Chapter 104 - 217-218

There was a noticeable pulse in the air of the Gym that grew as we approached the middle of the day. People from around Pewter and even further afield had begun to trickle in gradually despite there only being one or two matches for badges early in the morning.I was expecting this but I was still taken a bit off guard by the almost electric feel in the air.I spent most of my time going through the regular motions but I could see it affecting others as they completed their tasks with an energy that saw them wrapping up much quicker than usual. This left them idle, which was never a good thing. So I started assigning the various Gym trainers odd jobs such as taking out pokemon from the reserve and having them train on the battle courts while offering to fight any takers.Others I sent out to patrol the streets or to even drop in on various playgrounds.It got to the point that I ended up handing out garbage bags and pointing them out the front door with there still being two hours before the match.Rachel approached me with her transceiver raised. She was obviously recording what I assumed to be a gym video, or perhaps it was a livestream?"The man! The mountain! Brock! How are things going today? Any nerves about the match?" she said with a chipper tone."Nah, This is old business for me now. The attention might be new but we've been running this show for a while now. The biggest point of interest will be for who gets chosen. That will impact how I fight the most," I said easily.Before I could say anything else, Dennis marched up and coughed into a fist. "Brock! There appears to be a number of people coming in looking to reserve seats for the coming match… should we let them in? There aren't any people fighting at the moment," he said.I sighed. "Victims of our own success indeed," I said to myself while rubbing my forehead. Rachel giggled and I shot her and her transceiver a small glare. "Let's assign some people to have some fights and run through some tricks. That might knock out two or three Pidgey in one Rock throw," I said, waving my hand. I glanced at Rachel. "I might need you to rustle up some entertainment… and if this is an indication of what is to come we might need to create some outdoor seating. Do we still have the pavilions?" I asked.Rachel bobbed her head up and down causing her rainbow-tinged hair to flop back and forth. "Yup! I can set that up!" she said.I raised a hand. "Hold it in reserve. If we go that route we will need seating and to set up the projector, let's see how things go first and ease into it if we need it, not before," I said."Well folks, things might have to end a little earlier than I planned cause I need to rustle up some entertainment! Oh! A band! Everyone loves those!" Rachel said as she shot off to her office.I suddenly wondered if I shouldn't be giving her stricter guidelines as to 'band' but decided that it wouldn't matter. Whatever she came up with to distract people would be useful.I regretted that for a few moments when I was working with Dennis and Rocko to align the trainer lounge to have all of the lounges facing towards the television.Bethany, an elderly lady that I had running and training the other younger receptionist walked in. "Brock dear?" she asked, adjusting her spectacles."Yes, Bethany?" I asked as I deposited one couch."There's a marching band here to run through their routine?" she asked, her tone quite unsure.Before I could question her Rcahel trotted in, a huge grin on her face. "Sorry for the surprise boss, but the short notice doesn't allow for a lot of precision. I tried for a rock band, a jazz band and even a mariachi band but they were all booked already!"I held up a finger. "Why a Mariachi band?" I said, dreading the answer.Rachel coughed. "It'd liven things up? I think the Marching band will work well though! I just had to promise them some seats for the match!" she said.I chuckled, amused at how much of an event this was turning into.By the time the match rolled around the Gym was packed to the rafters with locals and trainers that were hoping to challenge me soon, clamouring for seats. Gio had arrived and was talking with Rachel which… probably promised something memorable.On the battlefield, the marching band which also comprised several Machoke and Chimecho strode back and forth.When the drum line got into each other's faces it became an intense stare-down with huge swarthy muscled pokemon slamming out rapid-fire staccato while looking like they were seconds from throwing down physically.When both drumlines were finished they stepped back amicably and waved only to receive a roar of approval for the show of skill.With the marching band done, it was time for the main show and Rachel was quick to march out."Welcome! Welcome! Once more I'm your Mistress of Ceremonies for the Pewter Gym! For months now the Gym has undergone challenges from those fighting for badges and recognition, but today that changes! Today is about showing the world how far as trainers they have come! Today is about prestige! Today is about announcing to the world your skills! Today! Gio returns to face Brock in the hardest challenge the gym can offer! The Elite challenge!"Rachel began outlining the nature of the challenge for the crowd and people oohed and awed in at the details before applauding as Rachel gestured."And now Gio returns a third time!" Rachel said, making me pause.Oh, that's right Gio, had been late in challenging me during the circuit last year hadn't he? Huh. I suddenly found myself wondering just how far he'd taken himself with more time.Rachel gestured to the tunnel as Gio stood tall. "He started his journey with a Marsh badge and he struggled when he reached the Gym last year. However! Since then he has exploded onto the stage with an impressive win ratio among his peers!" Gio has gained eight badges in total, with all of them being Major Gym badges! This feat qualifies him for the end-of-year circuit! But he wants more! Gio wants to show the world that he is a contender for winning the circuit!"Gio strode forward and waved. He'd been a young struggling teen when he first challenged and I remember he had been pushing himself to get past me in an attempt to make it to the circuit.This year he had returned, more confident and sure of himself and his pokemon. Each of them had been stronger in marked ways and having him back here now was sure to be interesting.For his second showing, he had no issues with gaining his badge.If anything he'd breezed through while Greta, as a new hire, had struggled with the concept that losing was alright in the Gym setting.There had also been something to do with Graveler…He'd had a Nidoking, Poliwrath, and Raticate. What would he use this time?"And now ladies, gentlemen, children of all ages and pokemon! It is my distinct pleasure to introduce your Gym Leader! Let's give Gio a warm Pewter welcome! Here he is! Brock!" Rachel said before leading the stomp-stomp clap while an eclectic guitar rift began to play.After three stomp-stomp-claps I strode forward and locked eyes with Gio.The march forward was entirely the same routine, but I made sure to add more menace to my strides. I became a towering mountain that loomed before Gio. When I leapt this time I made sure to come down heavy and boom down into the podium.I rose and smirked at Gio. "You've returned once more," I said repeating the words I'd greeted him with last time.He nodded. "I've come for the Bejewelled badge and to earn the honour of being the first victor!" he said.I nodded. "So, you think you're ready to step into the big leagues?" I said."Yes!" he said.I chuckled. "We'll see about that," I then turned to where Rocko was standing."Trainers! As mentioned this match is an Elite challenge! This match will see One of Brock's strongest pokemon facing off against you. Be aware that injury is possible if you are not strong enough! I, as the referee will step in should I view it as necessary!" he said, eying Gio before looking at me firmly.I nodded.One v six wasn't an easy feat and there were risks on my side as well that needed to be acknowledged.Rocko accepted this and then queued up a montage of rock pokemon that I had deemed as part of my Elite Team. With each picture, the names were displayed along with a number.Titan, Bertha, Jormungandr, Sanchez, Shin, Don, Knight, Selene, and Gawain were all on display. With each new picture, different people cheered. Gawain garnered the most response from what looked like the Bug Catcher's chapter house while others hooted and hollered for Sanchez.Others roared for Titan.I chuckled.The display shifted once more to show off a number.Rocko tapped his microphone to quell the crowd. "I shall have silence before I initiate the randomiser. You have a one in nine chance of fighting any of the pokemon shown. To those following along at home, some of these pokemon may come and go due to fatigue, injury or other factors but for today's battle all nine current Elite pokemon that represent the Gym are available!"Rocko made a show of lifting his hand, his index finger extended. "I shall now initiate the randomiser!"His finger plunged down and the display shifted to that of a roulette spinning wheel as numbers and faces sped past.Slowly the numbers began to become visible before it began to tick down.People leaned in as Titan's image was displayed only to switch and a golden border to appear around the chosen pokemon.A large number two was put on display before the number shrank to display a picture of Bertha."Ohhhhhhhh!" Rachel shouted. "Gio has drawn Bertha! The hard-hitting heavyweight! The mistress of one hit k.o.'s and the all-round best girl!"I grinned as I unclipped Bertha from my pokebelt. With a gentle lob, I sent her out.She landed and the field rocked as she settled. She took a moment to stretch herself out tall and shake herself off only to blink in surprise."Rhyperior?" she said slowly as she stared up at the cheering crowd that were chanting her name. Her head turned to look at me but when she couldn't turn far enough she skipped around and sent her tail swinging.She locked her gaze with me and levelled a finger up at herself in open shock. "Rhy?" she asked hopefully.I nodded. "That's right girl, you are first this year."Bertha vibrated in place and for a moment it looked like she was being impacted by an earthquake only for her arms to shoot up and her head to be thrown back with a bark of happiness.She shot a sideways v with two stubby drill-like digits past her eyes and winked at the camera in what could only be a magical girl pose before getting serious.She spun back around and a vicious grin stretched her features.She wiggled with glee and I knew that nothing could bring her down. She hadn't said anything but Gio, he'd just given her a gift she cherished.She shifted from foot to foot and readied herself. Across from me on his podium Gio worked his jaw back and forth as he took in his opponent."Do you need any longer?" I asked, prodding him along when he did nothing but consider Bertha.He jolted and coughed. "Sorry, I guess I was just surprised. She's a lot bigger in person than she's shown on television," he said.I chuckled. "Yeah, you'll find that is often the case," I said. I then made a gesture at the empty part of the field indicating it was his move.Gio nodded and hurled out his best choice. "Go Poliwrath!"I smirked. "Oh you poor young man," I said as Bertha leaned forward. I felt our bond and began to feed her some energy for what was to come.Unlike the gym battles, where we let others take the lead the instant Rocko's flags began to drop, we acted straight away."Quake into Hammer!" I barked. Betha slammed her tail into the ground and sent Poliwrath bucking into the air.The tail lashing into the ground, rather than anchoring Bertha actually worked to launch her up and into the air where she drew back her fist. She hung, suspended for a moment like a meteor threatening a planet.Gio and Poliwrath had a heartbeat to respond and they did so admirably. "Detect!" Gio called and his Poliwrath threw itself out of danger as Bertha's fist hurtled past it to crater the ground.Bertha rose up from her punch and locked eyes with the wide-eyed Poliwrath. It seemed a bit rattled after that exchange of blows. It also hadn't escaped unscathed as it had a tremor in its legs that must have been a result of the earlier earthquake."Box them," I ordered.Bertha advanced with her fists raised. She threw punch after punch and while they weren't connecting the physical punches weren't actually the attack to be worried about for the moment.With each punch, she threw a spike of earth shot forward at Poliwrath.Bertha made sure to frame the punches and rocks to bracket and drive Poliwrath backwards."Tch! Poliwrath use Detect and get in close for a Brick Break!""Low boxing," I said firmly and Bertha stopped advancing and instead sunk into herself so that her punches, which had originally been chest height with Poliwrath, were suddenly targeting its hips and legs.Poliwrath tried to evade but Detect, like Protect and other moves like it grew weaker the more often you used it. By forcing Poliwrath to come to us, the water-fighting type found itself getting clipped a few times from rocks which sent it spinning out of control.It landed and croaked in irritation.I pointed. "Ice the ground."Bertha complied, causing an Ice Beam to fire off and coat the ground, making Poliwrath leap up into the air to evade the perceived attack. When it landed it did so with a skitter but held its footing barely."Poli," it said confidently.Bertha rolled her shoulders and grinned, miming a small boxing action. Poliwrath glowered at this and prepared itself to attack."Poliwrath use Mist like we practised!" called Gio. Poliwrath blew out a torrent of mist around itself obscuring its form and that of Bertha."Hop back and buff," I said. Bertha did as requested hunkering down and letting her arm begin to buzz threateningly.Gio blanched as he was forcefully reminded why it wasn't a good idea to play a waiting game for Bertha. She could power up and unleash on opponents."Poliwrath use Hydro Pump!""Lean with it, rock with it!" I said with a smirk. Bertha grinned as she weaved her body around the typically powerful attacks. With the Mist up, it was actually making it harder for Poliwrath right now.While Bertha dodged, her hide began to glint as her body took on a sheen that the unaware would think was Rock Polish. It actually was Iron Defence.It was one of the moves that Bertha had learnt to boost herself when she had the chance. The other was something she'd insisted on when I'd gone through her list of potential moves.Sadly she'd latched onto it for all the wrong reasons."Magical girl dance," I said, far too used to Bertha's antics to show my exasperation outwardly.Bertha twirled about as energy constructs resembling swords appeared around her and twirled. She looked rather silly with how she was prancing around but I couldn't fault her for it. She was passionate and that made the moves take on a special sort of power of their own.I blamed Cindy for pointing out that Swords Dance was sort of like a magical girl entrance sequence.It got the crowd on their feet and cheering her name for something other than wrecking the arena which was nice.I wasn't looking forward to the bill that would inevitably come from Bertha being selected for this match.No way I was leaving the battlefield in a usable state before this match was done."Quake into edge" I said and Bertha finished her Sword Arts pirouette into a leap."Poliwrath jump!" called Gio, realising what was coming with her landing.I smiled as he forgot what we'd done earlier. I could see the form of Poliwrath attempting to jump, only to slip on the frozen ground causing it to collapse to the ground as Bertha hit the ground.She landed like she was cannonballing the field and it buckled like a pool of water would have at the force she transmitted.While it wasn't very effective, it was strong and Poliwrath couldn't brace itself.Poliwrath's hidden form was bucked into the air before it slapped down hard.Bertha ripped a chunk of earth up and launched it with precision at the downed form. Poliwrath was blown across the ice and into the far wall where it slumped into itself, down for the count."Poliwrath? But… those moves.." Gio said slowly.While Earthquake had a normal impact it wasn't the best move, just as Rock and Ice against Poliwrath wouldn't have worked too well, but that was assuming both pokemon were on the same level.When I'd faced Lance I'd have said Bertha was creeping into the realm of being a champion-tier pokemon.Now? I knew she had it within her."Poliwrath is unable to battle! The battle is one nil!" announced Rocko officiously.Gio swallowed and returned his pokemon. He eyed the field before nodding to himself.I smiled as he palmed his next pokeball. It was so nice to see young trainers pushing themselves and demonstrating not just their pokemon but how they as trainers had developed. Mental made up a lot of what we did and if Bertha's destruction of Poliwrath put him off, this would have been a much easier match."Let's go Exeggutor! Start off with Leaf Storm!" Gio said with a flourish of his hands."Beam," I replied instantly.As Exeggutor started to call forth a forest worth of leaves that would shred through Bertha, Bertha responded by opening her maw and channelling an Ice Beam.The leaves shot forward only for Bertha to roar in defiance, her Ice Beam lancing out and freezing the leaves with its passing.The Ice Beam slammed into Exeggutor and once more one of Gio's pokemon were thrown into the back wall.Exeggutor did not get back up.Gio gritted his teeth and grunted in frustration. "Steady Gio, you knew there would be some set backs, keep it together," he murmured to himself, withdrawing his pokemon before sending out his next pokemon."Go! Tauros! Double Edge!""Dance around it," I said. Bertha perked up and rose onto her tip toes, ready for what was to come. Taurus came on, and like a pro matador as Tauros made the final leap Bertha twirled away avoiding the horns entirely.She even went as far as to clap cheekily. Tauros landed heavily and stumbled, having missed.Bertha, having continued her spin, whirled about with her tail to smash it into Tauros' flank. Tauros was tossed roughly and hit the ground only to skid. I was almost ready to write it off, then Tauros rose, bellowing and snorting so powerfully dust shot away from it.It turned and lowered its head pawed at the ground, kicking up dust as it locked onto Bertha."Hoh? Anger point?" I said thoughtfully as Tauros continued to toss its head and rage."Scary Face then go for it!" Gio called.I had to give it to him, it was a good move, and Tauros raised its head and glared, a single eye red and crazed which it locked onto Bertha.If we'd been closer to the Mist I might have had her step into it to evade the attack but there wasn't going to be any such luck.We had raised her defence, and her attack so far, but now we were going to have to handle being a bit slower.Bertha threw some experimental punches to test her speed only to snort with how slow they shot forth.We wouldn't be able to rely on dodging anymore.Tauros stopped freezing up Bertha with its move and dropped its head.It didn't bother to paw or kick up any more dust before charging once more.It came on, each step it made in its charge causing the ground to buckle.Well, its attack had certainly grown more powerful.I raised my eyes from the oncoming Tauros and instead locked them with Gio. "Match it," I said, not baulking at all. Bertha lowered her head and ran forward. Unlike Tauros who ran with four hooves and looked fast, she lumbered, but in her huge strides, she covered a lot of ground.As Tauros and Bertha closed, Tauros lined up its horns expertly, a bellow of rage escaping its mouth while Bertha cocked back her fist.Tauros leapt high and Bertha threw her fist forward.A mighty boom resounded through the stadium as the two attacks connected resulting in a shockwave of air exploding from the point that skull met fist.For a moment both pokemon held their positions, eyes locked on each other.Gio's eyes twitched away from mine and when he looked back I smirked.A moment later Bertha carried through with her punch and launched Tauros out of the battlefield.Gio's head snapped to the side and he could only stare at his downed pokemon."Tauors is unable to battle the winner of thi—" Rocko started to say only for the crowd to rise and roar their approval for how that exchange had played out. Bertha pumped her fists into the air exalting in the praise of the crowd before making a show of nodding towards Tauros.I could only chuckle at her antics. Link was rubbing off on her.AS the crowd made themselves known Gio returned his pokemon shaking his head. "Three of my pokemon, just like that? I don't think I've even landed a move yet," he said disparagingly.I just smirked and said nothing. This wasn't a Gym match where I'd coach them mid-match. This was a prestige match.If I wanted to shame him I might have offered advice.I didn't though, he was showcasing a wonderful level of growth and planning, so I kept my mouth shut.One thing did stand out to me however. "Exeggutor, and Tauros both are pokemon you didn't have last year or the start of the circuit," I said leadingly.Gio opened his mouth only to scowl and shut it with a click.I had a suspicion about where he'd been spending his time and if I had to guess on the pool of pokemon he could draw on, it would make me think of a certain Safari zone. Tauros rather gave it away as the Safari zone was the only place that a trainer could acquire them normally.Gio didn't leave me or the crowd waiting and instead sent out his next pokemon. "Go Kingler!"A rather impressive-looking Kingler took to the field and scuttled back and forth while snapping its pincers fiercely.While it was impressive, I could tell it wasn't at the level of his other pokemon. That didn't mean it wasn't still a threat to Bertha, however."Bubblebeam!" he called as I stabbed my hand forward. "Stone Edge!"Bubbles shot out of Kingler's larger claw only for them to not be strong enough to dissuade the giant rock that tore through them. Kingler took the hit and skidded back landing just in front of the mist that was now but a sickly haze."Bubblebeam again but let it hover around you! Obstruct his vision!" Gio commanded."Earthquake," I responded.Bertha slammed her foot into the ground and Kingler was tossed up into the air. The bubbles floating in the air did nothing to stop that and as Kingler landed I merely repeated the action."Kingler Metal Claw into the ground! Don't let that hit!" Gio said adapting to the circumstances marvellously.The larger pincher struck out and launched Kingler into the air with only the one pincer stuck down into the ground acting as a shock absorber.Gio pumped his fist and looked up at me triumphantly before darting his eyes to Bertha. His face lost all colour when he found her unleashing another Ice Beam.The beam cut through the floating bubbles and suddenly the move that had been aimed at obscuring his pokemon became a detriment to Kingler.Orbs of ice crashed to the ground and sent shards of ice flying."Use Withdraw to tuck in!" ordered Gio. His Kingler did just that with the smaller pincer coming in close and protecting Kingler's body while the legs tucked underneath. The larger claw hovered above it allowing Kingler to avoid most of the damage.Gio sighed in relief and looked up only to find that while Kingler was defending itself, Bertha had vanished. "Huh? Oh shit!" Gio exclaimed as he realised what I'd done."Jump!" he called only for Bertha to emerge and catch Kingler as she breached the ground.With Kingler locked down, Gio gave up on saving his pokemon. "Metal Claw! Metal Claw! Metal Claw!" he shouted and Kingler's claws swung into Bertha with all its might.Bertha grunted as they impacted her but she quickly slammed Kingler into the ground before smashing her other fist down.Kingler gave a loud crunch before going still."Stop!" called Rocko and Bertha followed the command straight away, stepping back. Kingler was revealed with the larger claw broken off entirely. It warbled painfully.It looked bad with some blood coming out, but the claws of Kinger could regrow given enough time. Kingler might just be able to fight by the time the end of the Circuit tournament was underway.But by then it would have lost out on a lot of training time.Gio returned his pokemon instantly and set it aside. "He'll heal up," he said with a grimace before eying Bertha. "Guess I shouldn't have just tried to rely on type advantage though… Let's try something different, let's go while they're in close Pinsir!"With Bertha inside Gio's half of the field, Pinsir appeared right in front of Bertha and the stag beetle bug pokemon lunged as soon as it formed.Pinsir's pincers slammed shut on Bertha and it was all she could do to catch the oncoming threat before it cut into her midriff.Both pokemon groaned as they struggled with the other."Gooooooo Gio!" called someone from the crowd, urging the challenger on."Let's go Bertha! Let's go!" chanted others.With the fight locked in a close-range struggle the crowd began to make themselves known. While Kingler had gone down without doing much, his defeat had set up Pinsir to be in a wonderful position to catch Bertha off guard.Her arms began to strain and quake while Pinsir growled and began to lean forward."Thump your tail," I commanded.Bertha raised her tail and began to thump it up and down, the giant maul that was at her tail tip caused the ground to buckle around her and both pokemon stumbled.Bertha was expecting this though and was able to slip Pinsir's grip.Bertha took a single step back before rocketing back in with her fist leading the way."Protect!" Gio called and I fought to keep myself from nodding. That was the right move.As Bertha's fist slammed in a large rock followed suit slamming into the protective dome. If that Stone Edge had landed it would have been super effective.Sadly it was denied.Bertha drew in air with huge heaving breaths and on the other side of the shell I could see Pinsir doing the same, both pokemon were tired."Get room," I said to Bertha and she hopped back a bit.Gio grimaced as he lost his close-range advantage. With Pinsir at range, it would have to close, which wouldn't be an easy feat.Gio once more showed his growth by raising his pokeball and returning his Pinsir. He then sent out his last pokemon. "Go Nidoking!" he shouted.Nidoking hit the ground and I whistled. "You've been working on him," I said, noting how the horn now glinted with poison, the carapace was shinier and thicker, and Nidoking also stood taller."Earth Power!" said Gio."Earthquake," I responded.Once more the ground shook and both pokemon shifted as they endured the forces they were being put under. For Bertha the ground erupted underneath her and I grimaced. That might impact her.I held my pose, arms crossed as Bertha snorted heavily and growled, her hands flexing while her horns whirred to life in agitation. "Not yet girl," I said knowing that I couldn't use a One hit K.O. move now."Earth Power again!" Gio said revealing he was more than happy to make the fight a slug match."Surf," I said as I opted out of that this time around.Nidoking shook the field only for Bertha to leap back arms spread wide like she was about to… damn it she was doing magical girl poses wasn't she? The wave caught her and she rose up on it like some maiden rising with power.Gio saw the issue and blanched. "Dig!"I smirked. That move might work for me, but there was a very good reason to not use dig against me. "Jump," I said.Bertha grinned as she dropped the magical girl pose and leapt, her fist rising and plunging down. When she struck the ground she did so in a superhero landing pose. The earth shattered around her and rocked upwards before rolling outwards.A harsh painful cry sounded out and as the dust settled, Nidoking did not emerge from his Dig.Gio groaned and returned his pokemon. "Damn it, got suckered into that one," he said.He palmed this final pokeball and grit his teeth as he eyed Bertha who was shaking herself off.She had various marks all over her along with smears of mud, and water and as she raised her arms she did so with shaking limbs.Gio nodded and sent out his last pokemon.Bertha dropped the act and straightened. "RHY! Perior!" she shouted and I nodded."Impact Driver," I said, committing.The crowd roared in approval as Bertha grabbed an arm with another. The raised arm began to spin up causing a whine to sound out."Pinsir! Superpower!" Gio bellowed over the riotous crowd.Pinsir shot braced and leapt leading with its head. With its pinchers drawn back and glowing it began to arc down towards Bertha.The entire stadium held its breath, watching as they closed with each other once more.Pinsir came down like an avenging Samurai, but Bertha swung her fist like she was looking to punch down a mountain.The blow connected and Pinsir was blown back into the barriers which flickered red with the impact before fading to orange quickly. I could see a warning light on Rocko and my own podium, a warning of Barrier integrity but with that being the final exchange of blows I didn't have to worry.I exhaled and allowed myself a grin. Bertha grinned hugely and glanced in my direction. I shot my fist into the air and joined the crowd in roaring in approval.Bertha punched the sky and began to celebrate.Across from me, Gio leaned heavily on his railing, his face white as he shook his head. I had the podiums lowered slowly and approached with Rocko."Hey, how many fingers am I holding up Gio?" said Rocko as he held up three."Th-three!" said Gio as he blinked rapidly.Rocko frowned at the slur and shot me a look. I nodded. "Best you get to Nurse Joy for some rest and get your team healed up, if you're really lucky she might be able to reattach Kingler's claw," I said with a grimace. "Sorry about that," I said.Gio waved it off. "I read the warnings Kingler… I shouldn't have used him, or I should have held off a few more months," Gio sighed. "Got worried I would miss my shot at being first thought with all the trainers around this year," he said. "Lot of people are talking about coming back," he said.I chuckled. "I know. We'll see how we go, come back around later and we'll talk about this more, you did good though," I said.Rocko helped Gio leave. I made a show of raising my hands and clapping which triggered more from the crowd. They rose to applaud him and his team.When they were done I tapped on a mic and grinned. "Well thank you all for coming, that was an amazing first showing from Gio and his pokemon, and last but not least Bertha!"Bertha who'd taken up a position behind me grinned and waved merrily.I stared out at the various faces in the crowd. For a while the faces merely blended together only for a familiar face with red hair tucked under a cap made me pause.Huh. Lance?When he winked and held up a finger to his lips recognising that I had spotted him I kept looking around.I could see a lot of shock, and worry in the crowd. But most of all? I could see hunger.People could see the challenge now and had a better idea.I grinned. "I hope that those of you who will be facing me later understand how tough this task is now." I raised my fist in front of me and Bertha copied me, her grin sliding into a menacing leer."You won't find this a simple challenge and we are up to the task," I said.If anything the looks of hunger some people had merely grew. I had no doubt that the same would be true for people watching on tv from pokecenters either.I turned away knowing that interesting times and challengers were coming back.For now, I had other tasks to see to, such as meeting with Pewter Technical Academy for the lecture I needed to give.Before that though, I really needed to find out why Lance had joined the crowd in watching the match.218Lance sauntered into the Gym's trainer lounge only for Dennis to stand in his way."I'm sorry sir, but you can't be in here, this area is not open to the public," Dennis said.Lance stared at the man while I chuckled. It seemed that adding glasses, a cap and a change of clothes from his usual attire was enough to throw Dennis off. The rest of the room glanced up only to stiffen when they caught sight of Lance.Rachel held her hands in front of her face and held back a squeal.Huh, it seemed like only Dennis wasn't seeing through the 'disguise'.Lance took off his glasses and his cap and smiled like he was stepping onto a red carpet and not into my trainer lounge. "I think you can make some exceptions," Lance said pleasantly.Dennis stared at him for a moment. Then he reached out and put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "I'm sorry sir, but like I said this area is not open," he said as he marched Lance out of the room.Lance's slack-jawed expression as Dennis frog marched him out made me wish that I had my Xtrnacieveir set to record my surroundings."Eh? Wait! I'm the Champion of Indigo!?" said Lance as Dennis got him to the door. Lance's hands shot out and braced against the frame.Dennis frowned. "Yes and this is a restricted area," he said. "Being Champion doesn't entitle you to just come walking in here."I couldn't help it. I started giggling. The giggle quickly turned into full-on belly-shaking laughter as Lance shot me a betrayed look."This is not funny Brock! I don't find this prank funny!" he said as he struggled with Dennis; some of his draconic pride must have been besmirched as I felt his Dragon energy flaring up as he grew angry. I noted that Dennis was starting to lose their little wrestle.I held my sides and stopped laughing long enough to wheeze out, "It's not a prank. Dennis is being serious, which just makes it even better!" I said, before waving a hand at the pair of them. "Dennis it's cool, it's cool! Lance is a friend even if he wasn't escorted in," I said.Dennis stopped manhandling the champion. "I see!" He nodded at me and then at Lance. "Sorry about that Champion, but security protocols mean we need to be aware of infiltrators!" he said stolidly.Lance blinked. "That… is actually a very good reason to not let someone claiming to be me walk around," he said, his energy dying down.Dennis nodded seriously and marched back to sit next to Rocko who bumped him with his shoulder."You're off the chain man," Rocko whispered to Dennis.A.J. shot Dennis a firm nod. It seemed he approved of what Dennis had done. I set myself up to watch A.J. in case he got it in his head to challenge Lance. I turned that idea over in my head before humming.Actually, there wasn't a reason not to if he tried it.He should already know he didn't stand a chance considering how his match against one of Kong's best went. Still, it didn't mean he couldn't learn things from a friendly against Lance. It was rare to get to fight against a Dragon trainer at all, in fact, due to how rare most dragon-type pokemon were."Ahem!" Lance said as he stood before me."Hmm? Yeah, sorry I was just thinking of something," I said, giving my best Kakashi impression.Lance shot me an unimpressed look and I smiled up at him. "Take a seat Lance, it's nice to see you. Did you enjoy the show?"Lance glanced around for a seat only for the trainers that had been sitting across from me to launch themselves out of their seats only to then fight each other over who would offer their seat up to Lance first.Lance didn't even bat an eye at their behaviour and I just shook my head. Dennis swept in and collected the pair of young trainers before marching them out of the room. "Shameful," he muttered under his breath.Bethany the receptionist approached Lance. "Would you care for a drink dear boy? I won't have it said that my place of employment lacks manners," she said firmly.I coughed and looked away. Right, I should have offered that along with the seat.Lance shot me a smirk having caught the shot sent my way. He reached into his pouch and produced a bag of coffee beans. "Can you grind this into a straight black coffee?"When Bethany made no move to accept the bag Lance blinked. Bethany raised her eyebrows at him and he coughed. "Please," he said, tacking the word to his previous statement.I snickered, recalling that he'd been called out on that with Sabrina and Ralts last time as well.Lance rolled his eyes at me. "To answer your earlier question, I did enjoy the show. You make a very good spectacle of your Elite match, which I have no doubt will draw in more trainers and spectators."I nodded and gestured towards Rachel. "The basics of the match have stayed the same but I have to thank Rachel for the hype and the promotion of it this year," I said easily.Lance offered Rachel a nod and she smiled back giddily. Lance frowned at her wrist. "Are you recording this?"Rachel glanced down. "Oh shoot I just went into journalistic mode when you showed up! Sorry!" she said, turning it off.I blinked. Wait, did that mean she'd caught that earlier scuffle? That would be hilarious if so.Lance and I both opened our mouths to say something only for Bethany to plop down a tea service with two pots on it.I stared at the trays of biscuits, sponge cake, and fine china. Where had she... I shook that thought off. She, like many others, had access to a storage bag that would no doubt hold a lot of such goodies if I didn't miss my guess.Still, that was damn impressive to whip together in the last few seconds we'd been talking."Thank you, Bethany," I said.Lance nodded, his own eyes locked on the coffee pot. "You ground the beans and—"Bethany handed him back his bag before producing a matching bag. "I too, enjoy a good drink," she said with a nod.Lance smiled at her and accepted a drink from her before she served me some tea. She then claimed a seat near the side, her own coffee cup in front of her. For all intents and purposes she looked like she was presiding over a tea party and not an impromptu meeting of rivals.I shook my head at the absurdity of it before restarting the conversation. "I'm surprised to see you down here," I said. I had a niggling thought that I was forgetting something but couldn't recall quite what.Lance waved a hand about. "We've processed most of Team Rocket and locked down what resources we can. Now things are slowing down with secondary arrests for corruption being a good deal slower as we determine who was coerced and who was crooked as a Sudowoodo."I paused at that imagery and chuckled. "I think you're letting them off lightly. If anything they'd be like ditto, formless until they need a shape that appeals to another," I said.Lance nodded amicably and for a moment we merely enjoyed our drinks."I think I shall have to copy you," Lance said after a moment. I raised an eyebrow for him to continue and he waved a hand towards the doors which led to the battlefield. "The Elite challenge. It is a very good idea. It will make your pokemon a lot more robust and capable for big matches. I think I might adopt it for some friendly matches with some offered rewards for trainers," he said. "It's something I'm toying with anyway," he tapped at his temple to show this was all theoretical.I flicked my eyes to A.J. and he sat up, hmmm Lance might get a 'test case' soon."Careful you might stretch yourself too far. It can be easy for me as I have a fairly diverse list of pokemon to pick from while you're stuck with dragon or flying types for a lot of your team. Rock can branch out more." I said. I tilted my head in thought. "Also there's nothing wrong with some niche picks," I said thinking of Shuckle. Sadly the shuckle we'd acquired recently hadn't been interested in fighting at an Elite level. They'd do well enough in the Gym but I was hoping for something crazy.I really wanted to test how viable a Shuckle could be in a top-tier match and that wouldn't come about for a while yet it seemed. Then again it might be too meta.Lance hummed. "Worth considering." he then directed a look at me. "I noted that your Steelix technically doesn't meet the rock typing requirement," he said with a twitch of his lips.I scoffed. "Steelix comes from Onix who are pretty much the example Rock type pokemon."Lance tutted with reproach. "Ah but is that truly enough?"I shook my head at him. "My Gym, my rules. Also, I doubt anyone's going to give up a chance to tangle with a pokemon that can mega evolve," I said, my eyes shifting towards the bracer he wore that housed a gem with a rainbow-like helix in the middle."True," he said as he put a hand over his forearm. He raised a finger to point it about. "Also, I'm going to be putting some pressure to loosen restrictions around the Grampa Canyon dig site. We need more insight into Mega stones and if you think there might be something there, we'll need Megarock inc to not be hindered by other disciplines tripping the company up," he said.I nodded. "I don't want to ride roughshod over them just as much as I don't want the same for us. I think it's going to be tough. The find is rather significant, and who's to say that the historical site doesn't tie in with Mega stones in some way?" I said.There might be more of a chance for Pokemonopolis to link to Gigantification if I was perfectly honest but that was a stretch. All I had to go off for that was the Pallet site where there had been giant Gengar, alakazam, and a Jigglypuff.The last two weren't known for gigantification in the games so that rather muddied the waters. I'd need to dust off my notes.Who had Gigantification evolutions?Lapras, Machamp, Pikachu, Gengar, and several other pokemon that I could think of off the top of my head. I'd need to do some revision."Hmmm I hope that's not the case or we're going to face a lot of angry people in future about the tampering with heritage sites."I was glad that he hadn't said something like 'destruction of heritage sites' as others like Steven Stone might have.An alarm went off before I could say anything else. A quick glance had me grimacing, "Ah sorry, I'm giving a talk at the Pewter Academy regarding environmental impacts on pokemon to the students before the next round challenge hits me," I said.Lance perked up. "Oh yes? You take part in the evaluations for that? How have they been doing?" he asked.Alexa giggled and I made a show of distaste."Ah," Lance said correctly reading my expression that things weren't going well.I downed the last of my tea earning a reprimanding look from Bethany which I ignored as I stood. "Thanks for coming around and thanks for the tea service Bethany," I said before looking back to Lance. "Sorry to ditch you like this."Lance weighed up what he was going to say before shrugging. "I wouldn't be able to attend your talk, as I have meetings this afternoon. A shame," he said. He drank another sip from his mug. "Ah well I shall enjoy the moment as they say," he said.I huffed at him only to shoot a smirk his way. "Think you could entertain some of my staff with some training?"Everyone in the room perked up as Lance raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"I waved a hand at the assembled group of young trainers. "Think you could handle a few speed matches like they run in Johto rail stations?"Lance smirked. "I still hold the record for fastest in Goldenrod station," he said proudly.I decided to not point out how else that statement could be misconstrued. Instead, I turned to the others. "Think any of you would be interested in a match against the Champ?" I said.A lot of people nodded, while A.J. strode to the front as though demanding the others 'get in line'. I shook my head and pointed to Dennis. "I think the senior Gym trainers should lead the way this time around."Lance smirked as Dennis locked eyes with him.I sighed, knowing I was going to be missing out on some interesting exchanges, but sadly I'd made commitments that I planned to keep. "You coming, Rachel?" I said.She slumped her eyes tracking the forming group as Lance led the other trainers back to the Gym proper where they'd get something truly rare, a battle against the current Champ and his pokemon."I was kinda hoping to film those matches and post them on the Gym's pokenet page," she said as she slumped after me.I clapped her on the shoulder. "Think about it this way. Lance wouldn't appreciate us profiting off him that much without his input. Also, I think the others wouldn't want people watching fights that see them get thrashed."'You don't think anyone will win against him?" said Rachel as we made it outside.I shook my head. "He's not a sleeping dragon anymore," I said cryptically. I released Zephyr as Rachel donned some goggles and got onto Zephyr behind me.With a loud beating of wings, Zephyr took flight and carried us to the southeast where the Pewter Technical Academy was.When I landed I took in the view of the well-kept grounds.I'd been here a few times in the past for evaluations and even made the odd appearance as a guest lecturer, but Flint's revelation about the previous owners of the buildings made me really stop to take it all in.Pewter Technical was nothing short of opulent. The grounds were well curated and expansive, with no less than seven grass-battling areas along with a number of pools. I'd gotten a tour when I first came here and had learned all about the river rapid pools they had along with the state-of-the-art cinema room.Knowing what I did now, I had to wonder why they'd never mentioned the donation that… Lola had made of the place.It should have only been twenty or so years at most?It didn't look like they'd built anything new but then again if they did it would have been a costly endeavour to match the building materials to the white marble pillars and cornicing that dominated the visible surfaces.My family… or rather Lola's had once owned this? I walked through the halls quietly, making my way past a number of classrooms. My feet didn't even make a noise thanks to the soft, lush carpet that ran down the middle.I'd been to some nice schools in both of my lives, but this was easily one of the nicest. It was what I imagined when I thought of Eton, or Princeton. An elite private school.It kind of made me mad thinking about how nice this place was, and how until two years ago, my family had been living out of the Pewter Gym which had been owned by the city in truth.It had been a rough existence with a lot of dirt.And here was something that Lola had just given away.According to Flint she had done this due to the thoughts of family weighing her down too much, but comparing this to the home most of the family had been raised in… I just couldn't agree with the decision.I snorted and shook my head.Lola always brought up dark thoughts in me. I walked into another corridor where the Deputy-Headmaster was dancing from foot to foot. He perked up and waved when he spotted me.Then again, it was certainly rather interesting that my family never seemed to get mentioned for the donation. One would think they'd make a bigger deal of it."Deputy-Headmaster Dundlinger," I greeted the man with a nod."Ah! Gym Leader! You're just in time! Thank goodness you're here! We've had a few interested parties decide to join the children today so we thought it prudent to use the assembly hall for your talk today instead of the usual classroom!" said the man.I blinked before chuckling. "Professor Oak is here with a few other people?"Dundlinger nodded. "Indeed! I- that is We didn't think it wise to deny them. It certainly has the children more interested than usual!" he said.I snorted and waved for the man to lead on which he did at a trot. I shared a look of amusement with Rachel as we powerwalked our way to the assembly hall. We had to make our way through the rose garden which was filled with a number of tame-looking Oddish and Vileplume.No Glooms I noted.I suppose it would rather offend the young sirs and madams to have to endure such smells on their walks between classes and break times. Somehow I just knew that Erika wouldn't appreciate that little feature.When we crossed the passage, I paused in the doorway to look over the structure. It was a large octagonal building with hard wooden floors and a raised alcove with another wooden platform that supposedly served as the speaking platform for the Headmaster and others. For today it would be where I stood, but with the knowledge this had once been a rich family's house. I could see how this room would serve as an amazing ballroom with the stage set up for singers and musicians.Some memories I had along with the odd comment I'd overheard around Pewter suddenly clicked into place.Lola had been raised with a ballroom which more than likely got used a lot in her youth.For her attending balls and events would have been the done thing. I recall hearing people mention that Flint and Lola had friction between them over her continued attendance of such events.Had Lola been missing that part of her upbringing? Was that what made her attend so many balls and events?I shook it off and marched to the front where I found a row of young and old people in white lab coats conversing with each other rather loudly. Behind them sat row upon row of staring students. More than a few eyes were locked on Professor Oak who was holding court from his place in the middle of the row. I might have waved or called out but the figure next to me left me gobsmacked.Was that Alakazam in a lab coat? I stared a while and the hyper-intelligent pokemon must have felt my stare as it glanced in my direction and offered a nod before facing the front.Huh, alright then. I adjusted my attire as Rachel peered around.I noticed that while the Professors and their aides were being loud, that didn't mean the students were simply sitting there."That's Professor Whitemore! He's my Granduncle! If you want I could put in a good word for you," whispered one boy."Impressive that they all came in like that!""I thought Brock's lecture was rather simple and boring?"Another student snorted at this. "That was before he proved just how much he'd been holding back. It was all theory this and potential that! Then he proved he knew what he was talking about and that he was right!" said another.Rachel broke off from me to take a position on the back wall where she began assembling camera equipment. The motion drew a few nearby eyes which resulted in a tidal wave of, "Oh! Shhhh, he's here!" rippling out through the kids.When it hit the professors I was amused to see it carried on, if perhaps in less polite terms.I marched forward as a few heads were slapped only for a small scuffle to break out with more than a few annoyed glares shot around. Samuel perked up and waved as I moved to the front with the Deputy Headmaster.I gave him a wave back and took a seat to the side of the podium.Dondelinger approached the podium and cleared his throat. When this wasn't enough to get them all quiet, what with a few adults still tussling I saw a vein in the side of his neck bulge. "Children! Silence!" he roared suddenly.The professors all straightened in their seats while the students adopted affronted looks.Dondelinger shot the actual children an apologetic look. "Sorry, force of habit," he said. "I have the pleasure of introducing a man who has made regular visits to our fair institute in the past. The level of said teaching he has offered have certainly garnered a lot more attention than in the past, so it was decided to house this talk in the assembly hall. It… should go without saying that you are to be on your best behaviour. Any rule-breaking will see you in detention and your parents being called."A few of the adults giggled at this, only for the Deputy Headmaster to give them a stern look. "Don't think I won't call them," he said.He then muttered something that the microphone didn't catch. "Even if I have to have a Haunter or Gengar stand in for a few of them," he said darkly.I bit my lips, pausing to sync up my presentation on my Xtransciever with a projector at his statement.I had no doubt that some of those trickster spirits would love dressing up and pretending to be sad parents to some of the older professors. Although… with some of the research done into the Gastly line… that might be a bit close to home for a few people.Deputy Dondelinger cleared his throat once more. "Without further ado, may I present, the Gym Leader of Pewter City, Brock," he said as he stepped to the side, his hands clapping together to trigger a round of applause.I stood, waved and gave my best PR smile. "Thank you Deputy Dondelinger for that introduction. As he said, I'm Gym Leader Brock and I'm here to discuss the impacts that an environment can have on growth. Now this doesn't just need to be about pokemon." I waved a hand around us."Take this hall for example, in the past we did these talks in classrooms that were comfortable and friendly. Now we talk in the assembly hall where I am forced to talk into a microphone. What impact does this have for us?" I said leadingly.I stared out at a sea of blank, if polite faces staring back at me. I smiled encouragingly before chuckling ruefully when no one spoke up or raised a hand. "How about I start? For one, the back and forth of students being able to ask questions is not as easy. There's a lot more eyes and a lot less friendly environment isn't there?"A few heads nodded. And a few people, notably those in the front rows, perked up. "You're accepting questions?" asked one such man in a white coat.I nodded. "I like to make this a very informal style of talk. This is not a lecture but a discussion.""Are you… just talking about this or will you be talking about pokemon environments?" asked another pointedly. More than a few adults nodded their sharp gazes locked on me.I sighed. "I am, but I think it's important to highlight that what we're talking about doesn't just apply to pokemon. We can take and apply a lot of these lessons or even see them in action in our day-to-day lives. I want you to keep an open mind," I said.Samuel nodded at me encouragingly which I appreciated.A hand in the back rose up over the student's heads. I pointed in its direction. "Yes? You in the back?"It took the kid a moment to realise that yes, I was pointing at them. They stood up and coughed. "Uhm, you have to shout to be heard?" he called.It took me a moment to realise he was responding to my earlier question. I made a show of perking up and pointing at him. This was something I wanted to encourage. "Yes! Thank you! It is harder for you with this being a bigger room. Thanks for not letting this just be a show run by adults! Good stuff!" I said.The kid sat down with a pleased smile. I saw a few thoughtful looks cross some of the kids' faces which was gratifying. Thanks to that one boy's bravery at speaking up they'd be more free with their questions now."So, the environment is impacting us," I said. "Now the interesting point is that this is an environment that we created for ourselves therefore it could also be said that we impacted the environment we found ourselves within. I want this point to stand out to you. The relationship that beings have with environments is never as simple as it seems. It can be one-sided in what or who is impacted, or it can be reciprocal. We need to keep this free-flowing state in mind for the discussion today."I clicked for the next slide and was gratified to see that Yolanda hadn't tampered with this presentation since I'd checked it this morning."Let's consider the environments that we can find ourselves in. For the purposes of the talk I am going to categorise them as natural and made environments." I made sure to pointedly not say 'manmade', as some pokemon could create their own environments but that was for later talking points.I swept my gaze about the room. "Who can think of some examples?"Hands tentatively rose and I began pointing and getting answers which I dutifully wrote down. The answers were then displayed and with each answer, more and more people seemed to relax with the kids offering up environments I hadn't considered.When we had a good number of both, I clapped my hands to keep things moving along. "These are some good answers and I think we've captured the two natures. Now, a question I have is when does a natural environment become a made environment? Is it only when we build something that benefits us? If this is something you agree with, what about pokemon that burrow or make habitats for themselves?"Does this not change things from natural to made? It can, but there is also another example which has a lot to do with the special breeds of pokemon that can emerge, such as electric or magnetised terrain. If a large enough electric type migration were to move into a region, for example a system of caves, this could be a natural development leading to a shift in the environment."I held up a hand. "This shift in the environment can be enough to trigger changes in pokemon over a period of generations. At Pewter we've been working for quite a while to speed this along with controlled breeding programs for pokemon that we've identified as having potential. Without giving too much away I also know of others who are introducing pokemon into controlled environments to induce new typings in pokemon. This is a great example of nature impacting the pokemon albeit in a gradual manner.""What made you attempt to electrify the Geodude line?" asked one scientist.I hummed. "I made a discovery while I was travelling about the nature of pokemon and environments. You may have seen a rare pokemon I had at the Pewter Contest. This pokemon was the Crystal Onix, which is a variant that has grown up in a specialised cavern which caused their diet to consist heavily of crystals, resulting in their morphology changing from the typical. With this in mind, I considered what other types of rocks there might be."I offered an open hand. "The answer I arrived at? Was electric or magnetised caves where I began testing pokemon by raising them within caves that sparked and pulsed with electricity." I shrugged. "I didn't have a known result, I had a hypothesis and I ran a test. The result? I now have a line of Geodudes that is Rock-electric typing instead of Rock-ground."A kid raised their hand and waved it. "What other pokemon have you identified as having variant forms?"I smirked. "That would be telling, for me and for the other that is currently in testing. Without getting your hopes up, we're confident in what we have and there should be some news within the next few years. Expect to hear about them because I think they are going to be very popular with their cuteness!"That got a stirring with the girls while some of the boys scoffed. I smirked. "They'll also be very strong." That got some more interest.I nodded happily and continued discussing the relationships that our environments had with people and pokemon, making sure to highlight that typically it could be a very gradual thing before highlighting extreme examples where environments themselves triggered rapid responses."The best examples are of course the Eevee line with Leafeon, Glaceon, Espeon, Umbreon and…" I paused, about to say Sylveon before coughing. A few people caught this and their eyes narrowed. I just smiled innocently. "Well most of the eevee line are wonderful examples," I said.I had no doubt before the day was over that people would once more be re-examining what they knew about the Eevee line. Sadly it wasn't an easy 'environment' to create as love had to be heartfelt.Not that I was going to share that little tidbit today.From there the talk continued for another half an hour with people asking questions throughout. Thankfully it wasn't just the adult scientists but also the kids.In the end, I decided to make a point of rewarding this behaviour. "Thank you for listening and for all your questions. I'd like to ask the adults in the room to do something a little unusual if you would now, could you all stand and look towards the students?"The adults did this with frowns and a few perplexed expressions. I smiled genially at the kids. "Kids, you might not know this but asking questions like you have today is one of the ways that you can find yourselves being better. It can also lead to inquisitive minds which I'm sure the professors will appreciate when you come up through the ranks of scientists. To foster that, I'd like it if everyone could thank the kids for their questions first today," I said before leading a round of applause.The adults started to smile as they spotted more than a few bashful looks from the kids. Still, there were also a lot of pleased and thoughtful looks. I might have with this action just encouraged a lot more thinking and scientific minds.When the adults were done I coughed. "Now let's thank the professors, and our educators for being such wonderful role models!" I said and the kids joined in with me applauding the others. A few scientists perked up, rather enjoying the praise they were getting.When that died down Samuel made a point of stepping forward "Thank you for that Brock! Thank you, That was a marvellous way for your talk to end. I thought I might indulge a whim or two if you are happy to entertain me."I gestured for him to step forward and he did so. "First of all, I would like to recognise Brock for his contributions to academic research with his part in environmental adaptations, fossil research and bonds that he has supported through a myriad of methods. Sadly I can award you no title, but I can present to you this," he said as he offered to me something white that was folded up.I opened it to reveal a white labcoat.A burst of mutters and whispers broke out among the crowd. "A lab coat presented to him from Professor Oak? My word!"I shot Oak a look. There was obviously something more at play. Was this just a case of him recognising me informally, or something else?I felt like I only had a small understanding of what was being said with this statement. A lot of the other men and women in the room seemed impressed so that had to count for something.Oak nodded and I shook his hand in thanks. He leaned in to whisper, "Daisy mentioned it's awfully silly of me, not to also include you and your trainers in the pokedex program, so I will be sending around a stack for you to use or award at your discretion."I whistled. That was amazing news. "Thanks, I know those are rather restricted so thank you. Also thanks for the lab coat," I said.He nodded and stepped back. "Let's hear it for Brock!" he said, leading the next round of applause.I donned the lab coat and smiled. Later Rachel showed me a picture of what I looked like with it on.It kind of looked good.A ringing had me raising up my Xtransciever. "Hey Flint," I said in greeting."Brock… it's about your mother," he said.And just like that, my good mood vanished.