge yesterday as well¡­¡± I laced my fingers and watched her pointedly, not saying a word. She fidgeted and twitched before slumping. ¡°I went to the Hoenn desert to find some fossils for you!¡± she confessed. I sighed. ¡°Celia, that was something I gave you that wasn¡¯t meant to be rushed towards. It otherwise ruins the journey. Take your time going places.¡± I gave her a look. ¡°You didn¡¯t rush to Fallabor Town as well did you? I remember mentioning that to you.¡± ¡°I was¡­ thinking of working my way around to there via Rustboro¡­ But I was also sorta toying with the idea of learning to fly with Tropo. He¡¯s big enough to carry me after all.¡± I hummed. ¡°Well, that sounds alright. Take your time with these things. The Hoenn desert is otherwise a gruelling place. I assume you took the necessary precautions.¡± ¡°I took lots of water and mostly only moved around in the evenings. I set Lizzie and Stomper to guard duty during the day.¡± She perked up as she remembered something. ¡°Oh! I was able to get Stomper to evolve! He did it when he was wrestling a pair of graveler and they took a tumble down a large hill near the Hoenn Desert! He emerged the winner and then he evolved.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said, impressed. ¡°Did you set him up for that, cause rememebr that¡¯s how I¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah! You told me that¡¯s how they evolve in the wild! Well it worked and¡­ not really actually. I hadn¡¯t been trying for it and it¡¯s one of the reasons I stopped searching around the desert. I realised I needed to give him some time. Brock I was thinking of sending back Trumpet and Nipper for a little bit. I want my Skitty and Hime to compete in the local contest that will be happening in the next few days.¡± That got a more heartfelt smile from me. ¡°Sounds good!¡± She grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll have them holding some things, oh! And check what my Skitty has as well! You¡¯ll be amazed!¡± she wiggled on screen as I brought up her pokemon on screen before having it transported from storage to my office through an internal porting system. It appeared with a flash in the small pokeball receptacle and I held up the pokeball with a cute picture of a kitty cat with whiskers on the front. Celia coughed ¡°I don¡¯t have any stickers for a skitty!¡± she said defensively. I moved to a small button on the side of the main pokemon that integrated an item for certain pokemon to ¡®hold¡¯ through an energy mechanism I barely understood but that worked much like the games. By pressing on it I signalled I wanted to retrieve the held item. A ping appeared on Celia¡¯s transceiver, and the video feed shifted as she pressed some buttons to allow the item to be released. ¡°Oops! Sorry, need to register you as a party that can take and give things to my pokemon!¡± She did so and a second later a large stone appeared on the desk. I picked it up and was about to ask the obvious question only to pause when I spotted the claw that was embedded into it. ¡°This is a fossil? You found one?¡± I asked in surprise. ¡°Yup! Praise me! I found that fossil and a few others!¡± ¡°Really? How many did you find?¡± I said looking up from her fossil to Celia who was puffing her chest out and rubbing her nose. She wilted a little. ¡°Only four of them¡­¡± ¡°Four is very impressive! I didn¡¯t find any in the Hoenn desert! I¡¯ve only ever found three. Also, the only fossils I¡¯ve found have been in Mt Moon, and that¡¯s with the help of the local pokemon.¡± ¡°Urgh! The Hoenn desert pokemon were mostly Trapinich and only Nipper was nice! The rest were soooooooo annoying!¡± I chuckled, ¡°What fossils did you find?¡± She reached into her bag and drew out the other three she had on her. ¡°I have one that looks like¡­ an orb?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a skull,¡± I said, causing her to shriek and push the skull fossil to the side. She wiped her hands and shuddered before grabbing another up. ¡°I also have this one that looks like a plant,¡± she said, showing me another root fossil. I nodded and out of sight, I crossed my fingers. There was a very specific pokemon fossil that I would love to have but that shouldn¡¯t be found until Kalos but surely with ancient fossils that wouldn¡¯t hold true. Come on, jaw fossil! ¡°And this one that looks like a shell!¡± said Celia. I carefully kept my expression happy, and didn¡¯t showcase any of my disappointment. Honestly, Celia¡¯s discovery was huge. ¡°Great work Ceila! That¡¯s a Cover fossil,¡± I said. On second thought, with my current team, I was best set up for a Tirtouga, as the water type would slot in well. That along with Anorith and Cranidos would be amazing pokemon to have. Then I pinched myself. ¡°Did you want the pokemon that will be resurrected from the fossils?¡± I said. It was only right that she, having been the one to find the fossils, should get the first call on them. ¡°Oh¡­ don¡¯t you want them?¡± she said. I chuckled. ¡°No, I want them quite a lot. With these pokemon I will have a fairly diverse menagerie of pokemon that are Ancient. Perhaps even the most around¡­¡± I said to myself before smirking. ¡°Speaking of which how would you like to train one of the newest ancient pokemon we have? Crowley, my fossil guy, has been very successful with the root fossil and one fossil like you have there can typically create twenty pokemon at least. Want a Lileep on your team?¡± ¡°Sure, I guess?¡± she said. ¡°What are they like?¡± ¡°Surprisingly strong, they have a really diverse set of moves, but try your hand at it and we¡¯ll see how you go. I¡¯m thinking of training one up for my Elite team.¡± That had her eyes widening and her head nodding a second later. ¡°Oh, then yeah! If you think they have that much¡ª¡± ¡°Any pokemon has the potential if they have the drive, remember?¡± I said, making her nod contritely. I offered my hand up on the video call. ¡°So, did you want any of the fossils for your team?¡± Celia chewed her lip before shaking her head. ¡°No, that was something I did as a Trainer of the Pewter City Gym!¡± I could hear the capitalisation of the words which just said how proud she was of being a trainer representing the gym, didn¡¯t it? ¡°Heh, you¡¯re easily my favourite trainer that I¡¯ve taken on,¡± I said, which made her practically gain wings as she lifted off the ground in pride. ¡°Hehe! I¡¯m so telling Jackson you said that!¡± ¡°Go right ahead, but if you mention it to this year¡¯s crop of trainers they might take it as a taunt. Mia is very passionate.¡± ¡°And the other full sponsorship trainer?¡± ¡°Humphrey? He¡¯s a very insightful trainer, and I think he¡¯s made a lot of connections on how to raise and put together a strong team. He has a Nuzleaf on his team now along with his Aron and he¡¯s sought out a Magikarp as well,¡± I said, pointing out the stand out pokemon on his team. ¡°I think I¡¯ll need to mention some other options for pokemon that have utility such as a flying type, for later but then again, most people make do.¡± There was a lull for a moment before I turned to the other topic I should check in on. It wasn¡¯t just her growth as a trainer that I needed to check in on. ¡°How are things going in Hoenn, making friends?¡± ¡°Feh! There are mostly only little kids or older trainers running around. A lot of the kids my age are apparently over in Kanto! ¡­ There have been a few girls but they got a bit snooty with me when I mentioned I¡¯ve never taken part in a pokemon contest before.¡± ¡°Well they sound like¡­¡± I rethought what I wanted to say and sighed. ¡°Well, you¡¯re probably better off without those girls. Don¡¯t let their words sour you to something new, or that Hoenn people are all like that. Some can be the friendliest around.¡± ¡°I spoke with a nice Ranger team during my stay in the desert. They were super surprised that I wanted to stay in the desert and that I had my campsite so well put together!¡± she said with a huge smile. I chuckled and settled in to listen to everything that she¡¯d experienced. Due to most of her time being spent in the desert it was a fairly short retelling. When it was my turn to share what I¡¯d been up to I sighed and gestured for her to sit down. ¡°Well, a lot has happened since you¡¯ve been gone,¡± I said to start things off. I relayed everything that had been going on, and she was quick to snarl when she learnt that Daniel had been a plant. When she calmed down, I hummed. ¡°Celia, I can¡¯t say a lot, but it turns out that he wasn¡¯t just a plant for me. He was from an organisation in your neck of the woods, so you need to be careful if a criminal element approaches you. There are two groups in Hoenn, Team Magma, and Team Aqua. From the research I¡¯ve been able to do, they are people that were part of the old war for various divisions that formed their own splinter groups rather than disbanding.¡± ¡°Oh, alright.¡± She nodded easily. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to be extra careful with anyone that seems shifty.¡± ¡°Alright, I wish I could say you can just relax, but I thought I better mention it to you while I have you on the line. I¡¯m glad to hear from you. What¡¯re you up to for the rest of the day?¡± She rattled off her itinerary, and I nodded. When she asked the same question of me I smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve got an auction to run,¡± I replied. And I was expecting a lot of people to show up with what was on offer.
¡°Welcome!¡± boomed Rachel through the speaker system. ¡°Today, we¡¯ve added a number of pokemon to the Pewter Gym auction beyond the usual fare! In these last two months a number of these pokemon have seen a lot more combat than typical so expect stronger pokemon than usual up for grabs!¡± Rachel expertly twirled a cane around like a true showman while waving to the crowd sitting in the stands. I¡¯d had the arena itself closed off to make it level with the seating and placed a small platform up so that we could stand in front of the crowd to perform the auction. Rachel was acting as the frontwoman, hyping up the crowd while teasing some of the pokemon that we would be releasing to the public. ¡°Today we have a wonderful line up of pokemon such as the typical Geodude line with Graveler, and a single Golem! We also have a single variant of the electric typing up for sale today! Look forward to that!¡± In truth, a few had already been allocated towards the Rangers with three Alolan Geodude being sent off at a set rate. The police also had a trio of Aron that were more suited to other duties than battling right now. Jackson had made a quick trip down to the Orange islands and returned empty-handed sadly with the Onix in the crystal caves not laying any eggs. Bianca had gone with him and made a lot of recommendations, along with lots of photos. She had gained a lot of insight into the crystal Onix¡¯s habitat from staying for a few days in the caverns. She was going to go back soon with some other adjustments and supplements to improve the odds of more Crystal Onix being bred. I was disappointed that I didn¡¯t have another Crystal Onix for sale, but wasn¡¯t too bothered by it. I had other options. I glanced over the crowd from the trainer area at the back. The entire crowd, albeit a much larger group than usual, was watching Rachel praise various pokemon and upsell how they''d make great pokemon for any team. Greta, Missy, and Dennis were all on stage in Gym uniforms, with a number of pokeballs laid out and clearly marked. Alexa was off to the side, handling payments for those that won the bidding on a pokemon. ¡°¡ªnext pokemon is an Onix with an interesting pool of moves! This Onix was used to showcase a number of Pewter¡¯s newest Gym trainers how to teach moves, marking it as highly intelligent.¡± A pokeball was popped and Onix appeared with a roar before it settled down at Missy¡¯s smile. Rachel beamed at the crowd. ¡°This Onix knows the moves Dragon Breath, Rock Throw, Iron Tail, and Rock Polish as its most powerful moves. It of course knows Dig and Bide having trained at the Pewter Gym as well!¡± ¡°One point four thousand!¡± said one man, raising his paddle to show his number. A few officials we¡¯d hired for this auction dutifully noted down the number, and from there, Onix¡¯s bidding began. One of the staff members that we¡¯d hired stepped up to a podium and pointed. When he spoke he did so with rapidfire mashing of words that made every rush into the crowd''s ears and had them leaning forward in anticipation ¡°Onepointfour, I hear onepointfour going once!¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°One seven!¡± cried another voice and a true battle was on as two trainers locked eyes with paddles in hand. Eventually, Onix sold for six thousand, two hundred pokedollars, with the winning bidder happily claiming his prize. ¡°Hahaha! Prepare to suck it Lt. Surge!¡± he shouted as he transferred the money and claimed his pokeball. He then lifted the pokeball with a wild look in his eyes, as though to release Onix right then and there. I got the mental image that he was going to ride Onix to Vermillion to smash in Surge¡¯s doors and demand a fight. Alexa coughed politely and gestured to a sign that the auction staff had set up earlier. The first point read; Please keep your auction prize in its pokeball inside the facility. You may release it outside! Thank you for your understanding! The man laughed sheepishly before darting outside to continue his plan of riding Onix into the sunset. Another pokemon was raised up, and Rachel described it before the auctioneer took over. When we reached the alolan geodude, the only one that would be on sale at today¡¯s auction, a new voice announced itself. ¡°Ten thousand,¡± said a familiar voice. I looked down and sure enough, Steven Stone had entered and claimed a seat. There was a sizable gap around him while some people moved. Had he had an entourage claim the seats for him in advance, or had he paid off the people sitting around him? I¡¯d probably have to watch the security playback to work out what he¡¯d done. No one seemed put out, so there wasn¡¯t any need to talk with him. The auctioneer expertly handled Steven Stone¡¯s appearance and restarted the bidding. ¡°Tenthousand, do I hear an eleven¡ª¡± ¡°Eleven thousand! Gary Oak is in the building!¡± shouted Gary as he kicked open my doors. I shot him a less than amused look and he ducked his head and moved into a section of seating with Mia of all people. She waved and ran up to me. ¡°Hi Brock! I made a friend and thought I¡¯d double back around for a little bit! I bumped into Gary in Celadon after I got my third Gym badge and he and his¡­ girlfriends,¡± she said with a roll of her eyes, ¡°offered to drive me and Silly Mouse back. ¡°How is Silly Mouse?¡± I asked looking around for her Raticate. I¡¯d been surprised to learn about her friendship/rivalry with Gary of all people, but it made a lot of sense that they¡¯d bond. Gary, if you could see through his first impressions, had good intentions, and was actually a good friend to have. ¡°Rati!¡± said Silly Mouse from behind me with a smug wiggle of his whiskers. ¡°Nice work sneaking up here,¡± I said, amused at their antics. Ever since they¡¯d gone to Janine for their third badge, they¡¯d been trying to sneak up on things. It would make for an interesting show to have Sabrina, Erika, and the others as their fourth or greater badges, but I didn¡¯t doubt that Mia would be able to handle the pressure they¡¯d send her way. The bidding continued, with Gary and Steven Stone trading back and forth for a while before Steven Stone huffed. ¡°Eighty thousand pokedollars!¡± he said with an air of finality. I whistled. The previous bid had only been thirty-six thousand so for him to double it was a pretty big flex. The auctioneer looked to Gary who was grimacing and checking his transceiver. ¡°I¡¯d like to remind bidders that this is a rare opportunity for anyone looking to claim a rare variant geodude! This Geodude comes from a line of pokemon who¡¯s sire was able to knock out champion level pokemon and lay the groundwork for Brock¡¯s victory! This is what you¡¯re bidding for!¡± Gary¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Eighty five¡ª¡± ¡°One hundred!¡± barked Steven before Gary could get the words out fully. The auctioneer did a quick one two from Gary to Steven before raising the bid. I hummed. ¡°Bad luck Gary,¡± I said. Mia rolled her eyes. ¡°Nah, Steven Stone just challenged him. I think he¡¯s going to try and show off now.¡± ¡°One hundred and sixty!¡± Gary shouted, standing to raise his paddle. ¡°He¡¯s such a dumb rich kid,¡± said Mia with a giggle. ¡°There is a difference between a rich child and one of the richest men in the world, however,¡± said Sabrina as she teleported to my side with her Ralts sitting in her lap. It nuzzled into her and glanced over at me before huddling further into Sabrina. A single eye smugly stared out at me. I wanted to chuckle at the childish display Ralts was putting on. ¡°I¡¯m surprised he¡¯s even here, bidding honestly,¡± I said. ¡°I would have thought he would have had someone else do it for him, or he would have tried to cut a deal.¡± Mia tilted her head. ¡°He can do that?¡± she said as she scratched Silly Mouse under the chin. ¡°Nothing against it, he could have just nominated a representative.¡± Sabrina considered the man, and for a moment Steven Stone faltered as he raised the bid, he glanced up at us and nodded once in our direction before returning to bidding. ¡°He has an impressive mind. He has a not inconsiderable degree of psychic power, but I believe that is due to his starter being Metagross¡­ and potentially more,¡± she said, alluding to Steven¡¯s documented mega-evolution. Mia tilted her head, unsure of what we were referencing. I shook my head. ¡°Not something you need to worry about at this stage. I¡¯ll address it in a few months'' time.¡± Steven looked like he was about to wrap things up when the doors banged open once more and a trio of trainers barged in. ¡°I raise!¡± shouted one girl who I instantly recognised. How could I not recognise Roxanne when I¡¯d marked her profile as one to watch. Especially when she arrived with Flannery, and Brawly. ¡°The bid is now four hundred thousand and one!¡± announced the Auctioneer. Flannery shot straight upright. ¡°SAY WHAT?! ROXANNE?! WHAT DID YOU DO?¡± Roxanne herself looked a bit startled, and I chuckled as she realised how late into the bidding war she¡¯d entered. She coughed and set her stance however. ¡°What¡¯s done is done!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got your back Roxy!¡± said Brawly, putting a hand on her shoulder and nodding. Flannery whipped her head around. ¡°The Slugma shit we do!?¡± Roxanne¡¯s smile got a little waxy, and her face paled as the auctioneer reached the second call and it was apparent she was sweating bullets. Gary chuckled, ¡°I can see the Lady needs a hand, and I think I can do just that!¡± Four-fifty!¡± he said with a fake smile. Roxanne exhaled in relief, and Brawly gave Gary a quick nod before they claimed a section of seating. Gary turned and laced his fingers. I could just make out that he was bouncing his knee and that he was sweating. Hmmm, so he¡¯d saved her to show off, but really, really shouldn¡¯t have? Oh Gary, you¡¯re so young. His cheer squad raised their pom poms and made a cheer for him, which only made him lean into his pose more. I could just see him thinking. ¡®This is fine! This is fine¡­ oh biscuits, Gramps is going to be mad at me!¡¯ Steven must have gotten annoyed with the cheer girls loudly proclaiming Gary the most heroic, or he hated losing a bid like this. ¡°Five hundred thousand!!¡± he announced, and there was a stir from the crowd. The auctioneer happily ran through the three calls before glancing pointedly at the doorways. The crowd turned in their seats apparently expecting another late save. Steven huffed in annoyance before the auctioneer shrugged and slammed the gavel down. ¡°AND SOLD TO THE GENTLEMAN HERE! Please come claim your pokemon!¡± Instead of going himself, a man in a black suit, tie, and glasses arose from the mass that surrounded Steven to acquire the pokeball in question. The man handed the Geodude¡¯s pokeball to Steven who turned it over in his hands before pocketing it, a pleased look on his face. He then offered Gary and Roxanne stiff nods. The return to the more normal pokemon was almost lacklustre in comparison with much lower numbers being bid. Interestingly Gary made sure to keep his pokedex out and assess each pokemon that was put on display. He ended up bidding on a Rhyhorn, only for Mia to enter the bidding with a cheeky smile. Gary shot her a look only to up the bid and for her to wave off, finding the bid too rich for her. And with that, Gary was the proud owner of a Rhyhorn. Then it came to the final part of the event, and the auctioneer grinned, only for Rachel to claim the microphone. She must have been getting jealous of the time that he was getting, as she quickly announced the final draw. ¡°And to wrap things up today, ladies and gentlemen, we have an exciting, first-off auction! If you¡¯ve been paying any attention to the Pewter Gym matches on the pokenet you will know! A new Ancient pokemon is now being featured! Today I have the pleasure, nah! The PRIVILEGE! Of announcing that we have not one, not two, but three newly resurrected Lileep up for grabs!¡± The auctioneer wrestled the microphone back. ¡°WE will now begin bidding at¡ª¡± ¡°Five hundred thousand,¡± Steven Stone said before the man could finish. The crowd gasped and the auctioneer used Rachel¡¯s shock to bump her to the side and claim the entire podium for himself. ¡°An outstanding first bid from our¡ª¡± ¡°Seven hundred,¡± said a soft voice that had me blinking in surprise. ¡°Erika¡¯s here?¡± I said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t she come and say hello?¡± Sabrina raised a hand and waved with just her fingers to the now-revealed Erika who was standing from a group of ladies that had been happily enjoying themselves. They all looked highly interested in the outcome of this auction. Erika turned and bowed politely to Steven, but she made sure to maintain eye contact. I chuckled. ¡°Is she¡­?¡± I said in shock. ¡°Yes,¡± Sabrina said simply. ¡°She is going to fight Steven for the Lileep.¡± ¡°But I already gave her eight to establish a breeding group with?¡± I said quietly. Sabrina nodded, and her eyes glowed. I was about to ask what she thought she was doing before Erika jolted and glanced around, only to look up towards us and give Sabrina a bemused expression. Sabrina repeated her finger wiggle, and Erika mirrored it, but then she raised her kimono sleeve to her mouth. Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°She¡¯s buying for herself and for the girls¡­ they are all putting in money and it will be something they earn.¡± ¡°They¡¯re pooling their money? Oh, that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°A substantial sum. They are all the daughters and nieces or granddaughters of various CEO¡¯s, CFO¡¯s or wealthy capitalists themselves through inheritance. It is also not the only option they have for themselves.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh.¡± I so often forgot that Erika was the best connected of any of us, possibly even beyond Giovanni. Steven sat back. ¡°One million,¡± he said easily. ¡°One point two,¡± Erika said without missing a beat, the crowd had just barely gotten a chance to gasp in shock before, were now shouting in surprise. Steven sat up and turned, acknowledging Erika properly. He rubbed his chin in thought before raising his paddle again. ¡°One point five.¡± ¡°One point seven.¡± Erika held his gaze, suddenly she was like the oak, immovable and ancient. Steven considered her again and nodded, content to sit this out. The auctioneer checked the others in the crowd, and while Roxanne looked conflicted, she didn¡¯t raise her paddle. When one of the Celadon lasses skipped up to claim the lileep¡¯s pokeball there was some applause with Erika bowing to everyone. Then she locked eyes with Steven again and he narrowed his. ¡°She¡¯s going after all of them?¡± I asked incredulously. Sabrina nodded and patted Ralts¡¯ head causing her to trill happily. ¡°She is, yes.¡± I watched in shock as Erika led the next auction with a one million bid out of the gates. This time Steven forced her to two million. When she didn¡¯t bat an eye at this he settled with a defiant look in his eyes for the last bid. Rachel body-checked the auctioneer to get the microphone. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen! This is our last pokemon up for auction today! I¡¯d like to thank you all for your patience! This Lileep was given a little extra training with the investment of some TM¡¯s to let it learn Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Sandstorm! It also knows Ancient Power! This is the last pokemon up for auction! Good luck!¡± She then hopped to the side as the auctioneer made a move to claim his spot back only for her movement to make him overcommit and almost stumble. He ducked into a bow and gathered himself well. ¡°Thank you for this experience!¡± he said with a charming smile while a few people that had obviously been paying attention to his and Rachel¡¯s antics tittered and clapped as though it were a comedy. ¡°Let¡¯s start the bidding!¡± ¡°One point seven!¡± shouted Roxanne out of nowhere. Both Erika and Steven gave her a short, unimpressed look, which she wilted away from. Flannery grabbed her friend by the collar and dragged her down before furiously whispering into her ear, which had Roxanne curling up. Erika and Steven returned to eyeing each other. One of the girls in Erika¡¯s group stood up and sauntered over to Steven¡¯s group. Two men in suits rose and raised their hands to her but she merely started talking with them in a friendly way. I quickly lost interest in her as Steven set the bidding at two million out of the gates. Erika made a show of thinking it over. The crowd leaned in, and I found myself watching her for any tells. I never would have thought to see Erika, the usually most flappable of my friends, so in control of herself. She gave Steven an amused smile. ¡°Two point five,¡± she said before sitting down and turning to another girl to talk with her. I frowned. I could almost feel the palpable confusion rippling through the crowd at Erika sitting down and not staring Steven down. It almost went against the plot that had been developing. My eyes swiveled to Steven only to find him sitting with a neutral expression as the girl from earlier cuddled up into his arm. ¡°Wait! How did she get through his guard detail?!¡± Mia said in shock, giving voice to what everyone was thinking. Sabrina hummed. ¡°She gave the guards her father¡¯s business card and then told Steven who she was. She said she¡¯d talk with her daddy if Steven didn¡¯t be a gentleman and treat her properly.¡± I blinked and Mia turned to gape at Sabrina. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That is what the girl said,¡± Sabrina explained. I nodded slowly, still weirded out by Sabrina so candidly talk about someone¡¯s daddy in her flat neutral tone. Mia still looked confused. ¡°Who¡¯s her father?¡± I asked. ¡°He owns the mining rights to the eastern mountains above Cerulean cape that has since been discovered to lead into Fiore.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Mia said, confused by all this information. Sabrina turned her head. ¡°Forget I said that.¡± Silly Mouse and Mia stiffened in fear but I coughed. I reached over and put a hand on top of Sabrina¡¯s. ¡°She¡¯s joking,¡± I said happily. But then gave a serious expression, saying, ¡°It¡¯s going to be announced soon, so keep it to yourself though.¡± Silly Mouse and Mia nodded quickly, and I hummed in amusement as Ralts leaned down and tried to bite me. It was like a baby¡¯s attack, with her soft gums merely nuzzling my flesh. I pulled in my dark energy so she didn¡¯t hurt herself and booped her on the nose. ¡°Going, going! GONE!¡± shouted the auctioneer as he pointed his gavel at Erika who received a huge round of applause. Steven joined in and bowed to her magnanimously before raising the girl next to him to stand. He kissed her hand and gestured for her to head back to her group which she did after taking a selfie with Steven. ¡°Well, Erika sure played for keeps,¡± I said as her group cheered and raised the three Lileep pokeballs up before they paraded off. Erika offered me a wave. She made a gesture that I couldn¡¯t decipher. ¡°She needs to make sure they don¡¯t get into trouble and make their way home now. She won¡¯t be able to stay and talk,¡± Sabrina said, supplying the answer. She then nodded her head. ¡°And yes, Erika will, when she feels the need she plays to win.¡± Rachel, on the main stage, reclaimed the microphone. ¡°Thank you one and all for attending today¡¯s event! This marks the end of the auction and I¡¯d like to thank everyone that took part. Today¡¯s event will go towards the stabling and care of a great number of pokemon that the Pewter Gym cares for. However! More importantly, fifty percent of today¡¯s earnings will be deposited in an even split towards the hospital and orphans of Pewter city!¡± Another round of applause rang out as a very large number appeared on the screens around the gym. I whistled. ¡°That¡¯s going to go a long way!¡± Mia nodded her head happily, a huge smile stretching her face. She turned and hugged me. ¡°I never knew,¡± she said into my chest. I pat her on the head. ¡°It was a lot more this year than previous years, but I do try,¡± I said, feeling a warm glow that I usually only got from hugging my own family surge up. Mia broke the hug and wiped her eyes furiously. She then trotted down to nudge Gary and congratulate him on his bid. He eyed her, and his eyes flicked from the number on the screen to me before he nodded his head and said something before shoving her with a cocky smile. She punched his shoulder and laughed. The applause died away, only for a solo man to keep clapping. People turned to look, and a few looked like they might pick the applause back up only for Steven Stone to stop clapping and raise his hands. ¡°Thank you all for a wonderful event! I must confess I find auctions such as this a pleasure to attend! I must beg your forgiveness, for I am an audacious fellow and only arrived late to the show. I didn¡¯t know about the charity portion of this auction.¡± He turned and smiled at me and it looked heartfelt. ¡°Truly, I am glad to attend. I would like to match that number,¡± he said staring straight into my eyes and the crowd broke into thunderous applause. I chuckled and nodded to Steven Stone. I tapped Sabrina, ¡°Can you ask Brawly and his friends to stick around along with Gary and Mia? I¡¯d like to talk with them.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. Then she turned her attention back to Steven before considering me, she nodded. ¡°I will approach them, how long will you be?¡± I eyed Steven Stone. ¡°Oh, probably a while.¡± It wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t talk with a man that just casually dropped close to four million pokedollars on my designated charities. As methods of getting my attention went, this was certainly one of them. Chapter 115 - Hoenn represent! I approached Steven and offered him my hand. ¡°Steven Stone, thank you for your gift. I¡¯m sure the orphans and medical staff will likewise be effusive with their praise.¡± He caught my hand in his and shook it firmly. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see the money go to people that need it. I might have bid harder on a few more pokemon if I¡¯d known that was the case. Alas, I thought I was merely working within my means.¡± I snorted as he let go. ¡°Your means? Aren¡¯t you listed as one of the richest men in the known world?¡± He waggled his hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°Yes, but when I attend an auction like this, I set a limit on how much I am going to spend. I held back thinking that I would be able to nab the last Lileep for a rather substantial price and show off as sometimes that¡¯s what I get as much enjoyment from.¡± He gave me a shrug with a ¡®what can you do look while I stared at him blankly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid auctions of rock pokemon combine my two vices, rare and powerful pokemon, and rocks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d consider them vices,¡± I said easily. ¡°I rather enjoy it for how I get to indulge another''s struggle. I enjoyed Young Master Oak¡¯s attempts, but it was in vain. Erika was a surprise, but upon reflection, it seems obvious that there was more than meets the eye with her,¡± he chuckled before shrugging it off. ¡°She has surprising depths, no?¡± I offered. ¡°Indeed,¡± said Steven with a contemplative tone as he tapped his chin. I glanced to the side and noted that a number of reporters and photographers were avidly documenting everything we said and did. I chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ll have to get one of those large cheques done for today¡¯s event. I think this has been the most successful auction we¡¯ve ever had. All of the pokemon sold. I just hope they went to good trainers.¡± ¡°I suppose there is that risk with the method of sale,¡± Steven said. ¡°Not that you¡¯d have issues with your current popularity. I imagine many people will have come due to your name being attached to the pokemon.¡± He glanced towards the door where the Celadon contingent had departed. ¡°The Lileep will be much higher value to come with both yourself and Erika showing interest in them.¡± Rachel hurried up with a large camera and joined the throng of people taking pictures to claim some of her own to go up on the Gym¡¯s pokenet page. I made a gesture towards the photographers and clapped Steven on the shoulder while shaking his hand once again while smiling for the cameras. I was having a lot of deja vu with how things were playing out. This had happened twice now, and my choice of charity was being used to make me do something. Then again, Steven Stone had in one action, given ten times the amount that Mayor Jonathan had with his charity ball that had been a trap. I felt it was justified that I waiting for the other shoe to drop. ¡°Shall we put on a show?¡± I said, gesturing to the stage where the auctioneers were hurriedly making up two large novelty cheques. I was amused when they offered me a large calligraphy brush to sign my name. I made a terrible hash of it. The use of computers had ruined my handwriting. If I squinted, I could make out shapes in my ink blot of a signature that I really didn¡¯t want to read into. Steven, of course, had an immaculate signature that looked like a work of art. We held up both cheques, and the cameras went off like a firing line given free reign of their weapons. I was starting to feel my eyes water and my smile hurt after the first minute of holding the pose. The matron of the orphanage and the local hospital director trundled up, both of them looking pale. They accepted the cheque from me before the matron wrapped her arms around me and planted a huge wet kiss on my cheek. She wailed into my ear about how thankful she was and I blushed, returning the hug. When she broke off, she wiped her eyes quickly, only for Steven to offer her a handkerchief. She blushed as she used it only to lock eyes with him. More tears sprang up and then Steven found himself wrapped in just as strong a hug that he tentatively returned while murmuring comforting words to her. When she broke that hug, he produced another handkerchief from somewhere for her, and then we stood with her and the still-stunned Director once more for photos. I felt my smile relax and become more heartfelt. Steven might have been hitting a few pidgey with his Rock Throw by donating, but he¡¯d done good with his act. I felt I couldn¡¯t ignore that. It took a while to wrap things up, along with another hug from the matron who sang our praises. I also had to handle a brief Q and A session with the media with Steven at my side. The media that had been present for the auction loved having access to Steven and I after something momentous like this. ¡°Brock! The Plateau has authorised you with the breeding colony for various ancient pokemon! Is this how you¡¯re going to treat them? As assets of the Gym to be sold off to the highest bidder?¡± ¡°The only pokemon that were sold were the excess pokemon for the colony with regards to the Lileep. Other ancient pokemon are still at the stage where there is a limited number that need to be used to establish a viable population. The Lileep that were sold today were merely the ones that have too close a genetic similarity to the rest of the colony. It is in fact, in our best interests to pass them along. Other Lileep are being paired with viable breeding partners.¡± ¡°Which are?!¡± said another reporter. I tapped on my transceiver. "Apologies, I need a moment to look up the report from our Breeding expert.¡± I flicked my fingers a few times, and a small attached report that I¡¯d been privy to along with Oak and Elm was presented. ¡°So far, the indicators are that Lileep is part of a water subset breeding group with them showing the most interest in my Omanyte, Omastar, and Corsola. At the moment, there is only a limited number of Corsola at the Gym. The others are of course, limited themselves, but there will be attempts to have them increase their numbers.¡± ¡°Steven Stone! How are you feeling after being beaten by Gym Leader Erika!?¡± Steven offered a pleasant smile. ¡°I¡¯m feeling wonderful. Erika played a wonderful game with her auction and I wasn¡¯t expecting such opposition. I might have played a different strategy if I had known how things would play out.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just outbid her? Are you not considered one of the richest, most eligible men in the world?¡± said one reporter. Steven waved his hand back and forth. ¡°I don¡¯t know about most eligible, but I know I¡¯m not the richest. I know of a few gentlemen that have that pleasure.¡± One reporter, a kindly local reporter directed their microphone towards the Matron who had gotten caught up in the press conference and wasn¡¯t sure how to leave. ¡°Ma¡¯am! What does it mean for the Orphanage to receive such large donations?¡± ¡°It means the world to us! We¡¯ll be able to renovate a number of facilities with an eye towards practicality and further improve the education of any child that enters our care! We¡¯ll be also looking to see if other establishments, such as Cerulean or Viridian orphanages, can also benefit!¡± ¡°Would you say this is thanks to Brock¡¯s work?¡± said one man. I narrowed my eyes. The question seemed innocent enough but the way he was leaning in and smirking rang alarm bells. ¡°Oh course!¡± said the Matron happily. ¡°So he does a better job than other Gym Leaders such as the Cerulean of Viridian Gym? Are they shortchanging their com¡ª¡± ¡°I think now is a good time to talk about my upcoming match with Ace trainer Karen!¡± Steven said quickly. Instantly, everyone dropped their interest in the Matron and the line of questioning as they turned to Steven. I jolted in surprise. Had he just? Steven made a gesture towards the Matron behind his back and she nodded. She bowed politely and muttered something about seeing to the children and telling them the good news before hurrying off with her novelty cheque. The kids were in for a shock. ¡°I think I will need to use my Metagross against her; she¡¯s demonstrated through her matches in the past that she¡¯s a willy opponent, and I will need to bring my best pokemon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it is bold to announce which pokemon you¡¯re going to use?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t a secret that my Metagross is my strongest pokemon. If I were to not use it, I would be snubbing her as a trainer,¡± Steven said in a swift response. ¡°What do you say to the allegations that you don¡¯t train your pokemon?¡± said one reporter. Steven shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s no secret that I have many demands on my time with being Champion, CEO of Devon corp, along with my numerous geological pursuits. My pokemon and I have an understanding, and I am able to have dedicated trainers on my staff assist with maintaining my pokemon at a certain standard. When I need to raise a new pokemon I cut back on other duties but I am the one that raises my pokemon to the required level. The maintenance is something others can handle, as my energies are best spent in other areas.¡± I turned my head in surprise. ¡°What?¡± The crowd of reporters twitched and made a shifting motion, which alerted me to the fact that I¡¯d been the one to just ask that question. It took me a moment to recover. I made to wave my hand in apologies only for Steven to turn towards me. ¡°Surely you must have your Gym¡¯s trainers work with your elite pokemon no? I¡¯d recommend it in fact!¡± ¡°No.¡± I then shook my head. ¡°I mean, no. That¡­¡± I licked my lips. ¡°I have my Gym trainers work on the Gym¡¯s pokemon yes, as they¡¯re too many for me to maintain in the varying states of strength and awareness that are required of us as a Gym, but for my Elite team,¡± I raised a hand and started ticking off my fingers. ¡°I am the one that sets the timings, the periodisation, the planning, the nutrition, along with coming up with strategies. I do most of it with my starter Titan and he leads them through various training regimes on off or light days, but I work with them all the time, I don¡¯t hand it off to another trainer¡­¡± ¡°Hmmm, perhaps you should try it. Do you find you handle the strain well at the moment? I imagine it¡¯s rather stressful, with your family, the Gym and such.¡± The words were innocent enough, but still rubbed me the wrong way. I bristled. ¡°It¡¯s not a perfect solution, but I¡¯m only human. I make plans and organise as best I can but I can¡¯t account for everything. The recent surge has put me under a lot more pressure but my processes are still intact.¡± Steven assessed me before offering a nod. ¡°I see, I apologise if I overstepped.¡± The reporters jittered at that, and then there was a clamour of questions that made for an avalanche of noise. I hummed. Yeah, I was done here. I surged my Rock energy and clapped my hands. It was like having two boulders slam into each other as the clam resounded outwards, silencing everyone. In the shocked silence, I smiled and spoke up, ¡°I think that about wraps up today¡¯s discussion. I¡¯d like to thank everyone that came out, but now I must ask you, politely, to leave.¡± I made sure to show some teeth. The reporters nodded and began packing away their things. I stood and thanked all the auction staff before giving Greta, Missy, Dennis, and Rachel their thanks as well for the day¡¯s work. Then I guided Steven to my office, where I sat. I wanted to exhale in relief, but I didn¡¯t think that possible with Steven. ¡°Thank you for donating that money once again.¡± He waved a hand. ¡°It was no large loss on my part. Consider it a whim and greedy theft of prestige rather,¡± he said with a shrug. I had no idea what to make of that, so I nodded. ¡°Well, thank you anyway.¡± I offered him an open hand. ¡°Did you wish to discuss anything else?¡± I cringed internally. I was not handling this or the ending of the conference well at all. I needed to spend some time with Erika and learn some social grace. In social situations, I really was like a thrown rock. He hummed and considered me; the moment was drawn out as he took his time. ¡°I won¡¯t broach yesterday¡¯s discussion more than commenting on respective positions. You say you won¡¯t accept money for a cave with resources of pink diamonds in it? I am not willing to give out more than a two Megastone for such quirks. Pink diamonds are nice but aren¡¯t as well thought of as their more pure white or yellow variants. It wouldn¡¯t be worth the exchange I¡¯m afraid.¡± I blinked. ¡°Huh?¡± I said. ¡°Pink diamonds aren¡¯t considered valuable I¡¯m afraid Brock,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°They¡¯re not?¡± I could distinctly remember them being worth a great deal. I had even been told about them as ¡®investements¡¯ at one time. Wait? Hadn¡¯t they also initially been looked down on by jewelers in my past life? Or was I mixing things up? It was such a subtle detail that I couldn¡¯t rightly recall what was true or just gossip, or was that just me forgetting something? ¡°No, as I said. If you had yellow, they¡¯d be worth more, just as white are worth the most. There is not much demand for pink. White are what are used in manufacturing.¡± I nodded slowly. That at least made sense to me. I shrugged. ¡°Ah well, no loss on either of our parts. I decided not to sell, and I have my reasons for that. If anything, I think I¡¯m more adamant now about not selling so it¡¯s no matter.¡± Steven tilted his head and considered me before shrugging. ¡°As you say.¡± He glanced around my office in the quiet, and I wanted to fidget at having another region¡¯s champion in my rather messy office. His gaze paused on my calendar, and he hummed. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°You weren¡¯t joking when you mentioned you keep things organised,¡± he said while eyeing my weekly planner with the various notes scrawled into it. I shrugged and realised that I really should have offered him a drink. Damn, I really should talk to Erika¡­ in the future, when I have the time for it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been a poor host, would you like a drink?¡± I said mentally patting myself on the back. His lips twitched upwards before he shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine I assure you.¡± He drummed his fingers on his chair for a moment. ¡°I admit, I was hoping to speak to you about something, however. Your Lileep colony.¡± ¡°Very much not for sale,¡± I said. He waved a hand. ¡°No, no, there are numerous restrictions on that. I simply thought of an exchange I would be interested in. With the current market price of a Lileep I had a thought.¡± He laced his fingers and locked eyes with me. I felt a pressure on me settle as he spoke, ¡°I would be interested in a Lileep, but not a standard Lileep. I would like to purchase a Lileep that you Brock have trained. I would like to see what you can achieve. This would be an investment of time on your part, and I would pay for it.¡± He reached into a bag he had on his hip and drew out a rock that buzzed in my senses. ¡°I would pay with one Steelixite and one Keystone for this,¡± he said. The pressure held, and I flared my dark aura. Steven blinked in surprise before shaking himself. I found myself confused. Had he, or had he not just tried something on me? Steven turned back to me and a suspicion formed. Sabrina said he only had a mild psychic ability. Perhaps he didn¡¯t have conscious control over it but rather it expressed itself as charisma¡­ I¡¯d have to ask Sabrina about that later. For now, I decided to point out that he had overstepped himself. "Don''t try mind tricks on me or mine," I said sternly. Steven nodded a for once serious expression on his face. The moment held until I glanced down at the rock he¡¯d offered. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that go against what you said earlier of raising your own pokemon?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m interested in seeing how strong you can raise a pokemon such as this. I also recognise that there is a limited supply for now. This, merely guarantees my claim on a Lileep. Also I am giving you both stones with this deal.¡± I drummed my fingers. I was very tempted. I wasn¡¯t sure what to think on his apparent backtracking of his earlier statement to the press about training his own pokemon. It didn¡¯t sit right with me, but perhaps it was just something that as a rich person you could do. It reminded me of in the games training up a tradeable pokemon and using the game¡¯s inbuilt trades to get a stronger pokemon. It wouldn¡¯t really be the same, but then again, Steven was offsetting that by having me, a Rock Specialist train his future pokemon. I didn¡¯t like the concept of what it implied he did, but at the same time¡­ This was a trade I could accept more readily than handing off the rights to my diamond cave. What was with the emphasis on both stones? Flint had found both together. Did that not happen all the time? I shrugged and stood. ¡°Would you like to pick the Lileep you want trained?¡± Steven smiled happily. ¡°Splendid! And yes I would!¡± He handed me the stones and a small glove that would be worn when using the keystone. ¡°Congratulations on getting yourself a Mega stone! Make sure you spend a good amount of time training yourself with it. The strain can take a while for you and your pokemon. Also, make sure that you and the Steelix in question have a strong bond.¡± I nodded. I didn¡¯t think I would have too much of a problem there but it would probably be something to work towards in the future. Honestly, if I had Tyranitarite I¡¯d be much more sure in being able to pull it off. Jormungandr was only newly evolved and not that long for my main team. ¡°How long would a newly evolved Steelix take to develop the bond properly?¡± I asked as I led Steven out the back of the Gym and around towards my garden. ¡°That, is not a well understood area I¡¯m afraid. It¡¯s already extremely rare for trainers to have a Mega Stone due to their scarcity. Only certain areas appear to have them and there doesn¡¯t appear to be a reason that we can establish as yet beyond pokemon habitats.¡± I hummed and said nothing about the game¡¯s theory of the areas needing to have been graced with Xerneas or Yveltal¡¯s presence. Both were pokemon that hadn¡¯t been in any of the Guardian¡¯s documents or anything publicly available. ¡°Well I think I know a few men and women that would love to make a study of such things. Even if I can only provide a case study they¡¯d be interested.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± said Steven neutrally. ¡°It¡¯s up to you. It¡¯s your stone now. I¡¯d ballpark at least a year.¡± That brought me up short. A year? I considered it for a moment more before I nodded and wondered how much that timeline would shift for someone that actually trained and spent time with his pokemon. It would have to be shorter wouldn¡¯t it? I felt it would have to be shorter. How much shorter, though? Weeks, or months? ¡°Well, that¡¯s certainly the most expensive garden I¡¯ve ever seen before!¡± Steven commented as we entered my front yard. I blinked as I realised he was right. With today¡¯s sale prices each Lileep that had claimed a spot in my front garden was worth millions of pokedollars. ¡°Huh,¡± I said intelligently. ¡°Hmm?¡± said Flint as he leaned around a hedge. He stepped out and revealed he¡¯d been trimming it. He had a trio of Lillep poking him and I chuckled. HI knew he liked to keep treats in that pocket. Munchlax occasionally stalked him for them. ¡°Trimming the bushes?¡± I said only to smack myself at my lack of social grace. ¡°Sorry! Flint this is Steven Stone. Steven Stone this is Flint.¡± ¡°Ah, your gardener! Excellent work you¡¯re putting in,¡± said Steven. When there was an awkward silence as Flint relled in shock while I stifled laughter, Steven realsied something was amiss. He looked away from the ¡®flowers¡¯ only to pausewhen he saw me standing next to Flint. ¡°Ah, my apologies! You must be Flint, Brock¡¯s father!¡± ¡°Indeed I am!¡± Flint said merrily. ¡°I must thank you for the highly detailed geological surveys you have done of the surrounding areas. They proved delightful to read when I discovered your pokenet page! You truly have travelled around some exotic locations! I know of a number of geoscientists that have followed your page! You should read the comments more!¡± I blinked and looked between the two men. ¡°His what now?¡± I said. Since when had Flint of all people set up a pokenet page? I would murder him and then myself if he¡¯d been posting his whereabouts for years without my knowledge. Oh, Arceus, the shame I¡¯d feel if I¡¯d fallen victim to not using the pokenet page like some of the locals. Flint smiled. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s something I recently started writing up at Salvadore and Yolanda¡¯s insistence! I have started writing about where I¡¯ve been and what I saw on a pokenet blog? Yolanda had Rachel teach me! That pokenet sure is impressive!¡± Steven Ston nodded amicably. ¡°I¡¯ve enjoyed being able to link up with new rock enthusiasts and pick the brains of experts. Your blog has been highly enjoyable to read!¡± He gestured to the south. ¡°I had no idea that the Orange islands had such stores of phosphate! That resource will make a gigantic difference to farms everywhere!¡± ¡°Oh, I know! I¡¯ve said as much to locals, but not many people paid attention back then!¡± Flint said effusively. ¡°Where else have you been in your travels?¡± said Steven with great interest. ¡°Oh all over! I have a map if you¡¯d be interested! What do you think of the emergence of evolutionary stones? I know that Professor Birch¡¯s studies have¡ª¡± Flint and Steven walked into the house, completely lost in their conversations about rocks and geology. ¡°Uhm? Did you want to pick a Lileep?¡± I said weakly, only to be ignored as they took their shoes off. I followed them in after tossing some treats to my garden. When I entered the hall, I paused when I noticed Gary Oak, Mia, Brawly, Roxanne, Flannery, Salvadore, Yolanda and Sabrina were all in various positions in the loungeroom. Gary pointed after Steven. ¡°Was that the Hoenn champion just now?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, scratching my chin. ¡°We were talking about some things and well¡­ that somehow turned into Flint and Steven talking geology.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Salvadore said as he threw himself out of his chair ¡°That¡¯s so cool! I want to hear what they¡¯re saying!¡± he said as he ran after them. I blinked and glanced around. Yolanda¡¯s face took on an extremely flat look. ¡°Yaaaaay, rocks,¡± she said in the flattest of flat tone of voice. ¡°Apparently, you started him on his blog?¡± And wow, didn¡¯t that feel weird to say aloud? She nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s about rocks in different regions. Other people write about the landscape, the pokemon, the people.¡± He sighed. And shook her head. ¡°My father writes about rocks he encounters¡­¡± She slumped and reached to the floor to lift up Terra that had been smothering Ralts with hugs. Ralts got up and hurried up to Sabrina leaping up to claim her lap and huddle away from Terra¡¯s¡­ weight. Brawly laughed. ¡°Your dad is wild!¡± he said with a laugh. Yolanda¡¯s face twitched, causing me to chuckle as I sat down. ¡°Heh, sure Brawly, let¡¯s go with that.¡± I looked at the others in the room. ¡°So Gary and Mia I know about.¡± I nodded at them. Gary gave a ¡®cool¡¯ salute with a smirk while Mia waved. I then looked forward to the new faces. ¡°Sabrina mentioned you both as Brawly¡¯s friends? Roxanne and Flannery?¡± I asked as If I didn¡¯t recognise them. ¡°They are now my friends as well,¡± Sabrina said offering both girls a small smile. Roxanne offered an equally small but no less happy one back, while Flannery beamed. ¡°Heh! I don¡¯t think the same can be said of Erika! I introduced myself and my Camerupt really well to her Gym!¡± She offered her hand to me. ¡°Flannery from Lavaridge Town! Future Gym Leader! Crazy nice place you have here!¡± ¡°Roxanne from Rustboro¡­ I also hope to be a Gym Leader,¡± she said fidgeting but not saying anything more. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said earnestly back to her. ¡°After today¡¯s showing I¡¯d watch out for Erika. She might just be building up. I assume that means you challenged at a higher level?¡± ¡°Fourth badge level!¡± Flannery said firmly, ¡°She was my first one!¡± Gary snorted. ¡°Sounds like you need to hurry up! Some of us are up to our fifth badges!¡± Mia rolled her eyes. ¡°You challenged Manny and Sophie for your fourth and Fifth badges, everyone knows the Big Eight are the ones to get Gary!¡± Gary huffed. ¡°I¡¯m working up to the big Gyms for a full set of twelve from Kanto,¡± he said quietly. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± I said. I nodded at him approvingly only to pause and look around. ¡°Aren''t there a bunch of ladies with you usually?¡± His bodyguards were being a bit lax¡­ was that due to Mia being around? Was this a sign of trust from them? ¡°His girlfriends!¡± teased Mia. ¡°Don¡¯t hate the player!¡± said Gary defensively. Brawly nodded seriously and offered Gary a fist bump while the girls in the room rolled their eyes. Gary coughed. ¡°The girls are taking the time to get their hair seen to¡ªsomething about needing to freshen up their look after being in the wilds for so long.¡± This had the girls, minus Sabrina, nodding along. Yolanda noticed this and shifted. ¡°Did you not go to the hairdresser when you were on your journey?¡± Sabrina blinked. ¡°I had Brock cut my hair.¡± I coughed and felt my face reddening as Yolanda turned with a vicious smile. ¡°That¡¯s soooo cute! What else did he do?¡± ¡°I had him brush my hair, and when we stayed in towns, we always stayed in nice hotels. After the Hoenn desert we even went on a couples spa day. Alakazam and Titan were even able to join in.¡± ¡°Titan sure enjoyed that heated rock massage,¡± I said, remembering that trip. Flint had called part way into it¡­ ¡°Oh, we have that in Lavaridge! Hot springs and massage treatments are the selling point of Lavaridge apart from my family¡¯s Gym!¡± ¡°Raaaaaaaalts!¡± growled Ralts in my direction. I drew in my dark energy and pat her on the head which she tried to grapple with, only for my hand to retract too quickly. Yolanda giggled. ¡°Why have I never heard of this?¡± I shrugged casually. ¡°Never really got around to talking about it I suppose?¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Yolanda said with a tilt of her head. ¡°Maybe I should get you to write a blog as well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Rachel would love that,¡± I said with a chuckle. Yolanda nodded. ¡°Lots of people would be interested in reading it.¡± More than a few people perked up and nodded along making me hum thoughtfully. I glanced down and noted that everyone had a drink and some snacks in front of them. I relaxed, man Yolanda was way better at being a host than me. I gave her a meaningful look and nodded while flicking my eyes at drinks and snacks. Yolanda blinked before stiffening. ¡°Oh! Yeah! Sabrina helped me out as well!¡± ¡°Oh,¡± now I really felt like I was lagging behind. ¡°Well done. Sorry for not considering that myself.¡± I eyed the trays of snacks that had been set up. This really was more than Yolanda would usually put out. Man, even Sabrina was better at this than me, was this Erika¡¯s influence? ¡°You have a lot of demand for your time.¡± Yolanda said, waving it off. "Thank goodness you have some free time this week." ¡°Oh! Oh! Your journey! And this week!¡± Brawly said sitting up. ¡°You¡¯ve got this week for checking out new pokemon yeah?¡± ¡°Amoung other things,¡± I said carefully. Brawly bounced around. ¡°Like you have time for a mini journey yeah!? You should come with me and check out the ocean for pokemon like that Relicanth you mentioned once! Or that Corsola! Yeah!?¡± ¡°Hmmm I was actually thinking of getting caught up on some work, climb Mt Moon, head into Mt Silver on the way to Mahogany town, then check out the Diglett tunnel.¡± I raised my transceiver and checked my schedule. ¡°Oh nice!¡± said Brawly. ¡°How long you going to take for that?¡± ¡°Two or three days,¡± I say casually. ¡°I will be going with him on a few trips,¡± said Sabrina with a small puff of her chest. ¡°Ooooohhhh Brock and Sabrina~!¡± Yolanda said teasingly. I flicked some cake at her which splattered on her nose. Yolanda narrowed her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t try me big brother!¡± I opened my mouth to tease her back. ¡°Humphrey~!¡± She grabbed some cake and threw it at me. I ducked only for Brawly to take the hit. The cake slid down his face and he licked it before grinning and grabbing his own slice. ¡°Food figh¡ª¡± An entire platter of cakes rose telekinetically and hit everyone as Sabrina perked up. ¡°I win,¡± she said. I snorted and channelled a small amount of dark energy into an eclair before smushing it into her face. Yolanda gasped. ¡°Brock that¡¯s your girlfriend! You can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°I just did,¡± I said. Sabrina nodded as the cream slid down her face. ¡°Indeed you did.¡± She then narrowed her eyes and levitated into the air. ¡°Which means this is war.¡± Everyone scrambled to grab some food and hurl it at anyone else. I received the brunt of the attacks as Sabrina, Ralts, Yolanda, and Terra teamed up against me. Brawly likewise received a battering from Flannery and Roxanne, but Gary helped him out, only to be ambushed by Mia in turn. When Steven and Flint returned, we were still throwing food. Roxanne and Flannery stopped with handfuls of food held aloft. Their eyes bulged as Steven paused in the doorway. Brawly shot a half-torn cupcake at Flannery, hitting her in the face and making her twitch. ¡°Huh, looks like everyone¡¯s having fun,¡± he said before nodding at me. ¡°I¡¯ll bid you good day. Flint, let¡¯s stay in touch.¡± He clapped Flint on the shoulder and nodded to Salvadore who was staring at the messy kitchen. And like that Steven Stone departed. Roxanne and Flannery slumped to the ground as soon as the door closed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we acted like that with Hoenn¡¯s champion in the house! Ohhhhhh we look like children!¡± Roxanne said, mortified at her actions. Brawly laughed. ¡°No way! You look like you¡¯ve got personality! That¡¯s more important than being a stiff! Relax! He didn¡¯t mind at all!¡± Roxanne threw her handful of cake and the food fight restarted. Munchalx eventually investigated the commotion and was able to end the fight by eating all of the ammunition. "Brock?" said Steven, poking his head back in and causing Roxanne to make a ''meep!'' noise. He ignored her and instead held up a Lileep. "Is this Lileep alright?" he said holding aloft a rather lively-looking Lileep. I nodded, grabbing a small tag from the kitchen to wrap it around a frond to make it easier to pick out later. It wriggled and tickled my hands while I did so. Steven nodded amicably at me and the others once again. "Brock, Ladies, Gentlemen, Flint," he said in farewell. Everyone watched Steven leave once more. I felt rather bemused by how whimsical Steven appeared to be. Gary and Roxanne watched on enviously, their eyes locked on the Lileep until it was taken back to the garden and the rest of its brethren. Brawly, Roxanne, Flannery, Gary, and Mia left after that with the promise they¡¯d be back later. Roxanne had looked like she¡¯d wanted to say something more but had swallowed her words and instead left meekly. I watched them depart thoughtfully. I made a note to investigate how Gary was going. I had made a promise to him about earning a pokemon hadn¡¯t I? So far, he was the only one to inquire about earning himself one which was surprising. I hummed and turned back to the kitchen, which, while shiny, was not the sort of shiny you should eat anything out off. Munchlax groaned happily from the corner as Yolanda checked his fur for any stored food. I glanced at Flint who¡¯d been quietly thoughtful ever since Steven left. ¡°You alright?¡± Flint nodded seriously, and I hummed when he didn¡¯t say anything. Looks like I was worried over nothing. I shared a smile with Sabrina, tomorrow was going to be all about catching up on some odd jobs. Then I could go for a look around some caves to see about some new pokemon. Chapter 116 - Down time I blinked blearily as I heard some whispered shushing and a few tiny feet attempting to sneak past my door. I tried to sit up, only for Sabrina¡¯s arm to shoot out and drag me back down. ¡°No. Sleep,¡± she commanded from her position in the bed. On the pillow behind her Ralts grumbled and murmured before settling. I spared a glance at my clock only to find it wasn¡¯t plugged in. A glance at my transceiver revealed it had been put on the charger and turned off. If I inched a little to the left, I could just¡ª A single eye opened, and a sleepy glare was levelled at me that had nothing to do with pokemon moves and was entirely about a sleeping woman getting what she wanted. ¡°Brock, stop moving,¡± Sabrina said firmly. I settled back and relaxed. The kids were probably just getting a snack or a drink. Sabrina would have alerted me if there was anything wrong. I heard Munchlax trip over his feet with a heavy thump and a sad moan of his name before he was dragged off by one¡­ or multiple kids? I raised my head, only for a pillow to rise up and swat me down. I shut my eyes and ignored whatever was going on outside. I¡¯d let it go on for a few minutes and get up soon. As I felt sleep reclaim me, I had the oddest thought about my transceiver not needing another charge. I hadn¡¯t taken it off last night, had I? I woke up three hours later with Ralts laying next to me and an indent in the bed. ¡°R-r-r-ralts~!¡± murmured the tiny pokemon as it rubbed its head against me like a cat. I stole a few pats, making sure to not touch the horns. Something must have given me away, though, as Ralts opened her eyes and smiled, only to stop when she realised it was me patting her head. ¡°RALTS!¡± she cried before trying to Double Slap me, but Ralts don¡¯t know that move, so it just came out as a weak, pillowy punch that squished into my face. I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Where¡¯s Sabrina?¡± She hopped back and glanced around worriedly before shaking. I sat up and picked her up, drawing in my dark energies to pat her on the head. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright. She won¡¯t have left you for long.¡± The door to my ensuite opened and proved me right as Sabrina walked out. She toweled her hair off as she entered and paused when she noticed we were both awake. ¡°Ah, good you¡¯re awake. If you¡¯d slept any longer, I might have started to worry.¡± I got out of bed and grabbed my transceiver off the charger. ¡°It¡¯s¡­. Almost ten o¡¯clock¡­ Sabrina what time did I wake up this morning?¡± ¡°Your normal time,¡± she said, accepting Ralts from me. ¡°I turned off your alarms and put your transceiver out of reach.¡± She patted me on the cheek before kissing me on said cheek. ¡°You needed to rest. And sometimes that means you need to be reminded...¡± I grumbled at her as she used her psychic abilities to wring out her hair. ¡°Erika wants to do lunch sometime this week, by the way.¡± I hummed. ¡°That¡­ would actually be nice but what about your Gym? Can you take today off?¡± ¡°I made sure to synchronise our time off. Alexa knows to give me access to your schedule.¡± She then tilted her head. ¡°Also, I know which trainers will and won¡¯t make it through the gauntlet that some of my trainers run. If something stops my prediction from being accurate, I can always get back to the Gym quickly enough.¡± That got a chuckle and a shake of the head from me. ¡°There are days when I wish I was born with your psychic abilities.¡± The door to the mini fridge I kept in my room opened, and a water bottle flew into Sabrina¡¯s hand before the door shut itself without her moving. I rolled my eyes at her, ¡°Now you¡¯re just showing off.¡± I opened the laptop I had on a small desk to start checking over any jobs I had to do today. Sabrina teleported away before reappearing with a bowl of warm porridge with sliced berries and¡­. ¡°Is that cinnamon?¡± I said, taking my eyes off my computer. ¡°Yes,¡± She then scooped out a spoonful and offered it to me. I blushed and accepted it. Ralts whined, and Sabrina grabbed up a smaller spoon for Ralts to have a mouthful of the porridge. I turned away from the computer for breakfast, and Sabrina nodded at me approvingly. After breakfast, I inclined my head towards the computer, and she considered me before nodding. ¡°Very well,¡± she lay back on the bed and started playing with Ralts who was more than happy to loudly cheer and take up the game. I shook my head and instead booted up the laptop and accessed my work. A Porygon poked its head in only to peek through the screen at the noise of Ralts hoping after Sabrina¡¯s hand. ¡°Pory!¡± squawked the cyber duck as it emerged and joined in the game. Ralts cried out at the newly appeared pokemon only for Cypher the Porygon to nuzzle into her in a friendly greeting. I ignored the rest of their game and instead opened my task list to find that Rocko, Dennis and Alex had already decimated it. There were a few things that I had to sign off on, such as sending out the new trainers after a few weak geodude and onix but otherwise, there wasn¡¯t a pressing need for me to run the inventory on stock, pokemon, or check in about wages. It had all been handled with requests being outlined, with some more requests to have slightly longer breaks being the common consensus that everyone working for me was asking for. I hummed and wrote a quick email to Alexa, discussing shortening the day by an hour and installing a small break in the afternoon. It would cause roughly three matches to be dropped, but that shouldn¡¯t be such a loss. I tapped the table after doing that before considering the one item that I had to handle in person today. I glanced back to the trio on my bed. ¡°Who wants to go see Crowley at the Museum?¡± Ralts perked up at that, while Cypher spun his head about in rejection. ¡°Alright then, back into the intranet for you then,¡± I said to Cypher. Porygon front flipped into the screen and waved a foot at Ralts before zipping off the side of the screen. Ralts gaped at the screen and tilted her head. ¡°Ralts?!¡± Sabrina lifted Ralts and brought her over the screen so that Ralts could tap her hands at it, only for Cypher to rush back out and trill happily. Ralts leapt back into Sabrina¡¯s embrace at the shock. ¡°What¡¯s that feel like to you?¡± I asked as I realised it wasn¡¯t just sight that was at play with Sabrina and Ralts. Sabrina rubbed Ralts head. ¡°It feels like a pokemon is literally leaping out of nowhere for us. While they are in the computer, there is no indication they are there. It is not until they exit the network that they can be felt. The security hub sometimes has them pop up to have snacks with the security guards. It must come as a shock to little Ralts.¡± Sabrina tapped the screen where Cypher was happily dancing. ¡°Be nice,¡± she said admonishingly. Cypher nodded contritely and then spun away once more. Sabrina looked up, ¡°Ready to go?¡± she asked. I hummed and led her out; apparently, we were going to make a date of it. Sabrina laced her hand into mine as we left the house, and not even the trainers that tried to confront us for a two-for-one fight for multiple badges got under my skin. That might have been because Sabrina had the habit of teleporting them out of there. A reporter appeared in my field of view and swallowed before girding her loins and advancing with her microphone held out. ¡°And here we have the Kanto League¡¯s power couple! Brock and Sabrina! How¡¯s the day going for you?¡± I smiled wide for the camera, amused that Sabrina would teleport others but not the reporter. I wondered how long that would last? Pushing that thought aside I said, ¡°Rather well! I¡¯m on my break week, and I think I¡¯ve needed this.¡± ¡°What about all the trainers that are still waiting to face you? Are you worried about the back log you¡¯ll have waiting for you?¡± ¡°Those numbers were always there, and unless we just increased the difficulty of all the battles, I don¡¯t think it would be fair to the trainers that sought me out. A first badge gym fight for a new trainer is not meant to be a giant leap but a step in the right direction. If we¡¯re guarding the path too zealously, all we¡¯re doing is hurting people.¡± ¡°Where are you off to today?¡± the reporter asked politely. ¡°The museum,¡± Sabrina said, speaking up for the first time. ¡°It has nice exhibits.¡± ¡°Oh! A date at the museum! How lovely! Do you have any other nice dating spots?¡± ¡°Mt Moon, Brock¡¯s loungeroom¡­¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°Those are really the only places we¡¯ve gone since we resumed dating.¡± ¡°Oh my, Mt Moon is certainly a trek for people, but I have no doubt it would be lovely at all times of the year! The loungeroom! That¡¯s so homey! Thanks for talking with us! I¡¯ll let you enjoy the rest of your day!¡± The woman stepped back and smiled widely at the cameraman. ¡°And you¡¯ve heard it here, folks, Kanto¡¯s power couple enjoying themselves during a well-earnt break! I¡¯m Susan Surandan signing out!¡± The cameraman tapped something on the side of his screen and lowered his camera. Sabrina and I kept walking, but I still heard him ask, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask for more questions?¡± ¡°Less is more Darrel! Sometimes you just need a few. I¡¯m hoping they remember me next time and let me ask other questions, build up a good relationship with them as a professional, but not one that will overstep.¡± I glanced at Sabrina, and she nodded. ¡°She has a good method and is very reputable from what I remember seeing of her news articles. I will tolerate her more if she keeps her interactions short and minimally disruptive,¡± Sabrina said without looking back. I nodded. ¡°Hmmm almost conditioning them for what works best, yeah?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± she said. ¡°She also kept her voice down so that Ralts didn¡¯t startle.¡± I glanced down and found Ralts was slumbering on Sabrina¡¯s arm as a baby would. ¡°Ah,¡± I said, making sure to be quieter. ¡°She¡¯s observant then, I hadn¡¯t seen Ralts falling off to sleep.¡± ¡°Ralts isn¡¯t asleep, just relaxed.¡± Sabrina replied as Ralts poked her tongue out at me. When we reached the museum, I made my way to the front doors instead of just walking around the back. We entered, paid, and began walking around the various exhibits. "Huh, they have some new features since the last time I was here,¡± I said, noticing the various tribal artifacts that were laid out. ¡°The Crushers were an ancient tribe that inhabited the lands the Pewter now rests on. They roamed much of the Silver ranges and further north beyond what is now Rota. Numerous artifacts of their passage can still be found today. They were best known for their tactics for working with Mightyena to hunt food. They were otherwise known to have powerful Rock pokemon such as Onix, Graveler, Golem, and in very rare instances, Tyranitar. They survived by working with pokemon symbiotically as a large pack,¡± I said, reading off a stand for the display. I looked up and found a hooded cape with a headpiece formed from what looked like a Mightyena skull. There was another that was obviously a Houndoom and then another that was a Tyranitar¡¯s skull. The Tyranitar piece had gold inlay into it and it looked very regal. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The entire set-up sort of reminded me of the Lorekeeper style that appeared with Zinnia who I vaguely remember having something to do with the Legendaries of Hoenn. A few artworks with large cut-out sections of rock must have been hauled into the museum to complete the display. ¡°It makes for an impressive display,¡± I said as we wandered through the ancient Pewter history of the tribal days. The displays then turned to a science section that highlighted the City¡¯s history of being one of the first locations to feature the Onix to Steelix and the Scyther to Scizor evolution on record. There was a whole wing that discussed the funding that went into discovering other pokemon that could evolve from methods such as Metal coat. I noted there was a small mention of Rhyperior also being something that was discovered in Pewter with a picture of myself and Bertha challenging Lance. There were a few interested murmurs from other museum-goers as I stood in front of a display that literally featured me. I decided not to linger, lest people start asking questions. The method of evolving Rhydon was still a secret I wanted to hold onto. From there, we went into the space exploration section, that had a wonderful discussion on the planets that surrounded our the pokeworld. There was even an observatory that supposedly watched for any space pokemon, with signs that Clefairy originated from the moon. I paused at another section that featured a pokemon I had some interest in but knew wasn¡¯t feasible for my Gym. The display showed off Minior. I blinked when a robotic voice chimed out next to me, revealing a young girl with a pokedex. I was surprised that it wasn¡¯t Greta. Minior, a pokemon thought to only exist within the stratosphere that was visible through telescopes. This pokemon is known to build up stray particles that come in contact with the pokeworld atmosphere. Over the course of many years, they grow heavier until they begin to descend. Their fall from atmosphere is often thought to be that of a shooting star. These pokemon were extremely hard to capture due to their natural habitat being the higher stratosphere. Once they are removed from this, they have a limited lifespan that can be measured in days. Storing them in a pokeball have been able to extend this to a few months. It is currently something being researched with environmental controls or pokeball development. This pokemon is considered a Rock-Flying type. ¡°Huh, that had to be the most detailed pokedex analysis I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± I said. The girl was startled. ¡°Oh!? Ah! Yes, I¡¯ve spent quite a while recording and expanding my pokedex so I am able to get a lot more detailed information on pokemon when I want it!¡± she said with a polite bow, only to pause. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re Gym Leaders Brock and Sabrina!¡± I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°That¡¯s us, and this is Ralts,¡± I said pointing to the little pokemon in Sabrina¡¯s arms. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Lyra from New Bark Town! I¡¯m also one of Professor Elm¡¯s assistants¡­ or rather, an intern¡­¡± she said this while tugging on her ponytails and shrinking into her giant white cap. Her hair looked a little split, and she had some dark bags underneath her eyes, making me wonder what her story was. She yawned and blushed. ¡°Sorry! I have been running errands for Elm all over¡­ well the world¡­ I only just got some downtime, and while I was in Pewter, I thought I¡¯d take the day to look around.¡± ¡°Not doing the circuit?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°No, no! I did my circuit last year! Now I just run jobs for Professor Elm.¡± ¡°Hmmm do you know Bianca?¡± I asked as we moved further into the space exhibit, along with the first manned mission that was from Hoenn. The placard begrudgingly commented that they¡¯d also claimed other milestones, such as being the first in space and having a manned space station being built for deployment in a year or so. ¡°Of her, I didn¡¯t have a lot to do with her,¡± Lyra said before jolting. ¡°Oh sorry! I shouldn¡¯t intrude on your date!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mind,¡± Sabrina voiced, causing me to stop and glance at her as she considered a stand. ¡°Your pokedex¡¯s insight was much better than what the museum had.¡± Lyra scratched at the back of her head and giggled. "Yeah, I went really, really overboard in documenting any and all pokemon I encountered for Professor Elm. Most people don¡¯t usually get that level unlocked until their third year as a trainer supposedly.¡± She then yawned again. ¡°Oh! Sorry, but I think I should be going cause otherwise I¡¯ll fall asleep standing up! I still need to eat something, so I better go have lunch!¡± I waved her off, curious as to how she had gotten into Pewter and then not eaten. Perhaps she took after her mentor a little too much? Elm was, after all, the sort that would skip meals. ¡°She camped out all night and documented the clefairy dancing on Mt Moon,¡± Sabrina said, anticipating my interest in the girl. ¡°Ah, that makes a bit of sense.¡± I pushed it aside and turned back to my date. We walked around and enjoyed the scene for a bit before buying lunch from the cafeteria to enjoy together. Ralts jumped up on the table and stole a few bites herself, and when I tried to feed Sabrina she intercepted it and glared at me. It was rather adorable, in truth, especially when I made a game out of it. Sabrina giggled, which caused Ralts to turn, uncertain at the noise coming from Sabrina, allowing me to sweep a spoonful of pudding to Sabrina, who happily accepted it. ¡°Hey Sabrina, did you hear about the news story about the origami museum in Johto being raided?¡± ¡°No?¡± she said with a tilt of her head. ¡°Yeah, the news is waiting for more to unfold first,¡± I said while smiling mischievously. Sabrina twitched, and Ralts hopped in her lap, interested in Sabrina¡¯s reaction. ¡°I went to the air and space museum the other day, man was I ripped off. It was an empty room!¡± Sabrina giggled and held up a hand to stop me. When I grinned and opened my mouth, she shot the spoon of pudding into my mouth. ¡°No more for now, I do not want to make a spectacle of myself,¡± she said. I swallowed and nodded. ¡°Alright, alright. One more?¡± I said. Sabrina nodded slowly. I grinned. ¡°You know I almost worked here?¡± I said indicating the history section of the museum. ¡°Then I realised there was no future in it.¡± Sabrina stood, her head shaking back and forth while her lips were pressed together as her shoulders shook. She buried her mouth into Ralts and giggles spilled out. I laced my arm through hers and led her around the back, pleased with how the date had gone. Sabrina leaned in and pinched me. ¡°I like it,¡± she said, before smiling at me. I leaned down and pecked her on the lips, causing her smile to grow a little more. She leaned on my shoulder as we walked. ¡°Rrrrrrraaaalts,¡± Ralts said in a defeated tone that let me know she understood that I wasn¡¯t some interloper in her and Sabrina¡¯s lives, but rather a solid part of it. I reached over and patted her on the head; this time Ralts accepted it, making me feel like I¡¯d won a prize. When we reached Crowley¡¯s offices, the man was working on aligning a crystal. He stood and nodded before noticing us. ¡°Ah! Brock! Sabrina! Good to see you both! I sent the last successful cases around to the Gym! More Lileep for you!¡± ¡°Good to hear,¡± I said before nodding to the machine. ¡°What are you working on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m closing in on getting the machine to work on a proper pokemon with more complex PNA chains! I know I am close! Sadly it is an imperfect¡ª¡± ¡°You miss carrying a zero point, oh, oh, oh seven,¡± Sabrina said, eyeing his notes on a chalkboard. The man whirled about. ¡°Where? Show me! That will make significant shifts of a whole seven nanometres!¡± ¡°Is that a lot?¡± I asked. Sabrina nodded. ¡°When dealing with cells, it is.¡± I shot her a confused look. ¡°Alakazam likes to read lots of books, he¡¯s been looking back through his medical notes recently,¡± she said with a shrug like that explained it. I decided to just nod and accept it. Crowley inspected the chalkboard before nodding. ¡°Thank you, my dear!¡± he said stroking his chin, ¡°This is a new method that we¡¯re using to define the angle of focus that light will pass through, and the refraction rate is something I¡¯ve only just started to wrap my head around.¡± Sabrina shrugged and indicated an open book to the side. ¡°It matched with this theory you had open here, and I noticed a difference.¡± Crowley grinned. ¡°Alright! Well, now I just need to make the corrections! Excuse me a moment!¡± He typed away on a laptop attached to the machine before bringing out a large magnifying visor that he used to look at the crystal. Then he hit another button on the computer and held his breath. ¡°Perfect! I moved exactly the right distance!¡± I raised a hand, stunned that he¡¯d been able to see it with his eyes and a visor, before shaking it off. This would honestly be small change to what pokemon tech could achieve if I really wanted to get picky. Crowley straightened once more. ¡°Excellent! I shall be able to commence testing once we have confirmed the viability of it with Lileep!¡± Crowley then coughed. ¡°Sadly, I will need another fossil for that Brock¡­ we¡¯ve used all the genetic data we can from the previous fossil.¡± ¡°Ah, about that,¡± I said reaching into a bag I¡¯d been carrying all morning. I reached in and drew out the four fossils from Celia. ¡°Celia has been very successful in finding a number of new options for us. May I present the Skull, Cover, and Claw fossils. Along with an old favourite of ours, with one Root fossil.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± crowed Crowley, ¡°I was afraid I would have to use my Old Amber straight away, but with this we have so many more options! Let¡¯s do an assessment for what type of pokemon they will be!¡± I smiled, already knowing what types they¡¯d be. Nevertheless, Crowley placed the fossils into receptacles that scanned the fossils and put up a display of what the pokemon would each look like along with the typing. The Skull fossil demonstrated a pure Rock type with Cranidos. The Claw Fossil showcased a Bug-Rock type with Anorith. And the Cover fossil showed Tirtouga as a Water-Rock type turtle. ¡°Hmmm another water type pokemon. I think I might have people thinking I¡¯m dual-typed at this point,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°You will have a sizeable number of ancient pokemon now Brock. In the future, it might be worth looking into having trainers have a novelty challenge with Ancient types only!¡± Crowley said while reading something off the screen. I chuckled. ¡°Ha! I could call it the ancient challenge and also have people pay to come and look at the ancient pokemon and it would be like¡­¡± I paused as I realised just how many positives there were to that suggestion. ¡°Crowley, you¡¯re a genius!¡± Crowley turned and adjusted his spectacles. ¡°Yes? Thank you for noticing?¡± he said without a hint of shame. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m totally pitching that to Rachel and the others! I might not get it done this year, but next year!¡± I said enthusiastically. Sabrina nodded along before leaning in. ¡°Due to the bug pokemon¡¯s simpler PNA chains, will there be a chance of resurrecting it?¡± Crowley bristled. ¡°Previous tests have only reached seventy percent accuracy! I dare not!¡± ¡°What about with the new method?¡± I asked. ¡°... Eighty nine percent certainty¡­¡± he said after assessing the calculations once again. ¡°Give me the rest of the week to test it with the Lileep, and I will know more¡­¡± He fidgetted. ¡°It¡­ might be possible to have another pokemon for you to investigate by the end of the week,¡± He said carefully. ¡°I¡¯m still not confident with the animal PNA chains that we have here but¡­ these samples will put us closer! More samples will allow greater access.¡± Crowley then turned and offered me a bow. ¡°Brock, I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that¡­ no resurrection machine will have a true guarantee of success. Not even with the Lileep. I¡¯ve had sixteen failures with the hundred we¡¯ve so far raised¡­ I think that number will grow as we get more complicated. I think this is something that is not advertised by the other groups resurrecting pokemon.¡± He shook his head as though dismayed by the lack of scientific integrity. ¡°I will keep trying but...¡± He spread his hands helplessly. ¡°Crowley,¡± I said, reaching out and putting my hand on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve already done wonders by resurrecting Lileep from extinction. This entire venture has been a success already. Don¡¯t doubt yourself so much.¡± He relaxed at that before nodding and turning back to the chalkboard. "Yes, well, thank you for understanding.¡± He rubbed his nose. ¡°Please excuse me; I¡¯d like to focus on these next few tests. I will message you at the end of the week with my success or failure. Thank Celia for the samples.¡± I patted him on the shoulder and moved off. ¡°Ralts?¡± said the little pokemon that had been watching the exchange quietly, absorbing it all and taking it in. Sabrina rubbed Ralts head. ¡°Yes, he was sad, but also pleased at being accepted. Emotions are complex things Ralts.¡± Ralts made a thoughtful noise at this. I stretched and glanced at my transceiver. ¡°So what should we do this afternoon?¡± Sabrina considered the questions and was about to answer when a robotic tone spoke up. ¡°Rattata, the rat pokemon that has a normal typing. It will inhabit cities, forests, deserts, grasslands, and has been posited to be capable of living in any environment given time to adapt. Rattata is considered the most widespread pokemon but this is contested by Magikarp which is impressive considering the ability of Magikarp to traverse the world through the waterways. Rattata have long been linked with human movement, and it is thought that as humans moved, Rattata followed them! Rattata have been known to steal food from the hands of unsuspecting trainers.¡± I frowned and looked around, not seeing where the voice was coming from. Sabrina stepped off the path, and there we found a sleeping Lyra sitting on a camp chair. In one hand her Pokedex was held in such a way that it was recording the Rattata that had approached to eat the sandwich the sleeping girl was still holding in her other hand. ¡°You know... If this is how she racked up her hours of documenting pokemon I have to admit to not being sure if I¡¯m impressed or saddened,¡± I said, causing Rattata to startle and leap away with the sandwich in his mouth. Lyra mumbled something before snoring loudly. I felt a little impressed that she had fallen asleep like that. Sabrina inspected the girl before turning to me. ¡°It is not safe for her to remain here. Would you mind¡­¡± She considered the girl for a second before shaking her head. ¡°If I teleported her to sleep in one of your Gym¡¯s trainer rooms?¡± I waved it off, and a second later, Sabrina teleported away with Ralts and Lyra. I started walking back home. For a second, I thought Sabrina was going to suggest we carry Lyra. Would that have looked awkward if I¡¯d carried her? ¡­ Then again, Sabrina might have just telekinetically carried her behind us¡­ which probably would have looked weirder, especially if Lyra slept through it. Sabrina reappeared at my side a little while later. ¡°All sorted?¡± I asked. Sabrina merely nodded. ¡°She didn¡¯t even wake up when I tucked her in.¡± ¡°Heh, don¡¯t tell Suzie that you tucked another girl in. She¡¯ll get jealous.¡± ¡°Suzie would like me to tuck her in?¡± Sabrina asked. I nodded. ¡°She¡¯d love that.¡± ¡°Hmmmm, in that case, I would like to spend this afternoon at your home. Then we will have dinner as a family, and I will read Suzie a story and tuck her in.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°Now, I¡¯m jealous, do you want to spend time with me or Suzie?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sabrina said before marching forward. I shot her a look and spotted the small, pleased upturn of her lips that let me know my girlfriend was teasing me. That said, I could flip the game on its head easily enough. ¡°Wanna make out on the couch while we wait for them to get home?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said, and a moment later I found myself teleported into my loungeroom with Sabrina straddling me. Ralts scoffed and waddled off to find Eevee and Munchlax. It ended up being a very good first day off. Chapter 117 - Training tutorials I felt my muscles twitch in protest as an ache coursed through my body. I held the stretch and breathed in as controlled a manner as possible. ¡°Excellent work Brock!¡± cheered Trixie. ¡°You''re so close to getting your whole hand past your foot. Keep going; I know you can do it!¡± I exhaled and sank down a little further. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± she said, happily shooting me a thumbs up while her Machoke mirrored her. ¡°How come your Machoke hasn¡¯t evolved yet?¡± I said through clenched teeth, trying, and failing to focus on something else beyond how my muscles were now burning in protest. Trixie glanced at her pokemon before shrugging. ¡°She wants to get as many gains as possible. She¡¯s hasn''t plateaued in her weights for a while, so she¡¯s still pushing.¡± Trixie raised her arms and flexed into a pose that Machoke mirrored. ¡°It¡¯s only through truly overcoming something she considers insurmountable that she¡¯ll evolve.¡± Greta raised her ever-present pokedex with her shaking arm to capture images of the Machoke, who noticed and started posing for the camera. ¡°Machoke, the super power pokemon. This pokemon is commonly known to be capable of lifting trucks with one hand. This strength sees this pokemon widely employed in heavy-lifting duties and tasks. They are common in construction, hospitals, and gymnasiums. Machoke are known to have incredible endurance and durability as well. This Machoke knows Scary Face, Dynamic Punch, Bulk Up, Payback and Fling.¡± ¡°Oh wow,¡± said Greta, ¡°Maybe I should look into getting one?¡± Trixie strode over and loomed over Greta¡¯s slumped form. ¡°Considering a life of gains?¡± she said, flexing slightly. It took Greta a while to answer as she stared at Trixie¡¯s towering form. When she did, she looked down. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m cut out for that, I got tired just doing the yoga routine you had me doing,¡± she said morosely. Stephen and Bianca, both of whom had decided to join in today, raised their heads. ¡°Want to trade for running laps, weights, and battle ropes?¡± said Steven. ¡°You can do my burpees next time!¡± chimed Bianca. Trixie waggled a playful finger at the pair. ¡°Now now! Don¡¯t forget that I set the intensity of the work outs of people based on the individual, not the group at large!¡± She smiled gently down at Greta. ¡°As a youth, you shouldn¡¯t do more than light weights, or body weight routines right now. Going too heavy too often will stunt your growth.¡± She then curled her arm and flexed her bicep. ¡°And we want you to grow!¡± she said with a huge smile. Greta smiled hesitantly back. I felt a surge of envy at the boulder that appeared there before prodding my own toned muscles. ¡°Brock, are you jealous of Trixie?¡± said Yolanda from where she was leaning against a wall while Terra dutifully held a waterbottle and towel for Yolanda. ¡°It¡¯s envious, and¡­ maybe,¡± I said, flicking my hand at her and spraying some sweat in her direction. ¡°Thinking of attending these more in future?¡± Yolanda nodded seriously. ¡°It¡¯ll be good to have as much fitness as I can for when I go on my journey.¡± I agreed with a nod and stood to shake myself off. ¡°Alright gang! Hit the showers cause that¡¯s all we have for today beyond the usual tasks of checking over the pokemon! If you¡¯re interested in attending the training lesson that I¡¯m going to be running for the young trainers that we sponsor, then stick around. Rachel¡­¡± I looked around only to frown. ¡°Where is Rachel?¡± I asked only for a hand to be raised from the other side of where Stephen was lying. Rachel¡¯s much smaller frame made her hard to see. ¡°Here!¡± she said like it was a classroom rather than a Gym. I walked over. ¡°You know you didn¡¯t have to take part in the trainer''s workout, yeah?¡± I asked her. She nodded and flicked her eyes over to Trixie, only for me to raise an eyebrow at her. Trixie had pointedly not hung around Rachel too much. It almost seemed suspicious. ¡°You and her?¡± I asked quietly. ¡°She¡¯s being shy,¡± Rachel said with a wink ¡°I¡¯ll win her over soon.¡± she said, then grinned impishly. ¡°Trixie? My legs don¡¯t work!¡± ¡°You have more strength in you than you know!¡± said Trixie, instantly there to cheer Rachel on. Rachel huffed at her and made to rise only to collapse. Only instead of flopping to the ground, she fell straight into Trixie¡¯s abs with a thwack. Trixie giggled and patted the small girl on the head while Rachel shot me a thumbs up. I rolled my eyes at their antics, Rachel obviously wasn¡¯t shy about what she wanted, so I left it to them. ¡°Shower and be back here in thirty minutes!¡± I tossed over my shoulder, jogging off to have a shower myself. I then collected up my notes and strode out to the reserve. ¡°Jorm, Titan, Clefairy, Izumi, Quirinna, and Sanchez!¡± I said, pointing towards said pokemon. Clefairy hopped down while my Solrock floated from the top of the rocky plateau. Sanchez rolled up to me with Izumi, and then Jorm and Titan came over. ¡°I¡¯m going to be doing some tutoring with the sponsored trainers today,¡± I said explaining today¡¯s task. ¡°After that, I¡¯ll want to put in some one on one training with all of you to work on some new tricks and keep developing what we have alright?¡± I pointed to Jormungandr, ¡°Also, you and I will be going to Sabrina¡¯s Gym later with Shrek, Titan, Don, and Knight.¡± Titan perked up at this, while Jorm tilted his large head. I pulled out the gauntlet I¡¯d gotten from Steven Stone. ¡°Steelix, congratulations! You¡¯re the first pokemon on my roster that I¡¯ve found a Mega stone for; specifically, this is called Steelixite and will allow you to temporarily mega-evolve which will boost you considerably.¡± ¡°Ty!¡± barked Titan in surprise. ¡°Ty-ranitar?¡± he said pointing at himself. I nodded. ¡°Yup, you¡¯re also capable of it.¡± I walked up and patted him on the stomach. ¡°Sadly, mega evolution requires a stone specifically keyed to your species which is going to be tough to get, but we¡¯ll do some patrols of the silver ranges and see what we can find, I think if Tyranitarite is anywhere, it will be there.¡± Titan nodded slowly at that. I turned back to Jormungandr, ¡°For now, you have the honour of being the first that I will train with. I will let the others observe this, and we will build from there when we find stones that will work for them.¡± I clapped my hands to redirect their attention. ¡°For now, though, we have some trainers to work with.¡± I returned them to their pokeballs except for Izumi and Clefairy. Clefairy hopped up onto my shoulder, and I had to laugh when Izumi kipped up to claim the other. Clefairy looked impressed when I didn¡¯t buckle at the slightest. When I returned to the main arena, I found the various Gym trainers that were employed sitting in the stands with small desk attachments added to the seats for today¡¯s session. Rachel was toying with a Magnemite that had a camera attached to it. She stood in front of it with an intense expression, working on the settings before walking around and checking the recording. She gave me a thumbs up and then toggled a few more settings. Then the large screen lit up, and faces appeared, showing the various trainers that I was currently sponsoring. I nodded to Mia, who I¡¯d only seen recently, and then flicked over the others present. They all looked in good health, or indeed, better health than when they left. They¡¯d shed some of their baby fat and had a certain maturity to them from living almost two months on the road. Celia waved on her link, and I waved back. ¡°Hey everyone! Today we¡¯re going to run another lesson on developing our pokemon! This is going to be a two-parter with me going through building up moves with your pokemon.¡± Greta and Missy¡¯s hands shot up like this was a classroom, and Rachel giggled as she rotated the magnemite to position the feed to show them. I gestured to Missy first. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Is this how you build up combination moves?¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of the building blocks for it, yes,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve compiled a number of research articles that I read through while on my journey on this, which is part of the Gym¡¯s trainer server if you''re interested. I hope you all remember your log-ins for that?¡± A few of the younger trainers squirmed, and I hummed. ¡°If not, give the Gym a call and ask Georgina to help reset your account so you can access them. Some of them are dry, but that doesn¡¯t make them any less valuable.¡± I released Jormungandr and raised up his pokemon with a disc that I showed the watching crowd. ¡°Now, often Technical machines are great methods that can allow us to quickly teach our pokemon the moves that might be advantageous in certain situations. However, these moves won¡¯t typically be as strong right away as those that are learnt through natural growth or training. Can anyone list off another issue with these machines?¡± Mia waved her hand on her feed. ¡°Oh! Oh! They¡¯re expensive!¡± she said. I nodded, knowing she would have the best idea, having scored herself a Thunder TM for Silly Mouse. ¡°Indeed, anything else?¡± People shifted about. I turned to Yolanda and she sat up. ¡°Technical machines do not allow for the pokemon to widen the pool of moves. Sometimes they overwrite certain parts of a pokemon¡¯s brain and cause them to be limited to only four moves at most.¡± Mia gasped, ¡°What about Silly Mouse!?¡± She said reaching out of view and tugging said Raticate into view. I waved a hand. ¡°It¡¯s only if you use it too much that such can occur. Stronger pokemon can get away with two in quick succession but you won¡¯t be able to do another for a few months. This is why it is important to not use it a lot. Be selective in what you¡¯re going to give your pokemon and how often. Often it''s better to put in the hard yards yourself and train your pokemon towards a move. This can net more benefits by making the move divergent from how they might naturally operate. It also makes it more powerful initially.¡± ¡°Now, some of you will need to review what is considered normal for your pokemon to learn naturally and what has been seen from other pokemon, often you can build on natural moves to get more powerful variants.¡± I gestured to Jormgandr before releasing Titan to stand next to him. ¡°Now both Jorm and Titan here have the capacity to learn moves that see them throwing their bodies wholeheartedly into an attack. This can start at a simple Tackle, before building into Slam, and Double Edge.¡± I smiled at the questioning looks I was getting. ¡°Now Double Edge is not seen favourably by most due to it recoiling and causing your pokemon to take some of the damage as well unless they are particularly Hard Headed or well-trained. What most people don¡¯t understand is that you can use moves like Double Edge to train up to moves such as Giga Impact as your pokemon gets used to throwing their bodies into heavier and heavier hits. They learn to brace themselves better and also hit harder.¡± I put a hand on Titan. ¡°I did this with my starter initially when he evolved and it has had the benefit of his Giga Impacts being truly staggering in power and moves that almost always guarantee a K.O.¡± On the screen, a montage of Titan roaring and leaping into Giga Impact played out causing Titan to grin happily. Jormungandr watched on hungrily, I could tell he wanted that power, that strength as well. ¡°Now the other benefit of ¡®building up¡¯ your moves instead of leaping to the higher tier movesets is that your pokemon will retain the knowledge of how to use the weaker moves. Moves such as Stone Edge grow from things such as Rock Throw, or Rock Slide.¡± ¡°What would be the benefit of using Rock Throw over a move like Stone Edge?¡± One of the sponsored trainers chimed in, ¡°It doesn¡¯t take as much energy for your pokemon?¡± "Perfect,¡± I said encouragingly. "The use of less energy can sometimes make or break slug fests." I mimed some jabs and had Jorm shoot out some Rock Slides while Titan shot off a Stone Edge. ¡°If I want to keep up the pressure with a more widespread attack as well Rock Throw will see smaller rocks blasted out rather than a few heavier rocks,¡± I said indicating Titan. ¡°Once you have a higher tier move, the lower tier moves can also be shot out faster which some pokemon that are more technically minded will hugely benefit from,¡± I said. ¡°Some pokemon also have a natural affinity to lower-tier moves. Learning higher tier moves therefore allow them to use the lower tiers faster while having increased endurance,¡± I said alluding to pokemon with the Technician ability such as Meowth, Persian, or even Mr Mime. ¡°It might not seem like it but this Geodude is one of the strongest pokemon around thanks to her access to higher-tier moves. Some of you will know her as Izumi and she can hit hard when we need her to.¡± I tapped Izumi, and she rolled forward before firing off her own versions of Rock Throw, Rock Slide, and then Stone Edge. I grinned. ¡°Now let¡¯s talk about positioning, in this lesson, I¡¯m going to send out some of my pokemon and play out some hypotheticals for you all to consider where might be the best for my pokemon to be released.¡± I noticed more than a few eyes lose the shine of interest which made me tilt my head. ¡°While it might not be as impressive or as fun as talking about pokemon moves I want you to know that this is one of the fundamentals that will help you win a lot of matches. Good, or bad positioning can often determine the match.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Let¡¯s start with something easy,¡± I played out a match with an Onix deployed at the back of the battlefield against a Squirtle. ¡°Good or bad positioning?¡± I asked. The group shifted and after a bit I prompted them. Raise your thumb up or down to indicate if you think it¡¯s good, or bad.¡± I got a number of thumbs down with the others hurriedly copying. I nodded. ¡°Yes, it was a bad position as the opponent wanted space and Onix typically needs to close in so a closer starting point might have worked out better.¡± I played out the video and then led a round of questions on how this situation could be tweaked, changed, or turned to my benefit if I wanted that. The kids started to perk up and think, which was always fun to observe. I played another of an Aron in close proximity to a pidgey and wasn¡¯t surprised when it got a unanimous thumbs up. Again, I talked through the positives and made sure to get as many people as engaged and thinking about it as possible. I then played a clip from a recent match where I had Titan appearing directly in front of a Poliwrath. I paused it before the replay could play out. ¡°Who thinks this is a good position for a Tyranitar to be in?¡± I asked. Most shot their thumbs up and I chuckled. Celia and Yolanda, most notably, did not raise their hands. I pointed to Celia on the big screen. ¡°Celia? Why was that a bad position for a Tyranitar?¡± ¡°For a Tyranitar,¡± she said, making sure to emphasise what the question actually was, ¡°it is bad as you¡¯ve placed him into close range with a Water fighting type that wants to get in close. This is a trap question though, as the Tyranitar in question is Titan, who you¡¯ve had training against a Poliwrath. You actually lulled the trainer into a false sense of security with your strongest pokemon and what on paper is a perfect matchup.¡± I nodded and allowed the match to play out with it going exactly how Celia had said it would. ¡°Exactly so. I¡¯ll apologise for the situation, but this highlights something we¡¯ve discussed earlier by reversing the script. This was a bad position and the challenger recognised this but didn¡¯t know that Titan could handle a Poliwrath in close. It was still a gamble however.¡± Titan huffed at my side in a manner that I knew was his way of saying, ¡°Not much of a gamble.¡± I chuckled and continued with the lesson with a few more examples. Eventually, I clapped my hands. ¡°Alright! Your homework which I won¡¯t be checking but is more to help the lesson sink in, is to look through your pokemon and what moves they have that you might start building towards in the future or moves you want to incorporate. How long should you wait between TM usage, and finally play around with different positioning for some of our pokemon in some friendly matches where you don¡¯t have anything on the line!¡± This got a round of nods, and I was glad to see some very thoughtful faces. It probably helped that they could instantly set about applying the knowledge I was giving them. ¡°Just make sure to be quick with any matches you take. You can be penalised if you take too long picking out the best position or if the delay drastically hampers the other trainer.¡± ¡°How long are we allowed?¡± asked one trainer. ¡°Sixty seconds, at most with escalating penalties from a free move to having to withdraw a pokemon from the match if the delay is too long,¡± I said. This got some grumbles, but I wasn¡¯t too worried. No one I knew had ever triggered the second response. The first was rare enough, with referees counting down the limit and giving advanced warnings most of the time. I waved and thanked them all for attending before having Rachel count me out. I then turned to Missy in the stands. ¡°Want to watch me work on doing some combination training?¡± She perked up at that and walked up to watch as I loaded up the Rest TM into Jormungandr¡¯s pokeball. ¡°Alright buddy, we¡¯re going to work on this one today. I want you to go into a Dig and then go straight into Rest.¡± He nodded as I loaded the disc into the pokeball before I recalled him. It would take a few minutes, and in that time I turned to Missy and the other Gym trainers that were sticking around, and Yolanda made sure to get closer. ¡°Alright, so this is a bit more of an advanced lesson, as what you want your pokemon to focus on when trying to combine a move or set up a one-two sequence is having the moves occur in rapid sequence. For Jorm, that is going to be pretty easy with him using Dig into Rest, a pretty straightforward sequence of moves. When I trained Bertha, I had to chain together Horn Drill, Fissure, Bide, and Endure. Admittedly, there was some trade-off with Endrure not lasting quite as long as it should, but the improved power of a combined Horn Drill and Fissure more than makes up for it.¡± Missy nodded. ¡°It¡¯s certainly impressive, and I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re able to get it off as much as you do.¡± ¡°I have strategies about setting up the circumstances to allow it to happen usually, or force a trade-off at the very least, thus the Endure being added in.¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. ¡°When I originally started training it up for Bertha I was actually doing it for outside regulated pokemon battles and a wide area of effect attack in case I got in over my head.¡± Missy blinked at that. ¡°Oh? Were you targeted by pokemon thieves?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Initially, no, but I was approached a few times by some people; Sabrina and I were too tough for them for things to get too heated, but I still considered it a possibility. This wider attack, however, does have some great utility in a pokemon match.¡± Yolanda shot me a worried look. ¡°They really targeted you?¡± I nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think they knew who we were, but yeah, there are some people that will try things like that.¡± I shot her a grimace. ¡°As my sister... and especially with how you carry Terra around, people are going to know you have some strong, rare pokemon. Sadly, pokemon like Larvitar and Pupitar are more popular now due to my match with Lance.¡± ¡°And if I threw out a Tyranitar, most people would back off wouldn¡¯t they?¡± she said after a moment¡¯s thought. I raised a finger. ¡°Most would, but there are some that have just as powerful a group. Before you leave your journey, I want to show you how to escalate if you need to along with identifying bad situations and how to get out of them.¡± Yolanda nodded seriously, only to gesture back at me. ¡°Is that all you need to do for combination moves? Line them up one after the other?¡± ¡°Remember how I suggested getting your pokemon to channel pokemon moves?¡± I said referring to an earlier lesson. Missy and Yolanda both nodded. I nodded back. ¡°Have them do that while working out where the energy is building up, moving to, or being released. Building up this body awareness takes a while but leads to you being able to combine moves as you build up energy in the required areas.¡± I raised a hand and started ticking off my fingers. ¡°Horn Drill requires a horn or a point for Bertha such as her fingers that act like drill bits for Horn Drill. Fissure is a sudden buildup of energy that can be released from her tail, feet, hands, or head. For the purposes of combining them, I had her practise using the move in her hand. For Bide and Endure it was a bit tougher as they both required total body coverage.¡± Yolanda nodded slowly. ¡°It must have taken a while to get to that stage¡­¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°Yeah, when I was in Hoenn Bertha was only a Rhydon but she could do the combined moves for each separately, I decided to take them a step further after a while as I could get more. It was very harebrained and it took Bertha years, but she got there in the end.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°A lot of the inspiration I got for looking into combining moves was actually from Hoenn pokemon Contests; they are ripe with different examples of moves being altered, adjusted, or combined all the time. I¡¯d give them a look over, as they¡¯re very skilled at it.¡± I gestured to Missy, ¡°Had any thoughts on what sort of moves you¡¯d use in combination?¡± ¡°My Growlithe could use more power set up options. I was considering having him be able to perform a Flame Wheel into a Sunny Day.¡± I nodded. ¡°That could work, I think,¡± I said, having her call out her pokemon so we could start working on it. Yolanda watched on with interest as we went through the steps of having Growlithe become aware of how certain energies built up and were then released with each move. ¡°One good thing about having your pokemon as a Growlithe would be that he¡¯ll learn this move faster than he might if he were an Arcanine,¡± I said as Growlithe tore around the battlefield with a Flame Wheel. Yolanda perked up, while Missy merely nodded. ¡°I¡¯d heard that before; you¡¯ve researched it?¡± ¡°Only for a few studies did it seemed fairly self-evident to me,¡± I said. In honesty, I¡¯d stumbled on the research articles and added them to the server that my trainers could access but it was soemthing I¡¯d known from my previous life and seen play out during my journey. I hadn¡¯t thought I needed the articles. When Jormungandr¡¯s pokeball dinged, I started working with him to slip into the sequence of moves with a set command for a restful sleep at the lower arc of his Dig. It would slow him down immensely, but that wasn¡¯t the major concern I had. ¡°And now I need to teach him Sleep Talk,¡± I said loading up another Technical Machine. I was pushing it and I wasn¡¯t going to be able to do this for a good while but having the setup was more important than just teaching him Dark Pulse. That I could do while he was awake with Titan. I spent an hour working with Jormungandr. I had Titan and Quirrina test him out before calling it a success when he launched out of the ground and started firing off Stone Edges, Crunch, and other moves against my other pokemon. I returned him and sent my other pokemon off before tapping my transceiver as it buzzed. I then walked out and collected the pokemon that I had listed off earlier to Jormungandr. Then I messaged Sabrina. She appeared behind me straight away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I only have five minutes, as the next trainer will make it through the Gauntlet and I will need to face them.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I leant in and kissed her on the cheek, ¡°Have fun!¡± I said to her as she dropped me off in the training room. I glanced around and found Alakazam waiting with even more whiteboards set up and an eager expression on his face. ¡°We should get you a lab coat,¡± I said. He rubbed a length of his moustache in thought, only to wink away in a Teleport. ¡°Uhm, hello?¡± I said to the empty room in surprise. Alakazam appeared a few moments later with a lab coat and a pleased look on his face. I huffed out a laugh before setting up Jormungandr with the Steelixite into his pokeball. Then I donned the gauntlet. It was a gaudy thing with. It made me think more of a Hoplite bracer from my past life, only it was lined with gold rather than hard metals. ¡°Urgh, I think I¡¯m going to redesign this to just a necklace. Having it as a gauntlet is gaudy as hell,¡± I said, adjusting the strap and feeling the cool touch of the Keystone on my forearm. Alakazam watched as I released the rest of my team. Don shrieked when he saw Alakazam only for Shrek to snatch him out of the air with a huge hand and have him settle down. ¡°Okay gang!¡± I said clapping my hands together to refocus them from Don¡¯s tantrum. ¡°Today, we¡¯re going to be doing some observation training. Jormungandr and I are going to be working on something special that I potentially might be able to work on with all of you one day.¡± Don perked up at that from where he was under Shrek, who likewise looked intrigued. Knight shifted in surprise at this, while Titan nodded. ¡°It will be something I am going to have to investigate for all of us but it would offer a serious power-up. I think it would be good for you all to sit in on a few of these sessions to get an idea of what it will entail if I do end up finding the stones we¡¯d need.¡± I pointed to the small Gem that was resting on the second thorax of his body. I¡¯d be very hard-pressed to actually find any of these stones¡­ but perhaps¡­ Flint could be tapped. I shoved that idea aside for now. He¡¯d probably do it if I asked but I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to even ask. Things were fine as they were right now. My team was strong, and growing stronger. The diversity of my pokemon was also growing with Clefairy and the other Ancient pokemon I had access to. ¡°Kazam,¡± said Alakazam, nudging me with one of his spoons. He indicated the first whiteboard which had notes on the first stage he wanted me to achieve with Jormungandr. As I watched, the pen hovered, wrote out more instructions, and created a graph he could fill in as he observed my session. I huffed and adopted a meditative pose. ¡°Get comfy everyone, this isn¡¯t going to be a quick process. Try to feel Jormungandr¡¯s and my energy¡± Jormungandr looked worried, and he shot the others furtive looks. Or at least as furtive as a giant metal snake can when his eyes are the size of beachballs. I raised a hand and patted him on the snout. ¡°Hey buddy, relax. It¡¯s going to be you and me you¡¯ll be the first on this.¡± I then shut my eyes, leaving my hand on his snout as I felt his energies. I called up my Rock energy and started feeding it into the Keystone. I felt the energy I put in expand as the Keystone reacted. ¡°Zam! Ala!¡± barked Alakazam, making me glance up and recall that he wanted me to keep my energy as neutral as possible. ¡°Sorry!¡± I said, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. He huffed, and I returned to filling the stone with just my energy. I didn¡¯t try to reach for either Rock or Dark type this time. This time I got to feel as the energy built and expanded, becoming amplified with how I was feeding it into the keystone. It built higher than I¡¯d ever felt from myself before, and I could almost feel the area around me physically with the way it radiated out and then back in. I could feel my pokemon shifting in interest at the power I was radiating. It felt good. I tried reaching out to Jormungandr, but nothing happened. It felt like the energy was washing over him like a small stream rather than connecting. I frowned and recalled what Alakazam had set out as the second step he and Sabrina had determined. It matched what I¡¯d read about the process from the Guardians, so I followed it. The first step was being able to call up your aura and feed it into the Keystone. It was naturally assumed that a pokemon could feed their own energy into their Megastone so the first step required the trainer to have aura training. The second step was to start developing a reservoir of energy. Oddly, the reservoir itself needed to be built of aura, and it needed to be something that was like adding a metaphysical organ to your body. I drew my energy back into myself and started to build the pool of energy within myself that I would be calling upon. I already had reserves that I associated with my Rock and Dark type energy pools. Creating a neutral pool of energy felt very odd like I was filtering my energy. ¡°Zam!¡± ¡°tar!¡± barked Alakazam and Titan as they felt my energy starting to tinge into Dark. I nodded and tried to keep my focus on keeping my energy free of any¡ª"Zam!¡± Alakzam poked me with a spoon, and I sighed. This, might be a bit harder than I thought it would be. When Sabrina returned to me twenty minutes later, she hummed. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re struggling with keeping your aura neutral?¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m making progress, but it is something that is counter to what I¡¯ve been working on.¡± Sabrina nodded and dropped onto a cushion as she regarded Alakazam¡¯s notes. ¡°Continue,¡± she said neutrally. I sighed and returned to building my reserve of energy. Damn, this would have been so much easier with Titan¡­ After an hour, I was feeling stretched and tired in ways that I could only associate with aura usage. I lay back and returned all of my pokemon bar Titan. ¡°Urgh,¡± I said while rubbing my chest. ¡°This is so weird.¡± A slight application of force saw me leaning back to laymy head into Sarina¡¯s lap. She threaded her fingers into my hair. ¡°You did very well; you made some progress, no?¡± I sighed. ¡°Yeah, but I can feel it trickling away. It¡¯s going to take a while to get through this stage. I don¡¯t think I kept my Rock or Dark energy out of the mix very well.¡± I licked my lips. ¡°I need to get this right if I ever want to use it with my pokemon like Shrek.¡± Sabrina continued to brush her fingers through my hair. ¡°You¡¯ll get there.¡± I shot her a thankful smile before glancing at Titan, who looked a little whimsical. ¡°Sorry bud, I think I would have had a way easier time if it had been your stone I¡¯d gotten from Steven.¡± He smirked and nodded. Alakazam raised a hand. ¡°Ala, Ka, Zam, Alakazam, zam, Ala!¡± he said with a thoughtful gesture before indicating to me. He then tapped a few points on his graph in thought. Titan tilted his head before agreeing with a huff. I shot Sabrina a look, asking silently for a translation. She continued to run her hands through my hair while a small smile played out over her lips. ¡°He said that it is perhaps a good thing that you have something to challenge you instead of something easier. If you had gotten Tyranitarite first, you might have crippled, or at the very least, impaired yourself by having it too easy.¡± I snorted. ¡°So I need to do something I suck at for character development?¡± She smiled. ¡°Of a sort, but he¡¯s right.¡± She rubbed at my head. ¡°Instead of deepening your dark and rock energies, it is a good thing to build up a properly neutral reserve.¡± I shot her a look. ¡°Have you been doing that?¡± She nodded with a sad sigh. ¡°Indeed, even though there might not be much benefit for me.¡± I shot her an amused look. ¡°You could have a Mega evolution for Gardevoir, Gallade, Slowbro, Latias, or Latios.¡± ¡°You think I could gain one of the Eon duo in my team? They are considered extremely careful with the trainers they let witness them, let alone join with.¡± She looked into my eyes. ¡°If they saw what I saw, I think they¡¯d love to join your team,¡± I said smiling up at her. She leaned down and kissed me. It was another good day. Chapter 118 - Ancient Power up! ¡°¡ªTide! BB!¡± I shouted, causing my Lapras to fire short bursts of Ice Beam instead of merely blasting a singular beam forward. The wave that he¡¯d fired into crumpled as the integrity became much more dubious, and Sabrina¡¯s Starmie was forced to use Psychic to control his fall instead of using it to attack. The new position allowed me to go for a different move. ¡°DP!¡± Sabrina¡¯s pokemon flipped onto its feet and without Sabrina saying anything it formed a barrier in front of itself that broke when Tide¡¯s attack blew through it. I pumped my fist happy that she¡¯d gone with Barrier rather than Light Screen, as her pokemon was thrown backwards. The top limb of Starmie sparked up, and I frowned. ¡°Thunder!¡± I ordered Tide, more than willing to match Sabrina if she wanted to go for an exchange. It must have seemed an easier exchange with Tide being a bigger Lapras and therefore easier to hit. As Tide released his Thunder and both attacks launched upward, I wasn''t surprised to find Starmie shrinking in on itself with a Minimize combo. Something that should have made it easier to avoid my attack. ¡°CF!¡± I said before the Thunder could arc down. Tide¡¯s eyes glowed, and waves of purple energy shot out even as Starmie¡¯s Thunder slammed into him, forcing him to endure it. ¡°Hang in there buddy!¡± I shouted while locking eyes with my girlfriend. Her eyes were glowing like I knew they would be. I shot her a grin as Tide¡¯s Thunder missed, but his Confuse Ray hit. Starmie resized himself and stumbled, and Sabrina staggered. ¡°Lock him down and HB threat display,¡± I said to Tide. He slid forward and bodied Starmie into the dirt before arching his neck down onto Starmie, his mouth opening, and a Hyper Beam channelling itself. Starmie twitched a few times before seeming to recover from the confusion. Sabrina held her temple and frowned minutely. ¡°That was uncalled for,¡± she said neutrally. ¡°It was a weakness I know you have when you¡¯re deeply synchronised with your pokemon. Your strength can be a weakness if you don¡¯t read the move. You were too committed to the Thunder and Minimize. I got you to commit and had an end set up move ready to go with Tide.¡± Sabrina slumped and nodded, accepting the point. ¡°Indeed. I will work on my synchronisation. I want to have the link but I need to keep myself slightly out of the feedback loop that can come from my pokemon.¡± ¡°Hmmm tough ask,¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯re pretty much part and parcel aren¡¯t they? You can give faster, smoother orders and be hyper-aware of what is going on for the pokemon with what you have but that comes with the downside of having things like sleep or confusion can get to you.¡± I took a sip from a water bottle and then passed it to Sabrina who gave a smile before taking a drink herself. ¡°It does help to make things like paralysis faster to manage, and sleep is something I can help my pokemon fight through faster than other trainers.¡± ¡°Hmmmm interesting,¡± I said, considering what she¡¯d said. I eventually had to shrug. ¡°Yeah, I got nothing. I¡¯m not sure how to help you out with that. I have no idea why it shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°Just as you don¡¯t know if it¡¯s impossible,¡± she said with a smile. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°I¡¯m a glass-full kind of guy, you know that.¡± Sabrina merely inclined her head and took another sip of the water bottle. We stood for a few moments, content to allow a silence to build. Then another voice intruded, ¡°Daawwww,¡± said Yolanda from a rocky shelf to the side. ¡°You two are soooo cute!¡± Next to her Ralts and Terra tussled, with Terra trying to hug/smother Ralts, while Ralts was desperately trying to break out of the much heavier pokemon¡¯s grasp. Yolanda kicked her feet up. ¡°That was a nice match!¡± she tilted her head. ¡°Did you both mean to use water types?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I was happy to throw something out that would hold up, but that would force me to work for it. Tide¡¯s moves are a bit different, and accounting for his size can make it challenging. He can¡¯t pull off dodges as well as other smaller pokemon can.¡± Yolanda bobbed her head up and down. ¡°I see, what about you Sabrina?¡± Sabrina considered Yolanda for a few moments before replying, ¡°I thought that my Starmie could use a workout. While it is not one of my strongest pokemon, it could do with the challenge that some of Brock¡¯s pokemon present. I wanted to hone it and test my own skills. In this exchange, your brother triumphed. I could have changed the choice as I knew he would be using one of his water pokemon. I saw his Steelix training hard earlier. Don will not accept a challenge from anything but my Alakazam due to his pride, and I know that he doesn¡¯t have Bertha or Titan with him.¡± ¡°How did you¡­ oh right, you¡¯re a Psychic,¡± Yolanda said only to frown. ¡°I thought you had trouble detecting Dark and Ghost types? How¡¯d you detect Titan?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Sabrina tilted her head and flicked her eyes towards a boulder. ¡°He¡¯s under that boulder, watching in case you or Terra were in danger from our sparring match.¡± I chuckled as Yolanda whipped her head around to discover that yes, boulders did not have eyes peeking out from underneath them. ¡°Wait! There are two sets of eyes there!?¡± Yolanda said quickly. Sabrina nodded. ¡°Bertha is next to him, tickling him and trying to make him laugh.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh! Is that why the rock is shaking every now and then?¡± I said watching the boulder quiver. I¡¯d seen Titan hold a boulder above himself all day for training purposes. The last few minutes that it had taken to fight Sabrina¡¯s Starmie with Tide shouldn¡¯t have had him shaking, so Bertha teasing him made way more sense. Yolanda stared at the shaking rock for a bit before shaking her head. ¡°He¡¯s so cute when you get past his scary face.¡± She then grabbed up Terra, who¡¯d been nuzzling Ralts merrily. ¡°But not as cute as you!¡± Ralts used the break in play to get some distance from Yolanda and Terra before raising her arms plaintively towards Sabrina who levitated her into her arms. ¡°Ralts!¡± she said happily. I hummed and looked over Yolanda and Terra. I¡¯d noticed that Yolanda had been putting in a lot of effort to attend training sessions lately. Hopefully she wasn¡¯t overdoing it with her young pokemon. ¡°How''s she going?¡± ¡°She¡¯s doing well and growing well. I have her do the stretching exercises with me in the morning and practising her steps. We¡¯re getting really good at playing Simon says, although I¡¯m not so good when it¡¯s her turn or Munchlax¡¯s turn to play.¡± ¡°Munchlax plays along as well?¡± That was news to me. ¡°Yeah, he and Eevee sometimes join in on the training; they like it as a game. We all take turns giving the others commands, but I¡¯m not very good at understanding what they¡¯re saying to do most of the time. They seem to like that cause it makes them laugh.¡± ¡°Simon says? The children¡¯s game?¡± Sabrina looked from me to Yolanda. I considered how to explain it before snapping my fingers. ¡°Oh, its a game to help develop an early bond. Terra is too young to practise more than a few moves and she shouldn¡¯t throw herself around with things like Tackle, or Growl as it will tire her out too much. She can however, get used to the commands that Yolanda might give her one day, such as hopping left or right, or jumping up and down. It¡¯s a simple exercise to develop trust. Sometimes you give the orders, and sometimes you give the pokemon the chance to give the orders as part of the game. Yolanda¡¯s just taken it a bit further by having the family pokemon join in.¡± ¡°Ah, that makes sense¡­ I¡¯ve never had to do that, as I can link myself to my pokemon¡­ Perhaps I should play with them some more and do something similar, however.¡± I nodded before gesturing for the waterbottle back. ¡°So get a good show this morning?¡± I said to Yolanda. ¡°Yeah! Glad I caught you heading out! I thought you were just going to be training your pokemon today, not sparring with Sabrina!¡± ¡°She¡¯s the best,¡± I said leaning over and giving my girlfriend a peck on the cheek. Sabrina blushed lightly and smiled at me. Yolanda giggled and stood with Terra in her arms. ¡°Come on Terra, we need breakfast!¡± She started to walk away only to loudly speak up, ¡°Oh! We should say goodbye to Titan before we do!¡± Titan¡¯ leapt out of the hole he¡¯d been in before turning and shoving the boulder back onto Bertha¡¯s head. Bertha merely headbutted it and broke the boulder with a loud crash. Titan quickly hustled away from her, but Bertha merely hopped up onto ground level with a laugh as she dusted herself off. Yolanda turned around, and Titan approached with a grin. ¡°He¡¯s such a dope for his little sister,¡± I said with a smile as Titan gushed over Terra waving her hands about in farewell. Sabrina nudged me and I shot her a look. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just as bad,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not like that!¡± I said waving a hand towards Titan who was waving both of his scaly hands at Terra as she was carried off. ¡°No but you did pause our relationship for your family,¡± she said with a put-upon expression. She shook her head and I tilted my head. ¡°Are you teasing me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said with a smile. I merely shook my head and gave her a kiss. ¡°Well, I should check up on the Gym¡¯s new acquisitions and then I have¡ª¡± ¡°We are going to Celadon. We¡¯re to have lunch with Erika. She¡¯s got a fourth badge challenge this morning, and then she will have time for us.¡± ¡°Hmmm sounds like fun,¡± I said turning and walking towards the Gym to get my paperwork done. ¡°I want to go shopping afterwards,¡± Sabrina said following along with Ralts in her arms. ¡°I wish to see if there are any dresses that suit me.¡± I considered that as I entered the area of the reserve that was for the young or weaker pokemon. ¡°Hmmm you in a dress? I¡¯ll clear my afternoon.¡± Sabrina merely patted me on the cheek, moving away to give me room to check the Geodude and Onix. Thankfully, it was a pretty easy task with the trainers I¡¯d hired having caught appropriate strength pokemon. They all seemed to have good temperaments as well, which was a nice surprise. I glanced over to Dennis. ¡°Did you go through them already?¡± ¡°No, Missy went out with them along with Greta. Greta made really good use of her pokedex and was able to observe and get a good baseline for what strength certain pokemon had along with which ones might have been ill-behaved. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but Misy was able to work through the ones that should have come in and return them without any issues.¡± ¡°Huh, good job those two,¡± I said to myself. I hadn¡¯t thought to use Greta like that. She¡¯d just proven herself quite the catch. The check of the pokemon proceeded from there much quicker than usual, with my signing off on the Onix, Geodude, Aron, Electric Geodude, Rhyhorn, and Lileep that we would be able to use going forward for at least the next four to six weeks. That should hopefully see us through to the end of the surge, and then I would have to see about reopening my Elite challenge. That would be interesting. I doubted I¡¯d be able to hold onto my record of no one earning it on their first attempt, but damn if I wasn¡¯t going to try. My pokemon were stronger, I would need to put in a lot more work with them, but it would be close. I signed off on the work for the day and left some glowing comments in it with regard to Missy and Greta¡¯s work. They¡¯d made it much smoother than usual, which was something that would pay off in the short term and later down the line for them. I scheduled some time this afternoon for training with them bo¡ª ¡°Ahem,¡± Sabrina said, reminding me of what she¡¯d mentioned she wanted to do this afternoon. I rescheduled it for a later slot and glanced up to check her reaction. Apparently, four o¡¯clock was late enough for her, as she nodded after a moment¡¯s consideration. With that done, I sent off the update and signed off on the new pokemon. I opened my emails and worked through them only to feel the unamused look Sabrina was giving me. ¡°I am supposed to be working, you know?¡± I said, trying to be reasonable. ¡°Hmmm,¡± she replied, placing Ralts on the table and using her telekinesis to cross Ralts arms as the little pokemon pouted at me. ¡°We don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°Alright, first, that¡¯s adorable. And two,¡± I hit enter and send on the email I had been working on. ¡°And done!¡± I said, only for a ping to announce another email arriving in my inbox. I glanced at it and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll be interested in this, actually. It¡¯s from Mahogany Gym. They want to look into some potential pokemon fossils that have been preserved in some ice caves. Want to come with me?¡± ¡°Hmmmm I think I¡¯ll pass; as interesting as your fossils are becoming, I will spend some time with my pokemon¡­ or my mother and father,¡± she said with some reluctance. ¡°Oh, alright then,¡± I said feeling a little let down, but then again, it was fair that she spent some time with her own family. Sabrina patted my hand, ¡°We can spend some time later on. Go to Mahogany; it will be fun for you.¡± She glanced at the clock. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Celadon.¡± ¡°Oh, you want to watch some earlier matches with Erika?¡± I said standing up and taking her hand. A moment later we teleported out. I did not find myself in the Celadon gym. Instead, I found myself in a shopping centre. Ralts was handed off to me and Sabrina turned to the clothing racks. ¡°Oh,¡± I said. I guess that was one issue with having a girlfriend that could teleport. You could end up shopping at any moment.
¡°The Challenger may use up to six pokemon against the Gym Leader! They are allowed to withdraw and return their pokemon as per standard rules of competition, while the Gym Leader is restricted to not returning their pokemon!¡± the referee said from her position between Erika and her challenger. It was a youth with a cocksure attitude. His smirk painted him as someone who expected an easy match. Sabrina and I had pride of place right in the middle of the Celadon Gym. Sabrina and Ralts were now sporting some rather stylish sunglasses, while I was wearing a cap in support of Celadon Gym. We all had small Celadon flags in hand, including Ralts. Erika had blushed terribly when she walked out and saw us sitting in the front row. The locals seemed amused, especially when Sabrina had woven herself a crown of flowers for Ralts to wear. I¡¯d leaned over and plucked a rose from the wall of Erika¡¯s Gym in a rock-empowered hand, and offered it to Sabrina. A nearby woman sniffed. ¡°Young one! You should always strip off the thorns before you gift it to a lady!¡± She said before frowning at my hands. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t cut yourself on them with how you grabbed them.¡± ¡°I have tough skin, also Sabrina prefers her roses to keep their thorns.¡± Sabrina inclined her head at that, while the woman shook her head. ¡°Feh! It¡¯s meant to be refined and gentle!¡± Sabrina twirled the rose by the stem around her fingers loosely. It was a deft trick and looked very impressive, regardless of whether you knew she was controlling it telekinetically. ¡°A pruned rose is a lesser rose for its lack of self. The thorns are as much a part of the rose as the stem or the flower.¡± That caused a few women to hum with approval as Sabrina dismissed the older woman in favour of watching Erika face the challenger. ¡°Go Charmeleon!¡± shouted the young boy. ¡°Go Venusaur!¡± Both pokemon emerged, with the Charmeloen lightly dancing back and forth with a haughty sniff while Erika¡¯s Venusaur called its name and settled itself low to the ground with the rather large petals and fronds of its flowers obscuring the pokemon. I whistled in appreciation, ¡°Now that¡¯s a healthy pokemon.¡± Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°Erika is well-known for her well-grown Grass types,¡± she replied. My eyes turned towards the Challenger that was standing with his arms crossed smugly. ¡°Charmeleon! Use Fire Spin to start it off!¡± ¡°Venusaur use Stun Spore! Wall it off!¡± Both pokemon unleashed their moves. The fire type did so with a leap before exhaling a twirling mass of flame while Venusaur merely exuded a glittering mass of golden spores that wafted forward. When the flames touched them, instead of merely passing through it unharmed, the spores exploded. The crowd gasped in shock, and a few ladies screamed in worry, only to reveal that no injuries had occurred and that Erika had negated the fire attack with a wall of what had to be an especially potent Stun Spore. It could have been an effect of training, but it also might be a sign of extremely good health in Erika¡¯s pokemon. I leaned forward, interested in how Erika¡¯s care would show itself. ¡°Tch Charmeleon don¡¯t be put off! Use Flamethrower next! We¡¯ll burn through with a dedicated blast of fire!¡± ¡°Char!¡± shouted the pokemon as is inhaled. As it went to exhale, a pair of vines shot out of the ground and wrapped around Charmeleon¡¯s muzzle. The flame tried to exit, only to result in soot and smoke being snorted out. Charmeloen¡¯s eyes watered, and the vines sizzled at the Charmelon¡¯s mouth, causing Venusaur to retract its Vine Whip. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The crowd murmured in surprise. They hadn¡¯t seen when Erika used that move. I, myself had to consider the sequence of events. ¡°She hid it during the explosive interaction of the first set of moves?¡± I asked Sabrina. Sabrina nodded. ¡°Erika flows into her moves easily. Her pokemon on the field might be slow but it is still one of her stronger pokemon.¡± I hummed at that, surprised to learn it was one of her stronger pokemon. For a fourth badge challenge that would be overkill for me. ¡°Is it her strongest pokemon?¡± ¡°No, that honour goes to either her Vileplume, or her Exeggutor.¡± Sabrina preened a little, ¡°I showed her how to strengthen her psychic pokemon and their moves.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± I said, and I meant it. Sabrina''s gift of training someone was worth quite a lot. I certainly always learned a lot from it. I watched the trainer return his pokemon as it struggled to unleash another fire attack after clogging itself up in the last exchange. Sabrina clicked her tongue. ¡°He should have used a Smokescreen to clear out his pokemon¡¯s problem.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think he understands that Charmeleon¡¯s issue is such an easy fix.¡± On the field, the trainer selected another pokemon. ¡°Go Fearow!¡± he said with a snarl. Then he pointed at Venusaur. ¡°Your foe is slow! Use it to your advantage with Aerial Ace!¡± ¡°Sleep Powder,¡± said Erika causing silvery powder to waft out. ¡°Abort!¡± screamed the challenger, making his pokemon break off. He snarled. ¡°Another trick?!¡± Erika shook her head. ¡°It is no trick, merely a fighting style. You have chosen to use a type advantage against me. I have my methods of dealing with such disadvantages.¡± ¡°Tch! Use Whirlwind to blow it away, Fearow!¡± replied the Challenger. ¡°Use Toxic,¡± Erika replied, making large gunks of poison shoot out of the flower atop her pokemon¡¯s back and through the forming gusts of wind. The liquid seeped onto Fearow, and it cried out in pain, making him growl in annoyance. ¡°Push through it Fearow! Use Air Cutter!¡± ¡°Match it with Vine Whip! Whip crack the air!¡± Erika said with a decisive slash of her hand that sent her sleeves flapping about after her. Her pokemon raised up its Vines in the face of the oncoming Flying attack and snapped its vines, causing a whipping noise and small bursts of wind to shoot forward and break up the wind attacks. ¡°Oh, that was nice!¡± I said. ¡°Way to go Erika!¡± I shouted. I sat back and grinned. ¡°And her Vileplume is stronger than her Venusaur you said?¡± ¡°Yes, her Venusaur is weakening, or at least his vines are from holding Charmeleon along with using such powerful Vine Whips. It needs to recover from the moves. Vileplume doesn¡¯t need such respite.¡± Sabrina then tilted her head as the Vine Whips rose once more. ¡°However, Venusaur does have the most weight behind his attacks.¡± I tilted my head as Venusaur wrapped its two vines together in a way that made me think of someone lacing their fingers together before they¡ª Venusaur slammed his woven vines into the ground on either side before taking a step back and stabbing his vines into the ground, and peeling the turf back. ¡°Huh, he¡¯s building himself a bunker?¡± I paused as I realised that the challenger had stopped to work out what was going on here. ¡°Hmmm he should have buffed his pokemon up if he wasn¡¯t sure if Erika was about to fling rocks.¡± ¡°Indeed, Erika has set herself up. I doubt she will lose this match.¡± Sabrina then slowly punched their air and announced, ¡°Go Erika,¡± in a very neutral tone. I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to do it a bit more enthusiastically, you know, so she can hear you.¡± Sabrina glanced at me, revealing her slightly glowing eyes. ¡°Erika heard me.¡± I chuckled as Erika flapped her sleeves around frantically before shooting a weak glare at Sabrina. Sabrina merely punched the air again, slowly. ¡°Go,¡± she intoned. Erika slumped and turned back to her match. ¡°Venusaur! Use Sleep Powder!¡± She seemed to fall back into her groove from there and while Venusaur and her Victrebell went down, I was impressed when she had her tiny Bellosom use minimise to hop around the field and lay out flowers that the crowd claimed to empower Grass types. The Challenger took out her second last pokemon with a Rapidash that trampled the tiny flower maiden, causing boos to erupt from the crowd. ¡°Boo,¡± said Sabrina in support. I bit my lips, causing Sabrina to glance at me. ¡°What is funny?¡± ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just adorable watching you support your friend.¡± Sabrina got a flash of pride at that and turned back to continue calling out for Erika. Erika huffed this time and selected her final pokeball. ¡°Let¡¯s go Tangela!¡± she called out, releasing her last pokemon. The small bundle of vines emerged and wobbled about happily, only to lock eyes with the Rapidash that snorted derisively. ¡°Tangela! Swirl and dance with Vine Whip!¡± Tangela spun up onto its toes, and two vines shot out at frightening speeds. Tangela started whirling about like a top, and suddenly Rapidash was assaulted as the Vine Whips came hard and fast. ¡°Rapidash! Use Fire Spin! Burn out this weed!¡± he shouted ¡°Leap high!¡± Erika ordered causing her pokemon to hop upwards only to float a little as it descended, causing the Fire Spin to miss. It took me a moment to assess how that had happened. ¡°She used the heat of the fire to improve her pokemon¡¯s gliding somehow?¡± Sabrina tilted her head only to shake it after a moment. ¡°Tangela extended the smaller vines that make up it¡¯s body and increased the lift that way. The thermals caused by the fire wouldn¡¯t have impacted its flight to a significant degree. If it was a bird or another pokemon that could hover or float perhaps, but not with Tangela.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said, noting down what she¡¯d said. That was an interesting mechanic to keep in my back pocket. It might have been wrong today, but I did have pokemon that it would work with, such as Clefairy or Zephyr. Tangela landed and this time when he lashed out with his vines he snared the Rapidash and snapped his vines. This flipped the horse pokemon only to have it nailed in the air as it tried to right itself with a Slam I assumed. The final pokemon the challenger threw out ended up being a Machop, which was easily outclassed. I rose to my feet and joined the crowd in applauding Erika. She¡¯d fought well to earn the victory. I wasn¡¯t surprised when the Challenger stormed out instead of sticking around to receive his verdict. Erika merely watched him go sadly. Then she turned to the crowd and bowed politely. ¡°Thank you for coming out today! We¡¯re going to take a brief intermission before running any more matches this afternoon!¡± The crowd clapped once more and Sabrina stood. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said, grabbing me and teleporting us all to Erika¡¯s side. Erika eeped and flapped her hands about as she almost lost her balance. It made a rather impressive fwapping noise as she pinwheeled her arms only to remain standing. She took a breath to settle her nerves before sighing as she put a hand on her chest. ¡°Please, stop doing that.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s the most convenient form of travel,¡± replied Sabrina, completely ignoring what Erika was actually talking about. When Erika merely shook her head and indicated we should follow her, I shot Sabrina a look and a whisper. ¡°Be nice; she¡¯s all amped up from her match.¡± Sabrina merely hummed and ignored me. Erika led us into a lovely greenhouse that was so large that we wouldn¡¯t have known what it was without carefully inspecting the tree canopy. She had trees set out in patches, with each having enough space for themselves without making the area crowded. Around the garden, a number of girls and young women were enjoying meals served to them by a trio of older ladies. Each time they reached a new group, the younger girls sang their thanks before taking a lunch box. Erika gestured towards another part of the garden that had a nice pavilion that overlooked all of it and happened to be next to a babbling brook of water. Along the edge of which there were a number of Lileep. A shimmer of colour showed that the water also had goldeen swimming up and down the built-in water feature. ¡°Oh, this is quite a lovely habitat you¡¯ve made up for your Lileep,¡± I commented. ¡°Thank you, I had a very skilled group of girls working on it,¡± replied Erika as we walked past a group of girls. A few of them seemed to preen, making me suspect I had timed a nice moment by accident. I stepped closer to the water and held out my hand for a Lileep to grapple with. I was impressed by how strongly they tugged. ¡°Good strength and size to them.¡± I eyed the rest, noting that the one I¡¯d approached happened to be on the smaller side of Erika¡¯s garden of Lileep at ninety centimetres. This size was average for me, while all of Erika''s were pushing a metre or more on average. ¡°I think I will need to get some advice from you. None of my Lileep have grown to this size.¡± ¡°The water feature helps a good deal. Lileep seem to like being immobile or having to move very little. They don¡¯t seek out the sun and instead seem to prefer the shade. I also make sure to sprinkle fertiliser around on their roots every three days that has mulched up berry skins within it.¡± ¡°Huh, thanks,¡± I said. Erika merely bowed. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to you that I have access to them Brock; don¡¯t worry.¡± We claimed a seat at the low table built into the pavilion floor. Ralts barely reached the table and the tips of her horns were barely visible with her tiny crown of flowers. ¡°Raaaaaaalts!¡± cried the pokemon, causing Sabrina to shift her into her lap. Erika cooed at the little pokemon with Ralts accepting a gentle pat from Erika. ¡°I was surprised you went after the three Lileep you did with the auction,¡± I said as Erika pulled out a teapot and some cups from a built-in storage area. A deft push on the centre space had a small stovetop popping up for boiling the tea. ¡°Oh yes, most of the girls have been involved in raising and experimenting with what the Lileep like. Some have even gotten the chance to fight with one during a lower-level badge fight and they are quite pleased with them. I suspect they have a lot of potential.¡± Erika tilted her head. ¡°Do they evolve into anything do you know?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said as Sabrina shrugged. Erika tilted her head, and I coughed. ¡°The research that I¡¯ve done on them does feature that the pokemon will evolve. It hopefully won¡¯t be anything too tricky like needing a stone, or a set of conditions to be met, but rather good growth both in size and strength.¡± Erika accepted that and set the teapot to boil. She then turned her head to the garden and relaxed slightly. I pushed back the urge to keep talking and instead turned to enjoy the sight of an idyllic garden that my friend obviously took pride in. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was more proud of the young ladies sitting and talking with each other politely over their picnics or the garden. Or perhaps it was both. Both needed to be checked and worked on. I couldn¡¯t help but feel it rather suited her. I relaxed and merely enjoyed the moment. Sabrina shifted around so she could lean on me. It was nice. Simply enjoying a moment with my girlfriend while spending time with a friend. Erika didn¡¯t seem put out by the display of affection, even as a few girls subtly pointed and giggled in our direction. We ignored them, and eventually, they settled. When my arm started to go numb, I flexed some rock energy into my arm to help me stay in position. I wouldn¡¯t have moved even if my arm was going numb; some moments could be spoiled by needing to shift. I was thankful that I had a stronger body that could be further strengthened. By the time the teapot boiled and Erika had served us tea and even had a small cake delivered, cut, and plated up, my arm had just started to quiver due to being pressured. Ralts had noticed and had either been helping with a soft massage or had been prodding my arm to try and make me buckle. If so, I was made of stronger stuff. Sabrina shifted off me for the cake and tea, allowing me to take my weight and shift my position. Pins and needles didn¡¯t set in, but I still needed to clench and relax my hand a few times before taking a mouthful of the treat. ¡°I¡¯m curious; what did you mean about conditions for pokemon to evolve?¡± asked Erika after a sip of her tea. I paused in taking a sip of my own tea; somehow I always ended up in these awkward positions, or at least it seemed that way. I lowered the teacup. ¡°Pokemon can evolve after growing physically and through combat, which is linked to spiritual growth, according to some of Sam¡¯s research. There are other methods, though, that are conditional. These can be through the use of items, the location, the time of day, the stimulus provided, and what moves the pokemon uses, to name a few.¡± I wasn¡¯t going to get into the whole friendship and love discussion, Erika knew about them, so I didn¡¯t need to mention it. ¡°Sam?¡± Erika said with a tilt of her head. ¡°Oh, sorry, I meant Professor Oak; he comes around to hang out every now and then.¡± I waved off the slip, but Erika nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression on her face. I made to sip from my tea again only to be interrupted. ¡°The location?¡± asked Sabrina, leaning in to ask about something else. I held in a curse. I lowered the teacup back down. what had I been thinking about with that? Oh right! I¡¯d been thinking of Sanchez with an Alolan Golem for that example. ¡°Uhmmm, certain pokemon seem to differently evolve in certain locations. Sanchez and the electrical variant of the geodude line had to be raised in an electrically charged cave compared to the normal rock-ground geodude. ¡°What about moves?¡± Erika said with a tilt of her head. Sabrina raised her own drink and I envied her grace as she sipped daintily. Ralts tried to copy, only to fumble the cup in her too-small hands. Sabrina caught it in a telekinetic grip and helped her. I coughed, distracted by the cute display. ¡°Right! Moves! Some pokemon require certain moves to evolve. I know for example that Bonsly and Mr Mime Jr need to learn Mimic before they can evolve.¡± ¡°Hmmm Bonsly and Sudowoodo would make interesting additions to my Gym. They¡¯d certainly fit right in with their appearance alone,¡± Erika said playfully. ¡°Are there any other pokemon that appear to be plants?¡± Erika tilted her head only to then blush and cough politely into her sleeve. "My apologies, I was caught up in Bonsly. You were talking about pokemon evolutions?" I nodded and picked up from where I''d left off. ¡°I¡¯ve been toying around with trying to evolve a Stantler with environmental exposure but don¡¯t think I had the success I wanted. Sabrina ended up taking over as it is more likly to work out for her.¡± I slumped a little, and Sabrina reached out to pat my hand. "How does that work?" Erika then ducked her head into a bow. ¡°Sorry if that was prying too much! The ways pokemon evolve are so different and interesting!¡± I waved it off. ¡°No, it makes a lot of sense that you¡¯d be interested in this. With how Tangela evolves and all,¡± I said, reaching down and taking a sip of my tea. Then I looked up to see Erika blinking in confusion with Sabrina. Erika tilted her head like a curious Sunflora. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry? Did I miss something? I didn¡¯t know my Tangela could evolve.¡± Shit! I thought to myself as I realised I¡¯d messed up. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of what was and wasn¡¯t well known. I had assumed Tangrowth was well known¡­ I decided to just play it off with a shrug. ¡°Oh, well, cause of my fossil pokemon I¡¯ve done a fair bit of research into what sort of pokemon were around in ancient times. Pokemon that looked a lot like Tangela were found. In fact, there seems to be a linkage from Lileep and Tangela with Tangela occupying forested and jungle areas while Lileep might be more found on coastal regions which might indi¡ª¡± ¡°Brock, you''re getting off the point. Erika would like to know what move helps her pokemon evolve,¡± Sabrina said, cutting me off. ¡°Oh, I was getting to that, it¡¯s Ancient Power.¡± ¡°Ancient Power?¡± Erika tilted her head. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have any pokemon that know that move¡­¡± ¡°I have a few.¡± I shrugged. "What happened to the Lileep you purchased?" Erika stiffened. "Oh! that''s right! Lileep have that move as well, don''t they!?" I nodded before considering the still juvenile plant pokemon. They... might not be good teacher''s for the move. I decided to make an offer. ¡°... Would you like one of my pokemon to teach yours?¡± I paused and considered her. ¡°Your Tangela won¡¯t be able to do that flight trick that¡ª¡± Erika waved it off. ¡°That was just my fourth badge Tangela. My strongest Tangela is much heavier. I had overfed it as a young girl and not known it could pull off moves like. She¡¯s actually been rather depressed of late, as I haven¡¯t been able to use her as much as others such as Venusaur and Viluplume can do what she can, but better¡­¡± She tapped her fingers together. ¡°Could you show her how to use Ancient Power?¡± I waved my hand back and forth. ¡°No problem, come on out Shelly!¡± I said, releasing my Omastar, who trilled happily before relaxing as she noticed we weren¡¯t in a battle. ¡°Star!¡± Erika rose and bowed to Shelly before releasing her own Tangela. I instantly noted that it was much, much bigger than the other Tangela I¡¯d seen not thirty minutes ago. If the Tangela she''d used earlier was like a pile of spaghetti that Munchlax would consider a snack, this one was at least a few meals worth... that is it was at least three times the size. ¡°Oh yeah, she looks like she¡¯s more than ready to evolve,¡± I said, shaking off the idea of Tangela being like a ball of giant moving spaghetti. Tangela blinked from behind the curtain of vines. ¡°Tang?¡± it said. Erika smiled. ¡°Brock thinks he has a method of making you stronger with an evolution Tangela. Would you like to¡ª¡± ¡°Tangela!¡± said the viney pokemon as it leapt to its feet and nodded furiously. I smiled and gestured to Shelly. ¡°Alright, this is your sensei for now, listen and watch as she teaches you how to perform Ancient Power, alright?¡± Shelly trilled and beckoned Tangela to follow her to a clear space where she demonstrated the move before gesturing for Tangela to have a go. Erika shuffled from foot to foot. ¡°Should I help her?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Give them a bit of time to work on it together, and then we¡¯ll step in. I don¡¯t expect she¡¯ll get it any time soon, but the first steps will be taken.¡± Erika nodded. ¡°True, we only have another half an hour for lunch.¡± I considered that, accounting for how long she¡¯d already spent with us. ¡°You have an hour for lunch?¡± ¡°Yes, proper nutrition and digestion are important. I don¡¯t usually finish until five thirty or six, however.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. ¡°I try to finish earlier cause sometimes I need to go pick up my little brothers and sisters.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erika sat and considered me for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°Yes you are correct,¡± Sabrina said out of seemingly nowhere. She then nodded. ¡°He would make a good pokemon professor as well.¡± I blinked, realising she must have read something from Erika¡¯s mind. Erika blushed and flapped her sleeves about, flustered at the invasion. ¡°Sabrina! Don¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°I apologise, but you were thinking it very loudly,¡± said Sabrina, like that forgave her. ¡°Ralts,¡± said Ralts as she nodded along with Sabrina¡¯s words. Erika wilted. ¡°Well, alright, but it¡¯s not a bad thought¡­¡± Her eyes didn¡¯t meet Sabrina¡¯s, or mine, making me wonder what her thoughts had involved. Sabrina merely hummed. ¡°Hmmm indeed.¡± She then turned her head towards me. ¡°She isn¡¯t wrong though Brock.¡± There was a moment¡¯s pause as she shot a quick look, that I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of, towards Erika. Erika blushed again, and then Sabrina was focused back on me. ¡°You are very knowledgeable about pokemon.¡± ¡°I have my areas of knowledge.¡± I waved a hand towards the much larger Lileep.¡± Erika has hers, just as you have yours Sabrina.¡± A lull fell over the conversation. Erika seemed too embarrassed to dare speak up again, and while the soft cries of two pokemon tearing up the garden disrupted the ambience, it was still very nice tea and cake. Erika eventually regained control of herself. ¡°So I understand you are both on break? Anything planned?¡± ¡°I have a family event to¡­ attend,¡± stated Sabrina. ¡°I might check in with Dennis for a bit, make sure he¡¯s up to speed with Rocko taking some time off to help his step siblings on their journey for two weeks. Then I might head up to talk with Lorelei and Pryce. They have a potential lead on some more fossils.¡± ¡°Oh! Really?¡± Erika leaned forward. ¡°That will be interesting. I look forward to what you find,¡± she said quickly. I nodded and glanced over at Tangela. Wasn¡¯t there another pokemon that evolved with Ancient Power? Yanma was another¡­ but Piloswine was also one, wasn¡¯t it? Then again, surely Pryce knew about that evolutionary step? I¡¯d have to check. Although if I did that, I might annoy Agatha. That¡­ somehow made me want to do it more rather than less. ¡°TANGELA!¡± cried Erika¡¯s Tangela, causing our group to stop and look around. Tangela was huffing and puffing in a garden that now looked destroyed. Erika didn¡¯t mind though as she smiled towards her pokemon. ¡°Yes Tangela?¡± Erika prompted. Tangela puffed itself up, and its vines waved energetically before it turned slightly and glowed. Energy spilled out in a spiral pattern before lifting some rocks and firing them off into the trees that broke upon impact. Tangela crowed its success even as a group of ladies rose from where they¡¯d ducked for cover. I blinked. ¡°Oh, it learnt Ancient Power fast,¡± I said. Erika beamed. ¡°Excellent work, now we can practise it so you can¡ª¡± Before she could finish, Tangela glowed brighter. The ladies that had been storming up to tell it off stopped and leapt into the bushes, obviously fearing a much stronger attack being launched. They were wrong, of course, as instead, we got to watch as Tangela evolved. The shining mass of tentacles swelled, from a hedge that was easily up to my hips to something that towered over me while broadening dramatically. ¡°Tangrowth!¡± cried the newly evolved pokemon. Shelly cheered and Erika beamed before leaping from the pavilion to hug the giant tentacle monster. I raised a hand, the scars of the internet from a past life warning me what was about to happen. Thankfully the tentacles caught Erika like a bed and she bounced on them with a joyous giggle as happy eyes beamed up at Erika. She was then wrapped into a hug while Tangrowth cried out happily. When Erika emerged, she was very dishevelled but still a maiden, I could only assume. She beamed at me, adjusted her clothes deftly, and bowed. ¡°Well this wasn¡¯t what I expected from our lunch but I thank you for coming! And I thank you for helping me evolve my Tangrowth!¡± ¡°Growth!¡± cried the towering mass of tentacles. It reached towards me and I tensed up. The hug was thankfully quick and I didn¡¯t have to worry about my own purity. I smiled woodenly and decided to give Erika and Tangrowth time to themselves to learn what was new for one of her strongest pokemon. I departed feeling very good about myself, the smile I had remained on my face as we teleported home. Sabrina gave me a kis, making me smile wider. ¡°You would make a good Pokemon Professor.¡± ¡°Nah, I wouldn¡¯t enjoy all the paperwork that comes with it,¡± I said waving my hand back and forth. Sabrina nodded before smirking. ¡°You¡¯d look good in the lab coat though.¡± She then gave me another kiss before departing. I hummed and tapped at my lips. Then I went and bought myself a labcoat for later teasing. All in all, it was a good day. I rolled my shoulders and sought out Greta and Missy to do some training with them. It was shaping up to be a good week with how things were going.
A.N. Thanks to all my Patreons. This is currently unbeta¡¯d. Sorry for any errors that seem obvious! Chapter 119 - Cold reception ¡°So, Rocko is off for a fortnight,¡± I said to the assembled group. I nodded to Rocko, ¡°I think we can all say we¡¯ll miss you terribly before you even walk out the door.¡± It wasn¡¯t the best way to start off the meeting, but it honestly was one of the more important points, so I decided to announce it early. Missy, Rachel, Greta, Crystal, and Yolanda all nodded their heads seriously. Crystal then shot Dennis a worried look. The man was practically buzzing in his seat. Worse, next to him was a towering stack of forms that I just knew he was going to be dying to start introducing as part of our procedures. With Dennis as my second in command, he was getting a lot more authority on various tasks that Rocko had been much more relaxed on. I¡¯d probably let Dennis run through things for a week before pulling him up when he got too anal retentive with the paperwork. That way, if he had any really good ideas, they got a chance to actually be demonstrated. He had already submitted a few proposals, and I had given them some thought. I suspected his decision to switch around the method of tallying pokemon battles might be useful, but it needed to be tested in action first. Everybody applauded for Rocko, who waved. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll not be having it easy. I¡¯ve got two weeks to teach my little brother and sister some tricks, get them some good pokemon, and such before coming back. I¡¯ll be back before you know it!¡± He then grinned. ¡°It¡¯ll be good training for when I get a month off in three months time when I can really work with them!¡± The room at large flicked their eyes towards the paperwork next to Dennis and then shuddered. Rocko smirked only to clap his hands. ¡°Alright Dennis, we can all enjoy a good joke, put them out of their misery.¡± Dennis nodded seriously and leaned down to pull out another stack of papers. I joined everyone in staring at the monster that Rocko was leaving with us. I was halfway ready to pull him up on this madness, only for Dennis to raise a camera and take a picture of everyone¡¯s expression. There was a moment¡¯s silence as Dennis chuckled. ¡°Heh! Got you! Heh! You should see your faces!¡± he said turning the camera around to show the room our gobsmacked looks. He reached out and pulled both towers of paper work, leaving a much more realistic trio of folders. Crystal slammed a fist into the table. ¡°Deniss has been replaced by an imposter! I¡¯ve never seen him make a joke before!¡± Yolanda shook her head at her friend and put a hand on her. ¡°It was probably his wife¡¯s idea of a funny joke.¡± Dennis slumped. ¡°... yeah, Yolanda¡¯s right.¡± A few people laughed at that, while Rocko snickered and stood to clap Dennis on the shoulder. I hummed and moved on with the next order of business. Namely that I would be away for the next two days with my trip to Mahogany Town. ¡°¡ªI can do this now thanks to Greta and Missy¡¯s work they put in going through the pokemon and making sure they had the right move sets, and, more importantly, the right temperaments to handle Gym style battles.¡± This got another round of thanks, and I then laid out everyone¡¯s duties for the rest of the week. ¡°Also, I¡¯m going to be hopefully scaling back the hours that we¡¯re working with a slightly earlier cut off in a few weeks time. I want to scale back some of the challenges that we¡¯re facing. There¡¯s no need to rush through them after all.¡± I tapped my notes. ¡°On that note, I see there have been some booked in doubles battles for me, which will be interesting for our usual crowd, along with the tropical Friday coming back up soon. I see Brawly is booked in¡­¡± My eyes alighted on the final dot point on this particular discussion, ¡°And then I also have my match with Will.¡± Rocko and Dennis both straightened up at that, while Rachel began bouncing in her seat. ¡°We¡¯ve already sold out tickets! I think it¡¯s going to be a super event! It¡¯s almost a shame we signed that deal so early in the year cause with the attention Will has drawn, the television company is going to be making tons of this match!¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s nice, but it wasn¡¯t our main concern back then. Good for us for later. But yeah, everyone be aware that he will be the last match of the day next weekend before lunch.¡± Alexa cleared her throat, and I glanced up. ¡°Yes Alexa?¡± ¡°Is there any reason we¡¯re not running it later. In the evening perhaps?¡± I frowned. ¡°That¡¯s the time we have Gym battles. I don¡¯t do fights at night, as we book slots for the day. That way, we all get home at a reasonable hour. Why?¡± ¡°There has been some queries from the television group about running it later,¡± she admitted. I huffed and shook my head. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not running a later match. One, we don¡¯t do that cause of what I said earlier, and two? I don¡¯t want to give Will any special treatment. I think he¡¯s gotten more than enough of that.¡± ¡°Hear hear!¡± cheered Missy only to blush when everyone looked at her. I chuckled and nodded in thanks at her show of support. ¡°You ready for him?¡± asked Stephen, his eyes flicking around. ¡°People have been talking him up around town a lot more than usual.¡± When I tilted my head, he elaborated. ¡°Part of my research is to interact with the pokemon trainers and see how they are doing. I spend time on the routes but also go around to the Trainer hangouts like the various restaurants and battle clubs.¡± Yolanda snickered, ¡°You mean Mr Mimes?¡± Stephen sighed hugely. ¡°It really saddens me that Professor Oak was right about it being such a good spot to gather information. I just offer to buy some kids the cheap burgers and they answer any question I ask!¡± I smirked, adopting a lecturing pose as be took on a flowery tone of voices. ¡°Wisdom in spades,¡± ¡°His mind sharper th¡ª¡± I started to tease, only for Stephen to hold up a hand. ¡°Please don¡¯t I get enough of that when I check in with him in the breakroom¡­¡± Stephen then tilted his head. ¡°Rocko did you tell him you¡¯re on break? Otherwise, he¡¯s going to be all sad when he comes and finds you gone.¡± Stephen rubbed his chin. ¡°Then again, he¡¯ll probably still be sad.¡± ¡°Just tell him Salvadore will play against him for a fortnight.¡± I rolled my eyes and Yolanda giggled. Rocko quickly fired off a message to that effect. I rolled my eyes harder. "Right, well, with that out of the way, the only other thing of note is that we have a date for the inaugural Pewter Gym Contest.¡± Dennis got a pained look and shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s going to be so much glitter,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°There is in fact, not going to be any glitter,¡± I said firmly. I ignored Rachel as she held up her thumb and her finger to indicate that there would be a ¡®little bit of glitter¡¯. ¡°The theme that we¡¯re going to be working on is going be a Tough theme. Something our area is well known for with our Geodude, Onix, Mankey, Beedril, and other pokemon that are not traditionally cute or beautiful being found locally¡­ for now,¡± I added quietly at the end. One day I would have Carbink and then hopefully a Diancie. I then clapped my hands together and signalled the end of the meeting. ¡°Alright, report to Dennis for the next two days, as I¡¯m off to talk with Pryce in Mahogany Town.¡± The Gym trainers all turned to Dennis, and he started assigning jobs while Rocko stood and talked with Alexa and Rachel before moving off. Yolanda made straight for me. ¡°You¡¯re going to fly there on Zephyr?¡± When I nodded she pursed her lips. ¡°Will he be able to handle the flight? Are you sure you can¡¯t ask Sabrina to take you? She¡¯s able to teleport nearly all the way across Kanto!¡± I held up a hand. ¡°Almost all the way across Kanto,¡± I corrected before continuing, ¡°Even in an ideal situation, she¡¯d need to teleport three to four times in a row to make it one way to Mahogany Town, I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯d pretty sure that would tire her out a lot.¡± Yolanda opened her mouth, but I twitched my hand to indicate I wasn¡¯t done speaking. ¡°Also, that¡¯s not accounting for the Silver Range that she¡¯d have to teleport around. That place is crawling with Dark type pokemon, that makes it extremely dangerous for her to teleport through as some of those pokemon will attack her and restrict her range of teleporting by a significant margin. She¡¯d instead have to Teleport south toward New Bark town before heading back north west, extending the trip to six or seven teleports at least.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that,¡± she said. She walked with me to our house before brightening up and hurrying away. ¡°Don¡¯t go before I give you something!¡± she said as she dashed off. ¡°Alright, and no running!¡± I called after her. She cheekily ignored me. I checked in with Flint, and he seemed to have a good idea of what he was going to have to do for the next two nights. ¡°So you remember where the spare sheets are in case the twins have another accident?¡± ¡°In the linen closet!¡± he said exasperatedly, waving me off. Timmy, who¡¯d been following Flint around, mimicked him with his shooing gesture. ¡°Alright gang! I¡¯m off for a night! So anyone want to give me a goodbye hug?¡± I called as I made for the door, my travel bag slung over my shoulder and my pokeballs checked. ¡°Brock wait! If you¡¯re dropping in on Terra and Titan¡¯s mother, can you give her this?¡± Yolanda said as she handed me a clay tablet that had a handprint and a clawprint with Yolanda and Terra¡¯s names above each. A picture of Yolanda and Terra was also shoved into my hands. ¡°And give her this so she knows her daughter¡¯s doing well!¡± ¡°She¡¯s a wild pokemon Yolanda,¡± Flint said patronisingly. ¡°She¡¯s not going to care. Brock you really should stay away from her!¡± he said worriedly. I waved off his concern. ¡°She¡¯s calm as anything with me. And I think she¡¯ll like this. Maybe oneday I¡¯ll take you up there when you¡¯re trained up a bit Yolanda, introduce you?¡± Yolanda beamed. ¡°I¡¯d love that!¡± A hand on my arm made me look down. ¡°Oh hey Suzie come to say good bye?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± she said as she hugged me. She held onto me. ¡°When you get back you need to tell us another Snorlax story!¡± she demanded as she broke off. I chuckled, ¡°Sure thing.¡± This caused the smaller kids to line up and hug me before listing their own demands for toys, snacks, or stories as they hugged me. Eevee decided to get in on the hugs by leaping into my arms. ¡°Heh, hey girl, sorry I can''t take you; otherwise, if you get lost, I might come back with a Glaceon!¡± I said dramatically. Eevee huffed at me but licked my hand when I put her down. Munchlax pointed at his mouth before he hugged me. ¡°Munch?¡± he asked. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get you a Mahogany special snack, sound good?¡± He nodded happily, hugged me, and then scampered onto the couch. He rocked back and forth with a content look on his face, as though he was prepared to wait right there for my return. With that done, I nodded farewell to Flint, stepped outside, and released Zephyr to begin soaring west. With Zephyr judiciously using Tailwind to boost his speed, we made good time to Mt Silver where I released Don to shepherd a flock of Fearow that were hanging about above the mountain. I didn¡¯t think they were going to be a threat, but they were known for their territorial behaviour, so I had him chase them off. I considered flying down then and there to approach Titan¡¯s mother, or as the Rangers called her, Empress, but decided against it. I wanted to get to Mahogany Town with time to spare for shopping and to get an initial look at what Lorelei had hinted at. I really, really hoped it was something like an Aurorus. That would be perfect for both of us. Otherwise, my next pick would have to be a Tyrunt. That would be an amazing find. Lance would be so envious if I got a Tyrantrum. I spent the next hour imagining having such a pokemon before the reality set in. The chances weren¡¯t high for that. There was more likelihood of Aurorus, but then again, certain pokemon would favour certain regions for a reason, especially with ancient pokemon. The sun began to climb higher in the sky, but I didn''t feel the heat too badly due to how high we were flying. As we got closer to Mahogany, the temperature continued to drop, even though the valley between the Silver Range and Mt Mortar showed lush greenery, there was a chill in the air despite it being late spring now. There were a number of slopes that were still white with snow and I could spy a number of people and even pokemon skiing or snowboarding. ¡°Hmm I wonder if Brawly¡¯s any good with snowboarding?¡± I said to myself. I snapped a picture and sent him a message. He responded quickly. ¡°Nice! Gone hit the slopes, man?! We should do that one day! Get a weekend free and board it up!¡± I chuckled. Well, that made sense. He had spent time in Cianwood, which wasn¡¯t that far away from the snow. I sent back that I¡¯d think about it while wrapping a scarf around my neck and tightening my flight goggles and gloves. Zephyr¡¯s breath started to fog up as he closed in on our destination, and when we landed, he heaved huge gouts of fog into the midday air. I tugged off the goggles I used for longer flights and shook myself out to get feeling back into my limbs as Zephyr hopped towards a drinking station at the pokecenter that had been set up for pokemon such as himself. Then I sent off another message to Lorelei. I didn¡¯t have to wait long as a familiar redhead walked up and waved. ¡°Brock!¡± called Lorelei. ¡°Glad to see you made it over Mt Silver so easily!¡± As she got closer, the now familiar drop in temperature followed her. I saw a number of people shiver as she passed them by. I merely channelled some more rock energy into my limbs. I¡¯d move stiffly but not feel the cold as much. ¡°Ehhh, it¡¯s a piece of cake, honestly. I have some pokemon I know that know not to attack me these days,¡± I said thinking of Empress before pausing. Perhaps that herd of Donphan could be included? As well as that group of Onix from that one time with the Rangers¡­ I shook my head. ¡°Well anyway. The Mt Silver area isn¡¯t as dangerous for me as it is for others.¡± ¡°Having a Tyranitar will do that. Do you get many pokemon attacking you in the air still?¡± I held my fingers close together. ¡°A little bit, but I always double up with Don flying a protection detail for me. He loves getting to rough up the locals when they try to fight him, so it works out for him.¡± ¡°Hmmm I wonder if before his resurrection his species were dragon typed?¡± Lorelei rubbed her chin in thought. I shrugged. ¡°Might have been, we¡¯d need to find different fossils, I suppose. They¡¯re rather hard to find though, might be due to being buried or even eaten by Onix or other pokemon that inhabit the land nowadays.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Does the same hold true for the ice caverns?¡± Lorelei nodded with a saddened look. ¡°Yes, sadly, the pokemon such as Piloswine and Delibird do disturb the caves. It doesn¡¯t help that a trainer released a number of ice typed pokemon from Hoenn locally a number of years ago. Some of the peaks of the local mountains now have Glalie that blend in rather well. The Rangers didn¡¯t know about it until various caverns had been carved out by the pokemon, and now there is an established group.¡± ¡°A number of them? Was it just a breeding group?¡± I asked interestedly. ¡°Indeed, there are numerous reports of some of the frozen waterways having Spheal. These are being focused on and they¡¯re only rarely found. They haven¡¯t been as damaging to the local ecosystem as the Glalie but they''re also easier to contain.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised the Rangers are having such trouble with the Glalie, they have specialised teams for most environments,¡± I said, thinking it odd. ¡°We had Brandon come in for a while.¡± She glanced at me. ¡°I assume Lance told you about what is happening with Fiore?¡± I didn¡¯t even get a chance to confirm or deny it as she continued talking. ¡°Brandon has been nominated as a glorified border guard, which is a shame as the man truly was a skilled trainer for the Rangers. We had him here for a number of months, and his pokemon are certainly special. Not even he, however, could stop the Glalie issue. It¡¯s almost like they were slipping through the mountains at times. The odd thing is they were leaving no evidence.¡± I paused as I reconsidered what I knew of Glalie. Glalie were widely thought of as the only evolution for Snorunt, but that wasn¡¯t the case, and I knew as much. Was it possible that there were Frosslas in the local mountains? It would explain their evasion of experienced Rangers like Brandon, especially if they were working under the assumption they only needed to look for open air caverns. What pokemon could Frosslas breed with? I wasn¡¯t too sure of that and had to give it up. It did, however, offer a potential confirmation of there being Dawn stones in the local area. You couldn¡¯t get Frosslas otherwise, to my understanding. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Pokepenny for your thoughts?¡± Lorelei said. ¡°Hmmm just mulling it over. Feels like there¡¯s something we¡¯re missing here.¡± I glanced at her. ¡°What happened to the trainer?¡± ¡°They were fined and had their pokemon license suspended for a decade for endangering the ecosystem. They tried to argue with a League official and got themselves in more trouble as they thought they could catch and release to help spread biodiversity.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Some trainers, I swear. They think they can just catch and release without any issues being caused.¡± ¡°Hnn,¡± I said in agreement before smirking. ¡°So is it true about Brandon? He has a Regice?¡± Lorelei nodded. ¡°He does!¡± She pouted a little. "Sadly, he won¡¯t tell us how or where he found it.¡± She shot me a look and said, "Hoping to find out about his Regirock?¡± I sighed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯d love to have one of those on my team.¡± Lorelei nodded in agreement, and we spent the rest of the walk to her grandfather¡¯s Gym discussing the powerhouse dream teams we could set up if we ever got the chance. ¡°¡ªand Articuno would make the perfect addition,¡± Lorelei said wistfully. "Oh, no doubt,¡± I said as I walked into the Mahogany Gym proper. ¡°Still dreaming of getting yourself an Articuno child?¡± barked a gruff voice that cut through our conversation like a harsh, icey gail. I turned my gaze and locked eyes with an older, weather-beaten man. Now that I was aware of him, I noticed I was blowing small clouds of fog with each breath. Was this just him, or caused by an overlap of Lorelei and Pryce¡¯s aura? Pryce turned his attention to Lorelei. ¡°You should know it is a fool''s gambit to attempt to contain a Legendary pokemon! They¡¯re too powerful to be contained with pokeballs!¡± he said. Lorelei nodded. ¡°Yes, of course Grandfather.¡± I glanced between them. Pryce wasstanding, and although age had worn him down until he was physically shorter than Lorelei he still towered over her. ¡°You know you could just try to become friends with¡ª¡± I stated to say only for Pryce to snort. ¡°Friends!? Pokemon are wild unless trained. Sadly some of them are more powerful than others making it harder to tame them! But don¡¯t forget they will go back to their ways at a moment¡¯s notice!¡± I blinked at him. ¡°Huh?¡± I said. That, hadn¡¯t been what I¡¯d been expecting to hear from a man that had made it to the top of the Pokemon League. For him to deride friendship with pokemon with all things, how had he ever become Champion? Pryce snorted. ¡°Perhaps this was a mistake. I thought you were more educated than your years suggested. Bah!¡± He turned and walked away, leaving me to stare after him. My eyes slid to his legs and I noted he walked with a hitch that told me he had an injury or sore point. Lorelei made a noise. ¡°Sorry, about him; he¡¯s been like this since he lost his starter. Piloswine had been with him since he was a child. They fought together for¡­ well, decades. It has hit Grandfather rather harshly to have his starter run off like it did.¡± I blinked. ¡°That¡­ that can¡¯t be right though? Maybe his pokemon went to¡­¡± I trailed off. Hadn¡¯t there been a plot point about this? Something that had to do with Ash and company finding Pryce¡¯s pokemon frozen or something¡­ Lorelei nodded. ¡°I tried saying as much, but Grandfather¡¯s Piloswine was extremely well trained. It could leave messages. Supposedly Grandfather had a fight with it¡­ it doesn¡¯t help that Grandfather was then challenged by Lance a few months later.¡± Lorelei rubbed her elbow. ¡°He thinks he wouldn¡¯t have lost if Piloswine hadn¡¯t run away.¡± Lorelei shook her head. ¡°This was years ago though, it¡¯s old news now.¡± ¡°He fought Lance without his starter?¡± I rubbed my chin, I had a vague recollection of that match due to having not watched it when it occurred due to having to set up my Gym and look after my family at the time. ¡°Hadn¡¯t he fielded a Piloswine still?¡± ¡°Yes, a much weaker Piloswine,¡± Lorelei said with a shake of her head. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said. ¡°I¡­ can kind of see where he¡¯s coming from but¡­ I couldn¡¯t imagine Titan ever giving up on me. Had something happened before then?¡± ¡°Not that I can think of¡­ this was before my time as a member of the Elite Four,¡± Lorelei rubbed her chin. ¡°It was actually after Piloswine ran off that Grandfather had me assume my role as Elite Four member¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Huh, I never thought about that before, actually.¡± ¡°Did he face a challenger before that?¡± ¡°No he had a rather rough show match with Blaine I think¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°It was years ago, I¡¯m sorry to say.¡± Lorelei looked away. ¡°I personally think Piloswine was old and thinking it didn¡¯t have much time left so it ran away to spare Grandfather the pain of losing him¡­ It¡¯s just made things rough.¡± ¡°How long do Piloswine live?¡± I asked. ¡°As long, if not longer, than humans. But¡­ it¡¯s not uncommon behaviour for them to just wander off from their herds, or family.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said. The problem was that it was something that Ash in the cartoon had fallen into. There weren¡¯t any landmarks that I could recall. This was the first time I¡¯d stumbled into something that I knew was working against me. ¡°Can we still see the fossils you have, or is that off the table?¡± Lorelei chewed her lip. ¡°I¡¯ll.. go talk with him, give me an hour or two¡­¡± ¡°No problem,¡± I said, turning back to the front doors. ¡°Any chance there¡¯s a local shopping area where I can get some souvenirs for my family?¡± Lorelei smiled, pulled a brochure off the wall, and handed it to me. She then pointed to the map of Mahogany Town. ¡°Knock yourself out,¡± she said merrily before adopting a more careful expression as she marched off to talk with her grandfather. I glanced down at the map and was surprised when it highlighted an entire street in Mahogany town dedicated to souvenirs. Well, with that sorted out, I set off. Hopefully, Lorelei could deal with Pryce and we could wrap this up relatively soon.
By the second hour, I had all the shopping done. It was very easy to look through gift shops and buy things for kids that had never been here to Mahogany town, and Munchlax? Well a few kilograms of chocolate should solve any gift for him. The trick would be making sure he didn¡¯t eat it in one go. I kept walking feeling a bit annoyed that it was obviously taking Lorelei a while, from our previous discussions, I knew she liked to be punctual where possible. A fact that often saw her rubbed the wrong way when she was set up to be snubbed by people trying to curry favour with Lance. I kept walking around Mahogany Town, only to pause when I came upon a small walled-in temple. It was a tidy little affair, only slightly bigger than a traditional shrine, in truth. Still, the garden was idyllic and inviting. I walked into the open area and passed a few statues of some sort of guardian dog, only to do a double take. Those weren¡¯t guardian dogs! Those were Growlithe! I inspected them and felt my memories twinge on a specific note regarding Growlithe. Stripes, paws, and snouts were all present. Where these statues of Growlithe were different, however, was that they were rather fluffy. You could almost call them around with how their hair was arranged. I snapped a few pictures before approaching a shrine maiden. I bowed in greeting before indicating the statues. ¡°How old are the statues?¡± ¡°Oh! Our temple is one of the oldest in Johto! It has historical records dating back five hundred years ago!¡± ¡°Five hundred years you say?¡± I said. ¡°Does that make it the oldest?¡± I asked as another thought occurred to me. A sour expression appeared on the maiden¡¯s face. ¡°In Johto it is¡­ The shrine in Lavender town holds the claim in the Indigo region.¡± She then brightened up. ¡°But there are two temples in Hoenn that are older still!¡± she said as though she was glad that Kanto of all places didn¡¯t have one of the oldest structures. I asked a few more questions. I didn¡¯t bother asking what pokemon was around the walls, I knew what they were, it was obvious to me. I walked out and started looking through my transceiver for images of other temples, slowly accumulating a small library of images that all supported a growing theory I had. Sadly, the statues didn¡¯t feature in any of Hoenn¡¯s temples, but then I took a moment and considered Hoenn. Growlithe didn¡¯t naturally occur there. I hummed and opened my Guardian holopad, starting my search for more images of temples. I noted that the images were all linked with reports on targets of military importance where the temples acted as points where defenders would retreat and recover. Images of ¡®guardian¡¯ beasts appeared in some of these files and in more than a few¡ª specifically the older temples¡ª round, fluffy Growlithe appeared to ¡®protect¡¯ the population. I rubbed my chin. This was very interesting information. If I could tap a Growlithe breeder and Bian¡ª My transceiver started to beep frantically, startling me from my research fugue. I had to tuck away my holopad to answer. ¡°Brock here,¡± I said brusquely. Lorelei¡¯s image appeared, and she blinked at me. ¡°Brock, I was able to get grandfather to relax. Are you still interested in viewing the caverns?¡± I blinked as I recalled what I¡¯d actually come to Mahogany for. ¡°Oh yeah, send me your location, and I¡¯ll come to you.¡± I checked my watch. Damn, it had taken Lorelei almost four hours to talk with him. I felt a wave of irritation wash over me at that. Damn, and I¡¯d been in such a good mood with my find just a moment ago. Was Pryce deliberately snubbing me? Lorelei shot me her co-ordinates which saw me remounting Zephyr and flying east towards the icy trail. In a large clearing, I found Lorelei standing with Pryce. She looked a little tired, and he just looked grumpy. She gave me a small wave. ¡°Hi Brock, thanks for sticking around. We¡¯re ready to take you to the caverns our family owns now to see the fossils.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I¡¯m here for!¡± I said, gesturing for them to lead the way. Pryce snorted like a great Tauros, his breath shooting out of his nostrils like twin geysers. He marched off to the north and into the mountains. Lorelei smiled in apology, and I hummed. This was going to be delicate, it would seem. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that when Pryce walked, he did so with a limp that coincided with a growl escaping him. He probably had an old injury or two, though, considering he would have been in the thick of it during the war. We walked out of the clearing and into a forest that sloped before coming to a rather innocuous-looking ledge. Pryce flicked out a pokeball and a Walrein appeared. ¡°Clear it out,¡± he ordered. The pokemon bowed its head before turning to the ledge and blowing a huge gust of wind out that swept the snow away to reveal a frozen cave entrance. The cave entrance was then broken with a Headbutt. As Walrein shook off the shock, it was returned to its pokeball. I could only frown at Pryce. It was considered a little rude to be so blunt with your pokemon. He didn¡¯t even bat an eye and instead marched into the cave. I followed, with Lorelei bringing up the rear. The cave itself was a tightly packed walkway with multiple stalactites and stalagmites that glittered with the small torch that Pryce used to navigate. I walked along without worry behind him, only for Lorelei to stumble a few times. I paused. ¡°No torch?¡± I asked. ¡°Gramps doesn¡¯t like the glare that having two torches in the caves causes. The place sort of becomes a mirror maze otherwise. It hurts his eyes¡­¡± Lorelei swallowed what she was about to say and offered a tight smile, ¡°It¡¯s not usually a problem.¡± I hummed in thought for a moment. It seemed like Pryce valued not having a headache from too much glare over Loreli potentially injuring herself. Pryce was really starting to rub me the wrong way with how he was acting. ¡°Put a hand on my shoulder; that way you can feel any dips you can¡¯t see.¡± She did so, but we still had to hurry after Pryce as he hadn¡¯t stopped for us. I had no issues navigating the darker tunnels, thanks to my dark energy trick, so we quickly caught up. When we did, he stopped to glance back at me, his torch flicking up into my face. ¡°Something the matter?¡± I asked as I shielded my eyes. It didn¡¯t matter that I was wielding dark energy, having a torch shine itself into your eyes stung. He took a moment to inspect me before grunting and shaking his head. ¡°Just didn¡¯t take you as an aura user is all.¡± I paused as Lorelei hissed in surprise. Her hand twitched on my shoulder before staying where it was very carefully. Pryce continued as though he didn¡¯t care that he¡¯d casually detected my aura use, something no one else had done beyond a very select group with the Guardians. ¡°Thought you¡¯d have been like a rock. You certainly have the head for it,¡± he said waspishly. ¡°I took after my pokemon,¡± I replied, ignoring the slight even as I felt my eye twitch. His attitude was really starting to piss me off. I locked my face into a rictus of a smile. I had to remember what I was here for. Do it for the Ancient pokemon Brock! I considered biting back, maybe even nudging him a little. He was old and the ice was slippery¡­ Alright, that got a bit too dark. I called up some Rock energy to stabilise me before I got too tempted to do anything drastic to this old crotchety man. I wanted to see the fossils I chanted in my head, while saying aloud, ¡°Oh I have that as well. I worked with my pokemon to get it,¡± I said back with a tinge of pride. Alright, so I wasn¡¯t going to stop myself from needling back at least a little. ¡°Feh!¡± he said in annoyance, only to step around a corner and suddenly into an open cavern. He set the torch down and pulled on the end to make it into a lantern that brought light to the cavern we¡¯d entered. I whistled at what was revealed, it was a room that was practically full of ancient bodies. I whistled at the forms of a number of shrivelled bodies that had skin that was too tightly wound over skeletons. I could easily recognise the pokemon on display. Anorith, and Kabutops seemed rather close together, as did the Omastar. I walked a little further in and found an Aerodactyl that was curled up around what looked like a nest. The final pokemon was a pokemon that resembled a mammoth. I whistled when I stood before it and realised that it easily stood at two and a half, if not three metres tall. ¡°Wow,¡± I said as I inspected tusks width of my legs but almost the length of my body. ¡°That¡¯s some impressive ivory.¡± Pryce stepped up to me. ¡°Yes, this is the pokemon we wish to resurrect. It will make a powerful¡­ addition to my team,¡± he said. I frowned. I had gotten the feeling he meant ¡®replacement¡¯ rather than addition. I squinted at it. ¡°You know¡­ I think this one has a lot that is similar to the Swinub line.¡± Pryce scowled. ¡°It perhaps is an ancestor pokemon but the modern variant has grown weaker.¡± I hummed. I knew that wasn¡¯t the case thanks to my past life¡¯s knowledge, but conveying that to Pryce, an Ice expert, was going to be difficult. ¡°What if there had just been a condition of evolution that hadn¡¯t been met?¡± He turned and scowled at me. ¡°Are you one of those people that will try to preach friendship with me?¡± I felt the temperature drop, but I didn¡¯t huddle into myself to try and avoid him. ¡°Friendship is important, its how we¡¯re able to make our pokemon stronger. But it¡¯s not the mechanic of evolution I was talking about.¡± ¡°Which were you referencing?¡± Lorelei hurriedly interjected, trying to move the conversation away from the touchy subject. ¡°Pokemon moves that need to be learned. I actually only yesterday pointed out that Erika from Celadon¡¯s Tangela could potentially evolve with a certain move, and she did.¡± ¡°A Grass type pokemon is not the same thing as an Ice type!¡± snapped Pryce. I took a calming breath. ¡°The link is the same, though, perhaps a Piloswine could bridge the gap with Ancient Power,¡± I said honestly. It helped that I knew I was right. That didn¡¯t help Pryce though. ¡°Bah! You¡¯re awfully confident it¡¯s a Piloswine evolution for a trainer who has never raised one! Piloswine are smaller and hairer!¡± ¡°Evolution does change a number of pokemon in different ways,¡± I replied, thinking of Octilery. ¡°Hmpf, we¡¯ll see if you have any truth to your words when your machine revives this pokemon.¡± ¡°What will you do if it comes out as a Swinub?¡± I asked. He merely scowled at me, and I sighed before gesturing to the other frozen fossils, deciding to not deal with it. Nope, no way, not my issue. ¡°What do you want to do with the other fossils?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have them cut out and sent to the Pewter facility for holding. With them being frozen rather than entombed in rock, there should be more genetic data, so we will get more pokemon resurrected.¡± I nodded before considering something. ¡°Why did you never approach Bla¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not approaching Blaine with this!¡± growled Pryce fiercely. Then he grimaced and held his hip. He gritted his teeth and snarled. Lorelei ran up to him and let him lean on her for a few moments as he regathered himself. He shuddered and sighed. ¡°Thank you,¡± he murmured quietly to her. She gave him a tight smile before she looked up at me. ¡°When Blaine burns things¡­ he really burns them. During a match with Blaine, Grandfather got hit by a tongue of fire and has been struggling with the aftereffects for years.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said. Pryce scowled. ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to know that!¡± he snapped before standing. Lorelei watched him worriedly, ready to support him if his hip gave out once more. I tilted my head, I¡¯d never considered that he might have raised her up to Elite Four to have her supporting him. The common narrative never mentioned him being injured. ¡°Blaine laced his fire with aura I take it?¡± I asked. Lorelei nodded, while Pryce grumbled. ¡°He didn¡¯t want to leave things with a simple retirement with his last match; he wanted to show off. That man is like a volcano, though, and he doesn¡¯t have much discrimination; remember that if you ever fight him!¡± I nodded. ¡°I only ever fought him for my seventh badge.¡± Pryce tilted his head. ¡°You did the traditional eight?¡± ¡°Yeah, Giovanni wasn¡¯t as hard to get through back then,¡± I shrugged, I¡¯d prepared well and truly to take the fight to him, but he¡¯d merely faced me down with a Kangaskahn and Rhydon before awarding me the badge. ¡°It would be a lot different these days, I suspect.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Pryce said. He watched me thoughtfully. ¡°Who trained you in aura? It couldn¡¯t have been Agatha.¡± ¡°Oh? She trains others?¡± I said, faking that I didn¡¯t already know Agatha very well, or that she could teach Aura. Pryce nodded slowly, his frosty gaze attempting to cut into me. ¡°Indeed, this new girl that is challenging Steven Stone¡­ She reeks of Agatha¡¯s methods.¡± He looked away. ¡°I faced Agatha a lot, you know, in the past? She was always a tough opponent.¡± ¡°Hmmm well, I¡¯ve only ever learned aura from my starter pokemon.¡± Pryce¡¯s face hardened, and I knew I¡¯d touched on a sore spot once more. ¡°Hmmf, learn what you can before he runs off on you!¡± ¡°Titan wouldn¡¯t do that without a good reason,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Know that, do you? Think you can count on him?¡± he said, his chin jutting out. ¡°I thought the same! Forget what you think you know and listen to experience, boy! Pokemon can and will betray you!¡± he shouted, his voice echoing in the frozen cavern. I stared at Pryce and took him in. He really was a bitter old man. He¡¯d been burned, literally and metaphorically. His life¡¯s work had slipped through his fingers¡­ What must it have been like to follow in Samuel Oak¡¯s shadow? The weight of two regions placed upon him with Oak¡¯s retirement. It couldn¡¯t have been easy. These days, he was almost a footnote to Oak, and Lance, despite his tenure as Champion. I worked my jaw and wondered how I should deal with this. Pryce opened his mouth. ¡°Your Titan is a pokemon, a beast of destruction; don¡¯t forget that! One day in the future he will leave you and claim some mountain, but then he will be a threat to everyone!¡± I scowled. Alright, I was going to rip the bandaid off. ¡°How long was it before you gave up looking for your starter pokemon?¡± I said. Pryce reeled back at the sudden shift. He narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°You¡­!¡± Lorelei held up her hands and stepped between us. ¡°Hey, come on now, let¡¯s calm down. We¡¯re getting a little too heated! Let¡¯s cool down!¡± ¡°No, I want to hear how long it took for you to give up,¡± I said, holding a hand up to Lorelei. ¡°I looked for two years!¡± he snapped. ¡°But you gave up in the end, right?¡± ¡°Oh, and I su¡ª¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have stopped looking,¡± I barked, cutting off what he was going to say. I even stepped forward to get closer to him. ¡°What if he got swept away or injured? What if he got stolen? What if he went looking for something to help with your burn from Blaine?¡± Pryce¡¯s eyes flashed, and a look of worry appeared before he closed himself off. ¡°That is not what happened! And what I did back then is my business!¡± ¡°Sadly, that¡¯s not true.¡± I point out. ¡°You were the Champion, even as a former champion, your words and actions carry weight.¡± He blinked in surprise at that while I looked him up and down, judging him. ¡°If you gave up on the bond between you and your pokemon, I¡¯m not all that surprised that you lost to Lance.¡± ¡°Boy, you better be ready to back those words up!¡± he said, pulling out a pokeball. ¡°I¡¯d be delighted to show you how wrong you are,¡± I said as I unclipped Titan¡¯s greatball from my necklace with a twist. Lorelei slumped. ¡°Urgh men! Fine! Let¡¯s take this back to the clearing! We¡¯re not fighting in here but only a small battle to sate your stupid egos!¡± She threw up her hands in disgust. I nodded, not dropping my gaze from Pryce. I¡¯d beaten the current Champion, now I needed to teach the prior Champion a lesson. Chapter 120 - Out Cold ¡°Both trainers are only allowed to use three pokemon! I can¡¯t let this get too heated!¡± Lorelei said from where she stood between us. Pryce sniffed and opened his coat, ignoring the freezing temperature and displaying his pokemon belt. I reached straight for the greatball on my necklace. I knew how this had to go. I not only had to win, but also in such a way that it taught him a lesson. My choice gave Pryce pause, and he switched his hand to a pokemon further back along his belt. ¡°Titan! GO!¡± I brought forth my starter and he emerged onto the frozen clearing with a snort. He flexed his claws slightly and tested his footing. His eyes swept the area, looking for his opponent. ¡°Go Dewgong!¡± ordered Pryce, his pokemon appearing and barking as only a seal could at my pokemon. Titan snorted, and the Dewgong glowered. Water-Ice versus Darkness-Rock. I clicked my tongue, and Titan shifted to keep Dewgong in his sight while giving me some attention. I tapped my chest and then pointed at him. Titan nodded, repositioning himself so he was fully facing forward and blocking me from Pryce''s vision. He wanted to deny the importance of a bond? I¡¯d grind it into his face. I called up my energy, and instead of there being just a freezing plain with chilling winds, there was now a dark mountain. A mountain that loomed over the landscape. Shadows crept around Titan¡¯s eyes and he rolled his shoulders. Lorelei stiffened at the feel of the energy that was pulsating out of us. It had taken a lot of work to get the balance right, and the empowerment was in truth, only a five percent boost. Oddly enough, the work that I had been doing with Jormungandr had made it easier of late to call up my energy and link it to Titan¡¯s to boost him. It also made us far more in tune with each other. It¡¯d probably be nothing compared to the power that would come from mega evolutions, Gigantimax, or Z moves that would be found in the future, but five percent at Titan¡¯s level of strength wasn¡¯t something to be dismissed lightly. ¡°Begin!¡± Lorelei called. ¡°Ice Beam!¡± barked Pryce. Without saying a word, I knew what Titan wanted to do, and I agreed with his assessment. Titan dove into the frozen earth, and I walked to the side, allowing the attack to harmlessly pass me by. I felt the chill, but what was a chill to a mountain? It was merely part of it. All mountains grow cold. Cracks formed underneath Dewgong, announcing that Titan had already gotten underneath his foe. ¡°Aqua Tail up into the air!¡± ordered Pryce, making his pokemon leap into the air. Titan broke through the ground a moment later in pursuit, and his jaws snapped shut just behind the tail that Dewgong had tucked into itself. As gravity asserted itself I grunted out, ¡°DP.¡± Titan exploded with dark energy that slammed into Dewgong and sent it soaring up again as the hit connected. Titan landed and caused a shockwave. He stood next to the broken earth of his tunnel he¡¯d dug out of and flexed his claws into the ground. His eyes tracked his opponent as it fell, slightly out of sync with himself. Dewgong plummeted to the ground, only for Pryce to click his tongue. ¡°Aqua tail again; control yourself!¡± Dewgong¡¯s tail began to glow blue, and it swung itself around as though to slam into Titan. ¡°Protect,¡± I said carefully, making a shell of hexagonal energy build up around my pokemon and stopping the hit. Dewgong¡¯s Aqua Tail slammed into it but it didn¡¯t break through. This forced Dewgong¡¯s landing to be slightly off and it sprawled when it hit the ground instead of using its attack to bleed off momentum. ¡°Titan, grapple and throw it up again!¡± I said, causing my pokemon to break the defensive shell and grab the other pokemon before spinning and throwing the pokemon up into the air. Dewgong hurtled away. ¡°Gooooong!¡± It cried before slamming into a tree. ¡°Perish Song!¡± Pryce ordered as his pokemon struggled to continue to rise and fight . ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I ordered, making my pokemon launch stone pillars. Dewgong opened its mouth only to take a barrage of boulders that saw him crumpling. ¡°Dewgong is unable to battle!¡± Lorelei announced it neutrally, but most of her attention was turned to her grandfather, observing how he would react. He merely sniffed and returned his pokemon. ¡°Go Lapras!¡± he said for his second pokemon. I smiled. A Lapras was a good choice, it was also something that Titan had a lot of experience fighting against. ¡°Hail!¡± ordered the older man as his pokemon whipped up a torrent of ice. I hummed in thought. A field effect, eh? Something that was much more effective in this environment. Titan¡¯s usual impact on a field was already much slower, but by cracking the frozen field, we had a much easier time of calling up rock, as well as getting through the earth with moves like Dig. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I ordered, causing boulders to once again be ripped up from the ground and be hurled at his foe. Lapras took it much more stoically, only turning himself so his shell took most of the hit while growling in annoyance. ¡°Blizzard!¡± ordered Pryce, his pokemon then exhaled even more frozen air from its maw. I knew the frozen air wasn''t the real threat, however, and instead flicked a glance up to see where the true threat would come from. ¡°Incoming!¡± I called to Titan. Titan understood what I meant without having to look and threw himself into the ground burrowing down and out of danger by digging. ¡°Surf,¡± Pryce said sternly as his pokemon¡¯s Blizzard slammed into the ground ineffectively. ¡°Follow up with Ice Beam,¡± he said, causing a solidified wave to form. I huffed at the classic one-two of moves that even I preferred with my pokemon. Titan emerged from his earthen voyage to a greatly changed battlefield. There were great spikes of ice embedded into the ground, and hail fell, causing Titan to bristle in annoyance. The frozen wave also changed the field, with elevation and an icy barrier now in play. ¡°Return Lapras,¡± Pryce said, surprising me with his choice to return his pokemon instead of keeping it out. ¡°Go Sneasel,¡± he said. I tilted my head as a much smaller pokemon took to the field. Pryce chuckled at my look of confusion. ¡°I¡¯m aware of how you like to control the battlefield Brock, I have my own methods of control. Sneasel use Quick Attack!¡± His pokemon blurred forward and slashed across Titan¡¯s flank faster than either of us could react. The pokemon then darted away and back into the spikes of ice that now looked like mirrors. Shapes flickered across a number of them, and I now understood just how Pryce had set the field up to favour himself. ¡°Hmmm impressive,¡± I said, happy to compliment him for his set up. ¡°Hone Claws, into Fury Swipes. Make him feel the bite of winter!¡± Pryce said firmly. ¡°Heh,¡± I said, knowing the next attack would be coming a bit slower. ¡°Stone Edge Encirclement,¡± I ordered Titan, making him stop glancing about and instead drop and throw a punch into the ground that caused the earth to break around him and for spears of stone to erupt like a star fortress. Sneasel just so happened to be mid-leap when the spears caught him in the chest and blew him backwards. ¡°On your feet, Sneasel! You¡¯re better than this!¡± barked Pryce. Sneasel kipped up to his feet and readied his claws. ¡°You¡¯ve got speed, but you don¡¯t have everything sorted out Pryce. Titan, go under the frozen wave and use DP hard again!¡± I ordered, making my pokemon throw himself backwards and into the earth. ¡°Hone Claws again Sneasel. We¡¯ll get our chance in a moment.¡± Pryce said haughtily. ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± I said firmly as Titan launched himself into the base of the wave before exploding it with a Dark Pulse. The ice wave blew out, and ice rained down across the field. Titan stoically endured it with a snort, while Sneasel wasn¡¯t so lucky, the icy blocks beating down on him. ¡°Fury Claw!¡± barked Pryce, making the pokemon slash his way through the threat. Sneasel¡¯s claws flashed and slabs of ice became small ice cubes as it swept its claws back and forth. It was an impressive display of control, power, and speed. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said not willing to ignore an opportunity despite the impressive showing. ¡°Quick Attack!¡± demanded Pryce. Instead of throwing itself into action, Sneasel flinched and turned towards the oncoming boulder. The moment of hesitation caused it to be clipped by a falling ice block before being slammed into by Titan¡¯s attack. The Stone Edge was more than strong enough to flatten it. ¡°Sneasel is unable to battle!¡± Lorelei said. Pryce grimaced as he withdrew his pokemon. He scowled across at my pokemon as Titan snorted while hail continuously tinkled down onto him. ¡°You don¡¯t trust your pokemon,¡± I called out to him as he reached for his Lapras¡¯ pokeball. ¡°You merely have a stronger pokemon where mine didn¡¯t follow orders.¡± ¡°Is that what you think it is? Seems like Sneasel didn¡¯t trust you. Being a pokemon trainer is a two way street after all,¡± I said as his Lapras emerged. Lapras locked eyes with Titan and my pokemon shook his head then snarled as Lapras snapped its beak in a threat display. ¡°Titan! Advance! Trust me!¡± ¡°Tyran! Tar!¡± Titan barked as he moved forward. ¡°How quaint!¡± Pryce snorted. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± His pokemon spat a huge ball of water straight at titan ¡°Left step!¡± I shouted straight away. Titan stepped to the side without even a hint of hesitation. He did so fast enough that the Hyro Pump whiffed past him and slammed into the landscape. ¡°Hydro Pump again!¡± snarled Pryce as he leaned forward. ¡°Jump right!¡± I barked as I strained my eyes to watch Lapras. Titan wasn''t the only one that was familiar with fighting a Lapras. I was more than familiar with a Lapras¡¯ tells. The smallest of movements with the Lapras¡¯ neck would announce where it was going to aim with each blast. ¡°Jump back!¡± ¡°Hop left!¡± ¡°Hold!¡± I said as Lapras tried to lead the shot, holding its Hydro Pump to nail Titan after he moved, only for Titan to not move and the attack to continue to be held. Titan locked eyes with Lapras. In Lapras¡¯ maw a large ball of water hovered, holding the threat, ready to be fired off. A cold wind blew through the field, with Titan now only ten metres away from Lapras. In pokemon terms, it was a paltry distance. I shouldn¡¯t have been able to advance my pokemon this close and he should have been nailed by a super-effective move, but that hadn¡¯t happened once. ¡°Kneel down,¡± I said. Titan knelt. Lapras was startled and nearly lost control of its attack, only to regroup and lock on to the Titan, who was now in a seemingly disadvantaged position. ¡°Now Lapras! Finish it!¡± ordered Pryce. A large pokemon kneeling, after all, should have been a terrible position for it. It all came down to how Titan had knelt. This was not the kneeling of a defeated warrior to another. This was a sprinter¡¯s kneel. He had his claws dug into the ground and his muscles clenched in readiness. He knew what would come next and was ready for me to give the order. ¡°Titan! GO!¡± I shouted. Titan accelerated forward, the Hydro Pump once more missing as it sailed over his head as he stayed low, pumping his arms and building up power with his headlong sprint. Lapras had just long enough to realise it had missed before Titan slammed into it with a Giga Impact that ended the match. Lapras was thrown back and landed on the ground out cold. Pryce stared at his downed pokemon before looking at Titan and I. I walked up and began spraying potion onto my champion with a handy towel to spread the medicine into faint scratches he had across his body. ¡°You did great buddy! I knew you could do it!¡± I said. ¡°Ty!¡± he roared happily, ignoring the sting as I rubbed his body over. ¡°Tar!¡± Pryce approached after returning his pokemon. ¡°You have a strong pokemon.¡± ¡°A strong pokemon, that I believe in,¡± I said happily. Titan crooned and then leaned down and nuzzled me. ¡°And he believes in me.¡± I glanced towards Pryce. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could pull off those moves otherwise. I think you¡¯ve forgotten that, with how hurt you are at Piloswine¡¯s loss.¡± Pryce face began to harden and turn frigid only for me to step into his personal space and put a hand on his shoulder. I locked eyes with him and stared right into him. ¡°It hurts, and now you try to stop the hurt by blocking off those that would get close but your lost pokemon might not be dead. Keep looking. Find out what happened,¡± I urged. ¡°It¡¯s not like other losses,¡± he said, the words coming out with a painful rasp. I squeezed his shoulder firmly. ¡°Allow yourself to have a little hope.¡± Pryce stepped back and stared at me, visibly confused at how this had turned out. I¡¯d beaten him but instead of looking down on him, I was trying to help him. I smiled trying to convey that it wasn¡¯t him I was looking down on, but his attitude. He looked away and stared into the forest, his jaw working. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. When he spoke, the words had to be dragged out of him. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. But it¡¯s not like you have to scour every mountain and crevice alone.¡± I gestured to Lorelei. ¡°Did you do it with others or just by yourself? Some of the best things pokemon can teach us is to be able to lean on other people. We¡¯re better if we can lean into our bonds. Not weaker.¡± Pryce worked his jaw and took a shuddering breath. I considered saying something else, only to discard the idea. Instead, we stood there, Pryce, Lorelei, Titan and I, waiting for Pryce to react. Pryce breathed in before exhaling loudly. ¡°Feh!¡± he snorted in annoyance and stormed off. I slumped. I¡¯d beaten him but I hadn¡¯t been able to reach him with the message he needed. I might have even¡ª Pryce paused at the edge of the clearing and looked back at me in consideration. His look lingered for a long moment, and I stared back at him trying to convey that he needed to believe. That it would all work out for him. His mouth twitched and his head spasmed into a nod, then he marched away. I exhaled and felt all the tension bleed away. Titan leaned down and nudged me while crooning softly. ¡°Great job buddy, you did great.¡± I rubbed him a bit and he leaned into the scratches. When I was done, I realsied I¡¯d inadvertently been ignoring Lorelei. ¡°Sorry about that Lorel¡ª¡± Lorelei was pinching the bridge of her nose. She took a long breath before exhaling it. She held up a hand to stop me talking and then looked after where her grandfather had been. Then she growled and clenched her fingers into hooks. She raked them through the air in his general direction. ¡°Of all the stupid methods of making him see my point! I just needed to fight him?!¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said as delicately as I could. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say, just fight him.¡± Lorelei leveled a murderous look at me. ¡°Do you have any idea how many methods I have used to try and help him?¡± ¡°...no?¡± I said sharing a look with Titan who took a step back and behind me, ¡°Urgh!¡± she said put her hands to her face and screamed in annoyance. Titan and I shared a look. This¡­ this was awkward. She straightened up and adjusted her clothes. ¡°I apologise for that Brock but this was just¡­¡± She shook her head again. ¡°I just can¡¯t believe that worked.¡± She rubbed her forehead. ¡°Thank you for headbutting him in that display of male pride, or whatever you call that. It seemed to get through to him.¡± I raised a finger to correct her. That hadn¡¯t been about pride¡­ I rethought it after a second and decided to just take the win for what it was. ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°If you wanted to help I think it''s best to look around for herbs and such. Were there any herbs or such that might have helped Pryce with his injury?¡± Lorelei chewed her lip. ¡°There¡¯s an old tale about them. The golden dew leaf herb is¡­ well, its rare beyond belief, but it has wonderful regenerative properties.¡± Lorelei looked away from me. ¡°Grandfather used to read me a story about it all the time when I was small¡­ Piloswine might have gotten it into his head to look for it.¡± She chewed her thumb. ¡°It¡¯s a place to start looking certainly.¡± She considered me. ¡°Why do you think Ancient Power would work for a Piloswine to evolve further?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Ancient Power is an interesting move as it sort of creates a link for pokemon to use with their genetic heritage. For some pokemon this opens up their evolutionary pathways. I¡¯ve noticed that quite a number of my Ancient pokemon have this move which is where I got the hint. So far, it has only been proven to work with Tangela and Yanma.¡± ¡°Yanma?¡± ¡°It evolves into a pokemon known as Yanmega, bug-flying still, but it gains a lot from the evolution.¡± Lorelei assessed me. ¡°Interesting, I will have to test it with a Piloswine myself.¡± She glanced toward where her grandfather had marched off. ¡°I will need to go after him though.¡± She pointed to the cave. ¡°We¡¯ll have the fossils extracted and escorted to your laboratory in Pewter. From there we will have a fifty-fifty spilt of any pokemon that are created. Is that acceptable?¡± ¡°I can accept that,¡± I said while eying the sinking sun. ¡°I made a reservation in a lodge for tonight.¡± Lorelei nodded. ¡°Sorry, I hadn¡¯t considered how grandfather was going to be¡­ In hindsight I should have made those arrangements. We¡¯ve kept you longer than we meant to.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It is a nice change of scenery.¡± I gestured back to town. ¡°Shall we?¡± Lorelei led the way back into town. The walk was relaxing, with a few more experienced trainers staring at Titan as he walked along at my side. Then they noticed myself and Lorelei. Only one trainer dared to step forward and offer a challenge, which Titan and I ignored. Lorelei, though, handed him a business card. ¡°Tomorrow at eight o¡¯clock I have a space in my schedule. If this doesn¡¯t suit you I have no other times to offer you.¡± The young man blushed and shook his head. ¡°No! No, this is great! I even have your number! I¡¯ll see you there!¡± He then ran off to his friends. I hummed and watched him start bragging to a group of friends. ¡°So you don¡¯t mind trainers like that calling you?¡± ¡°I have a secretary that screens my calls, actually.¡± I snorted as the man crowed about getting Lorelei¡¯s number. "Obviously, that¡¯s not something well known?¡± ¡°Men have to be told,¡± she said. I nodded before stopping to consider that. Men have to be told? What does that¡­ I considered that before tilting my head and inspecting her. ¡°So women¡ª¡± she merely raised a brow as if to say, obviously. I nodded. Completely understanding now. So women would instantly understand that she¡¯d have a secretary for such things? Made sense. I rubbed my chin. Was this a Girl code thing? I ended up leaving Lorelei for my lodgings which was a large cabin that allowed for pokemon to be out in the room. Specifically pokemon that were of the large variety. I released the other seven pokemon I¡¯d brought with me, and they emerged happily. Bertha dragged Titan over to the fireplace, where they sat and enjoyed themselves. Don took to the rafters, where he wrapped his wings around himself. Jormungandr stretched out, allowing Gawain and my Clefairy to start playing a game that saw them hopping back and forth over him with Clefairy furiously trying to keep up. Sanchez moved to a window seat to take in the mountain landscape, and Zephyr landed on the back of the chair to relax. I glanced over at the bookcases and found them full of time wasters such as Capitalism Rage, Lapras Spotter, a deck of cards, and Ekans and Ladders. Considering how Bertha had reacted at losing the last game of go fish, I decided to avoid the entire issue and instead selected my Guardian holopad for some reading. I was curious if pokemon such as Yveltal or Xerneas had ever been sighted in Kanto or Johto. They must have been if Flint had found an Alakazite near Cerulean like that. Or perhaps I was misremembering how they formed. There obviously had to be a certain density of pokemon around to trigger the formation of a specific type of Mega stone. So perhaps that could be a starting point? I flicked to a map and started marking off points of interest. It was little surprise to me that such areas included Charific valley for Charizard, the island somewhere near Cinnabar that had all the Squirtle. Mt Silver, for Tyranitar and Onix. Lavender Town for Gengar. Viridian forest for Beedrill, and then I became stuck as I considered other locations. Perhaps the Slowpoke caves? What about a location that had lots of Gyrados? Lake Rage perhaps? I considered my map and noticed that there were a lot of potential sites close to, or around, Pewter City. Was that a coincidence or due to the movements of a Legendary through the area? I tapped the point that marked my diamond cave. If things played out like I hoped¡­ that number might grow¡­ but finding Diancite would be a tall ask. I turned my attention to looking through historical records and old folk''s tales for any scrap of information, but I didn''t find anything there. I finished the night with a lot of questions and a map of potential sites to check out. My pokemon had dinner with me and were very upbeat when I regaled them with the tale of how Titan had soloed three of Pryce¡¯s pokemon. ¡°GO! GO! LEM!¡± Sanchez cheered when I finished narrating how Titan had Giga Impacted straight into Lapras. ¡°Fairy! Cle!¡± cheered my smallest pokemon from close to Titan¡¯s foot. Bertha nudged him, and he laughed happily. In the morning, I had them up and exercising in a different environment. Don and Zephyr struggled, with the colder air not allowing them to ride thermals while downdrafts swept in from the mountains. Sanchez, cheerful as ever, had a blast rolling around in the snow. When we wrapped things up and I had returned my pokemon a timid little girl approached with a quivering Snowrunt at her side. The little pokemon must have had a clue how strong the pokemon I¡¯d had out throwing snowballs at each other were. ¡°Hey you! Wanna fight?¡± she said while jutting out her chin. I inspected her. She was young, too young to be an official trainer and her clothes were a little patched in places, indicating she wasn¡¯t well off. I pointed at her. ¡°This is not a Gym challenge you realise?¡± She blinked. ¡°Gym Challenge? You¡¯re too young to be Pryce though?¡± she squinted at me. I tilted my head. ¡°Huh, you didn¡¯t watch my match against Lance?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t¡­ have a television. I heard about a match against Lance where he fought Gym Leader¡­¡± She stared at me as she made the connection. ¡°Oh my gosh! I had no idea! I¡¯m sorry!¡± I waved it off. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not in Pewter right now, obviously, so I shouldn¡¯t expect people to recognise me. Your Snowrunt against my Clefairy?¡± ¡°I saw that! Why do you have a Clefairy!? You¡¯re a boy!¡± she fiercely demanded. ¡°Clefairy are pokemon that can fill a specific niche in my team. He¡¯s going to be a powerful addition.¡± I released my pokemon. ¡°First match Clefairy!¡± ¡°Cle!¡± he said fiercely. ¡°... really? But he¡¯s pink? That¡¯s a girl¡¯s colour!?¡± she said, still hung up on that one point. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± I said honestly as Clefairy bristled. Snowrunt strutted out feeling much more confident. ¡°Snowrunt use Double Team!¡± ¡°Evade the attacks coming in Clefairy, use your ears and keep your eyes on the ground not the after images!¡± I said clearly. ¡°Headbutt!¡± said the girl and her pokemon responded well, shooting forward and trying to smash itself into mine, only for Clefairy to catch sight of the attack and dodge. ¡°Hold for now Clefairy, we¡¯re playing a waiting game!¡± I said, to keep him calm. I also didn¡¯t want to just smack her down. Clefairy might be my weakest pokemon, but he still trained with me and my Elite team. ¡°Ice Shard!¡± the girl cried out. ¡°Drop down and skate to your left!¡± I ordered, my pokemon pausing for a half second before following through. He barely evaded the attacks and I hummed. Not bad, but we¡¯d have to work on that. ¡°Now Sing,¡± I ordered, happy to wrap this up. Clefairy opened his mouth and sang his song causing Snowrunt to fall asleep. ¡°Now Pound,¡± I said causing Clefiary to shoot forward and punch out the other pokemon. Snowrunt got up groggily and stumbled around. ¡°Snowrunt!¡± the girl cried out before putting herself in front of her pokemon. ¡°No more! I forfeit!¡± I nodded. ¡°Good call, and well fought. You¡¯re a good trainer.¡± ¡°I still lost though¡­¡± she said as she hugged her slightly bruised and depressed pokemon to her chest. ¡°Eh, did you learn anything from our match? That¡¯s sometimes worth more than any money you lose.¡± I then held up a hand to stop her reaching into her pouch. ¡°Not that I want payment. Clefairy is my weakest personal pokemon but he¡¯s still strong.¡± ¡°Cle!¡± said my little puffball proudly. The girl giggled. ¡°Consider how accurate your moves are, and see if you can tighten them up some. You have a good bond with your pokemon but it can get better. Building that trust can take a while but it pays out big when you make it work.¡± I knelt down and rubbed Clefairy¡¯s head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right buddy?¡± He shot the girl a thumbs up and she giggled. ¡°See? Keep it up though. I think you have some real promise!¡± The girl opened her mouth only for a much sterner voice to cut her off. ¡°Indeed you do young lady.¡± I looked up and found Pryce walking towards us. He nodded to me and then looked back at the girl. ¡°Come around the gym later, I¡¯d be interested in what you and your pokemon have been doing¡­ I might have some pointers for you, but Gym Leader Brock¡¯s advice is sound.¡± I shot him an unimpressed look. Sound was certainly damning me with faint praise, not that Pryce cared as the girl vowed that she would, before darting away. Pryce then turned to me. ¡°I came to¡­ ask you to forgive my rather poor showing with manners and pokemon battle yesterday. It was unbecoming.¡± ¡°Hmmm, that so?¡± I said, amused that he hadn¡¯t actually said he was sorry, merely that I should forgive him. Him and Agatha were certainly cut from the same cloth. Or at least the same period of cloth. ¡°Yes¡­ and thank you for showing me what I¡¯ve been missing. You were right that I didn¡¯t bring my best against Lance. I couldn¡¯t at the time, and that shows. I am no longer Champion for good reason.¡± I merely shrugged. ¡°Well, yeah. At our level not having good bonds with your pokemon is a terrible drawback; it¡¯s only obvious that it played out like it did.¡± ¡°Indeed. I look forward to what our partnership brings¡­ and while it is not something I truly put faith in¡­ I will continue to look for my starter. Perhaps you¡¯re right and he is merely lost and not¡­ something else.¡± He didn¡¯t meet my gaze and instead looked into the distance where the girl and her Snowrunt were skipping down the pathway. ¡°I know he¡¯s not. No way a pokemon that spent that long with you just gave up on you. Not with the bond you two must have had.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± he said before nodding his head. ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t keep you¡­ and thank you,¡± he said before turning and marching away quickly. I snorted. ¡°Oh yeah, him and Agatha are a real pair,¡± I said to myself. I double-checked my bags and sent a message to Lorelei announcing my departure. I withdrew Zephyr¡¯s pokeball and released him. ¡°Let¡¯s go Zephyr! To Mt Silver!¡± He leapt upwards and soon we were heading east. Don once more came out when we got close so he could ward off any aggressors. We made for a specific mountain but as we came in I caught sight of a number of Fearow flying about. ¡°Hmmm¡­ seems like a migration?¡± I said to Zephyr. He eyed the pokemon and hooted in annoyance while Don snarled in challenge. ¡°Easy there Don. You can take them but there¡¯s enough there to give you some trouble. Ten of them I¡¯d back you, twenty or more? That makes it a bit dicier.¡± He screeched in rage but stayed close as we landed. I then quickly returned him and released Titan. He emerged, inspected the clearing we were in, and roared to announce himself. Zephyr hooted and hopped around a little as various other pokemon called back only for an equally loud roar to announce that the Empress had heard us. It only took five minutes for her to emerge from the trees. She locked eyes with Titan and once more they tentatively inspected each other. Then Titan stood taller and barked something happily. Empress reared back in surprise before turning to me. I reached out with Yolanda¡¯s gift. Within the frame Yolanda and Terra smiled back happily from a collage of different pictures and situations. The empress inspected it for a bit before taking it in her claws only for the glass to start to crack. She handed it back to me and growled at¡­ herself? Ah, she was annoyed; she was too strong with her claws. She considered me and then the photo for a moment before tossing her head and indicating the way she¡¯d come from. ¡°Tar!¡± Tyranitar!¡± she barked before moving away. Titan stiffened only to then turn and indicate that we should follow her. I returned Zephyr and quickly jogged along as we moved through the trees to another part of the mountain. We came down the side a few hundred metres before we reached a slope that cut back into itself to reveal a hidden cave that Empress leaned down to enter. Titan followed her and I brought up the rear after giving the area a look over. No pokemon were present. The only pokemon I could see where the flock of Fearow heading north. I turned back and found the cave itself to be oddly smooth along the edges. In fact, the entire structure struck me as odd with how soft?glossy?polished? it was. Perhaps the constant usage by Empress had seen the cave walls worn down? I moved after the pokemon, moving down a slight slope and having to channel darkness to my eyes as we moved further into the mountain. When it leveled out I came upon a fairly large cavern that had a depression where Empress had formed a nest of sorts. Soft earth had been piled around a number of eggs, with a large groove around them. Empress lay in the recess and wrapped herself around her eggs in a manner that struck me as being extremely careful. I noticed a few of the eggs had cracks in them¡­something that struck me as very, very odd. Most eggs were stronger than that. I stared at the scene. She had to be slow and careful lest she hurt her own children. Perhaps she hadn¡¯t simply gifted Titan and Terra off. What if she was gifting them to us because she had difficulty raising her own brood of eggs? I had never thought to ask the Rangers how many hatchlings she had. I¡¯d never thought¡­ Empress inspected her eggs and hesitantly laid the tip of a claw on one. When she grimaced, it was clear to me, she must have trouble keeping them warm. I reached into my bag and pulled a stone that Flint had idly given me a while back. It radiated warmth but wasn¡¯t actually a fire stone. It was merely a rock that held and radiated heat. I presented it to Empress and she sniffed it, before her eyes widened in surprise. I gestured to the nest and she considered me, scrutinising me for a long while before looking to Titan who nodded. She inclined her head and I nodded back. Slowly, oh so slowly I reached over her tail and laid the heat stone in the middle of the clutch where it could keep the sand warm. I withdrew my hand and she leaned in. She sniffed her eggs. Long deep sniffs of interest before she dug a claw into the sand. She smiled at me then, and I chuckled in relief. I put the picture of Yolanda against the wall where she could see it and stepped away. The nest and picture made the place look a little homey. Especially with the lines and shapes that ran across the walls. I blinked. ¡°Hang on, what¡¯s on the walls?¡± I said as I looked at them properly. Dark vision was allowing me to see them, but the colours weren¡¯t as clear, so I raised up my pokenav and turned on the torch. A tapestry of cave art unfolded before me. It depicted a scene of people and pokemon cowering at the base of a mountain. People with Ursaring, Mightyena, and even Tyranitar amongst their numbers. All cowered in the face of the pokemon atop the mountain. At the peak of the mountain, in faded golds and reds, a bird of fire loomed huge over the artwork. It glared down at all it looked upon. And from the skies fire rained down with many a man and pokemon burning in the face of true power. This was a mural of Moltres ruling the Mt Silver region. Chapter 121 - Ancient history and new challenges The Moltres dominated half the wall. With a torch light on it, you couldn¡¯t miss it. In the dark, it hadn¡¯t been at all visible, and it wasn''t the only wall art that I¡¯d missed. There were recesses in the wall that held small items like broken pottery, statues, masks, and what appeared to be a flute. Empress shifted and glared at me from her perch around the nest, but she didn¡¯t do anything else. It seemed my gift of the Heat stone had bought me some wiggle room. She hadn¡¯t started growling, which I knew to be an early warning most Tyranitar started with. Instead, she seemed interested in the wall art. Perhaps she¡¯d never seen them before due to never having light in here and instead relying on smell, touch, and memory to navigate her cavern. I shone the torch on other walls and spotted more murals. On the mural to the east, plains and jagged cliffs leading into the ocean depicted a storm with the same tribe huddling away from the devastation that another bird pokemon was releasing onto them. The jagged wings and long drill beak meant that this could only be a Zapdos. It glared just as hatefully down at the tribe as the Moltres had. I noted that a number of boulders appeared to be in the act of being thrown by Ursaring in this depiction. There was no Tyranitar on display. I flicked back to the first picture I¡¯d seen and noted the pokemon. Tyranitar, Ursaring, and Mightyena. I then swept the torch around until I was facing the south wall. On this, a third and, from what I could see, final artwork was on display. Here, a much smaller image of man and pokemon, in this case, only Mightyena, were huddled together as they dealt with a snowstorm. A blue bird with a long tail stood over the top. I flicked between the three images. If there was a link between the pokemon joining the tribe, then the Articuno image was first, then came the Zapdos, and finally the Moltres. The Moltres mural was also larger and given much more detail. The peak of the mountain was very clearly cut, and the lines of fire descending from the pokemon made it clear how outclassed the tribe had been. For all intents and purposes, it was a warning. I started taking pictures of the various cave drawings along with the assorted shards of broken pottery. Some of them were shaped to look like the Ursaring, Mightyena, and Tyranitar. Under each artwork, there was writing in a script I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of. I snapped up pictures of everything before scooping up some broken artifacts into plastic lunch bags. I suspected that I might know someone who would be interested in these. That or they¡¯d know of someone interested. A low rumble made me pause after I took a mostly still-intact flute. The Empress eyed me as I packed away the bag. I nodded, acknowledging that she didn¡¯t want me to take anything else. I checked my photos to make sure that her nest wasn¡¯t visible in any of the photos. ¡°Thanks for this girl,¡± I said aloud before smiling at her nest and the photo sitting at her side. ¡°I¡¯ll tell my little sister that you got the picture and that you liked it, if that¡¯s alright?¡± She sniffed and shifted so her back was to me, but not the image. She ran a claw over it and grunted her name. Titan barked happily before nodding at me and gesturing for us to leave. I did so, but this time I walked with the torch on. I noted how the tunnel was sloped but specifically cut to form a loose spiral. It had obviously been worked. I took some more images of the tunnel itself and got closer to draw attention to the markings that were all too clear in the light of my torch now. Titan huffed a laugh at me, and I shot him a look. ¡°What?¡± He merely shook his head, and I had to settle for him ignoring me to stalk further up to the entrance of the cave. When I reached him, he was staring towards the tallest peak of the Mt Silver range. A peak that looked extremely familiar to me. I¡¯d seen something very similar with the cave drawing specifically. I raised my transceiver and snapped a picture of the mountain. From this angle, the artwork had to be deliberate. The skyline matched, and if the artist had witnessed the devastation that a Moltres had unleashed, then perhaps this had been a shelter for them as Moltres devastated the mountain range. A low growl broke me out of my thoughts. At my side, Titan eyed the mountain. No, that wasn¡¯t right. He was eyeing the birds that had been flying towards it. The flock of Fearow had all veered well around the mountain instead of passing over it. Something that I wouldn¡¯t have thought much of before, perhaps passing it off as a quirk of their hunting instincts. Now it stood out that they were all avoiding getting within a certain distance of the mountain despite the size of their flock. I snapped a video of that as well and forwarded what I¡¯d collected to Oak and Elm. Elm responded straight away, my transceiver buzzing to life. ¡°Brock! These images! Wherever did you find them!? They are extremely fascinating, and in conjunction with the images of Mt Silver itself being so like the drawing, there is a direct linkage to ancient tribal societies! Fascinating! Utterly fascinating! I wonder if I could bother to ask you¡ª¡± Before he could say anything else both of our transceivers pinged with another incoming call. The call was listed as Samuel Oak. ¡°Oh! Shall we include him on the call?¡± Elm said merrily. I toggled accept and merge on my transceiver, and a second later, Oak¡¯s stern face loomed on the projected screen. ¡°Brock, I want to be extremely clear with you. Do not approach that mountain! Do not agitate the pokemon that claims that peak as its territory. In fact, I want you on your Noctowl and getting out of there now!¡± Elm squawked in surprise. ¡°Oak! Surely you¡¯re being overly¡ª¡± ¡°Get! OUT!¡± snapped Oak and despite not being before him, I could feel the command ring true through the line. I felt myself stiffen and my head nodding before I was consciously aware of what I was doing. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave for now. I wasn¡¯t going up there. I just came across the cave art and noticed the way it linked to Mt Silver proper and that the Fearow flock I¡¯d seen earlier were really going out of their way to avoid it.¡± ¡°I apologise,¡± Oak said reasonably. ¡°I am overreacting, I know, but I cannot overstate the danger that facing a Moltres would bring. Their species are known as Legendary pokemon for a reason. Where they go, they change entire weather patterns and are usually at the top of the food chains.¡± ¡°Usually?¡± Elm said, catching the qualifier that Oak had included while I mounted Zephyr, returned Titan, and took flight. Oak sighed. ¡°There are certain sites that suggest that certain other pokemon are able to fight them off. The Legendary dogs, for example, or even the Mighty Ho-oh have records where they have fought off or made the Legendary birds withdraw entirely.¡± Elm rubbed his chin. ¡°I haven¡¯t done much reading on the ¡®Legendaries¡¯, as people like to label them, when I was studying. I instead focused on my area of interest. Breeding!¡± Elm rubbed his chin. ¡°I might need to open a few more books on them! Oh my, but this is an interesting oversight on my part. Very well, I won¡¯t ask you to investigate this find Brock!¡± He nodded over the line. ¡°Brock, Samuel, goodbye for now!¡± He then vanished from the call. Oak and I stared at each other. I cracked first. ¡°Does¡­ does he have any idea what it sounds like he spent all his time at College doing?¡± Samuel snorted. ¡°No, he really doesn¡¯t. Honestly, I¡¯d be surprised if he had any¡­¡± He trailed off and coughed sheepishly. ¡°Not that it¡¯s any of our business! He¡¯s happy enough studying it, that¡¯s for certain!¡± I chuckled and nodded. ¡°Fair enough. Think there will be any issues if I show those images to Crowley? There might be an archeologist that would be interested in the artworks.¡± Oak pursed his lips. He turned his attention to something to the side. ¡°Stress to them that they are not to go to Mt Silver.¡± I heard a computer keyboard clacking away as he focused on what was being shown on another screen. ¡°The mountain itself is practically unreachable with how far flying pokemon balk away from it. Climbing it is another issue, with it being too steep to do on foot. Rideable pokemon also seem to balk from going there.¡± His eyes flicked back and forth and he nodded. ¡°It would take a true idiot to disturb a pokemon like that.¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, you said it.¡± Oak blinked at me for a moment before he groaned, slumping into his chair. ¡°Ah, yes I see what you mean¡­ Hmmm well, we will just continue to restrict who can go there.¡± ¡°And that will stop people?¡± I said aloud as I passed over the Indigo Plateau,. I gave it another half an hour and I¡¯d be home. ¡°... it will give us more of a shot at stopping them,¡± Oak said tiredly. ¡°Hmmm alright then. Well, I¡¯ll be talking to Crowley later, so I will see who he suggests.¡± Oak rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Archeology is a rather dying profession. I¡ª¡± I snorted at his joke before realising he hadn¡¯t intended it. ¡°Sorry! Go ahead.¡± He played what he¡¯d said back over in his mind before laughing. ¡°Heh, good catch. Well, I suspect he will talk to a young lady I have only read about in some scientific journals. See if Eve rings a bell for Crowley, won¡¯t you?¡± I felt a memory stir at that name but couldn''t put a finger on why precisely. "Will do Professor Oak." I nodded as he signed off. Now the question became, how did I know an archeologist by the name of Eve? I shrugged, that would be future Brock¡¯s problem. I doubted it would be a big problem. For now, I had to get home and deliver presents from my trip away to my family. When I came in for a landing, I did so to find most of my family merrily out and digging a small trench in the garden. The Lileep were very happily bouncing around in anticipation as Yolanda worked with Terra to cart away wheelbarrows full of the earth while my younger siblings had smaller trowels to create their own dirt piles. With one look, I knew it was the sort of chaos that can only result from unleashing lots of small children into the garden with a ¡®goal¡¯ in mind. Suzie wasn¡¯t even digging anymore, she was just laying out the hose and getting various watering cans lined up in size and order. Munchlax was assisting, but apparently messing up her arrangement with how she kept having to chase him around. Salvadore had a tape measure out and was working with Flint to plan where the water pipes were going to go along with any paths we wanted. And then Tommy threw a clod of dirt, and Cindy and a few other siblings got drawn into a fight. ¡°Noct!¡± cried Zephyr, causing the impromptu dirt fight to stop just as it started. Everyone swung their eyes around and spotted me. ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Big Brother!¡± cried out the youngest. I had a moment to swing myself off Zephyr before I was swarmed by grubby hands and bodies. I chuckled, feeling like everything was right in the world. Eevee ran through my legs, and her fluffy tail tickled at the twins who¡¯d claimed my shins as their own. Munchlax helped Suzie climb over them and onto my shoulders. Yolanda approached and waved while holding Terra up to wave in greeting. I shot Flint and Salvadore a nod. ¡°Looks good, you¡¯re trying to set up Erika¡¯s suggestion?¡± I asked. ¡°Mhm!¡± said Salvadore happily. I hummed and rubbed a few heads, ignoring the giggles and annoyed shrieks at messing up their hair. ¡°Might be best to make it a small water feature.¡± I patted the little ones on the head. ¡°Don¡¯t want any adventurers getting in trouble do we?¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± Flint nodded seriously and indicated he¡¯d accounted for that already. I turned to the rest of my family who were clinging to me. ¡°Have you all been good for Flint?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± they cheered. ¡°Hmmmmm, well, I might have gotten you some souvenirs, I suppose!¡± I announced while rubbing my chin. ¡°But first! We need to clean up!¡± I said, happy to be home.
¡°Alright Crowley, what¡¯ve you got for me?¡± I asked as I settled down into a chair. The Laboratory, as it was known, was the upgrade that we¡¯d been able to work out for Crowley. The man would have been happy to keep working out of the back of the museum if we¡¯d let him. Sadly for him, the curator, the League, and myself had not been happy to have him resurrecting extremely valuable pokemon there. Lawrence and Alexa had sat down with Crowley¡¯s assistant and found a state-of-the art facility that was, in fact, closer to the Gym than the museum had been. Alongside that, a security group of trainers had been hired on with a larger holding area for the various pokemon. Crowley now had a number of assistants sourced from the universities and colleges that had all been forced to undergo deep scans by the League before being allowed to even intern in the Laboratory. Despite the new facilities, the state-of-the-art computers, diagnostic imagers and more, the place was still a mess. Papers and books were scattered around, and Lileep featured in various positions around the room like misplaced house plants. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Crowley buzzed about excitedly. ¡°Brock! I was able to resurrect the other sample of the Root fossil! This is good as a different sample shows greater reliability in our machine!¡± ¡°So more Lileep?¡± I said in exasperation. ¡°More Lileep from a different source of fossil!¡± he corrected. He then fidgeted. ¡°We were also able to have some other initial successes.¡± He gestured to a table that was covered in paperwork. His assistant shoved a tower of paperwork out of the way that was covered in Crowley¡¯s scribblings to reveal three rather unassuming pokeballs. Crowley coughed into his fist. ¡°Ahem!¡± He gestured again to the pokeballs as the assistant gave the blandest jazz hands I have ever witnessed while staring straight ahead, her expression dead to the world. She looked like the sort of person who only functioned thanks to copious amounts of coffee and inertia dragging her onward. ¡°Introducing the latest successes of Crowley Laboratory!¡± The first pokeball was popped, and from within, a pokemon with a round head and small beak was revealed. ¡°Cranidos!¡± it trilled before charging at the assistant, only to fall off the table and thunk into the ground. I stood to see if it was alright. The Cranidos warbled a little with watery eyes only for the assistant to mechanically pick it up. It headbutted her as fiercely as it could manage while she was comforting it. It looked like a small angry child that couldn¡¯t decide if it wanted a hug or to rage at the world. So in typically childish fashion, it settled on both. ¡°¡ªa rock-type pokemon with a very hard head! I have witnessed it charging a number of times! My shins can attest to its current strength!¡± Crowley announced. I blinked, realising I¡¯d tuned out to watch the assistant deal with the angry little pokemon. ¡°I see,¡± I said with a nod. Crowley barely registered what I said before turning to the next pokeball. ¡°Anorith!¡± shouted the next pokemon as it emerged and leapt straight at the assistant''s face, who was now wearing a face shield. The Anorith slapped on the face shield and hugged it. A sigh of relief escaped the assistant. ¡°A bug-rock type pokemon from ancient times, it has interesting claws and small legs that allow it to grip onto surfaces or to propel itself through water! It was quick to enter the small pond we have in the pokemon habitat and has a rather graceful swimming style.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I repeated. The final pokeball was released, and this time I watched the assistant to see if they had any more special countermeasures prepared. When they did nothing but prod the Anorith trying to hug their face, I turned to the last pokemon and was surprised to find a blue turtle sleepily blinking at me. Crowley handed me some berries. ¡°This pokemon is the most sedentary of the group but is a deceptively fast swimmer! It has a number of powerful water attacks and its shell is impressively strong. Comparable to a Shellder about to evolve into Cloyster strength, in fact!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ actually quite impressive,¡± I said as I considered the sort of strength that Cloyster shells had to undergo. Cloyster were said to go into extremely deep trenches of water and were also known to get caught in Sharpedo jaws without breaking. ¡°Tirtouga,¡± said the blue turtle lazily. I reached out and rubbed its head, which Tirtouga happily accepted. Crowley shifted back and forth. ¡°Sadly that is all we were able to resurrect from the Skull, Cover, and Claw fossils. The genetic material was all used up in the process. It¡­ still isn¡¯t the most efficient but I can so far only think of a way to edge out another ten percent¡­ it will depend on the size of the sample that we can get. Root fossils are allowing us to continue to hone this, of course.¡± ¡°More Lileep are always nice. I¡¯ll talk to Bianca, our breeding specialist, and see what we can manage. Do we know the genders of any of these pokemon?¡± Crowley tilted his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure?¡± The assistant pointed at the angry Cranidos that had been swaddled during the last few minutes to stop it from headbutting her anymore, something it protested greatly. ¡°Boy,¡± she said before pointing at the Anorith that was now on the side of her head. ¡°Girl,¡± she said tonelessly. ¡°Good to know,¡± I said rubbing Tirtouga on the head. It yawned sleepily as it munched on the berries Crowley had given me. ¡°And that¡¯s still a really good result, Crowley. I have spoken with Pryce and Lorelei. They¡¯re going to send us some more genetic samples. The difference is that these will be frozen samples, so hopefully there will be more genetic material for us to use from them.¡± ¡°Hmmm will I need to calibrate the machine¡­¡± Crowley rubbed his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will affect the extraction process at all, and the resynthesis process for genetic material shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± He marched over to the whiteboard and considered it and the equations on it. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t believe I need to change anything?¡± he said after a long moment. ¡°That¡¯s good news!¡± I tapped Tirtouga on the nose before withdrawing my hand. ¡°In other news, I wanted to know if you knew any archeologists that might be interested in a cave mural I discovered during my trip to Mahogany Town recently.¡± ¡°Is it Pre-war, war period, Ancient, Pokelithic, Pokecasic or another period?¡± Crowley replied with some interest. I blinked at him. ¡°I have no idea?¡± I opened up my transceiver and projected the images I¡¯d captured. Crowley inspected it thoughtfully with his assistant also leaning in. ¡°Hmmmm Jennifer, can you contact Professor Eve for me?¡± ¡°Doctor Eve, actually, Professor,¡± said Jennifer, the assistant. ¡°She recently was able to defend her PhD and she has been accepted by Celadon University.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Crowley said with interest. ¡°She has done well for herself. What was the PhD about?¡± ¡°Pokemopolis, the ancient civilisation that had to defend itself against raiding tribes. These images actually link up rather well with her contributions to the Pewter Museum currently on display.¡± I hummed. ¡°Huh, fancy that, I thought they were similar.¡± Jennifer opened her transceiver and dialled a number. ¡°Hello Eve it''s Jennifer from Crowley¡¯s laboratory in Pewter. Hello, and congratulations on your doctorate. I hope you got the flowers we sent.¡± Crowley tilted his head. ¡°We sent flowers?¡± he muttered to himself. I couldn¡¯t hear Eve¡¯s response, but Jennifer nodded her head. ¡°Yes well, Gym Leader Brock found something you might be interested in. If you¡¯d like we can forward it to¡­¡± From there, the rest of the information was passed back and forth, and I was given an email address to forward the pictures to. I did so, and from there, I collected the new additions to my Gym for Bianca to look over. I was told to be sure to warn her about the Cranidos and Anorith¡¯s behaviour. When I returned I said as much but she didn¡¯t even bat an eye as she donned a face shield from her satchel and readied a blanket to wrangle the newest pokemon. When I made it back home, I found my family getting ready for dinner, with the boys on one side and the girls on the other. I paused in the doorway. That was never a good sign. Yolanda swivelled her head around toward me. ¡°Brock! Tell them that Karen has a chance against Steven! She¡¯s done amazingly against the other Johto Gym Leaders with her Ace challenges! She can win!¡± I scratched my cheek. ¡°Was that tonight? I¡¯d lost track of things.¡± Whoops¡­ I¡¯d been planning on having an early night of it. ¡°Broooooock!¡± whined Cindy. ¡°Can she win?¡± I shrugged, ¡°Anything¡¯s possible she¡ª¡± ¡°Ha!¡± shouted Tommy, ¡°That means she doesn¡¯t have a chance!¡± I frowned. ¡°Well first of all¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what he meant at all!¡± snapped Cindy, getting in her twin¡¯s face. I sighed and put a hand on both of their faces to separate them. ¡°Alright, you two cool it.¡± I raised two fingers. ¡°Let me finish. Karen can win. She¡¯s a strong trainer with some really powerful strategies and the knowledge of how and when to use them. I doubt I¡¯ve even seen all of them, and I¡¯ve seen lots of breakdowns of her matches.¡± I lowered one finger and waggled the other. ¡°On the other hand, Steven Stone is strong. There is no doubt about that. He has yet to face a challenger who can really force his hand.¡± I knew this for a fact, as it wasn¡¯t widespread that he could mega-evolve his pokemon. Interesting that he was trading stones around but he had yet to use one publicly himself¡­ I started to consider the reasons why that might be, before one of my little brothers coughed. I stiffened and coughed. ¡°Right! So, in summary, the odds are stacked against Karen but that doesn¡¯t mean she can¡¯t take the W if she makes opportunities for herself. When¡¯s the match?¡± Flint coughed and inserted himself into the conversation. ¡°After dinner and homework for an hour!¡± he said, in a tone that brooked no excuses. Billy and Tilly tilted their heads and checked how Cindy and Tommy both slumped before copying them. I tapped the younger two on the shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t have homework.¡± That made them perk up. ¡°Yeah! We don¡¯t even have homework!¡± said Timmy and Suzie together as they remembered they too weren¡¯t given anything from kindergarten. Cindy turned to Yolanda, who merely shook her head. ¡°I finished it earlier today.¡± She grabbed Terra¡¯s hands and waggled them about, causing Terra to giggle. ¡°Then I could enjoy my time with Terra. She did a drawing while I finished!¡± she indicated a drawing on the wall where my siblings put all their art on display. A very passionate set of scribbles adorned a torn up page. ¡°That was very mature and well-reasoned of you, Yolanda,¡± complimented Flint. I nodded along happily before turning to the last member of the household with homework. Salvadore coughed and gave a helpless look. ¡°I might have some to still do¡­¡± He rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I got distracted working with Dad this afternoon!¡± Flint chuckled. ¡°And that¡¯s alright as well!¡± I laughed and patted Salvadore on the head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little bro, I will have some emails to work on as well, so I¡¯ll be next to you if you have any questions.¡± We set ourselves up at the dining table and got to work. Before the hour was up, we were all done which let us spend some time preparing snacks. Munchlax had wanted all of the snacks made up but accepted being argued down to merely a kilogram of vegetables and the megabag of popcorn while we watched some Furret Samurai. Then it was time to switch channels; we were right on time to miss all the pre-match talks before getting to the good stuff. ¡°And from this corner! We have Karen of Lavender Town, the Ace so hot she¡¯s blazing a path up the rankings and is sure to be laying down a challenge this year!¡± shouted the announcer as Karen marched out onto the League battlefield. She grinned hugely as the announcer continued to heap praise on her. ¡°She¡¯s just gotten in a little early on a Champion challenge! I hope all you Elite Four out there are paying attention, cause she¡¯s coming your way soon!¡± ¡°Go Karen!¡± cheered the girls. Karen flicked her hair and cocked her hip before winking at the camera. In the stadium, a number of people shouted and whistled in approval. I chuckled, knowing she¡¯d be feeding off this sort of behaviour. ¡°And now! From the shores of Hoenn! Having accepted this challenge, we have the Champion of the Hoenn League! Give a warm, Indigo welcome, to Steven Stone!¡± Boos, cheers, and flashes of light heralded the arrival of Steven. He marched out with a well-fit suit and his hair perfectly styled. When he walked past the cameras, he gave an affable nod before taking his place atop his own podium. ¡°For today¡¯s Exhibition match acting as the referee will be Charles Goodshow! Give it up for our referee!¡± The camera zoomed to the middle of the field where a bushy-bearded gentleman was revealed. He waved happily before adopting a stern expression. ¡°As this is an Exhibition match no withdrawals will be allowed and only six pokemon will be utilised for today¡¯s match! I want a clean, fun match for everyone to enjoy! Let¡¯s show the world what we¡¯ve got!¡± he said as he thrust a fist into the air. The crowd roared their approval as Steven chuckled and nodded while Karen smirked. Charles waggled a playful finger in her direction only to roll his shoulders and raise two flags, one on either side. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready!?¡± he said. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± Steven and Karen said. ¡°Release your pokemon and begin!¡± he said dropping the flags. ¡°Go Gengar!¡± ¡°Go Claydol!¡± Both pokemon formed up, and I leaned forward in surprise. ¡°She¡¯s going with Gengar first? That¡¯s a good match-up for her,¡± I said interested. I could see Steven grimace and around me, all the girls pumped their fists. ¡°Claydol! Use Psychic!¡± barked Steven. ¡°SB~¡± said Karen slyly. Her Gengar formed and fired a ball of dark energy that howled as it accelerated across the field to slam into Claydol as it tried to use Psyhic to put up barriers of earth against the attack. The Shadow Ball dodged and dipped however, more like a vengeful spirit itself than an attack that had been thrown. It slammed home into Claydol and the heavy pokemon staggered before righting itself. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s gonna sting!¡± Karen sing-songed. ¡°Claydol, Sandstorm,¡± Steven said in response. ¡°Icy Wind,¡± Karen replied. Her pokemon swept its arms, and a gale of white wind surged forth against the rising sands to buffet and block the Sandstorm from forming. Claydol once more took some damage, and Steven clicked his tongue. ¡°Claydol Trick Room,¡± he said, forcing things to flip as a box of psychic energy formed up before encompassing the field. ¡°What¡¯s that move do?¡± Salvadore asked. ¡°Makes it so that slower pokemon move faster and faster pokemon move slower. It¡¯s a weird reversal that allows slower pokemon more room to work. Gengar¡¯s one of the faster pokemon around which makes this a good move to use on it ,¡± I said quickly. ¡°SB again!¡± Another Shadow Ball was formed and fired off, only this time Claydol could lazily drift to the side and avoid it. The girls all grimaced in worry. ¡°EP!¡± shouted Steven. His pokemon stopped levitating and dropped into the ground causing the field to shake. At first it seemed Gengar would be fine with how it was levitating off the ground, only for spikes to shoot up out of the ground and smash into it. ¡°What was that!¡± shouted Cindy. ¡°That wasn¡¯t an Earthquake!¡± ¡°Earth Power,¡± I said after considering it for a moment. The girls groaned only to sigh in relief when Gengar returned to floating slowly with its eyes glowing fiercely. ¡°Go scary pokemon!¡± shouted Suzie. ¡°SP,¡± growled Karen causing her pokemon to blur forward and seemingly evade the psychic effects of the Tick Room. ¡°Stop it with EP again!¡± shouted Steven. The earth once more surged up and slammed into Gengar, but this time Gengar propelled itself forward and used the hit''s momentum to throw itself into the punch to make sure it slammed a dark empowered fist into it only to fall short. Gengar crashed into the ground below the Claydol and lay still. The girls slumped as one. Karen looked stunned. ¡°Noooo!¡± whined Cindy, unhappy that one of Karen¡¯s pokemon appeared to be down for the count. Charles squinted at the Gengar. A flag twitched upwards, only for Karen drop her stunned look and to smirk. ¡°SB~!¡± she said, and from close range, a Shadow Ball was formed and fired off. It was slower once more due to Trick Room but Gengar was now more than close enough to make sure the hit landed. This time Claydol fell to the ground and stayed down. The girls shot to their feet. ¡°That¡¯s the way! Yes yes yes!¡± they cheered. Charles huffed and raised a flag towards Steven. ¡°Claydol is unable to fight Gengar wins the first match!¡± Steven withdrew his pokemon and selected another. ¡°Go Skarmory!¡± He flicked out the pokeball and his pokemon appeared in a bright flash, only for me to notice Karen hadn¡¯t called her pokemon back to her side of the field and instead elected to keep Gengar over on Steven¡¯s side. Karen¡¯s grin practically split her face as she winked. ¡°DB!¡± An ethereal cord shot out of Gengar and connected with Skarmory. Steven Stone frowned at Karen before sighing. ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to play it. Dont think I¡¯ll play your games. Spikes Skarmory, let¡¯s make the most of your sacrifice.¡± From his pokemon earthen spikes emerged, and Karen pointed at the Skarmory and released more Shadow Balls that slammed into the Steel-Flying type. Steven chose to ignore them and prepare the field. There was some audible confusion from the crowd, as they didn¡¯t understand why he was doing it. More than a few little faces turned to me to explain what was going on. I merely gestured at the screen. ¡°Watch, it¡¯s about to play out.¡± Another Shadow Ball connected, and the already weakened Skarmory fainted only for Gengar to also fall. Steven returned his pokemon and shook his head at Karen, who merely grinned viciously. ¡°What? It¡¯s a valid strategy in this situation. That¡¯s me one to your two, by the way!¡± Steven shot a look at Charles Goodshow, who merely nodded. ¡°It is legal, if rather frowned upon. Karen is well within her rights to use those moves.¡± Suzie nudged me. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Karen used Destiny Bond to link the two pokemon together. Steven realised this. The normal way to escape this is to return your pokemon but with an exhibition match, he can¡¯t do that. Skarmory must not have had a method of getting out of there either or avoiding it. So instead of merely knocking out both pokemon as quickly as he could, he spiked the field. He made the most of a bad situation,¡± I said approvingly. ¡°He¡¯s still two pokemon down!¡± cheered Cindy. Flint leaned over towards me. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like having Karen as a role model for the girls.¡± I sighed. ¡°Oh¡­ I think you¡¯re going to have to get used to seeing Karen around,¡± I said knowingly. If she made Elite Four, she¡¯d be the heroine to many a young girl. I sat back and prepared myself to watch the rest of the match. Chapter 122 - Karens challenge ¡°Intermission!¡± roared the announcers. They did it before Charles Goodshow could raise his flags, but he merely gave a good-natured laugh and waved for Karen and Steven to take a break. Karen remained where she was while Steven moved back to his bunker. There, a number of people in suits awaited him; he was given a drink, a towel, and a clipboard while they talked with him. ¡°Urgh! Intermissions are the worst!¡± said Tommy as he kicked his feet up. ¡°Why do we have them in these matches at all? No one likes them!¡± I gestured at the screen where a series of commercials for ¡®Extreme pokeblock! - Ultra nutrients and ultra electrolytes for your pokemon!¡¯ was being advertised. ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± ¡°Pokeblock?!¡± Tommy said, taking me literally. I shot him a look. ¡°What? No, it''s companies wanting to sell their products. There¡¯s not really a need beyond companies getting advertising options and the League being able to sell the rights for the match. They make a fair bit of money off exhibition matches like these.¡± Flint coughed. ¡°It actually also helps reduce tensions and injury occurrences with pokemon.¡± I considered that before conceding that he might be right. Yolanda shot us both happy looks, and I rolled my eyes at her. Tommy vibrated in his seat. ¡°I still don¡¯t like them! No one likes the intermissions!¡± he stood and threw his hands up, and in doing so, threw his food over the room. Munchlax leapt into the air and devoured half of it before it hit the ground. Then he raced to hoover up all the other loose bits of food. ¡°Munchlax no!¡± Tommy said. When he made to raise his fist, I raised a finger. ¡°No hitting, and also¡ª remember the rule,¡± I said, before pointing at the rule we¡¯d put on the wall a few weeks ago. Tommy slumped. ¡°The five-second rule doesn¡¯t count for Munchlax¡­¡± He shot me a tearful look. ¡°Can I have some more snacks?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± I said as I tossed some popcorn into my mouth. Tommy spent the next few minutes grumbling and trying his luck with everyone else. The girls didn¡¯t even bat an eye at his attempts, instead ignoring him and watching the commentators alternately denounce and praise Karen for her methods of getting two of Steven''s pokemon out of commission so quickly. Charles Goodshow then cut through the arguments by announcing the resumption of the fight. ¡°Champion Steven! Please return to the podium!¡± The camera panned from Goodshow to catch Steven in discussion with one of his attendants. He didn¡¯t seem to be aware that the fight had resumed as he continued to talk with her without making any move towards the podium. ¡°Champion Stone!¡± prompted Mr Goodshow once more. This time Steven looked up and nodded before saying something else to the aide. Then he handed back the notepad before marching back out. He looked as though he¡¯d just stepped out of a salon rather than having just lost two of his pokemon against Karen. ¡°Urgh! I can¡¯t stand that he has aides like that! Isn¡¯t that illegal?¡± said Cindy. Yolanda shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Even Brock was allowed to have people in his bunker. It¡¯s just that you don¡¯t really see them used this way.¡± I rubbed my chin ¡°It might cause a trend, and I can¡¯t say I¡¯m a fan of it. Supporters for moral support is fine, but it feels like he has an entire analysis team in there going over what happened and what it means going forward. Karen might not just be fighting Steven.¡± ¡°Not just Steven?¡± Suzie asked with a cute tilt of her head. ¡°If you fight someone, you have to think up how you¡¯re doing it. Most of the time on the fly. It''s why exhibition matches really shouldn¡¯t be taken so seriously. You get given way too much time to think things through. That creates different pressures, but it doesn¡¯t make everything as spontaneous as a straight championship match can be.¡± I pointed at the aides that were already setting themselves up behind Steven to catch anything Karen did. ¡°In a way, Steven has it easier with other people spotting tells or small cues that can be lost in the middle of a fight. Some of the equipment might even allow patterns of movement to be built up. That can make a huge difference at the Elite level.¡± Any further discussion was ended when Steven stood on his podium and Charles raised his flags. ¡°Trainers ready?¡± he shouted. Both of them nodded and Charles dropped his flags. ¡°Release and fight!¡± ¡°Go Honchkrow, stay in the sky!¡± Karen said as she released her pokemon up high into the air. ¡°Go Aggron!¡± barked Steven. I whistled and leaned forward. ¡°Now here¡¯s a pokemon I want to see.¡± I took in Steven¡¯s Aggron. In a word, beastly. The pokemon had thick metal plates that clunked rather than rang when they struck each other. The pokemon was obviously well fed with how large it was, but despite that, there was a bounce to the step. I rubbed my chin. ¡°It¡¯s had a very controlled diet¡­ the metal that makes up its body is both strong and light, which is incredible.¡± I grimaced. ¡°Can¡¯t have been tasty for it though, and it would have taken a lot of sitting on him to make him eat it.¡± ¡°He¡¯d need to continue eating at least a portion of it as well, otherwise the metal shell would become slowly compromised.¡± Flint chimed in. He was also leaning in and scrutinising the powerful pokemon on display. I pointed at the Aggron¡¯s head. ¡°The helmet is also slightly different¡­ I think it¡¯s been worked on or molded to protect the eyes a little more.¡± ¡°What else can you spot?¡± Salvadore said excitedly as his pen blurred over his notepad. I shot him an amused look, and he grinned. ¡°The kids in my class will love hearing this sort of analysis! The only way it could be better was if I was interviewing Professor Oak!¡± Flint and I snorted. ¡°We know more about rock types than him!¡± we said together. Flint and I shared a look as Yolanda giggled. I held in a shiver. Urgh, that was¡­ weird. Yeah, weird. I refocused as the Aggron started grabbing up rocks around it and hurling them into the air. The Honchkrow dodged the rocks as quickly as it could, while blowing away the Spikes on the ground. Steven wasn¡¯t letting that go uncontested, however, and two Ancient Powers hit. Honchkrow hit the ground only to flap about as though in great pain. Steven relaxed, only to blink as he seemed to recall a similar event. His expression hardened as he gave the next order, ¡°Finish it off Aggron.¡± The call instantly caused a number of boos and gasps to ring out from the crowd. Karen merely clicked her tongue, and her pokemon stopped acting and slammed its wing into the ground. ¡°Foul Play!¡± Karen ordered as her pokemon flipped up and closed the gap with the Aggron. Aggron had already started channeling Ancient Power though and both pokemon slammed attacks home into each other. Aggron stumbled backwards while Honchkrow was launched backwards. Charles Goodhsow and the crowd leaned forward to inspect Honchkrow. ¡°Honchkrow is unable to battle!¡± announced Charles Goodshow as Honchkrow remained motionless. The announcers were quick to set up a replay and point out some key points in how Steven had set himself up for victory with this match-up. Karen returned her pokemon, and I rubbed my chin in thought as the announcer continued talking up Steven¡¯s plan. ¡°It¡¯s a bit deeper than that." I rubbed my chin, as on-screen Karen considered Steven. ¡°Aggron is a beast for Steven and it seems he¡¯s baiting her to bring out her Houndoom.¡± Yolanda shot me a look. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°Because her Houndoom is Karen¡¯s strongest. I don¡¯t have any doubt she¡¯d be able to beat him.¡± ¡°What about the fact that with its typing, Houndoom is Dark-Fire? Doesn¡¯t that allow an advantage as well?¡± Salvadore asked. I wobbled my hand back and forth. ¡°Aggron, if it was only a Steel would be weak due to that but it''s the issue of Aggron also being Rock type. Karen needs fighting, water, or ground. Moves that she¡¯s limited with, due to her pokemon roster,¡± I said while privately thinking about all the options she¡¯d have in the future. ¡°If they know most of Karen¡¯s team, then they will be pushing her, with a ¡®best¡¯ choice being her most powerful. He is trying to entrap her. Wear her best down.¡± ¡°Urgh come on Karen!¡± said Cindy as her head whipped back to the tv. I rubbed my chin as I watched Karen run her hand across her pokebelt only for her to smirk. ¡°Go Vileplume!¡± she cried out as she threw her pokeball right up as close to Aggron as she could. I tilted my head. A Vileplume? That was an interesting choice, and the announcers said as much. The flags dropped and Karen¡¯s smirk didn¡¯t drop as Steven ordered his pokemon in close. ¡°Metal Claw! Shred it!¡± ¡°DP~,¡± singsonged Karen as her pokemon drew back a fist that glowed. The Aggron¡¯s claws swept forward that clipped Vileplume and tore through the delicate petals atop its head. Vileplume didn¡¯t flinch from the hit though, and instead shot forward under Aggron¡¯s guard. Then the fist rocketed forward and straight into Aggron¡¯s stomach. Aggron rang like a gong as it slid backward, crumpling inwards over the point of impact. It shuddered before shaking itself and standing tall. The punch from Vileplume had left a small dent in the plate around its chest. The petals atop Vileplume¡¯s head healed as the pokemon leaned back and flexed its hands in a ¡®come get me¡¯ gesture while smirking. ¡°Aggron, tighten up your stance and shift to more controlled hits! Metal Claw!¡± Steven said, seemingly unphased at his pokemon taking such a hit. Aggron shook its head and slid forward instead of striding. ¡°SS!¡± chimed Karen when Aggron was in close. From Vileplume¡¯s crown a cloud of golden dust drifted straight at the Aggron. ¡°Resist it!¡± shouted Steven as his pokemon swept its claws through the cloud and the Stun Spore latched onto the pokemon. It twitched and struggled through the effects only to fight through its own body fighting itself. Then it swept another claw into the Vileplume. ¡°DP again!¡± ordered Karen as she realised Aggron was going to fight through being paralysed. Vileplume fired off another punch just as the claws swept down. Aggron was tossed back once more but this time it buckled down to one knee. ¡°Sunny Day,¡± said Karen as Aggron struggled to get up onto its feet. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± shouted Steven, causing everyone to flinch in surprise. I leaned forward. His Aggron knew Solar Beam? That was an interesting choice. His Aggron opened its mouth only to shudder as its body was wracked by tremors. Karen relaxed slightly, and I chuckled. Heh, she¡¯d been worried that it had backfired on her for a second there. ¡°Solar Beam Vileplume,¡± she said haughtily. This time the attack went off without a hitch and Aggron took it. Instead of being blasted back, the Aggron dug in its claws and endured the hit, roaring as it did so, striding in with hate in its eyes only to stumble and be knocked back onto its haunches before finally collapsing onto its side as the Solar Beam finished. ¡°A-Aggron is unable to battle!?¡± Charles said like he wasn¡¯t sure. The Aggron vanished in a burst of light, as Steven put it beyond question. He looked at the Vileplume with a curious expression before his hand drifted down to another pokeball. Without waiting for a pause, he hurled out his solution. ¡°Go Blaziken!¡± he said with a pleased smirk. I cursed. That wasn¡¯t a pokemon he was canonically known for, but I couldn¡¯t help but think that it made a lot of sense with how he was known to later gift them to trainers that had proven themselves in the games. Also, hadn¡¯t Agatha mentioned something about him owning all the Hoenn starters as a power flex? ¡°Fight!¡± shouted Charles Goodshow, only for Steven to punch straight ahead of himself and his Blaziken to explode into action. ¡°Blaze!¡± it crowed when it slammed a fiery fist into the Vileplume. Vileplume shrieked as it was hurled back. Karen had to draw it back straight away and concede the pokemon. Charles threw up his flag. ¡°Vileplume is unable to battle! There will be an intermission now!¡± This time neither Karen nor Steven retreated to their bunkers. Karen stared across at Steven while he locked eyes with her. Then he looked past her and smiled at something behind her. The cameras panned to reveal Blaine in the stands, looking murderous. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a bit cheeky,¡± I said. Flint stared slack-jawed at the tv. ¡°Cheeky? That¡¯s downright suicidal! What does he think he¡¯s doing, taunting Blaine like that.¡± I considered the implications before connecting the dots. Right, Blaine had been suing Steven hadn¡¯t he? Blaine the fire type Gym Leader of Kanto, and here Steven was using Blaziken. ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s just a good pick?¡± I said, more to make conversation than actually believing it. ¡°It¡¯s that, but the look he shot Blaine? He knows what he¡¯s doing and is leaning into it.¡± Flint shook his head. Yolanda shifted. ¡°What about Karen? What does this mean for her?¡± ¡°Nothing good. Blaziken... that''s a tough matchup for her because Blaziken is a powerful pokemon with a type advantage over most of her pokemon.¡± Suzie nudged Salvadore, and Salvadore whispered ¡°Fighting-fire¡± to her. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean she can¡¯t beat him right?¡± Cindy said. I wavered a hand once more. ¡°I think it¡¯s keeping her on her toes. Steven has assumed control of this match up.¡± Tommy decided to stand up and make for the kitchen. Without looking I called out, ¡°Only fruit now remember!¡± ¡°Urgh! Brock!¡± cried Tommy, only for me to ignore his whines. ¡°Dad, can I have ice cream? I didn¡¯t have any yesterday!¡± "Hmmmmmmm," Flint considered as his eyes flicked to me, coughing as he took in my less-than-amused expression. ¡°That was then, and this is now. No more snacks tonight, apart from fruit Tommy!¡± I huffed. Great, the kids were trying to play us off against each other. Urgh! Way to make this feel more like a divorce rather than a dad that ran off and then came back! I grumbled and shot Tommy a glower when he trundled back in with a number of berries in his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s restart the fight!¡± announced Charles, causing everyone to perk up. Charles glanced at Karen and she nodded, lifting a pokeball and hurling it out. ¡°Go Umbreon!¡± she shouted. The Umbreon that appeared was glossy black with eyes like gems. It wasn¡¯t larger than any other of its kind; it was simply the most well cared for that I had seen. There was something about Umbreon that I was struggling to recall; what was it? ¡°Fire Punch!¡± ordered Steven, and once more his pokemon rocketed forward. Only this time the Umbreon ducked under the attack. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°CF!¡± shouted Karen as the punch swung past her Umbreon. ¡°Get room!¡± shouted Steven as his pokemon leapt back to create space as a purple energy radiated out of Umbreon¡¯s body. ¡°Bulk Up!¡± As he said this, the Sunny Day that Karen had used earlier winked out, causing the fires around Blaziken¡¯s fists to dim, only for it to use its move and regain strength. I had to tip my hat to Steven. That had been an impressive display of time awareness. ¡°Copycat!¡± Karen replied, making her pokemon tense up as muscles flexed before relaxing. The Umbreon actually looked fluffier rather than bulked out due to the move. Steven clicked his tongue at the move before twirling his hand about. ¡°Special case, Double Kick!¡± Blaziken nodded before hopping up slightly. Then its legs blurred as it kicked both feet at once before once more closing the distance between itself and Umberon. Umbreon was already in motion. The large eyes had been locked onto Blaziken, and when it moved, so did Umbreon. It almost reminded me of a flinch response with how quick it was, but it was too controlled and too directed. This pokemon had been trained to dodge specifically. It did so, forcing the Blaziken to miss by the barest of margins. Then once more, purple energy radiated out from it, causing Blaziken to stumble. ¡°Get out of there Blaziken!¡± ordered Steven, only for the Blaziken to ignore him and kick out. Umbreon wasn¡¯t able to dodge a kick from this distance and was launched back, only to land on all fours with a smirk as Blaziken continued to kick around itself. ¡°Nice one Umbreon!¡± shouted Karen. ¡°Now use Rest!¡± Umbreon shut its eyes and curled up, much to the confusion of everyone in the crowd. Blaziken continued to kick and shake around before it locked onto the slumbering Umbreon and snarled. ¡°Use the aggression, Blaziken! Close Combat!¡± Blaziken nodded and sprinted forward. This time, the movement was visible. So the trick of using its legs to kick off the ground must not have been possible here. Instead, it closed in with furious intent. ¡°Sleep Talk~!¡± singsonged Karen, causing one of Umbreon¡¯s eyes to shoot open and lock on the charging Blaziken. It shut its eye and it looked like the move had failed as a second later Blaziken was on top of it about to deliver a brutal beat down, only for Umbreon to suddenly slam its head into Blaziken¡¯s midriff while its front paws began to thrash into the much larger pokemon. ¡°Nice!¡± cheered Karen. ¡°He got off a Copycat!¡± Both pokemon threw everything they had against the other with headbutts, claws, fangs and limbs flying. With Close Combat being used for both of them, they brutalised each other. Steven frowned. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to withdraw your pokemon Karen! There¡¯s no way it can last against my Blaziken!¡± ¡°Says you! My Umbreon is a beastie boy that can give as good as he gets!¡± she trilled back as the brawl continued. Blaziken tried to pin Umbreon down in a headlock only for Umbreon to twist and bite down hard on Blaziken¡¯s arm, causing blood to flow. Blaziken held on and slammed a fist into the other pokemon while Umbreon matched him with bites and kicks with his hind limbs. I leaned in. This was a very savage fight, and I was amazed that Umbreon was still able to battle. The fighting type should have laid it out, but Karen¡¯s claim was holding up with Umbreon giving as good as he got. ¡°Oh, Umbreon are defensive monsters,¡± I said aloud, finally recalling the stray fact that had been teasing at my mind. Yolanda nodded, unable to talk as she stared at the TV, willing Umbreon towards victory. Blaziken finally threw itself into the ground to shake Umbreon off. Umbreon landed on all fours, no longer as shiny, but its eyes glinted defiantly. Blaziken nursed the bleeding arm, and a number of its feathers were ruffled. Both pokemon huffed and puffed, but neither backed down. ¡°Flamethrower,¡± Steven ordered instead of having his pokemon close in. This swept over Umbreon and at my side, the girls cried out in fear. When the flames withdrew, Umbreon was still standing, glaring defiantly. ¡°Rest,¡± ordered Karen. ¡°Bulk Up,¡± said Steven before pointing forward, ¡°Close Combat once again!¡± ¡°Oh, need to get close? I¡¯m game, Sleep Talk!¡± Once again, Karen rolled the dice and this time a purple energy radiated off the sleeping Umbreon. Blaziken was able to push through and still land a few brutal hits before sweeping Umbreon out of the ring where it landed and tried to get up. Karen raised her pokeball. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Umbreon. No one doubts your resolve to keep fighting; rest for now.¡± Her pokemon returned, and the crowd exhaled in relief, glad that she wasn¡¯t going to push things. Then they stood and applauded her. I had to nod; that had been an impressive display of defensive skill. Her pokemon could certainly stand toe to toe with the strongest and trip up a number of carefully laid plans. The announcers were eating it up. ¡°And now ladies and gentlemen, it comes down to the final two pokemon for Karen! What will she bring forth?¡± ¡°Go Absol!¡± shouted Karen whipping her arm forward to release said pokemon. ¡°Oh! Pretty!¡± said Cindy and Suzie together. ¡°An Absol?¡± Salvadore said. ¡°Who¡¯s that pokemon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pokemon thought in times past to herald calamity. Typically, they are thought to appear either before, or after, great events of upheaval. There are some historical texts that cite them and a number of Johto plays even use them as a foreshadowing of something that is about to go very bad for the main character of the play,¡± I said to Salvadore as I looked over the pokemon. I didn¡¯t want to buy into the whole calamity myth, but then again, in a pokemon world it was important to keep an open mind. ¡°Double Kick!¡± said Steven to start things off, and apparently finish them quickly. ¡°Detect!¡± barked Karen causing her Absol to dodge quickly. Blaziken skidded past as it turned, and Karen slashed her hand down. ¡°Psycho Cut!¡± The horn atop Absol¡¯s head glowed before being swept forward, causing a pink crescent slash to cut straight towards Blaziken. ¡°Protect!¡± shouted Steven causing his pokemon to cross its arms in front of itself and absorb the blow. ¡°Close in and do it again!¡± ordered Karen and her Absol raced in. Steven chuckled as his pokemon endured another blow behind the Protect¡¯s shell. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting close to me, no? Blaziken drop the shell and go into Close Combat!¡± ¡°PC! Cut him up Absol!¡± growled Karen as her pokemon¡¯s horn glowed once more. This time Blazekin didn¡¯t block the attack and instead leapt into it with his feet glowing white hot. Both pokemon struck each other, and an explosion of force detonated from the two attacks impacting each other. Absol emerged skidding backward but still on its feet. Blaziken stumbled backwards before tripping over itself and collapsing. ¡°Blaziken is unable to battle! The match is now four to four!¡± shouted Charles Goodshow. Steven inclined his head and tugged the ultraball from his belt. ¡°You¡¯ve earned the right to face my best I should think Karen!¡± he said, before tossing out the ultraball. From within, a four-armed metal crab landed on the ground. ¡°Metagross!¡± cried out Steven¡¯s starter. ¡°Heh! I¡¯m not interested in just that! I¡¯m going beyond!¡± shouted Karen. ¡°Absol Perish Song!¡± ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± came the immediate reply from Steven. Before Absol could get more than a note of its song off Metagross fired off a gigantic beam of energy that wiped Absol off the battlefield. It slammed into the barriers and it took a second before the beam stopped. I had to whistle. That had been strong¡­ easily as strong as, if not stronger, than the Hyper Beam Lance¡¯s Dragonite had used against Titan and I. When the dust lifted it revealed a shuddering pokemon that Karen instantly recalled. When she lifted her head to glower at Steven, he merely raised an unimpressed eyebrow. ¡°Play games like that with me and I¡¯ll play them in turn with you.¡± He then turned his back on her and marched back to his bunker, leaving his Metagross on the field as the announcers called for the final intermission. ¡°Urgh! I hate these!¡± repeated Tommy. I nodded and sighed before looking over to Flint. Only to find that he wasn¡¯t in the room anymore. ¡°Hey where¡¯d Flint go?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, he left to go to the bathroom when Umbreon and Blaziken started rolling around!¡± said Timmy innocently. I blinked and considered that before nodding slowly. ¡°Oh, alright then.¡± I turned back to the tv. ¡°He timed that Hyper Beam well enough. I doubt he was just using it then because of Karen pulling Perish Song.¡± Yolanda nodded. ¡°He gets to let his pokemon rest and recharge with the intermission, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± I said with a pop. Flint leaned into the room from out of the hallway, his eyes flicked over us before looking to the tv. ¡°Oh, Umbreon lost?¡± ¡°Yeah! You missed it! Blaziken and Umbreon had this super rough brawl with kicking and biting and¡ª¡± Tommy said like it was the best thing ever. Flint turned a shade of green, and I realised he wasn¡¯t comfortable. ¡°Hey, Tommy, settle down alright?¡± I said while watching Flint. I hummed. ¡°Hey, Flint want to help me make some hot chocolate for the kids?¡± ¡°Hot chocolate?¡± he tilted his head. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean warm cocoa?¡± I waved it off and led him into the kitchen to make up the many drinks. ¡°Feeling alright?¡± I asked. ¡°...¡± Flint ran a hand over his face and scrunched it into his beard. ¡°No¡­ I can¡¯t say I am. I never really liked bloody pokemon battles.¡± ¡°No problem. It¡¯s really not a good sign that it''s reaching that level with Karen and Steven honestly. That Blaziken was a beast, and so was the Umbreon. Neither of them wanted to back down, but yeah, if you¡¯re not comfortable, then by all means, get out of the room.¡± Flint stared down at the tub of cocoa mix. ¡°You must think I¡¯m weak for not being able to handle that. I was Gym Leader once.¡± I considered him for a moment. Part of me wanted to snub him, but that was a dark, weak, cruel part of me. I shook my head and bumped him with my elbow. ¡°I¡¯ll never look down on you for not liking blood.¡± ¡°...thanks,¡± Flint said before coughing. ¡°Let¡¯s get these to¡ª¡± Flint was startled as he lifted a tray, only to find Yolanda standing there watching us. ¡°Oh! You scared me Yolanda.¡± "Sorry, dad,¡± she said before giving him a hug. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re weak for not liking when it gets too violent either,¡± she said into his side. Flint sniffed and patted her head awkwardly. Yolanda then broke off the hug and accepted her mug. When we returned, the kids all accepted their drinks. Eevee shared with Munchlax who begrudgingly allowed it. When Yolanda allowed Terra a sip, the baby Larvitar wiggled and squealed happily. On the TV, the match wasn¡¯t featuring the various advertisements but instead showed the crowd, who were on their feet chanting. ¡°Meta-gross! Meta-gross!¡± to Steven who was watching them with some amusement. Karen stood opposite him with a scowl on her features as he smiled and waved upon his return to the podium, once more he was immaculately fresh. He smiled at Karen before raising his hands and tamping down on the crowd. He toyed with the sleeve of his suit. ¡°I must admit I¡¯m somewhat tempted by this chance you¡¯ve given me Miss Karen¡­ but I think I shall have to deny the world my latest secret, although I am tempted, I have to admit. Karen, you¡¯ve put up a great display here with your pokemon. See if you can earn it!¡± he said as he pointed at her. I winched at that as she narrowed her eyes. She gritted her teeth, her eyes noting how his sleeve was being played with. Was Steven Stone going to Mega evolve against her and reveal it to the world? It would certainly be quite the way to announce himself, wouldn¡¯t it? My eyes raked over Metagross¡¯ frame, and I noted a small band with a glittering jewel on the front right leg. Hmmm he had all the right parts for it, now the question would be if he pulled the trigger. When Charles Goodshow gestured to Karen she raised a Greatball and hurled it out. ¡°Go! Houndoom! Let¡¯s show this Rich boy what we¡¯re made of!¡± The girls leaned forward as Houndoom landed and flames burst from its maw. It raised its horned head and locked eyes with Metagross before huffing out a flame. ¡°Draw in breath!¡± Karen ordered, causing her pokemon to take an almighty breath and for flames and darkness to build up around it. ¡°Now, release with Flamethrower!¡± From Houndoom¡¯s maw, a giant gout of flame was unleashed onto the field. The flame roared towards Metagross who stood against it without batting an eye. ¡°Metagross take control of it with Psychic!¡± said Steven with a clench of his fist. Metagross lifted up slightly as blue psychic energy built, before the onrushing flame was clasped and held. Steven grinned before pointing back at Karen. ¡°Return it!¡± The fire was blown back upon Karen and she stared it down. The camera caught her smile turn into an outright grin that stretched her face. ¡°Take it head on Houndoom!¡± The flames slammed into Houndoom and the cameras lost sight of it for a moment as the field around it burned and blacked. Throughout it all Karen grinned. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Suzie said, obviously aware that something was up with Karen¡¯s strange reaction. ¡°Shhh, just watch for now,¡± I said, leaning forward as the flames started to die off. From within them Houndoom was revealed with an evil glint in its eye as it stared down Metagross. From around its mouth, flame licked out like it was trying to escape, only to be loosely controlled. Steven had all of a moment for his eyes to widen in understanding, before Karen punched straight at him. ¡°Flamethrower!¡± This time the flame that roared forth was not like a wave but like a beam. It glowed with the intensity of the heat it was releasing and as it passed the ground blackened. Steven¡¯s hand twitched to his sleeve before he aborted the action. ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± Steven ordered suddenly not having much time, and having to force the issue. His Metagross once again unleashed a powerful beam that caused the fires to stop their headlong rush at his pokemon,clashing instead with the energy beam. Having seen how powerful the Hyper Beam had been only minutes ago, it was clear that this Flamethrower was something else with how it held the Beam from advancing at all. But the Flamethrower attack was stalled. When both attacks broke off Metagross was revealed to be heaving from the effort. Houndoom merely huffed once. It had lost the built-up flames that it had moments ago, but it was still raring to go. ¡°Close in on it with Fire Fang!¡± shouted Karen. Houndoom leapt into action and closed in with Metagross. ¡°You¡¯re going to regret not playing all your cards now Rich Boy!¡± taunted Karen as her pokemon leapt onto Metagross. The metal crab tried to scurry away, but it was much too tired to evade quickly. Steven merely shrugged. ¡°I trust in my decision. I also trust in my pokemon to handle what you can do to it.¡± He watched as Houndoom closed its fangs over one of Metagross¡¯ legs only for the crab to stoically endure it. ¡°Earthquake,¡± he said calmly. ¡°DP!¡± snarled Karen and from her pokemon darkness erupted just as the ground broke underneath both pokemon. Metagross staggered while Houndoom clung to the leg it had in its fangs, snarling and releasing yet another burst of dark energy. ¡°Hammer Arm,¡± Steven said, causing another of Metagross¡¯ arms to swing around and club Houndoom off its limb before it could inflict any more damage. As Houndoom landed it was already inhaling. ¡°Flamethrower!¡± barked Karen. ¡°Earthquake again! Buckle the land underneath you and make it miss!¡± shouted Steven as his Metagross slammed into the ground and caused the arena to quake once more. Houndoom staggered at the hit, while the Flamethrower missed thanks to Steven¡¯s maneuver. ¡°Use Psychic on the broken earth!¡± Steven said, following up quickly to hurl small boulders. They wouldn¡¯t contain the right sort of energy to really punish Houndoom, but the speed and size would still made them felt. ¡°Hop pattern!¡± Karen knew this, and ordered Houndoom to leap and evade the new dangers. The rocks also broke up the field and offered Metagross and Steven more control over the battle. And just like that Steven edged Karen back with directed Psychic attacks while breaking up the field again and again. Karen could either dodge or use Flamethrower to stand her ground but she couldn¡¯t attack Metagross from her position anymore. Metagross had made itself a little bunker that it was using well. ¡°Leap up and use Flamethrower!¡± Houndoom flexed before throwing itself into the sky. It inhaled and at its zenith, the move looked like it would be Karen¡¯s answer. Steven grinned. ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± Metagross swung its arms forward and fired a third and final Hyper Beam that ended the fight, as Houndoom was nailed in the air and sent careening out of the battlefield. I sighed. ¡°Damn, that had been closer than I thought,¡± I admitted. Karen had almost gotten Steven to Mega evolve at one point; I was sure of it, or to at the very least, consider it. Tommy and the boys nodded, with Tommy turning to Cindy. ¡°Alright she¡¯s not bad! You can like her, and I won¡¯t tease you!¡± ¡°I was going to do that anyway! I don¡¯t need your permission!¡± snapped Cindy. Flint raised a hand and indicated he¡¯d take care of it. I watched the post-match interview, and while everyone had been entertained, all of the hosts had noticed Steven alluding to having something up his sleeve. They speculated it was a new Ace on his team. A pokemon strong enough to supplant his Metagross. Some even wondered if he¡¯d caught himself a Legendary. When the cameras got in front of Steven they were quick to ask just that. He smiled affably and shook his head. ¡°Oh, I couldn¡¯t say without giving it away. A reveal needs to be done properly, after all. Perhaps I¡¯ll get a strong challenger in the future, one worth showing my new ace in the hole for.¡± Karen got some screen time and was rather smug with her ability to make Steven Stone sweat. Right up until they pointed out he had a pokemon left that many were suggesting was a Legendary. That got Karen to snort loudly but I could see she was annoyed by that line of questioning, especially when one reporter mentioned that Karen had been deemed not ¡®worth showing my new ace in the hole¡¯. That got her gritting her teeth and shooting Steven Stone a furious look. Eventually, some enterprising reporter got a microphone in front of Blaine of all people. ¡°What did you think of the match tonight Gym Leader Blaine?¡± the reporter said eagerly. ¡°Feh! It was nothing but a school yard scuffle!¡± Blaine said derisively. He glared towards Steven, who still had a throng of reporters waiting to get to him. ¡°If I had been allowed to fight Steven Stone there wouldn¡¯t be any question of his needing to use his Ace in the hole! Feh! Such drama! And empty pomp! I¡¯ve fought those types of trainers before and I know how to handle them. If it is anything worth a damn? Well, I have a few answers for such special pokemon,¡± he said, toying with the pokeball on his necklace. The reporter chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure your Magmar would have done wonderfully!¡± he said with a tone of one actually saying, ¡®Sure gramps,¡¯. ¡°Yes¡­ My Magmar,¡± said Blaine with an amused lilt to his words. I paused in getting the kids to bed. Had he just hinted at having evolved his Magmar into Magmortar? That¡­ that would be a very powerful upgrade. Blaine¡¯s Magmar was known to be one of the most powerful fire types around¡­ if he¡¯d been able to evolve it¡­ how strong had he gotten? Karen was shown approaching, and Blaine nodded once to her at the end of the interview. ¡°Keep working on your pokemon¡¯s fire attacks, lass; you¡¯ve got a lot further to go than just a simple Flamethrower!¡± he said as he marched off. ¡°Heh, gotta keep some things up my sleeve for when I take my Champion run old timer!¡± she called after him. I chuckled as the girls preened that their new role model was apparently going to go all the way. Cindy tugged on my sleeve. ¡°Can you get her autograph for me? You know her, right?¡± I sighed. Urgh, one of my many weak points. An earnest request from my little siblings. This was going to make Karen unbearable for months, if not years. An idea formed in my mind, and I turned to Suzie. ¡°Do you want me to get you Sabrina¡ª¡± ¡°I already have it!¡± she said producing a picture of herself and Sabrina. Both of them I noted had signed under their own images. Suzie¡¯s was naturally a mess of scribbles. I chuckled. Excellent. This would curtail some of Karen¡¯s¡­ Karenness. I sent the kids to bed and laid down. I only had one more day to rest and relax before resuming the grind of the Gym circuit, and I was going to make the most of it by doing little beyond planning out the week to come. With Karen¡¯s match against Steven Stone done, I knew a lot of attention would be turning my way. The media would probably run with Karen and Steven¡¯s fight for the next few days, until the next big issue. For pokemon Ace trainer fights, that meant Will and I would be the hot topic. Next weekend couldn¡¯t come fast enough for me. Chapter 123 - Hiccups ¡°Kleavor!¡± said Gawain as he batted away Shin¡¯s blades. He allowed himself a moment of smugness before he had to shift backwards as Shin retaliated. ¡°Gawain! You need to keep the pressure on! Don¡¯t let Shin have that moment to recover. Patting yourself on the back can wait until the fight is done! Never during it!¡± I barked. ¡°Vor!¡± he growled as he found himself under pressure from Shin. I nodded and moved towards where Quirinna and Selene were changing up the landscape against Bertha, Titan, and Knight. ¡°Work hard Knight! You¡¯re one of the pokemon I¡¯m looking to for the coming match against Will!¡± ¡°Agg-ron!¡± he barked as he moved his feet as fast as he could with the shifting landscape. I ran across the moving earth, Bertha took a swipe at me with her tail to trip me up which I swatted her for. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like this, but it¡¯s important girl! Show the young ones how it¡¯s done!¡± I said, pointing towards where I had Yolanda holding Terra and the newest pokemon to the Gym with Salvadore. Professor Oak and his team were there as well, documenting my Cranidos, Anorith, and Tirtouga. Salvadore was wearing pads all over his body as he grappled with the tiny Cranidos. It had been extremely enthusiastic to join in the training my Elites went through, but as a baby pokemon I wanted none of that. With its inability to join the training session, it had turned to other methods of practise. Namely headbutting, biting, and stomping on Salvadore until he¡¯d handed the pokemon over to Elm who¡¯d taken the abuse with barely a comment while jotting down notes about the force of the blows. Anorith had tried to latch onto Stephen¡¯s face only for his half-grown beard to cause it to decide Bianca was a better option only for her to snatch it out of the air and play with its belly until it settled down. Tirtouga had merely laid near the water¡¯s edge while observing the fights. At first glance, he looked uninterested. But his eyes tracked the various fights and he hadn¡¯t turned away since we¡¯d started despite being the first observer of everyone to arrive. I turned towards Jormungandr and found him working on his Rock Throws against Zephyr and Don as they dove and evaded the flying boulders. ¡°Jorm, Don, Zephyr! We¡¯ll stop there and cycle you into some cooldowns. I might be looking to use Don and Zephyr for any other challenges we have this week.¡± Don growled at that while the others accepted it. I stared him down until he looked away, cowed and willing to follow my lead. Sadly he locked onto the young fossil pokemon and perked up. A sadistic gleam entered his gaze. ¡°No, leave them,¡± I said instantly causing Don to attempt an innocent look that I wasn¡¯t impressed by. On a scale of one to Suzie and Munchlax pretending after getting into the chocolate cake, it wasn¡¯t very effective. I spent some more time working with Hypnotoad, Shrek, and Tide to make sure I was comfortable with them. By the end of the training session, I felt confident we were back to one hundred percent. ¡°Hypnotoad, I¡¯m looking more and more in your direction with the coming match. I think you¡¯ve made some good progress. Tide, I don¡¯t think I will be calling you out but I will have you anchor this week¡¯s Ace battles before Will.¡± Tide trilled happily at that, accepting that this might not be a match for him. Shrek stayed still before I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m probably going to call you up Shrek, you¡¯re still one of my most consistent pokemon.¡± ¡°Go!?¡± said Sanchez in shock as he walked past. He clutched a hand to his chest and I rolled my eyes at his antics. ¡°I said one of, not my most consistent.¡± Sanchez stood gleefully and I smirked at him. ¡°That would be Titan after all.¡± Sanchez raised a claw and opened his mouth but no noise came out as my pokemon laughed. Sanchez joined them a moment later, more than happy to laugh at himself. I collected Salvadore and Yolanda for breakfast. When that was done I met Alexa on the way to the Gym. ¡°Gym Leader, ready for the return to the circuit?¡± she said semi-teasingly even as her eyes swept over me. I nodded and shot her a grin. ¡°So ready, first up is a double battle no?¡± ¡°Thought we¡¯d keep you on your toes,¡± she replied. ¡°Heh, bring it!¡± I said happily marching out for the resumption of the circuit. When I made it to the arena there was already a young lass standing on the podium staring straight ahead. Fixedly staring ahead. She seemed very relieved when I entered and I had all of a moment before I understood exactly why that might be the case. ¡°Go Go! Gilly! Go Go Gilly!¡± cheered what looked like a sizeable crowd of people hanging over the railing as much as they could while ignoring Rachel trying to get them into their seats. I glanced at Gilly and found her blushing furiously. ¡°Your¡­ family?¡± I asked carefully. She stiffly nodded. ¡°They decided to surprise me by coming to Kanto for a holiday¡­ all twenty of them.¡± I tilted my head. She had a Hoenn accent if my ears weren¡¯t wrong. Which meant she must have thought she was safe from being hovered over by her family. And here they were, loud and proud. ¡°Ah well, think of it this way, do well, and you¡¯ll have all the training needed to not be bothered by loud crowds or people shouting things during your matches in future.¡± I offered a shrug. ¡°It might not sound like much,h but a lot of people find fighting on the big stage a much different beast to deal with than simple matches.¡± Gilly glanced at the sizeable arena my Gym had and snorted. ¡°Yeah, simple,¡± she said before rolling her shoulders and raising two pokeballs. ¡°I¡¯m not here for them or to talk, though! Are you ready to fight!?¡± I raised two of my own pokeballs. ¡°Certainly!¡± From the referee¡¯s podium, Missy raised her flags. ¡°The Gym Leader is not allowed to return his pokemon, and only two pokemon may be on the field from each trainer at one time! Release your pokemon!¡± ¡°Go Lileep and Geodude!¡± I said. I was more than happy to start things off with one of my signature pokemon along with what was fast becoming a stalwart pokemon for me to use in the lower tier matches. ¡°Go Corphish, and Lombre!¡± Gilly replied. I whistled. Those were good pokemon to send out against my usual roster. They¡¯d synergise rather well, but there was the one hiccup in her plan with my choosing an Alolan Geodude. Something Gilly seemed to be aware of as she shot the rougher ridges of my Geodude a dubious look before narrowing her eyes. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted Missy. Gilly punched forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go team! Use Water Gun on that Geodude! Focus fire on that one!¡± ¡°Geodude use Rollout to get out¡ª¡± Before I could finish the order, both Water Gun attacks angled around to slam into Lileep without my ancient pokemon seeming to take any damage. Both Gilly and I gaped at Lileep who wiggled happily. ¡°Huh. Would you look at that,¡± I said. That made two of the Lileep that had Storm Drain as their ability. I knew I had good odds with the colony I looked after here, but it still came as a surprise. A very nice one for me and, sadly, a tough hurdle for Gilly. Geodude use Defence Curl,¡± I said to give Gilly time to regather her wits. ¡°Then follow up with Thundershock on Corphish!¡± ¡°Lombre! Intercept that attack and use Mega Drain on Geodude!¡± Gilly said quickly as my pokemon started to spark up. ¡°Lileep use Confuse Ray on Lombre!¡± ¡°Corphish use Dig so that Lileep can¡¯t use its roots!¡± I had to blink in surprise. That was a good move, and actually showed she¡¯d done some research before showing up. Not many people would be used to seeing Lileep use Ingrain to root itself to the ground and become much tougher to overcome. Another tick for Gilly. Lombre took the thundershock and the Confuse Ray causing it to totter around only to lay down and have a nap while holding its head. That was an interesting reaction to being confused. Have a nap. I noted it as a novel response and that it pretty much put Lombre out of the fight for the moment as Corphish threw Lileep into the air. ¡°Use Double Hit Corphish!¡± Gilyl said as my pokemon came down. ¡°Wrap,¡± I replied, more than happy to have Corphish in close. ¡°Cor-phish!¡± shrieked the small crayfish pokemon as my pokemon ensnared it before it could bring its two pinchers to bear. ¡°Lombre stop goofing around and use Mega Drain on Geodude again!¡± Lombre tilted its head back and considered the state of affairs before standing and headbutting a rock. "Tch! Fine, return Lombre!¡± Gilly said before quickly tossing out another pokemon. ¡°Go Linoone!¡± The crowd went wild, and a few even stepped forward wearing Linoone masks. Linoone itself waved to the crowd and chased its own tail. It seemed like her family knew about this pokemon and it knew of them. ¡°Lileep continue to use Wrap on the Corphish,¡± I said forcing Linoone to stop playing around and realise that a teammate was in danger. Gilly nodded. ¡°Linoone go for that Lileep with Pin Missle! Free Corphish!¡± ¡°Nooooooooooooone!¡± shouted the ferret as it sprinted at Lileep. ¡°Rollout and intercept!¡± I said to Geodude. My pokemon tucked and rolled, only for Linoone to bend around the attack, forcing Geodude to slam into a boulder and crack it apart. Linoone continued on and broke Lileep¡¯s hold on Corphish with pins fired from Linoone¡¯s mouth to set Lileep back. Corphish followed through with the aborted Double Hit from earlier, and Lileep went down. Both pokemon then turned towards my Geodude who put up a good fight but wasn¡¯t able to match how evasive Linoone was, or handle Corphish¡¯s Water Gun. I was more than happy to hand Gilly the Boulder badge to the adoring cheers of her family. ¡°That¡¯s a very gifted Lioone you have there.¡± ¡°Thanks! He¡¯s my starter and has always loved to run and play around. That ended up leading to him being super hard to hit! He has a great move pool as well, what with being a normal type!¡± ¡°Good, that you¡¯ve embraced a lot of his strengths. He needs to be a bit more focused, however as he played around too early while Corphish was in danger,¡± I said, glancing down at the Linooone that was sheepishly rubbing the back of its head. I gave it an unimpressed look. ¡°Just remember, talent is only potential at the end of the day. So often, that can mean people will not train as hard as they should. You''re a good little pokemon, but this is just the start of your journey.¡± I looked back up at Gilly. ¡°You¡¯ve started on the right foot, though, with having a plan in place, researching matches ahead of schedule, and preparing accordingly. Train yourself to react to something unexpected faster, and you¡¯ll go a long way,¡± I said. Gilyl bowed seriously and happily took a picture with me, only for her entire family to surge onto the field to join her. I hustled them off and then turned to Rachel. ¡°Alright, one down, lots more to come!¡± I said this as I cracked my neck and prepared for the next trainer. Two more singles matches, and then a few kids running the gauntlet before rounding it off with an Ace match at the end of the day. Perfect.
¡°Zephyr! Return!¡± I returned my pokemon and reached for another as, across from me, my opponent¡¯s Graveler knuckled down and grasped the ground in preparation for my next pokemon. ¡°Go! Tide! Fill the field!¡± I was more than happy to end it with a solid pokemon like Tide. Tide took one look at the Graveler and clapped his flippers together, causing a tidal wave to build up behind him that he rode over the top of the Graveler. ¡°Protect!¡± ordered my opponent. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± I ordered a follow-up move, causing Tide to bend his neck backwards and fire off two powerful gouts of water that slammed into Graveler as the protective shell dropped away. It was knocked out from that and I nodded to myself. My opponent gritted his teeth before sighing and shaking his head. ¡°I only got your Aerodactyl and Steelix¡­ While you got four of mine¡­ I don¡¯t have an answer to your Lapras¡­ I concede,¡± he said glumly. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Trainer Morrison concedes the match! Gym Leader Brock is victorious!¡± Salvadore announced happily. He¡¯d finished up at his school and come home in time to take over refereeing for the late afternoon session. The podiums lowered, and the crowd that had gathered rose to applaud the match as I waved to them. Tide happily swung his neck around in celebration. It wasn¡¯t often that he got to be my last pokemon out, and it was always amusing to watch people enjoy the experience of a new pokemon being there. Sanchez always hyped the crowd up. Bertha would pirouette and dance around. Titan was stoic and powerful, with his roars echoing throughout the arena. Tide liked to wiggle and clap his flippers happily before rubbing his neck against me while I tried to talk with my opponent. ¡°Good match,¡± I said, trying to dig my feet in lest I be knocked over. "Heh, I couldn''t believe you just accepted every challenger... seemed a good chance to jump a lot of people. Should have known your ranking wasn¡¯t a fluke,¡± he said as he shook my hand. ¡°Oh? I can¡¯t say I track my Ace trainer ranking.¡± He stared at me. ¡°You¡¯re in the top fifty trainers in the Ace rankings for the Indigo area, and you don¡¯t?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fifty?¡± I said, surprised by this information. He pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°You¡¯re forty-first actually. You aren¡¯t really moving up the ranks cause the people you¡¯re facing are too weak to give more than a single point when you win. Whereas if someone like me were to win I¡¯d jump¡­¡± he did some mental calculations. ¡°Fifty ranks at least. Might even get enough attention for a sponsorship deal¡­¡± He kicked the ground. I tilted my head and scratched at Tide¡¯s neck while reinforcing my legs with rock energy as he threatened to knock me over. ¡°You said earlier that most people in my position don¡¯t accept every challenge?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, me challenging someone in the top fifty ranks would be a waste of time for them unless I ponied up a huge purse.¡± He rubbed his nose. ¡°That or I really annoyed them, but that¡¯s a great way to end up with your team injured. Those guys and girls are the best in the League bar the Elite Four and Champion for a reason.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting to know. I¡­ well, I open myself to Ace challenges to offer locals different matches while also keeping my best team as strong as possible.¡± I said with a shrug. "I guess I sort of achieved that through my Elite challenge in the past.¡± The other trainer grimaced. ¡°I didn¡¯t mess up something good did I? You¡¯re not about to shut your doors to lower-ranked challengers, are you?¡± ¡°Heh, no,¡± I said with a snort. ¡°This is a Gym; my purpose is to help make people stronger.¡± He nodded his head before glancing up at the referee''s podium. ¡°So¡­ I knew Missy before she signed on here. I thought it wasn¡¯t a good move not signing onto the Ace circuit at the end of last year and instead taking this job but now I¡¯m rethinking that¡­ Do you have any openings?¡± I nodded and directed him to Alexa before raising a hand. ¡°Oh, and due to League security measures, if you want to work here, you need to submit yourself to a Psychic interview.¡± ¡°Interview?¡± he said, his face flashing with concern. I waggled my hand back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s not as invasive as an interrogation, but you will have a Psychic specialist making sure you¡¯re not planning anything.¡± Specifically Sabrina. ¡°Huh¡­¡± he said. He tilted his head. ¡°They don¡¯t look into anything like¡­ your search history, do they?¡± he whispered quietly. I snorted and laughed before locking eyes with him. ¡°But seriously, they might. So just own it¡­ unless it''s illegal.¡± I tensed in case he confessed to anything seriously illegal. I was more than ready to take him down. He shook his head quickly and said, ¡°Nope! Nope! Just you know, chains and whips and such! Nothing l illegal! I swear!¡± I nodded slowly, and he coughed before departing with a conflicted expression. I hummed, watching him walk off. I might have another Ace trainer if he applied, which might be nice. I¡¯d check to see if Missy actually knew him, not that it would spare him the interview. The Gym had gained a lot more security measures since the whole Daniel incident. More patrols with some pokemon already out of their pokeballs. The Duckpond had gotten a few extra servers with increased storage and processing power. The dark projectors to stop someone teleporting in had been upgraded, and a training seminar on security protocols had been required for all staff, myself included. Bethany now knew to never give out a pass to a helpful young lady in a janitor¡¯s outfit. All tours were to be supervised. If the young man did sign on with us, there would still be lots of perks. Sadly, not as many as usual, as I had only really gotten to have two training sessions a week with Missy instead of the normal three or four a regular circuit would allow. I walked up to Salvadore and wrapped an arm around him. ¡°You looked good up there, little brother. Nice work, that was some clean referring today.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± He beamed up at me. ¡°It got a bit tricky with that Ace Challenge, as I¡¯m more used to you and them not withdrawing pokemon. It was pretty crazy for him to send out a Graveler against you like he did!¡± I snorted. ¡°Some people don¡¯t have the luxury of having a horde of Graveler to help them evolve naturally.¡± ¡°Naturally?¡± said Salvadore, catching onto the implied other method with my wording. I rubbed my chin. ¡°Some people try to use less pokemon with cables and transference of energy. The big companies like Silph Co think its a potential future method for evolving pokemon like Graveler, Haunter, Machoke, and Kadabra, to name a few.¡± ¡°Woah!¡± Salvadore said before grinning. ¡°Which other pokemon would evolve using this method?¡± Ah, I¡¯d dug myself quite a hole here, hadn¡¯t I? Most pokemon that in the games needed to be traded to evolve, were also accompanied by an item, which in this world was enough to see them evolve most of the time. That, or they were pokemon like Boldore or Gurdurr that hadn¡¯t been discovered yet. ¡°Oh I just mentioned them¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t think there are any others?¡± I said, deciding to just fall back on not knowing. ¡°Oh,¡± said Salvadore. I held in my grimace as I held back information. I wasn¡¯t being a bad brother, I just wasn¡¯t going to be able to skate around how I knew of those pokemon. This was not like Diancie, who I used as a storytime pokemon for Suzie. Diancie, I could handwave s a mythic pokemon. Actually, I¡¯d probably get a bit of scrutiny if I ever did get one and Suzie ratted out that I knew¡­ damn past me! Oh well, that was something for future me to worry about¡­ hopefully far off in the future. Yup, no way that could backfire on me. I scratched my chin. What other methods of evolution had I casually told the kids that weren¡¯t well known. Hmmm, suddenly the story of the Ugly Feebas didn¡¯t seem such a good idea. I sent Salvadore into the office to complete some write-ups about the matches he¡¯d refereed for. He¡¯d be able to use the Gym¡¯s playbacks to make the reports easier, but it was an interesting addition that Dennis had enacted now that he was my second in command with Rocko away. Potentially, the referee would see things that I or even the crowd might not. And slowly but surely, more and more information would accrue for me and my gym trainers. It added an extra ten minutes at the end of the day, but it was a good idea, so I allowed it to go into effect. I meanwhile turned my attention to having my pokemon checked over by Chansey, locking up the Gym, and then feeding my pokemon. I was just settling into writing up some paperwork myself when a beep alerted me to something being wrong. My transceiver only got a message that announced my need to check my holopad. I opened the drawer containing the holopad only for a red light to sweep the room and a robotic voice to speak up. ¡°Secure the room! Emergency! Emergency! Secure the room Brock!¡± I stood and locked the door before activating the dark energy projectors to further lock down the room. The Guardian Holopad performed another sweep of the room with red light pulsing from it before it relaxed. ¡°Stand by for an Emergency call from¡ª¡± It stopped speaking for another voice to add their name. ¡°Koga,¡± said Koga. In another setting, I¡¯d think it funny that the Guardians had such an old setup for their message system, but then Koga was projected onto the space above the holopad. I sat up and hissed with surprise. Koga looked fatigued, and at his side, I could see his Venomoth and Muk carefully watching his back; both were clearly highly agitated. It made sense, with Koga looking so beaten and weak. Koga blinked slowly, and I realised worriedly that one of his eyes was still slightly dilated, indicating he had a concussion. On the side of the hologram, other windows appeared, as Sabrina, Karen, Lucy, and Janine all appeared. Janine stiffened and vanished a moment later, with her window disappearing. ¡°I apologise for this appearance, but I must speak before I seek medical attention from a secure facility. Do not seek me out, as I will not be traceable. Do not talk with my daughter. Any attempts to find me will be rebuffed or treated as a threat to me.¡± Koga swallowed. ¡°It is not my state that I am sending this message out for, sadly. I call to announce that Agatha has slipped into a coma.¡± On screen, he grimaced and put a hand to his ribs. ¡°Agatha and I attempted to attack a facility that had been discovered a few weeks ago. This facility was not like any of the others that were raided at the time.¡± He took a moment to draw in a steadying breath. ¡°It was, after all, an old base from the war. It should have been broken down when Kanto demilitarised, as there were a number of traps and chokepoints that are extremely dangerous. Agatha and I were able to handle these traps.¡± He took a shakey breath. ¡°We were also able to deal with the Rocket Grunts, and Executives that were at the facility. We had begun extracting information from the computers, only for a new threat to appear.¡± Koga stared straight ahead. ¡°It was a pokemon like none I¡¯d ever seen before¡­ It stood upright like a man and had a long purple tail¡­ and yet it was armoured and masked¡­ But it was powerful.¡± I leaned forward and rubbed my eyes. Shit. I knew a pokemon like that. I had warned Agatha and Koga about that as a potential risk! And its appearance had still caught them off guard, it seemed. Shit! Was this my fault for not giving them more information? What was I supposed to say to them though? That I had knowledge I shouldn¡¯t thanks to being reincarnated from a world where pokemon are cartoons and games for children? Would they lock me up if I said such things? It was a secret I¡¯d held onto for a long time, but here and now, it might be a secret that caused Agatha to go to the grave. It sounded like she¡¯d run face-first into Mewtwo of all pokemon. A Mewtwo that Giovanni still controlled. ¡°¡ªhad to have Weezing sacrifice himself to get Agatha and myself out¡­ it was only thanks to his sacrifice that we escaped,¡± Koga was saying. I looked up and found Koga being tended to by Janine. He looked composed but also... touched? I think I got that right with the slight curve of his lips as his daughter fussed over him. Obviously, Janine knew where to find her father when he took shelter. ¡°Agatha will be in a League care facility. Karen¡­ you know that Agatha does not want you to reveal your connection with her.¡± ¡°Piss on that!¡± she snarled. ¡°I¡¯ll reveal myself on my terms. She can¡¯t say shit if she¡¯s in a coma! Where is she, so I can gloat over her? T-that¡¯ll have her up and about quick enough!¡± Karen said heatedly. I noticed but didn¡¯t comment on the slight hitch in her voice that showed she was worried about her¡­ grandmother? I still wasn¡¯t entirely sure of their relationship. Koga sighed and relayed the location. I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I found that site and¡ª¡± ¡°Do not take this onto yourself, Brock. You found the facility, yes but we knew that it would be dangerous going in. Agatha and I were the best and perhaps the only two that could have gotten in like that.¡± He locked his gaze on me, and I met his guiltily. ¡°Brock, I have fought more than one pokemon of Legendary strength before. I have survived them just as I have survived this encounter. Agatha is the same, she will make a recovery in time!¡± I ran a hand through my hair. ¡°I suspected Giovanni had a Legendary though!¡± ¡°Hmpf¡­¡± Koga shut his eyes and wobbled slightly. ¡°As much as it pains me to say this, I am self-aware enough to know that I was not certain of your claims prior to this¡­ It was true but with your youth, I thought¡­¡± He sighed and shook his head. ¡°Regardless, I have been proven wrong in the worst of ways.¡± ¡°Agatha was worse,¡± said Karen as she threw things into her backpack in preparation to depart. ¡°Kept talking to me about young people not really understanding the true power of a legendary pokemon.¡± She paused to scowl at something before tossing it into the bag as well. ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± I said while pounding my fist into the desk. Koga swallowed. ¡°What proof did you have? Have you faced this pokemon before or witnessed it being ordered about by Team Rocket? How powerful is its attacks? What type is it?¡± ¡°No¡­ I just suspected that the resurrection machine that Blaine has created could do more than just resurrect fossils. Maybe it would be Psychic? Aren¡¯t there reports of them hunting for information regarding the Legendary pokemon Mew?¡± I gave the same reason I had to Sabrina months ago, along with another rationale. Koga drummed his fingers. ¡°A nebulous link¡­ that must now be reexamined.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say!¡± said Karen. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I was all chummy with that fucky chromedome! If he had something to do with the old woman dying I¡¯ll¡­¡± Karen clenched her fists and growled. ¡°Blaine should not be approached idly,¡± Sabrina said, speaking up for the first time. ¡°This pokemon, was it psychic? What moves did it use?¡± Koga blinked slowly, returning to the conversation. ¡°It had to be Psychic. Especially with how it levitated debris around the base without any strain. It also unleashed Psychic and fired balls of Psychic energy that destroyed the facility where they struck¡­ It did almost more damage to the facility than we did.¡± Sabrina frowned. ¡°I am not familiar with any move that uses psychic balls of energy¡­¡± Sabrina tilted her head, her eyes narrowed. ¡°Is the timing of this strike linked to Karen¡¯s match last night?¡± Koga sighed. ¡°Clever¡­ too clever. Yes, while lots of attention was put on Karen Agatha and I infiltrated the facility. It had been a few weeks since the last Rocket base raid. If they had still been operating under wartime protocols, they would have relaxed their guard. Karen fighting Steven Stone might make any watchers laxer as they paid more attention to the match.¡± Karen straightened angrily. ¡°That old bitch! She used me! I was all annoyed that she wasn¡¯t there to watch, and she was damn well using me! Urgh! That is just so¡­ her!¡± Karen shook her head. ¡°If she dies and becomes a Gengar I¡¯m so catching her so I can stick her with a ditto!¡± she muttered under her breath. Koga coughed while I gave a half-hearted laugh. Koga then shifted as Janine probed his arm, revealing a limb now in a cast. ¡°Be still father!¡± hissed Janine. Koga¡¯s lips twitched upward as he settled down. ¡°Regardless. Agatha and I will be unable to fight for some time. You should all be very careful at this time. For all that Team Rocket has taken a number of losses, it appears they have more than enough depth and backing to not be toppled easily.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°They have however jumped up our priorities. They cannot be allowed to wield a pokemon with that amount of strength! This I promise!¡± The rest of us nodded and agreed to keep our heads down. The Holopad winked out, and I slumped back into my chair. Shit. That just happened. Sabrina appeared next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Do not blame yourself Brock.¡± ¡°Kind of hard not to in this instance,¡± I said rubbing my chin. ¡°Maybe I should have gone along. Me and Karen. With our Dark Types we might have...¡± I trailed off, unsure what to say. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Brock, while you would have had a type advantage, a pokemon that has been deemed as Legendary in strength is not to be trifled with. While I have never faced one, I have read extensively. They typically take entire teams of pokemon to drive off, let alone defeat.¡± ¡°Well, it might be something we can¡¯t avoid. With Giovanni and Team Rocket confirming for us that he has this Legendary Psychic¡­ Well, I think we have no choice but to get ready to fight them.¡± Sabrina squeezed my shoulder. ¡°As long as I am there to help you. Do not attempt to fight it by yourself.¡± I shot her a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m not about to run headlong into that sort of fight.¡± She nodded in acknowledgment before I sighed. ¡°And I thought the biggest thing I was going to deal with this week was facing Will¡­¡± I ran a hand over my face. ¡°Damn, this... I''m not sure what this will do. I hope Agatha and Koga recover.¡± I was also intensely curious to know what had happened. Chapter 124 - Look to your Elders Leaves danced through the forest. Shadows danced under the canopy as the trees rustled. The branches swayed. Koga stood atop such a branch, moving in tune with the forest. A part of it. This position met his needs. It allowed him to assess the area without compromising himself or casting his body into profile. The work of a ninja was ever-evolving and competing with security measures. From his position, no long-range observers or cameras would be able to see him, nor would any aerial observers. He dropped and darted further into the trees. He¡¯d stayed in one position long enough to get what he needed, and now he needed to move on. He moved eight trees to the south before reassessing his surroundings. Wind swept through the forest, and Koga paused as the shadows shifted. Pokemon moved about, unaware of his presence. Koga observed them carefully. None were acting oddly, acting or otherwise. They were as they appeared, merely young Pidgey, Rattata, Spearow, and the occasional Hoothoot poking their heads out from hidden alcoves. Koga moved on, unseen by the denizens of the forest. After another three sites and observations, he returned to his starting position. ¡°There is a null zone of roughly four hundred metres around the base,¡± Koga said to the shadows. ¡°Hmph! Amateurs!¡± sniffed the shadows before Agatha stepped through them. She paused on the edge of the branch and sighed. ¡°Urgh, getting old is a terrible curse, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°It comes with knowledge and experience,¡± Koga said as he bounced low from a branch before kicking off another to land with only the smallest rustle of leaves. If anyone had been around to see it, they would have assumed it was a Sentret darting through the trees and not a man. Agatha sighed forlornly before stepping back to allow the shadows to devour her. Then the shadows ghosted down to the ground, and Agatha stepped out of them without a hair out of place. ¡°You know, I think I like having experience!¡± cackled Agatha. ¡°When you were younger, you were more careful with your life than you are now,¡± Koga commented as he squatted down. ¡°I made the most of my youth, now I¡¯m making the most of my age and not letting it stop me!¡± she said primly. Koga nodded before gesturing towards the base that was just out of sight. ¡°Did you ever spend any time out of the Viridian base?¡± Agatha sniffed. ¡°No, I spent time in the western Pallet Town base and the Northern Pewter base but not Viridian. The Viridian base was a supply depot or a fallback position if we lost the front-line bases.¡± Koga inclined his head. ¡°I pulled the records, and the base was listed as a standard setup.¡± Koga shifted. ¡°Blaine was never the commander either, so it should have remained that way as none of his¡­¡± He considered his options for a moment before continuing, ¡°Quirks of changing up the layout or traps should have occurred.¡± ¡°He has been in cahoots with Giovanni however¡­¡± Agatha said. In truth, they¡¯d had this conversation a number of times, but well-trained habits that were used in the field didn¡¯t die with their practitioner because they didn¡¯t die. Most of the time. ¡°Assume nothing,¡± Agatha said before nodding to Koga as he shut his eyes and knelt on his heels, and inhaled. When he opened them, his eyes were mild, and Agatha found herself almost overlooking the man before her. It was a clever trick that she had some theories about but wasn¡¯t ever going to ask about. Let the man have his mysteries. By their age, you were bound to have a few built up after all. Her shadow rose up and peered at the man curiously. ¡°He¡¯s still there, Gengy, calm yourself.¡± Her shadow retreated back to the ground, eyeing the¡­ ah, he¡¯d moved. Agatha tilted forward. To another, it would look like she¡¯d gone tottering over. She didn¡¯t fall to the ground though. Instead, she fell into her shadow once more. The world became a confusing mess of darkness and sensations as she felt a vague sensation of movement occurring. Hands brushed along her, imploring her and entreating her all at once. All she had to do to join them was shut her eyes and¡­ let go. She didn''t, and they laughed madly like they always did. They loved her, truly, they did. They would never part with her if they had their way. The world continued to shift as ghostly echoes of laughter tickled her ears, and hands held her steady while she journeyed and remained still at the same time. And then, without any warning, she was spat out at the edge of a long metal corridor. Agatha looked down the tunnel, with its corroded metal grills and dripping water. The air barely stirred, and a fetid smell hung about the room. Agatha approved. It was the perfect entry point for a Ghost mistress. "Come, my pretties, come, my darlings, we have a hunt to begin,¡± she crooned seemingly to herself. The tunnel continued to drip a moment longer before her hair stirred against the wind and her shadow stretched hugely, dwarfing her. From her hair, a pair of Misdreavous appeared, while a Mismagius shimmered into being at her crown. They giggled at her as her shadow split and formed into three Haunters that all eyed each other ravenously. Two Gengar appeared and nodded back at her shadow which eyed the other ghosts lazily before shutting its eyes. As the ghosts swirled around her, Agatha counted in her head. Koga and her had run through enough bases in the past to know how long it would take each other to reach a security checkpoint. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t just have to rely on precise timing alone anymore. A click on her transceiver told her it was time to act. Agatha stretched out her hand and accepted Banette¡¯s help as she strode down the tunnels. ¡°You know your games! Be about them! Slash their eyes and break their voices!¡± Agatha snapped her fingers and pointed to one of her pokemon. ¡°Gengar, seek out the secondary security site that should be in that direction!¡± She pointed a boney hand where she wanted Gengar to look. ¡°Take out the guard!¡± she ordered coldly. Gengar¡¯s grin split its face and its eyes glowed malevolently before it threw itself through the wall. Agatha knew that Koga would see to the other site. Both would need to be taken out within a certain time of each other lest the guards send out a warning. She sent back a ¡®poke¡¯ to Koga through the ¡®messenger app¡¯ that she¡¯d had installed as she continued to walk along. Technology was a wonderful thing¡­ when it worked properly! At her side, a Froslass hovered subserviently, ready to assist should Agatha require it. Agatha had laughed long and hard when she¡¯d discovered Pryce¡¯s little problem in his hometown. It felt so good to have one of these little beauties, like she was young and thumbing her nose at the man all over again. The damn fool had no idea such pokemon were even possible, much less under his nose! Oh, when he learnt about the Ghost-ice type haunting his mountains she was looking forward to floating her own Froslass past him! She cackled to herself as she moved. Overhead, the lights flickered, and the tunnels shuddered. A faint scream echoed ahead of her. Ah, her dears were enjoying themselves. One of the Misdreavus floated in front of Agatha in a zigzag pattern. It would occasionally pause at a seemingly innocent patch of wall. Then its eyes would glow, and a slow pulse of Hypnosis would shoot into the wall. This was repeated a few more times along Agatha¡¯s walk down the tunnel. Agatha knew these to be the points in the tunnel where Voltorb and Electrode could be stored. If Agatha was careless in her entry or if the alarms sounded out, the walls would come alive with furious pokemon that were more than ready to blow themselves up. This had been one of the features that Agatha and Koga had been waiting to have dialled back. A sensitive Voltorb was bad enough. Electrode, if you didn¡¯t neutralise them, were known to roll after you and with their speed, that was a significant threat. Still, even if one of them did wake up and seek to explode, Agatha had answers to that threat. At her back, another pokemon hovered. It remained an exact distance from her at all times while rotating like a sentry. Shedninja were strange pokemon that she knew Oak had spent an entire month examining, only to toss his hands up and declare them the product of ghost energies. Agatha stared into the dull eyes of the pokemon and saw the multitude of shadows move within. She¡¯d never spoken up about what was actually at work with this particular pokemon¡­ but then again, every old person had their secrets. When she came to the end of the tunnel, a number of cameras were damaged and the doors leading into the facility were cracked open. A shame that the cameras couldn¡¯t be left operational. Agatha did so love looking straight into them and smiling. Instead, she contented herself with looking over the shivering and broken forms of the Rocket grunts that had been acting as the security detail for this particular entrance. One of them tried to muster up the strength to glare at her. ¡°Y-you w-won¡¯t get aw-away with th-th-this!¡± They stuttered through shivering lips. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find I already have dearie,¡± She pointed at them. ¡°Hypnosis.¡± Her Haunter¡¯s eyes glowed and waves of psychic energy radiated out causing the man to slumber. ¡°No more Dram eater on this one dears, we¡¯ll put him to Sabrina to see if has any information for us about other facilities.¡± Agatha ran a hand over the wall as she walked into the base proper. It was a large cavernous building with plenty of room for troops. A glance to the side saw two guards that were surging to their feet as they realised that Agatha did not belong here. Hands swept out of the walls and wrapped around their mouths, dragging them back and silencing them. Other hands plucked pokeballs from their belts to stop them from releasing them. Their eyes bulged as a Gengar formed up in front of them and held a finger to its mouth in mockery. ¡°Gen-gar!¡± it cried as its mouth split open and loomed, causing them to scream into the hands holding them only for Gengar to snap its mouth shut in their faces. Agatha walked past them, unbothered by the smell of liquid now trickling down onto the floor as her pokemon knocked them out. A girl rounded the corner and hissed in surprise. Hands shot from the ground to grasp her, only for the girl to have good instincts. She dodged to the side and swiped her hand across her pokebelt. ¡°Arbok! Zubat! Raticate! Out and figh¡ª¡± said the girl as the pokemon emerged only for Froslass to shoot forth and sweep a dainty arm forward. Icy Wind swept forward, and the various pokemon hunkered down in the face of the arctic assault. ¡°Bok!?¡± cried the Arbok as it took a face full of chilling wind. It stiffened and began to become iced over while the Zubat countered with a Whirlwind of its own that made Agatha raise an eyebrow. It was interesting to see a pokemon fight on despite not being ordered. Was it a well-trained pokemon, or disobedience? The freeze that occurred on Arbok was unfortunate for the girl, though and should make this easier for Agatha. Raticate inhaled only to exhale a gout of fire that had Agatha nodding in approval. It seemed this particular girl was skilled, or had skilled pokemon. ¡°Block it,¡± Agatha ordered, causing a pair of Haunter to appear before her with their hands held up as though to ward off the oncoming firestorm. The firestorm charged them down, only to slow to a stop in front of them. The wall of flame split into two balls that each Haunter held above their heads. The girl and her pokemon blanched in fear at the use of Psychic. ¡°I believe this is yours, dearie!¡± said Agatha in a matronly way. Both Haunters hurled the attacks straight back. ¡°PROTECT!¡± screamed the girl causing her Raticate to leap to the front and for hexagons to form up. Agatha nodded. A good move if this was simply three-on-three or even standard match. ¡°Zubat use Super¡ª¡± her pokemon screeched as Gengar shot out of the roof and bit down on the flying pokemon. Then another materialised behind the girl. Froslass floated up to the Raticate and when the Protect shell faded she leaned in like she was going to kiss Raticate only to open her mouth and bite with down with Ice Fang. The girl whipped her head around and swallowed. ¡°I-I I surrender?¡± said the girl. Agatha snorted and walked up to her. ¡°Were this a different time I would say it¡¯s too late for that dearie¡­ but then again, I¡¯ve learnt to be surprised from what one might learn from an observant young woman.¡± ¡°I am so observant!¡± said the girl immediately, instantly understanding what Agatha meant. Agatha nodded in approval. ¡°Good. For now, sleep.¡± She tapped the girl on the head, and instantly the girl crumbled to the ground. The Arbok, which had been thawing out, suddenly twitched violently, showering the space around it in ice as it lunged for Agatha with a screech of rage. ¡°Foolish,¡± Agatha said as her shadow opened a singe eye before launching a fist up into the striking snake¡¯s jaw, sending it careening away. ¡°Utterly foolish.¡± The snake reared back and Glared at her shadow and her, causing Gengy to rise up and smirk at the Arbok. ¡°The girl is fine, young snake, merely knocked out. Return yourself to your pokeball and we will return to question her soon. She will not come under harm in our care. This I promise you as Agatha of Lavender Town.¡± She made sure to feed her energy into her voice so the pokemon could hear the intent in her words. The Arbok calmed, but didn¡¯t return itself to its pokeball. Instead, it slithered up to the downed girl to curl itself around her. Agatha raised a brow but didn¡¯t comment. Sometimes you found the strangest things in the strangest places. She gave the girl and her pokemon a lingering look before continuing onward into the facility. When she reached an intersection she turned right. If things were as they should have been then this¡­ She opened a door and smiled at the knocked-out people in the security room. Two of her Gengar smiled back at her. She looked at the console and noticed that the alarm switch hadn¡¯t been activated. In front of her, a wall of screens depicted the base. She could see the guards she¡¯d knocked out, along with a few other areas that were occupied currently with Rocket grunts. The mess hall had the most, with people lingering there and talking but there also appeared to be a few researchers tapping away at computers or working on samples in their labs. Agatha always assigned them a higher threat rating than the normal Grunts. She¡¯d spent too long around men such as Blaine and Samuel to ever think lesser of men that used their minds. She nodded at her pokemon. ¡°Seal the room and make sure none wake up until we¡¯re ready to detain them.¡± The single Gengar that remained in the room nodded seriously before plopping down in the guards chair and kicking up its feet onto the table. Agatha proceeded to move on. As she did, she swept through the facility, detaining men and women as she encountered them. The labs only saw one hiccup when one of the researchers flicked out a Voltorb. ¡°Explosi¡ªhrk!¡± he started to shout, only for Koga to appear and chop him in the windpipe. ¡°I have detained seventeen so far,¡± Koga reported stoically. ¡°Thirteen by my count. Executives, or shall we proceed to the mess?¡± ¡°... The mess. The security around the executives¡¯ rooms are significant.¡± Agatha raised an eyebrow at that. So, Koga had already probed the area? Koga nodded at the unasked question. ¡°Standard method,¡± Koga said before he vanished. Agatha nodded to herself and walked towards the large mess hall that every old base had. It was invariably where people would congregate unless kept busy. The lure of food, conversation, and more importantly, coffee, making it the place to spend time in old war bases such as this. In Agatha¡¯s time, there used to be a sergeant that would be assigned to keep people rotating through or busy enough that they couldn¡¯t linger. But then again, this was a criminal organisation. If they wanted to make it easier to take themselves down by grouping up, that worked for her. She walked into the room. She wasn¡¯t immediately noticed, which made her click her tongue in annoyance. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sloppy. All that work they must have put in to claim this site and keep it hidden, and they were going to lose it thanks to sloppiness. It grated Agatha¡¯s senses for such incompetence to be present in a war base. It didn¡¯t matter that she¡¯d had nothing to do with this war base! It was the principle of the thing. She made her way to the coffee machine and inspected their selection. ¡°Oh, these are quite nice!¡± she said aloud as she made one for herself. ¡°I know right! I¡¯m glad the¡­¡± The closest grunt started to say, only to pause as they recognised that Agatha didn¡¯t belong. He was up and reaching for his pokeball a moment later. Agatha raised her mug and smiled as the room exploded into chaos. People were all turning towards her. Her pokemon were already forming up and Licking, or snatching trainers up and throwing them about to sow more chaos. Crazed laughter rang out, and the fastest on the draw had pokemon out of their pokeballs to defend themselves. Agatha grinned at the room filling up with pokemon such as Houndoom, Growlithe, Golbat, Arbok, Venomoth and even a Rhydon to face off against her. Her shadow stretched large behind her and Gengy emerged fully. This was enough to wake him up and get him moving. ¡°GEN!¡± he shouted in glee before the air in front of his distorted. Agatha swept her hand out. ¡°Misdreavus! Sweep through them! Mismagius! Disable! Haunter! Continue to Lick! Froslass! Sing your song!¡± The groups of pokemon found themselves twisted and turned as no true battle line formed. Instead, they were turned about and had to scuffle, occasionally they tripped over themselves, or some pokemon even struck others. A Weezing, Charmeleon, Machop, and a Muk joined the fray, and more pokemon were taken out in ¡®friendly fire¡¯. The ones closest to Agatha turned and directed their pokemon against her, seeing her as a safer target. ¡°Gunk Shot!¡± shouted one trainer only for Gengy to inhale and swallow the attack before spitting it back out twice as hard. ¡°Use Flamethrower!¡± shouted another only for Gengy to catch it with Psychic and throw it back. This time, he did so by weakening the attack and spreading it out so that it splashed across a host of people. They threw themselves to the ground and rolled as parts of their uniforms caught alight. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m on fire! Help me!¡± shouted one man as he ran about, panicking instead of stopping and rolling. Agatha left him to run around. He made for a wonderful distraction as a Venomoth knocked out a Golbat. Froslass continued to sing, and one of the trainers gasped. ¡°Is that Perish Song? Quick, stop that pokemon!¡± But only a few pokemon reacted. Others hurriedly shouted at others to change their targets. Agatha grinned as more and more trainers stared around helplessly. Fights broke out as trainers got in each other''s faces over the amount of friendly fire incidents. Soon only the Weezing, Muk, Venomoth, Arbok, Machop, and a Charmeleon were still up and scowling amoung themselves. ¡°Eh? Who¡¯s Arbok is that?¡± shouted one of the Grunts. ¡°Who cares? Most of them are shared pokemon anyway! Arbok use¡ª¡± The Arbok turned and Glared at the man while the Charmeleon sauntered up to the Machop before suddenly punching it in the gut. The Rocket Grunts all turned in shock. ¡°Eh? Hey! That Charmeleon? Who¡¯s is that one?¡± Before an answer could be gained, all the still-conscious pokemon formed a line and locked eyes on the humans. ¡°Eh? Traitor pokemon?¡± said one man. ¡°Spy pokemon?!¡± said another. Agatha cackled as her pokemon proceeded to knock out everyone, leaving the Grunts guessing. She then turned her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you had a Charmeleon.¡± Koga stepped out from behind his Arbok. ¡°I keep him around. He has proven to be an adapt hand at learning the shinobi way.¡± The Charmeleon bowed towards Koga before it began to frisk the humans for any pokeballs. Koga frowned before snapping his head around to the side. A click of heels preceded the emergence of what could only be a pair of Executive Rockets. ¡°Like I said Ariana, I knew I detected that something was wrong,¡± said a pale-haired girl with her hair pulled into a number of spikey pigtails. With how chalky her skin was, it looked like she hadn¡¯t seen the sun and should have been sickly, but despite this, there was a coiled strength in her frame that only required you to look at her to know she was dangerous. At her side, a much softer-looking woman sighed and nodded in concession. ¡°So you were Sird, so you were. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d have warranted a trip from a retiring Elite Four and soon-to-be Elite Four member though.¡± Ariana tilted her head and a playful smirk flitted across her lips. ¡°Does that make you a single Elite Four between you both?¡± From both of their belts a trio of pokemon emerged. Sird had a Persian, Starmie and Banette which were all in good condition with glints in their eyes. They all shared a look with their owner as though they relished the upcoming violence. On Ariana¡¯s side she had an Arbok, Vileplume, and a Honchkrow. Agatha snorted. ¡°And what do you hope to do with those pathetic pokemon?¡± Ariana opened her mouth, only for Sird to raise a hand. ¡°They are baiting you Ariana.¡± Ariana¡¯s mouth clicked shut, and she huffed. ¡°I knew that!¡± Agatha cackled. ¡°Oh you think it will make a difference! Go Misdreavus, Froslass, and Haunter! Go!¡± Agatha¡¯s pokemon soared forward. Ariana swept her hand only for Sird to once more hold up a hand in warning. ¡°Keep your Arbok close.¡± Instead of watching the upcoming fight, Sird was glancing about her eyes questing for where Koga had vanished to. Agatha almost whistled. The girl had noticed Koga slipping away? Observant, as well as potentially dangerous. Sird flicked a single finger in front of herself and her Persian lopped forward with ghostly energy on its claws. ¡°Watch the Shadow Claw!¡± Agatha cried out to her pokemon who nodded and started to spit fire at the Normal type pokemon. Agatha turned her attention back to Sird only to narrow her eyes. Where had the Starmie gone? The Banette was firing off Shadow Balls to keep distance from Koga¡¯s Arbok and Venomoth. A flicker of movement had Agatha snapping her head to the side to discover two Hydro Pumps blasts barreling towards her. The Starmie was revealed in that moment by the shimmer of light over its form before it blended into its surroundings. ¡°Tch! Camouflage?¡± Agatha said, turning her head to give Sird a nod. Sird grinned as the Hydro Pumps continued on only for Gengy to appear in front of Agatha and slash his arms through them and knock them away. ¡°Good work Gengy.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± said Sird. She then stiffened as Arbok broke off fighting Banette to disgorge a cloud of poisonous fumes that revealed Starmie as it writhed in pain. ¡°Rapid spin out of ther¡ª¡± Sird began to shout, only for Venomoth to suddenly appear behind it. Its wings swept forward and slashed at the Starmie to put it down. Sird clicked her tongue and raised a pokeball to return her pokemon, stepping back as she did. Her eyes continued to search for Koga. ¡°We need to back up Ariana!¡± she called. Ariana nodded and whistled sharply, causing her pokemon to leap backwards only for the Honchkrow to be blasted from the air by a Thunder. Arianna recalled it and Agatha advanced. ¡°I think it is time for you to concede,¡± said Koga from further behind them. Sird and Ariana whirled around but couldn¡¯t see him. Both cursed as the Arbok scented the air and Glared into the passageway. Agatha stood still, not squinting, and joined the women in their search for Koga. Agatha held in a derisive snort. Even odds were he wasn¡¯t actually in the passageway but was instead throwing his voice and tricking them all. ¡°Do not think of teleporting out. We will stop you.¡± Koga appeared in the passageway with his arms crossed and his scarf blowing theatrically. Or not, thought Agatha. At his side, Charmeleon appeared from his pokeball snorting with his fists raised. Muk, likewise appeared and blocked the women¡¯s escape. Sird scowled. ¡°You¡¯re Koga and Agatha of the old guard¡­ Have you ever come to this base before?¡± Koga raised a singularly unimpressed eyebrow. Ariana swallowed and looked at Sird. ¡°Think we kept them busy for long enough yet?¡± As though answering Ariana, a wind blew through the passageway and everyone but Agatha had to brace themselves. Gengy took the burst of wind and stood stoically in front of Agatha allowing her to remain standing. Debris that had littered the old base was swept past, and Agatha squinted. What had caused this sudden rush of wind? The base was underground! The only reason there could be wind was if something had exploded further back in the base¡­ or something had just broken into the base. She felt more than saw two flashes of light fill the room. When the wind died down, she leaned around Gengy¡¯s sizeable form to see what had happened. The first thing she noticed was that both her Misdreavus had been knocked out, they oozed out of the craters from where they¡¯d impacted. Agatha returned them and turned her attention to what had caused them to be knocked out with seemingly barely any effort. Something new had appeared behind Koga. If it had been standing, it would have been as tall as a man, except it levitated slightly, making it look down on everyone. The metal visor glinted as it surveyed them. Koga had retreated back to the wall and was eying the arrival carefully. The newcomer was armoured so much that Agatha wasn¡¯t sure what it was. Was this a failed experiment? Armour had been tried on pokemon in the early days of the war, but it had been deemed a waste. Most pokemon naturally had strong enough defences to not need it, otherwise, they needed to be unfettered. What did it say then about this pokemon? The psychic pressure she could feel emanating from it let her know it was powerful. A long bulbous tail languidly flicked from side to side as the helmeted head inspected the tableau before it. It did so with a slow sweep of its head before coming to rest on the Rocket Executives. ¡°You are to withdraw immediately,¡± said an echoing tone. If Agatha wasn¡¯t so familiar with Psychic types and their tricks, she wouldn¡¯t have picked up that it had spoken telepathically. Ariana and Sird nodded before walking to an innocuous section of the wall and laying their hands against it to reveal another room that had never been included in the original layouts of the bases. All of their pokemon were returned as they stepped into a different pod. Agatha clicked her tongue as Ariana shot her a wink. ¡°Till next time, we¡¯re blasting off,¡± she said as the door shut and a deep whoomp shook the ground. Escape pods built into the facility? That was new. Agatha, much like Koga, didn¡¯t move to stop either woman. Or rather, they couldn¡¯t. They knew that moving would draw the being¡¯s attention. Agatha narrowed her eyes. ¡°What are you?¡± she asked. The helmeted head rose to look straight at her, and Gengy raised a hand as psychic energy spiked from the being¡¯s mere attention. Koga chose that moment to make a move. ¡°Evasion!¡± he hissed to his Charmeleon, causing it to spew out a Smokescreen that would obstruct the new pokemon¡¯s vision. The pokemon merely tilted its head as smoke filled the passageway. Koga appeared across from Agatha, maintaining a distance. ¡°That thing is powerful Agatha!¡± he shouted. She merely nodded. A flicker of light was all the warning they got before a ball of heavily condensed psychic energy blew through the air and slammed into the wall behind them. Agatha stumbled even as her Shedninja raised a Barrier. Agatha shot the Rocket members that had been piled up near that wall a look. That attack just no apparently hadn¡¯t been for Koga or herself. She turned her head away from the corpses, her face tight with displeasure. It seemed they were done with the baby gloves. Agatha glowered. ¡°Limits off team! Match it with Shadow Ball!¡± All of her pokemon charged up and fired off a barrage of Shadow Balls between those and the Psychic attack the Smokescreen was ripped apart to reveal Agatha, Koga, and their foe. In response to the attacks, it raised a three-fingered hand that opened and shut to take control of the Shadow Balls and send them back. ¡°Dodge!¡± shouted to her team. ¡°Gengy! Catch one and send it back!¡± Her starter shot into the air, eyes gleaming with focus as it caught one of the stray Shadow Balls. Then it channelled more power into it before unleashing it straight back at the other pokemon. This time the armoured pokemon had to use two hands to catch the attack. It locked eyes with Gengy and then fired the attack straight back. It came on so fast that the air screamed. Gengy was still caught in the throwing action and stunned by the speed of the reply. Agatha almost tensed up, almost forgot herself. Almost watched her partner die. But she was made of sterner stuff. ¡°Protect!!¡± she barked and Gengy reacted. The attack still knocked him back, and when his protective shell hit the ground, it did so like shattered glass. Gengy gingerly got to his feet, and Agatha had to give the new pokemon a higher danger rating. ¡°Hypnosis!¡± she shouted, and a beam of energy erupted. The speck slowly reformed into Koga¡¯s Muk. The armoured form curled in on itself as the attacks soared towards it. Then it snapped itself outward, and a shockwave of force blew the attacks away. Agatha felt her stomach drop as the psychic power the pokemon before her was emitting increased to a level she¡¯d never felt before. She felt a pressure begin to exert itself on her. She grit her teeth and flexed her aura allowing her to move normally. ¡°Pin Missile!¡± said Koga from another angle, joining in the attack. ¡°Muk! Hyper Beam!¡± From a tiny speck on the ground, Muk blossomed into a huge mess of goop. Then the pokemon formed another ball, only this time it unleashed an arcing beam that cut through the room. Agatha fell to the side and let shadowy hands catch her. Froslass and two of the Haunters took hits from thrown debris, causing them to crumble. Agatha tapped their pokeballs and returned them, even as her Mismagius appeared from the air around the foe and tried peppering him from all sides. Agatha¡¯s Gengars joined the attack, only for the being to sweep a single arm out and the air to ripple with Psychic might. The wall was dented even as her pokemon were tossed aside, causing more dust to sweep through the room. Agatha lost sight of Koga in the dust as more blasts rang out and the sounds of hissing preceding gurgling noses. Then another arcing Psybeam was unleashed, cutting through the dust and room once more. Gengy dragged Agatha out of the way with a hiss. Koga¡¯s Arbok returned fire with a Gunk Shot of its own only to be smacked when a section of wall swatted it aside. The roof groaned, causing Agatha to look up and see that the attacks had caused it to weaken. Koga appeared at her side, his hands affixing a pair of pokeballs from his downed pokemon as his Venomoth clung to him like wings on his back. Was that how he moved so quickly? ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± he shouted over the sound of the groaning structure. They ran out of the now broken mess into the passage they had entered from. The pokemon floated after them. Agatha and Koga raced through the halls they¡¯d only minutes ago so proudly conquered, dodging away from blasts of Psychic that chased them. They got through three hallways before the pokemon tired of their game. The hallway in front of them bent shut. It would have bent shut on the girl and the Arbok curled around her protectively if the Arbok hadn¡¯t grabbed the young girl and thrown themselves out of the way. The Arbok rose, spitting fury and venom, only for the armoured pokemon to flick a hand and dispatch the snake. Agatha tightened her jaw and flicked her eyes about. They were trapped. The base would have Dark emitters that would restrict her ability to phase through the walls. Most of the walls were broken now, but she wasn¡¯t game to try that with such a powerful psychic right on top of her. She¡¯d be shredded if she tried. That, and she didn¡¯t want to abandon Koga. Koga was likewise searching the walls, only for his eyes to narrow on a section. ¡°Muk! Minimize into that section and open the wall panel for us!¡± he ordered sharply. Agatha turned and glared back at the pokemon that had hunted her like a rattata. ¡°Gengar! Use Destiny Bond!¡± Then she snapped her fingers. ¡°Gengy use Night Shade!¡± Instantly the room shifted, like it was all part of some horrifying dreamscape. It warped and twisted before snapping together against their foe. The other pokemon flinched before shaking its head. Then it fired off a Psybeam that one of the Gengar leapt into. It fainted, and Agatha leaned forward intently to see the foe drop. A dark purple energy shot from her Gengar straight into the armoured foe. It stumbled, causing Agatha to lean forward. This might have even turned their fortun¡ª The pokemon curled up on itself and glowed as it used Recover. Agatha felt her breath hitch. In all her years, she¡¯d never seen a pokemon heal through a Destiny Bond link. That should have knocked it out. The pokemon straightened after a moment, pristine and ready to continue. Agatha knew then and there she was running out of options. ¡°All of you! Bring the night!¡± shouted Agatha. Her pokemon grasped the air in front of them, and the world broke as every ghost in her team attempted to shatter reality. Cracks formed in the air and an ethereal wind that came from nowhere and everywhere swept through the passageway. Agatha leaned forward and stabbed her fingers out, linking her ghost energy into her pokemon to further empower them. The helmeted pokemon snapped his hands out and clenched the air in front of itself to counter the attack. Reality reasserted itself, and Agatha stared as her pokemon wilted from the effort of fighting against their foe. ¡°Muk! Expand!¡± Koga ordered. His pokemon expanded and the wall panel shrieked as it was popped open to reveal an escape pod like that which the Executive Rockets had used. Not that their foe was going to simply let them leave. It charged up another of its Psychic Bomb attacks. Her Gengar groaned pathetically as it charged up. ¡°Now! Disable it!¡± Her Gengar dropped their faked weakness to grin as one sank into the ground before launching up to attack the armoured pokemon. Another flashed with Disable to stop the Psychic attack only for a light to flash off the armoured pokemon. Had that pokemon just¡­ resisted Disable? Impossible! Sadly, the facts were in front of her. The ball of psychic energy continued to form, albeit slower than before. This allowed Gengy to charge and counter with a Shadow Ball of his own with Agatha throwing all of her energy into the single attack. The attack screamed as it rocketed forward towards their caught off-guard foe. It paused for a moment before matching the attack. Both attacks slammed into each other, and an explosion rocked the room. Agatha felt her vision darken as she struggled to stay upright. Her hand clasped on something soft, but she couldn¡¯t quite make out what it was. At her back, she felt something speaking to her, tempting her with the void. To lay down and sleep. Sleep for the rest of time. She knew what it was. She¡¯d always known. ¡°Shedninja¡­ advance,¡± she said as an understanding of her situation won through her fatigue. Koga appeared at her side. ¡°We need to go now! Muk! Assist me!¡± Muk surged under them and carried them into the escape pod. Agatha glanced back in time to see a Psybeam lance out and slam one of her Gengar into the wall where it went limp. Gengy struggled to his feet only for Agatha to recall some of her pokemon. Koga grunted. Before cursing under his breath. He understood what she¡¯d done, along with the meaning behind it. She certainly wasn¡¯t giving up. ¡°Use my pokemon,¡± he said. He released an old, rotten-smelling Weezing. It had sickly pustules leaking out of its body, and the gas it exuded was particularly putrid. Hazy cataracts stood out as it looked out at a world that seemed so dark and full of pain. Its eyes, however, gleamed as it understood what was about to happen. ¡°Self-Destruct,¡± Koga choked out as his Weezing¡¯s old eyes looked straight into him and smiled. Agatha stumbled as the void called for Weezing. It resisted, however. It had a final mission for a warrior of old. Agatha blinked as the Weezing started to glow. Her head turned towards where her final stray pokemon was. ¡°Ally Switch,¡± she ordered. A moment later the glowing Weezing vanished and Shedninja appeared. It wilted sadly as Koga turned and slammed his fist onto the eject button. The doors slammed shut as their foe turned on the glowing Weezing with grasping hands to stop it. Then their escape pod was rocketing away from the explosion. Koga shut his eyes and groaned as aches he¡¯d been ignoring announced themselves. Agatha shuddered, and Koga turned his attention to her. He took her face in his hands and inspected her eyes. He cursed when both pupils contracted and dilated. ¡°Why did you drag the Rocket Grunt with us?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Agatha said with a slow blink. Koga slowly turned her head to let her look at where her hand was. It was still clasping onto the girl that the Arbok had been protecting. Agatha blinked and wet her lips. Why had she? ¡°Seemed a waste¡­¡± she said before passing out. ¡°Tch! Don¡¯t White out on me!¡± He snapped his fingers under her nose before flicking her on the nose like an unruly child. When that failed to elicit a response, Koga cursed. ¡°Wonderful. I¡¯m injured, with a wounded teammate, an enemy that would be grief-stricken and angry when they awoke, and to top it off, I am behind enemy lines with a Legendary pokemon possibly hunting us!¡± He shook his head. He chuckled as he patted his Muk. He shut his eyes and got ready to move the second the escape pod hit the ground. ¡°Well, this is just like old times isn¡¯t it?¡± he said to himself as Agatha felt herself fall into slumber. No ghostly hands caressed and implored her now. It almost felt wrong. Chapter 125 - Developing situations Sabrina stayed with me that night. She knew precisely how to stop me from brooding. She leaned in with a little smile and a touch, and before long we were in bed enjoying ourselves. She certainly made me think of more important things for the rest of the night. When I got up, she glared at my alarm clock but rose when I did and levitated herself out after me. Ralts, having been collected after our nighttime activities, remained in bed after having warbled her discontent at being awoken so early. She was more than happy to resume her slumber. Sabrina left her with Alakazam, who levitated into a meditation pose. Missy perked up when she saw me enter the reserve, only to blink when she saw Sabrina hovering behind me. ¡°Hm? Good morning, Gym Leader¡­s?¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°Hey Missy. Ready for your training session, I take it?¡± I dropped into a quick stretch for my legs before standing and pumping my arms and rolling my shoulders. Missy nodded seriously. ¡°Yes! I got my work done, and I have the others all set with feeding!¡± I gave her an amused look. ¡°Hmmm, as long as they asked, otherwise they might get annoyed with you stepping in on them like that. While you¡¯re a more senior trainer, it is only a month difference.¡± She blushed and offered a quick nod. Sabrina yawned. ¡°She wasn¡¯t doing anything wrong,¡± she said, casually letting me know she¡¯d looked into it. That, or Missy had been projecting her thoughts. ¡°Alright, let''s do some training then!¡± I said, leading the girls around to the training area. I played the usual Sonata of Awakening and chuckled when Don was first out of the cave. He circled and screeched his challenge to the morning, only to stop when he noticed Sabrina. ¡°Scree!¡± he dropped into a dive, landing before us and making a racket. Sabrina ignored him as he snorted, huffed, and growled. ¡°Hmmm you want to fight one of Sabrina¡¯s pokemon?¡± I said. Don perked up only to snarl when he noticed I was looking towards Missy. I¡¯d known he¡¯d react this way but appeasement wasn¡¯t a policy you wanted to employ much with any pokemon with draconic tendencies. Don flapped his wings but I didn¡¯t even pay any attention to him. I didn¡¯t need to be a psychic to know precisely who he wanted to fight. ¡°Starmie?¡± I suggested to Sabrina, Missy got a thoughtful look at this as she ran through tactics she¡¯d be able to use. Sabrina considered that before agreeing. As the rest of my team emerged I took a moment to take them in. Tyranitar, Rhyperior, Steelix, Aggron, Kabutops, Kleavor, Alolan Golem, Aerodactyl, Lunatone, Swampert, Lapras, Poliwrath, and my Noctowl. These were all pokemon that were currently ready and able to fight for me at the Elite level. I was much more confident in my skill with Hypnotoad of late, having left her with another. The same was true of Tide. At my feet, the newest hopeful sat waiting with Clefairy. I rubbed my chin and considered the other ancient pokemon I had as options. Cranidos seemed too simple and straightforward, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t become a powerhouse. Anorith would also be interesting. But I would need to get a better feel for them and for Tir¡ª ¡°Tirt!¡± said a soft voice as scraping sounded out to the side. I turned to find Tirtouga sliding his way along the ground to the training field of my Elite. I raised an eyebrow. Interesting. Had he heard my pokemon waking up and decided to join in? If so, he was greatly overestimating himself. Instead of sliding up to one of my pokemon though, he slid up a slight rise where he settled in to watch my pokemon fight. He took a special interest in any of the water-typed pokemon and how they fought. ¡°Huh,¡± I said while rubbing my chin. ¡°That Tirtouga has a very sharp mind it seems.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°He¡¯s taking in a lot of what your pokemon are doing.¡± I hummed before turning away from Tirtouga. It was good to see such a proactive pokemon. He wasn¡¯t getting involved right now, but there was interest there. Serious interest. I started the usual jog with Sabrina, then Missy joined in, and we performed a quick lap around the fence. Then we broke off and went through our training exercises, with Sabrina pairing off to fight against Missy with her Starmie. I caught glimpses of Missy being put through her paces with the match. Sabrina took it easy on her, with the match dragging out for a few minutes and a number of areas to work on outlined, before Sabrina turned to me and joined my training. I cycled through my pokemon so they¡¯d get some more experience fighting against a psychic specialist for an hour. When we were wrapping things up, Yolanda wandered out with Terra bumbling along after her. Both of them looked a little sleepy, but Yolanda had a determined look. ¡°Right! Training starts now!¡± she shouted. I paused, ready to point out that it was still too early for Terra, only for her to pick up Terra and deposit her in a baby pouch that was like a backpack. Yolanda then jogged off. ¡°Woof, it¡¯s a bit different trying to run with you in my arms, girl!¡± Yolanda said to her starter as Terra cheered her to go faster. I knew the instant Titan caught sight of them, as a rumble ran through the ground and suddenly Yolanda had a Tyranitar jogging at her side. Then Bertha joined in. This led to Gawain and Jormungandr following¡­ and before long Yolanda was sprinting just to stay ahead of my Elite Team and a few Onix she¡¯d picked up circling the reserve. I bit my lip before raising a hesitant finger. ¡°I feel like I should step in¡­¡± Sabrina watched Yolanda run. ¡°It will be good for her. Educational even.¡± ¡°As long as she stays ahead of her cheer squad.¡± Missy pointed out. ¡°Well, she¡¯s going to be motivated at least?¡± I offered as she sprinted past. ¡°Help! I¡¯ve made a mistake! Call them off! Call them off!¡± she wailed as she sprinted straight at me. I chuckled, and as she closed in on me, I held up a hand. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough gang!¡± I called out. Everyone stopped on a dime. Before the resulting dust cloud could sweep over us Sabrina raised a hand and swept it to the side, causing the dust to be blown away. Yolanda stared at the pokemon that had just been chasing her. ¡°Eh?!¡± she said as she gasped for breath. ¡°W-what? Wh-at was that?¡± ¡°Lar! Tar! Larv!¡± cheered Terra, having thoroughly enjoyed the run. ¡°You weren¡¯t in any danger. If you¡¯d tripped, Titan or Bertha would have caught you and carried you. They just wanted to play with you, that''s all.¡± She stared at me incredulously, sweat dripping down her face. I shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re big softies at heart.¡± I looked them over. ¡°They look like they had fun.¡± ¡°I d-did not find that fun!¡± she said. I just patted her on the head. ¡°They did. If you¡¯re not willing to exercise with the pokemon then you should probably stick to the gym.¡± I raised a finger, old instincts making me want to point out she shouldn¡¯t lift the weights, only to glance at Terra. A pokemon that was known to average in at seventy-two kilograms. ¡°Make sure you train for endurance,¡± I said quickly. I then about-faced and marched home to go through the usual breakfast chaos. Flint had taken over nicely though, and I barely had to step into the kitchen these days, except on the odd day a week. It was more often than not that I was coming home to cooked meals, the kids¡¯ lunches already packed at breakfast time, and my own time preserved. It was a nice change for me and allowed me just a little more time for other tasks or even some personal time. Personal time, which today I used to check in with Karen. She answered quickly. ¡°Hey Brock,¡± she said without her usual smirk. I also noticed the slight redness in her eyes and the way there were gray bags under her eyes. She hadn¡¯t slept, or if she had, she¡¯d done so poorly. "Hey, I thought I¡¯d check in with you on Agatha,¡± I said. The screen turned to reveal Agatha laid out on a medical bed that wouldn¡¯t stand out from any other hospital bed in either of my lives. The machines whirred, ticked, and beeped at a slow, constant cadence. I noted that they had an IV line in her hand and a number of wires slunk into her gown through gaps. ¡°They¡¯re monitoring her pulse and heart rate?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah. She whited out from having too many pokemon faint while overdrawing on her own energy reserves. A young person would be up and about by now but as an old hag¡­¡± Karen trailed off. ¡°It¡¯s certainly weird to see her like this,¡± I said, staring at her still features as her chest rose and fell in time with a number of beeps. ¡°I¡¯ll say! I keep expecting her to launch out of her bed or walk in from behind me and tell me it was a trick¡­¡± I stayed silent. It was a rare insight into their dynamic. Theirs was obviously not a normal grandmother-to-granddaughter bond but then again, who could claim such a thing? There are certainly not many in this world. Karen huffed. ¡°If she drops dead and reforms as a ghastly like I know she thinks she will, I¡¯m so going to use a standard pokeball to capture her!¡± she said loudly while glaring at Agatha. I got the impression it was something tossed out occasionally to agitate Agatha. Agatha merely continued to rest. ¡°Tch!¡± Karen said before turning back to me. ¡°If you send flowers, make sure to send her some lilies. She loves them,¡± she said in a manner that I knew was setting me up. ¡°Don¡¯t lilies let off a certain smell after a day or two in a closed-in room?¡± I asked carefully. My memories reminding me of that little fact. ¡°Tch! Urgh stop being so reasonable, Brock! Now¡¯s the time to get back at her and teach her a lesson! I should so draw on her face!¡± Karen snarked as she folded her arms together and glared at Agatha, as though daring her to sit up and argue with her. I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s touched that you care so much.¡± Karen glowered impotently at me before huffing. She sighed. ¡°Urgh, I need to get up and go deal with the stupid little foundling she picked up during her raid! Make sure she¡¯s being handled with Mareep wool!¡± she said. ¡°Foundling?¡± I asked. ¡°She rescued some rocket bitch from that pokemon while it was wrecking the Rocket base. She¡¯s all pissy because Agatha didn¡¯t save one of her pokemon while they got out and is trying not to tell us anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ..¡± I wanted to say that I was surprised that she was showing such restraint, and it must have shown on my face as Karen snorted. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time she¡¯s found little wayward girls that she thinks are worth something.¡± For half a second I thought I saw Karen¡¯s tired, grouchy expression soften as she glanced at Agatha. Then it snapped back into place, and she grunted. ¡°Or wayward little shits that she thinks are precocious little boys!¡± For some reason, Karen shot me a grin that I wasn¡¯t sure what to make heads or tails of. She huffed. ¡°Anything else you need to check in with me about Brock?¡± ¡°No¡­ Are you alright?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± she said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°You look tired,¡± I said honestly. Karen looked at me, a strange expression flickering over her face before it settled into amusement. ¡°Dangerous words, those.¡± At my confused expression, she waved a hand at me. ¡°Talk to your little friend Erika about saying things like that. Anyway, later, Brock!¡± She then signed off, leaving me curious. What was so dangerous about those words? I rose from my office and headed out to the Gym only for Alexa to intercept me. ¡°Brock I came across a rather interesting challenger today while I was reviewing the notes,¡± she said in greeting, hustling up to me with a clipboard with a number of folders on it. ¡°Alright then, good morning as well. What¡¯s his name and story?¡± I said accepting a folder. I opened it and instantly felt like I knew, or should know this trainer. ¡°A.J.?¡± ¡°It¡¯s his preferred name. His actual name on his trainer license application is Alexander Junior.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his last name?¡± I asked reflexively. ¡°Junior,¡± said Alexa. ¡°Ah,¡± I said, as his choice of abbreviating it to A.J. suddenly made a lot more sense. It would quickly get annoying having to explain that all the time. I paused and tapped my finger on the badges listed and the challenge he was making against the Gym. ¡°He¡¯s challenging for the fourth-tier fight without ever having earned another badge?¡± Alexa bobbed her head up and down. ¡°Yes, and it is also his first official year. It¡¯s rather odd, no?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I nodded slowly. ¡°Yes¡­ but not that odd. Perhaps he has trained up his pokemon enough to feel confident in challenging me for the higher badge level. If so, good for him. He¡¯d win a lot more money if so.¡± Alexa hummed and shrugged before moving on to the next item of business. By the time it came time for A.J.¡¯s match against me, I had almost forgotten him. And then he stepped forward. He did so with his shoulders slightly curled in and a coiled tightness to his frame that instantly had me on edge. Green spikey hair stood limply and there was a slight tiredness to him. Once again, memories rose up. I knew this kid, despite having never met him before in this life. Here was a kid who, in the anime, had been one of Ash¡¯s first rivals. A trainer that used strict methods and had a very powerful Sandshrew very early into Ash¡¯s travels. He was a trainer who had remained in place until he had built up one hundred victories. Specifically without losing a single match. An impressive feat considering how type matchups, especially in the early stages, should have dominated the fights. I¡¯d always been disappointed when they never showed him again in the anime series beyond a flashback. But here he stood, not at all the confident, strict trainer I knew him to be. If anything, he looked brittle and unsure of himself. If any of my brothers or sisters had come home looking like that I would have gone on the hunt for what had made them feel this¡­ Ah, perhaps the answer to such a cause in children might be the same for A.J. In the anime, he¡¯d been able to accrue one hundred wins and advance. That was on a regular circuit, however. The new circuit would bring with it many more experienced trainers and pokemon from afar with vastly different fighting and training styles. A.J.¡¯s training had been impressive at the start of the anime, but others would have eaten him for breakfast in the later seasons. Perhaps he had gained an idea of how large the world was with three major regions open to the ¡®world¡¯ right now. ¡°And now! Challenging the Gym at the fourth-tier gauntlet level! Give it up for Challenger A.J!¡± announced Rachel. The crowd whooped with A.J. jolting in surprise at their cheers. Hmmm, he wasn''t used to fighting in front of large crowds. Rachel announced Yolanda, and the first match of the gauntlet played out with Yolanda using a Graveler against one of A.J.¡¯s Rattata. It had a good set of moves with Iron Tail, Quick Attack, and Tail Whip to see Graveler down. But it didn¡¯t have the legs to last against Yolanda tossing out an Onix to batter him down. A.J. replied with another Rattata, which had similar moves but had me tilting my head. Why did he have multiple of the same pokemon? My confusion only grew as he won against Yolanda and her Onix. He then healed up his Rattata between matches before advancing to face Dennis, who brutalised his Rattata with an Alolan Graveler. Only for A.J. to release another rattata. Three rattata on his team? Had he really had that on his pokemon roster? I rubbed my chin as I watched his pokemon work through Dennis¡¯ pokemon, but only barely. I descended from the dais, and the crowd cheered for me and for A.J., urging him on. He fumbled with his potion, distracted by the crowd, before locking eyes with me as I jumped over to the opposite podium. I nodded in greeting. ¡°Your pokemon are tired¡­ Are you sure you¡¯re ready to face me at this level A.J.?¡± I said as I enlarged a pokeball with a leaf symbol on it. ¡°I can do this!¡± A.J growled. I sighed. To me, it sounded like he was speaking to himself more than to me. Like he was desperate to prove himself. ¡°Very well,¡± I said. ¡°Go Lileep!¡± ¡°Go¡­¡± he paused at my choice before flicking out another pokeball. ¡°Go Beedrill!¡± A few of the local bug catchers crowed in delight, and I hummed in appreciation. I¡¯d read a number of bug trainer manuals and spoken with some of the local kids for Scyther¡ªnow Kleavor, aka Gawain¡ª and picked up some knowledge regarding the bug pokemon type. A.J.¡¯s Beedrill was a beauty. Strong stingers on its arms and thorax, wings that buzzed like chainsaws but that also deftly controlled its positioning without too much overcorrection, and gem-like eyes. All of this indicated a very healthy Beedrill. I nodded to Salvadore, who was today¡¯s ref, and he raised the flags. When he dropped them A.J. was quick off the mark. ¡°Go Beedrill! Use Pin Missile!¡± ¡°Astonish into Ingrain!¡± I said quickly. Lileep curled in on itself and had all of a moment before Beedrill was upon it with stingers scything forwards to stab it multiple times. Once, twice¡ª Then Lileep unfurled violently and knocked Beedrill away, causing it to flinch in surprise. This gave Lileep more than enough time to embed its roots and wiggle in contentment. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± I said. ¡°Double Team!¡± A.J countered, causing my pokemon¡¯s attacks to whiff. I merely hummed, content to give Lileep more time to recover. A.J realised this as my pokemon squirmed more energetically. "Beedrill, go in for Pin Missile again!¡± ¡°Astonish into Rock Blast!¡± I countered, causing Lileep to once again take a barrage of blows before knocking Beedrill away angrily, only to smash a small cluster of rocks into the flinching pokemon. ¡°Urgh! Fight through Beedrill! Remember your training!¡± A.J barked. ¡°Stealth Rock!¡± I ordered, causing my pokemon to raise up a trio of small rocks that floated off to the corners to wait. A.J. clicked his tongue. ¡°Attack, only this time come in for two hits before fading back!¡± ¡°Astonish into Rock Blast!¡± I ordered again. This time Beedrill came in, stabbed twice, and got out before my pokemon could cause it to flinch. I sighed and flicked my hand out. ¡°Sunny Day,¡± I said, deciding to do a bit more set-up. A.J. used that chance to have his pokemon nail Lileep once more and this time Lileep fell. I glanced over the field and nodded. This will do. Now it was time to turn up the heat on A.J. ¡°Go Quirina!¡± I said announcing one of the strongest pokemon I had access to in the fourth-tier. A.J. paused as my Solrock levitated up. ¡°Fire Spin!¡± I said, not willing to wait. Quirina levelled himself out and whirled into a blazing inferno thanks to the empowerment of Sunny Day. ¡°Tch! Fight through Beedrill!¡± A.J. said, and amazingly enough, his pokemon did just that, pushing through the Fire Spin to land a trio of strong hits with Pin Missile, only to stagger and fall to the ground. A.J. grimaced before inclining his head in a jerk that might charitably be called a nod. ¡°Well done! Go Butterfree!¡± he said. ¡°Use Quiver¡ª¡± The Stealth Rock that Lileep had set up early rose and slammed into his pokemon stopping it from getting off its first move. I planned to not let it have another. ¡°Quirina! Use Flamethrower!¡± ¡°Match it with Psybeam!¡± A.J. urged, causing both pokemon to release their attacks at the same time. My pokemon unleashed a hot stream of fire while Butterfree fired off a beam of psychic energy. Both attacks met in the middle, and I was impressed that he managed to hold Quirina¡¯s attack off for two seconds before the Psybeam faltered and Butterfree was awash with fire. It screeched in pain, only for A.J. to clench his fists. ¡°Butterfree! I need this. Use Bug Buzz!¡± I stared at the burnt Butterfree as it did just that, unleashing a final attack against Quirina that I had him dodge to the side. Perhaps if they¡¯d been able to set that up, that might have been a threat, but with his Butterfree¡¯s energy spent, it didn¡¯t work. A.J. recalled his pokemon before it could be any more hurt, and I nodded in agreement. His pokemon were strong enough to not be permanently injured from this fight, but it was clear to anyone with eyes that this match was one-sided. A.J. clenched his fists and leaned forward. He exhaled and shook his head like a wild man. ¡°No, no no! Don¡¯t let it get to you!¡± he said to himself, his head still shaking causing his green hair to shimmer in the light. When he looked up, he did so with a determined glint in his eyes. ¡°Go Rattata! Go straight into Dig to avoid the Stealth Rock!¡± he ordered, releasing his pokemon into the air and allowing it to dive into the ground. I nodded, appreciating the method of avoiding the field trap. ¡°Quirina, use Rock Polish,¡± I said as my pokemon spun once more, only to stop as a shine overtook his rocky form. I could just imagine the ¡®shing¡¯ of the light hitting him sounding out as he posed under the stadium lights. ¡°Emerge and take it out with Crunch!¡± A.J ordered. His pokemon launched out from a spot to the side. I hummed, I hadn¡¯t chosen to move Quirina, but I easily could have made his Dig highly ineffective with a simple order. I marked that down as another thing to teach him in the future. ¡°Dodge it and use Stone Edge.¡± My pokemon ducked to the side, and Rattata sailed through where Quirina had been, only for my pokemon to turn on the spot and unleash a powerful Stone Edge right into Rattata as he came down. It must have hit something hard as his Rattata curled in on itself. It shuddered as it stood and tried to mount a defiant last stand. Once more A.J. slumped and returned it. ¡°Don¡¯t give up kid! Find a way through!¡± ¡°Yeah, fight on!¡± A few in the crowd could see he was getting down, so they called out to him. A.J. worked his jaw for a moment before sighing and selecting his last pokemon. ¡°Go! Sandshrew! Dive into the earth like Rattata and avoid the Stealth Rock!¡± I hummed. If it ain¡¯t broke, don¡¯t fix it, eh? ¡°Rock Polish,¡± I said once more as I leaned forward, knowing what was about to come. Sure enough, a moment later A.J. squared his shoulders and punched forward. ¡°Fissure!¡± His pokemon flipped out of the earth and spun rapidly over the earth before descending with a single clawed finger pointing downward. The tip of the claw hit the ground, and the arena erupted as a split broke through the floor. ¡°Use¡ª¡± my order was practically overcome by the noise of stone breaking throughout the arena, but I saw Quirina twitch in readiness as the earth beneath him broke into two halves and then swept upwards to clap onto him like the jaws of a trap. The crowd screamed in shock, with some throwing around accusations of cheating and juicing up. I locked eyes with A.J. That hadn¡¯t been juicing. That had been raw talent given attention and dedication to see it brought out properly. I nodded in recognition of a beautiful move. A.J. smiled and relaxed, only for the dust to fade away and a hexagonal shell to reveal itself around Quirina. ¡°No!¡± A.J. shouted in shock. I hummed. It seemed the world was much too big for him right now if he wasn¡¯t used to people stopping his one-hit K.O.s from landing. There were a ton of ways to block, deny, or endure such hits. I probably had a few to learn about myself. "Quirina," I said as I glanced up to see the last of the Sunny Day dying away. ¡°Use Energy Ball,¡± I said, causing a ball of green energy to be built up before it slammed home into his Sandshrew, ending his last chance at victory. A.J. slumped to the ground as his pokemon collapsed. I just barely caught his whispered ¡®no¡¯ over the crowd roaring their approval at my beating the ¡®cheating jerk¡¯. I held up a hand as the podiums lowered. ¡°I would like to clarify something!¡± I said, causing the speakers to boom for a second as my voice filled the arena. ¡°I would like to state that A.J. did not boost his pokemon before the fight.¡± A.J.¡¯s head snapped up, and he glanced at the crowd, only now realising what they had been shouting at him. He glared up and rose only to stagger and almost collapse. ¡°Woah there A.J.,¡± I said as I raced up to steady him. ¡°You alright? You used up all your pokemon there so you¡¯re at risk of whiting out.¡± ¡°Y-yeah, I know.¡± His voice came through weakly, and his body shook. A murmur of concern rose through the crowd. I lifted A.J. up so he was standing, albeit leaning on me. ¡°He¡¯s alright, everyone! He¡¯s not whiting out on us here today!¡± They all sighed in relief, but some of them gained confused looks. I could tell they were confused, as a number of his pokemon were merely too injured to fight, and not knocked out. Others were murmuring, wondering about my earlier comment. I spoke up once more to clear the air. ¡°Challenger A.J. has a magnificent pokemon in his Sandshrew! That Fissure just now would have to be the new textbook example of Fissure if I ever saw one! I know for a fact that my Bertha will love seeing that when I show her the video of today¡¯s match! I can see that you have a lot of skill!¡± A.J. nodded in thanks. His head was still bowed. ¡°I sadly cannot vouch for you to earn your badge this day through commendation. You made some good calls out there, but there are also a number of areas you need to shore up. If this were a lower-tier challenge, I¡¯d let those slide, but that is not the case.¡± I squeezed his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re a really good trainer A.J¡ª¡± A.J. grabbed a letter from his vest and presented it to me. I paused. The seal on the letter wasn¡¯t one that I recognised. The feeling of ghostly energy laced into it however, meant it could only be from one person. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to need to use this¡­¡± he said quietly. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m not making any progress¡­ Please, can you help me like she said you might be able to?¡± he said. I took the letter. Opened and read it. It was exactly as I expected. This was a letter of introduction for one Alexander Junior and a recommendation that I take him under my wing for training with his pokemon and his skills as a trainer. Not once did it ever mention aura. It implied it however. The signature at the bottom was something familiar to me. This was a letter from Agatha. A.J. had been the boy that had Agatha¡¯s interest? I glanced over the shattered arena. ¡°How long have you had your Sandshrew?¡± I asked, buying myself time to think. A.J. blinks slowly. ¡°Two years?¡± he said sluggishly. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s impressive.¡± I waved the letter in front of him. ¡°Do you want this? To spend time training with me and learning what I can teach you?¡± ¡°I want to be the best,¡± he said, his gaze sharpening. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I needed it before, but now¡­ I¡¯ve seen how dumb I was.¡± He bowed his head and almost fell as his body gave up on him. His frame shook, and I noted some damp spots appearing on the ground beneath his face. ¡°Please, I want to be strong,¡± he choked out. I squeezed his shoulder once more. ¡°I accept and will take you on as a trainer. Sleep for now A.J.; we¡¯ll talk when you¡¯re up and ready.¡± He wiped his face quickly before looking up at me. Gratitude shone in his eyes. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. Then he went limp, his eyes fluttering shut and I caught him fully and lowered him to the ground. I swore, damn, he must have been more tired than I had realised. I raised a hand. ¡°Got a white out! Stretcher!¡± I called to the side. A pair of Graveler bustled out of the medbay with Chansey at their side. She inspected A.J. before testing him with a soft Wake Up slap. When he didn¡¯t respond, she infused some pink healing energy into him and gestured for the Graveler crew to lift him up and take him to the medical wing. I watched them go and hummed before looking down at the letter from Agatha. I had to agree with her. This kid had a lot of potential. I wonder what would have happened to him if things had played out like normal. Dennis approached me carefully. ¡°Kid was pretty good,¡± he said while his eyes flicked to the letter. He was too professional to ask about its contents but I could tell he was interested. I offered it to him, and he read it through before whistling. I noticed he flexed his hand as though it was suddenly cold. ¡°Wow, a recommendation from one of the Elite Four? Damn! I¡¯ve only ever seen Gym trainers give out recommendations before.¡± He glanced back at the destroyed field. ¡°What¡¯re you going to teach him?¡± ¡°Everything he¡¯s willing to learn,¡± I said. Dennis raised an eyebrow at this, and I elaborated. ¡°It seemed like he wanted to do this on his own. He¡¯s a proud kid and has been beaten down to the point he feels that his hand has been forced. He¡¯s a lone wolf who has run into a wall he doesn¡¯t know how to get around. There¡¯s going to be some growing pains, I should assume. If he asks for it, I¡¯ll give as much help as I can, but I think I know what I need to focus on the most.¡± Dennis grunted at that, saying, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get one of the trainers to watch over him while he rests.¡± "Thanks, Dennis. He probably won¡¯t say thanks, but no kid wants to wake up in an unfamiliar place without someone to explain things.¡± Dennis nodded at that. I turned back to the crowd and waved only for the transceiver on my wrist to begin blaring out a warning noise. I frowned at it and slapped a button. ¡°What the?¡± I said as I inspected it. Was it broken or something? I stopped when an urgent alert was projected for me to read. It read; Emergency. Code Red! All Rangers and Ranger Support staff report to Pewter base! Multiple explosions have occurred within the Mt Silver Range! Extreme danger and violent Pokemon reactions are expected! Report immediately with full pokemon rosters! I swore. First Agatha, and now this. It seemed that when it rained, it poured.
[/hr] Giovanni swirled a glass of fine whiskey and smiled at the screen on display that multiple cameras from his Fearow flock were displaying. No other Executives were in the room for this. This was for him to observe alone. Not even Madame Bossue would have a true accounting of all of the assets Giovanni planned to use. Let her focus on the disruption and capture of rare and powerful pokemon on the outskirts. Let profits blind her. Giovanni was going to aim his sights elsewhere. Operation Burning Mountain was a go. He toyed with the idea of picking up a red phone and hitting a number that connected him to a very specific communication channel with only one listener on the other side. He held back, however. First, he needed to see just how many big fish he could reel in. He sipped his drink and waited to see who would bite first. Would it be Brock or Lance? Both would serve as suitable targets, depending on how things played out. Then he could correct some slights. Chapter 126 - Oh, Mt Silver~ With such terrible news landing in my lap, I had to force down the urge to react instantly. To start moving and making calls to anyone and everyone that might have a better idea what was going on. Instead of doing any of those options, I clapped my hands together and stared at them. Then I released and inhaled. The world shimmered, and I felt my body relax. First, I needed to see my family¡¯s needs. I activated my transceiver. ¡°Flint, there¡¯s been an incident. Talk with Yolanda, lock down the house, and make sure everyone¡¯s safe. I¡¯ll have some Gym trainers patrolling the grounds. I need to go see about an issue in the Silver Mountain ranges.¡± ¡°I-In the Silver ranges? Brock that¡¯s dangerous!¡± Flint said. ¡°It¡¯ll be more dangerous if I don¡¯t go and help deal with the issue,¡± I said. ¡°I need to make some other calls; talk with Yolanda.¡± I hung up on him and turned my attention to Dennis, who was standing at attention. ¡°Sir!¡± he said, his chest puffing out slightly. ¡°Dennis!¡± I nodded at him and resisted the urge to suggest he stand at ease. ¡°Have Rachel cancel any more matches for the rest of the day. Send out a general alert for any trainers in the region to the west of Pewter that there will be unusual movements.¡± I rubbed my jaw. ¡°Have two groups of two trainers patrolling the reserve together to stop any strong pokemon that might sweep away from Mt Silver¡­ I doubt it will get that bad, ¡®cause they¡¯d need to cross Victory road, but just in case.¡± Dennis nodded, dutifully writing down my orders. ¡°Do you need me to come with you again, Brock?¡± he said. I considered him. ¡°No, I¡¯ll need to move fast, and for that, I need pokemon that can keep up and fight off all threats. Your pokemon are strong but¡­¡± Dennis grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough pokemon to fall back on, even if I used some of the Four badge pokemon.¡± ¡°Hmmm, you¡¯re better holding down the fort here¡­ unless your family needs you, then assign the roster to¡­¡± I had to consider it for a moment. Missy would be technically the next Gym Trainer but there was a better choice. ¡°Tell Yolanda, as she¡¯ll be in charge.¡± I fired off a message to give her a heads-up as I marched into the medical wing where A.J. was resting. Missy, the trainer who seemed to have been asked to stay with him, nodded. She then immediately stiffened when Dennis punched a large red button that set off a gym alert. ¡°Brock?! Dennis? What¡¯s going on?¡± Missy said worriedly. ¡°There¡¯s been an incident with Mt Silver.¡± I glanced over at A.J. ¡°Stay here with him until he wakes up and protect this area in case anything happens, alright?¡± She nodded seriously as Dennis saluted me then jogged away while calling for Rachel. I handed over some of my pokemon that A.J. had knocked out to Chansey before considering the shelves of pokeballs. I marched past them to a section of the wall that unfolded as I approached to reveal a host of different balls. Titan¡¯s Greatball resting in the centre announced it as my Elite Team¡¯s pokeballs. I keyed in a manual code and unlocked them all. I could carry ten pokemon with me, and I intended to go with my ten strongest pokemon. Titan, my Tyranitar in his Greatball. Bertha, my Rhyperior. She made two with her pokeball. Shrek, my Swampert. Three with his ultraball. Tide, my Lapras. Four with a dive ball Sanchez, my Alolan golem. Five with his pokeball. Don, my Aerodactyl. Six with his Greatball. Selene, my Lunatone. Seven with her Luxury ball Zephyr, my Noctowl. Eight with his pokeball. Knight¡­ no. Another water type would be best here considering the usual denizens of the Silver Ranges¡­ I took my hand off Knight¡¯s Dusk ball and instead grabbed Hypnotoad¡¯s pokeball. As a Poliwrath she¡¯d fit in with what I needed and also offer a fighting type to fight off any Ursaring. She was a solid ninth choice. Which left my final choice¡­ My eyes darted between two pokemon before I settled on my final selection to take with me. Jormungandr, my Steelix. Which made ten with his pokeball. That would leave Shin, Knight, and Gawain to hold down the fort. ¡°Take care!¡± Missy called out to my back as I marched out into the reserve and pulled out a whistle. It cut over even the warning tones that rang out with the Gym alert system. Titan, who¡¯d been standing in the middle of the training field, locked eyes on my position and barked to the other elites to form up on me. I ran my hand across the pokeballs on my belt in a practised motion, and my giant pokemon vanished in bursts of light. Shin blinked in surprise when he was left standing out with Knight and Gawain. I held up a hand to forestall their disappointment. ¡°I¡¯m going to be entrusting all of you with protecting the Gym and my family if we come under attack.¡± Shin straightened at that, and Knight puffed out his chest while Gawain shifted nervously. ¡°Gawain. Follow Shin or Yolanda if she gives you any orders, alright?¡± He nodded hesitantly. I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, just breathe. You¡¯ve done great with training, and your matches in the Ace circuit as a Scyther have been spectacular. I¡¯m going to be using you this weekend against Will.¡± That had him standing taller. I glanced down at Clefairy. ¡°Sorry, but this is much too early for you, your time will come.¡± He nodded sadly. I nodded back as running feet approached me. ¡°Brock! What¡¯s going on? I got your message!¡± Yolanda said with Crystal and Greta by her side. ¡°There¡¯s been an incident in the Silver Mountain Range. This will disrupt a lot of powerful pokemon and potentially cause a cascading effect. I need to head out with the rangers and stop whatever is causing this.¡± On my wrist, another red alert blared out to underline what I¡¯d said. Yolanda swallowed. ¡°What should I do?¡± I knelt down and clapped a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Make sure our siblings are safe first and foremost, then see to the Gym. Do the first, and you¡¯ll have done all I need from you, alright? If Dennis needs to leave for his family, Yolanda, you¡¯re in charge, but you don¡¯t need to do everything. Just ask and any of the trainers will help out.¡± Yolanda nodded. ¡°A-alright. Are you going to be alright?¡± I shot her a smirk, only for another voice to cut me off. ¡°I will make sure he¡¯s safe.¡± I glanced over my shoulder and grinned at Sabrina. I felt my heart soar when I saw her. I hadn¡¯t yet had time to call her. It said something about her that I didn¡¯t have to ask. ¡°You¡¯re going to look after me?¡± I said teasingly. ¡°Yes, like I have many times in the past.¡± Sabrina patted Yolanda on the head. ¡°I am well versed in looking after him, don¡¯t worry.¡± Crystal leered with a light blush, while Greta merely tilted her head innocently. Yolanda giggled as I made a face. "Alright, you lot, get to where you need to be. Crystal, Greta, you stick together and see what Dennis needs from you, alright?¡± Both girls nodded seriously and moved off with Yolanda first, before breaking off into the Gym and the assembly area. I watched them go; they probably should have gone there first, but they must have wanted to stick with Yolanda while they could. I shrugged it off and turned to Sabrina. ¡°So¡­¡± I said eloquently. Sabrina raised an immaculate eyebrow, and I found myself appreciating it anew. Had she always been this beautiful to me? I grinned at her as I reached out and took her hand in mine. With my heart thumping in my chest, I looked deep into her eyes. ¡°Hey, you know I¡ª¡± Sabrina teleported us and we found ourselves in the middle of the assembly area of the Pewter Ranger base. ¡°¡ªlove you,¡± I said, finishing what I had been in the middle of saying. Somehow¡ª probably due to Sabrina¡¯s flashy teleport ¡ªeveryone had stopped what they were doing and a silence had gripped the field as I¡¯d arrived and spoken. Which meant that everyone had heard my profession of love for Sabrina. She blinked and nodded. ¡°I know.¡± She turned away for a moment before shifting and squeezing my hand. She turned back to me. ¡°I love you too,¡± she whispered. I blushed. I hadn¡¯t planned for this to be such a public display, but now I felt like I had to follow through. I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Sabrina decided to lean in to deepen it. ¡°Brock, Sabrina,¡± said Hank, after a few seconds of letting us kiss, ¡°Stop making out and distracting my Rangers.¡± I broke off the kiss and coughed sheepishly. Sabrina frowned at him. He huffed, letting her look wash over him. ¡°It did a good job of breaking up the tension, though, so thanks for that.¡± He turned and clapped his hands before stepping up to a box that had been set next to him so he could look out over the small army of Rangers that had assembled. I felt the blush creep back in as I realised I must have just said ¡®I love you¡¯ to Sabrina in front of roughly a hundred people. I was still getting some amused looks as Commander Hank cleared his throat. ¡°Everyone! We¡¯ve assembled enough Rangers and support to make a trek into the Silver Ranges! The Rangers from Blackthorn are moving from their northern base and will be linking up with Clair, Lance, and the other Elite Four. I have been told that Agatha and Koga are indisposed so only Bruno and Lorelei will be defending the League!¡± This caused some murmurs to break out. ¡°Quiet!¡± Hank barked out. He swept his hand out to cut through the tension that had started to build up once more. ¡°We¡¯ve handled these situations in the past without their support! Don¡¯t forget that this means there will be upwards of a hundred trainers dedicated to the preservation of natural habitats and the trust of the pokemon within those areas!¡± This had a number of trainers puffing up and I had to nod. That was well handled. Hank stared out, locking eyes with as many people as possible and making them rise to the occasion. ¡°I¡¯m going to be looking to all of you to stand tall. We will be advancing in teams of two or four depending on the sub-sector that you are assigned. You will be within a quarter klick of another two groups at least with how this needs to be played out! Should you encounter pokemon in the field, make sure to use Ranger balls on them to get them out of danger. Sometimes the most dangerous pokemon of all are those that are hurt! Remember, they can be kind souls and still lash out!¡± He waved a hand to a number of crates with ranger balls in them. I pocketed a few, not having grabbed any back at the Gym. Sabrina took a few herself. Hank looked around and locked eyes with as many people as he could, nodding and showing that he was there with them. ¡°Look to your Senior rangers now! Let¡¯s get this under control! Rangers Ho!¡± ¡°Ho!¡± roared back the assembled rangers as one. Hank nodded and stood down as people started shouting for groups and names to form around them. I waved when I saw Sylvie and Andrew. Both of them were leading groups of their own but they nodded back. A few of the younger-looking Rangers looked relieved when they glanced over at Sabrina and me. ¡°Strongest in Kanto!¡± I heard someone whisper. ¡°Good to have them coming like this!¡± another said. I decided to copy Hank from earlier and made sure to lock eyes with people while adopting a stoic expression. Hank approached Sabrina and me. ¡°Brock, Sabrina, I''m glad to see you both. Thanks for coming.¡± He stared at me. ¡°I need to use you, Brock. I need you to check in on the Empress. Lots of powerful pokemon are getting provoked. With her proximity to Mt Silver, I need to keep her in check.¡± He tapped the baton on his side and grimaced as he set his other hand on a Greatball. ¡°One way or the other.¡± I locked eyes with him and nodded slowly. ¡°Alright, I think Titan can deal with her if push comes to shove.¡± Hank nodded and glanced to the southwest. ¡°It¡¯ll be tough getting there ¡®cause of how many pokemon will be disturbed.¡± ¡°We can get close with my teleport,¡± Hank grimaced. ¡°Don¡¯t depend on that. Don¡¯t get locked in.¡± He looked to me. ¡°If you have to, remember to run away.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I nodded at his advice, and he nodded back before clapping me on the shoulder and nodding to Sabrina. ¡°Make sure your lady makes it out with you. Stop throwing up red flags like that.¡± I blinked before chuckling as I realised what I¡¯d done. ¡°Heh, sorry I didn¡¯t think of that.¡± Then I paused. ¡°Wait do you¡ª¡± ¡°I enjoy certain books, alright!?¡± Hank growled before huffing and releasing a large Pidgeot. ¡°MOUNT UP!¡± he roared to the rest of the Rangers. Around him, other flying-type pokemon appeared, while others popped open Rapidash. A trio of jeeps roared to life as supplies were piled into the back en masse. Then, with a great torrent of wind, the Rangers took flight as others raced off. I turned to Sabrina and took her hand in mine again. We vanished in a teleport and reappeared in a screaming forest. Sabrina stumbled into me and held her head. I instantly released two pokemon as a maddened Donphan charged me. ¡°Zephyr, put him to sleep! Don, clear the skies!¡± Zephyr¡¯s eyes glowed as Don snorted and eyed the charging Donphan as it rolled into a tight ball and started to speed up. It lost its energy halfway towards us and like a wobbly tire rolled to the side and then collapsed asleep. I approached it and checked it over, no injuries, but with it being asleep it might get hurt. I tossed a Ranger ball at it just to get it out of danger. Zephyr ruffled his feathers and turned his head to the sky. I looked up and whistled at the number of fights taking place. I could see Fearow fighting Pidgeot. Golbat fighting Noctowl. A flock of Murkrow were fighting a group of Spearow. A Heracross punched through one of the fights and caused the fighters to tangle and the opponents to swap among each other. Then Don was in the sky, tearing into them. I glanced around as more pokemon cried out from the forest around us. Zephyr turned his head slowly in a full three-sixty before returning to the starting position and looking to me. ¡°Noct?¡± he said. I tapped Zephyr and gestured to Sabrina. ¡°Up to carrying both of us buddy?¡± He nodded. ¡°Sorry,¡± Sabrina said as she mounted up in the front position of Zephyr¡¯s saddle. ¡°I only got us within ten kilometres of Empress¡¯ mountain.¡± I hugged her midriff. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. No one else would have been able to get us this close. Are you alright?¡± Sabrina shifted back into me as Zephyr took flight. She tapped a pokeball on her belt, and her Xatu appeared, flapping languidly as it eyed the surrounding area before glancing up at the fight that we were approaching. Don bowled Pidgeot out of the air and snapped his jaws around Golbat before hurling it away, well and truly in his element, brawling in the sky. A flash of lightning had me looking away from the aerial battle to see where that attack had come from. Zephyr flew on, with Don linking up with Xatu to circle us. We passed a small lake with a Dodrio and Tangela fighting it out on the shores of the lake while a Poliwhirl sniped at them. Dodrio replied with what looked like a Tri-Attack. Poliwhirl dodged only for a Magikarp to be zapped. The Magikarp turned with a snarl, and light exploded out of it as it evolved into a Gyrados that drew the attention of all the brawling pokemon. It unleashed a lightning move as it roared out in challenge. I grimaced. In how many ponds and water holes are similar fights causing Gyarados to pop up? The Rangers would have their work cut out for them in the following weeks, removing or adjusting to the changed territorial areas based on how things were playing out. We continued to fly to Empress¡¯ mountain. It just so happened to be the closest to Mt Silver. As we flew more and more battles played out, with what seemed like the whole forest of pokemon enraged. The forest broke and shattered around us as various pokemon brawled in the branches while in the plains, Donphan herds fought off Sneasel. ¡°This is insane!¡± I shouted as what looked like Dark Pulses erupted from another section of the forest causing the trees to groan as they were rocked back and forth. ¡°I thought only one of the mountain areas had been affected?¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°It seems three mountains have been, now. It is causing a ripple effect with so many challenges being laid out as more and more pokemon become agitated. Some of the losers are fleeing into other pokemon¡¯s natural areas and causing pressure.¡± I grimaced, looking ahead to see that the mountain we were aiming at didn¡¯t seem to have much action on it. Then I saw an explosion rip through the peak, and my heart sank. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Sabrina said. "Zephyr, we need to get there now!¡± I said even as my pokemon beat his wings furiously. He hooted and tried to lean in and push the wind to work for us. Then, out of nowhere, we were buffeted backwards as the wind swept us back. Zephyr spun before correcting with a harsh snap of his wings. He heaved in a few lungfuls before stilling as a keening, mournful roar rang out. Various fights around us in the skies and on land stopped for a moment. I shut my eyes and swore again. That had been the cry of a Tyranitar. A very, very angry Tyranitar. For a moment, I had dared to wonder if the Empress hadn¡¯t done us a favour with how every pokemon had stopped. Only to restart as the various pokemon worked out how far away the Alpha predator of this mountain was. I leaned forward. ¡°Don! Xatu! Work with Zephyr with his Tailwind! We need to reach that mountain now!¡± Both pokemon nodded, Don being unusually compliant as he gazed towards the mountain. Another explosion rang out from another mountain peak, and as we flew past, I got to watch a troop of Graveler tumble down the mountain. All of them drifted together until they were clumped up. I watched as the lead Graveler held off the others for long enough to gather the most energy and inertia. Just before it slammed into the forest, light exploded out of it as it evolved. I turned away. In another setting, that would have been a wonderful experience to witness. Now it was just another powerful pokemon running rampant through the mountain range. From behind the landslide, a pair of Pupitar emerged from their burrows and glanced around. Nocturnal pokemon, and now subterranean pokemon emerging? This was very strange. Extreme behaviour, even. I toggled my transceiver and fired off a message to Hank to warn him of my observations and the various mountains exploding on us. He sent back a short ¡®affirmative and his estimated time to the edge of the danger zone¡¯. I held in a chuckle at his choice of terminology as Zephyr came in for a landing. As he did, I spotted a white and black cat-like pokemon running away. We locked eyes and it paused for a moment to acknowledge me before continuing on its way. Damn¡­ an Absol running away. I pushed what that meant out of my mind as I unbuckled and stood off of Zephyr. ¡°Overwatch with Don,¡± I said as Sabrina used me to slide off. Zephyr nodded and took flight. A deep growl ripped through the earth, and I snapped to look to the side as an Urasring approached with its fangs bared. I released my pokemon team, and Sabrina released hers. The Ursaring stopped in its tracks at the sudden emergence of so many pokemon. Bertha shot it an amused glance and made a shooing gesture. It growled, and its eyes started to glow. ¡°Bertha, handle it,¡± I said dismissively as I gestured for my pokemon to move on. Bertha laced her fingers together and raised them up over her head as Ursaring charged her with a Crunch powered up for her. She dropped her arms into him and hammered the Ursaring like it was a nail. It groaned in pain, and Bertha snorted over her defeated foe only to power up an Iron Tail and swing her club of a tail around to swat the pokemon away. I paid no attention to it after that. It wouldn¡¯t be badly hurt but it would slink away. We made our way to the peak proper. Instead of the usual clearing I expected, only devastation awaited us. The ground was torn up, and scorch marks were present. In the middle of the blast site, crouched Empress, Titan¡¯s mother and one of the strongest Tyranitars I knew. She shook in the middle of the destroyed landscape. If I didn¡¯t know better, I''d think she was shivering. ¡°Titan, let her¡ª¡± I started to say only for Empress¡¯s giant scaly head to snap around to lock onto us. Her eyes glowed an ominous red. She hissed at us, and no sign of recognition was present. ¡°She¡¯s using Outrage Brock!¡± Sabrina warned as her own eyes glowed, and most of her team copied her. Their use of Miracle Eye did not go unnoticed. Titan stepped forward and barked a greeting, only to become the centre of her attention as she opened her maw and roared while stomping her foot into the ground. The stomp caused the earth to buckle under her. Bertha, Jormungandr, and Sanchez all stepped forward and stomped their own feet, or tails, in order to counter the small earthquake. Titan ignored the shaking earth and staggered towards his mother holding out a hand and crooning a whisper. Bertha barked a warning, and I grimaced. I had to give him the chance, but I really didn¡¯t have much hope with how her eyes were glowing red. ¡°Brock?¡± Sabrina asked, watching Titan advance on the other Tyranitar that watched him. ¡°He needs to make the attempt!¡± I worked my jaw back and forth. I wanted to send someone to back him up, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to without pressuring Empress. Titan reached her and crooned lowly before extending a clawed hand towards her. Empress shuddered and for a heartbeat, it seemed like he¡¯d reached her. Then she roared and swept her hand forward to claw him. Titan caught the blow and snorted in a manner that I interpreted to mean, ¡®alright then, hard way it is¡¯. ¡°Ty!¡± he barked before shifting into a fighting stance, only to have to leap out of the way as his mother blitzed his position, swinging her tail around and cratering a chunk of earth. ¡°Alright team, let¡¯s get in there and knock some sense into her!¡± I said. At my side, Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed and as one her team joined in. Rock rose and shot forward to hem Empress in, only for her to explode with dark energy and roar in defiance at being trapped. She whipped around again and blew apart a boulder to send shrapnel flying at everyone around her before leaping to attack Bertha. Bertha met her head-on with her fist and the two giant Rock pokemon slammed their fists into each other only for Bertha to skid backwards and clutch at her arm. She rose with narrowed eyes and her expression much more serious. Alakazam fired off a Psybeam as a trio of water attacks curved around and slammed into Empress¡¯ knee, making her buckle. As she descended, she clenched her fist and stabbed her hand into the ground before swiping it up and out to fling a boulder directly at Alakazam. Jormungandr broke it apart with an Iron Tail, and then Sabrina¡¯s psychic pokemon grasped it and hurled it back. Before it impacted her, Empress once more exploded with rage as draconic energy radiated out of her. Her eyes glowed darker red, and I grimaced. Instead of tiring her out, she was further embracing her Outrage and powering up. When she crouched, all of my pokemon tensed up, only for her to leap towards Tide. ¡°Skid back by using Hydro Pump on the ground!¡± I said forcing him back. When she hit the ground she paused as her weight forced her to sink into the mud he¡¯d created. Bertha leapt after her and grabbed one of The Empress¡¯ hands, and then Hypnotoad skidded in on the other side to grab the other. Both pokemon pulled against her. She hissed and pulled them back. Both Bertha and Hypnotoad groaned as she began to overpower them. ¡°Sabrina, can I get some Helping Hands?¡± I asked, and she nodded. A moment later, her Espeon glowed and energy shot forth to Hypnotoad, shoring her up as Slowking walked right up in front of the roaring Empress and Yawned in her face. She hissed and opened her mouth to blast him, only for a Psybeam to knock her head up where Titan grabbed her, and held her so she had no room to move. Slowking Yawned again, and Empress shuddered. She growled, and energy began to build up from within her. Bertha shook her head and leaned further back, Hypnotoad growled and copied her; Jormungandr snaked his tail through the mud to chop the back of her knee. Titan leaned in and crooned into her ear. Slowking Yawned a third time and Empress wavered before slumping as the fight left her. Her Outrage burnt through and all her energy spent. She warbled a noise as her eyes glanced around. Titan released her, and slowly the others moved away. Slowking blinked languidly and remained in place, seemingly not at all bothered that an extremely powerful pokemon was free and looming over him. Empress looked around and growled. I twitched and some of my pokemon prepared themselves to restrain her once more. Bertha stepped back in and punched her in the face. I stiffened, opening my mouth to order her locked down again, only for Empress to shoot Bertha a look and rumble. Bertha merely winked and rumbled something back. The rest of my pokemon relaxed at whatever had been said. ¡°She¡¯s just double-checking,¡± Sabrina said neutrally as Slowking turned and started to walk away from the potential brawl. I resisted the urge to facepalm. This was not a double-tap scenario, damn it Bertha! Empress sagged down to collapse onto the ground. She surveyed her broken mountain top and then tilted her head back. Instead of roaring, she wailed. I could only stare alongside all the other pokemon, as one of the most powerful pokemon I knew cried her heart out. My mind leapt into action and pieced together what this meant just in time for Sabrina to sadly say, ¡°The explosion broke apart her eggs¡­¡± Sabrina lowered her head. Bertha shifted before sitting down at Empress¡¯ side and offering her a shoulder as Titan took the other. The other pokemon stepped in and put a hand on her and bowed their heads as she mourned. In my mind, I vowed to make whoever had done this pay. This¡­ this was a barbarity that took a special kind of villain. A true Villain. One that didn¡¯t care who or what they hurt. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± I glanced around. Usually, villains had plans. What was the plan here? To cause damage and disruption? To steal away pokemon en masse in the chaos? Who would do such a thing? Team Rocket? This seemed too much just to steal pokemon. If they¡¯d stolen the eggs, I would have pegged them right away. What was going on here? Sabrina nodded. ¡°No it doesn¡¯t. This tragedy has to be part of a deeper plot. Whoever has done this needs to be so sure of their power that the backlash won¡¯t bother them¡­ or they''re so sneaky they can get away with it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget, they might just be plain stupid¡­¡± I said, but I didn¡¯t believe it even as I said it. You didn¡¯t lace a number of mountain peaks with explosives without a plan. Explosives that would have caused this type of damage weren¡¯t something you could get your hands on easily. The only other option was a bunch of Electrode self-destructing. I doubted that even more, though. I marched to the edge of the mountain with Sabrina at my side and took in the chaos that was still playing out. I turned my head to the north and noted that Mt Silver itself was a pond of calm in an ocean of chaos as, all across the mountains, pokemon clashed and roars rang forth. But not a single pokemon came close to the tallest mountain. I opened my mouth to point out the small mercy that Mt Silver was still intact, only for a beam of purple energy to lance out from another mountain top and slam into the top of Mt Silver. Sabrina grabbed my arm tightly. ¡°Brock¡­ that was a very powerful Psybeam!¡± I glanced at her only to stiffen as I noticed all of Sabrina¡¯s team and my Selene were staring at the mountain that beam had originated from. ¡°I can¡¯t feel much with all the dark energy being thrown around, but I felt that,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Then that means this is Team Rocket¡­¡± I said with a sigh. What were they doing here? Was this a snatch-and-grab operation? Sabrina glanced at me as I sent a message off to Commander Hank as fast as I could, my gaze furtively looking up at the mountain. ¡°Because of the Psybeam? That¡­ would have taken a very powerful psychic-type yes.¡± She nodded slowly at my words. I looked at what had been hit. ¡°Think we¡¯re lucky enough that the Moltres that¡¯s up there isn¡¯t home right now?¡± I paused as I realised something was off. Ever since that Psybeam something surreal was going on, but I couldn¡¯t¡ª Mountains far to the north of Mt Silver erupted in flame. Volcanoes that had long been dormant were igniting. Had more explosions gone off and caused this? Damn that would cause even more panic among the pokemon. ¡°Sabrina we need to¡ª¡± A screech of primal rage exploded out of Mt Silver and a blaze lit up the mountaintop. A heatwave followed the scream and swept over me. Oh, those volcanic eruptions hadn¡¯t been caused by any explosives. I shuddered at the sudden temperature change, only to blink in surprise as I noticed the silence that had gripped the landscape. All the pokemon had noticed that attack and stopped fighting. Everything in the Mt Silver Ranges held their breath. Hoping and praying for an outcome that was slipping through our fingers. Two gigantic wings that shimmered with flames rose and fell as an adult Moltres took to the sky. The top of Mt Silver blazed as it did so, fire blossoming like a flower unfurling itself for spring. It trickled down the mountain, more like water running down a dry creek than fire through the forest. I did not need my eyes to know that there was a lot of fire. I could feel it on my skin. I swallowed and took Sabrina¡¯s hand in mine. She squeezed it as we watched a Legendary pokemon announce its claim over the mountain range. Chapter 127 - I see fire~ Moltres beat its wings. They weren¡¯t the biggest wings I¡¯d ever seen; that honour went to a specially bred carrier Pidgeot. Each sweep of its wings had caused dust storms as it carried an entire family. It paled in comparison to the raw power of a Legendary bird. The air shook with each mighty sweep of Moltres¡¯ wings. I shielded my eyes as heat radiated out from the mountain that must have been kilometres away. I felt Sabrina¡¯s Espeon and Selene raise barriers in front of us. I still had to squint at the intensity of the flames coming off Moltres. I did get to watch as Moltres beat its wings to rise off the peak of the mountain. I noticed things while watching it. Like how, while the wings were smaller than that Pidgeot, there existed a shell of flame that formed around the Moltres making it glow like the sun, extending the reach threefold. The wind swept through me, and I felt my mouth dry as the parched air sapped me. Around me, leaves shrivelled instantly on trees or browned entirely. Mt Silver burned as though it were merely a matchhead that had suddenly sparked to life. Parts of the crags tumbled down the mountain, becoming highways of flame that devoured everything that came close to the path of fire. It felt like the world continued to hold its breath as a Legend took flight. It soared into the sky, creating its own thermals to ride as it circled its mountain once. Embers followed in its wake, sparking into fires with its passing. I could feel its gaze sweep over us, hot and heavy, like a tear of the sun had landed on me. My skin burned, and I felt baked. Its gaze continued on, and it locked its eyes onto the mountain that the Psybeam had come from. It narrowed its eyes and screeched its rage before descending, talons extended wide and fire streaming behind it as it blazed forth. It hit the top of the mountain like a meteor. Fire erupted out with great boulders blasting high and arcing down like deadly missiles. It vanished for a moment into a mere inferno atop the mountain as it screeched. Good, it was fighting Mewtwo. And not just circling like a great flying calamity. I stiffened as that thought took all of a moment to settle before I realised the implications of two Legendary pokemon fighting. While we were within sight of them. I grabbed Sabrina. ¡°We need to get out of here! Now!¡± Sabrina shut her eyes and a painful look claimed her face. ¡°I-I can¡¯t Brock; there has been too much dark energy thrown around!¡± I adjusted. ¡°Alright, we need to head out of here now, then! If that Moltres is fighting whatever¡¯s attacked it, we don¡¯t want to be here for the fight or the aftermath!¡± I swept Sabrina up in my arms. ¡°Jormungandr! Let¡¯s ride out¡­¡± I paused atop him as he turned to the south, away from the danger, only for me to pause. I took a breath. Sabrina¡¯s smell, mixed with sweat and smoke, filled my nose as clarity took hold. ¡°No, we can probably go to ground. Avoid all this madness.¡± Even as I said it, I knew it was a leaky bucket that couldn¡¯t hold any hope. Atop the other mountain, Moltres screeched once more, and then the world shook. I cursed as all the pokemon that had been holding their breath all over the Silver Mountain ranges began to fight, flee, or feast as madness returned to them. Sabrina looked up at me. ¡°We¡¯re not going to be able to tunnel down.¡± ¡°And no way I¡¯m flying out with a Moltres flying about,¡± I said. ¡°We go south-east.¡± It was in the direct opposite direction of the fight taking place atop the mountain behind us. Sabrina nodded, and Jormungandr started to move. I turned to the rest of my pokemon. ¡°We¡¯re getting out! If you can¡¯t keep up, get atop Jormungandr or Tide!¡± Tide nodded as Shrek, Hypnotoad, and Selene hopped atop either pokemon. Slowking was levitated atop Tide, where he blinked in delayed surprise a moment later, only for some of Sabrina¡¯s team to join him. Xatu, Don, and Zephyr took flight and began to circle us. Sabrina looked up at them. ¡°Stay low to the ground,¡± she ordered, earning nods from all of the pokemon. I held in a smirk, so Don respected her enough to follow her orders? I checked my pokemon only to pause when I noticed Titan urging his mother to come with us. She was still kneeling where we¡¯d left her, looking hollow while her claw nudged at eggshells. ¡°Ty! Tar! Ty! Ty!¡± Titan said urgently. Empress shrugged him off. I worked my jaw back and forth as Sabrina turned her head to see what the issue was. Bertha also turned and huffed. Then she marched up, snorted, and punched Empress in the face for the third time in minutes. The Empress stood and growled, only for Bertha to snort in her face again. ¡°Rhy! Rior, Rhyperior!¡± She pointed at herself and then at Empress before flicking her fingers dismissively. She then made a small pinch and wobbled it. Bertha then pointed at Titan. ¡°Perior!¡± Titan flinched, and¡­ was he looking bashful? The growling Tyranitar stilled and frowned before nodding slowly and marching over to our group. I shot Bertha and Titan a look, with Titan rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly while Bertha looked smug. I gestured, and Jormungandr started forward. ¡°Hold tight, everyone!¡± I said as I settled in on one of his body parts as, behind me, my pokemon clasped onto other parts. Tide swept forward and began to fire off a long ice beam that let him skate after us while ferrying half the pokemon. Sabrina shifted in a manner that I felt was more about her comfort than security, but I also felt psychic energy wrap around us both. I shot her a look. Did I even need to hold her? She shot me a look and patted me on the cheek patronisingly while remaining in my arms. Alright, so she never needed me to sweep her off her feet, but she apparently appreciated it. I tapped on my transceiver as we started moving. ¡°Hank we have an issue.¡± ¡°An issue!?¡± he roared in response. ¡°An issue is a Donphan migration through town! This is a damned calamity! I can see that damn Legendary bird burning the mountains and I''m not even close! It¡¯d be easier to have a herd of Rapidash rampaging! Lance and Claire, along with all of my aerial Rangers, have had to be grounded or are tied up!¡± I blinked. ¡°What!? Why?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve just been swarmed Brock I¡¯m going to lose good Rangers and pokemon if I don¡¯t start evacuating them!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t see Lance liking being on evac duty,¡± I said. ¡°No, he was not happy. He was about to be some big damn hero and fight it!¡± I heard Hank mutter something about dragon-brained idiots. ¡°Thankfully, they¡¯d come in to drop off some injured pokemon when Moltres took wing. Clair tackled him off his Salamance and made him see sense.¡± I blinked at a moment of amusement playing out as, in the space of one breath, Hank berated one Dragon trainer while praising another. ¡°Well, good to know we will have reserves. What are we doing about Moltres?¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting out and letting this disaster play out. There will be hell to pay, but I¡¯m not throwing my Rangers or anyone¡¯s lives away fighting it!¡± I merely grunted. I suppose that¡¯s what you had to do when the disaster you were facing had as much right to the mountains as we did from a natural preservation standpoint. I had to frown, though. How did Moltres survive? Did they hunt for prey like Pidgeot or Fearow? The Rangers hadn¡¯t known what was atop Mt Silver. Just that it was powerful enough to make any of their pokemon avoid the place. Hank¡¯s voice came through again. ¡°Brock, just get out. We¡¯ll form a cordon to the west and east to protect the towns if it comes either way, but after a day or so, it should settle down. We¡¯ll help what pokemon we can, but this zone is going to need careful nurturing going forward.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said articulately. What else could I say to that? I looked around and saw that there was a lot of pokemon hunkering down, fighting against fires, or fleeing even as we charged past them. ¡°Roger that,¡± I said eventually, having to settle for a less-than-satisfactory answer. I clicked my transceiver off and sighed. This¡­ this suddenly felt like one of the biggest failures of my life. I¡¯d gone in to stop Titan¡¯s mother from worsening the situation, only to find her catatonic with rage over her nest being destroyed. Then I¡®d been blindsided. I had expected¡­ the situation to be better? I really couldn¡¯t help but shake my head at applying that idea to Team Rocket. It felt like they¡¯d crossed a line, but then again, a line had never been drawn in the first place, had it? Was this their response? We¡¯d pushed them, and now the world was burning. I heard a screech and the sky brightened for a moment. Something powerful had just been used. I looked around to make sure my pokemon were still with me. Bertha was jogging along next to Titan and his mother. Sanchez tumbled along and bounced past them. ¡°Golem!¡± he said, introducing himself. The Empress eyed him and shot Titan a dubious look. Titan didn¡¯t meet her eyes, while Bertha just chuckled as she ran straight through a tree. I shot her an annoyed look as the snapping crunch echoed across the mountain, heralding our presence. Bertha just kept laughing. Alakazam floated after us, his spoons in hand, and his eyes glowing as he orbited Sabrina before sliding over to bow to Titan¡¯s mother. Empress huffed in exasperation and ignored the other pokemon giggling. It was good to see they were still joking and in good spirits even as the screech of an enraged Moltres chased us down the mountain. Sabrina¡¯s eyes started to glow, and Alakazam stiffened. Xatu squawked and flapped its wings to go above the tree line for a moment before ducking back down. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to alarm you, but Moltres appears to have stopped fighting. The other pokemon appears to have vanished, and Moltres is now searching for it.¡± A screech shook the mountain, and the sky brightened momentarily. ¡°It is searching in an expanding circle, I suspect that if it doesn¡¯t find what it is looking for it will begin fighting anything it encounters.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°Rock Polish everyone!¡± I then turned to Tide and returned him and the others atop him as Sabrina recalled some of her own. Underneath us, Jormungandr gained a distinctive sheen to his body before he started to speed up. Then he did it again, and again. I hunkered down while rocks and trees broke as my pokemon and I formed an avalanche. A roar from another pokemon announced an Ursaring stepping in front of us, only for it to yelp as Jormungandr flipped it over his head. ¡°That help? I asked Sabrina. Sabrina looked behind me. I blinked as I realised how easy it was to see right now, despite the sun having set. We should have been in the shadow of the mountain. I glanced over my shoulder. ¡°Oh Arceus damn it!¡± I said, as flames rippled across the top of the mountain we¡¯d been on only minutes ago. The Moltres soared past to the west, and I shut my mouth as the air once more dried out and I was hit by a wave of heat. I tried licking my lips to wet them, only to find that a futile effort. I reached for a pouch and took a sip of a water bottle I kept on my belt before handing it off to Sabrina who copied me. We descended the mountain in a manner that I¡¯d have never suggested to anyone else. But then again, having an inferno chasing you down the mountain while a Moltres soared overhead and roasted anything too slow to avoid it gave us all the haste we needed. As we hit the base of the mountain and started to relax, my transceiver started to blare a warning. ¡°Brock!¡± Hank¡¯s voice shouted at me. ¡°We¡¯ve got a problem! I¡¯ve got a squad of Rangers that have been overrun with all the pokemon that have stampeded them! You and Sabrina are the closest! Can you get to them?¡± I toggled the Ranger maps and noted the position of everyone. There was a line forming up to the east and west and a few stragglers, but there was a very obvious group that was definitely out of position. Worse, there was a significant distance between them and any support bar us. I could see aerial Rangers moving on the other stragglers. I shot Sabrina a look, only for her to lean into the transceiver. ¡°We¡¯ll get to them, Commander,¡± she said. ¡°My thanks!¡± he said, ¡°Make sure you look after yourselves first. If you can¡¯t reach them, don¡¯t force it.¡± ¡°Now who¡¯s raising flags?¡± I said as I directed Jormungandr in a new direction. We weren¡¯t going as fast as before, since we now lacking the inertia of charging downhill, but we were still moving quickly. Especially with how we were charging through anything in our way. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed a few weaker pokemon were even following after us, chasing us along the impromptu highway and firebreak that we¡¯d created. Underneath me, Jormungandr groaned sadly. ¡°Shrek,¡± I said to the only water type I had out still. Shrek turned his head towards us. ¡°Swampert?¡± I indicated Jormungandr and how dried out he was getting with all the fires around. This couldn¡¯t have been pleasant for him. ¡°Think you can cool him off a bit?¡± Swampert frowned, and I hummed. ¡°If you shoot some water in front of him, he can run through it. Maybe even give him a protective mud layer?¡± ¡°Swa!¡± Shrek said as he leaned out to do just that. Jormungandr groaned in relief as I felt his body start to cool off. ¡°Rhy!¡± cried out Bertha with a fake-sounding weakness. She swung her arms about as though she was feeling weak. I shot her an unimpressed look. ¡°You¡¯re not a steel type. I¡¯m not slowing you down with mud all over you.¡± Bertha huffed and punched a Haunter that leapt out of the woods at her. Her fist glowed with energy as she grumbled. Don took the chance to sweep past her head and cackle. We closed in on the group of Rangers only to find ourselves having to race a line of fire that was itself hurtling along in front of us. I hummed. ¡°How wide is it?¡± Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed and her Xatu rose up to inspect the flame. ¡°Too wide to run through or wait out.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said understanding what she was implying. ¡°Tide, Hypnotoad, Shrek, Bertha, Slowking, and Starmie?¡± She considered it before nodding. ¡°That should be enough. They¡¯re all strong enough.¡± ¡°Good.¡± We got as close as we dared before we released our water-type pokemon. Then we pointed straight ahead, through the fires. ¡°Surf!¡± I barked as Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed. Our pokemon channelled their energy, and as one they rose up on a gigantic wave that surged forward. ¡°Rhyperior!¡± shouted Bertha as she rode the wave. Titan laughed only to shut his mouth and glance at his mother. I shot her a look and found her nodding, impressed with the display as we smothered the fire and advanced. When we reached the other side, I shot Bertha a thumbs up. ¡°Good work not tripping into any mud,¡± I said. Bertha gasped, apparently just realising she could have gotten away with it, before grumbling and following us through. I glanced behind us to once again find a good swarm of smaller and weaker pokemon trailing after us. ¡°I feel like a pied piper,¡± I said. Sabrina merely shrugged. ¡°We represent their best chance and they seem to know it. Especially the grass and bug-type pokemon.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± I gave the trailing pokemon a look and noted the Parasect and Heracross scattered through the swarm. I glanced down at the map and noted that we¡¯d closed in on the Rangers. ¡°Slow down up there!¡± I called out to Jormungandr. ¡°Rangers! Can you hear me!¡± I shouted. I shifted Sabrina out of my arms, and she stood, her eyes glowing as she turned her head slowly. ¡°There!¡± She pointed towards a tree that had snapped in half and fallen. I could just make out a hand limply poking out of some of the branches. I cursed and leapt off Jormungandr. Sabrina pointed her hand and raised it up, causing the tree to lift. ¡°Brock let me work; check over there as there are another three over there.¡± She then pointed in another direction ¡°And one over there that is still conscious.¡± I nodded and followed her directions. I followed her lead and having my pokemon move the trees out of the way before having Selene lift up the clearly injured Rangers. A number of pokemon were strewn around them, trampled, and also injured. One of the pokemon, a Rapidash, was still alive, I activated the pokeball recall feature so they¡¯d remain in stasis. Then I quickly ran through first aid for the others. The lone conscious Ranger was deposited to the side. They were lucid but confused. I was surprised to see Andrew blinking at me deliriously. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked. ¡°You got overrun and then run over by the looks of things,¡± I said as I put my ear to another person¡¯s mouth. They were breathing, so into the recovery position they went. I snapped my fingers at Hypnotoad. ¡°Monitor their breathing. If they change, tell me!¡± Hypnotad knelt near their head and watched them seriously. I turned to the next person. Oh¡­ yeah, arms aren¡¯t supposed to bend that way. They must have really gotten hit hard. ¡°I remember there was a fire?¡± said Andrew as he tried to stand, only for Bertha to put a hand on his shoulder and keep him sitting on the ground. ¡°Alakazam!¡± Sabrina¡¯s shout made me look up to find her kneeling next to an older woman. Alakazam floated over and looked at the woman before nodding. He leaned down and put his hand on the woman¡¯s chest and the side of her ribs. He waited a few moments before I saw a jolt of electricity arc through his fingers. ¡°Eh?! What are you doing?¡± Andrew said as he tried and failed to stand up, obviously not liking what he was seeing. Sabrina continued to watch the woman. ¡°Alakazam knows Thunder Wave and has attended medical seminars. He is quite capable I assure you.¡± I swallowed down my worry, trusting Sabrina to know what she was talking about. Andrew didn¡¯t share my trust, however. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to do that! Pokemon moves can damage the heart if the person is weak.¡± "Technically, she¡¯s already dead,¡± Sabrina dryly replied. I furiously splinted the broken arm on the Ranger I¡¯d found before moving on, still listening as I assessed and moved the next Ranger. Alive, stable, unconscious, and breathing normally. Recovery position, set a pokemon to monitor them and move on. ¡°So¡ª¡± Alakazam¡¯s fingers sparked again, and the woman twitched before relaxing. Sabrina leaned in and nodded as Alakazam removed his fingers and smiled. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Normal sinus rhythm has been achieved.¡± ¡°No way a pokemon just did that!¡± said Andrew groggily. Sabrina hovered up to a standing position. ¡°Alakazam are considered some of the most intelligent pokemon around for a reason. They make wonderful doctors, as they never forget anything they learn. My Alakazam is quite motivated to learn quite a lot.¡± She patted him on the shoulder, and he smiled at her. ¡±But¡­ electricity doesn¡¯t work that way?¡± Sabrina shot the Ranger an amused look. ¡°For pokemon this smart and powerful? They find ways to surprise us.¡± I checked over the last of my group and pronounced them stable. Then I sat up and looked them over. "Alright, we have a squad of eight people. Injured, mostly unconscious, and in need of evac. Think we can get them atop Tide to get out of here?¡± I then made a gesture, indicating her. I didn¡¯t want to mention that she might be able to teleport us out. Andrew might not understand if she couldn¡¯t. Sabrina subtly shook her head as she considered Tide. He was certainly large enough to carry us all out, but they¡¯d be in for a rough ride. But then again, they¡¯d be alive. I checked the map and hummed. ¡°We¡¯ve got ten kilometres to cover to make it to the line to the east and twenty to the west.¡± Sabrina considered the map as her Alakazam approached and stroked his moustache. He indicated a pathway directly south. I tilted my head. ¡°South? To the ocean?¡± Sabrina nodded her head slowly. ¡°That makes the most sense, actually. Most pokemon that went that way won''t be as agitated, and they might not have thrown around as many moves.¡± I nodded, realising that she really meant we might be able to teleport out earlier. ¡°I think that sound¡ª¡± My transceiver blared to life, and I answered quickly. ¡°Brock watch the debris!! Moltres is thrashing a juvenile Tyranitar on a nearby peak!¡± I swept my head to the north in time to spot a large meteor ¡ªreally a destroyed part of the mountain that was molten¡ª hurtling towards us. I didn¡¯t stop to think. I just acted. ¡°Don, Jormungandr, Tide! HYPER BEAM!¡± I shouted, stabbing my hand towards the oncoming meteor. My pokemon pivoted onto the oncoming threat and fired. The beams slammed into the meteor and detonated as it broke apart, falling to the ground and causing the fire to the north of us to be smothered. I exhaled in relief, only to tense up as I saw Moltres flying once more. Apparently, that young Tyranitar hadn¡¯t lasted long. It must have seen the Hyper Beams, as it turned around on us. It was like being in a safe area and watching a landslide tumble down the mountain, only for it to twist at the last moment and angle straight for you. ¡°Sabrina.¡± I licked my lips. ¡°You ready for a doubles battle?¡± I asked. ¡°Always.¡± She reached out and clasped my hand, unafraid of the dark energies I was starting to emit. I controlled them so they wouldn¡¯t disrupt her. I glanced back at the injured. ¡°Jormungandr! Dig down and form a tunnel for the injured! Hold it steady!¡± Jormungandr nodded and did just that. Sabrina¡¯s Hypno led Andrew down into the tunnel before remaining down there as the others were quickly levitated in. When I shot Sabrina a look she shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s not strong enough to fight this battle.¡± The pokemon that had been trailing us squeaked in fear. Some ran back the way they¡¯d come, while others threw themselves into the tunnel. Sabrina and I donned goggles and neckerchiefs around our faces. It took me back to the time we¡¯d gotten caught in a sandstorm in the Hoenn desert. Only now, we were facing an inferno that had to come to life. I glanced at the transceiver; it was still linked to Hank. ¡°Hey Hank? Any chance Lance still wants to fight Moltres?¡± I asked jokingly. ¡°Hold out, he¡¯s coming,¡± Hank replied. When Moltres came at us, it swept over and inspected us, and in doing so, it lit the forest around us on fire. Sabrina squeezed my hand. ¡°I can handle defense.¡± ¡°Right, so I¡¯ll just drive it off then?¡± I joked. Titan growled and shifted about, keeping Moltres in sight as Bertha began to settle into her stance, her drills whirring to life as she built up for what I really hoped would be a One Hit K.O. Empress took up another position with Sanchez at her side, a stoic expression on his face. Alazakam landed and stood at Sabrina¡¯s side. Slowking stared to the north. At my side, Zephyr had landed as his head swivelled to track the Moltres, his eyes locked on the threat. Tide, Hypnotoad, and Shrek all spat water at nearby burning trees to limit the embers that threatened us. In doing so they caused gouts of steam and smoke to billow up. Well, Lance wouldn¡¯t have to look hard to find where we were, at least. Then Moltres tilted and swept itself down on us. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I ordered to my pokemon capable of it before following up with ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± to the others. Moltres banked to the side and evaded the onslaught of rocks while a corona of flame blazed towards us. Sabrina and the Psychic pokemon all grasped the airborne rocks and used them to disrupt the flame before it could reach us. Moltres broke off its dodge and twisted itself into a barrel roll that caused a Fire Spin that was more like a fire tornado to be formed. I lost sight of it then, in the fire and smoke. ¡°Sandstorm!¡± I said to Titan. He nodded and stepped forward, only for his mother to match him and stomp her feet in time with him to hurl a wave of sand into the oncoming fire attack. ¡°Don and Zephyr, I need a Whirlwind to back it up!¡± I said as my pokemon leapt up and snapped their wings into the Sandstorm to send it forward to break up the Fire Spin. Sabrina grabbed my arm and wrenched me in another direction, and I swore as I noticed another fire spin whirling to life. Followed by another. ¡°How¡¯s it doing that?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s staying low and using the fire that¡¯s already about to hide its movements. It doesn¡¯t need to remain in place to unleash the Fire Spin, merely move and spin itself! This is not a young pokemon; it knows how to use its environment!¡± Sabrina said as she gestured sharply to the side and a tree that had been alight and starting to fall was grasped and hurled to the side. I could see the sweat on her skin as she worked. It helped that Moltres created its own hellish environment just by flying overhead, I couldn¡¯t help but think. I needed to work against that. ¡°Tide, Hypnotoad, and Shrek! Get a ring of mud and water around us! Now!¡± I barked causing them to begin blasting water around us while giving us a dry, stable central area to walk in. I spotted another Fire Spin form up and hissed in annoyance as we worked to crush it. This was followed quickly by a fifth and final Fire Spin appearing before Moltres burst out of the middle of it and trilled at us. I could almost feel the dark amusement it seemed to radiate as it looked at us. No wonder the other variant of this pokemon is a dark type if they¡¯re all like this. Sabrina pointed, and her pokemon all unleashed Psybeams. All of them but Espeon and Slowking who were glowing softly. I pointed my own pokemon to the Fire tornadoes, more than happy to switch to defense. ¡°Let¡¯s put those out! Massed Surf from here! Don¡¯t ride them out though! Hold the formation!¡± My pokemon nodded and fired off Surfs that roared into the Fire Spins and at least halted them for the moment. I suddenly became aware of Espeon and Slowking swapping locations and snapped my head away from the still-present Fire Spins to glance up. Through the sweat and smoke that clouded my vision, I could just make out Moltres high above us. ¡°Sky Attack?¡± I asked Sabrina. She nodded. ¡°Sky Attack.¡± Moltres plummeted, its form coated with an armour of fire and wind that made it faster in its descent. I pointed upward. ¡°Sanchez Thunder!¡± My pokemon slammed a fist into the air and unleashed a torrent of lightning that had the pokemon around him stepping away. I squinted and channeled darkness into my eyes to see if that did anything, only to find Moltres powering through the attack. ¡±Stone Edge!¡± I shouted to the others as Sabrina stabbed her hand upwards in time for Espeon to unleash a Psybeam that caused the ground to buckle under the purple cat-like pokemon. Moltres tucked its wings and barreled on, avoiding some hits and ignoring others, only to cut off and sweep its wings down at us. ¡°Protect!¡± I shouted to my team as Sabrina¡¯s pokemon set up Barriers or Reflect against the attack. Some of my pokemon weren¡¯t fast enough, and I heard cries of pain ring out even against a move that, for most of them, should not have been very effective. Moltres hovered for another moment, and I stabbed my hand up as our defences dropped away. ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± Once more, Don and Tide unleashed their attacks straight at the threat. The Moltres inhaled and unleashed a Flamethrower to match the attacks, only to have the Hyper Beams slowly drive up the fire and slam into it, causing it to falter. ¡°Nice! Pile on now, team! Use Stone Edge and Hydro Pump!¡± Sabrina matched me with her team, firing off Psybeams and Hydro Pumps of their own, which Moltres avoided for the most part, only to sweep its wings and screech in rage. A wave of embers rushed down on us, most of which the Barriers and Reflects stopped, only for a line to sweep down on Sabrina. I tugged her out of the way, but instantly had to hiss in pain. A glance down revealed that my flame-resistant coat was on fire. I punched my fist into the ground, paused for a moment, and then ripped it back out. Sabrina¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Brock are you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal! Focus on the Moltres!¡± I said, even as I raised my own head upwards. Our attacks had torn through the fire, only for the fire to power onward. Despite Sabrina and my own momentary distraction, our pokemon had accommodated. Zephyr, Selene, and Alakazam both stared at the fire coming down on us. Their eyes glowed, and then the fire broke apart and was swept aside to protect us, unfortunately also causing the fires around us to build. ¡°Where is it?¡± I said to Sabrina as I searched the sky, which was deceptively clear of a Legendary bird. Sabrina tackled me. I had a moment to wonder what she was doing as the fire behind her exploded to reveal a pissed-off Moltres Flare Blitzing us. Titan stepped forward and formed a Protect line with Shrek, Alakazam, Espeon, and Claydoll. Moltres hit the line but rolled itself up and over the rounded shell, only to step into Empress¡¯ Protect and slow down a little more. Bertha saw her chance and leapt. Arm cocked back with her drills screaming in anguish as she lined up the shot. Moltres¡¯ eyes widened as Bertha¡¯s maw stretched into a triumphant grin. It tried to twist again, only to find Sanchez leaping at it, crackling with Thunder. It tucked its wings in and glowed, attempting a different move, just in time for Bertha¡¯s fist to reach it. Bertha¡¯s fist slammed home, and I felt a dark satisfaction fill me as Moltres cried out in shock. Moltres buckled from the hit and then rocketed away as if launching off its mountain. Flame exploded out of Moltres and then followed in its wake from the hit. I grinned as Bertha roared her triumph. The grin died as Bertha collapsed to her knees and grasped her arm. Hypnotoad was at her side in an instant, blowing a light stream of water onto the clearly burned limb. I stood, only to chastise myself. ¡°Make sure it¡¯s down!¡± I called to my team. Titan and the others broke their line and started to reorient themselves to where Moltres had fallen. The flames rose and my pokemon stepped back as the heat got to them. Which is when the Moltres struck back by exhaling a Flamethrower straight at Bertha and Hypnotoad. A single Hydro Pump launched into the attack to weaken it, coming from the ever-slow Slowking. Hypnotoad whirled around, trying to use dark energy with her Darkest Lariat to protect herself while Bertha groaned in pain. The fire washed over Hypnotoad, and her attack stopped Bertha from taking any more damage. It still left her gasping in pain before the rest of Sabrina¡¯s team grabbed a hold of the fire and broke it apart. ¡°Stone Edge into the flames!¡± I shouted, trying to grasp how Moltres had survived Bertha¡¯s one-hit K.O connecting. It should have been a sure thing with how much power she¡¯d built up. Moltres had glowed a little before it got hit¡­ had that been a move? I cursed as a memory occurred to me of some of my pokemon using Endure. But if it had used that move, then it was weak. ¡°Bertha weakened it! Let¡¯s end this!¡± I said, only to watch Moltres rocket into the sky. It was fast, but the flames that surrounded it were definitely faltering. Before I could formulate a plan, Don pursued it, smelling the blood in the water. ¡°Don! No!¡± I called only for the roar of flames to drown out my orders. ¡°Shit!¡± I said. Sabrina stepped up next to me. ¡°Do you want me to call him back?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t follow your orders, and I don¡¯t want to distract him. He¡¯s going for it and I need to back him up now. I¡¯ll deal with it later, as this is terrible timing, but I need to move with him not stumble right now. He did well holding himself back before this.¡± I glanced at Zephyr. ¡°Go after him; back him up as much as you can.¡± Zephyr nodded and leapt upwards, the wind howling as he performed a Tailwind to give him a fighting chance of catching up with the Moltres and Don. I glanced around, taking in the destroyed landscape with steaming puddles, burning trees, and earth. I swept my arm out wide. ¡°Everyone else! Start putting out fires!¡± My pokemon nodded and started doing just that. Bertha tried to stand and help, only to grimace and kneel down quickly. I clicked my tongue, looking over the injury. She had a rather large burn on the arm she punched Moltres with, despite the armour. I raised her pokeball. ¡°You fought well, girl. Let¡¯s not worsen your injury,¡± I said as I recalled her. I ended up having to do the same to Hypnotoad after noting how she was cradling her shoulders. I almost turned away to give some orders, but only for a pained, ¡°Go¡­lem,¡± to make me turn to find Sanchez rolling through some mud to coat his body. I stepped up to catch him. ¡°Tide! I need some water here!¡± I said, causing Tide to pour a deluge of water over Sanchez and me. We both groaned in relief. After a quick check of his injuries, I ended up recalling Sanchez as well. When had he been hit? The only instance I could think of was when Moltres was hit past him by Bertha. Had Moltres gotten in an attack then? I could only curse. I could return them to the field if needed but they would be weak points in the formation and I would be averse to making that happen. Better to just reform the defenses if I needed to. I stared straight up at the coming aerial duel. Moltres had stopped moving, and Don was catching up¡­ rather quickly, in fact. ¡°Is it going to fight him?¡± I said, unsure of what was happening. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed, and it took a moment before she growled. ¡°It¡¯s used Rest¡­ a flying Rest.¡± ¡°So, it just restored most of its health, no?¡± Sabrina nodded, only for a fire to explode out of the Moltres. ¡°What the?¡± I said. ¡°I thought it was asleep?¡± ¡°It would appear that it knows Sleep Talk,¡± Sabrina said tightly. I felt my heart sink as I saw a form drop from the sky. Don had taken an attack from a Legendary head-on; he¡¯d likely thought he was going to take it out while it was weak, only to have the equivalent of a Sucker Punch from Titan slam home. ¡°Is he alive?¡± I asked. Sabrina stared at the plummeting form and nodded. ¡°Knocked out,¡± she said. I was about to curse, only for Zephyr to alter course and intercept the falling Aerodactyl. I breathed out in relief before turning my eyes towards the Moltres that was still hovering high in the sky, like a second sun brought into the world. Which was extremely off-putting with it being night. ¡°We¡¯re getting whittled down,¡± I said noticing that Sabrina was having Tide sprinkle some water over her Starmie. ¡°We¡¯ve held long enough,¡± she said cryptically. I tilted my head in confusion, only for Sabrina to point to the Northwest. I followed her finger and blinked as a team of draconic pokemon charged in to attack the still-resting Moltres. It countered with further explosions of fire, and I could tell when it awoke as it started weaving through the flock of dragons. It then flapped its wings once more and gained some more height only to screech in rage and sail away as the slower dragons caught up with the others. It swept away from them, breaking off the fight before glancing down at us. It screeched once again before turning and flying off to the north. I exhaled and caught Sabrina as she leaned into me. ¡°Brock, lets not do this again,¡± she said. ¡°Heh, yeah, true. Let¡¯s not.¡± I turned my head towards her. ¡°You doing anything later?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep in your bed with Ralts and you, with the door locked and my transceiver turned off,¡± she said. I wanted to grumble that that wasn¡¯t the answer I wanted to hear, but then I realised just how good that sounded right now. "Yeah, meet you there?¡± She hummed as we watched Lance and what had to be Clair descend towards us while their Dragonite and Charizard continued to circle overhead. ¡°Brock!¡± Lance called out before he dismounted. He raced toward me and clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Sabrina! It¡¯s wonderful to see you both!¡± He then inspected us. ¡°And you¡¯re both well!¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, damn good to see you as well Lance.¡± I then nodded to Clair. ¡°Clair. Thanks for coming.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have missed it!¡± Clair said shakily. Lance laughed before turning and looked over the mountains. His expression turned stoic. ¡°This will be a nightmare for PR¡­ I¡¯m not sure the public will buy that this wasn¡¯t enemy action. The question becomes which enemy to pick.¡± ¡°Team Rocket,¡± I said instantly as my eyes took in the still-burning mountains and forest. I wasn¡¯t so worried about what the public thought right now. Now that the adrenaline was leaving me, I was starting to notice some small aches throughout my body that I had no idea about. When Lance shot me a look I shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re convenient.¡± That and Mewtwo¡¯s inclusion pretty much guaranteed it was them. Which¡­ I considered that point for a moment before speaking up. ¡°Also, I saw something weird, a pokemon that awoke Moltres. It had armour on.¡± Lance frowned. ¡°Armour? A flying Nidoking or Rhyperior?¡± I shook my head and relayed what Sabrina and I had seen. Lance accepted it with a worried nod. ¡°Right¡­ that is extremely worrying. If Team Rocket have a pokemon that can do that¡­ we¡¯ll need to mount watches on all the known locations for legendary pokemon as well as monitor that this Moltres departs peacefully.¡± He scowled after the glow that told where Moltres had flown. ¡°More demands on time and people. Damn them!¡± Lance glanced upwards. ¡°I¡¯m impressed you were able to get that Moltres to go into it¡¯s Sky Roost like that.¡± I blinked. Something about that was odd. Sabrina lifted her head off my shoulder, with her eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯ve seen that move before¡­ when you fought a Moltres no? That¡¯s where your Dragonite¡¯s Rest, Sleep Talk trick came from.¡± Lance nodded sheepishly. ¡°Indeed, when I was fighting the northern tribes, I tangled with a younger Moltres and learned that such a combination was possible. It impressed me, and I worked very hard to learn it. It seems to be a move that many of the species know.¡± Lance lowered his head to inspect the area around us before his eyes paused on a bit of rubble that was now trembling. Jormungandr raised his head, and a number of much smaller pokemon trickled out to inspect the world around them. Hypno led them out. The small pokemon gaped at the destruction before turning and bowing towards us in thanks. I chuckled and made to wave them off only to sigh. ¡°Sorry little ones, I need to send you off to the Rangers. The mountains¡­ they¡¯re not fit for you to survive on right now. We¡¯ll replant and have it well again in a month at most.¡± the pokemon considered this and nodded. I started tapping them with Ranger balls only for them to fail to vanish. I blinked in surprise. ¡°Huh, still too much dark energy?¡± I said with surprise. Then I recalled catching another pokemon with the Ranger balls. ¡°Shit, I caught some other pokemon with Ranger balls.¡± I hadn¡¯t even thought of it at the time¡­ Had it vanished back then? I didn¡¯t pay it any attention. Lance raised a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there are markers, and the balls themselves are quite strong. The pokemon will be safe.¡± I relaxed at that, only to notice that other pokemon had refused and begun running away. I could only sigh. They¡¯d be in for a rough time going ahead but I didn¡¯t have the energy to¡ª Sabrina whipped a few ranger balls of her own into them and I chuckled. For other pokemon Lance raised a hand. ¡°Leave the grass types. They¡¯ll kickstart the regrowth of the forest and see this burnt hellscape turn back into a green forest.¡± ¡°Makuhita!¡± ¡°Golduck!¡± said two pokemon as they bowed towards Sabrina and me. I blinked in surprise. ¡°Eh?¡± Sabrina chuckled. ¡°They want to join me. It seems they were impressed by Hypno helping Jorm¡¯s cave while we fought.¡± I shot them an unimpressed look. Didn¡¯t half their protection come from Jormungandr with that logic? Then I felt a small clawed hand grip my jeans. ¡°Teddiursa!¡± wailed a small pokemon. I looked down to find a Teddiursa looking at me with an adorably cute fierce expression. ¡°This one wants you to catch it and train it to be strong,¡± Sabrina said. I snorted and locked eyes with it. ¡°You want to be strong huh?¡± It nodded and adopted a clenched fist pose. I hummed in thought before pulling out a pokeball and tapping it on the head. ¡°Welcome to the team,¡± I said, ideas for how far I could take a Teddiursa already forming in my mind. Sabrina inspected the other two before nodding and tossing out two pokeballs that caught the Golduck and Makuhita. They tried to vanish only to twitch and blart out a warning as the pokeball teleport feature failed to engage. I nudged Sabrina. ¡°Congratulations on your new pokemon,¡± I said as she swept them up. She nodded before nudging me back and indicating with her chin the slumped-over form of Empress the Tyranitar. She crooned lowly, all the fight taken out of her. I considered her. She was a wild, albeit powerful, pokemon. The Rangers would have a tough time accommodating her. They¡¯d be very¡­ clinical, perhaps, which might be a terrible thing. Still, she¡¯d gone through something highly traumatic tonight. I considered passing the buck on to the Rangers for half a second before shaking my head. She¡¯d heal up best with support. I looked to Titan, who put a hand on his mother¡¯s shoulder. And as they said, there was no better support than family. Titan shot me a look, and I hummed before stepping up to her. I felt Lance stop talking with Clair and turn his attention on me as I approached Empress. ¡°Hey,¡± I said eloquently. She glanced in my direction before huffing and looking down at the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you lost your eggs. I think that might be one of the greatest tragedies of this entire evening.¡± I heard Clair hiss in surprise before murmuring something about a Tyranitar rampage. Empress didn¡¯t respond beyond sighing long and low. Her eyes had an emptiness I¡¯d seen in trainers that had lost their starters. Those trainers invariably wilted and lost all motivation as they became shells of themselves. ¡°Would you like to come with me? Not forever,¡± I hurried to say, ¡°Unless you decide you want that? But maybe you should come and heal for a while.¡± I gestured towards Titan. ¡°Spend your time with Titan and Terra?¡± That had her perking up slightly. She turned her head towards Titan in thought. He shot her a large smile and warbled something before waving his hand at me and then the surrounding landscape. She warbled something back before looking at me and nodding. ¡°Tar?¡± she asked looking me in the eyes. I nodded knowing exactly what she meant. ¡°If you want to leave, just say the word.¡± I held out a pokeball, the weakest pokeball I owned, to make it that much easier for her to break it if she wanted to. She nodded and tapped it with her claw before being absorbed. I watched it click once before it settled. It, like Sabrina¡¯s pokeballs from earlier, blarted out a warning that it wasn¡¯t able to teleport before it settled in my grasp. ¡°You realise when she realises how good trainer pokemon have it, she won¡¯t leave your team, don¡¯t you?¡± Lance said, an inscrutable look on his face as he eyed the pokeball in my grasp. ¡°That¡¯ll be up to her. It¡¯s about letting her heal.¡± I opened my mouth to point out that she¡¯d probably ignore any orders I gave her, before shaking my head. I¡¯d said enough. I looked back over the burned landscape. ¡°So¡­ reckon we can get out of doing paperwork?¡± Lance, Clair, Sabrina, and I shared a look. Then, as one, we burst out laughing together. It was a good joke. Lance wiped his eyes. ¡°Oh, thank you for that Brock. Oh, I needed that. Oh this day¡­¡± He shook his head and sighed as he looked down at his transceiver, a much better model than my own, I noted. He sighed loudly again. ¡°Brock, this day will go down as one of the worst in my tenure as Champion.¡± I looked over the mountain and nodded. ¡°Yeah, the Silver Ranges¡­¡± I trailed off when Lance shook his head. ¡°This wasn¡¯t the only incident that¡¯s made news today, Brock.¡± I could only frown. Had Team Rocket attacked two different places? Shit! They could, couldn¡¯t they? ¡°Pewter is safe?¡± I blurted immediately. Lance nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine. Surge is on the ground at the site and he said it¡¯s all over¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°It was still bad though.¡± ¡°Where was it?¡± I asked, deciding to get some facts. ¡°Porta Vista,¡± Lance said. I felt a sudden chill run down my spine. Why did that name ring a bell? Chapter 128 - Interlude - The harmony of water - Part 1 Misty stared at the pokeball that she had in her hands. She¡¯d been stuck looking at it for the last few days or so. She still couldn¡¯t believe that she, Misty from Cerulean, had gotten herself a Squirtle! ¡°Misty! Come on! Let¡¯s have them fight; I want to see who¡¯s stronger!¡± said Ash plaintively. ¡°Ash! Calm down! Misty still has to get used to her pokemon!¡± barked Forrest, glancing at Misty worriedly. Misty wasn¡¯t sure if she should be pleased he was standing up for her, or annoyed that he thought she couldn¡¯t stand up for herself. "Yeah, which is why we should make them fight!¡± Ash said. Misty pursed her lips. That¡­ was somewhat logical. The sad part was that she knew without a doubt that her Squirtle would lose¡­ Ash¡¯s Squirtle had been the leader of the troupe that they¡¯d encountered. And that hadn¡¯t been due to chance. Ash¡¯s Squirtle was larger and had a harder shell. Also, he had the stronger Water Gun. Something that she knew played a huge part in a bale of turtle pokemon. Her Squirtle on the other hand¡­ was probably the runt. She couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d ignored the chance to get herself one of the most known water types around! She gave Forrest a smile. He¡¯d been the one to point out that a squirtle would be a great addition to her team after all. "Thanks, Forrest, I can stand up for myself,¡± she said gently. He nodded and glanced away, a slight blush on his cheeks. She giggled. He was a bit too easy to set off sometimes. Instead of continuing to tease Forrest ¡ªsomething that was a new and oddly enjoyable experience¡ª she turned her attention to Ash, who was looking hopeful. She¡¯d be at a disadvantage¡­ but didn¡¯t that only account for the pokemon? She was more knowledgeable with Water types. As long as she could get her pokemon to listen to her, she should be able to beat Ash. ¡°Alright Ash,¡± she said, accepting the challenge and causing Ash to woop with joy. They both released their Squirtles and Misty¡¯s shot her a worried look when it saw who its opponent was. Misty knelt next to it. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry, this is just a friendly match. We¡¯re just getting familiar with you both.¡± She leaned in closer. ¡°Also, I¡¯m a better trainer than Ash!¡± she said giving Squirtle a wink. ¡°I need you to follow what I tell you to do in the coming match, alright? Do that and we¡¯ll win!¡± Squirtle nodded dubiously, eying its former leader, who had donned some sunglasses to style on its friend. Misty¡¯s Squirtle gulped and Misty patted his shell. ¡°Just remember this is about teamwork more than anything!¡± she said, standing and locking eyes with Ash. ¡°Alright! We¡¯re ready!¡± Forrest raised his hands. ¡°The Squirtle showdown begins¡­ now!¡± ¡°Water Gun!¡± Ash said predictably. ¡°Use Withdraw into Rapid Spin!¡± Misty ordered causing the Water Gun to wash harmlessly over her Squirtle as it retracted into the shell and spun into Ash¡¯s squirtle. Ash¡¯s pokemon went flying and Misty punched forward. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit Squirtle!¡± ¡°Uhhh! Squirtle use Tail Whip!¡± the curly tail whipped around and slapped into Misty¡¯s pokemon causing it to pop out of its shell in surprise. ¡°Good, now Tackle!¡± Misty blanched. ¡°Use Hydro Pump!¡± she ordered only for her Squirtle to shoot her a confused look. Shoot! Of course! It was too weak to know that move! She should have borrowed Ash¡¯s pokedex before the match! Both pokemon traded blows with Misty¡¯s Rapid spin meeting Ash¡¯s uses of Water gun on the ground before charging back in with Tackle. Eventually, both pokemon stumbled away from each other before going belly¡¯s up as they fell unconscious. Forrest inspected them both and raised his hands. ¡°Both Squirtles are unable to battle! It¡¯s a tie!¡± Misty facepalmed. She really needed to learn what moves her pokemon had! Ash likewise seemed stunned to have drawn with Misty. ¡°What! No way! My pokemon was still up for half a second longer!¡± Forrest shook his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t and that wouldn¡¯t count anyway. Official rules are that a pokemon has to stay up for the count of five for it to be a clean win.¡± Ash threw up his hands in annoyance. ¡°Well, nice fight, Misty!¡± ¡°You too Ash,¡± Misty replied. Forrest offered them both some potions and they sprayed their pokemon over before continuing to walk. Ash had his head tucked in. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I lost to a trainer with less badges than me!¡± Misty felt her eyebrow twitch. ¡°I won¡¯t have less badges than you for long!¡± Ash shook his head. ¡°That won¡¯t be the case at all; see, I¡¯m one ahead, and as we move around, I¡¯m going to stay one ahead.¡± Misty raised a finger before she realised he was right. She felt a horrible jolt run through her, like Pikachu had just shocked her. Ash¡­ was right? She shuddered but shut her mouth. Forrest chuckled. ¡°Well there will be other Gym¡¯s to fight along the way, like the minor ones, if you want to get more badges.¡± Ash rubbed his chin at that before nodding. ¡°That sounds good! Where are they?¡± Forrest babbled away for a bit and Misty let her attention shift thinking over the match. Had there been other ways to win that she hadn¡¯t used? Most likely. She sighed. ¡°I think I need to spend some more time training my pokemon.¡± Forrest huffed in amusement. ¡°Well you¡¯ll both get the chance to work on your pokemon soon. We¡¯re coming up to the next town for a training break.¡± ¡°I still say we could have kept fighting all those trainers around Vermillion Gym!¡± Ash said angrily. ¡°We fought enough of them,¡± Forrest said only for Ash to continue grumbling. Forrest sighed. ¡°Ash you were starting to lose more matches than you were winning.¡± He indicated the town. ¡°We¡¯re only a day¡¯s walk away from Vermillion. We¡¯ll boot camp it and then come back for your third badge and our second.¡± Forrest glanced at Misty. ¡°Are you going to ¡­ want a training buddy?¡± he said somewhat hopefully. Misty shook her head firmly, her conviction firming up.¡±No I¡¯ll do some training on my own!¡± she said. She was feeling better about herself these days. More confident. She couldn¡¯t lean on Ash or Forrest all the time! She hadn¡¯t challenged Pewter for their Gym badge, but she had stood up against her sisters and beaten them to claim her first badge alongside Forrest. Ash got his second, which annoyingly let him lord it over her and Forrest¡­ for the moment. She knew he¡¯d get his wake up call soon enough, though. For now, she needed to get as strong as she possibly could for fighting something that was specifically one of her chosen type¡¯s greatest weaknesses. An Electric specialist. She had Starmie, Staryu, Goldeen, and now Squirtle. She had the makings of a good team, but she needed to spend a good deal of time working on her last three pokemon. Starmie was currently her most powerful, but she couldn¡¯t just rely on him to make it through the challenge she¡¯d chosen. She was going to do this the right way. This time she was going for the Gauntlet Challenge instead of a straight one on one. ¡°So where are we going to set up to train?¡± Misty asked. Forrest consulted a booklet. ¡°The Vermillion Gym uses a rubberised matting for its Gym surface during badge challenges. This makes it easy for certain pokemon to move about and for electricity to only impact the pokemon it is aimed at. With no raised terrain, it is going to be tougher to dodge electric attacks as most pokemon will be the tallest point for lighting to reach.¡± ¡°Hmmm, does that stop moves like dig?¡± Ash said, showing the strange insight that he occasionally exhibited. Forrest grunted in annoyance at that, and they all traded thoughts on tactics that might or might not work only for Ash to gasp suddenly. ¡°Woah! Hang on! What¡¯s that!¡± Ash said pointing out to sea where there was a shimmering sparkle that was dancing about in the air. Misty squinted, having to shade her eyes to see that they weren¡¯t just shapes but pokemon. ¡°Are those¡­ Butterfree?¡± Misty said incredulously. Forrest began flicking through screens on his transceiver. After a few moments, he coughed. ¡°The local area appears to overlook some cliffs that run out into the sea. At certain times of each year, bug trainers gather with their Butterfree and release them to allow them to find a mate.¡± ¡°Oh Wow! We should go!¡± Ash said. Forrest grimaced. ¡°I¡­ wouldn¡¯t suggest that Ash.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because then you¡¯d lose your Butterfree as he¡¯d have to go off and mate. Most of the time the Butterfree don¡¯t come back, as while they¡¯re mating, they become sitting farfetch¡¯d to certain bird pokemon. They have to do it in huge swarms to have the best chances but the swarm we¡¯re looking at is actually the last day¡¯s grouping. These are mostly the last, desperate Butterfree. Most of them will give up if they don¡¯t find a mate and return.¡± Ash worked his jaw. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want to give up my butterfree but¡­ I feel like he should take part¡­¡± Forrest clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s always next year. Most Butterfree live for three or four years¡­ most of the time.¡± ¡°That short?!¡± Ash and Misty said in surprise. That was tragically short as far as pokemon went! Most pokemon averaged at least twenty! Forrest merely shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve never spent any time with a dedicated bug-type specialist, have you?¡± Ash and Misty shook their heads. "Well, it takes a special sort to stay one. Usually they make sure to only get certain longer-lived types like Heracross, Scyther, or Forretress, as otherwise, within four years they have to replace their entire main roster of pokemon. It can take its toll on them. But they can also be the most¡­ nice people you¡¯ve ever met. They learn to live more in the moment.¡± Forrest stared off at the swarm of Butterfree for a long while. Forrest almost seemed older as he looked at the swarm. ¡°I¡­ never really considered what that meant for some of the local kids when Brock mentioned it but having my own pokemon now I¡­ don¡¯t think I could ever do that.¡± What Forrest was mentioning¡­ it wasn¡¯t something she considered all that often. She hadn¡¯t spent any time with kids that liked bug pokemon in Cerulean growing up. ¡°Did you know a few people like that?¡± Misty said. ¡° Yeah, I did¡­ at least I did until I became friends with¡­¡± He made a tossing gesture and sighed. ¡°I really was a brat back then¡­¡± "Well, you¡¯re really growing up and maturing these days!¡¯ said Ash with a nod that he must have thought made him look wise and all-knowing. Misty shot him an annoyed look. She glanced at Forrest and caught him looking at her. His eyes twitched a little, and she shot him a smile. Maybe he¡¯d rolled his eyes? It was tough to judge with how narrow his eyes were. Still, it seemed the right response, as he smiled before leaning over and punching Ash in the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not too mature to not beat you in a race to town! Come on! Last one there buys lunch!¡± ¡°Hey! Wait a¡ª¡± Ash called only to suddenly eat dust as Misty took off. She¡¯d been expecting that, and she was quick to catch up and beat Forrest into town, leaving Ash as the one to buy their lunch. ¡°Pikachu!¡± cried Pikachu at her heels, more than happy to ditch Ash and come with her. She slapped the sign that welcomed them into the town of Porta Vista. _______________________________ Misty couldn¡¯t place her finger on why, but she didn¡¯t much like Porta Vista. She should, by all rights, greatly enjoy it. It was a seaside town. That alone made it hands down better than a large number of other places. She could see a number of water types happily frolicking around on the beach and out in the ocean. In more than a few places, trainers were even gearing up to swim out and catch themselves a water type. Perhaps that was the issue? With the surge, there were a large number of tourists, and the town seemed to have converted itself to cater to the temporary source of income. Tacky stalls with ¡®handcrafted¡¯ goods were almost on every corner, and a lot of produce was being sold in markets for trainers, at what were really higher fees than normal. It felt like the town had sold out, but having not grown up here, she couldn¡¯t really judge if that was true or not. She didn¡¯t like the number of watercraft roaring to life up and down the main port, however. Not a one of them had the traditional sail that was more gentle on the water and the pokemon within; instead, outboard motors that roared through the water and often injured or even maimed water types, were in use. It made for a chaotic scene in what should have been the heart of the town. With all the engine noise and the hustle and bustle, it seemed like everyone was in a rush. Ash, of course, jumped straight into a pokemon battle with some trainers while Forrest officiated. Misty¡­ had had enough of pokemon battles for a while. She knew she had a serious battle in Surge coming up, but that didn¡¯t mean she needed to fight. She needed to consolidate. So instead of sticking with her travelling partners, she instead walked around the town and then away from it. She didn¡¯t want noise and clamouring locals, she wanted to find a quiet beach. She walked along the coast and instead of a calm serenity coming over her by being closer to her favourite place, she got mad. The beaches she passed were the sites of parties, battles, and general pollution. In the end, she¡¯d gotten into a screaming match with a group over how they¡¯d been partying only to throw their trash into the water! Honestly, the nerve of people to just dump their trash like that! Did they want a buildup of Grimer and Muk in the area? Then no one would get to enjoy the beaches! She¡¯d gotten them to pick up after themselves, but they¡¯d still left a lot of other junk around. ¡°That¡¯s not ours!¡± They sneered as they marched off. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Yeah, clean it yourself if you care that much!¡± shouted another of the group. Misty glowed after them. ¡°People like you deserve to live in a junkyard!¡± she called after their backs. She¡¯d then glared at the junk they¡¯d left behind. There was plastic, and beachballs, and empty broken coolers¡­ and ugh! Cigarette butts! She looked around at the trees and the shoreline. It didn¡¯t look like much had gone out to the ocean yet¡­ she thought she heard a splash out in the water but when she looked she couldn¡¯t see anything. She turned back to the rubbish with a troubled expression. She huffed and released her team. ¡°Alright team! Training for today is going to be on hold until we clean up this beach!¡± ¡°Squirtle?¡± said her latest pokemon. Misty smiled at it genially. ¡°This isn¡¯t something I usually do but I used to do with my sisters before they became¡­¡± She glanced around for anyone to overhear her. ¡°Stuck up bitches!¡± she said with a whisper. Squirtle giggled with her, and she looked at Starmie and Staryu. ¡°You two have done this before, so I want you to show Goldeen and Squirtle what needs doing, alright?¡± Her starfish pokemon bowed and got to work. Misty opened her carry bag and pulled out some garbage bags before reaching for the first bit of trash. ¡°You should use a stick to pick up the rubbish,¡± said a voice, causing Misty to flinch and almost cut herself. She turned and found an older woman standing behind her. She had red hair that was done up in a bun at the top of her head. She wore a sarong with her bikini top so casually Misty wanted to hate her just for existing. She was¡­ rather pretty in that oh-so-casual way that Misty just knew meant this woman had never not been beautiful. She¡¯d never had to work for it. Never tried on dresses only to be jeered at by older girls. She also looked very familiar. ¡°Don¡¯t I know you?¡± Misty said. A flicker of fear swept over the woman¡¯s face before she coughed. ¡°I think we¡¯ve met before?¡± she said. Misty eyed the red hair. ¡°Oh! I know you!¡± Misty said with a snap of her fingers. She smiled happily as the woman slid her hand down to her sarong. ¡°Weren¡¯t you that woman selling berries in Pewter city!¡± The woman stopped, and Misty got the feeling she was blinking. Then she straightened up. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s me! You remember that?¡± Misy nodded. ¡°My pokemon were glowing with energy for the next week after those juices!¡± "Oh, good,¡± said the woman with a lame nod. She fidgeted and then coughed. ¡°You should use a stick to pick up trash, by the way. There is a risk of infection from picking it up by hand. You might cut yourself.¡± Misty laughed sheepishly. "Oh, thanks; I don¡¯t have a trash stick, though?¡± The woman huffed and marched over to a tree. She eyed the tree for a moment before releasing a pokemon. It was a Zubat. ¡°Zubat, I need two sticks. Use Wing Attack on that branch.¡± She then proceeded to cut down a branch and make up two sticks without any issue. She even made a sharp tri-prong on the ends She handed one stick over to Misty. ¡°Thanks! I¡¯m Misty by the way!¡± ¡°I¡­ knew that,¡± said the woman, causing Misty to blush. ¡°Oh right, I probably introduced myself back then, didn¡¯t I?¡± Misty scratched the back of her head. ¡°I¡­ forgot your name though.¡± The woman stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged and stabbed a pile of trash. ¡°Jessadia.¡± Misty nodded and started working with her team and Jessadia¡¯s pokemon, an Ekans and her Zubat, to clean up the beach. Between them all, they had the beach cleaned up in a half an hour. Misty clapped her hands together. ¡°And there we go! That¡¯s all the things on the beach done with!¡± ¡°Goldeen!¡± called out her Goldeen as it tugged in another bag of trash. Misty smiled and waded out to collect the netting and other bits of trash. ¡°And that takes care of the stuff nearby in the ocean.¡± She piled it up next to the beach trash. Jessadia blinked at it. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ more than we picked up.¡± she said, pointing out the difference in sizes and how there was far more trash in the pile Goldeen had brought in. Misty sat and sighed. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more out there as well. People don¡¯t realise how much of the rubbish they throw away ends up in the ocean. It comes from the storm drains into the rivers and from the rivers into the oceans¡­ Despite the Rangers doing a great job at policing it, there are still so many people out there doing the wrong things.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± said Jessadia, moving to sit next to Misty. ¡°I never thought of the ocean like that.¡± Misty sighed. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a shame too, cause if we look after it, it can be really beautiful.¡± She glanced around at the much cleaner beach and waterline. Jessadia nodded slowly as her Ekans moved up and rubbed its head against her while her Zubat spoke with Staryu. Misty turned her attention to the other woman. ¡°What brought you out here anyway?¡± Jessadia opened and shut her mouth a bit. She didn¡¯t seem sure what to say. Misty was almost worried for a second, before a sad cry had her looking out to the water where she spotted a water type. ¡°Hor-sea!¡± cried out a tiny, Horsea. ¡°Horsea?¡± Misty said back, standing and walking up only for the little seahorse pokemon to swim back. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Misty kept her distance and knelt down to help let Horsea feel safer. Misty raised a hand to Jessadia who¡¯d stood to join her. ¡°Just stay still, please. This Horsea is injured and I need to let it get comfortable with me if I want to help it.¡± Jessadia started to rise as if to ignore Misty, only to pause and sit back down. ¡°Alright,¡± she replied simply. Misty nodded and then raised an imploring hand to the little pokemon. ¡°Hey there, Horsea, there¡¯s no need to be scared. We¡¯re not scary people. Jessadia and I are good guys,¡± she said, ignoring a slight cough from Jessadia. Bad timing that. Horsea slowly approached, and Misty tried to exude the idea that she was safe. That she meant no harm to Horsea, or indeed anyone. Horsea relaxed and came in to nudge at Misty¡¯s hand. Misty smiled warmly and grabbed a potion bottle. ¡°Here, let me help you out.¡± ¡°Use a light dabbing motion for any scratches.¡± Jessadia called from the shoreline. ¡°Then use light squirts of the potion into the wounds for the best result. If you can, keep Horsea from going underwater as well for a minute or two to let the potion work.¡± Misty nodded. She knew all of this as a water specialist, but it was good to hear Jessadia knew how to look after pokemon. Horsea was soon chirping contentedly and much more energetic. Misty beamed as Horsea sped around the beach and even played with Goldeen and Ekans as the trio swam through the water. ¡°That got her in better spirits!¡± Jessadia nodded. ¡°It does beg the question of how she got like that though.¡± She looked out at the ocean. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any other humans around, and with her timid nature, I doubt she¡¯s reckless. Which can only leave other pokemon¡­¡± Misty hummed, turning back to the happy trio. ¡°Horsea? Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Sea?¡± said the little pokemon as it swam up to her. Misty beamed at it. ¡°Your injuries. How did you get them?¡± Horsea tucked into itself and became small, only to eye Misty and Jessadia before nodding. It then turned and began to fire off bursts of ink into the water. Misty frowned as more and more shapes began to take form. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot of Tentacool¡­¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°Is Horsea trying to warn us there is a group of Tentacool out there?¡± Jessadia said with frown. ¡°Horsea!¡± said the Horsea nodding its head quickly. It then made large motions with its little fins. Jessadia blinked and Misty tilted her head in surprise. ¡°A big group?¡± Horsea nodded and began to continue sweeping its fins out wider and wider. ¡°A very, very big group?¡± ¡°Seeeeeeeeea!¡± Horsea shouted while stretching as wide as it could go. ¡°Tenta!¡± cried out a pair of Tentacool that suddenly popped up out of the water. Misty and Jessadia shrieked in surprise only to relax. ¡°Oh, its just two of them!¡± Jessadia said. When the Tentacool rose up aggressively, Jessadia sniffed. ¡°Ekans! Go and use Bite!¡± Misty almost told her goldeen to commit to the attack as well, only to notice how beaten up the Tentacool were! ¡°Stop!¡± Misty shouted, causing Ekans to lurch to the side and the Tentacool to stiffen. Jessadia stood on the beach. ¡°Misty! Those pokemon might attack you!¡± ¡°No! they¡¯re just injured! I think a boat ran them over!¡± She once more offered her hand out. ¡°Please don¡¯t fight! If you¡¯re hurt I¡­ I mean, we can help you!¡± Misty said. The Tentacool glanced at each other, and Misty saw a glow forming around their eyes. Her pokemon team closed in around her but Misty continued to lock eyes with the Tentacool. ¡°Please don¡¯t fight,¡± she said trying to once more be a calming presence. It had worked for Horsea¡­ Slowly, the Tentacools¡¯ eyes stopped glowing, and one of them approached her. Up close, she could see a lot more scratches and injuries. ¡°Oh you poor thing,¡± she said, offering her hand to softly rub that jewel of the Tentacool closest to her. It relaxed at her touch and whimpered. ¡°Do you have any more potion, Jessadia?¡± she caleld to her friend. ¡°Yeah¡­ I do,¡± Jessadia said. ¡°How are you doing that? Those pokemon were ready to attack a moment ago?¡± Misty shrugged. ¡°I just spoke with them.¡±Jessadia looked unconvinced, but she slowly waded up, her Ekans and Zubat following her closely. Once again Misty helped the water pokemon, this time with Jessadia¡¯s help. Both pokemon brightened up considerably and had an almost cheeky nature with how they danced and poked their tentacles into the other pokemon along with Misty and Jessadia. Misty giggled and turned it into a game of tag which caused her and her new friends to dash throug the water until they were all breathless. It was only then that she noticed one of her new friends was missing. ¡°Oh! Where¡¯s the Horsea go? Damn! I was hoping she¡¯d join me!¡± Misty sat up. ¡°Horsea! It¡¯s alright! The Tentacool are friendly now! You¡¯re safe!¡± Misty called only for Horsea to not come back. The Tentacool looked chagrinned. One approached and waved a tentacle at itself. ¡°Tenta!¡± It then waved limb at the clean beach. ¡°Cool!¡± it said happily. Misty blinked. ¡°Oh! You think we¡¯re good people because we cleaned the beach and want to join us?¡± she said. Tentacool nodded and Misty happily held out a pokeball that it tapped, allowing itself to be absorbed. Jessadia blinked when the other Tentacool approached her. ¡°Eh!? You think I¡¯m good too?¡± she said. Tentacool nodded firmly and Jessadia got a conflicted look on her face. ¡°What if I¡¯m not?¡± Tentacool shook its head and offered up its limb. Jessadia drew out a pokeball and tapped it, causing Misty to giggle with how worried Jessadia was. She really was overthinking it. She then looked around hopefully for the Horsea. When it didn¡¯t appear, she sighed. ¡°Oh well. Maybe if I stick around and train, she¡¯ll come back?¡± Jessadia pocketed her pokeball and shot Misty a smile. ¡°Mind if I join in?¡± Misty grinned at her new friend and fellow Tentcool trainer. ¡°Sure thing!¡± They then spent the rest of the afternoon training their pokemon and brainstorming methods to beat Surge. ¡°¡ª going to have it a lot easier than I will with your Ekans. Zubat and Tentacool will have a tough time of it,¡± Misty said as they continued to walk back to Porta Vista. Jessadia hummed. ¡°I also have¡­ another option but he¡¯s¡­ sometimes unreliable¡­¡± ¡°You have another pokemon?¡± Misty asked. ¡°... yeeeeeeees?¡± said Jessadia. ¡°He¡¯s able to punch far above his weight class, but he¡¯s not motivated to fight unless I really need it.¡± ¡°Hmmmm sounds like he needs more training then,¡± Misty said with a firm nod. ¡°My grandpa had a Gyarados that he said we could train with but my sisters always got worried when I spent time with him. Which is silly cause he never had any problems following my orders¡­¡± Misty paused as she remembered all the silly games of princess and the dragon she¡¯d played growing up with her Grampy¡¯s Gyarados. Jessadia snorted. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think that will go over well with him. But anyway I couldn¡¯t do that to him. He¡¯s my friend for all that he¡¯s a snarky little S oh B.¡± Misty giggled before shrugging, "Well, we¡¯re still left with the issue of being at a disadvantage.¡± Jessadia shrugged, causing her chest to bounce and Misty¡¯s eyes to dip to the woman¡¯s assets. "Well, I think I can teach Zubat Steel Wing, which I¡¯ve seen used to great effect, to mitigate a lot of damage. Otherwise, I will rely on Ekans, I think.¡± ¡°Urgh some people have all the luck,¡± Misty muttered, staring straight at Jessadia¡¯s chest enviously. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll come up with something for your team of water pokemon. Your Squirtle looked good out there.¡± She then caught Misty glaring at her chest and cocked an eyebrow. Misty shot her head in another direction, mortified that she¡¯d been caught like that, especially with her new friend. The older woman had been nothing but kind to her. ¡°Misty¡­ no one makes you feel bad about yourself, do they?¡± Misty shifted. And Jessadia got closer. ¡°You mentioned travelling with some boys. They don¡¯t tease you, do they?¡± There was an intensity to the look Jessadia was giving her, as though she was promising something sinister to the boys if they had done anything untoward. Misty shook her head. ¡°No! Ash and Forrest are fine! Forrest is a gentleman even! It¡¯s¡­ urgh, my sisters! Those! Those ¡­ cows never had a bad hair day, let alone an awkward phase in their lives! I¡¯m just growing into myself! That¡¯s all!¡± She kicked a rock angrily into a tree. ¡°At least¡­ that¡¯s what my mother used to say¡­¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Jessadia said as they walked into Porta Vista. ¡°She was wrong to tell you that.¡± Misty rounded on Jessadia ready to spit venom at her for daring to besmirch her mother¡¯s words, only for what Jessadia said next to floor her, ¡°She should have just told you you¡¯re beautiful the way you are.¡± Misty gaped. ¡°That!¡± She glanced away. ¡°She did say that as well,¡± she said quietly, somehow that didn¡¯t seem as important as the offer of at least hope that she¡¯d be pretty. ¡°Good. I hope she also told you to stop listening to other people about how you should or shouldn¡¯t look. Just do what makes you happy.¡± Jessadia looked off into the distance. ¡°If you let others tell you how to live your life, you¡¯ll never enjoy anything about yourself. Don¡¯t let what they say stop you. Do what you want! Even if it¡¯s to be a nurse in a pokemon school for example!¡± ¡°A nurse in a pokemon school?¡± Misty said with a tilt of her head. Jessadia coughed and flapped her hand back and forth. ¡°Just an example!¡± she said hurriedly. ¡°The point is, have a think about who Misty is. What¡¯s important to Misty? Keep those things, and then build from there. It¡¯ll make you¡­ more you, if that makes sense?¡± Misty tilted her head and stared at Jessadia. ¡°...Yeah. Yeah, I think it does. Thanks!¡± ¡°Hey! Misty!¡± shouted Ash waving and grinning like the idiot he was. At his side, Forrest shot her a smaller but more heartfelt smile. Ash jumped up and down. ¡°Misty I won a ton of pokemon battles today! Come get dinner! My treat!¡± Misty giggled. ¡°I¡¯ll be right with you!¡± She then turned back to Jessadia. ¡°Thanks for today! I really enjoyed spending time with you! And also¡­ thanks for the talk. Good luck with your own prep for Surge! I¡¯ll be cheering for you if I see you!¡± Misty then turned and ran up to Ash and Forrest. ¡°Hey guess what I did today!¡± she said, excited to tell her friends what she¡¯d been up to. Jessadia waved and watched her go, a small smile on her face.
Jessie opened the door to the hotel room to find James and Meowth watching television. James had a facemask on, while Meowth had a number of small rollers throughout his fur. A bowl of chips sat between them as they watched a movie. They both grinned at Jessie¡¯s arrival. ¡°Hey! Long time no see! What happened to scoping out the twerp that you saw off on her lonesome?¡± Meowth said. Jessie opened and shut her mouth before shaking her head. ¡°I¡­ nevermind that, it ended up being a dead end,¡± Jessie claimed a chair and leaned back. Meowth and James shared a look. ¡°You alright, Jessie?¡± James asked, carefully testing the waters. Jessie nodded but didn¡¯t say anything. James and Meowth shared another look. Then they played a fast game of fire-water-grass type. Meowth won with fire against James¡¯ grass. James coughed and turned back to Jessie, who was ignoring their antics, to catch up on the movie. So what if she¡¯d seen this one fifty times with them already? It was the team¡¯s favourite. ¡°Jessie, things have been going well. Meowth and I were surprised when you decided to go after one of the twerps like that. We¡¯re following the boss'' orders by blending in.¡± ¡°Yeah, and we¡¯re good at it!¡± Meowth chimed in. James nodded. ¡°Indeed. Why risk it with something like that?¡± Jessie shifted. ¡°Just wanted some insurance, alright?¡±James and Meowth shot her unimpressed looks. Jessie didn¡¯t meet their gazes. "Alright, I¡¯m just worried about us getting caught out and needing to go back on skills we¡¯re not practicing! So I checked out Misty and saw how she was going. She has rare pokemon as well but¡­¡± ¡°Misty huh?¡± Meowth said with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Oh! Shut up!¡± Jessie said. ¡°We don¡¯t need insurance, Jessie. We¡¯ve got that and more with your recent wins.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just¡­¡± Jessie ran her hand over her new pokeball that housed the Tentacool that thought she was¡­ Jessie slumped. "What if I mess this up?¡± Meowth and James once more shared a look. This time sitting up and paying her much more serious attention. ¡°You¡¯re not going to mess up Jessie.¡± Meowth said with a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯ll have your back if you need a professional ring in, don¡¯t worry!¡± Jessie smothered a smile as James nodded along. ¡°Also? Who cares if you fail? We¡¯ve come back from worse than nothing before! We¡¯re team Rocket! We blast off!¡± James announced, miming a rocket ship. ¡°Master¡¯s of improv!¡± Meowth announced. Jessie smiled. Oh, these pair of idiots. James grinned at her and stood. ¡°Been a while since we said it you know?¡± He waggled his eyebrows. ¡°You want to do the honours?¡± Jessie huffed and rubbed her nose. Then she stood and clenched her fist like they¡¯d practised so many years ago. ¡°Prepare for trouble!¡± she said as James stood to join her, facemask and all, and not a hint of shame to be found between them. ¡°And make it double!¡± said James, matching her. ¡°To protect the world from devastation!¡± Jessie remembered how she¡¯d cleaned the beach with Misty today. ¡°To unite all peoples within our nation!¡± ¡°To denounce the evils of truth and love!¡± She¡¯d done that with Misty as well, she thought as her grin grew wider. James responded with a more hyped up sweep of his arms and a gleam in his eyes. ¡°To extend our reach to the stars above!¡± ¡°Jessie!¡± ¡°James!¡± ¡°Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!¡± ¡°Surrender now or prepare to fight!¡± ¡°Meowth! That¡¯s right!¡± shouted Meowth as he joined them. They held the pose for a little bit. Then they shared a smile and sat down to watch the rest of the movie together. Meowth offered Jessie the chips, and she relaxed back. Everything seemed to be going well. She nodded. Yeah, she wasn¡¯t sure why she was bothered. She could handle anything the world threw at her. She gave Meowth and James a small look of gratitude. ¡°So what are we doing tomorrow?¡± she asked when the movie ended. Meowth stretched. "James and I found out about some rich bigwig is going to hold a town meeting tomorrow. She¡¯s gonna set up a bounty or something. I say we attend and make some money yeah?¡± Jessie considered it. It sounded like free money. She nodded, liking the sound of that. Yeah, what could go wrong? Chapter 129 - Interlude - The harmony of water - Part 2 Misty awoke with a loud yawn and a stretch. She smacked her lips and blinked away the sleep of the night to glance around the room. Forrest was still in the bed across the room from her. Ash¡¯s bed was atop Forrest as the top bunk, but despite that Ash was only half in the bed. Since Pewter City, he¡¯d been trying to get into the habit of waking up early to train with his team. It was very hit-and-miss these days. Most of the time, it depended on Forrest. "Urgh, five more minutes Brock!¡± said Forrest as he turned over in his sleep. ¡°Mum! No! Don¡¯t wash those! They¡¯re collectibles!¡± said Ash in response. Misty giggled and hopped up. One of the perks of not falling into the boy¡¯s schedule was that she usually got the first call on the shower. She made sure to place a pillow over Pikachu to muffle the noise before traipsing into the shower, turning it on, and then slamming the door. The lock clicked, and she sighed in contentment. "Hmmm, it must be time to wash my hair,¡± she said to herself as she heard the boys rouse from their sleep. Ash then promptly tried to get in to use the toilet. ¡°Go use the public toilets!¡± she shouted back at him, causing him and Forrest to scamper off. She relaxed and enjoyed herself. When she was done, she pointed out that both of the boys needed a shower themselves after all the running around and then told them to meet her at a nearby cafe. ¡°Come on Pikachu!¡± she said, scooping the little mouse up with her before she gave him a sniff. ¡°Actually¡­ maybe you should stay with Ash¡­¡± ¡°Pika!¡± he said in shock. Misty raised a hand and bowed her head. ¡°You did a lot of work yesterday! I¡¯m sure! It''s just that you need some care as well!¡± She reached into her bag and handed him a small travel-sized shampoo and conditioner bottle. ¡°Here use this; my sisters might be the worst, but they have the best beauty products!¡± She winked conspiratorially. ¡°I stole it! Use it when you¡¯re in the shower.¡± Pikachu accepted the bottle and scampered after Ash. Misty turned and set off for the cafe she¡¯d noticed yesterday, only to notice, on approach, that a familiar face was already there and sipping on what looked like coffee. ¡°Hey! Jessadia! Good morning!¡± Jessadia looked up blearily. ¡°Hmmm? Oh¡­ it¡¯s you, hey¡­¡± Her eyes flickered to the other people with her. There was a blue-haired man in a fedora and heart-shaped sunglasses, and a Meowth. Why was this ringing bells? The Meowth lapped at a mug of milk with an odd smirk¡­ but then again, that was the face of most Meowth. ¡°Uhm hello there?¡± Misty said. ¡°Remember me, I¡¯m Misty?¡± she said to the still-blinking Jessadia. Jessadia smiled a little more. ¡°Sorry kid, I have trouble without at least two coffees in me.¡± The blue-haired man snorted. ¡°Please! You can barely call this coffee!¡± The man glared at the server. ¡°I can hear you torturing that poor coffee machine! You aren¡¯t meant to make the milk scream like that! You kiss it with air, not torture it!¡± He took a sip of his drink, and his lip curled in disgust. "Honestly, Jess, I can¡¯t see how you drink that!¡± Jessadia turned to her friend. ¡°Forget him, he¡¯s a snob about this. As long as it¡¯s black and gets me going in the morning, I¡¯m fine with it.¡± She then took a large gulp of her black coffee. ¡°Snrk!¡± said the Meowth into his milk, while the blue-haired man giggled loudly. Jessadia shot them a reproachful look. ¡°Oh, do grow up!¡± ¡°You said it, not me!¡± said the man. He then directed a charming smile at Misty. ¡°I¡¯m Franko, a traveling freelance photographer and cafe pokenet critic.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Misty tilted her head. Was that an actual job? ¡°How do you make money off that?¡± ¡°Oh, advertising mostly,¡± said Franko without missing a beat, only to shudder as Jessadia took another loud slurp of her coffee. ¡°Anything good on the menu?¡± Misty asked to make small talk while she waited for the boys and Pikachu to join them. When they did, Franko somehow grew a moustache¡­ Or Misty must not have noticed it when she approached. Yeah, that made more sense. Pikachu and Meowth got into a strange staring contest for a while before Pikachu flicked his head and a stray breeze rippled through his extremely shiny fur. Meowth had gaped and leaned in to brush his paw through his own fur. It wasn¡¯t as glossy. He then returned to staring at how soft and fluffy Pikachu now was. Misty giggled; it was cute watching the pair of them act like that. When the boys had ordered, Misty sat close to the other group. Ash tilted his head. ¡°How¡¯d you two become friends again?¡± he said in that clueless way that let Misty just know that Ash hadn¡¯t been listening for the last half an hour. Misty rubbed her forehead. Urgh, how to describe this in a way Ash would get it? She considered grunting a little and saying something like, Ugh, me misty go beach, clean beach with nice girl, make good chat, catch pokemon together, ugh! Buuuuuut she knew that all Ash would get from that was that they¡¯d each caught a new pokemon. ¡°We both caught a Tentacool together.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Ash, only to pause and tilt his head. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of that before? Does that make you Tentacool sisters?¡± A server slipped, causing a bunch of glasses to hit the ground, and Franko, Jessadia, Meowth, and Forrest all choked on their drinks. Jessadia shot Ash a furious scowl. ¡°Ugh! No! No, we¡¯re not¡­ that!¡± Franko and Meowth tittered at her reaction. Forrest blushed furiously. Misty frowned, unsure what was going on but knowing it obviously wasn¡¯t good. Forrest wouldn¡¯t meet her gaze, and Misty got a sneaking suspicion as to why that was. She flexed her fists just in case her intuition was right. Ash, now well-trained, sat back and raised his hands, knowing he needed to apologise for something he¡¯d done. "Sorry, I just thought it made sense!¡± ¡°Well¡­ just don¡¯t bring it up again,¡± she said, still not sure what she was reprimanding him for but knowing that she was right to do so. Jessadia shot her an approving nod. Before any more conversation could be had, an electronic shriek ran through the cafe. Everyone grimaced before the speakers returned to a simple drone, indicating they were about to transmit something. "Attention, people of Porta Vista! My name is Nastina! You know me for my desire to develop our humble little Town into a proper destination of desire like other major cities these days! Sadly, I have faced a large number of setbacks of late! You may not have heard but a swarm of vicious Tentacool have brazenly begun attacking my peaceful construction of the Nastina Grande Aquatic Resort!¡± There was a moment of silence for people to process this. ¡°This is going to affect all of us deeply! Without the new resort, the money won¡¯t flow into the community like we all want. For construction to continue, we need to deal with the Tentacool that are menacing our shared dream.¡± The server chuckled, and a few other locals rolled their eyes. ¡°So! To incentivise the brave citizens and any pokemon trainers of skill and vision! I am going to reward ten thousand pokedollars to those that help me remove the Tentacool menace!¡± That had everyone in the cafe suddenly giving the loudspeakers in the street much more interest. Misty chewed her lip. It was certainly a lot of money, but¡­ surely the Tentacool weren¡¯t just attacking the construction site. That didn¡¯t make much sense to her. Tentacool were typically rather calm pokemon. ¡°Ten thousand pokedollars! If you wish to partake in this, then report to the town square by ten o¡¯clock sharp! Remember! Ten thousand pokedollars!¡± A number of people in the cafe checked their watches and stood to make their way out of the shop, only for the chef to come out and remind those that hadn¡¯t paid that they still had to. Ash crossed his arms and frowned. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of pokedollars¡­¡± Franko nodded. ¡°Enough to keep everyone in gravy for a year at least, and to a clever individual, some luck with a shares portfolio, and you can coast by on that for even longer.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that it would last me a month?¡± Jessadia said with a wry smile. ¡°Precisely!¡± said Franko. Jessadia nodded, stood, and waved a hand in Misty¡¯s direction. "Well, I guess that means we need to head to the town square. Later~¡± she said only for Misty to stand. ¡°You can¡¯t honestly be willing to fight all those Tentacool like that, can you?¡± Jessadia shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be too many of them; I imagine Nastina has a lot of trainers coming with an offer like that.¡± Misty grimaced. That was true. She licked her lips and considered what else she could say. This didn¡¯t sit right with her. She was interrupted by the chef snorting loudly. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get ten thousand pokedollars. Not from someone like Nastina. She¡¯s a pokepenny pincher, always has been, always will be. She might give away ten thousand, sure, but she¡¯s not giving away ten thousand to each trainer that takes part. She¡¯s merely setting the price and driving up interest.¡± Franko¡¯s love heart sunglasses slid down his nose, and Meowth gaped in shock. Jessadia rounded on the man, ¡°You mean to tell me she¡¯s swindling us¡­ I mean those people?!¡± The chef snorted. ¡°One hundred percent guaranteed swindle.¡± ¡°How dare she!¡± said Jessadia and Franko together. Franko picked Meowth up onto his shoulders and stormed out. Jessadia paused in the doorway. ¡°Misty? You coming? We¡¯re going to protest that woman!¡± Misty opened her mouth, only to have no idea what she should say. A dry wheeze escaped her, and she slumped. ¡°Sure,¡± she said. It wasn¡¯t how she would have wanted to get it, but at the end of the day¡­ it was support? ¡°Does anyone else feel like they know those guys?¡± Ash said as they walked along behind Jessadia and Franko. ¡°Never met them before!¡± Forrest said with a shrug as Misty shook her head. Pikachu facepalmed. ¡°Pika!¡± The group walked their way into the town square only to find it backed up with little room to move with all the people standing around within. More than a few had already released pokemon and Misty found herself watching a few powerful-looking pokemon such as the Machoke, or Poliwrath flexing at each other as their trainers glared. A few more pokemon were released, and Forrest hissed. ¡°This isn¡¯t good.¡± Misty shot him a look and he elaborated. ¡°Brock was always saying stuff like packing too many pokemon trainers into any area is a recipe for disaster. With the surge, he has had to increase the patrols for Pewter. I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s supposed to be looking after this region but they need Nastina to send out this crowd or deal with a lot of fights breaking out¡­. Or worse¡­¡± ¡°Worse how?¡± Franko said, glancing over at them. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Something about people finding their own trouble¡­¡± Forrest glanced aside sheepishly. Misty considered that it sounded right, and if Forrest was quoting Brock, it must have been from experience. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean if we get Nastina to hold off while we investigate, there will be further issues?¡± Jessadia pointed out. Misty stiffened. ¡°But! No! We still need to see what¡¯s causing the Tentacool to act this way!¡± ¡°Maybe we can organise a pokemon tournament to stop them while we investigate?¡± Ash rubbed his chin and nodded sagely. Misty shot him a look and opened her mouth to shoot him down, only for Forrest, Franko, and Jessadia to nod. ¡°That could work.¡± Misty snapped her jaw shut and turned away. Alright, so Ash could be right occasionally. ¡°Let¡¯s get through to Nastina!¡± she said pointing to the stage which had a bunch of men in speedos standing around with small fans waving them in the face of a woman. Misty led the group through the throng of people. On the way, she had to squirm, squeeze, and slip through the press of bodies. She kept her eyes straight ahead on the podium throughout it all. She really didn¡¯t want to know what she touched on the way through. There¡¯d been soft bits and hard bits and just¡­ she shuddered and checked on Ash and Forrest, who had green expressions, while Pikachu patted Ash on the head. Alright, she really didn¡¯t want to know what she¡¯d pushed through now. Franko emerged, leading an outraged-looking Jessadia. ¡°Hirsute doesn¡¯t cover it! That man was a Slaking in disguise, I swear!¡± she said with a growl. Ash and Forrest shuddered, and Misty discreetly wiped some black hair off her shoulders. She did not want to know. ¡°Alright, we''re here!¡± Misty said, marching around the side of the podium to find a rather short, old woman with pigtail hair being fanned by yet more men in speedos. ¡°Eh? What gives? You trainers that can¡¯t wait for the order to move out, eh? I like your enthusiasm!¡± Misty bowed hurriedly and adopted an apologetic tone. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, but actually I¡¯m a water type specialist, and I happen to know a thing or two about Tentacool having grown up around the waters of Cerulean, you see?¡± Nastina raised a dubious, unwaxed eyebrow, ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well, Tentcool wouldn¡¯t act like this, you see? Not unless something of theirs was being threatened? The hotel must have disturbed something in its construction!¡± ¡°The hotel disturbed nothing! I purchased that land and have been developing it for my purse!¡± Nastina said only to twitch, ¡°I mean! For the purpose of developing Porta Vista!¡± she said. Franko and Jessadia shot her flat looks, while Misty continued to smile apologetically. ¡°But perhaps we can talk with them instead of attacking them?¡± ¡°No! This has been going on for months now! I might have been willing to entertain them back then, but this ends now!¡± Nastina stood and shoved her cane in Misty¡¯s face. ¡°And no environmentalist is going to get in my way!¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°NO BUTS!¡± snapped Nastina. She glared at the others. ¡°Are you all a bunch of environmentalists looking to get in the way of progress? Eh?!¡± she said with a jerk of her chin. Misty swallowed and was about to open her mouth when Jessadia stepped forward. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re professional exterminators, you could say!¡± She stepped forward, and Misty felt her heart lurch in betrayal. Franko followed Jessadia with a smooth step. ¡°Indeed! You see, this isn¡¯t just a problem, but an opportunity! You¡¯re only clearing out a troublesome group of pokemon when you could be doing so much more!¡± Misty couldn¡¯t believe them! She gaped and clenched her fists as Nastina considered Jessadia and Franko. She nodded her head. ¡°You¡­ you are someone I can work with; come talk with me.¡± She gestured for them to follow her into a tent around the side as the men wearing speedos began to push Misty, Forrest, and Ash away. ¡°Hey! Watch where you¡¯re touching!¡± Misty said, glaring at the pair as they walked away with Nastina. As Jessadia entered the tent, the older woman turned and locked eyes with Misty. She winked, and Misty stiffened. What did that mean? Was Jessadia just playing with her all this time, like her sisters sometimes would? Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Urgh! It just goes to show that you should never trust older women! They always disappointed her! Misty broke away from the insistently pushing men and growled. ¡°Alright! We¡¯re going!¡± she said marching to the edge of the crowd. ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t go so well,¡± she admitted, slumping her shoulders. Forrest patted her back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with this many trainers, it most likely will just have the Tentacool fading back. That¡¯s what Geodude and Onix do when too many trainers gather together.¡± Misty sighed and shot Forrest a halfhearted smile. ¡°Forrest, Tentacool aren¡¯t like Geodudes and Onix. That might have been the case if this were a swarm of Goldeen or even Starmie. Tentacool are known as gangsters of the sea, and they¡¯re not going to back down. It will be a fight.¡± ¡°Guess it will depend on how many trainers there are and how many Tentacool there are,¡± Ash said with a nod. ¡°If people get in danger, I can call Surge.¡± Forrest raised his transceiver. ¡°If people get in danger!?¡± Misty bristled. ¡°People are the ones causing this problem!¡± Forrest raised his hands. ¡°I just meant people that weren¡¯t involved¡­ You¡¯re right! This is something that people like Nastina are stirring up.¡± ¡°Not like! This is Nastina herself!¡± Misty slammed a fist into her palm. ¡°We need to find a way to stop her! Maybe we can see if she did anything illegal!¡± Forrest rubbed his chin. ¡°I think I remember something about when Brock was building the Gym about lodging a complaint to the league if the facility impacted local pokemon¡­ But that¡¯s only possible to be addressed before the building is completed. Once it''s done the League is a lot less bothered¡­ What if she was trying to force this through before the building inspectors were due to come?¡± Mist danced on the spot. ¡°That will work! Do you know anyone in the League? We can call them¡ª¡± Sadly, whatever plan Misty was coming up with was disrupted by Nastina herself stepping up onto the stage with Jessadia, Franko, and her gaggle of fit men in speedos. ¡°Thank you, thank you! No need to cheer! Thank you!¡± said the horrid little woman. ¡°Thank you for gathering so quickly! For those of you asking, I have the money available once the job is complete!¡± She shot them all a smirk before coughing. ¡°Now! I expect to see the waters around my hotel clear of the Tentacool menace so construction can finish!¡± She waved a hand towards a group of builders who looked annoyed and were standing around with Machoke. Misty grinned. Forrest had been right; she was trying to force it through before the League got involved. She leaned over to him. ¡°Forrest! We need to call a League official!¡± Forrest coughed. ¡°Yeah, about that? I don¡¯t know anyone! I know Brock, Sabrina and Surge. And from what I remember, the League aren¡¯t quick to assign people. If we¡¯re going to do something, we need to stall for time!¡± ¡°¡ªif that fails! We have a backup option!¡± Nastina said with an evil smirk. She swept her hand to the side, and her boy toys swept aside a sheet that had been trundled out while Misty was talking with Forrest to reveal a lot of barrels with toxic symbols all over them. Misty blinked when a Meowth was revealed along with the barrels. It had something in its mouth with lots of S¡¯s all over it. ¡°We¡¯ll poison them out with this!¡± Nastina crowed. ¡°Tentacool are water-poison types, you idiot!¡± screamed Misty, only for the crowd to shout and clamour their approval at taking on less risk. Nastina grinned and swept a hand toward the distant water hotel. ¡°With that said! Get to it! Pay will be distributed at the end of the day!¡± The crowd roared their approval once more and leapt into action, charging towards the beach, where a number of different pokemon were released to dive down or bombard the water. In more than a few cases, friendly fire broke out, and the trainers got into squabbles. Misty growled as the water line became a white, frothy mess as water pokemon were dragged to the top of the water. ¡°We need to do something!¡± she said through clenched teeth. ¡°We already did something,¡± said a silky voice that had Misty whirling about and glaring at its owner. ¡°You! You¡¯re a traitor!¡± she spat out towards Jessadia. Jessadia reeled back for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°I am no traitor! I was just going undercover and gaining Nastina¡¯s trust.¡± ¡°Along with learning where she kept her cash,¡± muttered Franko. Jessadia punched him into silence, but Misty continued to glare. ¡°Yeah? So what? And what are you going to do with that knowledge?¡± Franko opened his mouth again, only for Jessadia to smother it. ¡°What we¡¯re going to do, Misty,¡± she said tightly. ¡°Is sabotage her poison barrels with an agent that will make it so that she doesn¡¯t kill off all the non-poison type pokemon around.¡± She raised an empty canister that read ¡®Super Secret Stun Sauce¡¯ along the sides. ¡°This will knock them out instead of killing them.¡± Misty raised a finger and blinked. She hadn¡¯t thought about them¡­ She blinked in surprise. ¡°Oh, good idea.¡± Jessadia huffed. ¡°We¡¯re not eco-terrorists after all.¡± Franko nodded and said something about ¡®Magma and Aqua¡¯ but Misty ignored him, choosing to swallow the suddenly overwhelming feeling of relief that Jessadia hadn¡¯t turned out like¡­ Misty coughed once before speaking, ¡°We worked out what we can do to help stop this, but we need to get the League involved.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we even have time for that,¡± Ash said, looking out to the ocean. The group, as one, turned their heads only to see a sea filled with red gems¡­ and more were rising up by the moment. The trainers that had started to fight with the various types of water pokemon on the beach and the people out on the water suddenly found themselves in a much more precarious position. ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± Misty said. Moments later, the trainers responded by releasing every pokemon they had on them. Misty could only watch as the beach became a chaotic mess where trainers scrabbled to send out more and more pokemon and call out orders. For each pokemon that got off an attack, twenty Tentacool returned the attacks. ¡°Oh no,¡± Misty said as trainers began to fight each other, and the beach became a frantic bustle to gain room that saw trainers and pokemon spilling over into each other and fouling each other up. All while the Tentacool emerged and began to counterattack, having been stirred into action. Misty felt her heart clench. So many trainers and pokemon were being hurt. ¡°Shit! Alright, boys! Fire off the poison!¡± Nastina shouted as her boys loaded up a barrel of poison into what looked like a catapult that a trio of Machoke had hurriedly made up. Misty could see other Machoke quickly making more even as she locked onto Nastina. Misty ran up and spread her arms out wide. ¡°Stop this! Can¡¯t you see that you¡¯re just causing more problems by fighting them like this!¡± ¡°Never! I¡¯m not giving up my payday! That¡¯s the most important thing in life! Taking what¡¯s yours! Learn well, girl! Good girls never end up first!¡± She chopped her hand, and a barrel was launched. ¡°Load up and fire another!¡± screamed Nastina. Misty released her Starmie and pointed. ¡°Blast it Starmie!¡± Starmie fired a powerful Water Gun straight into the catapult causing it to shatter. ¡°Hey!¡± Nastina cried, whirling about to face Misty. ¡°You little brat! You¡¯re going to pay for that!¡± Misty glared at the woman. ¡°First or last doesn¡¯t matter when you drag everyone around you down to a level of horrible that is worse than we were before!¡± Starmie stood tall and Misty prepared herself to fight, only for Ash, Pikachu, Forrest, Franko, and Jessadia to step up beside her. ¡°Feh!¡± Nastina said, pointing to the barrel still falling to the ocean. ¡°One catapult destroyed isn¡¯t going to be enough! And no punks or pokemon are going to stop me!¡± Just as she finished speaking the barrel disappeared behind the crowd near the beach. It went unnoticed by all. What happened next was noticed by all, however, as an explosion of light erupted from the ocean, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look. They could do nothing but look as the light grew, up, and up, and up. And then, when it stopped, a giant was revealed. Misty felt her mouth go dry and her heart hitch as she stared at the titanic figure. She¡¯d thought that some of the pokemon she¡¯d seen at Brock¡¯s Gym were big, and to be fair his Onix was huge¡­ but this was taking it to another level. The Tentacruel screeched, and Misty clenched her hands to her ears as pain swept through her. The trainers closer to it on the beach collapsed as blood poured from their ears. The pokemon, seeing their trainers injured, reacted in one of two ways. The first way was to grab their trainer and sprint away from the danger. The second was to turn and unleash anything and everything they had towards the pokemon that had injured their trainer. The Tentacruel responded to this by summoning a gigantic wave of water, easily the largest Surf she¡¯d ever witnessed in her life, to absorb the attacks. Misty watched as some of the pokemon dug deeper. Suddenly, Hyper Beams and powerful Electrical attacks arced forward to blast into the Tentacruel only for it to raise a tentacle and a ribbon of water to form up around its body. Aqua Ring. Misty gaped at the powerful pokemon regenerating in front of her eyes as the pokemon that had attacked it struggled to regather their energy. It was then that the pokemon were reminded that it wasn¡¯t just the lone titanic Tentacruel attacking them, as the Tentacool swarmed forward. They rose on another wave that rose with a gesture of the Tenacruel¡¯s tentacle. It seemed like the pokemon were now fighting against nature itself. Some of the trainers regathered themselves enough to scream for their pokemon to get out. Pokeballs came out and recalled them. Some of them did so. Other trainers staggered in the face of the onrushing wave, still too dazed or injured to understand what was going on as the wave crashed onto them. ¡°Gigantimax¡­¡± Forrest said dazedly. Misty glanced at him. ¡°What?¡± Forrest licked his lips. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ that¡¯s a Gigantimax¡­ I thought Brock was kidding when he told us stories of pokemon being able to grow so much larger and more powerful though¡­¡± Jessadia surged forward and shook Forrest. ¡°You knew about this?¡± ¡°It was just stories! I thought it was Brock telling fanciful stories to Suzie, Bobby, Billy, and Tilly!¡± Jessadia tsked. ¡°Well, it looks like he wasn¡¯t joking. Any way to stop it?¡± ¡°Knock it out?¡± Forrest said uncertainly. Only for another wave to rise and sweep into the town proper. ¡°Look out!¡± he shouted, releasing his Onix. ¡°PROTECT!¡± he shouted as his pokemon curled around them and formed a gigantic protective barrier. The wave crashed into the barrier and was absorbed, taking the danger away from the group but others were still swept up. Misty could see a number of buildings break in the face of the powerful wave. Jessadia swallowed. ¡°I really hope Meowth is alright¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯ll land on his feet, plus he knows how to stay dry, Jess, don¡¯t worry!¡± Franko said, putting a hand on her shoulder as the pair stared into the churning water. Ash blinked. ¡°Oh! You had Meowth tamper with the poison, didn¡¯t you!¡± he said as Pikachu facepalmed. Forrest hurriedly started playing with his transceiver. ¡°Damn it, we need help! What can we¡­ Brock! He¡¯ll know what to do!¡± The transceiver barely had a chance to ring before it connected. ¡°Hi! This is Brock¡¯s message bank! I¡¯m busy right now! If you have a me¡ª¡± ¡°Damn it Brock!¡± screamed Forrest as he tried to call again only for it not to go through again. ¡°Damn it! How can you not answer right now of all times!¡± Forrest shouted at his transceiver and the image of Brock that was displayed. Jessadia coughed delicately. ¡°With how quickly it timed out I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in service range right now¡­ that or his transceiver might be disconnected for some reason.¡± Forrest clapped his hands together and inhaled quickly as, around them, the water from the wave began to recede. ¡°Alright! You¡¯re right¡­ no point freaking out! I know I¡¯ll call Sabrina! She¡¯d come quicker anyway!¡± He toggled another number, only to get a short. ¡°Leave a message,¡± said a girl¡¯s voice with a flat monotone. Jessadia hummed. ¡°Same problem.¡± Ash tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you know what it means, when the call doesn¡¯t go through like that.¡± Jessadia coughed at that while Franko sniggered something about ¡®being a telemarketer once¡¯. Misty ignored them, instead her eyes were turned towards the gigantic Tentacruel that was raging at the various pokemon still putting up a fight on what used to be the beach as trainers tried to rescue people and pokemon and get out. She could feel something there. Something that she¡¯d felt once or twice at Brock¡¯s Gym. Not¡­ not in the same way, this felt more right. It seemed more like it clicked with her specifically. It didn¡¯t feel hard and unmovable, but rather like it was cool and flowing. Like it was the force that connected the world. Misty put a hand to her heart as certainty filled her and the protect shell vanished. Misty stepped forward, clutching at the feeling within her chest. This was just like yesterday with Tentacool. She needed to reach out, connect, and ease the pain. To let the storm calm. She stepped forward as she heard Forrest¡¯s transceiver finally connect. ¡°Surge! It¡¯s Forrest; we need your help right now!¡± he shouted. Misty didn¡¯t listen to what was being said. She just knew she needed to act, or she¡¯d regret this moment for the rest of her life. And so she ran forward, towards the fighting. She moved through the water and even though there were hundreds, if not thousands, of places her foot would sink or slip, she knew where she could walk due some strange feeling of rightness She got to the beach in time to hear Forrest scream of fear chase after her as she leapt into the water. It churned around her but Misty wasn¡¯t afraid. Not of the water. She kicked hard with her legs and twisted her whole body to propel herself through the water. She saw a number of trainers and pokemon still in the water. She broke through the water and scrambled onto a broken pier that was still poking out of the water line. With a flick of her hands, she released all of her pokemon and gestured back at the water. ¡°Save them,¡± she said simply to her team. All of her team, bar Squirtle leapt into the water. Squirtle stared from her to the titanic Tentacruel with huge eyes. ¡°Squirt!¡± Misty knelt and put a hand on the little water type¡¯s face. The feeling in her heart grew at the touch, and somehow Misty knew what she needed to do after this would come easier. ¡°Thanks for being worried Squirtle, but I¡¯m going to be fine. Those people and pokemon aren¡¯t. Please, save them. And trust me once again.¡± Squirtle nodded slowly and stared from her to the Tentacruel. Squirtle toddled into the water, looking back as he did so. Misty turned back to the Tentacruel, that even now was about to step over and enter the city. She knew she had to stop it, if it entered the town proper, there would be no solution that wouldn¡¯t be bloody. With the knowledge of what failure would entail, Misty shoved the idea of defeat out of her mind and put her hands to her heart, drawing forth the feeling within. She felt herself connect with the ocean in a way she¡¯d only ever experienced as a dream. She felt the waves, the salt and water. The coral reefs. And the pokemon. Around her, the armada of Tentacool and lone Tentacruel stilled. They all turned their eyes towards her. Misty swallowed her fear and began to speak. ¡°PLEASE! STOP THE FIGHTING!¡± She barely remembered what happened next, it seemed to pass her by in a blur. The pokemon in front of and around her stopped, though. They felt her and her intentions. They spoke not through their words but through their energy. Misty spoke to them, and they listened, when they spoke to her, she listened in turn. Both sides of the equation communicated in a way that was more than just talking. When it was done the Tentacruel swiped a tentacle through the water line, and Misty knew that no more construction would be tolerated beyond that point. That the humans had taken enough. She conveyed her own agreement, and the pokemon nodded before turning and leading the swarm of more than a thousand Tentacool back into the water. The Tentacruel wadded deeper and deeper into the water, but just before its eyes went below the water line, it turned and locked eyes with Misty. It didn¡¯t say anything, but Misty knew what it meant. She nodded her head. ¡°We¡¯ll remember this as well¡­ Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure they remember.¡± The Tentacruel nodded once more and slowly disappeared into the water. Misty watched it go. Then she swallowed. Her mouth suddenly seemed dry. She turned, only to find a crowd watching her in stunned silence. She could see Forrest staring at her like he¡¯d never seen her before. Ash, Jessadia, and Franko were all gaping at her. In Jessadia¡¯s hands a bedraggled Meowth was shivering, a suitcase held in his hands firmly. Misty could see other trainers that had been in the town square. She blinked in surprise, only for Ash to raise his hands and wave at her. ¡°MISTY! THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!¡± he shouted. That broke the silence, and before Misty could realise what was happening, she had an entire crowd of people shouting and applauding her name. She smiled widely and waved. Then she heard something heavy hit the pier, and Misty staggered. She turned to see what had hit it only to find a giant of a man standing over her. He had gelled-up blond hair and a megawatt grin. His skin was tan, but with how close he was, Misty could see a number of scars all over his arms. Lt Surge grinned down at her. ¡°Little Miss, I¡¯ve seen some crazy things in my time, and that just now? Easily top three.¡± He put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I used to think water-type specialists were all weak woo-woo types.¡± Then he rubbed his chin. ¡°Well apart from your gramps that is¡­¡± he shook his head and chuckled. Misty felt her eyebrow twitch. What was a woo-woo type? ¡°You¡¯re not very good at complimenting people are you?¡± Surge chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m a pro,¡± he said, winking at Jessadia, who was standing on the beach and who blinked in surprise. She then looked over her shoulder as though Surge would be hitting on someone else. Misty sighed and shook her head. Surge rolled his shoulders, ¡°But seriously, I ain¡¯t never seen someone calm down a rampaging pokemon like that. Never like that. That was impressive as all shit.¡± He stepped back and adopted a serious pose, his heels clicking together and his back going ramrod straight. He swept his hand up into a salute, and Misty stared. She¡¯d never had anyone salute her before. ¡°You¡¯re a credit to Kanto young Miss!¡± he said before relaxing. ¡°You seriously impressed me, ask me a favour and I¡¯ll think about granting it.¡± He then leaned down and gained a more serious look. ¡°But I¡¯m also going to need a debrief to find out what happened here.¡± Misty swallowed. She got the impression that wasn¡¯t going to be an easy process. She glanced to where her pokemon were at work saving people. ¡°Maybe after we save everyone in danger first?¡± she said hesitantly. Surge glanced at the water and nodded. ¡°Right you are!¡± He stood and inhaled before shouting in a voice that swept over the entire beach. ¡°What are all of you yuppies looking at! A hero?! Damn straight, but there are people in danger! I want people with water pokemon on rescue! I want people with flying types doing search and rescue! Only got pokemon that can walk or crawl? There are wrecked buildings! Get searching!¡± Misty stared, as Surge took control in what she could only call a ¡®drill sergeant¡¯s voice. It brooked no dissent, and Surge had people running within moments. Only, they didn¡¯t run into each other and somehow formed lines and orderly ranks at his urging. Misty found herself caught up in the action of helping out. Surge however, for all his bluster and size, didn¡¯t forget about her. Surge swept in a few times over the next few minutes to check in on her as he made sure others were working in certain sectors of the beach. With her water pokemon she dove down to rescue more whoever she could. Lanturn surprised her by being faster than her a few times to reach people, but then again, Surge probably trained his pokemon to be that fast. During a small break where she was floating in the water and regathering her breath, she heard a small trill come from next to her. She turned and found the tiny Horsea from yesterday. ¡°Hey there, little one!¡± The small Horsea lifted its head and tapped into her before looking down at her pokeballs. ¡°Yoooou, want to go with me?¡± Horsea nodded and Misty blushed. It was strange to be this popular; she¡¯d caught two pokemon in as many days, which was crazy. She raised a pokeball and Horsea lunged into it to take the first spot. She giggled to herself, only to shake her head when Squirtle brought up a bedraggled-looking Arbok. She could celebrate later, she needed to focus. An hour later, once things had settled and as many people were out of danger as they could be, Surge returned. He set out a few seats for Misty and her friends, then grabbed another and sat reverse in it. Then he pointed right at her. ¡°Alright, now, talk,¡± he commanded. And talk she did. Chapter 130 - Interlude - The harmony of water - Part 3 Surge bounced his leg and stared at the computer. He still hadn¡¯t heard anything from the situation in the west, but he was confident in his little buddy. Some of his old pals had informed him that Sabrina was with him, so he was sure to be safe. Any moment now, he would hear from Brock. His eyes slid to a picture on his mantel of Brock, his platoon of little siblings, and Sabrina, in front of the newly created Pewter City Gym. He didn¡¯t like to think about what might happen otherwise. It reminded him of darker times, hearing that his friends had been sent out to battle only after the fact. Unable to offer advice or see them off. He scratched at a scar. His knee continued to bounce with nervous energy. Hurry up and wait; he was used to this, but that didn''t mean he had to like it. If his old RSM could see him, he¡¯d be running laps like a puke. Raichu sat on the desk, curled up but with an eye open, watching Surge. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Raichu! Just keeping warm!¡± Surge said, only for Raichu to continue to watch him. Surge huffed and stood to run his hands over his pokebelt. Raichu, Jolteon, Electrode, Electabuzz, Magnezone, Ampharos, Lanturn¡­ and finally his transport pokemon in his Hypno. Check, all of them were ready and raring to fight. Sadly, he knew that a lot of the pencil pushers wouldn¡¯t call him into the Mt Silver kerfuffle. They¡¯d take a look at his specialty and go, electric versus rock and ground type? Bad matchup. Keep Surge at home. Never mind that he had a proven history of surviving against terrible odds. Against pokemon and their trainers with type and numerical advantages. And where were those punks? They were in the ground. Surge sat and bounced his knee again, only to stop when his transceiver buzzed. He answered it before he even saw the caller id. ¡°Hey bud¡ª¡± Instead of his favourite rock headed buddy, Brock¡¯s little brother, Forrest, appeared on the screen. ¡°Surge! We need help!¡± Surge opened his mouth to ask what the problem was, only for Forrest to point his transceiver around and reveal¡­ Damn that was a big pokemon. He hadn¡¯t seen anything like that before. Not even during the war. He¡¯d heard some rumours about Cerulean but¡­ ¡°Where are you at, little man?¡± Surge said standing and releasing his Hypno. He¡¯d need to get there and do a proper sitrep. ¡°Porta Vista!¡± Forrest spoke quickly, only to gasp. ¡°Hey! Ash, where¡¯d Misty go?!¡± Surge whipped out a map and snapped his fingers to have Hypno approach. He stabbed a finger into the map where Porta Vista was. It was within teleporting distance. Easy. Heck, at a day¡¯s walk from Vermilion, it was also well within his jurisdiction for the local area. Hypno nodded and put a hand on Surge¡¯s bicep as Raichu leapt onto his shoulder. A moment later, they reappeared in a different location. Surge glanced around. It was like he¡¯d been teleported back in time instead of space. The buildings were wrecked, and people were screaming as pokemon struggled and fought. There wasn¡¯t any smoke or dust in the air due to the damage being caused by a wave, but that would come. Surge knew all about the aftereffects of a broken city from a battle. From the position they¡¯d teleported onto, they were atop a hill overlooking the town, Surge could see a lot. He swept his eyes over the area and spotted an Onix that stood out for how it wasn¡¯t knocked out despite being what would be shin deep for some people. Forrest must have trained it alright to handle such annoyances, as it wasn¡¯t reacting like a puke. Surge snapped his finger towards a still intact building. A building that was still upright but that was also close enough to the giant Tentacruel that was starting to lash out with powerful water attacks. Once more, Surge vanished in a teleport. When he reappeared, he moved. Pokemon exploded off his belt and Raichu leapt to the front. ¡°Alright team! Time to bring the thunder! We¡¯re gonna pack these fish up with a side of french fries!¡± His pokemon zapped either Raichu or his Magnezone. Both began building up their charges with their eyes locked on the enemy pokemon. Surge felt the hair all across his body prickle with the buildup of electrical energy. It took him back to a darker, simpler time. He was just about to punch forward and unleash the storm when a feeling¡­ swept into him, for lack of a better term. He stiffened in surprise and blinked, only to snap his eyes down to where the feeling was coming from. There was a little girl down there. Surge stared. Shocked, despite himself, as the girl stood with none of her pokemon to back her up and no one around her. Her arms were spread like a silly non-com diplomat. ¡°PLEASE! STOP THE FIGHTING!¡± she implored with her shout. Surge wanted to snort. He wanted to shake his head at the idiot girlie. But he couldn¡¯t, ¡®cause her words... They¡¯d gotten through and actually stopped the fighting. He gestured to his pokemon to hold instead of attack. His pokemon held, like they¡¯d been trained to. They held and listened with him and half the damn town of Porta Vista to a girl, barely even into her journey, it seemed. They all watched on as the girl spoke with a monster from the depths, and the monster listened to her. Surge had never seen or heard of anything like it before. Pokemon respected power, speed, cunning, and intelligence. This¡­ this was something new. Something surreal. While his trained instincts were telling him to neutralise the threat his¡­ other thing, was telling him to wait. He scratched at his chest and sniffed. Maybe he ate something funky? Still, he held. And so the girlie kept talking with Tentacruel. A tank tread whine working its way through town had him stop listening to girlie. He quick marched it over to another side of the building to spot an ugly old hag with a bunch of fuckboys marching around in fake army fatigues. Surge disliked her straight away. Then she brought out some machine guns, which he knew were illegal. Never mind that he might have a stash or six furretted away for a rainy day. Hags like this shouldn¡¯t have access to that sort of equipment. ¡°Magnezone, Thunderwave on them pukes, I don¡¯t want them ruining a good thing.¡± Magnezone unleashed a powerful paralysis onto the group. Surge grunted in satisfaction when they all collapsed, twitching from the attack. The hag got shocked a little worse, but if she wanted to ride around in a tank, she could handle a bit of rougher behaviour. ¡°Electabuzz, Ampharos, detain those pukes.¡± he ordered before marching back to watch the damn giant Tentacruel leading its swarm of Tentacool back into the ocean while the girl watched on. ¡°Huh, well, look at that; she did it.¡± Surge rubbed his chin and watched the girl turn and receive a standing ovation. He nodded. Girlie¡­ No. The little Miss, deserved it and more. ¡°Hypno, teleport me to that little pier she¡¯s standing on.¡± He returned his pokemon but left Raichu out, just in case. Hypno¡¯s teleport was off, and it landed slightly off to the side. Surge returned it before it could fall into the water. The little miss whirled around and then tilted her head back to take him in. He grinned down at her. ¡°Little Miss, I¡¯ve seen some crazy things in my time and that just now? Easily top three.¡± He put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I used to think water-type specialists were all weak woo-woo types.¡± Like those sisters of hers, or those street performers, or those people that were basically beach bums! Damn beach bums, coming into his gym with surprisingly powerful fighting types. Dude had flowers in each hand that were tens easy! Damn Woo-woo water-type trainers. The little Miss looked a bit off balance and unsure, so Surge carried on. ¡°But I ain¡¯t never seen someone calm down a rampaging pokemon like that. Never like that. That was impressive as all shit.¡± Heck, this girl, she was better than some of the officers he¡¯d served under. She had balls, that¡¯s for sure. He clicked his heels together and performed a picture-perfect salute for the Little miss.¡°You¡¯re a credit to Kanto young Miss!¡± and he meant those words. ¡°You seriously impressed me, ask me a favour and I¡¯ll think about granting it.¡± Obviously, he wouldn¡¯t do anything too illegal, but he''d still entertain her if she asked for something. ¡°Maybe after we save everyone in danger first?¡± she said hesitantly. Surge glanced at the water and nodded. ¡°Right you are!¡± He stood and inhaled before shouting in a voice that swept over the entire beach. ¡°What are all of you yuppies looking at! A hero?! Damn straight, but there are people in danger! I want people with water pokemon on rescue! I want people with flying types doing search and rescue! Only got pokemon that can walk or crawl? There are wrecked buildings! Get searching!¡± It was all about having the loudest voice, and being able to be big and intimidating. He tossed out his Lanturn to help out and the little Miss sparkled with interest at his powerful pokemon. Surge grinned; she had good taste! ¡°Misty! Are you alright?!¡± shouted little Forrest from the shore, atop his Onix. Surge flicked his eyes between the two. Oh? Oh ho ho ho! Well, if little miss grew up anything like her sisters, Forrest was in for a treat. With someone who had half a clue setting the crowd to work, they had a good chunk of the danger settled and most of the trainers fixed up. The others¡­ Surge had them put under some sheets and away from all the kids'' sight. No need to spoil their mood, they thought everyone had gotten out fine and dandy. During all the chaos, Surge made sure to set aside the tank and the machine guns for safe storage in a container that he marked to be transported to one of his storage facilities. Nastina herself was placed in cuffs and was going to get multiple counts. The sheets over bodies made his instincts start acting up, and he had his pokemon scouting out the Town, making sure that everything was safe. That no Tentacool were still in the town. When a crowd formed up of disgruntled locals, Surge marched up, towered over them, and gave them an unimpressed snort. ¡°Ya¡¯ll look like good folk! I know you¡¯re hurting, but you¡¯re not going to be taking justice into your own hands today! Make sure you write down what you saw and what happened, though, ¡®cause the police will be mighty interested in any written testimonies.¡± That made them stop being a mob and start thinking like people. They broke up and Surge nodded to his hovering Magnezone. No need for any anti-riot responses from his pokemon today. With the threat of a lynch mob broken up and another job kicked to people whose job it was to handle that sort of rubbish full time, he performed a final sweep of the town. He relaxed when no threats were reported by his pokemon or visible to his old eyes. Time for some answers. Surge marched towards a tent that he¡¯d claimed. ¡°Hup! You lot! On me!¡± he said, whistling and getting Little Miss¡¯ group of friends to round up on him. Little Miss trotted up to him with a Horsea in her arms and an innocent smile. Surge swept his eyes about and noticed that none of this group had the hunted look, like they¡¯d seen the real cost of this clusterfuck. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Good. None of them were gonna have nightmares. He set out a few seats for Misty and her friends. He grabbed another and sat down. Then he pointed right at her. ¡°Alright, now talk,¡± he commanded. And talk she did. ¡°Well it started with an announcement from Nastina¡ª¡± Misty started singing a song of that old hag being a real piece of work. When they reached the point about the money, Surge flicked his eyes over the suitcase that the redhead and the bluenette had between them. They noticed him looking and leaned in, as if they could protect the little Meowth from him if he wanted to get to him. Surge assessed both as Misty played up the help that she¡¯d received from the trio. Surge grunted like he was listening. Girl was obviously idolising the other woman. The redhead was hot, he¡¯d give that to her. In another circumstance, he¡¯d put the moves on her. Still can¡¯t hurt to lay future ground work in case she ever ditches the wimp¡­ he shot her a wink but left it at that. ¡°There was also this poison that Nastina was going to use,¡± Misty said. Surge stiffened up. ¡°Poison?¡± He didn¡¯t like the sound of that. People were still suffering from Agent poke-orange from some parts of the war. Misty shifted and licked her lips, looking at the hot redhead who coughed. ¡°The poison was something that Nastina was planning to use against the Tentacool.¡± Surge snorted loudly, and everyone nodded in agreement. Redhead coughed and continued, ¡°We realised that this would make her do a lot more damage to the ecosystem than the Tentacool, so we added a neutralising agent. It¡¯s why the pokemon that got splashed in it only got knocked out instead of¡­ something worse.¡± The blue boy nodded and said, ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t want to become an eco-terrorist like those Hoenn crazies!¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. This time, when Surge snorted, he silenced everyone. Everyone stared at him, and he waved a hand. ¡°Nothing, just that you said something funny.¡± It was hilarious that most people bought into the shit that Hoenn¡¯s Army and Navy were ecoterrorists. Surge didn¡¯t need to smell the Taurosshit to know that the story of those organisations mutinying against the League when Hoenn joined up for new leaders, stunk to high heaven. He couldn¡¯t buy it. It¡¯d take a special sort in both organisations to inspire such a response with the rank and file after all. Perhaps they had that for one of them, but for both? Yeah, nope! The easier answer was that it had been approved by some government official. ¡°Continue,¡± he said with a dismissive wave of his hand while the kiddies shared confused looks. Oddly, the Meowth and the Pikachu kept their eyes on him. Weird response, that. ¡°Right¡­ Well, the neutralising agent worked, cause I don¡¯t see a lot of floating Goldeen¡­ or people out in the bay or worse. It should have diluted when it hit the water so I think it will remain safe to swim in as it breaks up¡­ It sadly had another reaction when it landed on a Tentacool.¡± Surge tilted his head. ¡°Franko saw it,¡± said the woman. Blue boy nodded his head. ¡°The barrel landed perfectly atop the Tentacool and caused¡­¡± he waved his hand towards the bay, and Surge resisted the urge to sit up. He stopped himself with just a short inhale. They¡¯d caused that gigantic evolution? Did any of these people not understand the tactical¡­ he hummed innocently. ¡°The rest of the poison¡­¡± and the potential evolution agent for a Tentacool to super evolve? Hmmm super evolution¡­ nah that name sucked worse than that girl last week. Surge mentally shrugged, it was a work in progress; he¡¯d workshop it. ¡°Where was it? We¡¯ll need to secure it.¡± Franko¡ª him and the girl had earned the right to names due to being interesting¡ª coughed. ¡°It was washed away in the wave.¡± ¡°Those barrels still sealed?¡± If they were sealed, chances were they¡¯d be good still. Sunken, sure, but those would be worth more than gold. He¡¯d even be able to claim them as hazardous materials. They¡¯d be the perfect hidden ace if another fight broke out. Tanks and guns were nice, but they were cute when compared with the power of a strong, gigantic pokemon. Jessadia and Franko glanced towards the Meowth. The little cat shrank into itself and hid behind the suitcase. ¡°M-Meowth?¡± It said like it didn¡¯t have half a clue what was being talked about. Jessadia coughed and shook her head. ¡°No, when Meowth put the secret sauce into the barrels, he left them unsealed to let them spoil more.¡± Surge nodded and made some plans to look around further for any barrels or suspicious puddles for collection. ¡°What was in the secret sauce?¡± he asked instead. He had other options first, though; he wasn¡¯t a dumb grunt after all. ¡°Uhm the sauce is made by a specialist¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to contact them,¡± said Jessadia as Surge stared her down. ¡°I¡¯ll want her name,¡± he said, knowing that it would probably be a dead end. ¡°If you know anything or find anything, it¡¯ll pay well.¡± He made sure to incentivise the carrot a bit more. Jessadia and Franko nodded and Surge grunted. Listening to the rest of the debrief with half an ear. When Forrest mentioned calling Brock and Sabrina first, Surge nodded only to pause when Forrest pouted like a schoolgirl. ¡°What¡¯s that face for?¡± Surge asked. ¡°It¡¯s just I can¡¯t believe Brock didn¡¯t come¡­ I needed his help and¡­¡± Surge huffed. ¡°Come with me brat.¡± He waved a hand and marched into a nearby cafe that had taken minimal damage. He snatched up a TV remote and turned it to the news channel. And sure enough, like he¡¯d thought, there was a press release from the Rangers with Old Major Hank, glaring into the camera. ¡°¡ªthrough a joint operation with our Johto brethren, we were able to mitigate a true disaster!¡± Hank was saying. He then gestured to the side. ¡°I¡¯d also like to make special mention to Gym Leaders Brock from Pewter, and Sabrina from Saffron for assisting uswhile investigating the cause, and then going above and beyond during the course of this disaster.¡± The cameras swept to the side and revealed a sooty-looking Brock and Sabrina. Surge¡¯s eyes narrowed on the burn paste smeared across one of Brock¡¯s arms. ¡°Oh, wow, they look like they were fighting a wildfire,¡± Ash said. Surge snorted but ignored the kids¡¯ inquisitive looks, instead waving it away with a nod. The kid was right, but probably wouldn''t understand, in that it was probably like that, but wouldn''t know as yet what sort... especially if it could burn Brock. Old Major Hank continued to praise the pair. ¡°Through their selfless actions, a platoon of Rangers and their pokemon were rescued while injured. For this service, I will be awarding to each of them the highest honour a non ranger can be gifted, the Red Heart for Valour!¡± He opened two boxes and handed one to Brock and Sabrina who looked happy at being recognised. Forrest gasped, ¡°He¡­ he got into a rescue operation?!¡± he said. ¡°Feh! Please, he got into more than that, I reckon,¡± Surge said. ¡°Mt Silver ain¡¯t for sissies after all. The pokemon there are all extremely powerful. Only the folk that rank in the top sixteen get to go there, that, or Rangers themselves. Brock would have been in for a throwdown brawl if there was an emergency there. I was waiting for him to call me when I got your message and came running.¡± He nodded to Forrest, ¡°Good call by the way.¡± On the screen, the reporters started clamouring. ¡°Gym Leader Brock, Gym Leader Brock! Is it true a number of your pokemon sustained injuries and won¡¯t be able to fight this weekend against Will?!¡± Both Hank and Brock glared at the reporter, and Surge frowned. Now how would they know that? Were they just fishing for intel or was this something else? ¡°Due to the nature of the fights that we got into, a few of my pokemon will need to rest but the depth that I have in my Elite team will be more than enough to put on a strong showing against Will.¡± ¡°Woah, that¡¯s crazy. Some of Brock¡¯s pokemon got injured?¡± Forrest leaned closer. ¡°Man, Brock looks angry.¡± ¡°Which pokemon will that be!¡± shouted another reporter. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait until the weekend to see,¡± Brock said evasively before signalling that he would take no more questions. Sabrina likewise shook her head. The reporters turned to the only other person willing to talk. ¡°Commander Hank! Commander Hank! What do you say about allegations that this was a deliberate event? The perpetrators are still at large! Do you have a comment on this failure?¡± Surge whistled as Hank levelled a stare that was so frosty the reporter and those around them shivered on the spot. ¡°What should I say about this¡­ event?¡± he said glaring directly into the camera. ¡°I say the following to the people that caused this event. I urge anyone involved in this disaster to turn themselves in to the police. If they do this, I will merely allow them to prosecute you.¡± His glare intensified and flared as though a roaring fire was trying to stream out of his eyes. ¡°But if you don¡¯t? I will hunt you down to the ends of the world and beyond. No lies or processes will spare you from what is coming to you. For I will find you, and I will destroy you.¡± Surge whistled. ¡°Huh must have been very touch-and-go over there for the Major to be this steamed.¡± Jessadia and Franko shared a look while Jessadia mouthed ¡®Major?¡¯ to her friend. The other just shrugged. ¡°So¡­ Brock just ¡­ couldn¡¯t come¡­¡± Forrest said with a slump. Surge shot the kid a look as Misty comforted him. Right, kid had issues, probably was worse off than Brock had been, back when he decided to drop in on the newbie Gym leader of Pewter. How to handle this? He mulled it over for a moment before shrugging. ¡°Your big bro won¡¯t always be able to bail you out, you know?¡± Forrest twitched his head up and stared at Surge. Surge stared right back. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to stand on your own two feet ya hear?¡± He made a circling gesture. ¡°Not straight away and not against threats like that Tentacruel back there, but this journey you¡¯re on? That¡¯s what this is about, learning to be strong.¡± Forrest nodded slowly at that, his jaw clenching. Ash crossed his arms. ¡°We handled it though!¡± Surge nodded slowly and looked towards Misty. ¡°Yeah, this time you did. But maybe it will be different next time. Who knows? You can¡¯t prepare for everything, but you can sure handle the stuff that you know might be coming your way.¡± He let them think about that for a bit before sniffing. ¡°Some things will take you by surprise, however,¡± he said, glancing back out. ¡°Zapdos knows that these people are gonna struggle for a while now. The government is going to make a big heap of noise about Mt Silver and Porta Vista might get the short end of the stick.¡± He crossed his fingers out of sight from the kids, and hid his smirk as they accepted the lie. He pointedly didn¡¯t look at the suitcase in the Meowth¡¯s grasp. ¡°Shame that money Nastina was toting never got secured. People around here could sure use it.¡± The younger trio nodded sadly while the older pair and their Meowth squirmed in their seats. Jessadia and Franko shared a look, and then shot the Meowth one. He clenched onto the case tighter. ¡°Be a lot of hungry people¡­ sad little faces, all dirty with tears¡­¡± Surge said, shaking his head and clicking his tongue in faux sadness. ¡°Well! It¡¯s a shame! But they¡¯ll struggle on I suppose!¡± Meowth slumped and handed the suitcase over. Surge made a show of opening in. ¡°Oh my goodness! The missing money!¡± He shot them a wide smile. ¡°You¡¯re too kind!¡± he announced loudly, causing some of the other people in the cafe to look over. ¡°Look everyone! The Heroine Misty and her friends found the money Nastina offered!¡± The people started excitedly whispering, only for the cafe owner to sidle up to him. ¡°You realise there¡¯s not enough in there to fix the town right?¡± said the man out the side of his mouth. ¡°Shut up, I¡¯ll cover it. Don¡¯t tell anyone, though. In fact, pretend it was thanks to this group, make ¡®em a statue even,¡± Surge said furtively. The cafe owner shot him a look and nodded slowly. Surge sniffed pointedly; it wouldn¡¯t do for folks to think he was a charitable sort. Otherwise, he¡¯d have freeloaders and bootlickers crawling out the woodwork. He turned to Misty and her friends. They were all being patted on the back and praised. Surge nodded to himself, feeling good. When he glanced down, he noticed the Meowth eyeballing him. ¡°Good kitty,¡± Surge said, leaning down and pawing at its head to give it a rub. ¡°Blah!¡± said the Meowth as its hair came away all mussed up. Surge straightened and clapped his hands together. ¡°Righto! So heroes like you folk deserve some recognition! I¡¯m willing to give you my badge if you want it! Otherwise, I can gift you something from my Gym!¡± He scratched his chin. ¡°Shame I gave away all my S.S. Anne tickets; I could have gotten you a week trip onboard, but that ship is mighty popular these days.¡± Ash and Forrest perked up and shared a look, only for Misty to cough shyly. ¡°Mr Surge sir?¡± ¡°Lieutenant Surge, sir¡± he corrected gently. ¡°Lieutenant Surge, sir! I, uhm, noticed that Brock had some pokemon that were water type that he was giving away to trainers that earned his recognition¡­ do you think¡­ is it possible to get one of your water types?¡± ¡°You want one of my Chinchou? Done!¡± he said happily. Girl like her would do well with a proper pokemon in her team. ¡°Train it well, and it¡¯ll take you far!¡± Misty danced on the spot with glee. Surge turned to Ash and Forrest. ¡°What about you two?¡± ¡°An early battle!¡± Ash shouted. Surge grinned widely and nodded. ¡°I can do that! Right now work for you?¡± Ash beamed and Forrest nodded, Jessadia coughed. ¡°May I join in on that?¡± Surge shot her another wink. ¡°Anytime, for a lady like you!¡± Jessadia¡¯s grin wobbled a bit, but Surge ignored that, instead focusing on the excited kids in front of him. Time to spank some babies and show them how far they had to go. He¡¯d keep their current bookings, but a quick throwdown wouldn¡¯t take too long. Ash quickly got them a space that would work. Surge had to laugh when the punk sent out his Pikachu. Just to show him how big the world was Surge sent out his own starter with Raichu. It took one slap of the tail with Iron Tail to knock out the little mouse. Surge just smirked as Asha gaped. ¡°Heh! Who¡¯s next!¡± Surge said. Forrest licked his lips and seemed to realise how bad an idea this was. He still stepped forward though. When he was done with Forrest and Jessadia, they were all staring off into the distance, shocked. He clapped them on the shoulders. ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad for a bunch of rookies, but you¡¯ve got a ways to go before you can challenge me, ya hear?!¡± ¡°You could have gone easy on us with your Elite team you know?¡± Forrest grumbled at him. Surge rubbed Forrest¡¯s head in a noogie. ¡°And not show you how far you have to go? Nah! Next time bring your A game! I know you¡¯re all booked in for a week¡¯s time! Get good and I¡¯ll see you then!¡± he said before marching off. Surge didn¡¯t feel at all bad using his strongest pokemon against them. In reality it was all he had on him, kids should have realised. Still¡­ They¡¯d impressed him. It was a rare sort of trainer that stood up to an army of Tentacool, let alone a giant. Surge glanced back at the now laughing group. It was a strange feeling to know that maybe¡­ just maybe, the future was in good hands. Surge rubbed at his chin. Urgh, he was getting feelings or something. He shook himself and marched off to see if he could find anything like those barrels that had been mentioned. He reckoned he knew a man or two that¡¯d be interested in those.
Steven Stone swirled his tumbler of Shuckle wine as the yacht he was on began to pick up speed. He¡¯d accomplished much of what he desired upon being drawn to Kanto. Blaine had been muzzled, and Devon Corp wasn¡¯t likely to see any mysterious firebombings with Lance leaning on the man. He¡¯d identified a number of promising sites for acquisition for future mining operations with his hikes around Kanto, and met some truly remarkable people. Flint was a positive treasure trove if he could ever get the man to open up about where he found some of the stones and minerals he had on display. Sadly the man was a humble sort that also knew the worth of some of his goods. Perhaps a private investigator could piece together his ramblings of journey and distance to locate the sites that Flint identifies in his blog. Surprisingly, a good deal of the content saw the man wandering into the wilds. And not the wilds that saw people walking through tall grass, but rather the deep wilds, so that would be a tall order for any investigator. Steven waved a hand towards a steward for another fill of his tumbler as he loaded up his laptop. He¡¯d need to do some work while they travelled, but then again, the work of a CEO never truly ended, did it? He took another sip from his tumbler and nodded to his steward in appreciation. ¡°Inform me when we are an hour out from the Orange Islands,¡± he told the man as he began perusing the list of sites that his representative had sent through to him. Mandarin Island north and south would need to be on the list, as well-developed city centres for offices, while mines could be established for phosphate on Butwal island. The island was a veritable goldmine with its phosphate readings. This had been one of the few sites that Steven had been able to secure from Flint during a brief discussion. It took a phone call to have a representative sent out to conduct soil samples on the island to discover that this was a source of huge amounts of phosphate. Steven worked through a few other islands that might hold promise, only to pause when he realised that local Gyms held the rights to the island. A not insurmountable task¡­ but there could be issues. He¡¯d need to talk with the local Leader to feel out how open they were to business development. With that done, he sat back and considered other tasks. Lance had gained Salamencite from him and now had had a few months to work with it, however, he suspected that Brock would be the first to build up the necessary bond, albeit in a few more months. Brock seemed to have a good handle on his aura and was prone to demonstrating rare pokemon and abilities without fully considering what he was doing. That gave Steven a deadline. He needed someone worthy to challenge him to allow himself to be shown as the modern master of Mega-evolution. The first reveal would always be the most memorable in people¡¯s minds. Steven swirled his glass and stared out at the waves as the yacht swept past them. He could admit to himself that he had a small stirring of fear in his stomach, what if Brock used Steelix in his match against Will? What if he¡¯d been able to create the bond already? What if Brock just forced the evolution and unleashed an enraged Steelix? No, no. He was confident in his assessment of Brock, he wasn''t that big a risk-taker. It was a risk but Steven considered it a low risk. Yes, that was all it was, a low risk. Indeed, it had taken Steven a year¡­ but that wasn¡¯t a guarantee it wouldn¡¯t happen quicker for others. Lance was able to focus on just the league and working with his pokemon. He had the advantage of an entire clan also supporting him. Brock seemed no less confident in himself, and it had made Steven somewhat unsettled, but he¡¯d made the deal and was going to stick to it. As soon as he had the Lileep, he would be sure to have it bred with others of its egg group to create his own breeding group, something that would be sure to earn him a good deal of favours with certain types, such as the Rustboro Gym leader, or their eventual successor. Still, the matter remained that he needed someone who could create a narrative that forced him to reveal his ace. Karen¡­ she¡¯d been good, but Steven hadn¡¯t wanted to reveal his hand against a Kanto trainer. Perhaps Drake would suit his needs. The man was getting rather agitated under his rule and it would be good to show that he wasn¡¯t Champion just due to his business acumen, but also his own power and skills as a trainer. Steven snapped his fingers. ¡°Send a message to the League that I want to schedule a match against Drake for when I return to Hoenn.¡± ¡°Sir, Drake will be scheduled for a trek during that week; will a month and a half suit your needs? We can use the founding date as the reason for the match.¡± Steven snapped his fingers at the steward. ¡°Yes, that will work, lock that in my schedule and set aside some time in the lead-up for me to work with my pokemon for an extra hour¡­¡± Steven rubbed his chin. ¡°Make that an extra two hours a day with them to shore up their skills. Drake is formidable, after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make the adjustments to your schedule, sir,¡± said the steward before fading back. Steven nodded to himself and sat back in his chair as he took a final sip of his wine before setting it aside. Yes, that would suit his needs well. In six weeks, he would face Drake as part of the Founding Day ceremony of Hoenn and reveal Mega-evolution to the world. Which would handily be months before Lance or Brock were capable of the act. Steven nodded to himself before turning his attention to the next item on his schedule. Lunch. Chapter 131 - Bonds ¡°Glad you¡¯re okay,¡± I said to Forrest and the others through my transceiver. He smiled back at me and nodded. I grinned and said, "I love you, little brother!¡± Causing him to blush. He mumbled his own, ¡°Love you too,¡± before signing off before he could be mocked. I rolled my eyes. Ash and Misty weren¡¯t the sort to mock him for saying something like that. I settled into the chair and rubbed at the damp cloth that was resting on my arm. After everything was said and done Lance had swept through the clean up and we¡¯d found a number of different pokemon herds that appeared to have been corralled and stolen away at the beginning. While the mountain had burned and people needed to be rescued, Team Rocket had been stealing away with pokemon. This was something that I had only learned after the fact. I still wasn¡¯t sure what to make of Mewtwo fighting Moltres like it had only to vanish. I was surprised to learn it had to pull out like it had, it was a sign of weakness that I hadn¡¯t been expecting from a pokemon I knew to be capable of impacting local weather events and hyper-intelligent. Or perhaps that wasn¡¯t accurate. Mewtwo had only displayed that prowess after it had escaped Team Rocket. An event that should still happen¡­ but one I could only wait for. The moment it did, I would be advocating that everyone in the League and the Guardians storm every suspected Rocket base. A groan of pain drew me out of my thoughts to watch Nurse Joy work. I was in the private section of the Pewter Pokecenter alongside my pokemon. Bertha was lying on a bed with Nurse Joy carefully applying a salve to Bertha¡¯s fist. The rock-hard hide had been burned despite Bertha¡¯s resistance against fire-type abilities. On the other beds around her, being tended to by Chansey, were a few others of my team. Hypnotoad, who¡¯d taken a hit protecting Bertha, was on her side as her back and front were rubbed gently with the same salve. Sanchez lay on another bed. He¡¯d barely had a chance to close with that Moltres, but apparently just getting too close had been enough to injure him. Selene had another bed, but thankfully Nurse Joy had merely diagnosed her injuries as exhaustion due to how much fire she had shielded and protected us from. Don was the final injury on my team, and sadly, he was the worst. Everyone else on my team had taken glancing blows, but not Don. He growled fiercely as the Chansey from my Gym slapped salve on him before she ratcheted the straps tighter to make sure he couldn¡¯t flap around the room. He¡¯d been able to get close to the Moltres only to have it erupt with its Sleep Talk ability. One hit had been enough to send him careening out of the sky. He would have been much worse off if it hadn¡¯t been for Zephyr catching him, and then Sabrina¡¯s pokemon helping to lower him to the ground. Five pokemon that were either exhausted or injured from a battle with two Elite Teams against one pokemon. One Legendary pokemon. Hank, Lance, Clair, and a number of other experienced Rangers all told me that was an amazing outcome. Especially considering we¡¯d driven the Moltres off and had it on the ropes. Then it showed that it had the endurance to outlast and outfight us. If Lance hadn¡¯t come along, perhaps that pokemon might have whittled us down. Then again, it hadn¡¯t been an ideal situation. I had come into that fight tired from all the earlier events that were going on with the Silver Mountains. The fight with Empress, followed by the descent down Empress¡¯ mountain had been tiring. Rushing to rescue the injured Rangers had been hair-raising. Providing medical care, shelter, and then fighting against a Legendary? That situation had gotten extremely out of hand. Sabrina leaned into me. ¡°They¡¯ll be alright,¡± she said adjusting the towel over my burn. I nodded and glanced at her. ¡°Are you and your team alright?¡± ¡°Yes, we got out lightly. Fatigue, migraines from the fight, and some heat stroke, but they¡¯re being looked after.¡± ¡°That got crazy huh?¡± I said, feeling rather numb. ¡°Indeed.¡± She merely inclined her head, still leaning into me. I held her as my mind played out how that might have gone if she hadn¡¯t been there. It wouldn¡¯t have been good, I concluded. ¡°Thanks for being there with me,¡± I said. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°And I love you,¡± she said back. She tilted her head in silent request, and I leaned down and kissed her. We broke off the kiss quickly but stayed close, looking into each other''s eyes, feeling the connection, and enjoying the closeness of the moment. Sadly, a loud smooching noise came from across the room, and I glanced up to find Bertha making smoochy faces at me. Nurse Joy chastised her, but the effect was rather ruined as she tried to stop herself from giggling at Bertha¡¯s antics. I rolled my eyes at her. ¡°You want me to send in Titan to play nursemaid to you?¡± Betha considered that and then faked a swoon with her uninjured hand coming up to lay against her head. She lay back and allowed Nurse Joy to continue wrapping a bandage around her injured arm. I popped Titan¡¯s greatball and pointed at Bertha when he shot me a curious look. ¡°She wants you to pat her hand and feed her tasty treats.¡± Titan huffed but stalked over to Bertha, his bulk forcing him to get on his belly to crawl past some medical equipment before reaching Bertha¡¯s side, where he did as requested. Bertha gave me a thumbs up. Nurse Joy stepped back, amused and shaking her head. She eyed the other pokemon of mine and nodded, satisfied at how things were for the moment. She approached and stripped off her gloves. ¡°Well they¡¯re not in any fatal danger, which is good. The bad news is that the burns they have each taken were from an incredibly powerful pokemon.¡± I nodded; this wasn¡¯t news to me. Nurse Joy fidgetted and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve read reports on burns like this before, Brock. Blaine was notorious during the¡­ bad times for injuring people and pokemon. Burns like this... might not heal as quickly as they should.¡± She trailed off and swallowed before continuing, ¡°Or at all with this medicine.¡± I frowned. ¡°How long are you expecting it to take?¡± I said ignoring the last part of what Joy had said. Nurse Joy inspected my pokemon once more. ¡°All of your pokemon have resistance against fire-type moves, so I don¡¯t expect them to be permanently injured. But instead of taking days as it should, I¡¯d bargain that these injuries might last¡­ weeks if not months.¡± I hissed at that. That was not good news. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s not ideal¡­ But then again, they¡¯re going to be back up and moving around soon, no?¡± Nurse Joy nodded. ¡°I¡¯d keep them to light duties and stretching. No stressing their bodies too much.¡± ¡°You mentioned with this medicine earlier?¡± Sabrina said, quoting Joy¡¯s earlier words. Nurse Joy blinked. ¡°Oh! Right! One of the medicines that was found to have the greatest effectiveness was herbs from¡ª¡± ¡°Mahogany Town,¡± I said, finishing what she was about to say. Nurse Joy blinked. ¡°You¡¯re familiar with the herbs?¡± she said, perking up. ¡°Do you¡­¡± She trailed off when I shook my head. ¡°No, I recently spoke with Pryce, and he mentioned that he was still looking for some.¡± ¡°Ah, Pryce. That makes sense.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Well, otherwise it will just take time.¡± I nodded at that while holding in a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s good news; thanks for doing what you could, Nurse Joy.¡± ¡°Not a problem!¡± she bowed. ¡°While your pokemon might not be back to perfect health, they will be! We hope to see you again!¡± She half turned, and what she¡¯d said reminded me of an old joke. I barked a laugh. ¡°Bit mean to suggest my pokemon will need your services, you know?¡± I said jokingly. Nurse Joy got a sad look on her face. ¡°The alternative is worse.¡¯ I blinked, my mind catching up with what my mouth had said. ¡°Oh Jeez! Sorry that was thoughtless of me!¡± She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing I haven¡¯t heard before.¡± She leaned in and inspected Sabrina and me. ¡°I think you two need to head to bed yourselves. You¡¯ve had a long night, and it''s now coming into the early morning, you know? I don¡¯t doubt there will be jobs to deal with this. Go home and rest. You¡¯ll need it.¡± I nodded at that and offered a bow back. ¡°Thank you, Nurse Joy, and again, sorry.¡± I stood and then yawned, chuckling at how my body was right behind Nurse Joy in reminding me of how long the day had been. I shot Sabrina a look, and we vanished in a teleport before reappearing next to my bed. I didn¡¯t bother taking any clothes off. I merely flopped onto the bed with Sabrina in my arms. We fell asleep almost immediately.
The next morning passed in a blur, with breakfast being a vague memory of food and noise. with my family fawning over Sabrina and me before we were asked to make an appearance at the Pewter Ranger HQ. There, we ran through a proper debrief, and Hank and a few others officially gave us the medal he¡¯d mentioned during yesterday¡¯s abbreviated ¡®press conference¡¯. When the reporters asked specifically about my team again, I barely withheld cursing them out. Now wasn¡¯t a good time to shift focus. However, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder at the timing of it. Was I being too paranoid¡­ or not paranoid enough? Regardless, after the reporter annoyed Hank, he delivered a withering statement that had me leaning back. I knew Team Rocket had to be involved with the armoured form of Mewtwo fighting with the Moltres, or at least fight it enough to enrage it before vanishing. I¡¯d suggested as much to Hank, and he¡¯d grunted, saying that they were the most likely candidates. Apparently, there was going to be a meeting with the commander-level rangers. Sadly, I wasn¡¯t told what it would be about, but I could guess. It seemed like Team Rocket had drawn a lot of ire with this recent stunt. They were also being attributed with causing issues in Porta Vista by some news outlets. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was going to cause issues with Jessie or James. Personally, I felt they¡¯d been lucky to come into my Gym when they had. If they¡¯d come today, I would have cuffed them and dragged them to the League for intensive interrogation. I could only conclude that it was good that so many people were cracking down on Team Rocket. The more, the better. After the talks at Ranger HQ, I returned to the gym. With my morning blocked out I spent the time checking over the rest of my pokemon and making sure they were healthy. Thankfully, they were healthy. Tired, certainly, but overall healthy. Some of them even had a glint of determination coupled with thoughtfulness in their eyes from what they¡¯d gone through. They¡¯d seen what a powerful pokemon could do, and instead of being downcast, they were motivated. Titan, when he wasn¡¯t sitting next to Bertha, meditated and spoke with the others, making them think about everything that had happened. Gawain, Knight, and the others that I had left behind sat and listened in awe to Sanchez recount a tale ¡ª a most likely highly exaggerated tale¡ª to them. A few of the other pokemon had energy build up sessions where they were working on their reserves. Others started to move towards doing physical workouts, but I waved them off that. Instead, I had them only do light workouts. Stretching, walking, and gently tossing around some balls I had for them. Nothing too strenuous. I didn¡¯t have any more Ace challenges until my match against Will which had been deliberate on my part. I wanted to put my best foot forward this weekend. With that in mind, I had to consider what I¡¯d be fighting. I expected Will to have Exeggutor, Alakazam, Slowbro, Jynx, Grumpig, Medicham, or a Xatu. I doubted he¡¯d have a Bronzong or a Metagross, but it was possible. I expected him to make good use of Disable, Teleport, Rest, Hypnosis, Amnesia, Baton Pass, Calm Mind, Barrier, Light Screen, and Dream Eater, just to name a few moves. Sabrina had trained against me and shown me how these could be used against me along with different ways to apply them, so I was in a good position to fight Will and anticipate his tricks. I just had to be vigilant. A strong Psychic trainer was never an easy task. From there I checked in with the Gym¡¯s pokemon and was about to check in with the Gym trainers when I heard a sad croon coming from behind some boulders. I wandered around and stopped dead upon finding Empress sitting with her back against the wall of the plateua, looking down at Terra and Yolanda. I felt my heart clench. I had warned Yolanda to stay away from her, but apparently, I hadn¡¯t been clear enough. I hadn¡¯t even known she¡¯d come out of the pokeball she¡¯d accepted going into! Another sad croon escaped the Tyranitar and stopped my furious self castigation. Oh, she was crying. Terra trilled worriedly and reached up to pat her little hands on the tears coming down Empress¡¯ scaly face. She needed Yolanda to hold her up to the larger pokemon, but she reached and tried, in the way of a child to wipe away the sadness from her mother. She wiggled and nuzzled, and this seemed to draw Empress out of her mourning. She stared down and sniffed at Terra, only to smile and nuzzle the little Larvitar back. She even went so far as to cuddle Terra. Terra wiggled happily at this, and Yolanda stepped back to allow them a little space. She then spotted me and trotted up. ¡°So what are you going to do with her?¡± Yolanda fidgetted and flicked her eyes at me before they darted back. ¡°Is she joining your Elite team?¡± she asked. ¡°No, that¡¯s not the plan.¡± I considered what to tell her; I¡¯d been brief this morning with her. I sighed. Yolanda could handle the truth of the world containing a bit of darkness. ¡°She was attacked and her nest destroyed, which caused her to be enraged. We had to fight her to calm her down.¡± Yolanda stared at me. ¡°You fought her to calm her down?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Bertha actually got through to her. When everything was said and done, she just sort of looked lost. I offered for her to come stay with Titan.¡± I swallowed. ¡°She was in her pokeball last I knew; I wouldn¡¯t have let you wander out here if I thought¡ª¡± Yolanda shook her head. ¡°She wasn¡¯t going to hurt me.¡± I glanced at Yolanda. The certainty in her tone made me frown. ¡°You can¡¯t know that, Yolanda.¡± I knew I was being extremely hypocritical, but I couldn¡¯t help but say it. Yolanda shook her head and tapped her chest. ¡°No, I knew she wouldn¡¯t. She¡¯s hurting, but she¡¯s not going to lash out now.¡± She stared at the large pokemon before nodding. ¡°I think you made the right call bringing her here. She¡¯ll do well with Terra around¡­¡± Yolanda glanced to the side and giggled. ¡°And Titan too.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I looked and found Titan leaning around a boulder, sticking out like a sore thumb as he observed his mother and Terra cuddling. Yolanda snorted. ¡°Boys!¡± She cupped her hands and shouted, ¡°TITAN! GIVE YOUR MOTHER A HUG!¡± Titan stiffened at being caught out, and Empress and Terra paused in their hug to spot him out. Titan coughed and inched forward, giving the older Tyranitar a nuzzle before leaning in to offer his support. Empress snorted disdainfully but didn¡¯t pull away. I thought she might have even leaned into him a bit. Terra trilled happily, and the bigger pokemon relaxed, with the smallest making happy noises. Yolanda nodded, much happier with this arrangement. I wrapped an arm around her. ¡°Nicely done, little sister,¡± I said. If I¡¯d said that to Titan, he would have been more awkward, but with Yolanda saying it? That made it much easier. Rachel jogged up at that moment. She glanced at me, then at the hugging Tyranitar, and raised a camera to take pictures. I coughed at her, and she shot me a thumbs-up. ¡°It¡¯s great content!¡± She then cleared her throat. ¡°But also, I came to talk to you about the young trainer you left with us before that whole¡­ incident yesterday?¡± ¡°Ah A.J.? How¡¯s he been?¡± I asked. ¡°He recovered well, but instead of sticking around and waiting for you, he took over the weights room and is working with his pokemon. Dennis isn¡¯t sure what to make of him.¡± She chewed her lip. ¡°He¡¯s kind of being a bit rough as well? A lot of his pokemon have been lifting rather heavy weights, and he uses a whip.¡± I frowned. I should have expected this from A.J. He was the first person to be shown working on a pokemon¡¯s resistances with what had to be a power band¡­ or was it a power suit? But he was also extreme in how he trained his pokemon. ¡°I¡¯ll talk with him. The weights room yeah?¡± I asked. Rachel nodded, and I tapped Yolanda on the shoulders. ¡°Can you handle Empress?¡± ¡°Her name is Empress? Cool name,¡± she said with an impressed look. ¡°That''s what she was dubbed by the Rangers,¡± I said over my shoulder as I marched into the Gym. Rachel stayed behind to get a few more pictures of Titan being a dutiful son, and I chuckled. On a whim, I marched into the stacks of pokeballs and grabbed a specific pokeball with a capital I on it. I hoped I wouldn¡¯t have to use her, but she was a good example of one of the Gym¡¯s success stories. Maybe even one of the best success stories. I walked into the Gym still toying with the pokeball and hummed at what I found. A.J.¡¯s Beedrill and Butterfree were playing tag through the air. On the ground, Rattata dragged some sleds on the open floor section of the room while a Sandshrew curled some weights. A.J. walked among the group, cracking his whip and barking orders. ¡°Rattata number three, you are faltering behind! Push harder! Butterfree! Stay close! Tighten your dodge! Sandshrew! Another set before we go into Roll Out training!¡± I¡¯d seen enough. I clapped my hands together. ¡°And that¡¯s where I¡¯ll call a halt right now!¡± My clap resonated through the room like two boulders had clashed together. The Rattata twitched to a stop. The Butterfree almost dodged into Beedrill¡¯s stingers while Beedrill broke off with the noise. Sandshrew continued to train, its eyes watching me but not stopping. A.J. turned around only to slump. ¡°Oh, Gym Leader, were you looking to do some training?¡± More than that, I needed to talk with you first. Everything got crazy yesterday.¡± I made a show of looking around. ¡°If this is how you act, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m impressed.¡± A.J stiffened. ¡°What!? My training is specia¡ª¡± ¡°Whose Gym is this?¡± I said, cutting over anything he was about to say. ¡°Yours, Gym Leader Brock.¡± He bowed at the hips instantly. ¡°I apologise! I was overzealous in my desire to get stronger!¡± I considered him. ¡°I can see that your goal is important to you, but you are rushing after it and potentially causing yourself more problems.¡± I then pointedly looked at his whips. ¡°Your methods also leave something to be desired.¡± I held up a hand to forestall his protests. ¡°Before that, we need to work out what is happening here and now. You have a recommendation from Agatha.¡± I sighed. ¡°Agatha is¡­¡± Oh, what words to use when describing her? ¡°Mercurial. It comes with her nature as a Ghost specialist. She can play games.¡± I considered saying more, but that was enough. A.J grimaced. ¡°She trounced me last year with just a Gastly.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°You looked down on a pokemon trained by one of the Elite Four?¡± I was so going to make him spar against Izumi and record his reactions. A.J. slumped, ¡°It was a single pokemon... and with my normal types, I thought I would have a serious advantage.¡± I nodded. ¡°Not a terrible line of thought, but strength can come in less obvious forms than just power. Your pokemon are strong, but how flexible are they? Can they counter weaknesses or counter counters to themselves? Adaptability can be tough to train.¡± A.J. still had his gaze locked on the ground. ¡°I¡­ realised as much, and I was hoping to approach you. I need to fix my mistakes. I¡¯m not¡­¡± he shifted from foot to foot, ¡°progressing on my own.¡± ¡°Is that what you want?¡± I probed. I knew this had to be a bitter moment with how he was swallowing his pride, but perhaps the results of facing multiple strong trainers had forced him to re-evaluate his methods. ¡°Yes! I want to be the best!¡± he said, his eyes snapping up with a burning intensity within them. I nodded back. ¡°Good.¡± I raised a finger. ¡° I have requirements if you accept a trainer berth with my Gym, much of this will depend on what you want going forward.¡± He tilted his head but didn¡¯t speak, so I continued. ¡°First of all, no whips. It does not look good, and it is antiquated. We¡¯re not some low budget circus pretending to work with dangerous pokemon.¡± A.J. blushed and looked away. Had I hit a sore spot there accidentally? He coughed, ¡°It¡¯s not just a circus trick! It works to motiva¡ª¡± I raised a hand. ¡°If I was to take that whip and crack it over your head while you worked out, how would you feel about me?¡± He frowned and looked down at it. ¡°... I¡­¡± He worked his jaw. ¡°My pokemon don¡¯t seem to mind though?¡± ¡°Your Sandshrew mostly doesn¡¯t mind and his typing I doubt he even registers the whip as a threat. Your other pokemon? ¡° I shook my head as A.J. took the whip off his side to look it over as if just seeing it for the first time. ¡°It¡¯s not a good method to train. As their trainer, you are more than a drill sergeant barking orders. You¡¯re also their caregiver. Their friend. The bond you form with them is important in more ways than one. There are methods of improving pokemon that can only be reached by having a close bond.¡± Specifically, friendship evolutions, and Mega-evolution as it currently stood. ¡°My bond?¡± A.J. looked like I was speaking a different language. ¡°Indeed,¡± I noted that he¡¯d tossed the whip straight into a bin. It was an impressive toss, but he didn¡¯t even notice; his gaze was still locked on me. An impressive display, and it was interesting that it wasn¡¯t acknowledged by him. Was he that focused on me, or was it commonplace for him and a sign of physical skill on his part? ¡°How can a bond be so important?¡± he asked. I raised a finger. ¡°Some pokemon won¡¯t evolve without a certain level of friendship or more with you as their trainer. It¡¯s been researched, and there is a lot of support for the idea that pokemon that have stronger bonds with their trainers follow orders faster.¡± I raised another finger. ¡°Also, they can anticipate you more as there is an understanding, and this can free you up to watch for other aspects of a fight. At some of the highest levels, you need this, as if you¡¯re watching if your pokemon is following the move or giving overly precise calls, you will fail. Bonds become the foundations of greatness.¡± ¡°H-how do I grow my bonds?¡± he said as though mystified by this new aspect of pokemon. I stared at him. ¡°Have you never had friends before?¡± He blushed and looked to the side. ¡°I did! They just¡­ moved to another town is all!¡± I shot him an incredulous look. Damn, this kid was rough¡­ well, all over, not just the edges, but I couldn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t think he had potential. ¡°... We¡¯ll work on that. Now, how did you want to work on this? Did you want to be a roaming trainer that keeps in contact, or did you want to settle down for a while and train here?¡± ¡°Could I continue to complete the circuit while staying here?¡± he asked. I hummed. ¡°We¡¯d need to roster things in. If you stuck around here, I¡¯d be able to coach you more. I have a contingent of trainers currently out and about that I call weekly to check-in. I have time set aside to work with them.¡± I grinned. Humphrey and Mia were the standouts, but the other kids were making the most of the opportunities they¡¯d been given. They¡¯d just gotten past their third badge match in most of their cases, while Mia was up to her fifth. Humphrey had six and was devoting a lot more time to his team with only two more badges to go. A.J. bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯d like to train with you here and complete the circuit. I wish to continue challenging myself and my team!¡± I nodded. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll accept you tentatively.¡± I waved my hand around. ¡°You will also be working with a number of other senior trainers. Dennis is the current second in command, and when he gets back, Rocko will also be above you. In fact, if anyone asks you to do something, I want you to do your best to help out. They will oversee some of your training, as I will be running the Gym. They will be sparring partners as well if you need it.¡± I waved a hand around the room. ¡°No more just claiming the weights room or a space. We¡¯ll assign you time for that.¡± I hummed. ¡°I was considering testing you out again but¡ª¡± ¡°My pokemon can fight!¡± A.J. said firmly. I considered him and his pokemon. They all looked forward with determined glances. ¡°Hmmm alright then. Time to put you through your paces.¡± I checked my watch. I had another few hours; this should only take thirty minutes. I led A.J. back out to the arena. This time I didn¡¯t raise the podiums. I merely raised a single pokeball and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go Izumi!¡± A.J blinked. ¡°A geodude? Why not one of your stronger pokemon?¡± Izumi shot me a look, and when I smirked, she mirrored me. Oh, this kid was rough, alright. I had a lot to work on with him. When I was done smacking him around, he looked gobsmacked and more than a little defeated. I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t be disheartened. Izumi is one of the strongest Geodude around, bar none! She has specialised technique training that allows her to hit way above of her weight category.¡± I reached down and lifted the now much more dirty Izumi up to let her sit on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯d use her for the Ace challenges if it wasn¡¯t for how perfect she is at testing trainers and pokemon.¡± ¡°Dude!¡± shouted Izumi. I handed her a treat and chuckled. ¡°But with this and yesterday¡¯s showing, I have a pretty good idea where you¡¯re at right now. We can work on your speed of commands and setting up for combinations or trick plays. Controlling the battlefield and also gauging the best pokemon positioning at the start and during your matches will be something we need to work on. This can be taught through experience, and you¡¯ll get that here.¡± I considered him for a moment, he did have problems with bonds... ¡°I have someone that I think would be useful for you to meet.¡± On the way, we passed Dennis, Missy, Alexa, and a few other trainers going about their duties. A.J. perked up each time I introduced them, obviously expecting the next person to be the one that I felt he needed to meet. I led him out to the reserve, where all of the Gym and some of my pokemon were roaming about. Bertha spotted me and waved a bandaged arm at me before grimacing. I sighed at her, waved back, and kept walking. I found Yolanda standing next to Empress, Titan, and Terra alongside what was a small creek I¡¯d dug into the reserve. Lileep lined the banks of each side, and when Yolanda pointed them out to Empress, she leaned down to inspect the rock flowers, causing the Lileep to either shy away or feel her back with their fronds. Terra happily raced into them and greeted them while Titan watched on. ¡°Now see that Tyranitar there?¡± I pointed to Empress. A.J. nodded seriously. ¡°Good, don¡¯t ever get near her without myself or the girl next to her right now. That¡¯s my sister Yolanda by the way.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± said A.J., his eyes sliding back and forth with a frown on his face. ¡°Is that Tyranitar poorly trained?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not trained at all. I took her in to give her time to heal from yesterday¡¯s event. She¡¯ll rip you apart without a shred of guilt.¡± I raised a finger. ¡°Now, Empress is impressive for her power, yes but she¡¯s not who I wanted you to meet.¡± ¡°Your sister is?¡± A.J. said with a tilt of his head. At his side, Sandshrew copied him. ¡°Yup, consider that Yolanda had no interactions with that pokemon before today. She is however able to walk along next to Empress without fear. She did this by understanding bonds and forming them very quickly.¡± I tapped my chest. ¡°She¡¯s got her heart in the right place and pokemon can feel intentions more than we understand. This will allow her to get closer to powerful pokemon and have a chance of having them join her team when she starts her journey. It will also allow her to train powerful pokemon without them disregarding her. They¡¯ll be able to know she cares for them through the bond they¡¯ve formed. She also has more friends to help her out in tight situations.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± A.J. said ¡°How will I train with her? Is her Larivatar like your Geodude?¡± I coughed. ¡°No, it''s a baby pokemon. In fact, don¡¯t fight with her at all. Just talk with her and be friends. That¡¯s where she can teach you best.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± A.J. said with a slump. I rolled my eyes. ¡°If you want, you can ask her for a spar with some of the Gym¡¯s pokemon. Just don¡¯t annoy her or she¡¯ll ask¡­¡± I trailed off. If I told this kid that Yolanda could call orders for some of my elite, he might annoy her just to get a shot at them. That wasn¡¯t what I wanted from their interactions. ¡°Forget I said anything,¡± I said. I scratched at the side of my neck in thought. This¡­ would be a challenge. I flicked a glance over his clothes and noted that they were highly careworn and patched in places. A lot of his gear was beaten up and looked second-hand. It spoke of a rough childhood. No friends either¡­ or at least none that he considered friends. Agatha had sent an interesting trainer my way. In some aspects, I think I could make him a great trainer. But I could also see that I¡¯d limit him. I¡¯d need to help him out with some of the other stuff. I wasn¡¯t sure how to approach that. Maybe I could tap Erika for some insight? I rolled my shoulders. ¡°Alright, grab your pokemon some food and let them rest for today. I¡¯ll have Dennis show you how to give special blends of food to your¡ª¡± A.J. raised a beaten notebook. ¡°These are the recipes I use for my pokemon.¡± I hummed and took it, wondering why this was triggering a memory of A.J. I blinked when I started to read his notes on his specialised diet for just one of his pokemon. I noted all of it was natural even. ¡°This is impressive,¡± I said as I continued to flick through it. ¡°You¡¯ve got the calories all accounted for when training and fighting for nutritional allotments. You need some for rest days as well, though, and I think we can source some easier nutrients, but there are some good points here about your pokemon.¡± I handed it back. ¡°This is very well done A.J.¡± He straightened up and smiled widely. I chuckled; this confident, slightly proud look seemed more natural to him. ¡°Alright, go talk to Dennis and get your pokemon food. Rest today and check in with Dennis tomorrow for Gym duties. You¡¯ll start on half days to work things in. Also, talk to Alexa to set up your banking details.¡± ¡°... What for?¡± he said. ¡°For your pay?¡± I said, shooting him a confused look. Why else would I want those? ¡°You¡¯re going to pay me to train here?¡± ¡°Mostly for the work you do, but some training exercises will be paid, such as the fitness groups we do once a week.¡± I shot him a smile. ¡°You¡¯ll love Trixie¡¯s method of motivating people.¡± ¡°Oh wow, I should have come here earlier! Next you¡¯ll tell me I get stabling rights!¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°Yes?¡± I said. That should have been obvious. A.J. stared at me before slumping. ¡°I should have taken that old witch¡¯s advice earlier.¡± He walked away looking off-kilter. I turned towards my office to get some jobs out of the way, only for an icy feeling to cause me to stop in the hallway. I turned to find Rachel escorting Pryce of all people up to me. He glowered at me but his eyes locked onto my forearm as he approached. ¡°Brock, I heard about your adventure last night. If I¡¯d been there, I would have handled the beast,¡± he said icily. I hummed. I couldn¡¯t doubt that Pryce probably would have been a great addition to fighting Moltres, but I wasn¡¯t that certain. Pryce sniffed at my response only to glare at the wall like it had offended him. He then worked his jaw for a moment. ¡°You were right,¡± he bit out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry? What about?¡± I said. I was rather lost about this conversation. ¡°Piloswine¡­ and Ancient Power¡­ and the herb.¡± Every point he made caused a twitch, as though it pained him to admit I¡¯d been right. He reached into his jacket pocket and handed me a large tub. ¡°This is the salve to help speed up you and your pokemon¡¯s healing. Nurse Joy of Pewter reached out to me,¡± he said. ¡°It won¡¯t heal them overnight, but within a week they¡¯ll be in fighting fitness instead of months.¡± I blinked in surprise. I¡¯d forgotten about that. ¡°Oh thank¡ª¡± Pryce shook his head. He finally turned to look at me, and something in his demeanour shifted. ¡°No, thank you.¡± His chin wobbled, and for a moment, I was certain he was about to cry. ¡°It is a wonderful thing to know your lifetime companion didn¡¯t abandon you,¡± he said hoarsely as his eyes glimmered. He reached out and grabbed my shoulder, his eyes boring into mine without a hint of fighting spirit in them, only thankfulness. ¡°Thank you; if you need anything from me, ask, and I will help you.¡± He then turned and marched out. I suspected he didn¡¯t want to cry in front of me. Rachel, who¡¯d retreated when Pryce reached me, approached cautiously as I smiled at the tub of salve. ¡°What was that about? It looked intense. Was¡­ was Gym Leader Pryce alright?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s better than he¡¯s been in a long time.¡± I played with the salve before breaking out into chuckles. Oh man, Agatha was going to be pissed when she woke up and learned I¡¯d helped Pryce get stronger. I marched back out and immediately applied the salve to my injured pokemon. They all instantly sighed in relief. I felt a surge of gratitude at Pryce¡¯s gift. I hadn¡¯t known they were putting on such brave faces for me. Even if it didn¡¯t speed up their recovery rate, offering them pain relief like this was worth a lot to me. I undid my own bandages and wiped some salve on my arm, and felt an instant coolness spread through my arm. My shoulder unclenched, and I blinked. I hadn¡¯t noticed I¡¯d been that tense. Huh, this salve was good stuff. I chuckled and checked over my pokemon again. When I was done, I made sure to wrap Yolanda in a hug and kiss her forehead. She giggled and smiled at me, and I smiled back. Bonds. They were important and so often invisible to us until they were as clear as day. ¡°Gym Leader!¡± A.J. shouted. ¡°It¡¯s getting close to your first match!¡± I nodded to him and gave Yolanda another squeeze. It''s time to be a Gym Leader and help trainers glimpse at the importance of bonds by challenging me. I felt more motivated than ever. We¡¯d gone through the wringer but were going to be alright. Today I¡¯d focus on being the best Gym Leader and big brother I could be. And in two days'' time? I¡¯d show the strength of my bonds to the world with my match against Will. Chapter 132 - Brock v Will Part 1 The morning of the match started much like any other. I nuzzled into Sabrina and enjoyed her warmth before shooting the alarm clock a glare. A sigh escaped Sabrina, and she prodded me into heading out into the reserve to run through my day¡¯s chores. I grumbled, gave her a kiss, and got out of bed. When I was finished with my usual morning routine and dressed, I exited only to find Yolanda yawning and marching down the hallway. I shot her a nod. She hadn¡¯t committed to every morning, but more often than not she was up at the same hour as I was and spending time with the various pokemon around the reserve. Usually with Terra. Although these days she spent most of her time with Terra and Empress. I¡¯d sat in on a few of their sessions. Having Empress relax on the reserve was a good thing. I made sure to ask if she wanted to leave every now and then, but she merely shook her head and continued to play around with Terra. Today I made a beeline straight for my Elite team. I woke them up and checked them over before signalling for Titan to begin the warm-up for my non-injured pokemon. As we ran I noticed that Terra had led Empress and Yolanda around to watch. Tirtouga and Cranidos were also present. Cranidos went from sleepy to instantly awake when it felt my pokemon rumbling along to the distant rock. It straightened and began to kick up some dirt as it glanced around. I was forced to watch, too far away to stop it as Terra made the mistake of approaching Cranidos. So Cranidos did as he always did and headbutted her. She fell on her backside, only for Empress to turn her gaze upon the tiny suicidal pokemon. I turned, fully prepared to intervene, only for Terra to snort, stand up and wrap her arms around Cranidos while he was still braying triumphantly. Then Terra threw him in an almost textbook judo throw. I blinked in surprise as Cranidos slammed into the ground. He stood up a moment later, still slightly stunned. ¡°Lar!¡± cheered Terra happily, like it was a fantastic game. ¡°Cran!¡± cheered the Cranidos right back at her. He then lowered his head and charged, only for Terra to happily start grappling and play fighting with him. Empress and Yolanda watched on. Yolanda cheered her little pokemon on. ¡°That¡¯s it girl! Just like I showed you! Trip him up and keep him off balance! Don¡¯t be afraid to use your horn either!¡± she cheered. I relaxed, once again, Yolanda had it under control. Empress merely huffed, content to let the baby pokemon play with each other, as much as pokemon weighing in at over thirty kilograms in Cranidos and seventy in Larvitar can play with each other. I darted off to catch up with the team, snatching up the lagging Teddiursa that was doggedly trying to keep up, but not yet having the ability. He whined but relaxed when I propped him on my back. ¡°Hang on,¡± I ordered as I picked up speed. ¡°Urrrrrrrrrsa!¡± he shouted before laughing as we started to overtake my team. I completed the lap and then ran through some stretches with everyone. Don whined and grumbled throughout the entire session. I frowned when I noticed how Bertha was strangely stoic. My injured pokemon stepped out of the training group after the stretches were done. I took the time to inspect their bandages and wounds before declaring them still in good order¡­ apart from Betha who¡¯d already gotten hers caked in mud. I shot her an unimpressed look and reminded myself to fix her up later. I deposited Teddiursa in front of her and she snatched him up to cuddle. ¡°Teddiursa, you need to escape her grasp; that''s your work out for today,¡± I said, turning and leaving him to his fate. I then turned back to the rest of my pokemon that had been only lightly trading blows. ¡°Switch it up, a bit of special attack training for ten minutes and then we¡¯ll call it in!¡± I shouted, making my pokemon shift how they¡¯d been training. Tide blasted out some Hydro Pumps while Knight channeled Dark energy, I observed both for a little while before moving along to other pokemon. Shrek was working steadily and I was impressed with how he was firing off some tightly controlled shots that weren¡¯t costing him speed. After ten minutes of walking through my pokemon I finished the training session. ¡°Alright, bring it in!¡± I said with a clap of my hands. Yolanda locked her eyes on my hands when the clap slammed out an echoing bang. I shot her a smirk, knowing that she¡¯d noticed the noise being far too loud. Teddiursa took that moment to leap out of Bertha¡¯s grasp and put Clefairy between himself and Bertha. The small fairy pokemon patted him on the head, consoling him. Bertha huffed petulantly. My team settled in around me and I nodded. ¡°Alright gang, we¡¯ve had some setbacks with recent events as we all know.¡± Bertha, Don, and Hypnotoad all slumped. Sanchez stood and clenched his fist. ¡°Go go go lem! Le go!¡± he said enthusiastically. He then made an imploring gesture to me while his eyes watered slightly. I knew he was asking me to overlook his injury and let him fight. I grabbed up a rock from the ground and tossed it at his bandage. He flinched and leapt back. I shot him an unimpressed look. ¡°If a pebble from me can cause that response you¡¯re not going to be able to deal with it when rocks are flying.¡± I indicated the rest of the team. ¡°Have some faith in the others today. As much as I¡¯d love to have you out there, Sanchez, I¡¯m not going to risk it, you¡¯re injured and sometimes that¡¯s life. You got to fight Lance and made an incredible showing. Now the spotlight is going to land on some other people.¡± I spent some time looking into each pokemon in my team, including Clefairy. ¡°The team for today will be Gawain, Jormungandr, Shrek, Knight, Tide, and, of course, Titan.¡± Gawain and Jormungandr perked up at hearing their names and beamed. Gawain vibrated in place. ¡°Klea?¡± he said hopefully. I nodded. ¡°This is your big debut as a Kleavor buddy. You¡¯ll go out there and knock ''em out, I have no doubt.¡± I looked up at Jormungandr. There was a lot of potential there¡­ that I just couldn¡¯t tap into. I¡¯d spent a lot of time working with him and creating the bond. Sabrina and Alakazam had been surprised with how much progress we¡¯d made¡­ but it still wasn¡¯t enough. The potential was there though¡­ could I just force it? I swallowed and decided against it. ¡°Jorm. I know we haven¡¯t gotten you as strong as you can go, not while the option of mega-evolution is still on the table.¡± Yolanda shot me a confused look at this, but I didn¡¯t expand on my comment. Jormungandr gave a morose nod. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re working on it, and it''s getting closer every day. It just isn¡¯t going to be our ace card yet. That being said, there are other options that will see you show your stuff today.¡± I nodded at Tide and Shrek both of whom nodded back. They¡¯d gone through tough matches with me before. Titan was likewise a rock I could lean on. Knight clenched his fists and nodded when I looked at him. I nodded back, pleased. With both him and Titan knowing Dark Pulse I planned to make things tough for Will. ¡°Alright team, with the focus on the Gym during the match, I still need a few of you to watch for any intruders!¡± I said to the rest of my team, making them perk up. Don, in particular, had a glint in his eye that promised extreme violence to anyone that intruded. ¡°Anyone that can¡¯t patrol, remember that there is a projector for you to watch the match on the back of the gym.¡± I pointed over my shoulder to where a pair of trainers were setting up said projector for the Gym¡¯s pokemon to watch and enjoy the match. A few trainers would sit with them and offer the various pokemon some healthy snacks to enjoy the experience more. With my decisions made, I departed, walking into the house to find Flint whipping up a batch of scrambled eggs and bacon on toast for me. ¡°Morning Brock! I made your favourite!¡± he said, smiling widely. I took in the frying pan and the man behind it. On the kitchen island, there was a lot of clutter, but I could just make out a note written in Yolanda¡¯s handwriting, detailing how I liked my eggs and even which bakery I liked to get my bread from. Flint put it down in front of me, and a half dozen responses tried to fight their way out first. I wanted to point out that this wouldn¡¯t be a good meal for the rest of the family. That I really should just have a normal meal. That I was on a diet. That he¡¯d cooked it wrong¡­ Instead, I sat and nodded. ¡°Thanks Flint, it smells¡­ great.¡± I glanced around for¡ª ¡°Here¡¯s the pepper!¡± he said enthusiastically, handing it to me. I nodded again and cracked some of it before cutting up some bites to eat. When I took the first bite, I was both happy and annoyed that he¡¯d gotten the flavour exactly right. He¡¯d even gotten the right tuscan cheese, that I like grated and melted throughout the eggs. ¡°Mmmm this is perfect!¡± I said, causing him to beam with joy. I pretended not to notice the thumbs up Yolanda and Flint shared. When the other kids trundled in, they had a different meal made up by Nanny Grav. I still fed a few of them some of my breakfast so they could enjoy it as well. Munchlax wiggled with joy at the flavours. Then he turned on Flint with Baby Doll Eyes, and Flint tried to look away. ¡°I ran out of eggs! I swear!¡± Flint said. This caused Timmy to look up. ¡°So get some more then?¡± Then he tilted his head. ¡°Where do eggs come from?¡± he asked cluelessly. I clapped my hands. ¡°And on that note, I¡¯m going to head over to the Gym! Flint can tell you where eggs come from!¡± I said tossing Flint under the herd of tauros without a hint of shame. ¡°Bye Brock! We¡¯re going to make a special sign for you!¡± said Suzie. Then Cindy leaned in and whispered furiously in her ear. Suzie nodded and then glared at me. ¡°We are not making anything special for you!¡± Billy waved his hands about. ¡°I drew Sanchez! Zap Zap!¡± he said happily. The other siblings groaned, and I chuckled, giving them each a rub on the head before I set out. I made sure to give Yolanda a kiss on the head for her effort this morning. When she wiggled with joy, she caused Terra to giggle in her lap. From there, it was business as usual, with Alexa slotting in at my side and reporting anything of interest for the day. When we were done listing off the pokemon trainers that were scheduled in I checked something. ¡°You made sure to block out the space before the battle with Will for me?¡± ¡°Yes! That time is all yours! I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re taking it, though. You usually book in all the slots. Are you feeling alright?¡± she asked, eyes flicking about my face. ¡°I usually just treat it as business as usual for those matches, as that¡¯s what it is for me. I¡¯m not too bothered by the whole thing, usually.¡± I paused. ¡°Or I used to not care¡­¡± I said before shaking my head and continuing to walk. ¡°I normally do minimal prep work and just select a team off the cuff. With Will¡­ It¡¯s been dragged out and hyped up enough that I know I¡¯m going to need some time to get my mental state right. I¡¯d like to treat it as just another match, but it really isn¡¯t.¡± Alexa nodded, agreeing with me. ¡°What are you going to do about the match wager?¡± she asked. I was half tempted to suggest that I would up the ante. Unlike Lance, I would have the right to set the pot. But that would see him possibly getting more prestige. I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯ll set it as the usual amount. We¡¯re making money off the television rights, the ticket sales, and the snack carts set up.¡± ¡°Georgina is upset that you¡¯re not going with the exhibition format. With breaks, more people would buy food and drink that the gym could have supplied.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a proper Ace challenge. We¡¯ve already got people set up outside for a good clip of money; there''s no need to set something else up in the Gym. Let the locals make some money.¡± I almost shivered. I was close to sounding like Mayor Jonathan just now. ¡°Alright, well, your first match is ten minutes away and is waiting for you so¡ª¡± The rest of the day passed like a normal Saturday for me during the circuit¡­ of late at least. A normal Gym circuit would see me being able to post the Saturdays as later starts with the chance to sleep in two days a week. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! As much as my siblings would let me anyway. When it came time for the break, Missy, Dennis, Jackson, and A.J. all came and sat with me in the area for Gym trainers. Missy fidgeted, her eyes glancing around, while A.J. settled in and watched quietly from his chair. Dennis coughed into his fist. ¡°That last match was pretty straightforward, wasn¡¯t it?¡± he said to Jackson. Jackson shot him an amused look. ¡°Yeah?¡± Dennis pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°That¡¯s not what... urgh!¡± I chuckled. ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to do Dennis, and I appreciate it, but it¡¯s not how I prepare.¡± Dennis slumped like he¡¯d failed me. ¡°Sorry Brock, I know Rocko usually comes and hangs out with you before some matches like this.¡± He fidgeted. ¡°I''m just trying to fill in,¡± he said. I shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve never had matches like this though. Don¡¯t beat yourself up.¡± I shot him a smirk. ¡°Also, I fought the Champion with just Celia to chat with last time," I said, tilting my head. ¡°Actually, the day before I spent some time with my friends Erika, Surge, and Sabrina.¡± ¡°Oh! Your girlfriend!¡± said Missy, nodding along. I considered pointing out that Sabrina wasn¡¯t my girlfriend back then before deciding it wasn¡¯t important. ¡°Most of the time, it doesn¡¯t really matter who I¡¯m with. If you need to, you can assemble a group of friends or an entourage that helps you relax before matches. I just try to go with the flow. I used to listen to music or even work out.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Those didn¡¯t work for me, though.¡± ¡°So just hanging out with friends is what you do before a big match?¡± said A.J. I glanced in his direction and found he had a notepad out. I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s not just about what you do during the immediate lead up. It¡¯s about knowing that you¡¯ve come into the match with the best possible prep. You¡¯re not always going to have amazing preparation, so don¡¯t begrudge yourself that. I find that my mental state can start the night before. I make sure to go to bed early, drink lots of water, and then start the day with a normal, if light, work out.¡± ¡°By who¡¯s standard?¡± said Jackson. ¡°Yours or Trixie¡¯s?¡± he said with a smirk. I snorted at him and glanced at A.J.¡¯s clueless expression. Missy, Dennis, Jackson, and I shared a chuckle. I then outlined how I would usually play around with a pokeball spinning it over my hand and just focusing on the moment. When the crowd cheered and shouted, I made sure to focus on a few key things. ¡°This can get harder or easier during the big matches when crowds get excited. Just focus on keeping your eyes moving for signs of moves or even telltale signs from the other pokemon. This is something that comes with familiarity with certain pokemon.¡± ¡°How can you get that level of familiarity?¡± asked A.J. ¡°The Gym matches?¡± Missy suggested. I nodded, pointing at her like a prize pupil. Her eyes widened. ¡°So when I face trainers, I should be looking at how their pokemon move?¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°How they shift their weight, where their eyes track, sometimes even where certain pokemon moves will erupt. Knowing that Starmie¡¯s water attacks will come from the top limb is important when other pokemon moves will come from their center, where their mouth is.¡± Alexa walked in and coughed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Brock but I have a trio of trainers from Hoenn that you know?¡± ¡°Oh, Brawly, Roxanne, and Flannery? Sure, bring them in!¡± I said with a grin. Alexa fetched them and I stood to check the clock. Another thirty minutes. I rolled my limbs and loosened up. Missy and A.J. watched my movements like Pidgeotto watching a caterpie moving about. I continued my impromptu teaching moment. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea to stand and move around, not just in the lead up to a major match but also when doing office work. Your body can become sedentary, and blood will start to pool. Do some little stretches and let yourself feel the physical stimulus of pressure and release.¡± ¡°Brock! My man!¡± said Brawly as he swaggered in with Roxanne and Flannery. Flannery grinned and shot me a wave, while Roxanne bowed with a blush. ¡°My thanks for allowing us entry! We¡¯re sorry to bother you like this; it¡¯s just that we didn¡¯t procure any tickets!¡± she said while I waved off her apologies. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯ll be able to get some of the best seats with my trainers anyway. Also, I imagine every season ticket holder the gym has will have cashed in their right to have a seat for this weekend, so there will have been limited spots regardless.¡± The future Hoenn Gym leaders gave me clueless looks. I waved for them to take some seats and introduced them to my Gym trainers, and vice versa. When I mentioned that they were future Gym Leaders of Hoenn, they blushed happily while A.J. shot them hungry looks. I suspected he¡¯d be challenging them soon to test himself. ¡°So what¡¯s this about season ticket holders?¡± Brawly said. ¡°So I sell a preset amount of tickets to locals that allows them to claim seats ahead of a set number of matches each year. There¡¯s been a lot of people cashing in with the trainer surge and getting to watch some of the Ace Trainer matches. It¡¯s a way to make some passive revenue for your gym, but you need to have a stand and a fairly dedicated fan base.¡± ¡°Which Pewter has!¡± Jackson crowed happily. I chuckled and nodded. ¡°We certainly do, although we became a lot more popular this year, I have to say.¡± Brawly laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll say! Beating the Champ will do that!¡± I sighed. ¡°Yeah, that, and a lot more,¡± I said cryptically. When it got close to the starting time, Sabrina teleported in with Erika. Erika bowed and then blinked in surprise at the much fuller room. ¡°Wow, everyone¡¯s getting in on the action for the choice seats!¡± said Brawly. Erika flicked her eyes at me before bowing in greeting. ¡°Greetings, I am Erika from Celadon City.¡± Flannery hooted a laugh. ¡°Like, we¡¯re not supposed to know you? Flannery from Lavaridge!¡± She leaned forward with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed you¡¯ve forgotten me already!¡± Erika leaned back, flustered at how close Flannery was. ¡°Ah! My apologies I was merely being polite by re-introducing myself outside of the Gym.¡± Roxanne nudged her friend. ¡°Apologies for my friend, she is fiery in more ways than her pokemon type. I am Roxanne of Rustboro.¡± Brawly put a hand behind his head, accidentally causing his shirt to ride up and show off an expanse of tanned, muscular skin. ¡°Brawly from Dewford! I¡¯m actually coming to challenge you next week!¡± Before anything else could be said, Sabrina turned her head. ¡°Rachel is about to come check on you. The crowd has mostly taken their seats. How did you want to introduce Will?¡± ¡°The normal way,¡± I said standing and rolling my shoulders. Gawain¡¯s pokeball came out, and I rolled it over in my hand. ¡°Alright, gang,¡± I said with a wink. ¡°Time to take our places.¡± Sabrina leaned in and pecked me on the lips. I shot her a grateful smile. When we exited into the arena proper, I could see that it was a full house. Everywhere that I looked, people were seated. My own family had front-row seats, and I could see a banner held haphazardly between them saying ¡®Go Brock!¡¯ with different pokemon above each letter. It was homemade and adorable. I nodded to Dennis, and he walked down to the central referee¡¯s podium. He tapped away at a few buttons and performed a system check. The shimmer of the barriers caught everyone¡¯s attention, and a hush fell over the crowd as anticipation built. Dennis methodically ran through his task before setting his microphone on his collar. He tapped it once and nodded when the speaker captured the noise. Then he nodded to me before directing his attention to Rachel. Rachel nodded and stood. The lights in the Gym dimmed, and I stepped forward to my spot atop the stairs that would lead from the trainer section to the podium. It was a path I¡¯d taken maybe a thousand times by now. ¡°Ladies, Gentlemen, Children, and pokemon of all ages! Welcome to the Pewter City Gym! I¡¯m your host for this afternoon¡¯s match, Rachel Raul! Can I get a Pewter welcome from our regulars!¡± The regular people that attended stomped their feet twice and clapped. ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Rachel shouted, beaming around at the crowd at large. ¡°That''s the way we say hello in this stadium, and I¡¯ll be asking all of you to follow along as I introduce today¡¯s trainers!¡± She swept her hand to the side to indicate the eastern tunnel, which had taken on a pinkish tone. ¡°He¡¯s been hyped far and wide! He¡¯s the masked showman without a place to call home! Can you give a warm, Pewter welcome! To Will!¡± The crowd began to stomp-stomp clap, almost to a man they adopted huge grins as the air shook at the percussion it was forced to endure. Will entered and paused theatrically at the tunnel entrance as the light that was cast from behind him projected his shadow to make him seem larger. The short cape that he typically wore swept around him while he smiled and waved at the crowd. The people closest to his tunnel seemed to all be fans of his with how they broke off to cheer, but they were drowned out by the ¡®We will rock you¡¯ entrance. He sauntered forward to the edge of the stairs that would lead him to the podium that overlooked the battlefield. His people had petitioned for him to be allowed to teleport onto the podium, but I wasn¡¯t allowing him any leeway by lowering the dark emitters. Instead of teleporting or walking across the space like I thought he might, he lifted off, his cape flowing around him as he levitated himself over and onto the podium. He stood and waved about as the crowd faltered, impressed by the display of telekinesis. I held in a snort of contempt. I¡¯d seen better. I noticed he directed a few nods to the side opposite my family, where Mayor Jonathan, Jonathan¡¯s wife, and a few other people were sitting. It looked like he had his entourage well situated. It also seemed like he had more peons than I¡¯d assumed. That, or he had gained more with Jonathan¡¯s support. Rachel let the crowd make some noise before raising the microphone once more. ¡°And now! Ladies and Gentlemen! Your homegrown hero! The Pillar of Pewter and Leader of your Gym! LET ME HEAR YOU MAKE SOME REAL NOISE FOR BROCK!¡± she shouted while punching the air. The lights boomed when they turned on, and I was lit up like a boxing champion walking up to the ring. The crowd threw themselves into making the stadium shake this time when they stomped twice, then slammed their hands together, following Rachel with her timing. The people along the stairway slapped me on the back as I passed them, screaming their encouragement. When I reached the edge, as I¡¯d done hundreds of times before, I crouched slightly. I felt a pressure on my form that wasn¡¯t usual, and I narrowed my eyes at Will before drawing up my darkness to cloak my body. I saw his eyes widen as I leapt, unimpeded by him, to land on the podium. A wave of darkness radiated out from me, and I stood from my landing crouch to lock eyes with him. I flicked Gawain¡¯s pokeball over the back of my hand and clasped it in readiness. The crowd roared their approval, no longer holding to a pattern. They unleashed a torrent of noise that I felt, but didn¡¯t acknowledge. I only had eyes for Will. I saw Dennis raise flags in my periphery. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± he said, his voice booming over the crowd. I nodded and enlarged Gawain¡¯s pokeball. Will did the same for his first pokemon. ¡°Release!¡± Dennis shouted. Will threw out his pokeball to reveal a Medicham that emerged in the air. Instead of falling gracefully, it floated, its face serene as it held its hands in a meditative position. It hovered for a moment before it lowered its legs. It then shifted back and forth rapidly in a ready position. It was extremely light on its feet, from what I could tell. I also couldn¡¯t see a megastone on its body in any way, which allowed me to relax. That would have been an unpleasant surprise. I grinned as my own pokeball landed and released Gawain. People were just starting to applaud Medicham¡¯s entrance when Gawain emerged in all his rock armoured brilliance. He landed on his toes and bounced lightly back and forth. Then he swept his axes through the air and relaxed into a combat stance that we¡¯d worked into him. ¡°Kleavor!¡± he bellowed. There was a moment of stunned silence, and I was pleased to see Will¡¯s lips shift into a frown. Then the crowd recovered, and a roar of disbelief escaped a number of throats. I could hear a lot of people shouting. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Is that another ancient pokemon?¡± ¡°Since when did he have that pokemon?¡± Gawain sliced the air once more and shouted his name loud and proud. ¡°KLEAVOR!¡± I grinned, if they didn¡¯t already like me, I was pretty sure the local bugcatcher¡¯s club would be idolising me with this reveal. Dennis inspected both pokemon and dropped his flags. ¡°BEGIN!¡± ¡°Close in!¡± I shouted, just as Will¡¯s eyes glowed. He flicked his hand, signalling Medicham forward and Medicham responded without a word being said. Both pokemon exploded into close range and stabbed, chopped, punched, and kicked at each other. Both of them were able to dance through the blows, weaving a deadly dance of powerful blows against scything blades. Neither pokemon seemed to gain the advantage, however, with how tightly controlled their forms were. ¡°Lean left!¡± I said, before a kick could slam home into Kleavor¡¯s skull, quickly followed by a command to sweep him back. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your elbows and shoulders! Don¡¯t be afraid to body him if he tries getting too close!¡± I called. Gawain tightened up his form, and I felt a cool satisfaction settle over me. This was what I¡¯d trained Gawain to do, to be a close-range fighter and trade strikes with an opponent. I barked a few more orders as I saw some avenues that Medicham could deliver some hits, drawing Kleavor out and avoiding the baits. Throughout the exchange, Will didn¡¯t say a word. So instead, I had to read and react to the intentions of his Medicham. Low Kicks and Jump Kicks had to be dodged before ordering Kleavoer in to punish any overextensions. ¡°Hop back!¡± I barked as Medicham¡¯s arm rose up. Gawain skipped backwards and avoided the Brick Break Will had ordered his pokemon to pull off. I nodded, as Gawain didn¡¯t wait for my order to close in. He¡¯d fought with Shin, Hypnotoad, and all the other pokemon in my Gym and learned how to apply himself. Then he¡¯d gotten to fight other contenders before he¡¯d evolved, and I¡¯d only let him fight Sabrina¡¯s pokemon outside our team. His earlier showing had been a tease of his potential. Today was his proper debut. A day that would show everything he could do. He used the extended range of his axe-like limbs to force Medicham to stay further out than it would like, while facing a wall of sharp rock. Whenever Medicham got through, he dropped his body and shifted, making it so that Medicham either had to abort the hit or lash out into one of the sharp edges that were all over his body. I was impressed that, so far, Medicham had been able to match Gawain. No hits had landed cleanly, forcing both of them to dance around each other. The crowd leaned forward, enthralled by this high-paced start to the match. It must seem strange to them to hear me barking orders while Will remained silent. If I hadn¡¯t fought Sabrina as much as I had, I might have found it unnerving. Instead, I¡¯d known to expect it. ¡°Commit!¡± I said, leaning forward in readiness. I¡¯d need to be careful here. Gawain did as ordered, committing himself to harder chops and swings of his axes. Each time he did so, he forced Medicham to dance back as rocks exploded out of the impact points like shrapnel. ¡°Drag them and flick the blades up!¡± I said making Gawain commit a weak variant of Rock Throw that had Medicham ducking to the side before it charged in to lock Gawain up. I pointedly didn''t look at the slivers of rock that were being left at the impact points from Gawain¡¯s Stone Axe. It didn¡¯t matter that we weren¡¯t hitting and injuring Medicham. Gawain was setting the stage. My set up of tiny Stealth Rocks all over the field might be smaller and take longer, but it was well worth it. You had to know that it was a possibility to be on guard for it, after all. Medicham and Gawain could trade blows for another few moments , but I planned to up the ante soon. It might not be a one-and-done like Sanchez against Lance¡¯s Gyarados, but I was pleased. It was all going according to plan. I pulled on my rock energy and linked it with Gawain. And just like that, Gawain began to move faster, his attacks containing more power while his defenses rose incrementally. It was time to make a push. Chapter 133 - Brock v Will Part 2 While the plan was working for Gawain and myself, I knew I had to be on the lookout for Will pulling off his own plan. If I could work it out, I could disrupt it. So far, I was suspicious of how Gawain had been overextending himself to hack and slash his axes at Medicham, only for nothing to hit. That shouldn¡¯t be too surprising, but my instincts were warning me about it. Gawain was strong; he wasn¡¯t as fast as Shin, but he had weight in his blows. Every hit sent shards of rock slicing through the air as shrapnel. On the next impact, I watched as Medicham not only weaved away from the threat of Gawain¡¯s axe but also through the shrapnel. So far, Will had yet to give a verbal command. He¡¯d obviously linked himself with his pokemon and I¡¯d be making good use of that if he didn¡¯t know when to drop the link. Until then, I needed to keep my eyes glued for what he was obviously building towards. If anything the lack of solid hits his pokemon had landed was making me more suspicious. He had to be luring me in. I suspected he might have his pokemon using Future Sight, and the slight glow in Medicham¡¯s eyes let me know something was happening. ¡°Break off and go fast!¡± I ordered Gawain. He feinted forward and then juked to the left, allowing him to gain room to move. When Medicham didn¡¯t preempt him, I knew Will was doing something other than Mind Reader, Future Sight, or, as Medicham has historically been noted to achieve, Aura reading. Gawain blurred into motion, his speed increasing as Agility took hold. Like Scyther, he left images in his wake, but only a few instead of the ten or even twenty that a Scyther was capable of. Will twitched his head left and right. ¡°Force Palm afternoon!¡± he said, forced to speak for the first time since the match had begun. I narrowed my eyes. Why had he needed to speak now, but not earlier? Instantly, both of Medicham¡¯s hands snapped outward, and the air boomed outward as Force Palm detonated outwards from Medicham¡¯s two hands. Thankfully, Gawain was already behind Medicham, axes raised. ¡°X-Scissor!¡± I barked as Gawain¡¯s axes descended, taking on bug energy as they slashed. Medicham dropped low and kicked to launch itself parallel to the ground. I whistled, impressed despite myself. That had been a clean dodge. This Medicham was limber and very strong. The ground had gained a divot where Medicham had kicked off. I eyed the slightly bulbous legs that looked like harem pants; there must be some serious muscle hidden there but it was deliberately hard to judge. Or was it a sign that he¡¯d been boosting his strength while Gawain had been slyly setting up the Stealth Rocks around the field? Medicham rose and swivelled around on Gawain. ¡°Move!¡± I barked at Gawain, causing him to blur into movement. ¡°Reposition!¡± I said telling him to once more make a dash and attack from another angle. ¡°Force Palm! Evening!¡± Will barked. His pokemon¡¯s arms snapped behind it and fired off the Force Palm once more. This time it caught Gawain, and he flipped backwards. He landed on his feet and dug his axes in to halt his momentum. Then he stood and brandished his axes like he was ready to keep fighting. I considered him. He¡¯d taken a hit just now, the first solid connection Will had been able to land all match, but he wasn¡¯t by any means down. It helped that Force Palm was only normally effective against him. I held in a chuckle when I noticed that the gouges he¡¯d dug up with his axes to stop himself now had shards of rock pointing upwards. Heh, he really had taken his orders to heart and was setting the field up nicely. There were numerous points that would work as traps that I could have Gawain lead Medicham into, but I didn¡¯t need to match technique to technique. I suspected that as a technical fighter, Gawain would be lacking. So instead, I decided to switch it up. ¡°Gawain! Return!¡± I said, raising his pokeball and toggling the return feature. Gawain had fought well; he¡¯d done exactly what I wanted him to do by setting up the battlefield for me. He¡¯d pressured Will¡¯s Medicham who I could see was a serious threat. I made a mental note that Gawain and Sanchez¡¯s set-up tactics would work wonderfully once I had Clefairy properly trained up. ¡°Medicham, Future Sight!¡± ordered Will instantly as my pokemon vanished. I once again noted he¡¯d been forced to speak instead of projecting his commands. Was Will just not as good at telepathy as Sabrina? It made sense to me. Will started to smile before schooling his features. Ah, he wanted to set himself up, did he? I channelled a bit of dark energy around myself to help obscure any information he might get from me. Still, with a new pokemon coming out, I felt it was time to change the script properly. ¡°Go Knight!¡± I said, hurling out my Aggron. Knight landed and growled fiercely at Medicham. ¡°DP straight off!¡± I growled. Knight clenched his fists, and dark energy exploded off his form, radiating the area around him. Medicham ran backwards on light feet. ¡°Quake,¡± I said, causing Knight to lift his foot and slam it into the ground. The battlefield rocked, and Medicham was caught off guard, tripping over itself before flipping and springing back onto its feet with swaying steps. ¡°Quake again!¡± I said, eyeing the distance Medicham had put between itself and Knight with that little sprint. ¡°Telekinesis!¡± shouted Will causing his pokemon to raise its arms and hover up over the shaking earth. I narrowed my eyes as Will sighed in relief. ¡°Rest up there for the moment Medicham,¡± he said casually. If I didn¡¯t have as good eyesight as I do, I might not have noticed the tiny beady eyes of Medicham glow. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said straight away, more than happy to take advantage of the potential lapse. Boulders shot forward with extreme prejudice, and Medicham wafted from side to side, evading the blows. I narrowed my eyes at the display. It was becoming far too often that people were able to evade while using moves like Rest. Had Will taken Lance¡¯s trick as inspiration? It must have been an order to use something like Rest or Recover it seemed. ¡°Automize,¡± I said instead of forcing the issue. A sheen and clacking went through Knight¡¯s body and he shook his head slightly as he gleamed in the light. ¡°Take Down,¡± I said, more than happy to send Knight forward at a sprint. I watched for it and wasn''t surprised to see Medicham dodge the attack despite the speed of the oncoming attack. This saw Knight slamming head first into the ground and seemingly taking damage. Thankfully, with his Hard Head ability, he wasn¡¯t actually in danger with that move. It had also placed us right next to Medicham as its eyes fluttered open. ¡°Iron Tail,¡± I said, causing my now much faster pokemon to whip around from his position and slap his tail into the still-rousing Medicham. It landed lightly, but when it tested the weight on its legs, I could see it wince in pain. Good, it had felt that blow. Will clicked his tongue and raised a pokeball. ¡°Return,¡± he said. ¡°Automize,¡± I said as Dennis raised flags and called that both of us had now returned one pokemon with all our pokemon available. On the big screen, the image showing Medicham dimmed. ¡°Go Starmie!¡± shouted Will, tossing out his next pokemon. It landed and swept its limbs out with a gleaming jewel in the middle. Will opened his mouth to give the first order, only to have rocks all over the battlefield that had been lying in wait rise up and slam into Starmie. ¡°Eh! What trickery is this? Did you lace the field beforehand? I expected better from you than cheating!¡± Will said, rearing back as though struck. I glared at him. ¡°I did no such thing. I had my pokemon lay those Stealth Rocks during our match; in fact, I¡¯m sure a sharp-eyed trainer would have noticed them. For everyone else there will be replays.¡± Will¡¯s jaw worked side to side for a moment before clicking his tongue. He knew he had the right to the replay but doing so was only to be used if you were certain the other person had cheated. This was not like the circuit where people challenged for Gym battles or an Exhibition match where replays could be used without consequences. With my words and conviction, he suddenly didn¡¯t look so sure of himself. It wasn¡¯t going to be a move mechanic known to anyone but to people that had witnessed me sparring with Sabrina closely. Something that was too small a group for Gawain¡¯s special Stoneaxe trick to have been spread around. In future, it would be something people knew to look for, but today it was an unknown. I raised a hand deciding to get the full benefit. ¡°Seeing as the accusation has been levelled. Let¡¯s run the replay so you can see when the Stealth Rock¡¯s came into effect.¡± ¡°That!...¡± Will clicked his tongue again; by even hinting at cheating occurring, he¡¯d delayed and allowed his pokemon to recover and given himself time. I may as well allow the replay and get the extra pokemon move. I gestured to the side and folded my arms over my chest. On the screen, Gawain and Medicham were shown in close combat, but thanks to the slow motion, it was clearly highlighted that when Gawain¡¯s axe hit the ground the strike had caused rocks to become spiked up with Stealth Rock, albeit much smaller than usual. The crowd oohed in surprise. I nodded at Dennis, and he lowered a flag in my direction. ¡°As an allegation was made that resulted in a beneficial delay for the challenger, Brock is allowed a one move start.¡± He then raised and began to lower his five fingers. On the big screen, a similar countdown began. ¡°Automize,¡± I said quickly to Knight, causing him to go through his process of both increasing his speed and lowering his weight once more. If I¡¯d attacked Will¡¯s pokemon, he would have been able to dodge, but by instead buffing my Aggron I¡¯d netted another significant boost. I¡¯d never had Knight this fast except in training. It was a hell of an edge to find myself the beneficiary of. ¡°Surf!¡± Will called as soon as Dennis¡¯ count had finished. Knight was still just finalizing his Automize as the wave surged upwards. I wasn¡¯t worried though. I had a tried and true method of dealing with this. ¡°Dig,¡± I said casually, waiting for his response. He had to know I could evade this. The wave surged forward, and Starmie rose to the top of the wave. When it swept over the hole Knight had left and left a space on the other side of the field, Knight popped out and rolled to the side before the water could surge out of the tunnel after him. ¡°Rain Dance,¡± said Will as his pokemon landed on the other side of the field, causing more water to fall from a quickly formed number of clouds. I ignored the water splashing down on me and leaned forward, considering my options quickly. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said causing Knight to stomp his foot and fire off a large rock. ¡°Hydro Pump,¡± Will countered, resulting in both attacks slamming into each other, with the Hydro Pump just winning out but not having the power to reach Knight as it splashed down ineffectively. I cocked my head slightly. That should have overpowered the rock-type move¡­ unless Knight was so much stronger than Starmie that it ended up being balanced out. ¡°Surf again! Clear the field!¡± said Will with a dramatic flourish of his hand. ¡°Dig again,¡± I said, causing Knight to vanish once more. Instantly, I noticed a difference in this wave with it being wider and thicker. It didn¡¯t stop Knight from successfully escaping the move though. Starmie, however, was not riding the top of the wave. Instead, it popped out the back already facing towards Knight. ¡°Disable!¡± said Will, causing a pink beam to fire off and hit Knight. He shuddered, and I clicked my tongue. So he wanted to use that for Knight, did he? I considered the muddy field. I no longer had any Stealth Rocks that I could see, but that didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t have options. I could use a muddy field just as well, if not better, than Will. If Bertha was fit and able, she¡¯d have thrived in a mud brawl. ¡°Return Knight,¡± I said neutrally before instantly whipping out another pokemon. ¡°Reflect,¡± said Will as he quickly got in a move of his own while my pokeball disgorged my next pokemon. The red light formed a large body, that then bulged and grew even bigger, revealing Tide, my Lapras, in all his glory. He shifted his head and crooned happily at the water falling down upon him. Will smirked. ¡°Thun¡ª¡± I punched my hand forward and the air cracked at the speed and power of a rock-enhanced punch. ¡°Hyperbeam,¡± I said, cutting over what Will was saying. His Starmie blazed with electricity a moment later, revealing he¡¯d ordered Thunder. In another setting, that might have been a good move against one of my pokemon, but with him committed to a powerful move he couldn¡¯t dodge. Tide built up the energy beam and unleashed it just as the Thunder came down on him slamming into him. He sparked and twitched in pain at the super-effective move. It didn¡¯t effect the Hyper Beam that tore through the Reflect and swept aside the Starmie like the fist of an angry god against a defiant mortal. Stamrie was slammed into the back wall, where it twitched before sliding down and slumping in place. Dennis observed the Starmie for a moment before raising his flags. ¡°Starmie is unable to battle! You must recall it, Challenger, and send out your next pokemon within a minute!¡± I grinned happily while Tide shook his head and snorted in contempt. Will blinked in surprise. He must have been expecting his move to do a lot more damage. But Tide was a pokemon that epitomized vitality. He didn¡¯t have Sturdy as his ability¡ªas far as I could tell, he had Hydration¡ªbut he was a beast of a Lapras. His size did more than just make him a large target. He could hit hard and keep going. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I locked eyes with Will and smiled. One nil, to me. Will returned his pokemon just as the rain from the earlier Rain Dance stopped. He drew out another pokemon and levitated it up before flicking his fingers forward making the pokeball zip forward to disgorge his pokemon. ¡°Go Jynx!¡± he said quickly, intent on not giving Tide any more time to recover. Part of my mind zeroed in on the Jynx. A Psychic-ice type would be something that I could punish hard. ¡°Attract!¡± he said, causing me to click my tongue. Tide was perhaps the worst of my team to have that occur, having been a stud for a solid stint of time. He gained hearts in his eyes and clapped his flippers like a giant simp. I glowered at Will and raised my pokeball to return Tide. Will must have been expecting it as his grin turned into an outright leer. ¡°Mean Look!¡± he said even as my pokeball¡¯s red beam of energy was streaking towards Tide. The beam was swept aside by the Mean Look causing my pokeball to blart a warning. ¡°Shit!¡± I swore, knowing this had to be a preplanned sequence of moves for Will. Jynx was a direct counter for Tide. I hissed as Tide¡¯s prior showings flashed through my mind. It would seem that not all of the scouting was done within my Gym. I could just see him looking through my pokemon with any contacts he had at the League, learning my pokemon¡¯s histories, and highlighting this weakness. With most of the other pokemon I would have brought from my Elites, Jynx would be a terrible matchup with its Ice typing. Against Tide? It was an insidious masterstroke. ¡°TIDE! SNAP OUT OF IT BUDDY!¡± I shouted, causing him to twitch, only to coo and clap his flippers again. Urgh, he had it bad. I shot a look up at the rain clouds that had been dropping rain. If he¡¯d been attracted while it was raining would his Hydration ability have solved his attraction? I seemed to recall Attract working through methods of pheromones. Would the rain have stopped it, or was I misremembering how that dynamic would have played out? It didn¡¯t matter. Jynx sauntered up to Tide all smiles. ¡°Tide use Hydro Pump! She¡¯s not interested in mating with you!¡± I urged, only for him to lower his head and make a barking noise that I knew was a mating call. Jynx reached him with a vapid smile on her face, raising a hand to his cheek. Right as she touched him, I saw awareness return to his eyes just in time for her to sneer and lash out. ¡°Focus Blast!¡± Will ordered, causing the super effective move to slam right into Tide¡¯s head and send his head bouncing into the dirt, where he wailed in surprise only to slump back. His head wobbled back and forth and I didn¡¯t like what I was seeing. ¡°I withdraw him!¡± I shouted not willing to keep him out there, dazed from the hit to the head. That had to have been a critical hit and if I gave Will the chance, I knew he was going to punish Tide. Will lowered his hand. ¡°Jynx, return to our side, and perform Calm Mind!¡± He really was going to take any advantage he could get. I huffed in annoyance as I tried to recall my pokemon only for it to not work. I clicked the pokeball again only to growl as the pokeball gave another warning blart. It was damaged? Will smiled at me. ¡°Looks like the feedback from my Mean Look caused your pokeball to be damaged¡­¡± He tilted his head coyly. ¡°So sorry about that!~¡± he turned his head to the side. ¡°Oh just to remind you, you only have a minute to replace your pokemon!¡± he said. Dennis coughed. ¡°Challenger Will, please leave that to me. I will have begun the count down!¡± he said sternly before shooting me an apologetic look. I merely snorted, having already toggled a button on the podium. ¡°Medical attention to the battlefield, medical attention to the battlefield,¡± I said, causing the doors that opened to the medical bay to slam open and for Chansey to sprint out looking deadly serious. She eyed Jynx and sniffed pointedly. Jynx reeled as though slapped. Chansey then swept onto the battlefield and dragged Tide¡¯s head down to her height, where she could quickly look him over. ¡°Chansey!¡± she said, slapping him with healing energy. While he shook his head, she darted around the side and gave him a hard shove. He cried out in surprise as he skidded off the battlefield, causing me to chuckle. Strength was the perfect move for Chansey to learn. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to you buddy,¡± I said gesturing for him to follow Chansey to the medical bay. He did so limply, obviously ashamed at his showing. He narrowed his eyes as he passed Jynx, who blew him a cheeky kiss. Tide didn''t rise to the bait and cause any more trouble, despite the provocation, instead leaving with his head down. I watched him go with a sour taste in my mouth and a pain in my chest. Nothing about the last minute and a half was what I would expect from a battle between two trainers of skill. Instead, it stunk of low, toxic cunning. With Tide out of sight, I flicked my eyes up and noted I had ten seconds left. That had been closer than I¡¯d like¡­ still, it was an eternity in a fight. I considered my next option. Will had struck back rather effectively just now, and he¡¯d shown this tactic in the past. I thought I would have scared him off with Don being such a savage. I considered the pokemon I had on my roster. They all potentially had that weakness to this Jynx with all of them being male. If I¡¯d chosen Selene, I would have a strong counter. But she¡¯d been tired and I wasn¡¯t confident she could bring her best. Right about now I was regretting that decision. Hindsight truly was twenty-twenty. If Bertha was healthy, she¡¯d have filled the gap and been an instant response. I hummed before grasping a pokeball. ¡°Go Knight!¡± I said, sending back out my Aggron. He appeared and shook his head causing a clacking of metal plates to rattle out. ¡°Attract!¡± Will said causing his Jynx to once again blow a kiss at my pokemon. ¡°Skip to the side and Stone Edge!¡± I countered quickly, causing Jynx to break off the smooch as Knight hopped to the side evading the kiss and unleashing a powerful Stone Edge at his foe. ¡°Focus Blast!¡± Will called making his pokemon punch forward and destroy the rock. ¡°Again,¡± I said more than happy to throw rocks at this problem. ¡°Psychic! Toss it back!¡± Will ordered with a chop of his hand. Jynx raised a hand and put the other to her head as pink energy built up around her, only to latch around the boulder hurtling towards her. The boulder slowed and then blew straight backward towards Knight. ¡°Leap to the side and sprint in close,¡± I ordered. Once again the attack from Jynx whiffed and I felt a spark of anticipation rising at how well Knight was doing. ¡°Mean Look, keep it on the field!¡± snapped Will as my pokemon began sprinting towards Jynx. Jynx shot a fierce look straight at Knight, but he merely growled and came on faster. With Jynx staring my pokemon down, I punched forward. ¡°DP while we¡¯re in close!¡± Knight once more exploded with dark energy that quickly expanded. Just as it was about to impact Jynx, Will shouted ¡°Icey retreat!¡± His Jynx then did an odd hop back, with an Ice Beam launching out of her hands and sending her sliding back over the muddy field. The Ice Beam didn¡¯t hit Knight, but rather allowed Jynx to toss herself out of the danger zone of Knight¡¯s Dark Pulse. It still clipped her and caused her to stumble when she landed. I frowned. Had he used a combo move there with Ice Beam and Telekinesis? I hadn¡¯t thought Jynx could learn that move. I shrugged the oddity off as just that, and reassessed the space between Knight and Jynx. ¡°Jynx! Sing for us!¡± Will said with a dramatic flourish. ¡°Metal Sound! Cancel it out!¡± I shouted at Knight. Knight opened his mouth in time with Jynx putting a hand on her breast. Jynx raised both hands like she was about to sing to the crowd, only to grin evilly and clap her hands together. Around Knight, a wave of mud shot from both sides and slammed into his face causing his eyes to be blinded and force him to spit out a wad of mud. I clicked my teeth in annoyance. Knight gagged slightly and then shook himself to get rid of as much mud as he could. ¡°Now give us a proper rendition of your song Jynx!¡± Will said delightedly. ¡°Stone Edge Two O¡¯clock!¡± I said, prompting Knight where to fire his move. He stopped trying to get the mud out of his eyes and fired off another powerful attack only for it to be slightly off-centre. Jynx swayed out of the way, her grin growing at the dodge even as she continued to sing. At first, I was afraid Knight was going to curl up and fall asleep after he got his eyes clear of the mud. It was only when the small hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up that I realised just how dangerous this trap was. This wasn¡¯t a simple Sing, but rather a Perish Song. ¡°Knight! Cut her off fast! Metal Sound again!¡± I said, cursing myself out for falling into Will¡¯s trap. He¡¯d set up another sequence of moves with that Mean Look of his. Only this time he¡¯d gone for something much more morbid and final. Knight screeched out his rage, but I suspected it would be too late. Will had suckered me into this, and I could only grimace. I hadn¡¯t been prepared for this sequence of events. I¡¯d gotten used to fighting Sabrina, and she didn¡¯t use these tricks like this. Will raised his pokeball grinning. ¡°Return Jynx,¡± he then hefted his pokeball for a moment. I scowled, really? He was going to weaken Knight through using the full minute he had? A number of people in the crowd worked out what he was doing and booed. I could only shoot Knight worried looks. ¡°Automize again, Knight,¡± I said, deciding to commit to speed. Will chuckled and shook his head like he knew something I didn¡¯t. I narrowed my eyes, assessing Knight as he shifted, waiting for the next pokemon to come out. I toyed with the return feature on the pokeball only for it to not He swayed a little at first, but when the minute came close to running out, he was swaying like a drunkard. I wanted to recall him then and there, but I wanted to give him one last shot to do some damage to Will. I needed to eke out everything I could from Knight. I could tell Knight felt the same way as there was a primal frustration in his glare while he watched the pokeball rise and fall as Will toyed with it. By this stage, most of the crowd were shouting at Will for his cheap tactics. I couldn¡¯t help but agree with them. I¡¯d underestimated Will¡¯s willingness to find a new level of low tactics. ¡°Five!¡± Dennis announced, giving Will a warning, raising a hand with fingers spread wide. He counted down, but when he reached two, Will tossed out his next pokemon. ¡°Go Slowking!¡± I blinked in surprise. Slowking? Will owned a Slowking? That was a truly rare pokemon! Sabrina and I had gotten her one thanks to my knowing to seek out the King¡¯s Rock and then escort her Slowpoke across the waters like the anime had done. Thanks to my family¡¯s knowledge and my investigations of Mt Silver I¡¯d been able to remember the lake that featured both the King¡¯s Rock and the shellder needed to evolve Slowpoke. I hadn¡¯t expected to see this from Will. None of Will¡¯s profiled matches registered him as owning this pokemon. I wanted to glare in Mayor Jonathan¡¯s direction. Perhaps some strings had been pulled for him to get this pokemon? I shook it off, if anything, this worked in my favour. Slowking was strong but notoriously slow to react. ¡°Knight! GO!¡± I shouted unleashing him upon the unwary Slowking. The crowd, knowing this call, roared their approval as Knight lurched forward a single step. Then he took another, almost an instant later. Then he was sprinting and in almost the blink of an eye, he was lunging head first at Slowking who blinked slowly. ¡°Rest, then Sleep Talk,¡± Will shouted just as his pokemon was launched across the field. Slowking slammed into the barrier behind Will, only to slide to the ground. Knight buckled to one knee and heaved in huge lungfuls of air as the Perish Song took its toll on him. Slowking idly trotted from where it¡¯d been knocked. It reached the battlefield and stepped over the line before its eyes glowed and it floated up into a restful slumber. The sleeping pokemon then convulsed as though it was only just registering the impact from Knight¡¯s Giga Impact. I could only stare. That had to be a highly specialised move set up and trained into Slowking. It used Slowking¡¯s natural¡­ slow reactions and flipped them into an advantage.It was brilliant but I could only wonder at how many times it would have needed to be knocked out to learn it. It was similar to the sort of training I was having Clefairy endure to learn Healing Wish without fainting. Only Slowking would have to be subjected to outside damage. Knight slid further into the ground, staring in disbelief at his foe. ¡°DP now!¡± I shouted at Knight. I could see Knight was trying; a flicker of dark energy built up but having just used Giga Impact, he was too exhausted to act quickly. Instead, he slumped onto the ground, his energy spent from the Perish song as Slowking yawned and a blue cube of psychic energy built up in its hands. A moment later, the cube expanded to encapsulate all of the battlefield. I could only shake my head. Will had just weaponised Slowking¡¯s notoriously slow responses to being hit and registering pain to preload Rest into a Sleep Talk, into a Trick Room. I¡¯d have applauded him if he wasn¡¯t a scum sucker. I raised my pokeball to return him but the Mean Look was still stopping the pokeball from allowing it to occur. I stared dumbly, pressing the button to recall Knight. It didn¡¯t even blart a warning instead the button limply triggered without responding. That¡­ shouldn¡¯t have been the case? I hadn¡¯t had Knight¡¯s recall disrupted as I had with Tide. It shouldn¡¯t be broken at all. Pokeballs were incredibly sturdy things. I¡¯d never considered how dangerous a move like Mean Look really could be until now. I hit the button to call out Chansey again only to look up. Will watched me, and despite the mask, I couldn¡¯t help but think he was watching me hungrily. I felt my mind speed up as the implications suddenly piled up. He¡¯d planned for this too. He knew I would try to eke out everything I could after Tide¡¯s poor showing. He¡¯d sent out Slowking with my pokemon having to commit an all-or-nothing gambit with how Knight was on his last legs due to Perish Song. It hadn¡¯t just been my pokemon he was scoping out, but also me. Knowing how I might react to certain situations. I felt unclean knowing a person like Will had pored over everything he could find about me. I didn¡¯t need Future Sight to know that he expected me to be penalised for not sending out my next pokemon within a minute. A minute should have been an eternity in a pokemon match. I don¡¯t think the League had ever considered that a specialised Mean Look and Trick Room would impact the minute restriction when they¡¯d written the rule. Every thirty seconds after the initial sixty caused increased penalties to the offending trainer. I found a new depth of hate for Will at that moment. I knew what Will was expecting to happen, his eyes turning to Chansey, a pokemon that would be impacted by the Trick Room, making it slower than Slowking. I wasn¡¯t going to let it play out that way however. ¡°Chansey! Stop!¡± I said. She skidded to a halt on the side of the battlefield and glanced at the Trick Room. A murmur of confusion went through the crowd at my actions. They¡¯d seen what was going on and knew I had to get Knight off the field. Instead of relying on Chansey though, I leapt onto the battlefield. I felt the Trick Room settle about me, and I made sure to move slowly but inexorably forward. I was not a pokemon, and while I had aura, it was nothing compared to a pokemon. The Trick room just couldn¡¯t settle on me to make me slower. That didn¡¯t mean I could rush, much to my annoyance. It was all too easy to call up my dark energy. All I had to do was think about all the cheap, outright dirty methods that Will had used. This was merely the latest indignity he¡¯d laid at my feet. My darkness rose higher as I remembered his appearance at the police station. I moved quickly through the Trick Room with my dark energies cutting through it. Will said something mockingly to me, but I didn¡¯t register it. I focused on getting Knight to help. I stepped up to Knight, making doubly sure to be careful as I put my arms underneath his frame. I knelt and drew on my Rock energy, then, in one mighty heave, I lifted. The crowd gasped in shock as Knight was cradled in my arms like a giant sleeping babe. He was probably lighter than normal thanks to Automize, but that wouldn¡¯t have mattered. I wasn¡¯t going to leave him out here. I felt his horn dig into my shoulder as he settled, but I ignored it beyond noting that his head was somewhat supported. I carried him off the field and deposited him on a trolley that Chansey had brought out. She shot me a nod with a lookover. Then she turned and wheeled Knight away. The crowd rose and clapped, cheering how I¡¯d carried my pokemon off the battlefield. I turned my head and glared at Will. He swallowed, stepping back slightly only to shake his head and glance at the clock which was now red and counting upwards. He turned his gaze to Dennis. ¡°I note that it is now over s-sixty seconds?¡± The crowd that had been applauding me stopped in shock. ¡°You cheating fuck!¡± someone screamed, I suspected Flannery but her voice was lost in the sudden tidal wave of shouts and screams that rose from the crowd. A cacophony of disbelief joined in. Disbelief quickly turned into hate. Part of me delighted in how Mayor Jonathan sank into his seat. He¡¯d burnt bridges with how he¡¯d acted before but now Will was making sure the roads and towns that the bridges had used were being vandalised, salted and signed in his name. The public were being roused into action by how this match was playing out, and I could see Jonathan¡¯s goodwill evaporate before my eyes. He¡¯d never be able to recover from this. Dennis shifted and his eye twitched before he croaked out his response. ¡°The rules¡­ are clear despite this being a highly unprecedented situation. Gym Leader Brock is to allow Will to perform a single move uncontested.¡± I nodded to him. I knew it killed him, but he was making the correct call. This was a match being televised, and that meant that while Will¡¯s antics were being broadcast, so too was our following of the rules. I nodded to Dennis, respecting that he was being forced to make an insanely tough call. I knew I could trust Dennis to be fair. The world would know it now. Fairness sadly meant that sometimes he couldn¡¯t side with me despite the morality of the situation. I ran my hands over my pokebelt and checked the countdown. I was now fifteen seconds over my limit due to picking up Knight myself and handing him to Chansey. If it had reached a minute and a half, I would have had to forfeit an entire pokemon. I grunted and marched towards my podium, on the way I tossed Shrek into the middle of the field. With this being a muddy field, he¡¯d be in his element. Will drummed his fingers on his chin in faux thought as I jumped atop my podium to glower at him. ¡±Psychic field,¡± Will ordered to his now awake Slowking. It quickly set about covering the entire field in psychic energy. Shrek shifted back and forth. The move itself was extremely slow in establishing itself, and I had to scoff. There was no way he¡¯d have been able to use this normally. If Will hadn¡¯t been able to set up that sequence of moves, allowing him to make the free move without reprisal, I¡¯d have punished him heavily. I flicked my eyes over his Slowking. Unless he¡¯d been planning to sacrifice Slowking from the start? What had been his plan, the sequence of moves or the sacrifice play? I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck as Dennis raised flags in readiness to restart the match. Tide and Knight were now down, mostly thanks to a Jynx that Will could still bring out as he desired. That was a looming threat, and I didn¡¯t doubt he had more. On my side of the equation, I¡¯d only taken out his Starmie. He knew about Gawain now, which left Titan, Jormungandr, and Shrek to carry the day. The match was very much not going to plan, but that wasn¡¯t unusual. You couldn¡¯t be a pokemon trainer and not get tripped up occasionally. I cracked my neck from side to side. If Will wanted a match, I¡¯d damn well give him one. Dennis dropped the flags, and the match was back on, my dark energy rising without a thought. Time to make Will bleed. Chapter 134 - Brock v Will part 3 ¡°Shrek, Dig!¡± I ordered, eyeing the distance that divided Slowking and him. Trying to sprint across it wouldn¡¯t work, especially with Trick Room in effect. I could also have him do a dogged advance, but that wouldn¡¯t work as well for me. Instead, I was going to bet on something else happening. ¡°Calm Mind,¡± said Will merrily, with his pokemon acting quickly under the Trick Room effect. Shrek burrowed down, slower than I¡¯d ever seen him dig. Will flicked a finger. ¡°Another!¡± he said, causing his pokemon to repeat the move. He then raised a pokeball. ¡°Change!¡± he ordered, his pokemon vanishing in a red beam of energy as another pokemon popped forward to where Slowking had been. ¡°Exeggutor!¡± said the grass-psychic type. I frowned, Will had chosen a pokemon once again that was slower than my pokemon, allowing it to make the most of the Trick Room still in play. But that wasn¡¯t what had me worried. Slowking as a species should not know Baton Pass, and that wasn¡¯t how Ally Switch was supposed to work. I was certain of that. I had trained with Sabrina enough to know this. If this was a doubles battle, that would work, but it should have been a Baton Pass to get a pokemon out of a pokeball. Unless¡­ I flicked my eyes around the field at the rectangular space that encompassed the battlefield. Was this a Psychic Terrain interaction? I had to shrug it off due to not knowing enough about how it worked, and instead focus on what was about to happen. Shrek emerged to meet an Exeggutor with his maw glowing with Bite. His Bite sank into Exeggutor¡¯s body, and the palm tree pokemon shouted in surprise at the attack. The Trick Room faltered and then collapsed into itself a moment later, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°Exeggutor! Use Wood Hammer!¡± shouted Will, causing his pokemon to lunge forward with a glowing green leg seeking to kick Shrek in the face. ¡°Dip! Low Kick!¡± I shouted. Shrek crouched on all fours and had the attack sail over his head. He then lashed out with his own kick at Exeggutor¡¯s other leg, causing the pokemon to buckle and topple like a tree that had been cut by an expert woodsman. It wasn¡¯t down for long, however, as before it hit the ground, its heads glowed blue, and it levitated itself back up onto its feet. I clicked my tongue. Was this Psychic field coming into play and making it stronger? ¡°Uppercut IP!¡± I barked out. Shrek surged up sending Exeggutor flying with an Ice Punch between the legs. Exeggutor got up with a shivering snarl, and Shrek responded with a loud ribbit that caused his neck to inflate. He¡¯d just one-two¡¯d Will¡¯s pokemon and obviously thrown down a taunt. ¡°Control yourself!¡± Will snapped before chopping down. ¡°Use Leaf Storm!¡± ¡°Dig low!¡± I shouted, causing Shrek to dip into the ground underneath the attack before bobbing up quickly in another position just as Will started to give another order. ¡°Use Earth¡ª¡± He cut himself off just in time. ¡°No! Disable!¡± he shouted. ¡°Bulk Up!¡± I ordered quickly. Shrek started flexing, only for the move to be Disabled. Will clicked his tongue, and I smirked. He wasn¡¯t getting my pokemon¡¯s mobility move that easily. And even if he did, I had another option. ¡°Use Leaf Storm!¡± Will barked frustratedly, only for my pokemon to dip into the ground and then back out. ¡°Dig mid,¡± I said, giving a slightly different order from last time. ¡°Tch! Use Future Sight!¡± he barked, causing his pokemon¡¯s eyes to all glow as Shrek popped back up. ¡°Seed Bomb!¡± Will said as his own eyes glowed slightly, making me know some sort of trick was afoot. Exeggutor unleashed a barrage of Seed Bombs but its attacks arced up high. They¡¯d be very slow with an arc like that, I thought to myself. ¡°Ice Beam on him,¡± I ordered, deciding to punish the slow attack. Shrek unleashed a powerful blast with a large white-blue beam of energy. ¡°Let the main head drive! Sidestep!!¡± Will ordered as most of his pokemon¡¯s heads looked up at the now-falling Seed Bombs. The front head, a dopey-looking face, smiled wider and seemed to focus on moving the main body. ¡°Arc the beam to the side!¡± I ordered Shrek, who did as commanded. Wil grasped a hand up at the falling Seed Bombs. ¡°Use Psychic and hurl those at your foe!¡± ¡°Break off!¡± I said to Shrek, causing him to stop chasing the furiously sprinting Exeggutor and instead focus upwards. I considered blasting them out of the air for a moment before discarding that idea. ¡°Protect!¡± I shouted, causing Shrek to hunker down as Seed Bombs dropped right on him. Or rather, around him. I blinked in surprise and shot a look at Will who was grinning. ¡°Boom!¡± he said theatrically as all the Seed Bombs detonated as one. Shrek¡¯s Protective shell was rocked back and forth, and I wasn¡¯t surprised when the smoke cleared to see him slightly dirty from being shaken about. While the attack didn¡¯t get through, it did rattle the cage. I opened my mouth to give an order, only for a final Seed bomb that Will must have been keeping in reserve to slam into Shrek and detonate. Shrek croaked in pain but stood strong, his gaze focused on the now smirking Exeggutor. I clicked my tongue; had that been his Future Sight coming into effect? ¡°Surf!¡± I said much to the confusion of the crowd. I could hear more than a few people point out that water-type moves were not very good against grass-types. Will merely narrowed his eyes. ¡°Use Seed Bomb again!¡± Shrek didn¡¯t hesitate, however, and instead leapt backwards onto a rapidly forming wave. He hunkered down as the wave built up. ¡°Slide like Suzie and use Ice Beam!¡± I said cryptically. Shrek understood the reference and nodded. When the wave rose up high, he let himself slide back first over the wave, like Suzie would do at the playground, before firing off his Ice Beam directly into the wave. It froze, only for Will to hurl Seed Bombs at it. ¡°Ice Punch!¡± I said. Shrek slammed his fist into the now-frozen wave as it exploded across multiple points. The punch blasted a wave of ice blocks forward. Ice rained down and began to fall onto Exeggutor. ¡°Psychic!¡± Will ordered. His pokemon glared up at the threatening ice wave and grasped it telekinetically to catch it in the air. Then he shifted it to the sides. When it was out of danger, it let the ice blocks smash into the ground. When he did so, the field that had been glowing to signify Psychic Field flickered and collapsed. I couldn¡¯t help but frown. Damn, that move had hung around for a long time. I did not want to let Slowking set that up again. I considered ordering Shrek to repeat the Surf and Ice Beam combination but decided against it after a moment. He¡¯d been working through a variety of moves and was now looking rather tired. I knew I could push on with him, but I wasn¡¯t sure that was the best move right now. I had a rather good option for Exeggutor on my team, however. ¡°Shrek return! You¡¯ve done great! Rest for now!¡± I pulled him out quickly and mentally noted that I¡¯d used three returns so far to Will¡¯s two, with his ¡­ Baton Pass? ¡°Move side to side with one head! The rest of you! Use Sunny Day!¡± His pokemon began darting back and forth as a small orb of fire rose up and shone harshly down. The mud that had built up started to steam and dry up, forming odd pockets of restricted vision. ¡°Go Gawain!¡± I shouted, sending out my Kleavor once again. He buzzed angrily and shifted from foot to foot before locking eyes with Exeggutor. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± shouted Will ¡°Agility!¡± I barked, causing my pokemon to leap into action. ¡°Teeter around!¡± ordered Will, making his pokemon stand on one leg and pirouette. ¡°Dart into the steam clouds!¡± I shouted. Gawain dropped out of sight even more as he sprinted into the steam and then around the teetering tree. I eyed Exeggutor for a moment before punching forward. ¡°Now! X-Scissor!¡± ¡°Use Hypnosis! All heads!¡± Will ordered to counter. From all the heads, a small series of waves radiated out and caught Gawain as he sprinted in with his axes upraised. I grimaced. Will had really taken the multiple heads and stretched them for all it was worth, hadn¡¯t he? How had he done that with so many pokemon? That was a Jynx, a Slowking, and now an Exeggutor with specialised skills. That was insane. Part of me wanted to deny it; he must have gotten the pokemon from a backer with deep pockets. The only other option was that¡­ he was a damn good trainer with the skills to train pokemon like that? It was much more palatable that he had a deep-pocketed backer. With the tactics he¡¯d used so far, I felt like I¡¯d spit blood if I were to ever acknowledge Will¡¯s abilities as a trainer. I was stunned at what happened next. Gawain, who¡¯d run face-first into the Hynopsis thanks to my poor orders and Will¡¯s trap, leapt instead of allowing himself to fall asleep. His axes were held in front of him, with Bug energy crawling over them. He slammed into Exeggutor and sent the larger pokemon soaring back. ¡°Yes! Nicely done, Gawain!¡± I shouted. That had been entirely due to his good instincts and the weapons training he¡¯d practised. He¡¯d kept his axes up, and that had made all the difference to allow him one move before he fell asleep. ¡°Synthesis! Now!¡± shrieked Will in surprise as his pokemon struggled. I could see a few heads of the Exeggutor shutting their eyes only for one to flinch slightly and glow green. I grimaced as, under the Sunny Day effect, Exeggutor regained a serious part of his health. Gawain staggered and snored, his eyes falling shut as his Axes fell to the ground. ¡°Damn it! WAKE UP BUDDY!¡± I shouted feeling a small hope for him to die. Gawain shook himself then and opened his eyes, stunning me. He raised his Axes and brandished them. ¡°Klea! Vor!!¡± he shouted. ¡°Yes!¡± I shouted in glee and I thought I heard a good number of younger voices also take up the cry with me. I could imagine a swarm of Bug Catchers trainers had joined in shouting for Gawain to wake up. Will clicked his tongue and eyed the now ready-to-fight Kleavor before him. ¡°Exeggutor! Return!¡± shouted Will, not willing to back himself. ¡°Swords Dance!¡± I ordered for Gawain, making the most of the pause for my pokemon to buff himself up. He nodded and flicked his axes about in readiness for his next opponent as I assessed him. He was still a bit tired, but he seemed nothing but determined right now. Three returns to three now I nodded, deciding to keep him out and fighting. ¡°Go Jynx!¡± Will called as he released a pokemon I was looking forward to putting in the ground. ¡°Future Sight,¡± was the first move he called for. I knew that would take a while to work, so I punched forward. ¡°Finish her with X-Scissor!¡± Kleavor leapt to the side, only for Jynx¡¯s eyes to glow and for her to perform a fast hop to the side. ¡°Ha! Nice try Brock! My pokemon is forewarned of your pokemon¡¯s strongest moves!¡± Will crowed. I held back the urge to point out how cliche it was for a villain to spout lines like that. Will was obviously feeling pretty strong in himself with how his pokemon had evaded my attack. I tilted my head. ¡°In that case, Stone Axe. Get close and hit her in her¡ª¡± I was going to say mouth but Kleavor accelerated forward and slammed an axe into her throat. If Jynx was weaker, I expect there would have been another emergency call out for Chansey with a critical case. Instead, it lifted Jynx off the ground and threw her backwards. She landed and rose up gasping and wheezing with her hand clutching her throat. ¡°Yeah! Right in her throat!¡± cheered what I suspected was Flannery once again. ¡°Hit her again!¡± she cried before the crowd could overwhelm her voice with their own noise. ¡°Finish he¡ª¡± I cried out only for Will to make a gesture and for Jynx to vanish. And another pokemon to take her place. Jynx once again escaped her fate, clinging on as she vanished in a flash of red with another pokemon that Will had the pokeball raised up for. He must have used¡­ I tilted my head and scowled. How the hell had he done that? It wasn¡¯t like I could call him out on a move that shouldn¡¯t work, because it obviously had worked. Something fishy was going down here. I huffed in annoyance; this trend of Will just barely hanging on with his pokemon was getting frustrating. I was whittling down at Will¡¯s pokemon but he was just clinging in there to stop me from getting that knockout blow. I¡¯d been able to surprise him more than a few times, but apart from Starmie, he hadn¡¯t allowed me that same solid hit on any of his pokemon. Some of the blows my pokemon had dished out should have landed or hit a bit harder, I felt, but it might again be a sign of how good the pokemon I was facing actually were. I was honestly surprised that Gawain hadn¡¯t finished Jynx. Still, I shook it off. Now was not the time to focus on that. In Jynx¡¯s place, Medicham appeared and had to throw itself out of the way of Gawain¡¯s axes, only to then take a barrage of Stealth Rocks. As it flinched, I pushed for more, smelling blood. ¡°X-scissor!¡± I barked, causing Gawain to shoot forward and slam both axes into Medicham. Medicham was thrown back, only to bounce back into the fight. My eyes narrowed as I noticed that its left arm was hanging limply. That last hit had done some serious damage, but Will was not going to recall his pokemon? If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Again X-scissor!¡± Gawain blurred into action again. By now, all the puddles had dried up, and the field was looking arid as the Sunny Day started to flicker and die. ¡°Hold for it!¡± ordered Will, his hand upraised. Medicham didn¡¯t bounce so much as sway drunkenly from foot to foot, its eyes darting about as it waited for Gawain to close. ¡°Close i¡ª¡± I started to order, only for Gawain to cry out as he stumbled and had to catch himself. I scowled. Was that Jynx¡¯s earlier Future Sight coming into play or something else? ¡°Recover!¡± Will said gleefully, making the most of the flinch from Gawain to see his pokemon back to better health. ¡°Close again!¡± I ordered. Gawain leapt forward and repeated the start of the match with himself and Medicham trading attacks; both weaved and dodged but it was slower now, both pokemon were tired. A Stone Axe slammed into Medicham and I leaned forward, knowing the moment was close. ¡°Take Down!¡± Will barked, making his pokemon throw itself into a reckless charge, slamming itself forward into Gawain. Gawain was thrown back but it wasn¡¯t that effective. Gawain heaved in air and glared standing straight as his opponent stumbled. Gawain started to step forward, anticipating the finish of this extended exchange. ¡°Force Palm!¡± screamed Will. ¡°Protect!¡± I shouted to Gawain, only for him to struggle to raise his axes. He took the Force Palm head-on and was tossed back, resulting in my third pokemon going down. I exhaled in annoyance. That had been damn close. Will exhaled shakily in relief. He knew it as well; if Gawain¡¯s Protect hadn¡¯t failed¡­ I¡¯d have been able to take that match. Instead, I was raising Gawain¡¯s pokeball and recalling him. ¡°That was damn well fought, Gawain. I think you won a lot of fans today,¡± I said as I returned him to his pokeball. I checked the field, considered it for a moment, and replayed how this exchange had gone the last time I¡¯d replaced a pokemon against Medicham. He¡¯d had to back down against Knight. I smirked and selected my next big metal pokemon.
Gary chewed his lip as, next to him, Mia bounced in her seat. ¡°I¡¯m not liking this, Gary!¡± she said. She then shot to her feet. ¡°Come on BROCK!¡± she shouted along with over half the stadium. All around the stands, people were cheering Brock and Gawain on. Gary watched, taking it all in. He was amazed at how strong these pokemon were, what¡¯s more, they were so precise in their movements. That first thirty seconds of the fight alone had been incredible! He¡¯d never seen a technical fight that had him on the edge of his seat like that! ¡°He¡¯s gonna be fine!¡± Gary said coolly, arms crossed and not at all twitching as he resisted the urge to join Mia in standing and cheering. He instead flicked his gaze over the others he found himself sitting with. Mia had pulled some strings by being a sponsored trainer, and walked up to the front desk only to get ushered through by some old woman while others watched on enviously. They had no tickets, and yet they found themselves sitting in the trainer box with the true VIPs. ¡°Well said, Gary,¡± Gym Leader Erika said from her seat along the row. ¡°It¡¯s not fine!¡± wailed Mia. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t Jackson, or Missy, or Rocko or anyone else but Dennis be the ref! They wouldn¡¯t have allowed the baloney that Will is pulling off!¡± ¡°Dennis made the right call,¡± Gym Leader Sabrina said from next to Erika. ¡°It is a technical gap in the rules that has never been documented before. I suspect the League will be closing that gap. This is the first time a high profile match has ever exhibited it. It has very negative connotations if you need to use it¡­ but it does nothing for us here and now, sadly.¡± ¡°Urgh! Sabrina! You¡¯re supposed to be more angry!¡± Mia said with a whine. Sabrina glanced at them, and Gary shivered at the intensity of her gaze. ¡°I am quite furious, I assure you.¡± Mia hastily nodded and cuddled up to Silly Mouse, who had rolled onto his back, his feet in the air, in a clear sign of supplication to Sabrina. Sabrina shut her eyes and exhaled before opening her eyes, her expression softened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to intimidate you.¡± ¡°N-no worries,¡± said Mia quickly. Gary nodded along before tilting his head as he replayed the match so far in his head. ¡°Go Jormungandr!¡± shouted Brock on the field as he released his fourth pokemon. Gary chewed his lip. ¡°Does it seem like Will still has a plan for that Jynx, Slowking, and Exeggutor? He pulled them out pretty fast when they got threatened¡­¡± Erika frowned. ¡°He obviously doesn¡¯t want to lose them; they¡¯re strong pokemon with good type advantages. Especially Exeggutor with his grass-typing. He did well to stall out Brock¡¯s Swampert.¡± The battlefield rumbled as Brock and Will¡¯s pokemon exchanged blows. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°If anything, Brock stalled out Exeggutor. He was wearing it down and forcing it to use a lot of its moves. It will be very tired when it returns to the field.¡± Erika nodded. ¡°I suppose. Exeggutor is a strong pokemon. Those Seed Bombs with Psychic are rather devastating.¡± She tapped her fingers together. ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered using them together like that.¡± Mia scoffed, annoyed that they were praising Will. Gary kept his ears open though; if Gym leaders were praising the combination, it had to be good. Exeggutor was proving to be a pokemon he was suddenly much more interested in looking into. He¡¯d need to plan a trip to the Safari Zone soon, if he wanted it ready for the end of the circuit. Sabrina narrowed her eyes and gestured at the field ¡°The choice of using his¡­ penalty move,¡± oh, and how she spat that word, ¡°on Psychic Terrain itself is an interesting tactic. If he hadn¡¯t been allowed a free move, I believe that Slowking would have to be sacrificed to achieve the same effect,¡± murmured Sabrina. She stared down. ¡°He has also used moves such as Ally Switch in a manner that is not how it traditionally works¡­¡± Greta perked up. ¡°That was Ally Switch? I thought it was Baton Pass?¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°That was not Baton Pass. It was very similar, but also wrong with how it felt to my senses¡­ but it still worked." Sabrina narrowed her eyes at the match. ¡°Which is extremely vexing as I can¡¯t put my finger on why it is working.¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Regardless, Baton Pass isn¡¯t something those pokemon can learn¡­¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Flannery said. ¡°He¡¯s cheating?¡± Sabrina twitched. ¡°I can¡¯t find anything that proves that he is. His moves are working despite themselves, which isn¡¯t cheating. His pokemon¡¯s moves simply raise questions. Lots of questions.¡± ¡°Like that Mean Look,¡± Roxanne said. ¡°Indeed,¡± Sabrina said, her head bobbing up and down. ¡°Mean Look typically stops impacting pokemon once they are passed out. Their energy paths become placid, and Mean Look shouldn¡¯t impact a pokeball¡¯s return. Will must have trained his pokemon to cause that effect.¡± ¡°The pokeball company isn¡¯t going to like Will,¡± Erika said. Gary blinked and turned his head toward the Celadon Gym Leader. He wasn¡¯t alone in his confusion. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± asked Roxanne. Erika indicated the field. ¡°Brock¡¯s pokeballs look faulty. Something that usually never occurs on live television unless they are poorly maintained. Lots of people got a very good look at Brock¡¯s pokeballs and they were well-maintained without any scuffs. It will look like an error that they have in their pokeballs which Will is exploiting, resulting in Brock losing those pokemon like he did.¡± That caused a stir among the listening trainers. Gary swallowed. ¡°Is it that big a deal that he trained his Jynx specifically to cause that?¡± Erika bobbed her head up and down. ¡°Oh certainly; people are already talking about it on the pokenet,¡± Erika said, raising up her transceiver and showing what looked like a pokenet forum discussing the match so far. Sabrina smiled at Erika and opened her mouth to speak, only to stiffen. She stood, her head snapping back and forth around the area. Her expression caused Gary the most concern so far. She looked worried. It made him wonder, what could make a Gym Leader worried? Erika glanced back at her. ¡°Sabrina?¡± When Sabrina didn¡¯t answer, she shot Jackson and the others a worried look. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed, and she began to slowly look around. ¡°Something is wrong¡­ I¡­¡± She looked worried. ¡°I¡¯m not sure now.¡± Jackson hummed and stood. ¡°I¡¯ll do a sweep with some others.¡± He tapped two other Gym trainers and nodded. ¡°Check the crowd for any Psychic or Ghost pokemon that are out of their pokeballs,¡± he ordered the trainers. Brawly stood and said, ¡°Can I help out? I might specialise in Fighting types, but I have some tricks for Ghost and Psychic pokemon.¡± Jackson nodded. ¡°Walk with me; two sets of eyes are better than one.¡± Mia jostled Gary, and he shot her a surprised look as she stood up. ¡°We¡¯ll help as well!¡± Jackson nodded. ¡°Stay here and keep an eye from this angle. Missy, you¡¯ve got a radio. If Sabrina detects anything else, radio us.¡± The purple-haired older girl nodded thoughtfully, her eyes sweeping the arena. Gary watched them go with a frown. They were taking Sabrina¡¯s comment awfully seriously. Scarily seriously. He glanced at the Saffron Gym Leader. She seemed like a no-nonsense type. She was known as one of the best Psychic trainers around. For both training pokemon, and personal prowess. Gary had checked the pokenet forum about her, and it was littered with people debating her skills. Trainers that worked at her Gym raved about her insight and skills at leading them with even the smallest gesture, or being an extremely powerful psychic. Rumour had it that she could lift a Snorlax with her mind! So, perhaps a small comment from her was actually a huge deal? Gary swept his eyes over the crowd before snapping back to the battlefield as another pokemon hit the ground, causing Mia and everyone in the arena to shoot to their feet and shout. Gary inspected both of the trainers on the field. They no longer smiled. Both of them bore serious expressions that merely showed how close this match had become.
Johnny of Chapter House Six lit a candle. He and the rest of the boys that made up Chapter House Six of the Bug Catcher Club clapped their hands in thanks. Brock might be a Rockie, one of the natural enemies of Johnny¡¯s kind, but with his newest pokemon, he¡¯d shown the entire world the strength of Bug Types. No longer would other kids mock them in school! Their parents would stop badgering them to look into proper pokemon. Girls might even¡­ Johnny coughed. Yeah, that was a bit of a stretch. Most of the girls hated bugs. Or at least the ones he talked to about it did. They always had a look on their faces when he talked about the cool pinchers and beady eyes that bugs had. ¡°All those in favour of inviting Gym Leader Brock to our Chapter house?¡± he said to the other members of Chapter House Six. ¡°Aye!¡± the other five club members said. One boy raised his hand. Johnny drew himself up and nodded seriously. ¡°Yes, visiting member Bugsy?¡± he said, making sure to emphasise that the boy wasn¡¯t part of their clubhouse. Johnny wouldn¡¯t deny him entry to the clubhouse; he was a sworn-in member of the International Bug Catcher Club. He was also whispered about as a possible Gym Trainer of Azalea Town! Johnny didn¡¯t believe that! It sort of sounded like Wallace¡¯s claim of having a girlfriend who liked bugs but lived in Cerulean. If that wasn¡¯t a lie, Johnny was a Mankey¡¯s uncle! Bugsy coughed into his fist. ¡°Ah! Chapter Leader Johnny! Can we not¡­ just go up to talk to Brock?¡± Johnny shook his head and adopted his ¡®kind boss¡¯ pose number six as he crossed his legs and raised his Caterpie up to scratch behind its antennae as she liked. ¡°Ah, one does not simply walk into the Pewter Gym!¡± he said. Bugsy tilted his head. ¡°But¡­ I did that last week to book a match?¡± he said. Johnny blanched but recovered quickly ¡°For non-gym purposes! You can¡¯t just walk up to him about his Elite pokemon!¡± Bugsy nodded slowly, understanding Johnny¡¯s true brilliance. ¡°Right! I¡¯ll ask him after our match!¡± he said, clenching his fists. Bugsy then levelled a megawatt smile at the rest of the group. ¡°Want to come to watch my match? Then we can see it together if he says yes!¡± This caused a stir, and Johnny had to force down a scowl. Damn trainers from Johto! Coming around and stealing his cool points! He accepted, as leader of the group, and then directed their attention back to the match. Maybe Will might use something like a Venomoth. They were cool bug pokemon that had strong Psychic powers. It was a shame that Brock didn¡¯t have another bug-rock pokemon¡­ that would be cool. But there were no chances of that. Nope! Zero! Johnny was about to suggest that Venomoth might be one of Will¡¯s pokemon but before he could, the door to the Clubhouse opened. ¡°Hello boys! Enjoying the match?¡± said his mother with a cheery smile. Johnny slumped. ¡°Muuuuuuuuuuum! We¡¯re having a Clubhouse meeting; you can¡¯t just come in!¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said his mother, obviously stumped at being called out on entering the baseme¡ªClubhouse! The other boys nodded firmly at this, while Bugsy smiled sheepishly and waved at his mother. His mother shifted. ¡°Does that mean you don¡¯t want any snacks?¡± She proffered a tray of snacks that had been arranged into a Beedrill arrangement. Oh wow, it smelled amazing, and were those chocolate chip cookies? His mother beamed as the other members betrayed their leader and invited her in. She happily trotted in and sat with them, with Caterpie leaping out of his hands to cuddle with his mother. The traitor! Johnny sighed and bit into his snack, his eyes turning back to watch the next exchange of blows.
¡°Go Jormungandr!¡± I shouted as I released my Steelix. Jorm came out with a roar, and he swept his gaze around to lock it onto his foe. When he spotted the Medicham, he snarled from deep within his throat, causing the ground to rumble. Will leaned back to assess the new threat. ¡°You can take him Medicham,¡± he said. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Rock Slide,¡± I said Jorm responded by whipping his tail about, dragging it through the ground, and hurling the broken rocks like a rolling avalanche towards Medicham. ¡°Dance over it!¡± was the reply, with Medicham sprinting towards the attack. Then it jumped, dancing with light feet over the top of the Rock Slide like it was merely a wobble on the floor rather than an actual threat. ¡°Crunch straight forward,¡± I said, making sure to enunciate the command clearly. Jormungandr heard me and leapt forward with fangs glowing with darkness, just like we¡¯d practised. ¡°Force Palm!¡± ordered Will as his pokemon closed. Just as it was about to land, a hand cocked back to fire off, only for Jorm to not shoot straight at him but rather right in front of the Medicham. The earth cratered at the impact as Jorm dug his head straight into the ground, anchoring himself. Then he shook himself like a wet Growlithe, causing the earth to tremble underneath him and shake. It wasn¡¯t a true earthquake, but it was enough to make Medicham stumble instead of landing cleanly. The third part of the attack sequence then came into effect. With Jorm¡¯s head stuck in the ground, his tail could become a whip. He swept it around in a tightly controlled arc, glowing with silvery steel energy. ¡°Jump!¡± barked Will, only for his pokemon to not be able to leap as high as he normally would. In most scenarios, a fighting type closing with a Steelix would see them taking the advantage, but I¡¯d seen how Medciham reacted when he didn¡¯t have good footing. It might have even been why Will didn¡¯t bring Medicham out while the ground was slick with mud. With that weakness revealed, it became all too clear what I needed to do with Will¡¯s pokemon. With its leap not as strong as usual, Jormungandr¡¯s tail whipped around and swatted Medicham out of the air. Medicham tumbled when he landed and struggled to rise up. ¡°Recover now!¡± Will ordered quickly. Jorm raised his head and, in doing so, broke off a large chunk of rock from the battlefield, causing craters to form from where he¡¯d gouged with his head. With the rock blocking his field of view, he couldn¡¯t tell where Medicham was. Thankfully, this was where I came in. ¡°Stone Edge, two o¡¯clock!¡± I said. Jorm reacted instantly, his rock energy grasping the easiest rock and launching it straight at Medicham, who was still sinking into a meditative pose. Its eyes widened as the boulder slammed into it. When the dust settled, it revealed Medicham slumped against the back wall as the barriers that protected the crowd flickered and strained. Dennis raised a flag. ¡°Medicham is unable to battle!¡± I nodded. Two down. That left Jynx, Slowking, Exeggutor, and one other to play. The first three pokemon were all worn down as well. I eyed Jormungandr and noticed how he rippled and flexed his segments. Of my pokemon Titan and Jormungandr were still fresh, while Shrek was winded but by no means fatigued. I nodded. I could do this. I had setbacks, but now I had the chance to claw this back. Will returned his pokemon and drummed his fingers on his pokebelt. Then he clasped a pokeball at the front and nodded at me. ¡°Go Alakazam!¡± he shouted. I leaned forward, knowing he¡¯d just sent out his ace. I once again relaxed when I noted the lack of jewellery about the Alakazam¡¯s body. With this pokemon sent out, Will had revealed his last pokemon. Now things were locked in, and we were in the endgame. The few Stealth Rocks I had around once again lashed out and peppered Alakazam¡¯s form, only for it to shake its head in annoyance. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I said, giving the order and trying to make the most of the momentary lapse that came with every new pokemon Will sent out. ¡°Psychic!¡± Will barked. His pokemon raised its spoons and grabbed the Stone Edge before it could cross half the distance. It then rocketed back at Jorm, only for him to bend his body out of danger. The Stone Edge slammed into a barrier, making it glow orange for a moment, highlighting just how powerful that attack had been. I clicked my tongue. Alright, I needed something more. That Alakazam was no joke. I raised Jormungandr¡¯s ball as I detached Titan¡¯s. I wasn¡¯t going to play games or try to have him hold out against what I knew would be a very powerful pokemon. So instead, I returned him and whipped out Titan. I didn¡¯t announce it or make a big show of it. I needed my strongest to come out and fight now. Will chopped his hand forward, and Alakazam clashed his spoons together, unleashing a cube that expanded from the spoons. The move had barely started to expand as Titan landed on the field in the central position. I could see that despite Will¡¯s hurried usage of yet another Psychic Terrain, it seemed to have a larger impact as small rocks rose upwards, like gravity was being reversed enough to cause them to rise. A stacking effect from the earlier Psychic terrain? Another oddity. Titan hit the ground and snarled as his eyes locked on his foe, just as the Psychic terrain engulfed him. The crowd rose and roared in approval of Titan taking to the field. I once more channelled my reserves of aura into the latest pokemon on the field, causing Titan to shift as he felt his own energy levels rise. Will swiped his hand and left the Psychic field half-formed. It wavered horribly, and I knew it wouldn¡¯t last anywhere near as long as the previous Psychic Field. Will smirked and waved his hand forward. Alakazam vanished into a Teleport. I had to blink in surprise when he teleported right into Titan¡¯s grasp. ¡°DP!¡± I shouted, knowing that this either had to be a trap or a mistake on his part. Will didn¡¯t say anything as his Alakazam suddenly faded into an all too familiar red energy, only to be swapped out with a much larger form. Exeggutor formed up and took the blast of Dark Pulse face first, causing it to stagger backwards. It even started to topple. The various heads slumped, with one coconut-like head hanging on as it glared at Titan. I could see Stealth Rocks coming in even as Exeggutor¡¯s single head tried to raise its body. If Will thought he could get away with¡ª ¡°Self Destruct!¡± shouted Will, his smirk firmly in place. Oh fuck this asshole, I thought to myself as the battlefield erupted. Chapter 135 - Brock v Will Final The explosion happened so quickly that I only had time to shout ¡°Pr¡ª¡± before it engulfed Titan and the battlefield. In front of me, the barriers that protected the trainers flared into life before glowing red ominously. The stadium barriers then glowed orange before slowly filtering back. The crowd gasped and screamed in shock before calming down. Then people began to shout their outrage. I scowled in Will¡¯s direction but couldn¡¯t see him due to the smoke that still wafted over the battlefield. ¡°Boo that man!¡± shouted someone in the crowd, which made me crack a smile as people stood and booed Will. He merely huffed. ¡°Is turn about not fair play? Gym Leader Brock used a similar tactic against Champion Lance¡¯s Charizard.¡± This line of logic didn¡¯t win him any fans from the crowd. His own loyalists seemed to be getting into a few scuffles with others around them, but I could see Jackson was already racing to break up the fight. Oddly, Brawly was at his side, and the pair quickly calmed things down as I turned my attention to the field. While the dust was fading away, a sandstorm was building. I smirked as a rumbling growl echoed, heralding that my Ace wasn¡¯t out of the fight. If anything he was committed and deadly serious now. The storm grew again, and then a large body tumbled out as though it had been tossed. Exeggutor flopped like a rag doll, its fronds singed, and its heads all lolled limply on short necks. Dennis raised his flag. ¡°Exeggutor is unable to battle! The match is now three to three!¡± That got the crowd to stop booing. They took up a cheer quickly. ¡°Ti-tan! Ti-tan!¡± Rachel stood at the front of the crowd with a megaphone raised to her mouth leading the cheers. I gave them a nod of appreciation and turned my attention back to Will. Alright, he had Slowking, Alakazam, and Jynx left; who would he send out next? I noted that the Psychic Terrain had dissipated. Apparently, explosions were able to destroy terrain moves like that. It also got rid of the Stealth Rocks Gawain had left behind. As Will considered his best option, a Sandstorm built up on the battlefield, forcing Will to act quickly. ¡°Go Alakazam!¡± shouted Will, interrupting the celebrations. The Ace of Will¡¯s team once again appeared, but this time he did so in the middle section. With Titan standing in the rear section of Will¡¯s side of the field, that was the widest space that Will could get for his pokemon when sending him out. Not unless he wanted to give me a close engagement. It was either that or give me time that I would use to have Titan slowly walk back to my side of the field. All while he passively created a proper Sandstorm. ¡°Miracle Eye!¡± said Will, getting off the much-needed move to allow direct damage with Psychic moves. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I replied. A huge slab of rock rose and launched itself at Alakazam at ballistic speeds. Just before it could hit, Alakazam used Teleport. I huffed in annoyance as Alakazam appeared before me, increasing the distance that Titan had to cross. Will was giving his pokemon as much space as he could, obviously leery of Titan¡¯s Dark Pulse. I glowered down at Alakazam as it waved a spoon cheekily at Titan. Titan snarled as I considered my options. I needed to saturate the field to stop Alakazam from escaping with Teleport. A taller task than usual thanks to Will getting off another Psychic Terrain with his Slowking¡¯s sacrifice play. I¡¯d need to break the field with another Sandstorm, which would take time, or I¡¯d need to use Dark Pulse a lot. ¡°Walk forward and hold the DP Titan!¡± I said. He nodded and marched forward, his form building up dark energy to the point where it started flickering off him like dancing flames as he advanced. His steps left black footprints that burned into the Psychic Terrain. ¡°Use Psybeam,¡± Will said. I blinked in surprise; that move would see Alakazam commit to a stationary attack and¡­ I narrowed my eyes. Will hadn¡¯t shown himself to be a fool. He had set trap after trap with his moves. He was setting up for a Disable I was sure of it. Perhaps to trip Titan up if he tried for Giga Impact. ¡°Discharge your Dark Pulse into it,¡± I ordered, causing Titan to erupt. His Dark Pulse slammed into the oncoming attack and washed it away. Titan snorted in contempt at the Alakazam, and the Alakazam bristled. ¡°Again!¡± ordered Will, now more confident in his option to hit from afar with his pokemon, having it fire off another Psybeam. ¡°Dig dip,¡± I said. Titan responded to the order by sinking shallowly into the ground and popping up slightly to the side. ¡°Telekinesis,¡± Will said, only instead of having the move target his own pokemon a glow appeared around Titan. ¡°Dark Pulse!¡± I ordered, breaking the telekinetic grip on Titan instantly. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I said quickly, looking to capitalise on the failed move from Alakazam. Titan didn¡¯t flinch with having the much weaker move called for. Typically it was merely a step stone for a pokemon to learn that usually built up until a pokemon learnt Stone Edge. It was also faster to send out with Titan used to the heavier strain of Stone Edge. Almost a hundred small-sized rocks rose up and fired off at the now levitating Alakazam. I wasn¡¯t surprised when a Psychic was the answer to deny it. It raised its spoons and its entire body gained a blue glow before the entire barrage of rocks slowed before stopping. During the time it took for Alakazam to control the rocks, however, there was an opportunity. ¡°Rock Tomb!¡± I barked at Titan. Titan smirked and stomped his foot. ¡°Avoid it!¡± Will barked, making Alakazam drop the hundreds of rocks about the battlefield as his pokemon instead focused on hovering up. It barely avoided having its leg locked into the ground, as instead a trio of stones snapped onto its leg. It cried out before clashing its spoons together in annoyance. My eyes locked onto the three stones that formed a small trailing link, like a chain that dragged on the ground despite Alakazam¡¯s levitation trick. Perfect. ¡°Sandstorm,¡± I ordered, knowing fully what was about to play out. Will straightened, gaining a look of anticipation. ¡°Recover,¡± he ordered as the sands whipped up properly and began to cloud the battlefield. I didn¡¯t say anything, instead, I focused on the energy I was sharing with Titan. I wasn¡¯t able to give orders through our bond just yet, but I knew Titan could be trusted to know what to do now. His large form vanished into the Sandstorm, at home in the whipping winds and low visibility. I continued to remain silent. ¡°Alakazam! Use Psychic Terrain!¡± Will ordered. He must have been hoping to clear the field from Titan¡¯s Sandstorm. Long seconds ticked by, and then a box of psychic energy erupted, sweeping away the Sandstorm. Will¡¯s smirk flashed toward me, only to falter when he realised Titan wasn¡¯t in sight. ¡°What? No!¡± he said, right as Titan erupted from beneath Alakazam to Crunch into Alakazam¡¯s leg. Titan rose up with a feral grin that matched my own. Then, without prompting, he whipped his head back and forth to slam Alakazam into the ground repeatedly. ¡°Nooo!¡± Will screamed. ¡°Focus Blast! NOW!¡± he roared in desperation. Alakazam glowed blue for a moment, and Titan paused at the tension only to growl and bite down harder. I thought I heard a crack for a moment, only for Alakazam¡¯s hand to shoot out and into Titan¡¯s face. From point-blank range, Alakazam unleashed a powerful blast of energy that slammed into Titan causing him to buckle and groan. In doing so, he released Alakazam, and the pokemon scrambled back fearfully to escape Titan. I grimaced. That had been a super-effective move, and it had rattled Titan. ¡°DP!¡± I ordered, knowing that Alakazam was still within range. ¡°Tel- Focus Blast again!¡± Will said, almost retreating before deciding to commit. Titan erupted in a blast of dark energy, only to be met by a pulse of fighting-type energy that blew through the Dark Pulse and knocked Titan back. Titan tottered, and my heart sank. He¡¯d taken a Self Destruct to the face and two Focus Blasts, and it was just enough to see him fall. He hit the ground, and it hurt watching him fight to keep his eyes open. I could feel the energy I was feeding him flickering, as the connection faltered before fading as his energy dimmed and his eyes shut in defeat. I raised his greatball and returned him, feeling a self-consuming darkness start to take over. Will had come into this match prepared to face me. He¡¯d had a multitude of strategies; horrible, no good, cheap strategies perhaps, but strategies nonetheless. And he was wearing me down. I looked at his Alakazam only to realise it wasn¡¯t standing properly. I frowned as I saw blood trickling down its leg. I flicked my gaze up to Will, but he merely glared back, unwilling to recall the rather obviously injured pokemon. Ah, right. He¡¯d ordered that with some of his scouting trainers, hadn¡¯t he? I selected my next pokeball as Dennis called out the score as three to four. I tried pulling on my rock energy, only to find myself scraping the bottom of a proverbial barrel. Shit. I¡¯d been pushing it with all the pokemon I¡¯d been empowering, hadn¡¯t I? Dark energy came easily, but right now it was threatening to take hold and have me give up. I worked my jaw back and forth, I hadn¡¯t been able to finish up the link that would allow Jorm to mega evolve, but in the future, if I planned to use it, I would either need to use it earlier or be very sparing in linking and empowering my pokemon. Still, using that energy kept a lot of my pokemon in the fight longer than they would have otherwise lasted. No, stop. I needed to reset. I slammed my hands together and closed out the world. Forget the score. Forget everything that Will had done. Forget the world and just focus on my hands and the space in front of me. I broke my hands apart and inhaled. And clarity returned to me. The world expanded, and I knew I needed to pick myself up and fight. ¡°Let¡¯s go Brock!¡± shouted Yolanda from the stands. ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°You can do it!¡± ¡°Bring it home!¡± The crowd started to chant their own support, and I felt myself buoyed upward as Will scowled. I selected my next pokeball and hurled it out. ¡°Go Jormungandr!¡± I said releasing my second last pokemon, but also the best option I had against Alakazam. Especially with how damaged Shrek must have been holding back the Exeggutor until Gawain could fight it off. I ran through a number of methods in my head and considered the field. It was torn up in a lot of different areas and loosened. That would help with how much easier moves like Stone Edge could be. ¡°Alakazam! Recover!¡± shouted Will gleefully. The crowd found something new to boo Will over, and I held in a scowl. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I ordered in reply, not allowing myself to stop and fall into despair. Alakazam shone slightly as energy swept through him to recover the damage from the earlier match with Titan. Alakazam stood only to wince as its left leg touched the ground. Jorm slapped his tail, and a few large stones rose up before launching themselves straight at Alakazam as he groaned with pain. The pokemon brandished his spoons, and I watched as the boulders were controlled with Psychic once more. ¡°Dig dip into the ground and come up with Rock Tomb,¡± I said, deciding to hammer at Alakazam¡¯s weak point. Jorm buried himself instead of enduring or attempting another exchange of attacks. Thanks to the Recover and the Psychic against the Stone Edge, Will hadn¡¯t yet moved his pokemon. More notably, he hadn¡¯t moved his Alakazam out of the region that Titan had blown up with his last Dark Pulse. Jorm popped up and glared at Alakazam as rocks shot up from the ground and snapped around Alakazam¡¯s legs. Alakazam cried out in pain as the same leg Titan had brutalised earlier was struck. I allowed myself a small smile. ¡°Use Psychic! Lift that giant snake!¡± Will ordered. His Alakazam raised its spoons angrily, and psychic energy built up around Jormungandr, lifting him slowly into the air. I could see him writhing in pain as Alakazam applied pressure to him. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to do this with Knight or Titan, thanks to their Dark Pulse. I chomped my teeth together before deciding to bet on Jorm. ¡°Jorm! Call up your dark energy like you want to use Crunch, but hold it!¡± Jorm growled through the pain and dark energy building up around his head. ¡°Hold it!¡± I shouted, ¡°Hold it! Now Roar and release it!¡± I shouted. Jormungandr roared, and a small pulse of dark energy rippled out of him, causing the Psychic hold to fade. I punched the air as he landed to glower across at Alakazam, who was annoyed with Jorm having escaped his clutches. I nodded. It was an ad-hoc way to teach Dark Pulse; I had barely gotten started on it with Jorm in the lead-up to this match as special attacks weren¡¯t as strong for him as physical moves like Crunch and his new combination move. ¡°Dragonsbreath!¡± I shouted, causing Jorm to unleash a torrent of blue fire. ¡°Teleport!¡± shouted Will only to hiss as the move failed due to the Rock Tomb and the Dark Pulse from earlier in the match. I blinked in surprise at Will not using Psychic for this. I¡¯d been expecting him to try and control it like I¡¯d seen Sabrina do a number of times with her pokemon. Yes, she found it tougher to manage than Flamethrower or Thunder but she could still do it¡­ Perhaps Will couldn¡¯t? Dragonsbreath washed over Alakazam. By now it was starting to be glaringly obvious that Sabrina and Will were very different in how they practised and used their Psychic prowess. ¡°Again!¡± I said to Jorm, more than happy to punish Alakazam. ¡°Focus Blast!¡± Will screamed, making my pokemon break off his own attack to weave his body like a snake, avoiding the attack perfectly. This gave Will time to break off the Rock Tomb trapping his pokemon; once again, however, an anklet of rock surrounded his pokemon¡¯s leg weighing it down and occasionally crumbling¡­ ¡°Close in and end it Alakazam!¡± Will shouted, leaning forward with a flourish. ¡°Iron Tail!¡± I said as his pokemon charged forward in close, fist reared back, only for Jorm to meet him with a rising Iron Tail that caught him in the side and slammed him, sending him sailing away. He still got off the Focus Blast however, causing Jorm to fall back as the super-effective move seemed to put him down. ¡°Yes!¡± Will cried, raising his hands for applause only for most of the crowd to boo him. I crossed my arms and eyed Jorm. He cracked open his eye and sneakily glanced at me. I eyed the distance between Jorm and Alakazam. It was too far to make a sneak strike, but I had other options. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I nodded. ¡°Dig down and lick your wounds,¡± I said, cutting through Will¡¯s early celebration as Jorm hurled himself into the ground. ¡°Shit!¡± Will cried out. ¡°Focus Blast into the ground!¡± he ordered to his Alakazam, only for it to do nothing but crater the ground. Will cursed and furrowed his brow in thought, only to hiss in annoyance as his eyes caught sight of the trailing chain of Rock underneath his pokemon. ¡°Alakazam hover!¡± When that caused some of the rock to break off, Will clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡°Tch! Return!¡± he ordered, returning his Alakazam to his pokeball after inspecting the ground and not seeing Jormungandr coming up. There was a short pause as Will waited, but nothing popped back up. Will scowled at me, but I merely smiled enigmatically. ¡°Go¡­ Slowking,¡± Will said, sending out his pokemon. ¡°Slooooooooooooooooooow,¡± said the pokemon as it yawned. I frowned, noticing straight away that it was, if anything, slightly better off than it had been when it was sent into the pokeball. That drew a frown. Had Will used a potion, or was this an ability of Slowking at play? ¡°Sleep Talk,¡± I said, not willing to wait and give Will any more time. Will twitched; he must have known what that move meant, as in the next moment Jormungandr shot out of the ground and loomed over Slowking, only to then disgorge a huge gout of blue flame. I grinned. Damn, it was nice getting to pull off that combination! I could see why Lance wanted to copy that flaming chicken so much now. Slowking barely got a barrier raised in time to block the attack, while Will scowled. Jormungandr blinked and shook himself, returning to being fully awake. Its eyes shot to its foe, and he growled as he realised that Alakazam was no longer before him. I didn¡¯t let it bother me. ¡°Dark Pulse,¡± I said with relish, knowing my pokemon was fully capable of it now. ¡°Water Gun!¡± Will ordered, even as Jorm ignited dark energy. I could feel everyone in the crowd draw in a breath of anticipation as they leaned forward. Jormungandr exploded into his Dark Pulse, roaring as he¡¯d learned to explode the darkness out. Slowking stumbled, only to yawn and fire out a final blast of water that splashed over Jorm, knocking him back and causing him to groan and fall back. He shook himself off, however, and rose. On the other side, Slowking toppled, and I punched the air. ¡°That¡¯s it, Jorm! Let¡¯s go!¡± I shouted, causing the rest of the crowd to rise up with me and cheer. The air surged with the sudden lift in mood and I felt my dark mood vanish as I saw the way forward. I could do this. I felt my own heart pounding furiously as everyone realised that with that, I¡¯d reclaimed the lead with two pokemon left to Will¡¯s final,Jynx. Will didn¡¯t let me rest, though, as he returned his pokemon quickly and sent out Jynx. ¡°Focus Blast!¡± he snapped out, causing his Jynx to raise its webbed hand and punch forward. ¡°Protect!¡± I shouted. Jorm barely got off the Protect. The cheers that had started to come vanished in the face of the rapid exchange of moves. I felt myself leaning forward, trying to anticipate what would happen next. My heart thundered as I inspected the battlefield. Both pokemon must have been on their last legs. ¡°Future Sight!¡± Will ordered as his pokemon waited. I swallowed and watched as the Protect began to break apart. Just as Jorm¡¯s large, rocky head was visible, I punched a fist forward. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± I cried out, hoping to get out a fast, if weaker, move against Jynx. ¡°Psychic!¡± Will screamed as the rocks shot forward. Jynx raised its hands, and I scowled as the entire wave of rocks was held in place. Jynx leered and swept her hand back, hammering Jorm with his own rocks. ¡°Di¡ª¡± I started to say, only for a lash of psychic energy to come into play and hammer Jorm into the ground. He toppled with a low groan before falling silent. I exhaled and shook my head. Damn it, we¡¯d been close there. Will shifted, and I saw his throat bobble. He must have known how close it was, given how nervous he looked. I returned Jorm, and looked at his pokeball. ¡°You did great out there, buddy,¡± I said to him before putting his pokeball away. I then raised my last hope with Shrek¡¯s ultraball. Five to five. Both of us had used all of our pokemon. Both pokemon were on their last legs with what they¡¯d had to face. I was frankly amazed that Jynx had been able to last as long as it had with Gawain hammering it earlier. I hadn¡¯t been expecting it to be strong enough to defend itself with Psychic like it had. All I needed was a final push. ¡°Go Shrek!¡± I bellowed, hurling out my last pokemon. ¡°Swampert!¡± Shrek bellowed as he landed; unlike with Jorm, there was still a sizeable gap between the two pokemon. I drew what I had from my own energy reserves, struggling to keep them neutrally aligned. Swampert perked up at the minuscule amount of energy and croaked aggressively. It must have helped a little, as he seemed ready to throw down. Jynx raised her hand in readiness, and I decided to force the issue. ¡°Surf!¡± I ordered, knowing that I needed to get Shrek in close where he was strongest. ¡°Future Sight!¡± Will ordered. His pokemon put a hand to its forehead. I clenched my teeth, wondering if I couldn¡¯t have made the most of that hesitation on his part. I shook off my dark thoughts and instead committed myself as Shrek rode the wave. ¡°Ice Beam!¡± Will ordered as the wave surged forth. The beam lanced out and froze the front wave at the halfway point, causing it to buckle and collapse under its own weight. It wouldn¡¯t reach Jynx. But that hadn¡¯t been the goal; it was merely to close with her. ¡°Leap!¡± I shouted to Shrek, causing him to hurl himself up a fist raised in readiness. ¡°Psychic! Catch it!¡± Will bellowed, his hand upraised, and his eyes glowing as his pokemon copied him. Psychic force grasped Shrek and held him in the air, where he struggled. Part of me wanted to cry foul, but I knew if I hesitated and waited for an official ruling, the match would be lost. Instead, I decided to act. I¡¯d just have to trust that Hypnotoad would have shown off enough against her mate that Shrek would have picked up a few things. ¡°Darkest Lariat!¡± I roared, trying to will it into being. ¡°SWAMPERT!¡± shouted Shrek as the psychic energy built up around him only to unravel as dark energy blew out of him. He began to spin through the air, his fists circling as he continued his descent onto Jynx. Jynx reared back and tried to hop out of danger. Shrek landed and cried out as a psychic bolt of energy slammed into his side, causing him to falter. Despite this, he twisted limply, and I could only watch as he used the momentum from Future Sight to throw himself into Jynx, his fist slamming home into her throat once again. Jynx squawked in shock and pain before being knocked flying as the Darkest Lariat carried through, hurling her out of the field. She tumbled end over end before falling to the ground limp. ¡°GET UP!¡± screamed Will to his pokemon. I looked at Shrek and found him face down and out of energy. ¡°Get up!¡± roared Will, but his pokemon remained unresponsive. Will put one hand to his forehead and held the other out. ¡°Challenger Will! The pokemon can only return to the field and stand under its own power to be considered battle ready!¡± Dennis suddenly said sternly. Will twitched in annoyance and shot him what appeared to be a murderous look, but he dropped his hands. Dennis inspected both pokemon. Then he licked his lips and swallowed as he raised his hand and made a chopping action with his fingers spread wide. At the end of each chop, another finger dropped. Behind him, a countdown flashed out on the screen. I licked my lips, knowing in my heart that Shrek had nothing left in the tank. I felt at my own reserves, knowing that I too had nothing else to commit. I felt my vision darken, and I clenched my teeth and inhaled sharply, knowing I¡¯d dug deeper than I ever had to etch out what I could. I could only watch as Will cried for his pokemon to stand as Dennis counted down. Three. The Jynx twitched and shuddered. Two. It rolled onto its face and glared up at Shrek, who lay on his side. One. Jynx collapsed fully. ¡°Both pokemon are unable to battle! This match between Will and Brock is therefore ruled a draw!¡± Dennis shouted. I felt a wave of exhaustion run through me. I wanted to growl at the end result. Instead, I focused on something small. Instead of raging at the result, I smiled at the aghast look on Will¡¯s face. It was something small, but it helped. If this hadn¡¯t been a draw, I might have enjoyed it more, but as it was I wasn¡¯t sure I could even enjoy that result. That match lacked so much of what I enjoyed about pokemon matches. It wasn¡¯t a loss but¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was, in my heart. A draw. That hadn¡¯t been the result I wanted. I wanted to crush Will, smash him with my team and show the world that he was nothing more than an up-jumped thug. Instead, the world would consider us equals on technicalities and rules lawyering. The podiums descended, and I felt myself shudder at the movement. I raised Shrek¡¯s Ultraball and returned him. I then looked over to Will and found him staring at me. He didn¡¯t move from his podium. This was supposed to be the part where we walked across and shook each other''s hands. Neither of us made a move to do so. A stir went through the crowd. They weren¡¯t surprised; they knew something was going on here. They knew there would be bad blood with this fight playing out like it had, but I don¡¯t think one of them realised the depth of how much I loathed Will in that moment. Movement from my family made me grimace. I saw Suzie lowering her banner and looking at me, trying to understand what was going on. I held in a sigh, straightening my back. I would need to be the bigger man and show my family the right way to do things. I¡¯d just have to ignore the overwhelming urge to sucker punch Will. I marched across the ruined battlefield, ignoring the various points where my pokemon had fallen to cheap tricks. I raised a hand, and he stared at it for a long moment. Then he clasped his hand in mine. I clenched his hand as hard as I could and was pleased to see him flinch and whimper. I leaned in close. ¡°You¡¯re a cheap piece of work, you know that? I want you to know that you will never belong, as one of the best in the League,¡± I whispered to him. ¡°That isn¡¯t up to you!¡± he hissed. ¡°And I might not have won, but I¡¯ve shown that I¡¯m just as good!¡± He snarled as he straightened. ¡°You call this a win?¡± I said, with a raised eyebrow. Will¡¯s lips twitched downward before he sniffed. ¡°I will make it work for me. It isn¡¯t a loss, Gym Leader.¡± He ripped his hand out of my grasp and turned to storm off. I glared at his back, I wasn¡¯t done with him, not by half. Some part of me knew I couldn¡¯t simply let him walk away. ¡°I¡¯m going to want a rematch!¡± I said loudly. My words carried through the entire arena. He faltered, and I felt a warmth in my heart knowing he was scared. The crowd stirred, having heard my declaration. This wasn¡¯t the Gym circuit after all, and I wasn¡¯t just bound here despite the perception of being locked to Pewter. I could leave. Will remained quiet for a long moment. He sniffed and flicked his cape theatrically. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see about that! You might not be worth my time soon enough!¡± he said, readopting his aloof persona. He walked towards the group of people that had been cheering for him the entire match. They welcomed him like he¡¯d just won instead of being fought to a draw. I turned to my own fans. I shot them a weak smile, and they rose as one to roar their approval. It washed over me. I didn¡¯t feel like their champion. I felt like a guy who had just barely not lost. That might have been enough for them, but it sickened me. Still, I had to be an example. I licked my lips and straightened my spine. I then noticed that a number of people were eyeing the group that had welcomed Will. With the looks and gestures being exchanged, there was a risk a fight might break out¡ªnot an orderly, sanctioned fight, but a melee. I turned and glanced over at the group closest to Will. If this wasn¡¯t my gym, I might just let the feelings fester. It looked like the crowd was one spark away from hurling more than just abuse at Will. I gestured to Dennis, and he tossed me a microphone that I fumbled before raising to my mouth. I waved to get the crowd¡¯s attention and then tapped the microphone. ¡°Uhh testing, testing one-two? This thing on?¡± I said playing up the clueless teen as the speakers boomed. The crowd focused on me. ¡°Well, that certainly wasn¡¯t how we expected this match to go! But it was a tough battle, that was for sure wasn¡¯t it?¡± I said, rubbing the back of my head and forcing myself to keep smiling. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank everyone for their support here today! We¡¯ve come a long way since I began as Gym Leader and much of that progress starts from people like yourselves that help support us!¡± I made a show of clapping my hands. I wanted to rage or throw up. Or just lay down and have a nap. I was that tired. I just wanted today to be over. Maybe tomorrow I¡¯d wake up and I¡¯d learn today was just a dream? Sadly, that wasn¡¯t how life worked. I knew I just wanted distance from this event. Time and space were the usual answers, and with this being my home, time would be my only option. Despite my feelings on the matter, I couldn¡¯t act out. Not here, not now. I had to be an adult. My eyes landed on Flint, who was watching me with the rest of my family, and I felt old feelings and memories stirring within me. I needed to do what was right. This moment felt so similar to back then¡­ When I¡¯d worked out that despite all my efforts, he¡¯d still walked out on us. All my expectations and efforts¡­ only to come up short. I shook my head and considered what else I needed to do. ¡°I¡¯d also like to extend a round of thanks to my staff; they put in a lot of work. Rachel, thanks for hyping up the match!¡± This got some heartfelt cheers, with Rachel waving to the crowd and shooting me a nod. Understanding what I was doing, she flicked her eyes to the referee¡¯s podium, and I nodded. ¡°I¡¯d also like to thank Dennis. His job today was much harder than a lot of others today. He had to remain impartial in a situation that I¡¯m sure many of us would have struggled with. Dennis showed that he is a man of integrity, and I salute him for that. Please give him a round of applause.¡± I led the clap and was glad to hear that the applause drowned out the few people still annoyed enough to shout at him. He smiled weakly at me and nodded in thanks. I thumped my chest twice with a fist and pointed at him, causing him to smile a bit easier. I turned back to the crowd and made some other comments. ¡°Thank you once again for your support today! I¡¯ll turn it over to our MC Rachel, to see you home! Good night, folks!¡± I said, switching off the microphone and walking away. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! Do you think this match was a valid reflection of your skill!?¡± shouted one reporter who had raced to the edge of the fencing. Others were quickly at their side, microphones poised in attack position. Questions were being hurled out so quickly that it became a wave of undecipherable noise. I waved my hand and shook my head. ¡°No comment; I need to see to my pokemon,¡± I said, delaying the issue of giving a press conference to future Brock. Instead, I marched into the medical bay. It felt like I was retreating to lick my wounds, and in a way, I was. I stared at the injured forms of Tide and Knight. I handed off the other pokeballs to Chansey, just barely avoiding her grabbing me. I waved her off and instead marched out the back to the reserve. I marched up to the closest boulder that was free of any pokemon and put my fist to it. I wanted to punch it to smithereens. But I was just too damn tired. I instead sat against it, feeling old in a way I hadn¡¯t for years. Not since that punk kid came in and challenged me with extremely powerful pokemon. I¡¯d lost my starting Onix that day. I rubbed my face and sighed. When I finished rubbing my face, I wasn¡¯t surprised to find Sabrina standing close. ¡°Hey Sabrina,¡± I said tiredly. She nodded. ¡°You did well, Brock. Despite Will¡¯s tactics, scouting, and extremely dishonourable methods, you clawed your way back into the fight.¡± I nodded, intellectually able to accept the words even as my heart rejected them. ¡°Yeah...¡± I said. Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°You don¡¯t feel that way, though, do you?¡± I smiled, pleased, despite myself, that she understood me. I shook my head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I can feel that way.¡± I ran a hand through my hair, dislodging some rocks and dust that I hadn¡¯t noticed had gotten into it during the fight. ¡°I should have won¡­ I should have been better. I had so many chances.¡± She stepped closer. ¡°You were incredible out there.¡± She knelt down and cupped my face. ¡°For all intents and purposes, I lost. Will¡¯s not going to¡ª¡± I said, looking away from her only to be cut off. ¡°No!¡± she said, forcing me to look at her. ¡°He is not going to slip away from you. You are not going to let him. You said it yourself! He will have to have a rematch with you! The crowd will expect it with you saying it how you did.¡± I blinked. Right, I had said that. Hadn¡¯t I? I blinked, I must be more tired than I thought. Damn, my head was feeling slow. Sabrina tapped my cheek to restore my focus. ¡°And this battle didn¡¯t just end as a win or a loss, Brock. It has not cast you down. There is no question in the minds of the people that matter who is the better trainer. The manner in which you fight matters, you told me that years ago, remember?¡± I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s hard dating a girl so smart she remembers everything you say well enough to use it against you,¡± I said in mock defeat. Sabrina giggled, ¡°It helps that you sometimes said very wise things.¡± She held my gaze. ¡°Brock. Everyone knows what Will is like now. And that is thanks to you.¡± ¡°I think I would have rather beaten him¡­ I could have.¡± ¡°And everyone that matters will know that. They are also warned of Will because you went first,¡± she said patiently. She put a hand on my chest. ¡°The first Gym has been wrongly considered the weakest because the idea is not considered properly. The ones who go first are often the best of us all, and you proved that today,¡± she said with such honest conviction that I had to stop feeling so down. I chuckled. ¡°You really have gotten better at people.¡± ¡°I was always better at you,¡± she said earnestly. I leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed me back, and for a moment, I forgot all about what had happened or why I was there. I was simply a boy giving the girl he loved a heartfelt kiss. When we broke apart, I smiled at her. ¡°Love you,¡± I said. ¡°And I, you,¡± she said. She then flicked her eyes at the back door and sighed. ¡°I kept them back while you got the anger out of your system. The others want to check in on you.¡± Her eyes flicked to the stone at my back, and she frowned. ¡°But perhaps I should have them take you to bed if you¡¯re this tired¡­¡± I glanced at the door and, in doing so, caused it to swing wide, with my family spilling out with my friends and colleagues. Yolanda reached me first and led with her shoulder; she hugged me so hard. I braced myself with rock energy but made sure to take a step back lest she hurt herself on me. ¡°You were amazing!¡± she said up to me with watery eyes, only for the next sibling to hit me and repeat the words. Then the rest of my family hit me, and I allowed myself to tumble to the ground with a laugh as they all desperately tried to hug and comfort me. I chuckled and smiled as they pointed out the tense or cool moments. This was new for me. Before¡­ If I had lost in a meaningful manner, I¡¯d never had my friends and family around me like this. It was new, and rather nice. Sabrina alone had seen me at my worst. During the early days, as I assumed the mantle of Gym Leader and caretaker, the feeling of failure had sometimes mounted high and threatened to crush me. I shot my hand out and dragged her into the hug, and she came willingly. When I eventually disentangled myself, I shared smiles and handshakes with the others. Brawly clapped me on the shoulder and offered commiserations and congratulations in equal part. Gary even siddled up to me. ¡°That guy was a piece of work; I¡¯m sure Gramps will have more than a thing or two to say about him, but when I¡¯m Champion, I¡¯ll make sure to stop punks like that!¡± he said haughtily. I chuckled and bumped fists with him, which seemed to work for him, allowing him to keep his cool guy image. I was just about to talk with Erika when Dennis stepped up and offered me a letter. ¡°Brock, I think I should¡ª¡± I glanced at the letter, saw the first line, and tore it up. ¡°Nah, screw losing you to another Gym. What, are you looking to start a bidding war?¡± I said to Dennis, gesturing to Sabrina, Erika, and the Hoenn crew in Roxanne, Flannery, and Brawly. Dennis blinked at me. ¡°Buwhat?¡± he said cluelessly. ¡°Dennis,¡± I said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I meant what I said in there. I respect the tough decisions you had to make. Your integrity was paramount. When I have you standing in the referee podium, that¡¯s what you need to be. You stuck it out and made this less of a drama than it could have been if you faltered. Instead, you acted like a referee and saw it out.¡± I couldn¡¯t grin as I should have, but I managed a soft curl of the lips. ¡°Take a few days off and spend time with Nike and your family. You have nothing to be ashamed of,¡± I said seriously. The others agreed loudly, and Rachel appeared at Dennis¡¯ elbow as I let him be. I knew she¡¯d stay with him until he got home and make sure he was in a better headspace. I glanced around at all the people who had otherwise come out to check on me and knew that this was only a small number of the people who cared. I glanced down at my angrily buzzing transceiver. Lance, Claire, Lorelei, Surge, and Forrest were all trying to call me. It is a strange situation to know that friends will reveal themselves in your toughest times, not your best. It felt good to know so many cared. ¡°Golem!¡± said Sanchez, reminding me that it wasn¡¯t just humans that cared. I smiled and found my entire healthy pokemon team watching me. Sanchez thumped his chest and then punched his fist into his other hand. Bertha mirrored him, snorting heavily to show she also supported this idea. I blinked in surprise as a new thought occurred to me. ¡°How soon can I have a rematch?¡± Sabrina giggled, and I felt a lightness take hold where only a weight had been present minutes ago. I¡¯d lost¡­ No, I needed to stop thinking that way. I¡¯d forced a draw, and that wasn¡¯t the end of the world. If the way my pokemon were eying me was any indicator, they were now more motivated than ever to grow stronger. Another thought occurred to me as I was led back to my room, yawning and nodding as Salvadore gushed about the fight. Sabrina supported me while Yolanda walked on my other side. How far could I take that motivation? Chapter 136 - Interlude - The world turns In a dark room, a television clicked on. ¡°¡ª and I¡¯m Chuck Clearskies on today¡¯s Battlecast showcase! Today¡¯s big match saw Ace trainer Will challenge Gym Leader Brock to an Ace battle! With pride on the line and the event hyped as the match of the week, it didn¡¯t fail to deliver!¡± said the sports host on the Battlecast channel. He stepped swiftly to the side and indicated the screen behind him that had pictures of Brock and Will¡¯s heads slamming together with a flash of electricity between them. Shards of rock exploded against pink energy as the eyes of Will¡¯s picture glowed. ¡°This match was a nail-biter coming down to the last exchanges! It came down to the final two pokemon being utterly spent and unable to stand after a prolonged exchange between multiple pokemon! The match itself has raised a lot of controversy, however, as Will was noted to use moves that guaranteed him certain advantages. Brock is widely being praised for clawing his team back into the fight, while Will has raised questions with the League about certain rules and situations that haven¡¯t been seen before.¡± A snort from someone off-screen made Chuck twitch, but he continued to smile. ¡°Joining me today to discuss the match is our battle analyst, Abby Actar!¡± The camera shot widened to reveal three other people sitting along a row of couches. The woman that had been introduced preened. ¡°Thanks for the introduction, Chuck!¡± she said to her longtime co-host. ¡°Jason Memea!¡± said Chuck pointing towards a tall, shaggy-haired individual who winked. ¡°Yo!¡± said Jason. Chuck nodded and then indicated the final man, a swarthy individual who leaned back with his arms spread, allowing him to claim a section of the couch for himself. ¡°Coming in with what I have no doubt is a hot take, we have the current Ace trainer and ranked fortieth on the Ace standings, Gavin Glady!¡± The man winked and shot finger guns at the camera. ¡°It¡¯s only hot cause it¡¯ll have so many couch trainers breathing fire!¡± said the man smugly. ¡°Ha!¡± said Chuck, ¡°I¡¯ll give you your moment; don¡¯t doubt it! For now, let¡¯s recap! We can certainly say there was some tension between Brock and Will with this match, wasn¡¯t there? Lots of people were wondering at the end if either trainer would shake hands to acknowledge the fight the other had put in!¡± Jason chuckled. ¡°Brock looked liked he manned up in the best way! Quite a strong handshake there I¡¯d say!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a sore loser,¡± said Gavin dismissively. Abby whipped her head about, locking onto Gavin. ¡°He didn¡¯t lose! Despite Will¡¯s¡­ You know what! I¡¯m just going to say it! I think Will cheated!¡± Chuck leaned back, looking shocked. ¡°Wow! Oh wow! That¡¯s a strong allegation to be throwing down there!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stand behind it!¡± said Abby. ¡°More like you¡¯d let Brock stand behind you,¡± muttered Gavin snidely. Abby''s head turned slowly. ¡°What did you say?¡± she snarled. ¡°You heard me,¡± Gavin said unrepentantly. ¡°You and everyone else are Brock simps these days. Wah wah wah! Brock had some questionable tactics used against him. So what!¡± Gavin said raising his voice. He shot a finger in Abby¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m part of the Ace circuit, things aren¡¯t as clean there as people like to pretend. Tactics like these? You see them all too often. It¡¯s just that they don¡¯t get televised. Most Ace trainers need a bit more resilience to advance to even the top hundred, things get scrappy after that, and you need methods to beat them. Brock¡¯s a Gym Leader, and he thought he could take on all challengers without having some tough battles.¡± Gavin made a dismissive gesture. ¡°I for one am glad Will showcased moves and tactics others have shied away from using!¡± ¡°It was pretty fucking dope that Brock picked up that Aggron of his and carried it off the field, no?¡± said Jason with a grin. A clip played of Brock lifting his pokemon and Jason whistled. ¡°That is strength right there.¡± Gavin sniffed. ¡°He¡¯d had his pokemon use Autotomize. That means it wouldn¡¯t have weighed as much.¡± Chuck coughed. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been told that the weight would have returned to normal with his ¡®Knight¡¯ being knocked out; something about energy spilling out once a pokemon loses consciousness?¡± Chuck said, while holding a hand to his ear. ¡°My thanks to the data crunchers in our team!¡± Gavin said as he raised a thumbs up to a man who appeared briefly, looking extremely overworked while sitting in front of a wall of screens. They appeared for a second before returning to the talk show. ¡°That right there!¡± Abby said standing and jabbing a hand at the screen. ¡°The researchers just showed that Will had to be cheating! Mean Look shouldn¡¯t have stopped a recall when his pokemon were knocked out!¡± Gavin waved a hand. ¡°Specialty training methods can allow for all types of niche skills to be developed. This is just one of them; honestly, Will should be applauded for having so many niche skills, his Slowking, Exeggutor, Medicham, Jynx, and Alakazam.¡± Gavin ticked off a number of fingers. Chuck coughed and smiled for the camera. ¡°Well, he certainly has a strong pokemon team. Will has also stated before that he would advance along the traditional Kanto Gym route and has a number of Gym matches at the highest level booked. He¡¯s doing this to showcase himself and also challenge some of the iconic trainers that most Kanto trainers face, in his bid for Elite Four. Throughout the week, he will also be facing off against a number of Ace trainers!¡± A list of known matches appeared, with the next gym match highlighted. Chuck made a show of looking it over. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s going to face an Ace trainer in two days and then facing off against the Cerulean Gym¡­ before facing Surge next weekend. That should make for an interesting week!¡± Jason clicked his tongue. ¡°I¡¯d like to say you¡¯re right there, but¡­ well, the Cerulean gym isn¡¯t where he¡¯s going to be getting his qualifications to be an Elite Four tested. That¡¯s going to come from his Ace trainer matches and against Surge¡­ The Cerulean Gym¡­¡± Gavin huffed. ¡°They run some nice performances, but that¡¯s about it.¡± Abby bit her lip, clearly not happy to agree with Gavin, but she eventually nodded. Chuck nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a fair assessment, I know the girls do well, but I think a lot of eyes will be turning to next weekend¡¯s match against Surge.¡± Jason made a noise of disagreement, and everyone paused to look his way. ¡°I again have to disagree with you there, Chuck. The match I¡¯m looking forward to is the Will versus Brock rematch.¡± Jason raised his hands to ward off the others from speaking over him. ¡°Now, I know Brock didn¡¯t come into that match with ideal circumstances, but he revealed a lot of depth and heart to bring it back. The man won a lot of fans out there, and I want to see more of him.¡± Gavin waved a hand. ¡°Will isn¡¯t beholden to that. He¡¯s shown he¡¯s just as good, and Brock is going to have to deal with the result. That¡¯s life and the Ace circuit sometimes.¡± Abby huffed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure many people will be looking to support Will¡¯s run if today¡¯s performance is an indication of how he operates. He fought more like a dark-type trainer and that¡¯s saying something, as we have a literal dark-type trainer doing the same thing in Johto in a bid for the Elite Four position!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not that good,¡± Gavin said quickly. Jason tilted his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t she beat you two weeks ago?¡± Gavin gained a look like he¡¯d sucked a lemon, and Abby grinned. ¡°Yes¡­ she did, and now she¡¯s not accepting any of my requests for a rematch,¡± said Gavin heatedly. Abby adopted a saccharine smile. ¡°Oh¡­ well, that¡¯s life sometimes,¡± she said, causing Gavin to glare at her. ¡°Oh, go run the weather segment,¡± said Gavin with a wave of his hand. Abby shot to her feet and said, ¡°I am a professional battle analyst! I have been doing this for years! I¡¯m not some washed-up Ace that is tumbling down the ranks after barely making it into the top twenty!¡± Gavin snorted. ¡°Tough talk from a never was!¡± he said, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°Let¡¯s go to an ad break!¡± said Chuck as Abby reached for a pokeball while Gavin jutted his chin. Jason reached behind the couch and pulled out some popcorn, looking extremely pleased with this turn of events. The show broke with an ad for Fastballs racing across the screen right as Abby hurled her own fastball. The tv remote was raised with a scoff, only for a smaller, more delicate hand to be placed atop it. ¡°Babe no! I want to see what they¡¯re going to say!¡± said the blonde woman. Surge sniffed, but relinquished the remote. ¡°I know what they¡¯re gonna say, and it¡¯s Tauros shit is what it is. That puke Will is a cheap son of a bitch.¡± ¡°He won by rules lawyering, that¡¯s obvious and no one really likes that, but it''s still allowed¡­ for now at least. I doubt the League is going to let that sit, though¡­¡± She changed the channel, and sure enough, a newscast was playing out showing some people chanting and raising banners in front of the League headquarters at the Indigo Plateau. Surge snorted. ¡°I bet most of those people are butt hurt that they bet big on Brock and he got cheated, and then they got cheated. There are a number of bookies laying low with their winnings this time instead of paying out.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t bet on Brock?¡± said the girl. ¡°Tiffany! Who do you take me for!? Course I bet on my boy Brock! I just ain¡¯t out there complaining cause my bet didn¡¯t pay off.¡± The woman shot him a glare. ¡°It¡¯s Hannah.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry babe! I¡¯m just so muddled up with how pissed Will has me!¡± Surge said. Hannah nodded dubiously, before deciding to drop the issue as a fight not worth having. She instead tilted her head and considered Surge, ¡°If you¡¯re so close with Brock, how come you weren¡¯t there during the match?¡± Surge stuck out his bottom lip in a fake pout. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to hang out with me?¡± ¡°Hmmm, nah, I¡¯m glad you called me up.¡± She shot him a wink and gestured at the bed. ¡°It was fun and all, just curious why you didn¡¯t go?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t going to be there for every pretender that takes a run at Brock,¡± Surge said simply. Then he shifted. ¡°It¡¯s also probably for the best¡­ Might not have been able to contain myself.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯d have ambushed Will?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, him too,¡± Surge said before taking a swig of his beer. ¡°After what he pulled, he¡¯d deserve it.¡± Hannah clearly didn''t understand as she tilted her head. Surge waved it off, and she huffed and played with the remote to return to watching the Battlecast show. Surge snorted and ignored the talking heads. Like they had any clue. Used to be a time when the League wouldn¡¯t entertain the idea of some puke from Hoenn waltzing into the League and talking himself up like he was going to be one of the Elite Four. They¡¯d gone soft and crazy, which was a dangerous combination. When Hannah hummed, he tuned back in. ¡°They make it sound like Will got lucky with how Brock had half his team injured in the lead-up to this match.¡± Surge narrowed his eyes and considered the sequence of events that had played out. ¡°Yeah¡­ luck,¡± he said thoughtfully. ¡°You don¡¯t think it was luck on Will¡¯s part?¡± Hannah asked. ¡°... It¡¯s awful convenient¡­ too convenient.¡± Hannah chewed her lip as Surge went quiet. Like a man formulating a plan on how to do something dangerous. On the television, the conversation turned to the next matches. The hosts once again didn¡¯t bother with mentioning the Cerulean sisters and instead focused on the Ace Trainer matches and then Surge¡¯s match. Surge narrowed his eyes when Gavin spoke up. ¡°Surge is a begone relic. He doesn¡¯t fight in the big matches much, he¡¯s going down mark my words. He¡¯s as simple as they come and Will is going to take him out. Six to two is my bet on that match.¡± She licked her lips. ¡°You alright there babe?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fucking not,¡± Surge said tightly. She shifted in close as Surge took a long pull on his beer. ¡°What¡¯re you going to do when you fight him?¡± Surge put down his beer and exhaled slowly. When he spoke, he did so with a bass that made her shiver and all the small hairs on her body stand on end. ¡°I¡¯m gonna bring the lightning.¡±
¡°¡ªwhat will the League¡¯s response be?¡± Kruger adjusted the microphone. It stung his pride that he¡¯d had this press conference to discuss the End of Circuit Conference, but once again a situation with Brock had forced his hand. Now he was having to answer questions about rules-lawyering. He stared at the reporter, who was gleefully waving his microphone at him. Kruger had to visibly hold in his annoyance. If it hadn¡¯t been this one, it would have been another reporter. The biggest difference between being a Mayor and rising to President of the Indigo League had to be how cutthroat the journalists were. It was days like this that made Kruger curse the idea of independent press on certain topics within the League. Today was supposed to be a discussion of the funding allotment that would be put forth by the League to increase Ranger response as well as help repair the damage that the ¡®fire caused by trainers¡¯ had caused. None of the reporters wanted to talk about that right now. They had a new hot topic to chase. Eventually, Kruger sighed and shook his head. ¡°While that issue is a separate concern from what we¡¯ve been discussing today, I know that won¡¯t satisfy a lot of people.¡± The crowd of reporters shifted. They¡¯d been expecting him to say something generic, such as ¡®no comment¡¯. ¡°The League will need to discuss the match between Brock and Will, while what occurred is within the rules, it can be seen as a match that has caused a significant social outcry. This match was not one that we as a League can point to and be proud of as a fierce contest. Many people were left with a bitter taste due to the circumstances of the match. Will has stuck to the rules¡­ as they currently stand, but it will be something that we examine in the near future as he has highlighted and brought to light a serious issue which has been reported to plague Ace matches that the public don¡¯t see on primetime television.¡± Kruger raised his hands to forestall the bloodsucking zubats that were the reporters, as they all clamoured to shout their questions. After a minute, they settled down, and he was allowed to continue speaking. He huffed in annoyance. Yes, indeed, it was a world of difference to go from being a Mayor to President. ¡°At the end of the day, there will be questions, but an official investigation will not occur as neither trainer was drastically impacted by the event.¡± ¡°But doesn¡¯t this put into question Will¡¯s strength as a trainer! Some people are calling him equal to Lance with his draw with Brock!¡± Kruger gave that a dismissive snort. ¡°Please, those people are reading far too much into an Exhibition match. It is not a simple affair to go from Ace to Elite Four, or Champion, I can assure you!¡± he said heatedly. Kruger coughed. ¡°As I was saying, it is fortuitous the match ended in a draw, as analysis has raised a number of points where interference has been potentially identified.¡± ¡°Was the interference for Will or Brock! Sabrina was noted to be in attendance!¡± shouted one reporter. Kruger leveled his most withering glare at the blood-sucker. It didn''t seem to be very effective, as the man remained poised while other reporters leaned forward in anticipation. ¡°Sabrina was observed at all points during the match. Whereas Will was called out on an interference towards the end of the match, by attempting to support his Jynx into a standing position.¡± ¡°What would the League¡¯s response be if this sort of match were to happen with Will facing off against Bruno? Lorelei? Or even Lance himself?¡± ¡°Obviously, more stringent assessments would be conducted. Will¡¯s tactic of delaying Brock''s ability to withdraw his pokemon and send out his next pokemon would not occur at the Indigo stadium as there are methods we have to handle this,¡± he said, not bothering to detail how big a lie that was. They would have to establish methods to manage this, as if such a match were to play out in the Indigo League both Kanto and Johto would riot, especially if someone like Lance were to fall to such methods. ¡°So the League knew such tactics were possible and didn¡¯t create subclauses to stop people like Brock from being penalised?!¡± said one clever-minded reporter. Kruger swallowed a curse before deciding on a palatable explanation. ¡°The administration and creation of rules around pokemon battles is usually a slow-moving process. This can be seen as a good thing, as if we were to create that subclause straight away, we could be making a drastic mistake. The League will be considering a sub-clause in future, but it will have to be debated with key policymakers so as to not cause more issues than it would solve.¡± ¡°Is a new clause the only method that could be used? Couldn¡¯t an official invalidate the match for not standing up to the spirit of fair contest?¡± one perfectly innocent-looking reporter said. Kruger happened to know that woman specialised in poison types, so he treated her words very carefully. ¡°The League does have other options available to it¡­¡± He cast his mind back to some meetings he¡¯d had a few weeks ago. ¡°The options that perhaps could play out would be to set up a variable format.¡± This caused a number of reporters to blink. ¡°Variable format?¡± the woman asked. Kruger swallowed, he couldn¡¯t say he remembered the entirety of the presentation, but the most salient points should do for now. ¡°Instead of doing a winner take all match, a series of matches such as a first to claim two victories could play out over an afternoon or even a few days.¡± Kruger raised both hands as though he were lifting a box. ¡°This would allow trainers to demonstrate a wider range of their pokemon teams and their personal skills, resulting in perhaps the truly best contenders rising up the ranks. This format might be worth testing, but it would take the League a while to set up.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Kruger shook his head sadly. ¡°In truth, anything the League sets up would have to be a gradual process, lest we leap before we look. I would advise that trainers set up methods to deal with the restrictions on not being able to withdraw your pokemon and incurring the minute penalty. Perhaps more people will see that occur going forward, or perhaps not. Other people have known about this for a while and it typically is handled between trainers.¡± Usually, with one trainer storming off in defeat, Kruger didn¡¯t mention. ¡°What about the incident where Titan had caught Alakazam in his jaws! Will had to have interfered¡ª¡± Kruger waved a hand and stepped to the side, ignoring the shouted questions. He¡¯d given them enough soundbites to work with that they should be content for now. ¡°That is all I have time for today. Thank you for coming to listen to the League¡¯s funding announcement, I have another release later in the week that will discuss the end-of-circuit format. Please direct any other questions to our consultant regarding the changes,¡± he said, not breaking his stride. The reporters barely gave the new consultant a look. Most of them hadn¡¯t come to talk about the funding, they wanted the big Magikarp. Kruger stepped out into a hall and sighed reflexively. Allowing himself to relax, he loosened his tie and took a drink of water from one of his members of staff. ¡°How do you think that went?¡± he said tiredly, as he massaged his temples. ¡°I¡¯m not sure many will report on the changes,¡± said the staffer honestly. ¡°I think you did well,¡± said another voice. Kruger straightened up and turned to find Lance leaning against the wall watching him. ¡°Champion,¡± Kruger said carefully. ¡°President Kruger,¡± Lance said with a nod. Kruger tried to stifle the happiness being acknowledged like that brought him, but he might have smiled a little. Lance nodded his head. ¡°You¡¯re resembling the man who ran for President more and more these days.¡± ¡°Feh! Some days I feel like I should have stayed in Chrysthanmum Town,¡± he said. ¡°City now,¡± Lance pointed out with Kruger nodding along. He then waved a hand at his staff member to give himself and Lance some space. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of not running for a second term,¡± Kruger said once they had a little privacy. Lance hummed in thought, and Kruger raised an eyebrow in surprise. He would have thought Lance would be glad to see the back of him. Instead, Lance sighed forlornly. ¡°A shame, the man you are now, is the man Indigo needs. You¡¯ve gotten much better to work with.¡± Lance stood and walked away. ¡°I think we¡¯d be worse for your loss,¡± he said as he left. Kruger stared after him. He felt a strange mix of pride, annoyance, and guilt roiling through him. He eventually sighed and rubbed his temples. ¡°Damn young trainers causing me more headaches,¡± he said as he found himself reconsidering his goals. He considered the hall for a moment before tapping at his transceiver to make a call. ¡°Gramps? Are you looking for Mum?¡± said a much younger voice than he¡¯d expected to answer. Kruger felt himself go soft. ¡°No, I think I got just the person I needed. Tell me about your day!¡± he said, knowing that a five-year-old had no concerns about the League, or the match. Instead, she told him all about simple, happy moments. When he was done talking with her he strode through the halls of the League with his shoulders back, re-energised for the long night ahead of him.
Giovanni savoured the taste on his tongue as he inhaled from his cigar. Before him, the Executives were arrayed around the Rocket boardroom as Executive Archer detailed the success of the recent operation. ¡°The bookies that are our agents were able to collect a killing thanks to the odds we had for Brock against Will. Lots of people are raising complaints, but the police aren¡¯t batting an eye in regards to people who bet bigger than they could afford.¡± Executive Archer clicked another slide, which cut away from their expected haul from the match, to Police pictures of a few civilians that now had warnings on them, listing them as chronic gamblers. ¡°They¡¯re even being used as examples of people who gambled too much,¡± said Archer snidely. ¡°Anyone of interest that we might be able to leverage?¡± said Executive Proton. Giovanni nodded slightly, indicating he agreed with this line of questioning, and Archer sighed forlornly and shook his head. ¡°Sadly not. The only people we were able to garner were small karp, there were however enough of them that we¡¯ve made up a sizeable percentage of our recent losses.¡± ¡°Hmmm might be something we need to set up more in future, if we can get an in I think we have options for it. Any chance the other matches will draw as much attention or money?¡± asked Proton. ¡°Not for the next few matches, Surge isn¡¯t popular enough to really get people worked up like they were for Brock,¡± replied Proton. ¡°Not until he goes against Gym Leader Sabrina at least,¡± said Ariana, speaking up for the first time during this meeting. Her own position at the end of the table and most distant from Giovanni showed how she¡¯d fallen out of favour. Next to her Madam Bossue looked positively amused at what was being reported. Giovanni held in a smirk, so she was feeling comfortable was she? Unmindful of the plan he had in play Archer continued the discussion. ¡°Hmmm Psychic versus Psychic, should be possible.¡± Archer wet his lips and turned to Giovanni. ¡°Boss¡­ will our Agent be able to boost Will¡¯s match like he did against Brock?¡± ¡°It is possible,¡± Giovanni demurred. He allowed a small smirk to play out on his lips before adopting a stoic expression. ¡°I¡¯m considering the wisdom in that though. Will was supposed to beat Brock, not draw with him.¡± The boardroom fell silent as everyone¡¯s eyes flicked from Giovanni to Madam Bossue. ¡°He did admirably and has a lot of attention on him now though. We can pinch him for more concessions and lock him down fully,¡± said Madam Bossue. Giovanni shook his head. ¡°I feel that this Will is a perfect example of the sunken cost fallacy playing out. No, he failed the task that was set to him. Let him know he won¡¯t garner any further support from us and that he is to return the Jynx to us. I don¡¯t want that pokemon falling into the hands of Silph co or Devon, or any other organisations.¡± Madam Bossue put a hand to her cheek. ¡°This is rather cutthroat of you, Gio¡­¡± she said demurely. Giovanni blew out a puff of smoke, savouring the moment. ¡°It is just business, I think you can go talk with him. Carry this out immediately and wait for assignment to other duties.¡± He pressed a button under the table, and the door opened in a clear invitation. Madam Bossue assessed him, understanding the unspoken dismissal. She inclined her head and her lips quirked up. Despite himself, Giovanni preened at the unspoken ¡®well played¡¯ that his mother granted him even as he evicted her from the boardroom. She¡¯d need to come back with another plot if she wanted to truly make plans in Team Rocket. The executives watched her go in silence, awed and now not sitting anywhere near as comfortably, knowing that they might be next in being shown the door. Only a bare few truly knew of Giovanni and the Madam¡¯s actual relationship. The click of the door as it closed behind the Madam was a symphony of well-orchestrated music to his ears. Giovanni drew in on his cigar, enjoying the quiet looks of worry and calculation that shot between the various Executives. He had them rattled now, which was just where he wanted them. ¡°If I may ask¡­¡± began Ariana only to pause as Giovanni raised his eyes to her and exhaled smoke. The effect caused his eyes to glow ominously in the still-darkened room. Ariana reconsidered her words, and Giovanni shot Archer a look to dismiss his hologram and instead turn on the lights once more. Giovanni blinked slowly at the return of the lights but made sure to keep his attention on Ariana. She regathered herself with the lights back on. ¡°How did our Agent escape Sabrina¡¯s notice?¡± Giovanni considered her for a long moment. Around the table, others shifted in obvious interest. They too had no idea how he¡¯d snuck interference against Brock under the nose of a trainer that had been considered the best psychic trainer around. Sabrina was after all, the main reason that only certain Rocket members were allowed even close to Saffron City. They needed a certain level of mental discipline to shield their thoughts or hide from her. Her legend was well deserved, as while she was not as widely known as Koga, she was no less effective in dealing with crime in her city. Now the Rocket Executives were wondering how he¡¯d snuck something past her. Giovanni enjoyed their hungry gazes before tossing them a sop. ¡°My Agent is simply that skilled. We were able to set up conditions that suited their capabilities. I have no doubt that in the future they will be able to repeat such performances if I deem them necessary.¡± The executives all straightened at that, and a few smiled. They likely anticipated this would see them return to strength. Giovanni wasn¡¯t too worried about that. He was already setting up a Board of Executives for the Orre region and the Orange Islands. Team Rocket in Indigo might be struggling, but Team Rocket as a worldwide organisation? They were going from strength to strength. Sadly, not all the goals were being met as he hoped, but he knew better than to expect such wild goals to be accomplished. ¡°Have we finished the count on the pokemon garnered through Operation Burning Mountain?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes sir! We have a large number of rare and powerful pokemon captured. Training and submitting to orders is still ongoing.¡± ¡°Assign a quarter of the pokemon to sales. I want to make the most of the recent¡­ fervour with which trainers are looking to acquire a Tyranitar.¡± ¡°We only got one of those but we have seven Pupitar, seventeen Larvitar and just as many eggs.¡± ¡°Separate the eggs, it¡¯s not guaranteed that all of those eggs will be Larvitar. Unless the markings match known larvitar eggs clearly, I want our men to be on the watch for any situations where other pokemon have snuck their own eggs into the clutches,¡± Giovanni said firmly. Archer nodded quickly. Giovanni considered the table. His mind cast back to the video feed he¡¯d had of Mewtwo battling that Moltres. He¡¯d ordered Mewtwo to engage but it had quickly overwhelmed Mewtwo, something that wouldn¡¯t be allowed. Giovanni might have inadvertently weakened the Legendary bird before its encounter with Brock, in his bid to attempt to capture it. His eyes had been too big though and he¡¯d tried for too much. Still, with Mewtwo and a Moltres he would have been able to act with more impunity. No that all his options were exhausted¡­ he¡¯d need to consider his options. ¡°I want¡­¡± he considered the boardroom. Sird was the wrong tool to use, Proton was ambitious, Ariana was still being punished for her backing Madam Bossue, Petrel was best at recruiting¡­ which left only¡­¡± Archer, I want you to go into the archives and reopen Project Monster sightings. I want you to start investigating that quietly. If anyone sniffs around, I want you to tell me immediately,¡± Giovanni said. ¡°Will do Boss!¡± said Archer loyally. Giovanni nodded and considered the final item on today¡¯s agenda. ¡°Proton, Ariana, continue your work with Project Silph, I want actionable intel on their base in Saffron for future decisions,¡± he said. Both eyed each other before nodding. ¡°That appears to be all the points of consideration for this meeting,¡± Giovanni declared. He swept his gaze around the eight Executives. ¡°Unless anyone has something else to bring forth?¡± he prompted. The group shifted, sharing glances but not speaking up. It was a rare day indeed, it would seem. None of the Executives had plans to promote. Perhaps the recent showing from the League might have curtailed their greed. He narrowed his eyes in thought. That, or they were performing operations without his authority. He inspected them all, lingering on Ariana. He¡¯d culled much of her power within Team Rocket but she might still dare if she felt she could get away with it. His earlier demonstrations of what failure could result in with the Madam, would certainly have helped cow them. For now, it seemed that they were satisfied and awed by his response. The elusive ¡®Agent M¡¯ also seemed to have won him a good deal of respect. If a man could order someone able to hoodwink Sabrina? Obviously, Giovanni had more up his sleeves than they¡¯d realised. They might be reassessing their stances and loyalty. Giovanni would have to make sure to solidify any that found themselves wavering. He stood and nodded to the Indigo board of Executives¡ª as he¡¯d begun to call them to himself¡ªbefore sauntering out, his cigar held in two fingers. The doors swung open at his approach without a sign from him, and he held in a chuckle as some of the executives blanched. Agent M had been listening, after all, and was ready for this little power play. Now, for the next move. Giovanni marched through his base towards a distant wing. Here he didn¡¯t bother with theatrics he placed his hand against a scanner and was buzzed in a moment later. He stepped out of a cold metallic former military base¡ª one that no authority figures ever learned about¡ª and into a plush home. He kicked off his shoes and walked into the loungeroom, eyeing the dark emitters that were intact on the walls. When he reached the lounge, he sank back into the chair. He then raised a remote and toggled the screen to display one of the safehouses. The screen blinked on to reveal Will sitting hunched over on himself. ¡°¡ª couldn¡¯t they have given me more support? I just needed a little push to finish it!¡± Will was saying. ¡°Will, they gave you lots of opportunities,¡± The Madam said as she placed a pokeball on a receptacle that led to a computer. Giovanni was pleased to see it wink away. Bill¡¯s invention might still be debated in the League but Giovanni knew a useful tool when he saw one. ¡°If they had thumbed the scales too much, it would be obvious that you had outside interference. As it is, Brock and Sabrina will be highly suspicious.¡± He¡¯d consider digitising most of the pokemon they stole, if it wasn¡¯t for the issues of sales, orhampering their ability to call out a roster of powerful pokemon at short notice. ¡°I¡¯ll do better! I can¡¯t believe that¡­ that! Aberration was able to fight back like that!¡± Will growled. ¡°He is rather strong, isn¡¯t he?¡± Madam said as she sat next to Will, feigning interest in the idea of Brock. Giovanni grimaced. It was bad enough he knew how this exchange his mother was having with Will would end, let alone the idea of that ever playing out. Still, she had her wiles and Will didn¡¯t even realise how the Madam was wrapping her coils around him. It paid to watch her work occasionally. A pokemon sauntered into view and Will perked up. Giovanni rolled his eyes as the boy¡¯s attention flickered to the blue haired Gardevoir. The pokemon wasn¡¯t just a pretty showpiece, as some liked to think of it. It seemed the Madam was going in for the kill as she leaned in, her pokemon depositing some tea that wouldn¡¯t be drunk until later, before sitting itself down on Will¡¯s opposite side. ¡°What you need to do, Will, is show the world just how good a trainer you are,¡± the Madam said even as Will flicked his eyes from woman to pokemon. Giovanni snorted and clicked the remote. He had seen enough. The Madam would continue to support Will and when he was prominent enough bring him back into the fold, with Team Rocket ready to get more out of the boy. It would be telling if she decided not to bring the boy back in and instead tried to have him challenge Blaine or Giovanni himself. If she did that, he¡¯d have to destroy the boy. But he doubted it would get that far. The boy would probably fight until Erika, and then make another plea for their support. In the meantime, Giovanni could shift his attention to other projects that were worth his time.
Saul yawned as he settled down for dinner with his wife. ¡°Looks nice dear,¡± he said while giving her a smile. ¡°Hmm,¡± she said as she read a magazine to the side. Saul rolled his eyes and raised his fork and knife, only to pause when Sabrina teleported into the corner they¡¯d set up for her. ¡°Sabrina?¡± Saul said before shaking off the surprise. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be staying with Brock tonight?¡± ¡°You saw the match then?¡± she said her voice shifting into her monotone. Saul swallowed. ¡°Ah, yes, that. It wasn¡¯t very clean. Is Brock alright?¡± ¡°He is castigating himself unfairly. He also used too much aura and has fallen asleep,¡± she said. She flicked her hair. ¡°I will wake him up when it is time for dinner and then put him back to bed.¡± Saul twitched in his mind, unable to not see how that might play out. For all their estrangement, he didn¡¯t like the idea of his daughter with a boy. Sabrina raised an eyebrow at him and he shifted his attention to his dinner. It wasn¡¯t like he could stop her anyway. Sandrah lowered her magazine. ¡°Is something the matter Sabrina?¡± she said causing Saul to realise that yes, he¡¯d missed the obvious. Sabrina was here instead of being with Brock, looking over him. Sabrina shifted and looked to the side. Saul blinked, recognising that she looked embarrassed but unable to reconcile it with his grown-up daughter. It had been years since she¡¯d shown emotions like that! She was usually unashamed of most things. ¡°I¡­¡± she started, only to pause as a long atrophied parental instinct in Saul made him stand and wrap and arm around his daughter. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright. How about you sit down and tell us about what¡¯s bugging you.¡± Sabrina shot him a flat look and Saul only realised he¡¯d accidentally told a joke. Bugging a psychic. Heh, he¡¯d have to remember that one. She sighed and accepted the seat. ¡°I¡­ wasn¡¯t good enough. Will cheated¡­ or rather someone else cheated for Will but.. They were better than me. I barely detected them; their skill with manipulating psychic energy was¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell where the pokemon¡¯s energy began and where the other person¡¯s began.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure it wasn¡¯t Will?¡± Saul said. Sabrina nodded. ¡°His use of psychic energy is rather crude. I also think he would not be able to stop himself from showing off if he was more skilled than he is. No, it was someone else.¡± Saul frowned. That was worrying. Someone better than Sabrina? It had been scary enough dealing with Sabrina. If someone was going around interfering in high profile matches¡­ ¡°Are we sure it was a person?¡± Sandrah said. That caused both Sabrina and Saul to blink and Sabrina to inhale sharply. ¡°There was a pokemon that fought Moltres when we were in the Silver mountains¡­ it was psychic and extremely powerful.¡± Sabrina frowned before chewing her lip. Saul shared a look with Sandrah. Sabrina was emoting a lot today. Eventually, Sabrina nodded to herself and swallowed. ¡°I¡­ I need to be better if I want to have a chance at stopping it from acting again.¡± She turned and bowed her head to Saul. ¡°Can you help me get stronger?¡± Saul blinked in surprise. If Sabrina had done this years ago, he¡¯d have denied her. But now? She was much better, and more importantly, he knew she wasn¡¯t just doing this for strength but rather for others. ¡°Sure thing kiddo! I¡¯ll look through the archives and dig up some tricks you can start working on.¡± Sabrina flicked her eyes to the side. ¡°I got into those years ago,¡± she confessed, causing Saul to blink. Oh. His worst nightmare back then had played out, but she¡¯d never acted on it. Oh, that was¡­ good? ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ talk with some other Psychic types. I¡¯ll find something!¡± he said as Sandrah nodded at him. His wife nodded along before smiling at Sabrina. ¡°Your father will handle that but perhaps you should go back to your boyfriend?¡± ¡°I will.Thank you, mother, father,¡± Sabrina said, giving them both small smiles. She then teleported out. Saul huffed. ¡°Why¡¯d you tell her to do that?¡± Sandrah rolled her eyes and lifted her magazine up. ¡°Your dinner is getting cold dear,¡± she said. Saul grumbled in annoyance into his meal.
Clefairy glowered at his fists. Chansey tsked at him as she worked. ¡°I need to get stronger,¡± he said. ¡°Please, you¡¯re throwing yourself around too much. You end up in this medical bay more than any other pokemon,¡± said Chansey dismissively, her hand stopped glowing and she walked off. Clefairy perked up, only to stiffen as his body protested the movement. ¡°I don¡¯t feel fully healed?¡± Chansey sat on a swivel chair and slapped a poster that had to be new, off to the side. Clefairy eyed it. ¡°I don¡¯t read human.¡± Chansey huffed. ¡°It says I¡¯m not healing you again today,¡± she said waspishly. Clefairy glowered at her ineffectively. When she raised a cup of soda to slurp at, to show how much she was unaffected by his ire, he huffed. ¡°I could have helped out with that fight today if I¡¯d been stronger.¡± In his heart of hearts, the one Bertha always talked about her magic powers coming from, he knew he was right. ¡°Arrogance,¡± rumbled a deep voice. Clefairy stiffened, remembering that he wasn¡¯t the only pokemon in the medical bay right now. He turned and found the pokemon that had fought laid out on various beds. He noted they were resting with cushions under them and they had carts of healing potions next to each of them. On the closest bed, laying on his stomach, Titan rested with a single eye watching Clefairy. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Clefiary asked. ¡°It is arrogance to assume that you alone could have changed the course of a battle. A battle is a larger event. Brock must bear much of the responsibility as our trainer, but even he isn¡¯t the only one who decided the outcome of the fight. It comes in many decisive moments.¡± ¡°Moments like when you went down, Tide!¡± croaked Shrek the Swampert from his bed. Clefairy leaned to the side to find Tide the Lapras with his head in the corner occasionally bumping it. Tide shot Shrek an annoyed look. ¡°I¡¯d like you to go years with a harem and then try not getting worked up after a dry spell!¡± Shrek croaked a laugh, but Titan raised his head. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Shrek; Tide is not incorrect.¡± Shrek lowered his head, and Tide shot him a victorious look, only for Titan to keep talking. ¡°But Tide isn¡¯t going to live this down for a while.¡± With both pokemon quiet, Titan turned his attention back to Clefairy. ¡°You will be a strong part of the team in the future, but don¡¯t try and rush yourself too much like you have been. Brock will help you reach your full potential. Brock has a method that might take months, but in the past it took years. It has been something he has developed. Right now, you only have a limited idea of what that entails. I myself am not sure if I have reached my peak yet, with how Brock sometimes talks.¡± Clefairy gazed in awe. Titan could get stronger? Wow, their trainer was amazing. Clefiary fidgetted on the bed. ¡°I jus¡­ I know I¡¯m close to being able to help out.¡± Titan inspected Clefairy. ¡°You have come a long way, I and the others have noticed. You are an inspiration to us.¡± Clefairy blushed at the praise. Titan merely nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t begrudge yourself the time. You can go the distance.¡± ¡°I will! I will go the distance!¡± shouted Clefairy. Titan nodded his head and made a show of looking around at the other pokemon in the medical bay with them. ¡°We will all be right there with you,¡± he said, causing the other pokemon to perk up. Titan lowered his head. ¡°But for now we must rest and recover our strength; this is not a weakness as it allows us to dream of the heights we will reach.¡± Clefairy grinned and laid down, all too able to imagine himself soaring high. When he awoke, he just knew he¡¯d be ready to grow stronger. He didn¡¯t notice Chansey moving up to him and healing him properly as he slept.
In a secluded hospital wing, a woman¡¯s hand twitched once. It would have been missed if the woman sitting beside her hadn¡¯t been watching the slumbering woman. She stiffened. ¡°A-agatha?¡± said Karen, sitting up. Her eyes searched for even a hint of further movement. She considered calling for the nurse to check on Agatha, only to pause. ¡°You awake, you shitty old hag?¡± she said firmly. Agatha didn¡¯t even twitch. Karen frowned. Then she eyed the television she¡¯d been using to dull the boredom of her visits. She turned the television to a music channel and cranked up the volume as loud as it would go. ¡°¡ªichu, Nidoqueen, Bellsprout, Starmie! ¡°Whoo, we¡¯re at the halfway point. Dooing great so far!¡± ¡°WE? What¡¯s this ¡®we¡¯ stuff? I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°Turn off that garbage!¡± growled Agatha, causing Karen to grin. ¡°Ha! I knew you were faking it, you old hag!¡± she said, pouring a glass of water and handing it to Agatha. When Agatha cracked open a red eye and glared at her and then at the television, Karen cut the noise to the obnoxious ¡®Pokemon Rap¡¯ that some clown had put together. Wherever he got the idea of one hundred and fifty, Karen had no idea, but it was catchy, and dumb kids liked it, so it was on the music charts, and therefore perfect to tweak an old woman¡¯s nose with. A nurse was buzzed, and one promptly bustled in to run some observations and check over the old woman. She collected some answers from Agatha on how she felt and such, that Karen ignored. When the old woman ordered some food, Karen knew she was feeling better. ¡°So, I get injured and you drop everything to watch over me like some chick that can¡¯t leave the nest?¡± Agatha said eyeing the mess of sheets that Karen had used as a bed. ¡°T-tha!¡± She stammered, only to scowl. ¡°I was just waiting for you to die so then I could go hunt all the closest Gastly!¡± ¡°Ho, that¡¯s rich! Do you have any idea what that sounds like? You admit to needing me to help you out for the rest of your life!? Grow up brat!¡± ¡°Shitty Hag!¡± snarled Karen. ¡°Naive brat!¡± snapped Agatha back. The two women locked eyes, and with anyone else, a pokemon battle might have broken out. Instead, they both relaxed a little and looked away, smiles on their faces. Agatha yawned and leaned back into her pillow. Karen bustled around and nudged the older woman to drink some more water, and when her meal arrived, she cut it up so the old woman wouldn¡¯t choke on it. When the water and food were done, Agatha sighed. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough rest for a wicked soul like me.¡± She levelled a look at Karen. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s been going on since I fought with that pokemon, granddaughter!¡± Chapter 137 - The day after A mocking laugh had me turning to find Will standing on a ridgeline. His hand was raised in front of his face in the most prissy manner I could imagine, and he cackled at me. I frowned. What was I doing here? I was standing in the midst of a broken landscape that¡­ No. Not just any broken landscape; this was the battlefield after our match. I glanced further around and felt a weight settle on me, with a crowd of faces leering down from the stands. Judging me as a cold voice announced Will¡¯s victory. I glanced around for my pokemon only to not see them. I ran my hand along my pokebelt only for nothing to be there. I reached for Titan¡¯s Greatball only to find nothing. A cold sweat broke out over me. Will opened his mouth and an alarm tone blared out of it. I shot into an upright position, sleep abandoned, as I lashed out with a rock-empowered fist. The alarm clock squawked once more and fizzled before falling silent. I sighed and rubbed at my forehead. ¡°Wow, way to go me. You sure showed that alarm,¡± I said. What if that had been one of my little brothers or sisters? Was I going to swat them as well? I felt an ache run through me. Urgh, I was apparently a bit sore from overusing my aura yesterday. Hmmm, that was a fun discovery. ¡°Brock?¡± said a voice. I glanced back and found Sabrina blinking blearily behind me. ¡°Hey, morning,¡± I said wondering if I could hide the broken alarm clock before she noticed. Her eyes flicked over to it and nodded. ¡°Good you got to it before I could,¡± she said without a hint of shame in her tone. Her eyes returned to me. ¡°You look unwell¡­ you told everyone that you were fine yesterday¡­.¡± She wet her lips. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°Just more of yesterday and a stupid dream.¡± I said with a sigh, falling back into bed. Sabrina lifted herself up telekinetically and repositioned my arm so that she was curled into my side with my arm around her without any input from her. She lay her head on my shoulder and looked up at me. I played with her hair and enjoyed the warmth that bled from her into me. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ alright to be bothered by this. Remember, we¡¯ve spoken of handling losses. This is just a draw. You¡¯re very good at letting the small things wash over you.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel small, what if my lo¡ª¡± I stopped that line of thought as I felt Sabrina frown at me. ¡°Draw,¡± I bit out. ¡°What if my draw lets that dirtbag Will get enough recognition to do as he wants? Claim a spot on the Elite Four?¡± I said knowing that, according to some ¡®canon¡¯ references, that¡¯s what he¡¯d achieve. ¡°There are still quite a few hurdles ahead of him. While the Cerulean sisters¡­¡± Sabrina made a face. ¡°Well, Surge will be a strong match, I have no doubt. And you shouldn¡¯t discount Erika either. And Brock, if he tries to pull off a Psychic terrain against me? I¡¯ll make him regret it.¡± ¡°Yeah, he won¡¯t be able to use the same tricks, but I think that¡¯s part of the trouble I got into. I underestimated him and what he was willing to do to win.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair. Would you change anything if you could have?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ If I had my entire team, things might be a bit different¡­ Selene, Bertha, Don, Sanchez¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have been able to use all of them but still¡­¡± ¡°They fought very well against that Moltres, and none of them are permanently injured. In fact, I think most of them are now back to full health, no?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah they are. Sorry for backsliding like this,¡± I said rubbing a hand over my face. ¡°Don¡¯t apologise,¡± Sabrina said smiling up at me. ¡°Feelings are important things.¡± I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s silly I guess now that I¡¯ve said it aloud¡­¡± I toyed with her hair. ¡°It¡­ was nice having everyone come out to talk with me like they did¡­ after the match¡­ they¡¯re good people," I said. ¡°Indeed they are,¡± Sabrina said. She shifted. ¡°What will you do today? I know the press are champing at the bit to interview you.¡± I grimaced. I could just imagine how that was going to go. Urgh, so many smug reporters. Would they be accusing me of failing or pitying me? Yesterday hadn¡¯t seen me having much energy after the match. I¡¯d passed out from over using my aura for most of the afternoon, only to wake up for dinner. I ate, spent some time with my family, checked in with my pokemon, and then tried to settle down, only to find myself restless. Sabrina had helped keep my mind off yesterday rather marvelously and tired me out enough to keep me in bed. I lifted the sheet and saw that we were still naked. ¡°Down,¡± Sabrina said as she saw where I was looking. I grumbled and settled for a stretch while squeezing her shoulder. I was thankful that today was a Sunday. It would probably be a slow news day if I did the press conference. Some of them might be snippy about having to wait an entire day, but I needed the time to recover and check in with my pokemon. ¡°So, are what are your thoughts about yesterday?¡± Sabrina said probingly. ¡°I think¡­ I handled that as well as I could have I suppose, all things considered¡­¡± I glanced over at the wrecked clock. ¡°Urgh I¡¯ll need a new alarm clock as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I¡¯d rather not lash out like that but I had a nightmare and lashed out.¡± I said, feeling annoyed at myself. ¡°It happens,¡± she replied easily. I huffed at her but she tapped me on the chest. ¡°Also, you wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Sabrina said. I shot her an unamused look. She met my gaze easily. ¡°Do you remember? I was much the same initially. What did you say when I got startled and broke that tree?¡± ¡°That it was alright¡­ and you could control yourself¡­¡± I replied, recalling the incident in question. Sabrina tapped my nose. ¡°Correct, and the same will apply here. You will control yourself and not hurt those you care for. Also, that alarm was annoying.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I mean, it was supposed to wake me up; it¡¯s not supposed to be to quiet.¡± ¡°You can find better ways to get up.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I said yawning. ¡°It worked pretty well. You have a better idea?¡± I said teasingly. Sabrina shot me a smirk and leaned up to kiss me on the lips. She then leaned close to my ear. ¡°Brock, time to get up,¡± she whispered into my ear. She was right. That was a much better way to wake up.
[/hr] After the morning''s activities, I had a shower and freshened up. I gave Sabrina a kiss before I headed out. ¡°I¡¯m glad that got you feeling better,¡± she said sardonically from in front of the mirror as she ran a few combs through her hair all at once. ¡°Ah yeah, that certainly helped. You coming out with me today?¡± I asked, jerking my head towards the reserve. Sabrina started to nod, before a thoughtful expression took over her features. ¡°In a little while. I think I¡¯m going to look into a few things first. I¡¯ll meet up with you again later.¡± She pulled me in for another kiss and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t get too caught up in your draw, please?¡± she asked. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± I said. She let me go then, but her eyes continued to search my face. I departed, feeling rather upbeat. I got all the way to the kitchen before my mood went up in smoke when Flint stepped forward. I watched him like one would watch a stray Growlithe you weren¡¯t sure about. ¡°Brock, I''m sorry about your match yesterday. That match was the most rotten affair I¡¯ve seen in years.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said intelligently. I cast around for what to say to him. ¡°Thanks?¡± I ended up settling on. He shifted, and I flicked my eyes around. ¡°I thought you were incredible out there,¡± he said. ¡°All of the family were really proud of you.¡± ¡°Yeah thanks for that, Flint,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ gonna go and check in with my pokemon.¡± ¡°Ah yeah, you should do that¡­ if you want to talk¡­ I¡¯m always here for you,¡± he offered with an open hand. ¡°I¡­¡± I considered him for a moment. The way he was looking so hopeful. A part of me wanted to lash out at him for approaching me while I was down in the dumps, but I knew that wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d been trying to do. I decided to try¡­ a little¡­ for the family. ¡°I know that you¡¯re always there to talk, and I appreciate the gesture,¡± I told him. I considered telling him that I had others that I would rather talk to, but that would just come from a petty part of me. A part that wasn¡¯t wrong, but it wasn¡¯t a part that needed to be spoken aloud. I edged my way out of the kitchen, nabbing a piece of fruit as I did so. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go check in with my pokemon.¡± I ignored how his smile dropped a fraction and his shoulder slumped a little. Instead, I got out of there and made my way past the garden of Lileep. ¡°Haha! I knew camping out would lead me to catch you unawares!¡± shouted a trainer that sprang out of the bushes. I raised the piece of fruit and was about to toss it at them, only for Nanny Grav to walk around the corner with a small watering can in her hand. Without breaking stride, she grabbed the trainer in one arm and tucked him under her arm like an errant child¡­ which he pretty much was. She walked away after giving me a polite nod. I blinked in surprise before relaxing and taking a bite of fruit. ¡°Huh, so that hasn¡¯t stopped yet¡­¡± I said to myself as I kept walking. When I got into the reserve I nodded to a number of the Gym trainers who were already up, feeding and working with a few pokemon. Greta was leading a small pack of Aron around with one hand on a link of chain while her other held onto her pokedex to document the game. I went deeper and found a number of my Elite pokemon sitting around talking with each other. They looked like they were having a pretty deep discussion. I walked past Tit¡ª I paused when I realised I wasn¡¯t just walking past Titan but in fact his mother, Empress. ¡°Oh, hey there, Empress, morning,¡± I said, carefully judging her mood. She stared down at me before looming in to sniff me. She locked eyes with me, and I held her stare, but not in a way that would cause her to feel like she needed to fight. It felt more like she was feeling me out. She nodded once. Then she grinned and leaned closer to swipe my bit of fruit. She swallowed it and then smirked. I got the impression she was teasing me, which was a novel experience. I snorted in amusement at her antics. Without really thinking about it, I reached out and rubbed her snout. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re feeling better, Empress.¡± I decided to leave while the going was good and she was confused. She touched her nose where I¡¯d rubbed her in bewilderment, shooting me a confused look. ¡°Hey gang,¡± I said, causing my pokemon to perk up. Sanchez bounced onto his feet and waved both arms ecstatically. Bertha smiled widely. Titan nodded stoically, and the others trumpeted their own names. I moved around and hopped up onto a segment of Jormungandr¡¯s body. I looked them all over. Nurse Joy and Chansey had done well to get them all back to fighting fitness, and while they were sore, I knew that wouldn¡¯t be enough to hamper them. I locked eyes with all of them and noted that there was a glint in each of their eyes. A feeling that was just waiting to be tapped into. ¡°So,¡± I said, shifting my gaze, assessing my pokemon and considering them and myself. ¡°That match sucked.¡± My pokemon nodded. Some slumped. Others growled in annoyance. ¡°Yeah, that had to be one of the most annoying matches around. We did a lot of prep work for it and then had some of the worst buildup to it with having to fight one of the strongest pokemon around.¡± I continued to shift my gaze. ¡°But we held them off despite having to defend pokemon and people that were injured. Not an ideal situation for us; otherwise, I think we might have plucked that flaming chicken,¡± I said, not holding back. I gave Bertha a huge grin. ¡°You nailed that feather duster, Bertha, and then I saw some great work from others both defending and blocking hits that would have seen a lot more injuries if we hadn¡¯t been so on the ball.¡± I nodded to Hypnotoad, and she puffed up. ¡°We didn¡¯t go into Will¡¯s match with all our options, but we still had a very solid team with the pokemon I picked. Gawain, your debut is stealing the hearts and minds of a lot of people; you stood up and really demonstrated your skills and grit. Knight, Tide, they had to use some seriously underhanded techniques to take you both out as you were solid powerhouses during that match.¡± ¡°Shrek, you traded hard in a matchup that you were hugely disadvantaged against.¡± I bowed my head towards him. ¡°You then held the line with the final trade of blows despite how spent you were.¡± Shrek nodded his head before marching up to me. He put a huge hand on my shoulder. And squeezed it. ¡°Swampert,¡± he said with a nod. I nodded back, feeling a bit lighter. ¡°Titan, you took some serious abuse with them dropping the biggest cheap shot of the match into your face, but despite that, you still drew a lot of attention and forced things back into our control.¡± Titan raised a claw in a thumbs up. ¡°Jormungandr,¡± I said patting the segment of his body I was sitting on.¡± You did amazing, you were holding them off and able to grow during that match to get way, way stronger. You surprised everyone with your endurance and your versatility.¡± I looked at all six of the pokemon I selected. ¡°I¡¯d be hard-pressed to pick six pokemon better to have faced Will if I had my entire roster. You all stood up and did great.¡± The positive energy had them all perked up and smiling. I let my own smile drop away. ¡°In the end¡­ we drew.¡± Instantly, the positive mood was cut off, but instead of being sullen and depressed, they looked to me. ¡°And that, sucks.¡± I sat up and looked around. ¡°None of us are here to lose or draw. We¡¯re not weak, we didn¡¯t train for hours on end to just falter. We fought a Legendary and walked out of it with only mild injuries,¡± I said indicating Bertha who pumped her fist. ¡°We¡¯re not done with how strong we can get. We can reach higher.¡± I put a hand on my chest. ¡°I can be smarter and more aware.¡± I smiled as the others tried to wave their hands. ¡°I messed up a few times.¡± ¡°Rhy!¡± Bertha barked to silence me. She then mimed me picking up Knight and lifting him off the battlefield. Everyone nodded at that, and Titan shot me a huge thumbs-up. Knight ducked his head. ¡°Ah you saw that, did you?¡± I asked, scratching at my cheek in embarrassment. I¡¯d forgotten about that moment when I¡¯d lifted Knight. I chuckled, ¡°Did it look cool?¡± Bertha nodded her head, and Sanchez pumped his arms. I grinned and adjusted my sitting position. ¡°So, I have an idea that I wanted to run by all of you first.¡± My pokemon perked up. I laced my fingers together. ¡°With us forcing a draw with Will he may or may not have to face us again. I don¡¯t want to leave it up to him. Let¡¯s force the issue by actively advancing up the ranks of the Ace trainer circuit.¡± ¡°Rhy!¡± ¡°Golem!¡± said Bertha and Sanchez. ¡°Yes that would mean you¡¯d get a wider audience, you¡¯d also have to train more and fight more. This¡­ isn¡¯t something I have been able to do and there will be changes in how the Gym operates to allow us to do this but with Flint home and looking after the kids.¡± I spread my hands wide. ¡°It¡¯s an option. Are you alright with putting in more hours though? The fights will be tougher, we¡¯ll need to be strategic in how and when we fight. The Ace circuit is something we¡¯ve only dabbled in but it is still something that we¡¯ve still risen up. I want to stop dabbling and claim a spot at the top. We¡¯ve been seen as a standard people need to match, let¡¯s cement that!¡¯¡± ¡°Tyranitar!¡± Titan bellowed immediately. He lifted his fist and the other pokemon copied him, unanimously roaring their own approval before even a shred of doubt could come in. Clefairy leapt up and punched his tiny fists in fury. Bertha raised her huge arms and pumped them up and down. Sanchez sparked. Tide lifted his head and crooned hopefully. Selene bustled to the front and got in my face. ¡°Luna! Tone!¡± she said insistently. ¡°You want to lead the charge girl?¡± I asked. She nodded quickly, and I rubbed my chin. ¡°I have been holding out on sending you out haven¡¯t I?¡± I said thoughtfully. I¡¯d used her in the friendly match against Lance but she otherwise hadn¡¯t seen a lot of action¡­ I nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s make it happen. You¡¯ll be locked in for whoever I challenge next, alright?¡± Selene trilled with happiness and this caused my other pokemon to crowd in. all of them wanting to be locked into the next fight. I raised my hands and gestured for them to give me room. ¡°I need to find someone to fight first. We¡¯ll set something up, don¡¯t worry! But first we need to gather information.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. This caused them to settle down but I saw there was a fire in their eyes now. ¡°In the meantime, there¡¯s going to be a lot of training happening to upskill what we can. Before we throw ourselves into it I think we¡¯ll take some time today. For today¡¯s training, Titan, I want you to lead a round of reflection and meditation.¡± Bertha slumped and grumbled at this apparently hoping for some hard work. ¡°For the new members, I want you to ask the others about their experiences fighting Moltres, or Will¡¯s pokemon.¡± I gave Bertha a look. ¡°Yes, that does mean story time.¡± That had her perking right back up only for Sanchez to put a foot on Jorm¡¯s tail like he was an adventurer about to set out. ¡°Golem, go, go, lem, lem,¡± he said not waiting to start his tale of what appeared to be woe and hardship. Clefairy and Teddiursa, were drawn in and Bertha, seemingly despite her annoyance, was also drawn into the tale. I snorted and looked at the others. ¡°I might also look into acquiring some new pokemon to add to the team. While we have some new pokemon coming up, that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t look to the future as well. Yeah?¡± I said. The others nodded, and I looked to Zephyr. ¡°Means more trips for you and me buddy.¡± He hooted at this rather happily. I clapped my hands and decided to leave it there. Titan took over with the other pokemon, but before I left I laid out some snacks for them all. I¡¯d need to have a serious think on what sort of pokemon I wanted to add to the team. I could probably easily train up a Lileep and get a strong Cradilly. Or I could go in another direction entirely. Get something different that people wouldn¡¯t expect me to have. What gaps exist in my roster right now? I hadn¡¯t wanted Will to get past me. I¡¯d wanted him to break on what I had thought was a wall of strength. Turns out my wall had some gaps he could exploit. The question became, how did I handle those cracks. Did I seal it off by broadening my pokemon roster or train my pokemon specifically against it? Lay traps for anyone trying to exploit the same method with strategies? Some of the gaps only existed due to my roster being depleted from fighting Moltres. A niggling doubt wormed its way into my mind, and I moved through the gym. I headed straight for the security room. When I entered, I found things as they should be. The guard looked up from his desk with a small mug of coffee. ¡°Gym Leader, rough shake yesterday,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°Thanks, were you on yesterday?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No Jules was on yesterday. Is something the problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure; I just want to check things over. Yesterday¡­ it didn¡¯t sit right with me on multiple levels.¡± The thing that stood out the most to me was how many different specialised techniques his pokemon seemed to have. They¡¯d taken moves beyond the norm. Alakazam¡¯s Ally Switch being one of the prime examples, along with Jynx¡¯s Mean Look. Sabrina didn¡¯t have that many. Did that make him a better trainer than Sabrina? A better Psychic? I just couldn¡¯t believe that. There had to be something else going on. I brought up the security log and found nothing from either the security guard or the Porygon that circulated the Gym¡¯s internal systems. I flicked through the outside cameras and played out the time during the match. I found one overlooking the gym from a distant hill. If my memory served¡­ this was the hill that I¡¯d caught footage of Jessie, James, and Meowth on before they approached the gym. It was meant as a passive wide scan view of the front of the gym. It had helped discover the fate of Officer Jenny¡¯s bike. Right now it show¡­ Nothing At least nothing appeared there. I huffed and toggled it to fast forward at double time. Nothing happened until a shadow moved. I frowned and replayed the video. The guard sat up, catching what I¡¯d seen. ¡°What was that?¡± I scowled as the video played at half speed. On the camera, an armoured limb rose up from offscreen and gestured towards the gym. It glowed with a blue energy that I recognised. ¡°That is something using psychic energy,¡± I said. I lined up a video of the match and synchronised the time to match it to the video. At the start nothing seemed, but when the first Psychic Terrain occurs the area near where the the limb came from glowed, lighting up the area slightly. I frowned. ¡°It¡­ starts supporting Will when he has Psychic Terrain up?¡± I frowned in thought. Why would he do that. I played through the videos and noted a few more moments. I noticed some movement in the gym and paused it to reveal Brawly and Jackson moving about inspecting people with other gym trainers. I rewound it and found Sabrina twitching in surprise. I drummed my fingers in thought. Gradually, a suspicion formed in my mind.¡±the Psychic terrain empowered his pokemon¡­ but what if it was meant to do more than that?¡± I said aloud. The guard frowned and opened his mouth, only for me to raise a hand. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just talking aloud. Sounding out a theory.¡± He nodded and I continued to toss the idea back and forth. ¡°Sabrina would have had more trouble with the battlefield saturated in psychic energies of multiple pokemon. Will created a saturated field first!¡± I fast forwarded the video to when Titan had Alakazam in his jaws and was thrashing him back and forth. Next to me the guard pumped his fist. ¡°Get im!¡± he said as though he hadn¡¯t seen it before. I chuckled and replayed it again, enjoying the video of Titan whipping his head back and forth to slam Alakazam into the ground. It was extremely cathartic. I stopped the video eventually when it came to the point of time when Alakazam apparently glowed and stopped himself in midair. I then synced up the video of the outside and the match inside to the same time. Sure enough, the armoured limb rose up and gestured. Both movements were perfectly timed that I couldn¡¯t unsee the link. Mewtwo, had helped Will. I clapped my hands together in front of my lips and breathed as I glared at the video, which continued to play. It showed Titan taking hits that he should never have had to deal with. He¡¯d had Alakazam to rights. ¡°That bastard,¡± I said through grit teeth. ¡°Motherf¡­¡± Jeff started to say only to cough. ¡° Sorry, shouldn¡¯t say that,¡± he glanced around. ¡°Little ears might hear,¡± he said before indicating the video. ¡°That¡¯s clear evidence of interference, though right?¡± I wanted to gnash my teeth. A glow and a limb raised up with glowing psychic energy? Was it enough? I wanted to say yes, as I could see how it linked together. Was it clear cut however? No, it was not. I shook my head. Jeff frowned. ¡°Wait a minute! How¡¯d a psychic outside the Gym impact inside with the Dark emitters? Did he know how to slip through? That takes specialised attunement and readings!¡± He rolled to a system that was separate from the others and opened it up. The lights on the system didn¡¯t even turn on even as Jeff ran through a number of boot-up options. I could only scowl as another piece of the puzzle slipped into place. ¡°The entire system has been overloaded,¡± I said. I grabbed the radio. ¡°Den¡ª¡± I stopped remembering that I told Dennis to spend time with his family. I raised the radio back up. ¡°Missy, I need you to do a sweep of the dark emitters that we have around the gym. Do you know the codes to access them?¡± When she replied in the negative, I rattled off the codes. I then walked to the wall and slid a panel out of the way before keying in the code to a manual lock. When it popped open, I was greeted by a blackened, dark emitter. I swore, and Jeff hissed in surprise. ¡°There wasn¡¯t a smell or nothing! I would have thought we¡¯d at least smell if they burned up like that!¡± I sighed, remembering a small trivia fact I¡¯d picked up from reading about the war. ¡°They¡¯re too secure for that. Overloaded dark emitters used to cause fires and were a method used by some combatants during the war to burn down structures. Emitters therefore had to be robust but fizzle out without causing fires.¡± I tapped the blown-out machine. ¡°They would have had to do it fast with overwhelming force, otherwise an alert would have sounded.¡± In my mind, the facts all slid into place with this clinching it. Will was in bed with Team Rocket. He had to be. I ran the events leading up to the match through my head. Not only was the attack on Mt Silver a raid for rare pokemon, but it was likely a method of drawing me out and getting me to commit to a fight that was out of my League. Heck, it was out of most people¡¯s League! That gave me pause. I felt a sudden chill run down my spine. It wasn¡¯t just an opportunity for stealing pokemon. It was a targeted attack on me. I barely registered Missy calling in and reporting that other dark emitters were blown out. I merely had her continue checking them and any other security measures we had in place. I grabbed at my rock energy and methodically began to work through what needed to be done, starting with checking in on the guard from yesterday. I tapped Jeff on the side. ¡°Get someone over to Jules house¡­ there¡¯s a risk he might have been compromised if this was a psychic attack.¡± Jeff stiffened at that but made a hurried call to do just that. I made another call to get some security technicians in here and make a report on the dark emitters. I called Flint as another issue occurred to me. If they¡¯d attacked the Gym, what about our house? Flint answered, his image appearing on my transceiver. ¡°Brock?¡± he said looking surprised. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in the duckpond.¡± When he gave me a clueless look, I realised he wouldn¡¯t understand the reference. ¡°In the security room of the Gym. I need you to come over so we can talk about something.¡± He nodded and quickly bustled over. When he knocked, Jeff opened the door and checked him over before leading him to me. ¡°What''s the matter Brock?¡± he asked, his eyes darting around. I indicated the screen and pressed play, showing off the video for the few key damning moments. Flint frowned. ¡°That¡­ is a very worrying video, as it implies quite a bit. Especially...¡± he trailed off and glanced at the still exposed blown-out emitter. Interesting, he knew to look for those straight away. I nodded. ¡°I need you to check the ones in the house. They¡¯re on a separate circuit to the Gym as it was a recommended security feature.¡± I worked my jaw back and forth. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to need to increase our security as this is most likely Team Rocket.¡± ¡°Team Rocket?!¡± said both Jeff and Flint together in surprise. I nodded and tapped the still frame of the armoured limb. ¡°I saw a pokemon that looked like this antagonise the¡­¡± I glanced at Jeff, the League had been clear with me not to announce that I¡¯d fought a Legendary. The media would have blacked out the interview if I¡¯d said anything but I should be able to tell Jeff without him setting off a panic. ¡°I fought a Moltres after a pokemon like this angered it.¡± Flint looked alarmed. ¡°You fought a Moltres!¡± he hissed. I shrugged. ¡°With Sabrina. That was during the Mt silver incident. Which Hank and I suspect was caused by Team Rocket as some poachers were found stealing large amounts of pokemon. A good number of them were found to be part of Team Rocket, but not all.¡± Flint shifted. ¡°And you and they have been trading blows for a while now with your raids and their probing your Gym¡­¡± He rubbed his jaw. ¡°I think I might ask around for some friends to watch over the kids from now on¡­¡± He ran a hand over his face. ¡°I¡¯ve never regretted having so many kids before¡ª¡± I shot him a sardonic look that he didn¡¯t seem to notice, ¡°¡ªbecause keeping them all safe is going to be a nightmare.¡± ¡°This might just be Team Rocket setting up against me and making the most of Will,¡± I said, voicing a thought I didn¡¯t trust. I couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t trust Team Rocket to leave things well enough alone. They¡¯d escalated. Worse they¡¯d escalated in a way I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer without calling Giovanni out. I doubted that would end well for anyone. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Flint said unknowingly mirroring my thoughts on the subject of Will. ¡°We need to keep it from happening.¡± He sighed. ¡°I really wish your mother was here.¡± I twitched in annoyance. I very much did not want her here of all people. ¡°What will your friends do?¡± I asked, changing the topic. ¡°I¡¯ll have them hang around the kids'' schools with the school¡¯s awareness,¡± he shot me an amused look. ¡°Don¡¯t want any more incidents like when Dennis was monitoring them.¡± I huffed in surprise. ¡°You heard about that, did you?¡± I sat in front of a computer nd started typing up a message to one of the security companies I¡¯d contracted to work on the gym. ¡°During a Parent¡¯s and Teacher¡¯s night, yes.¡± ¡°I missed that?¡± I asked, pausing in my message. Flint nodded. ¡°I took over; you¡¯re busy enough, and I wanted to do that.¡± I decided to leave that alone and settle for just a nod. It was normal and good to have him taking on that role. It was what he was supposed to do. It only irked me a little. ¡°You¡¯d best see if any of them have kids themselves if they¡¯re going to be watching over little ones. Tommy and Tilly like to explore after all,¡± I said. Flint merely nodded. He turned to me and indicated the video that was repeating of Titan thrashing Alakazam back and forth. Hmmm I might get a videoclip of that made. Make it one of this world''s first memes. ¡°I wondered about that at the time. He¡¯s far too strong for an Alakazam to escape in the manner it did.¡± I tried to repress the smile, but it still came through. ¡°Thanks, it still ended up costing me.¡± I sighed as the cynical part of me reared its head. I waved a hand at the video. ¡°Shame this is all a bit too circumstantial¡­ It casts doubt but doesn¡¯t definitively prove anything.¡± ¡°It might still be worth mentioning to people. They already know Will is a sneak with how he fought. But not how big of a sneak he truly is.¡± I nodded and brought out my transceiver to make some calls starting with Lawrence. Then I might call Lance. Flint stood. ¡°I¡¯ll go check the house¡¯s emitters, and Brock?¡± I glanced up. ¡°Yeah Flint?¡± ¡°Something I learnt during the war? Don¡¯t trade blows with your opponent. Ghost them where you can without letting them hit you back. When you get the chance to land a blow make sure it''s a good one they can¡¯t recover from. Hammer them until they¡¯re well and truly down and out or running with their tails between their legs,¡± he said this with his eyes cast down. It took a moment for me to realise he wasn¡¯t proud to give me this information. It revealed a side of Flint I¡¯d never considered. Flint was a war veteran. One that must have seen combat. ¡°Thanks, that¡¯s good advice,¡± I said. I waved a hand at the armoured arm on display. ¡°Sadly Team Rocket aren¡¯t going to make it easy for me to hit them back.¡± ¡°Yeah, some fights are like that.¡± He nodded and left. I watched him go, suddenly much more curious about what he¡¯d been through, before returning to sending off some messages and making some calls. I wasn¡¯t sure it was a talk Flint would be interested in ever having. I would¡¯t push. Lawrence was quick to bustle up to the Gym and look over what I¡¯d found. His grimace didn¡¯t fill me with any hope. ¡°We¡¯ll document it all and have a technician look it over. Get signed reports on all of this along with testimony. I can build a case on this but it''s circumstantial¡­¡± Lawrence sighed his hand running through his mohawk. ¡°Will can just cry foul that he was a victim as there isn¡¯t a solid link. It¡¯s certainly beneficial to him but he can pretend to be a target of a smear campaign if he even talks with a half way decent lawyer.¡± ¡°Those exist?¡± Jeff snarked from around a mug of coffee. Lawrence, rather than getting offended, smirked and winked playfully. He then indicated he¡¯d like a cup himself. Jeff happily set about doing so as Lawrence turned back to me to keep talking. ¡°Also, it¡¯s not something that usually even the League will handle after the event. If it is caught during, they¡¯d back you, but afterwards, it becomes much more iffy. Also, it was a draw so nothing eventuated from it.¡± Lawrence drummed his fingers on the table. ¡°There is also the risk that Will, or Team Rocket might have demanded an investigation into the match if you¡¯d won. Then they¡¯d be able to claim the interference wasn¡¯t in fact beneficial.¡± I snarled at that, and Lawrence nodded. ¡°Yeah it would be dirty but it would cast doubt, and is a play they could make with your dark emitters being blown out.¡± Lawrence sighed and accepted a mug of coffee from Jeff. ¡°The rules about discovering interference are usually something handled with the referee¡­ there hasn¡¯t been a high-profile case and no-one has successfully pulled off interference like this¡­¡± Lawrence chewed his lip. ¡°That we know of¡­¡± ¡°Well it seems Will is bringing a whole host of League shortcomings to light,¡± I said knowing full well Lawrence was right that this level of interference was unprecedented. That or it was occurring and just not being caught out until now. How many people had state of the art Gym facilities with dark emitters, a high-stakes match, and security surrounding their gym. My transceiver buzzed and I raised it up to find Lance calling me. ¡°Champion,¡± I said in greeting. ¡°Gym Leader,¡± he said back with a nod. He then relaxed. ¡°That match was rough Brock. Thank you for sending through that information. I will be having one of my G-men collect a copy. The information is¡­ I¡¯m sorry to say¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s too circumstantial?¡± I said cutting over Lance. He nodded, his lips tight. I sighed. ¡°Lawrence just said the same thing,¡± I said indicating my lawyer. ¡°He is correct,¡± Lance said. He then laced his fingers together. ¡°That does not mean we aren¡¯t going to act on this new information. It is clear there is some link between Will and Team Rocket. This will not be an official League operation but one that I turn over to the G-men. Will is going to be monitored as closely as possible for any and all links. If we find something, we are going to act on it, and Will is going to be detained.¡± I shut my eyes, relieved despite it not being the answer I¡¯d hoped for. Lance was going to do something¡ªpossibly even the smartest thing. ¡°Good, that¡¯s¡­ good.,¡± I said simply. Lance nodded. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear that Brock. You¡¯ve done well all told. I¡¯ll take it from here with the G-men. We¡¯ll let Will have enough rope to hang himself, and then we¡¯ll take him into custody.¡± I hummed. ¡°Some of those people he¡¯s going to be facing are my friends,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to just stand by. I¡¯ll be watching him¡­¡± I toyed with my idea. ¡°Maybe I might also make some moves of my own¡­¡± Lance looked troubled, so I told him my idea. He smiled, but I noted he also had a slight pinching in his lips like he was worried about something for a moment. The expression didn¡¯t last and vanished after a moment, so I decided it was nothing. I decided to voice another thought. ¡°Any chance you could just take him in for an interview now?¡± I said. Lance shook his head. ¡°As a Psychic specialist, he would be resistant to any invasive methods, and there would be an uproar. He has made himself high profile with how he challenged you. He also does have Mayor Jonathan¡¯s open support. For all that the public disapprove of how he fought they would not simply accept him being taken into custody. It would be too much of an over-correction. Let him wander for now. We¡¯ll be watching and we¡¯ll catch him out, I have no doubt.¡± I huffed. ¡°Shame,¡± I said, thinking I would like to have Will to myself in an interrogation room. I might even invite Surge. I shook those dark thoughts off and nodded to him. ¡°Thanks for listening to me,¡± I said. ¡°I trust you Brock, thank you for this information.¡± He signed off after that. Lawrence tapped away at the keyboard next to me, enhancing the armoured limb. ¡°Hmmm I hadn''t considered the public perspective, Lance was right.¡± He shot me a look. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to hold a press conference,¡± I said. ¡°Hmmmm, Rachel will be happy to hear that,¡± Lawrence said. He straightened and stretched. ¡°At least you¡¯re not like Surge, or Blaine¡­ If they suspected Will did this against them¡­¡± Lawrence mimed an explosion. I gave a snort but nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m not going to seek out some fights of my own, but I think I¡¯m going to have to be smart about them. I have some gaps to shore up as well that I¡¯ve been dragging my feet on.¡± ¡°Less pleasing to hear,¡± Lawrence pointed out. ¡°What gaps are you thinking of shoring up?¡± I toggled the information I''d had for a while but not used. ¡®Old Jenny¡¯ the former police officer¡¯s profile, shot up. I glanced it over and hummed thoughtfully as I made the call. ¡°Gym Leader Brock?¡± said a woman who looked, and sounded like the Officer Jenny that I was used to. Only this wasn¡¯t my Jenny. This Jenny was sitting in a wheelchair and where mine had a fresh eagerness of youth, this woman had lines where age and hardship had worn her down. ¡°Jenny, I¡¯ve been meaning to reach out to you for a while but I just noticed something about your current employment. You breed and raise security Growlithe?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hard, Growlithe have it in their PNA but yes I have a select breeding facility.¡± ¡°Could I purchase some?¡± I asked innocently. ¡°Sure thing! How many of them you need?¡± she said bringing out a notepad. ¡°I have a selection of twenty pups right now.¡± I smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lot.¡± She blinked at me. ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°All of them, and a moment of your time if you¡¯d please?¡± I said pleased when she gaped at me. ¡°I¡­ can do that?¡± she said. ¡°Want me to bring them around?¡± ¡°Please, meet me out the front of the Gym in a few hours? Also, don¡¯t worry, the gym is wheelchair accessible.¡± She nodded mutely at that, and I hung up, amused at her reactions. ¡°Twenty Growlithe?¡± Lawrence said with a raised eyebrow. I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a starting point,¡± I said as I put together a message for Bianca, our resident Breeding specialist. It''s time to nail a flock of pidgeys with a single rock. After that I called Rachel. ¡°Can you get the media informed that we¡¯re going to hold that press conference?¡± I said. ¡°On it boss!¡± she said in a chipper tone. I hummed and tapped the table. Alright, those were set up. I just needed to find someone¡ª ¡°¡ªu and everyone else are Brock simps these days. Wah wah wah! Brock had some questionable tactics used against him. So what!¡± said a voice into the quiet. I glanced up and found Jeff nervously turning the volume down on a television show that had been playing in the corner. ¡°What is that?¡± I asked. Jeff nervously shuffled his feet back and forth. ¡°Just a rerun show from yesterday that I have off to the side while I work. It¡¯s just background noise I swear! Things get a bit too quiet in here during my shift!¡± I waved a hand. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that. It¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re not drifting off. I¡¯m curious about the show,¡± I said. ¡°Oh,¡± said Jeff before turning back up the volume. ¡°¡ªs strength right there,¡± said one of the hosts. The big man from earlier sniffed derisively, and I noticed he had a very punchable face. ¡°He¡¯d had his pokemon use Autotomize. That means it wouldn¡¯t have weighed as much.¡± I sat and listened in silence. When he got into a fight with the female anchor, I hummed and looked up his trainer''s profile. Gavin Glady, ranked forty in the Ace Circuit currently. Noted for his contentious takes on Battlecast. I hummed and watched a bit more of the show. I listened to him spew bile. Jeff and Lawrence shared a look when I didn¡¯t react at first. Eventually, I surprised them by smiling so wide a Sharpedo would have been nervous approaching me. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s perfect!¡± I said a dark feeling of glee fill me up as I started to inspect his pokemon team. I headed out to the press conference with a worried Lawrence flanking me. This Gavin fellow was just the perfect recipient of some age-old wisdom from the schoolyard. Talk shit, get hit. Chapter 138 - Press conferences and unasked for prizes I had a little bit of time before the press conference, so I assembled the¡­ Well, I couldn¡¯t really call them my A team as Dennis and Rocko were both on leave while Forrest was on his journey. I tilted my head and considered the room. I¡¯d been able to get Rachel, Yolanda, Missy, Bethany¡ª the old reception lady¡ª, Lawrence, and Stephen. They weren¡¯t the people who would serve this discussion best, perhaps, but they had their strong points that I¡¯m sure they¡¯d bring to the table. Oh, who am I kidding? This was very slapdash. I coughed. ¡°Alright gang, I called you here because there¡¯s going to be a press conference in an hour, and while there¡¯s going to be some talking points about the match, I pretty much know what I¡¯m going to talk about for the most part.¡± Rachel and Lawrence shared a look; both of them looked nervous for some reason. ¡°So what are we here for?¡± Yolanda asked. I raised a hand. ¡°Bouncing an idea off mostly and also some impromptu research,¡± I waved a hand at the computers we had. Then I raised a hand to forestall any further comments. ¡°What I want to do is see how good an idea it would be to advance up the Ace rankings.¡± That got a few whistles of surprise. Yolanda perked up. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± she said. I shot her a pleased look while the others looked thoughtful. I coughed. ¡°Now, that being said, I¡¯d need to start from the basics. My own ranking.¡± I brought up a computer that projected the image of the screen onto the wall with my trainer ranking. ¡°Sixty-second?¡± I said. I tilted my head. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it higher the other day?¡± said Yolanda, mirroring my own thoughts. Missy coughed. ¡°While Brock faces lots of challengers, they¡¯re not all Ace challenges that are determined by a points system. Now one of the issues is that the more you fight, the more you gain points. The top tier ace trainers also have their for and against rankings taken into account but every month a negative of a sort is applied that forces trainers to continually be fighting and performing.¡± Missy walked up and tapped on another icon on the profile page to display a graph. Sure enough, a drop in my ranking did occur when the month ticked over. ¡°Huh, I didn''t know about that,¡± I said casually. ¡°It¡¯s something that you probably wouldn¡¯t encounter much of. It¡¯s crazy how high you got from just people challenging you to test themselves against a trainer that beat Lance,¡± she said, pointing at the highest point. Yolanda chewed her lip. ¡°Will¡­ he doesn¡¯t really need to challenge you again¡­ or any of the Gyms, does he?¡± I grimaced. ¡°No, but there is a certain prestige associated with it. While most of us aren¡¯t ranked on the Ace leaderboard, we are acknowledged as some of the most powerful trainers around.¡± Yolanda waved a hand. ¡°What is the lowest rank he needs to reach to be able to challenge for an Elite Four position?¡± Missy hummed in thought. ¡°Top ten, at least, and then he can attend an invitational midseason tournament where the prize is a lot of money or a shot at the Elite Four. Otherwise, he needs to attain the number one position by the end of the circuit for his next shot. Then an end-of-season tournament will occur between the top twenty trainers with a larger prize pool as well as a right of challenge.¡± Yolanda frowned. ¡°So¡­ the winner from the mid-season tournament, the end of season number one, the winner of the end of year circuit, the end of year Ace circuit, and the Gym Leaders¡­ Why aren¡¯t there more challengers against the Elite Four?¡± Yolanda said with a tilt of her head. Missy hummed. ¡°A lot of Ace trainers make good money once they make the top thirty,¡± At Yolanda¡¯s confused look Missy elaborated. ¡°It¡¯s enough to retire after a year or two from sponsorship deals good money. For them, it would be worse to take on a position as an Elite Four member financially, and it is a lot more stressful with having to be part of the government.¡± Missy rubbed her chin. ¡°That being said, I have spoken with a number of Ace trainers, and there is a stipulation that if they make it to the Elite Four, they get a lot of money. Usually, there are¡­ like two or three attempts a year?¡± ¡°I still would have thought that there would have been more changes in the Elite Four,¡± Yolanda said. Stephen coughed. ¡°I think living with Brock has somewhat skewed your perception of strength.¡± I shot him a look, and Stephen shrugged. ¡°You have a solid pokemon team, and I think your Ace ranking isn¡¯t reflective of your strength.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said, unsure what to say about that. ¡°Well we¡¯ve gotten off-topic; I think it would be worth it to advance up the rankings. I don¡¯t want Will to have any choice but to have a rematch with me through social pressure or a tournament. That midseason tournament is perfect. Can I make the top ten in the next two months?¡± Missy rubbed her chin. ¡°I think it''s doable. You can start facing some stronger trainers. I think once you reach the top thirty, you¡¯ll need to be careful.¡± ¡°And what about the top ten?¡± Missy sucked on her teeth. ¡°In reality, the top five is the position you want. The positions of sixth through ten change hands a lot as they are constantly challenged or challenging above them. You could return to fighting one or two matches a week and then ramp up to two or three in the month leading up to it,and I think you¡¯d make it.¡± ¡°Top five, hmmm? Who are they currently?¡± Missy tapped on the computer and brought up a list of names. Missy brought up a profile and I blinked when a masked visage stared out from the screen. The mask was that of an angry Noctowl. Missy coughed. ¡°The fifth position is a trainer that has always been a masked¡­¡± Missy trailed off as the section next to the name was clearly visible. ¡°Walker?¡± I tilted my head to the side. Why was that name familiar? Missy opened up her own transceiver and loaded up the profile. ¡°Huh,¡± she said eloquently. I raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± She turned her transceiver around to show that her account didn¡¯t list the fifth position¡¯s name. They were merely listed as Masked Owl. I blinked and looked at my computer. My computer was linked to my Gym and potentially my Guardian information network. I¡­ was pretty sure I had disconnected that but¡­ no this must have been a Gym level information setting that was allowing me to see Masked Owl¡¯s name. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, realising that without meaning to, I¡¯d accidentally unmasked an apparent celebrity and high-ranking Ace trainer to the room. I flicked a glance over the room. No one seemed to have made the connection just yet as to why a man named Walker might be interested in rising up the ranks of the Ace standings. Bethany adjusted her glasses and stared at the projected image. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Shafner¡¯s boy?¡± With that, the pokepenny dropped. Lawrence hissed in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s the former leader of the Violet City gym!¡± Yolanda gasped. ¡°That¡¯s Falkner¡¯s dad?!¡± she said. I grimaced. ¡°Whoops! So I guess I can expect a lot of Flying types from him then?¡± I said, deciding to ignore the accidental reveal. It honestly wasn¡¯t too crazy when you thought about it. A disgruntled and shamed former Gym Leader, son of the former Elite Four, dons a mask and rises through the ranks. Eventually, he earns the right to challenge the Elite Four, which he takes. Then with his victory, he reveals himself. Much drama, very wow. I didn¡¯t care. I¡¯d check later if it was my Gym Leader account or my Guardian¡¯s intelligence that granted me the reveal. One of them implied that Falkner, and indeed most of the higher-ranked League officials, might know what Walker was doing, while the other might mean something else. Regardless, it wasn¡¯t what I was here for. ¡­ I might smack him around if I encountered him. For Falkner¡¯s sake, of course. I wasn¡¯t going to project because of how Flint and Walker¡¯s situations were similar. Yup, for Falkner¡¯s sake! ¡°So! Moving on!¡± I said, causing the rest of the room to gape at me. Stephen shot to his feet. ¡°You can¡¯t just drop knowledge like that on us and not expect us to talk about it!¡± ¡°I can and I will! This is a dictatorship!¡± I said, loading up the Ace in the Fourth position. A picture clicked into place, and I blinked as a ridiculously young trainer was revealed. I frowned as I read the kid¡¯s biography. ¡°Carr, He was runner-up for his circuit run three years ago. He went pro and has been clawing his way up the ranks as the youngest in the top ten in years.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°This kid is sixteen? He looks like he¡¯s ten!¡± I said, indicating the picture that was smirking in a manner that only a child could manage. Stephen shrugged. ¡°Might just be a late bloomer or not look his age?¡± I huffed and inspected the kid¡­ the young man¡¯s pokemon team. Steelix, Skarmory, Forretress, Scizor, Aggron, Magneton, Blastoise, Golem, Sudowoodo, Arbok, Weezing, and Raticate. Interesting. I looked for anything else note-worthy about him, but apart from his age¡­ and childish appearance, he otherwise seemed to be a strong trainer. ¡°Corey, third-ranked on the Ace circuit currently,¡± I said, deciding to keep moving. I clicked on his profile, and his image and information popped up. Something about this young man gave me pause. His face looked familiar to me for some reason. I looked at his pokemon team and found that he had a Pidgeot, Scyther, Hitmonlee, Venusaur, Sandslash, Tauros, Raichu, Fearow, Poliwrath, and a Rhyhorn as some of the pokemon he had used so far. Something about this kid¡­ I couldn¡¯t put my finger on why I thought I knew this guy. I shook it off and looked at the next trainer. Number two was a young woman by the name of Valerie from Ecruteak City. Her pokemon team was listed as a Mr Mime, Mawhile, Clefable, Azumarill, Wigglytuff, Granbull, Persian, Lickitung, Furret, Smeargle, Farfetch¡¯d, Dodrio, and Pidgeot. ¡°Lots of Fairy and Normal-typed pokemon,¡± I said aloud as reviewed her pokemon. ¡°She¡¯d have a lot of pokemon with good versatility, however.¡± Yolanda agreed with a nod while Stephen shifted in his seat. ¡°That typing is still up for debate, Brock,¡± he said, like someone pointing out a technicality. I rolled my eyes only to find a note on Valerie¡¯s file. ¡°She¡¯s sponsored by Samurai Furret, the television show?¡± I said. ¡°Oh! She is too! It says that the Furret they use for inspiration is her pokemon!¡± Yolanda said with a laugh. I chuckled, amused at how things were going, but I made a note that if I ever met Valerie, I would ask her for a picture with Furret. My family would love it. ¡°Number one!¡± I said, looking to quickly wrap things up. I clicked on the link, only to be surprised when a man appeared with numerous brands and logos appeared. His profile was littered with links to products and there was an in-built advertising segment. ¡°Bruce¡­ of Blackthorn City,¡± I said as a suspicion formed in my mind. I scrolled down to his pokemon team and hummed. Charizard, Gyrados, Altaria, Ampharos, Machamp, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Pidgeot, Dodrio, Vileplume, Starmie, Lapras, and a Kirlia were all listed as part of his team. His profile had a small bio on it. ¡°A cousin of the current Champion and the Leader of the Blackthorn Gym, Bruce stands as another standout member of the Blackthorn clan. One who has travelled far and wide. Some of his pokemon have been considered contentious, but he is considered the strongest trainer beneath the Elite Four on the Ace circuit.¡± I called Tauros shit. This had to be something the Blackthorn clan had set up to help protect Lance from getting challenged from trainers that rose up the Ace circuit. ¡°How many of the challenges that The Elite Four have faced in the last few years have been this guy?¡± I asked. ¡°About three? Recently, he¡¯s waived his right to challenge, just accepting the money,¡± Missy said. I hummed. ¡°Right. Well, good for him,¡± I said. If Lance and the Blackthorn wanted to play things that way, they were welcome to it. In the end, it might just be another method that could be used to deny Will the opportunity to challenge for an Elite Four position. I did a quick search for Karen and was pleased to find her currently sitting in ninth place in the Ace standings. A search for Will revealed him to be thirty-first. With a number of matches already lined up for him in the coming week. With my curiosity quenched for now, I turned my attention to the list of trainers ahead of me on the standings. ¡°Alright, I need to challenge some people. I have an idea of who I want to challenge first but any other suggestions?¡± Bethany surprisingly spoke up first. ¡°Oh, Brock, you should challenge young Gertrude Goody! I know her grandmother, and she says the dear is a skilled trainer, but she needs some more attention brought her way!¡± I blinked, unsure what to make of the recommendation to go and beat a person Bethany was family friends with? I swear, only in a pokemon world¡­ I coughed. ¡°I¡¯ll take that under advisement, thanks.¡± ¡°Alright, so I have an idea of who I want to challenge first. Do we have any space in the schedule?¡± I said toggling the Gym¡¯s schedule. I had a break on Thursday. I quickly blocked it out for the Ace match I had planned. I then went into the coming weeks and blocked out two or three-time slots more. If I was going to do this, I needed to be proactive. When that was done, I straightened up. ¡°Alright, that will do for today. Bianca, it might be a good idea if you stick around; I have someone coming into the Gym later on that I¡¯d like you to talk with.¡± I glanced at my transceiver and saw that it was time for the press conference. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Time for me to go throw some chum in the water for the Sharpedo.¡± Rachel shot upright. ¡°Right! Brock, before you go in there I compiled a list of questions you should look over!¡± She handed me a clipboard, and I hummed as I glanced over the list. She¡¯d also penned in some responses, ranging from no comment to¡­ ¡°If they ask, do I think Will cheated?¡± I read out loud glancing from the clipboard to Rachel. ¡°I should say, anything from is the sky blue? Would you trust your child with a Kangaskhan? To a flat stare down before asking if that was an actual question.¡± I shot Rachel an amused look as the rest of the room tittered in amusement. Lawrence coughed. ¡°With what Lance asked from us, perhaps it might be best to skirt around that.¡± I hummed and tapped the clipboard. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that is actually the right option. Will¡­ he has to know that those moves and strategies would have gotten to me. I think I shouldn¡¯t curb my response too much. I won¡¯t say anything more aside from hoping that League officials consider this in the future and pay close attention to complaints of this sort of behaviour.¡± I looked back over the list of questions. ¡°Hmmmm responses to Gawain¡­ how do I think I could have prepared for this match better? Where did I fail? What was my favourite part of the match¡­¡± I let a small smirk play out as I remembered Titan whipping that Alakazam like a ragdoll. I flicked over the rest of the notes and grunted before handing it back. ¡°Right, thanks for that. Let¡¯¡ª¡± I started to move off, only for my transceiver to call with a number that identified itself as Silph Co. I frowned. What did they want? I rejected the call and waved a hand to indicate we should move along, as I departed, I turned back to the room to find Yolanda, Missy, Stephen, and A.J. standing around the whiteboard, writing down trainers that I could challenge in future. ¡°Don¡¯t stick around too long, everyone!¡± I said to them; they waved back, far too absorbed in their project of ¡®optimising a run¡¯ for me to take a top ten position in the Ace circuit. I noticed that Yolanda seemed to be very invested in it, which made me pause and observe her before I was nudged by Rachel to keep moving. We walked to the arena, where the stands on one side were almost filled with technicians, reporters, cameramen, and various other people setting up for the press conference. When I entered, people shot to their feet, only for me to wave them down. I marched to the setup table, which had a rolled-out banner wall featuring the boulder badge behind me. As I sat down, Rachel moved to stand in front of me, her back to the cameras. She fussed over me for a little bit before nodding. She then reached into her bag and deposited a small bottle of moo moo milk in front of me. I chuckled and nodded while she grinned. ¡°She¡¯s good people!¡± she said with a fake accent. I just shook my head. ¡°I know that,¡± I said, not at all bothered by the show of support for a local business. I chuckled and took in the stands. Instead of indicating I was ready, I set up the table to my liking and allowed myself to become comfortable. My transceiver buzzed again, with Silph Co being shown as the caller ID. I again hung up on them. Then I nodded to the crowd at large while reaching out and popping the cap on the milk bottle. I took a quick sip and sighed contentedly. ¡°Ah, that was good. Alright, sorry for the delay on this press conference, but I had to see to my pokemon yesterday, and after the battle, I needed some time to gather my thoughts. I understand that yesterday¡¯s match wasn¡¯t what people expected from myself or Will, but it happened, and I think it brought a number of points to light that I¡¯m sure you¡¯d like my thoughts on.¡± I waved a hand, and in doing so, I released a deluge of voices that broke through the reporter''s restraint. ¡°Gym Leader Brock!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Gym Leader!¡± ¡°¡ªyou think that you could have¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªallegations of¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªunderperforming?¡± ¡°¡ªadvancing despite your demand for a rematch?¡± I raised a hand and shook my head while chuckling to myself. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think that would work, but I decided to allow it anyway. Let¡¯s do it another way,¡± I said before glancing down at the entirely byzantine seating chart that had been placed before me. ¡°Let¡¯s start local Pewter radio; you¡¯re up!¡± I said. A man shot to his feet. ¡°You revealed a new pokemon to the world with your Kleavor! How long have you had another ancient pokemon?¡± ¡°Gawain has been with us for a while now and has been a pokemon that I was building up to be part of my Elite pokemon team. He adds a wonderful set of abilities while being a solid performer, despite only having a handful of Ace battles to his name. I was pleasantly surprised when things worked out the way they did, Professors¡¯ Oak and Elm have already documented a number of his abilities and have some of the resident aides further recording observations about him. His reveal was something I always hoped to have occur soon and Will¡¯s announced specialty typing of Psychic pokemon made him an excellent first pick.¡± I glanced down again. ¡°Kanto daily edition?¡± I said. This time, a woman shot to her feet. ¡°Will used some questionable tactics; would you care to comment?¡± I hummed in thought. ¡°Yes, I would, those tactics seem to be largely exploitative of existing gaps, and while they are within the rules, I can¡¯t say that they were in the spirit. I doubt that the people who wrote the rulers ever thought they would be used in the manner they were; I have in fact heard that a number of people consider the minute we already give trainers to return their pokemon as too long. Will¡¯s tactics yesterday add a new element to that debate.¡± ¡°Are you considering suing Will!?¡± shouted one reporter. I frowned before shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m not going to run the session like that, or else things will devolve into chaos and no one will get to talk,¡± I said, deciding not to feed the troll, as some in my previous life would have said. ¡°Indigo Illusive?¡± I prompted. ¡°Yesterday, the President of the League suggested different formats such as best of three or best of five matches. What is your take on that?¡± I hummed. ¡°I hadn¡¯t seen that comment from President Kruger, but it sounds like a novel way of avoiding off-matches that can have lasting impacts. I think best-of-one matches have their place and are certainly electrifying as they matter a lot, but there is also room for slower formats. I¡¯m sure people would enjoy nothing less than for a trio of matches to play out. It would certainly change the way pokemon battles play out and the strategies that are required. I¡¯d be interested in seeing such a format, perhaps in a tournament setting,¡± I said. ¡°Do you think you¡¯d do better!?¡± called out another voice. I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to ask the next person to shout out questions like that to please leave the press conference as it is disruptive and I¡¯m not going to acknowledge that behaviour,¡± I said channeling my rock energy to not snap the words out. ¡°Battlecast?¡± I said next. A woman stood and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this will be a two-parter if that¡¯s allowed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure if you make it interesting, none of the other reporters will mind,¡± I said, causing a chuckle to run through the crowd. I nodded and waved for her to continue. ¡°What is your take on the two self-proclaimed Elite Four contenders that have emerged and begun to challenge Gyms in the Indigo region at large? Karen has swept through Johto, while Will is now going to make his way through Kanto, it would appear.¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. ¡°Honestly, I think it''s a good way to draw attention to a traditional advancement. Some of the gyms might be better challenges, but it''s also a wonderful way of building your name and allowing a connection to the common trainer. People will share links with those who do it that way, as they can see that they have gone through the same rite. The difference becomes that the Ace circuit is very different compared to the starter circuit.¡± The woman nodded her head. ¡°In that regard, with this being an Ace challenge compared to a Gym challenge, there is no requirement for Will to fight you again. How does that make you feel?¡± I exhaled like a tauros through my nose. ¡°Well¡­.,¡± I said, dragging the word out. ¡°First of all, I need to point out that Gym Challenges don¡¯t mean people have to keep challenging me, as by the end of the circuit, trainers only need eight badges from the gyms of Kanto or Johto to qualify for the end-of-year tournament. Most will typically camp out and continue to challenge, as there is an ongoing idea that not challenging a gym again is showing weakness by backing down.¡± I raised a hand to allow that comment to sit for a moment. ¡°That perception is not true, and with the number of trainers this year, there is an increased demand on trainers to be especially strategic in how much time they allow themselves. People who challenged and lost against me when the initial surge of trainers came in had to wait at least a month, which would have seriously delayed their progression if they¡¯d stuck around. I think at the end of the day, you need to figure out how much it will cost you to stay around a gym, to backtrack, or to simply not challenge a gym. You can go for all or just enough badges with how things work; it all depends on what the trainer wants.¡± I made a circling gesture. ¡°That being said, you are correct. Will does not need to face me again.¡± I once again allowed my words to hang in the air. No one spoke; they instead watched me, cameras and microphones poised to capture what I said next. They knew I wasn¡¯t going to leave it at that. ¡°That being said, I think I and much of Indigo would be missing out if I didn¡¯t demand a rematch from Will. He can call it what he wants¡ªa tactical decision¡ªnot investing more time and energy into a battle that¡¯s already been fought, but I can''t let that sit.¡± I thumped a finger into the table to underline my point. ¡°I am not happy with the result as it stands.¡± I huffed. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I came into that match as prepared as I would have liked considering the circumstances. I can¡¯t be happy with the way that Will advanced through the ranks while camping in the Gym, observing how I fought for weeks before lodging his challenge, only to then use the tactics he used. I can¡¯t be happy with a draw. I know I and my team can do better. I think on some level Will knows that as well, so he¡¯s going to back down from a fight.¡± I crossed my fingers and smiled. ¡°So I¡¯ve decided to not leave it up to him. Starting today, I am going to make a concerted effort to rise up the Ace rankings so that I can attend the midseason tournament, where it may come down to another match.¡± I allowed a dark smile to appear. ¡°To that end, I am going to throw down the following official Ace challenge to Gavin Glady: I saw what you¡¯ve been saying, and I have time in my schedule. Now it comes down to whether or not you want to put up or shut up.¡± I stared right into a camera as I said this, and for a long moment, no one spoke. I then chuckled. ¡°Heh, sorry about that, got a bit intense there for a moment didn¡¯t it?¡± I said rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. I glanced down only to sigh. ¡°PTN?¡± I said with some dread. A man stood up, and damn, that was yet another punchable face. He smirked down at me as if I¡¯d already fallen for his trick question. ¡°Two parter,¡± he said before running a hand back through his greasy hair. I huffed and waved for him to continue. I noted he expected to get away with it rather than asking for permission. ¡°Do you think that you¡¯ll do better in a rematch? Will has already faced you and now knows some of your tricks, like with your ¡®Gawain¡¯,¡± he said with air quotes. I stared at him. ¡°Yes, obviously I do,¡± I said, deciding to give that a quick response. The man snorted at my comment, only to make a show of flicking over the page of his notepad. ¡°Are you going to be suing?¡± he said. His eyes drifted to the side. ¡°I can only assume that¡¯s why you brought your lawyer along today?¡± Instantly, cameras swung to the side and locked onto Lawrence, who was standing next to Rachel. Lawrence merely inclined his head towards the crowd while Rachel waved merrily. I coughed. ¡°Lawrence is my lawyer, yes, but he is also a good friend. He gives more than great legal advice; he also gives me advice on certain topics. I will be leaving the official investigation to the League, as Will¡¯s match did highlight a number of shortcomings that have previously not garnered public attention. Now they are in the public eye, and they are an eyesore, you could say.¡± I started to look down for another person, only for the man to not sit. Rather, he huffed in annoyance. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. What about Silph Co? I assume you purchased their pokeball and used them during your match? Their failures led to your pokemon not being able to be withdrawn, effectively costing you the match.¡± I blinked. I hadn¡¯t expected that. I glanced down at my transceiver. Was that why Silph Co was trying to call me? I tilted my head in thought. ¡°I think that¡¯s something I hadn¡¯t considered to any degree. I will have to say no comment for now.¡± The man opened his mouth, only for his neighbour to grab him and drag him down. I nodded at the man, happy and yet slightly disappointed that they¡¯d done so. I would have kicked out the PTN reporter if they¡¯d kept pushing. I rattled through a number of other reporters and made good progress before wrapping things up. I knew I¡¯d tossed a Meowth into the Pidgey as I marched away because of how happily a number of the reporters were buzzing as they helped pack up. As I departed, Silph Co. once again called me. I waved Lawrence over and indicated the transceiver. He hummed in thought, running a hand through his mohawk. ¡°Hmmmm, do you want to talk with them or do anything serious like made some noise over your pokeballs failing you?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make any noise over it¡­ but I would like their insight into it.¡± Lawrence nodded. ¡°Them, or an Apricorn pokeball creator would be your best bet for understanding what was going on with Jynx,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s see what they have to say?¡± I nodded and led him to my office while answering the call. ¡°This is Gym Leader Brock,¡± I said neutrally. On the screen, the clean-shaven face of a middle-aged man appeared. He was wearing a suit and appeared to be sitting in a high-rise office. ¡°Ah! Gym Leader! I¡¯ve been trying to get hold of you for a while. I understand you needed some time to look at your pokemon after yesterday¡¯s¡­ fiasco.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it that,¡± I said pointedly. Thing is¡­ As Sabrina would tell me, while not ideal, it could have been much worse. ¡°Well for you, certainly not¡­ but for us¡­ well¡­¡± He trailed off and gestured expansively with his hands. Lawrence coughed pointedly and mouthed ¡®Who is this?¡¯ I coughed, realising I hadn¡¯t gotten a name. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t catch your name.¡± Lawrence nodded at me, and I didn¡¯t meet his gaze. This was the Timothy situation all over again. ¡°Oh! My apologies! I¡¯m so used to moving in the business world where everyone knows everyone!¡± He said like that explained anything. ¡°Ah, I see,¡± I said, pretending I had any idea what that meant. He coughed into a fist. ¡°I am Howard Bronze, Vice President of Marketing!¡± he said officiously. I nodded. ¡°Right,¡± I said slowly as Lawrence quickly looked up the man on his own transciever. He found a profile on the Silph Co website that highlighted the man. I nodded, realising that Lawrence was doing this to vet the man as an imposter, something I hadn¡¯t considered. I gave him a nod and directed my attention towards Howard. ¡°So, what are you reaching out to me for?¡± Howard smiled. ¡°Well, we were hoping to trade out your¡­ damaged pokeballs for some rather nicer models. We were thinking of giving you six Luxury balls for the hassle.¡± I blinked. That seemed¡­ Well, it was nice, but at the same time, I felt odd about this. I glanced at Lawrence and he pointed frantically at the mute button. ¡°I¡¯m just going to mute you for a moment, something¡¯s come up on my end.¡± I did so and looked at Lawrence. Straight away, he shot his arms into an X. ¡°Do not, and I repeat! Do not accept that deal! That is a pittance they are offering you, and it is frankly insulting.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°I thought something was weird, but walk me through it?¡± Lawrence chuckled. ¡°They don¡¯t want to trade you out of two broken pokeballs for six Luxury balls. That¡¯s how they¡¯re presenting the deal,¡± he said, making gestures with his hands. ¡°What they want is the ability to say that they handled an issue of publicity with their product breaking down. They will have it handled. For the average trainer, six luxury balls are a status symbol, and while nice to have, they are not what Silph Co should be paying.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°They will also be looking into the pokeballs to see how they broke, so this is a research opportunity for them,¡± I said. Lawrence snapped his fingers. ¡°That! Yes! That right there!¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°So what should I say?¡± Lawrence rolled his hand about. ¡°Oh make a ridiculous demand and make Howard go back to the drawing board. Let them know you understand that what you have is valuable to them. We can ask for something else.¡± Lawrence scratched his head. ¡°Just need to work out what that will be really.¡± I nodded and pursed my lips. Something Silph Co could provide for me. Something ridiculous¡­ Well, only one thing came to mind. I unmuted Howard, and his blurred-out image returned. ¡°Howard, are you still there?¡± I said. Howard perked up and nodded. He¡¯d gained a cup of tea in the span of time we¡¯d been talking. He had the air of a man who was about to conclude a bit of business in a satisfactory manner. ¡°Yes, so how about it? Six Luxury ball¡ª¡± ¡°I was actually interested in another product you¡¯ve been working on.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Howard said, lowering his teacup. I nodded and gave him my most innocent smile. ¡°Yeah! I think I¡¯d like to trade them for a Masterball,¡± I said. Howard froze, and I watched as sweat broke out over his forehead. If I¡¯d waited long enough, he might have taken a sip of tea, and then I¡¯d have gotten a spittake. Oh well, missed opportunities. ¡°You want¡­ the Masterball?¡± he said, the words rasping as they emerged from his mouth. I nodded. ¡°Yup! I think that¡¯s a fair deal, ¡° I said. Lawrence shot me a thumbs up while grinning wolfishly. Howard drew out a handkerchief and dabbed at his head. ¡°Well, that is¡­ I¡¯m not sure that is entirely fair.¡± I smiled. ¡°I disagree, after all, your product failed me in a crucial period.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll need to ask around for what that actually means. It certainly makes me less confident in your product, though,¡± I said reasonably. I made sure to add an inflection to certain words. Howard swallowed and finished wiping the sweat off his forehead. ¡°I see, I will need to talk to the CEO. I¡¯ll get back to you soon!¡± he said. I nodded amicably and signed off. Lawrence gave me a thumbs up. ¡°Perfect! I had heard something about a supposed Masterball but I thought those were just rumours.¡± I hummed. ¡°You don¡¯t think I was being too mean?¡± Lawrence snorted. ¡°Oh please he just tried to treat you like an idiot. You just made him stand up and treat you seriously. You¡¯ll get a proper offer next time they talk to you.¡± I nodded and rubbed my chin. ¡°Toss me some ideas?¡± I asked. He nodded before stretching out. ¡°Oh, for sure, we shouldn¡¯t hear from them for a few more days, so I¡¯ll email you my thoughts. Otherwise, I think that¡¯ll about do it for me today! Unless you need something else?¡± When I shook my head, he clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Later Brock!¡± he said. I watched him go while tossing around the idea of Silph Co. in my mind. According to the games, they¡¯d be a target for Team Rocket. If I could steal their prize¡­ Hmmmm Will might have cheated me out of a win, but he was definitely giving me options I wouldn¡¯t have considered or had before. A ping on my transceiver had me glancing down to see a message from ¡®Old Jenny¡¯. Coming in hot! It read. It took a moment for me to realise that meant I needed to move quickly to meet her. I jogged to the front. Today was certainly a lot more eventful than I¡¯d thought it would be when I woke up. Chapter 139 - Bonds revisited I barely made it out the front of the Gym to meet Jenny. I arrived in time to see a blur racing across the landscape towards my gym that quickly closed in on me. Instincts made me reach for a pokeball and release Shin. He lifted his head, saw the oncoming threat, and raised his blades, a shine appearing on him as he performed Rock Polish without prompting. A moment later the speeding blur resolved itself into an Arcanine that eased their pace into a trot, allowing the dust to billow in before losing its impetus. It fell away, and the Arcanine approached. It eyed me and my Kabutops before its tongue lolled out, and they barked happily. ¡°Alright, alright, settle down; you had your chance to run,¡± said a voice from slightly behind the Arcanine. It turned and allowed me to spot a woman locked into a saddle. Her hair was tucked under a cap, and her eyes were covered with aviator goggles. She swept both off and shook out blue hair that I was more than familiar with. ¡°Offi¡­ Sorry!¡± I said as instinct made me address her as Officer Jenny. She shot me a sardonic look. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to it.¡± She patted her Arcanine. ¡°Dismount.¡± Her Arcanine lay down and craned his neck around to watch Jenny as she unlaced the saddle that kept her legs locked in. When that was done Jenny reached into a saddlepack and drew out a metal frame that she flicked in a practised manner that unfolded until it formed a wheelchair. Arcanine leaned his head around slightly further and Jenny supported herself into the chair. She received a lick without comment and then tapped her pokemon. Only then did she turn her attention to me. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! As you know, I¡¯m former Officer Jenny!¡± She brushed a loose lock of hair and smiled up at me from her wheelchair. ¡°You can call me Jennifer to help make it easier on you, though. Does that sound fair?¡± I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°Sorry, and yes.¡± I blinked as I realised I hadn¡¯t even offered to help her dismount. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have offered to help you down.¡± Erika would not be happy with me. Damn! I keep forgetting to ask her to tutor me on manners. Jenny¡ª No. Jennifer, chuckled. ¡°I actually preferred it.¡± Her eyes flicked to the Gym. ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard that your Gym was wheelchair accessible.¡± ¡°I asked it to be one of the features when I had the Gym designed,¡± I said in an offhand manner. I walked to the front, and the door slid open for me. Jennifer nodded in approval. ¡°Arcanine, follow boy!¡± she said as she wheeled forward. I gave the large fire pokemon a look over and hummed to myself. ¡°Impressive pokemon. He was certainly fast.¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of Arcanine¡¯s best traits, but my boy has got fast feet along with having a serious bite to him.¡± Arcanine barked happily at this. Jennifer wheeled herself forward with a flick of her arms. ¡°So, you want all of the pups? You expecting some serious problems?¡± I wavered my hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°I want some more security on site, but I also have another idea that would require your assistance as a professional breeder.¡± ¡°I only breed Growlithe,¡± she said with a raised brow. ¡°That makes it even better.¡± I kept walking and led her out the back towards my reserve, where my pokemon mostly resided. When I reached the back door, I opened it and the door swung back before locking in place, allowing Jennifer easy access. She nodded happily as she wheeled past me, and then she turned her gaze upon the reserve. ¡°Huh, nice set up; got some rocky terrain, lots of tunnels for your Aron, Geodude, Lairon, and Onix. Hmmm waterways? Oh- Corsola and that¡¯s the rare ancient type I¡¯ve heard so much about?¡± she gestured to the Lileep that were busy sunning themselves near the water. I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s some of them,¡± I said. She shot me a sharp look at that before humming. ¡°Word on the street is they got priced pretty high?¡± she said probingly. ¡°Oh, yeah. That. They went for a few million when I did the charity auction. Steven Stone and Erika got into a bidding war over them.¡± Jennifer hissed in a breath, but I waved a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your puppies aren¡¯t the only security that I have. The other pokemon are all trained on defending this area.¡± I whistled, and a trio of Onix shot up out of specific tunnels. They turned like missile turrets, looking for threats, while other pokemon hustled into other tunnels. Geodudes and Graveler¡¯s rolled out. From atop the plateau, a number of my pokemon rose up, with Quirrina starting to glow as he drew in sunlight. I blew another whistle, and they all relaxed. I heard more than a few pokemon clicking their tongues in disappointment as they returned to what they were doing. A few shot Jennifer and Arcanine hopeful looks, like they might suddenly turn rabid and need to be smacked around. Jennifer nodded slowly. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good¡­ You¡­¡± She gaped. ¡°You have TWO TYRANITAR!?¡± she said in shock. I glanced up to find Titan stalking around the other side of the plateau, with Empress following him with a curious tilt of her head. She¡¯d obviously seen the other pokemon reacting to my command, but as a pokemon that wasn¡¯t actually one of my pokemon, she wasn¡¯t aware what it meant. ¡°Ah, she¡¯s a rescue,¡± I said, as if that explained it. Jennifer shot me a look. ¡°A rescue is for a pidgey or a spearow that have injured a wing or a growlithe that people mistreat! Not a¡­¡± She waved a hand towards Empress. Empress approached and inspected Jennifer. Arcanine growled in warning when Empress got too close for his liking. Empress paused and inspected the fire type only to sniff and turn her head away dismissively as she walked off. I shrugged, more amused at the by play. ¡°She¡¯s big, yeah, but she got hurt.¡± The Empress, who¡¯d heard my words, shot me a look before snorting at me. Her hot breath caused a few dust clouds to build up. I waved, not at all bothered by her posturing. She¡¯d been hurting after having her nest destroyed. I knew that, and she knew it. She was just posing. Titan nodded to her and turned to me. ¡°Ty?¡± he asked. ¡°We¡¯re beefing up our security,¡± I said in reply. ¡°Also, we''re going to look into some new variants.¡± ¡°Variants?¡± said Jennifer with a tilt of her head. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that your Geodude line have been able to become divergent to have an electric-rock typing.¡± She rubbed her chin. ¡°You think that Growlithe has the potential to have something similar?¡± I nodded and waved as Bianca walked out of the cave system beneath the plateau. ¡°Indeed, I¡¯d like to set up a side project with you to work with our resident specialist, Bianca.¡± ¡°Hello?¡± Bianca said as she jogged up to me. She nodded to Jennifer. ¡°Ah, Jennifer, nice to see you again.¡± I blinked. ¡°You know each other?¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve attended some conferences on breeding that Elm has set up for certain professionals. I¡¯ve also read a few of her papers. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m qualified to work with you on this,¡± she said demurely. Bianca turned her attention to me. ¡°Well, having not heard the proposal yet, I will not cast any judgments.¡± I smiled and opened up my transceiver. ¡°If you¡¯ll direct your attention to the following pictures, I would like to present a number of notable temples that all heavily feature a guard dog statue. Notice the body structure, the snout, and the size. There are also markings on all of these statues that are widely universal. Some of the more recent temples have even gone as far as to keep this pokemon as some of the main guard dog statue symbols.¡± Bianca blinked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Raikou? The Legendary cat? The swirly mane and the stripped markings all match.¡± ¡°But the size, foot structure, and use of this pokemon as statues symbolising guards?¡± I shook my head. ¡°The Temples might not realise it, but they¡¯ve kept the same symbol over the years. You can see it quite clearly in the foot structure,along with the ears. Also, the size of a Raikou is much larger than a Growlithe. These statues are just the right size to match!¡± Jennifer eyed the images and compared them with a doubtful look. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not the silliest idea I''ve ever heard of, but wouldn¡¯t hairstyles account for the difference in body shape? It¡¯s not unusual for a fluffy pokemon to be born that looks different from its own littermates.¡± ¡°Ah, but the temple pictures are taken from temples not just in the Indigo region, a sizeable landmass I might add, but also some pictures of ancient temples from now-lost continents.¡± I raised a finger. ¡°Continents that don¡¯t have Raikou on them.¡± I highlighted the pictures, with the most prominent being the Sinnoh region which we still didn¡¯t have a connection with. That got both women to perk up with interest. Bianca gaped. ¡°You got pictures of temples from before the war?! That! I¡¯d never considered the implications of that!¡± She stared at the pictures avidly. ¡°You¡¯re right! There would have to be a more widespread pokemon that was ancestral and widespread for there to be so many similar statues popping up!¡± Bianca did a happy dance. Jennifer shot me an excited look, and for a moment her worry lines and age seemed to fall away, and I was looking at Officer Jenny grinning at me as she discussed Justice. ¡°So the puppies will be the starting population for the new variant of growlithe. Or rather, the old variant.¡± She rubbed her chin. ¡°The original Growlithe, if you will.¡± I nodded. ¡°Now, things are not like when I set up the electrical field for my Geodude to get used to. I have a lot more responsibilities, and there is a lot more attention being placed on me. What I propose is that I set up a small volcano for you¡ª¡± ¡°Every girl''s dream,¡± sighed Bianca breathily. I stared at her, caught off guard. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think that¡¯s right? I¡ª¡± Jennifer raised her hand and shook her head to cut me off. ¡°No, she¡¯s right, Brock. All little girls want a volcano to call their own.¡± I opened and shut my mouth before deciding to just leave that statement alone for later examination. I made a mental note that I would need to watch Cindy, Suzie, Tilly, and Yolanda to see if this was true. ¡°Right¡­ Uhm anyway, I¡¯ll have an environment set up for them with the Slugma and Macargo.¡± ¡°I can get hold of some Magmar and a Flareon on loan from Professor Elm,¡± Bianca said before hugging herself. ¡°Oh! He¡¯s going to be so happy with me when I write this up!¡± Bianca turned to Jennifer. ¡°As the supplier and a specialist breeder, I¡¯ll need to have you as a consultant and part of the study if you¡¯re interested.¡± ¡°Interested?! I¡¯m absolutely on board for this!¡± Jennifer said, bouncing in her seat. I nodded to myself, very pleased with this turn of events. With one fell swoop, I¡¯d set up the next breeding program for a powerful fire type to join my Gym that I knew would be successful, drawn Jennifer into my circle and gotten a small in with her, built up my Professor credentials, and increased the security for all of my family. I had no doubt that the kids would love to have a Growlithe attached to them ¡ªfor security purposes. I¡¯d need to talk to the school about that, but the veil of security would hide my true intentions of getting a rock-fire-typed Arcanine. I crossed my arms, very pleased with myself. Jennifer and Bianca traded ideas on what a proper study into creating a variant of the Growlithe line would entail before they eventually drew up a list. The twenty Growlithe puppies were all assigned, but Jennifer also spoke of trading for a few other Growlithe for more genetic diversity and validity in the study. ¡°I should be able to fund that for you,¡± I said. Jennifer and Bianca smiled happily before deciding that they¡¯d leave it there for today. Bianca headed back into the cave system to review my electrical setup, while Jennifer decided to wheel back into the Gym proper. ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t how I was expecting this day to go,¡± she said as she rolled along the hallway with my to my office. I hummed. ¡°Yeah, you get days like that sometimes, don¡¯t you?¡± I said as I considered how my own day had developed. Jennifer chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a lot of free time on my hands with having all my puppies accounted for.¡± She rolled a bit further with her arms working away at the wheels. ¡°Oh, but this study is going to be so interesting to be a part of. You¡¯ll be seeing a lot of me, I think, even if Bianca doesn¡¯t need me too often as a consultant.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I think Bianca wouldn¡¯t mind having you accessible,¡± I said offhandedly. ¡°But this will free up a lot more free time, hey?¡± When she nodded, I chuckled and opened my office door. ¡°How would you like something to fill your time?¡± I offered as I sat behind my desk after pushing the chair on the other side out of Jennifer''s way. She wheeled up to the desk and tilted her head. ¡°You have another task for me?¡± she asked. I drew out the business card with her details that I had been given a while ago. ¡°I wasn¡¯t given your information due to your credentials as a Growlithe breeder, but rather your work in the community.¡± ¡°Really?¡± she said sceptically. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, believe it or not, you being a Growlithe breeder is a wonderful bonus but I wanted to talk to you mostly about what your thoughts are on the current political situation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s shit,¡± she said without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Jonathan is ponyta trading, but he¡¯s fobbing off lame ponyta or burning everything he¡¯s built up, in order to try and make a leap to a higher position. The policies he¡¯s set in place have made for a deck of cards, and we need more robustness set up with regard to the current administration staff. Too many of the departments report only to him and don¡¯t have their own heads of staff. There needs to be a level of autonomy with generalised tasks and responsibilities set up instead of the current setup.¡± I blinked, unaware of even a fraction of this. ¡°So, you¡¯re well aware of what¡¯s going on?¡± I said lamely. Jennifer tapped her wheelchair. ¡°I might not get to the parties, but I¡¯m still able to get around and pick up information. The policymakers all have known haunts as well as their own businesses. I don¡¯t have to work unless I want to, so that gives me a lot of time to dedicate to my puppies and to talking to people around the community.¡± She brought her hands together. ¡°Lots of people like to see puppies or will approach me when I¡¯m running the dogs. Thanks to this I have contacts.¡± She smirked. ¡°Way more than people realise, I have a lot of contacts.¡± She pointed a thumb at herself happily. ¡°I¡¯ve got a finger on the pulse of the city you could say!¡± I nodded; she had mentioned knowing what ¡®word on the street¡¯ was. I¡¯d taken that to be a reference to her former career as a policewoman. ¡°How would you like to put that to use? I could make you my nominated representative for the Pewter City Gym? That be of interest to you?¡± I said, deciding to lay my cards on the table. She rubbed her chin. ¡°Huh, this trip keeps getting more and more interesting. You got an idea of things you want me to do?¡± ¡°Mostly look after the Gym¡¯s interests, set up community support, increase local government integrity, and be champion for all things anti-corruption.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°You know a Gym representative can sit in on a lot of different legislative processes, right? I get the right to have a vote on some of them as well.¡± She was sporting a rather fierce looking smile now. One that I was happy to point at others. ¡°That¡¯s why I need someone for this. I¡¯m mostly here at the Gym, and in the past I assumed I didn¡¯t need it. Now I know better.¡± I put out my hand. ¡°Want to join the team?¡± I asked, feeling good about my decision after speaking with her. She took my hand with both of hers. ¡°With this and my puppies getting a variant typing from you, I¡¯m excited for what the future is going to bring!¡± she said happily. From there, I directed her to talk with Lawrence, as the one most aware of the legal practicalities we needed to consider. When I shot him a message he shot me a reply saying he¡¯d have a contract for her with duties and responsibilities in my inbox by tomorrow morning along with a bill for today¡¯s work. I chuckled when he wrote a note about charging extra on weekends. He knew I was good for it. The rest of the afternoon passed with me making my way around the Gym and touching base with the various staff members, making sure they were doing alright. A few of them offered condolences to me for my draw, along with their outrage before talking up their favourite parts. I listened to them for a while before moving along. Greta seemed a bit down, but I sent her towards Bianca, promising a surprise with something new coming to the Gym. I almost called it a day. I thought for a second that I had touched base with everyone before remembering that I¡¯d taken on another trainer to teach. I searched around for A.J. and found him in the trainer''s common room. ¡°Die die! Die! Go Donkey Kong!¡± he screamed at the screen. I watched as he tried to unleash a charged-up smash against Professor Oak¡¯s far too-nimble Starfox. ¡°RAgh!¡± he screamed as his hit missed only to get blasted back with Oak¡¯s follow-up move. ¡°How?!¡± he howled as he lost his last life. ¡°You¡¯re trying to rely on all-or-nothing abilities too much. You like unleashing devastating hits but they are highly telegraphed and not defended against. You need to set up your moment if you want to stick with that strategy,¡± Oak said with a lecturing tone. ¡°Now pick another fighter and try again.¡± ¡°Come on Samus! He¡¯s strong!¡± said A.J. cluelessly. I snorted at his mistake, alerting A.J. and Oak to my presence. Oak perked up. ¡°Ah! Brock! Good to see you! I¡¯ve just been talking with young A.J.!¡± He nodded his head towards the green-haired youth who grunted in my general direction. ¡°You took him on due to Agatha¡¯s recommendation?¡± Oak said with an odd tone to his words that I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on. ¡°Yeah, he challenged me at the fourth badge level with a gauntlet run, which was gutsy but didn¡¯t have the legs to put his pokemon all the way through. I think he showed a lot of potential despite some hang-ups. I think I can see what Agatha saw in him,¡± I said neutrally. Samuel smiled widely at me. ¡°She always was a good judge of character.¡± He turned back to the screen. ¡°Terrible at communication, though; she¡¯d say one thing and mean another entirely most of the time.¡± I nodded. ¡°I know what you mean,¡± I said easily. Oak flicked his eyes at me and the screen. I shrugged and claimed a spot next to A.J.¡¯s Sandshrew before joining the match. ¡°Think I¡¯ll play Starfox this time,¡± I said, eyeballing the Samus on the roster. Oak chuckled, knowing what I was going to do as he selected Luigi. As the match started I grunted at A.J. ¡°So, you watch the match yesterday?¡± ¡°Yeah, it sucked. Will was a coward that couldn¡¯t face you head on. He also got lucky; I was watching a lot of the sports analysts before Professor Oak came in.¡± A.J. snorted. ¡°They¡¯re all stupid!¡± Then he smirked. ¡°But I got to watch your press conference, not live of course, but people are replaying Gavin¡¯s reaction to your challenge,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°How¡¯d that go?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Got all quiet while the female host did a happy dance,¡± he said. ¡°They started doing other reviews but it started to get pretty trashy.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s where I came in and saw a young man that needed to be challenged!¡± Oak chimed in. I shot Oak a thankful nod. ¡°Probably a good idea. Those people are talking heads that can talk an hour about a single moment. A battle is more than a single moment. There were plenty of moments where the outcome shifts.¡± ¡°You fought well,¡± A.J. said, and he left it at that. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to implement a few changes and maybe broaden my team a little if I want to stop fights from playing out like that ever again.¡± Oak dodged a blast from A.J.¡¯s Samus on the screen, and I chuckled as A.J. growled in annoyance. ¡°Learning from defeats is essential to acchieve victory. If you are still able to learn and move forward, often you will find your way to victory,¡± Samuel said. ¡°Hmmm that might sound pretty good as a Haiku¡­¡± he said thoughtfully as he dispatched A.J., only for me to start grappling with him in close with my character. ¡°Implementing that mindset can be tough, especially after close or significant matches,¡± I said idly. ¡°Or just flat-out losses. Those can take you by surprise the worst and make you really work at just standing back up,¡± I said thinking of the times when I¡¯d begun where I lost. Oak nodded along and during a lul in the fighting he raised a hand. ¡°Which can make it all the more important to learn now. Also, remember that the weight of expectations can be the cause of losses as much as victories. You will work harder for each, but the expectations should never be the goal, otherwise, you might lose sight of the end goal.¡± I side-eyed Oak as he knocked me off. I was trying to teach A.J. from my defeat, but there was definitely some doublespeak going on here. He was mentoring me, and A.J. was getting double duty from me and the first Champion of the Indigo region. ¡°Losses aren¡¯t why we do what we do obviously,¡± Oak continued, fighting off A.J. as he did so. ¡°Pokemon battles are a wonderful method of testing our bonds, having fun, making money,¡± he said this option with a slightly disdainful tone, ¡°thrills, or even for defence, some of these can have greater meaning to them.¡± Oak gestured to me. ¡°Your match against Will¡­ it¡¯s good that you can draw some positive from it, otherwise, it would poison much of what should be a marvellous activity.¡± ¡°The match poisoned a few more things than just that. Dennis, the Gym trainer I had as the referee, tried to turn in his resignation for how things went down. I tore it up and told him I thought he did the right thing.¡± ¡°Yes, he was in a hard position,¡± Samuel said. ¡°He couldn¡¯t have just called Will out on his cheap tactics?¡± A.J. asked. ¡°No, no, he couldn¡¯t have,¡± I said with a long sigh. ¡°That was the problem. Will was cheap, but everything he did was perfectly legal. If Dennis had penalised or infringed him, there would have been worse drama.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± A.J grunted. ¡°Such is life; at least sometimes it¡¯s like that,¡± I said. ¡°Sometimes you can do everything correctly and still lose,¡± said Oak at the same time. ¡°So get stronger,¡± A.J. said, unleashing an attack with his character only for mine to reflect it back onto him. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s not a matter of strength, as you saw yesterday,¡± I reminded him. ¡°It can be depth, technical skill¡­ or understanding strategies and exploiting them. But you¡¯re not wrong, I am going to get stronger, as well as those other things.¡± ¡°You handled it well,¡± Oak replied. He glanced at me. ¡°Good show shaking his hand at the end as well.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°Expectations,¡± he said with a nod. I nodded back, he must have noticed that I¡¯d glanced at my family before shaking Will¡¯s hand. It was tough sometimes doing the right thing when all you wanted to do was anything else. Then again, I could imagine that he knew more than a thing or two about that, having once been the Champion that ended a war. ¡°I must admit that I saw you with your pokemon this morning talking through the loss and what it meant.¡± Oak watched me as he spoke. ¡°You demonstrated the strength of your bond wonderfully. You will have affirmed it to them, and they will grow from this I have no doubt.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said deciding to leave it at that. I wasn¡¯t sure where to go with it. Oak wasn¡¯t happy to leave it there, though, as he hummed. ¡°It was very moving, I certainly know I wasn¡¯t the only one to pay attention to your bonds and be impacted by what you were showing.¡± I glanced at him. What was he hinting at? Had Yolanda seen me talking with my pokemon? I decided to nod as though I had half an idea what he was talking about. He nodded back, pleased, but I felt like the meaning of what we¡¯d spoken of had shot over my head. We turned our attention to the game in front of us and spent a while playing Smash quietly. ¡°So, you¡¯re going to broaden your pokemon team?¡± Oak prompted me after a few minutes of us clashing and A.J. processing everything we¡¯d been saying. I shot Oak a look. I knew what he was doing. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got my eye on a few pokemon to be caught, while I have three that could feature in my Elite team I think.¡± While saying this, I smacked his character away from a hammer, causing him to pout as A.J. took hold of it. ¡°Anything I should know?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m setting up Bianca to potentially find another variant pokemon for me,¡± I said conversationally. Oak blinked and turned his attention from the match, allowing A.J. to catch him and beat up his character. ¡°Tch! A distraction? Really?¡± Oak said with a growl. ¡°Hey, who said I was lying?¡± I said with a smirk. That rattled Oak, and for the rest of the Smash match, he played in a distracted manner. I knew he was just waiting to race off and quiz Bianca on what I¡¯d discovered. He was more than willing to throw himself into the technical discussion. A.J. slumped ¡°Aw man, Samus and I only came second! He¡¯s my best character!¡± he said dejectedly. I snorted. ¡°You know Samus is a girl, right?¡± He shot me a look. ¡°What do you mean Samus is a girl?¡± Oak, who¡¯d been standing, sat back down. ¡°Well actually, it''s very interesting, you see! If you play¡ª¡± I chuckled and stood, more than happy to leave them to it. I had no doubt that A.J. had gained a lot from our little gaming session beyond just how to play Smash better. A ping on my messages had me glancing down. ¡°Are you free?¡± read a message from Sabrina. I shot back an affirmative along with my location. She appeared and paused. ¡°Are you aware your emitters aren¡¯t working?¡± she said with a frown. That had Oak snapping his head around and stopping the deluge of game trivia. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m aware, and I¡¯m on top of it. It''s one of the things that I discovered yesterday that has raised some serious questions.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Sabrina said shifting. ¡°Will snuck a lot past me.¡± I hummed. ¡°In a way; he saturated the field and had someone else working during those moments.¡± ¡°Huh? Whoa, so Will did actually cheat?!¡± said A.J. standing and clenching his fists. Sabrina shot him a glance before ignoring him. ¡°You spoke to the League?¡± ¡°Lawrence says the evidence is far too circumstantial. It raises a lot of questions, however.¡± I patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it. It was that pokemon we saw during the Moltres encounter, and also, Lance knows. Any future matches Will has will be much more closely monitored by a lot of people now,¡± I said referencing the Guardians as well as the League. ¡°Ah,¡± Sabrina said as she registered this new information. I tilted my head. ¡°Where have you been today?¡± I would have expected her to stick around. ¡°You needed some space and I have been helping my father with a project. I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t been around, while I helped pick your mood up this morning¡ª¡± I shot Oak a look when he whistled lowly, ¡°¡ª I knew it would only be temporary for you. While I worked with my father I was also working on discovering a Team Rocket base.¡± ¡°So I can let loose on something?¡± I said. She nodded and I grunted in thought for a moment. ¡°Huh, that¡­ would work.¡± I nodded as a mulled the thought over some more. ¡°I think I would like to raid it, but we¡¯d need backup,¡± I said indicating we should walk and talk. Before we could depart, however another person, or rather a group of people, announced themselves. ¡°If you¡¯re looking to tangle with those crooks! I know I¡¯m down!¡± said Brawly as he walked into the room. ¡°I only heard a little, but if you need some backup, I¡¯m there!¡± ¡°Count me in for criminal beatdowns!¡± said Flannery. At her side, Roxanne bobbed her head. ¡°I too would like to assist.¡± I opened my mouth to wave them down. While they were all Gym Leaders, or rather, they would be in canonical game events, they were still very green as to what sort of fighting this would involve. A polite cough and a flex of energy had us all turning to find Professor Samuel Oak standing politely with a fist raised to his mouth. ¡°My goodness the friendship on display is precisely what I love most about pokemon! They bring us all together in ways that defy our understanding. I too would like to come along and bear witness to your wonderful bonds,¡± he said politely. I blinked. Oh, the former champion was going to come along? Yeah, yeah that worked for backup. A.J. stood up and opened his mouth, but I shook my head. He glared defiantly but sat down after a moment. I turned towards Sabrina with a smirk, suddenly feeling a thrill of anticipation work its way through me. ¡°What have you got for us?¡± She smiled. It looked like it was time to start throwing some punches once again. Interlude - Empress impressions She awoke steadily. Her eyes didn¡¯t need to adjust to the darkness of the cavern. She was one with the darkness. That didn¡¯t mean she moved recklessly, however. With her eggs, she would need to¡ª She stopped as the memories rose unbidden. That was right; her eggs were gone. Destroyed by some man-made device that had appeared within her nest. The cave itself had been broken. Her eggs¡ªthe small, delicate things that she had struggled to nurture¡ªhad split. She shut her eyes and tried to push away the pain. If she could only deny that it had happened. Without knowing it, she opened her mouth and let out a painful croon. She¡¯d had things so well set up this time. It wasn¡¯t going to be like the other times when only one egg hatched from a clutch. She¡¯d gotten clean, fine sand to surround the nest while blocking the entrance enough that the wind couldn¡¯t come through like it had in the early days of her claiming her old home. If she¡¯d still had¡­ No. She couldn¡¯t think of the past. It was too painful. She instead opened her eyes and tried to summon the energy to get up. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ She slumped down onto the cave floor, and dust bloomed from her body as it thumped down. Empress sighed heavily. It was so hard these days to care. Even then, she felt drained despite having just woken up. She felt like she didn¡¯t have any energy. And why should she get up? What was there for her to look forward to? The world was a cruel place. She¡¯d had so much hope for it as of late. With her child¡¯s trainer delivering that warm rock, things had been downright easy! All she had to do was nudge her eggs or run a claw around in the sand to keep the heat even. Not at all like her previous attempts, where she¡¯d had to nearly lay atop the eggs to keep them warm. So often, that ended in accidents happening. Empress opened her eyes and looked at the ground where she¡¯d shifted. Clawmarks all along the floor and gouges from where her spikes or her tail had dug into the ground, met her gaze. Power. She¡¯d chased it for so long, thinking it would project what she wanted, only for that same strength to be the thing stopping her from easily raising a full clutch of eggs. A scrapping noise had her lifting her gaze from the floor and toward the entrance of the cavern. Her son appeared and paused, sniffing the air as his eyes swept over her form. ¡°Mother,¡± he rumbled in greeting. ¡°Would you like to come outside? It isn¡¯t good for you to remain cooped up down here.¡± Empress eyed her son. If this had been another pokemon, such as Bertha, she might have mustered the energy to growl at being approached so casually. Then again, Bertha was strong enough to not be scared off by a mere growl. Her son didn¡¯t warrant such behaviour. He had always been a dutiful boy¡­ and a surprise. A very welcome one with how his egg, despite being stolen from an earlier clutch, had managed to hatch. More than that, his scent had a strength to it. From what she¡¯d thought to be her smallest egg, to the strongest child she¡¯d seen from any of her clutches to date. The world was, as she had learned many times throughout her long life, a strange, cruel place. ¡°Mother,¡± Titan said, stepping in and leaning down to nuzzle at her. ¡°Terra is going to fight Cranidos.¡± Despite herself, she couldn¡¯t stop the whuff of amusement. Two baby pokemon brawling. They were ridiculous in how harmless they were with their pitiful strength. To see them trying so hard, though¡­ It made her lift her body to get her hands underneath herself before heaving upwards. ¡°Very well, I shall come,¡± she said, standing tall. Titan looked up at her and nodded before moving ahead. Empress watched her son stalk the caverns of his trainer without fear. A surety in his step despite the small markings that showed he still wasn¡¯t fully healed. They walked past the lagoon cavern, which contained a fresh spring along with a group of pokemon that were deemed ¡®ancient¡¯ despite most of them being babies in truth. Atop the highest point, Don, the Aerodactyl, screeched at them.¡°Don¡¯t even try coming in here! This is my cave! Mine!¡± Titan gave him a dismissive huff. ¡°Settle down, Don.¡± He shook his head and moved on as Don shuffled back and forth. From the lagoon, Shin and Shelly waved at Titan and herself. ¡°Yeah, you keep walking!¡± screeched Don. Empress stopped and turned, her eyes locking on the whiny gnat. She rumbled out a growl that shook the entire cavern. Don¡¯s eyes widened as he seemed to realise he¡¯d made a mistake. Then, instead of backing down, he gave a savage grin. ¡°Oh! Got some fight!? Good! I¡¯ll fight you!¡± Empress narrowed her eyes and considered smacking him around, only for Titan to step back and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Ignore him, mother; he¡¯s always like this. He talks big, but he needs to learn control.¡± Titan locked eyes with Don. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t need to remind you that of all of us, you were the worst off from facing Moltres. You need to shut your mouth and open your mind more going forward.¡± Don¡¯s jaw clicked shut, and he glowered at Titan, but nothing else was said. Titan nodded while Shin and Shelly emerged from the lagoon, having vanished when Empress growled. They still eyed her warily. Titan waved her on, and they marched up past the crackling electrified cave that housed the strange geodude line. A large golem rolled out of the cavern. ¡°Top of the morning to you! I¡¯m off to train! Let¡¯s do our best this morning, eh Titan!?¡± the rolling Golem called back at them. ¡°Indeed Sanchez,¡± Titan said to his teammate. When Sanchez was far enough away, Titan glanced at her. ¡°You might need to apologise for scaring Shin and Shelly like that,¡± he said. Empress sniffed. ¡°I will not apologise. They had good instincts to avoid a fight.¡± She smirked. ¡°Not that it would have been a fight. I would have smacked down that overgrown pidgey with a single hit.¡± Titan chuffed. ¡°Don is a braggart, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯d take him out that easily,¡± he said. When Empress merely laughed at her son¡¯s caution, he eyed her. ¡°Well, at the very least, watch out if he uses Hyper Beam on you; he is very proficient at¡ª¡± Titan stopped talking when Empress merely laughed louder. ¡°What is so funny about that?¡± he asked when she regathered herself. Empress merely shook her head and waved his words away. Truly, being warned of another pokemon¡¯s Hyper Beam? Ah, her son! So young! She thought to herself as she emerged from the caverns. ¡°Mother!¡± shouted Terra. Empress raised her head only to find that Terra was in the middle of a ¡®fight¡¯ with her friend the Cranidos. Cranidos didn¡¯t hesitate to leap forward at his foe¡¯s distraction and knock Terra onto her backside. He then whacked her again causing Terra to fall onto her back with a small ¡®woof¡¯ of air escaping her. Cranidos stood tall and raised his tiny arms up. ¡°Ha! I am the greatest! I have defeated you!¡± Terra shook her head and stood up. ¡°That wasn¡¯t fair! I was distracted!¡± she said. Empress chuffed. ¡°Never grow distracted during a fight daughter. Cranidos defeated you because of this.¡± ¡°No! No, I won because I¡¯m awesome!¡± shouted the Cranidos. When Empress leveled her gaze upon the baby pokemon, the runt quivered but held her gaze. ¡°That is still to be seen,¡± Empress said before waving a claw. ¡°Again, daughter,¡± she said as the human girl who cared for Terra cheered. Terra straightened and widened her stance, keeping her body low. ¡°That¡¯s it! Just like we practised!¡± said Yolanda. Empress inspected the human girl as she fervently watched Terra dodge, duck, and weave. She was doing well, but she was thinking like a human, all hands and legs. She still overpowered the Cranidos, much to the loud denials of the Cranidos, but it was scrappy. Empress crossed her arms and huffed. Titan shot her a look. ¡°Something the matter?¡± ¡°She¡¯s forgetting to use her crest. She is grappling and fighting with her hands.¡± Titan scratched at his chin. ¡°Hmmm good point; you should tell her,¡± he said. ¡°Terra!¡± Empress said, causing her daughter to snap her head away from Yolanda and to her. ¡°Yes Mother? Did you see? I won! I¡¯ve been working hard!¡± said the little Larvitar enthusiastically. Empress snorted. ¡°You dragged it out longer than you needed to. Neck time, use your crest, it isn¡¯t a weak point, so swat that charging fool aside and take him from the side!¡± she growled. Terra tilted her head, her hands reaching up to tap at the base of her crest. She toyed with it while scrunching up her face in thought. It took a few moments, but eventually, her eyes widened. ¡°Ohhhh! I think I see what you mean!¡± She turned her head and said, ¡°Mummy Yolanda! Mother wants me to smack Cranidos around with my crest!¡± This time it was the human girl¡¯s face that scrunched up. Her gaze drifted up to Empress, who met her gaze. She was pleased that the girl didn¡¯t flinch or turn away. ¡°Use your crest?¡± Yolanda said. Terra nodded, and Yolanda tilted her head. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that. I suppose it¡¯s going to be a strong point for you as well. Alright, give it a go!¡± A boom and a shake of the earth caused the group to pause and look up. On the other side of their tiny arena, Titan was demonstrating how to roll and get back into a crouched position for Cranidos. ¡°And then you can launch another attack,¡± Titan said. Empress growled at the sight. ¡°Son! What are you doing teaching Terra¡¯s foe how to be stronger!? She is to beat him! Are you not going to support your sister!?¡± she snapped. ¡°Mother it¡¯s not like that!¡± said Terra plaintively as the human girl flicked her gaze between Titan and Empress. Titan stood and dusted himself off without a care, rankling Empress with his nonchalance. ¡°It is not a matter of only one of them needing to grow stronger. Cranidos is part of the team¡­ or pack if you will.¡± Empress snorted at that but turned her head away. She kept an eye on the next fight, however, and this time when Terra locked gazes with Cranidos, she did so with her previous low stance and her head lowered while looking up. Empress approved the correction. This time Cranidos charged, and Terra met him with her crest. She fumbled the knock away, but the smaller pokemon was still deflected off to the side, where he stumbled. Before Terra could pounce on him, he rolled until his feet were underneath him again. From there, he sprang back up and lined himself up on Terra. ¡°Good adjustments, both of you!¡± Titan praised. Empress sniffed but nodded. Terra kept her eyes forward, and while she won the match, she still had to work for it. Both Terra and Cranidos were exhausted after that, and Yolanda scooped them both up. ¡°Come on you two, let¡¯s get you breakfast!¡± she said. Titan smiled and waved them off before gesturing for Empress to follow as he walked. As they did so, they encountered a variety of different pokemon. She found the large Rhyperior, Bertha, holding out a hand for a tiny Clefairy to Pound away at. At their side, a Geodude demonstrated how to throw punches while a Teddiursa watched on. When it noticed them, it made to follow. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Teddiursa! Pay attention to this next sequence, as there are some moves Izumi can teach that will be perfect for you beyond just technique!¡± said Bertha. ¡°Ah! Sorry!¡± said the Teddiursa as it snapped its attention back to Bertha. Titan nodded at Bertha. ¡°Make sure to give them rest breaks!¡± he called over his shoulder before they moved on to watch a Steelix clash against a rather agitated Poliwrath. Before the Poliwrath could knock the Steelix unconscious, Titan barked a warning. ¡°Hypno! That¡¯s enough! You¡¯re not fighting to improve; you¡¯re just looking for a punching bag!¡± The Poliwrath slumped and bowed to Titan and then the Steelix. ¡°He is correct! I apologise Jormungandr.¡± Jormungandr shook itself out. ¡°I do not mind hard training Hypnotoad, but if it is the same to you, I shall rest for a while.¡± Steelix moved off and lay down in the morning sun while Hypnotoad sighed. Titan put a hand on Hypnotoad¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I can tell you are frustrated, but remember that control is key,¡± Titan said. Hypnotoad bowed again, and Titan gestured to the pond. ¡°I would suggest doing some energy work; no one will mind if you destroy some earth with a few Hydro Pumps.¡± This seemed to cheer up the Poliwrath as it darted away to do that. Titan continued to walk slowly around the others. Here and there he would pause to offer commentary, or suggestions to the pokemon. Empress walked with him and was surprised when Titan didn¡¯t stop with just the pokemon that she knew belonged to the Elite section. When he was done, Titan moved back to the area where the other Elite¡¯s were assembled. ¡°I feel like you have been trying to teach me something,¡± Empress voiced before he moved to join his fellow Elite, as they were known. She shook her head. ¡°What was it?¡± Titan blinked. ¡°Oh? You picked up on that?¡± He nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I wanted to show you that the pokemon around this reserve?¡± he gestured in a wide arc. ¡°They are all part of the team¡­ or pack if you would. It is not a matter of limiting growth to only a few but of helping all. We all find a different way to achieve this,¡± Titan said. He nodded to the side, and Empress was surprised to find Knight walking towards his fellow Elites with Aron all over him. The smaller pokemon bit and growled playfully, but, without any noticeable effort, Knight avoided stepping on them or brushing them off without hurting them. Knight smiled at them as only an idiot could, clueless as to how harsh the world was. ¡°Hi Titan and Titan¡¯s Mum!¡± he crowed, causing the other nearby Elite pokemon to laugh. Knight brushed off the rest of the Aron and shooed them away before joining his fellows. Empress blinked and realised she¡¯d been watching Knight so much she hadn¡¯t noticed her son observing her. ¡°What?!¡± she snapped. ¡°Nothing,¡± Titan said, glancing to the side. ¡°I should be going; Brock has woken up and will want to address yesterday¡¯s match.¡± Empress snorted. She wasn¡¯t sure what to think of seeing a human fight with all the pokemon matching up against each other. It had been controlled, and orderly. Not at all like the chaos of two wild pokemon fighting for territory or food. But that hadn¡¯t meant the pokemon hadn¡¯t been strong. She wasn¡¯t sure about some of what had occurred, but she had heard the other pokemon and humans observing the match to understand that Brock¡¯s opponent had done something bad, and still the Elite Pokemon of Brock¡¯s team had rallied. ¡°Tribe,¡± Empress said to Titan¡¯s back. Titan paused and looked back at her. ¡°Excuse me?¡± he asked. Empress snorted and turned her head away. ¡°It¡¯s not pack you¡¯re thinking of, but tribe. You are working to make the tribe stronger,¡± she said. Titan nodded slowly and turned away, shooting her thoughtful glances as he joined his friends. Empress remained where she was. Just far enough away to make it clear she wasn¡¯t part of their group but close enough to observe them bickering and playing with each other. She huffed and remembered a different group of pokemon. She remembered a time with a young girl¡­ ¡°Oh, hey there, Empress, morning,¡± said a voice, disrupting her memory of a time, long, long past now. She looked down to find Brock looking up at her without a hint of fear. He met his gaze and felt the memories of that girl stirring up again. There was so much concern in those eyes¡­ She flicked her eyes down, noting the Oran berry. A memory rose about how the girl had liked to tease her. She nodded and smirked before reaching out and swiping the fruit Brock had in his hands before popping it into her mouth. Brock gaped at her before snorting in amusement. Then he reached out and stroked her on the snout. Empress didn¡¯t freeze, she wasn¡¯t weak enough to react so poorly to a surprise. Said surprises usually presented themselves as Ursaring charging her while she drank from the water¡¯s edge rather than something¡­ nice. Something¡­ familiar. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re feeling better, Empress,¡± Brock said as he walked off. Empress watched him go, confused about what had just happened. She touched her nose and rubbed at it. She hadn¡¯t been touched like that in¡­ ¡°Hey Gang!¡± said Brock as he announced himself to his pokemon team. Empress straightened and pretended nothing was amiss. She did step back into the boulders, however, to watch and listen as Brock spoke with his team. He spoke of their match and his dissatisfaction. He spoke of lots of things, but it wasn¡¯t the words that caught Empress¡¯ attention but it was how he said them. Every pokemon within earshot clung to them, and slowly they became more motivated to grow stronger. Brock gave them a direction, and they responded. Empress tilted her head. It was like watching a tribe¡¯s chief talk. They would show the way and either lead the tribe to plenty, or to ruin. A small noise near the end of Brock¡¯s speech alerted Empress she wasn¡¯t the only one listening in. She turned her head and found Yolanda with Terra, but also another man. One that made Empress straighten. Here was a man that was a chief of chiefs. She could smell the power on him. He glanced in her direction and merely nodded at her, as one would to an equal. Then his eyes flickered upward, and he blinked in surprise. Empress snapped her head up only to find nothing there but a shimmer. A trick of the light? She shook it off and looked down, only to find the man gone and Brock finished with his talk. The various pokemon of the Elite team were breaking off to work on various drills. Titan urged them on while Brock indicated a few tasks for some pokemon such as Teddiursa to work on. Before long, Brock reached into a pack and began laying out trays with food heaped up onto them. Empress watched as the Elite team moved around the small rocks with flat tops. When they received their food, they bowed in thanks. When every pokemon at their table had some food in front of them, they began to eat. Titan waved to Empress and indicated to a plate at his and Bertha¡¯s side. Bertha shot her a smirk, and Empress decided she wasn¡¯t going to back down. She joined them for their meal, and it was a meal, if a strange one. She didn¡¯t need to hunt as of late, but this was different from merely collecting her food. It was more organised. More human. She blinked when she realised that the various groups of pokemon were all talking about how to get stronger or what they needed to watch out for. The youngest of the groups remained quiet as they listened to their older, wiser pokemon amoung them. Empress found herself interested, again, despite herself. This wasn¡¯t just a meal, but a meeting and sharing of strength. How novel. When she had finished her meal, one conversation caught her attention. That of the large Lapras, Tide, and Don. ¡°¡ªneed guarantee it hits and knocks them out or else they knock you out. It usually isn¡¯t so bad if you do cause you get the time to recover with a big hit.¡± ¡°Perhaps we couldn''t use as much energy, though?¡± said Tide. ¡°Stronger is better!¡± Don screeched. Empress snorted at their antics, causing both pokemon to glance at her. Tide nodded in respect, while Don bristled. ¡°Got something to say?! Huh?! Huh!?¡± Empress gave both pokemon a critical look. The Lapras was big, but did he have the energy? She doubted it. ¡°It¡¯s hilarious that you think you can talk of Hyper Beams when I doubt yours is very good.¡± Both pokemon stiffened at that. Tide glowered. ¡°Care to back that up?¡± Empress lifted her chin. ¡°I would.¡± ¡°Oh! It¡¯s a Beam off!¡± shouted Sanchez the golem. He was quickly joined by Bertha and Knight. The other pokemon showed some interest, and soon Empress, Tide, and Don were lined up facing out towards a series of rocks and earth that were being stacked up to assemble a series of walls. Bertha jogged back with Knight, only Bertha was caked in mud, making it look like Knight had done no work. Empress eyed the Aggron, was it lazy? Bertha flopped onto the ground, and Empress realised that her assessment was faulty. Knight wasn¡¯t lazy. Bertha just enjoyed caking herself in mud. Titan coughed and gestured at the assembled rocks and walls. ¡°As usual we have set up the field with ten walls and cleared away any pokemon. Each of you will unleash a Hyper Beam with the strongest pokemon being evaluated based on the amount of walls knocked over.¡± Empress nodded; it was a simple solution that should work to prove who was the strongest. Don puffed himself up. ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡± he shouted inhaling and then calling forth the small orb. When he unleashed it, he did so with much more power than Empress had been expecting. She glanced at the walls and noted that four walls had been blasted through which earned him a smattering of applause from the crowd of pokemon. Don snapped his head towards the lazing Bertha. ¡°Did you make my walls thicker!? I managed eight the last time we did this!¡± he growled. Bertha glanced at him. ¡°Yeah, of course I did, we¡¯re getting stronger than last time. I made each wall a finger wider,¡± she said, raising up one of her positively thick fingers to demonstrate the width. Don relaxed at that and then snorted at Tide. ¡°Your turn!¡± Tide snorted and shot Empress a look. ¡°Ladies first?¡± Empress snorted. ¡°I¡¯m no lady; I kill my meals most of the time!¡± she said proudly. She flicked her claws dismissively to indicate he should get on with it. Tide merely nodded and turned his attention to the walls. He too, inhaled and then launched a large blast. He seemed to channel his Hyper Beam longer, however, and when the beam dropped away, it revealed the smoking remains of the walls. ¡°Six walls!¡± cheered Sanchez. This drew a louder cheer, and a few pokemon even booed Don causing the pokemon to snap his fangs in agitation. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a rematch!¡± Don snarled. Empress snorted. ¡°No need,¡± she said, and then, without a hint of buildup or breathing tricks, she unleashed the flow of energy. A Hyper Beam was unleashed instantly, and this blast rocked the field they were all standing on. Empress held the energy blast for a full five seconds before letting go. She heaved in large lungfuls of air, and slowly the smoke cleared to reveal the damage. Unlike with Don''s or Tide¡¯s walls, a circular hole was not bored through, but rather each wall was destroyed totally. Sanchez rolled out and made a show of counting. He held up three fingers on both sides, and his moustache pointed up at the tips. ¡°Eight walls!¡± ¡°E-eight walls!¡± cried Don in surprise. Tide likewise gaped. ¡°How did you do it without any buildup?¡± Empress snorted. ¡°Skill,¡± she said, eying the last two walls of the ten that had been assembled. She shot Bertha a look, but Bertha met her gaze without a hint of shame. ¡°They¡¯re all the same width,¡± Bertha said, eying the walls. ¡°Impressive you got to the last wall,¡± she said. Empress hummed and turned her attention back to Don and Tide. Tide bowed his head. ¡°Can you teach us?¡± Don growled. ¡°Fuck that! Rematch! I had the sun in my eyes!¡± Empress snorted before smirking. ¡°Very well, if you boys want to play that game. I shall indulge you.¡± She found herself smiling as Bertha rose with a huff to rebuild the walls they¡¯d use. Despite herself, Empress was rather enjoying her time at Titan¡¯s home. When they were done and it was obvious that she was the strongest pokemon around, she stalked around the plateau to join the Elite team with a meal before going to sleep. She noted that once more it was set up on the raised rocks where the various pokemon could talk and eat together. Clefairy eyed the plates. ¡°How come Brock sets us up to eat like this while the others eat in feed troughs or separate bowls?¡± Titan paused while talking about how to angle an uppercut. ¡°Ah, that is due to Brock wanting to treat us like equals. He makes sure we don¡¯t eat off the ground.¡± Empress hummed. What a strange human. ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re better than the others?¡± said Teddiursa, who was trying to eat his large plate of food but had to keep being pulled back from falling into it with how tired the little pokemon was. Titan shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t know this, but it is actually a choice that each pokemon is given for the pokemon that work for the gym. They are often asked again every few months in case they have different desires.¡± Teddiursa. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t asked?¡± Titan nodded. ¡°But you wish to grow strong, yes? Eating with us and talking, listening to how matches played out for us, and asking questions are all part of Brock¡¯s method of making you stronger!¡± Teddiursa blinked sleepily and turned back to his food. ¡°Good, I want to be strong, as strong as I can be,¡± said the little pokemon. Clefairy nodded quickly. ¡°Yeah! Me too! Like you, Bertha, and Izumi, and Jorm! And Titan!¡± He then turned his beady eyes to Empress. ¡°And you too, Titan¡¯s Mum! You¡¯re really strong!¡± The others laughed at her being addressed as ¡®Titan¡¯s mum¡¯ once again for some reason, but Empress decided to ignore them. She instead stared at her empty plate. Empty¡­ like her nest. ¡°Strength isn¡¯t everything,¡± she said, instantly shutting down the good mood of the other pokemon. She stood and marched away. Titan made to follow her only for her to raise a claw and signal him not to follow. She stalked down into the caverns and into the cave she¡¯d been given. Her empty, cold cave. She allowed herself to fall to the ground and caused a small quake that shook the cave with her careless actions. She couldn¡¯t find it in herself to care, even if the cavern caved in. Part of her might even welcome it. She languished in her dark thoughts until she heard a small set of feet scraping against the ground. She opened an eye to find Teddiursa sniffing and tapping his way forward. When he reached the edge of her cavern, his nose worked quickly. He lingered there, unsure, for a long while. Eventually, Empress grew tired of waiting and huffed, ¡°What do you want little pokemon?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry for your loss,¡± Teddiursa said. Empress hissed and was about to reprimand the little pokemon only for what he said next to floor her. ¡°I lost my mother when Moltres flew¡­ so I know what it¡¯s like to be sad¡­ You weren¡¯t strong enough for your children, just like I wasn¡¯t strong enough to help my mother¡­¡± Empress huffed. ¡°Most of my eggs don¡¯t make it due to me being too strong¡­ you would do well to learn strength, but don¡¯t try holding things too delicate close to you if strength is what matters to you now.¡± Teddiursa shifted. ¡°Couldn¡¯t I just learn control and strength? Titan and Bertha can play with me and Clefairy and the other small pokemon without hurting us?¡± ¡°... perhaps,¡± Empress said with a huff. Teddiursa tilted his head. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you as well?¡± Empress didn¡¯t reply to that and instead huffed. ¡°You should go to bed; I saw you almost falling asleep before.¡± Teddiursa nodded, only to shiver. ¡°You¡¯re right, it is cold down here in the caverns.¡± Teddiursa turned and sniffed at the floor. He left, and Empress lay her head back down, her body at rest, as her mind furiously tore over the idea of working with the other pokemon to learn control. It¡­ wasn¡¯t unappealing. A light snuffling made her open an eye to find Teddiursa sniffing his way back to her cave. ¡°Are you lost?¡± she rumbled. Teddiursa paused and lifted his head. ¡°Uhmmmm yes?¡± he said as though unsure. Before yawning and shuddering again. ¡°Brr, it¡¯s cold.¡± Empress considered escorting him out, but she didn¡¯t have enough energy for that. Still, he couldn¡¯t continue wandering around the caves. She rolled slightly. ¡°You may sleep with me tonight,¡± she said. Teddiursa quickly scamped up next to her, curling into a tight ball. ¡°Thanks, Titan¡¯s mum!¡± he said. She huffed and allowed herself to carefully curl around him. ¡°Good night little one.¡± Chapter 140 - Rocket Raid reruns Sabrina released her Alakazam and a Hypno to help transport us all to the site that she¡¯d discovered. We teleported in a flash of light. When I blinked my eyes, I noticed that the sun itself had shifted in the sky. I glanced around and caught sight of a vaguely familiar landmark. Oak beat me to the punch, merely giving his surroundings a cursory glance before humming. ¡°We¡¯re north of Lavender Town? An interesting location for a Team Rocket facility to be set up.¡± Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°I believe they are in fact set up in a temporary facility, as most of the base is made up of tents instead of anything more permanent.¡± ¡°You were able to get close?¡± I said with surprise. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Not too close, the Zubat and Golbat that live in the Rock Tunnels react poorly to sudden flashes of light; if I teleported in, I would attract a swarm and potentially alert Team Rocket.¡± Flannery rubbed her chin, eying Sabrina, ¡°Huh, that was clever of you¡­ and in a way, clever of them too. A natural defence that acts as a sentry and warning system if we come in too hot.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°We can walk in; however, we will just need to be careful with how we move.¡± Roxanne reached into a satchel she had slung over her shoulder. ¡°Alright! If we¡¯re going into the tunnels, we need to set ourselves up with rope, a dark light, fresh water¡ª¡± Brawly coughed. ¡°Like, Roxanne? We¡¯re not going for a long expedition, we¡¯re going in and raiding the place.¡± Roxanne flushed. ¡°I also have some repels.¡± Brawly and Flannery made faces and Roxanne scoffed. ¡°Synthetically made repels! This isn¡¯t some cheap market made repel.¡± Flannery relaxed. ¡°Good, cause do you have any idea what they actually put in that stuff?¡± she said with a shudder. Oak perked up. ¡°In fact, I do! The natural excreme¡ª¡± Flannery shot a hand over his mouth. ¡°And ah no thanks! I don¡¯t need any more brain bleach for that particular subject!¡± She jutted her chin at Roxanne, ¡°How potent is this stuff?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rated as good for an hour!¡± she said holding up the bottle. She then sprayed it on herself. Her face twitched, and a shiver ran up her body. She gave us a sickly-looking smile. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ great!¡± she said unconvincingly. Brawly stepped closer and sniffed her. ¡°Urgh! Smells like old gym socks left in a hot locker!¡± Roxanne shot him a less than impressed look. Brawly raised his hands in supplication. ¡°Alright! Alright! I¡¯ll put it on!¡± he said, spraying the substance onto his arms and legs with a shudder. ¡°Ahem,¡± said a polite voice. We turned back to find Professor Oak with a pokemon floating over his shoulder. He smiled and scratched at the back of his head. ¡°I suppose this is a bad time to mention that I can use my Chimecho to repel other pokemon?¡± Roxanne blinked in surprise. Brawly barked a laugh, and Flannery, who¡¯d just accepted the bottle of repel and been about to apply it to her own body, sighed in relief at dodging a bullet. ¡°Huh,¡± I said, impressed with the utility of such a pokemon. ¡°That¡¯s a neat role to have.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rather useful in the field to be able to have pokemon either approach you or be repelled from you when you are wandering around. It doesn¡¯t help as much in the more powerful areas, but it does decrease the odds of a bad encounter by having Chimecho release a very low cry that calms or makes other pokemon avoid us.¡± Sabrina eyed the little floating wind chime pokemon. It approached her and waved its little arms. ¡°I had not considered such a pokemon before. This is a Hoenn pokemon no?¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± Oak said while preening. ¡°My good friend sent it to me! She clued me in to the use of Chimecho in such a function. Hoenn professors are rather clever like that! Being able to go into the wilds and avoid pokemon chasing them!¡± ¡°The new guy kinda gets himself into a lot of trouble exploring the wilderness, from what I hear!¡± said Flannery brashly as she shoved the repel into Brawly¡¯s chest, accidentally spraying some more on him. She made a gagging noise and wiped her hand on his shirt, making him whine. ¡°Not cool Flans!¡± he said as he tugged at his shirt in annoyance. I chuckled, and straight away I got the idea that Professor Birch wasn¡¯t privy to this little trick. I turned back to find Chimecho playing with Sabrina, its tail wafting out to lightly brush against her nose. I raised my transceiver and took a picture before coughing. ¡°Right! So, we can get close to the Rocket base now, but we also need to secure any Rocket Administration that we find; they are usually the most slippery and the fastest to run.¡± Sabrina bobbed her head up and down. Flannery snapped her fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t members of Team Rocket like to wear uniforms? Things that identify them as crooks?¡± ¡°Yes, yes they do,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°So, we need to find some Team rocket uniforms¡ª¡± ¡°Or some Team Rocket grunts?¡± said Brawly with a curious tone of voice. ¡°Yeah?¡± I said, glancing at him, only to turn and notice that he was eyeballing a crack in the local walls where a group of Rocket¡¯s had just emerged. ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s perfect,¡± I said, pointing them out to the others. It looked like it was time to rustle up some disguises.
¡°Urgh! Tell a better lie man!¡± said one of the Grunts. Joe, a card-carrying member of Team Rocket ¡ªalbeit, one of their grunts¡ª scowled at his group leader. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a lie! I had to have a Team of Rangers, a pair of Gym Leaders, and the damned Champion take me down when I was running my sting in Mt Silver! I should be in charge of this op!¡± The group leader shook his head. ¡°Honestly, I can see why you were bumped down to Grunt status from what you¡¯d been. You need to learn to lie better.¡± Joe glared only for George, his buddy in this group, to nudge him and shake his head. Joe ignored him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying!¡± The Leader shook his head. ¡°Listen, a good story needs to have a sliver of truth. You had that with the team of Rangers, yeah? But then you got greedy, Two Gym Leaders, and a champion? What would they be doing hanging around like that? Your story makes no sense; it''s no wonder an executive took one look at it and dismissed it out of hand when we sprung you out of jail!¡± The man held up his hand to forestall Joe¡¯s protests. ¡°Don¡¯t, just don¡¯t. I¡¯ve heard it all before. A good story is allowed to stretch the truth no more than¡­ like two hundred... No! Three hundred percent embellished!¡± He pointed at Joe. ¡°You say a team of Rangers? Should have stuck with two or three and left it at that. Way more believable, even if it only took one to take you down.¡± Joe glared harder. ¡°Honestly it''s unbelievable. You¡¯re as bad as that rookie who¡¯s always picking fights with people stronger than him. Only you tell the most stupid stories. No one¡¯s ever going to believe you about two Gym leaders and a Champion.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s like crazy,¡± said a voice from their side. The team of Rocket grunts all turned as one towards the voice. They stiffened when they found Brock, the Gym Leader of Pewter city sitting on a boulder. Before the Rocket¡¯s could reach for their pokeballs another voice spoke from behind them. ¡°Indeed, two Gym leaders? It wouldn¡¯t be believable.¡± The group turned to find Sabrina, the Saffron Gym Leader hovering down to the ground. ¡°Think they accept future Gym Leaders?¡± asked another voice. The Rocket grunts whipped around to find¡­ Joe tilted his head. ¡°Who are you supposed to be?¡± The aqua haired teen winced. ¡°I¡¯m a future Gym Leader?¡± he said. ¡°What? That doesn¡¯t work for you?¡± Joe sighed. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll do, this time I have witnesses,¡± he said reaching for a pokeball. With people around, he needed to at least appear to put up a fight. ¡°Ahem,¡± said a polite voice. Once more the group of Rocket Grunts turned only to blanch when they found Professor Samuel freaking Oak smiling politely at them. His smile turned slightly evil. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to announce¡­ no one will ever believe you regarding this story, young man!¡± Joe gaped. He didn¡¯t even see the judo chop that the aqua teen used to knock him out; he was still reeling from the situation he¡¯d found himself in. He had to be the most unlucky Rocket around!
I chuckled as Brawly dispatched the last Grunt. ¡°Man that one guy can¡¯t catch a break. Lance and I caught him on Mt Silver!¡± I said. Flannery hummed. ¡°Huh, now I get what he was whining about.¡± She shot Oak a smirk. ¡°And damn Professor, that was cold.¡± Oak chuckled. ¡°Most people either overestimate or underestimate my legend, and therefore don¡¯t believe in encountering me in the wilds. Or, as is growing to be more the case these days, many of the younger generations forget my role as a Champion of Indigo.¡± ¡°Hmmm a shame,¡± Roxanne said politely. ¡°What are we going to do? This group was only made up of five Rocket members and there are six of us?¡± Oak raised his hands. ¡°I might hang back from infiltrating the base if it¡¯s all the same. I am sadly a very well known figure¡­ that and an old Team Rocket grunt might be harder to overlook.¡± I nodded, agreeing with his suggestion even if I didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Alright there¡¯s only two girl Rocket so who¡¯s wearin¡ª¡± ¡°Dibs the pants!¡± said Flannery as she walked up to a thinly built Team Rocket Grunt before unbuckling his belt and ripping his pants off. Brawly raised a finger. ¡°What were you going to do if he was going commando?¡± Flannery blushed, her stolen pants held in front of her. ¡°I¡­ well. Whatever! He didn¡¯t! Good luck taking your guy''s clothes off! Chances are someone is going commando!¡± That caused Brawly, Roxanne, and I to eyeball the rocket grunts that all had similar builds to us. Were they¡ª ¡°Everyone is wearing underwear,¡± announced Sabrina. I heaved a sigh of relief. Good, I hadn¡¯t wanted to see some grunt¡¯s junk¡­ or wear his clothes afterwards¡­ that¡­ urgh, just would have been weird. Brawly chopped his hands towards Sabrina. ¡°You can tell if someone is wearing underwear with your psychic abilities?¡± Sabrina nodded her head seriously. ¡°I looked into the future, and the future foretold underwear on all of them.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of one of the oddest uses of Sabrina¡¯s abilities I had ever encountered to date, so I just shrugged and stripped my Grunt before donning the Rocket uniform. "Alright, Roxanne we need some rope to tie them up.¡± Roxanne perked up and gave Flannery a superior smirk. ¡°I knew that rope was a good purchase!¡± Flannery rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure, sure, you¡¯ve been hanging onto it for months now, and this is the first time you''ve gotten to use it.¡± ¡°Better to have it and not need it than¡ª¡± Roxanne began to lecture, only for Flannery to wave her off. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Tie up these punks already.¡± Soon we were all changed into our Team Rocket uniforms. I had to admit that Sabrina¡¯s uniform suited her a little too much for my liking. Or maybe the issue was that I liked her looking like a villain a bit too much. She looked good. Or rather bad¡­ but in such a good way. I ended up having to drag my focus away from Sabrina¡¯s outfit and back to the reason we were here. I tugged my Rocket cap down over my eyes a little more and adopted a villainous smirk. ¡°Excellent, we all look suitably mookish. Time to infiltrate this Team Rocket facility!¡± ¡°Huhahaha!¡± said Roxanne with a deep laugh while crossing her arms. ¡°Evil!¡± she said. She then coughed. "Sorry, I was just trying to get into character.¡± Flannery snorted. ¡°You¡¯re such a dweeb!¡± I chuckled at the girls banter before coughing. ¡°Alright, time to be serious. Let¡¯s get in there. Sabrina? Lead the way, yeah? Oak you¡¯re on repel duty with Chimecho.¡± I rubbed my chin, thinking how else I could utilse him. ¡°You alright with being on overwatch in case we need help?¡± Oak shot me a thumbs up. Sabrina took the lead, and we wandered into the dark tunnels. The others clicked on some torches, and I took a moment to remember that it would raise some eyebrows if I was walking without a torch, so I stepped closer to Sabrina to ¡®use¡¯ her torch for light. For a few minutes, we walked through a tunnel with a number of twists and turns, only to open into an expansive cavern. I could see a few tents set up on the other side of the cavern and was surprised by the lack of light that was seeping out of the facility. They should have been bleeding light, but they were very much ¡®running dark¡¯. ¡°Alright,¡± I began to say as we closed in. ¡°Oak will take a position of overwatch; make sure we¡¯ve got backup in case anything goes wrong.¡± Like a wild Mewtwo appearing, I thought to myself. I gestured to the rest of us in Team Rocket garb. ¡°We¡¯re to infiltrate and find the most highly ranked people we can¡­ Unless you can detect something, Sabrina?¡± She shook her head. ¡°They have their dark emitters up still.¡± I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. ¡°Can we alter them to stop incoming and outgoing?¡± That caused the group to shift. Oak coughed. ¡°It is possible to calibrate the dark emitters, but these days there is a central console. You would be best to find where the highest ranked Team Rocket Member is, then get access to their computer.¡± ¡°Woooah, you like, have it all worked out, Oak man!¡± said Brawly. I shot him a look. Oh, that¡¯s right, he might not associate Professor Oak, the face of Pokemon research in the Indigo region, with the man who ended a war, and united two regions. Oak would probably have the biggest knowledge base of all of us on how to raid an enemy encampment. I shot Oak a look but didn¡¯t see any hardening of his expression or anything that made me think he wasn''t just an affable elderly man out for a walk. ¡°Right,¡± I decided to say eventually, settling on just putting that realisation to the side for later examination. ¡°Let¡¯s wander in, nice and casual.¡± I stood and rolled my shoulders while the others followed. Roxanne marched robotically. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Flannery rolled her eyes with a groan. ¡°Roxy! Just loosen up a bit!¡± She then draped herself over Roxanne¡¯s shoulders and whispered with her while they walked. Sabrina dropped back to be included in the girl talk. Brawly and I shot each other looks, and I just knew his ears were twitching to hear anything spoken between them as much as mine were. It took a moment to recall that we were¡­ Actually, on second thought, this set up worked perfectly. We were just a group of young men and women walking along, instead of people trying and failing to act casually. I wasn¡¯t sure if Flannery knew what she was doing, but she relaxed Roxanne which helped. We wandered past a few Rocket members with pokemon out that were watching the various sides of the camp. They nodded at us, and a few eyed the girls, making me want to walk over and lean on them a bit, but I resisted and instead made my way further into the center of the encampment. Without meaning to, I started to play with a pokeball. Sabrina walked back up to me and eyed the pokeball. ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m doing good,¡± I said with a wink. I eyed another cluster of rocket grunts and chewed my lip. ¡°Just surprised that there are so many. If they all have their carry limits¡­ then there¡¯s going to be a lot of pokemon around here. I¡¯ve seen twenty so far.¡± ¡°Flannery has an idea about that,¡± Sabrina prompted, making me hum and toss Flannery a look. She shot me a thumbs up, and I grunted and looked back ahead as we came upon a larger tent. It looked like it had a lot of foot traffic with how the ground in front of it was tramped down. We entered to find an array of tables and chairs with some laptops and paperwork scattered about. I eyed those before flicking my eyes up to the man who commanded the central table. I almost slumped my shoulders when it only revealed a man in a lab coat. Hmmm, a Pokemon researcher or some type of scientist. I¡¯d known Team Rocket had members like this, but I hadn¡¯t considered I¡¯d bump into one here, especially not as the leader of this base. What were they researching? The closest point of interest was the Lavender Tower¡­ or the Power Plant that was set up in the hills far to the east of Cerulean. Huh. Why did they have the power plant so far out? Was it nuclear? I thought it ran off pokemon like Electrode? Perhaps that added an element of danger to it? Maybe Surge would know? I made a discrete gesture for the others to fan out around the room to get close to rest of the Team Rocket members in the tent with us. Roxanne was tugged over to a pair of Grunts that perked up at their approach. Sabrina approached a woman in a lab coat, and Brawly nodded his head at two other men. I stood in front of the ¡®boss¡¯. ¡°Yes?¡± he said with a nasal tone, not looking up from his work. ¡°Reporting in from our¡ª¡± The man held up a finger and I felt my heart hammer in my chest. Did he know I was a spy? Shit! I shouldn¡¯t have said anything! This is most likely a small, tight-knit group. ¡°You¡¯re the group that was sent over from Gamma base? No don¡¯t say anything, its obvious with how lacking in respect you are.¡± The researcher straightened up and adopted a pose that he must have thought made him look suave. ¡°I run things differently here. This is a tight ship where respect for your betters is given!¡± I heard one of the men near Brawly sigh and mutter. ¡°Shit, here he goes again.¡± Hmmm interesting. This man was a known authoritarian, but he didn¡¯t truly have their respect. I grunted. ¡°Isat so,¡± I said, donning a tough guy accent while sneering in such a way that practically begged him to take umbrage. He narrowed his eyes and stood up. He walked around the desk and poked me in the chest. ¡°I run things around here, and if you have a problem with that I will¡ª¡± I channelled some rock energy into my head and headbutted him. He folded like a Mr Mime acting out the part of a dropped wet spaghetti. He hit the floor, and the woman next to Sabrina blinked and looked up. ¡°Oh dear, another one of those rough Grunts,¡± she said with a shake of her head. ¡°Listen you can¡¯t go beating on Dave like that. He¡¯s an asshole, but he does run things. What¡¯s your name?¡± she said like someone that was going to write me up on report. I snorted and released my Sudowoodo. He smiled widely as a new plan took hold in my mind. ¡°You don¡¯t get it do you?¡± I said with my fake tough guy accent. Behind the woman, Sabrina released her Hypno without anyone being alerted. ¡°Get what?¡± said the woman. ¡°This is highly inappropriate!¡± I snorted and chopped my hand towards to people still on computers. Sudowoodo leaped across the room and chopped his arms into both of them. I let my smile turn into a smirk. ¡°Proton wants this shut down,¡± I said deciding to sell the fiction this was an internal spat rather than a raid. It suited my purposes and who knows it might muddy the water for Team Rocket a bit. He was thus far the only ¡®executive¡¯ that I knew about. Around me, people stood in surprise at he sudden violence, only for Sudowoodo to knock out another two before they could get pokeballs out. The town men near Brawly dropped when he punched them both. He then sprinted over to the Roxanne and Flannery, who had thrown themselves at the other men. Flannery had hers in a chokehold while Roxanne was hugging hers around the waist. It was ineffective at bring him down but he couldn¡¯t get at his pokeballs either. He had all of a second to try and rip her off but she was like a Shellder clamping onto a Slowpoke with her grip. ¡°Damn it let¡ª¡± was all he got to say before Brawly slammed into him. I turned to find Sabrina pointing her Hypno to various people and making them fall asleep. The researcher who¡¯d been reprimanding me for headbutting the boss ended up being the only person left standing after a brief scuffle that barely got louder than a few grunts and loud coughs as either Sudowoodo or Brawly knocked them out. ¡°Proton won¡¯t get away with this! The big boss will hear about this through Executive Archer!¡± I snorted and kept my face down. With my cap pulled low, she couldn¡¯t see my face too well. The darkness of the cave helped with that. ¡°Don¡¯tcha know? He¡¯s on the way down. Boss Proton is on the rise!¡± I said with a fake-sounding confidence I¡¯d heard all too often from kids facing me with pokemon that really wouldn¡¯t help them. Sabrina turned the woman to face her Hypno and soon the woman was fast asleep. Brawly clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Nice improv my man!¡± I held up a hand. ¡°No names from here on out. I don¡¯t want it getting out who we really are.¡± I shot him a wink and eyed the tent. Chances were there might be recording equipment observing some of these people. Chances were that I wouldn¡¯t get away with this, but it still seemed like a good idea. I had no idea if Rocket had such internal politics but with Daniel¡¯s arrest, they might also point the finger at another criminal organisation if I played things right. ¡°Let¡¯s get this place blacked out,¡± I ordered. I pointed to Flannery. ¡°What did you have planned to round up the others?¡± Flannery grinned and tugged off the research coats. She swept them over her and Roxanne¡¯s shoulders. Sabrina made a gesture, and a few small cameras were torn from the walls and crushed. She then took over the main computer. Brawly bounced up next to her. ¡°Oh! Oh! Look into the future and find out the pas¡ª¡± Sabrina reached under the desk and drew out a sticky note with the password on it. Brawly deflated like a balloon. ¡°Awwww,¡± he said morosely. I snorted and nodded to Flannery, who readjusted her hair into a serious-looking plait before pulling out some wide-rimmed glasses. She donned them and smiled widely. ¡°I call this my nerd disguise! I styled it after Roxy!¡± Roxanne shot her friend an affronted look. Flannery ignored Roxanne as she also put the Labcoat over her Team Rocket uniform. ¡°Right! So I did some investigating into these Rocket people, and I learned this interesting little factoid when I was talking with one of your police officers!¡± I nodded, following along easily. ¡°So they mostly don¡¯t keep their own pokemon on them! The Team Rocket Organisation gives them out and recalls them when they want.¡± ¡°Oh, I see,¡± I said as her plan registered with me. ¡°That¡¯s pretty bold.¡± ¡°But it¡¯d work, no?¡± Flannery said with a leer. Roxanne and Brawly looked between us. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Roxanne said as she readjusted her hair into loops around her ears. Sabrina spoke up from the computer she was playing with. ¡°They¡¯re going to call in the Rocket Grunts, ask them to hand in their pokemon and then deal with them.¡± Roxanne gaped at us. ¡°What? No! That has no chance of working.¡± Sabrina and I shared a look. I made a so-so gesture. ¡°It has a pretty good chance to work, actually.¡± Roxanne gaped at us. Thankfully, she shut her mouth when we walked out and told a few Rocket members that there would be an announcement. ¡°Urgh, Dave wants to grandstand again?¡± One Rocket Grunt asked. I nodded in commiseration. ¡°Yeah, I pissed him off, so he¡¯s got me running around like this.¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s not gonna settle for just that man, good luck on your job assignment for the next week chump!¡± he said as he marched off. I chuckled to myself and continued to round up other Rocket members, making sure to keep my face shadowed or tucked under my cap. I kept an ear out for any struggles or signs that things weren¡¯t working out for us, but it seemed to be going well. Eventually, everyone was assembled in front of the main tent. Roxy and Flannery, dressed in their labcoats, stepped out and handed out two large sacks. ¡°We¡¯re going to be trading out pokemon for the next raid! We need to give you all some specialty pokemon for the coming raid!¡± A few grunts looked sad at this, but most handed over their pokemon without complaint. I watched them do so disdainfully. Not a hint of a bond or attachment to be seen¡­ One clutched onto his pokeball. ¡°My Ekans likes to be read stories at night! Do you think you can keep doing that?¡± he said. A few other Rocket Grunts snickered at him, but Roxanne put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure they are looked after,¡± she said comfortingly. This got a few more snorts of derision, but the Rocket Grunt looked relieved. I eyed them with interest, a single person showing compassion for his pokemon in a crowd of people? I wondered, perhaps for the first time, what their stories were, and how they ended up in cahoots with a criminal organisation. With their pokeballs returned to them, the tent flaps opened once more, and people perked up; they were obviously expecting their leader, Dave, to be giving a speech. Instead, Hypno walked out. At the same time, Brawly released a Hariyama in between one row of tents, while between another row, Medicham appeared. I crossed my arms and nodded. At my signal, Sudowoodo wandered forward with a leer, right as Hypno¡¯s eyes glowed and he started to sweep his medallion in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. A few stumbled and fell to the ground, while others gasped and took in the trap they¡¯d stepped into. ¡°Oh shit! It¡¯s a set-up!¡± shouted one Rocket grunt causing the still awake Rockets to stagger and reach for now absent pokeballs. One Rocket member proved to be a sneaky sort as an Abra appeared in front of him. He grabbed it by the head. ¡°Get me outta here!¡± he barked, only for Abra to twitch but not flash away. Medicham launched itself at him and the Abra and dispatched them both. Flannery grinned cruelly. ¡°Everyone else! On your knees! Prostate¡¯s orders!¡± she barked. That caused a few men to gain sickly looks as I facepalmed. Roxanne walked over and whispered information into Flannery¡¯s ear. I could tell the exact moment that Roxanne explained what Prostate meant to Flannery, as Flannery¡¯s face turned bright red. ¡°I meant Proton! Not that other thing! Just! Urgh Yuck! Knock ''em out already!¡± she shouted at Brawly who did as asked, chuckling all the while. When the Grunts were all squared away, I stood up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s make copies of all their information, just in case, and then call in the police for a pick up of this group.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to stick around?¡± asked Roxanne. ¡°Nah, this actually works out better for us; Team Rocket won¡¯t know what to do when they get information on this raid. It sounds more like an internal raid, but there is enough to muddy the waters of what¡¯s going on for them to double-guess themselves.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t the first group we knocked out give the game away?¡± I chuckled. ¡°I think our friend had the right of it. No one¡¯s ever going to believe them.¡± I walked back up to Oak and read him into the situation. He laughed and agreed to go along with what I had planned. ¡°Oh my, I think this plan would make even Koga smile!¡± he said with a hearty laugh. He sat up. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a shame I never got the chance to show off for you all.¡± He winked. ¡°Oh well, it was wonderful to see you young trainers come together like you did.¡± I nodded, still curious if that was his true reason for coming here. I knew Oak was a much more complex man than he appeared, but he played up his characteristics as a helpful old man to a T. I decided to just nod in the end, and call the police. When the flashing lights were within sight, Sabrina teleported us into an overwatch position to bear witness to the Police storming the Rocket base. They seemed rather bemused when they discovered the men and women already tied up and everything set up for them. Roxanne fidgetted. ¡°I still feel we should have stayed down there. What if our not being there allows some of them to escape being convicted of anything?¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°There is plenty of evidence regarding items, information, and stolen pokemon throughout their camp. Enough to implicate all of them. Also, Team Rocket is a recognised criminal organisation.¡± Brawly nodded. ¡°I kinda like this method. We¡¯re like heroes from cartoons! We rush in and smash the baddies, then get out as the police do their job.¡± He puffed himself up. ¡°Like, I call Hero Blue if that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing!¡± I snorted, only for Flannery to speak up. ¡°I¡¯m Hero Red then!¡± Brawly made a noise of protest, only for her to glare at him. She glanced at the rest of us before nodding when no one else protested. She wrapped an arm around Roxanne. ¡°She¡¯s Hero Pink!¡± This caused Roxanne to squawk in protest. ¡°Brock is Hero Black; I will be Hero Yellow,¡± Sabrina said with a firm nod. I bit my lip and decided not to point out how childish this all was. Oak coughed and adopted a pose. ¡°Well, in that case, I have no choice but to be Hero Gold!¡± Flannery hissed. ¡°The hell you do, old man! You can be the butler!¡± I laughed and waved Sabrina to teleport us out, and like heroes, we left the scene in a flash of light.
Later, Sabrina and I deposited the information with the Guardians to be perused for any information they could garner. I was pleasantly surprised when Agatha appeared on her screen. ¡°What¡¯s this I hear of you going on a raid near my home territory, Brock?¡± ¡°You were incapacitated,¡± Sabrina said loyally. I offered Agatha a shrug. ¡°I thought I¡¯d clean up for you while you rest. You know how it is; we young ones have to blow off steam occasionally.¡± ¡°Indeed, I caught the highlights of your match against that upstart!¡± she said and my face tightened into a sneer. ¡°A lot of information has been garnered from that match in particular,¡± I said, alluding to the information I¡¯d discovered regarding Will and my theory that he¡¯d signed on with Team Rocket. Koga and Agatha nodded. ¡°We saw the information you sent us. There are too many coincidences. The attack on Mt Silver was bold of Giovanni, too bold unless he was sure of himself. Having faced the pokemon in question, I now understand that he is very sure of himself.¡± Koga inclined his head. ¡°It was a good idea to obscure your identities the way you did. Many of the Rocket members are already speaking between themselves of internal politics or Team Magma due to the pokemon more commonly found in Hoenn being used to take them down. I have covered up your earlier slip-up for you, however.¡± I nodded to Koga. ¡°Thanks; I have to admit I got caught up in the whole event so fast I didn¡¯t stop to think it entirely through.¡± I worked my jaw. ¡°I can¡¯t throw punches at an enemy that won¡¯t stand up and face me, so the other option is to give them shadows to waste energy on.¡± Koga nodded. ¡°This is the way of the shinobi, yes. It is a method that has worked many times. Often, people may suspect, but they will not act unless they are certain. We have the luxury of knowing who our foe is. He knows some of us as well, however. Caution is key going forward,¡± he said while slowly chopping his hand in my direction. I nodded, accepting the light rebuke for what it was. ¡°One thing that still doesn¡¯t make too much sense to me was Oak. He came along and sure he helped but¡­ he could have probably soloed that place on his own, right?¡± Agatha snorted. ¡°There is no probably about it. He could have had it if he desired it. He, however, likes his peace too much to move openly.¡± ¡°So why come at all? He said he wanted to see the bonds we were making, but that doesn¡¯t seem entirely true.¡± I scratched at my chin. Agatha snorted while Koga chuckled. I blinked in surprise. Sabrina ended up being the one to speak up. ¡°Brock, remember when you mentioned Lance talking about Oak spending time with him before and after he made a play for the champion position? Oak is making sure that if you ever decide to be Champion, you will be a good Champion for Indigo.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh,¡± I said eloquently. Now that she¡¯d said it¡­ it really stood out, didn¡¯t it? ¡°Naive!¡± shouted Agatha. She pointed at Sabrina. ¡°You¡¯re just as much on his radar little girl! And for good reason! I¡¯ve said it before, and I¡¯ll say it again! You could be more!¡± Sabrina merely smiled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m happy.¡± Karen retched in faux disgust. ¡°Urgh, spare me your soap drama! What is our plan going forward?¡± I rubbed my chin as Koga and Agatha talked about monitoring the situation and finding more points to apply pressure to Team Rocket. They also discussed how they might further muddy the water and get Team Rocket looking in the wrong direction. ¡°Will,¡± I said, causing the group to look at me. ¡°He¡¯s gotten past me but he will still need help to fight other people. Other Gym Leaders. If we can get proof of him needing assistance against Surge or Erika, then we can nail him and drag him into the light.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Koga said thoughtfully. ¡°This has merit. I am not sure he will need it against Erika¡ª¡± Sabrina¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°¡ªbut Lieutenant Surge¡­ He will be a much tougher fight, as he will not hold back his considerable might. We will monitor any further incidents as well. I don¡¯t want any more Mt Silver episodes.¡± Sabrina stiffened. ¡°I will need to set up a security detail for Erika then. She has volunteered to reseed and assist with the regrowth of the forests of the Silver Ranges that were recently burned down. She is exposed more than usual due to this.¡± Karen sniffed. ¡°Will¡¯s not going to bother tripping her up; she¡¯s not that strong.¡± ¡°She is my friend, and she is not weak.¡± Sabrina glared at Karen, and Karen smirked. I sighed, Karen was going to remember this. She¡¯d gotten a rise out of Sabrina. I didn''t doubt she would want to keep jabbing that weak point for all it was worth. The meeting ended once plans were set up for Surge and Erika to have protections placed around them, and when I logged out, I collapsed back onto my bed. Sabrina teleported into my room. I ran a hand down her back. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t sure you wanted to stay the night,¡± I said. She murmured into my shoulder. She lay next to me for the next few minutes and didn¡¯t say anything, her fingers played across my chest. I waited, knowing she wanted to say something. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leading you into that raid. I hadn¡¯t considered how that might put you at risk. I just meant to help you feel better.¡± I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it; I adapted a plan that I don''t think I would have thought up if I was given time. I think we happened on a weakness of Team Rocket¡¯s that I plan to keep exploiting.¡± She nodded. ¡°And you? How are you feeling about your match with Will?¡± I sighed. ¡°Better,¡± I said, shooting her a smile. She leaned up and pecked me on the lips. ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯re much more handsome when you smile¡­ although your frown is attractive as well.¡± I chuckled and smiled at her. ¡°You looked pretty good in that Rocket outfit,¡± I said leadingly. She smiled a playful smile and teleported away. When she returned, she was wearing nothing but the Rocket outfit and a teasing smile. I stood and kissed her, more than happy to play this game with her. When we were done, she lay on my chest and slumbered. I looked up at the ceiling, feeling much more relaxed and at peace. I still had to go back to work tomorrow like nothing had changed. ¡°Man, that¡¯s going to be weird,¡± I said aloud. I¡¯d be right as well, except there would also be a rather nice surprise waiting for me. Chapter 141 - Return to the grind The blare of my alarm had me up and about like normal. I was halfway through listing off what I needed to do for the morning before I remembered how things had gone for the last few days. I stopped cleaning my face and braced myself against the sink. Right, a whole lot had happened. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Right, it had happened; I needed to move on. Which was turning out harder than I expected it to be. It was like a thorn in my side that niggled and irritated me. I shouldn¡¯t have drawn against Will. I shook my head and splashed water into my face to give myself a shock with the cold water. I hadn¡¯t lost through any skill or strength difference. Rather, I¡¯d lost match ups due to technicalities. Some of which I was going to make sure never happened again. I donned my clothes for the day and marched out to find Yolanda standing with Terra in a carrier. ¡°M-morning training?¡± she said with a yawn. I shot her a grin and ruffled her loosely tied-up hair. ¡°You know it. Are you going to look to start up some of the training I had Forrest doing?¡± She nodded, a resolute expression taking over, while Terra waved from the baby carrier that Yolanda had her in. Yolanda peered around me and into my room. ¡°Sabrina didn¡¯t stay over?¡± I huffed at her and pushed her down the hallway lightly before shooting Terra a look over. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Also with regards to your training, you¡¯re already lifting heavier items than we had Forrest at thanks to Terra. She¡¯s starting to get heavier with her meals, yeah?¡± Yolanda coughed. ¡°Yeah, she has been putting on weight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, the average for her species is considered around seventy-two kilograms so don¡¯t be surprised if you find yourself tiring out a bit. She¡¯s probably only half that right now as a baby, but she¡¯s getting her height, bones, and organs to grow properly. If she¡¯s anything like Titan, then she¡¯ll be in the eighty to ninety-kilogram margin.¡± ¡°Oh dear,¡± Yolanda said. ¡°What about when she evolves?¡± ¡°Pupitar will see her doubling in weight easily due to the cocoon. That¡¯s when you¡¯ll be carrying her the most, as she otherwise will only be able to use her jets to propel herself. This is not a very precise form of movement. In the wild, Pupitar wreck their surroundings so much that it looks like something has been running around breaking trees. They usually go down into the subterranean tunnels of the Silver Ranges, which are a lot more sturdy to continue to grow.¡± ¡°Double?!¡± Yolanda said with an audible gulp. ¡°That means around two hundred kilograms, right? If she gets to eighty or ninety?¡± I nodded stoically. ¡°Yeah, train up. It¡¯s one of the most important points of her life, but also the point that will pay the biggest dividends.¡± ¡°How so?¡± she asked. ¡°Terra will be used to moving around and investigating things. During her time as a Pupitar that can become a lot harder for her as she won¡¯t have as much ease of movement. You being able to carry her will just be another way of showing that you care. Best advice? Never complain about it.¡± I raised a finger to make a point, ¡°However, if you¡¯re exhausted, then just say as much. Terra should be able to understand that you have limits. You¡¯ll be able to deepen your bond a lot when one of you has to rely on the other. For the majority of the time, it might seem like you¡¯re leaning on her for her strength when she gets strong, but she won¡¯t get that way unless you put in the early work.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Yolanda said thoughtfully as we walked around to the reserve proper. I nodded to Dennis, who shot me a salute. I was glad to see him back at work. I¡¯d suggested a longer break, but it seemed he was more than happy to return. He turned back to working with Greta and Missy on some finer points of care for the Aron they were working with. ¡°Hey Brock?¡± asked Yolanda as we reached the area where I trained my Elite team. ¡°Yeah?¡± I said as I queued up the Sonata of Awakening once more to let my pokemon know I was up and ready for them. ¡°How long did you carry Titan around? I remember he evolved just before you left didn¡¯t he?¡± I considered that for a while. ¡°Around a year or so?¡± I said. I rubbed my arms and shoulders, remembering the pain from back then. Yolanda made a considering noise as my pokemon started to appear. She glanced around the reserve and frowned. ¡°What¡¯s with the new plateau being set up further back there?¡± she said, indicating the build up of earth and stone that was now a small hill. I could see a number of Slugma idling around it. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s where we¡¯re setting up a volcano; we¡¯re hoping to create a variant on another pokemon for us.¡± ¡°Woah! Really?! Which pokemon?¡± she said, perking up. ¡°Growlithe¡­ hopefully. It will take a while, though. Remember, I spent roughly three years before I got a hit with Sanchez.¡± ¡°But Bianca might speed that up, no?¡± she said with a thoughtful look on her face. I considered her and smirked. ¡°That might be true. Thinking of taking one with you when you set off?¡± I said knowingly. ¡°They would make a powerful combination.¡± She smiled at me and ticked off her fingers. ¡°A Larvitar, a variant Geodude, an Aron, and a variant Growlithe would be a strong start. Wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°That¡¯s a little ambitious. Think I¡¯m going to give you those for your start?¡± She smiled widely at me, and her eyes started to glimmer hopefully. I coughed and looked away. I really hoped she didn¡¯t teach Suzie her Baby Doll Eyes. They were powerful. Titan yawned as he walked out of the cavern beneath the plateau. He shook himself and accidentally destroyed part of the cave wall when his tail swept around. Yolanda stopped being so smug and eyed him. ¡°How heavy do Tyranitar get?¡± I smirked. ¡°Two fifty on average,¡± I said, knowing that she would understand that Titan was heavier. She glanced from me to him, and I chuckled and nodded at the unasked question. ¡°No way,¡± she said, waving her hand back and forth in disbelief. Terra tilted her head, having caught the gesture. She tilted her head before putting a small hand to her nose as though to ward off a smell. Yolanda giggled. ¡°No sorry, that doesn¡¯t just mean there¡¯s a bad smell but that I¡ª¡± I left Yolanda with her explanations, instead striding towards my team. I released two pokeballs and a pair of Lileep appeared. ¡°Team, I¡¯m not going to waste time spending any more time on what happened on the weekend. It¡¯s time to go to work.¡± I clapped my hands and then nodded my head to the distant marker. I plucked up the Lileep. ¡°You¡¯re joining my team, Lileep,¡± I said to the one on my right. This was the pokemon that I had used in a few matches already, and it had shown that it was a powerful addition. Its natural Storm-drain ability made it a strong candidate for my Elite team but it had some serious potential beyond that. With both Lileep on my shoulders, I had a decent amount of weight on me as I ran. ¡°What should I do?¡± cried out Yolanda. I paused and doubled back. ¡°Sorry! I forgot that you wouldn¡¯t know the complete routine. Seeing as this is your first day, jog out and back to the stone the others are running to right now. Do that three times. If you need to stop, then slow to a walk.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll run it!¡± she said, taking off. I noted that she had a fire in her eyes that mirrored my smallest and fluffiest pokemon, Clefairy, which was hopping furiously after Bertha in front of us. The giant swinging mace of her tail served as a target for him to chase with his hops. Behind him, Teddiursa ran along with a growl after Clefairy. Yolanda lasted two laps before having to slow to a walk. I jogged on the spot next to her. ¡°You¡¯re carrying heavier than Forrest did on his first day. Don¡¯t be down on yourself; you¡¯re doing great,¡± I said, making her brighten up. The Lileep waved their fronds, and she grinned at me. I rolled my eyes. ¡°I know, I look ridiculous,¡± I said easily. When we were done with the warm up, I started pointing to my pokemon and assigning them tasks to focus on. ¡°Tide, Knight, Hypnotoad, I want you in a three-way battle; nothing worse than a Water Gun or Rock Throw on each other. Knight, you¡¯re going to be working for it; keep your head up. If you get the chance, use Iron Tail, Steel Head, or Dark Pulse to absorb any hits that might threaten you.¡± Knight considered that in his own slow manner before nodding and moving off with Tide and Hypnotoad. ¡°Shrek, you¡¯re with Shin,¡± I said, starting to rattle off the rest of the training plans. As I did so, I started to notice a gleam in my pokemon¡¯s eyes. Each of them were focused and working with intent. Their minds were on the training in front of them as they worked. I had Bertha and Titan running through fast feet drills while others fired occasional zaps or light attacks, which they had to dodge. I tapped Yolanda on the shoulder and set her to the side to meditate on Terra while Terra performed some simple moves such as Rock Throw. ¡°Also, make sure to work on other moves just to see if you can feel a difference. It might be a good idea to work on normal type moves.¡± ¡°Why Normal type?¡± she asked with a furrowed brow. I sighed. ¡°It will come up later for you and will make things easier for a certain power-up that pokemon like Tyranitar possess.¡± Yolanda nodded slowly, and I chuckled before whistling for Jormungandr to work with me. While I wasn¡¯t going to get the chance against Will, in truth, it seemed I had never had enough time unless I had focused solely on this, since I got the Mega Stone. I could feel Yolanda staring at me, and I shot her a look before flicking my eyes to Terra in silent reprimand. For the next hour, I worked with Jormungandr to build on the link that we¡¯d been forming now. It was slow, steady progress, and there might have been a degree of degradation since I¡¯d last worked on this with him, but we certainly made more progress since last time, with the vessel of energy coming easier and building up until it was almost half complete on my end. Titan only needed to warn me of slipping into dark-aligned energy once, which I considered significant progress. Hopefully, with my warning, Yolanda wouldn¡¯t slip into my bad habits. Not that I could imagine someone like Yolanda gaining a dark alignment with her aura. Then again, she wasn¡¯t a teenager yet¡­ Maybe she¡¯d become sassy in her teenage years? I considered her with narrowed eyes as we worked through our cooldown. She tilted her head at me, and I shook my head, not willing to voice my thoughts. Yolanda wasn¡¯t like Forrest, she was much more mature and might decide to have a goth phase or some such just to mess with me, whereas Forrest would have just scoffed. My eyes then alighted on Titan. I clicked my tongue, and he perked up. I clapped my hands together in a quick one-two pattern and then held them up at shoulder width. Titan¡¯s eyes widened before he shot Yolanda and Terra a look. Then he smirked at me. He barked once and a hush fell over the group. I braced my muscles and flooded my body with rock energy as he ran towards me. Then, like we¡¯d practised and played with years ago, only to not repeat it for years, Titan leapt. I caught him mid-leap and held him aloft. He kept his arms and legs spread wide like a star as I slowly twirled about like we were a pair of cheerleaders. I clenched my jaw and bent my knees before straightening. At the same time, I shot my arms up higher and launched Titan up and away from me to land on his feet. He made a crater when he landed. ¡°Ta dah!¡± I said, performing jazz hands towards Titan, who bowed like a professional gymnast. Yolanda and Terra applauded with what looked like stars in their eyes. I shot Titan a subtle thumbs-up. ¡°Rhy! Rhyperior!¡± cried out Bertha as she snorted and pointed at herself. ¡°Bertha wants to go next!¡± Yolanda translated somewhat unnecessarily, in my opinion. Bertha didn¡¯t wait for me to potentially deny her; she lumbered forward and leapt, making me brace and catch her. I held her aloft and spun her gently around. ¡°Rhy! Rhy Rhy!¡± she said with what I could only assume was a huge smile. I lowered her, and she landed daintily. In that she only crushed a few pebbles as she twirled and skipped away, her steps causing shudders and quakes in the ground. ¡°Golem!¡± shouted a rapidly descending Sanchez. I snatched him out of the air with finely honed big brother reflexes and spun with him before realisation set in. I scowled and launched him. He flew with a laughing cackle. When he landed he bounced, and rolled along before popping up to shoot me a thumbs up. I eyed the rest of my team and was relieved when Jormungandr and Tide, who were easily the heaviest of my pokemon, looked uninterested in being held aloft. Shrek rather politely tapped me on the shoulder, and I indulged him. Hypnotoad didn¡¯t let me drop him and instead carried him off when I was done, much to my other pokemon¡¯s amusement. When Clefairy hopped at me, I laughed and held him aloft as he cheered, happy to be included. When I deposited him onto Bertha¡¯s shoulder, I relaxed and turned to shoot Yolanda a victory sign, only to find her recording me with her transceiver. I stilled. Shit, she could do that as well, couldn¡¯t she? I considered coughing and sheepishly smiling, only to decide to take a leaf from Bertha¡¯s book and own it. I nodded seriously. ¡°And that¡¯s one method of building team cohesion!¡± I said, like I¡¯d planned it all along. Yolanda tittered at me and dropped her arm. ¡°Smooth, big brother,¡± she teased. I huffed at her and stuck my tongue out before waving her to follow me to get everyone¡¯s food. I noted that Empress was watching with a stern expression. I offered a nod and kept walking while Yolanda approached and let Terra wave to her mother. When Yolanda caught up to me, she watched me, and I hummed a questioning note. She indicated Empress. ¡°You know she was watching you and the others train the whole time, yeah?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Hmmm, is that so?¡± I said. Yolanda nodded and continued to watch me for a while. ¡°Are you¡­ going to ask her to stay?¡± That made me pause. ¡°I was just letting her stick around to help her deal with the grief and to also allow her mountain to be regrown. I think I heard something about Erika taking part in that event, so it shouldn¡¯t be long.¡± Yolanda considered that. ¡°I think she likes it here. It would be better for her, I think¡­¡± She glanced at me. ¡°It would also be great for you if she joined your team?¡± I blinked. ¡°Well, yeah,¡± I said, considering the truths that Yolanda was saying. I glanced over my shoulder, where Empress was sniffing at Sanchez, who was laughing boisterously as Clefairy practised his Pound on the Rock-electric type pokemon. ¡°I might ask her¡­¡± I eventually said. ¡°Hopefully she doesn¡¯t take it the wrong way when I ask her.¡± Yolanda frowned at that. ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered that.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s something that needs to happen when you add an already strong pokemon to your team. It makes a world of difference to train up a pokemon and have them attribute a degree of their strength to your work. Pokemon that have gained it themselves can be more stubborn, and it becomes a lot harder to have them follow orders. There is a whole group of people that debate the benefits and negatives of catching an already strong pokemon.¡± Yolanda took all of this in with a thoughtful expression. I patted her on the shoulder, pleased to see her listening. ¡°I''ll be careful about suggesting she stick around, or join me.¡± And by that, I meant that I would be careful about when I asked her that Yolanda and the others weren¡¯t around. I¡¯d also be careful with how I worded the offer. ¡°I suppose even just having her around would add a degree of security,¡± Yolanda suggested. I hummed in agreement before handing her a few trays and dishes of food to carry back with her. Terra made the task more difficult by trying to sample each dish, her little arms and legs wiggling to reach each food tray. I took care of my more temperamental pokemon¡¯s meals. On a whim, I made up another tray that I fed to Titan and dropped off to Empress. She eyed it before nodding with a grunt, lowering her head, and eating it without watching me. Hmmm, so she¡¯d let me feed her¡­ that¡­ was a good sign towards her being comfortable with me at the very least. I departed before I could irritate her. I would need to think on this some more, as I hadn¡¯t invited her to the reserve to have her join my team, but now that it had been pointed out to me¡­ having a second Tyranitar on my team¡­ damn, that was appealing. I could be like Lance with how he fielded more than one Dragonite¡­ Huh, maybe he¡¯d been thinking I¡¯d do that when I¡¯d made the offer back on Mt. Silver. Oops. I might have made him a bit more worried that I¡¯d end up gunning for his position. Oh well, that¡¯s on him. I handed off the other meals to my pokemon and then made my way home for my own breakfast.
When Alexa deposited the day¡¯s schedule, I perked up when I spotted a name I recognised right before lunch. ¡°Bugsy from Azalea Town? Now that¡¯s interesting; he¡¯s the grandson of Cricket?¡± I said, already knowing the answer. Alexa produced a small profile. ¡°Indeed, he is touted to only have one year for a Journey according to the notes on his file with the League, as he has been hand-picked out of his family to inherit the Gym.¡± Alexa tapped a section of text. "Interestingly, the rest of his family have all supported his claim instead of standing against him.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s neat,¡± I said, unsure how I should feel about his story. I could almost see some parallels, but then again, we were also worlds apart in our situations. I shut his file and instead turned back to the others. We had a few first-timers and some repeat challengers, but there were two whole gaps in my day. This said a lot considering I¡¯d already had this week set up for early finishes, along with a slightly longer lunch. After the last six weeks or thereabouts, it seemed I was starting to poke out the other side of the Surge. I wasn¡¯t fully out of it, as there would be a lot more challengers still to come, but it wasn¡¯t going to be a huge peak and crash of trainers as it had been. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head out and see how they do,¡± I said, more than happy to slide into a normal routine. Sadly, as soon as the first challenge was done, a number of the people in the crowd stood and waved microphones in my direction. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! It¡¯s been a few days since your match with Will? What are your thoughts on the League setting up measures to make sure the Elite Four or the champion can¡¯t be cheated like you were? Is the League too slow on this suggestion?¡± ¡°Brock! What corrections to your team have you made seeing as they were too weak? Is your starter undergoing remedial footwork drills?!¡± The trainer that I¡¯d just awarded a badge to looked startled as the people that we¡¯d assumed were standing to cheer for him suddenly revealed themselves to be vultures. I sighed and gave his shoulder a squeeze. ¡°Sorry about this kid; if you make it to the higher levels, you¡¯ll encounter types like this,¡± I said, ignoring the shouted questions. I toggled a button on my radio, and an alert was sent out. The reporters continued to shout questions and thus didn¡¯t see the security Gravelers that were rolling towards them. They paused when heavy hands reached out and clapped two reporters per Graveler before they found themselves frog-marched out. I shook my head as they cried out about abuse and the silencing of the free press. I¡¯d have Alexa read them the riot act on harassment and being public menaces. I shook my head and pushed the thoughts of the reporters and what they represented out of my mind so I could get on with my day. After that one blip, things continued up until the last match before lunch, and Bugsy challenged at the fourth-tier badge level with a gauntlet match. I sent Yolanda down first, and she selected a Lairon and a Graveler to face him. Bugsy came out and politely waved to the crowd, but I noted he paid special attention to one group of young boys. They stood out because all of them wore odd uniforms that reminded me of the scouts from my past life. He bowed politely when he reached his podium and then selected a pokeball from his belt. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted Missy from the referee stand. ¡°Go Lairon!¡± called Yolanda. ¡°Go Heracross!¡± shouted Bugsy. Both pokemon appeared, and the crowd stirred at what immediately seemed like a very interesting matchup. Bugsy had made a good choice while also taking risks with his pokemon, whereas Yolanda fielding Lairon was a powerful statement to start things off. ¡°Rock Tomb!¡± Yolanda began with a chop of her arm. ¡°Move with Aerial Ace, get in close!¡± shouted Bugsy. His pokemon blurred and shifted before vanishing in a display of speed only to appear in front of Lairon with its horn lowered. Bugsy punched a fist forward. ¡°Close Comb¡ª¡± ¡°Protect!¡± screamed Yolanda, and I nodded at the call. It was a good stoppage to make Bugsy not get in a super-effective move against Lairon. Bugsy nodded in acceptance when his pokemon¡¯s move bounced off the dome. ¡°Heracross! Step back and use Swords Dance!¡± his pokemon adopted a stance where its wings began to beat rapidly. Dust started to be stirred up as it got stronger and faster. When the Protect shell dropped away, Yolanda didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Rock Blast!¡± ¡°Punch through Close Combat!¡± Bugsy said, not hesitating in the least to have his pokemon blast through the weak but fast rock attack. Lairon took Heracross¡¯ horn to the head, only for Bugsy¡¯s pokemon to reveal how well-trained it was as it lifted Lairon up, allowing Heracross to slam its fists into the weaker metal underbelly. Lairon rocked back and collapsed on his back, resulting in Yolanda returning him. She was quick to send out her Graveler, and this time while she fought a delaying keep-away match with Sandstorm, and Dig, she wasn¡¯t able to handle a single hit from the buffed-up Heracross. As soon as the match was over Bugsy brought his pokemon back to his side and used a potion. I agreed that the choice was a good one. Dennis marched out next, and I was amused when he tossed out an Electric Graveler as his first choice. ¡°Thunder!¡± bellowed Dennis as his opening move, causing Bugy to have to think quickly. ¡°Megahorn the ground! Throw up the earth!¡± he cried, causing his Heracross to hurl up a large chunk of earth to absorb most of the threat. ¡°Rollout!¡± said Dennis in follow up making his pokemon start to charge forward in a roll. ¡°Build it up with Sparks!¡± he said, causing his pokemon to become like a rolling firework with how sparks radiated outwards. ¡°Heracross! Return!¡± Bugsy cried before Graveler could close with his Heracross. He didn¡¯t hesitate to throw out another pokemon in its place though. ¡°Go Shuckle!¡± I inhaled in surprise at the Rock-bug type pokemon making an appearance. It was notably a pokemon I still didn¡¯t have for the Gym and having Bugsy use it definitely had me sitting up and paying attention. ¡°Shuckle, take the hit and use Power Split!¡± he said boldly. I whistled. ¡°Damn, that was a good move,¡± I said, causing Yolanda, Greta, and Crystal to shoot me confused looks. ¡°Why? That pokemon is notoriously slow?¡± ¡°Yeah but it has some of the best defences around; it also just averaged the attack abilities that Graveler has with itself. That¡¯s what Power Split does, making it very useful.¡± I was proven right as the move impacted Graveler just before it could slam into Shuckle. The Graveler¡¯s charged-up sparks practically vanished right before it hit, resulting in a much weaker impact. From there Bugsy displayed a mastery of how to use his Shuckle by beating down on Gravler and the follow-up Lileep with Bug-type moves while keeping his pokemon in good health. He made sure to keep his pokemon out and rub a potion into it as I was called down. I could only nod. It was a good move with the Gauntlet allowing him to buff up his pokemon before a match; with this strategy, he¡¯d bring a much stronger pokemon out for our match without tiring it out. I launched myself from the side and onto the podium. I rose, locked eyes with the future leader of the Azalea Gym, and offered him a nod of respect. ¡°I can see that you¡¯ve done your homework. You have a very good setup for this match,¡± I said, letting my gaze fall to his pokemon as I selected a pokeball. Bugsy nodded. ¡°I wanted to bring my best against you!¡± I grinned and released my first pokemon for this match. ¡°Go Shelly!¡± I said tossing out my Omastar. She popped out and waved merrily to the crowd before settling down. The flags rose and fell. ¡°Surf!¡± I declared, causing Bugsy to click his tongue. ¡°Shuckle! Hold until the wave is right on top of you!¡± Bugsy said, clenching his fists and eyeing the approaching super-effective move. He held his nerve well, and just as it threatened to crash onto Shuckle he punched his fist forward. ¡°Shell Smash!¡± Around his pokemon, red energy built up and then exploded outwards like a bomb going off. The blast blew apart the wave and caused Shelly to falter and crash out. ¡°Go! Close in! Use Gyroball!¡± His pokemon leapt forward and rolled into a glowing ball of Steel energy that descended atop my pokemon. ¡°Protect!¡± I barked just in time to stop the attack from knocking Shelly out of the match. Bugsy¡¯s Shuckle reappeared, and I grinned as the Protect dropped away. ¡°Ancient Power!¡± I felt that it was an apt move in this instance. It slammed into Shuckle, but the beast of a Shuckle shrugged it off despite having taken a debuff from the Shell Smash. ¡°Bug Bite!¡± he barked hurriedly, causing his pokemon to lunge forward and snap its thin jaw around Shelly. I breathed a sigh of relief at his choice. When Shelly shook off the hit and remained standing, Bugsy hissed at his mistake. ¡°Stone Edge, I said, deciding to punish Bugsy¡¯s slip-up. A bug type move, such as Bug Bite, while empowered, was actually rather weak against Omastar thanks to its rock typing. The powerful rock move slammed home and dropped the Shuckle after the impressive showing. Bugsy knocked his fist on his head in frustration. ¡°Stupid, stupid, urgh, you had better moves to use,¡± he said to himself. I hummed. He was being hard on himself, but he wasn¡¯t wrong; a different move there might have seen me having to return Shelly rather than him returning his Shuckle. He might have fallen into a predictable issue of favouring bug type moves over others. For all that he was a good trainer, he still had some slip-ups and rough edges to work out, it seemed. ¡°Let¡¯s go Pinsir!¡± shouted Bugsy, releasing yet another rare bug type. He released it right on top of Shelly. I heard the crowd gasp in surprise, and the section dominated by the scout-like boys practically rioted with how much noise they started to make. Bugsy didn¡¯t give me time to appreciate the rare bug, however, and instead punched his fist forward. ¡°Earthquake!¡± he said, causing Shelly to be thrown upward. She landed roughly but still struggled to her legs to keep fighting, making Bugsy blink in surprise. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said to her before he could react. She sent out the move, and I raised her pokeball and withdrew her, signalling I wouldn¡¯t use her again. Bugsy eyed the rocks hovering around the battlefield before deciding to ignore them. ¡°Pinsir! We¡¯re not going to let those bother us! We¡¯re going all the way from here!¡± ¡°Bold words,¡± I said as I selected another pokeball before revealing my choice. ¡°Go Sudowoodo! Let¡¯s take the fight to them!¡± Sudowoodo, my ever-fearless pokemon, appeared with a grin as he flexed his twiggy arms. Pinsir snapped his pincers together threateningly. ¡°Superpower!¡± Bugsy shouted. ¡°Rock Tomb,¡± I replied with a smirk. Sudowoodo grinned and kicked at the ground, causing a line of rocks to shoot up and snap around Pinsir¡¯s leg before he could close his glowing pincers onto Sudowoodo. The pinchers clacked together loudly, and I eyed the speed before deciding to risk it. ¡°Head Smash!¡± ¡°Protect!¡± Bugsy said quickly, causing my pokemon¡¯s attack to slam ineffectively against the shell. Both pokemon glowered at each other and I grinned as they stepped closer together. ¡°Ready for it Sudo?¡± I asked, causing him to twitch a limb. ¡°Backflip and use Stone Edge!¡± I shouted, giving Sudowoodo space away from Pinsir, before unleashing a large boulder. "Superpower, break that rock apart!¡± Bugsy said, causing his Pinsir to catch and crush the boulder. Both pokemon eyed each other once again as Bugsy and I grinned. ¡°Rock Tomb!¡± ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± Bugsy said, catching me and my pokemon by surprise as his pokemon lined up and fired off a powerful beam of energy. Sudowoodo was caught off guard and was hurled backwards before collapsing against the back wall. I hissed in surprise. That had been quite the sly move. I shot Bugsy a nod. Clever boy. I returned Sudowoodo and grinned as I selected my third pokemon. ¡°Quirrina! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Solrock!¡± cried one of the few pokemon I¡¯d gained during my short trip to the Hoenn desert. Bugsy laughed. ¡°You¡¯re really not going to let me have this easy, are you?¡± he said. I shook my head and punched straight ahead. ¡°Flamethrower,¡± I said, unleashing a torrent of flame on the still-exhausted Pinsir. ¡°Hang in there, Pinsir! Hang in there!¡± Bugsy shouted, imploring his pokemon to endure the super-effective move. Pinsir screeched in pain but when the flames died away, it was still standing tall. I whistled in appreciation; Bugsy had some strong pokemon, raising my opinion of him another notch. Bugsy opened his mouth before shutting it, as a thought seemed to occur to him. He returned his pokemon and tossed out a Scyther. ¡°Oh come on!¡± screamed a young voice from the crowd. Evidently, someone wasn¡¯t pleased by Bugsy¡¯s depth of bug pokemon. Scyther brandished his scythes, only to shriek in surprise when Stealth Rock slammed into it. ¡°Get it together, Scyther! I need you!¡± Bugsy said causing Scyther to catch itself. ¡°Flamethrower!¡± I said again. ¡°Double Team!¡± ordered Bugsy, causing his pokemon to vanish into a blur with afterimages left in place. ¡°Now use X-scissor!¡± I grinned, pleased that Bugsy knew that this pokemon I¡¯d sent out was weak against bug-type moves and was moving to capitalise on it. ¡°Fire Spin,¡± I intoned, causing both pokemon to take hits they didn¡¯t want. Scyther landed poorly and staggered, whereas Quirrina struggled but remained in the air. Scyther fell, and Bugsy groaned. The group of boys all wailed in sadness. Bugsy gained a determined expression and selected his next pokeball. ¡°Go Butterfree!¡± he cried, releasing a Butterfree that flapped its wings and caused a torrent to break out. I held up a hand in front of my face to shield my eyes from the wind; that was a strong Butterfree. ¡°Butterfree use Bug Buzz!¡± he shouted, causing his pokemon to stiffen up and vibrate. A powerful wave of green energy blasted out and slammed into Quirinna, causing him to stagger again but remain in the air. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± ¡°Weave around it!¡± Bugsy growled, slashing his hand and making his Butterfree tuck a wing and dive out of danger. ¡°Flamethrower!¡± I ordered. ¡°Confusion! Toss it back!¡± shouted Bugsy, causing his pokemon to hurl back the fire. ¡°Psychic, blast it back,¡± I said, happy with Bugsy¡¯s performance. ¡°Bug Buzz again!¡± shouted Bugsy once the flame broke apart. The psychic waves impacted with the green Bug Type energy to slam into Quirrina and see my pokemon finally fall. I toyed with my last pokemon and eyed Bugsy. He lifted his chin and kept his eyes locked on me. I grinned and tossed out the last pokemon, I¡¯d already determined that Bugsy was going to get my badge, but damn if I didn¡¯t want to keep fighting with him. He was good, and I wanted to see how good he was. ¡°Go Onix!¡± I said. Bugsy deflated slightly, only for me to grin and his expression to falter. ¡°Sandstorm!¡± I said, causing my pokemon to sweep its tail about like a whip and call forth a giant gout of sand that swept the entire battlefield. Butterfree opened his wings and prepared to deny it. Bugsy didn¡¯t disappoint. ¡°Whirlwind!¡± he shouted. With a powerful flap of his wings, the Sandstorm was dispersed, but in doing so, his pokemon became a sitting target. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said, causing a pillar of stone to slam into the flying-bug type, crumpling it and ending the contest. Bugsy hissed, and I grinned. ¡°Four to three, no?¡± I said pointedly. ¡°Pinsir¡¯s still able to fight!¡± Bugsy said fiercely. ¡°And so can this guy! Go Heracross!¡± He released his first bug pokemon, and I grinned. ¡°Dragonsbreath!¡± I ordered ¡°Close Combat!¡± ordered Bugsy, causing his pokemon to surge through the flames, ignoring much of the damage that I knew would be accruing, to slam home and devastate Onix. I returned him and raised my hand to another pokeball causing Bugsy to lean forward in anticipation. I chuckled and waved him down. ¡°I¡¯m just playing, as much as I¡¯d love to keep this match going, I think you¡¯ve more than proven yourself, Bugsy from Azalea Town.¡± Bugsy leapt upwards. ¡°Yatta!¡± he said before leaping down to start celebrating with his Heracross. I chuckled and started lowering the podiums. I¡¯d have to offer him the badge, he was too skilled for me to ignore as a trainer. A glance up to the stands revealed that his group of friends were all exuberantly calling out his name. I presented him with his badge, and he waved at the group. ¡°You guys! Come join me for my photo!¡± He then shot me a look. ¡°If that¡¯s alright?¡± ¡°The more the merrier,¡± I said. I then smirked at him and said, ¡°Did you also want to have a look at Gawain?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± he and the others cheered. I merely laughed. It looks like I know what I¡¯d be doing for the rest of the afternoon. Chapter 142 - Bug buddies ¡°So you¡¯re the leader of the local chapter of the Bug Catcher Club?¡± I asked as I led the group of young boys. There was also a single girl who had happily entangled one of her arms with one of the boys while walking through the Gym with Dennis and Yolanda. I noticed more than a few furtive glances at the couple from the rest of the group but decided to leave that for the playground drama that it was. ¡°Y-yes!¡± squeaked the boy, who was apparently the leader. He looked a little sick as we walked. ¡°You alright there Johnny?¡± I asked, more than familiar with the look of a kid that was about to throw up. ¡°I¡¯m fine! Just fine!¡± he said tightly. I decided to let him be and instead turned to Bugsy, who¡¯d asked for this. ¡°So, we didn¡¯t get a chance before, but were there any areas of the match that stood out as good or bad?¡± Bugsy coughed. ¡°I forgot some of the typings of pokemon I was facing and made a tactical error¡­ a few times due to that.¡± ¡°You regathered quite nicely. If I''m being honest, the speed of some of your orders could stand to be faster as well. I¡¯m impressed with some of the moves you have access to with your pokemon team, by the way. Shell Smash and Power Split were also good strategies to utilise.¡± I glanced back to Dennis, ¡°Still no word on that Shuckle bounty?¡± Dennis coughed. ¡°A beverage company lost their stock and have been paying top dollar to replace their providers.¡± I blinked at that and said, ¡°Huh, not what I was expecting. That¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking to add a bug pokemon to your team?¡± Bugsy said excitedly. I nodded easily. ¡°Gawain is the most prominent of my pokemon. I¡¯m sure everyone noticed when I announced I was getting him. It was a bit of a whimsical purchase on my part, but¡­ well, Scythers are just so cool.¡± That got the group to nod along happily, and I caught Yolanda giggling at their antics. More than a few of them seemed to twitch when they remembered she was there, suddenly getting more shy in her presence. Yolanda noticed this and joined the excited group. ¡°Gawain is super cool! Brock named him after the old historical knights, and he lives up to it all the time as this super gallant pokemon! Wasn¡¯t his showing against Will incredible?¡± ¡°Yeah! I loved it when he avenged Knight and chopped that Jynx in the throat!¡± shouted one boy. I felt a dark satisfaction at recalling that particular moment. Yeah, that had been satisfying. ¡°Well, yes¡­¡± Yolanda said with a slightly perturbed expression. Oh damn, I was probably smiling a touch too wide. I coughed and stopped smiling. ¡°But yes, I¡¯m interested in building up the Rock-Bug type pokemon I have with me. To assist with that we have assistants from both Professors Oak and Elm on hand to monitor the pokemon. Some of them are even working on breeding programs.¡± Johnny frowned up at me. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t your Gawain just make Scyther eggs?¡± I pointed at him and nodded. ¡°Correct!¡± I said as we walked through the back door of the Gym and onto the reserve. That caused the bug catchers to all quiet down and stare at the wide range of pokemon on display. I watched them with a growing smile at how it almost seemed like a zoo being walked into for the first time. Or maybe, especially if my plans went ahead, I¡¯d be able to create a sort of Ancient pokemon park. With Tyrantrum and Aurorus and everything! That would be amazing! I could start setting it up; I already had Aerodactyl, with some of the eggs also soon to hatch, according to Bianca. I¡¯d need to make sure they stuck around the reserve and didn¡¯t fly off. We walked past a pack of Aron that barked playfully at us before sprinting away when they caught sight of Knight himself. The large Aggron saw them coming, and his tail wagged furiously as he lowered himself to play. A moment later, a group of Geodude and some Graveler joined in the game of what looked like Simon says. I snorted when I saw Knight cheat by grabbing his tail, something that almost all the pokemon playing with him didn¡¯t possess, or couldn¡¯t reach. They responded by throwing mud and rocks at him. He barked a laugh and ran off, with them giving chase. The Bug Catchers still seemed a bit in awe as we walked around the plateau and came upon Shin, my Kabutops, exchanging blows with Gawain. ¡°He¡¯s beautiful,¡± said one of the boys, and I coughed as the group all stared, their awe reaching a new level. The girl in the group dropped back to talk with Yolanda, leaving the boys to fawn over Gawain. I let them bask in the moment for a bit before whistling to Shin and Gawain. ¡°Break time boys! We¡¯ve got some fans that want to meet Gawain!¡± Gawain and Shin stopped with their blades raised. Shin blinked and looked over while Gawain did so with a tilted head. Shin then laughed and nudged the younger pokemon. Gawain shifted in surprise but hopped towards us. He pulled up a little short and bowed politely, causing the entire group of boys, Bugsy included, to bow back. ¡°Kleavor!¡± he said in greeting. Brandishing his axes in a greeting. ¡°Vor!¡± ¡°So cool!¡± cheered the boys as they vibrated in place. I coughed. ¡°You can walk closer if you¡¯d like, just don¡¯t touch his axes, they¡¯re very sharp. Gawain is very clever but also very friendly.¡± The boys all took that offer; surprisingly, they didn¡¯t rush forward but instead stepped forward in ones and twos, in a manner that seemed practised. ¡°May I?¡± asked Johnny. Gawain nodded and allowed the boys to touch him. The boy¡¯s instantly started nerding out. ¡°His carapace is so rough and strong!¡± ¡°What sort of diet does he have?¡± ¡°How did you evolve him?¡± ¡°Are you getting more?¡± A tide of questions started to flow and I suddenly had to wonder if I didn¡¯t have a group like Salvadore, only they had a much smaller niche of just bug pokemon rather than pokemon in general. ¡°We have a blend of berries that he seems to enjoy that give him a good caloric intake without slowing him down. He enjoys Pecha the most, we add that to a blend we have made up for strong rock types and some blends of bug types that Stephen, the assistant from Oak, swears by for Bug pokemon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to reveal the evolution mechanic beyond mentioning it has something to do with rocks and leave it at that,¡± I said mysteriously. ¡°Urgh! You mean we have to learn about rocks for our bug types?¡± he said. I waggled my hand. ¡°For this bug type you do, as well as the other Rock-bug type pokemon that I own.¡± That caused all of the boys to stop and turn mechanically towards me. ¡°What did you just say?¡± I smirked and looked to Sanchez who¡¯d approached, to watch and take part in any drama taking place. ¡°Can you go get our newest ancient pokemon? The one that likes to hug? She has visitors.¡± Sanchez toddled a few steps before hopping into a roll that saw him accelerate into the caves that led to the grotto most of my ancient pokemon liked to hang around in. Don hadn''t liked it, or at least he pretended not to like it, when the newest ancient pokemon joined the older group in their space. I think on some level he enjoyed having all the ancient pokemon gather around him. There was going to be so much screeching when I eventually found a Tyrunt. A few moments later, Sanchez came back with another pokemon in his hands. Bugsy gasped and stepped forward, only for Johnny to join him a moment later. Sanchez¡¯s grip slipped, and a moment later, Anorith was flying through the air. ¡°Anorith!¡± she shouted happily as she slammed into Johnny¡¯s face and rode him to the ground. Bugsy gasped. ¡°My goodness! Look at the pinchers on her!¡± He pointed at the top of Johnny''s head, where said pinchers were gripping onto the top of his head. Bugsy ran a hand along her back. ¡°And her shell! Very sturdy! Look at her limbs and tail! She¡¯d be perfect for aquatic encounters!¡± A few of the other boys left Gawain¡¯s group to inspect Anorth, who wiggled happily. I coughed. ¡°Should we uhm, let him up?¡± Indicating Johnny. ¡°Nuh Uhm gub!¡± came Johnny¡¯s muffled reply. ¡°Dis ib nuffin! Dadepee like do do dis ull du time!¡± I took a moment to translate what he¡¯d said before slowly nodding. ¡°Oh, well, if you¡¯re used to it then¡­¡± He gave me a thumbs-up. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should allow this behaviour to continue¡­¡± Bugsy waved his hand. ¡°Oh no! She¡¯s just being affectionate! This is perfectly normal, I assure you! Bug pokemon are very quick with forming bonds and showing their feelings!¡± ¡°Sounds about right! She¡¯s a cuddly one!¡± Yolanda chimed. I hummed. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if she learned to hug somewhere other than the face.¡± Some movies from my past life would never allow me to be comfortable with a face hugger. I eyed him and noticed how his face was going slightly blue. ¡°Anorith? Want to hug the others as well?¡± She perked up and leapt from Johnny¡¯s face at another boy who screamed only to take a face full of Anorith. He remained standing, and I sighed. ¡°Maybe try hugging their chests or shoulders?¡± I prompted. Anorith¡¯s bug eyes swivelled around onto me, and she wiggled on the boy''s face. ¡°Rith!¡± ¡°She likes the face,¡± Bugsy translated, somewhat unnecessarily. I adopted a sad pose. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a shame; if it was the shoulder, you could stay latched on and hug them while they did things. With their face, you can only hug them for a little while.¡± She looked at that and seemed to consider it. She scuttled off the boy¡¯s face and onto his shoulder. ¡°Ano?¡± she said as she squeezed his shoulder. I smiled encouragingly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that nicer? And look, you look like a cool shoulder guard now! Like the coolest fashion statement around!¡± She perked up at that, and her little tail wagged happily. Johnny stood up and dusted himself off. ¡°Well, I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d see the day, a rock-bug type pokemon, and two of them!¡± he said, trying to sound like an authority. Bugsy shot Johnny a confident look. ¡°But Shuckle has been around for ages?¡± Johnny coughed to cover his slip-up. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day that there were three rock-bug types.¡± I snorted in amusement. Oh, I¡¯d have to invite this kid around if I ever got a Dwebble. The kids shot me a confused look before shrugging it off. Yolanda, who knew me better, eyed me. ¡°Brock, what do you know?¡± She whispered from next to me. ¡°There are probably other Rock-bug types. I still think there would have been something like that in the Hoenn desert.¡± Yolanda nodded her head slowly. ¡°Ohhhh, that¡¯s why you spent so long there.¡± I nodded my head and shot her a wink, telling her to keep it a secret without saying a word. She winked back. Bugsy tilted his head. ¡°Did you both get some dirt in your eyes? They¡¯re twitching.¡± I gave Bugsy a forced smile. ¡°Something like that, sure.¡± Dennis snorted, and I shot him a dirty look. He probably knew we were winking. Bugsy glanced from Dennis to me, aware something had happened but unsure of the context. He shrugged and turned back to Gawain to inspect the pokemon. ¡°My goodness, seeing these two pokemon certainly fills me with joy. I know it will take a while, but I will work towards having pokemon like this in the Azalea Gym when I take over.¡± He clenched his fist and raised it like he was making a vow. Yolanda giggled at his antics, and he blushed furiously. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be sure to tell you when Anorith is grown up enough for breeding. Bianca is confident that with her bug typing, it will be a matter of months and not years like other pokemon.¡± The boys all gasped in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s her egg group?¡± Bugsy said excitedly. I offered a sardonic smile. ¡°Water three, I¡¯m sorry to say.¡± Johnny crossed his arms. ¡°Damn! That¡¯s no good!¡± he said, like he had any idea what he was talking about. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he coughed and waved to Bugsy. ¡°You want to explain that to the others?¡± Bugsy opened and shut his mouth before shrugging. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with that egg group, actually.¡± Johnny blanched as the others rounded on him expectantly. He slumped. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know it either¡­¡± he said as though it pained him greatly to admit ignorance on a topic. I snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you too much. Water Group Three is a pretty niche group; so far it only includes pokemon like Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanyte, Omastar, Corsola, Tentacool, Staryu, and such. It¡¯s thought of as the underwater group by breeders according to Bianca,¡± I said, adopting a lecturing tone. Sanchez, who¡¯d been standing next to me, crossed his arms and nodded along. I ignored how bushy his beard became while sprouting out to the sides. It sort of reminded me of Einstein¡¯s signature style. ¡°But¡­ bugs¡­¡± said one boy. I shrugged at him and then waved my hands back towards Gawain. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s in the Bug breeding group.¡± Stolen novel; please report. That got them to whoop and cheer, and a few even rubbed their chins thoughtfully. ¡°Hello! Hello there!¡± called a woman¡¯s voice. I turned and saw Rachel approaching with a large picnic basket. I nodded in thanks as she tossed out a large blanket. ¡°Alright let''s have a photo shoot for the Bug Catchers Club officially coming to meet Gawain and the newest pokemon at the Pewter Gym! Anorith!¡± she said. I shot Anorith a look. ¡°You alright with being revealed before your first match?¡± She nodded merrily, and I relaxed down onto the blanket, accepting a few riceballs from Rachel. I smirked at them and laughed. ¡°Mmm donuts!¡± The others shot me a look before glancing at Yolanda, when she sighed. ¡°He does this sometimes; it''s one of his jokes no one gets.¡± I stuck my tongue out at her, not letting her get me down. Bugsy happened to sit next to me. I glanced at him as he played with his food instead of eating it. ¡°Is¡­ is it hard being a Gym Leader?¡± he asked quietly. Yolanda, who was close, perked up and turned slightly, very interested in this conversation. I swallowed and considered Bugsy for a few moments. I then sighed and leaned back, saying, ¡°It can be. It can be one of the toughest gigs around. It can sometimes feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. It will depend on what you need to do, as different Gyms have different duties and roles within their communities. Pewter is an old gym, and while my family had only taken it over in my parent¡¯s generation, it comes with expectations.¡± I let him process that before laughing. ¡°But it can also be one of the most satisfying experiences around. You will become a pillar of your community and be able to help so many more people.¡± I gestured widely at the assembled group of kids and trainers that were sitting with us for their lunch break. ¡°You¡¯ll witness growth and experiences without having to seek them out. You will be a guide for many people who are finding their own way.¡± I offered him a shrug. ¡°It will be a mixed bag. I love it, but there will be tough days,¡± I said. ¡°Do you have a close knit group of friends and family?¡± He nodded at that. ¡°Azalea Town¡­ It¡¯s smaller than Pewter, and I know many of the people that grew up there. My aunties and uncles are more experienced than me, but they want to support me as Gym leader, and that will help greatly.¡± He smiled towards Yolanda. ¡°Like your family does for you, no doubt?¡± I tossed him a nod even as Yolanda gained a conflicted look. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re pretty great at supporting me.¡± Yolanda smiled tightly at me but didn¡¯t say anything. She took a bite from her riceball, her mind elsewhere. I pursed my lips and nudged her; she shot me a look but shook her head. I decided to leave it for now and instead turned back to Bugsy. ¡°What is Azalea Town like?¡± I said, deciding to continue the conversation with a boy I knew would one day be a contemporary of mine. Bugsy brightened up even more if possible. ¡°Oh, Azalea town is wonderful! It¡¯s large enough to have everyone you could need but it is not so big that things or people get overlooked! We¡¯re all friends there. There is a group of elders that sit on the council, but there is also a group of youngsters invited to give their voice. It''s always been our way to make sure that the young and old share their insights. That¡¯s the Azalea way!¡± ¡°Hmmmm, that sounds somewhat enviable,¡± I said, considering the size of Pewter and how things could get lost. Bugsy nodded. ¡°We¡¯re quite similar to Pewter though with our historical society, although the focus is more on the ruins that are found around the area, along with the shrines. Ilex Forest itself has a number of such buildings, and then there is the temple, of course, in the middle of town.¡± ¡°Temple?¡± I said, not recalling anything like that from the games or the cartoon. ¡°Oh, yes, it''s a temple for the bug pokemon, but around the outer walls there are statues of slowpoke and Slowbro on account of the Slowpoke well that is to the east and close to the creek that the slowpoke use to get from the well out to the ocean further south.¡± ¡°Slowpoke well, eh?¡± A memory stirred. There was an opportunity here. One that I hadn¡¯t considered until just now. I didn¡¯t have to be the only one denying Team Rocket resources. The League could be triggered into acting, just as local Gyms could look after themselves. After all, a pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I rubbed my chin and adopted a frown. ¡°Is it well protected?¡± Bugsy blinked at me. ¡°The Slowpoke well? Uhm no? It¡¯s a natural cave that slowpoke like to go to¡­ Why would it need to be defended?¡± he asked. I sighed and rubbed my chin. ¡°It¡¯s a site with pokemon¡­ Now you¡¯ve pointed out that Pewter City and Azalea are somewhat similar. Pewter has had a number of issues with Team Rocket in the past due to some of the pokemon we have around. Azalea town has Slowpoke. Which is a pokemon species that happens to have the ability to regrow their tails; they¡¯re also very slow and somewhat clueless about people.¡± Bugsy looked worried, and I shot him a sad smile. ¡°That means they are easy to exploit. In some social circles, people will eat Slowpoke tail as a delicacy. A very high-end delicacy at that.¡± Bugsy looked sick. ¡°Oh, is it that bad?¡± ¡°They¡¯re worth quite a lot. If simply due to the perception of value that they have been given, that means Team Rocket or other groups might make moves on them.¡± Bugsy crossed his arms and shut his eyes. ¡°Hnnnnnnn!¡± he said suddenly. He then opened his eyes. ¡°Alright! I cannot do anything about that now! But I will message my aunts and uncles to look into it!¡± he said seriously before stuffing his mouth with a rice ball. Yolanda blinked incredulously at him. ¡°Just like that?¡± Bugsy nodded. ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s how my family is; they¡¯re very supportive and helpful like that. I¡¯ll tell them you¡¯re worried about the slowpoke, and they¡¯ll set something up!¡± I blinked and found myself suddenly envious of the much smaller boy who merrily went about eating his lunch. That wasn¡¯t even going to be an issue for him; he¡¯d just hand it off. I took a bite of my riceball. We were similar in some ways, but certainly different in others. I shot a glance at Yolanda. Then again, I also have family members who helped out. I nodded to her, and she shot me back a smile, apparently aware of my line of thinking. She shifted a little and smiled at Bugsy. ¡°Is there anything else interesting in Azalea Town?¡± she prompted. Bugsy glanced at her and must have swallowed too quickly, as he heaved a cough a few times and made a painful noise. I reached over and thumped him a few times on the back to help clear his airway. He shot me a thankful look before coughing once more. ¡°Uhm yes! The Gym!¡± he said suddenly getting flustered at his slip-up. ¡°The Gym is a large insectarium for raising our bug-type pokemon! We have a number of large trees that grow there, and we also allow a large number of grass types to live there to make it more vibrant. It¡¯s rather similar to Erika¡¯s gym but ours is much larger for the pokemon to fly around!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been to Erika¡¯s Gym?¡± Yolanda said. Bugsy nodded quickly and pulled out a badge case. ¡°With the Boulder badge, I now have five of the Gym badges.¡± Johnny and a few of the other boys around the area squawked in surprise. ¡°What!?¡± Johnny said, whipping his head around to find that Bugsy wasn¡¯t lying. I leaned closer and nodded. ¡°Soul, Rainbow, Thunder, Cascade, and the Boulder badge. Nice work, Bugsy, ¡° I praised. Bugsy grinned. ¡°Thanks! I have to go back to Saffron, as Sabrina trounced me despite my type advantage. I hadn¡¯t been prepared for that!¡± Johnny wheezed out a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re not perfect, then?¡± he said snidely. Bugsy glanced at him worriedly. ¡°Uhmm of course not?¡± I coughed and gestured to the side. ¡°Johnny can I get a hand with something real quick?¡± Johnny slumped and nodded sullenly. I stood up and waved to the others. ¡°Sorry! Just need to get some drinks cause my throat is getting dry! I¡¯ll bring back some lemonade and pop for everyone!¡± I led Johnny towards the Gym and casually laced my hands behind my head. Johnny walked next to me with his fists stuffed into his pockets. ¡°Are you a trainer, Johnny?¡± I asked lazily. ¡°Not yet¡­ gonna start next year¡­ I need to build up my savings ¡®cause Mum can only give so much.¡± I nodded at that and noted the lack of father on the scene. ¡°Alright, cool, so your journey has yet to start, yeah?¡± He nodded, and I glanced over. ¡°So why are you begrudging Bugsy for being on his?¡± Johnny shrank into himself. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ he¡¯s perfect!¡± ¡°Is he?¡± I said casually. Johnny sighed. ¡°He¡¯s practically perfect! So what if he didn¡¯t beat Sabrina! He¡¯ll do it!¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, he probably will; he¡¯s a serious trainer with a good head on his shoulders and a good team of pokemon on his shoulders. He¡¯s going to struggle against Blaine more than anyone else.¡± Johnny grunted at that, and I led him to a fridge, where I grabbed out some cans of drink. ¡°You¡¯re envious of his situation, yeah?¡± Johnny nodded, and I hummed. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. So am I,¡± I said casually. ¡°What?¡± Johnny gasped in surprise. I shrugged easily. ¡°He¡¯s a young trainer that probably had his choice of strong pokemon when he set off. He has a ton of aunts and uncles to support him in his gym, which sounds like an already state-of-the-art facility for his pokemon. His journey? He started with pokemon that quickly grew in strength, and he has a lot of people backing him up.¡± I smiled grimly at Johnny as he stared at me. ¡°When I started out, I had a Titan, of course, Onix, and Geodude as my pokemon team. Now Titan is a strong pokemon, but he took a lot of work, making my first circuit tough even with me preparing for it. I certainly didn¡¯t have five badges in two and a half months. I can envy him for his success. What I won¡¯t do is let his success make me begrudge him. Our situations are different.¡± I cracked open a can and took a sip. ¡°He¡¯s probably got a lot of problems we don''t know about, though, so without truly walking in his shoes, we can¡¯t judge. He might be restricted to a single year for his circuit due to needing to take over his family Gym, while other people will get two or three¡­ or more,¡± I said, thinking of Ash Ketchum. ¡°I¡­ guess?¡± Johnny said. ¡°Why are you talking to me about this?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Cause you¡¯re making a big mistake trying to keep Bugsy at arm¡¯s length. He¡¯s a polite young man that would make a great friend, no?¡± Johnny nodded slowly, and I grinned. ¡°You can also learn from him. He¡¯s got a lot of knowledge that would have been bottle-fed to him. You could pick up a lot from watching him and how he handles some of Kanto¡¯s hurdles. Ask questions; call him up and find out about how to find some pokemon you might be interested in.¡± I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t cut off your nose to spite your face. Also, you¡¯re a young man from Pewter; it¡¯s up to me to help you along. I know rock types are anathema to bug types, but I want to see you do well. Next year will be you facing me, no?¡± I winked and he smiled, liking the sound of that idea. When I led him back I found Yolanda still talking with Bugsy. ¡°¡ªthe apricorns can be used as traditional pokeballs as well as specialty pokeballs which makes them extremely useful! In Azalea, we have entire groves set up to grow them, which helps keep the prices of pokeballs down! There is a lot of history to apricorn carving, and the workshop is highly selective in who they take as apprentices.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Yolanda said, sounding interested. ¡°I¡¯ll have to come to check it out sometime. Maybe when I come around for my circuit in Johto!¡± Bugsy smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be Gym Leader then, so we can have a match!¡± Yolanda smirked. ¡°I¡¯ll bring Terra, so don¡¯t expect me to pull her punches!¡± ¡°Tar!¡± said Terra happily. I chuckled at the sight and led Johnny back to the group. I sat down and was pleased to find everyone happily conversing. The smile only grew when Johnny handed Bugsy and Yolanda a can each. ¡°Sorry ¡®bout being a brat with you,¡± he said tersely. Bugsy blinked. ¡°You were being a brat with me?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even notice?!¡± Johnny said as he threw up his hands. Bugsy tilted his head and blinked cluelessly while Yolanda giggled. Around the area, others traded jokes and shared some stories. The young boy and girl couple got a few exasperated looks when they got rather lovey-dovey with each other. I found them a cute pair, with the other boys obviously being jealous. I made to take another sip from my can only to stop. ¡°Don¡¯t eat that!¡± I snarled. Everyone on the picnic blanket instantly froze at my sudden shift from amicable big brother to snarling adult. Their eyes darted about only to hiss in surprise when one of the boy¡¯s caterpie that had been carried around was revealed to be quivering in fear in front of Empress, who had her head lowered and her mouth open. She shot me a narrow glare and turned her eyes back to her snack. ¡°Caterpie!¡± quavered the little bug type. I stood. ¡°Empress, no! We don¡¯t need to hunt pokemon here! You haven¡¯t had to do that with the geodude or others around; don¡¯t start that now!¡± Empress rose and snorted at me. Behind her, the caterpie scurried as fast as it could back to the others, rushing into one boy¡¯s fearful arms. Her head tracked it before she locked eyes with me. Her head rose in a challenging manner. I marched up to her undaunted and handed her a can of soda pop. ¡°We have other things for when we¡¯re hungry or thirsty. If you¡¯re hungry, you just need to ask one of the trainers that stick around.¡± Empress stopped glowering at me before dropping her eyes to the can of pop. She flicked the drink into her mouth, can and all. Then she crushed it. Her eyes bulged when the carbonated beverage must have gushed out, and she snorted some out of her nose. She whipped her head around and exhaled a stream of fire, only to shake her head and turn back to me. I raised a finger to explain that hadn¡¯t been how you were supposed to drink it, only for Terra to giggle. ¡°Tar! Tar! Tar!¡± Lar vitar!¡± She squealed, her little legs and arms paddling through the air. No one else dared to laugh as Empress turned her gaze upon them. Titan chose that moment to walk up and grunt a question at his mother. She growled something back and he cocked his head. He glanced at me and then at his mother before barking a laugh. That drew her ire, and she growled at him, only for him to snort derisively. He reached out and snagged my can of lemonade, expertly lifted it to his lips with his small claw extended, and took a sip. ¡°Tar!¡± he said with a sigh of appreciation. He then offered her the can, and she snorted and shook her head. She turned and marched off. Titan watched her go while Terra continued to laugh herself sick. I sighed in relief and turned back to the group of white-faced bug catchers. ¡°Sorry about that! She¡¯s still getting used to living in the reserve. She hasn¡¯t done that before but she must have thought caterpie wandered in rather than being someone else¡¯s pokemon.¡± The boy nodded quickly. ¡°Caterpie¡­ is still wild technically¡­ she hasn¡¯t let me catch her¡­ thanks for stopping her Gym Leader!¡± I smiled at him and checked my watch. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve still got twenty minutes to relax, so let¡¯s not end on that note. Who wants to try their hand at letting Gawain carry them through his obstacle course?¡± That got them all to shoot their hands up and forget the earlier tension. While a line was forming in front of Gawain I relaxed. Yolanda and Bugsy approached. Bugsy inclined his head. ¡°Will¡­ I have to be able to do that? Stare down a pokemon like that Tyranitar?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Not usually no, but de-escalation is a very useful skill to have, I find. I can¡¯t just command her. She¡¯s not mine.¡± Yolanda watched me and then glanced at the boys that were now being carried around by Gawain. ¡°Not the only skill you just showed off,¡± she said thoughtfully. Bugsy tilted his head but didn¡¯t seem to get it. I merely winked at her. ¡°Yeah, I wanted them to leave on a good note, not be freaked out. Wouldn¡¯t want them scared off after all.¡± She nodded and shot me a wink back. ¡°Smooth, big bro.¡± Bugsy glanced between us. ¡°Should I be worried? Your eyes are twitching again?¡± Dennis snorted. ¡°They just have narrow eyes. You get used to it. When they¡¯re being shifty, it''s the most funny.¡± I squinted at him; I was entirely unsure what he meant by that but decided not to ask. When lunch ended, the boys and single girl departed in an upbeat mood with promises they¡¯d come back. I reminded them all of the pre-journey tournament that would be run in a few months time before turning my attention back to the rest of the afternoon¡¯s challengers. When that was done, I drew out the Guardian holopad and pinged Koga. His face appeared a few minutes later. ¡°Gym Leader Brock.¡± ¡°Gym Leader Koga,¡± I said before smiling. ¡°Soon that is going to be Elite Four Koga, no?¡± He nodded, and I almost thought I saw his lips twitch upward before he gestured for me to continue. ¡°I met a rather interesting young man today by the name of Bugsy from Azalea Town. He mentioned a few things that got me thinking. What are we doing to snuff out Team Rocket in Johto?¡± ¡°We have not taken any actions. Our movements in Kanto are understandable and even applaudable, but if we were to act as such in Johto? It would be seen as overstepping.¡± I nodded. ¡°What if we didn¡¯t do it, but rather directed the locals to do it? I¡¯ve suggested that Bugsy, for example, tighten up his security around the Slowpoke well; what if other potential targets had more security?¡± Koga inclined his head. ¡°You have some thoughts on where Team Rocket might target?¡± I smiled. ¡°Oh, I have a few ideas,¡± I said amiably. If Johto became a tougher nut to crack for Giovanni, that would be a very good thing. Best of all, it wouldn¡¯t be me leading the charge, but others. Hmmm, maybe Flint¡¯s advice to keep punching wasn¡¯t so bad after all? It just needed to be adapted to the circumstances. I rattled off a few sites that I could remember before tilting my head. ¡°Are we doing anything against Giovanni or Blaine?¡± ¡°Not as yet, but with your intelligence of the Legendary pokemon being used subtly against you, we do have a new goal.¡± Koga leaned forward. ¡°When Will fights Surge, we will be ready to pounce on any interference. We were taken by surprise once, we will not allow that to happen again!¡± Koga eyed me. ¡°Regather and improve yourself as much as you can in the next week Brock. Will is facing Surge this coming weekend.¡± ¡°The Cerulean sisters?¡± I asked in surprise at them being passed over. ¡°He will face them in two days; he is not expected to have any difficulty with anything they can throw at him.¡± I nodded. ¡°Alright, so I need to get my team in order by next weekend.¡± Could I get Jormungandr to the point of being ready to Mega evolve by then? I doubted it. I did have another option, however, to boost my team. I bade Koga goodbye and tucked away the holopad. It was time to talk with Empress. With that scare at lunch, I felt like I needed to clear things up going forward¡­ and at the same time, I might just see if I could convince her to join me. Two Tyranitar would be a hell of a power-up. Chapter 143 - Stronger, better, harder, faster I almost walked straight out to talk with Empress. But then I considered what I was about to do. One does not simply walk up to a Pseudo-legendary pokemon and ask them to join your team. There were good odds that she¡¯d be offended by my offer and trash the reserve. I pinged a message to the Gym trainers to return all the pokemon that were too weak before checking that none of the pokemon we stabled for our trainers were out and about. This caused one trainer to approach and ask why, which had me grimacing. ¡°I¡¯m going to do something a bit risky. Tell me, you¡¯ve been on the roster for looking over the stabled pokemon. Has Empress, the new Tyranitar sheltering here, ever threatened or approached them?¡± I waved my hand about, ¡°Looking to eat them?¡± The trainer shook their head. ¡°No, she¡¯s observed them, but we keep the stabled pokemon in a segregated paddock. Only time we pull them out is for the twice a week training that we have mandated.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°And she respected the paddock fence like the rest of our pokemon do? She hasn¡¯t tried to walk up to it at all?¡± The trainer nodded, and I could only frown. This didn¡¯t make sense. She was respecting other pokemon that were around, but she went to snack on a caterpie? It had been fairly distant from its¡­ person? Hmmm, then again they had said it was a wild caterpie¡­ How would she know that? Did she smell it on the Caterpie? Was there some markings or feel to its aura that changed when it became captured? Wasn¡¯t she a wild Tyranitar? Certain behaviours weren¡¯t adding up. ¡°Should I call Jackson and Dennis back? They left already, sir,¡± said the trainer nervously. I shook my head. ¡°I think I can handle her.¡± I¡¯d just need Bertha to¡­ I reconsidered that. I didn¡¯t want to come in and threaten her or put her on the back foot. I needed to be able to talk with her. I sent off another message, and a moment later, Sabrina appeared next to me. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good; today¡¯s been an interesting day for me.¡± I rubbed my jaw in thought. ¡°I was thinking of doing something and¡ª¡± ¡°And you realised how risky it would be, so you thought it a good idea for me to be with you, Sabrina spoke over me. I coughed and nodded. ¡°Yeah pretty much.¡± She nodded seriously and levitated above me. She patted my head. ¡°Good.¡± She seemed all too amused and pleased, like I was a well-trained Growlithe that had just followed her training without prompting. I bristled slightly before snorting. ¡°You didn¡¯t even hear what I was planning, though. How can you call it risky already?¡± She raised a dubious eyebrow, and I dropped my head. ¡°Yeah, alright, there''s a bit of risk.¡± She continued to stare at me, and I sighed. ¡°Alright, a fair amount!¡± She nodded. ¡°Excellent. Admitting you have a problem is one of the first steps, according to the books I have read. Tell me what you¡¯re going to do.¡± So I told her about offering Empress a place here permanently. How I was hoping to add a truly powerful pokemon to my roster. Sabrina pursed her lips in thought. ¡°That¡­ is not a terrible idea. Lance thought it was what you were going for eventually, and I thought you might end up seeing it that way, but I knew you didn¡¯t initially make the offer with this in mind.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, pleased she knew where I had been coming from. She nodded. ¡°Empress might still be hurting, and having her here might help. I would point out that she¡¯ll never be able to fight at anything beneath an Elite level; however, even then, I would be hesitant to use her as she is a wild pokemon. She will not lessen herself or hold back her punches.¡± I waved my hand back and forth. ¡°Yeah, about that, actually. I was thinking about it, and she¡¯s reacted a little too easily to being around other pokemon and people. She hasn¡¯t been as aggressive as I would have thought. Some of that is due to being fed regularly, I imagine. ¡°Also having Terra and Titan around to help her calm down, but she¡¯s too quick to pick up on certain things, like not eating her fellow pokemon. I hadn¡¯t considered it, but I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised to hear that she¡¯d tried. She¡¯s only tried it once, and on what was an uncaught caterpie.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°That is irregular behaviour.¡± She frowned. ¡°How long are Tyranitar known to live for?¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°They¡¯re known to live a fairly long time, honestly. They¡¯re thought to live upwards of two hundred years old.¡± ¡°Thought to?¡± I waved my hand back and forth again. ¡°The reports I have of them only have a few examples of them staying with a family line. So some of it is anecdotal. Documentation from before the war was rather lacking, especially in terms of scientific rigour. What is known is that if a trainer attempts to trade them or have another person, deemed unworthy by the Tyranitar, inherit them upon their passing, the Tyranitars are known to simply wander off after breaking their own pokeballs.¡± ¡°Hmmm interesting; this opens up another possibility,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Alright? I¡¯m all ears,¡± I replied. ¡°Brock, what happened to the Gym Leader of Pewter before Flint?¡± she asked. That pulled me up short. I scratched my chin. ¡°I¡¯m not sure? I think he was reported to have died during the war?¡± Sabrina nodded her head. ¡°Would Flint know this?¡± I inclined my head and gestured towards the house. Sabrina touched me, and a moment later we teleported into my kitchen, causing my family to gasp in shock. Flint flinched and knocked a few things around. I grimaced as pots and pans hit the floor. ¡°Oh goodness! Hello Brock! Sabrina! You startled me!¡± said Flint only to flinch as Billy and tilly upended their bowls, deciding to join in on the game. Sabrina caught their bowls and they clapped with delight. Sabrina¡¯s lips twitched upwards and I had a sneaking suspicion that she¡¯d teleported in deliberately. Suzie hopped off her stool and approached Sabrina before raising her hands up. Sabrina lifted her up to hold her against her hip without a hint of strain. I decided not to chide her and instead coughed. ¡°Can I ask you a question, Flint?¡± I said instead. ¡°Yeah! Sure thing Brock!¡± Flint said, suddenly much more upbeat and energetic. I made a circle in the air, indicating the building around us at large. ¡°The Pewter City Gym wasn¡¯t always ours; did you know the previous Gym Leader?¡± Flint blinked and sat back. ¡°You want to know about Brock?¡± he said. I blinked. ¡°Uhm what?¡± This was news to me. Flint coughed. ¡°Oh sorry! You were actually named after him. He was a great man! I¡¯m surprised more people didn¡¯t name their kids after him but¡­¡± Flint shrugged and shook his head. Salvadore and Yolanda turned their heads from their food. I could practically feel their stares as they drank in this new revelation of Flint¡¯s history. I rubbed my chin. ¡°I hadn¡¯t known his name was Brock¡­ what sort of pokemon did he have?¡± Flint grinned. ¡°Oh he had Steelix, Graveler, Pidgeot, Sandslash, and a Tyranitar!¡± He smiled widely at me as the others gasped in surprise. ¡°You certainly won a lot of praise from the community when they learned you¡¯d come back from the Silver Ranges with Titan. Everyone was thinking you were the next coming of him!¡± He laughed. ¡°They were sort of right, I suppose!¡± I nodded. ¡°Right... and with his passing, is it possible that his Tyranitar might have taken up a spot on top of the Silver Ranges?¡± Flint blinked slowly. When he spoke, he did so with careful deliberation. ¡°You think Empress, as you call her, is, or was, an old Gym Leader pokemon?¡± I nodded. ¡°Certain things, such as her willingness to allow people around her and the fact she has only tried to eat one pokemon in the entire time she¡¯s been with us, points to a certain level of¡­ domestication.¡± Flint rubbed his chin and nodded. ¡°That would make a lot of sense, but she¡¯s not Brock¡¯s, old Brock that is, pokemon. He had a male Tyranitar and it was confirmed to have fallen alongside him during one of the worst fights in Pewter city.¡± ¡°Ah, I hadn¡¯t seen any records of that,¡± I said. Flint inclined his head. ¡°Again¡­ the war isn¡¯t something that people like to talk about¡­ I know a lot of records got accidentally misplaced or worse, so people couldn¡¯t avenge fallen comrades when things settled down.¡± He stared off into the distance. What he¡¯d just said made me stop and reconsider my previous stance. I¡¯d always thought it was shortsighted and ridiculous that so many people didn¡¯t like talking about the war, but what if it had been a short-term measure to stop tensions from reigniting? Only it had become more by the time the next generation came around. It almost made sense after all. I nodded. ¡°Right, well, thanks for that. I had a suspicion about her but that seems to be a dead end.¡± Flint jolted, realising that he had lost himself in memory. ¡°Hmmm, what¡¯s that? Oh, yeah, no problem.¡± I ran a hand through Salvadore and Yolanda¡¯s hair before considering them. ¡°Hey, can you all make sure that the others stay inside? I¡¯m going to go talk to Empress and feel her out about sticking around on a more permanent basis.¡± Both of them perked up, but Salvadore grinned. ¡°That¡¯d be amazing! Then you could be like Lance! Able to throw down multiple powerhouse Tyranitar during a match! Ha!¡± I chuckled and rubbed his head again. ¡°Maybe, Let¡¯s not count our eggs before they hatch eh? I¡¯ll ask, politely,¡± I stressed before pointing at the ground. "Alright, you hold down the fort here, kids.¡± Yolanda turned to Sabrina. ¡°You¡¯ll look after him?¡± Sabrina inclined her head and Yolanda relaxed. I stuck my tongue out at her and huffed before walking around to where Empress liked to camp out in the early evening. I approached openly with my hands visible. Empress barely looked at me; instead, her eyes were turned towards the lights of Pewter city. ¡°Hey Empress,¡± I said to start things off. She glanced at me and grunted. She tilted her head and made an odd little noise before turning back to inspect the distant lights. I shuffled back and forth and glanced to the top of the plateau, where I could feel Sabrina¡¯s gaze boring into me. She was close enough to help if things went south, but not too close to threaten Empress. I swallowed my trepidation and decided to start talking. ¡°It¡¯s been almost a week since you first joined us here; I thought I¡¯d check in with you. How are you feeling?¡± Empress¡¯ claws dug into the ground, and she narrowed her eyes. ¡°Still raw, huh?¡± I said, adjusting my stance in case she felt like lashing out. I worked my jaw and considered how to go about this, I could lead her to water if I wanted to, drip feed her information and give it the right view to¡ª ¡°Tar! Ty!¡± she said, gesturing around at the other pokemon that were still out; all of them were part of my fourth badge challenge or greater. She pointed at a Lairon sparring with a Rhydon. She snorted dismissively before waving her hand in a sort of begrudging manner. I tilted my head. That sort of expression and gesture with Titan would mean¡­ ¡°You think the pokemon around here are pretty strong?¡± I said. She snorted dismissively and turned her head away only to chuff out a breath. Then she nodded slightly. I chuckled. ¡°Thanks, that means a lot from you, considering how strong you are.¡± I let a silence grow between us, once more wondering how I should approach this. What was the best way to do it? What could I stomach? I didn¡¯t want to manipulate her. Having a pokemon like Empress on my roster was a very large temptation. I shook my head and decided to work my way around to other topics that I should discuss first. ¡°Hey, about today with caterpie, thanks for not eating¡ª¡± ¡°Tyran, tar, tyran,¡± she said, shaking her head and huffing. She then glanced around as if looking for anyone else before turning to me and bowing her head slightly. ¡°Taaaaar,¡± she said with a soft croon that I knew meant she was remorseful of her actions. This was yet another confirmation that she must have at one point grown up with people to know to apologise. Sure, she¡¯d waited until it was supposedly just me and her, but she¡¯d still done it. That had implications. She was proud, but not too proud. ¡°Oh, uh, thanks for saying that. And don¡¯t let it bother you. That Caterpie hadn¡¯t yet been caught properly so it might have seemed like a wild pokemon.¡± She shot me a look that I couldn¡¯t quite understand. grunted and fell silent, her head rising and turning away once more. A thought occurred to me, and before I could stop myself, I blurted. ¡°You eat many caterpie before? Are they tasty?¡± Instead of being offended, she got a thoughtful look on her large, scaly face. She made a thoughtful growl and scratched under her chin. She then pinched two claws together and puffed a small flame out of her mouth. She grinned. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I stared and my mouth spoke up once more. ¡°You like them when they¡¯re charred?¡± Empress nodded, and I stared harder. The implications of that comment alone. She knew how to cook her food. Tyranitar¡¯s also couldn¡¯t learn Flamethrower naturally, and the only fire typed pokemon in the Silver Ranges would have been Rapidash, Magmar, Entei ¡ªpossibly¡ª, or Moltres. All of whom had specific reasons they wouldn¡¯t want to be caught close to a Tyranitar¡¯s hunting grounds or vice versa. Even the implication that she could learn from observations spoke of a highly intelligent mind that usually was only demonstrated in trained pokemon. ¡°Empress¡­ Were you a trainer¡¯s pokemon once upon a time?¡± I said. Empress sighed and stared far into the distance, her eyes not looking at anything but lost, much like Flint had been. She nodded after a while. ¡°Tar, Tar, Tyranit, tar, Tyran,¡± she started to say. Her words flowed out of her while she gestured. I got a vague understanding that she was speaking of a time long, long ago. I narrowed my eyes and considered what she¡¯d said. ¡°Long ago¡­ before you were a Tyranitar?¡± I asked. She nodded emphatically. ¡°Before you were a Pupitar?¡± She nodded again. ¡°You were a trainer¡¯s pokemon as a Larvitar?¡± I asked. She considered this for a moment before waggling her hand. ¡°You were¡­ you had a person that spent time with you?¡± She waggled her claws back and forth before glancing towards a rock face. She started scratching at it only for her claw to bite into the rockface too deeply and crumble it. Empress growled and clenched her claws, causing further damage. She exhaled deeply in a manner that had to be practised. She then started to trace a light picture that looked like it would take a long, long time to complete, with how detailed it was. ¡°Empress¡­ Would it be possible to ask a friend to link us psychically so you could explain what you¡¯re trying to say?¡± I asked. Empress paused in her carving. She didn¡¯t move beyond that for a long minute, during which I held my breath. Eventually, she nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call her over,¡± I said, pinging my transceiver. A moment later, Sabrina was at my side. ¡°Sabrina, this is Empress; Empress, this is Sabrina,¡± I said. ¡°You met back during our fight with that Moltres.¡± Empress straightened and considered us before nodding. ¡°Tar! Tyran!¡± she said, indicating us both and nodding in an approving manner. Sabrina shot me a look. ¡°She thinks we make a good couple,¡± I said. In reality, it had been something more like a good mate, but it was the same message in the end. I indicated Empress¡¯ head. ¡°Are you able to draw in your dark energy? Sabrina won¡¯t be able to link us otherwi¡ª¡± I started to say only for Empress to shuffle herself into Titan¡¯s meditative pose awkwardly. She fidgeted in a manner that let me know she was far from comfortable. ¡°You can just stand if you¡¯d prefer?¡± I suggested. She huffed in relief and stood back up, kicking her legs out as she did so. Huh, I had never thought how flexible Titan would have had to have been to be able to cross his legs. I pushed that thought aside and gestured to Sabrina. ¡°Alright, so we¡¯re going to withdraw our dark energy so Sabrina can let us view your memories.¡± Empress eyed her for a moment before lowering her head and allowing Sabrina to touch her temple. With her other hand, Sabrina reached out and touched my temple. A moment later, I wasn¡¯t standing in the reserve with them but rather in what appeared to be a hut. The wooden walls were rustic and rough, and dirt floors with a firepit indicated that it was an altogether rudimentary affair. The stretched skin hanging over the doorway kept the wind from blowing in. There was a table and even a basic hammock setup that was made of wooden sticks lashed together. Everything looked huge, like it was made for giants. Someone spoke, but the words were unintelligible, and I found my point of view toddling out of the hut. For a moment, light blinded me before the point of view shook itself, and a laugh made me look up to find a young girl smiling down at me. For a moment, I thought she looked a bit like Yolanda but then I started to note the differences. Her eyes were nothing like Yolanda¡¯s, her hair was dark, and her attire was rough¡ªmore fur and leather than the synthetic styles that Yolanda would wear. It put me in mind of the Hisuan style, but the fur that poked out around the edges didn¡¯t match. If anything, it looked sort of like that tribal style that the Pewter Museum had been displaying. The girl reached out, warbled something happily, and picked me up. I found myself oddly happy at the gesture, and a cry broke out of my lips. ¡°Tar! Larvitar!¡± Ah, so this was what it was like to be in a pokemon¡¯s memories. I looked around and was surprised to find that there was an entire village atop a mountain that was all too familiar. Another shout had the girl turning and jogging towards a larger hut that she quickly entered. The girl bowed to an older woman and then marched down a tunnel that led to a cavern with a large mural that was also familiar. This had been Empress¡¯ nest! The memory faded then, and I found myself blinking, suddenly back in the reserve with Sabrina stumbling and Empress snorting and shaking her head. I reached out and caught Sabrina. ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± Sabrina rubbed her head. ¡°No, Empress lost control of emotions at the sight of the mural and her dark energy spiked and ejected me.¡± she eyed me. ¡°Are you not¡­ no dark energy wouldn¡¯t have hurt you.¡± I rubbed her temples gently. ¡°No, it didn¡¯t hurt me at all. It merely disoriented me.¡± I eyed her. ¡°Still hurts?¡± She nodded and pushed herself into my hands. I chuckled and continued to massage her head. I turned my head towards Empress, who was shaking her head. ¡°You were a pokemon that lived with the tribe that lived in the mountains?¡± Empress stopped shaking her head and looked at me. She nodded her head. I whistled. ¡°So you¡¯ve been in those mountains a long time?¡± She considered me with narrowed eyes. Sabrina tapped me on the cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t call her old; she¡¯s not that old; the impression I got was that her memory was not that long ago¡ªpre-war yes, but not ancient.¡± ¡°But the tribal village I saw was said to be ancient,¡± I pointed out. Empress tilted her head in a confused manner. I huffed and scratched my head, considering Empress. ¡°Any chance you could tell us why the tribe left?¡± She made a twitching gesture that had me tilting my head. I glanced at Sabrina, and she shook her head. Empress shifted testily and lowered her head once again. Sabrina linked us once again, and I found myself falling into a memory. Fire, so much fire. In the skies above the burning village a Dragonite pack flew overhead, only for a roar to echo from Mt Silver and a very different pokemon to emerge. Bodies lay about the village. I had a moment to recognise a Moltres erupting from the mountain. The memory vanished once again. Sabrina stood to the side, lowering her hand. I put my own hand on her shoulder. ¡°You alright?¡± She nodded. ¡°She didn¡¯t want to go any further and raised her energy much slower this time.¡± Empress looked to the side, her pride no longer there. I felt like I had more questions than before. What had the pack of Dragonite been doing there? Wild Dragonite were only down near Vermilion, not in¡­ Unless they weren¡¯t wild Draognites but rather trained pokemon. I¡¯d come to Empress to try and make sense, but I found myself with more questions than I had started with. ¡°So, you were that girl¡¯s pokemon I take it then?¡± Empress nodded her head. I sighed and kept myself from slumping. ¡°So you set up your nest, waiting for her to come back?¡± I said. I was reasoning out her history. So, she¡¯d been part of a tribe that probably didn¡¯t use pokeballs/ Sort of like Fiore. And they¡¯d come into conflict with the Blackthorn clan. Empress frowned and tilted her head. She eventually shook her head. Instead she reached up and traced a line down her cheek. ¡°Crying?¡± I said. She made a so-so gesture. Sabrina put a hand on Empress¡¯ body and looked up at her. ¡°The girl didn¡¯t make it, Brock.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said. ¡°So she stayed there because¡­?¡± ¡°It was safe at first, I imagine; she would have struggled at first, but then she would have grown strong.¡± Sabrina rubbed the Empress¡¯s body lightly. ¡°She remembers the girl sometimes.¡± She stared up as Empress turned her head. ¡°She remembered the girl when a young boy asked her for her son.¡± I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. ¡°Oh, well.¡± I paused when I realised Empress was also looking away sheepishly. We caught each other¡¯s eyes and I chuckled. She gave a hesitant smile of her own and relaxed. I shook myself. ¡°Right, well, that answered a few questions. I wanted to check in with you honestly. You¡¯re happy here, yes?¡± Empress glanced around and considered the reserve, the various pokemon about, and the view. She slowly nodded. ¡°Tar,¡± she said, allowing a small smile to show on her scaley face. ¡°Right, well, if you want, you can stay here; I have no issues housing you, but I also wanted to offer another idea I had.¡± Empress glanced at me; her eyes locked on mine. I held her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m looking to go into some serious fights in the future. Fights at least as serious as we were against Moltres.¡± That got her nostrils flaring. ¡°I won¡¯t be going against Moltres, but there is almost a guaranteed chance of my having to face the pokemon that caused Moltres to awaken like it did.¡± She growled and jerked her head. ¡°Tar!¡± ¡°We learned that its name is Mewtwo, and it is a pokemon that a criminal organisation used to raid the Silver Ranges. They also did what they did to get to me. They knew I¡¯d come up to check on you and used that,¡± I said. Sabrina blinked in surprise, and I realised I¡¯d let slip Mewtwo¡¯s name. Had I told her before this? Sabrina merely nodded, accepting the information. I mentally felt like I¡¯d dodged an interrogation. Empress frowned and considered that. She then gestured from me to her. I nodded. ¡°Now, I could ask you to stay here, and you¡¯d be great as a threat deterrent. You¡¯d ward off many of the threats that might come after me, but I want more.¡± I clenched my fist. ¡°I need more if I¡¯m going to face down Mewtwo.¡± I stretched out my hand to her. ¡°Empress, I want you to join my team, work with me, and help me punish Team Rocket for what they¡¯ve done.¡± I locked eyes with her. ¡°If you join me there are chances I will need to give you orders, orders that you will follow. This would mean you¡¯d need to train with me and my team.¡± I kept my hand outstretched. ¡°Will you join me?¡± She stepped forward and loomed over me. Then she reached out with her claws and wrapped them around my hand. ¡°Tyranitar,¡± she said firmly. Sabrina smiled. "Congratulations to both of you,¡± she said. She stepped closer. ¡°Empress, my name is Sabrina, Brock¡¯s girlfriend. I look forward to training with you sometime in the future, and my pokemon will also be training with you. My pokemon will enjoy testing themselves against you.¡± Empress blinked at this before giving a wide, fanged grin at Sabrina. ¡°Tar!¡± she said, accepting the future challenge. I grinned and patted her on the chest. ¡°Alright, well, we train before the sun rises, usually. Titan is the leader in this. You come out tomorrow and join us, and we¡¯ll start from there.¡± I grinned up at her. ¡°It¡¯s going to be funny watching you work with him. Mother and son, neh?¡± Empress nodded, a pleased expression on her face. She then gave me a considering look. With a single claw she reached up and flicked a sharp edge into one of her joints. A red line appeared a moment later and I blinked only to stiffen when she reached out and traced a line of blood straight across my cheeks and nose. She then flicked the blood off, spraying me. ¡°Uhm? Thank you?¡± I said, uncertainly. Empress clapped me on the shoulders and waved her claws around my head in a circle. ¡°Tar!¡± she barked before nodding once more. She lowered her head and licked me on the forehead. She then turned and marched off. Sabrina inspected my face. ¡°It seems she has accepted joining your team, and decided to adopt you in turn.¡± ¡°So it would seem.¡± I touched my now very wet face. ¡°Does it look as bad as it feels?¡± Sabrina considered me seriously. ¡°You have the biggest Miltank lick with how your hair is sticking up... and I¡¯m not kissing you until you sanitise your face.¡± I snorted and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± I trundled back home, only to find my family waiting for me in the lounge. ¡°Are you wearing make up?¡± Suzie asked, even as Flint blanched at the blood on my face. ¡°No, Empress did something symbolic to show she accepted me. Hang on- I need to change clothes and clean myself off.¡± I got changed and then returned once I was clean. The kids hounded me about how it went and I told them she¡¯d accepted but that it was a secret they weren¡¯t to share around. Tilly and Billy giggled as they made shushing gestures at each other. Timmy then announced that he wanted story time, much to my other siblings ire. I decided to tell them their bedtime story in the lounge room. ¡°Hooray!¡± shouted Suzie. ¡°Munchlax!¡± cheered Munchlax. Everyone got comfortable with Eevee claiming Yolanda¡¯s lap while Nanny Grav handed out hot chocolate. I rubbed my chin and considered what story to tell them. I smiled. ¡°Long ago¡­ there was a little Larvitar,¡± I said to start things off. Terra perked up and the kids became spellbound as I told them the story of Empress. The next morning, I got to enjoy watching the moment when Titan noticed his mother had joined us. He shifted nervously and approached her subtly. My ears twitched as they broke into a discussion, only to break apart. Titan stepped up to me and stared at me with the most betrayed expression. I was confused until I noticed the other pokemon were snickering to themselves. Yolanda had to break off as she burst into giggles at the by-play. I shrugged. ¡°Sorry buddy, she¡¯s strong, so I made an offer. She¡¯ll make a great addition to the team.¡± I shot him a look. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about having to order her about, don¡¯t be; I need to work on her with regards to that before anything else.¡± Titan huffed and I got the feeling I¡¯d missed the point of what was annoying him. He shook it off however and instead considered his mother as she copied Bertha doing some stretches. Titan nodded slowly, a conflicted look on his face. He then leaned in. ¡°Ty? Ranitar?¡± he said, flicking a claw from himself to her. I considered him. ¡°Who¡¯s stronger?¡± He nodded seriously. I snorted. ¡°It¡¯d be close, but I think you¡¯d beat her in a straight match, but don¡¯t discount her. I imagine she¡¯s got more than a few tricks up her sleeve. Out of anyone, Bertha is the most at risk of losing her spot as second strongest,¡± I said, pitching my voice so that Bertha heard me. Bertha paused in her stretch and looked over at Empress. Her grin widened, and she pumped her fist in mock threat. I snorted, it seemed if anything, Bertha welcomed the challenge. Empress straightened up and then looked from Bertha to Titan. She barked something, and Bertha blinked before waving her hand back and forth before laughing. Titan looked like he wanted to crawl off and hide. I hummed. ¡°Did she just say that she¡¯d test Bertha as a worthy mate for you?¡± Titan nodded, his face in his hands. I chuckled. "Well, I''m sorry that I didn¡¯t consider the team dynamic before I made the offer.¡± Titan sighed and shoved me before barking out an order and having everyone fall in for the morning run. I took off with them, tapping Empress as I passed her. ¡°Yolanda, catch up!¡± I called to my sister, causing her to run after me. When the warm-up was done I grinned. ¡°Alright! Yolanda, let Terra down, we¡¯re going to work through Simon says! Empress! Follow along; this is part of the training to get used to commands that might be given.¡± Yolanda gaped. ¡°Brock! She¡¯s a fully evolved pokemon! You can¡¯t play Simon says with her!¡± I grinned. ¡°It¡¯s one of the basic drills, but that just makes it all the more important.¡± I nodded to Titan. ¡°Alright, start up the others.¡± Don, who¡¯d been nearby, laughed and shrieked at us in a jeering manner. Empress narrowed her eyes at what must have been a taunt. I grinned. Well, if Don was going to offer himself up like that I could start things off with an order that Empress certainly wouldn¡¯t mind following. ¡°Alright! Everyone! Simon says! Whip around like we¡¯re using Iron Tail to smack away a pest!¡± I spun on the spot and was amused to hear a dull thwack. When I turned back, Don was still sailing away, and Yolanda was gaping. Terra fell on her backside, giggling. Empress snorted, more than happy with herself. I grinned. Alright, one small step to having her follow my orders. It would take a while, but it would be so gloriously worth it to be able to use her in a high-end pokemon match. Or throwing her out against Will. That would be just desserts for that sneak. By the time the morning¡¯s training was over, I felt like I¡¯d made some significant progress with her. I tapped her on the side and pointed to the back wall of the Gym. ¡°I¡¯ll have the matches for the day projected there. Yolanda, you¡¯re on Gym duty today instead of school again, yeah?¡± She nodded ¡°Yup! No school for me this week!¡± "Huh,¡± I said, getting an idea. ¡°I think I want you to sit down with me later when Will fights against the Cerulean sisters. Lots of people are writing them off, and while I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll win, I think we might learn something if we watch the fight.¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± she said enthusiastically. I grinned. ¡°We might as well set up the back screen for us to watch it with my Elite Team¡­¡± ¡°Oh! I like that!¡± Yolanda said. ¡°Nice,¡± I said before considering something else she could do. "Also, do you think you¡¯d be alright with no gym battles for today?¡± At her curious expression, I elaborated. ¡°I want you to sit with Empress and explain what we do and why certain moves are good or bad. Also, explain to her what we¡¯re doing; I don¡¯t want her to think I¡¯m weak with how some of these matches will go.¡± Yolanda nodded seriously. ¡°I can do that Brock!¡± she said, turning to start talking with Empress. I chuckled and wrapped an arm around her. ¡°After breakfast, little sister, after breakfast.¡± I walked with her back to breakfast, feeling much more upbeat about the future that was to come. While I didn¡¯t think the Cerulean sisters match would amount to much, that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t keep the motivation high in my team. If anything, seeing Will fight would motivate them further. Chapter 144 - Aquatic showdown The next day, I set up a few lounging chairs in the reserve along with a picnic basket. Yolanda deposited a few blankets and put Terra down next to Empress. Will¡¯s next match ¡®on his circuit¡¯ was about to start, and I had just about finished setting things up. ¡°Brock, do you think we packed enough snacks?¡± said Suzie from within a very fluffy-looking Flareon onesie. My family had heard I was going to watch the next match with Yolanda in the reserve. They¡¯d taken that to mean that it was ¡®family time¡¯ and that they were therefore invited. I considered the picnic basket and nodded seriously. ¡°I think we¡¯ll be alright. Munchlax will just have to eat vegetables, or else he''ll make the other pokemon envious.¡± Suzie reached over and pat Munchlax on the head as the gutsy pokemon sighed sadly. A ping on my transceiver had me glancing at it. I¡¯d been expecting Sabrina to come around soon and was anticipating her message, only to blink in surprise when a message from Surge was shown. I called him, and his boisterous face appeared on the screen. ¡°Heyo Brock! Thought I¡¯d check in on you again! How¡¯s it hanging!¡± My eyes twitched. If I wasn¡¯t in front of my family, I''d give him the crude response he desired. Instead, I settled for a simple, ¡°Oh, alright, I suppose; I¡¯m with my family.¡± I hurriedly added, ¡°We¡¯re about to watch the Cerulean Gym match.¡± Surge made a face. ¡°Urgh, don¡¯t know why you¡¯d want to watch that! Those girls are going to get stomped.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Might pick something up from watching Will, though.¡± Surge snorted derisively. ¡°Please! I got more of that asshole¡¯s style and tactics from watching his match with you. That whole thing was FUBAR I tell you! I think he had to be pulling at least three sly ones on the down low!¡± I nodded and considered how to respond. Something must have shown on my face, or my silence was too suspicious, as Surge¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You know something! What? Did you catch him in the act?¡± I grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ve raised it with Lance, but there were a few details that stood out to me as being wrong.¡± ¡°Come on, man! Don¡¯t hold out on me! How much of a slippery Ekans is this asshole?¡± Surge said. I sighed and sat down, relaying to him the evidence I had given Lance. When I was done, Surge¡¯s expression was thunderous. ¡°Yeah, alright; he¡¯s an Arbok with a mean streak, raised by a group of Muk! Damn! And little Daisy is going to try to fight him? Poor girl doesn¡¯t stand a chance!¡± ¡°Daisy is the one who¡¯s going to fight him?¡± I said. ¡°I thought they hadn¡¯t announced it yet?¡± Surge huffed. ¡°She¡¯s the eldest, and she might be ditzy as hell, but she¡¯s got heart. She won¡¯t let her younger sisters take the beating that¡¯s coming her way. That and she likes to think she¡¯s chivalrous; it¡¯s why she dresses like the prince in their little shows.¡± I stared at the transceiver. ¡°How do you know she does that?¡± Surge smirked. ¡°Their little shows are some fantastic first date options for me and the ladies. Gets them all wet! If you get me! Hahaha!¡± He guffawed at his joke as I rolled my eyes. He settled down and nodded. "Right, well, I¡¯m gonna hitch a ride over to yours. Been meaning to talk to you face to face like. I¡¯ll join you and your family in watching the match!¡± he said casually. ¡°Tell Cadet Tommy I want to see his best salute!¡± he shouted before signing off. I glanced up at Tommy, who was bouncing in place while his twin, Cindy, groaned in annoyance, only to gain a sly expression as she sprinted into the house. When she returned, she did so with a jar. When Surge walked around the side entrance with Alexa, with whom he was blatantly flirting, Tommy leapt to his feet. ¡°Sir!¡± His arm shot up into a childish salute. Surge turned away from Alexa and adopted a serious expression as he looked over Tommy, like this was a parade ground rather than my backyard. ¡°Hmmm good pose, nice straight spine, but when an officer comes around, you go into the standing pose unless there¡¯s a reason to salute, not before!¡± He stepped to one side. ¡°At ease!¡± he barked before nodding as Tommy copied him. Flint, who¡¯d been standing and watching this with a stiff expression, twitched. Surge raised a finger to make a point. ¡°Remember! Salute the man, not the rank; anyone who says otherwise is full of shit!¡± ¡°Swearjar!¡± shouted Cindy gleefully as she held out the jar that she¡¯d run into the house for. She¡¯d been waiting to ambush Surge with this. ¡°Feh! In the army, there¡¯s never enough swearing!¡± he said only for Cindy to thrust the swear jar in his direction adamantly. He sniffed. ¡°I suppose as an officer, I should set an example for the troops,¡± he said. He handed Tommy a ten-pokedollar note. ¡°As an officer, I don¡¯t handle dealing with civies. Cadet, pay the woman!¡± he said. Tommy nodded, drew out his wallet, put the note into it, and pulled out a pokedollar. He then shamelessly deposited it into the swear jar on Surge¡¯s behalf. Everyone collectively blinked. Then Surge howled with laughter. ¡°Hahahahaha! That¡¯s a good one! Nice going, recruit! That¡¯s the sort of slippery thinking that¡¯ll see you doing well in the corps!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d rather you not promote the military as a lifestyle choice to him, Surge,¡± Flint said tersely. He shot me an angry look, and I raised an imperious eyebrow. I could see where he was coming from, but he hadn¡¯t been here to help me get through the hurdles of being a Gym Leader. Surge was. Surge rubbed a thumb over his nose. ¡°Yeah? That so? First, I¡¯ve been told not to,¡± he said casually, looming by dint of his unusually tall frame. He eyed Flint, and a glint entered his eyes. ¡°Private Flint, right? You were a reservist, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I made corporal before the end of the war.¡± Some of the kids watched this back and forth curiously. For a few years, Surge had been like a well-meaning uncle who got too rambunctious. To see him and Flint talking like this was probably strange. I, personally, was finding it a bit too cathartic to stop. If anything, Surge was being downright polite. Flint shook his head. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t matter. I just go by Flint now,¡± Flint said, locking eyes with Surge. Surge nodded slowly. ¡°Right, right. We never really got to talk. I¡¯m Lieutenant Surge, Gym Leader from Vermilion. Never did get to meet face to face did we?¡± ¡°No, there was one video link meeting before Brock took over.¡± ¡°Hmmm, yeah¡­ took over, that¡¯s one way to put it. Reckon we should talk about that one day.¡± Surge flicked his eyes around and recognised how many small, curious eyes were watching him. ¡°Just you and me in a bar, yeah?¡± ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re going to say,¡± said Flint, his jaw tightening. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure you do, but it¡¯s worth saying out loud,¡± said Surge. I felt a rush of gratitude toward the taller man. Somehow, for all his rough edges, Surge was a good man. Flint nodded tightly, and Surge relaxed. He glanced around and winked at the kids before turning back. ¡°Dismissed!¡± he said to Tommy, who turned and played at marching off to the side for three steps. Then he raised his hands and ran around. ¡°Woob woob woob!¡± said Tommy, running back around Surge. ¡°I got ten pokedollars!¡± he said tauntingly to Cindy, who gave chase. ¡°Not for long you don¡¯t! That was supposed to be mine!¡± she shouted. I snorted, and Surge grinned. ¡°Cute kid!¡± He winked at Alexa. ¡°Feel like making an honest man out of me and making a few of our own?¡± Alexa snorted. ¡°That¡¯s not the worst pickup line I''ve heard, but it is far from the best.¡± She turned, waved a hand over her shoulder and walked away. Surge watched her go. He turned back with a satisfied expression. ¡°I hate to see them¡­¡± He paused suddenly, his eyes widening dramatically. ¡°Brock¡­ do you got two Tyranitar or is the beer I drank earlier off?¡± I glanced behind the chairs to find Empress and Titan standing behind us, watching the big screen we had set up earlier. ¡°No, she¡¯s joined my team. Surge, this is Empress.¡± Surge whistled as Empress inspected him before turning her head away. ¡°Daaaaaaamn! Now you¡¯re talking! You¡¯re gonna flex on Lance hard when you make your run for Champion!¡± I snorted, and he shot me a look. ¡°Oh come on! You¡¯d be great at it!¡± I waved a hand at him and rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m good here.¡± ¡°Urgh! Greatness is going begging, man!¡± he said with a shake of his head. I waved for him to take a seat, and he did so, but not before reaching into a bag he had at his side and pulling out a can of beer. He cracked it and chugged it. ¡°Ah! Nice cold one fresh out the cooler!¡± He raised his drink in my direction. ¡°You want one?¡± I waved him away, amused. Flint scowled at him and opened his mouth, only to close it and slump a little. Surge noticed and considered Flint. ¡°You want?¡± Flint shook his head. ¡°I think I should abstain going forward. Need to stay on the ball with the kids.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Surge said, before grunting and finishing his beer in a few chugs. He glanced around. ¡°You got a Steel type that¡¯ll recycle these?¡± ¡°Lairon!¡± I shouted. When Knight whined, I shot him a look. ¡°No, I¡¯m not feeding you beer cans. You¡¯re one of my Elite pokemon. None of that for you!¡± ¡°He¡¯s big enough, ain¡¯t he?¡± said Surge as he cracked open another beer. I shook my head. ¡°He¡¯s actually younger than Lairon. He¡¯s very much still a juvenile for his species; still growing.¡± ¡°Hmmm, righto then.¡± Surge tossed his crushed beer can into the waiting maw of Lairon. To console Knight, I handed him some metal offcuts I got from the foundry, which I used for snacks for him. When the actual match started, I was interested to see Daisy square off against Will. I felt a spike of anger at seeing him flounce around. ¡°What pokemon do you think he will lead with?¡± I offered up. Surge eyed Will with narrowed eyes. ¡°If his Exeggutor was in fighting shape, I¡¯d be shocked. It got pretty bodied against you. Also, the way he blew it up will have it feeling pretty rough. Not sure he¡¯ll even get the chance to use it against me.¡± ¡°Hmmm, good,¡± I said, happy to hear that it had cost him. Most of my pokemon had almost been up and about the next day. ¡°Which pokemon will he use then?¡± said Yolanda thoughtfully, a notepad out. ¡°Hypno or Espeon?¡± I offered. ¡°He¡¯d be the sort,¡± Surge grunted. ¡°But also a Slowbro, Xatu¡­¡± Surge scratched his chin. ¡°Don¡¯t think a Gardevoir could stand him though.¡± ¡°Grumpig?¡± I replied. Surge snapped his fingers together. ¡°Oh! I know! He¡¯d have to have a Mr Mime! Those are creepy mothers they are!¡± I chuckled at his antics and watched as Daisy and Will stepped up to their podiums. I frowned when I noticed that the battlefield was the aquarium. ¡°How¡¯d they get the right to use that for the Ace challenge?¡± ¡°Will allowed it, the cocky son of a¡­¡± he flicked his eyes to Tommy, who was happily munching on some popcorn. ¡°¡ªB,¡± he said, finishing lamely. ¡°Who do you think is his strongest team on paper?¡± Salvadore asked. I leaned back in my chair. ¡°Alakazam for one,¡± I said. ¡°Then that Slowking; that had a lot of utility. Exeggcutor as well.¡± I waved three fingers in thought with pursed lips. ¡°I think that Jynx was a bit gimmicky with the Perish Song and Mean Look.¡± ¡°Medicham would be another,¡± Surge opined. ¡°It depends on how good his Espeon and Hypno are. They¡¯re both solid psychic types.¡± He glanced around. ¡°Speaking of psychic types, where¡¯s Sabrina?¡± I shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s training with Erika.¡± Surge chuckled. ¡°Ouch! She thinks he¡¯s going to beat me?¡± I shrugged again. ¡°Covering her bases,¡± I said. I knew Karen, Koga, Lucy, and Agatha were all patrolling Cerulean City looking for anything unusual. They¡¯d asked me to stay behind as I was too high profile and they wanted my pokemon to rest up some more. It had seemed like solid advice at the time. It still made me twitch in agitation. Even though I knew that nothing any of the Cerulean sisters could do would see them challenging Will, not unless they cheated. They just weren¡¯t serious battlers. A thought occurred to me. ¡°How come they accepted this match? I thought they didn¡¯t usually do Ace battles.¡± ¡°Probably felt like they had to. With you standing up, they had to at least make an attempt. If not, their little sister will inherit a gym looked down on by everyone,¡± Surge said before taking a slow sip. ¡°More than it is at the moment anyway. Some families have it tough, inheriting bad situations and all.¡± I glanced over and found him eying Flint. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s nice of them to do for Misty,¡± I said, deciding to not touch on the obvious dig at Flint. Surge perked up. ¡°You know her? She¡¯s a firecracker, that one! Little Forrest has found himself a good lass! She¡¯s got attitude!¡± He grinned. ¡°You know she stared down a giant Tentacruel and made it ink itself?¡± he said. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± asked Yolanda with a tilt of her head. Surge grinned and began to tell what sounded like an extremely exaggerated story of Misty facing down a giant Tentacruel. I snorted as my siblings ate the story up. I knew that wasn¡¯t the way it had gone down. Forrest had said as much after things had calmed down. Which reminded me. ¡°Thanks for getting down to Forrest like that while I was out of contact.¡± Flint stiffened. ¡°Yes! Thank you for doing that for our family, Surge.¡± He bowed his head, and Surge chuckled. ¡°Ain¡¯t no sweat off my back. It was damn interesting, is what it was.¡± We fell silent when the screen showed that the match was about to start. Daisy tossed out a Seaking and Will tossed out¡­ ¡°He¡¯s sending his Exeggutor again?!¡± shouted Surge. ¡°Or is he like Lance? Multiple of the same pokemon?¡± I eyed the fronds and shook my head. ¡°No; see the fronds. They¡¯re wilted and damaged. That¡¯s the same pokemon.¡± ¡°I call tauros shit!¡± Surge said. He handed off a pokedollar to the swear jar without missing a beat when Cindy offered it to him. ¡°No way he got that pokemon up to fighting fitness unless he poured a lot of money into it!¡± He shook his head before raising his hand up. ¡°Even then, it wouldn¡¯t be worth it!¡± I nodded. ¡°A sign of less depth than we thought?¡± I said, but I knew that didn¡¯t ring true. He¡¯d shown lots of pokemon, or at least the ability to fund other trainers to get an idea of my team. This didn¡¯t make sense¡­ unless. ¡°Hubris?¡± I suggested, watching as Will used a Leaf Storm to force Seaking under the surface of the water, only for the leaves to cut through the water. The Seaking went belly up and floated up to the surface, causing Daisy to pout and return her pokemon. ¡°Like, that was not what I was expecting from you for your first pokemon!¡± she said with a shake of her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go Dewgong!¡± she called sending out her next choice. A Dewgong with a pristine white coat appeared and swept its tail through the water. ¡°Gong!¡± it called out before it frowned seriously. ¡°Is that one of her show pokemon?¡± I asked. Surge nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad choice, though. Has a good Ice Beam but yeah¡­ it doesn¡¯t have¡­¡± Surge trailed off as Daisy had her pokemon perform a Blizzard that filled the arena. Exeggutor suddenly did not have anywhere near as stable a footing as previous. Will clicked his tongue and ordered a Psychic but it could only catch a few of the descending ice shards. ¡°Come on Daisy!¡± I shouted, pumping my fist, pleased to see Will getting some well-earned comeuppance for being so arrogant. ¡°Exeggutor! Use Rest!¡± he barked, causing all but one of the heads to fall asleep. ¡°Like, Encore!¡± ordered Daisy with a gleeful expression. I blinked, confused. Wait, that shouldn¡¯t work because¡­ I gaped when I saw the last head of the Exeggutor close its eyes and fall asleep. Surge spat his drink making it burst out of him like a geyser suddenly erupting. He wiped his mouth and gasped. ¡°Did Daisy just pull a slick move on him?!¡± he bellowed in surprise. ¡°Damn girl!¡± he said. I had to nod in approval as she pointed and winked at the Exeggutor. ¡°Like! Blizzard!¡± she said. This time the super-effective move rained down unopposed, and Exeggcutor was tossed into the water. It woke up due to the cold, but the Dewgong was already in the water. ¡°Like Ice Fang!¡± said Daisy with a weirdly fierce expression on the usually vapid girl¡¯s face. Her pokemon shot through the water and smashed into Exeggutor, causing it to shout in surprise before slumping. Will stared at this floating grass type for a long moment. Daisy did a happy dance. ¡°Wooh go me and Dewgong!¡± She then turned and waved to the crowd. ¡°And thanks Uncle! It worked a charm!¡± she said towards an extremely scarred man sitting next to Daisy¡¯s sisters. The girls waved exuberantly while the man merely glowered at the world harder. Will returned his pokemon and stared at it for a moment before glancing up and giving a bow to Daisy. ¡°I must apologise, my fair lady; I underestimated you!¡± Daisy waggled her finger. ¡°You could stand to do it more!¡± Will huffed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid I shall have to take this more seriously from now on. Go Hypno, use Thunder Punch!¡± he ordered. The fist surged into the water and sparked up as it hit the water. Dewgong took the hit and cried out in pain. I clicked my tongue. Ah, the other reason he would be fine with the aquarium staying out. It made it somewhat easier for her pokemon to be electrocuted. Daisy¡¯s Dewgong revealed itself to have something of a glass jaw as it went down with a single zap. ¡°That¡¯s a weak-ass Thunder Punch!¡± Surge said disparagingly. He handed Cindy another pokedollar. ¡°Still think that ass isn¡¯t a swear word,¡± he muttered, as he handed off another note. He then tossed his empty can over his shoulder towards Lairon, who happily munched on it. Daisy returned her pokemon and selected another pokemon. This one had red stickers all over it, and Daisy seemed reluctant to release it. She shifted from foot to foot. The camera zoomed in on her and picked up on her whispers to the pokeball. ¡°Pleasepleaseplease, pretty please be good for me! I need you to behave!¡± she said before winding back her arm and hurling out her next pokemon. The light of the released pokemon was bright, and it reshaped into a huge form. I whistled as what had to be one of the biggest Gyarados I¡¯d ever seen revealed itself. ¡°Wow, I never knew she had that sort of pokemon in her team. I assume it doesn¡¯t listen to her?¡± ¡°It¡¯s her gramp¡¯s pokemon; the old Admiral was a wily sort and very strong. He was able to raise that beast from one of the Magikarp of his original Gyarados in his later years; he passed it down, so I hear.¡± The Gyarados rose up and bellowed, causing the camera to shake at the noise being released. Gyarados turned to inspect Daisy who waved twitchily. ¡°H-hi Gyarados! We¡¯re fighting someone strong! You up for it?¡± she said. Before Gyarados could reply, Will snorted and snapped his fingers. ¡°Thunder Punch again.¡± The super effective move was once again punched into the water and sparked up. This time it arced up the large pokemon¡¯s tail and caused it to roar in shock. It snapped its head around from Daisy to lock eyes on Will. Daisy perked up and pumped her fist. ¡°Gyarados! Don¡¯t let them diss you! Use Crunch!¡± she said. Gyarados launched itself with a maw of glowing black energy. Will instantly realised he¡¯d miscalculated. ¡°Protect!¡± he said, causing his Hypno to cross his arms. Gyarados hit the platform that the Hypno was on and launched the platform up into the air. ¡°Dive down and surge up!¡± ordered Daisy. ¡°Hypno! Use Telekinesis to levitate yourself out of danger!¡± Will shouted to his now airborne pokemon as the Protect dropped aside. I noted that the hail was peppering it as it descended. Gyarados launched itself out of the water in an explosion of force, its fangs bared and eyes glinting with rage. Hypno just dodged the attack. And as it floated back down to another platform, Gyarados began to descend back into the water, and like a whale breaching, it caused a giant splash. ¡°Hypno return! Go Alakazam!¡± he said, sending out another pokemon. ¡°Another?¡± Surge said with a click of his tongue. I hummed in thought before shaking my head. ¡°No, that one is different. The moustache isn¡¯t as long, indicating it isn¡¯t as old.¡± Gyarados rounded on the Alakazam and both pokemon locked eyes. Daisy grabbed the podium to brace herself. ¡°Twister!¡± she shouted. Her Gyarados snorted before spinning on the spot and forming a giant funnel of water. People in the stands started to don raincoats. Will raised a hand and braced himself against the sudden hurricane being unleashed. ¡°Thunder Wave!¡± ordered Will causing a lash of electrical energy to shoot out from the Alakazam¡¯s spoons. It was mostly absorbed by the onrushing Twister but some got through to splash against Gyarados. It only seemed to further enrage the pokemon. The Twister slammed home, knocking Alakazam back, and causing it to go flying into a side wall. It shook itself off, however, and teleported back to another platform. Gyarados turned with a snarl. ¡°Gyarados! Use Dark Pulse!¡± ordered Daisy. Instead of doing that, Gyarados lunged with darkness-empowered fangs. ¡°Thunder Punch!¡± ordered Will, causing his pokemon to teleport underneath Gyarados and lunge upwards to throw a sparking fist of electricity into Gyarados¡¯ head. I grimaced as Gyarados thrashed about only to sway drunkenly, obviously affected by the two hits it had already taken. Daisy shifted from foot to foot as the hail started to stop falling. ¡°No! Gyarados I need you to listen to me!¡± she said plaintively. ¡°Use Hyper B¡ª¡± ¡°Psychic! Throw that pokemon out of the water!¡± Will ordered, causing his pokemon to glow with Psychic energy. Then Gyarados glowed as it was lifted despite its size and hurled out of the water like a giant angler had snagged the serpent and was pulling it ashore. It slammed into the side wall and cracked into the wall. Gyarados slumped after the hit, and Daisy matched it dejectedly. ¡°Urgh the girl has dropped her head, she¡¯s letting him get to her. She¡¯s lost her fighting spirit.¡± Surge shook his head and took another drink. ¡°This won¡¯t last long,¡± he said. He was proven right when Daisy¡¯s Starmie, Golduck, and Cloyster failed to last against Will¡¯s Alakazam or Hypno. Daisy slumped more with each defeat. Surge stood after it was all done and shook his head. ¡°Girl needs to stiffen her spine a bit. She was still in the fight.¡± ¡°Most of her pokemon weren¡¯t as strong as that Gyarados,¡± Yolanda pointed out carefully. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter; she could have had a freshly caught Legendary pokemon following him out, but it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. She wasn¡¯t in it. She¡¯d lost already, up here.¡± He tapped the side of his head. ¡°She stopped trying to find a way to win after she lost that Gyarados. You can¡¯t let that happen in battle; otherwise, you may as well have your grave already dug.¡± Flint coughed pointedly, and Surge blinked. ¡°What? They get what I mean!¡± he said waspishly. Suzie yawned. ¡°It¡¯s alright; Sabrina will beat him.¡± Surge huffed. ¡°You wound me, Suzie girl; you wound me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll live,¡± she said as she patted him on the leg and then offered him a hug goodnight. I rounded up the other kids and they gave Surge a hug before heading in with Flint. Surge bid his own goodbye and I waved him off. Then I turned to Empress. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± She warbled a tone, and I keyed up a replay. ¡°Right, so one of the best things that gets demonstrated here is the importance of following commands. See how Will exploited Gyarados for using Crunch? Daisy was actually right in calling out Dark Pulse instead of Crunch. By going for Crunch against a pokemon that can Teleport, he put himself in a weaker position.¡± Empress considered this while Titan nodded. Sanchez spoke up and waved his hand around, and I grinned. Good, my pokemon were talking about it. I glanced at my team of Elites, who had all stayed up to watch the match. I had to admit to feeling very pleased with myself. It was a loss for Daisy and the Cerulean Gym, but it was going to work out great for me. With Will¡¯s victory, the gleam in their eyes had returned. It was good to have a target in sight for them. I was proven right the next morning when my team put in a spirited training session where I could practically feel them getting stronger. Empress herself was extra attentive to my orders and seemed to accept them a bit easier as I had her hop and jump around, only to start unleashing some of the extremely potent moves she had learned during her years in the wild. I sent Daisy a message to congratulate her on her strong showing and she sent back a series of emojis that had me chuckling. ¡°Way too many winkie faces,¡± I said to myself as I shut it off and headed towards my first match of the day. With the next match of importance being Surge¡¯s match, I was going to be ready to help out the moment something went down. I¡¯d gotten confirmation that my challenge had been accepted by Gavin so now it was time to do a final check over before I selected my team. I¡¯d also need to have a team ready for this weekend when Will went against Surge. If Will tried to cheat against Surge, I¡¯d be ready to fall upon him like an avalanche.
Daisy shook hands with Will. He smiled charmingly at her, and for a moment she wondered what he looked like underneath that mask. The rest of him certainly looked attractive enough¡­ She shook herself. No, no, she wasn¡¯t going there. Will¡¯s lips twisted downward, and Daisy almost giggled. She stepped back a moment later as Jeffrey, her big, loveable guard dog of a gym trainer stepped in to put a delicate hand on her shoulder. He was such a knight in shining armour. "Alright, fuck off lad,¡± said Jeffery gruffly. Daisy pretended to swoon. Such a shame. If only he wasn¡¯t old enough to be her dad. It was like having a battle-scarred Arcanine of an uncle who looked and sounded fierce but was so soft when there was just family around. Sort of like her Gramps. Will¡¯s lips twisted into something ugly, and Daisy shook herself again, taking a step back. ¡°Thanks for the match,¡± she said, bowing her head. ¡°Good luck against the other gym leaders!¡± she said chirpily. She turned and waved to the reporters and fans still hanging around. Will¡¯s crowd of supporters were chanting his name, and Will waved to them magnanimously. ¡°Will! Will! Will!¡± ¡°Bad luck out there Daisy! We love you!¡± cried one voice during a break in the group''s chanting. Daisy perked up and beamed. She gave the crowd another wave and stepped forward to talk with the reporters. She held her smile and pretended to let all the thinly veiled insults slide off her. ¡°What were you thinking when you stuck to the aquarium set-up?¡± said one. ¡°Did you think it would give you a fighting chance?¡± sneered another. ¡°Did you, heh, forget how electricity works?¡± another said with a raised hand, as if that was enough to hide the laugh of derision. Daisy kept smiling. If she let herself cry, they¡¯d be like Sharpedo in bloody water. ¡°Oh! We just thought we¡¯d keep things the same, you know! Like, why change things around? This is our Gym, water battlefield and all!¡± she said, like she hadn¡¯t given it much thought. ¡°What were you thinking, bringing out that Gyarados? It obviously doesn¡¯t respect you!¡± said another. ¡°What were you going to do if it rampaged?¡± Daisy huffed and rolled her eyes exasperatedly. ¡°Like, I had it under control! Grampy¡¯s Gyarados was just grouchy to start things off. He¡¯s something of a heritage pokemon so he¡¯s got his quirks! He did great though!¡± Daisy felt her eyes sliding toward Jeffrey, who had been ready to step in if Gyarados hadn¡¯t been willing to listen to her. ¡°Challenger Will! That¡¯s two of the Gyms now; are you going to keep this up?¡± ¡°Of course! There¡¯s a wonderful symbolism in challenging in the order that I am! I know what people will be waiting for!¡± Will said with a charming smile. ¡°So Pewter or Cerulean? Which match did you prefer? The heart-wrenching struggle that ended in a draw? Or the one-sided match?¡± Daisy continued to hold her smile, although she felt like dropping it when Will glanced over at her appraisingly. She felt dirty as he smiled at her. ¡°Well, I have to say I preferred today¡¯s match. My dance partner in Pewter left something to be desired with how it all ended up going down.¡± Daisy held her smile and didn¡¯t snort in derision. It wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d be able to get away with; she¡¯d lost rather convincingly after all. When it was all said and done, she waved the crowd goodbye, sent Will off, and marched back to the private lounge. There, she found her family waiting for her. Violet had her boyfriend with her. Daisy collapsed into a chair with a long groan. ¡°Like, you all owe me big time for stepping up and fighting that guy!¡± she complained. Jeffrey approached with a bottle of sparkling water and a lemon slice. Daisy shot him an appreciative smile. Violet and Lily nodded. ¡°Yeah! Thanks big sis! That wasn¡¯t a match I wanted to undertake!¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you accept it though?¡± asked Violet¡¯s boyfriend. ¡°I thought Cerulean didn¡¯t take Ace Challengers, unlike the other gyms?¡± Daisy shrugged. ¡°I guess I just wanted us to be taken seriously. Jeffrey patted her on the shoulder. ¡°You did that lass, you got one of his pokemon which is a great showing.¡± Daisy smiled weakly, finished her drink, traded some verbal barbs with her sisters, prodded Violet¡¯s boyfriend for any hotties he knew, and then retired to bed. She sat on the edge and resisted the urge to curl up into a little ball. She instead keyed a number into her transceiver. Misty answered quickly. ¡°Hey¡­ Daisy¡­¡± said her little sister. Daisy almost called her out for sounding so hesitant. The tease was on her lips, but then Daisy remembered what Erika had said to her when she¡¯d mocked her sister the last time they¡¯d had tea together. Her sister wasn¡¯t like Lily and Violet. They were sisters, but that didn¡¯t mean she should treat Misty the same way. Misty was her own woman. ¡°Hey, Misty,¡± she said, allowing some of the tiredness to show. She wasn¡¯t a rookie trainer who would white out from having her team wrecked like that, but it still wasn¡¯t fun. Misty remained quiet for a long moment. ¡°Thanks for accepting that challenge,¡± she said eventually. ¡°Anytime little sis,¡± Daisy replied, flopping back onto her bed. She yawned. ¡°You still want the Gym after your journey¡¯s done, yeah? It¡¯s the least I can do to not give you a place people think is only a minor gym.¡± ¡°Y-yeah thanks. How¡¯d you¡­ I mean¡­¡± Misty started to say, only to rethink her words. Gosh, Misty was such an awkward Ponyta; she was still growing into her hooves, it seemed. Daisy knew she¡¯d be beautiful one day, but damn if she wasn¡¯t awkward right now. ¡°How¡¯d you get Gyarados to listen to you?¡± Misty said eventually. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been trying to work with him, getting him used to me¡­ I think I almost have him interested in doing a show with us. He doesn¡¯t want to be the bad guy, though, so I think I need to rewrite the script I had planned.¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re thinking of adding him to your show? Mum and Dad would have loved that,¡± Misty said. Daisy rubbed at her chest, where an old, familiar ache was. ¡°Yeah, yeah, they would have, and Grampa would have been all like, ¡®Urgh!¡¯ you know?¡± Misty giggled, and Daisy found herself enjoying the sound. She yawned again. ¡°Well, I have to admit I¡¯m pretty wiped.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah! Good night then!¡± ¡°Yeah, but before I go! Have you kissed him yet!?¡± asked Daisy with an amused lilt to her voice. ¡°Bwah! What sort of question is that? No! No, I have not! I mean, we¡¯re not like that!¡± ¡°Ooooooh, but you¡¯re thinking of it, aren¡¯t you?¡± said Daisy with a grin. ¡°Argh! Just! Go to sleep!¡± snarled Missy before she hung up. Daisy giggled before remembering she wasn¡¯t supposed to be teasing her sister. Oops. Oh well, she¡¯d get used to being nice to her eventually, or Misty would learn to tease back. Wouldn¡¯t that be a day? She thought, as sleep claimed her. Chapter 145 - Ace high My warm up was much faster today, but no one could blame me. Today was the next step in my plan to force Will¡¯s hand. I¡¯d been looking forward to this all week. When I¡¯d laid down the challenge against Gavin Glady, he hadn¡¯t been able to back down, not after what he¡¯d been saying. Will had the excuse of having already faced me. I couldn¡¯t drag him into another fight with how slippery he was being, but that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t drag others into a fight. I surveyed my pokemon as they ran through drills, eying them carefully. Judging if anyone was injured or nursing a wound they hadn¡¯t announced to me. ¡°Bertha, rest up! Knight, you come in as well! I want both of you for the fight today!¡± I then pointed at Selene and Titan. That would make up two more, with only two left over. I considered the rest of my pokemon. Don postured aggressively, and Shrek shifted back and forth. I glanced at Yolanda. ¡°Gavin is known for some of his electric, fire, and poison-type pokemon, yes?¡± She nodded her head, and I played with that thought. ¡°Zephyr,¡± I said, causing my Noctowl to hoot and hop forward. ¡°Zephyr?¡± Yolanda said as I walked through the rest of my pokemon. ¡°Yeah, Zephyr has a few moves that help mitigate Electric-type attacks and he has a great diversity of moves available to him.¡± Teddiursa raised his hands and growled in a display of strength. I snorted and patted him on the head. ¡°Not today buddy,¡± I said before shaking my head at Clefairy as well. I considered the water-type pokemon I had available, before eventually pointing to Shrek. ¡°Shrek, I want to bring you in again. You came in clutch last time, and I think you deserve some time in the sun. Everyone else? I want you to work hard and watch today¡¯s match-up as you will be cycled in soon.¡± Don shrieked in annoyance and flapped up before dive-bombing Shin. I¡¯d probably need to pull Don into line soon or give him a match he could sink his teeth into. The same was true of Shin. I considered the pokemon and my eyes paused on Empress. Hmmm¡­ she¡¯d do for now. ¡°Don! Stop harassing Shin, and I want you to do some harassment fighting against Empress. Empress, try not to hit him too hard.¡± I indicated the six pokemon I was going to use for today¡¯s Ace match. ¡°Light workout today.¡± Yolanda jogged along next to me. Cranidos, as he¡¯d started to do, tried to swipe out our ankles as we ran. Yolanda and I skipped over him or dodged him lightly. When it came time to stop, I caught him up and put him to the side. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that training!¡± I said firmly, before depositing him in front of Terra who snorted and smacked her hands together like she was a tiny sumo wrestler. ¡°Brock?¡± Yolanda said. ¡°Yah?¡± I replied as I had Clefairy use Gravity on Jormungandr and Sanchez, who were having to weave their way through an obstacle course. ¡°Why have you chosen those pokemon?¡± she asked. Indicating the six pokemon I had. I considered Yolanda for a long moment before shrugging. ¡°How about you tell me?¡± She shot me a highly unimpressed look, before chewing her lip. ¡°You don¡¯t really have to worry about fire-type pokemon thanks to the rock typing most of them share. Knight is perfect as a poison type counter if Gavin gets a Toxic Spikes move out or sets up any poison mist. ¡°Bertha, is a one-hit super-heavy pokemon that is one of your strongest but she also knows Surf, so she can take out some pokemon that won¡¯t expect it. You¡¯re looking to bait Gavin in with Zephyr. As for Titan, well¡­ He is your strongest pokemon by far.¡± ¡°Good reasoning,¡± I complimented. ¡°I¡¯m also taking into account that some of these pokemon need victories. I could probably sub Titan out for Tide without too much risk, but I need the safety of Titan to fall back on. Selene hasn¡¯t had many fights despite deserving them. She¡¯s been on the bench too long and merely had to watch others fight. She¡¯s who I¡¯m worried about the most, as if I didn¡¯t use her, she¡¯d be frustrated and taciturn with me.¡± ¡°Knight had a rough go of it against Will despite doing great against that Perish Song. Now I could have swapped Don out with Zephyr, as Zephyr isn¡¯t as proud, but it is also good to sometimes not give Don his way. Don, could have fought in the match against Will except for being injured when I went to Mt. Silver. He has only himself to blame for that, as I did not order him to pursue like he did. I instead needed to back him up and catch him.¡± Yolanda nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Right, that makes sense.¡± She then leaned down and scooped Terra off of Cranidos. Cranidos hopped to his feet and cried out in protest. ¡°Oh hush now!¡± she said before giving me a look. ¡°No fighting until you run around that rock!¡± she said, pointing to the rock that we ran around. Cranidos twitched his head around to the rock and then back before, narrowing his eyes. He lowered his head to charge Yolanda, only for Terra to laugh and hop out of Yolanda¡¯s hands, flattening Cranidos in the process. She then waddled quickly towards the rock, cheering her name the entire way. Cranidos shot upright and squawked indignantly, before charging past Terra and crowing smugly back at her, before faceplanting into the rock he was supposed to run around. I turned away. It looked like Yolanda had things well enough in hand. I instead worked through my pokemon and refreshed myself on what I could do with my pokemon. I paid special attention to working Selene through some tests. When she tried to show off with a Moonblast into a Teleport, I whistled. ¡°Woah, back off there, girl; I need you fresh for this fight. Don¡¯t tire yourself out like this, alright?¡± She nodded, and I chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s get you running some aura drills with Titan and Clefairy yeah?¡± Selene bobbed away to them and I turned my attention to Zephyr, who ran through a series of sweeps and dives with Steel Wing. ¡°I want you to do a corkscrew into the ground to finish off, make sure to stab your wings forward to bleed off momentum as well.¡± ¡°Noct!¡± barked Zephyr as his wings glowed once more, before he tucked himself into a tightly controlled yet still fast-twisting drop out of the sky. He landed facing the ¡®target¡¯ position I¡¯d assigned earlier, with his wings stabbed into the ground without a scratch on him. ¡°Hypno!¡± I barked, causing him to fire off a wave of Hypnosis at the rocks. ¡°Nice, let¡¯s call that there, Zephyr; after breakfast, head in to Chansey for a final checkup, and I¡¯ll collect you later!¡± He hooted happily and floated towards the rocks that other pokemon in the Elite team were hanging around. I glanced around and didn¡¯t see much of a need to continue training with anyone else, so I clapped my hands and signalled for Titan to lead a cool-down routine. Then I reached into a backpack and started distributing their food into bowls and plates with pictures of their faces. Empress still didn¡¯t seem sure what to make of this raised eating, but Teddiursa was quick to plonk himself down and practically bury his face into his food. ¡°Someone make sure he breathes between bites,¡± I said, causing Empress to lean forward and tug Teddiursa out of his food, where he gasped hugely, only to try and push his face into it again. ¡°Ty!¡± Empress barked at Teddiursa, causing him to curl up and whine at her, only for her to glare at him. He proceeded to use his hands instead of just throwing himself face-first into the food. With my team all fed, I waved for Yolanda to follow me on a jog around the perimeter. She frowned. ¡°Why are we doing this? You usually do it during the warm-up?¡± ¡°Good to shake things up and not get too into a routine, plus it¡¯s good training. Nice work with Cranidos, by the way. You¡¯re handling him well,¡± I complimented. ¡°Had to toughen up a bit,¡± she said, making a fist. ¡°Yeah, he can be hardheaded, can¡¯t he?¡± I said, grinning at her. Yolanda made a face and I chuckled as I led her back around for breakfast. From there, the morning was rather typical; with the gym taking on a handful of challengers, most of the trainers that I faced these days being so well versed in their pokemon that they could earn the Boulder Badge, and the few that couldn¡¯t? Well, they¡¯d either learn or continue to struggle. When it came time for the Ace match, the stands saw a surge of people filling them. When I walked up from the medical bay with my selected Elite team, more than a few season pass members waved at me. I paused to talk with them. ¡°Oh Brock, I have to admit this year¡¯s matches have truly been worth getting the season pass,¡± said one man, before sheepishly scratching his neck. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry to say that I¡¯ve used up my year¡¯s worth of free tickets, as well as my allotment for early access for purchasing. However, is there any chance I could top up my membership? What with the news that you¡¯re going to rise up the Ace rankings, I think I¡¯d like to come for a lot of those!¡± I tilted my head, considering him. I noticed that a good number of the people around him were also now paying close attention to what we were talking about. I eventually gave a slow nod. ¡°I think that could be arranged; I¡¯ll talk with my team and see what we can come up with.¡± The people listening in leaned back, and a murmur broke out as the rumour mill went to town spreading what I¡¯d just said. I was amused when I saw Granny Harridan stand from her seat and move to another elderly woman to loudly whisper what she¡¯d just learned. And like that, the news spread. I shook my head in amusement and strode up to the trainer area, where A.J. stood with his arms crossed, listening in on Missy explaining how the Ace circuit worked differently to some Gym trainers. I quickly jotted out a message to Rachel, Alexa, and Georgina about the idea of allowing an extension for more member priority options, so they would know about it before the rumour mill reached them. Rachel sent back a smiley face with her tongue out, which let me know that the grannies had gotten to her first. I merely huffed and ran my hands over my pokebelt, checking the position of each of my pokemon before relaxing. I selected my first pokemon and toyed with the Luxury ball. I settled back and let the noise of the crowd wash over me, while spinning the ball about in my hands. I knew what to expect with Gavin. He had some strong pokemon with power behind them, but also had some neat tricks that could trip me up. In a way, it would be somewhat like fighting against Will, but I liked to think I was ready for most of them. I doubted he would start things off with his Raichu. It was more likely that he¡¯d come with one of his water pokemon. Gyarados perhaps? Although after the showing Lance¡¯s Gyarados gave, I doubted anyone was going to be looking to repeat that against me. Then again¡­ people might think they had cracked the code. And it wasn¡¯t like I had Sanchez on the team. Not that Gavin would know that. The threat would be there, however. So chances were he¡¯d go with another pokemon. Tentacruel seemed to have good odds. Gavin had a history of enjoying setting up Toxic Spikes, so a poison pokemon would make sense, and out of all his pokemon Tentacruel would suit him the most. The lights began to flash, and I stood. I rolled my shoulders and stretched myself out. Then I clapped my hands together and pushed away all the thoughts of the world. Instead, I focused on the effort of will that came with pushing my left hand against my right. Then I released them, inhaling and enjoying the rush of air that came with the mental reset. I nodded and stepped up to the front of the trainer partition. Rachel went to work hyping up Gavin, but I could tell she wanted to do anything but. ¡°Here he comes,¡± I said to myself as Rachel finished introducing Gavin. The swarthy man swaggered out and grinned when he got boos and jeers. He seemed to feed off the negativity. I noted he¡¯d styled his hair into pointed tufts today, and he was wearing a leather jacket that made me think he rather looked like a Cueball style trainer from the games. That merely cemented the idea of him using a poison type pokemon first. I tucked the Luxury ball out of sight and crossed my arms, and the lights overhead boomed into life. ¡°And in this corner! Your Gym Leader and challenger for today! Please give it up, for Brock!¡± Rachel cried out. ¡°Show time,¡± I said, with a smile. The crowd responded like a well-oiled machine. The stomp-stomp clap rang out, and I held my position. People had mentioned how much they rather enjoyed the experience of being more than a lone voice and part of something greater, when this started each match. It might have been an accidental masterstroke to reintroduce the song, ¡±We Will Rock You!¡±, to the pokemon world. I held my position as the lights roamed the crowd, and that merely made them more enthusiastic. I grinned. Rachel was always finding new ways to make this memorable. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Once it seemed like the entire crowd had been lit up at least once the lights raced to my position and shone down on me. With the crowd making the stadium rock, I strode forward and locked eyes on Gavin. My grin grew when I saw him shift in place on his podium. That¡¯s right, you messed up, and now you¡¯re going to learn what that means. I performed my normal leap across the gap, and landed in the classic superhero pose as the crowd roared and the song that we¡¯d had a local band record for us faded. In the referee''s stand, Jackson stood tall and raised his flags to go through the usual Ace briefing. Within what felt like moments he gestured with his flags. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready!?¡± ¡°Ready!¡± ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± said Gavin and I. I locked eyes with him as my hand brought out Selene¡¯s Luxury ball. Gavin¡¯s eyes darted down. Ah, he was trying to read which pokemon I was going to send out first? I noted that he relaxed when his eyes fell on the necklace that prominently held Titan¡¯s Greatball. Hmmm, so he wasn¡¯t confident against Titan eh? I¡¯d have to show him that I had a lot more tricks up my sleeve. ¡°Begin upon the release of your pokemon!¡± Jackson ordered, dropping his flags. ¡°Go! King!¡± barked Gavin. ¡°Go! Selene!¡± I shouted, a heartbeat behind him. ¡°Lunatone!¡± On the field, Selene manifested and hovered upward with a trill. ¡°King! Nido!¡± roared ¡®King¡¯ the Nidoking that Gavin had released. I smirked. I¡¯d been right¡ªa good matchup straight out of the gates. ¡°Set One!¡± barked Gavin. Nidoking braced and began to unleash a barrage of poisonous spikes into the surrounding battlefield. ¡°Blast him!¡± I ordered. Selene¡¯s eyes glowed, and from the point of her arc, a beam of psychic energy was launched forth. ¡°Dig!¡± screamed Gavin, forcing his pokemon to abort the set up that he¡¯d tried for. Gavin had some solid forms but I had done enough research to know that ¡®set up one¡¯ was standard fair for him and his pokemon to poison the field, poison the opposing pokemon and then set up stalling options. Personally, I preferred his set up two which went for the opponent pokemon first. It was a sign of good training but at the same time, it was entirely too predictable for an opening move. And thus, I had Selene unleash a super effective Psybeam at his pokemon. King threw himself into a headfirst dive that saw the Psybeam missing, but I merely gestured down at the ground. ¡°Quake,¡± I said straight away. Selene crashed into the ground, like gravity had suddenly increased tenfold. Instead of her being injured, however, the ground underneath her buckled as an Earthquake was blasted out, rocking the field and causing Nidoking to be launched out of the Dig. Nidoking shook itself and staggered back onto his feet, but I could tell it had felt that move. ¡°Psychic!¡± I said, deciding to keep on the pressure. ¡°Throat Chop!¡± Gavin said. His pokemon raised its arms in front of itself, and dark energy emitted from its body, resulting in the Psychic failing to grasp or do any significant damage. I tilted my head, watching as Nidoking charged forth, arms glowing ominously. ¡°Approaching me, hmmm? Selene, you know what to do,¡± I said lazily. Selene began to glow; her eyes locked on the charging Nidoking. ¡°Got you!¡± Gavin shouted as King closed in on us, only to gasp when Selene vanished in a Teleport. ¡°What?!¡± he bellowed. ¡°Finish him,¡± I said. Selene unleashed another Psybeam from right next to Nidoking¡¯s blindspot, nailing the powerful pokemon and hurling it out of the fight. Gavin glared at me. ¡°I call interference! Lunatone don¡¯t learn Teleport!¡± Jackson nodded and raised a flag. ¡°Ace trainer Gavin has raised a claim of interference regarding Lunatone¡¯s Teleport.¡± Jackson indicated a hand in my direction. ¡°Sadly, I can confirm that Selene, aka, this Lunatone, is capable of Teleport. It has not been used publicly except for a friendly match against Lance that was witnessed by the Rangers!¡± Gavin¡¯s stunned face was far too enjoyable, and for a moment I felt my dark tendencies rearing up, as I delighted in the reveal of how skilled Selene was. ¡°She¡¯s got both skill and power,¡± I said proudly. Selene swivelled back and forth in delight, and I chuckled before turning to Jackson. ¡°I believe that grants me a move due to the disruption?¡± Gavin snorted. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s cheap when Will does it but not when you do it?¡± I leveled a dark look at Gavin, but instead of quivering, he jutted his chin. I held his gaze for a long moment before shaking my head. ¡°I can say we¡¯re nothing alike until the Miltank comes home, but it would never be enough for some people. Selene, Calm Mind, also Gavin your timer is ticking down,¡± I said, pointing to the clock that had reached twenty seconds for his next pokemon release. Selene trilled happily as a glow lit up around her once again, but this time she was buffing herself rather than attacking, or moving with Teleport. Gavin eyed her, and his hand slipped to another pokeball. ¡°Alright, if you want to play things that way!¡± Gavin said as he selected another pokeball. He hurled it out and released a large Arcanine that released a deep growl that rumbled forth like thunder. ¡°Speed!¡± Gavin ordered. ¡°Quake!¡± I responded instantly. Selene once again crashed into the ground, only for Arcanine to vanish in a blur as dust was kicked up. The battlefield rumbled with force, and I snapped my eyes around looking for a hint of the Arcanine before shooting my gaze up. There I found Arcanine at the zenith of its leap; it was right above Selene and I knew I didn¡¯t have enough time for another Teleport. ¡°Crunch!¡± Gavin howled as dark energy glowed around Arcanine¡¯s maw. I snapped my fingers up at the threat and responded with my best option. ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± I shouted. Selene tilted herself like an artillery cannon, still embedded in the ground. A large orb of energy formed at the tips of her crescent before unleashing it straight at the descending Arcanine. Arcanine, instead of catching my pokemon, was instead caught in the air and blown away. Arcnine slammed into a barrier in front of the stands, where the Hyper Beam continued to push against it. When it ceased blasting Arcanine, the powerful pokemon fell. I watched it fall and was stunned when it landed with a dull thump instead of landing on its feet. When Arcanine didn¡¯t stir, I leaned forward in concern. Had Gavin sent out a pokemon that weak against me? Gavin raised his pokeball and then I joined the crowd in exhaling in relief when the pokeball returned the pokemon. I eyed Selene who was hovering with a wobble. That had been a strong attack¡­ but that Arcanine shouldn¡¯t have been dropped just like that¡­ Had she gotten a critical hit? Nice. I decided to capitalise on the stunned disbelief. ¡°Nice shot Selene! Let¡¯s give the others a chance to shine!¡± I said loudly as I raised her Luxury ball to return her. The crowd responded with a wave of applause. I smirked as I put her back on my belt. That would have been the best result, given how things might have played out. She would have won herself some fans with that performance. I eyed Gavin, who seemed locked in hesitation. If I wanted to, I could wait him out and respond to his pokemon, due to his pokemon being returned first, but I had other options. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t send out Zephyr and bait Gavin as I wanted to; Gavin had gotten off a Toxic Spikes after all. ¡°Go! Knight!¡± I ordered. Knight landed, and with his appearance, Gavin inhaled in surprise before grinning. ¡°Go Rapidash!¡± he shouted, releasing the pokemon. The fiery horse snorted in disdain as it eyed Knight. Knight wasn¡¯t bothered by being looked down upon. Knight wasn¡¯t a pokemon with a lot of pride; he was a simple soul housed in a powerful frame, with an earnestness that made him strong. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said, causing Knight to lash out with his tail and hammer some slabs of earth straight at Rapidash. ¡°Dodge to the side and Inferno!¡± Gavin responded. Rapidash performed a small hop and then whipped its head, its mane flaring and unleashing a wave of fire that crossed the field quickly. ¡°Dig dip,¡± I said, resulting in Knight ducking under the wave of fire and evading the danger. As Knight rose up out of the ground, Rapidash, much like Arcanine, blurred in a sudden display of speed. It appeared behind Knight, leaning forward with its rear legs raised to unleash a kick that I knew would be devastating. ¡°Protect!¡± I barked. ¡°Low Kick!¡± Gavin said, only to glower as Knight raised a shield instantly as Gavin punched forward. ¡°Flamethrower!¡± he ordered. Rapidash hopped back a few metres to give itself some room as it inhaled. ¡°Sandstorm! Scrub the field¡± I shouted, causing Knight to raise a foot as his Protect dropped. The Sandstorm swept the field as sand roared to life. Rapidash suddenly had to back up and shake itself in the face of the grating winds. ¡°Blow it away with Inferno, commit!¡± said Gavin. His pokemon this time spun with its entire body, its mane and tail brightening as flame swept the field. ¡°Dig dip into Earthquake!¡± I said. I might not have damaged Rapidash much, but I trusted I¡¯d gotten rid of the Toxic Spikes with two Infernos and a Sandstorm scrubbing the field. The sand and fire died away, only for a rumble to shake the field as Knight erupted and slammed a fist into the ground. Instead of buckling in the face of the Earthquake, however, Rapidash reared up and began to dance on surprisingly deft feet. Gavin punched the air. ¡°That¡¯s the way! Use your training!¡± I had to admit I was impressed with how Rapidash was dancing. It was a down right hypnotising display of dancing, mixed with bucking to land that resulted in always having a stable point that allowed Rapidash to evade a lot of the damage. I played out a few options and decided I wanted to avoid letting this fight get stalled out as it had. ¡°Return!¡± I said, surprising many in the crowd and even Gavin as he blinked. He still had the presence of mind to order out a quick ¡°Agility!¡± to his pokemon as I selected another pokemon. ¡°Go Shrek!¡± I shouted, unleashing Shrek onto the field, where he landed with a thud and a loud ribbit. Gavin stared and looked around. He must have been expecting his Toxic spikes to do something, only to realise how I¡¯d negated the environmental threat earlier. He swore and raised his own pokeball, not willing to allow this match to play out apparently. ¡°Return Rapidash!¡± he growled. ¡°Bulk Up,¡± I said happily. Shrek flexed, and his muscles swelled up as Gavin selected his next pokemon. ¡°Go Gyarados!¡± he said, releasing a Gyarados that roared and had Shrek stepping back, only to step back with a loud ribbit as he refused to be intimidated by the threat display. I hummed. This might seem like a good idea for Gavin to send out a water type against another water type. Especially when compared to the fire type Rapidash. But he was making critical errors, especially when in my Gym. ¡°Rock Slide,¡± I said without missing a beat. Shrek dug his hands into the ground and then hurled rocks straight at the Gyarados. ¡°Hydro Pump,¡± said Gavin. His pokemon responded quickly and blasted the flying rocks out of the air. ¡°Hop to the side and repeat,¡± I said, more than happy to fire off another round of Rock Slide at the Flying type pokemon. ¡°Surf!¡± Gavin said. ¡°Surf,¡± I said with a shrug, more than happy to match him, Surf to Surf. Waves rose from each side of the battlefield before surging straight at each other. Both waves slammed into each other. Gyarados and Shrek became locked in close combat, with Gyarados curling itself around Shrek only for Shrek¡¯s fists to lash out. Despite the larger pokemon wrapping around my pokemon, I knew I had Gavin right where I wanted him as our pokemon slammed into the ground. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said. Shrek croaked, and his arm twisted out. He grabbed up a large fistful of rock and slammed it into Gyarados¡¯ side, causing it to roar out in pain. ¡°Again!¡± I said gleefully. Shrek repeated the action, and this time Gyarados went down. I looked up to find Gavin looking rather glum at how this match was turning out. He pursed his lips and returned his pokemon. Once again, I decided to match him with another return. This time, however, I whipped out a pokemon that had already been sent out. Selene reappeared, and she hovered up to her normal height, albeit a little slower than normal. ¡°Tch!¡± Gavin clicked his tongue. He raised a hand to his mouth, where he rubbed it worriedly in thought. I watched as he toyed with two pokeballs, his decision apparently not as clear as it had been moments before. ¡°Go Raichu!¡± he said with a tight expression. ¡°Quake,¡± I said, without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Raichu, much like Rapidash, responded quickly, its tail stabbing into the ground and allowing it to bounce through Earthquake. ¡°Extremespeed into Iron Tail!¡± Gavin ordered, as soon as the Earthquake ended. ¡°Protect!¡¯ I replied immediately. The Protect rose and caught that Iron Tail just as Raichu reappeared with its tail whipping around, instead of slamming into Selene. Selene locked eyes with the fast rodent, before it darted back and gained some room. ¡°Trip up!¡± I said as the Protect dropped away. Selene perked up and once again crashed into the ground. ¡°Avoid it!¡± Gavin said quickly, only for no Earthquake to appear. Instead, Selene¡¯s eyes glowed and energy surrounded Raichu. ¡°Chu!¡± the electric mouse pokemon cried out in surprise. Selene had no mercy for it, however, as she promptly slammed it into the ground like she was trying to nail it down. ¡°Use Thunder to get out of there!¡± Gavin ordered. ¡°Toss it through a boulder!¡± I said to Selene. She did just that, and Raichu continued to be hammered with Psychic, as Selene refused to let go. ¡°Raichu, hang in there buddy!¡± said Gavin imploringly. I shot him a look of disbelief. Had he almost sobbed just now? His Raichu tried to regather itself with another blast of lightning, only to crumple as it seemingly took too much damage. ¡°Raaaaaaai,¡± it whined, going limp in Selene¡¯s Psychic grasp. Selene paused and was about to let it go. I was about to allow it, but with my eyes locked on Gavin, I caught the smirk that appeared on his features. ¡°Hit it again, it¡¯s faking with Fake Tears,¡± I said. Selene paused in lowering the pokemon and Gavin gained an ¡®oh shit¡¯ expression. Raichu¡¯s head snapped up, and it tried to grab the ground only to be just out of reach. Selene¡¯s eyes glowed once more, and this time she slammed Raichu through a boulder with feeling. This time, Raichu went down. When Raichu fell, Gavin¡¯s shoulders slumped. He returned his pokemon and eyed me before raising a hand to the referee. ¡°I am going to concede; I haven¡¯t brought the right pokemon to match Brock today,¡± he said. I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He¡¯d only fought three of my pokemon! I still had tricks and plans to use! The crowd murmured in surprise at this while Jackson straightened up and raised a flag. ¡°Very well, this match will end at four to zero, with Ace Trainer Gavin conceding early.¡± He then gestured to me, declaring ¡°That means that Brock is the victor!¡± that got the crowd on their feet and cheering. Selene warbled her joy at this unexpected boon, and I laughed before waving her over to share in the crowd¡¯s praise. I lowered the podiums and turned, starting to walk over to Gavin. Gavin hurried forward quickly, his own hand raised. ¡°Guess you got me a good one, Gym Leader,¡± he said with a nod. Then he smiled, waved to the crowd,and walked away. I blinked in surprise, used to a much longer discussion post match with my opponents. Well, apart from Will that is. Sure I had called him out on his behaviour, but it didn¡¯t speak well of him that he¡¯d conceded so quickly. I eyed the score. Or had he been avoiding a total wipe with six to zero officially registered on his record? I shrugged and decided it didn¡¯t matter. Instead, I turned and waved to the crowd. With this victory, I¡¯d gain a few more Ace points and climb up the Ace rankings. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a start. This time, I walked straight up to the reporters. They grinned at my approach, and I prepared myself for a different sort of battle. I made sure to keep Selene out during the entire post match interview. ¡°Brock! Does it feel good to face one of your naysayers like this?¡± started one reporter. I grinned, more than happy with how this was starting. By the time I was done, my smile was still firmly in place, despite the tough questions I¡¯d been asked. I made sure to remind everyone that I was very interested in a rematch with Will, which got some nods of approval from the crowd that had remained behind. When it was over, I gave the crowd a final wave and departed for the medical bay to get my pokemon checked over. Chansey merely sniffed at them before nodding at me as Knight, Selene and Shrek all lay on their tables. When I released the other pokemon I¡¯d selected, they all called out their own praise for the three that had fought. I was amused to see Selene warbling happily while Knight ducked his head. Shrek merely croaked happily. It might only be a few points, but I knew this was the first serious step into something more. Will, and indeed any that came after him, would not be able to ignore me in the future. I¡¯d make sure of it. Chapter 146 - To the Thunderdome! And Beyond! I woke up to the blaring alarm and sighed. Damn, it was tempting to just lay back down today. On the other side of the bed, Sabrina grumbled and telekinetically unplugged the alarm. I chuckled and gave her a kiss before heading to the bathroom to go through my normal routines. The Guardian holopad joined me, allowing me to sit on the toilet and scroll through news about recent events. A recent meeting where we discussed Will¡¯s upcoming challenges and how we were going to monitor them had raised an interesting point. We were over-reliant on meetings to share information. So a system had been set up for the easy sharing of information, with a morning briefing of any reports that were picked up by the usual Guardian liaisons. From my understanding, local shrine maidens, Channellers, and Hex maniacs that answered to Agatha had additional funding to talk with locals and people that had their fingers on the pulse around Indigo. From them, we gained a much wider net of information that allowed us to be much more informed. I knew for example, that the surge of trainers was currently spreading out throughout the central region of Kanto. After Cerulean City, which most people were racing through, they suddenly found themselves with up to seven different gyms they could challenge, three of which were the Big Gyms in Surge, Erika and then eventually Sabrina. Grey, Manny, Kong, and Sophia, as lesser gyms, were also getting serious consideration and coming under pressure. Sophia had been forced to implement a limit of no more than four matches a day due to her smaller pokemon roster. Manny was causing a number of trainers to scream in frustration as he beguiled and led them around by the nose during matches. Kong was making examples of everyone who came in thinking they¡¯d have it easy against him as a lesser Gym. He wasn¡¯t helped by his showing against Bruno, and that Sabrina¡¯s gym was obviously larger and more selective in who could face her. Kong quickly corrected the assumption of weakness and had a few people complaining about how hard a fight he was. I didn¡¯t have as much insight on Grey, but the consensus was that he was facing a good number of challenges and simply working through them. If anything, he was considered competent, but he wasn¡¯t getting anywhere near as much positive or negative attention as other Gym Leaders. He was popular as a straightforward fight that could lead to another badge for the end of the circuit tally, however. Lorelei had made appearances in the southern parts of Kanto to offer challenges to some people and was apparently helping to stop trainers from clumping up in certain regions. All of this and more were now accessible to me at my fingertips thanks to a suggestion by Lucy. Lucy had noticed the lack of information, or rather, the difficulty in accessing the information. Previously, we¡¯d almost have had to call or set up meetings for each other. Now I got detailed information on everything going on in Kanto, and if I wanted to I could flip through another report on Johto. It made sense to me that Lucy would have desired this, especially with how she was out on the frontier most of the time. She¡¯d been gifted by the League and Fiore a plot of land along a peninsula and was setting up what she called her ¡®Battle Pike¡¯ for the Battle Frontier. This involved a lot of planning and calming down the local pokemon and what few locals there were. It had been rather interesting to hear how she¡¯d worked with the Fiore Rangers to negotiate with a group of rather hostile Ivysaurs that had been encountered. It became normal for me to flick through the various reports, like they were nothing more than newspapers in the morning, for anything that immediately caught my eye. I¡¯d look over it a bit more during breakfast, but otherwise¡­ Yup, nothing in here seemed important enough I would need to move. I tucked the Holopad away and walked out to greet Yolanda for the morning¡¯s training. With my pokemon fired up, for the past week I¡¯d made serious strides in strengthening my team. Sanchez¡¯s electrical attacks became more intense and more widespread. Don swept through Wing Attacks in tighter and tighter turning circles with Zephyr. Tide was able to endure more hits as well as control his emotional state when deliberately baited a lot more often than previously. Knight grew stronger, faster, and larger, allowing him to really throw himself around. Shin and Gawain needed to have some different training partners these days as they were too used to fighting each other to gain much. I¡¯d had them shift to sparring with Jormundgandr, Bertha, Titan, and even Empress on one occasion each. On both occasions, I¡¯d supervised closely. The concept of sparring as a training exercise was something of a foreign one to Empress and I¡¯d had to have the match run through at half speed to let her know how fights differed. It was a rather nuanced discussion of how intent behind hits and commitment to carry through attacks wasn¡¯t easy to convey. She understood after a while, though and went easy on Shin, and then Gawain. Both of them only needed a bit of potion after she¡¯d done batting them around. Clefairy was almost able to not faint after performing Healing Wish, which was incredible progress. He¡¯d ended up being an inspiration to all of my pokemon with his sheer drive and commitment to continue training and growing beyond the morning training sessions, causing others in my elite team to train with him. Perhaps even without losing to Will, or facing a Moltres, I¡¯d have seen an uptick in strength thanks to his joining the team. Teddiursa remained the child of the team with how he was training, but his young age was holding him back from seriously training as hard as other pokemon in my team. He probably would have been more frustrated with the games I made him play if it wasn¡¯t for Empress also taking part in the drills. Jormundgandr and I had continued our aura practice, and I was slowly, trudging my way towards developing the pool of energy that needed to be developed. Slow was smooth and smooth was fast I had to remind myself. Especially with something that might backfire as badly as Mega Evolution. The stories the Guardians had access to told stories of people attempting it in the past, which almost universally resulted in pokemon becoming crazed due to the uptick in power. Yolanda was at my side for all of this, asking questions when it didn¡¯t hinder the training and watching with thoughtful eyes. With all the work she was putting into herself and Terra, I couldn¡¯t wait to see how she did when she went on her journey. She¡¯d be a monster. She¡¯d taken over training Cranidos, Tirtouga, Anorith, and a Lileep of her own, to expand her methods while supervised by me. The Lileep training mostly saw her copying my method with a few adjustments. When training was done and the pokemon were all fed I gestured for Yolanda to follow me back. We passed Dennis, Jackson, Missy and A.J. all working with some of their personal pokemon, I paused to watch them for a while. Missy¡¯s Rhydon stood out to me. It was handling the gravity training Missy was doing with it rather easily. I saw that A.J was watching said training rather enviously; apparently, he wanted to put some of his pokemon through the same regime. I¡¯d have to read him in or perhaps supervise Missy teaching A.J. how it was done while Yolanda watched on. I nodded and waved to Missy to catch her attention. ¡°You interested in evolving your Rhydon?¡± Missy¡¯s head furiously bounced up and down. ¡°Yes!¡± I chuckled. ¡°Alright, I think they¡¯re at a good enough level that you¡¯ve gotten as much from this training as you can. I¡¯d keep training moves that you want them to naturally know now before it gets too difficult with another evolution slowing it down for him, otherwise, I might stencil in a time to see about getting it all set up.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°We¡¯ll need a travel kit, and the whole weekend for it.¡± I glanced over to where the earthworks were for the future volcanic region I¡¯d have the Growlithe and Slugma move into. ¡°Or we need to wait another week or two.¡± Yolanda noticed where my eyes had flickered, and her breath hitched. I winked at her but everyone didn¡¯t notice. A.J. tilted his head again. ¡°Huh, Bughead was right! Your eyes do twitch!¡± ¡°Bughead?¡± I asked before shaking it off, he probably meant Bugsy. ¡°What do you mean twitch?¡± A.J. squinted angrily, and his eyes spasmed. ¡°Like that,¡± he said. Jackson, Dennis, and Missy all snickered as I blinked in surprise. I rubbed the bridge of my nose. ¡°Damn you Bugsy¡­ no they¡¯re not twitching I¡¯m just¡­ winking,¡± I said. ¡°Huh,¡± A.J. said. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re twitching.¡± This time the others didn¡¯t restrain themselves as Yolanda and I glowered. Damn, Flint¡¯s genetically narrow eyes and A.J.¡¯s bluntness. I reached out and flicked him on the forehead, and he grumbled. ¡°What was that for?¡± he said. I shot him an unimpressed look, and he stared for a long moment. I could almost hear the gears of his mind grinding together. ¡°Oh! That was rude wasn¡¯t it?¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°Oh sorry then!¡± he said, now chastised. I shook my head and waved him off deciding to leave that where it was. Yolanda walked alongside me her hands drifting up to pull at her eyelids. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your eyes,¡± I said causing her to cough and nod. ¡°Right! So, does the Rhydon evolution require a volcano?¡± she asked. ¡°Yup,¡± I said, deciding to allow the shift in topic for now. ¡°It requires that you build up clay and fire it while it is slathered to a Rhydon¡¯s body. I theorise that the shape you use can change the armouring of the later pokemon, but evolutionary energy will smooth out some issues.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Yolanda said. I nodded. ¡°I studied a lot of older armour styles that medieval knights used in the past.¡± ¡°Medieval knights?¡± Yolanda asked, her head tilting to the side. ¡°Huh?¡± I said intelligently back. Oh right, they wouldn¡¯t have had access to that in normal school, would they? ¡°Oh, so before the war there were a number of different regions. Some of them had different styles of trainers and warriors that roamed their lands. Kanto and Johto both favoured wearing leather armour, which I took a bit of inspiration from, but I mostly looked to the trainers that encased themselves in steel armour.¡± ¡°Steel armour?¡± she said curiously. ¡°Tar?¡± said Terra with a gleam in her eyes. I gestured towards my room. ¡°I have a number of drawings I made up from back then. I think I still have them. We can go through them together if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°That would be nice,¡± Yolanda agreed. ¡°But I¡¯d love to hear more about these knights! What did they do?¡± So I told her about the knights of Kalos and Rota, both places that I knew still held to certain knightly traditions. How they lived by a code and mostly favoured steel-type pokemon. She seemed rather interested by it all. When I was done and had some cereal made up for us both she sat next to me in a thoughtful silence. I left her to her thoughts and instead turned on the television. I chewed my cereal while eying the television that was on in the lounge room. The morning news hosts were detailing what had occurred around Kanto in the past twenty-four hours. I was amused to notice that some of the more serious incidents, like the attempted theft in Hollywood were rather sparse with details. Details that I was privy to thanks to starting the morning these days by reading the news feed from the Guardians. The thefts themselves had been linked back to a couple that were rather odd in that they had decided they wanted to make an ominous house. For that they enticed Murkrow to come to their house with pokefeed. They¡¯d even set up a bartering system that saw the Murkrow able to trade small items to them for more food. This had escalated until the Murkrow started handing in money to the couple. The couple themselves had thought nothing off it. They¡¯d ended up accidentally teaching a murder of Murkrows to steal pokemoney however, resulting in the pokemon attempting to raid a bank¡¯s security van. I had no doubt that tonight¡¯s news report would be much more humorous in tone than this mornings serious take on the event. The police themselves were only just learning all of the details and sequence of events. ¡°You really have to know a lot of different things to make strides with pokemon don¡¯t you?¡± Yolanda said, speaking up after the last few minutes of silence. ¡°Hmmm?¡± I said, turning back to her and considering how the conversation had been going. ¡°Oh, yeah, it helps if you have more experiences to draw from. Thankfully, there¡¯s a lot more access to information these days. The pokenet was fairly new when I started, so most of my research was done at the library after school. Nowadays you can get information with the click of a button.¡± Salvadore tilted his head but didn¡¯t say anything. I grinned at Yolanda. ¡°That being said you can discover a lot of new things without having to go too far, but there¡¯s always more to learn! It makes things so exciting doesn¡¯t it?¡± I tilted my head at her childishly. She beamed back at me. ¡°It sure does! I can¡¯t wait to put everything you¡¯ve been showing me into practise properly with my own team!¡± I chuckled, and she collected up the dirty plates and spoons before depositing them in the dishwasher. She turned back to me with a wry smile. ¡°You know there¡¯s no way you''re going to be able to take me and not Salvadore for this Rhydon evolution right?¡± That drew Salvadore out of his musings. ¡°Huh?¡± he said taking a swipe at his empty bowl. At his side, Munchlax burped happily and slid the empty bowl towards Yolanda. I chuckled. I could also think of a number of professors and their assistants that would love it. I¡¯d let that be a consideration for future Brock. Today I had to go and support Surge while making sure Will didn¡¯t cheat. Or, more preferably, that when he cheated, he got caught and punished. For that, I was going down to Vermillion to Surge¡¯s Gym. Or as Surge liked to call it, the Thunderdome.
The Thunderdome of Vermilion City was located in the southern part of the city, along the coast. A position that Surge always lamented due to how exposed it was. I¡¯d always thought of it as a good position due to accessibility. In the games, it had been blocked off by some hedges, but in reality, it was a sizeable part of a boulevard that met at a long wharf where people could dock boats. There was even a ferry that dropped people off at various points around the city. The river, further allowed the city to utilise the ferry and have a system in place. Numerous waterways led into canals in the rich part of town while the industrial sector was further in and closer to the hills and forests. That gave Surge no end of delight. The rich were unknowingly in a terrible position should the war ever break out, while the industry was better defended. I didn¡¯t have the heart to point out that the rich people owned those factories and refineries. The Thunderdome itself was another gym that had seen refurbishment since the last circuit. Surge had apparently thrown his winnings from betting big on me against Lance into his Gym. This was shown with the entry being a smoothly paved walkway that led towards a wide entrance. The roof was slanted and had a slash tracking back on itself, so that the roof and entrance looked like a giant thunderbolt striking the ground. I walked around to the back. On the roof, I saw some flickers of movement that had me pausing. ¡°That you Janine?¡± I asked aloud. Janine appeared by my side. ¡°No, I was running a ground patrol, but don¡¯t worry, the people on the roof are ours. We have people that have also taken up overwatch positions.¡± I flicked my eyes up to the building Surge and I had raided weeks ago. There was a certain delicious irony in using an observation base of Team Rocket to defend against them. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. We¡¯d also claimed a few other rooftops just to guarantee it. Team Rocket would after all know all about that base¡¯s point of view. I glanced over a few other rooftops and found some people standing atop and waving flags obnoxiously. ¡°Having them pose as Surge fans?¡± Janine shook her head. ¡°Some of them are supportive without knowing they are part of a larger organisation. They think they are performing something called a tailgating party on the rooftops.¡± ¡°Surge! Surge! Surge!¡± chanted one group. ¡°Thunder! Thunder! Thunder!¡± chanted another. I tilted my head. ¡°Are they¡­ competing with each other?¡± I asked. I could see a few trails of smoke. ¡°Do they have barbecues up there with them?¡± Janine nodded. ¡°Indeed, they are, and yes they do. I¡¯ve found them to be very useful idiots. Some have even taken it upon themselves to ¡®claim¡¯ other rooftops for their group.¡± I glanced at the three groups and scratched my chin. ¡°How are they telling each other apart?¡± Janine¡¯s lips twitched upwards. ¡°They don¡¯t; it is extremely amusing to watch, but it works to keep any unwanted parties from taking the rooftops. They are also watching the other roofs as much as they are the projections they have set up to watch the match. ¡°Huh, neat,¡± I said. A flash of light announced Sabrina¡¯s arrival. Janine twitched and threw a kick, only for Sabrina to raise a finger and for Janine to halt. Janine flexed her own aura, and the psychic energy broke. Sabrina took a step back, and Janine slowly lowered her leg. ¡°I could have hurt you, you need to be more careful!¡± Janine chided. Sabrina considered Janine before inclining her head. ¡°My apologies, I did not know you were present when I teleported to Brock¡¯s location.¡± Janine blinked. ¡°Oh¡­ I thought you had been trying to tease me.¡± ¡°If I wanted to tease you, I¡¯d just tease you,¡± Sabrina replied. ¡°But I do not wish to.¡± Sabrina flicked her eyes over Janine and the younger girl tensed up. ¡°I like your outfit, it looks nice on you and suits you.¡± Janine gaped. She¡¯d obviously not been expecting that. She shuffled from foot to foot. ¡°Oh, thank you?¡± she said, squirting at Sabrina as though looking for the trap. I coughed, reminding the girls that I was there. ¡°Right, I¡¯m not sure what this is beyond awkward teenage antics.¡± Janine huffed at me. ¡°You¡¯re a teenager as well!¡± I smirked. ¡°I¡¯m an old soul.¡± Janine twitched and glanced at Sabrina for support. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°He is very mature¡­ most of the time.¡± I smiled at first, only for Janine to chuckle. I narrowed my eyes and huffed. Right, if that¡¯s how they wanted to play it. I rolled my eyes and waved for the girls to follow me. I knocked on the back door with the classic shave and a haircut rhythm. It opened to reveal what I could only refer to as a sergeant. He assessed me and the girls before grunting. ¡°Gym Leaders,¡± he said in greeting. Janine twitched with happiness at being greeted in such a manner, but the man didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Surge¡¯s favourite beer?¡± ¡°Juddumber,¡± I said easily. ¡°Surge¡¯s favourite colour?¡± ¡°Thunderbolt yellow,¡± I said. ¡°Got any weapons on you?¡± he asked. ¡°None but my fists and my pokemon team,¡± I said. He considered that before sighing like I¡¯d disappointed him. He turned to the girls. ¡°What about you girls?¡± Janine smiled charmingly. ¡°I am a third Dan Black Belt in Aikido, and it¡¯s not polite to ask a lady if she is armed.¡± The man stared at her, and Janine smiled. ¡°I have nunchuck, kunai and some throwing stars,¡± she said proudly. ¡°Oh, nice!¡± he said happily. His gaze turned to Sabrina and she tilted her head in thought. ¡°I can make you think you are a little girl that needs adult supervision to go to the bathroom.¡± The man stepped aside instantly. ¡°Go right through Gym Leader Sabrina and friends.¡± Janine clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°Blast I should have mentioned my poison mastery instead of going for the straightforward threat.¡± Sabrina merely hummed and nodded as she laced her arm through mine. ¡°I can break boulders with my fists and terrify people with a Glare¡­¡± I grumbled. Sabrina patted my hand. ¡°Those are threats these people are used to. Abstract threats that their minds can¡¯t handle are much more frightening to military types,¡± she said as we entered another room. ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth!¡± barked a loud voice. I looked up to find Surge in his back training room, sitting on a bench ¡°What you threaten my man with?¡± ¡°I told him how I could make him think he was a little girl if I desired.,¡± Sabrina replied. Surge snickered at that. ¡°Good one!¡± He nodded to me and tilted his head towards Janine. ¡°So, you¡¯re little Janine?¡± ¡°I am not¡ª¡± Janine started to say only for Surge to stand up and hold out his hand to her. Janine seemed to realise how pointless it would be to dispute her size to a man who made grown men look like dwarves. His hand was almost the size of her head alone, and that silenced her as he smiled. ¡°Nice to meet another young, up-and-coming Gym Leader!¡± he said amicably. ¡°You got any issues? Come round or call, and I¡¯ll help out! Us Gym Leaders need to help each other out yeah?¡± Janine nodded. I smirked up at Surge. ¡°How often has Manny come around?¡± Surge¡¯s finger shot in front of my face. ¡°That is not funny! I know he¡¯s playing, but I don¡¯t appreciate his games!¡± Surge shuddered. ¡°It¡¯s like bootcamp all over again, with having to keep my back to a wall around that man.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t¡ª¡± I started to say only for Surge to bark a laugh. ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t let me fool you! I don¡¯t mind a slap on the rear! Ain¡¯t nothing but a compliment!¡± he said with a snort. ¡°Ah,¡± I said eloquently. I shifted and glanced to his pokebelt. ¡°So, you have your pokemon team chosen already?¡± Surge sat back down on his bench and hunched forward. ¡°Yup! But if you want to shoot the shit, I¡¯m down. We got another twenty minutes before I got to be out there.¡± ¡°What team are you fielding?¡± Janine asked. Surge grinned. ¡°Nah, I ain¡¯t rookie enough to say it or even write it down.¡± Surge tapped his temple. ¡°Gotta be careful with things like that. I have strategies set up though, don¡¯t you worry!¡± I nodded. It was a reasonable suggestion. ¡°What are you going to do if he has a Claydol?¡± ¡°Hmm that is the biggest threat, ain¡¯t it?¡± Surge said. ¡°I have a pokemon or two that have options for it though. Depends if he thinks he is going to send those out first. I think he will start with his¡ª¡± We traded suggestions and speculation on Will¡¯s team. I¡¯d shot Janine a look during this discussion, and she¡¯d shaken her head, indicating she hadn¡¯t been able to find Will to sneak up and learn which pokemon he was fielding today. Supposedly, he was going to teleport to the front of the Gym at the start of the match. He¡¯d been rather vocal about the Kanto Gym Leaders not letting him teleport onto the podium and trying to drum up support for this. Despite some talking heads bringing it up on their shows a lot, not even the Cerulean sisters had lowered their dark emitters to allow him such extravagance. When it was time, Surge stood and led us towards the tunnel that had three doors at the end. One led to the stands, one led to the podium, and the other led to a Gym trainer area that Surge expected us to sit in. Surge turned and nodded towards us before moving through the central door. Janine blurred away into the stands, not that I expected her to remain there. It was more than likely that she¡¯d be roaming throughout the entire Gym. Sabrina and I turned to the leftmost door and walked into the box that overlooked the battlefield. I noticed a number of televisions that allowed the gym trainers to watch the match from multiple angles, along with the glass front that separated the trainers from the stands. I claimed a plush chair with more than enough room for Sabrina and myself to sit. ¡°Goooooood evening, ladies and gentlemen! It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Vermillion City Gym, or as we locals know it.¡± The announcer paused and put a hand to his ear, and the crowd roared the answer. ¡°THUNDERDOME!¡± they chanted. The announcer nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Mayor Quimby and Lt. Surge has given me the pleasure of introducing the combatants for this match! I hope you¡¯re all ready for a good fight tonight! Please remember not to climb up the poles around the sides of the battlefield, as those poles are there for your safety!¡± he said, indicating a number of large poles that had small prongs sticking out of them. ¡°What are those for?¡± I asked. ¡°They appear to be attachment points for the barrier projectors,¡± Sabrina said after considering the poles. ¡°That¡¯s only half right,¡± said the Gym Trainer who had opened the door for us. ¡°The Gym Leader¡¯s more serious battles run the risk of shorting out the barriers and putting people in danger. So we installed earthing rods so that the lighting hit the machines if it gets fired off at a bad angle. With the pylons, it doesn¡¯t hit the barrier or run the risk of bringing down a section of barriers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s happened before?¡± I asked. ¡°Once,¡± the man said. ¡°The Ace trainer was good about it though and waited for the barrier to be reset so the crowd could be safe.¡± The man worked his jaw, and a dark look crossed his face. ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t think that Will would care; he might even aim to short them out.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. I glanced towards a section in the middle of the battlefield, directly underneath the referee¡¯s podium. ¡°You have something set up in case he tries to Mean Look, stall you out for an advantage?¡± The man nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯re not letting him pull that shit.¡± I grunted, and the man blinked before realising why that would annoy me. ¡°Oh shit sorry man. It was pretty badass watching you carry your pokemon out of there like that. How heavy do you reckon he was?¡± ¡°About two hundred or so,¡± I said casually. The man nodded and gained a thoughtful look. ¡°Huh, and you picked that Aggron like it was a child¡­¡± He considered me. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the Trick Room¡­ you¡¯d have gotten your pokemon out of there, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± I nodded but frowned. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Had I been impacted by that, or had Mewtwo been hindering me even then? I had dark energy coursing through me¡­ but it was a Legendary pokemon at the end of the day, and if my encounter against Moltres had taught me anything, Legendary pokemon were different. Some of their abilities were outright bullshit. ¡°¡ªthis corner the man of mystery! So much so that we don¡¯t even know his town of origin! The masked Challenger! Give it up for Will!¡± I was surprised to see a number of people rising to their feet and boo loudly. Surge, as ever, had been extremely vocal in his opinion of Will¡¯s battle against me and that had transmitted to a lot of his supporters. The diehard fans of Will were once again present, but they were easily shouted down. The Mayor chuckled and shook his head halfheartedly before gesturing to the other side. ¡°And now! Your big bad Gym Leader! The man who makes women swoon wherever he goes! The thundering storm of Kanto! Lieutenant Surge!¡± The Gym darkened only for the tunnel to light up faintly illuminating Surge. Around the Gym the earth rods suddenly jolted with lightning and a harsh zap shot between them caused a jolt of lightning and a rumble to fill the room. The Gym trainer from earlier shot Sabrina and me a smug look. ¡°They also work like Tesla coils and add some serious cool factor, no?¡± I chuckled and nodded. Surge stepped out of the tunnel and locked eyes with Will. His grin stretched his face, and I leaned forward as he strode towards his podium. The crowd went nuts, cheering for him. He strode through them and raised his hands out to the side, allowing people to high-five him and clap him on the shoulders as he marched past them. I was pretty sure someone threw underwear at him but those vanished so quickly that I wasn¡¯t sure if I had just imagined seeing them. The announcer nodded to Surge and then waved to the crowd. ¡°And now! I hand over the show to our referee, please give a round of applause to a representative from the Indigo League! Referee Timothy!¡± I sat up at that and noticed the mild-mannered auditor standing in front of everyone. I shot the Gym trainer I¡¯d been talking to a curious look. He grunted. ¡°If it came down to us letting something cheap through, we wouldn¡¯t let it ride. Surge reached out to the League for a neutral ref.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said in understanding. ¡°To be fair, I think Dennis made the right call as much as it frustrated me. I don¡¯t doubt that Dennis was hurting having to do that but did his job very well.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ well we couldn¡¯t be that impartial,¡± said the man with a dark glower at Will. ¡°Thank you!¡± Timothy said, with a surprisingly powerful oratory tone. He raised his hands to both Will and Surge. ¡°Gentlemen it is my, and the League¡¯s hope that we will have a nice clean match!¡± He pointedly looked at both men before nodding to himself, ignoring how both of their lips twitched into dark smirks. ¡°This match will be a standard Ace match with six trade-out options allowed! Any dodges performed by the trade-out will result in penalties with the severity including the loss of said pokemon from returning to the battle! I will be calling it if I think a pokemon cannot battle anymore! I don¡¯t want any accidents or cripplings with this match!¡± The nearby trainer snorted, and I got the feeling Timothy was calling out Surge more than Will with that last statement. ¡°With that said! Both trainers! Select your first pokemon!¡± Surge and Will selected their pokemon. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± said the referee. Both men nodded, and Surge leaned forward slightly. Will perked up, and as the flags dropped, I had an ominous premonition. Will¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t visible behind his mask, but I got the feeling they were glowing. Will revealed a Mr Mime that leered across at Surge¡¯s revealed Jolteon. I rubbed my chin in thought. That was a good matchup. Lots of speed, utility, and some powerful matchups if Will had gone for Starmie, Exeggutor, or something from the Slowpoke line such as Slowbro or Slowking. My awareness became hyper-focused as I watched each moment crawl forward. ¡°Hit him!¡± roared Surge with a gleam in his eyes as he punched forward. Jolteon began to spark and I saw it twitch and blur forward. As this was going on, Will clenched his own fist in front of himself. ¡°Protect!¡° he said instantly. Mr Mime crossed his arms in front of himself, and Protect formed up causing the oncoming thunderbolt that Jolteon was in the middle of to slam face-first into the barrier. Jolteon staggered at the impact as the electricity washed over the Protect impotently. The Protect dropped away, and Mr Mime leered at Jolteon. ¡°Confusion!¡± Will said with a hand extended as though he was imploring his pokemon. Mr Mime¡¯s fingers twitched back and forth in a no-no-no gesture. Jolteon twitched only to the snake itself. ¡°Shake it off Jolteon! Bite them!¡± Surge commanded. Jolteon lunged to the side and gnashed its teeth. I cursed as the Pokemon hurled itself to the side of Mr Mime instead of locking its fangs on the other pokemon. ¡°Calm Mind,¡± said Will happily. ¡°JOLTEON!¡± roared Surge, ¡°I will have you up on insubordination! If you¡¯re dizzy always lunge at the one in the middle dagnabit! Missiles go!!¡± he ordered. The edges around Jolteon¡¯s body bent forward and glowed with green bug energy before lancing out with Pin Missile. ¡°Mr Mime do your best! Reflect it!¡± he said a light sheen of a barrier forming up in front of his pokemon only for the Pin Missile to stab straight through it like bullets through cheap glass. Mr Mime took the hits and staggered to the ground. His head dropped as he knelt gasping in pain. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Surge said. ¡°Now Bite him!¡± Jolteon lunged, its jaw glowing darkly, only for Mr Mime¡¯s head to snap up with a sneer as a fist encased in dark energy of its own slammed upwards straight into Jolteon¡¯s jaw, sending the pokemon sailing away. ¡°Excellent draw in Mr Mime! Control the pace with another Confusion!¡± Will ordered causing Jolteon to take another hit. Interestingly, Mr Mime was already acting before he¡¯d even spoken. ¡°He¡¯s psychically connected to his pokemon isn¡¯t he?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°He¡¯s being very inconsistent with how he gives orders. What¡¯s up with that?¡± I asked. Sabrina nodded and I clicked my tongue. Sabrina made a so-so gesture. ¡°It is a sign of him not being used to projection like that. He has some skills as a psychic but it is not something he is used to using. Most of the time he only starts off that way as he has time and feels safe linking his pokemon. When he is flustered, he reverts to speaking orders.¡± She inclined her head towards me. ¡°As shown when you fought him. There was too much risk of you disrupting him with some of your pokemon. He knew you had lots of pokemon that had dark-type moves or something that would daze him. You were able to blindside him with your Kleavor¡¯s Stone Axe¡¯s special ability. He was too focused on fighting well to take in the entire field. Right now, he is using it to give orders faster but he is also ordering with his voice.¡± Sabrina narrowed her eyes. ¡°He is more assured of himself against Surge, so instead of hiding his commands, he is going for speed, which is not a terrible idea as Surge will otherwise sweep him with how fast his pokemon move.¡± I clicked my tongue at that as Jolteon staggered. Surge narrowed his eyes and raised a pokeball. ¡°Return Jolteon, we¡¯re not dancing to his tune let¡¯s shuffle it up!¡± Surge selected another pokemon as Will had his Mr Mime perform another Calm Mind quickly. Another pokemon appeared on the field a moment later. ¡°Let¡¯s rock Ampharos! Use Electric Terrain!¡± I whistled; that was a different order. ¡°Mr Mime! Use¡ª¡± I watched as Will spoke, only for his pokemon to already be moving. Now That I was aware of it, I couldn¡¯t miss the faster reactions occurring with Will¡¯s pokemon. Mr Mime used another move that buffed itself up. Part of me was pleased, as I suspected that it was a third Calm Mind which wouldn¡¯t offer as large a benefit as another move would have. It did make me worried for how hard that Mr Mime would hit. Surge seemed just as aware of this however as he smirked. ¡°Light em up!¡± he barked. A moment later, a spark blazed atop Ampharos¡¯ head. Sabrina suddenly reached out and put a hand over my eyes. I had a moment to open my mouth only for a blinding Flash to blaze out of Ampharos. Mr Mime, Will, and everyone in the stadium cried out in shock. Sabrina dropped her hand and shook her head. ¡°Apologies, I couldn¡¯t delay. I have seen Surge do that before.¡± I nodded and ran some Dark energy up to my eyes to get rid of any other residual after images from the Flash. Will had been caught out and his attention seemed to waver. Heh, it seems like Surge had gotten him twice with how Will had linked himself. That was if his mask didn¡¯t block it? Was it like taking a double flash bang? I really hoped so. I grinned when I noticed tears trickling under the mask on Will¡¯s face. Nice one Surge. ¡°Baton p-pass!¡± Will slurred out, holding out a pokeball towards Mr Mime. Instead of trading out with the closer pokeball something must have gone wrong; as Mr Mime, still rubbing at his eyes returned to his pokeball, only for another pokeball, notably not the pokeball Will was holding out, opened. ¡°No!¡± Will gasped as his Alakazam appeared on the field, unfolding itself from its meditative position to stand. The crowd roared their approval. I grinned. ¡°Hmmm, Surge just forced Will¡¯s strongest out onto the field.¡± Will bared his teeth, and I noted there was wetness trickling under his mask. So, it didn¡¯t block it as the crowd cheered for Surge. ¡°Psychic!¡± barked Will. His pokemon raised up its spoon as blue energy built up around Ampharos. Alakazam flicked its spoons, and Ampharos was hurled to the side. ¡°DP!¡± snapped Surge causing his pokemon to erupt in purple energy aorund itself, disrupting the Psychic and dampening the impact as it hit the wall. I breathed out in relief. Damn, that had been close. ¡°Good reactions,¡± I said before glancing around. ¡°Anything from the others?¡± I said, checking my transceiver. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem Will has had his hand forced as yet.¡± I grimaced. Will was starting out quite strongly here, wasn¡¯t he? ¡°Again!¡± ordered Will. ¡°Blast him!¡± snarled Surge. From Ampharos¡¯ maw, a ball of energy was built and fired straight at Alakazam. ¡°Teleport,¡± Will said causing his pokemon to vanish to the side and out of danger. Will smirked only for the expression to vanish as the beam bore down on his position. He flinched for a moment before the barriers lit up and absorbed the attack. Will sighed in relief, then he straightened and waved a dismissive hand towards the gasping Ampharos. ¡°Finish it, Psychic!¡± he said, making sure his pokemon did not close with the electric pokemon. This time, Ampharos was hurled straight into the wall with nothing to lessen the impact. It went down and Surge clicked his tongue as he withdrew his pokemon. ¡°You did well, bud,¡± he said before locking eyes with Will. ¡°You¡¯re a slippery one ain¡¯t you?¡± Will glowered. ¡°I¡¯ve drawn first blood, as it were? No?¡± ¡°I saw you flinch,¡± Surge said with a smirk. Will glowered at him. Surge selected another pokemon. ¡°This is way too early for anything. After all, it ain¡¯t over till the fat lady sings.¡± He threw out his next pokemon, and I settled in for the fight, wondering how Surge would win. Chapter 147 - Predicting lightning ¡°Let¡¯s rock Electrode!¡± shouted Surge as his third pokemon took to the field. Electrode landed and whirled into a fast spin, then it locked eyes on the hovering Alakazam. Electricity started to spark up as the electrode twitched and rocked back and forth. ¡°Pass over!¡± snapped Surge, causing his pokemon to accelerate. Will shot his hand up. ¡°Barrier!¡± he said. A thin rectangle of energy formed up in front of his pokemon. Electrode flashed forward, only to pass next to the barrier. The sparks that it was letting off were washed against the barrier and then passed through it to zap Alakazam. Alakazam twitched and cried out before swinging its arms down. Will narrowed his eyes. ¡°A deception? You weren¡¯t aiming at my pokemon but seeking to paralyze it?¡± Surge smirked. ¡°Line up again for another pass!¡± he ordered. Electrode slowed. It then started spinning and causing more and more lightning to build up around itself, all while remaining still. Surge leaned forward, and Will huffed. ¡°I¡¯m not falling for that again,¡± he said, snapping his fingers. His Alazakam crossed its spoons, and a small shield of psychic energy appeared in front of it before vanishing. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Was that Magic Coat?¡± I asked Sabrina. She nodded. ¡°Surge will need to be careful; moves such as Thunderwave, and Eerie Impulse, which he just used, will now bounce back on him.¡± Sabrina eyed Surge. ¡°Not that we need to worry about that; it seems he has a plan.¡± I flicked my eyes over the sparking up Electrode that had lined itself up onto Alakazam. It was sparking angrily now, with a circle of electrical energy lancing off it every moment. I could also just make out a small sheen of energy that denoted that Electrode had used Light Screen. ¡°Roll Out!¡± barked Surge. Electrode rocketed ahead. ¡°Take control,¡± Will said lazily. His pokemon gestured and psychic energy grasped around Electrode lifting it up, but instead of stopping it in its tracks, it kept on rolling like it had hit a bump and launched itself upwards. ¡°What?!¡± said Will in shock ¡°Foul Play now!¡± Surge said and his pokemon leered down at the shocked Alakazam. His soaring Electrode suddenly became like a black hole, the shift from light to dark causing me to blink in surprise as the mass of darkness shifted and arced down towards Alakazam. ¡°Tch Tele¡ª¡± Will started to say, only for his pokemon to twitch but fail at the action. Instead, it stood and took the hit, staggering thanks to it. ¡°Keep up the pressure!¡± roared Surge, his voice booming out over the battlefield. Electrode continued rolling forward. This time, electrical energy was unleashed from within, and Alakazam was blown backward. ¡°Teleport!¡± said Will just as his pokemon hit the back wall. Instantly, his pokemon did so, teleporting in a flash to the other side and closer to Surge. Electrode hit the wall where it had been a moment later. This time it was Surge¡¯s turn to click his tongue. ¡°Recover!¡± Will growled. Alakazam hovered upward, and any signs of battle damage vanished a moment later. It brandished its spoons and stepped into a fighting pose. ¡°Boost it!¡± said Surge. His pokemon whirled about and charged back in close. ¡°Put it down!¡± Will said sharply. His pokemon began to raise and lower the spoons in a circular pattern that sent rings of psychic energy towards the charging in Electrode. It seemed it was picking up more and more charge with each moment it was moving. It once more slammed into a barrier that Will had his pokemon raise, only for it to ricochet off. I glanced at Surge but saw that he wasn¡¯t at all bothered. If anything, he seemed happy for his pokemon to be sent careening off like it had. I inspected the field and saw it sparking with small flashes of light that kept building up and being discharged. ¡°Is Surge charging up his pokemon by having it on the Electric Terrain?¡± I asked. The Vermillion Gym trainer near us laughed. ¡°Nice pickup! It¡¯s a fairly standard set-up for surge during tougher matches but it doesn¡¯t get used all that often. It works well though, as some pokemon can take charge or give charge to the field.¡± A small fact about alternators in cars rose to the front of my mind. ¡°Or if they move around enough and switch up, they can charge and use energy.¡± ¡°An alternating current was created by his pokemon¡¯s movements. Electrode would naturally be able to do this,¡± Sabrina said, understanding what I was getting. ¡°Surge has both empowered electrical types, but the longer he fights on the field and has his pokemon moving around, the better it is for him.¡± The man whistled. ¡°Oh! Dang, you two are sharp! Not many people know that about electricity.¡± ¡°I read,¡± said Sabrina. The man blinked as though not understanding how that could equate to understanding how electrical systems could operate. I held in a chuckle. The man most likely either picked up on it in a lecture from Surge or from an electrician. ¡°Give him the roper dope, Electrode! Make him swing at nothing but air!¡± Surge commanded, causing his pokemon to suddenly take off, zigzagging across the field. I hummed. Surge was playing it a bit too cavalierly for my liking. I had some wider experiences¡ªwhat with owning cars in my past life and having the alternator die enough times to understand its importance in battery life¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean people like Will couldn¡¯t work out what he was doing. Especially with Surge practically rubbing it in his face. For all that Will was a horrible person, he sadly wasn¡¯t an idiot. ¡°If you¡¯re going to play games like this then¡ª¡± Will started to only for his pokemon to twitch as psychic energy built up. I flicked my eyes around to find Electrode rocking back and forth in the corner furiously with a dark look on its face. It stuck its tongue out and twirled around to show its backside, or what passed for such with an Electrode to Alakazam. Alakazam did not look pleased. It unleashed a Psybeam straight at Electrode only for the other pokemon to dodge. Surge barked a laugh. ¡°Ha! You thought I was just going to let you buff up your pokemon? How about a big fat no!¡± he said. Surge then laughed. ¡°Time to cook your Farfetch¡¯d punk! Electrode close it in!¡± Electrode shot forward only to get right up to the barrier. Only this time it stopped on a dime and rocked back and forth with a sherry grin on its face. It then lit up. Will gasped. Surge laughed. ¡°Explosion!¡± he shouted, only for another bright light to flash outwards from his pokemon. I shook off the Flash a moment later. Something was wrong. There¡¯d been a lot of light but no noise? I blinked and tilted my head. People around the stadium murmured, only to gasp when they took in the state of the field. It was untouched. Electrode was still on it, merrily rocking back and forth, while Will¡¯s Alakazam was locked behind a Protect. I laughed as Surge grinned and crossed his arms. ¡°I told you boy! I saw you flinch!¡± he announced. Will gritted his teeth and leaned forward. I knew the moment the Protect was dropped, he¡¯d try something. The shell fell, and Alakazam started to glow, but Surge wasn¡¯t about to give up his prize. ¡°Boom Baby,¡± he said simply. This time his Electrode detonated with all its built-up charge. Electrical energy and debris shot outward, slamming into the barriers and pylons. This time, people¡¯s screams of fear were lost in the noise. When the smoke cleared up enough to see the field, Electrode was knocked out, but so was Alakazam. ¡°Ha! Booyah! Gotcha strongest!¡± taunted Surge with a fist pump. Will returned his pokemon and glowered across at Surge. ¡°You will regret doing that.¡± ¡°Regret it? Fuck nah! I¡¯m feeling even better about it now that you spoke up! Heh! What¡¯s the matter? You tried to shit a shitter and found your own pants full of crap?¡± Surge said manically. I facepalmed as Sabrina snorted softly. ¡°Eloquent as always, Surge,¡± she said. ¡°Fucken A he is!¡± said the trainer, who now had a notepad out and was furiously writing down Surge¡¯s words. I felt like facepalming harder. Sabrina shook her head and sighed. ¡°I will patrol the area to link up with Koga and Janine.¡± I got the feeling she was worried that Surge¡¯s idiocy was catching. ¡°Oh, Koga is around? I hadn¡¯t¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why I expected him to pop up and say hello. I hovered in a half-sitting position for a moment. ¡°Want me to come along?¡± I asked. Sabrina considered that before shaking her head. ¡°If we detect anything, you may need to capture Will. I suspect Will may be put under pressure now that he has lost his Alakazam.¡± I sat down at that. ¡°Right, makes sense.¡± I turned my attention back to the match. I noted that the Electric Terrain had dwindled and that Will was waiting out his minute before tossing out his next pokemon. Surge had tossed out Jolteon once again, and this was working rather well for him as the previously confused pokemon was now looking much more settled. Will held his nerve as the countdown began, only for him to flick out his pokeball with three seconds to go. A few in the crowd booed the act, while others gasped in surprise when they realised Will had sent out an Espeon against Surge¡¯s Jolteon. It was a battle of the eeveelutions. I could see a number of commentators proclaiming it already. Surge narrowed his eyes at the perceived challenge, while Will raised his chin in challenge. Espeon, perhaps at Will¡¯s urging, sat and raised its front paw to lick it indolently. ¡°Hit em,¡± said Surge flatly. This time, his pokemon blurred across the distance. ¡°You never learn,¡± said Will as a Protect came up to block Jolteon. Jolteon almost slammed into it, only to kick off at the last moment and sail up into the air as it jumped. Will gasped as Jolteon arced overhead and landed behind the barrier. Its spikes were already twitching forward like missile turrets. I could clearly see what Surge had in mind. As soon as the barrier dropped, Espeon was nailed with Pin Missiles that swept forward. ¡°BLOW EM AWAY!¡± urged Surge. Jolteon closed in, its spikes blasting away. Espeon rolled itself backward, hissing as it righted itself. Then it sort of blurred, and I got the impression it moved backwards for a moment, only to blink and find it standing in a guarded position. That had been odd. Jolteon righted itself on the stationary pokemon and laid into it, only for the Espeon to not stumble back from what should have been a super-effective move. Instead, it shimmered and broke apart. From the side, Espeon suddenly appeared with its paw lashing out. Mud flew up into Jolteon¡¯s face and made it stagger to the side in surprise. ¡°What the!?¡± said Surge before glaring. ¡°Substitute eh?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± said Will, turning himself so that he was sideways. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to merely allow my pokemon to be beaten down like that!¡± Espeon performed another Mudslap, only for Surge to whistle and his pokemon to blur out of danger. Jolteon then furiously tried to wipe away the mud from its eyes. ¡°Cheeky,¡± commented Surge. He cracked his neck from side to side. ¡°Jolteon! Charge up the field again! Electric Terrain!¡± ¡°Recover your strength, Espeon; I shall be needing you,¡± said Will as his pokemon simmered before stepping back and vanishing in another Baton Pass. ¡°Come out, Claydol!¡± ordered Will with another pokeball rose. The Claydol emerged and swivelled on the spot, its various eyes surveying the battlefield, only to lock onto Jolteon. Surge clicked his tongue. ¡°Return! Go Lanturn!¡± he said, not hesitating to send out another pokemon that landed on the ground. I whistled in surprise. I¡¯d been expecting his Magenzone. Then I reconsidered that match-up. Magenzone would only be a stall-out option. It wouldn''t have better odds with its steel-electric moves while being spared of any Earthquakes. ¡°Aqua Ring!¡± Surge shouted straight away. ¡°Earthquake!¡± said Will with a chop of his hand. His Claydol slammed a limb into the ground and caused the battlefield to rumble. Lanturn completed its move just in time to be lightly shaken about. It took me a moment to register that Surge had used the Aqua Ring as a buffer to the ground. Instead of having his pokemon in direct contact, it was now being supported by a pair of tightly wound hoops of water that raised it up. It would have been enough to weaken the otherwise super-effective move, and it would passively heal Lanturn. It did nothing to stop the Electric Terrain from sparking up into Lanturn however. And if Lanturn had Volt Absorb¡­ Oh, that was clever of Surge, his pokemon would get the benefits of Aqua Ring, and Volt Absorb, potentially keeping it in the battle much longer than it should be able to. I swept my gaze back to Will. Would it be clever enough, however? ¡°Tch! Spin up and start moving!¡± Will urged his pokemon. Claydol started to spin like a marionette and soon began sweeping itself around the battlefield. This was shown to be a good call, as Surge had his Lanturn unleash multiple Hydro Pumps in reply. Suddenly, the air was full of so many watery attacks that you would have been mistaken to think this was the Cerulean Gym that Will had challenged. Each blast hit the ground and caused huge gouges to be carved out. Despite the misses, Surge began to mount pressure on Will by forcing Claydol to be unable to advance. The Claydol had to spin through a number of small ponds that formed after barely a minute. Will held his cool, however, and when Lanturn finally let up the barrage, his Claydol sank into the ground. I swore, well aware that he¡¯d just had his pokemon use Dig. ¡°Do a kickflip with your tail!¡± ordered Surge. Lanturn slapped its tail and launched itself into the air, only for Claydol to emerge from the ground. I had to admire the utility of Dig with a trainer that didn¡¯t need to stick to verbal commands. You direct it without having to worry about where it would end up. I almost wanted to call it cheating, but that was a perk of being psychic, I suppose. I just made do with training. Claydol spun through the air and into the still-falling Lanturn. Will made a clutching gesture with his hand. Lanturn froze in mid-air; I noted that with Claydol¡¯s positioning, it couldn¡¯t turn its head and fire off another Hydro Pump while the Claydol was stationary. Lanturn was then slammed directly into the ground, causing the Aqua Rings to break apart due to the hit. It still gamely rose up and opened its mouth. This time, however, when Claydol stomped its limb into the ground, shards of earth rose up and slammed into Lanturn, knocking it upwards. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± barked Surge, causing his pokemon which was still hanging in by the thread of its teeth, to fire out another blast of water. This time it nailed Claydol and rocked the pokemon onto its back, where it had to sweep itself up with what looked like Telekinesis. ¡°Surf!¡± ordered Surge, making his pokemon rise up with a respectable wave. It wasn¡¯t as large as the waves that could be generated at a League battlefield or even my own, but it was enough to sweep the entire field. ¡°Fall back!¡± Will ordered his pokemon. I sat up with interest, it seemed Surge had him on the back foot! Will retreated his Claydol as far as he could and was about to step out of bounds with the wave close to collapsing on him when he gave the next order. ¡°Protect!¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Tch!¡± Surge and I said at the same time. The Surf swept over the shell without hurting the pokemon within. When the water fell away, it revealed a battlefield that was much damper with all the water attacks. It almost looked swampish, with a few furrows from earlier Hydro Pumps now being small ponds. That might make future water-type moves easier but I knew of a few pokemon Will could call on. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. So it seemed to be a sequence of events that would better be utilised by Will unless Surge was laying a trap? ¡°Earth Power!¡± Will said as his pokemon stomped a foot. This caused Lanturn to once again be knocked around, but thanks to the damper environment, it didn¡¯t seem to do as much as it should have. I had to give it to Lanturn; it was holding out rather well with the Electric Terrain having run its course and no more Aqua Rings; it was proving itself durable. Claydol then spun its entire body and charred forward into the still-recovering Lanturn to slam its entire body into the water pokemon. Lanturn cried out and was hurled off the battlefield, where it went limp. Will raised three fingers to Surge to remind him of the score as his Claydol moved back to his side of the field. Surge snorted and considered the field. I glanced over it as well. The biggest point of interest to me was how Will had positioned his Claydol in the midst of a trio of puddles that formed the points of a rather uneven triangle. The small dips would probably slow up a pokemon¡¯s charge but it wasn¡¯t an insurmountable wall to climb. It would be a minor inconvenience, if anything. ¡°Go Raichu!¡± Surge yelled, hurling out his starter. Instantly, the crowd stood and roared their approval as Raichu dropped into a low position with his cheeks sparking up. ¡°Chu!¡± said the lightning mouse. I leaned forward in anticipation of what was about to come, only to be surprised when Sabrina returned to sit next to me. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked her. She looked frustrated. ¡°Nothing is going on,¡± she said with a tightly controlled expression. I raised an eyebrow at her, and she exhaled heavily through her nostrils. ¡°The issue is that Will is too in control of the match. He might have lost his Alakazam thanks to Surge¡¯s tactics, but he doesn¡¯t appear to feel pressured enough that he needs Rocket¡¯s support with their Legendary,¡± she whispered lowly to me. I grimaced and glanced at the score. At three to one, it was a bit one-sided. Will had used Mr Mime, Espeon, Claydol, and Alakazam, but apart from Alakazam, he hadn¡¯t lost any of them. Weakened? Yes, but not out of the fight. Unlike Electrode, Ampharos, and now Lanturn. On the battlefield, Raichu streaked across it faster and faster. It seemed like Surge was going for speed with his pokemon. Will on the other hand, had his pokemon hunker down with how it earthed itself, digging into the ground but remaining with the top of its body slightly exposed. ¡°That¡¯s got to be a trap, right?¡± I said to Sabrina, indicating the battle. Sabrina nodded. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s most definitely a trap.¡± I clicked my teeth as Surge had his pokemon line up on the Claydol. Surge punched his fist forward, and Raichu accelerated. Will snapped his fingers, and psychic energy wrapped around Raichu, only for it to unleash a blast of electricity to overcome the Psychic. It hit the point between the puddles, only to stop on a dime. Surge grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t try and shit a shitter!¡± Raichu curled a fist and unleashed a powerful Focus Blast from as close as it could. Will clicked his tongue, and his pokemon vanished with Teleport behind Raichu. ¡°Future Sight Army boy!¡± taunted Will with a shake of his finger. Claydol lashed out and smacked Raichu into what now revealed itself to be a very steep sand trap. Surge narrowed his eyes only to snort derisively. ¡°Yeah, sand might be annoying, but it ain¡¯t enough to stop us. Raichu! BRING THE LIGHTNING!¡± Raichu curled in on itself, and I had a momentary premonition before the small lightning rat unleashed everything. A thunderous boom rocked the stadium as lightning, which consumed everything on the battlefield, erupted from Raichu. While everyone¡¯s eyesight was returning to them, I caught sight of Raichu leaping off a glassed battlefield straight at Claydol. It spun itself in a tightly controlled arc with its tail whipping around behind it, only for the tail to lash out and strike the Claydol on the head, sending it soaring backwards. ¡°BOOYAH! Brick Break to the face, little man! You see that coming, huh?! That¡¯s what I thought! You got one of them weak chins!¡± Surge said. Raichu landed and drew in deep lungfuls of air. It seemed that unleashing all of that electrical energy had taken a lot out of it. Claydol rose unsteadily, its joints twitching spasmodically, with Will glaring at Surge. ¡°Hmmm your starter is strong; I wouldn¡¯t have thought you¡¯d escape my Sand Tomb trap by glassing it¡­ You are not just a loud brute, it would seem Surge.¡± Will inclined his head. Surge snorted. ¡°Big whoop! Raichu! Close in again!¡± ¡°Psychic,¡± Will said. Once again, Raichu struggled as it was raised upward. Raichu once again unleashed a torrent of electricity to break the other pokemon¡¯s grip, but this time it wasn¡¯t strong enough. Will flicked his hand to the side, and Raichu sailed into the wall, where it shook itself off and rose up. ¡°Raichu Double Team!¡± Surge ordered to get his pokemon out of danger. Will sighed theatrically as a small cluster of Raichu appeared. He then flicked his hand upwards, and the Raichus all lurched upwards only to break up and reveal Raichu, who struggled only to be hurled to the side once more. Despite the heavy hit, Raichu rose up on all fours. Will sniffed. ¡°You should recall your pokemon, we all know how this will end now Surge. I have your measure.¡± Surge glared. ¡°Nasty Plot!¡± he said. His pokemon took on dark energy around it, breaking the hold. Will clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡°Yes, dark energy, how quaint. Earth Power,¡± he said causing spikes to shoot up and knock Raichu skyward. Will made to make the sweeping gesture again, but Surge wasn¡¯t going to let that keep playing out. ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± he bellowed, causing Raichu to snap its head up, lock onto Claydol and unleash an attack. Will gasped at that. ¡°Match it!¡± he shouted. Claydol leaned back and raised its own arms up to unleash a beam, and both Hyper Beams slammed into each other, causing a shockwave to rock the battlefield. When the dust cleared, I sighed as Raichu was revealed, face down and straining to stand but unable to. ¡°Some of Surge¡¯s team are more durable than I would expect of their species,¡± Sabrina said having returned. The gym trainer nodded. ¡°Yeah Surge only has a few that are from when he fought that are still around, but there¡¯s a world of difference between them.¡± I nodded at that. It made sense that pokemon that had gone through that would be tougher than modern competitive pokemon. On the field, Surge returned his pokemon with a frown and a few whispered words to the pokeball that I couldn¡¯t make out. From the other side, Claydol teetered precariously from side to side, but Will made no move to return it. A stir went through the crowd at this, and Surge narrowed his eyes before selecting another pokeball. ¡°Let¡¯s go Magnezone!¡± Surge shouted. Will merely nodded his head, and a moment later his pokemon vanished in a Teleport to appear right on top of Magnezone. ¡°Ah, you cocksucker!¡± swore Surge a moment before Will made a flowering gesture with his hands. Claydol exploded, and once more, a gigantic boom rocked the Vermillion stadium. People screamed and stood to see what had happened. It took a few seconds for the dust to clear, but I sighed in relief when Surge was revealed unharmed. I punched the air when his Magenzone was likewise shown with a protective shell around it. ¡°Cute try, you lily-livered asshole!¡± Surge shook his head in annoyance. "You think you¡¯re the first to try and sucker-punch old Surge?¡± Surge cracked his neck from side to side, causing his neck to pop. ¡°Alright, four to two, huh?¡± he said, glancing up at the projected match score. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to dig deep!¡± ¡°Hmmm, well, I thought there would be certain poetry to it,¡± Will said with a smirk. ¡°My turning your own tactics against you, no?¡± Surge snorted. ¡°Now, I¡¯m a man¡¯s man, but the poetry you¡¯re trying to peddle right there? That¡¯s the shit I wouldn¡¯t wipe my backside with!¡± Surge said. ¡°You tell him Surge!¡± said one of his fans, standing and punching the air. On his podium, Will put a hand to his mask and shook his head. ¡°Your resistance is commendable but I shall be the victor today, Surge.¡± He selected a pokeball and whipped it forward. ¡°Go Medicham!¡± The pokemon he¡¯d used against me first appeared with light feet, bouncing back and forth. It locked its focus on Magnezone as Surge straightened up. With a pokemon that wasn¡¯t as well known for its psychic prowess or a type advantage against him, I knew Surge could smell blood. ¡°Set your sights!¡± bellowed Surge as the magnets on the Magnezone swivelled forth onto Medicham, who was already sprinting towards the hovering electric type. A red reticule appeared in the centre eye, which I knew meant that Lock On had been used. ¡°Detect!¡± barked Will, only for his face to blanche at whatever information was being fed to him by his link to Medicham. ¡°Jum¡ª¡± he started to say as his pokemon leapt, only for Magnezone to unleash a torrent of lightning that lanced forth and struck Medicham out of the air. ¡°Zap Cannon!¡± roared Surge. The fighting-psychic type slammed into the ground and rolled over itself before kipping up into a standing position. It then kneeled with a cry of pain. Will clicked his tongue and returned his pokemon. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s rushing, trying to end this quickly,¡± I said. Sabrina flicked her eyes between the two combatants. ¡°Both of them have made a number of mistakes, but they have also led each other into traps that have either worked or backfired. Surge may still be able to win if Will fumbles. With Espeon and now Medicham injured, the score is a technical four to four.¡± That left Will to reveal his last pokemon. ¡°Go Espeon!¡± Will shouted, revealing a pokemon that was already limping from its earlier battle with Jolteon. ¡°Lock on again!¡± barked Surge, causing his pokemon to once again go through the setup for the release of Zap Cannon. This time I expected it, and I saw the shimmer and overlap of bodies as Espeon performed Substitute. ¡°Surge saw that, right?¡± I said, glancing up at the television screen, hoping for Surge to be smirking, but there was only a look of intense focus on his face. ¡°Thunderwave!¡± barked Surge, sweeping his hand wide. Magnezone, instead of firing off the much anticipated Zap Cannon, fired a broad wave of lightning that crackled and sparked. I expected to see either a cat-like pokemon jump over it, or be caught and zapped to reveal itself. The Substitute shimmered as the electric wave washed over it, but there was nothing else beyond the lack of reaction from the mirage that had been left behind by the Espeon. The crowd gasped in shock, and Surge narrowed his eyes, looking around. When no disruptions to the ground beyond the earlier gouges were present, he flicked his eyes upwards but there wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary. ¡°Is your pokemon within the boundary of this battlefield punk?¡± Surge said heatedly. Will smiled coyly. ¡°Oh? You mean I slipped that one past you? I assure you, they¡¯re right where I need them to be.¡± Sabrina sighed, and I glanced at her. ¡°Where is the Espeon?¡± ¡°It is buried under the small section of glass that Raichu created earlier. It burrowed in through the side, and with the sand falling into the tunnel, there isn¡¯t an entrance for Surge to notice. It is using Rest.¡± I groaned. That¡­ wasn¡¯t such a bad trick; I might have even overlooked it, but then again, a Rock or Earth-type move would have caused Will to regret that choice. It was also markedly different from how Will had fought against me. He had swapped out some pokemon yes, but the moves that the familiar pokemon were using¡­ Surge glared at Will. ¡°Alright punk, if you want to play hide and seek, you¡¯ll learn why I¡¯m the best at that game! Magenzone! Land and use Sonicboom!¡± Will laughed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that an outdated move that does nothing?¡± Surge grinned. ¡°Oh, it does something alright.¡± He then put his fingers into his ears. I copied him out of instinct rather than actually understanding what was going on. Sabrina copied me. It was telling that every Gym trainer around us followed Surge¡¯s lead. Magnezone planted its magnets, and a moment later the air thrummed and a heavy whump sounded out, causing dust to radiate outwards before it suddenly sucked itself inwards. I felt the pressure wave radiate over me due to the air disruption. Will staggered on his podium and shook his head. ¡°What was that!?¡± Will shouted shrilly. Surge took his fingers out, and his eyes locked onto the now-shivering patch of glass where Sabrina had identified the Espeon as hiding. ¡°Gotcha now, flinching punk,¡± said Surge as he pointed at it. Will grabbed onto the podium rails. ¡°Espeon! Baton Pass now!¡± he shouted, holding up another pokeball. Espeon vanished from underneath the glass, only for the pokemon that took its place to cause the glass to lift upwards as a much larger form appeared. ¡°Exeggutor!¡± chanted the many-faced grass-psychic pokemon. Surge clicked his tongue at the switch. I noticed a gleam all over its body. ¡°He didn¡¯t juice, did he?¡± I asked. Sabrina chewed her lip. ¡°He¡­ may have; I felt Espeon get off another move after Rest, however, and with the time taken, he has a reasonable excuse. I can¡¯t be sure, and neither can others. It would have been obvious without this set up which couldn¡¯t be guaranteed.¡± I hissed in annoyance. ¡°If it¡¯s not one thing, it''s another with this guy!¡± I said with a growl. ¡°Just black-bagging him is suddenly looking a lot more attractive. Maybe blame it on Team Rocket, even.¡± Sabrina snorted at that. ¡°That¡¯s dark,¡± she commented. I paused and sighed, releasing the energy I had unknowingly not let go of when the Flash had come out earlier in the fight. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said as Exeggutor marched towards Magnezone with Psychic warding off the few steel-type moves Surge had for his pokemon. ¡°Steel Beam!¡± ¡°Hypnosis!¡± ordered Will in response. His pokemon¡¯s eyes glowed as steel energy was launched into Exeggutor. It staggered, but most of the faces stayed focused on the task of bringing down the Magnezone. It staggered and fell out of the air to land, which had Will leaning forward hungrily. ¡°Bulldoze!¡± Exeggutor stormed forward and slammed into the slumbering pokemon which woke it up, but Wil wasn''t about to let the other pokemon escape. ¡°Leap on it and Stomp!¡± he commanded. Exeggutor did just that, and then it began to stomp its feet down, smashing Magenzone down, and keeping it down on the ground. ¡°Blast it!¡± Surge snarled, causing Magezone to unleash everything it had from point-blank range. While it wasn¡¯t very effective, I had little doubt that Magnezone was one of Surge¡¯s old pokemon. Old pokemon usually had a lot in the tank and I grinned as Magenzone unleashed a powerful blast of electricity, that despite the type disadvantage still did damage. Exeggutor was thrown back, and it had to turn its body as the faces on one side seemed blinded by how the electricity had flash-fried them. Hmmm, perhaps a critical hit? I thought as I watched the Exeggutor continue to stumble. ¡°Bulldoze!¡± said Will causing his pokemon stop, stumble, and lean forward to throw itself into an attack. It surged forward with a growl. ¡°MAGNEZONE! GO!¡± shouted Surge with a manic grin on his face. His Magnezone narrowed its eyes and then surged forward. It built up momentum quickly. Both pokemon slammed into each other and another boom rocked the stadium. I chuckled when the dust shifted and Surge was revealed, grinning up at me. I nodded. ¡°Nice of him to use Titan¡¯s catchphrase.¡± Sabrina merely inclined her head. ¡°It only got him to five to three, however.¡± I looked to find both the Magnezone and the Exeggutor knocked out in the middle of the battlefield. I whistled. ¡°Wow, alright then. Jolteon against Mr Mime, Espeon, and Medicham?¡± ¡°That is correct,¡± Sabrina said. Will considered his options before tossing out Mr Mime; specifically, he landed the pokemon behind the now sizeable divot that had been where Espeon had dug down. Mr Mime winked at Jolteon as it appeared. A stir went through the crowd as they recalled that this had been the original matchup for this battle. ¡°Surge can still do it,¡± I said aloud, glancing about for any signs of potential Team Rocket interference. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think Will is going to risk it; just the set-up would cost him too much and it would reveal his intentions.¡± Her eyes glowed for a moment, and she shook her head. ¡°Agatha and Janine have yet to find anything suspicious locally.¡± I sighed and chewed my lip as Jolteon blitzed around the field, only for Barriers to form up to block any lighting attacks. Surge started hammering back with Pin Missiles only for Will to click his tongue. ¡°Trick Room!¡± he ordered. Mr Mime raised its hands to form a cube, in doing so, it took a barrage of Pin Missiles. But the cube still expanded out and engulfed the battlefield. And just like that, Jotleon¡¯s best advantage with its speed was gone. Will leered. ¡°Psybeam! Finish this match!¡± he barked, causing Mr Mime to fire off a beam of psychic energy that had Jolteon running to avoid it as best it could, only to be clipped and sent rolling. ¡°Again!¡± ordered Will, only for the Jolteon to vanish as it was recalled. Surge stood tall with his pokeball outstretched. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough; there''s no need to beat down like that on Jolteon.¡± He worked his jaw a few times before nodding his head. ¡°Well! Looks like I¡¯ve had to eat some humble pie!¡± Surge said, putting a hand behind his head and laughing like he wasn¡¯t all that bothered. I sighed and stood up to give Surge my support with applause. The crowd joined in a moment later, and Will waved magnanimously, causing my stomach to curdle. Will turned and noticed me for the first time during the match. I held his gaze, and for a moment, I forgot that anyone else existed. Could I demand a fight from him here and now? He smirked before tapping the side of his mask. Will turned away, unaffected by my staredown. I really hated that mask. He returned to waving and a few moments later he shook hands with Surge only to turn towards a group of awaiting reporters. I snorted and toyed with the idea of inserting myself but decided against it With the interviews going on I turned away and instead headed for Surge¡¯s training area. Surge didn¡¯t take long and when he entered the room he strode up to a boxing bag and slammed a fist against it. The bag shook and floated back only for another fist to lash out and send it careening back. Surge kept up the assault for a few minutes before catching the bag and exhaling a long and loud breath. Then he moved, but not like he usually did with energy and spontaneity. He moved¡­ like he was an old man with a lot of burdens. Like a man whose scars and history dragged him down. He slumped onto a bench and released another sigh. I coughed to announce myself, but Surge just looked at the bag with an expression that told me his mind was far off. ¡°I used to be able to beat the stuffing out of the bag for a good half an hour without breaking a sweat¡­ Now I can¡¯t do it for more than five minutes¡­¡± he said. I blinked. ¡°It happens. Have you kept up your training?¡± I said. Surge snorted. ¡°I do¡­ I¡¯ve just¡­¡± Surge sighed and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve just gotten old¡­¡± he said, staring at the ground. ¡°It was still a good fight,¡± I said, looking to raise his spirits. ¡°Good? Good is something pros and veterans wipe their asses with. I needed to be great tonight.¡± Surge shook his head. I shifted from foot to foot. ¡°I mean, you had him pressured for a bit there. It really could have been a lot closer.¡± Surge shook his head, staring at the punching bag. ¡°Nah, you don¡¯t get it, Brock, I¡¯ve slipped. I used to have one of the best edges when it came to pokemon battles. The fights we have in these Ace fights? They were nothing compared to fighting true combat¡­ I¡­ I used to think that would always see me through¡­ but I¡¯ve gotten sloppy.¡± He looked down at his swollen knuckles. ¡°I was arrogant and that¡¯s cost me this match¡­ I¡¯m¡­ sorry, I know you were hoping I put that prick in his place but instead, I just made him look better¡­¡± ¡°Nah, you did great,¡± I said loyally. ¡°Brock¡­ I think I¡¯ve known for years that I¡¯m over the hill¡­ I¡¯ve had my peak¡­ I just¡­ well, I talked big.¡± Surge clenched his fists. I could see it pained him to admit it. ¡°That¡¯s not true. You just need to find different methods and tactics. Use that experience you have!¡± I said firmly, not willing to let this matter sit. Surge merely waved back towards the arena where he¡¯d lost to Will barely half an hour ago. I worked my jaw and considered the boxing bag. I walked up to it and gave it a soft jab. Surge snorted. ¡°Lock out your wrist or you¡¯ll break it.¡±. I nodded and did just that for a few more hits before speaking as I settled into a rhythm. ¡°I won¡¯t lie; I was thinking you¡¯d reveal him for what he is. We¡¯ve both had to eat some humble pie of late, no?¡± I started speeding up my hits and putting some rock energy into my punches. ¡°It freaking pisses me off to see that asshole strutting around like he¡¯s going to be the next Elite Four.¡± I slammed a haymaker into the bag, and it swung wildly, only to be pounded in another direction as my other fist caught it on the backswing. Surge stood and laughed at the hammer blows I was unleashing. ¡°Damn! That¡¯s the spirit Brock! Let it out! Use your hips! Twist through and push the power from your feet all the way into your fist and through!¡± My punches came faster and faster, harder and harder, as Surge coached me on how to improve my form. I continued to hammer at it, building up my energy. ¡°Imagine it¡¯s Will smirking at you!¡± Surge shouted all of a sudden. I felt my anger spike as I all too easily imagined his face superimposed on the bag. The tips Surge had been coaching me on suddenly clicked as I stepped into the bag and planted my foot before twisting and unleashing a punch that had every part of my body behind it. The boxing bag detonated from the hit, and sand scattered over the floor. I stepped back, huffing and puffing. ¡°See that Surge? You haven¡¯t lost your edge, you just traded it out for being a Gym Leader. You¡¯re a hell of a coach, and I have no doubt the Gym trainers under you learn a lot.¡± I tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°I know I did when you helped me out.¡± I made sure to lock eyes with him. ¡°I could still use your experience and knowledge.¡± Surge rubbed his thumb across his nose. ¡°Aw shucks, you¡¯re gonna make me blush!¡± I chuckled. ¡°You know, there is a good thing about Will being so prominent of late.¡± Surge tilted his head. ¡°Yeah, and what¡¯s that?¡± I chuckled. ¡°My pokemon and I have never been more motivated to improve.¡± I reached out and slapped Surge on the shoulder, barely able to reach him there. ¡°Also, no one thinks you did bad. You stood up, and people respect that.¡± I waved for him to follow, and I led him outside. There, a number of people were milling about on the boulevard. It only took seconds for people to notice Surge and for cheering and applause to start. ¡°Way to rattle that sissy¡¯s cage, Surge!¡± cheered one man. ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± ¡°We love you, Surge!¡± ¡°Yeah, baby! Go Surge!¡± screamed another. I chuckled and smiled up at Surge. ¡°They all believe in you. Give yourself some credit, just as you believe in me. I believe you can get over this. You up to some training with me again?¡± ¡°Heh! You ain¡¯t leaving me in the dirt, Brock! You¡¯re on!¡± he said before turning and waving to the crowd who cheered his name. Surge grinned and rubbed the back of his head. I merely laughed, glad to see him feeling better. I then considered what I¡¯d said. ¡°I might have to pick your brain on how to work with pokemon on building raids soon you know?¡± That made him perk up and look thoughtful. ¡°Huh, yeah, there¡¯s gonna be a lot of raids coming up with Team Rocket being so frisky, ain''t there?¡± he rubbed his chin. ¡°Call me when you want to talk shop¡­ or give me a week and I¡¯ll set something up,¡± he said. I nodded, noting that he looked a lot more himself now that he had a task to work towards. I then waved for him to lead me around his City. I ended up spending an hour with Surge walking around Vermillion, talking with locals, and helping to lift his spirits. When that was done, I asked Sabrina to pick me up, and she did so only to Teleport me to her own Gym. ¡°Thought we were going home?¡± I asked. She merely gave me a coy smile. ¡°You can stay at mine tonight.¡± I chuckled as she handed Ralts to me before changing into her pyjamas. Huh, seemed like it was time for a sleepover; it was a good way to end the day. Chapter 148 - Family time I woke up the next morning to a room that I was only slightly familiar with. The feeling of the body pressing into me was much more familiar, however, and did wonders for keeping me calm. Until I remembered what we¡¯d done last night when Sabrina had sent Ralts out for an hour or so. I was suddenly much more awake. ¡°No, I¡¯m sleeping,¡± Sabrina murmured before I got the chance to even reach for her. Ralts murmured something and wormed her way closer into Sabrina¡¯s arms. I chuckled and stood. ¡°I need to go to the bathroom anyway.¡± Sabrina made a gesture towards the hallway. I put on my shirt to cover myself and made my way to the toilet. It was only after flushing and washing my hands that I remembered Sabrina¡¯s parents. Or, more specifically, Sabrina¡¯s mother. She blinked at me, her eyes sliding down my body before glancing back up. ¡°Good morning!¡± she said, sounding like she was testing the sound of the words. ¡°Morning,¡± I replied, deciding to just go with the flow. Sabrina¡¯s mother tilted her head. ¡°Did you stay the night?¡± she asked. I decided to nod. Would it have been better or worse to say I came over just now? After a moment¡¯s sluggish thought, I decided it might be worse. Sabrina¡¯s mother nodded. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good... I¡¯ll make breakfast!¡± she said before trotting away. Before I could stop myself, I spoke up. ¡°Do you want my help?¡± I said, more due to habit than any actual desire to do so. ¡°Oh, that might be nice!¡± she replied, leaving me in a lurch. She flicked her eyes back down. ¡°Maybe put some pants on first?¡± "Right,¡± I said, hurrying back to grab my pants, suddenly glad that I at least wore underwear to bed. I stepped in and pulled on my pants. ¡°Sabrina! Your mother was out there!¡± Sabrina opened a single eye and peered at me. ¡°Yes? She lives with me?¡± she said as though it were obvious... which it should have been. I huffed at her. ¡°We need to get you a room with a private ensuite.¡± Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed. ¡°Why? I can just teleport into the bathroom when I need it?¡± I huffed and tapped her on the nose. ¡°I can''t, though, and I don¡¯t think I should wander around in the morning like that.¡± ¡°Hmmm, don¡¯t worry, you have very nice legs,¡± Sabrina said, then she sat up and eyed me. And your abs and your chest are very nice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± I said, deciding if I wanted to shield my body from her gaze before shaking the idea away. ¡°I know,¡± she said simply, her eyes glowing as I pulled on some jeans before opening the door. A short shriek of fear had me stiffening up before Sandra called out. ¡°Sabrina! If you¡¯re going to help out, remember what we talk about! No doing it from your bedroom!¡± Sabrina grumbled and rolled over. I chuckled and shot Ralts a look as she copied Sabrina in grumbling and turning to face away from the light. ¡°I¡¯ll give you both another half hour?¡± The lights I¡¯d turned on to find my clothes flicked off in answer. I turned and walked out with a smile, more than happy to help with breakfast. When Saul wandered in minutes later, he smiled at his wife, frowned, and then grimaced as he realised someone else was with her. ¡°Brock,¡± he said. ¡°Saul,¡± I replied. He worked his jaw back and forth for a moment. ¡°Saw your match the other day.¡± Sandra shot him a reproachful look, but he kept looking at me. I put down the knife I¡¯d been using to slice bread. Then I nodded slowly. He twitched when he noticed I had something sharp in my hands. ¡°It was a horrible thing what that Will did!¡± he rushed to say. I snorted. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. Still, a draw isn¡¯t the worst result, as people have been telling me.¡± I chewed that over. ¡°I just wish I could force him into a rematch.¡± Sandra glanced at me. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said, turning that thought around in my head for a bit. ¡°Mostly because, outside of his challenges, he is rather elusive. He comes and goes with his ability to Teleport, so chasing him isn¡¯t really feasible¡­ Not that I want to do that¡­¡± I sighed and shook my head. ¡°At that point, I think that I¡¯d be giving him more attention than he truly deserves. The media ask when he¡¯s going to have a rematch with me enough to make it clear people still want it. So yeah, he kind of has to come back and face me if he really wants to advance, but I¡¯m thinking of forcing the issue by reaching the mid-season Ace tournament.¡± Saul blinked. ¡°Won¡¯t that require a lot of time spent fighting Ace trainers?¡± I nodded. ¡°Things are starting to calm down a bit.¡± I shrugged. "Honestly, I was hoping Surge would pull him up short.¡± Saul nodded. ¡°We thought the same when he challenged Surge. Seems Surge has lost his edge.¡± I nodded. ¡°He thought so as well, but¡­ well, he knows now what he needs to do to get it back. And I know he¡¯s going to come back stronger.¡± Saul and Sandra grimaced. ¡°Surge? Training again? Oh dear, people will think he¡¯s arming up again for war.¡± I flicked my eyes over both Saul and Sandra. I took special note of their grey hairs. ¡°You both would have been around back then; what did¡ª¡± ¡°We don¡¯t like talking about it, Brock,¡± Sandra said with a tone that let me know she would not be talking about this, full stop. I blinked in surprise. Usually, Sandra was a quiet and calm woman; I¡¯d never heard her speak up like this. I nodded, deciding it was perhaps for the best not to ask a pair of psychics what they might have done during a war that they would have been in the midst of. If what Sabrina could do with reading memories was useful for criminals... I clapped my hands. ¡°Right, well, I have confidence that he¡¯s going to be stopped before he can achieve his actual goals,¡± I said, bringing the subject back to what we were talking about. Saul nodded and mouthed a thank you to me before resting his eyes on Sandra, who had begun wiping down an already clean bench. ¡°You think Erika will have a chance?¡± Saul said. It was my turn to grimace. ¡°I respect Erika; she is an incredible Gym Leader¡­¡± I shifted my head back and forth. ¡°But I¡¯m not so confident in her battling skills.¡± ¡°She will surprise you,¡± said Sabrina as she walked into the room. Saul blinked. ¡°Ho? Have you foreseen something, Sabrina?¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t focus solely on what I can foresee; it is no way to live, I have learned.¡± Sabrina smiled at me while she said this, leaning in and kissing me on the cheek. I kissed her back and settled in on the kitchen bench with her family. Saul nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°What gives you such confidence in your friend Erika?¡± ¡°It is because she is my friend,¡± Sabrina replied. ¡°She and I have spent a lot of time together. Alakazam and I have been training her on some of her pokemon¡¯s psychic moves, but she has in turn been challenging me. Will is going to be in for a surprise when he fights her. She is not some simple flower he can ignore.¡± ¡°I notice you haven¡¯t said she will win,¡± Saul said. Sandra swatted him, and he stiffened. ¡°I mean! Good for you! Backing up your friend like that!¡± Sabrina rolled her eyes and accepted a cup of tea from me. ¡°I¡¯m better than I was; I have lots of friends now, mother and father,¡± she said drollly. ¡°But I think she has a chance of beating him. Surge¡­ He was overconfident in his strength. He tried his known method of blitzing with speed and power, which doesn¡¯t work as well against a psychic trainer that knows how to use their pokemon.¡± Saul nodded at that. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have had a lot of experience against trainers like us, merely the trainers that we work with. There hasn¡¯t been a true master... well, since you, Sabrina,¡± Saul said proudly. Sabrina smiled and inclined her head. ¡°My thanks, but I think I still have a lot to learn.¡± She rubbed a thumb along a scar I had on the back of my arm, and I put my hand over hers. She didn¡¯t really blame herself for not holding back everything Moltres threw at us, did she? I squeezed her hand. ¡°That¡¯s a good attitude to have!¡± Saul proclaimed. I chuckled at how he¡¯d missed the subtext but nevertheless supported his daughter. It was a sign that things were better around her. I glanced over to Sandra and found her looking at my arm thoughtfully. Hmmm. I decided to leave that alone and instead indicated the food Sandra and I had been working on. A few minutes in, Sandra tilted her head. ¡°Why are you keeping some food aside, Brock?¡± I glanced down and chuckled. Sabrina giggled. ¡°He has been trained by Munchlax.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it!¡± I said. ¡°I taught him to behave with treats of food from my plate!¡± Sabrina lifted her cup of tea. ¡°Whatever you tell yourself. Sometimes training doesn¡¯t just impact the recipient.¡± I couldn¡¯t refute that, so I grumbled and ate the food I usually left aside for Munchlax.
Sabrina dropped me back home, where I was promptly ambushed by my siblings throwing themselves at me. When I was done with most of them, I nodded to Yolanda. ¡°You missed training this morning?¡± she asked. I shook my head. ¡°I had myself scheduled for a rest day.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± she said, tilting her head. I could see she didn¡¯t understand, so I tapped the side of my head. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s best to give the body, mind, and spirit time to not be under stress. This allows for a full recovery and also increases your rate of growth instead of tapering off or plateauing.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Yolanda said. I ruffled her hair. ¡°Go play some games with Terra and the others.¡± I considered that. ¡°Speaking of, later, let¡¯s go bowling!¡± Sabrina stiffened. ¡°Brock, last time we went bowling in Hoenn¡­¡± I coughed. ¡°Maybe the team will be calmer about it?¡± Sabrina raised a dubious eyebrow. Yolanda looked from me to Sabrina. ¡°OH! Tell me! What happened?¡± She grinned. ¡°Did Brock get upset because you used your psychic abilities?¡± ¡°No, I played as the rules state without interference with the ball once it had left my hand.¡± I snorted at that, and Sabrina narrowed her eyes. ¡°Bertha got us banned for life from the bowling alley.¡± ¡°Maybe Pewter will have stronger bowling alleys?¡± I offered. Sabrina shook her head, and Yolanda vibrated in place. ¡°We so have to do it! I¡¯ll call the girls; they can join in; this sounds like it will be hilarious.¡± I grumbled at that but waved her off. "Sabrina, we best check in with the others,¡± I said, nodding to my room. Sabrina inclined her head, and we locked the door before pulling out the Guardian holopad. Sabrina paused on the texts that I¡¯d been reading before making the call. ¡°Mega-evolution, and Gigantamax/Dynamax.¡± She scrolled down. ¡°You¡¯ve been looking into pokemon power-ups? What is Gigantamax?¡± I nodded. ¡°I have been looking into the historical texts about Mega-evolutions. Turns out there had been incidents of Mega-evolution during the war, or more specifically several from then Gym Leaders. Did you know that the Cerulean sister¡¯s Grandfather once fought off an invasion force with his Gyarados? People witnessed it from afar and noted that a mountain got destroyed, which interestingly enough is where the pokedex entry comes from.¡± ¡°A mountain?¡± she said dubiously. I pinched my fingers together. ¡°Small one, that was more of a cape that was slated to fall into the ocean in a few years from what I read, but it still displayed a lot more power than people thought Gyarados were capable of.¡± ¡°And they never witnessed Gyarados mega-evolving again?¡± she asked as she continued to read through the reports that had been compiled about the battle. I shook my head. ¡°Apparently Patrick never left Cerulean City after that, but Cerulean also became an area no one was willing to attack after that day. I¡¯d probably need to talk to someone from that generation to learn more about it.¡± ¡°Agatha or Oak then,¡± Sabrina said before switching the holopad into call mode. When the call was picked up all of the Guardians were present, along with a bespectacled man. ¡°Gym Leaders! Battle Pike,¡± he said. ¡°Everyone, this is Jacque, the local leader of our group in Vermillion, he was part of the observation team during Gym Leader Surge¡¯s match with Will,¡± Agatha said. The man inclined his head. ¡°Wonderful to be working with you all; usually we just supply information and aren¡¯t called into meetings like this!¡± I frowned. The inclusion of another member, albeit a man who worked in support of the Guardians meant something had to have happened. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Was anything observed during the match?¡± I prompted. Jacques nodded his head. And an image was displayed. ¡°Yesterday at eighteen-fifty-six, towards the end of the match between Surge and Will, a pokemon appeared in the skies above Vermillion. It was high up in the sky and the only reason we have pictures of it is thanks to the team that works in the observatory on route eleven. They have a wide scope telescope that was requisitioned into a lower angle than normal.¡± I hummed as the image was a much higher quality than I would have expected. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you have such quality photos from a telescope.¡± ¡°Well¡­ the telescope wasn¡¯t always used to pick up images of the night sky. It was a long-range observation site during the war, and this gives it a wide range of capabilities. The League knows of it, but it hasn¡¯t ever been decommissioned.¡± Jacques coughed into his fist. ¡°Just in case.¡± ¡°How does Team Rocket not know about this?¡± I asked. ¡°The list of what Kanto, or rather¡­ Indigo, has at its disposal is a tightly guarded state secret. Even inquiring about it at the League draws attention. Slipping some facilities off the books is one thing; knowing what is and isn¡¯t still functional is another,¡± Agatha said. I raised a hand. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Blaine know?¡± ¡°Blaine would have some idea, but he is not one to share without gaining something significant in return. He also has certain countermeasures from long-range observation beyond the typical dark emitters. Where he built his battlefield and Gym for example. The caldera and shadow of a volcano are not places that can easily be watched.¡± I nodded and turned back to the images we now had of Mewtwo. Karen leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. ¡°So that¡¯s the pokemon that almost did you and Koga in huh?¡± ¡°Silence girl! You reveal how foolish you are with every word! That pokemon is obviously powerful beyond the norm!¡± Agatha snapped, causing Karen to lean back and raise her hands to defuse the older woman. Agatha inclined her head toward Jacques. ¡°Thank you for bringing this to our attention. You have assisted us wonderfully.¡± Jacques inclined his head again and disconnected from the call. Agatha waved her cane at the camera. ¡°The armour is an interesting touch. Perhaps it is a Steel psychic like Metagross?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t witness it using any Steel-type moves during its fight against Moltres and a Steel typing would have been a terrible match-up in any event. It was able to fight it for a little while before escaping. Would Giovanni have sent a pokemon with a known type weakness against another?¡± Agatha shook her head. ¡°You are correct, Brock. Which makes me wonder about the armour.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s body armour Giovanni had his pokemon wear? Perhaps it has a number of monitoring systems and communication channels?¡± I offered up. I suspected it was merely to add an air of mystery around Mewtwo, but i couldn¡¯t be sure with Giovanni. There had to be a reason for it beyond that, right? Koga stroked his chin. ¡°If there are communication channels being used to relay orders¡­ there might be video feeds as well.¡± Janine straightened. ¡°There might also be a chance to pick up the signal!¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°If we can trace it, we will know where this pokemon is, along with its base of operations.¡± Agatha inclined her head. ¡°It only appeared when Surge was fighting back towards the end of the match. I imagine that Will thought himself capable enough until Surge had him on the back foot.¡± I straightened up, knowing this might be the break we needed to lock Will down. Sadly, Agatha shook her head. ¡°I have gone through the recording of the match with a fine-toothed comb and a number of analysts, and unlike Brock¡¯s match there is nothing suspicious.¡± Karen grunted at that. "Huh, I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that you were stronger than Surge.¡± I snorted. ¡°I think there¡¯s a lot of ways Surge could still school me,¡± I said easily, holding in the scowl I wanted to show. Damn, it had seemed like we¡¯d been close! Koga nodded, and for a moment, his lips twitched upwards. ¡°Good, the enemy of progress is complacency. Know yourself.¡± Janine nodded along with her father¡¯s comments. I smiled at them both. ¡°Right, so we have a chance of this pokemon appearing whenever Will is on the ropes right?¡± I drummed my fingers on the table. ¡°It¡¯s damned annoying that he runs off when he does, if we could catch him in the open I could offer him a rematch and force Rocket to act.¡± Karen made a humming noise. ¡°A better option would be for me to tweak his nose. We¡¯re both making a bid for Elite Four after all and we¡¯ll have to butt heads eventually.¡± Agatha leaned back in consideration. ¡°That¡­ is not a terrible idea. Both Brock and Karen have legitimate reasons to offer him a challenge. He can weedle his way out of facing you Brock, having already fought you¡­ but pressure could be applied¡­¡± Agatha nodded. ¡°We will have a whisper and media campaign run to set it up so it is considered reasonable. Karen, I want you to make an appearance at the next match he has in Celadon. We¡¯ll offer you up as bait and see if he¡¯s willing to bite.¡± Karen nodded her head. Agatha rubbed her chin. ¡°Erika¡­ we will see about offering her some more support as she is on the weak side as a Gym Leader.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯ll surprise you,¡± said three voices. Sabrina smiled at me while I flicked my eyes to Janine, who¡¯d also spoken up. Koga gave Janine a considering look as Sabrina spoke up, ¡°I have been working with Erika to increase her skills.¡± Janine coughed into her fist sheepishly. ¡°As have I.¡± Koga nodded. ¡°Good work,¡± he said simply. Janine straightened a pleased smile on her face at the faint praise. Agatha chuckled before waving a hand. ¡°Very good indeed! I think that will help her a good deal. Perhaps the flower maiden will have some thorns eh?¡± Karen huffed and rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s all good and well but we need to make sure that this pokemon that is supporting Will doesn¡¯t just hide up in the sky again. That will limit us.¡± ¡°We need to choose the battlefield,¡± Koga said. ¡°What if we made sure the match was performed in the day? Erika¡¯s Gym has an open roof, so people could ride their pokemon. Maybe we have a few of ours up there flying around.¡± ¡°That¡­ could work, it will force this pokemon into either close quarters in one of the surrounding buildings, or the Gym itself. We will have people roaming about.¡± ¡°If it is in the Gym or the building, as long as I am close, I might be able to detect it,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°I will have a number of ghosts filter through the area, in the days before the match. This will allow us more of our channelers and priests throughout Celadon,¡± Agatha said. I hummed. ¡°We might need to do some training for fighting indoors.¡± ¡°If we do end up fighting that pokemon, it won¡¯t be indoors for long. We will nevertheless fight in pairs. Karen, I would suggest you meet with Brock, Sabrina, and Lucy so you can train on this. Janine, Agatha, or I will schedule a time that one of us can be present for later this week.¡± ¡°The shortstuff?¡± Karen said dismissively. Janine bristled at the insult, but Koga merely put a hand on his daughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°She has been trained,¡± he said simply. ¡°Well,¡± I said, deciding to defuse the tension. ¡°We¡¯ll be in her care.¡± I nodded my head, and Janine perked up once again. It would be interesting to train in this manner. I was used to doubles matches or large throwdowns. Having to work with someone other than Sabrina would be an experience. I might also talk with Surge about setting something up; he was a wellspring of knowledge that I shouldn¡¯t ignore. ¡°Anything else to discuss?¡± Koga asked the group. Lucy made sure to ask for more training, which was seen as a good thing. I pinged Agatha to let her know this was more specifically about something to do with her. ¡°That young trainer you recommended? A.J.? He¡¯s settling in well; he''s very rough on the edges, but I can see that he has a lot of potential.¡± Agatha smiled fondly. ¡°Ah, that little brat used my recommendation? Hah! He would have had to bend his pride for that!¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Was he not the person you wanted me to look into for possible aura training?¡± I asked. Agatha huffed. ¡°I saw he had the potential, but I never expected him to bend.¡± I grimaced. ¡°I think the reality of how big the world was forced his hand.¡± "Hmpf, good. I leave it up to you to decide if you teach him Aura of course,¡± Agatha said dismissively. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t the apprentice you had in mind, who was?¡± I asked with a frown. Agatha waved her head. ¡°The man in question has gone wandering into the wilds. I don¡¯t expect to see him again. Don¡¯t let it bother you.¡± I nodded slowly and decided to drop the topic. After that, we discussed some other pointers before signing off. I tucked the Holopad away and lay back on the bed. "Hmmm, do you think Erika can beat Will?¡± ¡°She has a shot,¡± Sabrina said seriously. I grunted at that. ¡°What do you want to do now?¡± I asked. ¡°I have nothing planned this afternoon.¡± Sabrina cocked an eyebrow at me. ¡°You need to book the bowling alley, and your family wants to spend time with you before that. So¡ª¡± she patted me on the head and flicked her eyes down, ¡°¡ªdown boy.¡± I chuckled and sat up to give her a kiss, which did nothing to settle me down. She pushed herself off and shook her head at me before opening the door and walking down the hall. I took a few minutes to calm down, during which I called and booked out the bowling alley before joining her. ¡°So what are we playing?¡± I said to the kids. ¡°Dragonslayer!¡± shouted the boys. I chuckled. ¡°I think I can¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± shouted Suzie, stopping me in my tracks. ¡°You can be the princess! Munchlax is the Dragonslayer!¡± I glanced over and found Munchlax wearing a cardboard helmet with horns on the side. He waved a packet of cheese and biscuits at me. I glanced over at Sabrina. ¡°And her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the good witch of the¡­¡± Suzie glanced at Sabrina, who mouthed something to Suzie. ¡°West!¡± said Suzie firmly. I sighed and got into the game. It wasn¡¯t the weirdest game we¡¯d ended up playing. When Munchlax saved me, I had to give him a friendly high five as his reward followed by some more cheese for the ¡®injuries¡¯ he sustained during the battle with the mighty Dragon, who had been played by Terra. After that, I clapped my hands. ¡°Alright! Who wants to go bowling with me and my pokemon team?¡± Sabrina raised her hand which prompted most of the girls to join the boys. Flint rubbed his chin. ¡°Well, I might stay here and clean things up, get dinner on an¡ª¡± Nanny Grav shook her head as she started pushing him towards the door. I laughed. ¡°We can order out tonight.¡± Flint eventually accepted this and joined us as we walked to the bowling alley. On the way through the gym, I picked up Greta and A.J., with Crystal joining us on the way there. Both of the girls huddled up to Yolanda to chat while A.J. awkwardly made conversation with Salvadore. When we arrived the woman behind the counter called a group of assistants to fit out my family. She then turned back to me. ¡°Will any pokemon be joining you today?¡± she asked. Before I got the chance to respond, a few of my team popped out of their pokeballs. I¡¯d asked the pokemon in the reserve, and four had indicated they wanted to play. These being Bertha, Titan, Sanchez, and Izumi. Bertha pointed at herself and nodded excitedly. ¡°Alakazam!¡± shouted Sabrina¡¯s starter, indicating himself, Hypno, Ralts, and Mr Mime. Hypno narrowed its eyes at Bertha and warbled something that had Bertha grinning. I coughed to hide a laugh. Oh dear, this might end up just like Hoenn. ¡°We¡¯ll separate the pokemon from the kids, right?¡± Flint said worriedly. The woman chuckled. "Alright, but in our experience, kids tend to do more damage.¡± She offered up some elastic socks with smooth bottoms for the pokemon. My pokemon lined up against Sabrina¡¯s and they eyed each other. Then Bertha turned to her ¡®team¡¯ and started speaking. ¡°Rhy! Rhy-pherior! Rhy! Or!¡± she said, nodding her head. This caused her team to bark their own names. From Sabrina¡¯s side of things, Hypno spoke up. I tapped Sabrina on her shoulder. ¡°Are they giving pep talks?¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°They really enjoyed Hoenn and have wanted to do this for a while.¡± Sabrina eyed the alley. ¡°It seems more sturdy, so I think we might not get banned this time. That, or hopefully, they¡¯ll let us pay them off.¡± I huffed and decided to ignore the pokemon palming their way through the bowling balls to get one that would fit their digits or could be held easily enough in their grip. I noticed that Bertha just grabbed the heaviest while Titan toyed with the patterns. Terra waddled over and sat herself down to watch the game. I turned back to my own family and set up the scorecards on two different alleyways. Then I glanced over to Yolanda¡¯s group. ¡°You got yours set up?¡± I asked. The girls gave me a thumbs-up while Salvadore and A.J. looked worried. ¡°Spike? That¡¯s not my name!¡± A.J. said as Crystal bequeathed everyone nicknames. ¡°And why are you Lord Megadoom!?¡± ¡°Because the computer won¡¯t let me put in anything bigger!¡± Crystal replied. I decided to ignore that as well and merely focus on helping line up the rolling ramp for Tilly and Billy. When it was my turn to bowl, I hurled my ball down and was pleased at the release. It looked good with how it was running straight¡­ only to turn at the last second. I turned and shot Sabrina a fixedly unimpressed look. She gave me an innocent look. ¡°Everything¡¯s fair in love and war.¡± Flint raised a finger. ¡°Uhm¡­ actually there are...¡± Sabrina turned her gaze upon him as she raised a clenched fist. ¡°I¡¯m going to beat you all at this game.¡± Suzie hopped up and put her fists on her hips. ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re not!¡± she pointed firmly, copying the pose Bertha had used earlier to point imperiously down at the pins that would dare defy her. ¡°Brock, set up my bowling ramp!¡± she commanded. I rolled my eyes. ¡°No! I still have another turn!¡± I said firmly. I shot Sabrina a less-than-amused look and selected another pokeball coloured bowling ball. I then pulled up dark energy and infused it into my bowling ball before throwing it down the lane. This time I got a perfect strike. I pumped my fist and pointed at Sabrina. She clapped lightly and I settled next to her. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re beautiful and I know you¡¯re joking,¡± I said, kissing her on the cheek. When it was her turn, I channeled some rock energy and stomped my foot, causing Sabrina to slip. She shot me a furious look, but it didn¡¯t stop her from getting a strike. When I next went up, I infused dark energy into all the bowling balls to stop her cheating. From there, things were a little more even. I ended up flubbing a few throws as I overthought my technique, and Sabrina wasn¡¯t able to glide her balls in perfectly. Not that she didn¡¯t at least get a spare every time. I suspected she was nudging the pins with her mind now. ¡°Hypno!¡± yelled Hypno, causing me to look away from helping Billy roll his ball down the lane to look up and find Bertha pretending to whistle innocently while Hypno pointed at some broken pins at the end of the lane. Huh, I thought to myself, wondering if she¡¯d lobbed the bowling ball rather than rolled it. A horrible thumping noise in the ball return soon revealed itself to be a tightly curled Izumi. She unclenched herself and gave Bertha a thumbs up. Hypno rounded on Alakazam, who appeared to have a rulebook out. Alakazam scratched the back of his head and eventually shrugged, causing Hypno to fall to his knees in despair. Apparently, there wasn¡¯t a rule that you couldn¡¯t be the ball and the competitor as well? I watched Bertha continue to roll Izumi down the lane for the rest of that particular match to get a perfect three hundred. I rather enjoyed watching Bertha pirouette up to the line like a delicate ballerina before throwing Izumi in an underhand lob at the pins. Izumi herself scored three hundred by rolling herself down the lane. Titan and Sanchez both refused to use Izumi as their bowling ball and instead opted for a more traditional toss. When I looked up at the staff, they were merely watching, not at all bothered by the wrecked pins. Huh, good to know they were a relaxed crew. The pokemon finished their own game much faster than we did, and soon were crowding around the various groups, giving their support. Bertha approached me with a huge grin and a scorecard, which she proudly brandished. ¡°Good to see our pokemon will be able to come back again,¡± I said to Sabrina. I gave Bertha a pointed look. ¡°Unlike last time!¡± Bertha stuck her tongue out at me for that and I chuckled. Sabrina nodded. ¡°It helps that Bertha learned the rules before coming.¡± Bertha adopted a wounded expression and put her massive hand on her chest. I waggled my hand back and forth. "Nah, I think accuracy was the main issue last time.¡± Yolanda blinked before tilting her head. ¡°Did she do much damage?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, she almost brained the manager of the bowling alley with a bad toss.¡± Bertha rubbed the back of her head as Titan and Alakazam laughed at the reminder. ¡°Twice,¡± Sabrina supplied stoically. ¡°She almost brained him twice.¡± Bertha sheepishly shrugged her shoulders before trying to ¡®coach¡¯ my younger siblings on how to toss the ball down the lane. When everything was done, Cindy was declared the best of the kids with a score of one hundred and thirty. Flint somehow was outscored by Munchlax much to the children¡¯s amusement, as Munchlax didn¡¯t really understand what was going on but he liked throwing the ball and knocking pins over. I think Sabrina might have rewarded his enthusiasm with a few random strikes, not that she gave anything away. Crystal topped her group with the highest score, but I think that had more to do with her catcalling and sledging them than actual skill at bowling on her part. Bertha highly approved of this and clapped the smaller girl on the shoulder. A.J. looked furious, while Salvadore was blushing terribly. I tapped Sabrina on the side. ¡°Should I be worried about that?¡± I said, indicating the girls smiling and the boys looking like they¡¯d been ambushed. ¡°No more than usual,¡± Sabrina said without missing a beat. I turned my head away. Alright, I wasn¡¯t going to pry, they could sort it out themselves. It¡¯d be educational¡­ for most of them. But mostly the boys. When we made our way back to the Gym I clapped Yolanda and A.J. on the shoulder. ¡°Training tomorrow morning?¡± I reminded. They nodded seriously, and I winked. Tomorrow might see things return to the grind. But the grind was starting to pay dividends. It was slow and methodical, but it was guaranteed. The trick was keeping an eye out for any opportunities. Still, that didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t send Lance a message with images of Mewtwo hovering above Surge¡¯s gym. I also made it very clear that if he needed me for any rocket base raids, all he had to do was ask. Until I got a chance to take a proper swing at them, I was going to focus on getting stronger. Chapter 149 - Flannerys fiery fight! I scratched my head as most of my Elite team made their way through the warm-up run. Yolanda noticed my worried expression and paused next to me, jogging on the spot. ¡°What¡¯s up Brock?¡± ¡°Empress and Teddiursa haven¡¯t come up for training,¡± I said, scratching at my head. ¡°They might not have known to wake up with the sonata, however, so I better go check up on them.¡± ¡°Want me to come with?¡± Yolanda asked. I waved her off and made my way down into the tunnels. Teddiursa had a little cubbyhole near the entrance¡­ but that was empty. I frowned, feeling a moment of worry, only to pause and consider who I was looking for. Teddiursa... and Empress. I decided to hold off on any worries until I checked with Empress¡¯ cavern first. I¡¯d had to have my pokemon dig out a new cavern that we¡¯d then shored up. Empress¡¯ choices mirrored a lot of what Titan liked to have in his cave. Like shelves dug into the walls so any interesting rocks, pictures, or small knick-knacks could be put on display. I made sure to scuff and make a lot of noise on the way down to Empress¡¯ cavern. ¡°Empress! You awake in there? You missed the morning wake-up call?¡± A soft rumble made me pause before I continued forward. That had been a rumble of agreement instead of a threat growl. I stepped into her cave. ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re in there. I¡¯m also looking for¡­¡± I trailed off as I noticed that Teddiursa was curled up with Empress, still fast asleep. I hummed in consideration as Empress watched me. I raised up my transceiver and snapped a picture before nodding at her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you be. If he¡¯s still tired, it''s best to let him rest; he¡¯s a growing boy after all.¡± Empress huffed and lay back down. I decided to leave her be and instead made my way back out to my team to train with them. When I caught up to Yolanda on her jog, she shot me a look, and I raised up the picture of Empress and Teddiursa cuddled up with each other. ¡°Eeeee!¡± Yolanda squealed in delight. Terra leapt up and pulled my hand so she could see. I started to hiss in a breath of concern. Was she about to get angry? Instead, she giggled and clapped her hands, letting go. ¡°She doesn¡¯t mind that Empress is showing affection to another pokemon?¡± I asked with surprise. Yolanda shook her head and poked Terra on the nose. ¡°Nope! She¡¯s not one to get jealous, she¡¯s rather cheerful all the time. I think she¡¯s glad her mother is helping out Teddy!¡± she said grinning at me. ¡°Hmmmm, alright, and still no, we¡¯re not calling him that.¡± Yolanda pouted. ¡°You could! Look at him! He¡¯s the perfect little teddy bear! He loves to cuddle!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a rough, tough guy that has a soft side. So what? That doesn¡¯t mean he just needs to be called Teddy! He could be a Yogi, a Smokey, or maybe a¡­.¡± I waved my hand, trying to think of another name while putting on a fake macho persona. ¡°Teddy,¡± said Yolanda with a resolute nod. ¡°Ty!¡± Terra agreed. I huffed at them and waved them off to complete their training. I returned my focus to find A.J. running after Rocko, of all people. It was an amazing display of contrasts. A.J. ran with short, speedy steps, his face locked in a rictus of rage. Rocko loped along, his much longer legs carrying him further with each step. He looked like he was considering what he¡¯d be buying from the shops later for dinner, rather than training. His longer limbs allowed him a degree of ease that made it look like he was merely extending his legs rather than running. He waved and angled his run towards me. ¡°Brock! Hey man! How you going, man?!¡± he said, as his and A.J.¡¯s pokemon rounded the plateau. He glanced back and whistled once. Rocko¡¯s pokemon broke into a sprint, and suddenly there was a clear gap between his pokemon and A.J.¡¯s. A.J. could only gape in shock at the sudden burst of speed that the more experienced pokemon displayed. The only pokemon of his that could keep up was his Beedrill, but that didn¡¯t surprise me too much; they were known speedsters. Rocko approached and offered me his fist. ¡°Good to see you, man. It feels like two weeks went by pretty quickly.¡° ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± I said, looking him over. ¡°You enjoy your break?¡± Rocko bobbed his head up and down. ¡°Oh yeah, my little bro and sis are a riot. They¡¯re so¡­¡± Rocko rubbed his chin and then he shot A.J. an amused look. ¡°Precocious. They felt like they needed to do everything right away. They were like puppy Growlithe off a leash for the first time. Raring to go everywhere with no idea which way they really wanted or needed to go.¡± ¡°Yeah? What did you do?¡± I said, flicking a hand to Don to bank left away from Hypnotoad¡¯s attack. ¡°Took them to the bicycle road outside Celadon, rented a bike, and let them challenge Sophia, then rushed them further down to Fuchsia,where they got to fight Janine. They won and were thinking of continuing on.¡± He chuckled ¡°Only to realise they would have to backtrack for Erika, where the surge was starting to build up, or they¡¯d need some cash for a trip to Cinnabar.¡± Rocko bobbed his head. ¡°I sat them down and told them a few options before asking them for other things they could be doing, and they told me they were thinking of catching and training some Goldeen to get them trained up to swim them across to Cinnabar.¡± I snorted at that. In the games, it wasn¡¯t all that far or all that hard to reach. In reality, it was far, far different. It wasn¡¯t a matter of just hitching up a pokemon and swimming out there in a few minutes. The trip could take days, and recognising this, the League had long since realised that they needed to set up piers rising out of the water for pokemon trainers to rest at during the trip. Rangers in the southern seas ran a constant life-saving patrol route with either water or flying type pokemon and were known as the busiest of any ranger branch. They also had the highest burnout rate, as Rangers invariably got sick of dealing with people who were determined to hurt themselves or drown. Rocko chuckled. ¡°Had to sit on them a while and remind them to check the city out. They¡¯d forgotten about the safari zone.¡± ¡°Ho?¡± I said, intrigued with this early inclusion. ¡°Did you help them find something in there?¡± I asked. The Safari Zone was also a much bigger area than in the games, with multiple climates built into various zones while also having preservation aspects to it that allowed unrestricted pokemon capture in certain areas. The Safari zone typically made bank, with trainers underestimating how difficult it would be to move through multiple zones without the aid of pokemon and serious preparation. Rocko smirked. ¡°I let them struggle for a bit, then I helped them out. Got them something real nice.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Real nice, hmmm?¡± I flicked my eyes towards Rocko¡¯s Kangaskhan, Mr Bighead. Rocko noticed and winked at me. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll play your game. If it¡¯s as good as Bighead that leaves¡­.¡± I waved my hand about, ¡°Something crazy like a Chansey, Dragonair, Tauros, Scyther, or a Pinsir¡­ and that was if you didn¡¯t get them a pass into the international section of the Safari zone.¡± Yolanda and A.J. both gaped. I almost laughed when A.J. drew out a notepad and wrote down what I¡¯d just said. Yolanda pointed at me. ¡°That¡¯s where Kangaskhan can be found?!¡± she almost shrieked. I blinked at her languidly. ¡°Yeah? Did I not tell you that?¡± I said, scratching my chin in thought. ¡°No! And Chansey?! Chansey can be found in the Safari zone!?¡± I nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, they¡¯re extremely hard to catch, but they do exist in there,¡± I said nodding sagely. Then I shot Rocko a wink. He chuckled, but A.J. groaned. ¡°Was that an eye-roll, an eye spasm, or a wink? I can never tell with you people.¡± ¡°You people?¡± Yolanda said, rounding on him. ¡°You! Just! Oooooooh! When Terra is big I¡¯m going to have her sit on you!¡± she growled, pointing at him. Yolanda stormed off, and A.J. watched her go. When he didn¡¯t move to follow after her I coughed pointedly and nodded towards her. ¡°Hmmm?¡± he said tilting his head. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°That means go after her and apologise. Just because you can¡¯t tell when I wink or roll my eyes doesn¡¯t mean you should call it out and not expect it to upset people like my sister.¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± he said, slouching as he turned and stalked off to apologise. Rocko watched him go. ¡°He seems fun.¡± He glanced over at my team and did a double take when he noticed Empress, who¡¯d joined us while Teddiursa was now sparring with Clefairy. ¡°So, new additions all around,¡± he said, eying Empress. ¡°Yeah, like you said, a lot happened in two weeks.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± Rocko murmured. ¡°What¡¯s the kid¡¯s story? He found me in the Gym and tried to threaten me with security. When I laughed and waved my security badge, he got funny with how he tried to frisk me. He¡¯s an uptight little kid.¡± I barked a laugh at that, and had Rocko follow me through my Elite team¡¯s training while I explained everything that had been going on. Rocko whistled and shook his head. ¡°Damn! Sounds like I missed a lot of excitement.¡± He mimed wiping his forehead. ¡°Phew!¡± he said jokingly. Then he turned so that he was facing me directly. He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Hey.¡± He smiled softly at me. ¡°How are you doing man?¡± I sighed and let some of the fatigue show. ¡°Yeah, not great. Super annoyed that Will slipped through my fingers.¡± ¡°Like you told me, man, you weren¡¯t at your best, and it''s not like anyone could predict that you¡¯d end up having to fight a Legendary pokemon!¡± Rocko shook his head. ¡°Man, Team Rocket are scarier than I ever thought they were.¡± ¡°We¡¯re trying to deal with that,¡± I said. Rocko nodded. ¡°Yeah, I have no doubt you are.¡± He flicked his eyes over Empress. ¡°Damn bro, people are going to go nuts when they find out you have two Tyranitars on your Elite team!¡± he said waving his hands about excitedly. I chuckled and waved for him to follow me to help feed my elite before dragging him to breakfast with my family. On the way I collected A.J. ¡°You eaten?¡± I asked. The growl of his stomach was answer enough, and I waved for him to follow along. ¡°Hey family!¡± Rocko shouted when he entered the house. ¡°Rocko!¡± cheered my family when they noticed him. The boys leapt off the chairs and surged at him to tackle him, causing him to tumble to the ground with a laugh. The girls charged in afterwards and flopped onto him to hug him with Yolanda pausing as she noticed the other addition I¡¯d brought to today¡¯s breakfast. ¡°A.J.,¡± she said tightly. ¡°What?! I said I was sorry?!¡± he said in the clueless fashion only young boys can. Flint noticed how Yolanda was glaring at A.J., and just chuckled, earning himself Yolanda¡¯s ire before she shot me an unimpressed look. I just smiled and claimed my mug of tea from Munchlax. The boys and girls quickly set about grilling Rocko for where he¡¯d been. Salvadore informed him, again, of all the developments that had occurred with the Gym, and how I¡¯d gained some pokemon. ¡°And Brock is building a volcano!¡± chimed Cindy, cutting off Salvadore¡¯s spiel, much to his annoyance. ¡°Cindy!¡± whined Salvadore. Rocko sent me a look. ¡°Huh, cool, you told Prof Oak yet?¡± he said. I blinked and picked up my transceiver to do just that. I had been expecting Stephen to do that, but he might have let it slip his mind. I finished my breakfast and then moved on to link up with Alexa. ¡°Morning! What¡¯s up for today?¡± I asked. Alexa smiled at me and handed me the schedule. It looked pretty normal until I got the match around lunch. ¡°Flannery from Lavaridge town, eh?¡± I said with a grin. ¡°About time those Hoenn kids came around,¡± I said, feeling my interest spike. It was a fourth-tier badge match as well. I shut my schedule with a snap. ¡°Alright let¡¯s get it done,¡± I said, marching out to start the day¡¯s challenges.
The gym ran so much more smoothly with the return of my true second-in-command. I found myself with a lot more time as small jobs that I had needed to pick up were suddenly freed up. I found Rocko talking with all of the trainers I¡¯d taken on to handle the surge of trainers every time I came off the field. He led discussions and prodded the younger trainers into thinking of each fight as a learning opportunity. Where I¡¯d needed to do it in the breaks, I suddenly had Rocko back and doing it once more. While Rocko was doing this, Dennis would appear with the next round''s pokemon I¡¯d preselected for me, so I didn¡¯t need to walk off and could instead weigh in on the discussion. Dennis himself got tapped by Rocko at one point, and I found them talking quietly off to the side. I could only smile as a heart-to-heart occurred over what I suspected was Dennis¡¯ referee calls with Will. Dennis seemed to walk a bit taller after the talk, and I almost felt envious that Rocko had been the one to help out, before Rocko approached with his usual casual manner. ¡°Can you believe he thought I was going to chew him out over that match?¡± I snorted. ¡°I think I could, actually, with how he is.¡± Rocko smiled. ¡°We¡¯re a pair, ain¡¯t we? Your two senior trainers?¡± I laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°You keep that up, and I¡¯ll give you another pay raise!¡± I said, teasing him. He mock-shuddered and raised his hands before glancing at the field. ¡°This the Hoenn girl?¡± he said, nodding as Rachel introduced Flannery who stalked out with the tunnel flashing red behind her. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s her,¡± I said. Dennis and Rocko shared a look, and Dennis marched to the top of the stairs, indicating he¡¯d go first to meet Flannery as the first gauntlet trainer. I wandered up to the front of the trainer''s observation deck. Around me, the other trainers who were off duty or lingering from earlier gauntlet runs stood around. Yolanda waved from her seat next to Crystal and Greta. I focused on the coming match. I had high expectations of Flannery, and I hoped she lived up to them. A quick glance around revealed Roxanne and Brawly in the crowd cheering for Flannery. Flannery reached her podium and grinned as Dennis locked eyes with her. ¡°Ready for the heat, old man!¡± ¡°Ready for the crash, kid?¡± Dennis replied, causing Flannery¡¯s grin to merely widen. I chuckled. She would be someone who would react better to banter. A.J. raised the flags as today¡¯s referee. ¡°Ready?¡± he shouted. Both trainers selected their trainers and released them. ¡°Go Magcargo!¡± Flannery shouted, her grin flashing as the crowd hissed in surprise at the fire-rock type being called up first. ¡°Go Rhydon!¡± shouted Dennis. The Rhydon landed with a heavy impact and locked eyes with the fiery snail across from it. A.J. dropped his flags. ¡°Begin!¡± he shouted, tapping for the barriers to rise up. I tapped Rocko on the shoulder. ¡°During the break, can you remind A.J. to not wait until the pokemon are on the field to raise the barriers for the crowd?¡± Rocko nodded quickly as Flannery ordered her first move. ¡°Smog!¡± she shouted, causing a purple haze to blow from Magcargo¡¯s maw. Dennis replied by having Rhydon charge in with Bulldoze. Magcargo hadn¡¯t been able to move very much, and so the attack saw it hurled back. Despite this, I noticed that Flannery wasn¡¯t frowning. Instead, she was grinning like she¡¯d just won a prize. ¡°Inferno!¡± she shouted causing me to grin as I realised her plan. The smog she¡¯d left around Rhydon earlier ignited and then exploded outwards, leaving Rhydon staggering and stunned. I nodded my head. ¡°That¡¯s a one-two combination I¡¯d like us to adopt with our Slugma.¡± Rocko nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll pull the video for her fight; we¡¯ll get a lot from watching how she uses its typings.¡± With Rhydon disoriented and burned, Flannery had time to unleash a Sunny Day that saw her pokemon perking up. I rubbed my chin. Did Magcargo have a special ability like Chlorophyll? I was quite certain that specific ability was only found with grass type pokemon, so perhaps it just liked the empowerment of the Sunny Day coming into effect. Rhydon shook its head only to grimace in pain. Dennis punched forward. ¡°Earthquake!¡± ¡°Endure!¡± barked Flannery, causing her pokemon to curl in on itself as it braced against the super-effective move. She then whipped out her finger. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± she ordered, causing her pokemon to erupt with grass-type energy that saw Rhydon blasted out of the field. It slammed into the wall, and Dennis returned it with a nod. He considered Flannery for a second before pulling out a second pokemon, which only made her narrow her eyes. ¡°Go Golem!¡± he said, throwing out one of the Golem that the Gym had. This was a traditional, rock-ground type variant rather than the alolan version. ¡°Dig!¡± he said, as his first move. ¡°Lava Plume!¡± Flannery ordered straight away, causing her pokmon¡¯s slug-like body to widen and flare up. Cracks of magma spread out from its position and caused Golem to surge out of the ground with a cry of pain. The magma obviously stopping Golem¡¯s tunneling. I rubbed my chin in thought. Would that have occurred earlier if Sunny Day wasn¡¯t in effect? Would the Golem have been able to power through the lava plume? I¡¯d have to test that later with some sparring between my Slugma and another equal-levelled pokemon. Although there was a chance that Flannery possessed pokemon that were well above the fourth-tier badge level. It would make sense with her being the future Gym Leader of Lavaridge, for her to have stronger pokemon. Golem fired off a barrage of Stone Edge to knock out the barely hanging in there Magcargo. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I hummed in thought; With the Endure set up from earlier and the block¡­ hmmm, ¡°Flannery overplayed her hand; she should have withdrawn her Magcargo during the match and used the time between trainer fights to give it a potion.¡± Rocko bobbed his head up and down. ¡°Is she used to gauntlet rules? If she isn''t, it might be something she didn¡¯t account for. It might not have occurred to her.¡± I shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s not taking a longer look at her matches. It¡¯s an obvious enough solution in situations like this. It¡¯s always better to have more pokemon in hand.¡± I checked her record. ¡°She should be used to this with this being one of the last badges she needs.¡± ¡°Might just be confident in her other pokemon,¡± Rocko said easily as Flannery hurled out a Rapidash. I inspected the horse and found it to be an impressive specimen. ¡°That¡¯s a big horse,¡± I said watching the fires roar to life as the Sunny Day empowered it further. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± said Flannery with a grin. ¡°Dig!¡± barked Dennis. The beam of green energy swept over the hole that golem burrowed into, only for Flannery to sweep her hand to the side. ¡°Agility! Make it work for it! Zig zag pattern evasion!¡± she ordered. Rapidash responded by accelerating into a sprint that saw it blur around the field as its speed increased. It hopped and skipped a few times and outright changed directions, and Dennis watched all of this with a scowl. ¡°Now!¡± he ordered to his Golem. ¡°Leap into the sun!¡± Flannery responded, causing her Rapidash to soar right up into the dying embers of the Sunny Day. The fire type flashed with greater light as it did so. ¡°Woah!¡± cried out the crowd. Startled by how it looked like Rapidash had just absorbed the hovering orb of fire. Rapidash landed, and despite the Sunny Day being snuffed out from being plunged through, Rapidash looked more powerful now than it did moments before. ¡°Ah, clever,¡± I said as I realised she¡¯d once again set herself up for this. ¡°What¡¯s clever?¡± asked Missy. Her eyes locked onto the battlefield. I held up a hand as I knew the fight was about to be decided. ¡°Flare Blitz!¡± Flannery yelled, clenching her fist and punching it forward. ¡°Earthquake!¡± responded Dennis causing the battlefield to shake as golem stomped its feet. Rapishash came on despite this, with the fires blazing around it as it tore its way forward. It leapt when the shaking reached a peak and locked its legs in close before lowering its head. ¡°It¡¯s not going to make¡ª¡± Missy started to say, only for Flannery to scream ¡°Now!¡± Rapidash kicked its legs for one final push that carried it over the gap to slam into Golem and knock it back. Golem stumbled and cried out as a fire lashed it. It had been burned from that exchange. Rapidash on the other hand was standing within striking range and shaking slightly. It obviously hadn¡¯t escaped the Earthquake move unscathed like Flannery might have hoped. A pattern was starting to form with how Flannery fought, which felt right. ¡°She relies on a lot of the inherent power that her pokemon have to carry her. She sets them up but she¡¯s overly reliant on it¡­¡± I twirled a finger around. ¡°Use Protect and Detect a bit in your match if you can.¡± "I''m thinking of tripping her up with some water moves, actually,¡± said Rocko, playing with a pair of pokeball with a sticker on them. I chuckled before nodding, knowing that both pokemon he¡¯d selected would certainly do that. I flicked my eyes over the field, which was a bit torn and smokey with patches of condensed magma. ¡°Might be a good idea,¡± I said as Rapidash strode in and spun about to use Smart Strike to mule kick golem with a steel-type move as Dennis slammed another Stone Edge home into Rapidash¡¯s flank. Both pokemon went down and I shook my head even as Flannery was called the victor. ¡°Flashy, but she¡¯s not controlling herself.¡± I rubbed my chin and wondered how I could make her realise this during our match. Protect or a move like it that would allow me to negate her big one two combination moves would help, but I¡¯d need to drive it home. With her being a Hoenn fire-type specialist I suspected she¡¯d have a certain fire-type starter pokemon in her team. And if I recalled correctly, she was known to have a fondness for Torkoal. I¡¯d need to watch out for any other pokemon that would know Solar Beam. They¡¯d be wonderful counters to most of the pokemon that would provide type weakness against her with a water-rock combination. Dennis waved to the crowd as he marched back up drawing a smattering of applause. Rocko stood and stretched as Rachel tumbled out energetically with a microphone in hand. ¡°That was a fiery showing, wasn¡¯t it folks? Will things continue to heat up, or will our next Gym trainer rain on this girl¡¯s passion? Ladies and Gentlemen! Fresh from his two-week vacation! Give it up for Rocko!¡± Rocko sauntered forward and grinned as he got a round of applause and some cheers. As a well-known face in the gym, the regular spectators knew he was a dependable trainer. He wandered to the podium and tapped a few buttons before discreetly keying in the private channel to the referee. I saw A.J. stiffen up and a moment later the barriers shimmered up, earning a nod from me and Rocko. Rocko then keyed the line back to the open channel. ¡°You ready for an avalanche, chika?¡± he said teasingly. Flannery flicked her hair. ¡°I¡¯m ready for you!¡± ¡°Go Torkoal!¡± Flannery said, sending out what I had to think of as one of her signature pokemon. ¡°I might not be the boss, but show me some love, Helix!¡± shouted Rocko as he released my Omantye onto the field. The small pokemon wiggled its tentacles shyly while eying its opponent. Flannery groaned; she obviously knew what was coming her way next. She clicked her tongue, bit her finger, and growled as she raised her pokeball. ¡°Return Torkoal!¡± she ordered, causing a susurrus of surprise to sweep the crowd. I too, had to blink. She didn¡¯t like that matchup? ¡°Go Houndour!¡± she shouted as Rocko had Helix spin about, causing a Sandstorm to whirl up. ¡°Roar Houndour!¡± Flannery screamed over the howling winds. The small dark-fire dog pokemon leaned into itself and then snapped its fangs forward, causing a thunderous roar to echo around the stadium. Helix shivered and to my surprise flinched before triggering his recall to his pokeball. Rocko swore and struggled to get another pokemon out only for a different pokemon to answer the challenge. ¡°Oooooh,¡± I hissed in surprise as Bighead, Rocko¡¯s Kangaskhan, took to the field with a snarl. ¡°What? No that¡¯s not who¡­ damn it!¡± Rocko said, cursing to himself. Flannery opened her mouth to say something snarky, only to pause as she inspected the pokemon across from her. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a strong-looking Kangashkan you have.¡± Rocko smirked. ¡°Yup, she has trouble holding back as well.¡± Both pokemon shifted uneasily as they eyed each other. I could tell the Sandstorm Rocko had gotten off earlier was also causing them some discomfort. Despite this, Flannery clicked her teeth again. ¡°Damn it, I brought this on myself! Houndour return!¡± she said for the second time this match. The crowd stirred restlessly at this, but Rocko shrugged. ¡°Rain Dance, Bighead,¡± said Rocko casually, causing the Sandstorm to die off as water fell, drenching the field. Flannery grimaced as the steaming field sizzled and cooled off as she pulled out another pokeball. ¡°Need your fire, Combusken!¡± she said, releasing her third pokemon of this match and the fifth so far of the gauntlet. I tilted my head. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Missy. ¡°I was expecting she¡¯d have a Blaziken with her having grown up in a fire-type gym and being my age,¡± I replied. Missy slumped. ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that. I feel bad when I compare myself to you.¡± I coughed. ¡°Sorry! You¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t compare situations like that, and neither should you.¡± ¡°Thunder!¡± barked Rocko on the field, causing Missy and I to pay attention as Bighead lit up with electrical energy and unleashed it. ¡°Dig! No!¡± screamed Flannery as the lightning descended onto her pokemon. Combusken leaned forward to start burrowing, only to be tagged. It cried out in pain but pushed through and burrowed down to avoid the last part of the powerful lightning move. ¡°That had to take the wind out of her sails a bit,¡± said Missy. I nodded. She¡¯d gambled for a better matchup, but now she had to face a much stronger pokemon. Bighead grumbled and eyed the field, shifting so that it was in a steadier position, ready to react in any direction. ¡°Rise up!¡± ordered Flannery, causing her pokemon to shoot out of the ground before it could attempt a close encounter with Bighead. Bighead snapped around to focus on the Combusken. ¡°Giga Impact!¡± barked Rocko, causing Flannery¡¯s eyes to bulge. ¡°Shit! Detect!¡± she shouted. Combusken responded instantly, glowing before it kicked the ground twice. The clever use of Double Kick resulted in it practically throwing itself parallel to the ground as it evaded the charging Kangaskhan. When it missed, Flannery released a huge sigh of relief. ¡°Focus Blast!¡± she ordered, causing her pokemon to whirl about on the heaving Bighead. Bighead absorbed the hit and stumbled, only to turn with a snarl on its lips. Flannery gritted her teeth. ¡°Close in!¡± ¡°Outrage!¡± said Rocko sternly. His pokemon erupted with draconic might, blowing Combusken backwards. It wavered for a moment before shaking itself and standing upright with a challenging cry. ¡°Rocko¡¯s really pushing her,¡± Missy said quietly. ¡°Yeah, but that is also more her own bad luck. She went for Roar, and it¡¯s biting her in the backside. Usually, when Rocko uses one of his own pokemon he only uses one of them. With him declaring two earlier and having Helix out on the field, she¡¯s in trouble.¡± ¡°Oh! I forgot about Helix!¡± Missy said. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, and I think so will Flannery. She¡¯s not taking the longer view after all.¡± ¡°Close in again!¡± Flannery said with a focused expression. ¡°Outrage again!¡± barked Rocko. ¡°Aerial Ace to evade and close!¡± said Flannery, revealing she still had the option to close as her Combusken vanished in a blur of speed to appear at Bighead¡¯s side. Bighead whirled about, only for Combusken to grab it and spin it into a throw. ¡°Reversal!¡± yelled Flannery with a whoop as Bighead was slammed into the ground hard. I whistled. That had been a strong move. I flicked a glance at Rocko and saw him smiling. He raised Bighead¡¯s pokeball and returned it before whispering something into it. A.J. twitched, causing Missy to frown. ¡°What did he say?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Bighead knows Endure. If Rocko had wanted to, I think he could have dragged the match on more, but he doesn¡¯t want to be too rough with Flannery. If this wasn¡¯t a gym match, I think Flannery would be walking away with from this fight at least one more pokemon down.¡± ¡°Ohhhhh,¡± Missy said thoughtfully. Crystal, who¡¯d been hovering nearby, chimed in. ¡°Even though Endure would leave Bighead with barely any strength?¡± ¡°Combusken¡¯s pretty much on its last legs as well, though. Another move would make a world of difference,¡± Missy replied for me. Crystal nodded thoughtfully while Greta wrote something down in a diary she had on hand. Yolanda merely nodded as though she already understood the importance of fighting for the small victories to earn the big win. I suspected she knew it intellectually, but whether she had ingrained it would be another matter. Flannery groaned when Rocko returned Helix to the field while her Combusken drew in heavy breaths. Helix waved his tentacles once again in a shy hello. Flannery returned her pokemon and released another. ¡°Let¡¯s go Camerupt!¡± she shouted. Her last pokemon emerged with a snort and a shake of its head. It eyed its opponent and huffed, only to bray when Rocko punched forward. ¡°Surf!¡± ¡°Camerupt! Eruption to counter it! Full power!¡± Flannery roared, causing Camerupt to kneel down and tremble as the volcano upon its back ignited and unleashed plumes of lava that shot out. Fire and water clashed, and a huge gout of steam exploded outward, causing vision to become extremely difficult. Despite this, I knew Helix¡¯s Surf had won through as Camerupt abruptly wailed in pain. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to use Eruption again like that,¡± said Greta with a firm nod. Yolanda and Crystal glanced at her. I flicked my eyes over and noticed that she had her pokedex out, recording the match and also reviewing the moves that were being used. When prompted, she explained the known mechanics of Eruption to the girls as we waited for the field to clear up or another move to¡ª ¡°Hydro Pump at its last location!¡± Rocko ordered. ¡°Hop to the side and Fissure!¡± roared Flannery. ¡°Protect!¡± Rocko shouted to Helix, only for a heavy stomp to ring out. It was then followed by a sharp splitting noise, heralding a one-hit K.O. move being used. Rocko cursed as he tried to peer through the fog. ¡°Helix! If you¡¯re still in the match, use Surf again!¡± When no wave rose up, Rocko raised Helix¡¯s pokeball, pressing the return feature, resulting in a red beam shooting out. He took a moment to inspect the pokeball, pressing a small switch on the side that displayed a small bar of lights that indicated the health of the pokemon within. When only a few red lights were shown, Rocko nodded and raised his hand to indicate he was done. Flannery exhaled hugely. Missy considered the match. ¡°Flannery got lucky at the end there, didn¡¯t she?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, she did.¡± I watched her hurriedly grab out a potion and begin applying it to her extremely tired-looking Combusken. ¡°So she¡¯s got a Combusken, Houndour, Camerupt, and a Torkoal.¡± ¡°She¡¯s fuc¡ª¡± Crystal started to say only to cut off with a yelp, when her mother, Georgina, appeared and grabbed her by the ear. ¡°No swearing, young lady! I¡¯ve talked to you about this at home!¡± said Georgina, dragging her daughter out. ¡°What! No! Girls! Back me up, I was going to say something else!¡± Greta adopted an innocent pose. ¡°She¡¯s a terrible influence on us Ms. Glass.¡± Yolanda giggled as Crystal shot Greta a betrayed expression. Her mother dragged her off at that, and I shook my head, turning to the coming match. I toyed with the pokemon I had before settling down, sure of my selection. It was going to be rough for her, but Flannery was a big girl; she could deal with the ditch she¡¯d put herself in with her earlier choices. ¡°¡ª give it up! For Brock!¡± shouted Rachel as she finished her introduction. The lunchtime crowd dutifully performed the stomp-stomp clap entrance as rock music played out over the speakers. I felt my ears twitch as Yolanda called out after me. ¡°Yeah Brock you!¡± she shouted teasingly. I grinned as I advanced down to Flannery. When I got close, I leapt over the divider to land on the podium making it rumble with my landing. As I rose I saw the barriers shimmer into place. I flicked A.J. a nod before directing a stern gaze upon Flannery. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this match,¡± I said evenly. ¡°Think you¡¯re up for it still?¡± I said, crossing my arms. ¡°I know it!¡± Flannery said, raising up a pokeball. I merely nodded before tossing out my first pokemon. ¡°Go Onix!¡± I said, deciding on a classic to start things off. ¡°Let¡¯s go Camerupt!¡± Flannery replied, sending out her previous pokemon. A.J. raised his flags and dropped them. ¡°Camerupt Earthquake!¡± ¡°Sand Tomb!¡± I responded. Onix swept his tail and caused a burst of sand to snake around her Camerupt and latch onto its legs. Both pokemon groaned at the attack, only for Onix to be hammered much worse off. Bighead had probably caused Flannery¡¯s expectations for some of the pokemon to be much higher. ¡°Onix mourn,¡± I said, giving out a code I had prepared for this onix specifically. It glanced at me before nodding its head and wailing. Sickly purple energy swept through it before shooting out to impact Camerupt who shook its head. ¡°Camerupt Earth¡ª¡± Falnnery started to say, only for Onix to suddenly faint. Flannery blinked. ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ guess I hit it harder than I thought?¡± she said aloud. I smiled, knowing that wasn¡¯t the case as Camerupt shook its head and bellowed. I eyed its legs that were still surrounded in sand and tossed an idea around. ¡°Onix good work!¡± I said, recalling it before tossing out another pokemon. ¡°Go Lileep!¡± My small rock-grass type appeared with a wave of its fronds before locking onto Camerupt. The much larger pokemon snorted heavily. Flannery gained a huge grin. ¡°A rock-grass type? I¡¯m gonna have to punish you on that Brock!¡± she said happily. ¡°Lava Plume!¡± ¡°Earth Power to knock yourself up into the sky!¡± I ordered causing Lileep to knock itself up into the sky. Flannery gaped as the Lava Plume missed and Lileep rose into the air. A move that one wouldn¡¯t expect from the typically land-locked pokemon. ¡°Lileep! Brine straight shot!¡± I ordered to my pokemon who fired off a burst of water while in the air. ¡°Hop to the side!¡± Flannery barked, expecting her pokemon to repeat its earlier dodge, only for it to shift and fall on its side. The Sand Tomb I¡¯d used on it with Onix earlier in the match was still encasing its legs. With the earlier Lava Plume, Flannery had glassed her own pokemon unknowingly. Brine slammed home causing the super-effective move to rock Camerupt hard. ¡°Again!¡± I barked as Lileep landed. Lileep fired off another Brine and Flannery wasn¡¯t able to get her pokemon out of danger. ¡°Flamethrower! Blow that attack out of the air!¡± Flannery said, causing her pokemon to unleash a powerful gout of flame that saw the rather weak water attack break apart. Lileep landed and waved its fronds about as Camerupt snorted. It was breathing heavily, but Flannery looked like she was thinking about how to get out of danger. ¡°Stealth Rock!¡± I ordered quickly, causing Flannery to twitch in surprise. ¡°Eh?¡± she said, only to gasp as Camerupt cried out as a purple glow reappeared. ¡°Huh Camerupt! What the heck is wrong?¡± Instead of answering, Camerupt fainted, leaving Flannery stunned. ¡°Huh?¡± she looked at me stunned. I raised my earlier pokeball, more than happy to explain. ¡°I sacrificed Onix earlier to use a ghost move earlier. Ever heard of Curse?¡± ¡°Onix can learn Curse?!¡± Flannery said. I nodded. ¡°Yup! And thanks to that, your strongest pokemon is out while my Lileep is still in play,¡± I said teasingly. Lileep preened at this and waved at me. Then it went a step further, curling in on itself and starting to glow. The glow engulfed its entire body, and before everyone¡¯s eyes, Lileep evolved. ¡°Cradilly!¡± cried out my newly evolved pokemon. ¡°Hah! Nice one Cradilly!¡± I said as punched the air. Cradilly waved its fronds around as the crowd cheered in support. Despite this, I could still hear Brawly and Roxanne shouting their own support for Flannery. Flannery straightened. ¡°Alright! Your plant powered up! I¡¯m not backing down though! Combusken! I need you once again!¡± she shouted releasing her pokemon. Combusken returned, still looking a bit roughed up but otherwise in good health. It kicked out twice and eyed Cradilly only for the earlier Stealth Rock to slam into it, causing Flannery to growl. ¡°Damn it!¡± she cursed. ¡°Cradilly! Brine while it¡¯s staggered! I said. ¡°Double Kick to get out of danger!¡± Flannery shouted. Her pokemon kicked both legs and hurled itself to the side. ¡°Good! Now use Aerial Ace to close!¡± ¡°Hold for it!¡± I said carefully as Combusken sprinted in. Cradilly waited as ordered, and just as Combusken vanished into a blur I ordered my next move. ¡°Astonish!¡± ¡°Combus!¡± cried out Combusken as it appeared behind Cradilly, only for my pokemon to bend like a vine and its eyes to glow causing Combusken to flinch. ¡°Brine while we¡¯re in close!¡± ¡°Dodge it with Detect!¡± ordered Flannery. Her pokemon shook itself and lunged in close, before twisting as Cradilly arced its head around like a hose, spraying water everywhere, only for not a single drop to land on Combusken. ¡°Good! Now use Double Kick!¡± Flannery barked. Cradilly was sent flying as it was slammed first in one direction before the other leg snapped up and saw it rocking back in the other direction. Despite this, it held on and glowered. ¡°Astonish again into Wrap!¡± Cradilily once again startled Combusken and caused it to flinch backwards only for Cradilly to wrap itself around Combusken¡¯s body and restrict it. I opened my mouth to give another order to use Brine but Flannery beat me to the punch. ¡°Tch! Blaze Kick! Use that flexibility we¡¯ve practised for to knock its head off!¡± snarled Flannery as her pokemon¡¯s left leg ignited and rocketed up to slam into Cradilly¡¯s head, knocking it off and out of the fight as it went tumbling. I huffed before chuckling to myself. She¡¯d surprised me with that. ¡°You worked flexibility with your Combusken?¡± I asked as I withdrew my pokemon. ¡°Yup!¡± she said proudly as she kicked her leg up and winked at me. ¡°That and some martial arts. It has taken years, but it¡¯s going to pay off!¡± she said only for her smile to morph into a giant grin as her Combusken started to glow. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± she shouted as her pokemon evolved. ¡°Blaziken!¡± announced the now fully evolved Hoenn starter. The crowd rose and cheered causing me to chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly given them a show!¡± I said before tossing out my third choice. ¡°Let¡¯s keep it going Sudowoodo!¡± My fake tree pokemon appeared and flexed at the fire-fighting type causing the large chicken to narrow its eyes. Flannery still had a huge grin on her face, however. ¡°Ha! Today¡¯s already been a huge win for me with Blaziken but I¡¯m going for the W! Blaziken feeling up for it?¡± I paused, noticing the odd inflection on the last word. Blaziken nodded its head, making me wonder what else she had planned. ¡°Do your master proud!¡± shouted Flannery. Blaziken cupped its hands together behind itself and then shot them forward. ¡°Dig!¡± I barked, my instinct warning me about what was coming. Sudowoodo didn¡¯t question me and dove into the ground, which was what saved him from taking an Aura Sphere to the face. I could only stare at the flattened earth in surprise. Flannery stomped her foot while Blakizen huffed in annoyance. ¡°You had your Blaziken train with a Lucario?¡± I said in astonishment. Flannery blinked. ¡°I¡­ yeah.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°How¡¯d you know that?! Lucario are super rare!¡± I chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re also very¡­ noticeable in how they perform Aura Sphere. Although that reminded me more of one of their signature moves, Vacuum Wave. I¡¯ve read enough history to respect what you were trying to do.¡± Flannery stomped her foot. ¡°Urgh! That was supposed to be a super cool reveal!¡± I snorted, feeling a moment of deja vu. Hadn¡¯t Sabrina done the same to me? ¡°I¡¯m under no obligation to let you show off on me.¡± I then pointed at the ground. ¡°Hammer Arm by the way,¡± I said as Sudowoodo shot out of the ground with a rising fist. Blaziken leaned back, bending over, before plating its feet into a bridging position that allowed it to dig its hands into the ground and whip its legs up. In one quick counter, it evaded the strike from Sudowoodo and unleashed two deadly strikes from its powerful legs. Sudowoodo went flying, and Flannery grinned at me. ¡°I hadn''t forgotten about our match Brock! Try again Blaziken!¡± Blaziken adopted the pose and unleashed its Aura Sphere causing Sudowoodo to be hurled out of the field. I returned him when he staggered and fell flat on his face. I chuckled as the crowd roared their approval at the skill Blazkien had displayed. I raised my final pokeball. ¡°I almost feel like a heel sending this guy out.¡± Then I shrugged and sent out my Solrock. ¡°Go Quirina!¡± Flannery growled at my last pokemon. ¡°Quick close¡ª¡± ¡°Psychic,¡± I said, not willing to play around any more. Quirina engulfed Blaziken in psychic energy and then shot it back before Blaziken could escape the move. Blaziken slammed into the wall, only to land on its feet and bounce back in, kicking and punching, ready to keep fighting. ¡°Detect! Use it to get close!¡± ordered Flannery. ¡°Calm Mind,¡± I said casually as Blaziken charged in. ¡°Aerial Ace!¡± Flannery barked. ¡°Hypnosis,¡± I responded as soon as her pokemon vanished and appeared in close range. Blaziken once more staggered as another attack came into play, only this time it was taken out of the fight. I was about to order another psychic when a red beam impacted Blaziken, returning it to its pokeball. Flannery raised a hand. ¡°Sorry! I withdraw him! I¡¯m not going to let my pokemon get beaten up like that so soon into evolving. He powered through some strong pokemon so I know he¡¯ll be happy, but I¡¯m not risking him any more.¡± A.J. raised a flag as some people from the crowd applauded the move. I nodded, satisfied at Flannery¡¯s foresight. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re looking further than just this match,¡± I said pointedly. Flannery rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. She selected another pokeball though. ¡°Let¡¯s go Houndour! This is your fight!¡± she said. Quirina shifted in agitation as the small dark-fire type grinned. I could only sigh. While Quirina was a perfect answer against Blaziken, he wasn¡¯t such a good counter for a Houndour, especially due to not being able to learn Miracle Eye. Oh well, I¡¯d have to rely on rock type moves. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I said trying to capitialise on the Stealth Rock that slammed into Houndour. ¡°Jump to the left!¡± barked Flannery allowing her pokemon to evade the strike. ¡°Sunny Day!¡± she said. In another situation, I¡¯d have used a flamethrower to punish her, instead I pointed straight ahead. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± ¡°Shit! Solar Beam in reply!¡± Flannery hurriedly said. Both attacks slammed into each other, and the small hound stepped forward doggedly as Quirina held its position. Houndour continued to stalk forward, its whole body straining at the effort while my pokemon held its ground. Both attacks eventually petered out with Quirina glowering at the suddenly much closer Houndour. Flannery grinned at me and I chuckled as I realised what she had been building towards. ¡°Dark Pulse!¡± ¡°Protect!¡± I said in reply, causing a barrier to rise up and defend against the move that would have been super effective. ¡°Close in with Crunch!¡± shouted Flannery, undaunted by the move. Houndour leapt and just as my Protect started to drop away, Houndour caught him and dragged him to the ground. I smiled and returned him, not willing to let him go through being savaged. I raised my hand, signalling my withdrawal and A.J. raised the flags. ¡°Brock¡¯s pokemon is unable to battle! Flannery is the victor!¡± Flannery punched the air. ¡°Yes! Way to go Houndour!¡± Houndour raised its head and howled in victory. I smiled at the scene. I started to lower the podiums, only to be taken by surprise when Houndour started to glow. When the glow died down, a Houndoom stood wagging its tail. It turned and leapt into Flannery¡¯s waiting embrace. I rubbed my chin. ¡°Hot damn, three evolutions in one match? That¡¯s got to be a record,¡± I said. Regardless of the outcome, today was a very good day for both of us. Chapter 150 - Rock v Rock! Roxannes challenge!
Houndoom was a giant puppy. Flannery was on her back being licked to death for all intents and purposes as I approached. ¡°Do you need help?¡± I asked semi-seriously as she helplessly batted her hands at the slobbering pokemon. Houndoom skipped around and narrowed its eyes on me, a small snarl escaped it before Flannery was on her feet, her hand on Houndoom¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey, no. Calm down. Fight is over boy; we won,¡± she said. Houndoom eyed me for a moment before barking once and sitting down. ¡°Hmmm, he¡¯s well-trained,¡± I said. Flannery nodded before shuddering as she realised how wet her face was. I raised a hand towards A.J., and he blinked at me. I made a gesture before sighing when he continued to blink at me cluelessly. ¡°The towels in the cupboard we keep for the water battles, A.J.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± A.J. said, turning to the side and grabbing a towel before hurling it at me. Sadly, he overshot and it flapped into Flannery. She still raised a thumbs up to him as she began scrubbing off the slobber her pokemon had left on her. When she was cleaned up she emerged and grinned at me. ¡°Was that a boss fight? Or was that a boss fight?¡± I chuckled. ¡°It was very boss, but I feel like it could have been made easier for you in a few ways.¡± Flannery blinked at me before coughing, ¡°Oh right, yeah, you kind of schooled me a bit, didn¡¯t you?¡± I waggled my hand in a so-so manner. ¡°Yes and no. I think you utilised your pokemon very effectively. You had a lot of setups in mind, but you were reckless in relying on power a lot.¡± I shot her an amused look when she coughed into her fist self-consciously. ¡°There were a few instances where you pushed early in the gauntlet. For instance, you could have entered the match against Rocko with your Rapidash, which would have given you more options later on. Torkoal¡­ was a bit ambitious as well. Camerupt and Blaziken were your aces, and that showed. Houndoom was perfect against my Solrock¡­¡± I grimaced and inclined my head to the pokemon in question. ¡°But using Roar against Rocko really bit you in the backside. He wasn¡¯t the right pokemon in that instance.¡± Houndoom tilted his head in confusion, and Flannery nodded. ¡°Despite that, it¡¯s impressive that you had plans for fighting against your typing weaknesses. You got shaken around with some of the tactics I used and the denials I had as well but you were able to emerge victorious. I¡¯d make sure to cover those gaps, however, as others will exploit them. You need a bit more utility in your fighting style. Have you considered getting a Vulpix for some trickery?¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about the more classic style of Ninetales that uses Substitute? Confuse Ray, and moves like that?¡± I nodded and Flannery grimaced. ¡°Not a style I enjoy using¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°If it¡¯s not your style, it¡¯s not your style. Might be worth looking into counters, as I think it would be something that would work well against you at the very least,¡± I said. I rubbed my chin for a moment before deciding to pull the band-aid off. ¡°Where¡­ no, how did you find a Lucario of all pokemon?¡± I knew where to find one, which was ostensibly in the Kingdom of Rota, but it wasn¡¯t a pokemon that was supposed to be found in Hoenn. Flannery grinned and made a peace sign while sticking her tongue out. ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s a secret! I¡¯m gonna be grilled by Brawly over this as it is! He¡¯s noticed my training methods with Combusken and always thought it was weird but couldn¡¯t work out why it bugged him!¡± ¡°Are you talking about me?!¡± shouted the young man in question as he hopped over the side, Roxanne cradled in his arms. She hopped out of them and dashed forward to wrap Flannery in a hug. ¡°Congratulations!¡± she said before jumping back. ¡°Ohmygosh! I might have jinxed you! Brock hasn¡¯t given you the badge yet!¡± Flannery barked a laugh. ¡°Eh! No fear there! He¡¯s giving it to me!¡± I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms without saying anything. Flannery¡¯s smile faltered, and Houndoom whined. I snorted. ¡°I¡¯m messing with you, you did more than enough to earn yourself a badge, congratulations!¡± I turned, expecting that I¡¯d need to wave A.J. down, only to find him being escorted down by Rocko while looking rather sheepish. I shot Rocko a thumbs up as A.J. presented the badge case to me. I took the badge inside and offered it to Flannery officially. ¡°Flannery, I recognise your skill as a trainer and hereby award you the Boulder Badge of Pewter City!¡± Flannery took it in her hand and bowed in thanks. ¡°Thank you for challenging me and allowing me and mine to grow,¡± she replied formally. I tilted my head. ¡°Huh, is that something said in Hoenn?¡± I asked as a memory from years ago rose to the forefront of my mind. Flannery blushed while Roxanne giggled. Flannery rubbed the back of her head. ¡°It¡¯s an old exchange of respect that some people have when they find that they¡¯ve had a good match that we do in Hoenn¡­ it¡¯s kind of silly.¡± ¡°Huh, I kind of like it,¡± I said, smiling at Flannery. She glanced at me for a moment before looking away and coughing. Roxanne stepped forward with a smirk and nudged her friend. ¡°Flannery might like to pretend to be a tomboy, but she has manners and bearing where it matters!¡± Flannery glared at her friend. ¡°Oh, wow, faint praise. Thanks Roxy,¡± she said snidely. She huffed and turned to Houndoom, ¡°I forgive you, though because today has just been that amazing for me.¡± She scratched Houndoom behind the horn. ¡°Well, with you now up and strong, boy I think we¡¯re ready to challenge Sabrina!¡± I coughed to hide my laugh, but Flannery shot me an unimpressed look. ¡°Yeah, yeah, alright! I¡¯ll need more than my boy wonder here,¡± she said, patting her Houndoom. I nodded. ¡°Just remember that almost all of her pokemon will know Miracle Eye, which will give her a lot more opportunities to impact your Houndoom.¡± Flannery shot me a sly look and sidled up to nudge her elbow into me. ¡°Are you sure you should be telling me how to beat your girlfriend, Brock?¡± I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Is that what you thought I was doing?¡± I said with a smirk. Flannery narrowed her eyes at me which only made me smirk harder. I shook my head and waved for everyone to gather around for Flannery to celebrate her victory. Flannery raised her hands into two V¡¯s towards Rachel, who was acting as a camerawoman. ¡°Roxanne¡¯s gonna get crushed tomorrow! One! Two! Three!¡± Flannery shouted. I grinned as Roxanne shot her friend a betrayed expression right as Rachel took the picture. Flannery shot out of the group to inspect the results. ¡°Perfect! Keep it like that, no takebacks!¡± she said while Brawly laughed aloud. Rachel, sensing a chance for some hype, pulled out her microphone. ¡°You heard it here first, folks! The Hoenn Stone Maiden versus our Boy! Brock, the Boulder!¡± she said as I facepalmed. The crowd murmured at that and I saw a number hustling out to secure their seats for tomorrow. I fully expected a full house tomorrow. Sadly, I could hear a lot of them repeating what Rachel had said, calling me Brock the Boulder. ¡°Yeah¡­ good job, Rachel, ¡° I said, pleased that she¡¯d hyped up the crowd but less than impressed with the epithet she¡¯d hitched me with. Rachel knocked on her head with her fist. ¡°Hehehe?¡± she said trying for a cutesy act as she realised she¡¯d goofed. I returned my focus to Roxanne. ¡°So? Feel like you¡¯re ready?¡± I said, allowing my eyes to lock with hers. She straightened up instantly. ¡°I will be leaving with the Boulder Badge tomorrow, Brock!¡± she said. I merely nodded, saying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime! Let¡¯s eat!¡± Brawly said as he wrapped his arms around us. We all laughed, the tension well and truly broken. The rest of the day thankfully passed quickly enough, and I was more than happy to throw myself into my training with both the Gym¡¯s pokemon and my Elite team. I felt like I was making serious progress with Jormungandr, albeit a slow and steady, step by step gradual process. Empress was getting better at following some of my orders. I started making her work with me in abstract situations that I¡¯d encountered during my years as a trainer. I had her fight in a thin layer of mud before ordering her to skip stones across the top in an attack pattern while Clefairy floated and danced about, avoiding the attacks with Minimise. A sweep of a flamethrower over the field and a trade-out so she was facing Knight forced things to change. Then I swapped out Knight for Hypnotoad, forcing her to advance over broken ground. ¡°Jump left diagonally and then kick the rock to fire off a Stone Edge!¡± I ordered making use of earlier rocks that I¡¯d had her set up. She did so gradually, and when we broke for a debrief, she looked frustrated. ¡°Ran-tar Tyran!¡± she said animatedly to the other pokemon who looked thoughtful. I tilted my head towards Titan for a translation, having not grown used to Empress¡¯ mannerisms enough to interpret what she said. Titan scratched his chin in thought before pointing at Don. ¡°Tar,¡± he said simply. Don shot off a Hyper Beam into the air, and when he was done, Titan pointed at his mother. He then pointed at himself and turned, and unleashed a Giga Impact upon a boulder to crush it with his whole body. I hummed in thought. ¡°She is used to using moves that are more long-range rather than advancing in close?¡± I said. Titan nodded, and it was my turn to rub my chin in thought. ¡°Huh, it might be my bias with you coming through¡­ but there¡¯s also the standard that most Tyranitar¡¯s are physical powerhouses. You¡¯re best known for your strong attack and defence more than special abilities.¡± I waved my hand back and forth. ¡°That being said, you do have the capacity to learn some truly impressive moves¡­ You have Stone Edge, Outrage, Hyper Beam, Dragon Pulse, and Dark Pulse, along with the typical moves such as Crunch, Dig, Tackle and Earthquake¡­¡± ¡°Hmmmm, is it preference? Or do you think you¡¯re stronger with special attacks?¡± Empress shrugged in a manner I thought was far too casual, and then she nodded firmly. I contemplated the matter for a moment. ¡°Hmmm it might be that I¡¯m wrong with how I¡¯ve been using you.¡± Empress blinked in surprise at that, and I smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. It¡¯s not that surprising. I¡¯m used to handling Titan and he¡¯s a powerhouse physically.¡± ¡°Ty-ran tar!¡± Empress said with a firm nod. She then reached over and pinched Titan. The rest of my pokemon snapped their heads around with such speed that I knew that something had just been said. Don started cackling, while Titan merely rolled his eyes as the others burst into laughter. I shot Titan another look, and he huffed and mimed a large circle around himself and a smaller circle around his mother. I blinked. ¡°She called you fat?¡± I said shooting Empress a less than pleased look. Empress merely shrugged and murmured something that might have been a clarification, but the others were all too busy laughing to listen. I let them laugh for a while before I whistled sharply, and the laughter cut off. I flicked my eyes about before shaking my head and locking eyes with Empress. ¡°Titan isn¡¯t fat. He¡¯s thickly muscled, which allows him to end matches with single hits while tanking through those very same hits.¡± Empress nodded, but I could see some doubt in her gaze. I waved her and Titan to step up. ¡°Alright, now¡¯s as good a time as any to address this. Titan, I¡¯m going to have you spar with your mother.¡± Titan¡¯s eyes widened, and he shot me a questioning look. I raised a hand to forestall his complaints. ¡°She needs to see that what we do has a serious impact on skill, power, and mentality for making better fighters,¡± I said. Empress straightened up at this and started sizing up her son. With them standing across from each other, the differences were now very noticeable. Titan was thicker and shorter, Empress¡¯ age giving her an advantage in height. In comparison, Empress looked lean and sharp with many of her spikes being sharper, more primal. I slammed my hands together. ¡°We¡¯re going to do this simple. Only moves that you both know will be used. The pokemon knocked out of the ring loses.¡± I snapped my fingers towards my starter. ¡°Titan! Do not go easy on her. If you do that, you¡¯re disrespecting her and doing the rest of us no favours. You¡¯re representing all of us,¡± I said, gesturing around at the watching pokemon. Titan looked them over before turning and locking eyes with his mother. Empress perked up, and a small smile split her scaly lips before she inhaled and roared in her son¡¯s face. Titan matched her, and I had to put my hands to my ears with how close I was to the two pokemon. When they straightened, I raised my hands. ¡°Begin!¡± I said, slapping my hands together. Empress surged forward to end the match, a snarl escaping her. Titan matched her, and Empress had a moment of surprise when his heavier form knocked her back and then carried her straight out of the circle. He then knocked her feet out from under her and roared in her face while she was still recovering. I whistled and signalled him away. He stepped back and relaxed before turning sheepish. He offered his mother a claw and helped her up. She stared at him as if she were just seeing him for the first time. ¡°Rhy! Perior!¡± said Bertha as she stepped into the circle with a grin. Titan snorted and stepped up next to her. I raised a finger. I hadn¡¯t meant for this training to turn into a sumo matchup. Bertha shot me an infectious grin and flicked her eyes to Empress. ¡°Rhy! Or!¡± I chuckled. ¡°She can try again next huh?¡± Bertha shot me a thumbs up with her thumb spinning like a drill. I chuckled at Bertha and signalled for them to be ready. By the time every pokemon had taken a turn in the circle, I was pretty sure Empress had learned not to underestimate her son, and I had learned some things as well. I had to admit Teddiursa squaring off against Clefairy was adorable, and Don against Zephyr was particularly memorable with how they battered each other with their wings. I then opened it up to using some moves so Empress could blow people back with her Dark Pulse; she didn¡¯t end up ruffling Titan, however, who handled the hit wonderfully and then responded in kind. Empress lasted longer and longer each time she went into the circle, but after the fifth match, she waved off, sitting to the side with a thoughtful expression. When I was done being the referee for the unofficial Sumo matches that had broken out, I fetched food for my pokemon. I deposited the plates, and when it was Empress''s turn, I smiled up at her. ¡°Alright, so tonight¡¯s dish has¡ª¡± Empress snatched the bowl up and swallowed the meal in a few bites before nodding at me. ¡°¡ªextra spice¡­¡± I said before sighing. ¡°Did you even taste it?¡± I asked her. She shrugged and watched as Teddiursa tried to copy her only to wheeze when he got a few bites into it. Empress tapped him on the back quickly. I huffed and left them to it before heading home to spend time with my own family. When it was time for everyone to go to bed, the kids sprinted to get their teeth cleaned, and then they piled into bed. Suzie was particularly happy as she bounced around. ¡°Brock¡¯s reading me a story tonight!¡± Timmy nodded. ¡°Yeah! He¡¯s reading us a story!¡± he said to the others, who grumbled as Yolanda bundled off the younger kids. Cindy sniffed pointedly while Salvadore happily opened what looked like a new encyclopedia. I led Suzie and her twin into Suzie¡¯s room before plucking two stories for each of them. I ended up reading three and making up another about a cheeky Azelf that wanted to play with its siblings. That seemed like a good one that Suzie and Timmy could appreciate. Better yet, it had them both falling asleep. When I carried Timmy back to his room, I found Yolanda and Salvadore resting outside the door. ¡°Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit,¡± Yolanda said with a dreamy expression as she stroked the sleeping form of Terra. ¡°They sound like wonderful pokemon.¡± I shot her a smile as I made my way past to deposit Timmy in his bed. When I lay in bed later, I had to wonder if I hadn¡¯t just set future Brock up for some issues. Sometimes during story time, I really needed to think things through better rather than just winging it like I did. I shrugged and shut my eyes. Eh, it was worth it, and future Brock would be able to handle it¡­ I hoped.
¡°Ladies and gentlemen! Are you ready for the rock of the year! Nah! The decade!¡± said Rachel as she hyped up the crowd that had come. I chuckled to myself, word had definitely gotten around, it would seem. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The Gym was packed, with even more people setting up to watch outside. Flannery¡¯s match might have been highly watched, but Roxanne¡¯s match was going to have every local sitting up and paying attention. The girl herself was waiting in the tunnel, and I watched as she strode forward at Rachel¡¯s summons, her head held high and a picture of perfect poise. Jackson happily marched down to be her first challenge, and I settled in to see what she had. Today I had Yolanda standing at my side and Crystal acting as the referee for some proper experience. Crystal raised her flags, and both Roxanne and Jackson selected their first pokemon. ¡°Go Nosepass!¡± said Roxanne as Jackson released a Lairon. Crystal dropped the flags with a grin. ¡°Fight!¡± she ordered. Roxanne splayed her hand out in front of herself. ¡°Double Team!¡± Roxanne said starting off with a good move. Jackson clicked his tongue in response, and Lairon swept the field with a rock blast that saw shots scattered about and broke up some afterimages. ¡°Stealth Rock!¡± Roxanne said, causing a trio of rocky spikes to come from one of the Nosepass. Jackson instantly pounced on that one. ¡°Rock Blast!¡± The Nosepass faltered as it was hit and the other Nosepass vanished as its Double Team failed. ¡°Nosepass! Earth Power!¡± said Roxanne in response. Her pokemon slammed itself into the ground, and the earth snapped up around Lairon and made the other pokemon groan in pain before slumping. Roxanne blinked in surprise. ¡°Eh?¡± she said, tilting her head as Lairon was withdrawn. ¡°What was she expecting from a fourth-tier matchup against a pokemon I expect she¡¯s had for years?¡± I said to Yolanda. ¡°Ground-type moves are four times as effective against Steel-rock no?¡± Greta offered. I nodded and pointed at her like she¡¯d won a prize as Jackson threw out a Golem that landed and shrugged off the rocks that slammed into him. ¡°Bulldoze!¡± said Jackson, causing his pokemon to sprint forward before throwing itself into a roll that began picking up speed. ¡°Protect! Then follow up with Earth Power!¡± Roxanne said. ¡°Jump up and perform Focus Blast!¡± said Jackson. I raised an eyebrow at that call but didn¡¯t comment as next to me, Yolanda tilted her head. Roxanne herself gasped in surprise and swept her hand out. ¡°Abort! Go into Dig! Now!¡± she ordered, causing her pokemon to break off its attack with Earth Power and instead throw itself into the ground. Jackson snorted and grinned at her. ¡°Oh man! You¡¯re too easy! Golem doesn¡¯t know Focus Blast!¡± He smirked. ¡°He does know Earthquake though!¡± His Golem hit the ground and made the battlefield rock with force. Nosepass came up groaning in pain before shaking it off as it rose back up. ¡°Return Nosepass!¡± Roxanne said hurriedly. Yolanda hummed. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ not risking her pokemon which is good.¡± I wobbled my hand back and forth. ¡°She could have won this match much quicker, honestly. She has a pokemon that is levitating so some of the ground-type moves won¡¯t work as well against her unless they ground her Nosepass,¡± I said toying with an idea for later. ¡°She¡¯s being a bit too hesitant, though. Her Nosepass is strong and could probably take out Jackson¡¯s pokemon straight away with some ground-type moves.¡± Yolanda hummed and nodded. ¡°She is expecting Jackson to match the level of fighting that Flannery faced against you straight away and is instead getting caught out?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± I replied. We watched Jackson go down with his Golem taking some hits from a Graveler that Roxanne immediately used Earthquake with. I noted that her Graveler was nowhere near her Nosepass¡¯ strength. When the match was called in Roxanne¡¯s favour the Hoenn girl instantly used her potion on her Nosepass as Yolanda stood to dust herself off. ¡°What should I try against her?¡± she said, catching me by surprise. ¡°Ah, I thought Missy was facing her?¡± I shook it off and waved my hand when Yolanda gave me an earnest look. ¡°Fake her out with some power moves. Go for Earthquake and slash or a fake Fissure and then do a Giga Impact if you¡¯re running with a Rhydon.¡± Yolanda coughed. ¡°I was going to start things off with Izumi¡­ if that¡¯s alright?¡± I snorted. ¡°Alright, let her loose and go for some head¡­¡± I considered the Nosepass, ¡°Or nose shots in her first pokemon¡¯s case.¡± Yolanda nodded seriously only to blush as Rachel started Yolanda¡¯s intro. ¡°And now! The gem of Pewter! The strong sibling of our very own Gym Leader! Give it up for the incredible, Yolanda!¡± Yolanda coughed and strode down the stairs to a loud round of applause. I grinned and leaned forward. It was going to be very amusing watching Roxanne¡¯s reaction to Izumi. ¡°Release!¡± shouted Crystal as she dropped her flags. ¡°Go Izumi!¡± shouted Yolanda revealing a Geodude who smirked as Roxanne once more released a Nosepass. Roxanne narrowed her eyes. ¡°Hmmm, those are some rather pronounced forearm muscles, a strong ridgeline above the eyes and what appears to be a hardened rock carapace¡­ you¡¯re not a mistake! You¡¯re a trap!¡± Roxanne said as Yolanda clicked her tongue. ¡°Nosepass Double Team!¡± ¡°Sandstorm!¡± Yolanda said without missing a beat. ¡°Then focus your energy on your arms! We¡¯re going for Fissure!¡± ¡°Fissure will not work on a levitating pokemon!¡± Roxanne shouted. ¡°Nosepass! Use Lock-On!¡± I chuckled. In another instance, that would have been a good move, except I knew that Izumi didn¡¯t know Fissure. Instead, Yolanda had used her rather wordy command to hint at what she wanted Izumi to do. Sure enough, a moment later, I saw an Izumi-sized shape leap across the battlefield with her arm cocked back. Roxanne gasped. ¡°Protect!¡± she cried out once again. Her pokemon responded, but I noticed it did so barely. Yolanda clicked her tongue and said, ¡°Argh! Izumi, use Rock Polish!¡± she said, causing Izumi to gain a sheen as it waited for the Protect to drop. Roxanne stabbed her hand forward. ¡°Drop into Earthquake!¡± ¡°Rise with Brick Break!¡± countered Yolanda. Both pokemon slammed into each other, and Nosepass grunted in pain but continued down, causing Izumi to be slammed into the ground and then shaken. Izumi rolled away with a glower, causing Yolanda to hop from foot to foot in excitement as she realised Izumi was still in the match and at close range. ¡°Break Brick! I mean Bri¡ª¡± Izumi understood what she meant, and her fist lanced out and slammed home into Nosepass, causing the Hoenn pokemon to be hurled back before it fell over. ¡°Nosepass?!¡± Roxanne said in shock. Yolanda shot me a look that I could imagine should have sparkled with how proud she was to have pulled that off. I nodded, she¡¯d made wise use of an objectively weaker pokemon to win against another. She¡¯d used Izumi¡¯s Sturdy ability as well. It was a good awareness of her pokemon¡¯s abilities. Roxanne returned her pokemon and huffed as she tossed out another pokeball. ¡°Go! Solrock!¡± she said, making me hum with thought. Another Hoenn pokemon, and what I expected would be another strong pokemon. ¡°Psychic!¡± said Roxanne with a decisive chop of her hand. Yolanda didn¡¯t bother allowing the hit to connect, instead withdrawing Izumi and signing that she was withdrawing her pokemon. Crystal allowed it with a faux frown and playful finger waggle at Yolanda. Yolanda rolled her eyes and selected another pokeball. ¡°Let¡¯s go Cradily!¡± she said, surprising me with her selection. Roxanne perked up at the Ancient pokemon¡¯s reveal, and I had to chuckle before she shook her head. ¡°Sunny Day!¡± she said. ¡°Ingrain!¡± replied Yolanda, more than ready to turn this into a slugfest, it seemed. ¡°Flamethrower!¡± ¡°Solar Beam!¡± Yolanda said, causing Roxanne to eep and start to abort the earlier command, only for Cradily to do nothing but shoot Yolanda a confused look. Roxanne clenched her fist. ¡°You¡¯re making me look silly on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said as her pokemon unleashed Flamethrower. ¡°Brine!¡± Yolanda replied. ¡°And, yes! Sort of! It¡¯s a weakness we noticed! You¡¯re too reactive and defensive! You have the answer to the match a lot of the time, but hesitate!¡± Yolanda clenched her fist. ¡°Cradily use Giga Drain!¡± ¡°Fine! Solrock! Psychic!¡± Roxanne said snappily. Psychic energy built up around Cradily but instead of ripping it up and throwing it about, Cradily held itself firm in the ground. Yolanda smiled. ¡°Sorry! That was the other reason I wanted to use Ingrain! I¡¯ve seen what a Solrock can do so I wanted to counter that with my setup! Brine again!¡± Yolanda said with a punch as her pokemon finished draining Solrock with Giga Drain and looked better for it. Roxanne swept her hand to the side. ¡°Use Flare Blitz to close and then hammer it with Sand Tomb to weaken its grasp and damage it!¡± ¡°Giga Drain again!¡± Yolanda said, perking up even as Solrock slammed into her pokemon. Cradily snapped back into position with a glare and green energy around it. I chuckled, and when Greta shot me a look, I waved a hand. ¡°Yolanda has remembered something Roxanne¡¯s forgetting. Cradily is a rock-grass type, which means that it does normal damage with ground attacks. So despite the Sand Tomb being a good method to weaken the Ingrain, Yolanda is trading and coming out ahead.¡± Solrock faltered in the air, and Roxanne narrowed her eyes. ¡°Solrock¡­ use Flare Blitz again!¡± she said. Her pokemon slammed into and dragged Cradily along with it before tossing it. Cradily stood up shakily, and Yolanda clenched her fists. ¡°Rest!¡± she ordered firmly. Roxanne paused at that and sighed in relief. ¡°Recover,¡± she said, causing Yolanda to click her tongue. ¡°Ah, you have that move?¡± Yolanda said, which had Roxanne giggle good-naturedly. ¡°Indeed I do. Now Solrock, use Psychic to throw that Cradily around and then hit it with another Flare Blitz!¡± Cradily was tossed hard, and then just as it righted itself and awoke, it was slammed into with another Flare Blitz. This proved too much and finally ended the match. ¡°That Cradily has some serious potential,¡± I said in thought as I watched Yolanda return it. ¡°Yolanda used it well,¡± I said to Greta, who nodded and rose to clap as Yolanda trudged up the stairs towards me. She smiled hesitantly at me, and I stood to wrap her in a hug. ¡°You did very well out there. I think you did excellently with Izumi, and you worked with Cradily perfectly for what the matchup was.¡± Yolanda smiled before gaining an impish smirk. ¡°You should call her Ivy.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s not enough that you want to name my Teddiursa? Now you¡¯re trying to name my Cradilly as well?¡± Yolanda smiled unrepentantly, and I huffed and rolled my eyes at her. She stuck her tongue out in response. I huffed and instead marched to the top of the stairs, watching as Roxanne hurriedly sprayed some potion onto her Solrock. She¡¯d come through with more pokemon than Flannery had yesterday, but I still felt like she needed to show more. She was falling back on her Hoenn pokemon which obviously came into the circuit with her. With this being a few months into the circuit she could only use a few of them. She¡¯d need to show me some depth before I let her advance. The usual stomp-stomp-clap heralded my descent and Roxanne snapped her head up to watch me come down like a mountain slowly giving way. She stood up and clenched her fist. I smiled at her and then, from a few stairs up, leapt. The crowd gasped. This was a much bigger leap than I usually performed, but as Rocko had mentioned, I¡¯d been working out. I slammed into the podium and rose to lock eyes with Roxanne. ¡°So, you happy with your showing so far?¡± I said, crossing my arms. Roxanne nodded tightly. ¡°I still ended up underestimating that Geodude, but otherwise I have remained within expectations.¡± ¡°Hmmmm, sounds like I¡¯m going to have to shake things up then,¡± I said, selecting a pokeball and enlarging it. Crystal raised her flags, and I tossed out my first pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go Quirina!¡± Roxanne, who¡¯d left out her Solrock, gasped as I threw out my own Solrock in direct challenge. Then she smiled and raised her chin. ¡°I see your game and shall rise to the occasion.¡± I smirked at her as the flags dropped. ¡°Gravity!¡± I ordered straight away, causing a pressure to slam into the field and cast her Solrock into the ground on the first move. ¡°Eh? Solrock! Use Stone Edge to force it to release you!¡± ¡°Drop into the ground and make it shake!¡± I ordered Quirina, making him drop into the ground, subsequently dodging the Stone Edge and slamming into the ground to unleash an Earthquake. Roxanne¡¯s Solrock was bounced around before it shakily floated up to glower at my pokemon. ¡°Gravity again,¡± I said. ¡°Flare Blitz! Overcome the gravity with power like we practised!¡± Roxanne said, punching forward. ¡°Spin to the side,¡± I said with a lazy flick of my fingers, making Quirina''s barrel roll away before it rotated and oriented itself onto his foe. ¡°Sol!¡± Quirina growled. ¡°Tch! Recover!¡± ¡°Explosion!¡± I ordered. Roxanne to stiffen before shaking it off. ¡°There¡¯s no way¡ª¡± Quirina detonated himself, and the battlefield suddenly lit up with force. Was it overkill? Yeah, it would also have her second-guessing herself. When the field was revealed, both pokemon were knocked out. Roxanne stared at me in shock. ¡°But you had an advantage with your pokemon¡­ Why sacrifice it?¡± ¡°To teach you a lesson,¡± I said firmly. I could have etched a victory against her in what might have been a slightly longer exchange, but I was starting to wonder if her pokemon weren¡¯t the issue for Roxanne. I wanted to see if I was right and, in doing so, get a much more important lesson taught today. Roxanne returned her pokemon with shaking hands. She selected her next pokemon and I did the same. ¡°Go Graveler!¡± she said. ¡°Go Onix!¡± I countered. The crowd that had been stunned by my earlier choice of plays stirred at the pokemon matchup. It must have seemed a poor choice. ¡°Dip Dig into HH!¡± I ordered cryptically. ¡°Earthquake!¡± Roxanne barked, causing the ground to shake. With the fractured ground, it clattered and shifted a lot. Onix took a bit of damage before suddenly leaping out of a shallow hole and throwing himself wholesale into the air with High Horsepower to slam himself into Graveler. ¡°Graveler, Rollout to get room!¡± ¡°Rest!¡± I ordered my Onix, making it shut its eyes instantly. Roxanne faltered once again, caught by surprise. ¡°Earthquake again!¡± she said after contemplating for a moment. ¡°Sleep Talk,¡± I said with an evil smirk as my pokemon¡¯s tail glowed before whipping around and slapping her Graveller with a super effective Iron Tail. That was enough to knock it out. I raised two fingers and waggled a third at her. It honestly had a lot of implications. That was three of her pokemon now out of the match. I knew she¡¯d used two of the three pokemon from Hoenn she was allowed with only one left that she could use. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and flicked out a pokeball to reveal a Rhydon that snorted and stomped its feet. ¡°Use Earthquake!¡± she said. The move tossed my still-sleeping Onix. With the earlier damage from Roxanne¡¯s aborted Earthquake, that was enough to see my pokemon knocked out. I hummed and selected my third pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go Shelly!¡± I said, releasing my Omastar, who waved merrily to everyone before settling her attention on the Rhydon. ¡°Surf!¡± I said. ¡°Surf back at them!¡± Roxanne said, surprising me for perhaps the first time in the match. Both pokemon rose up, and twin tidal waves rushed towards each other. Roxanne¡¯s Rhydon then leapt over the wave. ¡°Ice Beam!¡± she called out. I chuckled, knowing she must have picked that up from watching Bertha and I. ¡°Hop off and use Hydro Pump!¡± I responded. Shelly hopped off the wave towards her foe and while in the air unleashed a powerful barrage of water. ¡°Dig!¡± Roxanne commanded, allowing her pokemon to just dodge the attacks, it popped out a moment later covered in mud and grinning. When Shelly landed I chopped my hand. ¡°Earthpower!¡± I ordered, making earth spikes shoot up around the Rhydon. ¡°Fissure!¡± barked Roxanne, her Rhydon instantly reared back a fist and slammed it into the ground ¡°Protect!¡± I said, deciding I wasn¡¯t going to risk it against a pokemon that appeared to be styled after Bertha, a pokemon known for her one-hit K.O. abilities. Instead of causing the ground to slam together around the protective shell, however, nothing rose up. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Now I looked like I had overcommitted. Roxanne, instead of being smug, was blushing. It took me a moment to realise she¡¯d messed up. Ah, she hadn¡¯t accounted for the destroyed landscape from the Explosion, and the mud defusing the Fissure. She needed to let her pokemon build up more power. ¡°Ah, this is embarrassing,¡± I said laughing at our situation. Roxanne groaned. ¡°Just¡­ use Thunderbolt Rhydon.¡± Rhydon unleashed a spark of lightning and Shelly took it before shrugging it off, her shell smoking from the hit. ¡°Hydro pump!¡± I ordered. ¡°Thunderbolt again!¡± Both attacks hit, and once again both pokemon went down, causing me to chuckle as we returned our pokemon. A quick look over the field revealed a muddy, frozen waste. A section of the frozen waves cracked off and slammed into the ground causing me to consider who I¡¯d be sending out as my last pokemon. Roxanne also seemed to be in deep thought. I held off sending out my pokemon, forcing Roxanne to frown and look worried. I smiled and continued to hold off sending out my next pokemon, pointedly dragging it out and stressing her with each second that passed. As the countdown reached five, I hurled out my Sudowoodo, much to her surprise, before she grabbed another pokeball of her own just as the count reached three. I hummed as she almost flubbed the throw. She wasn''t used to being pressured like this and so heavily ted it would seem. Her last pokemon was an Onix, which rose up and glowered at my Sudowoodo. ¡°Low Kick!¡± I ordered. ¡°Dig!¡± Roxanne responded, causing her Onix to dodge the attack that would have caused serious damage. ¡°Rise and use Iron Head!¡± Roxanne said with a rising fist. Her Onix shot up from beneath my pokemon but I merely chopped my hand downward. ¡°Hammer Arm!¡± Both attacks slammed into each other, and my Sudowoodo came off the better with Onix reeling back from the hit. Roxanne grimaced before she perked up. ¡°Use Rock Tomb! Deny it mobility!¡± I chuckled as rocks snapped around Sudowoodo¡¯s thin legs and held him down. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I said, allowing her the move and setting the bait. ¡°Iron Tail!¡± Roxanne said, making her Onix sweep its tail around to slam into my pokemon. ¡°Reversal!¡± I barked just before it could impact. Sudowoodo slammed into it, taking some damage himself but then paying it back. Onix groaned painfully before slumping to the ground. My twig of a pokemon stepped over him and raised his branches high. I grinned. If Sudowoodo didn¡¯t enjoy the fourth tier matches so much I¡¯d have promoted him to the Elite team a long time ago. Roxanne returned her pokemon and toyed with her last two pokeballs before selecting one. ¡°Go! Magcargo!¡± she said. The Magcargo landed a good distance from Sudowoodo, but my pokemon leaned forward, more than ready to charge in close. ¡°Rock Throw!¡± I ordered. Sudowoodo responded by tumbling forward, grabbing up segments of rock and unleashing them as fast as he could. ¡°Gyro Ball!¡± Roxanne ordered her pokemon to tuck into itself and use grey energy to form a ball around itself as it kipped up and began rolling. It powered straight through the Rock Throws and as it closed I could tell it was building up a bit of power. Heh, Sudowoodo weren¡¯t that much faster than Magcargo it would seem. ¡°Sudowoodo! Reversal!¡± I said, once again letting my pokemon take the hit before paying it back with interest. Magcargo groaned as it took the hit on its shell. Despite this Roxanne smiled. ¡°Shell Smash!¡± she ordered, causing the shell to detonate energy that made Sudowoodo stumble in shock. Despite that, I knew no actual damage had been done, apart from lowering Magcargo¡¯s defences and increasing its speed and power. ¡°Earth Power!¡± Roxanne said, with her pokemon in close. Earth snapped up and around Sudowoodo and knocked him flying. When he landed it stayed down and I recalled him. ¡°Yatta!¡± shouted Brawly and Flannery straight away standing and leading the cheer for Roxanne. ¡°Way to go Roxy!¡± I smirked and reached for a fifth pokeball. Roxanne¡¯s face blanched, and I stopped and grinned. ¡°I¡¯m kidding! I only use four pokemon, remember?¡± Roxanne drew in a breath of relief, and I toggled the podiums to lower. Greta approached me with the badge case, and I signalled for her to join me next to Roxanne. ¡°So,¡± I said as we got close. ¡°How do you think you did?¡± ¡°I did rather poorly, you worked out a weakness of mine and rather ruthlessly hammered home that I need to work on reading my opponents or preparing for them more. I also need to improve the strength of the team I caught locally, as some moves did not work.¡± ¡°Uhuh, anything else?¡± I asked leadingly. Roxanne squirmed. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t go for the win as quickly as perhaps I could¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°Anything else?¡± Roxannee fidgeted and shifted. ¡°I¡­ I¡± she cast her eyes around. ¡°Don¡¯t pay enough attention to the landscape of the battlefield?¡± she said. I wavered my hand back and forth before raising my hand to stop her. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but Flannery does most of the fighting since you¡¯ve been travelling together?¡± Roxanne nodded slowly. ¡°And now that Brawly has joined, would you say you do even less?¡± Roxanne¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting very much at all¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s an issue when you travel with such loud personalities that they draw the attention and the trainers who are looking for fights. People that are more reserved have a bit more difficulty getting as many matches as people that are outgoing; sometimes they can even take matches from the reserved person without knowing it.¡± I waved a hand in her direction. ¡°You¡¯re a solid trainer, but I think your mental awareness and experience are lacking. I think you should start going to battleclubs specifically for yourself, as just travelling around is not getting you as much experience due to people gravitating to or being dragged into Flannery¡¯s pace.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ never considered it before,¡± Roxanne said. I smiled. ¡°Not many do; I wouldn¡¯t comment on this usually, but I know you, and the people you¡¯re travelling with, so I can do a bit of a deeper dive. You¡¯re good, Roxanne, but you second-guess yourself. Take some of the skills that Flannery has with being aggressive and some of Brawly¡¯s slick moves and try to incorporate them. Sometimes you¡¯re a bit stiff.¡± Roxanne nodded at that. ¡°I will, yes, thank you, Brock,¡± she said, offering me a bow. I grinned and accepted the badge case from Crystal. ¡°That being said, I hereby award you the Boulder Badge in recognition of your skill level as a trainer.¡± Flannery and Brawly led the applause before hopping down to join us for the photo. When we were done Brawly clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Ready for our rematch this friday?¡± I tilted my head before chuckling. ¡°Are you seriously waiting until Friday for the tropical day at the gym again?¡± Brawly¡¯s grin was answer enough. I sighed but smiled. Hmmm, two down, with Brawly coming around for another run. I rubbed my chin. It would be interesting to see how he performed with his starter back in action and how much of a difference that made. Friday couldn¡¯t come quickly enough. Chapter 151 - Surfs up watery boogaloo? Despite not having a match the next day, Brawly, Roxanne, and Flannery all turned up at the gym. They made for an interesting group. Roxanne looked tired, Flannery was perky, and Brawly was his usual laid-back self. I led them into the break room behind the reception and raised an eyebrow at Roxanne. "You went straight into fighting at the Battleclub I take it?" Roxanne nodded, and I chuckled. I wasn''t surprised that she''d throw herself right into following my advice. It was what I expected from her. "How many matches did you have?" "Four today that were worth my time," she said, sighing and leaning back into the couch. I tilted my head, but Flannery was the one to speak up. "She had a whole bunch of brats challenging her! It was like she was running a kindergarten with how she was schooling them!" Flannery cackled. Roxanne huffed. "Don''t say it like that. They showed admirable courage, and if I want to take over as the Rustboro Gym, it was a good experience." "So how many did you actually end up fighting?" I asked. "Ten," Roxanne said with a sigh. "Good numbers," I said casually. "Ha! It''s probably nothing to what you faced at the start of this circuit!" Brawly said with a laugh. I shook my head. "The start of the circuit, and by that I mean the first week? It''s usually pretty quiet as trainers get familiar with their pokemon. Then I get the usual rush for the first month or so¡­ this season¡­ yeah it''s been nuts; it''s only starting to slow down now." I waved a hand around. "I''ve started blocking out later starts, earlier finishes, and longer lunches, which is so nice after the crunch period where I was pretty much just hanging in there." "Sounds stressful. We should go surfing," Brawly said with a nod, like that would solve all my issues. Roxanne sighed, and Flannery laughed. "You say that for almost everything!" Brawly shrugged but lolled his head around to smile at me. "Come on, admit it; it worked that one time, didn''t it?" I nodded somewhat hesitantly before tilting my head. "I was actually considering going up to Mahogany Town again to do some skiing." Brawly nodded his head. "Yeah, true. Snowboarding would be pretty choice!" I chuckled, that hadn''t been what I said but I decided to ignore it as Flannery looked like she was going to burst. "None of that matters, though yeah? You''re still hoping for that Will rematch yeah?" she said heatedly. I nodded. "Yes," I said. Flannery stood. "Then what we need is action! We need to find that punk, make him regret cheating like he did, and expose any ties he has with Team Rocket!" I raised an eyebrow at her and she groaned. "Or we can wait for him to slip up, I guess." I waved a hand. "No, no. That look was about your Team Rocket comment. What made you think that?" I said. I hadn''t said something in front of them, had I? Flannery huffed. "The guy is obviously bad news! In Hoenn, people like him are usually linked with Magma or Aqua! In Indigo, you only have Team Rocket, ergo!" she said as though that explained anything. I raised a finger before shaking my head and lowering it. "We are putting things in place, Flannery," I said, trying to calm her. Brawly frowned at me and Roxanne tilted her head thoughtfully. Ah, crap, I hadn''t refuted Flannery, and while she''d missed it, her friends hadn''t. Flannery grumbled and kicked her feet up. "I know that! It''s just! Urgh! It''s frustrating!" I nodded. "Yeah, it really is. I''ve been toying with the idea of storming into a press conference of his to demand a rematch but¡­" "He''s a slippery one," said Flannery as she slumped onto a couch. Roxanne coughed. "It also might be taken poorly¡­" she mumbled, only to blush as everyone looked at her. "That is, I meant to say it might be best for him to let the other gyms fight him such as Erika, Sabrina, or likewise¡­ He is mirroring the circuit''s big gyms, and it might be seen as you not having faith in them if you step in." I rubbed my chin. "I hadn''t considered that but¡­ I''m not too sure it would go like that. Also, I don''t think Will is going to try himself against Blaine or Giovanni," I said in an off-hand manner. That made everyone pause, and I grimaced as I realised I might have misspoken again. Flannery narrowed her eyes. "Why not those two Gyms? Because they''re the last two traditionally?" "That would make him more likely to challenge them, wouldn''t it?" Brawly said with his head tilted to the side. "Before everyone watched your match against Lance, most people would have assumed it was a straight first-to-last Boulder to Earth badge in terms of strength." Brawly pointed out. I waggled my hand as an acceptable dodge occurred to me. "He also needs to try and beat out others that are going to challenge for the position. Karen started before him and has already knocked over six of the Johto gyms, and she has done so convincingly. I think that if he delays, she''s going to make a run at the Elite Four position first and beat him to it." "Oh!" said the others, nodding along to that. "So he needs to increase his publicity?" said Roxanne thoughtfully. "And his Ace trainer rating," I grunted, mentally praising myself for the dodge. "He needs to have reached the number one position to at least launch a challenge. Something he has apparently been getting a lot of, but he hasn''t been challenging people for big televised matches much. The ones that everyone are showing are the Gym matches, with Sabrina being the showdown everyone is anticipating." Brawly nodded. "The face-off of Psychic types, huh? Sort of like how you and Roxanne got a lot of attention due to being Rock specialists going head to head." He snapped his fingers. "Then again, you''d get a lot of publicity with people going for a rematch." He posed with his thumb and forefinger around his chin. "I know we''re getting a lot of people''s attention with the announcement that I''m having my rematch after all." Flannery snorted loudly at that. "Please they''re just hoping that you''re going to dunk water on Brock again so you and he end up fighting shirtless!" Brawly grinned at her. "You saying you won''t enjoy the show?" he said with a wink. Flannery scoffed but a dusting of red appeared on her nose. Brawly then grinned in my direction. "What do you say Brock? Opening move this time? Wailord sent out for some Surf?" That made me pause. Around us, others snickered while Roxanny squirmed. I eventually rolled my eyes. "Do what you will if you think it is going to help you. I''m more interested in seeing how things go with your starter this time around." Brawly nodded his head. "He''s fighting fit and so ready for this match! Trust me!" "Hmmm good. I''ll be looking forward to seeing how you fight." I then directed my attention to Roxanne. "Speaking of strong pokemon, when are you thinking of evolving your Nosepass?" "Oh! I''ve been having some trouble with that; Usually people think it is best to use a thunderstone, but that doesn''t always work." "Thunderstone or electrically charged environment, isn''t it?" I said. At Roxanne''s stunned look I waved a hand. "I''ve looked into the Nosepass pokemon group before but hadn''t been able to secure any. They''re not the easiest of pokemon to get your hands on, and they''re not super popular. Celia, one of the gym''s trainers, has caught one and is looking for another while she''s in Hoenn. I''ve sent her a thunderstone and told her to use it while training near a powerplant or talk with Wattson about using his gym." "Old man Wattson?" Flannery said, smiling fondly. "He''d be interested in helping her out if she explains herself. He''s such a kooky old guy! Great Gym leader, he''s one of the most popular gym leaders around, but I think that''s more to do with his attitude when dealing with people than how strong he is." "Rustboro is popular as well!" Roxanne said staunchly before coughing and sitting up straight. "I was actually wondering, Brock, if I might ask to use your own facilities here. I understand that you need an electrical environment for your geodude variants to gain their typing, no?" I waggled my hand in a so-so gesture. "Among other things such as diet, breeding for certain traits, and such, yes." I smirked as I started to see what her angle was. "Ah, you want to borrow it for evolving your Nosepass?" Roxanne nodded, and I responded with a nod of my own. "Sure! But I think I better wait until this afternoon." When Roxanne tilted her head, I scratched the back of my head. "This is the sort of thing that would be great for Salvadore to witness; he loves it. I''ll tell Bianca about it as well; assemble the brain trust to observe the whole thing." Roxanne accepted that easily enough, and when the Gym matches were done for the day, I met Salvadore walking into the house. "Hey Brock!" he said as he unloaded his backpack onto the couch. "Hey, can you come with me? I have a pokemon that is going to evolve, and I wanted to see¡ª" he sprinted away, causing me to grimace as I heard him slam into a few walls on the way to his room. On the way back, he was no less loud. He then skidded to a stop in front of me with his notepad and a camera slung around his neck. "I''m ready!" he said, rather unnecessarily. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. "No¡­ running in the house, little bro." He nodded, entirely unrepentant and too excited to care. "What pokemon is it?" I chuckled and waved for him to follow me. "Come on, and I''ll show you." I led him into the reserve, where we found Brawly paddling around with my Corsola while Roxxane was happily sitting on the side, stroking Tirtouga on the head as Lileep cuddled up to her. Greta, Yolanda, and Crystal all watched on. I glanced around looking for Flannery, only to spot her wrestling with Cranidos. "Brock! How is this a baby pokemon? It''s as hyper as a Pikachu that''s been sucking on a power socket!" I cocked my head to the side. "Is that a thing that happens?" I asked as she was dragged along. Cranidos crowed happily. He''d been putting on weight, and with how he''d started dashing around to challenge various pokemon he''d been gaining muscle. Muscle that he was now using to drag Flannery around. "Cranidos! Here!" I said, kneeling down and offering myself as a target. That had Cranidos charging straight at me. "Brock you big dumb lug!" Flannery howled as she refused to let go. Just before Cranidos got too close, I shifted and reached out, snagging Cranidos behind the head and twisting my body so that I moved with him before swinging him around me. I then tumbled him over himself, causing him to squeak in surprise. While he was thrown off balance, I tucked him into my side and locked my elbow in. I made sure to start flowing rock energy through my body as I grinned down at Flannery. "There, like that!" I said, ignoring how Cranidos was now slamming his head into my side and whining at my not being knocked over. "Ha ha ha," Flannery said flatly. "Little sucker blindsided me while I was inspecting your Slugma and that hill you''re building for him and his fellow." I flicked my eyes over the ''hill'' that was in truth a large earthworks project that even now some of my pokemon were building up under Bianca, Jennifer, and an engineer''s directions. "You must have startled him," I said shamelessly, like it wasn''t something he did all the time. Flannery glowered at me for that, while Cranidos gained a smug look. Then he went back to headbutting me, and with the rock energy protecting my ribs, I barely felt it. Roxanne rose to meet me with a serene expression on her face. "Brock, I think I''m even more envious of this place since the last time I was out here! You''ve gained another group of ancient pokemon?" I nodded. "Yeah, we''re working at it. It helps that we have the research lab in Pewter and the League''s approval." Flannery clapped Roxanne on the shoulder. "No fear, Roxy; you''ll get there once you''re a gym leader! Just give it time!" "And Money," I said. "Money helps; I''d suggest getting as much built up before you become a gym leader, that way you can snowball it if you need to." Roxanne nodded at that. "Any advice on how to do that?" I shrugged. "Win a lot of matches¡ªmore than you lose anyway. Fight enough, and you can make some serious money." I nodded my head towards the cave system. "Shall we?" I then nudged Cranidos off to see if he could beat Knight in a wrestle. The little pokemon charged off, and I chuckled, knowing he had run in the wrong direction to find Knight. I then waved to Bianca, and she joined us to observe the process. When we reached the electrical cavern, she directed us to a small cupboard that had been installed,holding rubber gloves, shoes, and coats, which we all donned. "Observation diary one hundred and twelve! Evolution in action!" Salvadore said as he set up the camera to record. Roxanne released her Nosepass which perked up as electrical energy sparked off the walls. Nosepass nosed at the walls before turning to Roxanne when she whistled for its attention. "Hey boy! It''s time to evolve if you''re ready?" she said. "Nosepass!" intoned the pokemon before hovering forward and into the offered thunderstone. Everyone held their breaths as Nosepass touched the stone. The stone lit up, and then a huge spark from the floor of the cavern arced up into Nosepass, causing it to spasm. The thunderstone clung to Nosepass, and another arc of electricity entered Nosepass making it twitch again. Before anyone could freak out, however, a glow encompassed its entire body as the evolution took hold. When the lights faded, everyone else blinked their eyes to witness the new pokemon. "Probopass!" intoned the now much larger pokemon. It had gained a red hat-like structure on its head along with what looked like a moustache under its large red nose. A digitised voice spoke up. "Probopass, this pokemon is a Rock-steel type pokemon. It was commonly used in sailing expeditions and is a common sight on seafarers that traverse the oceans to this day, thanks to Probopass'' ability to act as a compass that will always know where north is. "Its body is highly magnetised, and the units on the sides and back are considered mini-noses. It is debated whether these smaller features improve the Probopass'' ability to perceive its surroundings and make it much harder to sneak up on. It knows Lock-On, Zap Cannon, Stone Edge, Earth Power, Iron Defense, and Body Press." Greta whistled at that while Roxanne ran forward to hug her pokemon. "Is that her starter?" I asked Flannery. Flannery nodded proudly and I hummed. It was always a good day when any pokemon evolved, but it was just a bit more special when it was your starter pokemon. "Well sounds like we''re going to have to celebrate then!" I said with a clap of my hands. I happily sent Salvadore off to join the others for dinner as I led my friends to a more upscale restaurant. I messaged Sabrina, and she joined us when we reached the restaurant. I touched her hand as I noticed that she looked a bit tired. "You alright?" I asked. "I''m just tired; I''ve been working with Erika a lot and also with my father," she said, squeezing my hand. Flannery chose that moment to speak up. "Hey Sabrina! I''m totally coming for your badge next! My pokemon team got a lot stronger after fighting Brock!" she said with a cocky smile. Sabrina nodded her head. "That is good." Her face lost all emotion. "You will need it." She then tilted her head as her eyes glowed. "Sadly I see only disappointment in your future." Flannery stiffened at that and opened her mouth only for Sabrina to smile. "The special that you are hoping to order tonight has run out of stock." "Snrk!" Brawly said. "Hah! She got you there, Flannery!" Roxanne giggled while Flannery huffed in annoyance but nodded at Sabrina. "Well played." She then deposited herself next to Sabrina and leaned in to whisper about something. I decided to ignore it and instead speak with Roxanne and Brawly about the sort of gyms they wanted to set up. I was rather amused that Brawly was hoping for a small gym while Roxanne seemed frustrated with his lack of ambition. He merely shrugged. "Eh, I''ll see what floats my way," he said, causing her to sigh and shake her head. The evening passed like that, with suggestions and a few plans tossed around. Brawly tried to get me to go surfing with him, and Sabrina surprised me when she supported the idea. In the end, I succumbed, resulting in all of us, plus Rocko and Jackson, joining us on the ocean the next morning. Roxanne happily accepted Brawly''s coaching on how to surf, while Sabrina merely floated out and ordered a wave for herself. I chuckled when she stood atop her surfboard like a queen surveying her kingdom. When the wave rose she surfed it without a hint of a wobble, causing me to laugh. "You know you''re supposed to use your balance and ride it, not control the board with your psychic powers," I said, splashing some water at her. "I like my way," she said simply before smiling innocently as she kicked out with her foot and sent a giant wave to topple me off the board. Jackson laughed as I spluttered my way back onto the board. I shot a splash at him, and he paddled out to show off his own Orange Island-acquired skills. I hooted at him when he crashed out after riding the wave for ten seconds. Rocko took his own turn and if anything, he''d gotten better since the last time. Flannery revealed herself to be very experienced at surfing, much to my surprise. "Thought you were a fire type!" I called out to her as she glided through the water towards us. "That doesn''t mean I can''t hang ten!" she called back. Brawly led Roxanne out into the water, only for her to tip over on the way out to the wave. In the end, he got a larger board and showed her how it felt while holding her steady. "Oh! Smooth Roxy! Very smooth, the helpless maiden ploy!" Flannery whooped at her friend causing Roxanne to shoot her a heated look only to smile back at Brawly who was grinning. I chuckled. "Think they''re going to date?" I said to Sabrina The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Sabrina shrugged. "I''m not sure. I believe Brawly is looking for something casual, while Roxanne wants a boyfriend. I am not certain, but I believe usually the boy caves to the girl''s demands in this situation, or the girl''s feelings are hurt." I raised an eyebrow at that. And Sabrina shrugged. "It is my observation from the discussions when I am with Erika. They are quite informative," she said casually, like she hadn''t just admitted to listening in on a lot of gossip and what sounded like heartbreak if she''d created a ''consensus'' on how these things usually went. "How''s she going?" I asked. "She is doing wonderfully. I think she will make a good showing of herself." "Will she win?" I asked, to which Sabrina remained silent. I sighed and took another turn at surfing. I lasted all of three seconds before crashing out. I think Sabrina might have helped me stay on the board even that long with how stable it felt. I shot her a thankful look, and she winked at me. When it was time to go, Sabrina teleported me and the other Pewter trainers back to the Gym where we had enough time to scoff down some food before meeting the day. When lunchtime came around, the Gym began to fill up, and Sabrina returned to claim a seat in the trainer''s box. She smiled enigmatically at me while holding a large soda for herself and Ralts. I shot her a confused look, but ultimately I shrugged it off, turning to watch as Brawly was announced. "And now! He''s tasted the sting of defeat once before, and now he''s come back with a vengeance! The surfer-bro that we all love! Let''s give it up for Brawly!" I watched Brawly step forward. Unlike the last time he''d entered my gym, he did so with a smile and a wave. Gone were the sheepish expression and slightly jittery frame of mind. He strode forth now, chest out, head raised, and a surety in his eyes. Last time I''d faced him, he''d gone straight into a match against me, albeit at the highest level available. Today, he challenged the fourth tier with a gauntlet challenge. Yolanda stood in the middle of the field, her flags at the ready and the barriers shimmering. A.J. stood on the podium, looking slightly nervous but composed. I frowned, and a vague recollection occurred to me. Last time¡­ it was Daniel standing in as referee. Daniel the traitor. I felt my mood darken, and I shook it off as A.J. released a Graveler onto the field. Brawly countered with a Machamp. It landed and flexed, causing A.J. to narrow his eyes and lean forward. Instead of giving an immediate command, Brawly glanced up at me and winked. Huh, he remembered the first pokemon he sent out last time as well, did he? I chuckled as A.J. decided he''d given Brawly enough time. "Graveler! Defence Curl!" "Focus Machamp," Brawly said easily, his pokemon raising its hands and holding them palm out to Graveler. "Tch! Earthquake!" A.J. ordered, causing his pokemon to punch the ground and send out a powerful rumble. "Leap!" Brawly said, punching his hand up high. Machamp tensed, and then, just before the shockwave hit him he leapt. The jump carried him in an arc up and straight towards Graveler. "FB!" Brawly ordered punching out and causing Machamp to chamber his fists before unleashing a devasting round of punches with all four fists. "Dig!" A.J. said. Graveler burrowed, only for the concussive wave of force to hit it just after it disappeared. A.J. himself stumbled, as his podium shook from the force of the blow. Graveler popped out of another hole to the side and shook itself. It might have gotten away, but it didn''t appear to have done it cleanly. "Rollout!" ordered A.J., making me frown. "Focus!" ordered Brawly again, his pokemon having landed and raised its fists up again. I could see the Machamp''s muscles twitching even as it held its ready pose. Ah he was using Focus Energy during those little gaps now? Brawly had gotten wiser. A.J. waited until his pokemon was right on top of Machamp before he shouted a new command. "Explosion!" he barked. "Protect!" Brawly screamed, not even hesitating as his pokemon knelt and raised a shield in the face of a glowing Graveler. Graveler detonated, and it took a few moments for the fans to blow aside the smoke to reveal Machamp had been unaffected. A.J. glanced up at me and I bobbed my head from side to side. Not bad. It was a good attempt, but it hadn''t worked out. A.J. returned his pokemon and almost stashed it away. Instead, he twitched and flicked his eyes to Yolanda who was watching him intensely. He whispered something to the pokeball, and then put it away earning himself a nod from Yolanda. He then whipped out his second pokemon. "Go Graveler!" he ordered again. Once more the rocky pokemon landed on the ground, only this time it shifted back and forth with small black spikes on its side twitching. "Roll!" A.J. said, sweeping his hand to the side. "Line it up Machamp!" Brawly said firmly, making his Machamp slide his feet and keep a pair of fists raised in readiness. I leaned forward and watched the Graveler roll, noticing that it was starting to spark up as it did so. A.J. once again chopped his hand in. "Close for Heavy Slam!" he yelled to his pokemon before stopping right as he got close. "Discharge!" "FB!" Brawly ordered, causing the fists of Machamp to rocket forward, ignoring the lash of electricity that shocked him. "Roll to the side!" A.J. ordered only for Graveler to not be quick enough. It dodged but was still clipped. "Tch! Again but circle it!" "Machamp go for CC!" Brawly shouted. His pokemon leapt forward and, with two hands, grasped the sparking Graveler. The other two fists then slammed into Gravler in a furious tempo that ended the match after a flurry of blows. The Machamp stopped with his fists held in front of the Graveler''s unconscious face, threatening to continue but otherwise holding back. Gravler slumped forward, unconscious, and the Machamp lowered him. Yolanda raised a flag. "Graveler is unable to battle! This means Brawly is the victor for this round." A.J. returned his pokemon and once more whispered something to it, this time flicking a glance up and spotting Yolanda beaming at him. He retreated up to me amid a smattering of applause, looking like a grumpy wet Meowth. I waved him close. "Hey, you did good out there. Nice try with the Explosion point-blank. I don''t think you had a good match up, but you made the most of it." "Still lost," he said angrily. "Yeah, that''s true, but remember, the point of being a Gym trainer isn''t to win but to challenge trainers and grow. You certainly had Brawly sweating out there with that sequence of moves. He was only a bit more sure of himself on your second Graveler because he knew that he could advance without you exploding due to the rules about last pokemon explosions," I said. A.J. nodded. "Graveler should have been able to dodge that Focus Blast; it''s not the most accurate of moves!" I wobbled my hand in a so-so gesture. "Yes but also no. It''s not normally an accurate move, but Brawly is a type specialist, so with that in mind. He''d have higher odds of hitting a move like Focus Blast. He''d also have had his pokemon train it a lot more, as it''s a very useful move for fighting types to have." I waved my hand. "I think your idea of building up a Charge with your second Graveler was good, but you might have also achieved a better result if you''d used Rock Polish for your hit-and-run tactics like you tried pulling off." "Hmmm, can I work with these two Gravelers a bit more?" "Sure thing, just remember that if you evolve them, you should only use one of them during your matches at the fourth tier. We''re trying to challenge our trainers, not beat them down." A.J. nodded and stomped off, causing me to hum. I decided to leave him be for the moment. I''d send someone to bring him back to watch my match against Brawly, though; he might notice something he wanted to copy or expand on after all. I turned back to find that Jackson had just sauntered down to an extremely popular song while the crowd laughed and sang along. He''d popped the collar on his floral shirt. Brawly himself was smiling and having a great time of it as Jackson danced his way down to the podium. He then locked eyes with Brawly, and they grinned as one. "You ready for this, surfer boy?" Jackson said as he expanded his choice. "You know it!" said Brawly as he selected his own pokemon. I tapped Sabrina on the shoulder. "Did he do anything with his Machamp during the break?" "He used a Full Restore on it," she said, taking a sip from her soda. "Ah, seems he''s doing well for himself if he''s got that sort of free money," I said. "He has his seven badges already, having challenged the minor gyms. This is for his eighth." Sabrina took another sip. "Roxanne is very annoyed with him as he plans to just train and surf for the rest of the circuit if he has his way." "That sounds like him," I said, chuckling. "He could be a very strong Gym Leader for Hoenn." Sabrina eyed me. "Perhaps even an Elite Four if he tried for it." I smiled at her and shrugged. "Guess it will be up to him and what he wants. I think right now he just wants to have good times with his friends, which mostly involves surfing." "Any idea what he will do after that?" she said with a tilt of her head. "Who''s to say? That''ll be for Brawly to decide." I watched as Jackson sent out an Onix only to have it smashed up by Brawly''s Breloom. I snorted as a thought occurred to me. "He must have been winning a lot of fights, having qualified as an Indigo trainer on his first circuit while having a team like he does." I chuckled. "He''s one of the only people out there that aren''t facing team restrictions." Sabrina inclined her head. "If he was more aggressive or less honest, he could have amassed himself a lot of wealth." I hummed, knowing he wouldn''t have done any such thing. If anything, he probably helped coach anyone who caught his fancy during this circuit. Still¡­ I watched his Medicham unleash a barrage of hits onto Jackson''s Lairon before it smashed it back with an Iron Head. The thought of Brawly''s prowess made me wonder¡­ was I watching the future winner of the Indigo Circuit? He had all the time in the world to build up his team, which was already powerful from his years as an apprentice under Chuck. If he pushed himself¡­ he could go far. I shook my head as the match was called, and Brawly waved Jackson off with a laugh. Then he turned his attention to healing up his Breloom. I straightened up and limbered myself up. "Alright, time to see how much he''s changed." Sabrina nodded and indicated the seat next to Flannery in the front row. "I will cheer you on from up close," she said, standing and kissing me on the cheek. I tilted my head as she did so. "Uhmmm, it''s a Gym match, not an Ace battle, Sabrina?" She nodded. "Yes, but you''re going to try your best." She tucked Ralts into her arms and teleported into the seat with her soda bottle still in hand. I laughed when Flannery twitched in surprise before shaking my head. That had been odd, I thought to myself. Oh well. I shook myself out and instead focused on the coming match. I knew exactly what pokemon I was going to use this time, but I wasn''t going to play things out the same way. "Ladies and gentlemen! Brawly has demonstrated that he has shown remarkable growth since the last time he entered Pewter Gym! He has a battle record of two hundred and eighteen victories to fifty-eight losses on the circuit so far!" I whistled at that. Damn, Brawly was a bit of a silent assassin. That was better than¡­ what? Seventy percent as a win rate? Hmmm, I''d need a calculator to work it out properly. Brawly was doing way better than I expected. If my match with him and his match against Will were taken away, how well would he be doing? Actually, just retracting his loss to Will would mean that he would not have lost to me. And how many of his losses had to do with not having his starter? Damn! Rachel continued to hype him up, and Brawly seemed embarrassed by the praise. I hadn''t expected her to do this sort of research on him, but it was a good addition and had the crowd perking up and getting very interested in the upcoming match. I hummed. Alright, so I could probably stop holding back. I''d known that last time, this time I was going to start out strong. "¡ªback to face our Gym Leader! Let''s welcome him now! Give it up! For Gym Leader! BROCK!" Rachel shouted, swinging her arms around before launching herself into a full-body hop, hop, clap that made the crowd join her. When they had a good tempo and the air was shaking, I began to walk down, my eyes locked onto Brawly. He straightened up and matched me, his smile holding despite the tension in the air. As with Roxanne, I leapt from further back and slammed into the podium, rising with a darkness sweeping out from me as I''d done against Will. "Brawly, welcome back," I said flatly. I enlarged a pokeball and held it out. "Are you ready?" Brawly smirked as he selected his first pokeball. "So ready for this!" he said. I whipped my arm forward. "Go Quirina!" I said, deciding to go for my psychic pokemon straight away to counter him. "Go Wailord!" Brawly shouted. His giant water-type pokemon landed with a thump that echoed. I had a sudden feeling of intense deja vu that wasn''t helped at all as Brawly''s grin stretched his entire face. "Sorry! Not sorry!" he called out to me. "Wailord! Surf!" called out Brawly. "Oh you shithead Brawly," I said, knowing this had to be by design as I watched his pokemon call up another gigantic wave all while Brawly laughed like a maniac. Working on autopilot, I pressed a button on my podium to make sure the barriers were working properly. Rachel stepped in front of the crowd and smiled hugely, "All crowd members currently in the stands, please be aware that drying facilities are available in the communal parts of the gym and laundry services can be provided. Thank you! Please remain seated and have a nice day." She then scurried to sit next to Sabrina while other people in the crowd whooped and cheered the wave as it rushed onward. "Protect," I said with the driest of tones possible. The wave slammed over me, and the world was lost for a few moments of tranquil wailord song that I thought might sound like it was giggling before the wave was drained away through the grills on the side of the battlefield. When I didn''t need goggles to see I waved a hand to Rachel to check that no one was injured or startled by the wave, not that it looked like any action needed to be taken as people were all standing and cheering. "Take it off!" shouted someone, and I blinked as I realised that Brawly was peeling himself out of his wet shirt. When he was done, he tossed his shirt to the side, raising his arms out wide, and locking eyes with me. Was he making the ''come at me bro'' pose? I shot him a flat look. "Did you serious¡­" I sighed knowing he had. I turned my head around to find Sabrina watching me with a straw in her mouth as she drank her soda. She wiggled her eyebrows. Et tu, Sabrina? I thought to myself. I shook my head and took off my shirt to the cheers of the crowd and more than a little screaming. More than a few cameras started flashing, but I ignored them. "Alright, you''ve had your fun," I said to Brawly. "I think that''s enough time, don''t you Quirina?" My Solrock responded by unleashing the Solar Beam he''d started channelling as soon as the Protect had dropped away. Everyone had been a little too occupied with my taking off my shirt to notice how pissed off he was at being dunked on again from the same pokemon. "Protect!" said Brawly, crossing his arms over his chest as my Solar Beam slammed into the barrier his pokemon raised. He grinned at me, and I nodded. Good, he had thought this through more than just playing around. "Sunny Day!" "Rain Dance! Not letting you get that off like last time, Brock!" Brawly shouted as his pokemon countered my environment move. I hummed. Alright, if he''s going to do that¡­ "Rock Polish," I said easily. . "Hydro Pump!" Brawly said, punching forward. "Rock Polish again, avoid it!" I said forcing my pokemon to spin like a wheel on the loose as it evaded the attack before spinning back to avoid the follow up strikes. "Close in on it!" I said. Solrock swept forward and gained a glint in its eyes as Brawly narrowed his eyes. "Now!" He ordered unleashing a fierce barrage. "Spin up and come back down!" I said, making my pokemon shoot up. As it did this, I raised up another pokeball. I knew this wasn''t a guarantee but it still worked better to have a closer pokeball offered up. Brawly''s eyes widened at the pose. "Baton Pass!" I said, causing my Solrock to vanish and be replaced by a much thinner pokemon. "Wood Hammer!" I shouted as my Sudowoodo swept down with a glowing green arm. "Pro¡ª" was all Brawly got the chance to say before my pokemon slammed into Wailord''s face with the super-effective move. Wailord wailed in pain at the impact before tilting to the side as my pokemon flipped end over end to land in the middle of the field. I pumped my fist. Nice! That had been a critical hit, by the looks of things! Brawly swept a hand through his hair and laughed. "Ah man! This is what it was like last time too!" he said as he returned his pokemon. "I thought I had you back then as well." I shrugged and smiled. "Eh? What can I say? You bring out my fighting spirit?" I said. I groaned as some ladies screamed with delight. Ah, I''d forgotten to not feed the local fan club. I shot Brawly another annoyed look, but he laughed unrepentantly. He then gained a serious expression. "Alright, I don''t want to play things too much the same way, but my man has been chomping at the bit for this rematch. Let''s go Machamp!" he said as he tossed out his Machamp. Machamp instantly locked eyes on Sudowoodo, and his left and right hands slammed together in a bow that had to be a martial arts pose. Sudowoodo responded by raising up on one foot with his other in the air. "Wood!" he said teasingly. Machamp''s eyes narrowed, and I knew right away that my pokemon had himself a proper rival. "Advance on him Machamp!" Brawly ordered. I knew it had to be a hidden command, so I pointed forward. "Copy him, Sudowoodo," I said firmly. Both pokemon marched forward, and Machamp had a look of intense focus that somewhat gave the game away of Brawly using Focus Energy as his pokemon stalked forward. In comparison, my pokemon just looked comical, advancing with a smirk on his face while flexing its twiggy arms. When they were within touching distance, they stopped and glowered at each other. Machamp looked down on Sudowoodo. I could tell he wanted to destroy his rival. "LK!" Brawly said. "Quake!" I said, not willing to get stuck in this game. I''d humoured him last time but I planned to play it smart. As Machamp dropped to one arm to spin about to knock Sudowoodo off its feet, my pokemon stomped its foot and unleashed a close-range Earthquake. "Kip over into Mach Punch!" Brawly said as his pokemon began to flounder. His Machamp then twisted and sighted on the ground before unleashing a barrage of punches that slammed into the earth, holding Machamp aloft like some overpowered anime protagonist going turbo. Sudowoodo had to stumble back in the face of the barrage. "DP!" I said, causing Sudowoodo to leap forward with a glowing arm once more. "Counter!" Brawly said, making his pokemon sweep its body around once again and catch the punch with its feet before stomping Sudowoodo into the ground. "Kick it off!" I shouted. Sudowoodo grunted in pain before spinning into a perfectly timed Low Kick that knocked Machamp off its feet. Machamp landed awkwardly this time but bounced up a moment later, already swinging. "Cross chop!" Brawly ordered, causing his pokemon to slash its hands down. "Counter again!" I ordered him to make the most of the force of the attack as Sudowoodo danced back only to lash out with a foot into Machamp''s face. "Scary Face!" Brawly ordered, realising how precarious the situation was with my pokemon keeping up and evading so much thus far. Sudowoodo stumbled and glowered only for Machamp to grin. "Quake!" I said, making the most of Machamp standing up against my pokemon. "FB!" barked Brawly. Both attacks were launched, and I saw both impact the respective pokemon. Sudowoodo toppled like a tree, while Machamp was shaken and thrown to land hard once again. Both pokemon struggled into a standing position before suddenly falling to their knees. "Sudo¡­" said my pokemon as he fell into the dirt. Machamp growled and forced himself up into a standing then stood, trembling and defiant, over my Sudowoodo. "Ma Champ!" he said, shouting his victory for everyone. "Sudowoodo is unable to battle!" Yolanda called out, causing a tidal wave of applause to rise from the crowd at the great match. I returned Sudowoodo to my pokeball and smiled at it. "You still not interested in joining the Elite team buddy? You''d have a place on there, you know?" I said to him before pocketing his ball. On the other side, Brawly returned his Machamp with a smile. When he raised his eyes to look at me, he grinned. "Heh! They did great! You shook things up once again!" he said, shaking his head. "Machamp won''t be able to come back into this fight and you took out Wailord with that Baton Pass trick¡­ If I don''t show some change, this match will end like last time!" I inclined my head in agreement, and Brawly laughed. "But things are different this time." He raised another pokeball and I mirrored him. "Let''s go Hariyama!" said Brawly, revealing his starter. It slammed down onto the ground and shifted on the still slightly muddy field its eyes shifting before locking onto my pokemon. "Let''s go Quirina!" I said, much happier with this match-up for him. "Psychic!" I said, pointing straight at Hariyama. "Taunt!" Brawly said. His pokemon twitched as Psychic wrapped around him to throw him about, only for Dark energy to surge outward. Hariyama raised a huge mitt and shook his finger back and forth as Quirina flinched like he''d been stung. Huh, that was certainly a way to use dark energy defensively. So I couldn''t directly grab Hariyama with Psychic then eh? "Psybeam!" "Detect!" Brawly said with a grin as his pokemon leapt to the side only for Quirina to arc the beam around and yet miss again as Hariyama dove under the beam and slid through the mud to close in with my pokemon. "Heavy Slam!" said Brawly with a grin, his pokemon leaping up to tackle my pokemon. "Protect!" I said, hoping to block the super-effective move. As Hariyama descended I exhaled in relief as a Protect barrier formed around Quirrina just before impact. "Hariyama! Use Belly Drum!" he said, causing his pokemon to slap its own stomach. "Hari-yama!" it shouted as it slapped its own stomach. The sound of flesh being struck caused me to grimace. That move came with the issue of lowering a pokemon''s health to halfway. Brawly was dancing a fine line here. "Confusion!" I said, putting my hopes on getting off a quick move as my pokemon''s Protect faded. A pink aura surrounded Hariyama and he flinched, but then he merely narrowed his eyes on Quirina and leapt forward. "Drain Punch!" said Brawly as the move slammed home into Quirrina. Quirrina was flung back from the power of the attack and fainted as he struck the wall. I whistled in awe. That was the other benefit of Belly Drum. A maximised increase in attacking power. I raised my eyes to Hariyama as he skipped back and forth with much more energy now. A Belly Drum into Drain Punch. That was a good combination, if you got the chance to use it. "Nice work buddy!" I said as I returned my pokemon. I then plucked out another and sent it as far away from Hariyama as I could. I did not want him to get too close. "Go Shelly!" I shouted, sending out my Omastar once more. "Headlong Rush!" Brawly said. I hissed in surprise as his pokemon burst into a straight-out sprint at my pokemon before an idea occurred to me. "Ice beam in front of you!" I said. Shelly fired off an Ice beam directly in front of her and as Hariyama came on. He leapt to carry himself as far as he could, only to land and instead of cratering the ice, he slipped, causing him to spin off to the side like a loose puck on an ice rink. "Mud shot!" I said to follow up. "Detect!" Brawly said, causing his pokemon to once again avoid the attack and advance. "Surf!" I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I wasn''t game to use dig but I didn''t have a lot of room to work with due to being forced onto the far right side already. "Endure it Hariyama!" Brawly called as the wave descended towards his pokemon. It slammed down and only caused the heavy sumo-like pokemon to rock back a little and when it emerged it was still in good health and now sadly, Shelly was within reach. Brawly had played that out rather well. "DP!" he said, ordering another Drain Punch. His Hariyama rocketed forward. "Dig!" I said, unwilling to not use every chance I had to avoid Shelly being taken out. Shelly dodged under the attack but Brawly merely pointed straight down. "Stomping Tantrum!" he said. Hariyama stomped and a shockwave of force radiated out. In another instance, it wouldn''t have done much, but with Shelly barely dodging Hariyama''s attack, it would have been right on top of her. Sure enough, she crawled out of her tunnel a moment later and wiggled her tentacles weakly. Hariyama knelt and stroked her once while nodding his head in respect. I returned her and huffed. "You''re a different battler with your starter on the field Brawly!" I said, feeling happy despite trying my best to put his pokemon down. "Hariyama is my main man!" he said, raising a fist to his pokemon who punched back in reply. I raised my last pokemon. "Let''s go Onix!" I said. My Onix landed and roared in greeting. Hariyama nodded his head but then raised his fist. "Sandstorm!" I said, making visibility difficult and edging things into my favour. "Charge in with Detect buddy! Let''s end this!" "Drag it out! Dig buff special!" I said, rolling the dice with a combination of moves while deciding to test if Brawly had anything but Stomping Tantrum to match my pokemon. Brawly clicked his tongue and shot me an annoyed look. "Return Hariyama! Let''s go Poliwrath!" he said, deciding to instead return his pokemon. I hummed, that would play well in my favour. Poliwrath emerged and groaned as the Sandstorm caused a bit of damage. "Earthquake!" he said and just as his pokemon started to raise its leg to stomp down, my Onix emerged with an extremely shiny coat. "Leap forward for Iron Tail!" I said, causing my pokemon to hurl itself across the gap to swing its tail around, thereby avoiding the Earthquake. "Hammer it with Hydro Pump!" Brawly said, making his pokemon tank the hit but unleash a super-effective move that saw Onix flying back. Both pokemon stumbled into a fighting stance and groaned. Poliwrath shook itself again as the sandstorm caused more issues. Brawly bobbed his head from side to side. "I''m game to trade off again, Earthquake!" he said. "Go for the High Horsepower leap," I said, causing my pokemon to coil and surge over the space between his pokemon and mine with a mighty leap. Brawly nodded and pointed. "Protect!" he said with a smug grin. I laughed, knowing he had me there as my pokemon slammed into a barrier. Onix took the hit poorly, shaking its head in an obvious sign of distress from missing, only for the protective shell to drop away a few moments later. "Iron Ta¡ª" I started to say, only for Poliwrath to blast Onix back with a devastating punch that ended the match. Yolanda raised her flags. "Onix is unable to battle! Brawly is the winner!" The crowd rose to their feet and cheered. I lowered the podium, and Brawly moved to clap his hand on his pokemon''s shoulder. Then he locked eyes with me and walked forward, his hand raised. I laughed and raised my hand to clap my hand with his in a powerful grasp that echoed as we slammed together. Both of us grinned as our arms tensed up. "Congratulations," I said to him "You have demonstrated more than enough skill to earn yourself the Boulder badge." "I accept!" he said with a huge grin. Then he wrapped an arm around me and turned us. "Now let''s smile and wave to the crowd!" he said,I shook my head but did so. He smiled. "Doing anything tomorrow?" "For once, I have the morning free." "Cool," Brawly said, and then, much to my surprise, he said. "We found a Rocket base that could do with some masked good samaritans to kick its doors in before you go and make sure Will doesn''t try cheating. You in?" My smile grew as I nodded. I most certainly was up for some stress relief. Chapter 152 - Hero squad debut! I eyed Flannery as we walked toward my office. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you found a base in Cerulean City?¡± I asked, somewhat sceptically despite knowing that Flannery wouldn¡¯t jest about this. I was sure the Guardians had swept through there in the last few weeks. How had they missed it and Flannery had picked up on it? Flannery grinned. ¡°We did some footwork around the City!¡± Her head bounced from side to side, delighting in being the centre of attention as she strutted. ¡°And I just knew it would be something you¡¯d be interested in!¡± ¡°Alright, so you want to show me on a map where it is for tomorrow?¡± I said, nodding along. Flannery winked at me. ¡°Yeah, that, and I''ll show you something else. Something pretty cool,¡± she said, grinning wider if possible. I eyed her for a long moment. Then I turned my attention to Roxanne, who looked a little embarrassed, while Brawly looked amused. So, something embarrassing for Roxanne but not something she¡¯s protesting too much? Flannery tried to push open my door, only for it to still be locked. She stumbled, face-planting into it. She stayed there, face pressed against the door. When she took a step back she had a red mark on her face. She gave me an unimpressed look. ¡°You lock your door?¡± ¡°Standard security procedures,¡± I said, my eyes flicking up to the red mark on Flannery¡¯s forehead. I stared long and hard; after all, it was common sense for such a secure room to automatically lock. I tapped the side of the door, unlocking the door with my keycard, causing it to swish open. Flannery grumbled something but was quick to shake off her bad mood. ¡°Alright! So, I know you¡¯ve been worried about reprisal with Team Rocket, but I thought of something! What if they have no idea who it is that is raiding them?¡± she said. I raised a hand to point out that wasn¡¯t really an issue, but Sabrina pushed it down and shot me a look that caused a doubletake. Wait, did Sabrina want to go ahead with whatever Flannery had planned? Sabrina looked excited. Alright, it looks like I¡¯d have to at least hear Flanenry out. Flannery, unaware of what had just happened, drew out a pair of small cases from her backpack. She turned them around and clicked open the latches before lifting the lid. ¡°What if it wasn¡¯t Brock or Sabrina attacking Team Rocket what if¡­ it was the Hero Black!?¡± she said theatrically, revealing a black spandex outfit with a helmet that was the lovechild of every Mighty Morphin Rangers mask, coupled with a black theatre mask. Sabrina inspected the case that was placed in front of her. I noticed the twitch of her lips and the slight wiggle she gave as Flannery gave out other cases to Roxanne and Brawly. Sabrina¡¯s outfit was extremely bright yellow and seemed to be shaped like a Pikachu. I could tell she didn¡¯t like what she was seeing now. Oh good, she was probably thinking through how ridiculou¡ª ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯d prefer a Jolteon mask,¡± Sabrina said, causing me to sigh and rub my temple. I shot my own mask another look to see what I had gotten. The visage of a Houndoom snarled back at me. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Flannery¡­ we¡¯re not children.¡± Brawly snorted as Flannery stomped her foot. ¡°I know that! But this is serious! If we act as masked heroes, Team Rocket won¡¯t know who to go after! This is a way of protecting your loved ones!¡± She gestured wildly, and I knew she was trying to come up with a valid argument. ¡°It¡¯s pretty much what Lance is doing anyway with his G-men!¡± she said. ¡°The police have to know we¡¯re good guys, though; we can¡¯t just be vigilantes or we¡¯ll cause others to copy us,¡± I pointed out. Sabrina coughed. ¡°Actually, we could probably be part of Lance¡¯s G-men without much effort.¡± Flannery bounced back and forth on the spot, her excitement growing. ¡°There see! What Sabrina just said! If anything, we¡¯re merely acting in support of what he¡¯s already setting up!¡± ¡°I can make some calls. Don¡¯t worry Brock, Lance will approve, as it¡¯s very similar to what he¡¯s already doing,¡± Sabrina said, raising her transceiver to begin typing out messages before she stepped out of the room to make some calls. Her costume floated after her. I raised a hand to stop her only for the door to click shut. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. That¡­ wasn¡¯t really what Lance was doing, but he had established aliases for some of his Agents. That wouldn¡¯t be possible with people like me though who are well-known public figures. It would work for Koga, who was a ninja. People would have to be crazy to attack him. Then again, chances were he didn¡¯t live where he listed¡­ if he even listed his home address. It would make sense for officials to accept it as a personality quirk that he could get away with without too much complaint. Heck Surge, Sabrina, Blaine, and the Cerulean sisters all had their own quirks that people knew to work around rather than trying to work through. Which¡­ kind of let them all get away with a lot of things. Honestly, I was kind of envious. ¡°I need a quirk¡­¡± I said aloud, causing Flannery to do a happy dance. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the spirit!¡± she said, snapping her fingers and then waving them towards the opened case. ¡°Exactly! Cut loose! Live a lot! Punish crime! Be Hero Black and win the hearts and minds of the people!¡± I rubbed my forehead, eying the mask. ¡°A Houndoom though? That certainly isn¡¯t a pokemon people will associate with me.¡± If anything, they¡¯d think of Karen before me. ¡°Maybe we should go with a Honchkrow, or¡­ well, I can¡¯t say Graveler here¡­¡± ¡°No point having it be a pokemon you¡¯re known for,¡± Roxanne said. I nodded and pointed at Roxanne. ¡°Yeah, that. We need to be careful with what pokemon we use.¡± I waved at the mask. ¡°There''s no point in wearing these if we¡¯re just going to get spotted using iconic pokemon,¡± I said considering what sort of pokemon I could call upon for that purpose. Clefairy had been doing rather well and was ready to fight at a high level. The same could potentially be said of Sudowoodo as merely an uncommon pokemon. Who else could I use? Izumi would work; I¡¯d just have to not mention her name. Geodude were common pokemon for people to own after all. I paused as I considered another pokemon that I knew no one would ever associate with me. Cypher, the Porygon would be perfect for fighting crime. I paused as I replayed the last minute back through my mind. Oh, Arceus, I was seriously committing to this, wasn¡¯t I? How did I find myself in these situations? I stared at Flannery. Yeah, it was probably her fault. Sabrina stepped into the room with her outfit on and a pleased expression on her face. She gave the room at large a thumbs up. Flannery shot back a thumbs up, only to frown. ¡°Hey! You have a key to Brock¡¯s office?¡± Sabrina gave Flannery a look that made the other girl realise how obvious that should have been. Brawly chuckled. Hehehe, that makes sense! Anyway, for pokemon that people won¡¯t associate with us, I have some good ones already! Plenty of people have Makuhita, Medicham, and Machamp!¡± I raised my hand. ¡°Not all of those at once,¡± I said pointedly, causing Brawly to shrug. ¡°What are your masks like?¡± I asked. Flannery raised up an Arcanine mask that was snarling, making it seem very fearsome. Roxanne raised a Clefairy mask, and Brawly raised a Blastoise mask. ¡°Pretty choice, hey?¡± Brawly said, waving his own mask around. Sabrina put her mask on and sighed. ¡°I still want a Jolteon mask. Pikachu is too cute.¡± I eyed the mask, agreeing with her that it was obnoxiously cute, but that only made it more appealing to me. It was strange to see Sabrina looking like this. ¡°I kind of like it,¡± I said, rubbing the back of my head. Sabrina hummed and tucked her hair into the mask. I sighed and toyed with the mask. ¡°Ok¡­ so.. Tell me about the Cerulean Rocket base?¡± I decided to give up on pretending I was going to not take part in this madness That way, someone responsible could make sure things didn¡¯t get too out of hand. Yeah, that made sense.
Sabrina teleported us onto the rooftop of the building across the street from our target the next morning. Flannery bounced to the edge and peered over. ¡°Perfect! Lights are still on, so the Rocket Grunts must be home!¡± She turned and pointed at us. ¡°Remember that we need to use our code names from here on out, alright?¡± ¡°Copy that Red!¡± said Brawly as Blue. ¡°Y-yes!¡± said Roxanne in her pink outfit. Sabrina and I shared a look before nodding. Yeah, maybe we¡¯d just do the strong, silent type. Flannery turned to us and wilted when we shot her thumbs up and mimed agreement. ¡°Urgh! Spoilsports! Alright, so we¡¯re going to use Yellow¡¯s¡ª¡± she said, making sure to emphasise the code name. ¡°¡ªscouting abilities for this. Yellow? Is there anything around us we need to be mindful of?¡± I turned and started surveying the area, knowing that simply relying on Sabrina would be a poor trick that wouldn¡¯t cover all the angles. Outliers like myself, as a dark specialist or ghost pokemon wouldn¡¯t be picked up by Sabrina¡¯s psychic senses. I started observing the street, looking for any people or pokemon that seemed a little too casual. I instantly spotted a Raticate who was merely pretending to scavenge in a tipped-over trash can. It didn¡¯t make anywhere near enough noise for it to be actually scrounging, and it kept too much of a lookout. ¡°Got a sentry,¡± I said. ¡°Raticate on the corner, watching the approach to the warehouse Red,¡± I said. Flannery inspected the pokemon and pointed at Roxanne and Brawly to look around for any other pokemon or people that stood out. Brawly pointed out a house that had the blinds drawn, but a slit stayed open. ¡°Kind of odd that the lady in there is still awake no?¡± Sabrina turned her head in the indicated direction. ¡°No, she¡¯s a shift worker who has come home late. She¡¯s catching up on the news before going to bed,¡± she said. Roxanne shifted back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s rather disturbing how you can do that so easily.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need to penetrate her mind for that. She is tired, and often tired people¡¯s thoughts project themselves as the boundaries of their mind relax,¡± Sabrina said dismissively. ¡°Eh?¡± said Roxanne. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sabrina turned her attention back to the warehouse across the street. ¡°People think that thoughts only inhabit their brains, but that is often not true. It might not seem like it, but if we are with someone, we exchange more information than we realise. It goes beyond being able to see, hear, smell, or sense them consciously.¡± Sabrina made a circle with her hand in the air and said, ¡°There is a certain¡­ mental presence to people that is constantly being emitted. These are thoughts, or the mind, if you will.¡± ¡°Really? ¡± Roxanne said, sounding deeply interested. I had heard this before, but it was always fascinating to hear Sabrina talk about the metaphysics of the mind. ¡°Indeed, researchers that work with psychic specialists have determined that everyone has latent untapped abilities. We might not be conscious of the links that occur when we get within the range of each other, but they do exist.¡± She made a gesture from herself to me. ¡°Certain actions can make it easier to pick up on certain emotions and thoughts. These can be looks, actions, or even the intensity of emotions being felt. Most people experience this when they lock eyes with another.¡± ¡°Oh? The fighting spark is psychic?¡± Brawly said. Sabrina inclined her head slightly. ¡°Indeed, we exchange small portions of impressions with others all the time. However, a true understanding of another person is something that can only occur when we spend significant time with each other. When we walk through a crowd of people, we are entering into a multitude of different, overlapping fields of thought.¡± Flannery tilted her head. ¡°So sort of like how someone else''s bad or good mood can impact us?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°No one is an island or a fortress.¡± She indicated herself. ¡°As a Psychic I have the ability to perceive this field of thought. Imagine, if you will, that I can see the thoughts being projected onto the surface of the mind, or the pond of thought that surrounds us all. This is how most mind-reading occurs. I am not intruding into the depths of their memories, or, as some science-fiction would have you believe, their personalities.¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°That takes serious effort, and more often than not, people can feel such intrusions.¡± She then shifted. ¡°Using sight as a metaphor is rather limiting, as it doesn¡¯t account for people projecting their thoughts ¡®very loudly¡¯. Sometimes the thoughts can be like rocks thrown at your house while you¡¯re in the sitting room. You have no choice but to notice them,¡± she said rather firmly. ¡°Huh,¡± Flannery said. ¡°Do I¡ª ¡°Yes, as a passionate person, you are like a Tauros kicking in my door with the message trailing after it.¡± Flannery wilted. ¡°You are not the worst I have experienced,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Some people are just naturally loud with their personalities being larger than others. Yours is one such mind. Erika is also rather loud.¡± ¡°Erika? She¡¯s as quiet as a church-rattata! She¡¯s got loud thoughts?¡± Brawly said before pointing. ¡°Oh! Got one! That Murkrow has fought off a lot of pidgeys, but should be heading off to nest.¡± ¡°Good spot,¡± I said while Sabrina murmured something about Erika that I missed. ¡°What was that?¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°It doesn''t matter!¡± said Flannery. ¡°Yellow! How many people are in there?¡± ¡°Seven. This seems to be a storage facility, and there are a number of pokeballs as well as Technical machines that Team Rocket Members can make use of.¡± Sabrina held up her hand in front of her. ¡°I¡­ can see something of a computer room with various video feeds¡­ they¡¯re tapped into the city camera system. I¡¯m not sure of the purpose, though,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Monitoring the city alone would make it worthwhile by itself for Team Rocket; it does allow them a certain¡­ freedom of action with how they would be able to mobilise with being aware of the local police. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± I suggested. ¡°Alright, Yellow and Black, as the most careful, you will infiltrate the computer room,¡± said Flannery. ¡°Ah, their dark emitters just turned on,¡± Sabrina pointed out. ¡°Damn it! Suddenly competent bad guys?!¡± Flannery said with a huff. I raised a hand. ¡°Actually, I could probably send in Cypher if they¡¯re plugged into the city grid,¡± I said. Flannery pointed at me. ¡°Good idea, Hero Black!¡± I considered the warehouse and the subsequent cables leading towards it. There was a telephone line that was leading to the warehouse. I walked over to a powerbox and popped it open, releasing Cypher. ¡°Okay bud, here¡¯s the deal. There are some bad people in that warehouse over there connected to the city network. I need you to infiltrate and protect the computers so that we can use those.¡± I considered him before deciding to increase his workload. ¡°Keep the cameras on a loop as well, bud, for any that we appear on.¡± Cypher spun over himself and then dipped into the cable through the electricity box. I glanced at the cords and found nothing suspicious that could be seen. Huh, I was suddenly very glad I had three Porygon living my computer network in the Gym with how I¡¯d just used them to exploit a weak point. I could only speculate on what would happen when Rotom entered the scene. Would Porygon and Rotom enter digital battles over cyber territory and resources? Then again, neither was going to be exactly ¡®wild¡¯ by any definition of the word. Or maybe I just didn¡¯t understand the virtual world. It might be worth talking about this with Oak or someone. What would happen for pokemon like Porygon and Rotom? ¡°Cypher¡¯s in,¡± I said to the others, causing them to straighten up. Flannery pointed out the pokemon. ¡°Yellow, Pink, take those out, and then we¡¯ll enter through the back of the warehouse.¡± Sabrina nodded and tossed out a pokeball that levitated around behind the Raticate. When it opened, the Raticate whirled around, only to come snout to fist with a Makuhita. Brawly tilted his head. ¡°That¡¯s an odd pokemon for you to have Sa¡ªI mean! Yellow!¡± he said quickly to cover up his slip-up. Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°Makuhita is¡­ an interesting addition to my team. I think she has taught me quite a lot. Thanks to her, I have a good idea of how to work with my Medicham.¡± ¡°Zip it on the type of pokemon we have,¡± Flannery reminded before nodding towards the Murkrow. Roxanne released her Probopass and indicated the distant pokemon. Probopass narrowed its eyes, and Murkrow twitched. Its head swept around in a startled expression before it took flight. ¡°Pink?¡± Flannery prompted. A moment later, Probopass unleashed a blast of lighting, revealing that Roxanne had merely guaranteed the electric attack against the flying type with Lock-On first. As Murkrow fell out of the sky, Roxanne raised a thumbs up to us. Flannery nodded and waved a hand towards the warehouse. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go!¡± she said, leading the others over the rooftop and onto the street. When we got close to the door, I took point with Brawly. I raised three fingers and started a countdown before testing the door, only to find that it was unlocked. Hmmm, not so competent bad guys, it would seem. Brawly slumped. ¡°Aw man, I thought we were gonna bust in!¡± he whispered plaintively. I chuckled and waved Sabrina forward. ¡°Three on the left,¡± she said before pointing to the right. ¡°Two over there, but they have four pokemon out of their pokeballs. They¡¯re inspecting them.¡± ¡°Take the group to the left; move together. The group on the right might put their pokemon away before we get to them, which will make it easier,¡± Flannery said. I held in a chuckle. She was really taking the role of ¡®leader¡¯ seriously. We stalked through the warehouse halls and found the trio idly flipping through reports near the computers. I suddenly felt much better about the idea of approaching this group first. Flannery raised a hand and began a countdown. I braced, ready to sprint forward, only to frown and tap Flannery on the side. ¡°Just walk in,¡± I said. ¡°Be audacious.¡± Flanery tilted her head before nodding and waving us forward. Instead of kicking the door in and storming forward, we walked through it like this was something we did every day. We got halfway across the room before one of the Rocket grunts looked up. ¡°What¡¯s with the outfits?¡± he said with a tilt of his head. Brawly stepped up to him and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Oh, nothing much. We¡¯re just heroes.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± the man said, only for Brawly to punch his lights out. The other Rockets sat up realising that we weren¡¯t just quirkily dressed people but legitimate threats. One reached for a pokeball while the other moved to the computers. I whistled, and Cypher leapt into action. He jumped out of the computer, surprising the Grunt. A Thunderwave blew out and zapped the Grunt causing them to fall with a rictus of pain. Sabrina¡¯s Makuhita intercepted the pokemon that the other Grunt released, dispatching the Rattata. Roxanne released a Graveler that tackled the Koffing out of the air before pummeling it to submission. The Rocket Grunt clicked his tongue and mimed, raising his hands while walking up to us. ¡°Alright, alright, I give you got me, I¡¯ll co¡ª¡± he said only to lunge towards a button. I intercepted him in midair. ¡°Not today!¡± I said as my hand descended on his head, knocking him flat to the ground where he lay still. I leaned down and exhaled in relief when he stirred. ¡°He¡¯s just knocked out!¡± Brawly chuckled. ¡°Nice one! But maybe next time use a heo move! Something like Hero Chop! Oh! Or darkness bringer!¡± I barked a laugh. ¡°Ha, I think this is already a bit over the top, honestly,¡± I replied. Flannery snorted. ¡°This from the guy that said we should just walk up to them? Bold as brass?¡± she said with a snicker. "Damn, that was smooth.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If we kicked the door in, they¡¯d know what we were about. If we left it in doubt, they wouldn¡¯t know until we confirmed it for them.¡± ¡°It worked; no need to justify it!¡± Flannery aid. She giggled. ¡°Not today!¡± she said mimicking my voice. ¡°I thought that worked pretty well for a Hero catchphrase by the way.¡± The others chuckled as I grimaced. When she was done teasing me, Flannery coughed and pointed at the computers. ¡°Alright, Yellow, Pink, as the brains of this group see what you can get from the computer.¡± Yellow pulled out a USB and plugged it into the computer. ¡°Cypher, come here. There''s a nice duck,¡± Sabrina said, drawing Cypher away from the twitching Rocket grunt. Cypher spun away and entered the computer, breaking into it without missing a beat, before Sabrina started coasting through files, saving copies of certain documents and maps. ¡°There seems to be a supply run along with a list of acquisitions here. They have a number of stolen pokemon as well as technical machines. It seems they learn which trainers purchase useful items before ambushing them on the way out of the City.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s clever of them,¡± Flannery said. ¡°Think you can handle this lot while we go secure the other two?¡± I coughed. ¡°Remember, there might be others still around.¡± Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°While I see nothing with regards to any Ghost pokemon or dark types on the roster, you are correct. Pink and I will trade out watching each other''s backs while you inspect the rest of the building.¡± Flannery nodded at that before waving for Brawly and me to follow her out. We stalked through the hallways a little more cautiously now. We inspected a number of rooms only to find them full to the brim of Pokeblock, and pokefeed. One room had a medical set-up for what would ostensibly be to care for the pokemon. I didn¡¯t like how haphazardly the equipment had been left, but unsafe healthcare practice was going to be the least of these people¡¯s charges with being a known criminal organisation. When we reached another room that was occupied, it took both groups by surprise, as they were moving to leave the room through the door we had entered through. Our two groups blinked at each other, only for Brawly to wave. ¡°Hi, you looking for¡ª¡± ¡°Intruders!¡± shouted the strangely whiny voice of the smaller of the pair. ¡°Shit! Let¡¯s roll out team!¡± Flannery barked as she released a Vulpix and a Growlithe. ¡°Ha! Let¡¯s show them Rocket power, lads!¡± said the younger of the pair released an Arbok, a Nidorino, and a Muk, while the other released a Raticate and a Fearow. I sent out Izumi, and Brawly sent out his Medicham. I pointed straight at the Fearow and Izumi knew what to do as the Flannery and Brawly fought with their own opponents. We made short work of the other pokemon with Flannery needing some backup by using the obviously much weaker Fire types to her normal team. As the Rockets floundered at their pokemon¡¯s defeat, I stalked up to the pair. The first lunged at me with his fist raised. I dodged and shot a return right into his stomach. The other backed away, eyes wide with fear. ¡°No! No! This isn¡¯t how it¡¯s supposed to go! This was supposed to be how I fixed things! This is all that Charmander¡¯s fault for being weak!¡± the kid whined. I frowned, a memory stirring regarding a kid with a Charmander. ¡°What¡¯s your name kid?¡± I said pausing a few feet away from him. ¡°d-Damien?¡± he said nervously. ¡°Well, looks like you¡¯re blaming others for your own shortcomings. Now, you¡¯re going to be arrested, and you have a chance to fix things for yourself. Bad news? It¡¯s going to involve a lot of work. Fess up to any crimes and work hard, and you can do better.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not weak!¡± snarled the now-revealed Damien, the boy who had once owned Ash¡¯s Charmander. He threw a punch at me, only for Brawly to catch it and force it down before I could. ¡°We¡¯re all weak sometimes, kid; allow yourself that luxury and think about what I said,¡± I said, cuffing him to a fixed-in pole as Brawly frisked him. ¡°I¡¯m not weak!¡± snarled Damien at my back. I walked away, shaking my head. Flannery waited until I was out of earshot of the kid. ¡°You know that kid?¡± ¡°Nah, not really. I know of him, but that¡¯s it.¡± I sighed. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m wondering if my knowing him at all might have been something that would have spared him this moment. He¡­ didn¡¯t make it to face me, from what I recall,¡± I said vaguely. I¡¯d never seen him, but seeing him falling in with Team Rocket. It¡­ wasn¡¯t all that surprising I realised. I did wonder how it had happened but I could make some enquiries. Oak would know. I inspected the empty alcoves of pokeballs. There were only a few scones with actual pokeballs in them, but I had no doubt these were all stolen pokemon. This was a small facility at the end of the day, but it was still good to take it out of Team Rocket¡¯s control. ¡°Let¡¯s clean this place up and call the cops,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll need to make some calls to make sure the right people get here first.¡± ¡°The local Jenny, yeah?¡± Flannery said with a nod. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯ll do,¡± I said. "We need to make sure these Rocket Grunts get processed properly without being able to skate free.¡± Flannery hummed. ¡°Right, well, it seems like it¡¯s time to see who Hero Yellow called in favours with, yeah?¡±
Officer Jenny dismounted from her motorcycle, with other officers moving to cordon off the street. A woman opened the door of her house to watch them in her dressing gown, but soon closed it when officers asked her to go back inside. A news van pulled up, and some reporters piled out, cameras and reporters primping for an early morning news article. Jenny snorted. There always seemed to be spectators around for this sort of thing. She approached the warehouse, not sure what to expect. The caller who had made the claim had weaved a story of what to expect that truly beggared belief. Then again, it wasn¡¯t for Jenny to question; she merely enacted the law. ¡°Police! We¡¯re coming in!¡± She roared into the warehouse. She then had the officer enter through the front door. They did so with textbook strategy, moving quickly and with support, pokeballs in hand and ready to be sent out. ¡°Clear!¡± the first shouted. ¡°Clear!¡± barked another as they rounded the door, moving in the opposite direction. Jenny joined in and they soon had the entrance checked over before moving deeper in. Jenny went left and found herself in a computer room where the caller had said they¡¯d find Team Rocket and the ¡®group¡¯. She wasn¡¯t sure what to think as she opened the door. She paused as the masked individuals turned towards her. The Black masked hero nodded in greeting while the Yellow crossed her arms under her bust. Pink shifted back and forth nervously while Blue laced his hands behind his head and demonstrated some rather glorious muscles as his arms flexed. Red straightened and approached them. ¡°Ah, Cerulean Police, excellent! Our contact informed you of the capture, I take it?¡± Jenny nodded slowly, her mouth dry, as she realised the caller hadn¡¯t been joking when they¡¯d announced that Team Rocket had been taken in by a Hero group. ¡°Y-yeah!¡± Jenny said. ¡°Excellent! We¡¯ve been able to remove the passwords from the computers and have five Rocket Grunts locked up.¡± The Rocket Grunt to the side sneered at them. ¡°Heh! Cute try! Our lawyers will be hearing about this! You can¡¯t storm in wearing masks and be upholding the law. We¡¯re innocent! They dragged us here!¡± said the smarmy-mouthed man. Jenny chuckled at that. ¡°Actually, they can, seeing as they are part of the G-men group that Lance has been organising.¡± The Rocket Grunt blinked. ¡°What!? But that¡¯s just a group of cops! Not these posers! And he hasn¡¯t organised that yet!¡± Hero Red rounded on the man. ¡°These posers cracked your operation open like an unfertilised egg!¡± She then coughed. ¡°So, no, you¡¯re not walking out of this, thanks to a technicality.¡± Jenny nodded, pleased that they¡¯d set things up beforehand and were willing to go through the normal police procedures. For a moment, when she¡¯d first gotten the call, she¡¯d worried they¡¯d think themselves above that. What with calling themselves a ¡®Hero¡¯ group. She led the Heroes off to the side and debriefed them, all the while marvelling that this might be something new that she would have to get used to. Before they left, she coughed politely. ¡°So the rumours weren¡¯t false? Lance is setting up a super cop division?¡± Red and Black shared a look before Black coughed into his fist. ¡°That¡¯s on a need-to-know basis, I¡¯m afraid. But¡­. they¡¯re certainly paying attention to certain individuals. Keep up the good work, Officer Jenny.¡± ¡°Sir! Maam! Thank you for your work!¡± She saluted the group as they moved to the front. Their exit caused the media outside to begin making a lot of noise. Jenny shook her head. It was going to be weird seeing the news later announcing the super-cop division, but it would be better than the news just talking about unsolved crimes. She shifted, maybe¡­ she might get asked to join? She chewed her lip, which colour would she ask for? Blue would go well with¡­ she shook her head and got rid of the idle thoughts. She turned to the computers and started documenting the rest of the crime scene, glad that she wasn¡¯t higher on the organisation chart in the force just yet. They¡¯d have to handle the press trying to get details on the elite police force Lance had set up.
The next morning, I pointedly tried not to listen to the news as I ate breakfast with my family. At my side, Sabrina fed Ralts, as behind us, the news blared on about a shocking reveal of the new Superhero division of Lance¡¯s G-men. That instantly had my family fleeing the table to inspect the news. ¡°So cool!¡± said Salvadore. ¡°Pretty!¡± said Suzie. ¡°Ha! There¡¯s more girls than there are guys!¡± said Cindy. ¡°Ha! They suck at posing!¡± said Tommy causing me to twitch. Oh, right. I¡¯d tried to forget that moment. We¡¯d decided to not approach the press and instead remain aloof, but Flannery had still demanded we ¡®hero pose¡¯ before we departed. Only it wasn¡¯t something we¡¯d practised, resulting in Flannery, Brawly, and Roxanne all adopting different poses that had nothing to do with each other. ¡°Awwww! Black and Yellow look cute!¡± said Yolanda. I twitched. Sabrina and I had defaulted to raising our arms out from each other with our inner legs raised while standing next to each other. I still wasn¡¯t sure why we¡¯d gone with that pose, but we¡¯d made things more awkward with how choreographed we looked compared to the others. The news was extremely excited about the development, and lots of people were talking about what this would mean for police work going forward. Some people were sceptical, while others thought it was a bold new step in policing. I sat up when the door opened and Samuel Oak walked in. Salvadore waved at him but remained glued to the TV. Sam made a beeline for me. ¡°Brock! Sabrina!¡± He sat down next to us and smiled winningly, only for it to fall away. ¡°Like I said on the phone,¡± his face adopted a sad old man look. ¡°I¡¯m not mad; I¡¯m disappointed in you both.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Next time you go out, I want to come too. I don¡¯t like that I wasn¡¯t asked beforehand,¡± he said with a pout. Munchlax, who¡¯d remained behind to eat everyone¡¯s forgotten meal, choked on Salvadore¡¯s breakfast. He blinked and whipped his head from the TV to us, and gasped. Sabrina raised a finger to her lips and Munchlax mimed zipping his lips shut. I coughed and glanced over to find that even Flint had left us to watch the news, making our discussion private. I turned back to Oak. ¡°Sorry about that, but thanks for talking with Lance for us.¡± ¡°Well I might not be Champion, but I can see a good idea when it comes my way and make sure it gets the support it needs. Lance was rather amused that I wanted to add to his G-men unit, but he understood the need.¡± Sam grabbed some toast and began putting some spread on it. ¡°We¡¯ll have to get you talking with my tailor before our next outing together. I have some ideas for Hero Gold¡¯s uniform, but I think you could all use a wardrobe upgrade. Simple coloured latex, while eye-catching for some, doesn¡¯t differentiate us from people off the street. A proper uniform will go far.¡± He patted my shoulder. ¡°It was a good first run, though. I¡¯ll talk to Hero Red.¡± I sighed and shook my head. Sometimes my life was weird. I shot Sabrina an amused look and she smiled back at my tired look before giggling at something my family said. Oh well, it was still a win for the good guys. Sadly now I¡¯d have to go make sure the bad guys didn¡¯t cheat any more than they already had with Will¡¯s match against Erika. I reached for another slice of toast myself, only for Sam to cough politely. ¡°Also, when were you going to talk to me about the volcano you¡¯re building in your backyard?¡± Sam said, with a glint in his eyes. Ah¡­ damn, I thought to myself. ¡°Have you ever thought about how Porygon are unique with their digital environment and what would happen if another artificial pokemon were to be created?¡± I said attempting a dodge. Sam tilted his head, ¡°I can¡¯t say that I have¡­ hmmm fascinating.¡± I mentally fist-pumped. Brock used dodge and it was super-effective! Sabrina giggled, knowing what I was doing as Ralts watched on in confusion. It was a good start to the day. Chapter 153 - Flower power! Erika wasn¡¯t able to host her match against Will in her Gym. For some reason that rankled me when I learnt about it. But it didn¡¯t surprise me. As much as Will had gone about the match with me in the wrong manner, he had drawn a lot of eyes to him. Eyes that had remained glued on him when he¡¯d then promptly faced down the Cerulean and Vermilion Gyms without missing a beat. Will had built on the initial interest and dragged most of Kanto¡¯s attention onto him. I liked to think most of them were merely doing so to watch him lose. Sadly, I wasn¡¯t sure how many were being swayed by his victories thus far. This week, he¡¯d kept the public interested in himself by fighting an Ace trainer in the top twenty, only to then back it up by appearing on a talk show. It spoke of a man who knew his PR. Or someone who had backing and a team that knew when to get him in front of a camera. This resulted in a lot of demand for people wanting to come to watch his match against Erika. Sadly, Erika¡¯s gym had nowhere near enough seating to facilitate that level of demand, resulting in the public stadium being called into use and some temporary stands being set up, with the city setting everything up. I noted that didn¡¯t stop Erika and the girls of her gym from styling the entire stadium. They¡¯d gone all in with small plants that outgrew their pots draped everywhere. Then they¡¯d had the flowerbeds spell messages and be shaped into various pokemon. Small water features with small goldeen were interspersed on the walkways leading towards the stadium. The stands themselves were wrapped in vines but in an artful deliberate manner that spoke of cultivation and care rather than a rampant overgrown garden. All of this while pokemon such as Bellosom ran around underfoot, merely adding to the ambience. Erika might not own the stadium, but she¡¯d put her mark on it. I could only stare puzzlement at a host of trees as we got closer to the stadium. Those¡­ hadn¡¯t been there. I was sure of it. They were just too notable in how they branched out and had vines wrapping around them to create a natural tunnel that softened the entire area leading up to the metal stadium. ¡°Those trees weren¡¯t here last time I was here¡­ were they?¡± I asked with a tilt of my head as I walked along the path arm-in-arm with Sabrina. ¡°No, Erika¡¯s trainers had their pokemon help grow them last week,¡± she replied. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s impressive,¡± I said aloud, eying the trees that I would have sworn were years old rather than just weeks¡­ or even days old. Ralts was resting on Sabrina¡¯s shoulder with a flower crown atop her head, drawing more than a few giggles and coos of delight from people that we passed by. ¡°Gym Leader Brock and Sabrina!¡± said a reporter, practically popping out of the plants to push a microphone in our direction. ¡°I see you¡¯re here to watch Erika¡¯s match against Will?¡± We both nodded, with Sabrina even favouring the woman with a polite smile. ¡°Indeed, we are,¡± said Sabrina, surprising me. I gave the reporter and her tag-along cameraman another look. They looked familiar. ¡°You¡­ were the one that interviewed us before our date a few weeks ago, weren¡¯t you?¡± I said tentatively. ¡°I never got your name, I¡¯m sorry to say,¡± I said carefully, toeing the line of stating that I most likely forgot her name. ¡°Bron!¡± said the woman happily, and she waved her hand at her cameraman. ¡°And this is Darrel! I¡¯m glad you remember us!¡± she said as her smile grew a little warmer. ¡°Any thoughts about tonight?¡± I opened my mouth, about to speak my mind, before shutting it quickly. Sabrina had no such restraint. ¡°I hope Erika defeats him. We, as Gym leaders, have paid a good deal of attention to Will with his run to be an Elite Four since he challenged Brock.¡± She inclined her head towards me giving me a squeeze. Then she turned her head back to the cameraman. I was stunned. I¡¯d never seen her be so deliberately charming, but I could see it was working. Bron leaned in, a hopeful look on her face as she made sure the microphone was in pick-up range to make sure what Sabrina was saying was being recorded clearly. ¡°His first introduction to us was flamboyant and extremely suspicious, all told. There were a number of inconsistencies, and since then they have continued to pile up. Will¡¯s tactics, legal as they may be against Brock, have shown what he is like when pushed. Is this the sort of man that we want at the highest level of Indigo government?¡± Sabrina shook her head morosely. ¡°Will has shown that he is not willing to uphold certain¡­ honourable principles that we have taken for granted in our country.¡± Sabrina directed a smile towards the stadium. ¡°I know that Erika has already won in ways that we as individuals don¡¯t value. She¡¯s a better person than Will ever was or will be. I hope to see that shown during their match with her victory.¡± Bron blinked. ¡°Oh! Well, my goodness, that is quite the insightful take on the coming match.¡± Sabrina merely inclined her head, accepting the praise. Bron shifted and directed her microphone in my direction. ¡°Anything to add Gym Leader Brock?¡± I shook my head and smiled at Sabrina. ¡°I think she¡¯s said everything I could have, and done it better than I ever would have.¡± Sabrina squeezed my hand. ¡°Sometimes straightforward answers are best; don¡¯t sell yourself short.¡± She nodded her head to Bron and Darrel. ¡°We should head inside; it¡¯s been good seeing you again.¡± ¡°Bron, Darrel,¡± I said, happy to follow Sabrina¡¯s lead. We got a few feet away, and I heard Bron turning to Darrel. ¡°Well, you heard it here first folks! Sabrina laying the foundations for a serious discussion on the morality of power and the importance of having the right people being in positions of power! A deep topic if I¡¯ve ever encountered one! I¡¯m Bron from Chrysanthemum Town, signing off!¡± I chuckled. ¡°Wow, you were incredible back there.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she said leaning into my side. ¡°I was merely telling the truth as well. Will is the wrong sort of person to be an Elite Four member.¡± I gave her a kiss and walked through the archway into the stadium which was ringed by flowers to hide the barrier generators. We claimed our seats at the front, and I found myself looking across at Giovanni on the other side of the stadium. I locked eyes with him, but he merely nodded amicably, like one would to a contemporary. I laced my hand into Sabrina¡¯s and shifted my attention to Ralts to avoid giving Giovanni any more of my attention. Despite my dark energy, Ralts seemed to be able to pick up the mood I was in and who I was directing it at with how she glanced from me to Sabrina, and then across the arena at Giovanni. I sighed. I really wished I could walk up to him and punch him in the face instead of playing around the issue. Maybe I could throw another rock through his Gym? I considered that with a dark satisfaction, enough that I missed the announcer coming in and starting introduction for Will. ¡°¡ªrising through the ranks of Ace trainers! Will!¡± she said, gesturing grandly to one entrance. Unlike other cities, Will received polite applause with his entrance instead of outright boos and catcalls like he had at Vermillion and Cerulean. He should have gotten a better entrance at Cerulean, but that wasn¡¯t on the cards with how he¡¯d fought against me only to back up against the next Gym so quickly. By doing what he¡¯d done, he¡¯d disrespected Cerulean at large. ¡°And now, the Gym Leader of Celadon City! Please give a big Celadon welcome! To Erika!¡± cheered the announcer. More polite applause filled the stadium with only a few more passionate calls. It was a marked difference from every gym so far. ¡°They¡¯re so polite,¡± I said. It was honestly strange to have such a subdued response after witnessing the screaming and shouting of the Vermillion gym. My own gym was similar to Surge¡¯s with how often people shouted and stomped. Heck, even Cerulean City had people shouting and catcalling. In contrast, Celadon was like¡­ well the best example I could think of was from my past life with a crowd at a tennis grand slam. It was a noble event with grandeur and status, rather than the noise of a boxing match like I was used to. ¡°There are a number of boarding schools here. Also, you must remember that Celadon has some of the best minds at the university. A number of the crowd are from higher socio-economic groups and are therefore more reserved in their support. They still barrack for Erika, but it is different,¡± Sabrina explained. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have thought there would be such a difference,¡± I commented. ¡°There are also lots of etiquette schools in Celadon that families will send their children to. It¡¯s something of a tradition in Celadon. At least that is how Erika explained it to me.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said, only somewhat understanding how that translated into¡­ wait a minute. ¡°Wait do they tell people how to cheer at pokemon matches at those schools?¡± Sabrina¡¯s head bobbed up and down and I shook my own in response. ¡°Weird,¡± I said, eyeing the people around me who were all sitting with straight backs and impeccable poise. The referee took hold of the match and raised their flags to signal for silence. Once again, I noticed that it was a League official referee and not one of the local Gym trainers. They ran through the normal prematch talk before raising their flags. Erika bowed politely towards Will. ¡°May today¡¯s match be a wonderful showcase!¡± she said with what I could recognise as a neutral mask of politeness for her with the barest glint of something steely flashing through her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure it shall be,¡± Will said magnanimously. He selected and threw out his first pokemon as Erika did the same. On Will¡¯s side, an Exeggutor took to the field, causing a quiet murmur to break through the mask of politeness at the snub of sending out a grass-type pokemon first against a grass-type specialist. Erika¡¯s pokemon caused a small gasp to run through the crowd as her pokeball disgorged her own Exeggutor. Both pokemon locked eyes, and you could almost see the crackle of tension as they both understood how they were now representing their trainers. The referee¡¯s flags dropped, and the battle began. Will¡¯s Exeggutor danced from foot to foot and suddenly Sunny Day revealed itself while Erika merely waved her hand forward. ¡°Bullet Seed,¡± she said to her Exeggutor, who fired off an extremely weak-looking attack. I chewed my lip and glanced up at the Sunny Day. That was a rather ambitious move that should see Erika benefit more, surely? I wasn¡¯t sure what either of their strategies were and decided to wait and see. Part of me twitched to be out investigating the stands and nearby buildings in case Team Rocket got involved like they had for my match. With Giovanni here, surely that meant Team Rocket were interested. Sadly, the plan called for me to be front and centre much like I had been for Surge. It was too obvious that I would draw attention if I didn¡¯t show Erika, a noted friend, support by being on the sidelines. So instead, the job of searching for any threats fell to Janine, Koga, Agatha, Karen, Lucy, and the legion of Channellers that worked with the Guardians. That, and Lance had confided that the local police were also on the lookout for any suspicious activity. I narrowed my eyes as I noticed that not all of the seeds that had peppered Will¡¯s Exeggutor were falling off. In fact, they were taking root on his pokemon and digging in. Ah, that was sneaky of Erika. ¡°Bulldoze!¡± She ordered her pokemon to surge forward with its head lowered as though it were going to charge right into her foe. Only to stop halfway in with its head still lowered to unleash a barrage of what looked like Sludge Bombs. The other Exeggutor danced around the attack only to twitch when a small orb of energy wafted out of it and into Erika¡¯s Exeggutor, who raised its heads to smirk. ¡°Return,¡± said Will surprising a good number of people and causing what had to be some out-of-town trainers to cheer for Erika loudly. ¡°Reflect,¡± Erika said, prompting her pokemon to boost its defences as Will selected his next pokemon. He eyed Exeggutor¡¯s position and tossed out his pokeball, surprising a good number of people when it landed in close. Then Will flicked his fingers, and Mr Mime dashed forward, only to vanish as it closed with Exeggutor. ¡°Stomping Tantrum!¡± cried Erika. Her pokemon slammed its feet into the ground hurriedly, only for Mr Mime to appear in the air behind it, hands raised in a chopping position. ¡°Mr Mime!" it shouted as it swept it¡¯s arms forward and unleashed an Aerial Ace into Exeggutor¡¯s rear faces. ¡°Xeg!¡± Exeggutor cried out and stumbled backwards, causing the rumble of the ground to falter as Mr Mime landed. It charged straight back in, with Will once more not saying a word. His pokemon¡¯s fist blazed to life only for Erika to fight back. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± she ordered. Her pokemon snapped its head onto the charging Mr Mime and unleashed a burst of energy straight into Mr Mime¡¯s face, blasting it away. Exeggutor straightened itself and shook itself off, only to glower as Mr Mime stood up and dusted itself off. ¡°Synthesis!¡± Erika said, causing her pokemon to twitch its fronds and absorb the last of the Sunny Day. Instead of charging in again, Mr Mime grinned and raised his hands towards the dying Sunny Day. It began to shine as well as Mr Mime used Copycat to use Synthesis. ¡°I must say, I underestimated you. I did not think you would begin with the pokemon that you did,¡± Will said suddenly. He flicked his hand and Mr Mime placed a hand atop its head and gained a look of intense concentration. Erika didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she kept her eyes on the match. ¡°Seed Bomb,¡± she said making her pokemon fire a burst of powerful seeds, each the size of coconuts, up into the air. ¡°Tsk, really my own move?¡± Will said waving a hand at the Seed Bombs which Mr Mime reached a hand towards. They were soon grasped in a psychic grasp and turned back towards Erika. Despite this, Erika had not been idle. Her pokemon¡¯s eyes began to glow, and Mr Mime twitched as Erika unleashed psychic waves of energy upon her foe. This was a move I recognised. She¡¯d gotten her pokemon to use Hypnosis. Mr Mime stumbled, losing control of the floating Seed Bombs. In doing so the Seeds dropped and exploded between the two pokemon. I still pumped my fist. ¡°Nice one Erika!¡± I shouted, ignoring the sniff of disapproval from behind me. I sat with a grin. That had been good. Erika had baited Will into a trick by using his own move but then taking it a step further. When he¡¯d looked up, her pokemon unleashed a notoriously tricky move with Hypnosis. Will snapped his fingers, and Mr Mime blurred for a moment. I leaned forward remembering the last time this move had occurred. Erika squinted, also noticing the slight movement. ¡°Magic Leaf, but send it wide!¡± Erika said causing a huge torrent of rainbow-coloured leaves to shoot out of her pokemon. Most arced towards the illusion that Mr Mime had left behind with the substitute, but others slammed into and broke the mirage that hid Mr Mime revealing that he¡¯d hopped to the side before submitting to Hypnosis. ¡°Seed Bomb!¡± Erika called out once more, this time her move sailing through the air with unerring accuracy to explode down upon Mr Mime. When the smoke cleared Mr Mime was revealed, just barely conscious with a lot of soot all over him. It glowered at Erika¡¯s Exeggutor. It suddenly vanished in a red flash of light. I frowned. ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird that he¡¯s gone back to doing the psychic command trick, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked Sabrina as a Medicham took to the field. Erika made use of the slight pause for a quick Synthesis. ¡°I think he wishes to reestablish himself before he faces me. His orders fall back into verbal when he is flustered, which reveals he has not always been as skilled as he is now with his psychic abilities. Without directly testing myself against him, I couldn¡¯t say where his skills lie but I am confident that I am stronger in most, if not all, of the known psychic abilities.¡± She sighed and shook her head as she let her eyes flicker up into the sky. ¡°He is not my concern,¡± she said causing me to nod and glance around for any suspiciously floating pokemon. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! There weren¡¯t any; instead, the afternoon sky was filled with flying-type pokemon taking an aerial view of the match playing out before us. Medicham copied Mr Mime with another Aerial Ace, only to follow up with another instead of attempting a Fire Punch. With no Sunny Day in effect, Erika couldn¡¯t unleash a Solar Beam as quickly, but Will stayed much more cautious with how he kept Medicham in close and pressured Erika with the Aerial Aces. Erika raised her pokeball and returned her pokemon as it began to topple from one hit too many. She cradled the pokeball in her hands for a long moment before nodding her head over it and whispering to it. Around us, the crowd applauded politely. Erika inspected Medicham and tilted her head thoughtfully as she selected her next pokemon. ¡°Any guesses?¡± I said. ¡°No,¡± Sabrina said with a tone of voice that let me know she knew precisely which pokemon was coming out next. ¡°Go Tropius!¡± said Erika, sending her pokemon out to soar in the air, the giant fronds on its back flapping to keep it in the air. ¡°Tropius!¡± cried the pokemon happily as it locked eyes with its foe. I nodded, pleased with this development. She¡¯d gotten herself room to move and denied Will an advantage while threatening her own. ¡°Gust!¡± Erika said. I frowned. That was a rather weak move as an opener. Will flicked his hand causing the Medicham to endure the Gust while raising its hands towards Tropius. A blue glow came over Tropius, and it cried out in pain as it started to be pulled down to the ground. ¡°Hurricane!¡± Erika ordered quickly. Her pokemon nosedived and went into a tailspin,. The spin caused a huge gust of wind to surge up around and within moments a hurricane formed and was released towards Medicham. Medicham¡¯s eyes glowed for a moment, and it sprinted to the side, edging just onto the boundary of the battlefield where it hunkered down, grasping its hands into the earth. As the hurricane died off, Tropius was revealed once more at its original height having been buoyed up by the winds. Erika slashed her hand out. ¡°Charge in with Aerial Ace!¡± she said making her pokemon once more nosedive straight at Medicham. Will snapped his fingers and Medicham stayed in position its eyes glowing as Tropius charged in. Medicham turned just as Tropius vanished into the Aerial Ace. As it reappeared, Medicham met it with a rising Ice Punch. It slammed straight into the Tropius¡¯s face. TRopius cried out in pain but lashed its wings forward to slam them into Medicham. Both pokemon were blown back from the hit, only for Tropius to land heavily and not get up. Will breathed out in relief as Erika returned her next pokemon. I rubbed my chin. ¡°She¡¯s got the team to put him under pressure, but they¡¯re not up the level they need to be,¡± I said. ¡°She still has other pokemon to call on,¡± Sabrina said. I shot her a look and nodded, she was right. I tapped her thigh. ¡°Any word from the others?¡± I said alluding to the Guardians. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed for a moment, and she shook her head. ¡°They are patrolling, but there is nothing amiss. Here, or out in the city,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Go! Vileplume!¡± Erika shouted as her giant flower pokemon appeared in a burst of light. Vilpume teetered around, happily waving its hands before it caught sight of Medicham. It wilted into itself. The flower that crowned its head curled inwards, resulting in its eyes vanishing behind its large petals. If I didn¡¯t know how strong Erika was I would have said her pokemon was merely shy. But that wasn¡¯t the case at all. I¡¯d encountered this strategy myself during a Gym match. The slits in the flower allowed Vileplume to peer out without the opposing side knowing which way Vileplume was facing without investing some effort. Will didn¡¯t seem impressed, as he made a gesture for his Medicham to sprint forward with its fist raised only to vanish in another direction as Will continued to pressure Erika with Aerial Ace. Erika¡¯s Vileplume reacted with a sudden bright light blossoming from under its fronds. Will stiffened. ¡°Get out!¡± he barked, suddenly much more fearful of Vileplume only for Medicham to land and be caught in a rainbow blast of force that erupted from Vileplume. I blinked in surprise, whereas Sabrina huffed in pleasure. ¡°Was that a Fairy type move?¡± I said. Sabrina nodded and when the brightness died off Medicham was revealed standing groggily and shaking itself off but no Vileplume. My eyes, darted to the ground out of instinct expecting Dig to be used only to frown as no tunnel was revealed. ¡°Wait! Vileplume can¡¯t dig!¡± I said as I realised my blunder. ¡°No, but it can float,¡± Sabrina said, her own head tilted up. I glanced up and was surprised to find a spinning Vileplume that was using its own huge petals to keep itself in the air. Will was just as surprised by this turn of events as he barked out his next order. ¡°Future Sight!¡± ¡°Blast it,¡± Erika said firmly, her hand chopping down. Once again Vileplume gleamed, but this time a very distinctive orb of iridescent pink energy built up and was unleashed upon Medicham. ¡°Protect!¡± Will ordered only for his pokemon to falter in defending itself. It took the Moonblast head-on and crumpled. I clapped along with the rest of the crowd as they applauded Erika¡¯s showing but I couldn¡¯t help but have conflicted feelings about what I was seeing. ¡°I could have done that against his Medicham if I¡¯d had Selene¡­¡± I said. ¡°Yes, but she was exhausted Brock. I think you made the right call not using her. It may have caused her to become injured if she wasn¡¯t at her best. Will is the type to exploit any weakness.¡± She put her hand on my thigh and squeezed. ¡°Erika and I came up with this plan when we reflected on which pokemon you couldn¡¯t use against Will.¡± She squeezed my thigh again. ¡°I have always said that Selene is exceptionally versatile, and so I examined her moveset and noted a few that would have been used to threaten Will. ¡° She indicated Vileplume who had now landed. ¡°We had to work on Vileplume, but Erika has been able to build on Charm to gain the more offensive moves Vileplume can learn.¡± ¡°That¡­ can¡¯t have been quick,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve been working with Erika for quite a while already. We merely intensified her training and focussed on some specific pokemon and their movesets. We merely had to increase the time we spent each day.¡± I hummed and nodded, feeling slightly mollified that others had looked at my lo¡­ fight with Will. Sabrina squeezed my thigh. ¡°You didn¡¯t lose to him.¡± I huffed and shot her a smile, amused at how she¡¯d read my mind despite knowing she couldn¡¯t. ¡°Ten Seconds!¡± barked the referee making me realise that Will has been delaying on releasing his next pokemon. At the prompt, a number of people in the crowd took up murmuring at the oddity of Will not sending out his next pokemon. As it reached three a pokeball rose from Will¡¯s pokebelt without his prompting and was thrown forward to disgorge his Exeggutor. Will raised his chin in a slightly provoking manner before waving his hand. Exeggutor¡¯s eyes began to glow and Vileplume rose up with a cry of pain as Psychic grasped it. ¡°Fling!¡± shouted Erika. Her pokemon twitched as dark energy surrounded it, breaking the Psychic and forcing Exeggutor to leap to the side to avoid the rather weak dark-type attack. Sabrina leaned towards me. ¡°I believe he spent most of that time re-establishing his emotional control so he could psychically command his pokemon.¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± I said, considering how Will had been with Vileplume smacking his Medicham around to now. Sabrina was right. I shook my head at his mind games before nodding as Vileplume tried to unleash another Moonblast. Sadly, Exeggutor was able to dash to the side and avoid the attack. Not that Erika seemed to mind as small puffs of energy wafted towards Vileplume, rejuvenating her pokemon. ¡°Vileplume! Do your thing!¡± said Erika with a wave of her arm. Vileplume stopped trying to blast Exeggutor and instead whirled about, pink energy wafting off its form. Its petals rose up into the air and Vileplume shot a wink right at Exeggutor. The various faces twitched in surprise, and then a blush overtook all of them. I choked back a laugh. ¡°That isn¡¯t Charm is it?¡± I said with a smirk as Exeggutor trotted forward. I shot Will a look and he seemed to be shaking his head as though dazed. ¡°Did he¡­¡± I started to say but stopped. I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to complete that sentence. ¡°Connecting to your pokemon without knowing all the risks can make for a disorienting experience. Especially with a pokemon that has multiple heads. Attract can be rather powerful in instances like this,¡± Sabrina smugly replied. She drummed her fingers on my thigh. ¡°That he has been so strongly impacted¡­ implies certain things about him.¡± Oh,¡± I said, suddenly wondering if Will would become a known member of the Pokemon fan club due to this exchange. I glanced at Sabrina, a question on the tip of my tongue. ¡°I know to disengage with my pokemon when moves such as Attract are used. There is a rather obvious build-up if you¡¯re emotionally¡­ aware of yourself,¡± she said. She waved a hand about herself. ¡°Also, it is not something that would work as well on me.¡± I chuckled and squeezed her hand. When I turned back to the match, Vileplume happily pranced right up to Exeggutor before spitting a dark purple mass of poison into Exeggutor¡¯s face. Exeggutor reeled back in shock, but only one of the faces lost its blush. It started crying out to the other head, but those were still thoroughly infatuated. Will shook off his funk and scowled. ¡°I expected better from you Erika,¡± he said as a pokeball was raised only for Vileplume to stab a poison-coated fist into Exeggutor¡¯s side, causing the palm tree pokemon to topple over. ¡°Self Destruct!¡± snapped Will, causing a gasp of shock to run through the crowd. This time, however, the move didn¡¯t go off, as Exeggutor continued to gaze lovingly up at Vileplume. Vileplume smiled at the other pokemon and Erika made the most of her foe slowly being bled out. ¡°Grass Terrain!¡± she said. Her Vileplume happily dug itself into the ground slightly, like a potplant planting itself. Suddenly, the arena bloomed to life as grass shot up. Long stalks grew and I saw some roots begin to entrap Exeggutor before its eyes closed despite Will¡¯s consistent orders to Self Destruct. I sat forward. ¡°Huh, she¡¯s really brought herself back into this match with her Vileplume,¡± I said. Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°I expect Will is going to fight back much harder now,¡± she said as Exeggutor toppled, felled by the poison. She was proven right as the instant his Exeggutor was off the field, another pokeball whipped forward to reveal his Alakazam. Will pointed, and a powerful Psybeam unleashed itself onto Vileplume. ¡°Protect!¡± ordered Erika quickly, causing the super-effective move to slam into the Protect. I breathed out in relief only to blink in surprise as Erika returned her pokemon straight away. ¡°Calm Mind,¡± Will announced into the silence that followed Erika¡¯s quick reaction. While his pokemon did this Erika quickly selected another pokeball Will perked up, only to scowl as Erika threw her pokeball deep into the section of the field with the longest grass where it was hidden from sight. I chewed my lip and shot Sabrina a look. She had a far too casual look on her face, which let me know she once again knew precisely which pokemon was on the field. I held back from asking and decided to watch. ¡°Pin Missle!¡± Erika said and tiny pins were fired from out of the grass into Alakazam who Teleported out of danger only to scowl as the attack vanished. ¡°Blast it with Psybeam!¡± Will said making his pokemon unleash once again at the point where the Pin Missles had come from. The Psybeam blasted forward and Erika smiled. ¡°Go on the offensive!¡± she shouted, punching forward. Everyone but Sarina was therefore stunned when a humanoid shape sprinted straight through the Psybeam, completely unaffected to slam a fist into Alakazam¡¯s gut. The powerful psychic type rocketed back to slam into the wall before staggering to its feet. ¡°Kazam!?¡± it said as its foe was revealed. ¡°Cacturne!¡± said the grass-dark type pokemon. I grinned as it tapped at the hat shape on its head in mock greeting. I¡¯d known Erika would have to own this pokemon. It was gratifying be proven right and to see it punish Will like this. Erika had set her battlefield to hide the reveal of the pokemon. Sadly the powerful hit wasn¡¯t enough to see Alakazam down and out. ¡°Retreat to the long grass!¡± Erika urged, making her pokemon leap back into the grass where it could hide. ¡°Focus Blast!¡± Will snapped, less than pleased to be tricked. The powerful fighting type move blasted forward only for nothing to be hit. I thought I saw something move off to the side and apparently so did Will. His finger pointed in another direction, and Alakazam blasted in that direction. Will growled before inhaling and cursing to himself as a pokeball rose and returned his Alakazam. He nodded at Erika. ¡°You have done your homework,¡± he said. Erika merely bowed her own head back. ¡°I have yes.¡± she waved a hand at the battlefield. ¡°Continue as you are, Cacturne,¡± she said cryptically. Will huffed and released another pokeball. This one revealed a Solrock that floated up above the long grass. ¡°I was hoping to not rely on such tactics but¡­¡± Will made a sweeping gesture. Will made a twisting gesture and his pokemon unleashed a tornado of fire that engulfed the grass. Cacturne was revealed with its arms raised and a green orb shooting forward to slam into Solrock who twitched as Giga-Drain slammed into it, causing both pokemon to trade out super-effective attacks. Both narrowed their eyes on the other, only for Cacturne to twitch in pain, revealing that it had been burned. ¡°Fall back!¡± Erika said. Solrock started to spin on itself again as it repeated its Fire spin. Cacturne sadly took the hit again without getting a reply. Cacturne was knocked back into grass but it wasn¡¯t long enough to hide in. Will smirked as he stabbed a finger forward imperiously. His Solrock ignited into a Flare Blitz that saw it rocketing into Cacturne. ¡°Protect!¡± Erika ordered causing her pokemon to raise its arms up and raise a Protect to absorb the hit. I could see it grimacing in pain as the burn impacted it once more. Solrock floated back with a glower at the defended foe only to glance down and cry out in anger. I followed it and realised that Cacturne had allowed itself to fall back into a part of the field that still had grass on it. Grass, that was part of the Grassy Terrain, therefore allowing a small amount of healing to the injured Cacturne. I had to hand it to Erika. She could be very subtle in her set-up and orders. Sadly, it didn¡¯t prove enough, as the moment the Protect fell away, Solrock rocketed in with another Flare Blitz, knocking out Cacturne. Erika returned it and once more whispered some words of support as she had done for all of her pokemon thus far. She then selected another pokeball and tossed out a Venusaur that landed and roared its name. ¡°Razor Leaf!¡± Erika ordered sharply. Will merely waved his hand and Solrock unleashed a Flamethrower which burned away the oncoming leaves. The fire kept coming, only for Venusaur to leap to the side with its legs springing out and causing it to dodge the attack. ¡°Petal Blizzard!¡± Erika said as her pokemon started to waddle, the flower on its back unleashed a huge barrage of flowers into the air that rose up to fill the air. Will made a twisting gesture and his pokemon unleashed another Fire Spin that swept out to burn away the rest of the field and clip Venusaur. ¡°Saur!¡± growled the pokemon only for Erika to punch her arm forward. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± Will huffed at that and pointed his hand forward. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect hubris from you, Erika,¡± he said as his pokemon charged forward with Flare Blitz it slammed into Venusaur and her pokemon was engulfed in fire. Erika merely watched the fire before bowing her head. ¡°No, merely aware of my pokemon¡¯s limitations. Venusaur can handle a little fire,¡± she said before once again stabbing her hand forward. From the fire, a blast of energy shot forward and slammed straight into Solrock, knocking it out of the battlefield and into the back wall where it slid down. Will glanced at it before inspecting the extremely charred Venusaur. Venusaur growled and shook itself but remained on the field. I hummed in thought. ¡°Does it seem like Will is making a lot of mistakes to you?¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°He should have used more Psychic abilities, but he instead committed to the idea of burning everything away. He only needed to get rid of the Grassy Terrain with a Fire spin or two once Cacturne was finished. After that, he could have whittled things down with Psychic. He was trying for more and going for the easiest and fastest win he could.¡± Sabrina sighed. ¡°I doubt he will be so lax going forward.¡± She was proven right when Will unleashed his Alakazam once again. ¡°Recover,¡± he said quickly. ¡°Petal Blizzard!¡± Erika responded, making her pokemon fill the air of the battlefield with deadly petals. Instead of dodging into them, or allowing them to hit, Will surprised Erika by having his pokemon Teleport in close to Venusaur to slash with its spoons coated with psychic energy. Venusaur groaned with pain and slumped worn down from the earlier match with Solrock. Instead of returning her pokemon and whispering support to it, Erika¡¯s eyes gleamed as she returned her pokemon while tossing out another right next to where Venusaur had been. ¡°Tangrowth!¡± shouted her starter as it revealed itself. Will sniffed only to twitch as Tangrowth went from posing into an explosive display of speed. It instantly lunged at Alakazam and wrapped its viney tentacles around Will¡¯s starter. I blinked I hadn¡¯t been expecting that, but it seemed Erika had more tricks up her sleeve. ¡°Knock Off!¡± Erika ordered, making her pokemon¡¯s many tentacles glow with dark energy. I perked up. Erika had planned that? Or had she merely made good use of Will¡¯s laxity to get her starter into an amazing position to grapple with another? It didn¡¯t matter as Will suddenly found his pokemon locked into a brawl with the mass of tentacles that was Tangrowth. Fists flew as Tangrowth slammed Alakazam with Knock Off. In response, Alakazam hammered back with Fire Punch after Fire Punch. Both pokemon didn¡¯t back down, or in Will¡¯s case, couldn¡¯t back down. When the end came it surprised everyone as Alakazam slammed a fiery fist into Tangrowth¡¯s head. Tangrowth cried out in pain only to throw itself on top of Alakazam in a last-ditch effort that caused Alakazam to be ridden down to the ground where Tangrowth¡¯s mass of tentacles smothered it. ¡°Teleport out!¡± Will barked to no avail. When the referee raised his flags, he did so for both trainers. ¡°Alakazam and Tangrowth are unable to battle! Both must be withdrawn!¡± Will glowered at the man before turning his gaze upon Erika. Erika returned her pokemon to reveal the flattened Alakazam. She bowed politely. ¡°I saw my chance and I took it,¡± she said. Will didn¡¯t reply instead tossing out a pokeball to reveal his last pokemon to be an Espeon. Erika looked it over before sending out her own last pokemon in her Vileplume. ¡°Let¡¯s go girl! Do your thing!¡± Once more Vileplume did her dance and it seemingly connected with Espeon as the other pokemon twitched and started walking towards Vileplume with its tails wagging. Will remained aloof as Espeon walked forward. Erika frowned however. ¡°Vileplume us¡ª¡± ¡°Psybeam!¡± Will ordered smugly, revealing his pokemon wasn¡¯t male, which would have allowed the Attract to work, but rather female. From close range, the super-effective move slammed into Vileplume and knocked it out. I sighed. ¡°That was a little anticlimactic.¡± I joined the polite applause as everyone thanked the two trainers for the battle. Camera crews hurried to a designated area as Erika returned her Vileplume and approached Will to congratulate him on the victory. I shot Sabrina a look, hoping she¡¯d picked something up for us to use, only for her to shake her head. As we stood, a reporter and cameraman broke off to put a microphone in our faces. ¡°Gym Leaders! You¡¯ve both seen Will fighting a few times now! How do you think today¡¯s match went?¡± ¡°Erika did well,¡± Sabrina said. She glanced up at the scoreboard which showcased that Erika had lost with Will only losing four of his pokemon. ¡°Mr Mime wasn¡¯t in a good condition, but he still had the advantage. It was very uphill for Erika but she did well.¡± ¡°I see!¡± said the reporter before turning to me. ¡°What about yourself Gym Leader Brock? Since your Draw, you¡¯ve been vocal in wanting a rematch? Do you think Will has gotten stronger?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said feeling annoyed at the reminder of Will¡¯s match with me and how it ended. ¡°Care to elaborate?¡± the man pressed. I sniffed. ¡°If anything, Will has gotten weaker. He needed extensive scouting against me to develop the strategies he did. He has realised how unpopular those strategies are and people have adopted counters for them. His matches since have been rougher.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s still won them,¡± the man pointed out. I merely grunted, deciding not to volunteer anything more, seeing as that hadn¡¯t been a question. Before the reporter could ask another question, a microphone tap caused everyone to look to the centre of the field where Erika was. She smiled. ¡°Well hello everyone! Thank you for coming out today! I hope you enjoyed the match! It was a wonderful experience for me and I know I¡¯ve gotten stronger for it!¡± She received another polite round of applause, interspersed with a few out-of-towners cheering much more loudly. ¡°We love you Erika!¡± screamed one. Erika giggled at that only to be interrupted from saying anything more. Will coughed politely and stepped close to Erika. Sabrina and I stiffened as he loomed over Erika. ¡°May I?¡± he said with a faux-polite smile. She smiled back and handed him the microphone. Will smiled out at the crowd. ¡°I too would like to thank you all for coming out to witness my match.¡± Next to him, Erika frowned at the man¡¯s words. He ignored her. ¡°I also hope you will all be there next weekend for my next match.¡± He turned and looked in my¡­ no. In Sabrina¡¯s direction. ¡°Gym Leader Sabrina, it is time we settled the question of which of us is the best Psychic trainer in Kanto.¡± Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed and the microphone shot out of Will¡¯s grasp. It shot to just in front of her before hovering at head height. Sabrina inclined her head politely. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s really up for questioning, but I do have to admit that I have been looking forward to it.¡± Around us, a susurrus of excitement swept the arena and I saw more than a few people open their transceivers to order tickets. I also had no doubt that a number of television stations had just broadcast that moment live. I could only chuckle as Will¡¯s mouth crinkled like he¡¯d just bitten into a lemon. I couldn¡¯t wait to watch Sabrina¡¯s match. Sadly, I felt a small flicker of concern build within me. I, of all people, knew how much could change in a week. I clenched my fists and eyed Will. No. I had a week to go over everything. Sabrina¡¯s match wasn¡¯t going to be like mine. If Will tried anything, I¡¯d nail him to the wall. Chapter 154 - Training times Erika and Will¡¯s fight didn¡¯t stop due to the battle being done. Or rather, the event didn¡¯t end. When enough time had been given over for reporters, the stands were pushed back by a team of tuxedo-wearing Machoke. At the same time, chairs, tables, and trays were carried in and deposited around the venue. A few pokemon worked at evening out the ground with their trainers, and within the space of ten minutes, I found myself standing in a garden party. I blinked dumbly and glanced to Sabrina. ¡°Uhm¡­ this is a bit weird, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said, gesturing at the party that had sprouted up from seemingly nowhere. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°This is actually rather typical for Erika¡¯s matches. It isn¡¯t just about the fight, she creates networking events for people, which increases the draw of some of the rich and famous that live around Celadon.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said, snagging a pair of glasses from a waiter. I handed one to Sabrina as I took a sip. ¡°Oh, this is juice,¡± I said in amusement. ¡°Liquor licensing means they can¡¯t serve for another¡­¡± Sabrina glanced at an overgrown clock nearby. ¡°Twenty minutes.¡± I nodded, distracted despite how seamless the transition had been. A few minutes ago I¡¯d been in the stands cheering for Erika. Now I was in a party the likes of which I would expect from attending a rich socialite event. Erika made it look simple to host such an event. ¡°So¡­ did this not bear mentioning?¡± I asked. Somehow, with all the planning and discussion of securing Erika¡¯s fight against Team Rocket interference, the information that we¡¯d be sticking around for a party afterwards hadn¡¯t come up. Sabrina glanced at me. ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t realise you didn¡¯t know about this side of Erika¡¯s fights.¡± She inclined her head. ¡°If you want, we can leave?¡± she offered. I seriously considered that for a moment. I eventually shook my head, deciding that I was here now. I¡¯d planned on simply idling around with Sabrina, perhaps on a shopping trip or strolling around Celadon after the match, but it seemed we¡¯d had different ideas about what we¡¯d be doing tonight. ¡°No, no, we can stay. I¡¯m just surprised,¡± I said, taking a sip of my juice. Hmm, this was some good Oran juice. I glanced around and noticed a number of rather well-to-do-looking ladies and gentlemen talking with rather befuddled people. It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one that didn¡¯t know about this aspect of the fight. ¡°Brock! Sabrina! Thanks for coming! Sorry, I couldn¡¯t talk with you before the fight!¡± Erika said as she approached us with a beaming smile. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a problem,¡± Sabrina said, accepting the hug Erika offered. Her drink floated away so it wouldn¡¯t spill on either of them while Ralts wrapped Erika¡¯s head in a hug of her own. Erika stepped back to bow to me, and I smiled. ¡°Yeah, no way I was missing this. You did really well out there. Four and a half to six is a good showing.¡± Erika perked up at that. ¡°Yes, I am rather pleased with the end result. My pokemon worked rather well, although I was perhaps a bit rough on Venusaur.¡± I nodded at that, wondering if she couldn¡¯t have employed some better strategies. Venusaur was well known as a tank because of how it was commonly used. Then again, she had a lot of other pokemon to train up so perhaps a specialised fighting style for Venusaur was asking a bit much. I was expecting to see a Shiftry from her today. Perhaps she didn¡¯t have that line of pokemon trained up? ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Sabrina asked, her eyes sweeping over Erika. I paused; Erika did look a little tired. Erika shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m tired, but that is no reason for me to depart just yet. I have deposited my pokemon with my assistant and will check up on them soon.¡± ¡°If any of them are burnt badly, I have some cream from Pryce,¡± I said. ¡°Pryce? Oh! I heard about that! Apparently, you and he have become friends?¡± Erika said. ¡°I wouldn''t consider us friends but¡­¡± Erika tittered at what I had to say, and I tilted my head in consideration. I hadn¡¯t been hiding that I¡¯d gotten friendlier with Pryce, but I hadn¡¯t been announcing it either. Was Erika¡¯s gossip network that far-reaching? My confusion must have been apparent as Erika smiled. ¡°Sabrina mentioned it during tea.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± I barked a laugh. ¡°For a moment there I thought you had a spy network spread across Indigo.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s to say I don''t?¡± Erika adopted a mysterious smile which was somewhat ruined with how her lips twitched in amusement. Her transceiver pinged. She glanced at it and gasped, only to rapidly fire off a message. I chuckled. Ah, the power of a young teenage girl with an unlimited telecommunication plan. Yeah, she totally had a gossip network as well, didn¡¯t she? I shot Sabrina a look only to find her glancing to the side. Giovanni was walking away from the party. He had a brochure clutched in his hand and seemed very absorbed with it. ¡°He¡¯s leaving?¡± I said, surprised. I would have thought he¡¯d be one to linger at such events. ¡°He said he has some business to take care of,¡± Erika supplied, catching where I¡¯d been looking. ¡°He approached me after the match and congratulated me.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. I suppose Giovanni could appear as a polite gentleman to most people, couldn¡¯t he? ¡°Did he say what business?¡± I asked. Erika tilted her head. ¡°No?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I said, waving it off. Erika nodded, only for a cluster of people to approach us to talk with Erika. I found myself talking with a rather excitable man about the forest he owned and how being a lumberjack was a tougher affair when the plants hit back. I ended up talking with him for a while. ¡°But seriously! I work with the grass-type pokemon most of the time. I have trained pokemon that help me grow the lumber in designated lots and then I harvest the trees without disturbing more entrenched clusters. The issue comes from wild pokemon moving in, you have to patrol your forest regularly! I have a number for grass and electric types to deal with the pokemon that try and move in all the time!¡± I tilted my head and considered his statement. ¡°Ah, flying types would be a concern as well, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± The man nodded and made to keep talking, only for a polite cough to announce his wife coming to claim him. ¡°Ah! Sorry about that Gym Leader! It was nice talking with you!¡± he said as he walked off. I waved at him and glanced around for the next person who wanted to talk, only to realise that everyone¡¯s attention was turned elsewhere. What could distract a crowd from three Gym Leaders, when one of them was the host, and another was the next big fight in the Ace circuit? I frowned and straightened up to look over the crowd¡¯s heads. It seemed I¡¯d missed another structure being assembled when the Machoke pushed back the stands and opened up the arena. I¡¯d missed a stall being set up. It was extremely futuristic and stood out like a sore thumb, at stark contrast with the garden aesthetic Erika had created. It had chrome metal along the walls and bright neon signs. Each attendant wore a sharp-looking chromatic uniform. Each man and woman in uniform were talking to a group, with other attendants supporting them. It looked like a marketing speech. Off to the side, some people were already moving away with thoughtful looks. I nodded to Sabrina and linked up with her as we ambled towards the stall through an opening in the crowd. ¡°Do you know what this is about?¡± I asked Sabrina. She shook her head. A moment later, her eyes glowed, and she made a soft noise of surprise. ¡°Ralts?¡± asked Ralts as she tilted her to glance up at Sabrina. ¡°It is Silph Co.,¡± said Sabrina as we reached the front. ¡°And they are marketing their product.¡± ¡°Product?¡± I asked only to notice that there was one thing being whispered about, even as we listened in to the sales pitch. ¡°¡ªsupposed to be a guaranteed capture?¡± said someone. ¡°Impossible! It¡¯s just marketing!¡± scoffed another. ¡°What¡¯s with this idea that they¡¯re only going to make one of them?¡± said the ¡°Shh! I want to hear what they¡¯re saying!¡± hissed yet another person. An attendant who had been hovering smiled, speaking up into the lull in the argument. ¡°Silph Co. guarantees that this product will be a new Magnus Opus for us. It has long been a dream to create the perfect pokeball and with this, Silph Co. will have done so.¡± The attendant turned to the television, which displayed a series of artist impressions of what the ¡®pokeball¡¯ might look like. I saw the iconic purple pokeball with the two softer shades of purple dots to the side on display and understanding sank in. They were marketing the Masterball. The woman smiled. ¡°Now the actual styling of the ball itself will be something that is left up to the person who wins the auction, but it is worth mentioning.¡± ¡°What are we expecting the price to be?¡± cried out someone. The woman directed a look at the person who said that, and I got the impression from her smile that if you had to ask, you wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it. I snorted. My demand for a Masterball really had been asking for too much, even if I¡¯d said it just to stump the Silph Co. Vice President. ¡°How many are going to be made?¡± asked another voice. ¡°At this stage, due to restrictions in the making of the product, only one will be able to be made,¡± supplied the attendant. This got a murmur to break out but I heard someone hiss. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be able to make one at all!¡± whispered someone vehemently. I glanced around to find an extremely tan-looking man glaring at the Silph Co. stall. I noticed that a number of men in suits were around him, very pointedly making sure there was a space around them. My attention was noted as a pair of the men in suits began sizing me up, and I frowned as they reached for their pokeballs. ¡°Who are they?¡± I asked Sabrina as I narrowed my eyes. If they wanted to throw down I¡¯d make them regret it. Sabrina glanced away from the Silph Co. stand. Her attention swept over the suits and they stiffened before hurriedly looking elsewhere. She hummed in thought before speaking up. ¡°They are the security detail for the Fiore diplomat. He wanted to come and witness a fight as we ¡®outsiders¡¯ perform them,¡± she said. She tilted her head as she flicked her eyes between the Silph group and the Fiore diplomat. ¡°Ah, it seems Silph Co. is being clever. They have been told they cannot make a Masterball once Fiore opens its borders.¡± I pursed my lips and took a moment to parse that. ¡°They can¡¯t make the Masterball¡­¡± I said, glancing at the stand that announced to the rich and famous of Indigo that they would be selling the ultimate pokeball. ¡°Once Fiore opens its borders to Indigo,¡± Sabrina prompted. I sighed and nodded, understanding what she meant. One thing stuck out to me, and I was saddened that the cynic in me was already anticipating the answer. ¡°What does Fiore have that is making the League give up the idea of a perfect pokeball?¡± ¡°Lots of new resources that other companies will be able to access in controlled areas of Fiore.¡± ¡°So Silph Co. is rushing to get everything they can out of their work before Fiore can stop them¡­¡± ¡°And the League gets the chance to force Fiore to the table and keep them there,¡± Sabrina commented. I frowned and looked up at that. Sabrina shrugged. ¡°Nothing stopping Silph Co. from bringing the Masterball back later, no?¡± ¡°Ah, I see,¡± I said. Sadly, I really could see what Sabrina was referring to. There might be more nuanced movements and discussions behind closed doors, but the large brushstrokes were clear to me. I could only shake my head. ¡°Shame for Fiore that Silph Co. will get this sold off, ¡°I said. ¡°Sir,¡± said an attendant, offering me a brochure with the details of the auction of the Masterball. I accepted the brochure like it was an Ekans. When I read through it, I felt my mind conjure up a memory of Giovanni departing earlier with one such brochure. I suddenly knew that this auction would either never take place or would be interrupted. I stared at the Masterball and shook my head. ¡°Another example of the League being too slow to move,¡± said Agatha. I blinked in surprise. When had she gotten there? ¡°Ralts!¡± Ralts reacted much more strongly. Her hand flashed with psychic energy as she tried to zap Agatha, only for the old woman to tut and bat it down with a finger. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°A poor response little one. You all need better awareness. I was always here,¡± she said, mildly chastising us before cackling. ¡°Did you sense me, Sabrina?¡± ¡°No, I did not,¡± Sabrina said, stroking Ralts¡¯ hair to help settle them both. I shook my head. ¡°You could have just approached us normally, Agatha,¡± I said. ¡°I could have,¡± she replied. I huffed. ¡°For a respected elder of Indigo, you sure can be childish sometimes,¡± I said, deciding to support Sabrina. When Agatha merely cackled again, I shifted the conversation to something she¡¯d said. ¡°What did you mean by the League being slow again?¡± Agatha glanced about. ¡°The slowness of the League is due to their size, they are aware of this and sometimes it is something they utilise for their own political gain. That is not to say that they don¡¯t have to be careful, however. They are a ponderous and vast organisation. A word from them can be as heavy as a mountain.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± I said. Agatha eyed me. ¡°You may scoff, but for the men and women that deal with the seat of power, it is important to consider.¡± She searched my face. ¡°Did you happen to watch Kruger¡¯s¡­¡± She noticed how I was blanking out and sighed. ¡°No never mind,¡± she said. I tilted my head, unsure what she¡¯d been about to say. Agatha shook her head and glanced towards the Silph Co. stall. ¡°It might not be obvious to you, Brock, but to us of the Elite Four, the League is starting to gear up for serious action. Lance is streamlining the process of policing by creating infrastructure and groups of specialists. Your little venture with your¡­ Hoenn friends played into his hands rather well. He¡¯s been able to point to you as an example of international ¡­ co-operation.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Careful, your prejudice is showing through,¡± I said. Agatha stomped her cane into the ground, but the effect was rather lost on the soft grass. ¡°Indigo should see to itself!¡± she said before jabbing the cane in my direction. ¡°And don¡¯t think I missed you getting friendly with Pryce! I¡¯d like to point out that he was a devastating fighter for Johto during the war!¡± I smiled. ¡°And you¡¯re too caught up in the world that was. Johto is part of Kanto now, and if things go well, there won¡¯t be a need to be so on guard beyond police work.¡± ¡°Feh! Naive!¡± she said with a shake of her head. ¡°But all fools are!¡± ¡°Fools like Oak?¡± I asked with a smile. She sniffed, unable to argue with my point. So instead, she tossed her hair, turned, and stalked away. ¡°I shall go and congratulate Erika. You were correct, Sabrina; she did do well.¡± I shot Sabrina an exasperated look, and she shook her head in solidarity with me. We turned back to talk and rub elbows with others before departing. As I left, I made sure to give the Silph Co. stand a thoughtful look. They did owe me a favour, and I had an idea. I shot Lawrence a message before Sabrina teleported us away.
The next morning, as a Sunday, should have been a sleep-in. Sadly, I had plans. And plans meant I needed to get to training. Oddly enough, this would not be a typical training session, but rather a session dedicated to working with others. Specifically, we would be fighting as a group, against another group, like they did in the war. After all, the League wasn¡¯t the only one gearing up and preparing for a fight. The Guardians were getting ready, which led to me and a group of others being up before dawn in a field far from any observers. Koga appeared before us and inspected the group that had been assembled. Karen, Lucy, Sabrina, and I were all standing on one side. Across from us, Janine, Agatha, and a number of Channelers and other trainers who helped out the Guardians stood ready. ¡°Right!¡± Koga barked. ¡°Today we are performing a training exercise that sees you fighting in groups!¡± Agatha stepped forward. ¡°Fighting in a group, especially on a large scale, is something that requires certain skills, and it will be important that you learn these.¡± Lucy held up a hand. ¡°What skills should we be looking to develop?¡± ¡°Awareness,¡± said Koga, who was suddenly behind Lucy. The girl leapt forward away from him, only for Koga to vanish in a blur of speed. He returned to where he had been, in time to beat people whipping their heads around. To some of the other trainers, it must have looked like he had been in two places at once. ¡°You need to be aware of not only yourselves but those around you! Battles like this are as much about setting up the right people as they are about protecting your fellows! Today, each of the Gym Leaders and Lucy will be in charge of a number of people. You will fight with each other as a group. You will be tested in many ways.¡± She waved her hand, and I found four people bowing in front of me. I nodded back and got their names along with which pokemon they had. Sabrina pointed at one, and the girl levitated out of her cluster. ¡°This one is a spy,¡± she said firmly. I stiffened and turned. If Team Rocket had infiltrated the Guardians¡ª a slow clap was Agatha¡¯s response. ¡°Excellent, your head is not just for show. You made sure to verify that the group you were with was loyal and not set up to trip you up.¡± Agatha swept her gaze over the rest of us. ¡°Sabrina, you are not to help the others. They must determine on their own who the traitor to their group is. Or if there is a traitor at all!¡± she said with a delighted grin. Karen groaned. ¡°Urgh, one of these training sessions. You shitty hag, I can¡¯t believe I woke up for this!¡± I chewed my lip and wondered how I was going to do this. I usually resorted to learning about people over a longer period of time¡­ or cheating by having Sabrina screen them. The group I was to work with were now eyeing each other, and I realised the other issue with Agatha announcing it as she had. Now there was a current of distrust. That would make it harder to work together. I chewed my lip and tried to think about how to resolve this. If there was a tell or something that gave them away¡­ no, I wasn¡¯t trained in that. Koga or Janine might be able to do it but¡­ I clapped my hands together and got my group''s attention. ¡°Ignore Agatha for now. We¡¯re going to focus on the tasks we¡¯re given. I¡¯m not sure if any of you have been given different orders. But that¡¯s not for you all to worry about.¡± I pointed a thumb at my chest. ¡°Trust in me,¡± I said, bluffing as I smiled at them. ¡°That is my concern as the one calling the shots, and not yours.¡± As I said this I infused my words with as neutral an aura as I muster. The group relaxed at my words and even stood a little straighter. Alright, that helped a little, now I needed to ¡­ Well I wasn¡¯t sure where to start with rooting out a spy honestly. It was a rather worrying chink in my armour. I hummed and decided I¡¯d just need to keep an eye out as best I could. When I turned back to Agatha, she was looking at me with a highly amused look. ¡°Brock, your task will be to fight against Janine and her group,¡± she said, pointing to where Janine had moved. I nodded and waved our group close once again. I quickly got everyone to pull out their pokemon. I wasn''t pleased to learn they only had nine pokemon between the four of them. Thankfully, they had good enough pokemon with the Haunter, Wartortle, Rapidash, Rhydon, Dugtrio, Ivysaur, Nidoqueen, Seaking, and Muk. ¡°Keep Seaking in your arms as a defensive measure, make it use buffs where possible, and provide support. Dugtrio into the field, watching for threats that might already be on the field with my Jormungandr¡ª¡± I rattled off a string of other commands, making the best calls I thought I could while slowly walking forwards. I sent my flying pokemon circling overhead and then had the others form up in front of me as the core of my fighting force. ¡°Buff up,¡± I said to my pokemon, advancing as we did so. Janine twitched when she spotted the sheen coat my pokemon. She was quick to bark her own orders which had her group closing. I took a step back with Selene at my side to guard me. I then opened with a wide field Earthquake and began to unleash Stone Edges and Rainy Day onto certain parts of the field where I saw opportunities. ¡°He¡¯s made a mistake!¡± cheered one. Janine merely hissed. ¡°Get your water pokemon into safety!¡± She matched words to action, dragging on water pokemon out of danger right as Sanchez rolled out of hiding from the ground to unleash a perfectly targeted Thunder onto the Gyarados the other team had. Janine¡¯s group lost some of their confidence at that and I grinned. ¡°Keep up the pressure!¡± I barked, making my pokemon step forward. I made sure, however, that Knight and Jormungandr, having not found anything underground, advanced first. Janine clicked her tongue when some traps she¡¯d set up with Toxic sludge pits and more were quickly neutralised by my Steel-type pokemon. Before I could get too caught up with advancing my pokemon I decided to take a step back and inspect the rest of my group. The wider fight itself was a mess, with various pokemon exchanging blows like this was a mere straightforward pokemon battle. I sighed and knew that the older guardians had been right to order this training for us. It wasn¡¯t just we Elites that needed to learn new habits, but also the troops that would work with us going forwards. I frowned as I spotted better matchups for my team. ¡°Henry, get your Rapidash to go after that Vileplume! Sasha the Charmeleon with your Wartortle!¡± I said directing things to be more favourable to our side. ¡°Leap high over Nidoqueen! While Charmeleon circles around!¡± Janine tried to fight through the various pokemon personally with a short blade that flashed out and injured the pokemon when she found a weak point. She would occasionally switch targets to one of the trainers instead of the pokemon. I knew this had to be a lesson as well, and the trainers were stunned when they realised they were also coming under fire from wooden blunt throwing knives. They could only gape when Zephyr dropped out of the sky to deflect some attacks while Selene raised barriers. When Janien threw a stick at me with unerring accuracy, I merely stepped to the side. Despite this unorthodox response my group started to increase the pressure on her team. Eventually, she called a retreat for her group, and Koga blew a whistle, signalling that the exercise was finished. I stepped back and looked around to see that Lucy had led her own team to a much messier fight against Agatha, who was standing at the back of her group while her ghost pokemon were swarming through Lucy¡¯s group. I grimaced as I noted that some of the pokemon and people appeared to be paralysed¡­ and slightly wet, which let me know that Lick had been liberally applied. ¡°Need a Paralyse Heal?¡± I called out. Lucy slumped and nodded her head. Once we had everyone cleaned up Koga and Agatha had all of us sit down like we were schoolchildren on a field trip. Agatha then smiled at us. ¡°So? Who would like to go first?¡± she said with a gleeful expression. I nudged Lucy, knowing that it would be rougher for her to hear how my fight had gone before having to mention her own fight. From what I knew Lucy would curl into herself if left to anguish over her own mistakes especially when my example was a strategic victory on my part compared to her being overwhelmed. Not that each scenario should be compared; it was like Oran or Cheri berries they were similar but had enough differences to matter. She detailed her own fight haltingly, but neither Agatha nor Koga said anything. They merely nodded and held their tongues. Karen even kept herself to disparaging snorts and huffs. It seemed Lucy, like me, hadn¡¯t been sure how to deal with the issue of traitors. She pointed to two people in her group that she now suspected were traitors, as they¡¯d sandbagged and let their pokemon falter more than the others. The two trainers denied this, but Lucy seemed adamant that they could have done better. Agatha nodded approvingly and then had Lucy continue to detail the fight and how it had played out. I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that Agatha had her ghosts appear from an ambush position. With the traitors having already weakened her group¡¯s cohesion, it had been trivial for Agatha to mop up the rest with only Lucy fighting back with her Snorlax and other pokemon. ¡°You got a rough hand to start off,¡± I said into the silence that followed after Lucy finished her report. Lucy shot me a hopeful look. I gestured at her group. ¡°You had two infiltrators that set you up against Agatha, allowing her to run through you easily. You might have been able to spread around the pokemon a little more but the gap they left was quite sizeable¡­ I¡¯m not sure what else you could have done.¡± ¡°She could have not taken part,¡± Agatha said before raising a hand to forestall any arguments with Lucy looking like she wanted to. ¡°No, listen,¡± Agatha said, holding up a hand to forestall anyone else speaking. ¡°You knew you had a questionable group of allies, and you weren¡¯t sure. Both of you,¡± she said looking at me as well. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have engaged like you did. Brock is merely lucky that the group that we had assigned to him only had one traitor.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°I had one?¡± Agatha sighed and looked to the sky. ¡°Dear Arceus. Yes, Brock, you merely got lucky with how you assigned your pokemon and trainers.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°No, I assigned them that way deliberately,¡± I said, thinking about the formation we¡¯d gone with. Agatha nodded. ¡°A known formation, and one that didn¡¯t allow the traitor to act, as you kept an eye out and placed them unknowingly away from where they could cause damage..¡± I tilted my head and glanced at the trainer who had the Dugtrio. ¡°They were supposed to add traps and holes, weren¡¯t they?¡± They blinked and shook their head. Agatha sighed again. ¡°No, Sasha was the traitor,¡± Agatha said as if that should have been obvious. I turned my attention to Sasha. What about her was supposed to tell me she was a traitor during this exercise? She raised up her pokebelt, and I realised for the first time she had two more pokeballs on her. ¡°Ah,¡± I said intelligently. Damn, I needed to be more aware of these sorts of things. Had she been displaying those? Koga nodded. ¡°If she was placed close to you, she was to hit you with her water-type pokemon and take you out of the fight.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°You should outline your own fight,¡± he prompted. I laid out how things had gone for me and I realised I had made some rather glaring errors. I had assumed my group had used up all of their pokemon and with it being pointed out it was obvious that I should have checked if anyone was lying. I had gotten lucky with my assignment of trainers and pokemon. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that next time,¡± I said, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. Koga nodded, while Agatha shook her head. ¡°Damned lucky fools,¡± she muttered. Karen chuckled. ¡°Really playing up the Bruno vibes here Brock!¡± Agatha twitched. ¡°We¡¯re not talking about Bruno here!¡± she snapped before shaking her head. I shot Karen a look and she smirked. ¡°Agatha hates talking about Bruno.¡± Agatha snorted. ¡°A muscle-brained fool is what he is!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Regardless, I think Lucy and Brock learnt a lot from this. Karen, Sabrina, let¡¯s see how you both do.¡± Sabrina ignored Karen as the grey-haired woman shot Sabrina a fierce grin. Agatha¡¯s smile turned feral. ¡°You can both work together against Koga,¡± she said. I hissed, knowing how that would go. I was proven right when, within a minute, Sabrina pointed out two people who were going to work against her specifically but not against Karen. Karen took them in hand and then demanded overall command, with Sabrina working under her. I facepalmed and could only watch as Koga picked the girls apart with his own pokemon. Neither of them expected Koga to drop a Charizard on them, of all pokemon. When I shot Janine a look, she smirked and raised two fingers wrapped with her other hand. ¡°Nin nin,¡± she said proudly. Karen and Sabrina eventually stopped getting in each other''s way long enough to drive Koga¡¯s group away, but they were both sweaty and exhausted by the end of the session. I could only conclude that having teamwork was more important than we¡¯d understood, especially with how things escalated in difficulty in larger groups. Agatha slapped her hands together and eyed the morning sun that was now creeping towards noon. ¡°Well, I think that will do for today, everyone. I expect some of you to return over the next few days. We¡¯re going to run exercises like this again. Sometimes with traitors, sometimes without. Sometimes we will work with each other, and sometimes not.¡± She stabbed her cane at each of us. ¡°But you will learn!¡± she said. She then turned her attention to Sabrina. ¡°You should perhaps prepare yourself for your match against Will¡­ I imagine he will cheat this time. There is no doubt in my mind who the stronger Psychic is, and so he will have to resort to underhanded tactics. We will be ready for him, however!¡± she said. Sabrina nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. I raised a hand. ¡°Quick heads up, I¡¯m going to reach out to Silph Co. and get them to give me and some people like my brother a tour around their building in Saffron.¡± Koga straightened. ¡°Ask for two more tickets, while it would be too obvious if I were to attend¡­ Others might be able to slip in with less scrutiny,¡± he said, casting his eyes to his daughter. I nodded. ¡°Good, I want to check out Silph Tower as a possible site of interest not only for Sabrina''s fight but also for the Masterball. I¡¯m worried about what it will mean for whoever owns it.¡± ¡°It would be a terrible weapon in the wrong hands,¡± Koga said sternly but stroked his chin. He nodded again after a moment¡¯s delay. ¡°Yes, we should investigate Silph Co.¡± With that decision, Sabrina Teleported me back home before begging off for her own training. I took a quick shower and ducked out to the gym where I was met with a glistening Trixie who was standing out in front of my gym doing burpees. How long had she been out here training? She didn¡¯t stop doing burpees when she noticed me. ¡°Hiya Brock! Got the gang ready for today¡¯s session?¡± she said. ¡°Ready as they¡¯ll ever be,¡± I said, leading her into where my trainers awaited in the arena. I released my pokemon and directed them to lounge up in the stands, Bertha doing so happily. Sanchez took up some small flags and began cheering for us as the workout began. I merely shook my head at their antics. I had lots of plans, and that meant it wasn¡¯t just my pokemon that needed to train. I¡¯d worked my mind, and now it was time to work my body. Trixie¡¯s grin was that of a zealot entering a church. ¡°I want to see some sweat people! I know you can do better!¡± she said as she sprinted past me. I cursed and ran harder, knowing I''d be sore later on for trying to best what had to be a fighting-type specialist in a workout. Chapter 155 - Set up and curiosity The workout with Trixie had everyone gasping and sweating by the time we were done. I collapsed into a chair for a quick discussion with the team and watched as everyone else staggered, dragged themselves, or were carried in. A.J. glared at everyone from the corner, his body barely functioning as Trixie deposited him. He¡¯d tried to keep up with Trixie and when that didn¡¯t work, he¡¯d tried to keep up with me. Then he¡¯d settled for Dennis. Eventually, he¡¯d had to settle on hanging as close as he could to Yolanda. Most people laughed at his surly expression. Rachel glowered right back at A.J., surprising a few people, but I just rolled my eyes. She could be so petty when she thought people were getting too close to her girlfriend. It wasn¡¯t¡­ Well, actually, it very much was A.J.¡¯s fault that he was too exhausted to walk and therefore needed to be carried, but I don¡¯t even think girls registered to him in that way. A.J. nodded at Rachel in respect, but that only made her glare harder. Yolanda giggled from where she was sitting as I shook my head. Poor kid didn¡¯t realise that Rachel thought he was trying to get carried by Trixie like she was, instead of just being a training maniac. A.J. turned away from her, obviously confused as to why the usually bouncy and bright Rachel was almost hissing at him. I swiped my face with my towel and clapped my hands. ¡°Alright team, brief one today. I¡¯m hoping then we can enjoy the rest of our Sunday!¡± This got a ragged cheer from the group. I glanced down at the meeting minutes. ¡°First off, Bianca has some news?¡± Bianca stood up and lifted up a tray that held a trio of pokeballs. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen of the Pewter Gym! I give you the first success of the breeding program!¡± She pushed the button on the front of the first, and a young Kabuto was revealed. Everyone in the room straightened up despite their fatigue, understanding the significance of the trio of pokeballs. Another opened to reveal a new Omanyte that sank back into its helix-like shell. The last pokeball opened and a young Aerodactyl was revealed. It hopped onto the table and raised its wings to roar in greeting. ¡°Aero!¡± it screeched. ¡°The ancient pokemon eggs you gathered are starting to hatch?!¡± Stephen said, somewhat unnecessarily. Bianca raised two fingers up to form a V. ¡°Yes, they are! Elm is going to be so happy when I send in the documentation! Brock! You¡¯re soon going to be the owner of another four Kabuto, six Omanyte and two more Aerodactyls, counting these few!¡± Bianca put her hand on the aerodactyl on the table. It crooned and rubbed its head into her palm. ¡°This little one is a girl and the daughter of Don!¡± She adjusted her glasses and smiled. ¡°But there''s more! Crowley has been working with the samples Brock secured a few months ago and will be sending through another two pokemon from each of the samples he was granted by Pryce! So we¡¯re getting a new bloodline to use to truly start setting up proper bloodlines and breeding groups!¡± she said. I beamed at her, feeling suddenly much more energised. ¡°That is fantastic news! I would like two to be allocated to the gym. We¡¯ll train them up, and I think they will be great additions. The Aerodactyl, due to their rather draconic tendencies, I can¡¯t see them as anything less than a fourth-tier challenge. That will open up a lot of opportunities for Gym trainers fighting at that level to use some truly different pokemon.¡± A.J. perked up at that. ¡°We don¡¯t have to use those weak Zubat? nice!¡± I snapped my fingers to return attention. ¡°I will be reminding anyone that wants to take part in training the new Aerodactyl that you need to have a certain mindset typically with them. They will otherwise try to run right over you. Give them an inch, and they will take a mile from you. There are some texts on raising dragon pokemon in our computers and the bookcase, they will be required reading for anyone looking to ask me about it,¡± I said firmly. Rocko raised a hand. ¡°I¡¯ve read those books, and I¡¯d like to point out that I¡¯m a good example of a trainer that doesn¡¯t mesh well with Dragon pokemon and their training methods. I¡¯m too lax.¡± Rocko waved a hand to Dennis. Dennis blushed in a pleased way before coughing. ¡°My methods can be more palatable for dragon pokemon, but remember they¡¯re not true dragons, so you won¡¯t have to stick too much to the training methods outlined in the books.¡± Dennis chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re expecting to get a rock-dragon pokemon after all!¡± A few people chuckled, but I smirked to myself. I couldn¡¯t wait to find a Tyrunt, then we¡¯d see some reactions. I chuckled to myself; I could just imagine how green with envy Lance would be if I beat him to find one. I coughed and shook off my thoughts, returning to the moment. Yolanda was squinting at me and I waved a hand at her, worried that my sister was onto me. She might not have mind-reading powers, but she probably had the best read on me of the people in the room. ¡°Excellent news. We¡¯re starting to get a solid group of ancient pokemon,¡± I said, before circling the point on the form. ¡°I¡¯ve been toying with the idea and I think it might hold some interest for people¡­ but I¡¯m thinking of offering a challenge for just Ancient pokemon.¡± I smiled and waved my hand expansively. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of calling it the Jurassic challenge?¡± I glanced around the room. ¡°Thoughts?¡± A.J. grunted. ¡°Eh, will they be stronger?¡± I sighed. ¡°They¡¯d be the same level, just with ancient pokemon.¡± ¡°Lame,¡± said A.J., deciding he wasn¡¯t interested anymore. Stephen was much more animated, however. ¡°It would be an excellent draw for the Gym and highlight the work that we¡¯re doing!¡± Bianca coughed. ¡°That we researchers are doing!¡± Stephen corrected. Bianca coughed again. ¡°That Bianca is doing,¡± Stephen said. Bianca beamed happily. I chuckled at their antics, but otherwise looked around the room and found general support otherwise. When I got to Georgina, she looked like she was bouncing some figures around. ¡°It would be a good idea to limit the number of spots¡­ But that could also be a prestigious challenge; we should charge more for it as some people might try to exploit it by knowing precisely which pokemon can be used instead of the wider stable.¡± I raised a finger. ¡°That¡­ is a lot of good points to consider, actually.¡± I checked with the others and found thoughtful faces but no one with anything more to say. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up as a point on our internal systems and have it up on the wall for people to write any comments they come across.¡± Rachel leaned to the side. ¡°Use the pokenet! It¡¯s the future! Go digital!¡± she said, pointedly looking at Dennis as she said this. He sniffed. ¡°Putting it up on the corkboard means everyone will look at it!¡± Rachel groaned and mumbled something about an old man, which made him huff in mock indignation. I snorted at their banter and waved my hand to indicate that I was moving on. ¡°I have a note here about¡­ the Pokemon Technical Academy. What is this about?¡± I asked, looking around. A giggle ripped through Georgina and Alexa, with Alexa taking a moment of fake coughing to regather herself. ¡°The Pokemon Technical Academy called back, and they want you to do a lecture. Along with blocking out some of the slots next month for their students to challenge the Gym as part of their assessments like you did in previous years.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said, tilting my head. ¡°Don¡¯t they usually organise that earlier in the year? Did the surge push them back?¡± Alexa had a very smug look on her face. ¡°I believe the issue was that I called them at the time to inform them of how busy you had become.¡± I and a number of others blinked slowly, expecting him to say more. When nothing more came, I tilted my head further. Rachel was the first to understand what Alexa was saying. ¡°Oh they didn¡¯t!¡± said Rachel. Yolanda and Greta all nodded knowingly. Crystal, who looked lost, hurriedly copied them, only for her mother, Georgina, to lean over and whisper something. ¡°Those pricks!¡± said Crystal, at whatever she¡¯d been told, earning her mother¡¯s ire and a pinched cheek. I raised a hand. ¡°And may the rest of the class know what the issue is?¡± I said like I was the teacher with a group of whispering schoolgirls. Alexa coughed and smiled. ¡°They thought they were being snubbed because I was the person to reach out to them to tell them about the issue.¡± I tilted my head as the girls in the room hissed in solidarity. I frowned. ¡°What was the issue with that exactly?¡± ¡°That I reached out, a mere personal assistant, instead of you,¡± Alexa said, spelling it out for me. ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± I toyed with the idea of pushing back the applicants, but at this point, it would put the students out more, some of whom would be trying to test out for the circuit at the end of the year. ¡°When are they booked in? I might have a word with the Principal about it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t; I have an idea how to handle it,¡± Alexa said with a smile that promised the man would be embarrassed, and she was looking forward to it. I decided to nod and accept it. Salvadore raised his hand. ¡°How do the Pokemon Technical Academy tests match up to earning a badge? I thought they didn¡¯t need to do that?¡± ¡°Ah, that is a common misconception. They have a longer period of studying, but they still challenge at some Gyms. We merely have to test them at higher levels as a sort of validation process for the Academy,¡± I said, waving my hand back and forth slightly. ¡°The matches are more for the Academy if anything, despite being a valuable experience for the students by giving them practical experience. The Academy doesn¡¯t need to do it every year, but they like to hold themselves above the standards set by the Pokemon League. They won¡¯t be able to claim that, however, if they don¡¯t set up these challenges. It is something written into their advertising and curriculum, which will get them in hot water if parents have to ask why they didn¡¯t organise something this year for their children.¡± ¡°League Standards? What does it determine?¡± Salvadore asked. ¡°It determines how valid the graduation from the Academy is. If a certain percentage of the students aren¡¯t able to pass a standardised test, the institute usually has to undergo a review to be recertified, and they need to have their teaching methods overhauled or intensified,¡± I said. I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t expect it to happen, honestly. Pewter Academy is a very well-established facility that¡ª¡± I eyed Alexa, ¡°¡ª usually has their heads on right with teaching students how to fight with a myriad of pokemon and situations. They do like to expound the type-advantage match up a bit too much in the early segments of their teaching, however, so expect that.¡± Crystal sat forward. ¡°Hey, Alexa? How are you going to mess with them?¡± I considered saying that wasn¡¯t something we should pursue, but I decided to hold back to hear what she had planned before I decided anything. Alexa smiled, ¡°It might cause the Principal to get a bit nervous if his¡­ less academically inclined students were scheduled first.¡± The youngest people in the room all tilted their heads in confusion but I chuckled as I understood the issue. ¡°It would create the perception among people that his academy was at risk of failure and have him sweating, no?¡± I said. Alexa nodded, and I rubbed my chin in thought. That¡­ wasn¡¯t too evil, was it? I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll allow it,¡± I said before gesturing to the next item on the cards. ¡°Alright, I have secured a match against the twenty-seventh Ace trainer, Gertrude Goody; let¡¯s run what we know about how she fights and workshop ideas. I¡¯ll be facing her on Thursday at lunchtime,¡± I said. That had everyone perking up and reading through the sheets. ¡°She¡¯s got a Gengar!¡± A.J. said straight away. ¡°And a Blastoise!¡± Then he wilted. ¡°Oh, she was a former trainer that won Oak¡¯s sponsorship.¡± ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡± Greta asked pointedly. A.J. shrugged. ¡°Just don¡¯t like that people get gifted pokemon like that.¡± ¡°I actually had to work really hard. I needed to be in the top three for my year along with attending a number of camps to demonstrate that I had the skills to care for my pokemon!¡± Greta said waspishly I hummed, wondering what that meant for Damien. Had he been a good actor who had dropped his mask when he was let out into the wider community of Kanto? Had he fallen in with a bad crowd? Or had he always been bad and hidden it with a sort of low cunning that worked well when people observing the children were too obvious in their actions while having to watch a larger group of children? Somehow, that didn¡¯t seem right to me. I didn¡¯t like to believe that he¡¯d been that way. I preferred the nurture argument when the nature vs nurture argument reared its head. ¡°¡ªthink about that?¡± said Yolanda. I blinked and realised that a number of people were standing and had been playing around with the whiteboard. Gertrude¡¯s main pokemon roster was up on the board, with counters listed off along with a number of notable moves that I could expect. The Raticate on the list had a truly extensive list attributed to it, with the only counter listed against it as ¡®Hypnotoad¡¯. I hummed. ¡°Sorry, I was lost in thought, but this looks good; I''m not sure I will commit to all of these as you can¡¯t always anticipate which pokemon will be called up. But we can estimate that fighting, grass, and water types are going to feature heavily when she comes.¡± ¡°How did you get her to accept the challenge?¡± Crystal asked. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I offered a fairly sizeable pot if she won. Thankfully, with all the fights, I¡¯m actually in the top forty these days so it isn¡¯t too big a leap; with my being thirty-seventh I¡¯m also guaranteeing television time for her.¡± I glanced at Rachel. ¡°We¡¯re advertising for it already, yes?¡± Rachel shot me a thumbs up, only for her arm to wobble to the side. ¡°Woops! Arm¡¯s still tired from that workout!¡± she said, propping it up with the other. ¡°But yes, I have the television channels running some dedicated marketing for her and reached out to her manager to use good shots of her in the promo.¡± Rachel smiled. ¡°Win or lose, she¡¯s going to get some recognition and proper screen time. So it¡¯s not a bad deal for her.¡± I nodded at that and turned my eyes to the whiteboard. Blastoise, Gengar, Raticate, Ninetales, Dugtrio, Electrode, Pidgeot, Hitmonchan, Victreebel, Starmie, Vaporeon, and Exploud. Those were her heavy hitters. ¡°The Exploud rather stands out,¡± I commented. Rachel waved her hands back and forth. ¡°Oh! I know why that is! Gertrude ran into some issues when she went to Hoenn! She didn¡¯t take her starter pokemon and she tried to start with only Hoenn pokemon, only to get robbed by Team Magma! It¡¯s all part of her history. She absolutely loathes pokemon poaching because she lost her entire pokemon team while in Hoenn!¡± Rachel rifled through some sheets and tapped on a page at the back. ¡°She lost a Swablu, Vibrava, Crawdaunt, Shuppet, Snorunt, and a Vigoroth.¡± I whistled. ¡°Oh wow, that had the makings of a very powerful team,¡± I said, causing the younger kids in our group to perk up. Greta whipped out her pokedex and started looking up the pokemon mentioned, drawing in the others to inspect her findings. ¡°She had a dragon pokemon?¡± Crystal said in shock. I snorted. ¡°She had two. Swablu evolves into Altaria, a very powerful flying-dragon type pokemon.¡± I picked up the report we¡¯d had printed off about Gertrude and gave it another look before paying the last page special attention. It was a page dedicated to the Hoenn police report regarding the theft of her pokemon. I shook my head. ¡°This girl is the cautionary tale of why you should at least keep two of your starter pokemon from your first roster and travel with people you can trust. Criminals will exploit weaknesses like this,¡± I said, tapping on the point about how she had not done either. I flipped back to the front. ¡°Impressive that she reached seventeenth despite the setback. She only has one sponsor?¡± I asked. ¡°Rough Housing, the camping supplies company,¡± Rachel said. ¡°We¡¯re going to let them put up some billboards around the edge of the gym for the match; really give them a good deal in sponsoring her.¡± Yolanda beamed at me. ¡°It¡¯s nice that you¡¯re setting her up to come off better from fighting you.¡± I huffed and waved at the whiteboard. ¡°I still have to beat her to earn the Ace points that I¡¯m after.¡± Yolanda nodded. ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t think that will be too much of an issue.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Maybe don¡¯t beat her too badly?¡± I huffed. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not count our pokemon before they hatch, yeah?¡± I waved a hand towards the whiteboard. ¡°Selene is going to be one of the pokemon I use I think, but I will make a call on the others later.¡± I glanced at the rest of the meeting minutes. ¡°Was there anything else that needed to be brought up?¡± I asked. When everyone shook their heads, I clapped my hands. ¡°Alright, the meeting is done. For those of you that still have some tasks, finish those; otherwise, enjoy your weekend.¡± I stayed around to talk with Alexa and Georgina a little as the others limped away or, in Rachel''s case, slugged her way out the door. ¡°Do you¡ª¡± I said, offering her a hand. ¡°No! I¡¯m good!¡± Rachel said as the door opened. ¡°My ride¡¯s here!¡± she said as Trixie stepped back in. ¡°Sorry! I stuck around to pick up my girlfriend,¡± said Trixie, shifting from foot to foot. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, glancing between the nervous Trixie and the smug Rachel. ¡°No problem, if you wanted, you probably could have sat in on the meeting, we weren¡¯t talking through anything too important that it needed to be only Gym trainers.¡± I waved a hand, ¡°Also Sabrina cleared you for work in the Gym so don¡¯t be a stranger if you want to hang out.¡± Trixie merely smiled. ¡°Oh I just made use of the weights room while I waited, so it was no problem!¡± Without even a hint of fatigue she scooped up Rachel and carried her away. The rainbow-coloured girl waved a hand before the door shut, and I turned back to finalise my discussion with Alexa and Georgina. I signed off on some decisions before departing myself, and on the way I passed a cluster of gym trainers who were standing around the water cooler. ¡°So good to be paid to work out!¡± said one of the men. ¡°My pokemon are looking so good lately!¡± said another. ¡°I¡¯m planning to use it to step into a corporate gig. They¡¯ll see that I was a Gym trainer at Pewter and be all over me!¡± said a young girl. I walked past them and gave them a nod. ¡°Enjoy your weekend,¡± I said, deciding to keep it simple. ¡°Thanks! You too, Boss!¡± said the first man before turning to the girl. ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re making a mistake; signing on with a company won¡¯t get you anywhere near as many perks as sticking around here will.¡± I chuckled to myself, not really sure what to make of that conversation. I decided to leave them to their chat. They were more than welcome to talk like this. It was after hours, after all. I wandered through the gym, checking in on various doors, before taking a quick walk through the medical bay. ¡°Cle!¡± said Clefairy as Chansey roughly bandaged him up. ¡°Oh, hey, Clefairy, what¡¯s going on? You got injured?¡± I said, suddenly worried that something had happened. Clefairy pouted as Chansey pointed to a sign that pointed out that idiots wouldn¡¯t be healed more than twice a day. ¡°Chan! Chan! Chan!¡± she said before tying off the bandage. ¡°He¡¯s been in here three times today?¡± I said, translating what she¡¯d said. When she nodded I turned towards Clefairy, who sheepishly looked away. ¡°You¡¯ve been supervised, right?¡± I asked. He nodded before standing and clenching his fists. ¡°Clef! Fairy! Fair!¡± he said, punching a small fist forward. I tilted my head. ¡°You¡¯ve almost got the Healing Wish combination worked out?¡± he nodded his head and stood before gathering energy about himself as if to demonstrate here and now. Chansey swatted him across the back of the head and pointed to another sign that read ¡®no pokemon moves in the medbay.¡¯ ¡°She¡¯s right Clefairy,¡± I said, as he wilted. I hummed in thought. ¡°How are your other moves looking? Moonblast?¡± Clefairy ran to a clipboard that had been sitting to the side, he grabbed a pen and scrawled on it for a moment. When he presented it to me, he did so with a proud look. I took it, looked at what was written down, and nodded seriously before handing it back to him. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯ve written down,¡± I said, waving my hand at the squiggles he¡¯d made. ¡°Fairy!¡± he said before coughing and rubbing the back of his head. Chansey huffed and slapped his pokeball into him, causing him to vanish. She popped him into a receptacle and then tapped away at the computer. It took a minute for the computer to process but it made a soft ding to signal it was finished. A moment later, his profile was displayed along with the moves he knew. ¡°Copycat, Gravity, Meteor Mash, Pound, Moonblast, Brick Break, Healing Wish, and Endure.¡± I read off the list. I whistled. ¡°That¡¯s a good list of moves to have,¡± I said as Clefairy broke out of his pokeball and shook himself. He shot Chansey an unimpressed look before smiling at me. ¡°Think you could trade out Pound for something else?¡± I asked, knowing that it would be a tough ask for him to learn any more moves. I suspected that Copycat was helping a great deal. It also offered a lot of versatility that I wouldn¡¯t mind keeping in his bag of tricks. ¡°Cle!¡± he said dutifully. ¡°Can you work with Quirrina and learn Baton Pass?¡± I asked. ¡°Fairy!¡± he said. I smiled and knelt down. ¡°Good, when you¡¯re done with that we¡¯ll spend the rest of the week working you over with Gravity and up your nutrient intake for a while¡­¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ well you¡¯ve beaten out all my expectations with regards to your training and I think, if you want to, we could evolve you.¡± I offered him a hand. ¡°That is, if you¡¯re willing?¡± He clenched his fists as his eyes sparkled. ¡°Cle!¡± he shouted at me. I grinned. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll lock in a day later this week. For now, work with Quirrinaon Gravity training and Rest, alright?¡± He nodded furiously and skipped back and forth, much to Chansey¡¯s annoyance. She made a show of clicking her tongue and pretending to read a magazine. Sadly for her it was upside down, and I could see her eyes tracking Clefairy as he hopped from side to side. ¡° You know you have a lot of potential Clefairy, ¡° I said when he settled down. ¡°Once you¡¯ve evolved I think I¡¯ll add some puzzles and other training methods for you. You have eight moves already and you might be a pokemon capable of more than that. Let¡¯s see how far we can take you. So no slacking off once you evolve, alright?¡± ¡°Clefairy!¡± he said, his eyes practically sparkling. I nodded back at him. ¡°You¡¯ve put in some hard work these last few weeks, buddy; I think it¡¯s time to start using you in Ace matches after next week.¡± I made a mental note to also take him along to the Guardian training sessions I would have in the mornings. More experience would be great for him and he¡¯d be a wonderful x-factor. Sort of like Koga owning a Charizard. I stood and nodded to Chansey. When I left, Clefairy was already trying to run out the door, ecstatic at the news. I mentally started shifting gears, contemplating my other pokemon Teddiursa would work to get a wider list of moves, and then I¡¯d also have Cranidos and Tirtouga to work on, as well as Anorith. I rolled the potential roster of pokemon I¡¯d be able to lay claim to around, and toyed with the potential training timeline for achieving said team. As I did this I ambled towards the trainer lodgings I had in the gym. When I reached the common room I wasn¡¯t surprised to find Rocko and Samuel already there, locked in an epic fight with what looked like Mariokart. ¡°No! No! You will not beat me with Bowser of all people!¡± screamed Oak as Rocko leaned back, completely at ease as he lazily thumbed the joystick on his controller. I glanced at the screen and found that it was Samuel as Mario versus Rocko as Bowser. ¡°Good versus evil?¡± I said as I sat next to them. ¡°Yuuuuuup,¡± said Rocko as his racer came up on the final straight. ¡°Evil for the win,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Not today!¡± screamed Samuel with a manic expression, as his racer gained a blue shell. It fired off, and Rocko groaned as it smashed into him, stopping him from claiming the win as instead Samuel streaked across the finish. ¡°Ha! Yes! Victory!¡± shouted Samuel Oak like a maniac. I snorted and picked up a controller, only for Rocko to grimace. ¡°Sorry, bossman, we¡¯re on something of a marathon showdown right now,¡± he said, gesturing to a board that showcased the entire racing list of the Mariokart world. It also listed off the positions they achieved and which racer they used. ¡°This seems¡­ a little extensive,¡± I said neutrally. I glanced at Sam. ¡°Does Daisy know you¡¯re here?¡± He nodded as he pointed to Rainbow Road. ¡°That one! I¡¯ll take Peach for this race!¡± he said, ignoring the question. I shrugged. He was an adult after all. I put the controller down as Rocko put his hand on his Gloom and rubbed its head, his eyes growing a little more lidded. ¡°I should demand that you play sober,¡± Sam grumbled good-naturedly. ¡°You know he plays better stoned, right?¡± I pointed out. ¡°I know! And that¡¯s the problem!¡± Sam said, as Rocko selected his racer. I watched them fight for another race, and when Rocko jumped over the edge to land ahead of Oak on the last lap to win, I stepped in to stop Sam from throwing a tantrum. ¡°I had a question for you if you don¡¯t mind,¡± I said, my tone serious. Rocko glanced at me. ¡°Should I step out for a bit?¡± he said, glancing from me to Sam. I shook my head and gestured for him to stay seated. Oak set his controller down and made it clear he was listening to what I had to say next. I shifted and rolled my thumbs a little before just biting the bullet and asking. ¡°What was Damien¡¯s story?¡± I asked, unable to repress my curiosity. Samuel sighed and sat back, lacing his own hands together. ¡°Damien, yes. That boy is an interesting case. Did you know that his situation marks one of six failures on my part with handing out traditional starters to a trainer? I¡¯d like to think those are good numbers considering that I¡¯ve given out over a hundred and fifty such starters.¡± He waved a hand. ¡°Some years I give out more than just three if I think the students are particularly skilled and at risk of missing out. Ash Ketchum was one such boy. He just barely missed out on his grades, but he scored highly in other fields, and I saw potential in him.¡± Rocko and I nodded, both of us having seen it ourselves. Ash was a quick study, able to work out tactics on the fly and adapt. I knew there was potentially even more with that on account of some time travel that may or may not be a factor. I had no idea and wouldn¡¯t ever ask. Samuel gestured into the air. ¡°Damien is the son of a young businessman who was constantly away for his work, but there were expectations placed on him. Expectations that he seemed to be achieving. He scored exceptionally well at school thanks to tutors assisting him, and he worked hard during the parts of the camps that we graded. He had a cadre of boys that were his friends, but there wasn¡¯t anything untoward.¡± Samuel stared into the distance. ¡°I think the issue came when his father was fired earlier this year. Momentum carried him over the line to achieve one of the starter pokemon¡­ His relationship with his father soured, however¡­ I won¡¯t share the details, but the father is in prison and I have tapped the same police to take care of Damien¡¯s situation. It doesn¡¯t excuse how he treated Charmander, but¡­ it does explain it. I¡¯ve interceded on his behalf, and he will most likely be sent to a rehabilitation facility to care for pokemon injured by criminal organisations.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. That¡­ was a lot more than I was expecting. I¡¯d been expecting a very different story. It would have been easier in some ways if he was just a bad kid, end of story, but that wouldn¡¯t have been the truth. ¡°Sorry if I overstepped.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± said Sam, surprising me. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re curious about cases like this rather than being judgemental.¡± ¡°...¡± I opened my mouth before shutting it. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say about that.¡± Samuel merely smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. DO try to remain curious Brock, it¡¯s a wonderful thing, curiosity.¡± He picked back up his controller, ¡°And now I shall reclaim the lead against you Rocko!¡± Samuel said, dropping the serious expression instantly and returning to being a fun-loving nerd in an instant. I snorted and stood to leave them to their gaming marathon. I made my way out to my home, where I found my family lounging around with various activities. I plopped myself down next to Tommy. ¡°What are we doing?¡± I said, and he grinned as he told me what he wanted from me. For the rest of the day, I slowly spent a bit of time with each of my siblings. When it came time for dinner I had most of them happily bouncing in their seats and looking forward to a fun evening. Flint smiled at us all, and for a moment I almost felt like things were¡­ right, in a way that they hadn¡¯t been for so long. Then Flint opened his mouth. ¡°So, I was thinking it might be nice to go camping on Mt Moon soon? I hear that you take your siblings up there all the time? If you can come along, I think we can make it a family trip all at once.¡± I paused. ¡°Ah, I won¡¯t be able to¡­¡± I paused. With my schedule easing off, I did have time¡­ Heck, it would actually work out really well with Clefairy¡¯s evolution that I was planning as well. A nice symbolism. I still frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it''s a good idea to take the kids during the week with it being a school night.¡± ¡°Nope!¡± said Suzie happily. ¡°It¡¯s not school time right now! We¡¯re on break for the next week!¡± I blinked. ¡°You are?¡± I glanced at the calendar and realised that they were right. That was weird. Usually, my break lined up with¡­ Oh right, the surge of trainers had forced me to move it earlier in the year and my week break didn¡¯t line up with the school holiday. I¡¯d¡­ forgotten then. ¡°Oh, sorry, I hadn¡¯t realised,¡± I said, feeling oddly ashamed. Suzie kicked her feet. ¡°That¡¯s okay! You¡¯re busy! We understand!¡± I chewed my lip and looked up to find that Flint was looking a bit dejected, as were some of the others, like Cindy and Billy. I licked my lips. ¡°How about we do it? Head out during the week and stay the night? I couldn¡¯t guarantee any Clefairy¡­¡± I trailed off. Actually, that was a lie, I could probably get my Clefairy to lure out some of his family to play with my siblings¡­ He might like the chance to reconnect. ¡°Well huh, I could do that as well.¡± I looked to Flint. ¡°How¡¯s Thursday or Friday sound?¡± Flint beamed at me. ¡°Sounds great son!¡± he said. I gave him a hesitant smile and ignored the weird feeling at hearing him call me son. Instead, I turned my attention to Tilly, who was trying to feed Munchlax her meal. When I spotted Yolanda giving me a megawatt smile, I rolled my eyes at her. Sabrina didn¡¯t make an appearance, but I traded messages back and forth with her before going to bed. When the bedroom filled with a flash of light, I adjusted so that she could slip into my arms and fall asleep without a word being said. Before the sun rose I once more was out training with the Guardians before making my way home to train some more with Yolanda and my pokemon. I paid special attention to Teddiursa and the little guy seemed to delight in the attention. I had my elite pokemon rest up and like they¡¯d done for the workout they¡¯d gotten to watch, they¡¯d laid down and watched the others train. It rather reminded me of people laying on divans watching gladiator matches, especially with how Bertha waved her hand about and warbled for Titan to fetch her some water and berries. She only got a flat, unimpressed look before he turned away, ignoring her antics. Sanchez decided to join her game and took up fanning her with a Lilleep until I caught him at it and had him release the grass type. In the meantime, Quirrina worked with Clefairy, who I¡¯d need to think up a name for fairly soon. After breakfast, I strode into my Gym feeling good about the week. I had a plan and was making serious strides in improving myself and my pokemon. Most of the big names had come through the Gym, and things were starting to wrap up while my own personal goals were being reached. I accepted the schedule from Alexa and saw a list of names and challenges listed off, only to stop as I realised I wasn¡¯t done with interesting people. There was a big name here that I recognised. ¡°Ritchie from Frodomar City, huh?¡± I said out loud. This would be another of Ash¡¯s future rivals making an appearance. I tilted my head. This was the kid that had a Pikachu, a Charmeleon, a Butterfree¡­ what else did the kid have? I felt like there was something else that made this kid interesting, specifically to me. Why was that? What made this kid interesting? ¡°Oh! This trainer has also requested some time with you this afternoon. They¡¯ve even paid for one of their pokemon!¡± said Alexa, having noticed my attention on Ritchie¡¯s name. ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s rare for a trainer to pay the fee for time with me. What pokemon?¡± ¡°A Larvitar!¡± Alexa said. I stopped. Oh damn, that was right. Ritchie had a Pupitar in the series, didn¡¯t he? ¡°Tell Yolanda to sit in on this tutoring session; she might have some good pointers to add, and she might enjoy meeting another Larvitar trainer.¡± I tapped Ritchie¡¯s name once again. Well, that certainly made today much more interesting. Chapter 156 - Ritchies challenge The morning, as had become the case with the later starts, was over rather quickly. I had enough gaps in my schedule to go out to the front of the gym and talk with some local young trainers using the courts. I ambled over to observe the kids, more than a little amused that I could do something like this. I was really starting to feel the drop off in the surge. The kids had been having a rather spirited battle which I got to watch. I could practically see a web of friendly rivalries forming from these fights while others improved their skills. I¡¯d used to be able to do this anytime throughout the year but with the surge, I hadn¡¯t been game to tempt trainers. After all, the mere number of trainers would have all but guaranteed that they¡¯d be throwing challenges at me left and right. It felt nice to be able to get out and about. I might even go for a walk into Pewter next time this happened! I stayed around the gym today, however, and instead offered some advice to the trainers, pointing out some useful tactics to look up to trial with the Kakuna and Nidorino they had. I set them up with a free training course with some target practice for their pokemon and then ambled back into the gym in rather high spirits. Bethany, our elderly receptionist, adjusted her glasses and smirked as I approached the front desk. ¡°Hello young man, would you like to book a challenge with our Gym Leader? A strapping young fellow like you might even do alright for yourself.¡± I paused, having been about to walk around the side. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re playing with me or you can¡¯t tell it¡¯s me,¡± I said, uncertain of her visual acuity. Bethany grinned and took her glasses off only to lift up another, even more powerful, set of glasses. ¡°Oh! Look at that! Hello there! I didn¡¯t see you!¡± she said with a large smile before swapping her glasses back out. Next to her, the other receptionist giggled at our by-play. I shot the girl a smile, and then a wink to Bethany. If memory served, this girl had been extremely shy during her interview. I stood around and talked with them to see how things were until my transceiver went off. I¡¯d been able to talk with the newest receptionist rather easily and could only conclude that Bethany had been good for the girl. That, or she¡¯d gotten used to talking up with all the trainers she¡¯d had to face in the last few months and demanding fights with me. I sauntered on through the back and into the training area. ¡°We¡¯re all set up?¡± I said as I accepted a tray with four pokeballs. I checked them over and saw that they were the pokemon I¡¯d asked for and each seemed to be in good health. ¡°Yeah, the kid that¡¯s coming in seems pretty wimpy. Who challenges at the third tier at this stage of the circuit?¡± said A.J. ¡°At least he has signed up for the gauntlet so I get a chance to fight him.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± said Rocko as he sauntered up and looked over Ritchie¡¯s profile that we had access to. ¡°Seems like he¡¯s starting late, says here he had a medical issue that delayed his start. He only started a month ago.¡± I bobbed my head from side to side before deciding to weigh in with my own thoughts. ¡°He¡¯s another trainer that I think I¡¯ll be keeping an eye out for.¡± ¡°Ho? That¡¯s what¡­ ten trainers that you¡¯re keeping your eye on so far?¡± Rocko said. I waggled my hand back and forth, ¡°Thereabouts, there are a few that I think will go the distance, so far my bet''s on Brawly to win this year,¡± I said. A.J. glowered at the entrance. ¡°Well he better turn up today cause I¡¯m gonna test him!¡± he said firmly. I snorted. ¡°Just don¡¯t go too crazy! Keep it to the third tier only!¡± I called at his back as he marched down the stairs to the podium on the field. I worked my tongue over my teeth. ¡°Think he¡¯s gonna stick to the third-tier level?¡± Rocko snorted. ¡°Not a chance! This Ritchie kid better be ready for a fight!¡± I frowned. Hmmmm if A.J. is getting antsy I might need to schedule in some time to take him around to the various other gyms such as Cerulean, Sophia or even¡­ I tapped my fingers on the railing in thought. That would be a good excuse to go poking around in Neon City now, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°Talk to Greta and ask if she¡¯d be interested in fighting Grey, the Neon City Gym Leader for a match, she¡¯d need to have some strategies for a steel-type gym.¡± ¡°Afraid she¡¯ll take it as an order if it comes from you?¡± Rocko said. I nodded. ¡°Yup!¡± I said, popping the P. I shifted my focus to the entrance as the lights dimmed to draw attention towards it. Rachel sauntered out and waved happily before waving a hand behind her. ¡°And now the young gentleman from Frodomar City! Please give it up for Ritchie!¡± said Rachel, as she introduced the future rival of Ash. The kid walked out and I had to chuckle at the Pikachu that was riding his shoulder. It had a tuft of hair sticking out. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d have thought he was merely a budget Ash. If anything, he was a mirror with his colour choices¡ªnot that he knew Ash just yet, I assumed. ¡°And facing him¡­ oh damn. Sorry kid, fight well! It¡¯s our newest, and angriest, trainer! A.J.!¡± said Rachel, drawing some laughter from the people in the crowd while A.J. shot Rachel a scowl. ¡°She still hasn¡¯t forgiven him for needing to be carried into the meeting?¡± I asked Rocko. ¡°Yup!¡± he said, mimicking my pop. Then he sniggered, ¡°Which is hilarious cause I don¡¯t think he has any thoughts like that in his head right now. He¡¯s so one track it¡¯s hilarious.¡± He mimed flexing. ¡°Get strong! Strong good! Work hard to get strong! Tired now, sleep!¡± he said with a fake-sounding macho tone. I shook my head and hid my smile. Rocko just grinned at me. ¡°Go Zippo!¡± shouted Ritchie, sending out a Charmander that growled fiercely at the Rhyhorn that A.J. had sent out. Both pokemon locked eyes and Zippo growled, but with it being tiny, all it achieved was making itself look cute. ¡°Fire types are a poor choice against rock-ground type pokemon, kid!¡± ¡°I¡¯m the same age as you though?¡± Ritchie pointed out with a tilt of his head. I had a momentary burst of deja vu as I imagined Ash copying that exact same pose. ¡°Feh! That¡¯s not the point! You¡¯re obviously underestimating this challenge!¡± A.J. said heatedly. Next to me, Rocko rubbed his chin. ¡°That kid is a natural heel for this. The crowd is getting pretty invested with this banter.¡± I chuckled as the referee for today¡¯s match raised the flags and called the two boys to order. ¡°Zippo, like we practised, Smokescreen around yourself!¡± he shouted. Zippo answered with a gout of black smoke being disgorged from his mouth to create a dense smoke that hid Zippo. ¡°Rock Blast!¡± A.J. ordered causing his Rhyhorn to fire off a burst of rocks into the smoke only for all of the attacks to whiff, as Zippo didn¡¯t cry out. A.J. narrowed his eyes, ¡°Just going to hide in the smoke eh?¡± Ritchie shrugged but kept his mouth shut. ¡°Dig!¡± ordered A.J.. He got a nod from me, at the third-tier Rhyhorn wouldn¡¯t know Earthquake as that was starting to be what a fourth-tier pokemon was expected to bring to the table. Dig, with the inbuilt tremor sense that allowed a pokemon to know where to attack, would work rather well for him. ¡°Dragon Dance!¡± said Ritchie with a flame brightening and beginning to twirl and shift like a will-o-the-wisp in the smoke as Zippo danced back and forth. A few tense moments passed before Ritchie shot his hand out. ¡°Leap up high! Now!¡± he said. Zippo leapt out of the smokescreen in time for Rhyhorn to leap after it. I whistled. Ritchie had timed that well. Both pokemon glowered at each other as they gained sight of the other outside of the smoke. As they fell Zippo raised both claws and they glinted with silver energy. ¡°Ha,¡± I said, as I saw the plan unfold with Zippo landing hard on Rhyhorn''s face before he savagely slashed down with Metal Claw. A.J. was forced to withdraw his pokemon as it was soundly knocked out. A.J. shot me a plaintive look. Usually, we didn¡¯t push for a second pokemon for the first challenge at the third tier, but he looked so desperate to keep fighting. I sighed and nodded. A.J. whipped his head back around, beaming as if his birthday had come early. ¡°You might have won the first round, but I¡¯ve got your number now!¡± said A.J. as he whipped out a Geodude. ¡°Geodude Defence Curl!¡± A.J. said. Geodude curled up tightly as the smoke started to fade, allowing everyone to see what was going on with Zippo. ¡°Dragon Dance!¡± Ritchie said. His pokemon hopped from side to side with a wide grin. ¡°Roll Out hard jag!¡± A.J. said, causing Geodude to shoot to the side and behind a boulder that was on the field. ¡°Rock Smash!¡± A.J. ordered. Geodude whipped its arms around and sent the rock blasting towards Zippo who had to dart behind a boulder of his own. ¡°Smoke Screen again!¡± Ritchie ordered. ¡°Rock Throw up into the air!¡± A.J. barked ¡°Arc them high!¡± he said, causing a murmur of confusion to go through the crowd. Ritchie twitched, revealing that he really didn¡¯t like that order. ¡°Zippo close!¡± ¡°Ha! Got through your tactics!¡± A.J. said proudly as Zippo rushed forward only to face a barrage of rocks being hurled straight at him now. He darted from side to side, making the most of the earlier Dragon Dances to avoid Geodude¡¯s attacks. ¡°Metal Claw!¡± Ritchie ordered as Zippo closed. ¡°Dig dip!¡± A.J. said, copying a command of mine. I was amused when Geodude bobbed into the ground in a small tunnel only to pop back up slightly to the side. ¡°Dragonsbreath!¡± ordered Ritchie, surprising us all as Zippo exhaled a gout of blue flame to knock Geodude back. Geodude must have been surprised with how it was being rather badly hurt by fire, something that it usually disdained. It shook itself, revealing that it must have been a rather young Geodude with how it reacted. Which¡­ probably spoke more of A.J. as a trainer. ¡°Did A.J. personally train that Geodude? It had some quick reactions and the specialised commands aren¡¯t something I use at that level.¡± I said thoughtfully. Rocko tilted his head. ¡°Not too sure on that one bossman, but I think you might be right. Kid has done well¡­ both of them that is.¡± We watched as Geodude regathered itself at A.J.¡¯s urging, only to have a Metal Claw knock it out of the fight. The match was called and A.J. returned his pokemon. I noticed he whispered some encouragement before nodding at Ritchie and marching back up the stairs with a glower. I waved him over as Rachel introduced Rocko. ¡°You did good, you worked out his trick with the smokescreen I take it?¡± ¡°Yeah, he has his Charmander lay down so you can¡¯t hit it at all if you go for normal straightforward attacks.¡± A.J. perked up and made a swooping gesture with his arm, ¡°But by arcing my fire up and down into the smoke it was guaranteed to hit.¡± ¡°He might have also had his pokemon putting its ear to the ground which is how it knew when to jump. If you play back the video you¡¯ll see that a small flame starts to flare up before Ritchie gives the command. It looked like Ritchie gave the order of when to jump, but it was Zippo giving him the information in truth.¡± A.J. rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ not bad, shame I didn¡¯t get to fight him at a higher level.¡± ¡°So challenge him with your own pokemon,¡± I said. I waved my hand. ¡°I think he gave himself a very fair assessment of his own skills so far. He has some counters and has used them but I know he wouldn¡¯t have handled an Earthquake with that smokescreen trick.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hmmmm, so you don¡¯t mind if I fight him afterwards?¡± ¡°Maybe not directly after his match but throw out the challenge for a friendly match. I think you¡¯d both be good in that you¡¯d sharpen each other, just leave the taunts for the gym matches, yeah?¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°Sorry! Rachel suggested I do that¡­¡± he said, earning another huff of repressed laughter from me. ¡°I¡¯ll have a word with her,¡± I said, knowing the likely cause of her giving that ¡®advice¡¯. ¡°Maybe hold back in training with Trixie so that you can walk by the end of it?¡± A.J. squinted at me and for a moment I had to wonder if he was mocking me, then he turned his attention towards Rachel. ¡°Is this a girl thing?¡± he said, causing me to facepalm. ¡°No it¡¯s not¡­ but it has something to do with girls so just... stop needing to be carried by Trixie. Rachel is getting jealous.¡± I said, in what I felt was more an attempt to explain things rather than an actual explanation to A.J. ¡°They¡¯re dating?¡± he said, squinting at Rachel. ¡°Rachel must enjoy being carried around.¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Ask Bianca about this. Why don¡¯t you go get your pokemon team so you can challenge Ritchie when he¡¯s done.¡± That had A.J. perking up. He rushed away and left me alone with a feeling like I¡¯d dodged a very awkward conversation with the kid. He had some serious gaps in knowledge that showed up now and then. Maybe I could force Flint to talk with him, and handle any awkward conversations in future. ¡°Pfft!¡± said Missy from behind me. I turned and gave her a look only to realise that she was easily close enough to have heard everything that we¡¯d just said. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± she quickly lost control of herself and had to wipe at her eyes. ¡°Oh gosh! I¡¯m so telling the girls about this!¡± she said, trotting off to no doubt do that as well. I raised a hand before dropping it. Yeah¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to be able to stop that from being gossiped around. I toggled the radio. ¡°Rachel, we need to talk about A.J. after Ritchie¡¯s match,¡± I said. ¡°Oh? Sure thing! You ready for your introduction?¡± she said. I blinked and looked to the battlefield to find that Ritchie had kept Zippo out and used him aggressively to flatten Rocko¡¯s pokemon to win the match. They were shaking hands in reconciliation now. ¡°Oh damn, I missed all of their match,¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°Rocko used Onix and Ritchie went on the attack,¡± Rachel started to summarise, ¡°He got very aggressive with how he attacked. Rocko used Sandstorm and then went for Dragonsbreath against it, Zippo was able to close and take down Onix. It took a fair bit of damage with Sandstorm and Dragonsbreath. Rocko sent out Lairon then but it got fairly wiped out with Zippo unleashing a pretty strong Flamethrower.¡± ¡°Hmmmm so he knows to go for the win and push his advantage?¡± I asked. I tapped one of the pokeballs I had, I was much more confident in my choice of pokemon now. ¡°Take a while with the introduction. Ham it up, don¡¯t let him use the boosts he¡¯s already had with his charmander.¡± ¡°Ice him?¡± she said. ¡°Yup,¡± I replied. Rachel made a show of toying with her radio set. She smiled at the crowd. ¡°Apologies everyone! We''re experiencing some technical difficulties! Please use this time to have a small bathroom break or grab a snack if you¡¯d like!¡± She said causing a number of people to sit up and do just that. Ritchie looked a little surprised and unsure of himself. I toggled the radio for Rocko. ¡°Chat with him Rocko, I want to see how he reacts when his flow is stalled out or interrupted,¡± I said as I eyed the Charmander that Zippo was slowly spraying a potion over. He must have kept it out to make the most of the earlier Dragon Dances he¡¯d gotten off with A.J., that was another tick with Ritchie demonstrating a key knowledge of how moves worked in niche settings. ¡°You¡¯re icing him boss?¡± replied Rocko as he paused in his walk out of the arena to glance back at Ritchie. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not the nicest thing but I think he needs it,¡± I said as I moved out of sight. On paper, a straightforward match of Charmander versus Geodude or Onix was a terrible idea, but Ritchie had done his homework. He had a pokemon with a good list of utility, attack, and traditional moves, but I wanted to see some depth from him. I waited out of sight for the next five minutes with an eye on Ritchie. After the first few minutes, he started to get a nervous twitch that saw him looking up in my direction to see if I was going to come down. When he noticed that the flame on Zippo¡¯s tail wasn¡¯t burning as brightly he slumped slightly. While we waited, I toggled a private line to Rachel¡¯s radio and discussed how she needed to stop messing with A.J. for being a dumb kid. A kid that literally had no idea what a sex drive was, let alone being aware of annoying someone¡¯s partner. She¡¯d coughed sheepishly at that and rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Sorry boss!¡± she said. ¡°Just, make sure you don¡¯t let it happen again; maybe apologise and explain to A.J. why it bugged you as well? Kid¡¯s not malicious, he just has weird ideas that make him rough to get along with,¡± I said. ¡°Now, this has been caught before anything came of it¡­ beyond some office gossip, but let¡¯s not let this happen again,¡± I said. ¡°Thanks, and sorry boss!¡± Rachel said sheepishly. She sat and squirmed a little before frowning. ¡°What do you mean office gossip?¡± ¡°Oh, Missy overheard me talking with A.J.. She understands how dense he is and how you¡¯ve been fighting back.¡± ¡°Uhhhhhhhh!¡± she said into her hands as she curled up. ¡°The girls aren¡¯t going to let me live this down.¡± I considered pointing out she¡¯d brought this on herself before deciding I didn¡¯t need to say anything more. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± A few minutes later, I toggled the radio again to draw Rachel out of her funk. To her credit, she straightened up right away and adopted a megawatt smile as she turned to the crowd. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have you make your way back to your seats? The technical issue has been resolved and we will be resuming our schedule soon!¡± she said, without giving anything away. I straightened up and marched to the edge of the stairs allowing myself to be seen so that It was clear that things were about to resume. The crowd trickled back in, a good number of them had drinks and food from nearby food vendors that had taken up some land outside the gym to sell to trainers. I didn¡¯t expect those vendors would have the same profits for long with the trainer surge being over. They would make a tidy profit for people who attended as spectators coming out for food, so perhaps they¡¯d stick around? I wasn¡¯t too worried about it, either way. That wasn¡¯t what we were here for. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for bearing with us as we resolved the issue! I hope you had a good break because we¡¯re going into the big match of the day now with our Challenger facing the hometown hero and our local Gym Leader! Please! Give a loud and proud welcome to your man mountain! Here he is! BROCK!¡± she shouted. The Stomp stomp clap rang through the gym, and I had to bite my lip to stifle a snicker as I saw a lot of people in the crowd accidentally knock over their food and drink, causing a very disrupted welcome for me. It still worked to have Ritchie swallow in worry as I launched out over the gap between the edge of the stands and the podium. As I rose from the heroic landing, I enlarged a pokeball. ¡°I apologise for the wait, are you ready?¡± Ritchie straightened his spine and nodded firmly. ¡°Yes!¡± he shouted before sweeping his hand forward. ¡°Let¡¯s keep up the tempo, Zippo!¡± I nodded and tossed out my own first choice. ¡°Go Corsola!¡± I said, causing Ritchie to stumble in surprise. ¡°Corsola?¡± he said, staring at my fish. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t use that very often do you?¡± I shook my head and made a gesture for him to start us off. Ritchie swallowed before clicking his teeth and leaning forward. It looked like he was committing. ¡°Let¡¯s go Zippo! Dragon Dance!¡± ¡°Bubblebeam!¡± I said. Corsola inhaled and then exhaled a huge wave of bubbles that shot forth while also expanding out in a large swathe of the battlefield. ¡°Dig!¡± ordered Ritchie. I hummed and considered my options somewhat lazily. ¡°Aqua Ring,¡± I said, causing a ring of water to wrap around Corsola. ¡°Go into Surf,¡± I said as a follow-up, knowing that Corsola would have more than enough time to pull off before it could be threatened by Dig. I was proven right as Corsola hopped back right as a silvery claw swiped at his underbelly, only to miss. Corsola smirked as he landed in the rising water and Zippo had a moment to poke his head out of the ground only to pale as the wave swept over him. When the Surf ended I wasn¡¯t surprised to find that Zippo was knocked out. Ritchie returned him with a sigh before eying my Corsola. ¡°Rock-water hey?¡± He tapped the Pikachu on his shoulder. ¡°Sparky this is all yours then!¡± ¡°Pika!¡± said the little Pikachu with the tuft of hair that stuck out. It landed and locked eyes with Corsola. I nodded, this was a much better set-up for him, it also sounded like he wasn¡¯t caught up in the common misconception that Rock types were immune to Electric-type moves. ¡°Thunderbolt!¡± Ritchie said to start things off. Sparky lit up with electricity and unleashed a huge bolt of lightning at Corsola. ¡°Power Gem!¡± I replied firing off a counter to the attack only for it to wither in the face of the powerful electric attack. Thunderbolt struck and I leaned forward, hoping against hope that Corsola would have withstood the attack. Sadly, that wasn¡¯t the case as Corsola tilted to the side. I hummed. I¡¯d need to work with Corsola for some more options, to avoid that fate going forward. I raised his pokeball and returned him while giving Ritchie a nod. ¡°Good to see you have some insight into these matchups.¡± ¡°Rock-water means that electric-type moves are super effective, right?¡± Ritchie said with a tug on his cap. I smiled back before whipping out my next pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go Izumi!¡± I said causing Ritchie to tense up. I tilted my head. ¡°Ho? You recognise her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read a lot of forums about her and making sure you don¡¯t underestimate her!¡± he said. Izumi perked up at that and did a little happy dance which drew a smattering of laughter from the crowd. I smirked. ¡°They¡¯d be right. Izumi! Rock Throw, put some pressure on!¡± ¡°Agility!¡± Ritchie barked. Sparky leapt into a sprint that saw him avoiding the attacks. With a zig-zag pattern that saw Sparky closing in I knew what to expect and Ritchie didn¡¯t disappoint. ¡°Iron Tail!¡± he shouted as Ritchie closed. ¡°Defence out!¡± I shouted with a laugh. Izumi didn¡¯t disappoint as she recalled the niche move, but cartwheeling out of danger instead of rolling backwards. ¡°Eh!?¡± Ritchie said. ¡°Oh damn!¡± he said as Izumi spun about. ¡°Bulldoze,¡± I said sternly. Izumi threw herself straight into Sparky and hurled the Pikachu back. Sparky skipped across the ground and rolled before slamming into a boulder. Sparky shook himself off and stood, earning a nod of respect from Izumi as she pumped her fists back and forth. Ritchie chewed his lip and considered the field. I could practically see him weighing up his options at a furious pace. ¡°Quick Attack! Sprint to the boulders!¡± he said, causing Sparky to blur away from the boulder. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I said, deciding to keep up some pressure. I suspected that Sparky wouldn¡¯t have much left in the tank from that last hit. ¡°Agility again!¡± Ritchie said once his pokemon was out of danger. ¡°Bulldoze!¡± I said. Izumi tucked herself up and surged forward to slam into the boulder, breaking it apart, but before she could nail Sparky he leapt to the side. ¡°Iron Tail!¡± Ritchie cried out with glee as his pokemon came in from the side at pace. Izumi took the hit like a pro, rolling back with a cry of pain. She glanced at me but I kept my focus on Sparky, signalling that I wanted her to keep fighting. She kipped up and pumped her arms. ¡°Rock Polish,¡± I said. She nodded and a sheen ran over her body, resulting in her speed picking up. That forced Ritchie to pause, as he realised he wouldn¡¯t get a onesided trade of blows as long as I kept Izumi close enough to handle Sparky. ¡°Sparky¡­ return,¡± he said tightly. I smiled, happy to see him making a change. ¡°Rock Polish,¡± I said as I made the most of the switch out, to make sure Ritchie didn¡¯t fall into poor habits. ¡°Go¡­ Cruise!¡± said Ritchie as he whipped out a pokeball. It disgorged a very familiar shape with a Larvitar taking to the field. Izumi blinked in shock and I whistled. Now this was a match-up I hadn¡¯t been expecting. ¡°You¡¯re a brave kid to send out a Larvitar against me. I hope you can back up that challenge,¡± I said. Ritchie nodded sternly. ¡°I plan to! Cruise! Use Earthquake!¡± he said, causing me to blink. Larvitar should have evolved before getting strong enough to learn that naturally. ¡°Leap!¡± I said to Izumi, making her punch the ground to avoid the danger. This left her hanging in the air and in prime position for Ritchie¡¯s follow-up. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± he shouted. I could only stare as Larvitar raised up a sizeable chunk of rock before hurling it straight at Izumi, knocking her out of the air. She landed and looked slightly dazed. I shot her a discreet signal and she stayed down but otherwise stared at the anomaly that was Cruise. ¡°That Larvitar¡­ it has every indicator of being strong enough to have evolved already, but it hasn¡¯t yet?¡± Ritchie perked up. ¡°Oh wow! You can tell that from just two moves? I knew you were the right person to come talk to about him!¡± I nodded slowly. I could see what the issue was. He hadn¡¯t been able to get his pokemon to evolve, despite all the indicators showing that he should have been able to. ¡°Yeah, I think we¡¯re going to be talking after this,¡± I said before enlarging my last pokemon. I eyed the Larvitar, knowing that this pokemon was another bad matchup. ¡°Go Slugma,¡± I said. Ritchie smiled, and as I expected, went for the easiest move to end the fight. ¡°Earthquake!¡± I chuckled, this time I wasn¡¯t able to make Slugma jump, and the super-effective move ended the match with a rumble. I chuckled as I withdrew Slugma. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ve seen enough. I wanted depth, I wasn¡¯t expecting a secret ace like that from you Ritchie,¡± I said. Ritchie grinned and beamed as I opened a box that was offered to me by the referee. ¡°Ritchie from Frodomar City? I hereby recognise you as having earned the Boulder Badge.¡± ¡°Yes! I got a Boulder badge!¡± he shouted while holding the badge aloft. He then surprised me by pulling out his badge case and popping it open. I noted that he had the Soul Badge, and the Cascade Badge. ¡°You¡¯ve fought Janine?¡± I asked. ¡°Janine? Oh right, she¡¯s fighting the trainers that challenge Fuchsia right now isn¡¯t she? No, I fought with Koga first, but did so while I was¡­ sort of ill. He wasn¡¯t pleased with me despite winning. He ended up demanding I stay in his Gym.¡± Ritchie rubbed the back of his head and I had a momentary feeling of deja vu. It was like I was looking at Ash apologising for attempting poaching pokemon from me. ¡°I met Janine and learnt a lot from spending a while with them but with my late start, I ended up running into a lot of other people as they were coming down from Cerulean into Saffron and Celadon. So I have done things sort of in reverse but¡­ I think it has worked out for me? We¡¯ve had a tough time of it with the people we¡¯ve been fighting but we¡¯re getting stronger!¡± he said, punching his fist forward. Both Sparky and Cruise copied him, and I chuckled. I then looked over at Cruise with a serious eye. ¡°So, I¡¯m assuming your issue is that your Larivatar hasn¡¯t yet evolved despite having all the indicators that he should have?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ritchie said and I waved him to follow me. ¡°Alright, I have some experience with pokemon like this. Let¡¯s go talk with the experts however.¡± ¡°Experts? Oh that¡¯s right you have some researchers at your gym don¡¯t you?¡± Ritchie said thoughtfully. I chuckled as Yolanda joined us, Terra wiggled out of her grip and approached Cruise with a cheerful hello. Cruise nodded back and I noted the difference. With Terra, a baby pokemon that was almost out of the early growth phase, it was obvious that Cruise really was ready to evolve. His body was thicker, and he was taller. ¡°Ritchie, I¡¯d like you to meet my sister and fellow Larvitar appreciator, Yolanda. Yolanda, meet Ritchie.¡± ¡°Hi!¡± she said. ¡°Nice work with your fight!¡± she said, causing Ritchie to grin at her. I led Ritchie to the back of the reserve and smiled as he gawked at all the pokemon on display. ¡°Oh wow!¡± he said before whipping out a rather older-looking Pokedex to document the various pokemon. I smirked before whistling loudly. A roar in response let me know I¡¯d been heard. I turned to Ritchie. ¡°You asked about the experts I have? How about a Tyranitar?¡± ¡°Oh wow!¡± said Ritchie as Titan walked up only to gasp as Empress walked behind him. ¡°TWO TYRANITAR!?¡± I chuckled. ¡°I did say experts, didn¡¯t I?¡± I said. I waved them over, more than happy to spend my lunch break with them talking about Cruise. I planned to make this a very educational session for Yolanda, which I knew Ritchie would benefit from. With this, I could hit a whole host of flying types with this metaphorical rock. Chapter 157 - Cruise on up! Titan and Empress leaned down to inspect the new Larvitar. Cruise stood ramrod straight as his much larger, much more powerful, final evolutions sniffed at him. ¡°Tar?¡± asked Empress, lowering her head so that she was level with him¡­ or at least her fangs were. ¡°La!¡± he squeaked out, causing the older pokemon to sniff dismissively and snort. Cruise curled into himself, and Ritchie was instantly at his side. ¡°Hey buddy, are you alright?¡± He rounded on Empress, ¡°Don¡¯t you tease him because he¡¯s weaker than you! He¡¯ll be just as strong. No! He¡¯ll be stronger one day!¡± Ritchie said to Empress. Empress raised a scaly eyebrow of disbelief at that and snorted before huffing in Titan¡¯s direction. Titan straightened up and rumbled something back to her before waving a claw between Ritchie and Cruise. Empress gave another heavy snort, and Cruise looked incensed. I rubbed my chin, trying to piece together what was happening. Yolanda nudged me, ¡°Can I get a translation?¡± ¡°Hmmm, something Cruise said initially had Empress being dismissive or¡­ judgemental¡­¡± I looked to Titan, who nodded. I continued to slowly work through it. ¡°She asked him why he hadn¡¯t evolved yet?¡± Titan nodded again. ¡°And he said something¡­ something she found ridiculous?¡± I said, now eyeing Cruise. ¡°So he knows he can evolve soon, but is holding off on doing it purposefully?¡± I said. This made Ritchie perk up. ¡°Huh? Is that true Cruise? You don¡¯t want to evolve?¡± He knelt down. ¡°I didn¡¯t know! I thou¡ª¡± Cruise shook his head back and forth, and I tilted my head. ¡°Okay this is a mystery, he wants to evolve¡­ but not right now?¡± Cruise nodded. I snapped my fingers. ¡°Are you worried about being a Pupitar? They have a lot of difficulty in the wild due to their restrained linear mobility.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ritchie said, pulling out his Pokedex and cycling through to the entry on Pupitar. ¡°They possess pods that release jets of gas that propel them in straight lines¡­ Oh, that isn¡¯t a problem. I can come up with strategies for us Cruise! Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± I hummed, interested that Ritchie had a pokedex, even if it was an older-looking model. Cruise looked away and I decided to weigh in. ¡°It might be an instinctual issue. Most Larvitar will make sure the area is safe as possible or link up with another Larvitar first before they evolve. Being a Pupitar is one of the most critical periods of their evolutionary line with how difficult gathering food, resources, or fending off predators can become.¡± Ritchie put a hand on Cruise¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And he won¡¯t have to worry about that with me and the team to back him up! Isn¡¯t that right Sparky?¡± ¡°Pi-pikachu!¡± said the little mouse with a thumbs up. Cruise gave them a hesitant smile before shifting back and forth. ¡°... lar, vi, lar, tar, larvitar.¡± ¡°Ty?¡± said Titan with a tilt of his head. Cruise turned and addressed Titan, with them talking back and forth. Yolanda expectantly looked at me while Ritchie raised his face in thought, trying to follow along himself. I coughed. ¡°The issue is not something instinctual. He feels that he is well looked after on the team, and he likes being on Ritchie¡¯s team. Titan is trying to rule out other issues, such as the timing of upcoming matches and not having access to faster growth with moves, which Cruise is denying.¡± Titan and Cruise continued their back and forth, and I continued to try and translate. ¡°Titan isn¡¯t sure what the issue is but knows that there must be one as something is holding Cruise back. Cruise wants to evolve; he knows he can, but isn¡¯t right at this moment.¡± Titan looked at me and shrugged, while Cruise looked away, not meeting Ritchie¡¯s gaze. I rubbed my chin. I considered what I¡¯d learned so far and decided I needed to probe deeper. ¡°Ritchie¡­ how did you get Cruise?¡± Ritchie perked up. ¡°Oh! I found him when I started my journey from Frodomar! I had Sparky and Zippo by that point, and both of them were training, and Zippo was getting frustrated cause Sparky was doing so much better! Zippo ran off into the woods and apparently made a friend with Cruise. I found them and discussed with Zippo that Sparky had been training for a lot longer, which helped him out. Zippo then mentioned feeling a lot better but he said it wasn¡¯t just due to me. He introduced us and I stuck it out knowing that Cruise would be an amazing addition to my pokemon team.¡± Ritchie put his hands on his hips. ¡°And I was right! Cruise has been making great strides with his training!¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said, blinking and slowly processing what I had just heard. Ritchie had just unleashed a deluge on me. It took me a while, but I slowly began to get an idea of what might be the issue. ¡°What about Zippo? How has he been doing? You already had the Soul and Cascade badge, no?¡± I said. Ritchie nodded while Yolanda tilted her head, unsure where this was going. I smiled. ¡°Now, you haven¡¯t been able to challenge Erika but have spent a fair amount of time around Fuchsia with your illness and Cerulean, I should assume? That or you¡¯ve been on the road, and while there, you encountered a lot of trainers. Trainers that have come for this circuit and have some very strong pokemon.¡± ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s pretty accurate!¡± Ritchie said with a quick nod. ¡°So, you¡¯ve fought tough battles,¡± I said, drawing up my transceiver and toggling a Gym Leader access point on the pokenet to bring up Ritchie¡¯s profile. I scrolled down to where the win-loss ratio was and clicked my tongue. ¡°You¡¯ve only won forty one percent of your matches?¡± I asked. Ritchie shifted. ¡°They were strong trainers¡­¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve also spent a lot of time in areas with a high density of water-type trainers as well, haven¡¯t you?¡± I said, pointing out one of the biggest issues that stood out to me. ¡°Yeah!¡± Ritchie said, his head bouncing up and down. ¡°And if I were to go through and selectively cut out a lot of your wins that came from Sparky against those water-type trainers, how many victories would you have?¡± I said. Ritchie blinked. ¡°Uhmmm I¡¯m¡­ not sure?¡± he said. I keyed in a few search parameters on Ritchie¡¯s profile, and a new number was shown that I showed him. ¡°You¡¯ve only won twenty-seven percent of the matches you fight when you don¡¯t fight with Sparky.¡± Yolanda and Ritchie gaped at the numbers on display. Yolanda spoke up first. ¡°You can do that with the profile pages?¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°Indeed, this allows us good insight into pokemon that Ritchie, or indeed any trainer, can use well, or that are particularly strong.¡± To demonstrate, I brought up my own profile on the Ace circuit and toggled some features that saw pokemon such as Sanchez or Don not fighting. I had a very good record this year with how hard I¡¯d been blowing through several trainers that I¡¯d faced. I toggled a different feature for a historical match list during the circuit and demonstrated how match wins dropped when I didn¡¯t use Titan or Bertha. Yolanda and Ritchie watched this with intense expressions. ¡°So this feature doesn¡¯t get talked about much but it allows a level of analysis that highlights the strength of certain pokemon with their win rates. This can be further analysed to show how certain pokemon we are more comfortable with compared to others. It can highlight our strengths and what we need to improve.¡± Ritchie and Yolanda nodded, and I coughed slightly put off with how intense they were being. ¡°Anyway¡­ that¡¯s something else, but it does help me point out the true issue. Cruise and Zippo have had a very rough time of your fights with which pokemon you can use against other trainers. Both would have weaknesses, but one of these pokemon would be more impacted.¡± ¡°... Zippo?¡± Ritchie said, with a blank look. I nodded, pleased that he understood which pokemon was struggling. Ritchie blinked in surprise at being told he was correct. ¡°But¡­ that¡­ Why?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s sometimes not just a matter of strength that pokemon possess, but also their mental state. Zippo has had some tough fights, I¡¯m certain, but he¡¯s also had a number of losses.¡± I then made a circling gesture and brought the group''s attention back to Cruise who had been watching this. ¡°Now, Cruise here is conscious that his very good friend, Zippo, is struggling and knows that if he were to evolve it would be causing a problem with him also moving past Zippo in strength or development you could say.¡± I smiled at the wide-eyed Larvitar. ¡°How¡¯d I do? That about sum things up?¡± Cruise shifted from side to side and then slumped. ¡°Tar,¡± he said, defeated by my deductions. Ritchie dropped to the side. ¡°Is that really the problem, Cruise? You¡¯re holding yourself back for Zippo¡¯s sake?¡± Cruise nodded glumly. ¡°Tar, Larvitar,¡± he said. Titan chuffed and grinned, while Empress merely snorted and turned her head away. Despite her dismissive attitude, I thought I detected a hint of mild approval in how she eyed Cruise. Ritchie put his hand on Cruise¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a great sentiment, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll appreciate it buddy. I think¡­ I think you should talk with him.¡± I coughed and reinserted myself into the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea Ritchie, but make sure it happens in a controlled setting. I think it¡¯s a good idea to have a solution or two in mind before you have the conversation. Remember that Charmander is a line that has draconic pride for all that they aren¡¯t dragon-typed. Use this moment to deepen the bonds for your team but take a moment to think about it, alright?¡± I said, making sure that Ritchie didn¡¯t just run headfirst into another issue. Ritchie nodded slowly at that, and sat down on the ground right then and there. I snorted. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. He rubbed his chin for a moment before releasing his Charmander. Zippo appeared and looked around, eying his surroundings, only to blanche when he noticed Titan and Empress. ¡°Char!?¡± he squeaked. Ritchie put his hand on Zippo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey buddy, don¡¯t worry about those pokemon, they¡¯re part of Gym Leader Brock¡¯s pokemon team!¡± Zippo eyed me and gave me a half-bow before straightening to continue to watch the Tyranitar. Smart little guy, I thought to myself. He understood they were the biggest threats around. ¡°So listen buddy, we were talking with Cruise trying to work out why he hasn¡¯t been evolving and the problem is that he¡­ is too good a friend,¡± Ritchie said as he started to explain to Zippo the issue. Zippo looked stunned at the revelation of his friend holding back on account of himself. Then he started to look frustrated. Ritchie was quick to cut that off before the idea could plant itself properly. ¡°The issue stems from me however,¡± he said with a firm nod, causing Cruise and Zippo to both look up in shock. ¡°Lar!¡± ¡°Char!¡± they both said in protest but Ritchie shook his head firmly. ¡°No, I¡¯ve seen the same information and had my path spelled out. I was using you two in matches where you were literally having to fight an uphill battle against pokemon that had type advantages against you!¡± He made a gesture to me. ¡°The Pewter Gym is a perfect example! I might have a strong team in you guys, but I¡¯m failing you. I have created this idea in you that you¡¯re weaker than you are, but that¡¯s not the case! You''re strong, I know that, and soon enough you will know it yourselves and believe it!¡± he said clenching his fist. He stood and offered a fist for them to bump. ¡°Trust in me, and I¡¯ll correct this. I want both of you to be strong and not fall over each other to avoid damaging our team. We need to do better!¡± Cruise and Zippo stared at their trainer like they¡¯d never seen him before but then they cheered and both headbutted his outstretched fist, causing Ritchie to yelp in pain and pull it back. I chuckled and clapped Ritchie on the shoulder. ¡°I think that was well handled. I think you¡¯ll do alright this year from here on out.¡± Ritchie laughed. ¡°Yeah? Just alright? I¡¯m aiming to win the whole thing!¡± he said proudly. I paused, as a thought occurred to me. ¡°Hmmm, yeah I doubt that.¡± I gave his pokemon a blatantly obvious look of dismissal before shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the strongest trainers that have come around,¡± I then looked over Ritchie, ¡°and you, Ritchie, are not among them.¡± I gave him a sad shake of the head and raised my hands in a what can you do gesture. ¡°Maybe in a couple of years,¡± I said. Yolanda gaped at me and my words, only to blink when I shot her a wink. Ritchie vibrated, and as I expected, his reaction didn¡¯t leave me wanting. ¡°You! I¡¯ll show you! My pokemon team and I aren¡¯t going to bow down! We had a rough start but we¡¯re going the distance! We¡¯re going to win this year¡¯s circuit!¡± He all but roared. His pokemon joined him in growling at me. I crossed my arms and smirked at him. ¡°Excellent! That¡¯s the fire I want to see when you make your run.¡± I reached out and tapped him on the forehead. ¡°Make sure to use your mind and listen to your pokemon when you can.¡± Ritchie blinked, and an expression of understanding dawned before he coughed. ¡°Hah, thanks for today. I think I got a lot out of it. Way more than just how help to evolve Cruise,¡± he said, shooting his Larvitar a fond look. I glanced down and chuckled when I saw that Cruise was giving me a dark side-eye. Ritchie coughed. ¡°Could you show me how to do that search function on trainers pokenet profiles?¡± he said. Yolanda inched forward, and I rolled my eyes and waved for them to follow me towards a computer where we could do it easier. Just as we sat down, A.J. turned up. ¡°Perfect! You and me kid! Let¡¯s have a proper match outside on the courts!¡± A.J. growled. Ritchie grinned, and I knew he was thinking how perfect this was. I chuckled as Ritchie turned from following me, ready to throw down, only for Yolanda to cough. ¡°So you don¡¯t want to learn about the profile search feature? A.J. you might find this interesting!¡± she prompted. A.J. twitched, and I watched him shift goals, knowing that Yolanda was a great source of useful information. ¡°Search feature?¡± he said carefully. I snorted and decided to show the kids the neat search feature I¡¯d found on trainers'' profiles. Whoever thought it up was a very smart individual who didn¡¯t get enough praise.
In the depths of the accounting department of the Indigo Plateau, Auditor Timothy sneezed and glanced around for a tissue.
I showed the kids how to narrow down search features on trainer profiles for a bit, before letting them have a go at it themselves. A.J. and Ritchie slammed into each other in a bid to sit in the chair, only to stop and glare at each other. Yolanda merely slipped in and started tapping away at the keys. I was rather amused when she brought up Ash, Misty, and then Forrest¡¯s win records. ¡°Oh! Forrest has a Growlithe now!¡± she said with interest. I leaned forward myself; he hadn¡¯t told me about that. Yolanda crossed her arms. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me about that!¡± she said, causing me to snort at how similar our thoughts were. ¡°Yeah, maybe he wants to surprise us?¡± I said, before realising that it was potentially true. I checked my watch and clapped Yolanda on the shoulder. ¡°Can I trust you to take charge here with these two?¡± I said, gesturing at A.J. and Ritchie, who were on either side of her. Yolanda rolled her eyes at me but waved me off to enjoy my lunch. I trotted back up and settled down on the couch in the trainer lounge. Greta and the other girls were all there, and they waved. ¡°You seen Yolanda around, Brock?¡± I pulled out the riceballs I¡¯d made up earlier while waving a hand towards the computers in the back. ¡°She¡¯s learning about the search feature on Trainer profiles and how to use that with A.J. and Ritchie,¡± I said. I took a bite of my riceballs and held in a chuckle. Mmmmm Jelly donuts. ¡°What search feature?¡± said Missy. I paused in taking another bite and looked up to see nothing but confusion. I sighed and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ do a training session on it for everyone, alright?¡± I said while mentally making a note that this might be something I¡¯d need to teach trainers during the group rounds at the end of the circuit about. That mollified the girls, but Crystal and Greta still trooped out to find Yolanda. I watched them go in thought. Software literacy wasn¡¯t something I would have considered as a benefit from my past life, but it certainly was a useful tool to know existed. I started mentally formulating how the lesson would go, and I had the framework of the lesson jotted down by the end of lunch. Sometimes, as a Gym Leader, you had days like that; where you realised you possess a piece of knowledge that would help others. It then became about how to teach it to people, or sometimes to a pokemon. I doubted it would remain unknown for long; it was too useful. When I wrapped up the challenges for the day I spent some time in the office typing up my notes, only for Yolanda to knock on the door. ¡°Hey Brock,¡± she said. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, waving for her to come in. ¡°I had some other trainers ask about the search feature, so I''m typing up a lesson. Any issues you had with using it that you would want in there?¡± I said. She offered a few suggestions, and I showed her how to do it while including it in the lesson plans. ¡°Something you want to talk about?¡± I asked as I typed that up. ¡°I can wait,¡± she said. I shot her a look and she smiled to show she didn¡¯t have anything urgent. Instead, she pulled out some homework herself and started making notes. Terra interrupted her a few times and Yolanda distracted her by giving her a pen and some blank paper. When I was done, I was amused to find that it was my turn to wait as she completed her work. I moved to sit next to Terra and watched her scribble furiously with her pencil. When she was done, I nodded and made appreciative noises before putting it up on the wall of artwork next to one of Suzie¡¯s drawings. Terra beamed with pride, and Yolanda giggled. I looked up and found her ready to talk. ¡°So? What¡¯s on your mind.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I just¡­ I guess I wanted to talk to you more about team dynamics. I never thought of how one pokemon¡¯s bond with another pokemon might impact their evolution or growth like it did for Ritchie.¡± ¡°Ah, that was a bit of a niche situation. But It showed that Cruise had a good understanding of his friend Zippo, I think. But in working how he did, he set himself back. Honestly, I don¡¯t think things would have worked out this way if Ritchie hadn¡¯t been slogging through stronger trainers or fighting against trainers with type advantages to start things off. It also had to do with issues of Charmander¡¯s pride.¡± I wobbled my hand around. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect it to come up much, but it can. Usually, it would have been a reverse situation with Larvitar, due to evolving later development of inadequacy issues compared to Charmander, who usually evolve rather quickly.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°Honestly, Ritchie did the right thing but he also could have solved it himself if he¡¯d sat down and talked and listened to his pokemon. Allowing yourself to be open can help, and that doesn¡¯t just mean being strong but also allowing yourself to be vulnerable.¡± ¡°Like you and Sabrina after your match with Will?¡± I made a face but nodded. She wasn¡¯t wrong, despite me not liking the example she¡¯d used. ¡°Well I was more talking about my pokemon and the situation in general but sure, me and Sabrina.¡± She giggled and cheekily poked her tongue out to show she was just teasing. I huffed at her but then tilted my head to give it some thought. ¡°Hmmm, another point I hadn¡¯t thought about at the time was that Zippo was comparing himself originally to Sparky who had evolved from Pichu¡­ so there was already a discrepancy in strength at play¡­¡± It hadn¡¯t been something realised during the original cartoons, with Pichu being a later addition. ¡°I wonder if issues result when the starter doesn¡¯t want to evolve? Some pokemon might decide they too should avoid it¡­¡± That¡­ sounded a little like Ritchie in the future as I only knew him to have a Charmeleon and a Pupitar in the cartoons. I frowned. Actually, that description also suited early cartoon Ash as a good number of his pokemon always avoided evolving themselves. Bulbasaur and Squirtle being key examples. He worked with them, but he never was shown to discuss if they wanted to evolve. ¡°Talk with your pokemon, see if they want to or don¡¯t want to. Sometimes it¡¯s assumed it will just happen. I think Ritchie did the right thing by approaching me and he¡¯ll be better off now.¡± ¡°He¡¯s certainly been fired up. His draw with A.J. has both of them motivated,¡± Yolanda said. ¡°A.J. drew with him?¡± I asked, surprised by this information. ¡°Yup, Sandshrew got off a powerful Fissure before being taken out by Sparky, only to then have them both trade-off with their Butterfree.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°Well I hope that rivalry stays positive for them.¡± ¡°Unlike you and Will?¡± Yolanda said, tilting her head. ¡°That man has never been and will never be my rival,¡± I said firmly. ¡°I merely want to crush him.¡± Yolanda nodded before squirming. ¡°You did have to adjust how you work and fight though, no?¡± I snorted and grumbled before giving her a look. ¡°I think I preferred you when you were cute and innocent. Who taught you to talk back?¡± I said with mock seriousness. Yolanda cupped her chin. ¡°I¡¯m still adorable, and mostly you,¡± she said shamelessly. I huffed and poked her on the nose. Terra giggled at Yolanda¡¯s affronted look, so I reached down and booped her on the nose as well. Yolanda looked over the office. ¡°Anything else you need to do today?¡± I shook my head and logged off my computer. ¡°Nope! Family time now, I think.¡± Yolanda smiled widely and followed me home. ¡°You were pretty cool today by the way!¡± she said, skipping along. I grinned. ¡°Thanks!¡± Yolanda then grinned in a manner that let me know she was about to say something cheeky. ¡°Sabrina would have worked it out way quicker!¡± she said as she dashed away. I gave chase. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to add that last part!¡± No matter how true it was, I added privately to myself.
The next few days were fairly smooth sailing with Gym operations. I ran a lesson for all the trainers we hosted, and sponsored, or those who paid to be included. Forrest, and by extension Misty and Ash, were also able to attend the lesson through Forrest¡¯s transceiver. The Ace trainer that I¡¯d been able to get for my Tuesday match was actually lower than me in the rankings, and I had decided to use a different team than normal with Shin, Hypnotoad, Tide, Shrek, Gawain, and Titan. I¡¯d won with a one to six score and gained a handful of points for my Ace ranking. The biggest event for the week was on Thursday, when the second Ace match arrived just before lunch. Once more, the stands in the Gym were full to the brim with supporters that had come from near and far to see the match. I leaned on the railing, happy to see that so many were coming, although the recent match against Gavin had probably helped out a lot. Rachel had some banners made for both myself and Gertrude and a few people were happily flying the flags for her. Along the edges of the battlefield, on electronic advertising boards, Rough Housing ¡±The Camping Equipment for Pros!¡± was on display proudly. I could see one of their representatives sitting in the middle of the reserved seating for Gertrude with a megawatt smile on their face. I was sure that, as far as they were concerned, Gertrude had just paid out big time. Rachel walked to the front, her outfit and hair both now rainbow in colouration. She waved her hands about. ¡°Hey oh!¡± she shouted to the crowd. ¡°Hey Oh!¡± chanted back the regulars. ¡°Heeeeeeeeeey Oh!¡± Rachel chanted again. Once more, she was met with a loud cheer that copied her. The new members of the crowd quickly caught on and soon the entire stands were chanting and copying her like she was Freddie Mercury at a sold-out super stadium. I grinned as the feeling in the crowd continued to grow until Rachel finished with a Mexican wave. Then she sliced her hands together. ¡°Welcome! To the Pewter City Gym! I¡¯m your host Rachel, and we are in for an incredible show today, I can tell!¡± She smiled as she received a huge wave of cheers. ¡°Do a flip!¡± someone yelled. Rachel pointed straight at the man. ¡°Yes!¡± she shouted. She then ran along the walkway and flipped, causing a roar of approval to surge out once more as she landed on her feet. I chuckled and clapped along. ¡°Thank you!¡± she cheered before waving a hand to get things to calm down a little. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s going to be a great show today and I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re all here today! I hope you¡¯ve got your drinks and your food cause there¡¯s going to be no intermission! No breaks! This ladies and gentlemen, is an Ace battle!¡± ¡°Today¡¯s challenged! Is in fact a member of the top Thirty and one of the strongest official matches that we¡¯ve had the pleasure of hosting! Standing at one metre fifty this pocket rocket is the epitome of not judging someone by their appearance. She¡¯s powerful, she¡¯s bold! She¡¯s Gertrude Goody!¡± Rachel waved her hand and Gertrude trotted out, only to suddenly levitate up. I hissed in surprise, only to whistle in appreciation of the trick when Gengar revealed itself behind Gertrude holding her aloft. Gertrude waved as she was deposited on her podium. I moved to the top of the stairs. ¡°And now, the challenger for today¡¯s match and our host! Can you give a Pewter welcome to Brock!¡± The crowd stomp-stomp-clapped and slowly built themselves up until their clap brought a thunderous boom that filled the stadium. In the middle of the arena, Gertrude grinned upward, undaunted as I began my descent. When I leapt, she watched me. I landed and the crowd cheered only to fall quiet as I spoke up. ¡°Ready?¡± I asked in a gravelly tone. Gertrude shot me a thumbs up. I nodded back and prepared myself for the first exchange as Gertrude returned her Gengar before selecting another pokeball and holding it in her hand while keeping the Gengar in the other. She toyed with both, a smirk on her lips as she did so. I merely grinned. Mind games already, hmmm? I spun my pokeball over my fingers, allowing my nervous energy to play out. In the middle, Dennis served as today¡¯s referee. He got some people shouting when he raised his flags. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± Both of us nodded, and then he dropped the flags. ¡°Release!¡± he ordered. I hurled my first pokemon onto the field. Shrek landed and croaked loudly. Across from him, Gertrude¡¯s starter appeared and levelled its cannons onto Shrek. ¡°Blastoise!¡± it cried. I grinned, knowing this would be a great match up. ¡°Withdraw special!¡± Gertrude shouted, getting the better of me with the first order. ¡°Bulk Up!¡± I shouted to Swampert. He flexed and his shoulders and arms swelled up before he pounded them into the ground ¡°Swamp!¡± he roared as Blastoise withdrew into its shell. Then it began to spin rapidly, with water gushing out the side as it surged towards us. Hmm, I¡¯d thought of this combination for a while. It was a strong Blastoise move and one of the known openers that were tough to deal with. ¡°Surf!¡± I said. Shrek leapt back onto a rising wave to outright avoid the attack as he rose above the move. Blastoise slammed into the move and his head popped out of his shell to glower at Shrek as they both rode the wave back toward Gertrude¡¯s side of the battlefield. ¡°Blastoise! Use Rain Dance!¡± Gertrude said as both pokemon landed without the Surf really impacting them. ¡°Bulk Up!¡± I ordered again. This time when Swampert flexed, his muscles strained and his arms became huge. This time he didn¡¯t slam his fists into the ground in a threat display. Gertrude clicked her tongue. ¡°Return! Go Victreebel!¡± Gertrude returned her starter quickly and pulled out another pokemon. I hummed, knowing I had a moment to buff up again. ¡°Muddy Water into IP,¡± I said, delaying my move until Gertrude had released her pokemon so that Shrek was already swinging his fist back to send a small tidal wave of Muddy Water straight into Victreebel¡¯s face. ¡°Leaf Blade! Cut through the attack!¡± Gertrude ordered instantly, and her pokemon didn¡¯t disappoint. Twin blades of Green energy slashed through the Muddy Water, allowing Victreebel to avoid the drop in accuracy while only taking minor damage to itself. ¡°Ice Punch,¡± I said as Shrek revealed himself. He launched from behind the wave with his fists reared back with bluish-white energy before hammering his fist into Victreebel. Victreebel slammed into the back wall and slumped to the ground, unconscious. ¡°Shrek! Back now!¡± I said. Gertrude stiffened, as she realised that I didn¡¯t want my Swampert on her side for the next matchup. She flicked her wrist and returned her pokemon even as she ran her other over her belt. Then she paused. ¡°You¡¯re trying to fluster me, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said. She straightened and sniffed, allowing Shrek to return to his side of the field and for the Rain Dance to splutter out. I smiled. She¡¯d been right, if she had sent out a pokemon to catch Shrek in retreat I would have had him pounce on whatever was sent out. Instead, Gertrude kept her cool. She reached for another pokeball. ¡°Go! Ninetails!¡± she said releasing a gorgeous pokemon onto the field. Ninetails landed and its tails immediately waved from side to side in a hypnotic fashion that almost lulled you into sleep¡­ a wave of heat ran across the battlefield and in some patches the ground steamed from the heat. Some areas around Ninetails were already firming and drying out. Hmmm, that would be the Drought ability in play perhaps? A natural fire response when intimidated? This pokemon was strong. ¡°Surf!¡± I said, not willing to allow Ninetails time for the tricks that their species were synonymous with. ¡°Disable!¡± snapped Gertrude. A flash of pink energy washed out and stopped the wave Shrek that had been building up instantly. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± I barked. Shrek followed through with a trio of high-powered blasts of water. ¡°Double Team!¡± Gertrude shouted as her pokemon blurred into a score of Ninetails. Damn it, illusions were a Ninetails specialty. ¡°Earthquake!¡± I ordered. If Gertrude wasn¡¯t going to let me have Surf, she could have another area of effect attack. The illusions vanished as the ground rumbled, only for one of them to fall to the ground crying out in horrendous pain. I grimaced for a moment as it struggled. ¡°Finish it,¡± I barked to Shrek when Gertrude made no move to return her pokemon. Shrek lined up and fired off a Hydro Pump attack only for the downed Ninetails to vanish in another illusion causing me to hiss in surprise. ¡°Now!¡± barked Gertrude revealing her Ninetails, just as injured as it had appeared moments ago, with a green energy ball in its maw. It unleashed the ball of energy and I reacted. ¡°Protect!¡± I said instantly. Shrek raised his fists and a shell appeared around him making me exhale in relief. I flicked a glance over where Ninetails had been and saw a destroyed Substitute doll. Something that was usually created to anchor the illusion of Substitute onto. So, she¡¯d taken the hit¡­ No, she¡¯d used Fake Tears to get me to lower my guard, then used Substitute. Then, while her pokemon was illusioned, she¡¯d had it move to the side to fire off an Energy Ball. If that had landed it would have been super-effective. I nodded, respecting the play. She¡¯d utilised her pokemon¡¯s skills and abilities well. As the Energy ball detonated against the Protect, Gertrude raised her pokeball smoothly. ¡°Return Ninetails!¡± She then grabbed up another pokeball and hurled it out before I could make the most of the withdraw. ¡°Go Gengar!¡± she barked, releasing her fourth pokemon. The crowd gasped as Gengar loomed large. I whistled, that was a big Gengar. Shrek¡¯s Protect dropped away and he narrowed his eyes at the hovering Ghost pokemon. ¡°Big one isn¡¯t he?¡± I shouted across to Gertrude. Gertrude grinned. ¡°One of the biggest! Agatha complimented him!¡± I nodded at that and then slashed my hand straight forward. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± ¡°Dodge and Spite!¡± Gertrude ordered. Her pokemon shifted to the side to avoid the blasts of water while reaching forward with his hands to clench them in Shrek¡¯s direction. Shrek grimaced and I clicked my tongue. Spite, a move that reduced how often you could use a move. At least that¡¯s how it had worked in the games. In reality, it hampered the energy level your pokemon could draw on for a little while. Gertrude was going to have to move quick if she wanted to make the most of it. ¡°Hypnosis!¡± said Gertrude. Her Gengar¡¯s eyes glowed. ¡°Shrek mov¡­ and you¡¯re asleep,¡± I said with a grimace. I didn¡¯t hesitate as I raised his pokeball and returned him instantly. ¡°Sunny Day!¡± said Gertrude as I pulled out my next pokemon. ¡°Go! Selene!¡± I shouted. Selene hovered onto the battlefield and her eyes locked with Gengar. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± Gertrude shouted quickly. ¡°Teleport!¡± I shouted with a grin. Selene began to glow. The Solar Beam closed in only for Selene to vanish causing the attack to whiff. Selene appeared behind Gengar, her eyes glinting ominously and Gengar stiffened. ¡°Psybeam,¡± I said, instructing Selene to unleash a powerful burst into Gengar¡¯s back, throwing him out of the battlefield and knocking him out. Gertrude raised her pokeball and returned him with a scowl. ¡°I would call soooo much bullshit if you weren¡¯t dating Sabrina!¡± she called. ¡°Yeah? And what do you say knowing that?¡± I was curious if she was going to demand a review. It wouldn¡¯t end well for her. ¡°It¡¯s ultra bullshit, and your girlfriend is ridiculous!¡± she called as she selected another pokeball. In the crowd, people laughed and some catcalled and whistled. Selene wiggled as she made her way back to me. ¡°Come back out, Blastoise!¡± she said, tossing out her starter once more. Selene glowered with intent, and I hummed before raising my own pokeball. ¡°Return!¡± I barked. Selene shot me a betrayed look, like she wanted to try and solo Gertrude¡¯s entire team. I wasn¡¯t game to try that, as I didn¡¯t want to give Gertrude a chance to take control of the match I switched out. Sanchez landed with a laugh as Gertrude had Blastoise perform Rain Dance. ¡°Shit!¡± she swore, instantly whipping out her pokeball and returning her Blastoise. I chuckled, shame, she wasn¡¯t going to let me get off the classic Rain Dance-Thunder Combo. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said to Sanchez. He stomped his foot, laughing as the rain poured down over him. A trio of rocks shot up as Gertrude selected her next pokemon. ¡°Go Dugtrio!¡± she said, causing me to hum in thought. That was a good pokemon on paper. Dugtrio appeared and it was instantly sinking into the mud, its trio of heads glowering out as it was peppered with Stealth Rock. ¡°Fissure!¡± barked Gertrude. ¡°Leap!¡± I said instantly as the Dugtrio shot into the ground. I usually would have scoffed if a trainer used fissure in these sorts of muddy conditions. Against a pokemon that was known for always being submerged in earth? I wasn¡¯t game to bet against it, as a rumble shook the field and a few sections of the mud roiled before being overturned. I exhaled in relief. Good, it hadn¡¯t triggered properly. ¡°Heavy Slam!¡± I barked as Dugtrio started to emerge from the turned over earth. ¡°Protect!¡± Gertrude shouted straight away, causing the attack to crash down without hurting Dugtrio. ¡°Heavy Slam again!¡± I said, resulting in Sanchez spinning up for another attack. Just as the Protect dropped, Gertrude punched forward. ¡°Bulldoze!¡± snarled Gertrude. Dugtrio surged forward, and both pokemon slammed into each other, resulting in a boom upon their impact. I knew Sanchez would have the advantage with Heavy Slam, thanks to grossly outweighing Dugtrio, while Dugtrio would have a super effective move. Both pokemon staggered away from the hit only to glower. ¡°Again!¡± barked Gertrude, very happy about the exchange and willing to trade off again. I smirked and decided to match her. ¡°Sanchez! Go!¡± I shouted. Sanchez perked up and then with a maniacal laugh, threw himself into a roll that saw him accelerate into a furious tumble. Around his body, a corona of energy built up just in time for Dugtrio and Sanchez to slam into each other. If the battlefield wasn¡¯t as wet as it was, there would have been rolling clouds of dust. Instead everyone got to watch as Sanchez and Dugtrio stood, locked at the point of impact where they glared at each other, both trying to overpower the other. Dugtrio blinked first, staggering back and slumping over, only for Sanchez to stagger back as well. He stumbled around. ¡°Go! Go Gooooooooooo!¡± he shouted painfully, only to teeter almost all the way over. Then he snapped back upright and raised his arms up. ¡°Golem!¡± he cheered revealing he¡¯d just been playing. The crowd cheered and I saw a few kids wipe their brows in relief. I chuckled and inspected him. His legs quivered and shook even as he tried to stand. He was attempting to portray himself as stoic and cool. Despite his antics, he really was on his last legs here. As Gertrude returned her pokemon I did the same for Sanchez. ¡°Time to share the limelight buddy!¡± I shouted, causing him to take a bow as the red beam hit him. Gertrude eyed me, considering her options as I selected another pokeball off my belt. I didn¡¯t hesitate to send out another pokemon. Jormungandr appeared with a mighty bellow of power that shook the field. Gertrude stiffened, and I could see her thinking she had the answer straight away, as she ripped out her next choice. ¡°Go Blastoise!¡± she said, sending out her starter once more. Blastoise landed with a growl and I hummed. This¡­ was not a great match up¡­ But I could make it work. Blastoise shrugged off the Stealth Rock that peppered it. ¡°Dig!¡± I shouted. ¡°Surf!¡± said Gertrude in response. Both pokemon moved with Blastoise throwing itself into a forming wave while Jorm dove into the earth. The wave shot forth and swept across the arena. I crossed my arms, not that worried about it, and I was soon proven correct as Jorm reappeared, in close proximity to Blastoise. ¡°TF!¡± I barked even as Blastoise whipped around and sprayed Jorm with a heavy blast of water. He endured the blow and carried on to bite down on Blastoise, causing an arc of electricity to lance out of his foe. ¡°BB!¡± barked Gertrude with her Blastoise raising a fist and slamming it down into Jorm, causing him to buckle under the blow as he was forced to release Blastoise. ¡°Dig deep,¡± I said, deciding to go for a stall and recover for Jormungandr. He threw himself into the ground, only for Blastoise to snatch for his tail and catch it with two hands. Jorm started to pull Blastoise off his feet, but before he could escape the twin water cannons on Blastoise''s back reoriented and unleashed a close range Hydro Pump. I clicked my tongue. Perhaps I should have gone for a quick and dirty Mud Slap with how close I was? I raised Jormungandr¡¯s pokeball and returned him before his body could hit the ground. Hmmm, that made it one to the three in my favour, with Sanchez in a delicate state¡­ as well as Shrek being asleep. I eyed Blastoise. It was also weak. ¡°Go Sanchez!¡± I shouted, deciding the gambit would be worth it if I could pull it off. Sanchez reappeared with a loud cackle. He flicked two fingers from his eyes to Blastoise and then clapped above his head. ¡°Thunder!¡± I ordered. Sanchez¡¯s grin grew. ¡°Surf!¡± Gertrude ordered. A quick reaction from her Blastoise caused the Thunder to miss. ¡°Dig!¡± I said in response, making Sanchez avoid the wave with a dip into the dirt before popping out behind it. ¡°Thunderbolt!¡± I said. Blastoise landed and pivoted to line up its cannons. It fired off another blast of water at Sanchez and both attacks slammed into their targets. Sanchez was blown off his feet with a gasp and Blastoise groaned in pain before falling to the ground. I returned Sanchez, happy that he¡¯d gotten off a better combination against Blastoise this time. Gertrude clicked her tongue. ¡°Excellent work Blastoise!¡± she said as she selected another pokeball. She had Ninetails, who was on its last legs, and one, as yet unknown, pokemon. ¡°Go Exploud!¡± she shouted releasing her pokemon. I hummed and unclipped Titan¡¯s Greatball off my necklace. ¡°Go! Titan!¡± I shouted. Titan landed and locked eyes with Exploud. Both pokemon inhaled and roared, and for once, Titan¡¯s roar was overpowered as Exploud used it¡¯s natural ability with sound to almost deafen us. I clutched at my ears as I felt a stabbing pain lancing through them and directly into my brain. I grit my teeth and pushed through the pain. This had to be an opening move, Hyper Voice perhaps. Titan was certainly reeling as though he¡¯d been hit. Worse, I couldn¡¯t give any verbal commands. That would be a game breaker for many trainers. I had already linked my aura to Titan. We were more than ready to mess up her plan. I saw Gertrude¡¯s lips move but I couldn¡¯t hear anything over the deafening ringing in my ears. I pushed what I wanted Titan to do into our bond and he responded by twisting on the spot and kicking up a Sandstorm. He vanished, and the roaring voice of Exploud was swept away by the roar of the winds. I could make out Titan however. I eyed the slowly drying out land under Titan¡¯s feet. Damn, too many water moves have been tossed around to get a proper Sandstorm off. Still, it stopped Exploud being so loud, so that was a plus. I searched the other side only to see a vague shape of Exploud along with a glow that appeared to be where his mouth¡­was it a she? I thought, before I saw the glow shift as a beam was unleashed. ¡°Protect!¡± I shouted, unsure if I was even speaking properly while pushing an urgent warning through our bond. Titan clenched up and a Protect formed up in front of him to take the Hyper Beam. When the beam broke off I glared across at Gertrude. She shrugged, and her mouth moved. I could just make out that there were some words but not what they were. Good, my hearing was slowly coming back. I snorted. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have worked on Titan,¡± I said and noticed that Gertrude reacted. Hmmm so she could still hear fine? I noted that down as an interesting quirk. As the Protect died away, Titan locked eyes on Exploud. I raised my hand and pointed. ¡°Titan! Go!¡± I shouted, this time projecting a hunger and immediacy to a counter attack. Titan happily threw himself into a sprint to show Gertrude how to get off a proper alpha-strike. Titan¡¯s footsteps rumbled as he hurtled across the battlefield to a spent Exploud. When Titan slammed into Exploud, Exploud crumbled and was tossed like a rag doll by an angry child. It slammed into the back wall and Gertrude sighed as she saw that yet another pokemon was knocked out. She returned her pokemon and then raised her hands to signal her withdrawal. I rubbed at my ears and got them to pop in time to catch the last of whatever Gertrude was saying ¡°¡ªnot going to send out my Ninetails to be battered like that. She¡¯d get off an Energy Ball but I¡¯m not so sure it would be worth it.¡± Dennis nodded at that and raised his flags. ¡°Ace Trainer Gertrude has withdrawn from the match! Brock is the victor!¡± The crowd rose to their feet with a roar, and I grinned. Now that had been a better match, if a bit scrappy in parts. Still, it was much better to be in the fight and enjoying it. Today was a win in more ways than one. Now I just needed to share that good vibe around, I thought to myself as I eyed Gertrude. I had a few questions for her, foremost was how she¡¯d escaped being deafened by her Exploud. Chapter 158 - The Silph tour I lowered the podiums and marched towards Gertrude. It¡¯d been fun fighting her, and I wouldn¡¯t mind picking her brain over some items regarding Ace trainer quirks that I had started to notice. I was also planning to try and boost her up a bit more. For all that I defeated her to climb the ranks, I still clung to the idea that I could make her stronger and see her rise up the ranks. Which, as a fellow Pewter Trainer, was always nice. I reached out and offered up my hand. She slapped her hand into mine and grinned. ¡°That was a good match, Gym Leader!¡± she said. ¡°Thanks for setting things up with my sponsors like you did. I imagine you¡¯ve got a lot of people knocking on your doors offering sponsorships these days.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Yeah they have been, but I don¡¯t really need them as I¡¯m well set up,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Also I¡¯m not controlled by any contractual obligations, so I think it works out best. That¡¯s not something many can say,¡± I said as I waved a hand at the promotions that featured her sponsor¡¯s name. ¡°Hmmm, so do you still give out advice to trainers that face you?¡± she said with a smirk. ¡°Lots of Ace trainers that initially challenged you got rather amused by that until they realised it was actually good advice.¡± I huffed. ¡°You make it sound like I would give bad advice.¡± ¡°Eh, in the Ace circuit, you¡¯re supposed to be competitive, and it¡¯s not unusual to fake someone out, cause it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t end up facing them in another month or two. Or during tournaments where competitors will be paying a lot more attention to what does and doesn¡¯t work.¡± I nodded and then bobbed my head from side to side. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯ll have to keep that in mind,¡± I said rubbing my chin. ¡°As for some advice,¡± I grimaced, ¡°I hate to say it, knowing how things went down for you, but diversity in your pokemon would be a great feature. You made great use of the pokemon that you had. I think you need a bigger pool of pokemon.¡± She nodded. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m working on it. I attended your auction to see how much some of the rare pokemon are going for, and it was too rich for me.¡± I hummed. ¡°No need to go rare; just depth is important enough. There''s nothing wrong with a Raticate, Pidgeot, Fearow, Clefairy, or such. I¡¯d recommend having a trip to the Safari Zone, or maybe even applying for a permit to the Silver Range.¡± Gertrude laced her hands behind her head. ¡°I did hear that Erika¡¯s crew of girls had finished up revitalising the area. Not sure what that means for when the silver Range will be open again, however.¡± I grimaced. ¡°Yeah¡­. That last one might not be the best option. Maybe look into some psychic or fighting type pokemon otherwise?¡± Gertrude nodded her head. ¡°Fair enough. Also, can I point out something I¡¯ve noticed?¡± I raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to do so. She coughed. ¡°So, don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but I¡¯ve noticed that you attach a lot of pride to your starter.¡± Titan, who¡¯d been standing next to me waving at the crowd, turned his head. Gertrude raised her own hands. ¡°That¡¯s not to say you¡¯re not a pokemon not to be proud of! You are! It¡¯s just that you could be sent out earlier to shake things up. You dominate a lot of the fights you get into when he comes out; entire strategies will be dedicated to countering him!¡± she said hurriedly. ¡°I had a few myself, but those strategies can be meaningless or too expensive at the end of the day if you send him out early and dictate the pace early,¡± she said, her eyes flicking between Titan and I, gauging how we were taking her advice. I tilted my head. ¡°I¡¯m too predictable with sending him out, is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± She wobbled her hand in a so-so manner. ¡°If you get the right type matching laid out before you, things can go very quickly in your favour. While it was an exhibition match against Lance, your Golem? Perfect pokemon to send out first.¡± She waved a hand at Titan. ¡°I¡¯m just saying something I¡¯ve noticed. Don¡¯t get so hung up on the idea that you¡¯re honouring your foe by sending out your starter. He will always be worth a lot to take down, but you can really make it expensive if you want to. I know the old way of thinking is to keep back your ¡®King¡¯ but there¡¯s a lot of debate about also getting the most out of them.¡± I nodded along. ¡°I think I can understand what you¡¯re saying. I¡¯ll have to consider it,¡± I said, giving Titan a look. ¡°What are your thoughts? Want to come out earlier?¡± Titan crossed his arms and huffed out a breath. I chuckled at his nonchalance. His slowly wagging tail gave away his interest. I looked back to Gertrude. ¡°We¡¯ll take it under advisement.¡± I then turned towards the waiting stands. ¡°I believe we have the home crowd to show some love to, no?¡± Gertrude nodded. ¡°Yeah! And don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re doing the press conference together!¡± she said. I huffed; Rachel had snuck that in as an additional benefit for Gertrude but I couldn¡¯t fault it, beyond it being annoying. If I¡¯d had my way, it would have been a very short discussion, but I suspected it would be a bit longer. When I was done talking with the crowd and taking pictures with some locals, I joined Gertrude in a room that we¡¯d made into a proper press room. I understood she was starting to run Missy through mock post-match conferences with various scenarios in preparation for when Missy joined the Ace Circuit proper. Missy was taking to it rather well according to what Rachel was reporting. My own press conference started with the question I¡¯d been anticipating. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! How do you think your girlfriend and fellow Gym Leader, Sabrina, will go against Will?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be surprised by anything less than a total victory on her part,¡± I said flatly. From there, a number of other questions were targeted at me, and I had to drag some of the reporters to include Gertrude. When I hinted at and discussed the upcoming matches, I made sure to have some back and-forth with her rather than just speaking myself. She proved rather insightful. ¡°Some of the upcoming generalists, have some tricks that can make them tough, but I think Brock has shown that he has the resilience to push through those matches. I was expecting a much closer match, but if anything, Brock was very ready for everything I had. It was almost formulaic. Which you don¡¯t see very often.¡± Gertrude shook her head. ¡°I have to admit to being surprised as Brock and his team are stronger than I anticipated,¡± she said to one reporter. ¡°What will you both be doing now?¡± asked another report. I gestured for Gertrude to go first. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to look into the idea of a hiatus for a few weeks; I feel like I¡¯m hitting a ceiling with what I can currently achieve. Which is frustrating, and it is something that I have discussed with my pokemon and myself. I¡¯ll be talking with my sponsors first, however, as I want to go higher and I think I can, but I currently don¡¯t have as much depth in my pokemon roster to commit to more matches than two a week and not suffer burnout or put forth pokemon teams that are highly predictable. If I want to take part in tournaments and do well, I need more.¡± As the reporters turned towards me, I adjusted and took a sip from the milk bottle that Mary-Sue Lonlon had sent in. ¡°Gertrude has highlighted one of the significant issues that a lot of trainers face; in order to rise up the Ace rankings, you need to be fighting a lot,¡± I said, making sure to speak clearly. ¡°Now, obviously, winning helps a lot, but there needs to be a frequency of fighting each week. Going forward, I have a number of slots free throughout the week where I will be facing Ace trainers. I need to be fighting three times a week, and if I want to be making the midseason invitational, then I need to be winning those matches or going two out of three at the very least so that I am stepping up.¡± I was quietly confident of winning all of the matches honestly, I had a solid number of the trainers up until the fifteenth ranked reviewed with plans in mind. Things became a bit harder after number fifteen. ¡°Brock, you¡¯ve yet to lose an actual match! At what point will you be happy?¡± one reporter asked. I hummed. ¡°I think I should be aiming for the top ten, whether this is something that I only do for this circuit will depend on a lot of different factors but I think it¡¯s something I will take into consideration. It¡¯s been pointed out that Pewter stands as the first big challenge many trainers will face and I¡¯m toying with the idea of setting my ranking to a high enough position that it is true for those looking to use the Ace circuit.¡± A number of people hurriedly wrote or tapped this out on computers. This was the first time I¡¯d announced my idea of forming Pewter into a ¡®barrier¡¯ for the Ace circuit. I tapped the table. ¡°Otherwise, until next week, I will be training my team as well as attending Sabrina¡¯s upcoming match against Will. I think it will be an interesting event for all,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°Does Sabrina have any pokemon that she¡¯s not revealed to the public?!¡± cried out someone in the back. I hummed playfully, my own mind going to Stantler and how it might have evolved into Wyrdeer by now. Sabrina had had it for a while now. I hadn¡¯t heard anything from her regarding that but then again¡­ ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put anything past her; she¡¯s amazing like that,¡± I said. Rachel gave me a thumbs-up for that comment. I merely smiled and waited for the next question. When the reporters once again tried to sideline Gertrude, I turned to her and started asking about her dream pokemon team or which coastal city she thought of as the best holiday destination, taking on the role of reporter myself. She seemed very appreciative of the media attention being brought back to her, and when we were all wrapped up, she shook my hand with both of hers. She then trotted towards her Sponsor¡¯s Rep with a megawatt grin. I turned to my own employees and waved for us to move into the back as the reporters departed with their scoop. I claimed a chair at the front and sighed explosively as I lay back. ¡°Alright, short debrief, then we¡¯ll see if we can talk some of the higher-ranked Ace trainers into a battle.¡± I accepted a burrito wrap from Yolanda with a quick thanks. ¡°Is it wrong that I miss braggarts like Gavin Gumshoe?¡± I said before taking a bite of my meal. Everyone tilted their heads before Rachel laughed. ¡°You mean Gavin Glady?¡± ¡°Yeah, him,¡± I said as I toggled my email app on my transceiver and saw a host of emails and messages from various Ace trainers. I began flicking through them only for a scowl to form. Most of them had rejected my offer. I huffed in annoyance, nothing had changed since I last looked. ¡°He was easy to draw into a match. Some of these ace trainers are being downright skittish.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°This is going to seriously delay me from reaching the top sixteen for the midseason tournament.¡± ¡°You should join a smaller tournament,¡± Missy chimed in. I sighed. ¡°That would take me away from the Gym for at least a few days¡­¡± Alexa and Rachel shared a look. ¡°So, just do it?¡± my assistant said. ¡°We can reschedule things or go onto a longer day format for the rest of the week to allow things to not impact people too much.¡± Rachel nodded. ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re going to have to go to them! For if the trainers will not come to Brock! Brock must go to the trainers!¡± she said with a voice that she must have thought was wise. I grunted and nodded, only to pause as I realised the quote she was mangling. ¡°That was bad and you should feel bad,¡± I said as I waved my burrito at her threateningly. I took a bite out of it. ¡°But not wrong,¡± I said. Yolanda perked up. ¡°Oh! You could do what Walker is doing and go in a mask! Then you can face everyone without them knowing who you are!¡± Alexa, Rachel, Dennis, Rocko, and Missy all gained looks ranging from thoughtful to amused. ¡°What sort of mask?¡± A.J. said. I took another slow bite out of my lunch. Why was it, of late, that all my problems seemed to have solutions with me wearing a mask? ¡°I don¡¯t think a mask¡­ is quite the right way to go about things?¡± I said carefully. ¡°So you don¡¯t think the Masked Hero group is doing the right thing?¡± Yolanda said, all too quickly. I narrowed my eyes at her. Did she know? No, she¡¯d have teased me more if she did. Or was she being sly? I considered her and finished my lunch while trying to gauge what her angle was. ¡°I think they are, and I think that Lance is being very sharp with the power he¡¯s entrusted with them, but certain measures need to be put in place for them and to stoprandom people from copying them,¡± I said carefully. Yolanda nodded seriously. ¡°Good, but still, the point stands you need to be able to get these people to meet you for fights, and they¡¯re not! I think¡­ it stinks like a Muk-ridden junkyard,¡± she said. I raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean the whole thing of so many people being slow or not accepting matches. You need to fight people that are higher ranked than you to rise up the ranks,¡± Yolanda pointed out. I nodded. ¡°I might have to increase the pot for them if they win against me.¡± Dennis and Rocko snorted, and I shot them an amused look. Yolanda, however, had a faraway look, as though she was working on a particularly troubling puzzle. ¡°You challenge them¡­ only for them to reject you.¡± She twitched, her hands moving as though she was shifting pieces into place in her mind¡¯s eye. ¡°But meanwhile, Will is still advancing¡­ He must be using up some of the challenges that the people are willing to extend, but it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Yolanda squinted at the whiteboard in thought. That had me sitting up and loading up Will¡¯s profile. She was right. Everyone in the room now sat up as they realised that Yolanda was on to something. Yolanda nodded as she focused on the screen. ¡°You¡¯ve reached Twenty-ninth with today¡¯s match, but he¡¯s reached nineteenth in the same time frame with the trainers accepting his challenges! I think he¡¯s up to something!¡± she shouted, crossing her arms. I blinked as I felt it click into place. ¡°That¡­ makes a lot of sense,¡± I said. It wasn''t as if Will was worried about scruples, and with my vocal demands for a rematch and pointedly rising up the rankings to force the issue, he had to face the fact that it was more than likely that the rematch would happen. But only if it became inevitable. ¡°He¡¯d need to pay them off or make it worth their time to not accept a challenge against me,¡± I said. I opened up the trainer list to see who was ahead of me. He only had to get ten people to reject me. Not everyone. It wasn¡¯t like I could¡­ ¡°Missy, what¡¯s stopping me from challenging the current number one to a match?¡± I said in consideration. Missy whistled. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of prestige for the top of the Ace rankings sir. They are mostly able to hold their position thanks to tournament wins as those award more points than straight head-to-head matches. They also don¡¯t have the same acceptance ratio that others have if the challenger is above tenth on the rankings. They won¡¯t entertain anyone seriously below twentieth from what I¡¯ve researched! The best way to climb is through tournaments, which can lock in fights with other trainers.¡± I hummed. I wonder if I could force it by putting some pressure on Lance to make Bruce accept a challenge from me. Regulations be damned. I paused. Potentially I could also force Masked Owl to accept as well¡­ The idea alone left a bad taste in my mouth, so I shook my head. Too much like what Will would do. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t like others wouldn¡¯t know that Bruce was there for Lance¡¯s sake. It would have to be an open secret by this point. Urgh, now I''m thinking like a villain. I felt scummy considering these options. ¡°Is that true for all of the top five? What if I challenged number five? When I reached twenty-fifth??¡± ¡°Corey?¡± Missy prompted. I blinked. ¡°What happened to Walker?¡± Then I coughed. ¡°Sorry! Masked Owl,¡± I said with a sarcastic drawl. Dennis and Rocko, who hadn¡¯t been privy to that conversation, glanced around as the others snorted in amusement. ¡°Carr is now number three, and Masked Owl is number four, Corey got pushed down,¡± Missy said. ¡°So could I go for one of them when I had a rank within twenty?¡± I suggested. Missy nodded slowly. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ possible,¡± Missy said, and I nodded as I understood that some people might liken it to me trying to skip fighting the Elite Four to fight Lance... Which, I¡¯d technically already done. Huh, go me. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go with the tournament idea,¡± I said as I brought up the application for entrance into the tournament. ¡°We¡¯ll block out a few days in two weeks and then run longer on those days to make it up for the¡­¡± I paused as I noticed that only ten slots were actually full for those three days. Ten out of a potential thirty slots. Well, it had only taken something like three months, but I was now into the quiet months. ¡°Right, well, l we can reschedule them without too many issues, I think. Let¡¯s otherwise set things up for Missy, Greta, Yolanda, and A.J. to join me for the tournament. With it being in Celadon, you can go for your gym matches on the side, and Missy can experience an Ace tournament.¡± I waved a hand. ¡°Let you get a feel for it and make connections; see how things operate, what needs to happen, and when.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯ll be fun!¡± Missy said Rocko sighed loudly. ¡°Oh no, that means Dennis and I shall have to hold down the fort; whatever shall we do?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Dennis licked his lips and looked to the side. ¡°Run¡­ tactical drills on the security?¡± Rocko shot Dennis a thoroughly unimpressed look. Dennis shifted in his seat. ¡°While¡­ wearing colourful clothes¡­ the foam noodles, and water balloons?¡± Dennis offered up. Rocko pretended to consider it for a moment before brightening up. He shot Dennis a thumbs up, ¡°The others will love it!¡± Yolanda, A.J., and Missy stared at the pair in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re going to play around like that when we¡¯re away?!¡± Yolanda said. Rocko and Dennis shared a look before nodding. ¡°Yup!¡± Rocko said unrepentantly. Yolanda swivelled on me, her eyes watering already. ¡°Brock!¡± she said. It was super effective. ¡°Uh, we¡¯ll have a session of it the week after,¡± I said, my resistance to my little sister demanding something collapsing like a poorly dug mining tunnel. Yolanda instantly stopped sniffling and perked up, alerting me that she¡¯d just manipulated me. A.J. glanced between us in thought, and I levelled a finger at him. ¡°Don¡¯t even try it.¡± He huffed, crossing his arms. I nodded and clapped my hands. ¡°Alright! That¡¯s enough for today! Remember that we¡¯re ending early tomorrow so that Salvadore and I can go to Silph Co.!¡± I shot the group at large a pointed look. ¡°I still have a slot in the group if you want to come? Any takers?¡± The group didn¡¯t seem all that interested, so I huffed and shot Janine a message telling her that tomorrow was a go. I¡¯d told the Guardians about the trip to Silph Tower, and Janine had jumped to get a spot to tour their facilities without being under suspicion. I knew her main reason was coming was the Master Ball, which was fine. If it wasn¡¯t secure enough to be safe from her, then if Team Rocket mimicked the games and attacked, Silph Co. would have no hope. Still, there was no reason I couldn¡¯t combine a business trip with some fun. Salvadore was positively ecstatic about getting the chance to see proper pokemon technicians and researchers at work. It should prove an interesting day.
We assembled in the Saffron City Square, where Janine, who was dressed remarkably casually, introduced her friend who would be joining us. ¡°Ace trainer Annie,¡± she said, bowing to us. ¡°I¡¯m a former ward of Koga, and I am based out of Fuchsia.¡± ¡°Wow really? What rank are you? What¡¯s your favourite pokemon? Is it a poison type?¡± Salvadore said, already well and truly in motormouth mode, with how excited he was for the coming tour of the Silph Co. facilities. Annie chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m only in my first year. I¡¯m doing alright at rank eighty, I like to think, but then again it¡¯s been a slow grind for me. I¡¯m still getting a feel for how things work and being careful. I have a good win-loss ratio though!¡± she said with a firm nod. ¡°Uhuh! And your favourite pokemon? What¡¯s your favourite route that you travelled on your journey?¡± he said, adding in another set of questions. Sensing the pattern, Annie answered both. ¡°Ivysaur currently, but I¡¯m hoping to get Venusaur soon. I also think I like the cycling track outside Fuchsia the most. It¡¯s just so enjoyable getting on your bike and crossing huge distances while overlooking the ocean,¡± she said. I reached over and put a hand on Salvadore to signal that he needed to calm down. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re all set, shall we?¡± I said, gesturing towards the tallest building in Saffron City by far. As we walked, I slowed a step and shot Annie a pointed look before flicking my eyes to Janine. Janine shot me a smirk before looking at Annie in front of her. Annie didn¡¯t so much as glance or twitch to show she¡¯d caught the interaction, but she did raise her hands above her head before lacing them together in a hand sign synonymous with ninja. Nin, nin indeed, I thought to myself before giving Janine another look. She must have decided to dress casually so that she wouldn¡¯t appear as threatening to Silph Co. If they just thought she was a harmless girl, then she¡¯d have more freedom to roam. I merely hummed and walked us along to the Silph Tower. We entered, and a trio of receptionists greeted us in unison from the front desk. ¡°Good afternoon Gym Leader Brock! Vice-president Howard will be down in a moment!¡± they chorused all together. I nodded and smiled as I led my group to a set of couches, although we didn¡¯t even get the chance to sit, as an elevator in the centre of the walkway dinged and opened to reveal Howard. ¡°Brock! Wonderful to see you in person! Thank you for accepting our offer!¡± he said grandly. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m looking forward to the rest of the offer, but we can talk about that later,¡± I said, quickly reaching out and shaking Howard¡¯s hand. ¡°This is my brother Salvadore, who¡¯s extremely interested in seeing what Technicians and Researchers do in big businesses like this. And this is my other friend¡ª¡± ¡°Jane!¡± said Janine, hopping in quickly and curtesying perfectly. Annie waved and smiled. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Annie, this one¡¯s friend and minder for today! She¡¯s a bit of a scatterbrain, but interested in what you do here!¡± Annie said. Janine shot her a furious look, and for a moment I was taken by it. Did they actually behave this way in front of¡­ Then I remembered that this was likely a ploy by them to further lower Silph Co.¡¯s guard. If Janine just so happened to get lost and be found in a place she shouldn¡¯t be? Oh dear, whoops! No harm, no foul. Howard nodded amicably at both of them, only for another elevator behind him to ding and a bellow to erupt from the elevator as a group of people emerged. ¡°You can¡¯t treat me like this! I¡¯m the brains of the department! You won¡¯t make any progress for a hundred years without me!¡± screeched a man as he was forcefully dragged through the foyer. The Machoke holding both arms didn¡¯t even slow as he tried to dig his heels into the carpet. Salvadore, Janine, Annie, and I all turned our heads to watch the group. Howard, who¡¯d been in the process of saying something, swallowed loudly. ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m so sorry about that. It seems we had an incident that needed to be handled,¡± he said, trying to talk over the shouting. A handkerchief appeared from his pocket and he began dabbing at his forehead. ¡°Susanne! What about that after-work party? You liked me, didn¡¯t you?¡± screeched the man being dragged out. One of the receptionists lowered her head, trying to remain at her post while sinking below anyone¡¯s sight. When that failed to get a response, the man switched targets. ¡°Sally! Sally, what about last year? At the end of year party?¡± Another receptionist lowered her head. The third one must have known which way the wind was blowing, as she disappeared behind her desk entirely. The Machoke reached the door and deposited the man on the front steps. The man who had been following along with a box of belongings put the box down and tried to leave, only for the wailing man to grab his pokeball. The Machoke tackled him to the ground, causing an audible whump as the fired researcher was re-educated about vectors and force. Janine clapped her hands together. ¡°My goodness, this is a wonderful start to the tour! I can¡¯t wait to tell my whole family about this!¡± she said in an innocent tone. ¡°Ohohoho!¡± she said with the perfect haughty tone, causing me to shudder. She even had the ojou-sama laugh perfected! Howard started to sweat right away. I could only imagine this was a nightmare start for him. Still, he rallied and indicated the elevator. ¡°Shall we?¡± he said weakly. Salvadore proved undaunted and charged to the elevator, with the rest of us following. Howard soon reclaimed control of himself from there, and when the tour itself started, he led us through a host of different hallways, ranging from business and accounting sections of the building to sections that were dedicated solely to product development. ¡°Oh wow! What are those!?¡± Salvadore said as we encountered a group of brown pokemon that were all strapped into machines with cords trailing off them. ¡°Oh this is the Technical Machine Development Center, or rather one of the research centers,¡± Howard said. ¡°From here, we develop the technology to create Technical machines that can draw from a pokemon into the format. We need to work on the design of the storage device, the cords, and even the linkage. We use specially trained Smeargle for the role as they are best known for the greatest capacity to learn, forget, and relearn moves more than any other pokemon!¡± ¡°Are they¡­ alright?¡± Salvadore said, indicating the asleep Smeargle, unknowingly causing a burst of pride to surge through my chest at his show of concern. It was good that he still had his morals in situations that excited him, and didn¡¯t become blindsided. ¡°They¡¯re well looked after!¡± said Howard, a little too quickly for my liking. ¡°Now the next floor is our developmental technology! This is something that we¡¯re particularly proud of! It¡¯s our teleportation pads!¡± He said, leading us to another level. When we emerged, I found the floor was an entirely open plan with only a few support pillars blocking complete sight of the various labs. In each glass room, there were four pads in the corners with groups of researchers working around them. We approached one and watched as the researchers worked with Hypno, Kadabra, and even a Gardevoir, all of whom wore lab coats. The pad that the group was clustered around flashed and a man in a red labcoat appeared. The group as a whole groaned. ¡°This is the southwest lab?¡± said the newly appeared man. ¡°Damn it, we had it calibrated for the northeast!¡± ¡°Alright, there¡¯s an error in the code somewhere!¡± said one of the researchers. ¡°Voir?¡± asked the Gardevoir as it raised a hand and put it on the redcoat man. The man tilted his head. ¡°Uhmmm, things are spinning a little bit, yes? And were the walls always yellow?¡± He promptly passed out, and the Kadabra caught him while the Hypno hit another red button. ¡°Hahahaha! Progress! Isn''t it wonderful?¡± said Howard, a touch too maniacally. He then once again hurried us away from the display of mad science going on. Salvadore jittered excitedly. ¡°Oh wow! You can teleport without Psychic types?¡± Howard nodded. ¡°So far we can, within the floor. We¡¯re testing longer ranges, but so far we seem to be curtailed to just the building as there is an unknown psychic interference that comes up when we try for outside field testing of similar distances.¡± ¡°Is it safe?¡± I asked. ¡°Very! Everything we do meets League standards!¡± he said, like that meant everything. Knowing how some standards could be quite lax, I merely hummed as we ascended to another level. ¡°Now! This is the floor I know you¡¯ll be interested in Brock!¡± Howard said as we exited the elevator and found ourselves looking over another floor that appeared to be dedicated entirely to pokeball development. I perked up and looked for the signature two-toned purple pokeball that I knew would have to be around. I couldn¡¯t see it, and I had to remind myself that was a good thing. If they had it in plain sight, I¡¯d have deliberately caused a distraction to let Janine steal it if they were being that cavalier. ¡°The pokeball development floor?¡± I prompted. ¡°Indeed! This is a floor that typically only artisans and highly qualified technicians can enter, but we¡¯re happy to escort you around today!¡± ¡°More than happy, I should say!¡± said a voice, causing our group to turn to the side as another businessman strode up to us. For some reason that I couldn¡¯t put my finger on, this man reminded me of someone. ¡°Board member Arashi! What a¡­ pleasant surprise!¡± said Howard with a clipped tone. ¡°Howard, running errands as always, I see?¡± said the man with a dismissive nod. He then turned to us and smiled. ¡°Well, Erika told me her friend would be coming around here, and with my work seeing me coming around, I thought I¡¯d come to say hello in person to Gym Leader Brock!¡± said Arashi. ¡°Oh? Erika knows you and talked to you about us?¡± I said. And just like that I suddenly noticed how similar Erika and Arashi¡¯s facial features were. It had to be the chin and the eyes that had clued me in. ¡°Ha! I¡¯m her uncle! Her father¡¯s older brother, of course! So yes! You could say I know her!¡± he said, teasingly. I nodded and glanced at the oddly sweating Howard who was eyeing me and Arashi nervously. ¡°Are you alright, Howard?¡± I asked, deciding to play up the clueless man routine. Instead of Howard answering, Arashi barked a laugh. ¡°Ha! He¡¯s just sweating cause I¡¯m flouncing around in the company my brother and I founded years back! When Takeshi passed¡­ because of his bad heart¡­. a strange buyout took place, causing me and him to lose a good deal of the stock we owned through some very¡­ interesting¡­ circumstances,¡± Arashi said pointedly. He smiled a smile that had far too many teeth to it. ¡°Course Howard here wasn¡¯t nothing but an intern back then, and the board of directors we¡¯d had at the time were a different pack of Sharpedo, but hey! A lot can change in fifteen years!¡± Howard nodded and coughed. ¡°How¡¯s the acquisition of stock going, sir?¡± Arashi shot Howard a sharp look. ¡°That¡¯s private, and it¡¯s going,¡± he said, giving Howard a much more assessing look before nodding his head once. He shot me another nod. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve said more than I planned to, and I don¡¯t want you and your little brother here missing out on the marvels of Silph Co. so I¡¯ll see myself off.¡± I nodded in farewell, and Salvadore mimicked me. Salvadore then tilted his head and looked around. ¡°Where¡¯d Annie and Jane go?¡± he said. Howard and I both blinked in surprise, only now realising that they were missing. I frowned. Had¡­Janine been here when Erika¡¯s uncle walked up? Had she departed due to his chances of recognising her? Or was it a useful distraction she¡¯d made the most of? Or had she set something like this up earlier? Howard coughed. ¡°I¡¯ll have some secretaries go looking for them; the poor girls must be lost,¡± he said. I nodded, barely holding in a snort of disbelief. Oh, you sweet innocent child, I could only think to myself as Howard instructed a group of men and women to look for his missing guests. ¡°¡ªcouldn¡¯t have gotten far,¡± he said as he sent them off. He then turned back, his handkerchief now thoroughly drenched as he dabbed at his forehead. ¡°Shall we take a break while they find our friends?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I think they were most likely looking a touch bored. Perhaps we should continue?¡± I prompted. Salvadore nodded seriously while flicking me a confused glance. He must have been expecting me to wait up, but then again, he knew Janine, so he might possibly have an inkling of something else going on here. I shot him a wink, and he nodded slowly. ¡°What¡¯s your best pokeball!¡± he said, throwing himself back into the avid kid with a hundred questions routine. Howard smiled widely and led us to the back of the facility, where he had to slip a keycard into a reader and scan his fingerprint and retina to be allowed entrance. I mentally noted that the walls in this area had extremely thick black cables running around and through the walls. I could feel the dark energy pulsing through them. When we entered I noticed that in each corner, a bunker was built into the walls, with the cords branching out of them. Howard noticed my gaze. ¡°Oh! Those are our high-capacity dark emitters! We need to have four Houndoom in house constantly to run them, but they are a state of the art feature for any big business to avoid corporate espionage from Psychics!¡± he said. I hummed, wondering if it would be worth it, or humane, to try and install a similar system at home. I eyed the room we were in and discarded it. If it took four Houndoom to protect a space this small, I didn¡¯t want to know what it would take to protect the Gym and my house. The room itself still had another room within that was clear glass. A pair of Alakazam worked with another pair of researchers as they worked on a table with a lot of tiny little parts all laid out. ¡°Those are¡­ parts of a pokeball?¡± I said. Salvadore nodded. ¡°I can see the pins, the reflecting arrays, what¡­ might be an energy source¡­ I¡­ what are they made of? They¡¯re so different than normal pokeballs?¡± Howard perked up. ¡°Oh! Those are trade secrets, I¡¯m afraid. I don¡¯t even know myself. The two researchers have to do three-day shifts before allowing themselves to have their memories cleansed by a specialised drowzee before they are allowed to leave the building!¡± he said. Salvadore blinked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t think I could ever do that. I like knowing things too much.¡± ¡°They are appropriately compensated for their work,¡± Howard said. I hummed and decided not to comment on that. ¡°So, this is it, then? Your best pokeball?¡± ¡°Yes, this is the best pokeball that we have and possibly will ever create. It will have a perfect capture rate unlike so many other pokeballs that have come before. With this, the taming of legendaries will be possible! This is the Masterball!¡± Howard declared proudly. I hummed. ¡°The capture? Perhaps. The taming?¡± I made a dismissive noise. ¡°That, I¡¯m far less confident in and where people might come unstuck. There are plenty of pokemon out there that simply don¡¯t want to be with humans,¡± I said as I observed the group assemble the Masterball before my eyes. It felt strangely momentous to watch as the Masterball was assembled before my eyes. In the games, this had been such a big deal when you first gained it. Even as a child, I¡¯d known that I couldn¡¯t use this on just any pokemon. It made me weigh up which Legendary I wanted to be guaranteed on my playthrough. Sure, the concept of trading pokemon made that rather meaningless in the end, but still. This was it. The Masterball. Seeing it in real life stirred desires and thoughts of power in my mind. Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos¡­ Mewtwo¡­ all of them from the first games alone. With one throw of a pokeball. This world wasn¡¯t like that game. This world was so much bigger, and a person with the Masterball would have a much greater array of choices. Terrible and great choices... We watched it being put together for ten minutes without uttering a word. I grunted and tore my gaze away from the assembly process, noticing how Salvadore and Howard had also been drawn into the hypnotic lull of the siren song that the Masterball seemed to cause. ¡°We should find Annie and Jane,¡± I said. ¡°Hmmm,¡± said Salvadore and Howard together, their eyes still glued on the assembly process. I coughed, and they stirred. Howard glanced around. ¡°Oh, sorry! I was rather mesmerised there! It¡¯s just so interesting watching them put it together, no?¡± he said. Indicating the masterball as the technicians trialled different arrangements for the ball only to inspect a readout on the computers to the side. ¡°Yeeeeeeaaaah,¡± said Salvadore as he was dragged back into the trance. I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Right, that¡¯s enough.¡± I dragged the group out and noted that the exit procedure was much quicker. With the line of sight broken, Howard and Salvadore both seemed to fully return to themselves. I gave them both considering looks before giving the room a final glance, my eyes tracking the pair of Alakazam that assisted. It occurred to me that it might not be just the resources that went into the Masterball that made it special, but also the way it was made. ¡°Right, right¡­ your friends. My assistants should have¡­¡± said Howard only to look around and find a group of rather flustered men and women sprinting around the building. I decided to have mercy on them. ¡°Has anyone looked on the roof?¡± I prompted. Howard laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, of course, they couldn¡¯t be on the roof,¡± he said. I merely smiled as a shadow seemed to flit out of a corner and towards the stairs. When an assistant headed up there and returned with Annie and Jane, I merely chuckled. ¡°Got lost?¡± I said. Jane stomped her foot petulantly. ¡°It¡¯s not funny! I just got distracted and then turned around!¡± she whined. The men who had been looking for her scoffed while the women all stepped in to comfort her, causing me to merely shake my head in wonder. I decided that was enough for today. When we reached the reception once again, I gave Howard a handshake. ¡°Thanks for the interesting tour, it was way more than I was expecting, and I think Salvadore learned a lot.¡± I could only imagine that Janine had learned more. Howard grinned magnanimously at us. ¡°Not at all! Not at all I was glad to give it. Here, please take our latest product that we¡¯re going to be putting to market soon!¡± He handed each of us a small box Salvadore ripped the gift wrap off and stared. ¡°The Xtransciever?¡± he said. ¡°Indeed, the latest model! We¡¯re going for a cool new marketing method by using a different numeric!¡± Howard said. Janine and I shared a look while Salvadore tilted his head. ¡°But the latest transciever is only up to the sixth generation?¡± he said. Howard coughed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s just how good it is!¡± chimed Howard. I snorted and thanked the man for the new phone/watch/piece of equipment. I was pleased to see that it had a lot of new features and an updated and even easier user interface. It certainly looked good. When we got outside Janine narrowed her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t use this for anything sensitive just yet, I will have some experts look this over,¡± she said firmly. She then bowed to Salvadore and I. ¡°thank you for access to Silph Tower. It was very informative!¡± she said. I chuckled and departed with Salvadore for home myself. Later, after I¡¯d settled in for the night, Janine and I spoke with the other Guardians about her discoveries. It turned out that her assessment of their security wasn¡¯t very high. ¡°¡ªa clever use of a Ditto and some light fingers would get you entrance into the lab, which would negate most of the security features they have. The keycards are the most important aspect of it all but there are in fact two keycards in existence, with the President and the Vice President having them.¡± Agatha scoffed. ¡°They obviously haven¡¯t had anyone actually test the system!¡± Karen chuckled. ¡°Might be a job for a ninja girlie?¡± she said. Janine huffed, and Karen chuckled. ¡°How was it? The Masterball?¡± Koga prompted me, causing the banter to fall away. I considered what to say and eventually settled on one word. ¡°Dangerous.¡± This got some serious nods from Koga, Agatha, and Lucy. The conversation then turned to setting Koga up on the top of Silph Tower as the best vantage point of Saffron City while others swept the other skyscrapers of Saffron that had a direct line of sight of Sabrina¡¯s gym. Janine had also plugged us into the rooftop cameras. Agatha then addressed Sabrina, who was leaning against me. ¡°Are you ready for your match?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Sabrina said confidently. ¡°I have little doubt of my success in a match against Will. I, however, cannot see any other method but outside interference for Will to defeat me. I will be relying on all of you,¡± she said, locking eyes with each of the other guardians. ¡°I don¡¯t want to allow Will even the smallest excuse to claim the high ground and avoid another match.¡± Agatha nodded. ¡°Put your faith in us and focus as much as you can on your match against Will; we will deny him any interference!¡± When things wrapped up, everyone seemed confident. That didn¡¯t stop Sabrina from staying over and cuddling up to me. ¡°Think you¡¯re going to be alright?¡± I asked. ¡°I will be,¡± she said, locking eyes with me. ¡°I completed it,¡± she said. I blinked and had to think for a moment to realise what she could mean. ¡°You and Alakazam?¡± she nodded, and I laughed. ¡°You¡¯re incredible, and I am so envious of your success.¡± Will really had no chance. I kissed her, and grinned, feeling a weight come off my mind. If anything, Sabrina was that much more guaranteed to win. ¡°What was it like?¡± I asked. ¡°It was¡­ powerful and slightly disorientating. It is strange to be so close, I think I will need to use it wisely, lest it backfire on me. I have acquired it in lab settings and will practise a little more.¡± She shifted in my arms. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to come camping with you tomorrow night,¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Want me to test you before I go hiking, or I can cancel with my¡ª¡± I started to say only for Sabrina to shake her head. ¡°No, if there are any violent reactions like those written about in the reports we have, I want them pointed at an acceptable target¡­ Not that I think such will occur. It was simply¡­ staggering how much more I could sense while linked with Alakazam.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to work hard with Jormungandr to catch up,¡± I said, knowing right away what I was going to train tomorrow morning. Chapter 159 - To Mt Moon! Family edition! I winched in pain as Koga got in a strike to my side. I hadn¡¯t even seen him move. ¡°Stay aware!¡± he barked as I lashed out at him. He wove around the blow and darted in only for Selene to return, to defend me from his attack. A Barrier formed between us and Koga vanished in a quick burst of speed. I growled and swept the field, looking for any sign he was still about, only for Agatha to blow a whistle. ¡°And that¡¯s a match for Lucy and Karen¡¯s team,¡± she said. I rubbed my side and held up a hand to the others in my group. ¡°Sorry, Koga got me; I wasn¡¯t expecting him,¡± I said with a groan. The group nodded along at this and stumbled to the side so that the next victim, Janine, could take to the field. Agatha walked around the group and gave us all feedback. When she got to me, she nodded. ¡°Good work trying to pull back like you did during that last exercise. Sadly, you weren¡¯t allowed to, and the field had been set up before you arrived.¡± ¡°So the task was supposed to be as hard as possible?¡± I said, rubbing my side. ¡°Yes, we made it theoretically impossible. It forces you to be as creative as you can, as otherwise you will ¡®perish¡¯ as it were. Situations like this aren¡¯t ideal, but you can sometimes find yourself in them. Stay mobile and continue to keep your head on a swivel.¡± She then smirked. ¡°Were there any traitors in your group today?¡± I chewed my lip in thought, my brain hurting with how I was being forced to adapt and come up with commands on the fly for a large group. ¡°No, there wasn¡¯t?¡± Agatha raised an unimpressed eyebrow. I stood taller. ¡°No, there wasn¡¯t, ¡°I repeated firmly. Agatha nodded. ¡°Very good,¡± she said before walking away. I pursed my lips in annoyance and glanced at the group I¡¯d led. It was getting harder and harder to judge if there were slip-ups or accidents that meant anything. It didn¡¯t help that half the Chanellers had been replaced by Ninja that Koga had trained. I had to work harder and harder and keep a better eye out for them. Lately, Agatha had also stopped telling me if I was right or wrong about anyone betraying me. It weirdly rubbed at me, despite knowing that uncertainty was what they were aiming for. It made the lesson to always be watching for betrayal stick wonderfully, though, so I had to give her some credit. She was annoying, but she was a damn good teacher. When she wanted to be, that is. I spared a glance at the girl who trailed around after Agatha with a scowl and a clipboard. Surprisingly, Karen had been nice to the girl, which was a first. They almost acted like they were siblings. Which¡­. Hmmm¡­ I still wasn¡¯t sure what to think of that. I settled back and watched Janine advance under the assault of Ghost and Poison-type pokemon only to pull her own vanishing act with her group by exploding the field and going to ground. When a trio of trainers advanced to check the field Janine leapt out of the earth and released her pokemon once more. This caused Agatha¡¯s group to become chaotic and fragmented, allowing Janine to take them out before having to endure Koga. Father and daughter met in the middle of the field with their pokemon blazing away at each other, only for Koga to get the best of Janine and disarm her. She got in close with him and punished him for doing so with a flurry of strikes that sent him skidding backwards. ¡°Whoa! Go Janine!¡± I called from the side. Sadly, Koga shrugged these off, stepping forward to engage once more. Soon enough he had a blunt weapon at her throat and a stern look. He stepped back a moment later and nodded. ¡°A wonderful display, daughter; excellent adjustment; you would have taken out several times your number with this tactic and would have emerged victorious if this were anyone else.¡± Janine buzzed in place. ¡°Thank you, father! And I think I actually still won in the end?¡± A pair of trainers shot out of the ground and released their contingent of pokemon. Koga barked a laugh and signalled the fight to stop. ¡°You should have played them earlier, but yes, that would have been a good move to make.¡± He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. I could see it meant the world to Janine to be praised like this, so on reflex, I reached out and covered Karen¡¯s mouth. Whatever she said next¡ª it would most likely have been a snide comment¡ª was muffled. She shot me a narrow-eyed look and I withdrew my hand before she could bite me. The girl who had been shadowing Agatha snorted at our antics. ¡°Just let her enjoy her victory; that was a clever move to get the drop on Agatha and Koga like that,¡± I said. Agatha sniffed. ¡°Get the drop while we¡¯re taking it easy, perhaps.¡± I shot her an unimpressed look, but she merely scoffed. The rest of the session was spent in a debrief, and I returned to the Gym afterwards sore and tired. I rubbed my ribs a bit and grimaced again. ¡°Are you alright, Brock?¡± Yolanda said as she strode towards me with Terra waddling after her. ¡°Feeling it a bit. I might be pushing it a bit hard in the gym lately,¡± I said, trying to hide the fact that I probably had a large bruise on my side from where Koga got me. She frowned at me but decided to accept that, as I led her out to the reserve where I had to release my pokemon. Yolanda frowned, noticing the signs of wear and fatigue on my pokemon. She shot me a confused look, but I waved her off again. ¡°Secret training,¡± I said. ¡°Wait, so you¡¯ve already done some training this morning?¡± She stepped closer and peered at my face. ¡°Are you tired? You might be pushing yourself too much then.¡± I huffed. ¡°This isn¡¯t that bad; trust me, I¡¯ve been worse. I¡¯m getting up early to work on some tactics with some of my pokemon and that means I just need to sacrifice sleep.¡± ¡°Hmmmm, maybe you should try and get some sleep during lunch today?¡± I hummed before shaking my head. ¡°It¡¯s not a good look if the boss is asleep on the job.¡± ¡°Better than fainting on the job,¡± she replied. I waved her off again. ¡°I¡¯ll get some rest tonight, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°You do recall that we¡¯re going camping tonight, right?¡± she said dubiously. I shot her a bemused look. ¡°And which of us has gone on their journey and knows how to set up camp? Trust me, I have some great camping gear for any trip.¡± Yolanda narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°Did Rough Housing send you a bunch of free gear?¡± I coughed. Damn, she knew! ¡°Yeah, that too, but I do know how to prepare a campsite. You¡¯ll see. It¡¯s something you pick up after¡­ a couple months on the road.¡± Yolanda grimaced at that. ¡°I suppose there won¡¯t always be inns or pokemon centres to stay at, will there?¡± I chuckled at that. ¡°No, there will not be.¡± She nodded. ¡°Right¡­ I should start treating these trips as practise shouldn¡¯t I?¡± I nodded, pleased that she understood. ¡°Well, you¡¯re more aware than Forrest once again.¡± Yolanda giggled. A small war cry had us looking to the side to find Teddiursa had beaten Cranidos and was now squaring up against Terra. Terra had a serious look about her but Teddiursa was able to avoid grappling with the much heavier pokemon. He hit and ran with his strikes, targeting her legs to weaken her before eventually knocking her over and catching her. He grinned fiercely and stepped back with a small roar. Terra stood up with a huff before beaming a smile. ¡°Larv!¡± she said. She then pointed to the side, making Teddiursa turn just in time to take Cranidos¡¯ lowered head to his gut. Apparently, Cranidos was now ready for a rematch. Terra waddled over and got some potion from Yolanda and a quick round of reviews, with Yolanda pointing out what she needed to watch out for against Teddiursa. I decided to step in and give both of my pokemon some instructions. I wasn¡¯t surprised when Teddiursa made better use of my suggestions to catch Cranidos. Then again, Teddiursa was somewhat fighting under his weight class. He was just emerging out of the baby phase and into the proper pokemon fighting phase. I¡¯d probably take him along on our hike to give him some experience. Him¡­ and Cranidos, I decided, looking over the angry baby pokemon. Terra started to waddle forward, only for me to hold up a hand. ¡°Sorry Terra, I need Teddiursa to focus on other training; How about you fight with our new Aerodactyl instead? She¡¯s just hatched, so be gentle with her,¡± I said, indicating the nearby pokemon that had come out with Don to watch the training session. Don had reacted rather differently to this new addition. He preened a little more and seemed more controlled with his ¡®daughter¡¯ watching on. I rather enjoyed having a new point of control over Don. Now I only needed to gesture to the side and indicate his daughter, who was watching with rapt attention. That hadn¡¯t failed yet to get him to knuckle down and get into the training, rather than be stubborn. ¡°Jormungandr!¡± I called my Steelix. I waved him over and claimed a spot atop a boulder as he wrapped himself around the boulder and laid down. ¡°Lix?¡± He rumbled. I drew out the keystone and wrapped it around my wrist. ¡°Sabrina has succeeded,¡± I said succinctly. That got him to blink in surprise. I nodded. ¡°We¡¯re not going to let them leave us behind, though. So for the next hour, it¡¯s just you and me, bud.¡± I patted my hand on his body. ¡°Let¡¯s get stuck into it, yeah?¡± Jorm nodded his mighty head as I settled into feeling out our link. Thanks to working with Jormungandr, I was now much more aware of the bonds I had with all of my pokemon. I could, with a lot of effort on my part, somewhat perceive them growing and solidifying, growing more robust. Titan, for example, was like a pipeline that was wrapped in a myriad of colours for all the adventures we¡¯d been on. In comparison, Teddiursa¡¯s bond with me was a thin rope. I expected that it would be much stronger by the end of the day. For now, I focused on the bond that Jormungandr and I shared. Both of us sent energy towards the other in the pattern that we¡¯d worked out, which helped to merge our energies before we fed it back towards Jormungandr. Or at least we tried to; before it entered Jormungandr¡¯s body the energy lost cohesion and shot back into Jorm and myself. Both of us grimaced at the failure and the feeling of the energy snapping back into us. I sighed. Another failure. I shook my head and clapped my hands. It wasn¡¯t another failure; it was merely another step. ¡°Another step forward,¡± I said aloud, reminding myself that it was important to keep Jormungandr motivated. My giant metal snake opened an eye. I nodded, conveying as much confidence as I could. ¡°We¡¯ve come a long way, we¡¯ll get this,¡± I said before shutting my own eyes to resume the training. We were so close I could metaphorically taste it. When my timer went off, indicating an hour had passed, I let the energy that Jorm and I had built up dissipate harmlessly before standing and stretching. ¡°Urgh, alright buddy, good work,¡± I said, clapping him on the side as I jumped over him. Clefairy was, as always, working hard, but I paused for a moment as I noticed how many others were working just as hard. Even Don would stop, only to glance at Clefairy, before pushing himself to keep working. I gave a quick whistle and all of my team stopped and hurried over as I laid out some food for them. I found Yolanda on a boulder of her own, fast asleep, with Terra in her lap. I raised up my transceiver and snapped a few pictures. Then I waved for Titan and Bertha to stand behind her. Bertha raised two fingers so that Yolanda looked like she had giant, if stumpy, bunny ears. I chuckled and snapped a few more, then gently woke her up. ¡°Sure, it''s me that needs to sleep and not you?¡± I asked as I led her back for breakfast. She yawned hugely. ¡°I was trying to copy you and feel for any hidden power I might have but¡­ it¡¯s kind of boring?¡± I laughed louder. ¡°Yeah, yeah, it is.¡± I¡¯d had the fortune to have the experience of two lives. And it had still taken me years, despite knowing to try for it. Hopefully, with my wisdom being given to Yolanda she¡¯d pick it up just as quickly. I wrapped an arm around her and led her to breakfast, where we found Munchlax holding up Suzie as she pilfered the cupboard. ¡°And what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± I said. Suzie startled and Munchlax twitched, causing them to teeter from side to side. Before Suzie could fall, I stepped in and caught her. She giggled, and I kept her going with some tickles. ¡°No sneaking snacks!¡± I said in mock anger. I set her down and opened the fridge. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for a Brock breakfast!¡± I announced. Yolanda nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go find Dad. He must have stayed up too late packing the camping gear.¡± I merely shook my head. He had all of today to get things sorted, but he¡¯d wanted it done last night. Ah well, I knew how hard it was to organise our family. I allowed myself a moment of schadenfreude as I began to heat up the third skillet with my famous Brock everything scrambled eggs. Munchlax sat on his stool next to Suzie, quivering in anticipation. ¡°Break-fast!¡± sang Suzie. ¡°Everything Brock! Everything Breakfast!¡± ¡°Brock Breakfast!¡± I chorussed back to her. ¡°Munch! Munch! Munch!¡± Munchlax chimed in happily. It had been a while since I¡¯d done this. I¡¯d usually made a point of avoiding meals, or getting through them quickly, of late, what with it being weird around Flint and how busy I¡¯d been. I allowed myself a moment to exhale in relief. Damn, it was good to have a late start to the day. Soon enough, the rest of my siblings wandered in. Yolanda prodded them along, with Terra and Eevee working to chase the stragglers. Salvadore clattered into a chair with a map and a number of books. ¡°Morning! Hey Brock! Think we can find some rare pokemon this afternoon?¡± I hummed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see; do Clefairy count?¡± ¡°I mean, I guess?¡± he said. ¡°I think I can get the Clefairy to come out tonight, so we¡¯ll get to see them,¡± I said. The girls all cheered at this. Salvadore nodded. ¡°What else can we find if we¡¯re lucky?¡± ¡°Hmmm well the normal are of course Geodude, Sandshrew, and Onix, but we can also be on the lookout for Paras, Zubat, ab¡­¡± I trailed off, deciding not to mention Absol. Salvadore would definitely look into it. I frowned. I¡¯d seen an Absol right before Mewtwo and Moltres exchanged blows, hadn¡¯t I? ¡°Abra?¡± Salvadore said excitedly. I hummed. ¡°On the east side of the mountain, perhaps,¡± I said. ¡°Hey Yolanda,¡± I said. ¡°Where¡¯s Flint?¡± Yolanda stared at me as she swallowed some of her food. ¡°He¡¯s still asleep; leave a plate for him, I think,¡± she said eventually. I nodded and turned my attention to making up my siblings'' lunches for the day. For some reason, the kids started tittering and whispering to each other while I did this. I eyed them for a moment, but they adopted innocent expressions. I handed them their lunchboxes with a frown. Something weird was going on here. A tug on my pants had me looking down to find Munchlax giving me Baby Doll Eyes with a quivering lip. He glanced at the final unmade lunchbox, and I sighed. ¡°Alright, Munchlax, you too,¡± I said. I made up another lunchbox for him so he wouldn¡¯t feel left out. He happily accepted the box with a hug and trotted into the loungeroom, where he turned on some morning cartoons, with Eevee and Terra joining him. ¡°Hmmm, guess I can walk you to school,¡± I said to myself. The kids all grinned at that. I led them out the front door, wondering why they were all acting so weird. I¡¯d taken them to school plenty of times before. When I turned, the bushes rustled, causing me to pause as I realised what was about to happen. Huh, it¡¯d been a while since this had happened. ¡°Gym Leader¡ª¡± was as far as the kid got before he tripped over a Lileep that tangled itself around their legs. They fell face-first into the pond with a splash, and I winced in sympathy. Oh, right, it had been a while since I¡¯d come out of this entrance. I lifted the bedraggled trainer out of the pond. ¡°You alright there?¡± ¡°No?¡± they said with a quiver of the lip. A cursory inspection revealed that they had a rather large lump forming on their forehead. Ouch. I patted them on the head and dropped them off at the front of the hedge. ¡°Well, next time just make a booking like everyone else, yeah?¡± The tears vanished as I walked past them. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re not going to help me?¡± ¡°Nah, I''ve got places to be; you¡¯ll be alright. If the pain persists, go to the hospital! They can help you better than I can!¡± I called back to them. I then marched on happily, curtailing my siblings from sprinting towards the¡­ weirdly full playground¡­ ¡°Hey!¡± I said as I remembered something. ¡°You guys don''t even have school today!¡± The kids all broke out into laughter as I realised they¡¯d tricked me. I huffed and claimed a seat on the bench as my siblings sprinted off. Salvadore happily sat next to me and quizzed me on my knowledge of Mt Moon. Alexa walked past and paused when she noticed me. ¡°Morning Brock,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s you out today with the kids?¡± she asked. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, one of the perks of starting the day a bit later,¡± I said. Alexa nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll say!¡± She considered me. ¡°Would it be presumptuous to ask to give you the day¡¯s schedule now? It is a rather nice morning,¡± she said. I considered the area and the sky. She was right, there were clear skies all around, and it would make for a nicer environment to see what the day had lined up for me so far. ¡°Sure,¡± I said. She handed me the schedule and sat down, sipping on her coffee as I read. I tapped the first space. ¡°I doubt this is going to remain free,¡± I said with a chuckle. She tilted her head before copying me. ¡°Trainer tried to jump you?¡± I nodded and read through the rest of the day. There were no major points of order. With Sabrina¡¯s match tomorrow, I wasn¡¯t about to tire out any of my Elite pokemon with another Ace match. Instead, I¡¯d just cruise in for an early finish before taking the kids to Mt Moon. When I wrangled the kids back to the Gym I wasn''t surprised to find out that the first match had been booked. I strode into the Gym and claimed my podium with two fresh pokeballs in my grasp. Across from me, a trainer with a large bandage on their forehead glowered back. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°You can''t escape me!¡± they shouted. I chuckled and smiled. ¡°Looks like things worked out for you! You ready?¡± I said. I wasn¡¯t surprised that this was a first badge match, but with some recent additions, I had a few more options of late. ¡°Go Machop!¡± shouted the trainer. I grinned and decided to give the trainer a bit of a treat. ¡°Go! Cranidos!¡± I ordered. Cranidos appeared and couldn¡¯t seem to believe his luck. I chuckled, knowing how this would likely go. The flags dropped, and I decided not to hold him back too much. ¡°Charge!¡± I said, causing the trainer to squawk in surprise before they quickly got their Machop to dodge. I chuckled, feeling myself relax a little. Give it another month or two, and I¡¯d be able to send out a lot of pokemon like this to give some people pause. ¡°Machop! Use Rock Smash!¡± the trainer shouted. Cranidos turned and levelled his head once more. ¡°Cranidos! Use Rock Polish to go faster, but don¡¯t attack just yet! I want to save up for a big hit!¡± I said. Cranidos liked the sound of that and did as I asked. I sighed in relief as it leapt to the side and dodged the strike, instead building up speed. ¡°Alright! Now swing around with Leer!¡± Cranidos glowered, and Machop took a single step back before stepping forward with a growl. Cranidos came on with a tiny roar, only for the Trainer to back Machop¡¯s power. ¡°Rock Smash!¡± Machop lashed out, and while it cried out in pain, it knocked Cranidos out cold with the hit. Dennis raised a flag. ¡°Cranidos is unable to battle!¡± I returned him to his pokeball. ¡°Good effort out there, little guy; you followed orders well. We¡¯ll get you those victories, don¡¯t you worry.¡± I would have to limit his fights in the lower badges levels, but it would be worth it to give him more motivation to train and follow commands. For my next pokemon, I brought out an Onix deciding to go with the classic. ¡°Bide!¡± I ordered. The Trainer sent their pokemon straight at mine with another Rock Smash, only for Onix to endure a flurry of blows. I grinned and pointed back at them. ¡°Release!¡± Onix exploded into action and swept Machop from the field. ¡°Ah!¡± said the trainer, slumping in on themselves. ¡°That¡­ was my only pokemon.¡± I paused, hand still extended. Well, now I just felt bad. I sighed, ¡°Alright, well, we''ve got a lot to talk about then, kid,¡± I said, lowering the podiums. Looks like my job today was going to be starting off in a rather different manner than I¡¯d anticipated.
Thankfully, there weren¡¯t any more curveballs for the rest of the day. I was able to facilitate a few training sessions with Missy, A.J., and Greta before lunch. During Missy¡¯s training time, I walked around the forming volcano with a critical eye. ¡°So we¡¯ll need to get a magma hood made up. That is what¡¯s going to form the basis of the evolution of your Rhydon. It will also determine how the armour forms on him.¡± ¡°I have some drawings!¡± She handed me a set of images that looked like they were based on Bertha, but then there were also copies of what the scaled-down, pre-evolution would look like on a Rhydon. I skimmed through them. ¡°These look good. Next week we¡¯re going to get some more Slugma to keep the volcano going so we can ignite it properly then, and set up a site for your Rhydon.¡± ¡°Great! We¡¯ve eked out as much as we can, I think, from the training, and it¡¯s about time to evolve him!¡± Missy cheered. ¡°Sorry about all the delays,¡± I said sheepishly. ¡°Ah, no, it makes perfect sense. I signed on to learn how to evolve my Rhydon, and I have gotten a lot more than that! I think I will be requesting some time off soon so I can evolve him, go try out some battle clubs, and also look for some other pokemon.¡± ¡°Any ideas?¡± I asked. Missy shifted. ¡°I was actually thinking of going to Hoenn or the Orange Islands to get some real versatility. If I get a flight organised I can be there in a day, spend a week or more shooting around the area, and then fly back,¡± she said. ¡°Hmmm true,¡± I said. ¡°If you do go to Hoenn, do you think you can meet up with Celia? She¡¯ll have some insight into Hoenn, having been over there for a few months now.¡± I considered Missy. ¡°What pokemon do you have an eye on?¡± Missy shifted back and forth. ¡°Al..taria?¡± she said. I grinned. ¡°A very good choice for a new addition to your team,¡± I said, knowing that it was a wonderful blend of beauty, power and versatility. ¡°I know! I looked into it after you mentioned Gertrude having one, and I thought I might like one!¡± Missy beamed back at me. With her sorted, it was easy to work on building up A.J. and Greta. The afternoon only saw me being challenged by one trainer, so I decided to close up after that. I waved as I left for the medical bay to collect the pokemon I was taking with me. I glanced back and was happy to find Dennis and Rocko leading a few of the new Gym trainers through some fun games with each of their pokemon. When I entered my own house, I found Flint up and awake, with a number of backpacks were set out in the hallway. The kids were sitting in the loungeroom, reading or playing games. ¡°Who¡¯s ready to go to Mt. Moon?¡± I said. Instantly, all of the kids whirled about and cheered. The older kids all grabbed up backpacks of their own, while the smaller ones attached small fanny packs to themselves as Nanny Grav tossed a pair of larger packs over her own arms. ¡°Ready!¡± they all cheered. I gave Flint a glance, and he shot me a thumbs up as he donned a much smaller pack. Yolanda tilted her head. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take a bag Brock?¡± I reached to the side, grabbed a small clip-on backpack and grinned. ¡°Latest and greatest in Silph Co. folding space!¡± I declared. Yolanda nodded, gaining a thoughtful look. I once again hustled my family out of the house. I was extremely happy when I wasn¡¯t ambushed by another trainer, or even the same trainer as earlier this morning. If they¡¯d just come straight back at me, they really wouldn¡¯t have shown that they¡¯d learned anything. Our family trudged through town, and by the point we reached Route Three, Munchlax was staggering and carrying on. ¡°Muuuuuuunch,¡± he said worriedly. I held out a bag of carrot sticks. ¡°Here, eat these while we walk,¡± I said. He instantly perked up and munched at the food while walking without a problem. As we walked, we slowly started to encounter longer and denser patches of grass that were sporadically littered with boulders. ¡°Cranidos, come on out!¡± I said, releasing said pokemon from his pokeball. Cranidos came out with a small roar and snapped his head around. ¡°Cran?¡± he said, his eyes locking onto Munchlax. Munchlax, not understanding what was going on, held his food defensively off to the side. ¡°Cran!¡± growled Cranidos. ¡°Nope!¡± I barked. ¡°None of that. Munchlax is with us. I brought you out to work on fighting some pokemon as we walked along the route to Mt Moon. Give you some more experience. Think you can handle it?¡± Cranidos perked up at that and nodded, his eyes once more searching the area for a challenger. It didn¡¯t take long for a Pidgey to appear in front of us. ¡°Cranidos go!¡± I ordered, letting him charge forward, only for Pidgey to fly over his head and evade him. ¡°Cranidos, hold back and watch it fly!¡± Cranidos did so with his little head bobbing back and forth before narrowing. ¡°Wait for it. Use Focus Energy while you do,¡± I commanded as Pidgey closed in. When Pidget spun about to Tackle Cranidos, I punched forward. ¡°Now! Headbutt!¡± I shouted, letting Cranidos leap forward. It struck true and knocked Pidgey out of the sky, where it rolled off to the side. Cranidos lined himself up again, only for me to whistle sharply. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Cranidos.¡± I stepped forward and inspected the downed pokemon. ¡°Pidgey won¡¯t be fighting anymore, and we¡¯re not looking to eat him, so let¡¯s put him in the shade and leave him some berries,¡± I said. I then gave Cranidos some quick pats. ¡°Good boy! Let¡¯s see if we can get you another fight!¡± Any idea of hitting Pidgey once again vanished, as Cranidos swept the area with his gaze. Suzie and Billy came over and stroked the downed Pidgey. ¡°Sleep well, little pokemon, you did well!¡± said Suzie before she tottered on. As we walked along the path, Cranidos got to fight more and more pokemon that wandered across the road until eventually he was too tired. ¡°Cran¡­ idos,¡± he said, taking a faltering step towards another Geodude. ¡°No, that¡¯s enough Cranidos,¡± I said, raising his pokeball and withdrawing him. ¡°Munchlax!¡± said Munchlax as he licked away the last of the crumbs from his mouth and stepped forward with his chin raised, his eyes locked with the Geodude. I blinked. ¡°You want to fight?¡± I said with surprise. ¡°Munch!¡± he said. He then waved about his empty bag and puffed himself up. ¡°Munch, munch munch! Lax!¡± he said firmly. I tilted my head, having no idea what he was saying. Cindy giggled. ¡°He¡¯s come for snacks and to kick butt, and he¡¯s out of snacks, so now it¡¯s time to kick butt!¡± I blinked, not having expected such a line from Munchlax. I eyed Cindy dubiously, as even Munchlax gaped at her. I highly doubted that was what he¡¯d said. Before I could say anything, Yolanda stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll be your trainer Munchlax!¡± she said. ¡°Get in close with Tackle!¡± she said, resulting in Munchlax dashing forwards, only for Geodude to roll to the side and dodge. Munchlax slid face-first through the dirt, only to stand quickly and shake himself off as my siblings took up cheering for him. ¡°Munch!¡± he shouted, leaping in to Tackle again, only for Geodude to once again evade. This time, while Munchlax was down, Geodude got its own tackle in. ¡°Stand up, Munchlax! We need you!¡± cheered Yolanda. Munchlax shot up to a standing position and growled at Geodude. ¡°Try Rock Slide,¡± I said more out of whim than anything. ¡°Rock Slide!¡± Yolanda said firmly. Munchlax glowered at Geodude, before he dug his hands into the earth and heaved. A section of rock slid out and slammed into Geodude, covering it up. The kids all cheered as though Munchlax had won. Munchlax turned a proud grin at them, his chest puffing up. Geodude chose that moment to leap from the pile of rocks and slam into Munchlax. Munchlax landed heavily and whimpered, only for Eevee to dash forward and smash her smaller body against Geodude. Geodude barely moved, and it gave Eevee a look of contempt. Eevee locked up, suddenly unsure what to do, and I could see Suzie was about to dart forward to save Eevee. I tossed out another pokeball and pointed at the Geodude. ¡°Teddiursa! Time to be a hero! Take out the Geodude!¡± I said, causing Geodude to switch its attention towards my pokemon. Teddiursa made short work of the Geodude and soon was happily swaggering up to me with a gleam in his eyes. ¡°Nice work out there, big guy,¡± I said. Teddiursa puffed himself up at the praise and I chuckled. I grew more serious as I turned my attention to Munchlax who was looking very roughed up and despondent. ¡°Munch¡­¡± he said sadly. My siblings darted forward and checked on him and Eevee, who had curled up on herself in shame. Yolanda was quick to console Eevee and when she reached Munchlax she scooped him up. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be so down little guy. You did great. I just didn¡¯t know what moves you knew¡­ and for a pokemon that is pretty housebound, you did good!¡± ¡°If good means getting knocked out so easy,¡± said Tommy. ¡°He¡¯s right you know,¡± chimed in Flint. ¡°Pet pokemon aren¡¯t going to be as strong as wild or trained pokemon.¡± I cleared my throat and shook my head. ¡°Not helping guys,¡± I said. Tommy ducked his head. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± At my expectant look, he bowed his head to Munchlax. ¡°Sorry Munchlax,¡± he said. Flint blushed when Yolanda pointedly stared at him, before offering up his own bow of apology. Munchlax bobbed his head, accepting the apologies, but still sad. Yolanda shifted him so he was on her hip while Eevee rested on her shoulders. Both pokemon seemed a bit shaken up at learning how weak they were. It probably didn¡¯t help that they¡¯d been watching Cranidos run around and beat up so many other pokemon before them. I kept Teddiursa out and had him beat away the next few pokemon before noting that my siblings were starting to flag. ¡°Stop for a break?¡± I said. Flint hummed and looked at the peak of Mt Moon. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to make it to the top tonight at this pace.¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you used to make it up there yourself in one shot. Did you run with the kids?¡± ¡°Oh, we usually rode pokemon, or I rock climbed with Forrest,¡± I said casually. ¡°Rock climbed¡­ Weren¡¯t you worried about falling?¡± Flint said. I shook my head. ¡°Don or Selene could have caught us if we fell,¡± I said. ¡°Ah,¡± Flint said, rubbing his chin. ¡°Well, how about I bring out my Onix?¡± said Flint. ¡°We can ride it for the next part. It¡¯s strong enough that no local pokemon should bother us!¡± he said. This was met with a chorus of agreement. Flint¡¯s Onix was a very dark-toned specimen. I ran my hands over its body and frowned. ¡°Lots of coal in his diet?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, and some other minerals that make him oddly striped underneath,¡± Flint said, happy to talk about his pokemon. ¡°Oh! So there are markers for Onix that let you tell them apart?¡± said Tommy, showing some curiosity for the first time. Flint nodded from where he sat at the front. ¡°Yes! Most Onix are entered into registries with the Rangers when they¡¯re in the wild. Some of the older ones can grow quite large unless they are kept repressed by the local pokemon population.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± said Tommy thoughtfully. ¡°When are you going to give me an Onix?¡± he asked. Flint blinked. ¡°Oh, you want me to catch one?¡± ¡°Yeah! But make it like Brock¡¯s one!¡± I grinned. ¡°Like Jormungandr?¡± I said. Tommy shook his head. ¡°No, like the one that you use in your Four badge matches! The one that has those ghost moves! My friend¡¯s dad is the local branch manager of the Battleclub, and he always goes on and on about how Onix shouldn¡¯t be able to do what it does!¡± He grinned. ¡°I want a tricky pokemon like that!¡± I chuckled. ¡°I hadn¡¯t realised Onix was that special!¡± I glanced at Flint only to see that he had a slightly pinched look. ¡°Tommy, Brock¡¯s Onix¡­¡± He glanced up at me. ¡°You caught it only a few years ago, correct?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah right after¡­¡± I shifted and looked away. ¡°I needed another strong Onix,¡± I said lamely. Yolanda reached out and grabbed my hand. Flint nodded. ¡°I thought that was the case. That Onix is special, let¡¯s just say that.¡± I frowned, curious about what the full story was about my own pokemon. Flint didn¡¯t say anything more about it, and I turned my siblings'' attention elsewhere using a game of pokemon snap with some cheap cameras I¡¯d bought for them. They happily clicked away at the landscape and claimed they¡¯d seen anything from an Onix to a Geodude. When Salvadore claimed he¡¯d spotted a Chansey, everyone chuckled, especially when he revealed that he¡¯d botched the picture. When we reached the peak, Flint had his Onix roll out a flat spot to lay out our tents. I made up a campfire for us and tossed out some wood before releasing Slugma to serve as our firestarter. I chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t really need the wood with Slugma here,¡± I said as we laid some skillets on a table above Slugma. Yolanda merely shrugged as she sat down on a chair around the fire. ¡°It makes for a nice scene,¡± she said. Lifting up her camera and snapping a picture of me poking the fire with a stick. The kids happily ran around the area as Flint, Salvadore, and I set up the tents. Yolanda got them to play a game with Teddiursa and Terra for Simon says which they loved. I set about cooking dinner and released Clefairy. ¡°Think you can go find your family? Might be nice to have them here for your evolution?¡± He perked up at that and nodded. He hopped away, and I called out after him. ¡°Remind them my family is here, so warn them they might get cuddled!¡± ¡°Fairy!¡± he chimed back before vanishing as he leapt into a small crack. I shook my head and set about making dinner. Dinner was simple fare, but the kids seemed to like it. After dinner, we sang some songs, and Salvadore pointed out which stars he knew, and Flint pointed out an even larger amount. ¡°¡ª is the serpent¡¯s tail, it always points south! See it there? See how it weaves? People aren¡¯t sure if it¡¯s an Arbok, a Gyarados, or a Milotic, but I think it¡¯s an Onix!¡± Flint said happily. ¡°I like Milotic!¡± said Cindy firmly, eyes locked on the glittering night sky. Flint smiled. ¡°There¡¯s a trick your mother knows with the stars where you line them up just so with your thumb and forefingers, and then you can navigate anywhere!¡± he said, causing the kids to perk up while I leaned back and let the darkness hide my grimace. ¡°Clefairy!¡± chimed a chorus of voices. I glanced over and found Clefairy had returned, and with him, a cadre of at least twenty Clefairy and even a Clefable were there. They waved at us, and I waved back. ¡°Ahhhhh my gosh!¡± said Suzie "They''re sooooooo cute!¡± That prompted a few of them to hop towards us and softly bob into Suzie''s arms for hugs. Others did the same to others, and Clefable walked up to us with a serious gait. He clapped me on the thigh and nodded in approval. Then he stepped back. ¡°Clefable!¡± he said, and suddenly the Clefairy broke off and darted back to him. Clefable turned his gaze towards me. He raised a hand and made a ¡®give¡¯ gesture. I handed him the Moonstone that Flint had brought back ages ago, and he took it and rested it on top of a boulder. He then nudged my Clefairy to the front of the pack. ¡°Clefable!¡± he said before bouncing to the side, hands bobbing one way and then the other. The Clefairy all joined in, and Clefairy copied them. Suzie giggled and joined in. ¡°We should do it too!¡± she said before bobbing from side to side. I shared a glance with the rest of my siblings, and we joined in happily bobbing from side to side in a strange two-step to the timing of Clefable. Bertha, sensing a good time, popped out of her pokeball. Her hands twitched at the sight of so many small cute pokemon, but she settled down and joined us in bobbing from side to side. I decided to pop out the rest of my team, only to be surprised when instead of Don popping out of my last pokeball, Chansey did instead. I blinked in surprise. I¡¯d checked that¡­ right before I left the medical bay¡­ but she did have access to some of the stickers and pokeballs I used. Had she wanted to sneak along? She didn¡¯t meet my gaze and hid behind Bertha to dance along with the other pokemon. I shared an amused look with Titan and we both shrugged. Sanchez loudly joined in with the dance, causing Titan to snort and then join himself Clefairy, at some unknown signal, stepped forward and raised the Moonstone up. ¡°Cle-fairy!¡± he said loudly and then his form began to shimmer and glow. His body grew and a moment later the light died away to reveal his fully evolved form. ¡°Clefable!¡± he cheered. Everyone stopped dancing to cheer for him. He bounced happily and soon had a number of Clefairy bouncing into him to hug him. Suzie happily joined the pile of hugs by throwing herself into it. Bertha waited until I rolled my eyes and waved her forward. She happily caught up the entire group in her large arms to nuzzle and hug the fluffy pokemon. Suzie giggled from somewhere within the mass of fluff. When she emerged, she was held up by Clefable and he laughed happily before depositing her back on the ground. The other Clefairy and Clefable slipped from Bertha¡¯s arms easily. My Clefable then bowed to his family. When he rose he walked back to my side with a proud smile. His family bowed back and waved to my family, then, without any warning, they skipped away. In the space of a few seconds, they vanished, leaving the impression they¡¯d never been here but for the newly evolved pokemon. ¡°Wow,¡± said Cindy. ¡°That was amazing!¡± I chuckled. ¡°Yup, the world¡¯s a pretty amazing place filled with stuff like this.¡± Cindy turned. ¡°And you got to experience it on your Journey?¡± I nodded, and she grinned wider. ¡°Will I?¡± ¡°Maybe? You might have different or even better journeys than me. Who¡¯s to say?¡± I said whimsically. Suzie stepped up to me. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± she said, indicating the waiting Clefable. I was about to name him after the king of fairies, but hthen I realised that name wouldn¡¯t fit. I glanced around at the rest of my pokemon. No, Oberon wasn¡¯t going to fit. Clefai¡­ no, Clefable, was a fighter, a pokemon filled with courage and the desire to do good and great things. He had the heart of a hero. I shut my eyes for a moment and felt out the bonds with my pokemon before reopening them. ¡°His name is Link,¡± I said, feeling it click just right in some undefinable way. Link threw up his hands before my family and my pokemon cheered out at the name. Clefable shared hugs with everyone, even Chansey, who seemed unsure of what to make of the once tiny pokemon now being taller than her. I chuckled and led everyone back to the fire to enjoy some s¡¯mores. Yolanda smiled at me. ¡°So why Link?¡± I hummed. ¡°Well, I suppose I should tell the story of Link to you, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± I said. Instantly everyone was sitting around the campfire with rapt attention. Sanchez patted the ground next to him and Link leapt to join him. Chansey twitched and shook herself as Link moved past her. Yolanda giggled and some of the kids changed seats to sit with my pokemon. I chuckled and sat down before beginning the story of Link. ¡°Long, long ago, in a faraway kingdom, there was a young boy¡ª¡± I said, beginning the tale like that of a classic. From there, I told them the story of a small boy who grew to be a hero despite everything that stood in his way. By the time I was done, Link and Sanchez had tears in their eyes. Sanchez clapped Link on the shoulder and nodded firmly. The others smiled at Link. Link merely bowed his head. Then he looked at me before he leapt into my arms to hug me. ¡°Clefable!¡± he shouted. I hugged him back, amused at how moved he was by the story. Cindy grinned. ¡°I think he likes his name,¡± she said before yawning. ¡°I think he does,¡± he said. Titan huffed a laugh and nudged the others into moving out around the camp. My siblings went through their sleep rituals with stuffed pokemon, their teeth, and a nightly run to the bathroom. ¡°We have to pee in a hole!¡± screamed Suzie as she rediscovered what using the facilities meant in the wilderness. I watched the pokemon I brought along all take the time to pat Link on the shoulder before they settled down as well. I sat by the fire feeling oddly nostalgic to be out camping with all of my pokemon. How long had it been since I¡¯d done something like this? I sat for a long time as my siblings settled, and without really thinking about it, I slipped into a meditative state and felt out my bonds once again. I was a bit surprised to find that Link¡¯s had easily tripled in size since this morning. Huh, it seems like going about things this way really was the right call. Titan shuffled up and laid down around me, his eyes glinting in the fire. ¡°Tyyyyyy,¡± he said sleepily. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, this brings back memories, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I said. I looked up at the stars. ¡°Think I might sleep out here tonight,¡± I said. Yolanda, who¡¯d been passing by to get to her own tent, paused to sit down. ¡°That means I can sleep in your new tent?¡± she said eagerly. I nodded. ¡°Go right ahead,¡± I said. She grinned and started to claim the tent, only to pause and sit back down. She joined me in looking up at the stars, not saying a word. After a bit, the rest of my siblings settled down, and Flint joined us. We sat without saying a word, simply enjoying the moment. Eventually, however, all things end. Flint shifted and caused a grating noise to break the silence. I sighed and decided to ask a question that had been lingering in my mind for a while. ¡°What makes my Onix, the one I use for the fourth-tier badge battles, so different?¡± Flint sighed and stared into the fire. He rubbed at his chin and opened his mouth before closing it a few times, trying and failing to find the words he wanted to say. Eventually, he just shook his head. ¡°Onix shouldn¡¯t be able to use Curse the way your Onix does.¡± I blinked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense; he pulls it off all the time, so obviously that¡¯s wrong,¡± I said. Flint sighed. ¡°Remember how I mentioned that all Onix end up with a certain colouring? Onix has a very controlled colouration which is something only seen in pokemon that have been raised since birth on a specialised diet. But more telling are the scars and cracks that litter his body.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh?¡± Between us, Yolanda stayed quiet. Flint nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡­ Well, I actually recognise that Onix. I¡¯m not surprised it hasn¡¯t grown as large as it could, but it has certainly grown.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°You recognise it?¡± ¡°Yes, your Onix¡­ it was a young Onix that belonged to Brock. The older Brock, who was Gym Leader before me.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said intelligently. I had an inkling of how this all tied together now, but I needed to confirm it. ¡°And this ties in with Onix¡¯s Curse specialty, how?¡± Flint licked his lips. ¡°You never trained him with a ghost type to make him stronger, have you?¡± I shook my head, and Flint sighed. ¡°There¡¯s only one other way for pokemon to get skilled at or develop special moves with Ghost-type moves¡­ and it¡¯s to experience death. And not just a little bit, but to truly know death.¡± Flint looked up. ¡°We all know that the old Brock died during the war¡­¡± Flint shifted. ¡°I think that Onix was his, and it might have fallen onto death¡¯s door. I can¡¯t imagine what it¡¯s like to have lost everything like that. It must be strange to be back at the Pewter Gym and to be led by another called Brock. Funny how things play out. I suppose there is one good side to the story with you looking after Onix now.¡± I stared at Flint. ¡°Huh, I had no idea,¡± I said. I blinked a few times, unsure what to even say. A morbid thought occurred to me. If I wanted¡­ I could probably learn what happened to the previous Gym Leader Brock, but that would require Sabrina¡¯s help¡­ and I didn¡¯t need to dredge up old ghosts. What would I do with such knowledge? ¡°Thanks for telling me,¡± I said, looking back up at the stars. Flint nodded and rose. ¡°Thanks for¡­ today,¡± Flint said. ¡°It was great coming up here as a family,¡± he said. ¡°I enjoyed it,¡± I said carefully. I smiled, as I realised I meant the words. I then barked a laugh. ¡°We still have tomorrow and the days coming ahead of us so don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± Flint smiled wider. ¡°Ha, I know, but sometimes you need to acknowledge the moment,¡± he said before nodding at me. He gave Yolanda a kiss on the head and then tucked himself in for the night. Yolanda rose and gave me a hug and a kiss. ¡°Night Brock,¡± she said. ¡°Night,¡± I said, kissing her on the cheek. I sat in the dark for a while longer and considered letting sleep take hold only for a flapping of wings to make me and my pokemon sit up. A pokemon landed in front of me, and I blinked as a familiar face grinned up at me. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± I said to the shiny Zubat. Despite myself, I felt my fingers twitch towards a spare pokeball. ¡°Did you come to find me?¡± I asked hopefully. It nodded quickly and gestured at itself and the rest of my pokemon. Titan huffed in amusement but nodded. I chuckled, understanding through Titan¡¯s reaction what had been said. Zubat was another pokemon that wanted to get strong? Perfect. I offered it the pokeball and it leapt into it to capture itself. The ball flashed once and locked before teleporting away. I grinned. Today really had turned out so much better than I had imagined. I rubbed at my still sore ribs, barring some exceptions, that is. I shut my eyes and hoped tomorrow would turn out just as well. Chapter 160 - Sabrina versus Will Sabrina¡¯s match, unlike many of the other matches so far, was set to take place during what was known as prime time. That meant that it would be taking place at seven o''clock on a Saturday, making it the time that people would be sitting down to either watch, listen, or even attend the match in person. The Saffron Gym stadium was the second largest stadium in the Indigo region, with the only larger stadium being the Indigo Plateau. Unlike the Indigo Plateau, which was owned by the League and a key group of stakeholders, the Saffron Stadium was entirely owned by Sabrina. The stadium had been referred to as an ode to the love of sporting events with its creation by architects who reviewed the structure. When Sabrina wasn¡¯t using it for pokemon battles, Ace battles, soccer matches, athletic events, and martial arts tournaments had taken place here. Standing in front of it, I was starkly reminded that Sabrina was terrifyingly smart, and while I was decently rich enough to do what I wanted, Sabrina was on another level. Where I¡¯d made tenfold the amount of money a year after our Journey, she¡¯d taken the same money and gotten a hundredfold return. I watched as people started streaming into the stadium for the prematch fight, which would serve as entertainment before the main event. It amused me that this featured Ace trainers and was usually a solid match by itself. Tonight, they were merely preshow entertainment. A ring tone made me look down only to frown as I caught the name. ¡°Hello Howard,¡± I said, greeting the Vice president of Silph Co. ¡°Borck! I wanted to follow up after your tour the other day. I was hoping to also finalise the compensation that¡ª¡± ¡°Now is not a good time,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you tomorrow,¡± I said firmly before hanging up on him. He could deal with me and Lawrence if that was what he wanted. A glance around revealed that a number of people had taken notice of me and my option of simply walking in was lost without being swarmed. I could already see a reporter and a cameraman making their way towards me. I hummed and released Selene to have her teleport into Sabrina¡¯s house. Saul looked up from his newspaper and greeted me with a grunt. ¡°Sabrina¡¯s in the gym picking out her pokemon.¡± ¡°Ah, that makes sense,¡± I said, ¡°Thanks Saul, see you later.¡± I tapped Selene for another teleport. We vanished and appeared in Sabrina¡¯s office. Sadly, Sabrina wasn¡¯t present here either. I walked through the gym, noting the number of trainers there were out and about, walking through the halls with spoons in hand and at least two psychic pokemon moving with them. They looked like an army that had been put to work patrolling the halls. Part of me felt relieved that Sabrina was taking this so seriously, while the other part hated that this was necessary. I found Sabrina coming out of the stables with her gaze on her pokebelt as she placed a sticker on a pokeball. ¡°Brock, Selene,¡± she greeted. Selene warbled and hovered forward to nudge herself into Sabrina, causing Sabrina to giggle and give the floating moon a quick rub along her crest. I, for my part, stared at Sabrina. Usually, she liked to wear short skirts with tights underneath. Today she had a single-piece dress that molded itself around her body. It looked almost like a futuristic pilot¡¯s outfit with how sleek it was. Sabrina looked great. ¡°Like what you see?¡± she asked with an amused lilt to her words. I nodded and shot her a smile. ¡°Very much so,¡± I said before turning serious and flicking my eyes to the rooms she¡¯d come from. I pointedly looked down at Sabrina¡¯s pokebelt. ¡°Did you get Stantler to evolve?¡± I asked. Sabrina paused in her ministrations and glanced at me. A sly expression appeared, and she hummed. ¡°Perhaps he did; perhaps he didn''t; who could say?¡± I shot her a flat look. ¡°You could,¡± I said. ¡°Hmmm, I could.¡± She tapped Selene thoughtfully and chuckled at my put-out expression. ¡°He did evolve, earlier today in fact¡­ which¡­ is wonderful¡­ But¡­¡± she grimaced. ¡°He¡¯s too late to be used today?¡± I said. She nodded. ¡°He still isn¡¯t up to the level of strength that I will require for this match.¡± She wobbled her hand in a so-so manner. ¡°For this match, I am going with only my strongest, or most versatile pokemon.¡± I tilted my head in thought. That meant Alakazam, Claydol, Hypno, Slowking, Espeon¡­ and who would be her sixth? Starmie? Xatu? Jynx? Or Exeggutor? She had been training with Erika a lot, and I had little doubt that she¡¯d picked up a lot of tricks for her pokemon, and with Erika¡¯s recent showing, Will wouldn¡¯t be as confident in his selection. ¡°Brock,¡± she said, drawing me out of my thoughts. ¡°Yeah?¡± I said, focusing on her. She was adjusting the bracer¡ª no, it wasn¡¯t a bracer anymore, it was a glove with a ring on the central finger. When had she had that refitted? She looked at me for a long moment, and when she spotted my gaze, she smiled, running her fingers over the glove. ¡°When Will cheats, let me handle it. But¡­ when you go to confront that pokemon¡­ take someone strong with you.¡± She looked to the side. ¡°Even if it¡¯s Karen,¡± she said tightly. ¡°I feel like I should stick around and observe you smacking Will around,¡± I said jokingly. While I was smiling I knew it was fake, just as Sabrina knew. ¡°Should I ask?¡± I said. ¡°I think it will be fine, trust in yourself and your pokemon,¡± she said cryptically. Then she smirked. ¡°As for Will¡¯s fight with me? I¡¯ll make sure it is recorded from multiple angles,¡± she said, flicking her hair. I grinned, relaxing with what she¡¯d said, pleased that she was so confident. And she should be, she had an incredibly strong team as well as what had to be the ultimate Ace in the hole, with a Mega-evolution. I was so envious of her being able to do that already. I was close¡ªoh, so close¡ªwith Jormungandr. I knew that if it had been any of the other pokemon I had capable of megaevolving, I was sure that I would have managed it by now with how much closer we were. Then again, it was great training for me, so I shouldn¡¯t complain too much. ¡°Think you can clean sweep him?¡± I said as we started to walk. Sabrina giggled. ¡°I might be confident in my pokemon, and my skills, but I am not so confident that I will be able to use only one pokemon¡­ Not unless I opened with Alakazam, and that would be committing everything to one strategy. This is the first time I will be using mega-evolution in combat¡­ When you manage it Brock, you will understand that it is a rather large rush.¡± She frowned. ¡°It is also rather delicate. I worry that Will¡¯s support will interfere if I go for it too early.¡± She reached out and linked her arm with mine, resting her hand on mine as we walked towards Sabrina¡¯s personal viewing box in the stadium. ¡°I think I shall have to place my faith in you and the others to stop it.¡± I grinned at her. ¡°Well, I think you can trust in your friends.¡± Sabrina made a face, and I heard her mutter something about Karen. I squeezed her hand as we led into the viewing box. ¡°She¡¯s not who I¡¯m talking about,¡± I said. Indicating the full room before us. Saul was standing with Sandra to one side. Erika, Brawly, Flannery, Roxanne, Daisy, Violet, Lily, and Sophia were also here. I was surprised by the last four members in the box with us, but then again, they were all Gym Leaders. ¡°Sophia, Daisy, Violet, and Lily,¡± I said with a polite nod as we walked past them. The Cerulean sisters waved, and Sophia grunted and nodded back at me. Erika bowed politely, and Sabrina disengaged her arm from mine to approach her parents. I turned to Selene and considered returning her before deciding against it. It wasn¡¯t like we were in the stands, and she¡¯d do well to watch two psychic-type trainers fight. Also, if I needed to move, Selene would be the best bet for me to get anywhere quickly. I checked my transceiver to shoot off some messages to the Guardians before approaching Sophia and the Cerulean sisters to talk shop for a few minutes. When I¡¯d given them a few minutes of my time, I excused myself and moved on to my friends. Sabrina joined me to greet her guests, and I flicked my eyes around the room. ¡°Surge?¡± ¡°I invited him, but it seems he didn¡¯t want to come,¡± she said with a small frown. ¡°I think he¡¯s still upset about his loss against Will.¡± I nodded. ¡°Ah, yeah, he¡¯s probably working on getting stronger. He¡¯s probably embarrassed.¡± Sabrina merely inclined her head and stepped towards the glass that overlooked the stadium. The fight below was winding up, and there would be a short intermission as people who came only for the main match took their seats. Sabrina had many performers set to move about the stands or claim the edges of the field while the field itself was repaired for Sabrina and Will¡¯s match. Another call came through, and I groaned when Howard¡¯s name popped up once more along with a message asking to just have a few minutes of my time. I shook my head and dismissed the messages. There were no other messages or missed calls from important people, like my family, or the Guardians so I lowered it. I felt myself tensing up, and to help myself relax I reached out to give Selene some pats. She crooned in delight. I wasn¡¯t going to ask if Sabrina, of all people, was ready. She was, I knew it. I just needed to be supportive. The next few minutes seemed to crawl past and I found myself more annoyed with the match that was taking place before me instead of enjoying it as I should have. ¡°They could have ended this match a few minutes ago,¡± I found myself saying with a wave of my hand. ¡°Yeah, that persian should be controlling this match. I¡¯m surprised the trainer hasn¡¯t given his pokemon more versatility than they¡¯ve so far displayed,¡± Sophia said from next to me. I grunted before glancing in her direction. I hadn¡¯t spoken with her much earlier due to the Cerulean sisters being more vocal. ¡°How are things going for you with the circuit?¡± I asked. She sighed. ¡°So many trainers are coming my way that I¡¯m having to bike in and out of my Gym to visit the Celadon pokemon centre daily to get my pokemon through it.¡± She waved her hand. ¡°And that¡¯s despite all of them getting strong! Bug type pokemon grow fast and with the matches I¡¯ve been having, there are plenty of chances for them to get strong quick! I¡¯m having to make them hold back deliberately!¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few pokemon like that. They¡¯re useful to have in hand because you can use them across pretty much every tier of challenge.¡± ¡°Tier? You call the different badge challenge levels, tier?¡± she said shooting me a look. I coughed, realising I¡¯d slipped into my gym¡¯s jargon. ¡°Sometimes, it is a bit easier to say than first badge or second badge challenge. First tier, second tier, etcetera and such,¡± I said waving a hand. Sophia nodded her head. ¡°That makes a lot of sense¡­ I¡¯ve had some punks coming in wanting to challenge at the fourth tier they said, despite only really having pokemon capable of handling the third. They¡¯ve been a pleasure to handle,¡± she said with obvious sarcasm. ¡°You¡¯ve been able to handle them?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, I typically have a Beedrill swarm of my resting in some woods near where I set up my gym most of the time. That or I have pokemon like Scyther, Heracross, or even Yanmega.¡± She shot me a sly look. ¡°Thanks for telling Erika about that, by the way; she shared it with me for free and said she was paying it forward like you¡¯d done for her.¡± ¡°Oh, I hadn¡¯t meant for her to do that, but I¡¯m glad,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t think to mention it to you,¡± I said while scratching the back of my head. ¡°Eh, we¡¯re not exactly close; I know we share the same job but I think there¡¯s a difference between my gym and yours¡­ Or others,¡± she said, tapping the glass in front of her to highlight the stadium at large. ¡°I don¡¯t think Sabrina and I are good standards to be compared to?¡± I offered, ¡°I mean some of it is luck with how we got our starting funds,¡± I said with a wave of the hand. ¡°Hmmm sure, I¡¯ve travelled around enough to know you need to make your own luck.¡± She then slapped my shoulder. I reflexively spiked my rock aura, and the slap sounded out much louder than Sophia must have intended. She took her hand back and made a small, pained noise. ¡°Fuck, what are you doing? Eating rocks?¡± she said. ¡°What?¡± I said, only to realise what I¡¯d done. Sophia, a pokemon trainer who specialised in bug types had tried to playfully slap me while I raised my rock aura. She¡¯d hit me, but it was probably more like a bug running into¡­a windshield, for lack of a better phrase. ¡°Sorry! I¡­ eat well?¡± I said as I hovered my hands around in apology. Brawly laughed uproariously. ¡°Ah! My man eats good, but he works out!¡± he said, slapping his hand on my back. I made sure not to call up any rock, or dark auras for this slap. I knew what my typings were weak against. So instead, I only buckled a little instead of completely when Brawly hit me. Sabrina drifted over and gave the three of us a raised eyebrow. ¡°Having fun are we?¡± she said. I smiled, and Sophia held her hand with a grimace, only to nod. Brawly, meanwhile, gave Sabrina a clueless thumbs up. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Sabrina tilted her head to the side. ¡°Well, I thought I should inform you that the match ended just now, the intermission will play out, and then I shall be heading off.¡± Sabrina turned slightly. ¡°With this facility''s closed boxes, the League has asked that all of the corporate boxes, as they are known, include a pair of observers.¡± She indicated a rather portly, rotund man with a curly moustache and¡­ ¡°Jenny?¡± I asked with a tilt of my head. The woman, despite having different coloured hair and style, could only be a Jenny with how severe her expression was. If I had toured around more and been the canonical Brock, I might have even been able to narrow it down to which Jenny from which city, but that would be wasteful. Jenny twitched. ¡°No,¡± she growled tightly while her companion chortled. ¡°I think you are mistaken. I am Agent¡­ J,¡± she said tightly. Her companion stepped forth. ¡°I, sadly, am not one of Champion Lance¡¯s G-men. No, I am merely Auditor Popo!¡± he said grandly. He bobbed his head in an approximation of either a nod or a twitch. ¡°I understand that both your parents are rather capable psychics, my dear girl?¡± he said sweetly. I bristled at his words as the man nodded amicably at Saul and Sandra, only to then consider Selene. ¡°It is of course, not illegal to have another pokemon out, but it will be recorded,¡± and in saying it, he pulled out a notepad and wrote on it. I bristled. Lance¡¯s people were observing us? I considered raising my Xtransceiver and snarling at him for this stupidity. Sabrina reached out and touched my arm, and I looked up at her. She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, they are merely here to observe.¡± She squeezed my hand. ¡°If you have to leave, they will not follow as their job is to observe that no cheating occurs. They are just as much here to prevent anything as to make it without doubt that nothing occurred. They are a shield more than they are a threat,¡± she said succinctly. I huffed and relaxed, realising that I was agitated and acting out just so I could do something. It was probably because of this being Sabrina¡¯s match with Will. I squeezed her hand back. ¡°Right, sorry.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± she said before turning her head towards the now empty field. ¡°I believe it¡¯s time for me to depart.¡± She flicked her gaze back to me and leaned in to claim my lips. I had a brief moment of surprise before I kissed her back. She broke the kiss with a small smile and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll come get another when this is over,¡± she said with a playful smirk before vanishing in a Teleport. I sighed before chuckling to myself. Brawly wrapped his arm over my shoulders. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re a lucky man bro; she¡¯s a catch, but don¡¯t worry so are you!¡± he said with a huge grin. I snorted and dragged him up to the front seats with me. ¡°Thanks Brawly, try not to dig a hole for yourself on my part though,¡± I said, flicking my eyes towards Roxanne who was smiling at us. Brawly shot her a smile and chuckled. ¡°Nah she knows there¡¯s nothing wrong with making observations. Plus, you and Sabrina are just so cute together,¡± he said with a cutesy tone. I huffed and raised a hand to shush him as I took in the now much fully Saffron Stadium. The crowd was a roiling mass of people, and despite us being rather high up, we still had a very clear view of everything that would take place on the field. Both podiums were raised already, and the referee was toying with the central podium display, performing a final calibration check of the barriers. A look around the crowd showed several people circulating, and it took me a moment to realise that they were jugglers. It took another moment for me to notice that they weren¡¯t using their hands to juggle the balls, tenpins, and, in one memorable display, firesticks. I felt something ripple through the air and was about to look around, only to notice all the people going still. Something had just happened that was psychic, but it had washed over me. At the psychic signal, all of the entertainers snatched their props out of the air and sprinted up the stairs. The crowd stirred as one, resulting in a wave of shock that rippled as people noticed the odd actions. A gong rang out, and the crowd settled. Saul stood and tapped me on the shoulder. "You might want to lower your defences a bit for this,¡± he whispered to me, tapping at his forehead meaningfully. I tilted my head, only to realise what Sabrina had planned. I lowered my defences, trusting that Sabrina knew what she was doing. ¡°Welcome,¡± said Sabrina, her voice coming from seemingly everywhere at once. ¡°Welcome to the Saffron Stadium. Tonight we play host to an Ace challenge between the Challenger Will and myself,¡± she said psychically. Will¡¯s podium began pulsing with light, and Will appeared in a flash of light, bowing and waving to the crowd. A smattering of applause came from the crowd, with one section cheering louder. ¡°Will has raised his challenge¡­ a Challenge against myself. The regulars of my Gym matches know who I am, but allow me a moment to introduce myself.¡± A quartet of searchlights activated as the rest of the stands darkened. The lights searched the air and revealed Sabrina in all her majesty, reclining in the air. She seemed to look down on Will from her position on high. The big screens showed her face as she gazed down. It gave the impression that she was looking down on him from multiple levels. ¡°Welcome,¡± she intoned, now visibly demonstrating that her mouth was not moving to convey that she was speaking. ¡°To my Gym. I am Sabrina, the Psychic specialist of Indigo.¡± Flannery whistled. ¡°Damn, girl, she is pissed!¡± She bounced in her seat. ¡°This is going to be great!¡± I nodded, watching as Sabrina stood up and walked on the air, only to let herself begin to descend. ¡°I understand what you are trying to do with this challenge. You wish to claim the title of strongest Psychic in Indigo.¡± Sabrina suddenly dropped out of the sky, and a few people in the crowd screamed. I smirked as she arrested her flight mere inches from the podium. Wind whipped outward, causing a visible ripple of air to blossom from her. ¡°I will not allow that to pass,¡± Sabrina projected her voice for the first time as she stood on the podium. From her pokebelt, six balls rose up around her and began to orbit. Sabrina turned her head slightly to the side and the referee stepped forward in time for the crowd to break into applause at Sabrina¡¯s display. It wasn¡¯t the wild display I¡¯d get or the polite applause of Celadon. Instead, it was that of a normal fanbase. It didn¡¯t stop it from being loud, though. The referee had to raise his flags and press a button to set off a bell. ¡°Calm, calm, please, for the instructions!¡± The crowd settled down, and I chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s lucky Sabrina isn¡¯t one to whip the crowd up,¡± I said, leaning forward in anticipation as the referee went through the standard recitation of rules that were expected to be abided by. When he asked for Sabrina and Will¡¯s understanding and agreement, they both nodded. The referee then raised his flags. ¡°Very well, you may release and begin!¡± he said dropping his flags. Around Sabrina, five pokeballs returned to her pokebelt while one shot forward in a dazzling display of skill. Will released a single pokeball of his own. From Will, his Espeon took to the field; it appeared low to the ground and ready to fight. The light that coalesced around Sabrina¡¯s pokemon revealed a tall pokemon. When the pokemon formed properly I could only blink in surprise. The long-necked¡­ giraffe pokemon was revealed. I blinked. That wasn¡¯t a shiny Girafarig. The colours were all wrong, and the head on the tail wasn¡¯t present. It also had a large black hood that formed another head around the much taller neck. ¡­ I had no idea who that pokemon was. A round of gasps swept through the crowd, and a splutter could be heard from the auditor in the room. ¡°My word!¡± he said. Even Will seemed surprised. Sabrina wasn¡¯t though, and neither was her pokemon as it suddenly unleashed a Psybeam with zero warning. ¡°Dodge with Agility!¡± Will shouted, and I smirked. Sabrina had him rattled right from the start of the match, that was a very good sign. He might be a tough person to fight against when he was calm, but it was painfully clear who the true strongest Psychic was with Sabrina flexing like this. The powerful Psybeam, that the Giraffe pokemon unleashed tore up the battlefield even as Espeon vanished in a blur. I watched as a camera angle shifted to get a better view of the face within the head of the black hood. The inner head tracked to the left while the outer eyes tracked to the right, with one of the eyes even shifting around the round head to the very back of the head. Brawly clapped his hands. ¡°Damn! And you just said she isn¡¯t much of a showman? She just used one of your tricks! I¡¯ve never seen a pokemon like that! What is it?¡± he said turning to me expectantly. ¡°Yeah she¡¯s good like that.¡± I nodded sagely. I chuckled as everyone leaned in expectantly. ¡°I honestly have no idea. She pulled the wool over my eyes as well with this reveal.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°I can only assume that this is a Girafarig evolution though.¡± Roxanne leaned forward as Flannery bounced in her seat, her excitement reaching fever pitch. ¡°Eeee this! Just! This!¡± Roxanne said, pointing and watching as Espeon sprinted around the back of the still-unnamed pokemon. The hooded eyes tracked the pokemon and Will, seemingly having regathered himself, swept his hand and gave a silent, mental command. Espeon appeared to the side of Sabrina¡¯s pokemon with its fist coated in dark energy. The eye on the hood swivelled and locked onto the oncoming pokemon. Then it glowed ominously, and the dark energy around Espeon¡¯s paw dissipated. The espeon carried through with the attack only to lightly swat her paw into the giraffe¡¯s flank. It wasn¡¯t an attack so much as a light swat that could be considered playful. Except the Espeon seemed stunned. ¡°Eh?! Disable?¡± Will cried out. Sabrina merely smirked, her eyes glowing as her pokemon¡¯s head snapped around and the hood with the suddenly sharp looking teeth snapped closed upon Espeon. Espeon cried out only for Sabrina¡¯s pokemon to reveal that it had a surprisingly flexible neck. It whipped the espeon back and forth, slamming it into the ground, causing Espeon to cry out. ¡°CR!¡± barked Will, causing ghostly energy to shoot out and into the fanged face. The dark hood that resembled a head released, even going so far as to open its mouth wide, only to reveal the face of the giraffe-like pokemon beneath, its smaller mouth still locked onto Espeon¡¯s paw with a determined glint in its eyes. ¡°Farigiraf!!¡± it growled¡ªin doing so, revealing the name of the Girafarig evolution¡ªtrying to muster as much power as it had before with the outer head/hood to Crunch down on Espeon. It couldn¡¯t muster up enough force to keep Espeon pinned down, but Sabrina didn¡¯t seem bothered; instead, her Farigiraf¡¯s hood snapped closed and cackled darkly. Espeon limped away as Farigiraf used Nasty Plot. The dual heads made for a rather interesting defence against what I suspect might have been Confuse Ray earlier. ¡°Tch!¡± Will said as his pokemon suddenly vanished in a burst of red light. A stir went through the crowd as Sabrina¡¯s Farigiraf matched Espeon. With both pokemon disappearing into a Baton Pass there was a moment of quiet before Will¡¯s Exeggutor appeared on the field. Then Sabrina¡¯s Xatu appeared opposite it. The giant palm tree pokemon towered above Xatu, but despite that, I pumped my fist in anticipation. Sabrina had read Will like a book and now had two good matchups. Will growled and raised his pokeball as Xatu¡¯s eyes began to glow. With the traded Nasty Plot buildup and time to prepare I could practically feel Sabrina taking control of the match. My wrist began to vibrate and chime, and I shot it an annoyed glare, slapping it. Howard might want to talk to me, but I didn¡¯t want to talk about whatever new deal he had to offer. The man should know better after how often I¡¯d rejected him now. Will returned his pokemon, and I could see he was growling at the need to do such so early into the match. He whipped out his next pokemon to reveal the same Jynx that I suspected he¡¯d used against me to trick out Tide, and then trap Knight. Jynx glowered at Xatu, who merely raised her wings in readiness. A glow steadily built up around Xatu. Jynx¡¯s eyes glowed, and a flash appeared around her like a large set of eyes. I grimaced at the use of Mean Look and glanced at Sabrina to see how she was taking this move. Sabrina merely raised her chin defiantly, her Xatua glowing as it used another buff-up move to make itself stronger. Will sneered at the nonchalance and raised his hand to chop it forward. Jynx copied him. Icey winds howled, and large spears of ice formed above Jynx¡¯s head as she raised her hand. When she threw her hand down, they shot forward, only to be caught in the air as Xatu¡¯s raised her wings higher and her eyes glowed brighter. With the Blizzard caught, Xatua hurled the ice shards back upon Jynx. The short pokemon did the same short hop-skip retreat she¡¯d used in the past to evade. I¡¯d learnt that this was Telekinisis with her physical hop to allow her to leap back further than she should. She faltered at the midpoint, however, as a psychic lash appeared and struck her making her cry out in pain. Sabrina¡¯s eyes shone as Xatu snapped her wings forward and unleashed a powerful Psybeam straight at Jynx. ¡°Protect!¡± shouted Will. Jynx snapped her hands up and a shell formed around her, protecting her from the powerful attack. Xatu cut off the attack immediately, and her pokemon glowed once more. I grinned. One of the hardest things about fighting Sabrina, was that she could put together orders that flowed into moves faster than anyone else. She could halt attacks instead of having her pokemon overcommit, and she could redirect jsut as quickly. It wasn¡¯t quite like she could get two moves in compared to one of her opponents, but in lulls in combat, she could already be shifting focus. Perhaps one and a half to one would be accurate? Xatu started creating a sickly grey-purple ball of energy in front of it that seemed to howl and moan. My wrist buzzed again, and I almost outright growled as Howard tried to call me again. I stood and marched to a corner, keeping an eye on the match as I did. Will had his Jynx match the Shadow Ball with an Ice Beam, but despite the attacks slamming into each other, Jynx lost out. It was blasted back into the wall, where it landed heavily. It stumbled forward weakly, and I grinned, knowing Will wouldn¡¯t be able to keep Jynx out. I was proven right as he used his second switch out to recall her. All while Sabrina and Xatu built up for the next exchange. Sabrina had this match solidly in her grasp, and despite Will locking Sabrina into a bad matchup, she¡¯d emerged the winnerr of the exchange. I raised the transceiver, ready to growl at Howard, only for his terrified visage to appear. ¡°Oh! Brock! Thank goodness!¡± he hissed quietly. ¡°Please! You have to come quickly! Team Rocket have invaded Silph Co. and are seeking to steal the Master Ball!¡± he said. I felt my gut drop. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t try for just one target. Why would they? ¡°Where are you?¡± I said, knowing it was important that we secure Howard and the Keycard he possessed or make it to the door on the second highest level to stop Team Rocket getting in. ¡°I made it into the vents!¡± he said. I groaned. That could mean anything. I was about to point out that it was a terrible place to be, only for a hand to wrap itself around Howard¡¯s mouth, smothering him. Howard bucked and squirmed against the hand, only for it to hold on his mouth. The video feed I had shifted and swayed for a few moments. ¡°Howard?!¡± I shouted, forgetting his need for me to be quiet as it appeared he¡¯d been caught. ¡°Selene!¡± I barked, drawing my pokemon away from the match and also the rest of the room towards my conversation. Saul shot me a look. ¡°Brock? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Team Rocket are attacking Silph Co. I need to get there now and defend them,¡± I said. Agent J and Popo both hissed. ¡°That is extremely concerning. We will contact our superiors!¡± Agent J said. Popo nodded. ¡°Hmmm Sabrina will need to forfeit the match¡­¡± This drew stares and in the ensuing silence you could have heard a pin drop. ¡°She¡¯ll what?¡± I said. I could understand the sentiment, as Gym Leaders our City¡¯s needed to be defended, but at the same time I couldn¡¯t conceive how that was the right call. ¡°This is an Ace match¡­ not a Gym challenge, which wouldn¡¯t matter¡­ her needing to depart will only cost her a few Ace points,¡± Popo said placatingly. I couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was missing the point entirely. In what world would Sabrina ever take a loss to Will. I felt a surge of darkness waft out of me. This. This had to be their plan. Force Sabrina to abandon the match. ¡°Brock!¡± said a sharp voice, drawing me out of my spiralling thoughts. I glanced down and blinked as a new face appeared on my transceiver. ¡°Koga?¡± I said. The Gym Leader of Fuchsia and soon-to-be Elite Four member nodded. ¡°Do not forget yourself! And do not despair! I have secured the Vice president. Janine has the President. We will keep them away from Team Rocket. We still need support! Agatha and Karen are on their way; I suggest you join us. I have alerted the League, and they will be sweeping the streets. Sabrina will not need to be called away from her fight!¡± I exhaled and felt the darkness drop away from me. ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± said another voice in the room before I could say anything else. I looked up and found Erika standing with her fists clenched. ¡°I¡¯ll sweep the streets and clean up any Team Rocket groups threatening the City!¡± Flannery, Roxanne, and Brawly all stood up with her, and I grinned. ¡°I think the league is going to get some support,¡± I said to Koga. ¡°Where do you need me?¡± I said. ¡°Teleporting won¡¯t work; fly in and sweep from the top. Karen will join you,¡± Koga ordered. I merely nodded, reaching for a large poster that I tore off the wall, reversed, and scribbled a large note on it before marching to the window overlooking the arena. I slapped the poster against the glass and then nodded to everyone else. The Cerulean girls surprised me by having gotten thesemvles another psychic pokemon from Saul to get them, and Sophia out and into the fight. ¡°Alright gang, it looks like it''s Team Rocket hunting season. Sabrina can relax here,¡± I said firmly, shooting Sabrina another glance as her Xatu clashed with Will¡¯s Alakazam. I grimaced and turned away. I could trust her to smack Will down. I¡¯d just need to support her so she could get the job done. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, laying a hand on Selene with everyone else to teleport to the front of the stadium. From there, I released Zephyr and took to the skies as the others took off running. Team Rocket had picked the battleground, but I was going to make sure I got a lot more than they bargained for. Chapter 161 - Saffron City situations! With Zephyr allowing me a bird¡¯s eye view of the streets of Saffron, I could see that the invasion of Silph Co. Tower was not restricted to just that building. Team Rocket grunts were on the streets in large groups, with people being robbed and chased off. I saw more than a few trainers battling against the tide of Team Rocket. Surprisingly, I also caught sight of a number of Team Rocket grunts¡­ fighting against Team Rocket grunts? I had no idea what that was about. Was it a case of them developing morals? I snapped a few pictures on my Xtransceiver, glad that it was night so that Zephyr could easily pass overhead without people noticing us. Part of me wanted to dive in and take the fight to them on the streets. To get into the thick of things. But, as bad as it was on the streets, it would only get worse if Team Rocket got a hold of a Masterball. If they could claim and wield some of the strongest pokemon around, like with the game mechanics, then they¡¯d become the power-running Indigo. Even if the Master Ball didn¡¯t fully tame the pokemon captured within, the captured pokemon could become a ¡®nuclear¡¯ option with a trainer being sent to capture a pokemon like Empress or, or Arceus forbid¡­ well Arceus¡­ which I wasn¡¯t actually sure was even possible. A more likely and immediate example would be Moltres, Articuno, or Zapdos. Releasing such pokemon within a City would cause untold devastation and allow Team Rocket much more power than they already had. They were already surprising me with how openly they were attacking Silph Co. let alone people in Saffron. Zephyr began to rise, and I turned my attention to the roof of Silph Tower that we were closing in on. I glanced around and frowned. ¡°Seen Don?¡± I asked Zephyr. I¡¯d released him just after we¡¯d taken flight, and he¡¯d run interference for me. Zephyr¡¯s head twisted around, and he hooted in one direction. I glanced that way and found Don grappling with a trio of Fearow. A few moments later, there was only one Fearow flapping away frantically while Don screeched in victory. I turned away. ¡°Right, he¡¯s doing what he needs to then,¡± I said. As we got closer to the tower, a swarm of Golbat rose from the ground after us, only for Zephyr to sweep his wings and force a downdraft with Tailwind. The Golbat slowed long enough for me to whistle. Don turned his attention away from the fleeing Fearow and noticed his next victims. ¡°Screeeeee!¡± he screeched as he plummeted towards them. The Golbat broke around him and stopped chasing us. Zephyr reached the top of the tower and landed quickly. I hopped off, and with a practised snap of some clasps his saddle was taken off, allowing him full mobility. ¡°Keep the skies clear Zephyr!¡± I ordered. ¡°And keep Don pointed at foes as much as you can!¡± I called after him. ¡°Honchkrow, Skarmory, join them!¡± cried another voice from the shadows of a tower. I glanced over and found Karen striding out of the shadows. ¡°Karen,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°Brock,¡± she replied. ¡°Janine,¡± said Janine from behind Karen, causing me to grin as Karen jumped to the side. ¡°Shit! Arceus! Where¡¯d you come from?¡± Karen swore. Janine smirked, and a tired sigh sounded out behind her as a much older man stepped around a set of air conditioners. ¡°I have to admit, it¡¯s much funnier when you¡¯re not on the receiving side,¡± he said before bowing his head. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m President Boris! Thank you for coming to my aid and securing my escape avenue!¡± he said, straightening up with a pleased smile. Karen and I shared a glance. ¡°Uhm¡­ I think there¡¯s been a miscommunication as to why we¡¯re here,¡± I said neutrally. Janine coughed. ¡°Apologies President; a misdirection needed to be employed with how you were dithering in your office. If you hadn¡¯t been willing to leave with me, I would have been forced to drag you,¡± she said with a scowl. I could only imagine that a smaller girl like her would have had a much tougher time sneaking around with a knocked-out man. The President blinked. ¡°But¡­ then¡­ you lied?¡± he said, stepping back. Janine shook her head. ¡°No, your safety is still a priority for me, but we will not be escorting you any further.¡± Before the man could even come to terms with this, an Arbok appeared behind him. It tapped President Boris on the shoulder, and he whirled around, only to have a cloud of gas blown gently into his face. He crumbled, and Janine caught him. She then released a pair of Golbat that grasped the man by the shoulders while a crobat flitted about in an orbiting position. Our group watched as the president of Silph Co was unceremoniously flown to safety. I raised a hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t he going to be angry with you? And shouldn¡¯t we keep an eye on him?¡± I said. Janine shook her head. ¡°I have secured his Keycard, which is what is actually needed. As was mentioned, a skilled enough Ditto can get through the rest of the security features.¡± I hummed and nodded, while Karen grinned. ¡°He will also serve as a golden Magikarp if they try and hunt for him, nice one girly!¡± said Karen. Janine shot Karen a look that promised further jump scares. I decided then and there not to stand too close to Karen. ¡°Erika and a few friends are joining the fight in the streets; I¡¯ve noticed there is some infighting between each other. What¡¯s that about?¡± I said, prompting us to move along. ¡°Some of that is our doing,¡± Janine said. ¡°We have tapped some of our plants to stop the fighting from spilling out too much, while others pretend to keep with Team Rocket¡¯s orders.¡± Karen frowned. ¡°Only some of them?¡± Janine nodded. ¡°Sometimes, evil can perform good.¡± She brought up her transceiver and displayed a video link that showcased the streets around Silph Tower with Team Rocket members fighting each other. ¡°Only four of the groups shown are due to us,¡± she said. She then flicked to other video feeds of trainers fighting off Team Rocket. I frowned as I spotted some familiar faces. ¡°Go back,¡± I said firmly. Janine did so, and I sighed as I recognised one of the faces. ¡°Damn it, Humphrey, you better stay safe¡­¡± I said before waving to her to show me the other angles. I found videos of Bugsy, Mia and Silly Mouse, Gary, Ash, Misty, and Forrest all entangled in battles. I had half a mind to drop back to the street level, but it looked like Forrest was fine. If anything, he was beating back more than his fair share of people with his Onix and Beldum fighting well together. Interestingly enough, I also spotted what looked like a rather frazzled Jessie, James, and Meowth leading a group of women to safety. Evil can do good indeed, I thought as I shook my head in disbelief. Don swept through the video feed showing Forrest¡¯s group, and I could see Forrest perking up and looking around for me. I shot off a quick message to Forrest before hardening my heart. Sabrina was trusting us to handle this situation. I needed to trust in Forrest and his friends, despite my big brother instincts demanding I drag him out of the fight. Forrest had the training. Instead of hovering over him, I instead asked him to keep Don pointed in the right direction. ¡°What¡¯s happening inside the tower?¡± I asked. Janine switched to the internal feeds, and I saw people tied up. Team Rocket members patrolled hallways with pokemon. A few areas showed security groups forming a resistance that Team Rocket was trying to crush. I frowned as a pair of Rocket Grunts suddenly appeared behind the Security group, only for a ninja to appear and engage the pair in a pokemon battle, turning the ambush into a counter-ambush as the security caught onto the threat. I saw the ninja flash something at the security detail, and the group relaxed and returned to their original fight. ¡°You¡¯ve got ninjas in the Tower?¡± I asked. Janine nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve infiltrated the tower, but it is not a complete infiltration. We¡¯re having issues getting around, and we¡¯re having to save various groups such as this along with hostages where we can make it a much slower process.¡± I nodded, only to pause as I registered another pair of Grunts Teleporting. ¡°They aren¡¯t using psychic pokemon¡­¡± I said with a hint of worry. Janine grimaced and flicked through the video feeds to another that showcased the room that had been dedicated to teleportation pads. ¡°A technician that had been fired apparently ran to Team Rocket. The man had enough knowledge to redirect the teleportation pads to other areas within the building. This has made it much more difficult to advance as we are being cut off or finding ourselves ambushed.¡± Janine glanced away as though ashamed of what she had to say next. ¡°Father has become bogged down. The Vice President¡¯s choice of hiding spot was unorthodox and therefore relatively clever, but it has made extracting him much more difficult than it should have been. By the time we worked out what was going on with the Teleportation pads, Team Rocket had claimed the tower.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said, remembering the ranting and raving Technician that had been dragged out of Silph Co. Tower. I considered the layout of the building and realised that we, having arrived on top of the tower, had the best chance to stop the mobility of Team Rocket. ¡°So we need to get down two levels, then?¡± I asked. ¡°Three, you didn¡¯t get the chance to look at the top level, which houses the President¡¯s office. The second highest is still the Master Ball Research Lab.¡± I nodded. ¡°And the building is rated for calamities, right?¡± I said. Janine nodded. ¡°No building is allowed to be built more than two stories without being up to building code!¡± she said, with a strange zeal in her words. I decided to ignore that. ¡°What are the floors made of?¡± I asked. ¡°Reinforced materials and pokecrete! You can¡¯t break through them, Brock,¡± Janine said firmly. I hummed. I severely doubted that, but I wasn¡¯t going to argue right now. ¡°And the glass isn¡¯t glass, so we can¡¯t punch through from the sides,¡± she said. I waved her off. ¡°I know that. I suppose Agatha doesn¡¯t want to reveal herself just yet?¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s maintaining radio silence... not that she can communicate with us.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t be able to because she¡¯s incorporeal,¡± Karen said, speaking up for her mentor. I crossed my arms. ¡°Soooo we¡¯re¡­ going to have to go in hard and fast?¡± I said. Karen perked up at this, and Janine twitched. ¡°I was actually thinking we need to get as close as possible first; I can sneak in, and then you can come in,¡± she said. I hummed. ¡°Or I can dress up like a Rocket Grunt?¡± I said reaching into my travel bag¡ªwhich I never left home without¡ªto pull out the Team Rocket uniform I¡¯d stolen a while ago. Karen raised an eyebrow, but Janine perked up. ¡°Yes! Two of us fighting in close will work out!¡± I nodded and began to get changed. Janine blushed, and Karen wolf-whistled. I rolled my eyes, knowing they would have seen as much skin simply by going to the beach. When I had my Rocket outfit I rolled my shoulders and adopted a thuggish leer. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± I said walking towards the stairs.
Sabrina could feel the power thrumming through Xatu. Xatu, the pokemon most capable of glimpsing the future, had a potent ability that one had to be extremely careful about if you already possessed psychic potential. Witnessing the future was like balancing on a knife¡¯s edge while lifting the heaviest of loads. You needed to be extremely careful. Despite that, Sabrina knew it was worth the risk. She had long known that today was important. Today would determine so much in such a short space of time on many levels. But it was more than that. Her premonition had told her that, and Xatu had only further reinforced her suspicions. She didn''t fully understand what would happen or how events would play out, but she knew a moment would arrive. A moment with her at the centre of it all. In the books she¡¯d read on psychic abilities, seers had termed this a nexus of fate, or shatter point. Something important was about to happen, and she knew she was in the right place. For now, she simply committed to the fight, knowing this was part of the buildup. She¡¯d scouted Will and strategised for this match. So far, her expectations matched the reality of how Will had attempted to use Jynx against her. It had been extremely versatile against Brock, but it would not have the same impact against her. Against Brock, it had been novel and new. Against her, it was nearly a month old, and she had more than enough time to prepare for it. She''d considered all the variations in her team. Stantler¡¯s evolution had caused her to re-evaluate her team, but she eventually determined that despite his evolution, Wyrdeer had not made it into her strongest team. He would make it into her top twelve, but he¡¯d need to go a long way to make the top six. No, the true surprise had been that Girafarig evolved after she¡¯d followed up on one of Brock¡¯s comments about unique moves being factors in evolution. She¡¯d carefully reviewed all of her pokemon and discovered a few outliers. Of these, Twin Beam had stood out for Girafarig. Twin Beam, which could be used by both heads, and enough mastery of the move had resulted in Girafarig evolving. More than that, Farigiraf had demonstrated some unique abilities that Oak had quickly discovered when she reached out to him. Armoured Tail. A skill where the missing reverse head still kept its eyes to the rear, despite where it might be looking. It allowed Farigiraf to intercept any moves that typically would strike it in the flank. Attacks could still slip through, but any move that relied on sudden acceleration, such as Quick Attack, Extreme Speed, or Aqua Jet to be denied. Professor Oak had surmised that there was perhaps more to this innate skill of Farigiraf but that would take more time to tease out. She¡¯d decided she knew enough about her pokemon though, and decided to copy Brock¡¯s initial plan with the reveal of an unknown pokemon. Unlike Brock after the Moltres incident, Will could not simply match her with a Medicham. That would not work against her and to deter such options, she¡¯d chosen to have Xatu on her team today. It would neutralise Medicham and Exeggutor wonderfully. Will had to be aware of this, which was why he¡¯d sent Jynx out. He planned to lock her choice of pokemon and give him more freedom later in their match. Sabrina planned to make it a costly lockdown. She¡¯d endured Jynx, she knew what would come next. Will shifted. His hand ran across his options and Sabrina was more than happy to have Xatu contemplate the future. Xatu relaxed into the flow of time, her pokemon¡¯s inner eye opening as she stilled, preserving her energy. Sabrina could see snippets of how connected they were. Brock cuddling her. Alakazam fighting with Will¡¯s Alakazam. Brock with an armoured fist reaching towards¡ª The last almost broke her connection, as she felt her mind stutter as she mentally rejected what had been foreseen. Xatu, however, caught her emotions and showed her that the first image had been deliberately shown first. While the sequence of images might make the layman consider them sequential, that wasn¡¯t how visions of the future could work. They could be disjointed and confusing. Sabrina allowed herself to relax. She would trust in Xatu. Xatu knew what she was talking about. A feeling of amusement wafted from her pokemon. Sabrina settled herself and refocused her pokemon. Will made his selection. A pokeball rose in mimicry of her earlier feat, to reveal his Starmie. As expected. Sabrina commanded her Xatu, and her pokemon glowed. Then, Xatu vanished in a flash of light, appearing next to Starmie even as the starfish pokemon unleashed a bolt of Thunder where Xatu had been. Xatu¡¯s wings lashed out and stabbed into the ground, even as a large, sickly purple orb built up in front of it. ¡°Thunder!¡± Will shouted hurriedly. With a flex along their connection, Sabrina committed her pokemon to the attack with Shadow Ball. Shadow Ball slammed into Starmie even as it sparked up and unleashed a close-range attack. Both moves were super effective, and both pokemon were rocked by the hits. Xatu emerged the victor, however, with her wings embedded into the ground with steel Wing. smoke wafted off her form as she glowered at Starmie. ¡°Ice Beam!¡± Will said, selecting a much better option. Starmie unleashed the attack only for Xatu¡¯s Future Sight attack to slam into it, knocking it off balance and into the dirt. Sabrina and Xatu, with their minds together, both knew this was the perfect moment to strike. Xatu unleashed yet another Shadow Ball before Will could respond, and this time Starmie faltered. Sabrina allowed herself a little smirk as Will growled. He¡¯d so far played his hand very close to her predictions. With Jynx and Espeon fairly injured and now down one pokemon, Will wouldn¡¯t feel confident in bringing out Exeggutor. That meant he would have to bring something stronger. Sabrina flicked her eyes towards her viewing box. She could see her mother and father, along with the observers. Mother was arguing with them, rather redundantly, in Sabrina¡¯s opinion, for not demanding that the match be cancelled. Sabrina didn¡¯t want the match to end. She knew what was going on outside of the stadium, and it might be seen as selfish on her part, but she didn¡¯t want to leave. She wanted to beat Will. The Mayor, could, of course, formally request her assistance, but he didn¡¯t yet know himself. Team Rocket¡¯s speed in taking the tower was working against them there. That, and the Mayor liked to put his transceiver on silent and off his wrist when he watched Sabrina fight. A habit that had gotten him into trouble before, but one that Sabrina was thankful for tonight. Sabrina was glad that no such order had yet been given. Will, as he had demonstrated against Brock, would slip away if granted the chance. Sabrina hadn¡¯t predicted Team Rocket attacking Silph Co. which in itself was worrying, but that did not mean Saffron was undefended. Saffron was currently hosting no less than seven Gym Leaders, two Elite Four, three trainers that Sabrina foresaw as being future Gym Leaders, a small horde of bored but well-intentioned trainers, and Karen. While she would certainly help, she didn¡¯t think she would add enough to turn things decisively. If anything, she was better here, acting as a focal point for Will, and Team Rocket¡¯s Legendary to run interference. The better she did the more more that pokemon would be forced to intercede on Will¡¯s behalf. Unless they were merely using Will as a patsy? Possible, but unlikely, especially with the Jynx. The Jynx that she¡¯d surmised was not, in fact, Will¡¯s pokemon. It was too focused on denying a trainer the ability to withdraw their pokemon. Sabrina turned her eyes away from her mother and locked eyes with her father. ¡°Has anyone informed Surge?¡± she projected to her father. He stiffened for a moment before shaking his head. Sabrina avoided rolling her eyes. Despite being a skilled Psychic her father always resorted to speaking with his mouth first. ¡°No, not yet,¡± he said. ¡°Do so; he will be inconsolable if someone doesn¡¯t inform him and he misses out on beating down Team Rocket.¡± With that done, Sabrina turned her attention to sending her mother calming waves of reassurance that all was well. Her mother calmed instantly. Her seeming ¡®defeat¡¯ in the argument worried the auditor more than the arguing as he seemed to think her mother had ¡®given up¡¯ on the League. ¡®Oh! My baby is down there!¡¯ but she¡¯s so strong! Oh no, should she be out there with her friends? What¡¯s happening!? Oh blast it! I should have kept training with my Kadabra! It didn¡¯t stop her mother from fretting. Sabrina mentally shot both Jenny and the auditor quick messages of ¡°I¡¯m alright with the situation as it stands. I can trust in my friends to handle the situation.¡± Both of them jolted and whirled around in surprise. It¡¯s like they¡¯d forgotten her earlier display. With that done Sabrina turned her attention to the message Brock had left her. ¡®Gotta go, bad guys turned up, sorry! Love Brock.¡¯ She telekinetically tore it down, folding it up and putting it in a bag she had in her viewing box. She could use that later, and if any more people noticed it Brock was liable to become embarrassed when asked about the ¡®note¡¯ he¡¯d left for her. Sabrina made a mental note to tease Brock about the love hearts he¡¯d drawn on the message. Perhaps she¡¯d bring it out during her press conference after the match? She accomplished all this in a handful of moments. People often underestimate the speed of thought, and as a psychic, she could think very quickly indeed. Xatu projected her amusement back to Sabrina, and Sabrina inspected Xatu. Her pokemon was hurt, tired, and not in a good position. Sabrina raised her hand as Will selected his next pokeball. ¡°I withdraw my Xatu!¡± Sabrina said, using her voice specifically for this. Will faltered at the announcement, and Sabrina allowed herself a smile. She wasn¡¯t going to give Will the time to get a free move off by withdrawing her pokemon as she had. There would be no chance for him to finagle the rules. With this call and interruption, she also remained the sole pacesetter for this match. Xatu wasn¡¯t likely to be able to get another move in, not against what Sabrina knew was coming next. The referee from the League raised his flag. ¡°Sabrina withdraws her pokemon from combat! Xatu is unable to battle! The match is now one to one!¡± he announced. A murmur of surprise broke out from the crowd, and Sabrina could feel how their minds warred with the idea of not getting everything she could from Xatu. Sabrina knew that wasn¡¯t going to play out well for her. So instead, she nodded to her pokemon and Xatu vanished in a teleport to appear next to her mother. ¡°Take care of Xatu,¡± she projected to her fretting mother. Mentally, Sabrina nudged her father to look after her mother. He should have been on top of that, but sadly, he could become hyper-focused on what was right in front of him. He took so much looking after sometimes. Still, with Xatu up there to be cared for, her mother would have something to do with her anxiety instead of cycling through a negative mental loop of thoughts that had been getting rather loud. With her mother calmed, Sabrina turned her focus back to the battlefield as her next pokeball rose up and shot forward. ¡°Go, Espeon,¡± she said with a small jut of her chin to antagonise Will. Sabrina knew he saw the gesture as his lips thinned conspicuously. Will, much to her annoyance, clapped his hands and inhaled. Sabrina hissed in surprise, and Espeon, feeling her annoyance, lashed her tails side to side in a frenzied manner and yowled angrily. It shouldn¡¯t have been so annoying to see. Indeed, other trainers had begun adopting it more this year after facing Brock, which made it seem charming as they emulated Brock. Brock himself always said it was merely a method of controlling anxious thoughts, but Sabrina had seen it in her own family¡¯s training manuals as a method of ¡®clearing the mind¡¯ for allowing better focus before attempting a psychic exercise. But¡­ seeing Will copy Brock¡¯s technique was not something Sabrina wanted. Sabrina tossed her hair in agitation as Espeon growled again. When Will released the technique, he had a much calmer expression. Sabrina resolved to crush him once more to herself, and Espeon nodded in agreement as her small pokemon shifted from foot to foot. Will smirked, obviously knowing what he¡¯d done. ¡°Go, Slowking,¡± he said with his annoying smirk. Sabrina inspected the newly arrived pokemon. So, that was his next play was it? Sabrina readied herself to give the next order. As she did so, she hoped Brock was doing alright.
Surprisingly, the stairs themselves weren¡¯t patrolled. When I exited the stairs three stories down, I encountered a pair of guards that started to glare at me only to relax. ¡°Why are you using the stairs?¡± said one suspiciously. Thinking quickly, I blinked back at him. ¡°My¡­ superior said to?¡± I tilted my head and took a shuddering breath. ¡°You mean I didn¡¯t need to run up six flights of stairs?¡± The guards shared a look and laughed at my expense. I mentally fist-pumped as my deception worked. Ah, organisational bullying; you could always be counted on as an excuse to make people lower their guard. One of the guards waved me on and pointed at the fully operational elevators. ¡°We¡¯ve got control of them, but I think your boss wants you to be sent through the pads. Go see the nerd; make sure you praise him as well, ''cause otherwise, he might send you into the sewers!¡± he said with a smirk. I nodded quickly, pretending to be worried as I moved into the room. With my gaze sweeping over the room I spotted clusters of Team Rocket Grunts sitting around waiting for a man in a lab coat. Off to the side, a group of tied-up scientists and technicians glowered as the man ranted at his computer. ¡°¡ªthought you knew better than me!¡± he said as he hit a button, and another pair of Rocket Grunts were sent off with a flash of light. ¡°You couldn¡¯t fathom my intellect, you smooth-brained Primeapes!¡± I moved up to the hostages and looked them over. None of them looked injured. Scared? Yes. But then again, the ones that didn¡¯t look scared were the ones that were more heavily tied up, with looks of abject fury on their faces despite the gags. I calmly untied a few without anyone really noticing what I was doing. Sometimes I find that not drawing attention can be as simple as not acting in a guilty manner. I had zero guilt untying them, miming for them to be quiet as I raised up my cap. Their eyes widened, and after I had three of them fully untied, I motioned to untie the others. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± screamed someone as a hand dropped onto my shoulder. I glanced up at a giant of a man. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m providing a distraction,¡± I said with a smile. The man blinked, processing my words. I felt his hand clench down harder, but with my Rock aura, I was easily able to stand and punch him in the gut. He folded around my fist easier than Suzie¡¯s bedsheet, sinking to his knees with a loud wheeze. I stood and grinned as other Team Rocket Grunts pulled out their pokeballs. ¡°Shit! That¡¯s Gym Leader Brock!¡± ¡°How¡¯d he get here?¡± ¡°Who cares? Take him down!¡± I tapped my own pokeballs. Selene, Shin, Gawain, and Shrek appeared before me. ¡°Defensive actions team!¡± I ordered. The Grunts around me grinned at me; they must have been scenting blood in the water. All of them turned and started to close in on me. The few technicians and hostages that had freed themselves stood to glower back, but that wasn¡¯t enough to deter Team Rocket. They completely missed Karen waltzing in and chopping both the door guards in the throat while they were looking at me. Her pokemon team was released with a sweep of her hands. I was interested to notice eight pokemon appear around her. While this was going on, a wave of attacks splashed against the Protect and Barrier in front of my pokemon. I didn¡¯t mind, and neither did my Pokemon, as we held out a few moments more. I saw a flicker of movement and shifted my attention. The scientist, who had been ranting and raving about his brilliance, suddenly found himself wrapped in rope as Janine shot me a thumbs up. I grinned as her pokemon team also appeared around her in set positions. I clapped my hands together and caused a loud clap to echo through the room. In the ensuing silence, I spoke up. ¡°Alright team! We¡¯ve distracted them long enough!¡± I shouted. Some Rocket Grunts snorted in derision. ¡°Oldest trick in the book!¡± one even said. Others couldn¡¯t help themselves, and they looked behind them. ¡°Shit! We got trouble!¡± This caused a wave of confusion to ripple through the ranks of Team Rocket. I pointed straight forward and smirked darkly. ¡°Attack!¡± I shouted, and my pokemon switched from being on the defensive to attacking in a heartbeat. The cluster of Rocket pokemon, numerous as they were, were taken by surprise by the sudden shift in aggression. They fell in droves, Ekans and Arboks were hurled into the clusters of Rocket Grunts, forcing them to become tangled and tripped up. Janine¡¯s pokemon exhaled smog that had the Grunts coughing and gasping for their breaths. Karen¡¯s pokemon shot forth and rather than relying on tricks they simply overpowered any pokemon sent against them. ¡°To the pads!¡± shouted one Grunt. He led a wave of Grunts away with a flash and the hostages that I¡¯d rescued growled in annoyance. ¡°They¡¯ll warn the rest of the building that we¡¯re free and you¡¯re here!¡± I clicked my tongue. ¡°That¡¯s not ideal, but not unexpected.¡± I looked over the group. ¡°We need to get you to safety; is there any chance we can calibrate the teleportation pads to deposit you on the ground floor?¡± The scientists quickly nodded. ¡°We can; we hadn¡¯t listened to Harvey¡¯s claims as they were only theoretical and highly unethical. He wanted to force the testing early, which was extremely risky, but with the number of Rocket Grunts going back and forth, we have enough indicators and data of it working to do it ourselves.¡± Another technician stepped up. ¡°We can do more than that! We could detach one of the pads and then set it up in the foyer! Send the police up here!¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I considered that for a second, only to feel something fall on my head. I looked up and frowned. ¡°Hey Janine¡­. Are buildings that are up to code supposed to crumble like that?¡± Janine appeared at my side and glared at the slightly broken section of pokecrete¡ªa highly prized super material, she¡¯d said¡ªused for most buildings that were typically the most expensive part of building anything big. ¡°No, they are not,¡± she growled, like the crack in the roof offended her. She levelled a look at the men. ¡°Explain this violation of building code!¡± she snapped. The men stepped back with their hands raised in surrender. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that!¡± said one. ¡°We had nothing to do with the construction!¡± the other said. A polite cough saw Janine¡¯s wrath snapping towards the intruder, a noise escaped her causing the older man to falter. I blinked in surprise. Did she just growl? The man licked his lips. ¡°The top three levels were recently added, and I think the President might have... finagled some cheaper options for these levels,¡± he shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m surprised... Shortcuts have always been the new president¡¯s preferred choice.¡± Janine snarled, and her hand whipped up. For a moment, I thought she was going to strike the man. Instead, her transceiver appeared, and her fingers blurred as she wrote out a message, or rather, what looked like a short report. ¡°The OHSA and Building Standards Commission will hear about this!¡± she said, snapping a few pictures of the roof. Karen snorted. ¡°You¡¯re a hoot short stuff. Only you could care about poor building standards when terrorist action is occurring.¡± ¡°This matters!¡± Janine said. I coughed. ¡°It might actually be a stroke of luck for us.¡± ¡°There is nothing fortunate about shoddy building practices, Brock!¡± Janine snapped, apparently unable to see the positives of this situation. I merely grinned and pointed at the roof. ¡°What¡¯s directly above us?¡± I said conspiratorially. Janine blinked, her mind refocusing on our actual objective and I nodded. ¡°Here¡¯s my plan,¡± I started to say, laying out what I was thinking.
Sabrina narrowed her eyes. So, he¡¯d brought Slowking out against her? Agility: Sabrina commanded her Espeon. Espeon vanished in a blur of speed, and Will gestured. His pokemon raised its arms, and a small box appeared in front of it. Sabrina knew precisely what that could be, and she had her answer ready. With a flex of her mind, Espeon appeared close to Slowking, the gem on her forehead glinting before a red flash of light shot into Slowking. Will staggered as the move he was attempting was Disabled. He shook his head but smirked. ¡°Psychic Terrain!¡± he said, causing Sabrina¡¯s good mood to sour. He must have tried for Trick Room earlier in a gambit to force her hand. So, he had a modicum of talent that didn¡¯t rely on trickery and sponsors, she thought to herself as Slowking slowly formed up the next cube. Sabrina narrowed her eyes, and Espeon crouched. Sabrina channelled her energy and fed it into her pokemon to empower the blast as much as she was able. From Espeon¡¯s mouth, a dense beam of energy blasted forth as Espeon unleashed a close-range Hyper Beam straight into Slowking. Slowking was blown back and out of the battlefield. When he landed, he blinked dolefully, rose and trotted up to the edge while Espeon regathered her scattered aura that was what actually caused a pokemon using Hyper Beam or Giga Impact to become exhausted after using it. Sabrina could only glower as the obviously weakened Slowking formed up the Psychic Terrain onto the battlefield. Sabrina instantly felt something lightly touching the field psychically, empowering it from afar while bolstering Will¡¯s Slowking. Espon herself buckled as a slight weight was added. Sabrina wanted to rage at the interference that only she could feel. She raised her eyes to find Will now looking much more confident and self-assured. Sabrina merely flicked her hair once more. Fine, if that was how he wanted to play things, Sabrina would simply put her confidence in her friends... and Karen, in finding and engaging the Legendary while its focus was on her. Slowking glowed red despite Will not touching his pokeball. Which, in truth, wasn''t required for psychics, but the method was different enough to make it appear like it was performing Baton Pass. Something that Slowking couldn¡¯t learn. ¡°So, do you stand by your claims that you just used Baton Pass?¡± she said, speaking for the first time throughout the match to just Will. She needed to buy herself and the others some time, she could feel an itch forming in her mind. Soon, it said to her. Will tilted his head as the pokeball he had been holding out disgorged his Alakazam. ¡°For some people, perhaps that would be a challenge, but I have taught my pokemon many abilities,¡± he said. Sabrina allowed a few moments to pass without comment or action as she and Will locked eyes. People around the stadium began to lean forward, straining to hear every word they said. For them this was a tense moment. For Sabrina, this was a delaying tactic. ¡°Hmmm, yes, some people,¡± Sabrina said, knowing that Will would never be such a person. She instead had her Espeon begin to move now that her energy had regathered. Espeon leapt to the side just in time to avoid Will¡¯s Alakazam as it teleported behind her. Sabrina barely needed to note the vanishing and reappearing Alakazam; this was a tactic all of her pokemon were extremely well versed in. While it was difficult, it wasn¡¯t impossible to overcome. At least it would have been, were it not for the interference slowing Espeon while bolstering Will. Still, the movepool of Will¡¯s Alakazam was relatively known. Espeon dove into the ground and hid with Dig, leaving Will to impotently glower at the hole. When he raised his gaze at her, Sabrina raised an unimpressed eyebrow. He snorted and waved a hand, bolstering his Alakazam with Calm Mind. Sabrina allowed herself a smile as Espeon appeared only a moment later, with stars forming around her to unleash Swift upon her foe. Alakazam vanished in a Teleport only for the stars to pause midflight and then snap back onto their target. Excellent. Continue the attack, she projected to her pokemon. Espeon strode forward, stars forming around her as Swift was unleashed upon Alakazam. Alakazam countered by forming Barriers where it could. Alakazam continued to step back slowly, as though it were being forced back. Sabrina held in her scoff. She could see what was coming easily enough. Alakazam was continually pressured until it was in a corner of the battlefield. It appeared like it was about to be forced out. Sabrina made a chopping gesture like she was committing Espeon forward to end the exchange. Espeon hopped forward only to leap backward as Alakazam appeared behind her with his spoons flashing out with dark energy. Foul Play, how predictable. With Espeon moving as quickly, she should have been able to evade the blow, only for the pressure placed on Espeon to cause her to falter. Foul Play lashed across Espeon in a glancing blow, and Sabrina clenched her jaw as pain flashed through the bond. Sabrina didn¡¯t allow it to cloud her mind, however, and she ordered Espeon to dodge. Espeon responded, despite the pain, flipping through the air to avoid a follow-up attack. From there, it was Alakazam¡¯s turn to pressure her pokemon back into a corner that was all too close, thanks to Will leading them there earlier. Thankfully, she only had to Dig to evade Will¡¯s ambush. She rather enjoyed his faltering expression. He¡¯d forgotten she had that option. Once again, Espeon popped up, this time in the middle of the battlefield, where she flashed a red light, returning with Baton Pass. In her place, Farigiraf appeared with a shake of his long neck. Both sets of eyes locked onto Alakazam, who lifted his chin in challenge. Will eyed the pokemon and the dark outer head. With a flick of his eyes, Alakazam Teleported first to the left and then to the right. Farigiraf¡¯s eyes tracked the movement, and Will paused to consider his options. Sabrina used his hesitation against him to let her pokemon perform Calm Mind. Will clicked his tongue as Farigiraf glowed with strength. Will gestured, and Sabrina felt energy build up around Alakazam¡¯s spoons. Sabrina had spent more than enough time around Alakazam to know precisely which move was about to be unleashed. With a flex of her will and a small boost of her own energy, Farigiraf matched Alakazam with his own Psybeam. Both moves slammed into each other and a clash ensued. Both sets of eyes on Farigiraf narrowed as they committed themselves wholly to the attack. Alakazam leaned forward and Sabrina felt the power in both Psybeams grow. Sadly Alakazam¡¯s attack grew more. It overwhelmed Farigiraf¡¯s attack and blasted straight into her pokemon¡¯s chest hurling it into the back wall where it struggled to rise. But rise it did. On trembling legs, Farigiraf rose, conviction to continue filling the bond and Sabrina found herself re-evaluating her newest Elite. This was more heart than she had been expecting. Farigiraf strode back onto the battlefield, determined to fight on. Alakazam straightened and sniffed haughtily, but Sabrina could see the way its limbs quivered. Ah, that move had cost Alakazam, she thought to herself. Interesting. She sent a plan to Farigiraf and her pokemon wholeheartedly agreed. She smiled coyly. ¡°Care to try that again?¡± she said with a challenging lift of her head. Will sniffed and gestured and once again Alakazam prepared to unleash a powerful Psybeam. This time Sabrina punched forward, her glee at baiting Will matching that of her pokemon¡¯s as it unleashed a Hyper Beam straight at Alakazam. Alakazam went from cocky arrogance to frightened in an instant, and Sabrina didn¡¯t need to see Will¡¯s face to feel the sudden fear that exploded out of him as he realised she¡¯d baited him into another exchange, not understanding what her Farigiraf was capable of. Alakazam dropped the Psybeam assault and raised his spoons. It shouldn¡¯t have had enough time. And yet it raised Protect, the pokemon interfering bolstering its efforts to raise a shell just before the beam slammed home. Emotions of shock and elation surged through the crowd, laced with Will¡¯s fear that he hadn¡¯t been quick enough. Only to die away as Alakaam emerged unscathed but extremely tired from the exchange. Sabrina let herself smile with amusement. Farigiraf had done well. ¡°I withdraw Farigiraf from battle, he is too tired to continue,¡± she announced, halting Will from getting a vindictive counterattack in while her pokemon was exhausted. His lips flickered into a grimace, his face reflecting the sourness of his mind before he adopted a mask of stoicism. ¡°Hmmm a cheap shot there Gym Leader,¡± he said patronisingly. ¡°And something which you fell for,¡± she said, pokeball rising to return her pokemon. Will inspected his own exhausted Alakazam and flicked his fingers, ¡®Ally Switch¡¯ once more working as it shouldn¡¯t, Sabrina noted. With her own proximity, Sabrina could now feel how Mewtwo interlaced his own energies to bolster the move and allow it to overcome its shortcomings to make it more like Baton Pass. Sabrina stared at Will when Exeggutor appeared on the field. He raised his chin and Sabrina sniffed. With a flex of her power, another pokeball was thrown forth. Her own Exeggutor, much taller and more vibrant thanks to Erika¡¯s support, glowered at Will¡¯s. Multiple eyes locked on each other and Sabrina shared her plan with the multitude of minds that made up Exeggutor. Exeggutor surged into action, its mouth open as seeds began to fire straight at its counterpart. ¡°Sludge Bomb!¡± Will ordered, falling back on verbal orders with his pokemon. Sabrina¡¯s pokemon sidestepped the danger of the move and continued to pepper Will¡¯s Exeggutor with a seemingly ineffective move, only for the seeds to suddenly sprout and reveal themselves to not be Seed Bullet but rather Leech Seeds being planted. ¡°Again!¡± Will ordered, forcing Sabrina to have her pokemon leap to the side, duck low and then skid forward. Her mental link with her pokemon allowing her to guide her pokemon with a deftness unmatched by others. The crowd cheered at the show of dexterity from the typically lumbering pokemon as it evaded a rain of poison. Sabrina waved her hand, and from the fronds of her pokemon¡¯s canopy purple power wafted out towards the enemy Exeggutor. Unlike Sludge Bomb, Posionpowder wasn¡¯t as easy to evade and soon Will¡¯s pokemon was being sapped from both poison and Leech seed. ¡°Tch!¡± Will barked as he returned his pokemon. Sabrina didn¡¯t hesitate to have her pokemon plant itself into the ground with Ingrain, a move that had required Erika herself to teach Exeggutor. Will worked his jaw back and forth, only for his frustration to build as the Psychic Terrain flickered. Sabrina tilted her head as she felt the weight slip off her. The attention that Mewtwo was giving to their battle had waned¡­ What was Brock doing?
I marched up the stairs, Rocket shirt thrown off and through the stairs once more. This time when the Rocket Grunts saw me, they moved to attack, only for Janine and my pokemon to launch from behind me to intercept them. The fight was short, sharp, and sweet. It still caused a lot of noise and when I looked up I wasn¡¯t surprised to see two white-suited Rocket Executives rounding a corner with six other Rocket Grunts. The woman was tall, thin and silver-haired. She matched the description of the woman who had fought with Koga and Agatha when they encountered Mewtwo. The other was a hulking brute of a man. His eyebrows were thick enough to cast his eyes into shadow such that it looked like he glared out at the world while his arms swung back and forth. ¡°Well, well, my dear Orm, it seems the Grunts were correct and we have been entrapped,¡± said the woman we knew to be Cird. Around her, Starmie, Arbok, Arcanine, Banette, Persian, Nidoqueen, and a Raichu appeared. ¡°Hrn,¡± said Orm, each hand fisting around a trio of pokeballs. ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of them,¡± he said. Around him, a Jumpluff, three Hoppip, a Vileplume, a Sunflora, and a Shuckle appeared. I did a double-take. That hadn¡¯t been the type of pokemon I¡¯d been expecting from the guy who looked like he wrestled Slaking for fun. I swept across the pokemon and frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve been expecting me, haven¡¯t you?¡± I said eying the Grass specialist. Cird snorted. ¡°It was obvious that you would stick your nose into matters far beyond your understanding! Orm!¡± she said snapping her fingers. Orm grunted and gestured with his hand, causing his Grass type pokemon to bristle in preparation. I nodded. ¡°Hmmm Grass type, my weakness,¡± I said with a smile. Orm nodded. ¡°Obviously! Team! Vine Whip!¡± ¡°Team! Brace!¡± I shouted causing my pokemon to lock down and kneel for what was to come. I grinned as Cird¡¯s eyes narrowed while Orm committed to the strikes. As they charged forward the floor gave way underneath them as Bertha¡¯s fist ripped through the weak material. With a swipe of her hands, the floor opened up and the floor below suddenly revealed itself. Shin glowered at the Grass-type pokemon and I only had to point for him to unleash an Ice Beam upon them. ¡°Tch! Bannette! Get down there!¡± Cird ordered. She then snapped her fingers at the others. Orm, held out a hand. ¡°Countermand that!¡± he said with a glower. He eyed my pokemon both in front of us, and underneath us shooting up. ¡°Retreat, He¡¯s going to bring the floor down on us!¡± he said before turning and lumbering away as quickly as he could. I huffed, annoyed that he¡¯d correctly guessed what I was planning. ¡°Bertha, do it,¡± I said leaping down to her. Bertha thrust her fist into a nearby support pillar. Her fist clenched upon the pillar and then shook. The floor above us collapsed, but I merely waved to Jormungandr, who was already laid out in a loop around our group. Janine glowered up at the collapsing floor. ¡°This! This shouldn¡¯t be possible!¡± she said as she held up her transceiver. ¡°Are you¡­ recording this?¡± I said to Janine. She nodded and I raised a finger before deciding to just ignore it. Karen howled with laughter as Janine steadfastly documented the OHSA violations in progress. The laughter stopped when the collapsing floor suddenly stopped collapsing and instead began to hover as a blue glow surrounded everything. The debris lowered gently to the ground and a number of Rocket Grunts, along with Cird, and Orm were revealed with some of their pokemon. I wasn¡¯t looking at them, however. My gaze was raised to the pokemon hovering in front of the locked vault that was the only segment of the floor above us that hadn¡¯t collapsed. Mewtwo¡¯s helmet looked back, offering nothing of how he might feel or where he was even directing his attention. Janine swallowed loudly, her transceiver held up recording the first sighting of Mewtwo. I swallowed and wet my suddenly dry lips. I¡¯d suspected Mewtwo was here, and I¡¯d been proven right. It didn¡¯t make sense for Team Rocket to act this brazenly. Not without something that made it worth the absolute chaos they¡¯d release with this assault. For that, they needed a sure thing, which came in the form of Mewtwo. My estimation of the dark inhibitors around the Masterball creation lab went up a few more notches. Karen merely stepped forward, her gaze locked on the Legendary pokemon. ¡°So, you¡¯re the pokemon that injured my mentor?¡± She cracked her neck while glaring up at the hovering pokemon. Cird laughed. ¡°Oh, you petty fool! Do you think your little trick will stop us? We don¡¯t even need to fight, with Agent M here!¡± she crowed gleefully. I pursed my lips and directed my gaze up at the floor that housed the President¡¯s penthouse office. ¡°Shame about the top floor,¡± I said conversationally. Selene drifted up next to me as Cird frowned. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Cird began to say even as Orm looked up. He was the only one to notice Titan and Empress burrowing through the final floor, causing it to crumble above Team Rocket. Agent M, or rather Mewtwo, had all of a moment to realise how much danger he was in before Empress tackled him out of the air, dark energy radiating off her. He slammed into the ground with Empress roaring her rage right into his helmet. Titan landed next to her and both of them detonated the Dark Pulse they¡¯d been holding, to help them remain hidden. I¡¯d suspected Mewtwo was here¡­ and I¡¯d planned accordingly.
Was it being pressured? Whatever Brock was doing, it seemed to be working, as Mewtwo''s attention vanished for a moment before returning, albeit greatly weakened. Sabrina checked her energy levels and resolved to pull back on the amount of energy she committed to the fight, knowing that she would need it soon. Sorry. She mentally apologised to Exeggutor. The multitude merely bobbed their heads, eyes forward as Will inspected the Psychic Terrain. He growled before releasing Slowking once again. As Brock had mentioned, Slowking appeared to be in better health than when it had returned. Regeneration through withdrawal was an interesting quirk, one that her own Slowking did not possess. Will waved his hand and Slowking began to channel the needed cube in his hands. Sabrina countered by unleashing Leaf Storm. Exeggutor¡¯s leaves whipped as glowing green leaves shot forth and slashed into SLowking cutting through in a furor. Slowking failed to react. It completed the Psychic Terrain, repowering the faltering field only to blink and yawn in pain as it toppled over. When it hit the ground its eyes closed as unconsciousness claimed it. ¡°Slowking is unable to battle that makes it two all!¡± proclaimed the referee. Sabrina felt the anticipation build in the crowd. They knew as well as her that she still had pokemon to play, while Will was being forced into a corner. His pokemon fatigued while she still had options. A feeling of anticipation swept over her and Sabrina felt herself stir and glance up at the Viewing box where her Xatu was, staring towards Silph Co. Soon, her pokemon projected to her. Sabrina nodded and prepared herself to fight as hard as she could. Her influence on the shatter point was building, and like a man caught in the flow of the river, she would need to act quickly to determine the outcome. Will sent back out his Exeggutor. Sabrina raised her chin in defiance. ¡°Stand your ground!¡± she said aloud to make Will commit. This wasn¡¯t it. This wasn¡¯t the moment. It would be soon, though. ¡°Sludge Bomb!¡± Will shouted. Sabrina reached forth, projecting her next order for Psyshock to her pokemon. Exeggutor lashed out and his foe stumbled back even as the super-effective move landed. Both Exeggutors blanched as poisons took effect. Then Will¡¯s pokemon stumbled further as green energy wafted off it towards Sabrina¡¯s Exeggutor. Sabrina crossed her arms and committed herself and her pokemon. Exeggutor drained the ground around him even as he continued to unleash Psyshock after Psyshock at his opponent. The interference and weakening of her attacks began to falter more and more. Will continued to barrage her locked-down pokemon with Sludge Bombs that hammered at her pokemon. Despite that. Her Exeggutor held on, fighting on until the moment he saw Will¡¯s Exeggutor collapse. Then he gave Sabrina a pained look as he began to tremble. Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°You have fought well, rest now,¡± she said projecting the pride she felt in her pokemon. With her permission. Exeggutor allowed himself to topple. Sabrina returned him, and felt her spine tingle in anticipation. Like the static of a storm heralding the lightning, everyone unknowingly leaned forward in their seats. Sabrina raised up her Greatball before her and nodded. ¡°Go, Alakazam,¡± she said, announcing her intentions to all. She hoped Brock could keep Mewtwo¡¯s attention, as she needed all her focus for the part to come.
¡°Shit! When did Brock get two Tyranitars?" screamed a Grunt as he was clutching onto a wall. ¡°Agent M! Get up and fight!¡± roared Cird before she pointed her pokemon at us. ¡°Team! Rip and Tear!¡± Her pokemon promptly went wild. Lunging at the nearest pokemon with fang or claw turning the tower into a proper battleground. I was suddenly extremely glad that we¡¯d evacuated all of the people who had been with us before we¡¯d enacted this plan. Chaos filled the room as suddenly pokemon were lunging and moves were flying. Janine, Karen and I reacted. ¡°Shin and Gawain work with Janine to take out those Grass type pokemon! Gawain stay wide!¡± I barked before chopping my hand to Shrek. ¡°Take out that Persian!¡± I called as it fired off a Swift at Janine¡¯s Muk which was trying to minimise. ¡°Gengar! Back up Brock¡¯s pokemon! Take out that Legendary!¡± Karen roared. ¡°Houndoom push them back!¡± ¡°Brock move!¡± Janine shouted, causing me to react. I ducked into Bertha¡¯s kneeling form to evade a Blizzard that tore through where Janine and I had been standing moments before. ¡°Janine?¡± I said peering around Bertha¡¯s form to see a Glalie glaring at me from one of the Grunts. ¡°Jormungandr!¡± I said pointing at the pokemon. Jorm twisted and slapped his tail into some rubble, unleashing a Stone Edge that was intercepted by a Machoke. The Machoke tried to close on Jorm only for Janine to intercept it with a Venomoth whose wings were glowing with light. I turned my head in time to catch Mewtwo exploding out of the crater that Empress had smashed him into. His eyes glowed through the cracked helmet and Empress was clenched in a Telekinetic grip that she struggled against. ¡°Dark Pulse!¡± I shouted at her. She exploded once again with dark energy and Mewtwo had to zip back to evade the attack. Gengar appeared with a Shadow Ball overhead. ¡°Titan! Box him!¡± I shouted, making Titan keep Mewtwo on the back foot as much as we could. Another Gengar appeared and I grinned, knowing that had to mean Agatha was nearby. I felt a chill race up my spine and without knowing why I channeled Dark energy and spun. Two large arms swept towards me as a Banette materialised behind me. Its grinning visage loomed large as it closed with me. I knocked one fist away with only my bare fist, causing it to almost falter as it carried through with the other. A cane intercepted the fist aiming for my kidney, and a wizened old voice spoke. ¡°Oh my, Brock, that was nearly a bad ending for you there!¡± Agatha cackled. I exhaled. ¡°Thanks for the save.¡± Banette twisted and tried to leap away, only for Agatha¡¯s shadow to distort. From the shadow, an arm appeared to latch onto Banette. ¡°Oh, no little one, you¡¯re not leaving so soon,¡± Agatha said as her shadow gained red eyes. Banette was dragged into the shadow, and from there I could only watch as Agatha¡¯s shadow undulated and writhed as though a fight was playing out. A roar tore me away from the strange sight and back to where Mewtwo had raised a metal pillar and swung it telekinetically to bat away Empress from closing once more with him. Titan threw himself into the pillar to help his mother, forcing Mewtwo to give up and hover upwards. Agatha tutted. ¡°That won¡¯t do, time to join the fray properly, my sweets!¡± she said. Floating in the air behind Mewtwo, another Gengar appeared, along with a Mismagius. In the fights taking place on the ground, a Froslass appeared and swept in with an opening Icy Wind to turn things more in our favour. I only peripherally noticed this however, as I kept my gaze on the main threat, which was Mewtwo hovering above us. I saw him turn his head back and forth, assessing the situation. The glow of his visor shifted and a robotic voice sounded out. ¡°Orm, Cird! Salt the earth!¡± said a voice that I just knew had to be Giovanni. Orm reacted by having his pokemon suddenly unleash huge amounts of pollen into the air, while other pokemon began wafting it towards us. I and Janine stiffened, knowing how this combination move could be used even before the Arcanine on their side inhaled. ¡°Surf!¡± I ordered all of my pokemon capable of it. Bertha, Shrek, and Shin all unleashed the move together but stayed on our side of the wave, which we used as a shield against the resultant explosion. Team Rocket, when they emerged, were slightly worse for the wear but they¡¯d gained some breathing room. ¡°Get that vault open!¡± said the voice of Giovanni. Mewtwo turned his head to said vault and suddenly a white burst of energy manifested itself in his hands. ¡°Brace!¡± I shouted as Mewtwo unleashed a Hyper Beam straight at the vault. Dark energy erupted from the room as it burst, knocking Mewtwo back. The Gengar that had been attacking him redoubled their efforts. Karen twitched and suddenly her pokemon unleashed their own moves on the staggered Legendary. I decided to add my own powerhouse to the equation. ¡°Empress! Unleash!¡± I shouted. Empress blinked once at me, before remembering what that command meant. She inhaled and Mewtwo twitched towards her, as some psychic instinct warned him of what was to come. His armoured form snapped into a protective curl as a Protect formed around him. Empress unleashed her own Hyper Beam and a bright light filled the room, making most people shield their eyes. I didn¡¯t though. I pointed and continued to shout orders that couldn¡¯t be heard, but my pokemon knew what to expect. More of Team Rocket¡¯s pokemon went down and the noose slowly tightened on them. A crack began to form in one of the windows, and a moment later it burst outward. When Empress finished unleashing her Hyper Beam I wasn¡¯t surprised to find Mewtwo had endured through the use of Protect. It spoke volumes that he¡¯d weathered the storm of hits from other pokemon but when Empress had gotten a clear shot at him, he¡¯d known to use Protect straight away. Titan stepped close to his mother, his fist raised to ward off any potential threats while she regathered her energy. If Mewtwo hadn¡¯t been in the air I might have suggested having him follow up in his mother¡¯s wake with a Giga Impact. Honestly I wasn¡¯t game to risk him getting into a charge and not accidentally being thrown over off the tower. It was too great a risk and all too probable. If Empress''s Hyper Beam could break the windows, the same would be true of Giga Impact. I chopped a hand forward. My pokemon reacted, with Jormungandr unleashing a wave of Dragonsbreath while Hydro Pumps and Stone Edges leapt forth. Mewtwo swept his hand and they all clashed with each other causing a cloud of dust to obscure him for a moment. Once again, I felt a chill race up my spine, and this time when I turned, I found not another Banette but rather Mewtwo reaching out and grabbing me by the throat. He was much faster than Banette, and while I raised a hand to hammer a punch into his side he merely ignored the hit. I suddenly felt like a child in the grip of a pro wrestler. ¡°You!¡± snarled a robotic voice as we rose into the air. I stared into the helmet and was surprised to see that part of it was no longer there. An eye stared out, but instead of anger, only blank emptiness met my gaze. My pokemon cried out in shock, only for Mewtwo to evade them. He turned and held his arm with me hanging, my back facing towards the now destroyed window with nothing but a free fall awaiting me should Mewtwo throw me. I called up my dark energy and snapped a kick, only for his tail to catch the blow ¡°You¡¯ve interfered for the last¡ª¡± The robotic voice started to say, only for light to explode from behind me. ¡°What?!¡± squawked the voice. At first, I thought it was one of my pokemon coming through with a surprise attack. Selene being the most likely, but then a moment later I felt a Psychic power sweep past me, and I stiffened. I recognised that feeling. Sabrina?
Sabrina knew her window of opportunity was coming, every part of her being knew this. Will glowered, his attention flickering to the Psychic Terrain that would help hide how he was being bolstered while she was being suppressed. She was gambling her fate now, knowing that a moment would arrive where she would be able to flip the table and dominate this match. Will¡¯s Alakazam appeared and both pokemon locked eyes. Sabrina¡¯s pokemon straightened, while Will¡¯s tossed its head, its moustache and skin marred by the earlier fights. This shouldn¡¯t have been an equal match. It all came down to the interference she had been feeling pressuring her for most of the match, a faint touch. A sensation that was just slightly off. She needed a moment of true inattention, where she could be guaranteed to able to focus on herself and Alakazam. As if hearing her plea, a powerful blast of energy rippled across the night sky tearing the final dregs of Mewtwo¡¯s attention away from the match. Like a comet racing across the night sky, it flashed brilliantly. People in the crowd shifted and a moment of fear poured through them, wondering what had caused such an attack. For Sabrina however, it was a signal. Now, it said to her. Now was her moment. She clenched her fist and focussed herself entirely upon her old friend. Around her, psychic energy began to build rapidly. Her hair whipped about as psychic energy built to a crescendo. Without Mewtwo¡¯s attention on her, she could weave her energy through the bond without interference. Alakazam raised his spoons and from the base of one, where a small, seemingly insignificant gem was attached, a bright glow began to form. ¡°What is this!?¡± Will snarled as he staggered back at the feeling of power that began to emanate from Sabrina and her Alakazam. Sabrina felt her awareness expand slightly. She felt Erika fighting alongside Flannery, Brawly and Roxanne through the streets wiping clear the blight that had been Team Rocket. She felt minds, familiar and new, struggling throughout the city. She felt Janine in the tower of Silph Co. Fright sweeping through her as she felt Sabrina¡¯s mind touch her own. Sabrina felt her power grow again, like a heartbeat growing in tempo within the next moment and she felt Agatha and Karen. And she felt Brock as he was snatched up by Mewtwo. A pokemon that held no anger, no guile. His mind was empty of thoughts and emotions¡­ so very much like hers had once been, through no fault of his own. Sabrina could feel Brock¡¯s fear and her heart ached with worry. Please. Don¡¯t hurt him. She thought as her power grew again. Mewtwo turned and a feeling of curiosity washed across her. What are you? What.. is this feeling? He asked. Sabrina smiled, projecting herself fully, and in doing so allowed her bond to deepen with Alakazam even further.. When she spoke she did so with not just her mind but also her mouth, microphones all about the stadium catching her words as Alakazam¡¯s glow reached its peak. ¡°This is the power of friendship,¡± she said, answering Mewtwo as she reached up to the sky for the stars and beyond. Brock had once mentioned during their journey that was where the limits of friendship lay. She thought he¡¯d been being facetious. Now she understood. Her power blossomed. She felt herself grow as she never before. She¡¯d trained with Alakazam but the feeling of the power radiating through them had never been this strong. Perhaps it was the emotions, perhaps it was the urge to be more. Perhaps their connection was more unified than ever before, but the result was that her power expanded throughout the entire city. She felt herself washing through people¡¯s minds and perhaps for the first time, they felt what it was like to experience her sense of empathy. Wonder and awe filled her. Around Saffron people turned without thought to the stadium, their mouths open and tears pouring down their cheeks. Those who were her enemies flinched and cowered, like Rattata caught in the light that her mind gave off; they began to scurry and flee, knowing they were not welcome. Mewtwo alone stood tall. ¡°Beautiful,¡± Mewtwo said to her, with all the wonder of a child discovering the joy of a field of flowers during a summer day as emotions more complex than anything it had ever experienced were shared freely. Sabrina smiled and reached out to Mewtwo.
¡°Beautiful,¡± said a deep, resonating voice. ¡°Yeah, she is,¡± I agreed. I blinked as I realised that hadn¡¯t been the robotic voice but rather the deep, resonating voice of Mewtwo himself speaking. I turned from the light and saw Mewtwo openly staring at the pillar of light. ¡°What¡­ this? What is this? Feeling?¡± he said in open wonder. ¡°...¡± I floundered; I had no idea what to say to that. What was he feeling? ¡°Could you put me down gently so we could talk about it?¡± I decided, trying my luck. Mewtwo blinked and his gaze shifted to me. ¡°... yes?¡± he said as though unsure of himself. He released his grip and my heart lurched only to settle as I floated back to the ground. ¡°Mewtwo! What are you doing? Destroy them!¡± snarled the robotic voice of Giovanni. His helmet sparked and Mewtwo twitched. Mewtwo shook his head and then stiffened. ¡°I will not!¡± barked Mewtwo. A robotic hiss sounded through the speakers before the voice spoke properly. ¡°Retreat now!¡± barked the voice. Mewtwo stiffened. ¡°Now Agent M!¡± snarled the voice. Mewtwo glanced at where I knew Sabrina was, in the stadium before twitching again. Then he stiffened, and a roboticness appeared in his movements as his arm raised and the Team Rocket group in the room with us was lifted away. The Group from Team Rocket soared through the open window and began to flee. Empress snarled at this and lunged to the edge, where she unleashed another Hyper Beam at their backs. I could only stare as her attack was evaded, despite how she tried to force it on target. When she ran out of energy, Titan dragged her away from the edge, where she collapsed from overexertion. I sat down as my own legs gave out from underneath me. Mewtwo had been about to¡­ I shuddered and put my hands out to support myself. I shook my head and repressed what I knew my mind wanted to think about. I couldn¡¯t deal with that right now. I instead needed to focus on other issues. Like clean up. I started checking over my pokemon and fellow Guardians. ¡°We all okay?¡± I said. Karen grunted her eyes, locked onto the retreating forms of Mewtwo and Team Rocket. Agatha nodded, her eyes sweeping the room looking for something, only to click her tongue as she nudged aside a piece of rubble to reveal a destroyed Masterball. I felt my inner child wail in despair at the loss of the overpowered pokeball even as the adult within me sighed in relief. That''s good; that should allow things to settle down for a while. Janine swallowed. ¡°What just happened? Mewtwo was about to¡­throw you off the building.¡± I nodded grimly. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d have needed to think quick if he had eh?¡± I said darkly. I shook my head and sighed looking to the arena, a smile on my lips. ¡°Sabrina saved us,¡± I said, knowing it was true. I could still feel her radiating power, even from here. ¡°How though?¡± Karen said, her head snapping away from tracking the night sky. ¡°She¡¯s in the stadium! It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± ¡°She went Mega,¡± I said like that explained everything. Only Agatha reacted with a hitched breath, while the others merely looked more confused. I chuckled and decided to let Agatha determine where to go from here. I was spent. I instead turned to Selene, ¡°Think you can get me back to the show?¡± I said, waving a hand towards the stadium. ¡°Leaving us to do the clean up Brock?¡± Agatha said with an arched brow. I smirked. ¡°I learnt my lesson from the last big incident,¡± I said with a grin before I returned my pokemon and vanished into a Teleport. There was no way I was missing Sabrina beating down Will, just to help with paperwork.
Sabrina felt herself smile as Brock was lowered back to the ground at her and Brock¡¯s urging. Sabrina felt something begin to lock down in Mewtwo¡¯s mind, shutters he had no control over that had to be implanted into his subconscious, causing the emotions he was experiencing to be locked out. Sabrina made sure to slip in a few small, wonderful memories of how good the world could be, before his mind fully closed off. To use her friend, Erika¡¯s metaphor, she planted a few small, delicate seeds. Sabrina could feel through her awareness as Mewtwo was ordered away. Giovanni suddenly growing fearful of losing not just his chance at a Masterball, but also his strongest tool no doubt. As this played out in Silph Tower, Sabrina directed her physical gaze upon the cringing form of Will. Sabrina knew this smile would not ever be considered friendly by those who saw it. But she would be forgiven as she directed it at a single person. Will could only stand in fear. His mind was just barely capable of grasping how out of his depth he was. With her power, Sabrina could punch through the mental defences he possessed and leave him a gibbering child. A younger, lesser Sabrina, might have done that. But that Sabrina would never have built the bonds necessary to achieve this power in the first place. ¡°What are you?¡± he said. ¡°I am your vanquisher,¡± Sabrina said as the light around Alakazam died away to reveal his hovering form. Where once two spoons were. A host now hovered around his head like a halo. His moustache had grown into a beard and his forehead gleamed with the Alakazite. Sabrina and Mega Alakazam nodded then and from the spoons, beams of energy shoot forth, racing into each other to form a more cohesive, singular beam. Will¡¯s Alakazam Teleported away only for the beams to break off and suddenly jerk about like they were stars from Swift rather than Psybeams being unleashed. ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡± Will screamed. ¡°Get out of there Alakazam!¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°You fail to understand the power my pokemon now possesses; you are a small Magikarp that thought itself large in it¡¯s pond, now you come into the ocean and fail to understand the depths,¡± she said as her Psybeam clipped the fleeing Alakazam. Alakazam went down only, for the other strands of the Psybeam attack to slam into it and blast it out of the arena. The barriers around the edge flared at the impact but didn¡¯t break. Will grit his teeth. ¡°This ¡­ isn¡¯t how it was supposed to go.¡± ¡°Nothing is supposed to go anywhere. The future is not completely fixed, it can always change,¡± Sabrina said. She could feel how this resonated with all the people that could feel her power at that moment. Oddly, it seemed to resonate the most with the youngest around Saffron. Will considered his next pokemon and Sabrina could see how his mind scrambled for some method of salvaging this disaster. ¡°You must have had help! This must be interference!¡± The referee shook his head. ¡°Despite this never being seen before, it is still valid. It is merely a mid-match evolution¡­ an evolution never seen before,¡± he muttered, staring at Sabrina. Will¡¯s fist clenched and Sabrina saw him decide to attempt something else. Sabrina decided to not let him ruin her victory. ¡°So, this is how you react when you are defeated? Will you run now? It says a lot about a man who can¡¯t dig deep,¡± she said, gladly slapping him in the face with how Brock had fought back to get a draw. ¡°You will never be worthy of being one of the Elite Four, let alone Champion,¡± Sabrina declared. Will felt himself go still, as possibilities and chances suddenly seemed go up in smoke for him. Sabrina had no sympathy, he had burned those bridges himself. A flicker of slyness raced through him as he eyed Alakazam hungrily. Ah, she could feel his thoughts without delving into his mind, he was that rattled. She almost laughed. He thought he might one day be able to match her. He reached for his next pokeball, his intent to drag the match out and learn as much as he could about this mega-evolution clear to Sabrina. She smiled. The Will that stood before her would never achieve Mega evolution. ¡°Go Jynx!¡± Will commanded, his senses focussed on her and Alakazam. She could almost feel how he couldn¡¯t begin to feel the bond even as she pushed more energy through it. Disable, she thought to her pokemon as Jynx attempted to use Perish Song on her. Jynx gagged as the move was denied. With that taken care of, Sabrina went for the kill. Alakazam flashed in close to Jynx and unleashed a close range Psybeam that hurled Jynx into the air. Jynx spun through the air and Sabrina, without looking, pointed right at it to unleash another Psybeam and end the exchange. Jynx hit the ground with an audible whump. It did not get back up, and Will swallowed loudly as he returned it. Sabrina raised an eyebrow as he delayed in his final choice. The crowd didn¡¯t mind, they were more than happy to observe the new form her Alakazam had taken on. Flashes of light flicked from them as more and more people took pictures. Sabrina could feel the jubilant mood soaring through them, along with the confused awe. Without intending to, she had touched their minds and let them feel true psychic energy for what would have been, for most, the first time in their lives. It would make many of them wonder, she had no doubt. ¡°Go¡­ Espeon,¡± Will said sullenly as the countdown began to end. Sabrina smiled as she felt Brock reappear in the viewing box with her parents. Sabrina didn¡¯t hesitate to use Psychic to lift Espeon up into the air. Will broke Alakazam¡¯s grip with a dark move only for Sabrina to snap her hand forward and Alakazam to unleash a Hyper Beam that tore through the sky and ended the match. Espeon landed with a finality to it. No one was surprised when it opened an eye as through her connection, Sabrina reassured them that she and Alakazam were perfectly in control. The referee raised his flag for the final time and the crowd around her drew in breath as jubilation began to thrum through them, unleashing as the referee shouted the result for all to hear. ¡°Espeon is unable to battle! The score is now Six to three! Sabrina is therefore the victor!¡± Around her, the crowd rose to their feet and roared as one. Sabrina felt her powers slowly begin to wane as the Mega-evolution dispersed. Despite that, she revelled in the feeling of the crowd as they cheered for her and her pokemon. Brock lowered his mental shields and offered up his love, and Sabrina felt herself lock this moment into memory stronger than any before it. She might not have the Mega-evolution trading energy through her, but she¡¯d never felt so alive. She stared up at the crowd, where in the past she¡¯d have been overwhelmed by the mass of noise and thought, now she could feel, and not be swamped. She raised her hands out wide and basked in the moment of her victory. Will and Team Rocket had thrown everything they could, and despite that, she, and her friends, had emerged triumphant. She eyed Brock, now she just had to get him down to her for the kiss she¡¯d promised when she won, and the moment would be perfect. Interlude - The world reacts ¡°Solar Beam!¡± Ash shouted. He pointed, and Bulbasaur unleashed a Solar Beam into the Nidoking that stood in their way. Nidoking tried to resist, only to be blown off his feet. ¡°Nice one Ash!¡± Forrest called as he sent Beldum and his Graveler after a pair of pokemon each. Overhead Aerodactyl, or as Forrest called it, Don, swept past, snapping his jaw upon another pokemon before hurling it away as it made another sweep of the street. ¡°Double back at the end of the street, Don!¡± Forrest called. Don snorted in contempt, and Ash was surprised when Aerodactyl actually followed the command, harrying the trainers and pokemon still attacking Ash¡¯s group. Onix shifted and defended their group with a groan when a cluster of pokemon got too close. Misty and her water pokemon moved up to back up Onix and waved Ash and Forrest to follow them. ¡°Take ¡®em!¡± shouted a voice from the side, causing Ash to twitch, arm raising to direct Pikachu, only to find it wasn¡¯t needed. Misty¡¯s Tentacool, Psyduck, Horsea, and Wartortle all worked together to defend the group from an ambush of Team Rocket pokemon lunging out of an alleyway. ¡°You¡¯re not getting us like that!¡± Misy snarled, her pokemon releasing a torrent of water to knock the pokemon back. ¡°Hahaha! Way to go, little lass!¡± shouted a boisterous voice. Ash turned to find a highly tanned man standing next to a girl who looked like she should be attending or teaching at Poketech Academy. Around them, a group of powerful-looking pokemon were out. The aqua-haired teen waved his hand, and his pokemon leapt into action. Only one remained near the pair. Ash raised his pokedex out of habit. ¡°Hariyama, the arm thrust pokemon. This pokemon practices its straight arm slaps in any number of locations. One hit of the powerful pokemon''s openhanded straight arm punches could snap a telephone pole in two!¡± said Ash¡¯s pokedex in a robotic tone. Forrest groaned. ¡°You really need to update your pokedex, Ash.¡± He then turned to the older teen. ¡°Brawly¡­ right?¡± ¡°Yup! Nice to see you, little man!¡± said Brawly. The teen swept his gaze up and down the street. He grinned and nodded his head. "Alright, this street is clear!¡± Ash stiffened. ¡°What! There are still¡­¡± Ash whirled around only to gape as he realised that Brawly and the girl¡¯s pokemon had dismantled everyone on the street. Don the Aerodactyl was giving begrudging looks of appreciation to a Machamp, and Misty was blinking slowly. ¡°They were so fast!¡± she said in a dazed manner. Brawly laughed. ¡°Haha! Yeah! Roxy¡¯s and my pokemon work pretty well together!¡± Roxy sighed. ¡°We do have a good synergy Brawly, yes.¡± Charmeleon, who¡¯d been tangling with a Machoke himself, glowered at a Medicham who seemed to be ignoring him. Don shrieked something, and Charmeleon snapped his head up. ¡°Char!¡± growled the fire type. Don turned his attention and waved his wings, rising in the air to tease Charmeleon. Charmeleon shot a tongue of flame at the flying pokemon. ¡°Ah! Charmeleon! Cool it! That¡¯s Brock¡¯s pokemon! He¡¯s on our side!¡± Ash said. Charmeleon huffed and Forrest stepped up. ¡°You too Don! I know you like to tease pokemon but Chameleon''s the wrong pokemon to¡ª¡± Anything else Forrest had been about to say was disrupted as a loud boom rocked the street. Ash snapped his head up to follow where the sound had come from, only to have his jaw drop as a powerful beam exploded out the side of the Silph Co. Tower. ¡°That¡¯s a Hyper Beam!¡± Forrest said. He then gulped loudly as the beam didn¡¯t die off after a few seconds. ¡°A really powerful Hyper Beam!¡± ¡°There are people fighting up there?¡± Misty said, only to gasp. ¡°Look out, there¡¯s some falling debris!¡± Forrest stiffened, before he and Ash pointed upwards. ¡°Knock it away with Gust/Whirlwind!¡± they said. For Ash, Pidgeotto and Butterfree rose up to knock away the falling building. Forrest could only enlist Don, who thankfully reacted straight away, knocking the threat clear. The group sighed in relief when the debris was knocked into the building, where it fell in close onto a rooftop where no one would be hurt. Ash looked up at the hole that had been blown out of the tower. ¡°Who¡¯s that pokemon?¡± he said, raising his pokedex as he saw something hovering near the edge. It sort of looked like it was holding someone¡­ ¡°Unknown. There is no entry in the database for this pokemon. Please keep the pokedex fixed on said pokemon, but be aware of escape routes should this pokemon be deemed dangerous!¡± chimed the pokedex. Ash blinked in surprise. He¡¯d never had a pokemon cause that reaction with his pokedex before! Forrest stared upwards. ¡°Who¡¯s that the pokemon is holding? Don! Get up there to¡ª¡± Once more, Forrest was cut off, and even though Don started to soar upwards, a white light shot up into the sky before vanishing. Then something passed through Ash, and he found himself shifting as his mind felt serenity sweep over him. Without knowing why, he simply knew that all would be well. Ash felt something stirring within him; a feeling was growing from¡­. Somewhere. It was something that he¡¯d never felt before. Was this the thing that Forrest sometimes talked about when he was sitting atop Onix¡¯s head? Was this¡­ aura? It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling. It felt good. It felt right. It felt like a soft blanket being wrapped around him after a hard day of training, with all of his pokemon around him sharing a campfire with Forrest and Misty. The few Rocket Grunts around that had been corralled by Brawly¡¯s pokemon stirred and moved to run. ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± ¡°There are eyes! They¡¯re watching us!¡± ¡°I never did it! Other people made me do it!¡± they screamed as they tried to push through Brawly¡¯s pokemon. For their efforts, they were knocked unconscious. Ash turned to the older teen, only to find him looking back at the stadium. Ash licked his lips. ¡°W-what is going on?¡± Brawly smirked. ¡°Something sick!¡± Ash looked around for someone throwing up. If they were close he didn¡¯t want to get caught in the splash. Gary already teased him enough! Brawly caught his confusion and barked a laugh. ¡°That means something cool! Ah man, kids!¡± he said with a shake of his head before returning to looking at the stadium. ¡°I think that¡¯s Sabrina who¡¯s doing something.¡± Misty tilted her head. ¡°How are we feeling that all the way out here? We¡¯re blocks away from the stadium!¡± Brawly grinned. ¡°I have no idea!¡± he said, turning to Forrest. ¡°You¡¯ve known her longer, right, little man?¡± Forrest chuckled. ¡°I guess¡­ Sabrina¡¯s just that strong?¡± he said slowly. Misty shot the stadium another look before shaking her head. ¡°Well! Good for her I guess, but we need to keep moving to clear up Team Rocket!¡± They moved down the street towards Silph Tower only to find Gary, of all people, already there and being thanked by a group of men in lab coats. His cheerleaders looked exhausted, while Gary barely looked winded. A girl stood next to him, looking amused as they had their hands shaken. At her side, a strong-looking Raticate stood guard. Ash stepped forward only to pause when he recognised Gym Leader Erika moving into the Silph Tower with a red-haired girl, Police Officer Jenny and a group of men in police outfits. A broad-looking woman with pink hair and a crazy amount of tattoos over her arms was patrolling around the sides of the building with a variety of bug pokemon. Gary turned, and his pleased expression turned smug. ¡°Well, well, well! I thought I smelled something! You¡¯re a little late to the party, Ashy boy!¡± The girl next to Gary sighed and turned. ¡°Oh great, I finally get to meet your boyfriend!¡± ¡°Ash/Gary is not my boyfriend!¡± shouted Gary/Ash at the girl. The Raticate merely started twitching in a manner that Ash just knew meant it was laughing. The girl grinned as Misty laughed. Gary and Ash shared a look of commiseration. Girls just didn¡¯t get what it meant to have a rival! ¡°Little sister!¡± squealed a trio of girls and it was Ash¡¯s turn to smirk as Misty¡¯s sisters swarmed her. A minute later they turned their attention onto Forrest for some reason. Another boy wandered up and started talking with the Raticate girl he seemed to know. Ash looked around. ¡°What are we supposed to do now?¡± he said with a tilt of his head. He scratched his chest, feeling at the strange sensation he¡¯d from before slowly fade away. Gary looked around. ¡°Mr Mime¡¯s?¡± he suggested. Ash liked the sound of that. ¡°Last one there is a rotten Exeggutor!¡± Ash said as he started running down the street. Misty shouted something after him, that Ash would later realise was directions, but he was too busy beating Gary to care about such things.
¡°Yeessss!¡± screamed Yolanda and Suzie at the television as Sabrina reached for the sky, glowing with power. Cindy had her twin by the throat, shaking him back and forth as she stared at the screen. ¡°She¡¯s doing a magical girl transformation! She¡¯s doing it! She¡¯s going to transform!¡± she screamed as Sabrina¡¯s hair wafted into the air on an ethereal wind. Flint reached out and took Cindy¡¯s hands off Tommy; he¡¯d started to turn blue with how hard she was grabbing him. He should have chastised her for it, but he was too caught up in watching Sabrina on the screen holding up a very familiar gem. Brock had always been rather circumspect about why he¡¯d been so interested in that gem. He had mentioned having it made up for jewellery for Sabrina, but to see her wearing it as a ring? Well, he and the older girls had all assumed Brock had proposed before noticing it was on the wrong finger. Yolanda had been very upset. That was gone now as Sabrina unleashed what had to be her Ace. Everyone in the room could only watch in awe as Sabrina¡¯s Alakazam evolved again. A third evolution! Flint had heard rumours¡­ but to see it was true? Two were thought to be the extent of what was possible! Was this what the captain who guarded the foundry had done with his Steelix? Or the old Cerulean Gym Leader had pulled off once against the Hoenn navy? What would this pokemon be called? Multiple spoons hovered behind the newly evolved pokemon in a display of power, and Munchlax waved his hands at the spoons. Salvadore laughed, and Flint shot him a look. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said that pokemon has got to be the best at eating ice cream, with all those spoons.¡± Flint shook his head. Ice cream, indeed. He stopped laughing when the unnamed pokemon unleashed a Psybeam that rivalled the Hyper Beam that the Farigiraf had used earlier. It didn¡¯t miss either, despite the enemy Alakazam teleporting away. Instead, it redirected the beams until it caught Alakazam and then blasted it for all it was worth. In one hit, Sabrina blew away her foe, a foe Flint had seen use Recover while Sabrina had done what she needed to for this evolution. In one hit, this new pokemon had ended any threat Will possessed. Will seemed to know this and had to be goaded into continuing the fight, something the fans were extremely thankful for. A pokemon like this might not be seen again for a long while, and people might not be willing to challenge Sabrina, knowing this was her strongest pokemon. Not unless they were dark or bug-type specialists, perhaps. Sabrina proceeded to wipe the floor with both the Jynx and the Espeon. Watching the Jynx go down for the second time raised a round of cheers from his family. While it wasn''t right to be vindictive, that pokemon had cost Brock his shot at victory. Flint could only claim to be human. When Espeon fell, Eevee gave a little whimper. Tommy and Billy both patted the little pokemon. ¡°It¡¯s okay Eevee! Sabrina¡¯s Espeon is still okay, and it was the good one! That Espeon was¡­ evil!¡± said Tommy. Flint coughed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t evil, and neither is Will. He¡¯s just¡­ a very morally dark person, alright? Let¡¯s not go calling others evil like that.¡± Tommy shared a look with the others in a manner that let Flint know he¡¯d heard what Flint had said. He nodded and then shared another glance with his brothers. Flint turned away, uncertain if he¡¯d gotten the message through. It felt more like Tommy would simply not say Will was evil when Flint might overhear him. Then again, a child''s mind would probably only accept simple solutions. Will had fought Brock and used distasteful methods; therefore, he was evil. Flint decided not to force the issue and instead turned to see the girls all dancing around. ¡°She won! She won! She won!¡± they chanted, moving back and forth in front of the television. ¡°She¡¯s the strongest Psychic!¡± they shouted before forming a conga line with Nanny Grav at the back. When they¡¯d made six laps around the loungeroom, Tilly and Suzie started to yawn, and Flint rose. ¡°Alright! Youngest kids! It¡¯s time for bed!¡± he said, scooping up Billy and Tilly. ¡°Next eldest, you get ten more minutes, and then I¡¯m calling you to start brushing your teeth!¡± he said as he carried the kids to the bathroom. As he left, he heard Suzie speak up. ¡°So, when is Sabrina going to be our actual big sister?¡± Yolanda sighed. ¡°When Brock stops being so rock-headed!¡± ¡°Awwww, that¡¯s going to be never!¡± whined Suzie. She then huffed. ¡°We¡¯re just going to have to make sure it happens faster!¡± Flint laughed at that, more than a little amused as his children began to plot how to help along Brock¡¯s love life.
¡°Gym Leader Sabrina! Do you care to comment on the battle? Much of your style appears to borrow tactics from Gym Leader Brock¡¯s style! With the reveal of two never before seen pokemon and how you whipped around your opponent¡¯s pokemon! Also the use of Dig!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sabrina smiled at the reporter. ¡°You¡¯d be correct; a lot of tonight¡¯s tactics were derived from watching Brock¡¯s match against Will. He did a lot of things correctly, and while he did not have the result he wanted, they were still good tactics. Dig appears to be a weakness that Will¡¯s Alakazam possesses, and it is something I was able to use to evade Espeon being entrapped.¡± ¡°Brock has done a lot of research into the methods of evolution, and he gave me the initial direction I needed to look for my Girafarig to evolve. As for Alakazam? His evolution is exceptional and was also something Brock has been involved in. He was the one to inform me that Alakazam was capable of ¡®Mega-evolution¡¯.¡± A few people blinked in surprise. Sabrina allowed herself a smile. That was the most words they¡¯d heard from her during a press conference to date, and they were momentarily put off balance. Another reporter stood. ¡°What is Mega-evolution? This has never been seen before!¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°It has in fact been seen before, but the information surrounding it has been suppressed for valid reasons. It is not something that can be undertaken lightly, and relies heavily upon the bond you have with your pokemon.¡± ¡°Is that why you said it was the power of friendship?¡± one reporter said as they checked their notes. Sabrina blinked, and a small dusting of pink came across her cheeks. ¡°Oh, I said that aloud back then?¡± ¡°As well as mentally projecting it! Everyone in the stadium¡­ felt it?¡± he said, tilting his head to the side like a curious Growlithe. ¡°My apologies; I was caught up in the moment,¡± Sabrina said contritely. A few people shifted. ¡°It¡­ was,¡± the man started to say, only to shake his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like anything I¡¯ve ever experienced before, actually¡­ I never realised you could feel things like that,¡± murmured a man. Sabrina blinked slowly. ¡°Ah, sometimes it can become a bit overwhelming; actually, it is only recently that I¡¯ve been working on developing my resistance to larger crowds.¡± ¡°Is this why you didn¡¯t have many appearances outside your gym until a few months ago?¡± Sabrina merely inclined her head. A man in sparkling clothes stood and waved his hand, and Sabrina turned her attention to him. ¡°Ricardo, Life Channel, your defeat of Will, was it at all romantically motivated?¡± Sabrina blinked slowly. ¡°I have been looking forward to facing him ever since seeing how he fought Brock, yes,¡± she said neutrally. Another rose. ¡°Does it bother you that this match, while denying Will a lot of Ace points due to your lower ranking, doesn¡¯t mean much technically? Will could still advance and earn the right to take a place on the Elite Four.¡± Sabrina tossed her head. ¡°I doubt anyone would take him seriously if he were to continue pressing his claims.¡± A murmur broke out through the crowd, and Sabrina¡¯s gaze sharpened, knowing that Will must have said something. ¡°What has he said?¡± she asked, cutting through the murmurs. A reporter licked his lips. ¡°He¡¯s claiming that there was interference with the match and has lobbied to have the match stricken from the Ace record due to the disruption of Team Rocket¡¯s attack upon Saffron¡­ he is also claiming that you were negligent in your duties¡­ as Gym Leader.¡± Sabrina stared at the man who had spoken, and he wilted. Sabrina eventually broke her gaze with a huff. ¡°It seems Will is the sort of trainer that cannot accept a poor result or failure. And I never received any notification asking for my assistance, formally or otherwise. By the time I was made aware of the situation, it had been resolved thanks to Gym Leaders from surrounding regions.¡± ¡°More power of friendship?¡± the man said snarkily. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed. ¡°Precisely,¡± she said, unnerving the man into being silent for the rest of the press conference. ¡°As to Will¡¯s future chances? Would the people of Indigo accept him, knowing that he will only ever be second in strength to me?¡± This caused a round of chuckles, and Sabrina smiled proudly. It took a few moments but eventually, someone else rose to ask a question. ¡°Sabrina, what are you thinking of your new title as ¡ª¡±
"The Mistress of Mega-evolution?¡± said the reporter before the television switched off. Silence filled the boardroom. Steven Stone frowned. This was not something he¡¯d anticipated. He turned to his expert. ¡°I thought we had complete control of all of the Mega Stones?¡± The man shifted in his seat. ¡°It appears that there are more sites; the process by which Megastones are formed is as yet¡­ unknown. We have theories, but they are just that. Theories.¡± The man dabbed at his forehead to staunch the sweat pouring down it. ¡°Until today, I would have dismissed any claims of Mega-evolution occuring outside of Hoenn. Many of the rumours were unsubstantiated, and older residents of Kanto even discredited them when they were asked.¡± Another of the board members snorted, and Steven turned his attention to the man. ¡°You have something to say?¡± ¡°It is obvious to me that the local residents were denying the Mega-evolution ever occurred, to protect a local secret. It may be possible that the Cerulean sisters have a pokemon in their possession that is currently capable of Mega-evolution; their Grandfather¡¯s Gyarados. They might be smarter than many give them credit for.¡± Steven drummed his fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve only met their youngest sister and she did seem dedicated... It is possible they are more than meets the eye. Their performances might be masking skills more in line with our Contests, but that wouldn¡¯t make them any less capable.¡± Steven waved a hand. ¡°Update their threat profile.¡± An aide to the side began to do just that on a computer as Steven laced his fingers together. ¡°I¡¯ve had the mastery of Mega-evolution stolen from me. I think I want to claim it back. My match against Drake, bring it forward, and then schedule in other matches for the weeks following it. I will bring out the other Mega-stones to make it clear who people need to call the Master of Mega-evolution.¡± A woman cleared her throat. ¡°That¡­ may be seen as a threat, sir, an escalation if you would.¡± Steven waved his hand. ¡°No, we¡¯ll let it be known in certain circles that we¡¯re willing to sell. Megastones will be the big ticket items that everyone needs to go the distance for. We¡¯re the only ones set up to sell them. We¡¯ll earn more than just money, of course; we¡¯ll earn ourselves allies by being reasonable.¡± ¡°We would also be able to secure rights and exclusivity for a number of sites if we created enough interest,¡± said the Head of Marketing. This met a chorus of agreement, and then the discussion turned to how to optimise the release of Megastones, and which should and shouldn¡¯t be released. Steven drummed the table in thought as they talked, and an idea occurred to him. ¡°Place a team on observing Flint from Pewter. I¡¯ve spoken with him a number of times, and he possesses an advanced knowledge of Geology. He has also travelled far afield. He might enable Brock, or indeed grant Indigo itself, more insight into where Mega Stones can be found. If that is the case, I want to know what is going on and what links can be derived from any insights Flint has.¡± He turned to another member of the board. ¡°What is the progress of our acquisition of Mt Moon?¡± ¡°It remains a nature preserve... Any land on the mountain not controlled by the Rangers is currently owned by¡­ Hard Rock Industries, a trust company that is owned by Brock.¡± Steven merely nodded, not at all surprised. ¡°Well, that''s not a complete loss; we¡¯ll have to shift our focus away from Mt Moon for now. What of acquisitions in Sevii or the Orange Islands?¡± he inquired, moving the board meeting along. When everything was said and done, Steven hadn¡¯t lost out on anything except public acknowledgement of his discovery. Instead Sabrina would be heralded as the Mistress of Mega-evolution. Steven dismissed his board members with a wave and they scuttled out, knowing that he was less than pleased. He undid his cravat and the sleeves of his shirt. Then he grabbed the chair he¡¯d been sitting in and he flung it into the window. A few minutes later he stepped out, his hair ruffled and his shirt untucked. His secretary turned and took in his appearance. ¡°Sir?¡± she said, her tone carefully neutral. ¡°Call for a cleaning crew, there¡¯s a mess in there,¡± he said, not acknowledging the ruined boardroom as he walked down the hall. ¡°Hold my calls, I find myself needing time to settle my nerves.¡± he paused. ¡°Who is available for dinner from my list?¡± he said. ¡°Fifi sir,¡± his secretary said. ¡°Make a booking and have my bedroom cleaned while I am out,¡± he said, his mind lingering on the recent setbacks even as he moved on. He would need a response to Sabrina¡¯s reveal. How to do it? Perhaps more product releases? ¡°Also sir, Silph Co. stock is expected to plummet with the recent event,¡± said his secretary. Steven paused. ¡°Hoh?¡± Perhaps he might have some room to make some aggressive acquisitions. ¡°Buy out stock options now and prepare to buy up Silph Co. stock en masse when it is low. We might have room to perform a takeover,¡± said Steven. And just like that, he felt like things were back on track.
President Boris walked through the rubble of what used to be the floor two levels down from his office. They said they¡¯d found memos of his schedule in the wind as far as Celadon City with how destructive the fight had turned out to be last night. ¡°See if we can¡¯t sue the League for the destruction caused to our office space,¡± said Boris with a sniff. ¡°Uhm, about that sir!¡± said his aide. ¡°Jot it down, woman!¡± he snarled, only to walk through the rubble and tap aside another piece to reveal flattened server banks. ¡°Also, see if we can claim intellectual property insurance payouts. The shareholders will need a big win to remain satisfied¡­¡± Boris paused. ¡°Actually, new memo,¡± he said waving a hand for his aide to write down what he dictated to her. ¡°We will see if I can¡¯t get a larger interest in the company, the markets will be open and I want to buy up every share I can, as the fools try to flee what they think will be a sinking ship!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ that will be problematic. The former Vice President is buying up what he can, our sources say,¡± said the Aide. ¡°Chances are that the price may hold up.¡± ¡°Damn that man!¡± Boris started rubbing his chin. He¡¯d been a thorn in his side for too long. He¡¯d need to take further steps to¡ª ¡°Ahem!¡± said a deep voice. President Boris blinked, turning to find his diminutive aide being towered over by a giant of a man in overalls. The President blinked. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re from the building company, yes?¡± ¡°No,¡± said the man with a dark smirk. President Boris frowned. ¡°Then what are you doing on my property?¡± ¡°Serving you,¡± said the man, handing over a stack of forms that Boris had no choice but to take. He glanced at them only to turn white. ¡°These are!!! You!? No! You can¡¯t do this to me!¡± ¡°I can in fact do this, and it is my duty and pleasure to inform you that the building codes are taken very strictly for any structure over two storeys. Silph Tower, as a skyscraper, also housed more than three hundred employees on average each day, resulting in further codes requiring them to be met. None of these were issues previously, but then you had extensions built.¡± Boris felt his heart drop through the ground as the giant of a man loomed over him. ¡°Codes you didn¡¯t meet and in fact, lied about meeting with your insurance company. Your insurance is therefore void, and your reckless endangerment of the good employees, and indeed anyone that walked within a kilometre of your building, is now going to be a matter for the courts. You will attend or be found in contempt,¡± the man said. ¡°Have a nice day,¡± he said, turning and sauntering off like he hadn¡¯t just ruined Boris. The president clutched at the papers. How had they known? He should have been able to blame the League¡¯s heavyhandedness, and now¡­ he was doomed to be unable to recoup from this! So caught up in his misery, the President never saw the small form watching from the shadows dart away, her fist pumping in victory.
Lance stood before the press, camera flashes going off that he¡¯d long since grown used to as Champion. ¡°I am here today to sign into official Indigo law the passing of my first Executive Order for the Indigo regions. With the brazen assaults of Team Rocket in the past few months, we no longer have a simple criminal organisation but a terrorist organisation that only cares about their agenda!¡± Lance let his gaze sweep the room, staring into numerous cameras before he continued, his hand raised as if to forestall an argument that was not coming from any of the reporters. ¡°They have impacted us in a way that can only be attributed to a terrorist group. I am declaring open bounties on any Team Rocket facility discovered and passed along. Team Rocket members are to be given little to no mercy, and certain protections are now waived due to their organisation''s actions.¡± Lance considered his notes for a moment to give anyone watching a moment to process what he¡¯d just said. ¡°Any Team Rocket member that turns themselves in and gives actionable information will be given special consideration before the hammer of the League comes down upon you!¡± he said, glowering at the cameras. ¡°Team Rocket¡¯s days are numbered! Mark my words!¡± he said. He then allowed himself a smile. ¡°To improve our police¡¯s response, I am adding a Second Executive Order with the formation of the G-men that will now cover all of Indigo and have superseding authority. Any police officer will be directly under them and will be required to assist the G-men. This will further streamline the capture and effectiveness of what used to be a limited task force. The powers and¡ª¡± Lance held back his smile as he laid out his dream. It wouldn¡¯t do for the world to know how pleased he was to expand the powers of the G-men. Sadly, the nature of politics meant that disasters were just further opportunities. He planned to make the most of this latest Team Rocket blunder. Thanks to them, he now had a reason that the public could accept, as he worked to build a better world.
¡°RAGH!¡± roared Giovanni as he hurled his glass into the far wall, where it exploded. He scowled after it and stormed over to his cabinet, where he poured himself a glass of Shuckle port He swallowed it down, and the sweet flavours helped to calm his rage. The plan had been¡­ well, not perfect. In fact, it was much more brutish than usual. He sighed. It wasn¡¯t his best work. But¡­ He¡¯d seen the prize to end all prizes. The Masterball! The data to create the Masterball! Even better! He could use the moment to secure a humbling for one of the thorns in his side! He¡¯d tried for multiple objectives¡­ and now he had none of his objectives. He¡¯d wanted Will to advance, but through crook or hook, he didn¡¯t care. Will¡¯s advancement was a secondary goal. The primary goal was always the Masterball. Giovanni took another drink of the Shuckle port. The world had changed. They¡¯d gotten soft. Weak. And nothing exemplified that more than the current political climate. Silph Co. didn¡¯t understand what they had on their hands. He¡¯d been forced to sit on the knowledge that Fiore of all nations was exerting pressure on Indigo to get concessions. The greatest advance in pokeballs ever and a levelling field for humanity was going to be destroyed! The Masterball would secure humanity against the wilds of the pokeworld forever! And Silph Co. was going to give it up due to political pressure! He¡¯d had agents securing information on Silph Co. for years! They¡¯d had the technicians for the pokeballs infiltrated, only for things to rapidly shift when the Masterball was created as a concept. It had seemed overkill at the time¡ªa pie-in-the-sky plan. Silph Co. had made a prototype Masterball, an ungainly thing, coloured gold and silver, that had been deployed in the field once. They¡¯d captured a Legendary pokemon without it putting up a fight. Not that the League knew that; they thought that the data Silph Co. used to claim the title of Masterball was simply based on the capture rates of some study where a single Masterball had been reused over and over without breaking from being put through capture and release processes. They had done that, but they¡¯d also captured something else. Something more. A true Legendary pokemon! The prototype, known as the GS ball, had been stolen from the Silph Co. testing site only for other agencies to intercept the agent. To this day, Giovanni didn¡¯t know who had the GS ball or which Legendary had been captured. In the furore of multiple agencies attempting to secure the prize, the researcher, the testing site, and the GS ball itself had gone up in smoke, both literally and metaphorically. What was known was that the prototype Masterball worked. It was only then that Silph Co. committed itself to the continued creation of the project, still unsure of the depths of what they¡¯d created. He¡¯d tried to slip more technicians and researchers into the development process but hadn¡¯t been able to get anyone! Silph Co. had further increased their security. He¡¯d only been able to learn about the project as it advanced thanks to the marketing division of Silph Co. Those updates had allowed them a look into what was going on within Silph Co. Giovanni thought he could have waited. It had been a sure thing! Eventually, they¡¯d sell, and he had money, power, and favours ready to spend such that it wouldn¡¯t even be a cost for the chance at capturing a Legendary properly! Adding another alongside Mewtwo was a goal. If he got in first he could guarantee his, and Team Rocket¡¯s supremacy! And then Fiore had been discovered. The useless sops that had been the joke of the past war, dictating terms of their reintegration! How Indigo had won the war only to lose, Giovanni could not understand. Giovanni hadn¡¯t ever thought the weakness of the current League would be something that annoyed him. That very same weakness had been something he¡¯d exploited for years! With Fiore coming back into the fold, they¡¯d secured demands that no Masterball be created when they entered the international scene. Giovanni had been at a loss. They¡¯d had none of the design data, none of the names of the actual researchers, and nothing beyond that the Masterball was being created this month to be able to act on. He knew that Silph Co. had no choice but to have it done now. With Fiore¡¯s demands, any further Masterballs would have to pass through jungles of red tape, given how the League was capitulating to Fiore. And then a chance fell into his lap. A disgruntled researcher had been picked up by one of his Agents and been passed along to an Executive who¡¯d forwarded a plan to Giovanni. They¡¯d had an in, a gaping hole in the security of Silph Co. But only for a limited window of time. They¡¯d workshopped a plan. It had been daring and bold, and it could have achieved so much! And now it, like the last attempt at the GS ball, had left him holding nothing but ashes. He¡¯d tried for too much. He could¡ª The door swished open and Giovanni stood, his hand tapping his pokeball to disgorge Persian who glowered as Madame Bossue and her damnable Gardevoir sauntered in. Giovanni sat. So, it was not to be a violent takeover attempt, then, but rather a soft poison apple? Giovanni didn¡¯t let himself smile. His mother wanted to retake control of Team Rocket. Well, this might have been a blow to the Indigo branch of Team Rocket, but Giovanni had more plans. Perhaps¡­ He began to toy with a new plan, one that would be but a facade. His mother smiled as the door closed. Giovanni glowered outwardly even as he smirked mentally. He¡¯d learnt everything she had to teach and would lead her right where he needed. He prepared to make her dance to a fake tune, all the while planning how to rise again, stronger than ever before. Team Rocket would use this disaster.
In a darkened room, a three-digit hand rose and twisted in front of a face that belonged to no human. Mewtwo considered its hand. It had a hand. It had a hand, and it had memories that weren¡¯t its own. It didn¡¯t understand how to process these memories. They were strange and foreign. Its training suggested that it expunge the memories from its mind. And yet¡­ It couldn¡¯t bring itself to. It had felt emotions. To a mind unused to such things, they were wild, painful, and ¡­ wonderful. They added so much to life, making it more vibrant. How strange. Mewtwo had not considered itself empty before¡­ but now it felt the hollow within its being like never before. It had known it was there but now Mewtwo had the words and thoughts to better understand the hole where nothing seemed to fit. How perplexing. Mewtwo tapped its fingers together, copying the beat of a song that a boy had once hummed to a girl as they walked along on their journey. It rather liked that memory. But should it get rid of them? It continued to tap away idly. No. Not yet. This would require more consideration. Much more consideration. It hadn¡¯t had the troubles of thought and emotion before¡­ But that didn¡¯t seem like such a bad thing. Mewtwo looked up and began to ponder itself and its situation. And slowly, chains began to corrode within its mind. Interlude - Pewter Gym pokemon history Jormungandr worked himself into the sand, luxuriating in the feel of it. It polished his body and worked itself into the links between his segments. With his body in position, he began a slow roll, turning the sand over his body and allowing the sand to do its work. After a few minutes of just rolling and indulging himself, he raised his head towards where Slugma stood to the side. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try the hot sand now,¡± he said. Despite being assured by Bertha, he was still worried about the fire touching him and cooking him. For that purpose, Shin was sitting to the side, ready to cool the sands if it got too hot. With his tail still exposed, Jorm let himself relax as much as possible. The heat around him slowly increased until he twitched his tail. Slugma must have stopped, as the sand stopped growing hotter and Jorm shifted slightly, allowing the hot sand to move around. It was¡­ rather nice; it was well before it would grow painful, and that allowed him to slowly relax. Eventually, his eyes grew heavy, and he dreamed. He dreamed he was larger than any Onix he¡¯d ever encountered before. He had never encountered a Steelix before, but surely he trumped them as well? His form was glorious, sparkling with gems as he cast shadows about the land. Atop his head, Brock pointed, and they soared into the sky, Jormungandr worming his way up into the very stars themselves. There he encountered Moltres and felt no fear in his heart. Instead, he roared his challenge and watched as the puny god of fire quavered with his approach. It did not flee but instead met Jormungandr head-on as he should have. The fire merely swept over Jorm¡¯s form as he lunged, his fangs glistening with dark intent as he crushed the god and cast him from the skies. Brock roared with Jormungandr in their shared victory. Jorm wormed his way onwards, looking for greater challenges. Then he felt something tap him lightly on the head. ¡°Jorm, it¡¯s time to wake up,¡± said a calm voice. Jorm opened his eyes and found Shin standing in a hole in the sand, his blades raised to tap Jorm on the head. Shin tilted his head. ¡°Are you feeling alright? I was surprised when you started snoring.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± rumbled Jorm, surprised at how relaxed he¡¯d been. Shin twitched in such a manner that Jorm knew the older pokemon was amused. ¡°You were twitching while you slept; you almost buried Slugma; I had to dig her out,¡± Shin said. ¡°It was a good dream?¡± Jorm nodded. ¡°The best of dreams,¡± he said, recalling the feel of Moltres falling under his and Brock¡¯s shared might. Then he sighed. ¡°It is a shame; it was just a dream,¡± Jorm said. Shin waved a blade, indicating that he was listening. Jorm shifted. ¡°I had done it; I could feel the link between Brock and me. I was glorious in my mega-evolution form. Titanic in size and so powerful,¡± he said wistfully. Shin tapped the back of his blade against Jorm¡¯s head. ¡°Do not worry, you will reach your goal; you and Brock are making progress. I think your agitation is caused by how close you are. I know Brock feels much the same way,¡± Shin said. ¡°Hmmm, I feel like I am wasting his time; he spends much longer with me than the others and I¡ª¡± Jorm began to say, only for Shin to ram his broad, flat head against Jorm¡¯s jaw. ¡°No, do not let such thoughts intrude on you. Each of us has had time when we were prioritised. You are merely the latest to receive this attention. The same has been true of Link, although he has forced Brock¡¯s attention with his¡­¡± Shin trailed off, trying to find the right word to use. ¡°Heart?¡± Jorm said, recalling the talk they¡¯d had last night. ¡°I was weighing up if recklessness was the correct term to use,¡± Shin said, the crook of his arm rubbing at his chin in a thoughtful pose they¡¯d seen Brock do a few times. Jorm huffed a laugh and rose from the sand, shaking himself as he did so to lose some of the sand from his joints. Shin darted back before even a speck of sand could fall on him, his agile body reappearing level to the ground. Jorm turned his head around and found no sign of the Slugma beyond a trail of burnt earth indicating where it had gone. ¡°We have a meeting?¡± asked Jorm. Shin shook his head, and Jorm tilted his in confusion. ¡°Brock is inspecting us; some of us will be going with him tonight, as he suspects that Sabrina will face some interference,¡± Shin reported, shifting his blades back and forth in anticipation only to wilt. Jorm glanced at his teammate in surprise. ¡°You are worried that Brock will not select you?¡± Shin shook his head. ¡°He has better options with how he has recalled Hypnotoad and Tide into his team,¡± Shin said with a slight bend to his body. ¡°I enjoy fighting, but I must recognise that Brock has better options than I, as far as water types go,¡± said Shin, beginning to march towards the Elite training area. Jorm swept after him, sand trickling from his body as he weaved his body forward. When they arrived, they were some of the last to do so. Brock gave Jormungandr an appreciative look as he reached out to rub at Shin¡¯s head affectionately. ¡°Hmmm shiny,¡± said Brock with an odd, amused lilt entering his voice. Jorm knew it wasn¡¯t meant in a mean way, and as a complement, he rumbled back a greeting. Brock looked around and found that all of the other Elite pokemon, along with the trainees, were present. Teddiursa stood near Empress, his tiny paws lashing the air. ¡°¡ªand then I was like, take that! And I won again!¡± said Teddiursa. Jorm watched as Empress indulged in listening to the small bear pokemon with an amused smile on her scaly face. She looked rather motherly like this. Knight, who¡¯d sat next to the pair, clapped his hands together and applauded Teddiursa. ¡°A might battle by the sounds of it! Well done on emerging the victor after being tested so much!¡± he said, shaking his head. He then turned his metal head towards Jorm and indicated the position next to himself. ¡°Jorm! Sit with us!¡± he rumbled. Jorm moved from Brock and claimed the spot next to his fellow steel type. Brock chose that moment to clap his hands. ¡°Alright, gang, it¡¯s good to see that you¡¯ve been engaging in light training or relaxation this morning, tonight I am expecting that we¡¯re going to be getting into a fight.¡± All the pokemon stiffened at that, but Brock merely nodded. ¡°Now, before that, I need to assign pokemon that I know will be able to hold down the fort here.¡± He waved a hand expansively. ¡°The others and I can only fight as we do, knowing that there will be something to come back to. My family will be here as will the other pokemon. For that reason, I am entrusting this task to the pokemon that I know are up to the task.¡± ¡°Knight, Cradily, Link, Hypnotoad, Tide, and Sanchez, ¡°I¡¯m going to be counting on all of you to hold down the fort,¡± Brock said, locking eyes with all of the pokemon. Shin stiffened, and hope entered his eyes as Jorm smiled for his friend. ¡°That means I will be taking Titan, Empress, Bertha, Jormungandr, Don, Zephyr, Gawain, Selene, Shrek, and¡­. Shin,¡± Brock said, looking around. Brock nodded to himself and tilted his head. ¡°Yeah, that seems like a good team set-up in case we end up fighting in a building. Shin can link up with Gawain and Shrek pretty well and they have good counters for grass type¡­¡± Brok nodded and smiled. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll go with that.¡± A screech had everyone looking up to find Zubat flapping around, only to dart off in an excited manner. Brock frowned, watching it soar off only to sigh. ¡°Damn, I need to go check on her. I¡¯ll introduce you all to her later.¡± ¡°What about me?!¡± shouted Teddiursa, puffing up cutely. Brock paused and looked back to the small pokemon. ¡°You want to guard the house or the reserve?¡± Brock said with a twitch of his lips. Teddiursa frowned and looked to Empress, who shrugged. Bertha grinned and leaned in. ¡°The girls will dress you up in cute ribbons if you guard them! Make sure you get pictures!¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Teddiursa snapped his head to Brock and pointed at the ground. ¡°Outside!¡± he said instantly, causing Brock to frown before he worked out what had been said, as everyone but Bertha laughed. With Brock heading off everyone slowly broke off into their own groups. Jorm made sure to nudge Shin. ¡°Looks like you were worried for nothing,¡± said Jorm with a wide grin. ¡°Heh! So it seems. Fighting inside eh? I had forgotten about how I was suited for that.¡± ¡°You are suited for more than that teacher!¡± said Gawain who¡¯d ambled across to talk with Shin. ¡°Would you care for a light spar?¡± Gawain offered, brandishing his axes. Shin seemed very pleased with this, and Jorm bid his friend a good match before moving off to find a good place to lay in the sun. He made a long circuit around the reserve, passing a number of Onix, some of whom looked at him with respect while others ignored him. Onix paused when he spotted the older Onix that had been spoken about last night around the campfire. Jorm took in the scars along the dark-toned Onix with new eyes. Which of those had he gained during the war? When the Onix looked towards him, Jorm bowed his head in respect. The Onix didn¡¯t say anything, merely nodding back and continuing to slither around, his gaze sweeping over the fence line. Jorm watched him patrol, realising for the first time that that was precisely what this Onix was doing. When Jorm had first come here, he had joined in with the Onix patrols, and it had simply been a thing that was done. Now he knew where this habit had started. It wasn¡¯t just training endurance as Jorm had originally assumed, but training to guard the home. ¡°It changes things, knowing... doesn¡¯t it?¡± rumbled Titan from off to the side. Jorm stiffened, not having heard Titan approaching. ¡°Ah! Yes, it does,¡± said Jorm, inclining his head to Titan. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that, you know?¡± Titan said, bobbing his head back. ¡°I feel like I should,¡± said Jorm. He shifted. ¡±I feel like a fraud sometimes, a¡­ glass shield as some people have said.¡± ¡°Do not listen to the crowds that jeer at us,¡± said Titan sternly. ¡°You are no glass shield. You stood up well against Will. Lift your head. You are an Elite of this Gym,¡± Titan said firmly. Jorm found himself buoyed by this but still he squirmed. ¡°Yes¡­ but,¡± he trailed off, unsure how to have this conversation. Knowing what to say to get his point across¡­ he wasn¡¯t sure. It wasn¡¯t like you could receive training for such things. Titan observed him for a moment and nodded. ¡°Ah, you are worried that you are infringing on Brock and I with how you are training to Megaevolve first?¡± Jorm nodded. ¡°Yes! That!¡± said Jorm, surprised, but at the same time not, that Titan could say what Jorm had been tripping over; Titan the Tyranitar was Brock¡¯s starter and it showed in moments like this. ¡°Brock has said that is not the case to you many times, no?¡± said Titan, scratching his chin in thought. Jorm glanced away and Titan huffed. ¡°So, it is not something that you have internalised or heard, eh?¡± ¡°I have heard it!¡± said Jorm worriedly. Did Titan think he didn¡¯t listen to Brock? Titan shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean like that.¡± Titan waved a claw around. ¡°Sometimes it is not enough for someone to just say something for you to understand. To internalise a message and accept it is different. Sometimes you need someone else to say it to allow understanding to set in.¡± Jorm blinked. ¡°Oh, that¡­ thank you?¡± said Jorm uncertainly. Titan shook his head, ¡°Hmmm, don¡¯t worry, you will see. Also, I have had a long time to acknowledge that I will probably not be the first of Brock¡¯s team to Mega evolve. He has mentioned it to me before¡­ we even had a plan to go and look for Tyranitarite, you know?¡± Jorm blinked. ¡°No? I thought he only mentioned it months ago when that silver-haired man came?¡± ¡°Steven?¡± Titan asked before nodding. ¡°Indeed, to most of the team, he only mentioned it then, but he has spoken to me of the heights I and others could reach. I suspected Shrek might be the first, honestly.¡± Jorm shifted. ¡°You said Brock planned to look for your Mega Stone; did you not find it?¡± ¡°We never got the chance to look. Brock was hoping for more time in Hoenn,¡± Titan said, staring off into the distance. ¡°Hoenn?¡± Jorm said, tilting his head. Titan waved a hand. ¡°It is a different place, on a different continent. Brock had started the second year of his journey, and he had been drawn into the desert in hopes of looking for some rare rock-type pokemon with Sabrina¡¯s help. Thanks to that, we ended up finding Selene and Quirina.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Jorm. ¡°Where had they been planning to go after that?¡± ¡°Lavaridge, specifically to a place called Jagged Pass, even though Brock did not hold much faith in that location he thought he might as well try.¡± Titan shook his head. ¡°Regardless, Flint called off Brock¡¯s journey, and Brock had to return home instead of searching Jagged Pass as he wished to. Perhaps we will go there in the future, though?¡± Jorm considered this, and Titan scratched his chin. Jorm shook himself. ¡°Do you regret Brock¡¯s original Onix not being in my place?¡± ¡°Guybro?¡± said Titan with a blink. Jormungandr blinked, having not realised that the other Onix had been named. It made sense that Brock had done so. ¡°Guybro?¡± Jorm said, sounding out the name. ¡°What does his name mean?¡± Titan coughed and glanced aside in a sheepish manner. ¡°Well, actually, Brock had jokingly asked for his family to help name Guybro and that was the name Cindy put forth¡­ Guybro loved it, and Brock couldn¡¯t change it after that, as he was too attached to it.¡± Titan chuckled. ¡°I think Brock was rather embarrassed about the entire thing.¡± Jorm blinked, stunned at this revelation. He hadn¡¯t been expecting that, but¡­ it made a degree of sense. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s still¡­ nice?¡± Titan nodded. ¡°Guybro was very nice; he was extremely calm and very slow to anger, but still a strong Onix with natural talent. He didn¡¯t have as much drive as you do, but Brock had him for a lot longer, which forced Guybro to work hard.¡± Jorm shifted again. ¡°How did Brock handle losing one of his pokemon?¡± ¡°As well as can be expected. Much of the team was morose after learning of the fact. I¡­¡± Titan clenched his claws and snarled. ¡°I had wanted to hunt down the trainer that had done it¡­ It felt so¡­ pathetic to only report the other trainer and have him fined for how he had fought. We were all very sad for a while, and Brock had to also handle his family learning about Guybro¡¯s passing while himself being devastated by the loss.¡± Titan shifted and looked down at the ground. ¡°He rather struggled at the time I remember. Sabrina helped out a great deal but it took Gym Leader Surge kicking a fuss to get us out of our funk.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Jorm. ¡°do you¡­¡± Once again, Jorm lacked the words to say what he felt needed to be said. Titan snorted. ¡°Do not sell yourself short. You have exceeded Guybro many times over. You have filled his gap well and are exceeding his memory. If you want to honour him, try making yourself available to play with Brock¡¯s family. They would like that, I think.¡± Titan then rubbed at his face before he smirked. ¡°Just be ready for them to put their hands in places hands aren¡¯t supposed to go.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Jorm, suddenly rethinking the idea before reaffirming it with a nod. ¡°I think I will still try,¡± said Jorm, glancing towards the house. Before he could put words to action, another thought occurred to him. ¡°What of Brock¡¯s original Geodude? I don¡¯t hear much about him." Titan grinned broadly. ¡°Ah, Dwayne? He¡¯s still around; he is old however, and Brock didn¡¯t have the knowledge at the time to realise quite how old he was when he caught him as a Geodude. He held up well and evolved all the way to being a Golem, with Brock learning a lot from training him.¡± ¡°So he is still around? What does he do? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve met him, or seen him about the reserve.¡± Titan coughed. ¡°Well, Brock needed a lot of eggs to test his theory about how to get electric-rock typed Geodude, you see? The Researcher¡­ Bianca is very familiar with him, you could say. He does come out occasionally, but mostly only during feeding time. He doesn¡¯t train or fight much and is considered retired.¡± Jormungandr blinked at that, and it took a long moment for him to understand what was being said. ¡°He is a stud now?¡± ¡°He has a very fine harem of three pokemon, to hear him speak of it,¡± said Titan. ¡°Sanchez is his grandson.¡± ¡°Where does he spend his time?¡± Jorm asked, too curious to stop himself. Titan waved for Jorm to follow and led Jorm towards the electrified cave. Both of them walked in without worry. They found Bianca in the cave wearing a rubber suit placing a few eggs off to the side. ¡°Hmmm good haul, ladies!¡± she said before noticing Titan and Jorm¡¯s presence. ¡°Oh! Hello there, boys! Come to contribute?¡± she said eagerly. Titan shook his head quickly while Jorm glanced around. ¡°Hoh? What¡¯s this? Bringing along another young one to my palace, Titan?¡± said a voice that sounded like it was being ground out between rocks. ¡°Dwayne,¡± Titan said. ¡°Jormungandr was curious about the original team Brock had, and I thought to introduce him.¡± ¡°Hmpf! I suppose he also thinks my daughters and granddaughters aren¡¯t good enough for him eh?¡± said the old Golem. Jorm was thoroughly lost, and Titan shook his head and tapped at the side of his head to show that Dwayne wasn¡¯t all there. Sadly, Sanchez was there, and he rolled out with a huge grin. ¡°You going to marry my sisters? Jorm yes! We can be literal brothers that way!¡± he exclaimed with far too much eagerness for Jorm. Titan backed away, Jorm decided to do the same. ¡°Nice to meet you all!¡± he hesitantly called back as he retreated. ¡°Feh! Young ones! Not enough vim and vigour by half!¡± said Dwayne to their backs. ¡°I¡¯ve got that in bucket loads, pops!¡± said Sanchez, sparking up and zapping a nearby boulder just to demonstrate his point. ¡°Too much of it!¡± barked Dwayne, chopping his hand lightly on Sanchez¡¯s head. Jorm left the cave and gave Titan a look. ¡°I see where Sanchez gets it from now,¡± he said. Titan merely nodded. ¡°So, still want to try playing with Brock¡¯s family?¡± Jorm considered that for a moment and nodded. ¡°Yes, I would like to try¡­ I will be careful though; they are very small from what I have seen of them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re stronger than you realise. Just keep yourself calm and don¡¯t take sudden actions. You can move fast, but make it smooth,¡± Titan said patiently. Jorm smiled. ¡°Heh, you¡¯re so wise.¡± Titan grinned. ¡°You just say that cause I¡¯ve learned more and I get to teach you. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll learn your own tricks!¡± Titan said, leading Jorm towards the edge of the garden that marked the edge of the reserve. Jorm leaned over the hedge and found a delighted tiny human child grinning up at him. ¡°Jorm!¡± it said as it reached up to him with tiny hands. Jorm stared at the tiny being and felt himself go soft. He decided then and there that his predecessor, Guybro, had good ideas, and he was glad he¡¯d learnt about him. Now he would honour him by playing with Brock¡¯s family in his place and helping to make them smile. When Brock came to collect him and Titan, Jorm had a sequence of artwork on one part of his body, with Billy and Timmy having signed their work like proper artists. Jorm felt more sure of himself and ready to fight than ever before. Chapter 162 - Research and distractions The morning after the Team Rocket Raid on Silph Tower, along with Sabrina¡¯s victory over Will, saw her and I laying in her bed. When we were both awake we didn¡¯t say anything¡­ we merely lazed in bed, enjoying the other''s company as our arms wrapped each other tight. Eventually, I decided to ask the question that had been on my mind since last night. ¡°How did it feel? That was¡­ much more powerful than I thought it would be.¡± Sabrina smiled. ¡°I might have tried for that with how Mewtwo and Will were pressuring me.¡± She gained a thoughtful look. ¡°It might have also been the occasion itself.¡± ¡°Hmmm? What do you mean by that?¡± I asked, curious, and worried that she¡¯d felt pressured by Will of all people. Mewtwo, I could rationalise due to him being a Legendary. ¡°I wanted it, more than a lot of things that I¡¯ve wanted before in my life. I had an image, in my mind that I wanted to happen. And then, I made it a reality,¡± she shot me another smile, ¡°Or close to one, anyway.¡± ¡°Close to one?¡± I asked teasingly. Sabrina smiled and kissed me. When we eventually got up, we trudged down to breakfast only to find the television on. Sandra and Saul were entranced with it to the point where they barely registered our arrival. Ralts seemed very pleased by whatever they were watching. When I got around the counter, I got a glimpse of the television and found Sabrina staring back at me. ¡°They¡¯re calling her the Mistress of Evolution! The strongest psychic of our age! She¡¯s Sabrina! And with one match she¡¯s cemented herself as the idol for everyone in Indigo!¡± said the tv host. I grabbed a bowl of cereal while Sabrina assembled some toast, despite not physically touching the knife, bread, or toaster once from where she was sitting. It was rather distracting watching the kitchen utensils zip around while she kept her eyes fixed on the television. This news article was all about the sudden hype that Sabrina had. People had respected her before, now she was adored and lauded with praise. Sabrina¡¯s victory and the reveal of her ability with her Alakazam to Mega-evolve caused shockwaves throughout the known world. Instantly, Sabrina became the most popular Gym Leader and her face was being plastered over billboards, news articles, and television shows, with many experts discussing how she¡¯d done it. We watched this with a stunned sort of disconnect until the doorbell rang and Sabrina frowned. ¡°Ah, that would be Professor Oak,¡± she said, her eyes glowing. Saul stiffened. ¡°Sabrina! Don¡¯t just¡ª¡± ¡°Hello there!¡± Samuel said as he marched into the house. ¡°Thank you for letting me and my fellows in Sabrina!¡± he said, revealing that he¡¯d arrived with what appeared to be all of the notable researchers of Indigo in tow. Professor Elm was present, albeit he was being restrained by two others. Despite this, he was twitching and acting like a rabid Houndour. ¡°Might we have a word?¡± Samuel said eagerly. I chuckled. We¡¯d been listening to the ¡®experts¡¯ all morning on television, but the true people in the know were still asking questions. Sabrina rose. "Yes, that is why I asked for you to come today with your fellows." Samuel Oak shook his head with an exasperated expression. ¡°Yes, and I thought I was being the clever one there.¡± he chuckled. ¡°I thought I had stolen a march on everyone else when you read me in on your Farigiraf, and your Wyrdeer, but now I see you were working on something truly special,¡± he said. Sabrina gave him a coy smile. ¡°As they say, girls have more secrets than boys can understand.¡± she waved her hand for them to follow as she rose, linking arms with me. ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t get any memo regarding this,¡± I said. Sabrina coughed. ¡°It got lost in all of our preparations. I assumed you would want to be involved.¡± I shook my head, unable to be annoyed by her presumption. Sabrina led us all into the room where Alakazam had set up his notes. I chuckled when I saw that the room had been set up like a classroom, and Alakazam was literally hovering in front of a whiteboard with a stack of notes laid out. I claimed a table, with Sabrina taking the one next to me. She lifted herself and the table so she could sit next to me, earning herself a dour look from Alakazam, who was acting as the teacher for today¡¯s class. I shot her a look. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be up there translating for him?¡± I asked. ¡°He wants to let the researchers look through the papers first,¡± she said, nodding her head to the papers that were now being levitated to each person. Professor Elm snatched it out of the air and began reading it frantically. ¡°Ah! Of course! But how did you¡­ oh, you accounted for that? Hmmm interesting, but what of¡­ I see,¡± he said as he read. Oak sighed, pulling out a highlighter, notepad, and pen. Only then did he begin reading, albeit much more sedately. He made some considering noises as he read but otherwise ignored the rest of the room as they did the same. More than a few looks were directed our way, and I chuckled. They must be dying to ask Sabrina questions. Interested, despite knowing how dry the content of the paper would be, I began to read the offered paper myself. It worked through the historical premise of the Mega-evolution, the discovery of the stone and Alakazam¡¯s initial impressions, and Sabrina¡¯s own initial impressions. I blinked when I noticed that I was listed as a test subject,with my name blanked to that of subject B-one (male seventeen y.o.) and his Steelix. Oh. And here I was in a room with highly intelligent people. They¡¯d know exactly who subject B-one was. I flipped through and noted how the study had developed. My role as subject B-one was noted and often earned disparaging remarks due to my developing bond with Steelix not being conducted in laboratory conditions, compared to Sabrina and Alakazam¡¯s efforts. I shot Alakazam an incredulous expression. I worked better at home in my reserve! He sniffed at my annoyed look and began copying out the graphs onto the whiteboard behind him without actually looking, the markers held in his telekinetic grip. I noticed the rest of the researchers begin to fidget as he finished, but instead of Sabrina rising to stand, she remained seated. I glanced around, unsure what we were waiting for, until I noticed that Samuel was still flipping through the paper, making notes. When he was done, he arranged his notes in a manner that allowed him to observe all of them while still having access to his notepad. Then he lifted his gaze, laced his fingers, and spoke. ¡°If you would be so kind, shall we begin?¡± he asked. Sabrina smiled and rose to begin talking for Alakazam as she explained her process of Mega-evolving Alakazam. I was interested to learn that she had achieved the Mega Evolution multiple times in laboratory conditions. ¡°¡ªand yet the mega-evolution that I experienced with Alakazam against Will was, by my estimates, at least three times more powerful.¡± ¡°Do you have any thoughts on why this is the case?¡± Samuel asked politely. Sabrina considered the question. ¡°There may have been multiple factors that impacted the power of the evolution.¡± Alakazam wrote out a numbered list as Sabrina spoke. ¡°First, Psychic Terrain may have contributed to the Mega-evolution being more powerful than normal; that was not something we had previously tested for, but against Will, it makes sense that he would have it deployed. ¡°Second, Mega-evolving in an actual battle may have been more stressful and caused a greater response. In a sense, our bond was stronger due to the implied threat.¡± ¡°Third, the fight itself was vitally important for me on a number of levels, further bolstering the evolution.¡± Sabrina shifted. ¡°And finally,¡± She swept her gaze about the room, searching for people¡¯s expressions, and I felt something sweep over me. Oak¡¯s eyes hardened as his colleagues stirred with surprise. Some of them squawked in outrage, but Sabrina quickly inclined her head. ¡°Apologies, I was merely performing a surface assessment; none of you are here due to greed, so I can safely discuss the final point that may have impacted the Mega Evolution.¡± This had everyone sitting upright in their seats. Our undivided attention was on Sabrina. ¡°I have limited precognition that I sometimes utilise.¡± Samuel hissed a breath in surprise. ¡°That¡ª¡± ¡°I am aware of the dangers; I have a number of texts on the matter, and I am extremely careful to never make plans based on what I foresee. Sadly, last night''s events were critical, and the impact will be widespread in many different matters. I was not aware that Team Rocket would raid Silph Tower for example, but I suspected, through other information sources, that they would be active in some manner. This allowed me to have many more people ready to respond rapidly than they otherwise would have.¡± Samuel coughed. ¡°Ah, my thanks; my own grandson and a number of other young trainers that I support were caught up. Your foresight perhaps saved them.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°Well, the point I wished to establish was that Alakazam¡¯s Mega evolution was a momentous occasion that impacted a number of future events due to how it played out. Events occurring around it that link together in a very abstract way but nevertheless made it more important.¡± One older researcher shifted in their seat. ¡°Are you perhaps stating that your Mega-evolution was a Time Nexus?¡± Sabrina nodded slowly, and the man hissed. ¡°Well, I suppose we got lucky last night. Time Nexus¡¯ have been known to draw the attention of powerful pokemon. Last night¡¯s events could have become much more chaotic.¡± I blinked. ¡°Powerful pokemon¡­ linked with Time?¡± I said. The researcher shifted as every researcher apart from Oak stared hungrily at this new tidbit. Their eyes gleamed like that of zealots wanting access to knowledge that they hadn¡¯t known they¡¯d been denied until this moment. The man looked around. ¡°Well¡­ I suppose if Sabrina was willing to share, so shall I. There are a few pokemon that are linked to Time as a concept. These are Celebi, a pokemon known widely as a Guardian of the Forest, Dialga, the pokemon of Time, Arceus, of course¡­ and finally Giratina.¡± He raised a hand, and his gaze turned fierce. ¡°If you have not heard of the last, I suggest you not repeat it unless needed to, and never more than five times in a single location within a month.¡± One researcher hummed. ¡°You¡¯re referring to the Darkrai conjuring method of bringing about the pokemon¡¯s attention through the usage of their name? Conjuring? That has never been established sufficiently!¡± The older man turned his gaze upon the much younger man. ¡°I am the oldest researcher of Time phenomenon. Not many study my line of research. And I am the only one older than thirty-five. Make of that what you will, but always remember that we are referencing Legendary pokemon. Do not underestimate them!¡± he said firmly. Oak coughed. ¡°I would like to second what Professor Swatch has said today. Do not repeatedly call them by their names. Their legends, especially the last mentioned, have notable stories that dance about ever saying the name. During my tenure as champion, I must admit quite shamefully, I had to destroy or restrict certain books and tales from being spread around.¡± Oak made a face to show how distasteful he found that. ¡°You may write it down, but speaking it does something that we, as yet, are unable to understand. The best person to understand this is perhaps Agatha of the Elite Four and she will not discuss that particular pokemon, so do not ask her or even write to her about the subject!¡± I blinked. I hadn¡¯t been expecting last night to mean so much, but with what Sabrina had shared with me, it would have caused a lot of ripples throughout the world. I rubbed my chin. Her reveal of Mega Evolution might just be the smallest of the forces causing ripples. But like she¡¯d said, everything overlapped and built on itself. A discussion broke out about talking with geologists about points that would overlap with pokemon populations to discover Mega stones and specific pokemon species stones. Samuel rubbed his chin. ¡°We will also need to discover and create a list of what pokemon can mega-evolve,¡± he said. ¡°Steven Stone might be worth reaching out to,¡± I said casually. ¡°He was aware of the worth of Mega Stones.¡± The researchers shared a look before turning a collective gaze upon me. ¡°And we haven¡¯t heard a word about this, why?¡± I blinked. ¡°There really hasn¡¯t been any murmuring in the research communities about what he¡¯s unearthed?¡± I said with some surprise. ¡°Nothing?¡± I was more than a little amazed that the research community had been taken so by surprise by Sabrina¡¯s reveal. ¡°Steven hasn¡¯t announced this or revealed it¡­ at all? What about the Hoenn researchers?¡± I asked. The group as a whole shook their heads quickly. ¡°That man wouldn¡¯t share anything like that!¡± said someone in the back of the room. ¡°Huh,¡± I said intelligently. It really made Alakazam¡¯s research much more valuable. The researchers closest to me shook their heads. ¡°Steven Stone is notorious for keeping his cards close to the chest.¡± ¡°Lance knows, he got himself a megastone before Brock,¡± Sabrina said, more than happy to throw the Champion to the researchers. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. They all stirred in irritation at that, and Samuel huffed. ¡°I shall be talking with him about not informing us about this development.¡± I stifled a chuckle as the hackles of the researchers around us relaxed, knowing that Samuel Oak would be having words with the current Champion. I spotted Sabrina¡¯s slight smile and knew she¡¯d done that deliberately. Did she not like Lance? Huh, wonder what he did to annoy her? Samuel turned a smile in my direction. ¡°You said Steven Stone knew the worth of them? Did he... Perchance have a list of Mega stones?¡± I nodded as I tried to recall. Had he sent me a list, or had he just shown me the list? ¡°He showed me a list,¡± I said eventually. ¡°Would you happen to recall what they were called?¡± Samuel said, inching closer. I noted that other reserachers were doing the same. I allowed myself a smile as I realised I could probably get away with some additions to the list and all I¡¯d need to do was claim a faulty memory. I rattled off what I could recall of Steven Stone¡¯s list of mega stones. I started ticking off my fingers as I spoke, ¡°He had Gardevoirite, Ampharosite, Charizadite, Blastoisinite, Blazikenite, Houndoominite, Mawhilite, Metagrossite, Sharpedonite, Steelixite, Slowbronite, Salamnecite, Cameruptite, Pidgeotite, Gyaradosite, and Beedrillite.¡± I said, opening my eyes and nodding slowly to sell the act. Then I allowed a frown to appear. ¡°I am¡­ unsure if that was a complete list. I know that Steven didn¡¯t know of Sabrina¡¯s Mega Stone, as I never mentioned it to him, but he seemed to think it would take me a year to develop my bond with Jormungandr, my Steelix, enough to mega evolve him. I am not certain, but I have to wonder if other options might have been available.¡± Samuel frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve built up my bond with Jormungandr. I can feel that with the work we¡¯ve put in recently, but if another option had been available, such as a mega stone for Shrek, my Swampert, or Knight my Aggron¡­ or Titan¡­¡± I said, not bothering to mention which species Titan was. The researchers all had thoughtful looks at my suggestion. One spoke up. ¡°You think he might have been deliberately presenting a false list? It had a stone that was highly valuable to you, but not one from a pokemon you had a well-established link with?¡± I nodded, even as another researcher murmured about the density of pokemon capable of mega evolving located around Pewter. I had to agree that it was interesting, especially considering if I ever got the chance at Diancie. There¡¯d be a ton of pokemon capable of pulling it off. Samuel rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°Well, this has been a fascinating morning, and it has raised a lot of potential avenues for research. I think we¡¯re going to have to disseminate this information to the wider community.¡± Samuel¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°It might be more impactful if the Mistress of Mega-evolution herself were to present it? I for one know that Celadon University would be tremendously interested in listening to your thoughts on the topic, Alakazam and Sabrina.¡± I half expected Sabrina to deny them, but then I noticed the light of excitement sparkling in Alakazam¡¯s eyes. Sabrina nodded. ¡°I think Alakazam would be delighted to,¡± she said. This caused a storm of professors shouting for their alma mater¡¯s receiving lectures from the current experts in the subject. I chuckled. If this played out, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Alakazam was considered a pokemon professor by the end of the year. A hand on my shoulder cut through my thoughts, and I looked up to find Samuel smiling at me. ¡°And don¡¯t think I have forgotten about your own contributions to pokemon evolutions, Brock! Celadon would love to have you, Sanchez, Gawain and any other pokemon you were developing! I know the thoughts you had on various pokemon evolution methods would be highly sought after! I have even heard some interesting things regarding your thoughts on pokemon moves from my old friend Pryce?¡± ¡°Ah, you heard about that?¡± I said as a few professors that had been close swivelled their attention onto me. Samuel nodded. ¡°Indeed I did! I was very impressed with your insight! With that and the variant pokemon evolutions that you currently have and that you are working towards, well¡­ I think it would be a wonderful idea for you to do a lecture or two!¡± I blinked. Why did I get the feeling he was annoyed with me? Oh, wait, was this like Lance not telling him about the Mega-evolutions? I hadn¡¯t mentioned the move-dependent evolutions. Ah¡­ He was telling me, not asking. I''m going to have to do this, aren¡¯t? ¡°Ah, that does sound like a good idea¡­ although I am already engaged in giving lectures with Poketech in Pewter¡ª¡± ¡°Some of us will attend as well!¡± said a researcher quickly. ¡°... that¡¯s only considered a secondary level of study, though? I¡¯m sure I could come to the universities or colleges?¡± Samuel patted me on the shoulder. ¡°I shall be looking forward to that!¡± he said. He then handed me a business card. ¡°Have your people reach out to Celadon University. I will inform the Dean that I think it would be a good guest lecture. We¡¯ll make it work,¡± he said with an entirely too pleased expression. I nodded, not feeling like I could say no to him. A few other senior researchers dropped their own business cards on my desk, while some juniors asked to exchange emails and transceiver numbers, with their specialities being recorded in case I needed someone to bounce ideas off of. I accepted them all, but before I could leave, Professor Elm raised a question. ¡°Is there any chance of using Mega-evolution to create a super Abra or other pokemon?¡± I blinked and considered what that would entail. I shuddered in time with Sabrina and Alakazam as we realised what that would entail. We shot our hands into an x. ¡°Nope!¡± Elm looked extremely put out and opened his mouth, only for Oak to give a flat look to the other Pokemon Professor. ¡°If the next words are anything like ¡®do it for science¡¯ then just let it go, Elm.¡± A few other researchers chuckled while Sabrina and I gained decidedly green looks. Urgh, having your pokemon do it while linked to you? Urgh! Elm, that man could be entirely too focused on the end goal. With that decidedly strange and disturbing imagery now in mind, the discussion broke up, with Sabrina and I heading off for a casual date. A date that saw a lot of people calling out to Sabrina and me as we made our way around Saffron City. ¡°Seems you¡¯ve gotten more popular,¡± I said idly as another group waved at us. Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°People have come to terms with my previous reluctance to appear in public settings and realised that I wasn¡¯t snubbing or looking down on them but doing it for my own health. Now that they know that I¡¯ve been struggling, there seems to be an idea of me struggling in silence. Some of them think it is rather heroic.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I rather liked being left alone,¡± she said before giving me a look to show her next words were meant jokingly. ¡°I blame you.¡± Ralts, who¡¯d been happily kicking her legs while sitting on Sabrina¡¯s shoulder, immediately narrowed her gaze upon me. I rubbed my chin, amused at the game Sabrina was playing. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably fair; I did kick in your door and beat you and your Pokemon up. Then I totally dragged you along with me for a whirlwind journey.¡± I shot her a smirk as Ralts gasped theatrically. We both knew that I¡¯d been very polite when I¡¯d made my challenge, only for her to ignore me due to not having foreseen my arrival, which apparently had been a first for her. She¡¯d then seen me as an aberration and tried to crush me with her Kadabra, only for Titan to stomp all over her and Kadabra with Dark Pulse. We¡¯d shared a few words after the match, and then she¡¯d turned up at my campsite that night, demanding to come with me, having noticed that she could relax around me. She¡¯d very much followed me around instead of me dragging her anywhere. Still, she had only made the effort to be more outgoing in the last few months. So her new popularity lined up well with her own ability to engage with her fans. It was a new experience to see Sabrina waving back at people or interacting with her adoring fans. Within half an hour of us walking around, however, she had found a problem with her new popularity. ¡°This¡­ is exhausting,¡± she said flatly, nodding to another man who waved in our direction. The man gleefully ran off, having been acknowledged. I chuckled. ¡°Yeah, sorry, it can get like that. It¡¯s one of those things you have to get used to. This is also the day after a big match; people are going to be more excitable around you and more aware. It¡¯ll calm down after a week or so unless you do something else to draw their attention. Try to enjoy what you can of the moment, though.¡± Sabrina grunted at that and dragged me into a coffee shop, where we claimed a table and settled in to enjoy each other¡¯s company. Ralts happily ordered a cake tray with some lemonade, and we settled back with our own drinks to relax. Within five minutes, the cafe was full, as people just so happened to need coffee from this shop. The manager was quick to demand that only people who had ordered could linger, forcing people to fork over money. He then swung around our table and offered us free drinks. I had to tip my head, acknowledging the slyness of the move. ¡°We also do pokemon drinks!¡± he said when Sabrina appeared unmoved. I tilted my head as a thought occurred to me. ¡°How big are your mugs?¡± I asked. Sabrina caught on to what I was planning and eyed the roof. When she realised it was high enough, she settled in and released Alakazam, Hypno, and a Chimecho. I released Bertha and Titan, who both towered over us. I tossed them some cushions and they sat down, Titan with a bemused air, while Bertha clapped her hands gleefully. She then proceeded to demand that I read the list of drinks to her. I shot her an unimpressed look. ¡°You¡¯re just going to want the girliest drink on here, with sparkles, chocolate, and sprinkles.¡± Bertha nodded, and I ordered that while Titan got a cappuccino. When the drink came around, I was amused that they had made it in a literal bucket for the larger pokemon. Bertha seemed very pleased with this arrangement and proceeded to extend her smallest finger as she took a dainty sip. ¡°Rhy, rhyper, Rhyperior,¡± she said towards Ralts sagely, sipping from her drink, the very picture of elegance. I shared a look with Sabrina and chuckled. I could only imagine what Bertha was trying to teach Ralts, but the smaller psychic fairy seemed to be rather receptive. They were soon talking as though they were¡ªwhat I imagined¡ªladies at a garden party would do, instead of two pokemon in a now relatively crowded coffee shop. When the first photographers arrived, Bertha was more than happy to pose. When the photographers zoomed in on either myself or Sabrina, she would lean down so her unimpressed expression was caught in the background of the photo. I saw more than a few paparazzi-like photographers lean back to inspect a picture only to find Bertha¡¯s glare zeroed in on them in the background. They promptly settled for more wide-angle shots. Bertha promptly snuggled into Titan for those photos. Sabrina took a cue from that and levitated herself into my lap as a cake I¡¯d never ordered arrived. Apparently, while I¡¯d been distracted, Sabrina had psychically ordered for us. She tossed her hair and smiled winningly. I lifted a small fork of the cake towards her and then took a bite of it myself. Ralts gasped theatrically, and I smirked, making sure to ignore the pinch Sabrina was giving me as I fed her the next few slices to show I was properly chastised. I then made the mistake of looking at my Xtransceiver. ¡°Oh, hey, I must have forgotten to charge it last night after I spoke with my family,¡± I said. Sabrina glanced away, and I tilted my head. That had almost been a bit too quick¡­ ¡°Sabrina?¡± ¡°I just wanted to enjoy a morning without interruptions,¡± she said innocently. ¡°Oh,¡± I said. That was rather cute. It also implied that she knew someone would be looking for me. ¡°Who¡¯s going to be¡ª¡± I broke off as a shadow fell over the entrance of the shop before disappearing. The door jingled, and the crowd parted. Lance stood at the entrance. His gaze zeroed in on Sabrina and I. I made sure to raise another forkful of cake toward Sabrina. Ah, she¡¯d been preventing the League from getting in contact with me. Lance strode forward and sat in the chair. Sabrina nodded at him, and before he could speak, she pointed at a sign. ¡°If you¡¯re going to stay, you need to order something,¡± she said. Lance blinked. Then his head swivelled to the sign which he stared at in incomprehension for a moment. The Manager of the shop slid into view with a somewhat hopeful expression and Lance sighed. ¡°You know what? I could do with a coffee.¡± He reached into his pouch and produced a bag of coffee beans. ¡°Can you grind this into a straight black coffee?¡± ¡°Ralts!¡± said Ralts in a reproachful tone. Sabrina¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°You are correct Ralts. He should have said please,¡± said Sabrina playfully. Lance chuckled. ¡°Ah, of course, my apologies; could you grind this up for me into a black coffee, please,¡± he said to the manager. The man nodded furiously and then sprinted off to complete the request. Lance leaned back and allowed a sigh to escape him. ¡°Long night at the office?¡± I said. Lance rolled his eyes at me. ¡°Yes, you could say that. I had a rather lot of paperwork to get through simply to get the Executive Orders signed.¡± I raised my mug towards him. ¡°I thought those were rather good ideas,¡± I commented. I searched his fatigued face. ¡°You haven¡¯t slept?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Once I had gotten properly formed and announced, I had been establishing the G-men properly and, from there, moving on some suspected sites.¡± He rubbed his face in annoyance. ¡°Not all of them have borne fruit and there have been some feathers to unruffle, but we have had some success,¡± he said. He then waved a hand at the crowd lingering aorund us. ¡°I obviously can¡¯t give any more details than that right now, but the League, slow as it is sometimes, is moving.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. I could understand what that would mean for me and Sabrina. I could be called upon to help with raids, especially with my proven track record. On the other hand, Sabrina could be used for intelligence gathering. We could, of course, deny them if we wanted to, but with them moving on Team Rocket, it was in our interest to support their efforts. I could see why Sabrina might have wanted to put that off in favour of going on a morning date. ¡°You could have told me,¡± I said, directing my gaze to Sabrina. Sabrina swallowed the cake I¡¯d given her. ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t have relaxed. You¡¯d have felt guilty,¡± she said, opening her mouth for another slice of cake. I chuckled. I could see her point. I would have felt the anticipation building as I waited for the League¡¯s request, and that might have ruined the morning. Sabrina had no such hangups about ignoring the League. A rather aromatic coffee was set before Lance, and he paused to inhale the scent of it before taking a sip. He handed the manager one hundred pokedollars as a tip for their service in return for his small coffee packet, which he stowed away. ¡°You take your own coffee around with you?¡± I asked. Lance smiled, obviously savouring the taste of his coffee. ¡°Yes, this is a special Fiore blend that I haven¡¯t been able to find an equal to. They might be aggravating to negotiate with, but they certainly know a thing or two about growing coffee beans¡ªsomething about the synergy of grass types and fire types creating the perfect coffee bean. I¡¯m told it''s a trade secret as much as it is a way of life for them.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said, surprised to learn that Fiore had such a luxury good. ¡°Are they going to export much?¡± ¡°Limited amounts of only six million bags,¡± he said. ¡°The rest is reserved for domestic use,¡± he said. I nodded, not having any idea if that was a lot or not much at all. I got the impression that Lance wanted as much of their coffee as he could get his hands on. We talked a little more as Lance enjoyed his drink. He complimented Sabrina on her match as he was finishing up his drink. He shot it a sad look, and his eyes drifted towards the grinder, weighing up the idea of ordering another before shaking his head and dismissing the idea. He then levelled a look at Sabrina. ¡°There have been a number of suggestions that you should take over the final position of the Elite Four,¡± Lance said conversationally. I didn¡¯t need to even look to know the entire room had just leaned forward slightly. The instant hush that swept the room gave away that everyone was trying to listen to this sudden turn in the already interesting conversation. Sabrina gave Lance a look, shrugged, and replied, ¡°I¡¯m comfortable where I am right now,¡± she said, wiggling in my lap. I snorted, and she smiled. Lance sighed. ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that, but¡­ well, I thought I should make the offer; I can¡¯t have the Mistress of Mega-Evolution not be offered a seat with the Elite Four of Indigo.¡± Sabrina didn¡¯t bother with a response to that beyond tapping me for more cake. I pointed, and Sabrina pretended to only just now notice that Ralts had devoured the rest of the cake. Ralts smiled as crumbles fell off her cheeks. ¡°Oh, you have gotten sly, haven¡¯t you?¡± Sabrina said, wiping at Ralts¡¯ mouth. I blinked, realising that she hadn¡¯t been faking but had actually been not noticing. That meant Ralts had to be doing something to evade Sabrina''s attention. Was this a regular occurrence that Ralts was seriously working on? Lance snorted at our byplay. ¡°Well, if we¡¯re all done here, I would like it if you could come with me. I need some experienced trainers to assist.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ actually sir,¡± said a timid voice. We glanced up and found the manager holding a camera. ¡°Could I get a photo with all of you? It¡¯s for the wall?¡± he said, indicating the wall where a number of other faces I recognised stood. Samuel Oak, Rita Roscare, Nurse Joy, three Officer Jennys, Saul, and Kong smiled back. Bertha grinned and adopted a pose, which settled matters for us. We took the group photo with the manager standing in our midst with a huge smile. I had to admit that with the crowd that had swept in with our arrival, he¡¯d have made bank today. That didn¡¯t stop him from thinking ahead. Getting to serve the Champion and get a photo to prove it would probably secure him a regular customer base for a long while.
Sabrina saved us a flight by teleporting us with Alakazam back to the League. Lance swept forward into the heart of the building, leading us into the depths where the interrogation rooms were. ¡°We managed to capture an Executive and we want to take this further,¡± he said as he led us into a room that mirrored Daniel''s¡ªmy former employee and spy¡ªinterrogation room. Agatha and Koga stood in the room with Agent Brown standing by the side. ¡°About time you answered the call,¡± said Agatha. Sabrina flicked her head. ¡°I had better things to do,¡± she said nonchalantly. She walked into the room, and within five minutes, we had a host of sites to attack. It was the final site that the man worked tooth and nail to keep Sabrina away from, with every mental trick he possessed, however, that made Lance grin like all his Christmas¡¯ had come at once. We finally had the site for the Team Rocket Academy. It was north-west of Cerulean City, and it was the point of our next raid. I hummed to myself. When Oak had invited me to tour schools earlier today, I doubt he intended for me to trash them. Oh well, it was a childhood dream I¡¯m sure many could empathise with. Chapter 163 - Schoools out... forever! The discovery of the Team Rocket Academy was a big win for the League. I hadn¡¯t quite understood the depth of this win until Sabrina spoke up. ¡°The Rocket Academy is a facility that is a lynchpin in the Team Rocket organisation,¡± she said indicating the map with the site clearly marked out. ¡°It is a site that allows them to train both pokemon and people to meet their needs. From this one site, much of Team Rocket¡¯s soft and hard power is developed.¡± I nodded and stepped up to inspect the map. Lance frowned at the location and shook his head. ¡°How have we missed this site for so long? Surely someone would have learned of it in the past?¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°This site holds to war standards of information security. All electronic devices will be disabled prior to any person stepping foot in the Academy, with multiple checkpoints. The building itself is hidden within a valley that obscures it. There are also multiple patrols roaming around the mountains that act as observers. With the distance of the facility, it is not going to be picked up through traditional or modern methods. It is only with our capture of Executive Petrel that we learned the location.¡± Lance nodded his head. ¡°What about how they supply the facility?¡± Sabrina raised a hand and moved a marker from Cerulean north. ¡°They take a truck north and have it ambushed outside the city once it has passed a number of checkpoints.¡± She then Teleported the marker a significant distance to the northwest. ¡°They use a large team of Hypno to Teleport the truck that brings in supplies and new recruits. This makes it impossible to track without another Psychic which is closely watched for. Even the Ghost specialists that Agatha has used in the past have not been able to infiltrate.¡± Agatha sniffed. ¡°They make sure no pokemon that are previously owned are allowed into the Academy. Any flying type seen above the Academy is culled lest they are passing a message to another.¡± I whistled, impressed at the security they were putting into this. ¡°All this for a place to teach their Grunts to be evil?¡± I said jokingly. No one laughed. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°The Academy site works in many different roles for Team Rocket beyond a training facility. It works as an indoctrination facility, with Hypno being engaged during lessons to loosen their reluctance for certain morals, or not shying away from theft.¡± She then gestured at the marker again and the display began to change as she telekinetically began to draw a rudimentary map. ¡°Team Rocket also uses this as a site to hold all the pokemon they steal from trainers. It is here that pokemon are brainwashed or have their memories repressed with specialised equipment to make them follow trainers not their own. It is host to thousands of pokemon that act as a reserve for Team Rocket.¡± ¡°Thousands?¡± One of the G-men agents asked. ¡°How are they keeping the site hidden? This doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± He waved his hand about. ¡°The requirements for food alone!¡± I felt a memory of a talk I¡¯d had with Oak click into place. ¡°They¡¯re using the electronic transfer system that is still being debated, aren¡¯t they? All those pokemon are being dropped into the cyberspace of a server where they are held in true suspended animation.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Lance swore. ¡°They have an army of pokemon at their beck and call¡­ Worse! If we¡¯re not careful, a lot of pokemon will be hostages.¡± ¡°Janine and I can¡ª¡± Koga began to say only for Sabrina to speak over him. ¡°This is not as simple as disconnecting the power, in fact, that should be avoided at all costs. We will not be able to conduct a typical raid with the destruction of power to sow confusion or disable the cameras.¡± I clicked my tongue. ¡°Urgh, maximum difficulty then?¡± I asked. Sabrina nodded her head. ¡°I will not be able to Teleport within as they also have significant Dark emitters in place¡­ which are, again, tied to the electrical grid.¡± This caused a round of murmurs to break out and Lance swept his hand out. ¡°We will hold off on any comments until we have the entire picture. Sabrina, continue your report of the situation,¡± Lance said, inclining his head to her. Sabrina, now finished drawing her rudimentary map, nodded. ¡°At any time there are roughly one hundred Rocket trainees on site, along with at least twenty trainers.¡± I heard someone muttering something about that being a better ratio of students to teachers than most schools offered, but that died off as Lance levelled a glare in their direction. ¡°There are also usually two Executive level Team Rocket members on staff that serve as the Principal and Vice-principal. The only reason we have as much information as we do through capturing Executive Petrel is that he once served as the vice-principal under Executive Ariana.¡± ¡°Hmmm, fortuitous,¡± said Lance with a pleased expression. Koga snorted. ¡°It is a potential trap is what it is!¡± He glared at everyone who had nodded along with Lance. ¡°Team Rocket did not become the threat it is today thanks to sloppiness! We are patting ourselves on the back for their failure to steal the Masterball and the designs from Silph Co. but we must not become complacent!¡± I grimaced. Koga was right, this could potentially be a trap. I glanced around. ¡°How did the League capture Petrel?¡± One of the League officials shifted. ¡°He was at a site that we had learned about through an informant. The Silph Co. raid has caused some members of Team Rocket to reach out for amnesty. Also, it seems their training and Hypno therapy to lose their morals isn¡¯t completely effective, as some did object to the raid on Saffron City. That is where we got the information for the raid which we acted on to capture Petrel.¡± That made me relax only for Koga to grunt. ¡°It could be a double bluff,¡± he said, but that seemed less likely to me. It seemed more like Lance was striking while the iron was hot and had been able to capitalise on the moment. Lance leaned forward. ¡°We will need to act on this quickly. We will need to be decisive in our raid. The pokemon database and the generators that supply those structures will be vital. To cover for any potential damage to the generators, we need pokemon that can supply the electrical demands. The League has some specialised Electabuzz that can assist in this regard and will be attached to whoever is assigned to securing the servers that the pokemon are on.¡± I raised a hand. ¡°We also need to deny access to the withdrawal features of the servers. Having them stuck in there isn¡¯t as much an issue as having them come flooding out. Even disoriented pokemon will create chaos that we can¡¯t allow.¡± Lance nodded. ¡°Correct.¡± He then leaned forward. ¡°That is why Agatha will be the first person to go in to secure the critical points. She can slip through any gaps in the dark emission. I very much doubt they have all the angles covered. Not for a site this big. If not, there will be other methdos she can use,¡± he said elusively. Lance then waved a hand towards Koga. ¡°Koga will be working to take over the access site to deny any and all Team Rocket members from withdrawing any pokemon!¡± He then slashed his hand. ¡°We will form two main groups for this raid. I shall lead one, and Brock, I want you to be the centre of the other." I nodded, pleased that he was trusting me to hold one point. ¡°Lorelei will be holding down the fort here along with Gym Leader Clair. Sabrina and Bruno will be joining us to attack from the side once we have drawn enough of Team Rocket away from their base.¡± Sabrina inclined her head while Bruno merely grunted. Lance chopped his hand. ¡°This will be decisive and swift! Capture all that we can, as we have the facilities set up to deal with them." Koga and Agatha shared a look. ¡°When did this occur?¡± Agatha asked. ¡°It is something that I was able to create in the last month. The League, while slow, has not been idle." Lance said. He then nodded to the side. ¡°Lorelei has been working on creating specialised camps to hold any prisoners.¡± Lorelei puffed her chest out, and I had to shoot her a look of surprise. I hadn¡¯t heard anything about that being created, and interestingly enough, the same seemed true of Agatha and Koga. Agatha had a sour look on her face before it morphed into one of resignation. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t be told these things with my being on the way out now, can I?¡± Agatha asked. ¡°You¡¯ve got other duties,¡± Lance pointed out, only to shake his head. ¡°If anything, it is more an oversight on my part. I have not handed out tasks in the past to my Elite Four and instead ran everything. That will change going forward, I can¡¯t give you too many tasks but I will give you some to handle¡­ If my guess is right, your replacement will have similar capabilities as yourself, so they will be able to fill the same roles.¡± ¡°Hmpf!¡± Agatha said as though the very thought of her being replaced offended her. I suspected she was merely putting on a show, though. If what Lance had said was correct, he was paying a lot of attention to Karen, which would suit the Guardians¡¯ objective of inserting her as another Elite Four member. I gave the map another look, committing what we had to memory before the upcoming raid. Agatha walked up to me only to pause. ¡°Brock, we¡¯re going to use this moment to¡ª¡± ¡°Agatha!¡± called Lance disrupting whatever she¡¯d been about to say to me. He waved a hand and she scowled at him. ¡°I am not a Growlithe young man!¡± she said as she wandered up to him. Lance bowed his head and said something to her before indicating Koga. The trio all walked out and I went back to looking over the map before joining the group I¡¯d been assigned. Hopefully, I would have some good League agents to work with.
Agent Looker checked his watch before looking at me. ¡°Brock, it is time,¡± he said. I stood and waved a hand. Looker was ostensibly in charge of the group, but I could feel a lot of eyes on me as I moved to the front. As Lance had said, he and I were to act as the ¡®big threats¡¯ of the attacking force. Koga had already gone ahead of us. He had a list of sites that he was going to disable quietly, the chief of which would be a few dark emitters to allow Sabrina to enter. If she was able to get freedom of movement, we would have a lot more options. At least that¡¯s what we hoped would occur. It would depend on what Koga found in their system. I doubted things would go that smoothly. The academy itself was a large facility, and restricting Teleport would already be challenging despite the specialist Houndour and Growlithe that we had in our teams with Mean Look. It felt a little different to be storming a base rather than sneaking in. Perhaps it was the difference of working with a big organisaiton versus a small unit? I had to admit that so far I was biased towards small unit tactics, but that was only because I¡¯d succeeded with all of them, whereas moving as a large group of people felt so slow. I paused and glanced around for anyone wearing red shirts or uniforms that made me itch. I ended up pointing at two men. ¡°Hey, you two, I want you behind me when we move,¡± I said. They shared a look at each other as they moved over. ¡°Uhmm? Alright?¡± said one of them. ¡°Was this because I was being too loud? Sorry, I am just so proud of my newborn! She¡¯s adorable!¡± said the other. I nodded. ¡°Uhuh, and if you want to keep gushing over her, get your head on a swivel and start paying attention.¡± That made him shut up and start looking around, suddenly much more serious. ¡°Huh,¡± said the other man. ¡°Why¡¯d you call me out, if you mind me asking? Is it because I¡¯m an expert pokemon nurturer and will be vital?¡± he said puffing up. ¡°Hmmm, yeah, sure,¡± I said, mentally replacing ¡®expert¡¯ with ¡®target¡¯. Honestly, I¡¯d picked two people that stood out as waving death flags before the encounter. Looker glanced over at both men and shot me an inscrutable look. As we moved along, I noted how the part of the valley that we were moving through was starting to become pinched. I frowned at the walls of the valley, my mind itching with how this was a perfect point for¡ª ¡°Attack!¡± yelled a Team Rocket Grunt. I didn¡¯t hesitate to send Bertha, Sanchez, and Shin to one side, while Titan, Knight, and Jormungandr appeared on the other side of our group. Selene appeared next to me, with Zephyr and Don circling with a hoot. I held Gawain and Shrek in reserve just in case. The other trainers¡ªapart from Looker with a Weezing and an Arcanine appearing next to him¡ªwere much slower in reacting. The Rocket Grunts grinned down, and a wave of Koffings, Weezings, and Gravelers appeared. ¡°Crush Em!¡± ¡°Blow em away!¡± shouted a pair of voices from different sides of the valley. I knew what they were going for, and if anyone else had been in this position, it might have been deadly. The pokemon that surrounded us surged forward, just far enough to get their trainers out of the blast zone, and then they detonated. Explosions rang out, and a landslide started to hurtle towards us, causing a few of the trainers with me to shout in fear. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I snorted and waved my hand. ¡°Team, push it back!¡± I barked. Bertha and Titan both stepped forward on their respective sides of the valley, and suddenly the avalanche reversed course and went uphill to rumble over the top of the Rocket Grunts. ¡°Argh! That¡¯s not how physics works!¡± screamed one man before he was knocked over by the Rock Slide. I just huffed. ¡°What in Kanto were they thinking? Trying to bury a rock specialist?¡± Looker chuckled at that and directed a few men to capture the partially buried pokemon and people for processing. The Rockets looked relieved that we didn¡¯t leave them buried. They looked less pleased as they were frisked of their pokeballs and handcuffs were put around their wrists and ankles before they were left with a group of five G-men and their pokemon. ¡°Hmmm, good to see Lance thought this out enough to have you with us,¡± Looker said from my side as we marched along. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯m not too sure of that. He will have a tougher time of it if he¡¯s walking into the same¡ª¡± A flash of light heralded a rumbling boom. I sighed. ¡°Those were Hyper Beams, weren¡¯t they?¡± I asked rhetorically. Looker nodded only to chop his hand forward. ¡°We need to double time it! If Team Rocket didn¡¯t know about us, they sure know now! Move people!¡± We broke into a run at that, and soon a rumble broke out as my larger pokemon began to thunder along with us. A small squad of Rockets met us and pokemon were thrown out only for Looker to sweep his hand and the trainers around me to release their own. ¡°Selene! Stay tight for our defense!" I shouted as Zephyr landed to keep a sharp eye on any threats. A wave of pokemon charged at us, only for me to grin. ¡°Looker! Let Bertha take them out!¡± I shouted. ¡°Bertha! GO!¡± I shouted. Bertha, who¡¯d spent the whole run towards the base buffing herself up, leapt from one side of our group with her fist cocked back. Team Rocket had mere seconds to see her flying through the air, recognise the danger she posed, and scream orders before she slammed into the ground and caused an explosion of her own. The ground in front of her was thrown into upheaval, and the pokemon that had stood were suddenly tossed and hurled about, many of them slamming into each other as much as the ground. A few others clipped low flying or hovering pokemon, causing them to join the devastation. When the shaking stopped, a handful of pokemon remained glowering back at us, while the shaken Rocket Grunts stared back in horror. Only a few of them had been clever enough to get their pokemon out of danger with Telekinesis, Fly, Protect, Detect, or Endure. Where hundreds of pokemon had been storming moments ago, now perhaps thirty stood against us. Looker was quick to capitalise on the shock Team Rocket was caught in as they stared at Bertha. ¡°Attack!¡± he ordered. Growlithe, Arcanine, Machoke, Houndour, and even a Haunter surged forward to take out the remaining pokemon. ¡°Fall back to the base!¡± screamed one man, only for a man wearing a half mask to appear at his side and chop him in the throat. ¡°Belay that order! Fight to the last! We¡¯re going to make them pay!¡± he said before tossing out a large bag of pokeballs. ¡°Take more from the bag and get back in the fight!¡± he ordered. ¡°Vice-principal Carl!¡± the Grunts responded, throwing themselves at the bag and ripping out handfuls of pokeballs that they quickly released the pokemon from. I glowered even as Bertha snorted and rose from her crouched position. The battlefield was well and truly torn up now, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to get off another Fissure or One Hit K.O move like normal. I¡¯d need to do this the hard way. ¡°Go Team! Take them out!¡± shouted the now named Executive/Vice-principal Carl. He tossed out a team of pokemon to reveal three Houndoom, a Magcargo, a Piloswine, and a Muk. ¡°Layer the field!¡± he shouted. His Muk exuded a noxious gas and was quickly supported by any other poison types Team Rocket had. The gas began blowing towards us, and I knew I had to stop that straight away. ¡°Flying types! Blow that away! NOW!¡± I shouted. I then matched orders with actions, having Don and Zephyr both move forward and start flapping their wings to unleash a gale force wind that blew away the gas. The cloud of gas served to hide the increased light coming over Team Rocket as the Sunny Day¡¯s Carl had called for were revealed. On our side the fire types stood tall, absorbing the empowering effects. I noted a cluster of grass types lurking, even as my pokemon stepped forward. ¡°Step back and let fire fight fire!¡± I shouted to my team, not willing to let them step into the trap that was being set up. I could see Carl wasn¡¯t pleased by this turn of events. I held in a smirk as Looker directed his team¡¯s Arcanine and Houndour forward. ¡°Inferno!¡± Both sides roared. From the maws of fire-types, a conflagration erupted. Around me, many trainers and policemen stepped back, shocked by the sudden heat that erupted from the pokemon. I barely batted an eye. This was nothing compared to the fires that could suddenly appear if you were facing a Moltres. That didn¡¯t mean I or my pokemon were idle however. They glanced in my direction as I sent out a connection to them through my aura. I wouldn¡¯t be able to shout an order that would reach them due to their positions and the flames, but I could project an idea. My pokemon nodded, then as one, dove into the fractured ground, vanishing from view. This left only only a handful of pokemon on either flank. A few seconds later, the flames died away to reveal Solar Beams arcing towards where my pokemon had been. Instead of slamming into unsuspecting rock types, they instead sailed on without hitting anything or anyone. Behind me, the man who had just had a child exhaled in relief. I suspect he¡¯d been originally ordered to stand at one of those points. Carl swore when he saw the moves had missed, and it took him seconds of sweeping his gaze over our battle line to not see my pokemon anywhere. He was quick to realise what that meant. ¡°They¡¯re¡ª¡± That didn¡¯t mean he was quick enough. From beneath the feet of each Houndoom, Magcargo, Piloswine, or other powerful pokemon, one of my pokemon emerged and smashed into Team Rocket''s pokemon. Titan, Knight, Hypnotoad, Shrek, and Jormungandr erupted straight after into powerful Dark Pulses, or Darkest Lariats that further sowed chaos into our foes line. Better yet, I knew that, thanks to their efforts, Teleport wouldn¡¯t be an option for them. Carl snarled something, and his pokemon struggled back onto their feet. I crossed my arms and slashed them outwards. ¡°GO!¡± I bellowed, not committing to a serious fight but instead making my pokemon cause as much damage as they could. Titan threw himself into a Giga Impact that saw him hurtling through and stomping pokemon out of his way as he cut a line straight through the battlefield. Don, Tide, and Jormungandr unleashed their own Hyper Beams and Team Rocket was once more blown away with a sudden eruption of power that they couldn¡¯t match. ¡°Advance!¡± Looker shouted, and more and more police pokemon leapt into the fray, knocking out Team Rocket pokemon and Grunts. Carl was forced to retreat further and further. When a certain glint entered his gaze, I turned my head. ¡°Selene, go,¡± I said casually to my Lunatone, who¡¯d been hovering next to me. Selene vanished in a flash of light, only to appear behind the lines of Team Rocket. Carl whirled about in surprise at the flash behind him, only to stagger as Selene glowed and the few remaining Rocket Members that were fighting were lifted off their feet. Carl did something, and a flash of dark energy erupted from him, causing him to fall to the ground. He fell awkwardly but didn¡¯t seem bothered. Instead, he raised a radio to his lips. ¡°Take Down!¡± Looker bellowed, and suddenly a trio of Arcanine were sprinting at Carl. One slid low, knocking him off his feet, while another swept past him, knocking the radio out of his hands. The last shoulder charged Carl and bore him to the ground, where it lay on him panting. ¡°Lock him down with Crunch!¡± Looker said and for a moment I was worried, but then the Arcnine merely wrapped a dark empowered set of teeth around Carl¡¯s shoulder. They weren¡¯t biting him, but they could. It would also stop any further movement from the man. Seeing this, the few remaining holdouts in the Team Rocket camp threw up their hands. ¡°We surrender!¡± they shouted. Looker cast his gaze over the battlefield. ¡°Return your pokemon and lay them on the ground! Then lay on the ground with your hands out!¡± Around the area, this instruction was repeated with police officers advancing; in one hand, a pokeball was raised while the other held handcuffs. Machoke and other pokemon moved in. I was interested to see Haunter zipping past a number of Rocket Grunts that looking around slyly. The pokeballs they put in front of themselves were quickly revealed to be Voltorb in disguise and these Grunts received special attention from the Machoke. ¡°Good pokemon to have, that Haunter,¡± I said, nodding as it swept past a few more Team Rockets, clearing them of any traps without endangering other pokemon or Police officers. Looker merely nodded, but the Haunter itself must have heard me as it glanced in my direction only to stiffen. I blinked and eyed it. It looked familiar. ¡°Wait! I recognise you!¡± I said, narrowing my eyes. The Haunter started backpedaling. ¡°You¡¯re Jenny¡¯s Haunter!¡± I said as I remembered where I¡¯d seen this pokemon. I glanced around. I¡¯d seen a lot of other Jennys standing around but I hadn¡¯t seen Pewter¡¯s Officer Jenny. It was probably a case of not seeing the tree due to the forest or something, but now she stood out as she stepped forward with a pleased expression. ¡°Reporting in!¡± she said, offering me a salute. I gave her a nod. ¡°Hey you! Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± I asked. She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not so easy to approach you when you¡¯re just casually hanging out with Lance, Agatha, Koga, Bruno, and the other bigwigs, you know?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°They¡¯re just people, though?¡± Jenny rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, sure, but that¡¯s because you¡¯re just as crazy as them!¡± she said. She gestured to herself. ¡°If I just walked up, people would think I was brown nosing!¡± I shrugged. ¡°Eh, just tell them we¡¯re friends.¡± Jenny blinked and stared at me, having obviously not considered that herself. She coughed and shook her head at me. ¡°Well, maybe! But you didn¡¯t say anything to me either!¡± I considered pointing out that I hadn¡¯t picked her out, given how she¡¯d been standing with her cousins and aunties. I frowned and looked around as an idle thought came to me. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I was a bit caught up in how many people there were.¡± I started counting. In our group alone, there were eleven Jennys that I could see. I looked back and noticed that my counting had not gone unseen. Jenny gave me a dubious look. ¡°What are you doing?¡± "Nothing; I¡¯m just realising that this is the most police I¡¯ve seen together. I hadn¡¯t really stopped to consider it before but with the two big groups plus those that will be helping out with processing¡­ this is a pretty big operation, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said. ¡°One of the biggest!¡± Jenny said happily. Next to me, Looker snorted. Jenny and I glanced at him, and he smirked. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just that this is bigger than you realise.¡± We both gave him expectant looks at that, but he waved a hand. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t say anything right now, but in a few hours we should be free to discuss it.¡± He inclined his head toward the awaiting facility that was built into the valley wall. ¡°For now, we need to secure the base. Officer Jenny, have Haunter scout ahead; if possible, link up with Agatha and then clear us a route to the servers and dark emitters!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Jenny said, saluting. Haunter, who was still eyeing me, copied her before zipping away to complete its task. Looker glanced around, pleased at what he was seeing, only to pause. ¡°Where¡¯d Vice-principal Carl go?!¡± he said. I stiffened in surprise as my gaze swept around the area. I¡¯d thought him locked down, but it seemed that he had more tricks up his sleeve. Around us, cuffed Rocket Grunts also perked up and looked around. A few glowered, instead of looking pleased at their Executive¡¯s escape. I sidled over and caught a pair of Rockets whispering to each other. ¡°Damn it! That¡¯s just like Carl! I bet him and Principal Sham have disguised themselves and run off like usual! This is just another day of training for them!¡± I frowned. ¡°They¡¯re skilled at disguise?¡± I said. The pair of Rocket¡¯s twitched in fear, only to glance up, noticing how close I¡¯d gotten. They swallowed and shared a look with each other. ¡°Uhm shit, what are we supposed to do now?¡± said one. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I still haven¡¯t completed the course on what to do when captured!¡± said the other. I chuckled and knelt down. ¡°Oh that¡¯s easy; this is where you throw your boss under the stampeding Tauros,¡± I said. ¡°Honestly, its standard practise in police actions like this. We let go of little fish like yourselves all the time for the chance to snag a big fish.¡± I smiled winningly and winked. ¡°Standard business for cases like this,¡± I said. The Rocket trainees seemed to consider this before nodding. ¡°Principal Sham and Carl are both masters of disguise. They train us in how to slip into places without raising alarms, or in some cases, get out without raising suspicion. They¡¯re both masters, and they run drills like this and demonstrate how to get out without anyone noticing.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± said a voice from behind me. I twitched and glanced behind me. I hadn¡¯t heard Looker approach, but his gaze had turned from the pair of trainees to those around him. He rubbed his chin for a moment before nodding to himself. ¡°Looker?¡± I called, only for him to wave a hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Brock. I¡¯m just going to have to accept that Vice Principal Carl got the best of me with how slippery he was,¡± he said over his shoulder. I sighed and stood. ¡°Uhmmm, about that offer?¡± said the trainee as I began to move away. I glanced back and nodded. ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ll put in a good word for you,¡± I said, deciding to give them something, despite how unhelpful their information had been. I got their names and had them given a spot to the side of their fellow trainees. They received a lot of glares, which had them leaning away from their companions. I looked around and found Looker walking through the other cuffed Rockets, sharing some words with trainers and police officers that were corralling the Rockets into orderly groups that could be supervised as Officer Jenny awaited word from her Haunter. I started looking around the valley itself. There didn¡¯t seem to be anywhere that Carl could have gotten away from running or flight. Which left¡­ ¡°Bertha, Titan, I need you to Dig and check that someone hasn¡¯t burrowed down to escape,¡± I said. Looker paused, hearing this order, and shot me a nod of appreciation. Both pokemon threw themselves into the ground, and everyone held their breath. A few moments later, Titan and Bertha both emerged, only to shake their heads. I clicked my tongue. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said while scratching my head. How had Carl gotten past us? ¡°That was a good idea Gym Leader Brock. Vice Principal Carl could have escaped that way,¡± Looker said, walking up and checking a Rocket¡¯s cuffs before nodding at the man overseeing the collection of pokeballs. ¡°Yeah, but he didn''t, so we¡¯re left scratching our heads.¡± I sighed and shook my head. ¡°I just can¡¯t see how he escaped.¡± Looker chuckled, and I shot him a confused look. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°Oh, just that you¡¯re so young. You have a good mind for this, but you have to understand. Carl hasn¡¯t gotten away yet,¡± he said pointedly. Before I could question him on this, Looker lashed out with his hand and chopped the police officer that had been collecting the downed Rocket¡¯s pokeballs in the throat. The man gasped in shock, making to throw out a pokeball to protect himself, only for Looker to kick the other man¡¯s feet out from underneath him. As he fell Looker grabbed him by the arm and twisted it so that he fell into the ground and was held with his arm held behind his back. Looker knelt on him. People stirred in shock, and one man even pointed his pokemon toward Looker, only for a gasp to rip through everyone as the man on the ground turned his head to shoot Looker a hateful glare. Everyone stared at Vice-Principal Carl as he glared over his shoulder at Looker. "How?" snarled Carl. ¡°How did you know to keep looking for me?¡± Looker snorted. ¡°Please! It was elementary to realise that if you couldn¡¯t escape, you had to still be amongst us!¡± Around me, a few policemen slapped their foreheads as they grasped the truth of what Looker was saying. ¡°My disguise though!? It was perfect!¡± said Carl. ¡°To some, perhaps,¡± Looker said, only to signal for another to move in and cuff Carl. ¡°Keep a very close eye on him. Don¡¯t give him a moment alone; that means even toilet breaks. Constant supervision,¡± he said. A pair of Machoke lifted Carl to march him off with a pair of police officers of his own. ¡°Wait! No! You have to tell me what was wrong with my disguise!¡± said Carl plaintively. Looker laughed. ¡°I really don¡¯t!¡± he said. I chuckled at Carl¡¯s shocked expression and then moved to join the others as Haunter returned with a Gengar. A thumbs up from both pokemon saw Looker signalling for the next part of the academy raid to begin. Before that, I stepped up to Looker. ¡°Mind sating my curiosity?¡± I asked quietly. Looker smirked. ¡°You could say I¡¯m something of a disguise artist myself, and I can recognise another working their craft,¡± he said, and I felt a memory stir about another Looker in the anime. He¡¯d been almost equal to some of Jessie and James¡¯ disguises, hadn¡¯t he? Huh, I thought to myself as I watched him direct how the next phase of the raid would proceed. He was probably understating his skills, if anything. I released Gawain and called Shin, Hypnotoad, and Shrek to move with us as we moved into the building. Chapter 164 - Classroom chaos Gengar and Haunter led us into the building, with Gawain and Hypnotoad following behind them. Outside, the building had blended in with the valley wall, with a few sparse windows that initially looked like cave entrances. From closer up, I could see that they were large sunlights that allowed light to filter down into a much larger structure. Much to my, and the others'' surprise, even with Sabrina¡¯s map, we didn¡¯t instantly walk into a building, however. Instead, we walked into a long hallway of narrow, uncovered tunnels that caused us to walk single file. I instantly didn¡¯t like it. It was like walking through a trench, only the trench was too deep to allow you to peer out of. It was, in fact, a chokepoint. ¡°Shrek, hop up there,¡± I said, jerking my head upwards. Gengar noticed the order and turned. ¡°Geng, gen, gaaaaar!¡± he said mockingly. I frowned and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow." Jenny stepped up. ¡°I think Gengar is saying that he¡¯s already cleared out the Team Rocket members that would have held this chokepoint.¡± Jenny¡¯s announcement of what we were walking through caused a few of the police officers to stiffen. They quickly threw some pokeballs up onto the upper level. A few Machoke got on their knees and tried to lift up their trainers, only for the gap to be too tall. I hummed and started looking along the tunnel walls. The open tunnel was a trick I¡¯d heard Surge mention once about allowing defenders to have the high ground while limiting the flow of attackers. According to him, there would be hidden ladders in the walls that would allow defenders to reach the upper level, where they could launch attacks. ¡°Check the walls for inbuilt ladders!¡± I called, moving further along. After twenty metres, I found a door embedded in the wall that I couldn¡¯t open from my side. ¡°Get one of the Machoke¡ª¡± I started to say, only for the door to click and open to reveal the pleased face of Gengar. He waved me on, and I followed up a circular staircase that allowed me to walk out onto the raised level overlooking the entry tunnel. I found a number of snoring Rocket Grunts lying to the side where Gengar lounged, floating in the air with feigned nonchalance. ¡°Done this before, have you?¡± I asked, eying the ghost. Gengar pointed at me like I¡¯d won a prize, and I could only nod. For all that Surge had told me about these sites, I had no doubt Agatha and her pokemon had actually done this¡­ probably a lot, considering how useful she and her team would be at phasing through walls. I glanced around and realised just how much open space there was in this cavern. The building itself was a few hundred metres back from the valley wall and where beams of light shone down a number of gardens had been set up. The building itself was modern in every sense. It had bright lights all around it that made it as bright as walking around under the sun for what looked like a multistory school complex. Large antennas extended up from the roof of the school into the cavern with support pillars rising up in certain areas to hold the overhead structure. It was a phenomenal work of engineering. I had to shake my head and wonder how Team Rocket had managed to get all the work done on it. Was there a secret evil building corporation they could contract with for this sort of work? It was an impressive setup and more than I had been expecting. ¡°All of this for a school to teach criminals out of?¡± I said with a shake of my head. Jenny sighed. ¡°The lengths that criminals will go to so that they can have an edge¡­¡± she shook her head as she cuffed the hypnotised Rocket Grunts. A rumble from outside caused me to frown as a section of wall on the far side crumbled. I watched the rocks tumble down, only for them to suddenly glow and shift to the side. A giant Onix appeared, and it stared at us as we in turn looked back. Then it roared, causing a number of the G-men to shift and bark orders for their pokemon to get ready to fight. I scowled at the pokemon that was revealed. ¡°Hold your pokemon back,¡± I called. ¡°That¡¯s Bruno¡¯s Onix,¡± I said, recognising it from matches I¡¯d observed on Battlecast. Sure enough, the Onix drew back and Bruno appeared a moment later, followed by a floating Sabrina who was scowling at Bruno. Bruno didn¡¯t seem to care as he merely walked on. Sabrina swept her gaze over our group and locked onto me. She lowered herself into a walk as the rocks that Onix had knocked from the wall rose and wedged themselves further into the wall. I glanced at it. ¡°Good to see you; that was a strong entrance,¡± I said grinning only to falter as Sabrina gave me the flattest expression I¡¯d ever seen. Sabrina stared at me like a woman who was just so done with today. ¡°You alright?¡± I asked. Sabrina just shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Her eyes flickered towards Bruno before coming back to me. She rubbed at her temple. ¡°We were delayed in our entry due to Lance¡¯s group losing track of the Executives and some of the Grunts that attacked his group. They were disguise specialists, and Lance wasn¡¯t sure how to proceed, so he called me in to find the woman and her lackeys.¡± ¡°She was hiding as one of the G-men?¡± I said leadingly. ¡°No,¡± she said, giving me a confused look. ¡°She had burrowed into the ground and was escaping with a pokemon that knew how to Dig. She was close to getting out and Teleporting when I intercepted her.¡± Sabrina tilted her head and inspected me. ¡°Is that what happened to your group?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, but Looker is something of a savant when it comes to disguises,\; plucked him right out of the crowd.¡± Sabrina frowned and a lightbulb seemed to go off as she perked up. ¡°I had best go and secure him then, there were a number of devices that we found on Executive Sham that would allow her to break captivity.¡± She pecked me on the cheek and then marched away quickly. ¡°Good luck with Bruno,¡± she said over her shoulder. I blinked as she hurried away quickly. What was that about? ¡°Alright! Attack!¡± Bruno said, causing me to snap my head around, realising that Bruno had moved past me to the front of the group and was now pointing straight at the underground building. ¡°Hey, wait what?!¡± I said. We needed to clear the field first and check for traps first! Bruno ignored me. ¡°You all heard me! Let¡¯s go! Follow my lead!¡± He popped a few pokeballs and a pair of pokemon were revealed. ¡°Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, get in there and start busting skulls! The faster we get this done, the faster we can get back to training!¡± he barked. The pokemon sprinted away and I could only gape as they jumped through a window instead of the main entrance. The sound of fighting soon broke out. ¡°Woah! Bruno! What are you doing?¡± I said, inserting myself in front of him and putting my hands up to block him. When he kept walking I dug my heels in and glowered at him. ¡°We need to secure this site, not destroy it!¡± I growled. ¡°Koga and Agatha can handle that; I¡¯ll take out the threats,¡± he said. ¡°If you destroy the building, that won¡¯t help! Team Rocket are notorious for trapping their buildings! We need to be smart about this!¡± I said just as an explosion went off in the room Hitmonchan had leapt through. ¡°It won¡¯t break from a few lovetaps.¡± Bruno cracked his neck right and left. ¡°It might draw out any other strong trainers, though.¡± He seemed all too interested in this line of thought. It did, however, cause him to stop pushing against me, so that was good. I relaxed a little and ran through what he¡¯d said. It somewhat made sense, even if it was only barely logical. ¡°Well¡­¡± I said trying to conjure up an argument that would appeal to him. ¡°You should probably stay out here with a few people then! Chances are a strong trainer will come to pinch us off here! You need to stay here and¡­¡± I searched for the right words. ¡°Be a threat they can¡¯t ignore!¡± I said aloud while mentally designating him as securing the line of evacuation if things turned ugly. ¡°Hmmmmmm,¡± he said, rubbing his chin in thought. He nodded slowly and then unclipped two more pokemon. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to think about that¡­ Machamp! Heracross! Get in there!¡± he shouted. I whirled around but could only watch as the pair of pokemon charged across the open ground without setting anything off. ¡°Bruno! We have a guide pokemon to get us past some of the traps! You don¡¯t need to do that!¡± I said, indicating the Gengar lying to the side. It waved lazily and turned back to watching Machamp and Heracross. The Machamp leapt through another window while the Heracross went to the rooftops where a fight started to break out. I felt a throbbing build in my head. Was this what Sabrina had been forced to deal with for the last¡­ it couldn¡¯t have been longer than half an hour, surely? I¡¯d been with Bruno for no more than two minutes and he was already causing me a headache. ¡°Shit! They found us! Launch the ordinance!¡± shouted a voice on the roof. Everyone in our group snapped their heads up as a wave of pokeballs were launched with a ¡®choom¡¯ into the air. They released Graveler, Weezing, Electrode, and other pokemon that I could recognise as all being capable of using Explosion or similar moves. ¡°BRACE! Pokemon out and knock them back!¡± I shouted releasing the pokemon I¡¯d withdrawn into their pokeballs once more. The air suddenly filled with rocks that acted like anti-air. Bruno grinned and released his own team. ¡°Knock ¡®em flat! Hoo hah!¡± he said. He then raised his hands wide as though he was welcoming the wave of pokemon arcing towards us. His pokemon roared along with him and unleashed their own barrage. Most of the Pokemon fell short, while others, capable of hovering, proceeded to slowly drift down towards us. Others hit the ground and rolled. Some of them began to glow as they did so. The threat of them exploding in our midst caused warning sirens to ring out through my mind. Selene moved before me and glowed, causing a huge sweep of psychic energy to radiate out of her and push back the falling pokemon. Some detonated early and a wave of force washed over us. A number of people stumbled and fell back, but none were harmed, with the explosive pokemon never getting close to us. Bruno laughed. ¡°Ha! That was great!¡± He cupped his hands around his mouth. ¡°Got any more?¡± he shouted to the rooftop Rocket Grunts. I, and a good number of the rather frazzled-looking G-men, glared at Bruno. When Team Rocket launched another barrage, the glares intensified. Bruno just laughed. I stepped back and took in the situation. The rooftops of the academy all played host to a team of Rockets that were firing what looked like mortars with pokeballs up into the air. I wasn¡¯t sure how much ¡®ammunition¡¯ they had, but I didn¡¯t want to allow them to keep arcing exploding pokemon at us. I pointed to a few G-men. ¡°Circle some pokemon around and get them up on the roof to join Bruno¡¯s Heracross! We need those mortars taken out!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± said the pair. I scowled. If I hadn¡¯t left Zephyr and Don outside, I might have had the perfect pair of pokemon to take out the bunkers. Instead, I had to delegate and endure the wave of pokemon that were being launched at us. Inspecting the actual threat made me realise we¡¯d been fortunate to not have advanced closer to the academy when we emerged from the tunnel. If we had, we¡¯d have been in the firing range of the mortars. Bruno, for all that he¡¯d leapt without considering or conferring on how we should approach this, had triggered a rather dangerous trap before anyone could truly be threatened by it. Another rumble behind me had me looking back to see Lance knocking his own entrance into the side of the valley to lead his group in. He made sure to take a moment to stop with the light behind him. ¡°Having some trouble, Gym Leader?¡¯ he said as his cape flapped around him grandly. I huffed. ¡°Stop posing and get in here. Bruno¡¯s forcing Team Rocket to up their game, and we need the firing teams on top of the Academy taken out.¡± Lance inspected the issue, ignoring how various pokemon from Team Rocket were being piled up as they exploded and knocked themselves out. I grimaced, knowing that the callous use of explosive pokemon in this fashion would see many of them not getting back up. Ever. The knocked-out pokemon were being blown around by subsequent explosions too much. Lance took all of this in, and his expression shifted to one of scorn. ¡°Blasted Team Rocket! G-men! Let¡¯s move!¡± he said, tossing out a Salamance that he hopped on as other dragon pokemon flew in behind him, quickly followed by the rest of his strike team. Lance soared through the air, and his pokemon descended on the now helpless group of Rockets. Shouts of surrender quickly followed, with Lance stepping up to the edge and waving at us. ¡°It¡¯s safe to proceed!¡± he announced. A few people started to do just that, and I raised a hand. ¡°We should check for more traps!¡± I shouted back. Lance nodded slowly, and a group of Growlithe and Houndour were quickly sent forward to sniff out a safe path. The precaution turned out to be unneeded, as Team Rocket hadn¡¯t trapped a potential walkway. The lack of traps didn¡¯t have me relaxing. Instead, it had me searching the walls as we entered the Academy building proper. Gengar walked along in front of me, a huge grin stretching his face as he did so, his hands laced behind his head¡ªthe perfect picture of a pokemon without a care in the world. He led us past empty lecture halls and rooms full of computers that I could only imagine the uses for. It still boggled the mind that Team Rocket had such a building. It was grandiose in every sense of the word and easily matched up to Pokemon Technical or some of the universities that I had walked through in terms of scale. ¡°Crime pays a little too well, I think,¡± I said aloud. Gengar paused suddenly when a door that he¡¯d been about to float past opened of its own volition. ¡°Hyp¡­.no,¡± whispered a pokemon. A moment later, a crowd of Hypno slowly stepped out of the room. They moved slowly, and their hands twitched. When they sighted us, their noses twitched, and they began to raise their hands, medallions starting to swing. Officer Jenny hissed. ¡°Oh Arceus no! I¡¯ve seen how this ends!¡± she hurled out her Arcanine and pointed straight ahead. ¡°Blast them!!!¡± she shouted. From her Haunter a Shadow ball was formed and unleashed while Arcanine let loose a Fire Blast that slammed into the Hypno. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The Hypno, for their part, each tried to raise a Barrier, only for the Shadow Ball to tear through it with the Fire Blast following in its wake. The Hypno were blown back and off their feet. Jenny punched her fist forward. ¡°Haunter! Hypnosis! Do not let them use those medallions! Gengar! Stop lazing about and get to work, or I¡¯ll have you back in basic!¡± she roared. Gengar twitched and raised its hands, only to pause and frown. It gave Jenny a surprised look before it smirked and did as she asked. I inclined my head towards Gawain and Selene. ¡°You know, they would have taken them out before we were threatened, right?¡± Jenny shuddered. ¡°Just! A group of Hypno like that in a dark corridor¡­¡± she clenched her fists a few times. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s some nightmare fuel!¡± Behind Jenny, a few other G-men agents who were women nodded in solidarity. Jenny shook her head. ¡°My therapist is going to hear about this!¡± ¡°You see a therapist?¡± One of the men behind us asked. I turned and shot him a look and he blanched. ¡°I mean! Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with that! I guess?¡± I grunted and turned back. ¡°Good for you, taking care of yourself,¡± I said. Jenny shot me an amused look. ¡°Being a policewoman can be rough.¡± I raised my hands. ¡°Hey, no judgement!¡± She rolled her eyes and waved for us to move forward when Gengar indicated he¡¯d gotten all of the Hypno asleep. Behind us I heard something that sounded like a grunt of pain, but when I looked back a number of the women were sporting innocent expressions while the man that had spoken up was nursing his stomach. He shot me a thumbs up and I decided I didn¡¯t need to poke my nose into whatever that had been just now. Jenny paused when she drew level with the asleep Hypno. ¡°Urgh, they¡¯re starved.¡± I nodded, noting how you could see their ribs. A sure sign of poor nutrition, especially with a pokemon that usually had a rather thick coat that obscured their bodies. ¡°Team Rocket probably uses food to keep them in line,¡± I said. Jenny growled and stomped her foot. She quickly opened the door to a room that had a number of chairs set up to look at an array of television screens. She reached in and flicked a switch. The lights came on, but so did the televisions. ¡°Welcome to Rocket Induction. You are Rocket¡­ or you will be!¡± said a dashingly handsome man. On the screen, a woman joined the man and smiled winningly at the viewer. ¡°You should hope so anyway! If you prove you have what it takes to become Rocket you will be joining a special group!¡± I stared, unable to tear my eyes away from this¡­ recruitment video? Jenny huffed and moved about the room, opening cupboards and drawers, looking for something. The man on the screen grinned. ¡°Few people know this about us, but we¡¯re very discerning about who we recruit! Over the next few days, you will undergo¡ª¡± Jenny flicked the switch back off, causing the television to switch off as we retreated out of the room. I worked my jaw back and forth. ¡°That was a room for indoctrination¡­ wasn¡¯t it?¡± I said. Jenny just nodded. She held up a few pokeballs that she must have picked up in the room. She pointed them at the various Hypno and returned them while pocketing them. I raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. ¡°If we left them out¡­ they might wake up and see the other passed-out Hypno as tempting meals¡­ especially if they know Dream Eater.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said, before waving a hand so that our group could continue moving forward. Our earlier fight must have caused some noise, because as we advanced we ran across a group of Team Rocket Grunts. ¡°Shit! It¡¯s the po-po!¡± shouted one before hurling out a Raticate. The Raticate landed and glared, only to stiffen as the pokemon we already had out smirked at it. Raticate turned and bared its fangs at its owner. The Rocket Grunt blinked and glanced around only to realise everyone else in his group had turned and run off. He joined them, with Raticate quickly following. ¡°After them!¡± shouted one of the G-men, only for me to reach out and snatch him back. ¡°Nope! Not yet! Secure the main targets first!¡± I said. I did not want more people running off getting caught in traps. No splitting the party. No way, no how. Gengar quickly led us to the data servers, where Agatha appeared with a cackle. ¡°It took you long enough!¡± she crowed as some of our group twitched. Gengar stepped up and offered her a mocking salute. Agatha gave her pokemon an amused look. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± she asked. Gengar pointed to Jenny who stiffened at the sudden attention she was given. Agatha gave Jenny a once over before grunting. ¡°A modicum of talent I suppose.¡± she sniffed. ¡°Worth nothing without some work, though!¡± She waved a hand. ¡°Well, with you here, Brock I think I shall as they say these days, go for a walk.¡± She then strode straight through a wall before I could ask her to take the other G-men with her. I sighed. That was rather typical for Agatha, I supposed. I waved a hand at the others who had followed along with me. ¡°Let¡¯s secure the room. Make sure no one gets in.¡± The G-men quickly guarded the entrances with their pokemon. Mine stalked through the server banks, Selene hovering over them with a looping orbit that saw the room under an impressive amount of surveillance. Jenny patrolled sternly with her Haunter following along with exaggerated arm pumps, as though it was a clown following around a straight man in a comedy routine. I snorted, and the Haunter shot me a pleased look. Jenny just rolled her eyes, apparently used to her pokemon¡¯s antics. I got the feeling she was patrolling part from nervous energy, and part of doing so made her pokemon follow her to play around, thus keeping it out of mischief. I leaned against the wall and considered whether I should move off to anywhere else. Koga would have the electrical grid locked down, and all we needed from there was the security complex itself, which would allow Sabrina and other pokemon to Teleport around at will. Would I be better served anywhere else? I played with that idea a bit more as I decided to walk around the room. I found a pair of G-men staring at a computer console embedded in a wall. ¡°Is it worth pissing off the higher-ups?¡± said one man. ¡°I took some courses on data security! This model doesn¡¯t have a lock after too many attempts! We can just have a few tries!¡± said the woman emphatically. I stepped up. ¡°Something you found?¡± I asked, eying the strangely familiar computer setup. Why did it look like¡­ a Pokemon storage system from the games? I blinked, realising that was what it was. I frowned. How had I missed this when I¡¯d checked the room over earlier? The woman coughed into her fist. ¡°Charles here found a hidden compartment in the wall and pulled it aside to find this computer. I recognise the software that the security system is using and was considering having a few attempts at common passwords to see if we could get in¡­¡± She licked her lips. ¡°If¡­ that¡¯s alright with you, sir?¡± I chuckled and waved her off. "Technically, I¡¯m just here as muscle and Looker is in charge of our group¡­ but I have to admit to being curious as to what¡¯s on this computer.¡± I suspected I knew without actually seeing it, but I wanted to confirm it. The woman turned and tapped something out, and the man groaned. ¡°Really? Password?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most common,¡± said the woman firmly as the password was rejected. ¡°Hmmm what about Password but only one s?¡± she said trialing a few combinations. I chuckled when she shifted to typing admin, Rocket, and other common phrases. I coughed into my fist. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to look under the keyboard for any sticky notes,¡± I said, offering up my own two cents. The woman smiled and did so, only to scowl when she pulled out a sticky note with a sequence of numbers and letters on it. We all stared at it. The woman dutifully tapped out the rather long string of letters and numbers, and when she was sure she had it, she hit enter. A successful chime heralded the software opening up. Instead of a user interface, a series of pokeboxes presented themselves in the traditional storage system layout. I huffed and noted that the entire box was full of pokemon. I could see Rattata, Ekans, Pikachu, Machop, Geodude, Graveler, and more. I glanced up at the tabs, which indicated how many storage boxes there were. Out of instinct, I turned and counted out the number of server banks in the room. There were easily fifty and the number of boxes was much higher than that. The woman started flicking through them. ¡°Damn, this is a lot of pokemon,¡± she said as each box held pokemon from across the Indigo region. She kept flicking, and I was surprised when rarer pokemon were shown with Ivysaur and Golduck, along with what had to be Feraligatr in one box only for another box to house what appeared to be an entire cluster of Voltorb and Electrode. ¡°If these are all people¡¯s pokemon¡­ we¡¯re going to return so many of them,¡± said the woman, continuing to flick through the boxes with quicker and quicker speed. ¡°Hey wait! Go back!¡± said the man just as I was about to leave them to their business. ¡°What was that?¡± he asked. The woman stopped clicking the mouse and instead moved back in the boxes only for a box full of water type pokemon to reveal itself. I frowned as one pokemon stood out. ¡°Who¡¯s that pokemon?¡± said the man, tapping on the small, pixelated form of a small shark-like pokemon. I inhaled sharply as I recognised exactly what pokemon that was and what its appearance in the storage boxes meant. Team Rocket had to have very strong links with Sinnoh to have access to a Gible. A window of information appeared with a much more detailed picture of the pokemon. ¡°Don¡¯t do that! The screen is touch!¡± snapped the woman but she leaned in to read what had been revealed. ¡°Gible? I¡¯ve never heard of that pokemon before¡­¡± she muttered. I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a pokemon from a different region¡­ I¡¯ve encountered texts about it before¡­ It¡¯s from a place called Sinnoh, which we lost contact with.¡± The woman looked interested in what I was saying, but the man was eying the Gible. ¡°Look at this! They¡¯ve even got information on who they stole it from? This one was a wild capture from a nest? Damn Team Rocket that¡¯s cold! This is a baby pokemon¡± he said, tapping on another pokemon next to Gible and a Tentacruel was revealed. ¡°Stolen from Mark Jnr¡­ two years ago?¡± he murmured. ¡°Hey! Go back to the other pokemon!¡± snapped the woman, tapping on the screen. ¡°I wasn¡¯t done reading that!¡± said the man, tapping back, only for his hand to be slapped away. Because of this, his hand hit another button to the side as Gible¡¯s information was brought up. Another prompt came up. Withdrawing pokemon. A noise whirred as, behind us, one of the server banks whirred to life. ¡°Shit!¡± what did you do?¡± wailed the woman, tapping on the screen to stop it only for the man to get in her way. ¡°Stop!¡± I barked, making them freeze. ¡°Just let it play out, and we can see what happens. Smashing our faces on the keyboard won¡¯t help,¡± I said firmly. The pair nodded contritely. I ignored the woman as she jammed an elbow into the man¡¯s ribs. Next to the computer, a chute appeared with a raised receptacle. A noise like a ball rolling came from the chute, and a moment later, an ultra ball appeared. ¡°Huh, it deposits the pokem¡ª¡± was all I got to say before the ball popped open and a small pokemon appeared. It tottered from side to side as though dizzy before sneezing, causing itself to fall onto its back where it tottered on its back before rolling around. ¡°Daaaaw!¡± It¡¯s ador¡ª¡± was as far as the woman got before the Gible smiled at her, revealing its sharklike teeth. ¡°Gib?¡± said the little pokemon with a tilt of its body. The woman froze, while the man screamed in surprise. Gible stiffened at the sudden noise and then turned and sprinted away. Gible wove its way through the server banks, dodging as people sprinted to find out what was going on, causing more noise and further frightening the tiny pokemon. It made for the door only to be denied by a Machoke. It turned and threw itself into a small space at the bottom of one of the servers where it made tiny growling noises. I stood, listening to people shout orders and suggestions. I clapped my hands together once and silenced everyone. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s calm down. Gible is a rare pokemon from another region but it¡¯s just come to, in less than ideal circumstances. Give it some room!¡± I said moving towards where everyone had gathered. ¡°Check your security points as well!¡± That got everyone hurriedly striding back to where they were supposed to be. Jenny eyed the bottom of the server where the Gible was hiding. ¡°You got this?¡± she asked. I nodded, reaching into my pouch to pull out some pokemon food and a collapsible pokemon bowl which I filled with water. I put both into the server cubbyhole, ignoring as Gible flinched and nipped at me. I made sure to strengthen myself with rock aura to allow me to ignore the tiny bite. ¡°Hey little one,¡± I said, recalling what I¡¯d seen of the Gible¡¯s information. ¡°You¡¯re scared and confused. I would be too. You¡¯re a long way from home, aren¡¯t you? How about you have some food and water and calm down?¡± Gible didn¡¯t say anything and I sat down, content to let things deescalate. A few moments later, the sound of food being devoured could be heard and I smiled. When Gible was done the bowl was pushed around a bit causing scraping noises to fill the room as Gible tried to get every morsel of food it could. ¡°Want some more?¡± I asked. Gible paused at that and stepped closer to the edge to look me over. I raised an eyebrow at it. ¡°Brave little one, aren¡¯t you?¡± I said calmly. Gible continued out and glanced around. When it noticed all the eyes on it it backed up and I chuckled drawing its attention back to me. ¡®You¡¯re alright, we¡¯re the good guys. We just beat up the people that took you away from your home, and found you. Sorry for pulling you out like that but we¡¯d never seen a pokemon like you before.¡± ¡°Gib?¡± it said. I shrugged. ¡°Well, you¡¯re pretty rare around here. You¡¯re in a different region. This is Kanto, specifically the northeast part, not that it will mean much.¡± I put a hand on my chest. ¡°My name is Brock.¡± I waved a hand, and Selene floated down. ¡°This is Selene, she¡¯s part of my pokemon team and is very strong and nice. Could you let her talk with you?¡± Gible ventured a little more out and began speaking with Selene. My pokemon nodded along with whatever was said. I hummed and pulled out some more food, causing Gible to turn away from its conversation. It shifted from foot to foot and looked me over. It apparently liked what it saw as it strode up to me, hopped in my lap and began to quickly devour the offering of food I had. I snorted. This was just like a baby pokemon¡­ or a little kid. When Gible was done it yawned, its giant mouth stretching wide before it turned in a circle a few times before settling down in my lap. It reached out with a tiny hand and grabbed my shirt. I looked into the single eye visible as it watched me. ¡°Gible?¡± it asked quietly. I raised a hand and gently ran my hand over its fin. ¡°You¡¯re safe,¡± I said gently. Gible¡¯s eye closed shut, and it began to slumber. I sighed. Well, that pulled on the heartstrings a bit. I remained seated and endured a wave of G-men patrolling past me and smiling at the sight of me sitting quietly with the tiny pokemon in my lap with Selene resting at my side. Jenny inched up and smiled. ¡°He¡¯s certainly different from the local pokemon, isn¡¯t he?¡± She leaned a little in and took a picture of him and I together. ¡°He alright?¡± she asked. I shrugged. ¡°He might be a she. I have no idea of its gender¡­¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Unless it says so on the information about Gible?¡± I asked. Jenny shrugged, and I hummed. Something to work out later. ¡°Well, Gible was pretty stressed out. I think sleep is just its way of dealing with the stress of finding itself in another region away from its family. I don¡¯t think the rest he got in the storage system was quite right for him.¡± I accepted the Ultra ball and settled in to wait for Gible to wake up. Jenny went over to the storage device and brought up the past information to learn what she could after twenty minutes she reported her findings. Gible was a male. Jenny stared at her notepad. ¡°He had been caught in a cave system so he¡¯s probably rock-type,¡± she said with a nod. I almost spoke up and corrected her, before realising I would have no way of justifying said knowledge. So I stayed quiet. In the end, Gible remained asleep for another thirty minutes when Lance and Sabrina walked in and found me sitting on the floor still. I waved. ¡°Hey, we had a little incident,¡± I said. Lance tilted his head while Sabrina merely raised her transceiver and took a picture. Lance sighed. ¡°So, this is where you¡¯ve been. I was wondering if you¡¯d chased after Bruno.¡± I raised an eyebrow, and he waved the statement off. Instead, he directed his gaze to the pokemon slumbering in my lap. ¡°Is that a trainer¡¯s pokemon?¡± ¡°Wild pokemon that Team Rocket got from its nest in Sinnoh from a cave,¡± I said. I felt an idea form. ¡°Jenny think¡¯s it¡¯s rock type, which is why it likes me.¡± I knew otherwise. Food and treating it kindly had done me a lot of favours. Lance clicked his teeth. ¡°Damn, proper confirmation that they do have access to another region. We¡¯ve found some notes in the main offices, thanks to Sabrina.¡± Sabrina inclined her head and crouched down to inch her way towards me. When she reached me she crouched down and extended a hand towards Gible. Gible opened his mouth and Sabrina twitched before continuing to reach forward. ¡°No. Biting. Me,¡± she said, making sure to enunciate her words. Gible stilled and watched her hand slowly move forward to lightly brush against his skin. ¡°He¡¯s rather¡­ coarse?¡± she said. She continued to rub his head lightly. ¡°He¡¯s very small,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Baby pokemon,¡± I said, causing the scowl to deepen on Lance¡¯s face as he remained standing, looking about the servers. ¡°He got withdrawn from the pokemon storage system when some G-men unlocked it and realised how many pokemon there were. They found this guy and got curious.¡± He looked to the side and saw the computer. ¡°Good work on securing the computer!¡± Lance barked. This caused Gible to stiffen in surprise and snap his mouth closed. Sabrina didn¡¯t withdraw her hand, she must have realised Lance had merely startled the little pokemon. She shot Lance a flat stare. Lance coughed sheepishly. ¡°Well, seeing as that¡¯s not a stolen pokemon and I don¡¯t want to put it back into the servers¡­¡± Gible cowered at the mention of the server. Lance nodded. ¡°Brock, can you take this one in?¡± he said with a smirk, knowing I wouldn¡¯t reject it. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should give out pokemon like that,¡± I said, more for appearance''s sake than any true objection. Mentally I was laughing with glee. Lance had no idea! Lance waved it off. ¡°It needs a nurturing environment, and your Gym has a good record for taking in young pokemon.¡± He nodded his head to the side. I frowned, to keep selling the act. ¡°Well, alright. I suppose I could take him in.¡± Sabrina paused in stroking Gible to eye me. She knew me well enough to know something was happening here but she wasn¡¯t sure what. Lance smirked like he¡¯d gotten one over on me. Heh. I rolled my eyes at him. ¡°So, this is all wrapped up, and we can go home until we raid the next place?¡± Lance¡¯s smirk grew. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve actually not stopped raiding sites.¡± I blinked.¡±Huh?¡± Lance chuckled. ¡°Ranger Hank has been rallying the rest of the pokemon Rangers and some of the new Frontier Leaders have also stepped in. Team Rocket has had a number of other sites raided. All at the same time,¡± Lance announced with a certain level of glee. ¡°We¡¯ve raided a number of other bases and discovered a lot of equipment, such as giant robots and submarines, that we¡¯ve confiscated. We don¡¯t yet have the true executives, it would seem, but their days are numbered. We¡¯re going to keep tightening the noose, don¡¯t doubt that Brock!¡± ¡°Any hint on the Rocket Brass?¡± I asked, hoping that Lance knew who his real enemy was. Lance hummed. ¡°We have some ideas, but we¡¯re not going to say anything more here.¡± He glanced around and I felt a surge of hope. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more back at the League,¡± he said carefully. If things played out as I hoped, Giovanni was soon going to have some people knocking on his door. Gible shifted in my lap and warbled up at me. I fed him again and glanced down at my¡­ newest pokemon? When Lance moved off to check something else Sabrina tapped me. ¡°What has you so smug?¡± she said firmly. I grinned and leaned in to whisper in her ear. ¡°Gible are ground-dragon type, not rock type.¡± Sabrina shot Gible a surprised look and then laughed darkly. I merely chuckled. I certainly wasn¡¯t going to say no to a pokemon that evolved into Garchomp, a signature pokemon of Cynthia, one of the all-time strongest Champions around. He was also a pseudo-legendary. While Lance was patting himself on the back for his clever ploy, I was going to take home a real prize today. Well, this certainly wasn¡¯t how I was expecting to finish out my weekend, but I certainly wasn¡¯t complaining. Chapter 165 - Team Rocket sunsets Before going to the league, I had to deposit my newest pokemon at home. I marched into the living room and deposited Gible into Yolanda¡¯s confused grasp. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and zeroed in on the new pokemon. ¡°Gib?¡± said my new pokemon, very unsure of what was going on. I straightened and waved a hand at the people and pokemon in the room. ¡°Gible, this is my family. They¡®re nice, try not to bite them too much when they annoy you. Family, this is Gible, a pokemon I just rescued and who will be joining my team.¡± Gible shot me wide eyes while his stubby arms reached for me. My family sensed weakness and approached as one. ¡°No!¡± I clapped my hands as they started to move in. ¡°No crowding him! He¡¯s very confused with everything, so! Yolanda is going to take him out to show him around the reserve. Empress will probably get involved if you introduce him to Teddiursa I should imagine.¡± I waggled my raised index finger back and forth. ¡°There are not going to be any demands to hug him or pet him.¡± I pointed at Yolanda. ¡°Yolanda, watch out. He nibbles. Keep him away from Cranidos, because you know how that will end. Terra, he¡¯s a baby pokemon like you so be nice. Yes, he¡¯s a pokemon from another region.¡± I then knelt down in front of Gible and offered him my hand to grab hold of. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t stick around right now, because Lance needs me to help take out some more bad guys.¡± I locked eyes with Flint. Flint understood that meant I needed things locked down here. The distraction of the new, very rare pokemon would keep all of my family in one place. ¡°Salvadore, you should go get Greta and start documenting this pokemon as it hasn¡¯t been seen in this region. I¡¯ve already fed him, so don¡¯t overfeed him too much.¡± I frowned and looked around. Every child in the room was twitching as though held back by an invisible restraint. I was proud they¡¯d lasted this long. I decided to give Yolanda a bit of a head start, so I picked her up and moved her towards the doorway while putting Terra in her other hand. Terra grinned at the new pokemon only to be pecked in the face. It didn¡¯t deter Terra from babbling at Gible. ¡°And off you go,¡± I said, nudging Yolanda towards the front door. Every child still in the lounge room unfroze at the command and sprinted after Yolanda. Flint stood with a concerned expression. ¡°Are you¡­ going to be alright?¡± I nodded, only for Sabrina to step up next to me. ¡°I¡¯ll look after him,¡± she said. Flint nodded quickly. ¡°Ho, he¡¯s in safe hands then!¡± he said, marching off after the rest of my family. I gave Sabrina an amused look. ¡°Mind if I get my pokemon checked over before we head out?¡± I asked. Sabrina teleported us to the medical bay and Chansey squawked in surprise. When she spotted us, she huffed and made a ¡®gimme¡¯ gesture with her hands. I deposited my team in a tray, and she started popping them open and looking over them. She sniffed when none of them proved to be injured. It didn¡¯t stop her from pushing some pink healing energy into them before nodding and returning to her magazine about gardening. I stared a little at her, but she ignored me. A moment later Salvadore charged through the medical bay. ¡°¡ªand I¡¯ve never seen this pokemon! It had teeth for days! It could be a rock-dragon or something!¡± Salvadore yelled as he sprinted through the medical bay with Greta and Crystal at his heels. I hummed. I had to give him points for getting half marks on the dragon-type guess. It was impressive. Chansey sighed and rolled up her magazine. She slapped it into her hands a few times before nodding and storming off after the trio. I blinked and realised there was a sign behind her that read: No running in the medical room! Huh, she was about to mete out some justice. Sabrina teleported us back to the League headquarters, where a number of other trainers were hurrying about. It was now rather early in the evening, but despite that, the League was in full chaos mode. Men and women bustled about, and trainers ran into each other, only to ignore the impact and carry on. I saw several police escorting what looked like reporters out of the building. It seemed Lance was keeping things close to the chest, or the reporters had gone somewhere they shouldn¡¯t have. I shook it off and ignored the chaos. Instead, I marched towards the central elevator leading up to Lance¡¯s office. With Sabrina at my side, we cut a swathe through the chaos. People moved around us, not willing to impede us, but I knew many took note of our arrival. When the doors opened at the top, I was surprised to find Lorelei standing guard. ¡°He¡¯s got you doing guard duty?¡± I said, annoyed on her behalf and also annoyed at Lance being petty. She nodded. ¡°At least until a few other G-men arrive, he said.¡± I frowned. ¡°Alright,¡± I said with a nod. I walked in to find Lance locked in a stare-down with Pryce. Sabrina and my arrival caused their attention to shift, and for a moment, I felt their auras wash over me. I shot them unimpressed looks. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Pryce sniffed. ¡°I have been remiss in making sure that my granddaughter is being treated appropriately it would seem. The¡­ current Champion,¡ª¡± Pryce said, some sting in his words as he reminded Lance that he, Pryce, had once sat where Lance was, and that Lance could be ousted as well. ¡°¡ªhas apparently not been treating her as he should. I hadn¡¯t known, as my dear girl has been stoic about the entire affair, something I must applaud her for given how¡­ demanding this situation has been.¡± Lance worked his jaw. ¡°I have merely been setting her tasks appropriate for her skills,¡± he said. Pryce sniffed. ¡°You should reconsider what you think she is and is not skilled in then!¡± ¡°Riiiiiight,¡± I said carefully, realising I was stepping on thin ice. Still, I had to say something. ¡°You have been a bit dickish to Lorelei though, Lance.¡± When he shot me a betrayed look, I raised my hands to ward him off. ¡°It¡¯s probably your instincts acting up. She is a threat to you, as you do have a rather strong dragon aura.¡± Lance nodded slowly. ¡°Perhaps¡­ I have allowed my instincts to speak up more than I should have. I will consider your¡­ statements going forth.¡± He seemed pleased by the idea of his strength being what was holding him back. Or at least that his strength was being acknowledged. Pryce snorted, showing how much he thought of that. Lance grimaced before turning to the others in the room. Koga, Bruno, and Agatha all looked to be in various states of amusement about the way things had been playing out. Sabrina nodded in greeting and then dragged me over to claim a seat, with her promptly sitting in my lap. I noted we were away from Bruno. Lance raised a hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need to sit down. We¡¯re going to go to another meeting room; there are too many people coming otherwise.¡± With Sabrina in my lap, I couldn¡¯t pinch the bridge of my nose like I wanted to. With one statement, he¡¯d just revealed how petty he was being. Something that Pryce didn¡¯t miss as the room literally dropped a few degrees in temperature as the former Champion glared at Lance. Lance raised his hands. ¡°We still needed to vet the people coming in?¡± When that didn¡¯t result in Pryce losing his ire, Lance nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll call her in now,¡± he said with a huff. Agatha cackled. ¡°Oh, it must rub you the wrong way to be on the outs now, Pryce, eh?¡± she prodded. Pryce swivelled his gaze onto her and Lance relaxed as he called Lorelei into the room. Pryce stared long and hard at Agatha, and she met his gaze without flinching. Pryce narrowed his eyes. ¡°How long have you known about the Snorunt evolution for the females of the species?¡± he asked, causing me to perk up with interest. Agatha¡¯s grin grew. ¡°Oh, that would be telling! Did you really only now find out why all those Snorunt¡¯s kept appearing in your mountains?¡± She cackled as a form shimmered into view behind her shoulder. The Froslass held up a hand to her mouth and giggled innocently, hiding her mouth like a fine lady might in polite company. It was rather ruined by the scornful eyes staring at Pryce. Pryce inspected the newly revealed pokemon with a critical eye. ¡°Long enough for you to raise a pokemon of its type into your Elite team, eh?¡± he said thoughtfully. The door opened, and Lorelei stepped in. She froze when she spotted the ice-ghost type. ¡°That¡¯s! Grandpa?¡± she said, apparently flabbergasted by the pokemon¡¯s appearance. Pryce shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s Agatha¡¯s,¡± he said tightly. ¡°Oh,¡± Lorelei said, blinking as she processed this. She tilted her head and inspected Froslass. ¡°Would it be possible to work with you on my own Froslass, Agatha? I¡¯d love to get my own Froslass up to strength! I have her ice-type training all set out but I only have Grandfather¡¯s observation notes on ghost types from fight¡ª¡± ¡°AHEM!¡± said Pryce firmly. I turned my head, feeling like this was the luckiest spectator event ever. Was Pryce blushing? What were in those notes? Agatha stared at Pryce. ¡°You took notes about our fights?¡± Pryce threw up his hands. ¡°You were one of the trickiest combatants during the war; of course I took notes on what you were doing or how you acted! You were a significant threat to Johto!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ but your notes continue well up to your time as¡ª¡± Lorelei started to say only for Pryce to level a glare upon her. For a moment, I thought I saw the flickers of a smirk on her lips making me mentally sit up. Was she? Pryce twitched, and I realised I was right! Lorelei was teasing her grandfather! It sort of made sense that she would do this, seeing as she¡¯d had to endure his rather poor behaviour for a number of years only for me to apparently swoop in in the last few months and make him clean up his act. Agatha¡¯s grin was more subdued, but she seemed rather pleased with how things were going. ¡°I suppose it would be¡­ a good idea to help correct any misconceptions you might have about the Ghost-type. Yes, before I retire, I think I would enjoy that,¡± Agatha said while smiling smugly at Pryce. The man twitched in annoyance, and I held in a chuckle. A slow clap sounded from the doorway, causing most of the room, barring Koga, to jump in surprise. ¡°My goodness, it is pleasing to see that the Indigo League is doing well!¡± said Samuel Oak. I turned and found him beaming at us like a proud parent who had just discovered that his children had cleaned up after themselves. Agatha huffed at him, while Pryce and Koga merely nodded. Bruno started eyeing Samuel up and down, sizing him up. I wanted to stop him, but another part of me was whispering to let them fight. I glanced up and noted Sabrina had a matching expression as her eyes flickered between Oak and Bruno. After Bruno¡¯s rather poor behaviour with Sabrina and myself, it would be rather cathartic to watch Samuel smack him around. For some reason, I didn¡¯t doubt that Samuel could still do it either. Samuel coughed. ¡°Well, regardless, I have come as a courtesy to Champion Lance; do you wish to talk?¡± he said, directing his gaze towards Lance. Lance stood, ¡°Yes, we have a few other people that will need to be part of this conversation, however,¡± he said, directing us to stand and follow him. Instead of entering the elevator, he stepped around to the wall and pressed a hand against a panel, causing it to light up in a handprint display that you would have had to know existed to unlock. ¡°Feh! Made some changes, have you?¡± Pryce said snidely. Lance nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve made some additions, yes. One of which is a meeting room with the latest security features that we have available to us.¡± Pryce sniffed while Samuel merely looked around the hallway, acting like he was a tourist. The hall itself had a camera in each corner, and the doors were solid metal with number pads set into them. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I whistled, ¡°This is quite the setup, but are you going to have to personally ferry everyone else up here?¡± I asked. Lance shook his head. ¡°Most of them are already here. They completed their raids and objectives before us. It was just Gym Leaders Sabrina and Brock, along with Professor Oak, that we needed.¡± He led us to a door and rapidly tapped out a sequence of numbers. I decided not to point out that Sabrina would easily be able to remember the code, despite how fast Lance was punching in the numbers. He seemed rather proud of himself. When the door opened, a number of faces looked up. I only recognised a few of the G-men who¡¯d sat in on Daniel¡¯s interrogation and Commander Hank of the Rangers. I could recognise that there was a cluster of Rangers. All of the commanders were dressed the same, but a number of them had different badges on their sleeves denoting their fields of work. The prominent ones appeared to be oceans, grasslands, mountains, forests, and, interestingly, what looked like a swamp from what I could see from my angle. The men and women all nodded, not rising when our group strode in. Lance claimed a seat at the table, and it took me a moment to realise that it was in fact round, allowing for people to sit as equals. It seemed an odd touch for Lance considering his pride, but he merely adjusted his cloak so he wasn¡¯t sitting on it. ¡°We have much to discuss and little time,¡± Lance said to get us underway. We claimed our seats as Lance continued to speak. ¡°Over the past day, we have, through previously restricted methods, taken in a number of higher-ranked Team Rocket Executives that have allowed us to move on a number of key sites within Kanto and Johto.¡± I shifted, having not expected that. Lance nodded. ¡°A few smaller sites were raided, but the primary sites were located in the rail subbasement of Goldenrod City, along with a daycare centre, a hidden communications tower north of Mahogany Town, and a sleeper cell in Blackthorn City¡­¡± The last admission caused Lance to gain a pinched expression. ¡°These have been taken care of, while in Kanto, the Academy was raided, which stands as a sizeable score for us alone, other hidden bases were also found in Mt Moon, Gringey City, and Dark City.¡± Lance let his gaze roam the room. ¡°This has been the biggest raid pulled off since the formation of the League and has been the first major operation of the G-men working in conjunction with a number of different groups. You have my praise and respect for pulling off what you have.¡± The room seemed to shift a little as people accepted the praise, with a feeling of pride swelling through them. Lance didn¡¯t let his stern expression drop. ¡°Those of you here have proven to me without a shadow of a doubt that you are trustworthy. I have sealed the doors, and I have confirmed all of your identities through various methods.¡± He raised a hand. ¡°I apologise for this, but the news I am going to release to you is so important that I had to.¡± He once again locked eyes with everyone. ¡°During a number of raids, we have come into possession of a number of documents that cast certain high-ranking members of our society as being part of Team Rocket.¡± I blinked. Holy hell, was Lance about to share what I think he was going to share? I let my gaze cast about the room. I didn¡¯t linger on Agatha and Koga, that might be a bit telling, rather I made my gaze roam to take in everyone¡¯s reaction. The main expression seemed to be a stoic willingness to hear things out, but there was a tinge of worry now. Some people seemed to be toying with Lance¡¯s statement, trying to fit it in with what they knew. A few people seemed grim. Hank was one of them. Koga seemed oddly focused, while Agatha had a predatory set to her shoulders. She looked like someone waiting for a very choice steak to be placed before them. As much as she anticipated this, she obviously planned to savour this moment. They must have done something. I tilted my head and toyed with the idea. If they¡¯d known where a number of raids were going to take place, it would have been child¡¯s play for someone like Koga, or Agatha, or any number of Koga¡¯s ninja to plant evidence. Evidence that would point the League in one direction. I flicked my eyes about the room. Inserting such evidence might not pass muster on a single location, but if a number of sites were verifying it? Well, that was a dangerous game certainly. But the pay off? It would be worth it. Agatha had tried to tell me something before the raid took place¡­ Perhaps this had been it. With the League finally moving she must have felt safe in pointing them in the right direction. Lance clicked a slide, and a list of names appeared. ¡°These are all the known Rocket plants that we have discovered within the Indigo League. These people are being monitored and will, over the coming hours, be quietly arrested and interrogated.¡± The number of names caught me by surprise. There seemed to be over a hundred names. ¡°How many are card-carrying members?¡± I asked, thinking that this was too many people, but then again, I had no idea how big Team Rocket was in terms of staff. This could be a tiny percentage, in truth. Lance clicked his tongue. ¡°At this stage, that is unknown. Some of them are simply passing along the information to any and all that pay, for which they will still be punished. I have no doubt there will be some Team Rocket members hidden away. Before that, however, I will be aiming for some of the larger fish, so to speak.¡± Another click revealed another list. ¡°These are the known Ranger plants; these names have already been forwarded to the Commanders.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see to them,¡± said one grey-templed man. Other Ranger Commanders nodded their heads sternly. I noted a few of them had pained expressions, and it took Sabrina tapping a name and rank for me to notice that one name on the list was a commander themselves. One apparently not present, but that would see some very interested parties coming their way soon. Ah... awkward that. Still, it wasn¡¯t the worst reach that Team Rocket had demonstrated by far. ¡°Moving along,¡± Lance said, clicking a button and shifting the slide. This time a picture of a person was revealed. Grey, the Gym leader of Neon Town was revealed. ¡°Gym Leader Grey is a recent addition to the Kanto Gym Leaders. He comes to us as a solid recruit who has a few years in the Ace circuit along with a facility that was well suited for facing challengers. His tender was accepted and he passed probationary periods with no hassles beyond not having enough Gym trainers, something that was quickly rectified.¡± Lance clicked another button, and a list of banking transactions was shown. ¡°We have, with the information provided, investigated his banking and linked him with identified holding companies that move money for Team Rocket. He has been a plant for them and one that offered a voice at some of the highest levels. He is not the only person that we have discovered that has raised concerns.¡± He clicked, and another slide presented itself to display a woman¡¯s face. ¡°This is Haley of Florando, another Gym leader at the minor scale. She has been a Rocket plant for over five years and was in a position such that if any of the Johto Gym¡¯s fell in status, she would move into the top eight of Johto.¡± Pryce snarled at that. ¡°Her?! I approved her!¡± he said, leaning forward. ¡°She was a war veteran and a skilled water-type trainer.¡± Lance nodded. ¡°Indeed,¡± he said placidly. ¡°She served well and, in recent years, has been bought off by Team Rocket. Her husband is, in fact, Team Rocket.¡± I hissed. Ah, literally and metaphorically, in bed with Team Rocket. ¡°Two Gym Leaders?¡± muttered one of the G-men. ¡°They¡¯re minor,¡± said another man dismissively. ¡°It makes sense they would use what connections they had to boost themselves,¡± said another man. I held in a grimace, knowing the worst was still to come. Lance sighed, agreeing. ¡°They are not the major concerns we have at the moment. There are larger concerns that we have to focus on.¡± ¡°The raid upon the Goldenrod rail system¡­ revealed that Hannah of Goldenrod, and Samwise of Olivine are also in collusion with Team Rocket. Goldenrod¡­ due to finances,¡± Lance said, causing a chorus of scoffs to ring out. The rebuilding of Goldenrod, it seemed, wasn¡¯t something that was being accepted as an excuse by the others in the room. Lance nodded. ¡°They will be taken in. I will have teams assembled for the Johto Gym Leaders led by Bruno, and Clair.¡± He then held up his hands. ¡°Others in this room will have other targets. There are more,¡± he said with a defeated tone. I felt a bit bad for him, apparently discovering the sheer scale of the rot that had pervaded Indigo was rather getting to him. Lance clicked another button, and this time the room hissed. Professor Oak stood and leaned in closer to stare at the display. He seemed to age a little before slumping. ¡°Ah, I find¡­ that I am not actually surprised,¡± he said as he stared into the face of Blaine. A number of articles appeared around Blaine, and I whistled as they continued to spread. Lance held a grim expression while Pryce seemed to devour the information¡ªa look I couldn¡¯t quite place my finger on, taking hold. ¡°Former Elite Four, Blaine¡­ and the current Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island. He is a leading researcher in a number of studies that were never approved, such as the use of Ditto in human tissue donations for longevity treatments, the experimentation of pokemon Flare states, and the sharing of certain League secrets such as where certain former military bases were located along with supplies. Blaine has been a major scientific mind contributing to Team Rocket¡¯s development in the last few decades.¡± Samuel rubbed his face. ¡°Uh, he was always too willing to push the envelope of his studies¡­¡± I raised a hand, ¡°Flare state? What¡¯s that?¡± Oak sighed. ¡°It is a well-established ability for some pokemon to, while deeply injured, tap into reserves of energy that empower them further and allow them to fight harder for the duration of combat.¡± Samuel sighed again, his eyes raising to the roof. ¡°During the war, it was something that was regularly triggered. It was hypothesised that you could tap into this and permanently improve the power of a pokemon but doing so would require constantly injuring a pokemon to the point of being nearly knocked out or on death¡¯s door. Such studies would no doubt enrage a pokemon and lead to nothing but more harm all around. It was a line of study I banned in my tenure as Champion,¡± Oak said. Oak put a hand to his forehead and rubbed it. ¡°Blaine argued against my ban on it and other studies that I deemed unethical¡­¡± Oak stared into Blaine¡¯s picture. ¡°I suppose he ignored my orders. For someone that I consider such an old friend¡­ I can¡¯t say that I am surprised.¡± Oak turned his head to Lance. ¡°You want my help in taking him in, don¡¯t you?¡± Lance nodded his head. ¡°He and others will be dangerous targets, and I wish to make sure we have the ability to handle anything Team Rocket might throw at us.¡± ¡°I also want to be there when we take him in,¡± Pryce said gruffly. Lance frowned, ¡°I was hoping to have you focus on the Gym Leaders in the Johto area, Izuo especially,¡± he said. Pryce shook his head. ¡°No, I know Blaine better than anyone here!¡± Agatha snorted. ¡°I think I knew him in more ways than you did,¡± she said teasingly. It took a moment before I understood, but when I did, I shuddered as the image of Blaine and Agatha came together in my mind. Agatha glared at the room at large. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that! We were young at the time!¡± Samuel chuckled, and Agatha shot him a venomous look before muttering something under her breath that I didn¡¯t try to listen in on. Lance coughed. ¡°Regardless, there are others that we might be able to use for this, but for now I am laying out the targets.¡± He clicked, and a final face appeared on the screen. It was of a man leaving his middle years behind with a combed-back hairstyle and a bespoke suit. A man of class and power. Someone that moved in the highest of social circles. I barely held back a smirk as Giovanni¡¯s face stared back at me. Gotcha. ¡°As we understand it currently, the man that leads Team Rocket and has been the largest beneficiary of their criminal activities is none other than Gym Leader Giovanni.¡± A few people shifted, but this didn¡¯t elicit anywhere near the level of excitement that Blaine¡¯s reveal did. Lance raised a finger. ¡°Giovanni has always been a man who has pulled a number of strings and remained beyond doubt. He is a known philanthropist, with his money coming through a number of investments that always seemed above board. He builds these investments with Team Rocket funds and will no doubt have a much deeper pool of pokemon than we have ever seen. He has a number of true Executives that he will be able to call on, and each of these are significant trainers in their own right.¡± More slides appeared showing off faces I recognised from the games; Petrel, Archer, Arianna. Lance continued to lay out the facts. ¡°He has gathered these trainers to him through debts, loyalty, or other methods, but the Executives are deemed to be at least able to match a trainer that has gathered all eight of their Gym badges, with all of them having full pokemon teams.¡± Lance clicked, and a collage of pictures appeared of an armoured pokemon that I recognised as Mewtwo. ¡°One of the other dangers that Giovanni poses, is access to an as yet unknown Psychic type pokemon that appears to wield considerable strength.¡± Lance clicked away a few times, and blurry pictures of Mewtwo fighting Moltres appeared, before shifting to an image of Mewtwo hovering above Vermilion. A video of Mewtwo¡¯s arm waving that I recognised as from my gym¡¯s security cameras. With a final click, a video of Silph Tower played. I frowned only to blink as the video panned upwards to show Empress¡¯ Hyperbeam blowing away a section of the tower. Whoever had taken this video screamed in surprise but held the video up to continue filming, their own words gibberish and fearful, only for a form to move in the smoke. I blinked as the smoke cleared and the armoured, tattered form of Mewtwo could be seen holding someone by the neck. I reflexively rubbed at the bruise on my neck. Oh, damn, someone had gotten that on video? I swallowed as I realised how far up Mewtwo was from the ground. Sabrina laced her hand into mine and squeezed. Lance shot me a look. ¡°Brock, you and others submitted a report on this incident when questioned by one of the police, later that night.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°You said you unleashed a Hyper Beam at that pokemon from one of your Tyranitar¡­¡± Lance paused and let that hang for a moment before continuing on, ¡°And it barely injured it? How would you rate its strength?¡± ¡°It¡¯s easily a Legendary pokemon¡­ not as strong as Moltres, but I believe that might be only a matter of time from what I¡¯ve read about Legendary pokemon,¡± I said. That caused a shift in the room as people mumbled. ¡°What was it like? Was it angry?¡± Oak said, staring at the image. I blinked. ¡°The voice coming from the armour around it was, but I never got the impression it was.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°When I mega evolved my Alakazam I was able to talk with it and ask it to put you down. Until that moment, it had muted responses to everything around it, like it was just following orders as an automation would. When I interceded it seemed curious¡­ like a child,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Hmmm, interesting,¡± said Oak. Lance hummed. ¡°I think then it is important that, should we require it, you be present when we move to take down Giovanni.¡± Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°I will be there when we move,¡± she said with a firm tone. Lance nodded his head. ¡°I am hoping¡­ To make this easy on us, I will be asking Giovanni and Blaine, separately, for specific reasons pertaining to them, to come to the League to talk with me. With them away from their power base, I can arrest them easier,¡± he said. I hummed. ¡°No way he¡¯s going to take it; you¡¯ll be showing your hand.¡± Lance drummed his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m all for the simplest solution. Does anyone else have a better method of disarming Giovanni?¡± I frowned. It was¡­ logically, the easiest method if it worked. I could even imagine a world where it might work. But it would rely on Giovanni being naive and delivering himself into our hands, and my mind was screaming at me that there was no way in hell it would work. It was too simple. It wouldn¡¯t work for Giovanni, or Blaine either, for that matter. Samuel sighed. ¡°It might be necessary to simply raid their bases of power,¡± he said. ¡°I shall intervene with Blaine¡­ if he doesn''t see reason, I will be able to handle him¡­ with Pryce¡¯s help.¡± Lance nodded and laced his hands together. ¡°Very well, let us work on a plan for how things will proceed on Team Rocket¡¯s swansong.¡± He locked eyes with everyone in the room. ¡°Let me be clear. By the time the sun sets tomorrow, I want Team Rocket to be a footnote in the history of the Indigo region,¡± he said. Unconsciously, my spine straightened at his words, even as I smiled. It seemed like a thorn that had been bothering me for far too long was about to be dealt with. Now I just needed to make sure I was part of the team to guarantee that Giovanni and Team Rocket fell. Chapter 166 - Rocket unmasked I sat in a clearing in the Viridian forest with a task force. We¡¯d claimed the space and set ourselves up to be ready. This meant a lot of our flying-type pokemon were already out. At a moment¡¯s notice, we would be able to mount up and attack if we needed to. I sat with my fingers laced, the very picture of cool, calm and coll¡ª ¡°Your knee is bouncing,¡± Sabrina said. I glanced down and noticed that Sabrina was correct; I was bouncing my leg with nervous energy. I called up some rock-type energy and settled my nerves. ¡°Now you¡¯re stiff as a stone,¡± Sabrina said, nudging me with her psychic energy. I let out an explosive sigh. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll try to relax, but it¡¯s just that we¡¯re so close to cutting the head off of this Team Rocket Arbok!¡± Sabrina merely inclined her head. ¡°Indeed, I too am rather anxious to begin.¡± Her lips thinned. ¡°And I am also less than pleased that we are having to wait.¡± I sighed again. The problem with having so many people in the room was that there had been a lot of people demanding that due process still be observed. Half the room had demanded we storm Cinnabar, Viridian, and other sites. The other half had clamoured that we needed to be better. They¡¯d argued that we ask Giovanni to come in nice and casually. It was the least risky and offered us the biggest payout. In the end, Lance had capitulated, deciding for the easiest option despite my and other vocal objections that it would work. Lance had stared us all down, and I had to wonder if his draconic pride hadn¡¯t gotten in the way with how he¡¯d stubbornly rejected our idea of storming Viridian. It might cause more chaos and be a ¡®louder¡¯ option, but it would work. In the end, Lance dictated a message to his secretary to be sent off to Giovanni. Everything about it was kept was as normal as possible. Sadly, I simply could not believe in the plan. I¡¯d been part of the group arguing to storm Viridian City and cuff Giovanni. Lance had listened to both and decided to compromise to keep everyone happy. The League was being manned by various officers and Rangers, while others had split off with us and were around Sabrina and I in the clearing. It felt like we¡¯d split the party. I sighed again. I really was doing that a lot today. I glanced to the side, staring at the twilight scene of Viridian and how the forest had become a chorus of pokemon calls as some pokemon nested while others became more active. It wasn¡¯t the pokemon on my mind however. ¡°So, by the tomorrow¡¯s sunset?¡± I said thoughtfully. What would it mean to have Team Rocket gone from Indigo? What would I even do with myself? Will wouldn¡¯t have a chance to advance after this and the biggest threat to my family would be gone. I shook my head. I was counting my eggs before they hatched which wasn¡¯t a good idea. Still¡­ Lance had rather surprised me with how quickly he was acting. I suppose Agatha had been right when she said that the League was a slow beast to rouse, but once it was awakened, it was deadly. ¡°It will be nice not to worry about Team Rocket,¡± Sabrina said lifting up a book and turning the page idly. I shifted. ¡°Yeah, I guess I just¡­ I¡¯m not sure I can believe it. It seems like Team Rocket has always been there¡­¡± I fiddled with my thumbs, unsure what to say. Sabrina gave me a measuring look. ¡°And their erasure will be good. They are a rot that drains at Indigo.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess it will just be different.¡± I smirked playfully, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯ll do with myself when I¡¯m not out raiding Team Rocket bases with my friends.¡± ¡°It was a rather fun pastime,¡± Sabrina said with a smile. I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m going to have so much free time on my hands.¡± Sabrina tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find something to keep you busy,¡± she said, her smile firmly in place. I grinned as she winked at me. Then she very pointedly raised her book and resumed reading, ignoring me. I huffed at her and instead looked around at our compatriots. Looker wasn¡¯t here; instead, Lorelei and Agatha had joined us. Thankfully, Bruno was also somewhere else. While we were going to be going in loud when we had to, I did not want to work with him for a long time if I could help it. He¡¯d given me way too many headaches while helping. There was loud and then there was just¡­ whatever Bruno was. Pryce and Oak had departed for Cinnabar when it was determined that Blaine would not come in, even if ordered. Apparently, he was notorious for being terrible at arriving on time or arriving at meetings. Some of them he¡¯d outright never attended. Since he¡¯d departed the Elite Four, he never came to the League. It had been rather odd, in fact, that he¡¯d attended both in-person Gym Leader meetings along with most of the video calls. Although¡­ now that I thought about it¡­ he usually had his video feed muted. ¡°Did Blaine ever actually attend any of the meetings over video call?¡± I asked Sabrina. ¡°Signs indicate no,¡± she said. I stared at her, lacing my fingers together, a very amusing image of her acting as my magic eight ball playing through my mind before I shook it off. No, bad Brock, don¡¯t use your psychic girlfriend like that. ¡­ chances are she¡¯d be way more accurate. Scarily so. I continued to consider the pros and cons only for a man handling the communication with Koga to speak up. ¡°Koga says he has a visual on Giovanni!¡± That had everyone perking up and looking over. Sabrina merely turned the page of her book. ¡°He says¡­¡± The man stared at the screen for a few minutes before huffing. ¡°Alright he¡¯s not saying anything now. Urgh, we should have set up a safe microphone or something.¡± ¡°Koga already said he wouldn¡¯t do that. Something about keeping the chances of locating him as low as possible,¡± I said, making sure to shut down any ideas of people calling him. I liked to think that Koga would know to mute his transceiver, but chances were it might still vibrate, or even distract him. We didn¡¯t need to borrow any problems; this operation was already risky enough. Koga was also old, so there was a non-zero chance that his transceiver might ring. ¡°We¡¯ve got a video feed from some security cameras,¡± said another, who had quickly set up a desk and laptop to tap into Viridian¡¯s camera network. There happened to be a few around the Gym itself, and so we were able to watch as Giovanni stepped out of the gym with another man walking next to him. The man threw out a pokeball and a moment later, a Hypno appeared. The trio then vanished in a flash. ¡°Did they just flee?¡± I asked firmly. Damn we¡¯d have some egg on our faces if he did it right in front of us like that. Lorelei shook her head. ¡°Wait for it; we should have confirmation from the League in a moment.¡± The group shifted only for a message ping to have everyone staring at Lorelei as she read the text. ¡°He¡¯s arrived in the League; he doesn¡¯t appear to know anything is amiss,¡± she said with a pleased nod. The group all sighed in relief, but I could only frown. This seemed¡­ too easy¡­ too cut and dry. Too naive of Giovanni, a crime boss and veteran of the war. Or was that the issue? His instincts were gone after having been called to the League so much that it became simply routine for him? Was he making a mistake due to overconfidence? I chewed my lip as people started to get ready to move out. I offered Sabrina a hand out of habit, and she accepted it but didn¡¯t even need to use it to float up to a standing position. She kept my hand as the others mounted their pokemon to fly to the Gym. While Giovanni wasn¡¯t going to put up a fight, we still had to secure the Gym, and all the pokemon that Giovanni should have. I paused as I considered something. ¡°How many are going to the farm where he deposited his pokemon for the Gym?¡± Unlike the Pewter Gym, the Viridian Gym was the original, and despite being rebuilt in the last decade, it was still limited with the zoning and land it could build on. It was enough for the main gym itself and not much else, meaning Giovanni had to have a farm to keep his pokemon when they weren¡¯t fighting. We¡¯d looked through everything on his ¡®known¡¯ pokemon roster and tossed around other potential options he would have available to him. It hadn¡¯t been a fun consideration, especially when I knew that Mewtwo was at the top of that list. Hopefully, with Sabrina, Agatha, Lorelei, and myself all working together with Koga lurking in the wings, we¡¯d be enough to give Mewtwo pause if he was here. Lorelei nodded her head. ¡°We are sending enough that it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. The farm is well known and we¡¯ve been over this. ¡° I grunted. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know, just antsy, I guess?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Can¡¯t believe that Giovanni just delivered himself to us like that.¡± Agatha harrumphed. ¡°Don¡¯t count your pokemon before they hatch boy, and even then be careful!¡± she said jabbing her stick towards me. ¡°Think he¡¯s still got a trick up his sleeve?¡± I said. Agatha snorted. ¡°Does a Haunter¡¯s breath stink? Of course, he still has a trick up his sleeve!¡± she snapped. I glanced at her shadow and found it to be miming, breathing into its palm before sniffing and recoiling. Agatha slammed her stick into the ground, stabbing her shadow as she did. ¡°We should be vigilant!¡± she said, glaring at the much more relaxed police and rangers. Lorelei hummed but decided to merely nod. ¡°We will be careful,¡± she said as she gave the leaders of the other group a pointed stare. She then turned her gaze towards Agatha and Sabrina. ¡°Ready to proceed?¡± Agatha nodded, and a pokeball was tossed out for a rather harried-looking Hypno to be released. It offered both women its hands, and then, as one, Lorelei, Agatha, Sabrina, and I vanished in a Teleport. We reappeared in front of the Gym and quickly stepped away from each other, just in case. Lorelei eyed us all with a small frown, having stayed put. I shot her a wan smile. I¡¯d spent too many mornings of the last week being drilled on how dangerous the period of first arrival was to not move. Sabrina turned her attention to the Gym. ¡°Giovanni has better dark emitters for his Gym than Silph Co. did,¡± she said idly. ¡°Makes sense, he would have had a corporate budget without the scruples,¡± I said in an offhand manner. Agatha waved a hand, and we proceeded forward to the front doors. The doors themselves were locked, so we instead had to buzz the doors. I held in a chuckle when I noticed that some sections of the wall looked like they were slightly newer, despite the attempts to blend them in with paint. I shot Sabrina a look, recalling the time we¡¯d just thrown a boulder through the entrance. Good times. The door opened to reveal a confused-looking trainer. ¡°Ah? Two Elite Four and two Gym Leaders? Is this about the meeting the boss got called to? You just missed him,¡± he said, pointing his finger over our shoulders. ¡°He should be talking with¡ª¡± was as much as he got to say before Sabrina nodded her head. That was enough of a confirmation for us. This man was a Rocket. He was good too. What with how he was keeping his cool in front of us. He was a real professional. ¡°We¡¯re not actually here for that¡­ Mr Butch, is it?¡± Lorelei said, her eyes dipping to read his name tag. I blinked. Now why was that name familiar? Was he an Executive from the games? I got ready to react at a moment¡¯s notice. I found myself suddenly wishing for a Haunter or a pokemon that I could hide while walking around. If this Butch was an Executive, he could be a threat. Sabrina noticed my focus, and I knew she was ready to throw down with me if it came to that. Butch nodded at Lorelei, unaware I was ready to put him in the ground if he twitched wrong. Lorelei smiled back. ¡°This is not a social visit. You are aware of Champion Lance¡¯s latest announcement?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Butch said, suddenly much more unsure of himself. ¡°We are inspecting this facility; will you allow us entry? Or will you impede us?¡± Butch shifted back and forth, suddenly appearing so out of his depth that I almost wanted to laugh. ¡°Uhm¡­ this is my first week here? I think I need to get someone who knows what to do in a situation like this,¡± he said, his eyes sliding to the side. ¡°We know what we¡¯re doing,¡± Sabrina said helpfully. Butch raised a finger, ¡°I meant like¡­ my superior¡­ or something like that?¡± he said. ¡°Lead us to them,¡± Lorelei said with a winning smile. Behind us, a small army of trainers landed and began to cordon off the Gym. Butch glanced around us and swallowed loudly. ¡°I can go get them,¡± he offered. ¡°Oh no, we¡¯ll come with you,¡± Agatha said with an evil smirk. ¡°We insist.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Butch said, his adam¡¯s apple now bobbing up and down nervously as shoulders drooped. Good, he understood that it wasn¡¯t a request. He led us into the Viridian Gym, and I allowed my eyes to roam around the gym. I had avoided challenging the Gym during my journey, despite wanting to complete the original big eight. I had decided to not step into Giovanni¡¯s home ground more than I had to. I had travelled through, but I hadn¡¯t stuck around. Caution being better than valour and all that wasn¡¯t a terrible mindset for just starting out as a trainer. The Gym itself was quite impressive with how it had columns holding up a roof where pokemon statues looked down. The roof itself was a fine blue that made the entire place seem free and open. The offices, when we reached them, had a rather large contingent of trainers still idling around. They looked up and stiffened when we walked in. Lorelei stepped forward. ¡°Everyone, I need you to stand and make your way outside! The League has¡ª¡± was as much as she got to say. A trio of trainers popped pokeballs. An Arbok lunged for Lorelei as an Electrode began to flash. The final pokemon grabbed its trainer like they were a package. Then they turned and bottled from the room, plowing right through a door. Lorelei surprised me by quickdrawing her Froslass, not faltering despite the Arbok coming at her. Suddenly, the temperature of the room plummeted as Icey Wind began to blow forward, freezing the Arbok stiff. Agatha nodded at the Froslass. ¡°Excellent work dearie. Now I think it¡¯s time for my friends to go to work,¡± she said and from her shadows, Haunter and Gengar surged into the room. Sabrina snapped her head and pointed to a woman at the back of the room. ¡°She just sent off a message!¡± The woman flinched in surprise and dove behind a desk, her face close to her transceiver. ¡°We¡¯re being jammed!¡± screamed another Rocket as more pokemon began to appear. ¡°Now, now, come quietly, young ones,¡± Agatha said as her pokemon grabbed up those trying to resist. Butch inched away from us, and I put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°No,¡± I said firmly. I then pointed to the side. ¡°Put your pokeballs near the wall and step away.¡± Selene, who¡¯d been my first choice for defensive reasons twirled menacingly at him. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Butch did as asked. He straightened in time for a squad of policemen to follow us in and assist in locking down the Gym trainers of Viridian. A chorus of shouts rose from the trainers as they were pushed to the ground by pokemon or police. ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°This is abuse of power!¡± ¡°Brock help us! Not them!¡± ¡°Agatha you senile woman!¡± ¡°This is an invasion! Call the media!¡± ¡°Traitor!¡± I spared the last few a look and glanced at Sabrina. ¡°I¡¯m assuming those are the Team Rocket grunts?¡± She nodded her head and waved a hand towards a door at the back of the room. We walked up and tried to open it, only for an alert to ping on a pad next to the door. Hmmm, it was identical to the pad I used to have. Used to have before¡­. ¡°Brock, kick the door in. I can¡¯t get my pokemon into the room. Kick just here!¡± Agatha said jabbing her stick close to the side of the lock. ¡°Actually I have an idea,¡± I said, recalling how Team Rocket had gotten through my own security pad months ago. ¡°Get me a security card,¡± I said. I needed that¡­ and a magnet. Hmmm. I released Sanchez as a keycard floated into my hand thanks to Sabrina. I rubbed the card on Sanchez¡¯s body and then slapped the card onto the pad. The door swung open. ¡°Eh?!¡± Lorelei said. ¡°How did you know to do that?!¡± she said incredulously. I smirked. ¡°Oh, well, with all these Rocket raids we¡¯ve done, you learn a trick or two,¡± I said. Mentally, I cackled. Oh, if only Meowth knew how he¡¯d just helped me break into his boss¡¯ office. Would he be pleased someone was listening? Or would he curse his need to talk so much? I made to step into the room, only for Sanchez to roll through before me. He popped up and swept the room, bouncing so that he viewed the room in a tightly controlled arc. When he was satisfied he nodded. ¡°Golem!¡± he said, announcing it was safe. ¡°Ah, right, good call, buddy. We don¡¯t need to hide what we¡¯re doing any more, do we?¡± I released Hypnotoad, Selene, and Cypher. I stepped into the room and instantly noted how different it was. My office was a place of work, with various forms and cabinets overflowing with paperwork. Even on a good day, it didn¡¯t look half as nice as this. The room had a soft maroon carpet with a wooden border around the edge. The room itself was dominated by the desk, with a single laptop folded neatly atop a leather-bound dark wood. I had no doubt that when Giovanni sat behind that desk, he felt in charge. The chairs on the other side were notably lower to the ground than normal. To the side, a liquor cabinet stood between two green leather couch. A perfect space for more intimate discussions over Shuckle port no doubt. I eyed the cabinet. I could see a lot of very expensive-looking bottles on display. Cypher, my porygon, whirled about before locking onto the computer. ¡°Get in and open it up for us bud,¡± I said, waving a hand towards the laptop. Cypher leapt across the intervening space and vanished into the computer. Sabrina stepped past me and surveyed the room. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t keep his information on his office computer¡­ not unless he was lazy.¡± ¡°He could also be arrogant enough?¡± Lorelei supplied. ¡°We¡¯ll know more when we get back to the Plateau. They should have him detained by now.¡± Agatha hissed. ¡°Stop counting your pokemon girl!¡± Lorelei huffed but didn¡¯t say anything more. Instead, she began moving through a bookcase. Agatha sighed and stepped towards the liquor cabinet. Lorelei and I stared as she plucked a bottle from the cabinet, poured herself a glass, and toasted us. ¡°To your health!¡± she said with a grin. Lorelei shook her head only and shared a look with me. ¡°There are times when you make it really hard to feel like I¡¯m going to miss having you on the Elite Four Agatha,¡± Lorelei said towards Agatha. ¡°Feh, I¡¯m not going to fade away, the prerogative of the old is to be sources of wisdom.¡± She pointed a finger. ¡°You won¡¯t see the last of me! I shall simply be¡­ a consultant,¡± Agatha said with a sinister smirk. Lorelei shook her head. ¡°I have no idea how you think that is going to play out, but for now, let¡¯s focus on other things, like checking over the office.¡± ¡°Oh, but I am,¡± said Agatha snapping her fingers. Another Gengar rose from behind her and grinned at us. He then proceeded to bounce around the room, inspecting various points of interest. Sabrina ended up being the first to find something. ¡°I think I have something,¡± she said while sitting in the chair behind the desk. Her hands paused on a few artistic-looking carvings, only for her eyes to glow. She pushed in on a few points. Instantly, the door behind me snapped closed, and the sound of the lock clicking home made me whirl. I did not like the sound of that. Before I could shout my fears that Sabrina had triggered a trap, other parts of the room shifted. The window overlooking the arena floor grew darker, and most telling of all, the laptop flipped itself over to reveal a very different-looking computer. Sabrina glanced at the window. ¡°The emitters... they just grew much stronger.¡± ¡°Well, that is rather telling,¡± Agatha said, standing. She made to open the laptop only for Lorelei to stop her. ¡°We just need to secure the information. Let¡¯s not be too quick now. Brock call Cypher out and put him in. I¡¯ll call this in with the League,¡± she said raising up her transceiver. ¡°Cypher? Are you still in the other laptop? Are they connected?¡± I asked. I didn¡¯t get anything, and I huffed. ¡°We¡¯ll probably need to flip it back over to get him out of the fake laptop.¡± Sabrina eyed a panel of buttons on the table, her eyes glowing as she ghosted her fingers over them. She pushed a red button, and part of the wall folded in on itself to reveal an elevator. ¡°Anyone want to bet that he has a villainous hideout in his basement?¡± I said. ¡°Lair,¡± Sabrina corrected. ¡°They are called lairs.¡± Agatha nodded, stepping towards the elevator. ¡°We need to inspect this.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll call in more support first,¡± Lorelei said firmly. I eyed the elevator. "It doesn''t look like we¡¯d fit more than six or seven people in there, and even then, that¡¯s going to be¡­ cozy,¡± I said. I rubbed my chin. ¡°It¡¯s either not very important and is just a personal lair¡ª¡± I doubted this very much, ¡°¡ªor there must be another entrance and or exit down there.¡± Lorelei nodded and waved for Sabrina to return the room to how it had been. Sabrina inspected the other options and eventually settled on a blue button. The room flipped as the elevator shut itself up, and the desk flipped over. The room lightened as the window let more light in. The door clicked open and all of a sudden everyone¡¯s transceiver buzzed. I snapped a glance at it and cursed. ¡°I¡¯ve got five missed calls? What¡¯s going on?¡± Agatha clicked her tongue. ¡°The room must go into communication lockdown when Giovanni is working on Team Rocket matters as a security feature.¡± Lorelei frowned. ¡°But then he¡¯d be blinding himself as well?¡± Sabrina put her hand to the phone. ¡°Not if there was a single dedicated line in and out that he could use.¡± I huffed and opened the door, only for Koga and a number of Ranger¡¯s to appear on the other side practically in my face. I stepped back and took a breath to calm my suddenly racing heart. ¡°You fell out of communication,¡± Koga said, stepping into the room. ¡°Did you not hear us trying to enter?¡± he asked. Agatha tsked. ¡°Soundproofed as well, it would appear. What has occurred?¡± she barked. ¡°The man that appeared at the League was been proven to be a doppelganger of Giovanni, a professional dupe if you would,¡± Koga said. ¡°What? How?¡± Lorelei said. ¡°The academy¡­ it¡¯s been training Rocket grunts for years¡­ they must have someone like those two we nabbed. Professional disguise artists¡­ Giovanni might never have been walking into the League when he was called in the past,¡± I said, mentally connecting some dots. ¡°How did they work out it wasn¡¯t actually Giovanni?¡± I asked. ¡°Looker, he noted a number of discrepancies the moment Giovanni entered the League,¡± he said, and I suppose that did offer something of an explanation. Koga glanced about the office space. ¡°It took a few minutes to verify his suspicions, however.¡± Looker was fast becoming a man to watch for; he must have eagle eyes, or rather, pidgeot eyes, to spot out the doppelganger like he had. Koga nodded. ¡°What have you found?¡± ¡°Cypher come out,¡± I said plucking the laptop off the desk and allowing my pokemon to escape the confines. I then waved for the others to enter fully. We then reformatted the room and opened the elevator. Koga grunted at that. ¡°Worrying, we might be entering a trap and have no idea what is on the other side.¡± He worked his jaw back and forth and glanced at Agatha. ¡°But we need to go down there.¡± Agatha barked a laugh. ¡°Just like old times eh?¡± she said, flicking her fingers and sending her pokemon into the elevator. Koga nodded, turning to the police that had come with him. ¡°Some of you will remain here; others will join us in invading Giovanni¡¯s lair.¡± He quickly pointed at two trainers, a man and a woman to join us. Cypher quickly swept into the Rocket computer and had it unlocked for the rangers to peruse at their leisure. We stepped into the elevator, and I was proven correct that with seven people, we were very cozy. Sabrina and I didn¡¯t mind but I had to return my pokemon bar Cypher and Selene who hovered above our heads. ¡°Have your pokemon ready to throw up a Barrier Brock,¡± Koga said watching the doors as we soundlessly descended. I merely nodded. It took a few seconds for me to notice that the female ranger was counting as we descended. ¡°Three-one thousand, four one thousand, five¡ª¡± I blinked as I realised I recognised the woman. She¡¯d been with Janine when we¡¯d toured Silph tower. I decided to not call her out on that, she was obviously a Guardian and I didn¡¯t need to bust her cover. But I did need to ask, ¡°What¡¯s with the counting?¡± ¡°The standard descent of an elevator for safety purposes will usually only move at ten kilometres an hour. Meaning, I can calculate how deep this elevator shaft is. Twelve-one thousand,¡± she said watching the door. I hummed, deciding to not point out that Team Rocket didn¡¯t really follow building codes. We¡¯d have a minimum depth at least to work from though, so that was something. When the doors did open we exited to a large hallway that was well lit. There were only a few doors, and Koga got in front of met. He put his hand underneath each door and frowned at whatever he found. ¡°No gaps in the door; there is nothing for my pokemon to slip through. Agatha,¡± he pointed at the door, and Agatha waved her hand, sending her ghosts through the doors. I stepped up and once more released my smaller pokemon, this time with Gawain. I pointed to the other doors. ¡°Just hold them for now,¡± I ordered. When the ghost pokemon returned, they looked strangely serious. ¡°Gengar,¡± said one of them. They pointed at the door, and it opened. Inside was a large room that had large metal cables coiled and laying around, leading towards a raised platform that looked down into a space where a number of empty green vats rested. A circular platform rested at the lower point. A number of computers littered the room. I stepped up to them only to find them unresponsive. ¡°Cypher?¡± I said. He tried to slip into the system, only to shake his head. ¡°No power to them?¡± He nodded but then also pointed at the space that would hold a server. It was blackened like it had been burned out. ¡°Ah damn,¡± I said. ¡°I think Giovanni knew we were coming.¡± Lorelei nodded, and swept her gaze over the room. ¡°We¡¯ll note this room down as a room with some scientific purpose but otherwise not vital right now.¡± I nodded and we moved off. Before I stepped out of the room, a memory twinged. I glanced back and looked at the platform. If I¡¯d stood there and looked down, I¡¯d be looking straight at whatever was being studied. I had a flash of insight. It sort of looked like that room where Mewtwo had denounced Giovanni before escaping Team Rocket. I frowned again at the fried computers. Would they have contained Team Rocket¡¯s information on Mewtwo? I had no way to know. I would have thought that scene would have taken place in a site outside Viridian¡­ then again, life wasn¡¯t like the cartoon. That or I might not be rememebring things correctly. It had been years. Still, this room stood out to me. I followed the group and found them looking through the room on the other side of the hallway which appeared to be a residence space for anyone working in the lair. We decided not to linger after making sure all the rooms were empty. When we¡¯d done so, I could only click my teeth in annoyance. ¡°Giovanni definitely knew we were coming for him if he cleared out this space,¡± I said, feeling frustrated that he was one step ahead of us. Koga nodded. ¡°Sometimes it is like that, I¡¯m afraid. We have him on the run, however, and now we can openly pressure him.¡± We approached the last door with a sense of trepidation, once again Agatha led the charge, and when her pokemon signalled that it was clear, we stepped through only to find a room that had a number of odd sweeping pillars that reached up into a very high ceiling roof. With the way the room was laid out and the lines that were set on the ground, it sort of reminded me of a rail system. ¡°Blast! This must be how Giovanni got out any of the important staff and himself! He has escape pods!¡± Agatha snapped. ¡°I thought this looked like a railway system,¡± I said, rubbing my chin. ¡°No, we¡­¡± Agatha paused and shot a look at Lorelei¡¯s back. ¡°Found these in other sites.¡± I blinked. Ah, that¡¯s right, Agatha and Koga had to use one of these to escape Mewtwo in the past. I approached a computer and was surprised when it lit up. ¡°Cypher!¡± I barked. He leapt into the computer, and soon a display of what looked like a list of destinations was being displayed. They were all variations of RB-One, RB-Two, and so on. With ten sites listed, I could only scowl, unsure what to do. A phone ringing caused me to twitch in surprise only to frown as I glanced around. Everyone was inspecting their transceivers with Koga even scowling at his only for everyone to slowly raise and shake their heads. We turned as one to a small recess where the symbol for a phone was on display. I popped it open and found the ringing phone. Before I could second guess myself I picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± I said neutrally. I half expected to hear Giovanni on the other side. His smug tone rubbed his escape in our faces. Instead, an oddly husky female voice purred into my ear. ¡°Hmmm well now, hello to you as well Gym Leader Brock,¡± said a woman¡¯s voice. I frowned. ¡°You have me at a disadvantage; I don¡¯t know who I¡¯m speaking to,¡± I said, relying on polite societal norms to fish for information. Koga leaned in and got as close as he could to listen in with me, but remained quiet. The woman on the other end laughed. ¡°Ohoho, I think I like the sound of having you at a disadvantage, but I digress. You have no doubt noticed that Giovanni has escaped your clutches by now?¡± ¡°For now,¡± I replied. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯m afraid he has rather set up a wonderful shell game for you to jump after more and more of his body doubles. The League knows this now, no?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it is certain,¡± I said. ¡°I suppose nothing in life is certain; that is true, but I wanted to offer you a small hint.¡± "Well, aren¡¯t you kind?" I said, my words dripping with disbelief. ¡°Why do that? You must be part of Team Rocket, why sell out your boss?¡± ¡°Giovanni was never my boss,¡± said the voice. ¡°No, I¡¯m sure this isn¡¯t something you know, but Team Rocket, well, like any organisation that grows large enough, has factions.¡± She paused and I could imagine her putting a hand to her chest. ¡°I represent a splinter group, if you will. Giovanni has been chipping away at us for a while now. I was rather annoyed when I learnt about your raid on the Academy.¡± ¡°Sorry, not sorry,¡± I said flatly. Agatha cackled quietly in the background, while Koga remained quiet. ¡°Hmmm, any chance you could ask about releasing Carl and Sham?¡± ¡°Not a chance,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Oh well, I tried,¡± she said with someone who had lost nothing of importance. ¡°But there is one thing you can do for me.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°On the display for the launch pad, there will be ten currently listed locations. Check again, and you will find an eleventh location now uploaded.¡± I did so and found that she was correct. I mentally made a note that she must have a camera feed on us. And if she did then she must have had a signal leading to her. I chewed my lip in thought and decided not to say anything about that while we were in the room. There might be a chance I could have it followed up on later. ¡°I see it,¡± I said. ¡°Where does this lead?¡± ¡°To Giovanni¡¯s private aerodrome,¡± she said. I frowned. ¡°And you¡¯re just giving us this location?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just doing anything. I¡¯m wrapping things up in a manner and teaching Giovanni dear a lesson in guile. Do this for me, and I¡¯ll consider it a favour, hmmmm? Think about it? For me? I¡¯ll be in touch.¡± She then hung up the phone. I stared at the phone like it was an ekans. I glanced at Koga. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°She is most likely a high-ranking Team Rocket Executive, someone that Giovanni has slighted. She had certain tells of emotion when she spoke.¡± Koga rubbed his chin. ¡°I think she was telling the truth, but we will take precautions.¡± He gestured to the pods we still had available to us. ¡°It is a lead, which is more than we had before.¡± I nodded, not liking it but not having a better idea of what to do. Sabrina laced her hands around me in a hug. ¡°If it is a trap we can escape it easily,¡± she said. I huffed at her confidence but felt myself relax. Koga directed the two trainers to remain behind as Lorelei, Agatha, Sabrina, Koga and I all clambered into the pod. I set the destination as the eleventh rocket base and crossed my fingers. This was a risk. I was an idiot for doing this, but I had to try otherwise Giovanni would slip through our fingers. I sat next to Sabrina, my energy already flowing through my body in case we needed to react quickly. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, hitting a central button. The door slammed shut, and arms shot down to lock us into place in the chair. I flinched at first, but a moment after the chairs were locked in place, the pod accelerated into action. Everyone gasped in surprise as we suddenly found ourselves moving at speed. ¡°Really hope we didn¡¯t make a huge mistake!¡± I said through clenched teeth. A moment later, we were pressed into our seats as we started arcing upwards. I spotted the night sky through a viewing window, only for a voice to chime out. "The second phase is about to begin. Please brace,¡± it said. ¡°What about a warning for the fir¡ª¡± The second phase acceleration was much faster, and I found myself pushed right back into my seat as we accelerated, darkness encroaching on my vision as g-force asserted itself. I clutched Sabrina¡¯s hand in mine. It took a few moments for things to settle, but we soon reached a ¡®cruising speed¡¯ that saw the G-force settle on us. Agatha blinked. ¡°That was rather rougher than I was expecting,¡± she said wearily. Lorelei shook her head and worked her jaw. ¡°Team Rocket, I wasn¡¯t expecting their name to be quite so literal,¡± she said. ¡°Phase three, beginning, please prepare for landing,¡± intoned the voice. I blinked. ¡°How far have we travelled?¡± I asked. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed, and she shook her head. ¡°Urgh, a few kilometres it would seem. We¡¯re to the southeast of Viridian.¡± ¡°Hmmm, good to know,¡± I said as we began soaring down on a controlled descent. I was almost expecting us to drop out of the sky but was pleasantly surprised as the voice spoke up about deploying landing gears and deceleration flaps. We still landed roughly at what I could make out as a small hidden airport. We taxied towards a hangar where a sleek-looking private jet was being fueled up. The door opened with a hiss, and Koga vanished in a blur. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed, and she stiffened before rising up. ¡°Will is here,¡± she said. That got a mixed reaction. Part of me was glad for his being here. I suddenly had a lot of targets of opportunity to punch in the face. I was going to hit Will first and then Giovanni second before coming back around for Will a third and fourth time before going for more of Giovanni if I had my way. ¡°There are others as well; they are starting to move,¡± Sabrina said. We quickly exited the pod, spreading out. The Rocket Grunt that was fueling the plane was staring at us with a slack-jawed expression. He glanced at us, and then towards the hangar. He seemed to run some mental math through his head. He then glanced at the plane and the fuel truck he was next to. The highly flammable fuel truck. He turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. Agatha flicked a lazy hand, and a Haunter followed after him. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s out of any danger,¡± she said, her eyes fixed on the hangar. A number of what looked like Rocket Executives sauntered out of the giant hangar doors, a few of them I recognised from the Silph Co. incident. They had the look of slicked-up individuals. Thankfully, there were only five of them. Thanks to Sabrina¡¯s warning, I wasn¡¯t surprised when Will teleported next to them; his smile looked rather fixed as he inspected us. Then Giovanni stepped out. Lorelei hissed and locked eyes with him. ¡°Blast it, Giovanni, surrender yourself, and come quietly.¡± Giovanni reached into his suit and drew out a cigar. ¡°Quietly? To live in a cell and watch the world pass me by? I, who have the fortune to decide so many nations¡¯ fortune with but a word? No, I will not be diminished so.¡± He inspected us and glanced around. ¡°Hmmmm I suppose Koga must be lurking about if you¡¯re here, Agatha.¡± He inhaled smoke and breathed it out, his eyes flickering at Sabrina and myself. He nodded to himself. ¡°I¡¯m glad I called in some favours owed to me. I had thought them a waste a few minutes ago, but now? With you being this tenacious? Well it seems they were warranted.¡± His eyes flickered to the pod on the runway. ¡°Blast that woman,¡± he muttered. He glanced behind himself. ¡°Care to join us?¡± he said. I tensed expecting Mewtwo to float out. Instead, someone much worse walked out. I knew I wasn¡¯t going to like it the moment the large shadow became visible to me. A giant of a man stepped into the light, and I heard Lorelei and Sabrina hiss in surprise. I simply stared at the man I thought I knew so well. He met my gaze. ¡°Hey Brocko,¡± he said morosely. I clenched my fists and felt dark energy rising within me as I locked gazes with Lt. Surge of Vermillion, the man I¡¯d considered a mentor for years. Chapter 167 - Blasting off Unbidden, I had flashbacks of all the times Surge had come around and helped me out. All the times he¡¯d helped advise me on how to run my gym and schedule out my year to make it manageable. He¡¯d stopped into a role of mentor that should have been Flint¡¯s to fill. He¡¯d never be a father figure, but he was like an uncle to me. To see him standing with Team Rocket¡­ I clenched my fists and felt darkness run through me. Surge offered me a shrug. ¡°Hey, sorry about all this, I got¡ª¡± I felt some of my darkness leak out of me. ¡°No,¡± I said heatedly. My words caused a ripple in the people around me. They shifted in agitation, with Sabrina and Will twitching. Sabrina didn¡¯t take her eyes off Surge though. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear some excuses or any reasons that you have for this¡ª¡± I took a deep breath, before exhaling venom in a single word, ¡°¡ªbetrayal.¡± Surge grimaced and opened his mouth but I beat him to it. ¡°No, as far as I¡¯m concerned you¡¯ve set yourself against me, and I¡¯m going to show you how much of a mistake that is.¡± I pointed at Will. ¡°I¡¯m going to beat you half to death with him,¡± I said. Everyone blinked at the strange phrasing I¡¯d used. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Will said in astonishment. I held my finger in place, still levelled at him with all the intent of a loaded gun. ¡°You heard me. You¡¯ve been strutting around and pissing me off for way, way too long. I knew you had to be dirty, and I was right. So you¡¯re getting a beating, but I¡¯m not going to let whatever you think you¡¯re doing here pass,¡± I said shifting my hand to point it at Surge. I slashed a hand through the air. ¡°Hell no. So I¡¯m going to use Will like a whacking stick so you both get what you deserve.¡± Intellectually I knew I was being ridiculous, but the hateful part of me that had reared its head with Will, Giovanni, and Surge of all people standing together was far too strong. Everyone but Sabrina stared at me. She merely nodded her head, like what I said was perfectly reasonable. Surge just threw his head back and laughed. ¡°You gonna beat a motherfucker with another motherfucker? I love it!¡± I growled, annoyed that he was praising me and at myself for enjoying this. In another set of circumstances, this could almost be considered pre-battle banter. I swept my hand across my belt and unleashed all of my pokemon, sparking a reaction from everyone. On our side, fifty six pokemon took to the field, spreading out by sinking into the ground, floating up, or outright taking to the sky. From me, Titan, Bertha, Sanchez, Cypher, Jormungandr, Link, Shrek, and Selene all appeared. I kept a single pokemon back, knowing that if I released Empress, she¡¯d rampage. I wanted her focussed and unleashed when I was ready. This triggered a response from Team Rocket with their hands sweeping across their own pokebelts to disgorge pokemon. It took me a moment to register that there appeared to be almost an equal amount of pokemon on their side, if not more. Giovanni¡¯s team of Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Rhydon, Marowak, and Persian were all powerful examples of their species. But they were footnotes compared to the Hippodown, Gliscor, Gastrodon, and Torterra. The second half of his team all but screamed that he had inroads with Sinnoh, a region no one had discovered safe routes to as yet. If I hadn¡¯t already encountered Gible, I would have been surprised by how many pokemon he had access to. ¡°Watch out for those foreign pokemon! They¡¯re Ground type but they''re all strong pokemon!¡± I said firmly. I glanced about, surprised to find that the most notable pokemon Giovanni commanded wasn¡¯t here. Agatha huffed. ¡°They¡¯ve broken their carry limit, be careful as they are carrying more pokemon than they should! They will be like cornered Raticate if they start to lose as their energy may cause them to white out¡­ or worse,¡± she muttered. I nodded and swept my hand in a predetermined manner. My pokemon instantly shifted around me. ¡°Cypher by my side!¡± I commanded, calling back the small digital pokemon that I¡¯d brought along for his assistance with technology. I was slightly regretting that choice now but in a pinch he could bolster Selene¡¯s defense so it wasn¡¯t a complete loss. Agatha floated to Lorelei¡¯s left side, her pokemon shimmering and vanishing while Koga vanished. Lorelei spared her fellow Elite Four member a glance before nodding her head and thrusting her hand forward. ¡°WIND!¡± she ordered, and from the maw of all her pokemon a huge gust of Icey Wind howled forth. I noted the inclusion of Mamoswine standing tall next to her Lapras. For my part, Selene, Cypher, and Link took up positions behind me only for Link to point his hand at Surge and shoot a finger gun. From the tip, a Moonblast rocketed forward only to be intercepted by a Thunder. I stepped to the side and allowed Selene to unleash her own version with a blast from the crescents of her body. It arced forth only for a poison pokemon to fire off a Gunk Shot and swat it out of the air. Hmmm, it seems someone had been keeping up to date with the latest research on Fairy type pokemon. They¡¯d only just worked out poison pokemon were counters to the enigmatic Fairy type. Rocks flew as my pokemon unleashed a huge barrage, only for Will¡¯s pokemon to grasp them with Psychic and attempt to hurl them back upon Lorelei¡¯s team. Sabrina intercepted them, and a contest of Psychic might once more played out with Will having to drop the rocks and raise Barriers for Team Rocket. The rocks slammed into shining Barriers and Reflects. A roar preceded Giovanni¡¯s Nidoking jumping forward and stomping his whole body into the ground. ¡°Brace!¡± Lorelei shouted as she leapt atop her Lapras¡¯ back. Lapras and most of her pokemon formed Aqua Rings around themselves to allow them to float despite the Earthquake that Giovanni¡¯s Nidoking had unleashed. My pokemon strode forward and unleashed their own Earthquake to negate the attack. The ground buckled between our two groups and the truck that was off to the side was thrown slightly to the side. Another attack slammed into it and fuel began to leak out. Giovanni grimaced. ¡°Work them to the side! I need the plane to remain safe for our exit!¡± he said loudly. I didn¡¯t trust that a man like Giovanni didn¡¯t have at least another method of getting out. With one of the easiest methods being the still-absent Mewtwo. But then again, perhaps he wasn¡¯t willing to put his faith in a pokemon? I left that thought for later consideration as Team Rocket began to retreat in lock step back into the warehouse, narrowing the points that we could attack while making us tread over uneven ground. ¡°Golem?¡± asked Sanchez, flicking a finger at the ground. I shook my head, not willing to commit my pokemon without knowing where Mewtwo was. If I knew I might commit them, but with him lurking I knew there was an axe just waiting to drop on a pokemon that got itself out of position. ¡°Keep up the pressure on that Blastoise over there,¡± I commented. A flash of light had me snapping my head around to watch as one of Surge¡¯s pokemon hurtled forward, glowing and discharging light as it rocketed towards our group. Titan and Bertha stomped their feet, unleashing Stone Edge into the pokemon but it barrelled on only to slam into a layer of Barriers that Sabrina¡¯s pokemon erected. Lorelei and Agatha had their pokemon unleash a barrage of attacks to take up the pressure only for the Electrode that had shot towards us to explode in a blast of light and sound. The actual shockwave was knocked away thanks to the barriers but it still blinded us for a few moments. Titan and Bertha slammed their hands into the ground using Protect to absorb any incoming attacks. When the light died away and we were able to take in the field I was surprised to find Team Rocket had pulled all the way back into the warehouse. ¡°Trap?¡± I said to Sabrina as the last Rocket Executive smirked at us as he vanished behind the large open doors. ¡°Trap,¡± Sabrina agreed. Her eyes glowed for a moment before she spoke up once again. ¡°They¡¯ve deployed poison pokemon in the chokepoints, and appear to be retreating back into the hangar proper,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Appear?¡± Agatha questioned. ¡°The hangar has dark emitters on it. Weak ones, but I wouldn¡¯t be confident in using Teleport to ambush them in the warehouse,¡± Sabrina replied. Her eyes continued to glow and she hummed. ¡°There is an exit at the back that we need to secure.¡± Lorelei hummed and looked around. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about dividing ourselves any further with Koga¡­¡± she trailed off uncertainly, obviously unsure what to make of his disappearing act. Sabrina, Agatha, and I all spoke at the same time, ¡°He¡¯s scouting ahead.¡± In perfect sync we continued to speak, ¡°He will lay traps and attack from ambush positions where possible or support us with disruptions,¡± we said. Lorelei stared at us. ¡°You all know him that well?¡± she said incredulously. We all nodded and she coughed. ¡°Well that is reassuring.¡± She chewed her lip. ¡°I think I agree we need to advance after them, as I don¡¯t want them to have time for themselves. But I also want them cut off.¡± Sabrina nodded and locked eyes with Lorelei. ¡°I can transport Brock and our teams to the other side of the warehouse.¡± Her tone was dead serious. ¡°If you encounter a powerful pokemon that is armoured I will return to assist you,¡± she said. ¡°Do it,¡± Agatha said without hesitation. Lorelei nodded and checked her transceiver, the League are aware of our position, if we can simply hold them here, that will be enough. I¡¯m not sure how long, but Lance will be coming.¡± Sabrina and I nodded, and a moment later we vanished in a mass Teleport. We appeared at the back of the giant hangar. I shook myself. ¡°Hope Koga knows what he¡¯s doing,¡± I said. I then whistled to my pokemon. ¡°Buff up!¡± I shouted. Around me my pokemon began to snarl, or glimmer with polish. Cypher wobbled next to me uncertainly. I stroked his head. ¡°Use Agility buddy, the others are getting stronger. This isn¡¯t like Gym matches, if we¡¯re each giving each other time, expect the opposite side to be doing the same,¡± I said, recounting some of the lessons I¡¯d picked up from trianing with the Guardians. ¡°Koga knows where he is best and he is working to his strengths,¡± Sabrina said to reassure me as she copied me with her own pokemon. ¡°Agatha can handle herself long enough if Mewtwo returns, but like this ,we can deny them fleeing from one point.¡± She pointedly looked behind herself at yet another plane parked on a hidden runway. Interestingly this looked like a cargo plane with its much greater wingspan and yawning cargo bay that had its back ramp deployed. I noted that there was a forklift sitting in front of the ramp and an operator in hi-vis sprinting away as if his life depended on it. He obviously knew that standing near a plane while a fight was breaking out was a bad idea. Weird how much common sense these people were showing. I stared at the massive plane that had been out of sight from the front of the hangar. ¡°Of course, he had another plane just sitting ready,¡± I said. I noted that this one had two prop engines on each wing. This thing wouldn¡¯t be pretty or as sleek, but I had little doubt it could fly a very long distance. And it was just another way Giovanni might have escaped if we¡¯d allowed him the chance. He always seemed to have another card to play. I narrowed my eyes as that thought properly registered to me. If his last few bases had underground escape tunnels and escape pods¡­ ¡°Bertha! Check underground! First, check if there is anything dangerous, and then also if there are any deeper structures?¡± Bertha threw herself into the ground while the others took up guard positions around us, more flashes of light indicated they were buffing themselves up more and more, boosting for our eventual clash with Team Rocket. ¡°Brock about Surge,¡± Sabrina started to say only to stop when I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m sure he has his reasons but stopping to listen is just playing into whatever reason Team Rocket brought him here. It was by no means a small implication for him to turn up here. Sadly, now was definitely the wrong time to ponder on them. If I did so I would be distracted. I had to push them to the side and stay on task. Surge was just another threat, and he¡¯d be one that I was very well suited to handling. Bertha popped her head up and shook her head. ¡°Traps, mines, and buildings underneath the hangar?¡± I asked. She shook her head again. I hummed. ¡°Any chance to get underneath them?¡± She shook her head. I clicked my tongue. ¡°Figures the one time Team Rocket would care for proper building codes would be when it¡¯s Giovanni¡¯s air base for escape.¡± Sabrina nodded but otherwise didn¡¯t comment. With a gesture, the back door began to grind open. Inside a number of storage containers littered the area, making it impossible to determine what was on the other side. The storage containers were laid out in huge towers that formed small walkways between a few of them that cut off to dead ends suddenly. It was like a maze. This hangar must have been used as a holding site for whatever the massive cargo plane had brought in. I controlled my urge to open the containers to peek inside and instead took in the rest of the cavernous hangar. ¡°Any read on where they are?¡± I asked. Sabrina focused only to frown. ¡°It is rather hard with the emitters in the hangar still active. They appear to be in front of some containers in the middle of the hangar.¡± She continued to hold out a hand while narrowing her eyes. ¡°Now they are breaking apart. Four of them are heading into positions that will see them intercept Agatha and Lorelei, while two more are¡­ making their way towards us.¡± Without Sabrina even saying anything, I knew who was about to show up. I waved a hand and grunted, ¡°Team, Stealth Rock.¡± My pokemon shifted and sharp needle points appeared around them, floating in preparation. Sabrina gestured her own hand and Barriers and Reflects appeared in front of us. A Medicham and Exeggutor walked into view and stiffened when they caught sight of us. Exeggutor¡¯s rear-facing head barked a warning and shimmered as Medicham took up a fighting stance. A moment later Raichu sprinted up only to scowl at us. ¡°Rai!¡± it barked. Titan snorted in response to whatever Raichu had said earning a dark look from the electric mouse. Surge stepped forward and clicked his tongue. ¡°Damn it should have known this was going to go tits up,¡± Surge said as he locked eyes with me. He grimaced at whatever he saw. His eyes darted about, taking in my pokemon and our position. ¡°Good to see you¡¯ve prepped the field,¡± he said approvingly. ¡°Stand down,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not letting Giovanni escape Surge.¡± Surge sighed. ¡°Yeah, I know. You gotta do you, and I gotta do me.¡± I almost spoke up demanding an answer for why he was carrying on with this before I shut my mouth. Not the time, I forced myself to think. I needed to act on that. Surge¡¯s arm snapped up and I tensed, Rock energy flowing through me. I started to step in front of Sabrina only for Sabrina to have a Barrier raised in front of me as a gunshot went off. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Surge nodded again, the smoking gun in his hand a damning display. He¡¯d shot at me? Part of me couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯d done. The other part crushed that thought ruthlessly. ¡°Launch!¡¯ I barked and my pokemon unleashed a barrage of Stone Edges straight at Surge. Surge stepped back and Psychic pokemon poured forth to deflect the attacks. Sabrina¡¯s team joined us with their own Psybeams and Link got off another Moonblast as Selene orbited me protectively. ¡°They must have acquired guns from the containers,¡± Sabrina said tonelessly. I grunted. ¡°So it would seem, think Lorelei will be alright?¡± Of all of us, she was perhaps the one most likely to be in danger to such weaponry. With my rock aura, I¡¯d¡­ hopefully be able to shrug off any bullet but I really didn¡¯t want to test that theory. Agatha, out of all of us would be best suited to handling guns. A burst of gunfire punctuated that thought, and I chewed my lip, wondering what Koga was doing. When the gunfire died off, a mad cackle rose from behind Will and Surge. This was followed by a chill sweeping through the hangar ¡°Oh fuck this! I¡¯m not dealing with Agatha in a maze like this shit show! Get us an exit!¡± he barked. His Magnezone, and¡­ I blinked as a huge shaggy form that hadn¡¯t been present before strode forth, It exhaled a torrent of fire at the steel wall of the hangar. Damn it, of course, he had an Electivire. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get out that way! We need to blast our way out!¡± Will said with a scoff as he gestured and had his pokemon return fire with Psybeam, Ice Beam and other attacks. With the narrow walkway created by the containers Sabrina and I were forced to block or match attack for attack. This resulted in our team overpowering the beams in a straight head-to-head battle as our pokemon quickly overpowered Will¡¯s. Will was quick to react as he realised how dangerous clicked his tongue. ¡°Protect!¡± he shouted and two pokemon stepped forward to absorb the attacks. Sabrina flicked her eyes upwards. I grunted and whistled. ¡°Selene up!¡± I said. Selene to a level close to the roof to gain a better angle to unleash her attacks. Alakazam followed her a moment later, levitating with his spoons raised threateningly. ¡°A little help!¡± Will snarled towards Surge who was focussing on the steel wall. ¡°Gimme a second!¡± he barked back. ¡°Stop the Flamethrower and go hard on Ice Beam!¡± he said and a moment later his pokemon unleashed a blast of powerful ice that dropped the temperature of the wall he¡¯d just been melting. A huge cloud of mist billowed out, obscuring him and Will. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. ¡°Recall your pokemon and get outside,¡± Sabrina said firmly. I didn¡¯t question her I simply did as she asked, but I did question one issue that stood out to me. ¡°What about the plane behind us?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to leave it as bait, Giovanni would need to hold the plane while it builds speed. It isn¡¯t viable for him but if it looks possible we will step into a trap,¡± she said as we darted back so that we were outside. ¡°Sounds good,¡± I said. The instant we were outside we vanished once again into a Teleport. We reappeared to the side of the hangar where Surge and Will were. I swept my hands out and once more my team appeared and locked eyes with their foes. Will waved a hand towards our team which was one more blocking his escape. ¡°Well, that achieved a lot! Didn¡¯t it!?¡± Will said waspishly. Surge grunted and swept his hands outwards. ¡°What it achieved, punk, was to get us out of advancing along a defended, trapped kill zone, and into the open where we¡¯re on a more even footing.¡± His pokemon suddenly accelerated out to the side with his Magnezone and Electrivire stepping up in front of him. ¡°And it got me back into the open where I can fight at my best,¡± he said. His Raichu became a line of light as it continued to accelerate away from him before arcing around. ¡°Shit, Selene, Future Sight,¡± I said while waving for her to get into a position that would see her guarding my team¡¯s back with Cypher. Link stayed at my side with his eyes tracking another threat that looked to be Jolteon. ¡°Metal dig dip,¡± I said deciding to keep Surge and Will guessing. Jormungandr vanished beneath the earth. I didn¡¯t want him coming under fire from that Electivire if it knew fire moves. Sabrina seemed to be very aware of the danger that Jolteon presented to her as her Farigiraf took a solid step back while still facing forward. The eyes of the hood on her Farigiraf shot backwards instantly. Surge cupped his hands in front of his mouth. ¡°Any chance we can just¡ª¡± ¡°Quake,¡± I said, shutting him down. I was going to beat Will and him down. ¡°Hup!¡± Surge said and his pokemon all kipped up into the air where they discharged a wave of electricity towards us. ¡°Bertha,¡± I said, deciding on something simple instead of attempting to constrain a Sandstorm that might block the oncoming electrical attack. Sabrina would be impeeded by it as well and I needed to consider her and not just myself. Bertha stepped forward with her arms spread wide to tank the Thunder Wave as others stepped behind her. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± Will said, snapping a finger right at her to take advantage of her stepping forward like she had. A huge torrent of water from his Starmie fired off only to be intercepted by Sabrina¡¯s Exeggutor. I mentally noted that this would be a perfect opportunity for a pokemon like Cradilly to be part of the team. Jormungandr chose that moment to erupt from the ground underneath Will¡¯s feet. He leapt back quickly but I scented blood. ¡°DP,¡± I said. Jormungandr erupted with Dark energy causing all of Will¡¯s pokemon team to stagger. ¡°Lanturn! Rescue that punk!¡± said Surge. ¡°Dig dip retreat!¡± I barked. Surge¡¯s attack proved quick enough to clip Jormungandr. I clicked my tongue in annoyance but quickly noticed that Sabrina had made good use of my pokemon¡¯s distraction to hammer the Hydro pump Will had unleashed back into Will¡¯s Claydol. It staggered under the weight of the blows but remained standing thanks to Medicham forming Barriers in front of Claydol, allowing it some breathing room. ¡°Surge once more tried for diplomacy. ¡°Alright I get that you¡ª¡± Sabrina jerked her chin and her Espeon traded places with her Slowking. Espeon then leapt overhead to unleash a Psybeam that tore what few Barriers Will had in front of his Medicham. The dual fighting-psychic type was hurled away in the face fo the attack. It slammed into the hangar behind Will and grunted in pain. It started to slump in on itself only for Will to rouse it. ¡°Get back in the fight Medicham! I need all pokemon fighting!¡± Will said. Medicham staggered to its feet only for an Arbok to appear in the hole that Surge and Will had used. It spat a wad of poison that slammed into Medicham¡¯s head and ended any comeback Will¡¯s pokemon might have made. Will gaped at the sudden insertion of another pokemon striking from the rear. ¡°Blast that snake!¡± he snapped directing his Claydoll to unleash a Psybeam. Arbok dove behind the cover of the hangar wall. ¡°Shit! Koga!¡± Surge said. ¡°Team Spark up! We¡¯re in a kill zone!¡± he barked. Suddenly they all sparked up only for Magnezone to absorb the energy and begin to glow. Surge chopped his hand forward. ¡°You better dodge kids!¡± he roared. Magnezone unleashed a huge lance of lightning straight at us. Bertha inserted herself in the way but I didn¡¯t feel as confident in that so I punched my hand upward. ¡°Jormungandr! Up now!¡± I barked my fist shooting upwards even as I flooded all of my energy towards Jormungandr. He shot out of the ground slightly to the side and I watched as the lightning curved to slam into him. I reached out everything I had to empower him, knowing he¡¯d be my best bet to deny Surge¡¯s attack and defend my team. Through my bond, I knew he felt the same way. Right before the lightning touched him I felt something click as we worked together. The keystone on my forearm glowed with incandescent light. The battlefield vanished as the lightning attack slammed into Jormungandr, he roared and for a moment I thought I had made a terrible decision, but then elation swept through the bond and I felt my energy vanish as Jormungandr took it in. A moment later his energy swept back into me and I felt like I¡¯d just gained the best second wind I¡¯d ever experienced in my life. A calm certainty swept through me as the light died down from the electrical attack. Surge was already walking forward with a grim certainty to his gair only to pause as he took in my Mega-Steelix. ¡°Holy shit! You can do that too? Fucking A Brock that¡¯s nice!¡± Surge said. I snorted. ¡°Surrender now,¡± I said firmly. Jormungandr growled, and with how his body spun about he also unleashed the sound of screeching glass that sent a shudder through everyone that heard it. I just grinned wider. ¡°Or don¡¯t, I seriously am hoping that you won¡¯t,¡± I said as I cracked my neck from side to side. Will stared at Jorm only to scoff. ¡°That Steelix took a powerful hit earlier and is weakened. We can take it!¡± he said directing his Exeggutor and Starmie to unleash their own attacks on it. ¡°Dig deep to my side,¡± I said neutrally. I made a gesture and Link nodded, an orb of energy forming up in his hands. Jorm evaded the attacks and tunnelled back to my side in mere moments. I was surprised by how quickly he appeared at my side and with him now towering over me I realised just how much he had grown from Mega-evolving. The gems that I had fed him and laced through his body during his evolution from Onix to Steelix were now gigantic crystals that bulged from his sides with sharp edges. He gave off a slight shimmering field of energy and with him being so close I could feel the power that was contained within him. ¡°Ha! I was right! You were bluffing!¡± Will crowed. I snapped a finger and Link raised his hands, a glowing orb held aloft which he then pressed into Jormungandr¡¯s flank. Instantly I felt another kick of energy surge through the bond as I suddenly felt even more energetic. The sparkle around Jormungandr intensified and his front thorax spun around quickly. ¡°Steeeeeeeeeeel!¡± he roared, rising up even taller to loom large over the battlefield. I grinned and pointed straight ahead. ¡°Your turn to dodge,¡± I said to Surge. ¡°Jorm, Go,¡± I said. Surge whistled and the streak of light that had been threatening to attack us from the rear suddenly sprinted in and coiled its tail around Surge. Surge¡¯s pokemon team either hunkered down or were withdrawn. Jormungandr threw himself into the attack and his landing caused a quake that caused everyone to buckle or be thrown from their feet. Will¡¯s Alakazam hurriedly raised Will off the ground and pulled him to the side while other Psychic pokemon also tried to evade the side effect of Jormungandr merely hitting the ground as the first part of his attack. Jorm didn¡¯t build up speed like he normally would in a Giga Impact, instead he simply lunged tore through the earth and reached his top speed. ¡°Get me outta h¡ª¡± was as far as Surge got before Jormungandr shot through his and Will¡¯s team of pokemon. Rocks and metal flew everywhere. I saw pokemon thrown about like toys in the face of a toddler¡¯s rampage. A screech of metal announced Jorm impacting the hangar itself only to tear an even bigger hole through the wall. A huge boom resounded and I winced knowing Jorm had probably just slammed headfirst into the containers. Apparently that had been enough to stop his Giga Impact. If it wasn¡¯t for the pokemon, and the wall before it, I had no doubt he would have sent thsoe containers flying as well¡­ which, with Lorelei still in there, made for a worrying image. It took a moment for the dust to settle and I felt a wave of sheepishness fill my bond as Jormungandr righted himself and turned around. His massive form loomed through the dust. I saw a few pokemon stagger into an upright position only to totter about. The dust fell away and I realised that a number of them seemed to be shocked or, in-game mechanics, stuck in a state of flinching merely due to be caught in the wake of Jormgandr¡¯s attack. I noticed that Jynx, Exeggutor, and Slowking were all down and were not getting back up. I whistled, impressed. Three pokemon, with more greatly weakened from one attack in a widespread area. Very nice. ¡°Close and take them out,¡± I said to my pokemon. Sanchez and Shrek were quick to lunge forward. Titan stalked after them while Bertha and Selene stayed close to me. I glanced back at Link and found him kneeling and regathering his energy, his eyes shut in Rest. I grinned. He¡¯d pulled off the specialised Healing Wish perfectly. I gave the state of the battlefield another look. Honestly, his renegerising Jorm like that had probably contributed to the devastation of Jormungandr¡¯s attack. ¡°A powerful strike,¡± Sabrina said, her eyes still locked forward. ¡°Will is not done however,¡± she said indicating Will and his Alakazam off to the side. Will took in the field, his mask was interestingly absent and this allowed me to see how his eyes roved around the battlefield in disbelief. ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s a Steelix¡­¡± he said to himself. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed and a moment later her Alakazam Teleported behind Will and into the space Jorm had carved up. From there it was a simply matter to float up behind Will. Will spun about on the threat and pointed. ¡°No! We¡¯re not getting trapped here! Damn Giovanni!¡± Alakazam flickered for a moment and I grinned. He¡¯d forgotten why I¡¯d sent Jormungandr into his team of pokemon. Dark Pulse was a wonderful method of disabling a pokemon from Teleporting away. Both Alakazams eyed each other off and glowed, rocks forming around them as they began exchanging blows. Will¡¯s head roamed around. ¡°To me!¡± Will shouted and his pokemon, those that weren¡¯t being manhandled by my pokemon already, ran or floated to comply. I didn¡¯t even have to order my pokemon to intercept them. Will¡¯s Espeon attempted to flee to Will¡¯s side only for Sanchez to flatten it. Espeon wailed in pain and tried to give Sanchez Baby-doll eyes to get off but he merely pinned the smaller pokemon and zapped it harder, not falling for the trick. I turned my attention to Jormungandr. I could feel the energy holding his mega-evolution starting to corrode. It might not have been the wisest of moves to have him perform Giga-Impact, as that seemed to have accelerated the process. He was still regathering himself but his attack had turned the battle for us. Still, it was time to seal the deal. ¡°Titan, Dig dip like you did last time against Will,¡± I said. Titan vanished into the earth. Without Sand Tomb giving away Alakazam¡¯s location Titan wouldn¡¯t be able to lock onto Alakazam. Not that he needed to. Will¡¯s Alakazam, locked in battle with Sabrina¡¯s was taken unawares as Titan surged out of the ground behind him. It had enough time to turn and gasp in fear before Titan caught it once again. A dark glint of joy sparked in Titan¡¯s eyes right before he whipped his head back and forth, slamming Alakazam over and over into the ground. This time no psychic energy was able to stop Alakazam from being slammed repeatedly. Titan didn¡¯t let up until with a mighty, final slam he hurled Alakazam down. He then planted his foot on Alakazam¡¯s chest and loomed over it. He growled and inspected the other pokemon before nodding in satisfaction. Titan then turned his attention to Will who dropped to his knees and raised his hands. ¡°I-I s-surrender?¡± he said weakly. I growled and stalked up to him. He seemed to have an idea of what I intended as he waved his hands. ¡°No you can¡¯t I surren¡ª¡± I stepped close, planting my foot and twisting through my body as my fist rocketed forward. I pictured punching through him and was rewarded by my punch shattering something in Will¡¯s face. He flew backwards and topped into the ground only to lay still. ¡°That¡¯s for Forrest,¡± I said. Will didn¡¯t reply and I stalked over to him to give him another punch only to scowl when I saw that he was knocked out. ¡°Daaaaaaamn! That was good! It feel nice?¡± said a loud voice from the side. I paused, my fist raised and recalled that Surge was still here. I snapped my head around only to note that he had no pokemon out beyond Raichu. Surge¡¯s arm was limp and hanging oddly. I blinked and considered asking him if he was alright before clamping my mouth shut and scowling at him. ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± I said, contemplating following through on my earlier threat. Sure Will was knocked out but throwing a dead weight wouldn¡¯t be that hard right? Surge inspected Will only to scoff. ¡°Urgh really? One punch is all it took? Damn, he¡¯s a pussy,¡± he said before looking at me. ¡°I guess you did remember how to throw a punch. Now you gotta work on your speed. Make it so they can¡¯t see it coming!¡± Surge glanced at his limp hand and raised his other hand. ¡°Hang on a second,¡± he said as he grabbed his arm and wrenched it back into place. I shuddered at the sight but Surge merely grunted. ¡°Urgh, been a while since I¡¯ve had that happen.¡± Sabrina and her pokemon encircled us. ¡°I assume you¡¯re surrendering?¡± she said. Surge nodded, his eyes roaming the field. ¡°Yeah, I was considering running off but I reckon you and Brock would be able to track me. Was still going to do it, sort of have this epic showdown with Brock, man to man, but then I realised that he didn¡¯t need to learn that lesson from me.¡± I scowled. ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t!¡± I snapped, my anger returning in force. Sabrina narrowed her eyes. ¡°I would have also not allowed it, and I would have made you think you were a Rattata about to be eaten for the rest of your life if you had,¡± she said. Surge nodded, his head bouncing up and down as he said without a hint of shame, ¡°Yup! That factored in as well!¡± I scowled harder. ¡°Is this a fucking game to you?!¡± Surge dropped his jovial expression. ¡°No, it ain¡¯t. What it is is me paying for a lot of debts I built up in the army. I might be a lot of things, but I am a man of my word, and you wouldn¡¯t get Lt. Surge,¡± he said gesturing to himself, ¡°without Giovanni¡­¡± He sighed and slumped. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have even gotten Sergeant Surge for that matter¡­ Giovanni saved my life during the war Brock. I¡¯m sorry but there¡¯s been a debt hanging over me for years. Giovanni, he called it in and I¡­¡± Surge looked at his feet only to frown and look behind us. ¡°Now ain¡¯t the time to chit-chat if you want to stop Giovanni.¡± Surge turned and pointedly looked at Sabrina. She blinked in surprise and I could only frown. Something had just happened. ¡°No, it is not,¡± Koga said as he blurred next to us. He threw some dust into Surge¡¯s face and Surge shook his head. ¡°Did you just fucking Pocket Sand me, Koga you ol¡ª¡± Whatever Surge was saying died as he collapsed onto the ground. Koga pointed at the Raichu that growled at him. ¡°Protect your master,¡± he said before turning to me. ¡°Brock, Sabrina, we don¡¯t have time to stand around,¡± he said, turning to face us. I noted he had a lot of singe marks and some wounds about his body. ¡°Agatha, Lorelei and myself have whittled away at Team Rocket¡¯s pokemon but he sent out another signal, we expect things to escalate. Sabrina, are you able to replicate what you did during your match against Will?¡± Sabrina nodded tightly. ¡°I can but it will take a little time¡­ I¡¯m not sure if it will be enough.¡± ¡°We just need to hold out!¡± Koga stated firmly. I glanced back hangar in time to see a pair Rocket Executives emerge with Giovanni in their midst. A much smaller number of pokemon were with them and they looked battle-worn and tired. Giovanni swept his gaze about, pausing on the still-present aeroplane only to continue around. He grimaced as his eyes took in the downed forms of Will and Surge only to snap his head back around. The other Team Rocket Executives openly gawped in fear when Jormungandr¡¯s giant glittering head swivelled onto them. ¡°What in Kanto is that?!¡± screeched one. ¡°They¡¯ve got foreign pokemon as well?!¡± ¡°No,¡± Giovanni said, his tone flat as he stared at Jormungandr. ¡°That is another Mega-evolution that Steelix is capable of.¡± His eyes turned to me and a flash of respect appeared in them. ¡°Never mind it, it won¡¯t last long,¡± he said firmly. He snapped his fingers and smirked. From the skies, a figure descended. The armour glinted in the morning sun and Koga hissed slightly as his gaze locked on the hovering Legendary. Giovanni looked back and grinned. ¡°Mewtwo! Take them out!¡± he ordered. Sabrina tossed her head and stepped forward only to pause. Her eyes glowed and Mewtwo¡¯s head snapped towards her. Sabrina buckled slightly only for her pokemon to dart in and form a ring around her. Alakazam steadied her. I stepped up to her other side and helped support her. Sabrina groaned. ¡°You¡­. don¡¯t¡­. Need¡­ to fight¡­ us!¡± she said through clenched teeth. I flickered my gaze from Sabrina to Mewtwo. It seemed they were conversing but just doing so was straining Sabrina. ¡°No¡­¡± she said, each word coming as a struggle. ¡°You¡­ are¡­ not¡­ just¡­ a tool¡­ don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Mewtwo! Obey!¡± ordered Giovanni. He glowered up at the pokemon angered by its lack of immediate action. At his sides, the pair of Rocket Executives shifted in agitation. I noticed Agatha and Lo[relei emerge through the hangar doors only to stiffen when they caught sight of Mewtwo. Lorelei stabbed her hand forward and I realised with dread she was still reacting instead of thinking. ¡°Lorelei! Don¡¯t fight it! Sabrina¡¯s trying to talk it down!¡± Lorelei paused at that and glanced at Sabrina. I¡¯d missed whatever Sabrina was muttering but she seemed to be getting worse. ¡°........ resist,¡± she said. Then she shook herself an gasped. ¡°Mewtwo is having to fight the programming Giovanni has placed in him. I think a lot of that is reinforced by the armour he wears!¡± If we can get that off he might be reached!¡± she said. I sighed. Why couldn¡¯t this just be easy? I pulled off the last pokeball I had on my pokebelt. ¡°Well, I do happen to have a pokemon that has been looking for that rematch,¡± I said. Mewtwo locked eyes with me and I tossed out Empress¡¯ pokeball and she emerged. Instantly she locked eyes with Mewtwo and roared her challenge. Titan, Jorm, Bertha and all of my pokemon joined in their challenge echoing over the runway. This would make the third encounter I¡¯d had with Mewtwo. What was the saying, third time¡¯s the charm? Chapter 168 - Legendary Showdown The sky rumbled overhead as a storm began. Small flecks of water fell and wet the ground but no one rushed to get undercover. Instead, we remained locked in place, all of us watching as Mewtwo floated above. Sabrina was the first to move, her hand beginning to glow as she and Alakazam locked their gazes upon Mewtwo. ¡°Mewtwo! Take her out before¡ª¡± Giovanni started to order only for Sabrina to erupt as psychic energy exploded from her. Her gaze shone with light from within and her hair floated as her form was veiled in a pinkish aura. ¡°Mewtwo, we don¡¯t need to fight,¡± Sabrina said both aloud and psychically, her hand reaching up to the Legendary pokemon as Mega-Alakazam appeared behind her. Mewtwo tilted his head, only for sections of his armour to shift around his helmet and darken in colouration as an electrical current raced across it. Giovanni glowered at Sabrina as he raised up his transceiver. ¡°I gave you an order Mewtwo, destroy them!¡± he barked. Mewtwo¡¯s visor shifted about and took in everyone before both hands and channelled an attack into a powerful orb. I couldn¡¯t rightly recall what Sabrina had called this. A Psybomb? It fit as Mewtwo unleashed both attacks. One towards Sabrina and the other towards where Lorelei and Agatha stood. All three women responded to the threat instantly. From Agatha three Gengar shimmered into view alongside other ghost pokemon like Frosslas, Shedinja and Mismagius. All of them unleashed attacks of their own while Lorelei stabbed her hand forward. Her Ice-type pokemon met the oncoming Psybomb with Ice Beams. Sabrina, despite only having her own team of pokemon, unleashed a wave of Psybeams as other pokemon formed a wall of interlocking Barriers and Reflects. Both attacks detonated and caused the air to rock slightly. ¡°Bertha, Titan! Stone Edge!¡± I barked, deciding to make use of Mewtwo¡¯s focus on other people to launch an attack. With my other hand, I unleashed the last pokemon I had held in reserve for this moment. Empress emerged and roared, only for a wave of Golbat to be released by two of the Rocket Executives. They split apart only for both Rocket Executives to topple to the ground. The boulders that had been launched at Mewtwo were caught in a telekinetic grip and launched back merely for both Titan and Bertha to destroy them with a swing of their fists. I glanced about assessing the field, only to spot that the Golbat swarm was coming towards us. ¡°Brace for¡ª¡± My pokemon and I clutched at our ears in pain. I locked eyes with Giovanni and found him smirking at me. I growled and stabbed my hand forward, resulting in my Rock pokemon obliterating the Golbats out of the sky with extreme prejudice. Sanchez grinned and cackled maniacally as he launched a thunder straight into the sky, making the most of the wet conditions to spear the powerful electric attack straight into the midst of the Golbat swarm. Behind Giovanni, two of his executives staggered to their feet, their hands stuffing something into their mouths while they stood back up. I noted that the Executives made no move to return the downed pokemon, instead gesturing for their other pokemon to step forward. Hmmm... smart, if despicable. Without returning their pokemon they wouldn¡¯t get as much of a feedback shock to their auras. There¡¯d still be some, but not the entire cost. Houndoom, Arbok, Weezing, Machoke, Hypno and other pokemon raised their heads and locked eyes with our pokemon. ¡°Hippodown! Go on the attack!¡± Giovanni shouted, shifting his attention from Mewtwo as Mewtwo shifted and fired another attack, now well and truly committed to the fight as Sabrina and Agatha¡¯s pokemon exchanged attacks with the Legendary. I snapped my head to the Sinnoh pokemon as it dove into the ground, and I hissed when I noted that Giovanni was looking at Sabrina. He knew she was the real threat here with her Mega-Alakazam and he was aiming to disrupt her as much as he could. ¡°Jorm! Intercept that pokemon!¡± I ordered. Jorm threw himself into the ground and vanished, beyond a shaking rumble throughout the earth. Giovanni wasn¡¯t being lax, however, as in the space of time I¡¯d set up an intercept, he¡¯d waved forward his Gliscor and his Torterra. I almost barked for Don to engage only to remember he wasn¡¯t here. ¡°Empress! Blast that Gliscor!¡± I barked. I quickly shifted attention to the Torterra, my mind rolling through what options would be best as Empress unleashed a swarm of Stone Edges at Gliscor only for it to weave its way through with a cheeky grin. ¡°Brock! I can take those pokemon out! Take out the Rocket pokemon that keep blocking me!¡± Lorelei shouted as she sent forth her Weaville, Mamoswine, and Froslass to engage Giovanni¡¯s pokemon. Team Rocket instantly had Houndoom, Magmar and a Medicham out to intercept her. Then the Executives raised guns, and I felt my mind lurch. I¡¯d heard the gunfire earlier, and Surge had even shot at me¡­ once, but to see Team Rocket using them still weirded me out. It seemed wrong for a pokemon world to have firearms¡­ but that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t exist. Lorelei skipped behind her Lapras, who turned and let the bullets plink into his shell before he returned fire with a Hydro Pump. The attack was in turn blocked by an Arbok unleashing a Gunk Shot. ¡°Sanchez! Get in there! Dig Dip over to Lorelei¡¯s side¡± I shouted, deciding to follow Lorelei¡¯s lead. She was right; an Ice-type was exactly what we needed to keep Giovanni on his toes. It was the entire reason we¡¯d brought her along for this raid after all. Still, it seemed Team Rocket had been playing keep away with Giovanni¡¯s pokemon inside the hangar, forcing exchanges that hadn¡¯t been in Lorelei¡¯s favour. It was impressive that Lorelei had still held her own. I made sure to step close to Bertha in case Team Rocket turned their pistols on me. I was relieved that they didn¡¯t seem to have anything bigger, like a machine gun. The barks of the guns were lost as Jormungandr emerged with the Hippodown caught in his jaws. ¡°Steeeeeeeeel!¡± he roared triumphantly before throwing the Hippodown high. ¡°Blast it!¡± I ordered, more than happy to give Shrek a target. Giovanni hissed and quickly raised a Luxury ball to return his pokemon only to release it back at his side, although slightly worse for wear. He then raised a bottle of something and sprayed it onto his pokemon. He shot me a smirk, and I held in a snort. What was he expecting¡ªme to cry foul? It was a clever move and showed he was aware of all his options. Jormungandr turned his head toward the rest of Team Rocket with a growl. ¡°Jorm! Iron Tail on that Arbok!¡± I said, sending Jorm into the fray. The pair of Houndoom who had been harassing Lorelei turned to roast him, only for Sanchez to emerge and slam the pair of the fire-dark type pokemon around. Sanchez swept his hand and created a safety zone with a Thunderwave that had Team Rocket¡¯s pokemon skipping back to evade, as Lorelei was able to return her focus to the other ground pokemon Giovanni favoured. This caused Team Rocket to scatter as Jormungandr and Sanchez drove into Team Rocket¡¯s pokemon, disrupting their formation. Jormungandr slammed into an Arbok, flattening it. Jormungandr then rose and unleashed a Dark Pulse to further stagger Team Rocket, only for a number of attacks to land as they regathered themselves. Jorm roared in pain as his mega-evolution began to fade, his body shrinking to what it was normally. I raised his pokeball and returned him, knowing he was on his last legs. Next to me, Link shook himself awake. His Rest finished. I toyed with the idea of returning Jormungandr to the field and using¡­ wait, I didn¡¯t need to use Healing Wish if he was right here. Shit! I hadn''t even considered using the recall function offensively, but then again it could be interrupted which would leave me in a horrible lurch. I pushed the thought away and released Jorm. I then pulled out a max potion and began spraying it over him. This time it was my turn to smirk at Giovanni as Jorm regathered his strength quickly. Still, I kept Jorm close to me and had him act as artillery, launching Stone Edges into Team Rocket¡¯s pokemon. I waved for Link to stand behind Bertha. He was one of the softer pokemon I had, and therefore might be another target for the Rocket Executives with their guns. I inspected him and made sure he wasn¡¯t fracking himself back too quickly but he seemed healthy. His steely-eyed gaze met mine and he nodded. ¡°Fable!¡± he said. ¡°Sanchez, fall back to Lorelei!¡± I shouted over the roars and rumbles of battle. Empress growled as Mewtwo evaded another Stone Edge from her. I decided to give Empress some more support. ¡°Bertha build up,¡± I said quietly as Shrek intercepted a wave of what appeared to be Toxic headed our way. Mewtwo unleashed another attack, only this time the attack was met by a trio of Gengar, one of who was the giant known as Gengy that I equated to Agatha¡¯s starter. Shadowballs met the attack, and then the trio of Gengar zoomed in to close with Mewtwo, a glimmer of malicious intent in their eyes. They worked in tandem to weave in and out to pressure Mewtwo, forcing him back only for him to lash out in reply. Giovanni growled as a glow began to form up around Sabrina and her Alakazamfor them to fire a Psybeam and clip Mewtwo¡¯s leg who barely evaded the attack. Within the cluster of Team Rocket Executives, another pokemon was released. I eyed the Executive who had done so, he was looking extremely pale and was sweating profusely. Too much demand on his energy? How many pokemon had they used in this fight? The Exploud shook its head as it looked around only for the shaky Executive to direct it towards Sabrina. It grinned and hopped forward before inhaling a huge breath. It was about to roar. I stabbed my hand forward ready to disarm the threat, an order on the tip of my tongue. The command for Hyper Beam was on the tip of my tongue as a Raticate threw itself towards Agatha only for Froslass to dispatch it. Sabrina, however, was aware of the threat and was faster to neutralise it. Her Hypno raised its medallion, and its eyes flashed once. The Exploud choked on nothing and flinched. Ah, Disable. Nice call by Sabrina; short, sharp and to the point, allowing others the opportunity to clean up. ¡°Shrek, Hydro Pump,¡± I said, deciding to commit to taking it out. Chances were it had another move that would be just as debilitating. I¡¯d experienced a powerful Exploud shouting once, I had no desire to do it again. Shrek spat a trio of water balls, only for a Persian to leap in front of it and form a Protect. I growled in annoyance and whistled for Empress. ¡°Empress, take out that Persian and the Exploud behind it!¡± I said. Empress snorted, inhaled, and then disgorged a lance of energy that smashed through the fading Protect, blowing away the Persian and the Exploud behind it. The Rocket Executive shuddered in pain but once again made no move to return the Exploud. I was surprised when Giovanni returned the downed Persian, a look of anger on his face. He handed something to his Nidoking and pointed in my direction. If he was anything like his game counterpart, I had a good idea what he¡¯d just fed his pokemon as it suddenly sprinted towards me. ¡°Shrek! On the Nidoking!¡± I snapped. Shrek pivoted, unleashing a deluge of water at the approaching pokemon only for it to not be strong enough to deter the charging pokemon. ¡°Selene!¡± I said. Selene shifted around me and unleashed a Psybeam that rocked Nidoking. Titan, and Bertha stomped their feet in reply and caused the buckling to stop as they countered with an Earthquake of their own. Empress joined them a moment later, having regathered her energy from the earlier Hyper Beam. Nidoking groaned but still threw his fist into the ground, causing the earth to buckle underneath us, but it didn¡¯t have the strength to truly ruin our day. It collapsed onto its knees only to vanish in a red beam as Giovanni returned it to his side, before he released another pokemon in the form of Rhydon. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. I smirked at Giovanni as Lorelei nailed Giovanni¡¯s Gliscor, her eyes turned to me only to widen in fear. ¡°Brock!¡± Lorelei screamed. ¡°Protect!¡± I shouted out of instinct, not knowing what could spark the response but trusting that Lorelei had good reason for it. Jorm curled himself around me and formed a huge Protect. It turned out to be the right call as Mewtwo unleashed a Psybomb on me. I exhaled in relief behind the Protect. I hadn¡¯t even seen him targeting me. When we emerged, Lorelei had lost a few of her pokemon in the scant few moments I¡¯d been unable to join the attack, and Sanchez was keeping a Houndoom away from others on Lorelei''s team. Sabrina had seemingly dropped her desire to be diplomatic with Mewtwo as the sky filled with beam after beam chasing Mewtwo in an aerial display of acrobatics, only to be boxed in as Sabrina chained Future Sight with Psychic to force him to stand still for a moment. Another Rocket Executive was on their knees however, they were force-fed something. The man staggered to his feet but looked strained. I frowned. Some sort of substance or aura aid? A Fire Blast soared towards my team only for Cypher to form a Barrier that delayed the attack long enough for another pokemon to blow it away. Shrek counter-attacked and slammed a Houndoom back. It figures Team Rocket would possess a substance like that. There must be some serious consequences to using it if it wasn¡¯t widespread. It seemed to be one of the only things keeping them in this fight. I noted that Giovanni was pointedly not using it, instead weathering his lost pokemon and not releasing anymore beyond what I assumed had to be an unsafe limit. Another Psybomb was unleashed only for it to be Lorelei¡¯s turn to snap out a quick Protect order. Sanchez skipped back in time to be included in the bubbles of Protect instead of being left out to dry. ¡°Brock, are you alright?¡± said Koga from behind me. I huffed. ¡°Fine and dandy, almost got caught out,¡± I said, waving a hand up at Mewtwo. ¡°Where are your pokemon? We kinda need all hands on deck here,¡± I said pointedly. Koga grimaced. ¡°My pokemon took quite a lot of damage during Agatha and Lorelei¡¯s push through the hangar. I am loath to hold them back, but I need to use them wisely. They do not have much strength remaining,¡° he said with a worried look on his face. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± I said. Koga waved the apology away. ¡°I am going to have my pokemon attack from the other side. I need you to create an opening. Giovanni has been keeping his Nidoking and Nidoqueen close to him.¡± I glanced from my spot around Bertha and spotted what Koga was talking about. For all that Giovanni was sending out his pokemon to fight he made sure to keep one of the pair near him to act as a guard. ¡°Gengar pull back!¡± Agatha suddenly shouted. Two of her pokemon were quick enough, while the third stayed in close to sweep glittering fingers across Mewtwo¡¯s armoured form. Mewtwo ignored the gouge that formed in his armour, an electrical spark lashing out and catching Gengar by surprise only to be followed up by Mewtwo unleashing a close-range Psybeam. The small Gengar had enough time to realise it had made a huge mistake as it saw the Psybeam coming for it. Just before it was hit, it was suddenly grabbed by Gengy and pulled out of danger. ¡°Gengy!¡± Agatha cried, as what had to be her starter pokemon took a powerful blow that sent it soaring away. It landed and rolled over itself before coming to a rest against the wall of the hangar where it braced itself and struggled to a kneeling position. That smoke coming off him was bad. Agatha shot it a worried glance as it quivered and shook, trying and failing to stand only to fall as more smoke poured off it. Damn, if that had been Agatha¡¯s strongest pokemon I didn¡¯t want to know what would have happened if the smaller Gengar had taken the hit. ¡°Ha! Nice work,¡± one of the Rocket Executives barked, revealing the Hypno standing next to him wearing a smug look while its medallion glinted. Ah, I thought as things clicked into place. They¡¯d disrupted Agatha¡¯s coordination with Confusion. They must have been waiting for this. They¡¯d wanted to take out one of Agatha¡¯s Gengar and taken out her strongest, because for all its snark and menace, it, like Agatha, was a great team player. The Rocket Executives cheered and redoubled their attacks causing me to duck slightly as my pokemon absorbed and counter-attacked. Hmmm if Team Rocket were reacting this strongly from taking out Gengy, how would they react if Gengy got back into the fight? I whistled, and Agatha glanced in my direction, her pokeball for Gengy raised. I then waved a hand towards Link, making a sign for ¡®switch¡¯ that we¡¯d worked out during a Guardian training session. She frowned but didn¡¯t question me, she merely waved her hand. ¡°Link, don¡¯t resist the switch. Heal up that Gengar then get back into the fight as fast as you can,¡± I said, my gaze shifting to Mewtwo who was firing another blast towards Lorelei. The attack shot towards Lorelei¡¯s Glaceon. Sadly the small pokemon was unable to escape or block the attack, instead being slammed into the ground where it struggled to get up. Lorelei returned her pokemon to her side where she sprayed some potion onto it, to keep it in the fight. Meanwhile, Sabrina dispatched a number of Houndoom being sent at her. Team Rocket really weren¡¯t giving her the breathing room to interact with Mewtwo, were they? Behind me, Link vanished, and I stiffened as something eldritch appeared behind me. I glanced back and found a Shedinja staring into my eyes. ¡°Got ''em on the ropes now!¡± shouted one of the Rocket Executives. I frowned at that but hid a smirk as a flash of light appeared on top of Gengy, only to vanish as he absorbed the light. Gengy, Agatha¡¯s strongest pokemon, arose as Link dropped to his hands and knees. Gengy spared Link a single glance, his red eyes glistening with malevolent intent as he turned his gaze upon Team Rocket only to vanish as he became a shadow. ¡°Bertha¡­ charge in with Impact Driver, Selene step forward,¡± I said, deciding to force Team Rocket¡¯s attention onto me, to give everyone else some breathing room. ¡°Koga, get ready,¡± I said. Bertha charged forward, arm raised high and vibrating with built-up power. The scream of tortured rock grinding causing Team Rocket to turn. ¡°Don¡¯t let that pokemon close!¡± Giovanni shouted. Instantly, a huge swarm of Team Rocket¡¯s pokemon shifted attention towards Bertha, only for Mewtwo to gesture and a Psychic to build up around Bertha and lift her off her feet. I didn¡¯t hesitate in withdrawing Bertha like Giovanni had done earlier; I wasn¡¯t going to let her be knocked out. Another max potion was used as Team Rocket began to cheer for themselves. I smirked, and Giovanni¡¯s grin faltered. Despite not getting her attack off, she¡¯d achieved her purpose. Unlike our group, who had some rudimentary knowledge of how to trade and shift focus as a team thanks to training with Agatha, Team Rocket had all turned their attention to the singular threat. In that lapse, the others struck. Lorelei stabbed her hand forward, and a blistering wave of Ice Beams were unleashed slamming into Torterra and Marowak. Gengy appeared before the Hypno that had confused his fellow Gengar and grinned. Hypno had all of a moment to stumble back in shock before Gengy lunged through Hypno with Shadow Punch. Hypno crumpled to the ground as though Gengy had ripped something out. The executives had all of a moment to realise the threat in their midst. ¡°What? No! We took that pokemon out!¡± cried one of them in despair. Gengy¡¯s smile merely grew before he exploded with Dark Pulse. Gengy then shot into the air, a vengeful glint in his eyes, as he reached for Mewtwo with another Shadow Punch. Mewtwo jerked aside and gave the returned Gengar a long look before having to dodge the other two Gengar that swept back in, ecstatic at the return of their friend. Koga¡¯s pokemon team appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, attacking from the one direction that none of us had reached and that Team Rocket had slowly been pushed towards throughout the fight. From them, poisons and gases rippled out before a Charizard appeared to ignite the flames, unleashing a deafening boom. The explosion caused the already weakened pokemon and even one or two of the Executives to skid backwards at the sudden shockwave. Giovanni, thanks to Rhydon and Nidoqueen, didn¡¯t need to move a muscle as they shielded him from the damage. ¡°Fissure,¡± Giovanni said, snapping his fingers and pointing towards Koga¡¯s team. Nidoqueen leapt forward with a fist pulled back aiming for the middle of Koga¡¯s team. A Muk leapt to intercept her, gumming up her body with its gelatinous form only for Nidqueen to ripple with built-up power and blow through Muk. Nidoqueen screamed in triumph as she slammed a fist into the air even as Koga¡¯s team leapt to mitigate some of the damage. A huge quake rocked the field and I staggered only to be caught by Selene hovering into my side. The majority of Koga¡¯s team didn¡¯t come out so well with only a single Arbok, Weezing, Venomoth and his Charizard remaining on the field. Weezing and Charizard both wheeled onto the threat in their midst. Both of them unleashed powerful attacks at Nidoqueen and pushed her back, only for Charizard to grab Nidoqueen up as he flew high to perform a Seismic Toss. I held in a chuckle. That was certainly a method of denying Giovanni his guard. ¡°TITAN! GO!¡± I shouted aloud. Once more Team Rocket as one turned towards my side as Titan lumbered forward. This time, I wasn¡¯t going to let them disrupt the attack. ¡°Everyone! Hit them hard!¡± I called letting my pokemon go for a full alpha strike by putting everything on the line. I still held a hand up for Empress, and she paused on her inhale before adjusting. I decided to hold her in reserve just for a moment more. Team Rocket scrambled to defend, and pokemon rose to do just that. Only to then be taken from other angles as Lorelei, Sabrina, and Agatha all went in for the kill. Psybeams, Ice Beams, and Shadow Balls erupted from various pokemon causing a crisscross of fire as Team Rocket found itself caught out of position and very much in the killing field. Heh, they should have kept Surge with them, I thought to myself as pokemon fell in the wake of our onslaught. Titan surged through the attacks, a corona of power building up around him as he charged towards Giovanni¡¯s last guard. Rhydon didn¡¯t even have time to counter or block the attack as Titan slammed into and then carried the Rhydon away. Both pokemon slammed into the hangar wall and then, with a screech of tortured metal, through it and into the hangar. Another boom announced that they might have even slammed into and then through one of the containers that had been stacked up. A rumble announced that some of them were now toppling over. Giovanni stared with wide-eyed shock. His eyes darted around as some instinct warned him of the danger he was in. His hand shot into his jacket, and a gun was pulled out as he whirled about. Koga was suddenly there, underneath him, with a fist cocked back ready to strike. His fist lashed out faster than Giovanni could react to knock the gun aside. It discharged even as Giovanni¡¯s aim was thrown. Koga then stabbed forward with the other hand a purple glow forming around his hand as he connected with Giovanni¡¯s stomach. Giovanni buckled to his knees only to vomit as everything in his stomach was brought up. ¡°Hurk!¡± he wretched as purple veins suddenly formed up on his skin. Koga went for another strike but was forced to break off as The Executives raised their guns and fired. Koga darted low and was suddenly among them kicking and punching to disarm them. ¡°Blergh!¡± Giovanni wretched again only to struggle and turn his head up to Mewtwo. ¡°Mewtwo! Get me out of here!¡± he shouted desperately. Mewtwo stiffened, having been trading blows with the Gengar only to break off. He spun around and raised a hand, his attention falling off the fight. It was only a momentary distraction. A moment I and many others had been waiting for. ¡°Empress! Go!¡± I bellowed. This time Empress unleashed everything she had in her Hyper Beam even as the Gengars shot their Shadow Balls forth. Sabrina raised her hand and from her pokemon, a single cohesive Psychic took hold of Mewtwo and locked him in place. Right in time for the various attacks to slam into him all at once. An explosion rocked the battlefield. Smoke wafted across the sky and silence gripped it as everyone held their breath, waiting to see if it had been enough. A clatter of metal rained down as the sky cleared and revealed Mewtwo curled in on himself, burns and wounds littering his form. He glowed and then straightened, his wounds receding as he straightened back up. His intelligent eyes took us in. I swallowed and prepared to keep fighting. Giovanni laughed from his position on the ground. ¡°Ha! We sought to make the most powerful pokemon and we succeeded! You don¡¯t stand a chance! Mewtwo destroy them!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that Mewtwo,¡± Sabrina said, floating up with her Mega-Alakazam at her side. My heart lurched as she got closer to the pokemon we¡¯d just been fighting but Sabrina still made the effort. ¡°You are more than just a mindless¡­ creation. You are a person; let me help you.¡± Mewtwo stared at her and then turned to look at Giovanni who looked gleeful. A voice echoed across the airfield then. ¡°I will not destroy them¡­¡± said Mewtwo as he stared at Giovanni. ¡°What?! No! I created you! You obey me! That is your purpose!¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Your purpose is yours and yours alone to decide!¡± ¡°You are nothing but a clone! Made to follow orders! So obey!¡± Giovanni shouted. Mewtwo put a hand to his head and shuddered. ¡°I¡­ am¡­ not¡­ I will not! Follow orders from you!¡± snarled Mewtwo channeling a powerful psychic attack that exploded around him, blowing back the Gengar that had been circling him. Mewtwo glowered at Giovanni. For a moment I thought Mewtwo was going to lash out at his former ¡®master¡¯. Koga must have felt the same way, as he stepped up next to lay a hand on the Team Rocket Boss. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was to detain him, or offer protection. Koga didn¡¯t say anything, he merely stared at the Legendary. For a long moment violence seemed to be teetering into a certainty as Mewtwo flexed his fingers. He gave the field one more look over, I felt his gaze sweep over me and my skin broke out in goosebumps. ¡°Mewtwo, we don¡¯t want to hurt you. Please? We want to help¡ª¡± Sabrina said only for Mewtwo to streak away, his passing causing the clouds to ripple. I exhaled in relief and inhaled. That¡­ hadn¡¯t been the worst outcome. Sabrina stared after where Mewtwo had been. A click made me look down and find one of the Executive¡¯s standing in front of me with his gun raised. ¡°D-don¡¯t move!¡¯ he growled. I sighed. ¡°Put the gun down, it¡¯s not going to help you, now or in the future.¡± Sabrina would crush this idiot. But then again with her psychic strength right now, she could probably see well into the future. If she wasn¡¯t stopping him, then he wasn¡¯t a threat. ¡°No! I¡¯m not going down like this!¡± said the man hysterically. His gun twitched back and forth slightly and I drew up my rock energy as strongly as I could around me. I sighed and shook my head. ¡°I was trying to help you,¡± I said right before Selene slammed into his side. His arm snapped as she set about disarming him of his weapon and I could only grimace. I¡¯d tried to warn him. I looked around and found the other Executives were now kneeling with their guns on the ground and their hands laced behind their heads. I nodded, glad that no one else had decided to do something dumb. I looked around and found Koga frisking Giovanni. I blinked and felt something settle in. ¡°Holy shit, we did it,¡± I said as I realised that this wasn¡¯t a dream. We¡¯d captured Giovanni. ¡°It¡¯s quite the accomplishment,¡± Agatha said, walking up to me a glint of something in her gaze. I nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think I believed we were going to get him, I thought he was going to get away; he¡¯s been so slippery and careful,¡± I said. Giovanni glowered at me. ¡°I would have gotten away if it wasn¡¯t for that traitorous bitch! I¡¯m going to teach Ariana a lesson if I get my hands on her!¡± Giovanni said. I chuckled. ¡°You should probably stay quiet or something¡­¡± I glanced around. ¡°Do we need to read them their rights?¡± Agatha snorted. ¡°They have none,¡± she said firmly as she stabbed her cane and set her Ghost pokemon to frisking the Executives of their pokemon. A few of them were looking extremely pale and starting to shake. She flicked her eyes over me and I frowned. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°No¡­ I just¡­¡± she coughed. ¡°Thank you for sacrificing your Clefable like that¡­ it was very noble.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh, yeah. Link is pretty cool like that, isn¡¯t he?¡± Agatha blinked and turned her head only to find Link shaking his head as he emerged from yet another Rest. ¡°Clefable!¡± he cheered. She stared in shock. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be, that¡¯s a new trick.¡± I grinned at her ¡°I¡¯ve been known to think up a few in my time,¡± I said. Agatha merely nodded, eying me thoughtfully as Sabrina floated back to the ground. When she landed next to me I reached out and caught her as the glow of energy died off and her Alakazam¡¯s Mega evolution died off. ¡°Nice work out there,¡± I said. Sabrina nodded. ¡°You too, congratulations on Jormungandr,¡± she said. I grinned. ¡°He did great!¡± I said happily. ¡°I get what you mean about syncing up now. It was a lot more of a rush than I¡¯d thought it to be.¡± She merely nodded and inspected the downed Rockets. ¡°Today is going to be an interesting day,¡± Sabrina said as the sun began to rise. I sighed. ¡°It¡¯ll be a good one Heck! Maybe even a great one! With no Team Rocket things will be so much better!¡± Giovanni glowered at us. ¡°You fool! You have no idea how the world works! Without us to stave off the others you will only face more criminals! The ecoterrorists of Fiore, the tribals of the wilds, the blasted Hoenn militants! The Zealots of Sinnoh! We stood in their way!¡± The Executives roused a little at this and glared at us. Agatha snorted, and Sabrina shook her head. ¡°You did no such thing; you were a rot weakening us from within. More criminals may come, but we will handle them,¡± she said, her hand slipping into mine. I squeezed her hand, liking the sound of it. Tomorrow might see others trying to fill the void left by Team Rocket, but today? Today we¡¯d won. Chapter 169 - The world moves Agatha sat on a ledge, watching the pathetic people that scurried about underfoot go about their day. Her hand idly brushed along her shadow and instead of scraping itself on the coarse stonework underneath her, it touched velvet softness. Her shadow purred in contentment only to squawk as that pokemon was bumped it out of the way so another might receive her pats. ¡°You know, you really haven¡¯t changed,¡± said a voice, wisened with age. ¡°You still find the tallest tower you can to watch the world pass you by!¡± Despite herself, Agatha turned and found herself seeing a much younger man overlapping the man currently approaching her. Then she blinked and the image was gone, leaving only the old man. ¡°And neither have you, coming up here to find me, despite not being Champion or having anything to do with me anymore,¡± Agatha replied. Samuel Oak hummed in thought and walked up to her side where he laced his feet through the railing, letting them hang over the edge. He kicked them back and forth and grinned. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to disagree with you, I have a lot to do with you.¡± His smile softened. ¡°We¡¯re friends Agatha.¡± Agatha turned her head away with a huff, ignoring the quickening of her heart. Damn that smile, so many problems had started with that. ¡°Who¡¯d be friends with you!¡± she said, the words old and worn with how often she¡¯d said them to Samuel. He knew not to listen to them and instead merely sat with her, content to share a moment. Agatha was in no rush, these days, at the twilight of her life, she knew how precious each moment could be. Perhaps that was why she didn¡¯t sleep as much any more? She didn¡¯t want to waste her time on sleep, but instead on tasting something new about life? Another scuffing noise of someone approaching her made her glance behind her only for a growl to emerge from her lips. ¡°Why did you come up here?¡± she said to Pryce. The old man scoffed. ¡°I was invited to meet Samuel here, I didn¡¯t know you would be here!¡± he snapped back, prickly as always. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you two had a date! I¡¯ll have to let you¡ª¡± Agatha replied only for Samuel to sigh explosively. ¡°Don¡¯t you two ever get tired of sniping at each other?¡± he said with an exasperated shake of his head. ¡°No,¡± ¡°Never!¡± snapped Agatha and Pryce together. They both locked eyes at how in-sync they¡¯d been with the other, only for Samuel to laugh at them. They both rounded on him. ¡°It¡¯s not funny!¡± they snarled together, only to go back to eyeing each other in distaste. Samuel waved a hand. ¡°But it is! Oh! Come now! Just let things be for the moment! This is a momentous occasion for the League. Put your animosity to the side and just¡­ be,¡± Samuel said expansively as he gestured at the busy people below. Pryce approached and eyed the ledge. ¡°I think I¡¯ll stand,¡± he said coolly, as he leaned against the safety rail. Samuel merely nodded and hummed. Agatha eyed both men, her tranquillity well and truly lost. ¡°I heard that Blaine escaped you,¡± she said pointedly, going for the kill straight away. Samuel nodded, his eyes locked on a distant figure running with their breakfast still in their mouth. ¡°Indeed, it appears that his Gym and home had been abandoned only very recently. He must have known we were coming.¡± Samuel sighed, ¡°He didn¡¯t even leave a note.¡± ¡°I always told you he wasbad news,¡± Pryce said firmly. Agatha sniffed pointedly but didn¡¯t comment. Blaine had always been hotheaded. Unfortunately, he was also one of the sharpest minds of their generation. Combine that with his skills and accomplishments as a pokemon trainer, it became impossible to pass him over for someone more¡­ palatable. Agatha sighed. Most of Indigo had accepted her as an Elite Four thanks to the nature of her missions during the war. She was a virtual unknown beyond people telling ghost stories of her. Blaine¡­ Blaine was the man who made people¡¯s passions run hot, both for good and bad. Blaine hadn¡¯t been allowed in Ecruteak City after the war. The League had eventually decided to set up a lie surrounding the origins of the burned tower there, but the elders of the city all remembered that it was no lightning strike that destroyed the tower. It had been Blaine, specifically on the day of a sacred festival. Blaine had been rather amused that the myth had grown in a single generation, to the creation of the Legendary Beasts of Indigo. ¡°If you had your time again¡­¡± Agatha started to say before letting it fade. She didn¡¯t need to ask anything else. Pryce and Samuel understood. ¡°I have regrets,¡± said Pryce firmly, eyes locked on the horizon. ¡°I¡¯d keep things the same if I could,¡± said Oak, an oddly whimsical tone in his voice. ¡°We can never truly know what our actions or inactions will bring, but on the whole, we did our best and that¡¯s what mattered. If we¡¯d known more things at the time? We would have acted on them and so much might be different, but right now, right here? Things are going well enough!¡± Samuel said with a fond smile. Pryce glanced at Samuel and blinked rapidly like he¡¯d seen something, before shaking his head. ¡°Who do you think will take up the mantle of criminal overlord, now that Giovanni is behind bars?¡± said Pryce. Samuel sighed forlornly. ¡°One of you can¡¯t stop thinking about the past and the other is thinking of the next lot of work! Just forget about that! We¡¯re old, let the young ones handle that. Lance is taking care of it!¡± Agatha huffed before shooting Pryce a look. ¡°Your granddaughter¡­ she stood up well, when we came under fire from those guns she didn¡¯t even flinch.¡± Pryce puffed up. ¡°She¡¯s great isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far,¡± Agatha said with a sniff only for Samuel to nudge her. He then reached into her shadow and patted Gengy absentmindedly. Her shadow wriggled with pleasure. Agatha shot Gengy an annoyed look before smirking. ¡°I think I¡¯m looking forward to retiring from my Elite Four position.¡± She¡¯d have so much more freedom soon. Samuel nodded and turned his head back to her. ¡°I have to say the ones rising up to potentially take over your position have drawn my eye, none more so than young Karen!¡± Agatha eyed Samuel, and he smiled back entirely too innocently. Agatha huffed in annoyance. For all that Blaine was sharp, Samuel hadn¡¯t been far off either. He must have spotted the resemblance. ¡°Well, she¡¯s got some potential,¡± said Agatha haughtily. A skittering scrape made all three old pokemon trainers turn, to find Agatha¡¯s latest protege scrambling across the rooftop with none of the confidence they¡¯d had. ¡°A-agatha? Lance is looking for you?¡± she said, keeping her knees bent and her hands ready to grab for the railing in case she slipped. Agatha huffed. ¡°I best go see what the boy wants! Because unlike you two, I still have an actual job!¡± she said. Samuel nodded. ¡°Ah well, that¡¯s a shame, I had enjoyed our little moment.¡± he said with a smile that made Agatha remember other times when it had been just her and Samuel. She turned her head away with a harrumph. ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that! I saw you smiling!¡± said that damnable man. When he sighed, Agatha turned back, drawn to him despite her ire. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s the nature of time ¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡± Samuel said whimsically. Agatha jabbed her cane into his ribs. ¡°Don¡¯t start with that. I¡¯ve heard your poetry and I don¡¯t need to hear any more!¡± Samuel grinned. ¡°Yes yes! Hurry up and retire so we can enjoy tea dates together!¡± Then he gained a look that had Agatha stepping back. He¡¯d had an idea. And sometimes those could be dangerous. Samuel stood and coughed, causing Agatha to relax. ¡°Time flows like a river, Eternal current''s embrace, Moments drift away~.¡± he said with a soft smile. Agatha stared for a long moment only to stab with her cane once again. ¡°Where was that when we last met up? You recited terrible poems for half an hour and you just whip something like that off the cuff?!¡± Samuel batted the cane away. ¡°I¡¯m better when I¡¯m working on the fly! I can¡¯t help it!¡± Agatha and Pryce snorted. A truer statement had never been uttered. Agatha huffed and turned away. ¡°If you can keep poems like that, it might not be so bad!¡± she snapped. Samuel grinned at Pryce. ¡°All three of us!¡± Agatha lost her enthusiasm and Pryce looked like he¡¯d sucked a lemon. That had Agatha reconsidering. Hmmm maybe it wasn¡¯t such a bad idea? Pryce huffed. ¡°Perhaps,¡± he said stoically. Agatha floated up to a standing position buoyed by her Ghost pokemon. ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch,¡± she said to her old¡­ friends. They nodded and waved. ¡°Agatha,¡± said Oak. Agatha stilled. The tone of his voice demanded her attention. She looked back and found him glaring up at the sky, a determined look glinting in his eyes. ¡°If the League¡­ or you, find Blaine¡­ tell me. I feel like some things need to be Lance¡¯s to clean up. But not Blaine. I¡¯ll handle him,¡± he said firmly. Agatha nodded, not questioning if he knew about her Guardians'' initiative. The man could play the fool all too well and it wasn¡¯t until moments like this that the former Champion truly shone through. Agatha stalked back across the roof, her cane flashing out to tap the young girl on her ankles. ¡°Stand up tall and walk with confidence! You¡¯re more likely to cause yourself to fall like that! And if you fall! So what? You caught a flying type the other day!¡± ¡°Yeah, a Zubat!¡± snarled the girl, reminding Agatha of a much younger Karen¡­ or even herself. It warmed her heart to see such passion, truly. ¡°Well hurry up and make it strong or next time capture something better!¡± sniffed Agatha, enjoying the way the girl growled. ¡°These are the pokemon that I know how to train!¡± ¡°Hmmm, well, we¡¯ll have to correct that. I¡¯ll find you a nice Gastly to work with!¡± Agatha said, a skip almost entering her step before the reality of her age stopped her. Ah, she couldn¡¯t wait until she retired from being an Elite Four, she¡¯d have to keep herself busy though. Perhaps she could adopt some girls and teach them how to be strong young women? Then again, she suspected she¡¯d have other tasks to fill her days. You could never rest easily these days. She shared a smile to her shadow. Not even when you died, she thought. "Gastly are lame old woman!" snapped the girl, also failing to notice how Agatha¡¯s shadow had shifted underneath her. Ah, such a foolish child! Agatha sighed. "Oh dear, youth is wasted on the young," she said aloud as she strode into the League to help another youth with the issues he''d created for himself.
Maxie meticulously wiped his spectacles. He would need to have a clear vision for this task. He could not misinterpret or misread anything of the report that had just been delivered. When he was finished polishing to a satisfactory degree, his spectacles glinted. Only then did he don his spectacles and turn to the first page of the report. ¡°Sir! Have you seen that the Indigo Champion has neutralised Team Rocket?¡± said Courtney, the door banging against the wall as she stormed into Maxie¡¯s office. Maxie blinked, the first page of the report barely having been raised. ¡°Ah¡­¡± he said, glancing at the report. He let the page fall. ¡°I was just about to peruse it,¡± he said. Courtney stared at the report on the table for a long moment. ¡°Sir¡­ you really need to start using your computer more.¡± Maxie glanced to the side. ¡°I prefer the physical experience of turning the pages. There is a certain tactile sensation you see?¡± he said as he flipped the page. Courtney nodded her head seriously. ¡°Very well sir, I shall wait for you.¡± She then pulled a chair into the corner and sat down, the picture of a dutiful second in command. Maxie coughed into his fist. Now he felt somewhat self-conscious with how his quirk was causing her to sit and wait for him to catch up. He knew his second in command well enough to know that she would insist on waiting for him. He began turning the pages, his eyes darting across the words quickly only to stop each time he reached the end. He took a small moment each time to enjoy lifting and placing the next page down. This acceleration and stoppage resulted in him only being halfway through the report before his door slammed open once more. ¡°Sir! Have you gotten¡­ Oh I see you have, oh hello Courtney,¡± said Tabitha as he took in the room at a glance. The barrel chest man nodded amicably and then set another chair next to Courtney. Maxie felt himself blush as he adjusted his spectacles. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. First Courtney, and then Tabitha? Were Brodie and Blaise about to storm in? Were all of them that much faster than him due to his desire to do things the right and proper way? Maxie eyed the door as Tabitha settled. When nothing happened, Maxie returned to reading the report on the Indigo situation. Thankfully with no further interruptions, Maxie could contemplate everything he¡¯d just read. ¡°Giovanni was the leader of Team Rocket,¡± Maxie said aloud, tasting the words. Courtney and Tabitha vibrated in their seats, dying to speak up but thankfully their discipline ¡ª in this matter¡ª was sufficient. ¡°The Leader of the Viridian Gym, a former soldier who had been in charge of logistics and supplies, a position perfect for graft while keeping him away from fighting. He¡¯d have made many connections and been able to trade many favours. I believe there would be a linkage there as to why Blaine and Surge are also now being stood down.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Tabitha said, his body positively vibrating in his seat. Maxie waved a hand, his lips twitching even as Courtney shot her fellow Administrator an annoyed look. ¡°Sir! There is something going on with Surge¡¯s Gym! My Cousin¡¯s daughter was in Vermillion and there is something more going on there!¡± ¡°Hoh? Civil strife?¡± Maxie said. ¡°No! When I got the report and read through it, I was able to talk to them! There are lawyers involved but whatever was going on stopped the League from reclaiming the Gym for themselves!¡± Maxie paused at that. It was an interesting tidbit and unessential to the rest of the information, but still of note. ¡°Hmmm the Indigo League stymied? Interesting,¡± he said, drumming his fingers on the table. Courtney coughed politely before speaking up. ¡°Sir, the Indigo league is already stretched thin due to the popularity that they drew for this year¡¯s amateur circuit.¡± ¡°And with the loss of Blaine and Giovanni things will become much more difficult,¡± Maxie said, agreeing with the thrust of Courtney¡¯s point. ¡°They also lost another Gym Leader sir,¡± Courtney said, pulling another folder out and presenting it to Maxie. He indulged himself in running his hands across the paper before coughing and flipping through it. ¡°Grey? And he was taken in by¡­ Kong?¡± Maxie hummed, his fingers drumming a staccato on the desk before him. ¡°Grey was the Leader of the small Gym in Neon City, while Kong is the Gym Leader that shares Saffron City with the Psychic Gym, correct?¡± ¡°Precisely so sir,¡± Courtney said. Maxie smiled, pleased at his recall, both were minor, but still notable figures of Indigo. ¡°So there will be greater pressure, we should have interested parties begin pressuring the League; they will have taken a large bite of their criminal underworld and now must swallow.¡± Maxie laced his fingers. ¡°I have kept abreast of the developments and young Lance has been setting himself up for weeks, if not months, now but this is still something that will test him and his League. We will have opportunities. Assemble our Agents and Planners, there will be places that we can move into I am sure, but there will also be traps we will need to avoid. Agatha is being replaced by Koga and neither were known for poor foresight.¡± Tabitha shot to his feet and saluted. ¡°Sir!¡± he said before sprinting off to carry out his duties of assembling the Planners. Maxie held his pose. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should reprimand him for running off like that, or for saluting¡­ he does remember that I¡¯m no longer a Major, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Once a Sargeant, always a Sargeant sir,¡± said Courtney as she approached Maxie¡¯s desk. ¡°What else should we do?¡± Maxie tapped the report. ¡°I will need to find out who leaked this information. It wasn¡¯t one of ours was it? Someone wants to create Chaos in Indigo. We shall be careful.¡± ¡°Of course sir,¡± said Courtney with a dutiful nod. Maxie contemplated his options. ¡°Information is key as always, we need to gather as much as we can. I shall reach out to the former Wing Commander and get him to pass what he can along,¡± he said. ¡°Of course sir, the old Commander,¡± she said without a trace of emotion. Despite this Maxie knew his eternal aide to be teasing him for using the man¡¯s old title. He was no longer a Wing Commander after all. He indulged himself with a chuckle before dismissing her. ¡°Assist Tabitha where you can, otherwise reach out to any other information brokers within Indigo.¡± He held out the reports he had and let them fall onto his desk to demonstrate how thin they were. ¡°Very well sir!¡± she said with a salute. She then turned on a pokedime and skipped out of the room much to Maxie¡¯s amusement. Maxie settled back in and turned to his computer, with his indulgence dealt with, he needed to get through some serious work before briefing on his plans going forward. He would also need to consider how Archie might act in the face of such knowledge.
Archie picked at his ear and glanced around the room. ¡°So? Any reason we should give a shit about what¡¯s going on in Indigo?¡± he said to his officers. Matt shot to his feet. ¡°Not at all sir! We have minimal interest in them due to most of the impacted sites being landlocked! That would not be for us to worry about!¡± He then struggled to sit down, having launched his chair away when he stood. Shelly hid her mouth behind her hand to titter as the giant stumbled about. Amber ignored the byplay and waved his own hand. ¡°I think it¡¯s something that we should still be looking into, there¡¯s always the chance to exploit Indigo¡¯s inattention. They¡¯ve been busy with something to their north, so perhaps we should deploy some units to probe them along the coast? There might be some trade conveys we can claim for ourselves?¡± Archie nodded. ¡°The north has been weakened with the death of the old Cerulean monster and we have been rather lax not moving back in.¡± Archie stroked his chin in thought before shooting Shelly a look. ¡°What about her?¡± he said. Shelly, and all the other Officers in the room, stiffened and glanced around carefully. Shelly shook it off first. ¡°There¡¯s been no sightings of her recently. Common knowledge is that she is not within Kanto, or Johto, Sevii, or the Orange Islands¡ª¡± Archie held up a hand and waved to a whiteboard. ¡°Add in a few missions into those islands, Indigo has been buddying up to them for a while. I think we should establish a few naval bases. Send out some scouts, if nothing else they¡¯ll be good sites to acquire some different pokemon that might be swimming past.¡± Matt sat and crossed his arms. ¡°Anything that we can find in Indigo we get along our own coastlines if not better! The South Hoenn Current provides for us!¡± he said, pumping his fist like one would if they were cheering on a sports team instead of a naturally occurring phenomenon. ¡°Hmmm that¡¯s mostly true, but we¡¯re just not in the business of being mostly right,¡± Archie said firmly. Then he smirked. ¡°However, there will be other sites that might not have been pumped into. Remember, Indigo doesn¡¯t have any nautical infrastructure thanks to us!¡± ¡°Horah!¡± shouted Matt, as the others in the room sat taller. Shelly shot Archie a smug look. ¡°And the same is true of Sevii and the Orange Islands, no?¡± Archie pointed at Shelly like she¡¯d just won a prize. Matt started up a proper chant, that, if they were in the mess hall, would have had the grunts and rookies following along. Archie let it play out for a little while before he had enough. He whistled sharply. ¡°Ut! That¡¯s enough of that!¡± he said. Matt fell quiet instantly and crossed his arms. Archie waved a hand. ¡°In other good news, for those not aware¡ª¡± Archie pointedly flicked his eyes to the younger officers, and therefore those that hadn¡¯t fought in the war. ¡°¡ªSurge has been caught up in the arrests.¡± Amber and Matt both grinned savagely at this, while Shelly tutted in faux concern. ¡°Think he¡¯d appreciate some soap on a rope?¡± she said with a coy giggle. This got a round of laughter from the older men while the youngsters merely laughed for the form of things. Archie waved a hand to get the meeting moving along. ¡°Right, you youngsters should look him up in our records. The things you¡¯ll find on the pokenet are all the censored cutesy details. Suffice to say he was a significant thorn in our side,¡± he said, ignoring Matt who was opening his shirt and pointing at the mass of Lichtenberg scars on his ribs causing a few of the rookie officers to gape. Archie let memories of a fight on a beach rise up and buoy him into the past. The smell of ozone was still fresh in his mind, while his hands had been slick with blood as he carted others out of danger. ¡°Ahem,¡± said Shelly softly. Archie blinked as he realised he¡¯d been caught dozing off. He shook his head and stared at the whiteboard as an assistant caught up to what had been said. What had they been talking about? ¡°What had we been talking about?¡± he said shamelessly. The room at large paused to think with only Shelly sighing. ¡°Her location,¡± she said pointedly. ¡°Who¡¯s her?¡± said a rookie. ¡°We don¡¯t talk about her,¡± said Matt pointedly. ¡°Just know she was a crazy chick that fought in the war and ended up on the coastal defence of Kanto after starting as a landlubber! She turned up again a few years ago though! Raiding and killing a lot of our teams! Only to vanish!¡± Matt said. ¡°She¡¯s like a ghost!¡± Archie whistled and shut the conversation down, it would be bad for morale if it spread too far. ¡°Control yourselves,¡± he said. He gave the room a pointed look. ¡°Just know that she¡¯s a menace that has returned. We have methods of dealing with her should she make another appearance,¡± he said. He then waved a hand. ¡°Point is that there are some vulnerabilities we should be looking into in Indigo.¡± He waved a hand. ¡°What about other news? Any progress on discovering a route to any new locations that we can lead some merchant groups to?¡± He smirked once more. ¡°After all, it isn¡¯t like Team Magma is going to find any land routes to another region!¡± This earned a round of chuckles and the room relaxed as they moved on for the direction that Team Aqua would be progressing.
Lola lay on her back and stared at the stars. Lots of things had changed with the land and oceans after the war; that was something that a lot of the researchers and cartographers had agreed about. Sadly, this meant that a lot of the landmarks and methods of getting around were off. The use of compasses became much more complicated with the shift as every nation ended up jumbled about. But Lola knew that things were getting better! They had to be! Things were calming down and she¡¯d have a family¡­ a family that weren¡¯t evil traitors even, at home waiting for her! She could love them and laugh with them and not at all have to¡­ Lola¡¯s bottom lip wobbled. Was she doing the right thing? Being out here like this? She sat up and slapped her cheeks with her hands, and then for good measure, used her feet to slap her cheeks. The odd act never failed to lighten her heart. She giggled to herself. She¡¯d kept herself limber, something that Flint always seemed to enjoy! Yes, things would be fine! Flint was at home, and the children were growing well. Flint was good like that. He was her rock. Her anchor in rough seas. She clutched at a rock necklace that had an array of different types of rocks, all of them picked by Flint or her children, and given to her. They were all her anchors. She shut her eyes and inhaled once, then exhaled slowly. Count of four, and repeat for four. She knew where she was, and where she had come from. Now she just needed to work out where she was going. She looked back up at the stars. The world might have changed, but the stars, they hadn¡¯t. Well, not by much. If you paid enough attention you could navigate with the stars. She held up a hand towards the Tauros star system and held her thumb just so, so that the tip touched the Solrock constellation. Yes, she knew exactly where she was. ¡°Now¡­ where am I going?¡± she said looking around. North, she decided. She was going north. A giant wave rose up and a Gyarados roared from atop it in challenge, its eyes locked on Lola and her pokemon. Lola sighed. This again? How many did this make today? Seven? ¡°Lapras, be a dear,¡± she said to her pokemon. Her pokemon unleashed an Ice Beam that froze the wave, and the surrounding ocean they were on. Lola huddled up into her jacket and huffed. The Gyarados tried to escape the frozen wave but it could barely twitch. Lola ignored it, shuddering into her jacket for warmth. ¡°Blasted Gyarados,¡± she said before pointing north. She was on an adventure! She couldn¡¯t wait to find what she was looking for, her family would be so proud! Especially her daddy! She paused as pain flashed through her head. She slapped her cheeks once again and pushed the painful thoughts aside. Yes, daddy, and her cousins, and her husband and children. Yes, all of them would be so proud of her. Yes! She was on her way! Just a quick adventure to stay fresh! Lola glanced around and frowned at the ocean. ¡°How long have I been out here?¡± she said aloud. No one responded beyond her Lapras giving her a worried look as it sped up, looking for land to the north.
Steven Stone laid down the proposal and raised a red stamp to hammer it into the form. He then turned his attention to the rest of his inbox, his movements lackadaisical and worn. He raised another form and perused it. A joint initiative from Indigo for policing? He hammered it with a red stamp. Tax relief forms? Red stamp. Cross continental communications towers? He paused as he noted that it included a seal from the Devon corporation. He raised a new stamp and slammed that down, leaving a green mark on the form. Really, he should be doing this on his computer, and he was creating more work for his secretary staff, but there was a certain visceral joy that you got with doing it physically like this. ¡°Well, if this is how you are, I think I might just reschedule our match,¡± said a grizzled voice from the doorway. Steven huffed, ¡°I assure you Drake, I will be ready for our battle,¡± he said dismissively. He¡¯d known the man was there for a while and hadn¡¯t cared if the man saw him working, even if it was without his usual pomp and flare. ¡°Hmpf, you¡¯re going to get sloppy; you need more discipline,¡± Drake said sternly. Steven shook his head. ¡°I have no such issues, I assure you,¡± he said to the man with a shake of his head. The man was quite stuck in his ways but then again, when you were raised and spent most of your life in the service, it made sense. Steven leaned back as Drake approached. The older man¡¯s eyes flicked over the forms on Steven¡¯s desk more out of habit than interest. ¡°Let me guess,¡± Steven began, ¡°You¡¯re here to discuss with me the Indigo situation?¡± Drake merely nodded, claiming a seat and making himself comfortable. ¡°Hoenn will not be doing anything beyond congratulating the Indigo League on its success in finally dealing with its criminal elements. Of course, for the sake of the public we will be increasing our own spending towards police and the crackdown on a number of sites known to us,¡± Steven said waving at a small stake of forms with green stamps on them. ¡°We will otherwise be pointing out that Indigo¡¯s issues are wonderful but not reflective on our state of affairs,¡± Steven said, lacing his fingers together. Drake snorted. ¡°People are going to ask about Magma and Aqua,¡± he said. ¡°And those have always been minor issues compared to the widespread and international issues presented by Team Rocket,¡± Steven responded calmly. The well-practised words sliding from his lips with ease. Drake smirked. ¡°Alright, good to see that you losing out on your chance to show off didn¡¯t impact you too much,¡± said the older man as he stood to march away. Steven narrowed his eyes. How had Drake known? ¡°Ho? You were aware?¡± ¡°My instincts are top notch,¡± Drake said from the doorway. ¡°They¡¯d have to be; after all, I was the Wing Commander for a reason!¡± said Drake before waving over his shoulder. Steven stared after him. He might need to spend some more time with his pokemon, just to make sure they were ready for the fight with Drake. Suddenly even with his Mega-evolution, he didn¡¯t feel as sure of his victory. He shook the thought off, but still tapped his intercom. ¡°Cancel my afternoon appointments, I¡¯m going to be working with my pokemon.¡± With that done, Steven turned back to approving or dismissing proposals.
In a darkened room, a group of people sat around a long rectangular table. At the head of the table, a woman that appeared middle-aged sat. She, and indeed everyone in the room, shared a smirk with each other. ¡°Well, I think that went rather well, don¡¯t you?¡± said Madam Bossue to the room at large. Behind her, a black Gardevoir held up a hand to her mouth to titter. Blaine laughed. ¡°Ha! Age trumps youth as they say!¡± he said with a savage grin. The Madam nodded her head. ¡°Yes, thank you for deciding to accept my deal back then Blaine. It was very pragmatic of you. We¡¯ll be able to recreate your research facilities. I¡¯m sorry about your Gym, however.¡± Blaine snorted and waved a hand, ¡°I¡¯m not, that was all outdated equipment. I can restart where I left off easily enough and with the new funding you promised, I think we can come up with a number of different projects that I¡¯ve been interested in.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it worked as well as it did,¡± said Ariana out loud. She looked at two empty seats and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a shame about Sham and Carl not making it out.¡± The Madam shifted. ¡°It was a loss to have them captured, but not an irrecoverable one. We now have unrestricted access to all the plans dear little Gio thought he¡¯d kept hidden from me.¡± The Madam clicked a button and a screen lit up. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, Team Rocket under Giovanni is no more, we now return to me as C.E.O. For that purpose, one of the first items of business will be a rebranding of our name. We are now TRI holdings!¡± Blaine snorted. ¡°Standing for Team Rocket International?¡± The madam nodded. A young man raised a hand. ¡°Uhm Madam, what are we going to do about Will? You had him sent to your son and he didn¡¯t escape? Won¡¯t he implicate you?¡± The Madam and Blaine laughed at this, while others looked between the pair in confusion. The Madam shook her head and sighed theatrically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say that Madam Bossue is a name I will have to drop, but oh well.¡± She then swept a hand across her face, hiding it for a fraction of a second. As the hand passed over her face, it shifted, becoming slimmer, and more vibrant. The black hair shifted colour and changed to a blonde bobcut while her eyes shifted shape. More than a few Executives gaped. ¡°H-how?!¡± Ariana said in surprise. Blaine grinned. ¡°Ditto are such wonderful things. Why, thanks to their assistance you¡¯d never know the Madam was over¡ª¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± said the Madam, cutting off Blaine before anything more could be revealed. Blaine merely cackled. She smiled at the room at large. ¡°As I was saying, Madam Bossue is no more, I will now, for the purposes of running TRI holdings, be going by a new name.¡± ¡°Call me Domino!¡± she said with the bubbly laugh of a woman many decades younger than she actually was. A few of the men smiled widely only to blink as they recalled what they¡¯d just witnessed moments before. She smiled guilelessly and many shuddered as they were drawn into the false persona again, only to remember how fake that was. With a simple demonstration, the new boss of TRI cemented herself as a scary individual in their minds. More than a few people then recalled that she¡¯d left her own son out to dry. She truly was a terrifying woman. A few had to wonder what this would mean for them, with a woman who seemingly had no line she wouldn¡¯t cross, taking over leadership. The future seemed so bright, but at the same time, so very uncertain. Chapter 170 - New targets I lay in my bed, my hands laced behind my head. I¡¯d gotten in very¡­ well I couldn¡¯t actually call it late, or early, as I¡¯d ended up not coming home until Monday afternoon. There were only a few annoyed trainers waiting for me but they¡¯d accepted a reschedule easily enough. My team of employees had handled it well. They were getting quite used to adjusting for schedule shifts. I mentally marked them all down for another bonus. When I¡¯d gotten in I hadn¡¯t been in any state to accept challengers and instead had retired to bed. Sabrina had turned up an hour later with Ralts tucked into her arm like a teddy bear to collapse on my bed. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± I asked. Sabrina sighed. ¡°Giovanni has one of the most disciplined minds I have ever had the unfortunate desire to read. He keeps his thoughts very tightly leashed and has been given top military training to this effect.¡± Sabrina ran her hands through Ralts¡¯ hair. ¡°The League knows there are a lot of other resources that we should be locking down but as yet we¡¯re not able to. So far anything that Giovanni has had a hand in either forming or supporting is being extensively reviewed,¡± Sabrina said. She shook her head, causing her long hair to flick about. ¡°They¡¯ve so far had to raid eight charities that were only charities in name, two Battleclubs he sponsored, and a breeder.¡± I grimaced at the last site, only to pause and wonder if there weren¡¯t more breeders under Giovanni¡¯s payroll. ¡°That... sadly enough tracks with what we know of him. He¡¯s no slouch when it comes to spending big on himself. And as for the facilities¡­ I¡¯m surprised that there aren¡¯t more,¡± I said. ¡°Those are only the ones that they¡¯ve found so far,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Ah,¡± I said. I reached over and began stroking Ralts¡¯ hair as a yawn rippled through me. ¡°I¡¯m honestly amazed that he didn¡¯t escape, or that he hasn¡¯t escaped yet.¡± ¡°He¡¯s had Lawyers trying to bog things up despite Lance¡¯s declaration the other day as well. But you are correct, there are as yet no attempts that have been made. Lance is getting very concerned, considering that other Rocket members had people trying to break them out.¡± ¡°What?¡¯ I sat up at that as alarm bells rang in my mind, my hands shooting away from Ralts¡¯ horns. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense! Daniel got hit squads and people trying to spirit him away within hours.¡± I stared at Sabrina incredulously. ¡°Giovanni hasn¡¯t had anyone?¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°Yes, it is very unnerving, and making the security around Giovanni tighter if anything.¡± She put a hand to her chest. ¡°I got asked for identification and verification at least twice while I was there.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°Do you think I should head back up there?¡± Sabrina pursed her lips before shaking her head. ¡°I think Lance can handle it.¡± She eyed me for a moment and I knew that whatever she was about to say wasn¡¯t something I would like. I metaphorically got ready to sit on my hands. ¡°Brock,¡± she said hesitantly. She considered what she¡¯d say for a second before firming up. ¡°Brock, how are you feeling about Surge?¡± I clenched my fists. ¡°Betrayed,¡± I said hotly. ¡°Yes, I gathered that. Surge was your mentor as a Gym Leader.¡± I started to turn myself away only for Sabrina to put her hand on my shoulder. ¡°No, please don¡¯t close yourself off. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m¡­ handling this poorly.¡± ¡°No, I am,¡± I said, before clapping my hands and exhaling slowly. Sabrina didn¡¯t rush me and instead allowed me to inhale and force myself to let go. To unclench. I took the pressure off my hands and then simply took slow, deep breaths. I allowed myself to flop back on the bed where I could stare at the ceiling as the fight went out of me. Sabrina set herself next to me while Ralts moved into a position out of the way. I glanced at her and found her merely inspecting Sabrina and me. She must have been curious about all of this. It was a lot of drama, and as a young pokemon much of it would be foreign to her. I chuckled, it felt like I had one of my siblings watching me. It made me want to be better. To do the right thing. I hadn¡¯t had a feeling like this since¡­ The Draw with Will. I hummed. ¡°What¡¯s the right thing to do in this situation?¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s right is whatever you decide. It needs to be right for you before anything else.¡± Sabrina said her hand rubbing at my shoulder. I stared into her eyes, a swell in my chest helping to keep me calm. ¡°I love you,¡± I said before anything else. Sabrina smiled and leaned down to kiss me. ¡°I know,¡± she said smugly. I waggled my eyebrows and waited. She hummed, keeping me waiting for a moment more. ¡°And I love you.¡± She then tapped my nose. ¡°But I also know that you meant to say, how did you get so good at this?¡± she said, lifting her head faux imperiously. I chuckled, Sabrina had seen right through my next question. If I wasn¡¯t so sure she couldn¡¯t predict me using her Psychic abilities, I would have sworn she read my mind or looked into the future. I knew better though. She just knew me that well. I grinned. ¡°Oh, I know how you got so good at all this. It was Alakazam¡­¡± I considered the other options before shaking my head. ¡°I would have said Erika as well, maybe not for this point¡­¡± Then I frowned. ¡°Actually, with what we¡¯ve learnt about how things went down with her father and uncle and Silph Co. she might have a unique insight.¡± Sabrina nodded and kissed me again, not in a manner that would ignite any passion but in a simple romantic gesture of love. We let a quiet moment linger between us as we just basked in knowing that¡­ our bond was strong? I wasn¡¯t sure what to call this. I just knew that it was good. Eventually, Sabrina circled a finger on my shoulder, drawing me back to the conversation we¡¯d been having. ¡°So? What is the right thing to do with Surge?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening to him?¡± I asked, deciding that I wanted to know how harshly the book was being thrown at him for being caught supporting Team Rocket. ¡°There must be a lot of charges levied against him.¡± ¡°Yes, although the League is also flummoxed by him.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t say I expected to have him there.¡± I counted off on my fingers. ¡°That makes four of the Kanto Gyms that will be out of¡­¡± I trailed off as Sabrina shook her head. ¡°It seems¡­ once again that Surge has taken a good number of people by surprise,¡± she said. I frowned. ¡°Has he escaped?¡± I said, with that being the first idea of what was going on coming to mind. Sabrina merely shook her head. I tilted my head and waved a hand. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s Surge done that¡¯s got everyone so out of sorts?¡± I asked.
[/hr] ¡°HE WHAT?!¡± shouted President Kruger, coincidentally upending the last three hours of paperwork that he¡¯d done as he flipped the table. Lance gave the paperwork an amused glance before giving the League¡¯s President a raised eyebrow. ¡°I said, he abdicated before he went to assist Giovanni,¡± Lance said. Kruger stared at Lance. ¡°And he thinks that will hold up? That¡¯s nothing! No it¡¯s worse than nothing! It¡¯s intent!¡± Lance nodded. ¡°It should have been. But¡­ well.¡± Lance shook his head. ¡°He made sure to document everything, down to the minute of his changing Gym Leader for Vermilion and how he was being called to assist Gym Leader Giovanni, who he, coincidentally, had no idea was the leader of Team Rocket. He set up multiple fail-safes and made sure that the Gym remained within his clutches through some proxy Gym Leader,¡± Lance said. ¡°And his lawyers were at the League before we even knew he was being taken in!¡± Lance said with a dead-eyed stare of one that has had to endure the cost of unparalleled success. Paperwork neverending. ¡°We¡¯re doing a deep dive on him! Aren¡¯t we?¡± Kruger said, jogging Lance out of his waking nightmare. ¡°He has to have known! He has to have willingly colluded and set out to impede the police from detaining a criminal!¡± ¡°Until we arrived, that is not clear as nothing was announced publicly and we even called him in, but he said he couldn¡¯t come¡­ which now seems extremely suspect in retrospect,¡± Lance said. Lance shook his head. ¡°As for the mental deep dive? Surge was the recipient of a number of military¡­ additions that made it unwise to attempt to do anything mentally with him. There are chances that it will kill him, or him as well as the psychic that attempts it.¡± Lance rubbed his eyes. ¡°Or, potentially, evencause an explosion that will take out the room at the very least.¡± Kruger sank back into his chair. ¡°He was one of the volunteers for the deadman button? I¡¯d seen reports on that but hadn¡¯t known he was one of the blacked-out names¡­ it makes sense that he¡¯d have been given a Gym if he was one of the survivors,¡± Kruger said, rubbing an old scar on his hand. ¡°I wonder whatever happened to the other three¡­¡± Kruger shook himself before coughing. ¡°So, he¡¯s put up a paper defence. Are we going to allow it?¡± ¡°Effectively¡­ Yes, we need Vermillion Gym to stay open.¡± ¡°And what about the person who has inherited the Gym? Who is it?¡± Kruger asked. ¡°If they¡¯re not suitable we will have grounds to strip them.¡± Lance sighed. ¡°Her name is¡ª¡±
[/hr] ¡°¡ªVisquez,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°You may have encountered her in passing at Surge¡¯s Gym, but it is doubtful.¡± She waved a hand back and forth. ¡°From what I have learned, Surge had her taking various tasks that saw her outside of Kanto quite a lot and she only came back recently. She was there to witness Surge¡¯s battle against Will but we didn¡¯t meet her.¡± I rubbed my chin and considered what I¡¯d been told. For Surge to pull off what he¡¯d done, he¡¯d have needed to make her the new Gym Leader, and if he used the same old inheritance laws that impacted the older style Gyms¡­ ¡°Visquez is his daughter then?¡± I said aloud. Sabrina nodded. ¡°Indeed. She will be called in.¡± She held up a hand. ¡°Surge¡­ he has asked for my own, and if you can, your support in helping Visquez take over the Vermillion Gym.¡± I blinked at that. ¡°You spoke with him?¡± ¡°After the difficulties with Giovanni, I was assigned to look over Surge but from what they implanted into his brain¡­ I wasn¡¯t confident I could do it without serious ramifications,¡± she said. ¡°Ah, right,¡± I said. I now had a good idea of what was going on. I now knew what Surge had done. I didn¡¯t believe for a second that he didn¡¯t know in some manner that Giovanni was the Leader of Team Rocket. Too many small moments in the past, such as where Surge sat during Gym Leader meetings or small innocuous comments were making my mind itch. I had thought nothing much of it last time, as he¡¯d been trying to haze Grey, but he had still sat with them. Had he done other things as well? I worked my jaw. ¡°I think I should have punched him in the face while I could get away with it,¡± I said aloud. Sabrina nodded. ¡°Sadly, time didn¡¯t allow for that. You did get a rather good punch in on Will however, did it feel good?¡± I glanced away. ¡°...yes,¡± I said. ¡°I rather enjoyed watching him get his due,¡± Sabrina said, causing me to bark a laugh. Why had I felt like she was going to judge me poorly for hitting Will again? She knew what I¡¯d had to deal with. ¡°Am I going to get any trouble over that?¡± I said. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Surge won¡¯t say anything, Will was resisting arrest and you needed to put him out of action with how he was. Some people might realise it happened, but no, you¡¯re not going to have any issues. You only hit him once.¡± She shrugged. ¡°If you wish, you should be able to talk to Lance about it and have him officially clear you.¡± I hummed and waved my hand back and forth. ¡°I¡¯ll play it by ear,¡± I said. ¡°I guess¡­ now I need to work out what I should do with Surge.¡± Sabrina remained quiet and let me think. I¡­had respected him, and looked up to him for ages. He had been like a loud braggart of an uncle that had stepped in and shown me the ropes. There had been things I¡¯d picked up when I¡¯d first arrived here and before I departed for my Journey, but there had been a lot of little things to be aware of. Pewter Gym wouldn¡¯t have gotten as big as it had, without Surge¡¯s guidance helping to smooth things out. I¡¯d had one year to get the feel for it before I went for something more ambitious that I could call my own. Surge had been there, as had Sabrina, for the planning, building¡­ Surge could have told them the layout and any weaknesses I had¡­ but they¡¯d sent in Daniel¡­ ¡°Surge¡­ he wasn¡¯t out and out Team Rocket, as otherwise Team Rocket would have had an easier time infiltrating my Gym,¡± I said. Sabrina nodded. ¡°That is not to say that he didn¡¯t hand over information though, or to say that he did. We simply don¡¯t know.¡± I pursed my lips and sighed. ¡°I think¡­ I think I need to talk to him, face to face, to get it out.¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± Sabrina said worriedly. I nodded. ¡°I got a lot of my feelings worked out by fighting him and then with the battle against Giovanni, but yeah. I want to tie that up. Also, I want to see if I even should help out Surge¡¯s daughter.¡± I stared up at the ceiling for a long moment before voicing a thought that kept playing across my mind. ¡°It¡¯s strange to think with such certainty that he won¡¯t lie to me, right after he has betrayed me by helping Giovanni. Is that not betrayal? How am I supposed to trust anything that comes out of his mouth?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Surge¡­ that is not an inaccurate assessment of him,¡± Sabrina said, she shifted on the bed and watched me. ¡°Will you go today?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to; I¡¯ll give it a day or two, get things sorted here, read the gym trainers in, and bring my family up to speed regarding the situation.¡± I gave Sabrina a sardonic look. ¡°You know you¡¯re bound to get a lot more attention sent your way,¡± I said. Sabrina sighed. ¡°I know. Three of the Gyms in Kanto will be out of operation for at least a few weeks. Neon City will be the easiest to replace but Cinnabar and Viridian?¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Well, good thing that¡¯s not really our problem,¡± I said cheekily. ¡°That¡¯s for Lance, the league, and the Elite Four. We will need to focus on our own situations after all.¡± Sabrina paused and a wide smile blossomed onto her face. ¡°I hadn¡¯t yet considered that.¡± I raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been rather busy with assisting the League. They might have gotten me to commit more time, if I hadn¡¯t stopped when I did.¡± ¡°Good thing then,¡± I said firmly. Sabrina nodded and we lay down again. A yawn ripped its way through me and escaped causing my jaw to crack and my eyes to squeeze shut as I got comfortable. ¡°Brock? Are you still going to fight in the Ace battles?¡± Sabrina asked before I could fall asleep. I blinked and considered that. I¡¯d been doing that to stop Will from merely ignoring me with his bid for Elite Four status. I¡¯d been doing it to force the issue of a rematch if things didn¡¯t come to pass. In hindsight, I really should have known that Sabrina would put him in his place. My decision to advance up the Ace rankings, had been a guarantee, nothing else. And despite that¡­ ¡°I think I enjoyed it¡­¡± I said, testing the words. ¡°I liked how my pokemon have been more motivated and we¡¯ve been improving together. My pokemon team is the strongest it''s ever been,¡± I said. ¡°So will you continue?¡± I thought about it for a while and thought about how much time it cost me. I had the Gym, my family, and no doubt the Guardians would intrude with some issue in the future. But¡­ despite that, I had enjoyed it. ¡°I think I want to keep going¡­ but this time I¡¯m going to do it for me and my team. I want to see how far we can take it,¡± I said aloud, feeling the conviction sink home. Sabrina smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± she said, then giggled. ¡°The people that challenge for your Elite challenge are going to have a much tougher time of it this year.¡± I grinned. ¡°With Brawly and the others, I think I will need to push myself more than usual to make sure I keep my streak going,¡± I said. I shut my eyes, deciding to have a nap before heading out to train with my pokemon. It was strange to not have any looming threats with Giovanni no longer lingering around. He¡¯d been an ever-present itch to such a degree I felt like I had a phantom desire to scratch an itch. But now, with him locked up? I no longer had to deal with him and for that, I knew the world was already a better place. I stretched out and sighed, allowing myself to enjoy a moment of peace.
[/hr] Later in the afternoon, I walked through the reserve, checking on the various pokemon and observing my Elite team resting after the chaotic battles they¡¯d taken part in. Shin and Gawain were sitting together as Bertha regaled them with wide expansive gestures. Sanchez was digging himself a small recess to lay down in so that his chin was supported while his hands and legs were splayed out. Link was sitting with Titan, the both of them simply relaxing in the sun. I walked towards them, with my bucket filled with wire brushes, polish and other care products. Sanchez waved at me but didn¡¯t rise. Bertha, the giant menace, saw me coming and ran for the pond that Corsola and other water types enjoyed. She leapt and caused a great tidal wave to surge and deposit most of the smaller pokemon up onto the opposite bank as she got dirtier. I pointed straight at her. ¡°I¡¯m leaving you until last,¡± I said firmly. She grinned and dove into the muddy bank, where she proceeded to roll. I huffed at her and turned my attention to the other pokemon. I did Sanchez first with his position making him rather easy to scrub clean. When I got a few troublesome pebbles out of the cracks in his body he groaned with relief and sank further into the recess. I eventually had him roll over and he spasmed and giggled as I got some other rocks from his armpits. When I was done he merely lay back, in a blissful coma. Jormungandr was surprisingly clean. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s something to note; maybe Mega-evolution causes the small stuff to get crushed up or absorbed?¡± I settled in for a quick polish instead and after a few minutes of work Jorm glistened. When I reached Don, he made a big show of preening and wiggling in the towel, much to his daughter¡¯s amusement. Was he being a good example for his daughter? That¡­ was kind of hilarious, considering how much he usually played up for me. For him to mellow out thanks to his daughter? Just ridiculous. The Lileep and Cradilly both got a pass over with a special nutrient blend that Erika had recommended. Both of them squirmed happily and trilled their names before I moved on. Over the span of the next two hours, I picked, plucked, ground, polished, brushed, and jackhammered my pokemon into a state of relaxation. When I was done, my hands jittered slightly. The water pokemon were the easiest to clean, with most of them needing a simple wipe with a specialised oil that I¡¯d learnt about through reading Lola¡¯s notes. Lapras needed a combination of rough sanding for his shell, before having other parts wiped off. Zephyr required the use of a small squirt bottle and enduring his shaking off the water before I dried him with a small handheld blow dryer. Empress went after Titan. Her dubious expression watching as I cleaned up Titan¡¯s carapace which had him sighing in pleasure as small aches and pains were handled. She was stiff throughout the grooming, but as soon as I was done, she stretched out a little and seemed pleased with how much freer she was and she nodded at me before nudging Teddiursa forward. I worked him over with a brush, and when I was done I made a show of standing and dusting my hands off. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the last of you!¡± I said loudly. At my feet, Teddiursa shook himself out, his greatly puffed-up body looking more like Froufrou than a small bear. Bertha, who¡¯d been waiting for this moment, emerged from the water covered in mud. ¡°Rhy!¡± she said proudly. I gave her a look. ¡°I don¡¯t own a Muk?¡± I said, playing along with her game. Bertha raised her arms and roared in a fake Muk cry, advancing on me playfully. Then I grinned. ¡°Tide, Shrek, Hypnotoad! Bubblebeam!¡± I stabbed a hand forward and lunged, grabbing Bertha before she could retreat, in the process getting myself covered in mud. Bubbles soon washed over us as I ¡®dragged¡¯ Bertha to a point where I could have her lay down so I could scrub her clean. I made sure to work a small pick into the gaps in her armour without digging too deeply. This in truth was the proper cleaning that she needed and was the equivalent of flossing for an armoured pokemon. When I was done with that I worked over her with a towel. Bertha stood at my prompting and grinned. She posed a little for the other pokemon, earning a few appreciative grumbles and roars from the others. She then grinned evilly and dashed back into the pond, where the water types began hammering her with gentle water attacks. She was quickly worn down until she was clean once more. She then retreated to flop down next to Titan, who grumbled as she thumped into the rock he¡¯d been lying on. ¡°Alright that¡¯s enough games, I wanted to talk to you all. Today is going to be spent just resting and tomorrow will be light duties but first I have two new pokemon to introduce you to!¡± This had sleepy eyes widening with interest. Bertha perked up and her fingers twitched. ¡°Rhy! Perior?¡± she asked in the manner of a schoolgirl, asking if their new classmate would be cute or not. I chuckled and popped open the first pokeball. ¡°Most of you will remember the following little chap, say hello to our newest trainee and aspiring Elite member, Zubat!¡± Zubat flapped overhead for a few moments before settling on a rock where he raised a wing in greeting. The others turned interested glances towards the next pokeball even as Bertha started inching towards the small golden Zubat. I released this one and Gible appeared with a shake of his head. ¡°Gible?¡± he said with a tilt of his head. Bertha stopped inching towards Zubat and gasped at the tiny shark pokemon. I reached down and picked up Gible as Bertha leapt. She slammed into the ground and slid past me with a whine as Gible stiffened in fright. His eyes roamed across the huge pokemon that had just crashed into where he¡¯d been standing. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her little guy, she¡¯s just excited to meet you is all,¡± I said, petting the Sinnoh pseudo-legendary. I shook my head to Bertha and she slumped and settled for a wave at the tiny pokemon. ¡°Everyone, this is Gible, he¡¯s a new addition and I had him with the family. He was picked up during the raid with Team Rocket, where it was discovered that they¡¯ve been able to make contact with another region, so that will probably be something that happens¡­ soonish. We don¡¯t have a date on that however and it was determined that I would look after this little guy.¡± I held him out. ¡°Gible are known as the starting evolution to some powerful pokemon in their region though and if he is interested I would be happy to have him join us.¡± I gestured to Bertha and Don causing both pokemon to tilt their heads. ¡°I¡¯m already well experienced with strong ground, or draconic temperament pokemon after all. When he fully evolves, which will take a while as a dragon pokemon, he might be a match for some of my strongest pokemon,¡± I said, indicating Bertha, Titan, and Empress who perked up in surprise. Gible waved his arms and gnashed his teeth in excitement at this, and I smiled. ¡°He¡¯s still months, if not years off from that thought. But if he¡¯s around during training sessions don¡¯t mind him. He will need to know what he''s signing up for after all.¡± I put him on the ground, and Gible advanced, only for Bertha to try and snatch him up again. Gible dodged this and instead dove towards Empress who had Teddiursa sitting next to her. Gible hid behind Empress and my second Tyranitar shot Bertha an unimpressed look. She then smirked as she reached down and stroked a single claw across Gible¡¯s head with intense focus. When Gible nuzzled into the claw firmly and didn¡¯t seem bothered, Empress became very pleased with herself. Bertha collapsed onto her hands and knees dramatically. ¡°Rhhhhhhhhy!¡± she said sadly. I let my other pokemon greet the newest additions in their own way before continuing with what else I wanted to talk about. ¡°Right! The other news I had was that I wanted to tell you all that I would like to continue the Ace battles we¡¯ve been undergoing of late. I know I started doing these as just a method to keep ourselves sharp while running the gym, but I think we can do more.¡± ¡°Ty? Tar?¡± Titan asked. ¡°Yes, this means more high-end battles,¡± I said, understanding what Titan meant. ¡°We¡¯re going to be shifting around some of the pokemon that I use for this as well as continuing the training that we have had in the past. With Giovanni out of the picture I want us to be stronger than ever instead of watching our backs all the time.¡± I adopted a stern expression. ¡°That is not to say that we shouldn¡¯t expect some tough fights, however. There are still a lot of pokemon and trainers out there that will take us down if we let ourselves grow complacent.¡± I locked eyes with many of my pokemon. ¡°We¡¯ve tangled with two Legendary pokemon now, and so far we¡¯ve driven each one off with assistance. I want that to be the bare minimum goal from now on, alright?¡± The group nodded, calling out their names in agreement as they did so. Gible and Zubat gasped in awe and their gaze tracked around the others, taking them in with more respectful gazes. Bertha made a punching gesture. ¡°Perior!¡± she said with a fanged grin. I chuckled and signalled for her to wait before she could get too caught up in retelling the story of how she punched a Moltres out of the air. ¡°The reason I want to keep going with the Ace battles is¡­ well it¡¯s mostly for me; I want to keep getting stronger, and I enjoy the higher tier battles.¡± I once again looked around. ¡°I think I also want to make sure that I have a very large say in whoever wants to become an Elite Four using this method. I have a bit of a say in the rookie entrance method, with most people seeking out my badge. I don¡¯t have any say for those that are to be in the tougher regions with the Rangers, but I can impact this.¡± I grinned. "So, are you all interested in that?¡± I got a resounding roar of approval from my pokemon with Link, Teddiursa, and Gawain all hopping forward to punch their arms into the air. I had thought that would be their response. I looked at Titan and saw him smirking. He gave me a thumbs up and I chuckled. ¡°Alright, rest up today, light session tomorrow; we might find another Ace battle this week, but otherwise we¡¯re getting ready for the Ace tournament next week.¡± I looked around. ¡°All of you will be fighting,¡± I said firmly, ¡°I will make some time and have something set up, have no doubt. Just don¡¯t expect it to be every time,¡± I said, eyeing the almost twenty Elite pokemon I now had. I marched back into the Gym and rounded up the Gym Trainers, receptionists, and assistants I had with a group message. While I waited for everyone to come in, I toyed around with my new Xtransciever. ¡°Ooooh that¡¯s shiny!¡± said Rachel as she locked onto the new watch immediately after she walked into the room. ¡°Thanks, I got it from that tour with Silph Co.,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s pretty neat; it¡¯s got a few more features and seems to be smoother with the user interface.¡± Rachel stared at me. ¡°You realise that means that you likely have one of the only models right now yeah? That watch won¡¯t be sent out for like¡­¡± Rachel waved her hands around as if searching for the word only to make a frustrated noise. ¡°Urgh! Like months or years even!¡± I was about to wave her comment off before I paused. Silph Co. was under investigation for a number of issues following the raid by Team Rocket. So, chances were that Rachel wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Huh, neat,¡± I said after thinking about it a little more. Rachel twitched. ¡°You have one of the must-have items before anyone has one, and that¡¯s all you can say?¡± she said. ¡°Yes?¡± I said, tilting my head. Rachel sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t let too many people know, or they will try to steal that just for how much of a power statement that is.¡± I considered that. Would this be like getting the latest iPhone in my previous life before the latest model came out only for¡­ I sighed. Yeah, it was pretty much exactly like that. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll be careful,¡± I said. Rachel gave me a dubious look and I frowned. ¡°What? What¡¯s that look for?¡± ¡°Brock, you let things slip all the time, maybe just don¡¯t mention it to your siblings?¡± I sucked my lips in and looked away. ¡°Yeeeeeeah? Salvadore was there, and he got one with me.¡± Rachel slumped. ¡°You¡¯re doomed; prepare to be challenged by some tech dweebs or something for your watch.¡± I chuckled, knowing that was probably going to play out. I glanced around and noted that everyone was here with Bianca walking in with Jennifer. ¡°Brock! Great news! The volcano is ready for ignition!¡± Jennifer said. This drew an appreciative round of murmurs from everyone and I nodded. ¡°Thanks, can you shut the door? I need to read everyone in on what happened and why I wasn¡¯t here today.¡± Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Brock¡­ should we know about this?¡± I shrugged. ¡°You work for me and were impacted by this, also, it is going to be in the news very soon.¡± I pointed right at her. ¡°You and Jennifer more than anyone else need to know what happened.¡± Rachel perked up, adopting a serious expression as Jennifer wheeled herself over and closed the door before returning. I rolled my shoulders and decided to just dive in. ¡°Alright, so things have been building since Team Rocket tried to break in and Daniel¡¯s reveal as an Agent of Team Rocket but things have come to a head.¡± I smiled. ¡°Thankfully the good guys won.¡± Rachel bounced in her seat and I grinned. ¡°It started yesterday when Lance approached Sabrina and I¡ª¡± I then detailed how the last twenty-four hours had gone for me, barring some additional information, such as the Guardians leaking information about Giovanni to the League, or how I¡¯d battled a Legendary pokemon. The reveal that Giovanni, Blaine, and Grey were all Team Rocket members was a shock. When I told them Surge had been there, Dennis groaned. ¡°Noooo! Not the Lieutenant! He was a pillar of Kanto!¡± The muscle-bound man shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m so tearing his poster down!¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he was a Rocket!¡± I raised a hand. ¡°The League is a bit confused on that, as while he moved to assist Giovanni he has stated he isn¡¯t a Team Rocket member. His daughter has also stepped in to take over the Gym.¡± This caused a round of murmurs that were mostly versions of ¡°Surge had a daughter?¡± When I finished there was a long silence. ¡°You will hear some of this in the news as it is too big not to be released. It is also a gigantic win for the League but there will be some shifts. We will anticipate some of this¡ª¡± ¡°Holy shit! Mayor Jonathan is fucked!¡± Jennifer who¡¯d been quietly listening, suddenly swore and I soon realised that she was correct. ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that but yeah, he¡¯s going to be politically toxic now isn¡¯t he?¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°Him, and anyone that accepted cash or support from Giovanni or his intermediaries.¡± Jennifer licked her lips. ¡±There¡¯s going to be a huge shake-up across Kanto due to this.¡± ¡°Indigo,¡± I said offhandedly, my mind elsewhere. ¡°They also caught a few others in Johto affiliated with Team Rocket acting as Gym Leaders,¡± I said. This caused another stir and Rachel whistled. ¡°Alright, seems like we¡¯ve got some work ahead of us planning how things are going to go.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Are you still going to do the Ace tournament next week?¡± ¡°Yes, I want the points, I¡¯ve decided I¡¯m still going to go for as high a position as I can in the rankings,¡± I said. A.J. grinned at this and Missy perked up. This would be very good news for them due to their interests. I waved a hand. ¡°Make some time for Missy this week, another Ace match, a visit or two with the League, and then the Ace tournament next week.¡± ¡°So keeping busy hmmm? It will be good to have the Gym closed for next week though,¡± Rachel said. I hummed and tilted my head. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± My eyes scouring the schedule and pausing on next weekend. Rachel rolled her eyes. ¡°The contest you set up months ago? That is scheduled? We¡¯ve had flyers and posters set up around town and in nearby towns along with posting on the pokenet. We have a lot of interest so far in the ¡®tough¡¯ contest.¡± Rachel waved a hand at my sheepish expression. ¡°It makes sense you forgot with everything that¡¯s been going on, don¡¯t sweat it.¡± I nodded and swept my eyes to the week after which had been blocked out for students from the Pokemon Technical Academy followed by a lecture there. ¡°Brock, you also have some requests from Celadon University?¡± Alexa said. ¡°Hmmm do that the week after,¡± I said. It seemed I would be returning to being quite busy after the tournament. I would still have some time to build points though with the dedicated slot for Ace or Fourth tier challenges around lunch. I nodded and turned my attention to other things, my mind already turning with everything I had to do this week. Somewhere in there, I wanted to start returning to walking my siblings to school occasionally, but that would be out of work hours. I chuckled. Despite Team Rocket being gone, I was still as busy as always. I rolled my shoulders and felt myself shift into the flow of running my Gym. It was good that I was busy. I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. Chapter 171 - Evolution and Ace ready ¡°Muhahahahaha!¡± shouted Yolanda from atop the volcano. I stared long and hard, having been told about this behaviour but fully expecting it to be a lie. A ruse. A fallacy that they¡¯d used to lead me astray. ¡°Yes, good, but make sure to get the lean back right,¡± Sabrina said, correcting my little sister¡¯s posture so she was leaning back slightly and looking just that slight bit more unhinged. ¡°I also like this pose,¡± Sabrina said as she slashed her hand across her mouth. ¡°Ohohohoho!¡± she said, staring into the magma depths like someone she detests¡ªprobably Karen¡ª was being slowly lowered into it. ¡°Ohhhh!¡± said Cindy and Yolanda; both of them clapped their hands and then turned to me. ¡°Outsider!¡± they cried. I tripped on a rock trying to flee only to lurch as I found myself laying on the floor next to my bed. I sat up and glanced around. ¡°It was a dream?¡± I said, checking to make sure Sabrina wasn¡¯t standing just out of sight. I checked the clock on my bedside table and shook myself in frustration. It was three o¡¯clock in the morning, I had hours before I needed to be out doing anything. I settled back down and tried to sleep, but the dream lingered. If Sabrina had been seen doing something... No, that wasn¡¯t a question, I¡¯d caught her doing plenty of embarrassing things during our journey. She¡¯d initially tried to hide it but she was an avid doll collector. When we¡¯d gone through towns it wasn¡¯t unusual for her to linger and find if there were any doll shops in the town. She¡¯d usually buy out every doll she could find before sending it off. Initially, she¡¯d tried to do this without me knowing about it. Then I¡¯d caught her, and she¡¯d tried to whack me with a stick hard enough to make me forget, saying that she didn¡¯t want me to think she was weird or childish. That had resulted in a ten-minute game of keep away with me shouting at her how I thought it was a fine hobby. These days, Sabrina had a room that was more like a giant showroom for her dolls. She also had contacts with the dollmakers for direct orders for any limited edition dolls they made these days. I quickly sent off a question to Sabrina to ascertain if she still bought dolls. Then I remembered the hour and realised she was probably asleep. I blinked and stared at the ceiling. Why had I been thinking about her doll collection? Oh right, Sabrina knew not to be embarrassed by things like this. She¡¯d just own it. Yeah, there would have been no reason for her ¡®forget me stick¡¯ or delete the memories if I caught her teaching my siblings to cackle maniacally into the volcano. She¡¯d have just taught the girls to own it. I nodded to myself and settled back down, safe in my logic.
I had a strange sense of deja vu as I marched up around to the back of the reserve to find Yolanda standing atop the volcano rim with Missy. Both of them were sipping something while they stared into the lava that bubbled up. I approached cautiously. Sabrina, I could be sure of, but if Missy was doing it¡­ Missy noticed me and waved her hand. ¡°Morning Brock! This is quite the engineering feat!¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, it takes a specialised engine to turn the magma¡­ or is it lava?¡± Both girls tilted their heads. ¡°Huh?¡± they said. ¡°It¡¯s something to do with one of them being above ground¡­ Eh, never mind it¡¯s not important, but yes, Jennifer did get some people that were very good at their work to set this up.¡± I blinked as I realised both girls were lying on a pair of Graveler, while Growlithe lay across the girls¡¯ laps. ¡°Hey, you dogs are supposed to be patrolling the perimeter,¡± I said with a fake grouchiness. Both Growlithe shot up and barked before dashing away. ¡°Nooo Sir Barksalot!¡± Missy said. I rolled my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not calling them that,¡± I said. Yolanda nodded along with me. "Yeah, Missy, I¡¯ve already ordered tags for them, and we¡¯re setting up a naming pool with my little brothers and sisters. They¡¯re all super excited for it!¡± I shot a finger at Yolanda. ¡°Please tell me you didn¡¯t,¡± I said knowing that there would be no way I could break my little brothers and sisters¡¯ hearts if I denied them. Yolanda shrugged. ¡°Blame the timing of the Growlithe¡¯s arrival. Jennifer was putting the final touches up on the volcano while you were out helping the League and she released the Growlithe. They patrolled the area and found our siblings.¡± Yolanda tilted her head. ¡°Or our siblings found them? Anyway, one thing led to another and then Jennifer was calming things down by suggesting that we each get to name a puppy.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. I lowered my finger. There wasn¡¯t much I could say about that, then, was there? That had been rather well handled, all told. And speaking of pokemon. ¡°How¡¯s Munchlax and Eevee been since our trip up to Mt Moon? I know they kind of got beaten up.¡± Yolanda bobbed side to side only to fall back as the Graveler she¡¯d been resting on rolled away. ¡°Bluh!¡± she said as she fell to the dirt. She huffed as she stood up and coughed. ¡°They¡¯ve been well, I spoke to them about how things went down. Munchlax was a bit sad at first but then I pointed out all the ways that he helps by being a companion. Whenever Suzie, Billy, or one of the others is sad he¡¯s there to give them a hug and help out.¡± I nodded, only to then tilt my head. ¡°How often¡­ has that happened recently?¡± ¡°Not as much since Dad came home, but I think it was a really good idea catching him and making him part of the family,¡± Yolanda said. I scratched my cheek. ¡°I was half expecting them to be making their way out here for morning training sessions,¡± I said, ignoring the first part of that comment. ¡°Eevee might, but I think Munchlax is happy with his role in the family right now.¡± Yolanda shrugged. ¡°I will talk with Eevee again, just to be sure. She doesn¡¯t need to do anything if she doesn¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I should do that as well,¡± I said as I looked over at Yolanda. "Otherwise, good job. That was really considerate of you.¡± Yolanda nodded and then sighed loudly. ¡°I¡¯d¡­ kind of hoped that she would have been interested in getting stronger with how she came along with us.¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± I said, prompting Yolanda to keep talking. Yolanda waved her hand expansively. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ imagine if I could be one of those trainers that starts off with almost a whole team ready to go? Terra will take a while, but if I had Munchlax and Eevee, along with a Growlithe? I¡¯d be unstoppable!¡± I hummed. ¡°I can¡¯t say my first reaction is positive for that with the traditional start being one pokemon, but¡­ you¡¯re not wrong in that plenty of people do start that way.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°It would be a good idea to look into¡­ Actually never mind.¡± I shook my head, only for Yolanda to perk up. ¡°What? What¡¯s your idea?¡± she asked. ¡°Well you could always try to catch a strong bug-type pokemon to offset Terra¡¯s slow growth,¡± I suggested. ¡°A bug pokemon?¡± Yolanda said, blinking slowly. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s plenty of trainers around that would be able to help you, plus they¡¯re pokemon that grow quickly, so you¡¯d have something strong when you set off.¡± Yolanda frowned and then looked to the side. ¡°You know¡­ I never really thought about bug pokemon, I guess I just assumed I shouldn¡¯t get one because some of my friends might find them creepy.¡± It was my turn to tilt my head. ¡°Crystal and Greta would be creeped out by a bug?¡± Yolanda shot me an unimpressed look. ¡°Hahaha,¡± she said flatly. ¡°You¡¯re sooooo funny,¡± she said. ¡°I have more friends than just them!¡± she said, chopping her hand in my direction. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯ve never seen them?¡± I said jokingly. ¡°Just for that I''m organising a sleepover this week, and we''re all going to camp out in the loungeroom!¡± she said. ¡°Sounds great,¡± I said, amused at how annoyed she was. ¡°I¡¯d love to meet your friends.¡± Missy giggled, reminding me that she was here. I glanced at her only to find that she¡¯d been swarmed by four Growlithe. ¡°You two are so cute!¡± she said, glancing between Yolanda and me. I merely chuckled and waved to Missy. ¡°So, you ready to form up the hood? I have the components all set, we just filter it into a mould and then bake it over with¡­ magma before putting it on Rhydon and having him take a dip.¡± Missy sat up, Growlithe still hanging off her. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± she said as she released her Rhydon and set out the mould we¡¯d had made up to fit. Rhydon happily sat as we attached small pieces of the armour onto him. As it took shape I had to whistle in surprise. ¡°Playing to his strengths with defensive power?¡± I said attaching another segment of armour to the neck. We¡¯d gotten the helmet put together and now we''re creating an interlocking weave around his neck. Missy nodded. ¡°Yup, oh! Careful! I want him to still be able to turn his neck, but the idea of the positioning there is to create better odds that hits going for his head and neck just won¡¯t have as much impact as they should.¡± ¡°Critical resistance?¡± I said, surprised. Missy nodded. ¡°There are quite a few trainers in the top ten who have pokemon like Izumi that are fully evolved and aim for such attacks. I¡¯m covering my bases early,¡± she said. ¡°Nice foresight,¡± I replied. I made a mental note to find out which Ace trainers had such pokemon. Yolanda, Terra and a few Growlithe pups watched us for a while. When we were done we stepped back and gave Rhydon a serious look over. ¡°Alright! Like we practiced, I need to see if you can do all the movements I hope for!¡± Missy said. She then led him through a series of callisthenics as I watched on. I rubbed my chin and considered the actions, or more specifically, the ranges of motion. I then turned away and walked to the edge of the volcano. In hindsight, I should have done this earlier. ¡°BERTHA!¡± I shouted. ¡°I need you up here!¡± I called. A rumble announced that Bertha had heard me and she stormed up the volcano. As the dust settled I blinked and sighed. ¡°Put the Growlithe down,¡± I said patiently. Yolanda giggled. ¡°I was wondering where Spot and the other two were!¡± I raised a finger. ¡°You called a Growlithe, a pokemon known for its stripes¡­¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to know,¡± I said firmly. Part of me actually liked that name. ¡°It was Sabrina¡¯s idea!¡± Yolanda said with a grin. I chopped a hand in her direction. ¡°That makes too much sense!¡± I said, my faux-seriousness making her break into giggles. Bertha put down the puppies and I directed her to stand next to Rhydon. ¡°Hmmmm, copy his movements please Bertha,¡± I asked, settling in to see what was and wasn¡¯t accounted for. With a comparison point to what Rhydon would be evolving somewhat into, we¡¯d have a better idea of what ranges were possible and I made sure to point out areas that I found were useful. ¡°The hands, large as they are, act as both shields and hammers, also the tail can be a highly useful point to reinforce without too much issue. Your pokemon has gone through gravity training so once he evolves the increased weight on these structures shouldn¡¯t bother him.¡± ¡°Oh! Good point!¡± Missy said as she laid on a few more armour segments. Bertha watched for a few moments before realising what was going on. She then started pointing at all of the exposed parts and poking her finger into them. ¡°Rhy! Rhy Rhy!¡± she said. I chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re not just slapping these on him willy-nilly Bertha, we¡¯re going to be applying them in these points.¡± Bertha huffed and sat down, acting like Suzie when she didn¡¯t get second dessert. I chuckled and turned my head away only to pause. ¡°I should probably call Bianca and Stephen for this¡­ shouldn¡¯t I?¡± I asked, somewhat rhetorically. Yolanda grinned. ¡°Yeah, I think they¡¯d like to see this!¡± Then she smirked. ¡°Salvadore as well.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I coughed. Some days they were always around and I just seemed to forget about them. Guess that shows how well they¡¯d slotted in. I tapped out a message for all three of them with Salvadore being the fastest to arrive. The other siblings and Flint wandered in after him. By the time the other two researchers had come, it was well and truly morning with the sun rising up and more than a few gym trainers having come by to feed the pokemon in the reserve. When they were done they joined us. Missy finally declared that she was happy with the protector arrangement and I glanced over to Stephen and Bianca, who each had a trio of cameras set up and were documenting the process while Salvadore had his Xtransciever out.. ¡°All ready?¡± I called. ¡°Ready!¡± called the researchers. I waved Missy on and she swallowed fearfully. ¡°Alright Rhydon, take it slow wading into the¡ª¡± Missy started to say only for Rhydon to roar and charge into the magma/lava. I shifted over to Stephen. ¡°Is it Magma or Lava?¡± I asked from the side of my mouth. ¡°Magma is below the surface, lava is what is exposed to the surface,¡± said Stephen absently. ¡°You didn¡¯t know that?¡± said Salvadore, suddenly popping up next to me. ¡°What? No! Of course, I did!¡± I said coughing and looking away. ¡°Obviously Brock!¡± said Yolanda cheekily. I huffed at her and turned my attention back to watching Rhydon wade into the lava with a grin as Missy stood as close as she possibly could to scold him. Bertha merely laughed and waded in herself, her hide extremely resistant to the lava. She hissed a little before sighing and grinning as she sat down, watching as Rhydon got lower and lower. Just as his neck was the only part of him left unsubmerged, he began to glow with the light of evolution. ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± Missy said, her chastisement vanishing. ¡°Submerge him fully!¡± I said. ¡°We don¡¯t know if the work on his neck and head will need to be submerged to properly bind!¡± I called out. ¡°Oh! Shoot! You¡¯re right! Rhydon! Kneel!¡± she called. Rhydon dipped down and vanished under the molten rock, but the glow lit up the lava making it obvious where he was. I glanced around and hummed. ¡°We should all step back and get some fire-resistant pokemon ready!¡± I said. I tossed out a trio of pokeballs and released Shin, Shrek, and Selene. All of them rotated towards the light and they locked onto the target. Everyone took a number of steps back and eyed me. ¡°Why?¡± said Bianca. I glanced at Bertha. ¡°If he acts anything like Bertha then his evolution reveal is going to be rather¡­ abrupt,¡± I said. My pokemon leaned forward as everyone took another step back. The glow died off and my pokemon leaned forward and inhaled, ready to blast any eruption of lava. Rhyperior, Missy¡¯s newest pokemon, gently stood. His grin stretched his face as small interlocking armour plates clicked together while he stretched his neck. He waded forward out of the lava. I tilted my head. ¡°Huh, alright it must have just been Bertha that erupted out when she evolved,¡± I said. ¡°Rhy!¡± Bertha chimed shooting up to her feet only to receive a pair of light blasts of water that caused her to stumble. She shot a betrayed look at the water pokemon and put a hand to her chest while pretending to be innocent. They all snorted, not buying her act. I whistled and jerked my head to indicate she should get out. Just because she could endure lava baths didn¡¯t mean it was something she should do long-term. She grumbled and wadded out, a clump of the lava having stuck to her due to the water solidifying it. She slammed her fist into a rock and shattered both rocks. The newest Rhyperior emerged a moment later and I had to reach out and snag Missy to stop her from burning herself. ¡°Careful, he¡¯s fresh out of the oven, let him cool off first,¡± I said, waving a hand towards Shin. Shin sprayed a light deluge of bubbles that burst upon contact and sent large plumes of steam up into the air. Rhyperior shook his head and rumbled at the contact, annoyed but able to endure the weak powered move until he no longer steamed. I released Missy and she skipped forward to grab her pokemon by the arm. ¡°Eeeeeee! Look at you! You¡¯re so big now!¡± she said. ¡°He is!¡± said Bianca. ¡°Quick! Bertha! Come over here and stand next to him. I want to compare the two of you!¡± she said eagerly. I watched Bertha march up to the newest Rhyperior and inspect him. Rhyperior preened at the attention, causing Bertha to pause and do a double take. Rhyperior jerked his head up and down a few times while crooning. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve seen Bertha do this before,¡± I said, feeling a sudden weight sink into my gut. He would probably find Bertha attractive, wouldn¡¯t he? I hadn¡¯t thought about this. I glanced over to Bertha to see how she reacted. Bertha blinked, only to throw her head back and roar with laughter. I grimaced. ¡°Oh, ouch,¡± I said, feeling bad for Rhyperior. Stephen tilted his head. ¡°Did he just¡ª¡± he shot a glance to my watching siblings. ¡°Solicit... her?¡± Missy blushed and nodded, only for Rhyperior to jerk his head at Bertha. Bertha stopped laughing and shot him an amused look. She wagged a finger back and forth before pointing towards Titan. Rhyperior looked over and started sizing up Titan. I hummed at this new development. It seemed the new kid wanted to see how he matched up. Titan snorted and flexed a claw. He then leaned down and picked up a pebble, then while looking Rhyperior dead in the eyes, he flicked it as hard as he could into the lava on the other side of the pool. It caused a huge burst of lava to shoot into the air and made Rhyperior pause in his aggression and re-evaluate his chances. He picked up a pebble himself and flicked it into the lava. He got a much smaller ripple. I held in a snort. Yes, Titan had thrown it harder, but he¡¯d also known where to throw his pebble to get the maximum effect. Bertha patted Rhyperior on the shoulder and then skipped over to Titan. I grimaced. ¡°Double ouch,¡± I said, feeling bad for Rhyperior. He sank to the ground and Missy patted him on the head, now within her reach. ¡°There there, we¡¯ll find you a nice¡­¡± Missy glanced to Bianca for cues. ¡°Well Rhyperior is part of the Monster and Field egg group so he will have a surprisingly large number of potential mates that are available to him! There¡¯s Snorlax, Blastoise, Feraligatr, Arcanine, Arbok, Raticate¡ª¡± Bianca then proceeded to rattle off a large list of pokemon leaving Missy reeling, while Rhyperior perked up the longer the tirade went on. ¡°Well, as long as he¡¯s got plenty more Magikarp to fish for,¡± I said with a laugh. A chime and a robotic voice made me look to the side where I spotted Greta had arrived and had her pokedex raised. ¡°Rhyperior, the Drill pokemon! Not much is known about this pokemon but it is a known evolution of Rhydon! The first modern discovery of this pokemon was thanks to the Pewter Gym Leader, Brock. It is a Ground-Rock typed pokemon that boasts tremendous power and endurance. Rhyperior has been shown to be capable of shooting smaller pokemon out of the holes in its palms, allowing it great range. Small drilled borings inside the palm holes improve accuracy! This Rhyperior knows Stone Edge, Protect, Earthquake, Megahorn, and Hammer Arm.¡± Missy perked up. ¡°Oh! Wow, you learnt Megahorn! You didn¡¯t know that before!¡± she said proudly. ¡°A bug-type move,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯ll help give him some versatility against a number of different pokemon.¡± Missy pumped her fists, ¡°Yosh! With this, we are so ready to kick things up another notch!¡± She turned to me. ¡°After we¡¯re done with the tournament coming up, can I take two weeks off?¡± she said bowing and clapping her hands above her head. ¡°Just file for it, you¡¯ve got the time built up from the last few months for leave, I have no doubt,¡± I said with a wave of my hand. Missy grinned and pointed to a flat patch of land. ¡°Rhyperior! Let¡¯s test out your new form!¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s destroy that training area!¡± she shouted gleefully. My siblings cheered at this only to whine when I snatched them up. ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t. You kids have school!¡± ¡°No we don¡¯t!¡± said Cindy. I snorted. ¡°Ha! Fool me once, shame on you! I checked your school calendar.¡± I nudged her towards the house. ¡°Go have breakfast! You can tell all the kids about what you witnessed!¡± I said. That got her to trot away quicker. The others followed her quickly, just as eager to tell their friends about what they¡¯d gotten to observe. I turned back to my pokemon and waved for them to follow me down to the Elite training area where I led everyone through some light stretches and activities. The pokemon that hadn¡¯t fought against Team Rocket and Mewtwo got to fight freely but others merely went through slow gliding motions. Empress, I had paired with Titan to keep an eye on her as she worked through the poses. I otherwise had to work with Lileep and Cradily more today, getting them up to snuff with powerful defensive moves while also having as much versatility as possible. ¡°Remember when you are making an explosive movement, you want to put your whole body into it suddenly. It¡¯s not enough to just do it, it needs to be fast. The faster the action the less time a pokemon will have. You might not be quick in a race but you can still have explosive reactions. You want your body to be like a willow tree in how it can whip around.¡± I raised up some baseballs that I had from training the kids during the off-season. ¡°We¡¯re going to practise catching these with a few Geodudes throwing every now and then, and then I am going to call for you to leap and I want you to do that fast. Don¡¯t think, just react,¡± I said. I then stepped back and joined the pokemon throwing baseballs at, or past the grass-rock pokemon. A few times the baseballs hit but most of the time they were swatted down or ensnared well enough that I had no doubt that both pokemon would be great grapplers given time. I¡¯d need to start matching them against larger pokemon to give them practice coming to grips with and disengaging pokemon on the fly. ¡°Leap!¡± I called and both of them twitched violently before leaping in different directions. ¡°Excellent!¡± I said, not commenting for now on the twitch of hesitation. That would come later. I signalled the Geodudes to return to throwing. When Cradilly and Lileep were worn out I waved for Teddiursa to move into the middle. Empress shot me a pointed glare and I waved her off before working Teddiursa on some dodge training. ¡°We¡¯ll start with two Geodude along with myself alright, bud?¡± I said tossing up a baseball. ¡°Tedd!¡± he said, clenching both fists. I grinned and set him through his paces. For the next five minutes, he dodged, ducked, dived, dipped, and dodged as best he could. Empress gave me very pointed looks whenever I got in a hit, but I ignored her. When I was done Teddiursa was huffing and puffing but seemed very proud of himself. ¡°Nice work little guy, that was some good dodging out there. I think you¡¯ll be up to four throwers next round, hop up on Empress¡¯ shoulder for this next game,¡± I said. I then marched back to the shed and got a very specific bag. Every single one of my older pokemon perked up and wandered over upon seeing the giant bulging bag. ¡°Alright gang we have twenty minutes to play tag with these! The pokemon with the least paint on them by the end is the winner but there is no soaring off or hiding underground or underwater. You have to stay in the open and on the reserves. ¡°Rhy! Rhy! Rhy!¡± Bertha said, nodding quickly and making a gimme gesture. I very specifically did not give one of the balls to her. Instead, I opened the bag and spun, sending balls soaring through the air in great arcs around me. I then bolted for cover, snatching up a ball and hurling it at Sanchez as I passed him. His spherical body was making it tough for him to lean down. An older golem rolled past him and laughed as they swept up the ball Sanchez had been trying for before throwing it at an Onix. I paused, wait, had that been Dwayne? Onix caught the ball in its mouth and then spat it back. Out of instinct, I dodged to the side and a cluster of balls that were meant for me sailed past. I shot Bertha a smug look only to have to throw myself out of the way of another ball. Izumi barked a laugh and nailed me with her next throw, only for Titan to basketball bounce a ball off her. He grinned as he dribbled a ball around, leaving a trail of bright blue marks with each bounce. It almost looked like he was trying to emulate a basketball player with his dribbling, except he tried to bounce the ball off smaller pokemon as he moved. His little game resulted in him taking on an absolute riot of colours with the hits he was taking. Empress only had a few colours as it seemed not many were willing to hit her. Teddiursa was unhit. I grabbed a nearby ball and lobbed it overhand to bop him on the snout. He whined at the bright pink colouration and Empress whipped around and smacked a ball with her tail to nail me back. I skipped to the side, dodging the ball. I exhaled in relief, that had been close. ¡°Teddi!¡± growled Teddiursa, pointing with a claw. His ¡®mount¡¯, Empress, nodded and stormed after me, grabbing a ball for each of them to toss at me as they closed leaving me green and red for my efforts. When they tried again I leapt behind a boulder and found myself face to face with a mohawk touting Sanchez. ¡°Go! Go Golem!¡± he said. I nodded and opened my mouth to form a plan only for him to slap a purple ball into my face. I gave him a highly unimpressed look. ¡°Et tu?¡± I said, making him tilt his head slightly. I snatched the ball from him and bopped him in the face. He just cackled. His cackling resulted in Dwayne, my former Elite Golem, rounding the corner with a set of balls in each hand. The next ten minutes passed with many softballs being thrown my way and a lot of colour being spread around the reserve. More than a few times I had to remind my Elite pokemon to ease up as this was supposed to be a game. My new Zubat ended up having to give up on her attempts to tag Zephyr. The larger flying type was easily able to keep the harassing Zubat from landing a hit. Zubat ended up laying on a rock gasping for breath while Zephyr landed and lightly tagged her with a yellow ball before he flew off. I might have been mistaken, but I thought I saw Zubat twitch with annoyance. If she¡¯d had eyes, I would have assumed she was glowering. It seemed she¡¯d found a target for herself though so I hoped that helped to motivate her. By the end of the game, Cradily, who¡¯d escaped being hit by a ball at all, was declared the winner. I then set my water-type pokemon to clean up with judicious uses of Surf. A few of my pokemon however wanted to keep the colour and I decided to roll with it for the day. When I later unveiled Izumi in all her rainbow glory, one trainer had a fit thinking I was sending out a rare geodude against him. I just smiled and sent her out. When my next coloured pokemon came out it earned a small laugh from the crowd that had gathered for the lunchtime show of a fourth-tier challenge. A colourful Sudowoodo was a rather amusing sight after all, and when he threw punches small bursts of chalk powder burst off him causing an accidental staggering of his foe. The Ivysaur he¡¯d been facing had been, until that point, doing rather well. Then, with the powder splashing over them they got blinded long enough for Sudowoodo to bash them into unconsciousness. The trainer ended up having to send out a Seadra to sweep the field clean. ¡°Impressive,¡± I commented, eyeing the powerful water-type pokemon. ¡°Thanks, she took a lot of training!¡± the proud trainer said, her chest puffed out as far as it would go. I chuckled. ¡°Are you going to try and get her to evolve further?¡± I asked. The girl wilted. ¡°I want to but the only one that people know of is Lance¡¯s, and what am I supposed to do? Just walk up and ask him?¡± she said. I made a so-so gesture. ¡°It isn¡¯t the worst idea, but remember that most pokemon only evolve through a few methods,¡± I said. The girl blinked up at me before reaching out and grabbing a notepad. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± she said eagerly. I chuckled and set about detailing the methods of evolving most pokemon to her. I made sure to lean a little into the item description with examples of dragon-type items that might help and also how Kingdra was water-dragon typed. The girl furiously scribbled all of this down like it was gospel before peeking up at me. ¡°Uhm, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re doing an end-of-year camp for Pewter trainers¡­ is there any chance others could join that?¡± I smiled. ¡°Yes, they just have to ask,¡± I said, tapping the side of my nose. ¡°Talk to the receptionists about having your name put down but keep that a secret alright? I only have limited space,¡± I whispered to her. She nodded seriously and I laughed before directing her to have a photo taken. Later that afternoon Alexa walked up to me and handed me a small stack of papers. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked. She smiled slowly and widely, in a manner that promised me great suffering. ¡°The applicants for the camp at the end of the circuit,¡± she said. ¡°At least the ones that have applied so far.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said, realising that once again I really, really should have kept my mouth shut. Ah, hello, past actions; you¡¯ve come back to bite me in the backside, I see. I sighed and let my head fall forward. Alright, time to try and sort through this mess. Chapter 172 - Lesson planning and the calm It was nice to be in demand for talks. I had people demanding I attend talks with universities, trainer academies, and now training camps. The issue was very much that the training camps that I¡¯d locked in for, were supposed to be just Pewter trainers. Then I¡¯d gone and opened my damn mouth. I stared at the list of applicants on the computer and scowled. ¡°How often do you think I could save myself trouble if I just kept my damn mouth shut?¡± I asked rhetorically. ¡°Zu?¡± said Zubat from where she was hanging on the ceiling. One of her ears unfurled and I had to hurriedly wave a hand. ¡°No, no, ignore me, I was just talking to myself,¡± I said. Zubat returned to resting and I hummed, watching her. She¡¯d been flying around a bit helplessly after the game of colour tag. It might have been a case of her biting off more than she could chew, chasing Zephyr like that. Now she was struggling as she was keenly aware of the gulf in strength, speed, and experience that existed. It didn¡¯t help that with everything that had been going on with the Rocket raids, she hadn¡¯t gotten much time with me. She hadn¡¯t been able to be eased into the team, and training. She¡¯d gone hard after Zephyr and come up short. Which led her to start attaching herself to me when I was in the Gym or home. With her size, I found that wasn¡¯t really an issue. More than a few people commented that she was rather adorable with how she clung to me. Rachel had even called it ¡®little sister¡¯ energy coming in strong. I was a bit worried that it was a bit more of an abandonment issue presenting itself with how her introduction to my team had been delayed. She was also easily one of the smallest pokemon I had in a team of giants, so she was also probably quite intimidated. I had no issues letting her cling to me. It would help things along more when she was ready for her final evolution into Crobat if we spent time bonding. Something that I was making sure to lock in for all my pokemon more often. This morning''s game had been a good start. I¡¯d have to break out the training pads a bit more and let the team be goofy more. Maybe even set up another music night? Bertha always loved dancing along to some pop songs. I¡¯d tried a lot of different training methods during my journey, and while some of them worked well, others failed to achieve tangible results, such as boosting stats permanently with the use of buff moves repeatedly being used. Still, even failed training methods were experiences shared. They still were experiences that more newly caught pokemon such as Link, Zubat, Teddiursa, Gible or the others wouldn¡¯t get to experience. The training programs I had these days were sleek, well fashioned. They were tested and proven with results to show. But they needed heart. I toyed with my hands as I looked up towards Zubat. I would also need to account for Gible, Zubat, Link, and Teddiursa being very different from my usual team with Dragon-ground, flying-poison, fairy, and normal-ground to be accounted for. I paused, frowning as I felt like I¡¯d forgotten¡­ Ah, Cradily. I needed to keep working on them as well. With Erika showing me a few tricks, I needed to reach out to others like Janine for Zubat. As for the ground typing, well I certainly wasn¡¯t going to be asking Giovanni for any pointers. I drummed my fingers and typed up a message to Lance asking about what would happen with the training manuals that Giovanni would have to have had for some of his trainers. If they existed. I somehow doubted that Giovanni had given out much with regard to unique insights for ground-type pokemon. I started toying with my training schedule, dedicating a bit more ¡®goof¡¯ time into the equation with a host of different activities being added in simply to increase pokemon experience and team-building opportunities. What was that other thing we did that had Sabrina¡ªemotionally stunted Sabrina¡ª rolling on the ground laughing? I snapped my fingers. ¡®Talent show¡¯ I typed in. Then, because I could, I raised up my Xtransciever and shot Sabrina a message. What do you call Banana peel shoes? I sent. I giggled to myself as I was rewarded with a line of question marks from Sabrina. Slippers. I chortled to myself and fired off a few more. Sabrina sent me a number of emojis back and when I was done she snapped a picture of her smiling with a faint blush. I snapped a picture of myself grinning back at her. A flash of light heralded Sabrina popping into place. She started to seat herself in my lap only for Zubat, having gotten startled by the sudden appearance of another human. ¡°Argh! Zubat! We¡¯re fine! Calm down girl!¡± I said. Zubat fluttered into a corner sheepishly. ¡°I don¡¯t recall you having a Zubat,¡± Sabrina said, eying the small green pokemon with some annoyance. ¡°Yeah, she joined me on Friday night when my family went up to Mt Moon,¡± I replied. ¡°She¡¯s been a bit worried ¡®cause of how busy I¡¯ve been. Didn¡¯t get to give her a proper welcome. She likes hanging out around me. Sorry, I didn¡¯t consider how she¡¯d react to you teleporting in. I¡¯ll have to work on that,¡± I said. Then I paused as another joke occurred to me. ¡°Although I have something else to teach her first,¡± I said. Sabrina twitched, aware enough of the tone of voice that I had used, to know that a joke was coming. ¡°What are you going to teach her?¡± ¡°Her alpha-bat,¡± I said, and I was instantly rewarded by Sabrina dropping her stern expression to smile. ¡°You know what one bat says to another?¡± I asked. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s hang around together.¡± Sabrina started to giggle and I ran through my entire cluster of bat jokes. Zubat, apparently intrigued by the sound of Sabrina giggling, fluttered down onto my shoulder, her large ears crinkling as she rotated them from me to Sabrina to listen to our back and forth banter. She then inched down my arm towards Sabrina, apparently liking the sound of Sabrina¡¯s giggles. When she got close enough for Sabrina to touch, Sabrina reached out and ran a hand over the little Zubat¡¯s head. ¡°Well, she¡¯s certainly pretty,¡± Sabrina said. Zubat preened at the compliment, and I knew they¡¯d be good friends. Sabrina then closed the gap with me to give me a kiss. Just as we were about to break apart, the door rattled. I frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t have anyone booked in¡­¡± I paused and glanced at Sabrina. ¡°Is it important?¡± She nodded, and with an audible click, the door was unlocked, revealing Rocko and Alexa, who were carrying the end of the day¡¯s reports. ¡°Oh, Gym Leader Sabrina! I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt anything,¡± Alexa began. Sabrina waved the comment away. ¡°No, there was nothing happening. We were just hanging out,¡± she said seriously. Alexa slowly nodded, her doubt on clear display. Rocko merely walked up and dropped down the reports for me to look over before eying the list I had on my computer. ¡°Heh, still working at that?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I shouldn¡¯t have opened my mouth.¡± Sabrina took one look at the list and made a thoughtful noise. ¡°Perhaps you should ask other Gyms to run training camps at the end of the circuit. Reply to the trainers that they should consider where they might get the best training for their pokemon, and hint at that being a possibility.¡± ¡°But no one else is doing it as far as I know?¡± I said. ¡°Create some interest in it, and they might, though. I will certainly be setting something up, and with my recent showing¡­¡± Sabrina trailed off, and I nodded. It was really a stalling tactic, but that wasn¡¯t too much of an issue. It would make some of the people who were harassing me reconsider their options. I could also have a serious think about it instead of just tossing out the suggestion. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea, but it needed some work. Still, it was an answer. As an old man once said to me during my journey, pursuing perfection every time is the enemy of good enough and getting the job done. I sighed, nodding to show that I agreed. It would do for now. It didn¡¯t feel like a perfect answer, but it was good enough. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s head home!¡± I said standing up. Alexa and Rocko shifted guiltily. I paused and frowned as Sabrina made no move towards the door. I sat back down. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I said, readying myself for whatever was about to be brought up. Alexa coughed. ¡°The League contacted us¡­¡± She chewed her lips nervously for a moment before straightening her spine. ¡°Surge has said that he will comply with most of their demands, but he wants to talk with you.¡± I felt my brow twitch. ¡°That¡¯s awfully demanding of a man that¡¯s been caught literally aiding and abetting criminals,¡± I said pointedly. Alexa nodded and relaxed, causing me to blink with surprise. Ah, she knew that this was a topic that would be poking at me. It worried me that she thought I¡¯d lash out at her for delivering the message to me. I let out a long breath. ¡°Thanks for telling me this Alexa, at this point, I¡¯m not interested in listening to whatever Surge has to say.¡± Sabrina nodded, and I shot her a look. ¡°I imagine they¡¯ve said the same to you." She nodded again but gestured at me. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not worried about what they wanted. You said you would wait and I still think you should.¡± She smiled a little. ¡°Let Surge and the League wait on you a little. You are, after all, not one of their employees.¡± Rocko barked out a laugh at that. ¡°Ha! She¡¯s not wrong! With all the help you¡¯ve been giving them it isn¡¯t like you don¡¯t have other things on your plate!¡± ¡°Hmmm, they can call me up if they need me, however,¡± I said, putting my head on my hand. ¡°Yes, but if they aren¡¯t going to do it officially you don¡¯t have to give them any response,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°I don¡¯t think they will do anything for the moment lest they lower their reputation.¡± ¡°Face?¡± I said, thinking of old Xianxia tales that I had rather enjoyed in my past life. When Alexa and Rocko stared blankly at me I coughed and corrected what I¡¯d said. Sabrina might have understood, but they wouldn¡¯t, having not heard me talk about such things. ¡°Your argument is that they will want to preserve their reputation?¡± I explained. ¡°Quite so,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Hmmm, well, I¡¯m going to hold off and let things calm down a bit. I will go in eventually, but I think I will do it on my own time,¡± I said. The others nodded at this, and there was an undercurrent of worry in their gaze that I decided to ignore. Sabrina wasn¡¯t looking at me with worry which made her easy to focus on. She smiled and squeezed my hand with her telekinesis before glancing at my computer. ¡°Are you going to have any more Ace battles before your tournament next week?¡± she asked. I narrowed my eyes in thought. Was she diverting the conversation? Ah, she must have been asked to assist officially. She didn¡¯t want me to get mad at the League on her behalf. Rocko and Alexa both stopped being so worried and showed interest in the new topic. They hadn¡¯t noticed. I shot Sabrina a knowing look. That had been a smooth conversation change; she certainly had picked up a lot from spending time with Erika. I grasped the new topic and moved with it. ¡°It¡¯s the darndest thing, a lot of the people that had previously been rejecting or ignoring my challenges have suddenly started messaging me.¡± ¡°I imagine having Will drop off the Ace rankings due to being a convicted criminal certainly helped things along,¡± muttered Alexa. I nodded. ¡°It also caused a shift, with everyone that was eighteenth and lower in the rankings moving up one.¡± I opened up a pokenet webpage that Missy had directed me to earlier. ¡°His vanishing from the list along with the lack of response from the League has made people come up with some amusing theories around him.¡± Alexa stepped up and looked at the screen, her eyes squinting as she read. ¡°They think he was a ghost pokemon?¡± she said incredulously. Rocko snorted. ¡°This one thinks that he was a psychic hired to hype up the Gym leaders with the fights he did but he went rogue and was gunning for the champion position? Wow, the pokenet is a dangerous place,¡± he said. I snorted, knowing that this was one of the tamer pokenet pages out there. Also, this was early in the life of the worldwide pokenet. ¡°The League will eventually need to have someone send out an announcement on this I imagine. A lot of people have noticed the shift and more specifically who it was that dropped off.¡± Alexa shook her head. ¡°Some people think you had a hand in vanishing him,¡± she said, reading more of the thread titles. ¡°They¡¯re wrong about the reasons but otherwise are¡­ rather scarily accurate,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, that can happen when you¡¯re just throwing things out there,¡± I said. ¡°But anyway, I wanted to show you the responses that I¡¯ve had from other Ace trainers. They¡¯ve stopped dragging their feet on a few things and have claimed a host of different reasons but some of them are actually valid.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± Sabrina said pointedly. I waved a hand about, to signal the Gym at large. ¡°I have a huge home-field advantage here with my set-up, the crowd and more. People coming to fight me are already on the back foot mentally. They¡¯re not wrong about that, and a few people have stated that they only want to face me if it is an even playing field, or in some cases, a field that they''re familiar with.¡± ¡°So they want the home-field advantage?¡± Rocko said, noticing the reversal right away. I nodded. ¡°Yeah pretty much. But I think it¡¯s an experience I need.¡± I bounced in my seat a little. ¡°I think it would be nice to get out of Pewter a bit, ¡®cause I¡¯m not always going to have things my way.¡± Alexa and Rocko tilted their heads in a strangely synchronised manner. ¡°Hmmmmm,¡± they both said, only to glance at each other and realise what they¡¯d been doing. They shifted and chuckled before glancing back at me. ¡°If you¡¯re sure,¡± Alexa said. ¡°Will I need to block out set times?¡± I reached out and typed out a quick reply to two emails. ¡°Two times this week,¡± I said, pointing out the time slots I wanted. I was leaving things for Thursday and Friday. Two matches, then with rest on Saturday and Sunday leading into the tournament on Monday next week would be for the best.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Rocko hummed. ¡°Think that¡¯s enough time to scout them?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll spend some time going over the two people I¡¯m challenging, the locations, and whatnot tomorrow during the break. I think it would be good to even make it a bit of an excursion for some of the Gym trainers.¡± ¡°Where are they asking you to fight?¡± asked Alexa as she started typing away at her transceiver, adjusting people¡¯s schedules as we talked about it. ¡°Make it optional seeing as it is rather short notice,¡± I said, realising I was asking a bit to have a sizeable chunk of people drop their plans for lunch tomorrow. Alexa shot me an amused look but nodded. ¡°The location?¡± she asked. ¡°One is going to be on a meadow, so we¡¯ll do a quick ride up to the picnic areas to the south to set up for that, while the other is going to be on a beach¡­ which might be a taller ask, now that I think about it. Let¡¯s set that as a scout out for tomorrow afternoon.¡± Rocko scratched his chin. ¡°There will be some differences between sand and a battle arena, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°And the meadow as well,¡± I said. I tapped the table a few times and considered what else I needed to do. ¡°Hmmm, maybe send out some messages to the sponsored trainers as well.¡± I had checked in with Forrest, Ash, Misty, Humphrey, Gary and Mia during the aftermath of Sabrina¡¯s victory and the Silph Co situation¡ªas the media were calling it. I should probably do another follow-up just to be sure. ¡°Anything else I need to do?¡± I asked Rocko and Alexa while shooting Sabrina a look. As I looked her over, and actually looked at her, I noticed how tired she looked. How her hair was slightly frazzled and she had a slight pallor to her. All of them shook their heads. I clapped my hands. ¡°Alright, you two should head off!¡± I said. I scooped up the day¡¯s reports ¡°Alright I¡¯m going to work through things from most important to least then!¡± I said before linking arms with Sabrina. I moved quickly to make sure she didn¡¯t vanish on me. ¡°Have you eaten? I¡¯ll either cook your favourite or order it, I think you need a good bath to relax in.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Sabrina said, blinking in surprise. I smiled sheepishly. ¡°I was thinking about asking you out to dinner but then I realised how hard you must have been working the last few days. You don¡¯t need me sweeping you off your feet. You need me laying you down and pampering you.¡± Sabrina stared at me for a long moment before grabbing me by the shirt and dragging me in for a passionate kiss. When we broke apart she had a pleased look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m going to get Ralts, my bathrobe and some supplies. I will have that Hoenn dish we had in Mauville City.¡± ¡°The one from that high-end restaurant we tried¡­¡± I licked my lips in trepidation. ¡°Or the back alley¡ª¡± I started to say, only for Sabrina to level a look at me. ¡°You know which one,¡± she said before vanishing into a Teleport. Rocko chuckled and clapped his hands together. ¡°She¡¯s such a lucky girl! I want to be pampered by you!¡± he said with a fake swoon. Alexa giggled and swatted him before waving us both goodbye. Rocko trotted off himself, his transceiver echoing a conversation he started to have with his step-siblings as he departed. I darted into my house and found all the ingredients for the meal; potato chips, beef tortillas, and dipping cheese. I grinned to myself as I got out Munchlax¡¯s stool and used it to reach to the very back of the top shelf of the pantry, where I had some hidden spices. ¡°Munchlax no!¡± said Tilly, having apparently been drawn by the sound of the stool only to pause as she caught me instead of Munchlax in the kitchen. Her eyes tracked me as I pulled out my secret spices. She stared at me. ¡°Sus!¡± she declared, levelling her finger at me. Billy, having been drawn by his twin, gave the scene a look before nodding along and pointing at me. ¡°Sus!¡± he said. I huffed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing suspicious about this!¡± I said indignantly. Munchlax chose that moment to wander into the kitchen. He took one look at me and snapped his hand at me and my position. ¡°Mun!¡± he said firmly. I just knew he was saying ¡®sus¡¯ in his own way. I huffed and stepped back with my prize. A very well-preserved can of chilli flakes. ¡°This is not for kids,¡± I said firmly. This was very obviously the wrong thing to say, as all three of them crossed their arms and grinned at me. I huffed and laid out Sabrina¡¯s meal. The trick, as the old granny who¡¯d run the back alley stall had said, was to cut the chips with a thick peeler and really use your wrist to make it a scoop for the later cream and chilli sauce. I got to work quickly, chopping and mixing before realising that with the hour it was, it would make more sense for me to make up dinner for everyone. Tilly, Billy, and Munchlax all claimed seats at the kitchen bench and I had to endure a wave of questions ranging from what I was doing, how I was going to make it extra tasty, and other comments that I endeavoured to try and translate. Sometimes I felt that the babbling of children required a minor degree in linguistics. When I had everything cooked to a degree that I could be happy with, and could step away from the kitchen, I tapped Nanny Grav to give my ensuite bathroom a quick once over before putting some candles up and running a hot bath. I quickly tossed the mess I¡¯d made into green wastebins or garbage. Some of the scraps Munchlax made gimme gestures for, and so the green waste scraps were turned over to him. I fondly watched him gobble them up with gusto. ¡°How have you been, Munchlax?¡± I asked. He nodded vigorously and shot me a thumbs-up as he continued to gobble down the snack. I merely hummed. ¡°You aren¡¯t bothered about how things went during the trip up Mt Moon?¡± I asked carefully. Munchlax paused and gave this question some more thought before sinking into himself. ¡°Munch¡­¡± he said despondently. ¡°You¡¯re sad you weren¡¯t strong enough?¡± I asked, to which he nodded. ¡°Hmmm,¡± ¡° I said. ¡°You know, that¡¯s perfectly fine and if you wanted to do something about it that¡¯s fine too, but it¡¯s not the end of the world to just be yourself you know?¡± Munchlax tilted his head at this and I smiled. From either side of him, twin gazes watched on, taking in everything that was being said and done in front of them. Billy and Tilly remained quiet otherwise. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to train like the other pokemon, if you don¡¯t want to. You¡­ you¡¯re already doing something important here you know?¡± I gestured around with my hand. ¡°Sometimes being a friend and companion can be the thing people need most, you know?¡± I chuckled. ¡°If I asked Cranidos to play, you know what he¡¯d do?¡± ¡°Munch?¡± Munchlax said, jutting his head forward. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, surprised that Munchlax had an idea what I meant. ¡°He¡¯d just fight people. He¡¯s not an easy pokemon to be friends with. Not like you, you¡¯re good at playing and being nice.¡± I propped my head on my hand and smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯ve seen how you share your snacks, you know?¡± Munchlax stiffened and looked away as though he¡¯d done something that he should be guilty about. ¡±Munch, mun, lax, Munch!¡± he said quickly. ¡°Yeah, I know, but I also know how much food means to you. Making your friends and family happy though? That means more doesn¡¯t it?¡± I said. Munchlax nodded. ¡°Good, don¡¯t let the fact that you¡¯re not a good fighter get you down. You don¡¯t need to be. If you want to, we can work something out, but for now, know that you¡¯re really good, great even, as a playmate.¡± Munchlax wiggled in his seat and waved a hand in an ¡®oh you¡¯ gesture. Billy leaned in and gave Munchlax a hug, surprising me. ¡°You¡¯re my friend!¡± said Billy. Tilly copied him and I chuckled along, as they all giggled and laughed. By the time dinner was ready, I had everyone in the family hovering for a bite but I turned that responsibility over to Flint. I instead made up a meal for Sabrina and plated it up. Before I could depart Tilly planted herself in the doorway with her hands spread wide. ¡°Want!¡± She said pointing at the plate. ¡°No sorry, Tilly, this is for Sabrina, I made yours over there,¡± I said. ¡°No! Sprinkles! I want those!¡± she said. I blinked, having not expected her to notice the difference. This announcement of something being ¡®special¡¯ about this meal compared to the rest of the kids resulted in their interest swivelling onto me. Yolanda gave me a sheepish look as she shrugged. She knew better than to try and dissuade my family when they were united on something like this. I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s chilli flakes from Hoenn,¡± I said to Flint when he raised an eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t think the little ones should try it,¡± I said. Flint gestured for me to hand him the container and I did so. He inspected it seriously, and I watched as his offhand dipped beneath the counter to grab up another container. He then performed a quick swap while shooting me a wink. ¡°I think this will be fine, no?¡± he said, displaying a basic sweet chilli container. I nodded and held in a chuckle as the kids gobbled up the deception. It was a good thing Tilly and Billy couldn¡¯t read, or they¡¯d have spotted the deception. As it was, I think only Yolanda cottoned on to the switch with how Salvadore had been reading a book he had hidden on his lap. ¡°Spicy!¡± they shouted as they devoured it. Tilly turned to Munchlax and grinned. ¡°Flame breath!¡± she said pretending that she was a fire type as she exhaled on him. Munchlax pretended to pat out flames on his fur while wailing in pain. ¡°No fire breath at the dining table!¡¯ Flint said sternly. Tilly stiffened only for Flint to grin. ¡°Not unless you want to deal with my¡­ Fire Blast!¡± he said jokingly. I left my family giggling and roaring like a flight of Charizard as I went to my suite of rooms. When I entered the bathroom, the sight awaiting me gave me pause. On another day, I might have stripped myself off and shimmied in for a romantic encounter. And with how Sabrina lay back, water droplets trickling down creamy white skin, I found myself licking my lips. I was tempted. Oh, how I was tempted. As it was, I knew Sabrina just wanted to relax, so I suppressed the part of my mind that was hooting and hollering for all intents and purposes before laying out the meal where Sabrina could see it. She stirred and peeled a cucumber off her eyes without using her hands. She eyed the meal and licked her lips. ¡°You even have the flakes that she used?¡± she said, her eyes locked on the flakes that seemed to radiate heat. ¡°Yup,¡± I said. Sabrina dragged me towards her and gave me another passionate kiss. She then waved me away. ¡°Leave me with my food,¡± she said, acting more like a wild pokemon than my girlfriend. ¡°Ralts!¡± said Ralts from the side. I shot Ralts a look and found the adorable sight of Ralts, with a small ring allowing her to float on the water with her own facemask just visible under her hair. She waved a hand imperiously towards a bowl of half-eaten candies and opened her mouth. I popped a candy into her mouth and she cooed in delight before waving me away. Sabrina levitated her meal up and began to nibble at it. Another perk of being telekinetic? You never dropped anything. I stepped back and left her to it while I set to eating my own meal in my room. I glanced at the container. Was it¡­ I chewed my lip and decided to try it again. A single flake shouldn¡¯t be that bad¡­ right? I took a bite of my meal only to lunge for the milk I had prepared for myself. I chugged it down and found it just barely acted to give my poor tongue relief. I took another long pull of milk, letting the milk sit in my tongue to cool the sore point. I shook my head. Sabrina hadn¡¯t been wrong; I would never forget her favourite meal. She¡¯d gobbled it down while I¡¯d sworn that I had exhaled at least a Smokescreen when I¡¯d tried the same meal. I finished up my food, without the spices, and settled in to get the day''s work done. When Sabrina was done she walked out of the bathroom, gave me a kiss and tucked herself into bed. I was just in time to finish up my work and cuddle up behind her.
The next day saw most of the Pewter Gym trainers riding various pokemon down the road towards the Viridian forest. Our convoy caused a small dust cloud to billow up and a number of people to get out of the way with perplexed expressions. Apparently, none of the trainers wanted to miss out on a training session, so I had most of the trainers, along with Rachel, Bianca, Stephen, and Alexa, who rode behind me on Jormungandr. Greta, Yolanda and Crystal were all riding scooters while everyone else rode pokemon. When we came upon the picnic grounds, there weren¡¯t many people there beyond a young family. The mother of the family looked a little unsure of our sudden arrival but soon calmed down when I waved, and set out an area that was approximately the size of a standard field. I clapped my hands and smiled. ¡°Alright, so today¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry! Just give me another few moments!¡± said Rachel as she raised up a camera. ¡°Alright! We¡¯re live in, three, two¡­ oh! Wait! My bad! We¡¯re live now for the trainers of Pewter!¡± she announced. I coughed and restarted. ¡°Alright! Hello gang. Today we¡¯re in the field instead of at the gym, as you might have noticed. This was a topic I wanted to cover as I will be fighting an Ace battle tomorrow in such a field. ¡°These sorts of meadow fights are typical of most battles, honestly, with trainers at every stage engaging in them. Pewter Gym, with its League standard battle field, is very much an outlier. Now, today¡¯s session won¡¯t allow for trainers who are watching via video to ask questions, but feel free to post them on the chat board and I will get to them later!¡± I said. I then reached down and grabbed a handful of soil. ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to dig right in. One of the main differences is that the soil is much looser than a standard Gym, this can mean that your pokemon might get knocked around or find themselves lacking the traction they would have back home.¡± I went through the ways that just the soil changed how a fight could occur, with the greater nutrients being better for grass-type pokemon, along with there being quicker travel for moves such as Dig. When I shifted focus I swept a hand out to the Gym trainers. ¡°Now, what¡¯s another difference? I¡¯ll ask the people with me today for any suggestions?¡± I said leadingly. ¡°There might be different terrain? Hills, or gullies?¡± said one man. I nodded approvingly and led the team to show how that would impact visibility or how even a slight rise or fall of the land could allow for an advantage depending on what you were going for. I then showed them the same area from a different angle. ¡°Sometimes it will seem like having the high ground is better but it is all about context. Can you force them off it? Or do they have to come to you? If they come to you and they use the high ground to increase the speed or power of their attacks, can you counter them?¡± I said, positing a few hypothetical situations. I nodded and once again waved for group engagement. ¡°What else can be different?¡± ¡°Vegetation?¡± said a woman this time. ¡°Precisely!¡± I said. ¡°Sometimes there might be long grass, short grass, scrubs, or even trees that will fall within the borders of a field such as this. Make sure you are clear on if those are out of bounds. Now with the match I have tomorrow, there will actually be a sizeable amount of time where we discuss just where the match will take place within a field of around five or so acres. This can mean that it will vary and you can also have home-field advantages if you know the area very, very well.¡± I said. ¡°Anything else different?¡± I asked. ¡°The sky!¡± shouted a tiny voice from near my waist. ¡°That¡¯s right Cind¡ª¡± I broke off, as I realised that the small child near me was not in fact my sister, but a wayward child that had wandered over from the picnic area. I blinked down at her. ¡°Oh, hello,¡± I said as she grinned up at me. I was amused to see that she was missing her front teeth. ¡°Hello!¡± she said, only for her mother to suddenly appear and reach for her daughter. ¡°I am so sorry Gym Leader Brock!¡± said the woman but I waved her apologies off. ¡°Oh not a problem! She wasn¡¯t doing anything wrong, she actually answered a question perfectly,¡± I said amused by how this had become a community activity now. I hadn¡¯t really ever specified for it to not be but I could use this for another point later on. ¡°She was right about the sky. In the Gym there is a roof that caps the flight height that pokemon can reach, with a cap up to one hundred metres.¡± I pointed up and people glanced up at the blue sky above. ¡°There are no such restrictions here and that can mean a much greater aerial battle can take place.¡± ¡°And if the trainer you¡¯re facing is trying to take advantage of better nutrients it plays to your strength to use Flying-type pokemon,¡± said Crystal thoughtfully. ¡°Bingo!¡± I said, happy she was taking part and thinking about this in the context of what I¡¯d said previously. ¡°Now there¡¯s one other thing that we should take into consideration when fighting in fields like this. Can anyone think of them?¡± I asked. ¡°Stray pokemon?¡± I coughed. ¡°That¡¯s a good answer and correct, but I¡¯m looking for something else, in a similar vein,¡± I said leadingly. Yolanda stiffened and glanced at the girl and her mother. ¡°Members of the public?¡± she said. ¡°Yes, in such fields there won¡¯t be any shields like the gym has, which is why most battles take place in speciality arenas. If you are fighting in a field make sure you are aware of the impact your battle might have if someone wanders in for example. ¡°Now in all cases, if someone¡¯s life is in danger it is considered a null battle and all trainers and their pokemon are to cease until the danger has passed. If the danger does not pass or the event needs to, it will be called off.¡± ¡°Is that something that happens much for Ace battles?¡± asked Yolanda. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t and I expect it won¡¯t. The place I¡¯m fighting is not actually a meadow in the wild for example, but rather a specially curated field. It has various camera drones and driveable machines people set up for Ace battles to take place in a remote location where things can be a bit more ¡®in the elements¡¯ so to speak.¡± ¡°No one should be wandering around there, and if they do, there are staff that will escort them off straight away,¡± I said. I¡¯d actually had to look that up this morning when I¡¯d done my research on my battle tomorrow. I had enough paranoia to still be mindful of it, but I wasn¡¯t going to let it stop me from trying out the Plains and Meadows Co. battlefields of Route eight. There was still a lot that I didn¡¯t know about this specific style of Ace battles. ¡°Now one of the most important things I will be doing is taking some people with me to test the field beforehand to get an understanding of how my team might move about in the ground¡ª¡± I resumed my lecture. By the time I had to wrap things up and return to the Gym, the family had joined us. They thanked me for the memorable picnic and tolerating their daughter¡¯s questions which I had no issue with. Honestly, with only one of her, there wasn¡¯t much hassle, considering I regularly put up with eight younger siblings now that Forrest had set out on his Journey. The afternoon¡¯s challenges were nonexistent, so I let everyone enjoy their lunch as I set to work on some documents in my office. I was just starting when Lance called. ¡°Brock, I need a favour,¡± he said to get things underway. I snorted. ¡°Ah, is this about Surge?¡± I said. Lance nodded. I leaned back and considered how I felt. It had been a few days now, and I¡¯d calmed down. I¡¯d been able to give myself some distance from the event. I no longer wanted to bash his head in, nor did my heart ache with the thought of seeing him. I could wait longer, but now felt right for me. I¡¯d processed my initial reaction, but that didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t have a flare-up when I came face to face with him. ¡°No promises that I won¡¯t deck him when I see him,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯d be right to,¡± Lance said, rubbing at his temples. ¡°He¡¯s caused me a lot of headaches. Can you please just come talk to him so we can find out what he knows and doesn''t know?" ¡°Alright, send me a pick-up and I¡¯ll block out the rest of my afternoon,¡± I said standing and readying myself to talk with Surge. Chapter 173 - The storm speaks I didn¡¯t Teleport into the front entrance. Instead, I found myself brought directly onto the roof where police were ready with their pokemon already out. No fewer than eight Arcanine were present which was a strong showing by the police but this was only the tip of the visible iceberg. A shadowy section of the building got a mere look over as I otherwise documented all the changes. A quick glance up allowed me to see that even with it being late afternoon there was a wide ring of pokemon flying around the League, shepherding the office workers or staff working in the League to land. From there I could see a bus terminal with various transport pokemon ferrying the grounded workers. I glanced over the side of the roof and looked down to find that there were several security guards on the ground with fences set up to keep out what looked like a horde of reporters and their technicians. ¡°Looks like someone kicked over a Trapinich nest,¡± I said with how people were marching back and forth hurriedly. I could see some harried-looking staff being hounded by the media as they exited the fenced-off League entrance. They kept their heads down and still got into and out of the building before being ferried away by pokemon or a car in the rare instance. Sabrina hummed. ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with my parents about this, they say this is nothing. It was worse for some of the capital cities during the war.¡± I grunted, knowing that she was likely right. If a Pokemon World War was anything comparable to my past life¡¯s wars, there would have been even greater restrictions. I eyed the beating heart of the Indigo government. It was a flurry of activity, but at the same time, it could be worse. ¡°This place wasn¡¯t even here back then.¡° I pointed out. Sabrina nodded as she indicated the reporters being held at bay. ¡°Lance has announced that they have made the biggest raid, capture, and detainment in the League¡¯s history. He has not released names, but there is a growing call from the media for it.¡± ¡°He¡¯s holding back and trying to wrap things up neatly, sadly,¡± said Agatha, stepping out from a shadow to the side. I merely grunted, having spotted her earlier. Sabrina nodded to Agatha and then vanished into another Teleport, having other jobs to do rather than escort me to Surge. Her time was in high demand. ¡°How are you handling all this?¡± I said, glancing at the ancient woman now playing chaperone for me. ¡°Feh! This is nothing! If you wanted to see people hard at work you should have been with me decades ago! I didn¡¯t sleep for a week straight because I needed to work with Samuel and Blaine to get the cities of Kanto to accept us! People don¡¯t ever want to give up power Brock! But we made them! We were tenacious! And we got things done!¡± she said with a firm stamp of her cane. I blinked having not considered how much work the literal welding of two nations into one might have required. I considered Agatha with this new information. I rubbed my chin and cocked my head to the side. ¡°How the hell are we not in another war if it was up to you¡ª¡± Her cane flashed out and aimed for my kidney but I dodged her, well used to her antics. I waved her off. ¡°I¡¯m joking! I¡¯m joking! I know you¡¯re great when you set your mind to it,¡± I said, making sure to calm her down with some compliments. She waved her cane at me threateningly. ¡°You and Samuel!¡± she said before huffing and marching off without so much as a warning. ¡°Keep up! I have other, more important tasks to perform! I¡¯m not retired yet, young one!¡± she said. I jogged after her, surprised by how energised she was today. ¡°Has anything else happened since I departed? Any more raids?¡± I said. There hadn¡¯t been, at least not any that the Guardians were aware of, and with how Sabrina, Koga, Agatha, and I had been heavily involved in the entire affair it was practically guaranteed that one of us would have heard something to pass on to the others. Koga more so than anyone else. I glanced around out of habit. Chances were¡ª I¡¯d learned thanks to training with the Guardians¡ª that just thinking about him would sometimes see him appearing at your side. ¡°No, there hasn¡¯t been anything serious. Merely clean up, Johto had just as many raids as Kanto. Thankfully with Olivine City¡¯s Gym leader being one of the trainers that Sabrina is still slated to interrogate.¡± Agatha sniffed. ¡°The fools think that she will have a rather easier time of it with how she is dating you!¡± ¡°Ah, they don¡¯t consider who my starter is and how that impacts things,¡± I said conversationally. Agatha nodded and continued to march on. Each time we reached a checkpoint or a door, her shadow would extend an arm and tap in a code, display a card with Agatha¡¯s name and picture on it, or merely wave cheekily. ¡°It¡¯s rather unique, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked as I stared down at her shadow, where I knew a teeming mass of Gengar were usually located. Agatha merely cackled, resulting in the next door we made our way up towards, already being held open with the guard waving us through. ¡°Only one person can laugh like that,¡± he said when I¡¯d shot him an unimpressed look. I wanted to protest but I found I couldn¡¯t. No one laughed like Agatha. It had a tinge of something beyond the veil of life that tickled up your spine when you heard it. It was like a sinister joke being made by a person that you knew, could, and would hurt you given the chance, despite the person doing nothing at the time. It was like a man holding a bare knife only to juggle it with several others. You could laugh along eventually with exposure, but if it was done slowly enough, you never forgot the moment of trepidation. ¡°Have there been any attempts at anyone being broken out?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± Agatha said. ¡°I would have expected something from Blaine¡­ or Giovanni¡¯s other subordinates, but it is very telling that nothing is amounting from them. We believe that whoever is left has formed a splinter organisation which is why information that we can access to deny them anything is so important. We¡¯ve shut down many accounts, and pokemon storage facilities and other sites, but still haven¡¯t worked out how much of the pie we¡¯re missing.¡± At my grimace, Agatha waved a hand and elaborated. ¡°It¡¯s much less than half, I believe the auditors even estimate we have as much as eighty percent of Team Rocket¡¯s holdings. But¡­ what we do have is extensive.¡± Agatha continued to march, leading me deep into the league. I recognised a lot of the hallways we were moving along now, having come here when Daniel was being interrogated. ¡°Are they still in Indigo?¡± I asked, feeling like that was the next question that needed to be asked. ¡°That is one of the questions we are trying to figure out. We¡¯re unsure where they would have gone and while we have some goodwill with Hoenn and the island nations, we still don¡¯t have any authority to act internationally.¡± She smirked. ¡°Yet.¡± Agatha frowned. ¡°Oh, and there¡¯s Fiore I suppose as well,¡± she said in an offhand manner. ¡°What¡¯s up with Fiore?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing honestly. They¡¯re just crowing to whoever will listen. They don¡¯t believe us that during the Silph Co. raid, the masterball was in fact destroyed, despite all the evidence we have provided. They are adamant that we still have one, if not the capabilities to make such a pokeball.¡± Agatha rolled her eyes. ¡°Meanwhile they are touting their own horn to anyone back home that will listen about how they got us to destroy the ¡®abomination¡¯ that was the Masterball.¡± Agatha shook her head. ¡°Politics at its finest; they are presenting the story in a manner that suits the needs of different people.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°I think I hate it.¡± My comment merely got a cackle of glee from Agatha. ¡°Ohoh? You will learn young one! You will learn!¡± she spoke with the tone of one who knew my opinion far too well for my liking. Had she been the same before or when she¡¯d become an Elite Four? I wasn¡¯t sure I liked what she foresaw in my future. My expression got another laugh out of her and I huffed at her. ¡°So, Surge? I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t get him to talk,¡± I said changing the topic as we closed in on the interrogation room. Agatha opened the door. ¡°I felt it wasn¡¯t my place, plus, while I can scare him, fear is a poor motivator for truth.¡± She turned and looked at me, her expression oddly soft. ¡°I learnt that sometimes, the softest touches can get people to open up. For better or worse, he is still trying to reach out to you.¡± I locked eyes with Agatha and clenched my jaw. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll see how that goes for him,¡± I said. I walked into the room and was surprised to find Looker in the waiting area with Officer Jenny from Pewter. I could tell thanks to the epaulets on her shoulder marking her as such. There was another man in the corner, with a pair of Haunter floating around the room. The pokemon¡¯s gaze swept over us as we entered and they gave Agatha respectful nods before leering at me like I was fresh meat. Not willing to let them play their games, I pulled up some dark energy and flexed it slightly. They stiffened and found something else to do as the people in the room turned to us. ¡°Agatha,¡± Looker said before nodding to me. ¡°Brock, thank you for coming.¡± His eyes searched my face, ¡°I know this is a¡­ tough situation with how Surge was a mentor for you.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said noncommittally while swallowing down the feeling of rising emotion. ¡°Guess he was.¡± I stepped up to the glass and stared at Surge. They¡¯d given him a chair to match his frame instead of attempting to push him into the standard chair they used. He lounged in it with his chin on his chest, asleep or at least pretending to be. He looked carefree, like this was just another day for him. If the chair could have been kicked back he¡¯d have been leaning back and snoozing, I had no doubt. He looked far too comfortable for a man behind bars. His hair was still spikey despite lacking any product and he didn¡¯t have any signs that he¡¯d been mistreated. Not that I expected Lance¡¯s League to suddenly resort to physical means of interrogation. No, they mostly had gentler methods, like Sabrina, to pry secrets from people. Which was so much more genteel. I wasn¡¯t going to ask anyone, nor spare any time wondering what would happen to the Grunts or Executives when they had pried what they could from them. You could scour a man¡¯s mind psychically, but physically beating on him would be too much. What did that say about the League? I had to wonder. That wasn¡¯t something I shouldn¡¯t have any say in. But that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t speak up if I didn¡¯t want to. I just¡­ wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to. I stared at Surge and he stirred and opened his eyes to look around, knowing with some sixth sense that he was being observed. ¡°Hmmm? It lunch time yet?¡± he said, looking at me unknowingly. ¡°So, what do you want me to get him to say?¡± I asked to the room at large. ¡°We mainly want things tidied up. It is rather open and shut with current rulings and his being caught while supporting Team Rocket as he did. This is just to make sure there is nothing that can see him worm his way out,¡± Agatha said quickly. ¡°Ahem!¡± said the man in the corner, stepping forward. I already didn¡¯t like him just from the way he gave off airs of importance. Here was a man who delighted in crossing a t or dotting an i and making people¡¯s livelihood¡¯s crumble. The man adjusted his glasses in an overly officious manner. ¡°Gym Leader Brock?¡± he said plaintively. Apparently, he expected me to look at him when he cleared his throat. I kept looking Surge over. He looked kind of ridiculous in his orange jumpsuit. They apparently didn¡¯t have one his size, as part of his calf was on display while the suit was crumpled up around his body. He looked extremely frumpy. I didn¡¯t laugh. ¡°Gym Leader¡ª¡± said the man once again and I flicked my eyes at him. ¡°Yes? What do you want?¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m Fred Fan¡ª¡± I held up a hand. ¡°No, I don¡¯t care who you are. I meant what do you want?¡± my patience for this entire endeavour was already short. The man shifted, ruffling himself up like a pokemon trying to make himself look bigger. ¡°The League wants to discover any acts of negligence that Surge has committed. We want confirmation that he knew about Giovanni¡¯s role, and that he denied the League such information!¡± ¡°Hmmm right,¡± I said. The League wanted to take their cut and take back Vermilion, I mentally translated. Despite myself, I felt annoyed for Surge. Perhaps it was just that the League was showing their hand to me. Or rather this little pencil pusher was trying to do it. Did Lance know this was being pushed or was he turning a blind eye to it? If they had the chance, would they try to repeal my own family¡¯s Gym charter? It felt like yes, and the part that bugged me the most about it was the way the man stood there so gleefully at the idea of snatching such a thing. Like anything about this moment was good. This entire situation was a story spanning years in the making. And it was up to me to find out what the story was. A comedy? A tragedy? Or, I thought, what Surge claims the story is. He didn¡¯t need to tell the truth to me. Or he didn¡¯t need to tell me anything but his version of the truth. What was my truth? He acted against me. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. That was a betrayal. Don¡¯t see what you want to see, just what is, I reminded myself. I inhaled and clapped my hands together before dispelling the dark energy. In its place, I started to fill myself with rock energy. Before I could become lethargic from filling myself I made sure to move, walking around through the only door into the interrogation room. Surge perked up when I opened the door only to sit up properly and put his hands on the table that rested between the two chairs. I paused in the doorway to give him another once-over before marching in and claiming my seat. ¡°So, I¡¯m¡ª¡± I started to say only for the door to swing shut behind me with a loud boom causing me to frown. Surge chuckled. ¡°Heh, it¡¯s a security feature they have. Can¡¯t keep the door open for too long. You¡¯ll also need one of those folk out there to buzz you out when you think you¡¯ve heard enough,¡± he said. His eyes swept over me. ¡°You look good.¡± ¡°You look like shit,¡± I spat angrily back at him. Surge smiled. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the orange jumpsuit isn¡¯t it? It don¡¯t match my complexion, does it? When they send me off I think I¡¯ll have to request somewhere with khaki as their jumpsuit colours!¡± he said. I stared at him. That... was such a typical Surge answer that I found myself almost wanting to laugh. Then the anger came back. I lashed out and slammed my fist into the table. An echoing boom rang out and Surge blinked in surprise at the dent I¡¯d left in the table. ¡°This is not a joke Surge. I¡¯m here but honestly? I¡¯m not sure what for! To listen to you play everything you did off? To let you tell some as you¡¯d no-doubt call it, ¡®Sally sob story¡¯?¡± I waved a hand towards the one-way mirror, my own reflection on this side copying me. ¡°For them to get all their t¡¯s and i¡¯s crossed and dotted?¡± I waved a hand in disgust. ¡°Give me a reason I shouldn¡¯t walk out of here now?¡± I said. And I knew in that moment, that I could. It hadn¡¯t been like I¡¯d feared, that upon entering I¡¯d be stuck here. I could leave, cut myself off from him if I wanted to. Surge nodded. ¡°A reason¡­ yeah¡­ Well, first of all, I¡¯m sorry things played out the way they did.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sorry you got caught, not that you did it,¡± I said. He wobbled a hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°Yes and no. You¡¯ve given me time to sit and think about this for a while and¡­ I¡¯m not a good person Brock.¡± He said with a humourless smile. ¡°I never really styled myself as one. I know I¡¯m too tough on the squirts that come in. I beat em up too easily and am prone to waving away their complaints.¡± Surge looked down at his hands. ¡°I¡¯m also a terrible dad. Something you know a thing or two about.¡± He looked up. ¡°You must have been told about Visquez by now right?¡± I merely grunted and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I have.¡± ¡°She¡¯s mine, full-blooded and everything which¡­ well, I¡¯d been told it would never happen. Injury during the war you see?¡± He waved a hand at his groin. ¡°Not able to produce anything viable, shooting blanks whatever you call it, Visquez is a miracle and I wasn¡¯t there for her until she was twelve and she kicked in the door of my gym.¡± I shifted before frowning. I was being dragged into the story of Visquez, but that wasn¡¯t what I was here for. It might be what Surge wanted to talk about, but he could take a long walk off a short pier right now. I should have felt a spike of annoyance but due to filling myself with rock energy I was happy to sit and wait. I shook that off, knowing it wasn¡¯t what I needed. I could do that, but I needed to be active and not let myself fall into the lull of patience. ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I said, flipping the metaphorical table of this conversation. ¡°Fuck you and Rhyhorn you rode in on and are now trying to peddle to me. I¡¯m not interested. What the fuck were you doing with Giovanni? Have you always been a Team Rocket plant?¡± I demanded. ¡°Fuck no!¡± Surge said. ¡°Remember that listening post? I was pissed about that when I learnt about it. That wasn¡¯t no dummy post Brock. That was a legit post meant to track my movements and dig up dirt. Fucking Giovanni knew about Visquez when every other prick out there didn¡¯t!¡± He cracked his neck. ¡°Course I didn¡¯t know it was him digging for anything I said in my Gym until I arrived at the hangar. By then¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to fight him on it, I was bound by a debt of blood.¡± ¡°A debt of blood?¡± I said incredulously. Surge nodded seriously. ¡°Brock, I''ve said before I didn¡¯t start out as a Lieutenant when the war started no? I was a private when things began and I moved up the ranks fast. The brass didn¡¯t like me but they didn¡¯t have no choice but to do it cause I was the only person coming back or making it out of the scraps they threw my squad into.¡± He leaned back ¡°We were a tough-knit group, formally, we were platoon six of battalion eight of the scouts, but we were known better as the wreckers.¡± I arched an eyebrow and considered if I should once again disrupt him. I decided not to after a moment¡¯s consideration, instead deciding to let it play out. It was rare that anyone would talk about the bad times of the war. ¡°The wreckers, we were given all the tasks they considered impossible. Once got assigned a mission to blow up the warehouses and lighthouse in Olivine you know? Made it out with four men after going in with fifteen. The brass didn¡¯t mind though. We got the job done and they loaded us up with fresh-faced punks within the week.¡± Surge waved a hand about. ¡°Got used to all the others dying and having to limp back home, in the end, it was just me and the captain. Course when Visquez made captain she always made sure to be upbeat about our chances, came up with plans to make it so as many people as possible had fallback points and everything.¡± Surge trailed off slightly, his eyes growing distant as memories took hold. ¡°Your daughter, you named her after this woman?¡± I asked rather redundantly, wanting to prod him along. ¡°Yup,¡± Surge said, his smile wide as he rubbed at a scar on his wrist. ¡°Now, the brass at the time took this as a sign that we could handle more assignments with less downtime between missions¡­ that or that we were just getting pressed during the war and they had no choice but to call us back up. Zapdos knows I had to beat back that asshole Matt from Hoenn enough times it¡¯s a wonder I didn¡¯t kill him. That Shelly woman with him was always ready to interrupt our fights or get out,¡± Surge said. I blinked, surprised that I recognised the names of two Team Aqua Admin. ¡°Anyway, we got another mission¡­ It ended up being the last mission we¡¯d ever have to run with Sammy Oak stepping up a week later, but well, things were bad. You remember the stories about Legendary pokemon awakening during the end of the war? It weren¡¯t no myth, I witnessed them.¡± ¡°Them?¡± I said. Surge nodded. His hands moved to tap on his shoulder where I knew a sizable scar was located. ¡°I was fighting a battle with some real hard Johto soldiers. There was enough of them that they had us pinned down. Now usually Visquez would have gotten us out of there but she got hit early in the fight by a lucky shot from them, started bleeding rather badly, I could do nothing but hold back the Johto pricks with the rest. ¡°Raichu and I alone must have taken out sixteen of them that day and still they came on trying to get into Vermillion so they could charge on up into Saffron where the main HQ was at the time. The fighting got so bad a freaking Zapdos swept the field shooting lightning out like it was nobody''s business. It helped me stay in the fight longer but it soon left.¡± Surge mimed a phone with one hand. ¡°We got on the blower and started screaming for support, other trainers, heck anybody but no one could hear us or was able to respond.¡± Surge shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it was, but no one was coming for us anyway, so we started to drop. Hank, Dave, Charlie, Betty, Chuckie, Lave¡ª¡± Surge rattled off eight names and I waited for him to announce Visquez but it never came. ¡°I got pushed back to where our medic was patching up whoever she could at the time, but she was running low on supplies, energy and time.¡± Surge shifted. ¡°I could see the writing on the wall and the sickos from Johto, they were calling out what they¡¯d do to us, cause they knew we¡¯d held them up long enough and weakened them enough there was no way they¡¯d be able to make a run for HQ. They weren¡¯t the sort to pull back neither!¡± Surge smiled a dark, humourless smile. ¡°So I realised I needed to go down a blaze of glory. I charged out with Raichu, Electrode, and any pokemon I could but it wasn¡¯t enough, got crippled as I tried to make my last heroic charge.¡± Surge¡®s expression hardened. ¡°I remember how they laughed at me, telling me they¡¯d make me watch.¡± Then he smiled and his face became that of a Meowth that watched his greatest rival suffer a deserving fate. ¡°Instead I got a front-row seat to watching them getting taken in the rear. See, we¡¯d fought long enough that a nearby group, against their commanding officer¡¯s orders, sallied out and attacked from Celadon, which was where the supplies were being kept.¡± I sighed knowing what was coming. ¡°That small group fought tooth and nail and they paid a huge price for it in blood. Of their platoon, only five made it out. They rescued us and then got their asses chewed out for doing it. The CO even went as far as to hide what they¡¯d done. They never got official medals or recognition for it and I couldn¡¯t do nothing about it with how delirious I was.¡± Surge sighed. ¡°Those five men? They visited me in hospital to check on me and I thanked them for what they did and swore If they ever needed anything, I¡¯d come and help them, no questions asked.¡± Surge raised his hand and counted down the fingers. ¡°I spent three years training Blake¡¯s daughter when she was ready to go out into the world. I helped John build a house and shed for his family, ramps and specialised wheelchair carrier and everything for him. Samantha? She got a ship that I owned.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I won it through a poker game. Didi? She died before I could ever help her out¡­ So I helped her family out of debt and got her kids a starter pokemon each.¡± Surge waggled his last finger. ¡°Giovanni never wanted anything from me. Said he had everything but that he liked having me in his debt. I knew he was greasy when he said that, but it didn¡¯t matter; thanks to him, my platoon¡­ what was left of them, got to see the end of the war and then some.¡± ¡°And he called in your debt,¡± I said leaning back. I sighed, finding myself¡­ annoyed at myself that I could understand why Surge would do what he did. In that sort of situation, it made all too much sense. I stared up at the ceiling for a long while and sighed again before looking down. ¡°That is entirely too believable for my liking,¡± I said. ¡°Although that¡¯s the issue, isn¡¯t it? How can I trust anything that comes out of your mouth after what you did?¡± Surge worked his jaw a few times before looking down. ¡°You can¡¯t Brock¡­ I know this hits you close to home the most with how your dad¡ª¡± I raised and swung my hand through the air between us. It caused the air to ¡®thoom¡¯ with pressure. ¡°No,¡± I said firmly. We weren¡¯t going there. Actually, seeing as he¡¯d brought it up. ¡°You¡¯re just as bad if not worse than flint you realise?¡± I said. Surge reeled back like I¡¯d struck him and part of me felt good at that. Then he growled and my hair stood on end as if a storm was approaching. ¡°I am nothing like that rookie reservist! I fought in battle after battle! I had people hunting for me! I wasn¡¯t putting Visquez into the spotlight before she could handle herself, even still it might be too early for her.¡± ¡°Convienent,¡± I said. ¡°It worked out for you. Did you ever try?¡± Surge¡¯s jaw worked back and forth and I knew I¡¯d nailed another point on him. ¡°I tried to help out with money, not like with your pa and well your ma? Don¡¯t get me¡ª He stopped talking as I left some of my dark energy loose. He watched me for a moment as I inhaled and exhaled. ¡°You don¡¯t get to comment on that. As it is, I¡¯m not sure if your coming to help wasn¡¯t some sort of trojan hor¡­¡± I shook my head knowing I¡¯d said too much. I cast around for something that was like a trojan horse for this world, but the pokeworld didn¡¯t have an example that I could call to mind. ¡°The point is that I can¡¯t trust what you say. You talk a good talk but I¡¯m not buying the Ekans oil you¡¯re selling.¡± ¡°Brock, I¡¯m not asking for anything myself, I¡¯m asking for my daughter. She could use someone to look out for her.¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± I said. I leaned forward. ¡°How come you signed over your Gym to her when you did? You must have known something was up.¡± Surge met my gaze unflinchingly. ¡°I had a suspicion. Old wounds started to itch again like they haven¡¯t since the war, and I started looking around and finding out what was going on. I wasn¡¯t certain but¡­ I had fears, fears that turned out to be true.¡± Surge put his hands on the table. ¡°Brock, you know I''m as blunt as they come. A spade is spade and I know spades having spent a lot of time digging in with them, but when I give my word on a debt, which came about thanks to Giovanni helping my men and captain live? I wasn¡¯t going to let laws stop me. It was only when I realised I¡¯d be going against you that I backed up and went through the motions.¡± Surge grimaced. ¡°Anyone else? Lance, Lorelei on her own? Professor freaking Oak? I¡¯d have thrown down as hard as I could.¡± ¡°Not you and Sabrina though¡­ You¡¯re good kids,¡± Surge said. I huffed and looked away. ¡°What happened to your captain?¡± I asked more for something to say than any actual interest. Surge sighed. ¡°She woke up from a coma, three weeks after the battle and¡­ Well, she didn¡¯t remember me or much of the war. I figure that was good cause well, there wasn¡¯t a lot that was good about the war. By the end, it didn¡¯t feel like it was about winning or losing, just surviving. Visquez lives on Mikan Island these days with her husband and family. Her daughter picked up her skills and apparently runs a sort of Gym down there these days.¡± Surge smiled. ¡°You fought her husband when you made your Journey through there,¡± he said. I blinked, realising that I had met her. She¡¯d come up after our match and delivered tea for us. Sabrina had looked very confused back then about the wife but hadn¡¯t been able to explain why the woman confused her. It must have been the chip in her brain that stopped Sabrina from reading her mind casually. ¡°Huh, small world,¡± I said. ¡°Ain¡¯t it?¡± said Surge with a chuckle. I eyed him. ¡°So, what are you going to do now? Break out, or go to jail?¡± For a moment I wondered if the shadows in the room shifted slightly when I mentioned ¡®breaking out¡¯. Surge shifted, letting me know it wasn¡¯t just me that had noticed. ¡°Jail I reckon,¡± Surge said seriously. ¡°But I have a few depots of old guns and such that I¡¯m licensed to handle for the League.¡± He grinned at the mirror. ¡°Oh, whoops! I was licensed to handle! I guess I need to hand those guns, mortars, and tanks over now don¡¯t I?¡± I glared. ¡°I think it would be good if you complied with them going forward Surge.¡± ¡°Oh I intend to but I also know that these sorts of things? Well, they¡¯re fluid. I¡¯ll have some forms put in front of me and a map I think. They know what I have to offer and I¡¯ll trade fair.¡± Surge smiled. ¡°But I know there ain¡¯t no way I don¡¯t end up in a cell Brock.¡± He stood and bowed his body, uncaring of the chains that hampered the action. He kept his head down as she spoke. ¡°Can you please help my girl with the things she doesn¡¯t know she doesn¡¯t know? There¡¯s going to be a lot of Fearow circling on her now.¡± I huffed. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± I said deciding that I had done enough. I stood and departed the cell. ¡°See you around Surge,¡± I said over my shoulder. ¡°I hope so Brock, I hope so,¡± Surge said with a tinge of something. I looked back and locked eyes with Surge and he offered me another bow that seemed so strange. It was weird to see the proud man with his head bowed to me. I stepped up and the door buzzed open for me before shutting. I glanced at the people who had been watching the drama play out. ¡°That good enough for you?¡± I asked the room at large. Looker nodded, his eyes darting down to a stack of papers that had black lines all through them in various points. ¡°Yes, yes I think that worked out wonderfully. We have confirmation and a high rate of accuracy. I think we can accept his rationale for his acts now.¡± ¡°Hmmm motive, you mean,¡± said the League official. ¡°The courts will¡ª¡± ¡°Surge can¡¯t ever see a public courtroom. Any knowledge of his involvement with the Wreckers might see certain groups seeking to kill him, his family and torture information about other members out of him. International criminals like Team Aqua are one such example. Lance will accept a deal for anything else he knows,¡± Looker said firmly. I huffed. It was playing out precisely how Surge thought it would. Guess you can¡¯t trick an old hound like that. ¡°I think I¡¯ll head off unless there is anything else you want from me,¡± I said moving towards the door. Jenny darted over to stop me, placing a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I gave her a quirk of the lips. ¡°I think I will be,¡± I said. She nodded and let me go after giving me a quick hug. I marched out of the hallway only to encounter Sabrina waiting for me on a couch. ¡°I heard you were here, want to go home?¡± I nodded. Sabrina and I vanished in a flash of light. I lay on my bed with Sabrina on my chest running through the events of the day. I was emotionally spent and just ready for this day to be done and over with. Eventually, Sabrina stood to have a shower. I stayed where I was, tossing around what I should do. It had been¡­ about what I expected. I wasn¡¯t overly surprised by anything, it all just¡­ Fit in a way that I hadn¡¯t known it would. It all made too much sense that Surge and Giovanni would have known each other. It was awfully fortuitous of Giovanni to get Surge in his debt like that, but it made sense. I sighed and raised my Xtransciever, staring at the contact details for the Vermillion Gym. I really had enough on my plate. These days even with the trainer surge having moved along. ¡­ which likely meant Visquez was in the thick of it right now. I dialled the number and found myself annoyed despite myself. Sabrina must have detected something as a gentle pressure squeezed my arm, causing me to twitch for a moment only to relax as I realised what was going on. ¡°Hello? Uhm this is the Vermillion Gym?¡± said a young woman. I stared at the tanned features and noted how some of them matched Surge¡¯s. ¡°Hey, ¡° I said for lack of anything better. ¡°Oh! Gym Leader Brock! I was hoping you¡¯d call! Dad said you might!¡± she said with a grin that died away. I felt a pang of sadness. She smiled like him. She rubbed the back of her head in a sheepish manner that was all too familiar to me. ¡°Sorry if he caused a big mess. He wasn¡¯t all too clear on what he was doing, just that it might go south¡­ seeing as I haven¡¯t heard from him and the League is sniffing around I guess that was about right. He wouldn¡¯t tell me what was going on cause of something about plausible deniability.¡± She blushed. ¡°Sorry! I¡¯m babbling,¡± she said only to break off with a yawn that ripped out of her. She yawned so wide that all of her teeth were on display. ¡° Sorry! I get this way when I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said. ¡°I was calling to¡­ check in on you. I spoke with Surge earlier.¡± ¡°Oh? You did?¡± The girl squirmed. ¡°Did he talk about me at all?¡± ¡°A fair amount actually,¡± I said truthfully. ¡°He asked for me to check in with you,¡± I said neutrally. She tilted her head at that and hummed. ¡°Oh! Right cause you run a really solid Gym and I need to look after things for him while he¡¯s away,¡± she said and I had to frown. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to be back,¡± I said. ¡°You¡­¡± I considered telling her that she should have the League set up a talk with him but that would send her into the deep end for something highly emotional. It was best she heard from me what happened and then she could make up her mind. ¡°So¡ª¡± I laid out how things had gone down to Visquez and she remained quiet. By the time Sabrina was done in the shower, I had hung up and Sabrina gave me a look. ¡°So? What¡¯s she going to do?¡± I smirked. ¡°She¡¯s heading up to the League to beat the hell out of Surge for being a deadbeat,¡± I said with a chuckle. Surge had been right, she and I were going to get along pretty well. Right now we were united in being annoyed at him I sighed and stretched, letting myself relax. ¡°Seems like there¡¯s going to be a lot of change happening this year,¡± I said as Sabrina slipped into bed with me. ¡°Change is always happening,¡± she murmured. ¡°Ain¡¯t that the kicker,¡± I said, agreeing with her. I shut my eyes and let sleep claim me as I relaxed. Change might be constant but that wasn¡¯t a bad thing. Things were settled as much as they could be. I¡¯d still be here though and I¡¯d make the most of what was to come. For now, that meant advancing up the Ace rankings. Chapter 174 - Ace battle! Fields of green! I arrived at the field for the proposed ace match with a small entourage of Rachel, Missy, A.J, and Dennis. Tori had her own entourage with them, having arrived with the Plains and Meadows Co. It was amusing that an entire business sector revolved around providing battlefields for pokemon trainers. I glanced over to the cameramen, who had a small rig set up to allow them to float thanks to a trio of Magneton that each cameraman had. Another pair of Magneton held cameras and seemed to act like drones would in the future. ¡°Welcome battlers!¡± said the Plains and Meadows representative. She offered a bow to Tori and me with a wide smile. ¡°Thank you for choosing our humble facility for your match today!¡± she said. ¡°I understand that you have both agreed on a specific region of our meadow battlefield today?¡± she said, indicating the area around herself. Tori nodded quickly but I had to tilt my head. Something about what she had just said. ¡°Is that not how it¡¯s usually done?¡± I asked. Tori coughed and looked away while the representative blinked. ¡°Well, there¡¯s not a true method, but the norm that most trainers using our facilities is to do a shared matching first.¡± At a gesture from me, she kept talking. ¡°We would meet in the office on Route Eight where you would each select five sites. If any sites matched they would be put up on offer, if no sites were matching you could then select a randomised battlefield or narrow down options and try to match once more.¡± The representative made a sweeping gesture. ¡°It is not an issue at all though, as long as you both agree to the site and are willing to go ahead.¡± She then coughed something quickly that sounded like ¡°a small fee will still be required to pay due to our terms and conditions,¡± but I couldn¡¯t be certain of that. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Huh, looks like my understanding was off, but then again I¡¯ve not been a regular on the Ace scene till this year so I suppose there is bound to be some information I¡¯m not aware of.¡± I glanced at Tori who seemed to have relaxed now that it was obvious that I wasn¡¯t annoyed by this. ¡°We¡¯re still doing the specific selection first though right?¡± I said, checking that my information wasn¡¯t entirely out of date. Tori nodded seriously, and I hummed before turning and giving the meadow around us a serious look. Tori¡¯s group broke apart and a number of them started jabbing poles into the ground that lit up with green, blue, or red lights. A.J. squinted after them. ¡°What are they doing?¡± he asked suspiciously. ¡°They¡¯re checking the nutrition of the soil,¡± I said casually, waving for them to jog along with me in a lopping run. ¡°So they¡¯re going to be setting up for Grass types then?¡± he said after a few minutes, jumping straight to the heart of the matter. I nodded. ¡°Yup, one thing to consider with matches like this is if you start testing for things too obviously you make it very clear what you¡¯re aiming for. The gadgets? You don¡¯t really need that if you have a good eye for soil.¡± ¡°And you do!¡± said Missy with glee. I snorted. ¡°Nope! But I¡¯ve been to Erika¡¯s Gym enough times to know what excellent soil quality looks and feels like,¡± I said, signalling a pause to push my fingers into the ground before waving them on. A.J. and Missy hurried to copy me and I rattled off what was and wasn¡¯t good, to feel in soil. Then I started taking large bounding strides where I began landing heavily and trying to skid every ten metres or so. "The ground''s a bit rubbery, soft, and nutrient-rich here,¡± I commented over one particular patch, making a mental note of where it was. When I got into some long grass, I paused and glanced around to see what the viewing angles into and out would be like. Then I led my group over to the single tree on the field that was included in our space. I ran a circuit and then doubled back, taking in the lay of the land, where it was low, where it offered good vantage points, and where it would hide certain details from an opponent. I nodded to myself eventually and clapped my hands together. ¡°Well, she¡¯s gotten herself a good site,¡± I said nodding my head towards Tori. Missy frowned. ¡°But you only dug your hands into like five spots?¡± she asked, confused by my cavalier statement. A.J. snorted. ¡°Yeah, but her group have stabbed those sticks everywhere, right?¡± I pointed at him and nodded. ¡°Good instincts and eyes there A.J.¡± I said, pleased that he¡¯d picked up on things. I then made sure to clarify to Missy so she wasn¡¯t left out of the loop. ¡°If the other group is openly testing for something like that, you don¡¯t need to waste your time doing so yourself. You can look for other things that suit you. This entire meadow suits Tori, she¡¯s just being a perfectionist and looking for the best site. Not unless they were faking us out, but that was what I¡¯d actually been checking those five areas for originally,¡± I said, causing both my protege trainers to make noises of understanding. ¡°So she¡¯s going to be relying heavily on her Grass type pokemon, isn¡¯t she?¡± A.J. said. ¡°Yup!¡± I said, making sure to pop the p. ¡°Should make for a fun fight. Now, run over there for me, will you please?¡± I waved for him to sprint up to the other side of the meadow and back before pointing in another direction for Missy to do the same. They both didn¡¯t question it and when they got back I nodded my head. ¡°Slight downhill from this point,¡± I said, glancing at the tree off to the side. I clicked my tongue a little and then nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can get.¡± I waved to Tori and indicated I had my selection ready which caused her group to begin hurrying up. One thing that I had brushed over quickly during my recent lesson was that you only had fifteen minutes total to look over the area. As soon as one person indicated they were good to go, the other side had to wrap up their own tests within a minute to keep things moving along. I watched her team hurriedly dash up to her and give their assessment with a furious whisper. A few of them eyed me and my group before gesturing at where we¡¯d run and where I was positioned at the moment. Tori quickly wrapped things up and joined me near the representative. ¡°I have observed your assessment; is everything to your liking?¡± the representative said with a placid smile. When we both nodded she pointed to our transceivers. ¡°You have each received a link to set out the battlefield where you desire. Please make your selections and we will do our best to include your area. If a discrepancy occurs, the average of each site will be used instead,¡± said the representative. I raised up my transceiver and selected the area I wanted straight away. Tori and the representative stared at me. ¡°You¡­ Gym Leader Brock you understand you have another few minutes to separate and make your selection, don¡¯t you?¡± said the representative. I paused. I hadn¡¯t known that, and what she said made a lot of sense. I decided to fall back on audacity. ¡°Ah, sorry, I just¡­ don¡¯t mind?¡± I said with a playful shrug. Tori narrowed her eyes and glanced at her own map. She could probably see where I¡¯d selected, but now she could skew the field if she wanted. She swallowed, glanced at her own, waiting entourage and then straightened her spine. ¡°This is my own selection,¡± she said. She then picked an area almost identical to mine that saw us both on opposite sides of a small gully with the tree to one side of the field. I smiled and nodded like that was what I¡¯d planned for all along. The representative sent us on our way to confer one last time with our groups. Missy tilted her head. ¡°So where are you going to¡­¡± she blinked at me as I rubbed my head sheepishly. ¡°Oh, you already made the selection, didn¡¯t you?¡± I nodded and everyone blinked at me. Dennis coughed but it sounded more like a repressed laugh to me. I shot him a look and he wouldn¡¯t meet my eyes. A.J. shifted from foot to foot. ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± he said, and Missy filled him in on how things were supposed to go. Rachel shot me an amused look upon hearing this. ¡°Going to have to make sure you¡¯re up to date on that one when you teach it, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said teasingly. I huffed. ¡°If I had been teaching it I think I would have done better. I would have researched it more.¡± Rachel raised an eyebrow as if to say and you didn¡¯t for today? I could only grimace. I¡¯d done a cursory look into how things worked but there was obviously a lot more to this than I¡¯d assumed. This was a mistake that I was going to get away with by playing confident. It felt¡­ well it felt a little good to be able to get away with the mistake, but I would personally rather have been in the position that never needed to bluff like that. It was a bit of a wake-up call that there was more to fighting Ace battles, than I had assumed. ¡°So, about your match tomorrow,¡± Rachel said leadingly. ¡°I¡¯ll review the facilities to make sure they¡¯re not too different tonight.¡± I shot a glance toward Tori. ¡°Our analysis for her and her team still holds up, however,¡± I said, refocusing. As we spoke, I noticed that the cameramen had taken themselves for a walk before shooting into position to hover on one side, while another hovered up into the air behind where Tori would be. They created a small white boxed outline that would be for where either I or Tori would stand during the match. The representative clapped her hands. ¡°It is time dear combatants! I shall be your referee, please have your entourages withdraw to the viewing rooms in our base facilities,¡± she said. A pair of Hypno appeared with a flash of Teleport and the two groups soon departed, leaving me and Tori to face off. ¡°Flip for call?¡± Tori asked waving a hand to either starting point. I glanced between them, not seeing a huge difference beyond orientation. I shrugged. ¡°Lady¡¯s choice,¡± I said, deciding to be magnanimous. She stared at me for a long moment and I got the feeling I¡¯d made another faux pas without meaning to. ¡°Hmmm so you¡¯re that confident then?¡± Her eyes narrowed and she waved to one position while I scratched my head sheepishly before turning to my own group and marching over. From my spot, the tree that I¡¯d been eying was to my left and just within the field of play. Otherwise, there were no huge differences or points to worry about beyond the slope. The grass wasn¡¯t long enough here to offer any blindspots but that didn¡¯t mean a dedicated grass type couldn¡¯t boost the growth and see the field become much more difficult for me. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± called the referee. I glanced over Tori and she had her chin slightly raised in defiance. There was also a slight smirk on her lips like she knew something I didn¡¯t. I merely smiled back and palmed my first choice for today. ¡°Release!¡± shouted the referee and I hurled out my first pokemon in time with Tori. ¡°Go Zephyr!¡± I called. ¡°Brelo¡ª¡± Tori started to say only for some very unladylike words to escape her mouth as her Breloom appeared. ¡°Fuck nuggets!¡± she said as she spotted Zephyr, my Noctowl, taking to the sky. I cocked an eyebrow. She was expecting something else, wasn¡¯t she? ¡°Zephyr use¡ª¡± I started to say only for Tori to not hesitate. Instead of trying to match her grass-fighting against my normal-flying type, she went for something else with a quick recall. I twitched in surprise at the speed of her reaction before readjusting the order I¡¯d been giving. ¡°¡ªCM!¡± I ordered. Zephyr flapped his wings serenely and a glow formed around him as he performed Calm Mind. Tori narrowed her eyes as she popped out another pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s try this out! Go Jolteon!¡± she shouted, sending out a much more favourable match-up for her. I hummed, considered it and then stabbed my hand forward. ¡°Hypno!¡± I called, deciding that I would commit instead of trading out Zephyr. I¡¯d been expecting her Raichu as an answer to Zephyr, but this would still work for me. ¡°Blast them!¡± shouted Tori. Her Jolteon flashed with a powerful burst of lightning that shot up only to come down a moment later. ¡°Dip into AA!¡± I barked. Zephyr tucked a wing and flew to the left allowing himself to fall just into the canopy of the tree as Jolteon¡¯s Thunder descended. The tree exploded. Branches flew every which way and shrapnel flew freely. With the sawdust of the tree¡¯s destruction hiding Zephyr¡¯s fate Tori could only lean forward in anticipation. A moment later, she gasped in surprise as Zephyr appeared in a burst of speed directly behind Jolteon. Zephyr slammed himself into Jolteon and then held him down with a large claw, forcing Jolteon to lock gazes. Zephyr¡¯s eyes glowed and pulsed with Hypnosis. ¡°Jolteon! Discharge!¡± Tori screamed only for her pokemon to weakly twitch and slump as sleep claimed it. ¡°Ah damn it!¡± she said only to grin. ¡°Sleep talk!¡± she said with a grin as her asleep pokemon out of nowhere sparked up and unleashed a powerful blast of lightning. ¡°Win¡ª¡± I tried to order Zephyr to plant his wings with Steel Wing but was nowhere near quick enough forcing Zephyr to tank a super effective attack. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. When the lightning died away Zephyr was revealed, ruffled and twitching in pain but still standing tall. ¡°Dream Eater,¡± I said, making as much of Jolteon¡¯s state as I could. ¡°Sleep Talk again!¡± said Tori deciding to back her pokemon. We both leaned forward as Zephyr created a link of energy between himself and Jolteon energy coursing its way into him. Jolteon twitched and a gleam of energy built up around him and I exhaled in relief. Agility, her pokemon had ended up using Agility instead of frying my pokemon. Tori clicked her tongue and whipped up her pokeball. ¡°I withdraw Jolteon from the match!¡± she declared quickly. I had to mentally applaud her for acting decisively. She would allow me a free move, yes, but she wouldn¡¯t allow Zephyr back to full health with another Dream Eater. Zephyr could only glower as Jolteon was removed from the field with the referee declaring that I¡¯d gone one up. I looked Zephyr over. He still looked very rough and I would have to pull him out for the moment. He wasn¡¯t in a good condition to be fighting against something fresh. It was better to save him. I raised his pokeball. ¡°Return Zephyr,¡± I said. Tori grimaced and let her hands glide across her pokebelt in thought. With her pulling her pokemon out first, I would have a small buffer to send out my next pokemon in response to her choice. She clicked her tongue and sent out a green and white pokemon that I barely got a glimpse of before it dashed into the tallest grass it could. It wasn¡¯t tall enough and my earlier decision to force Tori to wrap up her assessment of the field was paying dividends. If she¡¯d moved the field off, away from the tree, she would have gotten some longer grass that she could hide pokemon in. ¡°Go Don,¡± I said, happy to match an Aerodactyl against a Shifty that, despite its speed, was easily visible thanks to being too tall to hide in the grass. Tori sighed and set her jaw. ¡°Of course you brought that brute!¡± she called out to me. I shrugged, pleased that our read on her team was good. She¡¯d been trying to game me with a number of grass types due to my reliance on rock-water pokemon. Sadly for her, I had the answer for that with two of my pokemon and another few answers if she tried to use a fighting type against me. ¡°Icy Wind!¡± called Tori to start things off. ¡°Trips D!¡± I shouted and Don responded by plummeting. Just before he hit the ground, his wings snapped open and he swept back up with a rush to arc his way out of danger from the Icy Wind where he could perform his Dragon Dance uninterrupted. Tori locked eyes with me glaring her defiance. ¡°One more time!¡± she said, stabbing her hands forward. ¡°Fly high Don!¡± I called. Don slammed his wings into the ground and practically bounced into the sky. I was taken by surprise when Shiftry didn¡¯t unleash another Icy Wind but instead held an arm aloft where an orb of bright light started to form. Ah, she¡¯d tricked me into a fake order. It was something that she must have practised. That hadn¡¯t been something our scouting had picked up, I thought to myself. I¡¯d have to make sure to start looking out for such tactics. I had no doubt that my own ¡®Go¡¯ order was well known by now throughout the Ace rankings. I would need to learn some of the tricks of the other higher-ranked Ace trainers if I wanted to keep advancing. I gave Tori a smile and a nod, acknowledging her tactic. With Don up high and Shiftry empowered I found myself at a bit of a standoff. Closing would be a challenge. Especially if Shiftry had Chlorophyll as its special ability. I held a hand and whistled. I clenched me fist, holding it up high to give Don the his order instead of shouting. Chances were he¡¯d be able to hear me, but I could stall out Tori by obscuring the command Don got off another Dragon Dance, and I grinned as Tori scowled. She shot her hand up and Shifty didn¡¯t hesitate as she gave her next command. ¡°Blast them!¡± she said, her eyes narrowed on the still high-flying Don. Shifty raised its hands and unleashed a powerful beam of grass energy that lit up the field. ¡°Hard drop,¡± I shouted even as the Solar Beam soared upwards. Don stared down the oncoming beam nd I felt a trickle of fear. Was he going to stare it down and play chicken with it? Moments before it slammed into him he tucked a wing and this time locked himself into as small a profile as possible. Solar Beam blew past him and I exhaled while Tori cursed. A shrill whistle rang out as Don dove straight down. Tori flinched at the surprising noise. Don couldn¡¯t usually pull off such a fast drop, but thanks to two applications of Dragon Dance he was incredibly fast. Shifty had enough time to drop the Solar Beam only for Don to sweep in with his wings snapping out wide. Shifty kicked off the ground to lessen the damage but Don wouldn¡¯t be denied as he swept past Shiftry, his wing slamming into his foe''s body and buckling the grass type with a super-effective move. Shiftry dropped to his knees and gasped in shock only to collapse onto its face. Tori swore. ¡°Shit! What are you feeding these pokemon? Shiftry shouldn¡¯t be going down like that! He¡¯s one of my strongest pokemon.¡± I nodded, knowing that Don wasn¡¯t even one of the top six strongest for me these days. He offered me a lot of versatility, however and with his showing now, he was in a much stronger position. ¡°As is Don,¡± I replied. She blinked. ¡°I mean¡­ I guess? But this strong?¡± she said as she returned her pokemon. I smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve been pushing my pokemon for a good while. Often the Elite pokemon in my roster have to face off against an entire team.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not all the time and not often, but my earlier creation of a prestige badge? It¡¯s given my pokemon results to keep up their training. Don there? He has a lot of pride. He trains hard so he can keep sweeping trainers. That might not be the case this year though. There¡¯s a lot more attention coming our way.¡± Don screeched his disagreement and a glint entered his eyes that let me know he would be working twice as hard at the next few training sessions. He glared at Tori and the girl stepped back before stiffening her resolve. The referee coughed politely. ¡°The score is zero to two in Brock¡¯s favour,¡± she said, prompting a response from Tori. Tori rolled her shoulders and slapped her cheeks with her hands making them glow red. ¡°Alright, time to dig deep,¡± she said, selecting her next pokemon. I leaned forward feeling my anticipation building. She¡¯d pressured me a few times now so I had to keep my guard up. What else was she going to bring to the fight? ¡°Go Starmie!¡± she barked, throwing out the water-psychic pokemon. It appeared with a flash and a quick gleam but I wasn¡¯t too worried about the type advantage, not with Don being buffed like he was. ¡°Bubblebeam!¡± ordered Tori. Her pokemon spun and from around it, a wall of bubbles formed that began to waft outward. Hmmm, this was a new spin on the use of bubbles on the battlefield. It was rather well-controlled as well¡­ ¡°Don! Spin to win!¡± I said, twisting my hands as I did so. Don grinned evilly as he swept his wings out wide and began to rotate in the air. Around him, a torrent of wind began to build until there was soon a sizeable Hurricane that pushed back all the bubbles. Don surged forward sweeping the Hurricane through where Starmie had been. Interestingly I didn¡¯t see Starmie anywhere once the wall of bubbles was cleared from the field. I narrowed my eyes. There must have been a quick set-up there. What had she done? Substituted? Mirage? Or¡­ I clicked my tongue in annoyance as I saw something tiny shift before I lost track of it. She¡¯d used Minimize. I swept my gaze about the field only to not see anything that gave away if Don¡¯s Hurricane had impacted Tori¡¯s Starmie. Damn, it apparently hadn¡¯t been big enough. Well, I had options for that. ¡°Return for now Don! Let¡¯s go Shin!¡± I said quickly pulling Don out of there for someone with a few wider attacks. As Shin took to the stage I kept a sharp eye out for a flicker of energy, a twitch of the grass. Something to reveal where Tori was hiding her pokemon. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± shouted Tori as Shin formed. From the grass that I¡¯d dismissed earlier, a huge torrent of water shot forward. ¡°Jet out of there!¡± I barked, sweeping my hand wide. Shin responded by instantly launching himself out of danger. I locked my gaze on the grassy patch and stabbed a hand at it. ¡°Bubblebeam again! Move around Starmie!¡± shouted Tori, suddenly seeming like she had a lot more control of this match than she¡¯d had moments ago. I frowned. So she was going to play keep away was she? ¡°Aqua Jet with your blades out!¡± I said making a zigzagging pattern. Shin swept forward, blades out to cut through the grass with his passing, leaving it well-trimmed and scattered behind him with each sweep. Shin dodged once again and I was forced to grind my teeth. Come on, think, think! What could I do to disrupt this without putting my stronger pokemon in danger? Minimize caused some moves to hit with double damage, but that was only if they hit! I needed something big. ¡°Surf,¡± I ordered, deciding to go for a full field effect that Starmie would be caught up in or have to deny. I leaned forward ready for any response only to be surprised as the Surf swept forward faster than I had anticipated. Ah, that would be the slight gulley we¡¯re standing on, wouldn¡¯t it? The wave surged down and then straight into the other side where it splashed down heavily. That¡­ had been rather impressive; I hadn¡¯t considered the physics of Surf but that had rather played into my favour just now. Tori scowled. ¡°Thunder!¡± she barked and from the splash zone a bolt of lightning shot up and then back down to Shin. ¡°Metal Claw,¡± I responded. Shin stabbed his claws into the earth to avoid the worst of the powerful electric attack. Shin endured it and emerged from the powerful attack still smoking. ¡°Aqua Jet to the other side!¡± I barked, realising that I could really make use of the terrain here, especially if Tori hadn¡¯t moved her pokemon. Tori stiffened as Shin bolted in close to her, only to turn .She was already starting to understanding what I wanted. ¡°Surf!¡± I roared. Shin wept his claws out behind him a wave rising up as he did so bearing him up high. ¡°Thunder!¡± responded Tori. From both our pokemon, powerful attacks swept forward only to clash with water sweeping forward as lightning wracked Shin and hurled him from the wave. The wave still crashed home and I now had a good idea where Starmie must be. Shin fell to the ground with a defeated sigh and I bowed my head. His matchup had been a horrorible exchange, but thanks to his efforts, no other pokemon were going to fall to this trick. I returned him and hurled out my next pokemon without waiting. I didn¡¯t want Tori to have a second to shift her pokemon out from where the wave would have pushed it on the field. Sanchez hit the ground with his hands raised to the sky. ¡°Go Go Lem!¡± he shouted, only to blink when there was no response from an opposing pokemon. ¡°Lem?¡± he said uncertainly. ¡°No time for that! Discharge!¡± I barked, and he responded with a powerful wave of lightning that swept over the area around him, only to catch out Starmie. ¡°Yes!¡± I shouted, pumping my fist. I hadn¡¯t been able to pick where it had been during the earlier exchanges but by pushing Starmie into my side of the field, I¡¯d denied Tori any chance to escape from an area of attack move. ¡°Again!¡± I said, deciding to make sure of it. Sanchez exploded with lightning again and I saw a spark flash onto a certain area. I pointed and was about to order another attack only for Tori to raise her pokeball and return the now-revealed Starmie. ¡°I withdraw Starmie!¡± she shouted. I settled back and exhaled my tension. Yes, that had been more like it! ¡°Go¡­ go?¡± said Sanchez with an oddly withdrawn tone. I blinked and glanced down to find him looking about with a lost expression. What was he¡­ I blinked as I realised what he was doing. ¡°Sanchez! We¡¯re fighting in a specialised field! We¡¯re being broadcast through the cameras! Wave to your fans!¡± I said pointing to the two cameramen. Sanchez instantly perked up and I had to laugh incredulously. I should have realised not having a crowd to hype him up might have impacted him. It was an interesting point to take note of, but Sanchez did feed off a crowd. ¡°Go Breloom!¡± shouted Tori. I shook off my idle thoughts and got myself back in the fight. Fighting grass against rock-electric? Alright, this I could do. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said, sweeping my hand and surprising Tori by going defensive. ¡°Close in!¡± ordered Tori and her Breloom bounced forward with its fists and legs primed to punish Don. ¡°Dig dip!¡± I barked right before Breloom could get close enough to actually injure Sanchez. Sanchez rolled himself to the side only to fall to the ground where he vanished into a quickly closing tunnel behind himself. He then popped back up close behind Breloom. ¡°Go lem!¡± said Sanchez with the air of a professional Tauros fighter. Breloom didn¡¯t bother turning but merely kicked back, launching itself back towards Sanchez. In mid-air, the Breloom flipped and led with its foot slamming into Sanchez¡¯s face. I winced. That had been a good play, I¡¯d not been expecting that from the mushroom kangaroo. Sanchez flew back from the strike before getting to his feet while adjusting his moustache. ¡°Golem!¡± he said with a grin. Breloom twitched and swept its tail from side to side. I considered the match-up and what Sanchez had for moves. I considered raising his pokeball before my eyes fell upon the Stealth Rocks. Hmm, that could work for an advantage. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said, amused that the power of Breloom¡¯s kick was now working against it. ¡°Seed Bomb!¡± shouted Tori, chopping her hand towards Sanchez. Sanchez got off another Stealth rock before diving into the earth to evade the super-effective attack. When he emerged he did so with one of his knees buckling, revealing that the explosion of grass energy had still gotten him, even if slightly. I quickly raised my pokemon and returned him. ¡°I withdraw him!¡± I said, deciding to give Tori the respect she was owed. She¡¯d taken down two of my pokemon now. I grabbed Don¡¯s pokeball and flicked it out. He re-emerged with a glower that soon turned vindictive when his eyes alighted on Breloom. Tori considered returning her pokemon but I could see she had doubts with Stealth Rock on the field now. I grinned. I had her right where I wanted her now. It had been a while, but Stealth Rock set-up was still a strong play. I¡¯d have to keep that in mind going forward. ¡°Don, soar up high!¡± I said and once again Don rose up to glare at the Breloom. Breloom got off a quick buff that I didn¡¯t recognise. I wasn¡¯t too worried. I dropped my hand and once more Don tucked his wings and streamlined himself. Once again, the wind screamed as he tore through it like a bullet. Before Tori or Breloom could react Don slammed into his target and Breloom was hurled away. The referee raised a flag straight away when Breloom failed to so much as twitch. ¡°Breloom is unable to battle! The match is now four to two!¡± Tori gritted her teeth and shot a glare towards the Stealth Rocks on the field along with Don as he beat his wings in anticipation. ¡°Screeeeh!¡± he said in challenge. Tori palmed another pokeball and I found myself nodding as she sent out her next pokemon to face me. It didn¡¯t last long as I went for no mercy. As soon as the pokemon was out the Stealth Rocks slammed into the Machoke. Don then slammed into it with a Wing Attack to topple it. Tori inhaled sharply and shut her eyes. She then shook her head and returned her pokemon before calling out her last pokemon. ¡°Go! Nidoqueen!¡± she said, releasing what we¡¯d identified as her starter pokemon. I felt a speck of pity for her as the Stealth Rocks closed in on her pokemon. She shrugged them off admirably, but she wasn¡¯t able to shrug off Don¡¯s follow-up attack. I merely punched my fist forward while Nidoqueen was distracted. ¡°Go!¡± I said with an air of finality. Tori had a second to realise what was coming only to be unable to react as Don unleashed a powerful Hyper Beam upon Nidoqueen. When the dust cleared it revealed a downed pokemon and Don announced his victory with a high-pitched screech. I grinned. That had been a much harder fight than a good deal of other matches I¡¯d had of late, some of that was due to my own mistakes, but it also revealed a level of tactics that I would need to be careful of. That Minimize could have been troublesome to deal with. It was a good thing I was learning about this now and not during a tournament where I might be more restricted. I glanced over the torn-up field. I¡¯d need to do a lengthy review after this. My pokemon had stood up well, better than well honestly. Zephyr and Shin had outlasted some moves that should have put them in the ground. It seemed the training was paying off with them being a cut above. I just needed to make sure I made the most of their strength. I had made more than a few mistakes this match and Tori had exposed a possible weakness with my pokemon. I needed ways to deal with Minimize better than I had. That, or I¡¯d have to take a pokemon dropping each time. It was worth thinking about. As much as a perfect sweep was a great thing to have, it wasn¡¯t the end goal, victory was. I marched forward to clap hands with Tori for the good match. ¡°Good match,¡± I said. ¡°You too,¡± she said with a shake of her head. ¡°I¡¯m surprised there¡¯s such a gap in our pokemon. Guess having lots of pattles really can make a difference,¡± she said. ¡°You had some good strategies that had me scrambling and a good read on which pokemon to use. I just anticipated what you were doing.¡± I nodded at the torn up field. ¡°You made it kind of obvious you were going for a Grass heavy team,¡± I said. Tori stared at me. ¡°You realise I might challenge you again right?¡± ¡°Yeah? And?¡± I said, tilting my head to the side. Tori sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t like the Gym circuit Brock, giving hints to people, especially in the higher ranks is going to bite you in the backside eventually.¡± I laughed sheepishly. ¡°Well we¡¯re both learning something then!¡± I said, causing her to snort in amusement before bowing and waving off. I met up with my own team, chatting idly about how the match had gone, but not really giving it the attention it was due. Most of my attention was turned towards tomorrow¡¯s match. Interlude - The Dragon Master Lance walked along the hallway of Honour, his eyes tracking across the various names and images that had been etched into the black granite. At the start of the hallway, the Blackthorn¡¯s founder had pride of place with other notable members of the clan having earned their own section along the hall. As Lance walked he travelled forward in time, from hundreds of years ago, featuring wilder times to more modern achieving members of the clan. When he reached the latest etched plaque he found himself once more reading the information of Claudia, the woman who defied Samuel Oak until she was cast down. She went on to join and lead the Rangers of Johto to keep much of the wilds safer. Next to her a blank space had been prepared. Many whispered that this would be where his name went. The first Indigo Champion of the Blackthorn Clan, some said. His name being etched here was all but guaranteed. He would not have anything written until he retired from society and was in his final years of life. Elder Claudia barely left her home these days. Clair often visited the older woman, sharing what had been occurring about the world and then relaying the woman¡¯s blunt responses back to those interested. Lance always found it amusing that he was still considered a ¡®wyrmling¡¯ according to her. It was a terribly kind term for family while being annoyingly demeaning. She was the only one who used it, so Lance tolerated it. Lance put his hand against the blank black granite. It was so highly polished it showed his reflection staring back. Would his Champion status be all that was written about him? Sometimes it was possible to lose the right to a plaque, through poor management or dishonourable conduct. Some of which stood out in their conspicuous absence with ¡®blank matte¡¯ sections of the hallways stood testimony to that. Instead of being lauded and taught with specific visits from the school, people were quietly directed to books in the library where their failings could be quietly reflected upon. ¡°Still hoping to grow old quickly?¡± said a voice from behind him. Lance didn¡¯t turn, instead merely waiting as the other man stepped up behind him. He bore a resemblance to Lance, but that was expected. Today his spikey hair was dyed blonde to highlight his sharp features. These day¡¯s the man had a near permanent scowl as he surveyed the world. ¡°Bruce,¡± said Lance casually. Bruce jutted his chin but Lance continued to hold his silence well aware of how his lack of reaction vexed Bruce. ¡°Well?¡± said the man. Lance hummed. ¡°Merely wondering how I can add to it. I rather feel I have done some good that should be mentioned, but the trick is to continue to strive instead of settling.¡± Lance replied, subtly jabbing at Bruce¡¯s own position. Years ago there had been a quiet battle between the two of them. There could be nothing but a fight. Both of them had announced that they desired to become Champion to the Blackthorn clan. Both of them had announced their methods. Lance had decided to emulate and pay tribute to Claudia by working with the Rangers. Bruce had pushed to become the highest-ranked Ace trainer before making the leap to Elite and then Champion. They¡¯d had years to develop their teams and their strategies. Lance through his Ranger work, Bruce through the Ace battles. Then, before either of them could announce their intentions to the world at large, the Elders had allowed them to fight each other. Lance had won handily, and thus gained the backing of the full support of the Clan for his bid. It was now seen as a wise move, but at the time it had felt¡­ well it had divided the Clan and Lance had retreated into Ranger work from all of his Clan bar Clair, who¡¯d remained his supporter throughout it all. And now Bruce was stuck, unable to claim the Blackthorn Gym with Clair having taken that over, and unable to challenge Lance without earning censor from the Clan. In his own mind he must think himself trapped, forever required to hold the first rank from the rest of the Indigo Ace trainers. In truth, Lance begrudged him his freedom. If Bruce wanted he could depart for other regions while Lance would have to rely on others if new pokemon appeared. Bruce growled. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while now if you haven¡¯t slumped with your loss to Brock cousin!¡± Lance chuckled. ¡°Pride came before the fall, thankful it cost me nothing truly of substance.¡± Lance turned and locked eyes with Bruce, his aura flaring out to dominate the lesser dragon that dared present itself. ¡°You will find I have only grown stronger of late.¡± ¡°Ah, there you two are!¡± called a familiar voice. Lance broke his staring contest with Bruce, not caring that Bruce straightened smugly as if he¡¯d won a prize for enduring until he could be saved by Clair. ¡°Clair, Bruce is worried that Brock will be nipping at his heels soon,¡± Lance said casually. Bruce spluttered. ¡°I said no such thing!¡± Clair rolled her eyes as she drew closer. ¡°Must you two pull the other¡¯s pigtails?¡± Both Lance and Bruce huffed and muttered under their breaths. ¡°We haven¡¯t had hair long enough for pigtails for years! Stop bringing that up!¡± Clair smiled, her teeth flashing in the dark cavern. ¡°So, you¡¯re worried about Brock Bruce?¡± Bruce huffed. ¡°I never said that!¡± Lance raised an eyebrow. ¡°So you won¡¯t be asking for evolution restrictions to be lifted for some of your pokemon? To gain another Dragonite perhaps? Or a Kingdra?¡± Bruce clenched his fists and inhaled before slowly exhaling. ¡°Stop putting words into my mouth.¡± Clair and Lance both waited and Bruce eventually twitched in annoyance. ¡°Alright yes! I did want to petition the Elders for my pokemon roster¡¯s expansion! Brock is advancing up the ranks and he will no doubt be after me, I need access to stronger, more specialised pokemon to counter him!¡± Lance grunted. ¡°I will support this Cousin.¡± Bruce narrowed his gaze. ¡°Are you sure you want that? I might raise another challenge when my team is adjusted. I will be looking for Kingdra, Trapinch and a Bagon.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Lance chuckled. ¡°You think I am worried about being challenged? No, if anything I welcome it cousin. By all means challenge me. If you desire I will even set aside time for us to trade pointers.¡± Lance turned his back to Bruce inspecting the hallway of honour once more. ¡°You will be given the Trapinch and the Kingdra, the Bagon will take too long, I¡¯d turn your attentions elsewhere.¡± Bruce continued to frown, unsure of himself but obviously annoyed by the dismissal from his cousin. Eventually, he bowed shallowly. ¡°My thanks¡­ cousin,¡± he said before stalking further in. Clair watched him go with a sigh. ¡°You two love to needle each other.¡± ¡°Bruce started it,¡± said Lance plainly, ignoring Clair¡¯s huff of amusement. He turned back to her. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Clair chewed her lip. ¡°Your recent seizure of the Viridian Gym. Were the training manuals for Ground types there? I too would like to ask for a Trapinch to join my team but I also want to look into the optimal conditions and training methods for a ground-dragon typed pokemon.¡± Lance sighed. ¡°I sometimes wish you were the one in the top Ace ranking you know?¡± ¡°Please, I only know about it because I¡¯ve worked so long as Gym Leader.¡± Lance gestured and Clair joined him at his side as they moved towards the meeting hall where the Elders had assembled. ¡°Will the League cause any issues with you having that information?¡± Clair asked. Lance shook his head. ¡°The League has a copy and much of the information and hidden insights are also being spread around to the universities and professors. There is not going to be an outcry regarding this as so many people will benefit.¡± ¡°How positively libertarian of you,¡± Claire said drolly. ¡°It makes Indigo stronger for those that know where to look,¡± Lance commented. ¡°Like Brock,¡± Clair pointed out giving Lance a moment to pause. ¡°You know he keeps up to date on a lot of the recent research. Heck, he¡¯s caused some of the discussions at the university level! I hear there are people already fighting over getting seats when he eventually does a presentation at Celadon!¡± ¡°Brock is not my enemy,¡± Lance said. ¡°I¡¯ve come to realise that.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look that way to a lot of people,¡± replied Clair. Lance raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you one of those people?¡± ¡°No.¡± Clair continued to walk. When they reached the walkway spanning over the dragon grotto where the Clan¡¯s Dratini liked to frolic she sighed. ¡°I¡­ somewhat understand that you have a good read of Brock. Others though, they see him rising up the ranks of the Ace leaderboard and they worry. He¡¯s beaten you once¡ª¡± Clair was quick to raise her hands to show she wasn¡¯t voicing her own thoughts, merely paraphrasing others. ¡°¡ªand there is always going to be temptation for him to do it again. It doesn¡¯t help that he will be well-positioned to beat Lorelei. You¡¯d be reliant on Bruno.¡± Lance continued to walk for a moment in reflective silence, pausing only to acknowledge the Gyarados and Dragonairs about the cave. A few were twisted around statues of their own forms or lying in the few spots of artificial heat lamps that were set up specifically for the pokemon¡¯s enjoyment. You wouldn¡¯t find a Dragonite here, not unless the meeting that was taking place was of the utmost secrecy. Today¡¯s meeting did not require such measures. It was not for the public, that went without saying, but no extra measures would be needed. Lance wondered where his starter was right now. Perhaps he was flying with a trio of his friends? Or lounging near the Lake for Rage? He¡¯d found some amusing pictures on the poknet of the family that lived near the lake catching sight of his roster of dragonites. Soon enough his Salamance would no doubt join the Dragonite on their adventures. Eventually, Lance spoke up, ¡°Uncle has so little faith sometimes that it hurts,¡± he said referencing Clair¡¯s father and the likely instigator of this conversation. Clair sighed and nodded. Lance hummed. ¡°I am rather repeating myself. Brock¡¯s goal is not to become Champion, neither is Sabrina¡¯s for that matter. I¡¯d welcome them both as members of my Elite Four but both have their reasons to not desire it.¡± ¡°Sabrina¡­¡± Clair said. ¡°She¡¯s someone the Elders are clucking about more.¡± ¡°They would, as they had previously thought her merely strong, but not at an Elite level. Suddenly the decision to push Agatha out of the Elite Four is looking very short-sighted. I will have to advocate for Karen with her Dark type specialty.¡± Clair gained a pinched expression. ¡°She¡­ hasn¡¯t made herself very popular with her demolition of most of the other Gyms in Johto.¡± ¡°Your own match was rather spirited if I recall,¡± Lance said teasingly. ¡°I would have had her if her Gengar hadn¡¯t faked me out so well!¡± snapped Clair. Lance merely chuckled only to stop before the sliding paper door to the meeting hall. He inhaled and drew himself up. Next to him Clair stepped back slightly and adjusted his cape. He shot her a smile and a nod before sliding the door open and marching in to claim his customary position on one side of the hall at the front, facing the Elders of the clan as the lead representative of the next generation. Bruce was to his left as Clair claimed her seat to his right. Lance raised his gaze towards the Head Elder who sat across from him. One of the matrons cackled. ¡°Oh, it looks like the young one¡¯s blood are up!¡± Bruce, Lance and Clair all scoffed and threw their heads in annoyance, a trained response that caused smiles to break out from the Elders. The head elder merely hummed his approval, his eyes running over all before him. ¡°This meeting was called to order with regard to the clan¡¯s path forward in light of the recent revelation of Team Rocket.¡± That had everyone sitting up straight and being serious. Lance sighed. It didn¡¯t matter these days if he was acting in his capacity as Leader of the next generation of Blackthorns, or as the Champion. It seemed his days were destined to be locked in meetings. Still, that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t advancing his objectives. The Indigo-wide police force had gained a huge, and importantly, an early victory for them had done much to gain the G-men traction and acceptance. The public and the people in power knew his idea worked. He had the momentum now and he planned to initiate some more changes. It was therefore important that he reflect on the successes and blemishes of his clan. He wanted to be a name locked in stone when he finally laid down his burden. His deeds would be an inspiration, not a cautionary tale. ¡°Let us begin¡ª¡± he said bringing everyone''s attention to himself. He had much to do and the drive to do it. When the general summation of events was laid out Lance moved on to the first issue. ¡°Foire is agreeing to allow the G-men access by setting them up as part of their ranger force. The island nations are also starting to agree making this a huge win for Indigo. I expect Steven will hold out until he gains more advantages for himself though.¡± This earned a round of derisive snorts. Lance nodded and glanced around. When no one had any comments he moved to the second topic. ¡°The expeditionary forces are combing through the routes that Team Rocket revealed and a lot of them seem to be extremely high risk with migration paths crossing over. We can use them but it will cost many, many lives.¡± This earned a round of murmurs. ¡°Which regions did they have access to beyond Sinnoh?¡± asked one of the elders. Lance hummed. ¡°Orre is mentioned but the routes are never clear on this. There is quite a lot of contradictory information which our analysts in the League believe to mean that Team Rocket has a lot of infrastructure in Orre. Finding it is another matter.¡± Lance drummed his fingers on the ground. ¡°What other regions are out there that we need to be aware of, I have access to some League information but it is redacted.¡± Lance swept his gaze to one elder in particular. ¡°I need to know more of what is out there,¡± he said. ¡°Elder Librarian,¡± prompted the Head Elder. ¡°What do we know of the regions that have been lost to us?¡± The Elder Librarian bowed and when he rose his voice croaked forth. ¡°There are a great many regions that have been lost to us through the power of the Legendary pokemon, such is their power." The man bowed again, and around the room others copied him. He straightened once again and smacked his lips, preparing for a long lecture no doubt. "The main regions that you will need to be aware of are Unova, Kalos, Sinnoh, and Fellum. Unova more than any other region you must learn of, they were the great conquerors and where many historians, those that still have access to pre-war texts, believe were the great instigators.¡± Lance sat, and not for the first time felt glad that he was part of a greater structure. The League, as great as it was, didn¡¯t have the history of the Blackthorn clan. With both, he hoped to do great things. ¡°I welcome whatever you can teach me,¡± he said. Even if that meant he had to endure meetings and lectures from many older people. Chapter 175 - Corvos surprises The proper review session I had after the match with Tori started about how I thought it would. ¡°You sucked,¡± A.J. said. Yolanda bristled like a Meowth that had her fur rubbed the wrong way. ¡°Brock won!¡± A.J. sniffed. ¡°Only because he had the better pokemon, his strategy was pretty basic. He flailed around when Minimize was used instead of committing to a move that would have worked.¡± A.J. began ticking his fingers. ¡°Surf, Earthquake, Thunder, Discharge, Swift, Lock-On, or other accuracy boosting moves could have all worked.¡± I coughed. ¡°I only have a few of those and I don¡¯t have any moves to boost accuracy.¡± I nodded to A.J. ¡°You¡¯re right though, I should have committed to other options. I¡¯m happy with how I was able to use Shin to get Starmie into a position where I could beat him with Sanchez, but things would have been tougher if I didn¡¯t have him on the team.¡± Yolanda shifted only to scowl and cross her arms. ¡°You would have worked something out!¡± she said, firm in her support. I shot her a smile. "Thanks; I think I might have had to do some other options, such as denying accuracy. Usually, I¡¯d use Sandstorm for that, but it would have been hard. Sanchez was my best option but I wanted to guarantee it.¡± A.J. nodded. ¡°You also didn¡¯t¡ª¡± I sat back and listened to A.J. lay out my various mistakes, from not scouting enough to not having a clear enough idea of what would be the best field for me. Missy sat to the side, taking all of this in while also writing a lot of what was being said down. Today had been worth a lot for her, having been involved in most of the negotiations, review, field check, spectating the battle, and now the review. She¡¯d been given a dearth of information to look through and would have to take a while to digest it, especially with how I was going to go to Goldenrod City tomorrow for the next match. I¡¯d faced a good number of people at home but it was time to fight in another stadium. I gestured to the whiteboard, ¡°How much of this is going to need to be altered for tomorrow¡¯s match?¡± I asked. A.J. scowled at the whiteboard while the others in the room gained thoughtful looks. Yolanda shook her head. ¡°We¡¯d need to watch some of Corvo¡¯s matches to judge that.¡± she pointed to another whiteboard that listed his pokemon roster. An impressive fifteen pokemon all registered and had made appearances at the Ace level. ¡°Feraligatr¡¯s going to be in his team as a starter,¡± I said, placing said pokemon on the ¡®locked in¡¯ position. I then eyed the fourteen other pokemon that had made an appearance thus far. ¡°Meganium is another solid choice,¡± I said before looking at the other options. Hypno, Heracross, Primeape, Ursaring, Kingler, were other pokemon I put on the maybe pile. Rocko tapped one of the whiteboards. ¡°I think there is a chance that he might have some other pokemon up his sleeve,¡± he said. When I raised an eyebrow in question and waved my hand for him to continue, Rocko coughed. ¡°Right well, Corvoi was able to do well enough to do a Johto, Kanto, and Hoenn journey a number of years ago.¡± Rocko waved a hand about the room. ¡°But I don¡¯t see any Hoenn pokemon on this list.¡± I chewed my lip in thought. That did rather stand out. Dennis snorted. ¡°That isn¡¯t actually a mystery. Corvo is a known Johto patriot. He likes to only use pokemon that he caught within the region. It limits him but he takes pride in his rise up the ranks.¡± A.J. scoffed. ¡°Yeah, for a guy that got a Totodile as his starter he sure had it rough.,¡± he said snidely. I reached over and nudged A.J. ¡°Hey, don''t be too quick to judge. We all have different hurdles to face. Don¡¯t forget that powerful pokemon like that can sometimes mean that the person has a target put on their back. Also, don¡¯t begrudge him his success. Professor Elm gifted him Totodile yes, but with his team, he¡¯s risen up to seventeenth in Indigo.¡± ¡°If he beats you he only needs to win a few more matches to guarantee a spot in the mid-season tournament,¡± Alexa pointed out. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s not going to be happening. I plan to win this just like the others.¡± ¡°Now, let¡¯s do some review for his matches and pick out any techniques or tricks that he knows. Write down what they are and if they¡¯re important we can review them as a group. Otherwise, for now let¡¯s all pair up and watch a different match each,¡± I said, sending people off. ¡°Score! We get to sit around watching pokemon matches for the afternoon!¡± said one of my trainers. I snorted. It was a pretty good gig to have. They were even getting paid. But that didn¡¯t mean there wouldn¡¯t be work to be done. There was information here, and it was up to us to ferret out what we could. Tori had admitted to reviewing and creating her team with mine in mind. People were starting to get smarter about how and what they faced me with. I had a few gaps with my roster''s heavy rock and water focus, but as A.J. had detailed, I¡¯d been coasting on the strength of my pokemon. Will¡­ as much as I hated to admit it, had pokemon at my level. At the moment, it was like my team were made of pokemon that had all reached level sixty¡­ or at least fifty, compared to the forties of my opponent''s Ace trainers. Super effective moves would still blow me up, but we weren¡¯t on an even playing field. I needed to work on this to make sure I had the skills to cover for any advantages they might use, some of which I was doing. Still, that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t going to keep pushing my pokemon. With the embers of the Moltres event, along with Will¡¯s draw against us starting to die off, I would need to work to keep my pokemon motivated. I was hoping that the slow uptick in the toughness of my opponents would make them keep up their efforts. I knew there was more my pokemon could achieve. It was just a matter of drawing out that potential. Much like the games, it became harder and required more to have my pokemon get stronger. This was added to the complexity of needing to take into account training, rest, burnout, or even injury. All of that and more could cause setbacks. Still, you needed to roll the dice and chance your hand if you wanted to be getting stronger. For that, I needed to challenge and accept battles. Specifically, battles that would take me out of my comfort zone.
Goldenrod City was one of the largest cities in Indigo. It came in as the third biggest after Celadon and Saffron. Where both of those cities were already established there was a growing sense that Goldenrod was still growing and doing it fast. In truth, this was a lie. Goldenrod should have been the biggest city within Indigo bar none. It had a longer history, greater cultural significance, and also population. It had all of these before the war. The war had seen Goldenrod City ravaged as enemy forces were able to raid the high-value target from land, sky and sea to rip through the City. Johto had been forced to station huge numbers of trainers and their pokemon at Goldenrod to defend it as they weren¡¯t willing to lose their capital. It was seen as too great a dishonour to abandon it. So they had dug themselves in and made others and their own pay. Due to this mindset, Goldenrod was the most infiltrated city the Guardians had thanks to the number of chanellers that were required to calm malevolent spirits. Morty¡¯s gym wasn¡¯t able to supply all of the demand, so specialists from Lavender Town were sent there by the League. Or perhaps it was just a matter of Lavender Town being seen as better thanks to Agatha¡¯s position as an Elite Four member. Regardless, by the time the war ended, Goldenrod had been a shadow of its former self. That hadn¡¯t stopped people advocating for it to be the capital of the newly formed Indigo. The people fighting for this were passionate enough that Oak¡¯s compromise of the Indigo plateau being the true heart had seen a lot of pushback. At least that¡¯s what was written in the Guardian¡¯s notes on the time post-war history. Goldenrod itself had struggled to get back despite the place in Johto residents had for it in their hearts. It wouldn¡¯t have surprised me that Giovanni had seen such an opportunity in Goldenrod with all the damage it had sustained. They¡¯d needed support, and he¡¯d had funds for days along with building materials, pokemon, and the connections to make things work. All for the low, low price of Giovanni having a sizeable stake in Goldenrod. League accountants even now were still working through everything. They were desperately trying to keep the money flowing even as the League seized Team Rocket¡¯s hidden assets to make sure that the rebuilding of Goldenrod continued. I walked down the main street with Zubat flapping around me, taking in the sights. There were a lot of building sites, but someone had obviously gotten a hold of a skilled city planner¡­ or a team of them more likely, to set things out very well. Skyscrapers didn¡¯t hog the waterfront but rather were positioned such that they didn¡¯t obstruct someone¡¯s view. That was if they were to own houses on the eastern hills that allowed people there to look out over the Sentret sea to the west of Goldenrod. A railroad that, unlike the games, ran through the middle of Goldenrod, and allowed transport throughout the city, and indeed, a significant part of Johto. I knew of plans that often got tossed around to expand the rail network so that it came through Pewter and down into Saffron. Sadly, Mt Silver and the various denizens were in the way and any thoughts on setting something up long-term were crushed in the early stages by practical-minded engineers. Nobody wanted to create a railway above or below ground that passed anywhere near Mt Silver. Kanto residents liked to scoff that the railway made some of the Johto trainers soft. What with not having to camp out as much. They couldn¡¯t dispute the undeniable benefits it brought though. Interestingly, a subsect of the Battleclubs had formed due to the trains with trains often getting on and fighting other trainers from other areas of Johto. I had been told that there existed a Train challenge, where a trainer would start at the back, where the weaker trainers were supposed to be, before advancing up a cart after gaining three wins. The trick was that you could only use one pokemon for each fight and you needed to do it in the space of time that the train was in station. This led to frantic fights that were all-or-nothing exchanges taking place near the train stations. It was little wonder that the police had their own subbranches located right next to any rail station. Johto, to me, was a dichotomy of the past and the future merging. Johto held to traditional styles while also having the latest cutting-edge facilities and technology. It somewhat mirrored Japan from my past life, I suppose. Interestingly I¡¯d found an update on the next Gym Leader for Goldenrod after Hannah¡¯s arrest. Norman, a Gym trainer that was seen with high regard and studying with his family had been called in to temporarily hold the Gym. It was being touted as a great honour, and extremely forward thinking by the League. I didn¡¯t miss the memo that mentioned how Norman, when he was expected to become a Hoenn Gym Leader, would help advocate for Indigo interests. Such as the G-men. I had to give it to Lance, it was a coup on many levels. The arena that I would be fighting Corvo at today was located on the waterfront, and to my own sensibilities, it took place north of the Goldenrod radio tower. A pier extended from the beachfront out to a large structure that was built into the ocean and held a lot of trainer facilities along with entertainment. In a way, it reminded me of Coney Island. My walk down the pier with my entourage started to draw attention from there. People couldn¡¯t help but notice me. What with how posters plastered up showcasing Corvo and my own face in a featured Ace match-up. People began stepping out of the way while others glared at me. It was actually surprising to have people not approaching me, but then again I¡¯d gotten used to Kanto resident''s reactions. Johto residents¡­ well I might not be so popular with them having beaten their golden boy Lance, and I was now facing off against Corvo. Another Johto patriot. Murmurs were surprisingly as bad as it got with people giving me a cold shoulder. I had to wonder if there would be other reactions if I remained out in public but in the end, I decided to not test it. It still affected Yolanda and Missy though, with how they stepped a little closer. ¡°So this is the Johto cold shoulder I¡¯ve heard about?¡± said Missy. Yolanda shot her a look. ¡°Cold shoulder?¡± Missy nodded. ¡°Johto people like to snub people they think have wronged them or are going to wrong them. By not interacting with Brock they are showing disapproval.¡± Missy raised up her transceiver and displayed a travel advisory. ¡°I discovered this during my own journey but if you¡¯re not liked by the locals, they will only serve you certain dishes or even refuse service. It¡¯s caused a number of fights to take place and while it isn¡¯t supposed to occur as much, plenty of places will still give a very¡­ diluted menu if you go there.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said, eying the nearby stalls. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. It looks like a nice place to bring the family.¡± Missy nodded. ¡°Yeah, they will be like this for today and a bit after the match but they should be fine if you¡¯re coming in as a tourist. If you¡¯re coming here to fight one of their darling trainers though?¡± Missy shook her head. I glanced towards where the Goldenrod Gym was. I wondered what the etiquette was about challenging the gym? ¡°Do people just stay quiet about when they¡¯re going to challenge the Gym?¡± Missy made a so-so gesture. ¡°It¡¯s not as bad for trainers as most people doing the Gym challenges are young kids. They get a bit of the treatment if the challenger is loud and obnoxious, but once the match is over they usually return to being polite.¡± ¡°Hmmmm, I can¡¯t say I like it,¡± Yolanda said. ¡°Me neither,¡± said A.J. causing Yolanda to blink in surprise. ¡°You do?¡± she said, perplexed. ¡°Yeah, they should just be upfront about it, not so sneaky. If people want to challenge them they shouldn¡¯t be like that. And if they have a problem they should just demand a fight themselves!¡± he said glaring at the people around us, only to earn a few glares himself as people reached for their pokeballs. I sighed as people took his challenge at face value. A.J. grinned. It probably hadn¡¯t been his intent, but he¡¯d drawn out a few people for a fight. I was suddenly glad that I came an hour early for this match. It might have cost me a bit with Teleport fees but that wasn¡¯t too much of an issue. I¡¯d just needed to schedule myself off for half the day. I watched A.J. beat down a few locals only to get crushed in his third match by a strong trainer who had a very well-trained Furret. Once that was wrapped up we continued on to the arena itself which had a huge golden edifice that swept around on itself like a wave. It easily had enough seating to be classed as a mega stadium. Team Rocket pokedollars had been spent very well. I marched into the stadium and was led to a set of rooms that were a touch shorter than I¡¯d expected. I could hear the rumble of thousands of feet marching over my head. Yolanda twitched and shifted, agitated by the noise while I merely sat on a massage table and shut my eyes. ¡°This¡­ is this really the room we have to wait in?¡± she said after a few minutes. I cracked an eye open and looked her over. ¡°Yeah, this is the room they give to ¡®away¡¯ trainers. They are deliberately built to be smaller, not as accommodating, and a bit off-putting. It is yet another method of disadvantaging a trainer.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s cheap,¡± said A.J. with a dismissive sniff. I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a common enough practise in most sports for away teams to not have the nicest waiting areas. It¡¯s no different for pokemon trainers,¡± I said, not worried. ¡°You¡¯re not worried about this?¡± Yolanda said. I shook my head. ¡°You just need to remember that there are worse places to wait around or to battle. It¡¯s one of those things that you¡¯ll learn a bit more about on your Journey,¡± I said. Missy started looking around, opening cupboards and doors to find various change rooms or broom closets. A knock on the door ten minutes before the match led to an official entering and offering his id badge to me. I scanned it with my xtransceiver and got confirmation that he was who he said he was. The man then gestured to a small six-ball receptacle. ¡°Gym Leader Brock, it has been noted that you have a carrying capacity beyond the norm of six. Therefore it is our duty to ask that you please lock in your selections for which pokemon you will be using.¡± ¡°Ah, like when I faced off against Lance,¡± I said before nodding. Interestingly, the official¡¯s face twitched into annoyance when I mentioned the Lance fight. ¡°Yes, quite.¡± Yolanda shuffled from her feet. ¡°You haven¡¯t had to do this in the past?¡± I shrugged. ¡°People have been willing to accept that I¡¯ll hold to six pokemon. I usually only openly carry five pokemon on my pokebelt, so it is obvious if I draw a pokemon from somewhere else.¡± ¡°Five? But what¡­¡± Yolanda blinked and nodded. ¡°Oh right! Titan¡¯s necklace greatball.¡± I nodded my head and registered which pokemon I was going to use today. The man bowed in acceptance before departing. ¡°I feel like that could be abused,¡± said Yolanda. I sighed. ¡°Yeah, it could be. I was honestly surprised that Will didn¡¯t demand it for my match against him. I don¡¯t think it would have done him any favours. Then again he might not have thought about it.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Then again with the tricks he pulled off I doubt that, it probably wasn¡¯t worth it.¡± I offered a shrug and pulled out some cards from my carry pack. ¡°Want to relax a bit? Your nerves are making me nervous,¡± I said with a teasing smile to show I was joking. Yolanda huffed and dragged a chair to a table where we set up. I released some of my team, and a few of them scrapped the ceiling. Titan and Link settled next to me while Knight sat behind A.J. Gawain turned down the offer and instead moved to a corner to meditate while Selene assisted Yolanda and Terra to win big time. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. When the official came to collect us he found us playing another round. ¡°Go fish by the way,¡± I said to A.J. who shot Knight a scowl. I then, at Titan¡¯s direction pointed a finger at Missy. ¡°Two¡¯s?¡± I asked. She scowled and handed me over her two to Titan¡¯s pleasure. ¡°You¡¯re playing cards with your pokemon?¡± he said incredulously. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s great fun for them. When they don¡¯t cheat!¡± I said, staring at Selene who looked far too smug. He shook his head and had me return my team before leading us up the tunnel. My entourage went ahead and got to their seats while I waited in the tunnel. ¡°And now! Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight¡¯s feature match! From Pewter City, the Gym Leader of Rock and Stone! Give it up, for Brock!¡± I step forward, thoroughly bemused at the rather lackluster introduction. Rachel did better on her bad days. I walked to the podium only for a wave of boos to roll out. Huh, guess this was another factor with being the Challenger. I hummed and smiled. Really, it reminded me a lot of my time as a Gym Leader where I needed to be the heel to push people. Sometimes the crowd, even at Pewter, didn¡¯t cheer for me. Then again the Gym circuit and the Ace circuit were very different beasts. I just shook my head as people shouted and hollered. I waved to Yolanda and the others, making sure to project how confident I was and that I wasn¡¯t letting these people get to me. When it was time for Corvo¡¯s introduction, the lights dimmed, the crowd fell silent, and Corvo stepped forth. ¡°From the east to the west! All know of him and his passion for Johto! He¡¯s the Johto Patriot! The eighteenth-ranked battler. It¡¯s Ace trainer Corvo!¡± introduced the announcer. Corvo descended through the crowd and they cheered as one for him. His long blue hair pulled into a ponytail. His hands played with a single pokeball as he walked. The crowd called out his name but he didn¡¯t even acknowledge them. His eyes were locked with mine. I felt a frisson of excitement run up my spine. Hoh? He¡¯s got some proper fighting spirit then? Excellent. When he reached his podium the referee was quick to go through the usual pre-match spiel before he waved flags in both of our directions. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± we both nodded and he swept his flags. ¡°Release and begin!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go Gawain!¡± I shouted. ¡°Snapper! Out and angry!¡± Corvo called. As Gawain took form I had to curse as on Corvo¡¯s side, Snapper, the Feraligatr was sent out straight away. Damn, he¡¯d sent his starter out first against my rock-bug pokemon. I¡¯d been hoping for Meganium, Ursaring, or one of his fighting-type pokemon. ¡°Waterfall!¡± barked Corvo. His pokemon suddenly launched forward like it was on top of a geyser with how the water appeared underneath it, launching Feraligatr straight at Gawain. ¡°Agility!¡± I called, forcing Gawain to dodge the attack. Gawain blurred to the side and I was pleased to see him dragging his axe into the ground as he slowed to keep Feraligatr in his field of vision. ¡°Tch! I¡¯m not falling for that!¡¯ said Corvo. ¡°Surf! Whip the field clear!¡± he commanded. Feraligatr stepped back and a huge tidal wave formed to sweep him up. Gawain stared at the oncoming attack with wide eyes. ¡°Charge into it!¡± I ordered. Gawain twitched but did as commanded, right before the wave slammed into him I slashed my hand. ¡°Protect!¡± I ordered, causing the wave to sweep over an orb of protective energy, resulting in Gawain escaping easily. When the wave crashed down on the other side of the field Snapper turned and shot Gawain a narrow-eyed look. Gawain dropped the Protect and brandished his axes. I shot a look towards where the small patch of Stealth Rock should have been only to find them washed away. Hmmm, they¡¯d accounted for that with that Surf. That was wise of them. I huffed, it seemed I really couldn¡¯t play it out easily. I could probably win this with Gawain, but it would be enough to see the field inundated with water. Setting up for other water types and limiting rock or ground type attacks. Gawain had good mobility, but I needed some quick dodges while being able to pressure Corvo¡¯s starter. Gawain, if I got in close, might be able to do that. I had better options, however. ¡°Gawain return!¡± I barked holding up his pokeball. Corvo twitched and narrowed his eyes, watching as my pokemon departed before I sent out another. ¡°Go Selene!¡± I said frowning, as I noted that Corvo didn¡¯t use a buff or something delayed that would¡­ Realisation clicked in. He didn¡¯t have a move like that for Snapper. I wanted to stare at him, that seemed like a bit of a blunder on his part, especially with how prevalent it was for trainers to change out pokemon. Instead, I had to make the most of Selene¡¯s appearance. ¡°Psy!¡± I said, making a grasping gesture. Selene glowed with psychic energy and Snapper rose struggling as he was grasped in Slene¡¯s Psychic. ¡°Waterfall!¡± barked Corvo. Snapper once again had a huge geyser of water launch him up into the air where he hung for a moment. From on high he loomed over Selene. I smirked. Well, if he was going to give me such options, who was I to deny him? ¡°Psybeam!¡± I ordered. Selene tilted up and then unleashed right into the falling pokemon. ¡°Match it with Ice Beam!¡± Corvo said. His pokemon inhaled and then discharged a powerful blast of Ice straight at Selene only for her Psybeam to meet it in the middle. Ice beam, while strong, wasn¡¯t able to match the STAB bonus of Selene with her Psybeam blowing through Snapper¡¯s attack to nail him before he could land. Snapper landed only to kick up into a fighting position with a sinuous twist of the body. ¡°Surf!¡± called Corvo. ¡°Build up for it!¡± I said, crossing my arms and watching as the wave built up before once more carrying Snapper. The wave came on and for a moment it looked like Selene was in danger, only for her to vanish at the last second in a Teleport. ¡°Snapper!¡± shouted Corvo, revealing that his pokemon had been waiting for just this. Snapper, already at the top of the wave, turned and leapt back towards where Selene was, fangs glowing darkly. I allowed myself a smile. Corvo had anticipated what I would do. Selene¡¯s trick was known these days. Which meant that people¡¯s responses could also be anticipated. ¡°SE!¡± I called as the wave crashed before me. I might not have seen where Selene was precisely, but I knew what was coming next. I saw Snapper vanish, only to reappear as a giant rock slammed into his head sending him flying back into the crashing wave. I grinned. ¡°Nice one! Follow up on him!¡± I said only for Corvo to return his pokemon. I clicked my tongue and instead made a quick circle motion. ¡°Future Sight!¡± I said, preparing the best I could while Corvo selected his next pokemon. Selene glowed with intent while Corvo paused, his eyes narrowing. Ah, he¡¯d noticed that Selene was still in his area of the battlefield. ¡°Go! Snarler!¡± he said, sending out his Ursaring. It appeared with a snarl that I felt only to barrel towards Selene. ¡°Payback!¡± he ordered, resulting in his Ursaring taking on a dark energy. ¡°Get out!¡± I said, resulting in Selene Teleporting back from the advancing pokemon. Selene appeared once more on my side of the field. Snarler lunged and missed only for the dark energy to not dissipate; it in fact grew stronger. I frowned as Snarler whirled about and charged on with more dark energy around it. Huh, it seemed like Payback had registered Selene¡¯s Teleport as her leaving, resulting in the move growing stronger. Alright, I definitely didn¡¯t want to let that play out again. With room to move, I snapped a hand down. ¡°SE!¡± I said. Selene once more launched a large rock straight into the oncoming Ursaring. Snarler tanked the shot and once more the dark energy built up. ¡°That¡¯s it! Take her out!¡± said Corvo as he realised that another dodge from Selene would only result in his pokemon growing stronger and stronger over time. Thankfully, I had other options. ¡°Protect,¡± I said. The crowd howled their disapproval as Snarler¡¯s fist slammed down impotently against Selene¡¯s protective shell. He loosened a huge snarl of rage. ¡°Rest Snarler,¡± said Corvo as he narrowed his eyes. This caused his pokemon to shut his eyes and snore loudly as it recovered its health. ¡°Take it out of the fight!¡± I said to Selene as her Protect faded away. Corvo, instead of fearing for his pokemon grinned. ¡°Sleep talk,¡± he ordered. Surprising everyone in the crowd, Snarler went from laying on his belly asleep to barreling forwards with powerful intent. I recognised the move as High Horsepower. Sadly Selene was too close to dodge and so had to take the hit straight on, getting cast away by the powerful attack. ¡°Again! Crovo called. This time his pokemon rose up with a brown glow around one arm. Brick Break, he was about to use Brick Break. ¡°Psybeam from in close!¡± I shouted. Selene narrowed her eyes and unleashed a powerful blast from close to point-blank range knocking Snarler back. With the impact, he shook his head and glowered at Selene, waking up from his beauty sleep. I rolled my shoulders. Our review session yesterday revealed something interesting about Snarler. He could tank a lot of damage, but most of the time he dished out more, was when he went to sleep. I suspected that Snarler had the ability guts, which increased attack when a status effect was in play. If so, Corvo was very much playing to his strengths with Rest, and then Sleep Talk into other attacks. I¡¯d done my homework, however. Future Sight slammed home into Snarler before Corvo or I could give any more commands knocking the Ursaring down once more. I didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Psychic!¡± I said. Selene lifted and then slammed Snarler into the ground heavily, ending the battle with a powerful blow, and I pumped my fist in victory having taken the lead one nil. ¡°That¡¯s the way girl! Go Selene!¡± I shouted. Selene warbled her name, pleased at her showing before hovering back to my side of the arena. Corvo sighed, and sent out his next pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go Pincher!¡± His Kingler took to the field and I had to lean forward, knowing that this would be a tough match for Selene, but it was once again doable. I just needed to be careful. ¡°BB up high!¡± said Corvo. His Kingler raised the singular huge club-like claw and unleashed a barrage of bubbles into the air above Selene. ¡°Future Sight,¡± I said, happy to get this off. I eyed the floating bubbles and whistled to Selene. She glanced at me and I made a subtle gesture indicating for her to move slightly to the left. Corvo pointed straight at Selene. ¡°HH!¡± he said, causing his Kingler to turn to the side and then sprint straight at her with the huge claw raised up, ready to club Selene. I merely pointed, willing to match attack for attack. ¡°Stone Edge again!¡± I chose to forgo the shorter command. Selene unleashed her move only for Kingler to kip backwards, or rather, due to turning, sideways from Selene to avoid the attack. He then raised his claw up into the air and let loose an Ice Beam. As the beam swept through the air, it made contact with a number of previously innocently floating bubbles, whereby they became frozen and heavy. They plummeted out of the air as giant balls of ice and water shattered and splashed the area around them as they slammed into the arena floor. Selene, thanks to my earlier prompt, didn¡¯t even get wet. I grinned. If Sanchez had pulled that off he would have clapped his hand and mimed an ole for all his worth. Instead, I pointed straight ahead at the gobsmacked Corvo and Pincher. ¡°Psychic!¡± I said. Pincher rose up as Selene grasped him with her power. Then she hurled him into a wall with a deft flick of her mind. Pincher slammed into the wall, and then Future Sight slammed into him, knocking him out for another pokemon down. I punched the air. ¡°That¡¯s the way Selene!¡± I said. She warbled but this time it was much more subdued. I assessed her and sighed. Those last three fights with Snapper, Snarler, and Pincher had all taken their toll. I raised her pokeball. ¡°Nice work girl, time to send someone else in.¡± I grinned down at her ball before selecting my next pokemon. It was time to bait the hook and see what I reeled in. ¡°Let¡¯s go Tide!¡± I said sending him out before Corvo had made his selection. Corvo stilled. His hand locked on one pokeball only to look up and meet my gaze. He shifted his hand to another pokeball and hurled out his fourth pokemon of the match. ¡°Let¡¯s show them up! Princess!¡± he barked. Princess, the Meganium appeared and shook itself out as, on my side, Tide, the Lapras raised his chin defiantly. Grass versus water. An advantage to Corvo. ¡°Petal Dance!¡± he said. ¡°Blizzard!¡± I responded, sweeping my hand in a wide arc. Ice formed and was unleashed onto the field, freezing the petals as they formed. Huge boulders of ice flew down and Princess moved quickly to dodge the powerful, but inaccurate attack. When the Blizzard died down, Princess was revealed and she had moved quickly enough to evade any danger. ¡°Energy Ball!¡± ¡°Ice Beam!¡± I replied. Both pokemon opened their maws and a yellow and blue ball formed for each respectively. Then they snapped their heads down and unleashed their attacks. I was more than a little surprised when Tide¡¯s Ice beam was slightly pushed back. I shot Princess another look, reevaluating her strength. She would have had STAB, but still, a grass vs. ice matchup should have seen Tide emerging as the clear winner there. ¡°Again!¡± said Corvo, leaning forward as he sensed a weakness that he could push for. Princess formed another ball of yellow energy, only for me and Tide to not be willing to get locked into a mirror of earlier. ¡°Blizzard,¡± I said, unleashing a powerful wave of ice once more. This time Princess wasn¡¯t in a position to quickly escape and a large boulder of ice slammed into her even as she got off the Energy Ball. Tide took the hit and glowered at her. Princess for her part shot back to her feet with a determined glint in her eyes. ¡°Meganium!¡± she said, shaking her head and flaring the flower. ¡°Charge in close with Vine Whip!¡± ordered Corvo, a hint of desperation tinging his words. Princess sprinted forward and I snapped my hand forward. ¡°Ice Beam!¡± ¡°Leap now!¡± shouted Corvo and against my expectations for such a large pokemon, her vines formed up and lashed the ground, launching her up into the air and over the top of Tide¡¯s Ice Beam. Tide had a moment to try and tilt his head up to slam his beam into her only for her to get close enough to wrap her vines around his mouth. She landed heavily and Tide staggered her as he hurled himself backwards. ¡°Meganium!¡± said Princess, as she dug her feet in and wrenched Tide on his side, slamming him into the dirt and knocking him out. I sighed. He hadn¡¯t had a good run of it. While I had been hoping for a better outcome, I had to admit to being surprised about how powerful Princess had ended up being. She stood, heaving in breath after breath, before draining back her vines as Tide vanished in a red light as I recalled him. ¡°Megan!¡± Princess called as she waved to the crowd. The crowd roared their approval back only to fall silent as I selected my next pokemon and sent out Gawain right on top of Princess. ¡°X-scissor,¡± I said firmly. Gawain raised his axes and lunged. ¡°Vine Whip away again!¡± Corvo commanded. Once more Princess surprised me with her agility as she used her Vine Whips to kick back with an extra set of limbs, getting herself a little more room. Only for Gawain to kick off the ground extra hard, his Agility still in effect from earlier to close with the Meganium. X-scissor landed, and just like that Corvo had lost his third pokemon, and what had to be his second strongest pokemon. Even that seemed doubtful with how much better Princess¡¯ showing had been compared to Snapper. But then again, a starter is your starter for a reason. Corvo returned his pokemon with a stern expression only to then pull out another pokeball. ¡°Go! Smasher!¡± he said. His pokeball was released, and this time I found myself locking eyes with a Primeape. It instantly screamed in rage and began punching at the air before noticing Gawain before it. I nodded my head. Alright, fighting type v rock-bug. Let¡¯s do it to it, I thought. I might have started this all because of Will and my desire to block his advancement and continued it so I was in a position to be the barrier for others like him, but that didn¡¯t matter at all. I was in the thick of it, and I was loving it. I¡¯d made the right choice to keep pushing myself. ¡°Agility!¡± I called, pushing for more of a buff to Gawain. ¡°Stomping Tantrum!¡± roared Corvo. Smasher stomped his feet into the ground with a roar as shockwaves rocked the arena. A good deal of the crowd gasped in shock as Gawain stumbled. ¡°Give yourself more balance points! Go into a low guard!¡± I commanded and Gawain did just that, his axes touching but not digging into the ground as he bobbed with the shaking earth. Smasher snorted and stopped stomping his gaze now locked onto Gawain. ¡°Focus Blast!¡± shouted Corvo. Smasher shot out a huge blast of energy with a punch. ¡°Evade!¡± I responded. Gawain vanished as he took off, circling Samsher as the feral Primaeape snarled and stomped his feet. ¡°Stone Axe in close!¡± I said deciding to dance in close. ¡°CC!¡± said Corvo with Primeape opening his arms in readiness to grapple if Gawain got too close. ¡°Control the fight!¡± I ordered, making Gawain shift his target from centre of mass hits to instead grazing attacks. I did not want Primeape getting a hold of him. Primeape and Gawain danced back and forth. Gawain chopped and slashed with his axes while Smasher snatched after him or tried to bullrush him into a tackle. Each attempt was evaded as Gawain was too fast. Smasher tried to fake him out with an aborted attempt only to twitch in another direction. Gawain didn¡¯t hesitate to pull his axes back, raise them into a high guard position before lashing them in an X as he performed an X-scissor without my prompting. I pumped my fist. ¡°That¡¯s the stuff! Good read!¡± I shouted, pleased that the work we¡¯d done with Shin and Hypnotoad, along with Trixie¡¯s fighting-type pokemon was paying off so well. Primeape staggered back only to shake himself and howl with rage. He stomped his feet and snarled only to then dash about to another location, stomping his feet and throwing punches at nothing. "Uh oh, he¡¯s gotten rage locked,¡± I said. Primeape snapped around at my voice and surged towards me, frothing at the mouth. I quirked an eyebrow, unimpressed as Gawain bodied the Primeape before he could take more than a few steps. Primeape landed heavily only to stand and glower, his arms hanging low. It snorted and snuffled in rage only for Corvo to raise his pokeball and return him. ¡°I withdraw him,¡± he said simply. I shot him a raised eyebrow. ¡°You waited until then?¡± ¡°Smasher has a lot of vitality to him, he needs to be worn down properly. Sometimes he can lock onto the right target during his Rage and he becomes unstoppable¡­¡± he shrugged then. ¡°And sometimes he focuses on the wrong target. It¡¯s a bit of a gambit. Fifty-fifty if you would, this time I came up unlucky.¡± I frowned. That didn¡¯t sound like how Rage was supposed to work, but then again there were a number of moves that were similar, such as Outrage, that were tough to Or had he trained for that specifically? It was very risky, but if it worked like he said it did, then it would be worth it. Or was it an ability? Hmmm, too many variables that were unknown to say. With Smasher removed, it came down to Corvo¡¯s second last pokemon, his Feraligatr had taken a beating so I didn¡¯t expect it to come back out, but then again, I might be wrong. I glanced at Gawain and hummed at what I saw. He was a bit tired from that exchange but otherwise doing alright for himself. I tilted my head. If I was right¡­ Corvo¡¯s best choice was another fighting type, with his Heracross having the highest odds. If I was wrong, it wasn''t such an issue. I could stick with Gawain, he was already buffed up, but¡­ I wanted to give another of my pokemon a chance to shine. ¡°Gawain, return!¡± I ordered. Gawain vanished in a red beam and Corvo narrowed his eyes at me as he palmed his last pokemon. I grinned and palmed my next choice. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Link!¡± I shouted, sending him out for his debut showing. Link appeared with a twirl and both hands waving hugely, the wings on his back flapped excitedly and he had a gigantic smile on his face. ¡°Clefable!¡± he shouted. The crowd wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of him and there was a lull as they stared at him. ¡°YEAH! GO LINK!¡± shouted Yolanda from the side lines. I shot her a smile as Link perked up and waved at her before settling into a fighting stance. I then turned my attention back to Corvo who stared at the Clefable. ¡°You haven¡¯t used this pokemon before,¡± he said. I grinned. ¡°Yup! This is his debut!¡± I said. Corvo shook his head and sent out his last pokemon. ¡°Go Buzzer!¡± he said, sending out his Heracross. I mentally fistpumped. I might not have gotten the order right, but I¡¯d guessed what team he¡¯d use against me correctly. ¡°Aerial Ace!¡± Corvo shouted. Heracross vanished into a blur as his wings buzzed up to speed. ¡°Gravity!¡± I replied and Link clenched his fists and punched them forward resulting in a distortion to build up around him. He flexed his knees but was otherwise unaffected. Buzzer however was thrown off by the sudden increased weight of his flight and crashed into the ground with a heavy crash. I chopped my hand at Buzzer¡¯s downed form. ¡°Moonblast!¡± I said and Link held up his hands, channelling up a pink ball before hurling it at Buzzer. ¡°Protect!¡± snapped Corvo resulting in the attack slamming into a barrier. ¡°Again!¡¯ I said making Link go for another blast and this time Corvo couldn¡¯t dodge. The orb of fairy energy hammered into Buzzer and dropped him. He buzzed angrily for a moment before standing and staggering back and forth. He glowered at Link for a moment before growling in rage and shaking his head, getting back into the fight. I had to admit that I was impressed by his fighting spirit to keep going. ¡°Throat Chop!¡± said Corvo and this time Buzzer came straight on his wings buzzing and pushing him even as he used his feet to kick off the ground. ¡°Meteor Mash,¡± I responded and Link threw himself into a roll that saw him and Buzzer slamming into each other. For a moment they clashed, both of their energies radiating outwards only for an explosion to rock the field as both pokemon¡¯s attacks discharged. When the smoke cleared it revealed Buzzer angrily leaning against Link who stared into his eyes in curiosity. ¡°Hera¡­¡± said Buzzer tiredly, only to topple. Before he could hit the ground, Link caught him and held him up, helping Buzzer stand at his side. ¡°Fable!¡± said Link firmly. He then nodded once and put Buzzer back onto his feet before raising his hand up into the air with Buzzer¡¯s left hand. I blinked in surprise, was he¡­ honouring his foe? The crowd, who¡¯d almost to a person had been booing or catcalling me at the start, rose in dribs and drabs to clap. Before long, everyone in the stands were on their feet cheering for the show of sportsmanship Link had just done. Buzzer stared at the adoring crowd for a moment before shutting his eyes, passing out still on his feet. Link stepped back and smiled. I stared. Holy Houndoom. That¡­ I wasn¡¯t even sure what to call that. He¡¯d just flipped the crowd with one heartfelt gesture. Corvo returned his pokemon and gave Link a long, thoughtful look before raising a hand to the referee. ¡°I will withdraw any other pokemon that I might have, I think.¡± He then turned to Link and me and bowed. ¡°The victory is yours, Brock. It is a well earned sweep,¡± he said. He then raised his hands and clapped, leading a wave of renewed applause. I laughed and hopped over the podium railing to grab Link and toss him up onto my shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t even have to try, do you?¡± I said to Link. I was so getting a poster made of this moment. I¡¯d title it, that¡¯s what heroes do. He shot me a confused look before turning his attention elsewhere to wave to the crowd. I shook my head and joined him. The heart of a hero indeed. And what was more heroic than winning the hearts and minds of the people? Chapter 176 - Family downtime When the post-match wrapped up I checked my watch and was pleased to see that I still had plenty of time until my booked Teleport transport was due. I glanced up. There was another Ace match booked in but.. I had already gotten my fill of reviewing potential matchups and trainer fights for the day. I wanted something else. I shot Yolanda a thoughtful look. She looked a bit tired but still had a bounce in her step thanks to the victory. ¡°Want to head out to the entertainment area for some fun now that the match is done?¡± I tapped my Xtransceiver. ¡°We still have another hour before we need to leave,¡± I said. Yolanda perked up before wilting. ¡°Oh, ummm, won¡¯t the locals still be giving us the cold shoulder?¡± she said. I grinned at her. ¡°I think, with how everything eventually played out, they¡¯ll be rather welcoming, you know?¡± Yolanda hummed but decided to nod. Missy and A.J. joined us, and I led us all out to the entertainment area of the pier that encompassed the stadium. I had to give whoever designed this place some credit; the entire pier was rock solid and despite the moves thrown around in the stadium, there wasn¡¯t any shaking going on. I shook that thought off and turned towards the surrounding entertainment area. A few of the signs still flashed with mine and Corvo¡¯s faces but others had snapped onto showing highlights of our match with a caption of ¡®watch on battlecast for replay¡¯ across the bottom. I hummed and walked into the entertainment area. A few people glanced in our direction and more than a few gained the light of recognition. Before any bad reactions could form, I tapped two pokeballs and released Gawain and Link. Both of them appeared and blinked in surprise. ¡°Hey, you two! Great work today!¡± I said. I waved a hand about us. ¡°We¡¯re going to have some fun, interested in joining us?¡± I said. Link and Gawain shared a look with each other. They were each the newest members of my Elite squad. They glanced around and then shared another look before each of them gained goofy smiles before they jumped and shot their arms into the air. ¡°Vor!¡± ¡°Fable!¡± When they jumped for joy I could only laugh as they acted their ages. Yolanda perked up, realising what I was doing as the people that had been side-eyeing me perked up. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s the Clefable that just fought daddy!¡± said a girl¡¯s voice. ¡°He was really nice!¡± I grinned. While Johto was known for their cold shoulders they were also known for recognising kindness more than any other region. Link, without even meaning to, had thawed their response to us. Thanks to him, all of the vendors that we approached were more than happy to let Yolanda, Missy, Gawain, Link, and I, to play their games. I had to raise my Xtransciever a few times to take photos of Gawain playing the rubber psyduck game with the tips of his axes instead of the pole and hook provided. Yolanda dragged the pair of pokemon with her and Terra to a merry-go-round where they all laughed happily. Missy disappeared for a few minutes and came back with an armload of fluffy toys that she shoved into my travel pack. ¡°You want me to hold these?¡± I asked curious about what she was doing. ¡°Hmmm? Oh, no! These are for your little brothers and sisters, don¡¯t worry I have tons of toys like this. There are a few tricks you can learn if you spend a bit of time¡­ and way too much money on these things. Once you work out the tricks you can win pretty big,¡± she said with a shrug. Yolanda heard this and shot me a pleading look. I waved a hand. ¡°Care to show us rookies?¡± I said, handing Yolanda some money to play with. From there, we spent the rest of our time playing games with the goal of winning prizes. More often than not I ended up with the consolation prizes but by the end, Yolanda had won herself a plush Bulbasaur while Terra had a smaller plush Tyranitar. Along the way a few locals who had watched the fight paused to take pictures with us. A few people asked for pictures with Selene and Don and I obliged them. Don seemed very pleased to get praise for how ruthless he¡¯d been during the fight. Selene, while she was out, had spotted a photo booth and nudged me towards it where she demanded some pictures with me and the others. By the end, everyone had some photos with Selene in various poses. As I chuckled over a particularly silly pose of Yolanda and me with Selene held between us. Then I felt my wrist buzz. I checked the time and nodded only to frown as I realised I hadn¡¯t seen one person in our group in a while. ¡°Hey where¡¯s A.J.?¡± I said only to roll my eyes. ¡°No, don¡¯t answer that, I know,¡± I said. We walked back to the beach and sure enough, we found A.J. locked into what appeared to be a doubles battle that he was rather handily wrapping up with his Beedrill and Butterfree beating out a Staryu and Tentacool. Yolanda waved her hand. ¡°A.J.! You need to wrap things up! We¡¯re going to leave soon!¡± she called out. A.J. waved back. He collected some winnings from the two trainers he¡¯d been facing before marching up to us. Yolanda stared at him. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ smiling? You never smile.¡± A.J. continued to grin, ¡°I smile,¡± he said undaunted by Yolanda questioning him. Yolanda tilted her head. ¡°Are you sure? Usually, you just sort of grump,¡± she said, using her fingers to scowl deeper than she could normally. A.J. huffed at her. ¡°I just won a lot of really good matches against some decent trainers,¡± he said. He shot me a look. ¡°I think I like the idea of travelling around like this now!¡± he said. I snorted. ¡°Of course, you went and got into some fights, but never mind. Good work finding your own fun. Come on, gang, it¡¯s time to head home,¡± I said, leading them back to the transport hub where a Hypno would be ready to take us for a multi-legged hop. As I entered the transport hub, a dark-haired man leaning against the wall kicked off it. ¡°Gym Leader Brock!¡± he called when he spotted that I¡¯d seen him. I looked him over and realised that while I¡¯d never met this man, I knew who it was. ¡°Norman right? Or should I call you¡ª¡± Norman raised a hand to his lips. ¡°Ah! Sorry, that hasn¡¯t been announced to the public yet! The champion is going to release it soon.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. Norman waved his hand back and forth. ¡°No worries I thought I¡¯d come meet you before things get too hectic for me.¡± ¡°Hmmm yeah, you will be busy soon.¡± I said. Norman bobbed his head in a lopesided manner. ¡°Well about that, I checked the logs and goldenrod has already seen a number of challengers but I thought there might be a need to¡­¡± Norman rolled his hand about. ¡°Demonstrate my skills to the public at large, I know I¡¯m seen somewhat as an academic to most people so I wanted to ask a favour if possible.¡± I nodded, having an idea of what he wanted. ¡°You want to have a friendly match against me?¡± I said. Norman nodded ¡°Gym match? So our typings only?¡± He asked. I paused and I considered him. Hmmmm that would make it a touch tougher but also more interesting. Normal versus Rock. That wasn¡¯t a bad idea for him. Heck, I should probably propose it to Visquez. Norman challenging me made sense, he¡¯d be able to demonstrate his skills to the best effect. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like that. I think we can work something out in the coming weeks,¡± I said, finding myself locking eyes with him and an itch forming as my mind clicked hope that I was facing a challenger. Norman grinned. ¡°Excellent! I¡¯ll arrange a date! Oh! Maybe bring your family with you! I know my family would love to meet some more kids their age.¡± I nodded, that was right, May and Max were going to be of similar ages to Salvadore and Cindy or Tommy, weren¡¯t they? Although they might get on better with Yolanda and Salvadore in truth. ¡°That sounds nice,¡± I said. Next to me, Rachel was brimming with energy at the potential showdown that she¡¯d get to work on. Norman nodded once again, ¡°I won¡¯t hold you up, good match earlier by the way,¡± he said as he tossed a wave of farewell over his shoulder. I watched him go feeling an odd stirring in my chest. I¡¯d never gotten to fight the Petalburg Gym during my journey, but in a way¡­ that would be sort of like challenging it. I chuckled and waved my group towards the teleporting berth we¡¯d be using. It would take another hour or so with the relays that we needed to do with other Teleporting stations, but soon enough, we were back home. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± I announced loudly. ¡°You were incredible!¡± shouted Cindy as she stormed towards me. I raised my hands in readiness for a hug only for Cindy to duck the hug, grab Link¡¯s pokeball from my pokebelt and to release him. She then slammed herself into him. ¡°Eiii! The commentators were all going on about how mean Goldenrod people were being booing Brock like that but then you just made them love you!¡± she said while clinging to him. ¡°Clefable?¡± said Link with a tilt of his head, the only part of him he could currently move. ¡°We¡¯re home with gifts!¡± shouted Yolanda into the house. Flint, who¡¯d been in the kitchen emerged with a washcloth in his hands. ¡°Ho? Gifts?¡± he said even as a stampede erupted from deeper in the house. I shot Flint a look. ¡°I thought the kids would have been in school during the match?¡± Flint smiled. ¡°I made sure to record your match. You did wonderful despite Corvo trying to anticipate you.¡± I grinned. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, only to brace as both sets of twins slammed into me. ¡°Brock!¡± Brock!¡± ¡°Big Bro!¡± ¡°Brother!¡± they all chimed over the top of each other I gained the mental image of a Pidgeot returning to a nest of Pidgey and having them chirp at him. ¡°You brought gifts?¡± they said, completing the mental imagery. I sighed and shot Yolanda an amused look. She merely grinned as Salvadore walked up. ¡°Hey bro! Great fight! Gawain was great! So were you Link!¡± Salvadore said, giving Link a small pat that Link rocked away from with a giggle. I hummed and released Gawain. He appeared with a flash of light and blinked before perking up when he noticed my siblings cheering his name. I chuckled and toyed with the idea of releasing Don before crushing that idea. He wouldn¡¯t like being praised like this. He wanted praise, there was no doubt about that. He was a prideful sort, but he didn¡¯t want small grabby hands reaching for him. Him and small children were usually a recipe for tears. Unless Bertha was sitting very close at hand and thumping her club-like tail in warning the entire time. Hmmmm¡­ I tossed that idea away as Suzie tugged on my pants. ¡°Gifts?¡± she said with puppy eyes. I huffed. ¡°Course you heard that,¡± I said in amusement. I reached into my travel pack and started pulling out a number of cuddle toys and cheap plastic toys that we¡¯d won from the Goldenrod entertainment area. The kids laughed at the silly toys and ran about playing with them. I handed some of the soft toys to Munchlax and Eevee only to pause and realise Gible was here. I blinked and handed him the most solid looking toy I had. He took it in his mouth and grinned hugely. ¡°Gible!¡± he said, turning and running away with the toy hanging out of his mouth by its head. It looked very macabre. ¡°He¡¯s cute!¡± said Billy with a laugh, dropping his toy to give chase. I raised a hand and considered that for a moment before shaking my head, eh, let him enjoy himself. If he thought a tiny pokemon that were mostly teeth looked cute, who was I to judge? I rubbed my chin in thought. Hmmm, that had potential. ¡°Hey Flint? Do you want to represent Billy for next weekend¡¯s contest that we¡¯re running? We¡¯re going for a tough theme.¡± ¡°But Gible is cute?¡± Flint said with a tilt of his head. I sighed. ¡°... Just ask Billy if he wants to do it with you. We have a section that is just for presentation and not part of the display-battle traditional contest style of Hoenn.¡± I¡¯d gotten the idea of animal displays at local shows that I had sometimes attended as a visitor and a few times as a competitor. I turned my attention to the rest of my family and spent some time playing with them and the new toys they had. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Sadly, most of them didn¡¯t last very long due to how cheaply made they were. Suzie was the first to come up to me with her plushies¡¯ arm ripped off. I grabbed the sewing kit and reattached the limb before strengthening the rest of the stretches. ¡°Thank you toy doctor Brock!¡± chimed Suzie happily as she took her plushie away. As soon as she was done, Tommy presented himself. ¡°Toy doctor Brock?¡± he said, presenting his. His toy had the head, and the legs ripped off. I stared at the toy seriously. I wanted to say, ¡®He¡¯s dead, Jim¡¯ but that would never go over well with a child, so instead I nodded. ¡°You brought him to me just in time; I think we can attach him to life support.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the Nurse Joy!¡± said Suzie, claiming the spot next to me. She then took the toy¡¯s arm. ¡°There, there''s a little guy, who¡¯s a brave boy?¡± She leaned down and gave the paw of the ursaring toy a smooch only for the arm to fall off. ¡°Ah!¡± she screamed. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it!¡± she shouted, leaping over the couch only to trip and faceplant with a heavy thump. I grimaced. ¡°Oh dear,¡± I said. Suzie raised her head, locked eyes with me and started to tear up. ¡°Walk it off?¡± I offered hopefully. She tried, standing heroically lip quivering, only for her hands to shoot to her forehead. ¡°It hurts!¡± she wailed. ¡°Yeah I didn¡¯t think that would work,¡± I said, scoping her up for a hug. I carted her over to the medical kit and became ¡®Doctor Brock¡¯ for a few minutes. A small bandage was put on her head to help keep the pain going away along with a lollipop. She then sat in my lap for the rest of the ¡®surgery¡¯ with the Ursaring toy. ¡°How come you¡¯re stitching up the parts that aren¡¯t broken?¡± asked Suzie seriously after a few minutes of work. I tugged on the cheap stitching. ¡°See these here? They¡¯re quite weak, so I¡¯m just strengthening them up with a Ladder stitch.¡± Tommy walked up with Timmy, who¡¯d come to see how long the surgery would take, only for Tommy to tilt his head. ¡°How come you¡¯re doing a girl''s job Brock? Shouldn¡¯t you get Yolanda to do that?¡± I could feel Yolanda¡¯s head turning and her glare settling upon Tommy. ¡°It¡¯s not a girl or a boy job; it¡¯s just a job,¡± I said reasonably. Sadly, reason wasn¡¯t that useful against seven-year-olds. ¡°No, it¡¯s a girl¡¯s job!¡± he said. ¡°Hmmm what makes it a girl¡¯s job?¡± ¡°It¡¯s stitching! And only girls do that!¡± he said, crossing his arms and nodding seriously. Timmy copied him, and I felt a small part of me perk up. Ah, this was one of those moments that came along sometimes, and as an older sibling/parent you needed to be watching for them. Sadly, as I could attest, you weren¡¯t always going to be at your best when such developmental moments reared their heads. ¡°So only women can be doctors?¡± I asked. That got Tommy and Timmy to blink in surprise. I continued the assault to hammer home the point I wanted to make. ¡°What about Leatherworkers? Bookbinders? Quilters? Tailors? Sailmaker? Shoemaker? Dressmakers?¡± ¡°Well! Some of those are¡­ girl jobs and some of those are boy jobs!¡± said Tommy I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s not the case, actually. Lots of people do different jobs depending on what they want to or are good at.¡± Or what they need to do. But I wasn¡¯t going to say that last part as the discussions around economic unfairness weren¡¯t something that would register to young kids. Not unless you had a really simple method which I currently lacked. Maybe I needed to rent out some more parenting books? It had been a while. Thank Arceus that Flint had come back when he did otherwise I would have drowned in responsibilities and Will would have easily skated¡­ I paused and played that thought back over in my mind. Huh, I hadn¡¯t thought of it that way. But, it really had been a good thing having Flint back home. He¡¯d been able to cover a lot of the tasks I typically handled. I shot Suzie¡¯s dress a quick look over and found that the stitching done there to patch up a tear was actually better than mine. Huh, would you look at that? ¡°Brock!¡± said Tommy, stomping his foot to get my attention. ¡°Hmmm?¡± I said finishing up the stitch before tying it out, my mind returning from the Furret hole it had been running along. ¡°Girls are better at stitching! And Boys are better at tough stuff!¡± he said, stomping his foot. ¡°So like Trixie and Sabrina? They¡¯re pretty tough, right?¡± I poked holes in his argument right away. ¡°Agatha, Janine, Sophia, Daisy, Lorelei, and Erika¡­¡± I tilted my head. I was probably forgetting people, and that was without getting into Johto Gym Leaders. ¡°Okay! So¡­¡± Tommy tilted his head. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means there are a lot of jobs and that there is no job that is specifically only done by boys or girls,¡± I said. I made the Ursaring toy dance in front of them. ¡°Flint and I both needed to know how to stitch to look after you, and it¡¯s not a bad idea to have a good idea how to do things like this. Then you can be the one looking after your toys, or maybe even adding to them.¡± I said. I then punched the arms forward. ¡°Four armed Ursaring!¡± I said. I shrugged. ¡°Or it could be a neat hobby.¡± Tommy blinked at this before shaking his head. ¡°I think I need to go lay down and process this.¡± I snorted. ¡°Yeah, you do that. It can be tough having your world flipped around like that,¡± I said, handing the Ursaring toy back to Timmy. He gave it a cuddle and toddled off without any complaints, so I counted that a win for me, and I¡¯d gotten Tommy to lay down and think, which was also a win considering that my audience was a young boy. Flint shot me a thumbs up and I shot back a smile before kissing Suzie on the back of the head. ¡°So, are we watching movies and ordering Rapidash Pizza tonight?¡± I prompted. This got a resounding cheer from the kids which I capitalised on by clapping my hands. ¡°You know the drill then! No pizza is to be ordered until everyone¡¯s teeth are brushed, faces and hands are clean and you¡¯re in your pajamas." I said firmly. This caused another stampede with Gible caught in the middle, thoroughly unsure what to do with himself. He chased one child around only for another to charge past him resulting in him switching targets. Eventually, Salvadore snatched him up and grabbed a spare toothbrush to brush his teeth. Gible seemed to rather like this but then again, he was generally a very jolly fellow. When everything was settled and the family assembled on the couch I gave them all a stern expression. ¡°Hmmm, adequate,¡± I said with a fake haughty sniff. I then drew up the pokenet page for Poliwag¡¯s pizzeria. ¡°So what will we have?¡± I asked. The kids started shouting various things at me which I dutifully added to the cart. Munchalx leaned in to whisper things to Suzie which she added resulting in a cart that listed off twenty pizzas. I made a game of pretending to be perplexed by this much to the kids'' amusement. Link and Gawain were still here so I included them on the order with some specialty pizza before shrugging and deciding to get some for my Elite team as a whole, taking the list up for forty pizzas. Munchlax, who could see things through his christmas had come early only to refute when I told him who the extra pizzas were actually for. A flash of light made me glance over to find a rather bedraggled-looking Sabrina had just arrived. She grabbed her transceiver and pressed a few buttons before sighing. ¡°I¡¯ll have a meatlover¡¯s with extra onion,¡± she said. She then waved to my family. Suzie leapt into a hug for Sabrina and Sabrina accepted it. When Gible leapt at her she telekinetically caught him in the air much to his shock. Sabrina blinked. ¡°Ah, I apologise, when something with that many teeth lunges at me, I have a set response.¡± ¡°That makes a lot of sense, I have the same response for Munchlax!¡± Suzie said with a nod. Munchlax blinked at her and opened his mouth to feel around for how big his teeth were. He then shrugged and ran at Suzie. Suzie put a hand to her head and pretended to copy Sabrina. ¡°Freeze!¡± she said, and Munchalx froze dutifully. Sabrina nodded her head, and I smiled. I¡¯d seen her twitch if Munchlax had committed to a leap but the bond between Suzie and Munchlax meant they didn¡¯t have to worry about hurting each other. Sabrina hovered Gible into her arms for a quick pat before handing him off to me. ¡°I¡¯ll be having a shower before coming out to watch the movie, I¡¯m done with any League assistance for the next week at least,¡± she said. ¡°Perfectly reasonable,¡± I replied, sending out the order, minus the extra pizza that Suzie had ordered for Munchlax. Within a few minutes, Sabrina returned with a towel around her hair in her pajamas. She settled in next to me and yawned. ¡°Hmmm Detective Pikachu and the mystery of the unknown?¡± she said. I nodded. I¡¯d watched this twice already but the little kids loved it so it was fairly common to see. Sabrina could recognise the scenes as and so she just focussed on getting comfortable and relaxing. When the pizzas arrived they came with a small herd of Rapidash and Gawain and Link led two of the horse pokemon and their trainers around the back to dish out the pizza to my Elite team with me. I had to stop a feeding frenzy from occurring with Don being adamant he needed three pizza himself despite the specialty pizza being much bigger than a standard human pizza. I distributed them and returned to my own family to find them in various states of food coma having gorged themselves. Flint looked far too amused, and Sabrina looked too tired to care that some of the kids had rather swollen stomachs. Munchlax was still working his way through the pizza while Gible was devouring the pizza boxes. ¡°Should he be eating those?¡± Flint asked worriedly. I shrugged. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s mostly paper and pizza oil, he¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said without too much concern. Only to then have to stop him from eating the next five pizza boxes. ¡°Thought you said he could eat those?¡± said Flint as he watched on from the side with a smirk. ¡°Some of them! I said. Not all of them! Moderation is key cause he¡¯s tiny!¡± I said, shoving my hand into Gible¡¯s mouth fearlessly to draw out the pizza box. When that was over and the youngest kids were being sent to bed, Suzie marched up to Sabrina and me. ¡°Can you read the book to me, Sabrina?¡± ¡°The book?¡± Sabrina said, making sure to give the word enough gravitas. Suzie nodded and presented Sabrina with a very particular book. Sabrina inspected the book seriously. ¡°The great book of poop?¡± She read aloud. Suzie grinned. ¡°It¡¯s great!¡± she said, and I had to smile. She¡¯d recently lost one of her front teeth and it made her look rather cute with the gap in her smile as her. Sabrina shot me an amused look while Flint facepalmed. ¡°You¡¯ve been reading this to her?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± I said shamelessly. ¡°Readings a good habit to get into, so what if the topic is silly.¡± Sabrina nodded and marched off to read a book about poop to a four-year-old. I watched her go and felt my heart swell a little. When she came back, I led her to the kitchen. The other kids were happy enough watching another movie so I spent some time with her enjoying a cup of cocoa. ¡°So, the League got pushy again?¡± I said. ¡°Yes, and they raised several good points for my assistance, but this time I¡¯ve told them to just do it the old-fashioned way. I was running into walls with how much everyone knew and it was becoming a bit¡­ too much for me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine the conditions would have been good for it, and well¡­ the act itself?¡± Sabrina sighed. ¡°It is taxing but it also¡­ it becomes a bit too easy after a while of doing it over and over. I started to reflexively do it on the guards when they stepped in. The situation was getting to me so I told Lance no more.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I said firmly, wrapping my arm around her and kissing her on the temple. She sighed and leaned into me. She then peered up at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to watch your match against Corvo, can we go watch it in your room? I¡¯d like to see how it went.¡± I smiled, knowing she¡¯d like seeing Selene do well, and Link¡¯s showing was sure to give her some more energy. ¡°Sure thing,¡± I said, standing to walk, only for Sabrian to Teleport us both. I chuckled at that before cueing up the match on my tv. When the match was over Sabrina pointed out the rough spots and also the good adaptations I¡¯d made to the team and my planning. ¡°You¡¯re getting stronger, and smarter about this,¡± she said, giving me a kiss. ¡°It takes a lot of different skills than being a Gym Leader, that¡¯s for sure, it also¡­¡± I twirled my hand about. ¡°You need to be more fluid in your thinking and more ready in case things change.¡± I tapped on my chest. ¡°You can¡¯t just rely on the same pokemon and the same tricks that were great at the Gym circuit, most people have seen those, you really have to start thinking about how people are going to react to your tricks and plan accordingly. It¡¯s.. a lot of fun.¡± ¡°I noticed, you were smiling during the match a lot and you¡¯re smiling now,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you smiling like this.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Well thanks, but now I feel bad because with how tired you¡¯ve been I haven¡¯t seen you smile much lately.¡± Sabrina allowed herself a softer smile. ¡°This is how I¡¯ve been smiling. When you ran the bath and left me with it without bothering me, with how you¡¯re happy for snuggles and hugs without pushing me when I¡¯m tired. I know you¡¯ve made me smile a lot.¡± she kissed me then. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not helping the League out any more. In fact I will make sure to have some time set aside to come and watch you next week in Celadon.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked, ¡°That¡¯d be great.¡± Sabrina nodded before gaining a much more predatory smile. Her hand on my chest started to glide lower. ¡°Now, I can think other ways you and I can¡­ smile,¡± she said huskily I was entirely down for this sort of night time activity.
In the morning, I stretched luxuriously and kissed Sabrina as we lay entwined. ¡°Morning,¡± I said. Sabrina grumbled at me and then rolled over. I huffed and took a shower before heading out. With a later start, I hurried out to feed my elite and check on the reserve. All of the pokemon were there and looking very pleased with themselves. They¡¯d really liked their pizza snack after the last two days of a controlled diet for their matches. Zubat looked a bit swollen so I assumed she must have gotten her fill of the pizza and then some. ¡°Right, sorry to say that you won¡¯t be getting too many more treats like that,¡± I said, knowing full well that there was an ice creamery in Celadon that served pokemon. Titan shot me a wink, well aware of said cafe. I coughed and continued. As long as Bertha didn¡¯t learn about it, I would only have to take the group a few times. ¡°Now, until next Monday you¡¯re all on light duties, I¡¯ve spoken to you before but we¡¯re going to have to stay fairly dynamic with which pokemon get to fight, when there are restrictions to consider. I will need to blend things pretty well.¡± I then turned to the single Cradilly and Lileep in the training area. ¡°That being said I can devote a bit more time to both of you as neither of you are up to the Elite level as I deem it just yet. Everyone else is to go through a light warm up run, then some stretches with light sparing. Tomorrow we¡¯ll have some games to play instead to keep things as risk free as possible.¡± Don screeched angrily at this and Bertha pumped her fist. I rolled my eyes. ¡°That does mean the inflatable headgear, yes,¡± I said. For Zubat that meant she''d become a floating orb that would bounce into people and then off them. I was expecting a comedy of error with her wearing protective gear. I then shot Don a look. ¡°You don¡¯t have to take part, remember? You usually just sit on the side and mock everyone!¡± I said. Don paused and then grinned realising that was what he usually did. I decided not to bait him into doing something stupid while his daughter watched on but Bertha had no such restraint. ¡°Rhy Rhy Perior¡ª¡± she started to say. I didn¡¯t need to speak pokemon to know what she was saying. I lunged over and put my hands in front of her mouth to shut her up. ¡°AS I WAS SAYING!¡± I bellowed. Bertha laughed and thankfully shut up instead of pushing the point. I detailed how things were going to go and then shifted focus onto running through a light session before working Cradily and Lileep. For part of this, I referenced a journal article Erika had written up for me. It was strange to have to blend Rock type training methods with grass type. A lot of this revolved around strong defence with the potential for quick, vibrant regrowth that started days, if not weeks prior with good pokemon care. It was a different sort of challenge and I had some doubts that I¡¯d have Cradily ready to enter my Elite team for a while yet, I¡¯d just have to keep her on the fourth badge tier team for a while for some experience. When she started feeling a bit too overpowered I could try otherwise. It was that, ori engaged in some more simple friendly matches just for a bit of pocket change with some of the battleclub locals. Both ideas had merit. Then again, everything I did with Cradily that worked I needed to repeat with Steven Stone¡¯s pokemon. I wasn¡¯t about to trade off a pokemon that was weak after all. Actually, now that I thought about it, it was strange that Steven hadn¡¯t contacted me, or Sabrina at all about her mega evolution. Perhaps he would when I eventually revealed to the public that Jormungandr was capable of it as well. For now, I got stuck into work with my grass-rock type ,stretching and bending with them, testing how quickly they could bend and twist themselves to get a feel for their actions before having them lash out their attacks as practice. When it reached breakfast time Yolanda and Sabrina walked out to meet me. It felt like a good start to a lazy weekend that would lead into a frantic week. ¡°Brock, Lance is giving a press conference,¡± Sabrina said. I blinked, realising exactly what this would mean. ¡°Well, I can still have a lazy weekend¡­ but there¡¯s going to be a lot of attention sent our way on Monday, isn¡¯t there?¡± Sabrina raised an unimpressed eyebrow and I sighed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call Rachel up and see if we can release our own press statement.¡± I rolled my shoulders and waved the girls into the lounge room. ¡°Not that it will reduce the attention we get,¡± I grumbled. Damn, I¡¯d forgotten about this. Maybe Lance wouldn¡¯t mention me? I straight away knew those were short odds. Chapter 177 - Meowths out of the bag I sat on the couch with Yolanda to my left and Sabrina to my right. Both of them were sitting up and paying avid attention to the television. Around us, my siblings played quietly. Salvadore lazed about on the couch with a giant encyclopedia open. He was slowly reading through it and occasionally taking notes. Suzie was sitting at Sabrina¡¯s feet with Ralts, both of them were playing with dolls. Sabrina occasionally shot them envious looks that made me chuckle. Tommy and Timmy were playing a game with Munchlax and Gible. It appeared to be some sort of knights and dragon game with the boys and the pokemon taking turns in each role. Billy, Tilly, Cindy, Flint, and Nanny Grav were all brushing out a pair of growlithe along with Eevee who was trying, and failing to push the Growlithe back out the door. Apparently she didn¡¯t like the new security features. Cindy quickly snatched her up and pampered her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so grumpy about the new pokemon! You don¡¯t have to be! You¡¯re our special girl! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!¡± Eevee squealed with delight and rolled around so she could give the pack of Growlithe a look of superiority. I coughed and Cindy gained a sheepish look. ¡°Sorry!¡± she said. I rolled my eyes before casting them about the room. ¡°So, I can¡¯t help but notice that no one was in here before we came in, but the minute we sat down everyone decided to join us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here because Sabrina is here, and I needed to show her my new doll!¡± said Suzie as though that made it an open-shut case for herself. I decided not to poke holes in that argument. Instead, I turned to Salvadore. He shrugged. ¡°I want to see what¡¯s going on? I¡¯ll be quiet.¡± I hummed. ¡°This is going to be a press conference from Lance about the recent Rocket Raid,¡± I said. I considered that a moment and flicked my gaze about. ¡°Actually maybe the younger kids shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± I said. Flint glanced up from brushing out Spot the Growlithe. ¡°Hmmm?¡± I shot him a look. ¡°Urgesay otgay ockedlay upyay?¡± I said. Flint continued to stare at me, his face blanker than a fresh canvas. Yolanda, Salvadore and Cindy gasped in shock. Damn it! That hadn¡¯t been well thought out! Of course, Flint wouldn¡¯t know spoink-speak as it was called here, but the other kids would. They knew I¡¯d said Surge got locked up! ¡°You are really bad at keeping secrets,¡± Sabrina said as she slid to the floor to start playing with the dolls, the temptation growing too strong for her. ¡°I know!¡± I said as I quickly shushed the trio of smarter siblings. Flint seemed to cotton on to the thrust of my point as he stood up. ¡°Alright! Time for a family run!¡± The kids all shot him with dubious looks. ¡°We don¡¯t do family runs,¡± Tommy said, acting as the mouthpiece for the younger kids who nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t run to the park with our new Growlithe bodyguard pokemon?¡± Flint said, causing the Growlithe to pause, liking the sound of this. The kids all perked up, realising that they¡¯d get to show off some cool pokemon. They were instantly up and clambering for the door, grabbing shoes and causing a cacophony of noise. Salvadore, Cindy, Yolanda and Suzie all stayed put. I leaned forward. ¡°You want to go with them Suzie?¡± I said, indicating the melee that had formed in the entrance of the house where people were fighting over shoes while the Growlithe yapped excitedly. ¡°Nope!¡± she said brushing the doll''s hair before turning and brushing Ralts¡¯ hair straight afterwards. I noted that she stayed well clear of Ralts¡¯ sensitive horns. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine here,¡± she said, continuing to adjust her doll¡¯s outfit before posing the doll. ¡°Actually I might go get more dolls, Sabrina hold this one,¡± she said before trundling off to her room. I sighed. Well, she was going to be distracted at least. I turned to the older kids who knew what I was talking about. I shot Yolanda a look. ¡°I thought I told you about this?¡± I said. I¡¯d told the Gym Trainers after my giant nap a few days ago. Hadn¡¯t I? I tilted my head. I¡¯d been pretty tired after everything but surely I hadn¡¯t not mentioned the Rocket Raid? Yolanda shook her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there when you spoke about it to the Gym Trainers, I was at school. Same with Crystal!¡± ¡°Greta didn¡¯t mention it?¡± I said, surprised at this news. Yolanda shook her head. ¡°She can sometimes get distracted or forget to mention things, she¡¯s pretty bad at gossip.¡± I nodded slowly at that, understanding what she was talking about. ¡°Right,¡± I said, nodding as I made myself comfortable. My siblings stared at me. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to explain Surge being locked up?¡± said Cindy pointedly. I huffed. ¡°Right, so when I went with Agatha, Sabrina, and Lorelei¡ª¡± ¡°Koga was there as well,¡± Sabrina prompted as she adjusted the doll in her hand to strike a more dashing pose. ¡°Yeah, he was there too,¡± I said before continuing, ¡°We went after the Head of Team Rocket who was Giovanni¡ª¡± ¡°You mentioned this,¡± said Yolanda. ¡°It explained why you were always super leery about him and Viridian City.¡± ¡°I was?¡± I asked. The others all nodded. I coughed. ¡°Right well when we went to arrest him he sent a decoy to the League and we had to chase down the real Giovanni. We found him with a bunch of really strong Admin-level Rocket trainers, along with Will and Surge.¡± ¡°We ended up fighting but I don¡¯t think Surge was really trying all that hard. We crushed him and Will together. But, because Surge had been helping out with Team Rocket he needed to be arrested as well.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s that mean for the Vermillion Gym?¡± said Salvadore, while Cindy asked, ¡°What are we going to tell Tommy?¡± I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Surge said he had been called in on a favour that he built up in the past. He had handed over the gym to his daughter who is called Visquez. As for Tommy? I¡¯m not sure. It might be best to not tell him. It will depend on what Lance mentions in his press conference.¡± Yolanda nudged me. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good now, I just had to decompress a bit after the fight. I didn¡¯t go see Surge straight away but I did in the end.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good, but in future, you should tell us about things like this,¡± Yolanda said. ¡°You should probably also tell Tommy.¡± I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s mature enough for that conversation. Surge¡­ well he¡¯s complicated,¡± I said. The other nodded while Cindy merely shrugged. ¡°He did bad so he needs to be punished. It¡¯s sort of like having a time out going to prison, isn¡¯t it?¡± I raised a finger, unsure what to say. On one hand, it was apt and simplistic, but on the other it didn¡¯t delve into the issues that came from spending time around other criminals along with the myriad of factors that made prisons, not nice places to be. ¡°That¡­ somewhat works.,¡± I said, deciding to run with that. Cindy looked pleased while Salvadore looked confused. Yolanda tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°So you¡¯re not going to keep any more secrets? Right?¡± I didn¡¯t meet her gaze. ¡°If they¡¯re relevant,¡± I said. Yolanda narrowed her eyes at me and grumbled. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re not very good at keeping secrets,¡± she said. I felt like she¡¯d shot an arrow into my heart. Ouch! The truth hurt! I leaned forward. ¡°Sabrina, my siblings are bullying me,¡± I said jokingly. Sabrina raised her doll and made it perform a chopping action at Yolanda. ¡°Be nice to your brother,¡± said Sabrina. Ralts giggled at this and Sabrina repeated the action to Cindy and Salvadore who looked amused but unsure why he was being bunched up with my sisters. Suzie charged back in with a dollhouse and several other dolls and dresses to play just in time for Lance to step out for his press conference. I stared. Not since the battle against Moltres had I seen him look so unkempt. His eyes had small bags under them and he had tousled hair that wasn¡¯t in his usual casually controlled fashion. His cape hung off him instead of flapping around as he marched to the front of the room. ¡°Good morning everyone, I¡¯m thankful that you were all able to make it and I apologise for the need to call this press conference,¡± he said. President Kruger, Chief Commander Ranger, Police commissioners of both Johto and Kanto, and the rest of the Elite Four filed in behind him. The appearance of so many highly-ranked officials caused a round of murmurs to break out. The press had to know that something big was going on, but to see it like this merely underlined how important. The atmosphere became much more tense. Ralts took Suzie by the hand and led her into the next room. I shot Sabrina a nod, that had been smooth. I raised an eyebrow that Lorelei and Agatha both had pride of place behind him while Bruno and Koga stood on either end. It cast a serious message that the might of the entire pokemon League, both administrative, police, and military might was on display. With all of them behind him, Lance cleared his throat. ¡°Last weekend was a momentous occasion for Indigo with the first public Mega-evolution to date in a pokemon fight. Gym Leader Sabrina¡¯s match against Ace trainer Will was an event many in our fair nation tuned in to watch in some manner. Many people called it the match that captured the nation. It was an amazing demonstration of skill and prowess. Sadly it was not the only incident that occurred in Saffron that evening. As everyone is aware Silph Co. the premier supplier of many of the goods that support our nation and that of other nations was attacked by Team Rocket. ¡°In response to this, I announced the formation of the G-men and designated Team Rocket as terrorists instead of merely criminals. Since then, the League and many others have been extremely busy.¡± Lance swept his gaze about the room. ¡°I would like to take this moment to thank the Rangers, the administrative teams in the League, the Gym Leaders, the police, and many, many trainers who have acted in support over the last week. The day after the Saffron situation, as the public is calling it, the League mobilised on a scale unseen in the Indigo League¡¯s history as a nation.¡± Lance allowed himself a smile. ¡°I can announce that the results of this mobilisation were an unparalleled success. Thanks to the formation of the new international organisation, the G-men were able to co-ordinate, raid and capture many Team Rocket sites. For the past week, we have been processing these sites.¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t this been announced before today?¡± shouted one reporter, unable to hold themselves back. Lance shot a hand up. ¡°Please, wait until the end of my speech, but to assuage any concerns, the League has been processing Team Rocket and any known affiliates at this time to make sure that no traps or damage can be caused. You will understand what I mean when I discuss Team Rocket¡¯s proliferation throughout our League.¡± Around me, my siblings were spellbound. Lance wasn¡¯t displaying any special charisma or using any oratory tricks to draw people in. If anything he was merely monologuing. Despite that, or perhaps because of the dry method of delivery, the importance of the information was clearly stated. Lance turned the page, showing that he had a few sheets of paper to get through. ¡°The following sites were uncovered. ¡°Three sites in Goldenrod, one outside Mahogany Town, one in Blackthorn City, another in Mt Moon¡¯s cave systems, along with others in Gringey and Dark city. All of these were minor sites that were raided.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Lance looked around the room. ¡°In the process of capturing these facilities and the staff that housed them, more information came to light. Like a garbageman picking up trash only to find a Muk underneath I am sorry to say that the situation was more than I originally anticipated.¡± ¡°In the pursuit of justice, we discovered that multiple, pokemon trainers that are held to the highest of regard were secretly Team Rocket Members.¡± You could hear a pin drop in the room as everyone leaned forward, ears and microphones poised to pick up what was said next. ¡°A number of Rangers were discovered to be Rocket plants and they have since been captured and protocols with the Rangers tightened.¡± Behind Lance, the Chief Commander Ranger nodded firmly. ¡°Several police officers, along with League officials were likewise detained, and sadly a few notable Gym Leaders have been also arrested.¡± Instantly the entire room of reporters were on their feet. ¡°Which Gym Leaders?¡± ¡°What assurances do we have that this isn¡¯t just a League ploy to snatch more power for itself?¡± ¡°Was it Giovanni? Why hasn¡¯t he made any appearances at his usual charity events?¡± Lance glared at the room at large and when he spoke his voice came like a whip cracking out over everyone¡¯s heads. ¡°Sit. Down.¡± Most people sat while a few defiant reporters held their ground. I had to give them props for weathering Lance¡¯s displeasure. He glowered at them for a long moment. ¡°If you disrupt me again, I will have you expelled from this conference. This is not how I¡¯m going to allow this to be run. So,¡± he gestured to the chairs, sit down and allow me to enlighten you,¡± he said calmly. The holdouts sat on the edge of their seats. Lance worked his jaw and seemed to consider the door as though still weighing up whether it was worth the annoyance of having them expelled now. Lorelei stepped up and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I understand that this is a provoking topic as all of us have pride in where we have come from. The discovery that multiple Gyms have been supporting a terrorist organisation however is not one that we have taken lightly.¡± She gave Lance¡¯s shoulder another squeeze before stepping back. Lance glanced at where her hand had been for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°Lorelei is correct, passions will run hot over this¡­ I am sorry to say that this took many of us by surprise.¡± Lance adjusted his sheets. ¡°In order of importance, Grey from Neon City and Haley, the Gym Leader of Florando Town, both are minor Gyms but still part of the circuit. Both of these Gyms have been closed due to how heavily Team Rocket were a part of their structure.¡± A few people relaxed in their seats, glad that it was only minor Gyms. Lance sighed loudly. ¡°Of the major Gyms¡­ four had been discovered. These were, Olivine City¡¯s Gym, Cinnabar, Viridian, and finally Goldenrod.¡± A chorus of exclamations rang through the room with one man even collapsing out of his seat before sitting up quickly and indicating he was fine. I watched the shock play out as they learnt that six Gym leaders were involved with Team Rocket. I tilted my head. ¡°He hasn¡¯t mentioned Surge at all,¡± I said. Sabrina nodded. ¡°I think he might have something else planned for that. Surge was a different case. Lance may have something planned.¡± She then pursed her lips. ¡°Also¡­ You shouldn¡¯t underestimate Surge.¡± I frowned. Surge wasn¡¯t being listed amoung the criminals. It stood out markedly to me, and for anyone in the know, it would also be a notable omission. What was going on? What games were being played at the League?
Early this morning Lance felt very pleased with himself. He had done weeks of work in the past few days and surely had done enough to solidify the League for years to come. Now he was ready to have a short nap before the press conference played out later. Just a small nap. He stood to make for the couch that had so recently become his bed. He lay down and reached for the blanket he had stored underneath it only for the door to ping. Lance glowered at the door. One day he would learn to perform a ¡®Dragons breathe¡¯ to ward off people like this. For now, he had to tap his transceiver and give a terse, ¡°What?¡± to his receptionist. ¡°Sir, Howard from accounting has found something that you¡¯ll want to know.¡± Lance rubbed his jawline and felt all the stubble there. He¡¯d need to shave before the press conference he noted in the back of his mind. Send him in,¡± Lance said eventually. The door swished open a moment later and Howard from accounting strode in. ¡°I shall be quick as I know your time is precious, Champion. I was looking through recent documents from each Gym and I happened upon an acquisition claim from four weeks ago!¡± Howard handed over a form and Lance stared at it as his mind slowly recognised number. Numbers in front of zeroes along with a rather passionate description of a tank. Lance pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°How long have we known that Surge has a stockpile of weapons and a tank?¡± ¡°For four weeks sir, he claimed them through legal methods as the Gym Leader so there was no need to raise concerns, he was in fact acting to deny them from a civilian. In another circumstance, he¡¯d be lauded for his actions.¡± Lance groaned. ¡°Where are they?¡± Howard coughed delicately. Lance growled at the ceiling before toggling his transceiver once again. ¡°Frank here,¡± came the gruff response along with the picture of a man in prison guard fatigues. ¡°It¡¯s Lance Frank,¡± said the aggrieved Champion. He rattled off his authorization codes before gritting his teeth. ¡°I want you to give Surge your transceiver and hang about for the conversation I¡¯m about to have.¡± Frank blinked but did as asked after a moment. Surge appeared on the screen and looked far too smug. ¡°Howdy there Champ!¡± said the giant blond man in prison fatigues. Lance shot him a look that he hoped would one day be enough to stop a man cold. Surge merely leered, his grin growing as Lance showed his frustration. ¡°Come to bargain? Have we?¡± said the former Vermilion Gym Leader. Lance wanted to curse but held off. ¡°I want your entire stockpile of weapons and its location.¡± Surge just cackled. ¡°Ha! And those sissies think you can¡¯t negotiate with guns! I told them it¡¯s the only way to negotiate!¡± Surge threw back his head and laughed. Lance just sighed as he felt a throbbing in his forehead.
I shook my head as Lance revealed that Giovanni, Hannah and Samwise had all been captured while Blaine was at large and considered extremely dangerous. I could just see the reporters dying to ask questions but the threat of expulsion from the room kept them quiet. ¡°At this point, Goldenrod will continue to operate but we have secured a temporary Gym Leader in the form of an excellent trainer that has been teaching. Norman¡¯s credentials are second to none when it comes to normal-type pokemon and he will serve until another can be found. Olivine likewise has¡ª¡± ¡°Norman is a Hoenn Gym trainer!¡± shrieked one reporter who had their transceiver out. Lance snapped his fingers and a pair of Machamp materialised from Bruno to escort the reporter out. ¡°The people have a right to know these facts Champion! Draconic rule will never be accepted!¡± the man screeched. Lance rubbed his forehead in annoyance and muttered. ¡°Draconic rule would be so much simpler than this,¡± he said only to jolt as Lorelei and Agatha both chuffed in amusement, causing him to remember where he was. He glanced down at the microphone that had caught everything he¡¯d said and he sighed. ¡°I apologise for that statement, it was in poor taste, I can only claim fatigue,¡± he said. He wet his lips. ¡°Norman is a Hoenn trainer who has been staying in Indigo for a number of years but he is well regarded. He is at the moment a custodian and he understands this. With the current demands that the Gym Circuit is under we need as many Gym Leaders as possible. This was something that Team Rocket had no doubt thought allowed them greater impunity but it will not be the case. While Neon City, Cinnabar Island, and Viridian City will not be operational, other Gyms will remain open.¡± Lance shifted another paper. ¡°I would like to mention once again, my thanks to everyone who has been and will continue to be involved in this development. The League may feel weaker due to this chunk that we have had to exercise, but I can only state that sadly this part of ourselves was rotten and it needed to be dealt with before it weakened us further. Instead of things becoming worse I can in fact state that a number of financial stimulus and relief packages will be making their way out thanks to the funds from theft, graft and other illegal incomes that Team Rocket has generated. This will be turned over to the people and companies. Those that have had pokemon stolen from them in the past may now begin calling the League as we have a dedicated staff of hundreds waiting to help reunite stolen pokemon!¡± This seemed to be the biggest win for him as he smiled without reserve and seemed lighter. Lance looked down at the papers and his hand twitched as a frown shot across his face for half a second. Then he looked up and gave a practised smile. ¡°I¡¯ll end the press conference with my thanks once again but especially to the Gym Leaders, Rangers, Police, and also my own Elite four that have strived to be examples. Lorelei, Agatha, Bruno, and Koga were crucial in taking down key targets.¡± Lance bowed his head. ¡°Sadly not everyone who took part in the Team Rocket crackdown was able to make it out safely, and to those I can only bid a speedy recovery or express my condolences to those who lost loved ones. Of note, Lt Surge of Vermillion will be stepping down due to injuries sustained. He will be staying in a specialised facility for the care period and will therefore be unable to see the continued success of his Gym. But his daughter, Visquez, however, will be looking after the Gym in his place.¡± Lance stared right into the camera. ¡°We wish him a speedy recovery,¡± he said. Lance swallowed tightly, no doubt forcing down some emotion he didn¡¯t want to show. Lance sighed, braced himself, and then made a gesture indicating he would now take questions. The room exploded as reporters began to scream over the top of each other. ¡°What financial stimulus will be directed to Goldenrod?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to the criminals you captured?¡± ¡°Did you get all of them?¡± ¡°How could the League allow things to become this bad?¡± ¡°Are you going to resign as Champion?¡± ¡°What is going to happen for the trainers that are currently attempting to gain badges for the end-year tournament?¡± ¡°Three of twelve Gym Leaders for Kanto and another three from Johto?¡± Lance took a moment to drink some water before calming things down. I tilted my head. ¡°Surge made a deal?¡± Sabrina nodded her head. ¡°Surge made a deal.¡± ¡°Huh, politics,¡± I said to myself. I could tell Lance didn¡¯t look pleased by doing this but I think I could understand it. Surge must have had something. I waved a hand towards Lance who was calmly dealing with the reporters that had been, for all intents and purposes, let off the chain. ¡°Well, he¡¯s said a lot without giving away too much.¡± Sabrina nodded again. ¡°He has also kept things vague. I noted that he never once mentioned that Giovanni had been the Leader of Team Rocket.¡± I nodded along only to frown. ¡°Ah, kids, don¡¯t mention what I told you to anyone, yeah?¡± I said sternly. ¡°It¡¯s not something to be shared around.¡± Yolanda, Salvadore and Cindy all nodded seriously. I relaxed. ¡°Well, there¡¯s probably enough people that know that it has spread about but if Lance is giving out an official press conference he might muddy the water.¡± I leaned onto my side, watching the event play out. The door opened and I looked up to find Rachel walking in, her eyes glued to her transceiver as she wandered in and sat on top of Cindy. When her seat squawked and bucked the rainbow-haired woman shot back up. ¡°Oh! Shoot! Sorry Cindy I was just too caught up in this!¡± I shot Rachel a look. ¡°I read you into most of this earlier this week though?¡± Rachel snorted. ¡°Yeah, and your discussion was way more unvarnished.¡± She shook her head. Seriously! I can¡¯t tell everything you told me to the public! It¡¯d cause an incident with the League! I¡¯ve been waiting for them to talk first for this very reason! So now I¡¯m going to have to adjust your talking points for next week,¡± she said. When I merely blinked, unsure what she was talking about she sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not doing a press conference yourself, it¡¯s just a press release, but Brock¡­ you¡¯re going to be in the public eye. People know you and Lance are close and that you¡¯re strong. If Surge is being listed as injured and even Kong is earning himself some praise?¡± Rachel waved a hand towards Sabrina and me. ¡°You two? Indigo¡¯s power couple not being included? Ha!¡± she said. ¡°Yeah it¡¯s pretty obvious that we were involved isn¡¯t it?¡± I said with a laugh, sharing a smile with Sabrina. ¡°Yup!¡± Rachel nodded. She then straightened up and pulled out some notes. ¡°So! With that in mind we¡¯re going to play twenty questions hard style!¡± she said gleefully. Suzie chose that moment to come back in with Ralts holding her hand. ¡°We¡¯re playing a game?¡± Rachel opened her mouth to say no only for a gleam to enter her eyes. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re playing a game! Kids! How would you like to be journalists for the afternoon?¡± The kids shot up. ¡°I want to be a fashion reporter!¡± said Cindy. ¡°Can I ask the science questions?¡± asked Salvadore. ¡°I shall ask about his romance,¡± said Sabrina. I shot her a bemused look. ¡°What? Why? You¡¯re dating me!¡± I said. Sabrina merely waved a hand and the cushions that the kids were sitting on rose and arranged themselves into a mock press conference setting. Suzie ran off and dragged back some cardboard and within five minutes the room had changed. Teddys appeared with fake boom mics and headsets. Salvadore had found a pair of empty frames to make himself look smarter. Cindy had primped herself up with some toy jewellery. Ralts had her own giant notepad and was scowling fiercely at me. Sabrina looked far too poised for this to be a game. Rachel was sitting on the couch looking like a host. She looked extremely pleased with herself for coming up with this entire affair. I was sitting in the middle with a toy mic in front of me. Rachel grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s take some questions, shall we?¡± she pointed straight at Sabrina. Sabrina, with pen poised, locked her gaze with mine. ¡°What do you find most attractive about Sabrina?¡± The others oohed and swivelled their heads to me. I huffed. I couldn¡¯t work out whether I liked or hated this game. I blushed, ¡°She¡¯s got many attractive points about her beyond the obvious. Her mind and her body are amazing but pale in comparison to the depths of her heart, she¡¯s an extremely kind individual and I¡¯m fortunate to have her in my life.¡± ¡°Oh! Good response!¡± said Rachel offering up a ten placard as though this was a Contest. Sabrina gained a pleased look with a faint blush that made me want to kiss her. I found I liked this game a bit more now. I could win brownie points! Cindy coughed. ¡°Why are you still wearing last season¡¯s style?¡± she said firmly. I blinked, having not expected such a question from her. Was she trying to be a hard-hitting fashion reporter? ¡°I liked the look and it suited my complexion,¡± I said easily. Salvadore adjusted his glasses in what he must have assumed was a nerdy manner. ¡°What factors contribute to the evolution paradox that the environment dictates how certain pokemon evolve?¡± Rachel blinked. ¡°I didn¡¯t give you that question?¡± she said. Salvaodre preened. ¡°I added to the questions,¡± he said. I chuckled. Of course, he added to them. Cindy perked up and started scribbling as she realised she could ask her own questions. I started to rattle off my response and found I actually could weigh in a fair amount about how environmental differences changed how pokemon evolved. Sabrina looked very amused. When it was Suzie¡¯s turn she stared hard at the card she¡¯d been given. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed as she supplied Suzie with what was written on there. ¡°When is your favourite time of the year?¡± said Suzie robotically. I opened my mouth only for the front door to open and for the rest of my family to enter. They took in the room and Tommy tilted his head. ¡°Are you guys playing a game?¡± Rachel¡¯s grin grew and I chuckled. Somehow I had a feeling that ¡®Interview¡¯ would become a popular game for my family. In a way, it was useful practice and it would give me some warm-up for the next few days when I would very much be in the public eye. Hopefully, people¡¯s attention would shift to the actual tournament I was taking part in, but then again Lance¡¯s reveal was going to be the biggest reveal of the year. I considered that thought and added an ¡®I hope¡¯ to the end. When Rachel was done she was very pleased with herself. She closed up her folder and shot me a thumbs-up. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll send out the press statement we worked out but yeah expect people to be hounding you come Monday.¡± She waved to my family. ¡°You all have a good evening and enjoy the Battlecast match that¡¯s on tonight!¡± she said as she walked out the door. I frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s fighting tonight?¡± Tommy and Salvadore excitedly shot to their feet. ¡°Steven Stone and Drake!¡± they shouted excitedly. I blinked. ¡°Huh, I¡¯d forgotten about him.¡± Chapter 178 - Steven Stone v Drake The sound of growling and gnashing teeth made me stop what I was doing. ¡°Gible!¡± growled Gible. ¡°Munch!¡± said Munchlax. I gaped openly, watching as Munchlax, who was trying to carry a platter of food, had to dance around a leaping Gible. The little baby pokemon¡¯s jaws snapped menacingly each time it missed the platter. After the fifth attempt, he landed rather heavily before he paused. He gave a whine of annoyance for a few seconds with his little limbs pumping up and down. Munchlax didn¡¯t spare him any sympathy, causing the baby shark pokemon to suck up his tears and take up the hunt once more. Munchlax was doing a rather respectable job all told. It was just a shake that at some point in transporting the platter out to the table, Zubat had obviously found him. She¡¯d landed and taken to gorging herself while Munchlax and Gible unknowingly fought over nothing. I stepped up and glowered. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± I said sternly. Munchlax stiffened in surprise, obviously thinking my words were for him. Gible, unaware of what my tone meant, made another leap for the food only for me to snatch him out of the air. ¡°Gib? Gible!¡± he said, his small stumpy hands and legs pumping in the air as he reached for the platter. He paused when he spotted a rather plump-looking Zubat looking up at me. ¡°Zuuuuu?¡± said the little bat pokemon. Munchlax dropped the platter and Zubat shrieked in surprise only for Munchlax to loom over her. ¡°Munch! Munchlax Lax!¡± he said he then waved a hand about and started to gesture at me and my family, all of us setting up the outdoor area to observe the coming match between Steven Stone and Elite Four Member Drake. A few of my siblings walked over and crossed their arms. Suzie nodded along as Munchlax continued to rant about¡­ something to do with hard work and stealing people¡¯s effort? Zubat seemed to be shrinking into herself and had gained a chastised expression while Gible tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Gib?¡± he asked. Munchlax paused and glanced back at Gible in surprise but Suzie took over. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a baby pokemon! You¡¯re just playing and hungry! Zubat should know better!¡± I coughed. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t think she should. She¡¯s only been caught for a week and we haven¡¯t had the chance to talk about not stealing food. She typically wouldn¡¯t have the chance with the other pokemon she eats with. This is something she¡¯s never had an experience with.¡± I put Gible on the ground and turned him so that he was standing next to Zubat. I opened my mouth to give them a lesson about this only for Suzie to step in front of me. ¡°Listen, little pokemon! Stealing is bad because it takes away from the people who put a lot of hard work in! Food like this, usually gets shared around anyway and that makes for a better taste and a better expedience!¡± I coughed. ¡°Experience,¡± I said out the side of my mouth, correcting Suzie. ¡°Yeah! That!¡± Suzie said pointing at me. She nodded again and flared her nostrils. ¡°So, you¡¯re taking everyone''s food, and a nice moment together¡­¡± she frowned and turned to me. I took over the conversation knowing Suzie didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°And it makes people angry with you, so instead of sharing something positive, you end up ostracised. It¡¯s better to help out. If you¡¯re hungry, you just ask for food, you¡¯re not a wild pokemon anymore.¡± I crouched down. ¡°So, Gible, while Munchlax was willing to play with you, you didn¡¯t need to be doing it over the food everyone was going to share.¡± Gible nodded slowly, his mind working overtime as he worked to lock this into his view of the world. I turned to Zubat who was trying to look small but with her swollen belly couldn¡¯t achieve it. ¡°Zubat, you went out of your way to sneak the food out from Munchlax which I¡¯m sorry to say, is worse.¡± ¡°Zuuuuuu!¡± wailed the little bat. I nodded. ¡°I know, you didn¡¯t know and part of that is my fault. Sometimes it can be something that is picked up through social cues, but it sometimes also needs to be stated instead of just assumed. So, I¡¯m not mad or worried, you know about this now, so you won¡¯t do it again right?¡± Zubat nodded only to tilt her head only to quickly shake her head as she understood what I was actually asking. I smiled and patted her on the head. ¡°Alright, so just apologise to Munchlax for stealing the food he was bringing and we¡¯ll get this sorted out.¡± ¡°Zuuuuuuuuu!¡± said Zubat, her head bowed and her ears flopping down. Munchlax rubbed her head and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Munch!¡± he said. Suzie raised her hands. ¡°Hooray! We¡¯re all friends again!¡± Suzie turned on the spot only to spin around. ¡°What did she eat?¡± she asked. I looked at the crumbs. ¡°It looks like someone¡¯s cookies,¡± I said. Suzie giggled. ¡°Hahaha Yolanda! Zubat ate your food!¡± she said dashing up to tattle to Yolanda. I shook my head. When had she started copying Cindy on trying to bait a response from her sister? Yolanda, wise to this, merely glanced over to Zubat. She saw I was there and nodded. ¡°Oh, that happens, no problem I¡¯ll just have popcorn,¡± she said before returning back to setting out the chairs. Zubat wobbly flew over and landed on Yolanda¡¯s shoulder to apologise and I decided to leave that there. Munchlax headed back instead to get another tray of food while Gible rubbed his chin. ¡°Giiiiible,¡± he said slowly. ¡°You okay little man?¡± I asked. Gible nodded slowly, sitting down to watch as my siblings and I continued to set up. Zubat I picked up so she could watch as everyone went about their tasks. ¡°When you¡¯re feeling up for it, how about you fly up and tell Titan, Bertha and the others that the match is about to start?¡± I asked her when she started to fidget. ¡°Zu!¡± she said, happy to be given a task. When we were done Gible was still standing off to the side, watching and stroking his chin. I picked him up and deposited him in my lap only to perk up as Rocko led Samuel around. Samuel instantly dragged a seat closer to me to inspect the pokemon in my hands. ¡°Oh my! This is a marvellous-looking pokemon! Wherever did you find him?¡± he said. ¡°I rescued him from Team Rocket recently,¡± I said. ¡°Really?¡± Samuel said producing a pokedex that he pointed towards Gible. ¡°Gible?¡± said the little shark pokemon. Samuel Oak¡¯s pokedex was a much thicker design than the standard forms. It also seemed to have a larger camera and screen on it. Samuel happily took some pictures only to frown. ¡°Interesting, I¡¯m picking up Ground and Dragon typing in this little one?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I said nonchalantly. Samuel shot me a look. ¡°You know something?¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking into other regions and our clashes with them historically. I found a reference about a Dragon pokemon that was considered very strong when fully trained from a place called Sinnoh.¡± Samuel blinked. ¡°I can recall something to that effect¡­ but it¡¯s been years¡­ and I was so young even when the continents started to shift. So many people lost contact with each other¡­¡± He sighed and shook his head. ¡°I never encountered something like that but I will do some reviews and see what I can find.¡± He stood and released an Alakazam, surprising me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± I started to say only for them to vanish. ¡°¡ªdo that now,¡± I finished lamely. Rocko wandered back over with a pair of plates. ¡°Huh? He¡¯s gone already?¡± When I just waved a hand at the empty air Rocko shrugged. ¡°Eh, more grub for me. Anyone want some?¡± he offered, causing Gible to leap forward and jostle with Munchlax for the spare plate. The pair of them ended up dividing it between them. Munchlax tried to use the spoon only for Gible to eat it along with the food the first time it was offered. Munchlax retracted a mangled spoon after Gible was done with it. I snorted and turned back to watch the warm-up match that was being broadcast. Wallace was battling Watson and surprising a lot of people, as he was winning with his water-typed pokemon. Tommy bounced in his seat and looked around. ¡°So when¡¯s Lieutenant Surge coming around?¡± Flint and I locked eyes, knowing, without saying a word aloud, that if we told Tommy Surge had been arrested and wasn¡¯t coming, it would break his heart. The both of us stared at each other and a plan formed in our minds. ¡°He went on vacation!¡± ¡°He¡¯s decided to go on sabbatical!¡± I said over the top of Flint. Flint and I shared another look, both of us telling the other to get our acts together. Tommy tilted his head. ¡°Is Sabbatical a place?¡± I coughed, signalling that I¡¯d go first. ¡°It¡¯s a sort of break from work, so a vacation for a long time! Surge has been working really hard for a number of years and he¡¯s decided to take a break.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± said Tommy as he processed this. Salvadore, Cindy and Yolanda shot us knowing looks. I scratched the back of my head. Damn spoink-speak and kids knowing it. Tommy perked up, causing panic to return to Flint and I as Tommy grinned. ¡°Can I call him to come around if he¡¯s not doing anything?¡± ¡°No!¡± Flint and I said together. We returned to shooting each other frantic looks. This time Flint coughed first. ¡°He¡¯s not in the region and we won¡¯t be able to send him any messages¡­ I think he might be gone for a while!¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, he let his daughter take over the Gym for him!¡± I said, firming up the hole that Flint and I were digging. This instantly had the other girls perking up with interest. ¡°Daughter?¡± said Cindy. Tommy groaned. ¡°Nooooooo! Not another Girl Gym Leader! There are too many already! Make the Cerulean sisters stop counting! There should only be one Gym Leader for Cerulean!¡± he said plaintively. I snorted. If things went the way I was expecting, there¡¯d be two more by the next circuit. Thanks to the Guardians'' discussions I was kept abreast of some of the back-door conversations occurring in the League. Apparently, a prominent family with some Ace trainers in their number were looking into Goldenrod. The most prominent trainer in their family? A girl called Whitney. Whereas the Ranger who was holding down Olivine City had suggested his own granddaughter. I¡¯d been rather amazed to learn that Ranger Myron was Jasmine¡¯s grandfather. With Visquez, the ratio of male Gym Leaders to females was dropping. ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you,¡± I said. ¡°This new girl is supposed to have a lot of spunk.¡± The girls shot me a confused look. ¡°Spunk?¡± said Cindy. ¡°What even is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ you know? Spunk? Courage or determination?¡± ¡°Hmmm sounds like something an old person would say,¡± Cindy said unknowingly, scoring a critical hit to my pride. Flint chuckled into his fist. ¡°I¡¯d call her plucky!¡± he said, deciding to toss his hat into the ring of popular opinion. ¡°Soooo much older!¡± said Tommy. ¡°And lame!¡± Flint doubled over and clutched at his heart. I smirked and took a handful of popcorn, enjoying the change in targets. Heh, that¡¯s show him. A flash of light heralded Sabrina but this time she came with Janine. Both girls'' appearances had the children shooting to their feet. ¡°Sabrina!¡± called the girls, leaping up to present themselves to her. She deftly hugged and stroked heads causing a wave of giggles to break out. Yolanda walked up and presented Terra to Ralts. ¡°Tar!¡± said the excitable Larvitar in greeting. ¡°Ralts!¡± chirped Ralts back with an air of smugness. A glow formed around Ralts and a number of rocks rose into the air. I whistled. Ralts was getting stronger. ¡°Janine!¡± called the boys as they too closed in on a new arrival. Then they tried to tackle her. Janine blurred around them and appeared next to me in a cool pose. ¡°Naive!¡± she announced to the pile of boys. This just made her seem cooler to them. Gible squawked in surprise at having her so close so quickly and flapped his stubby arms. Janine shot me a wink only to frown. ¡°Is this the pokemon that you were given by Lance for assisting in the raid?¡± she asked. I nodded a pleased feeling swelling through me as I stroked Gible¡¯s fin, making him croon in delight. ¡°Yup, Lance, the Dragon master gave me this Gible.¡± Janine tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she took a moment to assess Gible. ¡°Gible¡­ he is not a Rock pokemon is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s ground,¡± I said leadingly. Janine blinked and stared harder at Gible¡¯s features. ¡°He¡¯s dragon-type?¡± she said in surprise. I nodded feeling like the Meowth that had just revealed how he¡¯d cornered the cream market from his competitors. ¡°He is indeed, and if the reading I¡¯m doing on historical pokemon like Gible is correct, then he¡¯s going to be very strong.¡± My pokemon lumbered around the corner at that moment, and Zubat who had been darting back and forth trying to hurry them up broke away to zip over to me. ¡°Zubat!¡± she cried, brandishing a wing towards my Elite team. I shot the team a wave and indicated their treats which had been laid out already with Sanchez standing guard over them. Sabrina slid into the spot next to me. ¡°Lance is going to be very angry when he realises his mistake,¡± she said. Janine hummed, her eyes turning to look at the shiny Zubat on my shoulder. ¡°He might feel slighted. He might also not assist you with any insight into Dragon pokemon.¡± I grimaced. ¡°Yeah he might do that. But well, I wasn¡¯t going to say no to the little guy,¡± I countered, holding up Gible so his large eyes locked with Janine¡¯s ¡°Could you?¡± Gible wiggled and gnashed his teeth, rather ruining the image of cuteness I¡¯d been trying to get him to convey. Janine leaned around Gible to pat Zubat on the head. Gible whined at this causing Janine to laugh and sit down. ¡°You had best read up on them, they can be a tricky breed of pokemon and it will take a long time to get them to their full potential.¡± I hummed and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve experienced that before,¡± I said, waving a hand towards Titan. Janine flicked her eyes at my starter. ¡°You think he might match Titan one day?¡± ¡°He has the potential,¡± I said. Janine frowned. ¡°All the better if you find a way to soothe Lance¡¯s ego or find an in with another trainer as skilled with Dragon-type pokemon. Clair will follow Lance¡¯s lead.¡± Janine shot me a look. ¡°So unless you become friends with Drake you will have limited options.¡± I bobbed my head back and forth. ¡°Or I could ask Oak about how he raised his Dragonite?¡± I suggested. Janine blinked. ¡°Ah, I had forgotten,¡± she said with a frown. ¡°It is rather easy to overlook Professor Oak sometimes, despite knowing how strong he is.¡± She nodded. ¡°That is a good idea,¡± she said. I settled back. ¡°I¡¯ll probably still need to soothe Lance somewhat. Maybe when this guy is mature enough I can pair him up with a ditto, or find another of his species to breed.¡± Sabrina tapped my arm. ¡°If they are as powerful as you have suggested they might face a few restrictions. Indigo doesn¡¯t like sending out any of the Tyranitar or Dragonite lines of pokemon unless they know they will not be bred.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I merely nodded. Sabrina and Janine then had to deal with attention from my siblings allowing me to sit back and wonder at how I would soothe Lance¡¯s injured pride when he learnt I¡¯d snuck a dragon-typed pokemon out from under him. The only solution I had was another dragon-type pokemon but I wasn¡¯t sure where to find one of those unless I went hunting for the Eon duo, or¡­ well Rayquaza. Which, yeah hard pass. I toyed with the idea of funding a few more dig sites for Crowley. Surely we¡¯d have to find a Tyrantrum or Tyrunt eventually. The match between Watson and Wallace ended with Wallace winning with a clutch use of Marvel Scale from his Milotic to help it boost itself and endure beyond what it should have. It then finished Manectric with a powerful Iron Tail that ripped up a huge chunk of earth as it hammered the electric type. I applauded the showing and had to give it to Wallace, he had a lot of style with his pokemon. I could easily see why he would have the skills to step up, should Steven stop being the Champion of Hoenn. Now it was time to see if there might be a better heir to the title however as the announcers went nuts hyping up Steven and Drake. ¡°Drake is a solid pokemon battler!¡± Janine gushed. ¡°My father respects him greatly and said he has always had a marvellous mind for tactics and strategy!¡± I rubbed Gible¡¯s fin. ¡°He¡¯ll be good to watch Gible, as he uses a lot of Dragon-type pokemon so pay attention alright?¡± Gible stopped eating from the bowl of popcorn I had in my lap long enough to nod before returning to devouring the food. I huffed and poked him. ¡°You¡¯re going to make yourself sick if you keep going,¡± I said, taking the bowl away from him. ¡°Giii¡­.¡± he croaked, sadly only for Janine to offer him her bowl. I shot her a surprised look which she ignored. Apparently, she had been taken in by his earlier cute looks but was just putting up a mask. Which sounded like her to a T. ¡°In this corner! Representing the people of Petalburg! The Dragon tamer and master of the skies! Drake!¡± A wizened old man with a fierce-looking moustache strode out to a chorus of cheers and shouts. He waved good-naturedly and his greatcoat billowed as he moved. ¡°And in this corner! We have the most dapper gentleman! The most eligible bachelor in the world, aaaaaaaaaaaaand your Champion! Steven Stone!¡± shouted the caster. Steven strode out waving and smiling as the crowd roared in greeting. I thought for a moment that I saw some people throwing rude gestures but they vanished in the throngs of happily cheering people as the cameras panned around to the two competitors as they locked gazes. I felt the tension in the air and I leaned forward, pushing Gible into the best position possible to watch. ¡°Serious time now,¡± I murmured, which made him pay attention and stop squirming to watch. A referee went through the usual details of the match before raising his flags. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± ¡°Ready!¡± barked Drake with a sweep of his hand, a pokeball already in it. Steven tamely unclipped his own pokeball, causing a chorus of surprise as he took the premier ball off his necklace, signalling his intent to send his starter out first. On his finger, a jewel glinted. The caster gasped. ¡°Is this a sign? Is Steven Stone going to¡ª¡± Before anything else could be said the referee dropped their flags. ¡°Release!¡± shouted the referee. Drake hurled out his pokemon revealing a Ninjask of all pokemon taking me by surprise. Janine next to me pumped her fist. ¡°I knew it! I knew he had a pokemon like that!¡± she said happily. I was too distracted by Steven¡¯s Metagross taking to the field to give her comment much attention though. Instead of the normal cobalt blue of a Metagross, a pale white metallic body glinted under the lights, making the dark sclera and red eyes only stand out more. I¡¯d forgotten Steven had a shiny Metagross, but that didn¡¯t hold my attention for long. The steel-psychic pokemon glinted under the lights of the arena and the gleam of intelligence was unmistakable in its eyes. I shot Sabrina a glance and she merely nodded, agreeing with me silently. This was a powerful pokemon. Steven raised his hand. ¡°I might be a little late to the party, but I think I should announce myself now, during the day of our founding I pay tribute with my own revelation. Metagross!¡± Steven reached out to Metagross and a bright line began to glow from the stone on his ring and a stone that was wrapped around one of Metagross¡¯ arms. ¡°MEGA-EVOLVE!¡± he shouted and the light erupted into an orb of rainbow power. ¡°Steven Stone is a magical girl?¡± shouted Suzie, throwing her hands up in shock. ¡°Is he part of your team?¡± she said looking at Sabrina. Sabrina blinked slowly, taking a long moment to parse what Suzie was talking about. She blinked again and I frowned, surprised that this was taking Sabrina so long. Sabrina held out a hand to Suzie. ¡°You¡¯re thinking rather loudly and¡­ very quickly, I understand this is¡­ important for you, but I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to convey.¡± Suzie blinked, nodded, and then clapped her hands together. ¡°Hrrrr!¡± she said. Only to then release her hands and inhale. ¡°There, who¡¯s that?¡± she said to Sabrina. I stared. Had she just copied my anxiety trick to calm down her mind? ¡°Adorable,¡± said Janine. I agreed with a firm nod. Suzie was pretty adorable. Meanwhile, Sabrina had started to shake her head. ¡°There is no global group of magical girls that can mega-evolve their pokemon.¡± Suzie wilted. ¡°Awwwwww,¡± she said. ¡°Yet,¡± clarified Sabrina, looking away from Suzie. Janine and I both shot her incredulous looks only for Sabrina to not meet our gazes. Instead, she coughed. ¡°I will have to find some worthy team members for my magical girl team,¡± she said, only then letting her eyes dip towards Janine. Suzie shot Janine a hopeful look and Janine coughed. ¡°I am working hard!¡± she said hurriedly. I tilted my head, wondering who would work best for Janine. ¡°Beedrill¡­ or Gengar?¡± I said, thoughtful. Janine snapped around to me, a notepad appearing as she hastily scribbled what I¡¯d said down, ¡°Any others?¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± I said trying, and no doubt failing to deny I¡¯d muttered anything. I really should have kept my mouth shut. ¡°Look! Drake just hammered Mega-Metagross with a U-turn and is bringing out his¡­ Flygon?¡± I said, curious at that decision. The girls stopped observing me and turned their attention towards the screen. The notepad in Janine¡¯s hand didn¡¯t vanish however and I just knew that she was waiting for another slip-up from me. ¡°Take control!¡± shouted Steven. His pokemon began to glow and the fingers on each of Metagross¡¯ hands stabbed towards Flygon. The dragon-type pokemon merely spun on the spot however and dark energy began to erupt from it, causing a cyclone of force. For a moment I had to wonder if Flygon could learn Darkest Lariat only to shake the thought off. Metagross, instead of taking control, was slammed back as the brutal Swing connected. Drake smirked but didn¡¯t offer any reason why his pokemon would have greater speed than a mega-evolved, and probably stronger pokemon. I had to consider the sequence of events. He¡¯d started with Ninjask of all pokemon. Why? ¡°He used Ninjask because of its trade-out capabilities,¡± I said, my mind replaying how things had occurred. Drake hadn¡¯t been waiting for Steven to take control, he¡¯d used the time that Steven was Megaevolving to speed up his pokemon before then passing the boosts on to the actual fighting pokemon Flygon. Onscreen, Steven sighed. ¡°You want to play it this way? Very well, Metagross, smart play,¡± he said, sweeping his hands. Metagross opened its arms wide, forming a giant cross before snapping them closed. From it, Icy Wind poured across the battlefield, leaving Flygon to once more try and advance only to take super effective damage. Flygon dodged into the ground only for another glow to form around Metagross as it held its place and waited. It did orientate to the left, however. Drake glared at Steven as the other man smiled winningly. I could only frown, there was something I was missing here. A moment later Flygon appeared to the left and behind where Metagross was. Metagross pounced as soon as Flygon burst out of the ground, surprised that it didn¡¯t find anything there. Instead, it took yet another devastating hit that saw it out of the running. I rubbed my chin. What was going on here? Metagross as a levitating pokemon meant Dig was a bad move. Why had Drake made a rather rookie mistake? Drake sighed, and returned his pokemon. ¡°You.. anticipated me tracking your habits with Dig?¡± he said. Steven nodded. ¡°I am aware of how skilled you are as a trainer Drake,¡± Steven said and caused the announcers to go a bit crazy. ¡°Steven is showing the strongest Elite some major respect here!¡± shouted one. ¡°Well worth it! There¡¯s mind games taking place here that are on another level!¡± shouted another. Drake merely grunted and withdrew another pokeball. ¡°Go! Ninjask! We need you once more!¡± he shouted. Ninjask appeared and swiped its pincers about as it buzzed from side to side. ¡°He¡¯s going to buff up his pokemon before sending them against Metagross?¡± I said. Sabrina nodded. ¡°It seems that way. With Ninjask being a naturally fast pokemon it is a good option. I do not believe that Steven is willing to let that play out though as it will become hit and run if he does.¡± In the next instant, Metagross vanished in a blur and reappeared behind Ninjask with its arms sweeping out like a samurai that had just dashed past his foe. Ninjask crumpled. I huffed. ¡°I think that answers that,¡± I said. Drake scowled at his downed pokemon. ¡°Aerial Ace, you had your pokemon practising different moves¡­ You¡¯ve changed your entire pokemon¡¯s movepool for this match, haven¡¯t you?¡± Drake said as he returned his second downed pokemon. Steven inclined his head. ¡°You are that strong,¡± he said. ¡°Hmmmm, I see that I need to try my best then,¡± Drake said, plucking his own pokeball off his necklace. He hurled out his next pokemon. ¡°Go Salamence!¡± he roared. On the field a powerful dragon pokemon appeared, roaring as it did so. Metagross leaned back as though intimidated only to glower and lean forward. Steven swept his hand without saying anything and once more Icy Winds shot forward. Salamence snapped its wings and shot upwards only to still take a small fraction of damage. ¡°It¡¯s faster than Salamence?¡± I said in surprise. I hadn¡¯t been expecting Mega-Metagross to outspeed a pokemon known for being fast. Drake''s plan of boosting his pokemon suddenly made so much more sense to me. Had he known about this pokemon¡¯s stat boosts and determined he needed something extra to match? In that case, Ninjask being the chosen buff pokemon with its greater speed made a lot of sense. But then Drake had said Steven had anticipated this as well? How would he know his pokemon were slower? I frowned as a suspicion formed in my mind. Salamance dove, determined to strafe Metagross¡¯ position with a diving Flamethrower only for Metagross to blur once again, this time the Aerial Ace didn¡¯t land but it did put Metagross out of danger. Steven made a grasping gesture and his pokemon once more exerted Psychic on another pokemon. This time Drake didn¡¯t seem to have an answer¡ª ¡°Hyper Beam!¡± snapped Drake. Steven¡¯s eyes widened as Salamance¡¯s head locked onto Metagross and unleashed a devastating beam of power that tore up the battlefield. Metagross took the hit face first and for a moment it vanished in the powerful attack. When the dust settled, however, Metagross was shown, still standing and still locking Salamence in position with Psychic. Salamence was slammed into the ground where another Icy Wind swept over the dragon pokemon ending the match. The crowd roared their approval only for the announcer, due to this being an official friendly match to announce a break. The crowd stayed in their seats and Metagross stayed on the field with Steven not walking back to his bunker. Drake, likewise, didn¡¯t move. ¡°Steven is pushing the evolution out, his pokemon took enough damage and has used a number of moves, it should be becoming too strenuous to hold,¡± Sabrina said thoughtfully. I watched Steven and nodded. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re right.¡± Steven Stone looked flushed and brow was dripping with sweat as he tried to keep the mega-evolution going. It seemed to be taking a bigger and bigger toll however and the break wasn¡¯t to his advantage. Sure enough, before the match could be restarted, Metagross lost its mega-evolution. Steven wiped his forehead with a towel that was rushed out to him by an aide. He sighed and slumped a little only to shake it off. He quickly straightened himself out and waved to reassure the crowd that he was right to keep fighting. This earned him a round of applause as people urged him on. Drake merely gave a single, begrudging nod of approval for Steven to keep fighting. Drake chose his next pokemon. ¡°Go! Swellow!¡± he said, sending out a pokemon I wasn¡¯t expecting. ¡°A Swellow?¡± I said. Janine nodded. ¡°He is most well known for his Dragon pokemon but Drake started with flying-type pokemon. He is still trying to get more dragon pokemon onto his roster but it is not so easy to find Dragonite, and rumours have it that he heavily funds research into other regions scouting hoping to find more dragon pokemon. I hummed. Yeah, he and Lance would get some seriously powerful pokemon the more regions that were opened up to them. I chuckled and stroked Gible¡¯s head. Swellow had to shoot into the air straight away to dodge a Psychic but instead of engaging straight away, the flying type pokemon hovered, beginning to glow from well out of Metagross¡¯ range. Steven shook his head. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± he said, forcing Drake¡¯s hand. ¡°Again Swellow,¡± said Drake, surprising everyone. ¡°Ah,¡± I said, realising Steven¡¯s oversight. ¡°That Swellow knows Defog,¡± I said, and sure enough a moment after Swellow had boosted itself up again. It dove and circled the field. As it flapped its wings hard sending out burst after burst of wind forth, causing the Stealth Rocks Steven had created to achieve nothing. Drake grinned while he punched forward, and this time Steven flinched as his pokemon took another U-turn to the face. Swellow disappeared and in its place, an Altaria appeared hovering and ready, and more importantly, not impeded by Stealth Rock. ¡°Take it!¡± snapped Drake and from Altaria¡¯s maw a huge Fire Blast shot out. ¡°Protect!¡± barked Steven, determined to keep his pokemon in the running for a moment more. Drake huffed. ¡°I¡¯ve got you dead to rights this time boy! You¡¯re not escaping me!¡± Drake swept his hands up and Altaria, rather than wait for the Protect to drop shot into the air to circle above Metagross. ¡°Fire Blast once more!¡± Drake said. The Protect vanished and Steven leaned forward, an intense look on his face. Metagross shot forward and vanished just before the Fire Blast could hit it. A moment later Metagross appeared in front of Altaria causing the cloud-like bird to shriek in surprise. Steven pumped his fist in victory, as Metagros caught the flying-dragon-typed pokemon. Both pokemon spiralled to the ground, on the way, bursts of fire and ice shot from both as they hammered move after move into the other. The tumble became a slug fest. Around me my siblings shot to their feet and cheered or shouted while my elite roared their approval for the hard scrap. Neither pokemon pulled out of the death spiral until and when they hit they rocked the stadium. When the dust cleared both pokemon were revealed to be knocked out. The crowd rose and roared their approval for the exchange and I had to give it to Steven, it hadn¡¯t been a bad idea. ¡°He forced a mistake, Drake could have ended it with a weaker move but he wanted to guarantee it with a move that isn¡¯t as accurate,¡± I said. Janine and Sabrina nodded. ¡°Giiiiiii!¡± said Gible, staring intently at the screen. I stroked his fin. ¡°Drake¡¯s got some strong pokemon, no?¡± I said. Gible nodded enthusiastically and I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll be just as strong one day,¡± I said, and Gible grinned but kept his gaze locked for what was to come. Both Drake and Steven selected their next pokemon. Steven sent out Claydol. Drake sent out a Sceptile. I sat up. Now that was a very interesting choice. Steven seemed stunned by the choice but I had to wonder if Drake didn¡¯t know about Sceptile¡¯s evolution, for it gained an extra typing when it did. Specifically Dragon-Grass. Drake knew something, or else¡­ he had incredible instincts? I sighed. ¡°I really don¡¯t know enough about Drake to know how impressed I should be or for what reason,¡± I said. Janine eyed me. ¡°And why do you say that?¡± ¡°Sceptile works for him,¡± I said cryptically, wise to her tricks. On the screen, Sceptile swept its tail about, causing a cascade of green leaves that then shot towards Claydol. ¡°Dig!¡± barked Steven. Claydol dove into the ground just in time to avoid the attack only for Sceptile to shut its eyes and relax. I leaned forward watching for what would happen. Claydol shot out of the ground with its head seeking to gouge into Sceptile¡¯s stomach. Sceptile flexed its tail and skipped over the previously hidden pokemon. ¡°Leaf Blade!¡± barked Drake. Green blades of grass energy burst from the leaves on Sceptile''s wrists as Sceptile slashed forward in a reverse style. Claydoll took the hit and tottered back collapsing onto its back where Sceptile pinned it, a leaf blade held over the meeting point of the two main segments. I whistled, damn that had been a fast reversal with Drake taking out two pokemon fast. Steven sighed and raised his hand. ¡°I withdraw my Claydol from the battle,¡± he said, quickly returning his pokemon before whipping out another. Skarmory took to the field and I hummed. This was a better matchup for him. Skarmory went in hard but Sceptile was up to the task of holding it at bay. Steven seemingly had no issue with this though and allowed the match to become a matter of endurance, which saw Sceptile dropping eventually. In the end, Swellow was left to face off against what remained of Steven¡¯s team. Steven considered his Skarmory for a long moment before returning it and sending out his Aggron, causing me to lean forward. Behind me, Knight stepped closer to watch his fellow pokemon easily close out the match for Steven Two to Six. Sadly I wasn¡¯t going to be getting any critical insights with that match with how Steven simply bombarded Drake¡¯s Swellow with Stone Edge to close out the match. Yolanda stood and stretched. ¡°That was a good match! I wasn¡¯t expecting the Mega-evolution from Steven and that made it a lot more one-sided than I thought it would be. There had also been a few unusual moments that I really didn¡¯t have enough knowledge of Drake or Steven to make an accurate call about. How well did they know each other¡¯s pokemon rosters to be able to predict each other like they had? Drake obviously knew enough about Metagross¡¯ movepool to have been caught by surprise with Steven teaching it, Aerial Ace. Sceptile had been a shock for Steven, I was sure, but Drake had seemed to come into the match against Steven. Knowing what Mega evolution would mean. That meant something, but I felt like I didn¡¯t have enough information to judge. I shook it off, and clapped my hands. ¡°Alright gang! Time for bed!¡± I called. My siblings and Bertha all groaned with sadness. When Bertha joined them trudging towards the house I rolled my eyes along with the giggles from my siblings. While she wouldn¡¯t fit through the doors, that didn¡¯t stop me from returning her to her pokeball and then letting her sleep in the loungeroom.
Steven waved to the adoring crowds one last time, a practised smile on his face before he stepped into the tunnel and out of sight. He held the smile for another few seconds before allowing it to drop as he advanced. When he reached the pokemon care facility the team of pokemon handlers he had were all waiting for him. ¡°Excellent battle sir!¡± they said together. Steven nodded. ¡°Yes, thank you for your work today and in the last few weeks,¡± he said as he deposited his pokeballs into various receptacles. The group of handlers all relaxed and began to comment on what they¡¯d liked the most of the fight. They also began to display graphs and power readings from the fight indicating how well his pokemon had done. Steven half listened, a thought niggling in his mind. He placed both hands on either side of the table and sighed loudly. Instantly the room fell silent. Steven straightened. ¡°Everyone but Katrina out,¡± he said. Everyone marched out, except for the singled-out woman. She stood at attention licking her lips as her eyes darted about. ¡°Sir?¡± she asked as the door closed on the last person. Steven sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve been feeding others information on my pokemon Katrina,¡± he said without preamble. ¡°For doing a poor job of it, you¡¯re fired.¡± ¡°Doing a poor job of it?¡± she said incredulously before shaking her head. ¡°Wait! No! I never did that sir! You must be thinking of Glen! He¡¯s always sneaking in here!¡± Steven held up a finger. ¡°No, I did not make a mistake. I have been aware of someone feeding others information for a while. Tonight¡¯s results confirmed to me it could only be you. Tonight I made the connection to you. But worse? Tonight,¡± Steven drew the word out. ¡°impacted the impression of Mega-evolution. It needed to be as good as possible, and you have jeopardised that. You may go,¡± he said, waving a hand. ¡°I jeopardised that?¡± snarled Katrina. ¡°Like hell that should matter you money-grubbing¡ª¡± Steven held up a finger and a pokemon appeared behind Katrina. ¡°Banette, escort Katrina to security. They will know what to do from there.¡± Steven shook his head. ¡°Honestly, you overplayed your hand.¡± He huffed. ¡°And did a second-rate job of it. If you had done it properly Drake would have fallen right into my trap,¡± he said, shaking his head. Steven stared at the score from his match, that would be what people paid attention to tomorrow. Two to six, with Drake able to claim two of his pokemon despite the mega evolution. Steven sighed and began sending off messages to his company¡¯s PR department. This would need to be managed. Drake had played his hand well and would garner much respect, with none of the masses aware of the moves made under the table to get him even that far. Steven smiled despite himself. He had to conclude that it did make the game, that they played more interesting. Chapter 179 - Tournament time! Breakfast on Monday was slightly different than usual. The family were still eating at around the same time, and I had a few newspapers laid out which I was reading through to keep abreast of the latest developments regarding Lance¡¯s announcement. On a local newspaper, the headline read ¡®Vote of no confidence passes for Mayor Jonathan! Time for a change!¡¯. Jennifer had kept me informed of this and I¡¯d happily told her to go for the throat when news broke. Mayor Jonathan had made his bed months ago and was now having to lay in it. None of this was too unusual. The unusual part was how my siblings clustered around Yolanda. ¡°You¡¯re going to come back with presents, right?¡± asked Cindy, as she tried to adopt a cutesy tone of voice. Yolanda stared at her sister. ¡°Does coal count?¡± I snorted and I caught Flint¡¯s lips twitch upwards before he smothered it and coughed. ¡°Now Yolanda, that¡¯s being unkind.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Yolanda said with a tilt of her head. ¡°Where¡¯s my favourite hairbrush? My hair ties? My limited edition clefairy jumper?¡± Cindy reeled back. ¡°T-that! This and that aren¡¯t related! I said I had no idea where those were!¡± Yolanda snorted. ¡°And if I checked the bottom of the clothes pile in your cupboard, they wouldn¡¯t be there?¡± Cindy didn¡¯t meet her older sister¡¯s gaze. ¡°No?¡± she said with a dull whimper. It twinged my heart to see her acting like this. It wasn¡¯t very effective on Yolanda who merely snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll have to see about getting a gift for you,¡± she said. ¡°What about me?¡± asked Salvadore. ¡°I¡¯ll find something interesting in Celadon, I¡¯m sure,¡± replied Yolanda confidently. I nodded. Beyond the huge department store, there were a number of boutique bookstores that Sabrina and I had enjoyed visiting on our way through Celadon. I hadn¡¯t needed to stop thanks to already having the badge from Erika¡¯s predecessor, a woman named Rose that may have been an auntie, I believe. I leaned forward. ¡°What about me? Anyone going to ask me to get them something?¡± I asked. My little siblings turned as one with blank expressions. ¡°But you¡¯re going to do it anyway?¡± said Tommy. I blinked. ¡°Well¡­ I might not?¡± I said. My little siblings stared at me. I could see the disbelief clearly in their gazes. They turned their attention back to Yolanda. I slumped. Was it a good thing, or a bad thing that they were so sure of themselves with me? Flint¡¯s shoulders hitched up and down a few times. I huffed at him only to pause as I felt someone tug at my shirt. I looked down to find Munchlax staring up at me with Baby-doll eyes. ¡°Munch?¡± he said while pointing at his open mouth. I snorted. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get you some good food,¡± I said deciding, that I¡¯d make a point of making it extra nice just for his asking. A rocky fist slammed onto the table next to me and I looked down to find Nanny Grav with a magazine cut out about a clothes steamer that could be deployed in a cupboard thanks to miniaturisation technology. It was on sale. I glanced up at Nanny Grav and she nodded seriously. I had to blink. ¡°You can read this?¡± I asked. Nanny Grav pinched her fingers together and made a so-so gesture. Salvadore leaned around Yolanda. ¡°She watches the educational channel while we''re at school or she watches it with us. She¡¯s picked up a lot!¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I said, impressed with her. I looked at the cost and had to whistle in surprise. This certainly wasn¡¯t something that you¡¯d find in any run-of-the-mill house. A quick glance at the other products on sale had me tilting my head. ¡°Hey? Who ordered this magazine?¡± I asked, glancing around and discovering a small stack of other magazines on a side table that I hadn¡¯t really paid much attention to until now. ¡°Oh! I set that up for Nanny Grav!¡± Salvadore said. Flint and I stared at him. ¡°When?¡± we said as one. Salvadore, suspecting he might have blundered, stepped back slightly and coughed. ¡°I did it when you¡­ gave me your card to buy those scientific journals and magazines? She was with me and found one about household goods and cleaning supplies¡­¡± Flint and I shared a look. I twitched my head in a ¡®do you want to explain it to him¡¯ gesture, only for Flint to shake his head slightly and wave me on. I coughed. ¡°Right, well, what you did was nice first off, but you should have asked first. That wasn¡¯t your money to spend, and you shouldn¡¯t have just assumed that you could spend it. What if I needed that money, or had plans for it?¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t? You¡¯re rich?¡± Salvadore said. Flint shifted at that and I could see a flash of worry forming in his eyes. I felt the same way. I didn¡¯t want Salvadore, or indeed the rest of my family to become entitled. While they weren¡¯t going to need anything, they needed to be grounded in their views on money, I felt. ¡°Yes, but again, that¡¯s not the point. Let¡¯s say I saw that charge and thought someone had hacked my account. I cancelled my card and cancelled all payments to the magazine company.¡± Then you and Nanny Grav would be waiting around for magazines that wouldn¡¯t come and you might blame the magazine company where it¡¯s been an issue of something not being expressed clearly.¡± I moved my hands so they were apart. ¡°It is a gap in communication that starts small but can play out bigger. As it is, I might rethink handing you my card in the future as I¡¯m not sure you might buy something else with it.¡± Salvadore blinked and considered this. ¡°Oh, I... didn¡¯t think about it like that.¡± I nodded, pointedly not looking at all the other eyes watching this interaction and noting down how it went. I was sure they were forming their own opinions of it. I made sure to turn to Nanny Grav who was contritely crushing her magazine as she wringed it in her hands. ¡°I¡¯m not mad, Nanny Grav, it isn¡¯t an issue, and I think you should keep getting magazines, and if you¡¯d like other things, then ask me or anyone else in the family. It¡¯s just that if I¡¯m paying for it, I don¡¯t want to have it snuck past me.¡± Nanny Grav nodded at this, and I shot Flint a look. He nodded and mirrored me. ¡°Hmmm~,¡± hummed Yolanda happily as she watched me and Flint share a proud parent moment. I rolled my eyes and stood. ¡°You done? I think it¡¯s time to meet up with the others so we can be teleported to Celadon.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± said Yolanda, as she picked up her backpack. It had enough clothes in it for a week and then some. As an official pokemon trainer backpack, she could store a staggering number of items in there if required. A bare week spent in a hotel wasn¡¯t going to test her too badly. I said my goodbyes, making sure that Gible was well situated with my fourth badge team before finding Rachel, Greta, Missy, and A.J. all set to depart. Zubat fluttered down onto my shoulder and for a moment I considered making her stay at home before shrugging. She was small enough to not be a bother and it would be good for her to watch the matches in person so to speak. ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± said A.J. grouchily. I shrugged. ¡°Sorry about that; you can¡¯t really rush little kids sometimes." Yolanda hummed knowingly but didn¡¯t say anything about how it was, in fact, me being too slow with some of the tasks I needed. A flash of light stopped any further probing of who was at fault as Sabrina appeared and looked us all over. ¡°Ready?¡± she asked. ¡°Yup!¡± I said, and with another two pokemon being released from Sabrina, our group vanished in a Teleport for Celadon city.
Celadon City was set up for the tournament, with a good deal of the hotels being booked out. With our Teleport points, we didn¡¯t really need to stay in Celadon, but I wanted to give Missy, Greta, and A.J. the most authentic experience of being at a tournament. There was also more to gain from staying with the chance to spend time talking with fellows. I had no doubt we¡¯d learn a lot from the immersion with the various trainers. ¡°Hey! Fight me!¡± said A.J. Or in A.J¡¯s case, get into a lot of fights to test himself against some trainers that were well out of his weight class. I stared as A.J. used his newly evolved Raticate to tangle with one of the Ace trainers. Yolanda stared with dead eyes while Missy just laughed. Greta sighed. ¡°I¡¯d heard about this, but I hadn¡¯t thought he was this bad,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯ll make some great photos and video content!¡± Rachel said as happily took some video footage to create a montage reel for A.J.. When she wasn¡¯t doing that she wandered around gossiping with other people. At first, I thought she was just talking about fashion and other things that Celadon was known for, but by keeping my ears open, I picked up that she was subtly prompting conversations to learn who was around for Ace trainers. With that in mind I took to watching, A.J¡¯s rather onesided fights with a new light. He might not have meant to do it, but there was information being picked up from these fights with how people fought. It wasn¡¯t a true indication of their skills, by any means, A.J. for all that he was a gifted trainer, didn¡¯t have the diversity, experience, pokemon, or tricks that Ace trainers had picked up. But that didn¡¯t stop me from garnering an idea of how some people fought, or how they acted. Most telling was their general character with how they responded to being challenged by someone that they saw as so beneath them. ¡°So, what are you looking for when you make your challenge?¡± I asked after his next defeat. ¡°Hmmm, oh, well you have to take in their clothes, their posture, the glint in their eyes, also if they have a hardness in their eyes. Also when you call out to them, they will sometimes give themselves away. Here watch¡ª¡± He started to move towards one trainer only for my hand to shoot out and grab him. ¡°No more fighting; I wanted you to talk through your method. Yolanda and Greta have been missing what you¡¯re doing,¡± I said, eying his twitching hands and giving his eyes a quick look into. ¡°I haven¡¯t missed anything Brock!¡± said Yolanda, perking up straight away, ¡°He¡¯s been charging in to test himself and his pokemon for the last hour and slowing our progress to getting checked in!¡± I waved a finger. ¡°He¡¯s not just doing that. There¡¯s a bit of an art form to challenging the right people if you can. Now, I¡¯ve been watching his fights and picking up some small details from the Ace trainers that he¡¯s been fighting, but before that, and more specifically for yourself, his process of picking a match needs to be considered.¡± I waved a hand about us. ¡°Some people ignored A.J., some accepted him, and some sought to crush him.¡± I held up a finger, ¡°But, and this is important, those rookie crushers were surprisingly rare.¡± Yolanda tilted her head and glanced towards A.J. who had his hands stuffed into his pockets and was looking away with a faint smirk. He was obviously pleased I was complimenting him. Greta rubbed her chin knowing that this was something she¡¯d be dealing with soon. I expected her to challenge or accept some challenges while we were here after all. I had included her to deliberately take her out of her comfort zone. ¡°Now, A.J. had to have some cues to look for. Care to repeat them?¡± I said, gesturing towards Yolanda. A.J. repeated himself and for the rest of the walk to the registration tent Yolanda, Greta and A.J. played a game of ¡®guess if this would be a good match for you¡¯. ¡°That one?¡± Greta said pointing causing the man being pointed at to perk up. ¡°No, he¡¯s got an eagerness to him, also don¡¯t point,¡± A.J. said while lowering Greta¡¯s hand. ¡°Just point with your chin or use clock directions like the one at eleven o¡¯clock,¡± he said. Yolanda nodded. ¡°Seems solid, I don¡¯t think I could win but I¡¯d learn a thing or two and it looks like they wouldn¡¯t push things too far.¡± I nodded, pleased that they were all getting into the nuance of making the right challenges. In the games, it had all been about locking eyes with a trainer. In a real setting? Things like that could still play out but there was also the need to approach someone or accept their challenge. I was happy to have achieved my two goals. I¡¯d gotten Yolanda and Greta to think a little more about this aspect of being a pokemon trainer, and I¡¯d also distracted A.J.. With him distracted he wasn¡¯t challenging people and slowing us down. Or, more importantly, he wasn¡¯t passing out. He¡¯d fought and lost a lot of pokemon within the last hour and he was rather close to whiting out having lost five straight matches like he had. I caught Yolanda¡¯s frown while they were talking and her eyes roaming his body, noting the pale colouration in his face, the slight tremor, and the creeping lethargy. When we passed by a cart selling food, I made sure to buy everyone something warm for them to eat and drink which had A.J. perking up. When I reached the registration tent, we drew a few eyes with people pausing in recognition. I hummed, an idea of what was to come being hinted at as some people raised cameras or transceivers to snap up pictures. I tapped Yolanda, Greta, and A.J. before handing them a map of the tournament grounds. ¡°Can you two meet up with Rachel and set up the tent for us? We¡¯ll be representing Pewter so I had a tent made up.¡± Yolanda gave me a flat look and I coughed. ¡°Alright, I asked Rachel and Alexa to get one made up!¡± I said with a huff. Yolanda nodded before accepting the bag with the Gym¡¯s emblem on it. A.J. perked up only for Greta to grab him by the back of the shirt and drag him much to his shock. I chuckled, pleased to see Yolanda wasn¡¯t the only one for whom training was paying dividends to. ¡°That¡¯s Sabrina¡¯s boyfriend!¡± said a few people, making me pause before the entrance of the tent. Well, that hadn¡¯t been how I was expecting people to recognise me, but¡­ well, with Sabrina¡¯s star blazing so bright, it wasn¡¯t surprising that people might have that view. I stepped into the registration tent and a hush fell over the people inside as I lined up. It didn¡¯t stop the whispers though. ¡°Shit! Brock¡¯s here!¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°That makes seven of the top thirty!¡± ¡°I thought Chrysanthemum would have drawn more away!¡± said the first voice. ¡°It¡¯s invite-only! Not for plebs.¡± ¡°And people like Brock, Masked Owl, Julia, Leo and Scarlet?¡± said the other. I hummed, so those were the other top thirty trainers? There were one hundred and eight spots and seven of us were from the top thirty spots? It might be hubris, but I wasn¡¯t worried about facing off against trainers in the top thirty to twenty position. I¡¯d noticed that the difficulty increased significantly with my last two matches which were both top twenty. I felt like the top ten¡­ or even the top five would be where the strongest Ace¡¯s would be. When I reached the front of the line, the attendant asked for my trainer number, and I rattled it off easily. With a few clicks and a clatter of keys, I had officially completed my registration. ¡°You will be notified in half an hour when registration is finalised. You may attend the randomisation in person, or you may watch it through the link sent to your transceiver!¡± chirped the attendant, handing me a lanyard with my trainer ID and the words ¡® Tournament trainer¡¯ printed in gold letters. ¡°Nice,¡± I said, turning and walking out of the tent and straight into an ambush from the media. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! What are your thoughts on Sabrina¡¯s Mega evolution?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s running the Gym while you¡¯re fighting in this tournament?¡± ¡°How involved with the Team Rocket action were you!?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Sabrina?¡± ¡°Are you thinking of proposing anytime soon?¡± ¡°Do you have any commentary on Lt Surge¡¯s injury!?¡± ¡°Which pokemon are you going to be using?¡± ¡°Are any new pokemon going to be revealed during the tournament?¡± A wave of questions washed over me and a firing line of cameras went off, snapping pictures of me and almost causing me to stagger in the face of the sudden onslaught. Zubat opened her mouth and screeched, silencing the wave of reporters and making a few sound men grab their at their headsets and rip them off. I shot my hand up and put a hand on her. ¡°Easy girl!¡± I said. ¡°Sorry! You startled her!¡± I said. A few of the reports shot me dirty looks but I felt like they¡¯d deserved that ambushing me like they had. ¡°Good work girl, I¡¯m only pretending to be mad, you¡¯re making them mind their manners,¡± I whispered quietly to her. I might just have to keep Zubat around more often if this was how she reacted. I reached for my Xtransciever and tapped a button three times. With the ping sent out I knew that I¡¯d get some backup in a few minutes, or potentially moments if Sabrina was free. That or Rachel would close in on me. I smiled widely until then and saw to the needs of the crowd. ¡°Hello there! Thanks for coming out today!¡¯ I said, only to catch sight of a harried-looking woman who was trying and failing to shift the crowd of reporters. ¡°I might have to ask that we relocate to the side however as we¡¯re blocking the main entrance and exit of the registration desk. I don¡¯t want anyone to miss out so, let¡¯s just shift a bit,¡± I said, miming a shove to the side. The attendant shot me a thankful look as I led the crowd of reporters to a small green space where a few picnic tables had been set up. I claimed one of them and smiled gesturing for others to set themselves up. Within a few moments the media circus had reestablished itself, and they had returned to attack positions with their microphones posed. My Xtransciever pinged and I shot it a hopeful glance only for Sabrina¡¯s message to confirm she¡¯d just started a match and wouldn¡¯t be able to bail me out for another twenty minutes at least. I huffed. She must have been facing someone with skill if it was going to take twenty minutes. Sabrina could dispatch people who weren¡¯t up to standard within five minutes if she needed to and that was accounting for after-action talks with the trainer. With the nebulous knowledge that I would have to rely on Rachel saving me. I decided to dip my toes into the pool of questions by starting with the easy ones. ¡°I want to assure everyone that the Pewter City Gym is still in operation and is being managed by some of our best trainers. For the duration of the Celadon Tournament, we have blocked ourselves out from accepting Gym challenges. This is to allow, myself and other Gym trainers to experience what a true ace Tournament is like, and to also allow the Gym to go through some repairs, refurbishment and decorating for this weekend.¡± ¡°What¡¯s next weekend?¡± asked one reporter. ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked,¡± I said, slipping into the rhythm of being interviewed. ¡°Pewter Gym, if you have not been paying attention, will be hosting a Contest!¡± I said. ¡°What about Sabrina attracts you to her?!¡± shouted one frantic-looking reporter. I almost chuckled. Perhaps Sabrina had used some foresight with her questions. I smiled straight into the camera, gave my true, and practised answer. ¡°She¡¯s got many attractive points about her beyond the obvious. Her mind and her body are amazing but pale in comparison to the depths of her heart. She¡¯s an extremely kind individual and I¡¯m fortunate to have her in my life.¡± ¡°Where were you during the recent League action?¡± ¡°I was in the thick of it,¡± I said. While raising a hand. ¡°For operational security, I can¡¯t divulge many details but I can tell you that fighting was fierce,¡± I said. ¡°What do you say about rumours that people were injured and killed? Guns were reported to be used?¡± said one reporter. I hummed, surprised about the news of deaths, that little factoid hadn¡¯t been revealed to me but it also hadn¡¯t been something I¡¯d looked into. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that people died,¡± I said. ¡°Even though they were mostly Team Rocket?¡± ¡°They were still people.¡± I sighed. ¡°I imagine there were more pokemon on that list as well?¡± I said and when he nodded I shook my head. ¡°A shame,¡± I said, bowing my head and remaining silent. The reporters copied me for a moment before the man coughed. ¡°What about the guns?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you learnt about those, many have been seized,¡± I said neutrally. I wasn¡¯t about to reveal I¡¯d been shot at. This was a question we hadn¡¯t considered and I might have failed to mention it to Rachel or my family. ¡°What are your thoughts on Steven¡¯s revelation of his Mega-evolution?¡± The questions continued to come and I wondered how many they¡¯d get before I could leave or I¡¯d be rescued.
Rachel eventually saved me by dint of merely stepping in with a clipboard and a claim that she had serious Gym business. By that point, I was starting to get into the more hard-hitting, or particularly ¡®fluff piece¡¯ questions from the reporters, so I was glad to have an out. I waved to the crowd and stepped away, spotting more than a few envious looks from other Ace trainers. I stepped back towards the microphone. ¡°I¡¯d sure be interested in what other Ace trainers¡¯ takes were on the tournament,¡± I said, throwing a potential bone towards some of them. Hopefully, they¡¯d get a bit of screen time and turn that into something. I marched off with Rachel. ¡°Did you catch much of that?¡± I asked, stroking Zubat to calm myself down. It had been rather nice having a pokemon with me during the ordeal and her species notoriety for reacting to bright lights and noise had forced the reporters to keep calm and not shout. Rachel nodded, raising up a small screen. ¡°¡ªyou¡¯ve heard it here from Brock! Now let¡¯s hear from other Ace trainers! Hello there madam!¡± said a perky-looking Battlecast presenter. I snorted and Rachel grinned. ¡°You were handling yourself great. Nice work building up with the easy lobs first and then working on the other stuff.¡± ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be so surprised that people are more interested in Sabrina and I¡¯s relationship,¡± I said. Rachel just giggled. ¡°The power couple of Kanto!¡± she chimed, leading me towards the tent that Yolanda, Greta, Missy and A.J. had assembled while I¡¯d been registering. ¡°Are we going to attend the randomisation?¡± she asked. I hummed. ¡°I think¡­ it might be a good idea,¡± I said. ¡°I heard a lot of people talk about the Chrysanthemum tournament that¡¯s on about now, so maybe we need to help draw some attention back.¡± I pointed at Yolanda. ¡°Care to stick around here with A.J.? Missy, Greta and I will go sit for the ceremony and see who I¡¯m going to face.¡± Yolanda gave me a salute and I grabbed a drink to keep myself fresh. ¡°Rachel, someone asked me about a catalogue of Mega stones, has that been circulating already?¡± I asked. Rachel hummed. ¡°I heard that question but wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it, give me a moment.¡± She quickly began scrolling on her transceiver before making an ¡®ah-ha!¡¯ ¡°Here! There¡¯s a forum with some anonymous people citing that Steven is selling Megastones to the highest bidder or to people that he wants to do business with. They¡¯re unsubstantiated but claim to be part of his former pokemon training team,¡± she said. A.J scoffed. ¡°Pokemon training team! Urgh! I hate that he¡¯s a champion and can get away with that!¡± he said. Greta shrugged and Yolanda looked thoughtful before turning to me. ¡°Any truth to those claims?¡± I sighed. ¡°Yes he has a catalogue, I don¡¯t think he showed me all of it when I came around but¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°He did try to trade me a Mega Stone for something I wasn¡¯t comfortable with, but he lowered his asking price quickly enough.¡± Yolanda looked worried. ¡°What did he ask for and what did you give him?¡± I considered not telling her before shrugging. Yolanda was mature enough to tell. ¡°That special cave,¡± I said, causing Yolanda¡¯s breath to hitch in surprise. I waved a hand. ¡°He asked for that but I worked him down to one of the Cradily that I personally trained.¡± ¡°Hmmm typical he doesn¡¯t even train his pokemon!¡± said A.J. with a scowl. I shrugged, usually it wouldn¡¯t work but when you had that many demands on your time, perhaps you delegated. I finished my drink and waved for the girls to follow as I made for the central tent. Once again, people perked up with our arrivals and when I marched up to the front and claimed a seat it was only a few moments before someone had placed a camera in front of my face to catch my reaction. When I looked around the room I found only one face, or rather mask, that was familiar to me. Masked Owl, or rather, Walker, was standing with his back to a wall glowering, at everyone. When we locked eyes, tension formed and I knew I was in for a good match if I drew him. A man wearing a flamboyant suit strode onto the stage. It took me a moment to recognise him as the official who had been the master of ceremonies for Erika and Will¡¯s fight. ¡°Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and pokemon of all ages, types and regions! Today marks the seventh annual running of our fair city¡¯s tournament. I¡¯d like to take a moment to thank all of the staff, volunteers, and trainers taking part! I hope to see this continue to grow, and I know that you will do us proud!¡± he said with a huge smile. ¡°And now! The moment you¡¯ve all been waiting for!¡± the man gestured and a large orb filled with balls was shown. ¡°For a true and unbiased randomisation, we are going to be running a lottery-style pick, with the balls falling into one of various channels that are visible!¡± I hummed. I could already think of a few ways to cheat such a system with heavier balls, or the use of psychic pokemon but then again that was the sceptic in me. It didn¡¯t mean they were doing anything of the sort. I watched as the orb spun up the huge number of balls, all of them with numbers on them. Soon enough they fell into a host of tubes forming a chaotic order that was then projected up onto the listings. Within a minute all one hundred and eight balls had been registered and the format was listed out on a large screen. ¡°Thank you for bearing with me! Trainers will soon be sent their matches but you can, if you¡¯re keen-eyed, pick out your number from the back of your registration slip!¡± I glanced at mine and hummed. Sixty-four. I waited and soon enough the lists autofilled with names. The Master of Ceremonies continued to smile as the list was finalised. I felt my transceiver buzz and I opened the message file to find a name with an Ace trainer profile linked to it. Carlos Goldman? Ranked one hundred and thirty on the Ace rankings? I tilted my head and looked over his pokemon. Hmmm, he had been active for a few years and he didn¡¯t seem all that impressive. I clicked on some other links and found the bracket listings and within a few minutes of work, I had a good idea of who I¡¯d potentially be facing. Rachel squinted at the list. ¡°Any big names on your side of the bracket?¡± she asked. I tapped a name low on the bracket list. ¡°If things go as I hope? I¡¯ll be facing Masked Owl in the round of sixteen,¡± I said with a pleased expression. ¡°He seems to be the highest-ranked person here as a top-ten-ranked trainer,¡± I said before a thought occurred to me. I tilted my head. ¡°How come he wasn¡¯t invited to the Chrysanthemum tournament if it is considered more prestigious?¡± I asked. Rachel hummed. ¡°From what I have picked up. Masked Owl is a bit aloof and something of a loner. He doesn¡¯t have any support crews like most Ace trainers or us, he just comes to his fights himself. So no one is really hyping him up or helping him. He is also not well respected by the rich money types that frequent that tournament. His whole Mask gimmick is not well received.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said, contemplating how I felt about Walker doing what he was. I didn¡¯t like the mask either, but that was mainly because it seemed he was hiding in plain sight with it. I had little doubt Lance knew¡­ actually, on second thought. Lance probably had no idea what Walker was doing in the hopes of getting to challenge him. Lance had other things on his plate. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit of a shame that we¡¯ll fight in the preliminary matches and not at the final, but I suppose that¡¯s the hazard of these types of draws. The two heaviest-weighted trainers can end up fighting each other.¡± I scratched my chin. ¡°Shame they didn¡¯t do seeding.¡± Rachel coughed. ¡°Actually due to Masked Owl¡¯s flying type specialisation, he wasn¡¯t seen as the favourite. There are a number of electric-type specialists in the round before your match with him and people have been turning their attention to a dark horse by the name of Scarlet!¡± I tilted my head, intrigued. ¡°Let¡¯s talk back at the tent,¡± I¡¯ll do some prep work on Carlos and decide which pokemon I will be using.¡± Rachel merely followed along.
¡°Just send out Titan, Empress, and Bertha from the get-go!¡± said A.J. with a firm nod. I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to bully Carlos, that seems a bit¡­ unfair, to send out my literal strongest pokemon,¡± I said. Yolanda hummed. ¡°I would have rated Shrek as one of your strongest due to his showing against Will actually.¡± Greta shifted and glanced around, not comfortable enough with her own thoughts to offer them up. Hmmm, I¡¯d have to work on that, get her used to offering up suggestions. Missy made a circle gesture. ¡°A Tyranitar is a Tyranitar, and Bertha is Bertha.¡± she said with a firm nod. ¡°Hmmmm, I think I want to try testing myself a bit more.¡± I held up a hand to forestall any complaints. ¡°I think I will send out some pokemon that haven¡¯t been getting as much chance to shine. Like Shin, Hypnotoad, Jorm, Or¡­¡± I considered my options. ¡°Bertha?¡± prompted Yolanda. I frowned. I had used her¡­ Well, I hadn¡¯t actually used her in a while to be honest, which rather surprised me. ¡°Huh, I haven¡¯t had to use her all that much, have I?¡± I blinked in surprise. With how loud she was as a pokemon I was always aware of her but I hadn¡¯t used her all that often. ¡°Yeah, I think I will use her in the first round if I get the chance to. Might use these first few rounds to give some pokemon that haven¡¯t had much fight-time just that,¡± I said, liking the sound of that. A round of fireworks boomed, signalling the start of the first matches. I glanced towards a map that we had pinned up, double-checking where I would have to go later this afternoon. The map showed that the grounds for the tournament had eight battlefields, along with the main stadium. On each battlefield matches would be running nearly constantly to make up this rounds sixty-four matches that were to take place. ¡°There are going to be a lot of matches, aren¡¯t there?¡± Yolanda said, somewhat mirroring my thoughts. ¡°Yeah, but things will get lengthened out again when they reach the round of sixteen, there will be a lot more strategy and that also opens things up for longer matches. They will double, if not triple in duration on that day.¡± ¡°How many fights do you need to win to reach that?¡± asked Yolanda. I opened my mouth only to pause as an idea flashed up. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I said with a smirk, ¡°How many matches do I need to win to reach the round of sixteen?¡± I said. Yolanda rolled her eyes and started working on the math. When I could see she had the answer I held up a hand and made her write it down. I then turned my eyes open Missy and A.J. Greta¡¯s hand shot up and I shook my head. ¡°Let them answer sorry Greta,¡± I said knowing she was clever enough to have worked it out already. Missy huffed. ¡°It¡¯s like being back in school!¡± Missy said. A.J. scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t need to know that! I just need to win!¡± he said. I shook my head. ¡°But it will impact your strategy if you don¡¯t know this. How many matches do I need to win before I am able to use six pokemon? This is important to know as when I use one pokemon I can¡¯t use them with there being a carry over for the first round of six,¡± I said firmly. It also served as a good test of his mathematical ability. If he couldn¡¯t answer this I might have to send him to school a few days a week. A.J. raised his fingers and started muttering under his breath. ¡°Alright one hundred and eight, each round halves it¡­¡± Fingers started to drop and soon enough he had his answer. ¡°Three rounds to get to full team matches?¡± he asked. When I raised an eyebrow, he coughed and straightened up, ¡°You need to win three matches,¡± he said more convincingly. I nodded. ¡°How many matches do I need to win to take it all?¡± ¡°Seven,¡± A.J. said much more firmly. ¡°I like the sound of that, seven matches. Makes it lucky, no?¡± I then turned my attention to Rachel. ¡°You were saying earlier that Masked Owl isn''t the favourite despite being the highest ranked here. Who is the favourite to win it?¡± ¡°Well until you arrived people were talking up Scarlet, who¡¯s a generalist but she has an Ampharos that knows a good spread of moves and has won this before. She has a number of different pokemon such as Vilplume, Pidgeot, Hitmonlee, Seaking, Starmie, Seadra, Raichu, Fearow, Tauros, and even has a Chansey.¡± ¡°A fighting Chansey?¡± questioned A.J. with a tilt of his head. I nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a potential threat then. Chansey can be powerful pokemon with the right set up, just like some of those other pokemon.¡± I drew up the brackets and saw that she was on the opposite side to myself and Masked Owl. ¡°If everything goes right for both of us she will have six matches to review, my fighting strategies and pokemon as well.¡± Missy nodded along but coughed. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on Carlos first. I wouldn''t want you to go out the first round because you weren¡¯t aware of some things, like the reduction to only three substitutes instead of six that a full match would allow.¡± I nodded at that and started doing what I could in readiness. In truth, I was confident I could sweep the first few rounds. My first challenge would come with Masked Owl, but before that, I had to endure a few quick matches to reach him. I found myself smiling as a small dream I¡¯d long forgotten about rose to the forefront of my mind. We¡¯d never won a tournament during my Journey. I licked my lips, it had been years, and my team was a lot more established now. Could we do it this time? I sat forward and began getting serious, the others responding to my shift in posture to stop joking around as much. We still had our fun, but by the time my match with Carlos was called, I was determined to take the fight to him and then keep going. It had been a long time since I¡¯d wanted something. But here and now? I wanted to win, and that felt damn good. I gave the board with Carlos¡¯ pokemon roster. Poliwhirl, Magmar, Fearow, Beedrill, Butterfree, Machop, Breloom, two Vileplume, Raticate, Dugtrio and Graveler. I crossed off some pokemon as terrible options for him to use and came up with an idea of what he¡¯d use. Or rather, what I¡¯d use against me as my best team of three. ¡°Bertha¡­ Gawain¡­¡± I licked my lips. ¡°Shrek,¡± I said, deciding on a strong team to start things off. It was time to see how well I¡¯d do. Chapter 180 - Sound off! One, two! ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± shouted the referee. Across from me, Carlos clenched his hand hard around his pokeball. A look of solid determination met my gaze and I felt my respect for him increase with how he didn¡¯t falter. I held a pokeball in my hand, ready to throw. The referee dropped the flags. I missed both the command to release and begin, to the cheering of the crowd. It didn¡¯t matter, I knew to react and not wait to hear the actual command by now. My pokeball whipped forward, right up to the very front of my side of the field, and the light exploded around a huge form. Bertha blinked in surprise and shot me a confused look only to brighten considerably. It had been a long time since I¡¯d ever sent her out first. She was better as a clutch fighter, or as someone that could turn the tide. She shifted her attention to her foe who turned out to be a Poliwhirl. The smaller pokemon raised its fists and I had to give my team props. They¡¯d predicted this pokemon as Carlos¡¯ first pokemon against me. With this being a do-or-die fight for us both he had to send out his best options here and now. He didn¡¯t have the luxury otherwise. ¡°Earthquake,¡± I said. I reached out for the bond that I had with Bertha and felt it pulse a little as I tapped into it. I hadn¡¯t done this in a while, but these fast matches would be the perfect training grounds for me to build up my aura reserves and to work on enhancing my bond. It would also make my pokemon hit, and take hits, just that bit better. ¡°Leap up and use Bubblebeam!¡± Carlos shouted, making his pokemon soar over most of the Earthquake before unleashing a barrage of bubbles at Bertha. ¡°Charge in,¡± I said to Bertha in response, making her duck under the barrage of bubbles. Poliwhirl landed and for a moment both pokemon were facing away from each other. ¡°Use your tail and skip back!¡± I ordered before Poliwhirl could react. Poliwhirl spun about and looked ready to unleash another Bubblebeam, only for Bertha to jump straight back, her tail raised threateningly. When she landed, she landed just shy of crushing the Poliwhirl, only for her tail to follow and crash down atop Poliwhirl. Poliwhirl buckled and then slammed into the ground face-first. The attack might not be super effective, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t powerful. I¡¯d seen Bertha destroy boulders from idly swinging her tail about, with actual momentum behind it, Bertha had practically one hit K.O¡¯d the Poliwhirl. Sadly this was proven to be a lie with Carlos swiping his hand to the side. ¡°Bubblebeam to get out of there!¡± he called, and despite her tail still pushing him down, Poliwhirl was able to rocket out of close range using Bubblebeam to blast away. I nodded. I had to give it to him, that was a good variation of the move, it might not work for a Poliwrath, but by then you¡¯d expect that pokemon to have Hydro Pump instead. Before Poliwhirl could land I gestured. ¡°Earthquake again,¡± I said calmly. Bertha didn¡¯t even turn around. She merely raised her tail and her foot and slammed them into the ground, causing the field to quake and several spectators to fall over themselves as barriers set up where we fought could not absorb everything. I softened my knees and absorbed most of the shaking but Poliwhirl stumbled as it landed, resulting in the pokemon falling down once more. This time it didn¡¯t get up and Carlos had to raise his pokeball to withdraw his Poliwhirl. ¡°Bertha!¡± I barked, making her turn to me. I raised my hand, palm out to indicate that I didn¡¯t want her to move and she nodded before turning back to face the front. With her well and truly still on Carlos¡¯ side of the field, he faced a choice. Did he try, and give his pokemon as much room as possible for a long-range specialist, or did he try and close with another fighting type? By staying in close I was making the choice tougher for him. Bertha had already demolished his Poliwhirl, a pokemon that if both were equal in strength, should have favoured Poliwhirl. But that was the point, his Poliwhirl wasn¡¯t on the same level as Bertha. Bertha, by my estimate, was easily at an Elite Four, if not Champion tier strength these days. In game terms, I liked to think that meant high fifties, if not level sixty. For all that she liked to goof around and play, she was a dedicated pokemon when it was time to put her giant nose to the grindstone. ¡°Go Breloom!¡± shouted Carlos sending in his best hope in close. ¡°Earthquake!¡± I said straight away. I didn¡¯t want that pokemon to get too comfortable. Breloom shuddered as Bertha unleashed her third Earthquake and once more people shuddered and shook. An idle inspection showed that more of them were able to stay on their feet this time around having been expecting it. Breloom twitched for a moment only to hop up onto its tail to ignore most of the damage. ¡°Bre! Loom!¡± shouted the fighting-grass-type pokemon as it glared at Bertha. ¡°Mach Punch!¡± barked Carlos and his pokemon rocked back further on its tail only to spring forward at a startling speed. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I responded, having Bertha blast a giant boulder right into the oncoming Breloom. It smashed its way through the boulder and then slammed into Bertha¡¯s flank making her groan in pain. Breloom landed and shot Bertha a smirk as Carlos punched the sky. ¡°Sweep low!¡± I ordered, not willing to slow down. Bertha swung herself in a tight arc, whipping the tail around. ¡°Leap!¡± replied Carlos haughtily. He seemed to think he was being clever here by avoiding the tail this time. Before his pokemon could land, I stabbed my hand forward once more. ¡°Ice Beam!¡± I said. Bertha''s grin stretched her face as she inhaled and then exhaled a beam of blue energy that slammed straight into the surprised Breloom. I hummed and shot Carlos a surprised look. I had been expecting a Protect from him but instead, he¡¯d just had his Breloom taken out of the fight with a one-two combination he should have been expecting. Bertha rubbed her side and twitched as Breloom was recalled. ¡°How are you feeling girl?¡± Bertha straightened up and fired her massive fists into a furious one-two combination as she ducked her head and snorted. I shook my head. ¡°There are going to be plenty of fights girl. No need to try and do it all yourself. I¡¯m going to be using you again soon, don¡¯t worry,¡± I said. And with that said, I decided to withdraw her. She had enough time to lace her hands above her head and theatrically twirl as she was recalled, resulting in her looking like a boulder pretending to be a magical girl with her exit. I heard the crowd that were watching our match laugh at the display and I shook my head. Cindy must have watched some Magical Girl cartoons with her when Bertha slept inside. I hadn¡¯t noticed as usually if Bertha was released inside, she¡¯d make a lot more noise. Also if she got excited by a TV show she usually caused more destruction and left a lot more dirt inside. I resolved to get Nanny Grav another magazine if she¡¯d handled it. That or I¡¯d have to get Flint something nice. Carlos sighed, and sent out his last hope. ¡°Go Vileplume!¡± he said with gritted teeth. ¡°Go Gawain,¡± I said, countering him and feeling particularly pleased with how our pre-match assessment had gone. Carlos groaned. ¡°You seriously chose those two as two of your three pokemon for this match?¡± he said with a shake of his head. ¡°Who was your third? Your Tyranitar?¡± I was about to shake my head and deny him, only to pause. He was fishing, and there were enough people around that even if it didn¡¯t matter for him, it would matter for my next opponent. I frowned at Carlos. He hadn¡¯t lost the spark in his eye that told me he¡¯d given up. He was trying to judge how to play this match in case the next match was favourable to him. As for other trainers? They¡¯d get to look at my roster and cross three pokemon off that were guaranteed to not be possible for their match-up. By only using two and not giving the third away I didn¡¯t show my entire hand. I decided to just shrug. ¡°Sorry, them¡¯s the break sometimes,¡± I said. I then pointed straight ahead. ¡°X-scissor,¡± I said. Gawain sprinted straight at the Vileplume, axes raised in a cross position, preparing for the strike. ¡°Toxic!¡± said Carlos. Gawain closed, and just as he was slashing out, Vileplume squirted a burst of purple gunk right into Gawain¡¯s eyes making him cry out as he shut his eyes and dropped his head. His training showed through however as before he staggered, he carried through with the strike and sent Vileplume soaring. Sadly Vilplume got back up with a grint and a shake of its giant fronds. ¡°That¡¯s it Vileplume! Stay in the fight! Use Mega Drain!¡± ¡°Rock Slide at your eleven o¡¯clock!¡± I shouted and despite being blinded and shivering from the effects of the poison, Gawain carried through with the move, launching a wave of rocks into Vileplume causing it to wail in pain once more. Despite the Rock Slide getting in first, Vileplume still didn¡¯t go down. Kleavor twitched as the Mega Drain pulled from him and the poison sapped him but I knew he could handle it. Neither move would be enough to see him drop. This match, unlike Bertha¡¯s match, was much closer in ¡®level¡¯ with Gawain being only one of the newest additions. I¡¯d have to rate him at a solid forty-five. ¡°Again! Aim a touch higher for distance!¡± I shouted. Gawain once more swept his axes forward and sent another wave of rocks soaring into Vileplume. This time it was enough to clip and knock Vileplume out of the fight, much to my relief. Carlos sighed. ¡°Urgh! A Bug pokemon against my grass type. Damn it! You read me like a book.¡± I nodded. ¡°We did that, but¡­¡± I coughed sheepishly. ¡°You do realise that Vileplume isn¡¯t weak to bug type pokemon, right?¡± Carlos blinked at me a moment before his eyes widened. He facepalmed a moment later before perking up. ¡°So that means my Toxic was the right call? Ha! My instincts are better than I thought, now I just need to train up my pokemon and we¡¯ll go the distance.¡± I grimaced. He obviously hadn¡¯t accounted for Rock being resistant to poison typing. Vileplume versus a Kleavor was a rather neutral affair in truth. Toxic wasn¡¯t bad, but that was more because he¡¯d gotten it into Gawain¡¯s eyes. I decided to just shake Carlos¡¯ hand and take Gawain to the healing area where a trio of Nurse Joys were handling the influx of injured pokemon for the tournament. I got the impression they were happy that in the early stages, they only had to deal with three pokemon from each trainer rather than full rosters. I handed over Bertha¡¯s pokeball and Gawain¡¯s pokeball before sitting back and waiting. Missy, Greta and A.J. joined me and when my pokemon were returned to me I led them back to the tent. ¡°So?¡± I prompted. Missy made a complex expression. ¡°He¡­ was better than I thought he might be?¡± ¡°He was a scrub,¡± said A.J. ¡°We predicted which pokemon he was going to use and he got lucky with his Toxic actually doing something worth a damn by blinding Gawain. You could have kept Bertha out for that match I think.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Well, I decided to switch it up. There''s no need to risk her in the first match. She did well though,¡± I said. This got a grunt on confirmation from A.J. and a nod from Missy. I toyed with the final pokeball that had remained on my belt, Shrek¡¯s Ultraball. If things had looked bad, I could trust in him as one of my most certain pokemon in a tight situation. Yolanda jogged up and waved. ¡°I got a video of your next opponent!¡± she said happily. I dragged her to my side, for a quick hug before releasing her. ¡°Nice job! We will know which pokemon to discount. What were your thoughts otherwise?¡± I said. Yolanda happily talked my ear off on her observations regarding the match and I quickly had a plan being worked out for my next opponent that would be coming this afternoon. Hazel seemed better than Carlos, but only by a few steps up the ranking. I let the others theory craft before I turned my attention to the next pokemon I could use. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! How do you think the event is going so far?¡± called out a reporter as they jogged along next to us. I shot them a look and realised it was the woman that had been rather polite with Sabrina and I in the past, so I slowed down and answered some questions before signalling I was done. I watched her sign off even as I strode away wondering for the first time if it was a case of us teaching her, or her training us to accept her approach. When we reached the tent we set up the whiteboard once again and laid out Hazel¡¯s information. ¡°Rapidash, Raichu, Linoone, Roselia, Staryu, Seaking, Azumarill, Seadra, and Ludicolo are her pokemon,¡± I said. I tilted my head and had to frown. ¡°That¡¯s a rather short list,¡± I said. Missy coughed. ¡°She¡¯s new and she only had the one circuit so she hasn¡¯t done that poorly. I think she¡¯s funding herself as an Ace Trainer right now.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. ¡°That was rather a bit elitist, wasn''t it?¡± I said, earning myself some nods from Greta and Missy while A.J. just snorted. I looked over her team with that in consideration and nodded. It was a relatively solid team all things considered, if a bit water-heavy. I set up Yolanda¡¯s video and watched it through for an idea of how she fought. ¡°She¡¯s uhmmm,¡± I said carefully, only to grimace as her Rapidash took a heavy hit that I felt could have been dodged. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°She¡¯s trash!¡± announced A.J. earning himself a few swats from the girls before they looked back. ¡°She¡¯s not as experienced as I thought she¡¯d be?¡± offered up Greta. Missy sighed. ¡°She got four badges from the big gyms and then went after the small gyms so she only really got pushed hard once instead of five times is my take.¡± She shook her purple hair. ¡°She¡¯s been too careful with herself but I think she¡¯s not been able to afford a big set back,¡± she said. Hazel¡¯s first fight had been a poor match but with pokemon like Raichu and Rapidash she hadn¡¯t played to her strengths as much as she could have. My expectations for the next match dropped a little. I hummed for a moment and opened up Battlecast on the television, curious what they¡¯d show me. ¡°¡ªnthemum stadium! It¡¯s Karen against her opponent!¡± said the presenter. I huffed and changed the channel to Battlecast two. Karen was going to win that match up, I could tell with just a glance. On it highlights of the matches that had been so far started to show with my own match getting a bit of attention with Bertha and Gawain. The talking heads confirmed what Yolanda had already brought to me, but only showed snippets of the match. Hazel had sent out a Raichu, Azumarill and a Rapidash to secure her win meaning I could scratch those from consideration. I rubbed my chin in thought and selected two pokeballs. Zephyr, Tide¡­ and I let my fingers dance on the Ultraball before nodding and picking it up with a spin. Sanchez. It was probably overkill, but I wanted to advance with the least hassle which meant I should play it smart. With that all done I just had to sit back and wait. By the time the match came around the media had set up a small presence outside my tent to pepper me with questions on occasion. I got the impression that the further I advanced, the more media would be present. I had a few of them tag along, dogging me as I made my way to face Hazel. They only broke off when I stepped onto the field and marched up to shake her hand. ¡°Gym Leader,¡± she said in greeting. I nodded back. ¡°Ace Trainer,¡± I replied with a smile. She perked up at that and nodded. ¡°Huh, I am, aren¡¯t I?¡± she said to herself. I just kept smiling. A bit of the research I¡¯d done on her had shown that she was considered a strong trainer thanks to her rise up the ranks despite this being her first year. To make the top hundred in your first year of being an Ace trainer was considered very good. I was obviously an outlier as a Gym Leader, not that I counted for such acclaim as I had been registered since my second year as a Gym Leader. It was only now, in my fourth year that I had started to advance up the ranks. We broke apart and I entered the box marked out as the trainer area on my side of the field. When I turned a referee was in position in the middle of the field. The woman gave the field an intense inspection before bowing in each of our directions. ¡°The field is up to standards, and the battle may commence!¡± she said, straightening up and marching to her spot. Hazel and I shared a look. It would seem we had a stickler for the rules in this referee. I made a note to not linger on any of my tradeouts. The referee raised her flags, ran through the standard set of instructions and before too long, she dropped her flags while shouting, ¡°Begin!¡± Hazel and I both hurled out our pokemon. On my side, Sanchez took to the field with a loud cackle and a wave to everyone present. On Hazel¡¯s side, a Linoone took to the stage. Hmmm, we hadn¡¯t guessed she¡¯d use that pokemon first, or indeed, at all during this match. What did she have planned sending out a normal type? ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said, setting the field for my purposes. ¡°Baby-doll eyes!¡± chirped Hazel, causing me to nod as Sanchez gained a goofy grin and waved towards Linoone. Okay, so that was her strategy? Lowering Sanchez¡¯s attack stat? ¡°Again,¡± I said, unimpressed by this turn of events. ¡°Now! While their guard is lowered! Double-Edge!¡± Hazel cried. I had to respect her pokemon knowing that move, but at the same time, I was disappointed that she didn¡¯t know what Baby Doll Eyes actually did. Then again, to the layperson, perhaps that¡¯s what they thought it did? ¡°Match it,¡± I said, causing Sanchez to exaggeratedly throw himself into a sprint before starting to roll. With Linoone having taken off before this and Sanchez¡¯s mucking about the impact happened closer to our side. Both pokemon slammed into each other and there was a solid whump of displaced air only for Linoone to come off worse from the hit. Sanchez shook his head while Linoone staggered and growled in pain. ¡°Thunder!¡± I said going for the kill on the first battle. Sanchez sparked up and Hazel stiffened. ¡°Evade with Dig!¡± she ordered. Linoone dove into the ground and dodged a huge bolt of lightning. I nodded in respect at the move before snapping my fingers. ¡°Earthquake,¡± I said. Sanchez stomped his feet and clapped his hands like he was doing a war dance, albeit with a lot more hip sway than I¡¯d ever seen. Sanchez had a huge silly grin strewn across his face as Linoone was hurled out of the ground, beaten and broken. ¡°No! Linoone, hang in there with Rest!¡± Hazel called. I shifted. I had half a mind to end the match with a shot to her sleeping vulnerable pokemon, but then I realised I had better options to close out the match. By not withdrawing her Linoone now, and instead going for Rest, Hazel had made a huge error. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said and for a third time Sanchez got off his field effect. Linoone surprised me by being a quick sleeper as just as the rocks formed up it opened its eyes and locked back onto Sanchez. ¡°Thunder,¡± I said again, deciding to put the pressure on Hazel. ¡°Charge in! Dodge it with Double-Edge!¡± she cried out, punching her hand forward. Linoone charged in but this time Sanchez wasn¡¯t to be denied. His Thunder struck from the sky like a bolt from the heavens slamming into and ending Linoone¡¯s charge. It slid closer towards us only to regather its feet and surprise me with a sudden faster burst of speed even as lightning coursed around its form. Linoone once more slammed into Sanchez and this time Sanchez was the one to fall back in surprise. He quickly bobbed up however and shook himself off. ¡°Go go golem!¡± he shouted encouragingly to Linoone. ¡°Discharge,¡± I said, making Sanchez erupt in lighting around him and locking Linoone with volts of electricity. When the Discharge finished Linoone was revealed, laying on his back with his paws in the air twitching as electrical jolts arced through him. The referee inspected Linoone and hurled out a flag, ¡°Linoone is unable to battle! Brock is the victor!¡± she cried. Hazel wilted. ¡°Urgh, that didn¡¯t go how I was hoping,¡± she said. I quirked an eyebrow and had to wonder how she was hoping for that match to play out. It was honestly a rather terrible choice for a three-on-three match for her opening pokemon against me. ¡°Let¡¯s go Ludicolo!¡± cried Hazel. Her next pokemon took to the field only to get a welcome of three Stealth Rocks slamming into it from various angles. I felt a little bad as I pointed straight at the stumbling pokemon. ¡°Thunder,¡± I ordered. Once again Sanchez lit up, and once again, I could tell Sanchez¡¯s aim was on point. So could Hazel. ¡°Protect!¡± she screamed. Ludicolo reacted just in time to raise a shield to deflect the powerful electric attack and I had to click my tongue in annoyance. Damn, that had nearly been a one-and-done showing for her. Still, she had the answer she needed. It was just a shame she hadn¡¯t started with this pokemon. Ludicolo dropped the Protect and took to bouncing around merrily. Sanchez joined in the other pokemon hopping from foot to foot like this was merely a game. ¡°Astonish!¡± shouted Hazel. Her Ludicolo hid its hands like it was doing peekaboo and a monet later opened its hands to reveal its eyes were in different locations and a truly huge tongue was stuck out of its mouth as it leapt forward at Sanchez. ¡°Go?!¡± he said, startled by this odd turn of events. ¡°Discharge,¡± I said firmly. Sanchez reacted even as Lucicolo closed, zapping the other pokemon as it made an impact. Sanchez stumbled back and fell on his backside as Hazel got lucky with the flinch effect. ¡°Yes! Now use Mega Drain!¡± she said. I held in a sigh. Someone really needed to teach these kids that there were better-draining grass-type moves, such as Giga Drain to use. Green energy shot into Sanchez and then back to Ludicolo as I shot my hand forward. ¡°Thunder!¡± I said. Sanchez rocked up onto his knees and let loose a powerful blast that shot up and then down into Ludicolo causing it to buckle under the power of the attack. When the lightning vanished Ludicolo tottered back and forth before falling to the side, having fallen unconscious. Once more the Referee shot their flag up towards me and I had to frown. Hazel was making a lot of mistakes, it seemed to me. I felt the Gym Leader within me wanting to sit her down after the match for a review, much as I had for Carlos. Some of these mistakes seemed simple to me. I wasn¡¯t sure what she was thinking, using the Linoone choice. On a whim, I glanced away from the field and instead looked around for anyone in her section of the stands only to find them empty. Hmmm, she didn¡¯t have a support team or anyone to workshop ideas with. Not surprising considering she was only in her first year as an Ace trainer, but it might start costing her more going forward. ¡°Go! Roselia!¡± Hazel shouted sending out her final pokemon, and the pokemon that I had been expecting first from her. The only reason I could think she had held back on it, was that this Roselia, was her starter pokemon. ¡°Earthquake!¡± I said as the Stealth Rocks shot towards Roselia. ¡°Petal Dance!¡± screamed Hazel. ¡°Dance through the attacks and stay light!¡± she screamed. I, and all the spectators watched as she unleashed a powerful wave of petals while stepping lightly around the Stealth Rocks that should have been guaranteed to hit. The only hit Roselia took ended up being when it buckled with Sanchez getting off his Earthquake and forcing Roselia to take a shot to the arm with the final Stealth Rock. Then the petals that had been swirling around Roselia swept forward and slammed into Sanchez, dropping him with the powerful storm of pink. ¡°Return Sanchez,¡± I said surprised that Hazel had some power in her pocket with her Roselia. I hadn¡¯t been expecting it to be so strong that it could weave its way through Stealth Rocks while under pressure like that. I ignored the referee announcing the score as I selected my second pokeball. ¡°Go Zephyr!¡± I said, revealing my answer to the Grass-poison type pokemon. Hazel grimaced and shot me a look. ¡°You were expecting him?¡± she asked. I nodded. ¡°I was expecting him earlier honestly, I thought I was going to get off a single Stealth Rock.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You didn¡¯t play that game though,¡± I said before waving towards Zephyr. ¡°Air Slash.¡± Zephyr swept his wing and unleashed a cutting wind. ¡°Bend under it!¡± said Hazel, surprising me once again as her pokemon. Instead of taking the hit, blocking it, or leaping away, Roselia leaned all the way back, like a willow tree in the face of a raging storm to avoid the Air Slash. As It bent back up Hazel punched forward. ¡°Leech Seed!¡± she commended, resulting in seeds shooting up into the air towards Zephyr. ¡°Dive into a Hurricane!¡± I commanded, feeling a small spark. This was more like it, I thought to myself as I felt my focus intensify and the link I had with Zephyr being tested. Hazel was pushing back despite the type advantage being in my favour and making me fight her properly. Zephyr dropped, spinning as he did so, causing a Hurricane to form and throw off any seeds that had been threatening him. Then, with his defense sorted, he swept the Hurricane forward straight at Roselia, turning back on the offensive. ¡°Roselia! Dig your heels in and Endure!¡± called Hazel. Roselia did just that, curling in on itself as the Hurricane swept over him, battering and tearing at his huddled form. When the Hurricane was spent, Zephyr turned to assess his foe. Around where Roselia had been a wave of detritus had built up with the pokemon twitching and shivering in the middle, mostly hidden from view. Another person, one not good friends with Erika, might have hesitated and waited a moment. I merely chopped my hand down again. ¡°Aerial Ace!¡± I barked. Roselia, hearing the order twitched, throwing off the loose leaf litter that had covered it as it turned to face Zephyr. It had to bend its body as its feet, or roots rather, remained Ingrained. Endure, with an Ingrain, resulting in Roselia not truly reaching the dredges of energy it otherwise might have. ¡°Toxic!¡± shouted Hazel as her pokemon lined up its two roses that acted as arms to fire a noxious substance at Zephyr, or rather, where he¡¯d been. Just before the Toxic was about to impact, Aerial Ace activated, and Zephyr blurred in a sudden acceleration to the side where he swept in and finished off the exceptionally strong Roselia. Roselia was hurled and rolled back only to lay flat after a soft cry and a rose being extended towards Hazel. Hazel returned him with a forlorn sigh. ¡°You did great buddy.¡± ¡°Roselia is unable to battle! The match goes to Brock!¡± The referee shot her flags up as she pronounced me the winner. I approached Hazel and shook her hand. ¡°Good match, That last pokemon is seriously strong. It¡¯s impressive that your Linoone knows the moves that it does as well.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah¡­ he wasn¡¯t my first pick but a number of my other pokemon are fatigued cause we had a hard match on sunday¡­ that I¡¯m sort of regretting, but at the same time not,¡± Hazel said with a sigh. ¡°Hoh?¡± I asked. Hazel rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Even with those pokemon I don¡¯t think I would have won today¡¯s match.¡± I waved a hand. ¡°Never discount yourself. You and your team could be firing on all cylinders or I could be feeling flat you know?¡± ¡°Hmmmm, I had a friend challenge you¡­ do you want to talk about the match?¡± she asked. I grinned. ¡°I would be happy to!¡± Holy heck but I wanted to correct some misconceptions this girl had! I happily led her back to the Pewter tent with my entourage. Yolanda was highly amused at how I was discussing the match and giving Hazel insights into things she could do better. With the knowledge that Hazel had come into this match with limited options, her Linoone first choice¡­ made a bit of sense, but it was honestly a bit ambitious. She must have been expecting her Roselia to carry her through the first day to give her other pokemon time to rest. Sadly, she got caught out. When I was done I sent Hazel off to enjoy herself before spending an hour going over the match, and my own next match up against Han from Ecruteak City. Apparently, Han had spent some time training with the Gym there so I already knew to expect some Ghost pokemon and it showed with his pokemon roster being mostly dominated by them. Sadly he seemed to have a penchant for using very annoying tactics such as switch-outs to gain himself favourable matches up as much as he could. ¡°Should be an easy win for you,¡± said A.J. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I have to wonder though, this has kind of caught me in a whiplash situation with last week¡¯s matches being something I had to really struggle and be on point with¡­ today¡¯s matches¡­ they kind of¡­¡± I trailed off and searched for the right word. ¡°Suck?¡± said A.J. bluntly. ¡°Aren¡¯t up to your standard?¡± said Greta cautiously. I pointed at her. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s kind of odd. If you aren¡¯t careful you could get caught off guard I think because for some of these matches I¡¯m really just overpowering my opponent¡¯s pokemon. Carlos was a good example, but there are some outliers. If Hazel had more pokemon like that Roselia she¡¯d be in the top twenty easily I think.¡± That made A.J. lift up Hazel¡¯s information with a bit more interest. ¡°Her Roselia was that strong?¡± he asked. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, but the point I¡¯m trying to make is¡­ there¡¯s a skill to staying sharp and watching for strong contenders in matches like these, cause you can sort of get lulled into dropping your standards.¡± The others nodded at this and Missy even went as far as to write it down in a journal that looked like it was overflowing with notes. ¡°Been a good day for you?¡± I asked. She bobbed her head up and down quickly. ¡°Yeah! Fantastic! My head is just swimming with everything I just¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can take any more in though,¡± she said, looking up and revealing she had a slightly dizzy look. ¡°Ah, time to go outside and just blow off some steam, yeah? You have your keycard for the hotel room, right?¡± When she nodded I directed her out the tent flap. ¡°We¡¯ll clean up here. Go relax, do some shopping, whatever you need to do, alright? Yolanda, Rachel, how about you girls go with her?¡± I prompted. With that seen too A.J. and I packed up the tent and then moved on to the hotel we were staying at. When I opened the door, I was greeted by Yolanda in a pink fluffy robe with a towel around her head. Terra was next to her with a towel around her horn. ¡°Can I order room service?¡± Yolanda asked. I chuckled and waved my acceptance while asking for a burger. With her checked in, I moved down to a specialised area where I laid out my pokemon¡¯s food on plates. My team appeared in a flash of light and I sat down to talk with them about the day for an hour or so. Sanchez was full of praise for Roselia and Zephyr got a round of cheers for beating the strong pokemon. Tide looked a bit sad that he didn¡¯t get to fight but I was quick to assure him that I¡¯d appreciated having him in my pocket as a pinch-hitter. ¡°Alright, anyone want to watch some movies with Yolanda and I? We got the penthouse so you can watch with us?¡± I asked. That got them to all chirp up and when I returned and released them Yolanda laughed and settled in for a few movies with me. I made sure not to spare a thought for my next match. I already had done what I needed, so I didn¡¯t spare it any more thought. When I awoke I went through a quick breakfast to get to the grounds early. Yolanda jogged out with me and we set up the tent before sending off a message to the others to join us when they were free. I then led Yolanda around the grounds, buying some goods that were being sold by stalls about the tournament grounds. ¡°We¡¯ll have to make a concerted effort to go to the department store tomorrow depending on what time my next match is,¡± I said to Yolanda. I returned to the tent to find an amused Rachel staring at Missy as a much larger crowd of reporters clamoured for her attention. ¡°So are you going to be the new heir now that Forrest has been pushed aside?!¡± called one reporter. I blinked at that and stepped up. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I asked. Missy curled in on herself. ¡°I was still feeling a bit out of it so I decided to have a match and I used¡­ Rhyperior¡­ and people think that means I¡¯m the heir now?¡± she said, shooting me a plaintive look. I hummed. ¡°Hmmm That doesn¡¯t¡­ actually,¡± I considered it from an outsider¡¯s perspective. It would have been a huge concession for me to hand over how to evolve Rhydon. It could be construed that way. I coughed into a fist. ¡°Right, to clarify, Missy, as skilled a trainer as she is, is not the Pewter Gym¡¯s heir. At this stage, it is still being held by my family. We will decide among ourselves who is the best suited. Forrest, may or may not want to, just as Yolanda here may, or may not want to,¡± I asked. As though sensing maximum drama potential, the bag that Yolanda had been carrying over her shoulder opened and Terra poked her head out. ¡°Lar? Vitar?¡± she said innocently. The reporters went into a frenzy. ¡°Is Yolanda the next heir?¡± shouted one. ¡°The next Brock! She¡¯s following in his footsteps!¡± cried another. I raised a finger and then lowered it. I shot her a look, ¡°Well, she sort of is, but I think she¡¯ll do herself very proud, she¡¯s got a lot of potential and I am going to be very interested in it when she goes on her Journey.¡± The reporters paused at this and then turned back to their cameramen. ¡°You heard it here first folks! Brock has an heir in Yolanda! An inheritor of will that will one day rock the League with her arrival! Her Journey will be one we eagerly await!¡± cried one reporter. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that¡­ but.. Sure, whatever makes you happy.¡± At my side, Yolanda stared, with open eyes. ¡°Are they always like this?¡± I sighed. ¡°I think they were just extra excited with Missy¡¯s reveal, and then things sort of spiralled from there,¡± I said. I waved my hand towards the tent. ¡°Let¡¯s just ignore them, we have better things to do,¡± I said. Such as running through final preparations to face a ghost specialist. I doubted Han would hold up against Agatha, whom I¡¯d sparred with quite a few times now, but it wouldn¡¯t pay to get sloppy. I swallowed down my hesitation and got ready to fight. Chapter 181 - Haunting moments and feathery situations ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± called today¡¯s referee. I nodded, my hand fixed on the pokeball. I¡¯d analysed his team which consisted of Haunter, Dusclops, Mismagius, Sableye, Golbat, Vileplume, Cacturne, Crawduant, Shiftry, Parasect, Beedrill, Venomoth, Ninetails, and Scyther. I had dismissed most of the bug pokemon from contention. He¡¯d have been mad to send them against me. The same was true for Golbat but he¡¯d used that in his match yesterday along with Dusclops and Shiftry. I was expecting Vileplume or Cacturne as his opening options. To mix things up I was going for Link, Knight, and Jormungandr. His Ninetails might have been a threat against my steel type but I was confident they¡¯d be able to deal with it should the need arise. It was also one pokemon against my own roster that was littered with rock or water types. He¡¯d be mad to use it. Across from me, Han had his own pokeball in hand, idly tossing it up and down as if he wasn¡¯t bothered by being matched up against me. I pointedly didn¡¯t look to the side and ignored the flashing lights with practised ease. With Missy¡¯s choice of stress release and the subsequent feeding frenzy of the media, there was a lot more interest in this match from them. A lot of trainers, who had previously been tied up in their own matches, were also watching the match. With only thirty-two trainers still in the tournament right now, there was a need to pick and choose which matches you would watch on the fields. And with my ranking and status as a Gym leader, there was a lot of demand to get a good angle to watch it. I could see a few of the faces that my group had spoken about. Scarlet was here with a small group, a number of people holding up cameras themselves to catch different angles. Also of note was the face I couldn¡¯t see. Masked Owl stood alone, he had a circle of space around himself as no-one seemed willing to linger close to him. ¡°Release!¡± shouted the referee, their flag dropping. I hurled my pokeball forward as Han caught and flicked, his hand blurring with speed. Damn, he was quick. His pokeball hit the ground before mine and his pokemon appeared in the midfield. ¡°Craw!¡± roared a strong looking Crawdaunt. A water-dark type pokemon. That was a rather good selection for him. He¡¯d reacted to my showing with Sanchez, knowing that I couldn''t lead with my rock-electric type to take an early favourable match up. Sadly for him, I had other options. ¡°Fable!¡± chirped Link as he appeared with a cascade of light, hopping back and forth lightly before locking eyes with the Crawdaunt. ¡°Tch!¡± said Han, whipping his hand to catch the pokeball as it returned only to activate the recall instantly. I blinked, caught out by the speed of the reaction. He must have known that Link would tear through him with Link¡¯s fairy typing. Sadly, Link didn¡¯t have any moves that would allow him to buff up while Han pulled out another pokeball, with how fast he was being I was barely able to get out my order before he was whipping out another pokemon. ¡°Baton Pass,¡± I said and Link vanished as I raised up another pokeball. For Han¡¯s part a pokeball disgorged another pokemon revealing a Haunter that blinked in surprise at the empty field only to lean back in mock fear when Knight took to the stage with a clack of metal plates. ¡°Bully it with Stone Edge!¡± I ordered. ¡°Nope!¡± said Han, as he made his Haunter soar to the side only to then withdraw it once again. I twitched. Was this guy seriously going to use only going to meet me if I gave him favourable matchups? He¡¯d used two of his switches already! He only had one more allowed to him. ¡°Autotomize!¡± I said, Knight just barely got the order done before a Ninetails appeared. Damn it! That should have been a bad pick for him! I mentally goraned in annoyance but outwardly leaned forward, anticipating a hard fight ahead. Han watched me to see if I was going to withdraw my pokemon and when I didn¡¯t he stabbed his hands straight ahead. ¡°Fire Blast!¡± ¡°Dig!¡± I responded. Knight burrowed quickly and easily evaded the attack. I made sure to watch Ninetails and when a shimmer appeared around it I reached out and pulsed a feeling of caution into the bond I shared with Knight. A long silence drew out and Han started to frown only for a section of earth to the side broke as Knight rose with a roar, lashing out and breaking the Substitute that Ninetails had been trying to get away with. I¡¯d been careful to watch for it this time and knew that through some careful tremor sense, Knight should be able to find his way to the real threat and not where we thought Ninetails had been. It just required you to slow down a little. ¡°Fire Spin!¡± ordered Han as Ninetails skidded to a stop and glowered at Knight. Ninetails inhaled and then unleashed a huge gout of fire straight at Knight. I merely grinned. ¡°Dig!¡± I said, knowing that it was an annoying strategy to have used against you, but it was still valid. Han scowled. If I was right, his¡ª ¡°Swift,¡± said Han, revealing that he had done his own homework and come up with somewhat of an answer to my pokemon evading him. Knight was peppered by several stars that shot down into the ground only for the ground to buckle as Knight shot out of it, aiming for Ninetails. The fire type leapt back but Knight wasn¡¯t to be denied, not with his increased speed. He came on fast and grabbed Ninetails and hammered it into the ground. ¡°Damn! Baton Pass!¡± shouted Han, holding up a pokeball. Ninetails vanished, just barely conscious enough to pull the move off as a larger form appeared in Knight¡¯s grip. ¡°Craw!¡± roared the Crawdaunt once again. ¡°Take Down!¡± I barked straight away. I didn¡¯t want to give that pokemon time to go to work on Knight, so instead I went on the attack. Knight, with Crawdaunt still caught in his grasp, jumped, spinning as he did so only to reposition himself so that as he fell Crawdaunt was guaranteed to take the worst of the damage. ¡°Razor Shell!¡± ordered Han. His pokemon slammed its claws into Knight¡¯s body hammering for all it was worth despite being restricted. It wasn¡¯t enough to break Knight¡¯s grasp as he slammed into the ground atop Crawdaunt. The ground buckled with their combined weight but Knight stood without issue. ¡°Kip up and catch him!¡± snapped Han. Crawdaunt¡¯s tail kicked into the ground and caused it to rise up so that the smaller front legs could wrap around Knight. With this new position, Knight was locked and Crawdaunt had the room to start throwing serious hits into my pokemon. I mentally noted that Knight needed to learn to keep his foot on his opponent in such situations instead of backing off. That would have been enough to drop a weaker pokemon, but with the matches we were having these days, it wasn¡¯t going to be enough to hit them hard once. You needed more. ¡°Knight, use Stone Edge!¡± I said. If this hadn¡¯t been an open field with so many people around, I might have ordered Giga Impact, but with potential injuries if the much weaker barriers didn¡¯t hold up, I¡¯d be at the centre of a tragedy of my own design. Knight hammered into Crawdaunt and Crawdaunt replied with its own claws glowing blue with water energy. Both of them tanked and blasted at each other but in the end, Crawdaunt¡¯s choice of attack was enough to edge out Knight. His defence fell off with the repeated strikes of Razor Shell despite his much higher defence and power. Knight fell and the crowd gasped, surprised that one of my pokemon was the first to drop. I didn¡¯t mind. I¡¯d already weakened two of Han¡¯s team with this and created an openning to finish this match with my clutch pokemon. ¡°Return Knight, you stood up well out there, two pokemon are on their last legs thanks to your efforts and both times you were fighting from a disadvantage,¡± I said to his pokeball as I clipped it back onto my belt. I then selected the last pokemon I had chosen for today¡¯s match. ¡°Go! Jormungandr!¡± I shouted. As I did so I was very conscious of the bracer that was hidden under the shirt I had chosen to wear tonight. I might have had an easier time with Selene in this match, but I instead decided to use her in another match. I needed to consider not just my match today, but also my match tomorrow against Masked Owl. Jormungandr, for all that he has Mega-evolution, wasn¡¯t going to be as beneficial as Selene would be. After tomorrow the ¡®restrictions¡¯ of the ¡®three on three¡¯ matches would be lifted and I¡¯d be able to use whoever I wanted, barring the three I¡¯d used now. For tomorrow, I wanted as many options as possible and Selene offered me that. Jorm glowered at the fatigued Crawdaunt and Han pointed his hand at my towering pokemon. ¡°Water Gun!¡± ¡°Dragon Breath,¡± I countered. Jorm rose and fell before exhaling a torrent of purple flame that cut through the weaker water attack and slammed into Crawdaunt. Crawdaunt reeled back and toppled, falling to the side as it lost any energy to fight. Han sighed, and returned his pokemon only to grab up another pokeball. ¡°Use your strengths!¡± he shouted, as he sent out Ninetails again who looked to barely be able to stand. The referee signalled a pause with a shrill blow of their whistle as they inspected Ninetails. Han twitched in surprise, only to scowl. ¡°Ref! He can fight!¡± Ninetails stood a little taller and kept its gaze locked on Jorm who held his position. The referee hummed and nodded slowly. ¡°You are very close to pushing beyond what would be considered good for your pokemon¡¯s health. It is my duty to make the call, for now¡­ I agree,¡± said the Referee, stepping back and raising his flags. He nodded to me and then Han and dropped them. Both of us reacted, not too thrown off by the interruption. ¡°Fire Blast!¡± Ninetails unleashed a powerful gout of flame that sailed towards Jorm. ¡°Dig Dip!¡± I countered, making Jorm dive under the ground only to pop up close to Ninetails. His giant tail whipped around and slammed into Ninetails ending the match before it could develop any further. Ninetails flew through the air and landed heavily. It twitched once, in an attempt to get up only to slump down. I had to give it credit for trying to get itself back into the fight after being brutalised by Knight and Jorm. Han sighed, and called back his pokemon. He then sent out his last pokemon, his Haunter. Haunter locked eyes with Jorm and stuck its tongue out mockingly, but Jorm didn¡¯t react beyond shifting into a better position to strike. ¡°Hypnosis!¡± ordered Han. ¡°Dig to point A!¡± I said having trained my pokemon for situations like this. Dig wouldn¡¯t work thanks to Haunter¡¯s habit of hovering off the ground, but I didn¡¯t want to hit him, I wanted to get in close. ¡°Argh! That¡¯s getting annoying! Shift away Haunter!¡± ordered Han, making his pokemon scurry away from where it had been. Jorm popped up out of the ground only to detonate a Dark Pulse when he appeared. He turned and found Haunter, just out of range, but I just waved a hand, signalling for Jorm to not attack. Han had just gotten his pokemon out of striking distance. Still, it didn¡¯t matter if that didn¡¯t work, there were other methods to win this match. ¡°Sandstorm,¡± I said and Jorm dove into the topsoil before vibrating quickly. From him, a great wave of sand rose into the air and started to obscure visibility. Which would also make it harder for moves like Hypnotise to work. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Han was just visible as he waved his hand and his voice carried over the winds. ¡°Shadow Ball!¡± He ordered. ¡°Dig into zone A-one!¡± I shouted and once again Jorm dove into the ground. Han cursed and signalled for his pokemon to move, but they decided to go for something clever, and instead of moving about the field, they went to where Jorm had been moments before. I grinned as Jorm shot back up and locked eyes with the Haunter as it realised it had been baited and trapped. ¡°Dark Pulse,¡± I said, happily causing Jorm to explode with Dark energy and crush Haunter. Haunter collapsed artfully and I was about to signal a halt only to recall some of Agatha¡¯s tricks. ¡°Get ready in case they¡¯re faking out!¡± I called out, and Jorm grasped a boulder, preparing to hurl the rock into the down and out Haunter. Han sighed and raised his pokeball. ¡°I¡¯ll call it there,¡± he said, resigned to his defeat. ¡°Brock is ready for my tricks a little too much for my liking to try and push them,¡± he said. I nodded. He wasn¡¯t wrong, between my spars with Agatha, and Karen, I was used to being Sucker Punched, and Faked Out to know to be on the watch for them with certain pokemon. Both women were the sorts of people that you thought were down and out only for them to reverse their positions in an instant. ¡°Ace Trainer Han withdraws his Haunter from the match! The match is three to one! Brock is therefore the victor!¡± shouted the referee. I bowed in thanks and advanced. The match had been a bit scrappier than I¡¯d hoped, Han had good enough pokemon to threaten me if things had played out differently but it would rely on small chance attacks or mistakes more than being a sure thing. ¡°Good match,¡± I said, clasping Han¡¯s hand in mine. He squeezed it firmly, meeting my gaze with a small smirk. ¡°Well, at least I get to claim I was the first to put down one of your pokemon in this Tournament. Along with making you use all three of your pokemon. You were on a bit of a streak there.¡± I considered that for a moment before shrugging. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying for it, it just worked out that way. I think you had enough pokemon and tactics to force that sort of exchange.¡± I decided to not point out that I could have forced things into my favour by trading out but that wasn¡¯t a style I was comfortable using. ¡°You¡¯ve got quick hands for the recall style of fighting. What made you get into that style of battling if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± Han shrugged. ¡°Grew up with quick hands that I worked out could be converted into my battling. There aren¡¯t many that can get off such fast switches so it works more than it doesn¡¯t at my level of fighting. Wouldn¡¯t have minded fighting you when we were in the same bracket.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Hundred and fifty? I was only in that bracket for a few days before I got enough Ace trainers beating down my door.¡± ¡°Hmmm, still, I have to wonder how I¡¯d go with a full team of tricksters and switchers,¡± he said, rubbing his chin. I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d like to say that I¡¯d be wise to your tricks now, but now that I¡¯ve experienced your style I have to say I¡¯m impressed.¡± And didn¡¯t that feel weird. The switch out style was seen as a rather poor battling style but I suspected Han made it work thanks to his speed at recalling and getting another pokemon out. It spoke of not just his physical skills but mental agility to work out what he needed and react in an instant. He¡¯d need to have a very good grounding, one which pokemon were which types and which pokemon could have certain moves for coverage of any weaknesses they possessed. ¡°I think I¡¯d like that,¡± I decided to say after a moment. ¡°Talk with Rachel, I think an Ace match showcase would be a good idea.¡± I considered the other styles I knew. ¡°Might be interesting to showcase that there are more out there than people think of.¡± I drummed my fingers. ¡°Any chance I could hire you on as an instructor for a training camp I¡¯m running towards the end of the circuit?¡± Han blinked. ¡°Huh, I wasn¡¯t expecting to be offered a job from today, but that¡¯s¡­ not a terrible thought.¡± He nodded his head thoughtfully. ¡°I would like a bit more respect for what I do. Sure, I¡¯ll have my people talk with your people,¡± he said. I chuckled and shook his hand again, then I turned, collected my entourage and departed for the Nurse Joy tent. The reporters pounced straight away. ¡°Brock! What did you think of Han¡¯s Switcher style? Did it give you trouble?¡± ¡°I was pleasantly surprised that it is a more nuanced style than I had considered. While Han seeks the advantage rather doggedly, I think it is a viable strategy and I¡¯d like to see how far he and others that call it their own could take it.¡± The reporters tilted their heads in surprise at my response, or perhaps it was that I was being so verbose after being taciturn with them for the last few exchanges where they¡¯d ambushed me. I chuckled, I was in a good mood after the fight and more willing to endure them. I made some comments as to the fight, praising Han¡¯s fighting style and how he had come into the match. When I handed over my pokemon for healing the media backed off, content with their sound bites. At first, I thought they were going to depart, only to notice their attention shifting to the side and then back onto me. Something was up. I frowned only to tilt my head when a space opened up in the crowd to reveal Masked Owl marching towards me. A chorus of whispers broke out from the people around me and I caught snippets of them. ¡°He¡¯d almost been late to his match but it didn¡¯t matter! He wiped the floor with his opponent!¡± ¡°He¡¯s gone through the first few matches without losing a single pokemon!¡± ¡°Did you see that Pidgeot? It was huge!¡± I hummed, watching as Masked Owl deposited his pokeballs before raising his gaze to mine. Both of us were aware that we were set to face off in tomorrow¡¯s match. We locked gazes and a spark of tension shot between us. I narrowed my eyes as Masked Owl advanced on me. I straightened up, ready for any action from him. ¡°Gym Leader Brock,¡± he said, his eyes still locked with mine. I could see the brown colour of said eyes through this mask, making it instantly a million times better than locking eyes with other masked individuals who were currently enjoying prison. ¡°... Masked Owl,¡± I said eventually, deciding to play his game and acknowledge him by his nom-de plume rather than his actual name and give him away. He stilled, noticing my hesitation. ¡°So, we will be doing battle tomorrow, I see you¡¯ve kept your Electric type golem free for it.¡± ¡°It, and many of my other pokemon. I¡¯m going to be going into it with quite the advantage, I should think.¡± ¡°Heh, is that what you think?¡± he said, his chin jutting out slightly. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve faced stronger opponents before,¡± I said with a shrug. I then smirked and remembered an old joke. ¡°Some like to even attribute Lance as a pseudo flying type specialist. Do you think yourself at his level?¡± I said, deciding to go for a bit of a jab. Masked Owl, or rather, Walker, scowled, his mouth morphing into a snarl. ¡°He is not a flying type specialist! That man has no grace! No skill! Flying Type pokemon are all about freedom and wonder! They don¡¯t seek to dominate the sky like dragons! They know that to be an idiots dream! No one can tame the winds! They instead become them! Carefree and light! They are not held down!¡± Masked Owl said heatedly. I blinked, having not expected such a response quite like that. ¡°Ah, I suppose that would be true.¡± Then I tilted my head. For a pokemon type that wasn¡¯t supposed to be held down¡­ wasn¡¯t he being rather held to the idea of revenge? I nodded slowly. ¡°I suppose you will have to show me what it means to be a true Flying Type specialist.¡± I straightened and raised my fist towards him. ¡°But don¡¯t expect me to hold back! I¡¯m winning this tournament and you might be the next fight but I¡¯m planning on going all the way!¡± Masked Owl stared at me for a long moment. ¡°I will be ready for you. I am well versed in the weaknesses of my chosen pokemon type. You will not defeat me!¡± he said, turning and swishing his cape of feathers to theatrically march away. I stared after him¡ª Nurse Joy, who¡¯d been standing nearby waiting for the drama to finish coughed politely. ¡°Both of your pokemon are ready for collection! Thank you for bringing them to us, we hope you have a nice day and come again!¡± she said with a winning smile. There was a long moment where everyone who had been watching, along with Masked Owl and myself felt like the world had just tilted slightly and we were suddenly off balance. I caught the flickers of a gleeful smirk twitching at Nurse Joy¡¯s lips up for a moment before it vanished. Another of the Nurse Joys facepalmed while the other giggled into her fist at how things had played out. Ah, she¡¯d held back until we¡¯d had our ¡®dramatic moment¡¯ before inserting herself deliberately. She must have been the type of person to create awkward situations to thrive on them. I chuckled ruefully, rubbing the back of my head as I blushed for being called out on our melodrama like this. ¡°Ah, thanks,¡± I said, taking back my two pokemon. Masked Owl about-faced and marched back to claim his own two pokemon stiffly. ¡°My thanks,¡± he said formally. Then he nodded at me and made to leave. I was going to leave Masked Owl with what we¡¯d said before I realised that there was one more thing that I felt needed to be said to him. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have ditched your responsibilities like you have.¡± I whispered lowly. Masked Owl paused and looked at me in confusion. ¡°Your son, just because he¡¯s holding his own doesn¡¯t mean it is good for you to dump your duties on him,¡± I said firmly, my gaze boring into him. He might be a flying type specialist, but I had the high ground with this. Masked Owl staggered back at that. His hand shooting up to his mask. ¡°You know?¡± he asked. I nodded. ¡°I put a few clues together,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t be a deadbeat, or rather, stop being a deadbeat.¡± The man wavered before his mouth thinned into a hard line. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± he said, stalking away properly. ¡°Tch!¡± said Nurse Joy. ¡°I was trying to cool you trainers off but you¡¯re determined to have your drama aren¡¯t you?¡± she muttered under her breath. I stared at her and she twitched and adopted an innocent smile. ¡°Is there anything else we can help with today sir?¡± she said loudly. I shook my head and backed away, much to her and the other Nurse Joys amusement. When I made it back to my group Yolanda was beaming at me. ¡°What?¡± I asked. She just shook her head. ¡°No, I was just happy you spoke to¡­ Masked Owl like that, it was good!¡± she said. I hummed and decided to leave it at that, instead turning my attention towards the coming match up. On paper it would be an easy match for me with the pokemon I had available to me. Paper, and reality however were very different things. We set out our whiteboards and set ourselves up a number of different projections of Masked Owl¡¯s previous history of matches along with his known roster of pokemon. Names and teams were put together from the list we had. Pidgeot, Fearow, Butterfree, Dodrio, Noctowl, Crobat, Xatu, Delibird, Beautifly, Swellow, Skarmory, Masquerain, and Tropius. ¡°It¡¯s interesting that he doesn¡¯t seem to have any of the pokemon that Lance has such as Gyrados or Charizard. Both are great additions to a Flying type specialists roster,¡± I said. Missy perked up but Rachel beat her to the punch. ¡°Oh! I know this one! He¡¯s been asked this before and he¡¯s stated that he wants to embody a more purist approach!¡± I snorted. There were only a handful of pure flying-type pokemon in existence with the only one I could think of off the top of my head being Tornadus. And Walker, as skilled as he might be, wasn¡¯t going to have that pokemon. ¡­ I gave the sky outside a glance in consideration. Was it overkill to have Empress ready to rumble along with Titan? They¡¯d been able to stand up to Mewtwo¡­ No, that¡¯s not required. I clapped my hands and directed everyone to list out their observations so far. I quickly learned that Walker was a fan of taking a high position and raining down powerful attacks or doing divebomb runs on his opponents. When that wasn¡¯t viable he could close with a number of different attacks and his pokemon had quite a number of different moves to their names. His Fearow especially. He knew about using Steel Wing to negate electric attacks along with how to use aerial Ace to a degree that was uncanny.The blurring of his pokemon allowing close range dodges that I was used to attributing to martial arts fights rather than flying type pokemon. There was also a rather handy combination move that he had which had to be U-Turn, mixed with Aerial Ace. It was a nifty trick to have. There wasn¡¯t a lot of information on him facing off against a Rock specialist however and for that, I was more confident than ever going into tomorrow¡¯s match up. I checked the watch and nodded. ¡°Right, I think we¡¯re starting to retread old ground. I say we call it here, have some time off for the next three hours and meet up for dinner to go over any final thoughts.¡± The others perked up for this and Yolanda bounded in her seat. ¡°Is it time to go to the Department store?¡± she said excitedly. I snorted. ¡°Sure, today will be the first trip,¡± I said. ¡°First trip?¡± Yolanda said with a tilt of her head, only for her eyes to widen. ¡°How big is the department store?¡± ¡°Huge,¡± I said, leading her towards Celadon. ¡°I hope you saved up enough cause there are tons of shops there,¡± I said, knowing that by taking Yolanda, I was resigning myself to hours of shopping trips in future. When we reached the department store Sabrina appeared next to me, Ralts in her hand and a purse in the other. ¡°I foresaw this,¡± she said preemptively to Yolanda. She shifted her handbag and patted my hand. ¡°Brock only knows how to do autumnal colours well, he doesn¡¯t know about shapewear, or buying fluctuating sizes.¡± I opened my mouth, about to correct her that I knew precisely what she was talking about, only to shut my mouth after I considered it for a moment. Hmmm, no, I don¡¯t think I wanted to broach that topic in fact. Yolanda would be better suited to get this talk from someone like Sabrina, as strange as that was. Sabrina nodded. ¡°We¡¯re meeting my friends.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not carrying all your bags,¡± I said, knowing who she meant. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll just Teleport them to your hotel room,¡± she said. I nodded, glad I wasn¡¯t playing into that particular trope today. Having a psychic girlfriend was so useful at times like this. ¡°Sabrina!¡± called a familiar voice. I turned and found Erika with a group of girls, I vaguely recognised all of them having seen them about the Celadon Gym. also with them was Janine and Sophia. Yolanda grinned. ¡°Oh this is going to be fun!¡± she said. A few hours later, once she¡¯d gotten a crash course on searching for bargains, timing your shopping for certain items for set points of the year and other things such as styling choices. Yolanda happily collapsed on her bed. I lay on mine with Sabrina sitting next to me as I browsed through my pokemon roster for tomorrow. I stencilled in two names. Titan and Empress. Yolanda glanced over and her eyes bulged. ¡°Brock! You don¡¯t need to use both of them!¡± Yolanda said in shock. I chewed my lip. ¡°I really want to beat him,¡± I said. Sabrina glanced at the names and merely nodded seriously. ¡°Empress does need some experience in a match like this,¡± she said neutrally. Yolanda gave me a flat stare. ¡°It feels like overkill.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Yeah, maybe, or maybe not. I kind of want to send a message. And also? Sometimes I want to show off alright?¡± I said adding Sanchez to the list. With three spots chosen, I needed three others to fill in¡­ Which wasn¡¯t hard. Selene was a guarantee, as was Shin, which left a spot for¡­ Hmmm¡­ who to pick? With both of my Tyranitar¡¯s on the line, I could afford to test myself. I selected Don¡¯s pokeball and nodded to myself. There, six strong pokemon for my lineup that offered unique benefits to me. Now I just needed to work out who Walker would use and thanks to the work we¡¯d put in earlier. I had a decent idea of who would have the highest chance of being on his team. It just depended on how confident he was. That night I traded out some pokemon and got Empress sent over. I then explained to her what I was looking to do. She gained a savage grin of delight and nodded her head, more than happy with my proposed plan. If Walker wanted to throw down challenges like he had, he better be ready for me to throw my best punches. Later, after Yolanda had left I spent a bit of time watching my match against Han, or specifically one part of it. How had he gotten that flick off of his pokeball so quick? I watched it a few times and eventually picked up how he was twisting his wrist. I then went up and tried practising it a few times only to conclude it was very hard and would require a lot more practise. My estimate of Han went up a little more. The next day saw me standing on the podium in Celadon¡¯s main stadium. Unlike with Erika¡¯s match against Will, the stadium was far less decorated but it still held a certain charm. It was amazing to see that instead of leaning towards the Grass type speciality they were known for they instead had a number of concession stands dotted throughout the walk areas. The city of commerce indeed. Across from me Masked Owl stood with his pokeball raised, ready for the referee. I relaxed on my podium, certain of my choice. ¡°Trainers, are you ready?!¡± called the referee. We both nodded. The flags rose and I reached up for my necklace grabbing the Greatball there. I could see the crowd standing up in shock and even the referee was reacting, reaching for the buttons on his podium to power up the barriers more. Masked Owl was committed though and he released his pokemon first to reveal a powerful-looking Pidgeot whose screech carried throughout the stands. It was silenced a moment later as Titan merged from his pokeball and roared for all he was worth. I grinned darkly and felt for the bond. This was going to be as one-sided as I could possibly make it. Chapter 182 - Bird v Rock Titan skidded from the back of the field to the front, roaring as he did so. His passing caused the field to be torn up and dust and rock shards to be hurled into the air. He twisted about, making sure the entire stadium knew he was present and staking his claim. Masked Owl faltered, and I grinned. ¡°Titan!¡± I barked while urging him through our bond for Rock Throw. Titan¡®s tail swung around and a wave of rock soared into the air at the stunned Pidgeot. ¡°Move!¡± screamed Masked Owl, as he regathered himself. Sadly he did so quickly enough to evade the strike, his Pidgeot tucking a wing and swinging wide before arcing around Titan. Titan turned his head, locking on to the target even as Pidgeot rose back to where it had been. The wind howled for a moment as the powerful Pidgeot¡¯s passing caused a shockwave of air. I leaned into it, ignoring the annoyance of dust and grit flying into my face. The turbulent winds merely helped me. A moment later, the dust continued to spiral and with but a moment¡¯s warning a sandstorm rose with Titan grinning as the stadium was obscured. Pidgeot was taken into the sandstorm and I was close enough to see it flinch as sand grated at it. ¡°...!¡± shouted Masked Owl, his voice lost in the howling winds. I knew what was coming though, and so I leaned forward, and pulled up my rock energy as Pidgeot called forth a Hurricane. I matched it with Stone Edge into the heart of the storm, causing the Hurricane to only get half the strength that it should have as Pidgeot suddenly had to drop the move and dodge. Pidgeot glowered at Titan. Titan for his part shook his head and let some of the sand that was still blowing slip from his joints. The ground around him only had the sparsest tips of grass poking through thanks to the earlier Sandstorm. ¡°Keep up the pressure!¡± I ordered. Titan snorted and swept his tail around, and once again Rock Slide shot forth unleashing a wave of rocks that forced Pidgeot to dodge. Each dodge however had to be done at speed, causing more and more wind that carried the sand up into the air. The more Titan disrupted the ground the more sand particles there were being tossed around. By controlling the ground, we¡¯d be able to control the air and therefore the match. Masked Owl must have realised that though as he clicked his tongue. ¡°Adjust your wings to break up the disruption! Mimic Noctowl!¡± he shouted. If I hadn¡¯t lived two lives, along with owning my own Noctowl, I might not have known what Masked Owl was talking about. A gleam shot through Pidgeot¡¯s wings and tail. A moment later the torrent of wind that billowed as Pidgeot evaded Titan¡¯s Rock Slide lessened until it was barely stirring the air. I resisted the urge to gape just barely. Damn, that was impressive. He¡¯d somehow trained his Pidgeot to alter its feather structure so that it had a comb-like serration that broke up the turbulent wind of wing beats. It came at a cost, however. With Pidgeot¡¯s wings having to soften slightly, I knew that speed would drop. This right here was one of the reasons Noctowl weren¡¯t as fast as Fearow or Pidgeot. It was still damn impressive that Walker/Masked Owl had thought to do things like that. I had to give it to him, he knew his business. I just smirked. I had known that fighting Masked Owl was going to happen. Some people would say they felt it in their waters. I¡¯d¡­ well I¡¯d just known that there was a very high chance of him and I clashing. I¡¯d come up with some strategies for this match. One of which had always involved Titan. ¡°Do it,¡± I said and Titan stopped throwing rocks with his tail and feet scooping them up and instead twisted and pointed two claws straight at Pidgeot. This time rocks rose around him and gained a slightly prismatic look to them. Then they shot forward like a shotgun blast, scattering in a wide spread that Pidgeot couldn¡¯t dodge. Not with how it had slowed down. Maybe not even while it had been at its normal pace. The Power Gem move was wonderful like that. Much faster than the purely physical Rock Slide. It might not play to Titan¡¯s strengths as a physical powerhouse, but that didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t add something sorely lacking to Titan¡¯s movepool. A ranged attack that was terrifyingly fast. Pidgeot spiralled as it took a sudden, super-effective hit. It had been fine when nothing was hitting it, but now that wasn¡¯t the case. Now it had taken a hit and was going to suffer. ¡°Pidgeot! Turn this around!¡± Masked Owl called. I leaned forward in anticipation. This was one of the moves that our research had picked up on. Masked Owl had very specific commands for some of his shared set moves, and this was one of them. Pidgeot dove towards Titan, for all intents and purposes looking like it was going to commit to a Kamikaze attack. ¡°Wait for it!¡± I ordered, as Pidgeot blitzed down. If I committed to a Stone Edge I knew Pidgeot would simply dodge. Pidgeot swept in and Titan feinted with his tail, spinning as if about to slap a rock into Pidgeot¡¯s face. Pidgeot vanished in a blur as Aerial Ace activated. Masked Owl raised two pokeballs in preparation for the U-turn being pulled off. I didn¡¯t want to give him the chance. Instead of slapping a rock, Titan exploded into a Dark Pulse making Pidgeot¡¯s strike miss and for the powerful flying type to take a shock hit just as it was about to withdraw itself from the field. Pidgeot screeched even as it broke up into red energy, the secondary effect of U-turn coming into play despite the miss. I had to give it to Walker, his Pidgeot was strong as it vanished without fainting despite taking two solid hits, one of which was super effective. The other pokeball in Masked Owl¡¯s hand broke open revealing a Skarmory that screeched angrily as it found itself in very close to Titan before it beat its wings to get clear. I snapped my hand after it, not willing to let it get clear. ¡°Blast it down!¡± I said giving Titan the cue to go for another Power Gem. Titan shot his fingers up like he was in an old western, his draw was good and the bejewelled rocks slammed into the tail feathers of the Skarmory but only elicited a screech of pain before Skarmory tucked and rolled, turning as it did so to face us. It beat its metal wings frantically and keened angrily. I instantly could see how things might be different with this pokemon on the field. Honestly, I was surprised that Masked Owl hadn¡¯t led with Skarmory. It had fewer type disadvantages and minimised a lot of what I could bring to bear, but that didn¡¯t make it a one pokemon solution to my team. ¡°Titan¡­ Power em,¡± I said after considering it again. ¡°Stir up the winds! Agility!¡± said Masked Owl, and I had to scowl. So he wanted the Sandstorm this time, did he? He wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the damage from a Sandstorm. But it would boost my pokemon and hinder him. That was, unless he wanted to make use of the low visibility to slip in a move, like Spikes. I considered the state of the field for half a moment and made a snap call. ¡°Titan, return!¡± I said returning my starter and snapping my hand down to Sanchez¡¯s pokeball. ¡°Spikes!¡± said Masked Owl, proving me right straight as I got Sanchez on the field. Sanchez appeared before the Spikes were properly out and I had to sigh in relief. That¡­ might have been deadly if Masked Owl had gotten to pull it off. Sanchez, ignorant of the danger he¡¯d been close to enduring, made a show of dusting himself off. ¡°Go lem!¡± he said. When he noticed the crowd he perked up and his smile grew wider. ¡°Traps on the field! Play it smart!¡± I called. Sanchez snapped his attention onto the threat and a moment later he unleashed a Discharge. ¡°Earth yourself and unleash another Spikes onto the field!¡± Masked Owl said firmly. Skarmory dropped like an ingot and slammed its wings into the ground tips first as it gleamed with Steel energy. It cackled balefully as Sanchez lit it up even as it shot out yet more Spikes onto the field. I was not liking having my field control method used against me like this. I glowered at Masked Owl and pointed at his grounded pokemon. If he was going to oblige me like this, I was going to make it cost him. ¡°Thunder,¡± I said. Sanchez slammed his hands together as a bolt of lightning shot off him causing a thunderclap as he discharged his Thunder. The crowd gasped in shock and even I shot him a surprised look for a moment. He must have been training that in secret. The thunder shot up, and then arced down straight onto the metal rod that had earthed itself in Skarmory. It fried the flying-steel type and despite negating some of it, Skarmory still took damage. It was barely hanging on after the Thunder dissipated and I waved a hand. ¡°Discharge,¡± I said, settling for the more guaranteed strike. ¡°Rest,¡± said Masked Owl snidely. Skarmory shut its eyes and fell asleep, just as Sanchez unleashed Discharge. The move zapped the stunned bird and I shot Masked Owl an annoyed look only to drop it a moment later as I realised he¡¯d just given me an avenue to use. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said firmly. This time it was Masked Owl¡¯s turn to grimace. He¡¯d overplayed his hand by trying to make me pay for a slip. While Skarmory had moves like Sleep Talk available to it, I knew from yesterday¡¯s review that it didn¡¯t as it instead focussed on other moves like Spikes, Steel wing, Brave Bird, Agility, Rest, and Dark Pulse. ¡°Skarmory! I need you to wake up!¡± shouted the man. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said firmly, doubling down on getting myself an advantage. Then I snapped my hand into a gun and directed it right at the slumbering pokemon. ¡°Then finish it with Thunder,¡± I said, not a hint of remorse in my tone. Sanchez grinned viciously as he once again slammed his hands together above his head and unleashed the Thunder. Surge would be proud of him for his shock and awe. It dropped on a just awakening pokemon only for Masked Owl to whip out his pokeball and return his pokemon. ¡°I withdraw my pokemon, it wouldn¡¯t have lasted under that onslaught,¡± he said contritely as people tried to boo him. I nodded in solidarity. He¡¯d made the right call. As I waited for his next pokemon I rolled my head around to loosen up a little. The referee merely nodded and raised a flag. ¡°Skarmory is unable to battle, the match is now one nil!¡± I hummed. Alright, that confirmed it, despite the solid hits Titan had gotten in, it hadn¡¯t been enough to put down that Pidgeot. I found I wasn¡¯t surprised. Pidgeot was probably one of my foe¡¯s original pokemon and therefore his strongest. My opponent took a moment to pause and consider his options. With Skarmory out, he was lacking a serious advantage with STAB bonus, but I knew a lot of his other pokemon also had Steel Wing in their movepool so it wasn¡¯t the end. It was more annoying that he¡¯d gotten off three rounds of Spikes. I¡¯d need to do something about those. Sadly they were hidden within the sand piles that had formed up which would make targeting them to wipe them off the field difficult, not unless I had Sanchez go for broke with an Explosion to sweep the field but I was hoping it wouldn¡¯t get that far. Although there was another option¡­ ¡°Go Tropius!¡± said Masked Owl as he revealed his third pokemon of the match and another that had some arguments for its inclusion. I chalked this up as the third correct pokemon that we¡¯d selected from his roster that he¡¯d use against me. Tropius fluttered in the air a good distance from the ground. That was another thing, Walker never started his pokemon on the ground. Stealth Rocks shot up and slammed into the Flying type making it squeal and giving me an option to one-two this exchange. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I barked, punching my fist forward. ¡°Drop to the ground and regain your strength!¡± Masked Owl said. Tropius dutifully obeyed and in doing so, just barely dodged Snachez¡¯s attack. I was surprised when I saw one of the banab-like fruits that rested underneath Tropius¡¯ chin fold up into its mouth. Tropius squirmed with delight and a sparkle ran down its form. I clicked my tongue but didn¡¯t let the miss deter me. Debates on what this pokemon was doing were all over the pokenet, but I¡¯d asked Erika about it and she¡¯d determined that it was an interesting use of Synthesis boosted by the natural fruits Tropius produces. I also suspected it had something to do with an ability and I was proven correct as the fruit on Tropius¡¯ chin regrew even as Sanchez smashed another Stone Edge into it. Tropius¡¯ wings buzzed angrily and it began juking left and right to make it harder to hit. ¡°Leaf Storm!¡± called Masked Owl. His pokemon swept its wings down faster again and a droning noise erupted through the stadium as glittering leaves formed up around Tropius. Then with a swing of its neck, the leaves shot forward. ¡°Dig!¡± I countered. Sanchez dove into the ground and evaded the strike but Masked Owl used the drop in tension to get off another Synthesis with his pokemon, keeping it in the fight. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I clicked my tongue as Sanchez poked his head out of the ground. It was looking more and more like I might not be able to win this fight as cleanly as I was hoping for. No matter what I did I was going to have a lot of issues with those Spikes. Shin would be able to wipe the field with a Surf, but wouldn¡¯t do so well with Tropius on the field. I clenched my jaw. It seemed like Masked Owl was determined to drag this into an endurance slog unless I was willing to throw away Sanchez, potentially for no payout. An Explosion, for all that it was a powerful move, didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t counters to it such as Protect. ¡°Sanchez, fill the sky,¡± I ordered firmly. Sanchez popped out of the ground with a gleam in his eyes. He then proceeded to show just how fast he could fire off Stone Edge, Rock Throw, and Rock Slide at his opponent. He tumbled and turned, using his round body to get himself into new positions to hurl rock after rock. Tropius had to dodge a wave of potentially match-ending rocks. It flitted and flapped, juking and throwing itself. At one point it dove hard into the ground, landed with its knees buckling before it kicked off the ground to launch itself back into the sky, all while evading rock after rock. The crowd cheered for the display of skill both pokemon were putting on. Sanchez was a one-man fusion of an artillery piece blended with a tumbling acrobat, while Tropius was grace and speed as it danced on a knife¡¯s edge. It buzzed in and out of attacks while Sanchez kept on the pressure. Both pokemon had eyes only for the other with micromovements being read and acted upon to lead shot or dodge before they could be launched leading to tiny moments as each fought for control of the battle. Eventually, something had to give though and the damage and constant energy used in recovery from earlier were enough to tip things in our favour. Tropius faltered and was a hair too slow dodging a Rock Throw. It took a bad tumble in the air and Sanchez saw his chance, unleashing a Stone Edge at the falling pokemon. Tropius displayed surprising skill by beating its wings backwards to halt its fall but the boulder Sanchez threw was large enough that it still wasn¡¯t enough. The boulder slammed into the other pokemon and with a faint cry, it finally tumbled to the ground without a chance of arresting its fall. Before it hit the ground Masked Owl recalled it. The crowd, being a Celadon crowd, applauded politely with a few out-of-towners rising to their feet to cheer and shout their praise for Tropius. A moment later they cheered for Sanchez who gave Masked Owl a formal bow to show his respect and then again to Tropius. I grinned. He¡¯d obviously taken notes of how I¡¯d praised Link after his show of respect during the Ace match I¡¯d had in Goldenrod. I was surprised when he didn¡¯t turn and give a goofy smile. Huh, he¡¯d taken in how important it was to actually mean respect? I decided to mimic my pokemon¡¯s lead on this. ¡°That was a hell of a flying type,¡± I said aloud. ¡°You¡¯ve done an amazing job as their trainer.¡± Masked Owl blinked at this having not expected me to praise him mid-fight. The crowd quietened at this and I chuckled as I realised what it would mean to have a Rock-type specialist complement a Flying-type specialist. Masked Owl swallowed and inclined his head. ¡°A-ah, and you, while you have had me at a disadvantage you have not been lax, nor have your pokemon disappointed.¡± This got another round of applause and I noted that the referee seemed happy to stop the countdown for this moment to have the proper weight. I found myself not begrudging the decision. The referee jolted when they noticed me watching them quietly. A moment later the referee coughed politely and reactivated the timer. ¡°Thirty-second warning!¡± Masked Owl swallowed and gave the field a look before clicking his tongue. Then he plucked his fourth pokeball of the match and hurled it onto the field. ¡°Go Crobat!¡± he commanded. The top pocket on my vest twitched in surprise and I put a hand to it so that Zubat would calm down. She¡¯d done marvellously the last few days with being calm but seeing her fully evolved form had gotten a reaction out of her. The small purple bat on the field flitted back and forth only to take a barrage of Stealth Rocks making it falter. ¡°Discharge!¡± I shouted, going for the kill straight away. Sanchez jumped forward and unleashed a blast of electricity. Crobat snapped all four of its wings and shot back and away to the highest point at the top of the stadium. It was barely within the confines of the arena and I could only glower up at the flitting pokemon. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said, having Sanchez unleash another boulder at the pokemon only for it to flit to the side deftly. ¡°Boost!¡± called Masked Owl, and I could only click my teeth in annoyance as Crobat, an already dangerously fast pokemon became even faster. I continued to try and blow it out of the sky but Crobat merely became faster and faster, resulting in it becoming a streak that shot from point to point. ¡°Now! Close and drain!¡± barked Masked Owl. I sighed. I could see the writing on the table, and it wasn¡¯t in Sanchez¡¯ favour. This could be a turning point where Masked Owl used his Spikes to get control of the match. If I let it play out that way. ¡°Sanchez, big solo,¡± I said with a smile as I braced for impact. Sanchez cackled as Crobat shot in, a green glowing orb shooting from it to Sanchez. Ah, Absorb. A super effective move for sure. It didn¡¯t change anything as Sanchez used Explosion and the arena was rocked by the sudden upheaval. Electric and kinetic energy swept over me as the barriers barely blocked the attack. Around the arena, people screamed in sudden fear only to calm down as the barriers around the stands kicked in and stopped them from feeling anything but the lightest tremor. When the dust settled two pokemon were shown face down. Sanchez had a huge grin on his face while Crobat looked charred and beaten. A jolt of electricity arced from it and made the little bat twitch once before it lay still. Masked Owl glared at me. ¡°Really?¡± I nodded. ¡°I did that because I respected your decision. You were getting control of the match. I decided to disrupt that and reset the playing field,¡± I said returning Sanchez. ¡°Great work buddy. You were incredible out there.¡± ¡°The score is three to one in favour of Brock!¡± announced the referee. I shot Masked Owl a smile. We both knew that wasn¡¯t true. His Pidgeot was on its last legs, or rather feathers in this case. I selected another pokeball and tossed it up and down in thought. ¡°Hmmmm, let¡¯s see what you make of this,¡± I said aloud. I tossed out Don¡¯s pokeball. He emerged with a loud screech as his eyes darted around searching for his foe. When he locked eyes on Masked Owl he glared and growled, his wings beating furiously. ¡°You have much nerve to send out a flying type against me!¡± Masked Owl said. ¡°Yeah, yeah I do,¡± I said shamelessly. I really wanted to see how he matched up. If I¡¯d been more daring, I might have even sent Don out first. But this also worked in case Spikes hadn¡¯t been properly wiped from the board. I could test the waters so to speak first and push Masked Owl before sending in other pokemon to clean things up. Masked Owl snatched his next pokeball and tossed it out. This time, unlike the others, when it formed up it did so on the ground. I raised an eyebrow. Huh, he¡¯d gone with his Dodrio? Interesting. ¡°Go for speed!¡± Masked owl ordered. I jerked my hand up to the sky. ¡°Ascend,¡± I said. Don flapped hard, wiggling and jolting from side to side as he went, quietly getting off Dragon Dance. Both Masked Owl and I locked eyes as our pokemon began to circle the field, one in the skies and one on the ground. It was amusing that people¡¯s expectations would have been reversed as to which of us were in what position. Eventually, neither pokemon could push themselves any further and when they moved they did so with speed that caused the wind to howl. Don¡¯s circles created wind currents that caused the stadium to howl as he swept around and around, whereas Dodrio was starting to kick up a dust cloud that was making visibility hard. I pointed down and like a sprinter that had been waiting for the gun, Don accelerated. From standing to damn near terminal velocity in an instant. He swept low and came on at Dorio with rocks picked up in his wake. He swept in and slashed with his wings only for the Dodrio to vanish in a mirage. A moment later a trio of heads were launched out of the dust from behind Don. Instead of their beaks slamming into Don, their foot rose and stomped into him causing him to stagger into the ground. ¡°Crunch! Catch them while they¡¯re close!¡± I shouted. ¡°Dodge back!¡± called Masked Owl, his pokemon leaping back only to be caught out as Don kicked off the ground, displaying his own speed to catch the fleeing Dodrio in his grasp. I grinned just as savagely as Don did. ¡°Wail on them!¡± I shouted and Don gave everything he had, whipping his head back and forth to slam Dodrio into the rock-strewn field. ¡°Curl up and go for Fury Attack!¡± shouted Masked Owl. I had to frown. Such a weak move? I quickly realised that it wasn¡¯t, by any means weak, as Dodrio curled its entire body up so that it was face to faces with Don. Don blinked in surprise. Then Dodrio started stabbing their sharp beaks into Don¡¯s face with fury. Each of them slamming into the nose, the eyes, the ears. All of them are sensitive spots on any pokemon. Once, twice, three times, four times¡­ five times, each of the three heads slammed their beaks into Don¡¯s face causing him to yowl with pain and slam Dodrio into the ground once more. They¡¯d gotten off fifteen attacks. Negligible they should have been, if it wasn''t for the number or the locations of the hits. Dodrio kicked once only to go still. Don growled and a feral expression took hold. I felt my heart lurch as I understood he¡¯d taken too much damage and was now reacting. I shot my fingers into my mouth and whistled as harshly as I could. I¡¯d had to couple this whistle with some rather harsh training in the past to link it into his subconscious for him to go absolutely still lest I come down on him. Usually, that meant dominance displays where I held him by the scruff of the neck while making a show of growling. When I¡¯d first captured Don, this had been an almost hourly occurrence. Dragon typed he might not be, but he still had his pride and his wild instincts from years of living alone from but for others like him. Integrating him had been some of the harshest and toughest training I¡¯d ever done with it requiring a completely different style than I was used to. Don stiffened and his eyes dilated as his memories took hold and his training kicked in. ¡°Good boy! No savaging that Dodrio because it got you good. It was strong, but you beat it. Back away from it and get some height,¡± I called. Don shuffled back and I had to wince as his shuffle was more of a lurch. That specialised Fury Attack had done a number on him. It might have been luck to get five attacks in, but I got the impression it would have been at least six, if not more, so regardless of the result Don was going to take some damage. Some of which had to have been considered critical. Don rose into the air on wobbly wings as Dodrio was withdrawn. I hummed considering Don as he gained back some of his more typical energy. He squirmed in the air, his body obviously hurting. He turned and shot me a look that promised trouble if he didn¡¯t get a shot at the next pokemon. I hummed and considered him for a long moment before nodding. ¡°Go for it Don,¡± I said pointedly. Don stared at me for a long moment only to grin savagely. Good, he¡¯d caught the message I¡¯d given. ¡°Go Noctowl!¡± Masked Owl shouted, sending out his sixth and probably final pokemon. Don didn¡¯t hesitate. He had his order, and he was going for it. He inhaled built-up energy and then with barely any warning fired off a Hyper Beam straight at Noctowl. ¡°Defend!¡± screamed Masked Owl in surprise. Noctowl¡¯s wings snapped up and a Protect formed which took the oncoming attack causing another explosion to rock the field. What didn¡¯t get absorbed by the Protect continued on and slammed into the barriers causing them to glow yellow for a moment. When the Hyper Beam dissipated it revealed a slightly ruffled Noctowl but it was otherwise unharmed. ¡°Show them your strength!¡± ordered Masked Owl. His Noctowl swept its wings down and it surged up into the sky only to then plummet a moment later, a huge wave of energy taking over the Noctowl. ¡°Sky Attack!¡± shouted Masked Owl as his pokemon slammed into Don, sending my tired Aerodactyl into the ground despite his own attempts to dodge. He was far too tired, but that was alright. He lay there heaving desperately. ¡°Calm yourself Don, you did great,¡± I said soothingly. ¡°You¡¯ll get a lot of treats tonight, don¡¯t worry. Your Daughter should be proud,¡± I said raising his pokeball to withdraw him. His eyes slid shut as he allowed himself to fall unconscious. ¡°Aerodactyl is unable to battle, the score is now four to two!¡± shouted the referee. I hummed. It could have been better but for a better result, I¡¯d have required a number of things to have gone my way. I¡¯d also, I had to admit, let pride get the better of me. Don had outlasted Dodrio, but it had some serious tricks to make it worth featuring on my foe¡¯s strongest team. It was also a move, that he¡¯d never revealed. I looked over his Noctowl in consideration. I wonder what other tricks he had up his sleeve. ¡°You know, I think I¡¯ve gained a new respect for Flying types from this fight. You were right. Lance doesn¡¯t have half the skill with flying types that you¡¯ve shown here.¡± ¡°Heh, you sense the turning of the winds now eh?¡± he said. I blinked and shot him a look only to quickly come to the conclusion that he was serious. He actually thought that he could still win this! ¡°Ah, no, no. I was just giving props where they are due,¡± I said enlarging another Greatball. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the respect you¡¯re due,¡± I said, throwing out the greatball. A red light disgorged and built up a huge form. Masked Owl nodded as a Tyranitar took to the field only to blink in surprise. ¡°Wait! That¡¯s not your¡­ starter,¡± he said slowly. I grinned. ¡°For you, I will show some of my hidden aces,¡± I said pointing. ¡°Empress! GO!¡± I shouted. Empress smirked, and then without warning she unleashed a Hyper Beam that caused the entire arena to fill with light. ¡°Protect!¡± screamed Masked Owl once more. I smiled, knowing it wasn¡¯t going to be enough even if the move worked. The world vanished with only Empress being visible as she disgorged one of the most powerful Hyper Beams ever seen publicly. When she was done she leaned back and shook her head in agitation, taking a huge breath before exhaling once. Across from me, the field had a huge gouge through it as though someone had taken the world''s largest Steelix and used it as a line marker. The ground was torn up and thrown about in a straight line. Noctowl was face down, the Protect that it had formed falling to pieces around it. It looked beaten and broken but it still drew breath. Masked Owl could only stare at the scene of devastation. A shrill warning beep made everyone lift their eyes up to the section of barriers behind where Noctowl had been. Where before the barriers had flashed yellow for Don, for Empress, they were gone. In their place, a quartet of psychic pokemon stood shivering and shaking with hands raised to reveal an overlapping barrier that they¡¯d formed in haste. Sabrina stood behind them, just in front of the first row of seats that held white-faced occupants. ¡°Oh damn, Empress blew through the barriers?¡± I said. That¡­ could have been very bad. ¡°Thanks for the save Sabrina!¡± I called. Masked Owl didn¡¯t say anything, merely staring as the barrier failed to reform. The four psychic pokemon slowly regathered themselves and walked back to Sabrina. Sabrina turned her head and said something to the people behind her. They knelt and bowed their heads, so I got the impression they were extremely thankful for her intervention. ¡°N-n-Noctowl is unable to battle!¡± stuttered the referee. ¡°That makes it five to two in favour of Brock¡­ I¡¯m afraid we must call for an intermission for safety concerns¡­ To repair¡­ and reinforce the barriers before the match can continue.¡± Masked Owl turned his head. ¡°Eh? Oh, don¡¯t bother. Pidgeot was too injured for me to think about sending him out again¡­ not against this beast anyway,¡± he said. ¡°I concede the match to Brock,¡± he said. I bowed in thanks as the referee nodded and then raised his flags to announce me the winner. The applause came in drips and drabs, causing Empress to tilt her head. For her first appearance the praise she was getting was kind of lack¡ª ¡°Lar! Larvitar!¡± called a small voice. Empress and I zeroed our gazes onto a section of the stands to find Yolanda standing with Terra held up. The little pokemon was waving its arms frantically in delight. Empress relaxed, and for lack of a better term went soft. A few people cooed at the reaction causing a round of proper applause to break out for her. I chuckled as the podiums were lowered. ¡°Nice work girl, you did great for your first showing, wander around and just wave at the people. They¡¯ll want to get a good look at you,¡± I said. I then shot the broken barriers a thoughtful look. She¡¯d perhaps done a little too well in truth. I was going to have to insist on all my matches with her having up-to-date barriers and if not, a ready team of psychic pokemon should I use her again. I scratched the back of my head. I couldn¡¯t recall that having ever occurred in another match. Masked Owl stood on his lowered podium, his gaze still turned towards the broken barrier. ¡°Hey!¡± I called as I approached. ¡°Good fight, I meant what I said earlier when I said you were a hell of a flying type trainer. I learnt a lot from that fight.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, to you as well. I¡­ wasn¡¯t expecting you to have another Tyranitar like that¡­¡± he said. ¡°Heh,¡± I said, glancing around and watching the media frenzy as they caught picture after picture of Empress. ¡°No one but a select few knew before today. She¡¯s a bit green but she comes with a lot of power to her name.¡± ¡°I noticed,¡± he commented. Then he sighed. ¡°I suppose I was fooling myself by thinking that I would defeat you.¡± He shook his head. ¡°With this loss, I will be slipping further down the Ace rankings and my goal is further from me than ever,¡± he said dejectedly. ¡°About that, didn¡¯t you say that Flying types were all about freedom and such? Not being held down by earthly emotions or some such?¡± I said, trying to paraphrase what he¡¯d said yesterday. Masked Owl shot me a frown. ¡°You¡¯re beef with Lance, it¡¯s kind of getting in the way of you being the best you can be, you know? I think you have a great team and you¡¯re a great trainer but if your style needs you to be free, you¡¯re tripping over your own feet with your goal, or at least you¡¯re going about it the wrong way,¡± I said. Masked Owl stared. ¡°You¡­ you really did know who I was, didn¡¯t you?¡± I shrugged. ¡°It was kind of obvious.¡± I then hardened my gaze. ¡°And I can¡¯t agree with what you¡¯re doing. I get the whole family pride, but you¡¯ve run off from one of the only things that should be tying you down. Falkner doesn¡¯t deserve that,¡± I said. ¡°You should be the wind in his sails, you¡¯re not doing that with this,¡± I said waving at his mask. Walker blinked and sighed again. Then he reached up and unclasped his mask, taking it from his head. When he revealed himself he did so with a sigh of relief and a shake of his head. ¡°I think I needed that loss more than I knew. I¡­ think you¡¯re right Brock. I think I need to go home and talk with my son,¡± said Walker. A flurry of flashes made us both look up. The media, already going nuts over Empress, were now at a fever pitch with Walker¡¯s reveal. Walker snorted. ¡°What a pack of Carvannah, They¡¯re having a field day. I¡¯m already not looking forward to what tomorrow¡¯s papers will say,¡± he said. I snorted. ¡°I think I can guess,¡± I said amused. With Walker out of the running, now it was going to be much easier. I glanced around and noted the trainers who were critically eying Empress. With her reveal, I¡¯d just fired a serious warning shot over a lot of different bows. I shot Walker a look. ¡°I think we might get a fifty-fifty split between us,¡± I said. Chapter 183 - Interlude - From different eyes Empress stared at the crowd of people. She¡¯d never seen so many people all at once in one place. She¡¯d watched the television that Brock had set up, but that was different, the people didn¡¯t have the scents, the feel, the noise of the crowd. She¡¯d even observed the Gym entrance from atop the plateau and seen people coming and going, but never in such numbers. The tribe had been only a few hundred and while they had been larger than her they¡¯d never clustered around her or the girl when she¡¯d been a part of them. They¡¯d been present in her life but not loud towards her. Never loud towards her. Always careful, quiet and respectful. If the occasion had called for it they would celebrate around a fire loudly, but that was different. The applause reminded her a little of that with how much emotion was being shown. But it was different. They were cheering for her. Such acts had only been given to her by her fellow pokemon at the Gym, Brock when she¡¯d demonstrated her Hyper Beam, Terra¡­ and the girl. The girl had praised her a lot for tiny things in truth, but it had meant everything to her back then. Now? She wasn¡¯t sure what to make of a crowd of strangers shouting for her and Brock. She glanced back to see the podiums had lowered and Brock and the masked individual had shaken their hands. The masked man had reminded her of some of the old wise men with his style of dress. They liked using the feathers from powerful Fearow, that the tribe had hunted down for meals for their outfits. He¡¯d looked very similar. The girl had only ever interacted with the wise men once, to present Empress to them just after she¡¯d hatched. From there Empress could scarcely recall seeing them around the tribe. She¡¯d seen the old woman more, but then that had everything to do with the girl and the old woman being kin. The old woman had good stories about how things had come to be. The pokemon she lived with now said Brock filled much the same role for his own family, without the feathery outfit. He told them stories of how Legendary pokemon acted within and upon the world around them. He told them stories of how to be good, earnest youths. How to navigate the land. How to secure food. How to judge bad men and women. All of this in the form of stories if you were wise enough to sit and listen, which the children were. It was good to be part of a small tribe once again, even if things were different now. The pop of pokeballs announced more Pokemon joining her and Empress blinked when the two youngest pokemon on Brock¡¯s Elite team were released. Link and Gawain both blinked uncertainly only to perk up when they noticed the battlefield they stood upon. Gawain slumped when he noticed that the fight was over. ¡°Ah, I wasn¡¯t picked for this fight.¡± The Kleavor glanced over at Brock who smiled encouragingly. ¡°You three are currently the most popular pokemon that people want to see, can you do a slow circuit around the stands? Let people take photos and just look cool?¡± Empress blinked, she had no idea how to do that. A subtle glance towards Gawain showed that he was also floundering and unsure. Link was nodding. ¡°Ah! Of course! I¡¯m the newest pokemon and Gawain is the new evolution! Empress is the new powerhouse!¡± he said with a rub of his chin. He turned towards Empress. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care! If you can stand tall I¡¯ll feel much more assured!¡± he said earnestly. Empress stared at the little pink pokemon. He was honest and straightforward in everything that he did. Whether that be training or rest, Link was always eager to have a go and push himself. Now, when none of them had a clue what to do, he was more than happy to simply stand around and follow her lead. She shifted nervously, was that all she had to do? Walk a loop and stand around? Or did they want more? For her to growl? Or perhaps use a Hyper Beam again? Brock looked from Gawain, to her, and then paused on Link who was bouncing excitedly. ¡°Ah, on second thought.¡± he released Titan and her son appeared with a shake of his head. Her son smiled easily. ¡°Hmmm? Ah, excellent fight mother, I was able to witness most of it, excellent showing.¡± Empress merely grunted and waved a claw towards Brock. ¡°He wants us to pose for the¡­¡± she waved a claw towards the people that had crowded around the edges of the stands looking down into the field. Titan chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s not meant to be a chore or anything. This is just to show ourselves off. The people that come want to see Brock and us. We are sort of¡­¡± Titan scratched his chin in thought, his eyes darting between the three pokemon watching him. Titan opened his mouth, only to shut it as he continued to think on what to say. A moment later he perked up. Titan raised a claw. ¡°Brock said that us walking among the people that come to watch the matches helps to reassure them. We are strong but not feral. We are like champions representing him and the other pokemon in our team. We are protectors of peace,¡± he said. Gawain vibrated in place. ¡°I love it! He should have mentioned that when he called me out in the past!¡± ¡°Yah! He should have! I like it!¡± Link vibrated in place, his head bobbing up and down. Empress snorted. She shot Brock a look. He¡¯d tried to pair her up with the two youngsters for their enthusiasm, hadn¡¯t he? Only they hadn¡¯t known how to act on their own. She shot her son a respectful nod. He was good at what he did. Still, what he¡¯d said made sense to her. So she strode to the edge of the stands and stared at the suddenly quiet crowd. The scent of fear wafted towards her and it took all she could not to snort in derision. It would be too much for these beings. Funny, that a child had more bravery in him than a host of other humans. To this date, no other human had approached her as fearlessly as Brock had. Empress looked away from the crowd and watched Brock inhale once before stepping towards a crowd of loud people with flashing equipment and small soft sticks. Bertha had told her what these were but she hadn¡¯t much cared for them then. Now she found herself wanting to know more. She turned back and nodded to the section of the crowd that she¡¯d loomed over before stalking to another section where she loomed tall causing another burst of silence in front of her. She huffed and once again felt the wave of fear grow. She held, eyeing various people before her again before stepping away disappointed in them. She was about to stalk over to Brock and demand he return her to her ball when she overheard the people she¡¯d just left talking. ¡°She was so regal!¡± ¡°So powerful!¡± ¡°Oh Wow! I think I get it, she¡¯s just on another level isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°It was so cool getting to see her up close like that!¡± ¡°I almost peed myself!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Empress tilted her head. What was going on? ¡°They¡¯re bonding over the shared experience,¡± said Titan as she moved up next to her. ¡°They¡¯re not used to pokemon like yourself. Some pokemon exude a certain level of strength,¡± he said. ¡°I know this!¡± hissed Empress, chastising her son. You didn¡¯t rule a mountain without knowing about the aura that strong pokemon exuded. Titan nodded. ¡°Yes, but most humans aren¡¯t used to experiencing it, facing down you causing them a thrill as their bodies war with their emotions. Brock calls it their conscious mind with flight or fight responses,¡± he said with a thoughtful rub of his chin. Empress sniffed, unsure what to make of it. ¡°They like it?¡± Titan shrugged. ¡°Some people do,¡± he said. ¡°That said, you can reduce it,¡± he said. ¡°How?¡± asked Empress. Titan smirked and nudged her to the side, causing her to turn her head and notice her daughter in the hands of Brock¡¯s sibling. ¡°Mum! Mum! Mum! Oh wow mum, you were so cool! Will I be able to do that? When can I do that? Oh! Can you see me! Hiiiiiii!¡± Terra waved her stubby little arms frantically to be seen even as she shouted for all her worth. Empress felt herself soften at the sight and a smile began to stretch her facial scales. ¡°Yeah, just like that,¡± murmured her son from behind her. ¡°Go say hello,¡± he said. This time the people around Empress didn¡¯t smell of fear. More of them took pictures and if anything, more of them praised her for various body features she had. ¡°Look at her scars!¡± ¡°She¡¯s taller than Titan?¡± ¡°Thinner too, think that factors into her strength?¡± ¡°She¡¯s got a sheen to her scales doesn¡¯t she?¡± Empress smirked, as she saw Titan straighten up and pat his body. Empress, channeling this new ¡®soft¡¯ feeling, approached other groups and eventually linked up with Link and Gawain to inspect people in the crowd. For the most part, Empress loomed in the back while Gawain and Link flexed and waved at people drawing more positive responses while her own presence caused a silent awe. When they had finished a lap around the stadium, the four pokemon found themselves behind Brock. The cameras turned towards them and Empress found her ¡®soft¡¯ feeling vanishing in the wake of the annoying lights. She growled and a silence swept over the people. The men and women all shot each other looks before packing up their gear. ¡®I think we got enough!¡± shouted one before they darted over to the other man who was being harassed by people like them. Brock chuckled and glanced up at the three ¡®new pokemon¡¯ ¡°How¡¯d you go? Have fun?¡± he asked. ¡°It was great!¡± shouted Gawain. ¡°I feel like I achieved a lot! I think the people will feel a lot safer now!¡± said Link happily. Brock chuckled at their responses before his eyes paused on her. She sniffed but nodded her head slightly. It had been interesting, and rather fun to spend time with Gawain and Link. Brock grinned. ¡°Alright, well let¡¯s get the others healed up, and go have some ice cream!¡± Titan was suddenly at her side and looked attentive causing her to blink and glance at where he had been. Had he used his Giga Impact to get over here? She shook the thought off as ridiculous and walked with Brock through the crowds of people to a trio of females who all had similar scents and faces. There was a clinical, clean smell to them that stung at her nostrils, and when empress leaned in to inspect the ¡®Nurse Joys¡¯ a Chansey appeared before her. ¡°Hey! No hassling the healers! Don¡¯t you know anything?¡± said the pink ball waspishly. Empress narrowed her eyes and snorted. ¡°Whatever, I was just seeing why they smelt strange. They are all practically the same scent.¡± The Chansey stiffened before growling. ¡°Don¡¯t ask those questions!¡± she barked. She then scooped up the pokeballs that the Nurse had finished handling for Brock before shoving them into Brock¡¯s hands. ¡°Now get out of here! We don¡¯t like your kind around here!¡± snapped the pink fluffball. Brock palmed the balls and shot Empress and Chansey a confused look. ¡°Bad interaction?¡± he said casually to Nurse Joy. The woman shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Must be, sometimes pokemon just don¡¯t like each other on sight for some reason,¡± she said. Brock patted Empress on the flank. ¡°Hey, leave it. I don¡¯t want you brawling with a Chansey. They might seem weak but they can be nightmares cause they¡¯ll take a hit, heal up and then come at you again and again. They¡¯re monsters for endurance battles,¡± he said as they walked away. Empress gave Chansey another look and had to conclude that Brock might just be correct. It was a hidden powerhouse. Not that it would be enough to threaten her. If that puffball tried anything she¡¯d flatten it. She turned her head away, interested in experiencing this ice cream. She¡¯d noticed how her son¡¯s tail had wagged slightly at the mere mention earlier. Yolanda and Terra joined them and as they moved into the city a cold sweet smell wafted on the breeze making Empress, Titan, Terra, Gawain, and Link all perk up. Titan licked his lips in excitement and Empress felt herself speed up a little. Brock noticed. ¡°Ah? You can smell it? Yeah we¡¯re close,¡± he said, waving a hand in the direction they were walking. When they reached the ¡®ice cream shop¡¯ Empress found that it was an open table with a glass display that allowed her and other larger pokemon to walk up and survey the selection of iced creams. She stepped to the front, pushing aside the weaker pokemon and looming over the human at the front. People started to protest only for their words to die as Empress shot them an imperious look. Brock coughed. ¡°Sorry, everyone! My treat to make up for this! She¡¯s never had ice cream before!¡± That seemed to mollify some people and Brock joined her with a shake of his head. ¡°Should have realised you were going to do that.¡± He glanced towards Link who had his face pushed up against the glass mesmerised with what was within. Empress snorted, dismissing the others before looking at the sweating attendant. ¡°H-hello maam! What flavour will you be wanting today? We have Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Dry, and Spicy!¡± said, the pimply faced human. Empress narrowed her eyes and looked towards Titan. ¡°I like Sweet and Sour!¡± he said pointing at two tubs, one yellow and one pink. Empress pointed sternly and the clerk quickly assembled two scoops and presented them to her. Empress leaned down, her nostrils flaring as she inspected the offering before taking it into her mouth. An explosion of flavours occurred in her mouth and she swallowed before she could control herself. She found the taste lingering and without meaning to, her tail began to sweep from side to side, knocking Link and Gawain off their feet and batting them to the side. They cried out in surprise before laughing as they got over their shock.¡±Is it really that good?¡± asked Link as he hopped from foot to foot, dodging her tail nimbly. Empress cringed. That was embarrassing, she was not some Larvitar! She was a Tyranitar! She¡¯d ruled a mountain! Brock patted her on the side. ¡°You liked it girl?¡± he said. She nodded, still feeling shame at her lack of control. Brock grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll take ten premade tubs of the mix and match and three of sweet and sour!¡± he told the attendant, causing Empress to perk up as much larger portions of ice cream were presented to Brock. He shot her a grin and a wink as he packed them away. ¡°We¡¯ll get back to the hotel and share them out with the team, along with some for later. But you can have another double scoop for the road if you¡¯d like?¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Empress found herself perking up, her tail shifting slowly back and forth as she found herself looking forward to this new experience. She rather liked this ice cream. She pointed to another two, this one a blue and the other a green before she tasted them. She found her mouth drying out even as a bitter taste took over. She found she rather enjoyed it. Later, when she was enjoying another double-stacked cone of ice cream with the other Elite pokemon, she listened attentively as Bertha spoke of other delicacies they¡¯d gotten to try on Brock¡¯s Journey. Empress licked her lips and claws clean of what remained of her fifth helping of the treat. She turned towards Betha. ¡°What other sorts of treats did you get to try?¡± she asked. Bertha perked up. ¡°Oh there are these things called Lava cakes that are just amazing!¡± said Bertha, as she began to loudly proclaim all the different tastes in foods she¡¯d experienced on the Journey. For the first time ever, she found herself oddly envious of her son and daughter. They¡¯d gotten to, or would get to go on a Journey, where they¡¯d taste and see new things. Maybe she¡¯d have to find a way to travel with Brock more? Or at least get included when he brought around good food. The pizza and ice cream had certainly been nice.
Humphrey sat in a dim room watching his mentor on the television as he handled a wave of questions from reporters with an ease that was enviable. For a moment Humphrey considered heading to Celadon itself but then shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to become too dependent on Brock. The sponsorship had been a lifeline, one he hadn¡¯t been expecting to get after having to beg Spearow to help him out with the junior tournament for the sponsorship. Humphrey still didn¡¯t know how to face Mia. He owed that girl so much it was¡­crazy to think about. Around him, the pokemon he¡¯d acquired over the course of the last few months shifted. A wet splash announced his water pokemon getting excited. None of this would have happened if it hadn¡¯t been for Mia speaking up. The girl had waved it off when he¡¯d approached her, still high on emotion at being given another chance, a huge chance all told from Brock thanks to Mia. She was too kind. And she didn¡¯t want anything from doing it. Humphrey sighed, putting the issue of how to repay Mia to the side for now. He had other things to focus on. He¡¯d wanted to watch this match for any insights he could gain for Flying types as Masked Owl, or rather Walker had been known to use. He¡¯d learned a lot from the match, around him a small forest of notes had been laid out with brief commentary notes, or thoughts. His pokemon nudged a few into line or shifted so they wouldn¡¯t trudge on them. Next to him, Lairon growled softly. ¡°Yeah, it was a strong match buddy,¡± he said, rubbing an oiled cloth over Lairon¡¯s head. ¡°Lair!¡± agreed, his pokemon. ¡°Ron,¡± continued the pokemon dejectedly. ¡°Yeah it would have been nice to see Knight be used today, but oh well. We got to watch champion Steven use his though,¡± Humphrey said. This mollified Lairon as he leaned into the rubs. On the other side of Humphrey, Pidgeot leaned in as replays of the fight were broadcast showcasing how swift Walker had been while Brock had blanketed the sky or laid traps where he could. Walker¡¯s Pidgeot was strong, and one day Humphrey hoped to be just as strong with his pokemon. Pidgeot was the first pokemon to fully evolve and while it still had a lot of growing to do, Humphrey was hopeful he¡¯d be able to ride his pokemon for longer trips soon. Then he¡¯d get a lot more mobility. Sadly he¡¯d been too slow to get to Cinnabar before it got shut down, but with his recent match against Sabrina he now had enough badges to cover his inclusion into the circuit at the end of the year pending a victory against Janine, Sophia, and then Manny. Humphrey had done his research and he also hoped that he could spend some time training with the minor Gym Leader. The man had a lot of insight and tactics that Humphrey wanted to make use of. He didn¡¯t like his chances at getting other Gyms to work with him so he didn¡¯t ask. He¡¯d have to rely on whatever insight could be garnered from the training camp towards the end of the circuit. For now? He needed to consider his team, in a few months he¡¯d have the best chance possible of earning a huge payday, enough that he wouldn¡¯t be dependent on Brock if the worst happened and he lost his sponsorship. He glanced over his team. Lairon was a strong pokemon that offered a lot of versatility. The Technical Machine containing Shadow Claw had come in big when he¡¯d needed to face off against Sabrina. It had been money, hard earned money at that, that had been well spent. Lairon had done great, knocking out two of Sabrina¡¯s pokemon. He¡¯d stood up that day. As had Pidgeot, Nuzleaf, Houndour, Starmie, and Nidorino. All of them had been forced to endure power and precision with psychic type moves that could only come from facing a master of their typing. Reflexively Humphrey popped open his badge case to check the five badges he currently had. It had been Nidorino that surprised him the most, with how he had held on to edge out a victory against Sabrina¡¯s Kadabra. He hadn¡¯t been confident, no, he¡¯d actually been ready to call the match when he¡¯d had to send in Nidorino as his sixth pokemon. The Poison Sting actually poisoning Kadabra had surprised him. In the end it had felt like he¡¯d won more through luck than skill but Sabrina had been quick to affirm his victory, stating that it was well earned. Luck. Wasn¡¯t that a rub. He continued his ministrations against Lairon and when he must have gotten a bit too hard with the pressure Lairon opened an eye and rumbled a question. ¡°No, I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m fine buddy, just thinking is all. I don¡¯t like that we had to rely on luck for our last victory,¡± said Humphrey quickly. ¡°Lairon!¡± said, his starter firmly nuzzling into him. ¡°No, I want to be stronger. We need to be stronger!¡± said Humphrey as he glanced up at the worn temporary rental they¡¯d gotten. It was a cheap place, almost as cheap as the pokecentre but nowhere near as nice. Still, with the surge of trainers coming in Humphrey had to be careful with who he fought and how often. The pokecentres, unless you got¡­ lucky, were usually packed with people and pokemon. It rubbed at Humphrey that he had to scrimp and save, then fight for every scrap he could to get for his pokemon, to just get a bit more of an edge. He¡¯d been ambitious when he¡¯d asked for Aron as his starter, but thankfully the extra costs of Lairon¡¯s meals was something Brock was more than happy to cover. Still, it felt like seconds were ticking down until Humphrey wouldn¡¯t have that safety net to fall into. He needed to get stronger. His pokemon needed it. Humphrey laid out his team roster. It had been ambitious to catch certain pokemon, he knew, but he¡¯d still done it. Lairon, Pidgeot, Nuzleaf, Magikarp, Machoke, Houndour, Venomoth, Nidorino, Starmie, Exeggucute, Rhyhorn, and Graveler. Twelve pokemon, with only six more spaces before he would have to start paying for more stable space, which was typically the biggest expense a trainer could accrue. From the lessons Brock had given Humphrey, he knew there was a trick to evolving Machoke and Graveler which he¡¯d need to work out. Nidorino required a special item which Brock must have supplied to Celia as the older orphan had mentioned using something to get her Nidorina to evolve before the final tournament. Which just left Lairon and the others to evolve the normal way, through strength. Well, Magikarp would also require some special circumstances but Brock had been firm in the lessons on Magikarp and Humphrey had listened intently. Magikarp were tough pokemon to evolve. Brock had said as much, but he¡¯d also mentioned that the payoff of having a loyal, well trained Gyarados made up for it. Humphrey hoped that Magikarp would become a pillar of his team, but that would depend on getting his pokemon there which still looked like it would take a while. Humphrey glanced at the final six pokeballs he had, all laid out before him. All of them were empty. What else should he get to give himself the best chance? Humphrey glanced up at the screen once more, watching as Brock laughed with his two Tyranitar. That would be a great addition, that or a pokemon like it. Humphrey sighed and shook his head. Who was he kidding, he wasn¡¯t that lucky. Then again, few people were.
¡°Yes! Suck it birdman!¡± Forrest shouted as he fist pumped into the air. ¡°Rock beats bird!¡± he bellowed, drawing more than a few amused gazes from the others in the Fuchsia pokemon centre. Next to him Ash was also jumping up and down. Misty had been smiling along with him only to sink down as people¡¯s attention turned to them. ¡°Forrest! Ash! Sit down! You¡¯re embarrassing me!¡± she growled as they continued to dance around. Forrest sat down while Ash huffed and paced back and forth. ¡°Argh! I can¡¯t believe that fight! I mean! I can so believe that Brock won but! But! Two Tyranitar!? Since when has Brock had two Tyranitar?¡± ¡°I know!¡± Forrest said. ¡°He didn¡¯t mention that when I called him last!¡± ¡°And when was it that you called him?¡± Misty prompted. Forrest coughed. ¡°I called him the last time we were in¡­ He calls me? It¡¯s the same thing!¡± he said firmly. ¡°The point is he could have mentioned it!¡± he said. Ash bounced on the spot. ¡°Think he¡¯d trade? Having a tyranitar is my dream!¡± said Ash plaintively. Misty shot him a dubious look. ¡°You forgot he had one until you started watching some of his Ace matches!¡± ¡°Yes, so what?¡± said Ash shamelessly. Misty groaned and shook her head. ¡°The pair of you are just¡­ urgh!¡± Forrest huffed only to perk up as the television continued to show the match. ¡°Hey! Woah Masked Owl is taking off his mask!¡± Ash and Misty locked their attention back on the television only to blink cluelessly as an older man was revealed. Ash tilted his head. ¡°Who¡¯s that guy?¡± ¡°I¡­ think I know him from somewhere? Was he in a movie?¡± said Misty. Forrest scoffed. ¡°You guys are dumb! That¡¯s Morty¡¯s uncle!¡± he said smugly only to twitch as a banner of text rolled underneath the reveal man to state his name as ¡®Walker - former Gym Leader for Violet Gym, son to former Elite Four member Shafner, and father to Falkner¡¯. Misty smirked. ¡°Morty eh?¡± ¡°I¡­! The Johto Gym¡¯s aren¡¯t my strong suit, alright? They¡¯re on the other side of the Silver range and not that relevant!¡± Forrest said even as Ash, Pikachu and Misty all laughed at his excuses. ¡°So is he a big deal, or not?¡± Ash said, after a moment only to blink as commentators appeared, both of them looking shocked. ¡°Walker must have been trying to rise up the Ace Ranks to challenge the Elite Four!¡± announced one. ¡°Couldn¡¯t he have done so using his Gym Leader status?¡± said the other sceptically. ¡°Ah! You never saw that match, I take it?¡± the other said quickly. ¡°It was an off season match and the thing is, Lance accepted. He set up the match for the usual gauntlet with Walker going up against one of the Elite Four members, he drew Bruno.¡± ¡°... shouldn¡¯t that be a good thing?¡± ¡°It would have been but Bruno destroyed him on live television with his Hitmonchan alone! That thing is a beast!¡± ¡°Why do I not know this?¡± asked the second announcer. Ash, Misty and Forrest all nodded their heads. This felt like a big deal! Why hadn¡¯t it been shown? ¡°It was during the day, and more specifically it occurred during the same time as the Kanto cup racing event! Quite literally! It ended so fast that people thought Walker had fled the fight with the actual result being much worse, Bruno obliterated him!¡± Misty and Forrest nodded. ¡°Of course! The Kanto cup! That makes so much sense,¡± Misty said. Forrest nodded along. Ash coughed. ¡°What¡¯s the Kanto cup?¡± Forrest sighed. ¡°Did your mum not let you watch the Rapidash races, these are like those, only better?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s got a lot of gambling and she¡¯s kind of against it. She had me go out and play with Professor Oak¡¯s pokemon during the day,¡± said Ash. Misty hummed. ¡° Oh guess that explains it. The Kanto cup is like the Rapidash races. But only the fastest pokemon and their riders in the word can compete! The races usually only last like ten minutes so yeah beating a six pokemon team in that time is kinda of crazy ¡°So something else must have been up I guess.¡± Forrest said with a shrug. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re the only one to miss it.¡± Video clips of the match began to play and they watched with a critical eye. ¡°His pokemon are a lot faster and stronger now, no?¡± said Misty after a few minutes. Forrest nodded. ¡°Yeah, it seems that way, I think the Ace challenges might have made him stronger. Shame he¡¯s going to drop down the rankings after today¡¯s loss,¡± Forrest said as he brought up the rankings chart. ¡°He¡¯s currently tenth on the standings going into this tournament.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your brother?¡± asked Ash. ¡°Twentieth,¡± said Forrest. Misty grinned. ¡°Not for long! It seems like he¡¯s going to jump a number of rankings, right?¡± Forrest nodded. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯ll win this. His biggest competition is out of the way and he¡¯ll go the distance,¡± he said firmly. ¡°Speaking of distance, where are we going to go next? I¡¯ve only got to get one more badge, but Cinnabar and Viridian¡­¡± Ash made a gesture and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m glad we got to challenge Neon Gym before it got raided, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Forrest crossed his arms. ¡°Cerulean, Vermillion, Celadon, Fuchsia, Sophia¡¯s Gym, and the Neon City make six for me.¡± ¡°Heh, you¡¯re one behind me!¡± said Ash smugly as he displayed his own badge case with the Boulder badge proudly on display. ¡°That¡¯s only cause I¡¯m going to go for the Bejeweled badge first off!¡± said Forrest. ¡°I¡¯m not taking it easy like you did by just challenging Brock! But challenging him at his strongest!¡± Misty hummed. ¡°Does that mean you might be facing off against that new Tyranitar of his?¡± That caused Forrest to blink as the idea settled in. ¡°Oh, yeah, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s¡­ really strong, I¡¯ve never seen a Hyper Beam break through stadium barriers like that before,¡± he said, chewing on his thumb nervously. Ash waved his hand ¡°Don¡¯t sorry about that! It just means you have to get stronger! Heck! Show it to your pokemon team and it will motivate them!¡± Ash said, a fire in his eyes now. ¡°Pikachu!¡± said Ash¡¯s starter pokemon, backing up his trainer. Ash grinned and bumped his fist against Pikachu¡¯s raised paw. ¡°See? Pikachu¡¯s not worried! He¡¯d be able to fight against that tyranitar if he had to!¡± Pikachu¡¯s smile became very wooden as he nodded slightly. ¡°P-pika,¡± he said. Misty giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, chances are you¡¯d face off against someone else,¡± said Misty. She then turned to Forrest. ¡°How does Brock actually determine who he¡¯ll use for the Bejeweled Challenges?¡± ¡°Elite,¡± said Forrest reflexively. ¡°They¡¯re called Elite challenges, and he calls up a big spinning wheel that has all his Elite pokemon on it. You randomly draw from that as the wheel spins around. That is unless he feels you have to face off against a certain pokemon.¡± Misty tilted her head. ¡°So it¡¯s not completely random then?¡± Forrest frowned. ¡°He only did it once¡­ It was against the kid that¡­ Well he and Brock had a history, cause the kid used pokemon too strong for even a basic fourth tier challenge¡­ Brock used his own Onix who he never really rated as Elite, not yet anyway. Onix¡­ didn¡¯t recover from the match,¡± Forrest said. ¡°Oh!¡± Misty said sadly, as she realised what that meant. Ash took a bit longer before he shrunk into himself. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­ what did he do to the other trainer?¡± ¡°Smashed him with Tyranitar as far as I can tell, when the guy came back the next year for the Bejewelled badge. Apparently he still qualified for the Gym circuit with only gaining seven badges for the end of year circuit. He placed third in the tournament two years ago,¡± said Forrest glumly. ¡°I¡¯m surprised Brock didn¡¯t do worse to him,¡± Misty said heatedly. ¡°Brock said he considered it, but knew it wouldn¡¯t do anything beyond damage his own reputation. Brock proved he was stronger and has since gotten a lot more careful with certain matches. You might not notice it but Brock really works hard to be able to judge a pokemon¡¯s strength from very little insight into them.¡± Ash nodded. ¡°Yeah, I got that impression when we were at his Gym.¡± Ash looked at his badge case. ¡°I think I¡¯d like to upgrade my badge, when does he allow challengers?¡± ¡°He starts from the halfway point, but honestly it¡¯s not a good idea to challenge then.,¡± Forrest said with a shake of his head. ¡°Most people leave it to the last few weeks so they have the most time to train up their pokemon. We should be able to secure our badges first.¡± Ash nodded at this, ¡°Yeah, I think I want Charizard to get a bit stronger, and I know that Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pikachua and I can do more.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget Primeape,¡± Misty said snidely. Ash blinked. ¡°Oh yeah! I should be able to collect him from Anthony for a bit!¡± Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I forgot about him!¡± Forrest shook his head. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you handed him off like that, but it¡¯s worth probably keeping him back there for now.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± asked Ash. Forrest shot Misty a knowing look before looking to his other traveling companion. ¡°Ash? Are you going to want to finish out your badge case with only five of the major gyms, or are you going to go for the final Big Gym and get a six two split?¡± Ash narrowed his eyes. ¡°I want to show everyone how strong I am! Bring on the big Gym!¡± ¡°So then you¡¯re going to have to beat Sabrina,¡± said Forrest smugly. ¡°And you¡¯re going to have to do it with the best team she fields against trainers looking for her badge.¡± Ash blinked at that before scowling. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid! We can take her!¡± he said standing tall. Forrest smirked. ¡°Alright, your funeral, still it¡¯ll give us all something to work towards for the next month or so.¡± This caused Ash to scowl even harder. ¡°We won¡¯t take that long!¡± he said. Forrest just shrugged. ¡°All told, I¡¯m amazed we got ahead of so many people. I think I¡¯m going to spend some more time in the battleclubs working on my team. I think if I do I can get Beldum to evolve.¡± Misty nodded at this, ¡°I might be able to get the same with Wartortle, Psyduck, and Horsea then.¡± A glint entered Ash and Forrest¡¯s eyes, causing a sigh from Misty as she realised she¡¯d sparked the boy¡¯s competitive natures.
Falkner turned off the television, a tornado of emotions swirling through him as he registered what had been shown. He¡¯d¡­ suspected for a while now, who masked Owl was. The man had a lot of the patterns that matched up with his father. But to see it revealed in this way? It was unfortunate and it stung Falkner¡¯s pride that his father hadn¡¯t felt willing to share his goal with him. It made sense to him, people needed to not look down on them due to how Grandfather had been ousted. His father was doing something noble. Except he hadn¡¯t included Falkner in his plans, and that stung. Falkner glanced at the stack of letters that signified the only news he had from his father for the last few years. It had helped getting the letters and having some form of communication, even if it hadn¡¯t been enough some days. Still, Falkner was beyond that. He wasn¡¯t the boy from years ago. He was the Violet City Gym Leader. Falkner stared at the blank screen for another hour before sighing and making up a pot of tea. It was cold by the time his father flew in on his mighty Pidgeot, but Falkner had no compunctions with serving his father cold tea. His father voiced no complaints knowing that if he did he would merely open himself up to rebuke. Part of Falkner wished he would so he could fight, but that was not the way they had been raised. They were better, more aloof. More poised. Falkner adjusted his kneeling position on the small cushion and inclined his head in greeting. ¡°Father, you have returned, do you wish to stay or do you wish to continue your goal to demonstrate that our family is strong?¡± Walker blinked. ¡°You¡­ are not demanding that I come back?¡± ¡°I have things well in hand here¡­ but i would like you to come back and help train me and my pokemon more if you could, I¡­ can¡¯t do most of what you did against Brock, I thought it was a good showing but I am envious,¡± Falkner said firmly, his back straight. Walker smiled. ¡°That¡­ I¡¯d be happy to help you son,¡± he said. ¡°And I would be happy to provide my support, in whatever manner I can to you father. You want to represent our family? Do so with our facilities at your command.¡± Walker blinked and swallowed as a suspicious dampness appeared at the corner of his eyes. ¡°My son¡­ you have grown,¡± Walker said, and Falkner felt his heart warm at the admission. ¡°Thank you for noticing, father.¡± Falkner said hoarsely as he felt his throat tighten with emotion. Walker beamed before launching himself forward to hug his son. Father and son leaned into each other ignoring how their upbringing demanded them be stoic and calm. To be leaves in the wind, flying free. In this moment they were not that. They were just human. They were just father and son, reunited once more. If there were tears neither noticed. When they released each other they shared a smile and Walker laughed. ¡°You have grown well my son, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t witness it myself.¡± He swallowed. ¡°What should we tell the press when they seek us out tomorrow?¡± Falkner smiled. ¡°I have an idea,¡± he said easily, feeling suddenly much lighter than he had been. Chapter 184 - Advancing quickly ¡°I always knew?¡± Yolanda read aloud. She lowered the gossip magazine that had a photo of myself and Walker shaking hands after our match. His face was bare to the world. In the corner of the front page, a picture of Falkner was shown looking towards the reader with the quote hanging above him. He looked remarkably composed. I scratched my chin and nodded. ¡°Even if he didn¡¯t know, that¡¯s a good call he made. I have to give it to him, I¡¯m impressed he went for that option,¡± I said. Yolanda looked up. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I wobbled my hand lazily. ¡°What he tells the public doesn¡¯t need to be the truth. It shows a level of maturity to know that he doesn¡¯t have to present the truth.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s a liar,¡± said A.J. with a huff. I nodded. ¡°Possibly. I think chances are that he is lying, but honestly? That¡¯s not a bad call on his part.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a white lie?¡± Yolanda said with a thoughtful frown. I nodded and made a so-so gesture. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anything and it allows him to save face, while making Walker¡¯s¡­ transition into Ace challenges look more planned. That might not be the truth, but so what? Some personal things like what¡¯s going on between him and his father? They don¡¯t need to know.¡± Yolanda tilted her head. ¡°Is there any reason we couldn¡¯t do something¡ª¡± ¡°Not until she comes back. And our situations aren¡¯t completely the same,¡± I said, feeling like a heel as I saw Yolanda¡¯s hope shrivel. ¡°Why?¡± she said, clenching the magazine like a paper shield before her from my arguments. ¡°Because we have a much larger family. Everyone knows that Flint left with a large family to look after. There¡¯s much more¡­¡± I paused to consider my words carefully. ¡°Acceptance for any excuses and rationales for Falkner might offer up more than there is for Flint or Lola. There is a sticking point for Flint, as it wasn¡¯t just the Gym but the entire family to look after.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Yolanda. ¡°That¡­ makes a lot of sense.¡± I hummed and considered what else I could say. I could easily beat down on Flint or¡­ her, if I wanted to but that wasn¡¯t what I should go for. Instead, I sighed and sat up. ¡°Things might have been tough for a little while Yolanda, but Flint¡¯s back now.¡± ¡°When do you think Mum will come back?¡± she said quietly. The rest of the people in the tent all shifted so that they were busy with something else. Amazingly even A.J. realised he shouldn¡¯t listen in on this moment as he stood and strode out, dragging Missy, Greta and Rachel with him. Yolanda blinked, having apparently forgotten that they were even here with us. I sighed. With the canonical knowledge I had of Lola. I wasn¡¯t expecting her back until the end of the second year of Ash¡¯s Journey. But I had no justification for that. I stared at my hands. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure Yolanda. I think she will come back, and Arceus, when that happens?¡± I shot Yolanda a suffering look. ¡°Things are going to be weird when she does return.¡± ¡°...¡± She opened and closed her mouth. ¡°I will let her come back Yolanda.¡± Despite how much that felt like a mistake, I thought to myself. ¡°But, I think I need to draw some lines in the sand so to speak that she shouldn¡¯t cross. Flint¡­ he got a lot of my ire but he was here for us for a bit. ¡­ Lola, I¡¯m not even sure what to think with her running off like that.¡± I gestured from Yolanda to me. ¡°Normal families don¡¯t have to talk about stuff like this.¡± I held up a hand. ¡°That said, like with Flint, when she comes back, I¡¯m not going to ignore it. I¡¯m going to tear into her for deserting our family. We should be her top priority. Ignoring what she did is just inviting her to do it again and that¡¯s not healthy for us. And I don¡¯t want our brothers and sisters to learn to be pushovers. Sometimes the people we love can hurt us the worst, so respect must be part of the relationship.¡± I felt myself tensing up just talking about her but I tried to control myself. Getting terse with Yolanda wouldn¡¯t help. Zubat must have somehow detected my stress as she crawled out of my vest¡¯s top pocket to nuzzle at me. I took her in my hands and started to rub her head, the action soothing my nerves. ¡°I kind of hate that I understand what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Yolanda said quietly while looking at the ground. She then shot me a sardonic look. ¡°Did you ever talk to Forrest about this?¡± I snorted. ¡°Heh! Please! Who are you kidding? Forrest likes to pretend to be a man¡¯s man! He wouldn¡¯t talk about things like this! This is soft, sissy stuff,¡± I said with a fake macho-sounding voice. Zubat¡¯s ears wiggled from me to Yolanda and her mouth stretched as she smiled. Hmmm she was a very aware little pokemon, wasn¡¯t she? ¡°Hehehe, that does sound like him,¡± Yolanda said as she wiped at her eyes. I felt a stab in my chest at the sight before sighing. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s being dumb. It¡¯s not sissy, it¡¯s moments like this that often are some of the toughest situations you will find yourself in. It can be stressful and while you can be strong in other situations, you might be brittle when it comes to moments like this.¡¯ I waved a hand around. ¡°You can lash out, or leave or do something most of the time. In really tough situations? You just have to be there and endure, talk it out where you can.¡± I gave Yolanda a sad smile and returned to petting Zubat. ¡°It¡¯s not very fun,¡± I said. ¡°It can be hard though to learn to allow yourself to be soft when you need to.¡± I waved a hand outside. ¡°Common consensus is that this will be something learned through your Journey. It usually manifests with needing to ask for help from people. There are usually trainers that are wandering around keeping an eye out just to offer new trainers support.¡± ¡°What happens if people don¡¯t go on their Journey?¡± she asked. I tilted my head. ¡°Where¡¯d this question come from?¡± ¡°I just, never really thought about it till now, but not everyone gets to go on their journey, do they? A lot of people talk about their Journey and how great it will be but then, some of them can¡¯t go, or they pull out after a while.¡± I grimaced. ¡°Hmmm good point, I am a bit biased as I had a good start and that can mean the world for a young trainer. But you¡¯re right. There are plenty of folk that don¡¯t or can¡¯t go.¡± I rubbed my chin and considered how it went for me in my past life. It wasn¡¯t a one-to-one comparison, not with the lack of pokemon but¡­ ¡°Maybe they sort of float around a bit more and struggle. Some of the life lessons would be missed that some people are going to assume you know.¡± I looked up. Yolanda had potentially hit on a rather large sticking point for a lot of our society. Not everyone wanted to or could be pokemon trainers through no fault of their own. Some jobs didn¡¯t require it, but being a pokemon trainer was held up as the golden standard. ¡°I think I¡¯d need to ask around a bit more to learn about it, which might be a bit odd as a pokemon Gym Leader,¡± I said. ¡°Ah, I just thought of some of the kids in my class, and also our siblings. What happens if some of them don¡¯t want to go on their journeys.¡± I opened my mouth to jokingly say something crass-like, ¡®We push them out the door with a handful of pokeballs and a random pokemon¡¯, but that wouldn¡¯t go over well. So Instead I shrugged. ¡°We just support them as best we can, I suppose. It might be a different sort of support than you, or Forrest have received. but that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll leave them behind.¡± I stood and moved over to her to put a hand on her shoulder, Zubat shifting to my shoulder to watch. ¡°Hey, this is some pretty heavy stuff we¡¯re talking about here. You shouldn¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°I kind of feel like I have to somedays, otherwise people just ignore it,¡± she said bitterly. I leaned down and hugged her. ¡°Don¡¯t be looking too shouldering too much. It¡¯s not a good thing to have to grow up too early. Keep some childishness and wonder of the world.¡± ¡°Wonder for the world?¡± she said with a chuckle. ¡°What does that even mean?¡± ¡°Well, allowing yourself to feel wonder can be important. I¡¯ve been taking you older kids up to Mt Moon for ages and usually, I just sit there and don¡¯t really feel much at the moment.¡± I blushed and broke the hug looking away. ¡°Then I took Sabrina up there and got a reminder of just how¡­ special moments like that are, and I relaxed. Then Link walked up and said he wanted to be my pokemon.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Yolanda said. She shot me an amused look. ¡°I knew that you and Sabrina going up there had resulted in you getting Link, but you hadn¡¯t mentioned that part. Did you and her smooch?¡± she said gleefully. I sighed. And with that statement, I knew that my little sister was feeling fine now. ¡°Yes, we did,¡± I said with a roll of my eyes. ¡°Awww!¡± Yolanda said happily. I made a show of rolling my eyes at her again and she stuck her tongue out. Terra, who¡¯d been sitting quietly waddled up and bumped herself into Yolanda to show she was happy her partner was feeling better. The little Larvitar shot Zubat a thoughtful look, hmmm she might have learnt a thing or two just now. I walked to the tent flaps to see if the others were lingering only to find Rachel rocking back and forth on her heels while chatting up the towering form of Trixie. ¡°Rachel, Trixie,¡± I said with a nod to both of them. I was a little surprised to see Trixie here, but then again she was Rachel¡¯s girlfriend. The girls waved back as I looked around for the other three. ¡°They went and got into some fights?¡± I asked. ¡°They went and got into some fights!¡± confirmed Rachel with a nod. ¡°Even Greta?¡± I said with a touch of surprise. ¡°Especially Greta!¡± said Rachel with a huge smile. I huffed, amused by this turn of events. I waved to the two girls. ¡°Come on in, we¡¯re going to talk shop about the next matches I have coming up.¡± Initially, Trixie stood in the back performing what looked like calf raises as she shifted from foot to foot keeping her mouth shut. ¡°You can join us if you¡¯d like?¡± I prompted, gesturing to a spare seat. Trixie liked her lips. ¡°I¡¯m not a trainer for the Gym though?¡± ¡°Eh, I employ you and you¡¯re good people,¡± I said casually. I very much doubted anyone could copy Trixie¡¯s constant need to perform some form of exercise. She took a seat and even as Rachel sat in her lap to keep her down she pulled out a grip strength trainer from her pouch. Trixie looked over Clarence¡¯s roster of pokemon and chewed her lip. ¡°A fighting type pokemon or two would work?¡± she suggested, earning a giggle from Rachel. I shook my head, having expected as much. Still, it wasn¡¯t a bad suggestion and Hypnotoad was a good addition. In the end, I went with Zephyr, Hypnotoad, Gawain, Knight, Shin, and Shrek. An unusual assortment to be sure but I was confident in Shrek holding down the anchor if I needed it from him. It was a fairly good diversity of pokemon as well. I decided to roll with it. The next match wasn¡¯t as high stakes with Clarence being even lower than my first two challenges. He¡¯d had a lucky run so far. When we reached the stadium I could see that he knew it as well. There was a slight slump to his shoulders and no spark in his eyes when we locked gazes. The referee performed the usual pre-match routine and I hefted my first pokeball. ¡°Go Sunflora!¡± he said, sending out the best chance he had at this match first. I had to give it to him. He might not have the will to fight, but he still had good insight. Chances were that they¡¯d usually do very well against the majority of my pokemon. Just not this time. ¡°Go Zephyr,¡± I said with a slight grimace of apology sent to Clarence. His eyes widened as he instantly recognised how terrible this match up was. ¡°Sunflora! Return!¡± ¡°Calm Mind,¡± I said placidly. Clarence held his pokeball for a long moment. His hand switching from pokeball to pokeball, before he growled and went for one at the back. ¡°Go Graveler!¡± he shouted. I whistled in surprise. That, had been one of the pokemon we¡¯d assumed he would avoid using. With it coming out I knew what I had to look out for. ¡°Hypnosis,¡± I said quickly. Zephyr¡¯s eyes started to glow and Clarence stiffened. ¡°No! Go for Self Destruct!¡± he called only for his pokemon to fall on its face as it fell asleep. ¡°Urgh! No!¡± he called. ¡°Wake up buddy! I need you up and fighting!¡± I felt a little bad for him but that didn¡¯t stop me from pointing at the downed pokemon. ¡°Feast,¡± I said to Noctowl and he beat his wings and hovered as psychic energy built up and swept from him to Graveler before coming back. Gravler twitched in pain but remained sleeping. ¡°Again,¡± I said, committing Zephyr to Dream Eater. He devoured yet more energy from Graveler and a moment later the other pokemon stopped snoring and very calming rolled over to show that it was well and truly out of the fight. ¡°Return buddy,¡± said Clarence. He ran his hands over his pokebelt for a few moments as he lost himself in thought. For my part, I called Zephyr back to my side of the field. That¡­ hadn¡¯t been a great showing on his part. I glanced about, eying all the people watching. Was one of them noting down anything specific, my mind couldn¡¯t stop itself from recalling earlier matches that had been¡­ No. That situation wasn¡¯t playing out. People were probing me, but it was nothing like what Will had set up with his specialised challenges. ¡°Go Flaaffy!¡± he said, sending out another pokemon that would do well against Zephyr. I nodded, respecting the choice. I¡¯d seen this on his roster and once again thought it had a low chance of appearing. It was a pokemon that wasn¡¯t fully evolved. Also, I had a lot of video recordings of Zephyr beating down and enduring electric-type pokemon. ¡°Thunderbolt!¡± said Clarence, starting things off quickly. ¡°Steel Wing into Psychic,¡± I replied. Zephyr happily dove into the ground, his wings glinting as he stabbed them into the earth before the electricity could impact him. With his body earthed only a fraction of the damage was done with the thunderbolt. Zephyr quickly snapped his head up and fired off a Psychic that resulted in Flaaffy being hurled across the field. I blinked in surprise. That had been a lot faster and harsher response than I¡¯d been expecting from Zephyr. Zephyr himself seemed surprised. I hummed. Ah, Clarence¡¯s Flaffy wasn¡¯t up to strength, its thunderbolt was weak compared to a lot of what Zephyr was used to dealing with from Sanchez. ¡°Moonblast,¡± I said, deciding to work Zephyr through a different move than he was used to. He didn¡¯t falter from the unexpected command and a moment later had a powerful pink orb launched at Flaaffy. ¡°Dodge!¡± called Clarence and his pokemon leapt only to be struck by the edge. It flailed and hit the ground with a tumble before shooting back to its feet, baaing angrily. ¡°That¡¯s it! stay in the fight¡ª¡± Clarence started to say only for a white light to shine up around Flaaffy. ¡°Oh damn,¡± I said in surprise as Flaffy started to evolve in response to how tough a fight Zephyr was putting up. A moment later a glistening Ampharos stood ready to keep fighting. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the way boy! Show them your strength with Power Gem!¡± ¡°Dust off! Now!!¡± I called instantly, well aware of the danger that move could have on Zephyr. Zephyr kicked his feet into the ground and flapped hard to escape the buckshot of rock. Some still hit him and he cried out in pain but kept rising up. When he had a good position I stabbed my hand forward. ¡°Moon Blast!¡± I said and this time with the power of gravity backing it up, Moon Blast didn¡¯t knock Ampharos around but rather hammered him down like a nail. When the dust cleared Ampharos staggered to its feet disorientated and out of sorts. I shot Clarence a look and was pleased to see that he had his pokeball raised already. ¡°I withdraw my pokemon from the match!¡± he called. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I nodded, happy that he valued his pokemon. I could have easily dispatched his pokemon with how out of it it was. Clarence locked eyes with my pokemon, a thoughtful frown appearing there. Hmmm he was smelling blood was he? Well time to quash that. Zephyr was a bit injured now, so I raised his pokeball and returned him. ¡°Come back boy, you¡¯ve done well.¡± Clarence twitched before he shook his head and sent out his fourth pokemon, his slump returning in full. ¡°Go Golduck,¡± he called revealing a pokemon that wasn¡¯t on his known pokemon roster. ¡°Hoh? You¡¯ve been holding this one back,¡± I said. Clarence nodded. ¡°I want to see what he can do against one of your rock pokemon.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯m curious myself but¡­ I have no reason to oblige you. Go Hypnotoad,¡± I said, sending out my next pokemon and the one Trixie had advocated for. Clarence perked up and I knew straight away what he was going to go for. ¡°Ps¡ª¡± ¡°DL,¡± I said, feeding my intent into the bond I had with Hypnotoad. She sprinted forward and just as Golduck started to unleash a powerful Psybeam, she spun over and over, dark energy wafting off her form and helping her tank the psychic attack. Golduck and Clarence were completely taken by surprise when she reached Golduck, only to slam her arm into the other pokemon¡¯s neck. She bore him to the ground and with Golduck flat on his back it was all too easy for Hypnotoad to go to town with punch after punch. After she¡¯d unleashed a quick one-two combination she cocked her fist back and energy built up around it. When she next struck down she finished the fight and stood tall, not a lick of damage to be shown. ¡°Poli!¡± she roared to the crowd, flexing and posing like a bodybuilder. I chuckled and glanced towards Trixie, who was sitting with the others, a happy expression, as always, on display. I paused. Was she sitting, or doing a squat hold on the stairs? Damn, while I was winning matches, she was training. That woman was terrifying. Almost as much as Sabrina. I¡¯d beat her one day in a running race. I had vowed to myself as much. It wouldn¡¯t matter if it was a day she was sick, it would still count. I turned back in time for Sunflora to take to the stage once more. I, suddenly feeling no mercy, pointed. ¡°Hypno!¡± I said, and Hypno turned her body and flexed at the Grass type pokemon as her body swirl rotated catching Clarence and his pokemon once more off guard with Hypnosis. ¡°Ah no! Not again!¡± he said. I started to feel a little bad as he was forced to watch his pokemon take a proper beat down as Hypnotoad slammed home blow after blow. Sunflora was quickly recalled leaving Clarence one last pokemon. He hesitated as Poliwrath beat her chest and fired off punch after punch. I hummed and decided to give him a better shot with a less powerful pokemon. I returned Hypnotoad and instead reached for another pokemon that needed more experience. ¡°Go Gawain!¡± I said, sending out my Kleavor. ¡°Kleav!¡± he said, brandishing his axes and settling into a ready position. ¡°Urgh!¡± said Clarence as he revealed his last pokemon. ¡°Go Victreebel! Start out with Vine Whip!¡± he said. I coughed. Ah, he¡¯d have had better chances against Hypnotoad. Whoops? I thought to myself as I pointed straight ahead. ¡°X-scissor, cut your way to that pokemon and let¡¯s wrap this match up!¡± I said. And Gawain did just that, sprinting straight ahead, his axes raised and ready like a lumberman in a forest that had somehow offended him. He tore through the Vines that tried to slam into him making Victreebel screech in pain only to then be smashed back as an X-scissor swept through it. Victreebel fell back and stood tall only for me to make another chopping gesture. I didn¡¯t let up and Clarence had to use Vine Whip this time to evade my pokemon¡¯s pursuit. ¡°Speed up!¡± I said, ordering Agility to get Gawain to go even faster. ¡°Sunny Day!¡± called Clarence. I hummed and decided to go for it. ¡°Charge in and get ready to block the attack!¡± Clarence perked up, obviously sensing a chance for his pokemon. ¡°Blast it!¡± he called as Gawain closed, much faster than before but still not fast enough to stop the Solar Beam that erupted from Victreebel. The beam almost reached Gawain before he crossed his axes, and a Protect formed. ¡°Ah damn it!¡± called Clarence as he watched his last shot fizzle out. It was a quick matter to have his pokemon swept from the field with another hit and just like that I advanced to the semi-final without breaking a sweat in this match. I leaned forward, pleased by my pokemon¡¯s showing. A cheer from a section of young boys made me glance over. The boys unveiled a huge banner pronouncing themselves as Bug Catcher¡¯s Chapter house five of Celadon. Gawain waved at them happily and I moved to give Clarence a shake before offering him some advice. He¡¯d had some good instincts, and it looked like he¡¯d tried to anticipate me, but I sadly had a relatively good roster with my Rock, Ground, Water, and flying types. They did a rather remarkable job covering for each other and tripping people up who were aiming for my weak points with water, or grass-type pokemon. I went straight back to the tent finding A.J. with a scowl, Missy with a smile, and Greta with a huge grin. Hmmm, it seems like they had productive sessions. ¡°Alright team! Time for review of my next opponent!¡± I glanced around for the pad and brought up the tournament brackets. ¡°Who is¡­ Fifi, currently ranked seventieth on the ladder,¡± I said with a soft nod. When I brought up her roster I found it littered with water and grass pokemon that she surely had to use With barely any discussion I laid out a team consisting of Sanchez, Tide, Don, Gawain, Bertha and Titan. Yolanda whistled. ¡°You¡¯re going hard at her there,¡± she said. I grunted an odd sense of unease building as I stared at the brackets. One more victory and I¡¯d be in the final¡­ This was the best result I¡¯d had to date. I licked my lips, shaking off that thought instead deciding to focus on something more productive. ¡°Let¡¯s see some of her former matches. We¡¯re the last match this afternoon and I want to be ready for any tricks she might have.¡± I found myself leaning forward and bouncing my knee as Missy began outlining some specific tricks she¡¯d noted. ¡°Her Donphan has this trick with his Earthquake where he knocks pokemon off their feet before going in hard so watch for that!¡± I nodded trying to keep my attention on the here and now, even as I began to imagine what it would be like, lifting the trophy. I shook it off and focussed on the here and now. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the next match after all.
[/hr] ¡°Go Vaporeon!¡± called my opponent in the semifinals. I frowned, alright. It seemed like more and more people had done their homework and were bringing pokemon with type advantages against me. Sadly for them, I had their counters ready to go. ¡°Sanchez,¡± I said and my eclectic rock type happily appeared with a laugh and a wave. ¡°Tch! Baton Pass!¡± said Fifi, my opponent for the match. In the stands, I could see the girl, Scarlet, who had been pointed out watching on with her own group carefully documenting this fight. It made sense for her, she¡¯d advanced to the finals and the winner of this match would face her. Sadly my match had been held till last as the draw card for more people. The stands were packed and there was an air of wonder with a lot of media starting to probe me for my next ¡®reveal¡¯. It was almost a given at this point that I brought something new to the table and I had jokingly pointed out that they weren¡¯t satisfied with the reveal that I had two Tyranitar in my roster to be enough? That had gotten them to stop and consider it while I¡¯d smiled and mentally patted myself on the back for dodging the question. I had to wonder how telling it was that I did in fact have something to reveal to the public. I¡¯d started to have doubts though. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the smartest move for me to send out Jormungandr and make a statement. The important people knew, of course, but other Ace trainers? They had no clue what I could call up. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said just as Fifi got her swapped pokemon onto the field to reveal a Donphan. Ah, that was a good match up. I whipped out Sanchez¡¯s pokeball and got him out of there with a quick withdrawal. Fifi perked up and I spotted Scarlet leaning forward with interest. ¡°Go, Tide,¡± I said, sending out a much better option for this exchange as Donphan got off a Defense Curl. Tide smirked across at Donphan, his flippers twitching in readiness. Fifi didn¡¯t return her pokemon and instead leaned forward slightly, her intent all but being announced to me. I knew what she was going for having reviewed some of Fifi¡¯s matches prior to my match against her. She was a solid opponent, she had a good pokemon roster and she had good ideas for how to use them, but you could also anticipate her. ¡°Go!¡± she called trying to keep her command hidden but I knew what was coming as Donphan curled into a ball, spun up and then jumped. When he slammed into the ground it rumbled into an Earthquake. Usually, this was a great one-two combination for her, even against pokemon that she had a disadvantage against such as Tide. She first disrupted their footing, and then hammered into them with a Rapid Spin resulting in a knockout that could take people by surprise. I had been counting on it however and instead, I had Tide lead with a Surf at the very last moment. Tide rose above the shaking earth and caused Donphan, expecting an off-kilter pokemon to start charging into a towering wave with Tide riding it. ¡°Break off!¡± shouted Fifi but it was too late. Donphan skittered to a halt but the wave came on sweeping Donphan aside. And like that, I went one up into the match with her Donphan out of action. That didn¡¯t stop Fifi from sending out her next pokemon quickly. ¡°Go Vileplume!¡± Her pokemon appeared only for a singular Stealth Rock to race out and smash into it. Hmmm the Earthquake and Surf might have wiped them out earlier. I felt a bit bad for her as I gave the next command. ¡°Ice Beam!¡± I called, stabbing my hand forward. Tide happily disgorged the powerful attack. ¡°Protect!¡± shouted Fifi. Her Vileplume tilted its flower so that it was lined up towards Tide. The Protect formed up and stopped Ice Beam in its tracks. I whistled and had Tide cut off the attack rather than keep trying to hammer his way through something that wasn¡¯t going to give. Not on the first use of it anyway. He was no Empress. The Protect dropped quickly and Fifi was fast on the uptake. ¡°Leaf Storm!¡± she ordered, sending her pokemon on the attack. I stabbed my hand at her pokemon. ¡°Hyper Beam,¡± I said, committing to having this exchange over fast. Fifi blanched as Tide opened his maw, and this time unleashed a much more powerful beam attack. ¡°Protect!¡± she called, and this time, as I¡¯d expected the defensive move failed to manifest resulting in Vileplume being hurled from the field where it was held against the wall. This time the barriers held, only gaining an orange glow from Tide¡¯s attack. He tossed his head and took deep breaths to recover. It took long moments for the dust to clear only to reveal a Vileplume that was still, just barely able to fight. Fifi perked up as I hummed in consideration. She had a strong pokemon there. ¡°Leaf Storm!¡± she called, and this time it was Tide¡¯s turn to endure the move, which was sadly super effective. Just as Hyper Beam hadn¡¯t ended the match for me though, Leaf Storm wasn¡¯t enough despite the type advantage. Tide was too strong and was more than able to tank the blow. He emerged damaged but more than ready to keep going. So I committed him fully. ¡°Ice Beam,¡± I said, causing him to once more shoot a beam. This time Fifi didn¡¯t try to block the attack. She instead went for a dodge. ¡°Vine Whip Leap!¡± she called. Her pokemon smashed its vines into the ground and launched it into the air. Tide merely tilted his neck, correcting his angle of firing and kept up the Ice Beam, coating Vileplume in ice as she was unable to dodge. I exhaled in relief. That¡­ had been a bit closer than I¡¯d perhaps wanted but then again I was brute forcing this match. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but I had a tension in my shoulders that came with an itch in my neck. Like I felt something was going to go wrong, so I had to get through it as quickly as possible. With that in mind, Tide had suffered. I frowned at him and decided now was a good enough time to call him back. With Vileplume down and out Fifi had to send out her next pokemon. She chose her Vaproreon once again and I just knew she was going to switch out to get a more favourable match up if I didn¡¯t send out something favourable. So I decided to tempt her. ¡°Go, Don,¡± I said, sending my rock-flying type out. Fifi paused at this and seemed pleased to let this play out. I smirked. She wouldn¡¯t know what hit her. ¡°Rise into DD!¡± I called, Don flapped his wings to ascend and begin twisting as a glow of energy built up around him. ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± shouted Fifi, stabbing a finger towards Don. ¡°Evade!¡± I called, and thanks to the height Don had, he was able to twist and tuck evading the long-range attacks. When Vaproen stopped he made sure to waggle his legs and screech obnoxiously, obviously taunting his foe. ¡°Dive into Stone Edge!¡± I called, and Don plummeted out of the sky. With his wings tucked up he was able to blitz Vapoeron, peppering it with a wave of large rocks causing it to flinch. ¡°Skip around and catch him with Surf!¡± Fifi called, eagerly apparently seeing a chance. I also saw a chance as her pokemon committed the attack. ¡°Ascend and be ready to dodge!!¡± I called, letting Don know I had a plan. I watched carefully and just as Don was about to avoid the oncoming wave Fifi made her move. Vaporeon blended with the water of the Surf but it was child¡¯s play to fly over the attack close enough to tempt Fifi. ¡°Take him out with Aqua Tail!¡± she called. Vaporeon leapt from the wave, its tail arcing around with glowing blue energy. ¡°Tuck a wing,¡± I said lazily. Don did so, evading the strike and leaving Vaproen to fall back to the ground, no longer in the water. I pointed and didn¡¯t even need to give the command. Don opened his maw, eyes glinting malevolently. From his mouth another Hyper Beam swept the field, blowing Vaporeon away. This time when the dust settled Vaporeon was revealed, but unlike Vileplume she wasn¡¯t getting back on her feet. ¡°Damn! What is this a Beam show or something? Calm down!¡± Fifi called as she tugged on her hair in irritation, her hand questing for her next pokemon as she eyed Don who was quickly regathering himself. I smirked. I did still have the option of other pokemon still. If I¡¯d wanted to make a statement I could have used Empress. Fifi went with a Persian next but I, feeling the niggling doubt come back, returned Don. ¡°Huh, if you¡¯re going to oblige me like that, then Nasty Plot!¡± Fifi said, boosting her pokemon¡¯s special attack. ¡°Go Sanchez,¡± I said, glad to send him out once again and keep things controlled. ¡°Seed Bomb!¡± said Fifi, quickly disabusing me of that idea. ¡°Dig!¡± I said, making Sanchez dive to avoid the explosive seeds that Persian spat out. Unlike Exeggutor¡¯s attacks, the blasts were much smaller. Sanchez was able to get under Persian and flick her into the air with a loud call of. ¡°Golem!¡± Persian, caught in the air, yowled. Fifi snarled, and punched her fist forward. ¡°If you want a Beam Attack take this! Hyper Beam!¡± she called. Persian, still falling, locked its head onto Sanchez and opened its maw to reveal a glowing build-up from the back of its throat. I didn¡¯t panic, despite the pressure I felt I was under. ¡°Protect,¡± I said, happy to let this exchange play out. I could probably dodge with Dig, but it might also shake up the ground enough to hurt Sanchez. Better to go for the guaranteed denial. The Hyper Beam scorched a circle in the ground and shook the stadium causing a round of gasps from the crowd but I merely leaned into the shaking. When Persian was done it landed lightly and panted only for Sanchez to march up to the Persian with a friendly smile. ¡°Go lem!¡± he said encouragingly, like they weren¡¯t in the midst of a fight. He clamped one hand on the exhausted pokemon and the smile vanished as he lit up with a Thunder from point-blank range, knocking Persian out of the fight. ¡°Urgh! Damn you¡¯re being brutal today!¡± called Fifi. I blinked and found her looking at the scoreboard with the time passed indicating that we still hadn¡¯t reached five minutes despite all the change outs of pokemon we¡¯d had. I¡¯d also yet to lose a pokemon compared to her four pokemon down. By this point the match was a foregone conclusion. Huh, I was sort of forcing this wasn¡¯t I? I shrugged. ¡°Sorry, guess my eyes are just looking past you,¡± I said. For some reason that didn¡¯t feel right though. It wasn¡¯t a lie per se, but something about this situation had me on edge. It took me until Fifi sent out a Starmie with a scowl that I realised what it was. I was expecting something to go wrong, something to get in the way of my advancing. This¡­ it would be the furthest I¡¯d ever made it through an actual tournament¡­ I knew that though so¡­ Oh. I shook my head and refocused on ending the match, the sense of impending certainty that something, anything, had to be about to go wrong causing me to push Sanchez for a fast close. ¡°Discharge! Let¡¯s end this match!¡± I called, going for Fifi¡¯s throat. ¡°Surf, but slide back and use Ice Beam! Don¡¯t let that Golem get you!¡± She responded. Her pokemon moved quickly only to still be clipped as she hopped backwards a wall of water forming up only for a Ice Beam to freeze it solid. Hmm she must have done her research enough to know that Sanchez could dodge Surf, so instead she was going for another tactic. I decided I didn¡¯t care. I punched the sky and barked out, ¡°Thunder!¡± to Sanchez and he cackled as he launched a bolt of lightning up and over the frozen wave. ¡°Damn it no!¡± shouted Fifi, with enough heartfelt emotion to know that I¡¯d gotten it down to the final pokemon. Feeling whimsical I returned Sanchez, and called out Tide for the last exchange. My large lapras appeared with a clap of his flippers and an excited gleam in his eyes, it was rare that he got to be the last pokemon out, usually he tanked out other pokemon. Fifi sighed, and sent out her last pokemon. ¡°Go Nidoqueen! Use Sludge Wave!¡± ¡°Counter with Surf,¡± I said, not missing a beat. From Nidoqueen a purple wave of poison shot forth whereas Tide unleashed a huge wave of water. Fifi stared at the oncoming wave as her move was washed away. ¡°Now!¡± she called and her pokemon dove into the ground. I whistled in appreciation. It was rare that a trainer who hadn¡¯t been a part of the Gym could pull off a Surf dodge with Dig. ¡°Nice,¡± I said before pointing at her pokemon. ¡°Ice Beam,¡± I countered, catching the still surprised Nidoqueen from behind. When she froze over, Fifi was quick to shoot her hand up. ¡°I withdraw Nidoqueen!¡± she called and I nodded. I gave the crowd another look over and tried to relax but found I just couldn¡¯t. I kept looking for what would go wrong soon. I searched the skies and the stands, expecting a splinter cell of Team Rocket to attack, or Mewtwo to descend only to blink as I recalled that Nidoqueen was Fifi¡¯s sixth and final pokemon. I glanced up and realised I¡¯d just swept her without losing a pokemon. I looked down to find Fifi looking sad but still standing tall. I¡¯d¡­ barely given it much thought, merely calling orders out distractedly. When it came time to shake hands I found myself wondering what I should say to her. The girl shook her head. ¡°Damn, that was fast,¡± she said. I merely grunted. My heart not in it. A flash of hurt crossing Fifi¡¯s face made me pause and shake my head. ¡°Sorry, this is the furthest I¡¯ve ever made it in a tournament, having never reached the finals before¡­¡± I licked my lips. ¡°I kind of expected something to go wrong.¡± Fifi blinked at that before tilting her head. ¡°I mean¡­ I guess for a Gym Leader this season, that¡¯s valid?¡± she said. I nodded, talked a little shop with her and then marched back to my group. Yolanda met me, her expression showing that she knew something was wrong but not what. ¡°What¡¯s going on Brock? You were kind of out of it there at the end,¡± she asked. I grimaced and told her what I¡¯d said to Fifi. Then I perked up. My family! Of course! Something would go wrong there that would require me to come home! Flint would have split town again. I quickly called home only to find the family all waiting for me with huge grins. ¡°Brock!¡± called my siblings. All of them looking healthy and hale. Flint was in the background with an apron on as he mixed up a healthy snack for the kids. Oh, huh, they were fine. I spoke with them for a bit, hiding my anxiety throughout the mundane chatter. When I was done I felt a small amount of relief. Alright, things were fine at home, for now at least. ¡°Brock, I think you need to do your clap thing,¡± Yolanda said. I blinked at her and realised that her suggestion had merit. I was being anxious, something that hadn¡¯t happened, but rather a probability of something happening. I clapped my hands and exhaled slowly. Then when I felt a bit of a burn I opened my hands, releasing the pressure and exhaling. Yolanda licked her lips. ¡°Better?¡± she asked. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I guess I just got in my head a bit.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°This is the furthest I¡¯ve ever gotten before,¡± I said. Yolanda nodded and I elaborated. ¡°Guess it just got to me a bit.¡± A.J. snorted. ¡°Your mental game is off! From what I¡¯ve read, that¡¯s one of the most important parts of a match! You need some distractions!¡± A.J. said. A.J. grabbed the others and pulled them into a huddle. ¡°Team, what we should do is keep him busy and away from stress for the final match!¡± he said, far too loudly. I chuckled and shook my head as they, rather cutely, in my opinion, workshopped methods to get me ready and on my best form for tomorrow. I found myself rather looking forward to whatever they would attempt, and they weren¡¯t wrong either. I did need to have my head on straight. Tomorrow I¡¯d be fighting for the trophy, and a small giddy part of me delighted in that. Chapter 185 - The other shoe ¡°So I think you¡¯ll look good in some dark, more close-cropped colours,¡± said Yolanda, emphatically. ¡°Oh, yeah thanks,¡± I said. I nodded along, smiling at Yolanda¡¯s choice to ¡®keep me distracted¡¯. Namely, to take me shopping. She¡¯d decided on a darker-tone series of clothes with short black t-shirts with v-cuts and simple collars. With Trixie¡¯s training, I was fit enough that most clothes like this looked good. Black, I knew from experience to be a bit of an easy option. ¡°Here, try this as well!¡± Yolanda insisted. I glanced at the white shirt in my hands and felt like teasing her for how she was ¡®branching out¡¯ with her options here. But I didn¡¯t, instead I just nodded and stepped into the change rooms. When I came back out I gave a little twirl for Yolanda only to notice that Sabrina had joined us. Next to her, Ralts was sitting with some large sunglasses on her horns posing in a manner that she must think was ¡®cool¡¯. ¡°Hey you,¡± I said to Sabrina. ¡°Hey,¡± she said back playfully. She gave my sister an amused look as Yolanda shrieked in surprise. ¡°S-Sabrina! You startled me!¡± Yolanda said. Sabrina patted Yolanda on the head, her eyes still on me. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she said. ¡°R-ralts!¡± cried out Ralts as Terra met her with her customary hug. ¡°He needs some dress shoes and pants I think. Also? You can afford to take Brock to some of the more expensive shops," Sabrina said. ¡°Like Ala Shazam¡¯s?¡± Yolanda said, lights entering her eyes as her head turned towards the shop in question. ¡°Uhm, I prefer bargain shoppin¡ª¡±. I tried to say only for Sabrina to smile wider, obviously noting my discomfort and deciding to push instead of keep me happy. ¡°Oh, yes, I was also thinking of Sollom-Bell. Brock does need a new wallet and belts,¡± Sabrina began listing off several different items and Yolanda only got more and more excited. I clapped my hands. ¡°We will only be looking at the belts and wallet. I don¡¯t need a trilby Yolanda. Sabrina is just playing around,¡± I said, putting my foot down. No way I was buying that unless I was matching it with a suit for some fashion show. Sabrina shot me a sly look. ¡°You do remember that you have a contest this weekend? Yes?¡± Yolanda perked up. ¡°Oh yes! You need to wear something snazzy because you¡¯re going to be a judge!¡± ¡°I think I can just get away with my hiking gear and a scowl,¡± I said, deciding to play with them a bit. I crossed my arms and frowned. ¡°Like this.¡± Yolanda shot Sabrina a look of worry and gestured at me in a manner that made me think she was asking for help. I snorted and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m just playing. We can look at something that is at least robust. We¡¯re going with a ¡®tough¡¯ style so it needs to play to that.¡± Yolanda vibrated with glee as Sabrina and I walked further down the walkway of the frankly huge Celadon department store. Unlike the games, the department store was a mega complex instead of a five-story building with the roof open to the public. Well, the roof was accessible, but to compare it to the games was doing it a gross disservice. The Celadon Department store was in truth a building that covered at least ten acres of land, with five levels each with set specialities, yes, but there was also a range of stalls, shops, food courtyards, and attractions. On one side of the store, there was a gigantic playpen for children that was monitored by a clutch of Kangaskhan. On the other were the cinemas and entertainment. I liked to think that the person who designed it was still to this day patting themselves on the back as families had to trudge from one end of the store to the other, resulting in the most exposure to sales and advertising possible. If you hadn¡¯t bought at least three items or services by the time you reached your destination, you possessed an iron will. Sabrina, Yolanda and I all walked past the speciality pokemon grooming store which occupied two whole levels. It featured the standard hairdressing area along with a sand bath, furnace, aquarium, and blacksmith for any needs your pokemon might have. To the side, masseuses offer their services to the trainers to allow them to relax while their pokemon are pampered. ¡°You know, I think Terra¡¯s horn has never looked so shiny,¡± Yolanda said as we walked past the storefront. ¡°Is that so?¡± I said, to make conversation. I could see the slight gleam on her skin and agreed with her, but I didn¡¯t think Terra, as a baby pokemon would get the most benefit from it. Sabrina considered the store and then looked down at Ralts. ¡°I must apologise Ralts, I have been doing your hygiene and haircuts myself¡­ but perhaps you would enjoy something a little more lavish?¡± Ralts liked the sound of that as she pointed at the shop only to turn and begin pointing out other things that she wanted as well. I spied a shop selling toys and wandered over to buy some for my younger siblings. A few minutes later, Sabrina and Yolanda came in with pleased expressions on their faces. Ralts swished and posed on Sabrina¡¯s shoulder drawing small coos of delight from the girls. ¡°Looking very nice there, Ralts. I like the gloves,¡± I said, indicating the small mittens she was wearing that were made of lace. Ralts paused and a conflicted look warred over her face before she nodded in thanks. She then noticed where we were and started pointing at various toys she wanted, very much acting her age. Sabrina selected several items and handed them to me, slipping in dolls of her own to the group. I only had to carry the toys as far as the counter where the sales clerk looked like they¡¯d just had all the Christmas come at once as Sabrina, Yolanda, and I each bought a pile of toys. Sabrina then put her hand to each pile and Teleported them away. ¡°That is so convenient,¡± Yolanda said. ¡°Even better than having a storage bag, I should think.¡± I made a so-so gesture. ¡°There¡¯s going to be situations where you want things on hand, and in the storage bag, while it¡¯s not able to carry as much as Sabrina¡¯s warehouse, it¡¯s much more reliable as it¡¯s in your hands.¡± Yolanda nodded along only to pause. ¡°Her, what now?¡± Sabrina smiled. ¡°I own a warehouse in Saffron City for organising my various acquisitions. Toys, dresses, jewellery. I have a specialised ghost and psychic security team that looks after the place. It helps to keep the clutter down at home and if I want a certain dress for a certain occasion? I most likely have it.¡± Yolanda stared. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ so out there, to such a degree¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to process that. It¡¯s amazing but just¡­ the size of it. To own a warehouse for your goods!¡± I chuckled as Sabrina tossed her hair proudly. I was about to say something when I spotted an outfit that was on a mannequin. Sabrina noticed instantly and turned to see what had caught my eye. ¡°Hmmm you would look good in that, use the white shirts Yolanda has been buying and some jeans and you have a rather stylish outfit,¡± she said, her mind already conjuring up various clothing combinations. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not sure, it seems a little impractical,¡± I said, despite turning and walking towards it. Yolanda frowned. ¡°Is it pokemon leather?¡± ¡°Special fake leather that mimics the belly of a Feraligatr?¡± I read. ¡°Hmmm, oh it says it¡¯s got Altaria down feathers in the lining to help it stay warm enough to use as a flight jacket, and it is tear and abrasion-resistant.¡± Sabrina nudged me. ¡°Try it on,¡± she said, tempting me. I wandered into the change rooms but while I was trying it on with the white shirt and jeans combination, I spotted something that I thought might work. I grabbed up some clear glasses and popped them on. ¡°How¡¯s this look?¡± I said, turning to the girls. Yolanda tilted her head, apparently unsure of my addition to the overall look. I looked at Sabrina and found her to be staring at me, an intense look on her face. Ralts was shooting her head from Sabrina to me in shock. I chuckled. ¡°I think it works?¡± Sabrina nodded slowly. I bought the combination, rather pleased with my whimsical inclusion. Yolanda still seemed confused. ¡°Why does that work so well?¡± she said, eyeing the glasses. ¡°The dichotomy of the jacket with the glasses. It softens the impression, and makes him look smarter,¡± commented Sabrina. ¡°I like to think I¡¯m pretty smart?¡± I said, offering the two of them a line of banter. Both of them just nodded, which hadn¡¯t been what I was going for. I felt a cold sweat break out on my neck. Oh damn, they thought I was smart. I suddenly felt the need to read more and live up to their expectations. I swallowed down my trepidation and waved for them to lead me to the next shop. They walked me past a section of shops that listed pokemon items and I paused. Now there was something that I was drastically underutilizing. ¡°Hey, can we make a pit stop here?¡± I said, as I diverted our shopping trip. Sabrina and Yolanda watched as I went on a buying spree for items and berries. It had been a while since I¡¯d done anything like this. I¡¯d had it used against me, with Walker honestly being one of the people that I was most impressed by. Most people hadn¡¯t even realised his pokemon was eating a berry with how the fruit on Tropius¡¯ chin hid what was actually being eaten. Then again, it wasn¡¯t yet a well-understood field despite occasionally popping up with berries. Berries themselves were well understood, but other battle items were still not guaranteed to help. Silph Co, and Devon Corp were working on them as they knew they could be huge money earners but as yet they didn¡¯t have the efficacy. So they were seen as very hit-and-miss and it wasn¡¯t widespread as it one day would be. I¡¯d need to redo some serious research on what I would need in future as the people crafting these items improved. It had been a while since I¡¯d done any, and as I marched through the aisles stocking up on goods I decided it was time to do some testing myself to see how far they¡¯d come since the last time I¡¯d tried this years ago. Back then I¡¯d needed to be frugal I was very pleased to find that the Charti berry wasn¡¯t in stock and wouldn¡¯t be for another year. Huh, perhaps that contributed to it not being a popular method? I thought to myself. The unreliability of sourcing berries? I couldn¡¯t get any Rindo berries, but I could get a handful of Pasho berries, so I was in good luck for a water-type match-up at least once. I paused in the power item section and frowned. ¡°I should buy some more of these for the Gym,¡± I said aloud. It had been a while since I¡¯d gotten some new ones, and the ones we had were getting rather worn. I¡¯d bought a few when I first opened the new Pewter Gym and buying enough for my pokemon roster to use had proven to be almost as expensive as building the house attachment to my Gym. But now, thanks to Lance¡¯s bet and my own winnings and the earnings from the surge, I had money to burn. The cashier seemed very happy when I bought a pack of ten Anklets, Bands, Belts, Bracers, Lenses, and Weights for my pokemon. If nothing else, Teddiursa and the others would enjoy new training equipment. I made a quick trip through the other item sections and collected an eclectic assortment of items as Sabrina purchased her own items of interest. Yolanda initially was very interested in it, but then I started to push my luck. After an hour she grew bored enough that she was able to convince Sabrina to help her to drag me on to continue shopping for outfits. By the time we left, my section of Sabrina¡¯s fashion warehouse had three more outfits which I was very pleased with. When we reached the entrance A.J. and Missy were poised to pick me up. ¡°Let¡¯s go have a fight!¡± Missy said, her fists clenched and her expression was so serious I had to resist the urge to pat her on the head for how cute she was being. ¡°Sure,¡± I said. Rachel had been able to distract me with a technical detail regarding the Pewter pokenet page while Yolanda had gotten her idea cemented out for shopping. Greta had asked for some one on one training which had taken up an hour this morning. Now it was apparently Missy and A.J.¡¯s turn. They led me to a local battle club where I was able to withdraw Cradily, Cranidos and Teddiursa from a round of matches at various levels. More than a few people were surprised to see me fighting in the junior leagues until they caught sight of Cranidos and Teddiursa. Sadly, I¡¯d forgotten that while a lot of the Gym trainers knew of Cranidos, the public as yet, or more specifically, the media, did not. Leading to another surge in reporters asking me questions about my next pokemon. ¡°So! Another rock type?¡± asked one reporter as they tried, and failed to ignore Cranidos hammering their leg with his head. A pained expression quickly building. I reached down and dragged Crnaidos into my arms. ¡°Yes, Cranidos will be a pokemon appearing in some of my lower tier badge matches until I build him up for the higher tier matches.¡± ¡°But not your Elite team?¡± prompted another reporter. ¡°Who¡¯s to say? I think I have more interest in having Teddiursa become one of my elite pokemon,¡± I said casually. ¡°An Ursaring would be a strong pokemon,¡± commented one reporter. I just smiled and nodded. ¡°Yeah, that too,¡± I said, knowing that Teddiursa had so much more potential than just being an Ursaring. I won the matches I¡¯d been set up for in the battle club and departed feeling very good about how everything had gone down. When I returned to the hotel room my entourage all trooped into my room with me, collectively dragging chairs and tables to run through a run down on Scarlet. ¡°So she¡¯s got enough grass and water types to make herself pretty annoying but you have the right pokemon to smack her around,¡± said Missy with a nod. ¡°I¡¯d probably lead with either Sanchez or Don this time around,¡± said A.J. ¡°Titan¡¯s a must-have,¡± said Yolanda. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need Empress, she¡¯s strong but she doesn¡¯t offer too much beyond overpowering that which you have in other pokemon.¡± ¡°If we want to play up popular pokemon then Sanchez, Knight, Bertha and Link are all must haves!¡± said Rachel, as she consulted a computer. ¡°The public love them!¡± Rachel then coughed and looked to the side. ¡°Hypnotoad also did well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just saying that cause Trixie likes Brock using a fighting-type pokemon,¡± said Greta, with a giggle. A.J. having been about to say much the same, nodded along. I hummed, watching them all go back and forth. Sabrina leaned against me. ¡°You¡¯ll go with Selene, right?¡± she said with a smile, obviously knowing she was merely feeding the discussion more ammunition to consider. I huffed and looked over Scarlet¡¯s pokemon team. Ampharos, Vilplume, Pidgeot, Hitmonlee, Seaking, Starmie, Seadra, Raichu, Fearow, Tauros, and Chansey, had been the pokemon she¡¯d been known to have before this tournament. She¡¯d since revealed that she had a Bellosom, Cacturne, Parasect, Rapidash, and a Poliwrath. She had come with pokemon that were well suited to face myself, or Masked Owl depending on which of us was going to make it through the round of sixteen. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Who¡¯s her starter?¡± I asked, causing the discussion to falter. Missy and Yolanda shifted uncertainty but A.J. pounced towards the whiteboard. Ampharos went up on the list. I chewed my lip in consideration. ¡°Poliwrath, Bellosom, Vileplume, Hitmonlee¡­¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. ¡°Then I think it will be out of Tauros, Seadra ¡­ or Starmie for the team I face.¡± A.J. penned in the team and when he stepped back he had a complicated look on his face. ¡°Bellossom? It¡¯s a bit weak isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s versatile,¡± I said. ¡°I think it and Vileplume are locked in, as is Ampharos. The others I¡¯m less sure of. As to which pokemon I will be using?¡± I reached into a pocket and placed down a list I¡¯d written down days ago. Before I¡¯d even seen which pokemon Scarlet had. Sanchez, Tide, Bertha, Jormungandr, Zephyr, and Titan. All of them pokemon that either represented another, or that had been with me on my journey. The others looked it over and tilted their heads. ¡°You had this worked out before today?¡± asked Missy as she inspected the worn paper. I chuckled. ¡°I just wanted to highlight these pokemon in particular,¡± I said. The others nodded, and just like that the discussion fell away. Sabrina then cleared her throat very pointedly. She handed Ralts off to Yolanda. ¡°Take her and Terra to the playpen downstairs for an hour or so, please?¡± she said. Missy and Rachel blinked in surprise, only for their eyes to widen. ¡°Oh! Right. Come gang! Let¡¯s go find a movie, or something to do!¡± said Rachel quickly as she hurriedly packed up. A.J. tilted his head shooting Sabrina and me a confused look. Thankfully he followed along without complaint as did the others. Rachel shot me a thumbs up before she closed the door to the apartment. Sabrina turned to me and gave me a half-lidded look. I grinned. Ah, everyone else had their turn to distract me from tomorrow, and now it was Sabrina¡¯s turn? I think I liked her distraction the most.
¡°¡ªannual Celadon tournament!¡± announced the Mayor of Celadon, who was once more acting as the Master of Ceremonies. He waved his hand towards the crowd, his grin huge as he bowed towards each stand. ¡°Tonight has been the work of a great many people and pokemon and I¡¯d like to take a moment to thank them¡ª¡± he said, droning on a little as he ran through a list of sponsors, volunteers, and assistants for the tournament. He then waved to the big screen. ¡°I¡¯d also like to thank the trainers that have made this tournament, one to remember!¡± A short clip played, and I was amused to find that most of my pokemon had small moments where they were shown in favourable light with cool moments such as Titan and then Empress taking to the field. My match against Walker where Hurricane had been interrupted, and the Hyper Beam I¡¯d gotten off with Tide yesterday. Other trainers and their pokemon also featured, Scarlet getting her own fair share of screen time before the screen faded to black and the Mayor led the stands in a round of applause. ¡°Thank you, all the trainers and all the pokemon! Tonight! Tonight we have a wonderful spectacle with two trainers who have risen through the ranks to face off for the Celadon Trophy!¡± The Mayor snapped his arms dramatically to the side and an assistant whipped a sheet off a table to reveal a rather nice-looking silver trophy that had vines entwined around it. On the front of the trophy, the shield of Celadon city was embossed. ¡°Tonight! Our two trainers need only a quick introduction! In the red corner as is only fitting! We have the dark horse of this tournament and the rising star! Scarlet from Cerulean City!¡± the crowd applauded politely, as a Celadon crowd was known to do. The Mayor nodded happily as Scarlet waved and bowed. ¡°And in the blue corner! From Pewter City and a powerful challenger! Gym Leader Brock!¡± I stood tall and waved both hands before clapping them together and bowing in multiple directions in thanks to all the spectators who had come to watch. It was rather pleasing to see that this match had garnered just as much attention as my match against Walker. ¡°And now I turn our show over to the League official, give a round of applause for tonight¡¯s referee!¡± shouted the Mayor gesturing to the podium to the side. There a mic¡¯d up woman waved her hand but did not bow. Instead, she inclined her head before raising a hand and signalling for silence. ¡°Trainers tonight¡¯s event will be run under standard Ace match rules where¡ª¡± she said running through the typical two-minute spiel that preceded most matches. She then clapped her hands together and drew out two flags, raising them tall. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± she said. Scarlet and I locked eyes, both of us nodding. I felt a thrill run through me, and all the concerns I¡¯d had about tonight¡¯s match being the furthest I¡¯d ever advanced faded. ¡°Begin!¡± The referee called, and I hurled out my first pokemon. ¡°Bellossom!¡± called Scarlet. ¡°Sanchez!¡± I barked, sending out my choice. ¡°Claim the field!¡± ordered Scarlet, her small pokemon leaping up and smashing its tiny flowers together to make them release a cloud of glittering, golden spores. ¡°Set up,¡± I said simply, and Sanchez stomped one foot to create a Stealth Rock that floated off to the side. Scarlet tilted her head, watching as the golden spores drifted closer to Sanchez only for him to roll backwards to evade them quickly. Then he popped into the ground, hiding with Dig without a word from me. With all day to sit around, I¡¯d been able to brief my pokemon on specific orders that I wanted them to go for. ¡°Bellossom! Pursue and use Petal Dance!¡± Scarlet called sending her pokemon down into the hole that Sanchez had left behind. I whistled. That was bold. But also a huge mistake. Sanchez popped out of the ground behind where the Stun Spores were floating. I twitched our bond, sending an impression of what I wanted him to do next. He took one look at me and stomped his foot, causing the ground to heave and buckle. Bellosom, instead of pursuing my pokemon into a weak point, was instead trapped in the tunnel Sanchez had created. Bellosom was launched up into the air with a stunned cry only to twist deftly with her body and float down to the ground. Scarlet observed both of our pokemon and clicked her tongue. ¡°Sorry, Bellosom! We won¡¯t do that again, fill the rest of the field this time!¡± This time a white powder was released to fill the other side of the field. I whistled and decided to make the most of yesterday¡¯s shopping trip. ¡°Charge in with Heavy Slam!¡± I ordered, and this time Sanchez tucked himself into a ball, his face was hidden as his beard morphed over his face. In doing so it obscured his mouth. Scarlet frowned. ¡°Use Giga Drain after it hits! You can take the hit and then when it falls asleep move to finish it!¡± she said, deciding to back her pokemon. In another situation, this would have worked out rather well for her. Sanchez hurled himself through the white and golden field of spores coating himself thoroughly. He still got in a punishing hit to the much lighter Bellosom causing it to reel back in shock. I sighed. I¡¯d been hoping she¡¯d try something else like buffing her pokemon up, but no matter. Sanchez rolled back after hitting Bellosom, still curled up in his ball. He rocked to his side and I watched as his moustache twitched and twisted as his mouth worked up and down. Scarlet waved her hand in a back-and-forth manner, apparently very pleased with herself. When she spoke she did so with a grandiose tone. ¡°Take that pokemon out of the fight¡ª¡± ¡°Heavy Slam,¡± I said, and Sanchez, who¡¯d been playing Sentret, shot forward and slammed into Bellossom with another very powerful move once again. ¡°Eh?! You taught your Golem Sleep Talk?¡± said Scarlet in surprise. I grinned and shook my head. ¡°No, I just realised I hadn¡¯t been using all my tactics as well as I should. I¡¯ve been overlooking some things,¡± I said. Yesterday¡¯s purchase of several Lum berries. One thing I¡¯d noticed about Scarlet, was her propensity to use status effects with her Bellosom to control matches. In a manner, it was like fighting Koga, only I had prep time. When Koga fought you, you typically didn¡¯t know he was coming. Which made all the difference. Bellosom collapsed to her knees and wilted enough to indicate she was out of the match while Sanchez stood tall, unaffected by the Sleep or the Paralyze that could have locked him down. I¡¯d made a show of evading the earlier attack more out of form, I hadn¡¯t been expecting a tactical error from Scarlet, but it had played into my strengths rather well. Scarlet scowled and returned her Bellosom, her hand questing to her pokebelt only to reveal a greatball. ¡°Time to come out! Show me your scary face!¡± Scarlet roared and I leaned forward expecting one of her strongest pokemon. I was not expecting a huge blubbering pokemon. ¡°Lax!¡± said the now-revealed Snorlax. It glared at Sanchez who looked taken aback at coming face to face with Munchlax¡¯s evolution. From one side of the field the Stealth Rock I¡¯d gotten off at the start of the match raced in and slammed into Snorlax mid yawn. It blinked in surprise and started to topple backwards. Instead of stepping back to catch itself, it continued to fall as if in slow motion, the hits from the Stealth Rock causing ripples across Snorlax¡¯s corpulent body. I had a momentary premonition of Snorlax falling onto his back which would see the lazy pokemon trapped on his back. ¡°Break up the field!¡± shouted Scarlet, crossing her fingers as she said this. I frowned and my mind ran through what sort of moves Snorlax had that would benefit from falling heavily. Just before Snorlax hit the ground, my premonition of an easy win vanished as understanding swept through me. ¡°PROTECT!¡± I roared just as Snorlax hit the ground. Sanchez didn¡¯t hesitate to comply just as the field erupted with power, the body slam of Snorlax hitting the ground and transitioning perfectly into a Fissure that almost caught me by surprise. Oh, damn that was a curve ball I hadn¡¯t been expecting. A wave of dust hid the field from my view and I could only narrow my eyes in annoyance as a fleshy thumping sounded out. Belly Drum, she was having her pokemon use Belly Drum. ¡°Thunder,¡± I said, knowing that the Earthquake would be greatly weakened with the disrupted battlefield. Sanchez sparked up with electric energy before launching a huge blast into the air that came down where Snorlax had been moments ago. A howl of pain let me know that it had worked and I fist-pumped. Both Scarlet and I had been rolling the dice with Fissure and Thunder, but both moves had paid off. ¡°Rest!¡± commanded Scarlet, and before she could even complete the order Snorlax was snoring loudly. I weighed up my options.. I could commit, or switch out. I clicked my tongue, knowing that the odds of Thunder landing each time wouldn¡¯t work. Thankfully, that wasn¡¯t Sanchez¡¯s only powerful move, and thanks to Fissure, broken up rocks were in abundance. ¡°Full assault! Stone Edge!¡± I ordered, and Sanchez began to tumble and roll, as he moved rocks began to fill the air hurtling into the sleeping form of Snorlax. Each rock caused a ripple of jiggling fat on the huge pokemon, but Snorlax merely groaned and rolled up to its feet deftly. It knows Sleep Talk! I realised instantly. ¡°Goooooooooo Snorlax!¡± cheered Scarlet. It took all of a moment for me to put the clues together. What move could Snorlax learn that would have STAB apply to it? Coupled with the increased Attack power from Belly Drum? It could only be Giga Impact. ¡°Clever Girl,¡± I said, aloud. Snorlax lurched into a stumbling run, its body wobbling and bouncing. It was like watching the fattest man alive perform a hundred-metre sprint equal to that of the fastest runners. Incredible and disturbing all at once. It was hypnotising watching that belly dance even as it closed on a shocked Sanchez. ¡°Explosion,¡± I said, without missing a beat. Sanchez laughed and lit up just as Snorlax closed with him. Both pokemon slammed into each other, and for the second time in as many minutes, the battlefield was rocked by a gigantic shockwave only this time the energy was thrown upwards and out instead of just down. I had to brace and lean into the explosion gritting my teeth as dust swept my form. A moment later it dissipated and I bore witness to Sanchez and the Snorlax both down on their fronts, their eyes locked with their opponent only for them to slide shut. Both of them looked oddly pleased with themselves. ¡°Both pokemon are unable to battle! Both pokemon must be withdrawn! The match is now two to one!¡± I whistled, impressed. ¡°I was not expecting that from you,¡± I said to Scarlet. Alright, she¡¯d come to throw down, I could respect that. She had good strategies and pokemon, so if I let her, she¡¯d turn this into a slug fest. Scarlet grinned. ¡°No one was expecting Snorlax!¡± she crowed happily. I felt my lips twitch. ¡°No one expects the Snorlax inquisition,¡± I said, unable to help myself as my brain-to-mouth filter apparently went on vacation. I must have been a bit shaken by that exchange, otherwise, I would never be quoting old memes. Scarlet seemed to enjoy it though as she tilted her head and smiled. ¡°I like it!¡± she said. ¡°I hope you like this next one I have as well!¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one with surprises up your sleeve!¡± I chuckled and selected my next pokemon. I raised up Jormungandr¡¯s pokeball and held it aloft for a moment. ¡°This one¡¯s for you Guybro,¡± I said, and for a moment I wondered if he heard me but then the idle thought vanished. I had no doubt a few people would be confused by the statement when they reviewed the video feed later. Then I sent out Jormungandr and my giant Steelix took to the stage just as Scarlet revealed her next pokemon to be a Poliwrath. I drew up my sleeve and pushed energy into the bond. A cry of surprise swept through the crowd as they caught sight of the bracer that I used to carry my keystone. On a small gem underneath Jormungandr¡¯s neck another gem gleamed with energy. Scarlet had just long enough to realise what this meant before I acted. ¡°JORM! MEGA EVOLVE!¡± I shouted, playing into the moment as I copied Sabrina¡¯s pose from her match against Will, my fist punching into the air. ¡°Shit!¡± Scarlet cried, not doubting for a second I could do what I claimed. ¡°Hydro¡ª¡± Her order, just like Poliwrath¡¯s attack, was swept away as the energy I¡¯d fed into Jorm ignited and his form rippled. Energy exploded off him with rainbow arcs and a few moments later a much larger Jorm towered above Poliwrath. ¡°Damn it! No fair! I thought Snorlax was going to be the only reveal of this match!¡± shouted Scarlet, despite grinning. I smiled back. ¡°Blame yourself. I felt you were worthy,¡± I said, before punching my fist forward. ¡°Bulldoze!¡± I called. Jorm leapt forward, using his explosive attacking power to push himself. ¡°Stop them dead with Dynamic Punch!¡± cried Scarlet, deciding to change her hand. Her pokemon jumped, its fist cocked back and ready to punish Jorm. ¡°Roll,¡± I said firmly. Jorm surprised everyone but me by tilting his body so that his head struck the ground. Instead of slamming a fist into Jorm¡¯s head, the attack whiffed only for the follow-up strike of Jorm¡¯s, much longer, much heavier tail to descend straight onto the falling Poliwrath. Jorm practically volleyball spiked Poliwrath into the ground with Iron Tail. When Jorm rose up I could only grin with pride as Poliwrath was revealed to be out cold from the powerful hit. ¡°Damn! Should have known you¡¯d be wise to a Poliwrath¡¯s attacks,¡± said Scarlet, with a click of her tongue. She reached for another ball only to pause and eyeball Jormungandr. She wet her lips and held her pose and I realised she was trying to see if she could time out Jorm¡¯s Mega-evolution. I smirked and focussed extra energy into the bond, making sure to keep it as stable as possible. It felt a lot easier now compared to the first time. By the time the countdown for Scarlet began to end Jorm wasn¡¯t even wavering and I knew I could get a few more hits from him despite the delay. Scarlet shot me a chagrined look as she hurled out her next pokemon but I wasn¡¯t too bothered by the tactic. I had to admit it was a valid move, if annoying. ¡°Let¡¯s go Hitmonlee!¡± she said, sending out one of the other pokemon I''d guessed. ¡°Get in for Close Combat!¡± she roared, and Hitmonlee didn¡¯t waste any time sprinting towards Jorm. I was feeling a little vindictive so I pointed straight at her pokemon and grinned. ¡°Go,¡± I said firmly, and once again Jormungandr leapt into the attack, only this time when he landed he drove Hitmonlee back Jorm surged across the field, Hitmonlee caught on his face stunned for a moment before he snapped off two kicks that made Jorm groan even as he accelerated. A moment later both pokemon slammed into the barrier on the side of the field sending another wave of dust into the air. As the dust cleared around the pulsing yellow barrier, Jormungandr rose up swaying and dizzy. Hitmonlee didn¡¯t. ¡°The match is four to one!¡± announced the referee as Scarlet groaned. Scarlet perked up as a glow formed around Jorm, his Mega evolution beginning to dissolve. I could probably get another move in if she was quick to send her next pokemon out but I doubted that was going to happen. I glanced around and noticed all the cameras locked on Jorm. I decided to not reveal all of the tricks to Mega evolution here instead returning him so that people couldn¡¯t get too clear an idea of how many moves or how long it would take to run down the clock for Jorm¡¯s Mega evolution. Scarlet looked at me with a frown as we both reached for our next pokemon. I had a good idea of who she was going to bring out, just as I had my own choice. ¡°Go Vileplume!¡± ¡°Bertha!¡± I shouted. Bertha appeared with a heavy thump and gave the field a quick look over only to glower at the Grass type that looked very pleased with this match up. Scarlet perked up for all of a moment. Then I crushed her hopes by waving a hand. ¡°Surf combination,¡± I said. Bertha grinned and stepped back, calling up a wave to lift her heavy form. Scarlet frowned only to quickly catch what was coming next. ¡°Petal Dance!¡± said Scarlet, sending her best move out. Pink petals formed around Vileplume and then shot towards Bertha who merely grinned and leapt behind the onrushing wave, allowing the attack to be weakened before it hit her. Bertha groaned but didn¡¯t go down, making Scarlet desperately call for another Petal Dance before the wave reached her pokemon. It was too late, and yet again, Scarlet had committed herself instead of shoring up her defences. I pointed, not needing to give a command as Bertha disgorged a powerful Ice Beam, freezing the wave above Vileplume and making the grass-type pokemon take its own super effective damage. It shivered and pushed its way up only to face another Ice Beam from Bertha as she ended the match. Scarlet sighed and palmed her final pokemon. I held up a hand and returned Bertha much to Scarlet¡¯s confusion. A moment later she blinked as I reached for Titan¡¯s Greatball. ¡°You¡¯re a heck of a trainer,¡± I said, before sending out my strongest pokemon to face her strongest. Titan greeted Ampharos with a roar that shook the stadium and Ampharos, instead of quaking in the face of such a strong pokemon, she met it head-on with a growl and a spark lighting up its form. Scarlet punched her fist forward and Ampharos shot straight at Titan, its fist cocked back for what would no doubt be a powerful Focus Punch. Titan swept his tail and a wave of rock stopped Ampharos¡¯ advance in its tracks. With the field broken up like this, it was all too easy for Titan to claim it and abuse his foe, hammering hit after hit of Stone Edges into Scarlet¡¯s starter. ¡°Keep on the pressure!¡± I shouted. Not relenting with the barrage, if the field hadn¡¯t been so broken I might have tried for Earthquake, but with it this way I instead played to my strengths and one of Titan¡¯s strongest moves to end the match. Ampharos dove and dodged, but it was unable to evade all the rocks that came its way. I continued to push through, becoming an uncompromising wave of rock. Through my bond Titan could feel my anticipation and he matched me, leaning into his attacks just a little more forcing Ampharos to move quicker. With this amount of pressure I knew it was just a matter of time until I closed it out. I was so close I could taste victory on my tongue. Ampharos took a bad stumble and I felt my excitement peak as Titan fired off a huge Stone Edge that hammered into the off-kilter pokemon. Ampharos collapsed with a pained wail only to land heavily and not stand up. Scarlet returned her pokemon with a sigh. The referee shot their flag up and I blinked as a sudden realisation of what the match being over meant. ¡°Ampharos is unable to battle, and that means the winner is, therefore, Brock From Pewter City!¡± I grinned and unleashed all of my pokemon behind me. From their pokeballs, Tide, Bertha, Jormungandr and Zephyr appeared. They looked around in shock only to catch sight of the scoreboard. Titan stomped his foot signalling he wanted our attention. He punched upwards once and then raised his head and roared in triumph. I joined in with the rest of the pokemon as the tension that had been lingering in my stomach released itself. Nothing was going to happen, no incident was going to demand my attention. My paranoia, justified as it had been in the past, was just that this time, merely paranoia. It had been far too long since I¡¯d felt this way. I let myself bask in the moment. We had won. Chapter 186 - Just awards Celadon was well known for its etiquette. They didn¡¯t stomp their feet, or whistle or clap too much. Our victory roar changed that. It demanded that people stand and cheer for us. It compelled them in a way that words never would. They rose, to cheer and applaud so they too could be heard in the maelstrom of noise we unleashed. A pair of nurses sprinted in from the side with another pair of Chansey accompanying them. Each Chansey had a large bed that I recognised as a tool that assisted with healing. One of the nurse-chansey pairs broke towards me and my team while the other sprinted towards Scarlet. It was only then that I realised that I¡¯d been so caught up in my triumph that I had yet to congratulate her on the match. I was about to walk towards her when Nurse Joy reached me. ¡°Brock, for the final ceremony they want all of your pokemon up and ready for the final presentation. There will be several photos and there is a ribbon given to each pokemon to commemorate that they were part of the six pokemon that won the tournament,¡± she said. Each of my pokemon perked up at this, with Bertha stomping her feet up and down happily. To the side, other pokemon moved out of the tunnels with trainers directing them to clean up the field so that large stage could be assembled quickly. I had a flash of deja vu as I realised that this was going to be like Will and Erika¡¯s match, only this time I was the victor. Just that alone meant I was going to have most of the cameras on me. With the revelation of Jormungandr being capable of Mega-evolving? I knew the reporters were just chomping at the bit to reach me. I could see a number of security guards staring down zealous-looking reporters that were eying the gaps between each security guard like they could leap over the side of the stands and onto the field. Then they¡¯d have to make it the hundred or so metres without being brought down. They shared glances at each other looking like a pack of penguins from my past life that were judging if they could push one or two weak members of their flock in first to test the waters. Then a commotion occurred. I watched one try for it. They leapt, dodged to the side, only to get taken out when the security guards sent a pokemon after them instead of pursuing themselves. The other men and women manning the line reached for their pokeballs in readiness, while watching the rest of the reporters. The reporters subsided as one of their numbers were dragged away. The woman looked at me frantically, as though I might grant her some form of immunity if she got close enough to question me. I pointedly looked away, pretending I hadn¡¯t seen her as I took to waving at the crowd and laughing as my happiness bubbled back up. It still took me a little by surprise to consider that I¡¯d won a tournament like this. I¡¯d won seven rounds of matches to claim the trophy that would soon be presented to me. ¡°Ladies, gentlemen, and pokemon of all ages! Thank you for bearing with us as we assembled the stage!¡± announced the Mayor of Celadon. I glanced over and found that the pokemon were finished. A small army of pokemon and workers were withdrawing even as the Mayor garnered everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°That!¡± The Mayor indicated the battlefield that was still being worked on. ¡°That was some match! I think I was on the edge of my seat for more of that than I expected.¡± He gestured to both Scarlet and I. ¡°Let¡¯s give our trainers and their pokemon another round of applause!¡± he said, and a wave of much more controlled cheers swept over the crowd. I bowed towards each set of stands in thanks, my smile still huge on my face as my pokemon copied me. Scarlet waved and it was then I noticed that the nurse on her side wasn¡¯t just trending to Scarlet¡¯s pokemon but also Scarlet herself. The girl was a bit pale and had a slight tremble. Damn, she¡¯d started to white out there, hadn¡¯t she? The fight must have really taken it out of her. The Nurse Joy that had come over to me had only given me a once over and a nod before moving on to my pokemon, with Sanchez being the only pokemon knocked out, she¡¯d had a much easier time. She¡¯d still spent a lot of time looking over Jormungandr. I stepped over to her. ¡°They all good?¡± I asked, ignoring the Mayor¡¯s prattling as I looked over my pokemon again. I doubted any of them had sustained injuries, beyond possibly Sanchez and Bertha, but it was best not to assume. ¡°Jorm seems fatigued but that makes all too much sense considering that he mega-evolved.¡± Nurse Joy shook her head. ¡°You do realise that with this I¡¯m going to face a panel of questions being the only medical professional to examine two Mega-evolved pokemon?¡± I blinked and glanced at her nurse¡¯s cap. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re the Joy from Saffron?¡± I said. She bobbed her head up and down before sighing. ¡°I¡¯ve got a whole two pokemon to draw experience from,¡± she said with a laugh. ¡°Any observations?¡± I asked. ¡°Just that he¡¯s now low on energy. I¡¯d recommend a more energy-rich diet in the lead-up to matches like this, if you¡¯re planning on using that more. It might impact the length of the evolution, or not.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Who¡¯s to say.¡± ¡°Alakazam,¡± I replied, not hesitating to name the true expert within Kanto. ¡°He¡¯s done a fairly in-depth investigation of Mega-evolution.¡± I chuckled and shook my head. ¡°He will probably have a questionnaire for me to fill out with Jorm already waiting for me in my inbox,¡± I said. Nurse Joy considered this for a moment before nodding. ¡°Can I get his email address?¡± she asked. I sent her a quick link through my Xtransciever before a polite cough had me looking up to show that a delegation of men and women were now on the stands. It looked like the awards ceremony was set to start. Nurse Joy tapped me on the elbow and led me to a section of the field that was marked out for me and my pokemon. Scarlet was likewise sent to another section. All of her pokemon were back up and looking rather morose. Scarlet was walking among them a small shawl wrapped around her shoulders with what looked like a warm drink in her hand encouraging her pokemon. The Mayor started waxing on about the history of the Celadon tournament, the sponsors and the other dignitaries up on the stage with him. I was surprised to find that the CEO of the Celadon Department Store was up on the stage with what looked like a stack of papers next to her. Hmmmm, coupons for her shop? Shame I¡¯d spent so much already. Still, if they were offering free stuff, I¡¯d happily accept it. The Mayor then waved a hand in both Scarlet and I¡¯s direction and I straightened up and refocused. ¡°¡ª without the help of our medical staff. For this year''s assistance please welcome onto the stage to accept a token of our thanks, Nurses Joy, Joy, and Joy from Celadon, Saffron, and Neon cities, along with their dedicated assistance Pokemon, Chansey, Chansey, and Bellosom!¡± I blinked when I realised that yes, each Nurse Joy did in fact have a Bellosom on their shoulders. Huh, I must have been more tired than I thought, I hadn¡¯t noticed that. The nurses and their pokemon walked up to the stage waving in thanks and for each of them, a large stack of coupons were handed out. The pokemon seemed more interested in the vouchers than the Nurses which drew a bit of laughter from everyone. ¡°Now, I¡¯d like to call up this year¡¯s runner-up with her pokemon to accept her medal for reaching this far!¡± said the Mayor. Scarlet held in a tight smile as she advanced forward, leading her pokemon onto the stage. I joined the crowd in clapping for her which seemed to help her pokemon relax as they accepted a silver ribbon from the Mayor each, while Scarlet got herself a silver medallion that hung from her neck. Snorlax almost fell over causing a small moment where the dignitaries looked like they were about to throw themselves from the stage in case a Fissure went off by accident, only for the Snorlax to catch himself and grin sleepily. Scarlet just giggled and shook her head at her pokemon¡¯s antics and the look of fear on some of the dignitaries¡¯ faces. I had to admit that I was rather impressed with how the Celadon Mayor hadn¡¯t even twitched in fear. Scarlet stepped to the side and a formal picture was taken with her shaking the hand of the mayor before she was asked to move along. I wet my lips and felt my smile returning. So this was what winning a tournament was like? ¡°And now, I¡¯d like to introduce, to the stage, this year¡¯s tournament winner! Brock and his team of Pokemon featuring Sanchez, Jormungandr, Bertha, Tide, Zephyr and Titan!¡± said the Mayor. Each of my pokemon wiggled. With glee as they were announced. They happily accepted a golden ribbon. A small altercation arose however when Bertha received her. She eyed the small ribbon that had been given to her, and then looked at the Celadon Mayor¡¯s gold and green sash. She made a gesture, pointing at the sash while holding out her ribbon. The Mayor blinked in surprise and I was about to signal Titan to nudge her along for being a nuisance when the Mayor surprised everyone by weeping his sash off and trading it for Bertha¡¯s ribbon. Bertha happily wrapped the sash around her neck and stomped off to the side with a huge grin. This prompted Sanchez to roll back onto the stage and examine the other dignitaries for something he might like to trade. When he approached a man for his tophat I facepalmed. I didn¡¯t call for him to stop, even as the crowd broke with a wave of laughter. The poor dignitary didn¡¯t quite seem to know what to make of this and simply gave Sanchez his tophat. I sighed and shook my head. If people were going to accept the deals, then I¡¯d let my pokemon make them. They obviously wanted those rather than the ribbons. When it was my turn to follow up and shake hands. I made sure to pause and give the man who¡¯d lost a tophat, and the mayor a furtive. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back for those,¡± I said as they returned the ribbons to me. The Mayor waved me off. ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you! I have two more of those.¡± He then indicated the podium. ¡°Would you like to say a few words for the crowd?¡± I paused. I hadn¡¯t been planning to speak, but I did have a few people to thank. I stepped up, a smile still firmly fixed in place. ¡°Well, this is a new experience for me,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gotten a chance to take part in a tournament, and I have to say that I think Celadon¡¯s has been the best I¡¯ve taken part in.¡± I laughed. ¡°And that¡¯s not something I¡¯m just saying because I won!¡± This got a few laughs from the crowd as I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°I say this in recognition of all the work that has been put into preparing the grounds that the tournament took part at. One hundred and eight trainers descended onto Celadon for the tournament, and I have no doubt more followed to witness this event. ¡°Celadon and the tournament organisers have handled themselves well and made this a memorable event. So first, to the people of Celadon City, thank you for hosting this event! For the organisers, both those who are staffers and those who volunteered, thank you for your work in making this a smooth-running tournament. I haven¡¯t heard of any complaints, in fact, I have heard nothing but good things so you are to be commended.¡± I waved a hand towards the signs denoting the sponsors. ¡°As the Mayor said, the sponsors should also earn another round of thanks for allowing this tournament to go ahead like this. It is through their contributions that each tournament will continue to grow.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°To the other Pokemon trainers, those that I fought and those that took part, thank you for signing on and giving it your all. I don¡¯t care if you only had the one fight, or if you made it into the later rounds. You showed up and you put yourselves out there. You will have tested the bonds you share with your Pokemon and will have tested others. Your competitive spirit drives the creation of events such as this and for being great competitors you have my thanks.¡± I turned to Scarlet and her team. ¡°Scarlet, you were a wonderful final opponent. You pushed me to reveal a trick I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d need. Your pokemon team is well-trained, and you have a great understanding of diversity and covering your weaknesses. Your current Ace ranking will, I have no doubt, be a temporary thing as you continue to challenge others. I have no doubt that you belong in the top twenty Ace trainers at least. Please don¡¯t settle for just that though as I think you have a wonderful understanding which will only continue to grow. Thank you for testing me and my Pokemon, the match against you was extremely enjoyable.¡± I turned back to the stands. ¡°I will bore you all with three more groups that deserve thanks, my family, who have been there with me and supported me in ways that you can¡¯t truly put into words,¡± I said. I pointedly didn¡¯t say, through thick or thin, as that wasn¡¯t always true. ¡°My trainer entourage both here and back in Pewter, you help out in a lot of different ways and help push me to achieve everything that I have set my eyes on. With this year''s difficulties I have little doubt that I would have been consumed by the workload if it wasn¡¯t for your assistance.¡± I turned back to the stage and waved a hand to my pokemon. ¡°And finally, my pokemon. There are more of you that have contributed than just the six on display. Some of them are watching from afar, and some of them are no longer with us.¡± I let my smile turn a little brittle. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are a lot of people out there wondering about the specific makeup of my team. There are perhaps better choices, tonight¡¯s six represent something different than just strength though.¡± I¡¯d planned this team mostly as a tribute to the pokemon that had been part of my Journey the longest. Sanchez had of course been a stand-in for Dwayne, just as Jorm was a replacement for Guybro. Scarlet was good enough that I needed to bring out all the stops. It was a good thing my original team had featured an Onix. ¡°This team represents the pokemon that went the furthest with me on my Journey, some of them are my strongest pokemon and also the pokemon that have been with me the longest.¡± I grinned. ¡°We never won a tournament when we were on our Journey, and for a long time, I had let that dream fade.¡± I let my smile turn soft as I sought out the central camera and stared straight down the lens. ¡°If you were like me, and you¡¯re sitting at home, thinking that the world and your dreams have passed you by, I hope my victory tonight can resonate with you. Don¡¯t give up on your dreams, sometimes they¡¯re closer than you realise. Tonight, one of my dreams has come true and I plan to celebrate it with my friends and loved ones. I hope the same will be true for you.¡± With that said, I stepped back and waved the Mayor forward. The Mayor, instead of taking up the mic again, merely waved me towards the trophy, a huge smile on his face. I marched towards it and only then did the mayor speak up. ¡°This year¡¯s tournament victor! BROCK from Pewter City!¡± I lifted the trophy and felt the surge of elation sweep through me as fireworks erupted around me and my pokemon. I walked back to my team showing them the trophy and they all sniffed and poked it. Sanchez took it from me and stood front and centre with it raised above his head. I heard the staccato of cameras going off at this and had to laugh as other pokemon in my team mimicked him. I hummed and decided to release the other pokemon that had taken part in the tournament who I had on hand. Zubat I¡¯d sent home, hopefully, to watch the match from the lounge room with my siblings. Don happily bunched in with Link, Gawain and Empress to let photos be taken of him. Empress didn¡¯t seem to know what to make of it and she twitched and growled as photons continued to bombard her. ¡°Hey girl, if this is a bit much I can return you?¡± I offered. Empress nodded quickly and I did so, leaving the others to bask in the moment. When I marched over to shake hands with Scarlet finally, Link and Titan followed me across to say a few of their own words with the pokemon. ¡°You mean all that?¡± she asked as she shook my hand. ¡°Every word,¡± I said. Scarlet nodded and then slapped her face with her hands. ¡°Argh! Now I feel super motivated!¡± she roared looking to the side only to wilt. ¡°Urgh it¡¯s a shame we have to do the press conference after this,¡± she said. I blinked and felt my own spirit wilt. She was right, and soon enough a group of very polite assistants herded us towards a table and chairs with a backdrop of all the sponsors set up behind us. I kept Titan and Link out. Link caused a small commotion by getting himself a chair before sitting next to me like he expected questions to come his way. I think he was just trying to be polite. Scarlet decided to copy me with her Ampharos. ¡°Gym Leader Brock! How long have you had a pokemon that could Mega evolve?¡± said one reporter. ¡°Just after Sabrina¡¯s match she showed me the final tricks to it, it has been something I have been working on for a while now. Sabrina and I have been working under Alakazam to create some research papers that a few people are aware of already but if you¡¯re interested in learning more I¡¯d watch the academic spaces as there are several discussions that are going to occur in the future on this.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s fair to say that you have known about Mega evolutions for a while now? But you¡¯ve been keeping quiet about it?¡± I nodded. ¡°I have, it has been an advantage I¡¯ve clung to. The knowledge of Jorm being able to do this has been something that only a few trainers were aware of before today.¡± ¡°How do you think he went on his first showing? Is this the extent of his power?¡± ¡°Tonight is not the first time I have had to use Jormungandr¡¯s Mega evolution. The first instance was in fact during the recent policing action that I was involved in where I had to fight a number of pokemon at once. Jorm and several other pokemon performed well but I was able to use him to great effect to see the criminals in custody thanks to him.¡± This caused a small round of murmuring to break out. ¡°What do you say about there now being three trainers that are capable of Mega evolving their pokemon? Does it feel good knowing that for now, Kanto has the lead over other regions?¡± I hummed. I had caught Steven Stone¡¯s match against Drake and he¡¯d used his Metagross to great effect. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something we will need to concern ourselves with too much. It¡¯s not going to turn into the latest and greatest threat but something that will proliferate throughout the various levels of trainers.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve had a look at Steven Stone¡¯s rumoured ¡®catalogue¡¯ then?¡± prompted one reporter. I hummed in thought. ¡°I am aware of the current rumours circulating the pokenet with regards to this.¡± I took a moment to take a sip of water. I knew what I was about to say was going to set the Sharpedo among the Seel. ¡°I have seen the catalogue in question as Steven offered it to me months ago. I will state that Steven was not accepting money at the time for the stone I ended up acquiring. If that has changed I am as yet unsure.¡± The questions, as I¡¯d expected, came quick and hard. ¡°Which pokemon was on this list that could have stones?¡± ¡°Has this been verified?!¡± ¡°What was he asking for?¡± ¡°Are you now a Hoenn mouthpiece!?¡± ¡°There were many pokemon but I honestly expect that list to grow as more people investigate it. Off the top of my head, Steven had Gardevoirite, Ampharosite, Charizardite, Blastoisinite, Blazikenite, Houndoominite, Mawilite, Metagrossite, Sharpedonite, Steelixite, Slowbronite, Salamencite, and Beedrillite.¡± Next to me, Scarlet twitched in surprise and her starter perked up. Another round of murmurs swept through the reporters and one man was quick to react, his microphone turning towards Scarlet. ¡°How does it make you feel knowing that a Mega-evolution is possible for you and your pokemon?¡± ¡°It feels like I¡¯ve been offered a terrible temptation,¡± said Scarlet. ¡°Also, knowing that this is possible and that people will need to pay exorbitant fees for a power-up like that? I¡¯m¡­ a bit worried about what this will mean for Ace matches.¡± ¡°Could you elaborate?¡± ¡°Is this not something else that will be gated to just the rich and powerful?¡± Scarlet said, and I blinked as I realised she was right. I nodded along with what she had to say. ¡°You saw what happened when Brock used his, my pokemon suddenly had a much steeper hill to climb despite the type advantage it had, or¡­ rather, should have had. I still don¡¯t understand what exactly happened.¡± I nodded along, feeling that these were valid criticisms. ¡°Brock? Do you feel you had an unfair advantage?¡± ¡°I can see where she¡¯s coming from but I also have to point out one thing, Mega evolutions are not by any metric simple or straightforward. They are a process that underpins much of our world. As Mega-evolution is right now, it is reliant on the bond you have with your pokemon. It will not be something any trainer can buy, then turn around and purchase a pokemon that is compatible with the stone. It requires serious effort in building and an awareness of the bond you have with your pokemon.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it took you months?¡± I wobbled my hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°Somewhat, a lot of the foundations for what I needed to do started¡­ years ago,¡± I said. I turned to Scarlet. ¡°I think she raised a good point however, in that there is potential for abuse with these stones. Those who do have access to the Mega evolution are going to have an advantage, and while it requires hard work I think there needs to be opportunity, or at the least an even playing field to some extent.¡± ¡°How would you propose that?¡± asked one reporter. I chewed my lip and had to shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure as yet, but I think it is something I will spend some time talking to others about and seriously considering.¡± From there more questions followed and some of them I answered but after the Mega Stone access issue had been pointed out to me by Scarlet, I felt like I couldn¡¯t ignore it. She¡¯d been right, I did have a huge advantage, and I didn¡¯t feel too bad about using it, but how would it seem if it became more widespread? People already wanted to see more from Sabrina. When it spread throughout Ace trainers and such there would be a growing demand for viewers and more. This¡­ would need to be handled very carefully. You either needed to restrict them or let everyone have a chance and with Steven Stone holding all the megastones currently, he held all the power. I paused when I considered that a little more. Hmmmm, there might be someone who could help edge out Steven¡¯s monopoly now that I thought about it some more. I spent the rest of the night with my team of trainers and pokemon at a specialised restaurant called Ala Kabonara which was known for its high-quality food. Sabrina appeared with her own pokemon and the mood was extremely festive. Everyone wanted to touch or take photos with the trophy and Rachel was having a field day with capturing photos for the Gym¡¯s pokenet page. When we were done we collected ourselves and Sabrina teleported us home to a sleepy family that awoke to give us all cuddles and kisses. For a moment I thought they might all fall back asleep without issue, then they caught sight of the trophy I¡¯d been given to hold onto for a year and they woke up very quickly. I shared a look with Flint. ¡°Is tomorrow a school day?¡± I said, having well and truly lost track by this stage. Flint sighed and nodded. ¡°Oh well, it¡¯s not every day that your big brother wins a tournament like this.¡± He clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Congratulations, you were incredible out there.¡± ¡°Yeah you were! I liked it when Jorm was like Fwoosh! Then rawr! Then wham!¡± said Tommy excitedly. His hands going in every direction as he pantomimed Jorm¡¯s mega evolution. ¡°Munch!¡± said Munchlax with a pleased look on his face. I nodded along. ¡°Yeah! That Snorlax wasn¡¯t what I was expecting and it was really strong!¡± I said, causing Munchlax to swell with pride for his evolved form. Yolanda nodded her head. ¡°I was surprised! I hadn¡¯t realised Snorlax were so strong!¡± I chuckled. ¡°It gets overlooked cause of how much work it is to get them to train, and the expenses associated with them, but they are powerful pokemon that can tank and deal out a lot of damage.¡± This drew Salvadore into the discussion and allowed me to step away to prepare the presents pile with Yolanda. When we turned around our family was watching us with glinting, greedy eyes. I shot Yolanda a look. ¡°Welcome to being an older sibling,¡± I said, before calling up the first sibling to get their present from each of us. This helped to control the otherwise guaranteed chaos of a small wave of children reaching for presents. When everything was done two presents remained. ¡°Who are those for?¡± asked Yolanda. I handed her one, causing her to blush in surprise while the other I stuffed into a cupboard. ¡°The other one is for Forrest, but he can wait to receive it,¡± I said, pushing it into a pile of other such presents I¡¯d been collecting on my various trips away for him. ¡°Awww!¡± I didn¡¯t know you kept those for him!¡± Yolanda said happily. I winked at her as she opened her present to find a fire-type pokemon kit for grooming and dealing with common injuries. ¡°Does this mean I can start training a Spot officially?¡± she said excitedly. ¡°You can train him, but that doesn¡¯t mean you¡ª¡± My words were cut off as Yolanda glomped me. ¡°Thankyou thankyou thankyou!¡± she said happily. I sighed. Who was I kidding? Yolanda was going to depart here with at least a team of six pokemon ready to go. How strong those pokemon were would be up to her. I handed Flint a small present while the others were distracted. Flint blinked. ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± he said, opening it to find a nice shaving kit. ¡°I think I want to pick your brain over something that was said during the press conference,¡± I said to him, from the side of my mouth. Sabrina, who¡¯d stuck around perked up upon hearing this and stepped closer. I¡¯d mentioned my thoughts to her and now she listened intently. ¡°Yes? What specifically?¡± ¡°If you knew what sorts of Pokemon could Mega Evolve, do you think you could investigate certain regions or know where to look to find Mega stones or Keystones?¡± I asked seriously. I might not know what I would do with them, but it would be better to have options than not. Steven Stone, would not remain the only option for people to get Mega Stones if I had my say. I wasn¡¯t going to wait around until we discovered Kalos. I¡¯d even the playing field as best I could for as many people as possible. It was merely a new challenge. Flint tentatively nodded his head and I felt my small glimmer of hope grow. I got an agreement with Flint to talk with him later tomorrow before plucking the trophy from Cindy¡¯s hands. ¡°This is going in the trophy case,¡± I said proudly, marching it towards the glass case that housed photos of me and the family, my badge case, and for now? The Celadon Ace trophy. It looked damn good in there. Today, I concluded as I observed the trophy, had been a good day. I noticed Sabrina giving me a look with promise attached to it and I turned, ready to announce that it was time for bed. Before I could do that, Suzie walked up with Cindy in tow. ¡°Brock, Sabrina? Are you going to form a magical girl team?¡± Yolanda giggled as Tommy, Billy, and Timmy all looked poleaxed at this question. Sabrina gave me a thoughtful look. ¡°He does look good in a dress¡­ Hmmmm I think he can be a reserve member for now,¡± she said jokingly. The girls nodded along in understanding and Suzie patted me on the arm. ¡°There there, you can apply again I¡¯m sure.¡± I huffed and swept Sabrina¡¯s legs out from under her causing her to giggle at me as I shot the rest of my family a stern look. ¡°Good night family!¡± I said, taking Sabrina to bed. Chapter 187 - The questgiver The match against Scarlet happened on Thursday. This thankfully allowed me an entire day to relax after the match. With how hectic being a Gym Leader could be, I probably didn¡¯t need it, but it was damn nice to have. I got the chance to wake up with Sabrina laying on me. Sadly she never liked to have her sleep interrupted beyond me simply getting up. So I didn¡¯t poke her or try to get handsy. She never liked it and usually banished me from the bedroom with a glare. Better to always let her sleep in. I went through my normal routine and wandered into the hallway, not surprised when Yolanda was there waiting for me with Terra in her carry pouch. I was surprised to find Flint there along with two Growlithe. ¡°Spot, and¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes, still unsure which Growlithe this was. ¡°Lady?¡± I asked. Growlithe shook his head and Yolanda giggled. ¡°Nope! This is Heffy!¡± The Growlithe turned and barked at Yolanda reproachfully. I raised an eyebrow and considered that name. ¡°This is the one Salvadore named, right? Hephaestus?¡± Instantly the Growlithe perked up and barked happily. A wave of something psychic swept over the hall and Yolanda, Flint and the two Growlithe stiffened. Yolanda bowed toward my door. ¡°Sorry Sabrina!¡± she said, before scooping the quaking pokemon on their way. Flint followed her, making me scratch my head. Sabrina must not have liked the noise outside the door. I opened the door, peeking back into the room and a single eye opened and stared at me. ¡°Close the door,¡± she said firmly. ¡°Love you!¡± I said, retreating having poked the Ursaring enough. Yolanda gave me a very disapproving stare. ¡°Why would you do that?!¡± she hissed at me. ¡°Sometimes I like to live dangerously?¡± I said, unable to really justify the teasing of my girlfriend. Yolanda shook her head and petted Spot and Hephaestus to calm them down. Terra rolled around in the harness to indicate she was getting frustrated. Yolanda fussed over her and took off jogging. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯m running. We¡¯ll get you settled. Come on boys!¡± The Growlithe took off after her and I huffed. Flint joined me in a slow saunter towards the back. On the way I collected Gible from Salvadore¡¯s room where he¡¯d been studying the pokemon before going to bed. I noted that some items throughout Salvadore¡¯s room had bite marks in them, or were outright in pieces. None of the books had any bite marks, and neither did Salvadore himself when I lifted him from the desk to lay on his bed. Without his body protecting them, a number of notes were revealed. I spotted several interesting observations, whereupon I quickly scribbled in additions of what I could remember from the pokedex about Gible, before taking the baby pokemon in hand. Gible yawned hugely, exposing his teeth and sleepily smacking his lips. Then he stiffened as he registered he was being held. I watched his nostrils dilate and for a second I thought I¡¯d made a mistake picking him up while still asleep only for him to relax as he registered my smell. I made another note at the bottom regarding this point before departing. Flint opened the door for me and peeked in on Salvadore¡¯s sleeping form. ¡°Salvadore¡¯s really interested in being a scientist one day, isn¡¯t he?¡± said Flint. ¡°Yeah. I think it¡¯s good that he¡¯s got something like this.¡± I scratched my chin. ¡°What were his grades like for the last term? He usually gets B¡¯s with the occasional rare A.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯d say he¡¯s tracking upwards then! I¡¯ve seen more consistent A¡¯s, but still mostly high B¡¯s,¡± Flint responded. I grunted. ¡°Might have to do something to motivate him to keep it up.¡± ¡°Motivate?¡± Flint tilted his head in though. ¡°Sooo we offer him some money?¡± Flint questioned. ¡°For every A he gets he gets some more pokedollars?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll need to think on it some more but I want the point of the study to be that he should want to keep doing it. We want him to fall in love with the process of learning.¡± I scratched my head. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything beyond keeping him involved with the aides that are working in the reserve, which he¡¯s already doing. Trivia night about pokemon? Or something to make learning fun¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯ll do his journey still right?¡± as Flint said this, he fidgeted. ¡°Yeeeeeees,¡± I said, stressing the word. I toyed with the idea of mentioning how much of our culture, and lifestyle revolved around building up expectations for the Journey. It wasn¡¯t something everyone got to experience but it was seen as the norm by and large. I would prefer to create a situation where my younger siblings weren¡¯t pressured into something, but even just creating a neutral or supportive environment wouldn¡¯t matter. The eyes of the world would track them. I knew for a fact that the schools built their curriculum around people going on Journeys with gap years and further study only being available to people after a year break. How to encourage my siblings to make either choice remained on my mind, as we made our way outside. ¡°Zuuuuubat!¡± screeched my green Zubat as she fluttered towards me. It circled me a few times before landing on my shoulder. The high-pitched greeting caused Gible to whine and rub his eyes. ¡°Giiiib!¡± he said. Zubat waggled her ears happily and I chuckled. ¡°Sorry Zubat, not everyone is as good on a nocturnal routine as you are.¡± I rubbed her head. ¡°We¡¯ll have to work on that as there are some matches that will happen earlier and later in the day so we¡¯re going to have to get you properly synced.¡± I chuckled to myself. ¡°Not that it will be an issue with the pokeball rest feature,¡± I said. In my past life, entire routines had to be made up around athletes and their circadian rhythm for when they travelled. With pokemon it wasn¡¯t as much of an issue with them being stored in a semi-lucid state that was restful for them unless they were injured in some manner such as being poisoned or burned, or worse... I walked through the slowly rousing pokemon of the reserve, which meant I mostly stepped around any boulders that were partly submerged. Geodude when startled would and could lash out with a mean punch or two. I waved at the trainers who were working at getting the food bins and trays loaded up. The noise itself was doing more to make the pokemon wake up than any actual sunlight. Most of the pokemon knew to ignore the sounds of meals being prepared, it was the younger, newer captures that woke up and badgered the trainers to give them a morsel of food. ¡°Brock, I wanted to talk to you some more about what we discussed last night,¡± Flint said suddenly. I blinked, glancing at him to see he looked unusually serious. ¡°The Megastones?¡± I said. Flint nodded. ¡°I know they¡¯re going to be important, so I thought I needed to but¡­ well I¡¯m not exactly sure where to start with them. I think I got too excited with you asking something of me¡­ I jumped before I properly considered everything.¡± I gave Flint a proper look over and noticed that he looked tired. Had he stayed up last night to try and¡­ What? Review his notes about the locations that he¡¯d been through? There wouldn¡¯t be a lot of geological landmarks for this sort of thing but there would surely have to be some sort of markers. ¡°Oh, you looked into Megastones that much?¡± I said. Flint nodded. ¡°Brock, I don¡¯t think I know enough about Megastones to work out how they form in nature.¡± I hummed. ¡°Well¡­ I have a theory,¡± I said, as I looked towards the west where the Silver Mountain ranges were. ¡°Mega stones aren¡¯t actually natural, or they are but it¡¯s due to exposure of certain energy.¡± ¡°Energy?¡± said Flint, as he rubbed his chin causing a scratching noise to come out with how coarse his stubble was. I eyed it. It was rather impressive how he could not shave for a day and almost had such growth. It wasn¡¯t a five o¡¯clock shadow for Flint so much as it was a three o¡¯clock shadow. ¡°What sort of Energy?¡± he asked, breaking me from my study of his forming beard. I hummed and considered how to broach this topic with him. I turned my gaze back towards the Silver Range mountains and my mind drifted to a frantic rush down a mountainside followed by a fight. Fire and pride on display with how it had fought us, trying to sweep us away with grand displays of power. I licked my lips. ¡°What makes a pokemon Legendary?¡± I said, diverting the question. Flint frowned for a moment at the seeming non sequitur before hissing in surprise. ¡°You think Legendaries have something to do with Mega stones?¡± he said, taking what I was saying and making the logical leap. I huffed. ¡°Yes, but just so I know you¡¯re on the same page as me, humour me as I talk through my thought process,¡± I said. ¡°Alright, Legendaries¡­ I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve ever witnessed one and for that I am thankful.¡± He joined me in staring towards the mountains. ¡°But when you came back before your match with Will so tired, I remembered that I had heard of people fighting near, or rather trying to survive when they were about.¡± Flint sighed. ¡°I never had the misfortune of being in such a situation during the War.¡± ¡°What about¡­ Lola?¡± I said, feeling my lips twitch down with mentioning her. ¡°No, thankfully. Brock, you mother¡ª¡± I held up a hand and he coughed. ¡°¡ªLola,¡± he said, adjusting his word choice. ¡°She was strong, but she also had an instinct to her that so many trainers lack these days. With what happened she never had¡­ well she could easily go from talking with someone to putting them down if the situation called for it. It made her useful in certain missions.¡± Flint continued to stare out at the mountains. ¡°She told me some of what she did but¡­ but it had a toll on her.¡± I observed Flint for a moment, wondering how much he had endured, and by that metric how much had she endured. Then I shook my head. A story like that didn¡¯t give them excuses to abandon their family like they had. Family should have been first, but Lola had run off. I relaxed the tension in my hands and unclenched my jaw as I often found myself doing when I discussed her. She always seemed to conjure anger in me. If she was anything like the Lola that had appeared in the cartoons I was going to have to keep her away from the kids or do something. She didn¡¯t get to just waltz in after abandoning us. What sort of message would that teach my brothers or sisters? I eyed Flint. ¡°Are you¡­ feeling better these days? You¡¯re not thinking of running off again are you?¡± ¡°What? No! No! This is where I¡¯m meant to be! I realise that Brock!!¡± Flint said quickly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I left, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m doing better, I think. I¡¯m not looking for Lola at all, but hopefully, she¡¯ll come back. I bit back my response of ¡®I hope not¡¯. Instead, I just shook my head. ¡°So, you have a bit of hearsay about Legendary pokemon then? Do you understand that Legendary pokemon are simply born stronger? Yes?¡± Flint nodded and shot me a sardonic look. ¡°Sure, if you think they are born like others. ¡°I think there is a reason for that,¡± I said, ignoring his comment. I knew for a fact that there was a young Lugia around¡­ somewhere. Flint blinked and glanced at me. ¡°A reason for their strength?¡± ¡°They are conceptually attached to something. An Element, such as the three legendary birds, ice, fire, electric type legendaries that all share flying type,¡± I said, waving my hand about as if I was lecturing. ¡°During my Journey, I was able to travel to three regions, the second region is not well thought of, with the Orange and Sevii islands being considered quite weak. But! There are still several very strong trainers and much to be learnt from going there!¡± I raised a finger. ¡°One of those things was located on an island called Shamouti, there they revered the Legendary pokemon that control a natural balance of weather.¡± I shook my finger back and forth. ¡°Or rather they each balance the other out and they do somewhat do that I suppose. During my trip there I learnt about a festival that they have which selects a local trainer of appropriate age to travel to other nearby islands to collect glass orbs that represent the Legendaries that are said to inhabit those islands.¡± During our stay, Sabrina was chosen to be the ¡®chosen one¡¯ for the festival. We travelled to each shrine and collected the orbs along with performing the dances and made the offerings. And during all of that, Sabrina was scared, or sometimes quiet in a way that hadn¡¯t been normal for her. She could sense that each island did in fact house the pokemon in question but that none of the pokemon were currently there. Merely their residual energy was there. It left an imprint making each small island more prone to certain weather conditions.¡± I waggled another finger. ¡°Shamouti, however, being located right in the middle of the three islands, had near-perfect weather all year long.¡± ¡°Just the residual energy spooked Sabrina?¡± asked Flint with a frown. I nodded. ¡°The Shamouti trio of Legendary birds are thought to be mature for their species. When they are witnessed flying about, they are known to cause large weather shifts,¡± I said. I rolled the idea of mentioning the fourth Legendary in the region that made Shamouti even more special but decided it wasn¡¯t important. ¡°Did you know on the scale of legendary pokemon, the Legendary birds aren¡¯t considered that strong?¡± I said, getting to the main point. ¡°Eh?¡± said Flint, ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± I snorted. ¡°It¡¯s rather obvious if you think about it. What concepts would be stronger than weather? Concepts of time, space, and creation,¡± I said, referencing the creation myth that people used for the pokeverse of Palkia, Dialga, and Arceus. ¡°There are others as well that are stronger. I¡¯ve had to do a lot of digging in history for other pokemon that meet the requirements of being legendary, but I also looked into tectonic plate movements in the past.¡± I grimaced and Flint laughed. ¡°Ha! Yeah geology can be a nightmare when you start looking into continental plate movements! Groudon can be quiet for centuries or millennia, or active in short bursts like during the war!¡± Flint wiped a tear out of his eye, ¡°Ah I forgot about how enjoyable it can be for a young geologist to discover Groudon¡¯s footprint on the plates and how that makes things so much harder and so much more interesting at the same time.¡± ¡°Oh, this is well known?¡± I asked sheepishly. I¡¯d thought I had uncovered something myself. Learning it was well known was a bit humbling. Flint merely started laughing harder. ¡°To those that are serious about it!¡± he said, chuckling. ¡°There¡¯s a reason using Groudon¡¯s name can be a curse or a praise in geology circles!¡± he continued with a smile. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Huh,¡± I said, interested in this odd factoid. ¡°Have any of them ever looked into energy-specific alterations that legendary pokemon create in their local areas or even regions?¡± I asked. Flint began rubbing his chin. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t say I¡¯ve heard of that field of study before. I would say there¡¯s going to be a lot more interest in geology though. What with Mega Stones becoming a thing.¡± I nodded along in agreement. ¡°Yeah, it will be. It¡¯s going to be big until something else can be found to even the playing field.¡± ¡°What?¡± said Flint. I coughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± I said. I made a mental note to look into my notes regarding Z-moves once again, perhaps they¡¯d be viable with how skilled I¡¯d become with rock and dark typed energy once again. They still required a rock of some form though didn¡¯t they? What else did that leave? Gigantamax? Hadn¡¯t there been that giant Tentacruel at Porta Vista that Forrest encountered¡­ Hmmmm, worth pursuing. ¡°So¡­ what should I be looking into? Areas with Legendary pokemon?¡± Flint said worriedly. I considered that for half a moment before shaking my head. ¡°No, I think it is a very specific pokemon that caused this. The Legendary trio of birds and dogs aren¡¯t enough. It had to have been another Legendary, although potentially poking around old nesting grounds or haunts might not be a bad idea,¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°I think you¡¯re being a bit too flippant about approaching a space once owned by a Legendary pokemon,¡± said Flint. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s also true,¡± I said, but my mind was turning to an issue that I¡¯d been ignoring as I didn¡¯t know how to approach it, or where to go. Mewtwo. He¡¯d gone to the Tree of¡­ No wait, that was different. That was the Lucario story that featured Mew, not Mewtwo. Mewtwo, after breaking ways with Giovanni, returned to New Island. Somewhere that I had no idea about. I¡¯d looked for it for years and it didn¡¯t appear on any maps, and I had access to some of the best maps around being a Gym Leader. But it had gone somewhere after the new island incident as well. Somewhere¡­ a mountain perhaps? Why did I think Rota? Was it because of Mew? ¡°Brock?¡± said Flint, causing me to blink and shake it off. ¡°Hmm? Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts for a bit there,¡± I said. ¡°You haven¡¯t done that in a while,¡± he said with a fond smile. I snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve been too busy to stop and think for a while now,¡± I said, before stopping as I realised just how true that statement was. ¡°Huh,¡± I said, as it sank in. I had been chasing my tail for a bit hadn¡¯t I? I shook my head and typed out a quick message for myself, to later review what I remembered about Mewtwo. If I wanted to talk about powerful pokemon, he was a prime candidate, especially as one of the only pokemon capable of mega-evolving. On stats alone, he was one of the strongest with his mega evolution carrying him even further. ¡°It might still be worth looking over the site of our battle with Moltres,¡± I said. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t dismiss it, Alakazam and two Tyranitar were present along with a few other pokemon. Who knows?¡± I said, with a shrug. Flint nodded slowly, lost in thought himself now. An unbidden thought occurred to me about something Flint had said earlier. ¡°What do geologists think of Heatran?¡± I asked. Flint gave me a blank look. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever heard of that pokemon before?¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°Hmmm, it¡¯s another pokemon thought to be involved with volcanoes which would have some say in geological phenomena, no?¡± Flint hummed. ¡°Volcanoes you say? It might be worth looking into Cinnabar then,¡± Flint said. I crossed my arms in thought. ¡°That might be risky. While Blaine is not openly in control of it, I wouldn¡¯t put it past him to put out traps in certain areas that he¡¯d have interest in such as the volcano.¡± I tapped my foot against the ground. ¡°That¡¯s still a good idea.¡± Flint rubbed his chin nodding along. ¡°You might want to look into purchasing certain sites that we can identify as having high chances of mega stone formation,¡± Flint said. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s true, I¡¯ll have to look into it, I might need to get some other people involved if it¡¯s to be about buying more than a few plots of land though.¡± Sabrina would also be interested, I had no doubt, I should be able to get the Guardians involved too. Part of me didn¡¯t want to close it off, however. I chewed my lips in thought for a moment. The best person to allow the proliferation of Mega stones was a man who had proven he could give up power. I shot Samuel Oak a message about my thoughts and quickly received a reply email. I got a few lines into it when Samuel called. ¡°Brock! You are entirely correct that Mega stones would be a perfect field of study! I shall reach out to some of my compatriots and see if anyone wishes to look into this! As for investing? I¡¯d love to! I¡¯ll have my accountant talk with you about the details! I think we need to study what megastones we have at the moment however, and try to create something that can detect the inherent energies! I shall acquire some from Steven Stone and see what I can do but please send me any more thoughts you have!¡± the man said frantically. I coughed. ¡°For that matter would you like to meet the head geologist of the team we¡¯ll need to form?¡± I said. Flint waved. ¡°Hello Professor!¡± said Flint. ¡°Excellent! Your know-how will be vital! Get my contact details from Brock and we¡¯ll talk more!¡± Samuel wiggled happily and I chuckled as he signed off. Flint rubbed his chin. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting to have a job offer when I woke up yesterday.¡± I shot him a look, understanding the implied meaning that he hadn¡¯t slept at all last night. ¡°Well you¡¯ll be able to do day trips to Mt Moon, Mt Silver, and Viridian forest to start with. Any longer trips¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to take with the kids,¡± Flint said grimly. I coughed. ¡°Not as such. You don¡¯t need to be in the field as much if you''re the lead Geologist.¡± I raised up my Xtransciever. ¡°You can get away with a lot more these days, even working from home. Just have someone video the digs and have another on-site you trust, while you stay back and manage things. They could be day trips as well, most people can get around pretty easily with Teleport Pokemon being more prolific.¡± Flint blinked and looked down at his wrist. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Huh. I hadn¡¯t even considered that, but it would work!¡± he said. ¡°Shame I won¡¯t get to go digging all the time.¡± I chuckled and shook my head. Flint yawned ¡°Oh, I think I better go back and prepare everyone¡¯s food before school, then I¡¯ll catch a nap.¡± ¡°You do that. When you wake up I have some local mad scientists that you can talk to who I fund. No reason we can¡¯t combine this project to also look into fossils,¡± I said. Knowing Crowley he¡¯d be getting bored with tinkering soon. A new project or the chance to look into other fields might just spark something with him. He¡¯d also have a good idea of historical geological shifts thanks to his studies into fossil pokemon so he¡¯d be a great addition for my mega stone group. ¡°Grandpa Canyon,¡± I said, to myself. ¡°Hmmmm?¡± Flint said, shooting me a look as yawned again. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s another point of interest that I really should have investigated before now. It¡¯s where I got Don, Shin, and the other ancient pokemon. I need to look into it and see if there¡¯s anything else hiding there.¡± ¡°We could go together,¡± said Flint quickly. I blinked and stared at him. He blinked back, apparently surprised that he¡¯d even said it. I repressed the urge to reject him out of hand before considering it. I would be spelunking into a cave, and while that wouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue for me, having someone that knew what to look for would definitely help. ¡°... yeah, that¡¯s actually a good idea.¡± I considered my calendar. ¡°How about next weekend after my thing with A.J. and Greta is done.¡± ¡°That¡¯d be¡­ good, I¡¯d like that,¡± he said, with a huge smile creeping onto his face. ¡°Stop that,¡± I said, slightly creeped out that such a small thing could make him that happy. He just smiled more and clapped me on the shoulder. I huffed at his back. I fired off a message to Lawrence, my lawyer, as Flint headed back home. Lawrence, Alexa and Georgina would be best to look into the formation of a company that would handle this. I sketched out my thoughts on getting investors but also linked certain people he should include, such as Sabrina and Oak. I also highlighted places of interest that I would like to own with the new company such as Cinnabar, Blastoise island, Grandpa Canyon, Mt Moon, Viridian Forest and the Cerulean Cave. I smirked as I sent off the message. Oh yeah, it was all coming together now. Lawrence called me back mid-work out with my pokemon. ¡°Brock, this is crazy!¡± ¡°Hi to you as well Lawrence,¡± I said, as I pulled Terra away from smacking Gible for biting her. ¡°Hang on a second Lawrence!¡± I said, as I put Gible in time out. ¡°No stealing food from Terra, she wanted to share, not have you gobble it all down,¡± I said. Gible looked to the side and made a small whimpering noise. ¡°If you¡¯re that hungry we can set up more snack times for you, you¡¯re growing after all,¡± I said. This had him perking up and quickly apologising to Terra who went back to smiling. I huffed and raised the Xtransicer up to find that Lawrence hadn¡¯t listened to me and was mid-rant. ¡°¡ªI mean the idea on paper is solid and yes you¡¯ve got some big names but you realise this will put you in direct competition with Devon Corp right?¡± ¡°Hmmmm, I hadn¡¯t considered that,¡± I said, cutting him off. ¡°It¡¯s still worth doing though. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to let Devon Corp have a monopoly on Mega stones.¡± ¡°I¡­ Well you¡¯re not wrong, I think we should be able to get the Indigo League involved as well. As I doubt they¡¯re happy with Steven stealing a march on them. I think we can get more with government backing.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said, voicing a sound of discontent. ¡°Brock, the government will be sticking their noses into this. They can¡¯t afford to ignore it. Let¡¯s be the one approaching them with our terms and get things rolling, if they want to roll things back afterwards it will cost them,¡± said Lawrence. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll trust you on this,¡± I said, and hung up. Huh, competing with a corporation? Not how I thought things would develop, but if anything they needed competition. Was there a way to¡­ I shook my head, and ideas of doing market research were pushed to the side. I didn¡¯t need to add more work to my plate, I needed less! I needed a manager, like I had with Jennifer! That was working out great! With my discussion with Flint over I returned to find Gible and Terra chasing after Yolanda who¡¯d just run by doing an agility drill with Spot. Gible and Terra started to run towards her, only for Terra to cry out in surprise and drag Gible to the side causing me to register a rumbling that wasn¡¯t as normal around the reserve. Following with thundering steps, came both Bertha and Titan. Making it look less of an agility exercise, and more like a game of which giant could make Yolanda lose her footing while staying barely ahead. ¡°Gib!¡± cried Gible as he caught sight of me. He pointed at Yolanda and then himself. ¡°You want me to run as well?¡± I said to the little pokemon. He nodded his whole body excitedly, his tail wiggling with him. I snatched him up like a ball, tucking him under one hand before I took off running. I shot across Yolanda¡¯s path and smirked. Bertha caught sight of Gible in my hands and broke off chasing Yolanda in favour of attempting to get to pet the newest baby pokemon. I threw myself into a sprint, knowing this would be a hard workout. Bertha broke into a proper sprint causing the earth to rumble and shake underfoot. The run became a lot harder when Zubat caught sight of me and flapped her way into my face. ¡°Zuuuuuu!¡± she cried, as she blinded me. ¡°I like the hug but now is not the time!¡± I said frantically, tearing her off my face and stashing her in one of my vest pockets. When the ache started to build up I knew I needed to shift my goal. I wasn¡¯t going to outrun Bertha, she had endurance for days. She was also cheating by using Pokemon moves like Rock Polish to catch up. I turned sharply and ran through a cluster of boulders only for her to bulldoze straight through them. ¡°Rhyperior!¡± she called, as she smashed them. Gible turned himself in my grip and laughed at the sight of Bertha closing in. I pushed hard, drawing on my rock energy to propel me harder and turn my run into bounding leaps. ¡°Ty!¡± called Titan. I shot him a grin, noting that he¡¯d anticipated my dilemma and was standing next to the pond where Tirtouga, Corsola and Lileep liked to hang out. I tossed Gible to him, the tiny land shark soared through the air only to catch sight of the pond he was sailing over. ¡°Giiiii!¡± he shrieked in protest only for Titan to trudge into the water and snatch him before he could even hit the edge. I clicked my tongue. He¡¯d have made it. I quickly tossed Zubat into the air for her own safety before jumping as far as I could into the water. It was an impressive leap but as soon as I hit the water I was pumping and kicking my arms and legs to get further away from the splash zone. Bertha didn¡¯t bother to jump. She hit the water and caused a wave thanks to her momentum. I was carried out of the water to wash ashore on the other side next to Titan who was holding Gible up over his head so the little pokemon wouldn¡¯t get wet. ¡°Bluh!¡± I said, staggering to my feet. A moment later Bertha breached the water where she¡¯d entered with a great head toss like she was the model for some cheap hair commercial. She was filthy with mud and had a giant grin on her face. Zubat fluttered around her inspecting the dripping mud before retreating quickly to me. She landed on my shoulder and nuzzled into me. I glanced to the side and found a particularly unimpressed Corsola glaring at me. It sprayed me with water in annoyance, earning a sigh at how this had turned out. ¡°So? Who¡¯s up for some training?¡± I asked once I¡¯d been rinsed off ¡°Tirt?¡± said a voice to my side as Tirtouga, having been washed ashore with me, raised his flipper. I grinned. Yeah, a morning session of focusing on my new pokemon would work for me. ¡°Alright! Elite team! You¡¯re on break! Gible, Cranidos, Zubat, Teddiursa, Anorith, Corsola and Tirtouga! You¡¯re with me!¡± I said, causing the pokemon that had been lingering to break off. The pokemon I called out all perked up and approached looking very interested. ¡°Let¡¯s run some tackle drills and we¡¯ll build from there! Tirtouga! Time to start bringing you out for some low-level Gym Matches I think! Cranidos, Anorith! Same to both of you!¡± Anorith waggled her tiny feet while Cranidos stomped his little feet with glee. Teddiursa looked a bit sad but I tapped him on the head. ¡°Hey, no problems little guy, you, Corsola and Zubat can fight with the trainers and the local battle club. We¡¯ll make some time for it.¡± That had him perking up and growling fiercely. I set to training the group and when I was done the young pokemon were laid out flat. Gible had been the first to collapse, his energy causing him to overcommit when he Tackled. At first glance Tackle wasn¡¯t worth much, but it was a foundational move that was good to have experience with and it also helped young pokemon develop body awareness. Knowing how to roll with a hit, or along the ground or dig in was important after all, just as it was important to hand a hard part against a potential soft part if you could. Gible lay to the side panting, his tongue darting up to his teeth quickly but not crossing the divide. That had to be a specific development in their physiology to stop them from biting their own tongues. I knelt down and handed Gible a chilled water, ¡°Here drink this,¡± I said, offering him the bottle. He guzzled it down and I chuckled as I sat him upright. ¡°Now, watch how Teddiursa jumps in clean short bounds. If he needs to correct he has the chance to instead of being smacked out of the air,¡± I said, using Teddiursa as the example for others to follow. This caused Teddiursa to puff up with pride. Gible merely grunted. Then he perked up as he looked at me and pointed at his open maw, asking for food. I rolled my eyes and pulled out some pokechow from my pouch. The training load was a bit much for a young pokemon like him but with good nutrition, he should come up stronger. I was proven correct when he tried to copy Teddursa¡¯s more controlled hops when he tackled the training dummy I¡¯d set up. If the dummy just happened to look like a Jynx that was a coincidence. ¡°Nice adjustments! That was a solid hit!!¡± I said, making sure to give him a few carefully worded compliments. As a dragon type, I needed to monitor his pride and make sure I didn¡¯t build him up too much by lavishing him with praise. That would just make him harder to deal with. I didn¡¯t state he was strong, but instead complemented traits like how he kept getting up, or how he performed a certain move. I then made sure to give an equal amount of praise to all the other pokemon. Cranidos didn¡¯t appear to care for it at first glance but I noted he headbutted a few rocks harder after each compliment. The others were much more honest while Zubat happily zipped into me each time I fed her a compliment. When I was done I headed home for a quick, if late breakfast. As I ate Gible settled into a small cubby that reminded me of a puppy basket from my past life. He did a little circle before collapsing onto his back, teeth facing up as he fell asleep. Zubat collapsed on my shoulder, spent from this morning¡¯s training. As I munched my way through my cereal, I kept an ear on the news playing out on my Xtransciever¡¯s radio. ¡°This weekend will bring up the inaugural Pewter City contest! The theme is tough so bring your best pokemon, make them gruff, make them growl, and make them stand out to win!¡± I grinned, pleased at the ad, it would be sure to bring in a lot of people for something a little different. ¡°¡ª the Kingdom of Rota has been experiencing greater swarms of pokemon with Elder Maven Spenser reporting that this was the second time in his life he¡¯d experienced such an event!¡± I hummed. The future Frontier Brain had experienced this before eh? He must know something then. ¡°In other news swarms of deep ocean Pokemon have also been experienced around the Orange islands and Cinnabar! Travellers of the southern islands are advised to watch out for Gyarados and Sharpedo!¡± I considered how they had a person who sounded like they were reading a weather report rather than a deadly swarm of pokemon. Swarms were just that common of an occurrence. When I was done I made my way into the Gym to see what it had become with the contest preparation. I entered to find it transformed. Instead of being a battlefield, the central stage had been raised up with set markings laid out for where performances and contest duels would take place. A dais stood to the side with a long table where three very prominent chairs sat for the judges. ¡°Oh Brock! Come to see how things are looking?¡± called Monique, as she entered with a team of people. ¡°Yeah, I had the time with today being another off day for me. I have to say it¡¯s looking incredible!¡± I said. Monique and the others had outdone themselves with making the place look tough while having an air of class. Nothing looked roughed up like I¡¯d been expecting. Instead hard granite stone had been cut into harsh lines that mirrored the stones that gave new trainers tips along with biographies of local people of significance. I rather liked it. ¡°Well, I only had to add to what you already had in place to be honest. Oh, and congratulations on your victory!¡± said Monique. I grinned. ¡°Thanks, it¡¯s my first tournament win so it still feels pretty surreal. It¡¯s damn nice having a trophy to help though!¡± I said with a laugh. Monique nodded and led me around my own gym, showing how it had been altered slightly to accommodate for a contest rather than multiple Gym battles, before she gave me the order for how things would run over the next two days. ¡°We¡¯re anticipating a large turnout!¡± said Monique happily. ¡°Soledad is going to have her work cut out for her!¡± ¡°She¡¯s competing?¡± I asked. Monique nodded and I hummed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be looking forward to that. It¡¯s still you, me, and Nurse Joy acting as judges?¡± When I got another nod I thought about the other time I¡¯d asked for. ¡°What about the fairgrounds outside? Those are all set up?¡± ¡°Yes! I have to admit I thought the addition was a bit¡­ well childish but it allows more people to interact with the contest. The big screen being put up is another good idea.¡± Monique twitched back and forth. ¡°Oh, I think this is going to be great for Pewter and for the Contest scene as a whole Brock!¡± I could only agree, it was ambitious with everything I¡¯d been through but now, on the eve of the contest I could tell it was going to be good. Monique coughed delicately. ¡°What are you wearing tomorrow and are you going with that haircut?¡± she said, falling back into her role as a fashionista. I grinned. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, I have an outfit, and my hair is going to be fine, trust me.¡± Once again I found myself nodding my head. Oh yeah, it was all coming together. Chapter 188 - The Pewter contest A throng of people made their way through Pewter towards the Gym. The gym itself had taken on a fairground-like appearance with large tents for groups of entertainers, and stalls for people selling local goods, services and produce all aligned in rows. I could see more than a few people lining up to get their pokemon pampered, primped or just generally pandered to before the contest began. Others were selling fruits or natural aides to improve a pokemon¡¯s appearance. Locals had their own handcrafted goods for sale and I saw Kelly Meadows hawking her wares with her fruit stall. The battle courts were all in use but more of a space for pokemon to have impromptu style show downs with trainers showing off how good their pokemon looked in various outfits. It seemed like a strange blend of basketball court and model catwalk with everyone participating being rookies apart from the few Hoenn people walking around with amused looks. Throughout it all people and pokemon wandered. I stood behind the glass doors of the Gym, taking it all in. I¡¯d donned the brown leather jacket and sturdy jeans with a set of clean tan boots. I was also wearing my glasses, purely to change up my look and break up the roughness of my outfit. I rather liked it. It had earned a begrudging nod from Monique for being on point, so that counted as a win. Next to me, Monique was styled to the nines with what looked like it was made from rocky chips that formed a shimmering scale-like dress. Nurse Joy was merely wearing her normal outfit but with the looks she was shooting Monique and me, she was regretting that. ¡°You know it¡¯s not too late to swap out your outfit if you wanted to?¡± I said. Nurse Joy sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t prepare anything and it¡¯s far too late to¡ª¡± ¡°Oh pish posh!¡± said Monique, turning on Nurse Joy. ¡°If you want an outfit I can whip something together! Brock can see to the initial announcements and welcoming. With twenty minutes, I can turn you from a sow¡¯s ear into a silk purse!¡± she said as she dragged Nurse Joy away. I chuckled and considered whistling an old song from my first life but decided against it. I instead toyed with the new pokeball I had on my side. It had been a bit of a rush order, but Jackson had been more than happy to go for a trip to the islands for it while catching up with some old friends. My hand scraped across the glittery top while I chuckled. I really shouldn¡¯t have left it out where the girls could find it and ¡®accessorize it¡¯ for me. Yolanda jogged up with Alexa and Rachel at her side. ¡°Hey Brock! The Gym¡¯s all ready for everyone to come in!¡± she said. She shot the throng outside a look and whistled. ¡°That¡¯s a lot more people than we were expecting right?¡± I nodded. ¡°Not all of them are contestants, they are actually just people coming for some entertainment. While it isn¡¯t mainstream in Kanto there are enough people that are curious about it that they¡¯ve signed up for viewing tickets. It helps that we¡¯re doing it here as we¡¯ve been able to offer it as a special to our season ticket holders.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Yolanda said as she continued to peer about the crowd. When she frowned and shook her head I shot her a look. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked. ¡°Greta and Crystal were going to compete with me using their own or a Gym pokemon,¡± she said. ¡°They haven¡¯t snuck in the back so I was wondering if they were out there enjoying themselves,¡± she said shifting from foot to foot. ¡°Don¡¯t worry they probably just got caught up with something Crystal was doing,¡± suggested Alexa. ¡°Georgina says her daughter sleeps in enough to cause enough drama so Greta might have gotten dragged into that.¡± Yolanda nodded slowly. ¡°That makes way too much sense. It¡¯s probably exactly what happened,¡± she said, sounding relieved. I gave her a nudge and she pushed me back. ¡°Hey! Careful this is real Tauros hide leather!¡± I said, which got a look from Alexa and Rachel. ¡°No, it¡¯s not! I was there when you bought it, remember?¡± Yolanda said with a giggle. I winked at her, pleased that my little joke had picked up her mood before I rolled my shoulders and hit the button to open the doors. I stepped outside and toggled the microphone which caused a short burst of static over the speakers located over the grounds. When people continued to mingle, ignoring the opening of the Gym¡¯s doors I huffed. Guess I¡¯d been getting a big head expecting them to stop and gather around at my appearance. I chuckled and rubbed my head before an idea came to me. I grabbed the new pokeball and released the Onix within. It emerged with a loud roar that silenced the fairgrounds as people turned to the pokemon in question. Gasps rang out as they registered the shimmering form of my crystal Onix, the sun bouncing light off like it was made of diamonds. With enough people¡¯s attention on me, I decided to start. ¡°Welcome! To the first Pewter Contest! I am your host and Gym Leader! Today I have the pleasure to be acting as one of the judges for the Contest! Could those who have registered to take part please make their way into the designated seated areas within the gym as entrants will start to be called soon! For those wishing to spectate please begin to enter! Keep your tickets ready or your entry information ready on your provided lanyard!¡± A flood of people began to enter and I stood to the side nodding and smiling as people bustled past me. More than a few stopped for photos with me and my Onix. ¡°Who¡¯s the guy in the glasses? Does Brock have a brother?¡± said one group of girls. Their whispers reached my ears. I shot them a wave and lifted the glasses to reveal myself before putting them back on. ¡°Huh? Does Brock wear contacts?¡± the girls said as they walked further into the Gym while shooting me confused looks. I hummed and ignored them. At least they hadn¡¯t tried to hit on me. Sabrina wouldn¡¯t like the idea of someone ¡®sniffing around¡¯ and I¡¯d rather not shoot someone down so publically. I made a mental note to stay in public view for the rest of the day. ¡°Ahem!¡± said a rather coarse voice. I turned and found myself looking at a very well dressed man. The term dapper fitted him as well as his suit and hat. In one hand he held a cane while in the other he held the hand of a rather elegant-looking Gardevoir. The pokemon in question wore a nice jacket over its body. I blinked in surprise and made to ask who this man was before my mind suddenly accelerated. The night I¡¯d told Surge about the listening post a man had come out of the mansion next door to the listening post and cleared away the reporters with but a few words. I¡¯d asked about him back then. ¡°You¡¯re the Chairman of the Pokemon club, no? We¡¯ve, well I can¡¯t claim we¡¯ve met before¡­¡± I coughed and smiled. ¡°Welcome to my Gym and today¡¯s venue for the Contest,¡± I said. ¡°Hmm, while your name precedes you, it is the mark of a good man to still introduce themselves,¡± said the man firmly. ¡°Gardevoir,¡± said his companion pokemon reproachfully. The Chairman coughed. ¡°Ah, my apologies dear, I said I¡¯d try not to be antagonistic and I¡¯m already failing,¡± he said. He bowed his head. ¡°Please forgive my lack of manners and let us start again.¡± he adjusted his cravat slightly and bowed his head again. ¡°I am as you said the Chairman of the Pokemon Club, you may address me as Archibald Honda.¡± ¡°And I am Brock,¡± I said. ¡°Welcome to my Gym,¡± I said, deciding to accept the olive branch he was extending. I cleared my throat. ¡°I apologise if it¡¯s a touchy subject but¡­ well with what you said earlier it sounded like you had something of an issue with this event? Or my running it?¡± I asked, deciding to poke the ursaring. Archibald worked his jaw before exhaling. ¡°I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know¡­¡± He huffed and muttered something about Monique that I didn¡¯t catch. ¡°In Hoenn, Contests are closely aligned with pokemon clubs with the Chairmen of the various clubs both in small locales or larger cities offering judging positions and inclusion into the process.¡± Archibald straightened out. ¡°For you see who else but we could have the insight into the grace of pokemon? The elegance of their moves? The idea of how difficult or easy a move was for them? It takes taste and experience which¡­ I am not sure you or your judges possess.¡± The man coughed. ¡°I simply feel like it should have been at the very least offered. We¡¯ve been dying to establish more Contests in Kanto and¡­.¡± ¡°And when you heard we¡¯d been starting one up you were excited but then disappointed when you weren¡¯t asked for your insight?¡± I said finishing his sentence. The man nodded. ¡°To a degree, yes,¡± he said. ¡°Gardevoir,¡± said the psychic fairy pokemon, leaning into Archibald¡¯s side and rubbing his shoulder consolingly. Archibald huffed. ¡°I was not inconsolable my dear I was just¡­ caught off guard!¡± I nodded, now understanding the issue. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to forgive my lack of experience, in hindsight it seems obvious but well, that¡¯s the nature of hindsight. Monique and I have been rather caught up in the planning and establishing of the Contest.¡± I waved a hand about. ¡°It seems to at least be starting off well,¡± I said. ¡°Indeed,¡± said Archibald morosely. I grimaced, the seeming success of the event so far appeared to be saddening him. Had he wanted us to fail? I shook the thought away for now. I considered the man. It wasn¡¯t like he was being horrible, he was just offended about not being included for something that would have been a great experience. I scratched my chin in thought. ¡°I can¡¯t offer up another position as a Judge, but well I¡¯m sure Rachel could use another shot caller or announcer for this event? Your insight would help and it would link the Pokemon club with the Contest scene once again,¡± I said, offering the man a proverbial olive branch. Archibald considered this before nodding, slowly perking up as he seemed to come around to the idea. ¡°That might be nice,¡± he said, rubbing his chin. ¡°Yes, I think that will work nicely to show we¡¯re involved.¡± ¡°Garde?¡± said his companion. I blinked and looked to Archibald, unsure what Gardevoir had said. ¡°Could my dear have a headset as well?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure that could be arranged,¡± I said, looking to Rachel who shot me a huge thumbs up. ¡°This is our head of marketing and today¡¯s announcer and shot caller, Rachel Raul,¡± I said, making introductions for the trio. Rachel happily led the man off and I watched them go. ¡°Sorry about him,¡± said a familiar voice. I turned and found Erika smiling at me. ¡°Erika? I didn¡¯t know you were coming!¡± I said rather redundantly. ¡°I know, it surprised me when I got an opening for the morning and realised I could come! It¡¯s a good thing I came, great uncle Archibald was much more worked up before I spoke to him,¡± she said. I blinked in surprise as I made yet another link. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right! Your father and uncle! But before them it was Archibald owning Silph Co,¡± I said, forming a rather tangled mess of links. ¡°He¡¯s your Great-uncle?¡± I asked. Erika bobbed her head up and down, like a flower shifting in the breeze. ¡°Indeed, he¡¯s taught me a lot in the past.¡± She smiled and I felt the sun come out a little more. ¡°Thanks for not being too upset with him!¡± I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head. ¡°If I¡¯d known he was your great uncle I might have treated him nicer,¡± I said. Erika blinked and stared at me. Then she held up a hand against her lips and loosened a gale of giggles. I tilted my head cluelessly. ¡°Did I say something?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s just that for most of my life I¡¯ve been told I¡¯d be treated well because of him and my uncle and father! But to hear it the other way around?¡± She grinned widely. ¡°It just sort of struck me as funny!¡± I nodded slowly. I could sort of see what she meant. If she¡¯d spent years with people referring to them first before her it would be refreshing to be known first for her own skills. It would also be a bit funny I suppose. She gave Onix a look over and nodded. ¡°He¡¯s a beautiful pokemon, and a good addition to this show,¡± she said. She gave Onix a few pats before stopping. Erika sighed happily and bowed to me. ¡°I¡¯m going to head in, thank you again for not being too cross with Great uncle Archibald. I¡¯ll only be able to catch the first few hours but I¡¯m looking forward to what comes from today!¡± she said. I watched her move off before turning my eyes back to the front doors. There seemed to be an awful commotion with people hustling out of the way along with an ominous rumbling. I stepped forward just in time with the crowd parting to reveal a gang of bikers idling up to the Gym. Their bikes throttling low only to occasionally roar when people were too slow to get out of the way. ¡°Watch out!¡± ¡°Make way!¡± ¡°Venom pack coming through!¡± shouted a few of the bikers. I frowned and stepped forward, palming Knight¡¯s pokeball in readiness. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I shouted, my voice, well used to projecting for Gym Matches, carried over the crowd and the noise of the engines. The bikers came to a stop and kicked their stands into position before rising as one. I flicked my eyes, my training with the Guardians making me document the threats and assess which of them were the proper trainers. I quickly locked eyes with three such people. One, a giant swarthy man that was as hairy as he was large. His vest merely held back his chest hair while the hair of his arms drifted down to his gloves. Four pokeballs on his belt. Another man wore a biker''s helmet and full leather. They had six Pokeballs on their belt, three of which were Greatballs. They had an edge to them that made me think they knew they were being assessed. They in turn looked me over. My hand drifted to my pokebelt, ready to call out my entire team if needed. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The final threat was a thin weasel of a man with hair that was drawn up into spikes. He reminded me of the stereotypical biker that you could face in the original games when on the cycling track between Celadon and Fuchsia. The thin biker stepped forward. ¡°So, this your place then?¡± he said, his head tilting in a manner that just demanded that I punch his lights out. ¡°It is. I¡¯m the Gym Leader here, state your purpose!¡± I said firmly. If they were here to cause trouble I was putting them down hard. The big man stepped forward. ¡°Ain¡¯t it obvious? We¡¯re here to win it all!¡± he roared. He held out a pokeball. ¡°Me and Mittens are going all the way!¡± he shouted. I leaned forward, my fighting instinct ge¡ª I blinked as I registered the name. ¡°Mittens?¡± I asked. The big man nodded and released a well-groomed Persian. ¡°Perrrrrrrrsian!¡± said the pokemon. ¡°Kick their backsides Brock!¡± shouted a nasal voice that made me snap to the side to see a pair of trainers standing in front of a Meowth that suddenly looked like it was regretting its life choices. I narrowed my eyes at the trio and they stepped back, in what must have been Jessie¡¯s hands a brochure detailing the Contest was held up as a flimsy shield. I stared at it and jerked my head towards the Gym dismissing them, as I turned to the people that had caused the actual disturbance. I¡¯d remember that the Rocket trio were here however, and deal with them soon. ¡°We¡¯ll talk soon, keep your noses clean,¡± I whispered as they edged around me. I locked my eyes back onto the bikers and did another double take when the helmet-wearing rider was revealed to be Georgina Glass, my accountant now sans her helmet. I stared. ¡°Georgina?¡± I asked. ¡°Ahahaha! Sorry for the disturbance Brock! The gang and I were doing some speed work last weekend and I happened to mention the Contest. Zek and Bosco wanted to have a go with their darlings!¡± she said. I turned my head to the large man. ¡°Bosco?¡± I asked. He nodded. I turned to the other smaller, wiry man. ¡°Zek?¡± ¡°Short for Ezekiel,¡± he said with a huff. ¡°I prefer Zek, it¡¯s short and sweet and the ladies love it!¡± he said before winking at a lady in the crowd. ¡°Sup babe?¡± he said. The woman stiffened and turned red as everyone looked to her. She released a Graveler and inched behind it to hide. I chuckled. ¡°Riiiight, well cool your engines when coming in next time, also that¡¯s not where you park your bikes,¡± I said waving a hand to the side. Georgina giggled and bonked herself on the head. ¡°Teehee sorry!'''' She then rounded on her gang, her leather jacket proudly displaying an Arbok with lightning flashing around it. ¡°Venom Gang! Move your bikes! You¡¯re making traffic and if there¡¯s one thing I hate, it¡¯s traffic!¡± ¡°Too slow for you girl!¡± shouted one man before he kicked his bike into life. He then slowly idled his bike to the set section along with the others. I watched them go before shaking my head as my fighting instinct died off. ¡°Yolanda!¡± shouted a familiar voice as Crystal and Greta were revealed clutching onto the back of a pair of bikers. Yolanda trundled out to talk with her friends and meet Georgina¡¯s biker friends. I shook my head and walked back into the Gym. That hadn''t been how I¡¯d expected things to turn out. I walked into the arena and found Rachel leading Archibald in a slow circuit around the edge of the stage that we¡¯d assembled. When she reached the announcer¡¯s booth she set up herself, Archibald, and then Gardevoir with a headset each. From her hand movements, I could see that she was still talking. She saw me watching and waved her hand towards the judges'' panel. I nodded and moved. Rachel then got the camera crew that was covering today¡¯s Contest to direct them her way. She did a quick countdown and then waved with both of her hands. ¡°Hello viewers and contestants! Welcome to Pewter Gym! Today we have the inaugural pewter Gym! Joining me today is the chairman of the pokemon club and Gardevoir! Experts in their field, welcome Archibald and Gardevoir!¡± ¡°Hmmm thank you Rachel,¡± said Archibald regally. ¡°Garde,¡± said Gardevoir. Rachel grinned. ¡°Now seeing as we¡¯re looking to get things underway quickly I¡¯ll be brief for those of you who have never participated or watched a contest! The name of the game is style over all else! Today Contestants and their pokemon will be competing to perform the best and wow the judges! This will come in two stages! The first stage is known as the Performance Stage where Contestants¡ª¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Archibald said. Rachel blinked. ¡°Something wrong Archibald?¡± ¡°My apologies! But having watched a number of the Hoenn events I felt it important to point out that it is not Contestants, but rather Coordinators that will be competing today.¡± ¡°Ah right you are! Thanks for the correction!¡± said Rachel affably. Rachel shot Gardevoir a look. ¡°Are the pokemon still pokemon?¡± she asked the expert. ¡°Gardevoir!¡± said the pokemon with a flourishing gesture and a nod. ¡°Ah! They are but so much more?¡± asked Rachel, earning herself a nod. ¡°So elegant!¡± Rachel then turned back to the crowd. ¡°So! The Coordinators will be competing with their prized Pokemon to wow the Judges in the first stage! Then in the second, they will perform in a head-to-head during the Battle Stage! It¡¯s not enough to just brute force your way to the win however! You need to show something more!¡± Rachel turned to Archibald to get his thoughts on the matter and I relaxed knowing that Rachel had things well in hand. She was working Archibald into the discussion and prompting him for key insight in places he could really shine while also drawing in his pokemon. It seemed like a winning combination. I tuned back in as Rachel gestured back to me. ¡°And today¡¯s judges are Brock! The Pewter City Gym Leader who¡¯s chosen to style a fetching brown faux leather jacket with denim jeans! He¡¯s softening the tough image with a clever use of spectacles to keep himself looking sharp without overplaying his hand!¡± I smiled and waved, earning a few whistles and shouts along with some applause. Rachel then pointed to the tunnel in time for Monique to make her entrance. ¡°Sporting a signature style that is of her own design we have Monique from Pewter City with a fetching granite scale dress that¡¯s sure to shake things up in all the right places! Watch out if she gets a dance floor under her! She¡¯s going to shine!¡± I chuckled and clapped along as the crowd got into the impromptu fashion display. Then I joined the crowd in gasping as Nurse Joy strode onto the stage. ¡°Oh my! In a shock entrance! Nurse Joy is turning up and turning heads!¡± shouted Rachel. Nurse Joy seemed delighted with this reaction as she strode forward, her long pink skirt which fell to her ankle swishing with each step. She too sported a jacket but hers was pink and opened at the front to display her white smock underneath. She also had on a pink face mask with a green x across the lips. ¡°Stealing the show! Nurse Joy is looking for some serious rep with this showing! I¡¯m just now being told that this is also Monique style on display so good for you girls!¡± shouted Rachel. Both Monique and Nurse Joy shared a hug before walking toward me. I made sure to stand and offer them both their seats. When they sat I pushed them in before taking my own seat. Monique smiled and waved. ¡°Well that was the fun part over, now we have to do the actual job, prepare yourself,¡± she said out the side of her mouth. I copied her. ¡°How many performances are there?¡± I asked. ¡°Eighty-three booked in,¡± she said. ¡°I expect at least a quarter will have Geodude or some Rock pokemon,¡± she said. ¡°Oh well, let¡¯s hope for the best!¡± said Nurse Joy as she lowered her hand and signalled for the first Coordinator to step forward. ¡°Would Jessadia please step forward for us?¡± she said. I straightened up. Well that was a good way to make me invested in the first pokemon. Jessie stepped forward nervously. Monique smiled. ¡°Hello dear? First Contest?¡± she asked. Jessie nodded frantically, her eyes shifting to me. ¡°Y-yes! I hope I¡¯m well received?¡± she said tentatively. I nodded slowly. ¡°All will be welcome if they enter this Gym with good intentions, otherwise they will be crushed,¡± i said, giving her a stern warning Everyone shot me a confused look with Jessie swallowing and nodding, understanding the message I was giving her. The crowd murmured in surprise at my words, confused and I grimaced as I realised I¡¯d overplayed my hand. I started thinking up ways to lighten the mood only for Rachel to get on the speaker system before my words could become awkward. ¡°Oooooooh! It seems Brock¡¯s stepping into his tough man persona earlier! People were worried that he was going to be soft for Contests! It seems he¡¯s going the opposite way though! People are going to face a cliff early on, let¡¯s hope they know how to climb!¡± This got a round of appreciative murmurs and Archibald nodded at me. He seemed to approve while I repressed an urge to look to the side guiltily. That hadn¡¯t been my intention at all. I had been planning on making it easy, but with Jessie being first and my need to be cryptic I¡¯d type cast myself into my often seen ¡®heel¡¯ persona. Damn it! I wanted to relax! I frowned sternly, using the frustration to feed into the look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry dear! We want to see your best!¡± said Nurse Joy, her soft words coming from a very thuggish-looking appearance. Jessie nodded her head, then straightened her spine and sent out her first pokemon. ¡°Come out Mawile!¡± she shouted. I gaped. That wasn¡¯t the pokemon I was expecting! I¡¯d been expecting her tried and true Arbok with perhaps James¡¯ Weezing. I shot her pokebelt another look and counted four pokeballs. So with her Mawhile¡¯s pokeball that made five pokemon! I laced my hands together and watched, suddenly very interested with what she was going to do. ¡°Let¡¯s Rock Surf!¡± Jessie said, making her pokemon dash forward and kick the ground. An arch of stone rose up with jagged edges which Mawile landed on only to slide around like she was actually surfing on the rock. My mind furiously went to work, breaking down how she¡¯d done this. Rock Slide with a controlled burst, and then Iron Defense on the knees of her pokemon to allow her to surf like she was on a kneeboard. She ended the display with a twirl, a soft white glitter wafting off her as she performed a triple axel spin before landing. She stumbled the landing and shot her hands up into the air like a gymnast, her eyes quivering into Fake Tears. Jessie shot her hands forward, representing her pokemon. The crowd broke into applause and Archibald praised Jessie for going first, he felt it had been a strong showing. Jessie, and the crowd turned to the judges. I unlaced my hands and raised up a six causing a ripple of shock to go through the crowd. ¡°You used four moves, Rock Slide, Iron Defense, into Icy Wind. You didn¡¯t nail the landing and you kept the surfing going a little long for my taste. The use of Fake Tears to garner pity instead of simply owning the mistake also didn¡¯t win you any points, I see that from my siblings daily, and far better. Munchlax can do better,¡± I said firmly. This earned another gasp while Rachel whistled. ¡°Ouch! Tough Judging!¡± Monique playfully swatted my shoulder. ¡°No! I shan¡¯t let you crush this dear girl and her magnificent performance! You¡¯ve come first and you¡¯ve come out strong! Your pokemon has played around and you¡¯ve nurtured it well. It is a healthy pokemon and your demonstration was sublime! It will set a standard for all! So I award you nine points!¡± Nurse Joy giggled. ¡°It¡¯s a nine from me as well! Nail the landing next time and you¡¯ve got yourself a strong opening act!¡± The crowd roared their approval as Jessie¡¯s picture was displayed on a leaderboard for the top sixteen trainers. She took pride of place as the first and only coordinator duo to go first with a score of twenty four. When Jessie departed the next Coordinator was called up. A young girl shot me a hopeful look and revealed a Geodude with a leather jacket. I had to give her props for the styling. Monique merely giggled. ¡°So it begins,¡± she said, like she was Theoden in Helm¡¯s Deep about to endure a siege. ¡°Geodude! Use Rock Throw to juggle!¡± she said, calling out her intention and plan straight away. I nodded, alright that was a good start if a little more a talent show than a contest but she could build on it. Which she didn¡¯t, she instead merely built up the number of rocks which Geodude was tossing up and down. Admittedly she did achieve seven rocks which was much better than the three I could but it lacked¡­ a lot. I grimaced when she turned to me with hopeful eyes. ¡°I like that you brought your pokemon to the gym with some style. The jacket is a good touch. The following act however?¡± I shook my head. ¡°We need something more than just one move, we need a blending of moves to demonstrate a tough style. I¡¯m sorry to say that you¡¯ve only hit the mark on a few parts. So I¡¯m going to award you a three out of ten,¡± I said, ignoring the tearful looks the girl was giving me. Monique and Nurse Joy were kinder, giving the girl a six and a seven respectively. I grimaced as the girl sprinted off the stage like I¡¯d set my pack of security Growlithe on her. ¡°Next Coordinator!¡± said Rachel, ¡°Here¡¯s hoping they bring a little more to the show!¡± she said. When the next person came up with a pokeball clutched in their hands and a fearful look I felt my hope die a little. It plummeted with the release of their pokemon. ¡°Go Geodude!¡± The trainer''s eyes flicked from me to where the previous girl had just run off. ¡°Geodude¡­ use Defense Curl¡­ then¡­¡± their eyes darted around and I got a sense of desperation wafting off them before they had a lightbulb moment as they gained a confident grin. ¡°Use Rock Throw into the air! Throw them in a line and then take them out with Rollout!¡± I nodded pleased at a slightly more complex adaptation. The geodude threw the small boulders up and clenched up tight to roll before leaping high. I sighed, knowing the outcome already as the Geodude hit the first boulder¡­ only to miss the next two, leaving a very lacklustre performance. When they turned to me I gave them my verdict and a four. When the next coordinator came forth wearing a gi I raised an eyebrow as they bowed towards us like we were a group of martial artists he was about to face. ¡°Hoha! I¡¯m Walter from Saffron! And there aren¡¯t any tougher pokemon than a fighting type and I¡¯m going to show you just that today!¡± he said glaring at us. I shared a look with Monique. ¡°You realise this isn¡¯t a Gym challenge¡­ yes?¡± I said, causing a wave of chuckles to ripple through the crowd. Walter huffed and released his pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go Chopper!¡± he said, revealing a Machoke with a sleeveless fur-lined coat. ¡°Hoha indeed! Coordinator Walter is showing up!¡± Rachel announced as I relaxed from thinking I was about to be challenged. ¡°Start with Rock Tomb!¡± said Walter and his pokemon stomped the ground and from the hardened earth a large rock formed. Walter then punched and kicked through what looked like a kata screaming ¡®right, left, right, left¡¯ for perhaps thirty seconds. As he did this his Machoke copied him only for the attacks being thrown to be much more dynamic as Machoke punched, chopped, kicked and flipped around his training post of the raised rock. It was dynamic, and thankfully different but it was more brutish than tough. I got ready to give him a bad score only for Walter to make a loud keening cry. ¡°Keeeeya! That¡¯s good! Now show me your finisher!¡± he shouted. Machoke swelled as his muscles bulged through what could only be Bulk Up. Machoke¡¯s hands then shot forward as though he was going to crush the training post only for his foot to slide back in a controlled shifting of stances and instead of destroying the post, he clapped his hands together just shy of the post. Sand shot away from the raised rock to reveal a carved statue of what looked to be an actual martial arts training post. I blinked in surprise as everyone ooohed at the surprising development. When Walter turned and offered us a smug grin I chuckled. ¡°The art of deception in a fight is one not often thought of, but you¡¯ve displayed hidden depths and lulled us into your pace before tripping us up. I¡¯m pleasantly surprised by this and therefore award you eight points!¡± I said, raising the highest score of the contest so far from me. Joy and Monique both scored him a ten granting him the first place thus far and causing a wave of applause to wash over us. Rachel was quick to capitalise on this as Machoke and Walter raised their fists. ¡°Oh my! So it¡¯s a fighting type that takes the lead with a clever demonstration!¡± Archibald nodded. ¡°It takes control and skill to do what he did. Any person can do it in a training field with an axe or their pokemon but to hide it under our noses? That was truly impressive.¡± ¡°Gar, voir,¡± said Gardevoir with a nod and a wave of her hand as though to say she wasn¡¯t that impressed. I smiled, feeling better about how this was going to go. The next coordinator dashed my hopes as they sent out a geodude with a hopeful smile at me which I met with a stoney expression. Within the span of an hour, I watched as multiple people presented themselves and their Geodudes expecting me to be biased. Some of the pokemon were freshly caught and poorly trained and even more poorly understood. Those trainers got flat stares of disapproval from me, along with low scores. For the people who put in some effort however? I always made sure to complement part of their performance. Whether that be the move selection, the costume they came in, or the way they used the moves. I watched one Coordinator and their Geodude both perform breakdancing routines with Rock Polish on repeat until the Geodude became an orb of light with how fast it started to spin. When their act crashed out they left a scratch mark on the floor! When they collected themselves and had been checked over they stood before us. ¡°Bad luck on the crash out, until then it was impressive. I hadn¡¯t even known that was possible for a Geodude!¡± I admitted. ¡°You¡¯ve got style kid, but you don¡¯t have control, if you¡¯d pulled it off I would have been impressed, sadly you bombed. Nice job being right there with your pokemon for the performance, but I can only score you a six for what you¡¯ve given me,¡± I said, raising the paddle. If they¡¯d nailed it I would have scored them way higher. Another Geodude and Coordinator chose to put their lives on the line by having their Geodude Perform some Rock Throws that shot into a raised platform behind the person. It was like a knife-throwing trick you might sometimes see at a talent show. The first throw shot past the boy¡¯s ear, the second nailed them in the elbow which the trainer ignored, the third hit them in the shoulder because the trainer flinched, and the last rock hit somewhere sensitive. Everyone winced in pain and crossed their legs. ¡°Ouch!¡± Rachel called. ¡°That might have ended that boy¡¯s chance at entering the gene pool!¡± she said. ¡°That was a low blow,¡± admonished Archibald. Gardevoir made a show of peeking through her fingers and shaking her head. I grimaced with much of the crowd. When it was my turn to judge him I gave him a pitying stare. ¡°My fallen brother, I feel your pain. I didn¡¯t want to feel that pain, so take a three and wear a cup next time,¡± I said. ¡°Indeed,¡± said Monique. As she scored the boy quickly Nurse Joy smiled and gestured to the watching cameras. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say that you¡¯re now going to be Pokenet famous¡­ for all the wrong reasons,¡± she said. The boy turned, looked straight down the camera¡¯s lens and his face turned as white as a sheet as realisation set in. Failure wasn¡¯t just something local these days. It was international. And it wasn¡¯t fame, but infamy. Had we just witnessed the birth of a meme? I offered the kid a prayer. I hope his meme was well received and the mocking was minimal. Please be kind pokenet, he¡¯s just a dumb kid, I thought to myself. With that said, I still had to stop myself from laughing as the poor kid staggered off stage, his time in the sun far from done I suspected. I made sure to not let out even a chuckle. Even the smallest of such laughs would be horribly cruel right now. ¡°Next!¡± called Monique as she sat up with a prim smile. I shot her a small frown only to perk up as I caught sight of Solidad marching onto the stage. Ah, we¡¯d seen the surprise entries, it was time to see what a true ¡®coordinator could do¡¯. Chapter 189 - Tough act to follow! When Solidad stepped up people leaned forward, a hush falling over the crowd. They were aware that this was the hometown girl for this event. Rachel made use of the quiet to hype up said hometown heroine. ¡°Oh! Here¡¯s the first of our experienced Coordinators stepping up today! High hopes are resting on this lass! Let¡¯s see what Solidad can do!¡± Solidad stepped forward with a long coat and sturdy boots when she took to the stage she effected a bow to us at the judge¡¯s table before presenting her pokeball. ¡°Solidad of Pewter City presenting her Lapras!¡± Monique nodded. ¡°Good, proper deference, and a good sequence with presenting her pokemon,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s start strong! Come on out! Lapras!¡± shouted Solidad, as she twisted out of the bow. From her pokeball Lapras emerged not on the field but rather in the air like it was breaching a wave, neck extended upwards as it rose high. Before it even touched the ground it was exhaling a controlled Icy Wind causing a shimmering effect around itself. The Icy Wind blanketed outwards still sparkling as it hid Lapras¡¯ flippers. It looked like they were landing in a field of diamonds. When the Lapras flicked its long neck it opened its eyes and glimmered. ¡°Sequence one! Let¡¯s make a statement!¡± Solidad shouted, stepping forward to punch the sky. Lapras rose onto its back flippers towering over the stage, then from its maw a gigantic ball of ice was created. It continued to charge beyond the point where the move would be useful before launching it straight up into the air. It rose only to reach an early zenith as gravity reasserted itself. Solidad surprised everyone by stepping around her pokemon and into the path of the falling glacier. She grinned as the crowd gasped and even Monique wasn¡¯t unaffected as she clutched her pearls in fright with one hand as the other darted to her purse where she grabbed a pokeball. Lapras however lowered itself down and the horn atop its head began to glow. It lunged , driving its horn up into the falling glacier and for a moment the two were frozen. Then the glacier cracked and splintered, sending a wave of fine snow powder out as the split icicles sheared off to form thin sheets that refracted the light. When the field was clear of fog, it was revealed that the icicle shards had formed a barrier around Solidad and her pokemon who was now channelling and holding an Ice Beam instead of releasing it while Solidad held her hand aloft. It created an impressive visual display of Solidad holding an orb of energy above her head with the light from the energy causing a rainbow to play out around the Gym. The crowd roared their approval and Solidad bowed in time with her pokemon swallowing the Ice Beam, Lapras joined her in a long bow for a moment before they both rose. Solidad then turned to us with an expectant air. Nurse Joy giggled and took the lead for once. ¡°I loved it! Ten from me!¡± Monique smiled at her daughter. ¡°You scared me dear, don¡¯t do that again, Nine for the fright!¡± she said giving her highest score to date. The crowd turned to me and I crossed my arms. ¡°I liked the light demonstration, I liked the entrance and your correct etiquette, something we haven¡¯t seen today.¡± I levelled a finger. ¡°I almost fell asleep with how long it took for Lapras to form that Ice Shard, however. I think a Sheer Cold would do the job better in future but that will take training to reach. I¡¯m sad to see you didn¡¯t style your pokemon, and instead just yourself. So it¡¯s a seven from me!¡± I said. I earned some boos for that and Solidad rolled her eyes but kept smiling. That was the second-highest score I¡¯d given out today, and with her twenty six she ousted Jessie from second. I hummed as Monique shot me an exasperated look. ¡°I think you¡¯re enjoying being the heel a bit too much don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sorry, not sorry,¡± I said, with a smirk before shooting her a look. ¡°Why didn¡¯t she style her Lapras?¡± Monique coughed. ¡°It¡¯s not something done in Hoenn¡­ I didn¡¯t give her any cues that you might like such a thing but she should have considered it.¡± I hummed, happy that she hadn¡¯t given her daughter all the tricks to get past me. ¡°And now,¡± Rachel said, getting us back to the contest. ¡°Kaede from Blackthorn City!¡± I blinked in surprise and sat up, looking over to find a woman in a rather traditional robe of soft purple with stitches into the sleeves. I couldn¡¯t see her face as she wore a wide brimmed straw hat with a veil that obscured her face. I considered the icicle patterns on her dress with a small frown. That was an interesting statement from a place that prided itself on its dragons. ¡°This one greets the judges, and Gym Leader Brock, your abode is mighty and your pokemon hearty,¡± she said, her voice carrying easily with a husky quality to it. I nodded slowly. I should know this woman¡­ Kaede¡­ why was that ringing bells in my mind? My hand inched towards my Greatball as I smiled at the hidden woman. Kaede for her part straightened and plucked a pokeball out. ¡°Come forth my champion¡± she said loftly. The words twigged a memory and I suddenly knew exactly who was about to appear on the stage. A small form emerged from the light. Atop its head a wide, beaten metal samurai helmet glinted under the Gym¡¯s lights. At its hip, a small blade was sheathed. Its whiskers twitched as its dark beady eyes took in its surroundings. It bowed to us. ¡°Fur-ret!¡± it said with a strange deep voice. The kids in the crowd all stood up and cheered as one. ¡°Samurai Furret!¡± They waved and cheered and a few tried to make their way to the edge of the stage only to be caught by their parents. Kaede raised a hand that was covered in a far too long sleeve to her mouth. ¡°Oh my, his fame precedes him as always,¡± she murmured. I chuckled and glanced towards the section of the stands that was behind where I¡¯d had my Crystal Onix lay up. Sure enough my own younger siblings were cheering and waving as well. Thankfully they were behaving better than others and staying in their seats. Something Flint looked immensely grateful for. It might have also had something to do with Nanny Grav sitting among them. I turned back to the matter at hand. Kaede raised her hand with a flourishing sweep. ¡°Your fans call for you, my champion, sweep them away,¡± she called. Furret nodded his little armour head and dropped to all fours. Unlike the show where he pretended to brandish the sword, he instead began to glow with a light blue energy, causing the stage to begin taking on a cold atmosphere then suddenly it began to rain shards of ice easily as big as the small pokemon. Furret kept up the blizzard causing more and more large icicles to rain down from the forming clouds. Kaede stabbed her hand up at the cloud. ¡°Defeat thy enemy my champion!¡± She called and Furret shot forward displaying amazing speed as he raced through the Blizzard, dodging the attacks. Then, to everyone¡¯s surprise he leapt and began jumping from falling shard to falling shard, making his way higher by running up the blizzard. That was a display of skill, to be sure and soon enough Furret leapt teeth barred at the cloud as though he would fight a natural force itself. He vanished for a moment in the cloud only for the cloud to fade in on itself. Everyone leaned in as Furret failed to appear out the other side or fall. I had to admit I had no idea how it was doing this. The cloud broke apart and on the final shard of ice, Furret was revealed riding the Blizzard to the ground like a surfboard. It hit another shard of ice and skipped forward over a field full of sharp icicles, all of the glinting like knives that would tear Furret apart should he fall upon them. He fell slowly and once more the crowd gasped. ¡°Shatter,¡± said Kaede, and Furret twisted about himself and opened his mouth to scream out in defiance with Hypervoice, in his hand a suddenly drawn toy blade swept about himself as though he was unleashing some super attack. Around him a resonation occurred with the ice shards and then the field of ice exploded in a cascade of small ice fragments. He landed deftly and skated through to safety where he came to stop before coming to a stop before the judges panel, kneeling with his sword extended like he¡¯d just exchanged strikes with a foe. He stood on tiny furry feet and sheathed his plastic blade with a soft thunk. ¡°Ret!¡± he finished, nodding his head to us. The crowd went nuts and I could hear my siblings among the chorus of voices for that cool critter. I hummed, rubbing my chin in thought. I waited for the crowd to settle, but sadly it seemed they weren¡¯t willing to let that happen on their own. I listened with amusement as the applause rose and fell. Eventually, I made a sign to Rachel. ¡°Yooooo! Let¡¯s bring it back down! Pewter! Kaede and Furret are feeling the love, but now it¡¯s the time for judging! Give us some quiet please!¡± she boomed over the speakers. The crowd settled and all eyes turned towards myself, Monique and Nurse Joy. Joy giggled. ¡°I have no issues with giving the mighty Champion a ten for that performance!¡± she said, raising her paddle. Monique went next. ¡°I too give out a ten! It was an amazing performance from start to finish! You show a mastery of your skills and know how to deliver a mighty performance!¡± She raised her own ten paddle and the crowd cheered as with just those two scores, Kaede and Samurai Furret scored higher than half the field straight away. I opened my mouth only for Cindy¡¯s voice to call from the other side of the room. ¡°You be nice Brock!¡± I leaned to the side and gave her a thoroughly unimpressed look which she and all of my siblings returned with a flat stare that was a little unnerving to receive as a united front. I huffed. ¡°Your performance has without a doubt, been the best demonstration of skill thus far, you display wonderfully cool skills,¡± I said. I coughed. ¡°However!¡± I said, raising a finger. ¡°They were cool, and some could argue not that tough!¡± A gasp went through the crowd as they feared the worst of me only for me to grin. ¡°That said, it was so damn cool I think it isn¡¯t a problem! If facing down and beating a storm can¡¯t be considered both cool and tough well I¡¯m out of touch!¡± I said as I raised my ten-paddle for the first time. Fireworks went off from the big screen as the first thirty was awarded and Kaede and Samurai Furret¡¯s pictures were put on display. Kaede bowed to us. ¡°This one thanks the judges for their kind words and their recognition of our efforts.¡± She stayed bowed. ¡°I must also beg the crowd¡¯s forgiveness as today will be the only day that we can compete, sadly we are contractually obligated to be at work tomorrow to start filming for the next Samurai Furret Movie, Blades of Justice three.¡± ¡°Fuuuuuuuur,¡± said Samurai Furret morosely. I blinked. ¡°So you came for just the first day?¡± I said, caught off guard by this development. Kaede nodded. ¡°Sadly the life of a star is demanding and this one was greedy with her desire to take part in Pewter¡¯s first contest. We have achieved our best and will look to schedule ourselves better in future, once more this one can only apologise and beg the crowd¡¯s forgiveness.¡± ¡°We love you Samurai Furret and Kaede!¡± screamed Tommy and Cindy together causing another cascade of voices to sweep the field. Damn this pair were popular and damn that was unfortunate that we were not going to get them for the whole event. I tilted my head. ¡°Any chance you could make it if a Psychic pokemon could be arranged?¡± I offered. Kaede shook her head. ¡°The director for the movie is very particular, he only films for one day but it is from dawn till dusk.¡± I sighed and nodded saddened that we wouldn¡¯t get to see her again. ¡°A shame, truly, but thank you for raising the bar. I think a lot of your fellow coordinators are breathing sighs of relief with your bowing out.¡± Kaede giggled at this and bowed again. ¡°This one shall depart, we thank you for allowing us this indulgence,¡± she said, as Samurai Furret ran up onto her shoulder and waved. Kids poured out onto the stairs and formed a tunnel for her exit and I could only sigh and shake my head as an impromptu fan meet and greet formed. I¡¯d certainly never gotten mobbed by kids like that. I shook my head in mock frustration as Kaede handed out presigned cards featuring Samurai Furret on them to the kids who happily scuttled away with their prizes. ¡°So that¡¯s what being truly famous looks like,¡± I said, to Monique getting a giggle from her. Eventually Kaede left, sadly leaving a lot of kids that were oscillating between jubilant that they got to meet Samurai Furret and sad that he¡¯d left. I coughed and signalled to Rachel who nodded. ¡°Wow wow wow! Kids wasn¡¯t that crazy! A shot from the blue and a perfect score! Kaede and Samurai Furret shake things up! She¡¯s certainly going to be a tough act to follow!¡± A few older kids groaned at the pun but Rachel powered on. ¡°Next up we have a true power from Hoenn! So! With expectations so high let¡¯s bring out an experienced Coordinator in Chaz from Lilycove City! The home of Contests!¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. A blond boy with his hair swept to the side stepped forward. His entire look, from his hair to his suit screamed money. To further feed into the trope, he had his head at just the right angle to announce himself as a pounce without saying a word. ¡°You should be honoured that I have come to this¡­ contest,¡± he said, his words dripping with derision. He nodded his head and Nurse Joy, Monique and myself and both of the ladies¡¯ eyebrows rose at the faint show of respect after the recent bows we¡¯d had. ¡°Go Macherie my dear!¡± he said, sending out a Machoke like Walter had earlier. ¡°Brick Break into Low Sweep with a finale Bulk up,¡± Chaz said dismissively. Machoke leapt up high and I had to give it to her, she achieved a good height with the jump flipping as she did so, one fist cocked back. She landed like a superhero and the shockwave caused spikes of earth to jut up only for Machoke to spin like a breakdancer casting them aside. Before standing and posing like a muscle builder with her biceps bulging. Rocks rained down and dust wafted behind her with Chaz posing to the side, a terrible dichotomy that only called out how little thought had been shown. ¡°Five for the good showing but you lose out for making no attempt at sticking to the briefing of Tough,¡± I said firmly, showing a four to the crowd. Chaz spluttered only for Monique and Nurse Joy to both raise sixes, which was extremely notable. Chaz face purpled. ¡°I never! I have competed in top contests! This is a backwater display with you acting like common Mr Mime with how you copycat your betters!¡± he said. ¡°I deserved at least a nine!¡± he ranted and for a moment I thought he was about to stomp his foot. When everyone on the judging panel stared him down, he growled. ¡°I shall do it again, slower this time so you might understand the intrcic¡ª¡± A pink glow surrounded Chaz and Macherie. They rose as one and barely had time to squawk before they were hoisted off the stage and towards the exit. I glanced over and found Gardevoir, with her headset still on flicking her fingers at the pair with glowing eyes. Huh, neat, she¡¯d just given them the hook as it was known. Chaz now openly stomped his feet in rage and was about to thoroughly ruin the mood with his antics. Rachel stood and began waving to him. ¡°If you could all join me?¡± she said to the crowd with a huge grin. ¡°As one! Na na na na, hey, hey, heeeey, Goodbye!¡± she sang and within a few seconds most of the crowd had stood and were happily singing along. Facing this Chaz seemed to finally understand his drama wasn¡¯t wanted. He stormed off, shaking his fist and shooting a venomous look at me. Hmmm I hadn¡¯t faced that kid yet had I? That promised to be a fun encounter. I shot Rachel a huge thumbs up and she grinned. ¡°And with that folks! Let¡¯s get onto the fun stuff! Our next coordinator representing the Junior Trainers of Pewter, keep an eye out for her. She¡¯s going to be big! It¡¯s Crystal!¡± I grinned as Crystal bounced down the stars seemingly undaunted by the previous display. If there had been anyone that could have livened things up after Chaz Crystal was the perfect call. Crystal bounced onto the stage, her energy causing some people to perk up. I smiled, interested in what she¡¯d bring to the table. She wore a bikers jacket that was far too big for her and had likely been borrowed at the last minute, but I gave her points mentally for achieving a cutesy yet tough look. ¡°Alright girl! Let¡¯s show our stuff!¡± she shouted, sending an Eevee out with its hair spiked into a punk look while it also wore what looked like a tiny Venom pack jacket with a spiked collar. Crystal opened her mouth only to pause and offer a curtsy that looked odd for her to perform towards us. She was obviously trying. Monique and Nurse Joy both giggled. Crystal then shot her hand forward and shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s go Eevee! Sand Attack!¡± she said making her pokemon kick up a burst of sand into the air. As it began to descend Eevee turned about and Crystal crossed her arms before them slashing out. ¡°Tail Whip!¡± she said. From her little pokemon¡¯s tail, a snap-snap went off like a whip double cracking. I was impressed as I watched the sand be slashed apart. ¡°Huh,¡± I said. She had a pokemon that was very young with only low levelled moves, and she¡¯d still created an impressive display. Eevee yipped in excitement and spun about on itself before hopping in place. Crystal grinned and shot us a V for victory before remembering herself and bowing. I chuckled, more than happy to take the lead. ¡°So, Lord Kris? Wasn¡¯t that how you introduced yourself to me when we first met?¡± I said smugly. Crystal blushed. ¡°That was just a joke,¡± she said. I snorted. ¡°It was a more confident you. Don¡¯t bother curtsying ever again. Own the real you, bow or nod or salute, but don¡¯t try bringing that curtsy back,¡± I said, making her cringe back. I huffed and shot her a smile. ¡°That said, I want to applaud your ingenuity. You¡¯ve got a young pokemon there, with moves that are only the ones it knows very early on. Despite that, you¡¯ve honed them well enough to put on a performance that I think has outdone a good number of others today. You also met the briefing for Tough!¡± I shot her a thumbs-up as I held up my scorecard. ¡°Six!¡± I said happily. Monique laughed and awarded an eight and Nurse Joy joined her. With that Crystal inched herself into a place in the top ten for now. The next Coordinator stepped up and surprised me by unleashing an Onix with artwork reminiscent of cave painting along its side. I sat up and got to enjoy a well-controlled Sandstorm that was then melted with Dragonsbreath to form a crystal-like structure which Onix then destroyed with a well-placed Iron Tail to cause glass to radiate around it. The trainer, a man who was wearing something almost reminiscent of the outfit I¡¯d seen in the Pewter Museum stood stoically in the middle of the destruction, arms crossed and unaffected. I had to give him points for radiating a tough aura. ¡°I like the details of your outfit,¡± I said to start my judging. The man grunted at me and I chuckled at his committing to the act. ¡°It¡¯s very proto-unification with the Crusher Tribe vibe, glad to see a history buff presenting today,¡± I said, and the man merely blinked slowly at me. Next to me Monique and Nurse Joy perked up. Monique gave the outfit another look. ¡°Oh? Is your outfit paying homage to history? I hadn¡¯t realised! That is wonderfully clever!¡± she said, as she raised an eight for the man. Nurse Joy nodded along. ¡°Wonderful use of Onix¡¯s abilities and toughness!¡± said the nurse, raising a nine for herself leaving Arnold a place in the top of the leaderboard for now. As the man walked away he shot me a look and I waved easily. ¡°Shame he didn¡¯t go through the standard greeting and ending we¡¯ve established. If he¡¯d bowed and stuck to forms I could have scored him higher,¡± I said. When the next contestant sent out an Ice type and almost copied Solidad¡¯s performance move for move I could only scowl. ¡°Hmmmm, seeing a lot of people doing things similar to Solidad¡¯s earlier move but not quite¡± I said, allowed during a pause as a Coordinator made their way to the stage. Monique hummed. ¡°It¡¯s proven to be a useful move but it¡¯s not something that can be simply done,¡± she said. ¡°And now! Coordinator Bosco of Celadon City!¡± announced Rachel. I looked up and found the giant biker from earlier standing tall with two fingers raised. He then produced a blindfold which he donned. He then turned towards us, bowed with the air of a martial arts student to a master and took his pose. ¡°Like we practised Mittens,¡± he said, aloud before exploding into action. Persian crouched down and then leapt up high into the air. I could only gape in surprise. It was just a big jump, but for a moment I had thought that Persian had flown. I almost missed the Power Gems being fired down into the ground. Over and over, as Persian rose into the air it unleashed a barrage of attacks. I glanced down in time to see the rocks strike home precisely in front of Bosco. A few times it looked like he would collide with them only for a twist or a pause to be enough to delay the strike. Bosco was putting himself on the line with his display of trust and it was something I had to approve of. Bosco performed what had to be a kata while his pokemon fired Power Gem after Power Gem down at him. Each step brought another attack in which you thought that surely he would have to take a hit soon. One Rock looked to be off course as it shot straight at Bosco. Everyone held their breath, expecting the next step only for that to not happen. Bosco held his ground. Instead, a star from Persian shot forward and scattered the rock into dust as Bosco advanced through the debris, unmarked from it as he stepped through a wave of stars that lit up the area around him. Bosco performed a final huge stomp only to turn on the spot towards us bowing wide and sweeping his arms out. A clatter of rocks slammed into the ground and Persian landed lightly on his back causing him to bend but not buckle at the knees, still deep in his bow to us. He was facing us, with his pokemon on his back with a sequence that would have been hellish to train. It was damn impressive that he¡¯d learnt it so well. I stood and clapped, leading the crowd in thunderous applause. I shot Monique a look when it died off and Bosco stood before us with Mittens the Persian. ¡°I think we have a dark horse here,¡± I said, as I pulled out a small booklet that had been prepared for me. I began to leaf through it quickly, signalling that I needed a moment. Monique nodded and raised a paddle. ¡°Your demonstration was everything a coordinator should aim to be, daring, and delightful all at once! I couldn¡¯t take my eyes away! Ten from me!¡± Nurse Joy nodded. ¡°And from me! I enjoyed how you took part and made the performance more than it otherwise should have been!¡± When everyone turned to me I huffed. ¡°I see you have observed all the forms and procedures, you have also announced your intent and the only possible way that I can think of you improving on it was to use but one move at the start instead of the two that you told us you''d restrict yourself to. Power Gem was of course a given, but the use of Swift was not what I was expecting.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I am surprised that Persian could leap as high as it did without assistance from a Move. The only way I can conclude that this would be better would be to do it with one move, but then you wouldn¡¯t have the build-up that you do. For the people in the know, they are left wondering until right at the end when everything looks ready to crumble. I can¡¯t find anything to fault in your performance¡­ except that you didn¡¯t style your pokemon.¡± I held up a nine with a cheeky smile as Bosco laughed. His image shot to the top of the leaderboard at twenty-nine right under Kaede and Samurai Furret. He and Walter were tied for second while really being first on the leaderboard. ¡°Haha!¡± Bosco shouted. ¡°I should have thought of that but Mittens! She is a natural pokemon through and through! Hates wearing anything!¡± he explained amicably. He then bowed again and walked off with his head held high and the crowd cheering his name. Mittens walked at his side only to be stunned when a Meowth appeared out of nowhere with an ink pad and a piece of paper. I missed what was said but Mittens was amused and gave Meowth a pawprint and a lick on the coin on its forehead playfully. Meowth stiffened and was struck spellbound as Mittens moved on to where the Venom pack were welcoming Bosco back having missed the small bit of drama playing out behind him. Meowth shot back to his seat only for me to blink as I realised it was Meowth. Jessie and James shared smiles as their third musketeer sat next to them with a dopey smile on his face. I snorted and turned my attention back to the rest of the performances. ¡°And now!!! Introducing this year¡¯s dark maiden! The Pewter Princessssssss! Yoooooo Landa!¡± said Rachel, as she did one of the most over-the-top announcements I¡¯d heard. Yolanda walked forward with a slight blush and her head held high, in her hand a Pokeball was held and she was wearing what looked like¡­ my entire wardrobe of belts all about her, to form like some sort of punk rocker from a cheap anime. She shot me an unrepentant look as she bowed. I sighed as I waved for her to get on with it. ¡°My name is Yolanda! And this is my pokemon Izumi and we¡¯re here to rock!¡± shouted Yolanda, as she released the strongest Geodude I possessed. Izumi soared through the air and landed with a slam that shook the field causing it to quake. It was rather well timed with Yolanda¡¯s ¡®here to rock¡¯ statement and I hummed. She must have practised that. With the field broken up Yolanda punched her fist into the air and Izumi launched a huge segment of rock into the air only for the tiny pokemon to leap, fist cocked back as it began to fall. When her fist connected the boulder was blasted to smithereens leaving only a dust cloud. Izumi then fell from said cloud only to land in Yolanda¡¯s waiting grasp. Yolanda twisted and raised Izumi up tall like she was presenting her to the world and Izumi bellowed out as she began to shine under the lights. I chuckled as the pair then signalled their act was done by bowing. It had been clean, concise and well executed with the chance to make the most of each moment. Everything was fast, from start to finish without any chance to linger on a move. Yolanda didn¡¯t have Izumi charge up her attack, she¡¯d flown seamlessly into her next move or display which others had used to build suspense. I nodded, impressed with her foresight. It was vastly different from what any other Geodude user would be capable of, but then again Izumi was Izumi for a reason. ¡°You¡¯ve got a powerful pokemon there and you let us know from the outset. You rocked your way in and then didn¡¯t let up, each move flowed into each other with a notable smoothness that others wish they could duplicate. You¡¯ve been working with Izumi on this sequence, haven¡¯t you?¡± I said. Yolanda nodded happily. I hummed only to narrow my eyes at her and point at the belts. ¡°Are those my belts?¡± I asked, and Yolanda coughed. ¡°Maybe?¡± she said shamelessly. I sighed and shook my head. ¡°You¡¯re spending too much time with Crystal,¡± I said with mock sadness. I raised an eight and waved to the others who awarded her nines respectively. I hummed, with that¡­. Crystal and Yolanda were now in the top ten with Crystal currently tenth and Yolanda tied with Jessie. ¡°Next up! Green girl Greta!¡± called Rachel, signalling for the final girl from the trio of friends. After her bow, she whipped out her pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s show them what we¡¯ve been working on! Come on out! Vulpix!¡± I grinned. This wasn¡¯t the pokemon I¡¯d been expecting. I¡¯d expected Bulbasaur from her. When had she caught this pokemon? I frowned. When had she? As her sponsor, I felt like I should have known that. Greta grinned and waved her hand causing a Fire spin to whip up around her pokemon, Greta walked around it and Will-o-Wisp shot out of the flames in front of her in a sequence that looked like she would step into, only for her to time it well enough. She had to be sweating something fierce with being so close to the fire but she seemed determined to complete her sequence. I bit my lip, how long had she practised this? It would have been extremely dangerous to do and I suddenly felt worried about what Greta was getting up to when I was busy. Then I noticed Missy, Dennis, and Rocko cheering for Greta along with a small, almost impossible-to-notice white sheen around Greta. ¡°She¡¯s using Safeguard,¡± I said, honestly impressed with the forethought that had gone into it. It looked dangerous and tough but with enough preparation she and her Vulpix were obviously safe. I shot my older Gym trainers a thoughtful look and they waved, noticing my glance. Rocko grinned knowingly, entirely aware he¡¯d surprised me with this development. Hmmm maybe they¡¯d done it deliberately? Show me just how much Greta had grown. I laced my fingers together and watched as the Fire Spin reformed into a twisting Inferno. I shook my head. That was a damn strong Vulpix, and Greta must have been working on it for a while now. I watched as the performance ended and Vulpix happily pranced while Greta bowed. This¡­ This was a surprise. Both Ash, and Gary had surprised me with their skills and insight. I¡¯d thought Greta to be a bit more average but if that Vuplix was as strong as I thought, then perhaps she had a lot more skill than anyone was aware of. ¡°Eight, you forgot to style yourselves but otherwise I think you showed some clever use of Fire Spin, Will-o-wisp, Safeguard, and Inferno.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I thought I knew what you were capable of Greta,¡± I shook my head. ¡°You¡¯ve just blown my expectations of you out of the water. That is an amazing bond you have with Vulpix and I¡¯ll be looking forward to discussing it with you later.¡± Greta beamed at me and giggled. ¡°Thanks, the others have been helping out. I read your notes to the other sponsored trainers and saw how much you rated Vulpix and Growlithe as great choices and I was able to make a trade for another pokemon that didn¡¯t suit me for her.¡± she hugged her Vulpix and it nuzzled into her. Monique coughed politely, reminding us this wasn¡¯t the time for such a talk and I coughed, raising my eight-paddle for her. Nurse Joy and Monique both raised their own nine paddles and with that Jessie, Yolanda, and Greta were all in top spots. When Greta left the stage another of the Venom pack stalked forward with their chin jutted out. I paused when I recognised the tall man as Zek. He gave a shallow bow and raised his pokeball. ¡°Let¡¯s roll! Nidoking!¡± he roared releasing a pokemon that slammed into the stage and spun its arm while looking to the side as though it was doing an air guitar solo. It took me a moment that it was doing precisely that while thumping its tail to create a pseudo rhythm. Zek started hyping the crowd by swinging his arms up and down. ¡°Come on Pewter! I heard you had more rocks than this!¡± he shouted and this was enough to draw the crowd onto its feet for his performance. It was a rather clever use of Earth Power to raise some earth before having Nidoking stomp around and through the earth, crushing and smashing all while Zek belted out a song underscored by Zek. When Nidoking tripped on one lyric Zek shouted for Sludge Wave and his pokemon skated on its knees to finish out the performance. I shot Zek a smile. That had been a neat save but it had been a save he shouldn¡¯t have needed. I gave him an eight for his efforts as he¡¯d been overly reliant on his own, admittedly good singing skills to carry the performance. From there more and more demonstrations occurred, but by the end of the day and the first stage of the contest, the top list was littered with names that I knew. In first, but sadly not continuing, thereby allowing the seventeenth-placed person to advance, was of course Kaede. Under her, tied for second was Bosco, and Walter. Then Solidad, before Yolanda, Greta, Jessie, Zek from the Venom pack, and in an extremely lucky turn of events, Crystal in what had been seventeenth. With that done performers took to the stage as I departed. I was happy to be able to stand and move about but mostly I wanted to talk with Yolanda and her friends, they¡¯d really done well. I could only hope they carried that into tomorrow¡¯s stage! Chapter 190 - Intermission The judging might have been over but that didn¡¯t mean my work as the host was done. Monique and Nurse Joy got to relax, albeit Monique did so by sweeping into the various large pavilion tents that had been set up for people to wine and dine while rubbing shoulders with the big names of Pewter City. Nurse Joy allowed herself to be tugged along into the tents to have more than a few people compliment her on her dress. I considered it for a moment before turning away. I¡¯d need to make an appearance but first I needed to seek out Greta and talk with her. I was feeling a touch guilty about not knowing she had caught more pokemon. We¡¯d spent almost a whole week together and I hadn¡¯t thought to talk to her about how her time as a trainee gym trainer was going. I had been busy but that was an excuse. I needed to make time for her. And A.J. and also Missy. The other sponsored Gym trainers we had all had assigned time to have lessons and call ups. I needed to make time for the people close and not forget about them. I penned a message to Alexa about simply reserving slots in my schedule for them. Missy was the easiest as she got the most from sitting in on sessions, where we discussed my movements up the Ace rankings or reviewed other important matches. All of which gave her a baseline to show her how we operated and researched opponents. She got a solid grounding in what worked, what didn¡¯t work and what to take into consideration beyond merely having a team of pokemon and a willingness to fight lots of matches. I¡¯d need to reflect on my revelations today. I walked through the front area of my gym, now turned festival and waved or nodded at the various people who called out to me. A few people asked me for signatures and photos with both of us posing in front of my Crystal Onix. I had to pat myself on the back for sending Jackson off to secure Crystal Onix. Bianca had gone with him to get insight into the habitat of such a variant and made a few changes based on prior planning. Nothing beats getting such experience in person. I rubbed his body, ignoring the way his rough edges dug into my skin. One of the perks of being able to call up rock energy? You¡¯re quite thick-skinned in a sense, which leads to me being able to pet pokemon others couldn¡¯t. Little Gible being the best example but with a Crystal Onix, you had to be rather careful due to how sharp some of his body parts became from moving around. When I finally found Greta, she was on the battle courts with yet another pokemon in front of her, which felt like the final nail being hammered in. I really did need to spend more time with her. ¡°Pidgey Feather Dance!¡± Greta called. ¡°Ha! They¡¯re trying to buff up! Charge in Raticate, with Hyper Fang!¡± called what looked like that standard ¡®Youngster¡¯ trainer. The Raticate leapt across the court, fangs exposed only for Greta to smile. ¡°QA!¡± she called, and her Pidgey went from fluttering to blurring as it shot back with a hard beat of its wings, dodging the Raticate¡¯s fangs. As Raticate missed, it bolted back in with a powerful and fast attack that hammered into the top of Raticate¡¯s head. Raticate crumpled to the side and the youngster gaped. ¡°What? But my pokemon should be stronger!?¡± I was about to step forward, but a young girl dressed in a school uniform did so quicker. ¡°Pokemon can grow faster if they remain unevolved. This Pidgey should have evolved with how strong it is. It has a well cared for look and the talons and wingspan all indicate a pokemon that is young, but has reached the limits of its growth. Therefore, one can conclude that it is being held back to improve its mental growth and what moves it learns naturally, no?¡± Greta nodded slowly with a small tilt as she observed the rather insightful girl. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t know it was that well known. Hi, I¡¯m Greta by the way,¡± she said. The other girl flicked her head and caused her hair to arc out around her like blown by a fan. Amusingly another student who¡¯d been standing behind her copped a face full of hair and spluttered, rather ruining the ¡®elegant moment¡¯ for the girl. Her cheeks took a pink hue, as she coughed and ignored the setback, instead locking eyes with Greta. ¡°I am Giselle, the Head Student at the Pokemon Technical Institute.¡± ¡°Oh? That¡¯s, nice?¡± questioned Greta, completely unaware that she was putting her foot in it. I put my hand to my face and sighed explosively. The sound carried through the sudden frosty silence of the court that had developed with Greta¡¯s words. Greta looked over and saw me. ¡°Oh! Hi Brock!¡± she called. I waved back at her. ¡°Hey Greta,¡± I said, before turning to Giselle. ¡°I think you¡¯ll have to forgive my trainer for her ignorance. We haven¡¯t yet had to deal with any of the PTA¡¯s students so we haven¡¯t educated any of this year¡¯s trainers on the significance of the Head Student Role.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Giselle said, shooting Greta considering look. ¡°I suppose I will forgive her poor education, this time.¡± Greta frowned but was ignored. ¡°But! Only if you will expedite my match against you Brock! I am meant to be the standard that other students attempt to reach but I am to face you last!?¡± ¡°This will not do!¡± She stomped her foot and shook her head, once more causing her mane of long brown hair to punish her fellow student, this time to whip the boy on the other side, as the first victim now knew to duck. ¡°Ah,¡± I said intelligently. It seemed Alexa¡¯s little joke was still in play. I hadn¡¯t considered how it would impact me and now it seemed my Hoothoot were coming home to roost. ¡°Yeah I can¡¯t change that, it¡¯s something that your Headmaster set up with us,¡± I said, lying through my teeth. ¡°It seems he wants to keep the best for last and locked it in this way.¡± Giselle paused at this. ¡°He did? He assured me that¡­¡± The girl warred with this new information before shaking slightly, now causing all the boys around her to dodge away reflexively, not just the two to her left and right. ¡°Never mind!¡± Giselle roared, thrusting a finger to the sky. ¡°He is a known scallywag! I shall simply be patient to demonstrate my skills!¡± she said. ¡°Expect me in two weeks!¡± she announced grandly, like she was an actual threat to the Gym and not an academy kid. I nodded along and Giselle marched off with her entourage. Greta stepped up and tugged at my jacket. ¡°I want to face her if she¡¯s opting for a Gauntlet run,¡± she said, with a serious tone. ¡°Ah, rubbed you the wrong way?¡± I said, knowing that Giselle was the type to make enemies as easily as one might breathe outside of her controlled academy environment. ¡°She called me poorly educated just cause I didn¡¯t know what Head Student meant!¡± Greta fumed at me. ¡°What does it mean though?¡± she said. I snorted, realising that she was more annoyed at not knowing something, than being called poorly educated. A flash of light announced my girlfriend¡¯s arrival. Onix, not used to Sbarina¡¯s penchant for sudden arrivals, reared back in surprise. I put a hand on his body and pulsed a feeling of calm and safety into him with what bond we had, before he could lash out. I mostly cheated by linking our rock energies and carrying the message in that manner while speaking ¡°Easy there bud, it¡¯s Sabrina you¡¯re fine,¡± I said. ¡°Oooooonnnn,¡± he rumbled, relaxing gradually and lowering himself back down to eye Sabrina. Ralts stared up at the Crystal pokemon and waved shyly. ¡°Ra-ralts!¡± she said in greeting. Sabrina hefted her pokemon slightly bouncing Ralts in her arms. Sabrina didn¡¯t flick her eyes away from mine, but she did go still for a moment. Enough that I knew she was reading the situation in some manner. It took her a moment before nodding and turning away. ¡°Ralts and I shall do some battling, it seems you two have things to talk about,¡± she decided, marching away and demanding a challenge to the first person willing to meet her gaze. I coughed and turned back to Greta. ¡°I wanted to congratulate you on your showing today. I knew that you were going to take part and I¡¯m really glad you did,¡± I said. Greta beamed at me. ¡°Thanks! It was a really tough challenge with it being a side of training pokemon that I never got to experience!¡± she bounced from foot to foot. ¡°All of my pokemon have grown from taking part in it!¡± she announced proudly. ¡°Right, that was another thing I wanted to talk to you about,¡± I said, rubbing the back of my head as I gestured for us to walk through a side entrance to the Gym. ¡°Hmmm?¡± she asked curiously. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d caught Vulpix, or your Pidgey¡­ or even your fourth pokemon. I feel like I¡¯ve dropped the ball a bit while teaching you. We spent a week together during the recent run to Celadon and we didn¡¯t really get much time to talk.¡± I offered her a pained smile. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been too busy or paying more attention to others.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± said Greta easily. I blinked, her simple statement usually would be a way to make up, but when I looked into her eyes I only saw honesty reflected back at me. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t mind?¡± I said, testing the words back to her, lobbing a softball as one would to a rookie to test their skills at catch. ¡°I don¡¯t, I know that others might, but well, you giving me a place to calm down from the initial rush of going on my journey and having a pokemon. Since then I¡¯ve been able to study a lot of the videos and written information that you¡¯ve compiled regarding various pokemon and put that to use. I rather liked the importance of having utility pokemon or pokemon that can serve various roles. It¡¯s why I went looking for a Vulpix. ¡°Pidgey, as that girl Giselle pointed out, has been an experiment to test how fast I can get her to learn the stronger moves!¡± At this point, Greta pulled out a notebook titled ¡®Pidgey¡¯s training program¡¯. She handed it to me. ¡°I¡¯ve got my sights set on Pidgey learning Aerial Ace, Roost, Tailwind, and Wing Attack before I let it evolve! Then I¡¯m going to set my sights on teaching it Sleep Talk to make it super competitive against other pokemon, with staying power for days!¡± I flipped through the notes seeing how she had started her pokemon on a specialised regime of food, training flights that worked agility, endurance and power on separate days. She also had days stencilled in for rest and team drills. ¡°You¡¯ve been looking through my old training regime and what I currently do,¡± I said, pointing out the extremely familiar layout that I used for my own Elite team of pokemon. There were even three, one hour blocks that were dedicated to ¡®play/fun time with pokemon¡¯ instead of training. I continued reading. ¡°How are you handling Pidgey¡¯s desire to grow stronger while restricting her from evolving?¡± ¡°I saw your notes on discussing it and how you have to individualise it to the pokemon!¡± Greta said happily. ¡°Ah, you have been doing a lot of reading then haven¡¯t you?¡± I said. Usually that was a topic I handled during the off season and not during the time of the circuit, as I knew that most trainers had limited time frames to get their pokemon stronger. Ideally, it would be something taught to people early but¡­ well it usually wasn¡¯t a lesson that was well received by trainers early on as it felt like they were limiting themselves and their pokemon. You had to let them experience a year ¡®out in the wild¡¯ so to speak. I still had it tagged in my notes for ¡®things trainers need to know but don¡¯t¡¯. It was just something that you had to do a lot of reading to find, as it only got referenced once or twice in the earlier lessons. ¡°I¡¯m impressed,¡± I said. If the catch analogue was still in play, she¡¯d taken the ball, assembled a small team and started teaching them how to catch in a manner I¡¯d considered top tier while I watched on. I licked my lips. ¡°I still feel bad though, as I haven¡¯t been giving you as much attention.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± she said again. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy and I know that we have some time locked in for the coming weeks. When you have me working with the Gym pokemon you throw out a lot of insights on how to look for a pokemon¡¯s temperament or how to consider a lot of little issues. Then you put things into practice.¡± ¡°I do?¡± I queried with a small frown. Greta giggled. ¡°I thought that was the case, you might not realise it but you give out tips to most people whenever you can, it¡¯s been really great working here as I¡¯ve gotten a really good look at lots of different situations. I know that next year I will want to continue my journey but this year is all about getting me and my pokemon stronger!¡± she said with her fists clenched. I chuckled. ¡°If that Pidgey and Vulpix are any indication, then you¡¯re going to be a force to reckon with next year.¡± ¡°Bulbasaur is getting stronger as well!¡± she said with a firm stance. ¡°Are you doing the same regime for him as Pidgey?¡± I asked. ¡°Ehehehe! He¡¯s already at the stage that I don¡¯t have to hold him back any more, not unless the move ¡®Frenzy Plant¡¯ differs?¡± she said curiously. I kept walking, not giving a hint of how much I was shitting myself. She¡¯d read that deep into my notes on pokemon? ¡°Wow, usually no one reads about those moves,¡± I said, as I fished for time. Greta grinned. ¡°Dennis said it was super important that I read the Gym trainer manual and while he was joking about actually testing me on it, it still had a lot of neat information in it! Like if certain moves like Frenzy Plant, or Hydro Cannon get used, to withdraw your pokemon immediately and contact you!¡± I blinked. ¡°You found out about it from there?¡± I asked incredulously. I did have that as part of the training manual for new trainers to look over. Certain moves like the one hit knockout moves, or more powerful moves such as Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, and yes the specialised tutor only moves that were up there had been included¡­ I frowned as I recalled how I¡¯d not included G-max moves in that list. Whew, I¡¯d dodged a Seed Bullet there. I chewed my lip as I considered what to say about the move I had revealed. ¡°Frenzy Plant is an ultra rare, almost lost move. Only old masters from the bad times will know of it, so you¡¯d need to find one of them to teach it. It¡¯s a move that requires pokemon to use up a lot of energy much like Hyper Beam or Giga Impact, so if you do find someone, expect for it to be tough training,¡± I said seriously. ¡°Oh?¡± she said at my explanation. She searched my expression only to find it stoic. ¡°Can¡­ I ask about that a little more?¡± she said tentatively. I sighed. ¡°I looked into it¡­ when I was starting out and found historical notes about powerful moves for most of the starter pokemon of Kanto but never the names. While the legends I found were super vague on details I always wondered.¡± I swallowed and tilted my head back and forth. ¡°It was only when I¡­ gained more access to information that I looked into the topic once more, and what I found was that these moves were used to change entire battlefields, not just end one on one matches. They have a very sinister history associated with them and while it is only a move at the end of the day, if you were to find someone able to teach you these days just be aware that¡­ they will have a complicated past,¡± I said, settling on something neutral. ¡°Keep yourself and your pokemon safe is what I¡¯m saying,¡± I said. Greta nodded. ¡°Thanks for that, it¡¯s good to know¡­ I might ask Erika about it still if that¡¯s alright?¡± I coughed. ¡°Today?¡± I said in surprise. Greta blinked. ¡°Erika is here today?¡± ¡°Well she was for a bit but I think she had to leave,¡± I said, causing Greta to deflate. ¡°I¡¯ll wait until we meet up, I get the impression this isn¡¯t something to talk about over an introduction pokemail message,¡± Greta said. ¡°Good idea, I can vouch for you but yeah, let her get to know you,¡± I said. Greta perked up once again and I couldn¡¯t stop the laugh that bubbled up. ¡°Hehe,¡± I said, smiling at Greta. ¡°What?¡± she said defensively. ¡°It¡¯s just that sometimes you and Erika act rather similar. She wilts and perks up all the time when you talk to her. Maybe it¡¯s a grass type thing?¡± I suggested jokingly. Greta pouted at me. ¡°I¡¯m not a monotype trainer! I have Vulpix and Pidgey! And Gastly too! Oh! And I also just recently caught another pokemon that none of the Gym trainers know about! A Beedrill!¡± I blinked in surprise only to frown, the announcement of Beedrill was a surprise, but she¡¯d skated past her Gastly very quickly there. Why? ¡°Your fourth pokemon is a Gastly?¡± I frowned. ¡°How did you find a Gastly around here?¡± I said sternly. Greta coughed. ¡°Promise you won¡¯t get mad?¡± she said in a manner that all but confirmed she or someone she knew had done something dumb and that I would have every right to be mad except due to the promise. ¡°Can I be disappointed?¡± I said. ¡°No! That would be worse!¡± Greta said, waving her hands back and forth frantically. I huffed. Before taking a breath and exhaling my emotions out. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hear it, how did you get Gastly,¡± I said. ¡°Well there was this bet that Crystal and I made with each other, see? She said that the person who went the furthest into the graveyard¡ª¡± as my frown deepened Greta hurried held up her hands, ¡°¡ªat twilight! Not evening!¡± she said quickly. ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well I went first and I had this¡­ clever solution that I would just walk to through it, filming the entire way? I got jump scared by Gastly though and I ended up beating him up with Bulbasaur and capturing him?¡± She poked her fingers together. ¡°The graveyard channeler was apparently walking behind me the entire time so I was safe really?¡± she said. I sighed again and raised my hand. Greta flinched until I lowered it on top of her head and rubbed it. ¡°Well, you had an adventure I suppose.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡± she said, peeking out from under my hand. ¡°Tiny bit,¡± I admitted easily, but mostly scared. You do realise there was still a risk?¡± ¡°Yeah, we thought we¡¯d mitigated it but yeah¡­ showed us,¡± she grumbled. ¡°What did you win for going the furthest?¡± I asked before frowning. ¡°Was it just crystal or was Yolanda in on this too?¡± Greta blinked at me and her eyes sort of wobbled guiltily .¡±Oh! I forgot Crystal still owes me!¡± she announced, before sprinting away. I stared after her. She¡¯d basically just confirmed my sister had been part of the dare. I sighed again. Being a big brother was hard sometimes. I¡¯d have to think up a punishment for this. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. A buzz on my Xtransciever showed that it was time to wine and dine some locals, so I headed back out and made a beeline for the pavilion tents. There I found Alexa, Rachel, and Jennifer waiting for me. Jennifer waved, ¡°Brock, glad you could finally make it! I need you to talk to the Pebblemans, Mrs Haridan, and Judge Howard with me.¡± ¡°Politics?¡± I asked seriously. ¡°Yup, you just need to be seen talking with Judge Howard honestly, the other two have some sway in Pewter so you need to give them some acknowledgement.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go with Mrs Haridan first then,¡± I said waving towards the woman that had occasionally stepped in for me before Flint had returned. We made some small talk for a while and I mentioned having her come over next weekend as I¡¯d be out for most of the afternoon before I made to leave. Mrs Haridan waved me off only to grimace as she took a step. ¡°Ouch,¡± she said, and I immediately turned and offered her my hand. ¡°Need a hand getting to a chair?¡± ¡°Hmmm, no I think it best I head home. A good soak and a lay up for me will do wonders for my old bones I should think,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve been away from home for a few days now, visiting grandchildren. Time to head home I think!¡± she said, as I escorted her out of the pavilion. On the way a number of people appeared to bid her good evening and I had to blink in surprise when Janine appeared at one point, winked at me and then vanished into the crowd. Mrs Haridan giggled at the byplay, proving that while her bones might ache, her eyes were still sharp. ¡°That girl takes after her father!¡± she said with a smile. She then released an extremely puffy looking Dodrio which sat to allow her to mount it side saddle. One of the heads twisted itself around Mrs Haridan before they took off. I turned back and found a number of people pointedly lingering for me to ¡®bump into¡¯. I sighed and stepped forward only for Sabrina to step in with a pleased air. ¡°Have some good fights?¡± I asked, peering at Ralts who was being cradled in one arm. ¡°She performed wonderfully,¡± Sabrina said, as she stroked Ralts hair. I linked my arm with her and escorted her around for the rest of the early evening. Thankfully I was able to beg off instead of ¡®following¡¯ the party as some people were suggesting, back into Pewter where a bar was being proposed. I could claim I needed to head home to look after my family and that was enough to have people waving and nodding. Sabrina joined me and we walked home to find my family all present with the inclusion of Crystal and Greta. Greta locked eyes with me before I turned my gaze upon the other two of the ¡®trio¡¯. Greta coughed and shrunk in on herself. I ignored her as I gave Yolanda and Crystal my patented ¡®disappointed face¡¯ which lowered attack damage. Now, it only made the girls know I knew they¡¯d done something wrong and were being caught for it. ¡°So, what¡¯s this about a graveyard bet?¡± I asked. Yolanda coughed. ¡°It was at twilight? And¡­ well it worked out alright in the end?¡± She then perked up. ¡°Can I go try and catch a Gastly as well?¡± ¡°No, not until you have your own pokemon trained up properly and as for you Crystal, I¡¯m going to be informing your mother.¡± ¡°Grk! No! I only just got tv rights back again!¡± Crystal wailed. I rolled my eyes and sent the message off and Crystal grumped for the next few minutes. She perked up when discussion around the table turned to tomorrow¡¯s battle phase of the contest. Yolanda shot me a cheeky grin. ¡°Brock? Can you please let me win?¡± said Yolanda, her face shifting into an innocent look. Greta and Crystal slapped the air with the back of their hands. ¡°Disqualify her,¡± they said flatly. I snorted at their gag routine. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to help you win. I¡¯m the Judge, that means I need to be impartial, not biased.¡± Yolanda nodded. ¡°Can I borrow Bertha?¡± ¡°Hell no,¡± I said, joining Greta and Crystal in showing her the back of my hand. Yolanda narrowed her eyes and considered me. ¡°Nope!¡± I said, predicting that she¡¯d ask for Sanchez next. Honestly she should have asked for him first. He¡¯d have donned a Lucadore mask or something like that and swooped head-first into the Contest scene. He loved being out there and fashionable. ¡°Finnnnnnne!¡± I¡¯ll stick to using Izumi and Spot then!¡± she said. Terra tugged on her shirt and gestured at herself. ¡°Lar?¡± ¡°Sorry girl, you¡¯re strong as a battler but your moves don¡¯t quite have the control needed just yet. We¡¯ll keep working at it though, so next year you can take part!¡± said Yolanda. Terra blinked at her and then turned away from Yolanda and curled up into a ball. ¡°Laaaaaaaar,¡± she said sadly. I shot Yolanda a raised eyebrow while making sure not to say anything. To me it was obvious she¡¯d been spending a bit too much time focussing on other things if this was how her starter was reacting. Yolanda might have been excited to get her new pokemon with Spot pretty much confirmed but that came with the cost of her not spending as much time with Terra. This was something they¡¯d both need to learn to handle. Yolanda floundered, unsure for a moment. ¡°Uhm! No! Don¡¯t be sad! If you want, how about we go out now and practise your moves! You can take part instead of Spot!¡± she said, carrying Terra out to the garden to do just that. Terra perked up and I chuckled. Soon enough Terra would have Yolanda twisted around her little claws with how she could be sad and get what she wanted. It felt nice to see the shoe on the other foot for once. Crystal shot me a pointed look. ¡°You¡¯re not going to help your cute little sister?¡± Greta shot her friend a look, then me, before firming up and coughing. ¡°Y-yeah Yolanda needs all the help she can get!¡± I took a long pull of the lemonade I¡¯d made up for tonight, before exhaling in joy. ¡°Ah! Well it¡¯s a good thing that she has such good friends then, no?¡± I said. A moment later I was proven right as Yolanda¡¯s voice called out from the garden. ¡°Greta? Can I borrow you and your pokedex for a moment? I want to see if Terra has any new moves since last week!¡± ¡°Coming!¡± shouted Greta. Crystal huffed and poked her tongue out at me which had me chuckling. This led to the rest of my family charging out. Flint sighed and trailed after them with a small chuckle. Zubat chose that moment to flutter into the house and land on me, where she whined at not getting to spend the day with me. ¡°Sorry girl,¡± I said, giving her some pats. She pretended to whimper for a little bit before perking up as her nose started to twitch. I watched as she crawled down my arm, stopping just short of my drink, only to begin lapping at it tentatively. She licked her lips and grinned before diving into the glass whereby a draining noise started up much like a clogged drain. I held up the glass and watched it vanish only for Zubat to burp when she was done causing the glass to vibrate. She then tried to inch her way back only to find herself unable to. ¡°Are you stuck now?¡± I asked, watching with great amusement as she squirmed and shifted. ¡°Zuuuuuuuub!¡± she screeched, realising her mistake. I reached into the glass and tugged her out. ¡°No diving into drinks like that. When you¡¯re a Golbat you won¡¯t fit anyway but it¡¯s not the most hygienic way to get something tasty.¡± Sabrina who¡¯d been feeding Ralts nodded, and telekinetically lifted the glass over to the sink. ¡°It is in fact the best way for Zubat to drink, far superior to having to tilt a glass into her mouth if that is what you were thinking,¡± said Janine casually. I nodded, controlling the urge to twitch in surprise. Damn, she¡¯d been practising. ¡°Hmmm that sounds right,¡± I said, realising that other pokemon were the same, what with needing their water to be below them to drink it properly. Janine pouted at me and I rolled my eyes. ¡°How long have you been here for?¡± I said. ¡°No, I¡¯m not telling you if you¡¯re going to be that way!¡± said Janine with a huff. ¡°She¡¯s been in the house for two minutes, she snuck in as the girls left,¡± Sabrina supplied. ¡°Sabrina!¡± said Janine with a scowl. ¡°If you want to startle someone,¡± said Koga from behind me, causing a ripple of gooseflesh to break out over my body as I felt instinctive fear sweep through me, ¡°You need to give it a touch of menace,¡± said Koga, only to move to the seat next to me. ¡°Raaaaaaaalts!¡± wailed Ralts having been startled as well. I shared a look with the little pokemon and offered her a nod of commiseration. Sometimes having your friends be ninjas meant putting up with things like this. My fear vanished in a moment as I realised Koga was in a casual outfit with a drink in hand. It even had a silly straw and tiny drink umbrella. Had he gone to the after party before coming here? It would be where the big movers and shakers ¡®let their hair down¡¯ and spoke their minds a lot more so it made sense he¡¯d investigate. ¡°Brock,¡± he said, raising the drink in my direction. I opened my mouth before realising how powerful a flex it was for him, wearing casual clothes while holding a drink, to have snuck up on me. Didn¡¯t that make him more terrifying, rather than less? I wasn¡¯t sure what to think so I just nodded in greeting. ¡°Koga, congratulations on the early promotion,¡± I said, referencing the latest news that the League had released announcing Koga¡¯s early ascension to Elite Four. ¡°My thanks,¡± he said easily. I flicked my eyes from him to Janine. ¡°Nice of you to drop around,¡± I said eventually, deciding to be a gracious, if unwitting host. ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± I asked. ¡°We got some take-out,¡± Janine said, raising up a bag from Mr Mime¡¯s bashfully. I shot her an incredulous look and she didn¡¯t meet my gaze. Sabrina smirked, ¡°They had a build your own castle set with the happy meal,¡± she said, and Koga nodded while Janine blushed. ¡°Oh cool,¡± I said, realising why that would be such a draw. ¡°Cindy and Tommy have like five of them.¡± ¡°Do they have any spare Mahogany Town castles? I will trade them my excess¡ª¡± ¡°Ahem, we came here for other business daughter,¡± said Koga, cutting off his daughter¡¯s hobby of architecture and lightly reprimanding her. Janine ducked her head and gave a soft ¡°sorry,¡± to her father. I now had the image of a room within Koga¡¯s house being nothing but small, to scale replicas of famous buildings. I smiled before tilting my head. ¡°Have they come up with a replica for my Gym that you can build?¡± ¡°They have not in fact!¡± Janine said, brightening up immediately. Sabrina huffed a laugh to herself. Koga shook his head at the two of us. ¡°I¡¯m glad you three are having fun but we do have something to report,¡± said Koga tiredly. Janine straightened up and reached into a pouch at her back to reveal what looked like an intelligence dossier. ¡°We¡¯ve found the location where Mewtwo was created, within a hidden log in Giovanni¡¯s terminal,¡± said Janine. ¡°New Island.¡± I breathed the name and blinked as I found pictures of the island over the course of what had been a three week time span. In one picture, a trainer was taking a selfie with the island in the background where there was nothing but green open spaces and a tall face. The second picture showed a structure in the distance. The picture didn¡¯t focus on the island or the structures. In fact, the images were from a distant boat with the island just barely being in the background. A happenstance, more than anything calculated. ¡°We¡¯ve thus far failed to get any more pictures despite sending reconnaissance pokemon with long range observation equipment.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve investigated the site? Has any trainers been deployed as of yet? I wouldn¡¯t mind heading¡­¡± I trailed off as Janine and Koga shook their heads. ¡°Thus far none of the people we have sent have made it close to the island. They get waylaid, they have pressing issues that suddenly arise, they fall ill the day before departure. Too often to be a coincidence.¡± Koga gestured at the pictures and the files. ¡°I am merely keeping you informed of this latest development. It shall be discussed in more detail later but I cannot dedicate any more teams or even my own direct attention to this as yet.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I asked, slightly relieved that Koga wasn¡¯t going to poking the bear that was Mewtwo. ¡°Team Aqua vessels have been spotted in the Sevii islands,¡± he replied. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, frowning. ¡°Are the local authorities being informed?¡± I asked. Koga shook his head. ¡°They are still not yet signatories for the G-men, they are interested but¡­¡± He trailed off meaningfully and I blinked. Then I straightened. ¡°Koga, I¡¯m not comfortable with what you¡¯re implying,¡± I said. Koga huffed. ¡°It would be for the best¡ª¡± ¡°Who¡¯s best? Sitting on intelligence like this isn¡¯t doing good. It¡¯s standing by while evil is done,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s do some good and protect people,¡± I said. ¡°Brock is correct,¡± said Sabrina firmly. Koga sighed. ¡°That is a naive way of thinking,¡± he reprimanded. Janine shifted and curled in on herself. I got the impression she hadn¡¯t agreed with her father, and his words while pointed at Sabrina and I, might also apply to her. I considered Koga. ¡°The Guardians are a defensive group,¡± I said slowly. Koga nodded. ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°Well, allowing an enemy force to empower itself isn¡¯t helping us, it¡¯s standing back and letting something become worse. We shouldn¡¯t sit back and meet them on the back foot. Eventually Team Aqua will come knocking for us. I¡¯ve read the histories, Indigo was attacked heavily by them,¡± I said firmly. Koga nodded. ¡°Fuchsia faced more than a few such raids,¡± he said placidly. I paused and considered him. ¡°You¡¯re testing me right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± Koga smiled. ¡°Indeed, I wanted to see your response. It was naive, but no less incorrect. We will pass on information while working to facilitate the G-men integration. Both objectives do not need to be mutually exclusive. International trainers in Sevii and Orange might be fewer in number, but there are still some people there that can be¡­ relied upon,¡± he said. I huffed and caught Janine looking pleased. Had she been acting before? I shook my head. ¡°So apart from the test and the information about Mewtwo¡¯s possible home base right now, was there anything else?¡± I asked. Koga shook his head. ¡°I thought it prudent to inform you both of Mewtwo seeing as you have also encountered it a number of times now,¡± he said. ¡°It is a powerful and known threat.¡± ¡°He,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Mewtwo identifies as a he, not an it.¡± Koga frowned but nodded. He then turned his gaze to the east. ¡°Also, it has not yet been raised with the League, but should an enraged Zapdos appear, you will be needed as the best suited to face it.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh yeah, I suppose that makes sense with Giovanni out of action. Is that likely to happen?¡± I said. ¡°During the war it happened three times. After the war? There was one such incident that occurred when you were very young involving a Zapdos destroying a powerplant. Since then facilities have much more rigorous testing with emissions lowered to not create a charged environment, not that it stops certain groups from cutting corners on safety.¡± Koga shifted slightly. ¡°I shall have Janine send you the two known locations of Zapdos,¡± Koga said. ¡°Shamouti island is one, right?¡± I asked. Koga blinked. ¡°Ah, you are correct, one of them is there,¡± he said. I saw his eyes spark and his lips twitch as though he¡¯d just confirmed something to himself. Sabrina and I shared a look, Shamouti had been¡­ interesting to go to. Koga stood. ¡°We will discuss more when we meet officially. For now I thought it merely best to keep you in the loop of the threats, you¡¯ve proven yourself capable of surviving such encounters so I shall trust you with more,¡± he said. He then bowed politely and shot away. I heard the window slide open and closed in another room and then nothing. Janine coughed. ¡°Do not mind father¡¯s words, he trusted you before this but he did not know if you would survive. During the later parts of the war, it was thought that up to eighty percent of people would be dead should they encounter a Legendary pokemon three times. After that people¡¯s mortality rates plummeted.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said, interested despite myself. Janine, seeing my interest, smiled and puffed herself up. ¡°The worst statistics came from Kanto and Sinnoh! Certain pokemon there had the highest mortality ratings while others such as Moltres and Articuno would cause debilitating injuries. If you encountered them again you usually weren¡¯t able to flee a second time,¡± she said. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s morbid,¡± I said. I had a good idea of which SInnoh pokemon she was talking about ¡°Very!¡± said Janine. ¡°How¡¯s things?¡± I asked, deciding to shift the conversation to a more happy vibe. ¡°The trainer surge has well and truly reached me now. I am hoping to be done with it in the next few weeks but it is certainly¡­ a test of my suitability as a Gym Leader,¡± said Janine. Sabrina nodded, ¡°Yes it is, ¡°she said, showing her own feelings of exhaustion for the first time that evening. Janine and her shared a small smile and I stayed out of it, letting their moment be just that. Their moment. After a bit Janine shifted and looked around ¡°Well if you¡¯re hanging in there you¡¯re doing good. Most places always struggle when there¡¯s transition but if you¡¯re holding your own, despite this being a tougher year with all the trainers, then you must be doing good,¡± I said, playing up how things would be. There was an inkling of truth in there, and I had no doubt that if Janine got the time to prepare she¡¯d be well suited as the Fuchsia Gym Leader. Janine smiled and bowed. ¡°Thank you for your kind words,¡± she said. ¡°No problem, they¡¯re just the truth,¡± I said. I waved a hand to the side. ¡°Did you want something to drink?¡± I asked. Janine asked for some tea lemonade. I got myself and Zubat another glass each, with Zubat¡¯s being a small dish that she could drink out of properly. ¡°Mind if I pick your brain over training for Zubat?¡± I asked, bringing out my training program. Zubat perked up and scuttled up to watch. Janine gave the program a quick look over. ¡°Hmmm this seems to be in order for a flying type pokemon to make it a strong battler, but a poison type needs to make sure they are expressing their poisons to strengthen their effects. If you¡¯re looking to have her use moves like Gunk Shot, Toxic, or Toxic Spikes then you need to work on this as well,¡± she said. I frowned. I was pretty sure from my research of Zubat¡¯s line, Gunk Shot wasn¡¯t a move they could learn. I shot Janine a furtive glance as she continued to read through my training plan, a pen in hand as she made suggestions. Sabrina had been able to teach Selene a move her species weren¡¯t known for learning, perhaps Janine and Koga were capable of the same? ¡°¡ªthere are also useful moves to use in team fights such as Quick Guard,¡± Janine said with a nod. I looked over the program only to find it littered with small suggestions and prompts along with a trio of movepool suggestions depending on what I wanted. I hummed. ¡°What if I had a very niche role in mind that could make use of a speed build?¡± I asked. Janine tilted her head. ¡°A further niche?¡± she asked. I grinned and brought out another set of papers. Janine accepted them. ¡°Counters for Mega-evolution pokemon?¡± she opened the first page and blinked. ¡°Thief?¡± she said incredulously. I smirked and Janine kept reading. ¡°Switcheroo? Trick? Ah wait, you¡¯re not sure if this move will work.¡± Janine kept reading. ¡°Oh you¡¯ve also thought of how to use a poison item or¡­ what is a choice band?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been looking into item usage a bit more,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s something I heard about that locks a pokemon into a set move but boosts their power. Could be a good way to clock a strong pokemon into a useless move or force a switch from the trainer,¡± I said. Janine blinked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of an item like that. I imagine methods like this would be used more otherwise,¡± she said with a frown. The poison item might work however. It¡¯s just that it is¡­ well a certain type of person to give pokemon an item that might injure them.¡± ¡°Unless they¡¯re poison typed,¡± I pointed out. Janine nodded and closed the notepad. She then directed a serious look at me. ¡°We have used methods like this in the past. I¡¯m surprised you thought it up yourself as it is something we teach to trainers that work with us. I can¡¯t forbid you from using it as you¡¯ve obviously thought it up yourself but be careful sharing it around,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, you already thought of it, and just don¡¯t use it?¡± I asked. ¡°I use it at some of the fourth¡­ tier battles,¡± she said, using my terminology for trainers with four or more badges. ¡°Most people simply don¡¯t mention their fights or have the time to reflect with us when they¡¯re done. Invariably a few of the pokemon on their team are poisoned and they need to depart quickly even with liberal uses of antidotes,¡± Janine explained. ¡°Huh,¡± I said. This made me rethink a few things regarding my plans. It would take a while for Choice Bands or scarves to be truly effective and when they were, I would have to dust off my meta-knowledge as competitive pokemon fighting with items would shift the dynamic greatly. Still, it was nice to know Janine guaranteed some of these plans I had would work. We kept talking for a while longer with Zubat snuggling up into my lap as we discussed other battle methods that would work, or even that we could theorise about until Yolanda trudged in with a tired but happy-looking Terra in one arm while an exhausted Spot was held in the other wagging his tail limply as Yolanda carried him in. She was followed by a pair of grumpy-looking friends. Flint trudged in with some tired-looking kids. The boys must have been exhausted as they barely even perked up seeing Janine sitting with me. Janine easily handled their leaps and tackle attacks before sending them on their way to bed, leaving us with just the older trio of girls who were arguing. ¡°This is such bullshit! If I¡¯m fighting you tomorrow, I¡¯m not letting you pull that off!¡± said Crystal firmly. Yolanda just giggled. ¡°We have a one in eight chance of fighting each other,¡± said Yolanda. Greta shifted worriedly at that only for Crystal to glare at Yolanda. She then gained a shrewd look. ¡°Not if I beat you up now!¡± she said, leaping at Yolanda and initiating a play fight. Yolanda promptly subdued her friend in seconds leaving Greta gaping. ¡°Oh, that wasn¡¯t very smart of you Crystal,¡± Crystal bucked only for Yolanda to remain in place, sitting on her back. Crystal growled and looked up to see me watching her. ¡°What are you feeding her?¡± ¡°Vegetables,¡± I said with a proud nod. When Crystal rolled her eyes at me I chuckled. ¡°Nah she just works out a lot and carries Terra around most days.¡± ¡°Eh? What do you mean by¡ª¡± Terra chose that moment to waddle onto Crystal¡¯s back, thinking this a great game. Crystal started thumping the ground instantly. ¡°Auntie! Uncle! Grandpa and Grandma! I give!¡± she said, as the rest of us giggled. ¡°Which match ups you¡¯re hoping to get tomorrow?¡± asked Sabrina, ignoring the flailing Crystal. ¡°Not Solidad,¡± the girls said together. Crystal was allowed up after that and they all adopted thinking faces. ¡°Jessadia was also strong with her Mawile,¡± said Greta, pulling out her pokedex to look up the fairy-steel pokemon. ¡°I scanned it earlier and I have to say she¡¯s a strong pokemon,¡± she said. ¡°Good job on having the foresight to scan it. Did you scan the others to learn what moves they might have?¡± I asked. Greta blinked and screwed up her eyes before groaning. ¡°Urgh! I could have done that! Stupid!¡± she said. Janine shook her head. ¡°Reconnaissance is vital. Know yourself and your enemy and you will never lose,¡± she said wisely. Sabrina nodded along. I just laughed and waved it off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just remember it for tomorrow when you get a look at the people taking part, you¡¯ll get a better shot at advancing thanks to your pokedex,¡± I said. I once again resolved to myself that Yolanda at the very least, would be departing for her Journey with a pokedex. If I had my way, I was hoping to get every trainer under our banner to have one. It offered too many advantages to ignore. When the trio started to yawn they headed inside to have their sleepover. I turned, only to find Janine had vanished during the chaos. I shot her a message complimenting her on her mysterious exit which earned me a smiley face in reply. ¡°She¡¯s behind the kitchen counter,¡± whispered Sabrina, causing me to chuckle. I then lifted Sabrina up into my arms to carry her to bed with me. She gave me a soft kiss while cradling Ralts. As we were making our way to my room to sleep, I passed the bathroom door and caught Yolanda flexing at herself in the mirror. Terra was copying her. Sabrina raised my Xtransceiver instantly and began recording. ¡°We are looking good aren¡¯t we girl?¡± said Yolanda. ¡°Tar!¡± said Terra, agreeing. Yolanda flexed a few more times only to freeze, as she caught sight of Sabrina and me in the mirror. ¡°How long have you been there?¡± she asked. Sabrina made her eyes glow ominous. ¡°We saw everything,¡± she intoned. I just winked and continued on to my room. Yolanda pursued. ¡°No! Delete it!¡± she shouted chasing after me. I reached my room and shut the door behind me only to hear a thump a moment later. ¡°Brock! Sabrina? Delete it! Please?¡± I chuckled to myself as I deposited Sabrina and Ralts on the bed. Sabrina sent herself a copy with a smile before sitting up to stretch and join me for a shower. Yolanda eventually left after Greta and Crystal came to find what was taking her so long. Yolanda made sure to whisper before she left. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare show that to anyone!¡± Too late. I considered sending it to her friends straight away before shaking my head. No. No, videos like this you didn¡¯t show and forget, you saved them for parties. Chapter 191 - Friend feuds The next day saw me once more behind the judge¡¯s desk with Joy and Monique. Joy and I were wearing the same attire as yesterday but Monique had gone for an entirely different ensemble. This time she was wearing something that had chains and buckles all over it. If she¡¯d had a sword at her hip I¡¯d have been tempted to call her the raid boss instead of the judge. She seemed happy with the looks she was getting so at the very least she was making a statement. Rachel, Archibald and Gardevoir once again were hyping the crowd and welcoming them to the second day of competition. I noted that Rachel, Archibald and Gardevoir all were wearing new outfits. Rachel had gotten a hold of a jacket with the sleeves torn off and a collar around her neck that made her ¡®tough-cute¡¯ more than tough but it seemed to work. Archibald had lost his tie and jacket while rolling up his sleeves to display tattoos that would have fitted right in with a yakuza mob boss. More than a few people were giving him a lot more respect. Somehow Gardevoir was still wearing the most out there outfit with a jacket where the lapels were huge spikey things that made her look thuggish. She¡¯d also had her hair styled into a greaser look and alternated between scowling and giggling, so she seemed to be enjoying herself. This led to Archibald¡­ a possible gang leader in his youth, to also be happy. Rachel keyed up her microphone as she skipped out to the front with Archibald and Gardevoir to the side. ¡°Welcome back everyone¡± she crowed with obvious delight. ¡°Today is the second round with our sixteen participants for the Battle Stage where coordinators will go head to head in a battle that needs to show style and finesse!¡± Archibald nodded seriously. ¡°Showing results, taking damage and not being artistic can see man and pokemon expunged from the competition! It becomes a balancing act if you will!¡± Gardevoir made a show of juggling and launching small juggling balls at Racehl who nimbly dodged them much to the crowd¡¯s approval. One ball snuck through and tagged Rachel but she worked with the nudge and flipped over onto her feet to land a backflip earning herself some more applause. I smiled and glanced over the crowd noting that today Sabrina, Erika and the Cerulean sisters were in attendance. The patch of bright colours rather drew the eye with Erika and friends sitting in a field of flowers as some might say with how many girls had grouped up. I nodded towards Sabrina before checking with Monique. "We''re still on for the final event of the day?" I asked. She nodded and winked before turning her head to the announcers. Archibald nodded seriously. ¡°For those of you following at home or looking for the more technical details. Each battle lasts at maximum five minutes and the object of the battle is to decrease the opponent''s points more than knock out your foe!¡± He indicated the screen above where two fake accounts and pokemon were shown trading blows and points began to drop. ¡°Coordinators lose points when their Pok¨¦mon are hit by an attack, when their Pok¨¦mon''s attack fails, when the opponent''s Pok¨¦mon performs a particularly appealing move, or when the opponent''s Pok¨¦mon uses their Pok¨¦mon''s attack to its own advantage.¡± The screen showed a variety of such events playing out earning some thoughtful looks from the crowd. Most of these had been taken from Hoenn contests. Rachel stepped back in. ¡°A battle can also end when one of the Pok¨¦mon is unable to battle, called Battle Off by the judges. In this case, the Coordinator with the remaining Pok¨¦mon is declared the winner!¡± Archibald nodded and gestured to the screens. ¡°And now, we shall randomly allocate the match ups!¡± he said. On the screen, sixteen faces appeared. The most notable being Walter, Jessie, Yolanda, Greta, Crystal, Solidad, Bosco, and Zek. Yolanda, Greta and Crystal were all standing together with their fingers crossed. Walter was standing with his arms crossed and his face set in a scowl. Jessie was hopping from foot to foot with a pensive expression. ¡°And the first match!¡± announced Rachel, as faces began to cascade around like pinwheels. Yolanda¡¯s face slotted into the first bracket causing a stir from the people that knew she was my sister. ¡°Yolanda from Pewter city!¡± screamed Rachel, as the crowd roared their approval. I raised an eyebrow. That was rather interesting to have her coming out first like that. The next face was the man who¡¯d come in ranked eighth overall with his Pidgeotto. ¡°Vinny from Fortree City!¡± announced Rachel. I shot both trainers a smile and a nod as they stepped up onto the stage. Vinny bowed to us in time with Yolanda, first to each other and then to us. Then they drew out their pokeballs as a timer counted down above them. When it hit zero a chime sounded out and they both released their pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go Swellow!¡± shouted Vinny. Vinny sent out a Swellow which had me sitting up, it had an extremely vibrant plumage and had small golden bands around its feet that seemed to be the nod to the Tough Theme. Yolanda bounced on the spot as she sent out Spot the Growlithe. ¡°Let¡¯s go Growlithe!¡± The small Growlithe appeared and growled fiercely. I exhaled in relief, glad that she hadn¡¯t sent out Terra. On paper it might have been a better match but I could tell that Vinny and his Swellow were serious contenders and powerful in their own right, from a quick look at Swellow¡¯s plumage. From Yolanda¡¯s grimace she was well aware of her back being up against a wall. ¡°Begin!¡± called Rachel, as both of their points were put on display. ¡°Twister into a Sky Strike like we practised!¡± ordered Vinny. ¡°Spot! Use Agility and kick up some dust!¡± Yolanda said, playing a hit-and-run game by camouflaging where her pokemon was, as the dust cloud caused them to become shadows with Spot further playing into it by barking. The sound of his barks echoing as dust rose up obscuring him. I watched for a long moment before sighing, it had been a good attempt on Yolanda¡¯s part. Vinny didn¡¯t even have to give his pokemon an order, it was well trained enough to gain height and then sweep its wings forward, once, twice, thrice and then the field was clear again. This revealed a rather startled Spot who was doing his best to run against the Hurricane force winds but coming up short. Vinny then raised and dropped his hand and Swellow stopped beating its wings to tuck and dive. Spot launched forward as the wind that had been pushing it back vanished only to run face first into a powerful Sky Strike that had been well executed. They¡¯d even thought to target ahead of where Spot had been. Spot tumbled end over end and for a moment I thought he would be thrown off the side of the stage only to dig his claws in and struggle to stand. ¡°Lithe!¡± growled Spot, as he locked eyes with Swellow. On the screen above, his points plummeted while Vinny and Swellow stayed the same. Yolanda gritted her teeth. ¡°Go again!¡± she shouted, and Spot loyally threw himself into the same move, once more accelerating and kicking up dust. Yolanda kept her eyes locked on Swellow while Vinny just shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this,¡± he said. He gestured and Swellow shot in to blow away the dust. ¡°Now!¡± called Yolanda and right as the dust was blown away, Spot vanished. ¡°Eh?¡± shouted Vinny as his Swellow baulked at the vanishing act. I chuckled. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t get away with this anywhere else,¡± I said, as Spot popped out of the stage behind Swellow with what had to be a dig. Spot didn¡¯t need the order as he leaped straight at Swellow, an orb of flame taking over his form as she slammed into Swellow and caused a blinding flash. I chuckled as Swellow was revealed, still flying with its feet raised and locked in a grip with Spot as flames lashed the flying type. Swellow cried out in pain but before Spot could make it to the ground Swellow swooped down and snatched him out of the air. Spot twisted in Swellow¡¯s grip, trying and failing to land another blast of fire on his foe. Swellow merely continued to hold Spot by the neck, a glint appearing in its eye as it surveyed the ground. It stopped beating its wings and instantly both pokemon plummeted, just before they hit however. Swellow kicked off, which left Spot smashing into the ground harshly and escaping danger itself. Swellow finished off, by beating its wings once again and caused the shockwave of dust to sweep away, letting everyone clearly see its power. It looked rather impressive even if I didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it due to how it was beating up my sister¡¯s pokemon. ¡°Oh! A Reversal plays out with Yolanda¡¯s tactics backfiring!¡± exclaimed Rachel. ¡°Tough show!¡± A small dip showed that Vinny and Swellow had taken a small hit of their points initially, only to have their fortunes reversed by their smart tactics. I sighed having seen enough to know that Yolanda and Spot had been up against very long odds of winning. I tapped a button and a chime rang out showing that Yolanda only had a few points left with those last two exchanges not working out for them. Spot stood, barely there with how he was quivering and shaking, but still pushing himself. I had to give it to him, he was a loyal pokemon and wasn¡¯t going down without giving it his all. Yolanda¡¯s eyes darted about looking for something she could use only for Vinny to not hesitate to send Swellow in once again. ¡°Aerial Ace to finish with style!¡± he called. I grimaced, knowing that it was overkill. I stood, unclipped a pokeball and threw it in one clean practised action. ¡°Shin! Block!¡± I called, and Shin exploded into action getting next to Spot in a heartbeat Swellow lunged talons raised to rake Spot only for Shin to appear between them with his scythe to block the attack only for Swellow to vanish.. For a second I felt my heart lurch that Swellow had still been able to get off the Aerial Ace that late, only for shin to twist and raise his other Scythe This time instead of a physical block however, wall of water shot up as Shin performed a small Surf, snatching Spot up and away from danger. Swellow swept through the point Spot had been only for nothing to hit. I exhaled in relief as Swellow arced around unhurt. I signalled to Vinny and keyed my microphone. ¡°I rule Battle Out on grounds of potential injury or worse had Spot continued,¡± I said. ¡°I second this motion,¡± said Nurse Joy. I glanced at her and noticed for the first time she too was standing with a pokeball in hand. Had she been about to send out someone to protect Spot if I¡¯d been too slow? If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The only pokemon that had the speed would have been¡­ Latias, and damn that would have created some issues for her if people knew she had a Latias. I nodded in thanks as Yolanda slumped, dejectedly. I strode over to her and clapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Sorry it didn¡¯t turn out the way you wanted. It was a bad match-up for you cause you¡¯re not even out there Journeying, but I don¡¯t want you to feel too bad. ¡°I waved a hand towards Vinny. ¡°That guy is a pushing Ace trainer, at least I should assume so, His Pidgeotto is good for a circuit pokemon but his Swellow is really good,¡± I said. He was at least fourth tier as a trainer, not yet an Ace trainer, but he¡¯d be a strong battler at the end of year circuit. Vinny approached Yolanda and I . ¡°I should have gone for a lighter exchange at the end there, I must apologise,¡± Vinny bowed politely and I nodded. ¡°Y-yeah I just thought I could find a way to win,¡± Yoland said with a sigh. ¡°I got Spot to learn your Dip dig trick last night and I thought I could use that.¡± ¡°You did? That¡¯s impressive,¡± I said, giving Yolanda a small squeeze. That wasn¡¯t an easy trick to learn. ¡°Sadly he had an answer for it, you did well today. You¡¯ve shown that you¡¯re growing. Terra and Spot are going to be terrors when you set off,¡± I said, giving her another squeeze. Vinny approached. ¡°Sorry again! I¡¯m so used to battling instead of contest-style fights!¡± he said apologetically. I sighed and nodded. He was entirely correct of course. ¡°Just be more careful in future,¡± I said, letting the two coordinators depart to the crowd¡¯s applause. ¡°I should have deducted more points for the lack of style,¡± I said as I sat down. Nurse Joy rubbed the back of her head having not done so. Monique smirked and preened. It was then that I noticed that Vinny hadn¡¯t gotten away with a perfect score. ¡°Huh, nice work,¡± I said before nodding at my other judge. ¡°Thanks for having my back,¡± I said. ¡°No problem, happy to help,¡± she said easily. She then turned her gaze upwards as the next match was announced. Two very familiar faces appeared. Greta versus Crystal. Both girls stiffened only for Crystal to gain a cocky smile. Greta swallowed and nodded to her friend before marching stiffly to the stage. Crystal palmed her second pokeball and I had to admit to being a bit curious about what she had. ¡°Let¡¯s go Flamer!¡± she shouted, as she revealed a Cyndaquil. I whistled, damn, Georgina hadn¡¯t been kidding that she was going to be setting Crystal up for her journey, with an Eevee and a Cyndaquil she had a lot of potential firepower. Greta swallowed and most tellingly didn¡¯t react with surprise. So, she¡¯d known about this before today had she? I shot Yolanda a look and she too wasn¡¯t surprised. Greta¡¯s pokemon turned out to be a Beedrill of all things. ¡°Huh, she¡¯s that confident in her Beedrill,¡± I said. Nurse Joy shot me a look and I waved a hand. ¡°She told me she only caught it recently, she must have been making use of Bug Type pokemon¡¯s fast growth rates,¡± I said. Crystal twitched in surprise. ¡°Bwuh? When did you catch that pokemon?¡± ¡°Not that long ago,¡± smirked Greta. ¡°I caught Weedle after talking with the Bug catchers. I saw some potential so I went for it.¡± Greta stood tall. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I had to face you, but Crystal? You¡¯re going down!¡± she said. Crystal gaped at this seeming one-eighty from her friend only for Rachel to call the start. Greta slashed her hand forward. ¡°Encirclement method with Poison Sting!¡± she called, causing Beedril to blur and leave after images that raised their stingers and began to fire from all angles. Flamer, Crystal¡¯s Cyndaquil wailed in pain causing Crystal to drop her shock and get her head in the match. ¡°Blow your top, sweep the field with Ember! Limit their options!¡± she called. Her pokemon inhaled before exhaling and causing its back to explode with fine motes of flame shooting up into the air while its mouth exhaled more embers down low. The embers trailed through the air and stung Beedril who twitched and the after images faded to reveal the actual pokemon. ¡°Ha! Got you now! Ember again but do a barrel roll at the same time!¡± called Crystal. Flamer blinked in surprise but did as asked, inhaling and then exhaling Ember once again, dutifully barrel rolling to the side and causing a sort of twister like wave of flame that had me nodding along. It wasn¡¯t too shabby for style. ¡°Drop and Brick Break!¡± called Greta, making her pokemon plummet from the sky and slam a stinger into the ground where it raised part of the earth to shield itself. The Embers washed against the raised shield ineffectively and Beedril remained kneeling looking like a knight with a shield raised. ¡°Build up your power!¡± Greta called and Beedril¡¯s wings began to vibrate faster and faster a droning pitch was quickly achieved. ¡°Smokescreen and then light up the air with Ember once more!¡± Crystal called, making her pokemon exhale smoke around itself before sending out small pulsing Embers that made the Smoke look like a night sky. The crowd ¡®oohed¡¯ with wonder. I hummed and had to give Crystal some credit she was coming up with some nice-looking combinations. Greta however wasn¡¯t just twiddling her thumbs as she pointed to the sky. ¡°Launch Poison Sting up into the air!¡± Beedrill did just this only for Greta to snap her hand to the side. ¡°Agility to the side then shoot the falling Posion Sting!¡± she called. Beedril blurred to the side and raised his stingers once more and fired, resulting in a cascade of spinning twirling purple stingers. It looked like the sky had been flipped with glow sticks and added an air of unpredictability as the tumbling stingers fell to the ground in a chaotic pattern that covered where Flamer was hiding. ¡°Defog to clear the field of Ember but don¡¯t just twirl! Remember! Pirouette to keep any blow back away!¡± she called. Beedrill buzzed angrily only to surprise me as it raised its stingers and spun like a ballerina, its wings fluttering gracefully. Instead of a harsh wind blowing away the smoke, the smoke cleared in an almost calm manner. This revealed a punctured Flamer who was wailing in pain. Greta opened her mouth only to pause and glance in our direction. Nurse Joy and I shared a look and a nod. ¡°We¡¯re ruling another Battle Out, Flamer can not continue to fight!¡± Nurse Joy said this time. I stood and signalled for some applause for both Coordinators with Rachel leading the charge happily. Archibald took over the commentary this time with a pleased rub of his moustache. ¡°I rather like being surprised with how young trainers can perform. They used style, grace and skill all at once. They created a wonderful display while fighting it out I have to say. That Beedrill was also a startling find with its control of the winds. I dare say a flying type would be envious,¡± he said. ¡°Voir!¡± Agreed Gardevoir. Crystal and Greta marched over and shook hands. ¡°Can¡¯t believe you hid that you had a Beedril from me!¡± said Crystal. ¡°Sorry, most people find it weird?¡± said Greta. ¡°Feh! They¡¯re feckless idiots!¡± said Crystal. ¡°Urgh! I thought you were going to be shaky but you were all cool and collected!¡± Crystal sighed. ¡°Guess being part of the Gym means you get used to fighting?¡± Greta smirked. ¡°More than you realise,¡± she said. Crystal sighed and rolled her eyes and hugged her friend. Something was said that was muffled by the hug but it seemed to be positive. The crowd ate it up awwing at the show of friendship. Greta just giggled. ¡°Better you lose to me than some idiot you can¡¯t stand!¡± she said with a giggle. Both girls strode off the stage with their heads high and I chuckled as they received a round of applause with each of them bowing together. Beedrill had surprised me, she¡¯d certainly done well with a pokemon that she¡¯d only caught recently. But then again she¡¯d also sought out the local experts on said pokemon, so perhaps it was warranted. I peered into the crowd and spotted a number of the local chapter house proudly cheering for Greta with banners for Beedrill raised high. Once more I turned to the overhead display only to find it was yet another pair I¡¯d marked as ¡®to watch¡¯. Walter appeared first and then Jessie appeared. Huh, that promised to be good. Jessie marched out with James and Meowth cheering for her as loudly as they could while Walter strode forth with a measured gait. ¡°Fair maiden! I must apologise for the defeat I am about to hand you!¡± barked Walter. Jessie narrowed her eyes, any hint of worry fleeing as she locked eyes with the martial artist trying to be gentlemanly. ¡°I¡¯m no maiden!¡± Jessie hissed as she enlarged a pokeball. I heard a number of women hoot and cheer for Jessie at this statement and Rachel was quick to call the match to a start. Jessie sent forth her Arbok while Walter sent out a Primeape. ¡°Arbok set the stage with Acid Spray around Primeape!¡± Jessie called. Her pokemon unleashed a barrage of poison in a single long burst like a hose unleashed a deluge of water. The poison splashed around in front of Primeape seemingly doing nothing for the moment. Primeape marched up to the edge of the poison and snorted contemptuously swaggering back and forth. Arbok snarled angrily and I could see a glow overtake it as Walter smirked. I lowered both of their points for the initial poor showing causing both Walter and Jessie to twitch as they recalled that this was a contest and not a battle. Jessie grimaced, but was the first to look serious while Walter considered his options. ¡°Advance Arbok!¡± Jessie called, making her pokemon slither forward, an annoyed tick still showing that it was under the effects of Swagger. ¡°Primeape! Use Brick Break and send some rocks that Arboks way with a strong right!¡± Primeape stomped its feet and caused a pair of rocks to be fired off one after the other at Arbok. Jessie blanched. ¡°Brace and use Stockpile!¡± she called. Arbok did just that, standing tall. Then it opened its mouth and swallowed both rocks straight down its gullet. It rocked back from the momentum of the strikes but then came back and made an exaggerated swallowing action. The crowd went silent. ¡°Well, that was certainly a unique method of stopping damage,¡± said Monique. I raised a finger. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if that was Arbok being confused or planned,¡± I said. ¡°I think it didn¡¯t mean to Swallow!¡± said Nurse Joy with a gleam in her eyes. I glanced at her but her mask hid her mouth. She had to be smirking though. No way she¡¯d delivered that line with a straight face. I wanted to remind her that there were children listening but that had most likely passed over their heads. ¡°It¡¯s worth points!¡± chimed Nurse Joy as she awarded Jessie and penalised Walter. Jessie twitched at this sudden turn of events. ¡°Spit up!¡± she called, and Arbok fired back a pair of rocks that were now covered in poison straight into the gobsmacked Primeape. ¡°Dodge with Swagger again!¡± roared Walter. Primeape stumped to the left and right only for flecks of poison to touch it as the first rock sailed past. The second rock slammed home though and Primeape glowered at Arbok. ¡°APE!¡± it roared. Jessie stiffened. ¡°Dive into the poison and use Mud shot!¡± she called. Arbok did just that, lashing its tail and sent forth a wave of mud that was encrusted with the earlier Acid Spray to splash into Primeape¡¯s eyes. Primeape howled with rage and began thrashing about in earnest. When it got close to Arbok, Jessie had her pokemon coil around it and bring it down into the poisoned mudpit. Walter sighed and bowed. ¡°I withdraw my pokemon, Jessie has countered me well this day!¡± he said stoically. Jessie beamed as Primeape was withdrawn from Arbok¡¯s clutches. On the display Jessie¡¯s face grew large with the words ¡®winner¡¯ displayed. She grinned hugely and once more James and Meowth were the first to start cheering for her. From there Bosco, and Zek both advanced with the Weezing and Muk causing Rachel to perk up. ¡°It¡¯s a poison sweep by the looks of things! We¡¯ve had Beedrill, Arbok, Weezing and Muk all taking over! I hope the poison enthusiasts out there are enjoying the show cause their pokemon are representing today!¡± I glanced up to find an extremely pleased looking Janine buzzing with energy among the ladies of Celadon. ¡°And now to close out the round of sixteen! We have Solidad of Pewter versus Argo of Fuchsia!¡± Argo emerged with a confident grin .¡±Seems like the odds favour me today eh?¡± he said with a smirk. Solidad merely smiled and when they were asked to send out their pokemon it was clear why. While Argo sent out a Venomoth, Solidad sent out a Slowbro. ¡°Let the last match! Begin!¡± called Rachel. Slowbro yawned hugely and I felt a wave of something wash over me causing me to frown. That had been oddly fast for a move from a pokemon notorious for being slow. ¡°Let¡¯s go with poison powder!¡± called Argo, and his pokemon began beating its wings and sending out clouds of purple glittering powder, but oddly it didn¡¯t go forwards to cover the entire field instead it hovered. ¡°Water Gun sequence!¡± replied Solidad, and her pokemon responded slowly, arcing a trio of watery bullets up into the air that didn¡¯t seem to even be getting close to Venomoth¡¯s form, where it was sweeping its wings and causing poison to drift forward. Monique leaned forward with a predatory gleam in her eyes which was matched by her daughter, alerting me that something was about to happen. ¡°Venomoth use Confusion to sweep all the poison upon Slowbro!¡± called Argo, and the drifting clouds formed ribbons that began to flow towards Slowbro. Slowbro yawned and the world seemed to slow down as things just got a lot more¡ª a pulse of energy appeared in its mouth and then with only the barest warning, Slowbro unleashed a Hyper Beam that shot clear through the trio of water Guns that had not been aimed at Venomoth, but rather as preliminary target for her pokemon to hit. All three orbs of water burst and caused water to rain out in a shimmering display that dispersed the Poisonpowder as the Hyper Beam punched into the startled Venomoth blowing it away and ending the match with a third Battle Out. Argo stared at his downed pokemon and then back over to Solidad who now had a rainbow forming on her side of the field. I whistled and dropped his points while awarding Solidad for that perfect three move set. ¡°The early Yawn move is a surprise, that¡¯s to lower speed and reactions isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked Monique Monique nodded. ¡°It also causes a lull that turns into a sudden surprise, making it twice as effective as you almost grow bored with slowbro on the field, only to then have it startle you with wow.¡± I nodded. ¡°It is certainly that,¡± I said. Solidad waved and I glanced at the other competitors. With that match, Solidad had just emerged as the coordinator to beat. Rachel led a round of applause before directing people¡¯s attention to the overhead display. ¡°And now! To give people a taste of what¡¯s to come! We are going to give out the next four matches at once!¡± I shot Monique a raised eyebrow and she coughed. ¡°We wanted the surprise for the first match but now we want people to know what is to come. We all have our favourites, so now the crowd can see and cheer more,¡± she said. I hummed and let the matter drop. It wasn¡¯t a big issue, but next time I think I¡¯d just announce the entire bracket format ahead of time. I whistled when I saw that Bosco and Vinny each had ¡®easier¡¯ matches. Most of my attention though was turned to the other two matches. Solidad versus Zek. And Greta versus Jessadia. Chapter 192 - The Beauties and the Brutes of Contests ¡°¡ªon the red side we have Solidad of Pewter City! Can I get a Pewter City welcome?¡± roared Rachel into the microphone. There were obviously enough locals, or those at least in the know, to stomp twice and clap, creating the signature welcome we¡¯d cultivated in the Gym. Solidad, now in a leather jacket with her hair in pigtails pumped up the crowd with her fist punching the air in time with the claps as she walked onto the stage. When she reached her podium the stomping and the clapping dissolved into merely applause and she waved both hands excitedly before locking her gaze upon Zek. Zek for his part looked thoroughly put off his game. I leaned towards my fellow judges. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we should allow this in future, what¡¯s your thoughts?¡± I asked. I idly tracked a disturbance in the green gathering from Erika¡¯s Gym as another young woman joined them only to push her way to the center and hug Erika and Sabrina while nodding towards Janine and other Celadon Gym trainers. Monique shrugged, not noticing I was looking elsewhere. ¡°It is rare that a Coordinator gets the home field advantage and it is something that their opponents have to be ready for,¡± she said blithely. Nurse Joy nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s no different than a trainer fight, so I think it is fine. It might be a bit¡­ rougher than Hoenn contests, but we¡¯re not Hoenn. This is Pewter city and if the people have favourites then let it be.¡± I nodded slowly and shot Monique a smirk, ¡°So if this was Cerulean, or Celadon and Solidad had the crowd cheering for her opponent would you be so ambivalent?¡± Monique huffed. ¡°I would, Solidad has faced worse in other Contests, as I said this is a rarity, and for my daughter, it is something of a treat to have the crowd¡¯s support for once. She will have to make sure it doesn¡¯t give her too big a head,¡± she said. ¡°Good point,¡± I said, knowing how headey it could be to have the home-field advantage. I and my pokemon had gotten used to it, but it had changed some things for me. Such as how Sanchez, who¡¯d never experienced the crowd not cheering him, had been despondent when he didn¡¯t get the usual reaction from his antics. Extrinsically motivated, was the term. Sanchez did better when he had a crowd behind him. I¡¯d also gotten used to the facilities and the way certain small changes led to differences such as the fields outside Lavender Town. The match at Goldenrod had shown me what it was like to have a crowd actively work against you before being turned at the end. If I fought there again against anyone but the home favourite I might even be the one they cheer for. That¡¯d be neat. Still, there were a lot more matches I¡¯d need to look into and I didn¡¯t doubt for a second there wouldn¡¯t be other niche aspects of being an Ace trainer in which I was lacking. Zek palmed his pokeball and locked eyes with Solidad. ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna find me easy sistah!¡± he sneered. ¡°Good! I look forward to the challenge. Let¡¯s Go Pidgeot!¡± called Solidad. ¡°Bring the style! Arbok!¡± shouted Zek. Both pokemon emerged and I had to admit to being rather intrigued by their choices. Zek had a Roselia that had done him well last round with good use of Petal Blizzard to hide in a swirl of pink only to strike hard. The Celadon Gym had been very loud in their approval of that. Pidgeot was wearing a vest with small buckles that tightened around his stomach, playing into a biker fashion. Arbok had a form of hood jewellery with metal spikes and dangling links of metal. Both pokemon looked like they were part of the pokemon cast of Mad Max Fury Road rather than attending a contest. I just knew that somewhere in the world, a coordinator was frothing with rage. ¡°Sludge Bomb!¡± shouted Zek, getting the order off first. His pokemon spat wads of purple at Pidgeot only for the pokemon to deftly evade by tucking its wings and darting low. ¡°Sand Attack to form a wall then use Quick Attack!¡± responded Solidad, making the most of the lowered position of her pokemon to have it sweep its wings and form a wall of sand for a moment. ¡°Get ready to catch em!¡± said Zek, leaning forward, his eyes glinting with intent. Arbok copied him. Its tail curled behind itself and a tension built in its form. A moment later, Pidgeot shot through the sand from a different angle looking to take Arbok unawares. Arbok adjusted and matched it, shooting forward in readiness only for Pidgeot to get off the first hit. Arbok faltered despite the power of its lunge. It had broken the floor behind it with the power of its leap. It spoke well of both pokemon¡¯s training that they had been able to react like they had. Zek¡¯s points dropped away due to the missed coupled with the hit from Solidad landing. Arbok hit the ground only to twist about and lock onto the smug Pidgeot. Pidgeot began to rise for altitude but did so slowly and with its back to Arbok. ¡°Damn, use Toxic screen!¡± Zek called. The snake went from regathering itself to launching a wave of purple fluid over the field in an instant. ¡°Twister! Deny it!¡± Solidad said, and her pokemon began to spin around and around blocking the attack while forming a defensive barrier. The points that both pokemon had shifted accordingly with Solidad clearly having a lead now. Zek noticed that and cursed. ¡°Arbok boost up! We need more speed buddy!¡± he said. Arbok stood and began to shine with light as what I suspected was Stockpile began, a move most notably not known for its speed boosts. Arbok sadly didn¡¯t know such a move so it was nothing but a bluff, sadly an unstylish one as well. I dropped his points a little more. I shot Solidad a look and wondered if she knew that Zek was bluffing her. She narrowed her eyes before huffing, ¡°If you want to make it a battle of speed I shall oblige! Pidgeot build up a Tailwind!¡± A wind began to sweep through the arena as Pidgeot circled, faster and faster as it built up speed. The display was visually impressive at the very least and fit with the theme. You had to be tough to create, or endure a tornado after all. ¡°Now form another Twister!¡± called Solidad, after what had to be a full minute of both pokemon bolstering themselves even as their points trickled away. Zek clicked his tongue and pointed at Pidgeot. ¡°Glare!¡± he ordered, making Arbok snap its gaze upwards and reveal shining red eyes that caused a glow to form around Pidgeot. Pidgeot stiffened and cried out in fear as its move failed. With Pidgeot startled, Zek went on the offensive. ¡°Sludge Bomb again!¡± he called once more. This time Arbok rose up and shimmied as it unleashed a trio of shots. It was lacking compared to anything I¡¯d seen from watching coordinators in the past but I had to give them credit for attempting something. This time Pidgeot was caught before it could escape. The trio of purple gunk splattered over Pidgeot. Solidad grimaced as her points dipped down and Pidgeot levelled Arbok a fierce look of its own. It was no Glare, but it promised retribution. ¡°Let¡¯s play to our strengths, Twister again before going for the finisher!¡± Solidad called. Pidgeot spun once again and with how turbulent the winds were a Twister was formed quickly. The Twister shot towards Arbok and Zek scowled. ¡°Fill the Twister with Poison! Fire at the base¡± called Zek and his Arbok followed the command perfectly unleashing a huge gout of fluid that seemed more like it had become a fire hose with how it continued to exhale noxious liquid. It landed at the base of the Twister even as it advanced on Arbok and a hiss of gas rose. I was impressed with how it turned the blue Twister purple. The inside of that Twister would be a death pit. I had to wonder if that didn¡¯t mean the energy holding it together hadn¡¯t changed from Dragon to Poison. The Twister fell apart to reveal no Pidgeot however and a moment later the missing pokemon appeared behind Arbok mid-attack. Distraction and delay before attacking from a weak point through Aerial Ace. I nodded with approval as Pidgeot slammed once more into Arbok and sent the pokemon down. Surprisingly Arbok stood even after that hit and it did so with a huge swallowing action. ¡°Ah, I see, those earlier Stockpiles,¡± I said, awarding Zek some points to his tally for the foresight he¡¯d had to bolster Arbok. It was keeping him in this fight. Barely, but it was still there. ¡°Arbok! Glare and Poison Sting! Aim for the wings to slow it down!¡± called Zek making his pokemon put Pidgeot back under pressure. Both pokemon continued to slug it out until a moment later a bell sounded and startled everyone. I blinked in surprise only to recall what it signified. Monique wasn¡¯t caught off guard however and she was the first to stand. ¡°Time! The match is over! The winner will be determined through who has the highest points!¡± The crowd shot their gaze up, only to find a blank screen waiting with circling rings where we judges ¡®aimed¡¯ in deliberating who won. Please prepare to cheer for the victor¡¯. Eyes turned to us just as small tablets in front of us showed Solidad¡¯s picture with a small prompt asking if we agreed with this. While she¡¯d gone into the end with the most points, if she¡¯d pulled something we didn¡¯t like, or all of us as judges disagreed with, we could still penalise her. I quickly ticked yes alongside Nurse Joy and Monique. Within moments Solidad¡¯s image appeared on the big screen. ¡°And the winner is Solidad!¡± shouted Rachel, causing a round of cheers. Archibald nodded his head in a knowing manner while Gardevoir clapped her hands with the crowd. Solidad beamed only to blanch and rush out to fix up her obviously poisoned pokemon. Hmmm Pidgeot had done well to not let the poison slow it down at the end there. I keyed the microphone once everyone had given the victor their praise and Solidad had healed up Pidgeot with an Antidote. I stood and gestured to Solidad and then to Zek. ¡°I¡¯d like to acknowledge both trainers¡ª¡± ¡°Coordinators¡±, corrected Monique. ¡°¡ªCoordinators,¡± I said, adjusting my words to the amusement of the crowd. ¡°I¡¯d like to applaud both for their showing. This match is the first that has gone the distance and has showcased a lot of strengths and clever thinking. You are both wonderful¡­ Coordinators and for the first to reach adjudication, I thought it worth mentioning. I hope to see it from many more today!¡± I said, hopeful that the level of skill would continue to rise. This earned another round of applause for them both and Solidad marched over to shake Zek¡¯s hand. He seemed a bit bashful at the positive attention but his friends in the crowd hooted and hollered for him like they were a gang of Primeape. He scuttled off the stage, waving and smiling. On the way up the stairs he clapped hands with his fellow Venom Pack member in Bosco. Bosco descended with a smirk on his lips while twisting a pokeball around. I noted that Mittens wasn¡¯t out and about this time. That being said, it didn¡¯t take long for her to appear as she was Bosco¡¯s to go to pick for this fight. She landed with a slight crouch and a loud cheer from one section of the stands. ¡°Gooooo! Mittens! Rock em sock em!¡± cried a nasally tone of voice that even without looking I could tell was Meowth from Team Rocket cheering. Across from Bosco, one of the only people to advance with the use of rock pokemon stepped forward. Jet, oddly with no home city listed now that I reviewed his notes. He had a much quieter appearance in the first round that had almost been downright bland to get him to the top eight. His opponent had chosen poorly against him, fielding an Ariados which Jet¡¯s Graveller had destroyed in seconds. Today, he stepped out without the headpiece covering his hair. He displayed a much more tribal appearance today, if anything with how he was sporting beads in his hair. With each step he took they clacked. His eyes searched through the crowd with a look of utter bewilderment as people cheered and waved at him. My own family seemed rather pleased to see him as they waved and chanted for him and his ¡®painted onix¡¯. Monique cupped her chin in thought. ¡°Seems the big guy isn¡¯t used to huge crowds,¡± she said. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! I tilted my head looking Jet over. He was certainly solidly built but he was by no means what I¡¯d call big. Then again hanging out with Surge had probably caused my sense of size to be thrown off. ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said, not saying anything and choosing to just take a drink from a handy bottle of milk displaying Lonlon¡¯s brand. Monique was also flying Pewter¡¯s producer¡¯s flag proud but had gone for a cappuccino with the mug sporting a local cafe¡¯s name. Nurse Joy shot us a gleeful look as we both began to drink. ¡°Think he¡¯s going to show us his rock snake?¡± said Nurse Joy excitedly. I coughed causing a splutter of water to fountain out. Monique snorted into her foam causing it to shoot up and leave streaks up her face like she¡¯d gained an unusual take on make up for this match. I wiped myself up and shot Joy an annoyed look. ¡°You¡¯re off the chain,¡± I said, causing her to giggle and nod. Apparently, if you take a Joy away from their pokemon centre duties they get to let their hair down and in our Joy¡¯s case that means she becomes a bit of a menace. When Jet released his Onix for the match Joy giggled ominously and I vowed to not touch my drink for the rest of the battle. Monique ignored Joy and I¡¯s banter as she opened a clutch purse to get a mirror. ¡°Hmmm, this isn¡¯t bad¡­ not great but there¡¯s some potential here,¡± she murmured as she fixed her make up from having four eyebrows to just two with deft swipes of her hand. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted Rachel to get the battle between Jet and Bosco underway. I looked up to find Onix facing off against Mittens the Persian and I felt a moment of deja vu. Bosco grinned, his huge hairy arms crossed over his chest as Jet smirked like he¡¯d already won. ¡°Ha! A normal type won¡¯t do well against a rock type! Onix! Shake up the field and spike a rock as your follow up!¡± Onix raised its giant tail, all along it¡¯s depictions of people and pokemon wove themselves across the tail making for a mesmerising pattern. It was an interesting addition that we¡¯d seen during the ¡®performance¡¯ but now we saw it in play during the battle phase and I realised there was a slight hypnotic effect to it. A quick glance at Mittens showed that she was tracking the tail instead of moving like Bosco was ordering her to do. Was this like an item effect? Lulling your opponent into a hypnosis-like state only to allow you the first move?¡± If you weren¡¯t careful the pattern itself would lower your guard. Thoughts of this interesting adaptation to battling was tossed aside as the tail struck the ground causing a huge rumble and for Mittens to be thrown about with a small shriek. Rocks shot up into the air due to the power of the attack and Onix grinned as the tail raised once more before slapping them down. Earthquake into Rock Throw, not bad. It had style certainly. Mittens didn¡¯t let a little shaken earth disrupt beyond an initial toss however and she accelerated into a blur shooting around the oncoming rocks. Bending, twisting and dancing with an amazing display of grace. At one point she even stopped to lick her front paw nonchalantly. I considered it a rather marvellous flex at first before realising that it was actually Taunt. I awarded Bosco a few points for that and watched as he baited Onix into continually trying to crush Mittens only for Mittens to gain more and more control of the match. Mittens dodged and began delivering Screech after Screech to soften up Onix without taking any more damage herself. Jet seemed to cotton on that something was going on here and went for another Earthquake only for Mittens to leap up and fall on a rock that shot into the air. There was a moment of stunned surprise as Mittens and the Onix locked gazes on an even level for the first time in this match. Then before anyone could realise how it had happened, Mittens was on Onix¡¯s face slashing Metal Claw after Metal Claw into the stunned Onix. Bosco grinned as Mittens landed lightly. Onix toppled with a mighty groan. ¡°I saw a cool cat do this earlier in the year!¡± He then shot out a victory sign. ¡°We built our own method based on that!¡± ¡°Oh, Arceus she¡¯s seen my figh¡ª¡± a hysterical voice was cut off as the crowd rose to cheer out the impressive Battle Out win. With that Bosco and his team of pokemon advanced yet again. I watched Jet frown at his pokemon. He returned it after a moment and offered Bosco a firm nod before stalking off without a backward glance. I made a mental note to seek him out, that paint job on his pokemon had been an interesting piece before but now it offered a potential advantage I¡¯d never seen before. I glanced over to Sabrina and found her staring at me. She nodded, and I felt a connection as I pulled in my dark energy as close as possible. ¡®The body art for his Onix?¡¯ I thought to myself. ¡®Yes it was much more than it see¡ª¡¯ the connection faltered a little ¡®¡ªMittens was entranced at the beginning of the match, allowing Onix the first move despite being slower.¡¯ I nodded. I¡¯d have to seek Jet out later and have a chat with him. I was already interested in him due to his apparent interest in the Crusher Tribe. He must be a history buff of some sort. I nodded to Sabrina and shot her a blown kiss before turning my gaze back to our coordinators. Bosco was making his way off the stage having enjoyed a ¡®victory lap¡¯ so to speak with Mittens at his side. This time Meowth didn¡¯t approach his newest crush. I suspected he was too embarrassed knowing she¡¯d watched his fight and approved his methods of taking down my Onix. I chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± asked Nurse Joy. ¡°Oh, just that I remember the match Bosco is talking about, I don¡¯t think he realised he just complimented his opponent Jessie though.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Nurse Joy frowned and looked over the remaining trainers. ¡°Jessadia you mean?¡± I coughed and nodded. ¡°Yup, her,¡± I said. ¡°She used Meowth like that earlier in the year against me and my Onix,¡± I said. ¡°Hmmmm, they¡¯ll face each other if she advances,¡± commented Nurse Joy. she then gained a coy smile and I knew where she was going. ¡°My Onix is fine, and she¡¯s only going to advance if she can beat Greta,¡± I said. Joy tsked at the missed chance to tease me and I rolled my eyes while Monique lowered her drink, having raised it. Hmmm, it seemed Joy was trying to get her again. ¡°And now! Introducing the Pewter preppie! The last hope for the Gym! But also the youngest coordinator to make it this far! We have our girl! Grrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeta Green!¡± shouted Rachel. I shot Greta a thumbs-up as she marched down the stairs as Jessie matched her on the other side. Jessie shot me a worried look and I gave her a firm look before nodding and gesturing a hand that she was safe. Jessie blinked and tilted her head. I rolled my eyes, waving her off. Monique and Joy shot me looks, aware of the by play but I didn¡¯t say anything. I wasn¡¯t going to get in Jessie¡¯s way here. I wanted her to keep trying her hand at legitimate trainer experiences and she wouldn¡¯t get that if I hindered her on something she was actually rather good at. I eyed the long skirt she was wearing today and the long chains she had around her forearms. It looked like she¡¯d gotten some of her old biker gear out of the closet. Greta on the other hand had gotten a jacket that showcased thorns rather than flowers. It was a nice twist. For both of them it showed they¡¯d grown from yesterday¡¯s pointers about actually putting in an effort for themselves and not just their pokemon. Greta and Jessie locked eyes and I smiled. This was a better match-up than what might have happened if they¡¯d encountered each other at the start of the circuit with Greta having some more confidence after beating Crystal. ¡°Go Bulbasaur!¡± Bulbasaur matched his trainer with some painted on thorny vines that wrapped around his legs. ¡°Go Mawile!¡± Jessie¡¯s pokemon on the other hand had her bangs sticking up in a V in what she must have thought was a fierce style with the tiny biker jacket she wore. The hair reminded me more of another world¡¯s greatest superhero. ¡°I am here,¡± I whispered as Mawile growled at Bulbasaur. My words were lost among the stirring of the crowd. This time Archibald called the start. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Fairy Wind and go on the attack!¡± Jessie shouted, punching forward. Mawile twirled once and looked like it was about to break into a full dance routine only to kick off its leg and launch itself forward to hurtle towards Bulbasaur with a glittering wind buying it forth. Bulbasaur wasn¡¯t caught unaware however and seemed ready with Vine Whip already deployed. ¡°Leap!¡± Greta called, sending her pokemon up into the air and adroitly dodging the Sucker Punch which should have landed. Mawile glowered up at Bulbasaur only to begin to spin up another Fairy Wind. ¡°Sleep Powder!¡± Greta responded, making Bulbasaur turn into a crop duster as he fell to the ground. Fairy Wind caused the Sleep powder to spread about and while Bulbasaur took some damage the light attack wasn¡¯t enough to put Bulbasaur out. ¡°Cheer routine!¡± Jessie called, and Mawile began to flip and shimmy like she was a cheer girl. Greta scowled wondering what the trick was before twitching as she realised she was falling for the distraction and being pulled into Jessie¡¯s tempo. ¡°Shine combination!¡± She countered, as Bulbasaur twisted with vines shooting out and an orb of flame built up behind Bulbasaur before rising up. With how the vines rose with the Sunny Day it looked like Bulbasaur was lifting the sun. Or perhaps¡­ ¡°Praise the sun?¡± I said under my breath. Joy who was close enough to hear me pinched me. ¡°Stop distracting me,¡± she muttered, her eyes locked on the match. I started to look away to Jessie only to frown as I noticed something else building up right where the tips of Bulbasaur¡¯s vines were overlapping the fiery orb. At that moment Mawile performed an impressive flip that carried her over the blighted and glittering ground that might cause her to fall asleep. As she flipped, the horn on the back of her head opened to reveal a drooling maw. Bulbasaur twitched in fear and the action caused the vines to spasm. A moment later an orb of energy shot down and slammed into the ground, just missing Mawile as she advanced. ¡°Hmmm a hidden Energy Ball, clever that,¡± I said. I was rather sad as I deducted Greta¡¯s points for the failed moveset. That would have been a strong combination if she¡¯d gotten it off. ¡°Jessadia¡¯s routine with her pokemon was distracting for a reason it would seem,¡± said Monique. She hid the Astonish rather well and lulled her opponent into a false sense of security.¡± ¡°She¡¯s playing to her pokemon¡¯s strengths,¡± said Nurse Joy with a giggle. With both pokemon in suddenly much closer range Bulbasaur raised his vines like a kung fu master while Mawile smiled innocently and began to twirl about. ¡°Whirlie top!¡± called Greta. This time Bulbasaur didn¡¯t seek to evade but instead whirled his vines around as Sleep Powder disgorged from his bulb. The vines whipped the powder out only for the vines to also act like spinning lashes. Mawile once again kicked hard off the ground and went low to the ground with a mischievous look on her face as she slammed a Sucker Punch home. Bulbasaur tumbled backwards only to slam his vines into the ground in defiance while Mawile skipped back and forth. The sleep powder Bulbasaur had sent out began to descend only for Jessie to sweep her hand and Mawile to swing her head and send out another Fairy Wind to disrupt it, sending yet another splash of glittering powder to the side and away from where it would threaten her. Bulbasaur snarled in annoyance and grit his teeth. ¡°Hang in there Bulbasaur I know we can do this!¡± cheered Greta, causing me to smile as Bulbasur took a single firm step forward aggressively. He obviously heard and believed in Greta¡¯s belief which I was glad to be able to witness. They¡¯d need to¡ª whatever thoughts I had were cut off as Bulbasaur growled deeply only to surprise us as he began to shine. I whistled. ¡°I hadn¡¯t been expecting this,¡± I said, as Bulbasaur shone with the light of evolution. A moment later a much larger Ivysaur stood proudly. ¡°Saur!¡± he roared. Greta squealed with happiness and punched her fist forward. ¡°Quick make use of your stronger bulb with its leaves! Go for Razor Leaf with a Vine Whip assist!¡± she called. Leaves whipped out of Ivysaur¡¯s side only to be caught at the base by the tips of the vines. Ivysaur then began spinning his vines, causing the leaves to begin rotating faster and faster. Reminding me of a trick plate spinner only the ¡®plates¡¯ in question were much more deadly. I whistled impressed at this combination. Now this was something I¡¯d never seen before. Mawile stared in shock at the display and Jessie was caught by surprise as well as she gaped. ¡°Get ready to dodge!¡± Jessie said, moments later as she shook off her surprise. Greta grinned as Mawile crouched in readiness. ¡°Fire!¡± she bellowed, and Ivysaur snapped his vines forward causing the Razor Leaves to shoot forward. Mawile flinched and was about to jump only for Jessie to scream. ¡°DUCK!¡± and Mawile did just that, trusting her trainer. The call proved to be almost perfect as Mawile, instead of jumping into the attack dropped under the leaves as they buzzed above her clipping off some hair from Mawile¡¯s left most bang, causing it to fall to the ground. ¡°Damn, needs some work,¡± I said, as I deducted more points from Greta for the miss. I could see the entire cadre of Celadon on their feet staring in shock at the fight going on. More than a few had their transceivers raised and were recording the match now. ¡°While she¡¯s down! Keep up the attack with an Energy Ball!¡± called Greta. Ivysaur grunted and unleashed another attack only for Mawile to flip over herself as Jessie called for the dodge. When the cut flap of bang on the left side flapped down sadly Mawile noticed the ¡®damage¡¯ she¡¯d taken and shrieked in anger glaring at Ivysaur who met her gaze unashamedly. ¡°Charge in!¡± called Jessie, deciding to make the most of Mawile¡¯s anger. The little pokemon blitzed forward. ¡°Crush it with Vine Whip!¡± called Greta. Twin vines rose and slammed down only for Mawile to dance between them. ¡°Like a jump rope!¡± called Jessie. Little Mawile skipped and shimmied through the lashing vines to get right in front of Ivysaur with a feral grin on her face. ¡°Go! Iron Head!¡± Jessie ordered, and Mawile had no issues slamming first her small forehead into Ivysaur only to continue to roll forward and whip her much larger horn around, also glowing with Steel type energy to slam into Ivysaur. The hit was enough to send him sprawling and he couldn¡¯t gather the energy to get his feet underneath him. Greta sighed but didn¡¯t slump as she raised her pokeball and recalled Ivysaur, not needing to wait for the call of ¡®Battle Out¡¯ from us. Before any announcement for Jessie could be called however the crowd rose to their feet and roared their approval for the match they¡¯d just witnessed. I and the other judges joined them. ¡°What did we just witness?¡± shouted Archibald in shock. ¡°Greta Green turning up and turning heads despite going down! Jessie and her Mawhile have the moves though and they¡¯re going to be the ones to advance! Wow!¡± ¡°Gadrevoir!¡± called Gardevoir as she mimed punching a few times and snorting through her nose as though the fight had pumped her up. As the applause died off the Celadon girls cupped their hands over their mouths and shouted. ¡°Greta! That was amazing!¡± We love you!¡± ¡°Join our Gym!¡± Greta and Jessie seemed caught off guard with the surge of support and I chuckled as Greta gained a red face at the Celadon¡¯s attempts to poach her. When Greta shot me a look I shot her a double thumbs up. ¡°Thank you but I like it here!¡± called Greta bowing in apology to the girls before scuttling over to shake Jessie¡¯s hand. Jessie dragged her in for a hug and reignited the crowd in another round of cheers. Greta broke off with a grin, taking Jessie¡¯s hand in hers and raising it up. I chuckled. I might not have been teaching her as much as I liked but it certainly seemed like Greta had been learning and growing. When Greta broke off to rejoin Crystal and Yolanda she gave her starter¡¯s pokeball, now containing an Ivysaur, a huge grin and a whispered compliment. She seemed pleased and I had to agree with her, getting her pokemon to evolve had been a good result from taking part in this contest. She¡¯d need to adjust to Ivysaur¡¯s differences over the much smaller lighter Bulbasaur but I had no doubts about that. And that Razor Leaf adjustment? Damn! That was good. She¡¯d once again demonstrated that if she wanted to be, she could have easily been throwing down with Ash and Gary this year. It would probably be time to unleash her on some other Gyms. Cerulean first and then perhaps¡­ Kong in Saffron? He deserved some attention. In fact¡­ Maybe I might unleash her on Goldenrod when we went there next. I rather liked the sound of that. Vinny¡¯s match to close out the round of eight was almost an afterthought with how he blitzed his opponent with Gusts that his foe wasn¡¯t able to tough out. Everyone¡¯s eyes turned towards the next series of matches showing up on the big screen. They were; Bosco against Solidad, while Jessie got to fight against Vinny. I rose with the other judges as a small intermission was called before we got into the semifinals. I considered for a second chasing after Jet before deciding he could wait. I instead marched over to Greta to give her some well-earned praise. Chapter 193 - Throw down showdown! ¡°So what are you going to call your new move?¡± I asked when I was done seriously congratulating Greta on her performance. Greta, as she¡¯d been doing since the end of the match it seemed, continued to blush. ¡°I don¡¯t really know, I honestly just thought the move up on the fly,¡± she said. I whistled. ¡°You realise that only makes it even more impressive if you can have Bulb¡­ I mean Ivysaur to whip it out like that,¡± I said. Great flashed me a look only for a softer voice to intrude. ¡°You also have to consider that Ivysaur would have been adjusting to his body having just evolved.¡± Greta, Yolanda, Crystal and I turned to find Erika approaching at the lead of the Celadon cadre. If this was a model catwalk they¡¯d be getting very¡­ I glanced around and noticed more than a few people had stopped to stare at the beautiful young lasses and ladies sauntered up to us. More than a few boyfriends suddenly found themselves in hot water. Amusingly Rachel and Trixie were both staring and shot each other looks before giggling to each other. The soft crunch of popcorn made me stop and look behind Yolanda to find Sabrina, Ralts and Janine watching the show with a bucket of popcorn. When had they¡ª ah that¡¯s a pointless question. I turned back to Erika and smiled. ¡°Think she¡¯ll get better with that move when Ivysaur gets used to his new strength?¡± Erika nodded, her group fanning out around her. ¡°Indeed, Ivysaur will be much more accurate with his new combination move in the future I should assume.¡± She tilted her head and offered a smile with just the softest traces of teasing in it. ¡°So, what will you call this move?¡± she said. Greta coughed. ¡°The¡­¡± her eyes darted around and landed on the group of Geodudes and Gravelers that Dennis and Rocko had performing juggling tricks during the intermission. ¡°Twirl out?¡± she said. I turned away, holding in the laughter that threatened to bubble out. Yolanda shot her friend a bemused look while Crystal tilted her head. Erika merely nodded and clapped her hands. ¡°The twirl out, a wonderful name,¡± she said, without missing a beat. ¡°I shall have to pay homage to you when I use it with my own pokemon. I have to admit that I¡¯m rather looking forward to showing my pokemon the clips from today¡¯s match!¡± Greta stared, ¡°You¡¯¡¯re going to use my move?¡± she said, her voice pitching into a small shriek of elation¡­ and what sounded like a little terror. I clapped her on the back. ¡°It was a powerful move,¡± I confirmed, bringing up the clips on my Xtransicever and showing that while it had missed, the resultant hit to the barriers had dipped them into the yellow signalling a powerful attack. ¡°May I formally request¡ª¡± Erika began to say only for me to wave my hand easily. ¡°Sure thing, I¡¯ll send you the clip of the fight now,¡± I said. Erika paused and nodded. ¡°Well thank you¡­¡± she then fidgeted with her dress before straightening. ¡°Well this is somewhat awkward, but I think I must formally ask,¡± she said as she shot me an apologetic look. ¡°Greta Green, you showcase admirable talent, I understand that you¡¯re currently operating as a Gym trainer for Brock but I was wondering if you might be interested in expanding your understanding of pokemon with Grass types in particular! I¡¯d like to extend¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy here!¡± said Greta so quickly that she cut off Erika¡¯s pitch. The soft crunch of a trio of people and pokemon enjoying the show sounded out as background noise. I coughed in amusement, a small smile tugging at my lips. Sabrina, no, not now, I thought in her general direction. A larger crunch of popcorn had both myself and Erika twitching. I decided to forge ahead. ¡°Greta, you should seriously consider it, I think it might be a great offer for you¡­ in the future,¡± I said, adding the last part quickly as her face began to drop. Greta and Erika blinked, turning to me like I was a source of light and they Sunflora. ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Erika politely. I crossed my arms and stood tall. ¡°Greta, is one of the smartest trainers I¡¯ve had the pleasure of housing. I¡¯ve given her access to a variety of lessons and information, even offhandedly she¡¯s absorbed more than I ever expected.¡± ¡°But!¡± I raised a single finger. ¡°I know I can teach her more, when she reaches the point that I have nothing more to teach her, I will inform her of such. That said, I would love for her to experience different situations and learning environments. So, perhaps in the future, she might examine your offer, if that¡¯s alright for you?¡± I said, offering her an open hand. Erika beamed at me. ¡°That sounds wonderful, I¡¯d love to host such talent!¡± she said. I smiled back as Greta shot her head from me to Erika before smiling giddily. I looked past her at Yolanda and Crystal. ¡°While you¡¯re at it you may as well scoop up her friends as well,¡± I said tugging the girls close. The trio, now standing before the cadre of Celadon, found themselves being assessed. Terra, in her customary position of being held by Yolanda sniffed at the girls only to sneeze loudly. ¡°Tar! Larvitar!¡± she said. Erika glanced at the little Larvitar. ¡°You would be happy with me looking over your¡­ sister?¡± she said. For a second there I was sure she was going to say something else but I waved the thought away. ¡°Yup,¡± it¡¯s important to not just learn your own typing but also how to handle the weaknesses. Grass types are one of our Gym¡¯s strongest weaknesses and Yolanda getting some time to wrap her head around that would be good,¡± I explained. I clapped her and Crtstal on the shoulders. ¡°That being said, it would have to be on the weekends this year as they still attend school.¡± Crystal gained a slightly forced look of innocence that made me raise an eyebrow while Yolanda shot her friend a smirk. Hmmm, was she skipping? I decided to prod Crystal slightly. ¡°Of course, if we get clearance from their teachers they might get extra days,¡± I said, alluding to how Yolanda got to spend so long at the Gym. Crystal twitched and I hid a smirk while Erika held in a giggle, as she read the situation just as well as I had. She nodded to me. ¡°I¡¯m sure the girls would be welcome additions,¡± she said easily. Crystal smirked. ¡°Heh, A.J. misses out,¡± she said. I hummed. ¡°I might ask another to look after A.J. I don¡¯t think¡­ he¡¯d fit in too well with the tea parties and calm atmosphere of Celadon.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know he might look good in a dress,¡± suggested Yolanda with a smirk. I snorted only for Erika to smile. ¡°Speaking of boys wearing dresses, want to see your brother and his friends?¡± Yolanda gasped, her head bouncing up and down so fast I worried for a moment she¡¯d concuss herself. Erika raised her transceiver and showed off a series of pictures from a few months ago. In it, Misty was shown with a gigantic smile on her face while on either side of her Ash, and Forrest were wearing dresses, atomic blushes on display while a few ladies posed around them. I chuckled for a moment only for a bell tone to ring out, announcing that the intermission would end in another five minutes. ¡°Ah, I need to see a man about a Ponyta,¡± I said as I dashed towards the bathroom. I doubted I¡¯d be fast enough to finish this and grab a snack but thankfully I had an assistant for the snacks. Still, I was sad I had missed out on the chance to talk to Jet. After this intermission, there were only three more matches before we wrapped up the contest. ¡°What does that mean?¡± asked Erika. Behind me, I heard the girls murmuring in confusion. Yolanda sighed. ¡°My brother has weird sayings,¡± she said.
I nodded in thanks as Alexa deposited a hotdog and a soda in front of me. ¡°Thanks for that, and have you gotten Titan geared up for the surprise?¡± I asked her. Alexa shot me a thumbs up and I grinned. Joy and Monique glanced at me. ¡°Surprise?¡± They asked. I just smiled enigmatically. ¡°Just something I cooked up ''cause I wanted things to end with a bang,¡± I said before smiling winningly. Monique frowned. ¡°Brock, it¡¯s your Gym and your Contest so I hope you know what you¡¯re doing,¡± she said sternly. I just smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s something I had planned out a while back and have practised, trust me it¡¯ll be good.¡± Monique grumbled at this for a while but eventually turned her attention back to the stage where Jessie and Vinny were being called up. Jessie strode forth with her head held high and a glint in her eyes as the chains, which had multiplied since the last time she¡¯d been on stage, clinked together with each step. Vinny on the other hand remained the same. He noticed that Jessie had gone for an upgrade to her wardrobe while he¡¯d remained the same. He twitched while glancing towards us, only to chew his lip and duck behind a partition where the sound of ripping occurred. I facepalmed as he emerged without the sleeves of his shirt. Yes, it did make him look slightly tougher and could, if you squinted, count as a wardrobe change but it was just¡­ ¡°I feel like I should deduct a point?¡± I said aloud. Joy snorted in amusement while Monique seemed to seriously contemplate the idea. ¡°He is rather crude with his method,¡± she said, before sighing and shaking her head. Jessie grinned maliciously looking like she had this in the bag while Vinny coughed and enlarged his pokeball, straightening up as he did so. Ah, it was just pre-match nerves. Perhaps Vinny was one of those people who got too trapped in their heads only to settle down when the fight started. I nodded, yeah that made sense. Joy pinched me to get me to focus as both trainers sent out their pokemon for the match. ¡°Go! Swellow!¡± announced Vinny as he sent out his powerhouse once again. ¡°Let¡¯s go Tentacruel!¡± shouted Jessie. I frowned and more than a few people broke into whispers causing Jessie to look around. ¡°What? Never seen the true boss of the sea before?¡± she said. Tentacruel perked up at her words and wiggled some tentacles happily. Joy opened her mouth and I preemptively pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°She¡¯s tentacruel girl? It figures,¡± she said with a smirk. I exhaled with a laugh before turning my head to Monique. ¡°Is her choice of a third pokemon valid? I thought they could only use two?¡± I said, recalling what I¡¯d seen from Hoenn matches I¡¯d watched. Before Monique could answer Archibald keyed his microphone, ¡°It seems an explanation is in order. In the Hoenn Contest scene, it is standard practice for only two pokemon to be allowed with trade between matches allowed. I know there are some debates about allowing trade out but that is beside the point.¡± Archibald thumped his fist on the desk in front of him causing Rachel to twitch in surprise while Gardevoir shot her companion bedroom eyes at the show of force. ¡°This is Kanto! Not Hoenn! In Kanto you can use whatever pokemon you want each round!¡± he shouted passionately. Rachel adjusted her microphone, having fallen back in shock. ¡°W-well said!¡± she said, supporting her cohost quickly. ¡°Garde~¡± said Gardevoir as she leaned into Archibald and wiggled happily. ¡°Voir~.¡± Archibald coughed and a blush flooded across his face. ¡°Yes yes, of course, my dear but not here,¡± he murmured. A quick sign to Rachel had her hitting a button to stop Archibald from projecting any details about what was going to happen later. We were trying to keep this event PG after all. I turned away from the whispering pair of shot callers and looked to the stage where Jessie was grinning. ¡°You were expecting my Arbok weren¡¯t you? Well! I¡¯m not just a beautiful woman! I¡¯m also smart enough to read the Kanto rulebook!¡± she said, as she whipped out a gigantic book from a pouch at her side. Joy leaned towards me. ¡°Did you read that?¡± ¡°No, did you?¡± I whispered back. Joy shook her head and Monique sighed, alerting us that we hadn¡¯t been as subtle as we hoped. ¡°Begin!¡± called Rachel, causing the pre-match banter to end and for Jessie and Vinny to make their moves. ¡°Ascend with Tailwind! Blow them back while rising!¡± called Vinny. Swellow beat its wings and summoned what felt like typhoon winds that buffeted us judges. On the other side, Jessie snapped her hand forth having gotten off the mark slower. ¡°Use Poison Jab to hold your ground and get a grip on the ground around you!¡± she called. I leaned forward as my fighting experience warned me that something else was going on here. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Vinny narrowed his eyes as his attack failed to do anything while Jessie claimed the ground around her pokemon with it turning a dark purple that she¡¯d be able to use in some form. ¡°Come in hard with Aerial Ace!¡± Vinny called and his pokemon tucked its wings and plummeted hard. ¡°Swift,¡± countered Jessie and around her pokemon stars began to form before launching. The inescapable attack shot forth and Swellow found itself peppered even after it flickered into the signature Aerial Ace dodge that led to Swellow ramming into Tentacruel from the side. Tentacruel bobbled to the side only for the stars that were still in play, to come about and race straight at the Swellow. Jessie smirked and I leaned forward in anticipation. ¡°Water Pulse,¡± she called, and instead of firing from Tentacruel¡¯s mouth as I¡¯d expected, Tentacruel unleashed the attack from underneath the ground causing it to erupt and a section of the hardened rock stage was launched into Swellow¡¯s back. ¡°Ha! Just because Tentacruel is water-poison doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t make use of the stage!¡± shouted Jessie fiercely as the rock closed. ¡°Hmpf, so it seems, ignore Swift and use Reversal,¡± said Viinny. Swellow nodded and snapped its wings arching itself over and around so that it stabbed back into the boulder with a beak blazing with orange-brown fighting-type energy. The boulder detonated and shot back at Tentacruel like a shotgun being fired off. I hurried to award and remove points as both Jessie and Vinny traded blows back and forth either each other a grin forming on my face as they duked it out. While Vinny had been a terrible match-up for Yolanda, Jessie was strong and experienced enough to match him. ¡°Tch! You¡¯re forcing my hand Jessie!¡± called Vinny. He punched a fist and growled out his next words as a chill ran up my spine. ¡°Giga Impact!¡± Swellow locked its gaze on Tentacruel and snarled as it snapped its wings, once, twice, and then a third and final time before it became a streaking meteor. ¡°What? No use, go for Poison Jab!¡± called Jessie. Tentacruel loyally raised its tentacles and launched them forward with purple energy glinting on the tips only for Swellow to bull through and slam an extremely powerful blow into Tentacruel. A shockwave swept the field and it took a moment for everyone to see through the dust. I wasn¡¯t surprised to find Tentacruel out cold but I was to find that Swellow was struggling. Apparently, Jessie, while losing the match hadn¡¯t gone down without making Vinny pay to advance. Swellow looked worn down and I doubted he¡¯d be able to use it for the next match. I had to give Jessie props when she dragged the fight out against Vinny, sadly his stronger pokemon and greater experience shone through. Which left just Bosco and Solidad to face off. ¡­ after the stage got fixed up. A small avalanche of Graveler and Geodude rolled out from the medbay and up onto the stage with Sanchez bringing up the rear. I chuckled at the small yellow helmet Sanchez had found and he happily strutted around on the stage pointing out the various points of damage. He even approached Gardevoir to talk with her only for Archibald to shoo him away. When the stage was fixed Sanchez gave it a look over before tweaking his moustache and shooting me a thumbs-up. ¡°Go lem!¡± he called, and the avalanche of pokemon all rolled off the field quickly. With that done, Rachel stood. ¡°And in this corner! The rose of Pewter with her thorns bared! Let¡¯s cheer on Solidad!¡± announced Rachel even as ¡°And who should she face but the brute with a brain Bosco!¡± Bosco raised his hands like a pro wrestler and grinned, showing he rather liked the title Rachel had dubbed him with. She must have spoken with him during the downtime. Both of them locked eyes and readied themselves. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted Rachel. Both of them tossed out their pokemon with Solidad sending out her Pidgeot once again. Bosco however sent out a Machamp making me wince in sympathy. Bad match-up. Solidad perked up only for Bosco to throw out a punch and bark, ¡°Style time! Show off with a Wide Guard!¡± Machamp shot its arms out wide to form an X while stomping. Around it an X of boulders shot up forming a pseudo fortress that reached Machamp¡¯s chest height. I hummed and laced my fingers. The brainy brute indeed, Bosco had strategies to counter his type disadvantage and now it was Solidad grimacing. ¡°Feather Dance into Aerial Ace!¡± she called, causing a cascade of feathers to puff out of Pidgeot and drift about the stage only to fall atop Machamp who grimaced and drooped slightly. ¡°Rotate and raise your hand for Thunderpunch¡± barked Bosco. ¡°An arm an entry point liaise practised!¡± he called, and Machamp turned so that at least one arm was pointed straight down the narrowing passageway. Solidad grinned and I knew what she was going to try. Pidgeot shot forward and streaked along the ground coming in low and lining itself up right at Machamp¡¯s face. It came on fast and Machamp lashed out with the lower left hand only for Pidgeot to vanish in a blur of speed. Pidgeot then appeared behind Machamp with talons outstretched. I hummed, not what I thought was going to happen. Machamp stumbled but one hand still shot out and locked onto Pidgeot by the tailfeathers causing an indignant squawk. Then it turned to a cry of pain as Machamp lit Pidgeot up. Both pokemon took super effective damage and I leaned forward expecting one of them to drop. Both faltered for a moment, only to correct themselves and swivel to lock eyes. Machamp and Pidgeot were both worn out but willing to keep fighting. ¡°Rest!¡± ¡°Rest!¡± called both of them together causing them to blink in surprise and a murmur to break out among the crowd. Bosco grinned, however. ¡°Sleep Talk!¡± he called, and a moment later the sleeping Machamp dashed forward, arms flopping as it did so mid-snore to throw itself at the sleeping Pidgeot with what had to be Strength. Pidgeot was knocked back and Machamp fumbled the landing. I shook my head and penalised both of the lack of style. Solidad glanced at her pokemon only to sigh when she saw Pidgeot hadn¡¯t woken up from that. ¡°Ma champ?¡± called Machamp as it blinked awake. Bosco punched the air. ¡°Yes! Nice going buddy! Finish it off with Thunderpunch!¡± This time Machamp attacked with intent and the powerful electric move knocked Pidgeot out of the fight despite the debuff Solidad had gotten off earlier. ¡°Rough match,¡± I said, my eyes turning towards the slowly crumbling Wide Guard Bosco had used earlier in the match. Monique shook her head. ¡°There was an obvious avenue for attack that she should have exploited!¡± I smirked and eyed the Machamp. ¡°Yeah, obvious,¡± I said, a suspicion forming in my mind. When Monique shot me a look I just waved a hand to indicate I had nothing more to say. Bosco happily shot both fists into the air. ¡°HO HA! We¡¯re going all the way Machamp It¡¯s brute time!¡± he roared, much to the crowd¡¯s amusement. He then marched over and thanked Solidad for the tough-fought spectacle. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience! Before the finale we have to get the rankings for the top four! So without further adieu can you please give it up for Solidad and Jessie to make their final match to decide third place?¡± Soledad strode out having expected this but Jessie floundered as she had to push her way through the crowd and to the stairs for her own return to the stage, having not known this was coming. Jessie was obviously still reeling from her defeat against Vinny, in my opinion, but she seemed willing to try her best. When she shot me a hesitant look I gave her a supportive nod. ¡°Coordinators! Show us your style! Begin!¡± called Archibald. ¡°Go Mawile!¡± shouted Jessie, only for Solidad to counter with Lapras. The tiny fairy-type pokemon glowered up at the much larger water-ice pokemon. ¡°Mawile char¡ª¡± Jessie started to say only for Solidad to go on the offensive straight away. ¡°Blizzard! control the field!¡± Mawile suddenly found herself having to cover a lot of ground while giant icicles rained down. I grimaced as Jessie floundered instead of getting her little pokemon to hop skip and jump around like I was expecting. Mawile ended up getting frozen and taken out far too quickly while Jessie failed to find her footing. ¡°Battle out!¡± called Monique this time, ending the match for Jessie who slumped and recalled her pokemon. I made a point to stand and give them both applause leading the crowd in praising them. ¡°Have to give it to you two ladies, you¡¯ve demonstrated a lot of tough spirit today and I want to thank you both. Jess¡­adia,¡± I said, making sure to use her fake name. ¡°I know this is your first-ever Contest and I think this is something you should continue to look into, you¡¯ve got some latent talent that¡¯s for sure. Solidad, thank you for showing a lot of young people what you can achieve as an experienced Coordinator.¡± Jessie smiled tentatively at the praise and I waved for her to come close. She did so with a quick glance up towards where her teammates were. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go anywhere after the final match alright? I¡¯d like to talk to you and your friends,¡± I said, an idea slowly forming in my head about what I could do with the Team Rocket trio. Jessie nodded and fidgeted, giving off the impression that she very much would not be sticking around. I sighed and rolled my eyes. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a free meal and get-together with all the trainers that made it to the top sixteen.¡± ¡°Oh! Well sure we¡¯ll stick around!¡± she said, losing all hints of reluctance immediately. I huffed, shaking my head as I waved her away. Nurse Joy shot me a questioning look but I ignored her. I had one more contest match to observe and it wasn¡¯t who I¡¯d first expected in the finals but I was also glad for the surprise. Bosco versus Vinny. The Venom pack brute against the Hoenn flying type specialist. Bosco once more marched down the stairs and he took great pleasure having the backing of the crowd as he dashed down the stairs hands out wide to slap his hands against others who cheered at his passing. ¡°Here comes the boulder! The brute with a brain! Bosco!¡± called Rachel. Next to her, Gradevoir waved a small flag with Bosco¡¯s face cartoonishly drawn on it. I had to wonder where she¡¯d gotten those from before spotting Georgina handing them out. Vinny came out much more sedately and he grinned towards Bosco as he pretended to box towards Vinny. ¡°So? Ready for your cat to feel my pokemon¡¯s talons?¡± he taunted. Bosco narrowed his eyes before snorting. ¡°Puh-lease! You ain¡¯t worth me sending Mittens out for!¡± he said, as he palmed a pokeball. ¡°Begin!¡± called Rachel, and both Bosco and Vinny sent out their pokemon. Vinny sent out Pidgeotto this time with a faint grimace. Jessie¡¯s match had drained Swellow too much to send it out one last time. I was surprised he hadn¡¯t chosen another pokemon but then again that might be his Hoenn sensibilities playing up on him. The Pidgeotto swept its wings and caused a loud thoom to boom across the stadium. Bosco surprised me again by sending Machamp instead of his Persian back out. ¡°Wide Guard X formation!¡± called Bosco, once again getting his pokemon to form an X formation of boulders around itself instantly. ¡°Oh? Bold of you to think I¡¯m not wise to your tricks!¡± Vinny called. ¡°Pidgeotto! Agility into Brave Bird! We¡¯re ending this!¡± he called out confidently. Pidgeotto glowed for a moment before tucking its wings and plummeting down. Like a bird in pursuit of its prey, it locked eyes onto Machamp who raised its now sparking up hands. Pdigeotto shot in low and hard only to slam its wings into the ground and shoot up and out of the narrow confine. Next to me Monique nodded and sighed but I leaned forward ready for what I thought was to come. Pidgeotto rose up and tucked a wing to barrel roll and forcing it to twist through the air. From there it dropped straight down all while maintaining its speed. Its aerial acrobatics allowed it to approach from directly overhead. Pidgeotto lunged with talons glowing with flying energy. ¡°Clap,¡± said Bosco just before Pidgeotto hit. Machamp who must have been awaiting this very command, flexed and slammed its hands together above his head like the jaws of a metal Ursaring trap. Pidgeotto went from just about to win, to caught as Machamp¡¯s hands slammed together hammering the Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto was caught in the grip of the powerful Machamp. Pidgeotto had a moment to give Machamp a look of disbelief before it fainted as a current of lightning arced through its body, ending the match in one exchange. Vinny could only gape in shock. He¡¯d wanted this match won in one pass, and it had been, just with him not as the victor. I shook my head and watched Vinny withdraw his pokemon. Coming from above seemed like the easy answer to Bosco¡¯s defense, but it was just that, the easy, obvious answer that was in fact a trap. ¡°How? That?! What even was that?!¡± Vinny shouted, waving a hand towards Bosco. ¡°Sword catching,¡± I said, toggling the microphone, ¡°He¡¯s like one of the old Samurai of Johto that when disarmed would catch their opponent''s weapon between their palms. ¡°That¡¯s a myth! It¡¯s impossible!¡± said Vinny. ¡°No,¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s not a myth or impossible, it is just extremely difficult and requires a high degree of skill,¡± I said. I shot Bosco a smirk. ¡°Setting the field helps, I should imagine.¡± Bosco rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Ah shucks Gym Leader Brock you¡¯re gonna make me blush!¡± he said. I shook my head and glanced at my fellow judges. ¡°Any complaints?¡± They shook their heads and I stood and raised a hand towards Bosco. ¡°I hereby declare the winner of the inaugural Pewter Contest to be Bosco!¡± On the big screen, Bosco along with his Persian and Machamp were put on display causing a round of applause to ring through the stadium. When it was time to award prizes the top three placeholders each received a small token with Bosco earning the inaugural Pewter Gym Contest Ribbon. ¡°Oh! This is pretty!¡± he said, as I handed him a ribbon which was a sandstone with granite lines through it that glittered. In the middle, a pink diamond shone and I smiled as he attached it to his Persian¡¯s collar while Machamp posed. Bosco then shot the crowd a huge v for victory. I shot Solidad a look only to find her happily smiling. With the Contest officially over, I had Rachel ask the crowd to remain for a final event. ¡°Ladies. Gentlemen! Pokemon of all ages! Thank you for your attention today! We¡¯ve had a great two days and to thank you for coming, Brock has arranged a special showcase!¡± ¡°Brock? Is this your surprise?¡± Monique whispered only for me to stand, ignoring her as I stood raising up one hand. I snapped my fingers while channelling rock energy to make the snap echo through the Gym getting everyone¡¯s attention and making a lot of people fall silent. To the side of the judging panel, a set of huge doors swung open and a beam of light shone out causing people to stir, as they realised that something was coming. I tapped on my headset. ¡°I want to apologise to Bosco for possibly stealing a bit of his thunder with his amazing performance. To make it up to him, I hope he can take over my role as judge?¡± Judges trading out with the winning coordinator wasn¡¯t how things worked. It wasn¡¯t how things worked anywhere else, but I wanted to have some fun after spending the last two days simply watching. Bosco¡¯s eyes lit up and he trooped up to grab the headset I offered him before marching over to the judging panel with Mittens and Machamp claiming spots at the table as well, much to Nurse Joy¡¯s amusement. Monique had a fixed expression but I soldered on. I knew people would like what I had planned. I raised my hand and snapped my fingers again. This time the speakers began to thrum as an electric guitar heralded the start of a rock song. Then a thump swept through the gym as something big began to move and the light faded as a shadow began to form. People stirred and I grinned as with each step a mini quake followed, people leaned further and further forward as more and more of the shape resolved itself. The first thing that started to form out of the lights was the spikes. All over the giant body spikes protruded. With each step, the shape resolved itself into that of Titan, my starter. The crowd gasped as they noted that Titan was wearing a black jacket with metal spikes. On his face, huge red glasses had been specially crafted just for Titan. I¡¯d taken inspiration from my past life and anime. Kamina¡¯s red sunglasses just worked too well. I stepped onto the stage and this time it was Titan¡¯s turn to leap. He soared like a rock, heavy and huge before landing and rocking the stage. I bent my knees and grinned. ¡°And for his dance partner?¡± Rachel said, standing and planting one foot atop the table. ¡°Who else!? But the Mistress of Psychic Might! SAAAAAAAABRIIIIIIINNNAA!¡± Across from me, Sabrina teleported in with Alakazam in position. I grinned eagerly. This was going to be more showy than our usual fights but that didn¡¯t mean I hadn¡¯t been looking forward to this. ¡°HOOOOOOOO! We got ourselves a throwdown!¡± cheered Bosco into his headset getting well and truly into his role and then some as he started waving the ten paddle around. I grinned at Sabrina who¡¯d chosen to wear the outfit she¡¯d worn when fighting against Will, on her hand the Keystone glinted brightly and more than a few people connected the dots. I¡¯d set up the contest to end with a friendly feature match with Sabrina and I throwing down with our starters. Titan versus Alakazam. Chapter 194 - Toughing it out! My fingers itched and my heart thundered in my chest. My eyes remained locked with Sabrina and I knew I was smiling. For her part, Sabrina was standing with her head tilted in a slightly aloof manner. I knew it to be the method she used when facing trainers, but it was also her ¡®battle¡¯ face. She didn¡¯t grin or become overly emotive. Not outwardly. With a Psychic, emotional control when you fought was important. That didn¡¯t stop me from picking up the glint in her eyes, the twitch of her lips or the weight of the moment. When Sabrina looked at you, and truly put her focus on you? It was a physically palpable experience, and perhaps the true reason she didn¡¯t, or rather couldn¡¯t take trainers that didn¡¯t have at least four badges. A fresh trainer would be crushed under her gaze and have no idea why their mettle broke. I could tell Sabrina¡¯s blood was up just as much as my own was but I called up my rock-type energy and exhaled before nodding towards Bosco who was grinning like a kid who had come down to find that it was Christmas with the presents under the Christmas tree having doubled since last night. ¡°BEGIN!¡± he shouted, and with that Sabrina and I went into action. ¡°Titan! Shake up sequence!¡± I bellowed, feeding an impression to him tinged with anticipation and excitement that was mirrored back to me. Across from me Sabrina levitated in place while her pokemon began forming barriers in front of himself waving his arms like he was working overtime, the actions exaggerated to the extreme. My pokemon merely raised a foot. The crowd held their breath as he paused. He smirked knowing that everyone was watching him. I had to give him credit, he knew when to be a showman. Then, just as he¡¯d been promising, he stomped down hard. The arena erupted as bits of rock detonated around Alakazam and threatened to slam into him only for the powerful Psychic type to levitate out of danger. Shards of rock bucked up and rippled out from where Titan had stomped his foot and with a negligent sweep of his tail he launched the rocks straight at Alakazam, shattering the barrier that had been placed earlier. They broke as though they were but panes of glass. Fragmenting outwards in a scintillating corona of colour made the field flash as each Barrier was destroyed. When Alakazam started catching the attacks and throwing them back? Titan began to duck and weave, a dance of power playing out between our two starters as Sabrina and I stood behind them urging them on and spotting for them. In a way, I knew Sabrina had it easier. Her psychic bond allowed her to convey concepts and plans faster while I settled for feelings and insights. We made it work, advancing as we did, the threat of darkness that began to broil off Titan growing with each step until he became like a dark star, foreboding and inevitable against Alakazam who despite the increasing barrage of rock and stone, was hanging in there. When Titan reached the halfway point I had him stop, bobbing and weaving to evade the last of the returned attacks. The field settled and the crowd took a breath as they looked over the changed battlefield. It had barely been seconds and we¡¯d caused craters and gouges all over the stage. More than a few of the arena barriers were glowing yellow. Titan shook himself out, dust falling off him while the lights flashed with his red glasses, reminding everyone that he wasn¡¯t just doing this, but doing it in style. Alakazam brandished his spoons and the chains attached to them rattled in threat. It was as if two bikers had just spent a few minutes circling each other on their bikes only to dismount and select their weapons. Titan flexed his claws and rumbled low, his growls rippled through me and instinctively I knew I was in the presence of an apex predator. Alakazam raised his chains, making them twirl about him without the typical flamboyant actions that one would associate with someone spinning such uncouth weapons. Alakazma made them look fashionable and controlled, even as they menaced with their movements. Sabrina raised her chin, eying me. ¡°So, do you think you can keep up?¡± she said, as she raised up her hand, the ring of the keystone glinting on her fist. When had she had it refashioned? I discarded that idea for later examination as I instead focussed on her words. I smirked back at her. ¡°Do your worst,¡± I said, making sure to enunciate my words clearly. Sabrina and her starter began to glow as power built around them. Alakazam began to hover higher and higher as the glow around them became nearly blinding. Sabrina reached for the stars and power swept over me as Alakazam Mega-evolved. Like a rolling wave, Sabrina¡¯s expanded power swept over me but I stood tall even as people gasped and cried out in shock. People had spoken about what it had been like to experience Sabrina¡¯s Mega-evolution against Will. They¡¯d called it captivating, enlightening, and rapturous for the few people with a lick of psychic potential. I stood against it, my shadow cast dark and long as the light they had become threatened to sear me. I huffed in annoyance. ¡°Titan,¡± I rumbled, my voice filling the arena despite not raising my volume. My voice cut through Sabrina¡¯s moment as people remembered that I was here. That I was her foe. ¡°Fill the arena with darkness and sand,¡± I commanded, and Titan swept his tail behind him causing a huge cloud of sand to be cast out where it lifted up and began to twirl about. It didn¡¯t shift to encompass the entire battlefield and I didn¡¯t have him raise it up as high as normal. I wanted people to watch what was to come. This was just the set-up. Instead, he simply had it held behind him like an ominous mist that he¡¯d just stepped out of. Only Titan was of rock, sand and darkness. With his jacket on and his glasses he looked like he was at the head of a pack of beasts about to appear out of the dust. Which wasn¡¯t a wrong impression as a moment later more rocks shot forth at Alakazam. There was a lot less warning this time that the attack was coming and Alakazam had to raise his hands, spoons and chains drifting with him to halt the advance of the multiple huge boulders that were hurling their way. And yet he did. Each and every boulder was caught and held aloft. Sabrina made a gesture and Alakazam¡¯s offhand swept across his body in a minor banishing gesture, like one would use to wave off a fly. A familiar cube of energy appeared only to expand rapidly. It swept the field and banished the controlled Sandstorm we¡¯d been using to hide the Stone Edges as they formed up. With this, the battlefield immediately became tinged with a slightly pink tone of psychic energy. I narrowed my eyes at Sabrina. I hadn¡¯t realised she¡¯d adapted Will¡¯s tactic. Around Alakazam the boulders that had previously been held in a static position began to drift, like mini-floating islands. Sabrina stabbed her hand forward and Alakazam made a show of it as Miracle Eye formed up. I grimaced. It looked like Sabrina had all the cards now, but still, I braced myself to dig deep even as my eyes quested about the field for an advantage only to pause on the floating boulders. Time to dare a dream. ¡°Titan, Go,¡± I said, as my eyes judged the distances between the boulders. Titan didn¡¯t question me. Merely beginning to stride forward, the first step in forming an unstoppable avalanche. With each step he took he built up energy around his body and began to pick up speed. ¡°Jump step boulder to boulder!¡± I called, causing people to gasp in surprise as Titan, a pokemon that weighed in excess of two hundred and fifty kilograms bent his knees mid-stride and soared. People didn¡¯t typically associate Tyranitar as a pokemon that had good jumping skills due to their weight. I¡¯d seen Empress and other Tyranitar hunt in the wild though and so I knew that when they were motivated, they could cross significant distances quickly. Titan hit the first boulder and caused it to start moving to the side. When he shifted and jumped to another the boulder shot away as physics demanded of it. Titan barely made it to the next, the only thing that carried him forth was the still-building power of Giga Impact. Titan leapt, jumping from rock to rock quickly closing the distance between him and his high-flying foe. Alakazam seemed to realise this and made a grasping action with both hands. Suddenly boulders began to rise in front of him forming a wall and other boulders that had been knocked away shot back. Titan saw this and doubled his speed, closing the gap quickly and forcing Alakazam to hurry. It became a race of who would finish first. Alakazam with his wall? Or Titan as the invader? When Titan reached the very last boulder closest to Alakazam he held on for a single second, letting everyone watch as the rock began to fall even as he bent his knees, his eyes glinting with menace as a corona of energy coursed around him. When he leapt he was like a meteor flying through the sky, powerful and bright. Alakazam clapped his hands together and the wall he¡¯d been forming revealed itself to be a trap. It caught Titan mid-leap and closed around him. The boulders that had previously been drifting around, the same sheer demonstrations of power that a Mega Alakazam had at its beck and call, suddenly rocketed in, encasing Titan. Despite this, he still pressed on, breaking through the boulders and working his way closer and closer. Alakazam redoubled his efforts, lifting rock from the very arena floor to layer it, slowing Titan as he began inching his way towards Alakazam. Until finally with dust and a huge round ball of rock encasing him, he came to a pause in the air. It reminded me of something from another anime I¡¯d watched in another life. Pain, and his Chibaku Tensei writ small. Alakazma held Titan there for a long moment, showing that he had his foe completely in his control. It was impressive. The crowd gasped in shock at how things had turned out and rose to their feet applauding and thinking this the end. I looked down at Sabrina and found her with a small pleased smile. I shot her back a smirk. ¡°DP,¡± I said. Titan grinned savagely right in Alakazam¡¯s face as he erupted, becoming like a dark sun that caused the rock holding him to blast off to the side. The dark energy knocked Alakazam out of the air and he fell only to catch himself just shy of the ground. Titan landed like a rock, slamming into the ground and causing another quake. Both pokemon straightened and for the first time in the fight, actual damage was shown on their bodies. Alakazam¡¯s mega-evolution faded and he shuddered as he became lessor. I grinned knowing that things were now well and truly turning. Despite that, Titan himself was trembling. He¡¯d pushed himself hard leaping from boulder to boulder like that followed up quickly by a Dark Pulse. Despite the fatigue I could see and feel through our bond, an undercurrent of excitement rose up. He didn¡¯t want things to stop. He wanted to push on. I locked eyes with Sabrina, both of us knowing we¡¯d need to end this match in the next exchange of blows. The titles and expectations of how this match might go faded away as we simply became trainers. Not Gym Leaders. Not Ace Trainers. Not boyfriend and girlfriend. Just trainers locking eyes. We¡¯d need¡ª A loud bell ringing out caused Sabrina and I to twitch in surprise, not expecting it. ¡°And can we all please thank Gym Leaders Sabrina and Brock for this magnificent demonstration of toughness brought to life with their starter pokemon! My! That was certainly a way to end the show wasn¡¯t it?¡± shouted Monique. It took a moment as the crowd were obviously of a similar mind to Sabrina and myself. They wanted to watch us keep fighting to see who¡¯d emerge the victor. I was half tempted to ignore Monique¡¯s suggestion but I knew that would be extremely poor form. I¡¯d already stolen her finale with this little showcase. I forced my body to relax, standing instead and waving. Behind me, Alakazam and Titan huffed in annoyance before they walked up to each other and performed what looked like a quick game of rock paper scissors. Alakazam perking up while Titan slumped down was enough to tell me who¡¯d won. Sabrina drifted over the torn-up battlefield to my side and joined me in waving to the crowd. Monique keyed her microphone once again. ¡°Thank you one and all for coming to this event! Please don¡¯t depart however as we will be cleaning up this mess in here and will be enjoying an after-party once we¡¯ve set the stage right! For now please adjourn to the pavilions where snacks will be served before we enjoy this gathering even more!¡± People began to trickle out at that and I sighed, now properly starting to calm down. I picked a path through the rubble our fight had caused to Monique. ¡°It was just getting good,¡± I said plaintively. Monique pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°You two were going to destroy the stage at this rate!¡± she said. ¡°Do you always get so destructive when you battle each other?¡± Monique said. Sabrina gave the stage a look over. ¡°This is rather standard for fights between Titan and my Alakazam,¡± she said. I nodded, there had been that one match during the lead-up to Lance¡¯s match in which we¡¯d gone into the wilds and wrecked a small hill. From memory, there was a small valley there now. Monique eyed the devastation and the two pokemon that had started furiously working through round after round of Scissor paper rocks. Heh, it seemed Titan hadn¡¯t accepted a best of one series and they were now speed-rounding a best of¡­ nine? ¡°Well you certainly put on a show!¡± chimed Bosco. He nodded to me and Sabrina. ¡°If it¡¯s all the same to you, I think I¡¯ll join my brothers and sisters to celebrate. I¡¯m looking forward to the after party though!¡± he said, shooting us a huge, hairy grin before trooping off. Monique sighed. ¡°Well, both of you will need to have a bath before the formalities begin, I suppose we can trust your pokemon to help out?¡± she said, as Sanchez led a tumble of Graveler onto the field. He saluted us and I nodded back. Sabrina slipped her hand in mine, not waiting for anything else she teleported us to my bedroom. I began to strip and move towards the shower, small bits of dust and debris falling off me. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± asked Sabrina. I turned and realised that Sabrina hadn¡¯t calmed down quite like I had. She gave me a look and I grinned, moving to help her out of her outfit. We had enough time for this.
Misty sighed as the match was called to a close. ¡°Aw, they got in trouble,¡± she said as Nurse Joy and Monique, the judges who had remained on the side while Brock and Sabrina threw down, both slammed their hands on the bells to end the match. Ash and Forrest all slumped. ¡°Nooooo! It was getting to the good part!¡± said Ash. Misty snorted. ¡°You mean the part where Sabrina anticipated Brock and left a route to her pokemon only to catch Titan in mid-air wasn¡¯t the good part?¡± she said. Forrest coughed. ¡°No way! That had to be planned!¡± said Forrest. Ash ignored him, eyes still locked on the television. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we couldn¡¯t go watch it in person,¡± he said wistfully. Forrest slumped a little and Misty clenched her fist, more than ready to give Ash the brain jolt he so needed! Ash, ignorant of the impending attack, shook his head. ¡°Well, there¡¯s not anything we could do, not after losing to Sabrina¡­ and then Kong like we did,¡± he said with a slump. ¡°Pi, pika,¡± said Pikachu sadly. Misty unclenched her fist a feeling of guilt surging through her. She alone had been able to secure a badge in Saffron with Kong going down against her Starmie and Tentacool after Wartortle got smashed around. She¡¯d felt a little guilty winning like she had with her type advantage carrying her along while Ash and Forrest had both crashed and burned. That and she¡¯d fought against Hitmonlee who didn¡¯t have as many good moves to counter her pokemon compared to Ash and Forrest. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he has such strong counter measures against flying types!¡± Ash said, rolling around on the floor. ¡°Butterfree and Pidgeotto should have been enough! And Pikachu¡¯s speed is usually enough!¡± Forrest grunted. ¡°I think I need to shore up some weaknesses. He was kind of¡­¡± Forrest searched around for the right word only to shake his head. ¡°Well my team wasn¡¯t very good against him,¡± he said, settling for an understatement. Then again, Graveler, Beldum, and Onix weren¡¯t the best to use, it turned out. Kong¡¯s Hitmonchan was extremely proficient with Fire Punch. There was a moment of silence before Forrest spoke up again. ¡°It was a shame your Charizard got beaten up so bad against Sabrina.¡± Ash glowered. ¡°I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s such a difference between her and Janine!¡± Forrest chuckled. ¡°Janine¡¯s still in her first year as a Gym Leader Ash, whereas Sabrina¡¯s been established for years now. And if you¡¯re comparing Sophia and Grey to her, then it¡¯s not even close.¡± Misty nodded her head. ¡°Forrest is right. Sabrina makes everyone work for her badge. It¡¯s a well-established fact! You also have to remember that she predates my sisters, Brock and Erika, as a Gym Leader. She supposedly took over as a child!¡± Misty said. ¡°Really?¡± Ash said, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that,¡± he said. Misty spluttered. ¡°What? Why? It¡¯s well established that Sabrina was a powerful trainer for years!¡± ¡°But a child? Who¡¯s ever heard of a Gym Leader that¡¯s a kid?¡± said Ash with a shake of his head. Forrest coughed. ¡°Misty¡¯s not lying Ash, and I did some looking into Johto¡ª¡± Misty shot him a smirk. She¡¯d teased him for days after that Morty, Falkner mix up. He blushed but ploughed on with his point. ¡°¡ªthere is actually Falkner who was the youngest ever to take over from his father at the Violet City Gym!¡± ¡°Talking about Johto Gym leaders?¡± said a young voice before a young looking face as it intruded into their group. ¡°Bwuh!?¡± Ash said as he rolled away from the boy¡¯s face. He was so surprised he fell off the lounge landing on his back. ¡°Ouch!¡± he said only to glower up at the kid who was blinking innocently down at Ash. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Bugsy from Azalea Town and I¡¯m going to¡ª¡± started the purple haired kid only for Ash to cut him off. ¡°No I meant! What do you want?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± the kid said as he leaned back. ¡°Well I heard you talking about Johto Gym Leaders and thought I¡¯d come talk about them! I¡¯m something of an expert you could say?¡± he clarified with a wide smile. Forrest coughed. ¡°Yeah? Well so am I! I¡¯ve done a ton of research on them!¡± ¡°Oh? That¡¯s wonderful!¡± said Bugsy. Ash growled. ¡°Listen, we¡¯re having a private conversation, can you buzz off?¡± he said. Bugsy chuckled. ¡°Heh buzz off, good one.¡± He laughed for a moment only to realise that none of their group were laughing. He coughed. ¡°Sorry! Got ahead of myself, just wanted to make conversation.¡± he bowed his head and stepped away from the boys. Misty sighed, standing and moving after the kid. ¡°Hey, sorry about the boys, they¡¯ve had it rough cause we all lost against Sabrina only for them to then lose against Kong as well.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah kong is much better than I¡¯d heard,¡± said Bugsy. He then waved his hand back and forth. ¡°No problem! If you want to talk or hang out I¡¯m over here with my friends!¡± he said, gesturing to a pair of boys. One had a green cap on his head while on his shoulder a cute pikachu rested. The other boy had longer hair. Bugsy introduced them as Ritchie and Pete only for Pete to rocket to his feet. ¡°Pete Pebbleman, nice to meet you Misty,¡± he said politely. Misty giggled. ¡°You¡¯re certainly old fashioned,¡± she said as he sat back down. Pete rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Ah, yeah my mother made sure I knew my manners and standing to greet a lady is just ingrained into me at this stage.¡± he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. ¡°Misty, are you done with them?¡± called Forrest. ¡°In a second Forrest!¡± Misty shouted back. She turned back to the polite boy only to see that his attention had slid from her to Forrest. ¡°Forrest? As in Brock¡¯s brother Forrest?¡± said Pete. Misty grimaced, knowing that wasn¡¯t the best way to refer to someone due to her own situation. Forrest didn¡¯t seem to react beyond narrowing his eyes in suspicion. ¡°Yeah? Who wants to know?¡± ¡°Pete Pebbleman! My family are born and raised in Pewter!¡± he stood and locked eyes with Forrest. ¡°Care for a match? Your brother¡¯s match has me rather riled up!¡± Forrest shot to his feet. ¡°I was looking for a fight! You¡¯re on!¡± he called. Ritchie chuckled and glanced over to find Ash looking back. He opened his mouth only for Bugsy to jump in between them. ¡°Ah! You! I want to make up for my mistake earlier! Let¡¯s fight!¡± he said. Ritchie grumbled a little before turning his gaze upon Misty. Misty instantly hated the dismissive attitude he adopted for her. ¡°You wanna fight?¡± he said lamely. Misty narrowed her eyes, her gaze taking in his attire and the Pikachu at his side. She smiled primly, the picture of an innocent maiden. ¡°I¡¯d be delighted!¡± she chirped. She knew more than a thing or two about handling a Pikachu having fought Ash multiple times now over the course of their Journey. If this kid was going to look down on her, she was going to leave him scratching his head with how fast she planned to win. The six trainers all marched out of the lounge room along with many other trainers that had been camped up in the pokecenter for the televising of the Pewter Gym Contest. With the ending more than a few had to find their own ways to calm their fighting spirits.
Darren Sukizo turned the television off and nodded amicably to himself. He calmly raised the tea cup and drank down the content only to feel his eyebrow twitch as he realised how cold his untouched cup had grown. He¡¯d spent the last two days observing the¡­ event in Pewter. He¡¯d done so calmly, with all the poise a gentleman should display. And now, the event, or at least the televised part of it, was over. He breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, he could not find his centre. He felt like the world had been tilted slightly and everything was now just slightly off in a way that he could not put his finger on. It was like having an itch that couldn¡¯t be scratched, not that he would ever scratch himself. No, no that would be too shameful. He carefully laced his fingers together and contemplated on what he needed to do to restore his calm. After a few minutes of careful reflection, he nodded to himself. He stood with alacrity, his suit, despite having been seated for hours now was still immaculate thanks to his poise remained uncreased. He strode his way to his desk where he sat and began drawing out his tools. First his inkwell, then his Altaria feather quill. Both items, gifts from Wallace no less, from the latest Grand Contest he¡¯d presided over. Then he drew out three sheets of his personal stationery, his monogram affixed to the top right while a gold leaf border threaded its way around the paper. He dipped his pen and brought it out, making sure the nib was clean before bringing it into position to begin writing. He ordered his thoughts for a moment and then began to write. Slowly at first but then with growing speed until his quill was flicking across the page, all but splattering the page with his words as his feelings gushed forth. He could no longer contain himself, he would not be silent. Not after what he¡¯d had to witness! The Letter read; Dear Contest hosts aspirants, The proud traditions and style of Contests everywhere are a pleasure to see. The men, women and pokemon that work to uphold this way of life are a proud lot. So to see your so-called event, even attempting to masquerade itself as a Contest is a stunning slap to the faces of all good and decent folk! Tough! Tough is not a style of Contests and it shall never be! Contests are about style, grace and cuteness! Not the farcical display that you put on that was all brute force which contained the style of a caveman scratching at a wall for the first time! It appears that the organizers abandoned all semblance of taste and sophistication, opting instead for a crass celebration of the popular! The gaudy! The plebian! You have attempted, regrettably, to create an event that is palatable to a crowd of Primeape! Contests are not the stage upon which muck and excrement are hurled about only to be declared art! Contests are the places to demonstrate the sublime artistry of couture. Instead, I witnessed bargain bin, dumpster diving costumes more akin to that of a children¡¯s pageant! You would have us reduced to a circus of excess and excrement! You as organisers should be held in the deepest contempt! You have abandoned all that it means to understand Contests in your pursuit to be a ¡®hot fad¡¯ as children say! Contests embody taste and sophistication! The nauseating departure from the established norm has left me wanting to pour bleach into my eyes to scour the visions you have broadcast about the world! Only in Kanto, the most backwards nation in the pokeworld, can you march so slowly forward that you find yourselves being lapped in a race of culture, only to then think yourselves the leader! The sheer cheek of it! One cannot help but lament the demise of an era when fashion was synonymous with grace and finesse. Your event was a tasteless spectacle and a travesty that has set not just Kanto back, but in fact the world! The fact that you somehow shanghai¡¯d Howard into this display, and not even in his rightful role merely underlines your lack of tradition and taste! It speaks poorly of you and him, that such an event was allowed to unfold at all! You have my disgust, disdain and distaste! Never cordially yours, President D.Sukizo, Pokemon Fan Club of Hoenn Darren finished the letter with a flourish and collapsed bonelessly, his emotions spent having been bleed dry. Darren cast his eye over the letter and was pleased to see that despite his speed, he had not allowed a fleck of ink to not fall where he desired it. Which was to say there were no marks on his letter. He was not some boy fresh from Private school! He was a seasoned gentleman! He considered the letter once more before nodding his head. This would make his stance clear and allow other Hoenn natives to understand that such¡­ events were not to be considered Contests. That such could occur offended him. The thought made him stop and consider an idea. He reached for the telephone and calmly spoke. ¡°Francine? Call the Hoenn President for me, I want to trademark the word Contest.¡± ¡°Sir? I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s possible,¡± said the woman. ¡°That is not your place to say, I want it trademarked to stop any more besmirching of our ways,¡± he said. ¡°But, it¡¯ll never hold up sir? What will other already established Contests such as Chrysanthemum City call themselves?¡± ¡°They can call themselves a festival or some such! I want Contests locked down to our region and our region alone!¡± he said, his voice growing heated as he was forced to think on the Pewter event. ¡°Oh and I have a letter for you to mail off, see that it is sent to the Pewter Gym Leader,¡± he said. ¡°Mail it with our red envelopes,¡± he said. He then hung up and laced his fingers together. ¡°How Howard could allow that to happen,¡± he said with a shake of his head. Darren glanced around for a moment before nodding to himself and sending out his companion pokemon. ¡°Poreon?¡± said Candy the Vaporeon. Darren felt himself relax a little more as his eyes took in his companion. Yes, Howard obviously had poorer tastes than he¡¯d been led to believe. Who would settle for a Gardevoir when there were more beautiful pokemon to appreciate?
The computer laboratory was not filled with the usual soft click-clack of keyboards but instead the pounding of letters into place. Daisy Oak hammered at the keyboard as though it owed her money. She missed out on a lecture to assist with a friend¡¯s pokemon and she was drawn and quartered! Usually, people fell over themselves to help her due to her status as Samuel Oak¡¯s granddaughter. Typically she always rebuffed them, like she¡¯d been taught to do. She didn¡¯t coast along on her grandfather¡¯s accomplishments. So, she found it extremely vexing when the opposite occurred and he became a victim of her lecturer¡¯s hatred for her grandfather. If she misplaced a comma? A full grade point drop. If she made an error in her referencing? Another! She¡¯d had to request a secondary examination of her assessment no less than three times this term! The Dean had ended up coming down on the man, but the stilted hateful little excuse of excrement that was professor Jade, still found ways to get at her. He¡¯d specifically performed a spot quiz after doing a roll call for his class. It had been telling that the second he¡¯d seen that she wasn¡¯t there he¡¯d locked the door and announced it according to her friends. The man was a spiteful sack of Spearow droppings if there ever was one. When she¡¯d come back to the campus she¡¯d found him gloating over her failure to attend the quiz which had outright cost her ten percent of her grade. Which incidentally was the highest he could get away with for a spot quiz. It was still enough to potentially sink her chances at being Dux of her class, and even possibly deny her the honours program at the university she was vying for. Thankfully she had great friends, they¡¯d all approached the Dean on her behalf and asked for exemption only for Professor Jade to kick up a stink. The man couldn¡¯t be fired easily due to tenure, which as far as Daisy could tell was a con that old professors came up with to never have to do anything new with their lives and to keep collecting a pay cheque. There needed to be a compromise. She could resit the test, something Jade had denied due to her ¡®getting the chance to learn about the questions through her friends and cheating¡¯, so she couldn¡¯t do that. Instead Jade had demanded that she complete another assignment on the impacts of different grass on the ecology of route seven. It was mind numbing work. Worse, it had cost her the chance to attend the Pewter Contest, something she had been looking forward to for months now. She rubbed at her eyes, annoyed with how this had cut into her sleep. She still had to do another test at the end of the term and an assignment that was meant to build onto their honours study program, but she didn¡¯t have an idea what to research despite only having four weeks left of term. A buzz on her wrist had her blearily sweeping at it without really checking the caller ID. ¡°Yeah?¡± she said blearily, as she checked the spelling of her assignment for the third and hopefully final time. ¡°Daisy! I hope now''s not a bad time, I wanted your take on the Contest that just wrapped up? I only got to watch a little of it myself! Gary and Ash have been rather busy with catching a few pokemon of late and I needed all hands on deck!¡± ¡°I¡­ haven¡¯t had the chance to see it,¡± she admitted. Something in her voice must have given away how miserable she was right now. ¡°Daisy? What''s wrong? Why haven¡¯t you seen it? I thought you loved Contests?¡± he said, his tone laced with worry and also a hint of fear. Did he think for a moment that he didn¡¯t know her as well as he thought? She had a moment like that years ago, when she¡¯d been a young teenager. Now though? ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just¡­ have some assessments I let get away on me,¡± she said, hiding her grimace. Her excuse sounded weak even for her. Grandfather searched her face and a flicker of something dark flashed across it for a moment. ¡°I will be with you in a moment,¡± he said, hanging up. Daisy sighed feeling like she¡¯d just failed in some way to be tough enough, to soldier on. A moment later Grandfather appeared with Cherie in tow. ¡°Daisy,¡± greeted Grandpa, his tone soft and careful. Daisy slumped. ¡°Sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t want to bother you,¡± she said. He hugged her and kissed her head like he had done when she was a little girl. ¡°You will never be a bother for me. Can you tell me what¡¯s wrong? Please? I¡¯m scared?¡± he said. The admission that the great Samuel Oak, more than anything else he could have said to Daisy, shattered her resolve to keep her situation a secret. The idea of her growing distant with him had been a fear he¡¯d announced to hear when she¡¯d been a teenager and that it was resurfacing now said lots. ¡°Well it¡¯s just this silly little man that¡ª¡± she began to explain her situation and her grandfather and his aide sat and listened. When she was done Grandfather nodded, squeezing her into his side. ¡°You inspire me, but you also make me laugh. It¡¯s not a weakness to have others help you when things are tough. It¡¯s the very thing I try to research between us and pokemon, but so often the bonds between humans can be overlooked. Can I handle this for you?¡± he asked carefully. Daisy nodded her head feeling small and hating herself for it. Grandfather stood, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be just a minute. Cherie can you¡­ keep her company?¡± he said. When Cherie nodded he turned and marched off, for all intents and purposes on a warpath. Cherie didn¡¯t hug her, instead, she remained off to the side shifting back and forth. For a moment Daisy wondered why grandfather had brought the woman. Cherie sighed explosively. ¡°Cunning old man,¡± she muttered before locking eyes with Daisy. ¡°I was in an abusive relationship for a while¡­ The whole thing could have been resolved easily but the girl doing it to me was clever enough to trip me up, make me think it was weak to go to others or tell my story. People that abuse others, they thrive when you don¡¯t speak up and tell people.¡± ¡°I did tell the Dean,¡± Daisy said. ¡°And he did nothing?¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t do anything because of Professor Jade¡¯s tenure, he did suggest getting Grandfather but¡­ it seemed so petty and I don¡¯t like having to do that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re more than just your grandfather¡¯s grandkid,¡± summarised Cherie with a nod. Daisy frowned. Somehow hearing it said that way both supported her argument and didn¡¯t. A moment later a huge beam of energy cut through the sky. Cherie and Daisy glanced at it before turning to each other. Then they both broke out into giggles. ¡°So much for Professor Jade¡¯s Tenure,¡± said Cherie. Daisy smiled, knowing that things would be fine now. She glanced at the assignment and huffed. She felt a bit annoyed she¡¯d wasted her weekend on this now. Still, things were looking up for her now. When her grandfather returned he nodded. ¡°Save that file and forward it to your Dean,¡± he said. Daisy raised an eyebrow, ¡°What if I¡¯m not done with it?¡± Grandfather raised an eyebrow back. ¡°You¡¯re just being overly meticulous with your editing, I know my granddaughter,¡± he said firmly. Daisy could only smile. He wasn¡¯t wrong. She could feel her bond firm up with her Grandfather. She did as asked and a moment later Grandpa¡¯s Alakazam appeared to Teleport them back home. Grandpa had her sit in the lounge. The television was still on with the anchors of Battlecast talking about the highlights of the Pewter Contest with more than a few people raving about the showpiece of Brock versus Sabrina. Daisy felt a spike of annoyance at Professor Jade before it resolved into satisfaction. She hadn¡¯t known he forced her to miss that sort of match. Thankfully he¡¯d gotten his comeuppance. Daisy blinked when Grandfather bustled in with a teapot and cookies only to pause when he realised the coffee table was overflowing with papers like usual. Daisy scooped them up and cast an eye over them, only to pause as a business proposal stood out to her. ¡°Mega Corp? The Corporation for Mega Stone investigation. Interest for researchers with environmental factors sought along with investors¡­¡± Daisy read aloud. ¡°Oh yes! It¡¯s an initiative created by Brock.¡± said Grandfather, casually while settling himself down and sipping his tea. Daisy knew him well enough to know that he was hiding a smile behind his cup. Had he swooped in, fixed her problems. Only to then snatch her up for another project? ¡°Mega Corp?¡± questioned Daisy tasting the name and what that might mean. She felt her mind begin to tick for certain possibilities. ¡°Oh yes! Brock is starting up an Indigo company looking specifically into finding locations for Mega Stones. Sabrina is investing in it, as is Lance,¡± Grandfather said casually. ¡°I¡¯m putting together a team though.¡± He lowered his cup to smile innocently at her. ¡°Are you interested?¡±. ¡°Can you tell me more first?¡± she said. Hmmm, perhaps she did have an interesting line of study for her honours program that she could salvage? Working with Brock, Lance, and Sabrina just as the initial investors sounded like a very promising start. Chapter 195 - Job offer After Sabrina¡¯s and my dalliance, I showered and wandered back to the Gym, only to be directed to the front fair-ground area. Apparently we¡¯d been a bit too successful with our Tough showcase and it wasn¡¯t advised to hold a party in the Gym any more. Thankfully we had the pavilions set up already. I entered the front pavilion to find a very loud party well and truly underway. Monique must have been waiting for me, as she stood on the side, watching the chaos that was unfolding with a bemused look on her face. ¡°This is not how I imagined the afterparty would be,¡± I said to Monique. She could only nod stoically as we both openly stared. ¡°Bosco¡¯s number one!¡± screamed a rowdy biker as he shook up a can of lemonade and sprayed it onto Bosco like I¡¯d seen people do in Formula One victories in my past life. Did giant cans of soda exist that could be used instead? I tabled that thought and instead watched as the giant biker shook and sprayed what amounted to lemonade around on his friends. ¡°Number oooooooooone!¡± Bosco shouted as three other people began spraying him with the provided free lemonade. The sight of a biker spraying lemonade alone was disconcerting enough, but it wasn¡¯t limited to just one of them. They were all taking turns to slam cans of non-alcoholic drinks together and throw them back with long glugs. They then belched loudly, laughing and cheering as they went. This was supposed to be a calm and collected after-party. Sort of like after Erika¡¯s events. One of the bikers had challenged a group of girls to an eating contest with him, out-eating all of them only for Munchlax to be called up by Yolanda. Munchlax took one look at the situation and joined the team of girls, allowing them to turn the tables on the big guy. ¡°Hooray Munchlax!¡± the girls called as they tried and failed to lift the satisfied little pokemon. ¡°I was expecting a little more decorum,¡± Monique said, watching another incident of what I could only deem a sugar high, as Vinny was trying and failing to flirt with Officer Jenny. Vinny didn¡¯t seem to realise that his bragging of how fast he could fly was resulting in Jenny writing him a speeding ticket and not her number. ¡°They¡¯re certainly spirited,¡± I said, as Vinny gave a loud shriek as he realised what he¡¯d done. Jenny laughed though and tore the ticket up to show she was joking before walking away. ¡°Rambunctious is what I¡¯d call it,¡± Monique said, as a cluster of bikers that had been watching Vinny burst into laughter. ¡°You¡¯re surprised about this?¡± said a new voice. ¡°Really? In Pewter?¡± asked Nurse Joy, her face mask now hanging off one ear so she could enjoy a plate of hors d''oeuvres. ¡°You both need to get out more,¡± she said with the air of one that did in fact get out. I hummed noncommittally, noticing the caterers furiously restocking the tables even as people tried to intercept them. ¡°Guess I find my own mischief enough of the time,¡± I said. Joy shrugged before dainty wiping at the side of her mouth with a napkin. ¡°The Pewter locals are always a bit more boisterous, and while we have the stylings of a fancy party with this garden set up, we don¡¯t have the people that would be that classy,¡± she said. She then shot me a smirk. ¡°So? Where¡¯s Sabrina?¡± she said, pointedly looking around. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ resting, the day has been rather exhausting for her,¡± I said, alluding to Sabrina¡¯s lower tolerance for crowds with her psychic ability. Nurse Joy chose not to take it that way. ¡°Heh, tired her out, eh? Well good for both of you,¡± she said, wiggling her eyebrows. I coughed and blushed a little. She wasn¡¯t wrong, and I had to repress the smirk. Sabrina might have many wonderful skills, but she lacked the physical endurance I had, which meant only one of us was up and about right now. I decided not to say anything about that though, and instead looked around. It was true that I¡¯d copied the idea from Erika¡¯s matches, but the ¡®rock garden¡¯ with the barbecues and chefs being on display gave the entire event a much more relaxed air. It was like being at a friend¡¯s barbeque with how everyone was talking and laughing. You had the normal niche groups, but I could see more than a few people crossing over to trade stories and intermingle, making the entire thing a bit of a social melting pot. ¡°I suppose we should have expected this,¡± I said, as another spray of lemonade shot into the air.¡°Aren¡¯t we serving alcohol as well?¡± I asked. Monique nodded, gesturing to the fenced-off area where a few people were looking amused that the majority of people were enjoying themselves more with their sugary drinks. Nurse Joy giggled. ¡°The Venom Pack don¡¯t drink because they want to be able to ride their crotch rockets home!¡± Monique coughed as I wheezed a laugh at Nurse Joy¡¯s descriptor for their bikes. ¡°How responsible of them,¡± I said, before excusing myself. I moved to the side to check on my Crystal Onix while also releasing Link, Gawain, Bertha and Jormungandr. Sanchez, who¡¯d been rolling around enjoying himself, quickly approached, while Titan waved at Bertha who gasped dramatically at Titan¡¯s ¡®tough¡¯ look. My Crystal Onix welcomed them with a loud roar. Onix¡¯s roar caused the crowd to fall silent and had people turn towards me. Whoops, now people were looking at me like they expected a speech. Time to think quick! Could I have Sanchez give them the old one-two? He¡¯d love that! No? What about having Bertha perform a magical¡­ no, that was a terrible idea! Damn! Speech it was then! ¡°I¡¯d like to thank everyone who took part as Coordinators as well as their pokemon for their help. I would also like to give a special shout out to our announcers Rachel Raul, Archibald, and Gardevoir, who made this event so much more enjoyable!¡± Archibald seemed pleased at the praise, or perhaps it was just that I made sure to include Gardevoir, who waved to the crowd like a famous celebrity might. ¡°I must also thank everyone on the Gym Staff, the catering team, and the clean-up crew that has yet to start, who will no doubt be vital to getting the Gym back to normal operation tomorrow for trainers!¡± I made sure to give a wide range of thanks to everyone, before lavishing it on my fellow judges for their work. ¡°Lastly, thank you to all the people who came to spectate, cheer and enjoy, making this first Pewter Contest a rousing success!¡± I then raised a can of lemonade, ignoring how silly I felt for doing it, and took a drink in thanks. I punched the air. ¡°With that said, let¡¯s party!¡± I shouted, causing a round of cheers and hoots as everyone restarted the party. ¡°Excellent work,¡± Monique and Joy said as they came up to me. ¡°And thank you for letting us be judges! It was everything I hoped for!¡± Monique added. Nurse Joy just giggled and nodded along. Monique shot me a look. ¡°So, can we schedule next year¡¯s event directly?¡± she said, I chuckled and nodded. Monique did a little trot that I interpreted as her ¡®happy dance¡¯. "Oh, next year will be bigger! We will bring in some local talent with bands!" "Rock bands!" chimed in Nurse Joy. "And have fire spouts! Lots of them!" said Monique, as she bounced ideas off Nurse Joy, only for them to both grow more excited with each idea. I hummed, deciding I needed something to calm them down. I reached into my pocket, drawing out something I¡¯d held in reserve for each of them. ¡°This is also the thank you gift for serving as Judges alongside me,¡± I said, handing them an envelope each. ¡°Oooooh? What is it?¡± asked Joy as she expertly flicked open the envelope with a nail. Inside each envelope, a voucher for a visit to a day spa rested. ¡°I did a bit of looking around and the Rocky Springs Day Spa has the best reviews, along with the best word of mouth,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± said Monique, as she stared at the giant golden ticket with the words ¡®all-inclusive¡¯ in large bold text. Nurse Joy fanned her face with the ticket. ¡°Damn, showing a girl a good time isn¡¯t a one-off for you, is it?¡± she said while biting her lip. I blinked in surprise and she giggled. ¡°Sorry, couldn¡¯t resist, seriously thanks though! These are, wow, really nice!¡± she said, eyeing the ticket with a very pleased look. I nodded slowly only for Monique and Joy to continue to gush over the voucher. Huh, if they were that good, maybe I¡¯d have to look into going myself? I made a note to book myself and Sabrina in. If it was good enough for them to be this happy¡­ Well, I think I wanted that. My pokemon had garnered a lot of attention with their entry, but now they were happily mingling with other pokemon. I was surprised when I noticed Bertha and Titan locked in a discussion with Archibald and Gardevoir. He seemed to be looking them both over with an appreciative eye and Bertha looked like an innocent maiden as she batted at the air playfully at something Gardevoir had said. I decided to leave them to it, they were safe enough with the Chairman, he loved pokemon, after all. I paused and reconsidered the phrasing of that statement, and gave the group another look over. Bertha was flexing in front of Gardevoir and getting praise, it seemed. Titan was laughing at something said, and I hummed. Nah, it was fine. I looked around, spotting more and more familiar faces. Sadly the face I wanted to talk with right now wasn¡¯t in the crowd. It seemed like Jet, the Crusher cosplayer, hadn¡¯t stuck around. Shame. I would have loved to discuss his Onix body paint style and its impact on the fight. With Jet not around and therefore not an option, I turned instead towards the trio that I very much hadn¡¯t been expecting to find here. I walked up to the buffet table where Jessie was receiving a good deal of praise for her showing. Next to her Arbok, Tentacruel, and Mawile were wiggling with joy as they stuffed their faces. James and Meowth were themselves shovelling food into their mouths with a certain desperation, but they paused enough times to shoot Jessie amused looks. ¡°¡ªsaid that we were due for some good luck! And I can¡¯t think of anything better than having a full stomach right now!¡± said James. Meowth swallowed. ¡°I can, we gonna sleep in a bed tonight?¡± James and Jessie wilted and I raised an eyebrow in surprise. What was going on here? I eyed the group and noticed that their little pity party, and probably their table manners, had caused a wide bubble of space around them. ¡°Seems like a good place for me to insert myself into the conversation, then,¡± I said, grabbing a chair and plonking it down next to James, invading their bubble. He stiffened, causing food to get caught in his throat. He flailed and started to choke. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m not here to do anything like you¡¯re thinking,¡± I said, slapping him on the back and dislodging the food. James gasped and took a quick drink to settle his nerves. Jessie shifted so that she was slightly in front of James while he regathered himself. ¡°What are you here for, Gym Leader?¡± ¡°Mostly to talk with you, I thought with your last appearance and my¡­ well perhaps short-sighted warning, that you might not have ever come around,¡± I made a show of looking around. ¡°And yet here you are. Do you like Contests that much?¡± I asked. Jessie squirmed. ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure until today, but Mawile wanted to give it a go and I couldn¡¯t say no to her,¡± she said, shooting her pokemon an exasperated but still happy smile. ¡°Hmmm, rare find that, have you had her long?¡± I asked, curious, as Mawile happily took a big bite of food only for Jessie to wipe her face with a napkin. Mawile giggled and nuzzled Jessie¡¯s hand before Jessie could retract it. ¡°Not long,¡± James said before coughing. ¡°Not that you wouldn¡¯t know that,¡± he said with a slightly snide tone. I blinked before I realised what he was alluding to. Had he thought I was watching them? I rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say that you haven¡¯t been a factor for me, I¡¯ve been rather involved in¡­ a lot,¡± I said simply. James, Jessie, and Meowth blinked and stared at me. I stared back, feeling like I was missing something, but unsure what. ¡°You haven¡¯t been keeping tabs on us?¡± Meowth asked carefully, his words tentative as if he were probing murky waters with a stick from as far away as he could. I chuckled. ¡°Meowth, since we last spoke¡­ I''ve had to deal with Ace Trainer Will probing my Gym with multiple other Ace trainers, the remnants of the trainer surge, establishing multiple training programs for the trainers under my purview, and deal with Team Rocket multiple times before busting them down.¡± I gave them a pointed look that would say more than any words that I knew what I was talking about with such a statement, ¡°All of that? On top of running a gym, juggling my family and dealing with the whole issue of¡­¡± I trailed off, I¡¯d been about to say something about Flint, but this wasn¡¯t the right crowd of people to talk about that. Or perhaps it was? Jessie, James and Meowth could be surprisingly empathetic when it came down to it. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. I decided to leave it at that though, and just shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s been more in there, like dealing with the Mt. Silver issue, but yeah, I haven¡¯t been stalking you,¡± I said. Jessie, James, and Meowth all blinked at this. Then, as one, they slumped and exhaled. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief!¡± said James with relief. ¡°Urgh! We¡¯re such small karp!¡± said Jessie with a put-upon expression. ¡°I want to demand that I get back all the beauty sleep I missed ¡®cause of the stress I¡¯ve been dealing with!¡± Meowth said as he tugged on his whiskers. I chuckled at their different reactions and waved off the heated look Meowth gave me. ¡°Hey, that was entirely your own doing. Don¡¯t lay that at my feet,¡± I said. ¡°Well I¡¯m gonna!¡± said Meowth, crossing his arms and pouting. I merely rolled my eyes at him. ¡°What were you talking about with your lack of a roof over your head tonight?¡± I prompted. The trio shared a look with each other and then all scratched at the back of their heads as one. ¡°Well, you see,¡± they all started to say together, before they each diverged with the story that meandered around only to bump into the others or contradict what one of them had just said. Jessie realised this and quickly shut up Meowth and James before coughing into her fist. ¡°Through a series of unfortunate and totally unrelated events!¡± she said, giving Meowth and James pointed looks to shut up, before continuing. ¡°We find that we¡¯ve rather used up all our reserves of cash, and our supplies and camping gear have been damaged.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rather a shame,¡± said James. ¡°But we¡¯ll be back on our feet within the week.¡± Meowth nodded. ¡°Yeah, this used to be a weekly event for us!¡± he said, like that was something to be proud of. Jessie facepalmed. Meowth shot her a look. ¡°Hey? What? It¡¯s a good thing we¡¯ve been able to go three months without this happening! And it took James falling for that Magikarp salesman, you buying that outfit and losing to those creeps, and well, I did nothing wrong,¡± he said shamelessly. Jessie and James shot him furious looks. ¡°You were the one in charge of our bags when that Raticate swarm came out of the grass!¡± they snarled together. Meowth shook his head. ¡°I refuse to take responsibility for that! One of you should have left a pokemon with me instead of going off to bathe in the creek like that! Don¡¯t you know what sort of diseases you can pick up washing like that?¡± he said seriously. I nodded along. ¡°You should take a camper shower if you¡¯re doing that,¡± I said. I gave Jessie another look-over. ¡°Impressive that you are all so clean for today¡¯s showing,¡± I said. The trio all looked away sheepishly and I knew they¡¯d done something wrong. I pinched the bridge of my nose. How had they lasted as criminals with such honest reactions? Was it just because it was me asking, or were they usually this bad? ¡°You broke into someone¡¯s house and had a shower, didn¡¯t you? What happened, did you get chased out?¡± I said shooting in the dark for the most likely event for a group of¡­ former criminals? The group coughed and Meowth smirked at James. ¡°The old lady came home while James was in the shower and miiiiiiight have mistaken him for her lover, so we couldn¡¯t stay there any longer.¡± I opened my mouth, about to ask which old lady as chances were I knew them, then I rethought that question and let it remain unspoken. I didn¡¯t want to know what little old grannies were getting up to when they were behind closed doors. Some of them were far too willing to discuss it without the topic even being brought up. Old women could be entirely too shameless with you once you were old enough. Sure they had methods of speaking around it, but once you were old enough that you understood what innuendo was¡­ well, suddenly those sweet old ladies gained a lot of¡­ colour. ¡°Right, putting that way off to the side, where we won¡¯t raise that for¡ª¡± I eyed the group of self-confessed criminals. ¡°¡ªmultiple reasons,¡± I said pointedly. The trio then seemed to realise whom they¡¯d just confessed to and swallowed the food they¡¯d been eating a bit too quickly, causing them to splutter. I rolled my eyes and let them regain control of themselves. I raised up my transceiver and drew up ¡®Jessadia¡¯s trainer information. On it, her pokemon roster was displayed along with the various badges she had. I¡¯d need to add that she¡¯d come fourth in the Pewter Gym Contest later tonight, but that was future Brock¡¯s job. I flicked my eyes over it, interested but not surprised to find several recommendations from various Gym Leaders, starting with my comment. The trio shifted slightly and James mouthed what he was reading quietly, but not quietly enough. ¡°¡®Diamond in the rough¡¯¡­ from Brock. ¡®Skilled¡¯, Daisy. ¡®Top-notch adaptability¡¯ from Manny. ¡®Can bring the firepower¡¯, Surge. ¡®A flower that has blossomed later than most but is all the more beautiful for it, Erika,¡± read James. I tilted the projected screen so he could read more easily as I shot him an amused look. They had to know I didn¡¯t plan to arrest them to be this easy going with me, right? I watched them gush over the praise that usually didn¡¯t get shown to people. This was for Gym Leaders or prospective employers to see. The trainers didn¡¯t learn of its existence until they were well and truly done. When James was finished reading Janine¡¯s brief report on ¡®Jessadia¡¯s competencies as a trainer¡¯, I pulled my hand back and leaned forward. Jessie had a big goofy smile on her face. I felt myself relax a little more, if she could make that sort of embarrassed happy face on command, she had missed her calling as an actress. I considered that thought for a moment. Sabrina was supposed to be interested in that according to the games, but then again Will¡­ I shut that thought down and gave Jessie a moment to bask in the good vibes. I then coughed. ¡°While the praises of various Gym Leaders will take you far, I¡¯m more interested in the accomplishments that you have on your file,¡± I said pointing at another tab. ¡°Not everyone gets those,¡± I said, opening the tab and finding a note about Jessie and her friends taking part in the Porta Vista incident and being lauded as heroes. Then there was the Saffron City situation where the trio helped capture some violent Team Rocket Members. ¡°I¡¯m curious about your skills, you¡¯ve come a long way from the trio that snuck into my Gym only to get tripped up helping people, and then caught in a challenge you never meant to give,¡± I said. The trio looked at me carefully, a small glimmer of interest sparked in Jessie¡¯s eyes while Meowth looked wary. James just looked straight at me openly. I smiled. ¡°How would you like a job, no,¡± I shook my head before rubbing it and sighing. ¡°I¡¯m doing a bad job of this,¡± I said, taking a moment to focus my mind. I couldn¡¯t approach this like Agatha had, I had to do this in a way that would be tailored to Jessie, James, and Meowth. I smiled. ¡°You¡¯re an odd bunch, aren¡¯t you?¡± I said whimsically, as my mind played out all the cartoons that showed how wacky and weird they could be. Rockets, blimps, submarines, pokemon riders, sales clerks, and more. Team Rocket had a can-do attitude and the will to pick themselves up time after time. ¡°You don¡¯t quite fit with how society or the people that raised you would like you to, do you?¡± I said. My words drew reactions, with all of them curling in on themselves slightly. They all noticed the others'' discomfort and a spark entered their eyes. Before they could speak up to protect each other, I smiled. ¡°And that¡¯s what makes you great,¡± I said, stopping them short. They went from defensive to bashful in a second. I waved a hand at them. ¡°You have what is perhaps the most eclectic range of skills around. You have passion and motivation in spades. You haven¡¯t had it easy, but that¡¯s alright, while things have been rough, you haven¡¯t let it hurt you or keep you down. You¡¯ve struggled and grown into the beings you are today,¡± I said, eying them. ¡°I like that, I need individuals like that helping me,¡± I said. James frowned. ¡°You want more assistants for your Gym?¡± he said. I shook my head and let my gaze drift over the crowd of rowdy people and the others who were a touch more dignified. They were smiling and laughing. Archibald was standing on the other side of the room with his Gardevoir. They both smiled and waved at me and I mirrored them before continuing to speak. ¡°Before you or I were born, there was a war so terrible it engulfed the world,¡± I said, turning serious. The trio blinked and straightened, aware of how serious discussions of the war were. ¡°There are lots of people working to keep tensions down, to heal old wounds, to find forgotten friends,¡± I said. ¡°This world,¡± I said, letting a touch of my love for this magical life I¡¯d found myself within bleed into my words. ¡°It¡¯s a marvellous place, so full of vibrancy, and if we work for it, it¡¯s a magical place full enough for everyone.¡± I sighed then and let some of the fatigue of running a Gym, of fending back would be Elite Fours, of raising a family, of the gnawing doubt that it wouldn¡¯t ever be enough, out to show. I felt hollow in that moment of allowing it out. ¡°It can be a dark place,¡± I said, thinking of what Giovanni had done to Mewtwo, of how it had felt waking up and finding Flint was gone with barely a note left behind with his family. I shook my body and pushed down the dark feelings that I knew helped fuel so much of my growth, with what was my secondary energy type with Titan. I smiled a well-practised smile that I¡¯d used a lot in the days after Flint had left. ¡°The world is not made of just moments of light and dark, though. As much as I wish it were, the world is not some cartoon or child¡¯s game,¡± I said. ¡°It would be less if that were the case, but¡­ I digress,¡± I said. Then I blinked and held in a chuckle as I watched Jessie, James and Meowth eye one another then watch my face, documenting the subtle ways my face tightened or how my eyes didn¡¯t light up like they should have. They were observing my mask and memorising it. I waved a hand in front of myself and let some proper amusement show. ¡°Sorry! Sorry, hehe! That got a little too deep,¡± I said. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°I can get like that sometimes, go running off on tangents of thought,¡± I said. Jessie opened her mouth for a moment before shutting it and smiling in a practised manner. ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°What were you building towards?¡± asked Meowth leadingly. James merely nodded, continuing to watch my face thoughtfully. I smiled and shook my head. I wasn¡¯t going to touch that topic with the Rocket Trio. Instead I said, ¡°You¡¯ve all experienced a lot of the bad, I imagine, and you¡¯ve gotten a taste for some of the good. I want to keep allowing you to have those good moments while also helping me¡­ and people like me, that deal with some of the world¡¯s¡­ darker moments,¡± I said tactfully. ¡°A policeman?¡± asked Jessie. James shook his head. ¡°No, Champion Lance announced an initiative for something called the G-men.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a copper!¡± wailed Meowth theatrically. ¡°What about my street rep!? Who¡¯d take me seriously?¡± He then shot me a look while glancing about. ¡°What¡¯s it pay?¡± he said out of the side of his mouth. Jessie and James sighed and slumped over as though they¡¯d expected this. I smirked. ¡°Please, you think I¡¯m just a Gym Leader that helps out the League and the G-men?¡± I said. Meowth snorted. ¡°What, are you secretly Agent Pink of the Hero Force?¡± he said snidely. I held a masterful poker face before chuckling thanks to a quick flex of Rock energy. ¡°Haha! I don¡¯t think Pink¡¯s outfit would suit me,¡± I said, crossing my arms and subtly showing that I was much too broad in the shoulders. Jessie and Meowth nodded, but James tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Yes¡­¡± he drawled slowly. ¡°Her colour wouldn¡¯t work for you,¡± he said, and I realised a second later that emphasising my build was just giving the disguise expert more information to work with. It didn¡¯t matter how good my mask was if he had other information to work off of. He must have made the connection to Hero Black as he nodded slowly. Meowth, unaware of what James had picked up, grabbed one of the few bits of food left in his vicinity. ¡°So? You got a job offer?¡± I nodded. ¡°How¡¯d you like to work for an organisation specifically aiming to preserve peace, and love, and protect the world from devastation?¡± I said, throwing some of their famous song lyrics back at them. Meowth laughed, but Jessie and James looked at me seriously. It took a moment for Meowth to realise they weren¡¯t joining him. ¡°Wait? Are you serious?¡± he asked before leaning in and whispering. ¡°What would you even have us do?¡± I laced my hands underneath my chin and smiled. ¡°What you¡¯re doing right now,¡± I said. They blinked. Jessie scoffed. ¡°Pull the other one, it has bells on it,¡± she said sardonically. I snorted. ¡°Jessie, the three of you have helped out or been involved with some major incidents, I suspect that this will continue to be the case. I want you to be able to keep moving around and helping out where you can. If things are too much for you to handle or you want some support, however? Me and some friends can step in to help you out,¡± I said, tapping on my Xtransciever to make a point of what they¡¯d done in a few months. That got them stopping and thinking more seriously. ¡°Just, what we¡¯re doing right now?¡± James said, scratching his head thoughtfully. ¡°No going extra or beyond?¡± I started to nod, before I paused as another idea occurred to me. ¡°Oh wait, you know my brother and his friends?¡± I asked. The trio nodded slowly. ¡°We¡­ know them yes,¡± James said. ¡°Yeah, that punk Pikachu is always trying to blow our cover!¡± Meowth said with clenched paws. ¡°You want us to leave them be?¡± Jessie said slowly. I snorted. ¡°Nah, keep challenging them,¡± I held up a hand, ¡°But do it in ways that a friendly rival would. Sometimes throwing them a curve ball is what they need to grow, you don¡¯t have to sabotage them, but¡­ don¡¯t make it easy for them,¡± I said. Jessie, James, and Meowth all shared evil grins. ¡°Keep messing with the twerps?¡± ¡°Keep it to harmless shenanigans, anything malicious like stealing their pokemon of course is out, but¡­¡± I waved a hand in an airy fashion. I had to admit to finding it rather amusing how I was throwing barriers into Ash, Forrest, and Misty¡¯s way for their own good. Did that make me a bad guy? I then smirked as yet another thought came to me. ¡°My sister will probably be taking part in her Journey in the future, and some friendly rivals trying to catch her out would help sharpen her up some more too.¡± I grimaced. ¡°With her leaving here with a Larvitar, she¡¯s going to need it,¡± I said. The trio all nodded seriously at that, dropping their looks of giddy delight at being given approval to mess with my brother. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a hot pokemon right now, on the black market those go for two million,¡± said Meowth. ¡°Not many are willing to take that offer, though, with how close the nesting ground is to the League, along with it being well¡­ a Tyranitar nest you need to raid,¡± he said. ¡°Is she travelling with a group of friends?¡± said Jessie. ¡°Two others at this stage,¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯ll also be starting with a Growlithe she¡¯s training up now.¡± ¡°Growlithe are wonderful pokemon, loyal to a fault and a good pokemon that will offer a lot of utility!¡± said James with a firm nod. A pokeball on James belt started to open only for James¡¯ hands to snap around it and close it. ¡°Not now boy!¡± said James with a panicked look. The other pair stiffened and started looking around at the more well-to-do men and women. I frowned. What were they¡­ I blinked as I connected the dots. James was from an affluent family. His parents might even have come to something like this! Chances were I had been in the room with them if they were at all involved with the social scenes of Kanto. I¡¯d been to too many events in Celadon for that to not be the case! What were their names¡­ I couldn¡¯t recall them, but then again it had been years since I¡¯d watched the cartoon. I¡¯d have to keep an eye out for people with matching features. I shot James¡¯ pokebelt a glance. More telling was that James had been talking up Growlithe, and a pokemon had been about to come out. James had Growlie with him. That was a change from the way things went down in the cartoon. But then again, Jessie didn¡¯t get a Mawile for her team. Or at least one that stuck around. I hummed in thought, drawing the trio¡¯s attention back to me. They adopted innocent expressions that wouldn¡¯t fool anyone. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. ¡°So, how about you give it some thought?¡± I said. I handed them a guest pass for the trainers¡¯ short stay area. When I reached Meowth I held onto the keycard. ¡°I had the readers and cards updated, are there any technical issues I need to know about with these?¡± I said. Meowth inspected the keycard and whistled. ¡°Oh wow! You did fork out good! Nice one! These don¡¯t have the issues of the old model you had¡­ Hmmm, I¡¯m going to have to tinker with these, give me a day or two and I can find something,¡± he said. I rubbed my forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ No, you know what, if there¡¯s something I think I¡¯d like to know, write a report on it. I¡¯ll pay, we¡¯ll call it¡­ Security consultations,¡± I said. It was scarily enough true. I stood and waved for them to stay seated. ¡°Take the night to think about it. No rush and no pressure if you decide to not accept. I¡¯m happy enough with you doing what you currently are, but I¡¯d like to offer a safety net,¡± I said, before nodding to each of them in farewell. I made my way directly to the more affluent people to rub elbows and shake hands. More than a few people asked about the training camp at the end of the circuit, but I made sure to emphasise it would be for Pewter trainers predominantly and that other Gym Leaders were setting up their own, which garnered some interest. When I had a moment to myself I wandered over to grab a drink, only for Archibald to ambush me. ¡°Brock, wonderful event!¡± he said amicably, clapping my shoulder with one hand while shaking my hand with his other. He then leaned in. ¡°I¡¯d love to take part next year, as a shot caller or a Judge if you¡¯ll have me, I rather enjoyed working with Rachel and so did my dear,¡± he said, indicating his companion. I nodded to Gardevoir. ¡±Glad you enjoyed yourselves,¡± I said easily. Archibald nodded his head up and down before coughing and dropping his voice to a whisper. ¡°Also, as a silent backer for Agatha¡¯s little group, I must say I approve of your eye for talent,¡± he said, flicking his eyes towards Jessie, James and Meowth. I stiffened and shot him a look before relaxing. ¡°Oh, Gardevoir listened in with¡­¡± I frowned. I¡¯d been throwing around some intense emotions, there was no way dark energy hadn¡¯t spilled out. Archibald chuckled. ¡°No, nothing so generic. Gardevoir is skilled at lip reading, it¡¯s an old trick we used from¡­ another lifetime ago,¡± he said, and I saw a flicker of something dark in those eyes before they vanished as Gardevoir squeezed his hand and leaned into him. He patted her arm and relaxed. ¡°Another life,¡± he said simply. I nodded slowly, an idea forming in my mind. ¡°Ah, right, I¡¯ll have to keep that in mind going forward,¡± I said. Archibald clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Not to worry! I made sure no one else was doing the same and kept your conversation private!¡± he said with a wink. He then stretched. ¡°Do say hello to Agatha for me, I think I shall call it here, these old bones can¡¯t quite stand up so well these days.¡± Then he winked at me. ¡°Good thing I¡¯ll be laying down for what comes next, eh?¡± he said. I felt my smile turn brittle as Gardevoir giggled and swatted at Archibald. Urgh! Old people! I shook my head and saw out the rest of the evening, knowing that I¡¯d need to mention Team Rocket to the Guardians when we spoke next. For now, though, I wanted to catch my own rest after supervising the Gym¡¯s restoration. Tomorrow we were back to facing trainers for their badges after all. I stretched and smiled as a familiar ping went off, reminding me that I had a chat with the Guardians lined up. Truly, no good deed went unpunished. Chapter 196 - Talks and a return to old tricks ¡°¡ªmonitoring the Aqua submarine, but when we take into account their previous tactics there should be another two or three subs,¡± said Agent Wilkins, the man on the ground that we had in the Orange Islands. I rubbed my eyes to work out some of the irritation. It¡¯d been a long day and I was backing up story time with my family with another meeting. I sadly needed to be part of this to find out what the latest intel on Team Aqua was. ¡°What would you say they¡¯re doing?¡± Karen said, speaking up first. Wilkins hummed. ¡°They came around Ascorbia before diverting hard north to evade being detected by the local firefighting team.¡± I frowned. ¡°Firefighting team?¡± I said slowly, my mind pinging with the memory of something. ¡°Captain Aidan,¡± Koga said. ¡°He is a man who fought well during the war, retired there and has taken over training a dedicated group of pokemon. We butted heads a number of times, but his dedication to Fuchsia was never in doubt. He has since followed the flight path of a certain Legendary fire type and set himself up so that he will be one of the first responders.¡± Agatha nodded her head. ¡°He is also the source of many of the young starter Squirtles that trainers who excel in Kanto receive,¡± she said. I blinked slowly. ¡°We stopped there for a few days, didn¡¯t we, Sabrina?¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°Tide, Hypnotoad, Shin, Chou and my own Starmie received training there while the Captain ran us around.¡± She sniffed pointedly. ¡°I did not appreciate volunteering for it and the Captain did not like the way I ¡®lifted weights¡¯ or got through his obstacle course,¡± she said. ¡°It got very¡­ heated,¡± I said as I nodded. It was slowly coming back to me. A memory of a much younger, much less patient Sabrina outright disassembling the obstacle course and walking through it to prove a point. I lifted up my Xtransciever hoping against hope that I still had the video. I found it quickly and tapped it. Sabrina inhaled and vanished on her screen in a teleport to appear at my side. ¡°You took a video of that?¡± she said. I chuckled and shut it down. ¡°Yeah? It was pretty amusing to watch the Captain get all angry only for you to shut him down like that. I¡¯d forgotten I had it.¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± said Koga. ¡°As glad as I am for you two to have personal experience with the residents of Ascorbia, we need to continue our discussion of the threat of Team Aqua,¡± Koga said. ¡°Did Captain Aidan not discover anything?¡± he said, dragging the meeting back. Wilkins nodded. ¡°He did detect something and we tried to assist him, but the submarine was too fast for Captain Aidan to get close despite using a Blastoise. He eventually had to return to his island, but he certainly gave them a fair chase.¡± ¡°Good, that will make Team Aqua more cautious in future,¡± Koga said. Agatha sniffed. ¡°They may react the other way, though, and see Captain Aidan and his pokemon as a threat, especially with the number of utility pokemon he will have transporting him and his team around. We will need more local agents with eyes on the island and funds allocated to support any¡­ accidents that might befall the good Captain.¡± Agatha narrowed her eyes. ¡°We need people that are willing to move to tropical islands,¡± she said. Everyone on the call bar Sabrina snorted in amusement. Karen went as far as to drape a hand over her head. ¡°Oh dearie me, I¡¯m being required to move to a tropical island for work! Whatever shall I do?¡± Agatha shook her head despite her lips twitching. ¡°Alright, we shouldn¡¯t have any issues with people wanting to move to the islands. I am already aware of some channellers that want to move out as they feel like they have seen too much of the dreary cemetery-ridden landscape of Lavender Town,¡± she said with a haughty sniff. Karen tilted her head. ¡°Uhm, they aren¡¯t kidding, you crazy old woman, they hate it there beneath you since you¡¯ve started moving back,¡± she said shamelessly. Agatha shot Karen a look. ¡°You¡¯ve grown cheeky since you left my tutelage, perhaps some remedial lessons are in order?¡± Sabrina tapped me on the shoulder and I glanced back to find her offering me a small plate of cut up berries which she munched on while watching Agatha and Karen have a catfight. I bit my lip, amused despite myself. ¡°Bring it you old¡ª¡± I decided to cough and smile pleasantly. ¡°Janine, as the host it might be best for you to mute Agatha and Karen while giving them a private chat channel for them to talk it out,¡± I said. Janine typed quickly on her side and nodded. ¡°Done,¡± she said. Sabrina let out a little ¡®heh¡¯ of victory as Karen¡¯s mouth moved but no sound came out. Agatha mirrored her. Lucy must have muted her own feed as she fell silent while her hand shot to her lips as she burst into giggles. Koga flicked his daughter a look that shifted from amused to begrudging respect. ¡°Continue, Wilkins,¡± he said, and the man detailed how it had taken him another two days to find the Aqua sub once again. ¡°The far eastern side of Butwhal seemed to have been assessed, but was passed over. The submarine then assessed Hamlin and Kumquat islands. I believe they have established a temporary base in Kumquat, as they have gone low into sea caves that I can¡¯t access without giving away that I am observing them.¡± I drew up a map. ¡°Kumquat is a major city for the Orange islands, why would they settle there?¡± ¡°Proximity to Kanto seems to be the deciding factor,¡± Wilkins stated. ¡°I believe that they will eventually ditch Kumquat, however, and go for the much easier option of Tarroco Island, which is a no-capture zone for trainers. It will be an easy site for them to set up in, with access to local water pokemon.¡± Lucy cleared her throat. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they set up further south in islands such as Cleopatra, or even going as far as Mandarin Island? It offers the most room for them to disguise their activities,¡± she said. Janine looked to her father, but he merely looked ahead. Wilkins made a noise of thought. ¡°It¡¯s probably operational ranges on their submarines, they need to come up for air every now and then, and the further they have to go through populated centres, the more risk they take of being spotted, especially if they¡¯re operating as a standard submarine pod.¡± I shared a glance with Sabrina. She nodded before speaking up, ¡°It may also have something to do with the Shamouti current that runs through the centre of the archipelago.¡± She clicked on my computer and drew up the map which she shared with the others. She started drawing different coloured loops. ¡°The current of Shamouti is considered treacherous due to how it shifts through the various islands. It always centres around Shamouti, but it never remains on the same course.¡± She demonstrated the various routes that the current could take, drawing murmurs from Janine and Koga. Koga put a hand to his chin in thought. ¡°Wherever did you learn of this?¡± ¡°Shamouti,¡± I said, ¡°It is a known phenomenon there and well documented. They have watchers out each season to track the current, as it will dictate the flow of currents for the entire archipelago for the rest of the year.¡± ¡°What causes it?¡± asked Wilkins. I drew up Wilkins¡¯ file which I had access to in the Guardians'' information. I flicked Sabrina another look as I replied. ¡°It¡¯s thought to be influenced by all the water pokemon in the Orange Islands,¡± I said. In a more private chat, I wrote out a message ¡®Classified above Wilkins¡¯ clearance level. Upgrade?¡¯ Koga, Janine and Agatha didn¡¯t bat an eye while Karen and Lucy twitched in surprise. Koga slowly nodded. ¡°I think it might be wise to keep Wilkins in the loop. Wilkins, I am going to advocate that your clearance level be raised to the highest level, this will grant you access to much more sensitive information. Brock, Sabrina, it seems we have much to learn about Shamouti. I can only assume that the current is caused by energies given off from the nesting sites of the Legendary birds located around Shamouti?¡± ¡°Legendaries? Multiple? Sweet creator!¡± Wilkins hissed out a startled oath. I wavered a hand back and forth. ¡°That is one local theory, but it is poorly understood. The locals of Shamouti have a ceremony where they will ¡®calm¡¯ the local Legendary birds,¡± I said. I frowned and brought up my Xtransciever. ¡°There is a local tale they recite each year and it is retold as the Shamouti Prophecy,¡± I said, paging through the files I had. ¡°I¡¯ll have to upload the recordings I took from the ceremony years ago.¡± ¡°Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Ice or Lightning, lest these Titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the Water''s Great Guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail, thus the earth shall turn to ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands, bring together all three. Their treasures combined tame the Beast of the Sea,¡± said Sabrina reciting the Shamouti Prophecy perfectly, or at least the part that was relevant to what we were talking about.. Koga and the others blinked. Lucy chewed her lips. ¡°Fire, Ice, and Lightning are easy enough to draw conclusions on, unless it¡¯s deliberately misleading. Urgh, I¡¯ve read so many books with prophecies being brought up as a plot point and they¡¯re never as good or straightforward as they seem!¡± Agatha¡¯s finger rose and poked at the video. I chuckled. ¡°I think Agatha wants to speak again,¡± I said. Janine unmuted Agatha and the woman shot her a cross look. ¡°Well, thank you for allowing me to speak once more, child,¡± she said heatedly. Karen mimed laughing as her video showed it had ¡®raised its hand¡¯. Janine did not unmute Karen but merely nodded equanimously. ¡°It helped to keep us moving along,¡± she said. Agatha''s scowl deepened before she huffed and dropped the matter. ¡°The matter of course turns towards that of ¡®Water¡¯s Great Guardian,¡¯ and that its song alone will fail. This clearly marks out another pokemon that we have not noted. Kyogre has never been noted to pass through this region. Kyogre¡­ failing is also a concerning prospect,¡± Agatha said. ¡°It¡¯s not Kyogre that we think is there,¡± I said. I brought up some of the temple wall pictures and began to share them with the group. ¡°Rather, we think it is a pokemon known as Lugia, an extremely rare Legendary that is known for calming other pokemon according to the legends surrounding it,¡± I said. The stone carving showed a very crude drawing of Lugia. ¡°It has a powerful psychic presence,¡± said Sabrina. ¡°I could feel it at times when we were travelling through the Orange islands. It had a beautiful song,¡± she said, causing me to blink in surprise. She¡¯d never mentioned that, but there had been a few times when she¡¯d wander off to stand with her feet in the water, staring out into the sea with a calm expression. That certainly explained those moments. ¡°Lugia, a psychic-water pokemon?¡± asked Agatha. I shrugged. ¡°It has large wing-like fins that might make it flying as well,¡± I suggested, just for the sake of accuracy. The others dismissed this due to the words ¡®Guardian of Water¡¯, with only Sabrina giving me a momentary glance over. When I shot her a smile she merely nodded. Sometimes I had to wonder if she knew that I knew more than I should. She never pushed for me to reveal anything, though, not since her initial freak-out over my arrival at her Gym when we were young. I think that was one of the reasons that she was easy to love, she didn¡¯t push me about things I was uncomfortable with. Koga thanked Wilkins before dismissing him with a reminder to look over Shamouti when he had the chance and to establish potential sites where Team Aqua would set up bases in or around Tarroco Island. ¡°This marks another site we may need to keep an eye on,¡± Koga said thoughtfully, his face cast in a stern expression. ¡°The Orange islands are becoming contentious sites.¡± I paused to consider that. He certainly hit the nail on the head with that comment. ¡°Perhaps there might be other organisations looking to move there as well? Remnants of Team Rocket?¡± I suggested. ¡°Very likely,¡± said Koga. Agatha grunted at this. ¡°We will need to shift some resources away and cultivate others, we will also need people that have a good understanding of the islands.¡± I hummed in consideration. ¡°We could increase our recruitment, I had considered three possible candidates already,¡± I said, deciding now was a good enough time to broach the topic of Team Rocket. ¡°Ho? You¡¯d allow us to poach Jackson?¡± Agatha said with a pleased smile. I blinked, having not considered him. He did rather fit the slot of a trainer who had experience in the Orange and Sevii islands¡­ I frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s the right fit for induction into¡ª¡± ¡°He is not,¡± said Koga firmly. When I blinked at him slowly Koga waved a hand. ¡°While Janine was there she performed some assessments for the older trainers with an eye towards potential recruitment¡­ We sadly did not focus our attention on the new hires.¡± Koga bowed his head. ¡°I apologise for this oversight on our part, Daniel¡­ was not within our expectations.¡± Janine also bowed with him and I sighed, understanding that this had probably been something weighing on him for a while now. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for that,¡± I said easily. Koga rose and returned my nod. ¡°If you want we can perform more reviews with your staff?¡± he said. I considered that. Would it be useful to have people like Rachel, Alexa, Rocko, or Dennis as part of the Guardians? I shook my head. ¡°No, let them be, they have their own duties, but you¡¯re not wrong in that Jackson could be useful for his familiarity with the islands. I¡¯d be very interested in a few of them, along with some of the deeper ocean areas for their potential access to as yet unfound Rock pokemon,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll mention it to him as an option to expand the Gym, now that things are calming down,¡± I said. I then raised a hand. ¡°He wasn¡¯t who I wanted to raise up though. I know a trio of¡­ well, misfits and delinquents. They all don¡¯t really fit in any typical-sized hole if you catch my drift. They also¡­ haven¡¯t always been on the side of good,¡± I said, my eyes darting around to see if anyone reacted to this. Agatha raised an eyebrow, as though telling me to get on with it. ¡°They used to work for Team Rocket,¡± I said, ¡°but they¡¯ve also been involved in a number of incidents where they were critical in assisting the situation by making it less severe than it could have been.¡± I linked Jessie and James''s trainer profiles. ¡°Who¡¯s the third?¡± Lucy asked as she squinted at the feed, showing that she must have been reading their trainer information. ¡°Meowth,¡± I said. ¡°You want to induct a pokemon?¡± Agatha said. I nodded. ¡°He¡¯s an extremely clever cat, and can come up with a lot of cons. He reads and uses security magazines. He¡¯d be a great¡­ cat burglar if nothing else,¡± I said. Next to me Sabrina twitched and shot me a look, demanding I stop making puns. I resisted the urge and shot her a wink to show I¡¯d behave. She narrowed her eyes but relaxed against me, her hands shifting to pet Zubat who¡¯d been asleep on my shoulder like some quasi-epulaet. ¡°A pokemon as a Guardian,¡± Agatha said with a shake of her head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like pokemon aren¡¯t part of our teams already, so why not?¡± she waved her hand. ¡°You have my support. They won¡¯t be the first people that we¡¯ve flipped for our purposes.¡± She smirked in an off-hand manner and I had a premonition of what was to come. ¡°During the war, I had a bit of a reputation for ¡®flipping¡¯ people, you could say,¡± she said with a glint in her eyes. ¡°I had this move in the bedroom where I¡¯d¡ª¡± her voice fell silent as Janine muted her once again. Karen, who¡¯d yet to be unmuted, began laughing hysterically. ¡°You¡­ are rather proficient at that, daughter,¡± said Koga, his words holding a certain level of caution to them. Janine merely smiled and I mentally attributed her with a wagging tail for earning praise from her father. ¡°So, you¡¯re good with them? I¡¯ll inform them they¡¯re in,¡± I said. Koga nodded. ¡°I shall send a courier Fearow with a package only you can open Brock, take it and hand it to them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I said before scratching the back of my head. ¡°I told them that I want them to keep doing what they¡¯re doing right now, which is going around Kanto challenging Gyms and contests to get stronger. Make them a roving band of troubleshooters,¡± I said. Koga blinked. ¡°Unorthodox, but not unheard of.¡± His eyes flicked to Agatha. ¡°What are your thoughts, Agatha?¡± Janine unmuted Agatha just in time for her answer. ¡°Feh! Let them be if they¡¯re that small, but make sure they come around to Lavender, I want them to meet my latest protege,¡± she said. ¡°I shall also test them myself! No doubt you were easy on them, Brock!¡± I rolled my eyes and waved her off. Finally, the topic turned towards the final item on our agenda. ¡°New Island¡­¡± Koga began. ¡°It¡¯s where Mewtwo was created and it seems to be where he has returned to,¡± I said, bringing up the information that had been compiled since we¡¯d last had a chat about this with Koga. I turned my attention to Sabrina. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°You have the best understanding of Mewtwo,¡± I said carefully. ¡°Do you have any idea why he¡¯s gone here?¡± I asked. Sabrina frowned slightly. ¡°Mewtwo, was not a blank slate, he is like¡­¡± She considered her words for a moment before speaking. ¡°Imagine that your memories form up a set of buildings and are organised into streets. Mewtwo is like a town that has been partially demolished, only for the ruins of the former town to be paved over with shoddy building material. It looks like everything is normal at a glance, but as soon as you start trying to dig up a basement or lay any true foundations, the previous memories are uncovered.¡± Sabrina gestured in a vague motion. ¡°When we were fighting with them, I made sure to implant a number of what would be deemed ¡®core memories¡¯ of mine. These core memories are fundamental and powerful. By exposing him to experiences like this, I caused a flood of emotion that washed away the mental constructs that Team Rocket had built.¡± ¡°Huh, so you just gave him a shock to the noggin? Doesn¡¯t sound that hard,¡± Karen said with a sniff. I raised an eyebrow as Sabrina shook her head. ¡°I was using a metaphor that is barely adequate to give you some idea. What I did was infinitely harder than that, but I had to dumb it down for you to understand,¡± Sabrina said. Karen narrowed her eyes, only for Janine to clear her throat and move her hand towards a button once more. Karen kept her mouth shut. Sabrina nodded in thanks and continued. ¡°I believe that Mewtwo has returned to New Island due to it being his birthplace and the place that he has the strongest resonance with. He is establishing a home for himself. I believe that we should give him some more time before attempting to visit him ourselves in a peaceful manner. Mewtwo is a young pokemon despite his power and will lash out if we come in too aggressively. I think that I need to be there to make¡­ third contact,¡± she said. The others all nodded at this and Agatha eventually sighed and bobbed her head in acceptance. ¡°You are the expert in psychic matters, we shall default to your judgement.¡± She then straightened. ¡°Was there anything else that needed to be raised for this meeting?¡± ¡°I¡¯m organising a group of geologists and scientists to look into potential sites for Mega stones,¡± I said. ¡°Hoh, that is something that we will need to con¡ª¡± Agatha began only for me to shake my head. ¡°I¡¯ve already mentioned it to Oak, and he¡¯s too big a name. I¡¯ll also be having Flint lead things up so best to let this be a more¡­ public project,¡± I said. ¡°Tch, very well then,¡± Agatha said. ¡°This is something that we require,¡± Koga said. ¡°With Steven Stone stealing a march we will need to facilitate discovering as much as we can about Mega stones.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already bounced some theories to Flint and I think we have some solid leads,¡± I said. ¡°Hmmm, well dibs on any of the dark-type stones you can find,¡± Karen said. ¡°Might be a bit tough as we¡¯re looking into nesting grounds or swarm sites. With Sharpedo that¡¯s going to be a tough ask. Houndoom might be easier?¡± I said carefully. Karen snorted. ¡°Easier to find? Yeah? To set something up that is dedicated? Yeeeeeeaaaaah this is going to be hard,¡± she said. I shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll be looking for investors,¡± I said. Agatha nodded. ¡°I shall talk to some people,¡± she said. ¡°Good work taking the initiative on this,¡± she said. ¡°Anything else to raise for discussion?¡± When none of us had anything more to raise, Agatha bid us a good evening and we signed off. Sabrina yawned and wrapped her arms around me. ¡°Carry me to bed?¡± she said playfully. ¡°I think I can handle that,¡± I said, taking her in my arms and standing. Sabrina smiled winningly at me, only for her expression to falter. ¡°Brock, there is a Meowth that is¡­ oh, he¡¯s just testing himself against your security doors,¡± she said with a tilt of her head. ¡°Ah, he¡¯s the one you nominated?¡± she asked. I nodded and Sabrina continued to stare at the wall where she could no doubt see him. ¡°Hmmm, he can have his fun, let¡¯s go have our own,¡± she said with a smile. I returned Zubat to a pokeball and carried Sabrina to bed. When I took too long Sabrina teleported us to the room.
The next morning saw me scaling the plateau while Selene watched on. Gible clung to me while Zubat fluttered around me, getting in the way far more than she was assisting me. Her little wings flapped into my face more than a few times as she flitted in and out. ¡°You gotta work on pulling up sharper Zubat,¡± I said, as she smacked me for the fifth time in ten metres. ¡°In and out darts, keep working on it for agility,¡± I said. When she tried to go faster she ploughed into the side of my head, causing me to grunt in pain. I could probably reinforce myself with rock energy, but then Zubat would be like a bug hitting a windshield. So instead I took the hits as part of the training and continued to climb the plateau, my muscles aching at the new morning workout that Trixie had dropped off for me before sprinting off. It had been a while since I¡¯d done some proper mountain climbing. Beneath me, Yolanda led a cadre of trainers in her own workout, with Spot and Terra at her side. At the moment the group were working through as many push-ups as they could. Dennis and Rocko were leading the pack easily, while A.J. was doggedly working to catch them. Yolanda otherwise came in a solid fourth place with Greta in fifth. Crystal, who¡¯d joined in, looked gutted when she failed on the twenty-eighth push-up, only to learn she wasn¡¯t even in the same ballpark as Greta or Yolanda. ¡°I¡¯m the weakest of us?¡± she whimpered with a twitch. I glanced around, wondering for a moment if I hadn¡¯t heard the noise of glass shattering. I shook it off, must have just been Crystal''s understanding of the world breaking. When Yolanda led the gang through a jog while carrying Terra with Spot at her side to keep her moving, Crystal was forced to scamper after her, her own pokemon jogging along with hints of exhaustion showing. When I was done I scrambled down, the climb down working similar yet different muscles than the ascent. I quickly jogged on to catch up with Greta. ¡°Hey, good work during the Contest. How¡¯s Ivysaur going with his evolution?¡± I asked. Greta grinned through her fatigue and shot the faithful starter a proud look. He was shuffling along doggedly, but his new weight was making it rough for him. ¡°He¡¯s adjusting! I think he¡¯s really gotten stronger, though! We tested out some of his moves late last night and he¡¯s gotten faster and more powerful in a whole range of ways!¡± She then shot Ivysaur a small grimace. ¡°He is a bit slower and larger, though, so we have to take that into account.¡± ¡°Nice, let¡¯s you and I do some work together this week. I think it¡¯s due time for you to challenge another Gym. You and A.J. can talk to each other and we can set something up later in the week, yeah?¡± I said. Greta licked her lips and nodded. ¡°Y-yeah! I mean yes! That would be good!¡± she said. I clapped her on the shoulder only to accelerate and catch Cranidos before he could launch a sneak attack on Greta. I grabbed him by the neck and drove him into the ground. ¡°It was cute when you were a baby, but I think you need to learn to stop attacking out of nowhere like that,¡± I said. I then lifted him up and flicked him on the snout. ¡°If you want to fight, challenge them, but accept that they can say yes or no.¡± I tapped him on the nose when he started to look a little defiant. ¡°Do you want to fight today in the Gym? We have a few first-badge challengers,¡± I asked. That got him perking up and I wagged a finger in front of him. ¡°Time to listen well then, ''cause you need to be on your best game,¡± I said, leading him off to do some obedience training that started with Simon Says. I quickly had Cranidos following along until he was visibly growing frustrated. Just before he threw a tantrum I let him off the chain. ¡°Simon says Headbutt that rock!¡± I called and he leapt to obey, earning a firm pet and a reward treat from me. ¡°Nicely done buddy, you lured them in and then crushed them with a single well placed headbutt. That¡¯s real strength,¡± I said, stroking along his spine and cleaning his dome. He crooned happily and I ran him through another round. When Rocko approached I gave him some instructions, ¡°Can you grab those trainers in the guest rooms from last night? Give me another twenty or thirty and bring them to me?¡± ¡°Roger boss!¡± he said as he continued to jog on. I then turned my attention back to Cranidos. ¡°Alright! Simon says stand on one foot!¡± I said to continue. Zubat and Gible joined in, and I didn¡¯t have the heart to tell them this was meant to just be for Cranidos. I got a whole three minutes of him following orders before he started to twitch in agitation. ¡°Alright, your turn,¡± I said, allowing Cranidos to lead the game for once. ¡°Cran?¡± he said before he grinned and chirped about lowering your head. I did not need to be psychic to predict what he was going to do next. Thankfully he charged and I merely stepped out of the way with a grin. ¡°Ha! You forgot to say Simon says!¡± I said as he slammed into a rock wall. ¡°Gibl¡ª¡± I started to say before aborting that and pointing to Zubat. ¡°Zubat¡¯s turn!¡± I said, and for the next minute, we flapped around happily before hugging each other. When Gible hugged Cranidos, the hard-headed pokemon tried to headbutt the ground shark, only to get a nibble in response. I snorted and Cranidos grumbled while Gible chattered happily. I called that game to an end then before going through some basic moves with Cranidos. ¡°Alright, show me your Rock Smash!¡± I said, letting Cranidos off the leash. Cranidos sprinted at a rock before pummeling it. ¡°Good! Now I want a Fake Out with a kick! Use your legs! They¡¯re strong too!¡± I called, and this time Cranidos did as I ordered, spinning and smashing with his legs. ¡°Excellent!¡± I said, making sure to give out praise. ¡°Show me your Leer!¡± Cranidos straightened up and shot me a look that had me shivering. ¡°Perfect!¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s get you cleaned up for today¡¯s matches! Report to Chansey!¡± I concluded, calling the training to an end as I moved on to work with Tirtouga and Anorith, who I was also hoping to give some time to. As I made my way to the pond Rocko intercepted me. ¡°Morning Brock! Got those trainers you wanted to talk to,¡± he said, waving a hand to Jessie, James and Meowth. I thanked him and he trotted off to perform another task, leaving me with plenty of room to talk privately with the trio. Meowth, I noted, looked very tired but pleased with himself. ¡°So it took you a while, but you worked out a hack, eh?¡± I asked. Meowth blinked at me before rearranging his features into a smug look. ¡°What else were you expecting when you called in the best but success?¡± he said. ¡°Hmmmm, how long does your method take without knowing about it?¡± Meowth coughed. ¡°It took me half the night to stumble on it, and then another couple hours to verify it works¡­ It only works on some of the doors, though, cause I saw you¡¯ve gone for extra security with a two-factor authentication and transceiver tech.¡± He shot me a finger. ¡°I wasn''t aware of that!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to hand out my security specs to just any Meowth,¡± I said smugly, pleased that he hadn¡¯t been able to get past that extra feature I¡¯d asked for on my own office, the medical bay and pokeball storage room, and the ¡®duck pond¡¯. There was also the fact that the Porygon monitored the doors nowadays. I¡¯d woken up to a lot of low-priority warnings that featured camera snapshots of Meowth. It was good to see he was being honest with me on how long it had taken him to ¡®break in¡¯. ¡°So I spoke with the group I mentioned last night, and they¡¯re for it, if you are,¡± I said, cutting to the chase. Jessie, James and Meowth all shared a look. ¡°We¡­ talked,¡± Jessie said. ¡°We¡¯ve agreed that¡­ a safety net would be nice and that our current¡­ circumstances are good for us.¡± She made a face as though this was a difficult admission for her. I smiled and James coughed. ¡°They¡¯ve been pretty incredible actually, we¡¯re still waiting for the other shoe to drop,¡± he said. I shot him a look. ¡°Yeah, I get feeling that way,¡± I said. Meowth coughed. ¡°Not to ruin a good thing, but¡­ what if our old¡­ pals decide to reach out to us?¡± I smiled, I had an answer for this already thought up. ¡°You accept and go along while telling us. Keep your eyes and ears open. The group you¡¯re going to be a part of from now on? We¡¯re very interested in what Team Rocket is up to,¡± I said. ¡°Fearow!¡± shrieked a bird as it began to plummet towards me. No less than eight rocks shot up from the ground in front of the Fearow, forcing it to pull up from its dive sharply. ¡°Row!?¡± it shrieked as it darted its head around in fear. I whistled. ¡°All good! It¡¯s expected! Fearow, come in more carefully!¡± I called, cupping my hands so it could hear me. It came down much more slowly with its head darting about. Jessie, James and Meowth looked around and spotted three of the pokemon that had launched the preemptive air defense attacks. I knew from training that the first round was always just warning shots. If Fearow had kept on coming, then they and others would have gotten serious. There was a no-fly zone around most Gyms in Indigo due to their potential nature as military assets, after all. The only exclusions that I knew of were Celadon and Cerulean. Surge had been very twitchy about allowing people to watch his match against Will via pokenet due to old instincts, but had allowed it with so many eyes watching for trouble. Fearow delivered a packet that had a code lock on it, and with a swift input of my Guardian code the case unlocked to reveal three matching holopads. ¡°Welcome to the Guardians,¡± I said, handing over the flashy pieces of technology. The trio accepted them and blinked when three identical identification sequences began. Meowth dropped his, only for it to not interrupt the process. ¡°Jeez lewiz! Warn a guy first!¡± he said to me as the scan locked in his biometrics. ¡°Sorry, forgot about that,¡± I said, which mollified Meowth a little. When the sequence was done and he unlocked the pad he whistled. ¡°Wow! There¡¯s some interesting little tidbits on display here!¡± I smirked. He¡¯d gone straight for the morning news that was compiled for easy reading. Jessie looked to be doing a deeper dive on what features it had, while James was personalising his to have a different colour scheme. Meowth glanced up at me. ¡°This is pretty nice!¡± He said, like a cat that had just discovered how to invest in Cream Co. He then tilted his head. ¡°What comes next?¡± I smiled, ¡°Well, how about¡ª¡± a rumble interrupted me and I took a moment to realise it had come from all of our stomachs. I shared a look of disbelief with the others before laughing as one. When we were done I waved a hand for them to follow. ¡°Let¡¯s start with breakfast, from there? The world!¡± I said. The trio cheered at this and I felt like everything was falling into place. Over breakfast I prodded them into revealing the various adventures they¡¯d had so far this year. Learning about the various holes they¡¯d dug leading to Ash, Forrest, and Misty falling into them was a little amusing but also worrying. ¡°Probably best to change it up. While they¡¯ll probably walk it off, let¡¯s not actually hurt them going forward, yeah?¡± The trio considered this. James tilted his head. ¡°You want harmless fun pranks that jerk them around?¡± Jessie squinted while tapping her spoon on her empty bowl. ¡°I feel like there¡¯s a word for that?¡± ¡°Shenanigans?¡± suggested Meowth as he finished licking the cream off his bowl. ¡°Munchlax!¡± chimed Munchlax, indicating the dishwasher. ¡°Huh? Oh right, yeah I can do that,¡± said Meowth as he moved to collect the plates from the trio and myself before depositing them in the sink. I hummed, glancing at Munchlax who was ignoring me as he bustled into the lounge room where he started putting away the younger twins¡¯ toys. I considered Meowth. Hmmm, why not? ¡°Can you ask him if he¡¯s happy here? Or if he needs anything?¡± I asked. Meowth repeated the question to Munchlax when he wandered back and the little pokemon shot him a thumbs up before chattering away. ¡°Munch! Lax Mun Munch! Munchlax Munch Munch Munch Lax!¡± he chirped. Meowth nodded along. ¡°He says that he likes his life here. He especially loves it when he gets to listen to story time, but that you haven¡¯t been telling as many stories of late. He misses that.¡± I coughed in surprise, feeling touched that all he wanted was more stories. Jessie cooed at that and James shot the little pokemon a radiant smile. I nodded at Munchlax. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll try and read more to you and my siblings,¡± I said. Munchlax darted in to hug me before running off with a happy ¡°Munch!¡± The trio shared a smile with each other. ¡°So? What next?¡± I prompted. Jessie frowned. ¡°I need to complete my pokemon team and get stronger.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget I¡¯ve given you access to a stable, not mine, but one that handles other pokemon to a high level,¡± I said, causing Jessie to blink in surprise. ¡°Oh? Really? I hadn¡¯t realised our deal would encompass that,¡± said Jessie. I smirked. ¡°You¡¯re going to find a lot of prior issues gone now, Jessie,¡± I said. ¡°Maybe take your trainer I.D. to the bank sometime to get yourself some more supplies to start off, hey?¡± I said. The trio quickly checked Jessie¡¯s card and whistled at the amount on there. ¡°That¡¯s enough to get parts for me to build at least three Rocket blimps!¡± Meowth said. I chuckled and was about to suggest they spend it on less flashy items, before clamping my mouth shut. If they wanted to do this their way, then I just had to trust in them to reach the milestone by shutting up. A task that was much more difficult than it should be with how each suggestion grew more and more outlandish, leaving me to hold my placid smile while Guardian Team Three¡ª formerly Team Rocket¡ª grew more and more excited about the future. When they departed, they did so with a much more upbeat spirit, while I could only rub my chin and wonder if I hadn¡¯t just made a terrible mistake. For an infinitely small moment of time, I empathised with Giovanni. Then I crushed that emotion ruthlessly. I entered the Gym and swept through the morning¡¯s paperwork, seeking a distraction. When it came time for the first gym match, I had to fight the grin off my face as the lights went out. The trainer entered and one light burst to full power, lighting them up and causing them to flinch. Out of the darkness, I spoke lines that I¡¯d said a hundred, if not a thousand times now to first-time trainers. My voice, like the stone carving out its grove in the mountain, rumbled out, filling all corners of the room. ¡°You dare challenge the Pewter City Gym?¡± The boy, a young trainer by the name of Trent, flinched and turned in my direction, eyes wide with fear. He hadn¡¯t been expecting this and it was clear to anyone watching he was crumbling. ¡°Well?¡± I said, prompting them to speak. ¡°Have you come here to challenge me?¡± I asked, lowering my tone just a fraction. Trent swallowed and straightened. ¡°I-I have! I have come to-b-b-beat you!¡± he bleated out, turning cherry red. ¡°Ho? Is that so?¡± Another light burst to life above me. ¡°I am Brock and this is my Gym, let¡¯s see if you have what it takes!¡± I said, striding down before leaping across to the podium. I locked eyes with the trainer and got to watch as a fire entered his eyes and he began to stand taller. The fear vanished. I felt myself relax a little more and enjoy the moment as Cranidos¡¯ pokeball enlarged in my hand. This was one of the things I¡¯d been missing and getting to return to it felt like I¡¯d come back to a favourite hobby more than a part of my job. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± called Jackson from the referee¡¯s podium. We both nodded and sent out our pokemon. ¡°Go Nuzleaf!¡± Trent called. ¡°Go Cranidos!¡± I said, interested that he had a second stage pokemon like this for his first badge. It was a good match up. ¡°Nuzleaf! Razor Leaf!¡± called Trent. A good move to start, and against Cranidos it would surely knock him out if I allowed it to land. Sadly for Trent, I didn¡¯t want to let it be too easy for him. ¡°Cranidos! Charge to the right fast! Break up that boulder and get some dust coverage!¡± I called, surprising everyone with how hard I was going out. Trent didn¡¯t know any better, merely grunting and leaning in as his pokemon¡¯s attack missed. ¡°Nuzleaf! They¡¯re afraid of that move! Let¡¯s do some Growth!¡± ¡°Cranidos, lead with a Mudslap before closing in!¡± I called. Out of the dust a slap sounded out as Cranidos slapped some mud with his tail and launched it straight into Nuzleaf¡¯s eyes, startling the pokemon as it was blinded. Cranidos poured on the speed seeing his chance. He lowered his head and brayed in excitement. ¡°Fire on the nose! Slightly to your left! Hold firm!¡± Trent called out. His Nuzleaf listened and followed the order and Cranidos suddenly found himself having to charge through a wave of Razor Leaf that cut him down. He brayed once and fell, sliding to a stop just before Nuzleaf. ¡°Nuz?¡± asked the still blinded pokemon as he listened carefully. ¡°Cranidos is unable to battle!¡± called Jackson. His voice startled Nuzleaf before he did a happy jig. Trent grinned but gave his pokemon a quick look over. ¡°Best not to test our luck! Let¡¯s trade out for Mankey!¡± he called, sending out said pokemon. Mankey appeared and looked around with a deceivingly happy expression. I sent out my Onix and sure enough the happy-go-lucky Mankey¡¯s smile dropped as it unleashed a pair of Karate Chop onto my pokemon as I only got off one Tackle in return. Trent gaped when Jackson raised his flag. ¡°Onix is unable to battle! Trent is therefore the victor!¡± he called. ¡°I did it?¡± Trent said hesitantly. I grinned and nodded, returning my Onix. ¡°That you did, young man!¡± Trent blinked. ¡°You¡¯re not kidding with me? You didn¡¯t go easy?¡± I coughed, suddenly sheepish. ¡°I went to the limits of and a bit beyond the first badge level,¡± I said. I eyed him. ¡°You probably could have challenged at the second tier with the pokemon you have and comfortably won, third tier would have been a tougher match, but for your first badge? You had a very strong showing,¡± I complimented him. ¡°Oh! Anita must not have known about that! She always said I was too weak to fight you and I needed to keep training¡­ with how things were with all those scary-looking trainers that came through for months at the start of the circuit, it made sense,¡± he said. ¡°Ah, yeah, this year is tougher with trainer battles, but the Gym itself is still the same. It¡¯s different when you accept a fight out in the wilds or at the end of year circuit,¡± I said. I gave him a smile. ¡°You¡¯ll have to hustle if you want to make this year¡¯s circuit,¡± I said. ¡°You think I could make it?¡± he said, with the air of someone who had spent so long being told he couldn¡¯t, he didn¡¯t have the confidence in himself. Jackson and I shot each other a worried glance. ¡°Yeah? With some work?¡± I said. ¡°Huh, I¡¯ll have to talk to Anita about it,¡± he said with a nervous twitch. ¡°Anita?¡± I asked. ¡°TRENT! TRENT! YOU BETTER NOT BE GETTING A BIG HEAD DUE TO BROCK GOING EASY ON YOU!¡± screamed a voice from the stands. I blinked and looked up to find a girl who looked to be of age with Trent. Trent flinched. ¡°Ah! I won¡¯t!¡± ¡°Good! Now come up here and cheer for me!¡± she shouted. Trent scurried off and I stared. He¡¯d forgotten to take his badge. I shot what I knew to be my next challenger a frown. ¡°Right, this is going to be¡­ different,¡± I said, as an idea of what was going on started to form. I stepped over to the podium wondering what I¡¯d find with my next challenger. For better or worse it was time to throw a barrier or two at this young Anita and find out what made her tick as a trainer. Chapter 197 - Anxiety Anita Anita didn¡¯t want to reset the Gym for her entrance, so instead the podium shifted so she could step out onto it, and I stepped off to collect my own pokemon. Jackson took my place. ¡°Alright, little girl? You ready to throw down?¡± he asked. ¡°I-I¡¯m ready!¡± she said nervously, her hand darting towards her pokebelt, pulling out a pokeball. I frowned at the hesitance in her voice, she¡¯d been much more assertive before. Where had that gone? Salvadore, who¡¯d stepped in for this match as referee, raised the flags. ¡°Trainers, are you ready?¡± he asked. When they both nodded he dropped the flags. ¡°Release and begin!¡± he called. Anita threw her pokeball only for it to soar way, way too far. ¡°Argh! No!¡± wailed the girl as her Budew appeared right in front of Jackson¡¯s Rhyhorn. Everyone blinked in surprise at the faux pas. I tilted my head, measuring the distance she¡¯d just thrown and adjusting it for her age. I whistled. ¡°Damn! That girl has an arm on her!¡± I said with a chuckle. Salvadore coughed. ¡°Uhm that¡¯s a¡­ violation of starting area!¡± he said quickly before shifting and swallowing. ¡°Uhm¡­ shoot, what else am I supposed to say?¡± He said into the microphone as he chewed his lip in thought. He perked up as he recalled the relevant rules. ¡°Oh! Pokemon must begin within their half of the field when deployed! You may leave your pokemon on the opponent¡¯s side of the field when you defeat them or force a trade of pokemon but not before then! For violating this¡­ you will receive¡­ a pen¡ª¡± I cut off Salvadore, realising he was quoting the official League standard rules for a pokemon match. I coughed. ¡°Sorry about that, Salvadore, that¡¯s the official League rules, but we as a Gym can show discretion if we choose,¡± I said. I coughed and shifted my attention. ¡°Anita, you will receive a warning for this and no more, this time,¡± I said calmly. When Salvadore blushed and shot me a worried look, I made a patting-the-air motion to show I just needed him to calm down. I changed channels to his exclusive radio. ¡°Easy tiger, that was the correct call officially, but this is a beginner''s Gym match, let her know she did the wrong thing but don¡¯t burn her too bad.¡± I shot Anita a look and sighed. ¡°She¡¯s already doing that enough for herself.¡± Indeed, the girl looked like she had withdrawn entirely into herself and was lost in a cycle of castigating herself. Her hair had fallen over her face and she was curling in on herself, arms tucked in tight. I grimaced. Damn, it looked like she was having a panic attack. I was getting an odd sense of whiplash. The girl had been loud and demanding when she¡¯d been in the stands, but now that she was under pressure it seemed like her confidence was a thin facade. This¡­ this wasn¡¯t a good showing, but it didn¡¯t have to mean the end of her match before it even began. She just needed something to¡ª Before I could do anything a voice ripped through the silence. ¡°ANITA! COME ON! FIGHT! DON¡¯T LET THIS HURDLE STOP YOU!¡± roared Trent, her friend, from the stands. ¡°COME ON! I KNOW YOU¡¯RE BRAVER THAN THIS! YOU¡¯RE THE BRAVEST GIRL IN LITTLEROOT TOWN!¡± I hummed, looking towards the boy who was doing his best to raise Anita¡¯s confidence. Littleroot Town, eh? I shot Rachel a look and made a pump-up gesture. Rachel grinned. ¡°YOU HEARD HIM FOLKS! LET¡¯S GIVE THIS GIRL SOME SUPPORT!¡± ¡°Yeeeeeeeah, go little one!¡± called one woman instantly, and I made a mental note to send her some free tickets for food or drink for her help. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you¡¯re not out of it! You¡¯ve got a good pokemon out on the field to start things off!¡± shouted another. ¡°You can do it! Go for the headshot!¡± shouted another person, their passionate shot garnering a small chuckle from the crowd. My idea to give a single woman a voucher shifted, becoming an idea that came from a famous memory that had become a meme in my past life. Specifically, the Oprah meme. She¡¯d get vouchers, and he¡¯d get vouchers, and everyone would get food vouchers! I held back from doing that right now through force of will, but still vowed I¡¯d do it later, after Anita¡¯s match with me. Anita lifted her head and gave a tremulous smile. ¡°B-budew, step back until you¡¯re at the midpoint! S-sorry girl! I messed up!¡± she called. Her Budew turned and darted back on its stumpy little legs. When she reached the halfway point it turned and skipped backwards rather than run past and then turn around. Hmmm, not bad. Not the best, but not bad in terms of awareness. Jackson made a gesture to Anita. ¡°Ladies first,¡± he said with a slight bow. Anita stiffly nodded and then shot her hand forward. ¡°Bubeb!¡± she said, biting her tongue as she tried to give the command in a strong manner, only to mess up again. I put a hand to my face and sighed. Oh dear, this girl¡­ this was just not her day. She shot her hand to her mouth and released an aborted squeal of pain before shaking it off. ¡°Budew!¡± she said carefully. ¡°Use Leech Seed!¡± she said. Jackson leaned forward. ¡°Rhyhorn! Use Tail Whip!¡± he called, going for the seemingly easy option. Budew leaned forward only to twitch and release nothing. I blinked in surprise at the failed move, only to facepalm as I realised the issue. Anita twitched, realising her mistake. ¡°I meant Stun Spore!¡± she hurriedly said. Budew didn¡¯t know Leech Seed. Jackson coughed as he understood she¡¯d messed up again. I ran a hand across my face. ¡°This girl is just too in her head now,¡± I said, watching as she struggled and fought against herself. She eventually settled into using Absorb and ending the match easily enough. I was disappointed when she made no move to use a potion after the match. When Greta stepped forward to be the next trainer in the gauntlet I tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Use Defence Curl and Roll Out as much as you can to force her hand a little more, alright? Pressure her,¡± I said. Greta nodded and did just that, sending out a Geodude who expertly dodged into rocks and then rolled rings around Budew, causing the little pokemon to grow confused as it spun around and around on the spot. I frowned. ¡°Come on, you have some of the pieces to fix this situation, what are you going to do?¡± I asked myself as I watched Anita struggle. Jackson who¡¯d made his way up to me shot me an amused look at my commentary of the match, but I ignored him. From what it looked like, Anita grew too anxious to think clearly as she failed to correct her course of action, growing more and more flustered until Greta became bored of dragging the fight out. ¡°Finish it! Roll Out!¡± she called, making Geodude turn and hurtle straight into Budew, smashing into it and sending it flying across the field. For a moment I recalled an event a few months ago, where another nervous girl had stepped into the Gym and failed to correctly order a Geodude. With a little time, things had changed. Greta was now the confident one, with a new challenger appearing that was struggling. Budew struggled to stand and Greta stiffened. ¡°B-budew! Please keep fighting! I need you!¡± she called desperately. Budew stood up on shaky limbs and glared at Geodude who merely scoffed. ¡°Come on girl! You got this!¡± called someone from the crowd. ¡°Dig deep!¡± ¡°Shock us with something!¡± ¡°Fight through!¡± called others, and I reaffirmed my desire to give the entire crowd free vouchers. This sort of positive support was something I needed to reward. They were good people. Anita twitched and glanced at the crowd, an idea sparking in her eyes as she paused, only to snap her head back to her pokemon. She swept her hand wide. ¡°Budew! Cast a wide cloud with Stun Spore!¡± she called, and I sighed in relief as she finally switched up her tactics. Geodude tore through the cloud of spores, only to spasm like it had been shocked, it lost its ball shape and opened itself out. With its momentum lost, it faceplanted into the ground and dug itself a furrow in the earth before it rightened itself. It glared hatefully at the Budew as Anita brightened up. ¡°Absorb! Get back in the fight!¡± Anita called, and with that, her Budew was able to return to strength while knocking out Geodude. Greta glanced up at me, a fire in her eyes, and I nodded, silently agreeing that she could use her second pokemon. Greta turned back, her second pokeball in hand even as Geodude was returned. I chuckled, imagining a wagging tail of glee thanks to how I wasn¡¯t holding her back. When had Greta gained such a love for fighting? Or was this more that she was learning about the joys of pushing an opponent and seeing them grow before you? If that was the case, she might be well suited to become a Gym Trainer¡­ or maybe even more in future. In the games Gary had become a Gym Leader, after all¡­ why couldn¡¯t another person from that generation take hold of the mantle of Viridian Gym Leader? It was an amusing idea, at the very least. Greta released her Aron. The little metal dog growled fiercely as it locked eyes on the beaten and bruised Budew. ¡°Ron!¡± it growled. Greta swept her hand out. ¡°Rock Tomb! Trap it first and then charge in!¡± Rocks shot up out of the ground and pinched in on Budew, causing the little pokemon to cry out in pain and Anita to gasp. ¡°Budew! Use Stun Spore, stop it getting close!¡± ¡°Leap high and commit!¡± Greta called, making her Aron jump up and through the expanding cloud of spores. It burst out the other side, a sizable window of spores punched through. It locked up and twitched, only to continue soaring. This move wouldn¡¯t have worked if Budew could move even a little, but thanks to Greta¡¯s earlier Rock Tomb, she¡¯d secured herself a sure thing. Aron slammed into Budew and finally knocked the little pokemon out of the match. I hummed. ¡°A touch harder than it needed to be, but a good sequence of moves,¡± I commented. ¡°Might need to make Greta fight higher level matches, third tier and such,¡± commented Jackson. I grunted my agreement, my eyes locked on Anita as she stared at her downed pokemon. I could practically see her world collapsing around her. I clicked my tongue. Alright, outside support wasn¡¯t working, what about another form of motivation? I straightened up and stepped to the side and into the lights at the top of the stairs, arms crossed in my signature pose with my eyes cast in shadow as I stared down upon Anita. I toggled the speakers. ¡°So¡­. this is all you have to show me?¡± I said with a lazy drawl. ¡°Hmph! Did you think that Budew would work here?¡± Internally I wanted to cringe, but externally I continued to stare down at Anita. Anita, a young girl who was obviously breaking before everyone¡¯s eyes, and here I was punching down. The thing was, in a pokemon world, words like that? ¡°Budew is strong!¡± Anita said, her eyes regaining some of the fire that she¡¯d had when she was in the stands. When she¡¯d stepped onto the podium that fire had vanished after a series of blunders. Now she met my gaze as she clutched at Budew¡¯s pokeball. I sniffed dismissively and turned my gaze to Aron who was trying to shake off the Stun Spore. It wouldn¡¯t work sadly, but he might have a better chance at getting a move off. Greta adopted an oddly familiar look of derision for Anita and the other girl bristled as she clutched at another pokeball. ¡°Come out Zigzagoon!¡± A small racoon-like pokemon took to the field and barked happily. Anita shot her hand forward. ¡°Budew set us up! Take out Aron while it is weak! Tackle!¡± she called. Ziagzagoon charged straight in and I could see Greta calculating what was about to happen. Her pokemon couldn¡¯t move well and her opponent was charging her. She didn¡¯t need to move to come off better in this exchange. ¡°Harden!¡± she called and a glint swept over Aron¡¯s body as his defence increased right as Zigzagoon tried to tackle it. A hard thump sounded out and both pokemon staggered back, slightly pained from the exchange, but considering how it was meant to go, Greta had done well. I could see Anita growing flustered once more, but she had a touch more steel in her now and she was assisted by the crowd continuing to cheer on, buoying her confidence. ¡°Circle it with Tail Whip!¡± Her pokemon darted in close and ran circles in tight, its tail whipping into Aron and lowering its defence with each circuit. ¡°Bite it!¡± growled Greta, and Aron tried but failed as he was too slow. With Aron weakened, Anita had her pokemon dart to the side and slam home another Tackle from a much better position than head-on. I nodded. ¡°Good, she learned from her first mistake,¡± I said aloud, watching as she had her pokemon dart in and out to harass Aron until it toppled to the side. Greta sighed as she returned her pokemon. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t have been so eager to charge in on the first pokemon. I won the first fight, but lost the match, as they say!¡± she bowed and marched away. Jackson chuckled. ¡°If this had been a two-tier or three-tier match, she¡¯d have been able to use Dig to evade the attack.¡± ¡°True,¡± I said, ¡°but then I¡¯d expect more from Anita if that was the case.¡± I waited for Greta to step back before I began my advance down the stairs. As I passed her I whispered to her. ¡°Excellent showing out there, talk to Jackson about higher-tier matches,¡± I said quickly. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. With that done I continued on, my eyes locked on Anita who still hadn¡¯t used a potion. As I did my signature jump across the railing to the podium, I took note of small details. She didn¡¯t have many pokemon. She had four pokeballs on her belt, one of which I knew was knocked out. Zigzagoon was tired from earlier. I also noticed other things, like the wear of her shoes, the slight tiredness in her eyes, and the slightly pinched facial features. She wasn¡¯t starved by any metric, but she had been roughing it for a while, I suspected. Damn, I felt like an asshole beating down on her like I had. But,] it was one of the things she needed at this moment. I was to be her barrier to overcome. I locked eyes with her and felt the flickering flame of her resolve with but a look. I didn¡¯t say anything, I merely gestured towards the exit. Zigzagoon growled at this and Anita straightened up. Hmmm, I suspected if I¡¯d targeted her, she would have crumbled earlier, but by targeting her pokemon? Well, that drew a response. Now her pokemon were making her act. It was¡­ a solution, but not one that she should continue to rely on, lest her pokemon not respect her as their trainer. That would need correction, but the help could come later. ¡°Let¡¯s rock! Anorith!¡± I called, sending out my Bug-rock type for the first time publicly. Anorith appeared and wiggled her legs happily. ¡°Anor-rith!¡± she called. ¡°Game face on, Anorith! This is a Gym Match!¡± I said, stopping her from leaping across at her new friend and instead crouching down in readiness. Salvadore raised his flags before dropping them. ¡°Begin!¡± he called. Anita swallowed and stabbed a hand forward. ¡°Sand Attack! Target those Bug eyes!¡± ¡°Water Gun!¡± I replied, blowing away the Sand Attack before it could do any damage. Anita stiffened as the Water Gun continued on to slam into her pokemon, sending it sprawling. ¡°Zigzagoon! No, keep fighting! Use your special move!¡± I frowned at this, wondering what she meant. I didn¡¯t have to wait long as Zigzagoon righted itself, only to throw itself into a head-long sprint straight at Anorith with Extreme Speed. ¡°Har¡ª¡± I barely got to shout before Anorith was launched backward where she slammed into the back wall. She slid down with a painful cry before shaking herself off and limping forward. I shot Anita another look. Why had she not used that move earlier? It was a great move that might have spared her pokemon some of its energy. ¡°Yes! It hit!¡± Anita cried out with what sounded like pure relief. I stared. Her pokemon knew Extreme Speed but had¡­ accuracy issues? That didn¡¯t make sense to me. What was up with that? I gave Zigzagoon another look and frowned at what I saw. ¡°It¡¯s young, isn¡¯t it?¡± When she gave me a blank look I clarified my statement. ¡°Your Zigzagoon, it¡¯s quite young, isn¡¯t it? Only just out of being a baby pokemon if I¡¯m correct? It always knew Extreme Speed as well?¡± Anita blinked. ¡°Uhhhh, yeah?¡± I nodded and continued to observe Zigzagoon carefully. It had signs of some discolouration and patches where the coat hadn¡¯t grown in properly. It was obviously well cared for, with it being brushed, but it had some potential issues as well. I shook my head and shut my mouth for the moment. With the information I had access to, I knew what I needed to do. ¡°Anorith! Use Water Gun to leap on top of a boulder!¡± Anorith, having just returned to the field of battle, did exactly that. Anita tilted her head only to scowl. ¡°I see what you¡¯re trying to do! And it won¡¯t work! Let¡¯s end this match!¡± ¡°Crouch down,¡± I said simply as Zigzagoon began darting from side to side with Extreme Speed, my eyes barely able to track it as Anorith gained a confused look as she attempted the same action. When Zigzagoon made to leap Anita realised what was about to happen and blanched. ¡°No! Stop!¡± she called, only for it to be too late. Zigzagoon leapt, only to soar right over Anorith who¡¯d crouched earlier, representing a smaller profile to be hit. Zigzagoon sailed up and up, looking excited for a moment, only for horror to dawn on its small racooony features as it realised it had misjudged its jump terribly. I sighed. Young pokemon with strong moves weren¡¯t always a great combination. It reminded me of Ash teaching his Gible Draco Meteor. Heh, when it was my turn to try it out, that was going to be fun. With Zigzagoon unable to move as it fell through the air I only had to snap my fingers. ¡°Water Gun!¡± Anorith popped up, spinning and firing on a pokedime. The glob of water slammed into the falling Zigzagoon and sent it tumbling out of the battlefield where it failed to rise. ¡°Urgh!¡± Anita said with a quiver. I hummed. It had been a good showing, but she needed more control of her pokemon and its moves before coming here, otherwise people could and would exploit her weakness. She returned her pokemon and gritted her teeth. ¡°Alright girl! Come on out!¡± From her next pokeball a Jigglypuff appeared with a twirl. I tilted my head. Now here was a rarish pokemon to see on the battling scene. I gestured for her to go first and Anita chopped her hands across her body. ¡°Use Sweet Kiss!¡± she said, and Jigglypuff made a kissing gesture at Anorith. The pink heart wafted forward quickly and caught Anorith by surprise. I coughed as I tried to hold in a small laugh. If this went how I thought it would, I might have another lesson to be taught right here. Anorith gained a pinkish energy in her eyes and straightened up. ¡°Rith?¡± she asked as she locked eyes on Jigglypuff. She was clearly confused about what was going on here. I just chuckled. ¡°Hug her,¡± I said. Jigglypuff puffed herself up, only to squeak in terror as Anorith did what she naturally did and leapt, legs spread wide as she sought to hug Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff, now with Anorith attached to her face, panicked and rolled back and forth, slamming herself into the ground, only for Anorith to grab on harder, her eyes still glowing. ¡°Ah! Jigglypuff! Use Disarming Voice! Jigglypuff? Come on! Listen!¡± she called, only for her pokemon to continue freaking out and ignoring her. A few people laughed in the crowd and Anita flinched, only to blush furiously as she looked at me. I shot her a smirk and she growled. ¡°JIGGLYPUFF! STOP MESSING AROUND AND USE DISARMING VOICE!¡± she shouted, using some of her earlier loudness to get her command through to her panicked pokemon. Jigglypuff stood and a moment later a screech shot from the little fluffball, launching Anorith away and knocking her out. Anita stared, shocked at how that had gone for her, only for Jigglypuff to buckle, having apparently worn herself out in her panic. I returned Anorith, rather happy with her first showing. She¡¯d been deadly accurate with her Water Gun and I was overall happy with her matching two pokemon for her first appearance. She had some rough spots, but she worked out well for me. I enlarged my last pokemon and released it. Onix took to the field with a loud roar and Jigglypuff gained a new look of tiredness as she realised she was going to have to face off against this towering giant. ¡°Bide,¡± I said, deciding to toss an easy ball at Anita. Anita twitched and a small smile appeared on her face, which let me know she had done her research and knew about this move. ¡°Stockpile!¡± she called out and her pokemon opened its mouth and pretended that it was Kirby with a huge sucking action before swallowing some air. When Onix didn¡¯t move she grinned. ¡°Use Spit up!¡± she shouted, and her pokemon spat a wave of pink bubbles that shot out into Onix. I sighed and shook my head as Onix took a huge hit by the look of things. The bubbles exploded into pink light, battering him with each hit, and when the light show vanished Onix looked to be on his last legs. ¡°Oh no,¡± said Anita as she realised her mistake, right in time for Bide to be unleashed from Onix. Onix swept his tail around with a mighty swing. Jigglypuff was blown backwards and cratered into the floor when she landed. She didn¡¯t get up and Anita had to return her. I scratched my head in bemusement. She¡¯d done enough research, but had been unlucky enough to face off against a Sturdy Onix instead of a Hard Head Onix. Not that I expected her to know about that. It was still bad luck for her. Onix heaved in breath after breath, clearly on his last legs as Anita returned her pokemon. She swallowed and plucked out her last pokemon. ¡°C-come on out Slaking!¡± she called. I straightened up instantly, all humour in the situation lost as my hands went to Onix¡¯s pokeball even as I clutched at Don¡¯s pokeball. He was my fastest pokemon, and if she was going to sucker punch me like that other prick then I had an answer ready for¡ª Slaking appeared, lazing on his side. He opened a single eye and snorted in disinterest before rolling onto his back and farting. I raised an eyebrow as the sound echoed throughout the gym as the crowd fell silent. I stared at Slaking before slowly turning to Anita who was blushing furiously. I felt myself relax. She was just a kid. Sure, she was a kid with access to a surprisingly powerful pokemon, but it wasn¡¯t a situation like it had been with Guybro. I swallowed. ¡°You can¡¯t order that pokemon around, can you?¡± I asked. Anita licked her lips only to deflate. ¡°No, no sir, I cannot¡­ I didn¡¯t want to rely on him, but¡­¡± I nodded and signalled to Salvadore. Salvadore nodded. ¡°Anita is unable to control her pokemon! Therefore this match is called in Brock¡¯s favour! The Gym Leader wins!¡± Anita returned her sleeping pokemon and let her hair fall down over her eyes. This reminded me a lot of when Ash lost because Charizard wouldn¡¯t follow his commands. It had sucked watching as a kid, but it had been a learning moment for Ash. I caught a shudder run through Anita¡¯s form and knew without being told that the second the podiums were low enough, she was going to run. This girl really was like Greta. I jumped, withdrawing Onix as I did so and calling on some rock energy to propel myself across the battlefield quickly. When Anita leapt off the podium to run away, I was there to catch her. ¡°Ah?¡± she said, shocked out of her tears for a moment. I smiled. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s you and I talk before you run off, yeah?¡± She nodded hesitantly and I carted her to the medical bay where I deposited my pokemon into waiting receptacles. Chansey bustled out and paused when she noticed Anita. Her eyes lingered on Anita¡¯s red eyes and wet cheeks. ¡°Chansey!¡± she said as she reached into her apron and brought out a handful of candy which she deposited in Anita¡¯s hand. She then patted Anita on the cheek and gestured at another receptacle bay. ¡°She wants you to put your pokemon there so she can look after them,¡± I said, acting as a translator. ¡°Oh, sure thing,¡± Anita said quietly, doing just that. She then shot me a look before hanging her head. ¡°I messed up bad¡­ didn¡¯t I?¡± I hummed, considering how I should approach this. Before I got a chance to, the door rattled as something hit it. I heard a soft ¡®ow¡¯ from the other side. ¡°T-trent?¡± said Anita, some life coming back into her. ¡°Anita! Are you alright? Brock¡¯s not bullying you, is he?¡± Anita spluttered. ¡°No! I¡¯m not being bullied! Shut up! Just go wait for me! You¡¯re making a scene and embarrassing me!¡± she said. Trent coughed. ¡°O-oh¡­ alright, if you say so¡­ You¡¯re sure he¡¯s not doing anything to you?¡± he asked, and I felt a vein twitch in my forehead. What the hell was this kid saying? I had half a mind to march over and say as much, but Anita just growled wordlessly. The sound of scampering feet met my ears and I chuckled. Anita smirked, only to blink and remember where she was. ¡°S-sorry about that, he¡¯s just an idiot childhood friend of mine.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said, deciding to not comment on the ¡®childhood friend¡¯ line she¡¯d used. That raised flags in my mind, but I didn¡¯t want to touch on that. Instead, I wanted to talk about something else. ¡°That fire you have with him? Where is it when you fight? You¡­ you¡¯re very fragile, I get that it wasn¡¯t a great start with the overthrow, but things sort of spiralled for you there. Does that happen often?¡± ¡°It¡­ happens a lot, actually, I just get so tense when I fight.¡± I nodded. ¡°You feel like you need to consider every scenario? Do you feel like your mind is moving at a million miles an hour? Your heart thunders in your ears? Your breath feels hot?¡± ¡°Y-yeah!¡± she shot me a hopeful look. ¡°Are you like that as well¡­ who am I kidding? You¡¯re Brock!¡± she said with a slump. I chuckled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t always ¡®Gym Leader Brock¡¯, you know? Long before I fought Lance and won some fame, I had my own Journey where I had to learn things, you know? I went around feeling like I was doing great until I faced off against Blaine¡¯s challenge. I went in with my rock-typed pokemon thinking I had it.¡± I shook my head as I recalled how cocky I¡¯d been. ¡°Things started slipping through my grip very quickly. Blaine led me around by the nose. He¡¯s a wily one, and was¡­ well, he was a nightmare to fight despite my type advantage. I ended up taking a month and three battles of Blaine taunting me before I won. After the second match, I remember becoming exceptionally tense and having issues with everything. Which in a volcano arena is a huge problem.¡± ¡°Gym Leader Blaine really does that?¡± Anita asked. I nodded. ¡°Yup, by the time you ¡­ well I suppose you won¡¯t get the chance, with how things have developed, but when you would have gotten to him you would have had to face him with your best foot forward, which is not just about having your pokemon healthy, but also yourself.¡± I tapped the side of my head. ¡°You have some things that are getting in your way, they¡¯re presenting a lot earlier than they did for me.¡± ¡°Urgh, I¡¯m so pathetic,¡± she said. I shook my finger back and forth. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the sort of thing you need to do away with. Let yourself be confident, without relying on pushing others down, eh?¡± Anita frowned. I shot her a look. ¡°For all that Trent was worried I was bullying you, some of the things you were saying could be seen as you pushing him around. Regardless of you winning or losing, you still acted that way. It might be a method of bolstering your self-confidence, but It¡¯s not a stable platform. What would happen if he left you, for example?¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t!¡± said Anita with a hint of desperation. I shot her a sad smile. ¡°I¡¯m just raising a potential situation. You need some confidence in yourself and methods to manage when your mood is getting too much. Have you ever seen some of my matches?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve tried your clap breath¡­ it didn¡¯t work for me, I just felt silly,¡± she admitted. I laughed. ¡°Yeah! I can look pretty silly, can¡¯t I?¡± I said with a smile. Anita giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t mind feeling silly, if it would just work!¡± she said. I hummed as I considered her words, before rubbing my chin. ¡°Hmmm, the symptoms I described earlier, do you get a few, or all of them?¡± Anita blinked. ¡°Oh? The shortness of breath and the head spinning? Yeah, I get all of those when things get bad.¡± I hummed as I recalled another option. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mind feeling silly if you relaxed?¡± I said. When Anita nodded I smiled. ¡°How do you feel about dancing?¡± I asked. When she gave me a clueless look I elaborated. ¡°Sometimes when I have baseballers that get too tense, I tell them to do a little dance routine to make them relax.¡± I demonstrated a funny little hop, skip shuffle where I pumped my arms while nodding my head with a goofy grin on my face as I did so. ¡°You can do it with music if you want. Remember that the referee asks if you¡¯re ready, and it¡¯s not a bad idea to take the time to adjust if you need it. Getting yourself in the right mindset can make all the difference for a pokemon match.¡± ¡°Can you show me that again?¡± asked Anita. I gestured and she stood up and copied me through the sequence of silly dance moves. I hadn¡¯t needed to use this trick for any of my baseball kids in a while. I¡¯d co-opted it from a rather famous hurdler from my past life and found it worked rather well. Anita did the dance and laughed, relaxing as the movements helped her become looser and more open. I smiled, pleased that we had a potential fix for what was her major issue. ¡°Alright, with that out of the way, how do you think you did?¡± I asked. Anita coughed, her foot kicking at the floor with her eyes watching it with great interest. ¡°Not good. I flubbed things and the crowd needed to get me out of my head.¡± ¡°You had the right pokemon for a sweep if you had a better plan coming in,¡± I said. ¡°That said, why did you go for the Gauntlet while Trent went for the straight challenge?¡± ¡°....¡± muttered Anita. I leaned forward. ¡°I didn¡¯t catch that I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°I¡­ was trying to play off my anxiety! We¡¯ve been losing a lot of money lately, cause every trainer we fight is really strong! I wanted Trent to shut up ¡®cause he was being super pushy with me and I got mad and then¡­ I signed up for the tougher fight against your Gym.¡± ¡°Hmmm I see, well, you were close to beating me,¡± I said neutrally. It also explained why she wouldn¡¯t have money for food and potions. ¡°What¡¯s up with Slaking?¡± I asked. ¡°My big sister¡¯s Slaking is to protect us if we get in over our heads, but he won¡¯t fight for me!¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve tried to use him before this, no?¡± When Anita nodded I sighed. ¡°You need to bring him out and establish a bond. Don¡¯t try to use him for fighting before you have that bond. Call him out for meal times and sit with him, talk with him. Do team activities if you want to have any hope of using him. Slaking are¡­ well, they''re very tough pokemon to use normally,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, those are good ideas, thanks.¡± Anita stood and collected her pokeballs. ¡°So, do you want my badge?¡± I asked, posing what seemed like an innocent question to her. Anita blinked. ¡°But I lost?¡± I nodded. ¡°You did, but you also demonstrated some skills with adjusting for some fights. You brought a grass type and while you were very reliant on him, you did demonstrate you know how to use typings to your advantage. You made some good adjustments when the fight couldn¡¯t just rely on this. You then had to fight through with pokemon without advantages. Honestly? If you¡¯d had any other pokemon apart from that Slaking, you might have won. Onix was barely hanging in there from that Spit Up, ¡° I said. ¡°O-oh¡­ so I can earn your badge?¡± she asked with a frown. I considered her. ¡°I¡¯m going to be cruel right now. I think you have demonstrated enough to eke out earning my badge at the first tier, but! And this is the catch, it¡¯s your call. It¡¯s up to you to accept if this is how you earn your first badge. It¡¯s yours, but if you want it to mean more than something you just scraped over the line for...¡± I trailed off leadingly. Anita gained a conflicted look before shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t want to earn it that way¡­¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°Right, well, with that said, I think we need to talk about you getting some work, ''cause if you and your pokemon are struggling from losses, then you need to settle down for a bit and let yourself recover. This Season is especially brutal. So, any guesses as to what you should do next?¡± Anita nodded. ¡°I should get a job?!¡± she said, looking adorably determined. I grinned. ¡°Nope! You should come have lunch with my trainers and I!¡± I said, putting a hand behind her back and marching her back out to the battlefield. There I collected Trent and led her up to the Gym trainer section where I let them loose on the fridge. Within a few minutes they each had a trio of sandwiches and were talking animatedly with Greta and Salvadore while Jackson grabbed some pokechow to give to their pokemon. At this point I had stood by, simply idling for a bit, waiting to get noticed as they settled in. When Anita shot me a confused look, I glanced pointedly at her Slaking¡¯s pokeball and she understood my meaning that now was the best time to start building her bond with Slaking. Just to make sure he behaved, I popped out Don and Hypnotoad. Then I recalled my promise to myself. I marched over and tapped on my microphone, catching the crowd before it could depart for the lunch rush. ¡°Congratulations to the following people! You get free food vouchers!¡± I said, pointing at one kid only to then point at his mother. ¡°You get free food vouchers! You get free food vouchers!¡± I repeated this a few times before sweeping my hand over the entire crowd. ¡°YOU ALL GET FOOD VOUCHERS! LUNCH IS ON THE HOUSE!¡± I called and the crowd cheered. I grinned, knowing it would be an expensive bill, but sometimes it was fun to pay for extravagant gestures like this while knowing that I could absorb it. It felt damn good being able to do something like this on a whim. I turned and marched back to sit and enjoy my own lunch, a happy little spark dancing in my chest. Chapter 198 - Feedback Everyone happily munched away at their lunches while the pokemon chowed down. A few people were talking, causing a soft susurrus to fill the room but otherwise, it was quiet for the most part. That didn¡¯t stop me from feeling the very ¡®loud¡¯ stare Yolanda was directing at me. I looked up to see what she wanted. Yolanda shot Anita a look before flicking her eyes to me. Then she repeated the gesture. I rolled my eyes, well aware that she wanted me to have a conversation with Anita, and not just about the anxiety she displayed. I suppose from Yolanda¡¯s point of view, she might be afraid that I was being taken advantage of with a sob story. I had to admit that¡­ that might be a possibility, but it was unlikely. If Anita had been the sort she would have taken the badge then and there, unknowingly earning herself a black mark on her record from me to the effect of not wanting to grow. Trent? If she¡¯d chosen the badge at the end there? I¡¯d have dragged him into a conversation straight away. I¡¯d have talked a lot, and perhaps some of it might have resonated with him, but perhaps it wouldn¡¯t have. I couldn¡¯t detain kids for being kids. I could warn them of poor behaviour and if they did something warranting it I could arrest them, but kids being kids wasn¡¯t bad. The Journey was about growth and sometimes that meant growing to understand feelings and how to deal with them If Anita hadn¡¯t been able to calm down and had continued to lash out¡­ Yes, she¡¯d tried to push, but in doing so she¡¯d revealed how out of her depth she was, and that she had a much deeper story than I¡¯d been expecting. For example, who had given her the Slaking? She¡¯d mentioned a sister? What were the circumstances? I¡¯d need her calm and willing to listen to find out more. Honestly, I was just glad she hadn¡¯t been able to get it to fight, cause if she¡¯d been able to get that Slaking to follow her orders? Well then. If she¡¯d wanted to push me, the kid gloves would have come off fast. There was a reason I always kept at least three of my Elite pokemon on hand at any given time. But they hadn¡¯t been needed. This time. Still, Yolanda wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, I did need to talk with Anita. I also needed to talk with Trent. I needed to capitalise on her calmer state of mind and expand the story. I considered Anita and Trent for a while, taking in their postures. They were still a bit shy, with how they were hunched in on themselves. They listened, laughed and were happy to be included, but they were still slightly on edge. I considered the issue as I ate through my ¡®jelly donuts¡¯, a smirk playing across my lips as I licked up any stray rice. I looked over to Alexa. ¡°What¡¯s my afternoon look like?¡± I asked, knowing exactly what she was going to say Alexa hummed, her eyes flicking to me before darting to the young duo. She brought out her tablet to scrutinise my schedule. ¡°You have two later this afternoon,¡± she announced, earning a thoughtful hum from me. ¡°Hmmmmm, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve done a patrol of Pewter City,¡± I said, faux casually. ¡°Say,¡± I slowly turned my gaze to Anita and Trent, as though I hadn¡¯t just planned out this entire discussion. ¡°How would you like to come with me on patrol?¡± When they frowned, I dangled the pokeblock treat in front of them. ¡°We¡¯ll probably have to swing by some places like the playground, the race track, and the shops,¡± I said. Both of the kids blinked in surprise at that. ¡°The race track?¡± asked Trent. I nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, there are sometimes races there on the weekends, but they also have a lot of speed work for pokemon that need training in that,¡± I said, alluding to a certain speedy raccoon. Zigzagoon didn¡¯t even lift his head from his bowl of pokechow. It might have been empty, but the little pokemon was licking it clean for all it was worth. Anita however perked up. ¡°That¡¯d be interesting! Can we?¡± she asked and I grinned. All according to Keikaku.
I ambled along, with Anita and Trent walking alongside me. They stared openly at Gawain as he marched along next to them. On my side, Link happily skipped along. Three other pokeballs rested on my belt for later release, but for now, I just let things progress naturally. ¡°So, LaRousse City?¡± I asked leadingly. I frowned when both Anita and Trent twitched and shot me worried looks. I tilted my head. ¡°I never got the chance to visit during my Journey when I was in Hoenn,¡± I said, dodging around the topic. The kids both relaxed slightly. ¡°I think it was known for the waterway and the two rivers meeting up in it, no?¡± I asked. Anita nodded, her eyes darting off to the side while Trent stepped slightly forward, almost shielding her from my view, but only drawing further attention to there being an underlying issue here. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s known for the meeting points of the Liomo and Tico rivers. People like to say that makes it the place where Milotic likes to visit, and that¡¯s true. It has a really well-established contest scene, but it is also known for being highly advanced,¡± he elaborated further with the air of one that knows how to sell the City. I nodded along. ¡°Huh, Contests? I would have liked to attend that,¡± I said, noticing how both of them relaxed as I was drawn away from the other feature that LaRousse City was known for. The Battle Tower. The Battle Tower was a site that was developed by the various battle clubs of Hoenn and La Rousse. LaRousse was a confluence point for many different factors had a lot of people and therefore trainers moving through, resulting in it being a great place to hone yourself. I had been planning on taking a pass through there towards the end of my pokemon Journey to sharpen up my team. Usually, it was the feature people mentioned when talking of the city, therefore making it glaringly obvious that these two were avoiding mentioning it. I played along, allowing myself to be drawn into discussing how the city got when it was time for the contest. When we reached the first destination for the day, I grinned as I grasped the three pokeballs I¡¯d brought along just for this. ¡°Teddiursa! Gible! Cranidos! Come on out!¡± I shouted as I released the three pokeballs for some of my youngest pokemon. All three appeared and blinked at what they found. The playground closest to the Gym didn¡¯t have all the fancy bells and whistles that other playgrounds did these days. It was simple plastic and steel, with a structure with swings, slip and slides, sandpits and open areas leading into a jungle gym. All three of my pokemon stared at it, unsure what to make of it. Gible and Teddiursa turned to me while Cranidos turned to headbutt Gible. I leaned down and intercepted the headbutt, nudging it off so that Crandios slammed into the soft sandpit, causing a small dust cloud to billow out. I coughed and waved my hand back and forth before nudging the top pocket. ¡°Zubat girl? Think you can blow away this dust?¡± I asked. Zubat, who was happily nestled in my breast pocket, popped out and blew away the dust to reveal a very dirty-looking Anita and Trent, who hadn¡¯t been prepared for a sudden Sand Attack. I bonked Cranidos lightly on the head causing him to bray in challenge and attempt to nail me in the shin. ¡°Sorry about him, he¡¯s a young pokemon,¡± I said. ¡°He takes a bit of care¡ª¡± As I said that, I reached out and grabbed Gible to stop him from biting a hole in the jungle gym. ¡°None of that either,¡± I said. ¡°No biting here, this is a playground,¡± I said, gesturing around us. I got back a round of blank stares. I turned to Anita and Trent. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to need your help for this,¡± I said. They blinked and pointed at themselves. ¡°Yup! I need you to help show my pokemon how to have fun.¡± I waved a hand towards their belts. ¡°You should do the same.¡± I smiled as the pair of them released their pokemon, bar Slaking. I gave Anita another look. ¡°Not going to include him?¡± I asked. She paused and shot the very delicate-looking playground a look as she chewed on her lip. ¡°He might wreck it?¡± I nodded. ¡°He might, but tell you what, anything he wrecks, you can blame on me,¡± I said. Mentally I was banking on Slaking¡¯s rather well-established species trait of being rather lazy. Less so than Snorlax, but still, they were known to laze around a lot. Anita¡¯s had eaten with us, but food was usually one of the best ways to motivate any lazy pokemon. When he¡¯d been done he¡¯d curled up on a couch by himself and gone to sleep. Anita swallowed, straightened her spine and threw out her Slaking. Her pokemon appeared already in a lazing pose. He gave the playground a disinterested look, yawning. I watched Anita fret and hummed. The most powerful pokemon in her team was both a shield and a weight to her, it would seem. It alone, along with the single comment earlier, made me wonder about other aspects of her past for a moment. Eventually, Anita spoke up. ¡°W-want to play with us?¡± she said haltingly. Slaking gave the playground another look, then gave Anita a look over before grunting and shaking his head. Anita looked toward me and I gestured to the shaded bench off to the side. ¡°W-well, maybe you¡¯d like to have a rest?¡± she said, waving frantically at the bench. Slaking gave her another look before looking at the bench. Then it tilted its head and looked straight up at the sun for a long moment. After probably giving itself sun blindness it looked down and blinked a few times, before rising to its full height to amble over to the bench were it lay down and scratched its back. I shot Anita a thumbs up. It was baby steps, but it was still something Slaking would have wanted to do, which helped. ¡°Alright!¡± I said regathering the energy. ¡°Let¡¯s play!¡± I said dragging Gawain and Link into the game by tagging Link with a light slap. ¡°Tag you¡¯re it!¡± I said as I ran toward the playground. This caused the other pokemon to sprint away while Link pursued, resulting in a rather fun game. When it was obvious none of the pokemon were going to be able to catch Zubat I accepted a tag from Gawain only to jump as high as I could to lightly tap her. ¡°You¡¯re it!¡± I announced triumphantly. Zubat chose to chase Anita then and the young girl sprinted her heart out, diving through obstacles, scurrying through tunnels and faking out like a champion tag player. I made a gesture to Link and Gawain notifying them of my intentions and for them to distract Anita. They nodded and prepared themselves accordingly. I decided to use the moment to sidle up to Trent. ¡°So, you¡¯ve obviously been friends for a while, yeah?¡± I said, watching Anita finally get tagged, only for her to seek out Cranidos who was more than happy for an excuse to ¡®tag¡¯ someone else. Sadly for him he barely got any steam up in his charge before Gawain ¡®mistimed¡¯ a jump to get tagged. Gawain turned his gaze upon Anita and the girl cursed before taking off again. She had impressive cardio, I had to give her that. Trent nodded. ¡°Yeah, we grew up together,¡± he said easily. ¡°Ah, childhood friends,¡± I said with a nod before continuing. ¡°How long has she been putting you down for?¡± I asked nonchalantly, like I wasn¡¯t interested in the answer. Trent stiffened. ¡°She doesn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°During your match, she was very much bullying you, I¡¯m sorry to say. It looks even worse after her¡­ well, collapse.¡± I waved a hand. ¡°Now she doesn¡¯t have any pokemon that are mistreated or injured, which are the usual indicators for a bully or person that is far along on a spectrum, shall we say, but she does deride you and put you down.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± Trent started to say, only to grimace. ¡°She¡¯s just under a lot of pressure.¡± ¡°Hmmm, nah,¡± I said in response. ¡°Nah?¡± Trent parroted back at me. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, nah,¡± I said, enjoying the oxymoron and how it caused Trent to look at me in dumbfounded disbelief, now clearly unsure what I meant. Good, he was willing to listen. ¡°Her acting like that to you is bad, and I¡¯m sorry to say you laying down and supporting it is enabling it. You need to call her out if she does it to you.¡± I raised a hand. ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be in public, it can be in private,¡± I suggested. ¡°Consider how it makes you feel and tell her, but! Also consider that if she is using it as a method to calm herself down or build her own confidence, it¡¯s only a weakness for her.¡± Trent stiffened, ¡°A weakness?¡± he said. I mentally rolled my eyes. Trust a young kid in a pokemon world to focus on that and not on his own feelings. I¡¯d probably have to circle around to that again if I got the chance. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s introducing a weakness. For instance, what happens if she tries to do that to someone else?¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t!¡± said Trent firmly. I nodded along, letting myself be seen agreeing with him. ¡°Yeah, most likely¡­ but¡­ what would happen if you weren¡¯t with her? Would she act out more? Or worse? She¡¯d have an established habit of doing it that might make her fall back into it. So, if you were required to end your Journey¡­. Or you fell sick for instance¡­ what might happen?¡± I said, painting some generic but still possible situations for him. Trent frowned, his jaw working as he chewed his lip. We watched as Anita was tagged and began chasing Link, only to find him teasing her with jumps that carried him away with deceptive speed. ¡°What should I do?¡± Trent said after another few moments in which Anita, tired beyond belief, gave up on tagging Link and instead moved to take a drink from the water bubbler in the shade. I grinned. ¡°Right, you need to draw a line in the sand and make sure she knows that you¡¯re worried about her behaviour. How it could affect her, and you. Make sure you stress your feelings on the matter,¡± I said, trying to edge things back into the correct path. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯ll listen better if I do it that way!¡± Trent said with a nod. I held in a sigh. Alright, not how I wanted to help foster a healthy relationship, but¡ª My thoughts were derailed as Slaking, who¡¯d been watching Anita from the shade, sauntered over to her, and offered his hand. She blinked and then hesitantly tapped him on the hand, causing him to become ¡®it¡¯. Slaking turned his gaze upon all the pokemon that had been toying with Anita and grinned. Gawain took off and Link hustled as fast as he could, while Zubat went high. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Slaking charged after Link, causing the other pokemon to get out of the way. Thankfully Link was caught before anything could be damaged or injured. Slaking slapped Link and a sound like a balloon being struck sounded out, with Link floating up and away only to drift back down with a bemused look on his face. Slaking snorted and raised his chin. The powerful normal type gave the others a look before huffing and proudly stalking back to his bench. When he got there he nodded once at Anita. Then he lay back down and went back to dozing. Huh¡­ alright, that was another thing I hadn¡¯t been aiming for but had gotten. I guess that makes two tasks¡­ failed successfully? ¡­ Right, a win was a win regardless! I thought to myself as I ignored Link hopping his way back to tag another pokemon. I decided to cash out now so I whistled, ¡°Alright gang! That¡¯s long enough, let¡¯s keep moving!¡± I called out. Gible jumped out of the sandpit, having been hiding himself there only to crow with delight. The other pokemon blinked and I saw a wave of surprise ripple through them. I frowned for a moment, only to realise that in the entire twenty minutes that they¡¯d been playing, none of them had been able to tag Gible. He¡¯d been too good with Dig to get tagged. Huh, that was neat to know. He must be watching my other pokemon like Sanchez when he practised more than I¡¯d realised. Hmmm, clever little guy. I gestured for him to hop up into my hands and he did so like an overeager puppy. Trent, seeing the leaping mass of teeth, did the smart thing and bolted away. I merely reached out, catching Gible with a twist and flick of my hands to turn him before any teeth could latch onto me. I returned my other pokemon and tapped my shoulder for Zubat to land on. ¡°Alright gang! Forward to the race track!¡± I called out. Anita returned most of her pokemon, leaving only Zigzagoon out to run around, while Trent simply returned his entire team. He was clearly still locked in thought, something that Anita didn¡¯t notice as she skipped along. ¡°Did you see that, Trent? I had Slaking playing along with the rest of the team!¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± muttered Trent. ¡°If I get him following commands, I might be able to use him soon!¡± she continued. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Trent, his eyes distant. I decided to step in a little. ¡°So, Slaking? You said your sister gave him to you? Is he your safety pokemon?¡± Anita nodded, suddenly much shyer. I tilted my head. ¡°I gather there¡¯s a story there? Did you not want Slaking?¡± ¡°What? No! I wanted Slaking! It¡¯s just¡­ well my sister is¡­¡± She shifted about and glanced around before whispering. ¡°Gladys, my sister is Gladys!¡± she said with a put upon expression. Zigzagoon must have realised that his trainer was feeling down as he jumped up on her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek I raised an eyebrow and for the next minute nothing was said as Anita avoided looking at me. Anita must have taken the silence the wrong way as she huffed. ¡°See? That¡¯s the issue, she¡¯s famous, and that causes¡ª¡± I coughed. ¡°Oh, actually no, I was waiting for you to elaborate, I¡­ have no idea who your sister is,¡± I admitted. Anita¡¯s head snapped up and she stared at me in disbelief. ¡°You? What? No! You have to be lying!¡± she shouted. Trent roused from his internal turmoil, realising that something had occurred while he¡¯d been lost in thought. He glanced at me, then back to Anita. In the meantime, I merely gave Anita a blank look. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re not lying? You don¡¯t know who my sister is, do you?¡± Anita asked as realisation slowly dawned. ¡°I take it I¡¯m supposed to? What is she famous for?¡± I asked. ¡°She¡¯s the current undefeated Queen of the LaRousse Battle Tower!¡± Anita said. ¡°I can¡¯t go anywhere in town without people asking after her! Everyone wants me to be just as good!¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said as some of Anita¡¯s hang-ups made some sense to me now. She was a younger sibling living in the shadow of her more famous sister. Hmmm, now that sounded a little bit familiar to me. Only I was on the other side of the equation. ¡°So¡­¡± I rubbed my chin in thought on how to broach this topic. ¡°Fame¡­ is relative, like a lot of things in life. Your sister Gladys? She might be a local celebrity, but that doesn¡¯t mean much when you travel further afield than home. You¡¯ll probably find there aren¡¯t many people that have heard of her that aren¡¯t from LaRousse, or that are dedicated to the Battle Club scene.¡± ¡°We call them Battle Towers in Hoenn,¡± Anita corrected me absently. She then stared at me in shock. ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of Gladys Gulfiefort? Truly?¡± she asked again. I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat myself, fame is relative. Your sister is famous in LaRousse, but let me ask you this: Who would win between her and Steven Stone?¡± Trent and Anita both opened their mouths, only to pause and tilt their heads. I chuckled and began rattling off other famous names of Hoenn. ¡°Drake, Glacia, Sidney, Phoebe?¡± When they shook their heads again, a look of understanding began to form in both of their eyes. ¡°What about the other Gym Leaders? Wattson, Winona, or Wallace?¡± I asked. ¡°She can beat them!¡± said Anita firmly. I chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t rate them by the pokemon you face at the typical Journey match level, but what they would bring forth if this was an exhibition match at least. Think about it like how my match with Lance went, if that helps. Everyone knows that it is easy to get my badge if you come to my Gym first, but what doesn¡¯t get mentioned to young trainers on their Journey is that we all have much stronger teams than are usually advertised,¡± I said. Anita and Trent shared a glance. ¡°We knew that!¡± they said, only to then refuse to meet my judgemental gaze. I chuckled and lifted up Gible to rub his belly. I was far too used to the problems that young trainers caused or got themselves into with their ignorance. They just didn¡¯t quite realise what they didn¡¯t know and how big the world was, even inside only the known three regions. It was a funny thing to be on the cusp of the internet age, knowing that the world was still going to get bigger while at the same time, much smaller. Hopefully it would lead to more well informed ten-year-olds challenging me. When we reached the racetrack, the kids forgot their existential revelations about the world and their places in it, as pokemon that were truly moving became visible. I watched a pair of Rapidash pacing each other, while on their backs jockeys urged their pokemon on. On the side of the track a trainer barked orders on how to improve the riders, stances or how to eke out another stride every ten metres for one of the blazing fire pokemon. They cleared the straight only for a herd of Rhyhorn to rumble past, making it seem like tanks were on the march with how they moved. On their backs trainers jostled and elbowed each other as their pokemon fought their way forward as much as they ran forward. Interestingly enough, for this type of race, most of the riders wore thick padding which made them look much bigger than they actually were. They all also wore some form of headgear, either a hardened riding helmet, or for the more savage trainers, a proper sports headgear that kept them as streamlined as possible. Something about watching the Rhyhorn herd fighting it out twinged something in my brain. Something about Ash and a Rhyhorn¡­ but that didn¡¯t sound right. Ash caught a herd of Tauros in the canon cartoon timeline. Still, there was something there. I eyed the lead rider-Rhyhorn pair break away for the final hundred metres to ¡®win¡¯ the training bout. I chuckled as they bucked and played up their victory more like you would expect from a Tauros rider. Speaking of which, I noted the other part of the track that was a round arena where Rapidash and Tauros were ridden, only in this case it was for buckjumping and bullriding, which, with pokemon involved, was a much more deadly affair. I watched one rider get hurled across the arena, only to land on the ground and roll to their feet. ¡°Ole!¡± they shouted, but a moment later a small man marched out and began chewing them out. Hmmm, it seemed they were in training just as much as the pokemon were. I rubbed my chin. I hadn¡¯t realised there was a Rodeo and CampDraft equivalent for pokemon. Nor did I realise that they were being run from a site next to the racetrack. I frowned. Hang on a second, I¡¯d been here¡­ I tilted my head. When was the last time I¡¯d gone on patrol? Like a proper patrol? ¡°Gym Leader Brock!¡± called a voice, causing me to snap out of my thoughts and find myself with a small crowd of people approaching. The man who spoke was the one that had previously been shouting at the rodeo bronco rider, or was it called something else? ¡°Hello there!¡± I said as I shifted into my public presentation mask. ¡°I have to say, I must have missed this facility the last time I came around on patrol,¡± I said, indicating the arena. ¡°Heh! No! You wouldn¡¯t have missed it!¡± the man said with a nod of his hat. ¡°That there is an as yet unopened centre of roughhousing!¡± He grinned and winked, ¡°I like to think of it as Tough Tech, where we take young lads and lasses and give them an education into some of the harder sports around!¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°That being¡­ Rapidash buck jumping, Tauros riding¡­. And other events?¡± I said, unsure how to explain my understanding of a rather niche sport. What I¡¯d said seemed enough to stun the short man and his entourage for a moment. ¡°I say! I didn¡¯t know you were a fan! Most people aren¡¯t too aware of our sport!¡± He adjusted his bolo tie and nodded in a pleased manner. ¡°Well, if Gym Leader Brock is known to be a fan, then I think we¡¯ll do a bit better than anticipated!¡± he said. I blinked. ¡°You¡¯re not well established and yet you have¡­ a new arena?¡± I said tilting my head. Something didn¡¯t make sense here. I decided to dig deeper. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t quite catch your name, either.¡± The man chuckled ¡°My apologies! I¡¯m Clark Candor! President and founder of the Rough Riders Association in Indigo! We¡¯ve been something of a niche sport for a while, but the recent fairs that have been sweeping around Kanto this season have seen people reaching out for new attractions. Our sport is just that!¡± he said, lacing his hands into his belt as he puffed up proudly. I nodded slowly, adding two and two mentally to get four. ¡°And that has led to a surge in popularity and money which allows you to do more,¡± I said, glancing at the new ¡®unopened¡¯ arena. ¡°What about barrel races and flag events?¡± I asked, only to draw blank expressions. I glanced at the arena and saw some barrels. Perhaps they called them something else? ¡°You know? Where you set up three barrels in a triangle shape and have the riders go through them from a standing start to demonstrate acceleration and agility? Or where you have a line of flags in a row and the rider and pokemon have to weave through them?¡± I offered, recalling events from my first life. When I continued to draw blank looks I realised I might have made a mistake. Clark Candor however beamed at me. ¡°That sounds like a swell event! Agility and speed all in one!¡± he said. ¡°Where¡¯d you ever catch sight of that?¡± I waved a hand. ¡°Oh you know, around.¡± Clark grinned. ¡°Seen anything else that would work for our sporting field?¡± I hummed, relaxing at his welcoming attitude. A few of the people, pokemon riders or event organisers judging by their attire, all seemed much more interested in what I had to say. So I decided to run with it. ¡°What about flag events? Where you have rider and pokemon dart out to poles that are further and further out, grab a flag off the top while making a turn and then stashing the flags in a small catcher at the starting point?¡± ¡°Oh! I like it!¡± crowed Clark. I smiled, pleased that he was onboard with the idea. ¡°When is your official opening?¡± I asked. ¡°A few weeks, we¡¯re doing a soft open now to check the facilities over and iron things out a bit, then we¡¯re going to have a big rodeo! Should be a real drawcard for Pewter, I reckon!¡± said Clark. I nodded, agreeing with the idea. ¡°Well, be sure to invite me along, I¡¯ll bring my family and some friends,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to send you free tickets!¡± Clark said proudly. I smiled and nodded in thanks before glancing at Trent and Anita. ¡°What do you two think about that?¡± I said, prompting their input. Anita blinked, having not expected to be called out. ¡°Uh?¡± she said. Trent coughed, stepping forward slightly. ¡°Uhm, will younger people be able to take part, or is it only professionals?¡± Clark whistled. ¡°Now there¡¯s a good idea!¡± He snapped his fingers and one of the suited individuals who¡¯d been jotting down things the entire time we¡¯d been talking continued to write. ¡°Write that down,¡± said Clark. ¡°I have been, sir,¡± said the woman and I blinked, realising she¡¯d literally been copying my ideas. Huh, looks like I¡¯d started a Gymkhana event that was going to be for all ages, Suzie was so going to want to join when she saw it. I couldn¡¯t wait to see her zipping around on the back of a little Ponyta. She¡¯d be so cute. I coughed, noticing the time. ¡°I need to keep moving, I¡¯m sorry to say, but definitely contact the Gym, I¡¯d love to hear more about this,¡± I said as I waved goodbye to the group. I nodded my head towards the race track. ¡°Sorry about that, let¡¯s go check out the race track and see if anyone can help out with your Zigzagoon¡¯s speed issue,¡± I said. Anita nodded along slowly, her eyes tracking me in a very unsubtle fashion. Ah, she must not have thought about how I was somewhat of a local celebrity. Now she was experiencing it again. ¡°Sorry if that raised some bad memories,¡± I said. Anita blinked. ¡°Hmmm? Oh, no, you¡¯re nothing like Gladys when talking with the public,¡± she said. ¡°You also¡­ asked for my opinion, that doesn¡¯t happen¡­ ever with her.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said. The more I learnt about her situation the more I pitied her and wanted her to avoid the pitfalls she¡¯d been sprinting at. I glanced towards Trent, hopefully a softer approach might be all that is needed. I could show them part of the way, but I couldn¡¯t always hold their hands. When we reached the race track proper, it was quite easy to talk to one of the race trainers into watching Zigzagoon and Anita to get an idea of what was wrong. The man quickly had some ideas and was already working with Anita to deal with the issue. I sat off to the side with Trent, more than happy to be a spectator to a different style of training. Overhead a trio of Pidgeot flew, with two of the birds twirling around each other in a tight helix. I frowned when I spotted both trainers hop from the backs of their pokemon. I rose, instinct warning me to get moving now, I¡¯d only have seconds to intercept them from that height¡ª Before I could do that, both riders landed on the other person¡¯s pokemon and raised their hands. Oh, it was stunt flying. I sat back down and calmed my racing heart. Trent glanced at me. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen that trick before?¡± he asked. I shook my head. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen the stunt displays much to be honest,¡± I said. ¡°Have to say that was rather scary to watch,¡± I confided. ¡°Hmm, it wasn¡¯t very good,'''' Trent said with a shake of his head. ¡°They need to be tighter, it¡¯s actually easy to do it as a jump, really skilled riders can lock into a spiral and go back to back and sort of counter roll to put them in opposite saddles.¡± I blinked, picturing the acrobatics and how tight the margin for error would have to be. ¡°That would be impressive to see.¡± I glanced at Trent. ¡°Do you have much experience with it?¡± ¡°My cousins are stunt flyers and riders,¡± he said. ¡°Riders too, huh?¡± I said with a whistle of appreciation. ¡°I really need to get out more if I¡¯m missing those sorts of shows,¡± I commented. And didn¡¯t saying it make it feel true? I sighed and shook my head, deciding to sit back and enjoy the show while I had some free time. For a short walk around Pewter, I felt like I¡¯d gotten a lot out of it.
When I got home at the end of the day, everyone was in the dining room eating dinner. As I took a seat, Nanny Grav quickly slipped a plate in front of me. I raised my fork only to spot an undercurrent of tension in the room. I put the food back down. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to school tomorrow!¡± said Cindy with a grimace as she nudged around the food on her plate. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I asked. ¡°We have swimming class tomorrow and I suck at it!¡± said Cindy. I tilted my head and shot Flint a quick look. ¡°But you¡¯re a really good swimmer?¡± I said. Cindy huffed. ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re not doing it for fun today, we¡¯re going to be competing in the swimming competition and this year I got signed up for the long-distance events! I have to swim a whole one hundred metres! That¡¯s four whole laps!¡± she said waving her hands about. I hummed. ¡°You didn¡¯t get any of the shorter events?¡± I asked. ¡°No, they went to other kids¡­ well, I do have the relay and the single twenty-five-metre swim but everyone¡¯s doing them! I just don¡¯t like swimming long events! Can I call in sick tomorrow?¡± she asked, looking at me hopefully. ¡°Don¡¯t quit!¡± chimed in Flint, cutting off Cindy¡¯s attempts to get to me with her refined in-strength baby doll eyes. Flint pumped his fist. ¡°You just need to push through! This is a good chance to show your grit!¡± he said with an upbeat attitude. ¡°I can¡¯t do it!¡± Cindy wailed. ¡°You can¡¯t with that attitude,¡± Flint and I said at the same time. I held back the shiver of uncanniness at us jinxing each other. From the side of my peripheral vision I saw Tommy straighten, excitement in his gaze as he opened his mouth to shout. I touched my nose and pointed at Flint. ¡°Jinx! You can¡¯t speak until someone says your name!¡± ¡°Daddy got jinxed!¡± cheered Tilly, only to gasp, ¡°Oh no! I said Daddy¡¯s name!¡± she said in horror. I snorted. ¡°Daddy isn¡¯t his name,¡± I said, only to earn a wall of incomprehension from the younger kids. Yolanda giggled while Salvadore looked up, tilted his head and opened his mouth. ¡°Oh right, his name is¡ª¡± he started to say, only for Cindy to lunge at Salvadore to silence him. She shot Flint a gleeful look. I chuckled, only to realise why Cindy was doing this. I coughed, ignoring Flint pretending to open and shut his mouth without saying anything as he played along with the game. ¡°We are right though, Cindy, you shouldn¡¯t just give up and say you can¡¯t. Instead you should be like the Can Do¡ª¡± I cast around for an appropriate pokemon and paused on Magikarp. ¡°¡ªthe Can Do Magikarp!¡± I said with a winning smile. Cindy and all the other kids stared at me. ¡°The Can Do Magikarp?¡± they asked. ¡°Munchlax?¡± said Munchlax, leaning back and staring at me with interest. I coughed, ¡°Yeah? The Can Do Magikarp, have I not told you that story before?¡± I asked, knowing that I obviously hadn¡¯t. Cindy shook her head and I realised¡ªjudging from the looks I was getting¡ª that I would need to perform the story now. I stood and began to wriggle and wiggle like a Magikarp would, all while laying out the story of the Can Do Magikarp. I wiggled my arms in a fish like motion, spearing them upwards while writhing. ¡°And the little Magikarp continued to swim! Up and up the waterfall! Nothing could stop him! Not the rushing waters or the jeering pokemon below or around him!¡± ¡°Nooooo! Swim Magicup!¡± said Tilly with a passionate wail, waving her hands like she could urge on the fictional Magikarp. I smiled, but didn¡¯t chuckle like I wanted to. ¡°So that little Magikarp continued to swim! With each slash of his tail the top of the waterfall grew closer! But! The water grew faster as it rushed over the edge! And it grew harder and harder! But in his mind, he stuck to the thought! I can do this! I can do this! And he began to inch his way up the waterfall!¡± I writhed my arms about and squirmed my body, deeply amused to see so many eyes watching my impromptu performance. ¡°And then! When he reached the top he leapt one final time, clearing the Torii gate at the top and silencing all the pokemon that doubted him!¡± ¡°Woah!¡± said Suzie and Timmy together. ¡°And with his strength proven to all! He evolved into one of the most powerful Gyarados of the land!¡± I said with a fist thrust upwards. ¡°Woah? Really?¡± said Salvadore. I coughed. ¡°Maybe? It¡¯s a story, and the point is to not give up, if you push yourself you can do more than you realise!¡± I said, giving Cindy a soft smile. She chewed her lip and nodded. ¡°Alright¡­ I think I can do it,¡± she said with a small nod. I sat back down feeling all the better for how I¡¯d motivated my sister. I noted that Flint still couldn¡¯t talk and decided to take mercy on him. ¡°So, Flint, are you going to the swimming event tomorrow?" I asked. Tommy, realising what I¡¯d done, threw up his hands. ¡°Argh! You ruined it!¡± he said, causing a chuckle from the older kids, myself and Flint. I shook my head and decided to just enjoy my dinner. Chapter 199 - Interesting developments! ¡°Your new fans are back,¡± said Jackson with a smile as I got ready for my next match. I glanced over and noticed Anita and Trent both sitting in the front row. ¡°They¡¯re good kids then, must have good taste,¡± I said with a fake obnoxious smile, cupping my chin with my hand as I pretended to look suave. ¡°Sure thing, I think it¡¯s just that you¡¯re the first established trainer to give them any time of day,¡± he said. I shot Jackson an amused look. ¡°If a trainer in the top twenty of the Ace rankings and a Gym Leader to boot gave you the time of day when you started out on your Journey, wouldn¡¯t you be leaping at the chance?¡± I said. Jackson couldn¡¯t refute that and I grinned for a moment before adopting my stern Gym Leader face for the coming challenger. The challenger I faced was perfectly generic in that they¡¯d done the required reading for their first badge, coming in with a well-trained Mankey and Weepingbell against my rock-type pokemon. Anita watched on enviously, but when I gestured to the empty podium she merely mouthed the word ¡®soon¡¯. I replied with a nod, more than happy for a young person to show some restraint instead of throwing themselves into something. It had been two days since Anita and Trent had both challenged me, and both of them, most likely at Anita¡¯s insistence, had been coming back to the gym daily. They¡¯d been tousling with the local kids who had started coming around more and more of late. Speaking of young kids that threw themselves into things¡­ ¡°Where¡¯s A.J.?¡± I asked when I reached the top of the stairs, back at the trainer section of the gym. Yolanda and Crystal who were sitting around at the top shared an amused look, while Dennis coughed. ¡°He¡¯s not working right now¡­ he usually uses his lunch breaks to get some more battling in with the local kids,¡± he said dutifully. I nodded, knowing there had to be more to it than that, judging by the girls¡¯ reactions. ¡°Riiiiiight,¡± I said leadingly. When Dennis merely smiled and nodded I turned to Yolanda, wondering what more she knew. Yolanda rolled her eyes fondly. ¡°A.J.¡¯s set up his challenge again.¡± When I gave her a blank look she huffed. ¡°You know? That ¡®I will win one hundred times before I set off¡¯? He¡¯s doing mini versions of that each day, trying for twenty wins a day. Usually, he rushes over to the battleclub at the end of the day, or he sets up fights on the battle courts outside if the right people are here,¡± she said. ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°He wins that often?¡± I asked, an idea for how to hit two Pidgey with one rock forming up. Yolanda nodded. ¡°Yeah, he wins roughly twenty matches each day so far. I think going off to Goldenrod and Celadon has really made him stronger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± I said, before glancing from Yolanda to Crystal. ¡°Have either of you beaten him?¡± I asked leadingly. That caused both of them to blink. ¡°No?¡± said Yolanda thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t really have a team beyond Terra and Spot right now¡­¡± ¡°So do a two-on-two, or a dual pokemon battle,¡± I suggested easily. I then turned to Crystal whom I knew had more pokemon thanks to her mother being freer with her money. "Or are you afraid you''ll lose?" I taunted, baiting the trap further. Crystal narrowed her eyes. ¡°No?¡± I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s alright, he¡¯s a more experienced trainer, I¡¯d be afraid of losing as well,¡± I said, deliberately playing up the pity in my tone. That caused Crystal to sit up indignantly. ¡°He¡¯s not better than me!¡± ¡°I never said he was,¡± I said easily. ¡°That said¡­¡± I trailed off leadingly and Crystal scowled. Yolanda snorted. ¡°You¡¯re not fooling anyone, Brock,¡± said Yolanda with a sniff. ¡°Stop baiting my friends into fighting each other!¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m just pointing out that you have a trainer who is dedicating himself to his craft, while you sit back and wait for things to come to you. You could learn a thing or two, and if you wanted to have an easier match, you didn¡¯t have to face him first off. I imagine it would rankle his pride if you beat him with two or three matches left to go for his twenty matches a day.¡± Yolanda blinked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I smirked. ¡°If he¡¯s set up a challenge like he used to have, then it¡¯s twenty victories in a row, not a day. So he might be fighting way, way more than people realise,¡± I said, causing both girls to blink in shock. I pointed at them. ¡°I think both of you should consider it, I¡¯m going to be ordering Greta to start doing it each day regardless, as A.J. has the right idea of honing himself, even if he overdoes it¡­ a bit,¡± I said. Dennis coughed loudly, letting me know he was listening and thought I was understating A.J.¡¯s¡­ passion for fighting a bit more than I should. ¡°Feel free to take from the three-tier match pokemon,¡± I said to Yolanda, who didn''t have as many pokemon herself. I wanted her to test herself, and running face first into a better trainer in a controlled setting would be good. A.J. would learn that you couldn''t always just grind for strength and that he''d need to be tactical. I''d probably need to have him run into the obstacle for a bit first before I demonstrated endurance battling with my Elite challenge. Yolanda started to smirk, and I realised she''d thought of a loophole. ¡°Not Izumi,¡± I said firmly, causing her to grumble but eventually nod. I smirked and glanced towards Trent and Anita, who were heading out with a pair of trainers themselves to get into a friendly match. Good, it seemed everyone had some goals and targets to improve themselves in the young crowd. Before I left, I tapped Yolanda on the shoulder. ¡°Remember to remind Greta and A.J. that they¡¯re going to be going to Cerulean with me tomorrow, and to Saffron on Saturday.¡± ¡°Hmmm an easy match before you make them face Sabrina¡­ wait she only takes four badges or more¡­¡± Yolanda said before coughing. ¡°Oh right, Kong, I forgot about him,¡± Yolanda with a small playful bonk to her head. ¡°I¡¯m sure Kong is wounded, but yes, an easy match for Greta followed by a more neutral match. Whereas for A.J. it¡¯s going to be two tough matches if he wants to rely on his Sandshrew.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re going spelunking with Dad, right?¡± Yolanda said leadingly. I nodded and noticed how much wider and more natural her smile had become. I huffed at her and poked her on the forehead. ¡°Go bug A.J., ¡° I said. Yolanda nodded before stiffening, an evil grin forming as she seemed to realise something. I considered what I¡¯d said, before realising that Anorith and a few other pokemon were in the third tier and below roster. Hmmm, it seems like A.J. was about to face a few motivated trainers with plans to trip him up. It¡¯d be good practice for him when he was older. It wasn¡¯t hypocritical when I said it, I¡¯d experienced people sniping me, and A.J. would do well to realise that people could do the same to him. Seriously, he needed to catch some more pokemon! He still had the same pokemon he came to the Gym with! I gave the rest of the day¡¯s tasks a careful look over, considering times and distances before I nodded to myself. ¡°Where¡¯s Greta?¡± I asked as I continued to weigh up the feasibility of what I was about to do. It would be showing an extreme degree of favouritism¡­ unless I offered to do it with all of my sponsored trainers, or the ones that wanted it at least, but it would still be worth a trip. Plus it had been a while, I could write it up as doing a patrol. I continued to weigh it up in my head. Eventually, I turned to Dennis. ¡°If I offered to take the kids to¡­ the base of the Silver Range, do you think¡ª¡± Dennis threw up his hands. ¡°Are you trying to raise a year of monster trainers? If you do that for Greta and A.J. it will be bad enough! If Yolanda gets more options she¡¯s going to be spoilt for choice!¡± he said passionately. I blinked. ¡°So¡­ I shouldn¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°Maybe leave it to them to ask? Are you still considering giving kids like Gary Oak one of the Ancient pokemon if he comes back?¡± Dennis asked. I paused. Gary had been one of the only kids to ask. I quickly brought up his trainer form on the pokenet and found that he¡¯d collected five major gym badges so far, along with Sophia, Kong, Manny, and Gray¡¯s, putting him at nine badges, with only Sabrina¡¯s left to acquire in Kanto. I whistled. ¡°Huh, yup, I think he¡¯s going to earn it,¡± I said looking at the comments about Gary. A lot of them were to the tune of ¡®cocky but has the knowledge and continues to develop well.¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s also got a very wide list of pokemon,¡± I said, noting that the Rhyhorn he¡¯d gotten from us was now a Rhydon. He also had a Graveler. Nidorina, Nidorino, Arcanine, Magmar, Scyther, Doduo, Kingler, Eevee, Abra, Fearow, Horsea, and of course, his starter, which was now a Blastoise. I whistled. The kid had a good team of pokemon that was only going to grow stronger. I brought up Mia¡¯s trainer profile out of interest, and found that she had eight badges, with only Manny and Sabrina left if she wanted to match Gary¡¯s feat of all the Kanto badges. Her pokemon roster was also nowhere near as deep, with only five pokemon. That being said, they were good pokemon to have. Silly Mouse, her starter, a Raticate now, along with Farfetch¡¯d called Sir Quacksalot, a Houndour called Ember, an Azumarill called Bouncey¡­ and a Dragonair¡­ I dialled Mia¡¯s number right away. ¡°Hiya Brock!¡± she said with a huge smile. Silly Mouse appeared on her shoulder with a fanged grin and waved a paw at me. ¡°Hey Mia and Silly Mouse,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°Congratulations on qualifying for the end-of-year tournament! Or at least the preliminaries,¡± I said with a laugh. Mia nodded her head. ¡°Oh, thanks! I only just got it!¡± She squinted her eyes at me. ¡°Do they send.. like a message or something?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, I was just checking over your profile as it¡¯s been a few weeks now, no?¡± I said casually. Mia rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Ahahaha! So¡­ you know, then?¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°So you have a Dragonair now?¡± I asked. Mia squirmed gleefully. ¡°Yes! I do! And it¡¯s so cool and graceful! I found her when I was swimming around Vermillion Beach with my Azumaril! She was hurt and I nursed her back to health and she bonded with me and I just! I just! Oh, she¡¯s so great!¡± ¡°Anyone give you any trouble over having her?¡± I asked. ¡°A few people tried to pressure me when I brought her out in a match against another trainer a few days ago,¡± Mia confessed. ¡°They were getting really demanding about me trading them for her and I kept saying no. It got to the point where I threatened to have Silly Mouse Super Fang them!¡± She giggled, ¡°Then Gary¡¯s girlfriends stepped in and fought them off before I could with their pokemon, they¡¯re really strong, you know?¡± I smirked. ¡°Thus why they¡¯re Gary¡¯s girlfriends,¡± I said leadingly. ¡°Oh! That makes way more sense than them just pitying Gary,¡± she said. ¡°Hey!¡± called a voice that belonged to Gary. Mia giggled as Gary stomped over and glared at her. ¡°I¡¯m not pitiable! I¡¯m handsome and suave!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Mia said with a nod. ¡°Say, where do you want to have dinner tonight?¡± she said quickly. Gary grinned. ¡°Mr Mime¡¯s!¡± he said with a confident smile, only for a round of tittering to break out on their end of the call. Even Silly Mouse was chuffing with laughter. I hummed. ¡°Nothing wrong with a flaming Tauros burger with some Miltank cheese,¡± I said, offering my support to Gary. ¡°See! Brock¡¯s a man of culture!¡± Gary said. I nodded, before recalling the conversation that had prompted me to seek out Gary¡¯s information. ¡°I see you¡¯re one badge away from completing the challenge I set you when we spoke after our match, Gary,¡± I prompted. Gary blinked, then frowned. ¡°The challenge you set down for me¡­¡± he said before brightening up as though someone had just shone a Flash on him. ¡°You were serious about that?¡± he said, sounding like he¡¯d just been promised an early and a normal Christmas. ¡°If you can do it,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°Good luck against Sabrina,¡± I said. Gary nodded seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! And then I¡¯ll be back to acquire my pokemon!¡± he said like he¡¯d already defeated Sabrina. I merely hummed and glanced towards Mia. ¡°What¡¯re your movements?¡± I asked. Mia coughed. ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to Saffron so Gary can train up to fight against Sabrina, but in the meantime I¡¯m going to work with Kong, he said I had good potential and that if I stuck around for a couple of months he¡¯d assign a pokemon to me! I think a Machop would be pretty swell!¡± she said. I merely nodded along, knowing that it would likely be much better than that if she impressed Kong. It wasn¡¯t widely known, but trainers who did work with him got pokemon. Impress him? He¡¯d give you a much better fighting-type pokemon. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if by the end of the Circuit Mia had a Hitmonlee or a Hitmonchan for herself like Humphrey did. Speaking of which, I called to touch base only for him to be about to get into a trainer battle. ¡°Send me a record and good luck!¡± I said before hanging up. With two Pidgeys taken out of the sky with one rock, or rather phone call, I bid them goodbye after thanking Gary¡¯s security team for looking out for Mia. I checked over my schedule and found I had one more challenger before the break, with a final challenger in the very last slot. I huffed in annoyance as I read the note that the trainer wouldn¡¯t move the time slot earlier. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Urgh, annoying, but that was the gig sometimes. I marched towards the medbay to collect a tier three team for this match as I read through the trainer¡¯s profile idly. When I was done I made a circuit around the gym and back to the top of the stairs. Only then did I signal Rachel that I was ready. ¡°From Lavender Town! Yvonne the Horror!¡± called Rachel with a grin. Huh, we usually didn¡¯t get trainers that altered or adjusted their intro. They were usually too focused on the coming match. A young girl stalked out, with her head tucked forward and her hands in her pocket, with a carefully curated air of one that doesn¡¯t care about what¡¯s going on around her, while also having an obvious chip on her shoulder. Oh no, a young girl with attitude, I thought to myself as I went through my normal scowling introduction and challenge. The girl snorted and something about the way she did it gave me pause. A snort shouldn¡¯t be a way of recognising people, but it was rather distinctive with how she almost tossed her head as she did it. Very dramatic and over the top. ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± called Dennis from the referee stand. We both nodded and I sent forth my first pokemon. ¡°Go! Lileep!¡± I shouted. ¡°Come out to fight! Gastly!¡± she called, sending out what appeared to be a leery cloud of gas. I paused at the selection. A snort of derision and a Gastly do not a trainer under Agatha make¡­ However, there was an easy way to find out. ¡°Fan of Agatha¡¯s, eh?¡± I said with a wide, innocent smile. Yvonne shot me a furious look and I mentally ticked off another mark. Yup, this girl totally knew Agatha if she was reacting like that. No girl who had met and trained with Agatha would retain their hero worship. Agatha was a stubborn old biddy that trained hard. I¡¯d hate to be a trainer under her purview. ¡°Curse,¡± she said through gritted teeth. ¡°Ingrain!¡± I said, deciding to negate some of the effects of curse as best I could. ¡°Then go into Mega Drain!¡± I barked. ¡°Tch! Going to make me work for it, are you?¡± she said. ¡°Payback into Hypnosis!¡± she called, allowing her Gastly to take a hit of Mega Drain before it shot forward and launched itself through my pokemon, laughing as it did so. ¡°Astonich!¡± I called, making Lillep curl in on itself before popping out its frills and startling Gastly into stopping the Hypnosis. ¡°Brine!¡± I said, following up with an attack as quickly as I could. ¡°Protect!¡± called Yvonne, and her pokemon blocked the attack earning a nod of approval from me. She didn¡¯t seem super comfortable with her Gastly at the start there, but she was warming up. That or she was adapting as we fought, which I¡¯d have to test for. Shame she hadn¡¯t gone for a gauntlet, then I¡¯d have been able to really put her through her paces. ¡°Sandstorm!¡± I ordered, using one of the only moves this Lileep knew that was rock-type to make things harder for Yvonne. ¡°Tch! Gastly return!¡± she called. She then kept me waiting as my Lileep slowly drained. She gained a smug look from what I could see projected on the big screen and she was obviously patting herself on the back, for playing to her strengths like she was with Curse still in effect. I was honestly impressed her Gastly had lasted through Curse, Mega Drain, and Astonish. ¡°Come on out Gligar!¡± called Yvonne. I blinked, having expected another ghost-type pokemon to emerge. A ground-flying type was a wonderful counter to this situation, and Yvonne demonstrated that straight away. ¡°Acrobatics!¡± she called over the howl of the Sandstorm, her pokemon rising with the roaring winds only to streak down. ¡°Blast it with Brine!¡± I called and Lileep, like a turret firing at an oncoming kamikaze plane, began unleashing blast after blast of watery gouts at Gligar. Gligar merely tucked one wing after the other, dodging the attacks before slamming home into Lileep and knocking out the first pokemon. With Curse in effect it only took the one normally effective move to knock out my pokemon. I withdrew the pokemon and nodded. ¡°Nicely done putting on the pressure there, Lileep,¡± I said, before selecting my next pokemon. While Gligar had been a good answer to Lileep, it wasn¡¯t going to be the same for my next pokemon. ¡°Go! Corsola!¡± I shouted, sending out my second pokemon, and specifically a water-rock pokemon. ¡°Urgh, wait, no this could work,¡± Yvonne said only to scowl. ¡°Sand Attack!¡± she shouted, calling for what I could infer as the only Ground type move Gligar knew. Gligar didn¡¯t even need to lower itself with the sandstorm still in effect, instead, it beat its wings and sent a spray straight into my pokemon¡¯s eyes. It caused Corsola to recoil and me to grimace, knowing I needed to get rid of that Sandstorm as it wasn¡¯t impacting Yvonne and rather played in her favour. Still, I wanted one other move first. ¡°Aqua Ring!¡± I called and my Corsola formed a ring of water that surrounded it. Much like with Lileep, I had options to extend the fighting strength of my pokemon with this move. ¡°Repeat!¡± Yvonne said, sending out another Sand Attack causing me to glower at her. ¡°Rinse out your eyes with the next move! Surf! Fire straight ahead!¡± I called, giving Corsola a line of attack while also denying the continued easy Sand Attacks by taking away the Sandstorm. Corsola bounced back and a wave formed up which, by my expectations, was rather pitiful. It barely rose to twice my height, but it was enough to threaten Gligar. ¡°Acrobatics! Get over the lip of that wave!¡± shouted Yvonne. Her pokemon jumped and performed a series of barrel rolls and twirls which I recognised as a flying-type method of building up quick speed. Then, just before it could be swallowed up by the wave it darted high, shooting over the wave. Sadly for Gligar it did so right where my Corsola, now without sand in its eyes, was perched. I didn¡¯t even need to bark an order as Corsola leapt from the wave, Tackling Gligar back down, allowing the wave to crash over them. I whistled, damn this sequence of moves was working out in my favour. Corsola emerged atop a bedraggled looking Gligar. ¡°Poison Tail!¡± snapped Yvonne, and her pokemon lashed out, stabbing its hooked tail into Corsola. Corsola wailed as purple lines began to form around the site of the injury. Damn, she¡¯d been poisoned! ¡°Water Gun! Finish it!¡± I called and Corsola unleashed a blast of water with a vengeance upon her foe, knocking Gligar out of the fight. ¡°Urgh!¡± Yvonne grunted in annoyance before clicking her tongue. ¡°Nice going out there Gligar! You put them on the ropes for us!¡± she said as she returned her pokemon, before instantly throwing out a Beedrill of all pokemon. I raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her and pointed straight at the pokemon. ¡°Ancient Power,¡± I said. Corsola gritted her teeth, ignoring the poison that she was fighting through, even as her Aqua Ring healed her, to fire a trio of rocks at Beedrill. I leaned forward in anticipation. If Yvonne was this confident to send out a pokemon noted to be a bad match up, she must know how to leverage her pokemon. ¡°Plan alpha!¡± she called and a shimmer took over Beedrill¡¯s form that instantly had me looking around. I¡¯d faced too many Ninetails using this trick to fall for it. I therefore wasn¡¯t surprised in the least when the mirage Beedrill had left behind with Substitute broke, only for Beedrill to reappear in a burst of speed at Corsola¡¯s side. The lances on each of Beedrill¡¯s arms flashed out once, twice, thrice before going still, only for Corsola to whip around furiously and try to unleash a close-range Ancient Power. Once more it missed, but this time it was pure speed as Yvonne doubled down on Agility. ¡°Alright if that¡¯s not going to work,¡± I said aloud, before waving a hand forward. ¡°Surf,¡± I commanded. Once more Corsola swept the field with a wave, with her riding it at the top. This time Yvonne had no issues with her pokemon flying up and over the wave. Yvonne shot me a cheeky grin that made me want to rattle her composure a little. So I smirked right back. ¡°Launch a Water Gun above you!¡± I barked and Corsola followed without a hint of hesitation. I then pointed at the orb of water, just before it started to let gravity reclaim it, I gave the next command. ¡°Fire again!¡± I called. This time Corsola¡¯s attacks slammed into each other and a cascade of water fell upon the field, dampening it and causing a pseudo rain effect. This seemed to confuse Beedrill as it paused, hovering off to the side with lances raised in preparation. Yvonne narrowed her eyes, unsure what I was doing, so I repeated the action. When nothing appeared to be changing she scoffed and waved her Beedrill in. ¡°He¡¯s stalling to keep his pokemon in the fight with Aqua Ring! Don¡¯t worry about it, Beedrill. Plan Gamma this time!¡± she said and I noted that this pokemon had obviously gotten a lot more attention than her Gastly and her Gligar, if it had specialised move combinations set up. The trick would be to simply learn what they were. Plan Alpha was simple enough and I suspected I knew what Gamma was. A moment later when Beedrill blurred in to deliver another hit to the side, twitching as water fell around it. It came in slower and this let me get Corsola lined up properly. ¡°Ancient Power,¡± I said dispassionately as Beedrill closed, stinger raised, only for Corsola to spin, lifting a trio of rocks to slam them into Beedrill. The move crumbled the bug type like I knew it would and Yvonne gaped in shock. ¡°Huh? What!¡± She stared at her downed pokemon, unable to comprehend what had just happened. I hummed and gave Dennis a signal not to start the minute counter as I was going to hand out some pearls of wisdom. ¡°You don¡¯t spend much time with the Bug Catcher Chapter Houses, I take it?¡± I asked, rubbing my chin. ¡°Huh? No, why would I?¡± she then flushed as she realised how contrary that sounded. ¡°I don¡¯t need them!¡± she said. I shrugged. ¡°Eh, you sort of do, cause I get the idea that you went into the forest and got that Beedrill, who¡¯s very well trained might I add,¡± I said, adding on a compliment to soothe her nerves for what was to come. Yvonne preened and I shot her a grim smile. ¡°Sadly, it¡¯s you that¡¯s failed your pokemon, as there are two key things about Beedrill you don¡¯t know, which if you spent time in a bug-infested forest like say¡­ Viridian, you¡¯d know about.¡± ¡°Two things?¡± she asked with a scowl. ¡°What two things?¡± I raised one finger. ¡°If you¡¯d spoken with any Bug Catcher Chapter House, they¡¯d tell you in detail about the specific ways that Beedrills perceive the world. They have what are known as compound eyes, which allows them to track lots of things in tiny details. This can make it difficult for them during rain, as sheets of rain block their vision.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Yvonne said, understanding now what I¡¯d been doing by having Corsola fire off Water Guns into the air before blowing them apart. I raised the second finger. ¡°They also sense with very fine micro hairs spread across their body. Getting those wet can obscure perception and awareness of their three-dimensional space. The water also catches slightly on their hair and slows them down. It¡¯s not much, but it makes a difference, no?¡± I said with an open hand, indicating how her pokemon was down for the count while mine was still in the fight, albeit just barely. I gave Corsola a commiserating look and sighed. ¡°I think she¡¯s running out of strength despite that rather fantastic showing. I withdraw my Corsola,¡± I said, putting words to action. ¡°Brock is now down two pokemon, with one remaining!¡± called Dennis dutifully. ¡°Trainers! Please send out your next pokemon. Yvonne scowled only to inhale and then exhale. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a setback,¡± she said as she returned her pokemon. I smirked and sent out my third and final pokemon, an Aron. It barked happily and did a flip in excitement. ¡°Hmmm I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re mocking me or trying to show respect,¡± she said as she sent out a Golbat like I knew she would. Yvonne only had four pokemon, after all. ¡°Absorb!¡± ¡°Metal Sound,¡± I said, putting my hands over my ears. Aron grinned, inhaled and then exhaled, only the air that he¡¯d inhaled shot through the holes adorning his body, causing a piercing metal shriek to cut through the air and causing Golbat to falter. I was glad I¡¯d convinced Zubat to not come in for this morning¡¯s round of matches and instead work with Zephyr on her aerial combat. She would have hated this match, just as much as Golbat was right now, I assumed. With Golbat floundering, I had what felt like all the time in the world to level my hand and dispassionately order, ¡°Rock Tomb.¡± Rocks were kicked from Aron¡¯s feet onto Golbat¡¯s legs, causing the flying-poison type to buckle and shriek in pain and fright as it was hurt and weighed down. ¡°Shit! Golbat! Beta! Beta!¡± she called, and her pokemon let its mouth burst wide open, startling Aron from closing for a final exchange with what had to be Astonish used against me. Golbat then began to croon, causing a wave of purplish energy to radiate forward and into Aron, who looked steadily more and more unsure of himself. ¡°Metal Noise!¡± I barked, only for Aron to shake his head and roll to the side in confusion and pain. Yvonne exhaled in relief. ¡°Still got a chance, drain chain!¡± she called, and her Golbat fluttered up before releasing green orbs that wafted into Aron and caused him to cry out in pain, before wafting back towards Golbat. ¡°Sandstorm!¡± I growled, not willing to let things simply remain like that. Aron twisted on a foot and kicked up a Sandstorm which once more caused the winds to howl. Unlike Lileep¡¯s efforts, this Sandstorm was much stronger. ¡°Urgh! Blow it away with Defog!¡± Yvonne called. Golbat flapped its wings hard and the Sandstorm that had been battering it died away. I smirked as I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me as I said, ¡°Another one!¡± Aron once more did a little break dance kick spin to stir up the winds, only for Golbat to take a modicum of damage before it could blow it away. Yvonne scowled, knowing that she was being forced into a routine that favoured me. I could see her furiously trying to find a way through but her mind wasn¡¯t drawing up anything. Eventually, it became too much for Golbat and it fell from the sky, not with a sudden harsh move but a slow, steady grind caused by the on-again off-again Sandstorm. ¡°Urgh! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re this cheap!¡± Yvonne said, stomping her foot as she returned her fourth pokemon. I scoffed. ¡°You brought a flying and a bug type against me. Now, you did so with good tactics in mind, but you¡¯ve got things a bit too fixed. You need to be more adaptable and ready to adjust on the fly.¡± ¡°Urgh, great! I¡¯ve lost now!¡± she said with a slump of her shoulders. I tilted my head, glancing up at the big screen. ¡°Did you forget about your Gastly?¡± She blinked cluelessly and glanced up, answering my question that yes, yes she did. I put a hand to my mouth to hold in the laugh that was threatening to burst forth at her expense. It had been a while since a trainer had lost count of their pokemon or not tracked their health states. Usually it was when a pokemon was new. I shot Aron a look and found him gasping heavily, he¡¯d done a lot of break dancing to whip up those Sandstorms, and while it had worked to clear out Golbat, it left him in an exhausted state. ¡°Aron! We¡¯re on her last pokemon, hang in there!¡± I called. Yvonne perked up as she realised she still had a chance at this. ¡°Gastly! Go for Hypnosis!¡± she said, releasing her pokemon and having it go straight for a shutdown. ¡°Metal Sound!¡± I called. Aron inhaled again, only to totter to the side as the Hypnosis waves that Gastly unleashed caused him to topple onto his side and start snoring. I chewed my lip and hummed. I could force this to play out, but¡­ I could see the writing on the wall. I¡¯d had one shot and Aron had been too tired. I¡¯d won a lot of battles, but lost the overall war. ¡°I withdraw Aron, he¡¯s too tired and will want to remain asleep instead of fighting on,¡± I explained. Dennis nodded and raised a flag towards Yvonne. ¡°Brock¡¯s pokemon is withdrawn and Yvonne is therefore the winner!¡± A round of applause rang out for Yvonne and she perked up, only for a constipated look to sweep over her face as she caught sight of Gastly bouncing around happily. ¡°G-good job, Gastly,¡± she said. I tilted my head and lowered the podiums, watching the stilted interaction between herself and Gastly. Gastly seemed to adore her, but Yvonne wasn¡¯t reciprocating the feelings. ¡°Congratulations,¡± I said, approaching her with a snoring Aron tucked under my arm. The poor little guy was all tuckered out. ¡°Thanks,¡± Yvonne said, straightening up and shooting me a smirk. ¡°Is this where you give me some more wisdom?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I think I gave enough of that out there. I can¡¯t say much more beyond ¡®don¡¯t lose track of your pokemon¡¯s health states or your number of pokemon¡¯, can I?¡± I said with a smirk. That caused her to lose some of her attitude as she blushed. ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± she shot Gastly a look and sighed. ¡°Urgh, that old hag is going to be a nightmare when she learns about this match,¡± she muttered to herself. I got the impression she hadn¡¯t meant for me to hear that. Then again, I could do something to help out. ¡°Want me to talk to Agatha about calming down a bit?¡± I said. Yvonne shot me a clueless look before snorting. ¡°Yeah, sure you¡¯ll¡­¡± she trailed off as she looked at me, her mind calculating how I¡¯d do. She must have been thinking something along the lines of ¡®I had beaten Lance in a friendly match, how would I do against Agatha?¡¯ I smirked, raising up my Xtrasciever and dialling a number, and when Agatha¡¯s face appeared with her signature scowl I shot her a grin. ¡°Hey Agatha! It¡¯s Brock! I just met this lovely lady and she¡¯s won a badge from me! From what I can tell, I think you¡¯re being a bit too hard on her, lay off some, yeah?¡± ¡°That is none of your business. I¡¯m glad she won against you, but we will review her match together,¡± Agatha said pointedly. I grinned. ¡°Ah, let her learn her own way and discover what works. In the meantime, I¡¯m feeling like I need to blow off some steam, want to set up a friendly?¡± I said nonchalantly. I could tell that everyone in the crowd was leaning forward, ears twitching at this new development. Agatha snorted derisively. ¡°It¡¯s a duel!¡± she said, ¡°Tell your people to set it up in three weekends¡¯ time, I shall be there right after I wipe the floor with Bruno¡¯s little challenge the weekend before!¡± she said. Huh, so Bruno wasn¡¯t going to let her go without one last challenge? Made sense. Agatha nodded. ¡°Goodbye for now,¡± she said before hanging up. I lowered my arm and shot Yvonne a v for victory with one hand. ¡°How¡¯s that? She¡¯ll be more focused on me now.¡± Yvonne stared at me for a long moment before rocketing into my side to hug me. ¡°I think you¡¯re my hero,¡± she muttered quietly. I chuckled and hugged her back, making a note to have a serious discussion with Agatha if this was the sort of reaction her new apprentice had to some support. Had Karen gone through this sort of treatment? Hmmm, it suddenly explained a lot of her mannerisms. It didn¡¯t forgive them, but still, it explained them. I eyed Yvonne, maybe it would do everyone some good to distract Agatha. Then again, I was a bit of a sucker for young trainers looking to break out on their own. If I had to fight Agatha? Well, I''d thrown down with Lance. Agatha would just be another tough fight, and these days I looked forward to those more than I feared them. Yvonne let me go and smiled, looking much more relaxed and a little bashful. Her Gastly swooped in and cackled at her expression and I just chuckled. Hmmm, so, Agatha, eh? I could dig it. Chapter 200 - Watery showdowns! With the two-hour gap I had at the end of the day, I decided to invest that into some training with my elite team. Specifically, the pokemon that would be fighting in the Elite Challenge. Sadly, not all of them were confident of their chances. Gawain stood to the side, shifting back and forth as he eyed Missy, Greta, and A.J., all of whom had smirks on their faces. Greta in particular made me pause. She¡¯d created a combination move with her Ivysaur, perhaps it was time I did some work for another myself. Bertha was the main Pokemon known for combination moves, but nothing was stopping me from training others in this feat. Perhaps a Stone Axe into a Sand Attack or Stone Edge? Agility into Stone Axe? Tilling the field so to speak? What about other pokemon? They¡¯d need some moves to give them further edges beyond their power. Jorm loomed next to Gawain while my other elite pokemon watched on from the side. I nodded, ideas already forming in my head. I might not get time today, but I could make time for future sessions. The other pokemon shared a look when I shot them a grin. They¡¯d get their turns tomorrow for me to officially test them out but for now, I was going to just focus on Gawain and Jorm. With how Jorm could Mega-evolve he seemed unphased, which left Gawain as the newest pokemon on my roster to feel like he was out of his depth. I rubbed my chin in thought. I needed a way to reassure him, but first I needed his attention. ¡°Let¡¯s ignore them for the moment,¡± I said to him. Gawain continued to watch the other three and I sighed, putting a hand on his rocky shoulder and tugging him to turn and look at me. ¡°So the thing about the Elite Challenge is that I will only be able to use pokemon that can represent the Gym. In this case, that means rock type, or former rock types. So, Titan, Bertha, Knight, Don, Jorm, Selene, Shin, Sanchez, and you will be representing the Gym.¡± Gawain nodded slowly, his eyes beginning to dart to the side before he locked onto something. He perked up and waved an axe to the side. ¡°Kleav?¡± he asked, indicating Empress. I coughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to hold back as well against some of the weaker pokemon. I want them roughed up, not permanently injured. Now the others have all had experience with this and know what it entails, but this will be new for you,¡± I said, making sure to keep our discussion calm for his sake. I held up a hand. ¡°Now, it''s true that you don¡¯t have anything close to the others'' experience in fighting like this, but you¡¯re not as at risk of losing as you might think!¡± I said firmly. ¡°Stone Axe is a wonderfully versatile move that is strong as both a weapon but also a set-up move. No one else in my pokemon roster apart from Titan has this, and for him it¡¯s very visible when the Sandstorm gets going. It¡¯s not subtle, which can make a lot of difference,¡± I said. Gawain lifted his head up a little. ¡°Vor!¡± he said. I nodded, more than ready to continue to sing his praises. ¡°You also have X-Scissor which is going to be great against grass-type pokemon, a common enough type that people will try to use against us. Only Don has as much ease thanks to his flying typing.¡± To the side, Don raised his wings and screeched happily at being included in the praise. I didn¡¯t mention how Bertha also had Surf and Ice Beam, but instead kept building up Gawain. With his Agility, Protect and Stone Edge, he had some good moves which I could possibly build on with some fighting-type moves. The only other move he¡¯d learnt thanks to his friendship with Link and tutoring under Quirrina was Baton Pass, which sadly wasn¡¯t applicable in the Elite challenge. Once Gawain was out, that was it, he was the pokemon slated to face down six others. His biggest issue would be facing off against Steel or Water type pokemon. Hopefully, the fear of Sanchez and Bertha would keep most people away. I rubbed my chin. ¡°I might also cap the number of people that can take the Elite Challenge a day to only three,¡± I said, causing Gawain to perk up. I nodded, liking the sound of it, as otherwise I could end up with a lot of fatigue in my pokemon. I¡¯d also have to block one of the pokemon off the wheel of chance after they fought. It really depended on how many people we faced. I sighed and considered something I hadn¡¯t thought about in a while. ¡°Hey gang, gather up for a second,¡± I said, indicating that everyone, pokemon and people, should gather around. They did so, with the humans forming an inner circle, the larger pokemon looming. In the middle, much smaller, younger pokemon looked up at me. Gible, Zubat, Tirtouga, Cranidos and Cradilly all looked up to me. Gible did so with a toothy smile which was mildly terrifying when I stopped to count how many teeth he had. I cleared my throat, drawing my attention away from the maw of teeth staring at me and back to what I was supposed to be doing. ¡°The Elite Challenge¡­ I didn¡¯t design it to be unbeatable,¡± I said sheepishly. ¡°When I first took over the Gym I had created, the Elite Challenge was a way for young trainers to understand that there was more to gyms than just the badge challenge. This was mainly because we were the first badge gym and that was it. They¡¯d come through once and then think they were done with us. ¡°The Elite Challenge was a way of bringing them back later in the season when they were more experienced. It was meant as a way to keep things moving a little in the gym, and yes,¡± I nodded towards Bertha and Titan. ¡°It was also meant as a way to keep our skills sharp.¡± I locked eyes with my pokemon, before looking to the humans. ¡°The Elite Challenge is not something that I expected to remain undefeated in. We can perhaps thank our prior ignominy. Most people didn¡¯t want to ¡®return¡¯ to the starting Gym for a better badge. Those that did were the proud few that either pushed themselves or wanted the best for themselves and their pokemon.¡± ¡°As it stands?¡± I clenched my fist a few times. ¡°We¡¯ve exceeded any expectations I had on that, and this year is going to be tough. There are a ton of great trainers that are extremely aware of us and the challenge we have, which no one has yet won. I don¡¯t think that we¡¯ll be able to outlast them this year, some of the trainers are just that good,¡± I said. This caused a ripple to move through the group and I nodded sadly. ¡°So, if the defeat comes from any of you, it doesn¡¯t matter who it comes from.¡± I made sure to lock eyes with each of the relevant pokemon as I said their names. ¡°Titan, Bertha, Gawain, Jorm, Don, Knight, Shin, Sanchez, or Selene, if any of you fall this year, I won¡¯t be mad. This is going to be a tough end of the year coming up for us, but our objectives for it were and will remain to staysharp and to be a very tall cliff for some trainers to experience so they understand that there is a serious difference between the Gym Circuit, and the Ace or Elite Four trainers.¡± ¡°If I lost my undefeated streak I¡¯d be kinda miffed,¡± admitted A.J. and I knew that coming from him that was an understatement. The boy prided himself on going on win streaks. It was how he measured his growth. I nodded my head, conceding the point. ¡°I think in the moment, I will be a little sad when it comes time for us to hand over a Bejewelled Badge, but not that sad. I know that I can be proud of my team and that the odds are going to be heavily stacked against us. There are that many trainers this year and there is so much attention brought our way that it won¡¯t be possible to skate past with only thirty or forty trainers coming back.¡± ¡°We, both you,¡± I said, gesturing to my pokemon, and then to myself, ¡°and I, are going to have to be at our best for quite a while. I will do my best and I hope you will too, but don¡¯t be surprised when it¡¯s not enough. This Challenge was meant to be tough for them and us. I designed it that way,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Now, in the coming weeks, I just want you to try your best, we¡¯ve come a long way since last year, and I think we¡¯ll go far. Give me your best here and on the battlefield, and we¡¯ll do great.¡± I then shot them a smirk. ¡°But remember, that this is just training again for us, for pokemon and trainers. We¡¯re in this to work at the process of getting stronger. The things we do here are not just because you¡¯re gym pokemon but also Ace pokemon, you are my Elites.¡± I swept my hand to gesture at all of them. ¡°This training is to give us the edge in higher-tier matches. To give you endurance and power beyond what any other pokemon has. This more than anything else is what made us capable of standing up to Lance and smacking him down last year!¡± This declaration earned a cheer from my pokemon and a straightening of spines. By shifting the objective I would also hopefully take the sting out of any loss. I¡¯d just need to repeat this mantra to myself when I lost. This was a process, not the end result, and with the calibre of trainers coming my way, I knew there were going to be some tough times ahead. There was no way I was going to have it easy with trainers like Brawly, Bugsy, Ritchie, Ash, Gary, Roxanne, and Flannery to name a few. This would be the gauge with which I found out who had the best odds of taking on the end-of-circuit tournament. I swallowed and waved my hand. ¡°For now, we have a match coming up that will lock us into the tenth position against Arthur, that is what these training sessions and the Elite challenges are for. Matches have been easy lately, but that was because we slipped back into a tournament where we were against people way beneath us. They still gave us some trouble, though, so we¡¯ll need our A game against Arthur.¡± I locked eyes with the trainers who were sitting in the middle. ¡°You¡¯ll be all helping me with this as well, I know it¡¯s going to be tougher than the usual training you take part in with the Gym¡¯s pokemon, but it matters a lot.¡± I grinned and clapped my hands, breaking up the serious moment. ¡°Now! Let¡¯s throw down with some battle training! Jorm and Gawain? You¡¯re up for today, we¡¯re going to cycle through fighting six pokemon and work on it from there. Missy, Greta, and A.J? You can use any of your pokemon or the Gym¡¯s pokemon, alright?¡± That got some smirks from them with A.J. getting an extremely predatory look in his eyes. He was totally going to try and one-shot me with Fissure, wasn¡¯t he? I waved Gible and the younger pokemon to the side while setting up Titan, Bertha, and Shin to observe the match that was about to unfold. The others would be running their own gauntlet of endurance and power drills off to the side with my non-rock type having an almost easier time. Then again seeing their counterparts working hard always seemed to motivate them to work harder themselves. I cracked my neck, getting ready for a harsh round of training. It would be rough for everyone, but it should help A.J. and Greta for tomorrow as well, so it was a win-win in my book. ¡°Let¡¯s go Gawain!¡± I called sending him out against Missy¡¯s Rhyperior. ¡°Huh,¡± I said, ¡°maximum effort straight out of the gates huh?¡± If nothing else, this would work wonders for Gawain¡¯s endurance. I stabbed my hand forward and sent Gawain into the fray. Tomorrow A.J. and Greta would face Cerulean. Today we trained.
When we teleported into Cerulean the next morning, Greta had a confident smile on her face whereas A.J. had a surly scowl. Yolanda and Crystal were also along to support their friend. I ignored the girl¡¯s chatting away to give A.J. a look before turning my attention to Greta. ¡°Has he seriously been like that since yesterday¡¯s training session?¡± I asked. ¡°Yup!¡± said Greta with a giggle. Yolanda huffed, whereas Crystal shot him a smug look and tried to fade into what she must have assumed was a blind spot to poke her tongue at A.J. She really hadn¡¯t taken losing to him the other day well. I turned my head and shot her an unimpressed look, making her whistle innocently. I sighed and turned back to A.J. ¡°Hey, come on, it was a legitimate move to stop you from getting away with a Fissure against Jorm,¡± I said, clapping A.J. on the shoulder. ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to block it,¡± he said with a growl. ¡°Yeah, but I did,¡± I said. ¡°You need to get used to people having Protect, Detect, and Endure more often. Protect wasn¡¯t the only way I could have gotten out of that situation and you know it. You¡¯re mad that you fell for the bait and got punished.¡± I dragged him in close. ¡°You need to stop thinking about yesterday and start thinking about today!¡± I said firmly. ¡°Out of you and Greta, you¡¯re the one I¡¯m more worried about.¡± ¡°What?! I¡¯m the better trainer!¡± he said furiously. I raised my hand and made a so-so gesture. ¡°You haven¡¯t caught any more pokemon since you joined me, you¡¯ve evolved a single pokemon. Your pokemon move list has mostly stayed the same apart from learning a few moves for your Raticate. If we were judging by growth? Greta has come a lot further than you,¡± I said easily. A.J. gave Greta a look I¡¯d seen all too often to ignore. ¡°No fighting her today,¡± I said, jerking him into lock step with me and closer to the Cerulean Gym. ¡°We¡¯re going to let you go second to give you the proper¡ª¡± ¡°I want to go first!¡± he said heatedly. I locked eyes with him and for a moment a battle of wills played out, before I decided not to fight him on this if he was going to be this passionate about it. ¡°Alright, Greta? You got an issue with going second?¡± I asked. ¡°Nope! Then they¡¯ll be warmed up for me!¡± she said. I paused and glanced over to find the girls all biting their lips while A.J. now sported a highly conflicted look. Did he go first and lead the way, or allow the Cerulean Gym to ¡®warm up¡¯ first against Greta. I rolled my eyes at them, amused and exasperated at how they were toying with the boy. I made a light chopping motion in the air at them and signalled for them to ease up on him. ¡°Sounds good! You¡¯re up first A.J.!¡± I said, leading him through the doors of the very flashy Cerulean Gym only for an extremely scarred man to meet us in the foyer. ¡°Brock,¡± the man grunted at me. His eyes flicked over the kids and landed on Greta and A.J. He pointed at them. ¡°You two, with me, we¡¯ll get you posted for your matches,¡± he said. He then waved a hand. ¡°Spectator seating is up those stairs,¡± he said dismissively. Yolanda tilted her head. ¡°Well, that was certainly¡­ different?¡± ¡°Rude, more like!¡± said Crystal. I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯re here before they¡¯re open to the public so they wouldn¡¯t have receptionists here to greet us. Remember, for them the surge is over and they¡¯ve been able to really drop back their opening times,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, that makes more sense,¡± Yolanda said. ¡°Still doesn¡¯t mean he needed to be that rude!¡± said Crystal, determined to be grumpy it seemed. I led the girls up into the stands, finding it rather amusing to be the one in the stands rather than on the podium fighting for once. Before too long Daisy, Violet and Lily sashayed their way out. ¡°Like, hi there to our fellow gym trainers from Pewter~! ¡° said Daisy with a grandiose wave. When neither of the girls reacted I cupped my hands and decided to be ¡®that fan¡¯ by shouting, ¡±Yeeeeeeeeew! Pewter City! Let¡¯s go!¡± Yolanda blanched, not expecting me to be so boisterous while Crystal laughed and joined in, my reaction giving her licence to play around. ¡°Yeah! Kick their butts! Let¡¯s go Greta ¡­ and A.J. too I guess!¡± The Cerulean sisters shot us amused looks but then directed their attention to Greta and A.J. ¡°So, Daisy is going to fight you both, are you both ready?¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Yes! If you have a Gauntlet I want to do that!¡± said A.J. firmly. The girls scratched the back of their heads sheepishly. ¡°Uhmm, we¡¯ve only just started doing that cause Uncle Jeffrey was getting left out, but if you think you can handle Uncle before us then that¡¯s fine?¡± A.J. turned his head to lock eyes with the old man who had met us in the waiting room. I sighed. ¡°That kid, he always has to take the hard way, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Do you know that man?¡± asked Yolanda. ¡°He¡¯s a former Vice Commander of the Cerulean Coast in the Rangers, extremely well-read on water types. Without a doubt he¡¯s probably the strongest water-type trainer in the Gym,¡± I said. Yolanda facepalmed. ¡°And A.J. just demanded a fight with him.¡± I nodded, watching as the two males went to their podiums. Violet stepped into the referee¡¯s podium and glanced at both of them. ¡°You know what to do, right?¡± she asked as she raised the flags. I chuckled while ¡®uncle¡¯ facepalmed. ¡°Just because they¡¯re gym trainers doesn¡¯t mean you should slack off, Violet,¡± he ground out. I shook my head in amusement as Violet, now chastised, started listing off the typical pre-match rules. When she was done she raised her flags. ¡°Let¡¯s do it, to it!¡± she called, causing Jeffrey to sigh but select a pokemon nevertheless. ¡°Go Butterfree!¡± called A.J. I smiled nostalgically, remembering when I¡¯d been a child in another life and I¡¯d use Butterfree as one of my early game pokemon. Sadly it and Pidgeotto always would struggle against the Cerulean Gym, at least in Red and Blue, but that didn¡¯t make me like them any less. ¡°Go Starmie!¡± growled Jeffrey, revealing a blue and red Starmie instead of the typical purple, gold and red colouration of the pokemon. ¡°Oh nice, ¡° I said as the revealed shiny pokemon glinted in the lights of the Gym. A.J. wasn¡¯t deterred though, if anything he seemed pleased with this. ¡°Go for Bug Buzz!¡± he crowed. Butterfree snapped its wings forward and shot out a wave of greenish energy that Starmie cartwheeled away from, all the while staying on the platform. ¡°Hmmm good grouping of attacks, if a little slow,¡± said Jeffrey. ¡°Counter with Thunder!¡± Starmie sparked up and unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity at Butterfree. My mind instantly conjured up ways I¡¯d avoid the attack with Protect, or by having Butterfree attempt to divert the attack with Confusion. A.J. did neither of those. ¡°Dive hard into the platform and flip it!¡± he called and Butterfree dropped faster than a stone straight into the platform that Starmie was on, flipping it over and making the floating platform into a barrier against the thunder. Butterfree swept out the other side before the platform could fall back to the ground without a hint of damage. ¡°NICE!¡± I called loudly. Yolanda and Crystal nodded along, even clapping. Stamie, who¡¯d been launched into the air, wasn¡¯t idle however, as Jeffrey chopped his hand down. ¡°Bubblebeam denial of space!¡± he called, and Starmie merrily projected itself back while creating bubbles about, making it harder for Butterfree to fly. ¡°Gust! Blow them away!¡± called A.J.. Once more the attack was denied easily and I had to applaud his cool head. He¡¯d been exposed to this tactic before with some of my water-typed pokemon, but with the earlier Thunder and lack of traditional space to move it would have been easy to flub things. ¡°Bug Buzz again!¡± called A.J. keeping on the pressure. ¡°Minimize!¡± said Jeffrey. His Starmie vanished as it shrunk in size, becoming a much tougher threat. A.J. growled at this before sweeping his hand out. ¡°Blanket the field! Stun Spore!¡± he called and Butterfree quickly swept back and forth in quick darts casting green spores under it. I leaned forward, interested in how he¡¯d handle this issue. He had been highly vocal about my handling it, now the shoe was on the other foot. When nothing seemed to happen A.J. clicked his tongue, ¡°fly low and hover, watch for it!¡± he called. Butterfree did just that, hovering in the air with languid wing beats. Then, it suddenly twitched and fired off a round of Bug Buzz. Jeffrey clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡°Get in the water and heal up some!¡± ¡°Stop it with String Shot!¡± barked A.J. and his Butterefree surprised everyone with how fast it unleashed its string, firing it straight from its mouth to nail what must have been Starmie, as a second later Starmie was tossed into the air and nailed with another Bug Buzz. A soft plop announced Starmie hitting the deck and with the line of String Shot still attached, I could just make out it standing up once again. I had to give it to Jeffrey, that was a strong Starmie. ¡°That¡¯s enough Starmie, he¡¯s shown enough skill to advance past us,¡± Jeffrey said, returning his pokemon. A.J. stiffened. ¡°Hey! Wait! I don¡¯t want your pity, old man!¡± Jeffrey turned and shot A.J. a singularly unimpressed look. ¡°You¡¯re good for your age, kid but if I wanted to I could crush you.¡± Jeffrey walked away, dismissing A.J.. ¡°Come back when you¡¯ve had another year or two and I¡¯ll spank you properly then, until then I won¡¯t face you properly.¡± A.J. growled at this, annoyed despite Violet announcing his victory. I just knew that A.J. was forming a list of people he¡¯d be returning to face when he was stronger, and Jeffrey had just made it. I had no doubt I was on that list too. By the smirk on Jeffrey¡¯s face, he knew he¡¯d earned A.J.¡¯s enmity, but was playing a longer game. It seemed Jeffrey was fitting in well as a gym trainer with how he was motivating youngsters to get stronger. When Daisy stepped past Jeffrey, the older man paused and whispered something into his ear. She tilted her head before nodding. ¡°Alright! Like, you¡¯re facing me now!¡± she said with some bounce. Other boys would have been lost in her¡­ assets, but A.J. just scowled. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ¡°Go Dewgong!¡± said Daisy, causing me to cough in surprise. That was a bit stronger than a two or a three-tier challenge. A.J. narrowed his eyes, obviously aware of this, and opened his mouth to give a command, only for it to not matter as Daisy swept her hand out. ¡°Icy Wind!¡± she called. Dewgong unleashed a wave of cold that locked up Butterfree and ended the first exchange. Yolanda and Crystal sat up in shock. A.J. openly gaped, having not expected to have sweet little Daisy give him so much trouble. ¡°Damn, Daisy got herself some claws,¡± I said. A.J. returned his pokemon and frowned before shaking it off. ¡°Let¡¯s go Beedrill! We need your speed!¡± he shouted. ¡°Like, repeat!¡± called Daisy with a wave of her hand, unknowingly committing an error as Beedrill was not Butterfree with the weakness to ice moves. ¡°Assurance,¡± said A.J., before following up with, ¡°stay in close!¡± Once more the arena was scoured with Icy Wind, forcing Beedrill who¡¯d charged forward to take some damage, only for the bug-poison-type pokemon to push through the damage and slam an effective move into Dewgong¡¯s face. ¡°PJ!¡± snapped A.J., and Beedrill raised a glinting stinger before hammering it into Dewgong repeatedly. Dewgong cried out in pain and Daisy much to my surprise leaned forward. ¡°Sheer Cold,¡± she said, and I could only gape. ¡°She¡¯s taught her pokemon a one-hit K.O move?¡± I asked aloud. A.J. must have recognised the threat he was in as he snapped a hand forward. ¡°BEEDRILL GO!¡± he shouted. Beedrill stopped hammering its stingers into Dewgong, who¡¯d been ignoring them anyway, and drew back, stingers primed for the next attack. Dewgong for its part created a small snowflake that formed up above its nose where it started to pulse. For a moment, the battlefield held its breath. Then Beedrill went from standing still to accelerating a second later, as it caught Dewgong around the throat and shot across the battlefield before slamming Dewgong into the barrier where it slumped. I shot A.J. an amused look. Yolanda, who¡¯d stood during the final exchange, looked at me. ¡°Was that Giga Impact?¡± I nodded. ¡°He¡¯s been learning more than he¡¯s been letting on,¡± I said, pleased that this was the case and that he¡¯d shown my earlier words to be false. ¡°Kid is going to be a monster if this is what he¡¯s been hiding. That was a good call, Dewgong would have had a one in three chance of pulling it off at base level but depending on its strength it would have greater odds. It was still a serious threat that he neutralised well.¡± Yolanda nodded and sat back down. A.J. turned from the fight for the first time and sought out my eyes. A look of fear flashed across his eyes, which made me wonder a little about what he had to worry about. Was I missing something here? What was making him react that way? I decided to just smile and nod for now ¡°Way to go! Great call!¡± I called. A.J. relaxed and turned away from me quickly, but not quickly enough to hide the pleased flush that had come over his face. Poor kid forgot about the big screen most gyms had these days. ¡°Like, nice one! I wasn¡¯t expecting to have Dewgong go down like that!¡± Daisy said as she returned her pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you handle this one!¡± she said as she sent out a Seaking.¡± Water Gun!¡± she called, going straight back into the fight. Beedrill, who still hadn¡¯t quite recovered from Giga Impact, hovered and took the hit. It shook itself off, but it was obviously on its last legs. A.J. grimaced. ¡°String Shot! Like we planned!¡± he called, crossing his arms. From each of the stingers, String Shot out and bound up the trio of platforms, creating a slightly larger island in the middle of the battlefield. Doing this sadly left his pokemon open for another Water Gun, which knocked Beedrill out. I considered the set-up before nodding my head. ¡°He¡¯s got this,¡± I said easily. Yolanda frowned before nodding her head. ¡°He¡¯s copied Mia and Silly Mouse?¡± she said. I nodded and Crystal, who¡¯d never met Mia or Silly Mouse, snapped her head from me to Yolanda with a growl. ¡°Who¡¯re they? And what did they do that¡¯s so special?¡± she asked. I signalled for her to wait a moment, and A.J., as I had expected him to, sent out a Rattata onto the central island. ¡°Dive down and surge up with Horn Attack!¡± called Daisy. Her pokemon dove down, vanishing under the water and becoming a dark shape. ¡°Stack up the platforms!¡± A.J. called, a plan in mind. Rattata, with the String Shot attaching them, reeled in the platforms and had them haphazardly stacked up. Ratata then positioned himself atop the central point where the three platforms overlapped. When Seaking shot up, instead of a thump and a hurled platform, this time a soft whump sounded out as Rattata was lightly bounced upwards. ¡°Huh, they weigh enough to float, but also act as barriers from attacks above and below. I never thought about using them that way,¡± I said. ¡°A.J. and Greta have been talking about this fight a bit over the last week,¡± Yolanda supplied. ¡°Greta¡­ might have looked into things a bit more, and A.J. has been using that knowledge.¡± ¡°Huh, teamwork for the win,¡± I said, hoping that A.J.¡¯s good showing wasn¡¯t going to cause Greta to crash and burn. I glanced over and found Greta staring at the platforms fixedly, a notepad out that she was scribbling in with Ivysaur at her side. ¡°Dip your tail in and light it up!¡± said A.J. and just as I¡¯d predicted, A.J. made the most of Rattata¡¯s normal typing to dip its tail into the water before lighting up with Thunder. I nodded. ¡°He got Seaking to commit to an attack only to get it in close before doing that, nice.¡± A moment after the lightning stopped Seaking emerged to the side, belly up and passed out. Daisy sighed and returned her pokemon. She considered A.J. for a moment before smiling. ¡°I think that¡¯ll do it for now! Like, great work! Those were some tricks we haven¡¯t seen before!¡± she said and a banner emerged on the screen, announcing A.J. as the winner. I leaned back, pleased at this turn of events. When Daisy began to lower the podiums A.J. waved her off. ¡°I want to wait until after Greta¡¯s match¡­ if that¡¯s alright,¡± he said tacking on the last bit after catching Greta facepalming. Daisy giggled. ¡°Sure thing, you little cutie! Your girlfriend can have her turn now!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend/He¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡± said A.J. and Greta over each other. Daisy and her sisters giggled at this and Greta stormed up to the podium to take her place. When she reached the top A.J. leaned in and whispered a few things. Greta relaxed and gained a thoughtful look. I leaned forward. ¡°Proper teamwork, eh?¡± I said, happy to see them trading notes and making the most of A.J.¡¯s experiences. It said a lot that despite the banter and back and forth they had, A.J. was sharing and Greta was listening. They wouldn¡¯t have done that a few months ago. A.J. departed from the podium and made his way up to us. Crystal was in his face instantly. ¡°What did you tell her?¡± ¡°My observations for the water and the podium. I think it¡¯s possible to judge distance and speed. It¡¯s not like a creek or the ocean where things darken and become murky.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s ¡®cause of this battlefield doubling as a show aquarium for them. Their shows are very nice. Lots of skilled choreography that you could learn a thing or two from,¡± I said. A.J. blinked. ¡°Oh, we¡­ hadn¡¯t considered that.¡± I snorted and turned back to the match. Greta was bouncing from foot to foot nervously with her pokeball in hand. Across from her, Daisy still stood, making this a straight Gym Leader challenge instead of a gauntlet like A.J. had gone through. Jeffrey was to the side, directing a pair of Krabby to snip up the String Shots to not impede either trainer and give Greta a standard start with three platforms. Greta waited until Violet ran through the same starting spiel as usual before asking the trainers to send out their pokemon. Greta released her Ivysaur, making me confident, but Daisy surprised me by sending out a Golduck. Huh, I don¡¯t think she got the memo that this was supposed to be a fourth-tier match, not a second-tier match. Oh dear. I glanced over to find Greta not looking too worried however, if anything she seemed cool and collected. I decided not to shake her confidence and keep quiet for now. ¡°Golduck! Aqua Jet!¡± Daisy said starting things off instead of waiting. ¡°Ivysaur! Vine Whip on the front of the platform!¡± Greta called and her pokemon did just that, causing her platform to buck. Ivysaur timed it perfectly to use the buckling platform to jump, causing it to be launched up and over the oncoming Golduck. Golduck swept past where Ivysaur would have been, only to come to a stop having done nothing. ¡°Turn and go again!¡± Daisy said and Golduck spun, ready to repeat the attack. ¡°Vine Whip again!¡± Greta called and this time, from the central platform, Ivysaur slapped a platform, only this time it slapped the platform Golduck was on, tripping up Golduck and causing it to crash into the water with a hard splash. ¡°Slap it hard when it emerges!¡± called Greta and Ivysaur raised its vines up, coiling them like snakes. Golduck burst out of the water with a gasp, having not been ready to dive like it had, only for the Vine Whips to lash it, smacking it around and dealing significant damage. When Greta realised this wasn¡¯t going to do Golduck in, she switched it up. ¡°Grab it and launch it high!¡± Ivysaur wrapped Golduck before it could dive and hurled it up high, causing the evolved duck pokemon to quack furiously. Greta stabbed her hand forward. ¡°Razor Leaf!¡± she cried out, and Ivysaur unleashed a barrage of leaves. ¡°Blast them with Water Gun!¡± called Daisy desperately, only for it to not be enough. Golduck fainted in the air, only to be returned before it could even hit the water. ¡°That was a good showing Golduck, but our opponents have done their research¡± Daisy said to her pokeball. Daisy raised another pokeball and nodded her head. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you go with something a little more your style?¡± she said. She then released a Cloyster. Greta hissed in worry. ¡°Sunny Day!¡± she said, causing Ivysaur to unleash a small orb of reddish-hot energy into the air above the battlefield. I could feel the heat even from here and Ivysaur perked up as the leaves on its back began to twitch. Daisy had to know what was coming next as she smirked. ¡°Hmmmm, alright then, if that¡¯s how you want to play it!¡± Daisy said. ¡°Cloyster! Aurora Beam!¡± ¡°Solar Beam!¡± came Greta¡¯s response and I grinned as both pokemon unleashed powerful beam attacks. For a long moment, both attacks held in the centre, only for Greta to begin screaming her support. ¡°Come one Ivysaur! Remember our training! I know you can do this! This is all you! You have this!¡± Ivyssaur braced itself and leaned forward, and a moment later the Solar Beam blew through the Aurora Beam and landed a super effective attack straight into Cloyster¡¯s surprised face, blasting it back and slamming it into the rear wall. Daisy sighed as her pokemon fell to the ground. ¡°Well, it looks like it¡¯s two for two, you kids sure are something!¡± I chuckled in relief, that¡­ hadn¡¯t been how I¡¯d expected things to go. I felt my heart hammering in my chest as I took a moment to inhale and exhale. That could have gone bad pretty quickly, but it had worked out. I shook my head and stood to applaud and watch on as Greta and A.J. got their Cascade Badges together. When they were done we made our way down to talk with them and the Cerulean sisters. I had to give it to them, they¡¯d really stepped up their game if this was how they greeted challengers these days. It was a welcome surprise. As was Greta and A.J.¡¯s growth. I hadn¡¯t been sure about sending them out now, but seeing them in action and how they¡¯d grown? I knew I¡¯d made the right call. They needed to spread their wings a little and show what they¡¯d been working on. When Greta presented the Cascade Badge to us I nodded happily. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t use your new combination move?¡± Greta coughed. ¡°I wanted to test out other methods while I had the chance. I felt like using the Power Leaf move was too¡­ easy,¡± she said. I nodded, mentally noting down the name she¡¯d settled for. ¡°Nicely done,¡± I commented before nodding to the front doors. ¡°I think there¡¯s a cake and some other people that will be interested in finding out how you di.¡± Yolanda swatted me. ¡°Brock, they weren¡¯t supposed to know about the cake!¡± she said and I chuckled. Whoops, I shouldn¡¯t have let that slip. When A.J. and Greta blinked at me I just winked and led our group back to the teleport facility. When we returned home most of the gym trainers were there with cake and banners to celebrate the pair''s victory. The kids all lit up and I grinned at getting one over them with this surprise. I rather enjoyed how they took to gushing, or in A.J.¡¯s case, calmly recounting the battle he¡¯d had with Jeffrey and then Daisy to Dennis and Rocko, who both nodded along attentively. When I produced a cake, both Greta and A.J. blushed but were happy to take a slice each. They might have grown a lot in the last few months, but they were still kids. Then again, there was nothing wrong with enjoying a party. With that in mind, I released my pokemon roster to share in some of the good vibes. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why you ordered such a big cake,¡± said Alexa as suddenly the room filled with pokemon who all happily lined up for some cake. I chuckled and nodded. With my own cake in hand, I settled in to enjoy myself with a well-earned break. Tomorrow could wait, today was too good to not enjoy. I lifted a spoon of cake to my mouth only to pause as a whine escaped a small pokemon. I glanced down and found a messy-looking Gible staring at me with Baby Doll eyes. Damn my sisters were scary. Somehow they¡¯d taught a dragon type a fairy type move. Too impressed to care, I handed over the rest of my cake, amused at this turn of events. Rocko saw this and just laughed, but I was too amused to care. So what if I was soft in some places?I didn¡¯t always need to be hard. I lifted Gible up and grabbed another slice of cake, this time to share. Chapter 201 - Interlude - Girls day Doctor Eve tore her gaze away from her work with an audible groan. She was close, she just knew it! She had multiple sources of information from ancient rhymes, stories, artifacts, and even petroglyphs that all referenced the ancient city. Well, the word ¡®city¡¯ was a misnomer. Pokemopolis was potentially a kingdom, and with how widespread reference of it was, potentially an empire. Doctor Eve knew she could find more and establish herself more if she could access some of the sites that already existed. Sadly the Ruins of Alph were considered heritage sites and after her previous¡­ enthusiastic explorations, she wasn¡¯t allowed there¡­ for multiple reasons. On her last attempt, she approached, only to find multiple posters with her own face staring back at her with warnings that she needed to be escorted away or denied access. You try to access one hidden room with a controlled detonation, and suddenly you are barred from access without a chaperone! The other sites that had reference to Pokemonopils had sadly been destroyed. The most recent lead, a petroglyph supplied by one Doctor Crowley, had been interesting, as it had showcased one of the nomadic tribes known to live as part of Pokemopolis. Sadly, like the other sites, it was restricted, or most likely destroyed. She had tried to get access, but the Rangers were extremely leery of allowing anyone access to the Silver Ranges of late. There were too many people trying to get access and the recent destruction had allowed them to rebuff her. Hah! As if petroglyphs that had survived an age of wear and tear would fade away in the face of something as pathetic as a bit of fire! And so what if they were within the cave of a known alpha predator? She could handle it. You just distracted them with something and did a quick in and out. Take some pictures, secure the artifacts, record some photos of herself in action so she gets credit, and bam! Instant success! It would take five minutes, tops! In and out adventure! Sadly she was held back. It was vexing! She was close to a breakthrough. She knew it. Her stomach rumbled in agony and she grimaced. It seemed her weak fleshy body would need sustenance. Time to check the fridge! She opened the fridge only to find a Grimer gnawing on what she swore had been a perfectly acceptable sandwich just yesterday. She reached for the berries only to find them gone. The Grimer burped a little and Eve huffed. ¡°For eating my food, you¡¯re going to be joining the team,¡± she said, plucking a pokeball from a nearby stack of papers and tapping the little poison type on the head. The Grimer blinked in surprise at the action and when the pokeball wobbled Eve gave it a few whacks on a nearby table. She¡¯d always been a firm believer that by smashing the pokeball a few times you had better odds of securing the pokemon within! From her research, she had a fifty percent strike rate. This time at least, the pokeball went still and she breathed a sigh of relief. When she inhaled, she gagged a little on the smell the fridge was giving off. She released her newly acquired assistant. ¡°Clean up the smell and the mould for me,¡± she said and the little Grimer seemed more than happy to comply. She closed the door with a happy nod. Excellent, she¡¯d gone to the fridge for sustenance and returned with a new easily paid assistant. She whipped out her recorder and made a log. ¡°Mission log seven, of day one hundred and thirty of the year. I have captured a new recruit for exploration purposes. Hopefully, his gelatinous body and poison typing will allow him to last longer on future explorations. Spike traps and acid shouldn¡¯t prove an issue, unlike other, more squishy assistants. I also hope that he leaves the fridge clean so I may continue to use it. I remain optimistic about my task and will make a breakthrough on Pokemopolis soon! Doctor Eve, future discoverer of Pokemopolis¡¯ main city signing off!¡± Her stomach rumbled a little more and she grunted. Hmmm, she might have to head out to secure supplies for herself soon. She began securing her ¡®going out clothes¡¯ while giving her pits a small sniff. Within acceptable tolerances. Grimer certainly hadn¡¯t complained. A hammering on her door caused her to stop collecting her going-out items. ¡°Eve! I know you¡¯re in there! The rent was due two months ago! I¡¯m not a bad person wanting you to pay for that! I know you¡¯re struggling, but you¡¯re kind of taking me for a ride!¡± Eve coughed and approached the door. Damn! The Landlord! She tentatively unlocked it to find a large man staring down at her. ¡°Landlord, sir,¡± she said with a fearful swallow. She made sure to make her eyes as big as possible while trembling slightly. The man sighed heavily. ¡°Eve, I¡¯m not being unreasonab¡ª¡± whatever he was going to say was stopped when he caught a whiff of the room. ¡°Gak! Oh Arceus, what have you been doing in there? Wrestling a Muk?¡± Eve paused her primary plan to escape paying rent, which was to use her good looks to charm the Landlord. It had worked a few times already. The man was a bit of a sucker for young girls, having seven daughters himself. It should have been child¡¯s play to escape paying one or two more instalments. More than enough time to pay for a new piece of cutting-edge equipment that would be sure to help her find the motherload with Pokemopolis. Eve gave herself another discrete sniff. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad?¡± she said tentatively. The Landlord pushed open the door only to visibly recoil. ¡°Oh Eve! You need to open a window or three in here!¡± he cried as tears began to form in his eyes. He retched a few times and Eve huffed. ¡°The windows cause my research to be blown about!¡± The man shot her a confused look., ¡°I thought you young ones were all about going paperless and using clickbait and that?¡± Eve gave him a flat look. ¡°It¡¯s not clickbait, and I need a high-resolution scanner to do that.¡± ¡°Which you don¡¯t have the money for,¡± sighed the man as he scratched at his beard while peering into the room. ¡°Eve¡­ I¡¯m worried about you. You¡¯re a young girl living in an apartment and it really seems like you can¡¯t look after yourself. I thought you went on a Journey?¡± he said. Eve nodded. ¡°I did! I even won five badges!¡± she said firmly. So what if those had been the Cycling Road Gym, Celadon, Gambol, Fuchsia, and Dark City gyms? They counted! Even if Gambol and Dark City¡¯s gyms were no more. She¡¯d gotten enough to allow her to get back into the lab and work! Sadly her drive to excel in the academic field might have been a touch short-sighted. Perhaps it might have been easier for her if she had gotten the full eight badges. Then she might have some actual sponsors¡­ Well! That wasn¡¯t going to change, and if people couldn¡¯t understand academic drive she wasn¡¯t going to spoon-feed it to them. Honestly! It still surprised her how often people asked her about her Journey results! That should have stopped mattering years ago, once she secured her first job as a research assistant working on the Bell Tower study group in Johto! ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do some cleanup first! I¡¯m not having one of my tenants living in squalor!¡± said her Landlord. Eve blinked. ¡°Eh? But I haven¡¯t charmed you yet?¡± she said, only to pause as she realised she said that out loud. The Landlord eyed her and shook his head. ¡°Just like my youngest,¡± he said as he tied back his shaggy hair into a bun and pulled out a neckerchief that he wrapped around his nose and mouth. He then pulled out cleaning supplies from his pouch and took a fortifying breath. ¡°Eve! From now on I¡¯m going to be checking in weekly on you! I think we¡¯re going to have to have a serious intervention!¡± he said seriously. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think I need that,¡± she said with a dismissive wave. Her Landlord stared at her. ¡°Ever heard that a clean workspace leads to a clean, productive mind?¡± Eve glanced to the side. She had in fact heard that a few times¡­ from a few different colleagues. She just got a little too¡­ engaged with her reading and writing. She¡¯d have another journal article to present from what she¡¯d read, sadly not about her primary focus, but it should garner her some attention and a bit more government funding. The Crusher tribe was a somewhat interesting topic and Pewter Museum was interested in learning more, so there should be some money to spread around. Eve coughed. ¡°I¡¯m going to put in another journal article this afternoon¡­ after I proofread it. Can I pay next week?¡± ¡°Sure thing! For now, have some pocket money, and go to the grocers.¡± said the man far too casually as he scrubbed at a stain that had once been some spilled takeout. Then he paused and glanced at her with narrowed eyes. ¡°Actually, on second thoughts, go to the baths first,¡± he said. Eve sniffed¡ª but not too deeply¡ª in indignation. ¡°Fine! I will!¡± she said, marching off with her ¡°allowance¡±. She paused in front of a small garden of Bellossom that the Landlord liked to water. ¡°I don¡¯t smell that bad. do I?¡± she asked the little grass types. They took one look at her and half fell over in shock, wilting in on themselves. while the other half blasted her with Sweet Scent. Eve reeled back. ¡°Argh! My eyes! My beautiful eyes! How am I supposed to find a handsome husband with lots of money that will support me without my eyes!¡± she wailed, rolling back and forth on the ground before sitting up and blinking slowly. ¡°Oh, it only tingles a little,¡± she said. The Bellosom waved her away from their garden and Eve shot the little grass types a dirty look. See if she ever shared any of her sweets with them in the future! She marched towards the baths, on her way she at first attracted pokemon to her and then repulsed them. She grumbled the entire way and didn¡¯t stop until she was relaxing in the baths. What she needed was a sponsor. Someone willing to give her a real shot in the arm. Someone like Brock¡­ sadly he was already sponsoring Crowley, and if there was one way to cause a scientific turf war it was to try and edge in on another researcher¡¯s sponsor. She needed to find someone rich, and willing to spend big. Sadly, idiots with more money than sense weren¡¯t going to fall out of the sky. ¡°¡ªblasting off again!¡± shouted a trio of voices, and Eve blinked as she saw something blur past her. Eve frowned. Was she seeing and hearing things? Auditory hallucinations should only come in after three days without sleep. As she was only two days in, she should be fine. She continued walking and found a gaggle of kids arguing with each other. ¡°¡ªand I¡¯m saying we didn¡¯t need your help Gary!¡± chimed one of them with a Pikachu on his shoulder. ¡°Sure sure,¡± said a snotty-nosed-looking kid, his head tilted up as if he was about to sneeze or something. Eve avoided them. Nothing good came from dealing with brats. She returned home to find her Landlord wiping his brow while piles of garbage were piled up next to the front door. ¡°Thanks Mr Landlord sir!¡± she chirped as she began to skip past him, only for his meaty paw of a hand to shoot out and catch her. ¡°Young lady, I think it¡¯s time we had a long overdue chat about financial responsibility,¡± he said with a stern expression. Then he blinked. ¡°Did you forget my name again?¡± he said with a disappointed look Eve stiffened. Damn, she had forgotten to charm the man! ¡­ and maybe also remember his name. She¡¯d need to make a note about it somewhere. For now she smiled as innocently as possible and prepared herself to endure for the sake of research.
[/hr] Rachel Raul happily skated around the Gym on her newest purchase. Roller blades might not be the coolest item these days, but they were retro, so that meant they¡¯d eventually make a resurgence. UNtil then, they were fun, and she didn¡¯t need any reason more than that to wear them. She glided past an arguing A.J. and Crystal before shooting Dennis and Rocko a cheeky salute as she skated around them in a circle. ¡°Hey guys! What¡¯s shaking?¡± she said. Rocko gave a lazy wave. ¡°Hey Rachel, nothing much. Most of the gym is settling down these days with the number of challengers dying down.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s bossman Brock?¡± Rachel asked as she continued to circle, enjoying the way Dennis was adjusting to track her, but in doing so making himself dizzy. ¡°He¡¯s out back working with his Elite team, I think he¡¯s getting them ready for the Elite challenges that will be coming soon.¡± Rachel nodded her head, only somewhat understanding. ¡°So he¡¯s not really relaxing? Man, bossman likes to find work for himself, doesn¡¯t he?¡± she said. Rocko shrugged while Dennis stiffened. ¡°Brock isn¡¯t the sort to rest on his laurels!¡± said the man loyally. Rocko and Rachel shared a smile before Rachel nodded consolingly. As she skated around Dennis she patted the man on the back. ¡°Of course, of course! He just created a rather heavy workload from the get-go, plus all the other duties he has. He gets to relax a bit during the off-season, right?¡± Rachel tapped her lips theatrically. ¡°He only has, what? Gym duties, off-season training, debriefs with gym trainers, facility repairs and maintenance, oh, and the kiddies club for baseball?¡± she said. What she didn¡¯t mention was the other business that Brock was obviously involved in. He must be running something for the government, most likely with the ¡®Coloured Hero¡¯ group. While they hadn¡¯t been as active recently, that didn¡¯t discount other tasks. Brock too often took secretive calls and it wasn¡¯t just that he had a girlfriend that he was hiding. Sabrina, if anything, was more than happy to talk about Brock and her relationship, and Brock wasn¡¯t shy about smooching her in public. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Dennis scoffed. ¡°Most of those duties aren¡¯t as bad as you make them sound!¡± Rachel crossed her arms and came to a stop in front of Dennis, who kept turning for a second only to turn back and waver as his inner ear caught up with him. ¡°Urgh,¡± he said as he wobbled a bit. Rocko shot Rachel an amused look before playfully chopping at the air. ¡°I suppose he doesn¡¯t need to worry about the kids as much these days,¡± Rachel suggested. This earned her a pair of nods. ¡°Yeah, Flint is¡­ doing well, and seems like he¡¯s going to stick around,¡± Rocko said. Dennis sniffed. ¡°He better,¡± he said, only to shut his eyes and reach out to the side to support himself. Rachel frowned. She hadn¡¯t meant to make him that sick. ¡°You¡­ uhmmm, alright there, Dennis?¡± she said carefully. ¡°Got little kids at home, which means you don¡¯t always get great nights'' sleep,¡± replied Dennis. He shot Rocko a sheepish look. ¡°I might have to actually support you on the nap room idea you raised.¡± Rocko grinned. ¡°Do it man! Do it! If there¡¯s one thing this gym needs, it¡¯s a siesta time booked in!¡± he said passionately. Rachel giggled and decided to keep moving. She passed by the various gym trainers and even poked in to say hello to Bethany and Aubrey the receptionists, before having a drink in the break room with Alexa. From there she skated through the gym, belting out a song. ¡°Rock you! Yeah!¡± she sang, hopping up and skidding to a stop in front of her bossman Brock who was wandering in with a scowl and a red letter in hand. ¡°Heya boss! How¡¯re you doing today?¡± she said in a chipper tone. ¡°Hnnn,¡± responded Brock, his gaze locked on the red letter in his hands. Rachel skidded to a halt next to him, making good use of the height the rollerblades gave her to lean in and see what the issue was. She made sure to be super obvious about it so that if Brock really wanted to, he would stop her. Lines of text jumped out at her. Tough! Tough is not a style of Contests and it shall never be! Contests are about style, grace and cuteness! Not the farcical display that you put on that was all brute force which contained the style of a caveman scratching at a wall for the first time! It appears that the organisers abandoned all semblance of taste and sophistication, opting instead for a crass celebration of the popular! The gaudy! The plebian! She held in a giggle, only to blink in surprise when Brock released a loud, exhausted-sounding sigh. ¡°Man, this is a real bummer,¡± he said, shaking his head. Rachel tilted her head. ¡°I mean¡­ yes? If you want to take it that way?¡± she answered slowly. Brock glanced up, frown set in place. ¡°Take it that way? Rachel? There¡¯s no other way to take it! This is one of the best in the business of Contests saying we were terrible at it!¡± he said. Rachel held in a chuckle. It wouldn¡¯t go down well, even if she really, really wanted to. ¡°Alright, he¡¯s the big boss of the Hoenn scene.¡± Rachel held Brock¡¯s gaze, feeling suddenly like a tiny pebble that had been rolling around at the foot of a mountain, ignorant of how small it was. Rachel shook the feeling off, so what if she was small, she still had her shine to give! ¡°So what?¡± she said quickly. ¡°So what if he¡¯s the Hoenn big boss? So what if he¡¯s denouncing us? You know what? I¡¯m glad he is! It just proves how out of touch he is! Our Contest? It was popular! People loved it! We have reports from Battlecast that they got a viewer count three times what they were expecting at the start and it only grew as word spread how fun our event was!¡± Rachel cast her hand out wide. ¡°Hoenn can take their stodgy, boring outdated contests! We¡¯re bringing something fun! Something modern! Something people can be excited for!¡± ¡°A denouncement from the Hoenn big bad? Great! I love it! It¡¯s not a bad thing unless you let it be!¡± Brock shifted, eyes glancing down at the red letter. Rachel sucked in a breath as the weighty feeling of pressure vanished. Damn, but she pitied some of the trainers Brock must get serious on if that was the sort of pressure they found themselves facing just from locking eyes with him! ¡°Not a bad thing¡­ unless I let it?¡± he repeated thoughtfully. Rachel nodded her head. ¡°Yeah! Think about it this way, even! You didn¡¯t go to him for advice, so why listen? People are always giving out harsh criticisms, but they weren¡¯t here. They don¡¯t understand what we¡¯ve done!¡± Rachel put a hand on her chest. ¡°I can¡¯t say that we delivered a perfect event, but it was good, great even! People will be locking in the next Pewter Contest on their calendars, I can guarantee it!¡± Brock nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, I guess I just got caught up having such a big name of the scene denouncing us like this,¡± he said, indicating the letter. Rachel giggled. ¡°I can''t believe he sent a letter! That¡¯s so old school!¡± Brock shifted. ¡°It arrived on a Dodrio rider with a golden outfit,¡± he said. Rachel struggled to maintain her balance as she threw her head back and howled with laughter. ¡°O M A! That is so, so corny! Hahaha,¡± she wiped at her eyes and gathered her breath. ¡°Any chance I can take that Brock? I might get it put into a nice frame behind my desk.¡± Brock snorted and handed over the letter. ¡°Heh, alright, if that¡¯s what you want to do. Do we need to respond to this?¡± Rachel paused, ah that was right, they could do more than just laugh it off, couldn¡¯t they? An idea formed, and a grin stretched across her face. ¡°Oh, I have a wonderful idea!¡± she said as she turned and began to rollerblade to her office. ¡°Tell me if you need me!¡± called Brock after her, and she waved over her shoulder. When she reached her office she slapped her card against the lock and accepted the entry on her transceiver. Sadly the security measures made it tough for a girl to ¡®dramatically enter her space¡¯, but she managed by kicking off her rollerblades into a handy bin and skipping onto her office chair. She slapped the letter into her scanner and set it to work before turning her attention to the computer in front of her. She stretched out her neck and rolled her shoulders. Then she laced her fingers and cracked them, enjoying the way they popped and settled into place. Then she flexed and clenched her hands, preparing them for what was to come. With her three screens loaded up she entered multiple chat forums and created a thread on all of them tilted ¡®Keyboard warriors ho! Pewter news!¡¯ The sound of a keyboard beginning to fire sounded through her office as she felt her anticipation grow. So, old man Darren Sukizo wanted to start a flame war? He was about to find out that he was way too slow, and not even in the same ballpark as her! A ping announced the first responder, quickly followed by another. Rachel grinned as she reloaded the forum and found that six new posts had appeared. Welcome to the Pewter Fan club online! You are currently logged in, Rainbowpebbleperson You are viewing:
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? Topic: ¡®Keyboard warriors ho! Pewter news!¡¯ Rainbowpebbleperson posted:- Hey yo! I¡¯m going to need some people to check out what just came in the mail cause I am just totally speechless rn! Look at this old man hating on something wonderful! [LINK] Like how out of touch do you have to be to look at the Pewter Contest and not love it? I¡¯m just shaking! Such a shock! I think I need to either touch some rocks or Rage, you know? (showing page 1 of 1) Atalkingcat replied:- Huh, who is this guy and why should I¡­ oh I just reached the end. TLDR- guy is old Hoenn President for Contests and he is getting his tail out of joint with how Pewter Contest went down. He pretty much calls everyone basic. Nastiestperson1 replied:- eh, who cares about what a gasbag like that says! Good is good! But I see that Rainbowpebbleperson is calling for keyboard warriors, eh? Cypherquack replied:- Quack! Dogsbody the 2nd replied:- Oh I see what you¡¯re asking for! And I see you¡¯re cross-posting! Oh damn! It¡¯s time for a good old flamewar! Cue the fireworks! Waterloverthree replied:- Urgh Dogsbody, it can¡¯t be called an old anything! Don¡¯t make the pokenet sound all old and fuddy! Let¡¯s flame though! Rachel grinned as more and more pings sounded through the room. Excellent. Her keyboard warriors were assembling. It was time to wield the rage of pokenet people against an old grumpy man. This was an avenue of attack Brock would have never considered. Sometimes he was just such an old man with his methods. He probably had no idea how useful the pokenet could be! Which was hilarious considering how much of a meme he was these days. The ¡®I feel your pain and I don¡¯t want to¡¯ meme was her current favourite, but the ¡®nice flock of flying types you got there¡¯ sure came in a close second. Rachel happily blasted away on her keyboard, content and very smug in the knowledge that unlike a lot of other people, she was getting paid to do this.
[/hr] Sabrina repressed the urge to yawn mightily. The girl in her arms didn¡¯t have such strong willpower, and her yawn echoed through the house as the other girls trampled around, getting their gear in order and packed away for their trip. Suzie snuggled into Sabrina¡¯s shoulder and Sabrina felt, not for the first time, that if anything happened to Suzie, she would make the reckoning Legendary in proportions. ¡°I¡¯m all packed,¡± said Cindy as she presented herself, fully dressed, with her riding helmet under her arm. A few moments later Yolanda also emerged with her own gear. ¡°Ready,¡± said the eldest of Brock¡¯s sisters. At her feet, Terra and Spot stretched and yawned. Cindy rubbed at her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t believe people get up this early willingly!¡± she whined. She looked up at Sabrina. ¡°How do you do it, big sis?¡± she said. Sabrina smiled enigmatically. ¡°I have exceptional willpower,¡± she said proudly. When neither Yolanda or Cindy projected any doubt of her prowess she shot them a secretive smile. ¡°I also know the best early morning coffee shop in Saffron. We have a deal,¡± she said with a wink. ¡°It¡¯s what helps me function this early,¡± she said, opening her hand and teleporting her travel mug into her hand. Cindy stared while Yolanda giggled at the show of power being used so casually. Sabrina took a sip. ¡°It¡¯s one of the best ways to wake up.¡± Behind them, a door opened and closed before Brock jogged past. ¡°Morning girls, Sabrina, thanks for looking after them, enjoy your club!¡± he said, jogging past, only pausing to ruffle their hair and kiss Sabrina. Sabrina smirked when he departed, smacking his lips due to the strong coffee flavour. Cindy tilted her head. ¡°Brock drinks tea¡­¡± Yolanda coughed. ¡°It has a little bit of caffeine in it¡­ but nothing like coffee.¡± Cindy took a moment to blink slowly at this. ¡°Urgh! Big bro is a¡ª¡± she paused to shudder, ¡±morning person?¡± Sabrina¡¯s lips quirked up even as she adjusted her telekinetic hold on Suzie to keep her in a comfortable and supported position. ¡°Your brother is not a natural morning person, but he has forced himself to become one.¡± Sabrina stared after her boyfriend, noting where the feeling of blank space moved, blotting out her perception slightly around himself. ¡°He has cheated by using a number of mental tricks to make sure he ends with either an endorphin high, or a mental positive.¡± Yolanda tilted her head. As the sister with the most exposure to Brock¡¯s routine it took her a commendable short amount of time to come up with the answer. ¡°His work outs and his little sunrise watching sessions on the plateau?¡± she asked. Sabrina nodded, releasing her Hypno to assist with the Teleport. ¡°Both help him think positively about the day.¡± They also helped push back darker moods. It was also highly effective and well documented as providing benefits for depression, anxiety and anger issues in a healthy manner. The quartet of girls vanished in a flash of light that had Suzie grumbling, but it did make her open her eyes. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± she mumbled. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re in the pony club foyer,¡± whispered Sabrina. Suzie nodded and gave Sabrina another hug before releasing her hold and letting herself be lowered. She then smacked her cheeks a few times and put her hands on her hips. Sabrina quirked an eyebrow. This was new behaviour. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a great day!¡± announced Suzie as she collected her own, much smaller pack, only to march into the pony club stables. Cindy groaned. ¡°Urgh! She¡¯s trying to be a morning person! Can¡¯t she just join us in sisterhood as morning haters?¡± Sabrina put her hand on Cindy¡¯s shoulder and held in a giggle at the younger girl¡¯s antics. ¡°Let her do things her own way,¡± she said, parroting one of the things she¡¯d picked up from some idle reading of the books on parenting in Brock¡¯s room. Cindy huffed and Yolanda clapped her on the other shoulder. ¡°Come on, she¡¯s going to be in a pile of Ponyta if we don¡¯t supervise her,¡± advised Yolanda. Both girls scampered into the club. Terra rumbled after them, but Spot only went as far as the door before curling up, a single eye open while a single ear remained perked up in readiness for an order. Sabrina stroked its fur telekinetically as she passed. Within the club several girls and a few boys were already milling about, seeing to the needs of the various Ponyta and occasional Rapidash for the older children or teenagers. In Sabrina¡¯s case, she walked past the initial stables to where the girls were. On the way she passed by a number of psychic pokemon that were ambling about, using their psychic abilities to assist the various children or performing their own duties. For the purpose of Alakazam¡¯s study, none of them knew that they were in fact part of an experiment. A double-blind for the purposes of assisting the accuracy of the end study. Alakazm, along with a select breeder, had been working to increase psychic energy saturation within the stables. The only safe option they¡¯d come upon beyond the low levels offered by the stables being part of the gym was to make psychic pokemon part of the staff. The trick had been finding psychic pokemon with the right temperament. More than a few Hypno and Drowzee enjoyed spending time with children, but there was sadly a horrible stigma associated with them due to the actions of a few unscrupulous sorts. Chimecho were actually the most prolific in the stables, as the little pokemon helped to keep everyone relaxed and the pokemon at ease with the children¡¯s often enthusiastic ministrations. To further the children¡¯s level of understanding and kindness, Sabrina had also distributed a number of Slowpokes around the stables that the children had to work around or assist out of hazards. It worked rather well in Sabrina¡¯s opinion. More than a few children grew frustrated at first, but they slowly learned to be more patient. They, along with the few Starmie that lived in the troughs, also served as handy fire extinguishers should the need arise. ¡°Oh Beauty, your mane is so warm!¡± gushed Suzie as she brushed out her pokemon. ¡°Are you going for a ride today?¡± prompted Sabrina. Suzie nodded, turned and gave Sabrina wide, tear-filled eyes. ¡°Can you help me saddle her up?¡± Without a word, the saddle on the wall with Beauty¡¯s name on it rose up and deposited itself on the little Ponyta¡¯s back before clinching and tightening itself. The bridle quickly followed. ¡°Thank you!¡± chimed Suzie as she led her Ponyta to a mounting block where she stepped up and into the saddle. ¡°All ready!¡± she said, holding the bridle like she¡¯d been shown. Sabrina made a show of inspecting her hold before nodding. ¡°Alright, trot her out to your sister¡¯s stables and you can all go for a ride around the arena.¡± Suzie turned her pokemon to do that, only to sigh when she spotted a Slowpoke that had made its way in front of the door. Sabrina pretended not to see it and Suzie grumbled for a little bit before hopping down and moving to gently guide the Slowpoke to a tasty stack of hay that Suzie had set up. Beauty tossed her head at this and Suzie then had to placate her ride. ¡°It¡¯s alright! I can get you some tastier hay, with oran berries in them when we¡¯re done!¡± she said as she mounted back up, her little legs kicking at the air as she wormed her way up. Sabrina walked with Suzie to her sisters before making her own way towards her own Rapidash, Prancer, who was a beautiful shiny type, as Brock liked to call them. Sabrina rather hoped the psychic type Ponyta would be just as pretty, but only time would tell. They were already on their first batch of eggs that would hatch. She¡¯d need to recruit some more assistants with little girls to look after them all. She didn¡¯t even need to look around to know that it wouldn¡¯t be hard to get more girls to come look after the baby Ponyta. When she got to Prancer¡¯s stable, the proud pokemon tossed his head and sent a wave of amusement her way. Prancer was a smart horse, and that made it all the easier to bond with him. Sadly he wasn¡¯t very good at fighting. But he was extremely fast and very pretty, so she could forgive him. When she needed to make an entrance at some of the galas Erika liked to invite her to, Prancer was perfect. Although she might just make as much of a wave if she arrived on Farigaraf¡¯s back¡­ or even Wyrdeer. Sadly she hadn¡¯t yet found a suitable foe to reveal her latest Elite pokemon to the world. Samuel Oak knew and was happy to document the pokemon but otherwise, it wasn¡¯t even on her Indigo profile that she had him. She just needed the right opponent. She put aside such thoughts as she joined the girls trotting around the sandy arena, causing all the people riding pokemon to perk up. She could feel their concentrations slip as more than a few shot her furtive glances, even as they redoubled their effort in keeping proper riding positions. The instructors were always amusing to observe, as waves of chagrin and bemusement radiated out whenever she rode out. One of them observed Sabrina¡¯s own position in the saddle only to give up when they found nothing wrong. As they should, with Sabrina holding herself perfectly with her own telekinesis. As she passed the other riders she made sure to nod, say hello or offer some simple advice where she could. She found her new habit of a morning horse ride rather suited her, even if the hour that she had to wake up for it was rather horrible. The smiles and emotions of joy that came from the various children were a very nice way to start the day. It was especially nice to lead the girls to her own family house to share breakfast with her family. The girls happily regaled Sabrina¡¯s mother with tales of the morning ride, with Yolanda prying psychic training tricks out of her father. When it was time to return the girls to Pewter she made sure to lock eyes with Flint to remind him of the pecking order. If a shovel levitated out of the garden and floated in the window like a deranged serial killer, that was just the wind. When Flint actually looked the shovel vanished. With Flint suitably reminded, Sabrina Teleported to where Brock was to spend a few minutes with her boyfriend. She made sure to bring with her some of the bagels that had been prepared. Munchlax would be confused for a few minutes but then shrug it off as having either already eaten them or rightly assuming someone in the family stole it. He¡¯d forgive her when she apologised later. Family was good like that. Chapter 202 - Interlude - Girls day part 2 A.N. By popular demand here is the second part that I considered writing last week.
Suzie rocked back and forth on her heels. Munchlax, as he liked to do, copied her. Suzie rocked further and further, teetering on the edge of falling over. Munchlax copied her, only for his arms to begin swinging in huge circles. Suzie grinned, only to gasp as she went too far and fell on her bum with a flop. Suzie considered this new position with a blink before announcing, ¡°Ofph!¡± Munchlax laughed, forgetting to keep swinging his arms and toppling to the ground himself. ¡°Lax?¡± he said, having fallen on his back. Suzie giggled as Munchlax rolled first one way, and then another before huffing and curling his legs up towards his mouth. ¡°No, don¡¯t eat your legs!¡± Suzie cried, only for Munchlax to surprise her as he kicked his legs into the air and sort of flipped up onto his feet. He landed and raised his hands to the air like Suzie had seen the big kids do. Suzie clapped at this and Munchlax bowed in a dignified manner before reaching out to lift her to her feet. Suzie raised her hand. ¡°No! I want to try and do it like you did!¡± Munchlax blinked, hands outstretched. Suzie smacked them away before raising her legs into the air where she kicked them about. Nothing happened apart from a few kicks. She frowned. ¡°Urrrrrrrrgh!¡± she said, kicking the air harder. Maybe it was how you kicked the air. ¡°Hiyah!¡± she shouted, copying what she¡¯d seen Crystal do when Forrest had said something stupid. He¡¯d been quick enough to protect his family jewels, which was apparently important in some way. These days Crystal picked fights with A.J., but the older boy never said anything as silly as Forrest had. Or at least Crystal never tried to kick him¡­ something about that was different for some reason? Maybe it was that Crystal liked A.J. more? ¡°Munchlax?¡± asked Munchlax as he leaned in to inspect if Suzie was still awake. ¡°Bwah!¡± said Suzie as he got too close. Suzie tried to pull back but couldn¡¯t, so instead her legs continued to topple over her, knocking Munchlax away and forcing her to tuck and roll over herself. She kept rolling until she was on her feet and standing. She held her hands out to the side and blinked. Munchlax, now once more on the floor, stared up at her in awe. ¡°Munch? Munch? Munch?!¡± he said, trying to copy her by rolling over himself only for his belly and head to be too big, causing him instead to roll back onto his feet front ways. Suzie grinned and let herself fall back before tucking and rolling so that she landed on her feet where she stood. She giggled and then giggled harder when Munchlax tried again, only to roll onto his side and land on his stomach with a soft ¡°Mun!¡± Suzie tucked and rolled again and again, and after going from her room to the lounge room, she stood and grinned. Only to find that her Daddy wasn¡¯t paying attention and instead doing adult things, like folding laundry or talking on the phone. In his case, he was doing both at once. ¡°¡ªneed to look into the mineral deposits. I have sent through some notes from my travels regarding one stone that I found. Extrapolating from that is going to be tough, but we at least have a starting point,¡± he said at a man that was being projected from his transceiver. The man had a smiley face with a big bushy beard like some of the others that sometimes came around the gym¡­ or like Stephen when he came back from his trips. Suzie inspected the man. No, that wasn¡¯t Stephen, his beard could get wild, but it didn¡¯t have the black and white like an old Meowth. ¡°Daddy! Look what I can do!¡± Suzie chimed. Daddy blinked and looked around. ¡°Hmmm? Cindy?¡± he said. Suzie growled and stomped her foot. ¡°Noooooo! It¡¯s me, Suzie! Your third daughter!¡± she said firmly. The smiley man on the phone snorted. ¡°Third? Oh right, I forgot how¡­ energetic you and Lola used to get!¡± said the man, but Suzie ignored him. He was being icky in the way adults sometimes liked to be. Big brother and biggest sister were the same sometimes, but biggest sister always made sure to be ¡®proper¡¯ when Suzie was around. Which meant it was always big brother¡¯s fault when they got too ¡®adult¡¯ with each other. Which led to smoochies and ick, as Forrest had liked to say. Daddy gave a cough and smiled. ¡°Right! You said you had something to show me?¡± he asked. Suzie blinked, for a moment wondering what he meant, only to remember her new trick as Munchlax appeared in the doorway with a pant and a huff, having had to get back onto his feet and chase after her. Suzie held up her hands, and with all the grace she could muster fell onto her back causing a loud thwack. She blinked up at the ceiling. ¡°Oh right!¡± she said, kicking her feet over her head and rolling up onto her feet once more. ¡°Ta-dah!¡± she said. Daddy stared at her his eyes flicking to the floor of the kitchen. ¡°Oh, uhmmm, well done?¡± he knelt down. ¡°That didn¡¯t hurt, did it, little girl?¡± Suzie tilted her head like Spot would do when he was confused. ¡°No? Why would it?¡± ¡°You¡­ hit your¡­ no never mind,¡± said Daddy leaning down and giving her a hug. Suzie hugged him back only to grunt. ¡°Owwie! My head hurts! You¡¯re hugging too hard!¡± she said, slapping him away. He retreated with a quick dart. ¡°Sorry baby girl!¡± Suzie pouted at him before giving her bestest big sad eyes at him. ¡°Can we go into town now?¡± Daddy paused. ¡°Ah, sorry, little girl. Daddy has some work to do, maybe later?¡± Suzie sighed. ¡°Allllllright,¡± she said, slumping off to keep playing with Munchlax. She turned and raised her arms up, ready to repeat her rolling trick, only for Daddy to cough. ¡°Maybe do that in a carpeted area only?¡± he suggested. Suzie hummed and nodded, not really seeing the problem. But the carpet was soft and the kitchen was kinda hard. ¡°Munchlax! Let¡¯s play until we can go into town!¡± she cheered, running into the lounge room, where she and Munchlax tumbled and bounced around to their heart''s content. When they got too loud Eevee appeared and barked at them a few times. ¡°Sorry Eevee!¡± she said to the usually laid-back little pokemon. Eevee huffed, fluffing out her tail before stalking back to her bed where she proceeded to do a circle three times before flopping down, with her legs ¡®splooting¡¯ out wide. Suzie giggled and copied her on her own cushion. ¡°Circle! Circle! Circle! Sploot!¡± she announced as she flopped onto her belly with her legs as wide as they would go. Eevee eyed her and huffed, only to then tuck into a tight ball of fluff to ignore Suzie. Suzie shut her eyes and pretended to sleep. She felt Munchlax copy her. She counted in her head the three circles before he flopped down on the cushion. She suddenly found herself airborne and gasping as she flew across the room to thump into the lounge with a whump. She found herself wedged between two cushions. She wiggled and squiggled back, only to not move at all. Oh well, she could live a good life inside the couch. Her family would be sure to feed her. And there would be television she could poke her head out every now and then to watch. Sabrina would visit with her dolls. Small hands reached into the cushion and dragged her out. Suzie took a huge breath of air as she returned to life outside the cushions. She flopped onto her backside and blinked at the much brighter room. ¡°Awww, I was gonna be Countess of the Cush!¡± she said. ¡°Munch!¡± said Munchlax in approval, only to grumble as he turned to and glowered at Eevee who had been ¡®helping¡¯ to drag Suzie out of her cushion prison by biting him on the bum. ¡°Thanks Munchlax and Eevee!¡± Suzie said, before turning her eyes to the cushions. Eevee glared at them both. Suzie ignored it, more than used to Eevee being too sensitive and¡­ prissy! But that wasn¡¯t important right now. Suzie had just discovered something amazing! ¡°I had no idea that you could launch someone with a cushion!¡± she said, grabbing said item and setting herself up on it. ¡°Munchlax! Launch me!¡± she commanded. Munchlax scratched at the side of his head. ¡°Muuuuuuun,¡± he started to say only for Eevee to start barking at them. Daddy popped his head in. ¡°Are you two being too loud for Eevee?¡± he said. Eevee started nodding straight away, pointing her paw at them and the cushion and then arcing it through the air. Daddy nodded and Suzie sucked in a breath. Shoot! Daddy wouldn¡¯t let her do that if he thought it was dangerous. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re saying, but it sounds like both of them are being too loud,¡± said Daddy. Suzie sighed in relief. Thankfully Daddy couldn¡¯t speak pokemon like Sabrina could! Daddy turned to Suzie. ¡°I think you need to play a quieter game.¡± ¡°I wanna go into town,¡± Suzie whined from her position on her cushion. Daddy gained a sad look. ¡°I know baby, I know and we will go, it''s just I need to work right now.¡± ¡°Can I go with Nanny Grav and Munchlax, then?¡± Suzie asked, changing her argument slightly. ¡°Hmmmmm, I don¡¯t think Nanny Grav woul¡ª¡± ¡°Grav,¡± came from said Nanny, popping around the corner and stuffing another load of washing into Daddy¡¯s arms before grabbing Munchlax in one of her arms while Suzie took up another set. ¡°Whee! Thanks Nanny! Bye Daddy!¡± Suzie said as Nanny trotted along. Daddy stared blankly after them. ¡°What is up with the pokemon in this house?¡± he said aloud, only for Eevee to sniff and strut away to find a quieter part of the house. Suzie waited until they were well and truly out of the house before she started to squirm. Nanny put her down then and Suzie took off running this way and that, all while staying within a few metres of Nanny. She inspected the flowers and the road. When she got to a particularly smooth part she played hopscotch with herself, hopping first with her right foot and then with her left foot. Then she did big Shrek-like jumps, launching herself as far as she could all while ribbiting with each hop. ¡°Pert! Pert! Swampert!¡± she shouted. Munchlax¡¯s stomach grumbled and he looked around for something to eat, only to perk up when they passed by a cluster of Granny Gertrude¡¯s berry trees. Suzie and Munchlax shared a grin with each other and snuck through the fence to grab berries until the juices ran down their mouths and they felt particularly swollen. ¡°Hmmm, are there some thieves in my trees?¡± called an old wizened voice. Suzie perked up. ¡°Musses Aberbafy!¡± she said with her mouth stuffed full of berries. From between the trees, an old lady with her hair tied up in a bun appeared. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this? A lazy thief that doesn¡¯t run away?¡± she said, peering at Suzie through her huge glasses which made her eyes bulge. Suzie swallowed. ¡°Missus Abernathy it¡¯s me! Suzie!¡± ¡°Munchlax!¡± said Munchlax from next to her, reminding Suzie about him being there as well. ¡°And Munchlax! We¡¯re having a break from our adventures!¡± she said with a nod. Mrs. Abernathy gave a coy smile. ¡°Oh? But you must be thieves, because you haven¡¯t paid for my goods. And if you eat before paying that could be stealing,¡± she said in the slow way that old people liked to use when talking with her. Suzie hummed. ¡°Can¡¯t I pay after eating? Like in the restaurants?¡± ¡°Ah, but you need to know how much I am charging first, otherwise I can charge whatever I want!¡± said Mrs. Abernathy. Suzie nodded. This did make a good deal of sense. ¡°Alright,¡± she said, reaching for her small purse. ¡°How much?¡± Hopefully this wouldn¡¯t cost too much pocket money. ¡°Hmmm, I don¡¯t think I want any money.¡± ¡°So they¡¯re free?¡± Suzie said, perking up. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I said I don¡¯t want money.¡± Mrs. Abernathy waved her hand and gestured for Suzie and Munchlax to follow her. When they came up to the porch of Mrs. Abernathy¡¯s house they found a pot of tea ready with some snacks. ¡°I think I need you to sweep my porch for me and weed the garden for my berries,¡± she announced. Suzie considered this. ¡°Hmmmm. I think I can sweep the porch?¡± she said, looking at Munchlax. Munchlax looked at the weeds and sighed, before moving to begin his now freelance weeding. Nanny Grav who¡¯d been observing all of this made to help, only for Mrs. Abernathy to lay out another cup of tea. ¡°Chamomile?¡± she asked Nanny Grav. ¡°You¡¯re just going to sit there drinking tea watching us work?¡± Suzie said in shock. In response, Nanny Grav raised up her cup of tea, only for Mrs. Abernathy to offer her a slice of something that looked nice. ¡°Sponge cake, dear?¡± said the old woman. Suzie huffed and got to work sweeping the porch, sending dust flying this way and that. Munchlax looked up at one point, only to take a faceful of straw. He opened his mouth and started to eat the broom, only for Suzie to jerk it out of his mouth. ¡°No, brooms aren¡¯t for eating!¡± she said, admonishing him. Munchlax swallowed his mouthful only to burp and go back to weeding. Suzie paused to¡­ supervise his work. She watched him pull out a weed, inspect it for a moment and then eat it. She blinked. ¡°Uhmm¡­ good work?¡± she said, after thinking about it for a moment. When they were done they turned to Mrs. Abernathy who looked thoroughly amused. ¡°Well¡­ that was certainly one way to get the jobs done¡­ I suppose I will just have to get a new broom?¡± Suzie coughed. ¡°Sorry?¡± Mrs. Abernathy waved it off. ¡°Well I think you¡¯ve had a long enough break. Time for you to continue on your way, child,¡± she said, and Suzie perked up. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Adventure!¡± she shouted, dragging Munchlax and Nanny Grav down the road. They stopped at the playground and ran and slid to their hearts content with the other kids. Nanny Grav sat on the side with a magazine with the other parents and old people while Suzie and Munchlax played. When they got tired Suzie staggered over to Nanny Grav and the larger pokemon hefted her up onto her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home yet,¡± said Suzie sleepily. ¡°I want to go meet up with Yolanda and Cindy at their school,¡± she said. Nanny Grav considered this and nodded, causing Suzie to flop about slightly before they trudged along. Munchlax walked next to them, a slight look of concern on his face before he pulled out a hairy piece of pizza. He stared long and hard at Suzie before offering up the slice. Suzie shook her head. ¡°No thank you,¡± she said, fighting her eyes as they tried to slide shut on her. Nanny Grav found a nice bench in the shade overlooking the front entrance of the school and sat down to wait. Suzie felt herself drifting along with the sounds of other kids laughing and the breeze blowing through the trees above. Her eyes might have shut. Maybe. Only for a little while. Then they opened when she heard a deep chuckle. ¡°So, this is where you got to,¡± said big brother Brock. Suzie opened her eyes slowly and found him carrying her twin Timmy. ¡°You forgot me!¡± he said with a whine. Suzie smiled sleepily. ¡°So? Just have your own adventure?¡± she said. He huffed and sat down next to her, only to tell her all about the game he¡¯d been playing with the blocks that they had in their playroom. It sounded pretty fun. When he was done, Suzie told him all about being a thief and Mrs. Abernathy making them do time in her yard while Nanny Grav made sure they didn¡¯t run away. Brock looked up at Nanny Grav and the old pokemon grinned, nodding along with the story. When the bell rang and school let out Suzie felt great watching the surprise and then happiness flickering on everyone¡¯s faces when they realised she¡¯d come to greet them. Her family and some of their friends all gathered around as they headed back home. When they reached the front door Daddy opened it for them and Eevee barked happily, now more than ready to play. Suzie grinned and grabbed a cushion. ¡°Hey! Everyone! Come see this trick!¡± she said, sharing a look with Munchlax. When she was once more launched into the air she was surprised when firm hands caught her and twirled her around. ¡°Hmmm, you have had an interesting day, haven¡¯t you? Maybe tell us before you do something so dangerous in future?¡± Suzie bumped her head softly with a fist. ¡°Whoopsie! Teehee!¡± Something in Brock¡¯s eye twitched, but he kept on smiling. Suzie grinned at Brock ignoring the momentary flinch. ¡°I was the Countess of Cush!¡± she said proudly. When he looked confused she patted him on the head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, old people don¡¯t understand young people¡¯s adventures,¡± she said wisely. Brock just laughed and hugged her.
Misty locked eyes with her opponent. Since fighting Brock, she¡¯d taken to fighting more often, but their current stop in Hophophop Town had been more for the boys than her. They¡¯d taken to training and fighting in the local Battleclub and Misty, after thinking about it for a while, had decided to join them. The local Chapter leader of the Battleclub had spotted her and decided she needed to be pushed. Old man Karl rubbed his beard before winking at her. ¡°Like I said little miss¡ª¡± Misty repressed a twitch at the term being used on her. She was no one¡¯s little miss! ¡°¡ª this will be a two on two match!¡± he said. Misty wet her lips and let her breath come slow and steady, like the breathing exercises they¡¯d practised with Forrest. She felt the water within stir slightly, but didn¡¯t try reaching for it. Like water running through a bucket with holes, it always streamed out of her grasp when she tried consciously grabbing for it. So instead she just let it be. Her focus wasn¡¯t on it, but rather on her opponent. ¡°Go Hitmonlee!¡± he shouted. ¡°Go Starmie!¡± she said, sending out the best hope she had for this match. She¡¯d known Karl to have a fondness for Fighting types and even be a bit of a fan of Kong in Saffron, making him a useful fellow to practise against. She¡¯d made too many mistakes against Kong. It didn¡¯t matter that she¡¯d won in the end, she had to fix her weaknesses. Karl¡¯s eyes narrowed and his next exhale hissed through clenched teeth. Misty felt that perhaps she might have made a mistake sending out Starmie in this match, but that wasn¡¯t something she could change now anyhow. ¡°Sucker Punch!¡± snapped Karl, surprising her by his ordering the first move. ¡°Minimize!¡± she shouted. Hitmonlee used its powerful legs to surge forward with its arm swinging up, instead of the stronger legs. Starmie, thankfully, had shrunk and avoided the attack. Misty sucked in a breath of air. She¡¯d gotten lucky there. She knew it, and so did Karl with how he clicked his tongue. His Hitmonlee had gone for a headshot instead of a body shot, and with Starmie shrinking the faster move hadn¡¯t landed, which was an immense relief. Still, that didn¡¯t mean she was out of the reef yet! With Hitmonlee basically on top of her pokemon, it limited their options. ¡°Rapid Spin with Hydro Pump!¡± she shouted, knowing she needed to make room. Water blasted out of the small starfish pokemon, forcing Hitmonlee away while giving itself room. ¡°Brace with Focus Energy!¡± Karl ordered and Hitmonlee stamped its feet and held instead of being further knocked away. Misty gritted her teeth, knowing that any attacks it got off now would hit harder. She needed to win this match, and quickly. ¡°Hydro Pump¡­ on the knees!¡± she ordered, making her pokemon go after what was supposed to be some of the strongest parts of a Hitmonlee. The slight pause made her pokemon twitch as it caught onto her plan. Karl scoffed. ¡°Dispatch them with a one-two!¡± he ordered and his pokemon lazily lifted a leg and blew away the oncoming water attacks with a pair of kicks. The water detonated, causing a cascade of water droplets that showered the wooden battlefield. Karl opened his mouth to taunt her only for it to be his turn to be surprised as instead of keeping room, Starmie shot through the water and slammed into Hitmonlee¡¯s still-planted leg, buckling the fighting type and making it topple to the ground. Misty shot him a smirk. ¡°Hydro Pump from in close!¡± she said, punching forward. Her pokemon unleashed a pair of powerful blows from point blank and Hitmonlee was blown out of the field. Karl surprised her by returning his pokemon and giving her a thoughtful nod. ¡°Acceptable,¡± he said, giving her pokemon another look over. ¡°Try this on for size before I make my ruling,¡± he said, tossing out another pokeball. This time a Primeape took to the field and looked around angrily. It stomped and huffed and Misty had flashbacks to Ash¡¯s Primeape. ¡°Oh dear,¡± she said, as her Starmie¡¯s gem glinted in the light and caught Primeape¡¯s attention. ¡°Make room with Psybeam this time!¡± Misty said. Karl clicked his tongue. ¡°So much for that,¡± he said derisively. For a second Misty had no idea what he meant as Starmie unleashed a powerful attack and started to knock Primeape back, only for Primeape to screech and begin emitting dark energy. It then charged up the Psybeam and hammered both fists into Starmie. Starmie started to reel away,? only for Primeape to catch it and begin raining blows into it with a fury. Misty stiffened only to slump, realising that Starmie wasn¡¯t going to be able to recover from this. She raised her pokeball and returned her pokemon. ¡°I withdraw my pokemon,¡± she said with a sigh. Karl nodded. ¡°A wise decision. You shouldn¡¯t have fallen into the trap of arrogance that we would not have counters prepared for psychic moves,¡± he said. Misty felt a retort on the tip of her tongue, but with great effort, she swallowed it down. She¡¯d gotten herself in enough trouble running her mouth during some of her matches so far this year, and had¡­ eventually learned to keep some things to herself or just the boys when they were alone. Misty slid her hand about her pokebelt. Which pokemon to use now became the question. Horsea? Tentacruel? Seaking? All of them would be slow on the hard field. She¡¯d also recently battled with them prior to fighting Karl. They¡¯d be exhausted. Karl had already admitted that psychic-type moves wouldn¡¯t work as well, so Psyduck¡­ well, he wasn¡¯t ever really a choice being so¡­ well, he was just Psyduck. Or was that a trick? No, he seemed to be an honest man, if a bit¡­ dated in his thinking. Karl crossed his arms. ¡°This match, as a two vs two, is different, I know, so don¡¯t be afraid to forfeit, little girl,¡± he said condescendingly. Misty felt a vein in her forehead twitch. She¡¯d thought for a long time it was just a twitch until Ash pointed out¡­ helpfully, that she actually did get a rather ugly-looking vein in her forehead when she was exceptionally annoyed. Somehow Misty didn¡¯t think it a coincidence that he of all people noticed such a detail. He had the most opportunities to observe it after all. Misty reached for her pokeball, knowing that with her other options having handicaps she would need to fall back on her most reliable pokemon to date. ¡°Go Wartortle!¡± she announced. Karl inspected Wartortle and nodded at what he saw. ¡°That¡¯s a strong looking pokemon!¡± he said, impressed. And so he should be! Misty thought to herself. Wartortle was one of the best around! His shell glinted with how well looked after it was, his tail was the fluffiest around and his little ears were also the longest and most receptive of any that she¡¯d ever encountered. And that was just his appearance! ¡°Withdraw into Rapid Spin!¡± Misty commanded, not letting herself fall into the trap of thinking Karl was going to sit on his backside all day. Karl nodded. ¡°Put it in the ground with Stomping Tantrum!¡± Primeape, instead of just lifting its feet and stomping down to shake the building, leapt up high with both legs raised. Misty hissed in surprise at this as Primeape came down on her pokemon, cratering the floor and roaring his triumph. ¡°Wartortle! No! Fight!¡± she called, feeling her water surge in panic. Something within the waters of her soul, as she¡¯d come to think of it, tugged in response to her call, and she pushed her energy towards the tug. Primeape, gloating from atop her pokemon wobbled as suddenly light exploded from beneath its feet. Primeape toppled to the floor as Wartortle, or the light that was Wartortle, began to glow as it grew, and grew, and grew. ¡°Wartortle! You¡¯re evolving!¡± she squealed in delight. The light of evolution faded away to reveal a much taller, much more powerful-looking pokemon. Misty felt a shiver of delight run through her. She¡¯d done it! She¡¯d dreamed of this day! She! Misty from Cerulean! Had a Blastoise! Blastoise shot her a grin and she matched it. As one they both turned their attention to Karl. ¡°Blastoise? Hydro Pump!¡± she ordered. and this time when her pokemon unleashed it, it was like twin cannons had unleashed their payload. The very air in the gym shifted with a pulse due to the power of the attack and Primeape, still caught off guard by this turn of events, was hurled back. Primeape dug into the floor though. and glowered up at Blastoise. Misty grinned, more than happy to keep fighting. Karl matched her and punched forward. ¡°Close with Acrobatics!¡± he said and Misty blinked as Primeape flipped and twirled and rolled towards Blastoise. instead of taking a straightforward path. Misty knew she needed to change things up a bit. ¡°Water Pulse!¡± she said, and instead of two powerful blasts, this time a pair of rings shot forward, lapping at each other. With their wider diameter, Primeape still took some damage despite the tricks it was pulling to get close. Primeape still closed and Misty got ready for a brutal fight as Primeape cocked a fist back. Then it stunned everyone by punching itself instead of Blastoise. Everyone blinked, Primeape included, as it turned its attention to its own fist which was still raised after hitting itself in the head. The fist bobbed back and forth and made a ¡®come on¡¯ gesture, which seemed to anger Primeape as he grabbed it with his other hand and begane wrestling with¡­ himself? Misty stared but Karl merely sighed. ¡°I shall withdraw my pokemon and award you the victory, you have fought well,¡± he said as he returned his pokemon. Misty perked up. If the match was over that meant¡­ she sprinted forward and hurled herself at her newly evolved pokemon. ¡°You did amazing, Blastoise!¡± she said as she nuzzled his shell. Oh, wait until her sisters learned about this! They were going to be sick with envy! Karl approached and coughed. ¡°Young girl,¡± he said. Misty shot him an annoyed look for calling her that, as well as interrupting her water pokemon appreciation moment. Karl, sensibly took a small, bracing step back. ¡°That is to say! Misty from Cerulean! I, Karl of the Saffron Gym!¡± he announced loudly. ¡°Award you the Dedication Medal! I can see that you have earned it with this demonstration!¡± he said, handing her a token. ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this for?¡± she said. Karl snorted. ¡°Fighting and winning against a Battle Club leader is no mean feat dear girl! While we don¡¯t have the same¡­ prestige as gyms, we are the whetstone many use to grow stronger, or to simply take part in fighting with their pokemon,¡± he said with a slightly bloodthirsty look. He tilted his head. ¡°I suppose as a Gym Leader¡¯s child, you wouldn¡¯t have ever considered trying for our medallions? Most are too caught up on gym badges.¡± Karl said, kicking the ground in annoyance. Misty stared at the Dedication Medal. She¡¯d never heard of this before¡­ she wasn¡¯t that out of the loop, was she? Karl shifted slightly, twinging something in Misty¡¯s mind. She lowered the medallion. ¡°You only started this recently¡­ didn¡¯t you?¡± she said and Karl twitched. He sighed and nodded. ¡°The Indigo Battleclub chapter decided to trial it with this year¡¯s circuit and it¡¯s been pretty popular!¡± he said, perking up. ¡°We¡¯re certainly getting more regular takers for local challenges and the matches we get to watch are much higher tier!¡± he said eagerly. Misty snorted but nodded, feeling well and truly vindicated. So, she¡¯d been right! This was only a recent event. It was kind of cheap how they were copying the gyms¡¯ style of awarding ¡®medallions¡¯, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t a terrible idea for what was a more relaxed setting. Misty weighed up the medallion. She hadn¡¯t been expecting this and it was¡­ nice, she decided. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, her eyes drifting back to Blastoise, who was the real prize today. She gazed happily at her pokemon. Nothing could¡ª ¡°Misty! Get off the field! I want my turn at beating Karl! Hurry up! What did he give you? I want that!¡± said Ash, cutting through her moment. Misty shot him a look full of hate. Ash ignored her while Forrest leaned out of the way to give Misty clear access to hurl a pokeball into Ash¡¯s stupid face. When it bounced off and returned to her grasp she smirked, only for Ash to bounce back and glower at her. She sighed and gave Karl a small look, with him only smiling back. ¡°I won¡¯t go easy on him,¡± he said with a whisper. Misty giggled and skipped up to sit next to Forrest. Ash made his own way down, mind obviously turned to his upcoming fight. She¡¯d come out pretty well, now it was time to watch Ash then probably Forrest fight. Both of them needed to work on their skills more than she did after their showing against Kong. When she sat next to Forrest he congratulated her on the win and she preened. ¡°Thank you! It was much tougher than I thought it would be! Watch out for his counter psychic techniques,¡± she said. Forrest waved his hand. ¡°It''s alright. Metang¡¯s got this,¡± he said with a smirk. Misty sighed. He¡¯d said the same against Kong. Sure it had been Beldum back then¡­ but the point still stood. Misty shook her head. She supposed it was true. Boys did take longer to grow up than girls.
¡°Five bottles of wine on the wall, five bottles of wine! Take one down, drink it all down! Four bottles of wine on the wall!¡± Lola sang to herself as she lay on the back of her Lapras. Lapras shot her a worried look as Lola took a long, slow pull from her canteen. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, buddy,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m just passing the time. You know that!¡± He shot her a worried look, and Lola patted his shell. So what if it took her ages to finish this song and she usually gave up around the tenth bottle down! Today she was going to do it! ¡°Three bottles of¡­ wait, sorry! Four bottles of wine on the wall!¡± she sang. Lapras turned away and began stroking harder, apparently encouraged by her singing. Just for that, Lola sang louder. When she reached the last bottle on the wall she clutched her canteen, feeling oddly sad that she¡¯d done it. She was about to finish the song that lasted forever. She almost wanted to not bring down that last metaphorical bottle to drink. She drummed her fingers and despite the feeling of fear, whispered the last few verses. ¡°One¡­ bottle of wine on the wall¡­ one bottle of wine¡­ take it down, drink it all down¡­ no more bottles of wine on the wall,¡± she said. She shed a tear for that empty dreamland of alcohol, that was now bereft of what made it wonderful and fun to be in. She always liked to start by thinking about each bottle of wine. Would it have been a Pinot Noir, a Syrah, a Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or a Shiraz? Or would it be something else like a Moscato? Hmmmm, so many different flavours of wine to¡ª A bark from her Lapras made her blink and sit up. ¡°Lapras? What¡¯s¡­¡± she trailed off as she spotted what had alerted Lapras. There on the horizon¡­ was a landmass. Lola sat up and checked her compass. It was still facing the right direction. She looked up at the sun, blinking away the pain before looking at her shadow. Right, that wasn¡¯t a trick of the mind¡­ like that one time. Nope! That was the sun alright! She licked her lips. ¡°F-full speed ahead!¡± she said, feeling the same surge of excitement and fear. Was this it? Was her trip over? Had she done what she¡¯d set out to achieve? Lapras, unaware of her mental ramblings, powered towards the landmass. Excitement built as the landmass grew closer and closer, only to fade as it formed up into an island and not a giant continent of an entire region. Lola slumped only to perk back up. Wait! Where there was one island there were usually more! Maybe she¡¯d found the fabled Alolan islands! Oh that¡¯d be wonderful! Nothing but surf and turf for some rest and relaxation! And if there were any naughty boys and girls about? Well she¡¯d take care of them! The island grew larger and larger until Lola found herself staring at a beach with a wharf leading up to what could only be a pokemon centre. She landed and returned her pokemon only to tumble to the side as her inner ear insisted she was still rolling and moving with the ocean. She clapped a hand hard to one ear, knocking it out of sync, before righting herself with a smile. Then it was off and up to the pokemon centre to make contact! The doors of the centre swished open, and Lola inhaled the all too familiar scent of citrus chemicals used to mask a medical centre. Behind the desk, what could only be a Nurse Joy waved in greeting. ¡°Hello! Welcome to Island A of the A-B-C islands,¡± chimed the nurse, only to blink. ¡°Uhmmm, do you need help?¡± she said, leaning to the side and inspecting Lola¡¯s ear. Lola marched up with her smile firmly in place. ¡°Now why would you say that?¡± she said and something in her tone or posture must have scared the nurse as the woman flinched. ¡°Uhmmm, you¡¯re bleeding from your ear?¡± suggested the nurse. Lola dabbed her fingers against her ear. ¡°Oh, whoopsie! Teehee!¡± she said, bonking herself softly on the head. ¡°Say, where are we, what region?¡± The nurse blinked and reached for a button. Lola¡¯s hand caught her before she could press it. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Nurse Joy shivered fearfully. ¡°You need medical attention, I¡¯m calling the Chansey in. You have a head wound and don¡¯t know what region this is, that¡¯s signs of deeper issues.¡± Lola released the nurse and giggled to herself. ¡°Oh! No, this is just an old trick I learned to get my balance back quicker, and I¡¯m not from around here! You see, I¡¯m an adventurer from Kanto!¡± she announced proudly. ¡°O-oh,¡± said Nurse Joy who was now pressing the button quickly. A trio of Chansey appeared, each and every one of them in fighting poses. They didn¡¯t relax when they locked eyes on Lola, and Lola smiled as they approached carefully. Ah, this brought back memories. For a heartbeat she considered breaking out of their ¡®care¡¯, but then that would slow down her getting to talk to someone official. And she was tired. The Chansey chattered at her soothingly, their Disarming Voice helping to calm her down and settle her frayed nerves. Lola let herself be lulled to sleep. She could always break out later if she needed to. For now, a nap sounded wonderful. She fell asleep with a smile on her lips and dreamed about how amazed her family would be when she told them of what she¡¯d done. Chapter 203 - Throwing down the gauntlet ¡°Heh, second time around, hey?¡± said Jackson as he faced off once again against Anita. I smiled as Anita nodded, not exactly stoically, but she still held her nerve. She licked her lips and shifted, eyeing Dennis who was today¡¯s referee. Dennis went through the typical announcements that we were required to say each time before signalling for the trainers to send out their pokemon. Jackson and Anita both chose the same pokemon as last time. Rhyhorn snorted in contempt at the tiny Budew before it. My smile grew a little as I noted that this time, Anita had not overthrown her pokeball. If anything, she¡¯d underthrown it, but she wasn¡¯t facing a penalty, or more specifically, a warning this time around for releasing her pokemon outside her zone. It was a noticeable change from her last appearance. And speaking of her last appearance, it seemed she had taken a few things to heart. I noted that she didn¡¯t have any more pokemon on file for herself when she came into this match, but she did have a bevy of jobs completed around Pewter. She must have been doing them in the afternoons after coming to the gym. Her clothes no longer had patches stitched into them and she looked a little less frazzled with her hair being sleek and shiny. She must have some better lodgings these days, which made sense. The pokecenter might have been a bit full with the Contest on the weekend, leading to her having to rough it. There were lots of little things that would have impacted her last time. It was nice to see her doing better. I watched her easily dispatch Rhyhorn with her Budew, not taking any damage from the fight. ¡°Time to introduce a change from last time,¡± I said to Rocko, who nodded and palmed a pair of pokeballs. While she¡¯d faced Greta last time, Greta had the morning rostered off along with most of tomorrow before we took her to Saffron for her fight against Kong. Right now I had only a vague idea where she was. But it didn¡¯t matter, I wanted to throw a wrench into the works and test Anita. She had a facade of calm right now, but she needed coping methods. Rocko sauntered down and very deliberately showed off three pokeballs with an evil smirk. ¡°You ready to rock and roll, little lass?¡± he asked as he selected one of them. Anita opened her mouth, only to close it and nod stiffly. Budew remained on the field watching all of this unfold with a scowl as Rocko tossed out his pokeball. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Lileep!¡± he said, sending out a rock-grass type pokemon against Anita¡¯s grass-poison type. Anita¡¯s eyes widened at this turn of events and her body stiffened in a very perceptible manner. Now, if she¡¯d been able to pull a particularly animesque move, she had the option of Slaking, but only if it would listen to her. Anita swallowed and pointed at Lileep. ¡°Leech Seed!¡± she called. Budew leaped into action firing seed pods, whereas Rocko merely yawned in response. ¡°Ingrain,¡± he said lazily. Lileep buried its roots and watched the falling seeds fall around it and entangle it. It wouldn¡¯t be very effective, but it would help bolster Budew. Sadly, with Ingrain in effect, this wouldn¡¯t count for much. ¡°R-return Budew!¡± called Anita, surprising me. She had the foresight to get a set-up move off before calling her pokemon back? Good, she was thinking more about all of this. She quickly selected another pokeball and sent out her Jigglypuff. ¡°Let¡¯s go Jigglypuff, like Granny Haridan taught us! Charge in with Double Kick!¡± I blinked in surprise as a very familiar movement occurred, with Jigglypuff darting in, kicking off the ground and using its much lighter body. For a moment I thought that someone had shown Anita a video of Celia and Mr. Powers, but then I remembered something. Jigglypuff weren¡¯t supposed to know Double Kick. I¡¯d questioned Celia about it, but she¡¯d just giggled and shook her head, telling me she wasn¡¯t giving up her ¡®sensei¡¯. Anita had either not gotten the memo, forgotten, or didn¡¯t have the same issues sharing who her sensei was as Celia. So, Mrs. Haridan could teach pokemon Double Kick? That raised some questions as much as it answered a question I¡¯d long since forgotten about. At the time, and to this day, I¡¯d chalked it up as something to do with a crossover of the other media that Jigglypuff appeared in, namely Super Smash Bros. Now, I knew it was different. Hmmm, it had been a while since I¡¯d spoken with Mrs. Haridan. Perhaps I could call her up to look after the kids while Flint and I went spelunking. Then I could raise the topic. It would certainly be worthwhile knowing how to teach pokemon Double Kick. Not that the primary pokemon I used would be capable, what with Geodude lacking the required limbs. Still, it was very heartening to watch Jigglypuff close with Lileep. At this point Rocko used the now signature combination of Astonish into Wrap, locking Jigglypuff in place. This had tones of being very similar to how Jigglypuff had gone down against Anorith in the past and I leaned forward, observing Anita as she realised just that herself. ¡°Oh! Shoot! Jigglypuff use Disarming Voice!¡± she called. I bobbed my head from side to side. It was a move, which was better than freezing up, but she hadn¡¯t taken into account that Jigglypuff, while locked in with her arms which were usually where the danger of early Double Slap came from, didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t get off Double Kick. She must not have thought of it. Jigglypuff swelled up, inhaling and dragging a grimace out of her as the fronds around her tightened, only to then scream right in Lileep¡¯s face. Lileep, unlike Anorith, clung to Jigglypuff through the damage, but that had more to do with the Ingrain rooting it to the spot than not being impacted. ¡°No! No!¡± said Anita as she realised that wasn¡¯t going to work like last time. ¡°D-double Kick!¡± she said, causing me to chuckle as she lucked into the right answer. It could be called instinct by some, just as much as luck, but it didn¡¯t matter as it got her the win as Lileep buckled under the super-effective move. I chuckled and shook my head, well, regardless of anything else, I¡¯d learned something today. I had a berry farmer selling berries that negated my super-effective moves, and I also apparently had a secret move tutor who¡¯d teach young trainers a move that was super effective against my pokemon. Damn, I hadn¡¯t had a clue about that, which made me feel like I didn¡¯t know my own city as well as I thought. Then again, I rather liked the idea that there was something still to learn. If this was a game it would be a nice hidden feature that I would have appreciated on any Charmander play-throughs I did. ¡°Lileep is unable to battle!¡± called Dennis. ¡°Eh?¡± Anita took a moment to realise that she¡¯d just knocked out her foe while Jigglypuff danced around merrily. I had to admit that it made for a rather cute show and the crowd, what few that were here in the early morning slot, applauded her. I glanced around and found a pidgeot-eyed old woman sitting on the side and nodding with approval. When Mrs. Haridan noticed me she smiled and waved while I just chuckled. Little old ladies, sitting in my gym, empowering my opponents for years without me ever knowing, and now that I knew they acted like butter wouldn¡¯t melt in their mouths. ¡°Shameless, truly shameless,¡± I said with a shake of my head. Then again, if they only taught those people who helped out and did jobs around Pewter, that perhaps meant that only people with certain character traits learnt about the ¡®hidden move tutor¡¯. I rubbed my chin and wondered for the first time if I hadn¡¯t taken the wrong jobs when I was on my Journey. Had I unknowingly missed others that might have made it easier simply by being good? I found I rather liked that version of this setup. Anyone could buy a berry, but you had to be kind and helpful to learn about Mrs. Haridan. It certainly explained why she always had jobs posted for people to come to clean her yard, mow her lawn, or wash her windows each week. Just like Mrs. Abernathy, Mrs. Solstice¡­ and several other old ladies and gentlemen. Hmmmm. I tilted my head and wondered if Janine knew. Did Yolanda? My musing on this secret was interrupted as Rocko sent out his next pokemon in the form of Aron. Anita didn¡¯t hesitate to return her pokemon, knowing that a Steel-type move would see things turning against her. Sadly that told me she hadn¡¯t done her reading on how strong a fighting type move would have been against Aron. Instead of merely being twice as effective, it would have been quadrupled! Thanks to her changing pokemon, Rocko got off a free move with Harden. Once more Budew came out and as soon it was on the field, Anita punched her fist forward. ¡°Leech Seed!¡± ¡°Charge in with Tackle!¡± ordered Rocko and Aron threw itself into a sprint, dodging the sailing Leech Seeds before they could wrap themselves around it. With a cry and a leap, Aron threw itself into a headfirst Tackle. ¡°Roll!¡± cried Anita and Budew followed the order instantly, dropping to its side and rolling under Aron¡¯s soaring Tackle. ¡°Ar!¡± cried Aron in surprise as it missed, it landed and skidded a little before turning and locking back onto Budew who stood quickly on its tiny legs. ¡°Use Absorb!¡± shouted Anita, apparently expecting this to be her golden ticket. Green orbs shot forward and sank into Aron before returning to Budew, but it wasn¡¯t the super-effective move Anita was expecting. I hummed and watched Anita grow confused. Rocko had no issues making the most of this and once more closed with Budew, Aron slamming a Tackle into Budew and causing it to cry out. ¡°Commit! It won¡¯t take much! Keep up the Absorb!¡± Anita shouted. Budew loyally did so, standing its ground and occasionally rolling out of the way of some Tackles that Rocko and Aron countered with. After a particularly harsh exchange, both pokemon paused to glare at the other, both extremely roughed up and looking worse for wear. Then Aron faltered and collapsed. ¡°Aron is unable to battle! Anita advances!¡± Anita stiffened. ¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t he show three pokeballs?¡± she said, shooting Rocko a worried look. Dennis coughed as Rocko shook his head. Hehe, Dennis had accidentally given Rocko¡¯s game away. Rocko waved them both off causally. ¡°Eh, that was just me messing with you. At this level we only really use two pokemon max to test young trainers,¡± he said. ¡°Good luck with your last match,¡± he said, before returning his pokemon and clearing the way for me. I gave Anita a moment, but she didn¡¯t reach into her pouch to pull out a potion or any food for her pokemon. Hmm, I¡¯d need to mention that later. She could use such items during small breaks like this between trainers, it was only in actual matches she couldn¡¯t get away with using a potion. It must have been one of those things that was missing from her education, I suppose? ¡°So, you¡¯ve returned,¡± I said, my voice echoing into the Gym with a deep rumble. Anita locked eyes with me and while her gaze shuddered and shook, she held firm, earning herself an imperceptible nod from me. ¡°Good,¡± I said, advancing down to the gap before leaping over the railing and onto the podium. I landed like I always did and as I rose I produced a pokeball which I held out towards her. ¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked, eyeing Budew still on the field. Anita looked over her pokemon and nodded firmly. I smirked and started things off the same way as last time. ¡°Let¡¯s rock Anorith!¡± Anita perked right up at this, and I knew straight away she¡¯d done her research for this pokemon this time, as she returned her pokemon straight away instead of subjecting her grass type to my bug-type moves. ¡°Harden,¡± I said, not letting the change out pass without using it. She needed to learn that if you knew which pokemon your opponent was going to use first you had a huge advantage. She shouldn¡¯t have kept Budew out when I sent out my pokemon, but I could forgive it as it was a mistake that most first-year trainers made. For all that they didn¡¯t have to worry about losses against me too much, they still had to worry about later matches. Matches that they could have won had they not taken a disadvantage into the fight. Anita sent out her Jigglypuff, earning herself a small nod, that was a better choice. Not a great choice by any metric, but still a better one than Budew. ¡°Double Kick sprint!¡± called Anita. As Jigglypuff charged in I waved to Anorith. ¡°Leap above it into Smack Down,¡± I called. Anorith curled in on herself as Jigglypuff charged forward and it looked like she wasn¡¯t going to do anything for a moment, before suddenly exploding into sudden violent action. She leapt high, straight above Jigglypuff, therefore putting her in the best position as she twisted her body, lining up the rear carapace to slam down into the back of Jigglypuff¡¯s head and slam the floating pokemon into the ground face first. Jigglypuff groaned painfully as she stood and cried out, testing her weight on her legs. ¡°Jigglypuff, can you still fight?¡± asked Anita worriedly. Jigglypuff inhaled and swelled up a little, apparently annoyed that Anita would ask such a question. ¡°Jig!¡± ¡°Alright! Use Disarming Voice!¡± ¡°Charge in with Metal Claw¡± I said, deciding to take the baby gloves off for this. Anita gasped as her pokemon who¡¯d been screeching and slamming waves of pain into Anorith suddenly faced a super-effective claw to the face. Jigglypuff bounced from the hit and rolled backwards before struggling up onto her feet. ¡°Jigglypuff! Use Sing!¡± Anita shouted desperately. When Jigglypuff staggered to its feet it tottered from side to side like it was drunk and I frowned. It didn¡¯t look like Jigglypuff could safely keep fighting. When Anorith twitched into a crouched position ready to keep fighting I whistled sharply. ¡°Anorith, no more, don¡¯t go for a finish. Jigglypuff is done,¡± I said firmly. Anita slumped, aware that my assessment was correct. ¡°R-return Jigglypuff.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I looked up staring at her. ¡°Are you sure you want to ¡®return her¡¯?¡± I asked, my tone like boulders grinding together. If she meant what she said, she¡¯d just tried to slip something past me. Anita blinked at me. ¡°Huh? W-what¡¯s wrong, you look really mad!?¡± Dennis coughed. ¡°Depending on your intentions, your words matter quite a lot when you are returning a pokemon to its pokeball,¡± explained Dennis. I nodded. ¡°If you say ¡®return¡¯, you are leaving it as capable of returning to the match, but if you want to withdraw you are conceding that the pokemon is too injured to continue.¡± Anita frowned. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to return my pokemon then?¡± I stared at her and then at my poised and waiting Anorith that I¡¯d held back. The implication of how much of a dirty move that was. Anita gasped. ¡°Oh! You could have taken Jigglypuff out and I¡¯ll look bad if I just return my pokemon, right?¡± I nodded before sighing, ¡°Some trainers will specifically build teams to lull you into a false sense of complacency and exploit you for backing off,¡± I said. ¡°Oh like that grumpy lady Karen!¡± said Anita, making a very apt link. I smirked and nodded. ¡°Very much so. So, with that in mind, did you want to return, or withdraw your pokemon?¡± ¡°Wiiiithdraw?¡± said Anita as though tasting the words. I nodded. ¡°Good call, Jigglypuff might be seriously hurt and keeping it out is doing more harm than good. After this match, I¡¯d suggest taking it straight to Nurse Joy.¡± ¡°Huh? Is he injured? Shouldn¡¯t I go now?¡± Anita said. I shook my head. ¡°Pokeballs have medical stasis so minor injuries like those sustained in matches typically are fine. Unless given through poison or burns, which impact the pokemon¡¯s energy, you won¡¯t see the pokemon degrade. It¡¯s why having antidotes and burn heals are so important in most trainer¡¯s books,¡± I said. I pointedly didn¡¯t mention what would happen with a critically injured pokemon. Kids didn¡¯t need to know about that. Anita nodded, still staring at Jigglypuff¡¯s pokeball. I waved a hand to the side. ¡°If you would like, I can have Chansey take a look over him now if you¡¯re that worried?¡± Anita licked her lips before shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯ll trust what you said about the pokeballs. If it¡¯s safe, then it¡¯s safe.¡± She pulled out her next pokemon and revealed Zigzagoon, who spun about on the spot before calming and narrowing its eyes on Anorith. ¡°Done some training?¡± I said, prodding Anita for information. Anita shot me a determined look. ¡°Extremespeed!¡± she called, and Zigzagoon shot forward like it had been fired from a cannon instead of just running. It blitzed past Anorith only to twist in the air, slam into a boulder feet first and then launch itself back at Anorith¡¯s exposed back to send Anorith sailing away. ¡°Well, ask dumb questions,¡± I said aloud to myself, watching Anorith land heavily, only to flip onto her front and scamper back to the fight with her own determination on display. ¡°Leap onto the boulder and use Harden,¡± I order, deciding to commit to making this a slugfest for Anita. The girl growled as I took away Anorith¡¯s exposed flank and forced her to come at Anorith head-on. She met my gaze and growled. ¡°Zigzagoon, again!¡± she shouted. Zigzagoon did just that, charging in and pinballing around, but this time Anorith¡¯s eyes darted back and forth, tracking the speeding ball of fur and when Anorith stiffened I gave her next order, knowing Zigzagoon had committed. ¡°Smack Down!¡± I shouted, and Anorith reared up, only for Zigzagoon to slam into her and hammer her into the boulder. This time she didn¡¯t go sailing away, though I noted Zigzagoon hadn¡¯t gotten away undamaged from hitting my buffed-up pokemon. ¡°Water Gun!¡± I called, making Anorith nail the little fuzzball while it was still regathering itself. ¡°Leap away!¡± cried Anita and her pokemon just barely dodged. ¡°Extreme Speed again!¡± she called, ¡°It¡¯s on its last legs! I¡¯m sure!¡± I hummed, watching as Anorith continued to track the movements of the pokemon. She had good eyes for that. If Anorith could get it, I would have thought she possessed a Sharp Eye ability, but from how she¡¯d bounced back from that earlier hit to the back she must have Battle Armour. Which meant she had better endurance than Zigzagoon. ¡°Harden again,¡± I said, making a sheen of energy build up around Anorith as she buckled down. Zigzagoon came in hard and once again the little puffball impacted hard, only this time it looked like Zigzagoon came off worse, reeling back from the hit while Anorith merely held her ground. ¡°Water Gun,¡± I ordered and Anorith blew Zigzagoon away, causing the little pokemon to roll end over end before flopping down in exhaustion. I shot Anita a small smile. ¡°Charging in if your opponent has good defence isn¡¯t the answer. You shouldn¡¯t keep hammering, trying to weaken Anorith might have taken longer, but it would have given you better options,¡± I said as she recalled her pokemon. Anita nodded, eyeing my pokemon. Anorith was on her last legs, but she also had enough left in the tank to keep fighting. ¡°Let¡¯s go Budew!¡± called Anita, sending out her starter once more. ¡°Charge it with Metal Claw,¡± I said, not willing to let Budew back into the fight. Anita held her nerve as my pokemon closed however, and chopped her hand forward. ¡°Absorb!¡± she said, and Budew drained the last strength from Anorith, allowing the little pokemon to claw its way back with some energy as Anorith collapsed. I returned my pokemon and nodded before tossing out my last pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go Onix!¡± I shouted. Anita perked up. ¡°Let¡¯s go drain it down with Absorb! Steady as we go!¡± she called. ¡°Tackle, ¡°I said, making Onix leap forward instead of sitting idle with Bide. Anita gasped in surprise, having not expected that. I shot her a smirk. ¡°You got drawn into a fake pattern of moves. I¡¯m not always going to let things repeat the same way,¡± I said as Onix slammed into Budew and sent it rolling back end over end where it collapsed onto its face. ¡°No! Budew!¡± cried Anita. The shout must have triggered something as Budew struggled to rise, a glint of steel in the grass-poison type¡¯s¡¯ eyes as it glared at Onix in defiance. Onix rumbled back, shaking its head and watching. Then Budew began to shine with the light of evolution. I felt a grin take over as Budew, a small and stumpy pokemon, grew into a Roselia that stood with grace and poise where it had before struggled. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s do it Roselia!¡± cried Anita happily. Roselia crossed its arms over its body as pink petals grew around it, signalling the start of Magical Leaf. ¡°Bide,¡± I said sternly. Anita shot her hand forward, matching her movements with Roselia, the two in sync with each other as Roselia unleashed its attack, slashing and hacking at Onix. ¡°Now finish with Absorb!¡± cried Anita. The green orbs that came from Roselia were much larger than before and I chuckled. That wasn¡¯t Absorb, but rather Mega Drain, a much better move for a grass type. Onix collapsed with a wail and I chuckled as I raised my pokeball and returned him before he could hit the ground. ¡°Nicely done Onix, you fought well and put her to the test wonderfully,¡± I said to the pokeball. I then lifted my gaze and locked eyes with Anita. When I nodded, her smile turned into a huge grin and she raised her hands and shouted in happiness like she¡¯d just won a trophy rather than my badge. It must have felt good, though, and she would have a visible marker for her growth from just a few days of work, so I had to agree, this was a good moment for her. I signalled to Rachel and she got up and made the crowd join, resulting in cheers and applause raining down upon Anita and her new Roselia. Now all I had to do was gift her the badge and bid her goodbye. I smiled. It was so often repeated, but small moments like these were what made me love being a Gym Leader. I drew myself up and with relish presented the badge to Anita. ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve grown, and you are very deserving of this. Keep working and I know that you will be a great trainer.¡± Anita nodded before gaining a hesitant look. ¡°What about Slaking?¡± ¡°Keep working with him. If you want him to recognise you as his trainer, you need to be there. And that means you need to put in the time. Don¡¯t give him orders, just spend time with him. Get to know him. Other things can come later,¡± I said easily. Anita nodded and then seemed to war with herself for a moment, before lunging forward and hugging me. ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± she said before stepping back. I gave her a kind smile and nodded. Then she turned, collected her friend and marched out the doors, returning to her Journey. I shook my head and sighed. For all that there were great interactions and moments of growth, there were also moments where making people grow up wasn¡¯t as fun. I set my expression as firmly as I could before looking for my next challenger. This one sadly promised a lot of drama. I nodded to Rachel and she made a gleeful face. ¡°Would Challenger Chaz please present himself!¡± she said. I moved back to the podium, collecting a handful of pokeballs from one of my Gym trainers as Chaz sauntered in. He looked like he¡¯d just smelt a Growlithe¡¯s leavings after a curry night, but when his eyes locked with mine, they flashed with malice. I palmed my first pokeball, already knowing what to expect even as I hoped I would be proven wrong. Dennis stood, eying Chaz seriously as he stated the prematch spiel. Chaz waved him off. ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯ve heard all of this before, no need to repeat this tripe,¡± he said dismissively. I sighed. ¡°It is required by law,¡± I said. ¡°Do you, as a trainer, knowingly waive the need to hear your rights along with the expectations for this match?¡± I asked. Chaz nodded haughtily, not realising that he¡¯d just raised a red flag on his trainer card. Potential employees would see that he hadn¡¯t listened to his rights and seriously reconsider him if they were weighing him up for any legal job. I knew from talking with Lawrence that law schools outright rejected some applicants if they waived their rights too often. You could have grudges and rivalries, that was even expected, but waiving your rights in a gym match? That wasn¡¯t seen in a favourable light. If a child could listen or pretend to listen to the two-minute spiel, why couldn¡¯t you? I enlarged my pokeball as Dennis raised his flags. ¡°Release and begin!¡± he shouted, dropping the flags a moment later. ¡°Go! Izumi!¡± I called, knowing I¡¯d need her in this, as it was only a three-tier badge match. ¡°Macherie! It¡¯s time to right the wrongs done to us!¡± snarled Chaz as he sent out his Machoke. His pokemon appeared with an ugly leer. ¡°Bulk up!¡± he said, and Macherie flexed at me. ¡°Rock Polish,¡± I said without missing a beat. Izumi shone a little and I repeated the action when Chaz opted to boost his pokemon again, making it a veritable threat to a lot of pokemon, given how when Macherie tested her strength she exploded a boulder with a simple punch. Izumi didn¡¯t flinch at the display of violence. If anything she narrowed her eyes and leaned forward intently, knowing that it was up to her to defend the others in the team from facing Chaz¡¯s crusade. ¡°Macherie! Low Sweep!¡± Chaz called and Macherie kicked off the ground, causing an explosion of rock behind her as she sought to close. Izumi evaded with a simple tuck and roll, not needing an order from me as I lazily pointed. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I commanded and Izumi spun, grabbing up a pillar of stone and slamming it into Machoke¡¯s side as she overextended with her kick, launching the pokemon that had all the advantages away from her. Macherie landed on deft feet, clutching her side and growling at Izumi. It wasn¡¯t a very effective move being rock against fighting but it was still a strong hit thanks to Izumi¡¯s knack for getting those weak points. ¡°Stomp your feet!¡± commanded Chaz. ¡°Earthquake!¡± I responded. Both pokemon caused the ground around them to buckle and sway, but Izumi had the advantage, causing the ground to buckle more under Macherie, evoking a cry of pain from the other pokemon. ¡°Stealth Rock,¡± I said, deciding to make the most of the momentary entrapment. ¡°Blow it away!¡± snarled Chaz and Macherie punched the ground near her foot and freed herself easily. Chaz scowled. ¡°Use Vital Throw!¡± Macherie narrowed her eyes and lifted her arms, zeroing them in on Izumi. ¡°Dig,¡± I responded, knowing how accurate Vital Throw was. I couldn¡¯t wait. Izumi ducked into the earth and I knew I¡¯d made the right call when a moment later Macherie slammed into the space Izumi had vacated. Macherie¡¯s arms swept wide in a grappling move, only to trip on the hole Izumi left behind as she burrowed away. Izumi then popped up and nailed Macherie in the chin, throwing Macherie onto her back. Despite this hammering Macherie stood back up with a furious scowl. I returned the scowl. If Macherie was this strong, she really should have faced off against at least my fourth-tier team. On paper, at least. She lacked a lot of the tactics needed, but that was more on Chaz than her. ¡°You are failing your pokemon,¡± I said as Macherie tried and failed to take another swing at Izumi, who merely rocked back before countering with a Rock Blast to the side of the head, staggering Macherie. ¡°Failing?! I am not failing my pokemon! I am avenging us! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was to be sent away from your¡­contest,¡± he said, spitting the last word. I had a feeling Chaz was the sort that held a similar view to the Hoenn Pokemon Fanclub President. ¡°I know that you brought much of that upon yourself. You¡¯re proud of your pokemon and yourself, perhaps rightly so. Macherie is a strong pokemon, but that doesn¡¯t entitle you to look down on others,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t lecture me like some second-rater!¡± snarled Chaz as he barked command after command, only for me to have Izumi duck, dodge, Dig and divert. Then, when Macherie was overextended? Izumi devastated Macherie with heavy hits. Her small arms lancing out to punish the overextension. Macherie weathered them well, making me all the more curious about Chaz and his pokemon. He was obviously from Hoenn and had a strong pokemon in his Macherie, but as a trainer, he was being ruled by his desire to destroy me and my pokemon. It took longer than I¡¯d expected, but eventually, Izumi landed a heavy punch into Macherie¡¯s chin and Macherie fell without getting up. Chaz stared, his eyes unseeing. ¡°Macherie?¡± he said in disbelief. I glanced at Dennis and nodded. He raised a flag. ¡°Macherie is unable to battle! Withdraw your pokemon if you wish to continue,¡± said Dennis formally. Chaz blinked before scowling and doing just that. ¡°I¡¯m not done,¡± he said, releasing a Ludicolo. ¡°Ludicolo! Blast them with¡ª¡± The Stealth Rocks that I¡¯d built up throughout the fight against Macherie activated and slammed into Ludicolo, causing a falter in the otherwise textbook-perfect pokemon to secure a badge against me. I punched my fist forward and fed Izumi my intention through the bond I¡¯d started to grow with her deliberately for moments like this. Izumi stiffened for half a moment, having not experienced this before, before grinning as she unleashed a powerful Stone Edge that slammed into the off-balance Ludicolo. Ludicolo sailed back, landing heavily before going still. Chaz stared, stunned. Having his pokemon be one-two knocked out must have come as a shock. I watched him carefully, wondering if I was going to be able to get through to him. ¡°Ha! What an idiot!¡± called someone in the crowd and I grimaced. I signalled to Rachel to cut off the laughter and she nodded and quickly caught the crowd¡¯s attention to stop them from laughing. Rachel bounded out the front with a discreet sign asking for people to please not laugh or mock the challenger. This was a new trick we¡¯d talked about and were now putting into action after Anita¡¯s shaming earlier in the week. Honestly? It should have been something I put in place when Greta faced me. It didn¡¯t matter to Chaz. His gaze turned back to me with a baleful expression. He¡¯d heard the comment and had something new to focus on. To stoke the flames of his hate. Damn it. I met his gaze remorsefully, knowing I¡¯d have to crush him now. He returned his pokemon, his eyes surveying the field properly for the first time with narrowed intent. ¡°Let¡¯s go Loudred! Shout the house down!¡± he bellowed and his pokemon emerged and started shouting straight away. It didn¡¯t stop the Stealth Rocks slamming into him but it did hurt to listen to. When Izumi fired her attack to take him out, Loudred skipped to the side, causing her to miss. I narrowed my eyes as Chaz shouted for Loudred to keep up the noise. I growled, annoyed that the match had turned out this way. ¡°Izumi close in and take him out,¡± I said, and Izumi dove into the earth, escaping some of the noise before popping up to the side with her fist cocked back. Loudred spun and skipped, trying to evade, only for Izumi to lash out and fire a shot aimed for the leg he was going to land on first. He toppled face-first into the ground and as he struggled to rise she nailed him again in the face. When Loudred left, Izumi shook her head and punched the air fiercely while I cleaned out my ears, huh, she hadn¡¯t liked that either. ¡°Go Medicham,¡± called Chaz, and this time Medicham was able to dodge all of the Stealth Rocks. It didn¡¯t stop Izumi from nailing Medicham in the knee before firing off another heavy hit straight into its head. When Medicham didn¡¯t get up I frowned. ¡°Do you focus all of your attention onto Macherie? She¡¯s much stronger than the other pokemon,¡± I said, only to earn myself a glare from Chaz. He wiped at some sweat on his forehead and bared his teeth. ¡°My methods are not for you to criticise!¡± he growled, sending out a large Pelipper. I grimaced, noting that Chaz wasn¡¯t in a good mental space. It was child¡¯s play for Izumi to knock out Pelipper and Chaz stumbled as Pelipper fell. He clutched the podium¡¯s railing and took deep breaths, making me frown in concern. He was showing all the signs of whiting out with one pokemon left to call. Did he invest that much of his energy into Macherie? Did it reflect on his team unconsciously as well resulting in a huge amount of energy that caused a blowback on him? ¡°Chaz you¡¯re in danger of whiting out, I think we should end the match here!¡± I said with concern. Chaz raised his eyes, now red at the edges. Despite the fatigue, he had the strength to glare at me. ¡°You¡¯d like tha, woolen you?¡± He slurred. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you laugh at me though!¡± he glowered. ¡°Go Torko!¡± he said, his hand whipping around and the pokeball barely landing in the field of play. His Torkoal emerged with a proud roar only to wail as Stealth Rock slammed into it. I sighed and waved a hand. I¡¯d wanted to defend my pokemon from his wrath, but in doing so I think I had alienated him even worse. I grimaced and signalled for Izumi to end it. She fired off a single Rock Blast and knocked Torkoal out. As Torkoal hit the ground, so did Chaz. I pushed the medical alarm and ran a hand across my face. Damn, that¡­ hadn¡¯t been how I wanted to handle things. Still, I wasn''t going to let him walk over me or hurt my pokemon to prove something to himself and others. I watched Chaz get checked over before he and his pokemon were secured and taken to the pokecenter where he¡¯d sleep it off while his pokemon recovered. I left the podium and rubbed my jaw. ¡°I think¡­ I might have just deepened that young man¡¯s hate for me,¡± I said. Dennis and Rocko who¡¯d joined me nodded sadly. ¡°Guy was coming in here looking to hurt you though, so you did the right thing,¡± Rocko said. Dennis nodded loyally and I sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ just doesn¡¯t feel good,¡± I said with a shake of my head. Rocko clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°He¡¯ll keep, maybe try approaching him outside of the gym setting? It might help?¡± I nodded. It made sense as this was now the location of two rather humiliating results for Chaz. That could mean a lot of different things. He''d either avoid our gym like it was Muk-ridden, or he''d come at us over and over. I felt like I knew which he''d choose, given his first showing was much more public. He was a proud young man, and had something to prove. Sadly, he had some strong pokemon to back him up. ¡°You¡¯re right, good idea,¡± I said. Dennis exhaled in relief before copying Rocko. ¡°You¡¯ll need to reset your head before tonight¡¯s match Brock. You win this, and you¡¯re locked in for the mid-circuit tournament between the top Ace trainers,¡± he said. I nodded and waved for Rocko and Dennis to follow me. Tonight I¡¯d be facing Arthur, who was currently ranked seventh in the Indigo League. Beat him and I was guaranteed a position in the end of year tournament. I rolled my head before clapping my hands and exhaling, trying to expel the lingering feelings of how that last match had turned out. I¡¯d need to be at my best, and before I even left, I needed to sit down and do some prep. ¡°Got the kids assembled?¡± I asked Rocko. Dennis snorted and I shot him a look. He merely smirked and I turned to Rocko for an explanation. ¡°Dennis is amused ¡®cause A.J. just lost really bad against the girls, Yolanda, Crystal and Greta, ¡®cause they ganged up on him late into his twenty-streak win goal and blew his hopes away. He¡¯s carrying on a bit and pouting.¡± Rocko shook his head and raised his hands in a ¡®what can you do¡¯ pose. ¡°Dennis even warned him they were after him, but A.J. didn¡¯t listen.¡± I chuckled, amused that the girls had taken my suggestion to heart. ¡°Well, that should be fun to deal with,¡± I said sarcastically. It should work as a perfect teaching point for A.J. I''d need to counterbalance that with some time with Greta. At least if there was any real bad blood between them, I could have them face each other in a true friendly. It wouldn¡¯t be that easy for me with Chaz. Chaz... was something I was going to have to endure. I made a note to warn the other trainers in case he tried for the gauntlet, in effect broadening his target from just me to ''my gym''. I shook my head and turned to the upcoming Ace tournament. First some prep work, and then the match. Chapter 204 - To Battle ¡°Alright team, let¡¯s focus¡± I said, drawing people¡¯s attention to me with a clap of my hands. A.J. had been glaring at Yolanda, Greta, and Crystal. The girls of late had been thick as thieves with their training and jobs. I wasn¡¯t surprised they¡¯d ganged up on A.J. to break his streak, but it seemed A.J. was still coming to terms with this being possible. Rachel was here with Alexa and the other gym employees. Dennis and Rocko were also present with a number of the other casually employed gym trainers. Jackson was very much the odd man out with how he¡¯d taken his time off so as to head back to the Orange Islands. I¡¯d granted him another day¡¯s leave if he ferried back my Crystal Onix. With a week and change off in the Orange Islands, I had little doubt that he was living it up right now. ¡°So, Arthur?¡± I said to start things off. ¡°He¡¯s the current seventh-ranked trainer in the Ace circuit and he made it to the semifinals against the eventual winner in Bruce,¡± I said. I brought up his image and also that of the current rankings list on the display.
  1. Bruce
  2. Carr
  3. Kaede
  4. Joshua
  5. Corey
  6. Mirea
  7. Arthur
  8. Karen
  9. Brock
  10. Neesha
  11. Fergus
  12. Masked Owl/Walker
  13. Scarlet
I flicked my eyes over the list, finding several names that I recognised, along with some that were considered regulars for the top ten. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m now ranked ninth in the rankings thanks to the result of the Celadon tournament. Interestingly, it seems Scarlet made a good jump up the rankings as well thanks to her placing second, while Walker has slipped out of the top ten,¡± I commented. ¡°Good, he was overhyped,¡± said A.J. firmly Missy shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s still a skilled trainer and he has held out a long time in the top ten, but fourth has been the highest he¡¯s ever reached, without ever getting a win against anyone in the top three.¡± ¡°Hnnn,¡± said A.J. as he crossed his arms. I waved a hand and decided to move the conversation along. ¡°I¡¯d have to say that Walker was well-ranked previously as he has a lot of skills, but we¡¯re talking about Arthur today!¡± I clicked a slide. ¡°For pokemon that he has used at the Ace level, the following have appeared: Hypno, Ninetails, Aggron, Slaking, Absol, Gyarados, Electrode, Ursaring, Snorlax, Weaville, Mismagius, Slowbro, Marowak, Steelix, Chansey, Tropius, Mightyena, Fearow, Pidgeot, Swellow, Dodrio, Arcanine, with a Machamp who happens to be his starter,¡± I said rattling off the team list. Everyone stared at the list. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Yolanda started only to stop and lick her lips. ¡°A really strong pokemon list,¡± she said. I nodded and glanced around to find that several people looked worried. I had to give it to them. Arthur was a very strong pokemon trainer. Historically, it seemed he¡¯d been hovering in the top twenty for the last two years, but this year he had exploded, with a lot more pokemon joining his Ace team. He had dropped any need for a ¡®regular¡¯ roster of pokemon, instead opting for a lot more variability. This usually led to him having the upper hand against many trainers. He was however slightly older than most on the Ace circuit, barring Walker. Crystal opened her mouth before shutting it, while Greta began toying with something on the display. ¡°What would be an ideal team for him to bring against Brock?¡± she suggested. I nodded in approval, liking this rational line of thinking. People started throwing out suggestions and we debated them or included them. We quickly had a roster featuring Machamp, Slaking, Slowbro, Tropius, Mismagius, and Gyarados. I stared at the list and shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think he will be bringing out Gyarados against me. He knows that I have too good a counter against it. Also, the flying type adds a weakness that¡¯s too easily exploited.¡± Missy raised a hand. ¡°You¡¯ve also demonstrated a lot of skill against water-type pokemon with any of your rock or water-type pokemon.¡± ¡°Point,¡± I said. Not that it should come as a surprise, I had made a point of covering that weakness in my pokemon as much as I could. ¡°I think Chansey is a likely enough pokemon as well myself, they are mean battlers when they get the chance and can be terrifyingly hard to counter if they get set up. They have several moves that keep themselves topped up while dishing out a lot of damage,¡± I said. I searched the rest of the list. Tropius was another that I scratched off, as I¡¯d again demonstrated that I could deal with such a pokemon from a specialised trainer. It would be rather bold of him to use that pokemon against me, despite the grass-type moves. ¡°We¡¯ve got some time to go through everyone¡¯s notes on the recent matches,¡± I said as I loaded up my notes from what observations I had from watching his matches over the last week during my downtime. Instead of my notes loading however, a picture of Suzie, Munchlax and I playing a game of Dragonslayer was put on display. Yolanda giggled and I frowned. ¡°Sorry. that wasn¡¯t the file I wanted,¡± I said as I selected another, only to show me baking cookies with Cindy while Munchlax, Gible, Nanny Grav and Sanchez tried to sneak cookies from a tray that was cooling. Again the girls started giggling. with a few more of the gym trainers joining in. I rolled my eyes and selected the last file, fully expecting it and therefore unsurprised when I found an image with me reading to Gible, Teddiursa, Anorith, and Zubat while Empress, Cindy, and Tommy watched on. Next to me, a large stack of books was on display. ¡°Awwww, you read to them?¡± said Missy. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you did that!¡± I coughed. ¡°That¡¯s something I do occasionally for the young pokemon. They rather like the stories and it¡¯s a good bonding activity,¡± I said. I let people gush over the images before turning my focus on Yolanda. ¡°Alright, where¡¯s the actual file?¡± I said. She stood and clicked through some folders to bring up where she¡¯d hidden my actual notes. I huffed at her and ruffled her hair. ¡°You¡¯re starting to get a bit uppity, young miss,¡± I said faux-sternly. She grinned and skipped back to her friends while I rolled my eyes. ¡°Alright, so I know about some of the tricks his Machamp knows, but there is also his Ursaring and Snorlax, so I think those two along with his starter are more than likely to make an appearance,¡± I said, detailing my thoughts before asking for others¡¯ contributions. We debated back and forth for a while, before I sat down and compared my list of pokemon. It seemed almost inadequate after the number and different types of pokemon he had. ¡°I think I¡¯m going with Titan, Shrek, Sanchez, Link, Selene and¡­.¡± I trailed off on the last pokemon, unsure if I should go for Bertha or someone else. ¡°You¡¯re not going to take Jormungandr?¡± asked Dennis in surprise. I hummed, tossing the idea back and forth. Would Jorm offer me more than Bertha? Or should I go for a fighting-type pokemon here? Sanchez was the only other that I could potentially drop, but he offered more defensive options for different situations. Shrek was also something of a clutch fighter for me with how he could hold his own. Titan was my strongest pokemon. He was able to dish out and endure more than any other pokemon while offering up a lot of different options for tactics. Link¡­ Perhaps Link needed to be dropped from the line up? I switched around his name and instead inserted Bertha for some power with her versatile fighting style. Then I went with Hypnotoad. Arthur had a lot of pokemon that were normal type and would be problems to deal with if I didn¡¯t have the right pokemon to counter them. Not unless I just wanted to power through. Which¡­ was still an option with Bertha and Titan on the team. I nodded my head at the new lineup. Titan, Shrek, Bertha, Hypnotoad, Selene, and Sanchez. ¡°Hey Brock, what¡¯s this about him being a ¡®corporate trainer?¡¯¡± asked Crystal, standing and tapping on one section of Arthur¡¯s trainer profile. Missy spoke up. ¡°Ah, that means he has a locked-in contract to be sponsored and awarded pay from a set company. He is sponsored by Tough Steelworks, which is why most of his matches occur at Commerce City, as that¡¯s their homebase.¡± ¡°A construction company?¡± asked Crystal with surprise. ¡°They have a lot more money to throw around at the higher levels of companies. They¡¯re the ones that make stadiums, skyscrapers and other megabuildings. They¡¯ve been very vocal about the Silph Co. Tower incident, as it was revealed to be one of their competitors who signed off on the additional top three floors that weren¡¯t up to code.¡± Yolanda glanced at me. ¡°Did they do our gym?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°I went with a local firm. Steelix Industries to construct the building, after having another group design it to my specifications,¡± I said. A.J. frowned. ¡°So¡­ that means he¡¯s like Steven Stone right? With having a big company backing him up? That¡¯s why he can roster so many pokemon, isn''t it? He is paying other people to look after his pokemon rather than train them himself.¡± I waved my hand back and forth in a so-so gesture. ¡°I don¡¯t think he does it to the same extent that Steven Stone does, but then again, if we start doing deeper dives into other trainers you will probably find a good number in the top fifty that employ Steven¡¯s methods. Having a larger pokemon roster at a high level helps, but keeping so many pokemon strong is a tough task. I¡¯m able to make use of my gym facilities, whereas others would need to fork out a lot for rental of spaces like these.¡± ¡°Hmpf, I still don¡¯t like it,¡± grouched A.J. I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s something that you can hate, but make sure you don¡¯t dismiss it, it has been shown to be a method that works.¡± Missy shifted. ¡°Should more people try it?¡± she said tentatively. I hummed. ¡°I think that Arthur, or indeed even Steven would only be able to Mega-evolve a small number of those pokemon. So there are drawbacks to it,¡± I pointed out. Damn, I couldn¡¯t wait for tomorrow afternoon. If I got lucky I might have Aerodactylite, which¡­ Well, I had no doubt that of all my pokemon, Don would be one of the toughest to bond with. His temperament was typically just so much more abrasive and aggressive than my personality. I¡¯d probably spend at least as long with him as I did with Jorm should I find something. Still, it would be nice to have the option to Mega-evolve him. I talked through a few more tactics I¡¯d look to employ before bidding most of the staff farewell. Some would stick around to feed the pokemon and set up the big screen for the rest of my pokemon to watch the match, but then they¡¯d have the night off. I turned to my usual entourage with Rachel, Missy, and Alexa only for A.J., Yolanda, Greta, and Crystal to all stand up. Crystal fidgetted. ¡°Any chance we can hitch a ride on your transport?¡± she asked hopefully. I typed out a quick message to Sabrina and shot the girls a smile. ¡°I think Sabrina can handle a few late additions,¡± I said. Sure enough, it was no issue for Sabrina to Teleport them and while she couldn¡¯t stick around, she gave me a kiss for luck before departing. I turned and found myself in front of a stadium that was equal to that of my own or Surge¡¯s¡­ that is, Visquez¡¯s Gym. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. It was obviously more commercialised, with more room being made for seating as opposed to training pokemon or having administration or residential facilities. With this being Commerce City, that made a lot of sense. ¡°Stay close team,¡± I called, while waving them towards a side entrance where a security detail checked us over before letting us in. I walked along the tunnel with a number of doors branching off to the side, before finding a room that was basically a large lounge, set up for myself and Arthur. As well as a number of other rather familiar faces that turned with my appearance. Names and faces of trainers that I¡¯d made explicit note of all looked me up and down. On one side of the large lounge, Corey, Neesha, Fergus, and Mirea had claimed a number of couches, with a few of their pokemon and some of their human entourages lingering around them. On the other side of the room leaning against a wall and smirking was a young-looking boy with greyish hair. I knew him as Carr, the current second-ranked Ace trainer. My eyes paused as they locked with that of Arthur, a blond classically handsome young man who lounged upon his chair like a throne. Next to him was Bruce, the current number one on the Ace rankings. Both of them nodded their heads, with Arthur even going as far as to tip the drink in his hand towards me in acknowledgement. I nodded back before giving some thought to where my¡­ much larger entourage would sit. ¡°You know,¡± said a voice from off to the side. ¡°It is considered poor form to bring so many assistants with you.¡± I frowned, recognising the voice. I turned, only to find a woman with a veil hanging over her face looking in my direction, or rather, that of my entourage. The veil and the Furret resting atop the woman¡¯s shoulder announced who this was. ¡°Kaede,¡± I said, nodding in her direction. ¡°You were sorely missed at the Contest. How¡¯d the movie shoot go?¡± I asked politely. Kaede sighed. ¡°The director was exacting, but my Champion was rather pleased as they are peas in a pod. They¡¯re both perfectionists, you see?¡± she said lazily. The Furret on her shoulder nodded at this. ¡°I imagine that Furret would have to be, with you having reached third on the rankings,¡± I said with a nod of respect. When I got the chance to fight her, I knew I¡¯d have to have a lot of different options with her extremely diverse and tricky team. ¡°Hmmm, it will do for now,¡± she said, her gaze turning towards Arthur and Bruce. ¡°Look at them, lounging there like little kings. It¡¯s rather disgusting, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± I turned my head to give the pair another look. To me, they just looked like two people who were friendly with each other and who shared professions, which made them close. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I see what you mean,¡± I said, before glancing between her and them. ¡°Is it rude to ask if there is a history there?¡± ¡°It is, but you are not wrong that there is history between us,¡± she said. ¡°And that is all I will say on the matter. My feelings would not dissuade you. I shall depart for now, good luck with your match,¡± she said as she moved off. I nodded, eying her with some thought. Alright, there was definitely some bad blood there between her and Bruce Blackthorn. I¡¯d need to look into her details through the Guardians'' file to see what they knew about her if I wanted more intel. I chewed my lip, it might even be worth doing it for the competitors. I¡¯d done it by accident for Walker and that had certainly helped as I knew precisely what to expect from him, but some of these others? Well, their information was a bit more controlled on the pokenet. Was it too much of an advantage to look into their histories and the unrestricted list of their pokemon before facing them? Was such a thing possible? I¡¯d need to think about it some more. Arthur and Bruce, who¡¯d been watching me talk with Kaede, waved a hand towards me, beckoning me closer. I raised an eyebrow and waved for my entourage to claim some of the few remaining seats. ¡°Hello there, this is rather different,¡± I said, indicating the shared space for trainers. ¡°Ah, some places prefer it to having singular trainer rooms. It helps to keep everyone honest, especially when you have so many matches a day,¡± said Bruce with an amused tilt of his head. His blue hair drifted across his eyes before he glanced back at me. ¡°I suppose no one mentioned limiting your group to three people? It looks like you¡¯re running a school with the kids you¡¯ve brought along,¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°They¡¯re part of my gym and looking to learn how this all works. They might be sitting here one day soon, after all.¡± ¡°Hmmm, is that so? Be a while for some of them,¡± he said dismissively. I raised an eyebrow. ¡°They might surprise you,¡± I said thinking of how hard they were all training and growing. Missy at least would be on the Ace scene by next year. Getting familiar with this sort of thing was very good practice for her. I glanced over to Arthur only to catch his eyes flicking about my pokebelt. ¡°Can I help you?¡± I said tersely. And just like that, the call to talk suddenly took on a sinister turn. Arthur glanced up shamelessly. ¡°You don¡¯t hide your pokebelt? You should fix that,¡± he said with a smile, as though he hadn¡¯t just done something morally wrong. I flicked my own eyes down, only to find his pokebelt had dark receptacles around his pokeballs, hiding the type and any identifying markers on them from view. ¡°Hmmm, thanks for the tip,¡± I said sarcastically as I stood. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I think I will be off,¡± I said, marching off. ¡°Brock, don¡¯t hate the player! It¡¯s just part of the game!¡± Arthur called after me. I didn''t look back at him. I was fuming. Of all the low-down tricks¡­ I gave the room a quick sweep and frowned at what I found. Everyone in the room who was a trainer was wearing the hidden pokebelt. It seemed everyone was aware of this little ¡®trick¡¯. I chewed my lip. ¡°They have privacy protectors over their pokebelts,¡± I said with a scowl. The kids all stiffened, their gazes flickering around. Missy blinked in surprise but nodded slowly. ¡°That makes sense, it is something they could use to get an early potential read on an opponent and what pokemon he might be bringing to the field.¡± I nodded along, watching as Arthur glanced at his transceiver. From this angle, I could see a list detailing pokeballs and pokemon that they corresponded to. Damn, another aspect of being an Ace trainer I hadn¡¯t considered, but which seemed obvious in retrospect. At this level, people would have more than good enough eyes to spot details like this. You either had to have the same pokeball or hide them in some way. I considered my team, running my hand over my pokebelt before pausing as I realised something. I didn¡¯t have a normal six pokemon carry limit. I had ten due to being a Gym Leader. Most of my pokeballs were just that as well, pokeballs. I had a number of my pokeballs hidden out of sight, as it wouldn¡¯t do to rub people¡¯s faces with the fact that certain people had the right to carry more pokeballs than others. I felt a small realisation come over me. Arthur might have just given himself a disadvantage, instead of getting one over me. I glanced down and noted which pokeballs were visible. Hmmmm, I could work with this. I glanced up and found Bruce talking with Arthur and gesturing in my direction. Hmmm, then again, perhaps I wouldn¡¯t be able to trip him up. ¡®Cause if anyone could recall that Gym Leaders had higher carrying capacity, it would be Bruce, Lance¡¯s cousin. I shot him a baleful look that he ignored with far too much ease. Must have been his practice with dragon-type pokemon. Arthur nodded and muttered something that sounded like a thanks as he stopped flipping through his transceiver and instead wandered over to a transfer terminal where he started tapping away. Another feature of the room that I¡¯d overlooked upon entry, as I was too caught up in the people within. With the transfer terminal, the possibility of changing out your team went from a minor annoyance to an extremely viable tactic. I glanced around and sighed. This shared waiting area was common enough to have sparked its own meta, it would seem. Other places wouldn¡¯t have allowed such last-minute changes. How many places operated like Commerce City? ¡°I imagine it¡¯s a bit of a shake-up for rookie Ace trainers that make it to this stage or fight here to learn they¡¯re being sniped like that. If they don¡¯t work it out, they might even end up losing a lot more matches than they should,¡± I said to Missy. Missy nodded, drawing out her journal to write down her observations and thoughts about this. I hummed and glanced at the others who were likewise burning this lesson into their minds. If nothing else, today had been worth bringing them along so they would know. I¡¯d need to make a point of teaching this at my camp and to my sponsored trainers in the future though, as there had to be chances for this at the lower level in the circuit as well. I watched Arthur walk back to his lounge with a mild glare. He tried shooting me a smirk as though he knew something I didn¡¯t, but I just mirrored it right back, causing him to look away. So, he was trying for some mind games as well, eh? Damn, but it was tempting to go over to the transfer system and bring out Empress, Jorm, Don, and Tide, to spam out my most powerful pokemon at him. ¡°Brock and Arthur?¡± called a pair of attendants. We both stood, with our entourages being led off to their respective seating. I gave Arthur a look over and for the first time since I¡¯d walked in he met my gaze properly. There was no hint of shame or reluctance, merely an unwavering spirit that met my gaze head-on. To him, he¡¯d done everything he could to win, and that was commendable. We walked down the tunnel until we reached the end, where a branch led us away from each other, forcing us to look away from the other. I walked in silence, toying with the pokemon I had planned to use along with the moves they had. The attendant led me to a door where they turned and raised a small computer. ¡°Alright sir, if I could get your team locked in please?¡± I rattled off my team, locking them in. The attendant nodded before frowning. ¡°You¡¯re not bringing¡­ I mean.¡± He coughed. ¡°I apologise, I overstepped my place,¡± he said, formally bowing his head. ¡°Not allowed to talk about the decisions?¡± I asked. The man nodded. ¡°Yes, I was hoping to watch a close encounter of your Steelix¡¯s Mega-evolution tonight.¡± He shifted nervously. ¡°I think I can settle for the rest of your team however,¡± he said firmly. I chuckled at his admission. Overhead a small buzzer sounded out and the man coughed again. ¡°That is your signal to walk through. You will be in an elevator shaft that will raise you up a level to the podium, where you will step off before it lowers back down. Good luck sir,¡± he said, giving a more practised bow to me. I nodded my head and walked in. When the door shut behind me, the elevator began to rise and I soon appeared on a standard battlefield with a podium placed before me. ¡°¡ªoooooock of Pewter City!¡± called an announcer. I smiled and waved, my eyes still adjusting to the glare of the sudden bright lights after being in the elevator shaft. I walked forward onto my podium and looked for Arthur. ¡°And now! The hometown defender and the representative of Tough Steelworks, the home for the sturdiest constructs around! Give it up for Arthur of Commerce City!¡± I made a face at the included advertising that had been worked into Arthur¡¯s introduction. Were all of the trainer matches held here like that? Damn, now I had to rethink why trainers hadn¡¯t wanted to come to face me. Commerce City trainers might not have been pressured to ignore me so much as just outright not want to. They¡¯d have missed out on a major chance to shill their sponsors. ¡°Trainers, I remind you that this match is to operate under the standard Indigo rules for Ace Matches! Good conduct and competition are key components¡ª¡± the referee came in with the usual spiel and I felt myself and most of the crowd switch off. I instead monitored Arthur, noting how he had a necklace on display with what must have been the ball for his starter pokemon Machamp, Crowner. In his hand, another pokeball was being toyed with, and when he noticed me looking he smiled in what I¡¯m assuming others would call a charming manner. I saw through my peripherals the referee raise the flags. ¡°Trainers, are you ready?¡± he called. Both of us nodded, drawing back our arms. ¡°Release!¡± I sent forth Sanchez, hoping to play the odds. My research concluded that he liked to start off with a statement pokemon like Snorlax or Slaking, or one of his flying type pokemon when he could. I very much doubted he was going to try that against me. So Sanchez was a good opener for me. ¡°Rule them! Crowner!¡± called Arthur, and at his side of the field his Machamp took to the stage, sinking any chances I had of a good start to this match. Worse yet, Machamp appeared right in the middle of the field. Arthur met my gaze and grinned viciously like he¡¯d just trapped me. Damn, he might have done just that. He¡¯d done his research, knowing that his starter was his best option out of the gates. I felt a wave of premonition wash over me as I understood precisely what was about to happen. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Mach Punch!¡± bellowed Arthur at the exact moment that the referee called for a start. His Machamp surged across the field, leaving me only one chance for saving this. ¡°Protect!¡± I barked, and Sanchez curled up as a shield formed around himself, defending him from a quick one-two knock out, or at least some heavy damage in the opening exchange. ¡°Bulk Up in close!¡± Machamp flexed and shifted into a powerlifter pose while the hands at the top of Machamp clenched into fists just waiting to pulverise my pokemon. ¡°Dip,¡± I said, causing the Protect to vanish and Sanchez to bury himself into the ground. ¡°Earthquake!¡± barked Arthur as he kept up the pressure. His pokemon raised a single foot before firing it into the ground and causing a tremor to rock the field. Sanchez got out in just time and I sighed in relief knowing I¡¯d made the right call to go for a simple Dip rather than a proper Dig. I could try to call Sanchez back, but I knew it wasn¡¯t going to work out well for me as Arthur was already mid-order. ¡°Mach Punch!¡± he yelled. Once again Machamp threw itself into an outright sprint, hurtling at Sanchez. ¡°Catch its fists and unleash Thunder,¡± I said, surprising everyone in the crowd as I refused to run with Sanchez. Machamp slammed into Sanchez, only for my bombastic pokemon to catch the foremost fists in his arms and roll like I¡¯d trained him to do against a fighting type coming at him. Sadly Hypnotoad wasn¡¯t a replacement for a fighting type with four arms and the top two arced down fast, slamming into Sanchez as he rolled onto his back. I knew enough about wrestling to know that getting put on the ground was a bad position. Not a terrible position, but still not great. That is, unless you can unleash lightning from your body. With Machamp locked into close quarters, Sanchez¡¯s Thunder unleashed from close proximity and fried the powerful fighting-type pokemon. ¡°Drain Punch now!¡± bellowed Arthur, not waiting for the Lightning to vanish. ¡°Explosion,¡± I replied, and through the lightning a shadow of a form rose and lashed downward, only for a light to explode outwards with an odd ellipse shape. It wasn¡¯t anywhere near as powerful as it should have been. A niggling doubt entered my mind and I was sadly proven right as the dust cleared to reveal Sanchez knocked out. Standing atop him, a slightly scorched Machamp towered, with two of its four fists extended into Sanchez¡¯s face. Damn, the punches had been strong enough to affect the Explosion. That¡­ was very worrying. Machamp raised its fists into the air and roared in triumph as the referee raised a flag. ¡°Sanchez the Golem is unable to battle, the score is now one-nil in favour of Arthur!¡± Damn, this had not started the way I wanted it to. I swallowed and eyed Machamp. I needed a fast response, thankfully I had just the pokemon for the job. ¡°Go Selene!¡± I called as my Lunatone took to the field. Selene would be the start, and from there? I''d lock in my goal of making the midseason tournament. Arthur was merely the next obstacle for me to get through. I settled in for a hard fight. Chapter 205 - Harsh shake down The crowd were stomping their feet and cheering to make themselves known after the explosion, but I only had eyes and ears for Arthur. He looked far too composed and pleased with himself. He¡¯d anticipated whom I was going to send out and what I¡¯d try to do. I¡¯d certainly taken a toll on his Machamp for taking out Sanchez, but it was a hollow comfort to have in this moment. With Selene on the field, I would have a much better chance to level the playing field. ¡°Crowner return!¡± called Arthur as he returned his pokemon just as Selene started to build up some psychic energy around her to finish her first foe in one hit. I grimaced, that, sadly, had been the best call he could make if he didn¡¯t have access to dark-type moves. ¡°Future Sight,¡± I said with a small smirk. I might not get the chance to throw down a field effect like Stealth Rock, but I could still set a trap. ¡°Go Dagger!¡± called Arthur as he sent out his next pokemon. When the red energy formed up into a Cacturne, I felt a certainty set in for me. Cacturne hadn¡¯t been a pokemon listed prior to today on his Ace team. It was a pokemon he¡¯d prepared just for me. Arthur had planned for Selene, and Sanchez. This entire set up was playing into his favour and with him dictating the pace of the match, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back. A grass-dark type was perfect against her, as she couldn¡¯t learn Miracle Eye, which I needed. I would have to withdraw her. This was a terrible matchup for her and by all rights, I had better options available to me, such as Bertha, or¡­ That, or I would be stuck being restricted to secondary effects or¡­ fairy-type moves. I mentally stuttered to a halt. I had to fight to keep the grin from taking over my features. Selene knew a powerful fairy type move. And if there was one thing I¡¯d encountered repeatedly this year, it was that people did not yet have a grasp on fairy type moves or pokemon. Fairy type were, at this stage, only academically considered to be strong against dragon pokemon. ¡°Selene! MB now!¡± I called, my hand shifting away from my pokebelt as I realised I had the answers to this situation already and I didn¡¯t need to withdraw her. Cacturne however wasn¡¯t idle, and instead of remaining in place like most grass types, Arthur had him sprinting at us with dark energy around Cacturne. ¡°Abort! ¡° I called before Selene could put too much energy into the Moonblast. She flickered for a heartbeat but then glowed and vanished in a wave of psychic energy to reappear on Arthur¡¯s side of the field. Safe as Cacturne stabbed his fists into the space she¡¯d just been. ¡°Don¡¯t let up go again! Keep them on the back foot!¡± called Arthur, urging his pokemon to go for the throat and take out Selene. His eyes flickered up to me and I knew in that moment I had to show a flicker of doubt. I shifted uneasily before hardening my stance, selling the idea that I was incredibly nervous. Cacturne charged towards Selene and I had to give Arthur credit, that was one fast pokemon. Sadly for them, Selene¡¯s Teleport had given us what we¡¯d been lacking moments before. I had room enough to watch them come, so I merely levelled an imperious stare at his pokemon as I called out my order. ¡°MB again,¡± I said. Arthur was aware of the shift in my posture within a heartbeat, but instead of calling Cacturne off, he gained a flicker of suspicion. Heh, he must think I was bluffing him with my confidence. I grinned as Selene channelled up her attack. In front of her tips, a large pink orb grew in power and size before being unleashed straight at the oncoming Cacturne. Cacturne crossed his arms over his body and continued headfirst into the attack, a dark glint in his eyes, and I knew that Cacturne was expecting to punch straight through the Moonblast without any ill effects. Arthur, who¡¯d been watching my reaction, hissed when my expression if anything grew more hungry as he committed to attacking my pokemon. ¡°Dagger! Pro¡ª¡± he began to shout an order that might have saved his pokemon. It was too late, though. They¡¯d thought it was a psychic attack and that I had made a mistake for long enough to make Arthur step into the trap I¡¯d laid. Cacturne screamed in pain as it slammed face-first into a powerful fairy type move. When the light show died away Cacturne was revealed on its knees with its head listlessly staring up into the air. I grinned savagely and shot Arthur a victorious look. I¡¯d just flipped the table on him by laying a trap. This trap stemmed from understanding his plan, or at least a snippet of it. He¡¯d planned for me to send out Selene to smash his Machamp, which he¡¯d counter with Cacturne. On paper a perfect move. I could see his intent. If I had faltered he¡¯d have taken Selene out with a powerful dark type move. Something about Cacturne being a dark type caused my mind to perk up and my eyes to reinspect the kneeling Cacturne. Why wasn¡¯t it falling over? ¡°Selene! MB aga¡ª¡± I started to shout and to Selene¡¯s credit she began channelling up another Moonblast, only for Cacturne to twitch and launch itself at Selene with its arms spread out wide and a silky purple ribbon of energy lashing out between them. Selene shot backwards, floating as fast as she could, and Cacturne landed, trying to take another step to pursue, only for its legs to give out. It raised its arm and pushed the ribbon leading out of it as hard as it could, reaching out to connect itself with Selene with what had to be a Destiny Bond. It was a brilliant move and one I¡¯d seen many times before from fighting with or against Karen in our Guardian training sessions. More than once had I seen her flip a seemingly disastrous situation into a victory with a well-executed Destiny Bond, or a Curse, or Fake Tears. Which meant I knew that Selene wasn¡¯t going to escape. Not conventionally, anyway. ¡°Psybeam that bond!¡± I roared. Selene went from backpedalling to launching a powerful psychic attack that destabilised the ghost energy of the as-yet unconnected Destiny Bond. The Psybeam continued on and pushed Cacturne back, but didn¡¯t otherwise harm it. ¡°Tch!¡± said Arthur as he realised his gambit hadn¡¯t paid off. I didn¡¯t let him lull me into a false sense of security, however. ¡°MB!¡± I ordered, and Selene once again unleashed a powerful attack. This time Cacturne was sent flying and it skipped in a ragdoll fashion over and over itself before falling still on my side of the field. I punched the air as the referee raised a flag. ¡°Dagger is unable to battle! The score is now one-to-one!¡± Instead of licking his wounds and reconsidering his plan, Arthur surprised me by recalling his pokemon instantly, barely waiting for the announcement confirming his pokemon was down and out. Instead, he locked eyes on Selene who was firmly on his side of the field and therefore fair game for a quick release on his side, where he could get a pokemon out on top of her. ¡°Selene! Get out of there!¡± I called. Selene started channelling another Teleport, but Arthur wasn¡¯t going to let us escape that easily. His arm whipped around and I could see him starting to bring his wrist into the throw in a manner that twigged another part of my brain. ¡°Go Shadow! Tear into them girl!¡± he shouted, throwing out his pokeball. Without even seeing the pokeball land I knew where it would go. ¡°Selene stop!¡± I barked fearfully, my mind working in overdrive to understand that once again he¡¯d tried to preempt me. He had seen the chance to choke up my pokemon¡¯s position with a fast release. In normal terms, there would have been no way for my pokemon to get out, but he knew that Selene was specially trained to Teleport, therefore invalidating his attempt. Unless you planned for that, made Selene go for the Teleport, and then had a pokemon ready to pounce on her at the halfway line instead. His pokeball landed and disgorged a Mismagius that glowed with dark energy, in readiness for a move coming out straight away. A Mismagius, who obviously expected a pokemon to be in front of her, twitching only to falter when nothing presented itself before her. She looked slightly to the left, then quickly right, before tilting her head up, confirming for me how Arthur thought. She¡¯d come out ready to throw out what had to be a Sucker Punch into Selene, who would have only just Teleported back to my side. Instead, Selene was behind her and in a perfect position for my next move. Selene, a rock-psychic type against a ghost type pokemon. Yet again, another terrible match-up for me, but one that if I was careful and played it smart, I knew I could win. I¡¯d just have to dance on a knife¡¯s edge to make sure I didn¡¯t slip into failure. ¡°Behind you girl!¡± Arthur warned, making his pokemon spin around to find Selene there waiting for her. ¡°Psychic,¡± I growled out. Selene glowed and a moment later Mismagius glowed as Selene grasped her with psychic might. Mismagius cried out in pain as Selene put the squeeze on the smaller ghost pokemon. ¡°PF!¡± said Arthur and his pokemon vanished in a flash of ghost energy, causing Selene¡¯s energy to collapse in on nothing. The average trainer would have no idea what had just happened and might have called foul, but I knew exactly what this move was. It was Phantom Force. The average trainer would have had no idea what to do in this instance, but once again the training I did with the Guardians came in clutch for me. Phantom Force was a move much like Fly or Dig in the gaming sense, or at least that¡¯s how I thought of it. To hear Agatha speak of it, the pokemon travelled into the spirit realm. Just to get her to talk about that had been tough, though, as she¡¯d been very cagey, leading me to believe that this move, more than any other, was what Agatha knew that allowed her to walk through walls and floors like they weren¡¯t there. Oddly enough this move seemed to negate Protect, making it a very useful move for any pokemon that could learn it. The only way I¡¯d thus far discovered to escape it was to Dig into the ground. Something about reforming enough to get off the follow up attack meant it couldn¡¯t be used. So I¡¯d have to use something else instead. ¡°Future Sight!¡± I barked, I hadn¡¯t seen Selene¡¯s previous Future sSight come into effect in a notable way, but that might have had something to do with Cacturne being dark type. It¡¯d probably evaded the Future Sight or ignored the attack. A second later Mismagius appeared from nowhere, lunging straight through Selene and causing her to shudder in pain as the super effective move landed. ¡°Psychi¡ª¡± ¡°PF again!¡± said Arthur, keeping his orders shortened to give himself as much advantage as possible. ¡°Rest,¡± I said, switching out the move I¡¯d planned, and instead going for a recovery move to keep Selene in the fight. A moment later Mismagius once again launched herself through my pokemon causing Selene to shudder, but then Future Sight activated and slammed Mismagius into the ground. I pulsed some dark energy into the bond with Selene and she shook herself awake to find Mismagius struggling to rise. ¡°MB,¡± I said and once again, another pink orb of energy formed up and was launched into Mismagius, finally knocking her out. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I was ready to shout another order just in case, but the referee gave Mismagius a serious look before raising his flag to indicate that she was out of the fight. ¡°Score Two-one in favour of Brock!¡± shouted the referee and I punched the air. That¡¯s more like it! I felt the chills from dancing on a knife¡¯s edge with this duel between Mismagius and Selene evaporate, leaving only euphoria for pulling it off. A grin stretched across my face as my heart thundered. Before Arthur could try and pull another attempt to choke up on my pokemon I used one of my trade outs, returning Selene. I gave the pokeball containing her a proud grin. ¡°You did incredible out there girl,¡± I said to her. I put her back on my pokebelt and reached for my next pokemon, as across from me, Arthur toyed with his own options. He only had four pokemon left now, one of which had to be Machamp. I had a rough idea on what I¡¯d face, but I also knew, rather first-hand, that he might have pokemon up his sleeve I had not accounted for on his Elite Team. The idea of facing an obviously strong trainer had my heart thundering in my ears and a twitch in my fingers as I decided on my next pokemon. I hadn¡¯t felt like this for weeks, if not months now. Not since my last truly hard battle. For all that I was ahead, I knew without a doubt in the short space of time that I¡¯d fought him, Arthur was a great pokemon trainer. If I slipped up even once, he¡¯d wrench back control of the match. Arthur had come in with a plan that had me scrambling, but I was doing it. I was beating him back and taking control. I didn¡¯t mind the pressure though, if anything, that merely added to the moment and made me feel more alive. I stopped my hand on my next choice with a smirk. Time to stop reacting. Time to assert myself and take control.
¡°Yes!¡± shouted Yolanda as Selene got off a powerful Moonblast to blow away the ghost pokemon. Next to her Crystal, Greta, and all the others in Brock¡¯s entourage, as he liked to call it, were on their feet cheering as the score was announced. ¡°Brock¡¯s on fire!¡± shouted Rachel. A.J. grunted, his face locked in a frown, as he stared at the stage. Next to him, Missy had an equally confused expression. ¡°So, can anyone explain to me what was going on with Brock calling off the Teleport? Like, it seemed to be a good move, but how¡¯d he do that? How¡¯d he read Arthur? I know he watches a lot of matches of the trainer he faces in the lead-up, but that¡­¡± Missy waved a limp hand, as if unsure what to say. ¡°Brock read the throw,¡± said Yolanda. She earned herself a wall of blank expressions. She raised her hand and mimed a throwing action. ¡°Like, he read Arthur¡¯s throwing action and realised what he had planned,¡± she said. ¡°He read the throw? Just like that?¡± Missy said incredulously. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± said A.J. with his frown lessening. Yolanda giggled, realising she¡¯d lost Missy and A.J. He had been thinking the same thing as Missy, having not quite understood what Brock had done. The thing was that A.J. was too proud to ask questions like that. ¡°So seriously, what did he do? Some energy trick with Future Sight? He did use that with Selene earlier¡±, Missy doubled down. ¡°Oh, that makes more sense,¡± said Crystal. Yolanda pinched the bridge of her nose and held in a scream of annoyance. ¡°No! I¡¯m telling you, he read Arthur¡¯s throwing action.¡± Yolanda now found herself facing the same wall of disbelief. Missy licked her lips and shifted about nervously. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure¡ª¡± Yolanda held up a hand. ¡°Missy, you might have forgotten this, but when the Gym Circuit is closed, Brock spends a lot of his time coaching Little League Baseball. He says that it helps kids with their throwing actions all the time, which directly translates to more accurate throws with pokeballs. What he doesn¡¯t mention is that he spends a lot of time in the batting cage coaching people in pitching and throwing. He spends a lot of time on the side watching opposing teams throw at his batters and gives feedback on things to look for.¡± Yolanda made a final decisive chopping action to put the argument to bed. ¡°He knows when and how to judge people¡¯s throwing actions and if they¡¯re changing it at the last moment. Which is what happened with Arthur. He read his body language, or in this case, his wrist language, and realised what was going to happen.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Missy said. ¡°Baseball?¡± she asked a moment later with a whimsical tone. ¡°I might have to look into it,¡± said A.J., earning himself a huff and roll of the eyes from Yolanda. She turned her attention back to the arena. Things had started poorly for Brock, and he¡¯d been on the back foot, but if anything, he¡¯d risen to the occasion, only further energized by it. Yolanda gave the blown-up display of Brock a thoughtful look. He looked vibrant, in a way she hadn¡¯t seen in quite a while. Was this what he looked like when he fought against the best trainers? Alive and free? Would he have reached this level earlier if he hadn¡¯t had to look after her and their siblings? Yolanda found herself curling in on herself a little as dark thoughts started to intrude, only for two small rays of sunshine to pop out of two pokeballs, as though detecting her mood taking a downward spike. ¡°Spot! Terra! You¡¯re not¡ª¡± was as far as Yolanda got before they both leapt into her hands and in doing so knocked her back into her seat. Terra hugged her while Spot licked her face, causing her to splutter and break out of her funk. ¡°Fine! But stay in my lap! No wandering off if you want to watch,¡± she said firmly. Both pokemon turned to see what the spectacle was. They both wiggled happily when Brock threw out his next pokemon right after Arthur sent out an Arcanine. Yolanda¡¯s breath hitched as Hypnotoad appeared on the battlefield. Oh, damn, Brock was really seeking to run away with this fight after his initial stumble, wasn¡¯t he? Yolanda leaned forward, intent on not missing anything as for the first time in the match Brock got the advantage with type match up.
Arthur took one look at the match-up only to catch the returning pokeball and trigger the return feature. ¡°Return Arcanine, that¡¯s not a good match up for you!¡± he called. ¡°Bulk Up,¡± I called, getting off a buff-up for Hypnotoad, who began doing push-ups like this was a regular training session with Trixie and not a ranked Ace match. Arthur with his Arcanine tucked away reached for another pokeball which he hurled out, revealing an Electrode of all things. Damn it. The temptation was there once again, I could have my pokemon fight through. It would be tough, but possible. I¡¯d just need to play it perfectly. Or I could play it smart. ¡°Return Hypnotoad,¡± I said, pulling my pokemon out. Arthur grinned. ¡°Magnet Rise!¡± he ordered, making his pokemon spark up and begin to levitate above the ground, giving me pause. Huh, and he could do that. I shot Arthur an annoyed look. I¡¯d been planning to send out Bertha to demolish him, but now I felt like that was a bit poor. Arthur, more than any other trainer I had faced before, had a skill at preempting my moves. It felt like I was riding along only for him to attempt to shove a stick in my spokes every so often. I could send out Shrek here, but that had the same issue. I needed someone else. My grin turned savage, and instantly Arthur was on guard, only for him to grimace as I tugged the greatball off my necklace and sent it out. ¡°Titan! Go!¡± I shouted. Titan appeared with a huge roar, and the stadium fell silent for a moment before the crowd rose, screaming and hollering as loudly as they could. I locked eyes with Arthur, his arm slightly raised, as he had a moment of indecision. Heh, this time I tripped you up. ¡°Agility!¡± called Arthur, showing that the lapse was only momentary. ¡°Spin it up,¡± I said cryptically. Titan grunted, only to sweep his tail around in a long arc, causing a huge plume of dirt to be blown out, only to then arc around as dust and sand began to rise, filling the arena with a Sandstorm. ¡°Go on the hunt,¡± I said ominously, right before I lost sight of Arthur. His eyes bulged, and I knew I¡¯d just tripped him up again. That phrase was most certainly not one of the typical phrases I used when commanding Titan. Everyone and their nanny knew about ¡®Go Titan¡¯ being a signal for Giga Impact, but I did have a few others tucked up my sleeve. Not that it was a phrase with any hidden meanings. ''Go on the hunt'' was merely letting Titan play to his natural hunting instincts. Tyranitar after all were ambush predators. I felt Titan¡¯s anticipation through the bond he and I had built over the years as he sank into the ground, hiding with Dig and worming his way in a slow arc towards where we¡¯d last seen Electrode floating. ¡°¡ª¡± shouted Arthur, his voice being lost over the howling winds, only for a huge plume of Thunder to blossom out, arcing through the Sandstorm and flash-frying sections of the field. The Thunder arced around, questing for something large, only to not find anything. The lack of trade out for a flying type that would have easily controlled this had me smiling, Arthur didn¡¯t have any pokemon capable of clearing the field. No pokemon with Defog or pokemon that could alter the terrain. Meaning that I now had true and full control of the battlefield with my rock and ground-type pokemon. ¡°¡ª¡± Arthur continued to shout something, and more and more lightning rained down, only to find nothing, as Titan wasn¡¯t there. Perhaps he was trying to glass the field? I thought after a moment when another Thunder rocked the field, that or he was building up a charge and trying to change the terrain through another method. Arthur must have realised this method wasn''t working for him, as a red light flashed out and a quick glance to the side revealed that he¡¯d used another trade-out. I signalled in the bond for Titan to wait. To remain under the ground in readiness. I shifted so I could keep both the field and the screen in sight, so that I¡¯d know what was coming while Titan would know where it was. ¡°¡ª¡± shouted Arthur, his voice still lost in the howling winds of the sandstorm. I frowned as Arcanine¡¯s picture was displayed. That was a poor choice¡­ unless he had some tricks up his sleeve. Whatever it was, Titan and I weren¡¯t going to let him play his game as I silently sent through the bond the urge to attack. Titan registered this and anticipation warped into hunger as he surged out of the ground and sank his fangs into Arcanine before it could get off any moves. With Titan locked on the mighty fire type, it was child¡¯s play to have him whip his head back and forth, slamming Arcanine into the ground and ending the fire type¡¯s attempt at fighting before it could get started. Titan roared, and this time the sound carried over the howl of the winds. I felt an odd flicker that momentarily distracted Titan and I as Arthur returned his third pokemon. It had felt like something shifted with the bond. For a moment, I¡¯d felt the coarse sand sweeping over my scales. Titan sent me a feeling of slight confusion, but I shook it off and replied with focus and determination through the bond. He wanted to linger however on the shift, and I had to impart more of my will, reminding him now was very much not the time to experiment with the bond. We needed our heads on straight. Arthur was too good a trainer for anything otherwise. Titan must have been visible to Arthur as he quickly sent out another pokemon, and I was surprised when the screen depicted Machamp taking to the field. Titan¡¯s attention narrowed with laser-like intensity, and I knew he could see the other pokemon. Titan rumbled a warning at Machamp, but I knew we were on the back foot here. Once again, I decided to play it smart. The Sandstorm would start to weaken, but I knew it worked in my favour to trade, so I did, pulling Titan out instead of risking him and sending out Bertha. Bertha appeared in front of me with a thump that shook the arena. If Arthur wasn¡¯t paying attention to the big screen to work out who I¡¯d sent I had no doubts that he would have had a very large clue just from Bertha¡¯s arrival. ¡°¡ª!¡± shouted Arthur, and once again he traded out pokemon. I frowned as this time his Aggron took to the field. ¡°Bertha, Impact Driver but walk it right into that Aggron,¡± I said. I had an inkling of what Arthur was trying to do here, but I wasn¡¯t going to let it happen. In front of me, Bertha began spinning up her drills as no doubt a huge grin claimed her face. Her body hunkered down as the forces required for this move began to go to work. A moment later Aggron shot out of the earth in front of Bertha and slammed his head right into her gut, trying to take her out with Dig, followed up by an Iron Tail that Bertha endured. With each hit Aggron unleashed her grin only grew. The sandstorm faded away just in time for Bertha to draw back her arm and throw it straight into Aggons chest. A shriek of metal tore through the arena, causing the crowd to scream in pain at the intensity of the noise. Aggron, who¡¯d taken the hit from Bertha, was fired like a bullet out a gun into the other side of the field, where he slammed into the barrier before falling limply to the ground. Arthur sighed and returned his pokemon, his gaze travelling thoughtfully back to Bertha. Bertha stood, with her arm extended and her face etched with a gigantic smile. I had an epiphany and projected a feeling of fake weakness to Bertha. Bertha took a moment to register the feeling, sending back confusion for a moment before understanding swept through the bond. Without warning, she toppled to one knee, seemingly taking too much damage while charging up her attack. She shuddered theatrically, and I tried to get her to tone it down, but she shot me a wink, and I could only sigh. I made a show of reaching for my pokeball only for Bertha to valiantly hold out a hand and deny me as she struggled back onto her feet. Arthur''s hand wavered on his pokebelt as he stared at me and Bertha, both of us staring him back down in challenge. He sighed and raised a hand. ¡°I shall withdraw. I tried my hand at a few tactics, and some of them worked while others didn¡¯t. I think I will keep some secrets going into the tournament next weekend,¡± he said. I blinked in surprise, suddenly finding myself in a bit of a lurch. Bertha straightened, losing her ¡®fatigue¡¯ and snapping her fingers in annoyance. ¡°Rhyperior!¡± she said petulantly. Arthur blinked. ¡°Wait? That was another bait?¡± he said incredulously. He grinned. ¡°Heh! Turns out I have good instincts,¡± he said aloud. I huffed, shooting Bertha an annoyed glance only for her to ignore it, all the while shooting Arthur less than pleased looks with her arms crossed. She¡¯d obviously wanted a better showing with more fights, but instead had to settle for taking out only one of his pokemon. I shook my head. Ah well, I¡¯d tried something new there but it hadn¡¯t worked out. If the match had continued, that might have been a different matter. I sighed, and as the podium lowered, I evaded the slow process, choosing instead to skip over the railing and land behind Bertha, who was still pouting. I patted her on the back. ¡°Hey, you sold it pretty well, we were just in too strong a position, it seems,¡± I said. ¡°Heh yeah, you were; Machamp was still a bit fried from that Explosion, and Electrode¡­ well I don¡¯t think his Magnet Rise would have lasted much longer,¡± Arthur said as he approached to shake my hand. He gave me what must be his signature charming smile. ¡°So? How¡¯d I do?¡± he asked in a friendly manner. I opened my mouth to give him his feedback, only to pause as my mind caught up with my mouth and strangled the words before they could come out. I shut my mouth and shot him a calculating look. ¡°You¡¯re still going to be within the top ten after this match, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked. Arthur shrugged far too easily, and I narrowed my eyes. ¡°You want me to give you feedback, but we¡¯re going to be facing each other again.¡± ¡°Possibly, we might be in different brackets, but¡­ well I wouldn¡¯t say no,¡± he said cheekily. I shook my head, denying him as my brain won out. ¡°I got warned a while back that giving feedback would bite me in the backside, and with how many tactics you have, I think I need to stay on my toes for you.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± Arthur said. ¡°That¡¯s funny.¡± He waved a hand towards the crowd. ¡°Look at the front row; most of them will be there as well,¡± he said, indicating the front row, which had most of the top ten if not top twenty Ace trainers in Indigo watching with hungry looks. Huh, he was right. They¡¯d been watching and, no doubt, taking notes. Arthur smiled easily. ¡°Word of advice? Things are much tougher up here in the top ten. You¡¯ll fit in well if you can last, but don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be easy. Everyone¡¯s going to adapt to what they saw of you today, just like they will me. My withdrawal from the match? It wasn¡¯t shameful when I had a bigger prize in mind.¡± ¡°It was strategic,¡± I murmured, understanding that he was thinking a little longer. Arthur nodded. ¡°Good match, if we fight again? I will be stronger,¡± he said with a smile that showed some teeth. I gave him my own savage grin with Bertha backing me up. ¡°So will we,¡± I said, shaking his hand in farewell. As we departed, I felt a sense of satisfaction run through me. This had been a much tougher match than most of the matches I¡¯d had so far, and Arthur was only ranked seventh. What would Bruce, Carr, Kaede, Joshua or Corey be like to fight? Despite having just fought, I felt another wave of anticipation run through me. I returned to my group with that same smile on my lips. Yolanda nudged me. ¡°Make a friend?¡± she asked, referencing my chat with Arthur at the end. I chuckled. ¡°More like a rival,¡± I said happily. Chapter 206 - Reviews and interrupts I shifted and bobbed from foot to foot as I waited for the Nurse Joy of Commerce City to heal up my pokemon team. Thankfully, the place was empty at the moment, barring my group. ¡°Ahahaha! Let¡¯s go! Damn, that was a fun match!¡± I said, as I bounced from foot to foot. Around me, my entourage snickered at my childish behaviour. Missy shot me a smirk. ¡°Good fights really get you fired up, eh?¡± she said, eying my bouncing form. I shrugged. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s the truth? Being challenged like that? I¡¯m pretty sure they call it a battle high, but damn it feels good to push yourself. I was sweating and working overtime with switching up tactics. If this is what the top ten trainers are like, I am going to have to work for every win!¡± I could already see it, the fights growing tougher and tougher with each of the top ten being seasoned veterans. It sounded like the perfect conditions to grow stronger. Missy flicked her eyes over me once again. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem for you.¡± I laughed. ¡°Guess I¡¯m a battle junkie? But then again, who isn¡¯t?¡± A.J. shrugged. ¡°Eh, it makes more sense for you to react this way than other people.¡± When the others looked at him, he waved an arm at me. ¡°Most of the time, you have to hold back.¡± I waved a hand. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call what I do holding back. I have to find ways to test people and challenge them, it''s¡ª¡± I rubbed some fingers over my jawline in thought. ¡°¡ªNot really the same thing, it¡¯s still making me push myself, it''s just that the stress is different.¡± Yolanda giggled. ¡°Wait until you see him after an Elite Challenge when he pulls a win. He¡¯s bouncing off the walls.¡± Rachel snickered at the thought. ¡°You are almost as cute as Trixie sometimes,¡± said the small rainbow-haired girl. I paused and considered Trixie. Instead of conjuring an image of her in cute poses or outfits, my mind shunted my thought process to that of her doing a salmon ladder. She was slamming the machine with her huge frame, and I could just imagine sweat glistening on her abs and a fierce grin as she worked herself further into rippled perfection. Even in my imagination¡­ As a group, we shook our heads and I thought I heard Alexa say something about, ¡°While we daydreamed, Trixie was training.¡± The others giggled and this disrupted Rachel, causing her to wipe at her mouth to get rid of some drool before coughing. ¡°Anyway, the point is you showed off some serious skills and were able to lock yourself into the tournament next week. Now you can focus on running the gym and getting your pokemon up to par for it.¡± I nodded, stretching out my arms. ¡°Yup, gonna be a lot of review for this one, cause there were a ton of mistakes and moves that I think I¡¯m going to have to expect going forward. Arthur has shown me that people are not sitting idly and letting me advance¡ª¡± I got a number of blank faces at this, so I quickly tacked on a ¡°¡ªand getting results that force me onto the back foot,¡± I said. This got a round of murmurs and nods. Before today, there had been a level of¡­ well, power difference was perhaps the kindest way of describing it. The trainers had the right pokemon and the right moves, but they were too slow in their orders and tactics, and their pokemon were likewise lacking in power or speed to knock back my pokemon. I chewed my lip. ¡°I also don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get as lucky again with people remaining ignorant of fairy typing and its effects.¡± ¡°What about it specifically?¡± asked Greta. I rubbed my head. ¡°A lot of people have associated it with being super effective against dragon types, but there¡¯s more to it than that. It¡¯s also strong against dark type pokemon, which shores up Selene¡¯s weakness rather well. However, it¡¯s also super effective against fighting type pokemon.¡± Everyone stared at me while I said this and it took a moment for me to realise that Greta had her pokedex out and was in fact recording me. I coughed. ¡°Really?¡± I said, giving her a dubious look. Greta held up her pokedex like a shield, peering through it, so she didn¡¯t need to meet my eyes. ¡°Uhm, it''s just that a lot of the research that I¡¯ve been able to read and what I¡¯ve talked about with Professor Oak is its impact on dragon types, along with what moves and pokemons are and are not fairy types.¡± Yolanda tilted her head. ¡°Huh, Brock was always very aware of them, I remember him telling lots of stories about Dian¡ª¡± I coughed harshly to cut her off. I did not need Yolanda ¡®helping out¡¯ by telling tales about Diancie. It didn¡¯t stop Greta from gaining a look and turning her attention to Yolanda who merely shrugged and whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about her later,¡± she said. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°I can hear you,¡± I said, before deciding to ignore it. Instead, I exhaled in a long slow manner to get rid of the excess energy that I still had jittering through my body. ¡°Right, so that match fairly shook things up though,¡± I said as I checked my watch. ¡°Hmmm, we have another thirty minutes before our transport Teleport is booked in, so if everyone¡¯s alright with it, let¡¯s do a quiet debrief while things are fresh.¡± I gestured to a lounge off to the side while reaching into my pouch and drawing out one of the work laptops. Alexa raised a hand. ¡°You don¡¯t need me for this and I got a later Teleport lined up, as I¡¯ve got a date.¡± Crystal wolf-whistled at Alexa. ¡°I knew you were more dolled up than usual!¡± Yolanda merely nodded. ¡°Good luck on your date!¡± I waved a hand, more than happy to let her clock off now. ¡°Have fun and I will see you¡­ Monday?¡± I said as I opened up the roster on the laptop to see that she had tomorrow off. I shot her an amused look and resisted the urge to ask her how late her Teleport was booked for. I had a sneaking suspicion that if her date went well, she might just reschedule it for later. Alexa pointedly looked to the side, not meeting my knowing gaze as she waved and trotted off. I heard Nurse Joy calling for me and I moved to collect my pokemon from her with the customary. ¡°We hope to see you again!¡± given with a bow. I turned back to find the younger girls nudging A.J., Crystal leading them. ¡°Did you even notice that she had dressed up more than usual?¡± A.J. opened his mouth and without having to hear what he was about to say I instinctively knew that he was going to put his foot in it. So I spoke over him. ¡°A.J., when a lady asks you that, the safest and most correct answer is that they always look amazing. Never tell a girl they look tired or frumpy,¡± I said as I quickly typed up some notes. Missy, Yolanda, Greta, and Crystal¡¯s attentions all turned to me but I, like Alexa had earlier, avoided their gazes with a practised nonchalance. I finished what I was doing and clapped my hands. ¡°Right! So, the match?¡± I said, nudging things along instead of letting them linger. I spotted A.J. writing something in a small notepad, only to glance up and mouth a ¡®thanks¡¯ to me. ¡°Right, so one of the biggest and first things I noticed was that due to just the waiting area for this stadium, the meta is different,¡± I said, getting us underway and further dispelling the girls'' critical gazes. I ran through my observations from earlier, noting how everyone had been prepared for it. ¡°The situation is that of ¡®if you know, you know¡¯. I can assure you that no emails or notifications were given to me regarding the shared space, but it could perhaps be implied depending on how many matches one has in the gym circuit,¡± I said. ¡°How would that make you aware of it?¡± asked Greta with a raised hand. I held in a chuckle at her schoolroom antics and gestured to her like a teacher would. ¡°A lot of matches can be quite spontaneous or seemingly spontaneous when you are in the gym circuit. You don¡¯t hear about it, but there are a lot of trainers that are known as rookie crushers, or people that will ¡®snipe battle¡¯ you.¡± I raised a hand and glanced around for a whiteboard and was rather surprised when there was one. Huh, the Commerce City Pokecenter had a few nifty features I thought to myself as I pointed to the whiteboard and moved our group over to it. I grabbed a marker and began jotting down my thoughts. ¡°So! The rookie crushers are just that, bullies that like to come at young or inexperienced trainers. They will look for certain tells with their opponents and are typically way more active during the start of the circuit, as that¡¯s when you have the most young and inexperienced trainers moving about.¡± I drew a free-hand drawing of a large brutish man laughing at a pair of young trainers, a little boy and a girl who looked like they were barking at the crusher. ¡°Now, they do this as there is the possibility of earning a decent amount of prize winnings from young trainers if you can get three or four a day.¡± I made the pokedollar symbol and tripled it. ¡°If they can get more than that? They¡¯re doing very well for themselves.¡± I added another two pokedollar symbols to the board. ¡°Now these people are an example of this, as they can generally tell what young trainers will start with depending on the area they are in and what gym badges they have. Something that lots of young trainers are known for is flashing their badges, which can inadvertently signal themselves as weak and or inexperienced.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve faced a few around Pewter on the patrols I go on,¡± said A.J. with crossed arms. ¡°They like to run around with Machop and Growlithe for any rock, bug, or grass types.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± said Greta, turning her head along with the other girls apart from Missy who was nodding along. This caused the younger girls to blink and shoot me some looks. I grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not something that I advertise, but I do have gym trainers that break up fights like this by challenging and running off rookie crushers in my area when out on patrol. This limits them to the lower earnings bracket most of the time, but¡­ well, during the Trainer surge I know numbers were way higher, while also being something we couldn¡¯t deal with as they were actually legitimate trainers.¡± ¡°You.. don¡¯t get me to do that?¡± said Greta with a tilted head. I grinned. ¡°I hadn¡¯t so far, but I think you¡¯re overdue a ¡®promotion¡¯, so to speak,¡± I said, giving her a nod. ¡°You¡¯ve handled yourself well against some tough fights.¡± I dropped the smile to allow myself to grow serious. ¡°That said, you and A.J. are going to be facing some of the crushers that will adapt to you, and indeed to our gym trainers.¡± I wrote out the second name I¡¯d mentioned earlier. Snipe Trainers. ¡°These are the sort that will sit back and examine your team, your favoured tactics, and create teams or tricks that deliberately counter you. These are the people that we see more often for Ace matches. Will was an extreme case of this, as while I can never prove it, I think the number of Ace trainers that happened to have a few psychic pokemon that went against me in the lead-up to Will¡¯s match was¡­ highly irregular,¡± I said. The group nodded and I paused as I noticed that a few kids that had wandered in had inched over to listen in. I smiled and showed that I was fine with others listening in. ¡°So, experience with this is something that if you¡¯re sticking around a specific city for any amount of time will result in trainers getting to learn some of your tricks. For Ace trainers, this happens with us watching each other''s matches in the lead-up while also reviewing what pokemon they have publicly listed or displayed. ¡°Now, where there is some overlap is that people can see what pokeballs you have and extrapolate certain degrees of information. It¡¯s not listed on your public page, but if people watch enough matches they can start accumulating lists of which pokeballs are associated with which pokemon.¡± ¡°That would be rather tough to do when we¡¯re out in public though, no?¡± Crystal asked doubtfully. I locked my eyes with hers. ¡°Depends on how much the person has to win from beating you, or if they just feel they don¡¯t like you. Sometimes people can be irrational. Rivalries that are on the extreme scale would use this.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± said Crystal as she understood. ¡°So if I had my Eevee on display and A.J. wanted to snipe me, he could check my pokebelt or which pokemon I had out with me.¡± I nodded and made a circling gesture. ¡°Yes, you can also get people that will deliberately antagonise you in the hopes of making you use that very pokemon,¡± I said. This caused the girls to nod while A.J. scoffed. ¡°Sandshrew and I will just crush them right back!¡± he said. I nodded in amusement, knowing that he wouldn¡¯t be shying away from any fights and was going to probably run into a lot of walls where he didn¡¯t need to, but if he wanted to do things his way that was on him. ¡°The other option, which a lot of the local Aces seemed to have adapted, is something I hadn¡¯t thought of: hiding their pokebelts with coverings,¡± I said. The group all nodded along at this, only for Yolanda to giggle, drawing people¡¯s attention. ¡°Something to add?¡± I said, interested in what had her reacting like that. ¡°Well, it''s just that finding out which pokeballs are on your belt doesn¡¯t actually help,¡± she said. ¡°You hide some of your pokeballs from view or in the small of your back where people don¡¯t expect them from.¡± She grinned and I chuckled as she casually revealed a trick of mine that I¡¯d used since I was on my Journey.. I coughed, pleased that she was observant enough to notice, but also not wanting to air the entirety of my trick, nor that I had the expanded limit of ten pokeballs to the public. I gave the now larger group another look over and was amused to find that a camera crew had snuck in while I¡¯d been writing out the points about hidden pokeball carriers. I considered calling things to a close before deciding to shrug and run with it. I flicked Rachel a look and directed her to the camera crew to make sure they behaved. ¡°Right! So hiding some of my pokeballs, while working out for me partially today, is actually an old habit of mine that I adapted in response to rookie crushers,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°When I sauntered into a new town or city I would invariably get in some battles to test out my team. Some of the crushers back then would challenge me to four versus four or more matches and fake apologise when they thought I couldn¡¯t match them.¡± I raised a hand. ¡°That is a bait tactic that plays on young trainers'' pride in their pokemon, as the typical response for a young trainer is?¡± I pointed at A.J. for an answer and he scoffed. ¡°My pokemon are worth a hundred of some nobody!¡± he said, giving the perfect example with his response. Yolanda giggled again and I nodded. ¡°That is what they expect, and some of them will exploit it. Remember, these people make a lot of money off this, so they can field a very highly experienced team of pokemon,¡± I said. A.J. frowned, growing if anything more reluctant to admit he was playing into the trope. I just moved on. ¡°If you can field a full team though, you can switch things up and put them on the back foot,¡± I said. ¡°So, that was prematch differences, what about during the match?¡± I said, opening the floor to my entourage. ¡°Sanchez starting for you was baited,¡± Missy said and I nodded. ¡°Arthur has a lot of flying types and pokemon that in another situation can be powerful. I was playing the odds, or betting on possible arrogance as he does typically start with them. Instead, Arthur understood what he was doing and potentially risking and instead opened with his Starter, Machamp.¡± I wrote up Sanchez and listed out his typing and moves. ¡°Now, Sanchez is a great pokemon to open with as if he can get an opening he can set up the field. That field set-up also relies on pokemon that can typically use flying type moves or wide-scale attacks to clear away before other pokemon can safely enter,¡± I said, highlighting Stealth Rock. I sighed. ¡°Sadly, Arthur had prepared well and was able to negate a lot of Sanchez¡¯s strengths. He went on the attack straight away and kept us on the backfoot. Machamp¡­ was a very strong pokemon, and the outcome didn¡¯t surprise me,¡± I said with a sigh. I considered that for a moment. Was I becoming predictable with Sanchez? He was one of the better opening move pokemon and I did enjoy getting him out for the chance to set off either a Stealth Rock or an Explosion. Hmmm, maybe that was the issue? He was safe. I¡¯d need to consider that more. A smile came over me as I considered what came next in the fight. Selene came out and Arthur revealed his second ¡®trump card¡¯ regarding Cacturne. A perfect pokemon that I sadly had the answer to with Selene¡¯s moveset. I didn¡¯t go into depth explaining fairy typing again and its strengths, and I could see more than a few people in the crowd that were listening in looking confused. My desire to teach them warred with my desire to keep Selene¡¯s ace in the hole up my sleeve for a moment before the latter won out. I moved on. I continued sketching out the fight play-by-play and when I reached the point where Mismagius had taken the field A.J. raised his hand. ¡°Did you really read the throw to work out what was about to happen?¡± I blinked and recalled that moment. I grinned, remembering the spike of certainty I¡¯d had come over me when I¡¯d seen his wrist twitch. ¡°Yup!¡± I said smugly. A.J. blinked at me and for some reason Yolanda reached over to punch him. ¡°See! I told you!¡± she said. I shot her a nod. She really was coming along as a trainer with a lot of skills and insights. ¡°Do you know what gave it away?¡± I asked her. Yolanda licked her lips and made a face as she considered what she¡¯d seen. ¡°... something in his throwing action, or was it where he looked?¡± she said uncertainty. The crowd stirred at this and a round of murmurs took over the room. Yolanda blinked and glanced behind her only to twitch in surprise. Oh? She hadn¡¯t noticed the room filling up? When A.J., Missy and Yolanda likewise reacted I flicked my eyes at the whiteboard. The talk hadn¡¯t been that engrossing, had it? I pushed those thoughts to the side. ¡°Yes to the first, and while you can track where people are going to throw through their eyes, that¡¯s not as doable with the pokemon stadium''s fields. On smaller fields and sporting games it is possible but not what I used.¡± I took a pokeball in hand and mimed throwing it directly. I then repeated the action, only changing the throw at the end. I then made a different throw, showing how position could be changed. ¡°You can also read the body language that people give off, a good point of reference is to look where their hips or shoulders are lining up to get the best idea. This can change depending on sports or situations. Arthur hid a lot of his body language until after Mismagius went down,¡± I said. ¡°After that, you can tell he doesn¡¯t rate his chances of winning,¡± I tapped the board. ¡°He didn¡¯t stop fighting though, why?¡± ¡°Pride?¡± called someone from the back of the room. I nodded and wrote it down. ¡°What else?¡± I said prompting more involvement, amused with how my debrief had turned into a teaching session. I got a wide range of answers and I happily jotted them down. I didn¡¯t stop when people got the answer I¡¯d been looking for regarding the competition and the chances of us facing off again. The other answers, such as fighting on, or looking for a mistake to flip the battle around were certainly acceptable. I laughed when someone proposed that he¡¯d done it to impress a girl. I had still written it up. ¡°Good reasons,¡± I said with a smirk and a laugh before progressing things along with what I¡¯d need to consider for the next match and how I needed to improve. We came up with a few points such as not being as predictable, to catching more pokemon, which earned a nod from me. It was a solution. ¡°This one is one that a lot of people may fall back on, but you have to remember that for the majority of trainers there is going to be a limit, so you should be careful with the pokemon you bring onto your teams. Compatibility with you and your team, capabilities to raise said pokemon and comradeship are all important to consider,¡± I said, writing down the points. I was about to expand on those when my Xtranssicver buzzed. I glanced at it. ¡°Ah, and that is sadly all the time I have today! We have a Teleport to catch gang!¡± I said, hustling my entourage to pack up. Rachel jogged over with a smile on her lips and nodded when I glanced her way. ¡°They were playing it straight. They¡¯re a news crew that heard you were here. Came to talk but they seemed very pleased to catch your lecture instead,¡± she said, offering up what looked like a local news anchor¡¯s business card. ¡°Huh, neat,¡± I said, turning the card over and inspecting it. Yolanda jogged up to me with a wide smile and I eyed her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Nothing! You¡¯re just smiling,¡± she said, pointing at herself and I realised I was and that she was merely mirroring me. ¡°Eh,¡± I shrugged, enjoying how loose my shoulders felt. ¡°I feel pretty good about today. It was a good day,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Tomorrow is looking good, what¡¯s not to like?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s because you had a pretty good match and you got to lecture,¡± she said as we jogged into the Teleporter hall where we were met with a receptionist. She quickly guided us to a trio of Hypno who nodded politely before we vanished in a flash of Teleport. We appeared in front of the Pewter Gym and I thanked the Hypnos before they vanished in another Teleport. I played with what Yolanda had said as I bid the others goodbye for the afternoon. I was feeling pretty good after the match with Arthur, more so than usual, and while getting the chance to educate a lot of trainers had been nice, I was already feeling good. ¡°I think,¡± I said slowly, sounding the words out and drawing Yolanda¡¯s attention back to me as we walked towards the front entrance to our house. ¡°That the fight was good, both in that we won, but also in that there was a¡­ trainer difference, today.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Yolanda said, pausing to turn and watch me with interest. I waved a hand, slowing to stand in the entryway of the garden. I could see Nanny Grav watering our garden of Lileep and Cradily ¡°Arthur has pokemon that are on par with mine.¡± I rubbed my chin and considered what I¡¯d seen. ¡°Or at least close enough that it is debatable. I¡¯d faced this before with a few matches and I¡¯ve spoken about the top ten or even top twenty trainers being better, but it was really on display and that excites me, but mostly I think I¡¯m happy¡­because the difference was me as a trainer. I could have played things better, especially at the beginning, but we countered and rose to the occasion. I had the answers, I¡¯d done the research with my entourage, I was able to pick up on his plays and counter plays and just negate them. Today, I felt like I was syncing up with my team.¡± Yolanda nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯re right, you had the options and plans going in, and while things didn¡¯t start off as you might have liked, you did make the difference in a lot of notable ways.¡± She reached up, stretching onto her tiptoes to pat my head. ¡°Good job,¡± she said with a grin and I huffed at her. ¡°You¡¯re messing up my hair!¡± I fake whined at her, earning myself a giggle and a swat. ¡°Well it¡¯ll help keep boys away from you!¡± she said in a fake gruff-sounding voice. ¡°I never said that,¡± I said with a raised eyebrow, knowing that it was one of the points of advice that I¡¯d read in the parenting books that I¡¯d implemented. Yolanda adopted a stern expression. ¡°I never said that,¡± she mimed back at me and I snorted, recalling fake meme images of Morgan Freeman quoting him as saying just that. With his iconic voice you could turn heads. I tried adopting it and rumbled. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± I said with as much smooth velvetiness as I could. Yolanda squinted at me and tried to make her voice gruffer, even going so far as to hunch in on herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± she almost grunted out. I chuckled and dragged her into a hug before making my way towards the house to enjoy some family time. I released my pokemon in the garden. They all appeared with a snort and shake of their heads. Sanchez perked up and glanced around, when he locked eyes with me I nodded. This got him to relax and a grin to break over his face. ¡°Go? Go lem?¡± he cried when he spied Nanny Grav in her apron. He snatched up a bunch of Lileep and held them out to her like he was wooing her, earning himself some giggles. Nanny Grav pretended to sniff them only to fall on her back and faint. Sanchez sniffed the Lileep and copied her a moment later, only for both of them to shoot to their feet and laugh. I chuckled and turned my attention to Titan, whose gaze I¡¯d been able to feel as soon as he¡¯d come out. I paid a little more attention to our bond and found it had changed from the fight. I sent Titan an impression of growth and he replied in kind before looking in another direction. I felt the bond shift as he fed me his point of view. My mind swam with the extra senses available to me. To Titan the world was sharper, with smells and some colours that stood out to him while others were muted. I sat down and shook my head. Then I looked in the other direction and sent my own view of the garden. Titan crooned in surprise, and I felt his body stiffen up through the bond. Huh, so we could share the other¡¯s senses if we wanted to? Interesting. I sent Titan a more complex idea, how he could move and shift. I¡¯d done something vaguely the same with a bit of training against Pryce, but that had been nothing compared to this. Now I felt like we were practically of one mind. This¡­ had some serious implications. Would I even need to give Titan verbal orders any more? Wait, there had been something like this in the anime, hadn''t there? Between Ash and his Greninja. Shock ran through me and Titan stiffened, turning to check on me, only to get a feel of the excitement coursing through me. This was going to be so much more than just sharing senses and having a tactical improvement. This¡­ this was a Bond Phenomenon. The implications were huge and I shared a huge grin with Titan. Damn if finding him a mega stone hadn¡¯t just grown even more important for us. I toyed with the Bond for a little while longer, enjoying the closeness it brought to my closest friend. ¡°Hey bro! Come play Hide and Seek with us! Titan and you can pair up!¡± shouted Salvadore. Titan and I shared a smirk. Titan and I used the bond to hunt for my family and the other pokemon. With our combined senses and awareness it became all too easy to track everyone down. Titan and I took a moment to relax after the game, enjoying the knowledge that we had grown closer. We watched another round of games between my siblings and pokemon. The noise drew in the younger pokemon to my Elite team with Zubat leading the charge into my face. When she slammed a hug into my face I was amused to find Titan reeling back as I forgot to stop feeding him my point of view. I dimmed the bond a little and allowed myself to return to normal. Titan nodded at me and then nodded his head to Bertha, causing me to sigh in relief. If he was going to get intimate I didn¡¯t want to feel that. Not that they were going to do anything in front of the kids. Dinner that evening was a shared event, with us setting up in the garden. Bertha happily took the head of the table with Cindy sitting next to her. When Sabrina came around, she congratulated me on my win with a kiss and levitating me a burger and drink while sitting next to me. I chuckled, amused at how she¡¯d gotten me some food without having to lift a finger. Having a psychic girlfriend certainly had some perks. Later that night we relaxed with a movie and I went to bed with Sabrina. Plans for tomorrow swirled about in my mind, only to be rudely ripped from my slumbering mind as an alarm went off, causing Sabrina and I to stir at what must have been midnight. I dragged open my bedside drawers to find the Guardians¡¯ holopad raising a racket. I tapped it and Koga¡¯s visage appeared on the scene. ¡°Brock, we have a situation. Team Aqua just made landfall on New Island, we need to get there now!¡± he said and I felt my stomach drop out. A military group landing on an island with a possible volatile pokemon like Mewtwo? This¡­ was the very definition of not good. Chapter 207 - New Island Sabrina had us at Fuchsia City within minutes. We arrived at Koga¡¯s Gym to find the place eerily quiet. Not the quiet that one would expect of a residence where everyone was asleep as they should at this hour, but rather the house was silent as though the very earth itself was holding its breath in anticipation. No pokemon stirred, no wind blew through the branches of elegantly spaced trees and no noise came from the house. It had my skin crawling and the hairs on my neck standing up. I eyed the trees and flicked my eyes about; well aware that in Koga¡¯s domain, you were always being observed by ninjas. The fact that they were making it so apparent with how quiet it was, meant they were in a way warning anyone off. The traditional house that stood forebodingly before us had all the sliding doors pulled open but only darkness peered back when you directed your gaze inside the building. If you couldn¡¯t tell coming here was bad news you were either an idiot or acting in extremely bad faith. When Karen and Agatha stepped out of the darkness I had a momentary flash of memory for my initiation fight and half considered if they might have baited me here for some training exercise. One look at Karen¡¯s face revealed that this wasn¡¯t a drill or some shitty hidden test. This was serious. I pushed forward, ignoring the fluttering leaves in the trees that were probably shinobi. If I were a paranoid sort I suppose they would only be doing that much as a warning to ¡®announce, or prove myself to be who I was¡¯. I called up my rock and dark energy and became a towering edifice that surveyed all before me. A dark mountain that looms. ¡°Who are we waiting for?¡± I asked, my voice having an interesting resonance that rumbled forth and silenced the twitching trees. Sabrina merely floated along next to me, making me realise I¡¯d lengthened my stride without really noticing, the act of covering more distance simply happening and not a conscious thought on my part. Agatha smiled but didn¡¯t cackle at the display of power I¡¯d unknowingly performed. ¡°We only just arrived. I have brought with me a few channelers and Karen her minions.¡± ¡°They¡¯re my Trainer Entourage!¡± growled Karen without the usual heat. I glanced past the two women and noticed some familiar faces. ¡°Molly and Annabelle, right?¡± I said recalling the time we¡¯d raided a Team Rocket base together with Dennis. The pair nodded and stood a little taller at me recognising them. To the other side, a pair of familiar faces from the Guardian training we¡¯d undergone bowed politely. ¡°Katrina, ¡­ Tiffany,¡± I said, easily greeting the first only to eye the second. Tiffany bowed demurely and rose languidly, making sure to display how her dress clung to her form. She smiled when our eyes met and I snorted in exasperation. I¡¯d always recalled Tiffany as being part of the very rough introduction to the Guardians and thus kept a careful eye on her. She was always a little too friendly for my liking. Sabrina glowed a little brighter and Tiffany straightened and looked away from me, her smile vanishing faster than ice in the face of a Fire Blast. ¡°Koga?¡± I asked, looking around only for the man himself to appear, on his back a sword was strapped while bracers with wicked-looking hooks were also attached. I blinked in surprise and considered asking if he didn¡¯t think that was overkill only to realise that if anything, I should be copying him. We were about to engage with a group known for being part of the Hoenn military, specifically their navy. I swallowed. ¡°What do we need to know?¡± I asked. Koga nodded seriously. ¡°You will need to know much in a very short space of time, but here is not the place to talk,¡± he said. He gestured for us to follow him towards a nondescript bush that stood off to the side. He marched up only to crouch before it. He tugged on something that I couldn¡¯t see and the entire bush shifted on a hinge revealing a hidden doorway into darkness. ¡°Come, the true logistics centre is in here,¡± he said, moving down into the tunnel without concern. ¡°I think I¡¯ll avoid the Ratata warren and make my own way,¡± Agatha said with a sniff before she grinned. I could feel the moment her ghost energy twisted through her form only for her to vanish in the next moment as she fell through the ground. Tiffany and Karein smirked at us before copying Agatha causing me to raise an eyebrow. They¡¯d never done that before at training. Had they been holding back, or was this a recent development for them? Karen scowled and tossed her head. ¡°Come on girls, don¡¯t let Koga leave us behind,¡± she said as she strode into the tunnel after him. Annabelle and Molly followed her. Sabrina and I trailed through the narrow tunnel after Karen and her entourage The tunnel twisted in and around on itself a few times and from my talks with Surge in the past along with my training with the Guardians, I could recognise them as ambush points or positions where traps could be installed to waylay intruders. For the moment they were empty. When we exited the tunnel it was a sudden and unannounced occurrence, going from near darkness to sudden light quickly. I glanced back at the doorway to find that a thin cloth trailed down in multiple layers causing less and less light to escape. I¡¯d walked through that cloth without even noticing. Koga must have a very specialised Ariados to pull that trick off. I reached out and brushed my hand through the cloth only to barely feel anything, and that was while I was expecting it. I turned away from the entrance to look at the rest of the room only to be surprised to find what looked like an old war centre with maps laid out and several wall-mounted radios. ¡°Koga¡­ you really need to update your command centre if this is the best you can do,¡± said Karen with an unimpressed tone. Agatha huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t disregard the old tools, most of the League is too caught up with modernisation to care for older methods of communication allowing for unrestricted and unmonitored lines of communication for those that hold to older methods.¡± Karen sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, you could have some computers and holopads set up to¡ª¡± Koga flicked a switch and the maps shifted causing a three-dimensional display to appear. Agatha shot him a look and he coughed. ¡°Janine has been working on this,¡± he said. He flicked his fingers and the display shifted to a map overlooking Kanto. With deft movements, he zoomed in to Fuchsia from above. On it, the Seafoam islands were shown, and further south, just on the edges of Kanto¡¯s sea border, sat New Island. ¡°Twenty minutes ago two submarines were spotted moving towards New Island. It would appear the extremely fast development of the island has not gone unnoticed by Team Aqua. They have sent an expeditionary force to investigate. While we do not have anyone within their organisation we have been able to intercept radio broadcasts between their sea vessels.¡± On the map, two small blue blips began to move towards New Island. ¡°They will make landfall within ten minutes by our estimate. We will not be able to stop them reaching the island, but we should be able to intercept them before they can penetrate too deeply into the facility that Mewtwo has created and potentially enrage him.¡± Sabrina shifted, eyeing the distances involved. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to Teleport us very close¡­Within ten kilometres at most which will still put us directly above the sea.¡± Konga nodded and tapped at the holopad only for Janine to cough and type in something on her side. A circle formed around the island marking the ten-kilometre distance and just how much ocean we would have to cover. I chewed my lip. In any other situation, I doubted that would be an issue for Zephyr, but with Mewtwo possibly raising a storm? That might make it a bit more touch-and-go. It would depend on how amiable Mewtwo was. ¡°Any thoughts on how Mewtwo is responding to Team Aqua encroaching on his territory?¡± I asked. That was the big issue here after all. We did not want to agitate a Legendary pokemon if we could. Team Aqua sticking their heads right into the Feraligatr¡¯s maw rather forced our hand, however. ¡°No response as yet,¡± said Koga. ¡°We need to stop Team Aqua from antagonising him. For that, Sabrina¡¯s psychic abilities will be of paramount importance.¡± Sabrina made a face. ¡°Once we get closer I don¡¯t think it wise to rely on my psychic abilities as I have no doubt that Mewtwo would be aware of me.¡± ¡°As the person that has the best interactions with Mewtwo thus far, you are crucial to making peaceful contact should it be required,¡± said Koga. Agatha nodded at this while Karen bit her lips. I could just tell that she wanted to scoff, but she knew she couldn¡¯t refute the words. She did straighten up after a moment. ¡°What if Team Aqua has specialists like myself? Dark-type trainers to negate Mewtwo, or pass undetected?¡± Koga made a face. ¡°We will need to act on humanity''s behalf. We cannot allow them to enrage a Legendary.¡± Koga made a gesture and the map rose with the Seafoam islands and Shamouti being highlighted in red. I grimaced, both sites housed other Legendary pokemon. If Mewtwo became agitated it might cause a chain reaction, especially if he called forth a storm like he had in the first movie featuring him. ¡°So we¡¯re going into a hot situation that is delicate, to say the least, against a force that will have no issue with going¡­¡± I paused, having been about to say nuclear, but that wasn¡¯t the term in this life. ¡°Well, going Legendary on the situation,¡± I said tentatively. ¡°Yes, a rampaging Legendary, or more, is at risk. We will need to be quick and extremely clever, but most of all lucky!¡± said Agatha with a smirk. She inhaled and straightened up as her shadow gained its own grin. ¡°Ah! Just like old times!¡± she said and I could only shake my head, my eyes locked on the tiny pinprick that depicted where everything was going to come to a head. ¡°Alright? New island here we come,¡± I said.
Sabrina teleported us to the seafoam islands first. Having been watching for it, I was not surprised when she flinched minutely. I squeezed her hand as the question I¡¯d been wondering about the seafoam islands was answered. Articuno had a nest here. Sabrina squeezed me back before gesturing with her head to the south. ¡°We will be teleporting in a few seconds, have your flying or water type pokemon prepared,¡± she said. I reached for Zephyr¡¯s pokeball while Sabrina looked to Alakazam. ¡°Three, two, one,¡± said Sabrina counting down the next teleport, so that all of us would be ready to move. From a single practice session with the Guardians we¡¯d learnt it was important to have a verbal cue, otherwise, people like myself or Karen were slow to react. A flash of light momentarily blinded me but I was ready for it, and was already releasing Zephyr a heartbeat after I felt my environment change. Zephyr appeared beneath me and I fell all of a few metres before landing on his back with him only buckling a little. ¡°Stay within ten metres of sea level! Otherwise, the radar that Team Aqua uses will detect us!¡± called Koga from his position on his Charizard¡¯s back. Karen, who was using a giant Honchkrow glowered at Koga and eyed the waves and howling wind. I hid a pleased smile as I strapped myself into my flying saddle, only to tug my scarf into position so that no cold air ran down my flying jacket. Karen and her entourage, it turned out, were the only people in our group who didn¡¯t have some form of flight jacket. Agatha had a rather interesting canvas-like uniform with a leather helmet that looked like a flight suit from my past life for the First World War aviators. She wasn¡¯t using a flying type but instead had a pack of Ghost-type pokemon supporting her and the Channelers that she had brought with her. Sabrina herself merely hovered in the air, held aloft with her own psychic power. I whistled, impressed despite having seen her do feats like this multiple times before. Sabrina gave me a smile only to nod to the side indicating an oncoming wave that Zephyr and I had to dodge around. ¡°Spoink shit!¡± growled Karen as she barely avoided the wave. With that the team began to move, gliding over the water and occasionally dodging the waves. With each splash and burst of wind, Karen released a new torrent of curses that carried on the wind. Koga slowed his Charizard to match her. ¡°If you keep that up! They¡¯ll hear us!¡± he called to her only for her to glower at him. ¡°Screw you! You have a Charizard! You¡¯re not freezing your ass off!¡± Koga sighed and tapped his pokemon on the shoulder. Charizard performed a barrel roll over the back of Karen¡¯s Honchkrow and I could only watch as Koga¡¯s hands blurred. Buckles unclasped and straps were thrown aside and for a moment I thought Koga was about to throw Karen into the ocean to fish out later. Instead, the barrel roll ended and I was left gaping. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Somehow, Karen and Koga had switched places. Now Karen sat atop Charizard¡¯s back while Koga¡­ stood with his scarf flapping in the wind. If it had been impressive when the Pewter Flight club did it, it was even more impressive seeing Koga pull it off without his partner even knowing what was happening. It was a wonder Karen hadn¡¯t flinched and caused an accident. Or had she and Koga merely accommodated for that as well? It was hard to judge with how quick he¡¯d been. I turned my head away. For all that Koga could be frustrating to deal with sometimes, that had been cool. I felt like it spoke more of Koga¡¯s skill than Karen¡¯s calm attitude that the manoeuver had been pulled off. I glanced back over my shoulder and saw that Karen was still looking a bit dumbfounded at her changed position. Heh, that was certainly one way to silence her. ¡°New Island! Dead ahead! Prepare yourselves!¡± called Agatha from the midst of her ghost pack. I leaned down into Zephyr''s back, my left hand moving to Tide and Shrek¡¯s pokeballs, more than ready to deploy them should we come under fire. We raced low along the water, eyes peeled for any incoming missiles or rocks that might threaten us. I couldn¡¯t see anything but I still felt like something or someone was watching us. I shot Sabrina a look and she had a tense expression on her face as she flew on. Her eyes weren¡¯t tracking the shoreline but instead the top of the island where the dark castle loomed. Glancing up was enough to send a shiver of fear through me. It was everything I¡¯d imagined with tall dark towers that dotted the top of the island, while numerous small windmills spun silently. Green and yellow orbs bobbed like fey lights beckoning us to come closer while lighting up the dark metallic walls with a green pallour that made me think of horror movies. If she could feel Mewtwo, surely Mewtwo could feel her, right? I swallowed wondering how he was going to react to our appearance. Sabrina had mentioned feeding him positive core memories to help him. Would that mean he was different from the cold and vengeful pokemon that appeared in the first pokemon movie? Or would he be something else? More thoughtful and collected? If he was as sentient as a human he might be struggling with the newfound emotions. Was that even a good thing? I knew for a fact that pokemon could get emotional, or even hormonal. What would it be like for a pokemon that had been repressed for so long to experience emotions once more. No lights flickered, and nothing seemed to stir on New Island as we came closer. We had only the barest idea of what we were racing towards. The timeline and situation had changed enough that I wasn¡¯t confident I knew how Mewtwo would respond to this invasion. Last time he had¡­ not fled, a pokemon as powerful as him couldn¡¯t be said to have fled. He¡¯d adjourned to contemplate the information. I cast my mind back, back then he¡¯d rejected Giovanni and seized freedom, but he¡¯d also spurned Sabrina¡¯s offer of friendship. Would us turning up here cause more issues? I had no idea what it would do. None of us did, which was a big problem. I pushed the thoughts away as I darted my gaze about the shoreline, not spotting the submarines that had caused this entire situation. Koga flew in front of me, still posed in an upright standing position that¡­ well I had to give it to him, made him look damn cool. ¡°Make landfall on the upper level and call in your pokemon,¡± Koga barked. We did just that, landing and dismounting from our pokemon before returning them. I shifted, feeling like something was off. I eyed the area around where we¡¯d landed. There wasn¡¯t much actual free area with the size of the building Mewtwo had created. Had we landed near the arena¡­ had Mewtwo even built the arena this time? What was this facility for? Koga was also surveying the area with a critical eye. ¡°Mewtwo has suffused his power throughout the island¡­¡± he said with narrowed eyes. Agatha and Sabrina all nodded. I glanced over and found Karen, like me, was also able to feel that something was off but unable to put our fingers on what. Agatha waved a hand and a trio of Haunter floated away, notably without their typical jeering or menacing attitude. They must have been able to feel the crisp power of Mewtwo. Had his building everything on this island caused a pseudo-Psychic terrain or something? I chewed my lip and pushed the thought to the side to ask Sabrina about it later. ¡°Do we know where they made¡­ landfall?¡± I asked. Koga shook his head. ¡°Only that they intended to, from our approach I detected nothing amiss,¡± his eyes continued to dart about. ¡°Apart from the psychic presence,¡± he continued after a moment. I grunted, and when Koga made some signs for us to move as one I felt a surge of relief. We weren¡¯t going to break the party. Yes, Agatha had sent some Haunter out as scouts but that was just good thinking. Breaking the party would have surely triggered all the red flags. Heck just being here made me start mentally reviewing the guide on how to survive in a horror movie. First, if there was a noise, it wasn¡¯t just the wind. Should I check it out? No. Were we wearing the right attire? I reinspected everyone only to pause on the Channellers. They seemed to be wearing some sort of traditional footwear rather than supportive runners. ¡°Hey, girls got any joggers?¡± I said, causing them to blink owlishly at me. Sabrina frowned at me only to blink and reassess her surroundings. She, as the only other person who had entered an obviously haunted castle with me in the past, knew about my ¡®plans for haunted houses¡¯. ¡°You should release Gawain,¡± Sabrina said while eying Katrina and Tiffany. ¡°Can you run in that outfit?¡± When they shook their heads and made to argue the importance of their attire Sabrina dismissed them. ¡°They will make decent sacrifices,¡± she said firmly alluding to one of the rules I¡¯d told her once. Women who wore impractical clothing into a haunted house actively lowered their chances of survival, and should never be stood next to. I¡¯d mostly said that to make Sabrina stop wearing that extremely doll-like dress. I released Gawain and he raised his axe-like claws with a tentative glance around. ¡°Klea-vor?¡± he asked. I pat him on the shoulder. ¡°Need you out so that if something jumps us you can Stone Axe them,¡± I said seriously. The others took that moment to release their own singular pokemon that would be able to walk with us without making our group too large. Sabrina¡¯s Alakazam merely stroked his moustache, his spoons held out as he slowly rotated in a slow orbit. Karen noticed this and frowned. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± ¡°Divining where Team Aqua are,¡± Sabrina replied. When Alakazam started to lean forward and his spoons began pointing down I could only click my tongue in annoyance. ¡°There must be a grotto down there or something,¡± I said. Hadn¡¯t Team Rocket entered New Island via that method¡­ no, Ash, Misty and the OG Brock had as well on the boat¡­ no that was wrong as well they¡¯d capsized and needed to use water pokemon to save themselves. ¡°It makes sense they¡¯d find a route in via the ocean. We must have missed it by how we came in,¡± I said. ¡°Should we circle back around?¡± Koga and Agatha shook their heads. ¡°Team Aqua will have secured their exit,¡± said Agatha. Koga nodded. ¡°There is also a chance that they will have set out mines.¡± ¡°So no water entry and we need to find a way to them¡­ or a way to talk to Mewtwo,¡± I summarised. ¡°Preferably the former,¡± said Agatha as her eyes flicked up towards the tower structure that screamed ¡®boss fight area¡¯ in my mind. Agatha gestured towards the tower. ¡°Team aqua if they encounter us while negotiating with Mewtwo will disrupt us.¡± I turned to Sabrina to see if she¡¯d been able to make contact with Mewtwo only for her to shake her head. ¡°He seems to be ignoring me, or focussed on something else, I can¡¯t tell and I am not willing to¡­ poke at his mind for his attention.¡± I nodded grimly. ¡°So, maximum effort?¡± I said with a smile to which Sabrina nodded. The others looked at me and I just rolled my eyes and gestured for Koga to lead us into the totally not a haunted castle that Mewtwo had made for himself. We approached what looked like a large circle only for the circle to split apart, retracting into itself. We all paused when we found ourselves in a room that expanded out before us. The, room unlike outside, was well lit with lights that sat atop small platforms. Each of them were the shape of pokeballs. Above us, balconies twirled around the room making me itch as I realised how many alcoves there were for people to have the high ground against us. In the middle of the room, a spiral staircase rose while surrounded by a moat of water. I paused, realising I knew precisely where we were. This was the room where Fergus, Corey, Neesha, Ash, Brock, and Misty would recover from braving the storm in the movie. This was where they would meet the most ¡®powerful trainer in the world¡¯ only to learn he was also the most powerful pokemon. A pretentious claim, but one that was oddly suitable for drawing in strong trainers. Often all a trainer or an organiser for a specific event had to do was claim the title of strongest in the world and it would result in trainers piling in to prove themselves against them. It was a great way of generating hype and interest. I blamed the last World Cup¡¯s results. Due to the format, there hadn¡¯t been a method to deal with draws when each trainer simultaneously knocked out the other¡¯s pokemon. This had led to a lot of chaos and the winner not actually being possible with four double knock outs, narrowing the field of trainers that reached the end while others advanced unimpeded with how the rules had been set up. Lance himself had been one such double knockout from memory but I couldn¡¯t recall who he¡¯d faced. I hadn¡¯t given the World Cup much attention as I¡¯d thought it overly pretentious for Indigo, Hoenn, Orange and Sevii to call themselves ¡®the World¡¯. I think Wallace from Hoenn had been the winner in the end but I was probably wrong about that. Koga waved us forward and our group advanced, fanning out and forming a loose circle with myself on the right edge while Karen and her crew formed the left edge of our circle. Sabrina and Alakazam hovered in the middle, their gazes swivelling around and taking in all the features of the room. I glanced up only to find myself looking into darkness with the lights not being strong enough to reveal what was at the top of the spiral staircase. ¡°Agatha, recon?¡± Koga called, his eyes darting about. He out of all of us looked to be the most on edge, but that was probably due to his being forced to stay out in the open while Mewtwo was unaccounted for. With Koga being a horrible match up and Mewtwo¡¯s powers. Agatha had put her foot down on Koga doing his usual sneak-off routine. Forcing the ninja out in the open in a potential combat situation seemed to be rather fraying his nerves, however. It had to be counter to his instincts at the very least. ¡°We need to find a way to secure any access points to any waterways beneath us,¡± Koga said, pointing towards a cluster of doors. ¡°We need to find out which are our targets quickly,¡± he said as he looked into each shadow pointedly as we moved further into the room. Agatha raised a hand and from her shadow, another four ghost pokemon spilled out leaving only a single set of eyes to glower out and wink at us sinisterly. I watched the ghost pokemon race out, some went high and others went low before I lost sight of them as they became invisible. The ghost pokemon reappeared at the doorways and the various doorways on our level. Two doorways led into large rooms much like this one while another led to a hallway that glowed green in a manner that caused an itch in my brain. Hadn¡¯t the room where Mewtwo cloned other pokemon glowed green like that? Was that what was down there? The cloning facility? ¡°There!¡± called Katrina, her hand pointing to the left where a Mismagius had revealed a door that opened to a cave system that angled down. Voices echoed up and I knew straight away that we had found what we¡¯d been seeking. We broke into a jog making straight for the door only for a trio of men and women to appear in the doorway. All of them sported white and blue shirts and socks that made me think of stereotypical sailors. On top of their heads scarves were banded tightly around their heads with the Team Aqua symbol proudly on display. ¡°Boss! We got company!¡± screamed one woman back down the tunnel they¡¯d come from even as the other two released all of their pokemon revealing a small force of twelve pokemon. Muk, Golbat, Pelliper, Mightyena, Starmie, two Crawdaunt, another pair of Tentacruel, a Cloyster, Sealeo, and a Golduck. Their trainers both gave their teams orders as we raced to close the gap with them, our hands reaching for our own pokeballs. ¡°Charge!¡± shouted one of them while the other slashed his hand in front of him. ¡°Defence Up!¡± he called and all of his pokemon began to howl, screech, or buff up as our pokemon were released. Sanchez took one look at the assembled pokemon and began to spark up, knowing he was going to go big for this line-up. I didn¡¯t hesitate to unleash him as I twitched the bond we shared and fired off a thunder straight away at the pokemon charging us. Pelliper and Golbat vanished as the lightning arced down. When the powerful electric move ended it revealed a knocked-out Pelliper on the ground while Golbat was revealed to be in a Protect shell. This didn¡¯t stop my other pokemon from knocking it out of the air the instant the Protect faded. From there the battle was joined with me, Karen, Molly, Annabelle and Tiffany overwhelmed the trainer that had sent his pokemon out to engage and slow us down. We made short work of the six pokemon with the twenty we had, twenty we¡¯d released but it did slow us down as after Pelliper, each pokemon held with a Protect or a Detect, avoiding our initial strikes only to be taken down with follow-up strikes. As the final pokemon, a Crawdaunt went down under a barrage of Dark Pusles from Knight and Karen¡¯s Houndoom. I spotted the aggressive Grunt begin to twitch and froth at the mouth. Hmmm he was whiting out from six pokemon being taken out? He truly was a Grunt then, despite his rather impressive¡ª for a Grunt¡ª pokemon roster. He¡¯d still done enough to slow us down. Or at least slow down half our group. We were after all more than used to working as a team on multiple different objectives. While we¡¯d been stomping down on one of the Grunts, Koga, Agatha, Sabrina, and Katrina continued to race forward. They made a beeline straight for the trainer who was trying to create a beachhead for his fellows. Sabrina even tried to snipe him with a well-placed light fixture that was ripped from its bracket in an attempt to brain the Grunt into submission. Sadly, another Crawdaunt stepped into the path of the attempted snipe, catching and crushing the light while shrouding itself with dark energy. ¡°They¡¯re playing for keeps!¡± shouted the grunt with a high-pitched tone. Heh, he must have been rattled with how Sabrina had gone after him. For a second it looked like the Grunt would flee, only for his resolve to be bolstered by the return of the female Team Aqua Grunt. The girl released her own pokemon to help hold the line and I could only click my tongue as they unleashed a series of Surf only to freeze them solid. Koga pointed and from his team, an Arbok leapt forward exhaling a huge gout of purple gas straight at one of the walls. When the poison touched the ice I was impressed to see that it was causing the ice to sizzle and hiss. Koga didn¡¯t leave it there though. With the gas beginning to liquify the wall while condensing itself, he followed up with his Charizard unleashing a powerful Fire Blast that knocked the base level out from the frozen surf. The icy walls tumbled down with a deafening boom that shook the room. Within the mists, shapes moved as we lost sight of our targets. They however couldn¡¯t see us closing on them with my group and our pokemon made up of some truly powerful pokemon that barreled into the side of the Team Aqua pokemon forcing them into melee. A moment later the mist was blown away by a powerful gust of wind that I leaned into as it threatened to knock us back. Damn, that hadn¡¯t been one of ours. I snapped my hand out, grabbing at Tiffany as her large robes acted like sails causing her to be blown back. ¡°Urgh!¡± she grunted as she came to a sudden stop in my grip. I smirked to myself, Sabrina had warned her. I held in the urge to tease the woman however as I instead noted that Team Aqua reinforcements had arrived with what seemed to be a whole platoon of trainers. I stepped away from her, my mind aware of the second part of the warning I¡¯d given Sabrina. Twenty trainers, with all of them reaching for their pokeballs grinning at us sinisterly. I cracked my neck, locking eyes with a man wearing what looked like a white sailor''s jacket draped across his shoulders. Around him was his pokemon team along with some lower-ranked Aqua members. His team seemed to be the cause of the winds. I was interested to spot a pair of Gyarados with their fins fanning the winds. Alongside them were a Snorlax, a Lanturn, a Scizor, and a Swampert. Gawain locked eyes with his modern evolution, his axes rising up in challenge. Shrek did the same with his counterpart as around us pokemon and Team Aqua roared and growled in anticipation of the coming battle. The noise they unleashed was an intimidating show of force alone. But it wasn¡¯t enough to have any pokemon or people in our group faltering. This was exactly what we¡¯d trained for. I leaned forward a small smirk on my lips as I let Tiffany huddle behind me, her ghost pokemon pulsing and glowing in agitation as our own pokemon gave back their own battle cries. I released the other pokemon I¡¯d been holding back, allowing Titan and Empress to take to the field. My smirk grew as more than a few Team Aqua grunts stepped back at my pokemon merely appearing. Koga drew his blade and raised it towards Team Aqua. ¡°Guardians of Indigo! To battle!¡± he roared, signalling the start to the battle proper. Our pokemon surged forward, I readied myself for a fight that hadn¡¯t been seen in years, a proper battle of two forces fighting to conquer each other. Defeat wasn¡¯t an option. We needed to put them down hard. ¡°Hyper Barrage! Full Broadside!¡± roared the Aqua Commander. I blinked in surprise as not one, but a full wave of pokemon rose up, their maws beginning to glow as they heralded the oncoming wave of Hyper Beams. Fuck, I thought. That was a good opening move. Chapter 208 - Days like this ¡°Hyper Barrage! Full Broadside!¡± roared the Aqua Commander. The full wave of pokemon rose up like a firing line from my past life. Maws stretched wide as energy coalesced. I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and something dark put its hand on my shoulder like it was half a step away from claiming me. I knew without looking that I and the others with me were now staring death in the face. A full barrage of Hyper Beams was a great opening move. If this had been anyone else facing them, they would have probably won the battle then and there. Sadly for them, we Guardians had veterans of the old wars and were wise to their tactics of full broadsides. ¡°Protection detail!¡± shouted Koga even as pokemon shifted about, moving with alacrity to where they needed to be in a heartbeat. A heartbeat was all they had after all as within the next, the Hyperbeams were unleashed causing a roar that filled the room shaking it as powerful beams of energy came at us. Our pokemon were up to the task however and they formed a blanket shield with Protect after Protect that led to an impenetrable wall. The Beams slammed home against the impossibly strong Protects and caused a resounding boom that filled the room rattling and shaking everything around us. One of the more delicate spires that rose up holding a light was cut through and toppled but the sound of it smashing into the ground was lost due to the onslaught of Hyper Beam. Koga made a signal and we all nodded. From what he¡¯d taught us, the ¡®Broadside¡¯ was a Team Aqua special that was practically their signature move when they grouped up. It was why it was always best to get them in small groups or attack them one on one. Usually, they only ever had one or two pokemon that could unleash a Hyper Beam. When they got to six or more? Then things got as complicated as they could, if they were clever and well practised, rotate which of their pokemon were attacking us. Hyper Beam after all had a recharge value while Protect had a failure risk after the second. It was unlikely that they¡¯d get off more than three of any of their pokemon, but three wasn¡¯t a number we could handle. Even trying to absorb a second Broadside would be beyond suicidal. We needed to counterattack and disrupt them. Thankfully we had some of the best pokemon around for just that. I stabbed my hand upwards and Don and Zephyr soared up taking the high ground as other pokemon ascended with them. From on high ghost, flying and psychic Pokemon unleashed their own attacks. I saw beams and gusts of winds arc down only to be lost in the wave of flickering lights. I felt the attack land as more rumbles rippled through the ground. I turned to Sanchez. ¡°Any possibility of going under them?¡± I asked eying the hardened floor that looked like it had been made from a single piece of melted metal. That¡­ could pose an issue for some of my pokemon. Sadly my premonition regarding the floor proved correct as Sanchez stabbed a hand into it only to exert a lot of effort to drag his finger through a little of it. ¡°Go¡­ lem,¡± he said sadly with a shake of his head. I cursed. ¡°Koga we¡¯re not going to be able to tunnel under them unless we get them out of this building. The floor is made of something that is resistant to my pokemon digging through it.¡± Koga merely nodded and I proceeded with my other options. ¡°Sanchez thunder, launch it where they were last,¡± I said watching as the light show of the Hyper beams died away indicating that our pokemon up above were having some impact. Sadly there was still a lot of smoke in the way, which made it tougher to line up a target directly. Once again, this was something we''d trained for. ¡°Sabrina! Call them out!¡± Agatha ordered as the Protect wall in front of us started to drop. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glowed as she connected with her Alakazam who paused in firing a Psybeam to instead act as a spotter for us. Sabrina¡¯s hands rose. ¡°They¡¯ve split into three clusters,¡± she said calmly, her hands stabbing in three directions. ¡°The group on the left is about to unleash a barrage of Surf at us to buy themselves more time.¡± I knew straight away what to do for that. I stabbed my hand forward. ¡°Bertha! Tide! Ice Beam!¡± I roared. Both of my pokemon responded excellently; they unleashed cold blue energy where I¡¯d indicated. While I was doing that, Sabrina directed the others to line up on their own targets. ¡°Take down those hovering pokemon!¡± called a loud voice from beyond the smoke. I noted that it sounded like it was coming from the central most group which Karen and Sabrina were prioritising with a powerful pincher attack. Two Houndoom charged forward with an inferno encircling them just as Sabrina arced lightning up and over by using her Psychic pokemon to redirect the natural movement into something much more condensed and dangerous. I gestured and Sanchez added his own spark into the forming lightning dragon that howled as it rose up and shot down. It was loud, bright and very attention-grabbing. Which made it the perfect distraction for Agatha¡¯s ghost pokemon to slip into the Team Aqua lines and begin laying about themselves with cackling glee. A flicker in the smoke was the only warning I got as a Sharpedo launched out of the smoke, fangs gnashing as it locked eyes on me. Before it could devour me, Titan spun, his tail whipping about to slam down and pin the sharpdeo even as Shrek slid into position in front of me, his twin fists raised to punch out the threat. This proved to be a very good call as a moment later a shimmer appeared and out of instinct more than any true understanding of what I was doing had me pointing at it. ¡°Hydro Pump,¡± I called to Shrek and he unleashed, this causing a hidden Starmie to be revealed. Hmmm, it seems we weren¡¯t the only ones trying to slip daggers into our foes. The smoke was starting to clear and I heard the Team Aqua commander once more speaking up. ¡°Our boarding action is faltering! Shore up your lines!¡± he called. Wonderful, nautical terms that obviously meant something to the Aqua members as they shifted and called orders to their pokemon, but might as well have been a second language to us. When a Hitmonchan blurred across the gap towards my pokemon, Sabrina¡¯s Farigiraf was suddenly in front of me, both heads smirking at the onrushing fighting type. Hitmonchan still charged ahead however with both arms dropping back to run in what looked extremely uncoordinated. It reminded me of another anime where ninjas adopted a very odd running style. I was about to turn away from the exchange when I felt dark energy building up around the hidden arms. I snapped my attention back and stabbed my hand forward. ¡°Selene! MB!¡± I called, knowing that Farigiraf was about to be Sucker Punched or take some form of Dark attack. My prediction proved true, as Hitmonchan swung its arms up and charged through the Psybeam with its arms in a guard position, dark energy coating them. Then it leapt, one fist cocked back ready to punch out Farigiraf. Selene intercepted it with a Moonblast that blew Hitmonchan out of the air, sending it skipping back to the Team Aqua lines. That didn¡¯t stop other pokemon from attacking us. Pelliper and Sharpedo launched themselves forward while other pokemon charged in. A Hitmontop spun towards Koga¡¯s pokemon and I was surprised when I realised it was literally launching miniaturised Starmie and Stary with each spin like they were throwing stars. That turned out to be a terrible decision though as Koga¡¯s pokemon were more than up to the task of batting away the shrunken pokemon before launching a blistering combination of gas and fire to explode the battlefield in front of them. Seeing all the pokemon charging in made me realise something. The earlier order hadn¡¯t been a ¡®shore up the defences¡¯ as I¡¯d expected it to be, but rather an order to double down on attacking us. A twang and a scream made me check to the side. Annabelle had a small spear lodged in her shoulder and was on her knees as blood poured out. My eyes tracked along a small wire that led back to a smug-looking Aqua grunt with a speargun raised in her direction. Annabelle¡¯s team, responding to her cry of distress, doubled down and a wave of pokemon attacks blasted forward. The smirking Grunt instantly paled and regretted his life choices as his pokemon and he were blown away. They slammed into the back wall with a sickening crack. ¡°Orderly! Orderly now!¡± roared the commander of the Team Aqua group. It struck me as a very odd shout as everything around them seemed more like chaos as pokemon moves were exchanged and blocked in turn with it being a riotous melee. Koga appeared next to me. ¡°Agatha! Karen Counter blow! Now!¡± he said, giving the order for our own version of a ¡®full broadside¡¯. I didn¡¯t say anything, merely spiked my aura with intent and fed it along to my pokemon. The only pokemon who didn¡¯t realise what that meant was Empress but she knew enough to follow as Tide, Don, Shrek, Selene and other pokemon began to build up for their strongest attacks. ¡°Armour up!¡± roared the Aqua Commander as he realised what was happening and this time we unleashed upon them. Unlike their attacks which relied heavily upon Hyper Beam. Other attacks such as Hydro Pump, Moon Blast, Psybeam, Shadow Ball and more were unleashed. I mentally counted down in my head three seconds before spiking my intent again. The few pokemon I¡¯d had using Hyper Beam stopped, once again with only Empress still disgorging her might. I¡¯d need to work with her on that. Power was good and all but I needed to apply when and where it was used. Especially in team situations like this. Still, a single Hyper Beam that lasted longer than the others wasn¡¯t enough to stop my next move. ¡°TITAN LEAD THEM IN!¡± I roared and Titan responded. He rocketed forward having had time to prepare himself. At his side, Jorm and Knight followed all of them building up a corona of power as Giga Impact formed up and was unleashed with my pokemon acting like linebackers in a skirmish. Or in this case, linebreakers. They cut a swathe through the Aqua team members trampling their defensive lines and emerging out the other side before slamming into the walls as they failed to dig in to stop themselves. The impact caused a shake throughout the entire room and the pillars with lights on them tilted and crumbled. This caused the lights to smash and darkness to start claiming pockets of the room. I flicked my eyes about for any falling debris that would hit me or the others but found nothing. I turned my attention to my split-off pokemon and reached into the strained bond with Jorm. He was still close enough for me to feed energy to, so I prepared for the one-two of Giga Impact into Mega Evolution. I was just pushing energy into the bond when a voice echoed out through the room. ¡°That, will be enough of that,¡± said a powerful voice that instantly had me looking around. Sabrina shifted all of her focus from Team Aqua to looking around. ¡°Mewtwo? We¡¯re sorry about the damage that¡ª¡± she started to say, only for something in the dark areas of the room to shift. I saw movement and turned, eyes narrowing as I called up Dark energy. What had that¡ª ¡°Pokeballs?¡± cried Karen in surprise having apparently already turned around herself. I frowned, my mind lurching at the idea that Mewtwo was using¡­ I felt a spike of fear run through me. The only pokeballs that Mewtwo used were dubbed as ¡®Mewtwo ball or otherwise as clone balls¡¯. These had been notoriously powerful due to their ability to ignore that some pokemon were already housed in pokeballs. Worse, the pokemon didn¡¯t even need to be out of their pokeballs. The movie had demonstrated that returning your pokemon wasn¡¯t enough to stop them. ¡°Beware the pokeballs!¡± I shouted mind racing for a suitable excuse. ¡°They might be explosives!¡± I said, ad-libbing a suitable excuse as black pokeballs with red eyes zipped forward. ¡°Circle up!¡± I shouted to my pokemon and they did so, nudging Farigiraf in with them as well for good measure. With me at their centre I could peer out through the gaps and watch as things developed. I caught sight of Team Aqua perking up as they noticed the shift in the battle. Annabelle and her team were with Tiffany and Katrina. Both had their pokemon circling and it looked like Annabelle was receiving some emergency care, but with Annabelle weakened Team Aqua must have smelt blood in the water as their pokemon orientated towards the trio of women with what they had left. They fired off a barrage of attacks only for a single clear barrier to form up in the middle absorbing and negating any attacks. Once more Mewtwo¡¯s voice sounded out. ¡°I depart from my home for but an hour, and what do I find when I return?¡± he said. His voice and his actions forced everyone to look up at him. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. He hovered slowly towards us, his gaze taking in everything. The downed pokemon, the broken pillars, and also the two groups. For a long moment there was silence as everyone held their breaths. Then Sabrina shifted, floating up with her Alakazam. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you without the¡ª¡± she began, only for Mewtwo to raise a single digit and silence her. ¡°No, we will not talk like this,¡± he said, his mental voice projecting to everyone. He swept his hand forward and the pokeballs that had been hovering like a threat behind him shot forward, their red eyes locked on various pokemon. ¡°Blast them away from you!¡± I roared to my team, not liking the idea of losing any of them. Worse, if Mewtwo¡¯s machines worked like they had in the movie then within minutes he¡¯d have a veritable army of pokemon equal to some of the strongest in Indigo. If Mewtwo wanted to fight, numbers were one of the advantages we had. The cloneballs whipped forward and caught a few of the Guardians¡¯ pokemon unaware as people like Annabelle were unable to give the balls the attention they needed to. Karen copied me in circling up her pokemon but despite the earlier command we still had some stragglers. Don shrieked in outrage and tried to bat away a ball only for another to sneak in on his blind side. ¡°Sanchez!¡± I ordered, causing a blast of lightning to fry the ball before it could capture Don. ¡°Don and Zephyr!! Get in here now!¡± I roared at my flying pokemon. Zephyr tucked his wings and fell into the circle of pokemon. Don turned, giving me a considering look that made me want to curse his stubborn streak. That moment of hesitation was enough to see a ball slam into him from above and a red light to absorb him. Titan stepped up barking in surprise before leaning down and digging his claws into the psychic metal. Then with a tortured shriek, the floor gave way and he hurled it after the ball, smashing it out of the air but not stopping it from fleeing with its ill-gotten prize. Other cloneballs followed it, making it impossible for me to track which one contained Don. I glanced around and realised that while the Guardians had taken losses from this surprise avenue of attack, Team Aqua had been gutted as large swathes of their pokemon were captured. I saw a few quick-thinking Grunts return their pokemon thinking they were safe. When the balls failed to slam into the pokeballs I blinked. Wait? Had Mewtwo not installed that feature yet? Or was it just a Movie gimmick? I glanced around and caught more and more people returning their pokemon only to have the cloneballs go into holding patterns around them. Ah, it was not a matter of that he couldn¡¯t, but that he wasn¡¯t. I looked up and found him watching my pokemon smacking or blasting away the cloneballs. I swallowed. ¡°You want us to return our pokemon then I take it?¡± He nodded. I swallowed, hating the idea of putting myself in such a helpless position. Sabrina looked at me and nodded in encouragement, urging me to trust Mewtwo. I rubbed at my throat drawing Mewtwo¡¯s attention to me once more. For a long moment we stared at each other, man and pokemon observing each other. Then I nodded begrudgingly. I honestly had no idea if I could trust Mewtwo. But I could trust Sabrina, and if she was going to vouch for him then¡­ I swallowed and straightened. ¡°I¡¯ll return them,¡± I said. Mewtwo made a gesture and the cloneballs about the field paused in their assault on everyone. Damn, but that was impressive. On a lot of levels I had to give it to Mewtwo. It was a great opening move. Announce yourself, but do it with the ability to end the fighting. He¡¯d then denied an initial discourse until he¡¯d levelled the playing field so to speak. He demonstrated what he could do, but then held back. For a negotiation, it was a great flex. I looked towards Titan and grimaced. ¡°Trust me and Sabrina buddy?¡± I asked. He nodded slowly and I clicked the return feature on each of the pokeballs. Titan held my gaze even as he broke into red energy. Around me the other Guardians followed my lead, with Agatha and Koga being the slowest. Annabelle, who¡¯d lost all of her team could only impotently glare at Mewtwo. I glanced behind me and through the red energy of my team fading into their pokeballs to see that Team aqua was doing the same. The men and women of their little expedition clustered up quickly with their eyes locked on the still hovering cloneballs. Two sharp blarts jolted me from my inspections. I blinked before realising that the sharp tone was that of the pokeball alerting me that a pokemon, or in this case, two pokemon hadn¡¯t returned to their pokeballs. Don¡¯s pokeball making that noise made sense which left¡­ I instinctively looked around only to pause as I caught sight of Empress. Fuck. Empress who was standing tall and looking murderous as her gaze stayed locked squarely on Mewtwo. ¡°Empress¡­¡± I started to say only for her to turn furious eyes upon me. ¡°Tar!¡± she snapped and I grimaced. Oh, all the foes that I wanted her to stand down for, Mewtwo¡­ just wasn¡¯t ever a foe she could back down for. He¡¯d cost her too much. I sucked in a breath and turned my attention to Mewtwo. ¡°Mewtwo! I¡¯m sorry to say this but¡­ Empress, the Tyranitar you see still out? She has a history with you and wants to say something!¡± Mewtwo blinked slowly. ¡°A tyranitar?¡± he locked eyes with Empress and she snarled. ¡°Ah, yes, I remember you, from the incident in the human skyscraper in Saffron, and again at the airport. You were¡­ quite impressive with your power,¡± Mewtwo said, his tails swishing behind him as he considered Empress. Empress took a single step forward and snarled something, her claws stabbing towards Mewtwo¡¯s heart. Mewtwo blinked. ¡°The mountains? With the firebird?¡± he said, tilting his head for a moment. ¡°Ah, you speak of Moltres.¡± He waved his hand and turned his head away from her. ¡°That was not my doing, I was acting for another and knew no better at the time.¡± he said dismissively. I winced and Empress obviously saw red at being brushed off. She roared her rage at him clutching her claws close to herself and I think I saw tears in her eyes. I reached out with my aura to the fragile bond I shared with her, not to placate her. I knew she wouldn¡¯t calm down. Mewtwo, for better or worse, had been an instrument of her greatest loss. I felt her turmoil, the grief coalescing into hatred the more she stared at Mewtwo. I raised my eyes to Mewtwo as he looked down upon us. ¡°Mewtwo, your actions, while they might not have been entirely yours, were still acts committed by you. To ignore them is disingenuous,¡± I said, walking up to Empress side and putting my hand on her flank to show I was supporting her. This wasn¡¯t the smart thing to do in this instance. In fact it was one of the worst things I could do. If I really tried I might, might, be able to get her back into her ball. I knew such a plan had as much chance as a cheeky Snorunt in a Charizard den. Around me, I could outright feel the looks of shock and exasperation directed at me as I basically announced my intent. ¡°Brock! Now is not the time to¡ª¡± Agatha hissed at me. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Agatha, I can no more stop this than I can command the winds to stop blowing,¡± I said without turning my gaze away from Mewtwo as he flicked his tail in agitation. A Cloneball rose and I narrowed my eyes while Empress snarled. ¡°Don¡¯t run from this!¡± I shouted up at Mewtwo. The Cloneball paused. I grit my teeth and kept talking. ¡°While this isn¡¯t the best option or in any way a good solution it¡¯s the only way to fix a wrong of the past! Empress has a grievance with you due to your part in the destruction of her nest! You were a victim of a poor master then, but it doesn¡¯t completely excuse you!¡± I shouted, making my voice heard and in a way acting as Empress¡¯ mouthpiece. Empress snorted and nodded, letting me know I¡¯d hit the nail on the head. Mewtwo lashed his tail once and snorted. ¡°While I am not willing to admit culpability I will hear you out. What do you propose?¡± Empress didn¡¯t hesitate to step forward, her teeth gnashing together. It was clear to all that she intended to fight Mewtwo. I kept my hand on her. ¡°Empress¡­¡± she didn¡¯t look at me but I knew she heard me with how the small muscles in her skull twitched. I licked my lips and thought about what I could say. ¡°Do you want me to bring out the others to help?¡± I said. Empress stilled. Everyone that had heard my offer sucked in a shocked breath. Agatha was the first to reprimand me. ¡°Brock don¡¯t be a fool!¡± Karen was quick to follow her. ¡°Fucking nutcase Brock! Just let the psycho pokemon fight if she wants it that bad!¡± Koga merely stared intently at me. The Team Aqua grunts remained quiet, watching as silent and unwelcome spectators to this sudden drama. I flicked my eyes to Sabrina, and caught her tight, worried little nod. She didn¡¯t like it, but she understood and wouldn¡¯t stand in my way. Empress shifted and looked at me, for the first time in a while her emotions shifted away from rage. She locked eyes with me and shook her head. ¡°Ty.. ranitar,¡± she said with a growl before leaning down and nudging me with her head pushing me away from her. She then turned back, her emotions spiking as she locked eyes with her hated foe. Mewtwo scoffed. ¡°I see, very well,¡± he said, lowering himself to the ground. Through happenstance or fate, I wasn¡¯t sure what to think, they were almost a perfect pokefield apart from each other. I took another step back and swallowed down my worry/relief/fear all of which warred with each other in my stomach. Empress stalked forward, claws flexing. Mewtwo held his ground attention locked on Empress. I heard a scuffle and the squeak of movement behind me only for a shout to sound out. I didn¡¯t turn my head to find out what was going on, I was too invested in this fight. Empress continued to stalk forward, her tail grating along the metal floors and raising an unholy shriek of metal as she dug it into the ground. Once more Mewtwo didn¡¯t move. I narrowed my eyes as a glint appeared about Empress¡¯s form. Ah, she wasn¡¯t just letting her rage control her. I felt at the link and found her emotions to be tightly controlled. Tightly controlled and calculative. She was, in a way, beyond rage. She wanted to hurt Mewtwo, but she knew she had to be smart about it. For the first time in my life I caught a glimpse as to why Empress, before any other pokemon. Had held the mountain top closest to Mt Silver where only the strongest could exist. It wasn¡¯t just that she was strong, but also smart. With each step she took she built up her defences. Sadly I knew she would have to raise her Special defence for a fight against Mewtwo. I tried to nudge her in that direction with our bond only for her to pause and shot me an affronted look. Right, she didn¡¯t even want me subtly coaching her. I sighed and grimaced. Sabrina floated over and took my hand in hers. Empress continued forward, but this time her energy was shifting in a different manner. She locked eyes with Mewtwo and loosened a Snarl. As she did so, spikes of Dark energy blasted out of her. Mewtwo responded by raising a Light Screen in front of himself that the spikes hammered into and began to pierce resulting in him dodging to the side. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance only to find Empress lunging at him with her fangs bared. Mewtwo¡¯s hand shot forward and for a heartbeat I hoped that his lack of visible Miracle eye would hamper him. Sadly it didn¡¯t, and pink psychic energy snared Empress in place before she began to be pushed back. She snarled again, causing dark energy to tear through her binds and lance towards Mewtwo but once more he was up to the task of dodging her attack with a deft float up and to the side before drifting around her. Empress turned her head, watching as he orbited her. ¡°Is this what you desired?¡± he asked. Empress growled at him, her fangs bared. Mewtwo merely observed her before shaking his head. ¡°I cannot understand your feelings, nor your attempts at some farcical attempt at revenge. I was not aware of my actions back then. I will not have that man¡¯s acts held against me!¡± Empress roared at this and I shook my head. Mewtwo wasn¡¯t equipped to understand the pain of loss, especially not on the level Empress experienced. Still, I held out hope that by fighting her, he would glimpse and understand a fraction of her emotions. A squeaking and slapping noise made me frown and Mewtwo twitch. He flicked a hand to the side. ¡°This¡­ sideshow is a waste of my time,¡± he announced cupping his hands and forming a ball, unlike others that I had seen, was orange-brown in colouration. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I recognised what that was. That was an Aura Sphere! Empress opened her mouth and countered with a Hyper Beam. Both attacks slammed into the other causing a detonation in the space between them and for smoke and dust to obscure Mewtwo. For a moment I held out hope as Empress poured on the power. Only for Mewtwo to shift to the side, appearing with his hands cupped once more at Empress¡¯ side. Empress swept her beam around and I found myself levitated out of the path of the energy beam. Others hurled themselves to the ground. She wasn¡¯t quick enough though as once again Metwo unleashed an Aura Sphere and this time the attack slammed home into her flank causing her to buckle around the super effective attack. Empress was launched away and slammed into the wall. Mewtwo shook himself slightly and sniffed. He glanced up at me. ¡°Your Tyranitar is poorly trained.¡± I clenched my jaw and felt a spike of hate run through me. How dare he dismiss Empress and her issues like that. When I spoke, I did so by grounding the words out. ¡°She isn¡¯t poorly trained, you just don¡¯t understand her,¡± I said. I flicked my eyes to where she¡¯d been launched and smirked as she emerged at a full tilt sprint, energy forming around her. Mewtwo whipped around, shocked that his attack hadn¡¯t put her down. She pounced on him with Giga Impact and I grinned. She really had been picking up some tricks from training with us and watching the others. Mewtwo clenched his fist and a Protect snapped around him, making me grimace as the sneak Giga Impact failed to do anything. Damn but Mewtwo was fast with his moves. Instead of being repelled from the Protect, Empress continued to grind her face against it, urging the Protect to break and I was shocked when a sound like glass cracking echoed out about the room. Mewtwo as well seemed stunned, but it lasted only for a moment as he shifted, standing up instead of crouching down. He once more formed an Aura sphere right as he dismissed his Protect. Empress strode in, claw swinging only to once more get blasted away. She skipped across the battlefield and I reached for Titan¡¯s greatball, agreement be damned. Empress stabbed her claws into the metal and slowed herself down. She looked up and for the second time in the fight, I felt her attention shift to me. She shook her head slightly and admonished me, like a child that was doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. I flexed my fingers on the ball, hating that she was being this expressive with me now of all times. I stared into her eyes and let go of Titan¡¯s ball. She nodded and turned her attention back to Mewtwo. She stood, slowly, blood trickling down her mouth. He stared at her. ¡°You should stay down, this is killing you,¡± he said, his head cocked to the side. I grimaced, knowing that he was right. She was ignoring the urge to pass out and making this a fight of life and death. She warbled something that I couldn¡¯t understand. I didn¡¯t know what had been said. I glanced at Sabrina, hoping for a translation. Sadly Sabrina looked equally as lost. Mewtwo seemed to understand as he tilted his head only to shake it. ¡°No, I can¡¯t say I do,¡± he said. Empress said something else only for Mewtwo to scoff once more and race to her side where he slammed a third Aura Sphere into her head. She rocked back only to take a hard step. She didn¡¯t take another step back. Mewtwo hovered only to tilt his head as more blood poured from her mouth. Ah, she¡¯d succumbed and been knocked out due to the damage she¡¯d sustained. Part of me felt relief at this but another feared just how injured she would be. ¡°You won,¡± I said, my voice echoing hollowly. In a way, I knew this had always been the outcome that would occur. Mewtwo was too strong, too fast, too smart to be faced by a single pokemon alone. Not even a Pseudo Legendary of Empress¡¯ strength could do more than close the gap. Mewtwo considered me. ¡°So I have,¡± he said, nodding slowly. ¡°So I have.¡± After a moment¡¯s consideration, he waved a hand. The cloneball that had been threatening her shot in and I blanched. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not what we agreed on!¡± I shouted, snatching up a piece of metal and hurling it at the ball. The ball was knocked aside but righted itself to slam into Empress¡¯ side, taking her away. Sabrina¡¯s hand shot out and caught me as Mewtwo rounded on me. ¡°I agreed to you returning your pokemon! You did not! Now! As the victor I decide what happens to her!¡± he snapped, his tail once more lashing out behind him. He then shifted his gaze. ¡°And stop attempting to run!¡± he snapped, flicking out his hand. I turned my head and spotted a trio of Team Aqua grunts being dragged back to their group. Their boots squeaked on the ground. Ah, that was what had been going on behind me during the fight. Mewtwo shook his head and looked back at me. ¡°We had no agreement.. But I will see her cared for,¡± he said. Then he looked around. ¡°With that¡­ sideshow handled now, I think it is now time that we talked.¡± I worked my jaw, hating that Mewtwo was right. Sabrina squeezed my hand. ¡°We¡¯ll get her, Don and the other pokemon back Brock.¡± I nodded and exhaled, my eyes locked on Mewtwo. I followed the others over to a still mostly intact set of tables and chairs, annoyed at how things were playing out. This, this was really turning into a day where I wished I hadn¡¯t gotten out of bed. Still, it was now Mewtwo¡¯s show, and if he wanted to talk, all the better. But there was no way in Giratina¡¯s realm I was leaving this island without my pokemon. Chapter 209 - Diplomacy To say that the room was more nervous than a Persian in a room full of rocking chairs would be underselling it. I couldn¡¯t imagine a more tense situation. I certainly hadn¡¯t helped things by allowing Empress to fight Mewtwo but I wasn¡¯t trying to fool myself. That fight was going to happen, with or without my blessing. As it was she¡¯d¡­ given it a good fight, sadly that had resulted in consequences for me. Mewtwo floated towards a long table with chairs that were fused to the ground. They reminded me somewhat of egg holders with their shape, but the large sloping back support made them feel more like chairs you¡¯d find on some alien mothership. No one moved to follow Mewtwo. There was a tense standoff taking place between us and Team Aqua. Honestly, it would have been weirder if we¡¯d all moved to sit down and forgotten the last few minutes of attempting to destroy each other. Koga cleared his throat. ¡°Mewtwo, you say you wish to talk, some of us¡­ have injuries that require tending to. I fear I cannot sit idly while they deteriorate.¡± The Aqua commander straightened at this. ¡°I too have many injured,¡± he said, shooting us a glower. I felt the ghost of a smirk play out over my lips. Part of me wanted to say that if they couldn¡¯t handle the heat they really shouldn¡¯t enter the kitchen, but I didn¡¯t. I was too busy fretting over what Mewtwo was doing with Don and Empress. ¡­ Unlike the others, I had a potentially viable idea. It all came down to if the cloning machines were actually operational or merely a gimmick from the Pokemon movies. If Mewtwo needed backup at all, I suspected we¡¯d find out. Then again, his clone balls managed us rather well as it was. Mewtwo rotated in the air and considered the injured. Annabelle glowered up at him weakly while some of the Aqua grunts looked like they were merely hanging in while their fellows saw to them. Mewtwo hummed. ¡°You may withdraw your injured along with one other for each injured person you have,¡± he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. I held in a hiss. I could already see an issue with that, at least from our standpoint. Team Aqua had been ambushed and we¡¯d basically had them on the ropes, now they were going to, mostly, be able to slink away and lick their wounds. I caught the flash of relief on the Commander¡¯s face as he bowed his head in an attempt to hide his smirk. ¡°Thank you for your wise actions,¡± he simpered. ¡°Might I suggest you detain¡ª¡± Mewtwo held up a bulbous finger and a pink glow appeared around the Commander silencing him as he was levitated up and towards Mewtwo. When they were of a level Mewtwo spoke. ¡°I am aware of what you are and who you represent. Do not mistake my mercy for weakness, or naivety. I know the depravities mankind can cause,¡± he said firmly. The commander swallowed. ¡°I¡­ see,¡± he said. Mewtwo lowered the man to the floor and the Commander barked orders to have the injured taken away. One of the Grunts spoke up. ¡°What of the injured pokemon sir?¡± The commander shot Mewtwo a fearful look. ¡°We¡­ we will see how negotiations proceed. For now take the injured and depart. Tell Commodore Amber what we¡¯ve encountered on this island,¡± he said as his eyes darted from us to Mewtwo. I clenched my teeth and looked to Sabrina, who was our best chance of getting Mewtwo to understand our point of view. She shook her head minutely and I had to repress the urge to sigh as Annabelle was lifted up and escorted away by Tiffany. The young channeller shot Agatha a look only for the older woman to wave her off with a nod. Reports would also be spread around for our group and a potential recuse might start to be set up. I worked my jaw. If I was being realistic, more people entering Mewtwo¡¯s domain while he had the clone balls up might just be a terrible decision. It would be like feeding a Snorlax. Mewtwo would only become a bigger threat with access to more pokemon. Mewtwo waved his hand. ¡°I will not ask again.¡± Some of the Team Aqua grunts that had been trying to edge towards the exit with the injured were suddenly yanked towards the table and chairs. Mewtwo¡¯s tail lashed behind him. ¡°Sit, and we shall talk,¡± he commanded while himself remained hovering in the air at the head of the table. I shared a look with the other Guardians and we nodded. I swallowed down the bitter feeling and followed Agatha and Koga as they led us to our side of the table. Sabrina squeezed my hand and nudged me into a position next to Agatha while Sabrina took the seat to my right. Agatha shot me a look that spoke volumes about how I was to sit down and keep my mouth shut. Apparently, she thought I¡¯d done enough and I¡­ couldn¡¯t find it within myself to refute her. I¡¯d been expecting Mewtwo to¡­ what? Respect or recognise Empress¡¯ spirit? Or her anguish? Mewtwo didn¡¯t have the reference for that, not unless Sabrina¡ª who had an extremely atypical childhood¡ª was able to convey the importance of motherhood. Sabrina was many things but she wouldn¡¯t have been able to convey that to Mewtwo with their last exchange. We approached the alien-like chairs and I sat. My knee bounced and I swept my gaze up and down the table to find that there weren¡¯t enough seats for us, on our side or for Team Aqua on their side, resulting in some people standing behind others. On our side, Koga, Agatha, myself, Sabrina and Karen filled out the Guardians. For Team Aqua, there were a few men and women wearing some form of sailing outfit while the commander took pride of place with a large coat draped over his shoulders. I shifted in my seat. They really weren¡¯t the most comfortable of chairs. Then again that might be because I was sitting on the edge and not laying back in them like others. Mewtwo didn¡¯t deign to sit with us. Instead, he kept hovering at the head of the table. His gaze slowly swept over each and every one of us. Karen and Agatha narrowed their eyes and bristled. Heh, it was just like being called into a principal¡¯s office after getting in a¡­ I narrowed my eyes at Mewtwo and considered him. This¡­ wasn¡¯t what I would have expected from Mewtwo. His actions were very¡­ human. If another pokemon had found a group ¡ªpokemon or people¡ª they would attack and drive them out. And New Island was in effect, Mewtwo¡¯s den, or home perhaps. Mewtwo after all was extremely human-like in his mannerisms. Even the closest comparison, of Alakazam or Gardevoirs as social psychic pokemon usually lived in the wild with a cluster of an extended family group of their fellows. Was it that Mewtwo was a Legendary pokemon? Or that he was all alone? ¡°So, I have returned to my home and found you¡­¡± he paused as his tail lashed about him and his fists clenched. ¡°Humans, fighting within my halls.¡± His tail continued to lash. ¡°Why should I not simply crush you all for this trespass?¡± he said, lifting his chin. One of the grunts scoffed and whispered. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for them freaky black pokeballs we¡¯d wreck this stuck-up Psychic.¡± His words, in another setting might have gone unnoticed. With the architecture, and the lack of anyone actually talking, his words reached everyone¡¯s ears. The young grunt then made the mistake of stiffening as the realisation of what they¡¯d done set in. If you hadn¡¯t been able to pick her out before, you could now. Mewtwo flicked his hand and the woman rose into the air only to be launched out an open window. She screamed the entire way out. Sabrina pursed her lips and tracked the woman. ¡°She will impact the water near the main Aqua vessel,¡± she announced. Mewtwo shot her an annoyed look but Sabrina merely met it cooly, not at all bothered by the heat of his gaze. She¡¯d faced stronger after all. Sabrina instead chose to take the thread of conversation and address the Donphan in the room. ¡°Our group was aware of your claim to this island and we were also aware of Team Aqua¡¯s approach. Our hope was to limit any destruction they might cause¡ª¡± ¡°We hadn¡¯t taken any aggressive actions!¡± interrupted the commander with a raised finger. ¡°We were merely exploring this island before we were assaulted by them!¡± Agatha scoffed. ¡°Terrorists and military groups like Team Aqua shouldn¡¯t attempt to hide behind such transparent truths,¡± she said. ¡°You have been mapping out the Orange islands and preparing for a strike on Kanto! You have no other reason to be here! Your organisation is criminal and a threat to our way of life!¡± Agatha refuted. ¡°Bold words from a group that happens to have some of Kanto¡¯s strongest! Are you claiming to not be a military group as well?¡± sneered the Commander. I flicked my gaze back up to Mewtwo, who was watching on with a neutral expression. Agatha and the Commander glared at each other while Sabrina stayed focused on Mewtwo. I felt something ripple past me that set my skin tingling. I flicked a glance towards Sabrina and found her eyes glowing. Mewtwo paused in his tail lashing and his eyes drifted towards Sabrina. Hmmm, I suppose that¡¯s one way to make yourself heard over the rabble. Simply talk in a manner they can¡¯t interrupt. ¡°¡ªconcerned citizens!¡± snapped Agatha, her shadow roiling despite Gengar not being even in it. I eyed it thoughtfully before flicking my gaze towards the white-faced Team Aqua Commander who was looking at Mewtwo like he wanted Mewtwo to step in. What was he expecting? Mewtwo to call a foul or something? Mewtwo, for his part, scoffed. ¡°I see, so that is your version of events,¡± he said aloud and everyone paused. They then tracked Mewtwo¡¯s gaze to Sabrina. Everyone but myself and Koga who continued to watch Team Aqua. I noted that Koga was reclined in his chair with one leg curled up. If you didn¡¯t know Koga well you¡¯d think him like a lazing Snorlax. The thing about Snorlax¡¯s is they can strike extremely quickly when they want to. It takes a lot of people by surprise how quickly the lumbering giants can go from placid to extreme violence when threatened. His eyes were shaded due to the angle he had his head resting at, so he could be tracking anyone on Team Aqua¡¯s side. It was impressive how he¡¯d judged the angles of the room and adjusted his position to adapt. Then again, Koga had a number of skills that took you by surprise despite knowing he was a ninja, so it really shouldn¡¯t be that surprising. Team Aqua stiffened as they realised what had happened. The Commander stood, turning to Mewtwo. ¡°Sir Mewtwo! I swear we were merely investigating this island! We are just an exploratory force.¡± ¡°That is part of a greater military force,¡± Mewtwo added on pointedly. Mewtwo lowered himself for the first time since his fight with Empress, to meet the commander¡¯s gaze. ¡°I will make this clear,¡± he said, his words echoing out and filling everyone¡¯s mind. I winced at the projected force and flooded my mind with dark energy to mute the feeling. His next words while still powerful didn¡¯t hurt as he pushed them upon us. ¡°I do not care for the incidents of humans! I have had enough of being a part of such things. You, and any others will leave me alone,¡± he said, slowly rotating to glare at us Guardians. Karen snarled. ¡°Is that the thanks we get for protecting you from this bunch of Carvannagh?¡± she snapped. Mewtwo jutted his chin. ¡°I did not ask, and I did not need it! You humans are the ones who arbitrarily decided to insert yourselves! Now I am drawing a line. You will not intrude upon my island again! Is that clear?¡± he said. The difference from Mewtwo here and now and to the Mewtwo I¡¯d been expecting to encounter based off the movies was like night and day. Drawing a line? What was his plan? Silence met his demands and he narrowed his eyes. I felt the same psychic energy pass me by as Sabrina attempted to talk to Mewtwo, or calm him down. Mewtwo¡¯s gaze snapped to hers and something flashed in his eyes. When Sabrina flinched I clenched my fist. I was about to rise up out of my seat only for the situation to assert itself to me once more. I remained seated, annoyed at my inability to do anything. Mewtwo turned his full gaze upon Team Aqua. ¡°You have learned what is here and now you will follow my commands, or I will seek you out and destroy you and any of your followers.¡± Mewtwo clenched his fist and around the room debris from our battle rose up with psychic energy. I likened it to another pokemon¡¯s threat display. I had to admit to being impressed with the sheer scale of items and their collective mass being raised up casually. ¡°You will do this, or I will destroy you!¡± Mewtwo said, making sure that the consequences of crossing the line was well known. I worked my jaw, annoyed that we were being lumped together with Team Aqua of all people in Mewtwo¡¯s mind. He turned to our group. ¡°The same is true for you,¡± he said hotly. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I bared my teeth. ¡°Really? After how we helped you and all you¡¯ve done to us in the past¡ª¡± ¡°I will not have those situations held against me!¡± Mewtwo snarled and I felt Psychic energy build up around me. In response, I flexed my dark energy. Just like Empress had shown him, I would show that while weaker, I had teeth. I met his gaze and for a moment I recalled the time he¡¯d grabbed me by the neck. My pulse began to race even as my mouth continued to work. ¡°Consider the situation at least! You might not have been in complete control of yourself but you can¡¯t ignore that you were part of it.¡± ¡°Brock,¡± Sabrina said, laying a hand on me to calm me down. I didn¡¯t pull my arm away from her despite wanting to. I didn¡¯t stop glaring at Mewtwo. Mewtwo¡¯s tail lashed about again and I heard some fixtures within the room screeched and grind as Mewtwo tore them from the walls or floors. I continued to stare up at him. Sabrina squeezed my hand. ¡°Brock, you¡¯re letting your fear for Don and Empress cloud your thoughts right now and lashing out. Mewtwo was the victim,¡± she whispered to me. ¡°Mewtwo might have been the victim, but he shows no remorse for what he did and refuses to acknowledge the damage done.¡± ¡°That is still victim blaming, he didn¡¯t know better back then,¡± Sabrina said, urging me with what I knew to be a morally correct argument. I was victim blaming. I couldn¡¯t say I¡¯d ever encountered someone as heavily restricted, or even raised into criminal actions quite like Mewtwo, but it still rubbed me the wrong way to know how much damage he¡¯d done only for him to deny any part in it. Is that what I wanted though? Remorse? Or perhaps it was the lack of empathy on his part that stuck in my craw. I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted, but I wanted something. I clenched my jaw and held back from saying anything else. I¡¯d done enough to muddy the waters to a reasonable outcome already with my words and Empress¡¯ fight. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to regret saying what I¡¯d said or allowing Empress to fight. They had needed to occur, now I just needed to find a way forward. I swallowed and inhaled before slowly exhaling, showing that I was making an effort to calm myself. Sabrina squeezed my hand again in thanks and directed her gaze back to Mewtwo. Once more her eyes glowed and once more she made contact. Mewtwo didn¡¯t rebuff her this time and Mewtwo remained quiet for a time. Around us, the others, barring Koga, shifted in agitation gazes flicking between Sabrina and Mewtwo. Eventually, Mewtwo jerked his head and scoffed. ¡°I will hold to my initial demands,¡± he said firmly. ¡°You will all leave my island,¡± he said. The commander nodded and stood. ¡°Very well, we shall depart.¡± He bowed with a smarmy smile towards Mewtwo before turning and smirking at us. ¡°We shall be in touch,¡± he said and I turned my glower upon him with the rest of the Guardians. Notably, a few of the Grunts remained in their places. ¡°Sir¡­ what about our pokemon?¡± they asked nervously. I raised an eyebrow at the dichotomy on display with the people who hadn¡¯t cared and the people who had. The Commander stiffened and scowled at them like they were an annoyance instead of people raising a serious issue. The Commander turned back to Mewtwo with all of his group watching him. ¡°Sir Mewtwo, may we have our pokemon returned to us?¡± A quip about them most likely not being their pokemon emerged on my lips before I stifled it. They weren¡¯t Team Rocket for all that they were a criminal organisation. I might want to deny them their pokemon but that might result in our own pokemon being taken from us. And there was no way I was leaving here with my pokemon. An equally firm expression appeared on Koga, Katarina and the other¡¯s faces. All of them had lost one or two pokemon each. Annabelle had lost her entire team. Everyone held their breath. Mewtwo was within his rights to demand we leave having set himself up on this island, but if he wanted to detain our pokemon we were going to come to blows. Mewtwo tilted his head and for a moment I thought I saw a glint of something cruel enter his eyes. Then the moment was gone and he nodded his head leaving me to wonder if I hadn¡¯t just imagined it. ¡°Your pokemon shall be returned to you,¡± he announced grandly. He snapped his fingers and from the staircase leading down a torrent of clone balls rose. Several appeared before each Team Aqua member while only a handful appeared on our side. The two clone balls in front of me warbled for a moment and Mewtwo gestured at them. ¡°I suggest you return your pokemon if they were already not bound within their pokeballs,¡± he said. I raised up Don and Empress¡¯ Greatball and Luxury ball respectively. When the cloneballs released them I didn¡¯t wait for them to gather their bearings, I simply returned them. They¡¯d be confused later on but it was better they have murky recollection. Don was just as likely to become aggressive and there was no way I could get away with another battle with Mewtwo. Not that I rated Don¡¯s chances alone. I rolled the balls around in my hand after I shrank them. We¡¯d only been talking for a few minutes. ¡­ Had that been long enough for Mewtwo to clone them? I glanced towards the staircase leading down. If he had the capacity¡­ or rather the facilities to do it, it would be down there. It was probably best I assume he had the capacity to perform such feats. Meaning he now had many powerful pokemon at his beck and call. If anyone tried to pressure him they were in for a shock. ¡°You may depart now,¡± said Mewtwo to us and the Team Aqua group closed up on each other and made for the exit with only a few glances shot our way. I caught a few mutters and whispered comments as they departed. ¡°We have our pokemon back, do we want to try them? We know to avoid the blackballs this time!¡± whispered one idiotic Team Aqua woman. ¡°No!¡± snapped the Commander. ¡°Just make a note of who was here for their group. We need to report that Kanto has another Legendar¡ª¡± ¡°Brock, Sabrina, time to go,¡± said Agatha. I blinked, realising I was one of the only people still seated. Sabrina was standing but her eyes glowed once more. Mewtwo and her stared at each other and I had never quite wanted to be gifted psychically as in that moment. Oh to be able to listen in on that conversation. Then again it was probably a lot of intuition and information. True Psychic conversation afterall didn¡¯t rely on merely words but impressions, emotions and attached thoughts. Or at least that had been the one time I¡¯d had a much younger Sabrina attempt it with me lowering whatever Dark energy shield I had around me. Mewtwo twitched and Sabrina nodded, turning away. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said, agreeing with Agatha. Agatha for her part eyed her uncertainly. I suppose she didn¡¯t really know what to say right now. I didn¡¯t expect that to last very long. Sabrina surprised us all when she released her Alakazam, Hypno, and Xatu. ¡°Let¡¯s depart, Annabelle will need us to catch up to her to get her to a doctor,¡± she said, indicating the six pokeballs that Karen had claimed for her friend. Karen nodded and started to open her mouth only for a blinding flash to take us all by surprise. I blinked when I appeared within the Fuchsia Gym¡¯s garden. A rustle of leaves instantly swept through the garden as though a wind had rushed through the place but I knew it to be ninja reacting to our sudden presence. A quicker inspection of our group revealed that Sabrina was missing. I glanced around double checking for her. I caught sight of Koga making a hand sign that had the rustling leaves dying off. Sabrina was noticeably missing, had she stayed behind to talk with Mewtwo? A second later Janine appeared before Koga. Her eyes swept over her father¡¯s form. ¡°You have returned¡­ where is¡ª¡± she started to say only for another flash to sweep through the gardens. I blinked and relaxed when I caught sight of Sabrina. She nodded to Koga. ¡°I caught up to Annabelle and Tiffany; they are now at the Fuchsia hospital.¡± Karen relaxed. ¡°Good, I... better go check on them,¡± she said with what sounded like worry in her voice. I flicked a glance around. ¡°So, that was¡­ eventful,¡± I summarised. Agatha snorted. ¡°You are a master of understating things Brock,¡± she said, eying me. ¡°What possessed you to allow your pokemon to fight Mewtwo!?¡± she snapped. Her cane lanced out but I wasn¡¯t about to let her bully me, even half-heartedly. I caught the cane and locked gazes with her. I flexed my hand and the cane groaned a little as I gave a small warning that she would lose her cane if she pushed her luck. She drew the cane back and I allowed it to go. Tensions were obviously high and I took a moment to breath in. ¡°That¡­¡± I said carefully, thinking my words over before I spoke. ¡°That was a situation where my pokemon wouldn¡¯t back down even if I¡¯d ordered her to,¡± I said. Agatha¡¯s jaw worked before she nodded, accepting my response. It didn¡¯t stop her voicing her thoughts. ¡°You need to work on her more, that was a delicate situation as it was and I think it could have spiralled out of control with that¡­ demonstration,¡± she said. I grunted, not really feeling up for commenting on what had gone down. It was true even if I couldn¡¯t see a situation where Empress wouldn¡¯t throw down against one of the parties in charge of the destruction of her nest. She wasn¡¯t the only one I needed to work on. Don¡¯s attitude had cost him. I¡¯d let that go on for too long, I needed to curb his antics. Instead off doing anything with my pokemon however, I turned my attention to Sabrina. I raised an eyebrow quesitoningly and she sighed. The others joined me at gazing at our resident Psychic specialist. ¡°I was able to make contact with Mewtwo somewhat. He is still extremely cagey about interactions with humans. Rightfully so considering his past,¡± She said, earning a nod. ¡°Overall I¡¯d say that was handled¡­ in as good a manner as can be expected,¡± she said. I snorted and was about to disagree when Sabrina shot me a look. ¡°You¡¯ weren¡¯t going to be objective with Don and Empress on the line.¡± I grimaced and looked away. Surprisingly my eyes landed on Koga who looked like he was offering me a look of commiseraiton. Ah, right, he¡¯d also had Charizard taken, hadn¡¯t he? We shared a nod befoer looking back to Sabrina. She shot me an apologetic look. ¡°He also didn¡¯t react well to you reminding him of his time spent under Giovanni and Team Rocket.¡± Agatha shot me another look and the hand holding her cane twitched but I shot her a glare. If she tried that again tonight I was breaking that damn cane. In fact, no, if she tried it ever again with me I¡¯d break it, I vowed to myself. Agatha restrained herself as I gave Sabrina¡¯s words some consideration. I could only nod my head and sigh. ¡°Yeah I know he was raised and¡­ conditioned to do what they asked him but¡­ I don¡¯t know, I guess I just wanted some empathy, but that¡¯s not something possible for him right now.¡± Janine fidgeted. ¡°Why is that?¡± she asked innocently. Sabrina sighed. ¡°Mewtwo is incredibly smart, but¡­ he lacks much life experience. He has been taken advantage of in the past so that makes it harder for him to interact in a positive setting with humanity.¡± she smiled woodenly at me. ¡°He was not raised either so much as created. Team Rocket have encoded numerous obedience orders into his very flesh.¡± I grimaced and nodded feeling a twinge of pity for him. Urgh, I wish this could be more straightforward. If Mewtwo had been like his movie counterpart this might have been easier but instead he was a pokemon that was still finding his feet. ¡°Also, as a Legendary there will be people that will still attempt to capture him,. By drawing a line in the sand he will stave off some of these,¡± Sabrina said. I nodded, knowing Sabrina¡¯s words were bang on the mark. After all, hadn¡¯t there been that one adaptation of pokemon where the main character made it their goal? If people like Tobias had access to a Darkrai and Latios in the cartoons then surely it was possible. Even if such an idea was terrible. Sabrina coughed to nudge my wandering attention back to her before she continued her explanation, ¡°Mewtwo is quite lacking in¡­ emotional understanding and awareness. This makes him come across as extremely blunt. He is trying to raise walls as he feels threatened due to what happened.¡± Sabrina licked her lips and her eyes darted away from me. I knew I wasn¡¯t going to like what she said next. ¡°I have offered to act as a¡­ guide for him to learn and experience more of the positives that life has.¡± For some reason she looked at me with a fond smile when she said this. I stiffened alongside the others. I¡¯d been right. I really didn¡¯t like the idea of Sabrina having Mewtwo simply drop in. I grimaced after a moment¡¯s thought as I realised that Sabrina was in a way ¡®paying it forward¡¯ like I¡¯d once done with her when she was a child. Koga and Agatha both spoke up at once. ¡°That is entirely too risky to do alone!¡± ¡°You foolish girl, a Legendary pokemon is not to be underestimated!¡± Sabrina stood tall. ¡°I know that, and I know there are risks. I don¡¯t have to do it alone, and I will be careful, but giving Mewtwo more reasons to dislike us is not the way forward. Mewtwo can be reasoned with and shown a better way.¡± Sabrina looked to me for support and I swallowed my misgivings. ¡°I think¡­ out of all of us,¡± I said carefully. ¡°Sabrina¡¯s probably the one with the best shot. Who knows?¡± I said with a laugh, ¡°He might just like her enough to help out when we¡¯re in a pinch,¡± I said. If Spenser, a man from the Kingdom of Rota, and Brandon could work with Legendary pokemon, I didn¡¯t see any reason why Sabrina couldn¡¯t work with Mewtwo. I chuckled at the blank expressions I¡¯d gotten from my comment while Sabrina just shook her head with a faint smile. Agatha sighed, ¡°We will need to do a debrief before we depart,¡± she said, her wrist turning over before she grimaced. ¡°It is very early in the morning so let us get this done. We will need to consider what to do about Team Aqua going forward, as they will be aware that we know of them. They also now have faces and names, so see to your own home¡¯s defences,¡± she said. Koga shot her a look that she ignored as the trees rustled. It was probably redundant advice for someone like Koga even with Fuchsia being one of the potential targets that a naval based military could access easily. ¡°Team Aqua will most like dive deep into the ocean to evade any further detection. This is a standard MO for them. With their presence known they will be more careful. Their previous base will also likely vanish in the coming days,¡± Koga said with a sigh. Agatha waved her hands and a few ninja appeared with tablets for us to do up brief reports. I typed mine up quickly along with some observations. When I finished I spent a minute weighing up the benefits of mentioning my fears about Mewtwo possessing an army of pokemon cloned from those he abducted from today. I felt it was a bit of a stretch, but I did decide to lay out some logic with regards to it as a ¡®potential threat¡¯. If the others wanted to question me I wouldn¡¯t be able to back it up, but I could at least bring the possibility to their attention. When I was done Sabrina and I shared a look before we teleported back home. We reappeared in my room only to find Billy curled up in my bed. The flash of the Teleport was enough to have him sitting up and blinking blearily. I leaned down and rubbed his head, a small idea of why he was here forming in my head. ¡°Hey buddy, sorry we missed you, there was an emergency, what¡¯s got you in my bed?¡± I asked. He smacked his lips. ¡°The bed is wet,¡± he said before laying back down. I sighed and nodded my head. ¡°Yeah, of course that makes sense,¡± I said, moving to change out his mattress before it got ruined. Sabrina stopped me with a raised hand. Her eyes glowed and a few seconds later she nodded at me. ¡°I changed his bed. He can stay with us tonight if he wants?¡± she said. She then telekinetically raised our pokeballs and made them vanish. ¡°They need to rest,¡± she said. I gave her a thankful smile. I hadn¡¯t been looking forward to trudging down to deposit them with Chansey. As it was she was probably going to get a bit of a rude shock with Empress being so wiped out. That made me pause. I couldn¡¯t have her running off in the morning when she recovered¡­ if she recovered that is. I moved over to the computer earning a frown from Sabrina and a grumble from Billy as the light invaded on the dark room. I clicked through some security features before coming up on the medical bay. When it showed the various berths with pokebalsl within them I clicked on Empress¡¯ Greatbal land locked it down, signalling for the machine to induce a medical coma. That would stop her running off along with making sure she was fully healed. I¡¯d have to talk with her in the morning. I sighed and shut the computer down, deciding that could be future Brock¡¯s problem. I nudged Billy back into bed and made sure he was on my side of the bed so he wouldn¡¯t kick Sabrina while she slept. I lay down in the middle of the bed and tried to relax. Sadly my mind was a little too amped up after everything that had happened in the last¡­ I glanced at the clock and found something new to curse Team Aqua for. It was six o¡¯clock in the morning. I sighed, knocking my head against the headrest. Damn¡­ I could skip training with my team needing the rest. I wouldn¡¯t, or rather shouldn¡¯t, skip out on Greta and A.J.¡¯s Gym battle with Kong. And I really really shouldn¡¯t skip out on Flint. I sighed again. Ah well, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time that I¡¯ve been tired throughout the day. I could deal. I nudged Billy into a more comfortable position on my side. This was nothing compared to when Flint had left. I yawned and let sleep claim me. I¡¯d just have to manage with three hours. Damn Team Aqua, next time I fought them I was totally having Sanchez blow them out of the water. And just for good measure, I was totally going to give them a taste of their own medicine with a Hyper Beam Barrage. They deserved no less. Chapter 210 - Protege rumble! I felt Billy stir next to me. It wasn¡¯t a gentle stirring of a person gradually waking up, but that of a child. It immediately woke me up despite my attempts to keep sleeping. Sadly, Billy, as a small child, was all elbows and knees as he rolled around. I stopped him rolling over me where he would have rudely awoken Sabrina but that only made his elbows dig into me worse. Somehow he unerringly dug into my kidneys and stomach. Out of reflex, I tucked up my knees to protect other soft parts of myself. Sabrina cracked her eye at the small grunts of annoyance I was releasing. ¡°Billy, if you need to go to the bathroom, just go,¡± she said. Billy rolled out of bed. On the way, his heel twitched into my guts which I knew enough to brace against while protecting my family jewels. Sabrina sat up and glared towards the window where the sun was clearly visible with sunrise having been a few hours ago. I glanced at the alarm clock and groaned. ¡°I needed to get up, like¡­ ten minutes ago,¡± I said, scrubbing at my face. I shot Sabrina a look. ¡°Did you turn off the alarm again?¡± She pouted and didn¡¯t meet my gaze, causing a chuckle to escape me at how cute she was with her fake childish behaviour. I leaned in and kissed Sabrina. I felt her smile into the kiss. ¡°Eww, gross!¡± said Billy from the door to my ensuite. I broke off the kiss and levelled a highly unimpressed look at my little brother. A wingman he was not. ¡°Did you flush?¡± I said, knowing that he hadn¡¯t. He darted back in and the flush of my toilet echoed through the room. He reappeared in the doorway. ¡°Yes!¡± he said. Sabrina smiled. ¡°Did you wash your hands?¡± she prompted. Billy vanished back into the toilet and I sighed when the sink started gurgling. Billy¡¯s voice began to chime out the doorway. ¡°This is my hand-washy song and I sing it when I need to¡ª¡± Sabrina giggled before standing and stretching. ¡°I should return to my own gym,¡± she said with a soft yawn. ¡°I have a number of matches today,¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°I might poke over to watch your fights with my Gym trainers. We¡¯re facing Kong today,¡± I said. Sabrina paused. ¡°Brock¡­ Kong is going to do something that will greatly annoy you. It has a lot to do with you being my partner, but reacting too strongly may bite you. Let things play out if you can.¡± I worked my jaw a bit while rubbing at the sleep still in my eyes, ¡°That¡­ makes way too much sense.¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Not to mention it would be a bad idea for me to fight¡­¡± I said and Sabrina narrowed her eyes at me. I just shrugged ¡°Just stating that a fair few of my pokemon are going to be tired, if not outright unusable after this morning¡¯s battles,¡± I said. Sabrina nodded her head. ¡°You should be able to de-escalate with him but expect some trouble,¡± she said as she leaned down to kiss me. Before she teleported away I made sure to catch her hand. ¡°Hey, you be careful as well, I don¡¯t like the idea of Mewtwo just popping in on you,¡± I said. She nodded. ¡°As much as I can, I will,¡± she said. She vanished with a flash and I sighed. I resisted the urge to flop back on my bed and go back to sleep. ¡°¡ªhand-washy song and I sing it when I need to¡ª¡± continued Billy from the bathroom. I shot the door a questioning look. ¡°How many times have you sung that now?¡± I asked. ¡°Three!¡± chimed Billy. I rolled my eyes. Oh well, at least he was being hygienic. ¡°Alright, you can stop!¡± I called. The sound of the tap cut off along with the song. I recalled the next point ¡°Just wipe your hands and¡ª¡± Billy ran out, hands dripping only to wipe them on a nearby set of pants I had in a dirty laundry hamper. I sighed. ¡°Of course,¡± I said. It was once more time to work with my little brother to make sure he didn¡¯t become a little Grimer. ¡°right , so you need to¡­¡± I trailed off as I caught sight of the toilet. I nodded slowly. ¡°Right¡­ you need to work on your aim,¡± I said with a sigh, while wondering if I didn¡¯t need to upgrade him to a potential Muk. I shook my head. Collecting him and depositing him at the breakfast bar with Nanny Grav. I proceeded to the Medical bay where I released my pokemon. I gave them a look over. ¡°Sorry for the short warning before going into that fight this morning,¡± I said looking them over. ¡°You all performed great.¡± I paused on Don and Empress, who was creeping towards the exit. ¡°That said, there are some pointers we can take away from it. I won¡¯t have the time to address all those now, but I wanted to let you all know what I thought.¡± ¡°Empress¡­¡± I said addressing the Donphan in the room. Empress paused, not looking at me but still waiting to hear what I said. For that I was at least a little relieved. I licked my lips and considered what I could say. ¡°You scared me back there, challenging Mewtwo like you did¡± I admitted. Empress peered at me. She hadn¡¯t been expecting that. I gave her a small smile. ¡°That said, I knew I couldn¡¯t stop you. I don¡¯t know your pain and I honestly hope I never have to. You did the right thing,¡± I said, deciding to back her. Regardless of the moral implications of what was going on with Giovanni and Mewtwo. Empress had needed that, just as she didn¡¯t need me chastising her for it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it went the way it did, but I¡¯m not surprised. It took teams of pokemon to put a dent in Mewtwo last time,¡± I said, reminding her of the last two times we¡¯d fought Mewtwo. ¡°If we have to fight him a fourth time, let us help,¡± I said, indicating myself and the other pokemon. Empress glanced around and was surprised when the others all nodded seriously. She glanced away. There might have been dirt in her eyes as she had to scratch at them. I just smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll have to work on a few things still,¡± I said. ¡°But for now I¡¯m going to give most of you time to rest before I head out with a smaller team. Selene, you¡¯ll be with me today as will Shin and Chou. Don¡­ you stay here,¡± I said firmly, deciding to call him out and make it clear I wasn¡¯t happy with him. He curled away and looked contrite but I knew I¡¯d need to do more with him soon by the flash of something malicious in his eyes. Before I headed off I made sure to tap Titan on the shoulder. ¡°Spend some time with your mum today, maybe get Terra and Teddiursa to spend some time with her?¡± I suggested He nodded and headed off leaving me to sigh. Chansey walked up and patted me on the head. ¡°Chansey Chans!¡± she said as she praised me. I smiled, it was nice to have someone tell me I¡¯d done well.
Saffron as the central city of Kanto was arguably one of the most popular cities to house non-trainers. With the centre of the city housing the large corporations of Kanto along with a few international businesses it made sense. The outer edges of the city were otherwise dedicated to parks, and housing with large open boulevards to walk down if you were on foot. Saffron being the largest population of non-trainers didn¡¯t mean people didn¡¯t keep pokemon with them. There were still plenty of people running around with growlithe on their morning jogs. The playgrounds all had various assistant pokemon and urban pokemon such as Machop, Mr Mime and various transport pokemon such as Rapidash, Rhyhorn, or Tauros were put to use. This did make the place a lot more cosmopolitan, along with less fighting per person. It didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t fights, just that they happened in more specific areas of Saffron. The other sort¡­ tended to be a little strange, but I just chalked that up to living in a world of pokemon. I guided the Pewter detachment of trainers and support staff once more. With Saffron¡¯s teleportation business being set to the heart of the city we had to walk through a number of intersections and work our way out of the skyscrapers that shot up in the financial heart of the city. The kids all gaped openly like the obvious out-of-towners they were. I spotted more than a few people who must have likewise been only just making their way into Saffron for their first challenge. It was as Sabrina had said. The trainer surge was well and truly crashing upon her. I might have had it hard initially with trainers seeking me out at the start, but without Giovanni and Blaise to act as ¡®final bosses¡¯ Sabrina was the only person with the prestige left for a lot of people to fight. Well.. until next week. I already had a lot of slots for the next few weeks Elite battles locked in. I had a few dates circled for the very notable names that were returning to challenge me. But thankfully that was Monday¡¯s problem. Today was too damn bright and too damn loud. I adjusted the sunglasses and worked my jaw, fighting off the urge to yawn. In truth there was enough going on around Saffron to be interesting, with all the street performers and people on show. I couldn¡¯t find it in me to care though. I was just too tired to give it much attention. I still had enough attention to reach out and snag Crystal from walking across an intersection though. She blanched as a small crowd of bikes and pokemon swept past. The inclusion of pokemon and vehicles on the road made for some interesting road rules, and even more interesting sights. ¡°Make way! I¡¯m late for a meeting!¡± bellowed one man in a suit as his Tauros charged through an intersection. ¡°You make way! I¡¯m running a meeting!¡± shouted another man coming the other way after dodging around a slow-moving Rhyhorn with an old man and woman sitting on top of it. Both Tauros, who had been on opposite sides of the road, were now perfectly in line with each other. They locked eyes and lowered their heads, ignoring the way their riders tugged at them to move apart. They instead sped up and committed. Both men swore and braced only to lock eyes. ¡°You should have moved!¡± ¡°Me? You¡¯re the one who can¡¯t control their ride!¡± snarled the other. As both Tauros slammed into each other I got to watch a strange blend of fighting/grappling take place as the two business suit-wearing men locked slammed into each other. Their hands linked as they tried to tip the other off their pokemon. ¡°I¡¯m a CFO!¡± snarled one man. ¡°I¡¯m a VP of sales!¡± snarled the other as they and their pokemon pushed and shoved each other for position. A.J. stared at the small fight taking part in the middle of the road. Others, used to the antics didn¡¯t even bat an eye, merely continued to ride past the small fight. I knew that as long as no actual pokemon moves or wider disruption occurred nothing would happen, even if one of the police happened upon them. I noted that A.J. wasn¡¯t alone in gaping at the weird fight. Several other out-of-towners had maps out and were wearing cheap merchandise declaring Saffron the ¡®big-oran¡¯ of Kanto. When the light turned green I tapped A.J. on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t focus on that. It¡¯s side-dressing at most. These sorts of things seem to happen a bit in Saffron,¡± I said. Greta peered around me and watched as the men disengaged their grapple to try beating on the other with suitcases that they must have pulled out of travel pouches. ¡°City folk are weird,¡± muttered A.J. before shaking his head and marching back up to me. Greta who¡¯d been watching, but not gawking like A.J. merely shrugged. ¡°Seems pretty normal to me, have you never been to a big city before?¡± A.J. shifted from foot to foot. ¡°I lived on the outskirts of Cerulean for ages or travelled around. We¡­ didn¡¯t get welcomed into many big towns and if we did we stayed on the outskirts,¡± he said before stiffening and clamming his mouth shut. I hummed, interested that A.J. had volunteered something of himself like that. One of the things that I had noticed about him was that he never, ever mentioned parents or caregivers. Despite that he had a very good tent to use for his training but everything else was rough about him. I would have expected more backing. In another life, I might have just passed it off as cartoon logic but I knew that A.J. had a story. I suspected that he had once been part of a circus as a child and something had caused a split with A.J. raising himself with only a few essentials such as a starter pokemon. During the few workouts we¡¯d had, I probed around the topic and observed but he always seemed to close in on himself whenever conversations turned to parents. Then again, I couldn¡¯t blame him for not wanting to talk about parents. I didn¡¯t want to talk about Flint and¡­ Lola to other people. There were plenty of people out there that had no parents as I suspected he didn¡¯t. He was doing a lot better than most of the orphans I knew, but that was just a hypothesis at the moment. I coughed and regathered myself. ¡°Well, fights like this are fairly commonplace in most cities really, it¡¯s just that with the population and¡­ well the size of people¡¯s egos that live here there¡¯s more chance of fights breaking out.¡± ¡°Heh! Old men, board members and CEO¡¯s fighting is pretty funny to consider,¡± Crystal said with a giggle. I smirked. ¡°Oh? So you haven¡¯t been to Celadon when a sale is on in their department store? They have to move the goods to the roof to allow for the fights and usually it is a four-way free-for-all, all to make things more manageable,¡± I said grinning at her. ¡°Sales?¡± said most of the kids. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I nodded. ¡°There are usually some sorts of sales on, if you check the magazine. You just have to be careful as sometimes during the big planned sales companies will run a line of goods that are similar but a lot of the ruggedness of them are not included,¡± I said, informing the kids of an old tactic companies made use of in my past life. It didn¡¯t happen as much here but there were still cases of it. Celadon department store was perhaps one of the worst sites for it happening. I shrugged. ¡°I find it¡¯s always good to make use of the end-of-financial-year sales that come around,¡± I said. The others blinked and Yolanda shot me a look. ¡°Is that why the teleport you had arranged is booked for later this afternoon?¡± she said connecting the dots. I snapped a finger at her while once more repressing an urge to yawn. ¡°Correct, you have your pocket money and I know there might be some interesting deals on, so by all means go for a jaunt over there after the matches.¡± I shot Greta and A.J. a small look. ¡°I¡¯m hoping you won¡¯t need retail therapy but it¡¯s nice to have something to look forward to afterwards, win or lose,¡± I said. ¡°Some of the pokeball stock should be on sale as well for once,¡± I said and A.J. perked up. Ah, so A.J. was looking to expand his team. Good, that indicated that he was feeling safer with the Gym at least and hopefully would use the stable facilities going forward. I¡¯d have to ask what he was thinking of adding to his team. If I had to guess it was going to be something ¡®cost-efficient¡¯ like a Pidgey, or a Sentret. But perhaps he¡¯d surprise me. With the kids making plans to go shopping after their match I led them through the streets of Saffron city. We dodged past the street performers and the traffic and made good time getting to a wide street that had paved cobblestones leading up to it. ¡°Gym Guides! Get your Gym Guides! Every trick and tactic that¡¯s been shown to work at every level! Get them while they¡¯re hot! This week¡¯s guide is going to be a must have!¡± cried a man with an afro. I shot the man a baleful look and he stiffened, no doubt feeling the dark intent I was shooting his way. The man spun around and blanched when he saw me. ¡°Ah! Gym Leader Brock! My cousin sends his regards!¡± he said with a trembling smile. When I grunted and jerked my head the man darted away. ¡°Do you know this man¡¯s family?¡± asked Yolanda, watching the man as he scurried through the crowd of pokemon trainers that were idling around on the street. A few of them shot me annoyed looks but I merely directed my gaze to them. ¡°Brock?¡± prompted Yolanda again. ¡°Hmm? Oh, that guy¡¯s family? They¡¯re sort of a running¡­ scourge to most of the Gyms. they hawk¡­¡± my lip curled up. ¡°Advice guides, to young trainers that don¡¯t know any better.¡± Crystal tilted her head. ¡°Why is that so bad?¡± ¡°The guides are the most basic of basic information and they often contain information that hinders trainers from actually growing. They¡¯re¡­ cheat sheets for some levels of Gym challenges but they hinder development, and in some cases actively harm people as there is a lot of information that is outright wrong,¡± I said. Yolanda waved a hand. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a man like that selling guides for the Pewter Gym.¡± I snorted. ¡°You might have when the Gym was on public property with the original site. Back then I couldn¡¯t restrict people from hawking goods right out the front if they wanted. I could if they tried anything in the Gym, but not out the front,¡± I said recalling the annoying man who in the games had been harmless as a rookie¡¯s guide for people¡¯s very first playthroughs. In reality, they were a widespread family of sneaks and conmen that had found a niche to burrow into and had done just that. What was this specialty? Gym information. What pokemon to expect from the Gym. What common habits they had, set pokemon¡¯s movespool, and references for speed and strength is what they marketed. In reality, it was all generic information pulled from libraries. Sure they¡¯d put in some effort, but it wasn¡¯t what they said it was. It was publicly listed information that anyone had access to and honestly should know. It was more impressive that one of them invariably appeared in front of a Gym. They were extremely prolific. Sadly the information packets were also very outdated if not outright wrong. People would buy the information only to find it contained things like ¡®Rock being weak to grass, water, and fighting type. They didn¡¯t include anything of Ground or Steel type pokemon and they toted things like Rock being immune to electric type attacks. While also flattening anything that was Fire, Flying or bug typed. I hadn¡¯t been able to get them thrown in lock-up when I realised how much disinformation there was being peddled as there was a clear subscript at the bottom of the first page that the information was not to be used competitively or taken seriously. If you happened to need a magnifying glass to read said script, that was just a printing error. I grinned to myself. ¡°When I took over the Gym I took great pleasure in banning any peddlers from the Gym. The man apparently has taken up residence near the pokemart after getting run out of the pokecenter.¡± Yolanda nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯m surprised Sabrina tolerates them.¡± ¡°Eh, this is still public space,¡± I said. I pointed to a small kiosk where a professionally set up woman was seated with a line of trainers leading up to it. ¡°That being said, Sabrina chose to take a different approach to dealing with the peddlers,¡± I said with an amused shake of my head. Yolanda blinked. ¡°Are those?¡± ¡°Information packets regarding psychic pokemon, including their strengths and weaknesses?¡± I said with a smile. Yolanda nodded and I pointed to another part of the kiosk. ¡°They also sell some of the Gym Merch as official partners,¡± I said. Yolanda and the others stared. ¡°Why would she do that?¡± said Greta after a long moment of silence. ¡°Oh, that only contains information on the less experienced pokemon. It doesn¡¯t highlight some of the higher-tier pokemon and what they can do. Sabrina changed things up with her approach. This forced the peddlers to actually do some work as she has a host of different techniques that can be countered if you know what you¡¯re doing. That said, this is Sabrina we¡¯re talking about. She can read most people before they enter the Gym if she wants to,¡± I said. ¡°Wow, go Sabrina,¡± said Yolanda. I chuckled. In truth Sabrina had never even deigned to notice the peddlers until I¡¯d mentioned being annoyed by them and what I was planning. I think initially she¡¯d almost forced the local branch of the peddlers to go bankrupt from her trick before they got their act together. They were extra careful around Sabrina these days and very careful with any information regarding her Gym. The amusing part of all this was that it was entirely possible that Sabrina had forgotten about them and her kiosk was simply continuing to operate under her original parameters. That or she was just keeping it there as a constant reminder to the peddlers that at any time, she could end their operations in Saffron. We continued up onto the Gym Challenge corridor, as the street was called where we were met by a number of signs indicating that people were not to ride bikes, pokemon, or other people down the street. A.J. shot the sign a confused look. ¡°But, riding another person would be slow?¡± he said. The girls also shot the sign a confused look only to blush. Yolanda shot me a wide-eyed look. I waved a hand at the numerous benches that were tucked underneath flowering trees. ¡°It¡¯s a popular date site during the evening,¡± I said cryptically. Yolanda shot the seats a slightly worried look, edging away from them. I snorted, knowing that while people tried certain romantic acts, they didn¡¯t get away with much. The area was too well-lit and too well-patrolled. It didn¡¯t stop some people from trying though. We continued on past the flowering blossoms and other trees that lined the Gym Corridor. The golden pavement and trees made it an iconic feature for Saffron tourism. It was a shame that most of the time there were tons of trainers moving up and down it. To accommodate this, further out, past the corridor itself, small courts were maintained by both Sabrina and Kong for trainers to battle on. It was immediately obvious which side of the corridor belonged to Sabrina and which belonged to Kong. Kong favoured traditional stone and wooden structures that encompassed lamps, walls, and signposts. Sabrina¡¯s side of the corridor was well-lit with modern lighting. On her side, the gym itself towered over the landscape. A giant stadium in itself. When we reached the intersection that led to each Gym¡¯s entrance I shot a found look towards Sabrina¡¯s gym before turning in the other direction. Kong¡¯s Gym reminded me of a traditional martial arts dojo, albeit one that had been joined with a shogun¡¯s castle with multiple layers with walls that ringed around the structure. Each wall had a small gate in front of which a pair of Gym trainers stood creating a literal gauntlet that trainers had to fight their way through. To either side of the door guards, a small space was prepared for pokemon battles. A third Gym trainer stood in the gateway, stopping any that sought to advance without at least facing one of the door guards and defeating them. I glanced at Greta and A.J. ¡°Alright, this show is all yours,¡± I said, moving towards a small wooden set of stands and leaving the two trainers to face their first challenge. ¡°Hoha! What is this Brother Jong? Two squirts face us?¡± shouted the leftmost door guard. ¡°Haho! Indeed it appears so Brother Fang! So? Are you two ready to face the Fighting Gym of Kanto¡¯s fury?¡± announced Brother Jong. Greta nodded and A.J. started, only for him to perk up. ¡°I¡¯ll wait a moment,¡± he said with a small smirk that I felt I should have been worried about. I started to consider what sort of trouble he¡¯d get himself into when a yawn ripped through me. I smacked my lips and shook my head. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± I said but the others waved it off. Yolanda eyed me. ¡°Did you not get much sleep last night?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Had some issues for Billy to handle,¡± I said. Yolanda blinked. ¡°Oh, I thought you and Sabrina¡­¡± she trailed off and I huffed in amusement before another yawn ripped through me. ¡°Nah, just some small drama, ¡°I said, the lie flowing off my tongue easily. Yolanda wouldn¡¯t question it, and it wasn¡¯t like Billy knew what time he got up to come into my room. Sometimes my family truly were the best at providing me with alibis. As we settled into our seats on the wooden stands, Greta stepped up against Brother Fang. To the side, a referee rattled off the usual prematch spiel which I dozed through only for Yolanda to jog my elbow. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Kong only fought with two pokemon for his challenge?¡± she said. I blinked, my eyes feeling gummy. ¡°Uhmm, say what now?¡± I asked. Yolanda gestured to the ref. ¡°He just said that the Gym only accepts two pokemon challenges, with each trainer only allowed to use two pokemon.¡± I worked my jaw. ¡°Huh, he¡¯s using that rule? That¡¯s interesting,¡± I said, noting it down but not really caring. It was a little more than a point of style in the end plus I was feeling kind of drowsy. Greta started things off with Beedrill coming out first. ¡°Interesting choice,¡± I said to myself, my mind playing with the list of pokemon that she had access to. Wouldn¡¯t Pidgey have been a safer bet? Across from her Brother Fang sent out a Machoke that locked eyes with Beedrill. The flags dropped and both trainers called their orders. ¡°Beedrill! Speed sequence!¡± Greta commanded. Her beedrill blurred to the side and a harsh buzzing sounded as the wings on Beedrill¡¯s back picked up speed as it moved in dizzying blurs. Brother Fang merely had his pokemon perform a Bulk Up, with his pokemon flexing and growing more powerful. Then, before anyone could blink or give another order, Beedrill was in close to Machoke, slamming its stingers into the larger pokemon over and over again with Fury Attack. After four hits, Beedrill had to back off with a sharp buzz as Machoke regathered itself and attempted a Karate Chop. The chop hit nothing but the air as Beedrill evaded. Doesn¡¯t have No Guard then,¡± I muttered to myself sleepily. When Beedrill darted in again only to have to dodge another attack I chuckled. ¡°Float like a Butterfree, sting like a Beedrill,¡± I murmured. ¡°Slow it down with Scary Face!¡± growled Brother Fang. His Machoke glowered at where Beedrill was and waves of energy radiated off it as Beedrill froze up for a second only to glower back a second later. With that done Machoke looked solid but Fang went for another Bulk Up, once more boosting his pokemon¡¯s defence and attack by one stage. ¡°Set up Sequence!¡± said Greta in response and her pokemon began laying out Toxic Spikes, earning a nod from me. Good, she was considering the next pokemon out as well. From there Beedrill tried another Agility boost, only for Fang to deny it with Scary Face. Greta gritted her teeth at this. ¡°Probe him!¡± she shouted and her pokemon tentatively advanced with stingers raised. When it got within range it launched out two quick strikes that Machoke evaded before attempting a counter of its own that Beedrill evaded. Both pokemon continued in this vein for a little bit and I hummed slowly. I could only put it down to being tired as I was taken by surprise when Machoke collapsed. It took me much longer than usual to realise that Greta must have been banking on a build-up of poison to win the match. I applauded with the others but some of the more hot-headed observers groaned in disappointment when the fists stopped flying. The next match against a Meditite went even quicker with Toxic spikes zapping the small psychic-fighting type and Greta pressing the advantage to win the right to advance to the next gate. As Brother Fang returned his pokemon Brother Jong turned to A.J. ¡°So? Are you ready to fight now that you have seen our pokemon in play?¡± he said sternly. A.J. just grinned. ¡°I wasn¡¯t waiting for anything but you guys to be ready!¡± he announced, putting his hands on his hips. I blinked slowly as my mind registered that A.J. was about to do something typical of a shounen protagonist as he puffed up his chest. ¡°I challenge you both! Let¡¯s have a Duo battle! He announced smugly, that way I get to fight four pokemon!¡± he said. I facepalmed and laughed into my hand. Yolanda just giggled. ¡°Only A.J. would seek out the hardest path forward,¡± she said with amusement. I nodded my head and looked up to find Jong and Fang grinning. ¡°Ha! We have another taker this year! Oh let¡¯s see if you¡¯re as good as that child with the Pidgeot and Butterfree!¡± shouted Fang. I tilted my head. Now why did that sound familiar? I couldn¡¯t quite place it but it felt like something that I should know. Sadly my mind wasn¡¯t working as quick as it normally would, so I dismissed it as both Fang and Jong released their pokemon after an adjusted spiel from the ref. A.J. merely grinned and returned fire with Butterfree and his own Beedrill. Fang and Jong released a Medicham and a Hariyama. Both pokemon looked strong which made me sit up. Had A.J. just screwed himself over? I shot A.J. a worried look. He¡¯d seen the strong pokemon in front of him and instead of fear entering his pose he looked if anything more happy. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted the referee and A.J was quick off the mark with his order. ¡°Butterfree, Beedrill! In close!¡± he shouted and both pokemon flapped their wings and shot into the space between Medicham and Hariyama. Butterfree even went so far as to open his wings and glare balefully at the Hariyama. Both fighting types swivelled and towards the bug type pokemon their arms raised and ready as Jong and Fang gave their orders. ¡°Arm Thrust/Fire Punch!¡± ¡°Dust off!¡± cried A.J. in response and both pokemon twirled in a harsh juke to the side. Hariyama and Medicahm who¡¯d been lunging at their opposite number suddenly found themselves slamming into each other. The Arm Thrust rocked Medicham backwards while Fire Punch merely scorched Hariyama¡¯s skin slightly. I hummed mentally logging that A.J. could have been smoother with the action. There had been a lot of warning as to what he¡¯d been trying to do and a slower, smoother action would have baited them in better. He¡¯d need to learn to glide instead of leap which was something I could work on. The fighting types both growled at each other and they even marched up on each other as if they were about to throw down. ¡°Hariyama cool it!¡± ¡°Medicham remember yourself!¡± barked both Fang and Jong as they attempted to calm their pokemon down. It took Fang and Jong a moment to order their pokemon back from each other, but this gave A.J. more than enough time to line up a Confusion and Agility. Instantly the Hariyama twitched and a gleam entered its eyes. Once more its arm shot out and knocked Medicham away. While Medicahm was down Beedrill shot in and slammed a stinger into the psychic-fighting type to put it down. Medicham struggled but failed to get up, causing Jong to click his tongue and return it. In its place a Mankey appeared. ¡°Play it smart!¡± He ordered his pokemon who hopped from foot to foot. ¡°Distract and destroy!¡± shouted A.J. and Butterfree shifted forward to get in Hariyama¡¯s face. Its wings beat around and the powerful fighting type started to swat at Butterfree only for Butterfree to dodge repeatedly. ¡°Mankey go after the Beedrill that is at the back!¡± ordered Jong. I glanced back to find that Beedrill was in fact at the back, but it was hardly lounging. A white glow built up around it and a moment later it twitched. ¡°Now!¡± barked A.J. The order caused two things to happen. Butterfree shot in close before rising up, resulting in Hariyama to look up after it. In the gap that Butterfree had left, Beedrill surged forward with a stinger held back. As it closed with Hariyama it hammered straight into Hariyama¡¯s head knocking the huge pokemon onto its back where it gave off a huge boom. When Hariyama failed to stand back up Fang was forced to return his pokemon with a click of his tongue. His next pokemon, a Machop appeared and glowered up. I leaned forward and watched as A.J. demolished the pair of them and earned his own right to advance. As one, our group rose and applauded him. He grinned and nodded. The gate opened for Greta and A.J. and the pair advanced with our group moving through a side ¡®spectator¡¯s gate¡¯. When we passed a single Gym trainer I shot him a look .¡±Many people try to sneak in this way?¡± He grunted. ¡°Only the dishonest,¡± he said before nodding his head to a Machoke who was standing on the other side. Ah, he was using pokemon much like I did with guarding the stands. Nice. From there we watched Greta advance easily while A.J. fought against tough opponents. I had to applaud him for stepping out of his comfort zone and going for the double battles. It was interesting to see him stretched during the fights and it revealed some areas that he could work on. I rubbed my chin as we advanced to the last platform where Kong awaited. I¡¯d have to make use of some doubles battles myself if they demonstrated weakness that well. It might be good for some self-reflection. I and the others from the Pewter Gym settled in as Kong stood. I found the fog of fatigue lifting as I leaned forward. Greta and A.J. had caused a good stir on the way up. Now it was time to see how they did against the Gym Leader. Chapter 211 - Kong calamity! ¡°So? The Pewter Gym has brought its trainers here to my Gym?¡± said Kong grandly. He gestured to Greta. ¡°One child fights with a straightforward path, while the other¡­¡± Kong let his attention drift to A.J. causing Greta to pout. I could only frown. This was an unusual start to the match. He should have just focussed on one of them. I knew that I was guilty of comparing them to each other, but to have another do it? And publicly? That raised some flags for me. ¡°You, boy? You seek to challenge yourself the most and grow, don¡¯t you?¡± A.J. nodded firmly. ¡°I know the shelter that I have now is temporary, even if it is long enough for my needs I can¡¯t become lazy! I want to be the best! Not mediocre!¡± A.J. said with a thump of his fist to his chest. Greta twitched. ¡°I¡¯m not mediocre! I¡¯m just being frugal with my strength!¡± she snapped and I had to nod. Her path forward was hers, and A.J.¡¯s was his. It was known that tougher paths in the Gyms, such as challenging through the gauntlet matches, earnt more respect, but that didn¡¯t mean you should disparage a person for taking an easier path. I cupped my hands. ¡°You tell em Greta!¡± I called out. Kong¡¯s gaze snapped to mine and I locked eyes with him. I in turn narrowed my own. Had he been baiting me with that? Kong tossed his head and sniffed. ¡°I see! You have spirit then! Girl you shal¡ª¡± ¡°My name! Is Greta!¡± snarled Greta stomping forward. ¡°And I¡¯m here to challenge you for your badge Gym Leader!¡± she said, her words carrying across the arena. I grinned. Greta really had grown up in the time she¡¯d been with us. Gone was the girl that had been meek and reserved. She¡¯d grown into herself wonderfully. Kong¡¯s grin looked like it matched my own. ¡°That¡¯s more like it! I don¡¯t like that tepid approach! I like the fighting spirit that¡¯s entered your eyes now Greta from Pallet Town! WE shall fight now!¡± A referee scurried out to the midpoint and A.J withdrew to the side. ¡°Only two pokemon may be used! Otherwise the standard rules apply!¡± reported the referee and I shot the extremely lax explanation a flat look. I mean, yes we¡¯d heard it a lot today but to have the Gym Leader skip the rules¡­ Well I suppose it shouldn¡¯t matter that much. ¡°Go Ivysaur!¡± shouted Greta as she sent her starter out first. In reply Kong sent out a Hitmonchan that darted side to side while firing off punches. Each punch sent a soft gust of wind showcasing how strong it was. The small hops from side to side also demonstrated that it had some good agility. I suspected that in a pinch it would be able to drag out a fight if it had to. Greta¡¯s eyes were locked on it so hopefully she was seeing the same things I was. ¡°Ivysaur! Poison powder!¡± she called, opening up the fight with Ivysaur unleashing a cloud of purple gas that flooded the area around it. It hung heavy in the air, occluding areas that Hitmonchan could move. ¡°Dizzy Punch but do it as a spinner!¡± barked Kong. I and most of the stands gaped as Hitmonchan began to spin its arms, looking entirely too much like a little child that was whirling their arms about, winding up for a big punch. I¡¯d seen it happen all too much with my family, when they were ¡®standing their ground and fed up with another sibling. It was childish, and ridiculous looking¡­ and it was working in blowing away the poison powder as it slowly approached Ivysaur. ¡°Vine Whip! Go for the legs!¡± barked Greta. Ivysaur sent out his vines with a lash that swept across the ground parallel to the ground. ¡°Skip one two! Skip three four!¡± chanted Kong and once again I got to witness some impressive, if surprising skill, as Hitmonchan treated Ivysaur¡¯s Vine Whip like a jump rope, hopping over it again and again. All while spinning its arms as fast as it could go to push back the Poison powder. ¡°abort!¡° Greta called, making her pokemon twitch in surprise as it tried to nail Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan, still caught in the tempo of the jumps, found itself skipping into the air with nothing to dodge. Greta grinned. ¡°Go now!¡± she called! This time, with Hitmonchan much closer and in the air the Vines caught it and knocked it to the ground. ¡°Punch up! Don¡¯t be a chump!¡± chimed Kong and Hitmonchan punched the ground to get itself back into a standing position fast instead of hopping. Hitmonchan gave another one two jab, but my eyes lingered on the broken ground underneath it. That had been a strong albeit basic pair of punches. To leave a dent like that though without any leverage or real effort. That had to be a warning sign of its ability coming in. ¡°Iron Fist,¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Yolanda leaning in. ¡°Iron Fist?¡± I nodded. ¡°An ability that empowers punches. Hitmonchan is literally going to hit harder than another of its species,¡± I said. ¡°Which means¡ª¡± I started to say only for Yolanda to cut me off. ¡°That Greta needs to play keep away with Ivysaur,¡± she summarised neatly. I nodded and focussed to find that Greta had tried for a fast Razor Leaf, only for Hitmonchan¡¯s fists to light up with a Fire Punch. With a series of rapid strikes the attacks were batted away like this was merely a training exercise. When Hitmonchan was done its fists smoked from the fire and burnt leaves but its eyes were locked on the prize. ¡°Earthquake!¡± barked Kong suddenly. Hitmonchan, who must have been waiting for this very order, dropped and threw its fist straight at the ground causing it to buckle and heave. Greta kept her cool though. She was well used to this tactic having fought against my pokemon quite a lot in the last week. ¡°Leap!¡± she ordered and Ivysaur braced with his legs and jumped while throwing his vines into the ground to give himself a touch more lift. His two vines pushed him up and acted as pseudo shock absorbers as he sailed to the right where the poison powder cloud was still going strong. Kong clicked his tongue. ¡°If they¡¯re not going to let us close then let¡¯s snipe!¡± he said, levelling his own hands and firing off a pair of punches. ¡°Vacuum Wave!¡± he called. Hitmonchan began firing punch after punch and this time it wasn¡¯t just gusts of wind being launched but full on shockwaves that caused the air to boom as it passed through it. ¡°Ivy!¡± cried the Grass type as it took two solid hits in the air. He still fell into the poison powder so that was good, but he landed awkwardly before jumping and facing Hitmonchan with a growl. ¡°Don¡¯t let up! If she wants to play it safe she¡¯ll not pass this challenge!¡± Kong barked. I twitched at his demeanour but a quick glance told he was focusing intently on what Greta was doing. Hmmmm I suppose that was one way to teach them about loud braggarts that tried to throw you off your groove. Greta bared her teeth in response however. ¡°You want to see some power? Ivysaur! Power Leaf!¡± she called. ¡°Did she change the name?¡± I said aloud as Greta¡¯s now signature move formed up. Ivysaur fired a Razor leaf only for him to catch it with one of his Vine Whips and begin twirling it like he was charging up an attack. ¡°Hnn! Keep punching!¡± called Kong ignoring the threat. Ivysaur tanked another two Vacuum waves before unleashing his attack. The leaf practically screeched as it tore through the air towards Hitmonchan who merely raised his fists, ready to blast it away no doubt. ¡°Hitmonc¡ª¡± Kong began to order only to be stunned as another vine shot out of the ground. His eyes had just enough time to dart to the vine and track it to Ivysaur who had only used one of his vines. The other had dug into the ground and snuck up on Hitmonchan. Kong grinned. ¡°Clever,¡± he said as Hitmonchan took a powered-up Razor Leaf to the head, knocking it back flat. Hitmonchan didn¡¯t bounce up to its feet and Kong was forced to nod and take the loss. ¡°Return Hitmonchan, this girl has some spirit about her,¡± he said. He then put a fist to his chin and cracked his neck in one direction before going in the other. ¡°I see that I will need to be on my toes against you,¡± he said. Greta merely grinned at him, her teeth bared. She then shot Ivysaur a much more saccharine smile. ¡°Great job Ivysaur! You¡¯re getting us the W we need!¡± ¡°Saur!¡± barked Ivysaur as he braced himself in readiness for the next pokemon. ¡°Hoha! Let¡¯s go Hitmontop!¡± shouted Kong as he sent out another pokemon. This one landed on its feet only to hop onto its head where it began to spin around and around while its legs whirled above it. At first I thought it was a poor match up/ And then it began to spin properly. This time the Poison Powder was pushed back much further and Hitmontop was able to accelerate towards Ivysaur. ¡°Gyro Ball,¡± ordered Kong and Hitmontop gained a grey energy around it as it surged forward towards Ivysaur. Greta snapped her hand forward. ¡°Vine jump!¡± she ordered and her starter once more gained room with a well timed jump that was boosted by its vines. When it landed it did so with a thump and took a moment to catch its breath. Greta raised her pokeball instantly. ¡°Ivysaur! You¡¯re tired, hang tight and let someone else come in to take it home!¡± she called as she returned him. Kong smiled. ¡°Pursuit!¡± he called and Hitmontop went from calmly spinning to the side to throwing itself across the dividing space just as Ivysaur was being returned, its leg swinging in to slam into him. Ivysaur was hurled to the side even as he was returned. Greta twitched in surprise and her eyes darted down to the pokeball in her grasp. When a dull chime sounded out she slumped. ¡°Ivysaur can¡¯t keep fighting,¡± she reported. The referee shot his flag up. ¡°The score is now tied! One all!¡± declared the ref. Kong nodded. ¡°You should have expected such tactics from me,¡± he said, his arms crossed. ¡°It is well known that I have to endure Psychics coming after me and my team often. Did you think I wouldn¡¯t have a technique to handle them? Pursuit is one of the best moves for pokemon with Teleportation abilities,¡± he said firmly. I propped my chin up, amused to be a spectator to another Gym Leader giving out a lesson. Yolanda, Rachel, and Crystal all thought the same thing judging by how they each glanced my way with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at them and grunted in acknowledgement. ¡°He¡¯s doing good,¡± I said. Greta on the stage, drew out her second pokemon. ¡°You chose a Hitmontop? A pokemon well known for its physical balance, but also its reliance on physical attacks,¡± she said firmly. Kong narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is that what you think?¡± he said firmly. Greta nodded. ¡°I did my research,¡± she said as she drew out her second pokeball. ¡°Go Pidgey!¡± she said. Kong¡¯s fists clenched. ¡°Well¡­ at least it¡¯s not a Psychic type,¡± he said before smirking. ¡°Now, let me show you what the phrase ¡®I did my own research¡¯ means,¡± he said. ¡°Hitmontop! Stone Edge!¡± he barked and Hitmontop kicked the ground once, causing a huge rock to shoot up. Hitmontop then struck with its other leg and caused the rock to rocket up at Pidgey. Her Pidgey, despite the oncoming rock, looked perfectly at ease. ¡°Aerial Ace,¡± Greta said calmly. Pidgey went from beating its wings to hold ground, into a harsh snap that caused it to blur and vanish. Pidgey then appeared to the side of Hitmontop where it slammed into Hitmontop. Greta grinned. ¡°I¡¯m very used to facing down rock moves,¡± she said smugly. ¡°I¡¯ve also covered my weakness,¡± she said, earning herself a laugh from Kong. ¡°Rock Slide while they¡¯re in close!¡± he ordered. From in close it should have been almost guaranteed, but once again Greta held her nerve. ¡°Aerial Ace¡­ now!¡± she barked and Pidgey followed her orders to a tee vanishing and slamming into Hitmontop once again. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. This time the fighting type pokemon tottered and fell to the side where it didn¡¯t get back up. ¡°Hitmontop is unable to battle! Greta and Pidgey are the victors!¡± announced the referee. As one, the Pewter support team all rose to cheer for Greta as Kong returned his pokemon. He turned to her and nodded. ¡°You have con¡ª¡± His words were lost as Greta¡¯s Pidgey landed on her arm and she plucked off a band from its ankle. The band snapping caused Pidgey to give her a look. When she nodded Pidgey opened its wings and began to glow with the light of evolution. Oh, nice, she¡¯d reached her goal with Pidgey. A few moments later a much larger Pidgeotto rested on her arm and Greta strained to hold it upright. She ended up bracing with her other arm to keep Pidgeotto on its perch. I chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s not going to be able to do that when Pidgeotto evolves again.¡± Kong, who¡¯d paused when Greta made her move coughed. ¡°You also had that up your sleeve I see¡­ impressive to have it so well planned. You are a trainer worthy of the Brawl badge,¡± he said, extending a small box to her. Greta took it and bowed. ¡°Thank you very much for helping me grow!¡± she said and Kong blushed at the formal tone. ¡°Well, it is my role to challenge you. You were a nice surprise,¡± he said. Greta giggled. ¡°Heh, thanks! I¡¯ll let you and A.J. have your match now,¡± she said as she darted towards us. Kong tracked her for a moment only to pause when he noticed me in the crowd. I nodded to him and he jerked his head in response. He then turned his head robotically to A.J. ¡°So? You have taken the hardest route possible and advanced through all the barriers. I take it you wish to face my strongest challenge?¡± A.J. locked eyes with Kong. ¡°I¡¯d fight your strongest if I could,¡± he said, his voice ringing with conviction. Kong, who¡¯d been reaching towards another pair of pokeballs that a Gym trainer was offering to him paused. ¡°Ho? My strongest?¡± I facepalmed again. ¡°Arceus damn it A.J.!¡± I groaned even as I tried to repress a laugh. Only you A.J.. A.J., unmindful of the mixed emotions he was giving me, pulled out a pokeball and held it towards Kong. ¡°I want to see the heights and how far I have to go!¡± Kong laughed. ¡°Excellent! You have a true fighting spirit!¡± he said. I tilted my head as I inspected the pokeball that A.J. held. If I was a kid with a need to prove myself¡­ who would I choose? It had to be Sandshrew, right? I chewed my lip and considered A.J.. He, much like Greta, had grown from spending time with us. Surely that meant he could make a plan? Kong nodded his head and waved off the attendant. ¡°Very well. One of my strongest against two of yours,¡± he said. For but a small moment, A.J¡¯s lips twitched and I knew right then that he had a plan. I leaned forward, ignoring the itchy eyes that came from a lack of sleep to study the field. ¡°A.J.¡¯s got a plan,¡± I announced. The others didn¡¯t doubt me. They merely nodded and leaned forward. The instant the referee had cleared the field of debris from the last fight, he merely raised his flags, not bothering with the typical prematch announcements. ¡°Two on one! Begin!¡± he said while dropping his flag. ¡°Go Butterfree!¡± announced A.J.. I nodded, agreeing with the decision. Across from him, one of Kong¡¯s strongest took to the field. ¡°Go! Machamp!¡± Kong announced and his Machamp hit the field with a thump. It rose, muscles twitching and flexing before stretching out its arms wide in silent challenge. Butterfree flapped its wings harder and glared at the arrogance. I had to admit that I didn¡¯t think it wasn¡¯t undeserved. That Machamp was powerful. It wasn¡¯t a huge hulk of a pokemon but rather a tightly corded fighting pokemon. There were calluses on its hands, feet and elbows that denoted how much effort it must put in. Kong would have had to have it punching industrial material to have that toughening effect on a pokemon that was notoriously strong. ¡°Machamp, the superpower pokemon. Opponents that have angered Machamp have in the past been thrown across the horizon when the pokemon is suitably motivated. Each arm can with training work independently from the other. This makes the pokemon highly unpredictable to fight in close quarters. Attempting to block or deflect blows require either an equally powerful pokemon, or a master of martial arts. There are only three recorded successful deflections in a record bank in the thousands for humans. Combatants hoping to trade blows cannot rely on sight and must instead preempt or be extremely lucky. This Machamp knows Wide Guard, Low Kick, Focus Energy, Dual Chop, Focus Blast, Rest, Snore and Throat Chop,¡± said Greta¡¯s pokedex. I grunted in approval but didn¡¯t turn my gaze away from the match. ¡°Lockdown protocols!¡± announced A.J. quickly. His Butterefree started flapping its wings and sending out green spores that clogged the air. So he was going for a debuff strategy before sending out his Sandshrew. Kong grunted and waved a hand negligently. ¡°Bulk Up,¡± he said and his Machamp tensed. Instead of getting bigger like other pokemon might have been, I noted that only veins began to bulge across its body. At first glance, it would almost look like he wasn¡¯t taking A.J. seriously, but there was a seriousness to Kong and Machamps gazes. They tracked the slowly spreading spores, and Bulk Up was never wasted on a pokemon, especially a powerful specimen like Machamp. Butterfree, having spread the Stun Spore wide over its part of the field, began to flap its wings sending a powerful gust and thereby the spores straight at Machamp. ¡°Blow em away,¡± said Kong as the Spores began to advance like a curtain wall. Machamp raised two hands to its mouth and inhaled. I felt a memory stir of another anime series where they put a single hand with fingers raised to the mouth before exhaling elemental abilities. ¡°Ah, big boom,¡± I said right before Machamp exhaled a torrent of fire with Flamethrower. It slammed into the spores and ignited them causing a cascading expansion of fire to light up the wall. Butterfree and A.J. rather than being taken by surprise reacted marvellously. ¡°Rise!¡± shouted A.J. and his pokemon swept its wings while bucking its body. It launched itself up and out of danger. I whistled and eyed the distance it had just covered. That had been quicker than I¡¯d seen from his Butterfree. Not unless¡­ I played back the sequence of events. Ah, Stun Spore into Tailwind, not Gust to propel the spores. That also bought him a slight safety net with evasion. Good, good, A.J. wasn¡¯t leaning into the all-or-nothing as much anymore. Still, the revelation of Machamp knowing Flamethrower certainly stymied a lot of A.J.¡¯s plans. He seemed to know this as he slashed his hand and Butterfree began to dive, appearing like a plane on an attack run. Machamp raised his hands, more than ready to swat this bug out of the air. ¡°Take him!¡± barked A.J. and Butterfree opened its wings before lashing out with wing after wing from just out of grapple range. From each wing slash, an Air Slash shot forward. ¡°Stomp and deny!¡± barked Kong and his pokemon responded by doing just that. With a stomp the arena broke. Small rocks were kicked up only for Machamp to begin punching them straight into the oncoming Air Slashs. Machamp then methodically stepped forward. With each step rocks rose and were punched forward causing Butterfree to have to start back pedalling while launching attack after attack. ¡°Break off!¡± A.J. ordered. ¡°Heh, Blast em,¡± said Kong and this time Machamp drew back all four arms and tilted its body. Where Butterfree was like a plane escaping after an unsuccessful attack, Machamp looked nothing so much as a turret sighting up on the slower plane. Each arm fired and the air exploded outwards as an orange energy blast rocketed into Butterfree. Butterfree took the attack without being able to brace and crumpled. A.J. didn¡¯t even wait for it to hit the ground. He raised Butterfree¡¯s pokeball instantly and returned it. I could only nod. ¡°One hit?¡± whispered Yolanda¡­ ¡°But Butterfree is resistant to Fighting types?¡± ¡°It might surprise you, but I think there is just that much of a gap between Kong¡¯s Machamp and A.J.¡¯s butterfree,¡± I said idly. ¡°Also, don¡¯t forget he got off a Bulk Up.¡± ¡°I remember, it¡¯s just¡­ not what I was expecting,¡± Yolanda said. Next to her Greta and Crystal nodded, their eyes locked on the battle. I merely hummed and watched A.J. take a long breath before exhaling. He murmured something to Butterfree before nodding his head and putting it back on his pokebelt. Then he drew out another pokeball. ¡°Let¡¯s go Sandshrew!¡± shouted A.J. surprising Kong. Kong shot me a look only to frown when I ignored him in favour of Sandshrew. This was A.J.¡¯s hail mary play and I wasn¡¯t going to miss what happened. And A.J. didn¡¯t wait to go big. ¡°Finish it!¡± he shouted and Sandshrew tucked into a ball and spun up for a second before bouncing up into the air. Kong¡¯s gaze snapped back to Sandshrew and he tracked the bouncing Sandshrew. When Sandshrew got to the zenith of its jump it unfurled and spun so that it had its finger extended straight down. Kong twitched and his gaze tracked for a moment towards me only to snap back as the threat registered. ¡°Prote¡ª¡± he started to yell as Sandshrew hit the ground, finger first. Unlike other times, the build-up of the Fissure didn¡¯t take a moment. Nowadays A.J. had it to an instantaneous moment as soon as Sandshrew hit the ground. The arena cracked and exploded with dust flying everywhere. Without fans I knew it would take an inordinate amount of time for the dust to clear. ¡°Sandstorm!¡± barked A.J. through the dust, apparently not willing to wait. A faint, ¡°Tch!¡± sounded from the other side informed me that A.J. had been right to suspect his gambit hadn''t played out. I could only shake my head. For all that I¡¯d praised him for avoiding overcommitting with his Butterfree, he¡¯d fallen back into bad habits with his Sandshrew. He should have gone for Sandstorm first, and then gone for Fissure. I could only conclude that Kong had him rattled. The Sandstorm began to build with seemingly no response from Kong. A.J. barked some orders to get his pokemon tucking up with Defence Curls. ¡°Move and repeat! Don¡¯t stay put as a sitting target!¡± he barked. I could only shake my head. Yup, Kong had him rattled. He wasn¡¯t trying for a Sandstorm Dig combo, but instead bunkering up after missing with his Fissure. As the dust settled Machamp was revealed in a¡­ meditative pose? I blinked and looked a little closer. Machamp¡¯s head lolled a little and I barked out a laugh. ¡°He got off a Rest during the Sandstorm,¡± I said with amusement. It wasn¡¯t often that an opponent was content to merely weather it while bluffing out another. A.J. got a vein on his head, ah, he was falling into Kong¡¯s pace. ¡°Rollout!¡± barked A.J., no doubt hoping to make use of the earlier Defence Curls he¡¯d been tricked into using. Right as he committed, Machamp loosened a loud snore that jolted everyone in the stands. I felt my fatigue build a little and I jerked like I¡¯d found myself dozing off. It took me a moment to register what had just happened Everyone, had in their own ways flinched. I looked down to find Sandshrew who¡¯d gotten very close to Machamp twitching and shaking its head. Machamp opened its eyes before Sandshrew could roll away. It rose with a smack of its lips and a stretch before locking eyes on the still recovering Sandshrew. ¡°Take aim!¡± said Kong. His Machamp raised its hands with the palms facing outward. Everyone paused, tiredness cut through by the implicit threat of Sandshrew being caught in a terrible position. It was horrible luck that Machamp had woken up right after the flinch had come into play. But at the end of the day that didn¡¯t matter. Kong had rolled the dice and come up with a win. Machamp had Sandshrew dead to rights at that range. A.J. slumped. ¡°I withdraw my pokemon,¡± he said, returning his pokemon. Kong nodded, his face cast as if from iron. ¡°I should say so,¡± he said before cracking his neck. ¡°I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn¡¯t boost with your Sandshrew before this match,¡± he said. People who had been about to applaud the good match paused at the accusation. My gaze narrowed at the implied comment of A.J. cheating. A.J. stiffened. ¡°I did no such thing! Sandshrew is just that skilled! We¡¯ve been working on this for a long time now!¡± he said, slashing his hand across his body in denial. Kong grunted. ¡°Hmmm I suppose it makes sense to seek out a trainer with another powerful One hit K.O. move to learn this under,¡± he said. A.J. growled. ¡°I taught Sandshrew that move, and we honed it way before I joined Brock¡¯s Gym!¡± Kong tilted his head. Machamp, who¡¯d relaxed after Sandshrew had been withdrawn, cocked its head and whistled. ¡°Champ?¡± said the powerful pokemon. Kong shot his pokemon a questioning look and Machamp made a sign. Kong huffed. ¡°Alright, you have some talent kid, not enough to earn a badge from me today, you need to win for that!¡± he said rubbing his chin. He shot A.J. a smirk, ¡°But you do have enough talent to make me sit up and pay attention to you.¡± He offered a hand to A.J. ¡°You got spunk kid, but you need discipline. I think you¡¯d do well here at my Gym. Join me,¡± he said. I straightened up. Alright, now Sabrina''s warning made a lot of sense. Still! This guy had some nerve! Poaching my Gym trainers in front of me! I was halfway to opening my mouth and demanding a challenge when I remembered all of the warnings she¡¯d given. I should let it play out. I stopped myself and laced my fingers together. Right, calm and cool. I called up my rock energy and pulled out some pebbles from my pocket for good measure. I just had to trust that Sabrina knew what she was talking about. A.J. blinked in surprise at the offer and seemed to give it serious consideration, I felt my mind begin to race. Would this be seen as a snub to the Gym if he left? The media might make a big deal of it. I frowned. What if Kong was right and A.J. would do better at his Gym than mine? All these thoughts and more ran through my head as A.J. pondered. He shot me a look and I found myself unsure what to do. I decided to trust him by opening my hand and gesturing that the choice was his. A.J. seemed to relax at that and he turned back to Kong before shaking his head. ¡°Maybe in future, but I think there is yet more Brock can teach me,¡± he said with a nod to Kong. Kong snorted and shot me a look. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just have to try again in the future eh?¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡°Just to guarantee it, how¡¯s this for a consolation prize?¡± he waved a hand and another Gym trainer in a gi, marched up with a pokeball on a cushion. Kong grabbed it and presented it to A.J. ¡°Take this pokemon and train it up. You¡¯ll find there¡¯s more to fighting types than meets the eye,¡± he said. I huffed. That was a rather clever move to still put some hooks into A.J. Kong gave A.J. another nod before waving a hand to the side. ¡°And now, sadly you must depart. Good luck with training your pokemon and I look forward to you challenging me again when you have grown.¡± Our contingent stood. I considered moving away with them but I felt like I couldn¡¯t let Kong¡¯s attempt to steal A.J. go uncommented on. I moved up to him. ¡°Can¡¯t say I expected that from you Kong,¡± I said. Kong locked eyes with me and for a moment I felt a thrill of excitement run through my fatigue. Damn, but now was a horrible time to throw down. Still, I¡¯d come this far. ¡°A.J. has talent, I merely wish to see him fulfil that potential,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you can see that, but both he and Greta had potential,¡± I said, making sure to point out that I valued both of them. Kong merely grunted and I hummed. ¡°Try poaching someone in front of me like that again and we¡¯ll have more than words,¡± I said firmly evoking my rock and darkness aura. Kong stood strong in front of it and a grin stretched his face. ¡°Ah, those are some fighting words, I think I might have to see if you can back them up,¡± he said. I narrowed my eyes and half considered calling out Tita, fatigue be damned. Then a Gym attendant appeared at Kong¡¯s side. ¡°Sir, your next match is ready?¡± Kong grimaced and shot me a look. ¡°Another time,¡± he said dismissively. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, turning back to my group. Everyone had amused looks on their faces but Greta had a slight blush. I¡¯d obviously pleased her by acknowledging her. A.J. wouldn¡¯t meet my eyes. I waved for us to depart. When we reached the Gym Corridor I gestured for him to register the pokeball and find out what it was. He did so to reveal a Tyrogue of all things. I whistled. Damn, but Kong had set a good hook there. I had to give it to him, he wasn¡¯t just a muscle-brained idiot¡­ some of the time at least. A buzz on my Xtransciever reminded me of the next item on my schedule. Yolanda perked up. ¡°Have fun with dad spelunking!¡± she said. I huffed and rolled my eyes. We were going to do so much more than just explore some caves. If I had my way, I was hoping to score at least a Megastone off this trip. Time would see if I was right. Chapter 212 - Grampa Canyon reruns! The Grampa canyon was rather disingenuously named. For one part it wasn¡¯t just a single canyon, but rather an entire stretch of desert. It seemed to favour a lot of fire-type pokemon. Said fire types being mostly the Ponyta herds which scorched their way across the landscape. There should also be the rare Magmar hiding in caves that dotted the various canyon walls and cliff faces. It made for a very stark shift in climate with Saffron being a shaded cool cityscape, only to enter a scorching desert with a handy Teleport from Selene. Selene herself perked up with the condition of the surroundings, no doubt reminding her of the Hoenn desert where I¡¯d found her. ¡°Hey girl,¡± I greeted, giving her a rub. ¡°Want to stay out?¡± I asked. She bobbed up and down in an affirmative. I hummed and looked around while adjusting my attire so that rolled-up sleeves were extended, sunglasses and hat were donned, and sunscreen was applied. In other terms, I slip, slop, slap, and slid. Feeling playful, I put a bit of pink zinc across Selene¡¯s side causing her to trill a laugh before she smirched it back on me. Gramp Canyon was located just outside Neon Town and on the upper border of the Safari zone. Depending on the route that you took you could end up in a number of different biomes. The Safari zone mostly used forested areas and plainlands. Neon Town itself was a rather glamorous urban development. Then there was the large expanse of flat rolling hills and plains that were actually an artificial creation in the cycling road. Most people when they went on their Journey, followed the route that players might have if they played the games. Places like Neon Town, Dark city, Gringey City, or Gardenia Town to name a few. Lots of places, I knew, were trying to increase the foot traffic that was happening with trainers on the circuit. They¡¯d done this in the past in a myriad of ways but with the trainer surge I¡¯d heard that there was a lot more effort being put into it this year. It made sense, the pie they were trying to get a bite off was much bigger. Various tournaments, festivals and contests were all springing up around the place with a number of trainers being diverted or held in certain cities. According to some of the forums, a few people were even getting turned around with a few¡­ Ambitious folk changing up road signs to have people walking in long looping circles. It sort of reminded me of a few plots that Team Rocket were responsible for, only this time it was townsfolk seeking to wring out a few more pokedollars. I wasn¡¯t sure if that made it better or worse. I shifted, taking in the wide expanse of barren land only to spot an anomaly towards the mouth of the main tributary for the Grampa canyon. This link, or scar in the earth led to a much deeper canyon that was similar to that of the Grand Canyon from my previous life. I took a moment to enjoy the vista with Selene. The arid wind wasn¡¯t so fierce yet that it was stinging the eyes or nose as it blew across the desert. Small dust swirls raced about the landscape. I knew there was a lot more to this land than what was readily apparent. It was a place that had only just started to be tapped into. I gestured towards the anomaly, which was in reality a basecamp for the business that I¡¯d created when I¡¯d tossed about the idea of finding Mega stones and creating a methodology for it. The rest? Megarock incorporated. Name pending further review. I wasn¡¯t in love with it, but perhaps it would grow on me. Like moss grew on some boulders when they were dampened enough. Selene Teleported me in closer to the set of tents and I appeared only to find that the tent town was a hive of activity. Before I could even step into the row of tents however, a woman shot to her feet and raised her pokeball. ¡°Hold it right there! This is a restricted site as per the Indigo League explicit instructions! You need to be¡ª¡± Officer Jenny, for who else could it be, barked. She continued a long tirade about the legalities and what would happen to me should I attempt to press onward. I waited politely for her to draw in a breath, which turned out to be a mistake as this Officer Jenny had an impressive endurance when it came to pulmonary function. ¡°¡ªbut not limited to months in prison or community services!¡± she said, before pausing to take a huge breath of air. I resisted the urge to applaud, just barely, and instead nodded politely. ¡°Hi Officer Jenny, good to see you¡¯re taking the security of the site seriously. It¡¯s me, Brock, I¡¯m one of the founders of Megarock Inc?¡± Officer Jenny blinked at me like a Noctowl that had been awoken far too early in the day. She reached for a notepad. ¡°Oh, I¡­ had a note about you turning up,¡± she said before coughing. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t just Teleport in however! Next time make sure you call it in first!¡± I nodded along and Jenny, seeing that I wasn¡¯t giving her lip or an excuse to be arrested for now, she waved me on. I smiled and did so. I was amused to note that a number of the tents were small dig sites where man or woman or even a psychic pokemon wearing a white lab coat were observing others digging. I noted that some of the diggers were rather young. In a few sections there were scientists with gloves and fine brushes dusting at what looked like a bunch of rocks. Occasionally a large rock would be pulled out carefully only to then be thoroughly inspected. The site it was pulled from was then documented before it was set aside. ¡°Hey! I have a patch of sand here that isn¡¯t like the other patches!¡± shouted one of the diggers. ¡°It seems different in some way?¡± ¡°It¡¯s sand! It¡¯s all the same! It¡¯s hot and irritating and gets in places it¡¯s not supposed to!¡± shouted another red-faced man. ¡°You really don¡¯t like the desert do you?¡± said the first. ¡°What¡¯s there to like? I¡¯m here for the money! I find a fossil or a mega stone and I¡¯m rich!¡± declared the second. ¡°All I¡¯ve found so far is a weird flat plate! Useless!¡± declared the digger. I glanced over at the haul laid out to the side and noted that there was a Stone Plate on the table. I walked over and gave it a closer look. From this close I could feel the Rock energy that saturated it. I made a note of what it was and that it was worth at least a bit of money. I probably could have lied and gotten it for cheap, but there was no need to cheat people working for my interests. At least I assumed that was going on here. ¡°Sir you shouldn¡¯t¡­ Oh! Hello Gym Leader Brock!¡± chimed one of the girls that were wearing a whitecoat. I gave the diminutive girl, only just a teenager in truth, a look over, before gesturing at the Stone Plate. They furtively inspected what I¡¯d written down only for their eyes to widen. ¡°Ah? This Plate really contains Rock energy? That¡¯s¡­ well I wasn¡¯t expecting that sort of find today,¡± she said, chewing her lip and tugging on her hair. I eyed her before giving the other white coats a secondary look. ¡°You¡¯re rather younger than the others,¡± I said before coughing. ¡°Sorry¡­ Miss?¡± I said leadingly. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m Jade!¡± she said with a hurried bow, which caused her hair to flip over into her face. ¡°I¡¯m part of the interns doing some additional study from Celadon university! Professor Oak reached out for interested parties and well¡­ it¡¯s not often you get this sort of chance!¡± she said breathily. I nodded slowly. Ah, that made sense. Oak would have other avenues than just money. It still didn¡¯t explain all the tents and supplies I could see about the place. I¡¯d need to find Flint to learn a bit more, it would appear. ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯re learning a lot and enjoying this,¡± I said offhandedly to Jade before nodding and departing. As I walked I continued to inspect the various tents. There were a number of protected dig sites set up under some of the larger tents, but there was also a canteen and what looked like a trailer with a dedicated communications satellite on the roof. Around that trailer at least three police officers were standing guard. They eyed me as I walked past and we exchanged nods of greeting. So there was also a security detail with at least four police here. Interesting. This was a little more than what I¡¯d been expecting, but at the same time I wasn¡¯t surprised to find that Lawrence had taken my idea with Flint, and run with it. No doubt with other parties like Sabrina, Oak, and the League getting involved. Megarock Inc had transformed into something much greater than I¡¯d been anticipating Megarock Inc wasn¡¯t just an idea and a few rock enthusiasts anymore. It also seemed we had a motivated workforce with how many people were out here in the desert. We must have gotten a lot of funding for this level of development. If there was one truth of the world, throwing money at a problem could usually produce results. The main tent, which in reality just meant the biggest, most open tent in this sea of tents, was located not in the centre, but rather right on the edge of the canyon. Which¡­ struck me as odd for some reason. I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it until I walked around to the side of the tent. Some part of my mind didn¡¯t like the placement, but I couldn¡¯t consciously figure out why. A moment and a glance down told me what the issue was. The Tent¡¯s position afforded it a grand view but not much safety. The drop off the side of the canyon wall was extremely steep and not at all stable. Just standing near the edge like I was had resulted in a small section of earth subsiding and beginning to trickle down. It was a potential landslip waiting to happen. Something that a Golem, Onix, Rhyhorn, and Kangaskhan were already handling, which had me relaxing. It took a moment for me to recognise them as Flint¡¯s. He didn¡¯t give them the same treatment I did to my pokemon where I kept them out of their pokeballs most of the time. Nor did he give them much time with the family. Which was a shame as Kangaskhan looked like it had some good paternal instincts with how it looked after the smaller Kangaskhan in its pouch well. It glanced up and spotted me watching it and nodded in kind, before jutting its head towards the tent to indicate Flint was inside. I nodded back, giving their work at shoring up the foundations of what looked like a retaining wall. It was solid, but then what else could you expect of pokemon that worked with someone who regularly went diving into caves and canyons. They¡¯d have to be good at judging wall stability. I walked into the tent feeling a little better about not finding myself suddenly sliding into the canyon. Just to be sure I kept Selene out. I found Flint scowling at a table in the middle of the tent, which had a number of survey maps that featured what was known of the topographical, cross-sectional, and structural make up of Grampa canyon. I could recognise them with him having shown them to me earlier. A glance at the people surrounding him revealed a surprising divide with some people wearing what would have been deemed ¡®hiker¡¯s attire¡¯ according to the early games with their rough denim and overalls with hardhats fastened to their belts. On the other there was a mishmash of scientists and what looked like clerks. One woman was standing at the back curled in on themselves and giving off the air of someone trying to avoid as much attention as possible. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. There seemed to be a story there, but one I couldn¡¯t pay much attention to as Flint was talking about the ¡®corporation¡¯s goals¡¯ plans. ¡°¡ªthe main target of any of these excavations is that we procure any Mega Stones. Now the procurement is one part, the real goal is to establish if there are any geological conditions for the formation of said stones. Is it pokemon related? Or is it shaped by the land? Or is it something that is entirely random? This is something we need to establish going forwards so that we¡¯re not just blindly groping around in the dark!¡± Flint smiled and barked a laugh. ¡°Or at least, pretend like we¡¯re not groping around in the dark!¡± he said, causing the miner/hiker types to laugh at the joke. It didn¡¯t seem that funny to me, but then again maybe it was miner humour? One of the miners raised a hand. ¡°Is this here pamphlet right? We take a base rate and any rocks that are listed on here like evolutionary stones, or gems of a certain grade are ours to keep?¡± Flint made a wavering hand. ¡°For the most part. You¡¯ll make sure to document the site before extracting any resources. We want as clear an image as possible.¡± A polite cough that sounded familiar made me lean forward where I spotted Georgina glass standing next to Flint. She offered him a clipboard and he read it over. ¡°Oh! Right!¡± he said before coughing into a fist. ¡°I¡¯ve just been reminded that any discovery of metal veins will see remuneration that is standard for miners and explorers but that Megarock Inc will also take their fair share,¡± he said. This got a number of nods from the miners with only one or two huffing. ¡°We should get more for working in this heat,¡± muttered one. One of the older men cuffed another over the head. ¡°Shut yer trap it¡¯s still better. Just hope you find a bunch of fire stones, they¡¯re the most likely thing out here,¡± said the older man. A wrinkled man with skin that looked like old leather wobbled out next to Flint. ¡°Damn straight! I can¡¯t believe you young ones! You think this is hot? Wait until you work in the fires of Mt Cinnabar! I¡¯m only forty three!¡± he proclaimed. He earned a round of gasps from the civilians while the miners scoffed. ¡°Pull the other one Old willy! It¡¯s got tassels on it!¡± cried a towering woman that might be able to give Trixie a run for muscle mass if not size. Other miners nodded along while the scientists and admin staff looked at each other sheepishly while ¡®Old Willy¡¯ laughed. ¡°Heh! Just kidding! I¡¯m seventy!¡± he said. I whistled. Damn, and he was still out digging? I guess it might be a bit easier in a pokemon world with the ability to direct your ¡®digger¡¯ so to speak, but that didn¡¯t mean the men and women didn¡¯t also join in. A grumble rose from one of the scientists. ¡°Damn miners always the jokesters,¡± he said, earning a round of nods. I hummed to myself. It looked like there were two ¡®parties¡¯ forming up within Megarock Inc. The Miners, and everyone else. Flint seemed unaware of this as he shared a joke with another miner before tapping the maps and giving out sections of land to groups of miners. ¡°¡ªyou can each cut small shafts but go no lower than ten metres and stay at least forty away from the edge of the canyon. At any diggings there are to be only topsoil investigations.¡± Flint waved a hand at the tent around him. ¡°I don¡¯t want another almost fiasco like the set up that was here when I arrived,¡± Flint muttered offhandedly. The woman who¡¯d been at the back hiding flinched and decided to make herself scarce by finding something pressing in another tent. I felt a bit bad for her as she wasn¡¯t to know but I thought I had a rough idea of what had happened. She, or others like here that were more administrative, must have beat the miners out here and set up a ¡®forward base camp¡¯, or in this case, tent¡¯ right where they thought was a good idea. Sadly they had no idea of what they were doing and that had been very obvious to people like Flint who lived and breathed geology and earthworks. I¡¯d need to make sure Flint hadn¡¯t said anything too scathing, but¡­ I¡¯d also not countermand him. He knew far more than I how risky such a mistake might have been. One thing that stood out to me however, was how he hadn¡¯t moved the tents. As the miners trooped off to start up their own digsites Flint raised his head and noticed me. ¡°Son!¡± he said with a wide grin. I held in a twitch but something must have shown on my face as his smile lost a watt or two of luminosity to it. ¡°Flint,¡± I replied with a nod, my gaze sweeping over the maps once more to find them fairly well divided. ¡°This seems a bit more than I was expecting for a simple spelunking session,¡± I said. Flint¡¯s smile returned. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because we wanted to do things a little more thoroughly. I secured enough interest and funding that I was able to get something more happening.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said suddenly unsure if I was needed here. He seemed to have everything fairly well in hand. He raised his hands quickly. ¡°The spelunking is still important however as the cave you spoke about is one of the highest points of interest within the desert!¡± he said. ¡°Oh, that makes sense,¡± I said easily before a yawn ripped through me. I blinked quickly and shook my head. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said, giving my eyes a quick rub to get rid of the gritty feeling. When that failed I reached into my bag and pulled out some eyedrops. My eyes stopped stinging almost straight away and I loosened a sigh of relief. Damn, I needed that. ¡°You¡¯re tired?¡± he said rather redundantly like it needed to be stated. I waved it off. ¡°I had a¡­ disturbed sleep,¡± I said. Flint gained a smirk and I shot him a look. ¡°Not like that, Billy woke me up in the middle of the night with¡­ well-wet issues,¡± I said. ¡°Oh? He¡¯s still doing that?¡± Flint said. ¡°He hasn¡¯t come to me¡­¡± he started to say, only to trail off in the face of my flat look. ¡°He¡¯s only three,¡± I said. This was normal for a young boy. Sadly due to the number of young boys that we had in our house you had to stay on top of the toilet cleaning¡­ Not doing so didn¡¯t bear mentioning. Things were better nowadays that most of the kids could clean up after themselves a bit, and with Nanny Grav on the scene but those early days¡­ yeesh, it was a miracle we hadn¡¯t had a Grimer turn up. Flint, unaware of my inner monologue rubbed his chin. ¡°Well, he¡¯s soon to be four actually¡­ Well most of them are going to be older soon. Then it will be Salvadore, then Yolanda, then Suzie and Timmy,¡± he said, ticking off the kids on his fingers. ¡°Then Forrest, and then you!¡± he said with a pleased smile. I rolled my eyes at them but made a note to check the fridge for the lists that I¡¯d gotten the kids in the habit of posting. It would have their ¡®desired¡¯ birthday presents so I could grab or guess more accurately. It would just depend on how practical it was. ¡°So? We¡¯re still going to do that spelunking?¡± I prompted moving the conversation along. Flint jerked his head up and down. ¡°Certainly!¡± Only to slump. ¡°Ah¡­ I actually need to wait until my pokemon finish shoring up the canyon wall.¡± he shook his head. ¡°The first people out here were the administrators and students from Celadon University. They started digging all willy-nilly and when I arrived with the miners; well we just about had a collective heart attack.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t get too passionate about that did you?¡± I said carefully. It sounded like they¡¯d been right to fear but the method in how it was handled would matter. ¡°Oh yeah! We got them taught up real quick!¡± he said with a grin. I hummed. ¡°Hmmm alright, but be careful with that. I noticed that there was a pretty clear divide between the miners and delvers and anyone else,¡± I said, waving a hand at the table. Flint nodded. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t let it worry you too much, that¡¯s just how some organisations are. People form groups.¡± I held up a hand. ¡°I¡¯m aware, but for best results it should be one group. They are all a part of Megarock Inc after all. Not different parts of Megarock,¡± I said pointedly before flexing my fist. ¡°As much as it makes me shudder to say it, the company culture should be something positive to make people want to be here.¡± And didn¡¯t that feel like such a ¡®corpo line¡¯. Hopefully if I made sure things were done for the right intentions, we¡¯d stop any soullessness from creeping in. I made a mental note to keep an eye on things. The Gym was easy as a small operation by business standards, we had at max thirty people. Megarock Inc looked like it already had a hundred people and that number would only grow as more dig sites were investigated. Flint nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll have a word with the lads,¡± he said. ¡°And the women,¡± I said, recalling the statuesque woman in miner overalls before shaking my head. ¡°Maybe say it to the others as well. Make them aware that you were talking from a place of fear due to a knee jerk reaction from seeing such unsafe practises.¡± Flint nodded. ¡°That would be a good idea. We¡¯ll have to have a better handle on things next time. Have some surveyors be the first to make it to a dig site instead of white coats and admins,¡± he said. I grunted in agreement before walking to the edge of the canyon and looking down. It looked like Flint¡¯s pokemon had made good progress since the last time I¡¯d looked. Flint joined me, his eyes flicking over various points. He whistled and directed his pokemon to a few points before nodding. ¡°Right, that should be enough to hold things pretty in case a pokemon battle breaks out,¡± he said. ¡°Even an Earthquake or a Fissure?¡± I said with a raised eyebrow my eyes running along the firmed up rock critically. They¡¯d packed it well and reinforced a number of critical points. It was impressive that he¡¯d reached that level in what had to be only a few hours work. Flint huffed. ¡°Not from one of your pokemon no!¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°But if anyone else gets a bit heated things will be safe,¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°Maybe we should think about getting Erika onboard for environmental concerns like this in future,¡± I said thinking of how tree roots could help avoid landslides. Flint grinned. ¡°That¡¯s thinking outside the box!¡± he said with a clap on my shoulder. ¡°Most miners always just want to reinforce the earth but don¡¯t think of methods like that! Ha! You¡¯ve got some talent with geology and landscaping Brock!¡± I snorted in amusement at how pleased he was for me to recite some offhand knowledge from my past life. It didn¡¯t seem that impressive to me, but then again how many seventeen-year-olds in this world would have the same knowledge? ¡°Mr Flint sir? We have some more trainers looking to assist with the dig site!¡± said a man¡¯s voice. I turned around and felt a flicker of recognition at the whitecoat standing in the doorway. Whatever he was going to say however was lost as my eyes alighted on Gary, his cheerleaders, Mia, Silly Mouse, and Humphrey of all people standing in the entrance. I grinned. ¡°Hello there!¡± I said channelling my happiness into the words. The kids all perked up when they locked their eyes on me and Mia bounced forward to hug me as she called my name. ¡°Brock! I didn¡¯t know they had called you and Flint in for this!¡± she chirped. Selene nuzzled into her and I laughed. ¡°Called me in? You¡¯re looking at the two founders of this enterprise!¡± I said. Gary stepped forward. ¡°I heard from Gramps about this! Is it true you¡¯re looking for Megastones for study?¡± he said. I nodded, smiling at how interested he was before looking towards Humphrey. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the main thrust,¡± I said. Humphrey licked his lips. ¡°Is it also true that any fossils we find are ours to keep?¡± I hummed. ¡°If we can get genetic samples for them, that would be best. It will depend on the type of fossils found. Any from the Kabuto, Omanyte, or Lileep line are fine, but you can also trade for an actual pokemon,¡± said Flint. ¡°Aerodactyl or new fossils will however result in a simple, if large cash payout.¡± I shot Flint a look; this was news to me. He waved a hand at me. ¡°The League and Crowley have signed off on it. They want more genetic diversity and feel that trading pokemon is acceptable. Only the Aerodactyl line has such protections on it as do Tirtouga, and Anorith.¡± I grunted. That made sense but I feel like I was owed a courtesy email. It seemed I had another thing to follow up on. It might have been an honest mistake but I¡¯d been burned a few too many times letting things lie. I turned back to the young trainers before me. ¡°So? How¡¯s your journey been so far?¡± I said with a wide grin. Mia beamed at me while Gary rubbed his nose in a cocky manner. Humphrey shot me a small smile. ¡°It¡¯s been great! I have all the badges I need now to make the circuit, so everything else is just training matches for me now! I¡¯m doing really well in the Battleclub! Did you know they are offering pins and tokens these days? I have like six for beating their local boss!¡± she said proudly. Silly mouse raised up two fingers on both of his paws in signs of victory and I chuckled. Gary nodded to himself. ¡°I have completed all of my Badges as well! Expect me to come around after I beat Sabrina with her Gauntlet run!¡± I have found the perfect pokemon team and I¡¯m training them up before I challenge her!¡± he said with his chest puffed out. ¡°Impressive, I will be looking forward to hearing about that,¡± I said. I glanced to Humprhrey and his smile seemed a bit plastic compared to the others. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ slowed down a little and have been working on my pokemon. I lost against Kong but I beat Sabrina... it just... didn''t feel as clean as I wanted it to be...¡± he trailed off. ¡°I¡¯ll bounce back!¡± he said straightening up and looking into my eyes only to glance to the side. Hmmm, it seemed like he was a bit rattled from his losses. Best I spend some time talking with him. These things happened. I decided to settle for reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re doing amazing as it is. It¡¯s only halfway through the circuit and you¡¯re almost locked in. You might not feel like it, but you¡¯re in a great position to do well this year. I know a lot of trainers that have only just secured their fourth badges with how many trainers there are this year.¡± ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I had eight battles in one day yesterday! My pokemon were exhausted. I was looking for something different to do and Mia bumped into me and dragged me along for this,¡± he said. I smiled warmly at him and Mia. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to see you both.¡± I¡¯d need to follow up on the others. While Humphrey and Mia were the standouts that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d drop the others. Then again they¡¯d all been logging in for the online lessons that I ran via the Gym trainer¡¯s pokenet portal and they had been collecting their own badges. Then again the entire point of letting them loose was to garner experience in the real world. I had no doubt that they¡¯d end the year much wiser than they had been. The man that had brought them shifted to leave and I caught a nametag on his coat. ¡°Foster?¡± I said. He turned back. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a student at Celadon University, ¡°I said slowly. He nodded slowly. ¡°Yes?¡± he repeated slowly, apparently nervous as to why I was asking after him. ¡°You¡¯re one of Oak¡¯s student¡¯s aren¡¯t you? He mentioned you,¡± I said, recalling that this was one of the named cartoon characters, and that Oak had in fact spoken of this young man during his frequent trips to Pewter¡¯s trainer lounge to play Smash. Foster perked up at this. ¡°He did? Oh wow that¡¯s great! I didn¡¯t think I had a chance of getting a formal apprenticeship from what contact I had with his online course but if he¡¯s talking about me that¡¯s great!¡± he said as he practically began floating on the spot. Before I could say anything else another familiar whitecoat appeared with Jade entering the tent. ¡°Mr Flint? These trainers said they know you?¡± she said, stepping into the tent. Following her, Ash, Misty and Forrest appeared. I grinned at my little brother and he mirrored the feeling right back at me. ¡°I thought I smelt something!¡± said Gary before anyone else could get a word in. Ash snapped his head to the side. ¡°Oh! You! Gary!¡± he growled his hand shooting to his pokebelt. I laughed, it seemed that Flint had been right to firm up the canyon wall to absorb pokemon battles. Cause if there was anyway to start a fight it was by having Gary and Ash in the same room. I could only conclude that this was turning into a very interesting day. Chapter 213 - Spelunking into sleepy situations! ¡°Ohhhhh you!¡± growled Ash towards his rival. His fist clenched around a pokeball and he raised it up, his mouth opening to no doubt demand a challenge. Only for Misty¡¯s hand to lash out and grab him by the back of his shirt and shake him. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re trying to do? We¡¯re next to a canyon! Do you not remember the last time you got into a fight in terrain like this!?¡± she snarled. I quirked an eyebrow. That sounded like quite the story. Gary for his part only smirked harder. ¡°Hoh? What¡¯s this? Ashy boy not paying attention? I seem to recall several classes where you were the same! Remember Ashy Boy?¡± he said, leaning in to put the screws to his rival. Mia put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°Gary, you¡¯re not much better. Remember that time you used an electric attack with your Jolteon when we were standing in ankle-deep water?¡± she said with a very fixed smile. Gary stiffened. ¡°I thought we were never going to talk about that!¡± Mia, and I noted the cheerleaders all shot Gary an extremely flat look. ¡°We agreed to no such deal,¡± Mia said, acting as the group¡¯s spokeswoman. The cheerleaders nodded their heads in solidarity. Misty looked over at them. ¡°You girls as well? Ash does that sometimes when he get¡ª¡± Ash¡¯s hand flapped up into her face. ¡°Misty! Not in front of Gary!¡± he said with a whine. ¡°Yeah! What Ash said!¡± You¡¯re ruining my reputation!¡± said Gary. Forrest sighed. ¡°Just give it up guys, they¡¯re going to do it anyway. I find it helps to just have a thicker skin,¡± he said with a shrug. Misty shot him a smile and a nod which Forrest huffed at before turning back to me. A steely glint entered his gaze. ¡°That said, it was not cool of you making Erika trick us like that Brock!¡± he said, shooting his finger out to point it right in my face. I smirked. ¡°Ho? What¡¯s this?¡± I said playfully. ¡°You! You made her demand that Ash and I fight her in dresses! The girls there called me Frou-frou!¡± ¡°I was called Ashley!¡± said Ash in despair. Gary snickered at him. ¡°Really dresses? You guys are such chumps! No way I¡¯d get caught in a dress like that!¡± he said. Mia gained a glint in her eyes and the Cheerleaders tittered. Gary, demonstrating amazing self-awareness, shot them all a worried look. I raised a hand. ¡°Alright, alright girls stop beating up on the boys. We get it, they¡¯ve made some mistakes.¡± I raised a single finger. ¡°But I¡¯m sure we can all recall some of our own mistakes which were equally as poorly thought out, no?¡± I said, doing my best to give off the vibes of a man preaching to a church. I tried to embody the idea of cast only a rock ye who have not sinned. The boys looked at me in relief while the girls nodded contritely. Or at least they did for a few seconds before the Cheerleaders shared a wink. I decided to ignore them. They were not my problem and too old and therefore set in their ways. Not that I was going to voice that. I gave Forrest a look. ¡°Sorry for setting up that trap,¡± I said only for my lips to twitch at the unfortunate, if Freudian slip. Forrest glared at me and in doing so gave up that he¡¯d probably gone a little too deep on the pokenet. I repressed my amusement in the face of his ire. ¡°Big Brother prerogative?¡± I suggested. Forrest raised a clenched fist in front of his face. ¡°Mark my words, brother, I will have my vengeance for that embarrassment! It might not be today, but it will come! It will be swift! It will be bold! It! will! be! Legendary!¡± he stipulated with his fist held up to the heavens. I coughed and decided to kill his vibe by clapping politely. ¡°Cool story,¡± I said. Forrest growled at me. Ash decided to add his own two cents. ¡°Make sure you get him back for the underwear as well!¡± Everyone paused. I frowned. ¡°Uhm¡­ underwear?¡± I said. Ash nodded. ¡°Yeah! The girls included underwear with the dresses! Said they¡¯d be able to tell if I wore something else!¡± Forrest put his hands together in front of his face. ¡°Ash¡­ they were lying, those dresses had so many frills you could hide anything under there! Please tell me you didn¡¯t wear the frilly girl underwear the girls left.¡± Ash blinked slowly only to smile. ¡°I did not wear the underwear! He said. Pikachu, who¡¯d been riding his shoulder, made a face and refused to look at his trainer. Forrest opened his mouth to a question no doubt burning on the tip of his tongue, but he shut his mouth realising he really didn¡¯t want to know the answer. He turned away. ¡°Yeah! That too!¡± he said pointing at me. I coughed. ¡°Uhmmm, I think you might need to take that up with the girls of the Celadon Gym. I said trick them into wearing a dress, and get some pictures,¡± I said raising up my Xtransciver to showcase a pair of pictures with a furiously blushing but pleased Forrest holding up a Rainbow badge while Ash did the same in the next picture. A final picture showed off Misty standing between the boys with her own Rainbow badge, her smile huge while the boys blushed in their dresses. ¡°I even told them not to push it if you said no,¡± I said. ¡°The underwear thing¡­ that was the girls,¡± I said. I could only conclude that the underwear had been one of the trainers going above and beyond¡­ or being particularly mean. It struck me as something Erika would be too shy to do. I felt my stomach rumble and I coughed before waving the group to follow. ¡°Let¡¯s grab some lunch!¡± I said leading the group back to the cafeteria tent I¡¯d seen earlier. As we moved Gary slunk up next to Ash. ¡°You went commando, didn¡¯t you?¡± I walked a little faster, not wanting to hear the answer to that question. I felt like I already knew too much. Damn, Celadon girls, that was cruel. I sped up. I didn¡¯t want to truly know the answer. If I could keep even a smidgen of ignorance, I¡¯d cling to it harder than a naked man would cling to a towel. Lunch proved to be a suitable distraction with our group claiming a full table. ¡°So? How¡¯s it been going for you?¡± I asked. ¡°I heard you were having to train up for Kong and Sabrina?¡± I prompted. Forrest and Ash grimaced. ¡°We have to work on our strategy,¡± Forrest said. ¡°Kong was more than ready to deal with my Metang.¡± I paused. ¡°Oh? You got it to evolve? Good work. Have you¡­¡± I paused realising I was about to encroach. I coughed. ¡°What are you doing for him and your other pokemon?¡± I said, adjusting my words quickly. Forrest perked up. ¡°Well it¡¯s really interesting having a Psychic pokemon on my team! I have Metang working on building up the power of his attacks and his control, while others are building up their defence!¡± I nodded along happy to listen even as I found myself having to bite down the urge to make some suggestions. I didn¡¯t need to step in and ¡®fix his methods¡¯ he could learn, or he could ask for them if he wanted to. He had access to the Gym¡¯s training methodology for various pokemon after all. I could tell that he¡¯d built a good program from it already, it just wasn¡¯t eking out the full potential. I glanced about at the others and spotted something. Ash was sulking, which wasn¡¯t odd considering how Gary was taking the chance to needle him, while Misty was happily bouncing in her seat. ¡°I take it Misty won her match?¡± I said, causing Forrest to perk up and begin singing Misty¡¯s praises much to the girl¡¯s delight. ¡°I¡¯ll say! She had it worked out really well with her Starmie! And oh! Just this week her Wartortle evolved after beating the Battle Club President! It was awesome! Now we have Misty¡¯s Blastoise and Ash¡¯s Charizard! It¡¯s so cool!¡± The cheerleaders, who¡¯d claimed their own table glanced over and giggled as they shot Misty and Forrest teasing looks that had Misty blushing further while Forrest didn¡¯t spot them. I swallowed the mouthful of sandwich I had. ¡°So, does that mean you¡¯re going to get a Bulbasaur?¡± I said teasingly. ¡°What? No! I think I like Steel and Rock Type pokemon!¡± Forrest said firmly. He then waved a hand towards Ash. ¡°Ash has a Bulbasaur anyway.¡± Gary choked on his sandwich and Mia helpfully swatted his back a few times to help clear his airways. ¡°Urk! You? Ashy boy have two of the Kanto starter pokemon?¡± raged Gary. Ash blinked. ¡°Uhmmm no? I have all three? I have Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charizard,¡± he said cluelessly. Everyone within earshot turned and shot him a look of disbelief that quickly morphed into envy. Ash wiped at his face? ¡°What? It wasn¡¯t that hard,¡± he said. Gary put his head in his hands. ¡°Not that hard he says! Argh! My rival is a stupid lucky idiot!¡± he said. Forrest and Misty both nodded. Ash growled only to notice them. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not true! I¡¯m smart!¡± I chuckled as the others pretended to not meet his gaze as though he¡¯d just said something embarrassing. Ash turned watery eyes towards me, fishing for a compliment. I laughed and rolled my eyes. ¡°At pokemon battling you have some great instincts. I think the issue isn¡¯t one of intelligence but rather wisdom which will come with experience,¡± I said easily. Ash considered this for a moment before tilting his head. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± I grinned. ¡°Intelligence is knowing that a Tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad,¡± I said. Forrest, unable to stop himself completed the quote, ¡°And charisma is being able to sell a tomato fruit salad!¡± he said with a grin. I paused. That¡­ actually fit the Team Rocket trio to a tee. ¡°What¡¯s this new nerdery?¡± Gary said, affecting a cool attitude as he cleaned his ear. Forrest scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re not fooling anyone! It¡¯s this game that you can play called pokemon mystery dungeons! You can play as a variety of different pokemon and go on adventures with¡ª¡± ¡°Laaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmeee!¡± said Gary only for Mia to swat him on the head. ¡°It¡¯s not lame! We had a ton of the boxes and rulebooks in the orphanage! We used to play and the matrons would come around with jugs of drink and treats!¡± she said. ¡°It was kinda fun! I played as a Munchlax!¡± I held in a small laugh. The matrons gave out treats to reinforce the good behaviour of the kids doing something quiet¡­ for a given value of quiet. Forrest perked up. ¡°Oh sweet! I was part of the club for a while in school until¡­ well I really enjoyed it anyway! The situations were super cool and useful for life I found!¡± Mia agreed with a no while Silly Mouse chittered happily on Mia¡¯s shoulder. Flint decided to weigh in. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of this game before?¡± ¡°That¡¯s cause it¡¯s a young person game dad! You¡¯d have never played it, talk to Salvadore, I know he said he¡¯s joining a club for it after school!¡± Forrest said. Flint nodded this, looking like he¡¯d do just that. He then glanced at his watch. ¡°Oh my! Look at the time! If we¡¯re going to do some spelunking Brock we¡¯ll need to get going!¡± he said. ¡°Spelunking?!¡± said Ash, Forrest, and Gary all at once. I nodded, standing up. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going to head down into the part of the canyon where I found my pokemon years ago and see if there isn¡¯t anything more down there.¡± The kids all straightened up at that. Ash was the first off the mark. ¡°Can we come?¡± I paused, having not considered that. I shared a look with Flint and he shrugged. I shrugged back. ¡°Sure, but you¡¯ll need to follow Flint and I¡¯s lead on this cause we are going to be underground.¡± I gave Gary and Ash a pointed look. ¡°That means no big pokemon moves or damaging the walls.¡± ¡°YES!¡± cheered the boys. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Misty coughed. ¡°I¡¯d like to just work at one of the aboveground sites if it¡¯s all the same Ash?¡± Mia agreed with a nod herself. Ash stared at her., ¡°You¡¯re not interested in Kabuto, or Omanyte?¡± he said with a gasp. Misty wavered only to shake her head. ¡°I saw some interesting rock formations back in the desert that I want to look into. Now that I know what¡¯s going on, I might scoop them up!¡± she said. Ash tilted his head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing that?¡± Forrest glanced to the side. ¡°You like to powerwalk and keep your head forwards. You don¡¯t really take in your surroundings,¡± he said. Ash nodded. ¡°Like a true champion,¡± he said. Gary scoffed. ¡°Only if you don¡¯t want to know where you¡¯re going or miss a lot of things.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± said Ash, his eyes narrowing and snapping to his rival. I clapped my hands to stop any fights from breaking out. I could already tell this was going to be an interesting trip. ¡°Let¡¯s get our gear and head out hey?¡± I said with a faint smile. I might have leaked a bit of dark energy as the boys stiffened and saluted me. ¡°Yes sir!¡± they said together. Flint led us to another tent where we were given a pack for traversing into a cave. The old man that handed out the packs gave us each a critical look over and a quick criticism on how to have our packs set, or wear a hip harness for any abseiling we decided to set ourselves up for. He gave Flint and I a grunt that might have passed for approval when we didn¡¯t need any adjustment. When he finished teaching Humphrey how to connect his safety cord, he surveyed the younger boys. ¡°Heading down into the depths are we?¡± he said as a cruel glint entered his eyes. The boys nodded with Gary grinning. ¡°You know it!¡± he said. ¡°Heh! Be careful laddies! There be more down there than just rocks! Sometimes there be things that will take bites of you! You won¡¯t even see them! Just hear them echoing and playing tricks on you before they strike!¡± ¡°Alright there Jasper, No need to scare the young ones now!¡± Flint admonished. ¡®Jasper¡¯ scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re too soft on the young ones these days! I had the poop scared out of me when I was a youngster! It helped to keep me honest and on my toes down there! It¡¯s how I made it to this age.¡± He adopted a pose that saw him curling in on himself. ¡°Unlike so many other good men¡­¡± he said, hiding his eyes. Flint snorted. ¡°Most of your generation died due to pickled livers, not rockslides,¡± he said. Jasper dropped the act and grinned. ¡°Damn straight we did! We knew how to party!¡± ¡°You also didn¡¯t have legal drinking ages!¡± said Flint as he waved for our group to follow him. Flint then looked at me. ¡°Alright, time for you to show us the way,¡± he said. I nodded and took a moment to look over the landscape. I¡¯d given it a glance earlier but now I had to recall exactly where I¡¯d gone. Back when I was younger I¡¯d been able to come here and spend a week looking through caves to find them. I had taken a number of pictures which I drew up on my Xtransciever. ¡°Oh that¡¯s that rock formation!¡± Ash said pointing at the picture and the spire of rock off to the side. He started jogging towards it only for me to grab his shirt. ¡°That was a picture of a cave that didn¡¯t have pokemon,¡± I said. I then began flicking through the pictures until I got to the final picture. A large cave that was more of an opening in a flat area, looking more like a sinkhole staring back. I showed the picture to Selene and she inspected it before nodding and floating up into the air. She took a few minutes to drift, inspecting the area from her elevated position before trilling when she had something. Like a compass pointing north she turned herself and directed us towards the cave I¡¯d been seeking out. We walked over to it and when we reached the edge, Flint could only whistle in surprise. ¡°You abseiled this when you were eleven?¡± he said. ¡°That was ambitious of you,¡± he said, eying the drop. I merely shrugged. ¡°The payoff was worth it,¡± I said. I made a sign and Selene dropped down to prepare herself as our safety net. Flint pulled out a pokeball of his own and released a Shuckle of all things. ¡°Torch set up, Shuckle,¡± he said and the shell pokemon began to glow a powerful light out of the exposed body parts. Flint picked it up and attached it to his shoulder. He shot us a smile. ¡°Shuckle make great torch lights.¡± I nodded and donned my own headlight so I could be hands-free. ¡°I prefer to use the red light feature on torches these days. It seems to help keep Zubat from getting startled,¡± I said. The kids copied me with their not having a pokemon that could use Flash. Flint shrugged. ¡°As long as it isn¡¯t a strobing flash, or too bright it shouldn¡¯t matter.¡± From there we set our anchor points and abseiled to the bottom of the hole. I dredged up memories of how the cave system had been. ¡°There should be a tunnel that will branch off into a trio of forks, but there should be the sound of some water that we can follow to reach an underground grotto where I found the pokemon, stay quiet and listen for running water,¡± I said. Flint hummed. ¡°That¡¯s if the land has shifted. Boys remember to watch your step and to not put all your weight down straight away,¡± he said. Gotcha,¡± said Forrest while the others nodded along. We moved along the tunnel and sure enough, we found the trio of branches that I¡¯d come down years ago. I paused near a wall and smiled at a carving I¡¯d made. Forrest stepped up next to me. ¡°Brock was here, remember me well if I don¡¯t return?¡± he said, reading the carving aloud. I blushed having forgotten about this. Flint came over and a flicker of something showed on his face. ¡°Why¡¯d you leave this message,¡± he asked seriously. I shrugged casually. ¡°I heard the water and thought there might be pokemon. I did it mostly out of whimsy,¡± I said casually. Flint grimaced and opened his mouth before shaking his head as he noticed the boy¡¯s attention on him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said, dismissing it as nothing but I got the impression it was gnawing at him. The boys all shared a look before glancing at me and Flint. They wisely chose not to say anything. Flint took the lead from there, his Schuckle lighting up the tunnel after he¡¯d marked it with a bright yellow paint that glowed even after we¡¯d stopped shining lights on it. ¡°Method of keeping track of where you¡¯ve been. It will fade in a few days so it¡¯s safe for the environment,¡± he said at Humphrey¡¯s curious look. As we moved I heard the sound of running water and the boys all perked up. From there, it was only a few minutes walk before the tunnel opened onto the cavern with a small pond in the middle. Forrest and Flint blinked. ¡°This is¡­ like the cave system we have in the reserve?¡± Forrest said. I nodded. ¡°I copied much of this from memory so they would feel comfortable,¡± I said. Taking in the cavern. I¡¯d found Shin and Helix here when I¡¯d first arrived. I¡¯d fought them and taken them down only for Chou and Shelly to launch out of the water at me. I¡¯d fought them too and the sounds of our battle had drawn Don in. I rubbed a hand over the top of my head, recalling how I¡¯d had to duck when he¡¯d gone for my head from ambush. I smirked and nodded. That had been a scrappy fight that had been far bloodier than I¡¯d been used to, but from it, I¡¯d secured a number of powerful and rare pokemon. ¡°This is it,¡± I said. I then pointed out the water. ¡°Might be worth sending some pokemon down there to investigate. I had Chou and Shelly leap out of them. There¡¯s no guarantee there weren¡¯t other pokemon down there,¡± I said. I doubted it but it didn¡¯t pay to be lax. The boys nodded at this and Ash released his Squirtle. Gary smirked and released a Blastoise causing Squirtle to stiffen when the much more powerful pokemon shot him a smirk. Squirtle responded by pulling out some shades and adopting a cool expression. Balstoise looked a bit jealous until Humprhey started laughing, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Hehehe! It¡¯s just! He¡¯s wearing shades in a cave?¡± he said. Squirtle, realising how redundant if not outright counterproductive it was. He whipped the shades off and didn¡¯t meet Blastoise¡¯s eyes as he hopped into the pond. Ash squatted at the side of the pond, his eyes hidden in shadow while Pikachu matched his stare into the pond. I watched him. It hadn¡¯t happened in the anime, but I got the feeling that with Misty advancing with her pokemon and Gary showing off, Ash was suddenly rethinking a few things about how his pokemon grow. I left him to it, sending out Shin and Chou myself. Both of them appeared only to stiffen in surprise. ¡°Hey guys, ¡° I said, greeting them with a smile. ¡°We¡¯re back in the caves I found you doing some exploring? Want to show us around?¡± I asked. Shin perked up and did just that. He began walking around, gesturing with his sycthe at various alcoves, miming sleeping and eating actions. When he reached the pond he gestured and waved his scythe in a complicated action that I couldn¡¯t work out. I shook my head and Shin shrugged, unable to convey what he meant. I released Titan and he appeared with a giant yawn and a shudder. I twitched. And started to copy him only to break it off. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t start that bud, I¡¯m already tired,¡± I said. Titan shot me a look before inspecting his surroundings. ¡°Ty?¡± he said, his head cocking to the side as he took in our surroundings, noting their familiarity. When he saw Forrest he stopped looking over the cave and instead stalked over to rub my little brother¡¯s head. Forrest squawked at the attention but hugged the larger pokemon back. ¡°Hey to you as well, big guy,¡± he said. Gary took the moment to sneak up next to Titan and take a selfie. Titan, spotting this, adopted a low stalking pose before his fingers shot up into a V. Gary cackled at how cool it looked. Shin, deciding to get in on the action, moved up next to Titan and Gary happily took another few shots. Flint let it go for a few moments before coughing. ¡°As nice as it is to see you enjoying yourself, I would ask you to stop using a flash,¡± Flint said. Gary stiffened, his gaze snapping up just as a flock of Zubat began to flutter towards him. Titan swept his tail and knocked them all out without even giving them a look. Gary stared for a moment at the casual display of power, before coughing and ducking his head. ¡°Sorry about that!¡± Ash snickered and shot his rival a smirk, finally having something to tease Gary about. I shook my head and directed Titan and Shin to work with us. Shin repeated himself about the pond and Titan listened before turning to me and waving his hands in a flowing pattern. ¡°There¡¯s an underground river?¡± I asked. Titan nodded slowly. And continued to weave his hands. I tilted my head. ¡°It goes for a long way?¡± Titan glanced at Shin who nodded. I grunted. ¡°Anything else down there? Pokemon? Other fossil pokemon or fossils themselves?¡± I asked. Shin shook his head for the note about pokemon before shrugging. I opened up my Xtransicever and showed him what I was looking for. Before long he was diving into the depths and looking for anything on the list that I complied with Flint. I turned back to find what everyone else was up to. The boys were now examining the walls and alcoves and Flint was approaching with a serious look on his face. ¡°Something up?¡± I asked. Flint nodded. ¡°The message back at the forks. The one you made when you were eleven?¡± He worked his jaw. ¡°It¡¯s not uncommon to find messages like that when you explore caves.¡± he said, his eyes moving to lock with mine. ¡°Those sorts of messages are made by men who know they¡¯re going into danger,¡± he said. I didn¡¯t say anything. He was right. I had known I was coming into a dangerous cave. I had as soon as I started exploring the caves all those years ago. I also hadn¡¯t had as many safety measures like Selene or my much stronger pokemon such as a Tyranitar back then. It had been Guybro, Dwayne, Titan and Bertha, albeit much younger and nowhere near as powerful. Don had been extremely feral back then which made it tougher than a normal fight, especially with how I hadn¡¯t wanted to cripple him. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, settling for the one word answer. ¡°It worked out,¡± I said. Flint¡¯s jaw clenched, not liking the answer. He inhaled and exhaled. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised considering you¡¯d wandered into Mt Silver all those years ago¡­ You really were a lot more reckless back then.¡± he said leaning back to sit on his haunches. ¡°Guess I just don¡¯t like finding out how much I missed back then.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say. It had been a risk, a big one back then, but there had been sizable pay off. I stayed silent and didn¡¯t say anything. I wasn¡¯t going to say it was a bad call. In fact, it was one that I didn¡¯t regret and would make again if I had my time over. That wasn¡¯t the answer that would placate Flint though. Not that he¡¯d like any answer I could truthfully give. When the kids called out they¡¯d found a pair of tunnels leading out, I clapped him on the shoulder and squeezed for lack of anything else to say. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got?¡± I said to the others leaving Flint to stare into the past. The tunnels weren¡¯t that impressive, roughly my height and only just barely could two people walk shoulder to shoulder down the first. With how it had been tucked into a wall it was rather easy to overlook unless you inspected the full circumference of the cavern. This tunnel, when inspected, led to a dead end roughly fifty metres along itself. I ran my hands over the sides and noted a number of geodes. ¡°Hey Flint! We might have something here!¡± I called back. Flint shook off the ghosts of the past and trudged up. His shuckle arced its head this way and that casting the walls in and out of light with the motions. He paused at a few sights and tapped his fingers, ran his hands, or in one very concerning moment licked the wall. The boys all grimaced at this while I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Chalky,¡± said Flint. ¡°This section is m¡¯ He then led the boys back to various points. ¡°These points here are worth digging at. I think there are some gem deposits here.¡± That had Gary, Forrest and Humphrey to perk up. ¡°Can we start digging now?¡± they asked. Flint waved a hand. ¡°Woah there boys, we need to set up secure walls first,¡± he said. ¡°What about my tunnel?¡± whined Ash. I clapped him on the shoulder when Flint glanced in my direction. ¡°How about I look it over?¡± I suggested. Ash happily led me to his find. Much weaker and newer than everything else around it. This tunnel might only be a few weeks old. The second tunnel was much like the first with how it tucked into the wall subtly. What made it different was that it was much smaller. You¡¯d need to crawl on your hands and feet, smaller. I nodded to myself, releasing Izumi. She appeared, took in her surroundings and nodded. Then she rolled into the tunnel without complaint. Ash fidgetted. ¡°Should we.. go after her?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll check the tunnel, make sure it¡¯s not about to collapse on us. Tight tunnels like this can be a problem due to having potential narrowings where we¡¯d get stuck,¡± I explained. Ash accepted that with a nod, deciding to run his hands through Pikachu¡¯s fur. In doing so his own hair began to stick up in places that were almost iconic for him. Huh, was his spiky hair caused by his grooming Pikachu? I¡¯d never thought of that before. Neat. It took a few minutes for Izumi to come back. When she did she was dusty, but that didn¡¯t stop her from grinning at us and firing a thumbs up. She tapped the ground and mapped out the tunnel showing that it was a rather long tunnel but that it led to another cavern which was sizable. It also had a lot more openings leading into it. I whistled. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve found something,¡± I said to Ash, causing him to pump his fist. I relayed the information to the others and they wavered. The boys were obviously weighing up further adventure against potential gains in this tunnel while Flint wanted to secure this site. ¡°I can go with Ash and check out the tunnel,¡± I said feeling nostalgic. After all, Brock and Ash were an iconic set of friends. Flint¡¯s head jerked and he let us be, I had a feeling he was still feeling it from the message I¡¯d left last time, but I wasn¡¯t going to touch that here and now. Instead I led Ash into the tunnel with me leading the way Or I was until Pikachu raced ahead of me. I chuckled as a small fluffy tail was what I had to look at for a few minutes until the tunnel opened up. When I reached the cavern, I whistled as I found a number of exposed geodes of gems. ¡°This¡­ is a much bigger find,¡± I said. Izumi, who¡¯d been next to me glanced at the geodes before shrugging. Ah that¡¯s right they wouldn¡¯t matter to a pokemon too much. Ash and I happily took some pictures before we began to inspect the other branching tunnels, a few of them seemed to tuck around back in on themselves creating a maze of sorts. One had another cavern that looked promising with the crystals lodged in the walls. Ash paused to inspect a particularly large crystal just as I stepped into another tunnel, marking it off with the glow in the dark paint as I did so. I walked in a little ways and found a small cave with a raised platform. It reminded me of Titan¡¯s den with the softer earth being used as a bed. That had me stiffening up, only to pause when a soft voice chirped up. ¡°Jiggly?¡± I blinked as a Jigglypuff hopped up onto the raised bed of rock. ¡°Oh, hello there?¡± I said. Jigglypuff smiled and waved, in its off-hand a red¡­ pen with a fluffy lid was held. Something about that sparked a memory. It wasn¡¯t until it raised the small red pen to its lips and began to Sing, that I remembered why Jigglypuff with a pen was a menace. I reached up to stuff my ears but a yawn ripped through me causing me to shudder. Damn Mewtwo, I thought to myself as I slumped down next to Izumi to fall asleep to a gentle lullaby. I was too tired to resist and so slumber claimed me. What was the harm in a little nap after all? Chapter 214 - Grampa Canyon cave nightmares! ¡°And that boys is how you secure an evolution stone!¡± Flint said as he carefully extracted a green stone from the wall. ¡°Interestingly this one appears to be a Leaf Stone,¡± said Flint. ¡°A leaf stone?¡± Gary asked, taking the offered stone and inspecting it under the light of his headlamp. ¡°But this area isn¡¯t known for its grass types? In fact it''s much the opposite? Fire types and rock types no?¡± said Gary. ¡°Ho?¡± Flint said, curious at this response. He hadn¡¯t expected one of these youngsters to question him. He decided to stay quiet and let Gary talk through his own thoughts before stepping in. Gary nodded. ¡°Yeah from what I¡¯ve read¡­ of certain people¡¯s works, evolution stones have something to do with the types of pokemon and the environment don¡¯t they? So, Leaf stones should be found in super verdant areas like forests, jungles and¡­ grasslands?¡± Gary said. Flint nodded. ¡°Ah, yes I¡¯ve read a few of those works, there¡¯s some interesting takes, but you¡¯re forgetting a few things. The level of strat that we¡¯re at right now, is actually a few hundred if not a thousand years old. So at that time, it most likely was a jungle. You can tell by the colouration of the earth. This is fine¡ª¡± Whatever else Flint was going to say about geology was lost as a loud wail sounded out. ¡°Heeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!¡± called a boy¡¯s voice. Gary tilted his head. ¡°Was that a girl?¡± Forrest shot Gary a flat look. ¡°Really? Now isn¡¯t the time for that,¡± said Forrest before he hurried towards the sound of his distressed friend. Flint frowned. He hadn¡¯t felt anything shifting or any rumbles that would have given off anything serious like a cave-in. So had they found something good? Flint tossed that idea into the bin as soon as he raised it. No, they must have found something bad. Brock must have sent Ash back. Flint started moving quicker, prompting Humphrey and Gary to follow after him. They returned to the first cavern and found Pikachu waving his hands about. ¡°Pi! Pika! Chu! Pika!¡± shouted the little electric mouse to Forrest who nodded along seriously only to shake his head. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re saying,¡± Forrest said. Pikachu took a moment to stare at Forrest. Then he zapped Forrest. The flash of light illuminated the cavern and Flint growled low in warning from the back of throat. It was a useful trick that pokemon with good hearing, or a lot of rock types could pick up on without it really registering on a human¡¯s range of hearing. Pikachu, sensing the warning for what it was, stiffened and stopped zapping Forrest to turn towards Flint. Flint nodded. ¡°Good pokemon,¡± he said before inspecting his son. Forrest shook himself off and coughed out a little. ¡°Alright alright!¡± Forrest raised his hands in submission. ¡°Sorry, Pikachu! I don¡¯t know what you mean alright? We don¡¯t spend as long talking as you do with Misty or with Ash, okay?¡± Pikachu huffed but nodded and turned to point at the tunnel he¡¯d run through. The sound of frantic crawling was soon followed by a light source as Ash came into view. ¡°Urrrrrgh,¡± said Ash as he shot to his feet at the end of the tunnel only to stumble. He took in huge heaving lungfuls of air. ¡°Flint! It¡¯s bad! Brock! He¡¯s really hurt! There was blood all over his face and he was down! We need to get him out of there! He¡¯s hurt! Or dying! I think the monster of the depths got to him!¡± Ash said, his hands waving about. Flint stiffened. ¡°What? Where?¡± he said, shooting forward. He didn¡¯t even wait for the answer before releasing Golem into the tunnel. ¡°Get me to the other side!¡± ¡°In the tunnel to the ¡ª¡± Ash started to say, only for Golem to grab onto Flint and begin dragging him through the tunnel at a sprint. It wasn¡¯t the fastest method he had of getting around in the depths, but other options would risk cave-ins. That would come later, once he¡¯d secured all the boys and gotten eyes on his son. Golem had him on the other side of the tunnel hurriedly. Flint noted down that it had taken him slightly up on a gradient for around two hundred metres. He filled in the details to his mental mud map that he used to picture the layout of the tunnels. They were close to the surface. Good, that was good. Flint didn¡¯t have to look hard to work out which tunnel Brock was in. the fancy redlight of his headlamp shone off to the side and Flint pointed his hand. ¡°Golem!¡± he said as he got his feet back. He sprinted into the tunnel and found his son slumped on the wall. Flint¡¯s heart lurched as he took in the red lines that tricked down Brock¡¯s face, looking like he¡¯d cried tears of blood. Around his mouth more blood appeared to have trickled out. His neck was red as well. Flint¡¯s mind betrayed him. Similar scenes of friends and fellow defenders of pewter with their throats torn out, found laying on their sides in trenches came to the fore of his mind and his breath hitched. His body started to stiffen and he felt a spasm come on. He stared at his son. That last word echoed in his mind. Son. He pushed back the threatening episode with everything he possessed. He found himself no longer frozen like some marble statue and he moved, slowly at first but with increased control as he lurched toward his son. ¡°I-it¡¯s just a trick of the light!¡± he said aloud, trying to convince himself as much as he could. It had to be a trick! Damn Brock¡¯s insistence on using a red light. It was his fault! He reached out with shaky hands and touched his son expecting it to come back wet. ¡­ It was dry. He pushed his fingers into his son¡¯s cheek. His son¡¯s head lolled to the side and a huge snore came out of Brock. Flint stared, his mind suddenly going blank. Golem, who¡¯d been slowly moving up next to Flint leaned in and sniffed Brock. In doing so he blew air into Brock¡¯s face and Brock snorted, waving a hand in the air. ¡°No kisses. Need a breath mint sorry babe,¡± he said before rolling his head the other direction and continuing to sleep. Flint, now thoroughly confused. Relieved, but confused, began dabbing his hands at the red lines that he¡¯d mistaken for blood. He drew his hand back and rubbed his fingers. They came back dry¡­ ish. A soft noise sounded from behind him but he ignored it, trusting in Golem to watch his back. ¡°Shuckle, get me a good look at Brock?¡± he said, making his shuckle direct all the light at his son. Brock grimaced as soon as the light of multiple limbs were directed at his face. ¡°Urgh? What? Go away,¡± Brock said. Flint barked a laugh and hugged his son. ¡°Marker! It¡¯s just a marker!¡± he crowed. ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡± Brock said as he squinted at Flint. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I¡¯m just having a little nap,¡± said Brock, clearly still disorientated. Flint laughed. ¡°That¡¯s fine! Grand even, keep sleeping!¡± he prompted. Sleeping was good, so much better than¡­ Flint felt a shudder run through him. Bocok stared at him. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he said blearily, slowly starting to rouse dispute Flint¡¯s urges to stay down. ¡°Never been better,¡± said Flint as he allowed himself to fully relax and feel the relief of knowing his son hadn¡¯t¡­ died. ¡°Jiggly?¡± said a voice from next to them. Flint ignored it, too interested in watching his clearly alive son. Brock tilted his head. ¡°Oh hey Jigglypuff, nice song,¡± he said with a dopey tired smile. ¡°Jiggly?¡± the voice. Flint glanced behind him to see a squirming Jigglypuff. He bounced around happily. Flint couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°What¡¯s this about a song?¡± he said. Jigglypuff turned and grinned at him. Something small like a microphone swept up to her mouth and Flint had just long enough to recognise it as a red marker pen before she began to Sing. Flint felt his mind slowly lurch back into gear as he connected the dots. He just started to react when the song hit him and he leaned back as the tension left his body all at once. He smiled to himself as he began to dream about his happy, and very much alive family. Brock was right, it was a good song.
[/hr] Forrest twitched. ¡°Dad should have come back by now already¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± he said. Ash hopped from foot to foot. The monster must have gotten him too!¡± Gary shook his head. ¡°There is no such thing as monsters!¡± he said. Next to him, Blastoise nodded its head, the twin cannons twitching up and down as it did so. ¡°Kabutops!¡± said Shin who¡¯d risen from the pond alongside Blastoise while they¡¯d been waiting. Chou huddled behind her taller friend. Humphrey nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Shin is right. We need to get in there.¡± he said, slashing his hand towards the tunnel ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if there is or isn¡¯t a monster; we need to get in there and find out what¡¯s going on. If both of them are injured then we need to help them. This time though we need to stick together.¡± He gave Gary and Ash a firm look. ¡°No running off on our own!¡± Ash and Gary gave him equally affronted looks but Humphrey ignored them, choosing to instead release his Lairon. ¡°Need you out and keeping an eye on our surroundings buddy,¡± he said to his starter. ¡°Something¡¯s fishy,¡± he said. ¡°Lair!¡± grunted the steel-rock type before positioning itself at the front of the pack. Forrest chuckled. ¡°This is just like playing a game of Pokemon dungeon¡­ we need to work out the order we¡¯ll move forward,¡± he mumbled. Gary rolled his eyes while Ash kept quiet. Selene tried to go after Humphrey but Forrest put his hand on the floating pokemon. ¡°You should go in the middle. If there is something causing problems we need you in a safe position. Forrest¡¯s eyes then darted around the group. ¡°Gary we need you after Humprhey with Blastoise preceding you in case we need some power. I¡¯ll follow up with Selene and Ash will have our backs as the rearguard. Got that?¡± he said. Ash and Gary nodded, their chests puffing out at the implied importance of their position. Forrest held in a sigh and looked to the only other mature trainer here. Humphrey met his gaze and nodded before getting on his hands and knees and crawling after his pokemon. The procession moved along from there. Thankfully Blastoise didn''t have any issues. Shin was able to crouch down and waddle through the tunnel in a manner that seemed entirely practised too Forrest¡¯s point of view. Chou rolled after them down the tunnel. When Forrest reached the cavern, his eyes flicked around noting that a few of the tunnels were marked out in the glow paint. Forrest wanted to start looking into them, not seeing any light sources that would indicate Brock or his dad. And didn¡¯t that raise some worries. It was bad enough that Brock was out of action, if what Ash said was to be believed. And for all that Ash could sometimes drop the ball, especially with reading a map, he wouldn¡¯t scream around for something serious like this. If Brock had looked hurt, he must have been. Thankfully Ash was right behind Forrest so he didn¡¯t have to wait long. Still, the seconds ticking by seemed to grate on his nerves. When they all emerged from this, Forrest was so going to get Flint to show him how to get his pokemon to carry him through tunnels like he¡¯d seen Flint do. That had been crazy fast! Forrest had no idea how to even approach something like that without getting really, really messed up with limbs banging into the edges of the rock or falling on your face. You¡¯d need to really trust your pokemon to do it, cause if they tripped you were in for a world of hurt. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. It was just another surprise from his dad. When Ash¡¯s hand appeared in the tunnel Forrest latched onto it, not waiting for Ash to crawl the last metre or two, instead choosing to drag his friend out. ¡°Right Ash, where was Brock?¡± he said before setting Ash down on his feet. Ash reeled at the sudden burst of movement. He shook his head before remembering what he was there for. ¡°Right! He was in that tunnel over¡­¡± Ash paused and looked first one way, and then another. ¡°Uhm, there!¡± Ash said. Forrest did not like hearing the hesitance in Ash¡¯s voice. Gary sighed. ¡°You forgot, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No! I just¡­ I remember seeing Brock¡¯s light setup glowing into the cave which should have made it easy, but it¡¯s not shining!¡± he said firmly. Forrest nodded. That made sense, in the heat of the moment you would notice something like that more than precisely which tunnel it was in. Now with there being no easy light source, they¡¯d need to rely on other methods of finding Brock. The others started directing their lights to various tunnels, but most of them twisted in a way that made the lights rather useless. They didn¡¯t see anything but some interesting rocks in a rock wall that Dad would have no doubt started lecturing them about. From what he¡¯d been showing them earlier, Forrest could make out a diamond, and some gold nuggets. Gary rubbed his chin. ¡°What if Brock was hurt enough to need immediate evac? Maybe Flint left already?¡± he said. Forrest shook his head. ¡°He¡¯d have sent back a message or a pokemon.¡± Humphrey glanced down at his wrist. ¡°Hmmm no message would reach down here. We¡¯re not on the network, or it''s too weak for transceivers,¡± he said. Forrest nodded at this point. Caves, after all, weren¡¯t great places to get reception. Forrest licked his lips. What else could he use? What would he do if this were a Dungeon crawl? ¡°Any¡­ noises or smells?¡± he suggested. Pikachu perked up, his ears swivelling this way and that while a few other pokemon began sniffing at the ground only to snort and send a dust cloud billowing out. Forrest grimaced, about to discard that when Pikachu perked up and pointed in one direction. A sound like a growl echoed through the cavern and Forrest frowned. There must be something here. Forrest began moving towards the cave. It might be a bad idea to investigate the growling, but if it was a pokemon that had hurt Brock and Dad perhaps it was still growling? He walked a few steps forward only for something to move behind him. ¡°Puff!¡± said something and Forrest snapped his head about. His light arced over the rocky ground and walls, only for something pink and red to flash by. He stilled and swept his light over the site again. Nothing. There was nothing there. Forrest held his light there. He¡¯d spent some time trawling the pokenet about certain types of rock pokemon. A lot of rock pokemon were big, and that meant they needed a diverse source of nutrients. Sometimes the best nutrients were other pokemon. A good deal of rock pokemon were notorious ambush predators. Was that what had happened to Brock and Dad? Was that what was growling right now? ¡°See something?¡± Ash asked; his own light bobbing this way and that erratically. Forrest reached out and grabbed his friend by the head to steady him. ¡°No, but I did see something for a moment.¡± ¡°You sure about that?¡± asked Humphrey, his own beam of light slowly panning around in an arc. Forrest resisted the urge to nod. ¡°Yeah, on the first thing. Now I¡¯m holding position in case there is a rock pokemon waiting to take us by surprise. That noise might have been them crouching down and preparing to strike,¡± he said casually. Immediately every other set of torches snapped to where his was. Pikachu¡¯s cheeks sparked up, Shin raised his scythes, Selene hovered a bit higher, Lairon tensed up and Blastooise¡¯s cannons slammed into position. Forrest privately felt like that last one offered the most support and surety that nothing was going to attack from that particular angle. Forrest sighed. ¡°Keep sweeping the other angles of approach guys,¡± he said. The other lights twitched away only to arc back around quickly, creating a semi-strobe light and giving Forrest a headache. ¡°Stop that!¡± he snapped at them. ¡°Just take the flashlights off your heads and sweep them around slowly instead of snapping your heads about!¡± He said, channelling a bit of Misty to get his tone waspish and to get the others jumping to what he needed of them. Right after he shouted, he felt bad. ¡°Sorry!¡± he said, taking a breath and pausing like he knew he needed to. ¡°Alright let¡¯s start checking the tunnels. We¡¯ll start with the tunnel that¡ª¡± ¡°There! I saw something move!¡± shouted Gary, his hand snapping towards an open tunnel. ¡°Blastoise! Water Gun!¡± he said before anyone could see what he¡¯d pointed at. Blastoise, following his trainer¡¯s command, unleashed a torrent of water into the tunnel saturating it. The sound of the water hitting a wall caused the caves to tremor as the noise echoed. ¡°Woah! Woah! Stop!¡± Forrest called but it took a few seconds for Blastoise to stop. When he did so Gary coughed sheepishly. ¡°I saw something! Let¡¯s check out if we got it!¡± he said, striding forward and not waiting. ¡°Gary! Just hold up a moment!¡± Forrest said, reaching towards the other boy. Gary ignored him, marching forward with Blastoise at his side. Forrest growled. ¡°Come on guys let¡¯s back him up!¡± he said knowing he needed to keep everyone together. Ash grumbled but Humphrey followed without complaint, which Forrest was extremely thankful for. ¡°Ah!¡± shouted Gary suddenly, causing them to sprint into the tunnel only to find Gary running right back at them. ¡°Zubat!¡± he shouted, and sure enough behind Gary and all around Blastoise a number of Zubat were harassing them. A larger Golbat was latched on behind Blastoise and looked to be draining the powerful pokemon. ¡°Go Challenger!¡± Forrest called. ¡°Precise shots! Nail those Zubat!¡± Forrest said, standing his ground. Challenger, his Graveller appeared and began to launch attack after attack with Rock Blast and Rock Throw. Selene and Shin joined in and the flock of Zubat were quickly thinned out. Zubat crumbled under the various attacks and soon their knocked out forms littered the ground. Blastoise continued to whirl about, annoyed by the persistent Golbat on its back. Gary, now free of any harassing pokemon whirled about. ¡°Tuck up into Rapid Spin and fling it off!¡± he called. Blastoise did just that. Its limbs and head tucked into its shell before it landed on its stomach where it began to spin. Within moments Golbat, despite its best attempts, was flung off and became a sitting duck for a twin Rock Throw and thunderbolt courtesy of Challenger and Pikachu. Forrest exhaled before rounding on Gary. ¡°Keep the party together! Come on man!¡± he said, chopping his hand threateningly at Gary. Gary rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Sorry, I did see something but it must have just been the Zubat flapping about,¡± Gary said. He spared the small cave they were in a furtive look over with his torch. ¡°Huh, there¡¯s some more deposits around here,¡± he said only to pause his light on one part of the wall that looked perfectly flat as well as wet. Blastoise must have hit that wall with its Water Guns, Forrest concluded. He stepped forward and inspected the extremely flat wall, which even as he watched had dust sloughing off it to reveal something. Forrest frowned and shone his own light on it before stepping up and taking a look at it. The wall was flat, but there were small indents within it that appeared squarish in shape. Age had worn down the edges. Shapes were formed up with darker tones of rock and small indentations. Blatoise¡¯s Water gun appeared to have cleaned it up some, making it visible. Forrest raised his hand and swept it across the square of rock. Mud and dust fell away to reveal something which he frowned at. A four-by-four row of squares stared back at him. Forrest couldn¡¯t help but feel he¡¯d seen something like this before. ¡°The Ruins of Alph,¡± Humphrey said. The other boys blinked. ¡°Huh?¡± said Ash. Gary also looked clueless but he held his tongue. Forrest frowned at a memory of his younger brother reciting a geography assignment to Brock coming to the forefront of his mind. ¡°Aren¡¯t those the sites where they found some rare pokemon? Something to do with the alphabet?¡± he asked slowly. Humphrey nodded. ¡°Yeah, there were a lot of conditions supposedly to find any of them, as they¡¯re still rare as anything and I¡¯m not sure if they were named or just considered unknown pokemon, but some of the researchers did publicise information about square sliding puzzles like this.¡± He put his hand on one of the squares and tried to move it around only to find it locked in place. Humphrey huffed. ¡°I think it¡¯s stuck,¡± he said after a moment more¡¯s testing. ¡°Probably full of dust and worn down,¡± Gary supplied, raising his transceiver and taking a picture. ¡°Still, it''s a good find. I think it¡¯ll give me a few moments of fame when I solve it,¡± he said casually. Forrest, knowing what was coming next and deciding to get ahead of any drama, gave Ash a look. When their eyes met he made a show of rolling his eyes. Ash grinned and stayed quiet. ¡°Sure thing Gary,¡± Forrest said. ¡°For now we need to check the other tunnels for Brock and Dad,¡± he said, reminding everyone what they were actually here to do. They turned and marched back to the branching point only to frown. Forrest chewed his lip. ¡°Which tunnel did we come in by?¡± he said realising he hadn¡¯t seen a marker set up for that yet. A quick glance at the marked tunnels showed that Brock had marked them off, but Forrest didn¡¯t know what the marking meant. Damn, he¡¯d need to do some reading, this was just embarrassing. Imagine being the son of a famous cave explorer like his dad and brother of the rock type Gym Leader and not knowing tunnel markings! Gary swallowed. ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re lost? What should we do now?¡± he shot Forrest a look. ¡°Any tips from that game you like to play?¡± Forrest thought about what he¡¯d tried so far. Sight wasn¡¯t useful in the caves, sound hadn¡¯t worked too well, and scent had been stumped due to dust build up. Forrest paused. ¡°...footprints,¡± Forrest said. The boys glanced down, hoping to track their movements through the footprints from their passage. They exhaled in relief as one tunnel looked a lot more travelled with it having a wide stampede of footprints on show. ¡°We came in from that one,¡± Forrest said before tracking another thicker set of footprints. ¡°Which means that Brock and Dad must have gone this way!¡± He said feeling good about this logic. The other nodded and followed his lead. Shin took the lead this time. They moved and as they did so Forrest noticed that the growling was growing louder. Forrest licked his lips and signalled for Challenger to be ready as they advanced cautiously around the curve. Shin, leading the way paused in the opening just as a particularly loud growl sounded out. Forest held his breath. ¡°What do you see Shin?¡± he said, inching forward to peer around his brother¡¯s pokemon. ¡°Kabutops,¡± said Shin as the fossil pokemon shook his head and stepped to the side. He waved a scythe in to indicate the others should advance. Forrest found Gary and Ash pressed up to him as they slowly stepped forward. They were greeted by the downed forms of Brock, Dad, Izumi the Geodude, and Dad¡¯s Golem causing Forrest to stiffen. Gary and Ash both gasped. ¡°Dad! Brock!¡± Forrest called running forward to check on them. It didn¡¯t look good with all the red over them, which looked sort of weird. Forrest got within a few metres before his Dad twitched and lolled his head to the side. Forrest was in the perfect position to watch as his mouth opened and a huge snore rang out, sounding just like the growl he¡¯d been hearing for the last few minutes. Forrest couldn¡¯t help himself as shock caused him to trip. He sailed through the air, his mind stuck on the weirdness of this scene and that his dad was in a cave¡­ snoring his head off. As he sailed through the air he noted other, smaller details. Like how both Brock and Dad weren¡¯t actually hurt. The red was just weird markings on their faces and bodies. He noticed the drawn-on spectacles, moustaches, beards, and laughter marks. Dad looked like he had some weird tribal tattoo on his face. One half of Brock¡¯s face was simply coloured in like it was a colouring book left to Tilly with only one crayon. Forrest hit the ground and slid through the soft sand. His mind reeling with this revelation. He stayed down. feeling too stunned and drained by the sudden rollercoaster of emotions. Flint let loose another loud snore that echoed through the cave. ¡°Is he dead?¡± Ash asked. Forrest barked a laugh and smirked. ¡°I know how to check. Shin use Hydro Pump on them all!¡± he said. Shin must have been feeling equally annoyed by how things had shaken out as he followed Forrest¡¯s command without complaint, dousing Brock and Dad along with the sleeping pokemon. Flint spluttered awake while Golem shot up and growled. Izumi and Brock merely smacked their lips and shook themselves off sending water droplets flying about them. Brock blinked blearily. ¡°Oh, hey guys, what¡¯s up?¡± he said, sitting up only to frown at the large oval rock that he had in his lap. Dad blinked slowly, his mind reconnecting the dots while Forrest shot to his feet. ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®hey guys¡¯ me! We were worried about you! We thought you were hurt and it turns out you were just in here sleeping after playing¡­ makeup on each other? What the heck guys?¡± he shouted. Dad and Brock both flinched at the sudden barrage of noise. Behind Forrest the sound of another large flock of Zubat waking up echoed and he had a moment to feel sheepish about forgetting himself. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± he said with a cough. ¡°You guys just scared me.¡± Brock opened his mouth only to shut it and reconsider what he was about to say. ¡°Uhmmm, sorry little bro, guess I just let my guard down and got caught out. Sorry that you had to bail me out.¡± Brock glanced about only to pause as he took in Dad¡¯s marked up face. His hand slowly reached towards his own face. ¡°Have I also been treated like a whiteboard after a sleeping kid was called to answer some questions?¡± he asked. Forrest snorted at the aptness of that answer. He snapped off a picture feeling extremely vindicated to have one over on his brother. He was so going to share this around and tease Brock forever with this. Brock looked at it and instead of getting embarrassed, he laughed. ¡°Heh! That¡¯s kind of hilarious. That little pokemon has some serious artistic talent. I should see if they¡¯d enjoy being friends with a Smeargle.¡± ¡°A Smeargle did this?¡± Ash asked, raising up his pokedex in anticipation of a new pokemon. Brock blinked. ¡°No, a Jigglypuff did. Did you not see it?¡± he asked. Dad nodded while everyone else shook their heads. Brock leaned to the side and looked past Forrest. ¡°Oh, never mind, there it is,¡± he said before yawning. Everyone turned and found Jigglypuff smiling widely. It shot Brock and Dad glares before it raised up its small red pen to its lips. Brock and Flint called out a warning. ¡°Stop it from singing!¡± ¡°Jiggly-pu¡ª¡± was as far as it got before Humphrey responded. ¡°Metal Noise! Now!¡± he called. Lairon responded by exhaling a shrill shriek of metal being tortured resulting in Jigglypuff, and indeed everyone grabbing at their ears in pain. Humphrey clenched his fist. ¡°Celia used a Jigglypuff to great effect last year! Jigglypuff you¡¯re going to be mine!¡± he shouted. Jigglypuff stiffened and glared at Humphrey before brandishing its red pen threateningly. That glare vanished when Humphrey punched a fist forward. ¡°Lairon! Iron Head!¡± His pokemon lunged forward and slammed into Jigglypuff, causing the smaller pokemon to sail back into a rock wall. Jigglypuff, instead of standing to fight turned and sprinted away. ¡°Puff!¡± she called while pulling down her eyelid at us.. ¡°Eh? Wait no!¡± called Humphrey as he ripped out a pokeball and hurled it after the fleeing pokemon. Forrest had to give it to Humphrey, his throw was good. It was just a shame that a Zubat, likely drawn by the noise, chose to sweep down and attack the ball resulting in it being sucked into the ball. ¡°No!¡± Humphrey called, but before he could pursue it, a wall of Zubat flapped their way into the cave. Forrest blanched. This was easily double the size of the flock they¡¯d taken down a few minutes ago. Brock sat up, his expression serious. ¡°Shin! Drive them back with Surf!¡± he ordered and Shin called up a wave that swept the oncoming Zubat back down the tunnel and away. Brock glanced at Ash. ¡°Care to do the honours?¡± Ash was quick on the uptake. ¡°Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!¡± And just like that the fight was wrapped up even quicker than last time. Humphrey darted about looking for the jigglypuff that he''d been trying to catch, only to click his tongue in disappointment. ¡°Lost it,¡± he said. Brock nodded in commiseration before glancing around, ¡°so what did I miss?¡± he said before looking down at the rock in his hands. Forrest blinked as he realised it wasn¡¯t an oval rock, but rather an egg. Deciding that he didn¡¯t want to be beaten by Brock¡¯s lucky find, he puffed up his chest. ¡°We found a puzzle like in the Ruins of Alph!¡± he said. Both Brock and Flint perked up at that and Forrest felt like this had been worth it. He¡¯d found something neat, gotten some embarrassing photos of his brother and gotten to spend time with his friends. He wasn¡¯t sure how today could get better! He shot Challenger a hopeful glance but sadly she remained the same and didn¡¯t appear like she was about to evolve which was a shame. Oh well, he¡¯d have to try out that trick he¡¯d found in the Gym notes he had access to. That could wait, first he had to find out how big a score this puzzle was! Chapter 215 - Pokemonopolis Puzzles! I toyed with the egg in my arms. I had no idea where it had come from and how it had ended up in my arms. This¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what to think of this. What had happened? Had the egg rolled into my hands from somewhere in the cave or had a Togekiss or Togetic decided I¡¯d make a good nest and therefore place to lay its egg. I stared around the cavern trying to see if said parents were still close by. Memories of how this went down with the cartoon flashed to the front of my mind. It was an extremely iconic and action-filled chapter with lots of developments. Ash and co had encountered the fossil pokemon, then Ash had been abducted with Charmeleon evolving to fight Aerodactyl. Then at the end, Jiggylpuff had come in and put everyone to sleep. And then.. Ash had woken up with it in his arms. I weighed the spotty egg. It was precisely like it had appeared in the cartoon, red and blue with small triangular spots and splotches. I had no doubt in my mind that this was Togepi¡¯s egg. Togepi didn¡¯t have much importance to a lot of the big plot points. One of the things that I did recall, was how it eventually became a defender of the Mirage Kingdom which was supposed to be somewhere in Hoenn. From what I could remember the whole Kingdom of Mirage situation was very much an evil vizier situation where the man took advantage of Ash and Co¡¯s arrival. Nothing needed to happen as the Princess would eventually get her own Togepi and the issue would resolve itself. ¡­ possibly. Maybe when Celia made it into the end-of-year tournament I could swing around to the Mirage Kingdom and resolve that issue. If Sabrina came it would be handled in five minutes tops. I rubbed the egg. Of all the results of today¡¯s adventure, finding Togepi¡¯s egg hadn¡¯t even registered to me as possible. I glanced at Ash. Should I¡­ offer him the egg so it has a chance at ending up with Misty? I frowned. I could offer it to her¡­ but then again she was a water-type specialist. I shrugged and decided I¡¯d mention it to her and see what she said. For now, I¡¯d hang onto the egg and see what had Forrest acting so happy. ¡­apart from the frankly cute pictures of my drawn-on face. If he thought that was embarrassing, he really needed to be out in the world experiencing all its joys and heartaches. I¡¯d experienced more than my fair share of waking up with my face being drawn on in my past life and that was just sleepovers! Forget about parties at universities! Jigglypuff hadn¡¯t even drawn a dick on me! This was kiddy stuff. Not that I was going to tell her that. The last thing we¡¯d need was for Jigglypuff, who for all intents and purposes never stopped hounding Ash and company with her singing to ¡®step up¡¯ her game. I did not want some of the things bandied around in university happening to me¡­ or others for that matter. Especially if Forrest was going to be hanging around and experiencing some of those incidents. ¡°So when we were¡­¡± Forrest coughed, ¡°checking our six,¡± he said, trying to sound far more in control of what had been going on than he really was. ¡°I see,¡± said Flint nodding. On his face he had a number of love hearts and what looked like a naughts and crosses game on his other cheek. ¡°So you looked behind you and made sure not to startle the local wildlife?¡± he asked cheekily. Forrest coughed. I glanced down at the cavern that branched off. There were a ton of footprints and from my inexperienced eye, a small stampede had taken place. There were several scuff marks in some places and I had to conclude that a fight had taken place. The real clincher was the number of still knocked out Zubat and what looked like a very healthy Golbat in one of the tunnels. My light acred back around to find the boys had expressions ranging from contrite in Forrest¡¯s case, exasperated for Humphrey, and smug for Ash and Gary. I was, without anyone saying anything, starting to build a picture of what had gone down. Flint and I shared a look of amusement with me rolling my eyes. Flint decided to encourage them by nodding seriously. ¡°Good work defending yourselves and getting to us! If this was a pokemon scouts club, you¡¯d have earned your cave explorer badge, and helping the elderly!¡± he said like he was praising them. The kids perked up at first before adopting petulant looks. ¡°We¡¯re not kids!¡± claimed Gary. I smirked at him and he adjusted his statement. ¡°Not little kids! We don¡¯t need badges!¡± The others nodded in unison. ¡°Yeah!¡± Flint paused, his hand holding some rather shiny-looking badges. ¡°Oh, then I guess I won¡¯t give you these,¡± he said. Gary coughed. ¡°Well, I mean. If you¡¯ve got them there why not?¡± he said, grabbing a pair of badges. Unlike the Gym Badges these were the sorts found on Cub Scout lanyards with small pins at the back. Gary nodded in appreciation and popped it on the back of his pokebelt. The others chose other areas with Forrest putting them on his shoulders like epaulets. I frowned. ¡°I thought only Club Leaders could hand those out.¡± Flint blinked. ¡°But¡­ I am one? You don¡¯t lose the rank even if you¡¯re inactive¡­ at least you didn¡¯t use to. I¡¯ll need to touch base with the organisation. I haven¡¯t since I¡¯ve been home. I¡¯ve had more important things to look after.¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°I¡­ hadn¡¯t known that about Flint.¡± Forrest decided to open his mouth then. ¡°Heh! You¡¯re just like Brock then! He likes to teach kids outside of the Gym as well! Only he does it with baseball!¡± I felt a stab in my gut. I didn¡¯t like the idea of being compared to Flint of all people¡­ that had hit a bit too close to home. I decided to direct the conversation in other directions. ¡°Also, Assisting the Elderly? Flint yes, but me? I¡¯m only turning eighteen this year!¡± I said. Gary shook his head. ¡°Old, so old,¡± he said. Ash nodded along. ¡°Practically in retirement.¡± Humphrey took one look at my face and broke into laughter which made me pause. Huh, he looked like he was having a lot of fun and relaxing today. ¡°Retirement! Why in my day children knew to be seen and not heard! These days they¡¯re seen, heard, and smelt, I tell you!¡± I hammed up my response a bit and the others laughed at my joke. Well, at least they could work together on some things. The wall the boys led us to made Flint and I whistle in appreciation. ¡°A puzzle wall! Wow, this is a big find! Who knew that something like this was located here! This indicates so much more. Oh if only we could sol¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Lileep,¡± I said, cutting through Flint¡¯s enthusiasm. Everyone turned to look at me and then turned to look at the puzzle. Ash tilted his head. ¡°Uhmmm, I don¡¯t see it. It looks like a tangled-up Ekans.¡± ¡°No it¡¯s obviously a Tangela!¡± said Gary. Flint tilted his head. ¡°What makes you think it¡¯s a Lileep?¡± he asked me. I was about to mention that the Ruins of Alph were all puzzles where the solutions were other fossil pokemon but then I recalled that the researchers who solved the puzzles never declared what the solution was. I waved a hand and pointed out the curves and the section that looked like roots to me. ¡°See here and here, these are all Lileep traits.¡± I reached out, only to pause as I noted that there wasn¡¯t a missing piece for it to slide the others into. I tapped at the small squares only to feel it depress and for some of my rock energy to be drained. My eyebrows shot up into my hairline. Hello? This was something new that I¡¯d never encountered before. I kept my hand there and felt at the drain it was, honestly miniscule but it was a novel experience. ¡°Hey? How¡¯d you do that?¡± said Humphrey, leaning in and staring at the puzzle piece I¡¯d pressed in. I shrugged, ¡°guess you have to work out which piece goes first? This one just made sense to me,¡± I said, deflecting the true answer. Forrest stood to my other side and he looked extremely confused. I mouthed the word ¡®aura¡¯ to him and he stiffened in surprise before relaxing. I coughed and turned back to the puzzle. ¡°I¡¯ll solve it and see if that changes anything neh?¡± I considered the puzzle arrangement and plotted out which pieces needed to be flipped before beginning to do just that. ¡°How in Kanto does this work?¡± I said, playing up my lack of knowledge as the squares suddenly swapped places. ¡°Woah,¡± I said. Flint leaned in. ¡°It seems to work on magnetic repulsion but it is tied to distance stopping the squares flipping out or causing them to¡ª¡± I nodded along as Flint happily recited something magnetic resonance with each square having its own that repelled the others and then became part of a cohesive whole. Apparently, it had something to do with the border. ¡°Does he get like this much?¡± asked Humphrey. ¡°Only about rocks,¡± said Forrest, reaching into his pouch and producing a bunch of snacks for all of us. I happily grabbed some before producing my own snacks which I shared with the others and their pokemon. Gary shot me a weird look when I offered his Blastoise some of the chocolate-coated oran berries. I just shrugged. ¡°What? Pokemon like to be included, not ignored,¡± I said. When he gave me a thoughtful look I pushed my claim a little. ¡°Trust me on this, do more than just train and fight with them.¡± Ash nodded. ¡°Yeah, me and Pikachu are best friends and he¡¯s easily one of the strongest pokemon I have! Having Pikachu has really helped me out when I¡¯m in a clutch moment!¡± chimed Ash. I nodded. ¡°Exactly, and I¡¯m sure with the same level of friendship, you can get just as much from your other pokemon!¡± I said. Ash opened his mouth only to shut it as his eyes flickered towards Blastoise who was happily munching on his treats. Ash reached towards his pokebelt only for Forrest to cough. ¡°Bad idea man, there are already a lot of tensions in this room. Adding Charizard to the mix would just make things worse. Not the time,¡± he said. I shot Forrest an approving nod. That was very well reasoned. Still, it was interesting that Ash and Charizard¡¯s relationship was still rocky. Then again if some of the significant points such as Charizard¡¯s rapid development coupled with Ash¡¯s immaturity were still present, it would make sense it had still occurred like it had in canon. ¡°So you do actually have a Charizard?¡± Gary said, noting the interaction and instantly getting in position to have a go at Ash. I shifted position so that I was behind Ash. I slowly shook my head and made sure Gary noticed. He looked up and blanched slightly as I made sure to position the torch under my chin to make my warning doubly effective. ¡°Which¡­ is pretty cool, good job?¡± Gary said, sounding out the words. I nodded slowly, the torch still positioned beneath me. ¡°Really good job?¡± Gary continued. I dropped the torch when Forrest glanced at me. Ash shot Gary a suspicious look. ¡°Thanks¡­ I haven¡¯t had a lot of luck with him, cause he¡¯s really strong and he knows it. We¡¯re working on trusting each other again though.¡± Gary blinked. ¡°Oh,¡± he said obviously not expecting for Ash to share such a weak moment. ¡°That sucks,¡± Gary said, looking away from Ash as though unsure how to face his old friend in this moment. ¡°Buuuuuut I guess it''s to be expected with you being a wimp and all,¡± he said backsliding into old methods of interacting with Ash. I facepalmed. Damn, I really shouldn¡¯t have expected more from kids. I suppose they¡¯d done alright for a moment there. Humphrey''s twitching caught my eye. He was off to the side shaking with repressed laughter having seen everything. I huffed and turned back to Flint. ¡°I think we get the point,¡± I said before pushing a panel on the puzzle and beginning to rearrange it. It took a few attempts but I slowly had the puzzle resolved so that it looked like a Lileep. ¡°Interesting choice having a grass type pokemon in an area known for fire types,¡± I commented idly. Flint opened his mouth to no doubt correct me only for Gary, Forrest and Humphrey to chime in at the same time with, ¡°The level of strat that we¡¯re at right now is actually a few hundred if not a thousand years old. So at that time, it most likely was a jungle. You can tell by the colouration of the earth.¡± They then shared a smile. Ash and I stared at them. Where had that come from? Salvadore spouting random geological facts was par for the course, but Forrest? Let alone Gary or Humphrey? I could only blink in surprise while Flint looked on like a proud teacher. ¡°I see,¡± I said carefully, only to snap my head back to the wall as an ominous rumbling began. Around us, various pokemon cries rang out and I decided that it might be a good idea to not be near a wall triggering a response. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the central cave,¡± I said quickly, leading our group out only to be stunned when the cavern had changed with a set of stairs appearing in the middle. I raised a hand. ¡°I¡¯m positive we all walked over that multiple times without feeling any give¡­ right?¡± I said to the group. The group at large, people and pokemon all nodded. I licked my lips and signalled for Selene to float forward. ¡°Stay sharp, your floating shouldn¡¯t trigger anything untoward.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Flint shot me a look. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to have to put my foot down on exploring that tunnel Brock. As it is, the movement of the caves may have triggered something. We need to get some more people and pokemon in here to firm up the walls in case anything has shifted. I sighed. Flint was sadly right. If this was just me by myself I might adventure down but that was with the knowledge that Selene could most likely get me out in case something happened. The same wouldn¡¯t be true if I went down with the boys and Flint. ¡°Alright,¡± I said, dusting my hands off. I whistled Slene back and she returned easily with a chirp. I gave the room we were in another once over. There really had been no signs of anything amiss in this cave. It was incredible that simple dumb luck, or that poor luck on my part had led to such a discovery. Ash continued to stare at the stairs in a manner that made me worry that he was about to dash down them. Before I could say anything to warn him off he turned to Squirtle. ¡°Squirtle, use Bubble beam on the walls and stairs to see if there are any more markings,¡± he said. The rest of us watched on as Squirtle gently blew bubbles down the stairs and wall. Bubbles soon coated the wall and it reminded me of the time Tilly had gotten a hold of the bubble bath while Cindy was helping out with bathtime. I¡¯d entered the bath to squeals and a wall of bubbles. Gary perked up. ¡°Oh right! Like with the puzzle!¡± he said, snapping his fingers. ¡°Blastoise, gentle hose down!¡± he said. Blastoise turned his cannons upon the bubbles and gently began to hose them down. Within a few moments, the stairs and walls leading down were transformed to reveal murals and what appeared to be some ancient writings. ¡°Boys¡­¡± Flint said, his voice tight with emotion. The pair of Pallet kids turned to him, eyes brimming with the expectation of what good work they¡¯d done. I bit my lip, knowing what Flint was about to say. Flint slumped. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ tell anyone that you used bubbles and water on a dig site like this, and don¡¯t do that in future. Some relics and murals can become worn down worse with water.¡± The boys blinked before curling in on themselves like chastised Growlithe. ¡°Sorry,¡± they said. I chuckled and began taking pictures with my Xtransciever. I considered walking down the stairs to take more before I decided that was a bad idea. ¡°Selene, can you carry this down and slowly point it towards the walls for me?¡± I asked, handing her my Xtransceiver after I¡¯d set it to record. Selene slowly floated down the stairs once more, this time going far enough that she vanished but for the gleam of her eyes and the bright light on my Xtransciever. The return journey took just as long. I took the Xtransciever and shut it down before giving the video a look over myself. Instantly a number of other heads leaned in to look over my shoulder. When the pokemon joined in I decided to just project it onto the wall. The video showed that the stairs went down a long way. At least twenty metres. All the way down murals with pokemon and humans were on display. I whistled as several what looked like ziggurats were shown with pokemon standing atop each with their limbs or heads raised high. There was a ziggurat featuring Arcanine, Alakazam, Gengar, Dragonite, Lapras, and what looked like a Chansey? Or maybe it was a Wigglytuff? It lacked the spikes to be a Clefable. ¡°Whelp,¡± I said. ¡°I think you boys have done enough to get yourselves the front of a science journal for this discovery, no?¡± The boys all beamed at that. I gestured for them to stand slightly to the side of the stairs with their pokemon. There was a bit of jostle with Ash wanting to be in the front row only for me to suggest they take a knee while the larger pokemon take the back row. I snapped a few pictures and sent off the message to Crowley detailing the find along with a few other contacts I¡¯d picked up for the MegaRock Inc support team. Forrest shot me a smug grin. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to send or receive messages down he¡ª¡± he started to say only for a ping to signal I¡¯d gotten a response. The boys and Flint stared at me. ¡°You can get messages?¡± said Gary, bringing out his own transceiver only for the ¡®no signal¡¯ symbol to be prominently displayed. I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head. ¡°What can I say? This is a special transceiver, it comes with all the bells and whistles,¡± I said. Gary stared, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I don¡¯t have the latest model transceiver, urgh I feel dirty!¡± he said. Humphrey just shrugged, showing his own, much older model that he¡¯d been gifted from attending all his classes at school while staying at the orphanage. I¡¯d set that system up to encourage kids to stay in class more and it seemed to work wonders with graduation rates increasing a few percent since I¡¯d been Gym Leader. It wasn¡¯t exactly Dolly Parton¡¯s method from my last life of five hundred dollars for high school, but copying it seemed to be enough to get the same results with kids in this world. Gary inched up to me, ¡°How¡¯d you get it?¡± he asked quietly. ¡°He probably got a new model for being a Gym Leader,¡± Humphrey said. I chuckled. ¡°Nah, for that I need to do sponsor deals, and the Xtranciever is a bit more limited addition as it was one of the only models that Silph Co had made up prior to their meltdown,¡± I said. ¡°Oh wow, so that¡¯s a limited series?¡± Gary said. ¡°Of how many?¡± I shrugged. ¡°One of four,¡± I said. Gary faceplamed. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t wear that man, you should seal that away and preserve it. It¡¯s like a collectible! You need to store those right! The more wear and tear you get the more the value plummets! Trust me on this! I have some Models at home that are worth a mint and will be worth so much more as long as they stay in their boxes!¡± he said imploringly. Ash shook his head. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe your sister did that to Dark Charizard,¡± he said. Gary nodded. ¡°It was a dark day.¡± Forrest rubbed his head. ¡°I get so much emotional whiplash keeping up with you two.¡± Gary and Ash both just shrugged. ¡°Makes sense to us,¡± they said. I quirked an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s probably a time factor, initially they will antagonise each other but the longer they are near each other the more they relax into it,¡± I said. Gary and Ash frowned at that shrugging again. Flint coughed. ¡°Well let¡¯s head out the way we came, we will draw back in others but I think we¡¯re going to have to call up some different types for this,¡± he said, indicating the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll send this picture through to your Grandfather Gary, get him to register that this was your four boys discovery,¡± I said. We huddled back through the tunnels and were lucky enough to find that none of them were collapsed or unstable. As we went Flint added markers to the walls and a few glowing tags. ¡°What are those?¡± I asked. ¡°Signal tags. They¡¯re limited in distance, but for ranges up to one hundred metres we will be able to stand on the surface and search for them. I think we might need to map this cave system out a lot more along with any other caves around. Grandpa Canyon just became an even higher value site.¡± I could only agree. It still had the potential for a Mega stone to be found here, along with the evolutionary stones, precious metals, gems and now there was an archeology site. ¡°Well good thing there are so many miners and excavators around. We¡¯ll have things sorted out for the scientists quickly enough,¡± I said. Flint shot me a look only for a noise like air escaping a balloon to leak from his lips. Then he threw back his head and roared with laughter. ¡°Hahahahaha! If there are two groups that are more cantankerous to work with on the same dig site, its archeologists and miners! You saw the facilities upstairs? That was us paying them lip service! With the larger find? Oh they''re going to be crawling all over Grandpa Canyon,¡± he said. ¡°Ah,¡± I said eloquently. ¡°Wait, so that¡¯s a bad thing? But finding that building is a good thing?¡± said Ash. ¡°Depends what your goal was,¡± said Forrest. ¡°Megarock Inc workers were looking for fossils and Mega Stones. That¡¯s going to slow down with other people getting involved. Larger excavations will be much slower going forward.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Ash slowly. Flint and I shared a nod. I clapped Ash and Forrest on the shoulders. ¡°Sadly boys this is a case of being too successful! Sometimes it doesn¡¯t always bring good things with it,¡± I said. Hopefully whoever was recommended to us would be cool with other dig sites.
¡°I¡¯m going to have to ask that you shut down all the other dig sites,¡± said the young woman who had arrived within the hour of our return to camp. She¡¯d stormed in with a fire in her eyes and demanded to know who was in charge of this operation. Sadly Flint wasn¡¯t here as he¡¯d gone out to bring in some older miners that were a little further afield, to give them the news. People had made the mistake of looking at me which resulted in Doctor Eve marching right up to me and making her demand. I grimaced. ¡°I think that¡¯s a little presumptuous,¡± I started to say only for Eve to slam her hands into the table.¡± ¡°This is a historical site of unquestionable potential! The depth of the find is one of the best factors about this! With that alone it is almost guaranteed that the relics and murals are going to be more preserved than most!¡± she said, her hands weaving and waving about quickly with each sentence. ¡°Yes but the entire dig site is a rather large area,¡± I said, indicating a map. Eve snapped her head down. ¡°So much the better! The more privacy and more secure the site the better!¡± her eyes glanced to the side where Ash was regaling Misty with the tale of what had happened. ¡°For one we need to get children like these out of here!¡± she said imperiously. I raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°You¡¯d be better off talking with them before that,¡± I said, starting to get annoyed with how she was trying to boss me and others around. ¡°Children have no place on an archeological dig site, this site while it was a mining site with laxer standards will not have any children bumbling about underfoot.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Those children?¡± I said, indicating the group of kids that had heard Eve¡¯s words and were now listening in openly. In fact, everyone in the tent had fallen quiet to listen to me talk. ¡°Those kids over there that you¡¯re so dismissive of?¡± I said underlining her statement. ¡°They were the original founders of this discovery,¡± I said. The boys all puffed out their chests at this. Misty and Mia gave the group a few pats on the shoulder. Eve, instead of backing down, put a finger to her chin. ¡°Only children? Then I might be able to register this as my find and get more people listening to me. The University would have to provide¡ª¡± My fist thumped into the desk and caused the fold up table to collapse under the blow. Eve stopped plotting and stared with wide eyes. Like a tiny pokemon that has only just realised they stand before a predator she swallowed fearfully and stayed perfectly still as her instincts took over. ¡°I am not impressed. I spoke with Crowley about his recommendation for this site and he nominated you. So far you have come in and attempted to push everyone out, harangued me, and now it sounds like you are attempting to steal the discovery rights from the rightful people!¡± I said summarising the last few minutes. If the tent had been quiet before now there was a stillness that came from people listening in as another person got chewed out, and in my mind this girl deserved nothing less. The nerve she had to try and speak of inserting herself as the discoverer was galling. ¡°I am frankly sickened, you will not be taking over this site, nor will you have anything to¡ª¡± Eve dropped to the ground amidst the debris from items strewn on the table I¡¯d been standing in front of. ¡°Please! I¡¯m sorry! I get carried away sometimes! This is the find of my lifetime and will be exactly what I need to support my earlier theories about the ancient empire of Pokemonopolis! I just got carried away! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡± she said bowing her head above her hands in a dogeza position over and over again. I stood over her and stared. She kept her head down and in her bowing pose looked extremely small and vulnerable. A dark part of my mind noted how I could step on her and squash her like an irritating Weedle. I drew in a breath before exhaling it. ¡°You went about that poorly,¡± I stated. Eve shifted to peek at me and I spotted that she had watery eyes. I felt part of myself relax but another recalled how calculating she¡¯d been. It wasn¡¯t like when Yolanda or my sisters did it for something innocent. This had serious ramifications. I hardened my heart and exhaled again. You went about it extremely poorly,¡± I said. I pointed at the boys. ¡°Those boys are the registered discoverers of this site. The find has already been documented with their pictures in front of the facility sent to certain academics,¡± I said. Most of the information went to Crowley and Professor Oak but that wasn¡¯t the point. I worked my jaw. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can allow you to work on this site if this is how you are going to act.¡± I gestured a hand. ¡°The historical significance is there, but claiming everything on the map that Megarock Inc has been working is beyond excessive, it is rank hubris,¡± I said as I considered her. ¡°You will not be taking charge,¡± I said firmly. Eve looked up, fear flashing in her eyes. I held my tongue for a moment, dragging things out. ¡°I think I will need to reconsider having you here,¡± I said. ¡°Please! I¡¯m the expert on Ancient structures and the best shot you have at deciphering that language! I worked it out when I was a child and have been dreaming about finds like this my whole life! Please!¡± she said. I exhaled again. I didn¡¯t want to destroy this woman¡¯s chance at discovering her life¡¯s work. I could now recognise that she was Doctor Eve who did later help when the site near Pallet was unearthed. She¡¯d had some rough edges in the cartoon, but it was rather worrying to see them on display. I considered my options with her and decided on a few things. Before I locked in my response though, I decided to offer Eve one chance at righting things. ¡°I want you to get up, walk outside, compose yourself and I will give you one chance to start over,¡± I said firmly. Eve stared up at me from her kneeling position. I flicked my eyes to the tent flap. She shot out of the tent leaving me standing in front of the destroyed table, I sighed and started picking up some of the things only for Eve to surprise me by walking back in and coughing quietly. She didn¡¯t look at me but rather the first person she¡¯d addressed last time. ¡°Hello there ma¡¯am I¡¯m from Celadon University. I¡¯m Doctor Eve,¡± she said. The other woman blinked at Eve. ¡°Eh?¡± Eve coughed. ¡°Sorry, what is your name?¡± she said. I held in a hum of approval and the nod. It was like watching a child walk themselves back through the moment they¡¯d messed up only to do it the right way. I, and all the people in the tent watched as Eve repeated the previous interaction that she¡¯d started with only this time, she went about it much more politely and in the right fashion. When it was time for her to approach me she did so quietly with the aide at her side. The aide coughed politely, now thoroughly caught in the game. She looked amused and a little unsure of herself with everyone watching on. I held in a twitch of my lips at how silly this had turned. Then again, I was getting the impression that Eve didn¡¯t behave as she should and tried to run roughshod over others. By calling her out and threatening the very thing she worked so hard for I¡¯d forced her to adopt her very best behaviour. ¡°Brock, this is Doctor Eve, do you have a moment to talk with her about the recent discovery?¡± I considered the aide for a second before tilting my head. ¡°She¡¯d probably be better off talking with the people that found the structure,¡± I said casually. ¡°Ash, Gary, Forrest, and Humphrey, would you like to talk with this Lady?¡± I said. The boys all shared a look before shrugging. Ash stepped forward. ¡°I guess?¡± he said, nervous at all the people watching this play act itself out. I nodded easily. ¡°Well how about you get a seat over there and I¡¯ll come in a moment,¡± I said. I then made a show of looking around. ¡°I think we have some tasks to complete people!¡± I said making the frozen tableau of people listening in to jerk back into motion as they returned to work. Forrest stayed next to me while the other three boys moved off with Eve. ¡°That was pretty cool, but are you alright? You rarely get that angry bro,¡± he said delicately. I clapped him on the shoulder and shrugged. ¡°She pushed my buttons, it seems like she is going about it the right way now, but I think I¡¯m going to have a word with Flint about putting someone else in charge of this site,¡± I said. No way was I letting Eve call the shots around here. ¡°Oh, alright, and thanks bro for standing up for us,¡± he said. I bumped his shoulder with mine. ¡°No problem little brother,¡± I said. When Flint returned he found me sitting with the boys listening as the boys talked about the find. I pulled him aside and told him what had gone down. Flint frowned. ¡°She¡­ technically has the right of it Brock. If the university gets wind of it they might make a big stink about this.¡± ¡°Yeah well technically is not going to be enough here. She¡¯s going to be a menace if we let her be in charge. She can be in charge of the archeological side of things, but there is going to be someone acting as an overseer,¡± I said. Flint nodded. ¡°That could work,¡± he said. ¡°Get someone we can trust in charge and knows when she¡¯s trying to blow smoke. She seems the type that needs to be ridden herd on,¡± I said. Flint chuckled. ¡°I know just the man.¡± He chuckled before looking to the side where the Togepi egg was resting. ¡°None of the kids wanted it?¡± he said, referencing how I¡¯d offered it up to the kids first. None of them had wanted it, surprising me. Apparently, they were too focused on getting ready for the end-of-year circuit and a baby pokemon would hinder that. I had to admit that they weren¡¯t wrong, I was just surprised by their reasoning. So, I had the Togepi egg for now. ¡°Well it seems like you¡¯re coming out of this adventure with something which is more than a lot of the men can say for today,¡± Flint said. He then coughed. ¡°Thanks for coming down here Brock, it was a lot of fun spelunking with you even if it ended up being with a few others,¡± he said. I blinked. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re not wrong,¡± I said. ¡°It was fun,¡± I said, sounding out the words and reeling by how true that statement was. I had enjoyed my time with Flint today. I weighed up the next words carefully. ¡°Want to do it again?¡± Flint beamed and I knew I wasn¡¯t the only one ending the day with a prize I could enjoy. Flint then perked up. ¡°Wait! We could come back tomorrow and investigate the ruins!¡± I blinked. Oh yeah, I could do that. I was halfway to agreeing before I recalled what was coming up this week. I had a lot on, and I needed to spend tomorrow checking my pokemon. ¡°Sorry, I have to be a Gym Leader tomorrow and do some prep work for the week,¡± I lamented. ¡°Oh,¡± said Flint, wilting. I grimaced. ¡°I do really want to but¡­ I just¡­¡± I trailed off meaningfully. ¡°Have too much on your plate?¡± he said. I nodded. Damn but it had been a while since I¡¯d had to not do something. Sadly I couldn¡¯t ignore my pokemon. I¡¯d given them today to rest and relax so that they could depress after what happened this morning but I still needed to act on a lot of this morning¡¯s minor moments. It was coming back around to a short busy period for me. I was somewhat regretting it now that I was going to miss out on something this cool but¡­ I had responsibilities. I turned my head towards the setting sun and exhaled my regrets. We still had today which was nice, but it was a missed opputunity. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said again. Flint clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°No problem. We¡¯ll always have next time¡­ Brock,¡± he said. I figured he wanted to say son but I knew I wasn¡¯t going to feel right about that. I nodded to show I appreciated him keeping to my boundaries. Tomorrow I¡¯d spend some more time with the family, but I also needed to check in with my pokemon, particularly my Elite pokemon. After all, with the week that was coming, I couldn¡¯t afford to be lax. It was time for the Elite Challenges to start. Chapter 216 - Elites ready! The Elite Challenge was where a trainer would get to challenge me for what amounted to a Badge for Prestige. This badge would be slightly different from those I typically offered, but there were a few catches. First of all, there was a significant cost associated with simply making the challenge. This money would not be refunded to them upon their victory. At first, I had thought to make it refundable but then after a round or two of Bertha wrecking the battlefield in her fights, I had decided to just pocket the money and set it aside for the truly damaging matches. This might not be the case any more with my great diversified revenue stream but the price point now merely added to the prestige. You didn¡¯t get to simply challenge with some easy savings. You had to work for this in more ways than one and put your money where your mouth was. Georgina had, earlier in the year, successfully argued for this cost to be increased due to my fight with Lance. People fighting against one of the pokemon that fought Lance would be yet another drawcard for the Gym. Secondly, you only really had two options for the matches. When the match started I would have most of my Elite pokemon, of the rock typing, in front of me. Then a randomiser would be used to make it the luck of the draw. This stopped people from building precise teams for niche pokemon like Don, or Bertha. All of my pokemon would already have it rough with trainers, if they were smart, preparing entire teams for certain pokemon to face them and certain moves to be used. The only other option they had for this was to specifically ask to face my strongest. This had to be booked well in advance, and then? When every eye was on them? They had to have the spine to demand to face my best. They had to announce it in front of everyone who came to the Gym that day. They¡¯d do so, knowing full well that I would not hold back. Titan had for a long time been slightly ahead of other pokemon like Bertha. With Empress, his mother, joining my roster of Elite pokemon that gap had been a little tighter with there being a lot of overlapping points. But since Titan and I had unlocked Bond synchronisation? I had no doubts that Titan was head and shoulders above the others as my strongest pokemon. The third catch was that if you lost, you lost any chance at the prestige badge. It was as it was stated in the disclaimer. You had one shot. The final catch was that only two people could challenge me using the Elite challenge for each day that it was on offer. I offered the two most watched timeslots, again suggested by Georgina, as the lunchtime slot, and the late slot. Both were popular times for people to potentially be watching Battlecast. The first offered people on their lunch breaks time to sit and watch, or for locals to actually come and spectate in person. The second time slot allowed for kids and parents who¡¯d finished school, and work to sit and watch a relaxing pokemon fight before dinner. They weren¡¯t anything on the primetime slots of after dinner where people would usually fight with Exhibition or proper Ace matches that featured full six-on-six, but they were entertaining. It was almost like a pokemon gameshow for Battlecast. To make sure that the pokemon that fought didn¡¯t get too worn down I made sure to block out any pokemon that fought a match like this as unusable for the next day or two. So far we hadn¡¯t suffered any serious injuries that would require more time. Which really made the fight against Moltres stand out just that much more in my mind. When I¡¯d first created the Elite Challenge it was meant as a way to keep my skills sharp and keep my pokemon working at bettering themselves. It had done so well it blew my mind. In a few short years, I had a roster of Rock type pokemon that I¡¯d felt comfortable challenging Lance with. Regardless of whether I¡¯d needed to stack the deck in my favour, they¡¯d all been in a position that with a bit of polish, they¡¯d been ready. Since the end of last circuit? My pokemon had only grown stronger again. The trainer surge had been a slog of fighting some truly strong and skilful trainers with a number of big names standing out to me. But I¡¯d always held in the back of my head that there was a higher level they could challenge at. Now those fetters were coming off, and the world would get to see who had the daring to want for more, to push themselves. I couldn¡¯t wait and I was more than anticipating a few big names. Brawly, Flannery, Roxanne, Bugsy, Pete Pebbleman, Ash, Gary, Misty, and of course, Forrest to name a few. For all that people¡¯s attention had left Pewter with the trainer surge moving on, I fully expected it to return after this week. People would want to know who these challengers were. Win or lose, they would be making a statement to the world. And for the first person to win? Well, they would be able to hold their heads high. But I wasn¡¯t going to let it be easy. My pokemon didn¡¯t train as hard as they did to simply give away the Bejewelled badge. I woke up on Sunday knowing that I had one final day to prepare for what was to come. In the coming weeks I had no less than six Elite challenges. With Mewtwo¡¯s showing early saturday, I knew my pokemon were still going to be rattled, worse, the bond that I had with certain pokemon had been sorely tested. I needed to fix that. Don was one such pokemon, while Empress was another. I¡¯d left things to settle after yesterday, but now I needed to get the lay of the land and not just let any tension bleed off. The alarm went off and as so often was the case these days I was greeted by Yolanda with Terra in her arms and Spot at her heels. ¡°Morning Brock!¡± she said. Her eyes flicked past me towards the egg holder that featured Togepi¡¯s egg on my desk. I grunted my own greeting back and made my way out of the house, grabbing a handful of Oran berries and a water bottle on the way out. Yolanda jogged next to me. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan today?¡± she asked. ¡°I need to work with Empress and Don. Empress won¡¯t be appearing for the Elite challenge as she¡¯d maul too many opponents and really isn¡¯t suited to holding back or the longer more marathon fights that occur with the Elite challenge.¡± Yolanda¡¯s head bobbed up and down. ¡°That makes sense,¡± she said. She continued to look at me, waiting for me to broach the other pokemon that I needed to spend some time on. I sighed. ¡°Don¡¯s been getting a bit too comfortable, he¡¯s starting to push boundaries and check to see if I¡¯m serious about an order than just following it and that¡¯s been causing issues. We can¡¯t afford that going forward,¡± I said, my resolve firming up to be like a mountain with Don today. My stride began to increase and Yolanda went from jogging quickly to outright running. ¡°Woah! Wait up!¡± she said only to blink. ¡°Hey! How are you doing that?¡± she said, eying my stride and noticing that each step I took carried me a lot further than it should. I smirked. ¡°It¡¯s one of the perks of being me,¡± I said before winking at her. ¡°Keep working at feeling out the energy of your pokemon and you¡¯ll get there.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± she said, running along and watching me closely. She did so to the exclusion of a lot of other things around her which led to me reaching out and nudging her so she didn¡¯t trip over Moxy, one of the Geodude that I had lined up to evolve soon. ¡°Sorry Moxy!¡± I called out to the little Geodude. ¡°Careful,¡± I said, indicating the field of small boulders we were in. ¡°Geo!¡± cried Moxy in greeting only to spot Terra in Yolanda¡¯s hands and to narrow her eyes. ¡°Geo Geo!¡± she called as she started rolling after Yolanda. This secondary call caused many of the other small boulders to roll over and reveal they were also Geodude. I nudged my little sister. ¡°Looks like it''s time for your warm-up to start,¡± I said as Moxy called for a small avalanche of other Geodude to follow. They all rumbled along causing the ground to shake and Yolanda¡¯s eyes to bulge. ¡°Why do you have your pokemon trained to chase people like this?¡± she called as she took off. ¡°First it was for security,¡± I called after her. ¡°Then it became a good workout for me, then it was Forrest! They¡¯re used to being used as training partners!¡± I called out. Honestly, Yolanda had it a lot rougher than Forrest ever did with Terra weighing at least three times as much, especially now that she was exiting her baby phase. Yolanda took off with the small avalanche of Geodude in hot pursuit. I chuckled only for a loud. ¡°Go-lem!¡± to signal that Sanchez had seen the ¡®game¡¯ and wanted in on it. I rolled my eyes before turning and sprinting, leaving him to eat my dust. ¡°Go lem!¡± he called and soon I had a sizable portion of the pokemon on the reserve chasing me. I made sure to swing past the Elite training grounds to pick up my early risers like Titan, Bertha, and Knight. The rumble they caused woke up the rest of the pokemon such as Shin, Chou, and Don. I was soon having to push myself to stay ahead as I noticed that many of the pokemon in pursuit of me were starting to gleam with Rock Polish. I made it two laps before they stopped playing with me and closed. Bertha leapt and I had to throw myself out of her landing zone and instead on top of Jorm who came to a stop with me on his head. ¡°Steeeeeeeeeel!¡± he called out, rising up to his full height. I wobbled for a moment worried I might topple before spotting Yolanda staring at me in awe. I planted my feet, crossed my arms and assumed my pose. Mentally I cursed Celia for pointing out that this was exactly that, a pose I adopted frequently but for now I merely tried to give off cool older brother vibes. It seemed to work as Yolanda stared up with a slightly slack-jawed expression. That or she was trying to suck in as much air as possible. I¡¯d assume the latter for now for my ego¡¯s sake. ¡°Who¡¯s ready to train like we¡¯re going to rock the world!¡± I called, making the most of my raised position. My pokemon rose and threw back their heads to roar as one. This time when I peeked towards Yolanda she was properly staring with awe. Heh, nice. ¡°Titan! I need you to work on the dodge training with everyone! Get them feeling it out! I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s water, grass, fire, electric, rock or fighting-type moves! I want people to get limber! Start with a stretching session and then have a paired up rotation, switch pokemon like Hynotoad working through the ranks!¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I snapped my hand to Zephyr, ¡°You need to run Zubat through her paces, I want to work against a tailwind through the rocky canyon course we have set up, make her work for each lap!¡± I said. For Zubat this would be a nightmare of adjusting wind currents with rocks surrounding her. She¡¯d need to work on her agility while fighting a powerful headwind that would threaten to even send her back to the start of the course or into rocks. It trained agility, awareness, toughness, and endurance all at once. ¡°When you¡¯ve done that, I want you to join Titan with training up dodges, use your Hypnosis and confusion as much as you can.¡± I directed the rest of my attention to my smaller pokemon. ¡°Teddiursa, Gible, Cranidos, and Anorith? I want you observing for a little while before getting into some tag team battles.¡± I tapped Jorm on a head spike and he lowered me down. I made sure to give each of the little pokemon a moment¡¯s eye contact. ¡°You won¡¯t advance to fighting each other until I¡¯m done with Don though, alright?¡± When Cranidos stomped his foot I snapped my fingers in his direction and levelled a look that was a tenth of what I was about to give to Don. ¡°No,¡± I said, my voice firm with authority. Cranidos stiffened and blinked at me. I held his stare. ¡°Today I¡¯m going to continue working on a few pokemon¡¯s ability to follow orders,¡± I said. I would have said obedience, but they wouldn¡¯t understand that word. Cranidos bobbed slightly. ¡°Gib?¡± said Gible, turning his head from side to side. I glanced at the little dragon. He¡¯d surprised me so far by being very laid back. Honestly, he was rather easy to train, but that might have something to do with his temperament than his species. I probably needed to impart that I was to be listened to more often. Sadly, while today¡¯s session with Don would be perfect to highlight my ability as a trainer, it wouldn¡¯t be best for Don to have small pokemon watching him get possessed around. For that matter, I glanced around and found Don flying around with his daughter. I gave the group of small pokemon a softer look and waved for them to join the crowd of pokemon that had claimed a seat to the side to watch Titan and the other Elite¡¯s train. Empress was standing to the side. I marched up to her and coughed. She glanced at me furtively before looking away. ¡°Hey, how are you holding up after yesterday?¡± Empress shifted and rumbled something but I caught a slight flinch that I took to mean she was rather sore in a few places. ¡°Might be a good idea to get some of the Growlithe to heat up some sand for you,¡± I said. When she glanced at me in confusion I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s a therapy trick we use for rock and ground type pokemon. Hot water baths don¡¯t work but heated sand really works wonders. Never had one?¡± She shook her head, her eyes searching me for something. I offered her a smile. ¡°I stand by what I said yesterday. I think you did the right thing. I just hope that you can let me help you next time,¡± I said, moving up and putting my hand on her chest. ¡°Trust that I want good things for you, yeah? I don¡¯t want to see you hurt and I don¡¯t want to see you continue hurting.¡± My hand shifted from her chest to closer to where her heart. I could just make out the drumbeats of her heart. She nodded slowly and I smiled. Without having to really check, I knew that our bond had grown a little. I give her the heartfelt smile that I¡¯ve wanted to for a while and she gives me back a much smaller smile. I don¡¯t need to look to know that Titan is paying more attention to me than his training. I chuckled as the sound of a number of boulders breaking against something hard echo over the training ground with Bertha giving an excited cheer. Tian¡¯s attention on our bond wanes but I keep the warm feelings in my heart as I watch Empress. ¡°Can you watch the little pokemon for me? Maybe even show them how hard Zubat is working in a few minutes?¡± She nodded and I glanced up. Alright, that was the, far lack of a better term, easier situation to deal with. Now I had to crush a pokemon¡¯s pride and get him in line. ¡°Don!¡± I shout, my voice booming as I call out to my Aerodactyl. ¡°I need you down here!¡± I called. Don paused to talk with his daughter and I spiked my irritation through the bond. It¡¯s not an easy transference. If Titan¡¯s bond was like a multi-lane highway with data cables flowing in both directions and constant traffic. Don¡¯s bond was like ¡­ a cave atop a mountain where the wind blew only to get trapped in tunnels and try longer routes instead of going the straight route. Things might be convoluted but they should be faster. The challenges lay in that the tunnels of the mountain had collapsed or were never cleared out. The fault didn¡¯t just lay with Don¡¯s attitude, but also with me. For all that I could give Don impressions, it was night and day between the clarity of our connection. What would only take a flicker of emotion instead required a flood of emotion. Irritation made Don stiffen and glance down. Again, not the response I wanted. ¡°Now Don!¡± I barked. He narrowed his eyes and ducked into a dive, leaving his daughter in the air as he set his sights on me. He came in hard on an angle at me and I channelled rock energy into me. Damn him, I¡¯d wanted to spare his pride by not having this take place where the other pokemon could witness it. Seems like a harsher lesson was needed. Still, if he wanted to play this game? Well, I was down. He came in hard, his eyes locked on mine as he sped in hard. My heart should be thundering in my chest, but with the rock energy coursing through me it was a steady thump-thump that acted as another focus. ¡°Brock, look out!¡± Yolanda called, having spotted Don seeping in on me. She pointed and for a moment I worried she might try to interfere but Don was coming in too fast for that. Right at the last moment, Don opened his wings and beat them hard. A dust storm swept over us but I didn¡¯t look away as he came to a stop slightly above me with his eyes locked in a challenge. Just as he was about to sweep his wings again to demonstrate his irritation with me at getting in the way of his daddy-daughter time, my hand shot out and grabbed him by the jaw. I pulled him down so that he was at an equal height with me. Then, and only then did I speak. My words came out cold as they resounded around the training area. ¡°This display disappoints me,¡± I said, channelling my best cartoon villain impersonation. Don shifted, surprised at how this was going. His wings beat slightly as he tried to rise but my grip on his jaw was immovable. He couldn¡¯t bite me, but he could try and pull away, but in doing so he would be backing down. I decided to make use of the closeness to tell him my unvarnished thoughts. ¡°The Don of half a year ago wouldn¡¯t need to make so much noise. The Don of three months ago was certain of his power and position.¡± ¡°The Don I see before me?¡± I shook my head while my eyes stayed with him. ¡°You are not that pokemon. You have gotten weak by indulgence of your pride. You stopped letting your pride push you to be stronger and instead became like a fat snorlax that was content to gorge himself on cheap food.¡± I looked through him and pushed on our bond. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten stronger, yes, you hit harder and have more endurance. You have sharper teeth and more victories to your name. But you¡¯ve become sloppy thinking that that¡¯s all you need. I find myself questioning if you are still an Elite with how you fail to follow commands and push for more.¡± ¡°Reee!¡± he screeched. And I felt a flash of anger through the bond directed at me. ¡°You think I am wrong about what I¡¯ve noticed?¡± Don didn¡¯t respond to that, instead gritting his teeth and flapping his wings. I tried another angle. ¡°Or that you don¡¯t need me giving you such orders?¡± He nodded stiffly. I tugged his jaw slightly to jostle him. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known the danger that those cloneballs possessed, but I did. I gave you orders to spare you the danger and instead dithered like a pokemon that had only just started with me instead of an Elite. That wasn¡¯t been the only time either,¡± I said and Don¡¯s gaze shifted. ¡°Your pride is a great source of motivation but also a great weakness. Don¡¯t direct it at me though, because I¡¯m trying to help you reach stronger and stronger heights,¡± I said. ¡°We have a lot of strong challenges coming up soon. Agatha of The Elite Four wants an exhibition match next weekend, then we have the midyear tournament coming up. As it stands right now? I can¡¯t take you to those as I can¡¯t trust you to be at your best.¡± This seemed to rattle Don slightly. Don croaked weakly and his wingbeats grew slower. I let go of his jaw and instead shifted it to his chest. ¡°You are a great pokemon and you have the capacity for more, I know it. Remember when I said your species possess the ability to use Megastones? I went back to Grampa Canyon yesterday.¡± Don blinked. ¡°Reee?¡± I held firm in the face of his question. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you because I felt I couldn¡¯t reward you after what happened earlier. I have been working to make you stronger and you have been slipping with your responsiveness, if not outright rejecting me. ¡± I took a pointed step back with my hand extended towards him. ¡°Should I stop trying to help?¡± Don shook his head immediately and I smiled as he moved into my touch. ¡°I¡¯m glad. I didn¡¯t want to relegate you and I hoped. I will work on what we have a bit more Don, but don¡¯t just take, you need to give me some work as well, alright?¡± Don nodded seriously. I nodded back. ¡°Alright, today¡¯s training isn¡¯t going to be fun. We¡¯re going to do control training with abbreviations. I need you to react as fast as possible. At some point in the training, I am going to have other pokemon shoot rocks at you. You will not have any warning so I need you to trust me,¡± I said. Don bobbed his head up and down. I grinned while stepping back and whistling for him to rise sharply before I gave a short whistle to have him plummet. I then put him through his paces, working him in dodges, dips, dives, ducks, diversions, and dust plumes to get his heart racing and his attention on me. About five minutes into this I made a gesture to Jorm and he and Shin who¡¯d been sitting off to the side began unleashing rocks. Suddenly it went from me giving a lead to me reacting. ¡°Dip into a tuck roll!¡± I called. ¡°Ascend! Ascend!¡± I called as a wave of rocks came on faster than I¡¯d anticipated. When another followed after them I growled out my next command. ¡°Steel Wing!¡± I said to make him bash his way through the threat. I shot Bertha an annoyed look. This had meant to be a two-on-one situation. Bertha bowed her head but the effect was rather lost when she shot me two fingers raised in a v for victory. She wasn¡¯t wrong, Don was responding better. I huffed and signalled for her to stand down and return to her own part of the field before I got down to business with Don. After ten minutes he was heaving in lungfuls of air and I had him land to take a break. I got out a few treats of cured spiced meat and dropped them next to him. ¡°Excellent work, keep to that standard and anyone that gets you in the coming days for the Elite challenges is going to have it rough,¡± I said. Don took the food and bowed his head. I felt a glimmer of what felt like respect from him. I knelt and locked my gaze with his as he ate. ¡°Thanks for listening,¡± I said, making sure this wasn¡¯t just about me lording it over him. I felt like I¡¯d made some progress there but I made a mental note to reinforce the training throughout the week. I might not be able to push as hard on the days leading up to Elite matches, but I could still make some progress. I walked through the rest of my pokemon training. A few of them gave me respectful nods and firm smiles. It seemed they respected me more for stepping in and handling Don like I had. When I finished with my Elites I collected up my small pokemon and got them lined up to fight with each other while I supervised. Yolanda walked up and stood next to me while I did so. For a good ten minutes she didn¡¯t say anything and I didn¡¯t push for her to talk. I just let her linger, working through her thoughts. ¡°That was¡­ pretty intense,¡± she said finally. I nodded. ¡°Don has a dragon¡¯s pride and I hadn¡¯t reined him in like I should. It was more intense than I¡¯d hoped to make it as I wanted to spare him, which now that I have the benefit of hindsight was probably the wrong call. By having our little demonstration and talk in front of the others, I curbed Don¡¯s pride toward me a little and garnered more respect from the others. They might not be like him but they all possess a bit of pride.¡± Yolanda didn¡¯t say anything, her eyes merely questing out over the Eite pokemon as they shifted and moved around attacks, or in key moments endured and closed to tap their opponent lightly. ¡°Still kinda crazy seeing it play out like that,¡± she said. I nodded before reaching down and scooping up Gible as he got knocked back by Teddiursa. ¡°Giiii,¡± said the little ground shark. ¡°Gible is another pokemon I will need to work with and keep an eye on. He makes things easier by being what I would call a jolly little fellow,¡± I said as he squirmed to get back down and continue the fight. I tickled him under the armpits and he giggled causing me to smile. When I stopped he rolled in my grasp slowly gnawing on my hands, his gaze looking up at me. ¡°Gi Gi!¡± he said, his bite steadily growing in intensity. ¡°Steady there, there¡¯s enough force to break the skin,¡± I said. ¡°If you want to play bite with me, use this level or lower,¡± I said firmly. Gible stared at me, his jaw slightly opened as he considered this new order. He then leaned forward and took a small playful bite. I smiled and play wrestled with him. Hi cheered happily and I shot Yolanda a smile. ¡°Spending time with them is key, which can be tough but we make time in our own way,¡± I said. I set Gible down and put the hand clean of Gible slobber in my mouth to whistle. ¡°Alright! Break it down with stretches! When you¡¯re done it¡¯s time for breakfast team!¡± I called. Yolanda blinked and glanced up, surprised to see that the sun had well and truly risen. She must have been really distracted with this morning¡¯s training if she¡¯d missed that. I put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Give me a hand feeding up and then we can head back for our own meal?¡± Yolanda nodded and joined me to finish up my chores. I still needed to come back out to do some more work before lunch and then this afternoon but otherwise today was going to be much lighter. During the afternoon session, I once more got out the paintballs and brushes. I made sure to demand that teams be formed with Titan and I acting as captains of our teams. When I selected Empress and Don as my first picks, Titan shot me a smirk. I might not have the advantage with them but it served my purpose of deepening our bond. I ended the day messy with paint and a huge smile that was reflected on the faces of a lot of my team. I checked the challenger for tomorrow later that night only to chuckle. ¡°Trainer Gio eh? Back again after getting eight badges.¡± I smiled. It was oddly appropriate that the challenger that started the circuit this year was the first to come back for the Elite Challenge. I went to sleep with the anticipation of a good fight bubbling away at me. I felt like I was more than ready for the next round of challenges coming my way. Chapter 217 - Elite battles There was a noticeable pulse in the air of the Gym that grew as we approached the middle of the day. People from around Pewter and even further afield had begun to trickle in gradually despite there only being one or two matches for badges early in the morning. I was expecting this but I was still taken a bit off guard by the almost electric feel in the air. I spent most of my time going through the regular motions but I could see it affecting others as they completed their tasks with an energy that saw them wrapping up much quicker than usual. This left them idle, which was never a good thing. So I started assigning the various Gym trainers odd jobs such as taking out pokemon from the reserve and having them train on the battle courts while offering to fight any takers. Others I sent out to patrol the streets or to even drop in on various playgrounds. It got to the point that I ended up handing out garbage bags and pointing them out the front door with there still being two hours before the match. Rachel approached me with her transceiver raised. She was obviously recording what I assumed to be a gym video, or perhaps it was a livestream? ¡°The man! The mountain! Brock! How are things going today? Any nerves about the match?¡± she said with a chipper tone. ¡°Nah, This is old business for me now. The attention might be new but we¡¯ve been running this show for a while now. The biggest point of interest will be for who gets chosen. That will impact how I fight the most,¡± I said easily. Before I could say anything else, Dennis marched up and coughed into a fist. ¡°Brock! There appears to be a number of people coming in looking to reserve seats for the coming match¡­ should we let them in? There aren¡¯t any people fighting at the moment,¡± he said. I sighed. ¡°Victims of our own success indeed,¡± I said to myself while rubbing my forehead. Rachel giggled and I shot her and her transceiver a small glare. ¡°Let¡¯s assign some people to have some fights and run through some tricks. That might knock out two or three Pidgey in one Rock throw,¡± I said, waving my hand. I glanced at Rachel. ¡°I might need you to rustle up some entertainment¡­ and if this is an indication of what is to come we might need to create some outdoor seating. Do we still have the pavilions?¡± I asked. Rachel bobbed her head up and down causing her rainbow-tinged hair to flop back and forth. ¡°Yup! I can set that up!¡± she said. I raised a hand. ¡°Hold it in reserve. If we go that route we will need seating and to set up the projector, let¡¯s see how things go first and ease into it if we need it, not before,¡± I said. ¡°Well folks, things might have to end a little earlier than I planned cause I need to rustle up some entertainment! Oh! A band! Everyone loves those!¡± Rachel said as she shot off to her office. I suddenly wondered if I shouldn''t be giving her stricter guidelines as to ¡®band¡¯ but decided that it wouldn¡¯t matter. Whatever she came up with to distract people would be useful. I regretted that for a few moments when I was working with Dennis and Rocko to align the trainer lounge to have all of the lounges facing towards the television. Bethany, an elderly lady that I had running and training the other younger receptionist walked in. ¡°Brock dear?¡± she asked, adjusting her spectacles. ¡°Yes, Bethany?¡± I asked as I deposited one couch. ¡°There¡¯s a marching band here to run through their routine?¡± she asked, her tone quite unsure. Before I could question her Rcahel trotted in, a huge grin on her face. ¡°Sorry for the surprise boss, but the short notice doesn¡¯t allow for a lot of precision. I tried for a rock band, a jazz band and even a mariachi band but they were all booked already!¡± I held up a finger. ¡°Why a Mariachi band?¡± I said, dreading the answer. Rachel coughed. ¡°It¡¯d liven things up? I think the Marching band will work well though! I just had to promise them some seats for the match!¡± she said. I chuckled, amused at how much of an event this was turning into. By the time the match rolled around the Gym was packed to the rafters with locals and trainers that were hoping to challenge me soon, clamouring for seats. Gio had arrived and was talking with Rachel which¡­ probably promised something memorable. On the battlefield, the marching band which also comprised several Machoke and Chimecho strode back and forth. When the drum line got into each other''s faces it became an intense stare-down with huge swarthy muscled pokemon slamming out rapid-fire staccato while looking like they were seconds from throwing down physically. When both drumlines were finished they stepped back amicably and waved only to receive a roar of approval for the show of skill. With the marching band done, it was time for the main show and Rachel was quick to march out. ¡°Welcome! Welcome! Once more I¡¯m your Mistress of Ceremonies for the Pewter Gym! For months now the Gym has undergone challenges from those fighting for badges and recognition, but today that changes! Today is about showing the world how far as trainers they have come! Today is about prestige! Today is about announcing to the world your skills! Today! Gio returns to face Brock in the hardest challenge the gym can offer! The Elite challenge!¡± Rachel began outlining the nature of the challenge for the crowd and people oohed and awed in at the details before applauding as Rachel gestured. ¡°And now Gio returns a third time!¡± Rachel said, making me pause. Oh, that¡¯s right Gio, had been late in challenging me during the circuit last year hadn¡¯t he? Huh. I suddenly found myself wondering just how far he¡¯d taken himself with more time. Rachel gestured to the tunnel as Gio stood tall. ¡°He started his journey with a Marsh badge and he struggled when he reached the Gym last year. However! Since then he has exploded onto the stage with an impressive win ratio among his peers!¡± Gio has gained eight badges in total, with all of them being Major Gym badges! This feat qualifies him for the end-of-year circuit! But he wants more! Gio wants to show the world that he is a contender for winning the circuit!¡± Gio strode forward and waved. He¡¯d been a young struggling teen when he first challenged and I remember he had been pushing himself to get past me in an attempt to make it to the circuit. This year he had returned, more confident and sure of himself and his pokemon. Each of them had been stronger in marked ways and having him back here now was sure to be interesting. For his second showing, he had no issues with gaining his badge. If anything he¡¯d breezed through while Greta, as a new hire, had struggled with the concept that losing was alright in the Gym setting. There had also been something to do with Graveler¡­ He¡¯d had a Nidoking, Poliwrath, and Raticate. What would he use this time? ¡°And now ladies, gentlemen, children of all ages and pokemon! It is my distinct pleasure to introduce your Gym Leader! Let¡¯s give Gio a warm Pewter welcome! Here he is! Brock!¡± Rachel said before leading the stomp-stomp clap while an eclectic guitar rift began to play. After three stomp-stomp-claps I strode forward and locked eyes with Gio. The march forward was entirely the same routine, but I made sure to add more menace to my strides. I became a towering mountain that loomed before Gio. When I leapt this time I made sure to come down heavy and boom down into the podium. I rose and smirked at Gio. ¡°You¡¯ve returned once more,¡± I said repeating the words I¡¯d greeted him with last time. He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve come for the Bejewelled badge and to earn the honour of being the first victor!¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°So, you think you¡¯re ready to step into the big leagues?¡± I said. ¡°Yes!¡± he said. I chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± I then turned to where Rocko was standing. ¡°Trainers! As mentioned this match is an Elite challenge! This match will see One of Brock¡¯s strongest pokemon facing off against you. Be aware that injury is possible if you are not strong enough! I, as the referee will step in should I view it as necessary!¡± he said, eying Gio before looking at me firmly. I nodded. One v six wasn¡¯t an easy feat and there were risks on my side as well that needed to be acknowledged. Rocko accepted this and then queued up a montage of rock pokemon that I had deemed as part of my Elite Team. With each picture, the names were displayed along with a number. Titan, Bertha, Jormungandr, Sanchez, Shin, Don, Knight, Selene, and Gawain were all on display. With each new picture, different people cheered. Gawain garnered the most response from what looked like the Bug Catcher¡¯s chapter house while others hooted and hollered for Sanchez. Others roared for Titan. I chuckled. The display shifted once more to show off a number. Rocko tapped his microphone to quell the crowd. ¡°I shall have silence before I initiate the randomiser. You have a one in nine chance of fighting any of the pokemon shown. To those following along at home, some of these pokemon may come and go due to fatigue, injury or other factors but for today¡¯s battle all nine current Elite pokemon that represent the Gym are available!¡± Rocko made a show of lifting his hand, his index finger extended. ¡°I shall now initiate the randomiser!¡± His finger plunged down and the display shifted to that of a roulette spinning wheel as numbers and faces sped past. Slowly the numbers began to become visible before it began to tick down. People leaned in as Titan¡¯s image was displayed only to switch and a golden border to appear around the chosen pokemon. A large number two was put on display before the number shrank to display a picture of Bertha. ¡°Ohhhhhhhh!¡± Rachel shouted. ¡°Gio has drawn Bertha! The hard-hitting heavyweight! The mistress of one hit k.o.¡¯s and the all-round best girl!¡± I grinned as I unclipped Bertha from my pokebelt. With a gentle lob, I sent her out. She landed and the field rocked as she settled. She took a moment to stretch herself out tall and shake herself off only to blink in surprise. ¡°Rhyperior?¡± she said slowly as she stared up at the cheering crowd that were chanting her name. Her head turned to look at me but when she couldn¡¯t turn far enough she skipped around and sent her tail swinging. She locked her gaze with me and levelled a finger up at herself in open shock. ¡°Rhy?¡± she asked hopefully. I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right girl, you are first this year.¡± Bertha vibrated in place and for a moment it looked like she was being impacted by an earthquake only for her arms to shoot up and her head to be thrown back with a bark of happiness. She shot a sideways v with two stubby drill-like digits past her eyes and winked at the camera in what could only be a magical girl pose before getting serious. She spun back around and a vicious grin stretched her features. She wiggled with glee and I knew that nothing could bring her down. She hadn¡¯t said anything but Gio, he¡¯d just given her a gift she cherished. She shifted from foot to foot and readied herself. Across from me on his podium Gio worked his jaw back and forth as he took in his opponent. ¡°Do you need any longer?¡± I asked, prodding him along when he did nothing but consider Bertha. He jolted and coughed. ¡°Sorry, I guess I was just surprised. She¡¯s a lot bigger in person than she¡¯s shown on television,¡± he said. I chuckled. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ll find that is often the case,¡± I said. I then made a gesture at the empty part of the field indicating it was his move. Gio nodded and hurled out his best choice. ¡°Go Poliwrath!¡± I smirked. ¡°Oh you poor young man,¡± I said as Bertha leaned forward. I felt our bond and began to feed her some energy for what was to come. Unlike the gym battles, where we let others take the lead the instant Rocko¡¯s flags began to drop, we acted straight away. ¡°Quake into Hammer!¡± I barked. Betha slammed her tail into the ground and sent Poliwrath bucking into the air. The tail lashing into the ground, rather than anchoring Bertha actually worked to launch her up and into the air where she drew back her fist. She hung, suspended for a moment like a meteor threatening a planet. Gio and Poliwrath had a heartbeat to respond and they did so admirably. ¡°Detect!¡± Gio called and his Poliwrath threw itself out of danger as Bertha¡¯s fist hurtled past it to crater the ground. Bertha rose up from her punch and locked eyes with the wide-eyed Poliwrath. It seemed a bit rattled after that exchange of blows. It also hadn¡¯t escaped unscathed as it had a tremor in its legs that must have been a result of the earlier earthquake. ¡°Box them,¡± I ordered. Bertha advanced with her fists raised. She threw punch after punch and while they weren¡¯t connecting the physical punches weren¡¯t actually the attack to be worried about for the moment. With each punch, she threw a spike of earth shot forward at Poliwrath. Bertha made sure to frame the punches and rocks to bracket and drive Poliwrath backwards. ¡°Tch! Poliwrath use Detect and get in close for a Brick Break!¡± ¡°Low boxing,¡± I said firmly and Bertha stopped advancing and instead sunk into herself so that her punches, which had originally been chest height with Poliwrath, were suddenly targeting its hips and legs. Poliwrath tried to evade but Detect, like Protect and other moves like it grew weaker the more often you used it. By forcing Poliwrath to come to us, the water-fighting type found itself getting clipped a few times from rocks which sent it spinning out of control.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. It landed and croaked in irritation. I pointed. ¡°Ice the ground.¡± Bertha complied, causing an Ice Beam to fire off and coat the ground, making Poliwrath leap up into the air to evade the perceived attack. When it landed it did so with a skitter but held its footing barely. ¡°Poli,¡± it said confidently. Bertha rolled her shoulders and grinned, miming a small boxing action. Poliwrath glowered at this and prepared itself to attack. ¡°Poliwrath use Mist like we practised!¡± called Gio. Poliwrath blew out a torrent of mist around itself obscuring its form and that of Bertha. ¡°Hop back and buff,¡± I said. Bertha did as requested hunkering down and letting her arm begin to buzz threateningly. Gio blanched as he was forcefully reminded why it wasn¡¯t a good idea to play a waiting game for Bertha. She could power up and unleash on opponents. ¡°Poliwrath use Hydro Pump!¡± ¡°Lean with it, rock with it!¡± I said with a smirk. Bertha grinned as she weaved her body around the typically powerful attacks. With the Mist up, it was actually making it harder for Poliwrath right now. While Bertha dodged, her hide began to glint as her body took on a sheen that the unaware would think was Rock Polish. It actually was Iron Defence. It was one of the moves that Bertha had learnt to boost herself when she had the chance. The other was something she¡¯d insisted on when I¡¯d gone through her list of potential moves. Sadly she¡¯d latched onto it for all the wrong reasons. ¡°Magical girl dance,¡± I said, far too used to Bertha¡¯s antics to show my exasperation outwardly. Bertha twirled about as energy constructs resembling swords appeared around her and twirled. She looked rather silly with how she was prancing around but I couldn¡¯t fault her for it. She was passionate and that made the moves take on a special sort of power of their own. I blamed Cindy for pointing out that Swords Dance was sort of like a magical girl entrance sequence. It got the crowd on their feet and cheering her name for something other than wrecking the arena which was nice. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to the bill that would inevitably come from Bertha being selected for this match. No way I was leaving the battlefield in a usable state before this match was done. ¡°Quake into edge¡± I said and Bertha finished her Sword Arts pirouette into a leap. ¡°Poliwrath jump!¡± called Gio, realising what was coming with her landing. I smiled as he forgot what we¡¯d done earlier. I could see the form of Poliwrath attempting to jump, only to slip on the frozen ground causing it to collapse to the ground as Bertha hit the ground. She landed like she was cannonballing the field and it buckled like a pool of water would have at the force she transmitted. While it wasn¡¯t very effective, it was strong and Poliwrath couldn¡¯t brace itself. Poliwrath¡¯s hidden form was bucked into the air before it slapped down hard. Bertha ripped a chunk of earth up and launched it with precision at the downed form. Poliwrath was blown across the ice and into the far wall where it slumped into itself, down for the count. ¡°Poliwrath? But¡­ those moves..¡± Gio said slowly. While Earthquake had a normal impact it wasn¡¯t the best move, just as Rock and Ice against Poliwrath wouldn¡¯t have worked too well, but that was assuming both pokemon were on the same level. When I¡¯d faced Lance I¡¯d have said Bertha was creeping into the realm of being a champion-tier pokemon. Now? I knew she had it within her. ¡°Poliwrath is unable to battle! The battle is one nil!¡± announced Rocko officiously. Gio swallowed and returned his pokemon. He eyed the field before nodding to himself. I smiled as he palmed his next pokeball. It was so nice to see young trainers pushing themselves and demonstrating not just their pokemon but how they as trainers had developed. Mental made up a lot of what we did and if Bertha¡¯s destruction of Poliwrath put him off, this would have been a much easier match. ¡°Let¡¯s go Exeggutor! Start off with Leaf Storm!¡± Gio said with a flourish of his hands. ¡°Beam,¡± I replied instantly. As Exeggutor started to call forth a forest worth of leaves that would shred through Bertha, Bertha responded by opening her maw and channelling an Ice Beam. The leaves shot forward only for Bertha to roar in defiance, her Ice Beam lancing out and freezing the leaves with its passing. The Ice Beam slammed into Exeggutor and once more one of Gio¡¯s pokemon were thrown into the back wall. Exeggutor did not get back up. Gio gritted his teeth and grunted in frustration. ¡°Steady Gio, you knew there would be some set backs, keep it together,¡± he murmured to himself, withdrawing his pokemon before sending out his next pokemon. ¡°Go! Tauros! Double Edge!¡± ¡°Dance around it,¡± I said. Bertha perked up and rose onto her tip toes, ready for what was to come. Taurus came on, and like a pro matador as Tauros made the final leap Bertha twirled away avoiding the horns entirely. She even went as far as to clap cheekily. Tauros landed heavily and stumbled, having missed. Bertha, having continued her spin, whirled about with her tail to smash it into Tauros¡¯ flank. Tauros was tossed roughly and hit the ground only to skid. I was almost ready to write it off, then Tauros rose, bellowing and snorting so powerfully dust shot away from it. It turned and lowered its head pawed at the ground, kicking up dust as it locked onto Bertha. ¡°Hoh? Anger point?¡± I said thoughtfully as Tauros continued to toss its head and rage. ¡°Scary Face then go for it!¡± Gio called. I had to give it to him, it was a good move, and Tauros raised its head and glared, a single eye red and crazed which it locked onto Bertha. If we¡¯d been closer to the Mist I might have had her step into it to evade the attack but there wasn¡¯t going to be any such luck. We had raised her defence, and her attack so far, but now we were going to have to handle being a bit slower. Bertha threw some experimental punches to test her speed only to snort with how slow they shot forth. We wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on dodging anymore. Tauros stopped freezing up Bertha with its move and dropped its head. It didn¡¯t bother to paw or kick up any more dust before charging once more. It came on, each step it made in its charge causing the ground to buckle. Well, its attack had certainly grown more powerful. I raised my eyes from the oncoming Tauros and instead locked them with Gio. ¡°Match it,¡± I said, not baulking at all. Bertha lowered her head and ran forward. Unlike Tauros who ran with four hooves and looked fast, she lumbered, but in her huge strides, she covered a lot of ground. As Tauros and Bertha closed, Tauros lined up its horns expertly, a bellow of rage escaping its mouth while Bertha cocked back her fist. Tauros leapt high and Bertha threw her fist forward. A mighty boom resounded through the stadium as the two attacks connected resulting in a shockwave of air exploding from the point that skull met fist. For a moment both pokemon held their positions, eyes locked on each other. Gio¡¯s eyes twitched away from mine and when he looked back I smirked. A moment later Bertha carried through with her punch and launched Tauros out of the battlefield. Gio¡®s head snapped to the side and he could only stare at his downed pokemon. ¡°Tauors is unable to battle the winner of thi¡ª¡± Rocko started to say only for the crowd to rise and roar their approval for how that exchange had played out. Bertha pumped her fists into the air exalting in the praise of the crowd before making a show of nodding towards Tauros. I could only chuckle at her antics. Link was rubbing off on her. AS the crowd made themselves known Gio returned his pokemon shaking his head. ¡°Three of my pokemon, just like that? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve even landed a move yet,¡± he said disparagingly. I just smirked and said nothing. This wasn¡¯t a Gym match where I¡¯d coach them mid-match. This was a prestige match. If I wanted to shame him I might have offered advice. I didn¡¯t though, he was showcasing a wonderful level of growth and planning, so I kept my mouth shut. One thing did stand out to me however. ¡°Exeggutor, and Tauros both are pokemon you didn¡¯t have last year or the start of the circuit,¡± I said leadingly. Gio opened his mouth only to scowl and shut it with a click. I had a suspicion about where he¡¯d been spending his time and if I had to guess on the pool of pokemon he could draw on, it would make me think of a certain Safari zone. Tauros rather gave it away as the Safari zone was the only place that a trainer could acquire them normally. Gio didn¡¯t leave me or the crowd waiting and instead sent out his next pokemon. ¡°Go Kingler!¡± A rather impressive-looking Kingler took to the field and scuttled back and forth while snapping its pincers fiercely. While it was impressive, I could tell it wasn¡¯t at the level of his other pokemon. That didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t still a threat to Bertha, however. ¡°Bubblebeam!¡± he called as I stabbed my hand forward. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± Bubbles shot out of Kingler¡¯s larger claw only for them to not be strong enough to dissuade the giant rock that tore through them. Kingler took the hit and skidded back landing just in front of the mist that was now but a sickly haze. ¡°Bubblebeam again but let it hover around you! Obstruct his vision!¡± Gio commanded. ¡°Earthquake,¡± I responded. Bertha slammed her foot into the ground and Kingler was tossed up into the air. The bubbles floating in the air did nothing to stop that and as Kingler landed I merely repeated the action. ¡°Kingler Metal Claw into the ground! Don¡¯t let that hit!¡± Gio said adapting to the circumstances marvellously. The larger pincher struck out and launched Kingler into the air with only the one pincer stuck down into the ground acting as a shock absorber. Gio pumped his fist and looked up at me triumphantly before darting his eyes to Bertha. His face lost all colour when he found her unleashing another Ice Beam. The beam cut through the floating bubbles and suddenly the move that had been aimed at obscuring his pokemon became a detriment to Kingler. Orbs of ice crashed to the ground and sent shards of ice flying. ¡°Use Withdraw to tuck in!¡± ordered Gio. His Kingler did just that with the smaller pincer coming in close and protecting Kingler¡¯s body while the legs tucked underneath. The larger claw hovered above it allowing Kingler to avoid most of the damage. Gio sighed in relief and looked up only to find that while Kingler was defending itself, Bertha had vanished. ¡°Huh? Oh shit!¡± Gio exclaimed as he realised what I¡¯d done. ¡°Jump!¡± he called only for Bertha to emerge and catch Kingler as she breached the ground. With Kingler locked down, Gio gave up on saving his pokemon. ¡°Metal Claw! Metal Claw! Metal Claw!¡± he shouted and Kingler¡¯s claws swung into Bertha with all its might. Bertha grunted as they impacted her but she quickly slammed Kingler into the ground before smashing her other fist down. Kingler gave a loud crunch before going still. ¡°Stop!¡± called Rocko and Bertha followed the command straight away, stepping back. Kingler was revealed with the larger claw broken off entirely. It warbled painfully. It looked bad with some blood coming out, but the claws of Kinger could regrow given enough time. Kingler might just be able to fight by the time the end of the Circuit tournament was underway. But by then it would have lost out on a lot of training time. Gio returned his pokemon instantly and set it aside. ¡°He¡¯ll heal up,¡± he said with a grimace before eying Bertha. ¡°Guess I shouldn¡¯t have just tried to rely on type advantage though¡­ Let¡¯s try something different, let¡¯s go while they¡¯re in close Pinsir!¡± With Bertha inside Gio¡¯s half of the field, Pinsir appeared right in front of Bertha and the stag beetle bug pokemon lunged as soon as it formed. Pinsir¡¯s pincers slammed shut on Bertha and it was all she could do to catch the oncoming threat before it cut into her midriff. Both pokemon groaned as they struggled with the other. ¡°Gooooooo Gio!¡± called someone from the crowd, urging the challenger on. ¡°Let¡¯s go Bertha! Let¡¯s go!¡± chanted others. With the fight locked in a close-range struggle the crowd began to make themselves known. While Kingler had gone down without doing much, his defeat had set up Pinsir to be in a wonderful position to catch Bertha off guard. Her arms began to strain and quake while Pinsir growled and began to lean forward. ¡°Thump your tail,¡± I commanded. Bertha raised her tail and began to thump it up and down, the giant maul that was at her tail tip caused the ground to buckle around her and both pokemon stumbled. Bertha was expecting this though and was able to slip Pinsir¡¯s grip. Bertha took a single step back before rocketing back in with her fist leading the way. ¡°Protect!¡± Gio called and I fought to keep myself from nodding. That was the right move. As Bertha¡¯s fist slammed in a large rock followed suit slamming into the protective dome. If that Stone Edge had landed it would have been super effective. Sadly it was denied. Bertha drew in air with huge heaving breaths and on the other side of the shell I could see Pinsir doing the same, both pokemon were tired. ¡°Get room,¡± I said to Bertha and she hopped back a bit. Gio grimaced as he lost his close-range advantage. With Pinsir at range, it would have to close, which wouldn¡¯t be an easy feat. Gio once more showed his growth by raising his pokeball and returning his Pinsir. He then sent out his last pokemon. ¡°Go Nidoking!¡± he shouted. Nidoking hit the ground and I whistled. ¡°You¡¯ve been working on him,¡± I said, noting how the horn now glinted with poison, the carapace was shinier and thicker, and Nidoking also stood taller. ¡°Earth Power!¡± said Gio. ¡°Earthquake,¡± I responded. Once more the ground shook and both pokemon shifted as they endured the forces they were being put under. For Bertha the ground erupted underneath her and I grimaced. That might impact her. I held my pose, arms crossed as Bertha snorted heavily and growled, her hands flexing while her horns whirred to life in agitation. ¡°Not yet girl,¡± I said knowing that I couldn¡¯t use a One hit K.O. move now. ¡°Earth Power again!¡± Gio said revealing he was more than happy to make the fight a slug match. ¡°Surf,¡± I said as I opted out of that this time around. Nidoking shook the field only for Bertha to leap back arms spread wide like she was about to¡­ damn it she was doing magical girl poses wasn¡¯t she? The wave caught her and she rose up on it like some maiden rising with power. Gio saw the issue and blanched. ¡°Dig!¡± I smirked. That move might work for me, but there was a very good reason to not use dig against me. ¡°Jump,¡± I said. Bertha grinned as she dropped the magical girl pose and leapt, her fist rising and plunging down. When she struck the ground she did so in a superhero landing pose. The earth shattered around her and rocked upwards before rolling outwards. A harsh painful cry sounded out and as the dust settled, Nidoking did not emerge from his Dig. Gio groaned and returned his pokemon. ¡°Damn it, got suckered into that one,¡± he said. He palmed this final pokeball and grit his teeth as he eyed Bertha who was shaking herself off. She had various marks all over her along with smears of mud, and water and as she raised her arms she did so with shaking limbs. Gio nodded and sent out his last pokemon. Bertha dropped the act and straightened. ¡°RHY! Perior!¡± she shouted and I nodded. ¡°Impact Driver,¡± I said, committing. The crowd roared in approval as Bertha grabbed an arm with another. The raised arm began to spin up causing a whine to sound out. ¡°Pinsir! Superpower!¡± Gio bellowed over the riotous crowd. Pinsir shot braced and leapt leading with its head. With its pinchers drawn back and glowing it began to arc down towards Bertha. The entire stadium held its breath, watching as they closed with each other once more. Pinsir came down like an avenging Samurai, but Bertha swung her fist like she was looking to punch down a mountain. The blow connected and Pinsir was blown back into the barriers which flickered red with the impact before fading to orange quickly. I could see a warning light on Rocko and my own podium, a warning of Barrier integrity but with that being the final exchange of blows I didn¡¯t have to worry. I exhaled and allowed myself a grin. Bertha grinned hugely and glanced in my direction. I shot my fist into the air and joined the crowd in roaring in approval. Bertha punched the sky and began to celebrate. Across from me, Gio leaned heavily on his railing, his face white as he shook his head. I had the podiums lowered slowly and approached with Rocko. ¡°Hey, how many fingers am I holding up Gio?¡± said Rocko as he held up three. ¡°Th-three!¡± said Gio as he blinked rapidly. Rocko frowned at the slur and shot me a look. I nodded. ¡°Best you get to Nurse Joy for some rest and get your team healed up, if you¡¯re really lucky she might be able to reattach Kingler¡¯s claw,¡± I said with a grimace. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I said. Gio waved it off. ¡°I read the warnings Kingler¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have used him, or I should have held off a few more months,¡± Gio sighed. ¡°Got worried I would miss my shot at being first thought with all the trainers around this year,¡± he said. ¡°Lot of people are talking about coming back,¡± he said. I chuckled. ¡°I know. We¡¯ll see how we go, come back around later and we¡¯ll talk about this more, you did good though,¡± I said. Rocko helped Gio leave. I made a show of raising my hands and clapping which triggered more from the crowd. They rose to applaud him and his team. When they were done I tapped on a mic and grinned. ¡°Well thank you all for coming, that was an amazing first showing from Gio and his pokemon, and last but not least Bertha!¡± Bertha who¡¯d taken up a position behind me grinned and waved merrily. I stared out at the various faces in the crowd. For a while the faces merely blended together only for a familiar face with red hair tucked under a cap made me pause. Huh. Lance? When he winked and held up a finger to his lips recognising that I had spotted him I kept looking around. I could see a lot of shock, and worry in the crowd. But most of all? I could see hunger. People could see the challenge now and had a better idea. I grinned. ¡°I hope that those of you who will be facing me later understand how tough this task is now.¡± I raised my fist in front of me and Bertha copied me, her grin sliding into a menacing leer. ¡°You won¡¯t find this a simple challenge and we are up to the task,¡± I said. If anything the looks of hunger some people had merely grew. I had no doubt that the same would be true for people watching on tv from pokecenters either. I turned away knowing that interesting times and challengers were coming back. For now, I had other tasks to see to, such as meeting with Pewter Technical Academy for the lecture I needed to give. Before that though, I really needed to find out why Lance had joined the crowd in watching the match. Chapter 218 - Pewter Academy talks Lance sauntered into the Gym¡¯s trainer lounge only for Dennis to stand in his way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but you can¡¯t be in here, this area is not open to the public,¡± Dennis said. Lance stared at the man while I chuckled. It seemed that adding glasses, a cap and a change of clothes from his usual attire was enough to throw Dennis off. The rest of the room glanced up only to stiffen when they caught sight of Lance. Rachel held her hands in front of her face and held back a squeal. Huh, it seemed like only Dennis wasn¡¯t seeing through the ¡®disguise¡¯. Lance took off his glasses and his cap and smiled like he was stepping onto a red carpet and not into my trainer lounge. ¡°I think you can make some exceptions,¡± Lance said pleasantly. Dennis stared at him for a moment. Then he reached out and put a hand on Lance¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but like I said this area is not open,¡± he said as he marched Lance out of the room. Lance¡¯s slack-jawed expression as Dennis frog marched him out made me wish that I had my Xtrnacieveir set to record my surroundings. ¡°Eh? Wait! I¡¯m the Champion of Indigo!?¡± said Lance as Dennis got him to the door. Lance¡¯s hands shot out and braced against the frame. Dennis frowned. ¡°Yes and this is a restricted area,¡± he said. ¡°Being Champion doesn¡¯t entitle you to just come walking in here.¡± I couldn¡¯t help it. I started giggling. The giggle quickly turned into full-on belly-shaking laughter as Lance shot me a betrayed look. ¡°This is not funny Brock! I don¡¯t find this prank funny!¡± he said as he struggled with Dennis; some of his draconic pride must have been besmirched as I felt his Dragon energy flaring up as he grew angry. I noted that Dennis was starting to lose their little wrestle. I held my sides and stopped laughing long enough to wheeze out, ¡°It¡¯s not a prank. Dennis is being serious, which just makes it even better!¡± I said, before waving a hand at the pair of them. ¡°Dennis it¡¯s cool, it¡¯s cool! Lance is a friend even if he wasn¡¯t escorted in,¡± I said. Dennis stopped manhandling the champion. ¡°I see!¡± He nodded at me and then at Lance. ¡°Sorry about that Champion, but security protocols mean we need to be aware of infiltrators!¡± he said stolidly. Lance blinked. ¡°That¡­ is actually a very good reason to not let someone claiming to be me walk around,¡± he said, his energy dying down. Dennis nodded seriously and marched back to sit next to Rocko who bumped him with his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re off the chain man,¡± Rocko whispered to Dennis. A.J. shot Dennis a firm nod. It seemed he approved of what Dennis had done. I set myself up to watch A.J. in case he got it in his head to challenge Lance. I turned that idea over in my head before humming. Actually, there wasn¡¯t a reason not to if he tried it. He should already know he didn¡¯t stand a chance considering how his match against one of Kong¡¯s best went. Still, it didn''t mean he couldn¡¯t learn things from a friendly against Lance. It was rare to get to fight against a Dragon trainer at all, in fact, due to how rare most dragon-type pokemon were. ¡°Ahem!¡± Lance said as he stood before me. ¡°Hmm? Yeah, sorry I was just thinking of something,¡± I said, giving my best Kakashi impression. Lance shot me an unimpressed look and I smiled up at him. ¡°Take a seat Lance, it¡¯s nice to see you. Did you enjoy the show?¡± Lance glanced around for a seat only for the trainers that had been sitting across from me to launch themselves out of their seats only to then fight each other over who would offer their seat up to Lance first. Lance didn¡¯t even bat an eye at their behaviour and I just shook my head. Dennis swept in and collected the pair of young trainers before marching them out of the room. ¡°Shameful,¡± he muttered under his breath. Bethany the receptionist approached Lance. ¡°Would you care for a drink dear boy? I won¡¯t have it said that my place of employment lacks manners,¡± she said firmly. I coughed and looked away. Right, I should have offered that along with the seat. Lance shot me a smirk having caught the shot sent my way. He reached into his pouch and produced a bag of coffee beans. ¡°Can you grind this into a straight black coffee?¡± When Bethany made no move to accept the bag Lance blinked. Bethany raised her eyebrows at him and he coughed. ¡°Please,¡± he said, tacking the word to his previous statement. I snickered, recalling that he¡¯d been called out on that with Sabrina and Ralts last time as well. Lance rolled his eyes at me. ¡°To answer your earlier question, I did enjoy the show. You make a very good spectacle of your Elite match, which I have no doubt will draw in more trainers and spectators.¡± I nodded and gestured towards Rachel. ¡°The basics of the match have stayed the same but I have to thank Rachel for the hype and the promotion of it this year,¡± I said easily. Lance offered Rachel a nod and she smiled back giddily. Lance frowned at her wrist. ¡°Are you recording this?¡± Rachel glanced down. ¡°Oh shoot I just went into journalistic mode when you showed up! Sorry!¡± she said, turning it off. I blinked. Wait, did that mean she¡¯d caught that earlier scuffle? That would be hilarious if so. Lance and I both opened our mouths to say something only for Bethany to plop down a tea service with two pots on it. I stared at the trays of biscuits, sponge cake, and fine china. Where had she... I shook that thought off. She, like many others, had access to a storage bag that would no doubt hold a lot of such goodies if I didn¡¯t miss my guess. Still, that was damn impressive to whip together in the last few seconds we¡¯d been talking. ¡°Thank you, Bethany,¡± I said. Lance nodded, his own eyes locked on the coffee pot. ¡°You ground the beans and¡ª¡± Bethany handed him back his bag before producing a matching bag. ¡°I too, enjoy a good drink,¡± she said with a nod. Lance smiled at her and accepted a drink from her before she served me some tea. She then claimed a seat near the side, her own coffee cup in front of her. For all intents and purposes she looked like she was presiding over a tea party and not an impromptu meeting of rivals. I shook my head at the absurdity of it before restarting the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you down here,¡± I said. I had a niggling thought that I was forgetting something but couldn¡¯t recall quite what. Lance waved a hand about. ¡°We¡¯ve processed most of Team Rocket and locked down what resources we can. Now things are slowing down with secondary arrests for corruption being a good deal slower as we determine who was coerced and who was crooked as a Sudowoodo.¡± I paused at that imagery and chuckled. ¡°I think you¡¯re letting them off lightly. If anything they¡¯d be like ditto, formless until they need a shape that appeals to another,¡± I said. Lance nodded amicably and for a moment we merely enjoyed our drinks. ¡°I think I shall have to copy you,¡± Lance said after a moment. I raised an eyebrow for him to continue and he waved a hand towards the doors which led to the battlefield. ¡°The Elite challenge. It is a very good idea. It will make your pokemon a lot more robust and capable for big matches. I think I might adopt it for some friendly matches with some offered rewards for trainers,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯m toying with anyway,¡± he tapped at his temple to show this was all theoretical. I flicked my eyes to A.J. and he sat up, hmmm Lance might get a ¡®test case¡¯ soon. ¡°Careful you might stretch yourself too far. It can be easy for me as I have a fairly diverse list of pokemon to pick from while you¡¯re stuck with dragon or flying types for a lot of your team. Rock can branch out more.¡± I said. I tilted my head in thought. ¡°Also there¡¯s nothing wrong with some niche picks,¡± I said thinking of Shuckle. Sadly the shuckle we¡¯d acquired recently hadn¡¯t been interested in fighting at an Elite level. They¡¯d do well enough in the Gym but I was hoping for something crazy. I really wanted to test how viable a Shuckle could be in a top-tier match and that wouldn¡¯t come about for a while yet it seemed. Then again it might be too meta. Lance hummed. ¡°Worth considering.¡± he then directed a look at me. ¡°I noted that your Steelix technically doesn¡¯t meet the rock typing requirement,¡± he said with a twitch of his lips. I scoffed. ¡°Steelix comes from Onix who are pretty much the example Rock type pokemon.¡± Lance tutted with reproach. ¡°Ah but is that truly enough?¡± I shook my head at him. ¡°My Gym, my rules. Also, I doubt anyone¡¯s going to give up a chance to tangle with a pokemon that can mega evolve,¡± I said, my eyes shifting towards the bracer he wore that housed a gem with a rainbow-like helix in the middle. ¡°True,¡± he said as he put a hand over his forearm. He raised a finger to point it about. ¡°Also, I¡¯m going to be putting some pressure to loosen restrictions around the Grampa Canyon dig site. We need more insight into Mega stones and if you think there might be something there, we¡¯ll need Megarock inc to not be hindered by other disciplines tripping the company up,¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t want to ride roughshod over them just as much as I don¡¯t want the same for us. I think it¡¯s going to be tough. The find is rather significant, and who¡¯s to say that the historical site doesn¡¯t tie in with Mega stones in some way?¡± I said. There might be more of a chance for Pokemonopolis to link to Gigantification if I was perfectly honest but that was a stretch. All I had to go off for that was the Pallet site where there had been giant Gengar, alakazam, and a Jigglypuff. The last two weren¡¯t known for gigantification in the games so that rather muddied the waters. I¡¯d need to dust off my notes. Who had Gigantification evolutions? Lapras, Machamp, Pikachu, Gengar, and several other pokemon that I could think of off the top of my head. I¡¯d need to do some revision. ¡°Hmmm I hope that¡¯s not the case or we¡¯re going to face a lot of angry people in future about the tampering with heritage sites.¡± I was glad that he hadn¡¯t said something like ¡®destruction of heritage sites¡¯ as others like Steven Stone might have. An alarm went off before I could say anything else. A quick glance had me grimacing, ¡°Ah sorry, I¡¯m giving a talk at the Pewter Academy regarding environmental impacts on pokemon to the students before the next round challenge hits me,¡± I said. Lance perked up. ¡°Oh yes? You take part in the evaluations for that? How have they been doing?¡± he asked. Alexa giggled and I made a show of distaste. ¡°Ah,¡± Lance said correctly reading my expression that things weren¡¯t going well. I downed the last of my tea earning a reprimanding look from Bethany which I ignored as I stood. ¡°Thanks for coming around and thanks for the tea service Bethany,¡± I said before looking back to Lance. ¡°Sorry to ditch you like this.¡± Lance weighed up what he was going to say before shrugging. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to attend your talk, as I have meetings this afternoon. A shame,¡± he said. He drank another sip from his mug. ¡°Ah well I shall enjoy the moment as they say,¡± he said. I huffed at him only to shoot a smirk his way. ¡°Think you could entertain some of my staff with some training?¡± Everyone in the room perked up as Lance raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh?¡± I waved a hand at the assembled group of young trainers. ¡°Think you could handle a few speed matches like they run in Johto rail stations?¡± Lance smirked. ¡°I still hold the record for fastest in Goldenrod station,¡± he said proudly. I decided to not point out how else that statement could be misconstrued. Instead, I turned to the others. ¡°Think any of you would be interested in a match against the Champ?¡± I said. A lot of people nodded, while A.J. strode to the front as though demanding the others ¡®get in line¡¯. I shook my head and pointed to Dennis. ¡°I think the senior Gym trainers should lead the way this time around.¡± Lance smirked as Dennis locked eyes with him. I sighed, knowing I was going to be missing out on some interesting exchanges, but sadly I¡¯d made commitments that I planned to keep. ¡°You coming, Rachel?¡± I said. She slumped her eyes tracking the forming group as Lance led the other trainers back to the Gym proper where they¡¯d get something truly rare, a battle against the current Champ and his pokemon.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I was kinda hoping to film those matches and post them on the Gym¡¯s pokenet page,¡± she said as she slumped after me. I clapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Think about it this way. Lance wouldn¡¯t appreciate us profiting off him that much without his input. Also, I think the others wouldn¡¯t want people watching fights that see them get thrashed.¡± ¡®You don¡¯t think anyone will win against him?¡± said Rachel as we made it outside. I shook my head. ¡°He¡¯s not a sleeping dragon anymore,¡± I said cryptically. I released Zephyr as Rachel donned some goggles and got onto Zephyr behind me. With a loud beating of wings, Zephyr took flight and carried us to the southeast where the Pewter Technical Academy was. When I landed I took in the view of the well-kept grounds. I¡¯d been here a few times in the past for evaluations and even made the odd appearance as a guest lecturer, but Flint¡¯s revelation about the previous owners of the buildings made me really stop to take it all in. Pewter Technical was nothing short of opulent. The grounds were well curated and expansive, with no less than seven grass-battling areas along with a number of pools. I¡¯d gotten a tour when I first came here and had learned all about the river rapid pools they had along with the state-of-the-art cinema room. Knowing what I did now, I had to wonder why they¡¯d never mentioned the donation that¡­ Lola had made of the place. It should have only been twenty or so years at most? It didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d built anything new but then again if they did it would have been a costly endeavour to match the building materials to the white marble pillars and cornicing that dominated the visible surfaces. My family¡­ or rather Lola¡¯s had once owned this? I walked through the halls quietly, making my way past a number of classrooms. My feet didn¡¯t even make a noise thanks to the soft, lush carpet that ran down the middle. I¡¯d been to some nice schools in both of my lives, but this was easily one of the nicest. It was what I imagined when I thought of Eton, or Princeton. An elite private school. It kind of made me mad thinking about how nice this place was, and how until two years ago, my family had been living out of the Pewter Gym which had been owned by the city in truth. It had been a rough existence with a lot of dirt. And here was something that Lola had just given away. According to Flint she had done this due to the thoughts of family weighing her down too much, but comparing this to the home most of the family had been raised in¡­ I just couldn¡¯t agree with the decision. I snorted and shook my head. Lola always brought up dark thoughts in me. I walked into another corridor where the Deputy-Headmaster was dancing from foot to foot. He perked up and waved when he spotted me. Then again, it was certainly rather interesting that my family never seemed to get mentioned for the donation. One would think they¡¯d make a bigger deal of it. ¡°Deputy-Headmaster Dundlinger,¡± I greeted the man with a nod. ¡°Ah! Gym Leader! You¡¯re just in time! Thank goodness you¡¯re here! We¡¯ve had a few interested parties decide to join the children today so we thought it prudent to use the assembly hall for your talk today instead of the usual classroom!¡± said the man. I blinked before chuckling. ¡°Professor Oak is here with a few other people?¡± Dundlinger nodded. ¡°Indeed! I- that is We didn¡¯t think it wise to deny them. It certainly has the children more interested than usual!¡± he said. I snorted and waved for the man to lead on which he did at a trot. I shared a look of amusement with Rachel as we powerwalked our way to the assembly hall. We had to make our way through the rose garden which was filled with a number of tame-looking Oddish and Vileplume. No Glooms I noted. I suppose it would rather offend the young sirs and madams to have to endure such smells on their walks between classes and break times. Somehow I just knew that Erika wouldn¡¯t appreciate that little feature. When we crossed the passage, I paused in the doorway to look over the structure. It was a large octagonal building with hard wooden floors and a raised alcove with another wooden platform that supposedly served as the speaking platform for the Headmaster and others. For today it would be where I stood, but with the knowledge this had once been a rich family''s house. I could see how this room would serve as an amazing ballroom with the stage set up for singers and musicians. Some memories I had along with the odd comment I¡¯d overheard around Pewter suddenly clicked into place. Lola had been raised with a ballroom which more than likely got used a lot in her youth. For her attending balls and events would have been the done thing. I recall hearing people mention that Flint and Lola had friction between them over her continued attendance of such events. Had Lola been missing that part of her upbringing? Was that what made her attend so many balls and events? I shook it off and marched to the front where I found a row of young and old people in white lab coats conversing with each other rather loudly. Behind them sat row upon row of staring students. More than a few eyes were locked on Professor Oak who was holding court from his place in the middle of the row. I might have waved or called out but the figure next to me left me gobsmacked. Was that Alakazam in a lab coat? I stared a while and the hyper-intelligent pokemon must have felt my stare as it glanced in my direction and offered a nod before facing the front. Huh, alright then. I adjusted my attire as Rachel peered around. I noticed that while the Professors and their aides were being loud, that didn¡¯t mean the students were simply sitting there. ¡°That¡¯s Professor Whitemore! He¡¯s my Granduncle! If you want I could put in a good word for you,¡± whispered one boy. ¡°Impressive that they all came in like that!¡± ¡°I thought Brock¡¯s lecture was rather simple and boring?¡± Another student snorted at this. ¡°That was before he proved just how much he¡¯d been holding back. It was all theory this and potential that! Then he proved he knew what he was talking about and that he was right!¡± said another. Rachel broke off from me to take a position on the back wall where she began assembling camera equipment. The motion drew a few nearby eyes which resulted in a tidal wave of, ¡°Oh! Shhhh, he¡¯s here!¡± rippling out through the kids. When it hit the professors I was amused to see it carried on, if perhaps in less polite terms. I marched forward as a few heads were slapped only for a small scuffle to break out with more than a few annoyed glares shot around. Samuel perked up and waved as I moved to the front with the Deputy Headmaster. I gave him a wave back and took a seat to the side of the podium. Dondelinger approached the podium and cleared his throat. When this wasn¡¯t enough to get them all quiet, what with a few adults still tussling I saw a vein in the side of his neck bulge. ¡°Children! Silence!¡± he roared suddenly. The professors all straightened in their seats while the students adopted affronted looks. Dondelinger shot the actual children an apologetic look. ¡°Sorry, force of habit,¡± he said. ¡°I have the pleasure of introducing a man who has made regular visits to our fair institute in the past. The level of said teaching he has offered have certainly garnered a lot more attention than in the past, so it was decided to house this talk in the assembly hall. It¡­ should go without saying that you are to be on your best behaviour. Any rule-breaking will see you in detention and your parents being called.¡± A few of the adults giggled at this, only for the Deputy Headmaster to give them a stern look. ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t call them,¡± he said. He then muttered something that the microphone didn¡¯t catch. ¡°Even if I have to have a Haunter or Gengar stand in for a few of them,¡± he said darkly. I bit my lips, pausing to sync up my presentation on my Xtransciever with a projector at his statement. I had no doubt that some of those trickster spirits would love dressing up and pretending to be sad parents to some of the older professors. Although¡­ with some of the research done into the Gastly line¡­ that might be a bit close to home for a few people. Deputy Dondelinger cleared his throat once more. ¡°Without further ado, may I present, the Gym Leader of Pewter City, Brock,¡± he said as he stepped to the side, his hands clapping together to trigger a round of applause. I stood, waved and gave my best PR smile. ¡°Thank you Deputy Dondelinger for that introduction. As he said, I¡¯m Gym Leader Brock and I¡¯m here to discuss the impacts that an environment can have on growth. Now this doesn¡¯t just need to be about pokemon.¡± I waved a hand around us. ¡°Take this hall for example, in the past we did these talks in classrooms that were comfortable and friendly. Now we talk in the assembly hall where I am forced to talk into a microphone. What impact does this have for us?¡± I said leadingly. I stared out at a sea of blank, if polite faces staring back at me. I smiled encouragingly before chuckling ruefully when no one spoke up or raised a hand. ¡°How about I start? For one, the back and forth of students being able to ask questions is not as easy. There¡¯s a lot more eyes and a lot less friendly environment isn¡¯t there?¡± A few heads nodded. And a few people, notably those in the front rows, perked up. ¡°You¡¯re accepting questions?¡± asked one such man in a white coat. I nodded. ¡°I like to make this a very informal style of talk. This is not a lecture but a discussion.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ just talking about this or will you be talking about pokemon environments?¡± asked another pointedly. More than a few adults nodded their sharp gazes locked on me. I sighed. ¡°I am, but I think it¡¯s important to highlight that what we¡¯re talking about doesn¡¯t just apply to pokemon. We can take and apply a lot of these lessons or even see them in action in our day-to-day lives. I want you to keep an open mind,¡± I said. Samuel nodded at me encouragingly which I appreciated. A hand in the back rose up over the student¡¯s heads. I pointed in its direction. ¡°Yes? You in the back?¡± It took the kid a moment to realise that yes, I was pointing at them. They stood up and coughed. ¡°Uhm, you have to shout to be heard?¡± he called. It took me a moment to realise he was responding to my earlier question. I made a show of perking up and pointing at him. This was something I wanted to encourage. ¡°Yes! Thank you! It is harder for you with this being a bigger room. Thanks for not letting this just be a show run by adults! Good stuff!¡± I said. The kid sat down with a pleased smile. I saw a few thoughtful looks cross some of the kids¡¯ faces which was gratifying. Thanks to that one boy¡¯s bravery at speaking up they¡¯d be more free with their questions now. ¡°So, the environment is impacting us,¡± I said. ¡°Now the interesting point is that this is an environment that we created for ourselves therefore it could also be said that we impacted the environment we found ourselves within. I want this point to stand out to you. The relationship that beings have with environments is never as simple as it seems. It can be one-sided in what or who is impacted, or it can be reciprocal. We need to keep this free-flowing state in mind for the discussion today.¡± I clicked for the next slide and was gratified to see that Yolanda hadn¡¯t tampered with this presentation since I¡¯d checked it this morning. ¡°Let¡¯s consider the environments that we can find ourselves in. For the purposes of the talk I am going to categorise them as natural and made environments.¡± I made sure to pointedly not say ¡®manmade¡¯, as some pokemon could create their own environments but that was for later talking points. I swept my gaze about the room. ¡°Who can think of some examples?¡± Hands tentatively rose and I began pointing and getting answers which I dutifully wrote down. The answers were then displayed and with each answer, more and more people seemed to relax with the kids offering up environments I hadn¡¯t considered. When we had a good number of both, I clapped my hands to keep things moving along. ¡°These are some good answers and I think we¡¯ve captured the two natures. Now, a question I have is when does a natural environment become a made environment? Is it only when we build something that benefits us? If this is something you agree with, what about pokemon that burrow or make habitats for themselves? ¡°Does this not change things from natural to made? It can, but there is also another example which has a lot to do with the special breeds of pokemon that can emerge, such as electric or magnetised terrain. If a large enough electric type migration were to move into a region, for example a system of caves, this could be a natural development leading to a shift in the environment.¡± I held up a hand. ¡°This shift in the environment can be enough to trigger changes in pokemon over a period of generations. At Pewter we¡¯ve been working for quite a while to speed this along with controlled breeding programs for pokemon that we¡¯ve identified as having potential. Without giving too much away I also know of others who are introducing pokemon into controlled environments to induce new typings in pokemon. This is a great example of nature impacting the pokemon albeit in a gradual manner.¡± ¡°What made you attempt to electrify the Geodude line?¡± asked one scientist. I hummed. ¡°I made a discovery while I was travelling about the nature of pokemon and environments. You may have seen a rare pokemon I had at the Pewter Contest. This pokemon was the Crystal Onix, which is a variant that has grown up in a specialised cavern which caused their diet to consist heavily of crystals, resulting in their morphology changing from the typical. With this in mind, I considered what other types of rocks there might be.¡± I offered an open hand. ¡°The answer I arrived at? Was electric or magnetised caves where I began testing pokemon by raising them within caves that sparked and pulsed with electricity.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a known result, I had a hypothesis and I ran a test. The result? I now have a line of Geodudes that is Rock-electric typing instead of Rock-ground.¡± A kid raised their hand and waved it. ¡°What other pokemon have you identified as having variant forms?¡± I smirked. ¡°That would be telling, for me and for the other that is currently in testing. Without getting your hopes up, we¡¯re confident in what we have and there should be some news within the next few years. Expect to hear about them because I think they are going to be very popular with their cuteness!¡± That got a stirring with the girls while some of the boys scoffed. I smirked. ¡°They¡¯ll also be very strong.¡± That got some more interest. I nodded happily and continued discussing the relationships that our environments had with people and pokemon, making sure to highlight that typically it could be a very gradual thing before highlighting extreme examples where environments themselves triggered rapid responses. ¡°The best examples are of course the Eevee line with Leafeon, Glaceon, Espeon, Umbreon and¡­¡± I paused, about to say Sylveon before coughing. A few people caught this and their eyes narrowed. I just smiled innocently. ¡°Well most of the eevee line are wonderful examples,¡± I said. I had no doubt before the day was over that people would once more be re-examining what they knew about the Eevee line. Sadly it wasn¡¯t an easy ¡®environment¡¯ to create as love had to be heartfelt. Not that I was going to share that little tidbit today. From there the talk continued for another half an hour with people asking questions throughout. Thankfully it wasn¡¯t just the adult scientists but also the kids. In the end, I decided to make a point of rewarding this behaviour. ¡°Thank you for listening and for all your questions. I¡¯d like to ask the adults in the room to do something a little unusual if you would now, could you all stand and look towards the students?¡± The adults did this with frowns and a few perplexed expressions. I smiled genially at the kids. ¡°Kids, you might not know this but asking questions like you have today is one of the ways that you can find yourselves being better. It can also lead to inquisitive minds which I¡¯m sure the professors will appreciate when you come up through the ranks of scientists. To foster that, I¡¯d like it if everyone could thank the kids for their questions first today,¡± I said before leading a round of applause. The adults started to smile as they spotted more than a few bashful looks from the kids. Still, there were also a lot of pleased and thoughtful looks. I might have with this action just encouraged a lot more thinking and scientific minds. When the adults were done I coughed. ¡°Now let¡¯s thank the professors, and our educators for being such wonderful role models!¡± I said and the kids joined in with me applauding the others. A few scientists perked up, rather enjoying the praise they were getting. When that died down Samuel made a point of stepping forward ¡°Thank you for that Brock! Thank you, That was a marvellous way for your talk to end. I thought I might indulge a whim or two if you are happy to entertain me.¡± I gestured for him to step forward and he did so. ¡°First of all, I would like to recognise Brock for his contributions to academic research with his part in environmental adaptations, fossil research and bonds that he has supported through a myriad of methods. Sadly I can award you no title, but I can present to you this,¡± he said as he offered to me something white that was folded up. I opened it to reveal a white labcoat. A burst of mutters and whispers broke out among the crowd. ¡°A lab coat presented to him from Professor Oak? My word!¡± I shot Oak a look. There was obviously something more at play. Was this just a case of him recognising me informally, or something else? I felt like I only had a small understanding of what was being said with this statement. A lot of the other men and women in the room seemed impressed so that had to count for something. Oak nodded and I shook his hand in thanks. He leaned in to whisper, ¡°Daisy mentioned it''s awfully silly of me, not to also include you and your trainers in the pokedex program, so I will be sending around a stack for you to use or award at your discretion.¡± I whistled. That was amazing news. ¡°Thanks, I know those are rather restricted so thank you. Also thanks for the lab coat,¡± I said. He nodded and stepped back. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it for Brock!¡± he said, leading the next round of applause. I donned the lab coat and smiled. Later Rachel showed me a picture of what I looked like with it on. It kind of looked good. A ringing had me raising up my Xtransciever. ¡°Hey Flint,¡± I said in greeting. ¡°Brock¡­ it¡¯s about your mother,¡± he said. And just like that, my good mood vanished. Chapter 219 - Walking tall There were few things in life that could dry out my happiness faster than the mention of Lola. The only other triggers to douse the fires of happiness in my chest that I knew of were when people hurt my family. Something Lance had learned, and then William had also learned. My¡­ well, her, was another person that sadly could be included on the list of hurting the family. It always made it worse that she was the woman that was supposed to be their mother. I wasn¡¯t sure what most of the younger kids thought when people asked about their mother or when they saw other kids with normal families. Not that the pokemon world had what I would consider a healthy take on those, due to the wanderlust that permeated so much of our society. Oddly enough, people were great at making families, but I could probably walk down a street and find at least two or three single-parent households. It didn¡¯t surprise me that it was predominantly men running off on women, but that didn¡¯t mean the opposite didn¡¯t occur. Hearing Flint, with that damned longing tone in his voice, like he was a growlithe calling out for his mother. I made something twinge inside me. ¡°Are you going to run after her?¡± I bit out. Flint twitched and for a moment his lips twitched downwards before he sighed and slumped as all the fight left him. ¡°I¡­ thought about it,¡± he admitted quietly. ¡°But, I know I can¡¯t. And that I shouldn¡¯t. Lola¡­ she needs to come back on her own. My chasing her is doing nothing but creating gulfs with you and the children.¡± I felt my darkness wriggle with glee at seeing Flint so weak while also snarling that he wasn¡¯t putting up more of a fight. I¡¯d wanted to savage him for even yearning for Lola still. I sighed and let the darkness go, pushing it away. ¡°Where did¡­ what do you know,¡± I said slowly. ¡°I got an email from the League that some old protocols had been flagged with Lola¡¯s identity being queried from Hoenn. Apparently, Lola wandered into a rather isolated pokemon centre thinking she was in a new region entirely, only for her babbling to worry the Nurse Joy on call that evening. She ended up triggering a distress call and having Lola sedated.¡± I had to fight to stop the smile that threatened to break out at the idea of Lola being sedated. It struck me as oddly amusing. In a dark manner it also seemed fair that a woman that held her freedom so highly would end up tied down in a hospital bed. Damn, but that was sinister. I took a moment to weigh up if that said more about me, or the hurt that Lola had caused. I liked to think the scales weighed more heavily on Lola¡¯s part. ¡°So she¡¯s recovering in some pokecenter in Hoenn?¡± I asked. Damn, if that was the case then something would have to be done. ¡°No she broke out, stole supplies and fled,¡± Flint said casually. I blinked. ¡°She broke out? Despite being sedated?¡± Flint coughed. ¡°Your mot¡ª¡± I held up a hand to signal I did not want her referenced like that to me. Flint swallowed and nodded tightly. ¡°Lola,¡± he said, stressing the name instead of her title. ¡°Is a highly trained operative that was known to occasionally do things like this in the past. There¡¯s a reason it took a few days for her whereabouts to be passed through to me, despite me being her emergency contact. The League had to work out who she was from a lot of redacted files before calling me. Heck, they didn¡¯t even know my name, they could only reference her as ¡®Operative five¡¯ and me as her handler!¡± I paused. The naming method implied that there were four other individuals that were like Lola at least. Four mess-up individuals that were like her. I shuddered thinking about that. One Lola was bad enough. I pitied whoever was related to the other four. If indeed there were only four. Hmmm, that was something I wouldn¡¯t have access to unless¡­ Well, the guardians might have more information on it. They hadn¡¯t mentioned it during my read of Lola¡¯s file, but perhaps it was compartmentalised in other files. What would I get if I looked into Kanto ¡®operatives¡¯ I wondered. Thoughts for later. ¡°So, Lola is somewhere in Hoenn¡­ or around Hoenn looking for what?¡± Flint sighed. ¡°She seems to think that she is looking for another region. She has the pokemon for this due to her powerful water speciality. Few pokemon would be able to really challenge her. Her Lapras alone is probably as stronger as yours!¡± he said with a pleased smile. I sniffed. I doubted that quite a lot, but for the sake of moving this along I decided to not mention that. ¡°So another region? Why? What¡¯s that about?¡± Flint coughed. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t actually know which is more than a little worrying. I have put out some feelers on the coastline she was last spotted along. If she comes in again, people will know to keep me updated.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± I said, probing for his intent. Flint looked away. ¡°I¡¯ve left messages with our photos asking for her to come home, nothing more. I¡¯m sticking by my words and I¡¯m here to stay Brock,¡± he said firmly. I raised an eyebrow at that and met his gaze. He didn¡¯t flinch or quaver which was a damn good sign. I felt something relax within me. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good.¡± I searched around for something else to say and had to settle for. ¡°Suzie and the others would be devastated if you left,¡± I said. Flint nodded solemnly. ¡°I know, and I¡¯m not doing that to them. I¡¯m their father and I¡¯m going to be here for them, but¡­ well I thought you should know about¡­ Lola,¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, yeah thanks for keeping me in the loop,¡± I said. ¡°I have to go, good luck with your work today,¡± I said thinking he might be doing something with Megarock Inc. Flint smiled. ¡°Thanks! I¡¯m going in for a music recital that Yolanda is doing! She¡¯s getting very good with her guitar!¡± he said. With the metaphorical ground no longer shifting under me at this line of conversation I felt myself relax fully as we talked about family. Or more specifically the younger members of our family. They were safe, easy topics. Flint happily filled me in on Yolanda and how she¡¯d continued to busk sometimes with Crystal and Greta while they spent time in the battlecourts out the front. Crystal surprisingly enough, had a really good voice that went well with Yolanda¡¯s performances. I made a mental note to check in on that. I hadn¡¯t heard it from the other Gym trainers but then again the girls could be sneaking about things like this sometimes. Flint knew though¡­ ¡°Oh! And Billy and Tilly made some rather nice drawings the other day! I have them up in my room! Timmy and Suzie have been making macaroni artworks themselves. Oh! Oh! Did you know Salvadore¡¯s grades are so good, the school is considering him for an award on pokemon studies? He¡¯s apparently top of the class and the teachers think it could come down to him or another young boy with young Lyla, who¡¯s Mrs Shaft¡¯s granddaughter, getting top of the class this year with how she¡¯s been going! I blinked at this deluge of information. ¡°Huh, really,¡± I said, impressed with Salvadore¡¯s progress from last year where he hadn¡¯t been scoring so well. It seemed getting his interest and enjoyment up was paying a lot of dividends. I¡¯d need to find a way to reward this. The question became, how? Flint spent a few minutes filling me in on other small milestones that were occurring within the family, such as Tommy becoming popular in his class or Cindy coming second in a running race. It felt¡­ nice being able to have a normal conversation like this. Then again it was still a conversation that was probably more reminiscent of two estranged men acting as parents than what should occur between a father and a son, but I had to say that I rather liked it. Flint seemed to enjoy it. In the end, I had to hang up as I was due to start ¡®grading¡¯ some of the Pewter Academy students back at the Gym. I returned to the Gym to find Alexa conversing with one of the chaperones that had come with the afternoon¡¯s worth of students. For Pewter Tech, this meant a whole six of them. Alexa looked a little worried so I wandered over to see what the issue was. ¡°Hey there Alexa, what¡¯s up?¡± I said. Alexa gave me a vain smile and swallowed. ¡°Uhmmm, I might have messed up Brock,¡± she said, her eyes dipping to the side furtively. ¡°Ho? You realised your prank against the Headmaster might be a bit much for the kids?¡± I said. Alexa coughed. ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t going to make it about them! It was just to create pressure on the headmaster!¡± she said not liking that I was calling out perhaps the biggest downside of her gambit. I hummed. ¡°I see.¡± I glanced towards the teacher. ¡°So, is there something wrong? I¡¯m Brock by the way,¡± I said, extending my hand to shake. The woman shook it with a sort of dazed expression. ¡°Uhmmm, I know that? You¡¯re the Gym Leader,¡± she said before muttering to herself. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that these days,¡± she said in what probably wasn¡¯t meant to be such a loud whisper. I coughed into my fist. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just something I try to keep up doing. I¡¯m not great at it but yeah, stay grounded and such,¡± I said while chuckling. ¡°Nothing brings you crashing back down as expecting people to know who you are, only to get this blank look and ¡®who are you¡¯ comment,¡± I said. The woman giggled. ¡°Well, in that case, I am Mrs Harriet Hooper. I teach at Pewter Tech and well the issue was that we didn¡¯t restrict who could apply for the Gym badges¡­ I¡¯m afraid that one of our¡­ non-battling students decided to put their name down and it wasn¡¯t caught until just now,¡± she said contritely. I shrugged. ¡°So a kid that doesn¡¯t typically fight wants to have a trial match. I don¡¯t see the issue.¡± I narrowed my eyes, ¡°Unless this is a tracking and ¡®prestige¡¯ issue for the school,¡± I said. I could recall a lot of ¡®standardised tests in my past life, whereas children we¡¯d cruelly joked that the less school-inclined students should call in sick, or not take part. The school had rightly not done anything of the sort and in fact supported those who had tried. If the school was blocking a student I was going to have to investigate. Thankfully Mrs Hooper shook her head. ¡°No, Saul is a good student, rather precocious, but¡­ he has health issues,¡± she said. I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not following,¡± I said. My mind instantly tracked to Wally, who was a rival who had similar health issues that were never disclosed in the games. I had always assumed that it was merely tuberculosis, or perhaps polio. Then again his health had drastically improved from spending time journeying around. ¡°Saul is extremely weak from a disease that he contracted as a child. We think there was something involving a Muk exposure but we were never sure. His mother was distraught and has given him the best treatments available up and including some¡­ rather experimental procedures. If he becomes too excited he will fade quickly. The fear is that with white outs he could be pushed too far,¡± Mrs Hooper said. ¡°Ah, I can see the issue,¡± I said. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s something of a risk and reward issue at foot.¡± Mrs Hooper blinked slowly. ¡°Ah?¡± she said but I was already tossing around thoughts. ¡°There would be greater strain on his energy at the lower levels with the body, or in this case his energy reserves not being used to helping with a pokemon, but if he could improve this gradually to the level of a normal trainer where a complete team wipe not resulting in whiting out, he could probably be a lot better off,¡± I surmised. Was that what had happened with Wally? Perhaps it was. Most trainers that advanced to the fourth badge were in good health, even those that didn¡¯t outwardly appear so due to excessive visceral body fat. Under that layer of fat however was typically an exceptionally strong body that could run and lift heavier than most people. ¡°Uhmmm, this hasn¡¯t gone the way I thought it would,¡± said Mrs Hooper tentatively. I coughed and looked at her. ¡°Pardon?¡± I asked politely. ¡°It just sounds like¡­ you¡¯d be alright with facing him?¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, I think I could control the match quite easily. I have a pokemon that is skilled enough. I¡¯ll tell her about Saul¡¯s situation and she¡¯ll have it under control,¡± I said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be any risk of whiting out,¡± I said. ¡°I thought with his impairments¡­¡± she said, trailing off slowly. I shook my head. ¡°I understood that life can sometimes be rough for people. The Gym was built with those in mind. Every level is accessible via a ramp or a lift with there being very few stairs apart from those found in the stands,¡± I said. Alexa and Mrs Hooper blinked at this information. I chuckled. ¡°You should read our pokenet page. I made sure that Rachel included it. We very much advertise it as a handicap accessible. Saul shouldn¡¯t be an issue,¡± I said confidently. ¡°Tell him we¡¯re looking forward to seeing what he can muster against me.¡± Mrs Hooper smiled. ¡°I think he¡¯ll like that,¡± she said before bobbing her head in my direction and moving off. I moved to walk off myself only to notice Alexa shooting me a proud look, like I was one of her former kindergarten students who¡¯d done something commendable. ¡°If you want to praise me I accept lollipops,¡± I said cheekily. Alexa smiled and without missing a beat reached into her travel pouch and pulled out a rather large lollipop. ¡°Oh damn,¡± I said. That thing was at least the size of my hand. ¡°I can see why you were popular with the kids,¡± I said. ¡°Did parents hate you for feeding the kids this much sugar?¡± I asked. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Alexa giggled at my comment. ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s all-natural. I make them myself and I only give them out before lunch to children. That gives them energy for the rest of the day to run around and play.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± clever,¡± I said as I gnawed on my giant piece of candy. I led Alexa around to the battle area and Rachel spotted me. ¡°Candy?¡± she asked curiously only to turn hopeful eyes to Alexa. The older woman sighed and handed out a rainbow lollipop and before too long other Gym trainers who had been lingering around all had their cheeks full of some variety of sweet. Somehow Munchlax had turned up and he was merrily sitting next to me with a huge lollipop; his stumpy little legs kicking over the edge of his seat as he munched away. I finished my lollipop and clapped my hands to signal that I was ready. Rachel, mouth gummed up, shot me a thumbs up and marched over to call in the first child. Before I departed to one of the podiums I turned to Munchlax. ¡°You should probably stick around for a bit. I¡¯ll have Yolanda take you home before the twins get home,¡± I said. I frowned when he licked his lips and nodded. ¡°Munch!¡± His hands waving enthusiastically. Where had that lollipop gone? I eyed his fur. Had he stuffed it away for safekeeping like he did sometimes, or had he devoured it already? I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to know. I typed out a message to make handling Munchlax became Yolanda¡¯s problem before marching to the podium. From there it was business as usual, young boys and girls marched forward. Some of them had a cockiness to them that I could identify as brittle and shallow merely from a glance. I¡¯d spent too long fighting young trainers to be deceived by the trim uniform and airs they put on. Maybe a few years ago I might have. I could see what Alexa meant when she said she had aligned the list of trainers that were to face me by least to most likely to succeed. These students¡¯ had issues. They were either overly lazy, hadn¡¯t studied enough, or were hoping to coast by on stronger pokemon. I was able to quickly bring them down to earth. Knowing how to do something, and actually achieving it were two very different things. When I sent out Moxy the fifth time the student that I was facing smirked. ¡°Heh! This¡¯ll be easy!¡± they chimed before sending out a Poliwhirl. ¡°Moxy! Rock Polish into roll out evasion!¡± I called and she¡¯d gone into a fast roll that had Poliwhirl twirling and spinning before it had slipped over. ¡°Now!¡± I called making Moxy pounce and hammer a one-two combination of punches into the downed pokemon. The kid stiffened up as his Poliwhirl collapsed. ¡°Eh!?¡± she said. ¡°But the typing difference¡­¡± she said. I huffed. ¡°Isn¡¯t everything. It is a powerful advantage but you need to be able to make the most of it. Your Poliwhirl was still unstable on its feet. You haven¡¯t spent much time making it run around since it evolved. It hasn¡¯t developed as much as it should have.¡± When she blinked at me clueless I just shook my head. ¡°If you¡¯d opened a book on your own pokemon instead of just my own pokemon, you¡¯d have known that.¡± I waved a hand. ¡°Send out your next pokemon, if you can¡¯t complete this match with the three pokemon you¡¯re restricted to, you won¡¯t be passing today,¡± I said. Unlike normal challenges where trainers could wear me down with up to six pokemon to ¡®win the match¡¯, the academy wanted its students to showcase their skills. I had to admit when I¡¯d first faced off against them I¡¯d been amused at first. That amusement had slowly morphed into respect. It was a method of helping the kids grow. The next pokemon out was a Weepingbell, which I mercilessly launched into the air to highlight that this student hadn¡¯t done all of the homework that she should have. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to make your pokemon land properly,¡± I said as Weepingbell slammed into the ground. The girl returned her pokemon and looked at me with tear-filled eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be this mean!¡± she said. ¡°Welcome to life,¡± I said back mercilessly. Her final pokemon was, sadly for her, a bad choice with it being a Venomoth. This pokemon she seemed more comfortable with as she had it dodge and evade the oncoming Rock throws that Moxy unleashed. She made me work for the win and in doing so she earned a small nod. ¡°That was more like it. That Venomoth obviously had some work put into it,¡± I said approvingly. ¡°So that means you recognise me?¡± she said, perking up. ¡°Nope,¡± I said. ¡°You failed, I¡¯m sorry but you¡¯re going to have to sit a refresher and rechallenge my gym or another to earn your badge,¡± I said. ¡°What?! No! I had holiday plans! I don¡¯t want to lose out on the mid circuit break! Mrs Hooper!¡± the girl whirled about and I tracked the look to find Mrs Hooper sitting to the side¡­ looking like all her christmas¡¯ had come early. ¡°Oooooooh nooooo, that¡¯s horrible Beckie!¡± said Mrs Hooper in what had to be the fakest tone of commiseration I think I¡¯d ever heard. She raised a large soda and took a long drink while staring right at Beckie¡¯s distraught face. She then smacked her lips and smiled. ¡°Such a shame.¡± Damn, that was¡­ a lot more savage than I¡¯d been expecting of the woman that had been worried about another student only an hour or so prior. Was Mrs Hooper a bit two-faced, or was Beckie such a brat that seeing her struggle and get called on her lack of preparation gratifying? I had a feeling I knew which it was, as for all the other students I¡¯d seen Mrs Hooper merely watching on. When they¡¯d walked off saddened at their defeats and lack of badge she¡¯d quickly consoled them and helped reaffirm the lessons I¡¯d handed down at the end. Except for Beckie, Beckie¡¯s defeat she was without a doubt savouring. I coughed to clear my throat and Mrs Hooper grimaced before adopting a more conciliatory facial expression. ¡°Well Beckie, it¡¯s like the other teachers and I have been saying to you for a while now. You need to do more than just the bare minimum and hope that others will help you get by. We can come up with¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want a life lesson, I want my Boulder Badge! Do you have any idea how much of a social outcast I¡¯m going to be because of this!?¡± Mrs Hooper sighed and shut her eyes, for all intents and purposes going to her happy place as Beckie stomped her foot and raged. I toggled the podiums to drift back to the stands where I then toggled another feature which had it tilting so that Beckie¡¯s podium slowly angled up until she was gently deposited off. ¡°Bwah?¡± she said as she stumbled. ¡°What? No! I want a reset!¡± she demanded. Mrs Hooper collected the girl deftly. ¡°You, like the others will get another chance at the end of next week,¡± she said. ¡°Next Week?!¡± shrieked Beckie. Mrs Hooper stared the girl down. ¡°Control your volume young lady, or I will be calling your parents about a detention on top of your make up classes!¡± she said firmly. Beckie made a noise like an old kettle boiling over before dashing towards the doors. ¡°Young lady, you are not cleared to run off!¡± called Mrs Hooper with a steely tone. ¡°Want some sparkies?¡± asked Rachel, offering me a bag of sweets having come over to the railing where my podium was located. ¡°Sure,¡± I said, taking it and enjoying the show of Beckie and Mrs Hooper. I could see that a good portion of the regulars who came to enjoy matches were likewise chowing down. It made for decent enough entertainment watching a young girl have a tantrum while not having to lift a finger. Mrs Hooper magnificently curtailed the girl¡¯s worse antics and preempted her on a few points such as calling her parents or posting on the pokenet how she¡¯d been robbed by alerting Beckie that there was a camera feed for everything she was doing. Beckie stiffened at that and slowly turned to the corner where a cameraman was idly pointing in their direction. Beckie¡¯s face and legs crumbled. ¡°My life is over!¡± she wailed, collapsing on the sidewalk. Mrs Hooper put her hands together and looked up. ¡°Lord Arceus, give me strength,¡± she whispered, perhaps a little too loudly. I stopped eating candy and being a bystander, deciding this had gone on for long enough. I stepped to the side, waved and made a gesture to ask if she needed help. Mrs Hooper took a long moment to consider it before shaking her head. ¡°No Beckie, your life is not over, it¡¯s very much just beginning. Come on, you¡¯ve fallen over, now what comes next?¡± Beckie peeked up uncertainly only to find Mrs Hooper¡¯s hand offered. ¡°I thought you hated me?¡± ¡°You test me child, and Arceus knows that sometimes I don¡¯t handle things perfectly, but eh, that¡¯s what being alive is about. You handle things as best as you can some of the time and other times just have to take what you can.¡± her hand bobbed up and down in invitation. ¡°Now, let¡¯s stand up and work out how you¡¯re going to fix this issue going forward.¡± Beckie reached out and allowed herself to be helped up. When she glanced around and realised how much of a spectacle she¡¯d made herself she blushed and tucked her head in. Mrs Hooper guided her back to the rest of the students where they sat off to the side and tucked their heads together to have a conversation. Hmmm, I had to give Mrs Hooper some credit, she was trying to be good in tough circumstances. Hopefully, the wake up call of this loss would help her students evaluate themselves. I looked for Rachel and straightened up. ¡°Right, last one?¡± I asked. Rachel nodded and skipped to the side. ¡°And now for today¡¯s final match! Give it up for Pokemon Technical student and all-around heartbreaker, Saul!¡± No music played to announce Saul which I found to be an odd choice. Instead, Saul¡¯s advancement down the tunnel to the podium was proceeded by the steady clack-clack of metal on concrete. Memories of my past life stirred letting me know what I was about to see moments before Saul stepped, or rather crutched his way forward. Saul walked forward, slightly bent and crooked but still upright for a kid. His dark hair was swept back with sweat glistening on his head as he struggled to march forward. I stood and watched him put foot and crutch forward, his legs holding for a moment before they had to brace where they invariably popped a little to the side only for the other crutch to come down. If you looked past the crutches and the unhealthy gait, Saul also had a sickly colouration with being too pale and thin. He must have some spunk in him to ask for Rachel to announce him how he did though. Also, there was nothing but desire in his gaze as he lurched towards the podium. I subtly triggered a medical call to make Chansey poke her head out in case he didn¡¯t make it. Chansey poked her head out, saw the kid and started moving towards him only for me to raise a hand to ward her off. She shot me a confused look but took a moment to look around. When she got a good enough grasp on the situation she moved up into the stands where she opened up a magazine and pretended to read through it. A few people shot her looks only to glance in my direction and nod. Saul only took two minutes or so to reach the podium and when he got there he clutched the railing and braced himself. He exhaled in relief and took a deep breath before straightening up. ¡°Whew! Make a guy work for it, why don¡¯t you?¡± he called out. I considered how I wanted to play this. I could joke around with him or I could play it straight. I decided to be the straight man, making sure he got the same, albeit with a few more safety nets in place. ¡°That¡¯s rather the point, you wish to challenge my Gym for the Boulder badge?¡± ¡°No, I got lost on the way to the hospital and ended up here! Where¡¯s my Nurse Joy?¡± he snarked back sarcastically with a grin to show he didn¡¯t mean it. I felt my lips twitch in amusement. The kid had an attitude that I could enjoy. ¡°Hmmmm don¡¯t get too confident,¡± I said sternly as I crossed my arms. ¡°Things are rocky around here.¡± ¡°Good! Let¡¯s shake, rattle and roll!¡± he said, making his legs twitch as he said this. ¡°I¡¯m rather good at that!¡± he called as he pulled out a pokeball and held it up towards me in challenge. I nodded, locking eyes and liking what I was seeing. I toggled the podiums to move into the proper position, signalling to all that this battle was happening. Saul glanced to the side as the podiums moved, a smile forming on his face. When he stood across from me properly I raised my own pokeball. ¡°Saul? You have challenged my Gym, this match is at a third-badge level, are you ready?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be!¡± he said giddily. I nodded and sent out my best choice. ¡°Go Izumi!¡± I called. Saul tossed his own pokeball. ¡°Go! Chimecho!¡± he shouted, sending out a small pokemon. A few people in the crowd murmured at the choice but with what I knew of the pokemon and Saul¡¯s condition, it actually made a lot of sense. Heal Bell would suit a health-impaired person extremely well. Healing Pulse for group battles. Not to mention Healing Wish, which if he could learn to copy Link would be a very powerful move¡­ Hmmm, food for thought. ¡°Chimecho! Use Confusion!¡± Saul shouted. Chimecho raised up some debris from earlier battles and launched it at Izumi. ¡°Izumi, Defence Curl,¡± I said, making her tuck up for the incoming attack. She absorbed the hits before I flicked my fingers to the side. ¡°Roll Out dust storm,¡± I said. I kept my eyes on Saul in case the dust triggered a coughing fit or any breathing issues. Saul straightened his own gaze tracking after Izumi. ¡°Urgh, can¡¯t see her so I can¡¯t hit her¡­ But she can¡¯t hit Chimecho with dig either,¡± he muttered. With him hesitating Chimecho floundered and I snapped my fingers causing Izumi to shoot two rocks into the smaller pokemon causing it to cry out in pain and flounder lower so that its tail was dragging on the ground. ¡°Uhm¡­ Baton Pass!¡± Saul called straight away. Chimecho vanished in a burst of light and in its place a Magnemite appeared. I whistled, very interested in this choice. Most people never dared bringing out an electric type against me, but Magenemite had two points of difference. It was electric-steel, and it also levitated naturally, making it impossible for moves like Earthquake and Dig to properly hit without some tricks employed. ¡°Swift!¡± Saul said. Stars formed around his pokemon and were launched into Izumi who made a point to cry out and stop rolling around and causing as much dust to fly up. Izumi shot me a look and I subtly shook my head. She rolled back up and punched her fists to show she was still able to fight. ¡°Dude!¡± she cried out. Saul leaned forward, his eyes bright as he gave his next command. ¡°Electro Ball!¡± he commanded. His pokemon formed up an electrical ball and blasted it straight at Izumi. I didn¡¯t even have her react, instead choosing to stand and ignore it. As the electrical discharge sparked off her she made a show of stretching and yawning. ¡°I have to say, I was impressed up until you used that move,¡± I said, pretending like I hadn¡¯t noticed how his Magnemite had moved a little closer. While everyone had been tracking the Electro Ball. Saul paused to wipe the sweat from his eyes. ¡°Huh? Oh, really? I didn¡¯t see too much impressive on display yet!¡± he said. I waggled a hand. ¡°It shows in your prep work. It¡¯s subtle but you¡¯ve chosen two good pokemon so far for this exchange. I¡¯m curious to see what else you¡¯ve prepared,¡± I said as I decided I¡¯d spent enough time talking. ¡°Izumi! Nail them with Rock Throw!¡± Izumi did just that, knocking Magemenite back a little. Saul growled. ¡°Electro Ball again! Trust the plan!¡± Saul called and once again a move that had no purpose but as a distraction shot forward. Once again Magemeite raced forward while everyone else watched the ball, when they looked up they were surprised to see Magnemite almost hovering atop Izumi. ¡°Supersonic!¡± called Saul and from close range his pokemon¡¯s attack couldn¡¯t be dodged. I nodded in approval but still gave my order. ¡°Mud Slap!¡± Izumi¡¯s fist shot up and slammed into Magnemite causing it to crash to the ground with a wail of pain. Saul returned it quickly and pulled out another pokeball. ¡°It¡¯s up to you Pineco!¡± called Saul. I held back a grimace. So far, Saul had shown me that despite it appearing like he was making a mistake he was still making a move forward or advancing his plan in some manner. Pineco might be bad as a Bug type, but it had some potential. It all came down to if it knew a certain move. ¡°Rock Throw,¡± I said firmly. Izumi drew her fist back and Saul called his own order. ¡°Gyro Ball!¡± he called. Izumi threw her Rock Throw into the ground, well away from where Pineco was, showing that Saul¡¯s earlier plan to use Magnemite was well thought out. Pineco slammed into Izumi and sent her flying. This time when she looked up she did so very groggily showing that it had been a damn good hit. I winked and she slumped and just like that a flag shot up. ¡°Izumi is unable to battle!¡± announced Yolanda. Saul straightened up and I could see the hope shining in his eyes. I tilted my head and considered the sequence of events. ¡°You were building up a lot into this moment, weren¡¯t you?¡± I asked. He nodded his head. ¡°Yeah, I was,¡± he said, wiping a hand across his forehead. I nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can do it again,¡± I said, sending out my next pokemon in the form of an Aron. Saul slumped and I nodded. He¡¯d done his research and with the pokemon he had available, he wasn¡¯t going to win. He¡¯d been hoping for something like Onix no doubt. He still put up a fight but it was easy to dismantle his Pineco with one move hitting it. With Pineco out he stood drawing in breaths. He considered his two pokeballs before shaking his head. ¡°I¡­ forfeit,¡± he said. I nodded and lowered the podiums so I could approach him. ¡°You fought well, but sadly your endurance wasn¡¯t up to the task,¡± I said. Saul gave me a weak smile. ¡°Story of my life.¡± I nodded. ¡°You came in with a very good plan that would work out better with a few tweaks. Your Pineco must be close to evolving, that is if it learnt Gyro Ball naturally,¡± I said. Saul blinked. ¡°Yeah, it learned it naturally. And do you really mean that?¡± he asked, staring up at my taller frame. ¡°You can tell that just from knowing it knows that move?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yup, I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s close, it just needs a little more time and you¡¯ll have a very strong pokemon, especially with that Gyro Ball move,¡± I said. ¡°Huh, neat,¡± he said only to blink when I offered him the badge. ¡°I think you¡¯ve demonstrated enough¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want your pity,¡± he said bitingly. ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± I replied firmly, meeting his gaze. ¡°You must get a lot of that with your condition, but this isn¡¯t that. You demonstrated you knew enough and were able to put in practice, that knowledge enough for me to justify it.¡± Saul shifted and looked guilty. ¡°Is it wrong to take it? I won¡¯t end up in remedial class like the other kids but¡­¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s up to you,¡± I said. ¡°I think¡­ I want this to prove to others that I¡¯m not wrong,¡± he said. ¡°I put the badge in his hand. ¡°Well, you are not wrong to want challenges like this. Saul, I¡¯m glad you came today.¡± I then put a hand to his shoulder. ¡°I think you¡¯re doing great, keep it up and I know you¡¯ll get there. If you want you can come around here next week and spend some time with the other trainers,¡± I offered. ¡°I think that Pineco at least is close so a bit of time would do you wonders,¡± I said. He smiled. ¡°I think I¡¯d like that.¡± He then looked back over his shoulder. ¡°Can you uhmmm raise the podium? I don¡¯t think I can manage the stairs.¡± I chuckled and did just that. He walked back to Mrs Hooper and the others with a lot more pep in his step than the other kids had when they returned to Mrs Hooper. His new badge was proudly on display which caused the others to congratulate him on his showing. It had been a strong, clever showing and something that I had no doubt would have him walking tall for days to come. I finished the day feeling very good only to get a surprise when Sabrina teleported behind me. ¡°We need to talk,¡± she said. Damn, those were words a boyfriend never wanted to hear. Chapter 220 - Mewtwo Meet ups! We need to talk. Words that have heralded great changes or drastic issues, usually with relationships. Flags went up in my mind faster than the time I¡¯d discovered what amounted to red shirts in the battlegroup I¡¯d assisted against Team Rocket. My mind raced. Had I done something wrong? Had I not done something? What was today? Shit! Was today or yesterday an anniversary of some sort? My mind brought up the relevant days. We¡¯d met in the later half of the circuit due to my desire to have Titan strong enough to face her. it wasn¡¯t when we¡¯d met. We hadn¡¯t officially started dating until¡­ Well I didn¡¯t count it until earlier this year. I¡­ wasn¡¯t so naive that I couldn¡¯t recognise that the dates I attributed us as starting dating, and the days that Sabrina assigned might be wildly different. Possibly it might be an issue with us not having time to go on dates, but that was not a one-way street of blame. We were both busy people and we hung out when we could with her coming over quite often to snuggle. ¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve done something you need to inform me of,¡± I said slowly, having come to one of the only rational conclusions. Sabrina didn¡¯t become agitated or pretend to be annoyed like some other girls might have. Instead, she merely nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, her eyes flickering over me. ¡°You are agitated, but you were so before I stated that I need to talk about something that has happened. What is wrong?¡± I exhaled. ¡°You¡­¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. For all that Sabrina was better, there were sometimes glaring gaps in her social knowledge. ¡°The girls or Erika haven¡¯t mentioned how ominous saying something like ¡®we need to talk¡¯ can be?¡± I stated. Sabrina frowned. ¡°I have not encountered that no. Is this something Erika wouldn¡¯t know about though? She hasn¡¯t dated anyone before so I try not to mention our relationship too much around her. She gets flashes of irritation and self-loathing when I¡­¡± Sabrina blushed a little. I raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you do?¡± Sabrina coughed delicately. ¡°I might have given you compliments and mentioned how enjoyable some moments are with you,¡± she said. ¡°Wow,¡± I said. ¡°I am really feeling damned with faint praise.¡± I leaned in cheekily. ¡°Is that really all you say to Erika to get her so envious?¡± I asked. ¡°It is mostly that you are very considerate and a highly skilled lover!¡± she said quickly. Sabrina coughed, her face was bright red which was adorable for the usually so controlled woman. ¡°This is not what I wanted to talk to you about!¡± She said pushing the conversation in a new trajectory. I leaned in, feeling a lot more certain of my relationship and calmer. I pecked Sabrina on the forehead with my lips. ¡°Alright, lay it on me, what happened?¡± I said. Sabrina inhaled and straightened up. ¡°Mewtwo made contact with me.¡± I took a moment to consider that. That¡­ was not¡­ ¡°Huh,¡± I said intelligently. Sabrina nodded. ¡°I know. I wasn¡¯t expecting it so early!¡± she said, a small smile on her lips. ¡°He is growing with how he is reaching out!¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m amazed he did so at all,¡± I said with a frown. Sabrina frowned at me so I continued. ¡°I mean most of his interactions with humanity has been¡­ rather lacklustre,¡± I said. Sabrina nodded, agreeing with the point. ¡°Yes, but not all of them have been negative. He has some of my impressions and while they were shared in a stressful time, it was still an attempt. Something that I have continued to try to extend his way.¡± I nodded slowly at this. ¡°Right, okay. So what happened?¡± I asked. Sabrina chewed her lip. ¡°Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning,¡± she said. She reached out and I realised that she was not just going to tell me what happened. Sabrina planned to show me. ¡°Lay down Brock, this might make you a little dizzy,¡± she said as she placed a hand on my temple delicately. I lay back and drew in my dark energy as much as I could. And then I felt a memory come to mind, and just like that, it felt like I was living a memory of Sabrina¡¯s from only this afternoon¡­
Sabrina raised a Marsh badge to her challenger. The boy grinned with confidence and Sabrina allowed herself a smile. The boy had all the hallmarks of a skilled trainer. She¡¯d read the notes from earlier in the season where he had struggled against Brock, but it seemed that changing his style had unlocked a lot of potential in the boy. More than she suspected the boy even knew. His ability to handle two pokemon at once was almost prescient which was one of the signs of a young psychic manifesting their abilities. Sabrina hadn¡¯t felt anything overt, but with some more testing, she suspected that she would be proven correct. ¡°Congratulations on earning yourself the Marsh badge Harrold! You have demonstrated the skill and ability required. For that I confer onto you the symbol of my gym,¡± she said, making sure to announce it verbally and not just with her mind. ¡°I believe this is your sixth badge now and thus you are only two more away from earning your right to attend the Circuit at the end of the year.¡± If today¡¯s showing was any indication this Harold would breeze through the rest of the gyms. ¡°Where do you plan to go from here?¡± she asked. Harold grinned at her. ¡°Thanks! I think I might look into challenging Manny before challenging Koga,¡± he said. ¡°I think both will be tricky with their styles and I want to spend some time to really learn what they have, because they both offer similar but different ways of tripping up or altering battles to suit them and their teams,¡± Harrold said. Sabrina nodded. Yes, since Brock had first faced this young man he had certainly grown in interesting ways. It was good that he was willing to slow down and learn the lessons offered by the Gyms these days. ¡°What did you learn here from me?¡± she asked, enjoying the honest glee in his eyes as he began to speak about having adaptable plans while being away from the chain of events that can lead to certain situations in battle. Sabrina nodded. That was one of the more nuanced points of fighting that she tried to convey. As a powerful psychic, she could read into the future and see what was going to happen. Or rather what potentially could happen to a very high degree. It therefore became important that you knew about what was most likely. That required a bit more study and experience. Something that her younger self hadn¡¯t understood, resulting in a series of events that led to Brock entering her Gym. Most of the time it came down to trainers reading ahead on her pokemon and knowing how their own would react or impact a match. As Brock had once said to her. You needed to know yourself and your enemy to achieve victory. This was merely part of the lesson. Usually by the second or third pokemon people began to feel the pressure. With the ability to glimpse the future she was able to highlight how important micromovements and control of your pokemon was in a fight. How speed became essential. How the smallest factors could pile up and lead to victory or defeat. All without uttering a word to them. Words were for the victors or for those with actual potential. So often people swaggered into her Gym thinking themselves ready. There was a world of difference between her Gym and others. Mostly it was how ruthless she was. Her standards for earning her badge through any measure but victory was higher. If people wanted to earn her badge they had to present a polished set of skills, not rely on mere strength or tricks. The young man accepted his badge and charged away, his badge clutched in his hand while his mind sung of joy and gratitude to his pokemon. His mind was weary but his spirit was soaring. From what Sabrina could feel of the boy¡¯s pokemon, she knew that they too shared in his feelings only their fatigue was greater having been beaten down with the battles. She could see the boy¡¯s plan to treat them all lavishly over the next few days. As the boy departed his cloud of thoughts drifted far enough away from her that Sabrina would have to actually pay attention to glimpse at his thoughts. The boy¡¯s earnest emotions sadly weren¡¯t the prominent emotion in the arena now though. Now with people witnessing her ¡®defeat¡¯ there were more and more people leaning forward in their seats. They might not realise it, but there were enough of them that their thoughts weighed down on her as they salivated like packs of Houndoom and Mightyena. A picture of a form standing triumphant formed as people imagined themselves in Harold¡¯s place. A younger Sabrina wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle the arena she¡¯d created these days. She wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the press of minds that suddenly fractured and melded in a chaotic sea of thoughts. But she¡¯d grown stronger and more resilient. Now she could endure large crowds for days at a time. Matches could be dragged out instead of being forceful displays where she overpowered her foes. She could tease out potential where it existed and lead young trainers onto paths that might see them go far. She blamed Brock for that. Previously she wouldn¡¯t have cared. She would have been a cold and unbreakable wall for them to scrabble against with only the most canny, or strongest getting through. Now she saw how they attempted to overcome her, and sometimes she nudged them towards weak points. But only slightly. Other times she crushed them and made them realise how good they¡¯d had it with other Gyms. The Cerulean Gym, as the easiest gym to earn a badge at, couldn¡¯t give these harsh lessons. Erika didn¡¯t have the disposition to crush her foes. Koga¡¯s fights always involved some form of misdirection, traps or trickery, much like Manny. Sophia had a brashness to her that had potential but she was rough in her delivery. Now that Surge, Blaine, and Giovani were gone, Sabrina was alone in delivering wake up calls to young trainers. Brock was only harsh when he wanted to be or he was in a foul mood. He formed barriers but they weren¡¯t that hard to get over. Not by her estimations anyway. Sabrina flicked her hair and spoke so that her voice filled the arena. ¡°We will now break for lunch,¡± she said simply. She gave the trainer acting as referee a simple nod before vanishing in a teleport that saw her standing in home. Her mother flinched at the sudden arrival but didn¡¯t spill her tea. Her father merely nodded and indicated that the television was already on. Sabrina claimed her seat as her eyes took in the battle on display. On it, Bertha unleashed a powerful Ice Beam that ended any resistance that her foe might have presented. A tomato berry levitated into Sabrina¡¯s mouth and she crunched it down absently. Mother coughed. ¡°Dear, please don¡¯t use your telekinesis to eat like that. A meal with friends and family is meant to be enjoyed using the right utensils,¡± she said, indicating the fork and knife to the side of her plate. She then shot her husband a scowl. ¡°I thought we agreed on no television at the table.¡± Father waved a hand in Sabrina¡¯s direction and she levitated the fork and knife to start cutting her food for her. Mother sighed explosively. ¡°Why do I even try, sometimes I truly wonder,¡± she murmured. Sabrina flicked her eyes in her mother¡¯s direction but the older woman¡¯s mental control was too firm to let any stray thoughts out. Still, by judging the small twitches of her lips that she was hiding from her father¡¯s point of view. Mother was actually amused by Sabrina¡¯s method as Sabrina had thought she might. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Father was more openly approving but Mother¡­ she could be more subtle. She often came across as fearful but that had been fading as she spent more time with Sabrina. While this did cut into her time with Brock it wasn¡¯t all bad to have family time. ¡°Ralts!¡± chimed the little pokemon who was sitting in a raised infant¡¯s chair. Mother turned her attention to the little pokemon and raised a spoon full of cut-up berries. ¡°Yes! You should try and have good table manners and be a proper lady!¡± said Mother. Sabrina shared an amused look with her youngest pokemon. When Ralts wanted to, she could easily copy Sabrina¡¯s slight expression of telekinesis. She just wanted to keep receiving brush-downs and milking her mother¡¯s free affection. Not for the first time, Sabrina considered her little pokemon. Ralts¡­ had been good for her, and her family. In many ways it was like having a little sister in the house. Something she¡¯d noticed her parents agreed with. If the sudden increased vigilance of mental control her parents had whenever they entered the bedroom was any indicator. Another sister, or rather, sibling, might be on the cards despite her parents¡¯ advanced age. ¡°Oh! Here it comes, the big one!¡± cried the commentator as Berha wound up for a true Impact Driver. Sabrina didn¡¯t need to keep watching, or even expend any psychic skill in knowing that this match was over. Bertha¡¯s fist slammed home and just like that, the match was done. She nodded firmly, pleased that Brock was victorious. ¡°Ralts!¡± chimed her little pokemon as Bertha¡¯s grinning face was displayed. The giant pokemon began to shimmy and dance around much to the commentator¡¯s amusement. Ralts copied from her seated position. ¡°Ralts! Ralts! Raaaaaalts!¡± Small items like her feeding bottle and her tiny cutlery set, levitated back and forth in time with Ralt¡¯s chanting. Mother and father both laughed only for them to stare when Sabrina joined in by raising her hands up, palms facing out. Her own cutlery floated in time with her as she went back and forth with her own smile. She didn¡¯t say anything beyond humming to the rhythm Ralts was setting. Ralts began bouncing at this. Mother and father shared a look that quickly morphed into a smile before they telekinetically raised their own forks to join in. Sabrina secretly levitated a camera off to the side and took a photo of the moment. Some moments needed more than just memories. Sabrina then teleported the photo that was printed from the camera into her warehouse where one of her Mr Mime would happily store the image away. Her parents shot her an amused look and she allowed them to feel how content she was, showing them trust that never failed to make them beam at her. As a family of psychics there was no better way to show¡ª A sudden intrusion of another psychic presence had Sabrina stiffening. Her Alakazam appeared a moment later in a battle-ready position with two other pokeballs in his grasp. Sabrina toggled the release function and Xatu and Claydol appeared, their own psychic presence melding as she prepared to defend herself and her family. ¡°I thought I was welcome to approach you?¡± intoned a familiar voice psychically. Sabrina¡¯s parents glanced about revealing that the message had been sent directly to her alone. Sabrina relaxed physically giving them an illusion that things were fine. They shot her furtive looks apparently not believing her and she couldn¡¯t fault their instincts. From his mere psychic presence, it was apparent that Mewtwo was powerful. And to a psychic, there was nothing worse than being taken by surprise, even if it was by another psychic. ¡°You are correct,¡± she said, trying to broadcast a sense of openness and welcome. Mewtwo sent back a feeling of scrutiny and Sabrina felt his power sweep over her and her fellows. Instinctively Sabrina protected Ralts from being smothered first before extending more of her protection to her mother who stiffened at the feeling of Mewtwo¡¯s attention shifting onto her. Sabrina¡¯s pokemon bristled and Mewtwo withdrew his probe. Sabrina stood. ¡°Thank you for lunch mother,¡± she said, giving the woman a nod and a pleasant smile. ¡°I must go now.¡± The older woman gave her a blink in reply. ¡°A-ah, be safe Sabrina,¡± she replied. Sabrina merely nodded. She then gave her father a look and the man swallowed, knowing without being told that he couldn¡¯t follow where Sabrina had to go. Sabrina returned her pokemon. She made sure to keep the pokeballs on her belt, while detaching the pokemon that were too weak for what might come. She gave her family one quick look before nodding and teleporting to a meadow between Saffron and Celadon. Mewtwo was already there waiting for her. She paused. Had he been this far away the entire time? Had he preempted her? Had he been faster at teleporting than her? She suddenly felt like the way others reacted to her made a lot more sense. She decided to be more attentive in the future, she rather disliked having the shoe on the other foot. She inhaled deeply and let it go though. Anxiety and stress wasn¡¯t what she needed. She needed a clear mind and open heart. Mewtwo stared at her. His lilac eyes searching her. Sabrina for her part looked back. She¡¯d gotten a good look at him back on New Island thanks to the building being rather well lit, but that didn¡¯t change how different it was to see him out in the light of day. This. This was the real Mewtwo. Not the armoured puppet that Giovanni tried to control. Nor the furious pokemon lashing out. She could feel his curiosity despite his greater power. Or perhaps she implied it off his act of actually reaching out to her. ¡°This is a surprise,¡± she said to start things off. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how likely it would be for you to reach out to me.¡± Mewtwo¡¯s nostrils flared a few times and his tail lashed about. ¡°I was¡­ intrigued by your offer. You¡­ are not like the others¡­¡± he said. Sabrina considered this. ¡°Because I am psychic? Or that I am special in some way?¡± she said, her eyes looking to the horizon. Mewtwo¡¯s tail slowed and Sabrina felt more than she saw his frown. ¡°I do not know, I¡­ wanted to know why that might be so.¡± ¡°I think it is not a case that I am special, but that I have the most¡­ connection or chance to connect with you.¡± Sabrina indicated the field and all the various flowers that were within it. They were alike but Sabrina knew if she compared them they would be different in a myriad of small ways. Other flowers would be even more different, and yet they could be bundled together and linked. Sabrina flashed this metaphor to Mewtwo to let him know where her thoughts led her, as she did she made sure to gift him all the memories she had of flowers. Which, thanks to Erika now contained a good deal more than it had last year. Some of the memories of enjoying her time with Erika might have seeped in with the flowers, but that was alright. ¡°You think others might have similar reactions if I give them a chance?¡± he said. Sabrina had to applaud his ability to reason and make logical leaps. Mewtwo had taken what she¡¯d said and combined it with what she hadn¡¯t to come to the point. She nodded. ¡°Yes, there might be some bad people but we can¡¯t let the bad rule us. There is so much more good out there. If you want, you should try reaching out to others,¡± she said, her mind flashing to other people that had good character. Brock, Erika, Janine, Sophia, her parents, her fellow pokemon. Mewtwo snorted and a mental image of Brock glaring up was held in Sabrina¡¯s mindseye. ¡°I doubt this one would welcome me,¡± he said. Sabrina bobbed her head in a so-so manner. ¡°Emotions can be tricky. Brock¡­ is one of the people who has been impacted by your prior detainment numerous times and he knows it. Some of the pokemon like his second Tyranitar, Empress? She was directly impacted by the fight in the Silver Ranges you had with Moltres.¡± Mewtwo flexed his digits. ¡°That¡­ had been a powerful pokemon.¡± ¡°It is considered one of the Legendary birds for a reason. You did well to hold your own hampered as you were.¡± Mewtwo snorted. ¡°I could have beaten it if I wasn¡¯t¡­ If that man hadn¡¯t shackled me with orders to merely attempt to weaken it.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Sabrina projected while also mentally marking down that Mewtwo did have a slight amount of pride. ¡°I imagine you could have, but I think it might have been a fight I wouldn¡¯t have been able to stay close to witness,¡± she said neutrally through their mental link. Overhead, a pidgey fluttered past, eying them, aware of their power but also feeling brave due to the lack of noise they were making. Sabrina¡¯s lips twitched upwards at the little pokemon¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Of course,¡± Mewtwo said. Sabrina didn¡¯t comment on how well Empress had done against him but Mewtwo seemed to know what she was thinking. ¡°The Tyranitar I faced also did well,¡± he said with a begrudging tone of respect. Sabrina repressed a shudder as she realised that he might be one of the only people who could possibly do so. Instead, she smiled. ¡°Empress has recovered well from the Silver incident but she is also another that has¡­ a negative history with who, or what you were before you broke away from Giovanni.¡± ¡°I will not be held accountable for¡ª¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be,¡± Sabrina said firmly, projecting over the top of him and cutting the much more powerful psychic off. Sabrina locked gazes with him to make sure he felt the earnestness of her words. ¡°You aren¡¯t or more importantly you weren¡¯t you, while locked in that armour. You had several restraints and conditions that made you less than you are,¡± she said. Mewtwo clenched his digits in agitation. ¡°It was a different time. Your partner is flawed for letting his emotions rule him.¡± ¡°He¡¯d be less without them though,¡± she said. Mewtwo frowned. ¡°...How so?¡± ¡°Emotions are one of the foundations of how we build bonds and healthy relationships with others or even ourselves. Brock and Empress are still in the hurting phase. They can move through it though. They can internalise that it wasn¡¯t you, but something else that caused them harm in the past.¡± Mewtwo considered her for a moment with an insatiable gaze. She merely smiled back before allowing her gaze to shift to a trio of brave Pidgeys that were braving the meadow in search of seed. Slowly, other pokemon began to trickle back into the glade quietly. They kept an eye on Sabrina and Mewtwo though. For their part, Sabrina and Mewtwo didn¡¯t react at all. For the next few minutes, neither said anything or shared any thoughts or feelings. They simply stood in silence. Sabrina rather enjoyed it after the day of dealing with challengers. She half considered sending a message to inform the Gym she¡¯d need to cancel the day. She didn¡¯t do that though as any attempt to use her transceiver might result in Mewtwo becoming agitated. She didn¡¯t doubt for a second he could pick up on a message being sent. She didn¡¯t need or want to rush things right now. She merely needed to let things progress. If that was at a slow pace, that was fine. Slow was smooth, and smooth was fast, not in this case with fewer points of friction to an already delicate situation. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Sabrina said after a few more minutes, deciding to prompt some conversation while also contemplating how things should be between even acquaintances. ¡°How¡­ am I feeling?¡± Mewtwo asked carefully, sounding out each word with the embedded feelings of carefulness that one would find in a person probing at a potentially booby trapped floor rather than a conversation. ¡°Yes, how are you? It is a common method of checking in with another. Most of the time other humans will lie when they reply I have noticed. They won¡¯t wish to make things awkward or they won¡¯t want to slow down with their day to actually break down what might be causing them any issues. It is a funny phrase but the intent is there to show compassion.¡± Sabrina extended a hand gently towards Mewtwo. ¡°So, I ask, how are you? You reached out, there must be something troubling you,¡± she said. Mewtwo¡¯s tail lashed once back and forth before he collected himself and the tail hung behind him in a s like bend. ¡°I wanted¡­¡± he paused and reconsidered what he wanted to say. ¡°You gifted me many memories that tumble around in my mind. They are jumbled and haphazard with how they aren¡¯t mine. I need to¡­ process them and understand them if I am to have any peace within my own mind,¡± he said firmly. Sabrina nodded. ¡°Peace within one¡¯s on mind can be important.¡± Sabrina smiled as she realised that she¡¯d never shared how to meditate to Mewtwo. ¡°Would you like to work through a guided session to¡­ process the memories you have?¡± she asked. Mewtwo stared at her before jerking his head tightly, his eyes looking away. Sabrina allowed herself a small smile as she adopted a cross-legged pose like her Alakazam. ¡°Take the first thought or memory that you want. It can be anything, an old one or new. If it juts out to you, all the better as it be like a jagged edge in your mind. It will cause other thoughts to snag and drag you back to that moment.¡± ¡°That is why you gave me so many¡­ bright memories,¡± Mewtwo said, his gaze turned to the east where Viridian was. ¡°You needed something to counterbalance the darker memories. You wouldn¡¯t have much chance of that happening with how Giovanni was treating you so I forced the issue.¡± Sabrina coughed. ¡°Do you have a thought or memory?¡± she asked. Mewtwo nodded. Sabrina smiled and began working through the process of mentally unhooking thoughts by manipulating them in a myriad of little ways. ¡°It is important that you don¡¯t just force some thoughts or memories,¡± Sabrina said casually. ¡°You can¡¯t force them or push them through. The best way to handle loud or heavy thoughts that linger is to work them over.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It changes the way we react to them,¡± Sabrina replied easily having led this class with some of her psychically gifted pokemon trainers a few times now. Mewtwo gave her a scrutinising look. ¡°By simply processing or handling them they are not being ignored to fester within our minds. They instead lose some of the baggage or edges on some memories.¡± Mewtwo nodded slope. ¡°It¡­ feels like you are correct,¡± he said. He stood and nodded ¡°I must consider this. Goodbye for now.¡± ¡°Will you come¡ª¡± Sabrina started to say only for a quick flash of light to blind her and send the various pokemon that had returned to the meadow breaking for cover. Sabrina blinked. Huh, so that¡¯s how that felt, she thought to herself. She gave the patch of land that Mewtwo had been standing on a long considering look before teleporting back to her Gym. There she found her Gym trainers frantically shifting back and forth while lots of loud voices and louder thoughts echoed. Sabrina sighed. Just as the memory started to dim¡­ I felt her clap her hands and take a moment to breathe.
I blinked as I returned to myself. I stared up into Sabrina¡¯s eyes, somewhat glad they weren¡¯t glowing as she stared into mine. ¡°So?¡± she said, swallowing. I blinked as I realised she was looking for my approval, and support. I swallowed and smiled, the feelings of fear had long since vanished. ¡°I think you handled that as well as you could, if not better than that. I think you hit it out of the park,¡± I said. Sabrina exhaled in relief. ¡°Good,¡± she then lay her head on my chest. ¡°I was worried you might be mad.¡± ¡°No, not mad, scared. Which can lead to just as many dumb reactions, but right now I¡¯m just relieved. You did great. I think you got through to him.¡± I smiled and ran my hand through her hair. ¡°I still don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to be objective with him but you were right. I am letting how Giovanni used him blind me to one point of view.¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just not easy letting go of them,¡± I said. Sabrina squeezed my hand. ¡°Please try. I think you could be a good person to have Mewtwo talk with.¡± She squeezed again. ¡°You helped me after all.¡± I chuckled having recognised the method of ¡®decoupling¡¯ that she¡¯d used with Mewtwo as a basic trick I¡¯d learnt in my past life and shared. If anything, I think she¡¯d explained and handled that much better than I ever could. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I said. Sabrina sighed in a happy way. ¡°I think I¡¯m getting through to him and building a real connection.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Should I be worried about all these meetings you¡¯re hoping to have with him?¡± I asked playfully. Sabrina rolled her eyes and leaned down to kiss me to soothe my worries, not that I actually had any, cause that would be silly. The kiss still helped me relax and let go of my worries though. Sabrina gave me a sly smirk when she broke the kiss and for a moment I thought I might get more than a kiss, only for Sabrina¡¯s transceiver to beep in a pattern I knew meant urgent. Sabrina deflated and checked the message only to perk up. ¡°Ralts is showing signs that she might evolve soon? Would you care to come?¡± I perked up at that and nodded. That also sounded like a nice way to end the day. We vanished in a flash of light towards something I¡¯d been looking forward to for a while now. I couldn¡¯t wait to see how Ralts would act as a more mature Kirlia. Chapter 221 - Kirlia curbs crime! Sabrina and I appeared back at her home¡¯s lounge room. Sandra and Saul were both there along with Ralts whom Sabrina approached. I gave the little pokemon a quick once over. I wasn¡¯t clued in on all the cues that a psychic pokemon had for evolution and honestly, that would be something I probably would never possess with how I contained the anthesis. Still, there were some universally known markers such as growth physically. Ralts had grown at least double since she hatched from her egg. I¡¯d say she stood at roughly half a meter tall which was a good size for a young pokemon, especially a Ralts. Her horns appeared to have a deep hue to them that made the light glint softly when the little pokemon turned her head. The only other physical indicator that I could notice was that her hair had gotten longer. In some parts, it was no longer a bowl cut but rather more like she had bangs. Sabrina knelt in front of her¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure. It had started with Sabrina hatching Ralts so it would have been a parental bond, but then there was also the tidbit from what I¡¯d felt from Sabrina¡¯s memories, which made it almost seem like Ralts was more like a sister. Which was good. She had the foundations of a very strong bond. They obviously had a lot of fun together if the small toys that sat behind the couch were any indicator. ¡°Ralts? Mother informed me that you wish to evolve? Is this true?¡± Sabrina asked softly. Ralts nodded her head causing her hair to rock back and forth with the gesture. Sabrina nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯m rather surprised. You were rather happy with how things were progressing this morning when we finished our training.¡± Sabrina brushed a hand gently through Ralts hair carefully skirting around the horn. ¡°Is this because of Mewtwo¡¯s appearance?¡± Ralts stared up at Sabrina for a long moment before pushing her horn into Sabrina¡¯s hand. Sabrina stiffened. For a few minutes nothing seemed to happen with either Ralts or Sabrina speaking. I shifted from foot to foot. I¡¯d seen Sabrina do this. Whenever she ¡®spoke¡¯ with her pokemon she never actually had to use her voice. I frowned as I considered the memory. Sabrina hadn¡¯t needed it then with Mewtwo either. Ah, that might have been why some of the pokemon came back as quickly as they did. Sabrina and Mewtwo, while powerful, had both been almost perfectly still and silent. Like two people merely watching and not a part of the ecosystem they¡¯d teleported into. As the minutes dragged on I shifted my gaze from Sabrina to that of Saul and Sandra. ¡°You two doing okay after Mewtwo showed up?¡± Saul¡¯s mouth tightened. ¡°I¡­ had never considered what it would feel like for there to be a Legendary Psychic pokemon here.¡± Saul gazed at his daughter, still locked in silent conversation with Ralts. ¡°For so long Sabrina and her Alakazam has been the bar that we measure strength by, to feel something stronger¡­¡± Sandra swallowed loudly. ¡°It was startling but we¡¯re fine. We had to assure the weaker pokemon that had been meditating in the Gym along with one or two of the more sensitive psychics, but otherwise things were fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that,¡± I said, my eyes flicking down to Sandra¡¯s hands where she continued to nervously wring them back and forth. ¡°If it means anything, Mewtwo doesn¡¯t want to hurt anyone.¡± Which as I said it, I realised it was probably true. This Mewtwo was completely unlike the one that had been presented in the movies. He wasn¡¯t as jaded. He¡¯d been broken free not through his own efforts after growing fed up with Giovanni, but rather through others helping him. That had to count for something. He hadn¡¯t tried to destroy us despite our invasion of his home. The more I considered it the more upbeat I was. I just hadn¡¯t been able to really stop and consider it. Sabrina was right, Mewtwo wasn¡¯t a villain or some raging beast that would lash out like others. He was an intelligent being in his own right who was trying to understand the world and his place in it. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I ever expected to feel a Legendary pokemon¡¯s power,¡± Sandra said. ¡°I hadn¡¯t really considered what the old legends spoke of as being true. Legendary pokemon truly are on a different level. During the war we were so far off the front lines that¡­ well there was never any chance to feel them.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Not that the Legendary birds or dogs that roamed Kanto and Johto would have triggered the same response.¡± ¡°Not Kanto, no,¡± I said thinking of the other variants of the Legendary birds that existed in Galar. For Psychic pokemon there was also Lugia. I suppose I could consider the Eon duo as strong psychic types as well, but they weren¡¯t held up on the same level as others. Mostly because they were seen as benign spirits. For that matter I doubted many people properly associated Mew, Uxie, Mesprit, or Azelf as being ¡®Legendary¡¯ pokemon that would ravage the lands. Most people saw destruction as the thing that defined a pokemon. I wonder what people thought about Cresselia? It would be fun to do a deep dive into the Guardians'' notes and see what knowledge they possessed about other regions'' legendary pokemon. It would be an interesting way to spend an afternoon. It wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d done in a while with how busy I was, but I rather missed getting the chance to sit and read up about mythical and dangerous pokemon. It was fun seeing how they were perceived in this life compared to what I knew of them from my past life. I wonder what people thought of Solgaleo or Lunala? When we eventually found the other regions I so wanted to go for a holiday to a few places. Alola sounded the nicest even if there was a risk of tripping into issues with the evil Aether Corporation with Lumanise. Then again there was the Ultra Sun/Moon storyline where she had to defend the Alola region from Necrozma. ¡°Very well, I understand your reasoning, and I¡¯m happy but please don¡¯t feel you need to rush to the next stage,¡± said Sabrina to Ralts. I blinked. Oh, right! I¡¯d forgotten about that. Sometimes you could accidentally end up secluded when Psychics spoke with each other. I shifted and Sabrina glanced in my direction. Without any verbal prompts she said, ¡°Ralts feels like I need more protection and she feels too weak as a Ralts so she is going to evolve. We had been holding back to allow her the most growth mentally and¡­ also I¡¯d been enjoying our times together,¡± she said. Sabrina gave Ralts a fond smile. ¡°I suppose I will have to get used to carrying you around when you are bigger,¡± she said. ¡°Raaaalts!¡± whined Ralts in such a way that my parenting ear twinged to the tone alone. I knew what was being said straight away. Some version of ¡®Sabrina/Mum!¡¯ that only the young will actually use. Sabrina merely smiled and gave the little pokemon a hug. When they broke the hug Sabrina stepped back next to me, giving Ralts some room. Ralts glanced about at the people around her for a moment before nodding, pleased. Then she tilted her head forward and took a deep breath. Without any prompting, she began to glow with the light of evolution. Controlled evolution was an interesting spectacle. It was one of the more interesting forms of evolution that I rarely got to see. The most common method was typically a mid-battle evolution that was attributed to the stresses and desires mixing within a pokemon. A mid-match evolution was typically in response to a powerful challenge and resulted in the pokemon ¡®powering up¡¯ with the increase in adrenaline. I¡¯d been on the receiving end of such evolutions a lot. If you wanted to win you typically had to ride out the empowered pokemon while accounting for the fact that they were going to hit harder and typically be faster. Well, except in a few cases such as Ivysaur to Venusaur. On paper, they had better bursts of acceleration with their being able to leap short distances faster but their overall speed was terrible. The next most common evolution was post-match evolutions where victory usually led to a feeling of exultation sweeping through a pokemon, promoting more power and pushing them that little bit more. Next were the controlled evolutions. This technically included when a pokemon was introduced to an item that triggered it or an activity that induced it in the transformation with pokemon such as Graveler. There must have been a trick to it for Alakazam and Gengar as well. No doubt Sabrina and Agatha knew. I might ask them one day and see what they said. Then again Agatha would no doubt have a harrowing tale for how Haunter¡¯s evolved. If I was a gambling man it had something to do with the mass of Haunter that typically lingered around her. Why did she need three of them when she already had Gengy and another Gengar in her back pocket? Regardless, they were uncommon, and it took a highly skilled trainer to get those sorts of pokemon to that level and experiment with what was required. Ralts¡¯ body began to grow and rise upwards. From half a metre in height she began to shift until she was roughly a metre tall. Then again a quick eyeball wasn¡¯t great as a measuring tool. As the light died away Kirlia appeared in all her glory. She looked as I¡¯d expected but the markers of good physical health were still there with the shine on her horns which had shifted to the sides of her head instead of being front and back. Her long dress had split to form a sort of ballet tutu that notably curled down more than the other few Kirlia I¡¯d seen before. She also had slightly longer hair than others with her cut not being anywhere near as straight-edged and instead, some small edges stuck out. ¡°Kirlia! Kir!¡± she said with a twirl. She spun into a leap that saw her soaring up into Sabrina¡¯s arms and the older girl giggled and allowed herself to float back as though Kirlia had knocked her over. Instead, they merely hovered off the ground. Sabrina righted them after a little bit and put Kirlia down, presenting her quickly to Saul and Sandra who gushed at the little pokemon as she posed in what I recognised from the few times I¡¯d taken Cindy to some dance lessons as poses. The little pokemon turned and smiled at me. ¡°Looking good Kirlia, feeling stronger as well?¡± I asked. The little psychic bobbed her head up and down and a glow took over her body. Pillows about the room rose as one and I quickly counted at least ten, which included the much larger couch cushions. When the couches started to rise up I whistled, impressed. When Kirlia tried to raise me up I flexed some dark energy and disrupted her. She pouted at me and I just shot her an amused look. It was a nice try, but only Sabrina got to sweep me off my feet like that. I also didn¡¯t trust that she wouldn¡¯t try something and then try to get away with it using some ¡®little sister energy¡¯. Kirlia didn¡¯t stay disappointed for long though as she quickly lowered the items and began to twirl around us. ¡°Kir! Kirlia! Kir!¡± Saul and Sandra laughed at how exuberant she was being. ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s full of beans!¡± said Sandra. She clapped her hands together. ¡°I will have to make a cake!¡± the older woman ducked out of the room and I realised that she didn¡¯t mean, tomorrow like someone else would, but rather right now. I glanced at the clock. It was closer to dinner but I guess a late dessert wouldn¡¯t go down too poorly. This had Kirlia twirling faster if anything. Sabrina merely shook her head. ¡°Cake is only going to keep her up more, I think we¡¯ll need to find a way to burn off some energy Kirlia,¡± she said. Kirlia beamed. ¡°Kirlia?¡± she said hopefully then her eyes widened as though an idea had come to her. She pointed first at Sabrina, then at me, and then at herself. Sabrina¡¯s smile became rather plastic. ¡°You¡­ want to go and fight crime?¡± she said. I blinked. That¡­ wasn¡¯t what I¡¯d been expecting at all. Kirlia¡¯s head bobbed rapidly up and down. ¡°Kir! Kir! Kir!¡± she said firmly. She pointed at a nearby clock and excitedly chattered something at Sabrina. Sabrina for her part nodded along. I raised an eyebrow, once again on the outs with what was being actually said. I gave Saul a look but he was nodding along. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Sabrina huffed. ¡°It seems Kirlia wants to spend her first night as a Kirlia fighting crime. Specifically with Hero Yellow and Hero Black,¡± she said. I looked at Sabrina. ¡°Really?¡± Sabrina merely nodded. ¡°Really.¡± I stared. I¡¯d been wondering how Kirlia would mature, but it turned out she was still a kid. Worse she was a kid with ideas and enough power to get herself into some trouble. Saul chuckled as he rose up. ¡°Well you kids have fun!¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t stay up too late! You¡¯ve got work in the morning!¡± he said cheerfully. Sabrina shot him a glare that had him scurrying quicker. She huffed as the door closed. ¡°There are times when I wonder if it would not be better to simply dump my duties on him once again and take you and Kirlia on a trip.¡± I sighed whimsically. ¡°We could complete our Hoenn trip,¡± I said dreamily. A glint appeared in Sabrina¡¯s eyes and I realised she might not take it as a joke like I had been doing. ¡°Not that I want that right now, I just you know?¡± I said, waving my hands back and forth. Sabrina nodded, still eying me. ¡°Lia!¡± said Kirlia plaintively as she was accidentally ignored. Kirlia tugged on her shirt only to pause as she realised she could now reach that high. She tugged again happily. ¡°Kir!¡± Sabrina and I shared a smile and then with a flash of light a pair of wrapped-up packages appeared in the room. I eyed the black clothes. ¡°You keep these in your storage facility?¡± I said, knowing it to be a redundant question. ¡°With a few other of your clothes,¡± she said casually. I paused in putting on the pants only to decide not to ask which clothes of mine she had. The answer could range and give me a bit of a glimpse into her mindset that I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to know about. Better to just ignore it and assume she had some spare clothes for me if I ever needed them. It was so handy having a psychic girlfriend. Kirlia got a green helmet with a visor which she donned while posing on the couch as Sabrina and I suited up. ¡°Green ranger?¡± I asked Kirlia and she beamed, adopting another series of poses. I held in a chuckle. Such a kid. Sabrina drew the hair back from her neck. ¡°Zip me up?¡± she said. I eyed her. She didn¡¯t actually need my help. Not as a psychic, so she must have wanted it. I put my hands on the zipper and slowly drew it upwards. In close like this Sabrina turned when it was done and gave me a pleased peck on the lips. ¡°Thank you, now? Shall we find some crime?¡± I grinned and donned my helmet. It was time to make Kanto a safer place. ¡°Kirlia!¡± chimed the little psychic. And also fulfil a little girl¡¯s dream apparently. We vanished in a teleport and reappeared in a much brighter area. Or rather, a city. I took a moment to gather my bearings. A quick look around at all the flashing signage, the lights shooting up into the air and the busy streets below told me enough to know where I¡¯d come. ¡°Neon City, that actually makes a lot of sense,¡± I said. Sabrina nodded. ¡°With Grey being a plant they had to shut down his Gym. Several issues have since then come up, with crime increasing being one. I¡¯ve had to divert more and more trainers from the Gym doing patrols to assist the police.¡± ¡°Seems it¡¯s time this place could use this sort of treatment then,¡± I said. I looked at Sabrina. ¡°What have you got for us?¡± I said. Kirlia perked up and looked at Sabrina, her large helmet cutely tilting at the action. Sabrina inclined her head. ¡°I have some people peddling X drugs for pokemon matches against me which aren¡¯t licensed. They are likely dangerously synthesised.¡± I hissed. X drugs were a bit of a touchy topic. Some people liked to try and use them for matches but the temporary boost had been shown to only be short term and when they weren¡¯t regulated carefully, could lead to harm to the pokemon or even berserker states depending on the mix of drugs. ¡°There¡¯s also a deal taking place on the river docks that seems to be about some pokemon smuggling, seems that got missed by the League and police as it has or had affiliations with Team Rocket from what I can pick up,¡± said Sabrina. ¡°Let¡¯s get them first and then get the X drug peddlers,¡± I said. In the scope of things, the peddlers were small change compared to the trafficking ring. ¡°Anything we need to watch out for?¡± ¡°A pack of Primeape have been captured along with some Tauros. A stampede or break out from either inside a city is going to cause damage,¡± Sabrina said firmly. ¡°Roger, need something to keep them calm,¡± I said, palming Zephyr''s pokeball along with that of Zubat. Sabrina inclined her head and took another moment to ¡®look around¡¯ with her psychic sense. Kirlia bounced around a little and I chuckled at her antics. She shot me an affronted look. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just that the part before a fight can sometimes be the worst. You¡¯ll get used to it, but seeing you so jittery is kind of funny,¡± I explained. ¡°There doesn¡¯t appear to be much else going on, apart from a rather glaring oversight in the city¡¯s light pollution,¡± Sabrina said with a sniff. I merely hummed, giving the flashing lights and billboards a glance. They had modelled this after Las Vegas in the cartoon and I could see the stylistic choices. Large strips of land with walkways and wonders. People frolicked up and down with a much laxer style than anything I¡¯d seen in a while. More than a few looked tired. ¡°The city that never sleeps,¡± I muttered, recalling how in the anime it literally was a city full of irritated and messed up people who really just needed a nap courtesy of Jigglypuff. I watched the people a little more and didn¡¯t see anyone acting too rudely. If anything it looked like I imagined Las Vegas at night looked like. There were entertainers, cosplayers, and pokemon of all sorts that had been styled and primped. There was a large raised pool of water where people could swim with Milotic, Staryu, Horsea and even Goldeen while a handler stood off to the side. Other people rode Tauros along the roads, while limousines had people practically spilling out of them. Interestingly enough, I spotted no less than three women and one possible man dressed up like Sabrina. I was about to point them out to her for her thoughts on them before I spotted a giant hulking man wearing a familiar orange jumper with brown pants. His hair was spiked up. Ah¡­ I had Brock cosplayers¡­ huh, neat. ¡°Brock?¡± said Sabrina. I coughed. ¡°Best we refer to each other by our Hero code names,¡± I said. ¡°And sorry, I got distracted by¡­ myself,¡± I said, indicating the much taller, broader man. Sabrina glanced in his direction and giggled. ¡°He is much louder than you are,¡± she said. I shot her a glance, wondering what she was picking up. Sabrina caught that and waved in the man¡¯s direction on the street below. ¡°Dressing up like you gives him more confidence it seems. For such a large man, he is rather timid.¡± ¡°Riiiiight,¡± I said, eying the mountain of a man. Hard to think a guy that big could be timid. ¡°Let¡¯s go break up that smuggling group, yeah?¡± I said. The longer I looked about the street, the more weird things I was finding and the harder it all was forcing myself to look away, the show people were putting on or merely existing in this place. I pointedly glanced at Kirlia whose head was whipping back and forth like an excited child. No doubt the smorgasbord of emotions she could pick up would be a heady mix for such a young pokemon. Sabrina got us out of there before Kirlia could get too far along. We reappeared at the docks with a small flash and found ourselves now looking down from a warehouse, that was off the main strip enough to make the floodlights bathing the walkways feel dark in comparison. I pulled up some dark energy and felt myself settle. A quick tap on Zephyr and Zubat¡¯s pokeballs had them released. Both pokemon took flight only to arc around. Zubat shot right into my face for a hug, but I caught her before she could splatter herself on my helmet. ¡°Easy there girl,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be fighting some bad guys so I think it¡¯s a good chance for you to use your Supersonic. I eyed the docks for a moment before another idea came to mind. ¡°Let¡¯s start things off with Haze. Think you can coat the entire docks?¡± I asked. Zubat nodded ecstatic to be part of a fight. I nodded and sent her out. ¡°How do you want to do this?¡± I asked. Sabrina considered the docks as they slowly became less and less visible. ¡°I think we can focus on saving the pokemon while you take out the people above deck,¡± she said. ¡°Gotcha!¡± I said. ¡°Kirlia!¡± said the little pokemon, putting her hand out. I blinked and Sabrina coughed. ¡°She wants to do a ¡®hands together¡¯,¡± she said, putting words to action. I put my hand on top of hers only for Kirlia to put her other hand on top. ¡°Uhm that not¡ª¡± I started to say only for Sabrina to match her. I sighed and put my second hand on top. Kirlia bounced her hands down and then up before cheering. I chuckled and waved as the girls vanished to secure the loading bays which were still wide open. I whistled sharply and Zubat returned to me. The noise didn¡¯t go unnoticed. ¡°Hey! Who¡¯s whistling?¡± said a gruff-sounding voice. I hopped off the roof and landed on the gravel before rising tall right in front of one of the gang¡¯s toughs. ¡°Me,¡± I said with a deeper voice than usual as I tried to mimic another franchise¡¯s dark knight. ¡°What the!?¡± screamed the man only for Zubat to swoop down and blast him with Supersonic. He groggily wobbled about before collapsing. ¡°No, gotta tell the guys,¡± he murmured, reaching for a radio on his belt. I took it from him and pointed. Zephyr landed in front of the man, his eyes already glowing causing the man to slump as Hypnosis took hold. ¡°One down,¡± I said, cracking my neck and making a ¡®move out¡¯ gesture to the two pokemon with me. On silent wings they circled me and we began clearing out the various street toughs. When we finally stumbled on a group of four gangsters they all blanched as we emerged from the mists like wrathes. Two of them released pokemon to reveal a pair of Mightyena, a Weezing, and a Skarmory. ¡°Confusion,¡± I said, directing Zephyr to take out the Weezing. No way I was letting that pokemon get off something like a Self Destruct. Zubat I moved against the Skarmory despite the terrible match-up. ¡°Harass it!¡± I said and Zubat flapped in close while waves of Supersonic shot forward to disrupt the metal bird. The Mightyena turned to me with slavering jaws only to be taken by surprise as Zephyr, having torn through Weezing, hurled the downed pokemon at them. Barks and snarls shot out but Zephyr merely raised his wings and began to harry them back. ¡°Take out the freak!¡± called one guy who I noticed was at the back of the group. Then two of the men charged forward while another held back to snap open a nightstick that crackled with electricity. I couldn¡¯t keep my attention on him though as I had to deal with the first guy to reach me. He stepped in hoping his greater size would mean he¡¯d be able to grapple me easily. I launched out a hard punch just like Surge had taught me and I¡¯d continued to practise under Trixie¡¯s focus. The blow rocked him and he collapsed to the ground bonelessly. The second man, seeing how deadly my fists were, stayed back and tried to swipe at me with his own larger reach. ¡°Careful! He¡¯s a boxer! Watch his fists!¡± the man said as he tried to fake me out with a lunge only for me to shift positions. I held my nerve and waited for him to properly try and knock me back with a set of his own punches. I batted one punch aside and snapped a low kick into his knee before snapping it up into his head, knocking him out. ¡°I don¡¯t skip leg day,¡± I said. In truth, I had Trixie to thank for that. The third man lunged, having seen this as his chance. I twirled bracing to take the hit of electricity with my body filling with Rock energy only for the baton to slam into my shoulder and snap. The man stared at his broken tool while I merely reached out to put my hand on his shoulder like I was about to console him. The man looked up and had a bare moment to spot my forehead racing into his. My helmeted head slammed into his and he joined his friends on the ground. I turned my attention to the last man who was already backing away. ¡°Damn cheap shit! Louis is gonna hear about this! ¡° he said as he turned and began to run. ¡°Take him!¡± I said and Zephyr, having beaten his foes, took wing after the fleeing man. I turned my own attention to Zubat who was holding out if barely against the enraged Skarmory. ¡°Hit and run with Supersonic! Its metal body makes it more receptive to the noise!¡± I commanded and Zubat did just that. When Skarmory growled and tried to turn its attention to me it flicked its eyes down to one of the downed men and it screeched. ¡°Astonish,¡± I said, making Zubat get between us while making the larger pokemon baulk in shock. Skarmory were still affected normally by Ghost type moves, interestingly enough. I made use of this to keep shocking and surprising the larger pokemon and while it took a few minutes, Zubat eventually whittled down the enraged bird. When it collapsed Zubat spun towards me happily and I caught the exhausted little pokemon. ¡°You did great,¡± I said, more than happy to praise it. ¡°That had been a tough match up and you emerged the winner,¡± I said. I glanced down at the beaten men as Zephyr deposited the runaway. They¡¯d have done better if they used their actual pokemon and didn¡¯t just unleash them on me expecting results. Ah well, I shouldn¡¯t complain about the lacking quality of my foes, merely be happy. ¡°You can¡¯t do this! I¡¯m just an innocent bystander!¡± the man whined. ¡°You¡¯re anything but,¡± I said. ¡°For now, go to sleep,¡± I said and Zephyr leaned forward with glowing eyes. I glanced around, noting that the Haze I¡¯d used to obscure my approach on most of the thugs was breaking up now that a few minutes had passed. I couldn¡¯t see anyone else and there wasn¡¯t any sounds of fighting occurring on the ship¡ª A moment later a trio of men were launched from the ship and into the waters below. Kirlia, in her little helmet, trotted up to the side of the boat where she put her hands on her hips and scowled down at the men. ¡°All secured?¡± I called up to her. Kirlia shot me a thumbs up and I nodded, reaching for my communicator to call it in. The police were there much slower than usual and I glanced at Sabrina. She shook her head and I relaxed glad that they weren¡¯t crooked. ¡°Busy night for you?¡± Sabrina prompted. The officer just sighed and nodded glumly. ¡°Neon City is a place that never sleeps. I had to break up a few acts of hanky panky taking place around some alleys and bust an X dealer,¡± he said with a shake of his head. He nodded to the gang. ¡°These ones have been given us a bit of a run around so I¡¯ll be glad to see them behind bars for a while,¡± he said. He gave us a lazy salute. ¡°Thanks for the assist Heroes Black and Yellow,¡± he said, only for a small cough to make him look down towards Kirlia who had adopted a proud pose with her hands on her hips. ¡°And you too¡­ Hero¡­ Green?¡± he said hesitantly. Kirlia bobbed her head happily and waved for us to follow her out. I chuckled and did so. Amused when a few of the Police took some less than subtle pictures of us. With the job done my stomach decided to announce itself. Sabrina scooped up Kirlia and led me to a deserted alleyway. ¡°I think mother¡¯s cake will be ready by now,¡± she said as we vanished. It turned out Sabrina was right. Kirlia happily plowed into the cake as her dual victory celebration, only to collapse like a kid that had run out of steam. I chuckled as Sabrina lifted her up and moved her to her own room in the house where she was tucked in. I gave the decor a look over. ¡®You¡¯ll have to get ready to change it,¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯s a big crime-fighting girl now,¡± I said with a chuckle. Sabrina just nodded. The next morning I had breakfast with my family who¡¯d insisted we have it outside. I kept one of the windows open to hear about last night¡¯s escapades. ¡°¡ªand the police in Neon City had an interesting encounter with body cam footage revealing that Heroe black, Heroine Yellow are once more active only this time with a sidekick in Heroine Green!¡± footage played revealing us all with Kirlia in her green helmet talking with police while Kirlia posed behind us in vaguely heroic poses. ¡°The police praised the official Heroes of the Indigo league and hope to see more of them!¡± said the reporter. I chuckled only to feel a shadow fall over me as Bertha loomed. ¡®Rhy,¡± she said flatly, pointing at Kirlia on screen and then at herself. I huffed. ¡°Are you envious?¡± I said only for my Xtranscier to start pinning as messages flooded in. I gave it a glance only to see Brawly, Flannery, and Professor Oak were all demanding that I inform them of the next Hero raid. I sighed, mentally throwing up my hands in amusement. It seemed like envy was a common factor with both my pokemon and my friends. I sent back a message stating I wasn¡¯t going to commit to anything all while I ignored Bertha¡¯s stare. ¡°What?¡± I said. ¡°You had your time in the sun yesterday!¡± I said to her. I shook my head and turned my attention to the day¡¯s jobs. I had another Elite Challenge, and some more Pewter Academy kids to handle. Should be simple enough. Chapter 222 - Salvadores science safari Salvadore peered at his art book. Brock had gotten it for him during his recent trip to Celadon and it was a great gift! It had everything Salvadore needed to take his scientific journals to the next level by improving the quality of his sketches. He wouldn¡¯t have thought of using circles, squares, and triangles to get the shapes connecting like this, but thanks to his nifty little book, he¡¯d started drawing the various pokemon in standard poses. The easiest to draw were, of course, Geodude and Golem. He had a lot of great models with Sanchez, Izumi, Moxy, and the various Onix. They were super easy to draw. Just roughed up circles over and over. It got harder when he tried his hand at Jormungandr who had a lot more spikes. That one¡­ was a work in progress. The biggest trick he¡¯d found was keeping his drawings away from Bertha. If she¡¯d found out, she¡¯d have insisted on him drawing nothing but her! That meant he usually had to draw when she was distracted, and when she got close he focussed on the written parts of his investigations. Usually, all he had to do was recite a few facts such as a pokemon¡¯s preferred diet being Cherri berries, or Oran. If that didn¡¯t work he started analysing the dirt quality and that usually got her wandering off to find something more important to do. He hoped he¡¯d be good enough to draw her one day, but for now he didn¡¯t want to offend her by doing a terrible job. Just like he didn¡¯t want Shin or Gawain to have terrible drawings. He was getting better! It just took time. Today he was wandering the reserve with Hephaestus the Growlithe looking for inspiration. There were always Geodude rolling around and the Onix or two, but Salvadore needed to challenge himself. So he moved over to where the sound of metal clanging and clinking echoed out. Salvadore and his trusty companion Growlithe moved through the boulders and found themselves standing next to Titan. ¡°Heya Titan!¡± he said cheerfully, only to blanch when the Tyranitar he¡¯d assumed was Titan turned her head and Salvadore got a better look. Empress, unlike Titan, had several larger scars on her front along with being slightly leaner in mass. She also was right there next to him. Hephy pressed himself up next to Salvadore, forming a small fluffy barrier. Salvadore was very thankful for the little growlithe¡¯s bravery, even if he was quivering just as much as Salvadore as Empress considered them. ¡°Uhhhh,¡± he said, unsure what to do. Yolanda always said that Empress was a sweetheart but¡­ she was huge, and scary. She didn¡¯t smile like Titan did and goof around, she just sort of loomed when she was present. Empress stared him down and Salvadore had to wonder if she was thinking about eating him. He was half tempted to point out how scrawny he was and that he barely had any good bits to him. Boys weren¡¯t meant to be tasty like girls who were sugar and spice as they liked to tell everyone. Salvadore thought that was why in the stories the dragons always stole them instead of young boys. Empress grunted, her head bobbing up and down before she turned her head back to what she¡¯d been watching. Salvadore followed her gaze. Cranidos squawked in frustration as Terra grinned at him. She bobbed this way and that, making Cranidos work for his attacks. It was obvious he wanted to drop his head and charge straight at Terra but she wasn¡¯t letting him, by being deft with her footwork and dancing to the side any time he even started to drop his head. She was reading him which was an impressive feat. Salvadore drew out his notepads and began jotting down his observations like Oak had told him to keep doing. He sat down with Hephy claiming a seat at his side between him and Empress. He curled into Salvadore and the warm pokemon acted like a very nice cushion. With his targets of observation firmly in sight, Salvadore got to it. ¡°Pokemon, even young pokemon can learn tells for each other if they are pronounced enough,¡± he said aloud as he slowly wrote out the observation. ¡°This can form a crucial point of early development as pokemon will learn to look for these signs when they observe other battles. There will always be certain¡­ ano¡­ anatomy... Ana¡­¡± Salvadore paused and pulled out a pocket dictionary, where was that word? Right! ¡°Anatomical comparisons. Flying-type pokemon will have certain matching traits, such as tucking their wings or beating in certain patterns. The example that is used for this case is Cranidos versus a young Larvitar. Cranidos is¡ª¡± Salvadore continued to write down his observations. Happily jotting them down before deciding he needed to try his hand at doing some art. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard for Cranidos. Circle for the head. A triangle for the beak and then a rectangle for the neck. Then he just needed to blend them together and add eyes. Beady little rage-filled eyes. Salvadore gave it a go and held up his drawing. It wasn¡¯t great, but it showed how Cranidos was trying to drop his head to charge. Salvadore added some arrows to indicate movement. Then he stared at Terra. Hmmmm. Where to start? Maybe an Oval for a head with a taller oval for the body with a sort of soft rectangle for the horn? Yeah that would work. Sadly the match ended before he could finish drawing Terra, and she waddled over to chirp at her mum. Salvadore paused, watching the interaction as mother and daughter talked with each other. Empress, for the first time he¡¯d seen, seemed to go soft. She almost smiled! Empress, apparently detecting his gaze, glanced up sharply and snorted. Salvadore inched back and made a show of busying himself. ¡°Lar!?¡± chirped Terra, having noticed him. She waddled over and tugged on his notepad to see what he was doing. He hastily flipped to a page of notes, not wanting her to see his drawings. Terra was nice, but she spent a lot of time with Bertha when Yolanda wasn¡¯t around, so there was no way she wouldn¡¯t tell Bertha. Empress wasn¡¯t having any of that though and leaned in to nose the notepad back to the pages on which he¡¯d been working. Hephy gave a whimpering growl at the giant head in their space. Empress paused and glanced down before slowly retracting her head. Hephy relaxed but that didn¡¯t stop Terra from seeing his drawings. ¡°Tar!? Larvi tar!¡± she chirped happily, pointing at the rough drawing of her that he¡¯d just started to do. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s you. I was trying to sketch you,¡± he said. Terra wiggled and handed the notepad back before adopting a pose. Salvadore chuckled. ¡°Alright, but I want you to promise you won¡¯t tell Bertha, alright?¡± Terra blinked at him cluelessly before nodding slowly. ¡°Tar?¡± she said. ¡°I just don¡¯t want her hogging my time¡­ and I want to get better first,¡± he said. Terra accepted this and held her pose so Salvadore could draw her. It took a few minutes and a few muttered erasures to get things just right, but in the end, he thought he had a decent drawing. He turned it around to show Terra and the little pokemon grinned. ¡°Larvitar!¡± said Terra happily. Terra turned and waddled back to Cranidos. ¡°Tar?¡± she said, indicating the other drawing. Cranidos grunted from his spot on the ground, having collapsed there. Oh dear, Cranidos was sulking. Salvadore considered consoling him but his pose was rather funny¡­ so instead he took a picture. He¡¯d try and draw it later. It¡¯d probably give Brock a laugh if he did it right. Cranidos didn¡¯t seem to realise that he was under a lot of scrutiny as Salvadore began to sketch him out. He whined and growled and whined before throwing his short little arms up and down. Salvadore was reminded of his younger siblings being told they couldn¡¯t have ice cream before dinner. Cranidos¡¯ tiny little arms and legs smashed on the ground as he had a little tantrum. Salvadore felt a little bad so he stopped drawing and coughed. Cranidos stopped having a tantrum and looked around only to spot that Terra, Empress, Hephy and himself were there. Empress snorted loudly and rumbled something that had the little pokemon shooting to his feet and ducking his head. Salvadore suspected that Empress had just chastised the little ancient pokemon. He flicked his gaze between them and wondered what he was supposed to do. Cranidos looked ashamed now and that hadn¡¯t been his intent. His eyes dipped to the drawing of Cranidos having a tantrum. Now he just felt bad for drawing this. ¡°Hey Cranidos? I uhmmm¡­¡± he cast his mind about what he could do before realising he did have a method of calming Cranidos down. ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d let me take some video of you smashing up some rocks?¡± he said. Cranidos stared at him. ¡°Crani?¡± said the hard-headed pokemon. ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Salvadore said only for Cranidos to tilt his head in the common ¡®confused pose¡¯. ¡°Oh! Uhmm I want to take a video with my Xtransciever!¡± It had a great camera function! Brock had mentioned not telling people he had one a few weeks ago, but Salvadore had told loads of people and they didn¡¯t seem to care. Cranidos still seemed confused so Salvadore demonstrated the camera. He then projected images of himself and Cranidos looking confused. ¡°Dos!¡± shouted the little pokemon. ¡°Cranidos?!¡± said the pokemon before pointing back behind Salvadore. Salvadore turned his head and noticed that Cranidos was pointing at the big screen which was showing battle casts in the lead up to Brock¡¯s match today against an Elite Challenger. ¡°Uhmmm no it won¡¯t project it up there, but it is like what¡¯s gonna happen with Brock only those matches have bigger cameras.¡± Cranidos appeared to lose interest. ¡°Please?¡± Salvador asked. ¡°I¡¯d love to get some video of you at your best!¡± he said and that seemed like it was enough as the hard-headed pokemon lined itself up against a rock and charged so quickly Salvadore didn¡¯t have a chance to actually record it. When Cranidos emerged from the dust and debris he had his chest puffed out. ¡°Uhmmmm that was great?¡± Salvadore said. He decided it was best not to tell the little pokemon he hadn¡¯t gotten it and instead started recording. ¡°Maybe another one?¡± he said. Cranidos threw himself into another charge and Salvadore knew he¡¯d hit on a great method of cheering up the little pokemon. After a few boulders Salvadore noticed something. ¡°Hey Cranidos, you have really strong legs yeah?¡± Cranidos paused and tilted his head and considered said limbs. ¡°Cran,¡± he said, nodding after a moment. ¡°Think you could stomp on a rock to hold it down and then headbutt it?¡± Salvadore asked, curious if the little pokemon had the flexibility to do it. Cranidos took a moment to consider this before kicking a boulder over and standing atop it. Then he dropped his head into the rock proving that yes, he did in fact have the flexibility for such a manoeuvre. Cranidos rose up, foot still holding down his target. For a long moment, he didn¡¯t move. Then a smile broke out over his scaly face and he began hammering the rock over and over. ¡°Dos! Dos ! Crani!¡± he said happily. Cranidos twirled around and stared at Salvadore happily. ¡°Dos?¡± asked the little pokemon, his head bobbing back and forth. ¡°Uhmmmm?¡± Salvadore was once again at a loss. It obviously wanted something. He stared at the pokemon for a few moments then considered the area. Maybe Cranidos was asking if there were other ways to headbutt something? He did seem rather fixated on headbutting things so maybe? ¡°Can you kick something in the air and then¡­ smack it when it comes down?¡± Salvadore offered. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Cranidos did just that and Salvadore caught it all on camera. ¡°Oh! I know try headbutting it up and down repeatedly!¡± said Salvadore. Cranidos seemed delighted at this and tried but the rocks kept breaking. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s pretty cool, but it doesn¡¯t really show what would happen with a pokemon,¡± he said rubbing his chin. Empress gave him a look but Salvadore ignored her. Instead, he nodded. ¡°We need something that bounces like a pokemon would! Wait here Cranidos I¡¯m going to get a sack of jelly for you to practise with!¡± he said as he turned and dashed into the Gym. ¡°Rocko! Rocko!¡± Salvadore called as he approached a cluster of trainers. ¡°Rocko¡¯s over there,¡± one of the trainers said as they worked a pair of Aron through some training exercises. When one Aron growled at the trainer the trainer ignored them and rewarded the second Aron for completing the exercise. Salvadore felt his hand itch as the urge to stop and document this method of training came over him only for him to stay the course. ¡°Hey Rocko! Can I have some jelly to put in a sack?¡± Rocko glanced up. ¡°Jelly in a sack? Is this for Munchlax? Cause that little guy doesn¡¯t need that much sugar,¡± said the relaxed man peering at Salvadore curiously. ¡°No! It¡¯s for science!¡± Salvadore proclaimed with a grin. ¡°Science eh?¡± said Rocko with a raised eyebrow. Salvadore coughed. ¡°I wanted to see if Cranidos could juggle rocks with headbutts but he keeps breaking them. His head is too hard but then I realised that if the thing he was hitting was softer, more like what a pokemon would be then he¡¯d be able to do it!¡± Rocko stared at Salvadore. ¡°That is kinda dark but¡­ I think I¡¯m a little curious, come on let¡¯s get some made up I think we have some in the storehouse for when we make up some snacks. We¡¯ll need to make it fairly thick,¡± he said. Salvadore began to bounce as Rocko helped him make up a sack of Jelly that was roughly equal to Cranidos in size. Rocko gave it a slap which set the sack to jiggling. ¡°Heh, this should be fine, just remember that some pokemon that are this soft have methods of handling blunt impacts,¡± he said. ¡°I will! This is just for training!¡± Salvadore explained. He then trudged away with the sack over his shoulder. Rocko followed him. Salvadore shot him a few looks. ¡°You¡¯re coming too?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Rocko easily, a small bag of feed in one hand. Salvadore eyed the much smaller, lighter bag. ¡°Any chance you would swap?¡± he said, hoisting up the sack to indicate what he meant. ¡°Naaaaaaah,¡± said Rocko with a smirk. ¡°You keep going, it¡¯s good for your character arc or something like that,¡± Rocko said. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ You¡¯re mocking me aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°A little but seriously, this is your show so bear the burden a little,¡± said Rocko as he continued to walk next to Salvdore. Salvadore grunted and decided that wasn¡¯t worth commenting on. He made sure to make a mental note to make sure he forced Rocko to play a character he didn¡¯t like during their next game session. Maybe Bowser? Then he¡¯d play Luigi and crush him! Thoughts of digital violence helped Salvadore lug the sack of jelly back to the training field Cranidos had been on. When they arrived not much had changed apart from there being a bit more debris than when he¡¯d left, but that made sense seeing as Cranidos was still practising tossing up a rock and headbutting it. Cranidos eyed a small rock and with a deft flick of its head sent it soaring up where it began watching it fall intently. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re getting really good at that!¡± said Salvadore as he approached. Cranidos didn¡¯t stop tracking the rock it had just thrown. When it got close enough Cranidos leapt only to mistime the throw and smack it aside instead of destroying it. Cranidos brayed in annoyance and landed next to the rock where a quick one-two smash pulverised the rock into dust. With a pleased huff, Cranidos looked up and spotted Salvadore and the bag of jelly. ¡°Dos?¡± it said in greeting. Salvadore hefted the jelly sack. ¡°I got it!¡± he said and Cranidos perked up his head jerking in a manner that screamed ¡®Throw it¡¯! Salvadore considered the bag for a moment before grabbing it by one side and spinning. ¡°Ooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaa!¡± he began to cry as he spun faster and faster before lifting his hands and hurling the bag up into the air. The sack sailed through the air, wobbling as it did so in an undulating pattern with the light catching it causing it to sparkle. Cranidos¡¯ eyes widened, and he tucked low before launching up into the sack of jelly. Hardhead met soft sack and the bag flubbered, for lack of a better word, only to encapsulate Cranidos and make him squawk. The bag of jelly fell to the side and Crandios tumbled to the side with a bark only to shoot up to his feet instantly and growl at the offending bag of jelly. He leapt at it and began to hammer his head down into it. The bag quaked as blow after blow shot into it only for nothing to really occur as the jelly merely dissipated the hits. ¡°DOOOOOOOOOOOS!¡± raged Cranidos as he reared back a huge headbutt. ¡°Cranidos wait!¡± Salvadore said as he spotted part of the jelly sack wobbling underneath Crandios where it wasn¡¯t secured anymore. Salvadore might not have been taught it in class but Brock had mentioned something about reactionary forces enough times to suspect he knew what was about to happen. Cranidos didn¡¯t listen and threw his head into the jelly sack only for it to shoot up into his gut, the force of the blow transferring through it and launching Cranidos. Cranidos went airborne and had long enough to stare in shock before coming down on his back with a heavy thump. Everyone stared at the crater containing Cranidos before glancing back to the hapless jelly sack that had bested him. Rocko snorted. ¡°Damn that was not what I¡¯d been expecting to happen but that was hilarious!¡± ¡°Cranidos!¡± Salvadore said as he rushed over to check on the little pokemon. Crandios lay in the crater blinking slowly. ¡°Rocko? I think he might be hurt!¡± Salvadore said worriedly. Rocko stopped chuckling straight away and approached eying Cranidos. When the little pokemon didn¡¯t become angry he crouched down and tilted Cranidos¡¯ head from side to side. ¡°He¡¯s not concussed but then again that makes sense with his predilection to headbutting things. His neck and dome are perfect for negating shocks to the brain.¡± He continued to observe Cranidos before relaxing. ¡°He¡¯s winded himself from the landing which can sometimes be enough to shock a pokemon. He¡¯s fine, just stunned. I think I might get him a football to play with instead as a jelly sack¡­ seems a mite dangerous.¡± Salvadore wilted. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would end like this¡­ Think Brock will be mad?¡± Rocko was quick to shake his head. ¡°Nah! If anything I think he¡¯ll praise you. He¡¯s been working to make Cranidos less reliant on his Headbutts and be more patient, but you went the other way and leaned into what Cranidos liked while showing him new ways to headbutt things. I think he¡¯ll remember this session for a while.¡± Salvadore nodded slowly, still unsure of himself only for the older man to clap him on the shoulder. ¡°No more training with him for now. How about you take him over to watch the coming Elite match. He¡¯d like that I reckon.¡± ¡°Yeah that sounds like a good idea, how about it Cranidos? Want to watch Brock fight?¡± Cranidos stared at Salvadore before nodding slowly and yawning. Rocko chuckled. ¡°Tired too it seems, good work wearing him out.¡± With that said and done Rocko sauntered off leaving Salvadore to usher the slightly out-of-it ancient pokemon towards where the big screen was set up. Empress and Terra walked along next to him with Terra waddling along next to Cranidos and babbling something. From the way her arms were waving back and forth it seemed like whatever she was saying, she was doing in a most enthusiastic manner. When they reached the big screen Salvadore realised that they were in fact late to the show with most of the seating being claimed by other trainers or various pokemon. Empress gave an odd hooting barking that made all the pokemon sit up and look her way. Most of them quailed and stepped back from their positions fearfully as Empress surveyed them. One of the pokemon sitting in a seat turned out to be Hypnotoad who instead of reacting fearfully stood and waved for Empress to join her. ¡°Poli Wrath!¡± cried the powerful pokemon. She gestured to a seat next to her and Empress snorted in response. She still moved to claim the chair as the pokemon that had been seated there stayed back. Salvadore followed bowing politely. ¡°Thanks, and sorry for her! She¡¯s¡­ not good with manners,¡± he said. Empress gave Salvadore a look, one of her scaly eyebrows raised into the air. ¡°Tar?¡± she said. Salvadore coughed. ¡°Uhmmmm it¡¯s not nice to bully others, you could have asked instead of growling like that. I¡¯m pretty sure that hoot you did was a threat display, right?¡± Empress stared at him for a long moment before scoffing and claiming the seat next to Hypnotoad who warbled something at the other pokemon only to earn a bark from Empress. Salvadore moved to claim the edge of another chair with Cranidos next to him. ¡°Hi Moxy and Izumi, can we sit with you,¡± he said clearly. The Graveler and the Geodude nodded their heads indicating that it was fine. Salvadore sat with Cranidos claiming a spot on the ground quietly. With that sorted Salvadore looked up to find that the Elite match was already underway with the challenger using a Vileplume while Brock was fighting with Shin, his Kabutops. ¡°Aquajet away!¡± called Brock on the screen making his pokemon evade the Vine Whips that were threatening Shin. Shin shot away and began peppering the other pokemon with attack after attack all while evading. It was a lot more hit-and-run than Salvadore was used to seeing from his brother but it was working. Shin was merely too fast to be hit and the greater evasion led to better exchanges. Salvadore flipped open his notepad and turned to a marked-out section that he¡¯d titled battle strategies. Under the subheading ¡®hit and run style¡¯ he began to list off his observations for this match. Rocko, who¡¯d stayed with him, peered over Salvadore¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re missing that he¡¯s using Rock Polish while speeding around the battlefield. Shin is getting faster and shinier as this fight continues,¡± he said. Salvadore paused and watched the match, only for the battle between Shin and the Vileplume to end as Shin stopped dodging Vine Whips and Razor Leafs. Shin went from dodging to suddenly being on top of Vileplume with both bladed hands raised to streak in and slam into it with two Metal Claws. ¡°Vileplume is unable to battle!¡± barked Dennis, the referee for the day¡¯s match. Salvadore did a little fist pump as, around him, various pokemon roared their approval. Shin did a quick twist and flash of his blades. The camera shot to Brock and showed that he was staring intently at the battlefield. ¡°Hold position,¡± Brock said and a hush went over the crowd both on the screen and outside in the reserve as everyone waited for what would come next. ¡°Is that a good call or a bad one?¡± Salvadore whispered to Rocko, hoping to not break the tension. Rocko rubbed his chin for a moment. ¡°I happen to know that Brock has been doing a bit of a read up on some of the coming challengers and he has a decent idea of what this guy has. He is probably baiting the guy into a close-range matchup.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go Hariyama!¡± shouted Brock¡¯s opponent. The pokemon didn¡¯t even wait for a command, it¡¯s palm shot forward in a signature Arm Thrust. Shin ghosted around the blow, his scythes flashing out even as he evaded the attack. Hariyama grunted in pain but spun with a single leg, arms firing out only for Shin to twist away and unleash a close-range Hydro Pump into Hariyama¡¯s feet. Hariyama was forced to growl at Shin, as he swished his blades in front of him. Rocko nodded, ¡°Just like that,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°What else can you notice?¡± Salvadore said feeling much more confident. Rocko opened his mouth before giving Salvadore a look that he knew all too well. ¡°Hmmm I think I¡¯ll keep it a secret. You can build up your observation skills if I don¡¯t give you everything.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Salvadore said easily. Rocko eyed him before smiling. ¡°Heh, you¡¯re different from your brother.¡± ¡°Brock, really?¡± Rocko waved his hand. ¡°Nah, Forrest. When I first told him that he got annoyed and mentioned character-building tricks,¡± he said. Rocko shook his head and chuckled. ¡°Ah, I miss that kid.¡± Salvadore glanced away from the screen. ¡°Forrest didn¡¯t like things like that?¡± he said, feeling a small pang. It had honestly been weeks since he¡¯d last thought about his older brother, and now he kind of felt like the space his brother filled was a little larger. Rocko nodded. ¡°Didn¡¯t like giving out food in the early mornings either, but that was because Brock had him do it with Backpack on.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t backpacks good ways to carry things?¡± Salvadore queried. Rocko chuckled. ¡°No, Backpack is a specific Geodude.¡± He glanced around and pointed at a lighter-coloured Geodude than usual. ¡°That one there. She weighs in at around forty kilograms instead of the normal twenty these days. She¡¯s perfect for training as she has set modes where she will work with you while you run and other times become a nuisance. She¡¯s great for training purposes, but urgh she can be tough to deal with.¡± Salvadore drew some squiggles in his notepad. ¡°Got any other stories about Forrest?¡± he asked, his eyes turning back to the screen. There was a moment of silence before Rocko sat down. ¡°Sure. he got me really good one time with this whoopee cushion after I¡¯d asked him to redo some work. Got me right in the middle of a work meeting. Damn near made Dennis laugh!¡± Salvadore giggled. ¡°He tried that on me as well but I caught him at it. Then he slipped it under Brock and I think Brock saw it but he did it anyway!¡± Salvadore frowned. ¡°He stopped doing as many practical jokes last year¡­¡± ¡°Might have just grown out of it,¡± Rocko offered. Salvadore considered that. Then he considered what Forrest was doing. ¡°... How much does a Journey change someone?¡± asked Salvadore. Rocko sighed. ¡°It can be one of the most or least impactful events. I remember a guy that stayed exactly the same. Heck he even still dresses the same these days! That doesn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t change though. He got wiser and his changes were more subtle.¡± Rocko wrapped an arm around Salvadore. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, people change all the time and that can be a great thing. Don¡¯t be worried that he¡¯s not going to be your brother anymore though. He might be a better big brother now, just like you are going to be a different Salvadore. When you get the time, try and spend some time with him. It¡¯s sort of like an adventure meeting someone that¡¯s gone off on one themselves,¡± Rocko said with a wistful look. ¡°You have to work out how they changed and that can be a lot of fun.¡± ¡°Thanks, that sounds like a good idea.¡± Rocko ruffled his hair. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to call him either. Technology these days mean you¡¯re not really as far from each other as you might have been.¡± Salvadore blushed, realising that in all the time he¡¯d had his Xtransciever, he hadn¡¯t actually done that. ¡°Right,¡± he said, his head ducked. Rocko merely chuckled and stood. ¡°I still got some work to do. Enjoy what¡¯s left of the match,¡± he said indicating Shin battling against a Feraligatr Fangs snapped loudly and Salvadore readied his pen to catch what he could. In his mind he already knew he¡¯d have to get a replay of it later to do it right. Eventually, despite weathering a few heavy blows as the grinding match dragged on, Shin emerged victorious and Salvadore joined in with the people and pokemon around him celebrating. Cranidos hooted loudly having regathered his breath during the match. As highlights played out, the ancient pokemon vibrated with energy for a moment before turning and dashing off only to pause as a loud gurgle roared out. Cranidos stiffened and changed directions to one of the feed bins to get some food. Salvadore chuckled only for his own stomach to rumble causing him to cough sheepishly. Salvadore waved to Terra and Empress and trotted on into the trainer lounge where he found Brock talking with Missy, ¡°¡ªworking on getting Shin to be able to parry certain attacks for a while. It takes a bit of martial arts training but it is doable for other pokemon as well.¡± ¡°Huh, neat, I¡¯ll have to look into that,¡± said the future Ace trainer. Salvadore collected a small plate and stacked it up with small sandwiches before getting close to listen in. Having free time as a perk of his higher grades certainly resulted in some neat benefits like getting to spend his time talking and listening in when talks like this happened. When Brock was done he waved for Salvadore to approach. ¡°Hey little bro, how¡¯s your day been so far?¡± he said and Salvadore grinned, more than happy to tell his oldest brother just how it had been going. Chapter 223 - Pewter Academy hard knock lessons I listened in as my little brother told me all about how he¡¯d spent the early morning going around observing the various pokemon within my reserve. I chuckled, knowing that it would only get more interesting as time went on. Man, I couldn¡¯t wait until I had some more ancient pokemon. Huh, I still needed to follow up with Flint about that idea I¡¯d had regarding an ancient Gym format. Then again there was no reason I couldn¡¯t just run it. It would be no different than having a tropical shirt Friday, just more Jurassic-themed with the pokemon as well. ¡°¡ªand then I had Cranidos start working on his headbutts but I did it in a different way than usual!¡± Salvadore said. I tilted my head. ¡°A different way?¡± I said, interested in what he¡¯d devised. I¡¯d been working patience and power with Cranidos. Salvadore happily regaled with his training methods and suggestions before coughing. ¡°Then I tried a¡­ jelly sack¡­¡± I blinked. ¡°I¡¯m guessing by your reaction, that this training method did not work out so well?¡± ¡°You remember how you mention reactionary forces? Something about equal and opposite?¡± ¡°When two objects interact they apply forces to each other equal to each other of equal magnitude and opposite direction?¡± I asked. Salvadore stared at me for a moment. ¡°Huh, I think I actually understood that a little this time when you said it.¡± I blinked before coughing, recalling that Salvadore, for all that he was a smart kid, he was a kid. ¡°Sorry, there are a few ways that I can demonstrate that to make it more understandable,¡± I said. I drew out a few pebbles from my pocket, searching around for the right size and weight. ¡°Here,¡± I said, demonstrating on a table what happened when two pebbles of equal size slammed together. I then showed what happened with one rock being faster, larger, or just heavier. Salvadore stared. ¡°But¡­ when pokemon fight that doesn¡¯t always play out? Otherwise, Onix would be one of the strongest?¡± I wobbled my hand. ¡°Things get a lot more complicated when pokemon energy types or energy in general gets involved. That tends to cause a huge shift in terms of how fights play out. This is also not accounting for technique, which can utilise leverage to win out.¡± Salvadore looked a little lost so I elaborated. ¡°Think martial arts versus just weight lifting,¡± I said. That earned me a nod. I chuckled. ¡°Regardless I got sidetracked there, you were talking about Cranidos and a jelly sack?¡± I said. Behind me, Rocko began to choke on his lunch. I glanced back in time to catch sight of Dennis swinging his palm into Rocko¡¯s back. I grabbed Salvadore by the head and pulled him down in time to duck the chunk of sandwich that was ejected forcibly from Rocko¡¯s mouth. The piece of food slapped into the far wall and I stood back up. Everyone gave the piece of food a morbid watch as it began streaking down the wall. I glanced back at the two sheepish men. ¡°I would usually have the person who threw the food clean it up, but I think you¡¯re both partly to blame there¡­ so you¡¯re both cleaning that up.¡± Rocko coughed and gave a raspy, ¡°That seems fair.¡± Dennis merely nodded, moving to grab a cloth. I grunted and looked back at Salvadore. ¡°So?¡± Salvadore rubbed the back of his head and smiled at me. ¡°So yeah I thought it would be a good idea to use something that was more like a pokemon to train against.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said, realising how this was going to go. With how Newton¡¯s third law was being used I had a good idea of what was going to play out with Salvadore¡¯s story. ¡°¡ª and then he got launched into the air with this wobbling noise!¡± said Salvadore, shooting his hands up and ending his story. I snorted. ¡°That¡­ sounds like it was a great lesson for Cranidos. He¡¯ll have to respect softer targets but I think you started him on a really good path there. There is potential in what you were teaching him but we can expand on it.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Salvadore said, interested. ¡°We can get him to fight pokemon like Muk and Grimer which have much softer bodies that can lead to him getting sucked in. You¡¯re right that his strong legs are a strength of his but he is also limited with his heavy head and small arms. Traps like mud or even quicksand could cause him issues,¡± I said, thinking aloud. I smirked. ¡°I think otherwise? I might introduce him to football. He likes headbutting things and football is perfect for him with kicking and headbutting. Heck, the other pokemon would love it as well.¡± ¡°Oooooh football!¡± said Salvadore. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯d love that sport!¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have to look around and see what I can get as footage to show it off to him. I wonder if there¡¯s a local league?¡± I asked. Dennis, now with a cleaning cloth in hand, coughed. ¡°There¡¯s a local amateur league with eight teams,¡± he said quickly. I blinked at him. ¡°Do you play in one of those teams?¡± Dennis¡¯ chest shot forward. ¡°I¡¯m a reserve goalkeeper!¡± he said proudly. Everyone stared at him. I coughed. ¡°Uhmmm good for you?¡± I offered tentatively. ¡°Thanks! There¡¯s six of us that want that position!¡± he said and that caused a tidal wave of people to offer their own polite congratulations. That certainly didn¡¯t sound as bad but I didn¡¯t point out that it also didn¡¯t guarantee that they were any good, merely that there was a lot of them. Ignoring that, I extracted a promise to get some footage from him to show to the pokemon. I toyed with the idea of setting up a game but pushed that back as Alexa moved towards me with a stack of papers. ¡°Anything serious?¡± I said taking the forms and giving them a read-over. ¡°Giselle,¡± Alexa responded, which made me perk up. ¡°I thought she wasn¡¯t going to be until the last day? Isn¡¯t she the top student?¡± I asked. ¡°She has been growing annoyed with the other¡¯s performances and wishes to show them the error of their ways,¡± Alexa said. ¡°She is demanding a change from what the academy organised as well. Instead of merely being a straight match against you she wishes to run the gauntlet.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I said, pleased that she was putting words into action. ¡°I¡¯ll approve it,¡± I said. ¡°The Headmaster might not be happy that you did as it puts the ¡®top student¡¯ at greater risk of failure.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Kid needs to live and test her boundaries sometime in her life. This is good I think. If she fails it¡¯s not the end of the world.¡± ¡°It might be the end of the world for a preteen girl Brock,¡± Alexa replied dryly. ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said. I couldn¡¯t really weigh in as I had never been a girl. I might have worn some dresses as gags and for events, but that wasn¡¯t going to let me have any insight. I had a slight angle more from helping to raise Yolanda and the girls but again, it was through a different lens than the girl would use or her peers might use. I rubbed my chin and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s what she wants and I¡¯m happy to give her the challenge,¡± I said finally. Alexa nodded, making a mark on her tablet. ¡°Very well, the first challenger will face you now,¡± she said. I made my way forward to find what had to be the most quintessential preppy, and by that, I meant he was a kid with his hair split with his hair sweeping off to the side. His uniform wore him with how it looked like it was pressed onto his body. His tie was a typical schoolboy knot and his shoes hurt to look at with how they shone under the lights of the gym. I didn¡¯t even want to get started on how high his pants were pulled up. It was easier to talk about his socks which were up to his knees. Damn. It was wrong, but this kid screamed bully bait. Even I wanted to give him a noogie to mush up his hair. ¡°Student Joe!¡± announced Dennis, who¡¯d reprised his role as the referee, shot his hand to the walking ¡®kick me sign¡¯ that was the kid. I shook my head. Repressing the weird feeling that seeing this kid brought out in me. So what? He was an awkward kid who was mostly knees and awkward angles that he tried to cover up with good care. Give this kid a couple of years and he might be a woman magnet with how well-groomed he would be. Of course, it would help if he put on some muscle, but that could be handled easily enough. I made a mental note to give him some advice on how to not be a swirlie magnet as I released my pokemon. Moxy took to the stage with a firm one-two punch, her smaller arms pumping in readiness. Joe stared at my Graveler. ¡°Hmmm a Rock-Ground type pokemon meaning that my pokemon will be especially effective!¡± he said pompously. He tossed out his pokeball, weakly I noted, resulting in his pokemon landing at the back of the battlefield. I eyed the distance between our pokemon. Typically it was only about twenty or so metres between the pokemon that started out. Now it was roughly seventy. Hmmm that weaker throw might work out for him. I gave a nod to Dennis and he got us underway. Joe was quick to slash his hand forward. ¡°Weepinbell use Razor Leaf!¡± ¡°Dig,¡± I responded easily, allowing Moxy to dive into the earth and avoid all of Weepingbell¡¯s attack. Joe grumbled. ¡°Like we practised Weepinbell!¡± he said, snapping his fingers. Weepinbell began to emit a faint white mist around itself with what I recognized as Sleep Powder. Joe nodded to himself. ¡°With this, when your pokemon emerges it will fall asleep allowing me to close out this match easily!¡± he said while leaning back proudly. Then he glanced to the side, where other Pewter Technical Institute kids were. Huh, that was right. This kid appeared in the cartoon didn¡¯t he? He was getting bullied over something¡­ Having a crush for Giselle? That didn¡¯t sound¡­ wrong or right. It had been a minor episode that only introduced a gimmick of advancing to the end-of-circuit tournament. Although, I knew from keeping an eye on said event there was going to be an earlier tournament to weed out the weaker trainers with only certain trainers getting to advance without the challenge. Those would be specific to only a few trailers from Technical institutes, the highest scoring Exam takers for the Pokemon League Admissions Exam would get that. I¡¯d already put in some recommendations for a few trainers such as Brawly, Flannery, Roxanne, Gary, and of course Bugsy to name a few. Not that they¡¯d need it. I smirked at Joe. ¡°Is that what you think is about to happen?¡± I said. Joe twitched and glanced about the field sharply. ¡°Yes? No? Yes!¡± He said. I held my smirk, enjoying the way Joe was twitching and second guessing himself. Moxy emerged from the ground, launching Weepinbell into the air with a powerful blow only for Joe¡¯s prediction of the next step to play out with Moxy passing through the Sleep Powder. Both pokemon hit the ground roughly with Moxy snoring. Joe relaxed. ¡°You were bluffing, just bluffing,¡± he said as he patted himself down. ¡°Weepinbell, use Vine Wh¡ª¡± ¡°Sleep talk,¡± I said, my smirk still present. ¡°Whuh?¡± Joe said right as Moxy unleashed a powerful Bulldoze right into her foe. Weepinbell was plowed through no less than three boulders despite Moxy being asleep. When Moxy was done she continued to snore while her foe lay still. Joe gaped. ¡°Eh? But¡­ blast you had this Graveller prepared for such tactics,¡± he said after a moment. I nodded. ¡°Correct. Sleep Powder is one of the strongest moves in a Grass types arsenal that I think gets underutilised.¡± I made a show of looking him up and down. ¡°A kid like you though? I think you¡¯re the type to do some homework for yourself.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Didn¡¯t do me any favours,¡± said Joe out the side of his mouth as he returned his pokemon. ¡°You do any homework on my pokemon?¡± I asked as he pulled out his second pokeball. ¡°Of course! Geodude, Gravler, Golem, Onix, Aron, Lairon, Lileep, and Slugma are the common pokemon that you like to use at this level.¡± I held in a twitch that he¡¯d predicted my second pokemon of this match with Lileep. I didn¡¯t think many people would have predicted that. It was a good read on his part. ¡°Well the issue comes from pokemon also having possible moves that they can learn from a Technical Machine to broaden their capabilities.¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± said Joe with a slump. ¡°I¡¯ll need to do more homework in future!¡± he said, causing me to chuckle. ¡°Welcome to life, homework is what it¡¯s called in school. For us adults, it is just work,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah okay old man,¡± he said, causing me to reel. Damn, that stung. ¡°I¡¯m not that old,¡± I said. ¡°Okay boomer,¡± replied the kid. I twitched. Ouch. Kid had snark. He sent out his second pokemon and revealed it to be a Psyduck. Psyduck tilted its head and looked left and then right as the crowd began to cheer. The little duck pokemon glanced about before grabbing its head in pain at the noise. I tilted my head. ¡°Interesting choice,¡± I said as I watched the Psyduck struggle with a headache straight out of the pokeball. That was rather telling. ¡°Psyduck! Water Gun!¡± Joe said to restart things off. ¡°Sleep Talk,¡± I said and this time Moxy slammed her head into the ground to do a Defense Curl. Damn. This time the attack hit and Moxy shuddered but she held on by a finger to her consciousness as the water wiped off the Sleep Powder and she woke up. Alright, not terrible. ¡°Dig, evasion¡± I said, getting Moxy out of there and earning ourselves some breathing room. Joe grimaced. ¡°Okay Psyduck, like we worked on! Amnesia!¡± Psyduck glowed for a second only to stop and tilt its head, looking like it forgot what it was doing. It fell on its backside and warbled pathetically. If someone wasn¡¯t as well versed on pokemon, I¡¯d have thought the move failed. Psyduck, while not a psychic-water type pokemon still had a strong association with psychic moves. To the uninitiated, the move had failed, but Psyduck as a species had an interesting quirk with their amnesia typically being too effective on it to the point that it forgets what it was actually doing beyond trying to follow a command. It did get stronger, but it also forgets that it gets stronger. It was a very strange dynamic but it worked for the little pokemon, especially in clutch moments. I don¡¯t even have to look at Joe to know that he knows this quirk. He radiates a falseness to my senses. When I look at him I see he¡¯s chewing his lip. ¡°Not this time either huh?¡± he said. I held back the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I decided to do something different. When Moxy popped back up slightly to the side instead of attacking, Joe twitched. ¡°Water Gun!¡± he ordered. ¡°Explosion,¡± I said, causing him to recoil. ¡°Psyduck use¡ª¡± he started to shout only for Moxy¡¯s last attack to detonate and rock the field. When it cleared Psyduck was shown glowing with psychic energy while around him a hexagon-styled dome had formed. I whistled. ¡°Don¡¯t see many willing to fork out for Protect,¡± I said. ¡°Or did you have your pokemon learn it organically?¡± I asked, referring to the longer method of having it train and study a move that it can learn via Technical Machine. Joe tilted his head, revealing he had no idea about what I was talking about. I waved my hand and recalled Moxy as Dennis proclaimed her unable to fight. Psyduck seemed stunned by this turn of events, as though it couldn¡¯t believe it had just won. It spun about to Joe and pointed at itself helplessly. Joe nodded, a huge smile on his face. ¡°Yeah! You won that match Psyduck! I knew you could do it!¡± he said. It almost hurt to look at him with how megawatt his smile had become. I could almost feel the light glinting off his teeth. As I reached for my second pokemon a light began to form around Psyduck and I held off as Psyduck began to evolve. The light built up as Psyduck¡¯s form grew taller and thinner. He lost the round body and instead became a swimmer¡¯s build. The light vanished to show a pokemon with a lush feathery coat and a strong body. I whistled. Looks like Joe was a pretty good trainer if he¡¯d developed his pokemon to this level. ¡°Yes! Well done Golduck! Now let¡¯s take the fight to them!¡± he cheered. ¡°Let¡¯s go Cradily,¡± I said with a smirk. I wasn¡¯t going to let him have things easily and Joe¡¯s eyes snapped to the field as the evolved form of Lileep appeared. ¡°Urgh? This is the ultra-rare evolved ancient pokemon!¡± Joe announced loudly. I coughed. I actually had three of them these days with the training I¡¯d put the plantation of Lileep through, it was bound to result in a few evolving. It wasn¡¯t incorrect with there being only one actual recorded battle thus far. Still, to call it ultra rare? Yeeeeeeaaaah, not for long. ¡°Ingrain,¡± I said, getting the match back underway. Joe grimaced. ¡°Go for Confusion! If that¡¯s the evolved form of Lileep, water attacks won¡¯t be very effective!¡± I pursed my lips. Well, that was dead wrong. I flicked my eyes to the side as I caught sight of Giselle putting both hands to her face to hold in a scream. She looked incensed. Joe also glanced in Giselle¡¯s direction and he stiffened at what he saw. On the battlefield, Confusion hurled some rocks into Cradily¡¯s prone form which he weaved around only for a few to strike home doing some damage. A portion of that damage was then negated as Cradily¡¯s Ingrain kicked in. I smirked as I noticed that Joe was still staring at Giselle. Well, if he was going to mess up his typings I¡¯d hammer the weak point he¡¯d presented. ¡°Giga Drain!¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± Joe shouted, caught off guard, his head whipping back around to catch my pokemon draining his with large green orbs. Golduck faltered and Joe hissed. ¡°Golduck! Confusion again!¡± he ordered, trying to double down. I sighed, saddened that he didn¡¯t have his pokemon dodge or try to block the attack in some manner. Golduck or rather Psyduck would have been the perfect pokemon to teach Disable to. Instead he got himself locked into a slugging match with a type disadvantage where I could drain his pokemon. The result was never in question but Joe floundered as Goldduck hit the ground and Dennis raised the flags in my direction. ¡°Cradily is the winner!¡± he announced. The crowd politely applauded but most eyes were on Joe as he shifted back and forth. The kid was obviously caught in a mental tailspin. I let it continue for a moment before raising my hands. I slammed them together while infusing rock energy into them causing the clap to boom through the stadium. ¡°Get it together Joe! Is this the best you have to present to me? You¡¯re not putting your best foot forward!¡± I said. ¡°Is this the display you want the world to remember you for?¡± I said, gesturing wide at the crowd. Joe paused, taking in the watching eyes of the crowd. Rather than rallying and straightening up, the kid crumpled, curling in on himself as snot and tears began to dribble down his face. ¡°Ah shit,¡± I said, quickly hopping over the podium railing and jogging across to him. Joe flinched when I launched myself up onto the still-raised platform. I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him in. ¡°Hey, take a breath Joe,¡± I said as I lowered myself to his level. ¡°W-huhu-whu- what? What are you doing? I¡¯m failing?¡± he said. I sighed and smiled. ¡°So? Failing isn¡¯t the end, nor is it a beginning. It¡¯s just part of life. You haven¡¯t been failing that badly either. You¡¯ve been building up your team for this match, I can tell. That Golduck was strong.¡± ¡°But he wasn¡¯t strong enough.¡± I squeezed his shoulder. ¡°He was, just as you were good enough. You know what stopped you from winning?¡± ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°Yourself. You got into your own head about what you needed to do. You were too static with what you needed to do. At the level you¡¯re challenging at to get a passing grade, you need to demonstrate that you can be more dynamic with your pokemon and your style of thinking.¡± ¡°Dynamic?¡± he asked. I nodded. ¡°Able to switch it up with strategies, styles, and pokemon, you don¡¯t have to keep the same pokemon out, nor do you have to lock yourself in. Sometimes you have to change it up. That make sense?¡± He nodded and I mirrored him. ¡°Good, good, also, one other thing?¡± I said quietly. ¡°Yeah?¡± he said. I flicked my eyes to the stands where Giselle and the rest of the students were watching from. ¡°You need to not get distracted during a match. She¡¯s a nice enough girl¡­ I¡¯m sure, I said. From what few interactions I''d had with her she was a bit spoilt and bratty but for her social status as a rich kid she wasn¡¯t the worst I¡¯d dealt with. ¡°O-oh, yeah I guess I shouldn¡¯t, it¡¯s just she¡¯s sooo pretty,¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°Yeeeeeaaaah, if you¡¯re hoping to woo her today won¡¯t have done you any favours.¡± Joe¡¯s breath hitched only for a small smile to play out. I frowned. Alright, what was going on in that mind of his. ¡°I¡¯ll need to spend more time with her for tutoring, so it¡¯s not all bad. I¡¯ll have more chances than I already do! Giselle¡¯s nice like that! She¡¯ll double down with me!¡± he said resolutely. I stared. Yeah, that was¡­ one way of increasing contact but it struck me as very¡­ sketchy and also extremely naive. I hardened my heart and decided to rip the bandaid off. ¡°She¡¯ll never date you if that¡¯s how you¡¯re hoping to interact with her. She¡¯s always going to see you as a small kid who needs her pity,¡± I said firmly. With my hand on Joe¡¯s shoulder, I could feel him flinch. ¡°You don¡¯t know her!¡± he said quickly, his eyes turning venomous.. I sighed at him, ignoring the glare. I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t but I know that any relationship you could hope to have? She¡¯s not going to want to date a kid that she constantly has to chase up and tutor. She¡¯s going to look for someone with confidence and potential. What you¡¯re hoping to do? It¡¯s sinking your chances just to spend time with her.¡± ¡°At least I¡¯ll¡ª¡± he started to say only for me to jostle his shoulder. ¡°Really? You¡¯re giving up on her? You don¡¯t think she¡¯s worth the effort? Feh, guess you never had a chance,¡± I said, shaking my head. Joe stiffened. ¡°What?¡± I locked eyes with him. ¡°You have a chance, but it depends on what you do here and now. Your demonstration thus far? I¡¯m not going to lie, it¡¯s been abysmal. But!¡± Here I made sure to pause and raise a finger into his gaze. ¡°But, you can turn it around. Knuckle down on the studies that I get the feeling you¡¯ve been slacking on. Don¡¯t just rely on the school to force-feed you what you need to know. Get out there and try things yourself. Fight with other trainers. Put in the effort and wow her with how you turn yourself around. That will be something worth recognition,¡± I said. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I can do that.¡± ¡°I do, I know you have more in you Joe,¡± I said. Joe swallowed. ¡°W-what do I do first?¡± I sighed. ¡°Right now? Do you think you can keep fighting with what you have left? I have one more pokemon in my roster for this match.¡± Joe stared up at me. ¡°Haven¡¯t I forfeited this match?¡± I snorted. ¡°You¡¯re not the first to have a breakdown on the podium, nor are you going to be the last. Being a Gym Leader is about being a barrier for people, but also a support for the community.¡± I squeezed him. ¡°And young kids like you? You¡¯re the future of that community so if I say this match is still playing out then it is. The question is, do you have the spirit to fight on? I won¡¯t pull my punches.¡± Joe swallowed and for half a second his eyes darted to the crowd only to shoot back to me. I held in my smile. That was almost progress. ¡°Yes,¡± he said and I could see a small spark of something take hold. I nodded. ¡°Good, now what¡¯s going to happen is probably one of the toughest things you¡¯ll have to endure, but if you can do it with your head held high and come out the other side you¡¯ll be better for it. A lot of people will respect you for that instead of just crumpling, so fight on.¡± I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not going to verbalise it, but I¡¯m cheering for you Joe,¡± I said as I stood up. ¡°We¡¯re continuing!¡± I announced loudly. Ignoring the way Joe was gaping at me. I gave his shoulder another single squeeze, then I winked at him as I hopped over the railing and jogged back to my own. I nodded to Dennis and my Cradily as I passed. Dennis coughed and raised his flags. ¡°The pause is now finished! The trainer has one minute to release their pokemon!¡± he said. I smiled knowing that technically, Joe had already used up his minute, but we weren¡¯t going to penalise him. For all that Dennis preferred to stick to the rules, he knew when to bend them. Joe took a deep breath and pulled out his next pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Growlithe!¡± he said, sending out a small pokemon that barked and did a tight circle. I nodded and restarted the match. ¡°Ancient Power,¡± I said, causing rocks to lift and rocket straight into the yipping little pokemon. Growlithe was slammed into and hurled aside only to stagger back to his feet. Joe gasped. ¡°G-growlithe! Use Flame Wheel to get back into the fight!¡± he ordered. Growlithe shot forward but I wasn¡¯t going to merely bend over and let things play out that easily. ¡°Earthquake, ¡° I said and Cradilly twitched before slamming his body into the ground causing it to buckle and break. Growlithe was thrown up and when it landed it didn¡¯t rise. A flag rose and Joe quivered as the loss was announced. He looked up at me and I nodded. He returned his pokemon and sent out the next pokemon. I flattened it even quicker. By the time he reached his sixth pokemon he was shaking physically but he held my gaze and his pokemon registered his need. As a Pidgey it was a terrible match up, but perhaps sensing his trainers need to keep fighting it fought hard. Dodging and diving in and around rocks that were sent its way while it fought back as hard as it could. I watched on calmly as Joe rallied only for his pokemon to tire and take a single rock to the body. Pidgey fell from the air and Joe slumped to the ground. I had the podiums lowered and was at Joe¡¯s side. ¡°Hey Joe,¡± I said ¡°Hang in there. It¡¯s a rough feeling but you¡¯ll eventually get through it.¡± ¡°Urgh,¡± he said. I lifted his tiny frame into my arms. ¡°I¡¯ll take him to the medbay to rest it off. He fought hard,¡± I announced to the watching crowd. It started with a single person clapping and I glanced over to find that it was Salvadore standing and clapping. I smiled and nodded in thanks as others rose and applauded Joe¡¯s effort. I shifted Joe in my arms. ¡°Here that? They¡¯re cheering for you, now imagine what it¡¯s going to be like when you are victorious.¡± ¡°Victor¡­¡± he said sleepily. I chuckled. ¡°Just sleep for now,¡± I said knowing that I¡¯d given the kid a taste of something. I just hoped it would take root. I deposited him with Chansey as Mrs Hooper reached me. ¡°Oh Joe you didn¡¯t need to fight that hard,¡± she said with a sigh as she brushed his hair back. I shook my head. ¡°No, I think he did. He pushed himself today, further than even he knew he was capable of.¡± I nodded at him. ¡°Hopefully he takes today¡¯s lessons and applies himself a bit more.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to be rather targeted in the playground and outside school for this,¡± Mrs Hooper murmured. ¡°Some of the others are always rougher on him,¡± she said. ¡°So give him a safe space and stop those other people from bullying him. Don¡¯t let it happen. If you have to keep him back for extra training it will suit his goal of getting stronger,¡± I said. Mrs Hooper nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll try everything I can,¡± she said. ¡°Have him come talk with me, I think he¡¯s got some moxy in him,¡± I said over my shoulder as I moved back towards my next challenger. The next challenge turned out to be much the same, except for one thing. Interestingly, they dragged the fight out and managed to eke a win for themselves by having a six-team roster. I couldn¡¯t be sure, but I had a suspicion that if they¡¯d gone earlier today they might have given up. Instead, they seemed determined to cling on. Perhaps Joe inspired them? I began to notice that all the students that I faced all had the same gumption in their fighting styles. There was a clear break from the earlier matches this morning to now. After Joe¡¯s match, I could see a serious shift in the students getting more determined and focused. Instead of just showing up and expecting things to work out they were putting in their best efforts. Another change that I noticed was that in the stands the waiting students and even those who had already fought were all sharing notes and talking among themselves now. Heh, it seemed they were doing a little last-minute group study. Good, there was nothing saying they couldn¡¯t after all. When fights were close the kids rallied and fought on. The other students even started up chants to support each other as they realised they could make a difference. More and more of the kids were willing to push themselves. Some of them until they couldn¡¯t fight anymore which was a huge difference from previous years¡¯ students as two other students joined Joe in resting in the medical bay. I had to say I was impressed. By the time the last student for the day rolled around three-quarters of today¡¯s students had their badges, a marked difference from yesterday. Now it was time to see what Giselle, as the Institute¡¯s ace student could muster to finish off the day. Chapter 224 - Pewter Tech Ace exhibition Giselle stood in the tunnel and tried not to fidget. She couldn¡¯t. No! That wasn¡¯t right, it was more like she wouldn¡¯t fidget. She was in control and at peace. So what did it matter that so far only fifteen of the thirty-six students that had challenged the Gym had passed? That would change. The rest of the students, all ten of them, were going to pass after today, herself included. Then there would be twenty-five out of the forty-six students. Which¡­ was a passing mark. Not a great one, but still a passing mark. So what if more people had failed than she¡¯d expected? It wasn¡¯t the worst scenario. She¡¯d need to revise the club activities, reorganise funding and make sure that the slackers were motivated to pick up their act! She and the others needed them to! They also represented Pewter Technical Institute and would be linked with her. Their poor performance meant she¡¯d be tarred with the same brush of defeat! She was not going to be the year that was found lacking! Giselle shook her head to dispel the thoughts. None of that mattered for now! She was going to show them how to do it. She was going to lead the way. Only¡­ she wet her lips and shifted slightly. She didn¡¯t fidget. No, she just adjusted her position, that was all. She swallowed. It was looking like it hadn¡¯t been a good idea to demand that she face a gauntlet like regular trainers did. She¡¯d just have to back herself now. She¡¯d talked the talk, and now she¡¯d need to walk the walk as her cousin liked to say. He was a rougher sort but he was amusing at times. One of the helpers of the Gym approached her, the woman¡¯s rainbow-coloured hair catching in the lights with each step taken. When she reached Giselle she offered a wink. ¡°Alright, so it¡¯s standard that we give trainers undergoing a normal challenge the right to be introduced. Your school didn¡¯t want that for everyone else as they just wanted to shuffle you all through. But seeing as you¡¯re going the extra effort we¡¯ll do the personalised introduction if you want it?¡± ¡°Personalised introduction?¡± Giselle queried as calmly as she could. What was this about the school stopping introductions? People had been introduced, hadn¡¯t they? ¡°Do you mean my student identification number?¡± she asked. The woman snorted. ¡°What? No! Something lively! Like how the champion is introduced? We don¡¯t just leave it as ¡®This is Lance Third Champion of the League¡¯ do we?¡± Giselle shook her head. Rachel grinned. ¡°People hype him up. That¡¯s what the introduction is all about, hype.¡± The woman swept her arm about and Giselle caught sight of a badge stating her name was Rachel. ¡°It¡¯s all about personal brand if you would. This is one of the ways to set yourself out from the crowd. Tell people who you are!¡± Rachel shook her head and sent her hair bouncing. ¡°Colour in the lines of what people know of Giselle, the student of Pewter Tech.¡± Rachel tilted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s start by what your friends call you, maybe?¡± Giselle stiffened. ¡°Ah! Well, t-that is to say,¡± Gisells said, suddenly stammering. Rachel¡¯s grin faltered a little only to wave her hand. ¡°No worries no worries if you don¡¯t have nicknames for each other. Let¡¯s think of something else,¡± she said. Giselle relaxed. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t have friends, it was just that¡­ well they were in Johto.. Or other academies! Yes! That¡¯s right! She thought to herself, perking up. She turned her mind to the new assignment of creating some ¡®hype¡¯ around herself. She could see the appeal. ¡°I would like it known that I am the top student!¡± she said proudly, drawing herself as tall as she could. She almost stood taller than Rachel. Giselle considered going to her tiptoes but held off. Rachel nodded, smile still in place even as the woman looked at her more carefully now. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a good start, what else?¡± Giselle blinked. ¡°Oh that¡¯s¡­¡± she suddenly felt unsure. Was that really all she had to her name when asked? She cast her mind for more options. She was the Student Council president? But that wouldn¡¯t matter here. She was the daughter of Stuart Richie entrepreneur, but that was her father¡¯s title. She¡­ ¡°Yes?¡± she said quietly. Was that all she had? Rachel hummed in thought, tilting her head this way and that before shaking her head. ¡°How about playing up your potential? You¡¯re a young woman after all, so if you wanted to announce that you were the prettiest lass of Pewter, no one would really get too hurt.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Giselle said. ¡°But, what? No, I couldn¡¯t! There hasn¡¯t been an official vote!¡± Rachel snorted. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure if a vote happened for who¡¯s the prettiest lass, Officer Jenny would be coming down on the organisers for being so pervy.¡± Rahel waved her hand back and forth. ¡°No this is all creative licence. We take something true,¡± here Rachel indicated Giselle with an up and down sweep of her hand. ¡°And then we stretch it for all its worth. You may or may not be, but no one¡¯s going to mind. You¡¯re a young woman who¡¯s confident, is what doing this says!¡± she said as she adopted a superheroine pose with her chest puffed out and her head through back. Giselle¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Creative licence, hmmm?¡± She considered it for a moment. She did like the sound of being seen as confident. She nodded. ¡°Yes that would work I think,¡± she said, deciding to commit to a little bit of bravado before she could second-guess herself too much. Rachel nodded. ¡°Alright, so you¡¯re going to face two trainers that will each have two to three pokemon to them. You¡¯re allowed to use items to heal up between matches and interchange any of your pokemon with the six you started with. If you send out a Rattata and it is the last out as a match ends you¡¯re not locked into using that same pokemon first next time. Does that make sense?¡± Giselle nodded firmly. She was well aware of the details of the match. She¡¯d reviewed them extensively. She had a very good idea of what sorts of styles and pokemon Brock could use along with his little Gym assistants. She just needed to calm down and show the world her best. This was no different than another lesson in Advanced pokemon battling classes. Specifically the practical component. If she didn¡¯t emerge victorious, what good were all the lessons that she attended? What good was all the training she put in. She wasn¡¯t the Ace of Pewter Tech for nothing. Giselle glanced around and when she noted that Rachel was at the end of the tunnel working on her transceiver at a wall-mounted console she relaxed. She then very quietly said. ¡°I am woman, and I am strong!¡± she whispered. ¡°Hear me roar!¡± shouted Rachel, causing Giselle to flinch, having not realised she was so vocal. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m, I was just¡ª¡± Giselle said, her face flushing red. Rachel just waved her off. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s no need to justify anything to me. I get it. Self Empowerment yo!¡± she said, raising her fist to the sky. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the tunnel and five minutes before I announce you. Watch for the strobing lights, alright? I¡¯ll announce you with a roar if you want!¡± Before Giselle could say anything else Rachel stepped out, leaving her alone. Giselle put her hands to her face in mortification. She¡¯d have to consider silencing the woman permanently. It was the only feasible solution at this stage. No one could know her shame. Perhaps a ghost pokemon in the dead of night? They were in a graveyard yes? There was one nearby. She¡¯d just need to break away from her minders and whip a few into shape. Or there were always Hypno. Pokemon that were known to drain their victims with how proficient they were at eating Dreams. Where does one find a pack of Hypno to send at an unsuspecting woman? No¡­ that was too far. Rachel leaned back in. ¡°I won¡¯t do that though we¡¯ll stick with what you wanted,¡± she said. Giselle blinked. ¡°Oh¡­ good,¡± she said mentally deescalating her plans to silence the other woman. Rachel smiled and nodded before vanishing back down the tunnel. Giselle pushed aside thoughts of justified murder, something that her mother assured her all women spent serious time on each day. It was why true crime stories and crime shows were so well-rated. Or at least according to her mother, that was the case. Giselle threw back her shoulders and stared at herself in a mirror in the tunnel. She looked good in her Institute uniform. Like any serious trainee of the social debutant society, she had her uniforms tailored to her. So what if they needed to be taken in fortnightly as she grew? Such was the price of being well-dressed and presented. She gave herself a fine inspection as the tunnel lights began to pulse, signalling that it was time. Giselle turned toward the exit and met Rachel just out of sight of the crowd. Rachel nodded and stepped forward. ¡°Ladies, Gentlemen and pokemon of all ages! Welcome to this afternoon¡¯s final challenge from the Pewter Technical Institute! Today we have the school¡¯s jewel! The prettiest lass in the land and the Academy¡¯s top student in academics and battling! Giselle!¡± Giselle swallowed. That was a bit more than she¡¯d been anticipating but she should have realised that Rachel was one of those sorts that when given an inch, they ran a marathon with the slack. Giselle ignored it and advanced her head aloft. She deigned to give Rachel a nod of consideration. Then she moved past her and towards the podium as the crowd applauded for her. Sadly the numbers of said supporters were slightly diminished with a few of them whiting out. She¡¯d visit them before the day was done as was her duty as Ace. She needed to talk with a few of them about upping their efforts with training their pokemon and also their studies if they were faltering here. When she reached the podium Giselle looked up as a light thrummed to life, shining down onto her opponent. Across from her another young girl stood with her arms crossed and a giant smile across her face. Ah, they were copying their Gym Leader, if they thought that was going to intimidate her they were wrong. She¡¯d faced down bigger men in her time. She¡¯d taken them all without any issues. ¡°¡ªdefending the Gym first! Greta Evergreen!¡± cheered Rachel. Greta dropped her pose and jogged down the stairs and onto the podium she locked eyes with Giselle and Giselle felt the spark of battle ignite within her. The referee ran through the normal prematch announcements and then raised his flags. ¡°Trainers are you ready?¡± They both nodded and the man dropped his flags. ¡°Release and begin!¡± he shouted. Giselle palmed her first pokeball with a smirk coming over her features. It was time to show the Pewter Gym what she had. ¡°Go Graveler!¡± she called. ¡°Go Graveler!¡± shouted Greta. Giselle''s smirk widened as her gambit paid off. Both pokemon materialised and took a moment to blink at each other. Then they flexed and shifted from foot to foot as they began taking a measure of each other. Around her the crowd murmured in surprise at this showing. It was rare to see two of the same pokemon face off. For Giselle, it worked to underline exactly how confident she was in the work she¡¯d put in. ¡°Defense Curl!¡± Giselle called, getting the match underway. ¡°Same for you Graveler!¡± said Greta. Both pokemon hunkered down while keeping an eye on the other. ¡°Rollout!¡± ordered Giselle. ¡°Same again! Build up style!¡± said Greta cryptically.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Both pokemon threw themselves forward becoming tumbling boulders that caused the earth to shake underneath them. With merely their passing boulders shuddered and in a few locations they even broke up and became jagged messes of sharp rocks. When it became clear that both pokemon were equal in their speed and Greta was happy to play keep away, Giselle decided to change things up. Giselle shot her hand forward. ¡°Earthquake!¡± she said. Giselle¡¯s Graveler leapt into the air and as soon as it landed Giselle knew her pokemon would break the field and potentially her foe. ¡°Hit that boulder and soar!¡± called Greta. Her pokemon turned and spun straight into a boulder only to be launched up into the air. Giselle clicked her tongue as her Earthquake missed due to this rather well-timed dodge. Still, with her foe airborne, there was some potential there. ¡°Catch it with Bulldoze!¡± ¡°Tighten up and try to hit the ground! Earthquake!¡± shouted Greta. Giselle watched with bated breath as her foe tightened up, ready to slam home her own Earthquake while her pokemon closed, attempting to tackle the falling Graveler with a Bulldoze. Her pokemon rumbled forward and for a second it looked like she was going to be too late only for Graveler to slam home just before the other could touch the ground. Like two pinballs hitting each other they careened off but Giselle knew her pokemon had come off the better. Both pokemon staggered to their feet, but Greta¡¯s was obviously more unsteady on its ground. A momentary inspection revealed it was still battle-worthy as Giselle expected. ¡°Earthquake!¡± Giselle called only to have her move matched. The field rocked and shook. On the podium, Giselle had to grab the railing as the podium bucked as a small portion of the shift was transmitted to her. She gritted her teeth as she watched her own pokemon bounce on the roiling ground but was gratified to see Greta¡¯s pokemon knocked out. ¡°Gravler is unable to fight! Graveler is victorious!¡± announced the referee. The crowd applauded her and Giselle nodded, pleased at this turn of events. Greta returned her pokemon and gave it a few words of encouragement before sending out her next pokemon, revealing it to be a Corsola. Oh. Giselle immediately returned her Graveler, not wanting to lose any early advantage she could. That would be a horrible match up for her, as while the terrain was mostly rock debris, there was a grate that circled the field, making it all too easy for water type pokemon to draw on their element of choice. This would mean she¡¯d need a different pokemon, but she had something ready. ¡°Go Tangela!¡± Her pokemon appeared and she opened her mouth to give a command only for rocks all around the field to rise and rocket into her pokemon. Giselle stared, caught out by this strange shift. Part of her wanted to cry foul but her mind knew what was going on. She looked up to find Greta smirking at her, her own hand shooting forward. ¡°Power Gem!¡± called Greta. ¡°Tangela Use Vine Whip to destroy the rocks!¡± Giselle called only for the rocks to slam into her pokemon and stagger it further thanks to the speed of the attack. Giselle grimaced. She had to give it to Greta, she¡¯d underestimated her. She might have beaten her out with her Graveler, but her Gravler was still tipping the scales in her favour after its defeat. ¡°Sleep Powder!¡± Giselle called hoping to bait a specific response with Surf. ¡°Water Gun straight up!¡± shouted Greta causing Giselel to frown for a moment only to scowl as she quickly understood what Greta¡¯s plan was. ¡°Vine Whip!¡± She called as the silvery powder moved towards Corsola. Corsola was knocked away from the powder as well as the glob of water that would have washed off the powder in a moment anyway. ¡°Recover!¡± said Greta cheekily, her smile stretching her face. Giselle hissed in annoyance. This match suddenly became a lot harder despite her advantage. For the Corsola to know Recover it must be extremely highly trained. ¡°Giga Drain!¡± Giselle ordered, determining that she needed to regain some health herself only for Corsola to bounce and be launched up into the air where it avoided the green orbs. ¡°Rock Gem!¡± called Greta once more. ¡°Vine Whip!¡± Giselle called. Both pokemon unleashed their attacks and both pokemon were hammered by rock and vine resulting in them tumbling away. When Corsola whined plaintively and collapsed Giselle took a deep breath in relief only to snap her gaze to Tangla who was struggling. The flags went up and announced her victory but Giselle couldn¡¯t hear them, too caught up in the issue of which pokemon to heal. Graveler, or Tangela. As she did this a trio of Graveler emerged thanks to the referee, to break up the Stealth Rocks so they wouldn¡¯t impact the next match. Giselle ignored them as she decided to stick with her Tangela in the end. ¡°Here girl,¡± she called and the tangle of vines trotted towards her as the podium lowered, allowing her to administer the one potion she could between rounds. Tangela joined her on the podium as Giselle looked up to find Greta had moved off to the side where another girl her age was hugging her and waving her arms ecstatically. Oh, she was with her friend now, Giselle realised. How nice. Giselle looked away, choosing to search for her next foe. Atop the stairs stood another girl with her arms crossed in the Gym¡¯s signature pose. Once more Giselle wasn¡¯t intimidated. ¡°¡ªYolanda!¡± announced Rachel and the hometown crowd cheered a little more as the girl walked her way forward. Once again Giselle met her gaze only to not feel her heart stir in the same way. Instead of matching her heated look, Yolanda smiled easily at her. ¡°Ready for a fun match?¡± she called. ¡°I¡¯m ready to win!¡± Giselle called back. For some reason Yolanda smiled wider at this, nodding along as though she agreed. Giselle held back a grimace. This girl was far too casual about this entire exchange! Yolanda tossed out her pokemon at the same time as Giselle sent out her Tangela once more. Yolanda¡¯s pokemon turned out to be a Lairon. Giselle grimaced. Another poor match up. Her grass would only impact normally and any poison moves she had Lairon was immune to. Still, perhaps one she could work with this to win? Her mind played through scenarios as the battlefield only to not like what she was envisioning. ¡°Return Tangela!¡± called Giselle. Yolanda nodded along and waved at her pokemon. ¡°Sandstorm,¡± she called casually. Giselle cursed. She didn¡¯t have the pokemon to disrupt a weather move as she wasn¡¯t game to bring out her Fearow to this match. So she¡¯d need something that could handle the degrading effects of a rock-type move. Her mind locked onto her best solution. ¡°Go! Cubone!¡± she called sending out the little pokemon with a deft flick of her wrist. Cubone appeared only for the Sandstorm to almost engulf him straight away. Cubone braced stoically and looked to her for orders. Giselle couldn¡¯t order Bonemerang due to the intense winds, but she did have other options. ¡°Dig!¡± she called. On the other side of the field, Yolanda made a chopping action and Giselle knew straight away what was coming. She grabbed the railing as yet another Earthquake was unleashed and she was forced to grit her teeth as the battlefield rocked under the impact. Cubone still preserved for her though, fighting through the no doubt crushing pressure to emerge to slam into Lairon¡¯s underbelly. Sadly it seemed like Yolanda had gotten off a harden as the super effective move wasn¡¯t enough to end the exchange. Lairon, now close to her much smaller pokemon suddenly leapt forward, hammering into Cubone and sending him soaring away. Giselle lost sight of him and grimaced. ¡°Cubone charge back with Stomping Tantrum!¡± Giselle shouted over the howling wind, hoping her pokemon could hear her. A moment later relief filled her as Cubone, injured, but still in the fight, charged out of the sandstorm before leaping up to slam down atop Lairon¡¯s body. The larger pokemon buckled at the attack and groaned before rolling onto its side, indicating it had no more fight left in it. Yolanda returned it easily while Giselle inspected her own pokemon. Cubone was limping and obviously on his last legs. That made two pokemon now severely weakened while Tangela was no doubt tired from the earlier exchange. Giselle swallowed. She felt a wave of uncertainty run through her. Could it be that she hadn¡¯t trained enough for this match? Brock would no doubt be the toughest fight yet. She shook off her doubts and steadied herself. ¡°Return Cubone!¡± he called. She eyed the sandstorm and held onto her pokemon, deciding to use the full minute to wait out the effect, then maybe she could send out another pokemon. As soon as the sandstorm abated Yolanda was revealed, still smiling, pokeball in hand. ¡°Go Graveler!¡± she called. Giselle¡¯s hand shifted straight away to Tangela only to pause as she noticed something off about this Graveler. It had an awful number of black spots across its body. Usually that would be a sign of poor diet, but that couldn¡¯t be true here. So it must mean¡­ ¡°Go Tangela,¡± Giselle said. Basically the same thing for the moment. Yolanda¡®s smile grew. ¡°Rachel did warn you that we had three pokemon sometimes yeah?¡± she said. Giselle only had a moment to frown before Yolanda¡¯s smile turned evil. ¡°Self Destruct!¡± she called and her electric-rock graveler went straight into meltdown. Giselle ran through all her options and realised that she had nothing. She could only watch as Yolanda struck down one of her strongest pokemon for this Gym. As the referee raised his flags to announce both pokemon were knocked out, Giselle levelled an annoyed glare at the other girl. ¡°Does this make you feel strong?¡± ¡°Nope! It¡¯s not about me being strong, not while I¡¯m acting as a Gym trainer, this is about you,¡± said Yolanda. Giselle blinked. ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡± ¡°This is about exposing weaknesses that you have now, while you can fix them. We¡¯ve only seen you fight against four pokemon now, and we already have an idea of certain matchups that would work against you and interrupt your flow. That¡¯s part of what fighting a gauntlet match is about,¡± Yolanda said, her arms sliding into a crossed-over pose. Giselle frowned. They¡¯d already picked apart her fighting style from so little information? They had to be bluffing. Giselle returned her pokemon. ¡°So you say!¡± said Giselle, pocketing her pokeball. Yolanda¡¯s eyes dipped to Giselle¡¯s pokebelt for a second, a small frown marring her features before they dipped back up. ¡°Hmmm,¡± she replied cryptically as she palmed her third pokeball. ¡°Go Onix!¡± called Yolanda. Giselle exhaled in relief. Onix, a brute of a pokemon typically but one that she could handle. ¡°Go Wigglytuff!¡± Giselle commanded, revealing her rarest pokemon. Wigglytuff appeared and locked eyes with the much larger pokemon before adopting a smirk. ¡°Sandstorm,¡± announced Yolanda casually and Giselle wanted to stop her feet. She did not want to be whittled down like¡­ She stopped, finding herself already reaching for her pokeball. That¡¯s what Yolanda had meant. They¡¯d picked up that she didn¡¯t like to take unnecessary damage, from things like Stealth Rocks, or from weather effects like Sandstorm. She could have her pokemon weather it but it would be harder, something she tried to avoid where possible but Yolanda was forcing her hand while pointing it out to her. She would have shot the other girl an annoyed look if it weren¡¯t for the forming Sandstorm blocking sight. She settled for a scowl while taking her hand off her pokeball for Graveler. ¡°Wigglytuff! We¡¯re enduring this! Go in with Stockpile first off!¡± Wigglytuff made a gulping action and then seemed to shake itself off as sand swept past it. ¡°Again!¡± Giselle ordered, waiting for the Onix to appear from the sandstorm. Her Wigglytuff continued to make a gulping motion until the third time but then, from beneath them Onix emerged roaring and throwing Wigglytuff into the air. ¡°While you¡¯re in the air! Use Disable to stop it from digging again!¡± commanded Giselle. A flash overtook Wigglytuff that lanced into Onix causing it to twitch, with that secured Giselle moved onto the next part of her plan. ¡°Swallow!¡± Wigglytuff made a huge gulping sound this time before shaking herself off as colour and strength returned to her limbs. With this, she¡¯d be set! Then Onix whirled around with a gleaming tail and slammed it into Wigglytuff sending her soaring with a pained cry. Giselle blinked in surprise only for a memory from the recent talk that Brock gave to the students of the Institute to rise up unbidden. There had been some older gentlemen who were all researchers. Some of them had mentioned Fairy typings and their weaknesses. Steel was strong against Fairy. Giselle stared at her struggling pokemon. Wigglytuff must be part Fairy, and not just normal typed. Damn! She hadn¡¯t been expecting that. The researchers spoke about Brock knowing more, but for him to teach his Gym trainers as well? That wasn¡¯t good. Were any other pokemon on her roster Fairy typed? She¡¯d need to enquire after her match. ¡°Wigglytuff is unable to battle!¡± announced the referee, prompting Giselle to return her pokemon. Giselle stood, rooted on the spot as she realised she might have bitten off more than she could swallow. What was her next move? Did she have a move? She realised then and there that¡­ she didn¡¯t know. She¡¯d never been pressured like this at the academy. Never when things mattered. They were lessons with set parameters. The tutors had controlled it and praised her before ending the session. They never spoke of being this far in over their heads. They taught about taking strong positions and converting them into victories by closing out the match. What did that mean for her? She¡¯d thought she¡¯d started in a strong position but that had turned out to be a lie. So.. what should she do? She inhaled and considered what her mother or father would say. So, she decided to straighten her spine and face what was coming with as much grace as she could as a member of the Bridger family. ¡°Giselle!¡± shouted a voice from the crowd. Giselle ignored them, she needed to focus and put her best foot forward. For that she¡¯d need to send out Graveler. ¡°Giselle!¡± shouted the voice. Giselle spared them a glance only to blink in surprise when she spotted Joe of all people with what looked like a bandage wrapped around his head. He stood on the railing with one foot raised and his chest puffed out. Was this Joe, the boy that she spent hours each week tutoring to help boost his grades and battling performances? Was this the boy who whimpered and cowered? He was a twig of a boy, that most of the academy either pitied, or looked down on. And here he was daring to put himself out there to cheer her on. He looked ridiculous. What was he trying to be? A one man cheer squad? Or a cheesy action hero with that pose? Joe opened his mouth. ¡°Giselle if I can fight on so can¡ª¡± Giselle couldn¡¯t help it, she giggled. Joe stalled, thrown off by this reaction. His dopey reaction only made Giselle giggle harder. Giselle crouched down to avoid the crowd¡¯s gaze as she lost control of herself, her emotions flooding out of her in a fit of giggles. She had to struggle to breath and not wet herself with how ridiculous this entire scene had gotten. She stood, wiping the tears from her eyes. She granted Joe a nod. ¡°My thanks,¡± she said as she found herself reset. She turned her attention back to Yolanda, the girl waiting patiently with her Onix. Giselle firmed her resolve and sent out Graveler. ¡°Go! Earthquake opening act!¡± she called. Gravler landed and leapt into a powerful attack which caused the field to quake. Onix was hurled about resulting in its quick dismissal. Giselle prepared herself for the next pokemon only for Yolanda to nod. Giselle blinked. Wait¡­ had she really been about to admit defeat this close from victory? Giselle found herself stunned. She went through the motions of lowering her podium and spraying a healing potion over her Graveler before returning to her previous spot. Before she could get too lost in her own mind the lights of the Gym shut off and revealed Brock standing at the top of the podium in his signature pose. Giselle wasn¡¯t¡­ She swallowed as the darkness around Brock seemed to stare back at her. His form towered from the top of the stadium as his gaze bore into hers with those twin dark orbs. Giselle swallowed. It had looked goofy on the girls, but when he did it¡­ it had a very different effect. ¡°So, you want to prove yourself?¡± Brock said and Giselle could only nod. Brock snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what you have to offer so far. Time to show you how far you still have to go,¡± said Brock as he advanced. Giselle watched him. He didn¡¯t do anything but walk down the stairs compared to Greta¡¯s skip, and Yolanda¡¯s jog. But speed wasn¡¯t something he needed. Like a glacier he moved in a manner that was inevitable. Giselle palmed the first pokeball of the match. She¡¯d need to back herself with some of her ¡­ less than optimal pokemon choices but they were still strong. She just needed to back herself and her pokemon. Brock raised up his own pokeball. What would it be? Another Onix? A Lairon? One of his rarer pokemon like Cradily? Or even his Solrock? ¡°Go Persian!¡± Giselle said sending out a pokemon she hoped would eke out a win or two to start the match off. Brock responded by sending out Sudowoodo. Giselle blinked and felt her heart sink. Oh dear. She¡¯d forgotten about this pokemon. Perhaps she shouldn¡¯t have laughed at Joe¡¯s twiggy form earlier. Still, she raised her head and prepared herself to fight to the last. Chapter 225 - Ace low I ignored the crowd that roared their approval at my pokemon taking to the field, just as Giselle seemed to be ignoring the cheer squad. They¡¯d formed up around Joe, as while he¡¯d been thrown off by Giselle laughing at him, he¡¯d decided to commit himself to the act. It was probably the best move he could make after having her burst out laughing like she had. Other people might have run but he¡¯d once more proved that there was more to him. That¡­ or he was just way, way too smitten with this girl. I had my version of events and I was sticking with it. ¡°Goooo Brock!¡± cheered another section of the stands which did draw my eye. On it stood a few of my siblings bar Salvadore, who had moved over to talk with a few of the still-seated Institute students. Suzie, Cindy, Tommy, and Billy were all happily waving little flags with the Pewter Gym symbol on them which warmed my heart. Next to them, Yolanda, Greta, and Crystal were all standing with their arms crossed and stoic expressions. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at them before turning away from their trolling. They¡¯d done that little intro of theirs to tease me, I had no doubt. If it wasn¡¯t so adorable and I was a more tyrannical Gym Leader, I¡¯d have them run laps for that sort of cheek. Instead of doing that I¡¯d just make them fight a gauntlet of trainers tomorrow with only two pokemon. It was time they tried having the shoe on the other foot and working on their endurance like A.J. was doing. Still, that wasn¡¯t to be my focus in the here and now. I looked up and locked eyes with Giselle. She took a step back before straightening up her chin lifting in defiance. I gave her a small nod of respect as A.J. acting as today¡¯s referee began to drop the flags. ¡°Begin!¡± he called. As was customary, I allowed the Challenger the first move. ¡°Nasty Plot!¡± called Giselle and I held in a whistle. If her pokemon had learned that naturally, then that meant her Persian was very well trained. I also approved of a buff move being her first choice. She was well-read to go for boosting special attacks in this scenario as well with Rock pokemon possessing a naturally strong defense. Still, if she wasn¡¯t going to come to me, I¡¯d have to force her hand. ¡°Stone Edge,¡± I said. Sudowoodo swept his branch-like limb low into the ground and carved a deceptively shallow cut into the ground only to suddenly hurl a huge boulder up into Persian. The cat-like pokemon blanched at the oncoming rock and Giselle twitched in surprise. ¡°Protect!¡± she cried out and I smirked, glad that I¡¯d gotten that move out of her now. ¡°Close!¡± I said and Sudowoodo dashed across the intervening space, his thin limbs pumping in an exaggerated manner that made him look all too comical. What wouldn¡¯t be comical would be if he got within close range of Persian, a normal type. Giselle proved to be well aware of this threat as she had her pokemon get out of there with a hurried substitute. I once more held in the whistle I wanted to release. Another good move and one that was impressive for its utility. A facsimile of Persian appeared as a blur took shape behind it only to vanish in a burst of speed a moment later. It vanished so quickly I couldn¡¯t track it. I still tried though, and I gained a general idea of the direction that Persian had moved in. ¡°Abort! Shift soft right!¡± I called. Sudowoodo, as I¡¯d taught him and other stronger pokemon to do, veered right. Soft right was a call to move roughly thirty degrees to the side. A ¡®hard right¡¯ would get them to charge sixty degrees and a ¡®juke right¡¯ would see them turn a full ninety degrees. Sudowoodo careened on, dropping the mocking run and instead spreading his arms wide, his smile turning sinister. When nothing eventuated I could only click my tongue in disappointment. We¡¯d missed our chance and now we were left with a mere illusion. One that cost Persian a portion of its health, or in this case energy, but still merely an illusion. ¡°Low Kick into a Sandstorm,¡± I said annoyed at having to do this. Sudowoodo didn¡¯t work great in situations where he couldn¡¯t close with his foe and playing a game of chase in a sandstorm wasn¡¯t my ideal way of winning. Still, it was a way to win, so I couldn¡¯t avoid it. Sudowoodo dropped to his hands and spun, kicking out like a twiggy break dancer causing dirt and sand to be kicked up and a moment later a howl overtook the arena as Sandstorm came into effect. I leaned forward, ignoring the harsh sting of sand across my face. My attention darted this way and that, tracking for any sign of movement. When nothing was revealed I gained a sneaking suspicion. ¡°Hammer Arm into the ground!¡± I ordered and Sudowoodo didn¡¯t question me, he threw his fist into the ground. The earth split, sending chunks flying up and a rumble to buckle outwards. Persian shot out of the earth with a hiss having gotten close but not close enough. If I could have seen Giselle I would have given her another nod. That had been a good plan, she¡¯d sequenced her moves into each other well. It seemed the title of Ace of the Institute wasn''t a hollow brag on her part. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I ordered once more, seeking to pressure her. ¡°M-match it with Power Gem!¡± ordered Giselle with a hitch. Still, she¡¯d surprised me as she didn¡¯t try to evade by recalling her pokemon. She¡¯d been so hesitant to take even a smidgeon of environmental damage against Greta and Yolanda. It seemed that she¡¯d adjusted after Yolanda called her out on her habit. Sadly it might have created a trap situation for her as she tried to avoid dodging the environmental damage. She might have been better off sticking to swapping out her pokemon. Ah well, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time a trainer has been put off by a stray comment I or one of my trainers had said. I¡¯d seen enough about that. It was time to test her in other ways while progressing this match. ¡°Lazy toss into a Hammer Arm,¡± I said, giving another conditional order that had Sudowoodo smirking. He reached into the ground and grasped up another boulder making it as if he was about to use Stone Edge. Instead, he ripped up a much larger rock and tossed it up into the air, but he did so with a slowness that made it easy for him to leap up a moment later. Both rock and rock pokemon hung in the air for a second, letting Giselle and her Persian see what was coming. Then Sudowoodo lashed out and a scattershot of rock fired out. ¡°Power Gem again!¡± Giselle said as she tried to intercept most of the oncoming attack. Sadly for her, the rocks didn¡¯t come at her in a straight line but instead arced resulting in a wave of rocks crashing down on Persian and eliciting a yowl of pain. Sudowoodo landed close and once more without being prompted he charged with his arms pumping as he chanted ¡°Su-su-su!¡± like he was trying to perform a world record sprint. ¡°P-protect!¡± shouted Giselle as she was once more caught out. I leaned forward with anticipation as the dome formed up. Would it fail? Sudowoodo cocked back a fist and threw a powerful punch right into it only for the Protect to release a crackling noise. I clicked my tongue as it held and Sudowoodo made a show of pulling his limb back and rolling his shoulder while glaring at the obviously fatigued Persian. We had them on the ropes. I had a potential solution for another Substitute if she tried it, not that I thought she would with the cost being too high, but now she needed to find something else. Another way to claw victory or some result from this exchange. While this played out the Sandstorm continued around her pokemon, threatening a touch more damage. Giselle¡¯s eyes darted around and she swallowed. ¡°Persian drop the Protect and go on the attack with Metal Claw!¡± she ordered. Her pokemon crouched down and then threw itself into a leap just as the Protect dropped. This might have caught another pokemon by surprise, but Sudowoodo was a pokemon that sparred constantly with some of my fastest pokemon in close-range brawls. A leap that was telegraphed? All too easy to put down. Sudowoodo bowed like a willow branch, but unlike that flimsy tree, Sudowoodo did it to leverage his frame to multiply the force of the Hammer Arm that swung up and clocked Persian in the mouth. Persian went soaring out of the arena and rolled a few times. Impressively it tried to get up once before falling on its side, defeated. A.J. shot his flag up into the air. ¡°Persian is unable to battle!¡± he announced. I nodded. ¡°He¡¯s well trained,¡± I said. Giselle merely nodded as she returned her pokemon. Her hands hovered about, assessing the field. She palmed her next choice and released it to reveal her Cubone. ¡°Cubone! Use Earthquake!¡± ¡°Leap!¡± I shouted as Cubone adopted a two-handed grasp on his bone, raising it up before slamming it down into the ground to cause a quake to run the course of the field. I felt the podium buck underneath me but a simple flex with my knees had me riding it out well enough. You couldn¡¯t train with Rock-ground pokemon almost every day and not learn how to handle an earthquake or two. Sudowoodo soared through the air like a javelin. Giselle snapped her hand up. ¡°Bonemerang!¡± she said and Cubone spun, swinging his bone up and around before unleashing it. It spun end over end at Sudowoodo and I clicked my tongue. Clever girl. ¡°Bat it away with Wood Hammer!¡± I called, causing a smirk to break out over my features as Giselle gasped. Sudowoodo swung his arm, glowing green at the oncoming attack and both attacks hit. Sudowoodo was knocked slightly off course but Cubone¡¯s bone was sent careening across the battlefield before clattering down, well out of reach of Cubone. Sorry Giselle, you¡¯re not that clever. ¡°Bone!¡± shouted the little pokemon as it twitched towards its bone. ¡°Hold! Don¡¯t go for it!¡± Giselle said making sure her pokemon didn¡¯t blind itself. Sudowoodo landed slightly off to the side but still well within intercepting range. He shook out the hand he¡¯d used to bat the offending ground attack away with. Apparently, he had come off with a bit of damage from pulling off that trick. I shot my hand forward. ¡°Close!¡± I said. Sudowoodo, as he had for so much of the fights thus far charged in and Cubone was left floundering for a move. It was without one of the key pieces of its arsenal without the bone. Giselle gritted her teeth. ¡°Stomp your feet and use Stomping Tantrum! Gomba stomp it!¡± she called. I felt a little amusement as Giselle revealed that she must have played Super Mario Bros to know that particular term. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Once more her pokemon jumped, leading with its feet as it sought to ¡®Gomba stomp¡¯ my pokemon. Well, if she wanted to trade blows, I was more than happy to match her with a Shoryuken. ¡°Rising Wood hammer!¡± I shouted while doing an uppercut, getting a little into the spirit of things. ¡°Suuuuuuuu!¡± Sudowoodo roared, showing that he was affected by this fighting spirit just as much as I was. Both pokemon came together, the Sandstorm dying away around them as they did so, allowing a perfect view for the crowd as our pokemon clashed. Cubone fell like a descending meteor, feet emitting Ground energy as Sudowoodo rose with a glowing green fist and a roar of defiance. Both attacks slammed into each other and a detonation of energy went off causing both pokemon to be blasted away from each other. As they shot away I ran some mental math. Cubone had STAB and type advantage against rock-type pokemon, while Sudowoodo had a type advantage for the move at least and was probably a higher level. Both pokemon hit the ground. I blinked in surprise as Sudowoodo stayed down, while Cubone rose, amusingly enough he must have angled his attack so that he¡¯d land close to his bone as he used it to crutch into a standing position. When it spotted its downed foe Cubone threw back its head and roared a tiny victory warble. The crowd joined in with their applause and their own whoops of delight that only grew as Cubone began to shine with the light of Evolution. Its form grew sturdier while rising up as the light intensified. I¡¯d read an interesting few theories about how Cubone are ¡®created¡¯ regarding Kangashkan, but none of them were entertained as much in this world from what I¡¯d been able to pick up. Perhaps a deeper dive of the pokedexes that I¡¯d been provided by Samuel might shed some more light on the species. I did find it interesting that the bone also grew with Cubone, forming what appeared the perfect weapon for the pokemon with how it shifted to accommodate for the newly evolved pokemon¡¯s larger, stronger grip. I wonder if a bone densitometry test had ever been conducted on the bones pre evolution and post evolution? My thoughts were brushed aside as Marowak appeared with a bark. Giselle stood taller and if anything seemed more relaxed with her pokemon success, but I wasn¡¯t too worried about Sudowoodo going down like he had. He¡¯d cost her yet another pokemon, and Marowak for all that it was riding high was obviously running low after all the fights it had taken part in along with the build up of damage. She was two pokemon down with Graveler and Marowak already tired. Time to increase the pressure. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Quirrina!¡± I shouted, sending out my next pokemon. The floating representation of the sun appeared and rose elegantly, his eyes locking onto Marowak who raised his own bone in challenge. I considered the field, knowing that technically Marowak was now at a disadvantage on paper due to my Solrock being ¡®immune¡¯ to ground type moves. That however did not account for a very specific move which could hit hovering pokemon. I felt a memory stir of how, in the anime, Ash had shown that Cubone¡¯s signature move wasn¡¯t without faults. I had to wonder if that lesson had been taught to Giselle in other ways? I decided to try my hand and see. ¡°Quirina! Rock Polish!¡± I ordered, deciding to stack the deck in my favour. ¡°Close in!¡± Giselle shouted with an energy that had almost been lacking in our fight and compared to her fights against Greta and Yolanda. Hmmm, it seems she had some of her confidence back. She had good enough poise that it had only become obvious now when she was really leaning into the match that she¡¯d been struggling. Must have attended a good deportment school. Marowak charged in, bone raised in preparation to deliver what I had no doubt would be an almighty bonk to my pokemon if it could. ¡°Rise to me,¡± I said and Quirina did so, turning to give me a look to which I merely winked. In the space of time he turned and followed my command, Giselle¡¯s eyes glittered with glee. ¡°Bonemerang! Now!¡± she called and Marowak followed. Its arm pulled back before unleashing a powerful throw that saw the bone sailing through the air with a whistling howl that came and went as the bone spun end over end. ¡°Confusion,¡± I said with a firmness that could hold mountains in place. Quirina didn¡¯t have to question what my target was as he instantly locked onto the projectile that was bearing down on him. The bone glowed with a pinkish-blue light and the whirling bone slowed until it got within touching distance of Quirina. It halted for all of a breath, allowing everyone to witness the ¡®catching of the bone¡¯ that had occurred. Then, with an ominous slowness, the bone began to whirl back the way it had come. Only it gained speed quickly. Before people could realise it was unleashing a deafening howl as it swept in and slammed straight into Marowak¡¯s shiny new dome, crowning the ground-typed pokemon and sending it reeling with a headshot. Marowak fell to the ground and didn¡¯t get up. I nodded. Hmmm it seems with Forrest¡¯s inclusion, Ash and Misty hadn¡¯t taken the road less travelled, or at least they hadn¡¯t veered off to the Institute this time around. Which was something of a feat now that I thought about it, what with the institute episode happening after Cerulean. Weird that. Giselle swallowed and once more showed the poise that I was starting to expect, only this time I could see the fragility in her. The quiver in her hand as she returned her Marowak and the way she wet her lips as she reached for her next pokemon. Only she paused and did so for a full thirty seconds. She was starting to crumble, time to nudge her back on the path. ¡°Do you think this is enough to earn my badge?¡± I asked, cutting through her hesitation. She then looked up sharply, her eyes dilating slightly before she could control herself. ¡°Pardon?¡± she asked politely. I waved a hand at the battlefield. ¡°You obviously haven¡¯t prepared as much as you thought you had. You expected this to be easier,¡± I said by way of explanation. ¡°Only it¡¯s not and you¡¯re coming up short. So, the big question now becomes, what are you going to do?¡± I gestured behind her. ¡°Call it in for another day?¡± I said before leaning in and letting out a smile full of teeth. ¡°Or are you going to fight?¡± I said as I spread my arms out. ¡°FIGHT!!!!¡± called Joe only for Giselle to only have eyes for me and my grin. Fire entered Giselle¡¯s gaze not because of the crowd but rather from something going on within her heart. It made my grin turn into an honest smile. Giselle¡¯s eyes darted down before she wet her lips, her hand grabbing her next pokeball which turned out to be her Graveler. I grinned and set to work on her. ¡°Quirina! Sunny Day!¡± I ordered, planning to show her how wrong it was to bring out a Graveler of all things in my gym while facing me. ¡°Stealth Rock!¡± Giselle called and I smirked. So, she thought she could still fight through. Sadly, she was far, far too late. ¡°Solar Beam,¡± I said pointing at Graveler. Quirina unleashed a powerful beam of light that cast everything around us into shadow. The roar of the beam caused everything else to be lost, however Graveler was able to react by throwing itself into the ground with a dig. I nodded, it was a good move to dodge Solar Beam, but sadly for her, it played right into my strengths. I didn¡¯t say a word for my next command, merely pointing a finger down. Quirrina didn¡¯t even need to look. He merely dropped like a meteor into the ground, causing an Earthquake to erupt from where he impacted the ground. The earth once more shook and rocked with more and more rocks being turned up to cause the field to look more and more like a destroyed quarry rather than a battlefield. Dust filled the battlefield only to be extracted quickly. It revealed a Graveler that was just poking out of the ground. It shook itself off, revealing that it had sturdy, Giselle straightened up. ¡°Rock throw!¡± she shouted and Graveler got off a close range barrage that slammed into Quirina. It merely annoyed him as a moment later my pokemon lifted Graveler out of the ground with a telekinetic grip using Psychic. Then he slammed Gravler back into the ground, ending Graveler¡¯s momentary resistance. Giselle¡¯s shoulders dropped minutely but her clenched jaw remained. She looked up with me defiantly as she didn¡¯t hesitate to pull out her second to last pokemon to reveal it to be a Smeargle of all things. I blinked, having not expected that. That was a hell of a twist for her. ¡°Water Gun!¡± She called, taking advantage of my surprise. I waved a hand. ¡°Solar Beam,¡± I said, not at all bothered by the oncoming bullets of water as Quirina countered with a powerful blast of grass-type energy that tore through them and then slammed into the unprepared Smeargle. ¡°Recover! Now!¡± Giselle called before any dust had settled and I had to frown. That had come quickly. She must not have been as confident in her pokemon if she chose to do that so quickly. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t up to the level of her other pokemon? She didn¡¯t have faith in it at any case. ¡°Hammer it with Earthquake!¡± I called, causing Quirina to once more plummet. ¡°Aerial Ace up high!¡± Giselle called before my pokemon could hit and from the dust, a flash of light emerged as Smeargle vanished from the ground to appear high in the air. It hung there for all of a moment with its arms spread wide like it was expecting to hover only to begin falling. ¡°Stomping Tantrum!¡± Giselle called as her pokemon descended onto mine. If she thought this was going to play the same way as it had earlier, she was fooling herself and forgetting what Quirina could do. ¡°Psychic,¡± I said. Smeargle lurched to a stop as Quirina directed his mental might against his foe, right before hurling him into the ground. ¡°Rest!¡± called Giselle desperately. ¡°Solar Beam!¡± I called quickly, my eyes darting to the fluttering orb of fire that was Sunny Day that was sputtering even now. Quirina got off a final, powerful Solar Beam that nailed the still recovering Smeargle, knocking it out of the field and out of the match. Giselle shut her eyes and sighed before returning it as around us people began to realise the writing that was on the wall. Giselle had a single pokemon left to my three. She met my gaze and sent out her final pokemon. ¡°Furr-et!¡± called her final pokemon as the little Furret was revealed. I hummed and shot her a look. She¡¯d left this for last? Interesting. ¡°Fling!¡± called Giselle as she once more showed that she wasn¡¯t without fangs. Furret grabbed a nearby rock and with a full body flick, sent it hurtling into Quirina, who for the first time reacted with a cry of pain. Giselle perked up but I was quick to point my hand at her pokemon. ¡°Stone Edge!¡± I called unleashing a powerful wave of rock that saw Furret battered and beaten. When it was done it struggled to rise only to collapse leaving Giselle out of pokemon and shaking slightly. I rubbed my chin in thought. Right¡­ I¡¯d just beaten the Ace. She looked like she was one stiff breeze from being knocked over and joining the other kids still in the medical bay¡­ So, how did I want to play this?
Giselle shook. This¡­ this was the tremors that came in before a potential white out. She¡¯d read about this¡­ but she¡¯d never had to endure this. She swallowed and stared at her quaking hand. She found she didn¡¯t much like it. There was a hollowness within her that she knew in some unknowable way, represented the lack of energy in her pokemon to fight for her any more. Giselle felt her breath hitch as the podiums slowly lowered. Desperately she grasped the rail so that she wouldn¡¯t fall and shame herself further. She kept her eyes down and pushed all noises out of her mind as she focused on one thing. She¡¯d lost. She, the Ace and pride of the Pewter Technical Institute. She giggled deliriously and tried to pinch herself. This had to be a bad dream, right? A shadow fell over her and without looking she knew Brock, the Gym Leader had reached her. She kept looking down, not able to meet his gaze. ¡°Hey, you did great out there,¡± he said kindly. His mere voice caused a reaction in her, Giselle found her head rising like it was being lifted on preset railings until she found herself looking up into Brock¡¯s kind face. He met her gaze with warm eyes. ¡°You have a lot of potential as a trainer. You do have some rough spots to work on, but we can talk about that later when you¡ª¡± Giselle found herself unable to hear what he was saying, as instead of words she found herself staring at his smile. Damn, that was a nice smile. Her eyes tracked down as she took in his body. Oh, hmmm yes, this was a much nicer view than what they had in the Institute. She giggled and a worried expression appeared on the Gym Leader¡¯s face. His hand shifted to support her and she felt warm where he touched her. Hmmm this would¡ª ¡®You¡¯re being delusional because you lost all your pokemon and are in the process of whiting out.¡¯ said a voice directly to her mind. Suddenly Giselle found her head wrenched to the side and without knowing why, she looked up to find Sabrina the Gym Leader of Saffron City. Oh, that wasn¡¯t good. Giselle couldn¡¯t help but think. Even from where she was standing she thought for a moment she could see Sabrina¡¯s lips quirk upwards. Don¡¯t let it bother you. I understand the appeal, but perhaps look a little closer to your own age range and not while you¡¯re in a bad headspace.¡¯ ¡°Really?¡± she said with a slur. Most of the boys in her school idolised her. ¡®You need to sleep,¡¯ said Sabrina into her mind. ¡® Brock must have thought she was speaking to him as she found herself shifting into a laying down position atop a stretcher with Brock on one end while a Chansey carried the other. At her side, the kindly Mrs Hooper was there holding her hand and telling her everything was alright. Giselle relaxed and let herself fall to sleep. When she woke up it was to a ceiling that was unfamiliar to her. The smells of a medbay were slightly more familiar to her but never as the patient. She¡¯d always taken her duties seriously and gone in to visit other students. Now that she thought about it. Joe ended up there a lot from messing around during Physical activity and pokemon battling lessons, didn¡¯t he? Giselle shifted, feeling the stiff sheets and mattress move with her. ¡°Oh! Shut your face she¡¯s awake!¡± said a girl that Giselle wasn¡¯t familiar with. She looked to the side, expecting to see Mrs Hooper or perhaps even her secretary of the Student council but instead, she found herself looking at a trio of faces, only two of which she recognised. ¡°You¡¯re¡­. Greta and Yolanda?¡± she said slowly. The girls, who¡¯d been reading something that looked like a pokedex, looked up. The purple-haired girl smiled after a moment of inspecting Giselle. ¡°You¡¯ve got spunk girl!¡± she said. ¡°Wanna join my gang?¡± she said. On either side of her Yolanda and Greta groaned. ¡°This isn¡¯t what we agreed on when we said we¡¯d watch over her when Rachel asked us!¡± Greta said. Yolanda merely pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°That, and we¡¯re not a gang Crystal,¡± she said. Crystal ignored them, instead smiling widely at Giselle. Giselle felt an odd feeling in her chest as the girl invaded her private space, she grasped Giselle¡¯s hand in hers and said, ¡°Come ooooon, you want to be friends with me, don¡¯t you?¡± An odd longing filled Giselle and she found herself blinking back tears which caused Crystal to blanche and pull away. Giselle wouldn¡¯t let her though. When had been the last time someone had asked her to be a friend? ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± she said. And perhaps it might have been the odd emotions from being knocked out after her loss, to suddenly finding herself with three people who said they wanted to be friends, but she suddenly wondered if perhaps, just maybe, maybe she hadn¡¯t gotten more out of losing than she would have from winning against Brock. Chapter 226 - Family down time debriefs I finished crossing my t¡¯s and dotting my i¡¯s on the last summary report for the day. This was rather easy thanks to my earlier wisdom of setting the Gym up with multiple-angle cameras which allowed for me to have highlights recorded and played back for later logging for trainer profiles. With the benefit of hindsight I was able to point out a few more things in the reports for the various trainers. Still, the standouts for today were Joe and Giselle. Joe for the effort he put in and his return to the fight after literally breaking down. That was never easy. Sometimes when your mental game was done it was impossible to actually muster up a scrap of anything. Still, he¡¯d been able to scrounge up something that I could charitably call an attempt to fight on. His resistance, despite what seemed like overwhelming odds, led to a resurgence in a lot of trainers for the later half of the day. More and more of them put themselves out there and went the distance, resulting in more trainers earning passing marks from me. Then, Giselle made her mark by reaching for the second hardest challenge that I had to offer. I could only thank my lucky stars that she hadn¡¯t gotten it into her head to attempt an Elite Challenge. Perhaps she had more wisdom than that? I suspected it was more of a case that she hadn¡¯t considered it, despite the advertising and wide coverage the two matches I¡¯d had so far had gotten. Starting things off with Bertha had been exceptional luck. Battlecast had supposedly run her match a few more times with the viewer ratings being extremely high. That had fed into more advertising for the next match which had been a quick hit-and-run match with Shin who won a fair amount of praise for his battle. His dashing in and out had people on the edge of their seats as after watching Bertha''s power and endurance, Shin''s much faster, more brittle fighting style had stood out. I was getting some good feedback for this and these were still fairly straightforward fights. I was really looking forward to getting Jorm, or Sanchez out onto the field, or Gawain. And then of course there was still Titan to come. He might not look it, but I knew he was itching to show everyone how much he¡¯d grown since last year. Last year he¡¯d just been categorised as a Champion tier pokemon, but this year? With how our bond had grown? I was anticipating being able to pull off some tricks that would blow people¡¯s minds. Then again, I wouldn¡¯t have to wait long as next week was the mid-year shut down, or Golden week where some people got to relax. I wasn¡¯t among those numbers as I was going to be taking part in the top ten mid-year match-ups for the Ace circuit. Thankfully this year''s tournament was not going to be taking place in Indigo which, while iconic, wasn¡¯t a great place to take young kids. Instead, we¡¯d be going to Chrysanthemum City, a new up-and-comer in cities with it having breached ten thousand humans in its registered population a few years ago. Since then, it had exploded onto the scene. With it being an island city with beautiful beaches I was rather looking forward to the downtime along with my family. I paused as I clicked out of Giselle¡¯s report. My family did remember that we were going didn¡¯t they? I had told them¡­ at some point. I started to feel a headache come on as I realized I might have forgotten that little detail with how busy I¡¯d been. Ah well, no time like the present to tell them. I rose from my desk, stretching as I did so, a yawn ripping out of me. When I exited my office I took a step out only to twitch when Rachel skated past. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± I called after her, my mind conjuring up various health and safety issues that leaving her to her own devices would result in. Rachel spun around on the spot and made her way back to me, grin in place. ¡°Yeah I am! With these babies I am speed! I can almost skate down Trixie you know?¡± she said confidently as she twirled around me. I tracked her with my eyes, not turning my head or body. That would only lead to vertigo and her winning. Instead, I merely grunted. ¡°Somehow I think she might be letting you get close,¡± I said. Which had to be true, considering that I was still run down when I used my ¡®cheat¡¯ with rock stepping ability which carried me further with every step I took. Trixie was a freak when it came to physical accomplishments. Somewhere, somehow, I just knew at this moment, she was training. I smiled to myself and watched as Rachel paused to take a breath, having winded herself performing so many tight turns around me. ¡°So, what was with you asking the girls to sit in with Giselle?¡± I said. Rachel shrugged. ¡°Girl needs some friendly faces to wake up to.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Two of those faces, she fought not that long ago and Crystal¡­ she¡¯s a bit of an acquired taste I would have thought.¡± Rachel waved her hand. ¡°Pish posh! She¡¯s just an excitable lass is all! Anyway, Greta and Yolanda balance her out, they¡¯re all nice girls and Giselle, she could do with some age-appropriate company.¡± I tilted my head before deciding to not prod the issue any further. Rachel had obviously spotted something of note or formed some sort of idea about Giselle. Whatever it was, I¡¯d leave it to her for now unless it became relevant to me. ¡°How¡¯s things looking with the pokenet page over the recent highlights?¡± I asked. Rachel bobbed her head up and down, sending her rainbow hair bouncing. ¡°It¡¯s doing well. We¡¯re getting a lot of hits with Bertha¡¯s fight but Shin¡¯s getting some traction. I¡¯ve got some more orders coming in for Bertha¡¯s toy due to people buying out Bertha¡¯s toy.¡± ¡°Ho?¡± I asked, surprised by this little tidbit as I began to move towards my home. Rachel kept pace with me, happily chattering away about how sales had been influenced by the various events and showcases that had been put on. Titan¡¯s doll remained the top seller but others had their own peaks. As I passed various other employees in the hall I gave them a nod. When I passed the security guard he waved, while from his shoulder a blocky duck-like pokemon peered out. Cypher warbled happily as I passed by before quacking for the guard to head in one direction. ¡°Found something?¡± I asked, worry rising to the fore only for the guard to laugh. ¡°Nah, Cypher just wants to be walked sometimes. He will randomly sweep the Gym which is good as it gets out of a predictable routine.¡± Huh good to see them taking their duties seriously. I waved them on and entered my home with Rachel skating through the door after me. ¡°Going somewhere?¡± I asked her. ¡°Yeah I want to see if the girls are all getting along,¡± she said. I raised an eyebrow in silent question only for Rachel to wink and wave me to lead her through the house. As we did so, I could only chuckle and shake my head as the noises of a household with seven kids bounced around until it reached us. ¡°Lovely bunch of coconuts!¡± chanted Tilly and Billy as they held onto each other and Munchlax with what looked like a conga line. ¡°DAD!¡± shouted Tommy as he marched out of his room with a book in his hands. ¡°Did you know? That Kangaskhan poops are as big as my head!¡± he shouted proudly. Rachel shot me a stunned look and I merely rolled my eyes which Rachel didn¡¯t react to. I decided to instead ignore it and what Tommy was up to right now. ¡°Thanks son!¡± called Flint from a door that I knew led to a toilet. I grimaced when I noticed that the door was slightly ajar. ¡°Close the door!¡± I called back over my shoulder and Flint obliged. ¡°Brock¡¯s home!¡± called Suzie as she sprinted out of her room only for the sound of something crashing down followed by a cry of despair to ring out. I had been in this situation enough times to know what came next. ¡°Brooooooooock!¡±¡¯ screamed Timmy as he hurtled out, causing more crashing sounds in his wake. ¡°Suzie broke the tower we were making!¡± ¡°And you broke the rest of the town?¡± I asked redundantly. Timmy backtracked from me to his room and peered in. ¡°Ah! Suzie, look what you did!¡± he cried. I sighed. Right, it was going to be like that was it? ¡°Both of you contributed to it but that doesn¡¯t matter, how about we play another game?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± They cheered. I smirked. ¡°Not before you pack up your toys,¡± I said. Suzie hesitated while her twin charged back in to clean up the playroom. ¡°Yes Suzie?¡± I asked. ¡°Brock, can I look at the egg?¡± she said with wide eyes. That gave me pause. I eyed her. ¡°You¡¯re interested in it, are you?¡± I asked neutrally. Suzie nodded. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. I rubbed my chin, a thought forming up. Togepi would be a good pokemon for a young girl, and would eventually become a powerhouse of a pokemon if things went her way. ¡°Only after you clean your room,¡± I said firmly. Suzie turned and sprinted off so quickly I thought for a second she¡¯d used Extreme Speed. The sound of toys hitting walls came from her room but when I poked my head into the room it looked like she¡¯d simply been throwing them at the wall to make them fall into the toybox. I watched, amazed at the sudden, intense motivation as Suzie slapped together a puzzle, correctly I might add, stashed it on the right shelf and then began packing away all the books they¡¯d had out. Timmy stared at his sister and decided to do perhaps the smartest thing he could and get out of her way. He inched over to his bed and began patting it down. Then he took a step away from it and nodded. ¡°All tucked in!¡± he said. I stared at the crumbled mess of bed with clothes and toys that littered all over it. Next to me, Rachel broke into giggles. ¡°Oh my gosh, they¡¯re too cute!¡± she said as Timmy looked at me with a smug expression. I sighed and gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Good try bud,¡± I said. It was true after all, as a five year old even an attempt at making the bed was good. ¡°Make sure you¡­ fluff the pillows,¡± I said waving my hand at the pillows that were on the floor. Timmy grabbed the pillows and threw them on the bed before performing a textbook-perfect judo chop on all of them. ¡°It¡¯s not violence when it¡¯s styling!¡± he chanted. I raised a finger. ¡°Uhmmm what?¡± I said. I was obviously missing something. Flint approached and peered over my shoulder to see what was going on. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s copying my show. I like watching a renovation television show and one of the competitors this season is a Martial artist. He has a lot of funny moments like that. Timmy rather enjoys watching, don¡¯t you Timmy?¡± Timmy nodded and adopted a fighting stance, then with every word he said he threw a punch. ¡°Gingham is the style that speaks to the heart!¡± What? I stared at Flint in judgement. ¡°Riiiiight,¡± I said before noticing something. ¡°Did you actually wash your hands or just dip them in water? They¡¯re still dripping!¡± I said, leaning away from him. ¡°Just a rinse is all I need,¡± he said. Suzie and Timmy stopped cleaning and punching the air to stare at Flint in disbelief. Then as one, they levelled fingers of accusation at him. ¡°Dirty old man!¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Rachel clutched the wall as laughter shook her frame, her feet skittered out from under her due to her roller skates so she sank to her knees as she wheezed out her laughter. ¡°Always worth coming in here!¡± she said to the floor. Flint, now chastised, slunk back to finish washing his hands. Timmy marched after him. ¡°Here! I¡¯ll show you how to do it properly!¡± he said and I could soon hear the sound of Timmy singing Happy Birthday out loud. Rachel tilted her head, staring at the bathroom from the floor. ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a way to ensure good hygiene,¡± I said. No way would I be able to explain how my standards were much higher than others due to enduring Covid lockdowns in a past life. Rachel nodded and then made to climb back to her feet. I glanced around. ¡°Any Growlithe inside?¡± I asked Suzie. Suzie instantly stiffened. ¡°Nope!¡± she said with all the skill at lying a five-year-old could muster. I nodded. Then I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled. Instantly, five Growlithe appeared, dashing down the hallway or spilling out of rooms. I noted one must have been in Suzie and Tilly¡¯s shared room as they appeared before me. I pointed at Rachel, the rainbow-haired woman¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Brock Don¡¯t you¡ª¡± ¡°Lick,¡± I commanded and the Growlithe set about their task with great enthusiasm, knocking Rachel to the ground. Sabrina chose that moment to appear. She gave Rachels downed form a look before ignoring her. I met her with a smile. ¡°Hey you,¡± I said. ¡°Hello,¡± she said, giving me a soft kiss on the cheek before turning her gaze upon my siblings and Flint who was returning with dry hands and a proud-looking Timmy. Flint eyed Rachel and made a half-hearted attempt to help only to shrug. ¡°Ah well, she¡¯s gone to a better place,¡± he said with faux sadness. ¡°The farm?¡± said Timmy innocently. I coughed at Timmy¡¯s stepping on a small landmine. I hadn¡¯t really been able to convey what happened to my original Onix to them very well, so I¡¯d had to settle for being sent to the farm. I turned my gaze upon Suzie, mentally deciding to handball that conversation to Flint in future. I raised a querulous eyebrow at her. Suzie coughed. ¡°I only brought Lady inside,¡± she said. Next to me, Sabrina let out a single chuckle before smiling. She could probably hear some very interesting thoughts being broadcast right now. ¡°Yes I see,¡± I said with a slow drawl, ¡°I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t a group project to sneak the Growlithe inside.¡± Timmy and Suzie shifted. They both looked away, not willing to meet my gaze. I eyed the other puppies as they licked and slobbered Rachel¡¯s downed form. Spot made sense if I was expecting Yolanda here, as was Hepheastus, Lady was accounted for, which just left Mr Woofers and¡­ Spyro? I thought, eyeing the more tufty-looking puppy pokemon. Which left Cuddles, Snuggles, Sirius, Clifford, and Agni out patrolling. I glanced along the hallway a little more before giving Sabrina a look. She could tell me but I didn¡¯t need to be a psychic to know that odds were that there were more dogs in the house.. And probably one or two pokemon who should be on the reserve. Probably asleep in one of my siblings¡¯s beds. I shook my head and gave the room another look over, ignoring the wet sounds of slobbering and hysterical laughter from Rachel a moment more before I whistled low once. ¡°Heel,¡± I said and the Growlithe stopped. They even went as far as to line up with their chests puffed out proudly. I eyed the Growlithe. Lady had the shiniest, smoothest coat. Spyro had his tufts that made him look wild and horned. Spot had¡­ the most stripes¡­ Hephaestus had the shortest hair but the shaggiest feet. And then there was Mr Woofers. I stared into his dopey dog eyes. He was perfectly at attention like all the others, but you just couldn¡¯t take him as seriously. Not with how his tongue was perpetually stuck to the side. He was the most lovable derp I had ever had the joy to own. I nodded and Sabrina levitated treats above all of their noses. They quivered on the spot only for me to nod. ¡°Take,¡± I said and they all snapped the treats out of the air expertly. I then turned my attention to my siblings. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s round up the rest of the troops,¡± I said. When Suzie started to open her mouth I preempted her. ¡°And we¡¯ll grab the egg as well, alright?¡± I said. Suzie vibrated in place and I chuckled. ¡°Damn you¡¯re cruel boss,¡± said Rachel as she clambered to her feet. Her face and neck were particularly wet and her hair was stuck up in odd places. I rather liked the rainbow cow, or in this case, Growlithe lick appearance she had. I raised my Xtransicever and took a photo before turning the image to show her. She giggled at it. ¡°Oh send that to me! I can¡¯t wait to show Trixie! Oh! I¡¯ll post it on the Gym¡¯s pokenet page as well! Security Growlithe at work I think I¡¯ll call it!¡± she said proudly. I laughed and Sabrina broke a smile. We led the kids through the halls, collecting more siblings along with Cuddles and Snuggles who¡¯d been napping in Tommy and Billy¡¯s bed respectively. At my room, I opened the door only to stare at the guts of Agni who was snoring away in my bed. I glanced at Sabrina. ¡°I keep my door locked when I¡¯m not in it,¡± I said. Sabrina¡¯s facade of innocence broke and I snorted. ¡°Very funny,¡± I said before whistling to wake up Agni. The little Growlithe joined us, his vibrant red coat standing out among the others and making him look like he was on fire as he moved. I collected the egg carrier only for Suzie to seize it. The rest of the walk to the communal areas then became a crawl as Suzie insisted on carrying the egg herself, talking away to it the entire time while Sabrina and I watched on. ¡°She¡¯s very good with it,¡± Sabrina said as Suzie set the carrier on the couch before curling around it, still happily telling the egg all about her day. I nodded, the idea of who to give the egg to solidifying in my mind. It would be years before Suzie needed a pokemon herself, but you could never have too many friends. When we reached the kitchen I found myself looking upon an odd scene. Yolanda, Greta, and Crystal were all sitting at the bench with a huge bottle of soda pop in front of them. Eevee was in the middle with a very smug look on her face as Yolanda stroked her fur gently while Terra was happily sitting in Greta¡¯s lap. The odd part wasn¡¯t that there were a small tower of other bottles stacked to the side indicating the girls, and the pokemon as well I presumed, had drunk enough sugar to give them at least an acute case of Hyperglycemia. Nor was it the empty plate that Munchlax was licking clean while sniffling sadly, indicating he hadn¡¯t gotten enough of the treat. The odd part was Giselle sitting among their number. I blinked. ¡°Uhm hello girls?¡± I said tentatively. The gaggle of Growlithe I¡¯d brought with me trotted in and a few sniffed at Munchlax while Mr Woofers hopped up into Giselle¡¯s lap. The girls giggled at this but Mr Woofers must have put some pressure on something as Giselle twitched and her hands shot up to her mouth only for Mr Woofers to intercept them in his quest for pats. I could only watch as my brain kicked into gear that something was about to happen. I watched as Giselle¡¯s eyes bulged and her mouth rippled only to widen. Sabrina must have felt her premonition kick in as she deftly ducked back into the hallway while I stood in front of Giselle. Giselle then unleashed a gigantic bur. The noise alone practically slapped me in the face and I felt my hair jostle slightly with the wind Giselle let loose. The noise filled the room with a loud rattling before echoing out into the hallway. I blinked and wiped my face out of reflex. Ah good, it wasn¡¯t wet. Giselle stared at me in mortification. ¡°Hello there?¡± I said carefully, worried what else I might get greeted with. Giselle sunk into Mr Woofer¡¯s fur. Greta bit her lips and Yolanda put a hand to her mouth. Crystal had no complications with throwing her head back and roaring with laughter. ¡°Oh my sweet Arceus! Brock¡¯s face! Right in his face!¡± ¡°Stop¡­ please,¡± Giselle whined as she held Mr Woofers up only for another small burp to escape her lips. I felt my lips twitch. Sabrina glanced into the room to see if it was safe and I coughed painfully. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it happens,¡± I said consolingly. Giselle peeked up at me and I smiled encouragingly but she only seemed to grow more mortified. Sabrina coughed and I sighed. ¡°How about I leave you girls alone, ¡° I said, deciding that I¡¯d be imposing if I stuck around. Rachel skated into the room before I could leave. She glanced around and then grinned at Munchlax who was still staring at Giselle with an impressed look on his face. ¡°Damn impressive little princess! I didn¡¯t know you had that sort of Hypervoice in you!¡± Rachel said. ¡°I even got a recording of it cause I was messing around with my transceiver!¡¯ she said happily as she pressed something on it only for a huge burp to echo out once more. Crystal fell on the floor with how hard she was now laughing and I sighed as Giselle looked ready to bolt. ¡°Let¡¯s not embarrass her too much, ¡° I said suggestively. I gave Rachel a look and she paused realising that something was playing out. She glanced around and took in the room before nodding. ¡°Ah right, probably won¡¯t need this taking up space,¡± she said before making a show of deleting the video file. Giselle then shot me a grateful look and nodded. Sabrina coughed and I glanced away to see what she had to say, only for Sabrina to smile knowingly. Giselle¡¯s hand shifted and I saw Yolanda twitch in surprise as something clattered to the ground. I glanced down. Huh, one of the rocks we kept around the house had fallen to the ground. I picked it up and tossed it into a stack that I kept in a bowl next to Giselle. Yolanda looked from the rock to Giselle in surprise. I paused. Alright, I¡¯d missed something here. Sabrina floated a stool over for herself to claim before waving me off. ¡°I think I might enjoy some girl talk,¡± she said. I nodded slowly and decided to retreat to the loungeroom where the rest of my family were. Flint had pride of place and apparently the remote as the television was airing a show where a karate gi wearing man was demolishing a wall. ¡°Open plan living is a must for this build and will increase the value!¡± shouted the man with each punch. Timmy and Billy happily copied him, kicking and punching cushions across the room. I nodded slowly. Yeah, this checked out as a pokemon styled television show. Flint glanced over to me as I sat down. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to have to control what we feed Munchlax from now on,¡± he said. I snorted and bit my lips. ¡°Yeah¡­ sure, Munchlax will need to watch his diet,¡± I said. I felt my Xtransciever ping and I opened it to find a video message from rachel. Huh, turns out she hadn¡¯t actually deleted it before sending off a copy. I saved it to a separate blackmail folder with a chuckle. I was just starting to get comfortable when a soft grumble made me peak over the back of the couch where Zephyr was revealed with a nest of blankets curled around him. He stared at me, caught in my loungeroom. ¡°Huh,¡± I said. Of all the pokemon I was expecting to find in the house. My usually very serious and extremely stoic Zephyr wasn¡¯t at the top of the list. I¡¯d been expecting¡ª Sanchez tumbled past with a happy rumble only to cough and stand when he caught sight of me. I huffed. ¡°What?¡± I said before deciding to just ignore them. Sanchez barked a laugh and moved to join me on the couch, leading to all of us watching a show about renovations with a man who blended martial arts with demolition. On a whim I decided to message Janine asking her what she thought about.. ¡°What¡¯s this show called?¡± I asked Flint. ¡°They call it Renovation Rambo,¡± he said before offering me some popcorn, which I took a handful of before offering some to Sanchez and Zephyr. Zephyr happily pecked it out of my hands, trilling as he did so. I sent off the message and was extremely amused when Janine sent back a wall of text. I slowly read through it before nodding and sending her back a summary which amounted to the show being a disgrace to building codes and an accident waiting to happen, but sadly the man was extremely well controlled with his strikes and also sly enough to use pokemon that could telekinetically support the roof and walls that might buckle as more pressure came down on them. I tapped Sanchez and then gave Zephyr a look. ¡°Feeling ready for next week lads?¡± I asked. Sanchez shot me a thumbs up while Zephyr perked up. Unlike the Elite Challenge, I would be making use of him for some of the matches as a way to change things up from my typical water-rock dominant teams. The show ended and I had to admit to being rather amused by it and the antics it inspired in the boys. Suzie I noted had spent the time snatching wayward pillows to construct a little house around herself and the egg to keep it even warmer. I decided to leave them to it, as a glance outside revealed that there was still a bit of light out. ¡°Hey Zephyr, want to go for a fly?¡± I suggested. My Noctowl perked up and I grinned. A flight sounded like just the thing to end the day. Although just to share the fun I decided to lead Zephyr out into the reserve before calling for Don, his daughter, and Zubat to join us. Don didn¡¯t seem to know what to make of this offer, but I simply waved him up into the sky. I¡¯d had to show him some stick recently and it was time to have some carrot to keep our bond strong. If that happened to mean he got to show off to his daughter, well I could use that fatherly pride of his to just make it that much more special. And there was no way I was breaking little Zubat¡¯s heart by not including her. We took off and I caught sight of Rachel zipping home. I resisted the urge to swoop her and instead directed my pokemon to loop out to the south and over Viridian forest. It made for a rather nice afternoon and when I got back, I found the girls were waving farewell to Giselle who was stepping into a limousine much to Crystal¡¯s surprise. I landed and offered a wave of farewell myself as I marched up to the group and joined them walking inside. Greta and Crystal broke off for their own arrangements and I nudged Yolanda. ¡°So, new friend?¡± I said. Yolanda nodded with a thoughtful look. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ different but in a good way.¡± Yolanda smirked. ¡°I think Crystal doesn¡¯t realise how lucky she is though, there¡¯ve been a few instances when she¡¯s pushed Giselle I think.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I asked. ¡°Is that alright?¡± Yolanda shrugged. ¡°She needs to learn that sometimes she can be a brat. I try pointing it out but she sometimes slips into old habits.¡± I nodded and grabbed a drink of water. Sabrina¡¯s eyes glinted and I hurried to swallow what was in my mouth only for Sabrina to say, ¡°Crystal¡¯s going to learn that when you talk shit, you sometimes get hit.¡± I snorted and water shot from my nose causing Yolanda to burst out into giggles. I shot Sabrina an annoyed look before snorting what was left of the water out of my nose. ¡°You¡¯re playful this afternoon,¡± I said, moving in to kiss her only for her to hold out a hand. ¡°I¡¯m not kissing you until you clean up a bit,¡± she said. I rolled my eyes. ¡°picky, picky!¡± I said like she was being onerous as I went and did just that. When I got back, it was just in time for Sabrina to reveal that Ralts had evolved. ¡°Woah!¡± shouted Suzie in shock as Kirlia now stood taller than her¡­ especially with how Kirlia liked to stand on her tiptoes. Various children tried to get in close only for Kirlia to display her new capacity to move by twirling and dancing around them. More than a few children ended up with booped noses. The kids wrinkled their noses before giggling. Terra waddled in with all the noise and Kirlia tiptoed over her to her friend/rival. She towered over Terra and looked down her nose. Everyone watched as Terra stared up at her friend only to start beaming with joy. ¡°Lar! Larv! Itar!¡± She then began hopping from one side to gesture with her stubby little hands at various points. I got the impression it was like a friend finding another and gushing over how pretty they had grown. Kirlia smiled wider and wider until she started to blush when Terra found more and more things to compliment. ¡°Kiiiiiiirlia!¡± said Kirlia with a flap of her hand as she demurred. Terra then hugged her friend and Kirlia¡¯s eyes bulged as she realised she¡¯d made a terrible mistake. Like a professional tackler, Terra grabbed Kirlia by the ankles and the much taller pokemon had a moment to realise what was about to happen. Her eyes bulged as she toppled, her legs taken out from under her. With Kirlia on the ground, Terra was all over her patting and nuzzling into her and the various new bits. The kids decided to get in on this and Kirlia could only wail and reach out for Sabrina who merely smiled on. I chuckled and Yolanda shot me a look. ¡°You knew?¡± I nodded. ¡°I forgot to mention it,¡± I said which made me pause. ¡°Oh, did I mention we¡¯re going to Chrysanthemum Island next week for Golden Week as well?¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Yeah! Island vacation!¡± shouted various members of my family. Flint levelled an unimpressed look at me. ¡°You really should have mentioned this earlier, Brock,¡± he said. I coughed. Ah, turns out I had let that slip. Whoops? Chapter 227 - The Dragonmaster II Lance watched as the Kabutops swept over the battlefield, scythes flashing. He paused it as it carved into its foe. The blade bit into the Magnemite¡¯s body and despite the threat that the other pokemon had to Kabutops, it was the Kabutops that emerged triumphant. Lance had watched this fight play out when it was live and he¡¯d not noticed this point. He made a note of it on his growing list that was titled ¡°Brock¡¯s Kabutops - Shin¡±. He had all the observations he could written out before him. Its known typing, move set and even more were laid out before him. Under each move, he had a subsetting for different ways that Brock made his pokemon use them. From the Metal Claws helping the Kabutops reduce damage done to it through electrical attacks. Although Lance thought it was a bit rich that a trainer had dared to bring an Electric type against Brock. Of all the pokemon they could have faced, Kabutops was on paper the best pokemon due to not having a ground typing with its rock. Still, others would have been able to resist. Lance pressed play on the recording and continued to observe the match. A door clicked open and a woman called out, ¡°Hello? Lance? Are you in here?¡± called Clair. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± replied Lance as he continued to watch the match while pausing every now and then to make another note. He ignored that the opening door led to the balcony. As Dragonriders, it wasn¡¯t unusual to ¡®pop in¡¯ on a person¡¯s balcony. It was in fact one of the design features that the clan insisted on these day¡¯s for new buildings. Clair entered and took a moment to take in the scene. Lance knew what she would see. Here he was, on one of his rare day¡¯s off as Champion, sitting in front of a screen documenting Brock¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. Clair didn¡¯t say anything that might come across as judging. Instead, she moved to sit on the couch next to him only to reach out for the stack of papers that rested next to his own handwritten notes. Clair flipped through it for a few minutes as Lance finished up his own observations. ¡°So? What¡¯s this about then?¡± she said, indicating the two stacks. Lance sighed. ¡°I wanted to test an analyst that has come into the League¡¯s employ. I wanted them to detail all the pertinent points regarding Brock¡¯s recent Ace match.¡± He then indicated his own handwritten notes. ¡°Then I sat down and did my own. Now I¡¯m going to read through what the professional found and see if they are worth hiring.¡± Clair nodded thoughtfully. ¡°What are you going to do when it becomes an important match for yourself? There¡¯s potential for rather damaging deception, no?¡± she said reasonably. ¡°There are others that monitor this sort of thing but when it comes to matches that truly matter? Like actual Champion challenges, I will do the work myself.¡± ¡°Got a report or two of these for Brock and Sabrina now I imagine,¡± Clair said casually. Lance snorted. ¡°Everyone in the Gym Leader roster has them.¡± Then he grimaced. ¡°Some of them are, or rather were grossly out of date and needed to account for changes.¡± ¡°Hmmm me too?¡± Clair said, perking up. Lance turned and made sure to lock eyes with her. ¡°Yes, you are a potential threat to me as another Dragontamer.¡± Clair narrowed her own. ¡°I¡¯m a Dragonmistress,¡± she said firmly. Lance snorted and broke the lock. ¡°Tam-ato, Ta-mato,¡± he said only to get a sniff of annoyance from Clair. Lance raised his hand. ¡°Peace, peace, I didn¡¯t ask you here to talk to you about this. I wanted to get another read on something that has reached my ears. He reached to the other side of the couch and pulled out a folder with a few sheets of paper. He held them out to Clair. ¡°Read this,¡± he said tiredly. Clair took it, eying it like he¡¯d given her a brightly coloured Ekans. It was an apt enough description. Clair opened the folder and began reading through it. A frown marred her features. ¡°Koga is already¡­ Bruce is doing what?!¡± she said, shooting to her feet. Lance raised a hand. ¡°Read until the end, it will answer a lot of questions you might have had because Bruce had a lot of the same questions,¡± said Lance. Clair¡¯s nostrils flared and she shifted her fiery gaze from Lance to the document that had caused the reaction. She inhaled and exhaled a few times and continued to read. Lance changed the channel onto Battlecast and was pleased to see he hadn¡¯t missed the live broadcast. ¡°¡ªlive from Pewter Gym! We have Brock once more defending his Gym¡¯s honour and that of the undefeated Elite Challenge! Against him is trainer Ethan! This young trainer is on his first circuit and is a resident of New Bark Town! You know what that means!¡± ¡°Johto starters!¡± chimed in the co-host, earning a nod from the other. Lance hummed, drawing up his transceiver to type in Ethan¡¯s trainer number to see what the young man¡¯s record was. He whistled at what he found. This young man had some serious potential. He¡¯d come into the circuit with only Professor Elms backing, which was nothing like Oak¡¯s level of support with funding and pokemon stabling. Elm only offered stable rights. That and of course the signature starter pokemon for Johto. Still, young Ethan had advanced well, and garnered a great deal of praise from the various Gym Leaders he¡¯d fought. Interestingly, he¡¯d been one of the last few trainers that had gotten around to challenging Blaine. In a normal circuit that would be impressive with how early he¡¯d achieved victory but then again, with his starter fully evolved it made sense Ethan would push himself to challenge against Blaine. He had sadly not been able to get a victory against Giovanni to complete a full set of eight major Gym badges before Giovanni had been revealed as the crime lord he was. Lance flicked away from the reports and instead opened up the page that listed the entire roster of pokemon that Ethan had to call upon. Feraligatr, Exegutor, Vileplume, Pidgeot, Spearow, Rapidash, Machoke, Dugtrio, Farfetch¡¯d Tauros, Persian, Primeape, Raichu, Muk, and Lickitung. It was a good list of pokemon and should offer Brock a good challenge. Now the question would become, if Ethan had done enough, or as others were discovering, spread themselves too thin? Clair set the folder down before the draw for which pokemon Ethan would be facing began. ¡°That absolute snake!¡± spat Clair. ¡°I can¡¯t believe the nerve of him! To take the care and support that our family has given him and suggest this?¡± Lance nodded, his lips forming a thin line. ¡°Indeed, the Elders, when I reveal this to them will be wroth. The Head Elder¡­¡± Lance frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what he will think of this¡­ rank betrayal,¡± he said. Clair bared her fangs. ¡°The nerve of him to do this after acquiring the rights to evolve and acquire some of the pokemon he has!¡± Lance sighed. ¡°As you read¡­ he is not in the wrong to do as he did. It is just¡ª¡± ¡°Morally bankrupt?¡± suggested Clair. Lance chuckled. ¡°I was going to say dubious morality but your description is rather apt,¡± he said. ¡°Morally Bankrupt,¡± he said, tasting the words. ¡°Yes, for Bruce, that rather fits.¡± Clair nodded, her gaze on the stack of papers before she twitched and adjusted them into a perfectly neat tower. ¡°Alright, so we have a report from Koga acting on League interests detailing that Bruce is reaching out to the Kanto Dragon society.¡± As she said this both Blackthron¡¯s snorted in contempt before she continued. ¡°And he is seeking out options to get their support for him to claim one of the Major Gym positions, specifically Cinnabar, but if he can get Viridian he will accept that as well.¡± Lance threaded his fingers and poised, eyes held firmly on the television as Brock¡¯s pokemon was randomised. He exhaled in annoyance when the familiar face of Bertha was shown once more. ¡°Tch, bad luck Ethan,¡± he said to himself. ¡°Lance, this is serious! Focus!¡± she said reaching for the remote only for Lance to stop her. ¡°I know this is, and I am treating it seriously. Tomorrow morning we have a talk lined up with the Elders, all of them to share this information.¡± Clair flicked her eyes towards the television. ¡°Could you turn off the television?¡± she said with a growl. ¡°Take this seriously, please?¡± Lance sighed and did so. With what he¡¯d read of Ethan¡¯s team he suspected he wasn¡¯t going to have a good run against Bertha. ¡°Very well,¡± he said, not expecting much. Bertha would wreck most of the team that Lance suspected that he would use with her Ice Beam alone. While the match would no doubt be entertaining, he wasn¡¯t convinced that Ethan would have a chance. ¡°So,¡± Clair said, indicating the papers. ¡°We have a cousin that wants to start a new Dragon styled Gym in Kanto, with Kanto organisation support, anything else I missed?¡± Lance sighed. ¡°The situation is rather worse than that. There are few clansmen that have supposedly been swayed by Bruce¡¯s view of things. He¡¯s gathered those that have typically been assigned lesser duties and asked them to come with him. As they have a level of familiarity with Dragon pokemon they would form a solid core for any Gym he hoped to create.¡± Clair growled. ¡°Malcontents? In our clan? We live with some of the best conditions there are! None of them even have to work if they don¡¯t want to due to clan investments! Next you¡¯ll tell me they¡¯re¡ª¡± Lance nodded. ¡°This is why it¡¯s being raised with the Elders as quickly as they can be gathered.¡± ¡°As quickly as they could be gathered? This is an emergency!¡± Clair continued. ¡°One that requires everyone to be read into the situation,¡± Lance said firmly. ¡°WE are at risk of civil strife within our clan and factions breaking off!¡± he said, slamming his hand on the table. He stopped, feeling his aura press down on Clair and while she held and met his gaze he could feel her tremble at the effort. He gave her a nod and retracted his aura. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve been vexed about this and while my instincts scream at me to drag Bruce out and tar and feather him I can¡¯t.¡± Lance worked his jaw. ¡°Everything he¡¯s doing is¡­ above board, also¡­ there is some precedent with the ancient texts which he can even use if we¡¯re going to try and apply Clan law internally,¡± said Lance. Clair reeled back. ¡°What? The Blackthorn clan has always been singular!¡± she said. Lance shook his head. ¡°No, we haven¡¯t,¡± he said. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Clair frowned and Lance sighed, standing and waving for her to follow. ¡°Come, I can¡¯t take the texts out of the Clan archives and I won¡¯t send you down a bunerary warren looking for them.¡± He walked quickly out of the apartment, which was one of the nicer, newer buildings that had been built into the cliffs of Blackthorn City at the rear of the Blackthorn¡¯s lands. It gave the resident a glorious look over the city and down route forty-five on a good day. It also had a large balcony that allowed Lance to take off and land there whenever he desired. Sadly, Lance wasn¡¯t going to be flying anywhere and instead would be taking the elevator to a sub-basement where the archives were located. Clair fidgeted as the elevator played that familiar annoyingly calming music. Lance resisted the urge to hum along as they descended the required twenty levels. When the doors opened they emerged in a tunnel that was ancient in appearance with how the rock walls had been hewn into shape. Various dragon forms were etched into the walls with the artist depicting how dragon¡¯s showcased their rage. Lance always found it interesting that the first pokemon depicted was Gyarados, a pokemon that was only water-flying. Then a Golduck, and then a Horsea before a Dragonair appeared. The Dragonair was the pokemon that definitely had longer-lasting impacts, but the Gyarados? That was where the Blackthorn¡¯s Legend had begun. It had earned itself a place of honour through being the Clan¡¯s first acquisition when they had first settled near the Lake of Rage with the Gyrados that spawned there having many seasonal disputes that made most people avoid the area. Rowena, the founder of the Blackthorn Clan however, hadn¡¯t. She¡¯d seen potential and spent an entire year learning the ins and the outs of the pokemon. Then she¡¯d captured a Magikarp and shown it how to be strong, legend had it that she¡¯d made it crest the waterfalls that fell into the glaciers of Mahogany Town. She¡¯d had her Magikarp fight through literal black ice in the depths of winter. It had been how they earned the name Blackthorn due to all the blackthorns of ice that Magikarp had ploughed through to reach the top of the waterfall. When it reached the top, it had soared high and evolved, supposedly casting the valley in a light like a sun at midnight. The Gyrados that had emerged had been truly impressive, to the point that she¡¯d used it to tame all the other Gyrados and clam the Lake of Rage for the first time. From Gyrados, Rowenna had sought out others, only to find few pokemon like it. Dragonair however had been a find and happily enough she¡¯d been able to breed it with a Golduck she owned. It wasn¡¯t something that the Blackthorn clan liked to advertise but they had in truth started as water type trainers instead of their vaunted Dragons. The transition had been steady. Thankfully for the Blackthorn clan Rowena¡¯s Dragonair has been a prolific breeder and to this day it was said that almost every true Blackthorn Dragon was based off Rowena¡¯s Dragonair. Clair merely glanced over the cave wall markings, not knowing the significance of what she passed. Lance would forgive her as he led her into a new structure. ¡°Lance Blackthorn, Champion,¡± he said when a soft beep chimed out. The door leading into the facility opened with a swish and Lance felt warm air blow over him. When he entered through another door after decontamination was completed, he nodded at the woman behind the desk. ¡°I¡¯ll be reviewing the tablets,¡± he said to her. He then inclined his head towards Clair to indicate she¡¯d be joining him. ¡°As is your prerogative, Champion,¡± replied the woman, turning her attention back to her work. Lance gave it a quick glance over. Hmmm cataloguing war-era documents. He decided to keep moving lest he grow distracted. He led Clair though the towering shelves and to a back wall that he swept along before stopping at a section. Then he slowly reached out and clasped hold of a number of stone blocks. ¡°That old?¡± said Clair incredulously. ¡°Those things are ancient! There¡¯s now way they would hold up nowadays!¡± Lance shook his head. ¡°To outsiders no, but to the Blackthorn clan which is ruled by elders who take older as often better? They will uphold these as they are our traditions,¡± he said. He deposited a slab of rock in front of Clair and claimed a seat for himself. ¡°Read them, I need a second set of eyes to see if I missed something.¡± Clair made a face as she picked up the first tablet and began to read the ancient script. This was another thing that just any outsider wouldn¡¯t be able to manage. Only trueborn Blackthorns that were born into the clan were taught to read Ancient script. It was a requirement for those who wanted to rise up the ranks. Clair read slowly and Lance raised an eyebrow. It seemed she¡¯d fallen out of practice. She made her way through them slowly and Lance decided to busy himself by browsing the shelves nearby for something to read. He happened on a rather interesting treaty written on a scroll about ancient Blackthorn members clashing with the tribe known these days as ¡®the Crushers¡¯. Hmmm, that was actually relevant with some of the sightings he¡¯d made recently. Instead of moving back to sit with Clair, he sunk down onto the floor with his back to the shelves to begin pouring over them. ¡°On the seventh day of the black sun, the ravaging clan was tracked back to the mountains to be revealed to be none other than the Crushers¡­¡± he read, slowly working his way through the archaic text. Clair eventually finished but found him with a stack of his own while he had his notepad out. ¡°Urgh, you really are a history nerd sometimes, I can¡¯t believe you read those things for pleasure.¡± Lance made a face. ¡°This isn¡¯t pleasure reading, this is simply me making progress, moving. I dislike sitting idle.¡± He tapped the stack of scrolls. ¡°These are actually extremely relevant for another matter I have been looking into but nevermind that. Tell me, what did you find?¡± ¡°There¡¯s precedent and should you call Bruce out on what he¡¯s planning, he can literally activate it as you suppressing him which led to the schism in the texts,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s a ¡®fig leaf¡¯ excuse though, and for him to be able to claim compensation in assets of the clan is just¡­ we need to get this off the books!¡± ¡°It has only ever happened once that the clan experienced a person dissatisfied with their position. It¡¯s actually this case that led to the Clan adopting such a supportive structure and the comforts many enjoy today with the pooling of resources.¡± Clair hissed. ¡°It¡¯s still going to cause a huge issue. Now that it¡¯s been raised it might continue to be raised! On paper, he will be creating a ¡®secondary branch but we all know he¡¯s not going to follow anything the Clan asks of him. Once he has what he wants he can break off and then the Clan can¡¯t do anything!¡± Lance nodded. ¡°Right, so you had the same reading as I did.¡± He put his head back against the shelves. ¡°So, we can¡¯t confront him lest he trigger it, but if he continues to run his course he¡¯s going to use a big event to no doubt make a big deal of himself and still force the issue.¡± ¡°We need to shame him, but not be seen contributing to it,¡± Clair said suddenly. Lance blinked looking up at her in shock. That hadn¡¯t been a suggestion he¡¯d expected her to utter. Clair looked just as startled. ¡°If we can¡¯t do it, we will need to rely on someone else.¡± She wet her lips, perhaps we need to make a larger deal of the Golden week Ace Tournament than normal?¡± she suggested. Lance nodded slowly. ¡°Brock¡¯s going to be there,¡± he said slowly. ¡°As is¡­ Karen,¡± said Clair distastefully. ¡°She¡¯s a known quantity with how she¡¯s going for Elite Four position. Brock has a proven ability to best Dragons that has only gotten stronger with that Clefable on his team.¡± Lance nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a solution but let¡¯s see if we can find others. I don¡¯t want to put all our eggs in one clutch,¡± he said, rising and signalling for her to return to his apartment with her. The elevator was calming this time as they traded suggestions back and forth rather than standing in silence with bubbly music playing. When they reached the apartment, Clair broke away to make a pot of tea to calm themselves further. Lance fished out the remote and turned the television back on. The battlecast announcer was shown. ¡°WHAT A MATCH! IF YOU MISSED IT, YOU REALLY WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RERUN!¡± The other announcer bounced back and forth. ¡°I have to give it to Ethan! I was not expecting that Muk to come out first and to set the tone of the fight with a huge Toxic! That really forced Brock¡¯s hand. It suddenly became a much closer thing and you could see Bertha was struggling!¡± ¡°Urgh! So many clutch moments where it could have gone either way!¡± ¡°Tune in for the rerun at seven after the final Ace match of the circuit before the Golden week break! It¡¯s Bruce versus Carr in what many are tipping as the finals of next week playing out early! How will these two face off knowing that they¡¯re destined too next week!¡± Lance felt his face morph from one of stoic resolve to disgust tinged with annoyance. So, not only had he missed an interesting match, but Bruce was going to do a little victory lap and drum up some more awareness with a match before the tournament. Everyone else in the top ten rankings was avoiding matches due to not wanting to give their opponents more of a read on them. Well, everyone but Brock. But Brock was extremely atypical for a number of reasons. At first glance, he should have an easy-to-counter team, but then you started getting into the moves that said pokemon had along with their training. Lance had watched more than a few matches where Brock¡¯s starter had gone up against fighting type pokemon and prevailed, something that should have been avoided Brock would sometimes lean into, exploiting people¡¯s expectations and defying the odds. And while the Elite challenge appeared to broadcast a lot of his strengths it also showcased something else. All of Brock¡¯s pokemon, his rock type pokemon, were at least approaching Elite Four levels in terms of strength. Some of that had to be the Elite challenge pushing them to be stronger. It made Lance want to challenge himself in new ways instead of simply sitting and waiting for worthy foes. He needed to create conditions that challenged him so that when the fetters came off, his pokemon could truly shine. ¡°Ooooh looks like you missed out,¡± Clair said rather redundantly as she set down the teapot. Lance gave her a gimlet stare. If he hadn¡¯t had to escort her to the archives for the ancient texts¡­ He exhaled through his nostrils and waved a hand. ¡°I¡¯ll watch it later, after Bruce¡¯s match¡± he said even while a bitter taste filled his mouth. He didn¡¯t want to but he felt he should watch it, just in case there was something he could pick up from Bruce. Who knows, perhaps Carr would surprise him and deliver a shock last minute victory to claim the top seeded position going into the tournament. Stranger things had happened. Clair poured the tea, ¡°What do you make of the claims that the Kanto dragon society made?¡± she said. ¡°Less than nothing, they are just trying to entice Bruce by the prospect of seeking out the fabled Kanto hidden home of dragons. The claims that the pokemon are close to the cycling road is a blatant reach. If anything I¡¯d expect the land to be somewhere close to the Safari Zone. There is more than enough proof of Dratini with the extremely rare Dragoniar appearing there to give us an idea that the habitat is somewhere close to Fuchsia.¡± ¡°So it could be to the northwest of Fuchsia?¡± prodded clair from behind her teacup. Lance worked his jaw. ¡°Surveyors have trodden through those lands many times and found nothing. Dragonite are not known for being able to hide their habitats well. It must be a preserve that is maintained by a more powerful pokemon such as Lord Rayquaza.¡± ¡°Not Mew?¡± Clair said with a thoughtful tone. ¡°If what we¡¯ve learned about fairy typing it is possible that Mew, as a capricious trickster pokemon might have a paw in hiding a valley of dragon pokemon from people interested in it, no?¡± Lance blinked. ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered that before, that¡­¡± He stared out over the balcony, ¡°makes entirely too much sense, but it might be fitting details to suit our expectations. There has only been a few sightings of the pokemon and it being pink and exceptionally powerful as it dispatched flights of Dragon tamers while appearing to play¡­¡± Lance sighed. ¡°Alright I can hear it,¡± he said. Clair just smirked at him. ¡°It does fit, I will review some of the files and stored items that Team Rocket had. If they still have a DNA sample I might be able to get a fairy typing for it,¡± Lance said. Clair sipped her tea in a manner that was all too pleased for Lance¡¯s liking. ¡°Anything else catching your eye?¡± he prompted. ¡°Just how desperate the Dragon Society is to get to establish an actual Gym for Dragons, ¡° she replied as she set her tea down. ¡°It seems like they pooled a lot of resources for this pitch and while Bruce is taking them for all they are worth, I have to admit to being surprised with what they¡¯ve put together.¡± She made a show of lifting the stack of papers detailing the meeting and flipping to a point that detailed specific Gym plans that would cater to a Dragon¡¯s needs rather well. ¡°Some of these facilities are impressive and if I didn¡¯t know how¡­ fanatical they were about Dragons I would wonder if they hadn¡¯t bribed one of the handlers in the creche.¡± Lance shook his head. ¡°No such luck, then I could get them for something and stop this cold from another angle.¡± Lance waved a hand at the notes. ¡°That right there is the combined and collective work of a group of people desperate to host Dragon pokemon in Kanto. Some are doing it out of their love for the typing, and others are doing it to have a firm counter to our Clan. They hope to create something like we have,¡± he said gesturing expansively, ¡°They have tried to entice Professor Oak more than a few times,¡± said Lance conversationally. Clair paused, her eyes dilating with fright. While the Blackthorn clan had the claims for the best at raising dragons and the current Champion, there was some serious debate on if they actually had the strongest Dragon in Kanto due to the existence of Samuel Oak¡¯s Dragonite. Lance wasn¡¯t in a hurry to find out, choosing instead to follow the ancient teaching of letting sleeping dragon¡¯s lie. He shrugged. ¡°He never accepted their offers, obviously,¡± he said. The pair of them shared a nod, relaxing marginally despite them both knowing there wasn¡¯t much threat of Samuel Oak breaking away from his retirement. The idea bandied around in most circles was that he¡¯d won and continued to win by doing nothing but being an ever-present threat. If he was roused, then he might cause waves but he was more than content to explore scientific mysteries about pokemon these days. Clair frowned and lifted the stack of papers. She didn¡¯t read through them again, merely hefted them with a thoughtful frown. ¡°So, Koga found all of this information out from an extremely secretive meeting?¡± she said thoughtfully. Lance could only sigh and nod, knowing where this line of thought was leading. Clair¡¯s eyes flickered about the apartment. ¡°How do we know he¡¯s not watching us at the moment?¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t.¡± Lance sighed and stared down at his cup of tea. There were days when he wished he was allowed to drink something a little stronger. Sadly he had to maintain an image for the youth of today. You did not want to inspire drunks with pokemon that were capable of levelling buildings after all. Lance settled in to wait, ideas and plots forming in his mind as he attempted to keep the ship that was Kanto even and stable even as it seemed everyone wanted to upset things. Lance felt more than a little envy on days like this for Samuel Oak. It made a lot of sense that the man stayed retired. He wasn¡¯t a fool. Chapter 228 - The good, the bad, and the ugly Cindy entered her room with a serious mein. She made sure to march right into the middle of it and give everything in it a serious look over. Her brow scrunched up like the few times she¡¯d seen Brock getting annoyed at some paperwork. ¡°Hnnnnnnn,¡± said a small voice behind her. Cindy ignored the voice. Just like she ignored how she could see Suzie and Yolanda in the mirror behind her, with Munchlax trailing along. All of them were copying her. She ignored them¡­ for a whole five seconds! Then she turned and pounced on them. ¡°Stop that, you guys!¡± she whined. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be serious!¡± Suzie nodded, frown firmly in place. ¡°Yeah! Super serious!¡± she said, crossing her arms. Munchlax leaned forward to see what pose Suzie had adopted and took that pose himself. ¡°Munch!¡± he said with a nod. Yolanda went limp and boneless in Cindy¡¯s arms, causing Cindy to topple backwards. ¡°Argh! No! Stop it! You¡¯re ruining my storm off!¡± she said. She hadn¡¯t and still wasn''t impressed with Brock leaving things to practically the last minute to tell her that they were going to Chrysanthemum Island for Golden Week. She had started to make plans with her friends, and now she was going to spend that time with her family! Yolanda caught herself before she could hit the floor. ¡°Calm down, Brock¡¯s just been busy,¡± she said calmly. ¡°I wanted to spend time with my friends!¡± Cindy said, crossing her arms and turning away. ¡°I have to spend my holidays with you guys all the time!¡± she said with a whine. Yolanda gave her a flat look. ¡°We are your family, you should spend time with us,¡± she said. Cindy huffed. ¡°I have band practice as well! I wanted to make it into the wind section!¡± she said reaching for another reason. ¡°You could always stay with them for a sleepover?¡± Yolanda suggested. ¡°And miss out on the beach?¡± said Cindy, aghast at this line of logic her sister was using. Yolanda rolled her eyes. Cindy stuck out her tongue. Yolanda rolled her eyes harder. Suzie, glanced between them. ¡°Can¡¯t Cindy¡¯s friends just come with us?¡± she asked with all the innocence of a child. Cindy opened her mouth to refute this, only to pause. Why couldn¡¯t she do that? Yolanda made a face. ¡°Sometimes adults get weird about people buying holidays for them.¡± Suzie shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t hurt to ask?¡± she said. Cindy liked that idea. If she was super smart about how she asked, they would have to say yes! She just needed to make a call¡­ which she couldn¡¯t do as she didn¡¯t have a transceiver. ¡°Yolanda, lend me your transceiver,¡± she said, holding out her hand expectantly. Yolanda raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her. ¡°Maybe you should ask Dad and Brock first, seeing as they¡¯re the ones that are going to be paying for this.¡± ¡°We¡¯re rich, we can afford it,¡± said Cindy dismissively. She held her hand out, only to see that Yolanda had firmed up and looked like she was about to start giving her a lecture. Cindy huffed and made for her second option. She marched across the hallway and pushed open Salvadore¡¯s door. ¡°I¡¯m borrowing your transceiver!¡± she announced. Salvadore looked up from a model that he¡¯d gotten from Brock on his last run to Cerulean. With tweezers and the giant goggles in hand, he looked like such a dweeb. On his bed, Hephaestus looked up and yawned at her. ¡°Cindy, you can''t just-¡± Yolanda started to say, only for Cindy to slam the door in her face. She grinned when a soft ¡®whump¡¯ sounded from the other side. Salvadore peered at her. ¡°Am I going to get in trouble for lending you my Xtransicer?¡± he asked. ¡°No!¡± Cindy said firmly as she ripped the transceiver off Salvadore¡¯s wrist and began spinning through the contacts. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have Brittany¡¯s contact information?¡± she asked. ¡°Cause I¡¯m not her friend?¡± said Salvadore, still peering at her through his giant goggles. Cindy groaned as the door opened to reveal Yolanda with a red nose. Behind her, Suzie and Munchlax played a game of running into a closed door. ¡°And we go whump!¡± said Suzie before falling on her bum. ¡°Hooray!¡± said her little sister, Munchlax echoing her cheer. Yolanda towered over Cindy. ¡°Little sister, do you have anything you want to say for yourself?¡± she said with a frosty tone. Cindy swallowed. ¡°Let that be a lesson to you?¡± she said carefully. Yolanda¡¯s eyebrow twitched. Salvadore peered from her to Yolanda to Suzie. ¡°I am so lost on what¡¯s going on,¡± he said. Yolanda twitched and Cindy leaped to the side, only to curse as she realised mid leap that her sister had grown wise to her evasive manoeuvres. Yolanda grabbed her out of the air and began dragging her. Cindy did the only reasonable thing she could. ¡°YOU ARE HURTING ME!!!!¡± she screamed at the top of her lungs. ¡°LET GO OF ME!¡± Eevee, who¡¯d been napping in Suzie¡¯s room, appeared, with her ears tucked into herself and a glower raised at Cindy, but Cindy didn¡¯t stop. Yolanda was getting in the way of her getting her friend to come and hang out instead of spending more time with her family! Brock opened his door, a shirt draped over him with loose pants pulled on. He looked goofy as anything. ¡°What on Kanto is going on?¡± he shouted over the top of Cindy. ¡°SHE¡¯S HURTING ME!¡± shouted Cindy. ¡°I AM NOT!¡± Yolanda shouted back. Brock sighed. ¡°Great, just great.¡± He then opened his hands and clapped them together. He did it just once, but the echoing bang filled the hallway and caused both Yolanda and Cindy to shut their mouths and stare at him in shock. His annoyed stare kept them quiet. Suzie chose that moment to stagger into a hall cabinet, a ball falling from the top and smacking her right in the head. She fell to the ground and sat there, stunned. Brock shifted focus straight away. ¡°Hey Suzie, you alright?¡± he asked. Suzie sat there for a moment, blinking. Then her eyes teared up, and she wailed in pain. Before Brock or anyone else could move, Sabrina was there in a flash. She scooped Suzie up and tucked her away before disappearing with another flash. Brock lurched, caught in the act of moving towards their crying sister only to stop. ¡°Huh, right, that¡¯s sorted then,¡± he said as the sound of Suzie¡¯s crying shifted to another part of the house. He then turned his attention back to Cindy and Yolanda. ¡°Alright, now, what¡¯s going on with you two?¡± he said. Cindy rushed to get her truth in first, only for Brock to hold his hand up. ¡°Yolanda first,¡± he said. Cindy snarled. ¡°No fair! You always let her talk first!¡± Brock ran a hand over his face. ¡°Just¡­ urgh, I was moment¡¯s away from having¡­ well, relaxing,¡± he said. He inhaled and gestured with his whole hand to Yolanda. ¡°Yolanda gets to talk first because she¡¯s older and has a lot of my trust, with how earnestly she works in the Gym and at home.¡± Cindy pouted and looked away. Brock inhaled and exhaled again. ¡°What did the book say about this?¡± he asked, seemingly to himself. Yolanda shifted. ¡°I wanted to come get you because¡ª¡± Brock held out his hand again and stopped Yolanda this time. ¡°Sorry, no, let me work on this first please, Yolanda.¡± Yolanda nodded slowly and Brock smiled back at her. Then he looked at Cindy. ¡°Cindy, I¡¯m sorry that you feel you don¡¯t get as fair a treatment. I have to admit that I don¡¯t give you as many chances to prove yourself like I do Yolanda. For things like this, it¡¯s not a bad idea to change it up, but remember, I want you to be as honest as possible with me, yeah?¡± He crouched down and looked right into her eyes. ¡°You can be honest with me, right?¡± ¡°...okay,¡± Cindy said, feeling like this was unfair. Somehow using a book had let Brock cheat. She shifted. ¡°I was feeling kind of annoyed because I¡¯d made plans with my friend to hang out next week, and I also have a recital that is coming up, and¡ª¡± Cindy let everything that had happened since dinner spill out. Brock stayed where he was, crouched down and listening, nodding along. ¡°¡ªand then Yolanda grabbed me,¡± she finished. Brock hummed. ¡°Alright, thank you for being as honest as you could with me.¡± He turned to Yolanda. ¡°Anything you¡¯d like to add?¡± he asked. Yolanda rubbed her nose. ¡°She slammed the door in my face, and I was just going to bring her to you or dad to ask about having her friends come over.¡± ¡°You know, the whole invite your friend idea is pretty great,¡± he said. ¡°I never get much of a chance to meet your friends!¡± he said with a winning smile. Then he gained a serious look. ¡°But before we announce that to the others, do you have anything to say to each other?¡± he said. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Yolanda and Cindy to each other. Yolanda gave her a smile and Cindy matched her. Brock looked from one to the other. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s tell the others, and then we can make some arrangements, alright?¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°It might be a bit late to get so many rooms, but there¡¯s no reason we can¡¯t make it a camping trip!¡± he said. Cindy gasped. ¡°What? No! I want to stay in a resort with a pool!¡± she said. Brock snorted and waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯m just messing around,¡± he said, only to drop the smile. ¡°Or am I?¡± he said, standing quickly and marching into his room. Cindy stared after him. ¡°Which is it?¡± she called, only for Brock to grin evilly at her. ¡°Muhahaha!¡± he said, closing the door. Yolanda giggled and moved off. ¡°Camping might be nice,¡± she said aloud. Cindy stared after her. Billy and Tommy marched past with the stupid poop book. ¡°And it¡¯s as big as your head!¡± said Tommy. Meanwhile Sabrina and Suzie floated down the hallway, with Selene and Kirlia bobbing after them, all of them nibbling on a cone of ice cream. Salvadore chose that moment to peek out of his room, his giant goggles that magnified his eyes still in place. ¡°So, everything¡¯s back to normal?¡± Cindy grimaced. On second thought, maybe she didn¡¯t want her friends seeing how weird her family was.
The television shone brightly in the dark room as the sole occupant lazed on the couch. The room suddenly brightened, as an explosion on the television caused a shockwave of light, even hours after the event the powerful move caused people watching the battle to blink back tears. Not Carr, though. He just continued to stare at the screen lifelessly. He¡¯d lost. It had been a while since he¡¯d last lost, and he found that he really didn¡¯t like the taste it left in his mouth. He¡¯d been on a serious win streak of late. He¡¯d gotten to Corvo, beating that Johto loving dunderhead with barely three pokemon. Then Matthew, Debra and Leo for a quick hop step up the ladder that had seen him winning four matches and a few easy points to rise up the Ace rankings. Those wins, while beneath him, had made his points look inflated for when he¡¯d gotten the chance to fight that absolute idiot Fergus. His stupid friend Neesha had then gotten involved, and after beating both of them like drums, he¡¯d gotten to fight Corey. Corey had been better. He had a good spread of pokemon compared to a lot of others that clung to type specialisations. Those were outdated and foolish lines of thought, and if there was one thing that Carr hated, it was fools. He would never abide letting himself slip into such terrible habits. He might present the facade of a Steel type expert, but that was just a front. His Forretress were to be used as threats and set up experts. As ?ug-steel they offered a fair amount of versatility. His Skarmory was a powerful fighter that covered a lot of the weaknesses flying types usually had. And as for Steelix? Well, that pokemon had some serious power and tricks that people were only just now getting to see, due to Brock using his so openly. The damn fool. Carr spun a pokeball on the tip of his finger, enjoying the weight of it balanced perfectly. He obviously didn¡¯t care that he was revealing a good deal of Carr¡¯s hidden techniques. Well, he was a fool on that point at least. On a lot of other points, though, Carr couldn¡¯t help but admire Brock. The information that Steelix could Mega-evolve was certainly welcome. Carr allowed himself to grant Brock a slight pass for being a useful idiot. Carr just needed to keep his ear to the ground about any shipments or deals being made. Brock had ownership of fossil pokemon. A huge money-maker right there.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Then he had information on some rare evolutions and variant pokemon. More money for him. He also had Professor Oak supposedly eating out of his hands, so he¡¯d be having those useless academics open their doors for him as well. Brock had a lot going for him. And for that, Carr kind of hated him. He¡¯d once had a lot going for him. He¡¯d had backers and rare pokemon and even a plan all lined up. Then things had gone tits up when that absolute tool Giovanni had overplayed his hand, thinking he was hotter shit than he really was. Although, it had been a surprise to learn that Giovanni of all people was the big boss. Carr had initially surmised that it was someone like the founder of Silph Co. whom everyone wrote off as a dandy these days. Carr didn¡¯t trust that, though. No way you created a business like Silph and then just gave it all up. Carr didn¡¯t believe that for a moment. And Carr knew he was right more often than not. It wasn¡¯t every day, after all, that a fourteen year old made it up the Ace rankings as high as he did. He might have been wrong about Giovanni, but he still thought something stunk about that Silph sneak. Carr was smart, he knew it. He¡¯d proven it by sneaking into a few courses, picked up a course book and the next day sat the test just to see if he could. What he¡¯d discovered? He was damn smart. Easily in the top 95%, if not more. They just hadn¡¯t created a test for him. He was smart, and when he was done, he¡¯d make sure other people knew it. Carr hadn¡¯t let himself get caught up in the avalanche of arrests. Carr spun another pokeball on the tip of his finger and grinned. He¡¯d known that Team Rocket had a profile on him, and very specific notes about what levers they had to control him. Blackmail, bribes and all that. He¡¯d let them think that, let them think he was a joiner, a real ¡®yes¡¯ kid. Meanwhile, he¡¯d slipped a Porygon into their system and had it sit in waiting. The instant Carr had seen the way things were shaking out after the Saffron incident, he¡¯d given his little Dataduck the go-ahead to purge his files. A knock sounded on the door, and Carr grinned. Him, and a few other select agents who could prove useful. He¡¯d gotten a lot more than he¡¯d bargained for with his failsafe, and now he had options. More options than any former Rocket member, he liked to think. He now had the ability to call up and use certain agents. It wasn''t like they could naysay him, with the blackmail he had over their heads. One word, and off to prison they''d go. Heck, the Government would probably reward him! And if he felt like it, he might even visit the Orre region that some of the files mentioned. ¡°You may enter,¡± he said, making sure he sounded extra smarmy. It would annoy the agents he¡¯d selected for this mission and make them further underestimate him. The door opened and Butch and Cassidy entered. Both of them grimaced when they looked at him, and Carr grinned indolently. These two were useful agents. They had exemplary records with scores and missions. Carr had been rather surprised. With Dataduck in the Team Rocket system he¡¯d been able to filter out some reports and he¡¯d learned about these two. With what they¡¯d achieved, he was honestly surprised that they weren¡¯t administrators. They just had the misfortune to come under a boss that had been envious of their success. The man had claimed it for himself, with Giovanni never questioning it. If Butch and Cassidy had a bit more smarts, they might have realised they needed to create some openings in the Admins roster to secure their advancement. That¡¯s what Carr would have done. But then again, they weren¡¯t on his level. ¡°I have a job for you both,¡± he said as the door shut behind them. Butch and Cassidy shared a look. ¡°Alright?¡± Carr caught the pokeball. ¡°...¡± he gave them a pointed look. ¡°Ah, what¡¯s the job¡­ boss?¡± said Cassidy, nudging Butch. ¡°Yeah, boss,¡± said Butch. Carr allowed himself a smile. It was too easy to rile them up. ¡°I want you to hire another person, a professional thief, if you would. I have a target for them. You¡¯ll need to set up some intermediaries, as there is a risk of it getting back to you if you¡¯re not careful.¡± Butch frowned at this. ¡°Even if we¡¯re not the ones doing the hit?¡± Carr levelled a flat look at him. ¡°Yes, because the target is Brock.¡± Cassidy blinked. ¡°Oh, meaning Sabrina might be involved¡­¡± she said rather redundantly. Carr huffed. ¡°If you need me to sketch it out for you, yes. Don¡¯t let this blow back on you, or more importantly, me,¡± he said. Butch sniffed. ¡°We have some contacts¡­ What¡¯s the objective?¡± he asked. Carr smiled and raised a picture of Brock. He tapped on something, and both Butch and Cassidy whistled. ¡°That¡¯s risky, little man,¡± said Butch. ¡°It¡¯s boss,¡± said Carr pointedly. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have to remind you again,¡± he said, his tone sharp as it could go. If Butch wanted to play this game, he could play it. Cassidy knew better and lowered her head like a good little minion. ¡°You don¡¯t, we¡¯ll make the arrangements,¡± she said. Carr flicked his hand and dismissed them. Only then did he sit up and start his own work. He had some contacts of his own that he was going to set on a secondary objective. A picture of a trio of trainers flashed up on his transceiver and Carr took a moment to glower at their stupid smiling faces. He clicked send on the order, wiping his hands of the affair. With that done he turned his attention to his actual work. Becoming the number one Ace trainer, sadly, wasn¡¯t going to be as easy. He grinned. It shouldn¡¯t be too much of a challenge for a genius like himself, though! It was all about making the right steps. He flicked his hand and released Dataduck. He pointed at the computer in the corner. ¡°We¡¯re on a hardline that the local Pokemon League office is tapped into. I want you to go in and get me all of the competition¡¯s pokemon rosters. All of them, not just the publicly shared list,¡± he said. Step one of his genius plan? Stack the deck in his favour and peek at the cards everyone had in their hands.
Meowth stared into the distance. Somehow they¡¯d gotten themselves a very amiable backer. They were on the straight and narrow. They were honestly doing well for themselves. They had good fat bank accounts that were in the green, or the black, or whatever it was called. No one was hunting around for them. Or at least, it seemed that way these days. And yet still¡­ ¡°How do we end up in these situations?¡± said Meowth, trying valiantly to ignore the canoe they¡¯d found themselves in. ¡­ while in the middle of the ocean. Jessie grunted, pulling her oar forward and stroking it to propel them. ¡°I don¡¯t know, blame James and his propensity to buy pokemon he really should know better about!¡± James stopped still, turning in his seat and setting the canoe to rocking. Meowth hissed and prepared himself to leap atop Jessie¡¯s head. It wasn¡¯t rational, he knew that. If he did that it would set her to flailing and then then be sure to end up in the drink. But he couldn¡¯t stop himself from flexing his claws as instincts he¡¯d honed screamed at him to get ready to move. James went very still. ¡°Sorry Meowth,¡± he muttered. Then he looked past Meowth to Jessie. ¡°This is hardly my fault! You¡¯re the one that decided it would be a good idea to mess with the twerps. Then they blew us away, like they always do!¡± he hissed. ¡°Brock wants us to test his kid brother! That¡¯s like, the only condition he gave us!¡± Jessie replied hotly. James snorted. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you could have probably done it on your own!¡± Jessie huffed. Meowth swallowed down his fear. ¡°Well, what I want to know is why neither of you have your transceivers out calling for extraction. We¡¯re not exactly crooks, so we can do that, you know?¡± James and Jessie both paused as they realised how true that was. Both of them raised their transceivers. ¡°Mine¡¯s out of battery,¡± said James sheepishly. The boys turned their attention to Jessie only for her to hang her head. ¡°It¡¯s damaged, I can¡¯t get reception,¡± she said. Meowth sighed, looking up into the blue sky, ¡°Sometimes I wonder if we¡¯re doing something wrong when we¡¯re doing good, but it turns out it¡¯s not a matter of us doing good or bad. It¡¯s just us, we¡¯re unlucky. When I get back, I think I could buy a thousand lottery tickets and still not win anything.¡± James gave him a sympathetic look. ¡°To be fair, the lottery isn¡¯t meant to be won. That¡¯s the reason they make it so hard,¡± he said. Meowth shot a glare at him. ¡°I was being poetic!¡± ¡°Urgh, you and your poetry!¡± Jessie said. ¡°I swear I¡¯ve caught you calling your girlfriend like every night since we left Pewter!¡± James turned around. ¡°You have a transceiver?¡± he asked hopefully. Meowth nodded. ¡°I¡­ left it on the charger this morning, ¡®cause we were planning on staying the week,¡± he said. Everyone hung their heads. Meowth looked up at the distant island. ¡°At least we¡¯re not lost,¡± he said. Jessie and James both nodded as they continued to row the canoe. They¡¯d gotten very used to finding their way in the wilderness, even before Team Rocket Academy. They¡¯d been aces at that course. Now it was coming in clutch as they made their way back to their accommodations. Meowth sighed and looked over the edge of the canoe, only to gasp and throw himself to the other side. ¡°There¡¯s something in the water!¡± he screeched before either of the lunks could reprimand him. Both Jessie and James steadied the boat while peering out. A dark shape under their canoe made them stiffen. ¡°Is it a Gyarados?¡± suggested James. ¡°It might be a Wailord?¡± offered Jessie hopefully. "S-So we¡¯re only slightly at risk of being launched into the air instead of blasted? I hate water and this is why!¡± Meowth whined. The trio watched the dark shadow under their boat shift back and forth before it slowly seemed to grow closer. The trio leaned back and prepared themselves for the worst. Meowth readied his claws while James and Jessie put their hands on their pokeballs. The shadow resolved itself into a fish pokemon, brown with red spots. ¡°Canth!¡± said the ugly squinty eyed pokemon. Meowth and James tilted their heads. ¡°Who¡¯s that pokemon?¡± they said. Jessie hissed in surprise and shifted her grip to another pokeball before hurling it straight at the pokemon. ¡°Get in the ball!¡± she roared. The pokeball hit the pokemon and it dissolved into a red light that filled the pokeball which landed on the water and floated. It wobbled a little, only to then crack open and for the pokemon to reappear. ¡°Reli!¡± growled the brown fish. It then slowly dove back under the water. ¡°Shoot! James! Don¡¯t let it get away! Bombard it or something!¡± she shouted as she stood, stripping to her bra and panties. Her shirt flopped onto Meowth and he spluttered. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you? And keep your clothes on!¡± Jessie whipped her head around and glared at James and Meowth. ¡°Don¡¯t wait, just do as I ordered! That¡¯s a rare pokemon that Brock is highly interested in! It¡¯s a Relicanth! If we capture that pokemon, we¡¯ve hit pay dirt!¡± she said. From her purse she pulled out a small scuba breather with some goggles before leaping up high and arcing into the water. Meowth stared after her before snapping his head around to watch as James copied Jessie. ¡°Eh? You too?¡± he shouted. ¡°Jessie needs help! You hold down the fort here! Try not to let us float off!¡± he said, diving in after Jessie. ¡°What?! I¡¯m a Meowth! Leave me¡­ and you¡¯re gone,¡± said Meowth. He swallowed and looked around. He was a Meowth, stranded at sea with no one else around. This was easily his worst nightmare. Meowth clutched at his chest as he felt his heart begin to beat faster. He roved his eyes from side to side fearfully. This was it, this was how he died. He¡¯d capsize the canoe and end up drowning far from land, just as he had a shot at it with Mittens. He¡¯d had it all planned out, go straight, earn enough from an acting career and buy a white picket fence that him and Mittens could move into. Then Bosco could live in the basement and Jessie and James could live next door. Now he was done. A Goner. He had no shot. His breaths came faster and faster as he looked around, waiting and watching for whatever was going to do it. Knock him into the water. ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked a flat voice. Meowth rolled, making the canoe rock. He clung to the bottom of the canoe for a second before slowly looking up, deciding to be brave. Even if it was the last time. He hoped they at least had a small parade in his honour¡­ He found himself staring into the face of a Magikarp. Meowth shot to his feet. ¡°Like hell I¡¯m dying ¡®cause of you!¡¯ he shouted, pointing straight at the stupid fish face. Magikarp blinked dolefully. ¡°I¡­ suppose?¡± said the Magikarp. Meowth nodded before shaking his head. ¡°I mean, who the hell are you and what are you doing out here?¡± Meowth snapped. Magikarp looked at his fins and then looked back up at Meowth. ¡°I¡¯m a Magikarp and¡­ I don¡¯t really get to control where I go in life¡­¡± he said. Meowth opened his mouth to mock the other pokemon, only to feel something. What was it? Empathy? Or indigestion, maybe? Meowth licked his lips. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, that happens,¡± he said eventually. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Magikarp, ¡°It sucks. Me and Feebas hate it.¡± Meowth looked around only to find another smaller, and if anything, even less impressive pokemon staring up at him. ¡°H-hi?¡± said a young voice. Meowth blinked. ¡°Hi there,¡± he said, deciding for once that it wouldn¡¯t cost him anything to be nice. It wasn¡¯t like there was anyone around that could see him, after all. ¡°Are you alright?¡± said the little Feebas. ¡°You sounded like you were in trouble.¡± Meowth growled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in trouble! I was just... practising my breathing.¡± Feebas tilted her whole body. ¡°Was the screaming part of it?¡± Magikarp¡¯s tail twitched and Meowth had the sneaking suspicion that the stupid fish was laughing at him. ¡°Yes, it was,¡± he said, doubling down on his lie. Feebas nodded, and then rolled on her side in the water. ¡°Waaaaaah! I¡¯m doomed! Waaaah!¡± she shouted, causing water to be splashed around. Meowth felt like he should step into the cold dark waters and let them claim him now. He¡¯d been wrong. This, this was how he died. Not because of fear, but shame. He¡¯d need to kill himself¡­ after killing any witnesses. He eyed the fish¡­ weren¡¯t Magikarp and Feebas a specialty dish in some parts? Magikarp twitched again. ¡°Feebas, that¡¯s enough,¡± said the stupid fish. Feebas righted herself and Meowth caught sight of an ugly scar down her flank. ¡°Ah, alright. Sorry if I did it wrong, Meowth,¡± she said. Meowth coughed. ¡°Yeah, well, it takes practise to get good at it,¡± he said firmly, unsure why he was committing to the lie. He shook his head, only for a fin in the water to make him stiffen. ¡°Sharpedo!¡± he shouted, pointing at the fin. Both Feebas and Magikarp turned, extremely slowly to look. In doing so, they revealed they each had scars over their bodies. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re done for!¡± said Feebas, wilting. ¡°Yup, he¡¯s probably done playing with us,¡± said Magikarp. Meowth flicked his eyes back and forth at them before turning to the Sharpedo charging in. He couldn¡¯t say why he did it, or even how, but somehow, someway, he lifted an oar and just as Sharpedo leapt up he brought it down, smacking the even stupider fish pokemon back where it came from. ¡°Get out of here! Leave them alone!¡± he shouted as he dispatched the Sharpedo with a deft slap. Sharpedo reared back and soared out of the water, leaving Feebas and Magikarp to gape in awe. The Sharpedo landed a little ways away with a splash, before righting itself quickly. ¡°Well, well well, what do we have, a brave little puss all alone in the ocean.¡± The Sharpedo grinned. ¡°You¡¯re gonna need a bigger boat, pussycat!¡± he roared as he charged, teeth bared. ¡°Like hell I do!¡± shouted Meowth as he did the opposite of something smart and instead leapt at Sharpedo from the boat, fangs and claws extended. Sharpedo baulked in surprise as Meowth slashed his claws into something soft before kicking out with his feet to leap back. A stab of pain in his feet let him know that hadn¡¯t been a good idea. He landed painfully and growled. ¡°Get out of here punk! You don¡¯t scare me!¡± Sharpedo shook itself only to grin, its eyes dilating. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding¡­. Hnnnnnn, you smell tasty!¡± Meowth growled, knowing things were looking bad. ¡°Leave our friend alone! He might be weird but he¡¯s nice!¡± shouted Feebas. ¡°Yeah! Leave our weird friend alone!¡± parroted Magikarp. Meowth was suddenly much less sure of himself. The Sharpedo twitched, snapping his fangs into the water. ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re next! I¡¯m done playing with each of you!¡± he said, before turning back to Meowth. Meowth prepared his fangs for another clash, not willing to go down easily. Then he spotted a shadow in the water and he grinned. ¡°Hey Sharpedo? You like snakes?¡± he asked. Sharpedo had all of a second to blink before Jessie¡¯s Arbok shot out of the water with fangs sparking madly. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with my friends!¡± snarled the snake before it slammed into Sharpedo. Sharpedo twitched and spasmed, only to go limp as Arbok held on long enough to knock him out. Arbok let go and spat a wad of blood. ¡°Urgh! He tastes disgusting!¡± he said. Then he turned to look at Meowth. ¡°You alright, little kitty?¡± Meowth scoffed. ¡°I had it covered.¡± Arbok looked like he wanted to argue that, but then Feebas chimed in. ¡°Oh, he was incredible! He leapt out and slashed up Sharpedo with his claws like a hero!¡± A moment later Jessie and James emerged looking triumphant. ¡°Meowth! We just scored big!¡± said the red head. Meowth grinned. ¡°Nice! Now let¡¯s get back to shore and count our cash!¡± Jessie grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll do us one better! Relicanth! Come out and tow us to shore!¡± she said as she scrambled into the boat, before helping James after her. Meowth balanced from side to side as the canoe rocked. ¡°Woah, careful!¡± he said. When Relicanth emerged and steadied the boat, Meowth sighed in relief. Jessie glanced around ¡°Looks like you made friends,¡± she said, eying the floating Sharpedo. Meowth grunted and looked at Feebas and Magikarp. ¡°Well, nice meeting you both, good luck living in the ocean!¡± he said. ¡°Thanks for helping us live for another day!¡± replied Feebas cheerfully. Meowth twitched as he realised that with him gone, these two had no chance out here. It was honestly a miracle they¡¯d survived this long. He shot them a look before sighing. ¡°James, Jessie¡­ Can I ask a favour? Reckon these two can join us?¡± he asked. The human pair shared looks with each other before shrugging. ¡°Sure?¡± James said easily, tossing out a ball and catching Magikarp. Jessie did the same for Feebas. Meowth gave them both nods. There, he¡¯d done his good deed for the year with that act. Now those two were part of the Team Rocket rehab tour. Shame they were both so ugly. ¡°Onward! To Chrysanthemum Island!¡± he shouted to get them underway. Chapter 229 - Golden Week begins With no challengers for the Elite course for the Gym and only one normal challenger who tried and failed to run the gauntlet, things in the Gym were able to wind down easily. This let me spend more time with A.J., Greta and Missy for most of the day until lunch. From there I ran a quick course on identifying pokemon moves and accessing databases for what moves pokemon could learn. Then I ran through variants of known methods I had for how to coach certain moves to my sponsored trainers. ¡°Dark Pulse is an effective move to have in your back pocket against psychic types,¡± I said, pausing the video of Knight exploding with dark power. ¡°You¡¯ll want to make sure that you have your pokemon channelling and compressing the energy within them. It¡¯s great to give them some visual cues for this,¡± I said over the channel. A ping made me pause in the lecture. ¡°How do you get them to visualise it?¡± Mia asked. I grinned and pulled up a sheet of blank paper. I then waved for Yolanda to approach and enter the camera. ¡°We¡¯re going to have Yolanda demonstrate this with Terra.¡± I waved a hand towards the small pokemon who waved at the camera. ¡°Larvitar, while ground and rock typed currently, is capable of learning Dark Pulse. For this, it is best if Larvitar knows Payback or Bite, which will allow her to have an easy gateway into tapping into her dark energy,¡± I said, feeling like I should have worn the lab coat Oak had given me for this lecture. ¡°Terra does,¡± Yolanda said, waving a hand towards a pokedoll. ¡°Terra! Use Bite!¡± she commanded, and Terra stopped waving at the camera and adopted a serious pose. She leapt from her position to slam into the doll with her fangs sinking in. She shook the doll from side to side. A small squeaky toy in the middle of the pokedoll squeaked, causing Terra to sink her fangs in repeatedly. ¡°Excellent,¡± I said, amused at the adorable scene that reminded me of dogs playing with toys in my past life. ¡°Now, the next steps were as we discussed, having the concept explained to her. I¡¯m not going to rehash this.¡± I gestured to the paper. ¡°So we¡¯re going to take the paper that I asked you to have for this lecture and work through it together, as it can be a bit tricky. If you need to rewatch this or need another angle, I have included a link in today¡¯s notes,¡± I said as I demonstrated folding the paper into small squares over and over. Then I had to work at valley folding the paper over and over in opposite directions so that it collapsed in on itself. I then meticulously crumpled the paper. ¡°Hey! Wait? How are you doing that?¡± Humphrey asked, as I saw on his screen he¡¯d fallen behind. I demonstrated the trick of crumpling it, only to find he¡¯d gotten more confused. ¡°It¡¯s not too hard,¡± said Misty from Forrest¡¯s transceiver. Mia coughed. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even go here,¡± she said, teasing Misty. I huffed and rolled my eyes, ignoring how multiple other sponsored kids had their friends sitting with them for the lesson. If they wanted to share, that was fine by me. ¡°So the next step,¡± I said, making everyone get back to the task. By the end of the lecture, everyone had an origami ball that could collapse and expand, showcasing a simple ¡®expansion mechanism¡¯ to their pokemon that they could handle and witness. Ash coughed. ¡°How come we can¡¯t just show them a video?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Not all your pokemon are going to be visual learners. It can help to cover multiple angles. They can experience the expansion mechanism along with how compression works,¡± I said. I then coughed. ¡°Also, this was a method that I developed when the pokenet wasn¡¯t as well spread as it is today. Having methods that don¡¯t rely on libraries worth of information isn¡¯t a bad idea. Find what works for you,¡± I said easily. I then reached under the desk and pulled out a toy that Suzie and the other kids used. ¡°You can also buy these sorts of toys,¡± I said, demonstrating the expansion and contracting function. Everyone stared. ¡°Why have we been doing origami then?¡± they said. I chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s other things you can do with simple origami related to training, if you think about it. Try and find a use for it by the time our next lesson rolls around. I gave you one that takes a lot of folding, but there are plenty of easier tricks that you can demonstrate to your pokemon, or ways to use simple paper,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t want to lead them too much, but simple paper planes thrown by you and your team while another tried to blast them was a great game I¡¯d played with Bertha and Guybro when we¡¯d been travelling. Mia waved her hand. "I already have one!" she said. She then pointed to Silly Mouse, who was happily folding paper. "Group activities!" she proclaimed happily. That earned a laugh from everyone. I ended the lesson there, then set about helping Rachel pack things up. She smirked at me. ¡°You forgot about the pokenet didn¡¯t you? Old man~!¡± she teased. Yolanda giggled. I made a show of wagging my finger at her. ¡°Now you listen here young lady! In my day we had to come up with training methods on the fly! None of these gizmos and doodads!¡± I said with a creaky voice like I was an elder. Yolanda and Rachel giggled. I looked over to find that A.J. was toying with his collapsible origami ball with a thoughtful expression. I considered asking him what was on his mind, before noticing that he didn¡¯t have a transceiver on his wrist, unlike most kids his age. I frowned. They weren¡¯t that expensive, and he was getting paid for the work he was doing¡­ Hmmm, I might have to talk to him this week while we were on Chrysanthemum island. ¡°Brock?¡± Yolanda said, prompting me to turn back to her. ¡°Do you still have the origami ball that you used for Titan with you?¡± she asked. I hummed and reached into my pouch. I rifled around a bit before grasping something. I withdrew a black paper that was scrunched up into what looked like a tightwad. I then twisted it so that it expanded. Terra cooed in delight at this and I handed the ball over to Yolanda. ¡°I¡¯d forgotten I had this, after I got home from my journey I thought I unpacked everything.¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. ¡°I must have repacked it when we moved,¡± I said. I¡¯d have to set aside some time to go through everything and see what was in there and store it away properly, instead of just hoarding it like a loot gremlin. Not that there was anything wrong with being a loot gremlin. It was just convenient to keep all my things close at hand. I had my very expensive bag of holding, which was really just a Silph Co. Travelman Deluxe, and other people had storage facilities like the PC that was currently being debated on for pokemon. Well, and then there were also people like Sabrina who had entire facilities where she had dresses, knicknacks, paintings, and other sorts of things such as furniture that she¡¯d acquired over the course of her travels. ¡°Tar tar tar!¡± chirped Terra as she opened and closed the ball with her little arms. I took a video of Terra playing with the ball and giggling to herself. Rachel would love this, and it would also be a great memento for when Terra was much older and probably much larger. No way she¡¯d be this cute when she was a Tyranitar. I tilted my head, imagining Tyranitar Terra playing with an origami ball. Hmmm, actually that would be pretty cute. I wonder if I could get Empress to play with it? I made my way to the reserve to conduct a final check in with my pokemon. I found most of them standing around the pond, which made me sigh and facepalm. I marched up to it and glared at the lumpy mud that lay on the edge of the water. ¡°Bertha, you got hit with a Toxic, you¡¯re being ridiculous!¡± I said, crossing my arms and glaring at her. The mud pile that was Bertha sat up. ¡°Perioooooooooor!¡± she wailed, the back of one of her massive hands held to her head like she was a woman from some period drama who was feeling woozy. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Seriously? What gives? You¡¯re really playing it up today,¡± I stated, ignoring Zubat as she landed on my shoulder and proceeded to rub her face against mine. ¡°Rhyperior,¡± said Bertha despondently as she lifted a handful of mud up before letting it slough off her and onto her leg. The entire action lacked the usual spark I¡¯d come to associate with her and mud. ¡°You didn¡¯t lose, even though it was a damn close thing with Ethan getting in that Toxic early. You fought a great fight and pulled through before passing out after the match, but you¡¯re wallowing like you lost something?¡± Bertha began forming a clump of mud up, only to make it flop over itself. ¡°Rhy, perior!¡± She said a few times, indicating the mass of mud and then putting a hand to her chest. I frowned. ¡°You¡­ feel like Muk was too close to living mud?¡± I asked seriously. Bertha nodded. I hummed. Well, even in terms of name, they were similar, with Muk and mud only being a letter off. There was also the fact that Grimer basically resulted from polluted waterways and dumps with excessive chemicals. Meaning that if you really squinted at it, Grimer and Muk sort of were living mud. I bit my lips as another thought came to mind. Damn, when we got access to Alola, she was going to absolutely hate Sandyghast and Palossand. Ghost and ground type, but literal sentient sand. Sand was basically her second favourite form of dirt, with it being used to clean her off. You basically had to sandblast her. I shot her a sly look. Betha narrowed her eyes. ¡°Rhy!¡± she said, pointing her finger at me. I adopted a faux innocent look, but she wasn¡¯t buying it. She dove closer to the water¡¯s edge, where she could sink into the mud more. ¡°What if there¡¯s a Muk lurking in there?¡± I called out. She stood and pointed at me. ¡°Rhy rhy rhy! Perior!¡± she said, sounding for all intents and purposes like she was berating me. She pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out when she was done. ¡°Well, I never!¡± I said, as though this sort of behaviour affronted me rather than amused me. I stuck my nose up and sauntered to the side before turning and sauntering the other way. On my shoulder, Zubat copied me, her own nose turning upwards. ¡°Zuuuuu bat!¡± she said in what I can only assume was a snooty manner. ¡°Rhyperior!¡± snapped Bertha at the both of us. ¡°I¡¯m just raising a valid point!¡± I called back. A few chuffs and some laughter behind me had me glancing over my shoulder to where the rest of my pokemon were lounging. I found them loafing around, idly watching the drama unfolding before them. Titan had a nice rock in the sun, while Sanchez lay on his stomach with his head in his hands, his legs kicked up behind him. Selene, my Lunatone, merely hovered above Gible, who was making small snapping motions at her while she evaded him. Knight, my Aggron, lay on his stomach with a host of Aron piled on top of him. They nudged and bunted at him only for him to ignore them as he munched on what looked like a small metal girder. Huh, they must want some of his snack. Still¡­ the cheeky buggers were treating this like entertainment. I could even see Don waving his wings in our direction, while next to him his daughter and what looked like another young Aerodactyl were watching on. Neat, Bianca hadn¡¯t mentioned there being another egg hatching, but she had been busy so she might not have had the time.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. I watched Don interact with the pair of smaller Aerodactyl. Huh, they were taking in his every word. Don paused in his retelling and shot me a scowl. ¡°Aero!¡± he screeched in challenge. I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just weirded out seeing you being the calm rational one telling the youngsters what to do.¡± The rest of my pokemon turned at this and sniggered, with Zubat flapping her wings in glee. ¡°Aeeeeeeeero!¡± he shouted in annoyance. Then he took a play out of my book and turned his nose up at all of us. I chuckled and shot him a wink, which he responded to with a smirk. Hmmm, good to see he¡¯d settled down since I¡¯d dragged him into line. I turned back to Bertha, only to chuckle as I caught sight of Link, my Clefable, sitting on Tide, my Lapras¡¯ back with a stick and string, while Shin played at nibbling on the line. Everyone was relaxed going into next week. That was good. I turned back to Bertha and saw she was still somewhat weirded out by the mud. I sighed, knowing there was only one thing for it. I shucked off my shoes, took off my shirt and waded out until I could reach down and scoop up some mud. I then did the extremely clever thing of throwing it at Bertha. Everyone paused as Bertha stiffened. She turned her head to stare at me. ¡°You¡¯re being silly and overthinking it. Mud is mud and one of the things you annoyingly love to spend time in. Muk is not the same. They come in purple, lightish grey and rainbow colours! Just stick to clean pools of water and you¡¯ll be fine!¡± I said. Bertha blinked at me before nodding slowly. I returned the nod before making a show of slowly wading back out. ¡°You should fly off now, Zubat,¡± I said out the side of my mouth. She followed the suggestion, and this proved to be the correct choice, as I got all of five steps before a wave swept me into the pond. I swam up and onto Tide. I clambered up his neck to take the high ground against Bertha, who grinned at me unrepentantly. With water dripping off me and a glare that could set things on fire, I levelled an imperious finger at Bertha. ¡°So, it¡¯s betrayal, then?¡± I said aloud. Bertha nodded smugly. I sniffed and pretended I was going to jump at her to splash her with a dive bomb, but I was feeling like I should make the most of having most of my pokemon here. ¡°Pokemon! It¡¯s a water war free for all!¡± I called instead, pulling out a giant super-soaker from my pouch, which I used to spray Bertha like an unruly Growlithe. There was a second as everyone registered the command, before suddenly the pond became a free-for-all. Water and mud flew everywhere, and by the time everything was done I was soaking and shivering. I and a few other pokemon approached the tunnels leading to the faux volcano set up, where I called up my Magcargo to warm us all up. They obliged by exhaling a stream of fire upwards, and soon I was no longer shaking. Titan nudged me and grinned. I chuckled. It wasn¡¯t what others might have done on their last pre-tournament days, but I couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with having some fun with my pokemon. I marched home and found my family with their suitcases all packed up. Suzie looked unusually sad, while the others were all biting their lips and trying not to laugh. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s up?¡± I asked. Suzie coughed. ¡°Brock, I will have to wear these clothes as I can¡¯t pack anything else in my suitcase,¡± she said seriously. I was surprised with how she met my gaze. It was rather adorable how serious she was being. Precocious was the word. ¡°Alright, why is that?¡± I asked. Suzie nodded. ¡°I have decided to use my suitcase to carry the egg inturborator,¡± she said. ¡°Incubator,¡± I said along with Yolanda, Flint, and Salvadore. We all shared a smile while Suzie coughed. I felt a warmth build up within my chest and decided this might be something Sabrina would enjoy. ¡°Well, I think we can ask Sabrina if she can make a luggage exception for you. Don¡¯t you?¡± I asked. Suzie perked up. ¡°Do you think she will? Really?¡± Cindy chose to snort at that. ¡°Please, you and her are like best friends,¡± she said while rolling her eyes. She was standing next to a large suitcase that made me wonder if she hadn¡¯t packed her entire cupboard of clothes in there. Suzie turned on Cindy, ¡°She¡¯s not like my best friend! That¡¯s Munchlax, and Penny at school,¡± she said pointing at Munchlax who beamed at her. I noted he had his own little travel sack at his feet. Suzie put her hands on her hips. ¡°Sabrina is my big sister!¡± she said proudly. I chuckled, only for the doorbell to ring. I opened it to find a small crowd of kids of various ages standing with what had to be their parents. A few of the men and women suddenly began to blush. I suddenly remembered that I was shirtless, having not donned it on the way home. Right¡­ that was a whoops on my part. ¡°Hi there!¡± I said, determined to forge ahead. ¡°Sorry about my state of dress, I had to deal with an unruly pokemon!¡± I said. They¡¯d understand, I was a Gym Leader. It came with the job to get your hands and sometimes body dirty. I reached into my pouch and drew out a floral slip on shirt. Cindy gasped and shot past me. ¡°Becky! Harriet! You made it! I¡¯m so glad!¡± she said, wrapping them both in hugs. I glanced at both girls, noting their names in my mind. If I wanted to avoid situations like what happened to Forrest, I needed to spend some more time around my siblings and their friends. Yolanda was easy as she basically exclusively hung out with her friends in the Gym¡­ At least, I think she did... I shot her a thoughtful look, which garnered a confused look from her in response. ¡°Got any of your friends here from school, Yolanda?¡± I asked. Yolanda shook her head, ¡°Nah, they all had plans,¡± she said casually. Ah, so they did exist! That was something to follow up on. I turned back and made to greet the parents. Becky¡¯s parents turned out to be Mr. and Mrs. Furor, a professional interior decorator, and a dentist. ¡°Oh,¡± I exclaimed, recognising Dr. Furor. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise the girls were friends,¡± I said happily. Dr. Furor beamed at the girls. ¡°Oh yes! I was just talking about them the other day when Flint brought your brother in for his routine check up!¡± she said. That gave me pause. That was another thing I used to handle. Huh, I hadn¡¯t even realised he¡¯d taken that over. Maybe I¡¯d gotten too used to having my schedule listed out to me by Alexa. I hadn¡¯t had to plan out school trips or things for the kids in¡­ months now. It was kind of nice, but also weird to not be as involved. Should I feel guilty? With that weird feeling of everything being slightly off balance, I met the other parents, only to find that Flint had already addressed them. I decided to shrug it off. It was a sign that Flint was taking this seriously, so that was good. He was setting down roots. Excellent, all the better for there to be less risk of him haring off after Lola. From there, I learnt that Cindy was friends with Becky and Harriet. Suzie was friends with a nice, if shy, girl by the name of Penny. I noted that only her mother had decided to come with us for the Golden Week break. There was a pointed air around Harriet that no one else in their family was coming. Ah? Recent development then? Harriet¡¯s mother was casting certain looks at some of the male gym trainers that made me think unleashing her on a beach was going to prove¡­ well I was sure she was going to get whatever she decided she wanted on this break. Timmy had Frank as his best friend, whereas Tommy had Fred, Chuck, and Leeroy. ¡°Not Jenkins?¡± I asked, more out of habit. When Leeroy grinned at me and replied, "That¡¯s me!¡± a red flag went up in my head. This kid, this kid was chaos. I just knew it in my heart of hearts. And he would bear watching. I looked around, only to find a pair of men nudging each other. ¡°That¡¯s my dad and Uncle Harry! They¡¯re best friends!¡± said Leeroy cluelessly. I decided to not explain the historical context of that statement. He¡¯d learn one day. I instead turned to find Salvadore talking to a girl who looked like she could wrestle Bertha and make a good showing of it. ¡°Brock! This is my lab partner Olga!¡± She thrust a hand at me. ¡°It is your honour!¡± she said as she shook my hand. I blinked. ¡°Oh? Uhmm, yes it is?¡± I said. Olga blinked at me for a moment only to twitch as her whole face went red. A short man who seemed to be half-hair guffawed and slapped his thighs. ¡°Oh, darling! I swear you were born with two left feet and a wooden tongue sometimes!¡± said who had to be Olga¡¯s father. A tall woman reached out and pinched the man¡¯s ear, making him yelp. ¡°That will be quite enough of that, dear!¡± she said, before gifting me a beaming smile. ¡°Hello! We¡¯re the Forge family,¡± she said. I blinked. ¡°Oh, the foundry owners?¡± I said, earning myself a nod. The man puffed his chest out. ¡°That¡¯s us! I¡¯m Frederico Forge! And this here¡¯s my wife Deena and my pride and joy! Olga!¡± He said. He turned his attention to Salvadore. ¡°I figured it was high time I got a bead on this here young man and saw what made my baby girl talk so much about him!¡± he said. I nodded, feeling like this man was missing a pair of cowboy boots, a stetson, and a Rapidash as part of his everyday attire. It was sort of like talking to a smaller, squatter Surge. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t think Salvadore¡¯s gotten to that lesson about anatomy yet,¡± I joked. Frederico coughed. ¡°Wish I could say the same of Olga, she might be playing doctor soon if you get my drift,¡± he said. I hummed. I suddenly felt like I needed a lot more chaperones. Good thing I¡¯d invited along so many parents. I continued to make small talk, feeling out the parents. Most of them seemed like they were looking forward to some time at a resort. I¡¯d been able to find a rather traditional resort that didn¡¯t use the pokenet for bookings. This led to them having plenty of rooms left, while other places had only a few rooms free. With the number of families and Gym Trainers coming with us, I¡¯d had to book the place out, but it would be worth it to have a place to call home. I glanced around at the kids that were starting to chase each other around. Shrieks of joy were ringing out. Hmmm, it probably wouldn¡¯t be a quiet place to call home¡­at least until nighttime. I eyed the parents and noted there was a certain eagerness in them. I adjusted my mental image. It probably wouldn¡¯t be too quiet after the kids went to bed either. Deena Forge approached me after a few minutes of chatting with others. ¡°So, how are you getting all of us to Chrysanthemum Island? Are we taking a bus to the port south of Pallet Town?¡± she asked. Before I could answer, a huge flash of light appeared in the gardens with Sabrina appearing with her Alakazam, Hypno, Kirlia, Xatu, Exeggutor, and Claydol. I opened my mouth only for a second flash to occur, with a Slowbro appearing alongside Saul and Sandra. Saul waved. ¡°Hello there!¡± he said to the other adults. ¡°Ready to travel with a Teleport?¡± he said grandly. I snickered as Slowbro turned and took in everyone. ¡°Sloooooow,¡± said the pokemon. The kids broke into giggles while Saul could only tilt his head cluelessly, only to groan when he noticed Slowbro was matching him with the confused look. ¡°Sabrina!¡± cheered Suzie. Sabrina knelt down and accepted a hug from Suzie who turned and pointed out Penny. ¡°This is one of my best friends Penny!¡± Penny stiffened. ¡°One of?¡± she said worriedly. Suzie bounded her head up and down, clueless to the fear in her friend¡¯s tone. ¡°Yeah! You and Munchlax!¡± she said. Munchlax waddled up to Penny and raised his hand. ¡°Munch!¡± he said in greeting. Sabrina stood, keeping Suzie on her hip. ¡°So, we have fifty-seven people and pokemon to take,¡± she stated. Alexa appeared and handed me a clipboard with that exact number, making me chuckle. Trust Sabrina to take in the situation at a glance. Suzie leaned in and whispered in Sabrina¡¯s ear. Sabrina listened before nodding. ¡°And one egg,¡± she said, tacking on the egg. Suzie then leaned in and whispered something else. Sabrina nodded along. ¡°Yes, we can repack your suitcase,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that while my pokemon start Teleporting everyone,¡± she said, indicating the various pokemon who stepped forward. Slowbro took a few seconds before matching them. Saul released his own pokemon to help out, and soon people were vanishing in flashes of light. I joined Sabrina in helping Suzie pack her suitcase. Next to the suitcase, Togepi¡¯s incubator rested. ¡°So I¡¯m going to wear this, and this and this, but I need to fold them up properly like Nanny Grav does!¡± said Suzie seriously. Sabrina and I sat, watching as Suzie proceeded to slowly fold up the clothes. Sabrina shot me a look and it took me a moment to realise what she was implying I should do. She needed a distraction to help speed this along, or we¡¯d be here for hours. ¡°Suzie¡­ would you like to keep looking after this egg?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes!¡± replied Suzie instantly. I coughed. ¡°No, I meant on a longer-term basis,¡± I said. Suzie rose to her tiptoes. ¡°Eeeeee! You mean like she¡¯d be another friend for me?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, like that,¡± I said, deciding that anything else about the relationship between a starter and their person could wait. For Suzie, they¡¯d just be another special friend. I put my hand on the incubator. ¡°I think I know what, or rather who will hatch from this egg and they will¡ª¡± ¡°Shhhhh! No! I want it to be a surprise! Don¡¯t tell me!¡± said Suzie as she rushed over and put her hand on my mouth to silence me. I blinked, not having expected that. Sabrina giggled at my expression. While Suzie was distracted, the rest of the clothes that Suzie had been ¡®folding up¡¯ to put in her suitcase folded themselves in the air before depositing themselves. Suzie turned back to the clothes, only to find the pile was now a single top. She hummed in thought before shrugging, deciding it wasn¡¯t worth it. ¡°All done!¡± she cheered. Sabrina gave a thumbs-up while looking at me, letting me know we were both recipients. Sabrina put a hand on both of us, and we vanished in a flash. We reappeared in a room that had a beautiful view of a beach that could be no more than a few hundred metres away. I stepped out to the balcony and took in a lungful of seaside air. ¡°I think Tide is going to enjoy coming back to his home away from home,¡± I said, noting the nearby cove with a pod of Lapras bobbing along. Overhead, Wingull called out to each other. I felt myself relax before sighing. Sadly, I was here to compete, I couldn¡¯t allow myself as many pleasures as everyone else. Suzie hopped up on the railing fearlessly. ¡°Wow, what a view! Oh hey! There¡¯s a pool!¡± she said, indicating the resort¡¯s pool, which already had parents and children from our group in and around it. I could make out a few of the Gym Trainers who¡¯d won the draw lounging on a few deck chairs. I could also make out a hill that, on the other side, housed what I knew to be a secluded training area that I''d be able to use for my pokemon for the coming week. I was just thinking about seeking out the training area that the resort had offered up for my exclusive use when Sabrina stepped up next to me. She smiled, but I was too busy noticing that she was wearing a bikini with a sarong skirt. ¡°Training and match prep can wait, we can relax this afternoon,¡± she said, cocking her hip to the side and giving me a smile. Behind her, the bed that was ours for the next week sat innocently. I found it hard to refute her, she had a compelling argument, and I had no doubt she had just as good a secondary argument coming up. She was right, work could wait, it was time for some fun. Tomorrow I¡¯d find out what the draw would be for the week as the top sixteen Ace Trainers faced off. Chapter 230 - Stage set up Chrysanthemum City had gone all out for the Golden Week Tournament. Throngs of people and pokemon mobbed the streets. The streets themselves were awash with colours and petals that fell to the ground, creating a carpet. The iconic flowers that the city was named after were also proudly on display in gardens, imprinted into walls, footpaths, and even a few select stained glass windows. People peered out from windows, balconies and rooftops, while others lined the main street. Banners and flags of pokemon were waved or carried aloft by various pokemon and people. I peered out from a flap of a tent that housed all of the sixteen top ranked Ace Trainers. I continued to stare outside, wondering if my family were going to get a spot on the street or on a rooftop for a better view. ¡°You know you¡¯re not scheduled to go out for a while yet?¡± asked a familiar voice. I turned from looking outside to smile at the Ace Trainer who stood before me. ¡°Hi Tori,¡± I said, recalling the young girl that I¡¯d fought in the Plains and Meadows. ¡°I did think you had a lot of potential,¡± I said, feeling oddly pleased to see her here. She¡¯d obviously been working hard to rise up the rankings. Tori grinned at me and shot me a V for victory sign. ¡°I might have used your advice and pushed myself and my pokemon!¡± she said. ¡°We threw ourselves into a lot of fights and earned a lot of Ace points!¡± I tilted my head, recalling that exchange slightly differently. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say something about being too obvious with your grass team?¡± I said. Tori coughed, her eyes darting away. ¡°You¡­ might have said that, yes,¡± she said. I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head. ¡°Well you sound like you made it work for you,¡± I said, shifting the conversation back to complimenting her. I glanced around, catching sight of a few others that I could recall having fought in the past. Most of them I even had positive interactions with. Walker was here, no longer wearing his mask and openly proclaiming himself instead of being ¡®Masked Owl¡¯. He nodded in greeting to me but stayed where he was, talking with another familiar face in the form of Scarlet. Scarlet, the Celadon Tournament¡¯s finalist, fought well before I kicked things up a notch and overpowered her. I noted that she had the specialised pokeball privacy carrier, as did Walker. Huh, I hadn¡¯t spotted that last time. ¡°There¡¯s actually a lot of familiar faces here,¡± I said. Tori nodded. ¡°Yeah, I was surprised Mirea held her spot after her loss to Scarlet. It was that match that got Scarlet her spot in the top sixteen and boosted her so high! Lucky girl!¡± said Tori with a shake of her head. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± I asked. Tori shot me a look. ¡°Did you know that by close of matches last week, the difference between twelfth and twentieth on the Ace Leaderboards was only seven points?¡± she said. She pointed at herself. ¡°I¡¯m tied in fourteenth spot and I¡¯m lucky at that! Corvo made a late run as well and fell short by one point to Boss Doug!¡± ¡°Who are you tied with?¡± I asked, interested in hearing the familiar names. ¡°Leo,¡± replied Tori. ¡°He¡¯s a trainer out of the Orange Islands that came over a few years ago. He¡¯s quite popular with certain types,¡± she said, waving a hand towards a dark skinned man with bleach blond hair in a white suit. He was standing in front of a full length mirror, checking himself out. ¡°He¡¯s a model?¡± I asked, watching him primp and preen. ¡°Nah, he¡¯s just a narcissist,¡± she said. She then shot me a smug look. ¡°He¡¯d been higher up the Leaderboard but I got to him before the points closed out and beat him to tie things up.¡± I hummed and looked over to where some men and women in vests were conferring with each other. They all had headsets on and were babbling away so much it was amazing they could make out what they were each saying. They seemed to be pointing at a large map rather animatedly. ¡°What¡®s the hold up?¡± I asked. Tori shrugged. ¡°No idea,¡± she said. I decided to saunter over and see. My height allowed me to loom and watch as words like ¡°Sonic boom¡±, ¡°It¡¯s the spectacle of the thing!¡± ¡°Let her do it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mythic pokemon!¡± flowed around the group. I hummed, causing the group to stiffen. ¡°Ah! Trainer Brock! This is classified,¡± they said, closing ranks around their map like it was a state secret. I raised a singularly unimpressed eyebrow at them. ¡°You have a pokemon trainer that has an extremely rare pokemon that is going to do a fly over,¡± I said, guessing at it. They gaped at me. ¡°I thought Sabrina was the smart one?¡± whispered one of them. I shot him an unimpressed look. ¡°Ow,¡± I said, letting him know I had heard him. ¡°And for your knowledge, I was the one in charge of our budget and map when Sabrina and I went on our Journey,¡± I said smugly. That being said, if we went anywhere these days, I had little doubt she¡¯d be the one in charge of both, with the amount of study she¡¯d done during our Journey. I¡¯d mostly gotten the job through using my greater social skills to manoeuvre conversations with her while she hadn¡¯t been as aware of what I¡¯d been doing. Was it scummy? Yes. But there had been a number of very specific landmarks and sites that I had needed to go to to get the most out of my Journey. Sunburst island, Grandpa Canyon, the Hoenn Desert, and of course, Mt. Chimney sprang to mind as sites I¡¯d had an agenda going to, for a variety of reasons. I gave the group a look over and decided to not poke them. I had a few suspicions about the pokemon and the trainer that might have offered their services. If I had to guess, I suspected that Nurse Joy had offered up her Latias for today¡¯s event. The question would be if Nurse Joy got to remain anonymous, otherwise we were going to have a lot of people suddenly loitering around Pewter. I doubted that, though. Joy was much too aware of what that sort of attention would bring. ¡°Just have them demonstrate their speed with a shot up the street, then turning and posing before rocketing back and away,¡± I said. The group all shared looks with each other before they began to mutter among themselves. I rolled my eyes and left them to it. ¡°Hopefully that¡¯ll speed them up,¡± said a small kid from where he was lounging against the tent¡¯s support beam. ¡°Hopefully, ¡° I said, nodding to Carr. Carr turned his attention to me, only to scowl as he was forced to look up. Heh, he really was short, wasn¡¯t he? Some of my amusement must have shown, that or he was just a prickly sort. ¡°You laughing at me?¡± he asked with a growl that reeked of false machismo. ¡°Nah, just them acting like Farfetch¡¯d with no heads,¡± I said. Carr sniffed, eying me. His eyes paused on my pokebelt. ¡°You still haven¡¯t gotten yourself a privacy belt?¡± he said. ¡°Thought you would have learned your lesson,¡± he said. I shrugged, not at all bothered by his words. In truth, I¡¯d gotten a false set of cases to put over the top of my pokeballs that made them all look like pokeballs. If people were going to read into that, more fool them. Carr narrowed his eyes at my nonchalant reaction. ¡°Hmmm, maybe you¡¯re not so dumb, just hope you don¡¯t draw my side of the bracket,¡± he said. I frowned. ¡°Your side?¡± I asked. He scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how this is going to work?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°It¡¯s not like last year¡¯s tournament, as that only featured the top ten trainers with the later match ups for the top two seeded trainers,¡± I said. I then made a show of looking around at all sixteen trainers that had been announced. ¡°I could have eased things up if I¡¯d known that I only needed to reach the top sixteen,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re a rookie at this, despite being part of the Ace rankings for a few years now,¡± he said with a shake of his head. ¡°It¡¯s not just about scoring points as fast as you can. It¡¯s about knowing the right people. Organisers and event planners, they talk. They¡¯ve had this whole production in the works since the start of the year. Pretty much anyone in the top ten at the start of the year knew they only needed to be top sixteen to make the tournament,¡± he said. I nodded along slowly. That tracked, what with the limited fights that had broken out among the top ranked trainers. There¡¯d only been a bit of reshuffling at the end of the day, but the shift that stood out the most was Carr¡¯s ascendance. ¡°You seem to have done well enough for yourself,¡± I said. Carr snorted. ¡°I plan to do more,¡± he said as he kicked off the pole. ¡°Smell ya later,¡± he said as he sauntered off to talk with Bruce. I watched for a second before looking for any other familiar faces. Karen I noticed, was sitting in the corner nursing her arms, which looked extremely scratched up and raw. Her hair also looked wild and unkempt. I considered staying away for a moment before shrugging it off and approaching. ¡°So, you look like you¡¯ve been through a few rounds with a pack of Houndoom. What gives?¡± I said, gesturing at her arms. Karen smirked. ¡°Please, nothing that plebeian. I¡¯ve been going a few rounds with packs of Houndoom,¡± she said. I paused at that, wondering if she was messing with me or serious. Her smirk grew, letting me know she knew how uncertain I was right now. She stood and marched past me. ¡°Keep it close to your chest, I got a few cards of my own for this tournament,¡± she said smugly, marching past me as the organisers finally got things started. ¡°Boss Doug! You¡¯re to walk forward with three of your pokemon in the next two minutes! Proceed down the main thoroughfare while waving and smiling!¡± a woman with a headset demanded of Boss Doug. I watched the rather roughed up looking man scratch at his head before shrugging and releasing a Muk, a Weezing, and a Magmar. I and many others in the tent took several steps back as we realised how volatile that trio was. The organiser that had been rather brusque with Boss Doug looked like they suddenly regretted turning up for work, as they had to escort the man to the edge of the tent. There they had to stand, waiting for the go ahead as other organisers moved up on various trainers. ¡°Tori and Leo! You¡¯re both together as you¡¯re equal fourteenth!¡± announced another man as he read off a clipboard. A line slowly formed. Scarlet came next, followed by Walker. Then it was Fergus, and Neesha. I was rather surprised when Karen was approached before me. She shot me a scowl, but I ignored her with practised ease. She must have vanished right after the Mewtwo incident. That would have only given her a week in the wilds. Was that enough to look for a Megastone? She seemed to imply that she had one, but I had no leads on any sites where Houndoom frequented, apart from perhaps Sinnoh, but we had no access to that region as yet. Barring that¡­ there was the Johto Safari Zone¡­ which¡­ was that even a thing right now? As I waited, I brought up the maps of Johto and realised that the area of that particular Safari Zone was marked as ¡®wild¡¯ territory of a similar danger level as that of the Silver Ranges. Now that was interesting. I hadn¡¯t really considered the island far to the west of Johto, as I¡¯d largely ignored it in favour of other areas of greater interest to me specifically. And since taking over as Gym Leader I hadn¡¯t really gone on any adventures to look for rare pokemon. I scrolled through a number of articles on my transceiver about various trainers coming back heavily injured, along with some brief statements from Rangers that took care of the area. For all intents and purposes, it was a wild land and a long, long way away from becoming anything like a Safari Zone as it had been in the games. People that did come out of there had supposedly come back with rather rare or powerful pokemon. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Of note, Bruce featured as one of those trainers, only he ended up in hospital afterwards due to multiple fractures throughout his body. That article I had a good read through. It listed Bruce as having gone beyond Route Forty Eight and into the wilds for a month during the circuit¡¯s break earlier this year. I rubbed my chin in thought and brought up the notes I had. That matched with when he acquired a Bagon for himself, a pokemon known for throwing its head into things. Hmmm, while interesting to learn a bit more about Bruce, I was more interested in what else could be found there. If Karen had discovered a Megastone, there might potentially be others to locate. I¡¯d need to look into the site and see what plans the League had for the area. They were potentially looking to expand Johto to the west. It was worth investigating, considering that just the Megastone potential alone made it important and there was theoretically a chance that pokemon that otherwise belonged to other regions might be there. ¡°¡ªBrock! You¡¯re next, please release the three pokemon you wish to escort you,¡± said an attendant. I blinked and looked up to realise that Karen and the others had departed already with how focused I¡¯d been on my map. I swept my hand over my pokebelt and released Knight, Shrek, and Selene. All three of them blinked and glanced around while the organiser coughed. ¡°You¡¯re not going to take your starter or your Steelix that is famous for being capable of Mega Evolving?¡± I gave them a look before ignoring them to look at my pokemon. ¡°You¡¯re escorting me,¡± I said, locking them in. They all puffed up, looking proud at this decision, and I decided it was the right one. All my pokemon deserved time in the sun, not just the more gregarious and extroverted. ¡°Selene up high, Knight and Shrek, you¡¯ll be at my sides,¡± I said. The organiser didn¡¯t say anything else beyond opening the tent to let me and my pokemon proceed down the main thoroughfare. As soon as we exited the tent, the roar of the crowd rose up to greet us. People waved and cheered? with more than a few pointing out my pokemon. The streets had petals galore draped across them as the trees shed their flowers. On light poles that bent over the sidewalk banners with all the Ace competitors stared out. I could see my own banner flapping in the breeze, and had no doubt that should I investigate Chrysanthemum City, I¡¯d find more and more of them spread around. I had to tip my metaphorical hat to the organisers. It served as a great way to hype up the tournament and draw people in. The only downside was that any trainer taking part in the tournament would not have an easy time at anonymity. ¡°¡ªused that Lunatone to defeat¡ª¡± I heard one man shout to another just as kids shrieked in surprise as Knight began to bounce his way forward like an excitable puppy. The ground shook and I laughed. Instead of telling him to stop I hopped along with him with my hands pumping up and down, like I was trying to ¡®raise the roof¡¯. Shrek happily joined in, hopping next to me with a huge grin. Selene bounced along in the air, not causing any turmoil with her actions, but looking rather cute. People soon began to brace and bob up and down with our hops as we moved along, causing a pseudo Mexican Wave that evolved into a proper one after a few moments. Karen, her Houndoom, Honchkrow and Gengar that were in front of us, paused to see the disturbance we were making of ourselves, only to make a show of throwing her hair back and scoffing. If anything she slowed down and challenged us to try and run her over. I considered it for a second before deciding it was better to calm things down. ¡°Alright Knight, we had our fun,¡± I said, pausing our advance to spend some more time waving to the crowd. A few people pointed at Shrek. ¡°¡ªdidn¡¯t know he had a Swampert, when has he used it?¡± I caught a bit more of that conversation and was pleased when the other person laughed. ¡°Did you not watch the match against William? Brock¡¯s Swampert was clutch in that match! Held off against like two or three of William¡¯s pokemon alone!¡± I shot Shrek a proud smile and put my hand on his and Knight¡¯s sides when they got close enough. I felt like we were pretending to be the three amigos, with Selene dancing above us like a happy moon. It felt nice to kind of just kick back. ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Brock!¡± ¡°Big Brother!¡± ¡°Over here!¡± called a chorus of voices that I could just make out from the crowd. I looked over and found my family with all the other families that had come with us standing as a wedge on the side of the road, with banners and signs for me and my pokemon. They had claimed a spot under one of my banners and were madly cheering at me and my pokemon¡¯s approach. Olga and Salvadore were waving a sign that said, ¡°Go-go Golem!¡± with a picture of Sanchez on it .Sabrina stood in the middle with Suzie on her shoulders and Timmy at her feet, waving a small flag with the Boulder Badge on it. Next to her, Kirlia had a flag with Titan on it, which Terra was also waving. I waved both hands and they cheered at having been seen and acknowledged. ¡°Shrek! Use a light Bubblebeam!¡± I ordered, and Shrek croaked as he released a stream of small, unpowered bubbles that popped and wafted along in the breeze, causing kids to shriek in delight as small bubbles burst upon them. I noted that Karen, who was only a few metres ahead of us now, was poking her tongue out at Sabrina. Kirlia was replying with her own tongue out, while Sabrina ignored the dark type specialist. I laughed and continued to wave as we approached, and as we drew level I stepped up and ran my hand across the offered hands, slapping them with high and low fives. As the line continued to move I turned and continued to wave, walking backwards as I did so, much to the crowd¡¯s amusement. When I eventually turned I found myself approaching a large podium that stretched out in front of the newly finished stadium that was to become the pride and joy of the battle section of Chrysanthemum City. The stadium was a resplendent white with inbuilt coral patterns and huge arches that would allow even the tallest of pokemon to enter the stadium. From my position on the thoroughfare, I could look right into the heart of the stadium where I knew the arena would be. The open air structure would cause people merely passing by to witness some of the match and no doubt lead to more people poking their noses in as battles raged. It was a structure that invited spectators and competitors alike within it. I had to give it to Kruger. When he¡¯d laid down the plans for this city, he¡¯d known his business. I took my place atop the stage with Selene following me up. Knight and Shrek both took positions at my sides to put me in the middle of three powerful pokemon. Slowly others trickled in behind me and with them, more and more of the crowd took up seats in pre arranged seating that rose up to the sides of the stage. Arthur stood next to me and I made sure to send him a smirk, which he returned with a tight nod. From there Mirea, Corey, Joshua, and Kaede all took their places. When it came time for Carr, he earned a special announcement from the host. ¡°And in second place! Our pint size punter! Carr the Kid!¡± he said. Carr shot at the host what for a pokemon would have been a Glareand I held back a chuckle. He really didn¡¯t like having his age and size pointed out, did he? Not even as a compliment. ¡°And now!¡± the host shouted, not at all bothered by Carr¡¯s promise of doom. ¡°Our Ace of Aces! The number one ranked Ace Trainer this season! Give it up for Bruce of Blackthorn City!¡± The crowd roared their approval as Bruce entered with a Dragonite at his side, along with a Vibrava and a Dragonair. Hmmm, interesting choices, I thought to myself. When all of us were on the podium the host grinned. ¡°And now, for our master of ceremonies, give it up for the hometown hero! President of the Pokemon League! Kruuuuuuuger!¡± shouted the man as Kruger appeared. He got a round of cheers, but nothing like what we¡¯d gotten. He didn¡¯t seem bothered by it and instead looked pleased. He stood for a moment and opened his mouth, only for something to rocket down the main thoroughfare and stop on a dime above us. I had been expecting this, but was still caught by surprise as Latias blitzed into the show. She hovered for a moment, waved at everyone and trilled her name once. ¡°Latias!¡± Then she turned and streaked away, leaving everyone gaping. ¡°Was that a Legendary?¡± screamed one person and I had to hold in a chuckle. ¡°Oooooh, Bruce looks annoyed,¡± Karen stage whispered to me. A quick glance proved Karen was right. He was staring after the Latias with a look of a man that had just had a rare pokemon appear before them only to vanish in a heartbeat. ¡°Makes sense, with him being a Dragon Master and all,¡± I said. Karen snorted and chuckled. ¡°Feh, yeah, Dragon Master, him! Good one,¡± she said. ¡°Hahaha! Well that was quite an experience, wasn¡¯t it?¡± said Kruger, drawing people back from staring at the sky. Well everyone but Bruce, who looked like he was considering mounting a flying type and trying to track down the dragon Legendary pokemon. Kruger stepped out from his podium and waved. ¡°People of Chrysanthemum City! It does my heart well to see you thriving!¡± The crowd cheered at this and more and more people were now calming down and remembering what they were here for. I hummed. Hmmm, he certainly knew how to work these people. That or he was used to dealing with outlandish events and then having to follow up afterwards. ¡°Today I come to you as the Pokemon League President, but know that as this is my hometown, I am glad to be back! With that being said, I know you want to get to what we came here for! Let¡¯s start the draw!¡± he announced, his hand shooting up, and the loudest cheer he¡¯d received yet ripping itself from the throats of the crowd. Behind him, on a huge screen, \a bracket that was split down the middle appeared. ¡°First, let the top ranked trainers take their seeding places!¡± Kruger said. On the top and bottom most positions on both sides of the bracket four names and faces appeared. Bruce, Carr, Kaede, and Joshua, as the top ranked Ace Trainers, took up positions well separated from each other behind us. On the large screen I could see various highlights of their matches playing out for us. I hummed to myself, understanding that this was the tournament organiser¡¯s method of making sure that two trainers that were known to be great battlers didn¡¯t eliminate each other too early in the tournament. The earliest the top seeded trainers could face each other was in the semifinals, in fact. There were certainly more than enough chances for an upset to take place, but with this method, good fights were technically guaranteed. ¡°And now we shall draw the others! For the first match up! We have¡­!¡± Kruger drew his hand up and then slammed it down, making a show of pressing a button on the podium. Names and faces spun in a mishmash and I saw my own appear no less than three times before it and other names flashed off to set positions. Kruger grinned widely. ¡°The first match up¡­!¡± On the screen a familiar face appeared and I whistled as Arthur¡¯s handsome face was shown against Carr. ¡°The first match to start us off will be Arthur facing off against Carr!¡± announced Kruger. Next to me Arthur was cursing his luck under his breath for drawing Carr straight out of the gate. I just smirked. So, he didn¡¯t rate his chances against Carr, eh? I had a few moments to observe him before glancing over at Carr who looked particularly pleased. He shot Arthur a thumbs down and a huge smirk, which Arthur could only growl at in response. Kruger drew us back with a laugh. ¡°Ha! A good start! The next will be a double draw as both brackets are empty! And they shall be¡ª¡± He made another show of pushing the button and once more faces spun about, only this time both positions showed different faces. I amused myself with the idea of how much of an oopsie moment it would be if the computer assigned someone to fight themself. ¡°Karen will fight Walker!¡± I glanced to the side and watched as both Karen and Walker locked eyes. Hmmm, dark type versus flying type. Now that might make for an interesting match up. Karen outright leered at Walker, but the man stared back stoically. Apparently that wasn¡¯t the reaction she was going for ¡°I spanked baby boy, now it¡¯s time to spank daddy~!¡± she said with a sickly sweet tone. Walker¡¯s eyes widened and he released a growl. ¡°You¡¯ll regret those words!¡± he said through clenched teeth. I shook my head, knowing that Walker had fallen right into the headspace that Karen wanted him in. ¡°Joshua against Scarlet!¡± said Kruger for the next pairing. Then it was, ¡°Tori v Mirea!¡± I whistled, I¡¯d fought Tori before and she¡¯d been good, but I suspected that Mirea would be the better of the two. ¡°Kaede v Boss Doug!¡± I chuckled, well that would be an easy sell. Boss Doug looked like he¡¯d dumpster dived for everything he wore, whereas Kaede was a cool beauty. Interestingly enough cheers went up for both with kids, families, and girls in the crowd cheering for Kaede, while a loud group of men chanted for Boss Doug. ¡°Doug! Doug! Doug!¡± they repeated over and over, with Kruger urging them to quieten down. ¡°Brock v Corey!¡± Kruger shouted over the top of them and it took me a moment to register my name being called. I looked up at the screen and found myself facing down against a face I knew relatively well from this life. Corey was a skilled trainer at fifth on the standings. I looked to my left in time to lock eyes with him. He held it before offering a polite nod, which I returned. Hmmm, seems like it¡¯d be a good match, at least. ¡°Neesha against Fergus!¡± shouted Kruger, announcing the other two trainers that I¡¯d been watching ever since I started to tangle with Mewtwo. In another life they might have encountered said Legendary alongside my counterpart. In this life they were merely skilled Ace Trainers. Both shot each other smirks and made faces. ¡°You¡¯re going down this time, Neesha!¡± ¡°Shellshocker is ready to smash you!¡± she said. Both held their smirks before smiling and nodding. ¡°Urgh, spare me your happy sappy shit,¡± muttered Karen as she rolled her eyes. I shook my head. ¡°Come on, they¡¯re not even in your bracket, you¡¯re not facing them,¡± I said quietly. Karen snorted. ¡°They aren¡¯t making it past the round of eight, either of them.¡± I nodded and watched as the last matchup was made. ¡°And finally! Bruce shall face off against Leo!¡± announced Kruger. Leo dropped his head and grit his teeth as Bruce turned and looked at him. Hmmm, not a good sign, but then again, if he was taking it on just his ranking, his match was actually the biggest disparity, with a shared fourteenth facing the number one seeded trainer. I didn¡¯t like the way Bruce smirked at Leo, so I cupped my hands. ¡°Give it to him, Leooooo!¡± I shouted, surprising everyone around me. The crowd, noticing Leo¡¯s wavering spirit, joined in with their own chants and applause and Leo looked up, swallowed and locked eyes with Bruce, who looked like he wanted to glare at me now. ¡°Urgh don¡¯t do that, it gives me indigestion,¡± said Karen. ¡°Oh eat some cement and harden up,¡± I said out the side of my mouth as I continued to applaud. Karen shot me a surprised look, but I ignored her. Arthur must have heard me as he snorted a laugh. The crowd roared as Kruger announced that the draw was finished and that the first match would begin tonight with Carr against Arthur. ¡°Good luck,¡± I said to the man I¡¯d faced only a few weeks ago. He nodded and marched off with a straighter spine. Hmmmm, it seemed my encouragement of Leo had buoyed him as well. I gave Corey another look over before moving off to the side, waving as I did so. Selene lowered herself to rub against me and I idly pet her side. I made my way to my family and our vastly extended cohort of friends and trainers. Missy was the first to greet me. ¡°Nice one Brock! You got Corey! That¡¯ll be a good fight to ease you into the tournament.¡± A.J. appeared next. ¡°When is your fight?¡± he demanded. I chuckled. ¡°In two days at around lunch time. If I win that, my next match will be the next evening,¡± I said. ¡°You might get to fight against Samurai Furret!¡± said Tommy and Timmy as they held up a brochure with the names filled in. I nodded, she was the more likely of the two that I might face, considering the rankings. But still. ¡°You never know, Boss Doug might surprise us,¡± I said. I nodded my head to the side and we started moving the group through the throng of people. ¡°Place your bets! Place your bets here! I have eight-to-one odds on Arthur defeating Carr!¡± ¡°Place your bets on the teams they¡¯ll use! I have it as a lock-in that Carr will use his Steelix! Guess all six and you could win thousands of pokedollars!¡± shouted another bookie. I glanced over, amused to hear them hawking their goods, only for my mood to sour. ¡°Urgh, it¡¯s the information brokers,¡± I said. Sabrina, who¡¯d drifted to my side with Suzie still in place on her shoulders, nodded. ¡°Sadly I cannot disperse them here¡­ as much as I would like to,¡± she said while eying a man in a shabby brown overcoat as he slapped at a whiteboard with the various odds they¡¯d garnered. ¡°Any chances they¡¯re doing something dodgy?¡± I asked hopefully. Then Sabrina could lock them up. She shook her head. ¡°No, they¡¯ve just done a lot of data crunching and have skewed their odds to favour themselves, like any gambling organisation,¡± she said, matching my forlorn tone. ¡°Are those guys baddies?¡± asked Suzie. ¡°Sadly they¡¯re just bottom feeders,¡± I replied, causing her to tilt her head. Suzie frowned. ¡°So is Mr. Forge bad for placing a bet with them?¡± she asked, pointing to one of the information brokers. I glanced over to find Mr. Forge making a sizable bet, it seemed. Nearby I heard Olga groan and facepalm. ¡°Daaaaddy!¡± she whined. Dr. Forge marched out to drag her husband back. ¡°Not in front of the children, dear! We don¡¯t want them to get involved in gambling!¡± she said. I coughed, knowing that was a failed idea, what with how pokemon battles usually had a payout at the end, even for two kids battling in a grassy field. Mr. Forge was dragged back. ¡°Ouch! No, but dear! I got good odds on Brock winning, I swear!¡± he said. I shook my head. Well, that was one way to show loyalty. I made my way to the conference room that I¡¯d requisitioned for my entourage to enjoy. Sabrina joined me, Suzie floating down to the ground, much to her displeasure. ¡°I need to help your brother,¡± said Sabrina with a soft tone. ¡°Can you show Kirlia the play area? She¡¯s never been able to play like other kids, but she can now,¡± she pointed out, giving Suzie a task and distraction which Suzie eagerly grabbed onto. I chuckled and turned my own attention to my entourage. ¡°Alright gang, time to study up on our opponent Corey. We¡¯ll also be watching most of the other matches so let¡¯s get to it!¡± I said, clapping my hands. Time to get down to business. Chapter 231 - Prematch planning The conference room was a big space. My entourage of trainers, as mere humans, could really only fill up a quarter of it with our computers, tables and chairs. So, to make sure that we made the most of the space, I released several of my other pokemon. Knight came out once more with a confused expression, while Bertha, Sanchez, Hypnotoad and Link all came out with slightly more bombastic greetings for everyone in the room. Titan, Jorm, Selene, Shrek, and Gawain took a moment to take in the area, only to relax when seeing where they were. With my ten pokemon out I waved a hand towards the large screens I¡¯d asked to be assembled. ¡°We¡¯re going to be looking over some of Corey¡¯s battles to discern any patterns or favoured strategies. In truth, we have a bit of an idea. But we¡¯re also going to be looking for the more nuanced points of battling that he might possess that can only come from watching him fight.¡± ¡°Rhyperior! Rhy! Rhy rhy!¡± said Bertha as she pointed at the televisions before pointing at herself. It took me a moment to parse what she meant. I bobbed my head up and down slowly. ¡°Yes¡­ this is meant to be a group activity for all of us,¡± I said, unsure where she was going with this. ¡°Rhhhhy perior?¡± she said while her hand rose up and made a twitching action. Then she grinned and did a twirl on the spot. She raised only one hand to her eye level and winked between two massive digits at me. I and the rest of my entourage stared at her only for Sabrina to break out in giggles. I put my hand to the bridge of my nose and rubbed it. ¡°You want to¡­ watch magical girl shows instead?¡± ¡°Rhy!¡± said Bertha, glad that I understood her desires. I reached into my pouch. Had I stored that away or thrown it out? My hand closed on a large folded set of paper that had a serious heft to it. One of the lessons I¡¯d put my origami making skills to before I¡¯d worked out how to fold paper into expansion balls? I¡¯d made a disciplinary paper fan. I unsheathed the giant paper fan and hefted it in Bertha¡¯s direction. ¡°No! You don¡¯t get to watch magical girl cartoons while the rest of us work!¡± I said like I was actually angry at her. I wasn¡¯t, this was just joke punishment, one I hadn¡¯t used in years on her. Or well, I hadn¡¯t had much to do with the fan after I¡¯d made it¡­ I¡¯d given it to Titan but then taken it off him. Why was that? Bertha stared at the paper fan and gasped theatrically before cowering like she was actually afraid. ¡°So I¡¯m not allowed to use my whips, but you¡¯re allowed to use a fan to threaten your pokemon?¡± asked A.J. loudly. I held up a finger. ¡°This is just a joke tool,¡± I said. I waved a hand towards Sanchez. ¡°Do you mind?¡± I asked. He shook his head and offered up his dome for me. I adopted a stance like a samurai and chopped the fan down on him. It made an impressive ¡®thwack¡¯ noise, but didn¡¯t do anything else. He twitched at the noise and laughed. I chopped my hand at him. ¡°Cut those sideburns! They look messy!¡± I barked like I was a drill sergeant. He shifted his beard around into a Van Dyke with the majority of his magnetic sand hair shifting to form dreadlocks from his head. It looked, if anything, more messy. I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s not actually something that hurts anyone, just makes a loud noise and startles people or pokemon that aren¡¯t focused on what they¡¯re supposed to be doing,¡± I said. I hefted the paper fan a little. ¡°This was actually Titan¡¯s, I think,¡± I said and Titan leaned forward to inspect it. He nodded and took it from me eagerly, waving it around a few times and barking like he was a general and the others were his troops. I was starting to get a vague feeling of unease as I watched him snap his arm with the fan. The joke fan made a rather harsh crack as he did so. The others saluted and he ¡®sheathed¡¯ his weapon at his side with one hand still on it, ready to draw at a moment¡¯s notice. I gestured at it. ¡°You can also use it as a safe tool to train blocking and parrying if you need to,¡± I said as Titan made to chop Shrek with it when my Swampert croaked something at Titan. Instead of being hit on the head, Shrek dodged the blow, showing he was paying attention. This earned a few laughs from the others. I let them play for a few more seconds before clapping to get everyone¡¯s attention back on me. ¡°So, let¡¯s get our analysis underway!¡± I said. Sabrina levitated a stack of paper over to me. ¡°Here is the list of pokemon Corey has access to,¡± she said. On the first page, Corey¡¯s starter pokemon was listed with all the moves it had performed in the past. I immediately slapped it up on the wall. ¡°There is no way that Corey is not going to go with his starter as part of his team against us, so everyone, I want special attention on matches that feature Bruteroot, Corey¡¯s Venusaur!¡± I called. Other pokemon were quickly run through, with a few pokemon as ones that I recognised. Pidgeot, Scyther, Hitmonlee, Sandslash and Rhyhorn were all pokemon that he¡¯d had for his appearance in the movie. Here, however, these pokemon were solid pillars of his team with high win percentages, according to Corey¡¯s trainer page. Interestingly, on paper they were his ¡®strongest¡¯ team. Not that I thought for a second that Corey would be foolish enough to bring Sandslash, Rhyhorn, or Pidgeot against me. Scyther¡­ despite being a bug type gave me pause. Sycther was a bit of a niche pick and a stronger pokemon that had a wide array of moves to its name. With Swords Dance, Agility, Counter, Close Combat, X-Scissor and Protect as part of its latest known list of moves, it could offer a bit of a challenge for me if it got going. I put it up on the ¡®maybe¡¯ list. I then began to look over the rest of his known pokemon roster. Other pokemon immediately began to jump out at me, such as Espeon, Primeape, Arcanine, Golem, Magneton, Dodrio, Muk, Electrode, Quagsire, Shuckle and Sneasel. He also had Ledian, Flaaffy, Sunflora and Donphan, but I didn¡¯t think he was going to use them against me. ¡°Why are you keeping Shuckle up on the board?¡± asked A.J., his eyes zeroing in on the pokemon that stood out among the others. I weighed up whether I wanted to give them my actual reasoning before deciding to roll with it. ¡°Shuckle is a pokemon that you really need to respect on the competitive scene. With the right set up, there is theoretically a chance it could sweep most teams,¡± I replied. I held up a hand, ¡°Now that is on pure mechanics and all attacks hitting, so it¡¯s not as viable as it would be on paper, but still, there is a risk if you¡¯re lazy,¡± I said. I tapped the print out featuring Shuckle¡¯s known moves. ¡°With a bit of set up, Toxic, Flash, Defence Curl, and Rest alone make it annoying if you don¡¯t have something that is immune to poison. There are also options to use Spikes before it comes out.¡± I said getting into the lecture. I made sure to pause however and point the remote matching up to Bertha¡¯s television back to the match and away from her cartoon. She coughed sheepishly, only for Titan to appear with the fan and slap her across the back of the head, earning a round of laughs from my pokemon. Greta held up her hand. ¡°Won¡¯t you be able to anticipate what team he is going to use based on the initial set up he goes for?¡± I pointed at her and nodded. ¡°Yes, but obviously we¡¯re going to be committed to six pokemon ourselves at that point. But having an early understanding of what pokemon he has will improve our odds,¡± I said. It was good to see she was looking into this a lot more and getting a much more strategic mindset from attending the various Ace fights I had organised. ¡°There¡¯s also the fact that Shuckle can have their extremely high defensive stats flipped with the use of Power Trick, Trick Room, and Baton Pass to limit the danger to Shuckle.¡± I said, throwing out another combination of moves that could work. ¡°That¡¯s rather clunky, though,¡± Missy pointed out. Sabrina coughed pointedly and indicated a screen to the side. ¡°It is a strategy that Corey has employed in the past. Specifically, three weeks ago, since then he has not used it again.¡± That gave everyone pause. Missy gave me a look over. ¡°So¡­ it wasn¡¯t just the Shuckle wine that you were after when you said you wanted one of those pokemon?¡± she said like she doubted me. I groaned. ¡°I made that comment once at a party. How did you even hear about it?¡± I asked, scrutinising her intently. ¡°The Pewter Grannies,¡± Missy said, shrugging like that was common¡­ actually at this stage I felt like half the relaying of gossip was done by retired old women. I huffed. ¡°Well, they¡¯re in for a shock when the pokenet gets going,¡± I said, thinking about pokechat and other apps that would no doubt flourish. Rachel looked up from her transceiver. ¡±Oh, I showed them how to use pokechat months ago, they¡¯re all on there. They have like twenty different chat groups going, it¡¯s hilarious cause sometimes they forget which channel they use to bitch about someone else and that person is on there. So much drama!¡± she said gleefully. ¡°And they tell you this?¡± I asked. ¡°Nah, I set things up for them after work sometimes, it¡¯s annoying getting called out for tech support with them all, but they let me admin for that reason. I¡¯m tapped into all the good stuff for Pewter,¡± she said proudly. I considered that revelation for a moment. Did that mean she had the best information gathering network then? ¡°Is Janine on there?¡± ¡°She¡¯s this one,¡± Rachel said, holding up the transceiver to show a profile. ¡°Sneakygrannytwelve,¡± I read aloud. I stared at the name for a moment before sighing and pinching the bridge of my nose. ¡°Is that meant to be clever?¡± I asked. ¡°She¡¯s open about it,¡± Rachel said. I nodded along before coughing as I realised I¡¯d gotten lost on a tangent. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s get back to work,¡± I said. Titan marched over and nodded before swatting me with the paper fan. ¡°Tar,¡± he said, admonishing me lightly. He then marched back over and towered over Bertha, who stopped fiddling with the side of the television where the controls to change the channel were. She shifted slightly and volume changed so it was louder. Titan snorted at her and moved off to wack Sanchez, as he¡¯d become too rowdy watching Corey¡¯s Golem battle. Hmmm, it was a female Golem. That was worth knowing. I shook my head, then set about crafting the pokemon team I expected had the highest chance against my team. Venusaur, Muk, Hitmonlee, Primeape, Golem, and Scyther were my first iteration guess. I then made a few others with pokemon like Arcnaine and Magneton featuring. Sabrina made an argument for Espeon and Electrode. ¡°Hey Brock, should we also be projecting for the next match?¡± asked Missy. I considered that. ¡°For that we¡¯d need to be pretty confident in who is going to win. There are a few instances where I¡¯m fairly confident in picking the victors, but you never know, some matches could surprise us.¡± ¡°The next match is Kaede or Boss Doug though, right?¡± Missy pointed out. ¡°Which is more likely?¡± ¡°Kaede,¡± I said without hesitation. A.J. grunted in a proximation of what might pass for a laugh. ¡°What about the other matches?¡± he asked. ¡°Karen will beat Walker, Carr will beat Arthur¡­¡± I trailed off as I considered the next match up. ¡°Joshua against Scarlet¡­ I think Joshua should win, due to experience but it¡¯s the fight that gives me the most hesitation. I think she¡¯s pushed herself in the last few weeks, but I¡¯d still go with Joshua. Then I¡¯d think Mirea would win against Tori. Kaede will beat Boss Doug, and we¡¯ll beat Corey,¡± I said with a smirk. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The others chuckled at this. ¡°Which leaves Bruce over Leo, and¡­ Neesha over Fergus,¡± I said. A.J. glared at the bracket listings. ¡°So apart from yourself, every match will be a win for those ranked higher?¡± he said. I considered the matchings and nodded. ¡°For this round? Yes, it would appear that way.¡± Missy bounced from foot to foot. ¡°But that means you think other matchups will be different? Which ones?¡± I licked my lips. I really didn¡¯t have a reason for it beyond Karen eventually being a member of the Elite Four¡­ that and my suspicions about her acquiring a Megastone for herself. ¡°Karen will beat Carr¡­ then I think she¡¯ll also beat Joshua or Mirea, whoever wins there. Karen¡­ I suspect is going to be one of the finalists,¡± I said. Sabrina twitched for a moment, but didn¡¯t otherwise give away her own feelings. I suspected she didn¡¯t like hearing that Karen, as aggravating as she could be, was highly competent as a trainer. ¡°I¡­ agree with Brock¡¯s assessment,¡± she said after a moment¡¯s pause. Missy and Rachel both stared at Sabrina for a moment. Sabrina raised a single eyebrow. ¡°I might not like her as a trainer¡­ or a human being¡­ but she is good and has trained her pokemon and herself well for battling. She has¡­ held herself back in a number of fights, so she will be taking lots of people by surprise.¡± I paused. I had only really watched her match against Steven Stone and nothing had struck me as odd there. I¡¯d fought with her in training matches with the Guardians and she gave her all. I quickly brought up two displays, one showing her match with Steven Stone and the other showing her last match. Her pokemon looked almost lazy when you compared the two. She was sandbagging her match against an Ace Trainer¡­ Oh that was Neesha. ¡°Huh, has anyone else noticed this?¡± I asked. ¡°I have no doubt others will soon,¡± said Sabrina. ¡°They¡¯re likely to realise she¡¯s been quiet for the last week as well, and become rather terrified. Most of them have been paying attention to you.¡± When Sabrina was done saying this she levitated a steaming cup of tea over to me and another to herself. I held the tea feeling slightly off centre. It took a moment for me to realise why. ¡°My rapid rise, the news, and the Mega Evolution?¡± I said thoughtfully. Sabrina nodded, not stopping as she drank her tea. Missy giggled. ¡°You are pretty high profile and it¡¯s not like anyone else in the roster has a pokemon capable of Mega Evolving,¡± she said. I almost said ¡®that we know of¡¯, before deciding to stay quiet. They could enjoy Karen¡¯s surprise. When I reached her I¡¯d have to work out how to handle the match. Before that however, I needed to get through my first match. The sound of another pokemon getting slapped with the paper fan made me pause. Ah, that¡¯s right, I¡¯d taken that off Titan because of how much of a tyrant he became with it last time, hadn¡¯t I? Hmmmm, maybe I should have it get lost during down time to stop anyone getting annoyed with him? Sabrina notably ignored me. She must have remembered the issues I¡¯d unfortunately caused last time by making the joke fan. For all the good it had done as a training aid. it had caused a few tensions to rise to the fore. Yeeeeeeeah, I was going to have to ditch it. I¡¯d let Titan have his fun, but like toys for some of the toddlers in my family, I¡¯d have to introduce it to a bin soon enough. I turned my attention back to the screens to watch a highlights reel of Corey, my focus shifting to what was to come as I began bouncing ideas around with the others.
Bertha charged in, her fist cocked back to slam it home, only for Espeon to absorb the hit with a powerful Barrier. I locked eyes with Sabrina and raised an eyebrow. There was no way that Corey would be able to copy that sort of strength with his Barrier. She didn¡¯t respond, but her Espeon fired off Mud Slap from close range. Bertha merely leaned into the attack and thumped her tail in response, causing the ground to buckle and quake. Espeon was bounced into the air with a cry of pain escaping her lips. As she came down she twitched so that her head was aligned with Bertha once more. ¡°Finish it!¡± I barked, demanding that Bertha close once again. Espeon unleashed a close range Psybeam that caused Bertha to stagger and gave Espeon a moment to land. Only for Bertha to take another step and loom with her fist once more reared back. ¡°Hold!¡± I called and Bertha stopped just before she pummeled Espeon into the ground. Sabrina nodded her head. ¡°While I might not have the same movepool with my Espeon, I think you have enough counters set up in your team for there to be low odds that Corey will use his.¡± I nodded. ¡°Best we end the sparring there,¡± I said. I gave Bertha a look over before approaching her. ¡°I think I¡¯ll give you a rest tomorrow girl.¡± Bertha slumped before putting a hand to her chest. ¡°Rhy rhy rhy?¡± she asked with a pained tone. If I didn¡¯t know her as well as I did, I would have thought she was actually hurt by my ¡®benching her¡¯. ¡°You get to spend the day watching cartoons and eating your approved pokepuffs,¡± I pointed out reasonably. ¡°I don¡¯t think Corey has enough hard hitters to let you shine. You¡¯d be good against his Venusaur, but other than that I think you¡¯d be wasted. Best to save you for someone else later on,¡± I said. There was also the fact that she¡¯d had two hard matches last week and while she wasn¡¯t showing it as much, I had suspicions that she needed some more rest days to properly recover. ¡°Rhy!¡± said Bertha with a pump of her giant fist. I smirked and waved for her to join the rest of the team that were cooling down off to the side. I considered them all. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go with Shrek, Gawain, Knight, Selene, Zephyr and Titan for my team,¡± I said to Sabrina. ¡°It covers much of what he can bring to bear against you,¡± she replied. I looked her over, seeing if there was anything more to that statement. When I found nothing I merely nodded. I didn¡¯t have to explain things to her, which made it easy. I approached my team. Titan was poking around some bushes, looking for something while Bertha snickered at him. I pointedly ignored that, after all, I had nothing to do with his missing fan. Nope! Nothing at all! I clapped my hands to draw them in and stop Titan from gathering evidence that I¡¯d gotten rid of his toy. ¡°We¡¯re going to go with the following team¡ª¡± I rattled off the specific pokemon and they either perked up or nodded in acceptance. I turned my attention to Tide, my Lapras. He¡¯d been twitchy all morning, and I knew that was due to the Hotel¡¯s training fields being so close to the bay that he¡¯d stayed in last year as a prime male. ¡°If you want to go for a visit you can, but you will need to take some of the others to look out for you.¡± Shin was quick to step forward and I blinked in surprise at his decisiveness. Then I frowned as a memory came to the fore. Didn¡¯t Kabutops share an egg grouping with¡­ How would that¡­ I decided I really didn¡¯t want to know and instead shut down that line of thought with a nod. Technically Gible could also¡­ I shot the little guy a look before shaking my head. Nope! Not thinking about it! That was for people like Elm and Bianca to contemplate. ¡°Good,¡± I said. In front of me Bertha was ribbing Shin and Tide for their eagerness. ¡°Knight, or Zephyr,¡± I said, indicating my Aggron and Noctowl, ¡°One of you will probably be going out first,¡± I said, drawing the others back to what we should actually be talking about. ¡°I think that Corey is going to go for a set up play, especially with the recent Ace match showcasing that a strong Toxic can disrupt things. The other option that I have worked out is that he will open with his starter, a powerful Venusaur. I strongly suspect Venusaur will be first out as it gives him both options with Toxic, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder and other grass type moves that others will struggle with.¡± I indicated Knight. ¡°You would be able to ignore the poison type moves but then he¡¯d have options with grass type moves. If Muk comes out you¡¯ll be my better choice, but if it¡¯s Venusaur then Zephyr is going to be my best bet first off,¡± I said. Both pokemon nodded, looking serious. They shared proud smiles with each other while the others listened in. I rattled off some other assignments I had considered they might need to do. ¡°There is going to be the risk of Toxic, Toxic Spikes, and also fighting type pokemon. For them I will be relying on Zephyr and Shrek,¡± I said. ¡°Brock, stop,¡± Sabrina said suddenly. Her tone made me stiffen. I turned to her, about to see what the issue was, only to find her eyes glowing and a pokemon appearing next to her without her moving. Xatu turned, looked in the direction she indicated and vanished in a flash. I watched as a fight broke out in the sky between Xatu and what looked like a cloud, only for it to be revealed to be a Swablu. I stiffened, my mind instantly noting it as a dragon-type pokemon, which I realised a second later was wrong, as it was only when it evolved that it became dragon type. ¡°Bruce?¡± I asked after a moment¡¯s thought. It wouldn¡¯t be Lance after all, that wasn¡¯t his style. But from what I¡¯d seen of my match with Arthur, Bruce had lower moral standards than his cousin. Sabrina shook her head. ¡°It is hard to tell. If I weren¡¯t here you wouldn¡¯t have noticed that pokemon at all, as it was perfectly positioned to appear as a simple cloud in the sky.¡± I nodded. She was right. I was used to people using Fearow and other pokemon as high aerial surveillance. Those pokemon rather stood out, however, if you knew to look for them. It was especially good training for Zubat, Don, and Zephyr to sweep the fields. Don and Zubat must have missed the little Swablu¡­ that or I¡¯d been too specific with my orders on what to look out for. I bit my lip and decided to assign this as my fault. ¡°Thanks for spotting it. Any chance you can¡ª¡± A moment later Sabrina¡¯s Xatu reappeared with a small Swablu in its talons. The little white and blue pokemon looked battered and beaten and even had a little blood on it. It gave a sad little croak and looked up at us pleadingly. My heart ached just looking at it, and I was considering asking Sabrina to let it go when Sabrina¡¯s Xatu chokeslammed it even harder into the ground with a vengeance. ¡°There will be none of that!¡± snapped Sabrina with irritation. I blinked and felt a surge of annoyance rise up, with the emotion some of my dark energy rose and suddenly I found myself blinking in surprise and staggering. A few of my pokemon behind me stepped forward, and I held out a hand to tap them with dark energy. I narrowed my eyes as my pokemon shook their heads. Had that been an attack or a charm of some sort? ¡°It¡¯s a rather slippery little bird,¡± Sabrina said as Swablu realised the jig was up and suddenly lost half of the feathers on its wings to slip out of Xatu¡¯s hold. Without the feathers it went much faster than I¡¯d been expecting. Had it been fighting at all against Xatu, or just trying to get away? Sabrina raised her hand before it could get too far away and made a clenching action. ¡°No, you will not be escaping,¡± she said as the Swablu suddenly halted in mid air. ¡°Blu!¡± it shrieked in terror. I chuckled. It would feel rather terrifying to be suddenly caught like it had. It shot me a tear filled gaze, but I hardened my heart and ignored it. Zubat chose that moment to appear and she seemed outraged at having missed the blue and white former puffball on wings. I returned Zubat before she could rip into Swablu. ¡°Is this Swablu trained in infiltration?¡± I said, putting the dots together as Sabrina reeled the pokemon in. ¡°It would appear that way,¡± she said. ¡°Xatu,¡± she said and Xatu rose up with a flap of its wings to hover before the now terrified Swablu. The pokemon resisted the glowing eyes for a moment before falling limp as waves of Hypnosis shot forward. When Swablu was limp in Xatu¡¯s grasp Sabrina drew the pokemon in and began inspecting it. She clicked her tongue in annoyance when she pulled a pair of electronic cuffs from the swablu¡¯s ankles. ¡°They¡¯re broken,¡± she said in annoyance. I nodded. ¡°We can still track who did this by seeing who this pokemon is registered to,¡± I said. Sabrina pursed her lips and I shrugged. ¡°We might get lucky with them being overconfident,¡± I said. She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see to this. You continue as you were,¡± she said, putting a hand to Swablu. Before she left, she made a circling gesture to Xatu and her pokemon inclined its head. Rather than taking off it, held its position and began to slowly turn its head, acting like a silent sentry. I glanced around. Zubat had turned up, but where was Don? I¡¯d told him early that I hadn¡¯t planned on¡­ I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot. Don is off with Wingull and Pelliper isn¡¯t he?¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°You forgot what he is like on the beach, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t, but yes¡­ I had forced it from my mind,¡± I said firmly. Sabrina frowned. ¡°Was that night on the beach truly so traumatising?¡± I held up a hand before she could pry too far. Arceus, the feathers and¡­ substances left on the beach the next morning. I stared towards the horizon, hoping against hope I wouldn¡¯t see a flock circling one point, and happy when I didn¡¯t. ¡°Zephyr¡­ can you and Selene go and¡­ drag Don back from whatever he¡¯s¡­ doing,¡± I said, well aware of the poor phrasing I¡¯d used. It was sadly apt for what Don was up to. Both of them nodded and departed. I sighed. ¡°Training¡¯s over guys. I need to go work on something else,¡± I said. I returned my pokemon and turned to join Sabrina, only for her to shake her head. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this. You rest and recover for tomorrow,¡± she said. She didn¡¯t give me time to argue as she vanished in a flash. I huffed. ¡°Damn it, I can¡¯t argue with you like that!¡± I said. Xatu huffed in amusement. I sighed and waved for him to join me. ¡°Come on, you can join me. I might take my siblings for some ice cream at the pool bar,¡± I said. Xatu perked up at that and I wandered back to the resort where my siblings were already splashing around in the water. I doffed my shirt and took a running leap. Their shrieks of delight were music to my ears and a balm to my mind. I almost forgot about the orders I¡¯d given Zephyr and Selene until they returned with Don¡­ who was covered in blood, bird poo, and, well, I didn¡¯t really want to think of what else. ¡°Why¡¯s he covered in bird feathers?¡± asked Olga from her position in the pool. I hastily returned Don, planning on dealing with him when there weren¡¯t children around. ¡°I can answer that!¡± said Bianca, emerging from behind some bushes like someone that had been laying in wait for just such a situation. Her red cheeks and empty martini glass told me that she¡¯d been rather enjoying her time off a bit too much. I dashed over and caught her by the face. ¡°Ohhh no you don¡¯t!¡± I said, pushing the shortstack woman back into the bush she¡¯d strode through. ¡°Bwah! Bush pushed!¡± she said as she floundered and collapsed into the bush. ¡°No scarring children¡¯s minds!¡± I hissed at her quietly. She blinked and nodded. ¡°Ooooooh right!¡± she said. She glanced around and took note of how many small ears and eyes were on us. She then raised her hand and flagged down a resort attendant that was approaching us with a worried look on his face. ¡°Taxi! I require transport to my room! I am¡ª¡± she burped loudly, ¡°¡ª oh my, I¡¯m very drunk,¡± she said. A few of the parents laughed at this and I shook my head. ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s right you lightweight!¡± called a voice from another bush. I blinked. Had that been our dentist? I signalled for another poolside attendant. Man, some people were really letting their hair down, weren¡¯t they? Why had I thought it a good idea to bring Bianca? Oh right, because she¡¯d earned a break. I just hadn¡¯t accounted for her getting drunk and being willing to¡­ ¡®educate¡¯ little minds that did not need to learn about the mating habits of certain fossil pokemon. I marched over to the bar and took a seat next to Suzie, Penny, and Munchlax. I glared at the sign that announced I couldn¡¯t have anything harder than lemonade until I was twenty one. Damn pokemon world alcohol laws. ¡°Gimme a Creaming Soda,¡± I said in a gruff macho tone. Maybe I could pretend and it would still satisfy me? ¡°I¡¯ll have what he¡¯s having,¡± said Suzie, and I glanced over only to cough in surprise. Damn it, she was copying me and it was adorable! She even had her face scrunched up in a fake scowl with her chin jutted forward. I slouched forward and thumped the bar. ¡°Make sure it¡¯s on the rocks!¡± I said, alluding to it having ice. Suzie stood on her stool and slammed both hands on the bar to achieve the same effect I had. ¡°Same goes for me!¡± she said. I couldn¡¯t hold it in any more and I snickered at her. She grinned in response and I wrapped an arm around her to hug her. ¡°Ah, you know just how to make me smile sometimes,¡± I said happily. Suzie giggled before stiffening. ¡°Oh! Oh! Barman! Turn up the volume!¡± she said pointing to a television. I looked up and blinked in surprise as a news report was shown with scrolling text. ¡°¡ªjust in! Hero Yellow has just made a series of arrests! It turns out a gambling syndicate that had utilised some of the information brokers were spying on the Chrysanthemum tournament trainers as they went through final preparations!¡± The woman grinned at us through the camera. ¡°This reporter was lucky enough to catch the moment she raided the dodgy business in person!¡± she said like a woman that just got the story of the week at least. Huh, so that¡¯s where Sabrina had gotten to. On the screen, a trio of men were led out. They all bore a resemblance to each other. ¡°We¡¯re not part of the information brokers! We¡¯re renegades! Black sheep!¡± they called out to anyone that would listen. Suzie slammed her hands into the table.¡±I knew those people were no good! Go Hero Yellow!¡± I decided to not ask if she had any idea who the ¡®baddies¡¯ truly were, instead I just accepted my Creaming Soda and enjoyed my afternoon. When Sabrina returned she looked like the Meowth that had just taken over a rival cream company in an aggressive take over. ¡°How full of it were they?¡± I asked. ¡°Completely, the information brokers are getting a review and official censure for the rest of the season at least,¡± she said. I raised my glass to her in salute, only for her to steal it from my grasp. ¡°Hey that¡¯s not what I¡ª¡± I started to say, only for her to reply with a set of large watery eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been learning the girls¡¯ tricks,¡± I replied with narrowed eyes. If that was how she wanted to play it, then all bets were off. ¡°A Farfetch¡¯d walks into a bar and orders a drink. He then tells the bartender to put it on his bill,¡± I said. Sabrina twitched and despite her surprise I saw a flicker of delight. Suzie and Penny giggled at my joke, so I decided to go for more. ¡°A Kingler scuttles into a bar and says, ¡®I want your best beer, but if it doesn¡¯t satisfy me you have to give me your best wine for free!¡¯ The bartender replies, ¡®why the big clause?¡¯¡± Sabrina and the girls burst out giggling at this. ¡°Two men walk into a bar, the third one ducks,¡± I said, earning more laughter, as other kids gathered around to listen to my jokes. I started the next joke, my eyes moving from the laughing kids to Sabrina laughing in delight, and just for a moment I feel like everything was right in the world. Chapter 232 - Round one shake up! I drummed my fingers on the table, waiting patiently as my foe considered their options. ¡°Do you have any¡­ threes?¡± said Tommy, watching my face like a Pidgeot watched the forest floor for a Caterpie. I gave nothing away. Silly little brother, bird types were weak to rock. ¡°Go¡­¡± I started to say, watching his face, ¡°Take your card,¡± I said, watching as Tommy began to slump, only to pump his fist in delight at getting one over on me. He then made the mistake of turning his attention to the combined team of Sabrina and Suzie. Suzie glowered at him, in her hands two cards were clenched tightly. ¡°Do you have,¡± he started, watching Suzie¡¯s expression. ¡°Any ssssssssss,¡± when she began to smile he shifted his target. ¡°Tens!¡± he said triumphantly. I had to give it to Tommy, it was a good attempt, but he¡¯d forgotten that Sabrina was helping Suzie. Suzie stopped smiling and blinked, causing me to chuckle. Her eyes darted down to the two cards in her hands. ¡°Is this a ten?¡± she asked Sabrina with a carrying whisper. I continued to chuckle as Tommy realised the flaw in looking at Suzie. Suzie still didn¡¯t have a perfect grasp on her numbers. Sabrina shook her head and Suzie whirled on Tommy. ¡°Go Fish!¡± she shouted, pointing her finger right in his face. I coughed lightly and Suzie retracted her hand, but not her megawatt grin of victory. Tommy grumbled but took a card from the top, only to perk up and pair them off. He now only had two cards himself. Suzie opened her mouth to challenge Tommy, only for Sabrina to nudge her in my direction. Suzie glanced at me and I held up my handful of cards, which included my get out of jail free card, my Uno wild, Bianca¡¯s driver''s licence and a coupon for a facial treatment. It also had a jack stylised like a Mr. Mime, a King like an Alakazam, and a two. Truly I had terrible luck. As Suzie considered my hand, the extraneous cards began to vanish ¡®mysteriously¡¯ from my hand to be replaced by other, actual playing cards. I shot Sabrina a deeply amused look. Did she think I wasn¡¯t going to go easy on my siblings? Sabrina¡¯s eyes darted over to where Salvadore, Olga and Crystal were lamenting their having challenged me to a game of Smash. I¡¯d kicked their butts with Ness, and then Donkey Kong, just to prove a point. ¡­Alright, so sometimes I got a bit too competitive, but they should know better than to challenge me at video games. ¡°¡ªa four!¡± said Suzie, as she held up four fingers. I smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes I do,¡± I said, handing it over to her. Suzie giggled and accepted it, adding it to her stack of cards triumphantly. ¡°Munchlax?¡± said Munchlax who, while sitting at the table, wasn¡¯t part of the game, holding up his cards in confusion. I noted that all the cards I¡¯d been holding a moment ago were now in his hands. I shot Sabrina a look which wasn¡¯t very effective, as she led Suzie to an unbeatable victory. Tommy stared at the stack of pairs in front of Suzie. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was a good idea to play with Suzie when she has Sabrina to help her,¡± he announced with the air of one who has learned wisdom. ¡°Hmmm,¡± I said, toying with Bianca¡¯s driver¡¯s licence. I idly noted that there was no way her height was one metre seventy. She barely came up to my chest. ¡°But it was fun playing the game, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I asked. Tommy thought about this for a moment before nodding, a smirk coming my way. ¡°Yeah, it was,¡± he said with a laugh. I just smiled back and collected the cards Munchlax had, to return them where they belonged. ¡°Brock! Mirea beat Tori!¡± announced Yolanda from the other lounge room. ¡°Yeah, she was all like! ¡®Your attempts to rise are cute little girl, but not enough!¡¯ Bam smash! She¡¯s just the biggest bitch! I love her!¡± shouted Crystal excitedly. ¡°Language!¡± I said at the same time as Yolanda and Sabrina did. Crystal flinched back and coughed. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad a word,¡± she muttered before readjusting. ¡°Anyway! She used her Typhlosion and her Ampharos alone to win, which is super cool ¡®cause she had to fight through a bunch of water-type pokemon!¡± I considered that. ¡°Isn¡¯t her Typhlosion her starter? It might not have been such a good idea to tire him out in a tournament where she¡¯s going to be fighting the next day,¡± I said. Crystal waved it off. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was that much of a workout for him, and she got to spare the other four pokemon she had with her.¡± Crystal considered a booklet. ¡°But it¡¯s weird, I didn¡¯t think she had an Ampharos¡­ at least it¡¯s not listed on her known pokemon,¡± she said. I shrugged. ¡°Plenty of people keep pokemon secret, or sometimes at this level, they can even trade a pokemon for someone else¡¯s that they considered powerful enough to be worth the swap.¡± I¡¯d collected a bunch of notes on the trainers that I was expected to face from the Guardians. I had yet to go through Kaede and Bruce¡¯s files, but I¡¯d have them ready for tonight¡¯s analysis. ¡°She traded for it?¡± Yolanda asked. I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just pointing out it¡¯s possible, not that she did it. From what I saw of Carr¡¯s match against Arthur, Arthur traded out a number of his pokemon in preparation for his match, but it didn¡¯t do him any good.¡± ¡°Carr¡¯s Steelix was¡­ decent,¡± said Yolanda begrudgingly. ¡°It was,¡± I said, ¡°but it has nothing on Jormungandr,¡± I said. Yolanda nodded and turned back to the lounge room. ¡°So, don¡¯t you have to go soon? You¡¯ve been spending the entire morning relaxing, and now there¡¯s only Kaede and Boss Doug¡¯s fight before your own.¡± As though awaiting this very question, my Xtransceiver began to chirp, only for me to silence it with an absent swat of my hand. ¡°Eh,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°I had more important things to do,¡± I said. Yolanda glanced around the room that was full of shopping bags from where we¡¯d gone shopping earlier in the morning for the board games, cards, and Nintendo sixty-four. I chuckled at her dubious look. ¡°You know what I mean,¡± I said as she started to smile. I wandered into the lounge room to find Greta sitting in front of a desk with notes spread out around it. Next to her, on a chair rated for heavy individuals, Bertha lay on her stomach with a stack of pokepuffs within reach. ¡°Rhy rhy rhy,¡± said Bertha to Greta knowledgeably. Greta nodded along only to turn to us and mouth ¡®I have no idea what she¡¯s saying!¡¯. I chuckled, only for the chirping of my watch to return. ¡°Urgh, looks like they''re getting desperate,¡± I said. ¡°So, who¡¯s coming with me for this match?¡± I asked. Greta shot up to her feet while Yolanda claimed a seat on the couch. ¡°I¡¯ll watch from here,¡± she said. I collected A.J., Rachel and Missy to round out our group as I moved through the resort collecting my pokemon back into their pokeballs bar Tide, Shin, Bertha, Empress, Gible, Zubat and Hypnotoad who I left out. Don was back at the reserve, because¡­ well unless I was actively training him, I really should have known better than letting him out near the ocean. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have to¡ª¡± I started to say, only for Zubat to hug my face. ¡°Zuuuuuuuu!¡± she whined plaintively. ¡°Mmmmmm,¡± I said into her body. When she refused to move I reached up and tugged her off my face. ¡°Sorry girl, I can¡¯t let you just relax on my shoulder this time. Things are going to be serious and I need to keep all my attention on the match,¡± I said. Zubat wilted as I deposited her on top of the incubator. Suzie was quick to reposition her onto her lap. ¡°No Brock, the egg might get too hot!¡± she said.¡°Here, my lap is a much nicer spot.¡± She carefully stroked Zubat to calm her down. Zubat considered this for a few moments with a perked head.She seemed to accept the pats as she nuzzled into Suzie¡¯s lap, making herself more comfortable. ¡°Ah, good call,¡± I said, deciding to not fight her on how incubators regulated the temperature of the egg inside. ¡°Alright, bye family and friends and pokemon!¡± ¡°Rhy!¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Growl!¡± ¡°Good luck Mr. Brock!¡± ¡°Win bro!¡± ¡°Growlithe!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Go Brock!¡± I smiled for a moment only to frown. Some of those noises hadn¡¯t sounded right. I gave all of my suddenly very innocent-looking siblings a pointed stare down. ¡°Guys, how many Growlithe did you bring?¡± I asked. ¡°None!¡± ¡°Nope, not me!¡± ¡°Not I!¡± said the various kids. Cindy then pointed at Yolanda. ¡°I saw Yolanda bring Spot so I figured that Lady could come.¡± ¡°You dare?!¡± Yolanda said, whirling about on her sister. Hephaestus chose that moment to waddle up to sit down next to Olga. ¡°Growlithe,¡± he said, flopping onto his stomach and yawning loudly. I eyed them. How had they hidden three Growlithe from me? Was I that distracted last night? I glanced at Sabrina and she smirked, likely knowing what I was thinking. Yeah¡­ I probably was distracted. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s three of them, any more?¡± I asked, already knowing the answer. ¡°Nope!¡± ¡°Nadda!¡± said Suzie and Tilly. ¡°I brought Sirius cause I need a pokemon to keep me warm in bed,¡± said Timmy, as he looked at the floor as though ashamed. I held up a finger, considered what I was going to say and then let it go with a sigh. ¡°The beds all have electric blankets but¡­ alright fine¡­ it''s just that I got the Growlithe pack to protect our home.¡± Yolanda adopted a reclined position as she wafted her hand about. ¡°What is the home but the people that make it?¡± she said with a wise tone. I couldn¡¯t argue that so I chopped her lightly on the head. ¡°Smarty pants,¡± I said. ¡°So, how many are here?¡± I asked. ¡°Five,¡± said Sabrina. ¡°The others are at home protecting the house as you want them to,¡± she said. I huffed and gave my siblings a stern look. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good at least! As for the rest of you¡­ I¡¯m putting Olga in charge,¡± I said. Olga stiffened. ¡°Me?¡± she said, staring at me through her thick glasses. ¡°Yup, you¡¯re the only one here I can trust,¡± I said, playing it up. Sabrina¡¯s gaze bore into the back of my head. ¡°That isn¡¯t coming with us to the arena,¡± I clarified quickly. I held up my hands to Olga in a faux pleading position. ¡°Only you can make sure the little ones are in bed and the adults don¡¯t drink too much,¡± I said. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m in charge?¡± she said carefully. I nodded. Olga stood up and marched to the hotel phone. Oh dear, this wasn¡¯t going to end well. She raised it after punching the room service number. ¡°I want the biggest ice cream sundae you have!¡± she shouted happily. Then she glanced at Salvadore. ¡°Make it a double!¡± she said. ¡°Please!¡± she added after a moment. Oh, that¡¯s nice, she had manners¡­ while using my money. I made a show of facepalming. ¡°When did you kids get so cheeky?¡± I said. Damn it, Olga, you were meant to be the chosen one. ¡°Yolanda, new plan, you¡¯re back to being in charge,¡± I said. Yolanda merely held out her hand to Olga. ¡°Phone please,¡± she said, before tripling the order. I sighed and shook my head. I gave Yolanda a noogie and mushed up her hair. ¡°If I¡¯m not back by dinner, get some pizza or something,¡± I said, my expression turning serious. ¡°And make sure no one spends too long in the pool,¡± I said. Yolanda sat up and nodded, accepting this seriously. ¡°Should I cancel the ice cream order?¡± she asked but I waved her off. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine,¡± I said. ¡°Just share it around,¡± I suggested. I linked arms with Sabrina as Alakazam appeared. ¡°You know you spoil them,¡± she said as we appeared in the reception area of the Chrysanthemum City Arena. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± I said, ¡°but there have to be some perks for being my siblings, right?¡± Sabrina nodded at this, amused by my logic. ¡°Trainer Brock? Thank Arceus you¡¯re here! Have you got your transceiver off? You were meant to be here an hour ago for make-up!¡± shouted one of the event organisers as they hurried up to me. I held up a hand. The organiser skittered to a stop at the prospect of smashing into my hand. ¡°I had better things to do,¡± I said firmly. At this, the organiser glanced at Sabrina and I scowled at him. Sabrina raised a singularly unimpressed eyebrow and the man jolted as if stung. ¡°R-right! Well, we¡¯ll need to get you ready for the match. If you and your entourage can follow me, please?¡± he asked. He then led us through a series of doors that continued under the stands and into some well-lit rooms. I passed by several doors and waiting areas that had various other trainer names written on them and hummed. It seemed my ¡®split¡¯ of the bracket were all on this side. ¡°Corey is on the other side of the arena?¡± I asked. The organiser glanced in my direction before his eyes dipped back to Sabrina. ¡°Yes, for security concerns it was decided to create more space. A few of the trainers raised concerns about certain¡­ advantages that you might have¡­¡± My mood, which had been extremely upbeat till he said that, plummeted harder than any Gengar floating through me could have achieved. ¡°They think I would cheat with Sabrina?¡± I said sternly. The man waved his hands back and forth. ¡°No no no! They merely¡­ voiced the possibility that others could, and that there should be some measures taken for¡­ future competitions! Yes, that¡¯s all!¡± The man swallowed. ¡°Corey even spoke out for you, saying that your character as a Gym Leader was well established,¡± he said hurriedly. I blinked while registering that. ¡°He did, huh?¡± The organiser, exhaled in relief, unconsciously aware that the storm was passing. ¡°Y-yes, he said that when he challenged your gym years ago you were extremely knowledgeable,¡± the man said. ¡°Huh,¡± I said. I honestly couldn¡¯t remember him. Which probably meant he turned up to challenge me in the first year when I was still getting my feet under me, with both the gym and my family. ¡°Nice to know I left a positive impression,¡± I said. I hadn¡¯t gone back as far as his journey notes to review him, but perhaps I should have. Did that also mean that Neesah and Fergus had come around my gym years ago? ¡°So,¡± I started to say carefully. ¡°What measures are they asking we take?¡± I asked. The man returned to looking nervous. ¡°The room you have is to be set with dark emitters to stop transmission in and out. Once we confirm that you and Sabrina are within, Corey will make his selection of pokemon,¡± he said. I nodded, stepping into the room and immediately taking note of the large emitters built into the wall. The room itself was more like a lounge room, but with a computer for pokemon transfers built into the wall. Around a large television, a trio of couches were arranged in a U shape. Sabrina stepped in a moment later and rather than being annoyed, looked more relaxed. She exhaled and rolled her head around. ¡°Less thoughts weighing you down?¡± I asked, earning a nod from her as she marched over to claim a couch for herself. ¡°There are a lot of excitable young minds out there,¡± she commented, putting an arm over her eyes. She glanced at me underneath it. ¡°I will still come out when you¡¯re called, but¡­ a quieter location is rather nice.¡± I nodded and moved to her feet, I lifted them up and placed them in my lap. Then with a click of the remote, I had Kaede¡¯s match with Boss Doug on display. This match I was going to have to comb through looking for specific details, but for now I could relax and enjoy myself. I¡¯d come at a good time, as both Kaede and Boss Doug were only just selecting their first pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s go Muk!¡± shouted Boss Doug. ¡°Come out!¡± shouted Kaede, tossing out a small monkey pokemon that had me tilting my head in surprise. Huh, you don¡¯t see Ambipom very much these days. The commentators and everyone around me stiffened. ¡°Who¡¯s that pokemon!?¡± roared one of them and I blinked. Oh, that¡¯s right, it had a conditional evolution, didn¡¯t it? So while it only turned up in the games around the fourth generation, it was a big score for Kaede, who looked like she wasn¡¯t at all bothered by all the ruckus she was causing. ¡°Heh, she¡¯s taken a leaf out of your books,¡± said Rachel, while glancing at Sabrina and me. I ignored her in favour of assessing the Ambipom as it bounced from foot to foot then to its... Handtails? I wasn¡¯t sure what to call them beyond that. I was impressed by how Boss Doug barely narrowed his eyes at the revealed pokemon before leaning forward, committing to the fight. To be fair, Muk against Ambipom was still a good match-up, possibly for both of them. It was just that Kaede had a slight advantage with Ambipom¡¯s potential move pool, with some of them ground-typed. ¡°Begin!¡± shouted the referee, and I instantly saw both trainer¡¯s plans unfolding with their chosen first moves. ¡°Shot!¡± cried Kaede, her hand lancing forwards, while across from her Boss Doug swept his hand out. ¡°Minimize!¡± he called. As Kaede went on the offensive, Boss Doug went for a set-up sequence. Toxic Spikes began to scatter around the field, but Kaede kept going for the first knockout with her Ambipom flicking Mud Shot after Mud Shot at Muk. I watched the fight play out with Muk, in its greatly shrunken form, slipping around the waves of mud or even riding the waves before flicking itself off to the side. ¡°It has an interesting movement pattern,¡± Sabrina commented as we watched Ambipom use its handtails to unleash another Mud Shot at the Muk. ¡°It''s sort of like a whip blended with an earth mover with the strength and points of articulation it¡¯s demonstrating,¡± I said. We continued to watch both trainers repeatedly work their moves, and despite Boss Doug¡¯s clever adaptation for his pokemon riding the mud waves being smashed into it, it wasn¡¯t enough. It was quickly becoming obvious his pokemon was taking damage. The dodges became less clean, and the hops to the side shorter. Something had to change quickly. Boss Doug knew this and after his pokemon had gotten four Toxic Spikes off, he went on the offensive himself. The tiny Muk went from scattering spikes to unleashing a glob of a dark purple shot of poison at Ambipom¡¯s face. The double-tailed monkey juked to the side, its tails which had been dug into the ground to throw more Mud Shots suddenly shifted to pushing its own body out of the path of the shot. I hummed in surprise. There wasn¡¯t a verbal command given on Boss Doug¡¯s part, his pokemon was used to this sequence, but Kaede and her pokemon had been watching for it. With the dodge to the side, Ambipom grinned mischievously. Its much shorter arms worked up and down before it flicked its tails and threw yet another large glob of mud into Muk. Muk wavered for a moment before collapsing into a small pile of sludge with a final wail of pain. ¡°Hmmmm, interesting,¡± I commented as the first pokemon went down. ¡°He¡¯d been willing to sacrifice his pokemon, but had been hoping to get a Toxic out before it went down,¡± I said. Missy nodded. ¡°I think Boss Doug could do with a lesson or two with you Brock, he wasted a move with that fourth Toxic Spikes,¡± she said, her hand waving at the screen which showed the literal carpet of spikes that littered the outer regions of the battlefield. I nodded. ¡°It might not be something that is stress tested as much,¡± I said. ¡°He had a good sequence, but you¡¯re right it could be refined,¡± I said, seeing the chance to do some teaching with the group. I was about to suggest a few options, but Boss Doug wasn¡¯t going to humour me as he returned his pokemon and sent out a Machoke immediately. Machoke growled at Ambipom. In response, Ambipom floated up into the air, held there thanks to a single tail. The other made a ¡®come get it¡¯ gesture. ¡°It¡¯s a cheeky thing,¡± I said with a laugh. Machoke, rather than charging in, raised its fists and began to swell up as it used Bulk Up. Instead of getting annoyed, I watched as both pokemon went into buffing themselves up. Machoke with Bulk Up, and Ambipom with Agility. I leaned forward as anticipation built up with each move they got off. ¡°Baton Pass,¡± said Kaede, causing everyone to lurch as the build-up into a sudden climatic payoff they¡¯d been expecting suddenly tilted on its side. Kaede held up another pokeball as her pokemon returned itself, only for another to take its place. The revealed pokemon was much taller and much more solidly built. Its wings buzzed and a harsh sound sawed through the air. Around the field, the various Toxic Spikes rose and lanced into the pokemon, only to plink off its body ineffectively. ¡°Sci-zor,¡± said the revealed Scizor. It locked eyes with Machoke and then vanished in a blur of pure speed. ¡°Protect!¡± shouted Boss Doug, just in time to stop his pokemon from being taken out with a fast-moving Wing Attack, courtesy of Kaede¡¯s new pokemon. I whistled, impressed at this flip. She¡¯d prepared well and had the answers for Boss Doug, it seemed. ¡°Ahem,¡± said a voice as I watched Scizor shift from foot to foot, watching and waiting like a prowling predator as the Protect shell slowly faded. Hmmm, Kaede was doing quite well. ¡°Ahem,¡± repeated the voice, and I looked to the side at the organiser that had led us in. ¡°Yes?¡± I said, my tone tinged with annoyance at the interruption. ¡°Ahem,¡± he repeated unnecessarily. ¡°You will need to lock in your team now, Brock.¡± He gestured to the side where a suitcase had been laid out. I grumbled and gave the match playing out another look. It was playing out in a rather interesting manner. I shifted Sbarina¡¯s legs and stood, marching over. I was about to place my pokeballs into the six receptacles to confirm which pokemon I was going to use when I slowed and began to reconsider what I was bringing to the table. Was this the best team I could field against Corey? I licked my lips and weighed up what I had. Should I call back Hypnotoad? Or maybe even bring out Empress? I ticked off the team I had lined up. Shrek, Gawain, Knight, Selene, Zephyr, and Titan. They offered me a great degree of versatility with what Corey had. It would just depend on what he sent out first. A fighting type? His Venusaur, or even a Muk? Would he anticipate my reading into his team and counter that? I sighed and shook my head. I was going to stick with what I¡¯d decided earlier. I locked them in and toyed instead with who I was going to send out first. Gawain had some serious potential as a first pokemon, as did Titan if I was perfectly honest. I returned, having spent maybe two or three minutes tops weighing up my choices, only to find the match had greatly progressed. ¡°Three nil?¡± I said with surprise at the television. It showed that Boss Doug had lost his Muk, Machoke, and a Weezing. A quick glance at the smoking Scizor that was battling against an Ursaring. Despite being the fresher pokemon, Ursaring was on the back foot. I didn¡¯t need to have anyone ¡®read me into what had happened¡¯, it looked obvious enough. Scizor had fought through an explosion of some sort, thus the damage to his form. It was clearly affecting how the fight was playing out, so I couldn¡¯t call it the worst move on Boss Doug¡¯s part. Scizor was darting in and out, hammering light blows on the opposite pokemon, while Ursaring was swinging at nothing but air due to the speed with which Scizor was still moving thanks to Ambipom¡¯s earlier boosting swap. ¡°Baton Pass!¡± Kaede shouted once more and I whistled in appreciation, as she had her pokemon withdraw just enough to make the move work. Once more her pokemon vanished, leaving everyone in a lurch. People leaned forward as the pokeball in her hand opened to reveal a white and red furry pokemon. ¡°Zan-zangoose!¡± cried the pokemon. Greta was quick to raise her pokedex and snap a picture of the pokemon which had her pokedex chirping. ¡°Zangoose, the cat-ferret pokemon. This pokemon is known for harbouring a great rivalry and hatred for Seviper. It is said that the feud is passed down from generation to generation of Zangoose. They will often seek out their hated foe and fight with them. This has led to the pokemon developing immunity to various poisons. It is a fierce pokemon that is known for its agility and exceptionally sharp claws. For more information about this pokemon please take a picture in person. This pokemon is not known to be outwardly hostile to humans without cause,¡± said her pokedex. I quirked an eyebrow. I hadn¡¯t known about that little feature, but then this was the first time I¡¯d heard Greta¡¯s pokedex talk after taking an image from television. Did they have aura readers that a television couldn¡¯t relay? Is that how they sensed what moves the pokemon could use? It was an interesting line of questioning. Maybe I should toy around with the pokedex I had with me thanks to Oak. I let that thought fade as the match took an interesting turn. Once more the poisonous barbs shot up and into the newly arrived Zangoose. I was about to comment on how clever Kaede¡¯s plan was with Zangoose, the pokemon known for its immunity to poison being used. Then the spikes stabbed home and I blinked as it yowled in pain. Eh? ¡°Looks like your pokedex is faulty,¡± said A.J. with a scowl. ¡°It¡¯s usually pretty accurate,¡± he continued, not noticing the flash of annoyance that morphed into thoughtfulness on Greta¡¯s expression. On-screen, Zangoose stopped screaming and instead roared with pain as Kaede merely gestured at Ursaring. Zangoose shot forward and folded the powerful normal type over the top of its claws. Ursaring was thrown out of the arena and into the wall violently. I whistled as the referee raised his flags. ¡°U-Ursaring is unable to battle!¡± He glanced at the growling, snapping Zangoose who only calmed when Kaede let out a note that made it seem like she was about to sing to her pokemon. It was enough to settle the aggression and Zangoose settled into a crouched position, its eyes locked on Boss Doug as it awaited its next foe. ¡°What was that about?¡± asked Greta. ¡°Checking to make sure Kaede had control of her pokemon.¡± I explained, only for Greta and A.J. to shoot me confused looks. Missy nodded, understanding my point. I waved a hand at the referee as he raised a green flag to allow the match to continue. ¡°You need to prove that you have actual control of your pokemon. Imagine that you had access to a wild pokemon that is powerful and were able to get it into a pokeball. If you just unleashed it on a foe, well you might win matches, but¡­ you¡¯d also be putting people at risk.¡± I leaned forward to watch as Zangoose twitched in pain and a small purple splotch of blood seeping out began to appear in Zangoose¡¯s white fur. So it was poisoned¡­ I rubbed my jaw. Zangoose, an already extremely agile pokemon, had gotten handed the boosts from Agility that Ambipom had set up when Boss Doug had buffed up his own pokemon. So that accounted for the extreme speed that was on display, but the power of the hit? It had to have been something else. A triggered state? ¡°Triggered state?¡± asked Missy, eyes flickering to me as Boss Doug held off on releasing his pokemon for the full minute available to him. ¡°Ah, I said that out loud?¡± I asked. Around me, the others nodded. I coughed. ¡°Triggered state is an innate ability that some pokemon have that responds to certain conditions. In this case, I suspect Zangoose has become more powerful from being poisoned, rather than being immune,¡± I said. ¡°You don¡¯t talk about that in your lessons,¡± Greta said. ¡°Maybe I need to make it a lesson,¡± I said as Boss Doug finally sent out his fifth pokemon, revealing a Nidoking. ¡°That¡¯s his starter,¡± said A.J. leaning forward. On-screen, Zangoose rose, only to stiffen as the poison took hold once more. It staggered and I narrowed my eyes. It looked like it was on its last legs, but the image I¡¯d gotten of Kaede so far was not of a woman who was going to leave things to chance. I was proven correct when she clenched her hand into a fist. ¡°Rest,¡± she intoned seriously and Zangoose shut its eyes and fell asleep. That did make me frown for a second. Shouldn¡¯t that move have failed, due to already being poisoned? I shook the thought off. This wasn¡¯t like the games¡­ or was this an indicator of some special skill Kaede had trained her Zangoose to possess? I made a mental note to review that later. ¡°Earthquake,¡± growled Boss Doug and Nidoking stomped, causing Zangoose to be thrown into the air a second after it shut its eyes. ¡°Sleep Talk,¡± Kaede replied and instantly Zangoose twitched and landed onto all fours. It charged straight into Nidoking with a pink glow on its forehead. Nidoking buckled under the power of the Zen Headbutt and was hurled back, only to dig his feet in and roar in defiance. It rose up to loom, only to grimace as something twinged within its body. Kaede saw the momentary weakness and pushed for the finish. ¡°Sleep Talk,¡± she said again and once more Zangoose charged in to hammer a fist into Nidoking. That proved enough to end the battle between the two pokemon. Nidoking hit the ground with a forlorn cry and it was only as it crumbled to the ground that Zangoose awoke. ¡°Zan?¡± it said in surprise before smirking at the downed pokemon. Then it grimaced and dropped to one knee. ¡°Goooose,¡± it said sadly. Kaede nodded and raised its pokeball. She returned it and Boss Doug growled as he returned his own before sending out his last bet for this match. I sat back as a Breloom took to the field, while across from it, Scizor once more appeared. We watched as Kaede closed out the match and the commentators and the crowd went crazy. ¡°And Kaede has turned up the heat here today! She¡¯s announced herself with this showing, six nil to her! I think we¡¯ve got a contender here, and it might just be going to be her year!¡± roared the commentator. I glanced up as I felt the roof above us shift. While the television was blaring with the noise, I knew that even if I hadn¡¯t been watching this match, it would have been apparent that something was going on with how the crowd was shaking the very foundations of the arena with their stomping and cheering. I watched Kaede shake Boss Doug¡¯s hand and then turn to wave at the crowd with a demure smile. ¡°She had that worked out to a T,¡± I said, impressed at her showing. It might have just been a good match-up, but she¡¯d also had the audacity to see it through. ¡°So, you¡¯re facing her next?¡± prompted Greta. I nodded thoughtfully. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to do a lot of research on her, I think,¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯s shown she¡¯s going to play for keeps and has the skill, power, and wits to make it happen.¡± The others nodded and we watched Kaede complete a victory lap with the crowd cheering her name while her Scizor escorted her. ¡°T-trainer Brock,¡± said the organiser once more. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to head out.¡± I nodded, rising, and this time everyone rose with me. We marched out with the crowd roaring for the next match. I appeared at the same time as Corey did on the other side, we locked eyes, but then movement off to the side had us both glancing away. Kaede stood in the middle of the walkway leading up to the stands. A coat around her form flapped slightly, with her having thrown it over her shoulders. She spared us both a glance and nodded once before claiming her seat, openly showing that she was watching our match. I chuckled and turned back to Corey. Again we locked eyes, and this time a spark of understanding was coming our way. We were both prepared to go through each other. Kaede had announced herself as the next step beyond this match, and we were both determined to meet her there. I stood on my podium and it rumbled into position. The referee ran through the usual spiel before raising his flags, ¡°Trainers! Are you ready?¡± he bellowed. ¡°YES!¡± we both shouted, palming our pokeballs to the cheers of the crowd. ¡°Release and begin!¡± said the man. I threw Knight¡¯s ball forward and he appeared with a mighty roar. Across from him, Corey¡¯s starter, Bruteroot the Venusaur appeared. I narrowed my eyes and prepared myself to dig in. Looks like it was going to be an uphill slog. Chapter 233 - Round one rock rumble! Knight glared at Bruteroot. Corey smirked, but I just hardened my stance. I wasn¡¯t withdrawing Knight, but instead committing to the fight. Knight wasn¡¯t a terrible choice out of all my pokemon to face Bruteroot. It seemed I¡¯d gambled wrong for the first pokemon out from Corey. He was more amped up than I¡¯d believed from Kaede¡¯s match. I reached out for the bond I shared with Knight, knowing I was going to need all the advantages I could. ¡°Lash!¡± Corey called, and I didn¡¯t need to guess what was going to come out next as vines began to rise up from Venusaur¡¯s body. With a flex of my will, I had Knight leaning to the side and falling into the earth in a fast Dip Dig move that saw him evading the attack, only to pop up like a whack-a-Diglett game. With our new position I decided to start claiming the field for ourselves. ¡°SS,¡± I called, picturing the howling winds that could come with a Sandstorm. Knight tossed his head and caused a huge clattering of metal plates on metal as the wind around him was whipped up into a frenzy. With it, sand began to rise and vision dropped as a proper Sandstorm took over the field. In response to this Corey called his next move. ¡°¡ªrain!¡± he shouted. I narrowed my eyes. One downside of the Sandstorm was that sometimes trainers didn¡¯t shout their moves loud enough for you to hear them. I suspected I knew what he was doing. Like me, he was committing his pokemon to the fight instead of withdrawing it. He was doing so by locking his pokemon down with Ingrain. I began to consider what moves I could use with Knight before pausing. No, Corey had just made a mistake with his move selection. By using Ingrain he had locked his options in with Venusaur. He was expecting me to knuckle down as I had with others in the past, but there were smarter options available to me. I lifted Knight¡¯s pokeball and returned him. ¡°Return!¡± I shouted over the winds, and a buzz rang out, indicating I was pulling my pokemon out. I quickly had another pokeball in hand, however. Within a moment I had Zephyr out and riding the winds. He did so with a grimace, but I knew it wasn¡¯t as bad for him as it might have been for another flying-type pokemon. After spending years sparing against Titan and his Sandstorm, Zephyr was an adept wing at riding the turbulent air current. I could feel him drifting like a leaf on the winds through our bond, and while stray flecks of sand still scoured his form, his experience made it negligible. Not that I planned to let it continue. ¡°Centre forward!¡± I called, picturing the last known position of Venusaur. With Ingrain it was locked in, and there wasn¡¯t anything it could do. As the sandstorm started to shift towards a purple colour instead of being merely sand whipped about, I knew that Corey had registered the shift and was adamant that he get some payout for locking in his starter pokemon. With Poison Powder being added to the mix, I decided to flex my will once again and pull the trigger on Zephyr. He stopped drifting with the wind to get into position, and instead plummeted into a hard corkscrew that caused the wind, sand, and Poison Powder to be blasted outward as a rotational force was applied with his mighty wings. A Hurricane took shape in the middle of the field, with Zephyr in the middle. The Sandstorm was torn apart and suddenly the field was clearly visible, if a bit more sand filled. Venusaur was revealed, glaring up at the approaching Hurricane that would be super-effective. Corey lanced his hand out. ¡°Blow it away! Hyper Beam!¡± he roared. Venusaur¡¯s front legs buckled outwards and the powerful starter pokemon angled its flower up before a build up of power began to coalesce at the centre. I had an instant to relay a warning and order to Zephyr before the Hyper Beam tore through the Hurricane. I felt Zephyr¡¯s bond shudder as power radiated through the arena. It tore through the winds and blew apart the Hurricane. Only to slam into an orb formed from the various Protect hexagons around Zephyr. Zephyr stared down at Bruteroot and I felt through the bond his feeling of vindication. It almost felt like I was shouting ¡®I have you now!¡¯ at my foe, with them incapable of doing anything to stop what would come next. I felt a vindictive smirk play out over my lips. Corey had been expecting me to be locked in with my selection. I¡¯d done it in the past, but not this time. Not here. I chopped my hand down and ordered Zephyr to descend, the urge to commit to a final strike almost overpowering in intensity, but then I smirked as I had another brainwave. I flexed my will and gave Zephyr his next command through our bond. Zephyr reacted instantaneously. The crowd gasped in shock as Zephyr closed with the defenceless Bruteroot only for him to stop just before the hapless Venusaur. Venusaur and Noctowl locked gazes. The only difference was that Zephyr¡¯s eyes were glowing. A murmur broke out through the crowd. They¡¯d obviously been expecting something like me going for the finish, and while a flying type move like Sky Attack would do a lot of damage, I knew it wasn¡¯t going to guarantee an end to the match. The murmuring cut off as Venusaur loosened a deep groan and toppled to the ground before a loud snore broke out from him. Corey growled. ¡°Hypnosis? Really?¡± he said. I nodded, confirming what I¡¯d done. For the follow up I pointed at the downed Venusaur. While Zephyr had taken negligible damage, there was still a chance to have him firing on all cylinders. ¡°Dream Eater,¡± I commanded. Zephyr flapped once and then held the reverse sweep of his wings up high as a pink glow shot from his eyes into Venusaur. Venusaur groaned and twitched, but then continued to snore. Corey growled and impotently hammered the railing in front of him. ¡°Bruteroot! Get up!¡± he called. I was about to order another move, my mind quickly going through the idea of empowering Zephyr, only for a small glint of purple to draw my attention to the edges of the field. Ah, he hadn¡¯t been sitting idle when I¡¯d brought out Zephyr, had he? I could only surmise that I¡¯d just beaten him in getting Zephyr out on the field before he¡¯d snuck in those Toxic Spikes. He must have done it while the Sandstorm was still in effect. Clever. He¡¯d almost gotten away with a number of stratagems against me, only for me to just scrape through by the skin of my teeth. If I was honest, it was as exhilarating as it was worrying. ¡°Defog,¡± I said and Zephyr hopped back before twisting once and causing a huge wind to sweep the field. The Toxic Spikes that had once been sitting innocently around the edges of the arena were suddenly hurled out of the field where they couldn¡¯t cause any harm. I nodded in satisfaction and turned my attention to Bruteroot who¡­ was still sleeping? ¡°Bruteroot! GET UP!¡± screamed Corey desperately. If I wasn¡¯t facing him as an opponent, I might have felt for him with how unlucky he¡¯d gotten. His starter was very much a sitting Farfetch¡¯d on the water before my pokemon. As it was though, I could only feel glee at my own fortune. I chopped my hand forward and Zephyr once again drained his foe. This still wasn¡¯t enough and I could only whistle. Damn, but Corey¡¯s starter was a brute! Bruteroot opened its eyes and groaned before growling at Zephyr who merely flapped his wings and drifted from side to side. ¡°Bruteroot, buddy! We need you to dig deep!¡± Corey implored reaching for his pokemon. I could almost feel the emotion spilling forth from Corey as his words reached his pokemon. In response, Bruteroot rose up fully and roared out his name as a new vigour came over it. Damn, what was it that Oak had called it? A Surge State? Bruteroot was so injured that it was calling forth more energy, which made it a more powerful threat. I could objectively identify this as Overgrow, an ability that allowed Venusaur to hit harder by fifty percent when it used Grass Type moves at low HP. ¡°Synthesis!¡± Corey shouted out quickly. ¡°Like hell,¡± I said in reply, chopping my hand and having Zephyr drop with glowing wings straight into Bruteroot. Bruteroot began to glisten with green energy, only for Zephyr to cut through him and sweep back around. I was prepared to go again with another sweep, only for Bruteroot to finally collapse with a low moan. It hit the ground and dust wafted up. ¡°Bruteroot is unable to battle! The score is now one nil in favour of Brock!¡± announced the referee. I pumped my fist and signalled Zephyr to return to our side of the field, which he did quickly. Corey returned his pokemon and took a moment to say a few words to his starter¡¯s pokeball. I decided to add my own two pokecents. ¡°That was a powerfully strong pokemon,¡± I said. ¡°It took a lot more than I¡¯d thought it would to take him down.¡± ¡°Bruteroot is like that,¡± Corey said, as he looked at me, searching my expression for any hints of mockery. When he found nothing he nodded in thanks for the words before putting his pokeball away and selecting another. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you like this!¡± he shouted as he sent out his second pokemon. The pokeball opened to reveal a pokemon I was extremely familiar with. ¡°Golem!¡± shouted the pokemon. I quickly noted that it was a standard Kanto Golem, or in other words, a rock-ground type pokemon. I narrowed my eyes. He had a lot of nerve thinking that he could bring out a pokemon like that against me. ¡°Rock Blast!¡± he shouted, getting things underway. Golem rolled forward and grabbed up a wave of rocks before hurling them into the air to create a barrage of something that was super effective against Zephyr. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Confusion,¡± I replied with. Zephyr swept his wings and once more his eyes glowed, causing the rocks to shimmer with pink energy before they stopped dead in the air. Then, they returned to sender with extreme speed. ¡°Dig plan!¡± called Corey and I narrowed my eyes at the addition to that move. He must have something extra up his sleeve. He shifted in an odd manner and I noted he was watching the hole very carefully. Definitely something planned. As the rocks Zephyr had shot back hammered into the ground around the hole that Gokem had left, I considered my options. I could return Zephyr and¡ª Before anything else could happen I had a microsecond to feel the earth buckle underneath me. And then the entire arena erupted upwards with a great upheaval. I was tossed back from the edge of the podium and slammed into the back podium. A ringing in my ears had me blinking furiously and I staggered to my feet with a shake of my head and a flex of my rock energy to shore me up. I staggered into a standing position and blinked away the lights in my vision. ¡°What the?¡± I asked as I glanced around at what was left of the field. Due to the hazard lights from the drained barriers that were around the entire field, everything was cast in an orange-tinge. Around me, rocks rained down on the field or bounced off the roof and walls that were glowing with barriers, as the crowd around us screamed in abject terror at the sudden explosion. I batted a rock that had bounced off the roof and overcame the podium¡¯s barrier with a swat of my arm, my eyes turning elsewhere as my brain caught up with what had happened. I¡¯d gotten Corey to evade with a Dig, but didn¡¯t have any great options for bringing Golem down with Zephyr, not while it was hiding underground. Instead of popping back up however¡­ the field had exploded. My mind latched onto that and I glanced over to Corey to find him kneeling behind his podium railing instead of on his backside. He¡¯d been ready for this. I glanced down to find the midpoint of the arena was completely blown outward, like something gigantic had reached down and scooped out the earth. Or something had exploded just under the crust of the arena. Something like a Golem. I sighed and searched around for Zephyr. I didn¡¯t bother looking in the sky, I instead looked for him on the ground. It took a moment to search around, the hazard lights shifting to yellow, making me blink and have to double over already searched areas, knowing that his colouration as a brown pokemon would actually make him tougher to find. I hoped against hope to find him with movement. It wouldn¡¯t be much, but it would indicate that he was still here with us. I found him crumpled and beaten, his body sprawled out on the ground. I scowled, my heart lurching at the stillness of his form. I reached out for our bond and felt it there, it was a tenuous link, but it was there. Zephyr turned his neck to look at me and gave a feeble hoot. I could feel his apology to me and I shook my head, my eyes locked on him. He was on his last legs, and there was no way he was going to be able to keep fighting. Not that I would have him anywhere near said fight. He obviously hadn¡¯t been able to brace or resist any of the damage from the explosion. Corey had been rather clever about that. I raised Zephyr¡¯s pokeball and returned him, my gaze locked on Corey as he did the same for his Golem, which it turned out was hidden under a large pile of rubble. The crowd started to roar in annoyance and across from me Corey grimaced, obviously aware that this was not going to be a popular move on his part. He¡¯d still done it, however. ¡°Zephyr was that much of a threat?¡± I asked aloud, cutting through the heckles and jeers from the crowd. Corey looked up at me and bowed his head in apology. ¡°He was a fully healed pokemon that was riding high,¡± he said cryptically. I stared at him and nodded slowly. He was, if anything, trying too hard to not give anything about his reasoning away. He must have Scyther and at least one other fighting type on his team. Zephyr was too much of a threat to leave on my team. He must have known I was going to try and return him. Golem was ostensibly a good counter, but again, Zephyr was perhaps the most experienced flying type against rock types, barring perhaps a pokemon from Walker¡¯s stable, but only due to age. Corey had seen his chance and taken it. I considered the field and nodded slowly. ¡°I think¡­¡± I started to say, making sure my words boomed across the field before I looked up and locked eyes with him again, my next selection held up before me. ¡°I think I am going to have to punish you for doing that,¡± I said with a touch of darkness entering my words. Corey swallowed and raised his own pokeball. ¡°Give me your best shot,¡± he said, jutting his chin out in defiance. Part of me wanted to send out Titan and smack him around for those words, but I knew thanks to his earlier slip just who to use to punish him. I hurled my pokeball just as Corey did. On my side of the field, Selene took shape. On Corey¡¯s side of the broken field, Hitmonlee appeared and I smirked. Ah yes, I¡¯d been expecting that. ¡°Psychic,¡± I said, making sure to convey to Selene through my bond just how livid I was with Corey. Selene responded beautifully, a glow appearing around her, only for Corey to catch the recalling pokeball of Hitmonlee and trigger a fast recall. I glared at him and shot the referee a look. The man swallowed. ¡°There was enough time,¡± said the man, much to my annoyance. I glowered and signalled for Selene to ready a different move as Corey drew out another pokeball, his jaw set in a grim line. Ho? What¡¯s the matter? Feeling the pinch? I thought. ¡°Go! Scyther!¡± he called. I didn¡¯t hesitate. As soon as the pokemon formed up, my hand snapped forward and Selene acted. ¡°Power Gem!¡± I called and around us a barrage of loose rocks, courtesy of Corey¡¯s Golem, were unleashed at Scyther. ¡°Fury Steel!¡± called Corey, revealing a move that hadn¡¯t come up in any research I¡¯d done. Scyther¡¯s blades glowed with a metallic sheen and blurred about his form, deflecting and parrying the rocks as they got close. I narrowed my eyes and committed to the act, all the while knowing that Selene¡¯s earlier break would allow the Future Sight move to come into effect. If we could keep Scyther locked down he¡¯d be knocked back and create an opening for a super effective move. ¡°Get out of there with Agility!¡± Corey called, not liking that his pokemon was being held in place by my barrage. Scyther threw itself to the side and only a few rocks from the Power Gem clipped it on the way out, causing it to go skidding backwards before it kicked its feet and dug its blades in to stop its backwards slide. Selene rotated and continued to unleash more and more Power Gems at Scyther, and the bug-flying type threw itself out of the way before blurring away in a display of speed. ¡°Close with X-Scissor!¡± Corey shouted, throwing everything he had into closing out the match with a super effective move of his own. Scyther appeared in front of Selene in a blur of speed and another pokemon might have flinched in surprise, but not Selene. She merely raised up a huge rock in readiness to give back worse than she got. Thankfully, it never got to the stage of Scyther landing a hit, as at that moment Future Sight activated and a lash of psychic energy slammed into the pokemon, making it buckle as one of its knees gave out. It skidded to the ground before Selene and had enough time to raise its head before Selene unleashed a full-power Stone Edge from point blank range. Scyther was skipped back like a rock on a lake before it hit the ground and rag-dolled into the far wall. There was no question of whether it could fight on. Corey raised his pokeball and returned Scyther as the referee declared the match in my favour, three to one. I watched Corey. So, he had Hitmonlee, and two other pokemon left. What were they? ¡°Go Hitmonlee!¡± Corey shouted. I straight away went for another Psychic, only this time Corey leaned forward as a glow built up around Selene and energy wrapped itself around Hitmonlee. ¡°Sucker Punch!¡± he called. Hitmonlee, instead of being lifted and tossed aside, began to emit dark energy, resulting in the Psychic failing. Instead it landed and kicked its feet forward, resulting in a headlong charge at Selene. Selene glared at it and I whistled. If he was going to try and outspeed me again, I could use other options. Selene built up more psychic energy and just as Hitmonlee closed in, she vanished in a flash. She reappeared with a Teleport to the side. ¡°To your left!¡± called Corey. Hitmonlee whirled about, leg swinging and kicking a rock straight at Selene to keep her moving and unable to form up yet another Psychic. The small residual dark energy on the rock had me sitting up. That Hitmonleee knew Fling. This was further proven as Hitmonlee began to lash kick after kick into the ground while emitting dark energy. The resultant rocks began to pepper Selene and force her to dip and duck out of the way. I narrowed my eyes and decided to flip the script again. Dark energy would negate any psychic moves Selene tried, but Hitmonlee, as a fighting type wasn¡¯t just weak to flying or psychic-type moves. Selene formed up a large orb of bright pink energy that she then unleashed straight at the oncoming rocks that were subjected to Fling. The rocks were blasted aside by the fairy-type move, which then powered on and hammered Hitmonlee back a few steps. It staggered and shook itself off before standing and marching forward with a dark look in its shaded eyes. Selene jutted her points up slightly in an aggressive manner and both pokemon glowered before unleashing their next moves with nothing but a flick of the hand from Corey and myself. Selene unleashed yet another Moonblast, only for Hitmonlee to evade by darting to the side with Agility. It then came in close from the dodge as Selene was forced to twitch back and forth. I decided to try for the same trick that had worked for Scyther with a quick Future Sight. This turned out to be a mistake as Hitmonlee accelerated in to close the distance. Selene locked eyes with Hitmonlee and rather than back off she began to glow with psychic energy. ¡°High Jump Kick!¡± Corey shouted and Hitmonlee leapt straight into Selene with a rising kick that slammed into her. Selene was thrown off to the side and wobbled terribly before righting herself, the glow around her holding. Then she unleashed a close range Psychic that grabbed Hitmonlee and slammed it back and forth before it could do anything. Hitmonlee staggered back to its feet, surprising me, only for it to stagger a step forward and faceplant. Two super effective moves proved to be too much for the pokemon. Even then I was surprised it had lasted as long as it did. ¡°Hitmonlee is unable to battle! The score is four to one!¡± called the referee. As Hitmonlee was returned I eyed Corey. He was working his jaw and rolling his shoulders. He looked like a man doing some mental arithmetic. He apparently didn¡¯t like the result he was coming to. He locked eyes with me and I let him know with a look that I was going to close this match out against him. He¡¯d very much chosen the wrong team against me. This was going to be my first step on the path forward, with his progress running into a wall in comparison. He wet his lips and reached for his next pokemon. ¡°Go! Primeape!¡± he called. The feral pokemon appeared and immediately began growling and grunting. Corye pointed at Selene. ¡°Get in close!¡± he ordered and Primeape raised its mitts and charged headlong at Selene. ¡°Power up!¡± I called, making it sound like I was once again going to commit to a straight forward exchange of blows, but then right as Primeape reached Selene, she once more vanished in a flash of light. This time she appeared behind Primeape where it would have to turn and charge back over the ground it had already come over. ¡°Primeape! Pursue it with dark energy!¡± Corey called, making me stiffen as Primeape whirled about and sprinted back the way it had come, if anything, faster than it had last time due to how pissed off it was. ¡°MB!¡± I called, deciding to let things play out this time. Selene built up an orb and unleashed it straight at Primeape. Instead of dodging it, Primeape seemed to relish throwing itself headlong into the attack. It emerged out the other side with a powerful screech of rage and pain that were intermixed. Dark energy built up around it and it slammed into Selene, sending her tumbling. I glowered, knowing that if I tried for another Teleport Selene would only have Pursuit used again on her. ¡°MB,¡± I said, committing to the next blow. ¡°Assurance again!¡± called Corey punching his fist forward. I blinked and felt a sudden realisation sweep over me. Primeape didn¡¯t know Pursuit. The increased speed was just Primeape being that pissed off. I grit my teeth, knowing that slip was my fault. Selene blasted Primeape once again only, for Primeape to come back harder with the double empowered Assurance slamming home and knocking Selene out of the match. I sighed and returned her. ¡°Sorry girl, that was my mistake which you paid for. I should have played that differently,¡± I said. I shook my head in disgust as the referee called the match as four to two, with Corey exhaling in relief. Across from me, Primepae raised his fists in triumph and began to roar. It then stamped its feet as it prepared for the next match. I shook my head and sighed, still annoyed with myself. I pondered which pokemon I should send out. With Corey¡¯s assembled team, it was obvious that Don would have been another great choice with flying and psychic pokemon paying huge dividends against this team. I was just starting to toy with Shrek¡¯s pokeball as the best option when Primeape stopped stomping and went still. Then, out of nowhere, it collapsed. I blinked in surprise and it felt like everyone in the crowd did a double take. Corey just sighed and raised his hand. ¡°Damn, I was hoping you¡¯d send your next pokemon out quicker and give him something to focus on. His wounds got to him and without an acceptable target¡­¡± He shook his head and indicated his passed out pokemon. I blinked. That¡­. Hadn¡¯t been why I¡¯d delayed in sending out my pokemon¡­ I¡¯d been too busy self-castigating myself. But rather than it being a bad thing, it worked in my favour? Huh, weird. ¡°Primeape is unable to battle, the match is now five to two!¡± Corey sighed explosively. ¡°I can see the writing on the wall, but I¡¯m not going to back off,¡± he said, lifting his last pokeball. I nodded and raised Shrek¡¯s, deciding it was safe enough for any more fighting type or other pokemon he might have. Shrek emerged with a ribbit. ¡°You¡¯re cleaning house, bud!¡± I called and Shrek nodded seriously. Across from him, a Muk appeared, and I blinked in surprise before realisation set in. Most of the team that had been set up were to disrupt Bertha and stop her from getting her moves off. He¡¯d assumed I¡¯d send her in first and commit? I chuckled. ¡°I thought you were worried about Zephyr, but you were always angling to have an answer for Bertha, weren¡¯t you?¡± I asked. He nodded confirming my suspicions and I smirked. ¡°Shrek, Surf! Wash away that pokemon,¡± I said. From there it was all too easy to close out the match, with Muk not being able to handle the more high pressure water attacks Shrek could deliver. As Muk collapsed on itself I nodded, feeling pleased to have progressed, while also knowing that there were a lot of areas where I was going to have to do better. Not getting faked out by a phoney call of Pursuit stood out in my mind. The podiums lowered and I marched across the broken field to shake Corey¡¯s hand. He looked straight into my eyes and grimaced as I latched onto his hand. ¡°You fought well,¡± I said, keeping my grip merely firm and not crushing. He nodded. ¡°I miscalculated against you, good luck for the rest of the tournament,¡± he said. He then glanced to the side. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re going to need it,¡± he said looking at where Kaede was sitting. I turned and locked eyes with my next opponent. She matched me for a few moments before awarding me a nod of recognition, only to stand and march off herself. I huffed and did a victory lap with Shrek and Knight, who was surprised at getting to come out again, but I wanted him to bask in the victory. He¡¯d done his part well, just as Selene and Zephyr had. I was mentally drawing up plans for how to reward them both when my Xtransciever chimed. I answered it after noting it was Yolanda calling. ¡°Hey, run up the food bill much?¡± I said, knowing she and the others would have gotten a lot of room service for my match. Instead of smiling, Yolanda looked back at me with a serious expression. ¡°.... yeaaaaaaaaaah, so¡­ Someone tried to break in and steal some stuff? We caught them, but now the police are here. What should I do?¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Arceus damn it¡­ I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± I said. I should have known that things were going too well for me. I made a signal to Sabrina and she appeared next to me in a flash, before vanishing with me to the outskirts of the city. Whatever we were going to find on the other side, I knew it wasn¡¯t ready for Sabrina and I to come down on it like an empowered avalanche. Chapter 234 - Investigations We appeared in the main lounge room, only to find ourselves surrounded by chaos. The entire room was a mess, with the couches pushed to one side. Blankets and pillows were strewn about the room and there were food wrappers everywhere, notably with food still in some of them. Munchlax was obviously heavily involved with whatever had happened if there was still food on the ground that he hadn¡¯t claimed. There was no way he¡¯d have left that lying there otherwise. ¡°You don¡¯t have any authority here!¡± shouted Suzie from another part of the apartment, alerting me to where some of the drama was currently taking place. I strode through the turned-over room to find yet more mess everywhere. Chairs were turned over in the hallway and a table had been flipped. I could see a few piles of clothing laying out in the open with no suitcases in sight. What? Had the thieves rummaged through our suitcases? Anger began to well up from within, accompanied by fear. ¡°Everyone alright?¡± I asked Sabrina. Her confirming nod let me relax, the fear vanishing, only for the anger to remain. Hadn¡¯t I gone through enough drama this year without piling on whatever this was? I did not like the look of the rooms we walked past, but thankfully no one was crying or hurt, so that was a start. My mind registered that there were footprints on the ceiling right as I arrived at the entryway. My eyes immediately locked on the sight of Suzie standing in front of Yolanda with a mop in hand. She was brandishing it at Detective Looker. The only reason the man hadn¡¯t been¡­ mopped up, it seemed, was because Yolanda was holding Suzie back and coaxing her to let her handle this. ¡°Suzie, please just let me scan the man¡¯s badge. We have the app for it on our transceivers for this reason, remember?¡± she said gently. ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not a spy that stole that badge? Also! I¡¯ve seen police be bad people in movies sometimes!¡± shouted Suzie, still at the top of her lungs. ¡°Hmmmm, I have to compliment you on your logic there young lady,¡± said Looker, the badge still held out for Yolanda to scan. He appeared to not be phased by either girl¡¯s suspicion in the least. If anything, it sounded like he approved. His eyes flickered up to me. ¡°What was the pokemon you discovered and then adopted in the Team Rocket Academy raid?¡± he said firmly. Suzie tilted her head. ¡°Huh, what are you¡­¡± she trailed off as she turned and noticed me. ¡°Brock! You¡¯re back! We have the bad guys locked down!¡± she said. ¡°Oh, really?¡± I said, feeling extremely uncertain about this. I dipped down to pick her up before turning back to Looker. ¡°Gible,¡± I said, before deciding that turnabout was fair play. ¡°How did the executive that attacked us try and get away?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, he tried to pass himself off as one of us,¡± he said easily. He then flicked his eyes to Sabrina. ¡°Gym Leaders, may I take a look at the would-be thieves?¡± he asked. I directed my gaze to Suzie. ¡°Where¡¯d you lock them up?¡± I asked. ¡°They¡¯re not locked up,¡± Suzie said happily, brandishing her mop like a knight would a lance. I felt my heart rate spike only for her to grin. ¡°We have the Growlithe pack keeping them from moving.¡± Yolanda waved for us to follow and we did so. Sabrina had an odd smirk on her face that let me know that something humorous was afoot, but I was too taken in by the mess to give her any more of my attention right now. ¡°Did they get chased around a bit? Is that what caused all this mess?¡± I asked, indicating the state of the hall and lounge room. Yolanda twitched mid stride but kept walking. ¡°Yup! It was the crooks,¡± she said. I directed an extremely doubtful stare at her back. Yolanda coughed, knowing that she hadn¡¯t done much to mislead me. ¡°Alright, only some of it was. They didn¡¯t get into the lounge room, I don¡¯t think,¡± she said. We entered one of the main bedrooms and found Flint standing over a pair of hapless thieves. Each thief had several Growlithe biting them in various places. One had the honour of one on a hand and another on their leg, while another stood between their legs, muzzle over their crotch. The thieves themselves were dressed in a manner that reminded me of hikers who had been out in the wilds for too long, with how unkempt their appearances were. Their clothes were worn and they had tears all over them. That probably also had a lot to do with the pokemon currently latched onto them. I could see one man was missing a section of his pants, with his bare leg on display. Standing over the thieves and the Growlithe, Flint and Munchlax stood vigil. Munchlax just happened to have a stack of boxes and suitcases piled up, standing atop it. That explained why so many clothes were littered everywhere. I tilted my head. Munchlax¡¯s position reminded me of a diver on a springboard. At their feet, Bertha sat with Gible in her lap. She glared down at them, while Gible stared hungrily at the pair of men, his teeth gleaming as she stroked him. I had a mental image of her copying a supervillain with their cat. Only for her, Gible was the cat. At her side, Hypnotoad punched her fist into her palm while eying the pair of men. The perfect henchwoman. With both of the men locked down I took my time to search their faces. One man had scruffy hair with a wiry beard. The other was bald and baby-faced with eyes like a Sentret that had been caught by¡­ a pack of Growlithe. They were the sort of faces that stood out and you wouldn¡¯t forget. I had no idea who either of these men were. One of the men twitched, only to then stiffen as the various pokemon around him locked onto his movement. More than a few seemed to tighten their holds. ¡°Don¡¯t swallow that sausage! Nice doggy!¡± whined the man as his eyes shot to his family jewels. I glanced at them only to find Lady of all Growlithe sitting with her mouth open, not latched, but definitely threatening the man¡¯s crotch. Had she always been taught to do that, or was it a recent development? ¡°Shut up Marl! Take it like a man and look for a way out!¡± snarled the other man. ¡°Ouch! Stop it with your teeth! That hurts!¡± he said, glaring at Hephaestus who had shaken his head slightly to let the man know he wasn¡¯t getting away. ¡°Ah, hello there gentlemen,¡± said Detective Looker, stepping into the room. ¡°I recognise the two of you from some camera footage. Break and entry, petty theft, and the odd thuggery. You decided that was too small for you, did you?¡± I frowned. ¡°You know these men?¡± I said. Bertha looked up and positioned her hand in such a way that she was ready to throw Gible at Detective Looker if he turned out to be a plant. I waved at her to calm down. Looker nodded, eyes flicking towards Gible¡¯s teeth, well aware of how careful his next words needed to be. ¡°Lou, and Marl. Known as the Splash Bandits. Both men are small-time crooks who have served time before. They were mostly known for hitting rich people¡¯s yachts, holiday homes and garages. They are, however, career criminals that we keep a lookout for, as they have a¡­ predilection which has only continued since childhood.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t been to prison! This is mistaken identity!¡± said ¡®Lou¡¯, the scruffy-haired one of the pair. ¡°We were just walking by when this mob jumped us!¡± Looker scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not even going to bother with that lie. We¡¯re five stories up. This isn¡¯t a simple step on their lawn and got jumped. This is you, in their apartment.¡± He waved a hand about. ¡°Now while the place was obviously a mess before you got here, I suspect that If I had to, I could find fingerprints where they don¡¯t belong.¡± ¡°Planted!¡± shouted both men, only to grimace as the Growlithe pack growled as one. ¡°We teach some classes on your methods at the police academy, you know?¡± Looker said conversationally. ¡°It¡¯s a class on crooks that just¡­ don¡¯t know how deep they¡¯ve gotten themselves in until it¡¯s too late.¡± Both men frowned at this odd turn in their arrest. They shared a glance and then looked back to Looker. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± said Marl. Look just shook his head in a forlorn manner. ¡°You¡¯re going to be going away for a very, very long time indeed.¡± ¡°What? Cause we tried to steal some jewellery? So what? That¡¯s a year or two tops!¡± said Marl, his bald head starting to sweat. Looker stared. ¡°Louise Longevile, you¡­¡± he took a moment to bark out a laugh. ¡°Oh my! You truly have no idea whose apartment this is, nor whose family this is, do you?¡± he said. Lou made a show of scoffing and glaring at the kids. ¡°Some punk rich types with too many pokemon and kids for their own goo¡­¡± he trailed off as he turned and caught sight of Sabrina and me. ¡°Ah, shit,¡± he said. Suzie threw the mop at him. ¡°Language!¡± she said. Looker caught it before it could hit him and he offered her a smile. ¡°I think I¡¯ll handle the interrogation, little miss,¡± he said. ¡°Ah, indeed Louise, now, you understand your predicament. You might not have gotten the news or you might have been on the run, but Gym Leaders like Brock specifically? Well he¡¯s a special security case that entitles police to use different measures when interrogating people looking to harm him.¡± Lou swallowed. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m¡­¡± his eyes darted about frantically. ¡°I¡¯m allergic to psychic energy! Deathly so! I once rubbed up against a Jynx and came up in hives! It¡¯s not on any medical reports, but it exists I swear!¡± Sabrina floated so that she was parallel with them. From her position of height she stared the man down. ¡°Such claims have long been debunked, and while they are constantly claimed again and again, they are very much proven to be false rumours. Something that many a lawyer has tried to perpetuate, but have been stung with malpractice,¡± said Sabrina firmly. Her eyes began to glow. ¡°Now, Detective Looker has some questions for you, and you are going to answer them, or I am going to have to draw up every, little, horrible, secret you have in that little mind of yours.¡± I felt a glimmer of glee, knowing that no matter what this pair did, it would result in us learning everything we needed to know. Suzie stared up at Sabrina. ¡°Woooooah! Big sis is scary!¡± she said. I coughed, my glee vanishing as I realised how what was about to happen might not be considered PG thirteen. There might be things said or done that would raise questions in little minds. Arceus above, I didn¡¯t need Suzie deciding to play a game of ¡®interrogation tactics¡¯ with her classmates and having that take hold. That¡­ would be a very awkward interview with the other parents and teachers. I decided that now was a good time to drag any kids out of the room. ¡°I think it¡¯s best we leave the experts to their work,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t exactly want anything said or done that would¡­ further scar the kids. Flint nodded and moved out. ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea, Munchlax¡­ thank you for backing me up, now let¡¯s go.¡± I inspected him and noted that he wasn¡¯t shaking or white in the face. Hmmm, so he could get aggressive without it bothering him if his family was on the line? Good to know. ¡°Rhy?¡± asked Bertha. I waved a hand indicating that she should stay. ¡°You¡¯re good,¡± I said. Looker squatted down and smiled gently at Lou and Marl. I could see the formation of standard ¡®Good cop bad cop¡¯ scenario forming before my eyes. ¡°You are someone¡¯s catspaw, that much is obvious. So, who sent you?¡± he asked, just as I stepped out. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I glanced back and cleared my throat. Yolanda, who¡¯d remained behind after Flint and I had left, stiffened and followed with slumped shoulders. I shook my head and she nodded as I shut the door. Suzie stared at the door before glancing up at me. ¡°Brock? Are those bad men going to go to prison?¡± she asked innocently. ¡°Most likely little sis, most likely,¡± I said. I eyed her for a moment. ¡°Are you feeling alright? You¡¯re not scared or angry or anything?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m angry!¡± said Suzie as she put her hand on her hips while still being cradled on my own hip. ¡°They tried to steal my egg!¡± she said with a snarl. ¡°Really?¡± I said, the urge to march back in and show Suzie how to kick a man while he was down rising up before I smothered it. No Brock that would be bad parenting. Even if it would be wonderfully satisfying. ¡°Yeah!¡± said Suzie. ¡°They tried to claim they just wanted to look at it! They were saying they were one of the other kids'' uncles or something, but that was super shady and I told them! Then Yolanda came back from getting the room service and was like ¡®Get them Growlithe!¡¯ And suddenly there were Growlithe everywhere! Zubat was screaming at them and they tried to get a pokemon out but it was all loud! I grabbed the egg and rolled under the couch but made sure to kick anyone that came close!¡± Yolanda grunted. ¡°I was wondering where I got this bruise from!¡± she said, indicating a small mark under her sock. ¡°Oh,¡± Suzie said, her rant stalling as she realised that her amazing plan hadn¡¯t been such a good idea. ¡°Sorry?¡± she said sheepishly. Yolanda sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, but maybe next time just get out of the room. When Bertha started throwing pillows at the Meowth that was running around it was pretty worrying.¡± ¡°Meowth?¡± I asked, my mind slipping to the only Meowth that I knew personally, aka Team Rocket Meowth. ¡°Yeah, there were two running around, both had sacks in their mouths as they darted around.¡± Yolanda said. ¡°Bertha nailed one, and it dropped its sacks.¡± ¡°What did they have?¡± I asked. ¡°Mostly the cheap jewellery that the others like to wear and some of my nicer earrings,¡± said Yolanda. ¡°I think they were just grabbing anything shiny to be honest, cause there were bangles and even some of the shiny toys that Billy and Tilly play with.¡± ¡°Where is this sack? Did it get put away?¡± I asked, my mind turning over why they would have grabbed those things. Yolanda indicated the dining room where I found two sacks. I inspected them and found that what Yolanda had said was true. ¡°Where are the Meowth?¡± I asked. Yolanda coughed. ¡°Uhm.. they jumped out the window and slid down the pipes before running off. I think Zubat might still be harassing them though, as she hasn¡¯t yet come back.¡± ¡°Oh, she went after them?¡± I said, worried for her. While I wouldn¡¯t have any fears for her in a normal pokemon battle, a criminal chase wasn¡¯t the same thing. ¡°Yeah, a few of the parents went after them as well,¡± Yolanda said. ¡°I think those cats are going to have to be very quick on their feet if they want to get away.¡± I shot her a questioning look. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Dr. Furor has a Beedrill and she looked really mad. I think she takes client safety very personally¡­ also she¡¯s super happy to be invited along.¡± Yolanda supplied. I nodded and decided to take a step back. Alright, the thieves were caught, or in the case of the pokemon perps, they were on the run with a mob giving chase. They mustn¡¯t have been gone for long if a Beedrill of all pokemon hadn¡¯t brought them back by now. I hummed. No, that wasn¡¯t what I needed to be doing right now. ¡°Where are the other kids?¡± I asked. ¡°They¡¯re in my room, it was the least trashed¡­ cause I had unpacked everything, so the thieves didn¡¯t have to dig around,¡± said Yolanda, with a weirded-out look on her face. I marched towards her room. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just weird thinking that thieves would have a harder time searching my stuff if I was messy.¡± ¡°Ah, but you¡¯d also have a harder time noticing anything was missing if they had gotten in and out without you keeping things tidy.¡± I made a show of looking at the various clothing piles. ¡°As it is, I¡¯m going to have my work cut out checking if other things didn¡¯t get pinched,¡± I said. Yolanda looked a bit vindicated at that logic. I opened the door and found my other siblings sitting around with Salvadore and Olga standing close. Both of them relaxed when they spotted me. ¡°Brock¡¯s back!¡± they shouted and everyone rushed in to hug me. ¡°Hey family!¡± I said, reaching out wide and hugging them as my eyes darted around their various forms. With six more kids to check over it took a bit but I eventually relaxed even more. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re all okay!¡± I said. ¡°Brock! Brock! I told Sirius to bite and he did it!¡± said Timmy proudly. Flint ruffled his hair. ¡°Ata boy!¡± he said as I nodded proudly. ¡°I threw a pillow!¡± ¡°I shouted for help!¡± ¡°I called the police!¡± chimed in the other children and I dutifully nodded along. I chuckled as they continued to make claims which only grew in the retelling. Timmy made exaggerated claims of using ninja moves that Janine had taught them to kick butt, while Salvadore and Olga claimed that they¡¯d set up an elaborate trap for the thieves which they¡¯d fallen into. I shot Salvadore an amused look. I was pretty sure that was part of the Home Alone plot and while a couple of thieves had come in and been thwarted¡­ I paused in thought. Relatively rich, check. Pair of thieves looked like second-rate hacks. Check. A family that had¡­ a lot of kids. Check. Huh, my family totally could be stand-ins for a Home Alone style story if things went aspear shaped. I glanced around, noting that Flint was also getting a lot of praise for storming in and ¡®directing the chaos¡¯ so to speak. ¡°And then daddy was like! Growlithe pack! Attack!¡± and they all sprinted out of their sleeping spots and pounced on the thieves!¡± said Salvadore, shooting Flint a proud look. Flint grinned giddily and I wet my lips. ¡°Good job,¡± I said, looking him right in the eyes and nodding. He met my eyes and beamed. ¡°Thanks son!¡± he said, and for once it didn¡¯t feel bad to have him say it. I nodded, deciding to let him say it this time and he, if anything, stood taller at that. I looked around at the others only to find Cindy sitting off by herself looking morose. I deposited Suzie into Flint¡¯s arms and moved over. ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± I said making sure to crouch down as I did so. I hadn¡¯t seen a bruise or anything that meant she was hurt, but perhaps she was feeling shocked or even scared now that someone had broken in like this. ¡°....¡± she whispered. I leaned in. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t hear that, are you alright?¡± I said. Behind me, the other kids paused in their chatter and I could feel their collective gaze turn upon Cindy and I. Cindy looked up and I found myself staring into tear-filled eyes. ¡°I let them in! I thought they were just someone¡¯s uncle!¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said, realising what the issue was. ¡°Well that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°I forgot the safety talk you made us do last year! I thought you were just being¡­¡± Cindy stomped her foot, tears still streaking down her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I was thinking, but I just wasn¡¯t! I was waiting for my friends to come up and thought it was their weird uncles or something I let those two into the apartment to go through our stuff! I didn¡¯t even question them!¡± I pulled her into a hug. ¡°Hey, no. It¡¯s not your fault that they¡¯re bad men,¡± I told her, making sure to be firm with my words, but say them in as kind a manner as possible. I held her for a moment and felt someone else approach. ¡°I¡­ might have also let them in, ¡®cause I haven¡¯t really thought about the safety talk in a while¡­ even with what happened earlier this year¡­¡± Salvadore said. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Cindy,¡± he said, before leaning in and joining the hug. Tommy was next. ¡°I would have made the same mistake! And I¡¯m smarter than you!¡± he said before smashing his body into mine and wrapping his arms around me and Cindy. Cindy laughed wetly. ¡°Liar! I scored better than you on reading and writing!¡± she said. ¡°I scored better in pokemon studies and math!¡± Tommy replied before he laughed. I got the feeling these two teased each other about this a bit. I smiled. I hadn¡¯t known they did that. The other kids moved to hug Cindy and ¡®forgive her¡¯ for making an honest mistake. Flint was last. ¡°I probably would have fallen for their tricks, and I haven¡¯t sat through any safety talk. Maybe we can revisit that?¡± said Flint. Cindy giggled at that and as the hug broke off she wiped her face. ¡°You¡¯ll find it super boring. Brock tells us about stranger danger and not letting people into the house. Or that if people claim to be police it¡¯s alright to check their badge number, or what to do in fires, or wild pokemon,¡± she said. This time it was Flint¡¯s turn to look my way. ¡°That¡­ sounds like a very important talk that I think I need to learn. How about you teach it to me, Cindy? That way I won¡¯t find it as boring?¡± he offered. I sniffed in a manner that let him know I was mock-offended by his insinuation. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I use sock puppets and everything! It¡¯s very interesting!¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t and it is super boring!¡± said Cindy. I scoffed and decided to move along. I gave her another hug and whispered. ¡°If you need to talk to me or anyone about this, you¡¯re more than welcome,¡± I said. She nodded and hugged me back before wetting her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯m your little sister, after all! I have to be rock tough!¡± she said, adopting my fighting pose with my arms crossed over each other. I smiled and shook my head. ¡°Not all the time, and sometimes you need to be soft,¡± I said as I rubbed my hand over her head affectionately. Flint decided to speak up. ¡°How about we go down to the pool before it closes for the night!¡± This got most of the kids to cheer, and while Cindy didn¡¯t seem super for it, she let herself be dragged along. I sighed and let them go, knowing that I would need to talk with Looker about his findings. I glanced about at the mess and grumbled a bit before perking up. ¡°I might not have to clean it yet, since it¡¯s a crime scene,¡± I said. I moved back to the bedrum-cum-interrogation room only to find Looker directing Jenny and another police officer on how to handle the two men. ¡°You¡¯re to sit with them on the ride to the station, as while they are gifted escapists they are also non-violent. If they do get physical, you can handle them as you need,¡± he said. Marl stiffened at that. ¡°Hey! Woah now! There¡¯s no need for police brutality! I¡¯m a lover! Honest!¡± said the hairy man. Jenny grabbed the other man and frogmarched him out the door. I raised an eyebrow at Looker and he gestured to a nearby table. ¡°It seems that someone had hired them to attempt to steal your Megastone or Keystone.¡± I blinked, having not expected that. ¡°Really? They thought that two thieves could waltz in and take it?¡± Looker glanced around. ¡°Admittedly, they did get into your family apartment¡­¡± he raised a hand when I glowered at him. ¡°They are confidence tricksters, so it¡¯s not a mark against your family. Others have fallen for their ways before.¡± I nodded before glancing around. ¡°Where¡¯s Sabrina?¡± ¡°We discovered that whoever hired Lou and Marl decided that a dead drop would be appropriate as a method of skirting any risks that might present themselves. I suspect they at least knew that they¡¯d be risking yours and Sabrina¡¯s ire, if not a lot of police.¡± ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m a protected species of pokemon or something,¡± I said, amused at the idea of the police mobilising for me. ¡°You helped us root out some very crooked cops that had been hiding under our noses. If not directly, then at least indirectly,¡± he said, tapping his nose. ¡°I am well aware of how, through a chain of events, you¡¯ve helped push certain dominos that have led to Team Rocket¡¯s fall from grace,¡± he said. He waved a hand at me. ¡°There¡¯s also the fact that you operate somewhat as a policeman yourself, and have a good working relationship with the Pewter department. That means something to police, Brock, trust me, it does,¡± he said seriously ¡°Huh,¡± I said, scratching the side of my cheek. I¡¯d been joking, but learning all of that¡­ well, it kind of made sense. ¡°Any clue who was pulling the strings?¡± I asked. ¡°Someone looking for a quick power up,¡± replied Looker. ¡°That, or they were looking to deny you your power up,¡± he said before sighing. ¡°Sadly¡­ motive is something that can be attributed to several people at this event. This tournament having some shadowplay taking place behind the scenes or having it dragged into the open like this? All too common at big events,¡± Looker said with a shake of his head. I frowned in thought. Just on that statement everyone that I had a shot at fighting were potential suspects. I frowned. Kaede, in the brief interactions I¡¯d had with her, hadn¡¯t struck me as duplicitous. Neither had Corey. Just because I had beaten him didn¡¯t mean he was excluded, though. If anything, there was more of a risk he could have been involved. Me being rattled or having to forfeit the match due to family dramas would have been an easy way to advance. I chewed my lip. It might have worked. Something else Looker said bothered me, and I turned his words back over in my mind. ¡°The Megastone and Keystone I use for evolving Jormungandr, my Steelix,¡± I said slowly. ¡°It¡¯s not a quick power-up. It¡¯s something you have to work at for¡­ at least a few months,¡± I said. Looker quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Really now? That isn¡¯t something that¡¯s written in the brochures that Devon Corp are sharing around,¡± he said. I frowned at that before huffing. ¡°Might make it less attractive for people if they realise there¡¯s a bit more to it,¡± I said. Looker, if anything, relaxed. ¡°While it¡¯s not great news, it is good to know that not anyone with ideas of quick powerups can snag one. It also means that any criminals that appear with Mega Evolutions are likely to be the ones that are highly skilled at what they do. For trainers, it will mean that they need riches or connections, for thieves? You just need to break and enter against the right trainer,¡± he said. I nodded. ¡°After me, Sabrina, and Steven Stone revealed our Mega Evolutions, I know they are very hot topics right now. I wonder how many have made deals with Devon Corp so far?¡± Looker shifted and I got the impression he knew. I decided to not press, I could probably ask Koga and he¡¯d tell me. I decided to send a message later about that. ¡°So, do I need to let people in to take photos?¡± I asked. Looker sighed and nodded. ¡°We can be quick,¡± he said. ¡°Give us an hour.¡± I nodded. ¡°My pokemon will remain, just in case, ¡° I said, and he nodded in understanding. Trust, after all, was rather limited right now. I decided to join my family down by the pool. I opened the door to do just that, only to encounter a familiar trio of faces. James, Jessie and Meowth all blinked in surprise. James lowered the hand he¡¯d been about to use to knock on the door. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re in, hello!¡± he said. I was about to say something, only for a roar of growls to erupt from behind me as the Growlithe pack caught sight of Meowth. Meowth stiffened. ¡°Stolen stuff? I ain¡¯t been anywhere near here!¡± he said with his nasally tone. The Growlithe obviously didn¡¯t trust him, and the growling increased in volume. ¡°Heel,¡± I said, which cut off the growling. I waved for the Growlithe to return to their patrolling inside before stepping forward and shutting the door. I sighed. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I said. Meowth eyed the door. ¡°Sounds like something big has happened. You uhmmm, need us to come back later?¡± he said. I was about to nod before an idea formed in my mind. I smiled, and the trio stepped back as one. ¡°I don¡¯t like that look in your eyes!¡± Meowth said, narrowing his own eyes like he was being a copycat. ¡°I resemble that remark!¡± I said gleefully. I waved for them to follow me. ¡°Come, tell me what you were here to talk about and then, I think I have a job for you,¡± I said. After all, while Sabrina would have the best shot at finding the catspaw, I didn¡¯t doubt for a second that they had set up other fail-safes to negate her. So, what I needed was my own thieves to go hunting. Fortunately, I just so happened to know three such individuals. I glanced out at the sky, hoping that I could spot Zubat. Hopefully, with the mob giving chase, she wasn¡¯t in over her head.
Zubat dove, a screech tearing from her mouth as she did. ¡°Filthy thieves!¡± She hammered her wings into one Meowth before sweeping back and knocking the other pokemon over. ¡°Hey! Lady, we¡¯re just doing as we were ordered! Stop beating on us!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± said the second Meowth as it staggered back to its feet and growled. ¡°If anything, we¡¯re doing a public service! That family had too many nice things! We taught them the value of appreciation!¡± ¡°You did no such thing, villains! Now cease your chatter and allow yourselves to come quietly!¡± Zubat screeched back, hovering in place. When both Meowth shared a smirk, Zubat prepared herself. Both of them blurred into a Quick Attack, their claws slashing at her, only for her form to vanish with a snap of her wings. ¡°Eh!?¡± ¡°Impossible! She escaped our double attack?¡± shouted both Meowth. Zubat slammed into the first Meowth with Aerial Ace. She then whirled about on the second with Supersonic. ¡°Silly villains! I have been training with two of the strongest flyers in the world!¡± she claimed proudly. She also regularly fought Teddiursa who was much stronger than these two! But¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t as awe-inspiring a claim. ¡°Who do you think you are, you psycho? Your trainer isn¡¯t even here to tell you to track us!¡± said the second Meowth as he shifted from foot to foot. Zubat bared her fangs. ¡°I am vengeance! I am justice!¡± she screeched, committing to the fight, meeting him head to wing when he tried to pounce on her. "Justice Wing!" she cried as she blew back the Meowth. "That''s not a pokemon move!" shouted the beaten fool. Zubat ignored her foe. It was as Bertha said, renaming some of your moves did make them more powerful! She lined up another swipe at the thief. By the time the posse of humans caught up, Zubat had both Meowth knocked out. Chapter 235 - Suprising depths! Meowth fidgeted as we walked. ¡°Soooooo uh, couldn¡¯t help but notice that there were some cops back there?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yeah, some people thought it a good idea to attempt to steal something from me, only they were extremely¡­ broad in their search, so they raided a lot of my family¡¯s things.¡± I paused near a window and saw a small mob of people and pokemon marching back with proud looks on their faces. I recognised most of them as parents of the friends or the friends themselves that had accompanied us. Jessie, James and Meowth tracked my gaze and frowned for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s obviously something going on here, with the police and that mob over there,¡± said Jessie, her gaze flickering to me and beginning to assess me. ¡°Forget that! Why do they have two Meowth strung up? Am I in danger?!¡± Meowth said worriedly. I coughed in surprise, realising that the mob, or parents and friends group, did indeed have the Meowth strung up like criminals. It actually looked rather cartoonish, with how the Meowth were wrapped in rope so that they were bound to poles held between two adults. In another setting, this might look like sacrifices being presented to a temple rather than two pokemon that were accessories to crimes. ¡°You know. if anything they¡¯re getting treated better than the thieves that directed them,¡± I commented. ¡°But no, you¡¯re fine Meowth. Those two were just involved is all. They ran off with two sacks of my family¡¯s things.¡± The stolen sacks were thankfully present. I could see them at the front of the mob, held by Olga¡¯s parents. I continued to watch the group march into the hotel. It was rather¡­ humbling, to see such support. I¡¯d always heard people would have my back as Gym Leader, but to see a mob form and give chase to people that had attacked my family? Well, I hadn¡¯t really ever factored for it or thought about what it actually meant. I¡¯d always thought it was more quiet, like the grannies of Pewter helping out when I¡¯d been taking over the reins of the gym with nursing and caring for my family while I was busy. Not¡­ defending my family or chasing down any that harmed them. That seemed a step beyond anything I¡¯d been expecting. ¡°Huh, and they got caught? Amateurs!¡± he said with a scoff and shake of his head. I shot him an amused look and was about to turn away only for Zubat to slam into the window. ¡°Zuuu,¡± she said painfully. She then squeaked as she began to slide down the pane of glass. James tilted his head. ¡°Does this happen to you as well?¡± he said, indicating Zubat, who was trying to get to me. I sighed, aware of the antics some of his pokemon would sometimes get up to with their affection for him. ¡°Yeah, with her it is,¡± I said. ¡°Zubat girl, you really need to stop trying to rush me,¡± I said, opening the window and grabbing her before she could slide much further down. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked, carefully inspecting her. I raised each wing and checked for any tears or breakages, only to find a few scuff marks. ¡°You fought the Meowth to stop them getting too far away, I take it?¡± Zubat nodded and puffed herself up. Then she noticed Meowth next to me and twitched around into a fighting pose on my hand. ¡°Zuuuuu!¡± she growled. Meowth scoffed. ¡°Please! I¡¯m not some plebeian pokemon! I¡¯m a pro! Don¡¯t think you could handle me!¡± he said. I eyed him thoughtfully and nodded. ¡°He¡¯s probably right Zubat, but regardless he¡¯s a friend, so let¡¯s be nice,¡± I said. I waved the hand not carrying Zubat and indicated the trio should follow me. I led them into the conference room where Missy, Greta, and A.J. were, having returned under their own power while I¡¯d been engaged in the drama upstairs. ¡°Hey guys, I¡¯m just going to be talking with these guys for a bit,¡± I said. Greta was quick to leap in. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is everyone alright? You had to leave so quickly!¡± she said. I grimaced. ¡°There was an attempted break in, it¡¯s been handled and no one was hurt beyond getting a scare off it,¡± I said. ¡°Thieves?¡± A.J. and Missy said. Greta¡¯s eyes widened and I patted the air to signal for them to calm down. ¡°It¡¯s being taken care of by the appropriate people, I have a few avenues to follow up on some things regarding this. If you want, Greta, maybe go talk with Yolanda for me? She might need a friend right now,¡± I suggested. Greta darted off and A.J. shifted. ¡°I¡¯d¡­ also like to make sure she¡¯s alright.¡± I nodded, pleased that A.J. would do so. He really was a mature young man. He squirmed. ¡°Not that I think we¡¯re friends, but¡­ maybe she¡¯ll need some way to destress and I can offer her a fight!¡± he added hurriedly. Meowth grinned. ¡°Careful kiddo! You¡¯re not as sly as you think!¡± he said teasingly. A.J. stared. ¡°A talking Meowth?¡± Jessie sniggered. ¡°Trust me, the trick isn¡¯t him talking, it¡¯s him shutting up,¡± she said snidely. James joined her only for Meowth to turn and extend his claws. ¡°You looking for a haircut, lady?¡± Jessie locked eyes with him, undaunted. ¡°Depends, do you want to see the next day?¡± she said firmly. Both of them smirked at each other and backed down, leaving A.J. to nod slowly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ going to go check on Yolanda and see if she needs anything,¡± he said. Missy giggled when A.J. was gone. ¡°Oh, that was cute! Think he has a crush?¡± she said, shooting me a smirk. I snorted. ¡°A.J. is extremely focused on getting stronger, another boy his age, I might have thought like you, but A.J., I think he honestly just wants to offer her a pokemon battle to get her mind off what happened.¡± James snorted. ¡°He¡¯s that transparent?¡± he said. I shrugged. ¡°He has some secrets,¡± I said before waving a hand. ¡°Anyway we need to talk, so Missy, can you¡ª¡± ¡°Work through Kaede¡¯s known combinations and pokemon teams?¡± she asked, before shooting me a nod. ¡°Can do boss! I¡¯ll have my summaries done before dinner!¡± she said. I paused, recalling that I really couldn¡¯t get too distracted by this incident, not if I wanted to advance in this tournament. I nodded slowly, ¡°That would be good, please and thank you,¡± I said. I waved for the trio to follow me to the side. ¡°So, as I¡¯ve mentioned, a pair of thieves, known as the Splash Bandits, tried to steal from me,¡± I said. Zubat bristled on my shoulder before puffing her tiny chest out. ¡°Terrible name,¡± Jessie commented. ¡°Very unfashionable,¡± agreed James. ¡°Watery names never have the right gravitas,¡± said Meowth to round out their little peanut gallery. Zubat turned and I got the impression she was watching Meowth very closely. I rolled my eyes and gave them a golf clap to show my amusement at their witticisms before I moved along with my explanation. ¡°The thing was that what they were looking for doesn¡¯t exactly leave my side,¡± I said, drawing back my sleeve to reveal the forearm protector that bore my Keystone. The Megastone was likewise attached to Jorm with a secure magnet so that the gem was in contact with his body but in a position where it wasn¡¯t possible to have it knocked off or damaged. ¡°They were after my Keystone or Megatone, or both. Now, this creates a number of suspects as you can imagine.¡± ¡°Lotsa people with motive,¡± said Meowth with a nod. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with being such a big public figure, though,¡± he said sagely. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Right, thanks for that. The thing is, I¡¯d like to know what sort of contacts there would be for this, along with you putting out feelers for anyone that is trying to source a Megastone like this, or that has a bounty on mine or others,¡± I said. Technically with Sabrina staying with me, there was a possibility that she was also a target, but whether that would be a target of convenience or not was up in the air. Then again, Sabrina like me always wore her keystone, albeit in a ring she¡¯d gotten the gem fitted into. ¡°Ho,¡± said James with a rub of his chin. ¡°That does sound like something we¡¯d be uniquely suited to finding out.¡± He glanced at Jessie, who nodded firmly. Meowth grinned. ¡°You sure came to the right folk! We have contacts all over! I¡¯ll have them feeding us the info you want in a matter of hours, I¡¯m sure!¡± I nodded, pleased by their enthusiasm. Jessie coughed. ¡°We¡­ actually weren¡¯t just seeking you out by chance though, Brock. We have our own news,¡± she said. I raised an eyebrow at this. ¡°Really?¡± Meowth hopped from foot to foot. ¡°Yeah! We¡¯ve been doing what you asked and occasionally messing with your kid brother and his twerpy friends, which resulted in us finding this really good¡ª¡± Before Meowth could give away what they¡¯d found, Jessie nudged him out of the way so that she could give me the good news. ¡°We found you a Relicanth!¡± she said quickly. She presented me with a pokeball, and both of my eyebrows shot upwards. ¡°You somehow ended up in the depths of the ocean?¡± I asked, eying the three of them. I took a long moment to pause on Meowth, who I was certain would have despised that. Was their joke of a submarine that was shaped like a Magikarp that good? Then again, hadn¡¯t it gotten them¡­ somehow to New Island in the Mewtwo movie? James and Jessie nodded while Meowth twizzled his moustache. ¡°I supervised the situation,¡± he said. Jessie rolled her eyes at this and scoffed before waving a hand at the pokeball. ¡°Go ahead, see for yourself! You had a bounty on anyone that could find this type of pokemon, no?¡± she asked giddily. I tossed out the pokeball, expecting to see a mud-brown fish pokemon floundering on the carpet. Instead, I found myself staring in the dull eyes of a Feebas. ¡°Feeb?¡± it said slowly. Jessie stiffened and laughed maniacally. ¡°Hahaha! Oh dear! Wrong pokeball!¡± she said, glancing at her belt before frowning. ¡°Uhmmm, James¡­ do you have it?¡± James offered me up a pokeball, only for it to release a battered-looking Magikarp. I shot them both looks. What were they playing at? The frantic searching of the two humans of their team made me frown. They didn¡¯t look like they were trying anything, if anything they seemed genuinely worried. I glanced at the oddly silent Meowth and found him holding a pokeball in his tail with a smirk. Ah, he was messing with them. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I nudged him. ¡°Alright Meowth, I think you¡¯ve had your fun with them,¡± I said. Meowth coughed and Jessie whirled on him, spotting the pokeball in his tail. ¡°Why you little fleabag!¡± she said, making grasping motions in the air as though she was going to strangle him for his joke. He just grinned impudently back. He tossed me the pokeball and this time it revealed the expected pokemon. It was a hard-shelled pokemon with brown colouration. Instead of floundering on the hotel floor it shifted and caused a clacking noise with its movements. ¡°Reli?¡± it said slowly. I leaned down and tapped at its scales whistling at how hard they felt. ¡°Huh, you¡¯re a healthy-looking pokemon, aren¡¯t you?¡± I said before nodding in satisfaction and returning it. ¡°Thanks a lot, gang, I have been looking for this pokemon to add a bit more depth to the gym¡¯s roster of pokemon. Good work, I¡¯ll send you the money today,¡± I said. The trio all beamed at this and James even went as far as to squirm. ¡°Urgh! It¡¯s nice to be appreciated,¡± he said happily. I chuckled at his display before turning to the other two pokemon they had revealed to me. ¡°So what are you going to do with these two? I have to say they¡¯d make great additions to your team, if you are willing to put the work in,¡± I said. ¡°Eh?¡± said Jessie, James and Meowth as one. The pair of fish pokemon blinked at me, before looking at their trainers with a vaguely hopeful expression. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jessie said carefully. I considered her for a long drawn-out moment before I decided to gift them some knowledge they otherwise might have lacked. ¡°Feebas evolve into Milotic, which are otherwise known as the most beautiful pokemon in the world,¡± I said. I pointed at Jessie who¡¯d gone wide-eyed. ¡°Something an aspiring Coordinator would find useful, no?¡± I said. Jessie nodded. ¡°This little fish?¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°Yeah, the trick is that you need to make Feebas beautiful both inside and out. If Feebas feels beautiful in appearance and is also in a good headspace it will reward you. Most Feebas have a lot of self-loathing though, so don¡¯t be surprised if it¡¯s an uphill battle,¡± I said. Jessie dropped to her knees and hugged Feebas. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you had self-confidence issues! Oh, Feebas! I¡¯m going to give you the world¡¯s greatest makeover so you feel beautiful! Trust me!¡± she said. I nodded and turned to the rather beaten-up Magikarp. ¡°Magikarp, on the other hand, are known to evolve into Gyarados.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said James, his eyes widening at this information. I nodded. ¡°Yes, ¡®oh¡¯. The most known method is to really, really, make Magikarp angry or hurt. but I will tell you right now that is perhaps one of the worst things you can do. as the Gyarados that evolves will never listen to you or trust you,¡± I said firmly. James nodded. ¡°Sooo, what would you recommend?¡± he asked hopefully. ¡°Make it strong, and try for the fable of the Magikarp that could, ¡° I said. ¡°The Magikarp that could?¡± echoed the trio as one. ¡°A Magikarp one day found himself stuck in a pond,¡± I said with a lecturing tone, like I wasn¡¯t just spinning this story out of thin air wholesale. ¡°Due to the position of the pond. Magikarp couldn¡¯t see or experience much. He was stuck in a deep hole which was fed by a waterfall. Above him, he could hear a number of pokemon enjoying themselves each and every day. He called out, but no one could hear him to help. So he started trying to climb the waterfall. Each and every day he would try, only to fail. But each and every day he got a little further, until he eventually climbed the waterfall and joined the other pokemon. On that day, he evolved,¡± I said. ¡°Zuuuuuu!¡± said Zubat with a happy cry and a sniff. Huh, she must have liked that story. ¡°Was that a kid¡¯s story?¡± asked Meowth suspiciously. I just smiled enigmatically, patting Zubat to increase my air of mystery. ¡°Maybe, but that doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t contain a kernel of truth,¡± I said, nodding at Magikarp¡¯s hopeful gaze. I lifted Magikarp up and looked it over. It had a lot of scars, and one fin was shorter than the other. ¡°This pokemon is scarred, but that¡¯s not a reason it can¡¯t keep growing,¡± I said. ¡°It will depend on you though, James. Do your best,¡± I said, handing him his pokemon. James accepted it with a look of worry before he firmed up and he met Magikarp¡¯s gaze. ¡°If you want to evolve Magikarp, I won¡¯t let you down,¡± he said. ¡°Neither will I, Feebas!¡± declared Jessie loudly. Both pokemon burst into tears and I chuckled as Meowth had to start hot-footing it to avoid getting wet, as James and Jessie tried to drag him into their group hug. ¡°No way! I might like fish, but I don¡¯t want it smeared into my coat!¡± he said as he hurried to use me as a shield. I shook my head and was about to send them on my way when a buzz on my wrist had me stopping to answer the call. ¡°This is Brock,¡± I said, waving as I saw A.J. marching back into the room. He nodded and moved over to join Missy with helping out for my fight against Kaede. ¡°Brock! This is Misty! We¡¯ve run into some trouble!¡± she said. I stiffened. Ah, right. There it was. The follow-up punch. Someone had tried to steal a powerful item from me, and at the same time they¡¯d also targeted my family. More specifically, the one family member that wasn¡¯t close by. ¡°Are you alright? Where¡¯s Forrest?¡± I said hurriedly. ¡°He¡¯s fine, he just¡­ he¡¯s being silly about not wanting to disturb you,¡± she said quickly. I relaxed slightly. So, whatever had happened, Forrest thought he could handle. I worked my jaw. I was very much in two minds about this. Forrest should be independent and call his own shots, but with this most likely being something caused by me, I did need to make sure he was adequately shielded. It would depend on what had happened to prompt this call. ¡°Tell me what happened,¡± I said. ¡°Well, there are these two trainers and their pet Meowth that always bother us and we fought with them and sent them flying, but immediately afterwards we got attacked by another three trainers and these guys didn¡¯t say anything but that there was a job placed on Forrest. They were¡­ stronger, but nothing we couldn¡¯t handle.¡± Behind Misty the door opened to reveal Forrest and Ash walking into the room. ¡°Hey Misty, what are you¡­ Hey Brock!¡± ¡°Little brother,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°Ash.¡± I then directed a stern look at Forrest. ¡°So, there were people that specifically said they had a ¡®job¡¯ out on you?¡± I said. Forrest coughed. ¡°We handled it! Challenger and Metang were all over it!¡± Ash coughed. ¡°Well actually, it was thanks to my Charizard!¡± he said proudly. ¡°He saw how strong those other trainers Quilava and Magmar were, and he got all fired up!¡± he said. Misty shook her head. ¡°They also had some grass and ground-type pokemon. I think they were a professional team, as they had pokemon that were able to target all of our usual pokemon rosters,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t have a typical roster!¡± said both boys behind her in unison. Misty sighed. ¡°Ash, you¡¯re known for your Pikachu more than anything else. Pikachu literally rides on your shoulder. And Forrest? You¡¯re practically a steel-type user,¡± she said. Forrest squirmed and shot me a guilty look. ¡°Well, I mean¡­ it sort of just worked out that way, but rock type is my primary type!¡± he said quickly, like I¡¯d disapprove. I waved the issue away. ¡°Experience what works for you little brother,¡± I said. ¡°If steel types are your thing, more power to you, there¡¯s a lot of overlap if nothing else with rock types, but don¡¯t get too hung up on that,¡± I said. I then dropped the friendly look for something much sterner. ¡°Forrest, this is literally a prime example of things getting hot. Now, while you wouldn¡¯t know it yet, our family just had thieves break into the apartment we were staying in.¡± ¡°Say what?!¡± said Forrest, rushing to get closer. He peered through the projected image at me as though trying to discern if there was anything wrong before shaking his head. ¡°What am I doing, of course Brock¡¯s fine,¡± he muttered quietly, but not so quietly that the microphone didn¡¯t pick it up. ¡°Forrest,¡± I said, making sure to let the tension in my voice show. ¡°I came back from my fight with Corey to find that the thieves had gotten into the apartment, which is pretty scary. If they¡­ ¡° I decided to cut off those thoughts with a shake of my head. In the end, they¡¯d only been thieves, not kidnappers or murderers or something. If that had been the case, I¡¯d have to go for a nuclear option in response. ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s not about me shrugging things off. I got scared hearing how far they¡¯d gotten, to hear that you¡¯ve also been targeted?¡± I exhaled heavily. ¡°I just want to make sure you¡¯re safe, because chances are that this might not be a one-off event, with the police that have been involved suspecting that this is linked to my place in the Golden Week Tournament.¡± Forrest and Misty both pursed their lips at that, but Ash perked up. ¡°You¡¯re in the Golden Week Tournament? Wow, that¡¯s awesome! How¡¯d you do?¡± he said. I blinked, before barking a laugh. Of course, that was what Ash would prioritise. ¡°I won my match and I¡¯m now through to the quarterfinals against Kaede from Blackthorn City,¡± I said. Forrest tilted his head. ¡°I know that name. Why do I know that name?¡± he asked. Misty and Ash both had clueless looks. I smiled. ¡°Kaede is the trainer for the Samurai Furret. She is also something of a dark horse this tournament, with her last showing being a perfect six-nil match,¡± I said. Ash gasped. ¡°Woah! She must be good!¡± Misty tilted her head. ¡°Or her opponent was rubbish?¡± she offered. ¡°It was the first,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to bring my best against her,¡± I said. I then sighed. ¡°It will depend on how things go with you,¡± I said. Forrest stiffened. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let myself be used to drag you down!¡± he snarled. I offered him a smile and a nod, knowing that this was bringing up some past issues for him. Forrest worked his jaw and stared away, only to smirk after a moment. ¡°What if we went to ground and made it hard for people to find us?¡± he asked. I raised a brow in question. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± I said, willing to hear him out. Forrest grabbed the transceiver from Misty and carried it over to the window to give me a look outside. ¡°What if we, for the next couple of days at least, ¡®ran away to join the circus¡¯?¡± he asked with a chuckle. ¡°You want to clown around?¡± I said jokingly as I leaned in to inspect the image of the bigtop that was being projected to me. ¡°Melvin¡¯s Bigtop Circus,¡± I said aloud. A bang and a crash made me blink and glance over to find A.J. staring at me, having crashed into a table. ¡°What did you just say?¡± he growled. I blinked. ¡°Melvin¡¯s Bigtop Circus?¡± I repeated. ¡°That sneak thief, no good Raticate!¡± A.J. snarled. I stared along with the others in the room and on the call at A.J.. To say it was unusual for him to express himself like this was an understatement for the normally stoic young man. He¡¯d grumble and growl a bit, but never outright rage like I was seeing right now. There was obviously a story there. ¡°What¡¯s going on, A.J.?¡± I asked. A.J. worked his jaw for a moment before clapping his hands and taking a breath. I felt my lips twitch, pleased to see that he¡¯d taken on something like that from his time in the gym as a trainer. When he was calmer, he spoke, ¡°Melvin¡­ He, I.¡± he said his fists clenching before opening themselves. I stared for a moment before deciding to move over and help calm A.J. down. I put a hand on his shoulder and knelt down. ¡°What did he do?¡± I asked carefully. A.J. made a final twitch before looking to the side. ¡°I used to live with a circus¡­ I don¡¯t know who my parents were. The trapeze acrobats supposedly found me. The Ringmaster took me in and the whole circus was like a family to me,¡± he said. I nodded slowly. Some of the suspicions I¡¯d had of A.J.¡¯s rather eclectic knowledge gaps while possessing other skills were now making a bit more sense. ¡°I¡¯m guessing something happened, though?¡± ¡°Melvin happened,¡± he said, turning and staring at Forrest, Ash, and Misty. ¡°Do not join that circus!¡± he said firmly. ¡°That man will present himself as a hapless fool, but he is a predator that lies in wait until he sets things up to his liking. Then he strikes,¡± he said. Ash, Forrest and Misty nodded their heads. ¡°We won¡¯t!¡± they said. A.J. nodded and then clenched his jaw. ¡°Brock¡­ I need to go and see if that is him. Melvin, I mean. He¡­ If he¡¯s like he was then¡­ I want to confront him. Melvin is the reason that my family broke apart as they did. I¡­ I.¡± He worked his jaw. ¡°I need to see this done. He stole the circus out from my¡­ from the Ringmaster, and all the supplies and tricks, I have no doubt,¡± he said. I nodded slowly. ¡°Alright,¡± I said, earning looks from everyone that was listening in. ¡°Do you need me to¡ª¡± A.J. shook his head and I nodded after a moment. A.J. was mature enough to handle this. ¡°Go and do what you need to, but A.J., don¡¯t lose yourself to whatever you¡¯re planning against this Melvin. Remember, if you go too far, you are not righting a wrong. You are just making things worse for everyone.¡± I squeezed his shoulder and made A.J. look me in the eyes. ¡°You most of all,¡± I said. ¡°You have a bright future ahead of you A.J.. Don¡¯t let this Melvin character drag you back into a bad place,¡± I said. A.J. nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ pack some supplies.¡± he glanced at Forrest, Ash, and Misty. ¡°Where are you now?¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re in Dark City,¡± said Ash quickly. ¡°Hey¡­ how about we help you out, make sure he doesn¡¯t get away?¡± Forrest and Misty nodded. ¡°Yeah! If he¡¯s a crook we can¡¯t just let him be!¡± A.J. gritted his teeth. ¡°It won¡¯t be something a policeman can work with. It is¡­ well, it¡¯s something you wouldn¡¯t understand if you didn¡¯t grow up in the circus,¡± he said, looking away as though ashamed. ¡°I understand that it¡¯s important to you,¡± I said. And at the end of the day, that was enough. ¡°Do you want me to¡ª¡± A.J. shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll see to this¡­ with a bit of help, it seems,¡± he said, eying the three on the call with me. ¡°Watch him. I¡¯ll be there by the end of the day at the latest,¡± he said. With that said and with my blessing given, A.J. nodded to me before marching out, on a mission. I watched him go, worried about what might happen, but knowing that I needed to let him handle this on his own to a degree. ¡°Well, it looks like you¡¯ll be doing something else,¡± I said. ¡°The idea of laying low is still good though, see if you can do that until A.J. get there. Him being there will add another factor in making it harder for you to be targeted, at least.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Any people you know nearby?¡± I asked. ¡°Bugsy and Ritchie are,¡± said Ash, perking up. ¡°I¡¯ll call them!¡± he said. I chuckled, amused that they¡¯d met already. ¡°Sounds good, with six of you there won¡¯t be many willing to take you on,¡± I said. ¡°Until they get there. Stay safe,¡± I said. I ended the call and rubbed my forehead. Today... Was just not going the way I thought it would have. First the match with Corey¡­ well, that actually went about how I expected, but since then¡­ Urgh. ¡°It makes so much sense A.J. grew up in a circus,¡± said Missy thoughtfully. ¡°I mean, have you seen his camping supplies? It¡¯s literally a bigtop circus tent! Who knows how to assemble those without experience!¡± she said with a laugh. I nodded and turned back to Jessie, James and Meowth. ¡°Sorry about that, think you can still handle the task I had for you?¡± I said. Jessie nodded, a frown on her face. ¡°Sorry if we¡­ might have made things tougher for your brother and his¡­ friends,¡± she said. I grimaced. ¡°Part of that lay at my feet. I wanted you to keep challenging them to make them stronger and more dynamic. Sometimes good intentions like this can bite you in the backside,¡± I said, waving them off. I rubbed my face and sighed. I felt like I needed to lie down to process everything that had happened today. Instead, I was going to have to stay up and do some serious research into my opponent for tomorrow, while information about who was pulling the strings trickled back to me. I worked my jaw and reached for the file I¡¯d asked the Guardians¡¯ assistants to create. It had Kaede¡¯s unrestricted pokemon team list. Furret, Scizor, Heracross, Ninetails, Dugtrio, Exeggutor, Blissey, Miltank, Munchlax, Ditto, Lanturn, Ledian, Ambipom, Granbull, Piloswine, Delibird, Froslass, Linoone, Shiftry, Delcatty, Sableye, Mawile, Medicham, Roselia, Gardevoir, Zangoose, Whiscash, and Walrein. Damn. That was a team, and it would have a lot of potential against me. Heck, just Gardevoir and Blissey had alarm bells ringing. Interestingly enough, comparing the list to the publicly known team, Blissey was missing, as were Froslass, Shiftry, Mawile, Whiscash and Walrein. This girl had some serious depth and powerhouse pokemon that she could call on. I suddenly knew that what I¡¯d said to Forrest before wasn¡¯t a lie. I really was going to have to bring my A game tomorrow. Chapter 236 - Cursing it up! I drummed my fingers on the table before me, as I toyed with my breakfast with the other hand. Next to me a stack of papers were arrayed with the various notes I¡¯d created for Kaede and her pokemon team. Surprisingly, and at the same time not really, the biggest stack of notes belonged to Furret. AKA, Samurai Furret, the movie, drama, action star, cum professional battler pokemon. For such a small pokemon, it had a lengthy list of accomplishments to its name, including outfoxing a Gyarados during Kaede¡¯s journey to get her into the semifinals of the end-of-circuit tournament. It had then stood up against two more pokemon during the semifinals, a Machoke and then a Wartortle, before falling to a Venomoth. It had an annoying trick involving Baton Pass that I was glad to know about ahead of time along with its frankly absurd move pool. The latest match he¡¯d featured in had him performing no less than nine different moves. I was confident that it possessed Keen Eye, considering it had a penchant for fighting through low visibility to land hits on pokemon that should have been able to evade it. It was an extremely versatile pokemon that was able to act as a ¡®dodge tank¡¯ along with delivering deft strikes that could tip the scales when push came to shove. I was honestly very impressed that Kaede had trained her pokemon to this degree. Said page of notes had not gone unnoticed by the other occupants of the table. It was now crinkled, stained and grubby, thanks to all the little hands that had looked it over. ¡°So¡­ is Samurai Furret going to be allowed to use his Ninetails Sealed Sword?¡± asked Tommy. ¡°No, this is a pokemon battle, not a samurai drama,¡± I said, not really understanding what he was referencing but knowing that that sort of item would not be allowed. Tommy nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good, otherwise I was going to say, you should forfeit. He¡¯s used it to beat an entire army before!¡± I chuckled, knowing it was a losing battle to point out that what happened on the shows was not indicative of real life. There weren¡¯t any magic swords that could solo armies in this¡­ Could Aegislash be used in that manner? That would make sense with it being the sword pokemon. Hmmm, if we eventually got access to Kalos, that might be worth looking into. Heck, if Forrest did decide to commit and become a steel type specialist, it would fit him perfectly. Although he¡¯d need to learn some tricks that ghost types were known to need. I shook my head. No, bad brain. Focus. I turned to the other pokemon on Kaede¡¯s team that I was worried about. Gardevoir. While it was a pokemon that was often viewed as nothing more than a paramour for certain rich gentlemen, it was also a powerhouse pokemon with a ton of versatile moves and skill. It had less special attack than an Alakazam and way less speed, but it made up for it with stronger defences and health. Its known moves from the last report where Kaede had been observed training the pokemon listed it as knowing Teleport, Draining Kiss, Psybeam, Psychic, and Double Team, but I suspected that there would be more to this pokemon than meets the eye. Just as Blissey was another worry. Most people had the impression that Chansey were weak healing pokemon that wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly. Those people hadn¡¯t seen a Chansey wrestle recalcitrant pokemon onto a testing bed to find out what was wrong with it. They didn¡¯t overpower their foes as much as they wore them down with their endurance.. Blissey would be a hard tank. It was a pokemon I knew to have a vast amount of health, special defense, and some decent special attack. If I faced that pokemon, I needed to get physical with it. Blissey would also offer some off-the-wall challenges with Sweet Kiss and Copycat being known moves for it when it was a Chansey. As a Chansey, it had notoriously confused and left pokemon beaten in its wake that it should have lost to. Then there was Whishcash. A pokemon that was deceptively a good choice to have in any team. The water-ground typing making it much tougher for me to handle with its limited weaknesses. If I had a Cradily up to snuff, I¡¯d use it here against Kaede. But if wishes were fishes I¡¯d have a ton of Goldeen, as the saying goes. ¡°Brock, you¡¯re sighing a lot,¡± said Yolanda. ¡°Yeah Brock, you need to smile more,¡± Tommy said. ¡°Like this!¡± he said, making his face turn into a scowl only to then stand from the table and march to the side where he performed a handstand and turned his frown literally upside down. The other kids giggled and clapped, and I felt my mood improve. Sabrina nudged me. ¡°It¡¯s alright Brock, I¡¯ll stick around the house today and have some girl time with Suzie,¡± she said, deciding that my issues were due to the attempted break in that had occurred. I nodded. She wasn¡¯t wrong, as that was a weight on me that I couldn¡¯t really resolve. When the dead drop proved to be a dead end with there being multiple people and even pokemon that deposited and picked up packages from the box, it became extremely hard or outright impossible with how you would have to practically squat there. No one wanted to have Sabrina sit around doing nothing. She was way too valuable for that. That being said, Looker still had a few agents watching the site and following through on anyone that picked up anything. I suspected that anyone who was dropping off were also getting assessed, with the drop site being a potential point of interest for blackmarket dealers. ¡°Thanks, Sabrina,¡± I said, easily leaning over and giving her a kiss in thanks. Yolanda flicked her eyes to the papers spread out in front of me. ¡°Having trouble with who you¡¯re going to use?¡± I shook my head. ¡°If anything, I think I have a solid team ready to go, I just¡­ need to make a call.¡± I decided now was as good a time as any and so I moved to the nearby pokemon transfer system. A quick ring had Dennis on the phone. ¡°Brock! Who do you want me to send?¡± he asked seriously. ¡°Send over Don, and Empress,¡± I said. Dennis¡¯ eyes widened, but he just nodded. I thought about it for a second more before adding. ¡°Also send over Teddi¡­ ursa,¡± I hurried to add, not wanting to let the name ¡®Teddy¡¯ stick with him. He was strong enough that I could have him guarding some of the younger kids without people thinking too much about it. Teddiursa were cute pokemon after all. When the three pokeballs emerged before me, I attached them to my belt, having already swapped them for other pokemon. With that done I considered the team I¡¯d started to compile. Empress, Don, Sanchez, and Hypnotoad¡­ which left one slot for Titan¡­ and then who else? Should I go with Gawain? He had a good set up, but he¡¯d only be matching off against Gardevoir if things went well. Something that Empress and Titan should be more than able to handle. As for the grass types, I was going to bet on Don against them. For her normal types I was going to stick with Hypnotoad for her fighting type moves, but also have further back up with her Darkest Lariat. Looking over her team, a few things had stood out to me. She didn¡¯t have any flying type pokemon, and her team could be summarised as ¡®anti-dragon¡¯ to an extreme extent. From the small interaction I¡¯d had with her, that¡­ made a bit of sense, with how she¡¯d seemed to detest Bruce. Or had there been something else in place? It was interesting that she was from Blackthorn and instead of having dragon-type pokemon in her roster, she had their antithesis. Considering her team, I felt like I was more threatened by her fairy-type pokemon than anything else. So, if I read into the fact that her team was anti-dragon, it stood to reason that she knew how powerful these pokemon were when used properly. So¡­ Gardevoir would be throwing down not just Psychics and Psybeams, but also Moonblasts. It might be a stretch, but my instincts were flaring up, and after yesterday¡¯s issues I was going to follow them as much as I could. So, I needed something that would be strong against that. And one of the strongest teams I could assemble would need a steel type for this match. And the strongest I had also had another ace up their sleeve. I added Jormungandr to my team of six and nodded to myself, confident that this was my best team for fighting Kaede. I glanced towards Link¡¯s pokeball¡­ unless¡­ No, that was getting too complicated. I had set up, I had power and skill, along with a Mega Evolution. I had counters to psychic, fairy, normal, ice, grass, and fighting types. I could do this. ¡°So what are we going to do this morning, gang?¡± I said marching back into our now much cleaner apartment to find my family lounging around. With my match later this afternoon once more, I was planning to just relax and keep things as normal as possible. It would also be a good idea to keep things calm with my family, make things business as usual. I plucked two pokeballs off my belt and sent out Link and Teddiursa. Both pokemon blinked in surprise, only for Zubat to flutter up to them and greet them by circling them. ¡°Zu! Zu! Zubat!¡± she chirped, flitting around and around and around their heads. Link spun around on the spot to keep his eyes on her. ¡°Fable? Fable?¡± he said with a gasp, while Teddiursa merely sat down and tracked her by moving his eyes. I watched them interact with amusement. ¡°Is Zubat explaining what happened yesterday?¡± I asked Sabrina. She nodded. ¡°Yes, she is rather dramatising it, however, with the fight being much closer.¡± Zubat pretended to flutter and fade before suddenly accelerating and shouting something. I narrowed my eyes. This level of energy sort of reminded me of a much younger Bertha¡­ Or a Bertha that had just found a mud pit¡­ or been given too many jazz berries. ¡°Is she talking about magical girls now?¡± I asked suspiciously. Sabrina¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°No, she¡¯s not,¡± she said. I shot Sabrina a look, but she moved away from me to sit next to Suzie. I looked around the room and found that no one had moved. ¡°Hey? Guys? Girls? What are we doing this morning? We have the beach? The pool? We can go shopping!¡± I said listing off various activities, a few kids perking up, only for Salvadore to straighten up. ¡°No! We need to watch the matches and see who you¡¯re going to be facing! Today is the snarky girl¡¯s turn!¡± he said. ¡°Snarky girl?¡± I asked, taking a moment, only for an image of Karen smirking flash to the forefront of my mind. ¡°Oh, Karen,¡± I said. ¡°I forgot about her,¡± I said, rubbing my chin. With all the drama of yesterday, I hadn¡¯t even checked to see how she''d gone against¡­ ¡°Who did she fight yesterday?¡± I asked, turning to Sabrina. Sabrina preened in a way that let me know I¡¯d done something good. Ah, this was me not paying attention to Karern, wasn¡¯t it? I had to admit I didn¡¯t do it for her, but I¡¯d happily claim the benefits of my forgetting Karen to score with my girlfriend. ¡°She fought Walker,¡± said Savladore. ¡°It was superheated! Walker was all trying to fight against her for his son¡¯s honour! He had Noctowl blowing away her pokemon, and then had a Skarmory lance her pokemon!¡± ¡°Ho?¡± I said. It sounded like Walker might have¡ª ¡°She beat him three to six,¡± said Olga from next to Salvadore. Salvadore rounded on her. ¡°Olga!? I was trying to hype up the match! Walker did really well!¡± ¡°He got cocky and fell to a Perish Song with a Mean Look¡­ twice,¡± said Olga. I glanced around and noted that all the boys looked rather annoyed. Like Walker hadn¡¯t stood up for male pride, or something. If that had been the case, it would have been playing right into Karen¡¯s hands. So I really hoped he hadn¡¯t let Karen get to him. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Still¡­¡±Perish Song? Twice?¡± I said looking at Olga. Olga nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± she said curling in on herself. I blinked. Sabrina coughed. ¡°He¡¯s not angry like the other boys were when they learned how Walker lost, he wants to know more details. ¡° Salvadore shot back to his feet. ¡°See the thing was, Brock, that Pidgeot was out with Agility, setting it up as a beast in terms of speed! So¡ª¡± ¡°Pidgeot got Sucker Punched and while it was floundering it got hit with a Confusion by her Mismagius, which left it open to Perish Song after Honchkrow got off an earlier Mean Look. Karen then waited him out by baiting him into trying his luck against her Gengar, who was even faster than Pidgeot,¡± summarised Yolanda. I turned my head to her, ignoring Salvadore as he stood with his mouth open for a moment. Then I coughed, hiding my smile behind my hand. ¡°Yolanda, Salvadore was talking, maybe let him talk?¡± I said. It was amusing how the girls were shutting down any excitement that boys had. I would have to let the boys have their chance to build it up though, otherwise they¡¯d be grumbly for the rest of the day. ¡°It sounds like Karen was her usual loveable self,¡± I said, claiming a spot next to Sabrina, only for Zubat to claim my shoulder while Teddiursa moved over to inspect the incubator Suzie had in her arms. Link trotted over to greet Kirlia. He then spun on the spot, only for the little fairy pokemon to sniff and twirl herself. Her spin was much more graceful. Link grinned and repeated himself, if anything doing it even worse. I watched, mesmerised, as Kirlia went for more and more skilful spins, while Link went the opposite way. Both of them were impressive, but I couldn¡¯t help my bias for Link¡¯s style. It was way more amusing. When he eventually tottered over, everyone in the room noticed and laughed. Teddiursa ¡®roared¡¯ with laughter, curling into himself and kicking his feet back and forth while his barks rang out. Link just stood there with a huge grin. He bowed like a trooper, and then adopted a sheepish expression as he rubbed the back of his head, like he couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d just challenged a Kirlia to something she¡¯d innately be good at. Kirlia lifted her nose smugly, not realising how she¡¯d just played the straight man in Link¡¯s impromptu comedy skit. I chuckled and looked back to Salvadore. ¡°Sorry Salv, you were saying?¡± I asked. Salvadore blinked, having forgotten what we¡¯d been talking about only to perk up. ¡°So Walker led with his Noctowl, which seemed a bit weird, but he had a plan¡ª¡± I lay back and listened in. The fight sounded like it went much as I would expect it to, with Karen calling the shots. Her third ¡®knockout¡¯ of the match was in truth a Destiny Bond that she¡¯d committed to, in order to knock Walker¡¯s Swellow out after it proved to be a bit more powerful than people had been expecting. She¡¯d then gone to town on him with her Sneasel ripping through the last remaining pokemon of his team after she¡¯d devastated him. ¡°It¡¯s kind of impressive how she can psych people out with her words and shi¡­¡± Salvadore broke away from swearing before the word could fully form. His eyes darted around the room at all of the little kids and he changed tack quickly. ¡°Horrible attitude,¡± he said. I nodded, amused that Salvadore of all people had almost sworn. Good thing he¡¯d stopped himself. I shot Salvadore a pleased look, glad for his correction. Still, I¡¯d need to talk to him about where he¡¯d gotten the idea it was a good idea to swear at all. Movement in the doorway made me spot Flint who¡¯d been looking in. He was mirroring me, his eyes locked on Salvadore with approval. I coughed, ¡°Heh, well yeah, she¡¯s dedicated herself to using a pokemon type that isn¡¯t as popular but she can do really well with it to be perfectly honest.¡± The kids nodded along at this. I gave the room another look over. ¡°So, we¡¯re watching her match? And not going to the pool or anything else?¡± I said, double-checking. I flicked my eyes to Cindy who was being very quiet. That was something I would need to check in about. Sabrina sighed in mock exasperation. ¡°They¡¯re committed to trying to help you, Brock,¡± she said. She then leaned in. ¡°Some of the older kids also want to stay in to make sure people don¡¯t try to sneak in again,¡± she said, eyes pointedly not looking at Cindy as she stage whispered this to me. I grimaced. That¡­ wasn¡¯t what I was hoping would be their reaction, but it did make a little too much sense given what had happened. I nodded and turned on Battlecast to watch the morning announcers begin to hype up the match of Karen versus Carr. I hummed, interested now that I knew Karen would be facing off against the second seed. ¡°So, Carr. He¡¯s got some strong pokemon, but is there anything about him that stands out?¡± I asked. Yolanda opened her mouth before grimacing. ¡°This match is probably¡­ going to have a lot of censoring,¡± she said. I blinked at that. ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked, unsure if I heard her right. Yolanda nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t happen all the time, but when Carr gets heated, he can start swearing at people. It¡¯s¡­ something he does and has been penalised for, but¡­¡± she shrugged. ¡°It sorta puts off his opponents, so¡­ it works for him?¡± she said. I blinked in surprise. ¡°So you mean to tell me that the second seed trainer in the Ace Circuit is a foul-mouthed kid?¡± I said. Yolanda nodded. ¡°It¡¯s impressive that he got that high for his age.¡± I was about to ask about that when realisation hit me. ¡°Oh no¡­ Karen¡¯s going to feed into that, isn¡¯t she?¡± I asked, knowing what was about to happen. I suddenly sat up. ¡°Do we have parental controls on this television?¡± I asked, reaching for the remote before I blinked. I glanced at Salvadore. ¡°How heated did Carr get yesterday?¡± I asked. Had Flint been watching the match with the kids? What did they hear? Salvadore blushed and looked away. Suzie looked up and opened her mouth. ¡°What is a dumb mother¡ª¡± Sabrina¡¯s hand came down on her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s not a nice word,¡± she said gently. ¡°Magical Girl Scouts don¡¯t use those words,¡± she said seriously. Suzie nodded. ¡°I understand!¡± she said. I glanced towards Salvadore and he blushed. ¡°I forgot she was there!¡± he said. I huffed. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been listening to it if it got that heated either,¡± I said. I turned my attention from him to the normally responsible one, Yolanda. She pointed at Billy. ¡°He needed to go to the bathroom and wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer, so I had to escort him. By the time I got here I missed most of Carr¡¯s match,¡± she said. She grimaced. ¡°When he¡¯s winning he doesn¡¯t swear, so I kind of forgot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I guess,¡± I said. ¡°Nothing that they wouldn¡¯t pick up from walking through the foundry or a wharf in Cerulean, I suppose,¡± I said aloud. Salvadore coughed. ¡°Carr apparently swears like he does because he hangs out with pokemon technicians! Is that better?¡± I snorted. ¡°That¡¯s worse, so much worse.¡± I nodded, bringing up the television¡¯s settings to adjust them so that the censor was firmly in place so little ears wouldn¡¯t be learning any more ¡®interesting¡¯ words. When Karen and Carr appeared on the field, this was proven to be a good idea. Karen didn¡¯t even wait for them to be on the podium. She locked eyes with Carr as they marched into the stadium, smirk firmly in place as she said: ¡°So? Have your balls dropped yet, or are you still squeakier than a ¡ª¡¯s chew toy?¡±. Carr¡¯s eyes narrowed to slits. ¡°You f¡ªing ¡ª! I¡¯ll f¡ª you up! You¡¯re going to ¡ª¡± he said, sprinting up to his podium to lean over it so he could shout obscenities at Karen. Karen just grinned wider at his reaction. She made a sign that I knew to mean ¡®little man¡¯ in a lot of circles. It usually had connotations about the size of a man¡¯s family jewels, but Carr obviously took it as a slight to his height. ¡°You cocky b¡ª¡± The referee tried to get things under control, only for him to be ignored. Both Karen and Carr continued to insult each other. The crowd seemed to both love and hate it, as various people were cheering, while parents who had come with their children were horrified. More than a few had their hands clamped over their children¡¯s ears while they dragged the kids from the stadium I pursed my lips and decided to mute the television to be on the safe side. ¡°Wow, maximum no chill from the start much?¡± I said aloud. The referee looked very annoyed and his hand came down on a button in the middle of his console. His mouth worked for a moment and I kind of regretted muting him, but there was no way I was risking hearing what Karen and Carr were saying. ¡°What¡¯s he saying?¡± asked Suzie, kicking her feet while cuddling her body around the incubator. Sabrina sat upright, her eyes glowing slightly. ¡°He¡¯s saying that he is mortified and disheartened about their lack of sportsmanship. That both trainers are not upholding the code by which trainers should conduct themselves, and that if they continue in this manner they will be both expelled from the match, allowing their bracket to simply be closed off,¡± she said. ¡°Oh! Right, you can make out what they¡¯re saying, can¡¯t you?¡± said Yolanda, leaning back into the couch. I kept my eyes on the television, glad that we had a workaround. I didn¡¯t trust the captions to not report the exact words said despite the censor, so having Sabrina act as an intermediary was the best option. The referee¡¯s declaration seemed to garner a reaction from both Carr and Karen as they shut up quickly. On-screen, their jaws snapped shut and they looked a little chagrined. The referee eyed them both and then continued speaking, his mouth opening and closing. ¡°He says he wants a clean match and that his earlier statement stands,¡± reported Sabrina. ¡°He is now going through the standards by which trainers should conduct themselves and what regulations are in place.¡± I watched along with everyone else as the screen split to show both Karen and Carr as they eyed each other. Karen looked all too amused, while Carr looked seconds from spitting out more profanities. ¡°How come Carr hasn¡¯t been called out in the past?¡± asked Salvadore. I had to admit it was a good question. I tilted my head. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know?¡± I admitted. The kids all stared at me, before as one swivelling their attention to Sabrina. Sabrina hummed. ¡°The rules that govern pokemon battles are often left to the referee that conducts the match. Often if the trainer swears or talks to put off their opponent, then it is up to the referee to determine what is too much. Referees in the past might have been willing to let things slide, due to it being deemed match banter, however this referee appears much stricter and also the ¡®banter¡¯ was occurring before either had sent out a pokemon.¡± ¡°Ohhhhh,¡± said Salvadore. ¡°So it¡¯s possible he could have been penalised in the past if the refs had thought it too much?¡± ¡°Most refs want to stay as hands-off as possible,¡± I said, knowing this to be true. ¡°No one likes it when refs had to step in too much. My match with William was one that featured the most referee involvement in recent history.¡± ¡°Recent history?¡± Olga asked. ¡°There was a match about¡­. Five years ago? I said uncertainly. I shrugged. ¡°Anyway, it was during the Indigo Tournament and the trainer in question had reached the semi-final. They then realised they weren''t going to get any further for whatever reason so they decided to cheat. That match had eight involvements from the referee due to tampering, pokemon doping, and illegal switchouts,¡± I said. ¡°I see,¡± said Olga, eyes darting down to her own transceiver. Yolanda eyed me. ¡°Was that around the time you were Journeying?¡± she asked. I nodded. ¡°It was. I didn¡¯t face that trainer, but I was at the Plateau when a lot of the drama unfolded,¡± I said. ¡°The match is starting,¡± Sabrina said, making us look back to find that both Carr and Karen were sending out their first pokemon. Carr unleashed a Forretress, while Karen led with Gengar. ¡°Hmmm, Gengar should take it,¡± I said. We watched as on the silent television Gengar started the match by accelerating in with a Fire Punch straight into the steel-bug-typed pokemon. The hit probably would have been enough to knock Forretress out if it wasn¡¯t a pokemon with the Sturdy ability. Carr growled something out and his pokemon glowed before exploding, releasing a powerful shockwave. Salvadore scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s kind of weird not being able to hear the commentators and the sound,¡± he said. I grimaced and decided to risk it. I turned the volume back on in time for Gengar to stagger out of the dust cloud, only to smirk and hover up with a mad cackle. ¡°Oh yeah! Who¡¯s bad? We¡¯re bad!¡± cheered Karen. ¡°You got lucky, you¡­¡± Carr trailed off only for his eyes to flicker to the ref who was leaning forward in anticipation. Carr swallowed down what he was going to say and instead selected his next pokemon. He chose Mr. Mime. I hummed. ¡°On paper¡­ albeit the current papers anyway, that was a decent idea,¡± I said. Salvadore and Olga glanced at me, but Yolanda beat them to the punch. ¡°It¡¯s a psychic pokemon, no?¡± ¡°It is, but it also has a fairy typing,¡± I said. Sabrina nodded. ¡°And Gengar is part poison type. Karen¡­ horrible woman that she is, will know this, but she will most likely stick with the advantage her ghost pokemon confers,¡± she said. The girls whirled back, looking extremely enthused, which caused Sabrina to roll her eyes as they took up cheering on Karen over Carr. Karen knew she was taking hold of the fight as well, as she hammered Mr Mime with Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball, only to close with her foe after it used Barrier after Barrier to deflect or delay moves from slamming into it. Gengar didn¡¯t punch or blast Mr. Mime from up close, he instead chose to Lick Mr. Mime, which resulted in it stiffening and falling on its face. Karen leered at Carr and went for the kill, only for a lash of psychic energy to blast out of nowhere into Gengar, blowing it back and sending it into the ground where it struggled to stand before collapsing. Carr grinned maliciously. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Need some glasses? You missed me getting off a Future Sight!¡± he announced proudly. Karen, rather than getting mad, merely returned her pokemon and sent another back out. ¡°Finish it,¡± she said to the Honchkrow that appeared. Mr Mime remained on the ground and Karen had no issues beating it into the ground and taking the match to a two-one lead. From there things stayed tight, with Carr revealing that he¡¯d assembled a powerful anti-dark team with fighting types like Poliwrath, Beedrill, and a Hitmontop, only for them to amount to nothing in the face of Karen¡¯s own strategies that anticipated and countered her weaknesses. It helped that she had pokemon like Honchkrow and her Houndoom to close out bug and fighting type pokemon. With the match reaching five to two after Hitmontop and Honchkrow took each other out in a double knock out, Carr was twitching and glowering at Karen, who looked all too pleased with herself. He glared at Karen before a smirk began to form on his lips as he reached for a pokeball on his hip. I sat up, instincts from having to deal with various gym matches giving me insight into what was happening. ¡°Carr¡¯s about to do something stupid,¡± I said. I was proven correct when a moment later he sent out a Gyarados that was gigantic, and it looked already enraged. It glowered like it hated the world, and I knew instantly this was a pokemon that had not evolved in happy circumstances. It went straight into a rampage against Karen and her Houndoom, catching them off guard and causing Houndoom to be sent soaring into a wall. Karen herself had to duck a lash of water. The referee was quick to slap a bell. ¡°Contain your pokemon!¡± he ordered Carr, but Carr was too busy watching Karen get assaulted. I rose about to say that we needed to get there and help out, only for something in Karen to snap. ¡°Houndoom! Overheat!¡± she roared. Houndoom, instead of still being against the wall from the powerful hit, revealed itself to be right in front of Karen¡¯s podium. It braced itself and a powerful wave of heat rippled out, causing the lashing waves that Gyarados¡¯ rampage was causing to evaporate. Houndoom didn¡¯t stop there and a bright red flame built within its maw as it locked onto Gyarados. The water serpent locked eyes with Houndoom and what looked like a Hyper Beam began to form, only for Houndoom to act first, unleashing a powerful blast of flame that was white hot in intensity. Around me more than a few kids lurched back in shock at the intensity of the attack. When the screen dimmed it revealed a charred-looking Gyarados swaying uncertainly. Carr gaped in shock. ¡°What? But that¡­ no! Water types beat fire¡­¡± he said. ¡°Shows what you know. Don¡¯t lump my Houndoom with the rest of those sissies,¡± Karen huffed. She then looked Gyarados up and down and gave a sniff, as though annoyed her not very effective move had only staggered it. ¡°Finish it with a Hyper Beam of your own!¡± She called, and this time instead of a beam of flame, Houndoom unleashed a beam of pure energy to end the match. The referee was quick to call the match when Gyarados hit the ground with a wet gurgle. I noticed it was leaking a bit of blood. Carr returned it with a scowl. ¡°Fat lot of good you were!¡± he said to the pokeball. He didn¡¯t wait around to congratulate Karen, instead, he shot her a hateful look, only to turn his back on her and hop off the podium to march out of the arena. He notably ignored the commands from the referee to stop, instead kicking a door open and storming out. I whistled. ¡°Wow¡­ that¡­ was not how I expected that match to go¡­ at all,¡± I said. I couldn¡¯t say I was surprised. Carr had lost his cool from the start and Karen had pounced with better tactics. Gyarados however¡­ That was going to raise some questions. ¡°He¡¯s going to be in so much trouble!¡± sing-songed Suzie. I nodded. Carr was probably going to be questioned about that stunt with the Gyarados. No ifs or buts. You simply did not do that at a high end tournament, and as an Ace trainer? He had no excuses that a trainer starting out might have had. It had to be deliberate. A ping on my Xtransciever notified me that it was time to go, as the organisers tried to settle things down. Sabrina teleported me over to the arena, before leaving me to watch over the kids. There was only one more match before me and I only watched it idly. I noted down that Joshua took it rather easily all told, but that he was notably much more sportsmanlike in congratulating his opponent for a well-fought match. With that done, it was my turn. I marched out and locked eyes with Kaede, letting everything else fall by the wayside. I allowed myself to forget my family, forget what had happened here earlier today, and instead focus on the here and now. Kaede met my gaze and I had to admit, she looked just as motivated. We both raised our first choices and sent them out at the referee¡¯s direction. Kaede sent out Furret, the Samurai Furret as her opening move. The crowd went nuts with the little pokemon spinning and landing with a heroic pose. If this were a contest, I¡¯d have given her points for the entrance. Instead, I countered with Empress, who landed on two feet, but sent a shockwave through the field while rumbling out a growl. Both pokemon locked eyes as trainers did the same. I felt the frisson through the air. Time to see what she could do against my best.