The blare of my alarm had me up and about like normal. I was halfway through listing off what I needed to do for the morning before I remembered how things had gone for the last few days. I stopped cleaning my face and braced myself against the sink.
Right, a whole lot had happened.I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Right, it had happened; I needed to move on.Which was turning out harder than I expected it to be. It was like a thorn in my side that niggled and irritated me.I shouldn't have drawn against Will.I shook my head and splashed water into my face to give myself a shock with the cold water. I hadn't lost through any skill or strength difference. Rather, I'd lost match ups due to technicalities. Some of which I was going to make sure never happened again.I donned my clothes for the day and marched out to find Yolanda standing with Terra in a carrier. "M-morning training?" she said with a yawn.I shot her a grin and ruffled her loosely tied-up hair. "You know it. Are you going to look to start up some of the training I had Forrest doing?"She nodded, a resolute expression taking over, while Terra waved from the baby carrier that Yolanda had her in. Yolanda peered around me and into my room. "Sabrina didn't stay over?"I huffed at her and pushed her down the hallway lightly before shooting Terra a look over. "Don't worry about that. Also with regards to your training, you're already lifting heavier items than we had Forrest at thanks to Terra. She's starting to get heavier with her meals, yeah?"Yolanda coughed. "Yeah, she has been putting on weight.""That's a good thing, the average for her species is considered around seventy-two kilograms so don't be surprised if you find yourself tiring out a bit. She's probably only half that right now as a baby, but she's getting her height, bones, and organs to grow properly. If she's anything like Titan, then she'll be in the eighty to ninety-kilogram margin.""Oh dear," Yolanda said. "What about when she evolves?""Pupitar will see her doubling in weight easily due to the cocoon. That's when you'll be carrying her the most, as she otherwise will only be able to use her jets to propel herself. This is not a very precise form of movement. In the wild, Pupitar wreck their surroundings so much that it looks like something has been running around breaking trees. They usually go down into the subterranean tunnels of the Silver Ranges, which are a lot more sturdy to continue to grow.""Double?!" Yolanda said with an audible gulp. "That means around two hundred kilograms, right? If she gets to eighty or ninety?"I nodded stoically. "Yeah, train up. It's one of the most important points of her life, but also the point that will pay the biggest dividends.""How so?" she asked."Terra will be used to moving around and investigating things. During her time as a Pupitar that can become a lot harder for her as she won't have as much ease of movement. You being able to carry her will just be another way of showing that you care. Best advice? Never complain about it."I raised a finger to make a point, "However, if you're exhausted, then just say as much. Terra should be able to understand that you have limits. You'll be able to deepen your bond a lot when one of you has to rely on the other. For the majority of the time, it might seem like you're leaning on her for her strength when she gets strong, but she won't get that way unless you put in the early work.""Huh," Yolanda said thoughtfully as we walked around to the reserve proper. I nodded to Dennis, who shot me a salute. I was glad to see him back at work. I'd suggested a longer break, but it seemed he was more than happy to return. He turned back to working with Greta and Missy on some finer points of care for the Aron they were working with."Hey Brock?" asked Yolanda as we reached the area where I trained my Elite team."Yeah?" I said as I queued up the Sonata of Awakening once more to let my pokemon know I was up and ready for them."How long did you carry Titan around? I remember he evolved just before you left didn't he?"I considered that for a while. "Around a year or so?" I said. I rubbed my arms and shoulders, remembering the pain from back then. Yolanda made a considering noise as my pokemon started to appear.She glanced around the reserve and frowned. "What's with the new plateau being set up further back there?" she said, indicating the build up of earth and stone that was now a small hill. I could see a number of Slugma idling around it."Ah, that's where we're setting up a volcano; we're hoping to create a variant on another pokemon for us.""Woah! Really?! Which pokemon?" she said, perking up."Growlithe… hopefully. It will take a while, though. Remember, I spent roughly three years before I got a hit with Sanchez.""But Bianca might speed that up, no?" she said with a thoughtful look on her face.I considered her and smirked. "That might be true. Thinking of taking one with you when you set off?" I said knowingly."They would make a powerful combination." She smiled at me and ticked off her fingers. "A Larvitar, a variant Geodude, an Aron, and a variant Growlithe would be a strong start. Wouldn't you say?"I raised an eyebrow at her. "That's a little ambitious. Think I'm going to give you those for your start?"She smiled widely at me, and her eyes started to glimmer hopefully.I coughed and looked away. I really hoped she didn't teach Suzie her Baby Doll Eyes. They were powerful.Titan yawned as he walked out of the cavern beneath the plateau. He shook himself and accidentally destroyed part of the cave wall when his tail swept around. Yolanda stopped being so smug and eyed him."How heavy do Tyranitar get?"I smirked. "Two fifty on average," I said, knowing that she would understand that Titan was heavier. She glanced from me to him, and I chuckled and nodded at the unasked question."No way," she said, waving her hand back and forth in disbelief.Terra tilted her head, having caught the gesture. She tilted her head before putting a small hand to her nose as though to ward off a smell.Yolanda giggled. "No sorry, that doesn't just mean there's a bad smell but that I—"I left Yolanda with her explanations, instead striding towards my team. I released two pokeballs and a pair of Lileep appeared."Team, I'm not going to waste time spending any more time on what happened on the weekend. It's time to go to work." I clapped my hands and then nodded my head to the distant marker. I plucked up the Lileep."You're joining my team, Lileep," I said to the one on my right. This was the pokemon that I had used in a few matches already, and it had shown that it was a powerful addition. Its natural Storm-drain ability made it a strong candidate for my Elite team but it had some serious potential beyond that. With both Lileep on my shoulders, I had a decent amount of weight on me as I ran."What should I do?" cried out Yolanda.I paused and doubled back. "Sorry! I forgot that you wouldn't know the complete routine. Seeing as this is your first day, jog out and back to the stone the others are running to right now. Do that three times. If you need to stop, then slow to a walk.""I'll run it!" she said, taking off. I noted that she had a fire in her eyes that mirrored my smallest and fluffiest pokemon, Clefairy, which was hopping furiously after Bertha in front of us. The giant swinging mace of her tail served as a target for him to chase with his hops. Behind him, Teddiursa ran along with a growl after Clefairy.Yolanda lasted two laps before having to slow to a walk. I jogged on the spot next to her. "You're carrying heavier than Forrest did on his first day. Don't be down on yourself; you're doing great," I said, making her brighten up. The Lileep waved their fronds, and she grinned at me.I rolled my eyes. "I know, I look ridiculous," I said easily.When we were done with the warm up, I started pointing to my pokemon and assigning them tasks to focus on. "Tide, Knight, Hypnotoad, I want you in a three-way battle; nothing worse than a Water Gun or Rock Throw on each other. Knight, you're going to be working for it; keep your head up. If you get the chance, use Iron Tail, Steel Head, or Dark Pulse to absorb any hits that might threaten you."Knight considered that in his own slow manner before nodding and moving off with Tide and Hypnotoad."Shrek, you're with Shin," I said, starting to rattle off the rest of the training plans.As I did so, I started to notice a gleam in my pokemon's eyes. Each of them were focused and working with intent. Their minds were on the training in front of them as they worked. I had Bertha and Titan running through fast feet drills while others fired occasional zaps or light attacks, which they had to dodge.I tapped Yolanda on the shoulder and set her to the side to meditate on Terra while Terra performed some simple moves such as Rock Throw. "Also, make sure to work on other moves just to see if you can feel a difference. It might be a good idea to work on normal type moves.""Why Normal type?" she asked with a furrowed brow.I sighed. "It will come up later for you and will make things easier for a certain power-up that pokemon like Tyranitar possess."Yolanda nodded slowly, and I chuckled before whistling for Jormungandr to work with me. While I wasn't going to get the chance against Will, in truth, it seemed I had never had enough time unless I had focused solely on this, since I got the Mega Stone.I could feel Yolanda staring at me, and I shot her a look before flicking my eyes to Terra in silent reprimand.For the next hour, I worked with Jormungandr to build on the link that we'd been forming now. It was slow, steady progress, and there might have been a degree of degradation since I'd last worked on this with him, but we certainly made more progress since last time, with the vessel of energy coming easier and building up until it was almost half complete on my end.Titan only needed to warn me of slipping into dark-aligned energy once, which I considered significant progress. Hopefully, with my warning, Yolanda wouldn't slip into my bad habits. Not that I could imagine someone like Yolanda gaining a dark alignment with her aura.Then again, she wasn't a teenager yet… Maybe she'd become sassy in her teenage years?I considered her with narrowed eyes as we worked through our cooldown. She tilted her head at me, and I shook my head, not willing to voice my thoughts. Yolanda wasn't like Forrest, she was much more mature and might decide to have a goth phase or some such just to mess with me, whereas Forrest would have just scoffed.My eyes then alighted on Titan. I clicked my tongue, and he perked up. I clapped my hands together in a quick one-two pattern and then held them up at shoulder width.Titan's eyes widened before he shot Yolanda and Terra a look.Then he smirked at me. He barked once and a hush fell over the group.I braced my muscles and flooded my body with rock energy as he ran towards me. Then, like we'd practised and played with years ago, only to not repeat it for years, Titan leapt.I caught him mid-leap and held him aloft. He kept his arms and legs spread wide like a star as I slowly twirled about like we were a pair of cheerleaders.I clenched my jaw and bent my knees before straightening. At the same time, I shot my arms up higher and launched Titan up and away from me to land on his feet. He made a crater when he landed."Ta dah!" I said, performing jazz hands towards Titan, who bowed like a professional gymnast. Yolanda and Terra applauded with what looked like stars in their eyes. I shot Titan a subtle thumbs-up."Rhy! Rhyperior!" cried out Bertha as she snorted and pointed at herself."Bertha wants to go next!" Yolanda translated somewhat unnecessarily, in my opinion.Bertha didn't wait for me to potentially deny her; she lumbered forward and leapt, making me brace and catch her. I held her aloft and spun her gently around."Rhy! Rhy Rhy!" she said with what I could only assume was a huge smile. I lowered her, and she landed daintily. In that she only crushed a few pebbles as she twirled and skipped away, her steps causing shudders and quakes in the ground."Golem!" shouted a rapidly descending Sanchez.I snatched him out of the air with finely honed big brother reflexes and spun with him before realisation set in. I scowled and launched him. He flew with a laughing cackle. When he landed he bounced, and rolled along before popping up to shoot me a thumbs up.I eyed the rest of my team and was relieved when Jormungandr and Tide, who were easily the heaviest of my pokemon, looked uninterested in being held aloft. Shrek rather politely tapped me on the shoulder, and I indulged him.Hypnotoad didn't let me drop him and instead carried him off when I was done, much to my other pokemon's amusement.When Clefairy hopped at me, I laughed and held him aloft as he cheered, happy to be included. When I deposited him onto Bertha's shoulder, I relaxed and turned to shoot Yolanda a victory sign, only to find her recording me with her transceiver.I stilled. Shit, she could do that as well, couldn't she? I considered coughing and sheepishly smiling, only to decide to take a leaf from Bertha's book and own it. I nodded seriously. "And that's one method of building team cohesion!" I said, like I'd planned it all along.Yolanda tittered at me and dropped her arm. "Smooth, big brother," she teased.I huffed at her and stuck my tongue out before waving her to follow me to get everyone's food. I noted that Empress was watching with a stern expression. I offered a nod and kept walking while Yolanda approached and let Terra wave to her mother.When Yolanda caught up to me, she watched me, and I hummed a questioning note. She indicated Empress. "You know she was watching you and the others train the whole time, yeah?""Hmmm, is that so?" I said.Yolanda nodded and continued to watch me for a while. "Are you… going to ask her to stay?"That made me pause. "I was just letting her stick around to help her deal with the grief and to also allow her mountain to be regrown. I think I heard something about Erika taking part in that event, so it shouldn't be long."Yolanda considered that. "I think she likes it here. It would be better for her, I think…" She glanced at me. "It would also be great for you if she joined your team?"I blinked. "Well, yeah," I said, considering the truths that Yolanda was saying. I glanced over my shoulder, where Empress was sniffing at Sanchez, who was laughing boisterously as Clefairy practised his Pound on the Rock-electric type pokemon."I might ask her…" I eventually said. "Hopefully she doesn't take it the wrong way when I ask her."Yolanda frowned at that. "I hadn't considered that."I shrugged. "It's something that needs to happen when you add an already strong pokemon to your team. It makes a world of difference to train up a pokemon and have them attribute a degree of their strength to your work. Pokemon that have gained it themselves can be more stubborn, and it becomes a lot harder to have them follow orders. There is a whole group of people that debate the benefits and negatives of catching an already strong pokemon."Yolanda took all of this in with a thoughtful expression. I patted her on the shoulder, pleased to see her listening. "I'll be careful about suggesting she stick around, or join me."And by that, I meant that I would be careful about when I asked her that Yolanda and the others weren't around. I'd also be careful with how I worded the offer."I suppose even just having her around would add a degree of security," Yolanda suggested.I hummed in agreement before handing her a few trays and dishes of food to carry back with her. Terra made the task more difficult by trying to sample each dish, her little arms and legs wiggling to reach each food tray.I took care of my more temperamental pokemon's meals. On a whim, I made up another tray that I fed to Titan and dropped off to Empress. She eyed it before nodding with a grunt, lowering her head, and eating it without watching me. Hmmm, so she'd let me feed her… that… was a good sign towards her being comfortable with me at the very least.I departed before I could irritate her. I would need to think on this some more, as I hadn't invited her to the reserve to have her join my team, but now that it had been pointed out to me… having a second Tyranitar on my team… damn, that was appealing.I could be like Lance with how he fielded more than one Dragonite… Huh, maybe he'd been thinking I'd do that when I'd made the offer back on Mt. Silver.Oops. I might have made him a bit more worried that I'd end up gunning for his position.Oh well, that's on him.I handed off the other meals to my pokemon and then made my way home for my own breakfast.When Alexa deposited the day's schedule, I perked up when I spotted a name I recognised right before lunch."Bugsy from Azalea Town? Now that's interesting; he's the grandson of Cricket?" I said, already knowing the answer.Alexa produced a small profile. "Indeed, he is touted to only have one year for a Journey according to the notes on his file with the League, as he has been hand-picked out of his family to inherit the Gym." Alexa tapped a section of text. "Interestingly, the rest of his family have all supported his claim instead of standing against him.""Huh, that's neat," I said, unsure how I should feel about his story. I could almost see some parallels, but then again, we were also worlds apart in our situations. I shut his file and instead turned back to the others. We had a few first-timers and some repeat challengers, but there were two whole gaps in my day. This said a lot considering I'd already had this week set up for early finishes, along with a slightly longer lunch.After the last six weeks or thereabouts, it seemed I was starting to poke out the other side of the Surge. I wasn't fully out of it, as there would be a lot more challengers still to come, but it wasn't going to be a huge peak and crash of trainers as it had been."Alright, let's head out and see how they do," I said, more than happy to slide into a normal routine.Sadly, as soon as the first challenge was done, a number of the people in the crowd stood and waved microphones in my direction. "Gym Leader Brock! It's been a few days since your match with Will? What are your thoughts on the League setting up measures to make sure the Elite Four or the champion can't be cheated like you were? Is the League too slow on this suggestion?""Brock! What corrections to your team have you made seeing as they were too weak? Is your starter undergoing remedial footwork drills?!"The trainer that I'd just awarded a badge to looked startled as the people that we'd assumed were standing to cheer for him suddenly revealed themselves to be vultures. I sighed and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Sorry about this kid; if you make it to the higher levels, you'll encounter types like this," I said, ignoring the shouted questions.I toggled a button on my radio, and an alert was sent out. The reporters continued to shout questions and thus didn't see the security Gravelers that were rolling towards them. They paused when heavy hands reached out and clapped two reporters per Graveler before they found themselves frog-marched out. I shook my head as they cried out about abuse and the silencing of the free press.I'd have Alexa read them the riot act on harassment and being public menaces.I shook my head and pushed the thoughts of the reporters and what they represented out of my mind so I could get on with my day.After that one blip, things continued up until the last match before lunch, and Bugsy challenged at the fourth-tier badge level with a gauntlet match.I sent Yolanda down first, and she selected a Lairon and a Graveler to face him.Bugsy came out and politely waved to the crowd, but I noted he paid special attention to one group of young boys. They stood out because all of them wore odd uniforms that reminded me of the scouts from my past life.He bowed politely when he reached his podium and then selected a pokeball from his belt."Begin!" shouted Missy from the referee stand."Go Lairon!" called Yolanda."Go Heracross!" shouted Bugsy.Both pokemon appeared, and the crowd stirred at what immediately seemed like a very interesting matchup. Bugsy had made a good choice while also taking risks with his pokemon, whereas Yolanda fielding Lairon was a powerful statement to start things off."Rock Tomb!" Yolanda began with a chop of her arm."Move with Aerial Ace, get in close!" shouted Bugsy.His pokemon blurred and shifted before vanishing in a display of speed only to appear in front of Lairon with its horn lowered. Bugsy punched a fist forward. "Close Comb—""Protect!" screamed Yolanda, and I nodded at the call. It was a good stoppage to make Bugsy not get in a super-effective move against Lairon. Bugsy nodded in acceptance when his pokemon's move bounced off the dome."Heracross! Step back and use Swords Dance!" his pokemon adopted a stance where its wings began to beat rapidly. Dust started to be stirred up as it got stronger and faster.When the Protect shell dropped away, Yolanda didn't hesitate. "Rock Blast!""Punch through Close Combat!" Bugsy said, not hesitating in the least to have his pokemon blast through the weak but fast rock attack.Lairon took Heracross' horn to the head, only for Bugsy's pokemon to reveal how well-trained it was as it lifted Lairon up, allowing Heracross to slam its fists into the weaker metal underbelly.Lairon rocked back and collapsed on his back, resulting in Yolanda returning him. She was quick to send out her Graveler, and this time while she fought a delaying keep-away match with Sandstorm, and Dig, she wasn't able to handle a single hit from the buffed-up Heracross.As soon as the match was over Bugsy brought his pokemon back to his side and used a potion.I agreed that the choice was a good one. Dennis marched out next, and I was amused when he tossed out an Electric Graveler as his first choice."Thunder!" bellowed Dennis as his opening move, causing Bugy to have to think quickly."Megahorn the ground! Throw up the earth!" he cried, causing his Heracross to hurl up a large chunk of earth to absorb most of the threat."Rollout!" said Dennis in follow up making his pokemon start to charge forward in a roll. "Build it up with Sparks!" he said, causing his pokemon to become like a rolling firework with how sparks radiated outwards."Heracross! Return!" Bugsy cried before Graveler could close with his Heracross. He didn't hesitate to throw out another pokemon in its place though. "Go Shuckle!"I inhaled in surprise at the Rock-bug type pokemon making an appearance. It was notably a pokemon I still didn't have for the Gym and having Bugsy use it definitely had me sitting up and paying attention."Shuckle, take the hit and use Power Split!" he said boldly. I whistled."Damn, that was a good move," I said, causing Yolanda, Greta, and Crystal to shoot me confused looks."Why? That pokemon is notoriously slow?""Yeah but it has some of the best defences around; it also just averaged the attack abilities that Graveler has with itself. That's what Power Split does, making it very useful."I was proven right as the move impacted Graveler just before it could slam into Shuckle. The Graveler's charged-up sparks practically vanished right before it hit, resulting in a much weaker impact.From there Bugsy displayed a mastery of how to use his Shuckle by beating down on Gravler and the follow-up Lileep with Bug-type moves while keeping his pokemon in good health. He made sure to keep his pokemon out and rub a potion into it as I was called down.I could only nod. It was a good move with the Gauntlet allowing him to buff up his pokemon before a match; with this strategy, he'd bring a much stronger pokemon out for our match without tiring it out.I launched myself from the side and onto the podium. I rose, locked eyes with the future leader of the Azalea Gym, and offered him a nod of respect. "I can see that you've done your homework. You have a very good setup for this match," I said, letting my gaze fall to his pokemon as I selected a pokeball.Bugsy nodded. "I wanted to bring my best against you!"I grinned and released my first pokemon for this match. "Go Shelly!" I said tossing out my Omastar.She popped out and waved merrily to the crowd before settling down. The flags rose and fell."Surf!" I declared, causing Bugsy to click his tongue."Shuckle! Hold until the wave is right on top of you!" Bugsy said, clenching his fists and eyeing the approaching super-effective move. He held his nerve well, and just as it threatened to crash onto Shuckle he punched his fist forward. "Shell Smash!"Around his pokemon, red energy built up and then exploded outwards like a bomb going off. The blast blew apart the wave and caused Shelly to falter and crash out."Go! Close in! Use Gyroball!" His pokemon leapt forward and rolled into a glowing ball of Steel energy that descended atop my pokemon."Protect!" I barked just in time to stop the attack from knocking Shelly out of the match.Bugsy's Shuckle reappeared, and I grinned as the Protect dropped away. "Ancient Power!" I felt that it was an apt move in this instance. It slammed into Shuckle, but the beast of a Shuckle shrugged it off despite having taken a debuff from the Shell Smash."Bug Bite!" he barked hurriedly, causing his pokemon to lunge forward and snap its thin jaw around Shelly. I breathed a sigh of relief at his choice. When Shelly shook off the hit and remained standing, Bugsy hissed at his mistake."Stone Edge, I said, deciding to punish Bugsy's slip-up. A bug type move, such as Bug Bite, while empowered, was actually rather weak against Omastar thanks to its rock typing.The powerful rock move slammed home and dropped the Shuckle after the impressive showing.Bugsy knocked his fist on his head in frustration. "Stupid, stupid, urgh, you had better moves to use," he said to himself.I hummed. He was being hard on himself, but he wasn't wrong; a different move there might have seen me having to return Shelly rather than him returning his Shuckle. He might have fallen into a predictable issue of favouring bug type moves over others. For all that he was a good trainer, he still had some slip-ups and rough edges to work out, it seemed."Let's go Pinsir!" shouted Bugsy, releasing yet another rare bug type. He released it right on top of Shelly.I heard the crowd gasp in surprise, and the section dominated by the scout-like boys practically rioted with how much noise they started to make.Bugsy didn't give me time to appreciate the rare bug, however, and instead punched his fist forward."Earthquake!" he said, causing Shelly to be thrown upward. She landed roughly but still struggled to her legs to keep fighting, making Bugsy blink in surprise."Stealth Rock," I said to her before he could react. She sent out the move, and I raised her pokeball and withdrew her, signalling I wouldn't use her again.Bugsy eyed the rocks hovering around the battlefield before deciding to ignore them. "Pinsir! We're not going to let those bother us! We're going all the way from here!""Bold words," I said as I selected another pokeball before revealing my choice. "Go Sudowoodo! Let's take the fight to them!"Sudowoodo, my ever-fearless pokemon, appeared with a grin as he flexed his twiggy arms. Pinsir snapped his pincers together threateningly."Superpower!" Bugsy shouted."Rock Tomb," I replied with a smirk. Sudowoodo grinned and kicked at the ground, causing a line of rocks to shoot up and snap around Pinsir's leg before he could close his glowing pincers onto Sudowoodo.The pinchers clacked together loudly, and I eyed the speed before deciding to risk it. "Head Smash!""Protect!" Bugsy said quickly, causing my pokemon's attack to slam ineffectively against the shell. Both pokemon glowered at each other and I grinned as they stepped closer together."Ready for it Sudo?" I asked, causing him to twitch a limb. "Backflip and use Stone Edge!" I shouted, giving Sudowoodo space away from Pinsir, before unleashing a large boulder."Superpower, break that rock apart!" Bugsy said, causing his Pinsir to catch and crush the boulder. Both pokemon eyed each other once again as Bugsy and I grinned."Rock Tomb!""Hyper Beam!" Bugsy said, catching me and my pokemon by surprise as his pokemon lined up and fired off a powerful beam of energy.Sudowoodo was caught off guard and was hurled backwards before collapsing against the back wall. I hissed in surprise. That had been quite the sly move. I shot Bugsy a nod. Clever boy.I returned Sudowoodo and grinned as I selected my third pokemon. "Quirrina! Let's go!""Solrock!" cried one of the few pokemon I'd gained during my short trip to the Hoenn desert.Bugsy laughed. "You're really not going to let me have this easy, are you?" he said.I shook my head and punched straight ahead. "Flamethrower," I said, unleashing a torrent of flame on the still-exhausted Pinsir."Hang in there, Pinsir! Hang in there!" Bugsy shouted, imploring his pokemon to endure the super-effective move. Pinsir screeched in pain but when the flames died away, it was still standing tall. I whistled in appreciation; Bugsy had some strong pokemon, raising my opinion of him another notch.Bugsy opened his mouth before shutting it, as a thought seemed to occur to him. He returned his pokemon and tossed out a Scyther."Oh come on!" screamed a young voice from the crowd. Evidently, someone wasn't pleased by Bugsy's depth of bug pokemon.Scyther brandished his scythes, only to shriek in surprise when Stealth Rock slammed into it."Get it together, Scyther! I need you!" Bugsy said causing Scyther to catch itself."Flamethrower!" I said again."Double Team!" ordered Bugsy, causing his pokemon to vanish into a blur with afterimages left in place. "Now use X-scissor!" I grinned, pleased that Bugsy knew that this pokemon I'd sent out was weak against bug-type moves and was moving to capitalise on it."Fire Spin," I intoned, causing both pokemon to take hits they didn't want. Scyther landed poorly and staggered, whereas Quirrina struggled but remained in the air.Scyther fell, and Bugsy groaned.The group of boys all wailed in sadness. Bugsy gained a determined expression and selected his next pokeball. "Go Butterfree!" he cried, releasing a Butterfree that flapped its wings and caused a torrent to break out.I held up a hand in front of my face to shield my eyes from the wind; that was a strong Butterfree."Butterfree use Bug Buzz!" he shouted, causing his pokemon to stiffen up and vibrate. A powerful wave of green energy blasted out and slammed into Quirinna, causing him to stagger again but remain in the air."Rock Throw!""Weave around it!" Bugsy growled, slashing his hand and making his Butterfree tuck a wing and dive out of danger."Flamethrower!" I ordered."Confusion! Toss it back!" shouted Bugsy, causing his pokemon to hurl back the fire."Psychic, blast it back," I said, happy with Bugsy's performance."Bug Buzz again!" shouted Bugsy once the flame broke apart. The psychic waves impacted with the green Bug Type energy to slam into Quirrina and see my pokemon finally fall.I toyed with my last pokemon and eyed Bugsy. He lifted his chin and kept his eyes locked on me. I grinned and tossed out the last pokemon, I'd already determined that Bugsy was going to get my badge, but damn if I didn't want to keep fighting with him. He was good, and I wanted to see how good he was."Go Onix!" I said.Bugsy deflated slightly, only for me to grin and his expression to falter."Sandstorm!" I said, causing my pokemon to sweep its tail about like a whip and call forth a giant gout of sand that swept the entire battlefield.Butterfree opened his wings and prepared to deny it. Bugsy didn't disappoint. "Whirlwind!" he shouted. With a powerful flap of his wings, the Sandstorm was dispersed, but in doing so, his pokemon became a sitting target."Stone Edge," I said, causing a pillar of stone to slam into the flying-bug type, crumpling it and ending the contest.Bugsy hissed, and I grinned. "Four to three, no?" I said pointedly."Pinsir's still able to fight!" Bugsy said fiercely. "And so can this guy! Go Heracross!" He released his first bug pokemon, and I grinned."Dragonsbreath!" I ordered"Close Combat!" ordered Bugsy, causing his pokemon to surge through the flames, ignoring much of the damage that I knew would be accruing, to slam home and devastate Onix.I returned him and raised my hand to another pokeball causing Bugsy to lean forward in anticipation.I chuckled and waved him down. "I'm just playing, as much as I'd love to keep this match going, I think you've more than proven yourself, Bugsy from Azalea Town."Bugsy leapt upwards. "Yatta!" he said before leaping down to start celebrating with his Heracross.I chuckled and started lowering the podiums. I'd have to offer him the badge, he was too skilled for me to ignore as a trainer. A glance up to the stands revealed that his group of friends were all exuberantly calling out his name.I presented him with his badge, and he waved at the group. "You guys! Come join me for my photo!" He then shot me a look. "If that's alright?""The more the merrier," I said. I then smirked at him and said, "Did you also want to have a look at Gawain?""Yes!" he and the others cheered. I merely laughed.It looks like I know what I'd be doing for the rest of the afternoon.
142
"So you're the leader of the local chapter of the Bug Catcher Club?" I asked as I led the group of young boys. There was also a single girl who had happily entangled one of her arms with one of the boys while walking through the Gym with Dennis and Yolanda.I noticed more than a few furtive glances at the couple from the rest of the group but decided to leave that for the playground drama that it was."Y-yes!" squeaked the boy, who was apparently the leader. He looked a little sick as we walked."You alright there Johnny?" I asked, more than familiar with the look of a kid that was about to throw up."I'm fine! Just fine!" he said tightly.I decided to let him be and instead turned to Bugsy, who'd asked for this. "So, we didn't get a chance before, but were there any areas of the match that stood out as good or bad?"Bugsy coughed. "I forgot some of the typings of pokemon I was facing and made a tactical error… a few times due to that.""You regathered quite nicely. If I'm being honest, the speed of some of your orders could stand to be faster as well. I'm impressed with some of the moves you have access to with your pokemon team, by the way. Shell Smash and Power Split were also good strategies to utilise."I glanced back to Dennis, "Still no word on that Shuckle bounty?"Dennis coughed. "A beverage company lost their stock and have been paying top dollar to replace their providers."I blinked at that and said, "Huh, not what I was expecting. That's a shame.""You're looking to add a bug pokemon to your team?" Bugsy said excitedly.I nodded easily. "Gawain is the most prominent of my pokemon. I'm sure everyone noticed when I announced I was getting him. It was a bit of a whimsical purchase on my part, but… well, Scythers are just so cool."That got the group to nod along happily, and I caught Yolanda giggling at their antics. More than a few of them seemed to twitch when they remembered she was there, suddenly getting more shy in her presence.Yolanda noticed this and joined the excited group. "Gawain is super cool! Brock named him after the old historical knights, and he lives up to it all the time as this super gallant pokemon! Wasn't his showing against Will incredible?""Yeah! I loved it when he avenged Knight and chopped that Jynx in the throat!" shouted one boy. I felt a dark satisfaction at recalling that particular moment.Yeah, that had been satisfying."Well, yes…" Yolanda said with a slightly perturbed expression. Oh damn, I was probably smiling a touch too wide.I coughed and stopped smiling. "But yes, I'm interested in building up the Rock-Bug type pokemon I have with me. To assist with that we have assistants from both Professors Oak and Elm on hand to monitor the pokemon. Some of them are even working on breeding programs."Johnny frowned up at me. "But wouldn't your Gawain just make Scyther eggs?"I pointed at him and nodded. "Correct!" I said as we walked through the back door of the Gym and onto the reserve. That caused the bug catchers to all quiet down and stare at the wide range of pokemon on display. I watched them with a growing smile at how it almost seemed like a zoo being walked into for the first time.Or maybe, especially if my plans went ahead, I'd be able to create a sort of Ancient pokemon park. With Tyrantrum and Aurorus and everything! That would be amazing! I could start setting it up; I already had Aerodactyl, with some of the eggs also soon to hatch, according to Bianca. I'd need to make sure they stuck around the reserve and didn't fly off.We walked past a pack of Aron that barked playfully at us before sprinting away when they caught sight of Knight himself. The large Aggron saw them coming, and his tail wagged furiously as he lowered himself to play. A moment later, a group of Geodude and some Graveler joined in the game of what looked like Simon says.I snorted when I saw Knight cheat by grabbing his tail, something that almost all the pokemon playing with him didn't possess, or couldn't reach. They responded by throwing mud and rocks at him. He barked a laugh and ran off, with them giving chase.The Bug Catchers still seemed a bit in awe as we walked around the plateau and came upon Shin, my Kabutops, exchanging blows with Gawain."He's beautiful," said one of the boys, and I coughed as the group all stared, their awe reaching a new level.The girl in the group dropped back to talk with Yolanda, leaving the boys to fawn over Gawain. I let them bask in the moment for a bit before whistling to Shin and Gawain. "Break time boys! We've got some fans that want to meet Gawain!"Gawain and Shin stopped with their blades raised. Shin blinked and looked over while Gawain did so with a tilted head. Shin then laughed and nudged the younger pokemon. Gawain shifted in surprise but hopped towards us.He pulled up a little short and bowed politely, causing the entire group of boys, Bugsy included, to bow back."Kleavor!" he said in greeting. Brandishing his axes in a greeting. "Vor!""So cool!" cheered the boys as they vibrated in place.I coughed. "You can walk closer if you'd like, just don't touch his axes, they're very sharp. Gawain is very clever but also very friendly."The boys all took that offer; surprisingly, they didn't rush forward but instead stepped forward in ones and twos, in a manner that seemed practised."May I?" asked Johnny. Gawain nodded and allowed the boys to touch him.The boy's instantly started nerding out. "His carapace is so rough and strong!""What sort of diet does he have?" "How did you evolve him?" "Are you getting more?" A tide of questions started to flow and I suddenly had to wonder if I didn't have a group like Salvadore, only they had a much smaller niche of just bug pokemon rather than pokemon in general."We have a blend of berries that he seems to enjoy that give him a good caloric intake without slowing him down. He enjoys Pecha the most, we add that to a blend we have made up for strong rock types and some blends of bug types that Stephen, the assistant from Oak, swears by for Bug pokemon.""I'm not going to reveal the evolution mechanic beyond mentioning it has something to do with rocks and leave it at that," I said mysteriously."Urgh! You mean we have to learn about rocks for our bug types?" he said.I waggled my hand. "For this bug type you do, as well as the other Rock-bug type pokemon that I own."That caused all of the boys to stop and turn mechanically towards me. "What did you just say?"I smirked and looked to Sanchez who'd approached, to watch and take part in any drama taking place. "Can you go get our newest ancient pokemon? The one that likes to hug? She has visitors."Sanchez toddled a few steps before hopping into a roll that saw him accelerate into the caves that led to the grotto most of my ancient pokemon liked to hang around in. Don hadn't liked it, or at least he pretended not to like it, when the newest ancient pokemon joined the older group in their space. I think on some level he enjoyed having all the ancient pokemon gather around him.There was going to be so much screeching when I eventually found a Tyrunt.A few moments later, Sanchez came back with another pokemon in his hands. Bugsy gasped and stepped forward, only for Johnny to join him a moment later. Sanchez's grip slipped, and a moment later, Anorith was flying through the air."Anorith!" she shouted happily as she slammed into Johnny's face and rode him to the ground.Bugsy gasped. "My goodness! Look at the pinchers on her!" He pointed at the top of Johnny's head, where said pinchers were gripping onto the top of his head. Bugsy ran a hand along her back. "And her shell! Very sturdy! Look at her limbs and tail! She'd be perfect for aquatic encounters!"A few of the other boys left Gawain's group to inspect Anorth, who wiggled happily.I coughed. "Should we uhm, let him up?" Indicating Johnny."Nuh Uhm gub!" came Johnny's muffled reply. "Dis ib nuffin! Dadepee like do do dis ull du time!"I took a moment to translate what he'd said before slowly nodding. "Oh, well, if you're used to it then…" He gave me a thumbs-up."I'm not sure I should allow this behaviour to continue…"Bugsy waved his hand. "Oh no! She's just being affectionate! This is perfectly normal, I assure you! Bug pokemon are very quick with forming bonds and showing their feelings!""Sounds about right! She's a cuddly one!" Yolanda chimed.I hummed. "I'd prefer if she learned to hug somewhere other than the face." Some movies from my past life would never allow me to be comfortable with a face hugger.I eyed him and noticed how his face was going slightly blue. "Anorith? Want to hug the others as well?" She perked up and leapt from Johnny's face at another boy who screamed only to take a face full of Anorith. He remained standing, and I sighed. "Maybe try hugging their chests or shoulders?" I prompted.Anorith's bug eyes swivelled around onto me, and she wiggled on the boy's face. "Rith!""She likes the face," Bugsy translated, somewhat unnecessarily.I adopted a sad pose. "Oh, that's a shame; if it was the shoulder, you could stay latched on and hug them while they did things. With their face, you can only hug them for a little while."She looked at that and seemed to consider it. She scuttled off the boy's face and onto his shoulder. "Ano?" she said as she squeezed his shoulder.I smiled encouragingly. "Isn't that nicer? And look, you look like a cool shoulder guard now! Like the coolest fashion statement around!" She perked up at that, and her little tail wagged happily.Johnny stood up and dusted himself off. "Well, I'd never thought I'd see the day, a rock-bug type pokemon, and two of them!" he said, trying to sound like an authority.Bugsy shot Johnny a confident look. "But Shuckle has been around for ages?"Johnny coughed to cover his slip-up. "I never thought I'd see the day that there were three rock-bug types."I snorted in amusement. Oh, I'd have to invite this kid around if I ever got a Dwebble.The kids shot me a confused look before shrugging it off. Yolanda, who knew me better, eyed me. "Brock, what do you know?" She whispered from next to me."There are probably other Rock-bug types. I still think there would have been something like that in the Hoenn desert."Yolanda nodded her head slowly. "Ohhhh, that's why you spent so long there."I nodded my head and shot her a wink, telling her to keep it a secret without saying a word. She winked back. Bugsy tilted his head. "Did you both get some dirt in your eyes? They're twitching."I gave Bugsy a forced smile. "Something like that, sure." Dennis snorted, and I shot him a dirty look. He probably knew we were winking.Bugsy glanced from Dennis to me, aware something had happened but unsure of the context. He shrugged and turned back to Gawain to inspect the pokemon. "My goodness, seeing these two pokemon certainly fills me with joy. I know it will take a while, but I will work towards having pokemon like this in the Azalea Gym when I take over."He clenched his fist and raised it like he was making a vow. Yolanda giggled at his antics, and he blushed furiously."Well, I'll be sure to tell you when Anorith is grown up enough for breeding. Bianca is confident that with her bug typing, it will be a matter of months and not years like other pokemon."The boys all gasped in surprise. "What's her egg group?" Bugsy said excitedly.I offered a sardonic smile. "Water three, I'm sorry to say."Johnny crossed his arms. "Damn! That's no good!" he said, like he had any idea what he was talking about. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he coughed and waved to Bugsy. "You want to explain that to the others?"Bugsy opened and shut his mouth before shrugging. "I'm not familiar with that egg group, actually."Johnny blanched as the others rounded on him expectantly. He slumped. "I… don't know it either…" he said as though it pained him greatly to admit ignorance on a topic.I snorted. "Don't let it bother you too much. Water Group Three is a pretty niche group; so far it only includes pokemon like Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanyte, Omastar, Corsola, Tentacool, Staryu, and such. It's thought of as the underwater group by breeders according to Bianca," I said, adopting a lecturing tone.Sanchez, who'd been standing next to me, crossed his arms and nodded along. I ignored how bushy his beard became while sprouting out to the sides. It sort of reminded me of Einstein's signature style."But… bugs…" said one boy.I shrugged at him and then waved my hands back towards Gawain. "Don't worry, he's in the Bug breeding group."That got them to whoop and cheer, and a few even rubbed their chins thoughtfully."Hello! Hello there!" called a woman's voice. I turned and saw Rachel approaching with a large picnic basket. I nodded in thanks as she tossed out a large blanket. "Alright let's have a photo shoot for the Bug Catchers Club officially coming to meet Gawain and the newest pokemon at the Pewter Gym! Anorith!" she said.I shot Anorith a look. "You alright with being revealed before your first match?"She nodded merrily, and I relaxed down onto the blanket, accepting a few riceballs from Rachel. I smirked at them and laughed. "Mmm donuts!"The others shot me a look before glancing at Yolanda, when she sighed. "He does this sometimes; it's one of his jokes no one gets." I stuck my tongue out at her, not letting her get me down.Bugsy happened to sit next to me. I glanced at him as he played with his food instead of eating it. "Is… is it hard being a Gym Leader?" he asked quietly. Yolanda, who was close, perked up and turned slightly, very interested in this conversation.I swallowed and considered Bugsy for a few moments. I then sighed and leaned back, saying, "It can be. It can be one of the toughest gigs around. It can sometimes feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. It will depend on what you need to do, as different Gyms have different duties and roles within their communities. Pewter is an old gym, and while my family had only taken it over in my parent's generation, it comes with expectations."I let him process that before laughing. "But it can also be one of the most satisfying experiences around. You will become a pillar of your community and be able to help so many more people."I gestured widely at the assembled group of kids and trainers that were sitting with us for their lunch break. "You'll witness growth and experiences without having to seek them out. You will be a guide for many people who are finding their own way."I offered him a shrug. "It will be a mixed bag. I love it, but there will be tough days," I said. "Do you have a close knit group of friends and family?"He nodded at that. "Azalea Town… It's smaller than Pewter, and I know many of the people that grew up there. My aunties and uncles are more experienced than me, but they want to support me as Gym leader, and that will help greatly." He smiled towards Yolanda. "Like your family does for you, no doubt?"I tossed him a nod even as Yolanda gained a conflicted look. "Yeah, they're pretty great at supporting me."Yolanda smiled tightly at me but didn't say anything. She took a bite from her riceball, her mind elsewhere. I pursed my lips and nudged her; she shot me a look but shook her head. I decided to leave it for now and instead turned back to Bugsy."What is Azalea Town like?" I said, deciding to continue the conversation with a boy I knew would one day be a contemporary of mine.Bugsy brightened up even more if possible. "Oh, Azalea town is wonderful! It's large enough to have everyone you could need but it is not so big that things or people get overlooked! We're all friends there. There is a group of elders that sit on the council, but there is also a group of youngsters invited to give their voice. It's always been our way to make sure that the young and old share their insights. That's the Azalea way!""Hmmmm, that sounds somewhat enviable," I said, considering the size of Pewter and how things could get lost.Bugsy nodded. "We're quite similar to Pewter though with our historical society, although the focus is more on the ruins that are found around the area, along with the shrines. Ilex Forest itself has a number of such buildings, and then there is the temple, of course, in the middle of town.""Temple?" I said, not recalling anything like that from the games or the cartoon."Oh, yes, it's a temple for the bug pokemon, but around the outer walls there are statues of slowpoke and Slowbro on account of the Slowpoke well that is to the east and close to the creek that the slowpoke use to get from the well out to the ocean further south.""Slowpoke well, eh?" A memory stirred.There was an opportunity here. One that I hadn't considered until just now. I didn't have to be the only one denying Team Rocket resources. The League could be triggered into acting, just as local Gyms could look after themselves. After all, a pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure.I rubbed my chin and adopted a frown. "Is it well protected?"Bugsy blinked at me. "The Slowpoke well? Uhm no? It's a natural cave that slowpoke like to go to… Why would it need to be defended?" he asked.I sighed and rubbed my chin. "It's a site with pokemon… Now you've pointed out that Pewter City and Azalea are somewhat similar. Pewter has had a number of issues with Team Rocket in the past due to some of the pokemon we have around. Azalea town has Slowpoke. Which is a pokemon species that happens to have the ability to regrow their tails; they're also very slow and somewhat clueless about people."Bugsy looked worried, and I shot him a sad smile. "That means they are easy to exploit. In some social circles, people will eat Slowpoke tail as a delicacy. A very high-end delicacy at that."Bugsy looked sick. "Oh, is it that bad?""They're worth quite a lot. If simply due to the perception of value that they have been given, that means Team Rocket or other groups might make moves on them."Bugsy crossed his arms and shut his eyes. "Hnnnnnnn!" he said suddenly. He then opened his eyes. "Alright! I cannot do anything about that now! But I will message my aunts and uncles to look into it!" he said seriously before stuffing his mouth with a rice ball.Yolanda blinked incredulously at him. "Just like that?"Bugsy nodded. "Yeah! That's how my family is; they're very supportive and helpful like that. I'll tell them you're worried about the slowpoke, and they'll set something up!"I blinked and found myself suddenly envious of the much smaller boy who merrily went about eating his lunch. That wasn't even going to be an issue for him; he'd just hand it off. I took a bite of my riceball. We were similar in some ways, but certainly different in others. I shot a glance at Yolanda.Then again, I also have family members who helped out. I nodded to her, and she shot me back a smile, apparently aware of my line of thinking. She shifted a little and smiled at Bugsy. "Is there anything else interesting in Azalea Town?" she prompted.Bugsy glanced at her and must have swallowed too quickly, as he heaved a cough a few times and made a painful noise. I reached over and thumped him a few times on the back to help clear his airway. He shot me a thankful look before coughing once more."Uhm yes! The Gym!" he said suddenly getting flustered at his slip-up. "The Gym is a large insectarium for raising our bug-type pokemon! We have a number of large trees that grow there, and we also allow a large number of grass types to live there to make it more vibrant. It's rather similar to Erika's gym but ours is much larger for the pokemon to fly around!""You've been to Erika's Gym?" Yolanda said.Bugsy nodded quickly and pulled out a badge case. "With the Boulder badge, I now have five of the Gym badges."Johnny and a few of the other boys around the area squawked in surprise. "What!?" Johnny said, whipping his head around to find that Bugsy wasn't lying.I leaned closer and nodded. "Soul, Rainbow, Thunder, Cascade, and the Boulder badge. Nice work, Bugsy, " I praised.Bugsy grinned. "Thanks! I have to go back to Saffron, as Sabrina trounced me despite my type advantage. I hadn't been prepared for that!"Johnny wheezed out a sigh of relief. "Oh, so you're not perfect, then?" he said snidely.Bugsy glanced at him worriedly. "Uhmm of course not?"I coughed and gestured to the side. "Johnny can I get a hand with something real quick?"Johnny slumped and nodded sullenly.I stood up and waved to the others. "Sorry! Just need to get some drinks cause my throat is getting dry! I'll bring back some lemonade and pop for everyone!"I led Johnny towards the Gym and casually laced my hands behind my head. Johnny walked next to me with his fists stuffed into his pockets. "Are you a trainer, Johnny?" I asked lazily."Not yet… gonna start next year… I need to build up my savings 'cause Mum can only give so much."I nodded at that and noted the lack of father on the scene. "Alright, cool, so your journey has yet to start, yeah?" He nodded, and I glanced over. "So why are you begrudging Bugsy for being on his?"Johnny shrank into himself. "It's just… he's perfect!""Is he?" I said casually.Johnny sighed. "He's practically perfect! So what if he didn't beat Sabrina! He'll do it!"I nodded. "Yeah, he probably will; he's a serious trainer with a good head on his shoulders and a good team of pokemon on his shoulders. He's going to struggle against Blaine more than anyone else."Johnny grunted at that, and I led him to a fridge, where I grabbed out some cans of drink. "You're envious of his situation, yeah?" Johnny nodded, and I hummed. "Yeah, that makes sense. So am I," I said casually."What?" Johnny gasped in surprise.I shrugged easily. "He's a young trainer that probably had his choice of strong pokemon when he set off. He has a ton of aunts and uncles to support him in his gym, which sounds like an already state-of-the-art facility for his pokemon. His journey? He started with pokemon that quickly grew in strength, and he has a lot of people backing him up."I smiled grimly at Johnny as he stared at me. "When I started out, I had a Titan, of course, Onix, and Geodude as my pokemon team. Now Titan is a strong pokemon, but he took a lot of work, making my first circuit tough even with me preparing for it. I certainly didn't have five badges in two and a half months. I can envy him for his success. What I won't do is let his success make me begrudge him. Our situations are different."I cracked open a can and took a sip. "He's probably got a lot of problems we don't know about, though, so without truly walking in his shoes, we can't judge. He might be restricted to a single year for his circuit due to needing to take over his family Gym, while other people will get two or three… or more," I said, thinking of Ash Ketchum."I… guess?" Johnny said. "Why are you talking to me about this?"I chuckled. "Cause you're making a big mistake trying to keep Bugsy at arm's length. He's a polite young man that would make a great friend, no?"Johnny nodded slowly, and I grinned. "You can also learn from him. He's got a lot of knowledge that would have been bottle-fed to him. You could pick up a lot from watching him and how he handles some of Kanto's hurdles. Ask questions; call him up and find out about how to find some pokemon you might be interested in."I clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face. Also, you're a young man from Pewter; it's up to me to help you along. I know rock types are anathema to bug types, but I want to see you do well. Next year will be you facing me, no?" I winked and he smiled, liking the sound of that idea.When I led him back I found Yolanda still talking with Bugsy."—the apricorns can be used as traditional pokeballs as well as specialty pokeballs which makes them extremely useful! In Azalea, we have entire groves set up to grow them, which helps keep the prices of pokeballs down! There is a lot of history to apricorn carving, and the workshop is highly selective in who they take as apprentices.""Huh," Yolanda said, sounding interested. "I'll have to come to check it out sometime. Maybe when I come around for my circuit in Johto!"Bugsy smiled. "I'll be Gym Leader then, so we can have a match!"Yolanda smirked. "I'll bring Terra, so don't expect me to pull her punches!""Tar!" said Terra happily.I chuckled at the sight and led Johnny back to the group. I sat down and was pleased to find everyone happily conversing. The smile only grew when Johnny handed Bugsy and Yolanda a can each."Sorry 'bout being a brat with you," he said tersely.Bugsy blinked. "You were being a brat with me?""You didn't even notice?!" Johnny said as he threw up his hands. Bugsy tilted his head and blinked cluelessly while Yolanda giggled.Around the area, others traded jokes and shared some stories. The young boy and girl couple got a few exasperated looks when they got rather lovey-dovey with each other. I found them a cute pair, with the other boys obviously being jealous. I made to take another sip from my can only to stop."Don't eat that!" I snarled.Everyone on the picnic blanket instantly froze at my sudden shift from amicable big brother to snarling adult.Their eyes darted about only to hiss in surprise when one of the boy's caterpie that had been carried around was revealed to be quivering in fear in front of Empress, who had her head lowered and her mouth open.She shot me a narrow glare and turned her eyes back to her snack."Caterpie!" quavered the little bug type.I stood. "Empress, no! We don't need to hunt pokemon here! You haven't had to do that with the geodude or others around; don't start that now!"Empress rose and snorted at me. Behind her, the caterpie scurried as fast as it could back to the others, rushing into one boy's fearful arms. Her head tracked it before she locked eyes with me. Her head rose in a challenging manner.I marched up to her undaunted and handed her a can of soda pop. "We have other things for when we're hungry or thirsty. If you're hungry, you just need to ask one of the trainers that stick around."Empress stopped glowering at me before dropping her eyes to the can of pop. She flicked the drink into her mouth, can and all. Then she crushed it.Her eyes bulged when the carbonated beverage must have gushed out, and she snorted some out of her nose.She whipped her head around and exhaled a stream of fire, only to shake her head and turn back to me. I raised a finger to explain that hadn't been how you were supposed to drink it, only for Terra to giggle."Tar! Tar! Tar!" Lar vitar!" She squealed, her little legs and arms paddling through the air.No one else dared to laugh as Empress turned her gaze upon them.Titan chose that moment to walk up and grunt a question at his mother. She growled something back and he cocked his head. He glanced at me and then at his mother before barking a laugh. That drew her ire, and she growled at him, only for him to snort derisively.He reached out and snagged my can of lemonade, expertly lifted it to his lips with his small claw extended, and took a sip. "Tar!" he said with a sigh of appreciation. He then offered her the can, and she snorted and shook her head. She turned and marched off.Titan watched her go while Terra continued to laugh herself sick.I sighed in relief and turned back to the group of white-faced bug catchers. "Sorry about that! She's still getting used to living in the reserve. She hasn't done that before but she must have thought caterpie wandered in rather than being someone else's pokemon."The boy nodded quickly. "Caterpie… is still wild technically… she hasn't let me catch her… thanks for stopping her Gym Leader!"I smiled at him and checked my watch. "Well, we've still got twenty minutes to relax, so let's not end on that note. Who wants to try their hand at letting Gawain carry them through his obstacle course?"That got them all to shoot their hands up and forget the earlier tension.While a line was forming in front of Gawain I relaxed. Yolanda and Bugsy approached. Bugsy inclined his head. "Will… I have to be able to do that? Stare down a pokemon like that Tyranitar?"I shook my head. "Not usually no, but de-escalation is a very useful skill to have, I find. I can't just command her. She's not mine."Yolanda watched me and then glanced at the boys that were now being carried around by Gawain. "Not the only skill you just showed off," she said thoughtfully. Bugsy tilted his head but didn't seem to get it.I merely winked at her. "Yeah, I wanted them to leave on a good note, not be freaked out. Wouldn't want them scared off after all."She nodded and shot me a wink back. "Smooth, big bro."Bugsy glanced between us. "Should I be worried? Your eyes are twitching again?"Dennis snorted. "They just have narrow eyes. You get used to it. When they're being shifty, it's the most funny." I squinted at him; I was entirely unsure what he meant by that but decided not to ask.When lunch ended, the boys and single girl departed in an upbeat mood with promises they'd come back. I reminded them all of the pre-journey tournament that would be run in a few months time before turning my attention back to the rest of the afternoon's challengers.When that was done, I drew out the Guardian holopad and pinged Koga. His face appeared a few minutes later."Gym Leader Brock.""Gym Leader Koga," I said before smiling. "Soon that is going to be Elite Four Koga, no?"He nodded, and I almost thought I saw his lips twitch upward before he gestured for me to continue."I met a rather interesting young man today by the name of Bugsy from Azalea Town. He mentioned a few things that got me thinking. What are we doing to snuff out Team Rocket in Johto?""We have not taken any actions. Our movements in Kanto are understandable and even applaudable, but if we were to act as such in Johto? It would be seen as overstepping."I nodded. "What if we didn't do it, but rather directed the locals to do it? I've suggested that Bugsy, for example, tighten up his security around the Slowpoke well; what if other potential targets had more security?"Koga inclined his head. "You have some thoughts on where Team Rocket might target?"I smiled. "Oh, I have a few ideas," I said amiably. If Johto became a tougher nut to crack for Giovanni, that would be a very good thing. Best of all, it wouldn't be me leading the charge, but others.Hmmm, maybe Flint's advice to keep punching wasn't so bad after all? It just needed to be adapted to the circumstances. I rattled off a few sites that I could remember before tilting my head."Are we doing anything against Giovanni or Blaine?""Not as yet, but with your intelligence of the Legendary pokemon being used subtly against you, we do have a new goal." Koga leaned forward. "When Will fights Surge, we will be ready to pounce on any interference. We were taken by surprise once, we will not allow that to happen again!"Koga eyed me. "Regather and improve yourself as much as you can in the next week Brock. Will is facing Surge this coming weekend.""The Cerulean sisters?" I asked in surprise at them being passed over."He will face them in two days; he is not expected to have any difficulty with anything they can throw at him."I nodded. "Alright, so I need to get my team in order by next weekend." Could I get Jormungandr to the point of being ready to Mega evolve by then? I doubted it.I did have another option, however, to boost my team.I bade Koga goodbye and tucked away the holopad.It was time to talk with Empress. With that scare at lunch, I felt like I needed to clear things up going forward… and at the same time, I might just see if I could convince her to join me.Two Tyranitar would be a hell of a power-up.