I walked through the racks of pokeballs that were on offer for today with a thoughtful hum. It was the first day of the week, so none of the pokemon on these racks needed to be avoided. I walked to the section that was now dedicated to the first badge challenge and noted that it was heavily dominated by pokeball bearing Lileep stickers. I glanced at the information that I had for one Greta Evergreen. Sponsored trainer of Samuel Oak thanks to her high test scores and repeated attendance at his various pre-trainer camps.
Interesting. I sent a quick message to Oak about her arrival and subsequent challenge. She'd apparently booked in only a day after Gary, but a day's difference had resulted in nearly a week and change in how long it took for her to see me. Even with this being a simple, single challenge. With the idea of this being against a trainer that had a starter from the games, I felt a little nostalgic, so I grabbed up a Geodude and an Onix. I might switch it up a little with Onix going first though."Brock," said an intruding voice. I glanced up to find Flint standing next to a sheepish Forrest. Forrest's keycard was hanging from his neck, and I huffed. Well, that explained how he'd been able to get in here, I'd hoped he wouldn't be able to reach me."Flint," I said back, straightening with my selection for the first few matches. I set aside Don and a few other pokeballs for the later Ace challenge while Flint stared at me."You didn't let me say hello to the kids this morning," he said tightly.I turned to him and locked eyes. "I didn't let you?" I crossed my arms and continued to stare him down as he let his eyes drop. "Or you didn't get moving early enough? All of them were there. Yolanda knew to expect you but you didn't show up."Flint shifted. "I thought you were going hold them back from school today. It's more important after all."I snorted heavily and marched past him. "You'll find that me making them put their lives on pause for you won't be something I advocate for ever. There was enough of that in the past. I'm not doing it ever again," I said in passing.Forrest jogged. "Sorry! Don't be mad at him! It was my fault I just got so caught up in having him back that I—"I raised a hand towards Forrest even as I strode towards the stairs that would lead me up into the trainer area overlooking the stands. "Don't apologise for him Forrest. He's a grown man, he needs to look after himself.""Well, maybe he was right though and we should have had the day off to.." he trailed off as I shook my head."We're not putting our lives on hold for Flint or … Lola," I said firmly."What about us? Would you have put things on hold for us?" he said mulishly"You and they are very different," I said firmly. How could he say that? Wasn't it obvious? I jerked my head back at the pokemon storage area. "You'll need to go let him out before he triggers the alarms by the way. He doesn't have your keycard. And if he tries to get out without one it will lock down." I lengthened my stride before Forrest could think to ask if I'd give Flint a Keycard.As far as I was concerned, he could prove that he deserved one. I wasn't giving him access to the Gym so soon.I sent a message to let Rachel know I was ready for the next trainer when I reached the top."And now! A new up-and-coming trainer from Pallet Town! We have Greta Evergreen!" said Rachel for the few morning spectators we had, which really wasn't all that many. Apart from a few diehard fans that sat front and centre. I heard a loud voice standing cheering for Pallet Town that allowed me to zero in on Ash Ketchum and Misty sitting in the front row.From atop the stands I watched a small girl in a bucket hat with long auburn hair walk out. In her hands, clutched like a lifeline she held a single pokeball. On her belt, another pair of other pokeballs rested. She had a determined look in her eyes and I adopted my pose at the top of the stairs as the lights flashed down with a powerful 'thoom'. The crowd that had been cheering fell silent.In the sudden quiet, I spoke. "You dare challenge the Pewter city gym?" My voice booming out over the arena and causing Greta to stop still. I tried to channel my inner heel that people loved to see beaten. It made the victory all the sweeter for the new trainers.She swallowed when she looked up at me. I liked to think I looked imposing.When I first started I was told that I looked like I was a 'young master' that was annoyed at being challenged by the likes of them. I must have adopted a different stance after that feedback. It hadn't stopped Celia from poking fun at my 'posing' though.Regardless, I always made sure to be super friendly after a match for the first circuit trainers to leave them with a much better impression. I also gave them a number of pointers for any glaring faults that I might have noticed throughout our match.Hopefully, that way, they understood that I was being tough but that was by design. I was a hurdle for them to overcome.Her eyes hardened as she stared up at me. "Yes! I am here to claim your badge G-gym Leader Brock!" she said. If she hadn't stuttered halfway, she would have given a perfect defiant response. I nodded slowly and leapt over the side to land atop the podium."Very well, the match is against two of my pokemon!" I gestured towards Daniel on the sideline."Challenger!" Greta jumped at the sudden call from another voice. She looked to see Daniel already atop his podium. "Please step into the marked area! You will be raised up on a podium!"Usually, people didn't have to be told that, as it was a standard for trainers to stalk into the trainer box, only to be surprised at the high tech being put to use for their match.Greta did so and clutched the handrail that served to keep her from falling off. When it was locked in place at two metres above the arena floor, she relaxed. Then she looked over at me to find me waiting."S-sorry! I'm not used to fighting from podium position!" she said worriedly.I nodded, not at all bothered. "If you wish, we can lower this to a normal 'field' match with both of us at ground level. I would ask you to remain in the trainer box. However, I would recommend getting used to it now as their use will become the norm in future gym battles and at the Indigo Conference. ."Greta chewed her lip. "I hadn't considered that… Alright I'll stay up here!"I gave another nod before glancing at Daniel. He coughed."Very well! As the gym leader has stated, this is a standard challenge with you facing two of the gym leader's pokemon. At any point, you may withdraw or return your pokemon during lulls. You may not withdraw your pokemon during an attack to use the withdrawal to dodge a move. Doing so is considered a forfeiture of that pokemon and you will not be allowed to return it to the field. If you have more than one of that pokemon species you will be asked to set that pokeball to the side!"Greta nodded. "So I just need to beat two of Brock's pokemon? I thought I needed to demonstrate my training?""You do," I said, cutting in. "You need a level of strength, skill, or understanding of strategy to earn a badge. I make each match appropriate to the badge being challenged for."Greta frowned. "What stops people from just saying that they're on their first challenge?"I huffed in amusement. Trainers typically had nowhere near this level of curiosity. The girl had an inquisitive mind. Around us the crowd —what few there were for a first badge challenge— shifted, agitated at the delay. I ignored them, but Greta twitched as she realised there were people watching her."It used to be pride. Most trainers still challenge at a level that is appropriate for themselves and their pokemon otherwise they get very little from the challenge. The money is considered a pittance unless you are just starting out. However, that is no longer the case." I said, more than happy to discuss how things had changed even over the course of the three years I'd been Gym Leader."When you applied for your match you had to do so with the trainer license that you were assigned. The League has cracked down on keeping trainer records up to date. Gym Challenges, wins or losses against other trainers, the pokemon you own and your conduct during some matches are recorded. This is all public information. Before the match, you presented your trainer license once more and we could see your win and loss history along with if you have ever challenged or beaten a Gym.""Oh!" she said, nodding to show her understanding.I tilted my head. "Any other questions?"She tapped her chin before blushing as one trainer called out. "Just fight already!"I directed an unimpressed look at the trainer in question and gave him a stern expresison. "Ignore them, this is yet more exposure to what you might have to face later on. If you have questions before we begin—""No! No, I'm fine." She shook her head and raised up her pokeball.Daniel raised his flags. "Trainers! When you are ready toss out your pokeball—""Go Bulbasaur!" Greta shouted as she tossed her pokeball only for her throw to be rather off. The pokeball tried to return to her with the recall feature but it flubbed and hit the handrail. Greta's hand also slammed down into the handrail causing her to cry out in pain."Asshole!" she swore, the curse carrying clearly throughout the arena.Her other hand shot up to cradle her injured hand while the pokeball rolled around at her feet. Then she snapped her head up, her pained hand held up with her other. "Sorry!" she shouted as the crowd laughed."You alright?" I called back."Fine, just fine!" She nodded through teary eyes."Alright, but if you need to, we can have our Nurse look over your hand." As though summoned, Chansey opened the door to the medbay and peered out holding a wire brush she liked to use. It looked a little rusty and ominous in her hands though. She looked around before pouting as if saddened that there weren't any maimed pokemon. She gave Greta a look before sniffing and dismissing her."Bulba?" Greta's Bulbasaur had turned around to give its trainer a concerned look.Greta shook her head before waving for me to continue. I selected my Onix to get things underway."Go Onix!" I shouted.Even before the pokemon was fully formed I could tell something was wrong. The Onix emerged and did so with a mighty screech. It came out with a presence that I would have expected more of a three-badge challenge pokemon. This pokemon was far too strong for a new trainer to face and I'd have to soften the orders to give Greta a proper chance.I'd have to make sure Onix didn't resent me for 'flubbing' the match as well. If it had gotten this strong this quickly, it must have been on a bit of a streak with wins and matches. It also must have been used far too often in the last few matches. I needed to stress to my trainers that they should be spreading out the matches so the same pokemon didn't get too many battles too quickly.That, or they needed to pay better attention to where they placed the pokeballs. This might be a clerical error with someone putting a pokeball in the wrong area.It was rare, but it did happen, and with the numbers of trainers we had, it was probably a shock it hadn't happened earlier.Then again, it was more likely that one of the new gym trainers adopted a favourite pokemon from among a group. Something they'd learnt from their own journey that had to be unlearned for working as a gym trainer.Sadly, I wasn't going to get a chance to ease the Onix in as Greta's Bulbasaur flinched at its intimidating arrival. Bulbasaur reared back and babbled its name before sprinting off the arena floor. I cursed under my breath as it made a beeline for the door to the first aid clinic that was left open."Bulbasaur!" shouted Greta in surprise. She reached for her pokeball that should have been resting on her belt only to remember that she hadn't caught it and it was at her feet. By the time she had leaned down to grab it, Bulbasaur was out of the room. I started to lower the podiums we were on.Greta wasn't willing to wait. Instead, she threw herself off the side and called out once more for her pokemon. "Bulbasaur!" She landed roughly, stumbling but carrying on after her pokemon.The crowd were stunned for a moment, but just before Greta vanished a few trainers jeered at her poor showing. I glowered up at them and clicked my radio on. "Dennis, give the crowd some coupons for the local shops we have on hand for a meal. I'm going to have to check in with Greta.""On it boss," Dennis said, marching out from the top trainer area and calling out to the crowd to stop any more poor behaviour. I gave Daniel a nod towards Dennis, asking him to back up the older man.Now I just had to deal with an emotional girl and her highly stressed-out pokemon.I marched towards the Medbay and grimaced. And not a few weeks ago, I'd been considering having Forrest run the Gym? He'd have struggled to help out a young girl like this. Just as I departed the arena, I spied Forrest and Flint watching me. Flint had a disapproving look that made me want to glower back. Obviously, this wasn't an ideal showing! It kind of annoyed me to see Forrest hanging around Flint like that. I could only imagine all the terrible habits Flint was teaching him by proxy.Urgh! I pushed that whole… thing, aside and tried to focus on the more important immediate issue right now.I found Greta on her knees making soft cooing noises to a Bulbasaur that had opened a corner cupboard and was huddled up in the darkness. I sighed to myself and settled back to wait.Sadly, this was only the first such incident of the year. I expected at least three more before things were done. I thought I'd set up a system to stop this from happening last year? Urgh, annoying. I had no idea how that number would balloon now. With the Surge? It'd probably be best to expect double.I paused before announcing myself. Damn, that had been a callous line of thinking. I'd just converted all this into numbers and been ready to shrug it off as 'it happened'. I'd need to review how things worked. Maybe even set the goal to have less than last year? Or not let this happen again outright?"Bulbasaur! Come on little guy! It's alright, you were just caught by surprise! We've never seen an Onix before and they're known to be one of the biggest pokemon around! You got a fright is all!""Bulba…" came the depressed-sounding croak."I'm sorry! I don't know what you mean?" said the kneeling girl."He's probably over his shock and is now more ashamed. He got caught in a fight or flight response due to facing a strong pokemon." Greta turned to find me resting on a table watching her. I very deliberately wasn't approaching and crowding her, or her pokemon."I thought most pokemon would typically fight?" she said, her curiosity once more rearing its head.I gave her a sad smile. "They don't really teach this, but pokemon can understand if they have a good chance against another pokemon. Pokemon like Onix are able to push a lot of buttons due to their size. Couple that with coming out of the gates with a move to lower defences and have your pokemon doubting itself? It can result in situations like this.""Isn't that cheap?!" Greta said, standing now and looking angry.I shook my head. "It's an intimidation display more than anything else. As you get stronger you'll encounter various levels of it. When the difference between pokemon is too large it can make it much harder for the intimidated pokemon to make a good showing of its actual skills. You'll need to train your pokemon to endure it or have strategies set up to make them ignore it."Greta chewed her lip. "During the match with Lance, your pokemon and Lance's stood opposite and roared at each other. That was intimidation at the highest level, wasn't it?""An almost textbook example," I replied."Well …" she scuffed her foot on the ground, "No one else has tried that on us before, so we were just not ready for it.""It's good that you encountered it here and not out in the wilds first. If this situation had played out in the wilds you might be endangered if your pokemon fle—" my words were cut off when Bulbasaur launched itself out of the cupboard to stand in front of Greta."BULBA! BULBA SAUR!" it snarled. I hummed. I had no firm idea of what it was saying but if I read its body language and tone…"You think you wouldn't have ever fled if you'd been in the wild? You wouldn't abandon Greta? Not ever again?""Bul!" it snapped.Greta dropped to her knees and scooped her pokemon up. "Oh! Bulbasaur! Thank you but I never doubted you'd leave me in the wilds! This just caught you off guard is all!"I held the defiant gaze of the Bulbasaur. I could tell it was young as it's bulb was still a dark colouration. Its size made it easily holdable compared to some of the other older versions I'd seen around that were much larger. I nodded slowly to show that I understood its 'vow'. This seemed to make the pokemon relax a little."I think you've learned a lot from today despite the… setback," I said. I stood and then bowed my head. "I need to apologise for this as well. The Onix that you faced was stronger than most first badge challengers face.""Oh! Uhm!" She shifted from foot to foot while Bulbasaur made a small growling question. "What does that mean? Do I automatically get—" I stood up and held a hand out to stop her."No," I said firmly but not unkindly."You must demonstrate a certain level of skill depending on the badge challenge that you contend at." I rubbed my face and exhaled a large sigh. "The mix-up while an issue isn't something that was insurmountable."I gestured back out to the arena. "Would you like to try again?"Greta shrunk into herself and blushed red. "Oh, I don't think I could! All those people were out there and laughed and… Can I just reschedule?"I nodded. "If that's what you want. I will be reimbursing you for your fee to challenge us and I won't record a loss on your file against us. If an opening presents itself I'll do what I can but with the amount of demand we currently have, there is also going to be a wait." I shifted uneasily, not happy to force her back due to an error on my part. She didn't sound comfortable fighting again today, I might be able to make an extra slot just for her on another day this week. It wouldn't be right to put her out after all.I shot a quick message to Alexa before looking up to find Greta looking around the medical room.I tapped my chin in thought. "You had a lot of questions…"She blushed, her head ducking down. "Sorry about those!""No, no. It's not an issue. Honestly, I would prefer more trainers to think to ask those questions; it might become tiring, but if people don't know something like that it highlights a gap in a lot of people's knowledge bases. I won't have time to reschedule a battle today…" I said, lying through my teeth so she had an excuse to grasp a hold of beyond 'I didn't want to after being embarrassed'."So instead, how about you stick around till the close of business and accompany me as I finish up for the day? Any questions you have, I'll try and either answer them or point you in the right direction to help answer them."I offered her a hand, "Sound fair?"Greta's broad smile was answer enough but she still grasped my hand quickly. "Deal!"I smiled at her. "Well to start with let's get you a visitor pass so you can hang out in the Gym trainer area." I checked my watch. "I have another four matches this morning to see to, so you'll get to watch how we do things until I'm free at lunch. We can chat then."I smirked as I recalled the other event happening. "Before lunch we have the Ace challenge for the day. I imagine that will be enough time for you to build up a ton of questions.""An Ace challenge?!" she said excitedly. "Oh sweet! Bulbasaur we'll get to see some of Brock's strongest pokemon fight!" Greta bounced after me as I led her into the office space; her Bulbasaur continued to shoot me little glares from his spot in her arms. He wasn't so quick to forgive or forget as his trainer.I merely shook my head. If only every trainer that had a bad experience could be placated so easily. She hadn't even demanded I award her the badge or threatened to call a League official on me.Or were my expectations of some trainers too low?I remembered the trainer I'd faced almost two weeks ago, and that Forrest had stomped a bit later.Nah. Some trainers were that bad.Still, Greta would serve as a wonderful positive from what had started out quite badly. I found myself looking forward to teaching her about pokemon and pokemon battles.It wasn't a big positive. But sometimes the little things in life mattered the most
82
The morning's challenges passed without comment. They came, they challenged, and they proceeded for the most part. Of the other five challengers after Greta I had four demonstrate enough skill while the last challenged at the fourth badge level only to not have a deep enough pokemon roster. He'd been close though and I had no doubt he'd get the badge in another week or two once he came back.Greta had shot a few questions at me each time I came and sat in the trainer lounge much to Dennis and Daniel's amusement. Missy had taken over-explaining a number of things to Greta when she'd come on break from patrolling Pewter City.Forrest and Flint had also claimed some seats in the upper trainer area. Flint had watched and kept any comments about my methods to himself. I'd in turn ignored him and was continuing to do so as Rachel finished introducing the challenger and leading the crowd in welcoming me."—Leader Brock!" she screamed into the microphone. Music began to blare and I grinned.The crowd stomped twice and then clapped, causing an echo to reverberate through the arena. I stood unmoving at the top of the stairs leading down to the arena floor. On a raised podium in the arena, the challenger stood with spotlights shining on him. He squirmed in his spot and swallowed, his eyes questing about in the darkness at the noise.It wasn't a good sign for him to be freaking out before our match had already begun.For him that was.After the next stomp-clap sequence finished I clicked a button and lights activated to highlight me."Brock! Brock! Brock!" There was nothing quite so grand as having a crowd roar your name. In a pokemon world, this was taken to a whole new level. As the gym leader, I was top cop, role-model, and sports star all rolled into one.I walked down the stairs and the trainer was finally able to focus on something beyond just the noise. He steadied himself a little as he locked eyes with me. I marched on and when I reached the bottom of the stairs I flexed my aura a little to allow myself to jump over the edge and directly onto the platform.Then I turned and waved to the crowd, acknowledging them.They roared their love for me and I stamped down on how big-headed I was getting. It was nice, but I knew it was something to not become reliant on. I toggled the barriers around the room into activation and watched a shimmer form in front of the walls surrounding the battlefield. A quick visual sweep showed nothing was amiss so I clicked on my radio."Control room, all clean?" I said."Control room, barriers at one hundred percent Brock you're good to go!" said one of the security staff.I rolled my shoulders, pleased that the damage from the matches last week had been repaired. Sadly, I suspected I'd need another after the week was done.I gestured to the side and Rocko nodded, raising his flags for the normal spiel before we got underway. I selected the pokeball I was going with for today's match. It was risky but I'd promised. He was aggressive and wanted to fight so occasionally I needed to let him loose.I stared across at the challenger, Hobbs I believe was his name, and wondered if he'd be ready for what I was about to unleash."Trainers! Are you ready?" At Rocko's prompting we both nodded. I drew back my pokeball and hurled it into the arena as the flags dropped."Go Don!" My Aerodatcyl appeared and with a flap of his wings lifted up to hover his eye glaring across at the coalescing red pokemon."Go Exeggutor!" said Hobbs as a large tree with multiple faces emerged.Don screeched in anticipation of the fight to come and I snapped my fingers harshly to remind him to keep his cool. Hobbs grimaced at the poor match-up. On paper, his pokemon would do a lot better against a lot of mine but I had quite a number of pokemon that would roll over it with a variety of moves.Don was actually the best pokemon I could have lucked into having on the field for this fight."Begin!""Leech Seed!" shouted Hobbs."Whirlwind Don!" I ordered. The grass type lowered its fronds and began to shoot clusters of sprouts towards Don. Don swept his wings forwards with a roar and the seeds were tossed about before being hurled away from my pokemon. "Get some height!" I followed up with."Bullet Seed!""Dodge it!" I swept my hand as Don dropped and dived like a pro.Across from us, Exeggutor rotated its body so that the different faces could generate a sustained barrage of bullet seeds. Don had to continually dodge instead of there being a limited barrage as was usual with the move.It reminded me of the old gatling guns from the spaghetti westerns of a past life.It was rather ingenious.I'd compliment him once I beat him.I waited until the derpy-looking face was about to switch into the firing sequence before pointing upwards. "Go high now!"Don screeched as he swung high. The derpy-looking face switched in and began to fire upwards only to tilt backwards further and further until it suddenly lost balance. As one, every face of the Exeggutors' had a look of 'oh shit, as they toppled backwards. They tried taking control of the falling body but this made it worse as they spasmed on the recovery and landed on their back.Don hovered for a moment and I grinned as a glint came into his gaze. "Wing Attack," I said mercilessly.He descended upon his foe and slammed into them with glowing wings just as they got back to their feet."Exeggutor!" His pokemon was hurled back and crashed into the wall before falling still. "Hey buddy are you alright?" His pokemon twitched but didn't get up.Don screeched his victory.I didn't say anything. His hit had probably been harder than I'd thought him capable of. He was either very eager to fight, or his opponent wasn't that strong. Hobbs withdrew his pokemon and turned with a growl towards Don."Alright you're going down no-one treats my pokemon like that!" Hobbs shouted.Don gained a glint in his eyes and squawked. I didn't need to translate for Hobbs to understand that Don had said 'wanna bet?'."Go! Girafarig!" A giraffe with a small head where its tail was. There was a moment of quiet in which I heard a faint robotic tone speaking."Girafirig, this pokemon possesses a small brain in the tail that allows it to sense danger from behind. Ambushing this pokemon is extremely difficult and the head has been known to take in its own sustenance when the pokemon passes throu—" I held in the chuckle and kept my focus on the pokemon in front of me.Greta was apparently making good use of her pokedex to record and understand more about the pokemon that were being put on show."Don DD," I said to start things off properly. Don spread his wings and while I tried not to see it I couldn't help but notice how his body formed a T…"Psybeam!" commanded Hobbs.Girafarig looked straight up at my pokemon and a beam of rainbow energy built up and was fired off. Don had to stop posing and drop into a hard descent."Whirlwind on the ground to blow up some dust!" I shouted. Don swept his wings, but instead of creating just a wave of wind rock and dirt was hurled up into the air, causing visibility to drop."Girafarig use Future Sight!" The giraffe pokemon's eyes on its head and tail both glowed faintly.I suspected that might play a part with how his earlier pokemon had a gimmick. If I let that move come to fruition, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get a proper hit in. Time to end it now before it could take effect."Don! Ice fang!" I shouted, deciding to make the most of my pokemons earlier buffing. Don shrieked as he turned on a dime, causing some dust to puff away as he swept his wings.Girafarig twitched into a bucking motion that saw its feet coming up and intercepting Don in what I recognisted as a Stomp.Don took the hit and twisted to prevent himself from being pushed back too far. Instead, he landed and kicked off, a dangerous glint in his eyes, apparently, he was pissed that his opponent had gotten a hit in.His jaws glinted with ice. Girafarig screamed in pain as Don bit down at his back and bore it into the ground.I narrowed my gaze as I saw blood splatter onto the ground. Instincts I'd honed as a Gym Leader made me sweep my hand across my body and bellow at Don."Don! Release!"Instinct warred with his training, and for a moment I worried he'd commit to the bite. Instead, he released the other pokemon and hopped backwards, flapping his wings to gain some altitude as he did so. He jaw was dripping with blood.Girafarig raised itself up weakly and bleated weakly.Don shrieked in a barking manner that sounded like a harsh laugh. The crowd stared as they realised that Don was letting everyone know he was looking down on Hobbs and his pokemon.Looking down and laughing.I huffed. I was pleased that he'd followed my orders but annoyed that he was being such a heel about it. Hobbs watched his pokemon stagger to his feet.Don tilted his head and licked his chops when Hobbs made no move to return his pokemon.I held my tongue and stared at Hobbs. If he kept that pokemon out, he was going to have issues.He shifted his gaze from my stoic expression to my pokemon's now hungry circling, then up to the crowd. "Girafarig… Nasty Plot!" I clicked my tongue in annoyance.I felt my brow twitch. It was clear his pokemon was too injured to keep fighting but instead he was going to push his luck? Worse, he'd exploited my instinct to allow the withdrawal due to his pokemon clearly being severely injured. This wasn't something a simple recover would solve."Don, Wing Attack!" I said punching forward. It would still hurt his pokemon but not as bad as my pokemon mauling it with another Ice Fang."Baton Pass!" shouted Hobbs as he held up a pokeball.I twitched as his Girafrig was returned safely, but still in an injured state. He should have withdrawn it."Don carry through!" I called as an Espeon took to the field. Don swept in only for the Espeon to dodge by the barest margin. The gem on its head glinted as it landed."You're playing a dangerous game with your Girafarig," I said to Hobbs as Don circled around."He's not down yet!"I stared long and hard at him. "I will not allow mercy again Trainer Hobbs. Returning that pokemon in its current state is not something I would advise."Hobbs squared his jaw. "I'm the one making the calls for my pokemon Gym Leader."I grunted at that and raised my pokeball to return Don. And just like that I had a minute to send out something else.Around the room, the crowd stirred as they realised that Hobbs was going to push the package and that I was less than pleased.Usually, just the sign that a pokemon had caused such injuries was enough of an indication that it was way out of its weight class. There was every chance that Don could have continued and maimed or killed Girafarig. It was rare, but pokemon power imbalances could show up, and when they did, it usually resulted in injuries.I stared at Hobbs and felt my estimation of him slip.To decrease the risk of a pokemon dying I raised the radio from my hip. "Chansey, prep the medical room for casualties." I then switched channels to the loudspeakers. "Parents be advised this match is no longer considered safe for children to view, pokemon trainers may make their own decision."A few of the locals that knew what blood on the field meant were already ushering protesting children out the front doors. Other parents were being informed of what it would mean, and soon a number of seats were empty as young children were dragged out of the room. I noticed Misty dragging Ash out of the room, much to his confusion, while Greta asked another person in the Pewter trainer box what it meant. Her expression soon turned a light shade of green, but she stayed. I couldn't say whether that was good or bad.Don's pokeball vibrated at his withdrawal, but I didn't care. I held his pokeball up. "Hey bud, this guy's not on your level. I think I might use this to give some others a shot at him, then get you in to finish it off." That had him settling down and I sighed before moving to a different pokeball."Go Scyther!" I shouted, hurling my pokemon to a middle position. Scyther appeared and blinked in confusion before perking up when he realised where he was. He glanced back at me in hope."Game face on!" I called to him, and he snapped his head around and leaned forward in preparation.Rocko dropped the flags he'd had raised as the countdown above his head vanished. I'd only had five seconds left to call out my pokemon before facing an infraction. "Fight!" Rocko called."Scyther! Double Team into X-scissor!""Espeon! Future sight!" The small cat-like pokemon's eyes glowed, and when Scyther buzzed in with his claws raised from what should have been a blind spot, Espeon leapt aside before unleashing a Psybeam."Slash it apart with your X-scissor!" Scyther lifted his blades and did just that, weathering the attack and dispelling it with the Bug-type move."Aerial Ace!""Protect!" shouted Hobbs as Scyther got behind Espeon once more."Scyth!" said my pokemon as his blades slammed into the barrier. Espeon whirled around and I hummed. I had his number here. My pokemon was faster, and without set up, his pokemon wasn't going to escape me."Baton Pass!" cried out Hobbs once more, making me click my tongue. That was one way to get around the withdrawal restriction. He raised up a pokeball and a Jynx took to the field.I was suddenly extra pleased that I had warned the parents that this match wasn't going to be child-friendly.The Jynx emerged with a salacious shimmy and a wiggle of her hips. She kissed the air and winked at the crowd before gesturing with a come-hither hand gesture at Scyther.Scyther stiffened and looked unsure of himself. I snorted only for Hobbs to grin and point forward. "Attract!" he said, causing pink waves to radiate out from the Jynx. I channelled some dark energy into myself causing the wide area of attack to wash over me ineffectively. I was not embarrassing myself like some trainers did when Attract impacted them.Rocko, on the referee podium shook his head but didn't react. Scyther sadly blushed and gained a dopey look on his face. I sighed. Well, that answered how he'd react to such tactics. I raised a pokeball and withdrew him without hesitation.Hobbs grinned like he'd just beaten my Scyther. I rolled my eyes and sent out Don.Don twitched and snorted in annoyance as he locked eyes with the Jynx. Jynx winked at him and I watched him do an odd humping motion in the air.Oh dear… I was really gonna do this to Hobbs wasn't I?Hobbs grinned thinking he had his answer while my pokemon reacted. Don's blood going to anywhere other than his brain.I sighed. I knew what was about to happen."Begin!" shouted Rocko."Dragon Dance," I said, already knowing that Hobbs was going to shout."Attract!" shouted Hobbs with a smug tone as if he'd just performed the winning move that would carry him all the way. I didn't order Don to dodge. It might be showing my hand on how Don reacted to charms and attractions, but there wasn't much I could do about it. I didn't see Will using this method in the future, as it was highly despised.Mostly because if things got too amorous, they had to censor it on television broadcasts.Don twitched in the air before locking onto the Jynx that was wiggling her hips as if she was about to climb atop a wrecking ball and release a top of the charts single. He dove straight for her. Hobbs looked at me only to blink when I made no sign of being annoyed or otherwise worried.Jynx turned and gave Don a wink. Don flapped harder, building up speed.The poor Jynx worked out far too late that Don was not going to slow down for her. Don outright tackled her to the ground and began to nip and bite her like an animal. Jynx shrieked and scrabbled away."Aren't you going to call out a move? He's helpless?" Hobbs said in disbelief."Nah, he's already going to beat her up." I gave a helpless shrug. "Don's kind of a selfish lover?"There had been a lot of feathers left over from his mating with that flock of Winggull. I was positive he must have eaten some of his prospective harem during his orgy, and if that didn't make the noises I heard throughout the night worse… well, I already had enough reasons to not want to think about it.I wasn't surprised to see him batting his wings and biting his 'true-love' in Jynx."Jynx! Use Icy Wind to blow him away!" ordered Hobbs after I made no sign of ordering my pokemon off. I chuckled as Don was blown back while he dug his claws into the ground and growled at the disrespect his mate was showing him.When they kept trying to blow him away, I decided I'd had enough fun."Don! Cool down. She's not even breedable by you!" This was true but it might not stop him from trying. "She's trying to sneak a win against you!"That made him snap his head around in shock. He was a lustful creature, but he was also extremely proud of not giving away any losses. He still had a vendetta against Sabrina's Alakazam and Lance's Dragonite.Don flapped up and shrieked his annoyance. I grinned, knowing I had him back in the fight.Hobbs clicked his tongue. "Tch, Perish son—"My grin vanished like mist in the morning. My voice boomed through the Gym as I gave my order. "Hyper Beam!"Don reacted instantly, and a giant blast of energy built and was discharged before a single note of any song could reach my pokemon's ears.Jynx had enough time to flinch before being blasted back into a barrier that formed up in front of the stands.When the beam ended, she was burned, and her arms, which she had apparently thrown up in front of her face to protect her body were bent. I gave Hobbs a pointed look. His pokemon were not strong enough to be facing off against me."Hobbs, do you want to hand her over to Chansey to get some early care in?" I asked.It wouldn't be as good as a pokecentre but early access would make a world of difference to an injured pokemon. Hobbs returned her and when Chansey trotted out, he tossed the pokeball carelessly towards Chansey.The gesture struck me as very strange. If he had any bond with that pokemon he should have… Ah.It would seem Will was not just supplying challengers but also the pokemon to give himself the best view at what performed well against my pokemon. It explained how the previous challenger had had four psychic types to use against me. There was honestly a lot wrong with that method but it was possible to glean certain things.He'd know now not to use a non-bird pokemon to try and charm Don. Or, if he did try, he needed to be ready for the abuse Don gave out with his brand of loving.But it also showed that Will had deep pockets. The two Espeons that had been supplied were not cheap. Did he have backers? Or was he himself a rich trainer?"Go Starmie!" Another Starmie? After Challenger Fred's had not done well? Was Will covering his bases? Or was he trying something tricky?"Don, return!" I shouted, pulling him from the field before he could get injured. I raised another pokeball, a decision came easily.The crowd shifted forwards, they must have been expecting Sanchez. Instead, I threw out Scyther's ball once more. He appeared with a flourish and growled, his eyes locking onto Starmie."Starmie use Thunderbolt!" Sparks built up on the other pokemon before lancing out."Slice the boulders then kick up!" I ordered. Scyther didn't hesitate to blitz towards a nearby boulder where he slashed it apart and kicked the boulder up into the air where it took the oncoming Thunderbolt."Aerial Ace!" I shouted once more causing my pokemon to blur only to reappear behind Starmie with his claws raised.The attack rocked Starmie who stumbled forward only for Hobbs to click his teeth. "Recover!""X-scissor!" I said while the other pokemon quickly glowed.Scyther leapt onto the attack only for Starmie to twist away with water blasting out of it. "Hydro Pump!"Scyther was knocked back as Starmie cartwheeled out of danger. "Dig your claws in!" I said making my pokemon do just that. "Agility!" I said, causing him to flap his wings quickly before he grinned."Starmie use Trick Room!" Hobbs said gleefully. I hummed. So, two of my pokemon would obviously be much faster with Scyther and Don now both being empowered. And if we were going to use any slow pokemon, well Slowbro was perfect for psychic pokemon trainers and this situation.I raised my pokeball. "Return Scyther!" As soon as he was in his pokeball I grabbed another and hurled it out. Hobbs really didn't know he was doing me a favour by letting me field a much weaker team than usual. It was honestly very disrespectful, as it showed I wasn't expecting much from him but I really found I didn't care."Go Onix!""Oooooonnn!" cried out my giant rock snake. I wanted to test this one. See how it handled a top level battle."Use Hydro Pump!" Hobbs shouted!"Dig!" I countered, causing my pokemon to vanish as Trick Room now benefited my pokemon more than his. My pokemon emerged much faster than usual and was able to land a hit before Hobbs could get a command out. The attack launched Starmie back but it landed on its feet and shook itself off."Sandstorm!" I shouted, playing to my pokemon's strength and giving him more room to work."Starmie get rid of the Sandstorm! Blow it apart with Hydro Pump! Twist your way through the Sandstorm!"I hummed. It sounded good in theory but it wouldn't work out as well as a move like Surf would have. I pointed forward. "Lay low and use Stealth Rock!" Onix lowered itself and did just that. Starmie passed over it and I grinned happily as the Sandstorm grew a little weaker.Hobbs wasn't happy with that as he went for more. "Again!"I shrugged, a path to setting up for Don's return to the field laid out in front of my eyes. "Stealth Rock again!"This time the attack dissipated the Sandstorm but it had done what I needed it to. The field had a fine layer of sand across it now and while at first it hadn't been as noticeable, with no holes in the ground it was now obvious that my Onix had slunk away.It was just playing the natural instincts of a Rock-type like Onix or Tyranitar's hunting methods. "Dragonbreath!" I said, causing my pokemon to rear up from where he was in the sand, surprisingly only a few metres away from Starmie.The Trick Room effect faltered for a second but held in time to slam into the weakened Starmie and knock it out. Hobbs grit his teeth as he raised his pokemon only to frown when I did the same.I then, rather cheekily, returned Don to the field where he started to catch his breath once more. I wasn't required to keep the same pokemon out after all, unless I used all six of my returns. The only requirement was the number restriction, and that I did so during a lull. With Don back on the field, I was making Hobbs choose fast as otherwise the knockout would play into Don's favour. He'd tried to pressure me with Starmie, but it hadn't worked out for him.Now I was baiting him to make a move, and do it fast."Brock! Brock Brock!" "Don! Don! Don!" chanted the crowd as they found their voices."Go Hariyama!" Hobbs said. A giant sumo like pokemon took to the stage. I hummed. A poor match up, or a bait and switch? The rocks that I'd set up earlier emerged from the sand and slammed into Hariyama, weakening him for Don. I decided to test the waters a little first."Don, use Dragon Dance." It was a waste as the gains that he got now were rather minimal compared to the previous two applications but Don followed the order and Hobbs growled."Hariyama! Stomp the ground and throw some boulders!" I watched the rocks soar dispassionately.It was extremely telling that he didn't have an answer to Don's flight. I must have lucked into a good matchup with his use of Exeggutor and Hariyama in his team. Both pokemon I hadn't known he'd use today. He'd come expecting someone else. Perhaps Bertha? Shin? Or maybe even Sanchez once more?I sniffed. "Hyper Beam again."Don grinned and unleashed another Hyper Beam straight at his foe."Hariyama use Detect!" I clicked my tongue as the huge Sumo threw himself out of the way of the oncoming attack just in time. Don missed. Don crowed hoarsely, celebrating his victory far too early for my liking. So, I cut him off."He's still in the fight, he blocked the attack Don."Don stiffened and dropped out of what had to be a deliberate T-pose. Don snarled and stared into the dust."Hariyama jump up and use Heavy Slam!" The sound of running feet gave away where Hariyama was and a dark shape leapt from the dust straight up at Don."Roll away from the hit Don!" I ordered to mitigate the oncoming damage. Don tucked his wings and rolled away from the blow, making it nudge him rather than blast him away. He was still thrown to the ground, where he scrambled in the sand for a moment. I hummed. That worked for me more than Hariyama it seemed, as the pokemon slammed into the ground and was embedded up to his hips.Don must have sensed the same weakness I did seeing as he quickly swept his wings and leapt to attack. He was so quick in his recovery that Hariyama was still working himself out of the sand. I glimpsed an opportunity and went for it."Wing Attack!" I ordered.Hariyama got one foot unstuck before Don was on him. Don slammed him into the ground with a lariat like strike only to tuck hard and turn to use the other wing in a sharp bank and follow up Wing Attack.Don must have been annoyed that he had to share his prey with Scyther and Onix. It wasn't Sanchez's one pokemon demolition, but it was still impressive. I considered it more important as it let me see what Scyther and Onix were like during an Ace battle."Stay in tight and keep smacking him around." Don latched onto Hariyama's shoulders with his talons and started smacking the other pokemon about the head."Hariyama use Counter… or something!" Hobbs called out, confirming my suspicion that he was expecting us to glide in with a wing attack.I grinned. Hariyama wouldn't be able to do that with his feet sliding out underneath him. Pokemon like him needed solid footing, and with Don above his head, he couldn't generate the power to knock my Aerodactyl away.A crack heralded Hariyama's end and I leaned forward to bellow. "DON! ENOUGH!" Don growled and flapped backwards away from his now injured prey. He glared over his shoulder at Hobbs, demanding that he 'return' his pokemon instead of withdrawing it. When Hariyama did not stand the decision was taken from him.Rocko raised a red flag in Hobb's direction. "Hariyama is unable to battle!"The crowd exhaled a sigh of relief at that before tensing up as they realised that Hobbs only had an injuredGirafarig and Espeon. Hobbs glared at me.I stared back, unimpressed at his weak showing."Go Espeon!" he shouted, making everyone relax.I nodded at his decision before raising my hand. "Hyper Beam.""What? Three Hyper Beams in one match!? There's no way—"Don formed up and unleashed the move before Hobbs had finished announcing my 'bluff'. His pokemon was launched back into the barrier where it remained twitching and defeated. He stared at it before turning and giving Don and I a disbelieving look.The crowd was silent for a moment before rising to their feet to cheer for me. I smiled at that before leaning forward and staring very intently at Hobbs. He only had one more pokemon to play. He licked his lips and looked to the crowd before slowly shaking his head. I watched him grimace and then make the forfeit gesture to Rocko.He should have been able to make that call himself.I felt my assessment of him dip a little lower once again."Trainer Hobbs has declined to send out his last pokemon due to injury!" announced Rocko.Rocko gestured to me. "That makes Brock and Don the victors!" I smiled as the crowd cheered louder. Rocko waved at me and nodded towards the defeated-looking Hobbs. He made a sign that I didn't recognise but I could surmise he wanted to say something. I gestured for him to go ahead.Rocko tapped his microphone to signal that he wanted to talk and the crowd quietened. "I'd like to call out a good move by Trainer Hobbs just now. Tonight's match was rough on him and his team in a lot of ways but in the end I think he made the right decision to not bring out his injured Girafarig. I'd like to applaud his bravery."I smiled widely. It wasn't really the way it had gone down, but it did help reinforce to Hobbs that it was the right call. Perhaps in future, he'd remember to make a similar call by himself. But it also taught the same to any watching trainers in the stands. I gave Rocko a firm nod.There was a reason he was my second choice outside of the family to run the Gym, and it was moments like this that really shone through.I made sure to reaffirm the message to Hobbs when we had our little chat after the match. I pointed out a number of errors he made but he hardly seemed to listen. He nodded along, but otherwise didn't react to what I was saying. When I was done he worked his jaw and asked me a question back, "How come you were so strong?"I chuckled. "The Elite challenge I run isn't just for show Hobbs. Each pokemon of my Elite team? They stood against the highest level of competition in two regions and won. That means a lot more than people realise in terms of strength. These are pokemon that stood across from the champion. They had to be strong. Trainers that come and challenge me need to be up to snuff. And if you can't handle that level…" I made a gesture to show the field that was rather damaged but not the worst I'd had it in a while."Well, it becomes rather obvious that you haven't put in the hard work with your pokemon. It shows with how badly your pokemon get tossed around." I gestured towards the medical centre where Chansey was hopping back and forth in readiness. "I think it would be good to have your pokemon looked over before you leave."He accepted the offer much to my blood-thirsty nurse pokemon's delight. I also handed over Don into her care. She gained a euphoric look on her face as she got the swabs and wound cleaners. I waved Rocko over and clapped him on the shoulder."Nice touch out there.""Eh, it was nothing. Saw a chance to teach some people good habits and went for it.""And that, therefore, doesn't make it nothing." I nodded. "It was a good call. Nice work."I stood around for a little while longer and waved to the crowd as they departed for lunch. I had roughly a little over an hour for myself now and they had the same. Then again this was one of the feature matches of the day so most people wouldn't return as it was just regular Gym challenges for the rest of the day.I chuckled at all the people departing the Gym. Even if I had lost I would have won out big on the ticket sales alone. I knew for a fact that a lot of locals were loving their decision to get a season pass which entitled them to a number of free or early access tickets when I had matches like this.The crowd and Hobbs left. With that done I made my way to the security office. I barely needed to say who I was looking for as the security guard tapped a screen when I sat down. "That him?"I nodded. "Yup, that's Will alright," I said with a sigh. Sitting back in the chair. Technically there wasn't anything I could do. Some people would even applaud him for scouting me out. Heck some people would have their entire journey planned out. Then they'd try the same thing on the Ace circuit with specially calculated teams and moves to maximise their chances of winning only to find it was a very different beast. Ace trainers adapted and evolved, in some ways even more than their pokemon did.Still, Will wasn't doing anything illegal. He was well within his rights to sit and watch any match as long as he purchased a ticket. When I played the video forwards to watch him leave I noted the way the two people sitting next to him fell into step behind him.I hummed, bemused at their appearance. He even had a pair of trainers with him that walked with him like his own Crabbe and Goyle.It might be wrong, I had yet to even meet the man, but already his actions were speaking volumes.I had a direct comparison with Karen going straight up and announcing herself to challenge the Gym leaders of Johto. That had to be better right?It at least wouldn't feel so… slimy. It was taking what I had done with Lance's challenge and taking it so much further. Lance knew I was going to fight him. He wasn't expecting me to throw down as hard or stake as much on it as I had certainly, but he knew I was coming.It certainly felt weird having someone doing it against me to such a degree, only… different.I sat in the security room and rubbed my jaw in thought, then I glanced to another screen where I found Rocko talking with Greta. Forrest was lingering nearby with a conflicted expression but no Flint.I leaned forward. "What happened to Flint?" I said suddenly. The security guard sat up before looking at what I was looking at."Fellow with Forrest? He got white and ran off when Don bled that Girafarig. Had Forrest stay and watch the rest of your match before returning to your home." The guard clicked to another screen. "Hasn't left the house from the front or… Oops looks like there's a challenger at your doorstep!" said the guard with a chuckle.I watched as the front door opened, and Nanny Graveler emerged with an annoyed expression. She then grabbed the trainer that was trying to challenge me at my house only to be frog-marched to the privacy hedge. She then sat the trainer down and made him read the sign.I chuckled and stood up. "Right, looks like she's got that handled." I let my eyes fall back onto Forrest who looked rather worried. He kept looking back towards where our house was but otherwise wasn't leaving.He really was doing whatever Flint asked of him. I grimaced.It felt wrong, but in some ways this just highlighted that Forrest couldn't be the one to run the Gym if I were ever to depart. He was too… young. He was looking to impress Flint too much. He still looked up to Flint despite all that he'd done and that… well it made my gut churn. After me, Forrest should have had the best idea of how wrong it was for Flint and Lola to just leave us like they had. Lola still wasn't back and he seemed to just ignore it!Forrest was not ready to be a gym leader.He lacked the understanding and work ethic, and just so much else. He lacked the ability to stand up for himself. Finding him fighting Ash due to some childish taunts hadn't earned him any points, then again the reason for the fight really was Flint more than anything but… well. He was fawning over Flint like a child would their father.Was that such a bad thing though?He was a normal kid.As much as anyone was really normal.I let my eyes roam over the various feeds around the gym. I had practically the entirety of my land under various levels of security. If I didn't have someone — such as Andrew the security guard, or in the case of the Porygon, something— watching the feeds I at least had a playback of what might occur around the gym.I swept the feeds. I had cameras in the hallways of the administration area, each office space, the battle courts outside, the stands, the arena floor from a variety of different angles, the reception area, each side of the gym facing outwards, the roof, and the free-ranging area and the access road that passed by the fence and swamp.Was it paranoid and possibly overkill? Very much so, but you only needed to consider how easy it was for psychics to abuse their ability to teleport. The cameras were cheap. The technology to stop anyone that wasn't keyed into my security network had been the biggest expense I had and that was only for the region surrounding my work office and the pokeball storage area.I still had to have security guards walk the grounds at night. To patrol the halls and test the doors to make sure nothing was wrong.But that wasn't the issue, the issue was that I had made the gym big. It was probably the biggest gym in Indigo.I might have gone a bit crazy when I got the first influx of cash from the the Crystal Onix auction nearly three years ago. When I'd learnt how cheap land and construction were in the pokemon world? I may have laughed maniacally and waxed poetically about what I wanted for my 'dream gym' to the architect.The man was considered internationally famous, and the gym had a number of awards for design.Could I really expect a normal kid like Forrest to step up and man the gym?My transceiver buzzed as an alarm went off, notifying me that the world was still turning and I needed to see to lunch. Like now. I clicked open my schedule from the security console and read through the notes.I had a challenger for the gauntlet that had failed early on next, which was why I had been left alone for so long. I squinted at the name and sighed. It was that rich idiot with the Tentacruel that used IceBeam and poison Jab… Urgh…Next to me Andrew the security guard chuckled at my groan only to then frown and lean towards one screen. He clicked some keys and zoomed in on a pokemon match going on between two trainers outside on the courts. He lifted his transceiver up. "Dave we've got a ten-eight-five-two on court six. Young trainer is getting some support from outside the fight from a friend. Notify the ref.""Roger!" chimed the radio on the desk.I looked at the court in question. It took a moment before I clicked my tongue in annoyance. "Trainer's Marill using Helping Hand?""Yup, Dave'll nab em and the win will go to the other trainer." Andrew tilted his head. "You sure you still want us to log their trainer I'D numbers to report them?""It should at least go on their file. Let them know it is on there and then leave it at that," I said standing to get on with the day. When I reached the trainer lounge I found Flint had returned. I frowned at his slightly paler complexion before shaking my head and ignoring it, and the urge to go eat lunch in my office.Instead, I focussed on talking with my trainers and pretending I didn't care that Flint was here. That he wasn't intruding on my Gym. I focussed on my upcoming match with the rich kid. Hopefully he would have learned a thing or two and be more ready for this match. It should be an easy win for him.If I was lucky then—"Hey! Forrest just beat that rich punk!" said Daniel gleefully.I sat up, feeling so happy that I planned to force a hug onto Forrest for sparing me from having to face that trainer again. Then a thought occurred to me."Isn't Forrest off duty today?" I asked.Daniel scratched his head. "Sorry, he wanted to show off in front of your dad?"I glanced over to find Flint laughing and Forrest beaming. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "What level did the rich kid apply for?""First?" Daniel said with a squirm."What pokemon did Forrest use?" I said."... Moxy the Graveler, and Lairon?"I sighed. Raising my transceiver to watch a playback of Forrest fighting against the other kid that was trying to show off as much as Forrest it seemed.I watched the playback on a screen and found myself relaxing at what I was seeing. He'd used just the right amount of force. While his pokemon choice was dubious it was probably the best option with the rich kid's previous claims of his pokemon making the quarterfinals the year before.I frowned when it got the end of the match and Forrest waved the kid off. "Go open a damned book on tactics!" The other kid had run off at that and I was left wondering if that was too much. It seemed a bit too much in review, but then again, the kid was using pokemon that were way too strong for a first badge challenge…I brought up the rich kid's notes... He had another match already booked in advance, so had he even been expecting to win?… His next match was in another two weeks or so.. And a double battle challenge? …I really wasn't sure what to make of this kid now.I shook my head and decided to just not worry about it for now.Instead, I turned towards Greta, "So, got any questions?"She grinned and started firing them off. Answering her questions would be easier than dealing with Forrest, and whatever was going on with Flint after all.