Author's notes: Chapter three, in which Nagi learns that he isn't going to be challenging Trodaire like that again for awhile, theoretical Murkrow is eaten, and some training regimes are established. As I've said, this is a collab with The Fighting Irishman, who can be found under my fave authors.
Disvclaimer: I don't own the Pokemon franchise, and I'm making no money here so suing me is a waste of time and money.
Cost of the Crown 3
There was an awkward pause, and an uncomfortable silence that followed. Sabrina spoke first.
"Did you…did you say that you want to fight Trodaire? Like, spar him?" She asked, as incredulously as her normally stoic manner allowed. Nagi puffed out his chest in an effort to feel tougher.
"W-what's wrong?" He asked. "You think that if I fight him he'll put me in an ambulance?"
"No, Nagi. If we fight I'll put you under a tombstone." There was no joking in that tone of voice. Trodaire was completely serious, both in voice and in body language. He was rigid and cold, and it almost looked like he was…sad?
"No you won't." Nagi said.
"YES I WILL." Trodaire didn't shout, but his sudden raised voice startled everyone. Now he looked angry, but at what Nagi wasn't certain. "What are you, 14 or 15? I'm 25. I have been training how to fight since before you were alive. If you're trying to prove something to your team and to us that you're tough enough to make it in my gym, this isn't the way to do it. Steven Stone didn't need to fight me to prove that he belonged."
"I'm not Steven Stone." Nagi said. He was stretching out now, and Sabrina knew that his mind was made up, even if Trodaire didn't realized it.
Or did he realize it?
"But you're a champion, right?" Trodaire asked. Nagi didn't answer at first. "Are you a champion, or are you not?" He asked. Nagi finally spoke.
"Acting champion." He said. Trodaire snorted.
"What does that even mean? Did you beat Diantha or not?"
"I did."
"Then you are a champion! No 'acting' part included. You have nothing to prove to your team by getting in a fistfight with me. You've proven that you can stick it in my gym."
"My team has. I haven't." Nagi said firmly. He gingerly got in what he thought was a fighting stance. From the side, Bruno's Pokemon all exchanged nervous glances. This kid really didn't know what he was doing. If he tried to get in a fight, then their boss Trodaire was going to hurt him.
"It's not a show of strength to put yourself in harm's way with completely reckless abandon." Trodaire scolded. "This isn't how you conquer adversity, Nagi."
"Yeah? And what do you know about adversity?" Nagi asked.
Just like that Trodaire's demeanor completely changed. Sabrina put her hands to her mouth, eyes widening as she (discreetly) read Trodaire's emotions. She hadn't felt this emotion in a very, very long time.
Rage.
"…You've got some nerve, kid." Trodaire said quietly. His hands were clenched into fists so tightly that his knuckles were practically whitening. Nagi didn't see this, but Sabrina sure did. "I don't know what your lot in life has been, but I certainly haven't felt the need to challenge you on it. But if you are so insistent on learning a lesson completely the wrong way…then be my guest." He got into a relaxed fighting stance. "Your move, hot shot."
Nagi hesitated for a minute. He knew that he had made Trodaire angry, but he wasn't about to look like a coward in front of his team. So, he took a deep breath and ran towards Trodaire intending to punch him in the face.
Trodaire ducked under the haymaker, and with cat-like reflexes grabbed Nagi by the waist. The young Kalos native realized what a horrible mistake he'd made when the Orrean lifted him up in the air completely effortlessly, and then tackled him by means of falling on top of him. It was perhaps the gentlest move Trodaire could have picked, and yet it still hurt like hell.
Trodaire was sitting on top of Nagi's chest. The Kalos native threw a weak punch. Trodaire just grabbed his hand with little to no effort. Then he twisted the wrist a little bit so that Nagi daren't move for fear of having it broken. Then Trodaire spoke.
"That's the thing about blindly rushing into something without thinking." He said. "You make a fool out of yourself. And you made yourself look like a fool in front of your team. Champions don't do that." He stood up, letting Nagi brush himself off. He then turned to Nagi's team. "You guys were fantastic today. I'm very impressed, and I'm very excited about your potential." He smiled a little bit. "Get yourselves some rest. Tomorrow we're gonna work on some sparring." He extended his hand down to Nagi, who took it after a moment of staring. The young Kalos native quietly thanked them for their time, and then walked out the door after calling back his entire team into their Poke Balls. As soon as he'd walked out the door headed back to his apartment, Sabrina spoke.
"You were a little hard on him, you know." She said. Trodaire sighed, and leaned against the ropes.
"Yeah…I was." He said wistfully. Sabrina smiled sardonically. At least he realized this. Trodaire spoke again. "But then again, if this had happened a few years ago, I'd have done a whole lot worse."
"What was dat all about?" Paulie asked. He scratched his head. "I mean, when I coached da kids at da high school fer boxin', I had a few foolish young uns, but nothin' like dat."
"I think he thinks he has something to prove." Trodaire said, sighing as Paulie, Conks and the Bruno gang started shutting down the Fight Club for the night. "I just don't know what it is." He turned to Sabrina. "I'll see you at home, ok?" She smiled.
"Okay, sweetheart." She said. She nodded to Alakazam, who waved his hands. There was a flash of light, and they were gone.
Some time later that evening, Trodaire was standing out on the balcony of Sabrina's mansion, watching the sunset. He heard the slider door open behind him, and soon after felt Sabrina hugging him from behind, her head resting on his shoulder.
"You're still bothered by the end of today's session, aren't you?" She asked. He chuckled a little bit.
"We've talked about you reading my mind, Rina." He said with a small smile. Sabrina snorted.
"I don't need to read your mind for that one. Your body language is fine enough." She said. She sighed, staring at the sunset.
"Alakazam and I are worried about Nagi. That boy's got something he doesn't want to talk about. Multiple somethings, as a matter of fact."
"He needs to come clean with them." Trodaire said. "I don't know if I can train a kid with emotional baggage." He said. Sabrina shook her head.
"You have to, Trodaire. And you will." She said. "Lest you and I forget, when we first met you weren't exactly all full of self-confidence yourself." She playfully poked his cheek with her finger. He couldn't help but laugh, and then sighed.
"How do I do it, though?" He asked. "Steven was fine and in control of himself. He just needed some good-old fashioned tough love. I think this kid needs more, but how do I get through with that?" He asked. Sabrina looked up in the sky in deep thought. Then she spoke.
"I think you'll figure it out as things go along. The best advice I can give now? Remember how you felt when you were a kid. When you lost someone close to you. Your mom. Your uncle. Things like that. We've…just got to be there for Nagi. He's alone in a strange country and none of his family or friends are here." She said. Trodaire smiled again, and turned over his shoulder to look her in the eye.
"What, like a big brother and sister? Since when do either of us know anything about being a sibling?" He asked with a wink. Sabrina rolled her eyes.
"We'll figure it out. And if nothing else…" She hugged him a little tighter. "We can rely on each other to back one another up." There was a pause before she spoke again. "You know you can always ask for my help through this. I'll always be here for you, Trodaire."
"And I'll always be here for you, too." Trodaire said. There was a small pause.
"I love you, my little man of the dust of the earth." She said. Trodaire smiled, and turned around so that he was hugging her face to face.
"I love you too, my little witch master of the arcane." He said with a big ol' grin.
Sabrina rolled her eyes, but there was no denying the smile on her face.
"If the two of you are quite done out there, I feel it might be prudent to inform you that I've finished cooking dinner…and Madame Sabrina's favorite show is about to start."
With an incredibly out-of-character girlish squeal (and with the speed of a Rapidash), Sabrina raced out of Trodaire's arms and into the house. If Trodaire listened hard, he could hear her hyperactive voice demanding Alakazam to "TURNITON-TURNITON-TURNITON!" He sighed, and rolled his eyes.
"Why does she like those Ponyta so much?" He wondered to himself as he walked into the house after her. "And why, for that matter, do I let her make me watch it with her?"
Meanwhile, Nagi had strapped his skates on and despite the lingering pain from being thrown, tackled, and pinned forced himself to move. His speed was reckless, zigzags broken by flips and spins executed with increasing fervor. He avoided people on their ways to and from work by a hairsbreadth, ignoring called curses and demands to slow down. He didn't think, just moved. After a time, he allowed himself to slow and stop, watching the sky and the occasional Pidgey without thinking.
Nagi honestly couldn't say what he felt. His wrist hurt from where Trodaire had twisted it to make his point. He was a child trying to run before he could walk, but he'd never been one to back down. He'd bulldozed his way through the Gyms, even the ones he didn't have an advantage in, and he'd just crashed his way through most of Team Flare. When his team got started, they usually didn't have problems. But they weren't quite as imbalanced as they once were. Nagi heard a roar and turned to watch a battle. A Growlithe dodged and twisted as best it could, but against the opponents Gyrados the match was already a foregone conclusion. The Gyrados swung its head and the Growlithe flew through the air, rolling to a stop as its trainer recalled it.
/His third lays limp, great wings shredded, breath gone. Lysandre himself seems surprised that this has occurred, but there is nothing left but red and RAGE and Xerneas' bellow as he unleashes it./
Nagi moved, leaving the battleground, getting lost in movement again. Gyrados was not a Pokemon he cared to see at that moment. Logically, he knew there was no fault to the whole species, knew they were good Pokemon and solid battlers. In his gut he feared them because of Lysandre, because of a moment in a hole that Giratina itself would prefer to pretend didn't exist. He'd stood in front of creatures that in theory represented Creation and Destruction, and he hadn't flinched. Nagi found himself in front of his hotel, and decided he needed to rest. He was exhausted enough he just slept, he didn't dream, didn't recall everything that haunted him and drove him.
In the morning, he helped Joy again, finding pleasure in watching other trainers Pokemon enjoy their breakfasts and rubs and pats. He rubbed his wrist while he went to a meal, then checked over Amber and the others himself. Other then the fact that they were smarting from the defeats they'd been handed yesterday, they were eager to go again. Nagi sighed at all the energy they had, wondering when he'd lost his. He just felt so tired at times. He put on a smile to cheer them up and then skated along towards the Fight Club, bruises protesting more exercise on top of what he'd done yesterday.
He was going to eat Murkrow and apologize. He didn't know much about Orre, but he knew it was rough country, and if Trodaire could pull himself out of it rather than sink he'd had it rough. Nagi in contrast had most likely had an almost privileged childhood and life up until he'd agreed to take Amber and wander. His problems had all been a tsunami, sudden and unexpected while Trodaire had grown up in an area that made people blanch.
He threaded his way amongst the crowds, unaware that today he had an audience. Sabrina watched the quick turns, the double-backs and the occasional spin and flip, with a wilder double-flip flung in to cause a few small children to squeal. Today Nagi seemed upbeat, not stinging and stewing from Trodaire's set down, but that was surface. Under it bubbled a newer feeling rage that had yet to be settled, a wound still fever-hot and apt to break open. She watched him head toward the Fight Club, then texted Trodaire.
He's on his way, I get the feeling he plans to make contrite. Kid's got some moves when skating, might want to talk to him.
With that, she headed off to her own work for the day. The gym wouldn't run itself, and Alakazam needed to work off excess energy instead of threatening to use that Alakazamite as a shooter marble. She had the feeling that it wasn't meant to be treated like a child's toy.
Nagi stopped in front of the Fight Club, removing his skates again and bundling them. Amber and Garden both brushed against his mind, one comforting warmth, the other supportive eagerness. He dipped his head towards Conks, dropped it lower in shame when the Conkledurr gave him a disapproving huff. He'd acted the fool, he didn't need the reminder about that meal of Murkrow. He stepped into the Fight Club, wondering what today's training would hold.
"I knew you'd be back."
Trodaire's voice came out from the back of the gym. It was darkly-lit, with most of the lights off to conserve energy. And there were no other trainers in the gym today. It was just the two of them. Nagi glanced over to see Machamp, Throh and Sawk staring at him intently. They were eying him with…was it contempt? Or was it pity? The Kalos native wasn't sure. Trodaire stepped out from the shadows, and spoke.
"I thought a lot about what you said last night." Trodaire said. "About how I don't know adversity? I'll admit, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Kept me up half the night. And then, something hit me. Something hit me and I fell asleep and didn't think about you for a second for the rest of the night. Do you know what that something is?" He asked. Unsure, Nagi could only shake his head. Trodaire shrugged. "You're just a kid, and you don't know any better. I mean, look at you. Nagi, the son of Grace the Rhyhorn racer." He frowned when he saw Nagi's facial expression change. "Don't you dare act like that. Do you have any idea what it's like to have a parent that cares about you and loves you? Not everyone gets that opportunity. I would kill someone to have my mother back in my life. And every day I wake up wondering where my childhood went. But I keep moving forward, because I know it's what she would have wanted. If there is a problem between you and your mom then by Arceus as soon as we are done today, you are giving her a phone call and straightening it out."
He crossed his arms across his chest.
"You couldn't have possibly known any better. You couldn't have known what Orre is like. You'll never know what Orre was like, unless you visit it. But that's ok." Trodaire said. "It's okay that you don't know any better. I forgive you for that outburst. I forgive you, Nagi…But here's the thing. You need to understand that whatever is going on in here…" he tapped his chest, where his heart was. "You've got to let it go. It can't define you. I can see right through you, buddy. And I see a guy that is confused and angry and upset by something, but won't tell anyone what it is. You can't do that to yourself. You can't let yourself be eaten up by pain. Because that's exactly what it will do: it will eat you up from the inside until you're nothing more than a husk. You'll rot from within, and everything good in this world will be nothing to you. That's a miserable existence. I knew plenty of people who felt that way, who'd hit that rock bottom. They might as well have been dead men and women walking. I won't let you hit rock bottom, Nagi. As long as I'm alive, every single person that steps through this gym is gonna feel that they're the greatest and most powerful person that they can be. I can see that special glint in your eye, Nagi. I know there's something magic about you and your team, and it makes me so giddy I can barely contain myself. But…the first step to being successful in this life is to learn to love yourself for yourself, and let that self-pity go. So I'll start by saying this. I forgive you for saying something you didn't mean to say…and I'm sorry for wrenching your wrist." He added with a small grin. The look on his face didn't seem like that of a trainer or a coach or even a parent.
It looked like that of an older brother.
"…This just makes eating that Murkrow harder." Trodaire caught muttered, as Nagi drew in a breath.
"I shouldn't have said what I did. I…" He sighed. "Yes, Mom loves me and cares for me, but it's HARD standing in her shadow. She raced while she was expecting me, as soon as she could haul me along she raced with me on the sidelines. The racing's her first love, and I often know I'm lost in the shadow of it. I was on a Rhyhorn before I could walk, but I'm not a racer. There's only so much a racing Pokemon can do, it's limiting." He touched Amber's Pokeball, tracing its lines.
"Augustine Sycamore did not intend to send anyone other than Serena as a Dex holder." It was blunt, and even the Fighting Trio blinked in surprise. The reason for multiple pokedex holders was to cover more ground, to get several points of view instead of just one. One trainer might find entirely different Pokemon than another, train them in different ways. "He changed his mind when he heard Mom had moved to Vaniville, decided on a whim that he'd add me. He didn't even know me, didn't know what I was like or if I was interested. He just sent the Pokemon with a couple of other kids and expected that it'd all turn out alright. I didn't even meet the esteemed Professor until after I'd won a Gym battle." Nagi's bitterness was almost palpable.
"No, I don't know what Orre is like, but I've heard enough to know I spoke out of turn, and I'm sorry for that. But Kalos will cut you with a subtler knife. You do what the higher class expects, and Arceus forefend you make your way on your own merits. But for my mother's skills, Amber would have never been mine. I have to deal with people who think more of who's family is more prestigious than they do of how well they themselves have done or trained their Pokemon. A Gym trainer admitted to my face she'd paid someone else to raise her Pokemon for her, that she was so worried about messing up her precious outfit that she wouldn't train her own Pokemon." Trodaire raised an eyebrow. What he'd seen of Kalos had always made it seem rather pretty and cultured. Then again, he'd met Claire so he should have expected that there was more to it than just the good.
"Sounds like you're pissed about that, but there's plenty of nepotism elsewhere. Look at the Oaks here. I wouldn't have let Gary go with an attitude like that." Nagi shook his head.
"Attitude isn't what I'm talking about. Most Professors and trainers have contact with the children they send, can make decisions about them from having met them and seen how they act. That's not the way it is in Kalos. So-and-so's father was a great Grass trainer so they must be even if they're more comfortable with Ice. In some cases the child is literally raised next to the Pokemon the family decides is right for it. Sycamore didn't bother to find out for himself or anything about me other than what the papers bleat, and they talk about my mother more than me." He shook his head. "I've gotten off topic. I wanted to say that I know even with things that have happened I haven't had it that bad. I shouldn't have pushed, but I've gotten a little too used to bulling through things, as has my team. I didn't think, and I made you angry because of it. I'm sorry." He bowed as formally as he could manage. Trodaire managed not to heave a sigh of relief. It wasn't all of it, not by a long shot, but there was one of the sore points brought out and dealt with.
He didn't know how many more of them existed, but at least there was progress. Nagi looked up at him, curious.
"So, what's the torture of the day for today?"
Trodaire chuckled.
"Torture is such an…ugly word. I prefer the word 'hardcore.'" He glanced at Nagi's hip, where the young man's Poke Balls rested. "But I do have something for today. We're focusing on one-on-one instruction today. Let's start with Garden. I can tell that she's the youngest of your team."
Nagi nodded, both at his suggestion and comment, and let loose the Poke Ball. There was a flash, and once again Garden the Gardevoir graced the Fight Club.
Machamp stared at her with his lower arms crossed, as if he were trying to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. Throh and Sawk, those two little punks, immediately saw that their friend was an Amazon chaser and began to exchange looks and sniggers.
Which was promptly ended when Machamp's other set of arms slammed down on their heads like cartoon anvils.
"You gave me a good beating, you know?" Trodaire said with a grin. Garden blushed, and gave a vocalization that seemed to say 'Aw, shucks. I didn't mean it!' Trodaire glanced at Nagi with a raised eyebrow. "I could say that she's the most powerful Psychic on the planet and she'd say I was overplaying it, wouldn't she?" Nagi, despite himself, laughed.
"Yep. Garden is pretty modest."
"She's also unlike any other Gardevoir I've ever seen. So we're gonna play off of that." He glanced over to the sidelines. "Throh! Sawk! Get in here!" The duo shook off their growing headaches, and bumbled over the ropes and into the ring. Garden elegantly floated over the ropes herself. Machamp was left to pout on the sideline.
"What are you doing today? Beating her up again?" Nagi couldn't help but ask. Trodaire shook his head.
"Nah. Today little miss badass here goes on the offensive." He whistled, and from out of nowhere Throh and Sawk pulled out large pads, like the ones linemen on a football team hit to build tackling strength.
Okay, this is getting ridiculous…Nagi thought.
"What are those for?" He asked. Trodaire grinned.
"Garden! I can tell that if you were a human, you'd be more interested in beating boys up than winning them over, am I right?" He nodded at her noncommittal gesture. "Mmh hmm, damn right I'm right! So, here's the drill. Throh and Sawk are gonna take turns running at you with the pads. You're gonna force them back. But here's the kicker: I want you to hit them the way a Machamp might hit them using a Mega Punch, but you are not to make physical contact. Think you can figure that out?"
Garden took a moment to think it over, and then nodded an affirmative.
"GO!" Trodaire barked.
Throh came in first, charging at the frail-looking Psychic type with his heavy bag. Garden sensed him coming form her left, and pivoted to face the fighting type. She raised her hand towards the bag, and narrowed her eyes in concentration. There was a dull whump sound, and the bag looked like it had been punched or kicked directly in the center even though no physical contact had been made. Throh was sent skittering back, but used his momentum to bounce off the ropes behind him and come after her with renewed zeal. Whump. Once again, the Psychic type bounced him back. This kept going for a few moments, until Trodaire barked again.
"You too, Sawk!" He shouted.
Now Garden had to deal with two attackers coming at her at alternating intervals. It kind of looked like dancing to Nagi, the way the young Psychic was working. Pivot, whump. Pivot, whump. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that she was enjoying herself.
"No more alternates! Synch up!" Trodaire yelled. Now Throh and Sawk were timing their attacks so that they were coming at her from both sides at the same time. Garden was able to beat them back, but now she was clearly showing signs of exhaustion. Nagi felt himself relax a bit. Surely Trodaire would see this, and tell her the drill was fini-
"Machamp! Get in there!" He barked. Nagi watched the giant hop over the ropes with-
…Dear sweet Arceus, was that a steel folding chair?
Garden's eyes widened in shock, and threw a huge blast of focused energy at Machamp. Rather than knocking him back the way she'd been knocking Throh and Sawk back, this had the unintended side effect of blowing Machamp out of the ring. He sailed through the air whilst screaming comically ("CHAAAAAAMMPP!"), before crashing unceremoniously into a mountain of heavy bags and cardboard boxes.
Trodaire blew the whistle.
"Machamp!" He said. "You okay, buddy?"
There was a pause, and then a quartet of arms emerged to give him a shaky thumbs-up in response. Garden covered her mouth with her hands, eyes widening in embarrassment. Trodaire saw her expression, and chuckled.
"Don't worry, Garden." He said with a grin. "That big lummox can take a beating." He paused in thought. "Still, perhaps it would be smarter not to have him rush at the trainees with a steel chair. Almost as if he wanted to see what she was capable of…" He trailed off. He thought nothing of it. "Good work, Garden! Go take a break." He said.
The grateful Psychic floated off of the ring, and with a sigh sat down next to Nagi. She was sweating, which was something completely out of the ordinary because Nagi knew that she was normally cooler than ice. To see her in this much duress…that meant that this training was serious.
"Are you okay, dear?" He asked. Garden looked at her trainer, and nodded. She smiled a bit, and wiped the sweat off of her brow. If anything, this was exciting to her!
There was the sound of moaning, and Machamp emerged from the wreckage clutching its head and dizzily stumbling about. It made eye contact with a worried-looking Garden, and gave a goofy thumbs up. Garden giggled a little bit, and nodded.
"Machamp! Get back in here!" Trodaire shouted. The Fighting-type Pokemon grumbled as it got back over the ropes. Trodaire turned to Trodaire. "Gimme Google, will you?"
There was a flash, and then a loud "GOOO!" as Google the Goodra emerged from its Poke Ball. It saw Trodaire and waved, clearly happy to see the nice man that had complimented her earlier in the week. Trodaire smiled. "Hello to you too, Google. Wanna learn a cool move?" He asked. The Dragon-type hopped over the ropes…well, she tried to. In reality, she got her feet caught in between the top rope and the middle rope, and with an awkward yell plummeted face-first into the mat. Nagi, Trodaire, and everyone else in the gym facepalmed. Trodaire sighed. "Very nice, sweetheart. Now, let's learn how to use your size for an advantage!" He said. He grabbed Machamp. "You're gonna grab your opponent around the waist from behind like this…" he tapped Machamp, and then with a yell flipped over backwards. Now, granted, Machamp had given him a lot of help, but to see a human suplex a Fighting-type Pokemon is not something you'll witness every day. Trodaire wasn't finished. He stood back up, while Machamp was still on the ground. "You're gonna have to be quick, but you get up…run to the ropes…" he ran to the ropes on the side, and bounced off of them back towards the still-supine Machamp. "…and then the SPLASH!" He leapt up in the air and body-slammed the Fighting type. He looked up at Goodra. "You're bigger than I am. Use that to your advantage in both setting up the move, and then on execution. Because if you really want to demoralize the opponent's teammates and get the crowd on your side, nothing works better than a body slam. Just be sure you've got the opponent sufficiently dazed before you try it, because otherwise…" Machamp grabbed Trodaire and put him in a headlock, which Trodaire tapped out of. "…your opponent will counter, and if they're worth their salt in ground-to-ground combat, they'll get you in a submission hold."
"I've never seen submission holds before, really." Nagi said. Trodaire shrugged.
"They're only recently becoming a 'thing' in Pokemon battling. If anything, they can be a lot safer for the Pokemon fighting because the referees are watching intently, and it adds a bit of excitement to the match. I mean, I was watching a battle on TV the other night and a little Machop beat a Medicham because it got an ankle lock Submission! That was crazy. But I'm getting off topic. Google! Let's see some slams!"
"Goo!" Google chuckled, waving her arms with enthusiasm. That she liked this idea was plain as the nose of a Nosepass. She began practicing, grabbing Machamp and tossing him. Trodaire watched her run for the ropes, giggling as she bounced off them, leaving goo on them as she ran back towards Machamp. The Fighting Pokemon grinned, planning to grab her with its lower arms and teach her a lesson. After a few seconds, its expression got rather 'WTF?' when Google landed on it for the body slam.
This was because its arms weren't moving as far as they could due to the fact that Google's slime she inevitably left behind when she grabbed anything loved to stick to itself and served as an effective movement tangler. Trodaire raised an eyebrow at Machamp's thunderstruck expression.
"I take it that's a natural property of her goo?" Nagi looked up and got a rueful expression.
"Yeah, some Goodra use their slime to slow enemies and prey down. It was how we won against Clemont's Emolga, let him bounce off her enough that he couldn't move much and one well timed Outrage after that he was down. The Heliolisk just kinda soaked it up and whacked her around with Grass Knot afterwards though." After the second body slam Machamp wised up and used its upper set of arms to fling her. Google whined as she landed but scrambled up and gamely tried again. It didn't take long for Machamp to put her in a submission hold and have her tapping out. It looked over at Garden with a goofy grin, only for it's expression to fall when it noticed she wasn't paying much attention. Nagi noticed this and just shook his head.
"That Machamp reminds me of Shauna. The main difference being that unlike Garden I wasn't playing hard to get, I just didn't think of a kid four years my junior like that." Conks let out a huff and waved one of his cement blocks in Machamp's direction as if to say 'get your head back in the game, boy!' Trodaire looked a little blank while Sawk and Throh made exaggerated gagging motions. At least they did until Machamp picked up Google and tossed her giggling on top of them. She cheerfully aided in the duo's humiliation by hugging them both, sliming them liberally in the process.
"You think he's trying to impress Garden? Would that even work?" Nagi chuckled.
"Some guys like women who can thump them into the ground. There's a rumor to the effect that my father first followed my mother because she accidentally plowed into him with Rhyhorn. Not that I'd know, he was one of the wanderers, didn't stick and Mom doesn't talk about him." Google came over, begging for attention in a silly way and cooing when Nagi patted her. Trodaire revised his estimation of her intelligence. Google wasn't as childish as she acted, but being cute and cuddly got her what she wanted, and caused opponents to underestimate her. She'd shape up with regular challenges to her ability.
"Well, looks like Google just needs to work on her ability to endure things, let's run Amber through what we did with Garden earlier. After Throh and Sawk clean themselves off." Trodaire winked at the two, who grumbled off with their arms and gi's stuck to themselves. Trodaire helped Machamp with the slime stuck to it, finding his own fingers stuck to themselves a time or two from it. He chuckled in his head, imagining Claire trying to deal with one. One hug and those fancy dragon master outfits she loved parading about in would be ruined. Unless the Clan had some kind of fabric that would negate the stickiness.
"So, while we're waiting on Thing One and Thing Two, give me a rundown on the Kalos league Gym Masters. What you think of them and such." It was a way to assess what kind of challenges Nagi'd faced from them, and to prepare any trainers Trodaire sent that way. Nagi tilted his head, then began his rundown while he cleaned up the mess Google had made of the ropes.
"Going in the order I did, taking into account that they'd switch teams depending on how far along a trainer is in theory? Santalune's Viola is a Bug type trainer, but that didn't make it easier. Surskit is one of her Pokemon and a good counter to Fire types, weakening moves from both Robina and Amber. Grant from Cyllage is a Rock Type, he's solid and steady, but what really wears most trainers out is getting to him by climbing up the rock walls in the Gym. The gym trainers don't help much either." He patiently untangled a particularly sticky bit of goo from the ropes.
"Korrina of Shalour you'd get on with, she trains Fighting Types. She and her grandfather were also the ones who tested me to see if I could handle the Mega evolution. Her gym trips trainers who aren't expecting it up, you have to skate and skate well to get anywhere. Ramos of Coumarine's gym is built in the branches of a huge tree, he relies on the trainers exhausting themselves swinging from net to net to counter the fact that he uses Grass, that wise old billy-Gogoat. Clemont in Luminose is a science junkie, it's no surprise he loves the Electric type. I really should have battled him second, but there was a power outage in Luminose at the time that prevented it. He runs his gym like Blaine used to run his, a bunch of questions to advance through it. I answered most of them wrong on purpose for the extra experience with the other battlers though. You'd have to be stupid to not be able to tell a Fletchling from a Pidgey. He's hampered by his little sister though, she always jumps in and ruins his speeches. Valerie of Laverre…" Nagi paused, as if thinking. His next sentences were careful.
"I've heard that the Saffron Gym runs similar, warp panels to bring you to the leader on a winding path so that rooms are not logically connected together. Valerie's gym is like that, but the design is rather like a large doll house, the trainer's even wear clothes that make them look doll-like. Valerie herself trains the Fairy type, though how she can move that quick and battle in that outfit eludes me. She was hard, since I couldn't use Tempest or Google and Izanagi is the same typing. She unnerves me. Olympia of Anistar uses Psychic, and her gym is… let's just say it defies several laws of physics. She also speaks like one of those old mentors from a sci-fi film. You know the whole 'Do or Do Not. There is no Try.' style. Wulfric of Snowbelle was the last I faced, he uses Ice types, he's surprisingly cuddly under that façade. He's a big fan of Brycen, but I think he went somewhat easy on me." Nagi finished untangling and cleaning the ropes. Trodaire nodded as Sawk and Throh came bumbling back in, ready for their bout with Amber. Other than the comments on the Fairy type leader, it sounded like Nagi hadn't had any problems with the gyms. Trodaire'd seen the Elite Four, so the problem wasn't there, either.
Amber's rounds went similar to Garden's, though she actually got to throwing back all three. The mage fox looked exhausted by the time she was through, and Nagi cheered her up by handing her one of her favorite Pokepuffs to snack on. Izanagi had already clambered into the ring, tail and ears both perked up with interest. It seemed he looked forward to the chance to repay Machamp for the Bullet Punch from yesterday. There was also the sense of an over-protective big brother watching out for his baby sister, even if he and Garden bore no resemblance to each other what-so-ever.
"So what kind of training are you planning for Izanagi?" Nagi was curious about what kind of training would happen to his fifth oldest Pokemon.
Trodaire glanced over at Machamp, who had successfully cleaned itself off from Goodra's "hug."
"Get in there, big guy." He said. Machamp silently nodded, and then hopped over the top rope. Izanagi snarled, and Machamp continued to stare at it expressionlessly. "So, hot shot…" Trodaire said to Izanagi. "I think it's time we faced one of your fears." He whistled, and there was the sound of grumbling. Old Conks came out from the back of the gym, carrying a cardboard box that was worn and falling apart but clearly carrying something of importance. Trodaire glanced at it and smiled. "We haven't used those babies in a while, have we?" He asked to the rest of the Fight Club staff. There was a general roar of agreement. Conks dropped the box, and Nagi jumped when he heard a loud and metallic CLANG as it hit the ground. Something in there was heavy, and he didn't like that one bit. Trodaire nodded over to Machamp, who reached under the ropes and grabbed some of the things in the box. Nagi had to do a double-take. Were those…armored boxing gloves? Machamp wordlessly applied them to its hands, and Trodaire spoke again. "There are boxing gloves, and then there are BOXING GLOVES. These are the latter. Izanagi, as you can see, not only are these boxing gloves coated in metal…" he paused for dramatic effect. "They're coated in steel."
The look of rage and fear and hatred on Izanagi's face in that moment was so palpable, Nagi wished he had a camera to take a photo of it. He…hissed in rage, staring Machamp directly in the eye. Machamp just grinned a little bit coldly, and flexed his pectorals as menacingly as he could. Trodaire just rolled his eyes before he spoke again.
"The rules for this are simple. All Machamp is gonna do is throw Bullet Punches. The gloves will slow him down, but not by much. They'll also increase the power of the punches. We're gonna build up your resistance to this stuff, hot shot." He said.
"Uh…Izanagi is weak against Steel." Nagi said blandly.
"…So?" Trodaire asked.
"So I don't think you can improve his natural resistance." Nagi said.
"…Yeah we can." Trodaire said with a wink. He glanced at Izanagi. "Simple rules for you, hot shot! Knock. Him. Out. Think you can do that?" He asked the Eeveelution. Izanagi nodded, stone-cold in its focus. Nagi couldn't help but lean forward on the ropes and watch. This should be good.
"GO!" Trodaire shouted, blowing the whistle hanging around his neck.
Izanagi darted forward, glowing slightly as he moved. Machamp immediately started punching. The speed that the Fighting type had was truly incredible, Nagi felt that if it was moving any faster it would be impossible to catch with the naked eye. Izanagi kept darting in and out of reach of the flurry of punches, before finally striking Machamp right in the nose. It bounced off of the goliath like a pinball, and got back into a fighting stance. Machamp growled, wiping its nose reflexively. Another charge, and another series of darting in and out of reach. But this time Machamp changed tactics.
It had been moving in a relatively predictable pattern. Upper left, lower right, upper right, lower left. Now it went completely at random, and then even threw two punches at once. One of them connected with Izanagi's chin, in a vicious uppercut. The Eeveelution wailed with pain as it was sent flying straight up in the air, and Machamp began winding up for the finishing uppercut that would end the fight.
But while it was in midair, Izanagi tucked itself into a ball and began spinning. It spun faster and faster, and began to glow a brilliant white light. It moved like a wink, zipping past Machamp's haymaker like it was thrown by a drunkard and smashed into the Fighting type's nose again. There was a sickening crunch, and Machamp yelped in pain. It clutched its face, and blood began pouring out of its nose. Izanagi hesitated, no doubt worried if it had hurt the big lummox as badly as it thought it had. Only for those fears to be put to rest as a fist came out of nowhere and connected with the side of the Eeveelution's head. Izanagi was knocked out before it even knew what had happened.
Trodaire whistled, and then vaulted over the top ropes with a medical kit. He immediately started applying care to his partner's battered face, while at the same time instructing Throh and Sawk to restore Izanagi to consciousness. The two fighting types argued over who had to be the one to do mouth to mouth, before that was settled when Nagi quickly slipped under their noses and fed Izanagi a Revive. The Eeveelution blinked once, and then as soon as its senses had returned gnashed its teeth and growled at Machamp. Because Trodaire was so busy working on Machamp's face, he didn't notice that Machamp had taken the liberty to extend towards Izanagi all four of its hands, each holding a very particular rude gesture. Despite themselves, Nagi and Garden started laughing.
"You asked for it, you big moron." Trodaire scolded the Fighting type. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop waiting for that uppercut to come to you? You go to the foe!" He groaned, and then turned back to Izanagi and Nagi. "Izzy over there did a nice job. I'll call it a tie for today. But for a cheap shot, I think that it would've won…though, on the other hand, Izanagi let its guard down so that wasn't the smartest thing for it to have done."
Nagi could hardly argue with that line of logic, and quietly escorted Izanagi off the ring.
Next came Robina. This time, Trodaire decided to focus on technique. He grabbed a giant, fluffy mat that stunt people used to break their falls from death-defying jumps, and told Robina to crash into it like it was practicing to be a Brave Bird. It took a demonstration from Trodaire hopping off the top turnbuckle in the corner onto the mat, but before long Robina was executing the move with gusto. Trodaire had to marvel at how fast the bird could speed from the air to the mat, and knew that if he tried jumping up to intercept Robina he'd be cut in half…
…Now there's an idea…
"Free Bird! Catch!" Trodaire shouted as Robina was about to make another nosedive. Trodaire had grabbed one of the useless heavy bags in the corner of the trash, and had thrown it in the air with a mighty heave. Robina was too surprised by this to change direction, so with a determined shriek plowed right through. There was an explosion of fluff as the bird tore right through the heavy bag, before crashing unceremoniously onto the mat. Trodaire was beside himself with glee.
"All right!" He shouted. "We've not only found a way for Free Bird here to attack the foe with that Brave Bird…we've also found a garbage disposal procedure!" He said, laughing in between every word or so. Even Nagi had to laugh out loud at that. And he kept laughing. It wasn't a chuckle, or a reserved "heh-heh." It was a full-out belly laugh. He couldn't stop himself. He had to sit down, and wiped a tear out of his eye as he pictured Robina in a trash collector's outfit forgoing the garbage truck in favor of ripping apart trash bags with its bare beak and talons. He stopped, a goofy smile on his face. Garden noticed her master's change in mood, and smiled. Trodaire noticed it too. "Well, I'll be damned. The stone-faced Kalosian has a sense of humor after all, huh?" He asked. Nagi shrugged, the smile still on his face.
"I dunno. It was funny, that's all." He said. Trodaire chuckled.
"Damn right it's funny! Now, that's five Pokemon that have gotten a workout today. Who's left?..." He trailed off. "Oh, of course she's left. Our little firebrand, her majesty."
Nagi looked down at the ground, slightly embarrassed. Trodaire cleared his throat so that Nagi would look back up at him.
"Don't be so glum. We'll whip her into shape. But…I don't think I can do that by myself. Which is okay! It's okay to know what your limits are, because then you get someone who can compliment you and augment your talents. And you get better because of that. As a matter of fact, I know a guy who's wanted to help me with someone for the longest time. I kept telling him that I didn't have anyone that would pique his curiosity, and he always told me that I was being too picky. But Tempest…that's a girl I think he would do well to work with. And I think you might like him as a person yourself, Nagi. He should be coming in in a few minutes. Paulie went out to get him at the train station."
They waited patiently for a few minutes more, Nagi's brain racking as he tried to think who this person might be. Then, the door opened.
"Always a pleasure teh sees yah, yer majesty!" Paulie said, holding the door open for his unseen guest.
"Please, Paulie. I am about as far from royalty as one gets." The man stepped through the door. Nagi felt his chest heave.
He was about six feet tall, average height for a man. His hair was cut short, dark brown with a creep of grey coming in. He wore glasses that looked like a regular suburban dad's reading glasses, and was dressed in equally bland clothes. His skin was pale the way most people from Kanto or Johto were, and he was a little bit thin from age. If you saw him on the other side of the street, you would have thought nothing of him. But Nagi was close enough to see that legendary emblem pinned to the chest of his coat, and knew exactly who he was.
The man glanced up to the ring, and made eye contact with Nagi.
"Ah, you must be Nagi!" He said pleasantly. "Trodaire's told me so much about you and your team. I look forward to helping work with you for a bit." He took off his coat, revealing that he was wearing a red flannel shirt underneath it. "Forgive me, where are my manners? Let me introduce myself."
"I…I know who you are, Grandmaster Arach." Nagi managed to squeak out in awe.