"So? The Pewter Gym has brought its trainers here to my Gym?" said Kong grandly.
He gestured to Greta. "One child fights with a straightforward path, while the other…" Kong let his attention drift to A.J. causing Greta to pout. I could only frown. This was an unusual start to the match.He should have just focussed on one of them.I knew that I was guilty of comparing them to each other, but to have another do it? And publicly? That raised some flags for me."You, boy? You seek to challenge yourself the most and grow, don't you?"A.J. nodded firmly. "I know the shelter that I have now is temporary, even if it is long enough for my needs I can't become lazy! I want to be the best! Not mediocre!" A.J. said with a thump of his fist to his chest.Greta twitched. "I'm not mediocre! I'm just being frugal with my strength!" she snapped and I had to nod. Her path forward was hers, and A.J.'s was his.It was known that tougher paths in the Gyms, such as challenging through the gauntlet matches, earnt more respect, but that didn't mean you should disparage a person for taking an easier path. I cupped my hands. "You tell em Greta!" I called out.Kong's gaze snapped to mine and I locked eyes with him.I in turn narrowed my own. Had he been baiting me with that?Kong tossed his head and sniffed. "I see! You have spirit then! Girl you shal—""My name! Is Greta!" snarled Greta stomping forward. "And I'm here to challenge you for your badge Gym Leader!" she said, her words carrying across the arena.I grinned. Greta really had grown up in the time she'd been with us. Gone was the girl that had been meek and reserved. She'd grown into herself wonderfully.Kong's grin looked like it matched my own. "That's more like it! I don't like that tepid approach! I like the fighting spirit that's entered your eyes now Greta from Pallet Town! WE shall fight now!"A referee scurried out to the midpoint and A.J withdrew to the side."Only two pokemon may be used! Otherwise the standard rules apply!" reported the referee and I shot the extremely lax explanation a flat look.I mean, yes we'd heard it a lot today but to have the Gym Leader skip the rules… Well I suppose it shouldn't matter that much."Go Ivysaur!" shouted Greta as she sent her starter out first.In reply Kong sent out a Hitmonchan that darted side to side while firing off punches. Each punch sent a soft gust of wind showcasing how strong it was. The small hops from side to side also demonstrated that it had some good agility. I suspected that in a pinch it would be able to drag out a fight if it had to.Greta's eyes were locked on it so hopefully she was seeing the same things I was."Ivysaur! Poison powder!" she called, opening up the fight with Ivysaur unleashing a cloud of purple gas that flooded the area around it. It hung heavy in the air, occluding areas that Hitmonchan could move."Dizzy Punch but do it as a spinner!" barked Kong. I and most of the stands gaped as Hitmonchan began to spin its arms, looking entirely too much like a little child that was whirling their arms about, winding up for a big punch.I'd seen it happen all too much with my family, when they were 'standing their ground and fed up with another sibling. It was childish, and ridiculous looking… and it was working in blowing away the poison powder as it slowly approached Ivysaur."Vine Whip! Go for the legs!" barked Greta. Ivysaur sent out his vines with a lash that swept across the ground parallel to the ground."Skip one two! Skip three four!" chanted Kong and once again I got to witness some impressive, if surprising skill, as Hitmonchan treated Ivysaur's Vine Whip like a jump rope, hopping over it again and again.All while spinning its arms as fast as it could go to push back the Poison powder."abort!" Greta called, making her pokemon twitch in surprise as it tried to nail Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan, still caught in the tempo of the jumps, found itself skipping into the air with nothing to dodge. Greta grinned. "Go now!" she called!This time, with Hitmonchan much closer and in the air the Vines caught it and knocked it to the ground."Punch up! Don't be a chump!" chimed Kong and Hitmonchan punched the ground to get itself back into a standing position fast instead of hopping. Hitmonchan gave another one two jab, but my eyes lingered on the broken ground underneath it. That had been a strong albeit basic pair of punches.To leave a dent like that though without any leverage or real effort. That had to be a warning sign of its ability coming in."Iron Fist," I muttered to myself."What's that?" asked Yolanda leaning in. "Iron Fist?"I nodded. "An ability that empowers punches. Hitmonchan is literally going to hit harder than another of its species," I said. "Which means—" I started to say only for Yolanda to cut me off."That Greta needs to play keep away with Ivysaur," she summarised neatly.I nodded and focussed to find that Greta had tried for a fast Razor Leaf, only for Hitmonchan's fists to light up with a Fire Punch.With a series of rapid strikes the attacks were batted away like this was merely a training exercise. When Hitmonchan was done its fists smoked from the fire and burnt leaves but its eyes were locked on the prize."Earthquake!" barked Kong suddenly. Hitmonchan, who must have been waiting for this very order, dropped and threw its fist straight at the ground causing it to buckle and heave.Greta kept her cool though. She was well used to this tactic having fought against my pokemon quite a lot in the last week. "Leap!" she ordered and Ivysaur braced with his legs and jumped while throwing his vines into the ground to give himself a touch more lift. His two vines pushed him up and acted as pseudo shock absorbers as he sailed to the right where the poison powder cloud was still going strong.Kong clicked his tongue. "If they're not going to let us close then let's snipe!" he said, levelling his own hands and firing off a pair of punches. "Vacuum Wave!" he called.Hitmonchan began firing punch after punch and this time it wasn't just gusts of wind being launched but full on shockwaves that caused the air to boom as it passed through it."Ivy!" cried the Grass type as it took two solid hits in the air. He still fell into the poison powder so that was good, but he landed awkwardly before jumping and facing Hitmonchan with a growl."Don't let up! If she wants to play it safe she'll not pass this challenge!" Kong barked.I twitched at his demeanour but a quick glance told he was focusing intently on what Greta was doing. Hmmmm I suppose that was one way to teach them about loud braggarts that tried to throw you off your groove.Greta bared her teeth in response however. "You want to see some power? Ivysaur! Power Leaf!" she called."Did she change the name?" I said aloud as Greta's now signature move formed up.Ivysaur fired a Razor leaf only for him to catch it with one of his Vine Whips and begin twirling it like he was charging up an attack."Hnn! Keep punching!" called Kong ignoring the threat.Ivysaur tanked another two Vacuum waves before unleashing his attack. The leaf practically screeched as it tore through the air towards Hitmonchan who merely raised his fists, ready to blast it away no doubt."Hitmonc—" Kong began to order only to be stunned as another vine shot out of the ground. His eyes had just enough time to dart to the vine and track it to Ivysaur who had only used one of his vines. The other had dug into the ground and snuck up on Hitmonchan.Kong grinned. "Clever," he said as Hitmonchan took a powered-up Razor Leaf to the head, knocking it back flat.Hitmonchan didn't bounce up to its feet and Kong was forced to nod and take the loss. "Return Hitmonchan, this girl has some spirit about her," he said. He then put a fist to his chin and cracked his neck in one direction before going in the other."I see that I will need to be on my toes against you," he said.Greta merely grinned at him, her teeth bared. She then shot Ivysaur a much more saccharine smile. "Great job Ivysaur! You're getting us the W we need!""Saur!" barked Ivysaur as he braced himself in readiness for the next pokemon."Hoha! Let's go Hitmontop!" shouted Kong as he sent out another pokemon. This one landed on its feet only to hop onto its head where it began to spin around and around while its legs whirled above it.At first I thought it was a poor match up/ And then it began to spin properly.This time the Poison Powder was pushed back much further and Hitmontop was able to accelerate towards Ivysaur."Gyro Ball," ordered Kong and Hitmontop gained a grey energy around it as it surged forward towards Ivysaur.Greta snapped her hand forward. "Vine jump!" she ordered and her starter once more gained room with a well timed jump that was boosted by its vines.When it landed it did so with a thump and took a moment to catch its breath. Greta raised her pokeball instantly. "Ivysaur! You're tired, hang tight and let someone else come in to take it home!" she called as she returned him.Kong smiled. "Pursuit!" he called and Hitmontop went from calmly spinning to the side to throwing itself across the dividing space just as Ivysaur was being returned, its leg swinging in to slam into him.Ivysaur was hurled to the side even as he was returned. Greta twitched in surprise and her eyes darted down to the pokeball in her grasp.When a dull chime sounded out she slumped. "Ivysaur can't keep fighting," she reported.The referee shot his flag up. "The score is now tied! One all!" declared the ref.Kong nodded. "You should have expected such tactics from me," he said, his arms crossed. "It is well known that I have to endure Psychics coming after me and my team often. Did you think I wouldn't have a technique to handle them? Pursuit is one of the best moves for pokemon with Teleportation abilities," he said firmly.I propped my chin up, amused to be a spectator to another Gym Leader giving out a lesson. Yolanda, Rachel, and Crystal all thought the same thing judging by how they each glanced my way with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at them and grunted in acknowledgement. "He's doing good," I said.Greta on the stage, drew out her second pokemon. "You chose a Hitmontop? A pokemon well known for its physical balance, but also its reliance on physical attacks," she said firmly.Kong narrowed his eyes. "Is that what you think?" he said firmly.Greta nodded. "I did my research," she said as she drew out her second pokeball. "Go Pidgey!" she said.Kong's fists clenched. "Well… at least it's not a Psychic type," he said before smirking. "Now, let me show you what the phrase 'I did my own research' means," he said."Hitmontop! Stone Edge!" he barked and Hitmontop kicked the ground once, causing a huge rock to shoot up. Hitmontop then struck with its other leg and caused the rock to rocket up at Pidgey.Her Pidgey, despite the oncoming rock, looked perfectly at ease. "Aerial Ace," Greta said calmly.Pidgey went from beating its wings to hold ground, into a harsh snap that caused it to blur and vanish. Pidgey then appeared to the side of Hitmontop where it slammed into Hitmontop.Greta grinned. "I'm very used to facing down rock moves," she said smugly. "I've also covered my weakness," she said, earning herself a laugh from Kong."Rock Slide while they're in close!" he ordered.From in close it should have been almost guaranteed, but once again Greta held her nerve. "Aerial Ace… now!" she barked and Pidgey followed her orders to a tee vanishing and slamming into Hitmontop once again.This time the fighting type pokemon tottered and fell to the side where it didn't get back up."Hitmontop is unable to battle! Greta and Pidgey are the victors!" announced the referee.As one, the Pewter support team all rose to cheer for Greta as Kong returned his pokemon. He turned to her and nodded. "You have con—" His words were lost as Greta's Pidgey landed on her arm and she plucked off a band from its ankle.The band snapping caused Pidgey to give her a look. When she nodded Pidgey opened its wings and began to glow with the light of evolution. Oh, nice, she'd reached her goal with Pidgey.A few moments later a much larger Pidgeotto rested on her arm and Greta strained to hold it upright. She ended up bracing with her other arm to keep Pidgeotto on its perch.I chuckled. "She's not going to be able to do that when Pidgeotto evolves again."Kong, who'd paused when Greta made her move coughed. "You also had that up your sleeve I see… impressive to have it so well planned. You are a trainer worthy of the Brawl badge," he said, extending a small box to her.Greta took it and bowed. "Thank you very much for helping me grow!" she said and Kong blushed at the formal tone."Well, it is my role to challenge you. You were a nice surprise," he said.Greta giggled. "Heh, thanks! I'll let you and A.J. have your match now," she said as she darted towards us. Kong tracked her for a moment only to pause when he noticed me in the crowd.I nodded to him and he jerked his head in response.He then turned his head robotically to A.J. "So? You have taken the hardest route possible and advanced through all the barriers. I take it you wish to face my strongest challenge?"A.J. locked eyes with Kong. "I'd fight your strongest if I could," he said, his voice ringing with conviction.Kong, who'd been reaching towards another pair of pokeballs that a Gym trainer was offering to him paused. "Ho? My strongest?"I facepalmed again. "Arceus damn it A.J.!" I groaned even as I tried to repress a laugh. Only you A.J..A.J., unmindful of the mixed emotions he was giving me, pulled out a pokeball and held it towards Kong. "I want to see the heights and how far I have to go!"Kong laughed. "Excellent! You have a true fighting spirit!" he said.I tilted my head as I inspected the pokeball that A.J. held. If I was a kid with a need to prove myself… who would I choose?It had to be Sandshrew, right?I chewed my lip and considered A.J.. He, much like Greta, had grown from spending time with us. Surely that meant he could make a plan?Kong nodded his head and waved off the attendant. "Very well. One of my strongest against two of yours," he said.For but a small moment, A.J's lips twitched and I knew right then that he had a plan.I leaned forward, ignoring the itchy eyes that came from a lack of sleep to study the field. "A.J.'s got a plan," I announced.The others didn't doubt me. They merely nodded and leaned forward.The instant the referee had cleared the field of debris from the last fight, he merely raised his flags, not bothering with the typical prematch announcements. "Two on one! Begin!" he said while dropping his flag."Go Butterfree!" announced A.J..I nodded, agreeing with the decision. Across from him, one of Kong's strongest took to the field."Go! Machamp!" Kong announced and his Machamp hit the field with a thump. It rose, muscles twitching and flexing before stretching out its arms wide in silent challenge.Butterfree flapped its wings harder and glared at the arrogance. I had to admit that I didn't think it wasn't undeserved.That Machamp was powerful. It wasn't a huge hulk of a pokemon but rather a tightly corded fighting pokemon. There were calluses on its hands, feet and elbows that denoted how much effort it must put in. Kong would have had to have it punching industrial material to have that toughening effect on a pokemon that was notoriously strong."Machamp, the superpower pokemon. Opponents that have angered Machamp have in the past been thrown across the horizon when the pokemon is suitably motivated. Each arm can with training work independently from the other. This makes the pokemon highly unpredictable to fight in close quarters. Attempting to block or deflect blows require either an equally powerful pokemon, or a master of martial arts. There are only three recorded successful deflections in a record bank in the thousands for humans. Combatants hoping to trade blows cannot rely on sight and must instead preempt or be extremely lucky. This Machamp knows Wide Guard, Low Kick, Focus Energy, Dual Chop, Focus Blast, Rest, Snore and Throat Chop," said Greta's pokedex.I grunted in approval but didn't turn my gaze away from the match."Lockdown protocols!" announced A.J. quickly. His Butterefree started flapping its wings and sending out green spores that clogged the air.So he was going for a debuff strategy before sending out his Sandshrew.Kong grunted and waved a hand negligently. "Bulk Up," he said and his Machamp tensed. Instead of getting bigger like other pokemon might have been, I noted that only veins began to bulge across its body.At first glance, it would almost look like he wasn't taking A.J. seriously, but there was a seriousness to Kong and Machamps gazes. They tracked the slowly spreading spores, and Bulk Up was never wasted on a pokemon, especially a powerful specimen like Machamp.Butterfree, having spread the Stun Spore wide over its part of the field, began to flap its wings sending a powerful gust and thereby the spores straight at Machamp."Blow em away," said Kong as the Spores began to advance like a curtain wall. Machamp raised two hands to its mouth and inhaled. I felt a memory stir of another anime series where they put a single hand with fingers raised to the mouth before exhaling elemental abilities."Ah, big boom," I said right before Machamp exhaled a torrent of fire with Flamethrower.It slammed into the spores and ignited them causing a cascading expansion of fire to light up the wall. Butterfree and A.J. rather than being taken by surprise reacted marvellously."Rise!" shouted A.J. and his pokemon swept its wings while bucking its body. It launched itself up and out of danger.I whistled and eyed the distance it had just covered. That had been quicker than I'd seen from his Butterfree. Not unless… I played back the sequence of events. Ah, Stun Spore into Tailwind, not Gust to propel the spores. That also bought him a slight safety net with evasion.Good, good, A.J. wasn't leaning into the all-or-nothing as much anymore.Still, the revelation of Machamp knowing Flamethrower certainly stymied a lot of A.J.'s plans. He seemed to know this as he slashed his hand and Butterfree began to dive, appearing like a plane on an attack run. Machamp raised his hands, more than ready to swat this bug out of the air."Take him!" barked A.J. and Butterfree opened its wings before lashing out with wing after wing from just out of grapple range. From each wing slash, an Air Slash shot forward."Stomp and deny!" barked Kong and his pokemon responded by doing just that. With a stomp the arena broke. Small rocks were kicked up only for Machamp to begin punching them straight into the oncoming Air Slashs.Machamp then methodically stepped forward.With each step rocks rose and were punched forward causing Butterfree to have to start back pedalling while launching attack after attack."Break off!" A.J. ordered."Heh, Blast em," said Kong and this time Machamp drew back all four arms and tilted its body. Where Butterfree was like a plane escaping after an unsuccessful attack, Machamp looked nothing so much as a turret sighting up on the slower plane.Each arm fired and the air exploded outwards as an orange energy blast rocketed into Butterfree. Butterfree took the attack without being able to brace and crumpled.A.J. didn't even wait for it to hit the ground. He raised Butterfree's pokeball instantly and returned it. I could only nod."One hit?" whispered Yolanda… "But Butterfree is resistant to Fighting types?""It might surprise you, but I think there is just that much of a gap between Kong's Machamp and A.J.'s butterfree," I said idly. "Also, don't forget he got off a Bulk Up.""I remember, it's just… not what I was expecting," Yolanda said. Next to her Greta and Crystal nodded, their eyes locked on the battle.I merely hummed and watched A.J. take a long breath before exhaling. He murmured something to Butterfree before nodding his head and putting it back on his pokebelt. Then he drew out another pokeball."Let's go Sandshrew!" shouted A.J. surprising Kong.Kong shot me a look only to frown when I ignored him in favour of Sandshrew. This was A.J.'s hail mary play and I wasn't going to miss what happened.And A.J. didn't wait to go big. "Finish it!" he shouted and Sandshrew tucked into a ball and spun up for a second before bouncing up into the air.Kong's gaze snapped back to Sandshrew and he tracked the bouncing Sandshrew.When Sandshrew got to the zenith of its jump it unfurled and spun so that it had its finger extended straight down.Kong twitched and his gaze tracked for a moment towards me only to snap back as the threat registered. "Prote—" he started to yell as Sandshrew hit the ground, finger first.Unlike other times, the build-up of the Fissure didn't take a moment.Nowadays A.J. had it to an instantaneous moment as soon as Sandshrew hit the ground.The arena cracked and exploded with dust flying everywhere. Without fans I knew it would take an inordinate amount of time for the dust to clear."Sandstorm!" barked A.J. through the dust, apparently not willing to wait.A faint, "Tch!" sounded from the other side informed me that A.J. had been right to suspect his gambit hadn't played out.I could only shake my head. For all that I'd praised him for avoiding overcommitting with his Butterfree, he'd fallen back into bad habits with his Sandshrew. He should have gone for Sandstorm first, and then gone for Fissure.I could only conclude that Kong had him rattled.The Sandstorm began to build with seemingly no response from Kong. A.J. barked some orders to get his pokemon tucking up with Defence Curls."Move and repeat! Don't stay put as a sitting target!" he barked.I could only shake my head. Yup, Kong had him rattled. He wasn't trying for a Sandstorm Dig combo, but instead bunkering up after missing with his Fissure.As the dust settled Machamp was revealed in a… meditative pose?I blinked and looked a little closer. Machamp's head lolled a little and I barked out a laugh. "He got off a Rest during the Sandstorm," I said with amusement.It wasn't often that an opponent was content to merely weather it while bluffing out another.A.J. got a vein on his head, ah, he was falling into Kong's pace."Rollout!" barked A.J., no doubt hoping to make use of the earlier Defence Curls he'd been tricked into using.Right as he committed, Machamp loosened a loud snore that jolted everyone in the stands. I felt my fatigue build a little and I jerked like I'd found myself dozing off.It took me a moment to register what had just happened Everyone, had in their own ways flinched. I looked down to find Sandshrew who'd gotten very close to Machamp twitching and shaking its head.Machamp opened its eyes before Sandshrew could roll away. It rose with a smack of its lips and a stretch before locking eyes on the still recovering Sandshrew."Take aim!" said Kong. His Machamp raised its hands with the palms facing outward.Everyone paused, tiredness cut through by the implicit threat of Sandshrew being caught in a terrible position. It was horrible luck that Machamp had woken up right after the flinch had come into play. But at the end of the day that didn't matter. Kong had rolled the dice and come up with a win.Machamp had Sandshrew dead to rights at that range.A.J. slumped. "I withdraw my pokemon," he said, returning his pokemon.Kong nodded, his face cast as if from iron. "I should say so," he said before cracking his neck. "I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn't boost with your Sandshrew before this match," he said.People who had been about to applaud the good match paused at the accusation. My gaze narrowed at the implied comment of A.J. cheating.A.J. stiffened. "I did no such thing! Sandshrew is just that skilled! We've been working on this for a long time now!" he said, slashing his hand across his body in denial.Kong grunted. "Hmmm I suppose it makes sense to seek out a trainer with another powerful One hit K.O. move to learn this under," he said.A.J. growled. "I taught Sandshrew that move, and we honed it way before I joined Brock's Gym!"Kong tilted his head. Machamp, who'd relaxed after Sandshrew had been withdrawn, cocked its head and whistled. "Champ?" said the powerful pokemon.Kong shot his pokemon a questioning look and Machamp made a sign.Kong huffed. "Alright, you have some talent kid, not enough to earn a badge from me today, you need to win for that!" he said rubbing his chin. He shot A.J. a smirk, "But you do have enough talent to make me sit up and pay attention to you."He offered a hand to A.J. "You got spunk kid, but you need discipline. I think you'd do well here at my Gym. Join me," he said.I straightened up. Alright, now Sabrina's warning made a lot of sense. Still! This guy had some nerve! Poaching my Gym trainers in front of me!I was halfway to opening my mouth and demanding a challenge when I remembered all of the warnings she'd given. I should let it play out. I stopped myself and laced my fingers together. Right, calm and cool. I called up my rock energy and pulled out some pebbles from my pocket for good measure. I just had to trust that Sabrina knew what she was talking about.A.J. blinked in surprise at the offer and seemed to give it serious consideration,I felt my mind begin to race. Would this be seen as a snub to the Gym if he left? The media might make a big deal of it.I frowned. What if Kong was right and A.J. would do better at his Gym than mine? All these thoughts and more ran through my head as A.J. pondered. He shot me a look and I found myself unsure what to do.I decided to trust him by opening my hand and gesturing that the choice was his.A.J. seemed to relax at that and he turned back to Kong before shaking his head. "Maybe in future, but I think there is yet more Brock can teach me," he said with a nod to Kong.Kong snorted and shot me a look. "Guess I'll just have to try again in the future eh?" He snapped his fingers. "Just to guarantee it, how's this for a consolation prize?" he waved a hand and another Gym trainer in a gi, marched up with a pokeball on a cushion.Kong grabbed it and presented it to A.J. "Take this pokemon and train it up. You'll find there's more to fighting types than meets the eye," he said.I huffed. That was a rather clever move to still put some hooks into A.J.Kong gave A.J. another nod before waving a hand to the side. "And now, sadly you must depart. Good luck with training your pokemon and I look forward to you challenging me again when you have grown."Our contingent stood. I considered moving away with them but I felt like I couldn't let Kong's attempt to steal A.J. go uncommented on.I moved up to him. "Can't say I expected that from you Kong," I said.Kong locked eyes with me and for a moment I felt a thrill of excitement run through my fatigue. Damn, but now was a horrible time to throw down. Still, I'd come this far."A.J. has talent, I merely wish to see him fulfil that potential," he said."I'm glad that you can see that, but both he and Greta had potential," I said, making sure to point out that I valued both of them. Kong merely grunted and I hummed. "Try poaching someone in front of me like that again and we'll have more than words," I said firmly evoking my rock and darkness aura.Kong stood strong in front of it and a grin stretched his face. "Ah, those are some fighting words, I think I might have to see if you can back them up," he said.I narrowed my eyes and half considered calling out Tita, fatigue be damned.Then a Gym attendant appeared at Kong's side. "Sir, your next match is ready?"Kong grimaced and shot me a look. "Another time," he said dismissively."Yeah," I said, turning back to my group. Everyone had amused looks on their faces but Greta had a slight blush. I'd obviously pleased her by acknowledging her. A.J. wouldn't meet my eyes. I waved for us to depart. When we reached the Gym Corridor I gestured for him to register the pokeball and find out what it was.He did so to reveal a Tyrogue of all things. I whistled. Damn, but Kong had set a good hook there.I had to give it to him, he wasn't just a muscle-brained idiot… some of the time at least.A buzz on my Xtransciever reminded me of the next item on my schedule. Yolanda perked up. "Have fun with dad spelunking!" she said.I huffed and rolled my eyes. We were going to do so much more than just explore some caves. If I had my way, I was hoping to score at least a Megastone off this trip.Time would see if I was right.
212
The Grampa canyon was rather disingenuously named. For one part it wasn't just a single canyon, but rather an entire stretch of desert. It seemed to favour a lot of fire-type pokemon. Said fire types being mostly the Ponyta herds which scorched their way across the landscape. There should also be the rare Magmar hiding in caves that dotted the various canyon walls and cliff faces.It made for a very stark shift in climate with Saffron being a shaded cool cityscape, only to enter a scorching desert with a handy Teleport from Selene. Selene herself perked up with the condition of the surroundings, no doubt reminding her of the Hoenn desert where I'd found her."Hey girl," I greeted, giving her a rub. "Want to stay out?" I asked.She bobbed up and down in an affirmative. I hummed and looked around while adjusting my attire so that rolled-up sleeves were extended, sunglasses and hat were donned, and sunscreen was applied.In other terms, I slip, slop, slap, and slid. Feeling playful, I put a bit of pink zinc across Selene's side causing her to trill a laugh before she smirched it back on me.Gramp Canyon was located just outside Neon Town and on the upper border of the Safari zone. Depending on the route that you took you could end up in a number of different biomes.The Safari zone mostly used forested areas and plainlands. Neon Town itself was a rather glamorous urban development. Then there was the large expanse of flat rolling hills and plains that were actually an artificial creation in the cycling road.Most people when they went on their Journey, followed the route that players might have if they played the games. Places like Neon Town, Dark city, Gringey City, or Gardenia Town to name a few.Lots of places, I knew, were trying to increase the foot traffic that was happening with trainers on the circuit. They'd done this in the past in a myriad of ways but with the trainer surge I'd heard that there was a lot more effort being put into it this year. It made sense, the pie they were trying to get a bite off was much bigger.Various tournaments, festivals and contests were all springing up around the place with a number of trainers being diverted or held in certain cities.According to some of the forums, a few people were even getting turned around with a few… Ambitious folk changing up road signs to have people walking in long looping circles. It sort of reminded me of a few plots that Team Rocket were responsible for, only this time it was townsfolk seeking to wring out a few more pokedollars.I wasn't sure if that made it better or worse.I shifted, taking in the wide expanse of barren land only to spot an anomaly towards the mouth of the main tributary for the Grampa canyon. This link, or scar in the earth led to a much deeper canyon that was similar to that of the Grand Canyon from my previous life.I took a moment to enjoy the vista with Selene.The arid wind wasn't so fierce yet that it was stinging the eyes or nose as it blew across the desert. Small dust swirls raced about the landscape.I knew there was a lot more to this land than what was readily apparent. It was a place that had only just started to be tapped into.I gestured towards the anomaly, which was in reality a basecamp for the business that I'd created when I'd tossed about the idea of finding Mega stones and creating a methodology for it.The rest?Megarock incorporated. Name pending further review.I wasn't in love with it, but perhaps it would grow on me. Like moss grew on some boulders when they were dampened enough.Selene Teleported me in closer to the set of tents and I appeared only to find that the tent town was a hive of activity. Before I could even step into the row of tents however, a woman shot to her feet and raised her pokeball."Hold it right there! This is a restricted site as per the Indigo League explicit instructions! You need to be—" Officer Jenny, for who else could it be, barked. She continued a long tirade about the legalities and what would happen to me should I attempt to press onward.I waited politely for her to draw in a breath, which turned out to be a mistake as this Officer Jenny had an impressive endurance when it came to pulmonary function."—but not limited to months in prison or community services!" she said, before pausing to take a huge breath of air.I resisted the urge to applaud, just barely, and instead nodded politely. "Hi Officer Jenny, good to see you're taking the security of the site seriously. It's me, Brock, I'm one of the founders of Megarock Inc?"Officer Jenny blinked at me like a Noctowl that had been awoken far too early in the day. She reached for a notepad. "Oh, I… had a note about you turning up," she said before coughing. "You shouldn't just Teleport in however! Next time make sure you call it in first!"I nodded along and Jenny, seeing that I wasn't giving her lip or an excuse to be arrested for now, she waved me on. I smiled and did so. I was amused to note that a number of the tents were small dig sites where man or woman or even a psychic pokemon wearing a white lab coat were observing others digging. I noted that some of the diggers were rather young. In a few sections there were scientists with gloves and fine brushes dusting at what looked like a bunch of rocks.Occasionally a large rock would be pulled out carefully only to then be thoroughly inspected. The site it was pulled from was then documented before it was set aside."Hey! I have a patch of sand here that isn't like the other patches!" shouted one of the diggers. "It seems different in some way?""It's sand! It's all the same! It's hot and irritating and gets in places it's not supposed to!" shouted another red-faced man."You really don't like the desert do you?" said the first."What's there to like? I'm here for the money! I find a fossil or a mega stone and I'm rich!" declared the second. "All I've found so far is a weird flat plate! Useless!" declared the digger.I glanced over at the haul laid out to the side and noted that there was a Stone Plate on the table. I walked over and gave it a closer look. From this close I could feel the Rock energy that saturated it. I made a note of what it was and that it was worth at least a bit of money.I probably could have lied and gotten it for cheap, but there was no need to cheat people working for my interests. At least I assumed that was going on here."Sir you shouldn't… Oh! Hello Gym Leader Brock!" chimed one of the girls that were wearing a whitecoat.I gave the diminutive girl, only just a teenager in truth, a look over, before gesturing at the Stone Plate.They furtively inspected what I'd written down only for their eyes to widen. "Ah? This Plate really contains Rock energy? That's… well I wasn't expecting that sort of find today," she said, chewing her lip and tugging on her hair.I eyed her before giving the other white coats a secondary look. "You're rather younger than the others," I said before coughing. "Sorry… Miss?" I said leadingly."Oh! I'm Jade!" she said with a hurried bow, which caused her hair to flip over into her face. "I'm part of the interns doing some additional study from Celadon university! Professor Oak reached out for interested parties and well… it's not often you get this sort of chance!" she said breathily.I nodded slowly. Ah, that made sense. Oak would have other avenues than just money. It still didn't explain all the tents and supplies I could see about the place. I'd need to find Flint to learn a bit more, it would appear. "Well, I hope you're learning a lot and enjoying this," I said offhandedly to Jade before nodding and departing. As I walked I continued to inspect the various tents. There were a number of protected dig sites set up under some of the larger tents, but there was also a canteen and what looked like a trailer with a dedicated communications satellite on the roof. Around that trailer at least three police officers were standing guard.They eyed me as I walked past and we exchanged nods of greeting. So there was also a security detail with at least four police here.Interesting.This was a little more than what I'd been expecting, but at the same time I wasn't surprised to find that Lawrence had taken my idea with Flint, and run with it. No doubt with other parties like Sabrina, Oak, and the League getting involved. Megarock Inc had transformed into something much greater than I'd been anticipatingMegarock Inc wasn't just an idea and a few rock enthusiasts anymore. It also seemed we had a motivated workforce with how many people were out here in the desert. We must have gotten a lot of funding for this level of development.If there was one truth of the world, throwing money at a problem could usually produce results.The main tent, which in reality just meant the biggest, most open tent in this sea of tents, was located not in the centre, but rather right on the edge of the canyon.Which… struck me as odd for some reason. I couldn't quite put my finger on it until I walked around to the side of the tent. Some part of my mind didn't like the placement, but I couldn't consciously figure out why.A moment and a glance down told me what the issue was.The Tent's position afforded it a grand view but not much safety. The drop off the side of the canyon wall was extremely steep and not at all stable. Just standing near the edge like I was had resulted in a small section of earth subsiding and beginning to trickle down.It was a potential landslip waiting to happen.Something that a Golem, Onix, Rhyhorn, and Kangaskhan were already handling, which had me relaxing.It took a moment for me to recognise them as Flint's.He didn't give them the same treatment I did to my pokemon where I kept them out of their pokeballs most of the time. Nor did he give them much time with the family.Which was a shame as Kangaskhan looked like it had some good paternal instincts with how it looked after the smaller Kangaskhan in its pouch well. It glanced up and spotted me watching it and nodded in kind, before jutting its head towards the tent to indicate Flint was inside.I nodded back, giving their work at shoring up the foundations of what looked like a retaining wall. It was solid, but then what else could you expect of pokemon that worked with someone who regularly went diving into caves and canyons. They'd have to be good at judging wall stability.I walked into the tent feeling a little better about not finding myself suddenly sliding into the canyon.Just to be sure I kept Selene out.I found Flint scowling at a table in the middle of the tent, which had a number of survey maps that featured what was known of the topographical, cross-sectional, and structural make up of Grampa canyon.I could recognise them with him having shown them to me earlier.A glance at the people surrounding him revealed a surprising divide with some people wearing what would have been deemed 'hiker's attire' according to the early games with their rough denim and overalls with hardhats fastened to their belts.On the other there was a mishmash of scientists and what looked like clerks. One woman was standing at the back curled in on themselves and giving off the air of someone trying to avoid as much attention as possible.There seemed to be a story there, but one I couldn't pay much attention to as Flint was talking about the 'corporation's goals' plans."—the main target of any of these excavations is that we procure any Mega Stones. Now the procurement is one part, the real goal is to establish if there are any geological conditions for the formation of said stones. Is it pokemon related? Or is it shaped by the land? Or is it something that is entirely random? This is something we need to establish going forwards so that we're not just blindly groping around in the dark!"Flint smiled and barked a laugh. "Or at least, pretend like we're not groping around in the dark!" he said, causing the miner/hiker types to laugh at the joke.It didn't seem that funny to me, but then again maybe it was miner humour?One of the miners raised a hand. "Is this here pamphlet right? We take a base rate and any rocks that are listed on here like evolutionary stones, or gems of a certain grade are ours to keep?"Flint made a wavering hand. "For the most part. You'll make sure to document the site before extracting any resources. We want as clear an image as possible."A polite cough that sounded familiar made me lean forward where I spotted Georgina glass standing next to Flint. She offered him a clipboard and he read it over."Oh! Right!" he said before coughing into a fist. "I've just been reminded that any discovery of metal veins will see remuneration that is standard for miners and explorers but that Megarock Inc will also take their fair share," he said.This got a number of nods from the miners with only one or two huffing. "We should get more for working in this heat," muttered one.One of the older men cuffed another over the head. "Shut yer trap it's still better. Just hope you find a bunch of fire stones, they're the most likely thing out here," said the older man.A wrinkled man with skin that looked like old leather wobbled out next to Flint. "Damn straight! I can't believe you young ones! You think this is hot? Wait until you work in the fires of Mt Cinnabar! I'm only forty three!" he proclaimed.He earned a round of gasps from the civilians while the miners scoffed. "Pull the other one Old willy! It's got tassels on it!" cried a towering woman that might be able to give Trixie a run for muscle mass if not size.Other miners nodded along while the scientists and admin staff looked at each other sheepishly while 'Old Willy' laughed."Heh! Just kidding! I'm seventy!" he said.I whistled. Damn, and he was still out digging? I guess it might be a bit easier in a pokemon world with the ability to direct your 'digger' so to speak, but that didn't mean the men and women didn't also join in.A grumble rose from one of the scientists. "Damn miners always the jokesters," he said, earning a round of nods.I hummed to myself. It looked like there were two 'parties' forming up within Megarock Inc. The Miners, and everyone else. Flint seemed unaware of this as he shared a joke with another miner before tapping the maps and giving out sections of land to groups of miners."—you can each cut small shafts but go no lower than ten metres and stay at least forty away from the edge of the canyon. At any diggings there are to be only topsoil investigations." Flint waved a hand at the tent around him. "I don't want another almost fiasco like the set up that was here when I arrived," Flint muttered offhandedly.The woman who'd been at the back hiding flinched and decided to make herself scarce by finding something pressing in another tent. I felt a bit bad for her as she wasn't to know but I thought I had a rough idea of what had happened.She, or others like here that were more administrative, must have beat the miners out here and set up a 'forward base camp', or in this case, tent' right where they thought was a good idea. Sadly they had no idea of what they were doing and that had been very obvious to people like Flint who lived and breathed geology and earthworks.I'd need to make sure Flint hadn't said anything too scathing, but… I'd also not countermand him. He knew far more than I how risky such a mistake might have been. One thing that stood out to me however, was how he hadn't moved the tents.As the miners trooped off to start up their own digsites Flint raised his head and noticed me. "Son!" he said with a wide grin.I held in a twitch but something must have shown on my face as his smile lost a watt or two of luminosity to it. "Flint," I replied with a nod, my gaze sweeping over the maps once more to find them fairly well divided. "This seems a bit more than I was expecting for a simple spelunking session," I said.Flint's smile returned. "Ah, that's because we wanted to do things a little more thoroughly. I secured enough interest and funding that I was able to get something more happening.""Ah," I said suddenly unsure if I was needed here. He seemed to have everything fairly well in hand.He raised his hands quickly. "The spelunking is still important however as the cave you spoke about is one of the highest points of interest within the desert!" he said."Oh, that makes sense," I said easily before a yawn ripped through me. I blinked quickly and shook my head. "Excuse me," I said, giving my eyes a quick rub to get rid of the gritty feeling. When that failed I reached into my bag and pulled out some eyedrops. My eyes stopped stinging almost straight away and I loosened a sigh of relief. Damn, I needed that."You're tired?" he said rather redundantly like it needed to be stated.I waved it off. "I had a… disturbed sleep," I said.Flint gained a smirk and I shot him a look. "Not like that, Billy woke me up in the middle of the night with… well-wet issues," I said."Oh? He's still doing that?" Flint said. "He hasn't come to me…" he started to say, only to trail off in the face of my flat look."He's only three," I said. This was normal for a young boy.Sadly due to the number of young boys that we had in our house you had to stay on top of the toilet cleaning…Not doing so didn't bear mentioning. Things were better nowadays that most of the kids could clean up after themselves a bit, and with Nanny Grav on the scene but those early days… yeesh, it was a miracle we hadn't had a Grimer turn up.Flint, unaware of my inner monologue rubbed his chin. "Well, he's soon to be four actually… Well most of them are going to be older soon. Then it will be Salvadore, then Yolanda, then Suzie and Timmy," he said, ticking off the kids on his fingers. "Then Forrest, and then you!" he said with a pleased smile.I rolled my eyes at them but made a note to check the fridge for the lists that I'd gotten the kids in the habit of posting. It would have their 'desired' birthday presents so I could grab or guess more accurately. It would just depend on how practical it was."So? We're still going to do that spelunking?" I prompted moving the conversation along.Flint jerked his head up and down. "Certainly!" Only to slump. "Ah… I actually need to wait until my pokemon finish shoring up the canyon wall." he shook his head. "The first people out here were the administrators and students from Celadon University. They started digging all willy-nilly and when I arrived with the miners; well we just about had a collective heart attack.""You didn't get too passionate about that did you?" I said carefully. It sounded like they'd been right to fear but the method in how it was handled would matter."Oh yeah! We got them taught up real quick!" he said with a grin.I hummed. "Hmmm alright, but be careful with that. I noticed that there was a pretty clear divide between the miners and delvers and anyone else," I said, waving a hand at the table.Flint nodded. "Ah, don't let it worry you too much, that's just how some organisations are. People form groups."I held up a hand. "I'm aware, but for best results it should be one group. They are all a part of Megarock Inc after all. Not different parts of Megarock," I said pointedly before flexing my fist. "As much as it makes me shudder to say it, the company culture should be something positive to make people want to be here." And didn't that feel like such a 'corpo line'. Hopefully if I made sure things were done for the right intentions, we'd stop any soullessness from creeping in. I made a mental note to keep an eye on things. The Gym was easy as a small operation by business standards, we had at max thirty people.Megarock Inc looked like it already had a hundred people and that number would only grow as more dig sites were investigated.Flint nodded slowly. "I'll have a word with the lads," he said."And the women," I said, recalling the statuesque woman in miner overalls before shaking my head. "Maybe say it to the others as well. Make them aware that you were talking from a place of fear due to a knee jerk reaction from seeing such unsafe practises."Flint nodded. "That would be a good idea. We'll have to have a better handle on things next time. Have some surveyors be the first to make it to a dig site instead of white coats and admins," he said.I grunted in agreement before walking to the edge of the canyon and looking down. It looked like Flint's pokemon had made good progress since the last time I'd looked. Flint joined me, his eyes flicking over various points. He whistled and directed his pokemon to a few points before nodding. "Right, that should be enough to hold things pretty in case a pokemon battle breaks out," he said."Even an Earthquake or a Fissure?" I said with a raised eyebrow my eyes running along the firmed up rock critically. They'd packed it well and reinforced a number of critical points. It was impressive that he'd reached that level in what had to be only a few hours work.Flint huffed. "Not from one of your pokemon no!" he said with a laugh. "But if anyone else gets a bit heated things will be safe," he said.I nodded. "Maybe we should think about getting Erika onboard for environmental concerns like this in future," I said thinking of how tree roots could help avoid landslides.Flint grinned. "That's thinking outside the box!" he said with a clap on my shoulder. "Most miners always just want to reinforce the earth but don't think of methods like that! Ha! You've got some talent with geology and landscaping Brock!"I snorted in amusement at how pleased he was for me to recite some offhand knowledge from my past life. It didn't seem that impressive to me, but then again how many seventeen-year-olds in this world would have the same knowledge?"Mr Flint sir? We have some more trainers looking to assist with the dig site!" said a man's voice.I turned around and felt a flicker of recognition at the whitecoat standing in the doorway. Whatever he was going to say however was lost as my eyes alighted on Gary, his cheerleaders, Mia, Silly Mouse, and Humphrey of all people standing in the entrance.I grinned. "Hello there!" I said channelling my happiness into the words.The kids all perked up when they locked their eyes on me and Mia bounced forward to hug me as she called my name. "Brock! I didn't know they had called you and Flint in for this!" she chirped.Selene nuzzled into her and I laughed. "Called me in? You're looking at the two founders of this enterprise!" I said.Gary stepped forward. "I heard from Gramps about this! Is it true you're looking for Megastones for study?" he said.I nodded, smiling at how interested he was before looking towards Humphrey. "Yes, that's the main thrust," I said.Humphrey licked his lips. "Is it also true that any fossils we find are ours to keep?"I hummed. "If we can get genetic samples for them, that would be best. It will depend on the type of fossils found. Any from the Kabuto, Omanyte, or Lileep line are fine, but you can also trade for an actual pokemon," said Flint. "Aerodactyl or new fossils will however result in a simple, if large cash payout."I shot Flint a look; this was news to me. He waved a hand at me. "The League and Crowley have signed off on it. They want more genetic diversity and feel that trading pokemon is acceptable. Only the Aerodactyl line has such protections on it as do Tirtouga, and Anorith."I grunted. That made sense but I feel like I was owed a courtesy email. It seemed I had another thing to follow up on. It might have been an honest mistake but I'd been burned a few too many times letting things lie.I turned back to the young trainers before me. "So? How's your journey been so far?" I said with a wide grin.Mia beamed at me while Gary rubbed his nose in a cocky manner. Humphrey shot me a small smile."It's been great! I have all the badges I need now to make the circuit, so everything else is just training matches for me now! I'm doing really well in the Battleclub! Did you know they are offering pins and tokens these days? I have like six for beating their local boss!" she said proudly.Silly mouse raised up two fingers on both of his paws in signs of victory and I chuckled.Gary nodded to himself. "I have completed all of my Badges as well! Expect me to come around after I beat Sabrina with her Gauntlet run!" I have found the perfect pokemon team and I'm training them up before I challenge her!" he said with his chest puffed out."Impressive, I will be looking forward to hearing about that," I said.I glanced to Humprhrey and his smile seemed a bit plastic compared to the others. "I've… slowed down a little and have been working on my pokemon. I lost against Kong but I beat Sabrina... it just... didn't feel as clean as I wanted it to be..." he trailed off. "I'll bounce back!" he said straightening up and looking into my eyes only to glance to the side.Hmmm, it seemed like he was a bit rattled from his losses. Best I spend some time talking with him. These things happened.I decided to settle for reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. "You're doing amazing as it is. It's only halfway through the circuit and you're almost locked in. You might not feel like it, but you're in a great position to do well this year. I know a lot of trainers that have only just secured their fourth badges with how many trainers there are this year.""Tell me about it," Humphrey said. "I had eight battles in one day yesterday! My pokemon were exhausted. I was looking for something different to do and Mia bumped into me and dragged me along for this," he said.I smiled warmly at him and Mia. "Well, I'm glad to see you both." I'd need to follow up on the others. While Humphrey and Mia were the standouts that didn't mean I'd drop the others. Then again they'd all been logging in for the online lessons that I ran via the Gym trainer's pokenet portal and they had been collecting their own badges.Then again the entire point of letting them loose was to garner experience in the real world. I had no doubt that they'd end the year much wiser than they had been.The man that had brought them shifted to leave and I caught a nametag on his coat. "Foster?" I said.He turned back. "Yes?""You're… a student at Celadon University, "I said slowly. He nodded slowly. "Yes?" he repeated slowly, apparently nervous as to why I was asking after him."You're one of Oak's student's aren't you? He mentioned you," I said, recalling that this was one of the named cartoon characters, and that Oak had in fact spoken of this young man during his frequent trips to Pewter's trainer lounge to play Smash.Foster perked up at this. "He did? Oh wow that's great! I didn't think I had a chance of getting a formal apprenticeship from what contact I had with his online course but if he's talking about me that's great!" he said as he practically began floating on the spot.Before I could say anything else another familiar whitecoat appeared with Jade entering the tent. "Mr Flint? These trainers said they know you?" she said, stepping into the tent.Following her, Ash, Misty and Forrest appeared.I grinned at my little brother and he mirrored the feeling right back at me."I thought I smelt something!" said Gary before anyone else could get a word in.Ash snapped his head to the side. "Oh! You! Gary!" he growled his hand shooting to his pokebelt.I laughed, it seemed that Flint had been right to firm up the canyon wall to absorb pokemon battles.Cause if there was anyway to start a fight it was by having Gary and Ash in the same room.I could only conclude that this was turning into a very interesting day.