To say that the room was more nervous than a Persian in a room full of rocking chairs would be underselling it. I couldn't imagine a more tense situation.
I certainly hadn't helped things by allowing Empress to fight Mewtwo but I wasn't trying to fool myself. That fight was going to happen, with or without my blessing. As it was she'd… given it a good fight, sadly that had resulted in consequences for me.Mewtwo floated towards a long table with chairs that were fused to the ground. They reminded me somewhat of egg holders with their shape, but the large sloping back support made them feel more like chairs you'd find on some alien mothership.No one moved to follow Mewtwo. There was a tense standoff taking place between us and Team Aqua.Honestly, it would have been weirder if we'd all moved to sit down and forgotten the last few minutes of attempting to destroy each other.Koga cleared his throat. "Mewtwo, you say you wish to talk, some of us… have injuries that require tending to. I fear I cannot sit idly while they deteriorate."The Aqua commander straightened at this. "I too have many injured," he said, shooting us a glower.I felt the ghost of a smirk play out over my lips. Part of me wanted to say that if they couldn't handle the heat they really shouldn't enter the kitchen, but I didn't. I was too busy fretting over what Mewtwo was doing with Don and Empress.…Unlike the others, I had a potentially viable idea.It all came down to if the cloning machines were actually operational or merely a gimmick from the Pokemon movies. If Mewtwo needed backup at all, I suspected we'd find out. Then again, his clone balls managed us rather well as it was.Mewtwo rotated in the air and considered the injured. Annabelle glowered up at him weakly while some of the Aqua grunts looked like they were merely hanging in while their fellows saw to them.Mewtwo hummed. "You may withdraw your injured along with one other for each injured person you have," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.I held in a hiss. I could already see an issue with that, at least from our standpoint. Team Aqua had been ambushed and we'd basically had them on the ropes, now they were going to, mostly, be able to slink away and lick their wounds.I caught the flash of relief on the Commander's face as he bowed his head in an attempt to hide his smirk. "Thank you for your wise actions," he simpered. "Might I suggest you detain—"Mewtwo held up a bulbous finger and a pink glow appeared around the Commander silencing him as he was levitated up and towards Mewtwo. When they were of a level Mewtwo spoke. "I am aware of what you are and who you represent. Do not mistake my mercy for weakness, or naivety. I know the depravities mankind can cause," he said firmly.The commander swallowed. "I… see," he said.Mewtwo lowered the man to the floor and the Commander barked orders to have the injured taken away. One of the Grunts spoke up. "What of the injured pokemon sir?"The commander shot Mewtwo a fearful look. "We… we will see how negotiations proceed. For now take the injured and depart. Tell Commodore Amber what we've encountered on this island," he said as his eyes darted from us to Mewtwo.I clenched my teeth and looked to Sabrina, who was our best chance of getting Mewtwo to understand our point of view. She shook her head minutely and I had to repress the urge to sigh as Annabelle was lifted up and escorted away by Tiffany.The young channeller shot Agatha a look only for the older woman to wave her off with a nod.Reports would also be spread around for our group and a potential recuse might start to be set up.I worked my jaw. If I was being realistic, more people entering Mewtwo's domain while he had the clone balls up might just be a terrible decision. It would be like feeding a Snorlax. Mewtwo would only become a bigger threat with access to more pokemon.Mewtwo waved his hand. "I will not ask again." Some of the Team Aqua grunts that had been trying to edge towards the exit with the injured were suddenly yanked towards the table and chairs. Mewtwo's tail lashed behind him. "Sit, and we shall talk," he commanded while himself remained hovering in the air at the head of the table.I shared a look with the other Guardians and we nodded. I swallowed down the bitter feeling and followed Agatha and Koga as they led us to our side of the table. Sabrina squeezed my hand and nudged me into a position next to Agatha while Sabrina took the seat to my right.Agatha shot me a look that spoke volumes about how I was to sit down and keep my mouth shut. Apparently, she thought I'd done enough and I… couldn't find it within myself to refute her.I'd been expecting Mewtwo to… what? Respect or recognise Empress' spirit? Or her anguish?Mewtwo didn't have the reference for that, not unless Sabrina— who had an extremely atypical childhood— was able to convey the importance of motherhood. Sabrina was many things but she wouldn't have been able to convey that to Mewtwo with their last exchange.We approached the alien-like chairs and I sat. My knee bounced and I swept my gaze up and down the table to find that there weren't enough seats for us, on our side or for Team Aqua on their side, resulting in some people standing behind others. On our side, Koga, Agatha, myself, Sabrina and Karen filled out the Guardians.For Team Aqua, there were a few men and women wearing some form of sailing outfit while the commander took pride of place with a large coat draped over his shoulders.I shifted in my seat. They really weren't the most comfortable of chairs. Then again that might be because I was sitting on the edge and not laying back in them like others.Mewtwo didn't deign to sit with us. Instead, he kept hovering at the head of the table. His gaze slowly swept over each and every one of us.Karen and Agatha narrowed their eyes and bristled.Heh, it was just like being called into a principal's office after getting in a… I narrowed my eyes at Mewtwo and considered him. This… wasn't what I would have expected from Mewtwo.His actions were very… human.If another pokemon had found a group —pokemon or people— they would attack and drive them out. And New Island was in effect, Mewtwo's den, or home perhaps. Mewtwo after all was extremely human-like in his mannerisms.Even the closest comparison, of Alakazam or Gardevoirs as social psychic pokemon usually lived in the wild with a cluster of an extended family group of their fellows.Was it that Mewtwo was a Legendary pokemon? Or that he was all alone?"So, I have returned to my home and found you…" he paused as his tail lashed about him and his fists clenched. "Humans, fighting within my halls."His tail continued to lash. "Why should I not simply crush you all for this trespass?" he said, lifting his chin.One of the grunts scoffed and whispered. "If it wasn't for them freaky black pokeballs we'd wreck this stuck-up Psychic." His words, in another setting might have gone unnoticed.With the architecture, and the lack of anyone actually talking, his words reached everyone's ears. The young grunt then made the mistake of stiffening as the realisation of what they'd done set in.If you hadn't been able to pick her out before, you could now. Mewtwo flicked his hand and the woman rose into the air only to be launched out an open window. She screamed the entire way out.Sabrina pursed her lips and tracked the woman. "She will impact the water near the main Aqua vessel," she announced.Mewtwo shot her an annoyed look but Sabrina merely met it cooly, not at all bothered by the heat of his gaze. She'd faced stronger after all.Sabrina instead chose to take the thread of conversation and address the Donphan in the room. "Our group was aware of your claim to this island and we were also aware of Team Aqua's approach. Our hope was to limit any destruction they might cause—""We hadn't taken any aggressive actions!" interrupted the commander with a raised finger. "We were merely exploring this island before we were assaulted by them!"Agatha scoffed. "Terrorists and military groups like Team Aqua shouldn't attempt to hide behind such transparent truths," she said. "You have been mapping out the Orange islands and preparing for a strike on Kanto! You have no other reason to be here! Your organisation is criminal and a threat to our way of life!" Agatha refuted."Bold words from a group that happens to have some of Kanto's strongest! Are you claiming to not be a military group as well?" sneered the Commander.I flicked my gaze back up to Mewtwo, who was watching on with a neutral expression. Agatha and the Commander glared at each other while Sabrina stayed focused on Mewtwo.I felt something ripple past me that set my skin tingling. I flicked a glance towards Sabrina and found her eyes glowing. Mewtwo paused in his tail lashing and his eyes drifted towards Sabrina.Hmmm, I suppose that's one way to make yourself heard over the rabble. Simply talk in a manner they can't interrupt."—concerned citizens!" snapped Agatha, her shadow roiling despite Gengar not being even in it. I eyed it thoughtfully before flicking my gaze towards the white-faced Team Aqua Commander who was looking at Mewtwo like he wanted Mewtwo to step in.What was he expecting? Mewtwo to call a foul or something?Mewtwo, for his part, scoffed. "I see, so that is your version of events," he said aloud and everyone paused. They then tracked Mewtwo's gaze to Sabrina.Everyone but myself and Koga who continued to watch Team Aqua. I noted that Koga was reclined in his chair with one leg curled up.If you didn't know Koga well you'd think him like a lazing Snorlax.The thing about Snorlax's is they can strike extremely quickly when they want to. It takes a lot of people by surprise how quickly the lumbering giants can go from placid to extreme violence when threatened.His eyes were shaded due to the angle he had his head resting at, so he could be tracking anyone on Team Aqua's side. It was impressive how he'd judged the angles of the room and adjusted his position to adapt.Then again, Koga had a number of skills that took you by surprise despite knowing he was a ninja, so it really shouldn't be that surprising.Team Aqua stiffened as they realised what had happened. The Commander stood, turning to Mewtwo. "Sir Mewtwo! I swear we were merely investigating this island! We are just an exploratory force.""That is part of a greater military force," Mewtwo added on pointedly. Mewtwo lowered himself for the first time since his fight with Empress, to meet the commander's gaze."I will make this clear," he said, his words echoing out and filling everyone's mind. I winced at the projected force and flooded my mind with dark energy to mute the feeling. His next words while still powerful didn't hurt as he pushed them upon us."I do not care for the incidents of humans! I have had enough of being a part of such things. You, and any others will leave me alone," he said, slowly rotating to glare at us Guardians.Karen snarled. "Is that the thanks we get for protecting you from this bunch of Carvannagh?" she snapped.Mewtwo jutted his chin. "I did not ask, and I did not need it! You humans are the ones who arbitrarily decided to insert yourselves! Now I am drawing a line. You will not intrude upon my island again! Is that clear?" he said.The difference from Mewtwo here and now and to the Mewtwo I'd been expecting to encounter based off the movies was like night and day. Drawing a line? What was his plan?Silence met his demands and he narrowed his eyes.I felt the same psychic energy pass me by as Sabrina attempted to talk to Mewtwo, or calm him down. Mewtwo's gaze snapped to hers and something flashed in his eyes.When Sabrina flinched I clenched my fist. I was about to rise up out of my seat only for the situation to assert itself to me once more.I remained seated, annoyed at my inability to do anything.Mewtwo turned his full gaze upon Team Aqua. "You have learned what is here and now you will follow my commands, or I will seek you out and destroy you and any of your followers."Mewtwo clenched his fist and around the room debris from our battle rose up with psychic energy. I likened it to another pokemon's threat display. I had to admit to being impressed with the sheer scale of items and their collective mass being raised up casually."You will do this, or I will destroy you!" Mewtwo said, making sure that the consequences of crossing the line was well known.I worked my jaw, annoyed that we were being lumped together with Team Aqua of all people in Mewtwo's mind. He turned to our group. "The same is true for you," he said hotly.I bared my teeth. "Really? After how we helped you and all you've done to us in the past—""I will not have those situations held against me!" Mewtwo snarled and I felt Psychic energy build up around me.In response, I flexed my dark energy.Just like Empress had shown him, I would show that while weaker, I had teeth.I met his gaze and for a moment I recalled the time he'd grabbed me by the neck. My pulse began to race even as my mouth continued to work. "Consider the situation at least! You might not have been in complete control of yourself but you can't ignore that you were part of it.""Brock," Sabrina said, laying a hand on me to calm me down.I didn't pull my arm away from her despite wanting to. I didn't stop glaring at Mewtwo.Mewtwo's tail lashed about again and I heard some fixtures within the room screeched and grind as Mewtwo tore them from the walls or floors.I continued to stare up at him.Sabrina squeezed my hand. "Brock, you're letting your fear for Don and Empress cloud your thoughts right now and lashing out. Mewtwo was the victim," she whispered to me."Mewtwo might have been the victim, but he shows no remorse for what he did and refuses to acknowledge the damage done.""That is still victim blaming, he didn't know better back then," Sabrina said, urging me with what I knew to be a morally correct argument. I was victim blaming. I couldn't say I'd ever encountered someone as heavily restricted, or even raised into criminal actions quite like Mewtwo, but it still rubbed me the wrong way to know how much damage he'd done only for him to deny any part in it.Is that what I wanted though? Remorse? Or perhaps it was the lack of empathy on his part that stuck in my craw.I wasn't sure what I wanted, but I wanted something.I clenched my jaw and held back from saying anything else.I'd done enough to muddy the waters to a reasonable outcome already with my words and Empress' fight.I couldn't bring myself to regret saying what I'd said or allowing Empress to fight.They had needed to occur, now I just needed to find a way forward. I swallowed and inhaled before slowly exhaling, showing that I was making an effort to calm myself.Sabrina squeezed my hand again in thanks and directed her gaze back to Mewtwo. Once more her eyes glowed and once more she made contact. Mewtwo didn't rebuff her this time and Mewtwo remained quiet for a time.Around us, the others, barring Koga, shifted in agitation gazes flicking between Sabrina and Mewtwo. Eventually, Mewtwo jerked his head and scoffed."I will hold to my initial demands," he said firmly. "You will all leave my island," he said.The commander nodded and stood. "Very well, we shall depart." He bowed with a smarmy smile towards Mewtwo before turning and smirking at us. "We shall be in touch," he said and I turned my glower upon him with the rest of the Guardians.Notably, a few of the Grunts remained in their places."Sir… what about our pokemon?" they asked nervously.I raised an eyebrow at the dichotomy on display with the people who hadn't cared and the people who had.The Commander stiffened and scowled at them like they were an annoyance instead of people raising a serious issue. The Commander turned back to Mewtwo with all of his group watching him. "Sir Mewtwo, may we have our pokemon returned to us?"A quip about them most likely not being their pokemon emerged on my lips before I stifled it. They weren't Team Rocket for all that they were a criminal organisation. I might want to deny them their pokemon but that might result in our own pokemon being taken from us.And there was no way I was leaving here with my pokemon.An equally firm expression appeared on Koga, Katarina and the other's faces. All of them had lost one or two pokemon each. Annabelle had lost her entire team.Everyone held their breath. Mewtwo was within his rights to demand we leave having set himself up on this island, but if he wanted to detain our pokemon we were going to come to blows.Mewtwo tilted his head and for a moment I thought I saw a glint of something cruel enter his eyes. Then the moment was gone and he nodded his head leaving me to wonder if I hadn't just imagined it."Your pokemon shall be returned to you," he announced grandly. He snapped his fingers and from the staircase leading down a torrent of clone balls rose. Several appeared before each Team Aqua member while only a handful appeared on our side.The two clone balls in front of me warbled for a moment and Mewtwo gestured at them. "I suggest you return your pokemon if they were already not bound within their pokeballs," he said.I raised up Don and Empress' Greatball and Luxury ball respectively. When the cloneballs released them I didn't wait for them to gather their bearings, I simply returned them. They'd be confused later on but it was better they have murky recollection.Don was just as likely to become aggressive and there was no way I could get away with another battle with Mewtwo.Not that I rated Don's chances alone.I rolled the balls around in my hand after I shrank them. We'd only been talking for a few minutes.…Had that been long enough for Mewtwo to clone them?I glanced towards the staircase leading down. If he had the capacity… or rather the facilities to do it, it would be down there.It was probably best I assume he had the capacity to perform such feats. Meaning he now had many powerful pokemon at his beck and call.If anyone tried to pressure him they were in for a shock."You may depart now," said Mewtwo to us and the Team Aqua group closed up on each other and made for the exit with only a few glances shot our way.I caught a few mutters and whispered comments as they departed."We have our pokemon back, do we want to try them? We know to avoid the blackballs this time!" whispered one idiotic Team Aqua woman."No!" snapped the Commander. "Just make a note of who was here for their group. We need to report that Kanto has another Legendar—""Brock, Sabrina, time to go," said Agatha.I blinked, realising I was one of the only people still seated. Sabrina was standing but her eyes glowed once more.Mewtwo and her stared at each other and I had never quite wanted to be gifted psychically as in that moment. Oh to be able to listen in on that conversation.Then again it was probably a lot of intuition and information. True Psychic conversation afterall didn't rely on merely words but impressions, emotions and attached thoughts. Or at least that had been the one time I'd had a much younger Sabrina attempt it with me lowering whatever Dark energy shield I had around me.Mewtwo twitched and Sabrina nodded, turning away. "Let's go," she said, agreeing with Agatha.Agatha for her part eyed her uncertainly. I suppose she didn't really know what to say right now. I didn't expect that to last very long.Sabrina surprised us all when she released her Alakazam, Hypno, and Xatu. "Let's depart, Annabelle will need us to catch up to her to get her to a doctor," she said, indicating the six pokeballs that Karen had claimed for her friend.Karen nodded and started to open her mouth only for a blinding flash to take us all by surprise.I blinked when I appeared within the Fuchsia Gym's garden.A rustle of leaves instantly swept through the garden as though a wind had rushed through the place but I knew it to be ninja reacting to our sudden presence. A quicker inspection of our group revealed that Sabrina was missing.I glanced around double checking for her. I caught sight of Koga making a hand sign that had the rustling leaves dying off. Sabrina was noticeably missing, had she stayed behind to talk with Mewtwo?A second later Janine appeared before Koga. Her eyes swept over her father's form."You have returned… where is—" she started to say only for another flash to sweep through the gardens.I blinked and relaxed when I caught sight of Sabrina.She nodded to Koga. "I caught up to Annabelle and Tiffany; they are now at the Fuchsia hospital."Karen relaxed. "Good, I... better go check on them," she said with what sounded like worry in her voice.I flicked a glance around. "So, that was… eventful," I summarised.Agatha snorted. "You are a master of understating things Brock," she said, eying me. "What possessed you to allow your pokemon to fight Mewtwo!?" she snapped.Her cane lanced out but I wasn't about to let her bully me, even half-heartedly.I caught the cane and locked gazes with her. I flexed my hand and the cane groaned a little as I gave a small warning that she would lose her cane if she pushed her luck.She drew the cane back and I allowed it to go. Tensions were obviously high and I took a moment to breath in. "That…" I said carefully, thinking my words over before I spoke. "That was a situation where my pokemon wouldn't back down even if I'd ordered her to," I said.Agatha's jaw worked before she nodded, accepting my response. It didn't stop her voicing her thoughts. "You need to work on her more, that was a delicate situation as it was and I think it could have spiralled out of control with that… demonstration," she said.I grunted, not really feeling up for commenting on what had gone down. It was true even if I couldn't see a situation where Empress wouldn't throw down against one of the parties in charge of the destruction of her nest. She wasn't the only one I needed to work on. Don's attitude had cost him. I'd let that go on for too long, I needed to curb his antics.Instead off doing anything with my pokemon however, I turned my attention to Sabrina.I raised an eyebrow quesitoningly and she sighed. The others joined me at gazing at our resident Psychic specialist."I was able to make contact with Mewtwo somewhat. He is still extremely cagey about interactions with humans. Rightfully so considering his past," She said, earning a nod. "Overall I'd say that was handled… in as good a manner as can be expected," she said.I snorted and was about to disagree when Sabrina shot me a look. "You' weren't going to be objective with Don and Empress on the line."I grimaced and looked away. Surprisingly my eyes landed on Koga who looked like he was offering me a look of commiseraiton. Ah, right, he'd also had Charizard taken, hadn't he? We shared a nod befoer looking back to Sabrina.She shot me an apologetic look. "He also didn't react well to you reminding him of his time spent under Giovanni and Team Rocket."Agatha shot me another look and the hand holding her cane twitched but I shot her a glare.If she tried that again tonight I was breaking that damn cane. In fact, no, if she tried it ever again with me I'd break it, I vowed to myself.Agatha restrained herself as I gave Sabrina's words some consideration. I could only nod my head and sigh. "Yeah I know he was raised and… conditioned to do what they asked him but… I don't know, I guess I just wanted some empathy, but that's not something possible for him right now."Janine fidgeted. "Why is that?" she asked innocently.Sabrina sighed. "Mewtwo is incredibly smart, but… he lacks much life experience. He has been taken advantage of in the past so that makes it harder for him to interact in a positive setting with humanity." she smiled woodenly at me. "He was not raised either so much as created. Team Rocket have encoded numerous obedience orders into his very flesh."I grimaced and nodded feeling a twinge of pity for him. Urgh, I wish this could be more straightforward. If Mewtwo had been like his movie counterpart this might have been easier but instead he was a pokemon that was still finding his feet."Also, as a Legendary there will be people that will still attempt to capture him,. By drawing a line in the sand he will stave off some of these," Sabrina said.I nodded, knowing Sabrina's words were bang on the mark. After all, hadn't there been that one adaptation of pokemon where the main character made it their goal?If people like Tobias had access to a Darkrai and Latios in the cartoons then surely it was possible. Even if such an idea was terrible.Sabrina coughed to nudge my wandering attention back to her before she continued her explanation, "Mewtwo is quite lacking in… emotional understanding and awareness. This makes him come across as extremely blunt. He is trying to raise walls as he feels threatened due to what happened."Sabrina licked her lips and her eyes darted away from me. I knew I wasn't going to like what she said next. "I have offered to act as a… guide for him to learn and experience more of the positives that life has." For some reason she looked at me with a fond smile when she said this.I stiffened alongside the others. I'd been right. I really didn't like the idea of Sabrina having Mewtwo simply drop in. I grimaced after a moment's thought as I realised that Sabrina was in a way 'paying it forward' like I'd once done with her when she was a child.Koga and Agatha both spoke up at once. "That is entirely too risky to do alone!" "You foolish girl, a Legendary pokemon is not to be underestimated!"Sabrina stood tall. "I know that, and I know there are risks. I don't have to do it alone, and I will be careful, but giving Mewtwo more reasons to dislike us is not the way forward. Mewtwo can be reasoned with and shown a better way." Sabrina looked to me for support and I swallowed my misgivings."I think… out of all of us," I said carefully. "Sabrina's probably the one with the best shot. Who knows?" I said with a laugh, "He might just like her enough to help out when we're in a pinch," I said.If Spenser, a man from the Kingdom of Rota, and Brandon could work with Legendary pokemon, I didn't see any reason why Sabrina couldn't work with Mewtwo.I chuckled at the blank expressions I'd gotten from my comment while Sabrina just shook her head with a faint smile.Agatha sighed, "We will need to do a debrief before we depart," she said, her wrist turning over before she grimaced. "It is very early in the morning so let us get this done. We will need to consider what to do about Team Aqua going forward, as they will be aware that we know of them. They also now have faces and names, so see to your own home's defences," she said.Koga shot her a look that she ignored as the trees rustled. It was probably redundant advice for someone like Koga even with Fuchsia being one of the potential targets that a naval based military could access easily."Team Aqua will most like dive deep into the ocean to evade any further detection. This is a standard MO for them. With their presence known they will be more careful. Their previous base will also likely vanish in the coming days," Koga said with a sigh.Agatha waved her hands and a few ninja appeared with tablets for us to do up brief reports. I typed mine up quickly along with some observations. When I finished I spent a minute weighing up the benefits of mentioning my fears about Mewtwo possessing an army of pokemon cloned from those he abducted from today.I felt it was a bit of a stretch, but I did decide to lay out some logic with regards to it as a 'potential threat'. If the others wanted to question me I wouldn't be able to back it up, but I could at least bring the possibility to their attention.When I was done Sabrina and I shared a look before we teleported back home. We reappeared in my room only to find Billy curled up in my bed. The flash of the Teleport was enough to have him sitting up and blinking blearily.I leaned down and rubbed his head, a small idea of why he was here forming in my head. "Hey buddy, sorry we missed you, there was an emergency, what's got you in my bed?" I asked.He smacked his lips. "The bed is wet," he said before laying back down.I sighed and nodded my head. "Yeah, of course that makes sense," I said, moving to change out his mattress before it got ruined. Sabrina stopped me with a raised hand.Her eyes glowed and a few seconds later she nodded at me. "I changed his bed. He can stay with us tonight if he wants?" she said. She then telekinetically raised our pokeballs and made them vanish. "They need to rest," she said.I gave her a thankful smile. I hadn't been looking forward to trudging down to deposit them with Chansey. As it was she was probably going to get a bit of a rude shock with Empress being so wiped out.That made me pause. I couldn't have her running off in the morning when she recovered… if she recovered that is. I moved over to the computer earning a frown from Sabrina and a grumble from Billy as the light invaded on the dark room. I clicked through some security features before coming up on the medical bay. When it showed the various berths with pokebalsl within them I clicked on Empress' Greatbal land locked it down, signalling for the machine to induce a medical coma.That would stop her running off along with making sure she was fully healed.I'd have to talk with her in the morning. I sighed and shut the computer down, deciding that could be future Brock's problem.I nudged Billy back into bed and made sure he was on my side of the bed so he wouldn't kick Sabrina while she slept.I lay down in the middle of the bed and tried to relax. Sadly my mind was a little too amped up after everything that had happened in the last… I glanced at the clock and found something new to curse Team Aqua for. It was six o'clock in the morning.I sighed, knocking my head against the headrest.Damn… I could skip training with my team needing the rest.I wouldn't, or rather shouldn't, skip out on Greta and A.J.'s Gym battle with Kong.And I really really shouldn't skip out on Flint.I sighed again. Ah well, it wouldn't be the first time that I've been tired throughout the day.I could deal. I nudged Billy into a more comfortable position on my side. This was nothing compared to when Flint had left.I yawned and let sleep claim me.I'd just have to manage with three hours.Damn Team Aqua, next time I fought them I was totally having Sanchez blow them out of the water.And just for good measure, I was totally going to give them a taste of their own medicine with a Hyper Beam Barrage.They deserved no less.
210
I felt Billy stir next to me. It wasn't a gentle stirring of a person gradually waking up, but that of a child. It immediately woke me up despite my attempts to keep sleeping.Sadly, Billy, as a small child, was all elbows and knees as he rolled around.I stopped him rolling over me where he would have rudely awoken Sabrina but that only made his elbows dig into me worse.Somehow he unerringly dug into my kidneys and stomach. Out of reflex, I tucked up my knees to protect other soft parts of myself.Sabrina cracked her eye at the small grunts of annoyance I was releasing. "Billy, if you need to go to the bathroom, just go," she said.Billy rolled out of bed. On the way, his heel twitched into my guts which I knew enough to brace against while protecting my family jewels. Sabrina sat up and glared towards the window where the sun was clearly visible with sunrise having been a few hours ago.I glanced at the alarm clock and groaned. "I needed to get up, like… ten minutes ago," I said, scrubbing at my face.I shot Sabrina a look. "Did you turn off the alarm again?"She pouted and didn't meet my gaze, causing a chuckle to escape me at how cute she was with her fake childish behaviour. I leaned in and kissed Sabrina. I felt her smile into the kiss."Eww, gross!" said Billy from the door to my ensuite. I broke off the kiss and levelled a highly unimpressed look at my little brother. A wingman he was not."Did you flush?" I said, knowing that he hadn't.He darted back in and the flush of my toilet echoed through the room. He reappeared in the doorway. "Yes!" he said.Sabrina smiled. "Did you wash your hands?" she prompted.Billy vanished back into the toilet and I sighed when the sink started gurgling. Billy's voice began to chime out the doorway. "This is my hand-washy song and I sing it when I need to—"Sabrina giggled before standing and stretching. "I should return to my own gym," she said with a soft yawn. "I have a number of matches today," she said.I nodded. "I might poke over to watch your fights with my Gym trainers. We're facing Kong today," I said.Sabrina paused. "Brock… Kong is going to do something that will greatly annoy you. It has a lot to do with you being my partner, but reacting too strongly may bite you. Let things play out if you can."I worked my jaw a bit while rubbing at the sleep still in my eyes, "That… makes way too much sense." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Not to mention it would be a bad idea for me to fight…" I said and Sabrina narrowed her eyes at me.I just shrugged "Just stating that a fair few of my pokemon are going to be tired, if not outright unusable after this morning's battles," I said.Sabrina nodded her head. "You should be able to de-escalate with him but expect some trouble," she said as she leaned down to kiss me. Before she teleported away I made sure to catch her hand."Hey, you be careful as well, I don't like the idea of Mewtwo just popping in on you," I said.She nodded. "As much as I can, I will," she said. She vanished with a flash and I sighed. I resisted the urge to flop back on my bed and go back to sleep."—hand-washy song and I sing it when I need to—" continued Billy from the bathroom. I shot the door a questioning look."How many times have you sung that now?" I asked."Three!" chimed Billy.I rolled my eyes. Oh well, at least he was being hygienic. "Alright, you can stop!" I called. The sound of the tap cut off along with the song. I recalled the next point "Just wipe your hands and—" Billy ran out, hands dripping only to wipe them on a nearby set of pants I had in a dirty laundry hamper.I sighed. "Of course," I said. It was once more time to work with my little brother to make sure he didn't become a little Grimer. "right , so you need to…" I trailed off as I caught sight of the toilet.I nodded slowly. "Right… you need to work on your aim," I said with a sigh, while wondering if I didn't need to upgrade him to a potential Muk.I shook my head. Collecting him and depositing him at the breakfast bar with Nanny Grav. I proceeded to the Medical bay where I released my pokemon.I gave them a look over. "Sorry for the short warning before going into that fight this morning," I said looking them over. "You all performed great." I paused on Don and Empress, who was creeping towards the exit. "That said, there are some pointers we can take away from it. I won't have the time to address all those now, but I wanted to let you all know what I thought.""Empress…" I said addressing the Donphan in the room. Empress paused, not looking at me but still waiting to hear what I said. For that I was at least a little relieved. I licked my lips and considered what I could say. "You scared me back there, challenging Mewtwo like you did" I admitted.Empress peered at me. She hadn't been expecting that.I gave her a small smile. "That said, I knew I couldn't stop you. I don't know your pain and I honestly hope I never have to. You did the right thing," I said, deciding to back her.Regardless of the moral implications of what was going on with Giovanni and Mewtwo. Empress had needed that, just as she didn't need me chastising her for it."I'm sorry it went the way it did, but I'm not surprised. It took teams of pokemon to put a dent in Mewtwo last time," I said, reminding her of the last two times we'd fought Mewtwo. "If we have to fight him a fourth time, let us help," I said, indicating myself and the other pokemon.Empress glanced around and was surprised when the others all nodded seriously. She glanced away. There might have been dirt in her eyes as she had to scratch at them. I just smiled."We'll have to work on a few things still," I said. "But for now I'm going to give most of you time to rest before I head out with a smaller team. Selene, you'll be with me today as will Shin and Chou. Don… you stay here," I said firmly, deciding to call him out and make it clear I wasn't happy with him.He curled away and looked contrite but I knew I'd need to do more with him soon by the flash of something malicious in his eyes.Before I headed off I made sure to tap Titan on the shoulder. "Spend some time with your mum today, maybe get Terra and Teddiursa to spend some time with her?" I suggestedHe nodded and headed off leaving me to sigh. Chansey walked up and patted me on the head. "Chansey Chans!" she said as she praised me.I smiled, it was nice to have someone tell me I'd done well.Saffron as the central city of Kanto was arguably one of the most popular cities to house non-trainers. With the centre of the city housing the large corporations of Kanto along with a few international businesses it made sense. The outer edges of the city were otherwise dedicated to parks, and housing with large open boulevards to walk down if you were on foot.Saffron being the largest population of non-trainers didn't mean people didn't keep pokemon with them.There were still plenty of people running around with growlithe on their morning jogs. The playgrounds all had various assistant pokemon and urban pokemon such as Machop, Mr Mime and various transport pokemon such as Rapidash, Rhyhorn, or Tauros were put to use.This did make the place a lot more cosmopolitan, along with less fighting per person. It didn't mean there weren't fights, just that they happened in more specific areas of Saffron. The other sort… tended to be a little strange, but I just chalked that up to living in a world of pokemon.I guided the Pewter detachment of trainers and support staff once more. With Saffron's teleportation business being set to the heart of the city we had to walk through a number of intersections and work our way out of the skyscrapers that shot up in the financial heart of the city.The kids all gaped openly like the obvious out-of-towners they were. I spotted more than a few people who must have likewise been only just making their way into Saffron for their first challenge.It was as Sabrina had said. The trainer surge was well and truly crashing upon her. I might have had it hard initially with trainers seeking me out at the start, but without Giovanni and Blaise to act as 'final bosses' Sabrina was the only person with the prestige left for a lot of people to fight.Well.. until next week. I already had a lot of slots for the next few weeks Elite battles locked in. I had a few dates circled for the very notable names that were returning to challenge me. But thankfully that was Monday's problem.Today was too damn bright and too damn loud. I adjusted the sunglasses and worked my jaw, fighting off the urge to yawn.In truth there was enough going on around Saffron to be interesting, with all the street performers and people on show. I couldn't find it in me to care though.I was just too tired to give it much attention.I still had enough attention to reach out and snag Crystal from walking across an intersection though. She blanched as a small crowd of bikes and pokemon swept past.The inclusion of pokemon and vehicles on the road made for some interesting road rules, and even more interesting sights."Make way! I'm late for a meeting!" bellowed one man in a suit as his Tauros charged through an intersection."You make way! I'm running a meeting!" shouted another man coming the other way after dodging around a slow-moving Rhyhorn with an old man and woman sitting on top of it.Both Tauros, who had been on opposite sides of the road, were now perfectly in line with each other. They locked eyes and lowered their heads, ignoring the way their riders tugged at them to move apart.They instead sped up and committed.Both men swore and braced only to lock eyes. "You should have moved!""Me? You're the one who can't control their ride!" snarled the other.As both Tauros slammed into each other I got to watch a strange blend of fighting/grappling take place as the two business suit-wearing men locked slammed into each other. Their hands linked as they tried to tip the other off their pokemon."I'm a CFO!" snarled one man."I'm a VP of sales!" snarled the other as they and their pokemon pushed and shoved each other for position.A.J. stared at the small fight taking part in the middle of the road.Others, used to the antics didn't even bat an eye, merely continued to ride past the small fight. I knew that as long as no actual pokemon moves or wider disruption occurred nothing would happen, even if one of the police happened upon them.I noted that A.J. wasn't alone in gaping at the weird fight. Several other out-of-towners had maps out and were wearing cheap merchandise declaring Saffron the 'big-oran' of Kanto.When the light turned green I tapped A.J. on the shoulder. "Don't focus on that. It's side-dressing at most. These sorts of things seem to happen a bit in Saffron," I said.Greta peered around me and watched as the men disengaged their grapple to try beating on the other with suitcases that they must have pulled out of travel pouches."City folk are weird," muttered A.J. before shaking his head and marching back up to me.Greta who'd been watching, but not gawking like A.J. merely shrugged. "Seems pretty normal to me, have you never been to a big city before?"A.J. shifted from foot to foot. "I lived on the outskirts of Cerulean for ages or travelled around. We… didn't get welcomed into many big towns and if we did we stayed on the outskirts," he said before stiffening and clamming his mouth shut.I hummed, interested that A.J. had volunteered something of himself like that. One of the things that I had noticed about him was that he never, ever mentioned parents or caregivers. Despite that he had a very good tent to use for his training but everything else was rough about him.I would have expected more backing. In another life, I might have just passed it off as cartoon logic but I knew that A.J. had a story.I suspected that he had once been part of a circus as a child and something had caused a split with A.J. raising himself with only a few essentials such as a starter pokemon. During the few workouts we'd had, I probed around the topic and observed but he always seemed to close in on himself whenever conversations turned to parents.Then again, I couldn't blame him for not wanting to talk about parents. I didn't want to talk about Flint and… Lola to other people.There were plenty of people out there that had no parents as I suspected he didn't. He was doing a lot better than most of the orphans I knew, but that was just a hypothesis at the moment.I coughed and regathered myself. "Well, fights like this are fairly commonplace in most cities really, it's just that with the population and… well the size of people's egos that live here there's more chance of fights breaking out.""Heh! Old men, board members and CEO's fighting is pretty funny to consider," Crystal said with a giggle.I smirked. "Oh? So you haven't been to Celadon when a sale is on in their department store? They have to move the goods to the roof to allow for the fights and usually it is a four-way free-for-all, all to make things more manageable," I said grinning at her."Sales?" said most of the kids.I nodded. "There are usually some sorts of sales on, if you check the magazine. You just have to be careful as sometimes during the big planned sales companies will run a line of goods that are similar but a lot of the ruggedness of them are not included," I said, informing the kids of an old tactic companies made use of in my past life.It didn't happen as much here but there were still cases of it. Celadon department store was perhaps one of the worst sites for it happening. I shrugged. "I find it's always good to make use of the end-of-financial-year sales that come around," I said.The others blinked and Yolanda shot me a look. "Is that why the teleport you had arranged is booked for later this afternoon?" she said connecting the dots.I snapped a finger at her while once more repressing an urge to yawn. "Correct, you have your pocket money and I know there might be some interesting deals on, so by all means go for a jaunt over there after the matches."I shot Greta and A.J. a small look. "I'm hoping you won't need retail therapy but it's nice to have something to look forward to afterwards, win or lose," I said."Some of the pokeball stock should be on sale as well for once," I said and A.J. perked up. Ah, so A.J. was looking to expand his team. Good, that indicated that he was feeling safer with the Gym at least and hopefully would use the stable facilities going forward.I'd have to ask what he was thinking of adding to his team. If I had to guess it was going to be something 'cost-efficient' like a Pidgey, or a Sentret. But perhaps he'd surprise me.With the kids making plans to go shopping after their match I led them through the streets of Saffron city. We dodged past the street performers and the traffic and made good time getting to a wide street that had paved cobblestones leading up to it."Gym Guides! Get your Gym Guides! Every trick and tactic that's been shown to work at every level! Get them while they're hot! This week's guide is going to be a must have!" cried a man with an afro.I shot the man a baleful look and he stiffened, no doubt feeling the dark intent I was shooting his way. The man spun around and blanched when he saw me."Ah! Gym Leader Brock! My cousin sends his regards!" he said with a trembling smile.When I grunted and jerked my head the man darted away. "Do you know this man's family?" asked Yolanda, watching the man as he scurried through the crowd of pokemon trainers that were idling around on the street. A few of them shot me annoyed looks but I merely directed my gaze to them."Brock?" prompted Yolanda again."Hmm? Oh, that guy's family? They're sort of a running… scourge to most of the Gyms. they hawk…" my lip curled up. "Advice guides, to young trainers that don't know any better."Crystal tilted her head. "Why is that so bad?""The guides are the most basic of basic information and they often contain information that hinders trainers from actually growing. They're… cheat sheets for some levels of Gym challenges but they hinder development, and in some cases actively harm people as there is a lot of information that is outright wrong," I said.Yolanda waved a hand. "I've never seen a man like that selling guides for the Pewter Gym."I snorted. "You might have when the Gym was on public property with the original site. Back then I couldn't restrict people from hawking goods right out the front if they wanted. I could if they tried anything in the Gym, but not out the front," I said recalling the annoying man who in the games had been harmless as a rookie's guide for people's very first playthroughs.In reality, they were a widespread family of sneaks and conmen that had found a niche to burrow into and had done just that. What was this specialty?Gym information.What pokemon to expect from the Gym. What common habits they had, set pokemon's movespool, and references for speed and strength is what they marketed. In reality, it was all generic information pulled from libraries.Sure they'd put in some effort, but it wasn't what they said it was. It was publicly listed information that anyone had access to and honestly should know.It was more impressive that one of them invariably appeared in front of a Gym. They were extremely prolific.Sadly the information packets were also very outdated if not outright wrong.People would buy the information only to find it contained things like 'Rock being weak to grass, water, and fighting type. They didn't include anything of Ground or Steel type pokemon and they toted things like Rock being immune to electric type attacks. While also flattening anything that was Fire, Flying or bug typed.I hadn't been able to get them thrown in lock-up when I realised how much disinformation there was being peddled as there was a clear subscript at the bottom of the first page that the information was not to be used competitively or taken seriously.If you happened to need a magnifying glass to read said script, that was just a printing error.I grinned to myself. "When I took over the Gym I took great pleasure in banning any peddlers from the Gym. The man apparently has taken up residence near the pokemart after getting run out of the pokecenter."Yolanda nodded slowly. "I'm surprised Sabrina tolerates them.""Eh, this is still public space," I said. I pointed to a small kiosk where a professionally set up woman was seated with a line of trainers leading up to it. "That being said, Sabrina chose to take a different approach to dealing with the peddlers," I said with an amused shake of my head.Yolanda blinked. "Are those?""Information packets regarding psychic pokemon, including their strengths and weaknesses?" I said with a smile. Yolanda nodded and I pointed to another part of the kiosk. "They also sell some of the Gym Merch as official partners," I said.Yolanda and the others stared. "Why would she do that?" said Greta after a long moment of silence."Oh, that only contains information on the less experienced pokemon. It doesn't highlight some of the higher-tier pokemon and what they can do. Sabrina changed things up with her approach. This forced the peddlers to actually do some work as she has a host of different techniques that can be countered if you know what you're doing. That said, this is Sabrina we're talking about. She can read most people before they enter the Gym if she wants to," I said."Wow, go Sabrina," said Yolanda.I chuckled. In truth Sabrina had never even deigned to notice the peddlers until I'd mentioned being annoyed by them and what I was planning.I think initially she'd almost forced the local branch of the peddlers to go bankrupt from her trick before they got their act together. They were extra careful around Sabrina these days and very careful with any information regarding her Gym.The amusing part of all this was that it was entirely possible that Sabrina had forgotten about them and her kiosk was simply continuing to operate under her original parameters.That or she was just keeping it there as a constant reminder to the peddlers that at any time, she could end their operations in Saffron.We continued up onto the Gym Challenge corridor, as the street was called where we were met by a number of signs indicating that people were not to ride bikes, pokemon, or other people down the street.A.J. shot the sign a confused look. "But, riding another person would be slow?" he said.The girls also shot the sign a confused look only to blush. Yolanda shot me a wide-eyed look. I waved a hand at the numerous benches that were tucked underneath flowering trees. "It's a popular date site during the evening," I said cryptically.Yolanda shot the seats a slightly worried look, edging away from them. I snorted, knowing that while people tried certain romantic acts, they didn't get away with much. The area was too well-lit and too well-patrolled.It didn't stop some people from trying though.We continued on past the flowering blossoms and other trees that lined the Gym Corridor. The golden pavement and trees made it an iconic feature for Saffron tourism.It was a shame that most of the time there were tons of trainers moving up and down it. To accommodate this, further out, past the corridor itself, small courts were maintained by both Sabrina and Kong for trainers to battle on.It was immediately obvious which side of the corridor belonged to Sabrina and which belonged to Kong. Kong favoured traditional stone and wooden structures that encompassed lamps, walls, and signposts.Sabrina's side of the corridor was well-lit with modern lighting.On her side, the gym itself towered over the landscape. A giant stadium in itself. When we reached the intersection that led to each Gym's entrance I shot a found look towards Sabrina's gym before turning in the other direction.Kong's Gym reminded me of a traditional martial arts dojo, albeit one that had been joined with a shogun's castle with multiple layers with walls that ringed around the structure. Each wall had a small gate in front of which a pair of Gym trainers stood creating a literal gauntlet that trainers had to fight their way through.To either side of the door guards, a small space was prepared for pokemon battles.A third Gym trainer stood in the gateway, stopping any that sought to advance without at least facing one of the door guards and defeating them.I glanced at Greta and A.J. "Alright, this show is all yours," I said, moving towards a small wooden set of stands and leaving the two trainers to face their first challenge."Hoha! What is this Brother Jong? Two squirts face us?" shouted the leftmost door guard."Haho! Indeed it appears so Brother Fang! So? Are you two ready to face the Fighting Gym of Kanto's fury?" announced Brother Jong.Greta nodded and A.J. started, only for him to perk up. "I'll wait a moment," he said with a small smirk that I felt I should have been worried about. I started to consider what sort of trouble he'd get himself into when a yawn ripped through me.I smacked my lips and shook my head. "Oh, sorry," I said but the others waved it off.Yolanda eyed me. "Did you not get much sleep last night?"I shook my head. "Had some issues for Billy to handle," I said.Yolanda blinked. "Oh, I thought you and Sabrina…" she trailed off and I huffed in amusement before another yawn ripped through me."Nah, just some small drama, "I said, the lie flowing off my tongue easily. Yolanda wouldn't question it, and it wasn't like Billy knew what time he got up to come into my room. Sometimes my family truly were the best at providing me with alibis.As we settled into our seats on the wooden stands, Greta stepped up against Brother Fang.To the side, a referee rattled off the usual prematch spiel which I dozed through only for Yolanda to jog my elbow. "I didn't know that Kong only fought with two pokemon for his challenge?" she said.I blinked, my eyes feeling gummy. "Uhmm, say what now?" I asked.Yolanda gestured to the ref. "He just said that the Gym only accepts two pokemon challenges, with each trainer only allowed to use two pokemon."I worked my jaw. "Huh, he's using that rule? That's interesting," I said, noting it down but not really caring. It was a little more than a point of style in the end plus I was feeling kind of drowsy.Greta started things off with Beedrill coming out first."Interesting choice," I said to myself, my mind playing with the list of pokemon that she had access to. Wouldn't Pidgey have been a safer bet?Across from her Brother Fang sent out a Machoke that locked eyes with Beedrill.The flags dropped and both trainers called their orders."Beedrill! Speed sequence!" Greta commanded. Her beedrill blurred to the side and a harsh buzzing sounded as the wings on Beedrill's back picked up speed as it moved in dizzying blurs.Brother Fang merely had his pokemon perform a Bulk Up, with his pokemon flexing and growing more powerful.Then, before anyone could blink or give another order, Beedrill was in close to Machoke, slamming its stingers into the larger pokemon over and over again with Fury Attack. After four hits, Beedrill had to back off with a sharp buzz as Machoke regathered itself and attempted a Karate Chop.The chop hit nothing but the air as Beedrill evaded.Doesn't have No Guard then," I muttered to myself sleepily. When Beedrill darted in again only to have to dodge another attack I chuckled. "Float like a Butterfree, sting like a Beedrill," I murmured."Slow it down with Scary Face!" growled Brother Fang. His Machoke glowered at where Beedrill was and waves of energy radiated off it as Beedrill froze up for a second only to glower back a second later.With that done Machoke looked solid but Fang went for another Bulk Up, once more boosting his pokemon's defence and attack by one stage."Set up Sequence!" said Greta in response and her pokemon began laying out Toxic Spikes, earning a nod from me. Good, she was considering the next pokemon out as well.From there Beedrill tried another Agility boost, only for Fang to deny it with Scary Face. Greta gritted her teeth at this."Probe him!" she shouted and her pokemon tentatively advanced with stingers raised. When it got within range it launched out two quick strikes that Machoke evaded before attempting a counter of its own that Beedrill evaded.Both pokemon continued in this vein for a little bit and I hummed slowly.I could only put it down to being tired as I was taken by surprise when Machoke collapsed. It took me much longer than usual to realise that Greta must have been banking on a build-up of poison to win the match.I applauded with the others but some of the more hot-headed observers groaned in disappointment when the fists stopped flying.The next match against a Meditite went even quicker with Toxic spikes zapping the small psychic-fighting type and Greta pressing the advantage to win the right to advance to the next gate.As Brother Fang returned his pokemon Brother Jong turned to A.J. "So? Are you ready to fight now that you have seen our pokemon in play?" he said sternly.A.J. just grinned. "I wasn't waiting for anything but you guys to be ready!" he announced, putting his hands on his hips.I blinked slowly as my mind registered that A.J. was about to do something typical of a shounen protagonist as he puffed up his chest. "I challenge you both! Let's have a Duo battle! He announced smugly, that way I get to fight four pokemon!" he said.I facepalmed and laughed into my hand. Yolanda just giggled. "Only A.J. would seek out the hardest path forward," she said with amusement.I nodded my head and looked up to find Jong and Fang grinning. "Ha! We have another taker this year! Oh let's see if you're as good as that child with the Pidgeot and Butterfree!" shouted Fang.I tilted my head. Now why did that sound familiar?I couldn't quite place it but it felt like something that I should know. Sadly my mind wasn't working as quick as it normally would, so I dismissed it as both Fang and Jong released their pokemon after an adjusted spiel from the ref.A.J. merely grinned and returned fire with Butterfree and his own Beedrill.Fang and Jong released a Medicham and a Hariyama. Both pokemon looked strong which made me sit up. Had A.J. just screwed himself over? I shot A.J. a worried look. He'd seen the strong pokemon in front of him and instead of fear entering his pose he looked if anything more happy."Begin!" shouted the referee and A.J was quick off the mark with his order."Butterfree, Beedrill! In close!" he shouted and both pokemon flapped their wings and shot into the space between Medicham and Hariyama. Butterfree even went so far as to open his wings and glare balefully at the Hariyama.Both fighting types swivelled and towards the bug type pokemon their arms raised and ready as Jong and Fang gave their orders. "Arm Thrust/Fire Punch!""Dust off!" cried A.J. in response and both pokemon twirled in a harsh juke to the side.Hariyama and Medicahm who'd been lunging at their opposite number suddenly found themselves slamming into each other. The Arm Thrust rocked Medicham backwards while Fire Punch merely scorched Hariyama's skin slightly.I hummed mentally logging that A.J. could have been smoother with the action. There had been a lot of warning as to what he'd been trying to do and a slower, smoother action would have baited them in better.He'd need to learn to glide instead of leap which was something I could work on.The fighting types both growled at each other and they even marched up on each other as if they were about to throw down."Hariyama cool it!""Medicham remember yourself!" barked both Fang and Jong as they attempted to calm their pokemon down.It took Fang and Jong a moment to order their pokemon back from each other, but this gave A.J. more than enough time to line up a Confusion and Agility.Instantly the Hariyama twitched and a gleam entered its eyes. Once more its arm shot out and knocked Medicham away. While Medicahm was down Beedrill shot in and slammed a stinger into the psychic-fighting type to put it down.Medicham struggled but failed to get up, causing Jong to click his tongue and return it. In its place a Mankey appeared. "Play it smart!" He ordered his pokemon who hopped from foot to foot."Distract and destroy!" shouted A.J. and Butterfree shifted forward to get in Hariyama's face. Its wings beat around and the powerful fighting type started to swat at Butterfree only for Butterfree to dodge repeatedly."Mankey go after the Beedrill that is at the back!" ordered Jong.I glanced back to find that Beedrill was in fact at the back, but it was hardly lounging. A white glow built up around it and a moment later it twitched. "Now!" barked A.J.The order caused two things to happen. Butterfree shot in close before rising up, resulting in Hariyama to look up after it. In the gap that Butterfree had left, Beedrill surged forward with a stinger held back.As it closed with Hariyama it hammered straight into Hariyama's head knocking the huge pokemon onto its back where it gave off a huge boom.When Hariyama failed to stand back up Fang was forced to return his pokemon with a click of his tongue. His next pokemon, a Machop appeared and glowered up.I leaned forward and watched as A.J. demolished the pair of them and earned his own right to advance. As one, our group rose and applauded him. He grinned and nodded.The gate opened for Greta and A.J. and the pair advanced with our group moving through a side 'spectator's gate'. When we passed a single Gym trainer I shot him a look ."Many people try to sneak in this way?"He grunted. "Only the dishonest," he said before nodding his head to a Machoke who was standing on the other side. Ah, he was using pokemon much like I did with guarding the stands. Nice.From there we watched Greta advance easily while A.J. fought against tough opponents. I had to applaud him for stepping out of his comfort zone and going for the double battles.It was interesting to see him stretched during the fights and it revealed some areas that he could work on.I rubbed my chin as we advanced to the last platform where Kong awaited. I'd have to make use of some doubles battles myself if they demonstrated weakness that well. It might be good for some self-reflection.I and the others from the Pewter Gym settled in as Kong stood.I found the fog of fatigue lifting as I leaned forward.Greta and A.J. had caused a good stir on the way up. Now it was time to see how they did against the Gym Leader.